Hong Kong: Wetland park plan supported The Town Planning Board today agreed to the establishment of a 338-hectare Sam Po Shue Wetland Conservation Park to achieve the dual goals of strengthening wetland conservation and making wetland compensation. The board also agreed to gazette the new draft San Tin Technopole Outline Zoning Plan (OZP) and the proposed amendments to the approved OZP for Ngau Tam Mei and that for Mai Po & Fairview Park OZP for public consultation in accordance with the Town Planning Ordinance. The OZPs provided statutory planning framework for the San Tin Technopole and the Sam Po Shue Wetland Conservation Park development, with the OZP for the technopole also covering the area near the proposed San Tin Station of the Northern Link. The overall development would provide about 50,000 residential units and about 165,000 employment opportunities. The board members considered that the technopole would be particularly important for the realisation of Hong Kong's role as an international innovation and technology (I&T) hub and the development of the I&T industry. The members generally agreed with the planning layout that I&T land should be located in the north as an extension of the Lok Ma Chau Loop, while San Tin Town Centre, which was mainly a residential community, should be located in the south. Concerning the establishment of the Sam Po Shue Wetland Conservation Park, given that about 90 hectares of fishponds would be filled for the development of the technopole, the members noted that the environmental impact assessment report recommended increasing the ecological value of the wetlands with active conservation measures so that no net loss would be incurred in the ecological function or carrying capacity of the fishponds. Whilst acknowledging the concerns of the public on the proposed development, a majority of the Town Planning Board members considered the land use planning of the OZPs had already struck a balance between development and conservation. Some of the board members thought that the Government should formulate the implementation and management details of the wetland park as soon as possible and suggested that a monitoring mechanism should be in place to ensure the future operation of the park could achieve no net loss of ecological function. Apart from pointing out that the draft OZPs for San Tin Technopole, Ngau Tam Mei, and Mai Po & Fairview Park will be exhibited for two-months, the Planning Department indicated that during such time, people can submit representations. This story has been published on: 2024-02-24. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Eurasian Economic Summit highlights China' growing role in building better world for all Xinhua) 10:25, February 24, 2024 Zahari Zahariev, chairman of the Bulgaria National Association for the Belt and Road, speaks at the 27th Eurasian Economic Summit in Istanbul, Trkiye, Feb. 22, 2024. (Photo by Safar Rajabov/Xinhua) ISTANBUL, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- The 27th Eurasian Economic Summit, which ended on Thursday in Trkiye's cultural and financial hub of Istanbul, highlighted China's growing role in building a better world for all. "It is impossible to talk about international relations in the 21st century without paying tribute to China's special role in building a new, much more functional and much more secure international relations," Zahari Zahariev, chairman of the Bulgaria National Association for the Belt and Road, told Xinhua after his speech at the summit. Zahariev said that over the past decade, China has been contributing to laying the foundations for a world civilization through inclusive initiatives based on the principle of win-win. "We are living in a very transitional period. There are many risks confronting the future of mankind," Zahariev said, noting China has been struggling to create a better world for all. Speakers and participants at the summit's panels praised the BRI, which is marking its 11th anniversary. Vladimir Norov, former foreign minister of Uzbekistan and former secretary general of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), especially praised China's transportation projects, which connect Asia with Europe. Such projects have been creating significant economic growth and sustainable development for many countries, he said. Speaking at a panel titled "Longing for Peace: Belt and Road Is 11 Years Old," Norov also noted that China's initiatives will help to solve global problems like climate change, food security and poverty. Liu Gang, president of the Xinhua Institute, a Chinese think tank, said over the past 10-plus years, the BRI, spanning diverse civilizations, cultures, social systems and development stages, has forged new paths for interactions among countries. "It has constructed a new framework for international cooperation, seeking the widest possible converging interests for the shared development of humanity," Liu said. Two research reports presented by the Xinhua Institute, namely "The Belt and Road Development Studies -- A Synergy Approach to Global Development" and "For a Better World -- Looking at the Past Decade of Jointly Pursuing the Belt and Road Initiative from a Human Rights Perspective," were well received by experts and scholars at the summit. Organized by the Istanbul-based Marmara Group Strategic and Social Research Foundation, the two-day summit attracted more than 300 political figures, diplomats, academics and business people from around 40 countries. Themed "From Crises to Stability, Building an Inclusive World," the summit aimed to address global issues such as peace, climate change, water supply and artificial intelligence. (Web editor: Xue Yanyan, Hongyu) War in Ukraine enters third year By Kim Hyun-bin Ukrainian Ambassador to South Korea Dmytro Ponomarenko has urged South Korea to reassess its stance on supplying lethal weapons to the war-torn country as Russia continues to extensively utilize arms sourced from Iran and North Korea. We hope that the South Korean government finds it possible to reconsider its position and allow providing Ukraine with weapons. Highly sophisticated weapons produced in South Korea could be instrumental in changing the situation on the battlefield in our favor, Ponomarenko said during a written interview with The Korea Times. Given the scale of todays war, we need a vast number of weapons and ammunition. Top priorities include modern aircraft, air defense, artillery ammunition, drones, electronic warfare and armored vehicles. Seoul has maintained its position of providing non-lethal, humanitarian aid to Ukraine due to a possible issue in its diplomatic ties with Russia. Nonetheless, he expressed gratitude for Korea's assistance in providing non-lethal aid. We are very grateful to the Republic of Korea and its people for their support and solidarity with Ukraine. All the medicines and medical equipment, computers, ambulances, pickup trucks, protective gear, generators, mini excavators, demining equipment, fire trucks provided by the South Korean government and non-governmental organizations are much needed and deeply appreciated in Ukraine, he said. Ponomarenko stressed the war has devastating effects on all spheres of life in Ukraine as Russia spares no effort or means to inflict maximum damage, while utilizing weapons provided by Iran and North Korea. Before Russia captures a town or village in Ukraine, it destroys it completely, leaving only ruins. Entire agglomerations in Donetsk region, where hundreds of thousands of people lived, have been wiped out, he said. In the winter months, Russian troops increased the number of massive, combined attacks on Ukrainian territory using Iranian-made attack drones and North Korean missiles of various types, including cruise, air, ballistic and anti-aircraft guided missiles. In 2023, Ukraine overcame 6,000 air alerts. He emphasized that while the war commemorates its second anniversary on Saturday, it is merely a chapter in a larger narrative, as the conflict against Russia has persisted for eight years. "The war itself started in 2014 when Russia occupied the Ukrainian Crimea Peninsula and invaded its eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk. Two years ago, Russias invasion in Ukraine began," Ponomarenko said. Despite numerous peace talks and cease-fire agreements, the situation escalated dramatically in Feb. 24, 2022, when Russia initiated a full-scale war, shattering hopes for a resolution. "Our stance is simple. Ukraine did not start a conflict with Russia. It is Russia that began an unjustifiable invasion into our territory in violation of all norms of international law and rules-based order. We will continue fighting to liberate our country from foreign occupation," he added. The ambassador pointed out that the sticking point in a possible ceasefire is Russian President Vladimir Putins determination to destroy Ukraine, adding that the Kremlin regime will not stop the war until it is defeated on the battlefield. When Russia says it is willing to negotiate, it means negotiating Ukraine's capitulation. What Moscow calls peace talks are actually occupation talks. Russia wants to be able to bite off a portion of Ukrainian territory and then bite off more when the time is right, the ambassador said. No other country wants peace more than Ukraine. But we also know that the path to true and just peace lies through battlefield success and throwing occupiers out of Ukrainian land. Our main objective has been and remains the same from the start of Russian invasion to liberate our lands from foreign occupation. Discussing the profound impact on Ukraine's economy and infrastructure, Ponomarenko highlighted staggering figures, stating, "The devastation caused by Russia is currently estimated at $411 billion. Over 149,000 civilian infrastructure facilities have been damaged or destroyed." He emphasized the toll on civilians, with more than 11,000 lives lost, including 526 children, and nearly 19,000 civilians wounded. "There are over 6 million internally displaced persons from all over the country officially registered in Ukraine alone," Ponomarenko added, underscoring the psychological trauma inflicted by constant shelling and loss of homes, prompting the launch of a national mental health program called How are you? to provide support. Looking to the future, Ponomarenko expressed hope for South Korea's involvement in post-war reconstruction efforts believing its extensive experience in the field could play an important role in the restoration of Ukraine. The Owasso Police Department has released body cam footage of a school resource officer's interview with Nex Benedict, the Oklahoma 16-year-old who died a day after being involved in a fight that broke out in a high school bathroom. Owasso student Nex Benedict "So what happened today?" the officer, Caleb Thompson, asks. "I got jumped," Nex says. Nex's mother, Sue Benedict, interjects and tells the officer that Nex had complained to her of being bullied. "[Nex] said mom, these three girls there, they're making comments, they're calling us names, they're throwing stuff at us." Sue Benedict said she told Nex to rise above it. "[Nex] did, until [they] couldn't, in the bathroom," Sue Benedict tells the officer. More: What we know and what we don't about death of Oklahoma teen Nex Benedict The interview took place at an Owasso hospital about two hours after the Feb. 7 fight. Nex was later discharged from the hospital. But shortly before 3 p.m. the next day, Sue Benedict called 911 to report Nex was experiencing medical issues, including shallow breathing. Benedict told the 911 operator about the altercation at school and said Nex had hit their head on the bathroom floor, according to a search warrant issued in the case. In the interview with Thompson, Nex tells the officer the altercation took place around 1 p.m. when Nex and their friends were in the bathroom and the other three girls made fun of them. "They said something like 'why do they laugh like that,' and they were talking about us, in front of us," Nex tells Thompson. "So I went up and poured water on them and all three of them came at me." The girls took Nex's feet out from under them and started beating as they lay on the ground, Nex told the officer. They said their friends tried to pull the girls off before they blacked out. The death of Nex Benedict has prompted widespread attention and nationwide calls for schools to better protect students who may be bullied because of their gender and sexual identities. Nex, a sophomore at Owasso High School, used they/them and he/him pronouns and identified as gender expansive, an umbrella term that describes people whose gender identity expands beyond traditional gender norms, according to the National Institutes of Health. Nex had previously been bullied because of their gender identity, friends of Nex told an advocacy group. Authorities are investigating what led up to the fight and whether Nex was targeted because of their gender identity. While the Owasso Police Department said Wednesday that Nex's death was not the result of injuries from a fight, its statement added that the findings were preliminary and investigations by the medical examiner's office and the police department remain underway. The police statement provided no additional details but said an official autopsy would later be released. More: Reactions to state senator calling LGBTQ+ 'filth': 'Words have power, and consequences' Nex's family says though many questions remain unanswered, the facts of the case so far are troubling. They plan to conduct an independent investigation, relatives confirmed in a statement issued Wednesday. They also urged officials to "hold those responsible to account and to ensure it never happens again." In the 21-minute bodycam footage, the officer spends little time asking Nex about the actions of the three girls that led up to the altercation. He also never asks why Nex thought the girls were antagonizing them. He asked Nex why they never reported the girls' actions to school officials. "I didn't really see the point," Nex responded. "I told my mom." At some points in the interview, the officer refers to the verbal interactions between the girls as "bantering." In the search warrant, which a judge signed on Feb. 9, Penny Hamrick, an Owasso Police detective, wrote that Sue Benedict did not want to pursue assault charges against the other students at the time but asked the police to talk with school administrators about what had happened. In the hospital interview, Thompson appears to dissuade Sue Benedict and Nex from filing charges. He tells them that he could file an assault charge against the girls but that it could mean assault charges for Nex as well for throwing water on them. "You got freedom of speech," the officer tells them, referring to the three girls' alleged taunts. "The minute you threw water on them you made the first jab. It may not go the direction you want it to go." "Running the mouth is freedom of speech, unfortunately," the officer adds. "You can say mean, hurtful things all day long and you gotta let it roll off your shoulder." Sue Benedict said "what about cause there were three of them, and (Nex) only threw water on one." Thompson replies that it doesn't matter from a criminal aspect because Nex started "the domino effect" that led to the fight. He said it would matter to the school, which would likely discipline all the students involved. Sue Benedict tells Thompson she would like him to ask school officials why they didn't alert police immediately after the fight. "They dropped the ball on this one not notifying me right away," Thompson tells her. Sue Benedict adds that she wants the three girls parents to know what happened. "Those girls started everything from the get go," she tells Thompson. This is a developing story. This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma teen dies: Owasso police bodycam footage of interview The two most active political action committees seeking to influence the outcome of the Springfield school board election have collectively amassed more than $210,000 to support candidates but their donor bases could not be more different. The new United Springfield PAC co-chaired by Jim Anderson and Terri McQueary has raised $120,992 since its creation in late October, according to a campaign finance report filed Thursday with the Missouri Ethics Commission. The group has raised $27,625 since filing its first report in mid-January. Two political action committees have been active in the Springfield school board election. In all, more than 50 individuals civic leaders, business owners, elected officials and others have donated money or in-kind services. The Back on Track America PAC, which has been active in recent elections, has raised at least $89,514. The group is led by Dianne Ely but does not list members of its steering committee online. An updated report was not filed by the Feb. 22 deadline but the group previously reported $69,514 in mid-January and two donations of $10,000 in weeks that followed. However, all but $1,155 of the $46,155 donated since October of last year came from two donors $25,000 from the Cook Family Foundation in Ozark and $20,000 from Ely, a self-employed beauty consultant. The Cook Family Foundation is a philanthropic venture from the family that runs the Loren Cook Company in Springfield. It has mostly donated to nonprofits that help families and animals. The Springfield manufacturing company hosted former President Donald Trump during a visit in 2017. Loren Cook, who leads the company, also separately donated $15,000 or $5,000 each to incumbent Maryam Mohammadkhani as well as candidates Landon McCarter and Chad Rollins. The Back on Track PAC endorsed Mohammakdhani as well as as McCarter and Rollins, who also ran last year. The group has backed the three in past elections. More: Campaign fundraising by SPS school board candidates tops $205K, with 5 weeks still to go This is the first year United Springfield has endorsed candidates. It is backing incumbents Danielle Kincaid and Scott Crise as well as first-time candidate Susan Provance. The co-chairs and members of the steering committee, which are listed online, have also donated to the candidates that were endorsed. The PAC was created to support candidates in school board and city council races that are required by state law to be nonpartisan. Organizers said the PAC is a direct response to a dramatic increase in the participation of partisan and "dark money" groups that opt not to disclose donor names in local elections. The steering committee includes Raylene Appleby, president of PJC Insurance Agency; Orin Cummings, pastor of Messiah Lutheran Church; Jeff Johnson, retired urologist at Mercy Hospital; Julie Leeth, a retired Springfield educator who worked to strength public schools through the Community Foundation of the Ozarks; Alina Lehnert, leadership expert and former school board member; Tom Prater, eye surgeon and former member of the school board and City Council; and Gail Smart, a community volunteer and wife of Missouri State University president Clif Smart. The donations In mid-January, the Back on Track PAC reported $69,514 in donations including $26,155 raised in that quarter. Most came from a $25,000 gift from the Cook Family Foundation. Ely made $10,000 donations on Jan. 25 and Feb. 13, which were reportedly between the campaign filing deadlines, as required due to their amount. More: Back on Track America PAC reports donations, endorses 3 school board candidates The additional $27,625 raised by United Springfield since the mid-January deadline included $2,500 in in-kind donations from Alina Lehnert. The latest round of donations came from these individuals, some of whom have donated previously: $5,000 Bryan Magers; $2,500 Robert Baird, Sally Baird, Shannon Gregg, Chandler Gregg; $2,000 David O'Reilly; $1,000 William Turner, Darren Lehnert; $500 Mark Nelson, John Carnahan, Mark McQueary, Mark Walker, Tom Finnie, Orin Cummings, David Appleby; $300 Terry Bond; $250 Steve Ingalsbe, Gary Whitaker; $300 Greg Burris; $200 Art Hains; $100 Jacob Thomas, Charity Elmer, Jane Huffstetler, Wes Zongker, Joyce Schearf, Linda Bourg, Carol Taylor, Julie Leeth, Angie Harrell, Doug Pilant, Fred Hall; $50 Andrew Baird, Art Farris; $25 Sandy Vekasy. This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Who's donating to PACs backing Springfield school board candidates? Palestinians crowd a market in Rafah, Gaza Strip, Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024. An estimated 1.5 million Palestinians displaced by the war took refuge in Rafahor, which is likely Israel's next focus in its war against Hamas. (AP Photo/Mohammed Dahman) RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) In the narrow crevices between the tents that crowd nearly every inch of the southern Gaza town of Rafah, Palestinians cling to life amid the grinding war with Israel. A barefoot boy wears a pot on his head and beams a smile. A child lugs a jerry can half his size full of water. Men sit at half-empty tables selling canned goods. A tapestry of laundry hangs from every line. The worlds gaze is on Rafah, the once-sleepy town along the Egyptian border that is likely Israels next focus in its fight against Hamas. Rafah has swelled in size in recent weeks. Hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians have splayed out across the town in tents or at the homes of friends or relatives. The estimated 1.5 million people sheltering there more than half of Gazas population have nowhere to flee in the face of an offensive that has leveled large swaths of the urban landscape in the rest of the territory. U.N. officials warn that an attack on Rafah will be catastrophic, with more than 600,000 children in the path of an assault. A move on the town and surrounding area also could cause the collapse of the humanitarian aid system struggling to keep Gazas population alive. Israels Western allies have also expressed concern. Israel says it must take Rafah to ensure Hamas destruction and to free hostages held by the militants. Food, like everywhere in the Gaza Strip, is scarce. Throngs of people crowd around a bakery, hoping for a few pitas to feed their families. Others bake their own in mud stoves with whatever flour they could get. One child, seated on an older childs shoulders, reveled in the first bite of the fluffy bread. The streets with no tents are packed with crowds of Palestinians hustling to sustain their families. The mundane drumbeat of life continues in some places. A boy gets a haircut. A girl dons an oversized sheer pink floral dress. Women and a child avoid a large puddle near a mass of tents. And in a surreal snapshot of joy, children spin around on a makeshift, manually operated Ferris wheel, turning and turning as the war now in its fifth month rolls on. ___ Find more of APs coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war French President Emmanuel Macron was met with whistles and insults from angry protesters who clashed with police ahead of the opening of Frances annual Agriculture Show in Paris on Saturday. This comes as farmers continue to protest in France and Europe over rising costs and dropping revenue. Facing dozens of policemen inside the trade fair, the farmers were shouting and booing, calling for Macron to resign, using expletives aimed at the French leader. Shortly afterwards, Macron began his traditional visit with a breakfast meeting with trade union leaders, behind closed doors, before addressing the press. He called for the fair to go ahead in a "calm" atmosphere and condemned the clashes between farmers and police officers earlier in the morning. However, he cancelled a debate he wanted to hold at the farm fair on Saturday with farmers, food processors and retailers, after farmers unions said they would not show up. Horizon 2040 Instead, Macron proposed to hold a consultation "with all trade union organisations" in three weeks time at the Elysee palace, in particular to "consolidate emergency measures" and "build a French and European agricultural future plan for 2040". In 2019, following months of weekly yellow vest protests, Macron launched a similar consultation or 'Great national debate' to gather proposals to address the protesters grievances. He said a specific plan for livestock breeders, who are particularly suffering from a drop in income, will be presented at the agriculture fair. Read more on RFI English Read also: Farmers' protests in France: a long and sometimes deadly history Leading French farmers' union warns motorway blockades could resume EU chief bows to protesting farmers on pesticide use A Parker County judge has dismissed part of a lawsuit brought by the former CEO of Tri-County Electric Cooperative against its board and the co-ops chief financial officer. In a Feb. 14 ruling, Judge Craig Towson sided with CFO Melissa Watts and granted a summary judgment by dismissing the claims of conspiracy and defamation against her. They were part of a lawsuit filed by former CEO Darryl Schriver, who was fired July 28 after a review of information by the co-ops board of directors. Among the allegations against Schriver are that he forged a board members signature to give himself a raise and used the company credit card for personal purchases. Schriver filed a lawsuit in September against the co-op, its board and Watts. He claimed he was defamed by the board and that it conspired to fire him because he wouldnt participate in illegal activities. Schriver had served as the president/CEO since 2017 and worked in the electric co-op industry for more than 20 years. Schriver is asking for damages over $1 million, that he be reinstated to his position as CEO and that he be allowed to receive the multi-million-dollar pension plan hed been promised if he would stay with the company until 2029. He is requesting a jury trial. Schrivers attorney declined to comment. The Aledo-based co-op provides electricity to customers in 16 counties. MADERA, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) A Madera Unified Substitute Safety Officer has been arrested after she was allegedly found to be in a relationship with a 16-year-old, the Madera Police Department announced Friday. According to police, 21-year-old Kimberly Lorenzo, a Substitute Safety Officer with the Madera Unified School District, was involved in a sexual relationship with the unidentified 16-year-old student. Kimberly Lorenzo, 21 (image courtesy of the Madera County Sheriffs Office) Officers say they became aware of a possible inappropriate sexual relationship between a Madera Unified School District employee and a juvenile high school student on Thursday. After a complete and thorough investigation, officers say Lorenzo was arrested and booked into the Madera County Jail. The Madera Unified School District released a statement on Friday, saying that Lorenzo is no longer associated with the district. Madera Unified leadership has learned about the arrest of one of its substitute staff members on February 22, 2024. Following the arrest and allegations, the substitute staff member was released and is no longer associated with the school district. The investigation is ongoing, and as good partners, the school district will support the Madera Police Department. We have been advised not to comment on the arrest or the ongoing investigation. Madera Unified School District Leadership Anyone with further information related to the Madera Police investigation is asked to contact officers at 559-675-4220. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to YourCentralValley.com | KSEE24 and CBS47. By Jon Dunbar Staring at walls has never been so captivating, with the release of "Scratch Tile: Frank Lloyd Wright's Material Influence on East Asian Modern Architecture" by American researcher Nate Kornegay and Korean historian Suk Ji-hoon. What started as a relatively straightforward inquiry into legendary U.S. architect Frank Lloyd Wright's possible connection to Korean buildings led the two down a nine-year rabbit hole that resulted in this massive book roughly the size and weight of a brick and decorated accordingly on the front cover. While the cover introduces those who come across this tome to the look and texture of the titular scratch tiles, it doesn't quite prepare the reader for what's inside it's basically a picture book containing 478 images collected from modern buildings, most still standing, that have been meticulously photographed, captioned and indexed. "What I'm still continually surprised by is the commonality of these scratch tile-related textures," Kornegay told The Korea Times. "You start to see examples everywhere once you know what to look for. Not only can you find them in every major East Asian city but also in virtually every American town that had a building boom between the 1920s1940s. Rough-textured materials took on a life of their own, moving beyond geography, culture, society and politics." The pictures are from around the world, including the United States, Japan and its wartime colonies, mainly Korea and Taiwan. "I had to physically visit many of the buildings in person to confirm whether or not they used some kind of scratch tile or scratch tile derivative," Kornegay said. Even in the U.S., every architectural example included in the book needed to be photographed in order to verify the kind of textured brick or tile on each building. The travel involved in all of this, while certainly fun, was a big challenge, and there are many places we still haven't visited that probably have scratch tile-related architecture." The architecture of these buildings alone is remarkable, but Kornegay and Suk fixate on one feature in this 528-page book: the scratch tile. "It's just where the research took us," Kornegay said concerning the focus of the book. "What started as a simple question regarding how Frank Lloyd Wright might be connected to buildings in Korea led to a long journey centered around scratch tile, its origins in the United States and its evolution in East Asia." This textured brick material originating in the state of Ohio in the 1910s arrived in Asia in 1919, with the construction of the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Scratch tiles, which were produced locally at Japanese brickworks, soon spread to the Korean Peninsula, at the time a colony of Japan. Many important building constructed here in the 1920s and 1930s was built with this type of brick. The material continued being used even after the war, and appeared in some traditional Korean houses known as hanok built in Seoul in the 1960s. Included are a handful of buildings that should be familiar to some Korea-based readers, such as the former main admin building of Keijo Imperial University, now Seoul National University, the North Chungcheong Provincial Office in Cheongju and Chungjeong Apartment in Seoul, but most of the buildings documented are even more obscure, but still fascinating to study. The book includes several photos of hanok that exemplify the material, some of which were contributed by urban explorer Ryan Berkebile, who photographed the houses in redevelopment zones before they were destroyed permanently. "There had been almost no serious research on the subject done before, so we had to figure out so many things," Suk said. "The sheer amount of buildings built using this particular material is one thing, and the amount of efforts to produce these tiles locally [in Japan, Korea, etc.] was another discovery that we made through research." The vast majority of buildings explored in this book, at least the ones in Korea, were built during the 191045 Japanese occupation of Korea. As Suk noted, architecture representing this era is often met with animosity in Korea, with Japanese-style homes of the time being called "jeok-san ga-ok," an abbreviated phrase meaning "enemy house" in English. "Dismissing these buildings merely as 'leftovers' of Japanese imperialism is just not the proper way of thinking about the legacies of these buildings in modern East Asia and Korea," Suk said. "As we tried to argue early in the book, it is really a fascinating case of an international cultural, architectural [and] design movement that has spread over time by a variety of driving factors, and 'Japanese imperialism' has little to no role in this, in my opinion. By talking about the multifaceted origins of scratch tile, we were trying to argue that the 'modernity' as we know today in modern Korea is not necessarily originated from a single source [in essence, Japan] but rather a combination of several factors, situated diversely in the international, socio-cultural contexts." Kornegay agreed with Suk, saying that calling the scratch tile a symbol of Japanese imperialism wouldn't fully represent what is now known about the tile's origin and subsequent history. "Its texture originated in the United States and evolved alongside many varieties of architectural finishing materials across East Asia. Scratch tile's history is perhaps more emblematic of both the way and the speed that architectural ideas were able to globally spread even 100 years ago," he said. "I think the draw is in the story, the way it reminds us that there is significance in the mundane and how it focuses on the ripple effects of the stone cast into the pond rather than the stone itself. There is value in understanding why the built environment around us looks the way that it does." This book is either the definitive work on scratch tiles, or it will lead to much further study. Follow @giwahousepress on Instagram or visit giwahousepress.com for more information. UPDATE: Pittsburgh police say Alayna Hines was found safe. Pittsburgh police are searching for a missing 11-year-old girl. Alayna Hines was last seen leaving her home in the 1300 block of Collier Street at 3:30 p.m. Friday. She was wearing a black sweatshirt, ripped blue jeans, white Nike shoes and carrying a Mickey Mouse backpack. Alayna is 4 feet, 10 inches tall and weighs 110 pounds. She has black hair and brown eyes. Anyone with information on her whereabouts is asked to call 412-323-7141 or 911. Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW TRENDING NOW: Avella man, 21, killed in single-vehicle crash Allegheny County, Pittsburgh to enact Code Blue this weekend Cyberattack causes prescription delays at pharmacies nationwide VIDEO: Pittsburghers will get partial view of upcoming eclipse; for a better view, plan a trip to Erie DOWNLOAD the Channel 11 News app for breaking news alerts A small plane made an emergency landing on a Cape Coral residential road at about 10 a.m. Saturday, according to authorities. The Cape Coral Fire Department initially reported minor injuries to the one person on board after the incident on Vogiantzis Parkway, near Andalusia Boulevard, but later updated, saying the pilot, whom the department described as "experienced" in aviation, was not injured. "The roadway will be closed for a prolonged time," the department said in a statement. "Vogiantzis Parkway will be closed until further notice from N.E. 38th Terrace to N.E. 10th Avenue." This comes just over two weeks after a Bombardier Challenger 600 jet crashed on southbound Interstate 75 near Pine Ridge Road in Naples, killing two. Here's what we know. Where did the flight depart from prior to emergency landing? In Saturday morning's mishap, the single-engine aircraft had flown out of Pine Shadows Airport in North Fort Myers, according to the fire department. The pilot reported a possible engine failure, said the FAA, which is investigating what happened. Plane makes emergency landing on Cape Coral residential road on Feb. 24, 2024. How far had plane traveled before Cape Coral emergency? Aviation records show the 1998 Bellanca 17-30A had departed at 9:56 a.m. from Pine Shadows adjacent to where the airplane owner lives, before the crash landing within about five minutes at Vogiantzis and Gator Circle. A long-time Lee County resident, William Howard, 67, purchased his home in the Pine Shadows Air Park community in 1993 and had registered the craft with the FAA exactly a year ago, Feb. 24, 2023, according to Lee County public records and information, courtesy of FlightAware (flightaware.com). The latter indicates no other usage of the four-seater in at least the past three months. Flight path, courtesy of FlightAware (flightaware.com), from North Fort Myers of plane making emergency landing in Cape Coral on Feb. 24, 2024. Lee County Port Authority, Lee County Emergency Medical Services and Cape Coral Police were among the entities that assisted the fire department at the crash landing scene Saturday. With an array of single-family homes nearby, crews surrounded the aircraft with special foam as a precaution, but no blaze was seen or reported, according to Cape fire. Besides houses, many on canals, the area is peppered with open lots and a few construction sites nearby. Plane makes emergency landing on Cape Coral residential road on Feb. 24, 2024. How was North Fort Myers aircraft able to make the landing? Neighbors shared what they saw on social media. "He missed my house. Im on that canal he went over. He did a heck of a job," said resident Tammy Marie. "No homes hit and he pretty much was able to belly land the plane. (Could) have been so much worse." Plane makes emergency landing on Cape Coral residential road on Feb. 24, 2024. Where did the airplane end up after making the SWFL landing? Neighbor Cynthia Ellen agreed with that assessment. "I swear it was going to hit my house," she said. "He was coming down fast. Im glad he is OK." The plane was sitting in an eastbound lane, which also happens to be on a bridge over a canal. For some motorists, it meant a detour of a couple of miles to get around where they were headed. "He missed a canal behind and in front of that property," said resident Robin Fernandez. "This is four streets from my house." Flight path, courtesy of FlightRadar24, of plane making emergency landing in a Cape Coral neighborhood on Feb. 24, 2024 after taking off from a North Fort Myers strip. What businesses had been operated by the NFM plane owner? Cape Coral resident Heather Alexander described it as a "phenomenal job. "It was just a rough landing. But the pilot did amazing. No one died, no homes hit, no cars damaged." Howard, the plane owner, has managed or owned past various flight-related organizations including Sailplane Tow Service and Howard Flight Operations, which was based in his Pine Shadows neighborhood, according to state records. Plane makes emergency landing on Cape Coral residential road on Feb. 24, 2024. Tourism: Major Great Wolf Lodge prototype, first in Florida, targets water park launch in SWFL What is the Pine Shadows Air Park in Southwest Florida? At Pine Shadows, every resident has a hangar behind their home, and planes taxi through the streets to a private runaway. A small plane made an emergency landing on Vogiantzis Pkwy. in northeast Cape Coral Saturday, February 24, 2024. The pilot did not suffer any serious injuries. What crashes and other incidents have involved Pine Shadows? Other incidents have occurred tied to the strip that dates back more than four decades, according to News-Press archives including: an original developer of the subdivision and a passenger dying when their plane took a nose dive after takeoff there in 1988; a Cessna that had just taken off in 1991, crashing into a vacant house and damaging three others while injuring five who had been on the aircraft; Plane makes emergency landing on Cape Coral residential road on Feb. 24, 2024. a pilot getting ready to land there in 1993 ran out of fuel and crashed in a field but was not injured; the 1997 death of a pilot who crashed after taking off, having engine trouble and trying to return to the runway; a plane trying to land there in 2003 instead hit a house, killing one and hospitalizing two, but no one on the ground was hurt; and a 2015 crash of a small plane arriving from Key West that didn't cause injuries. An investigator inspects a small plane which made an emergency landing on Vogiantzis Pkwy. in northeast Cape Coral Saturday, February 24, 2024. The pilot did not suffer any serious injuries. In the Know: How's Lee County addressing Beach traffic safety issues? What did one reader do about it? How long was Pine Shadows used for cocaine smuggling? For five years ending in 1992, a convicted couple who lived there had used the airpark to smuggle nearly 9,000 pounds of cocaine into North Fort Myers. And in 1986, a pilot who had taken off from there, died when he crashed his twin-engine Piper Apache into a Pan-Am jet at Tampa International Airport. The News-Press and Naples Daily News journalist Ricardo Rolon contributed to this story. Based at the Naples Daily News, Columnist Phil Fernandez (pfernandez@gannett.com) grew up in Southwest Florida and writes In the Know for the network. This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Emergency plane landing on Cape Coral residential road. FAA called On the second anniversary of the full-scale war, Polish President Andrzej Duda has stated that Warsaw's support for Kyiv in resisting Russian aggression will remain unchanged. Source: Andrzej Duda on Twitter (X), as reported by European Pravda Quote: "We supported, we support, and we will continue supporting Ukraine in its fight for freedom! Right now, this support is still crucial. Regardless of our war fatigue. The free world must not allow Putin and Russia to triumph," said Andrzej Duda. Prezydent @AndrzejDuda: Wspieralismy, wspieramy i bedziemy wspierac Ukraine w jej walce o wolnosc! Dzisiaj to wsparcie jest nadal niezwykle potrzebne. Niezaleznie od zmeczenia wojna. Wolny swiat nie moze dopuscic do tego, zeby Putin i Rosja zatriumfowali. pic.twitter.com/VDSHEkBZMy Kancelaria Prezydenta (@prezydentpl) February 24, 2024 Details: Along with the statement, he posted a video featuring footage from his trips to Ukraine. Dudas office also highlighted Poland's assistance in hosting Ukrainians seeking refuge from the war, numerous diplomatic efforts supporting Ukraine, and other projects, such as training programmes for emergency services, medical professionals, and psychologists, which the First Lady coordinated. Recently, relations between Ukraine and Poland have been further complicated due to the escalation of protests by Polish farmers opposing the planned extension of preferential trade arrangements between the EU and Ukraine and calling for additional restrictions on Ukrainian agricultural imports. Over the past week, the first incidents of Ukrainian grain cargo being spilled and the first cases of railway blockades have occurred. A scandal arose over a pro-Putin poster displayed by one of the farmers, for which he now faces up to five years in prison. In response, Ukrainian hauliers organised a protest, and at the farmers' initiative, they brought destroyed agricultural machinery, damaged by attacks, to one of the border checkpoints. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy invited Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk to hold a government meeting at the border, but Tusk refused, arguing that such a meeting would be purely symbolic and that technical work between government teams is needed. Despite this, the Ukrainian government team still arrived at the border. Read also: Why border blockade doesn't mean Poland's rejection of pro-Ukrainian course. Support UP or become our patron! SPANISH FORK, Utah (ABC4) A juvenile sustained serious head trauma after falling out of a car this morning in Spanish Fork. Just before 9 a.m. this morning, Feb. 23, Spanish Fork police, fire, and EMS were dispatched on reports of an auto-pedestrian accident at 100 North 400 East. 2 men arrested after allegedly stealing hundreds of gallons of fuel for $1 When police arrived at the scene, they learned that five juveniles left Spanish Fork High in a Jeep. They traveled east on Center Street and made a left turn onto 400 East when the front seat passenger opened his door and leaned out of the car. He grabbed a hold of the handle above the door, but the handle broke and he fell out of the car, sustaining serious head trauma, police said. The driver reportedly told police he thought he felt a bump and may have driven over his friend, although hospital staff said there appeared to be no injuries consistent with being run over. Police said the other juveniles involved are cooperating. The investigation is ongoing. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC4 Utah. NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) Authorities are investigating after a 53-year-old man reportedly approached workers Saturday morning in South Nashville and told them he had been shot. According to the Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD), officers responded to a church on Fairfield Avenue just after 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 24 for reports of a man who had been shot. Police reported the 53-year-old man approached outreach workers in the area and told them he had been shot. $15,000 reward offered for info in deadly Antioch shooting He allegedly walked away from the workers after telling them that he was going to take a bus to the hospital. Authorities said they later found the man, who was suffering from injuries to his right leg and left foot. A tourniquet was applied to control the bleeding. During the investigation, the 53-year-old told officers he was shot at approximately 8 a.m. but would not give any further information regarding a potential suspect or where the shooting occurred, officials said. | READ MORE | Latest headlines from Nashville and Davidson County According to MNPD, the man was taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries. Officers said they searched the area but were unable to locate a crime scene. No other information was released. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRN News 2. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed Western leaders to Kyiv Saturday to mark the second anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion, as Ukrainian forces run low on ammunition and weaponry and foreign aid hangs in the balance. Zelenskyy posted a video from the Hostomel airfield together with Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as well as the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Two years ago, here, we met enemy landing forces with fire; two years later, we meet our friends and our partners here, Zelenskyy said at the airport just outside of Kyiv, which Russian paratroopers unsuccessfully tried to seize in the first days of the war. The Western leaders arrived shortly after a Russian drone attack struck a residential building in the southern city of Odesa, killing at least one person. Three women also sustained severe burns in the attack Friday evening, regional Gov. Oleh Kiper wrote on his social media account. Rescue services combed through the rubble looking for survivors. Italy, which holds the rotating presidency of the Group of Seven leading economies, announced that the G7 will meet virtually on Saturday with Zelenskyy and would adopt a joint statement on Ukraine. More than ever we stand firmly by Ukraine. Financially, economically, militarily, morally. Until the country is finally free, von der Leyen said in a post on X, formerly Twitter. On the front line in the eastern Donetsk region, Ukrainian soldiers pleaded for ammunition. When the enemy comes in, a lot of our guys die. ... We are sitting here with nothing," said Volodymyr, 27, a senior officer in an artillery battery. In order to protect our infantry ... we need a high number of shells, which we do not have now, said Oleksandr, 45, a commander of an artillery unit. The two officers only gave their first names, citing security concerns. In a message on the war's second anniversary, Col. Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi, the commander-in-chief of Ukraine's armed forces, thanked Ukrainian soldiers for their sacrifices and Western allies for their support, saying, Every projectile, every tank, every armored vehicle is, first of all, saving the life of a Ukrainian soldier. Earlier this month, Zelenskyy fired top military commander Valerii Zaluzhnyi and replaced him with Syrskyi, marking the most significant shakeup of top brass since the full-scale invasion. Authorities also pointed to successes, including the downing of a Russian early warning and control aircraft Friday. If confirmed, it would mark the loss of the second such aircraft in just over a month. The Ukrainian military says Russia uses the aircraft to direct missile attacks. The war has also come to Russia. Drones hit a steel plant in the Lipetsk region in southern Russia Saturday, causing a large fire, regional Gov. Igor Artamonov said, adding there are no casualties. Independent Russian media said the Novolipetsk Metallurgical Plant is the largest steel plant in Russia. Videos shared on Russian social media showed several fires burning at the plant, and an explosion could be heard. Independent Russian news outlet Mediazona said Saturday that around 75,000 Russian men died in 2022 and 2023 fighting in the war. A joint investigation published by Mediazona and Meduza, another independent Russian news site, indicates that the rate of Russia's losses in Ukraine is not slowing and that Moscow is losing around 120 men a day. Based on a statistical analysis of the recorded deaths of soldiers compared with a Russian inheritance database, the journalists said around 83,000 soldiers are likely to have died in the two years of fighting. According to Mediazona and Meduza's analysis, regular Russian troops sustained the heaviest losses in the first months of the war. But, after prisoners were offered their freedom in exchange for fighting and after President Vladimir Putin ordered a partial mobilization , those groups started to sustain more casualties, particularly in the early months of 2023. A somber mood hangs over Ukraine as the war against Russia enters its third year and Kyiv's troops face mounting challenges on the front line amid dwindling ammunition supplies and personnel challenges. Its troops recently withdrew from the strategic eastern city of Avdiivka, handing Moscow one of its biggest victories. Russia still controls roughly a quarter of the country after Ukraine failed to make any major breakthroughs with its summertime counteroffensive. Meanwhile, millions of Ukrainians continue to live in precarious circumstances in the crossfire of battles, and many others face constant struggles under Russian occupation. Most are waiting for a Ukrainian liberation that hasn't come. Olena Zelenska, the president's wife, said Saturday that more than 2 million Ukrainian children have left the country since the war began and that at least 528 have been killed. The war started by Russia deliberately targets children, she said. Britain has pledged an additional 8.5 million pounds ($10.8 million) of humanitarian aid to Ukraine, bolstering efforts to provide medical care, food and basic services to residents as the nation marks the second anniversary of Russias invasion. About 14.6 million people, or 40 percent of Ukraines population, need assistance, with many left homeless or without adequate access to food, water and electricity, Britains Foreign Office said in announcing the aid. In the U.S. Congress, Republicans have stalled $60 billion in military aid for Kyiv, desperately needed in the short term. The EU recently approved a 50 billion-euro (about $54 billion) aid package for Ukraine meant to support Ukraine's economy, despite resistance from Hungary. President Joe Biden tied the loss of the defensive stronghold of Avdiivka in the Donetsk region after months of grueling battles to the stalled U.S. aid. Fears have since spiked that Ukrainian forces will face similar difficulties across other parts of the 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line as they come under mounting pressure from Russian assaults. Despite a heavy crackdown on dissent, some Russians marked the anniversary by laying flowers at Moscow monuments or holding anti-war signs in the streets. According to OVD-Info, a Russian rights group that tracks political arrests and provides legal aid, at least five people were arrested in Moscow on Saturday while holding signs saying No to war or attending a weekly demonstration calling for the return of mobilized Russian soldiers from Ukraine. Police also detained a young woman who brought flowers in Ukraines national colors, blue and yellow, to a Moscow monument to victims of political repression, OVD-Info reported. (AP) CHICAGO The Chicago Police Department has issued a community alert after nine armed robberies occurred over two days on the North Side earlier this week. According to the Chicago Police Department, five armed robberies reportedly occurred over two days in the citys Irving Park, Portage Park, Montclare, and Norwood Park neighborhoods. CPD: 9 armed robberies reported in an hour on North Side The following locations are where the armed robberies occurred on the dates and times listed below: 3200 block of West Addison Street at 10:39 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 18 4300 block of North Linder Avenue at 11:10 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 19 7000 block of West Wrightwood Avenue at 11:55 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 19 4100 block of North Troy Street at 2:17 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 19 6000 block of North Elston Avenue at 2:30 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 19 This embedded content is not available in your region. During the incidents, unknown offenders approached victims while they were walking on the sidewalk and then threatened or struck the victims with a hard metal object before taking their personal property. The suspects then fled the scene in a dark gray, four door Kia or Hyundai. The suspects have been described as two to three men wearing dark clothing and face coverings. Police seek identity of Albany Park robbery suspect No further information has been provided at this time. The investigation is ongoing. The Chicago Police Department want to remind residents if you are confronted by an assailant to remain calm, remember any unique physical characteristics, never pursue a fleeing assailant, and immediately report the incident. Anyone with information regarding the incidents are asked to contact the Chicago Police Department at 312-746-7394. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WGN-TV. Polish protesters have temporarily stopped blocking the Zosin-Ustyluh checkpoint since 03:00 on 24 February due to the anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Source: Western Regional Directorate of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine-Western Border Details: The authority reported that lorries and passenger vehicles are allowed to enter and exit the border crossing point in accordance with the established procedure on 24 February. "At the remaining checkpoints on the Polish side of the Ukrainian-Polish border, protesters continue to restrict the movement of lorries," the statement said. Background: In recent weeks, protests by Polish farmers have escalated, opposing the planned extension of the EU's preferential trade regime with Ukraine and demanding additional restrictions on Ukrainian agricultural imports. On Saturday (24 February), a train carrying Ukrainian agricultural products was reportedly damaged at the Polish Dorohusk railway station. The day before, Polish police launched an investigation into the second case of Ukrainian grain cargo being spilled after unidentified individuals opened the hatches of two Ukrainian grain hopper cars at the Dorohusk railway station on Friday morning, spilling rapeseed onto the tracks. The previous incident involving grain being spilled on the railway occurred on 20 February at the Medyka-Shehyni checkpoint, when farmers spilled some grain from a freight train onto the tracks. The first such incident involving grain occurred with lorries carrying grain in transit through Poland at the Dorohusk checkpoint earlier in the month. The protesters' actions are being investigated by the prosecutor's office, and the Polish government has apologised for the incident. Support UP or become our patron! The South Carolina GOP primary is today, and it appears former President Donald Trump is garnering the most support across the Grand Strand. The Sun News spoke to over 30 voters at three polls in North Myrtle Beach, Myrtle Beach and Surfside Beach. Of them, 23 said they voted for Trump and 13 said they voted for former S.C. Gov. Nikki Haley. These results echo polls that consistently find Trump with a lead in South Carolina, including a lead of more than 30 points in the website FiveThirtyEights model. Both candidates held rallies in Horry County in February Trump had thousands appear and Haley had 650 people attend. Most Trump supporters said immigration specifically border control foreign policy and the economy are the most important to them. He is the best candidate by bar, we need somebody to get the country back on track, said Jonathan Messimer of Myrtle Beach. He identifies as a conservative Republican and has voted for Trump previously. Warren Lilly wore a Lets Go Brandon sweatshirt to vote. Lily said he had to flip it up and hide the message of the sweatshirt in order to vote. He voted for Trump because he believes the former president will stop wars and crime. Warren Lilly, right, and Carolyn Lilly, right, with their dog Milly. Warren said he voted for Donald Trump in the GOP primary and wore a Lets Go Brandon sweatshirt to show his support for the presidential candidate. He had to flip up his sweatshirt in order to vote as people are not allowed to wear political gear into the polls. Emalyn Muzzy Two other Trump supporters told The Sun News they voted for Trump because they like his policies but dislike him as a person. Hes an ogre who doesnt know when to shut his mouth, said Surfside resident David Partin. I like his results but not how we get there. Many Haley supporters said they voted for her because they want someone level-headed in office. They support her conservative ideals and say she can unite the country. The Sun News met the most Haley voters in North Myrtle Beach. Im tired of the antics and the scandals. She seems relatively normal, said Bob Reeder of North Myrtle Beach. There were also a two Democrats who said they voted for Haley, John Anderson and Gary Genser. Anderson of North Myrtle Beach said he voted for Haley because he prefers her to Trump but plans to vote for Joe Biden in the general election. Genser, also of North Myrtle Beach, said he identifies as a moderate Democrat and voted for Haley because he doesnt want his choices to be two old men. Horry County had the highest amount of earlier voters for the GOP primary, with over 25,000 people sending in early ballots, according to WMBF. Polls will be open until 7 p.m. and you can find your polling location here. If you are in line when the polls close, you will be allowed to vote. You will need to bring a valid photo ID in order to vote. Citizens in South Carolina fled to the polls in Republican primary election on Saturday, choosing between former state governor Nikki Haley and former President Donald Trump. The Associated Press, ABC News and CNN projected Trump to win shortly after the polls. It was South Carolinas first-in-the-South Republican presidential primary. The first head-to-head matchup for the last two remaining major candidates since the New Hampshire primary a month ago, according to the Associated Press. Haley was South Carolinas governor for six years before stepping down in 2017 to serve as U.N. ambassador when Trump was elected president. Despite her history, Haley faced strong headwinds in a state where Trump has the support of most of the party establishment, according to the Associated Press. ALSO READ: President Joe Biden wins South Carolina Democratic primary, AP reports The South Carolina primary is usually an indicator of which candidate will win the Republican presidential nomination. Since the modern version of the states primary began in 1980, all but one GOP primary winner has gone on to win the partys nomination, according to the Associated Press. VIDEO: President Joe Biden wins South Carolina Democratic primary, AP reports A news report explaining how Indonesia would hold a second round of voting if presidential candidates in the February 2024 poll are unable to secure an outright majority has been viewed millions of times in social media posts that misleadingly claim a runoff vote is going ahead. It was shared days after the election that official tallies suggest Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto "HURRAYYY, THERE WILL BE SECOND ROUND," reads part of the Indonesian-language caption of an Instagram post shared on February 17, 2024. "Wait for the date of the runoff election." The post uploaded a video, which has been viewed more than 2.9 million times. It shows a news anchor presenting a segment about a potential second round of voting for the president -- a requirement when none of the candidates are able to secure 50 percent of the vote (archived link). Above the video is a "Breaking News" banner, and below it is an image of presidential candidate Anies Baswedan next to his running mate Amin Muhaimin. Screenshot of the misleading post, captured on February 20, 2024 The post was shared days after nationwide elections in the world's third-largest democracy on February 14, 2024. According to an official tally on the Indonesia Election Commission (KPU) website, Indonesian Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto appears on course to win the race by a wide margin, with more than 75 percent of votes counted. Prabowo had amassed more than 58 percent of the vote, as shown by the KPU's latest count from February 22, 2024, published on its website. The news segment was shared alongside similar claims elsewhere on Instagram, as well as on other social media platforms Facebook, TikTok, SnackVideo and X. Comments show that many social media users are misled by the claim. One Instagram user says, "Alhamdulillah [praise be to God], second round of election for presidential poll. Anies Baswedan for 2024 president". A TikTok user says, "Oh God, make Anies as the leader of this country. aamiin." Screenshots of social media users' comments, taken on February 21, 2024 But the news report was aired before the February 14 poll and discusses a second round of voting in hypothetical terms. iNews explainer In the top-left corner of the video, there is a logo for iNews, an Indonesian news outlet. A subsequent keyword search of iNews' official YouTube channel found the original report published here on February 13, 2024 -- a day before the election was held (archived link). The video is titled, Anticipating the second round of the presidential election, here is the schedule and scheme ." The anchor in the video begins the report by saying, "Simultaneous elections will be held tomorrow, on February 14, 2024. To anticipate the possibility of two rounds of presidential elections. The KPU has created the stages and implementation of the 2024 elections ..." In the video uploaded on the false posts, the first sentence said by the anchor was omitted. Below is a screenshot comparison of the video in the misleading post (left) and the original video from iNews (right): Screenshot comparison of the video in the misleading post (left) and the original video from iNews (right) Arrangements for a second round of voting are planned by the KPU, based on the commission's guidelines from June 2022 (archived link). These arrangements are accurately reported in the iNews explainer. Other local media, such as Kompas.com and Tempo.co, also reported on the KPU's plans if a runoff vote was needed (archived links here and here). KPU commissioner Idham Holik refuted the misleading claim, emphasising that a decision "must be based on the final result of the voting". "Please wait for the result of the voting recapitulation at the national level held by the KPU," he told AFP on February 20, 2024. "Quick count is not an official recapitulation." The nationwide vote recapitulation for the 2024 elections is scheduled to take place from February 15 to March 20, 2024 (tautan arsip). As of February 24, 2024, KPU has not made any announcement on the need for a runoff vote. AFP has debunked other misinformation about Indonesia's 2024 elections here. Warning: This video may contain graphic content that may disturb some viewers. TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) A pregnant Great white shark washed ashore on a Florida beach on Friday, according to Navarre Beach Fire Rescue. Girl, 7, bitten by water moccasin at Florida park Crews removed the shark, which was roughly 13 to 15 feet in length after it was found dead on the shoreline. Video captured by South Santa Rosa News shows officials around the shark, as they prepared to remove it from the shoreline. Navarre Beach Fire Rescue Navarre Beach Fire Rescue Navarre Beach Fire Rescue The cause of the animals death is unknown. The Navarre Beach Fire Rescue Fire Chief told a local news outlet that the shark had a few hooks in its mouth. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFLA. A graphic by Ohio State University's alumni association promoting events leading up to the total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024. Ohio State University is putting its spin on this spring's total solar eclipse. Or should we say... THEclipse. The university's alumni association is hosting a family-friendly event on March 16 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. led by Ohio State astronomy experts at the Arne Slettebak Planetarium. It was shared in an email titled "Get ready for THEclipse, a play on The Ohio State University. Members of Ohio States astronomy department will guide audiences through interactive shows at the planetarium, located in Smith Laboratory on the Columbus campus. Participants will learn about what to expect during the eclipse and the science behind what you will see in the path of totality on April 8. The event is free and parking will be complimentary, but space is limited. Ohio State will announce more eclipse-centric programming in the coming weeks. Sheridan Hendrix is a higher education reporter for The Columbus Dispatch. Sign up for Extra Credit, her education newsletter, here. shendrix@dispatch.com @sheridan120 This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State hosting an astronomy event to learn about 'THEclipse' Black History Month is almost over and this years Presidents Day is gone, but February 28 marks the date that our first president reached out to Americas first famous black poet. On that day in 1776, George Washington, from his headquarters in Cambridge, Massachusetts, sent a remarkable invitation to 23-year-old Phillis Wheatley, who had been kidnapped from her African village 15 years earlier. After surviving the Transatlantic crossing, Wheatley was sold to the Massachusetts household of John Wheatley. He, his wife, and their daughter soon realized that their new slave was brilliant. They excused Phillis from many household chores so she could learn not only English but also Latin and Greek. Soon, Phillis could read and understand difficult passages from the Bible and classical literature. And she began writing poems. In 1772, 18 Boston leadersincluding slave owners, ministers, and colonial governor Thomas Hutchisonassembled to investigate Wheatley. Blown away, they signed a letter acknowledging her brainpower and talent. The following year John Wheatley freed her, and in 1775 she wrote a poem that (in the exalted style of the era) described George Washington as first in place and honours. A crown, a mansion, and a throne that shine, / With gold unfading, Washington! be thine. The poet sent her verses to the general on October 26, but her letter bounced around for six weeks before he read it, then he delayed responding. Washington finally wrote on February 28: I thank you most sincerely for your polite notice of me, in the elegant Lines you enclosed the style and manner exhibit a striking proof of your great poetical Talents. Washingtons reply also contained three remarkable details. First, he emphasized his desire to apologize for the delay. Second, he extended an invitation: If you should ever come to Cambridge, or near Head Quarters, I shall be happy to see a person so favourd by the Muses, and to whom nature has been so liberal and beneficent in her dispensations. And third, he concluded: I am, with great Respect, Your obedt humble servant, G. Washington. Unless Washington did not know Wheatley was blackthats unlikelyhe committed three sins that some of his contemporaries would have found unforgivable. Apologize to a black woman? Invite her to headquarters, where Washington was directing the siege of British troops in Boston? Finish with courtesies that treated her as an equal, and perhaps even more so? We dont know for sure if the meeting ever occurred, or what Washington and Wheatley talked about if it did. If the meeting took place, however, I hope she read him what became her most republished poem, On Being Brought from Africa to America, in which she expresses thanks about learning: That theres a God, that theres a Saviour too: Once I redemption neither sought nor knew. Some view our sable race with scornful eye, Their colour is a diabolic die. Remember, Christians, Negros, black as Cain, May be refind, and join th angelic train. Pennsylvania Magazine in April 1776 published the poem, noting that the author was the famous Phillis Wheatley, the African Poetess. We dont know if Wheatleys poem had an effect on Washington, but during the Revolutionary War he suggested that slaves fighting on the American side receive their freedom. According to the historian Fritz Hirschfeld, Washington analyzed his own situation in 1778 and 1779, and he almost decided to abandon the plantation economy and try to operate Mount Vernon with paid labor. Thereafter, Washington regularly thought about and investigated making the switch from slave owner to employer. In 1786 he said he was filled with regret about the institution of slavery and his role in it. He said no man living wishes more sincerely than I do to see the abolition of it. Washington kept wondering how to extricate himself personally. Morally, he objected to selling slaves, yet he was unwilling to take the huge economic loss involved in freeing them. We can wish that he had, but Washingtons attitude was far different from Thomas Jeffersons. In his Notes on the State of Virginia, Jefferson classified African Americans as sub-human and wrote, Never yet could I find that a black had uttered a thought above the level of plain narration; never saw even an elementary trait of painting or sculpture. Wheatley combined two of his dislikes, blackness and Christianity, so he sneered: Religion indeed has produced a Phyllis Whately; but it could not produce a poet. Jefferson thought her poems below the dignity of criticism. In 1791, the black almanac author Benjamin Banneker quoted to Jefferson his own words from the Declaration of Independence and eloquently challenged him to leave behind his narrow prejudices. Banneker wrote about human brotherhood: however variable we may be in Society or religion we are all of the Same Family, and Stand in the Same relation to God. Jefferson held his fire for the moment but 18 years later was still irritated enough to sneer that Banneker had a mind of very common stature and must have used a white ghostwriter. It would be inaccurate to say Jefferson was just reflecting the prejudices of his time or his social class. To take two examples, the wealthy South Carolinian John Laurens (11 years younger) favored emancipation, and Washington (11 years older) wrote differently. (Jefferson was a complicated intellectual whose heart and mind were not always in tandem, as I explain in my recent book, Moral Vision: Leadership from George Washington to Joe Biden.) Washington died in December 1799. Thirteen months later Martha Washington, fulfilling her husbands desire, freed the 123 slaves he had owned. I could stop with that happy ending, but Martha personally owned about 200 slaves, and they did not gain their freedom. Nor was Phillis Wheatleys life easy. She married a man who failed in business. Their three children all died young. In 1784, with her husband in prison for debt, she developed pneumonia and died at age 31. Nevertheless, the poet advised others and herself that affliction was temporary: prepare to pass the gloomy night / To join forever in the fields of light. Read more at The Dispatch The Dispatch is a new digital media company providing engaged citizens with fact-based reporting and commentary, informed by conservative principles. Sign up for free. MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Va. (WJHL) The Montgomery County, Virginia Sheriffs Office said Saturday afternoon that previously reported missing Virginia Tech student Jonathan Johnny Roop has been located in Missouri. A release from the sheriffs office said law enforcement made personal contact with Roop on Friday in Missouri. The release said Roop was by himself when officers made contact and fully answered questions when asked by police. WJHL Rewind: 1997 Jonesborough Days Based on the interaction with law enforcement, the sheriffs office said Roop is no longer considered missing and the investigation into his disappearance was closed. Roop was initially reported missing on Feb. 16 after he didnt arrive at his parents house in Abingdon from the university. He was then spotted Wednesday at a restaurant in Poplar Bluff, Missouri, but left after an employee identified him. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WJHL | Tri-Cities News & Weather. Enquiries about bunkers have soared over the last couple of years, manufacturers say Sales of private bunkers are experiencing a boom in Britain as increasing numbers of people fear nuclear war. Manufacturers of shelters in the UK say they have seen an influx in demand in the past year, and primarily over the past six months, believed to be fuelled by the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and the Middle East. In the last two years, demand has really increased, specifically the last year, Paul Thompson, whose hobby of building bunkers has evolved into a successful full-time business in the space of a decade, said. Mr Thompsons company, UK Nuke Shelters, now gets four to five requests for private bunkers each month. Weve seen a 300 to 400 per cent increase in enquiries in the past couple of years, he told The Telegraph, adding that preparing for a nuclear disaster is the most common reason for people wanting them installed. Preppers have long worried about a nuclear armageddon, but mainstream concerns had been in the wane since the end of the Cold War and the fall of the Berlin Wall. It is now once again a blossoming sector with increasing geopolitical tensions among nuclear powers. A petition was started in 2022 to get Parliament to debate a proposal to build underground nuclear bunkers with all facilities for the public, evidencing the growing fears among some Britons. With just 258 communal shelters, the UK falls behind some Western countries such as Switzerland, which has a total of 360,000 - enough to accommodate its entire population. On the other hand, I have some customers who are fearful of some sort of climate event hurricanes, tornadoes, heatwaves and want them installed for that reason, Mr Thompson said, adding that he also gets several phone calls a month from people looking for advice on how to build their own safety shelters. Cashing in on fear While just a handful of companies currently offer private bunkers, the market is expanding with some business owners in the luxury holiday pod industry cashing in on peoples fears. Matthew Wright, the owner of Shire Pods which manufactures hobbit-style huts mainly for holiday accommodation and private saunas, has recently expanded to offer underground bunkers after being inundated with requests. In the last six months people have started to get in touch with us asking if we could build underground bunkers for them, Matthew Wright, the companys owner, told The Telegraph. Since we launched a brochure on the website a few weeks ago, weve had hundreds of people get in touch asking for information on bunker-type projects. Most people say that after everything thats happened in Ukraine and being worried about nuclear war is the main reason theyre looking into it. According to suppliers, the cost of private bunkers can range anywhere from 10,000 to more than 100,000, with some companies, including Mr Wrights and Mr Thompsons, offering fully furnished options with running water and showers, a fitted kitchen and solar panels. While it may appear to be an expensive investment for a structure one hopes never to actually use, some customers are finding recreational uses for them Mr Wright even promotes the concept of multi-use bunkers on his Shire Pods website, which reads: Bomb shelters and nuclear bunkers no longer have to be cold dark damp spaces. Our bunkers can double up for a variety of uses. What would you use it for luxury cinema room, bar, games room? Mr Thompson added: People get them for one reason, and then end up using them for another, like for their kids to go down there and play, or if they want to play loud music without disturbing their neighbours. He said many customers found respite in their bunkers during the recent UK summer heatwaves, as the shallow ground below the earth remains at a constant 10-16C temperature. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Prossers chief of police is out following a month-long investigation and no-confidence vote by his officers. Prosser Chief Jay King resigned, effectively immediately, on Friday, according to a news release from the city. He was hired by the city to lead the department last March. The city thanks Chief King for his service and dedication during his tenure and wishes him the very best in his endeavors, Prosser Public Information Officer Rachel Shaw wrote in the release. King said in his resignation letter that he had hoped to stay with the department, but now believes it would be best served by someone else. It has been my pleasure to serve the city of Prosser and its residents. In my 33 years of law enforcement experience, I have had the privilege to work with many agencies and I had hoped to spend many more with the city of Prosser, King wrote. It has always been my intention to do what is best for the department, and at this time, it appears that the department might be best served by another leader. Therefore, I submit my resignation with the hope that the Prosser Police Department is successful in their efforts to serve and protect the community of Prosser. I also offer my assistance and support in any way needed now and in the future. King had been on paid administrative leave since mid-January, after a no confidence vote from a majority of his officers. A third-party investigation began Jan. 17 into allegations made by Prosser Police Department staff, according to a city of Prosser announcement last month. Sgt. John Markus will continue to serve as interim police chief. He has worked for Prosser for 25 years. At the end of last week Teamsters Local 839 sent a letter to the city saying that King had devastated morale, bullied officers and disregarded Prosser police policies and Washington state law. Chief Kings abuse of power, narcissistic attitude toward police officers and bullying are more than any employee should put up with, wrote Teamsters Business Agent Jesus Alvarez in January. The Teamsters Local letter said King is responsible for 75% of the departments employees leaving or trying to find other employment since he became chief in March. Prosser Police Department is now the utter laughingstock of the lower (Yakima) valley law enforcement, EMS, and dispatch communities, Alvarez wrote in the letter. Chief Jay King King allegedly created a toxic work environment where he bullied employees to the point of great stress and HR/Union action due to targeted, unlawful and sexist actions, Alvarez wrote. In addition, King is accused of berating employees when they raised concerns about the legality, ethics or efficiency of his suggestions. And the Teamsters claim King violated basic safety protocols while on duty at critical scenes. That includes showing up at potential crime scenes with an unloaded gun and not wearing body armor. That creates a situation where officers not only have to worry about a possibly dangerous situation, they also need to worry about the chiefs safety because he is not equipped correctly, Alvarez said. A rare stamp featuring a portrait of Barberton founder O.C. Barber will be sold at auction Thursday, Feb. 29 in New York City. The 3-cent relic from the 1860s was created to pay taxes on matches manufactured by the Barber & Peckham Match Co. after the Civil War. Ohio Columbus Barber (1841-1920) Siegel Auctions in Manhattan is handling the sale for a mysterious collector. More than 1 million of the black 3-cent stamps were issued from December 1865 through June 1867, but only 44 are known to exist today. The long, narrow stamp was designed to wrap around a box of 300 matches, which required a 3-cent tax one penny per 100 matches. It belongs to a class of tax stamps known as Match and Medicine issues, which were designed for U.S. companies that sold matches and patent medicine products. The stamps were part of a federal tax bill that Congress passed in 1862 to pay for the war. The stamps that were custom engraved and printed for private companies, so they could show that taxes had been paid on their products, are really a unique form of Americana, Siegel President Scott Trepel said in a prepared statement. They hark back to the era of 19th century American invention and advertising. Barbers portrait alternated with images of his father on the tax stamps. George Barber started the match business in 1845 in Middlebury, a village later annexed to Akron in 1872. His salesman son Ohio Columbus Barber became factory manager at age 20. When his father began a two-year hiatus in 1866, O.C. entered a brief partnership with Thomas Peckham. A 3-cent tax stamp featuring a portrait of industrialist O.C. Barber was issued from 1865 to 1867 in the Ohio village of Middlebury, now a neighborhood in Akron. Father rejoined son in 1867 to form the Barber Match Co., which would combine with 11 other companies in 1881 to create the Diamond Match Co., a corporate giant that eventually controlled 85% of match production in the United States. O.C. Barber, known as Americas Match King, founded Barberton in 1891. Among other interests, the industrialist led Diamond Rubber Co., Stirling Boiler Co., American Strawboard Co., National Sewer Pipe Co. and First National Bank. He was the first president of the Akron Chamber of Commerce, now the Greater Akron Chamber, and provided the financial backing to establish what is now Summa Akron City Hospital. He died in his Barberton mansion in 1920 at age 78. The Barber & Peckham stamp to be sold at auction is part of the Dragonfly Collection of U.S. Revenue Stamps. Dragonfly is the nickname of an anonymous U.S. seller who also collects Tiffany Dragonfly glass. The New York company declined to divulge the sellers home state to further protect his identity. There was no explanation available of where he found the Summit County stamp or how long he has owned it. The ornate design includes O.C. Barbers portrait in three-quarter profile with eight labels bearing reverse curves, ribbonlike scrolls, scalloped circles, five-pointed stars, clover patterns and what the Boston Philatelic Society in 1899 called florated and foliated ornamentation and a very fine and closely woven reticulated ground. In Thursdays auction, Siegel lists the specimen as Lot 1094 in Sale 1311. The catalog describes the condition: Intense shade, few faults including small tear, light crease and small thin spots, someone has circled a single blue fiber on back but this is not known on experimental silk paper and we doubt one fiber would qualify. Fine appearance, only 44 are recorded in the Aldrich census. The stamps estimated value is $300, which Trepel called shockingly undervalued as a very scarce collectible stamp. Who knows what might happen, though, if two Barberton collectors with deep pockets get into a bidding war? The Dragonfly collection will be auctioned in two sessions at 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Feb. 29. The Barber stamp is scheduled to go on the block in the afternoon. Prospective buyers can register to bid at https://siegelauctions.com/auctions/sale/1311 Bidding will be conducted in person, online, absentee and by phone. For more information, call 212-753-6421, email stamps@siegelauctions.com or visit siegelauctions.com. O.C. Barber is waiting. Let the bidding begin. Mark J. Price can be reached at mprice@thebeaconjournal.com More: Remember the aroma? Former Wonder Bread bakery demolished at University of Akron This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Rare stamp of Barberton founder O.C. Barber to be auctioned Oklahoma Sen. Tom Woods is receiving strong backlash after he was quoted calling the LGBTQ+ community "filth" during an event in Tahlequah on Friday. "I represent a constituency that doesn't want that filth in Oklahoma," Woods, R-Westville, was quoted by the Tahlequah Daily Press. Woods comments came during a legislative forum sponsored by the Tahlequah Area Chamber of Commerce. Woods and other lawmakers at the forum were asked questions by a woman in the audience, according to the Daily Press. The woman's questions related to State Superintendent Ryan Walters' "bullying" of school districts and "...why does the Legislature have such an obsession with the LGBTQ citizens of Oklahoma." According to the Daily Press, the woman also referenced the death of 16-year-old Nex Benedict, who recently died a day after being involved in a fight that broke out in the Owasso High School bathroom. More: Owasso police release bodycam footage of Nex Benedict interview: I got jumped Nex, a sophomore at Owasso High School, used they/them and he/him pronouns and identified as gender expansive, an umbrella term that describes people whose gender identity expands beyond traditional gender norms, according to the National Institutes of Health. According to the Daily Press, after two other lawmakers responded to the woman's questions, Woods said his "heart goes out" regarding the teen's death. We are a Republican state supermajority in the House and Senate. I represent a constituency that doesnt want that filth in Oklahoma, Woods then said according to the Daily Press. Oklahoma Sen. Tom Woods, R-Westville On Monday, newsmakers and lawmakers continued to sound off on Woods' comments. Greg Treat, Senate Pro Tem: Senator Woods and I have spoken, and I made it clear that his remarks were reprehensible and inappropriate, Pro Tem Treat said. I am of the belief that all people are image-bearers of God and deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. His remarks were not in any way reflective of myself, the Senate Republican caucus, Senate leadership or the Senate overall. In my opinion, he had a serious lapse of judgment and it has distracted from the mission and good work we are attempting to advance on behalf of all Oklahomans. Tamya Cox-Toure, ACLU of Oklahoma executive director: The ACLU of Oklahoma strongly condemns Senator Tom Woods comments during a public event late last week. It is the exact same hateful rhetoric and bigotry that is putting Oklahomas 2SLGBTQ+ youth, like Nex Benedict, in danger on a daily basis. We recognize this is not the first time, nor will it be the last time that a politician publicly brings disgrace to their office and their constituents. Even in light of the heaviness of last week and the continued attacks on all Oklahomans fundamental rights this Legislative Session, advocates showed up and held their legislators accountable during our Advocacy Day. It is with that same fight and determination that the ACLU of Oklahoma will continue to show up in all spaces where our freedoms are threatened. Leslie Osborn, state labor commissioner: "The recent horrifying remarks made by an Oklahoma Republican state senator, referring to members of the LGBTQ community as filth that he and his constituents do not want in our state, left me disheartened, disappointed, and disgusted. We must address the gravity of such hateful comments, which are unacceptable and have significant consequences. When I first became a member of the Republican Party and later pursued public office, people revered the Party for its small government stance, fiscal discipline, and compassionate conservatism. However, a faction emerged within the party characterized by hate and divisiveness, overshadowing the principles the party once held dear. The governments basic role is to create a societal framework where every citizen thrives and flourishes. Sadly, with the erosion of the separation between church and state, government officials have overstepped their boundaries, legislating and preaching morality. I am reminded of the age-old saying cautioning against trusting two types of individuals: Religious leaders who dictate how we should vote and politicians who dictate how we should pray. This adage has never been more applicable. I am pleased many Oklahomans stepped forward to unequivocally condemn the state senators ugly statement. If you agree you must reach out to your government representatives and let them know you do not agree with this type of rhetoric. We must do more. We should rise above spewing hate and legislating condemnation for every citizen who does not look like us, vote like us worship like us or identify or love like us. We should practice compassion and strive to be a state where every citizen is recognized, valued, and respected." Freedom Oklahoma: 'Words have power, and consequences' Responses against Tom Woods calling LGBTQ+ community 'filth' on X The other senators on the panel offered ZERO pushback when Senator Tom Woods was spewing his hateful bigotry. Oklahoma: #48 in education #1 in Hate Newell Baldelli (@NewellBaldelli) February 24, 2024 Dear Oklahoma - you have LGBTQ+ kids in your state whether you like it or not. This rhetoric is harming them. Protect ALL children. https://t.co/GyCNPuk8RJ (@LanceUSA70) February 24, 2024 This is a response to Nex Benedict's death from Oklahoma State Senator Tom Woods. How anyone in a position of "leadership" could make that kind of comment is simply astonishing and frankly completely unacceptable. WE HAVE TO STOP VOTING FOR THESE PEOPLE https://t.co/g1hVbNWRAO Barbara Murphy (@irishgal53) February 24, 2024 As a queer Okie who grew up in a very conservative, rural town, this week has been very, very difficult to get through. Ive found myself bursting into tears at random moments all week. If thats what its like for a 30-something year old, imagine what its like for queer kids. https://t.co/yw2NK8Xuba Kendall Brown (@kendallybrown) February 24, 2024 This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma Sen. Tom Woods: Social media reacts to LGBTQ+ 'filth' comment We asked readers about Senate Bill 1314 and the possibility of a complete cellphone ban on school campuses in Oklahoma. The Oklahoma Senates Education Committee approved Senate Bill 1314 on Jan. 13 to create an incentive program to aid school districts, up to $1 million, for enacting a cellphone-free campus policy. With an estimated fiscal impact of $181 million, some senators expressed interest in taking the bill a step further by implementing a complete ban on cellphones in schools without incentives. Here are our readers' responses: Banning cellphones in schools sounds like a reasonable thing to do. However, since our Legislature and governor have rendered this state awash with guns, its a bad idea. Kids are scared to death, and dont think they arent. I have grandkids in high school. Having a cellphone makes them feel a little safer. So dont even think about it until you actually do something about this problem that you Republicans have created and the rest of us have to live with. Mary Kirtley, Oklahoma City I have taught in Oklahoma for 35 years, and I can state truthfully that the introduction of cellphones is the worst thing that could possibly happen to the classroom. My students today are absolutely addicted to them! And we wonder why academic success is down? Pretty obvious culprit and no, do NOT incentivize this. When the ability for students to have cellphones in their possession was legalized in the late '80s and early '90s, we saw a drop in academic success. They don't have to pay for the ability to carry one, so why should the taxpayer pay for the removal of them? Eric McMurray, Oklahoma City A complete cellphone ban in schools, as proposed by Senate Bill 1314 in Oklahoma, raises significant concerns, particularly regarding the documentation of bullying and abuse, emergency communications and student safety. Cellphones can be vital in providing evidence for misconduct and ensuring quick contact during crises. Instead of outright bans, schools should explore balanced approaches that promote digital literacy and responsible use, while maintaining access for emergencies and educational purposes. Implementing a complete ban without considering these factors may inadvertently compromise student safety and hinder the resolution of serious incidents. Kierston W., Edmond Definitely need to get rid of this distraction in schools. Melanie Self, Tulsa I don't know what you have to do but get rid of the cellphone for schools during the time they arrive 'til they leave. If a parent has to get in touch with them at school, they can do the old-fashioned way and call the front office to get the message to them, not call them during class. Based on my years in teaching, when the phone entered the classroom, problems started arising as they are more interested in scrolling for dumb videos to show their friends, finding out when the next fight will be, hearsay on some bully content, etc. You will get some chaos out of this, but they will adjust. You just have to figure out to work it. Concerts are locking phones as they enter. Maybe that is something to consider and teachers have the ability to unlock them and that is where the money aspect should go. Gary Crissman, Mustang No, do not ban them!! Just have rules on them. What if they're being hijacked? A cellphone could save lives. They use the calculators and internet for schoolwork. This is stupid! Parents want to be able to reach their kids at all times. It is too dangerous nowadays in the school system. Mitzi Russell, Newkirk Get rid of cellphones in classrooms. Put them in lockers or in cars. Cellphones should be allowed anywhere except in classrooms or where instruction is taking place. Cellphones should not be allowed in classrooms or where instruction is being held! Johnny Moore, Oklahoma City I think its a great idea. Cellphones are a distraction whether you are talking, texting or reading replies and scrolling through social media. Boys and girls (all ages) are in school to listen and learn. I am 100% for cellphone ban in school. By the way, generations went to school and learned without cellphones. Nicki Allen, Vian Yes, ban cellphone use during class with consequences for violation of the policy. However, cellphones are an essential means of family communication in 2024. Also, they can be life-saving in case of emergencies and natural disasters. Let's think things through before we create dangerous and unintended consequences with a total ban. Ken Loffer, Norman More: Readers responded to prison time for parent of mass school shooter The Public Square logo This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Cellphone ban proposal spurs comments from The Oklahoman's readers SAN JOSE, Calif. (KRON) A small business owner in Northern California says her pie shop is out thousands of dollars after Tesla unexpectedly canceled an order for thousands of mini pies. Voahangy Rasetarinera owns Giving Pies in San Joses Willow Glen neighborhood. Each pie is carefully assembled by hand in small batches. Despite that, the bakery has managed to put together orders for large corporations, like Apple, Google and Intuit. On Valentines Day, the bakery got a last-minute order request from Tesla 2,000 pies, half to be delivered on Tuesday, the other half on Thursday. Rasetarinera said she agreed. But then the waiting game began for Tesla to pay. Reward offered to catch Gilroy homicide victims killer After not hearing from her contact, Rasetarinera says she reached out again and sent the invoice multiple times to multiple people. Finally, at 9 p.m. Thursday night, she got a call from Tesla. The company apologized for the delayed payment and asked to double the order to 4,000 pies. So I contacted my staff and theyre like Yes, we can work on Saturday, on Sunday, on Monday. We can get it done. No problem, Rasetarinera recalls. She says she sent Tesla a revised invoice and still did not receive a payment. She contacted them multiple times and finally got a response by text. Sorry to bother you again, but Im a small business. I dont have the luxury of infinite resources so I really need to be paid so I can secure my staff. I received a message back that was like Hey, so sorry, I dont think were going to need this order anymore, Rasetarinera said. Rasetarinera had turned down other orders and already purchased resources like ingredients, boxes and stickers. After she posted about it on social media, she says Tesla saw it and reached out. They said they wanted to make it right by me and they offered for me to do two events on March 6 and 7, but Im still waiting for confirmation, she said. If they want to make it right, Im going to give them the opportunity to make it right. KRON4 reached out to Tesla for comment, but as of Thursday night, they have not responded. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News. A Lauderhill mother said she hasnt seen her 14-year-old daughter, who suffers from mental health issues, since Saturday and her 16-year-old son since August. She told the Miami Herald shes been forced to turn to the community to find them and get her children home before her worst fears are realized. I dont want her out there, said mom Natasiia Saint Preux, saying she fears for her daughters safety. Exodus Cummings, 14, is 5 feet 2 inches tall. Her brother, Izaya Cummings-Howell, 16, is 5 feet 6 inches tall. Their mother said they may be traveling together and possibly in the company of Izayas girlfriend. Exodus and Izaya are both frequent runaways, Saint Preux said. Saint Preux reported her children missing to Lauderhill police. A department spokesperson told the Herald a missing persons investigation is underway. She has turned to authorities every time to help find them, but she says she feels that Lauderhill police arent giving her case much attention recently as her children have been deemed habitual runaways. I want [police] to act like its their own children thats missing, she said. Im not getting the appropriate help that a parent should get with her children. Lauderhill Police told the Herald they would be looking into the matter. Regardless of how many times Exodus and Izaya run away, Saint Preux says she still wants resources to help bring them home. Im really worried about [their] decision-making out there, she said. I really want them home. Anyone with information can call Lauderhill Police Department at (954) 497-4700. LOS ANGELES A jury on Friday found Hidden Hills socialite Rebecca Grossman guilty in the deaths of Jacob Iskander, 8, and Mark Iskander, 11, who were hit and killed in a crosswalk in Westlake Village in 2020. Grossman, 60, was convicted of two counts of second-degree murder, two counts of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence, and one count of hit-and-run driving resulting in death. Following a six-week trial, the jury deliberated for nearly two days before handing down the unanimous verdict on Friday afternoon at Van Nuys Superior Court. Crying could be heard from both sides of the courtroom when the verdict was read. Grossman is the co-founder of the Grossman Burn Foundation and the wife of prominent plastic surgeon Dr. Peter Grossman. Rebecca Grossman, second from left, with her husband, Dr. Peter Grossman, left, and daughter heads to Van Nuys Courthouse West Van Nuys, CA. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images) From left: Rebecca Grossman seen in a photo from her Instagram page; Mark Iskander and Jacob Iskander are seen in a family photo. Nancy Iskander and her husband Karim exit Van Nuys Courthouse during a lunch break from a preliminary hearing for Rebecca Grossman who is charged with murder and other counts stemming from a crash in Westlake Village that left the Iskanders sons Mark Iskander, 11, and Jacob Iskander, 8, dead. Nancy Iskander took the witness stand and testified to the moment her sons were killed by Grossmans Mercedes as they were walking in the crosswalk on Triunfo Canyon Rd. In. Westlake. Village. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images) Courtroom sketch of Rebecca Grossman being handcuffed when a guilty verdict was announced in a Van Nuys courtroom on Feb. 23, 2024. Courtroom sketch of Rebecca Grossmans daughter audibly crying out and her son reacting to the guilty verdict being announced in a Van Nuys courtroom on Feb. 23, 2024. Courtroom sketches of emotional reactions when the guilty verdict for Rebecca Grossman was announced in a Van Nuys courtroom on Feb. 23, 2024. VAN NUYS, CA FEBRUARY 14: Rebecca Grossman, left, and daughter heads to Van Nuys Courthouse West Van Nuys, CA. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images) Courtroom sketch of prosecutors during the trial of Rebecca Grossman on Feb. 22, 2024. (KTLA) On Sept. 29, 2020, the two boys were crossing the street in a marked crosswalk with their parents and siblings at the intersection of Triunfo Canyon Road and Saddle Mountain Drive at around 7:10 p.m. when Grossman struck them, prosecutors said. The vehicle sped through the intersection and hit the boys right in front of the parents, according to the L.A. County Sheriffs Department. Prosecutors said Grossman was going over 70 mph on a 45 mph street. The boys mother was able to get her two youngest children including a daughter in a stroller out of harms way, but she couldnt reach the older boys in time, according to Mirette Fouad, a friend of the victims family. Mark was pronounced dead at the scene. His younger brother Jacob was taken to the hospital and died a few hours later. Marks body was found 254 feet away from the crosswalk while Jacob was found about 50 feet away from the crosswalk, according to the Los Angeles Times. The Mercedes-Benz SUV involved in the crash sustained significant damage to its front end. Grossman was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol after the crash but has remained free on a $2 million bond. Mark Iskander, left, and Jacob Iskander, right, are seen in a family photo. Mark Iskander, left, and Jacob Iskander, right, are seen in a family photo. Heavy front-end damage seen on a white Mercedes-Benz SUV, whose driver is suspected of striking and killing two boys in Westlake Village on Sept. 29, 2020. (Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department) The scene of a fatal crash in Westlake Village is cordoned off on Sept. 29, 2020. (KTLA) Mourners gathered at a makeshift memorial on Sept. 30, 2020, for two boys who died after being struck by a vehicle in Westlake Village. (KTLA) Lorraine Maralian and her son Anthony Maralian of Westlake Village place flowers and pray at a growing memorial for two brothers who were fatally injured while crossing Triunfo Canyon Road at Saddle Mountain Drive in their Westlake Village neighborhood on Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2020 in Westlake Village, CA. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) The scene of a fatal crash in Westlake Village is cordoned off on Sept. 29, 2020. (KTLA) The victims scooter is seen on the ground after a double-fatal crash in Westlake Village on Sept. 29, 2020. (KTLA) From left: Rebecca Grossman seen in a photo from her Instagram page; Mark Iskander and Jacob Iskander are seen in a family photo. Nancy Iskander (center) is seen hugging loved ones after a day of deliberations in a Van Nuys courthouse on Feb. 22, 2024. (KTLA) The scene of a fatal crash in Westlake Village is cordoned off on Sept. 29, 2020. (KTLA) During the trial, the defense blamed Grossmans then-boyfriend, Scott Erickson, a former L.A. Dodgers pitcher, claiming it was his car that struck the boys as the couple left a local restaurant in separate cars. Grossman and her husband had been dating other people after deciding to separate at the time. Prosecutors alleged that after enjoying cocktails, Erickson and Grossman were racing each other on the street. Erickson was driving a black Mercedes SUV just ahead of Grossmans vehicle at the time of the crash. A collision reconstruction engineer testified in court that the case had room for ambiguity as he couldnt be certain that just one vehicle had hit the children, rather than two, according to the Orange County Register. In court, Grossmans daughter, Alexis Grossman, 19, testified on Feb. 16 that she spotted Erickson hiding behind a tree near the scene of the accident. He was allegedly poking his head out and looking to see what was going on, the O.C. Register reports. Afterward, she claimed Erickson went to her home while angrily shouting, Why did your mom stop? Why did your mom stop? Why didnt she just drive home? The teen said she could smell alcohol on Erickson and he was freaking out while warning her not to tell anyone she had seen him near the accident site. She told jurors that Erickson threatened, If you do, Ill ruin you and your family. However, L.A. County Sheriffs Deputy Rafael Mejia testified last month and said he didnt see any indication that more than one vehicle could be involved when he responded to the scene in 2020, and jurors ultimately agreed. According to the O.C. Register, Mejia said he smelled alcohol coming from Grossman and contacted a unit to perform a DUI investigation. He found Grossman about three-tenths of a mile away standing outside her SUV. She told me that her vehicle was disabled by Mercedes-Benz, Mejia said. He also told jurors Grossman mentioned she had hit something but she didnt know what she struck. Under questioning, Mejia said he didnt find any debris consistent with a black SUV or any kind of black vehicle. We didnt see any indicators there was another vehicle, Mejia said, indicating that the debris at the scene indicated a white vehicle had been involved. According to the Times, the boys mother, Nancy Iskander, testified that she heard revving engines and looked up to see a black SUV speeding toward the intersection. She dove out of the way while pulling her younger children to safety. But she said that a white Mercedes SUV was following closely behind the black car. When it sped through the crosswalk, she said she heard an impact. They had so much in front of them, Nancy said. So much in this life, all of my hopes, all of my dreams, and they were just taken. If I want to see them, I have to go to the cemetery or just look at their friends and imagine how they would look like. Outside the courtroom Friday night, the boys parents spoke following the verdict and were visibly emotional. Every day in court felt like I was attending the funeral of the boys again, Nancy said. We cannot be more thankful. It felt like all the stress of the years and hard work and hope had paid off and someone has now been held accountable. I do not have any hate for [Grossman] and my heart broke for her children. Im a mother so it wasnt easy but it will bring me closure. We can finally move on, said Karim Iskander, the boys father. We have been waiting for closure and for Ms. Grossman to apologize and take responsibility but she just chose to fight to the end which was heartbreaking to see. It allows us to move on and heal and not allow any hatred or loss of peace to affect how we feel. I hope everyone learns from this experience, from both sides. Hopefully, this saves the lives of other kids in the future. The Iskander Familys attorney, Brian J. Panish, responded to the verdict saying, Once again, the justice system works. The jury heard the evidence and, despite Rebecca Grossmans vigorous defense, delivered a just verdict for the senseless killing of Mark and Jacob Iskander. This horrific tragedy was 100 percent preventable, and we will continue to pursue the case civilly to ensure that this never happens again to another family. Following the guilty verdict, Grossman was handcuffed and immediately taken into custody. Her daughter, son and husband were seen holding on to each other with their heads down as they walked out of the courtroom amid a flurry of photographers following them. A sentencing hearing will take place on April 10 where Grossman faces up to 34 years to life in prison. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTLA. Rebecca Grossman walks with her family into a Van Nuys courthouse before the verdict Friday. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) For the record: 6:04 p.m. Feb. 23, 2024: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated Grossmans possible sentence. She faces 34 years to life in prison. A jury on Friday found Rebecca Grossman guilty of murder in the killing of two young brothers who were crossing a street in Westlake Village when her speeding Mercedes hit them. The verdict caps a legal drama that generated international attention in part because Grossman is a prominent figure who co-founded the Grossman Burn Foundation with her husband, Dr. Peter Grossman. The verdict was read in a tense, packed Van Nuys courtroom. The jury of nine men and three women found Grossman guilty of two counts of murder, two counts of gross vehicular manslaughter and one count of hit and run in the 2020 deaths of Mark and Jacob Iskander, ages 11 and 8. She faces 34 years to life in prison and is scheduled to return to court April 10 for sentencing. My family has been waiting for this for three and a half years now," Nancy Iskander, the boys' mother, said after the decision was announced. I give glory to God. Grossmans lead attorney, Tony Buzbee, called the verdict unexpected and vowed to appeal. Read more: Rebecca Grossman jury must decide level of malice, dueling claims, finger-pointing As the guilty verdict was read aloud in court, Alexis Grossman, Rebecca's daughter, cried out, "Oh my God, Oh my God," as tears ran down her cheeks. Rebecca Grossman, also with tears streaking her face, turned toward her daughter to try to calm her, as Peter Grossman hugged Alexis. Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Joseph Brandolino said justice could no longer be delayed, and a deputy moved to handcuff Grossman. Alexis Grossman screamed as her mother was taken into custody. Her mother begged her to stop before being escorted from the courtroom. Throughout the six-week trial, jurors were presented with two very different versions of Grossman and the collision that ended the lives of the two young brothers. This was not a tragic accident, Deputy Dist. Atty. Jamie Castro said in Wednesdays closing arguments. This was murder. But Buzbee launched into his closing statement with words hed repeated throughout the trial: Where is Scott Erickson?, trying to pin responsibility for the crash on the former Dodgers pitcher. Erickson has denied wrongdoing. Though he was at one point charged with a misdemeanor in connection with the crash, it was dismissed after he made a public service announcement for teens about the importance of safe driving. Prosecutors alleged Grossman, 60, had cocktails with Erickson and then raced with him he in his black Mercedes sport utility vehicle and she in her white Mercedes SUV along Triunfo Canyon Road until they reached a crosswalk, where she fatally struck the Iskander brothers. Grossman, Castro said, showed conscious disregard for human life and knew her speed could be dangerous on a suburban street with pedestrian traffic because police had warned her of the dangers in the past. Prosecutors also alleged that Grossman traveled a third of a mile after slamming into the children before safety features in her car automatically shut it down. She had a history of speeding. Shed texted about it, Castro said. She acted with disregard for human life. Read more: Rebecca Grossman, accused of killing two boys with her SUV, will not testify in her trial But throughout the trial, Buzbee continued to point the finger at Erickson, who was the first to barrel through the crosswalk. Crash reconstruction experts for the defense testified that Ericksons Mercedes hit the boys first, sending Mark over his vehicle and onto the hood of Grossmans vehicle. It was around 7 p.m. on Sept. 29, 2020, when Nancy Iskander and her three sons approached the crosswalk. Wearing inline skates, Iskander began to cross Triunfo Canyon Road at Saddle Mountain Drive. Her youngest son, Zachary, was next to her on his scooter. Mark, on a skateboard, and Jacob, also wearing inline skates, were also in the crosswalk. The mother did everything right, Castro said. Rebecca Grossman did everything wrong. Iskander testified during the trial that she heard revving engines and looked up to see a black SUV speeding toward the intersection. She dived out of the way, pulling Zachary to safety. Read more: Tearful mom describes horror as car sped through intersection, killing her 2 sons But she testified that a white Mercedes SUV was following closely behind the black vehicle. When it went through the crosswalk, Iskander said, she heard an impact, and her two oldest boys were gone. Jacob was found near the curb about 50 feet from the crosswalk. He was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead a few hours later. Marks body was found 254 feet away. Prosecutors accused Grossman of reaching 81 mph before lightly braking and hitting the brothers at 73 mph, based on the cars data recorder and the distance Mark was found from the crosswalk. But Buzbee called in experts who testified that the data weren't reliable and that Grossman was traveling at 52 mph based on a video captured seconds after the collision. Deputy Dist. Atty. Ryan Gould said he was glad the Erickson argument didn't become a distraction for the jurors. We thought the evidence spoke for itself," Gould said. "As we argued in closing, there was not a shred of evidence that he was involved. And the jury obviously felt that way too. "This is a day for the Iskanders, Mark and Jacob and the community of Westlake Village," he said. We got justice for the children." Karim and Nancy Iskander talk with reporters outside court Friday after the verdict in the killing of their two boys. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) After the verdict was read late Friday afternoon, Karim Iskander, the boys' father, thanked the jury. Thank you for not falling into the imaginary conspiracy theories and tricks," he said. It took "a lot of patience, so I really appreciate you getting closure. Nancy Iskander thanked the prosecutors for their hard work on the case. "They went above and beyond. ... They've done their job and and we are now ready to start our healing process," she said. "We have a justice system that we can trust, thank God. She declined to comment on the upcoming sentencing, saying she would leave that up to the judge." Though the boys' parents felt justice was served in the case, Nancy Iskander said it didn't bring her joy to see Grossman in handcuffs. "No one wishes that on anyone," she said. "I promise I do not have any hate for her. My heart broke for her children. ... It wasn't easy, but it will bring me closure." 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. The Tacoma Police Department is asking the community for help solving a recent bank robbery. Officers say the suspect robbed Harborstone Credit Union at 4720 Center Street with a gun back in January. The robber is around 30 years old and was wearing mostly black clothing. Looking for your assistance, said a spokesperson. Help us get the suspect off the streets. If you have any information, police ask that you call the Crime Stoppers tip line at 1-800-222-TIPS. Looking for your assistance. Please see the attached Crime Stoppers bulletin regarding the January 2, 2024 armed robbery of a local bank. Help us get the suspect off the streets. pic.twitter.com/I5Kpe2Vqt3 Tacoma Police Department (@TacomaPD) February 23, 2024 Aged 95, Li Ka-shing is a little too old to spend much time in Britain surveying his business empire. But the Hong Kong billionaires footprint can be found all over the UK. His company, CK Hutchison Holdings, is behind vital services to millions of homes. Through subsidiaries, the Cayman Islands-registered conglomerate controls: the entire electricity network in London and the south east; gas services to homes and business across the north; water supplies and sewage services to millions of people in the south east; and drinking water to homes across 9,400 sq km of Yorkshire, Durham, Tyne and Wear and Northumberland. For good measure, Mr Li also owns Felixstowe, the UKs largest container port. Mr Li a one-time friend of Chinese President Xi Jinping is all over our critical national infrastructure. This places him in a position of phenomenal power. There is no evidence at all that he intends to abuse it but who knows what Beijing might do, in the awful event that we find ourselves at war? Even a lesser diplomatic crisis leaves us dangerously exposed. As ministers come under mounting pressure to prevent an Emirati billionaire from acquiring this newspaper, it is worth reflecting on their attitude towards foreign ownership of other great British assets. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak admits China poses what he has called an epoch defining challenge to the international order yet successive Conservative governments have gone out of their way to court Chinese state investment in our utilities. The Tories even encouraged Beijing to design and develop new nuclear power stations. What could possibly go wrong? Then there was the shambles over Huawei. Despite grave national security concerns, in 2020 Boris Johnson came perilously close to allowing the Chinese tech firm to develop our 5G mobile communications network. It took an intervention by Donald Trump to force him into an embarrassing U-turn. Under pressure from spy chiefs, ministers are belatedly rowing back on our addiction to Chinese investment. But over the years, only a few brave MPs such as Iain Duncan Smith have shown any interest or concern. Against this backdrop, the fuss about the Abu Dhabi-backed Redbird IMIs bid to buy the Telegraph Media Group is bewildering. Sadly no media outlet is as important to the population of this country as their drinking water, their central heating and their electricity supply yet ministers are being encouraged to treat the involvement of an Arab Sheikh in the potential acquisition of one newspaper as a national security threat. Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer has indicated that she is minded to open a second investigation into the Abu-Dhabi backed bid, fretting about free expression of opinion and accurate presentation of news in the newspapers. MPs are lining up to jump on the bandwagon. Yet Redbird IMI has made it amply clear that the Sheikh will be an entirely passive investor. Multiple undertakings have been made about retaining the papers editorial independence. They are hardly going to turn it into Pravda. Where were all these people when Russian oligarch Alexander Lebedev a former KGB agent no less bought the London Evening Standard? And why arent they shouting from the rooftops about Chinese-owned TikTok? The hysteria surrounding RedBird IMIs bid is all the more curious given the benign role of the UAE in the Middle East. It poses no threat to the UK. On the contrary, the Emiratis are our allies in a relationship that grows ever more important as the region becomes more dangerous and unstable. Their leaders may not share all our democratic values, but when it comes to counterterrorism, they run a very tight ship, to the benefit of us all. Moreover, they were responsible for the historic Abraham Accords, without which the dreadful position Israel finds itself following last years Hamas attacks would be much worse. The Telegraph has a hugely important influence on political debate, but it is not a train set. It cannot survive unless it makes money. If RedBirds bid is successful, why would the investment fund destroy its new asset by crushing its reputation for impartial reporting? If the government blocks this bid, I look forward to Mr Li and others being given their marching orders. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. The leader of Reform UK has committed his party to a public inquiry into excess deaths and Covid vaccine harms. Richard Tice said there was a serious problem with thousands more people dying than expected and suggested the side-effects of coronavirus jabs could be responsible. Excess deaths were revised downwards by two-thirds last week by the Office for National Statistics to account for the growth and ageing of the population. Addressing his partys spring conference in Doncaster on Saturday, Mr Tice said: I think its really important, given that weve got a serious problem with excess deaths at the moment that nobody in the Government wants to talk about, nobody wants to talk about this I started talking about it 13 months ago. We need an inquiry not only into excess deaths but also into vaccine harms. Its essential. Surprise, surprise, the establishment doesnt want to talk about this. Were the only party that says it as it is. Party faithful sport baseball caps and rosettes at Reform UK spring rally - DAVID ROSE It came after Mr Tice questioned whether Britain should have anything to do with either the World Health Organisation, which was criticised over its pandemic response, or the World Economic Forum, the foremost annual gathering of the worlds economic elite. Government health advisers have said coronavirus vaccines saved countless lives and are recommended for the vulnerable, a view supported by many independent scientists The rise in excess deaths have been blamed on record NHS waiting lists and the pandemic backlog. Elsewhere in his speech, Mr Tice said head teachers who allow contested gender ideology beliefs or critical race theory to be taught in schools should lose their jobs. Theres this mad gender ideology questioning I am pleased to confirm that I know what a woman is, its an absolutely mad world that I even need to say that. The other thing we have to ban in schools is this critical race theory. The Secretary of State writes to every primary school headteacher, every secondary school headteacher, and says this stops this weekend and if it doesnt stop youre fired. Richard Tice told the conference that Britain was now 'broken' amid 'collapsing' law and order - DAVID ROSE Mr Tice announced he would replace the Office for Veterans Affairs, which is led by Johnny Mercer, with a fully-fledged Department for Veterans Affairs matched by 1bn of annual investment. He also pledged defence spending would rise to three per cent of GDP by 2030, after an initial uplift to 2.5 per cent by 2027. It is currently on track to reach 2.25 per cent next year. Other policies in the draft election manifesto unveiled by Reform on Saturday include raising the 40p income tax threshold to 70,000, the abolition of flagship net zero targets and the withdrawal of benefits from jobseekers after either four months or two rejected job offers. Reform is currently polling as high as 13 per cent in the polls and its appeal to disaffected Conservative voters could cost the governing party dozens of seats at the next election. Critical of both major parties The first-past-the-post electoral system means Mr Tices party is not certain to win any seats but its level of support has already denied the Tories victory at recent by-elections in Kingswood, Mid Bedfordshire and Tamworth, all of which were won by Labour. Earlier this month, Rishi Sunak warned that Reform supporters will put Labour into No 10 unless they vote for Conservatives, insisting the next election is a straightforward choice between him and Sir Keir Starmer. Mr Tice was heavily critical of both major party leaders in a wide-ranging address which saw him declare that Britain was now broken amid collapsing law and order. He warned a Labour government would represent Starmergeddon and bankrupt the country while mocking the Prime Ministers current woes by referring to him as sinking Rishi Sunak after the Tories fell to as few as seven percentage points ahead of Reform. Literally the future of our country is at stake, Mr Tice told activists. Our country is in a bad state its sinking under Sunak, Starmergeddon will make things worse. Polls are going right way In a video message shown before Mr Tice gave a second speech, Nigel Farage, the partys honorary life president, said he was very sorry not to be with you in Doncaster. Praising the great job Mr Tice has done, Mr Farage added: The opinion polls are going the right way, the recent by-elections prove that and weve got everything crossed the course for Simon [Danczuk] in Rochdale. The former UKIP leader said he was absolutely there with you in spirit as he remained in Maryland to cover a flagship Donald Trump speech in his capacity as a presenter for GB News. Richard Holden, the Conservative Party chairman, said: Sir Keir Starmers prayers have been answered by Reform. A vote for Reform wont deliver anything apart from more Labour MPs and a Starmer-led Labour government, which means higher taxes, higher energy costs, no action on channel crossings, and uncontrolled immigration taking us back to square one. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Having a baby is supposed to be a joyous time for parents, but for hundreds of families every year in the U.S., it turns to tragedy because of complications. Charles Johnsons wife Kira died from internal bleeding after having a C-section in 2016. The thought that my wife would not walk out to raise her boys, it never crossed my mind, said Johnson. U.S. maternal mortality rates are worse than any other high-income country, according to a new report. The findings from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) reveal the problem got even worse during the pandemic, with Black women disproportionately affected. It says Black women were about 2.5 times more likely to die from maternal health problems compared to white women during the pandemic. The U.S. faces a maternal mortality crisis, said Karen Doran, an Assistant Director in the Health Care Team for GAO. ALSO READ: Health providers, doulas share mission to improve NCs maternal mortality rate The report said the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is working to address the problem. There are programs aimed at improving healthcare best practices and the quality of care for mothers and babies. Its part of a plan the Biden administration released in 2022 called the White House Blueprint for Addressing the Maternal Health Crisis. But the report said the Department hasnt figured out how to track progress of these efforts to properly determine if they are working enough. They need to identify ways to ensure their actions can be measured and quantified so they can determine if theyre making progress on their goals and change course if they need to, said Doran. In response, HHS said it agrees with the recommendations to develop strategies to better measure progress. VIDEO: Health providers, doulas share mission to improve NCs maternal mortality rate By Helen Coster and Alexandra Ulmer NEW YORK (Reuters) - A Republican National Committee member has submitted resolutions that would prohibit the party from paying presidential candidate Donald Trump's legal bills, according to a draft, but the measures must get more backers soon to move forward. Mississippi RNC committeeman Henry Barbour drafted the resolution on Trump's legal expenses and another requiring the party committee to stay neutral in the presidential race until he receives enough delegates to secure the nomination. "The RNC's job is to win elections. It's not to pay the legal bills for any leading candidate. He's got to fight his own legal fight," Barbour told Reuters on Saturday. Barbour needs to get two cosponsors from 10 states to join the effort by Tuesday for the resolutions to proceed to a full vote by the RNC's 168 committee members. That vote could come in March and would require a simple majority to pass. But Barbour predicted they would be defeated if they reach that point. Former President Trump, who denies all wrongdoing, faces four criminal trials and was recently ordered to pay about $540 million in judgments in two civil cases. A Trump super PAC reported paying more than $47 million in legal expenses for him in 2023. Trump is seeking to cement his status as Republican presidential nominee and gain more control over the RNC, including by nominating daughter-in-law Lara Trump as co-chair. Lara Trump has said it is "a big interest to people" to pay fees for her father-in-law's criminal and civil cases. Barbour said pro-Trump forces were "jumping the gun" by seeking to declare Trump the party's presidential nominee while longshot challenger Nikki Haley remains in the race for the Republican nomination to face Democratic President Joe Biden in the November election. Trump is on course for another easy win in South Carolina's primary on Saturday. The resolutions were first reported by The Dispatch. Trump campaign co-manager Chris LaCivita, who Trump has proposed serve as the RNC's chief operating officer, on Saturday said in a statement that it is "the RNCs sole responsibility to defeat Joe Biden and win back the White House." On Friday, he said the RNC would not use raised funds to pay for Trump's legal bills. (Reporting by Helen Coster in New York and Alexandra Ulmer in Columbia, South Carolina; Editing by Cynthia Osterman) After years of demanding that the law recognize fetuses and embryos as living human beings, Republicans got what they asked for when the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that a clinics accidental destruction of frozen embryos amounted to the wrongful death of a child. But within a matter of days, it became apparent that the decision would make it harder for many people to get pregnant. Multiple Alabama clinics, including one at the states biggest hospital, announced this week that due to the risk of criminal prosecution over the handling of embryos, they were suspending all in vitro fertilization services. As it turns out, making it harder to conceive is a losing issue among voters; support for fertility treatments is high across the political spectrum. In a memo circulated among Republicans and obtained by The New York Times and Politico, GOP operative Kellyanne Conways consulting firm said it found that a whopping 78% of voters who identify as pro-life support greater access to IVF. Polling from Pew Research shows that 60% of Republican women even say health insurance should cover fertility treatments. Multiple clinics in Alabama have ceased IVF services in the wake of an Alabama Supreme Court ruling. Multiple clinics in Alabama have ceased IVF services in the wake of an Alabama Supreme Court ruling. Now, Republicans are scrambling to put out the fire without admitting theyre theyre the ones who lit the match. In the memo, which was sent Friday, the Senate GOP urged its 2024 candidates to go all in on their support for IVF. Clearly state your support for IVF and fertility-related services as blessings for those seeking to have children, and publicly oppose any efforts to restrict access to IVF and other fertility treatments, framing such opposition as a defense of family values and individual freedom, National Republican Senatorial Committee executive director Jason Thielman said in the memo. The NRSC did not immediately respond to HuffPosts request for comment. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey (R) said Friday that she supports some couples hoping and praying to be parents who utilize IVF and that she and GOP state lawmakers are working on a solution to ensure we protect these families and life itself. Her office did not immediately respond to HuffPosts inquiry about what she meant by some couples. IVF is a popular fertility treatment among same-sex couples who cant conceive naturally, as well as people who arent part of a couple at all and wish to conceive with donor sperm or eggs. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey signs a sweeping abortion ban in 2019. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey signs a sweeping abortion ban in 2019. Trump, the likely GOP candidate for president in November, also jumped into the conversation Friday, saying, The Republican Party will always support the creation of strong, thriving, healthy American families. He called on lawmakers to act quickly to find an immediate solution to preserve the availability of IVF in Alabama, but did not elaborate on how theyd accomplish that under the state Supreme Court ruling. Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, another Republican vying for the GOP nomination, tried to have it both ways. I had artificial insemination. Thats how I had my son. So, when you look at, one thing is to save sperm or to save eggs. But when you talk about an embryo, you are talking about, to me, thats a life, she told NBC News on Wednesday. When asked directly how she felt about the rulings potential impact on IVF access, she essentially didnt answer. This is one where we need to be incredibly respectful and sensitive about it, she said, adding: Every woman needs to know, with her partner, what shes looking at. And then when you look at that, then you make the decision thats best for your family. When she appeared on CNN later that day, she tried harder to distance herself from the ruling. Both Nikki Haley and Donald Trump attempted to do some damage control on IVF this week, but neither offered anything substantial. Both Nikki Haley and Donald Trump attempted to do some damage control on IVF this week, but neither offered anything substantial. I didnt say that I agreed with the Alabama ruling. What the question that I was asked is, Do I believe an embryo is a baby? I do think that if you look in the definition, an embryo is considered an unborn baby, she said. Democrats are having a field day with the GOPs public relations nightmare. Republican strategists can tell their candidates to hide behind weak talking points all they want, but the reality is their extreme MAGA field would only further strip away womens reproductive freedom, Alex Floyd, the rapid response director for the Democratic National Committee, said in a statement. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, chair of the Democratic Governors Association, told reporters during an event in Washington that the Alabama ruling could be as big as the U.S. Supreme Courts decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, and that the spate of Republican proposals to protect IVF wouldnt fool voters. For Christs sakes, [Alabama Sen.] Tommy Tuberville doesnt even know what [IVF] is, like no idea what it is, Walz said. This things gonna be huge. Im telling you, this reaches into families. This is fundamentally important. Tuberville (R) couldnt get the Alabama decisions implications straight on Thursday, telling reporters that hes all for the ruling but then saying he opposes its effects on IVF. He then said he needed to read the legislation more closely before saying more, though the ruling was a court decision, not a bill or law. Arthur Delaney contributed reporting. Related... LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) A healthier and tastier French fry and potato chip may be on the horizon. Researchers at Michigan State University say theyve discovered a gene that forces potatoes to convert starch into sugar when theyre growing in cold weather conditions. The researchers explained their findings, published in the journal The Plant Cell, show how potatoes can be held at cold temperatures and still be used for a possibly healthier chip or fry. Once potatoes are harvested, theyre often kept in cold storage systems. The cold is used to keep the root vegetable from sprouting or spoiling has an unintended consequence, it triggers a gene that changes starch into sugar. Chemical linked to infertility in animals found in Cheerios, other oat products: study That process is called cold induced sweetening or CIS. Weve identified the specific gene responsible for CIS and, more importantly, weve uncovered the regulatory element that switches it on under cold temperatures, Jiming Jiang, professor in MSUs departments of Horticulture and Plant Biology, said in a press release. This discovery represents a significant advancement in our understanding of potato development and its implications for food quality and health. It has the potential to affect every single bag of potato chips around the world. Potatoes with higher sugar contents, when processed, can cause darkened fries and chips, researchers note. It can also generate the carcinogenic compound acrylamide. According to the FDA, which monitors levels of acrylamide in certain foods, high levels of the substance have been found to cause cancer in laboratory animals. However, the agency said the acrylamide used in those studies were much greater than those found in human food and there is no consistent epidemiological evidence on the effect of acrylamide from food consumption on cancer in humans. Are you storing your ketchup the wrong way? The research could be used to develop potato varieties that can better be stored in cold temperatures without forming CIS or acrylamide, potentially leading to healthier and tastier chips and fries. Jiang said he believes the new CIS-resistant potato gene could be commercially available in the near future. Its also possible that the newest research could carry over to other processed starchy foods. This discovery represents a significant advancement in our understanding of potato development and its implications for food quality and health, said Jiang, It has the potential to affect every single bag of potato chips around the world. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11. A worker at a Stop & Shop in Revere was brutally attacked by a group of disruptive young girls after asking them to leave the store Thursday, Revere Police Chief David Callahan says. Officers responded to the grocery store at 40 Furlong Drive around 5:30 p.m. Thursday for a report of an employee being assaulted by three female suspects. Responding officers did not immediately find the suspects but spoke with the victim who told them the juveniles had been causing a disturbance in the grocery store. After being asked to leave, the three juveniles allegedly assaulted the employee, punching her in the face and striking her head. The victim also alleged at least one of the suspects kicked her, police say. Other juveniles allegedly watched the assault and at least one recorded the incident, police say. The worker was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. Police say they were able to locate the suspects, many of whom were uncooperative and untruthful about their identities, police say. One of the juvenile suspects was placed under arrest and charged with multiple counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, assault and battery, and disturbing the peace alongside several outstanding arrest warrants. Four other juvenile subjects will be summonsed to Chelsea District Court at a later date, police say. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW Independent White House candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is accelerating his courtship of Black voters across the country, hoping to gain an edge with one of the most critical voting blocs to President Bidens victory. Kennedy is pitching himself in Black churches, roundtables and among entertainers, believing he can build enthusiasm around a third option on Novembers ballot. The groundwork has caught the attention of Black political and media figures, with some fearing that Kennedy will further cripple Bidens White House prospects and others being admittedly more receptive, even intrigued, by his message. RFK Jr. is making the effort to have real conversations in Black spaces, said Tim Black, an African American podcast host. The important part is those spaces are ones where he cant control the dialogue. The dialogue is spontaneous, thus not scripted. Authentic. Kennedys flood-the-zone approach is a visible contrast from Bidens, who has turned down many off-the-cuff interview opportunities this cycle as he tries to capture the same firm support from Black voters he enjoyed last election. Kennedy, meanwhile, is more unscripted and unconventional. Some Black voices say that his willingness to speak freely with voters has had a profound effect in appealing to one of the most reliable voting constituencies at a time when excitement around Biden is low. RFK Jr. and his campaign providing a live in-person connection with us in real time is very effective, Black said. Looking to break into both Bidens base popularity and Trumps marginal ascent with Black voters, the environmental lawyer has built a strategy around what sources close to him say is a deep involvement with the community dating back years. Bobby has had a tremendous background working in the Black community way before he even decided to run for any public office, said Jamel Holley, a senior adviser to Kennedy and former mayor of Roselle, N.J., noting his steady involvement working with the NAACP and on other race-related initiatives. What weve been doing is going into the African American community in various states, he said. Theres about 40 to 45 percent of Black voters who are at a standstill right now. They dont want to vote for Biden, they dont want to vote for Trump. We believe that providing them an option of a third-party candidate like Bobby, some of them are just not even interested in the two-party tier system, I think its the right move to make, he said. Kennedys camp has recently sought out new avenues for engagement. He appeared with American rapper Eric B at an event at the First Baptist Church food pantry in Queens, N.Y. Before that, he held a conversation with Black female activists during a series of talks during Black History Month. Im here not to preach to people, but also to learn, Kennedy said during a discussion with Black women that spanned a range of issues, including gun violence, an area of disproportionate concern among the community. He also held a barbershop talk in Atlanta with fellow hip-hop artist and activist Killer Mike, a prominent leftist and former surrogate for Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). Their relationship is an indication of the potential crossover appeal the 70-year-old contender could have at a time of deep dissatisfaction with Washington politics. After switching from a Democrat to an Independent in October, Kennedy has gotten a fresh look from some Black progressives, who have expressed an interest in finding other choices. Kennedy has shown early signs of traction among Black activists sympathetic to the Sanders coalition from 2016 and 2020 that has spoken out against economic hardships, food insecurity and improving conditions for working class people. That crossover, if actualized, could also peel off potential voters from fellow Independent Cornel West, who was integral to Sanderss mobilization of Black voters and is running as an insurgent against Democratic and Republican conventions. West, for his part, told The Hill he is also offering voters another alternative. With still over eight months from Election Day, polling shows Kennedy may gain more traction. If the current state of the race is an indication, at least some Black voters who are dissatisfied with the two frontrunners would consider voting for Kennedy. A New York Times/Siena College survey from October shows Kennedy earning double digit support 26 percent of swing state Black voters would back him over Biden or Trump. Reached for comment by The Hill on Thursday, Kennedys campaign press secretary Stefanie Spear said in a statement: Mr. Kennedys focus on economic revitalization and those who have been dispossessed by the corrupt merger between corporations and government has a natural appeal to Black voters. There are a lot of Black voters in this country who feel taken for granted by the Democratic party and ignored by Republicans, Spear said. Kennedy has outlined an agenda aimed at what he calls racial healing, which includes topics ranging from police and prison reform to policies to build up school infrastructure and support those struggling with addiction, with which Kennedy has openly battled in his personal life. His plan acknowledges an unhealed legacy of racism in the United States. Hes becoming a very attractive candidate to African Americans, Holley said. The success has been working, as we gradually go state by state, month by month, were seeing an increase in support for Bobby and I think its important that we continue to pivot and do that. Holley says that as he tours the nation in places like California and Georgia with Kennedy, he hears from disaffected voters from both parties who say that we dont believe in those types of candidates anymore, noting the same message and that nothing has changed. While Kennedy is appearing to gain traction among some Black voters dismayed with the two-party system, others within Democratic circles believe his candidacy is an affront to the basic principles they see as paramount in this election, including safeguarding democratic norms like the right to vote freely. That is particularly worrisome among those who see Trumps reelection as the top concern in November. Anything that depresses turnout or creates a spoiler effect for Biden could promote a second Trump term, some Black strategists caution. Kennedy has been a leading factor in that argument. If he qualifies for a handful of swing states, he could theoretically convince enough would-be Biden voters to back his candidacy. Black voters worked too hard to secure the right to vote to waste it on a Jill Stein sequel, said Michael Starr-Hopkins, referencing the fear that Kennedy could be a spoiler candidate in the way that many Democrats perceived Stein in 2016. RFK Jr. cant convince his own family to support him, so I fail to see how his campaign serves as anything other than an in-kind donation for the Trump campaign, Starr-Hopkins said. If historys taught us anything, its that this sort of performance usually ends with a standing ovation from the very folks were all trying to keep away from the White House. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. FARIBAULT, MINN. - Microphone in hand, Denise Anderson paced from one end of a large conference room to the other, narrating as her team fed ballots into Rice County's vote-counting machines. Public voting equipment tests are one of the routine, usually sparsely attended duties for local government officials ahead of any election, but on a recent Tuesday morning, dozens of people filed into the room. Halfway through her presentation, hands started shooting up into the air. "What about the cast voting records, do those get printed on the back of the ballots?" Drew Roach, a legislative candidate from a neighboring county, asked from the audience while another woman filmed him. The head of the county's Property Tax and Elections Office, Anderson responded that she's the subject of pending litigation and couldn't answer any questions. She repeated her response as the the audience yelled out more questions. "Then you shouldn't be holding this meeting!" another person shouted. Scenes like this are familiar in Rice County, which Republican Donald Trump narrowly carried in 2020 and where local officials have been battling for years with conservative groups who want them to ditch electronic voting machines and instead count ballots by hand. Activists have filled County Board meetings and election equipment tests. A lawsuit against Anderson filed by a former election judge and onetime congressional candidate has been appealed to the Minnesota Supreme Court. Some county leaders are worried election staff will start to quit heading into the height of the 2024 election season, when Trump is back on the ballot and scrutiny will intensify. "It's very frustrating. I would like to share a lot, but right now I'm not allowed to," Anderson said after the public test for the March 5 presidential primary. "The test was 100 percent accurate and went according to plan." A yearslong legal challenge Local officials who run elections in all of Minnesota's 87 counties have been on the frontlines of distrust stemming from Trump's effort to overturn the 2020 election. Despite no evidence of widespread voter fraud in the last presidential or midterm elections, conservative groups have brought their complaints to county board rooms across the state, with little local officials have been able do to address their concerns. Few places have seen as much tension as Rice County, a predominantly rural county an hour south of the Twin Cities. In October 2021, former local election judge Kathleen Hagen submitted a data request to the county, asking for data on everything from electronic poll books, scanning and tabulation machines to modems, hotspots and routers. She also requested the cast vote records, an electronic record of a voter's selections that national conservative groups have sought across the country. Unsatisfied with the county's response to her request, Hagen and attorney Matt Benda, who ran unsuccessfully as a Republican for Congress in Minnesota's First District in 2022, filed a lawsuit against Anderson to produce more records. In court documents, the county has said they responded with all the public data, but some of the items they requested simply did not exist, including a cast vote record. Rice County's voting machine software did not produce a cast vote record in the 2020 election. "There is no obligation for the county to create data in order to satisfy the plaintiffs 'beliefs' that more data exists or can be created," read the county's response. The lawsuit also asks the courts to block the county from using modems in any part of the election process. Ballot tabulators are not connected to the internet at any point during the election, but after the polls close and all the ballots have been tabulated, state law allows all counties to use a secure modem to transmit unofficial results. After that's done, modems are immediately disconnected, and no election equipment in Minnesota uses a modem to transmit official election results. Ten counties, including Rice, use modems this way. Benda says the "risk-reward" of using modems at any point in the process "doesn't add up." "That risk profile isn't outweighed by getting a few early results," he said. "A lot of people have tried to pan our efforts as we're election deniers trying to undo the elections. We're not trying to change results. We want the system moving forward to be secure and transparent." The Office of the Secretary of State has intervened to defend the county and the state's election systems and said all of their equipment is properly tested and certified. A district court and the Court of Appeals has dismissed the lawsuit on jurisdictional grounds, and the Minnesota Supreme Court could soon decide if it will take up the case for further review. Even if the high court doesn't take up the case, Benda says they could start the process over and refile their lawsuit and sue the county instead of Anderson. Concern for election staff State Elections Director David Maeda said all voting equipment goes through thorough testing by local officials before any election. Counties also conduct post-election audits after every election that randomly verify precincts throughout the state to make sure results are accurate. "The questions being asked are not based in fact they are based on disinformation, so it's very frustrating for county [officials] living in that realm," he said. "These concerns shouldn't be there." Tom Moline, who frequents county meetings, said he's been asking the county for cast vote records even before the 2020 election and has a right to get his questions answered as a resident. "We're seen as the crazies, election deniers," he said. "I paid for this building, I paid for these machines, and I pay Denise Anderson's wages, and they can't have somebody in the county answer questions for the citizens about these machines?" Kathleen Doran-Norton, a former Bridgewater Township official, also attended the public machine test and said she's worried about the animosity hindering the ability for communities like hers to recruit poll workers and hold on to election staff. "I have always been proud of what my neighbors have done in handling elections," she said. "I don't quite understand all of a sudden not trusting our neighbors." Rice County commissioners, when reached by phone, largely shied away from discussing the lawsuit, as well as the push from groups to hand count ballots instead of using machines. "It troubles me that we can't come to a conclusion on this, obviously there's some misunderstanding," Commissioner Gerry Hoisington said. "That's really all I can say about it. I think we should be able to get it resolved." Rice County has pointed to state election law in response to the effort to push hand-counting votes, but some counties have made changes. In the last election, the Crow Wing County Board voted to hand-count more ballots than required under law and produce cast vote records. Rice County Board Chair Galen Malecha said his biggest concern is that the county could see some of its election officials and staff driven out after so many years of confrontation. "This has been going on since basically Trump lost the election," he said. "It's unfortunate, because we have very good staff here today. They are of the highest integrity in their actions, and they are following the state statutes to a T." MASON COUNTY (KXAN) The James River in Mason County is showing signs of life after winter rainfall, but a dam the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers found to be constructed illegally still stands. KXAN received new aerial photos of the dam Bill Neusch constructed without a permit along the James River, preventing water from refilling the Highland Lakes. KXAN first reported on the dam in October. Illegal dam in Mason County blocking water from refilling Highland Lakes Neuschs attorney, Jim Bryer, responded to KXANs request for an update on the dams removal, saying, We are actively complying with what Texas Parks and Wildlife has requested from us at this time. No further comment. A new aerial photo of an illegal dam in Mason County blocking water on the James River. (KXAN Photo) October 2023 image of the privately-constructed dam spanning width of James River in Mason County (KXAN Photo/David Yeomans) Neighbors in Mason County said they were frustrated with what they said was a slow removal process and a lack of transparency. Whats taking so long? Susan Keeling, who lives downstream from the dam, asked. What is taking so long? Its got to come down, Jimmy Keeling, Susans husband, said. This river runs into the Llano River, which supplies drinking water for the town of Llano, and ultimately Austin, Mason County resident Kathy Zesch-Bradley said. So people better be paying attention. After the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) issued Neusch a notice of violation in September, Neusch was required to submit a written plan to remove the dam. TPWD declined KXANs request to see those plans in January, saying the information was confidential and/or excerpted under the Texas Public Information Act. In an e-mail to KXAN this week, TPWD said Neusch submitted a plan to remove the dam in December, which was then returned with comments. Two months later, one day before TPWDs deadline for revisions, Neusch requested a 60-day extension. Neusch now has until March 11 to submit the revised plan to remove the dam. Two other organizations are also involved in investigating the dam. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality said its investigation was ongoing after an in-person dam inspection in August. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, who found the dam to be illegal in 2023 and issued Neusch a cease and desist letter, did not return KXANs request for comment. Photojournalist Todd Bynum contributed to this report. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KXAN Austin. The Oklahoma State Board of Education has approved a slew of rules changes this week proposed by state schools Superintendent Ryan Walters. The changes approved by the board at its monthly meeting Thursday included tying school accreditation to academic performance, establishing new teacher behavior policies and banning diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs in state schools. Other rules passed by the board included mandating a minute of silence to allow for voluntary prayer in Oklahoma schools every school day and changing its policy regarding longtime providers training for local schools. Walters said they "pushed an anti-parent, woke agenda." State schools Superintendent Ryan Walters talks to the board at the February meeting of the State Board of Education. The board also approved new information literacy standards and financial literacy standards for Oklahoma schools. The rules and standards approved all by 4-0 votes by the board on Thursday now will go to the state Legislature for approval, then to Gov. Kevin Stitt, who must also approve them before they become permanent. Here's what we know about key rules changes: School accreditation would be tied to academic performance The State Board of Education determines the accreditation status of every Oklahoma school every year, checking to ensure they meet minimum state standards. A young student works on calculus schoolwork. The changes regarding accreditation would add an entire section to the Oklahoma Administrative Code rules that govern the Oklahoma State Department of Education. Under the new rules, starting with data from the current school year, it would be considered an academic deficiency if a school district has fewer than 50% of all students testing at or above the basic performance level in state assessments for either mathematics or English Language Arts. Assessments for third through eighth grades and 11th grade would be combined. A new level of accreditation, called accredited with distinction, would be added for districts that had no deficiencies in the previous academic year and that applied for and received a distinction audit with the highest-level recommendation. The changes also would give a health and safety deficiency to any district that continued to employ a noncertified employee who is convicted of, or pleads no contest to, a felony. Walters said setting the standards "will ensure every Oklahoma student gets a quality education while providing necessary supports for districts that need more help. State schools Superintendent Ryan Walters is shown at a February meeting of the State Board of Education. But since Walters announced the proposal in November, it has received pushback from critics who said the new rules would adversely affect urban districts, districts with a high number of high-poverty students and districts with high numbers of special education students. Walters rejected that criticism. Documents prepared by state Education Department officials as part of the board presentation said, The agency also rejects the implied assertion that poverty necessitates that a school fails at teaching basic reading and math." The department said that "requiring a school teach basic reading and math to at least half of the students served is not an unreasonable standard. Ryan Walters follows Gov. Kevin Stitt's lead on DEI programs Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt speaks before signing an executive order in 2023 in the Blue Room at the state Capitol. In December, after Gov. Kevin Stitt issued an executive order concerning DEI programs, Walters unveiled his own proposal. It would forbid public school districts from using funds, property or resources to grant or support DEI positions or departments, and, among other things, would prohibit requiring any DEI education or training. Stitt and Walters appear to be swimming against the cultural tide, as most major businesses and many organizations have some sort of DEI policy in place. However, to Walters it's important to stand against DEI training and told the board Thursday it is bound by Stitts executive order on the subject. I applaud the governor for his (executive order), Walters said. I think he did a great job. Ive talked about DEI being very destructive in our schools and our institutions. New rule proposal prompted by issue of school principal who also worked as drag performer Another new rule says an Oklahoma teacher may be dismissed, refused employment, or not reemployed after a finding that such person has, either in the presence of a minor or in a manner available to a minor online, engaged in sexual acts, acts that appeal to the prurient interest in sex as found by the average person applying contemporary community standards, or acts that excessively promote sexuality in light of the educational value of the material and in light of the youngest age of any student with access to said material. Walters announced this rule after dueling for months with Western Heights Public Schools in Oklahoma City, which had hired an elementary school principal who performed as a drag queen during his personal time. The district accepted that principals resignation earlier this month, which he has said was forced. The state Education Department has dismissed critics who say teacher standards should be only those that are listed in state law, not agency rules, and that the language in the rule is vague. Voluntary prayer and a moment of silence already are law in Oklahoma, but board still approved a new rule hands clasped together on her Bible praying to god. believe in goodness. Holding hands in prayer on a wooden table. Christian life crisis prayer to god. Oklahoma schools already are required by law to have a daily moment of silence, during which students are allowed to participate in voluntary prayer. Even so, the state board is proposing a rule that would require Oklahomas 500-plus school districts to adopt a policy that permits those students and teachers who wish to do so to participate in voluntary prayer. It would threaten a districts accreditation if its not found to be in compliance. Walters wanted the rule put into place after a kerfuffle involving Prague Public Schools, which was hosting daily prayers at an elementary school as part of a Rise and Shine program. The Freedom From Religion Foundation sent the district a letter calling the practice unconstitutional and asking the district to cease the practice. The district did so, raising Walters ire. This is a cornerstone of the state, having religious liberty protected, Walters said. Walters remains at odds with nonprofit agency that provides training for local school boards The Oklahoma State School Boards Association building is shown in 2023 in Oklahoma City. For decades, the Oklahoma State School Boards Association (OSSBA), a nonprofit public school advocacy and service organization, has provided training thats required by state law for members of local school boards. That training then is accepted by the state Education Department. The school boards association is governed by a 32-member board of directors composed of local school board members, who are elected by taxpayers of their respective districts. Without warning in January, Walters announced the state Education Department would end its agreement with the association. The new rule would force the Oklahoma State School Boards Association to go through a typical vendor process to provide services, with no guarantee the training it offers would be accepted by the state Education Department. Without providing examples, Walters has said the association is among agencies that "work in tandem with national extremist groups that seek to undermine parents, force failed policies into the schools, and work against a quality education in Oklahoma." State board member Zachary Archer said during Thursdays meeting he found the associations training helpful during his time as a member of the Hammon Public Schools board, but still voted to approve the rule change. Board member Zachary Archer attends the February meeting of the State Board of Education. An association spokesperson wasnt available for comment on Friday. New Information Literacy and Financial Literacy standards also approved In addition to the rules changes, the board approved a new set of standards for Oklahoma schools regarding information literacy and financial literacy. Information literacy is a traditional term for the standards taught by a certified school librarian. Information literacy standards also are referred to as media or digital literacy. The standards reflect skills concerning how to access, evaluate, create with and ethically share information. For decades, the state Education Department has worked with the Oklahoma Library Association which is part of the American Library Association on information literacy standards. But Walters called the existing standards woke in December and said they constituted "taxpayer-funded, woke indoctrination of our children." Without providing examples, he criticized the association for fighting against "filtering of internet pornography in libraries" and attacking "parents who just want libraries to protect children and reflect their communities." Oklahoma state schools Superintendent Ryan Walters speaks in January during a special meeting of the Oklahoma State Board of Education. The new standards were developed using Ohios Library Guidelines for Learners from the Ohio Department of Education and Oklahoma Academic Standards for English Language Arts, developed in 2021. Dana Belcher, the president of the Oklahoma Library Association, said the state Education Department didnt consult with the organization on the new standards. Im sure individual members sent in their own comments (about the proposal), but the association was not contacted, Belcher said. This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma education board approves rules on DEI, accreditation, prayer Russian forces launched 28 attacks on Ukraine's northeastern Sumy Oblast on Feb. 23 targeting five communities, the regional administration reported. The Ukrianian military recorded at least 148 explosions in the area. The Russian military fired at the communities of Khotin, Bilopillia, Krasnopillia, Velyka Pysarivka, and Seredyna-Buda. Over the past 24 hours, Russia assailed the border communities with mortar, artillery, rocket launcher, drone, and grenade launcher attacks. Russian forces also launched at least 12 unguided rockets against the region and dropped 14 mines onto the town of Khotin and surrounding areas. No casualties were reported. The town of Bilopillia, located just eight kilometers south and 25 kilometers west of the Ukraine-Russia border, as well as nearby settlements experienced the most intense attacks with 45 explosions reported. No damages were reported in Bilopillia or other communities, according to the military administration. Shelling is a daily occurrence for the communities near Ukraine's northeastern border with Russia. Residents in the region's vulnerable border settlements experience multiple attacks per day. Read also: Ukraine war latest: Ukraine shoots down another Russian A-50 aircraft over Azov Sea, Air Force says Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. The NATO-Ukraine Council has issued a statement on the second anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine (24 February), commemorating the victims and expressing support for Kyiv. Source: European Pravda, citing a statement from NATO-Ukraine Council Details: "Russia has failed in its efforts to undermine Ukraines statehood and break the resolve of the Ukrainian people. Ukraine has prevailed as a sovereign and democratic nation, liberating significant territory and pushing back Russias Black Sea fleet," the statement reads. The NATO-Ukraine Council blamed the Russian Federation for this war and condemned Russia's monstrous attacks on Ukrainian cities and civilian, energy and port infrastructure, some of which also affected the territory of the Allies. "We also condemn all those who are facilitating Russias war and amplifying Russias disinformation. Russia must immediately stop this war and completely and unconditionally withdraw all of its military forces from Ukraine in line with UN General Assembly resolutions. We do not and will never recognise Russias illegal and illegitimate annexations, including Crimea," the statement stressed. The Council noted that Allies are committed to supporting Ukraine for as long as it takes for it to gain victory. "NATO continues to support Ukraine with urgently needed non-lethal equipment and supplies to strengthen Ukraines self-defence. NATO is committed to help strengthen and rebuild the Ukrainian security and defence sector, support Ukraines deterrence and defence in the long term, and transition Ukraine to full interoperability with NATO," the Council noted. The NATO-Ukraine Council brings together Allies and Ukraine to work closely together and make decisions on an equal footing to support Ukraine's further integration into NATO in line with the decisions of the 2023 Vilnius Summit, the statement added. Background: For his part, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg expressed support for Ukraine on the second anniversary of the full-scale war unleashed by Russia. The day before, NATO held a ceremony to mark the anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. European Council President Charles Michel, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Parliament President Roberta Metsola issued a joint statement on the second anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine promising assistance to end the war. Support UP or become our patron! No one outside of the Kremlin knows how many Ukrainian children have been stolen from their families since the start of Russias unprovoked invasion two years ago. An estimated 500 Ukrainian children have been returned since February 2022, but thats just a small fraction of the estimated hundreds of thousands of children ranging in age from toddlers to teenagers torn from their homes and held hostage in Russia. The mass kidnapping is a central piece of a war crimes case against Russian President Vladimir Putin, and part of allegations of genocide. The international legal process will take years to play out, but theres no time to waste for the governments and non-profits working to return kidnapped children. It doesnt matter if its an orphan, non-orphan, it is the same strategy to brainwash, to indoctrinate Ukrainian children to erase their identity, said Mykola Kuleba, CEO of Save Ukraine, which carried out covert operations inside Russia to return stolen children. They are attending Russian schools where every day they are listening to this propaganda. They have special lessons, they have to attend military monuments, they have to learn that Ukraine is not a state, not a country, not a nationality, that the West is the aggressor, and Russia is victim. Denys, now 18, was among the thousands of Ukrainian children trafficked into Russia. Russian soldiers came to our home and told me I should move to a summer camp, I refused but they did not listen to me, they forced me to go there, he told the Congressional Helsinki Commission last month. Both of his parents are deaf, and could not protest the Russian soldiers. Denys spent 10 months in Russian custody, first taken to a reeducation camp, then spending weeks in the hospital after running out of diabetes medication, and finally being sent to a military college. Denys managed to get in touch with a friend that connected him with Save Ukraine, which has helped return nearly 300 Ukrainian children to their families. Once we crossed the border and I saw the word Ukraine, I dropped my head back and started to scream Glory to Ukraine! While Ukrainian officials say they have identified more than 19,000 Ukrainian children in Russia, they believe that the actual number of kidnapped children is much higher, and cite claims from Russian officials that between 700,000 to 750,000 Ukrainian children have been transferred to Russia. Moscow is holding back all data on the children it has taken from territory it occupied in Ukraine. The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants against Putin and his top official for childrens rights, Maria Alekseyevna Lvova-Belov, on war crimes charges for the unlawful deportation and transfer of children. Why is Russia kidnapping Ukrainian children en masse? Its one word. Leverage, said Nathaniel Raymond, executive director of the Humanitarian Research Lab (HRL) at the Yale School of Public Health, which is part of a U.S. and Ukrainian effort to track down and identify Ukrainian children. Imagine the single most horrific thing that could happen in war imaginable and there is something worse than death its that they take your children. And so, thats what theyve done. Save Ukraine brought returned Ukrainian teenagers to Washington in January to testify on what they endured, and be a voice for those children still in Russia. Among the group was Ksenia, now 19-years-old, who is an orphan and spent two years in Russian custody. She was separated from her little brother, who spent five weeks in Russias so-called summer camps before being adopted by a Russian family. My brother went under very hard pressure, Russians kept telling him that nobody cares about him in Ukraine, theres no future in Ukraine and that Ukraine is run by Nazis, Ksenia told the Helsinki Commission. Ksenia said she was sent to a school but got kicked out for refusing to accept Russian citizenship, and took shelter at the home of a friend, and then managed to get in touch with Save Ukraine. But she had to go get her brother before she would leave Russia. When I finally had a chance to see my brother, I was told that he refuses to go back to Ukraine, she recalled. It took me several hours to explain to my brother that if hes not going to come back with me now hes going to stay in Russia and were never going to be able to be together again. Several hours later I managed to convince him and he came back with me. Raymond, from Yale, said his lab can roughly document some 30,000 kidnapped children, but that that number is likely much higher, into the six digits. Identifying and finding the kidnapped children is extremely tedious work, involving combing social media posts by Russian soldiers, identifying location data, and monitoring satellite imagery of camps where kids are being shuttled through. On top of the summer camps, children are also separated from their parents in filtration camps set up in occupied Ukraine, then dispersed throughout Russia. Raymond likened the task to a carnival game of guessing the number of jellybeans in a jar. In this case, the jar is covered in black tape, and we can only see pieces through the tape of the jellybeans in the jar, he said. Plus, they dont know the size of the jar. But the group has identified at least 42 locations across Russia where it believes children are being held and re-educated. We think its closer to 80, across Russia, including Siberia, and including Magadan on the Pacific east coast, closer to Japan and Alaska than Moscow. And so were dealing with a lot of jelly beans and a very big jar. He said Russia has failed to follow every step of appropriate action: from registering the children, to allowing them to contact their embassy, and allowing access to the Red Cross and United Nations. Kuleba, of Save Ukraine, said each child they manage to connect with and return is a unique case, making the task to return at least 19,000 children without the participation of Russia nearly impossible. We have no successful ways because always its different, he said. Its a special operation for every child, how to find and return this child. Its because all these kids have different ages. They are in different territories. They have a different experience in different facilities for Russian families. Thats why we are carefully planning escape for every child. Kuleba said much of their efforts to rescue Ukrainian children are confidential, since the group is labeled a terrorist organization by Russia. You can read in Russian media that Save Ukraine is kidnapping Russian children from new Russian region I have no words. Similarly, Raymond, at Yale, said much of their data collection must be kept private to prevent Russian officials from choking off limited avenues of identification. Ukrainian officials and their supporters say more international pressure needs to be applied on Russia to secure the return of children. We should unite our efforts to protect Ukrainian children, but again, what to do? We should recognize all activities of Russian federation as genocide, Dymtro Lubinets, Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights, told the Helsinki Commission. Lubints called for more sanctions on Russia, for the establishment of an international team applying more resources to scouring open source intelligence to find and identify children, and for increased support for rehabilitation centers for children returned to Ukraine. He called for the U.S. to take a leadership role on convening an international coalition to pressure Russia to release all the children. I know we cant wait, we dont have time, he said. The children very quickly grow up and this is the problem. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Alexander De Croo in Hostomel. Photo: Office of the President of Ukraine Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, whose country currently holds the presidency of the EU Council, has highlighted Russia's failures during a memorial ceremony in the town of Hostomel (Kyiv Oblast), marking the second anniversary of Russia's large-scale invasion of Ukraine. Source: Interfax-Ukraine news agency, citing European Pravda Quote: "Russia's war against Ukraine has changed a lot in Ukraine and around the world. Russia suffered one strategic defeat after another. NATO has become more effective and has once again become the centre of Europe's collective security... The Russian Navy was destroyed. Russian weapons proved to be no match for Western ones." Details: The prime minister added that none of this would have happened if such crucial battles had not taken place in Hostomel, which enabled Ukraine to carry on fighting. "The Russians tried to create a bridgehead in Hostomel... but were defeated. The Russian defeat in Hostomel was the beginning of the end of the Russian attempt to capture Kyiv," De Kroo stressed. The Belgian prime minister is one of the senior officials who have travelled to Kyiv to mark the second anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. They also include Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson also arrived in Kyiv. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy posted a video of him symbolically greeting the arriving Western senior officials at the Hostomel airport, which the Russian army wanted to use as a springboard for an airborne assault and a subsequent rapid capture of Kyiv. Reports of the expected arrival of von der Leyen and the Belgian prime minister emerged unofficially on Friday. Support UP or become our patron! The body of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has been released to his mother, Navalny's spokesperson Kira Yarmysh announced on social media Feb. 24. "Many thanks to all those who demanded this with us," Yarmysh said. Navalny, Putin's main political opponent, died on Feb. 16 in a penal colony in the town of Kharp, Yamal Nenets Autonomous District. He had been convicted in several fabricated criminal cases as part of the Kremlin's crackdown on dissent. Leaders around the world have blamed Russian President Vladimir Putin for his death. It remains unclear whether the harsh prison conditions caused his death or was an intentional murder. Navalny's mother said on Feb. 22 that the authorities threatened that they would only transfer the body to her if she agreed to a secret funeral, as opposed to a public one. On Feb. 23, Navalny's team said that the investigators had threatened Navalny's mother and issued an ultimatum. They said that if she did not agree to a secret funeral within three hours, they would bury Navalny at the penal colony, according to Navalny's team. Read also: Belarus Weekly: Tsikhanouskaya urges democracies to show their teeth after Navalnys death The funeral is still pending. We do not know if the authorities will interfere to carry it out as the family wants and as Alexei deserves," Yarmysh said. "We will inform you as soon as there is news." Yulia Navalnaya, Navalny's widow, lashed out at Russian dictator Vladimir Putin in a video released earlier in the day on Feb. 24, criticizing Russian authorities for their failure to release Navalny's remains. "This is not even hatred - this is some kind of Satanism, paganism. What are you planning to do with his body? How far will you go to mock the man you killed?" Navalnaya said. Believers of the Orthodox Christian faith typically commemorate nine days and then 40 days after a person's death. Read also: UK announces sanctions against 6 Russians in charge of prison where Navalny was held Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. The Ministry of Defence has stated that 103 settlements and 79 infrastructure facilities were attacked in 10 Ukrainian oblasts over the course of 23-24 February. Source: Military Media Center of the Ministry of Defence Details: The Ministry of Defence said that Russian attacks on ten oblasts have resulted in casualties among civilians; the number of civilians who were killed or injured is being confirmed. In total, the Russians fired from various types of weapons mortars, tanks, tubed artillery, MLRS, anti-aircraft missile systems, UAVs and tactical aircraft attacking 103 settlements and 79 infrastructure facilities. Support UP or become our patron! Fire at the Farm. Photo: State Emergency Service of Ukraine As a result of the Russian attack on the territory of a farm in Lyman, Kharkiv Oblast, a large-scale fire occurred, killing more than 20 pigs. Source: State Emergency Service of Ukraine , Aftermath of fire at the farm. Photo: State Emergency Service of Ukraine Quote: "This evening, Russian troops carried out another strike on the territory of a farm in the village of Lyman, Kharkiv Oblast. As a result of the attack, a large-scale fire occurred in the farm building where the pig livestock was located. The fire area was about 600 square metres. Emergency workers managed to save 52 animals by driving them to another outbuilding. More than two dozen pigs perished." Details: Farm workers were not injured. Support UP or become our patron! A Ukrainian soldier. Stock photo: General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Russian troops attempted to break through the defences of Ukrainian troops 44 times over the past 24 hours, with a total of 84 combat clashes taking place on the front line. Source: General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Facebook, information as of 06:00 on 24 February Details: A total of 84 combat clashes took place on the front line over the day. The Russians launched 10 missile strikes and 93 airstrikes, and fired from multiple-launch rocket systems at Ukrainian positions and populated areas 141 times. At night, Russian forces attacked Ukraine using 12 Shahed attack UAVs. Ukrainian air defence assets and personnel destroyed all 12 attack UAVs. The following areas suffered airstrikes: Novoiehorivka, Makiivka and Bilohorivka (Luhansk Oblast); Torske, Klishchiivka, Andriivka, Bila Hora, Chasiv Yar, Kurdiumivka, New-York, Novobakhmutivka, Orlivka, Tonenke, Krasnohorivka, Kostiantynivka, Novomykhailivka and Vodiane (Donetsk Oblast); and Mala Tokmachka, Robotyne and Novodanylivka (Zaporizhzhia Oblast). More than 110 settlements in Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv, Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipropetrovsk, Kherson and Mykolaiv oblasts came under Russian artillery fire. In the area of responsibility of the Pivnich (North) Operational Strategic Group on the Sivershchyna and Slobozhanshchyna fronts, the Russians are maintaining a military presence in the border areas, conducting sabotage activities to prevent the deployment of Ukrainian troops to vulnerable areas and increasing the density of minefields along the state border in Russias Belgorod Oblast. In the area of responsibility of the Khortytsia Operational Strategic Group on the Kupiansk front, the Russians made two unsuccessful offensive attempts near Synkivka (Kharkiv Oblast). On the Lyman front, Ukrainian defenders repelled two Russian attacks near Terny (Donetsk Oblast). On the Bakhmut front, the Ukrainian Armed Forces repelled nine Russian attacks near Bohdanivka and Ivanivske (Donetsk Oblast). In the area of responsibility of the Tavriia Operational Strategic Group on the Avdiivka front, Ukrainian defenders repelled nine Russian attacks in the vicinity of Lastochkyne, Sieverne and Pervomaiske (Donetsk Oblast). On the Marinka front, Ukrainian troops continued to hold back the Russians near the settlements of Heorhiivka, Pobieda and Novomykhailivka (Donetsk Oblast), where the Russians tried to break through Ukraines defences 44 times. On the Novopavlivka front, the Russians did not conduct any offensive operations. On the Zaporizhzhia front, the Ukrainian Armed Forces repelled eight Russian attacks near Robotyne (Zaporizhzhia Oblast). In the area of responsibility of the Odesa Operational Strategic Group on the Kherson front, the Defence Forces continue to hold their positions and repel the assaults of the Russian forces. The Russians made eight attempts to storm Ukrainian positions on the left bank of the Dnipro River over the past day. At the same time, over the past day, Ukraine's Air Force struck six areas where Russian personnel were concentrated, and three Russian anti-aircraft missile systems. In addition, Ukraines Air Force destroyed another Russian A-50 long-range radar detection aircraft. Ukraine's Rocket Forces and Artillery struck four areas where Russian personnel were concentrated, three artillery systems, an ammunition storage point and two Buk-M3 anti-aircraft missile systems belonging to the Russians. Support UP or become our patron! Screengrab from video obtained by Reuters shows a fighter from the BARS-09 volunteer force of the Russian military playing with a toy aircraft he found in an apartment in Balakliia Screengrab from video obtained by Reuters shows a fighter from the BARS-09 volunteer force of the Russian military playing with a toy aircraft he found in an apartment in Balakliia By Natalie Thomas, Maria Tsvetkova and Anton Zverev BALAKLIIA, Ukraine (Reuters) - When Russian forces withdrew from the town of Balakliia in eastern Ukraine in late 2022, pursued by Ukrainian troops and under artillery fire, they left a poorly equipped group of volunteers to guard their retreat. The force of around 50 men came from the National Army Combat Reserve - known by its Russian acronym BARS - a loose assembly of units totaling several thousand fighters that Russia's defense ministry has deployed in Ukraine to supplement its regular forces. About four hours of footage from a bodycam worn by one of the fighters, obtained by Reuters, provides a rare first-hand view of the combat operations of a BARS unit, according to three military experts who reviewed the video to provide an assessment for the news agency of the unit's military capability. The invasion of Ukraine marked the first time BARS, which was founded in 2015, deployed units in combat. The video, coupled with interviews with four platoon members, shows the BARS unit was left to defend Balakliia with no heavy weaponry or air support, malfunctioning communications, and confused coordination with the regular military. "Where is our air force?" asked one of the BARS fighters. His squad, tasked with defending a crossroads north of the town, was sharing a mess tin of cold meat stew during a break in Ukrainian shelling. The squad leader, Anton Kuznetsov, whose bodycam recorded the exchange, told the men that there must be a good reason there was no air support. "Do they understand that we're surrounded?" complained another soldier, off-camera. Contacted by Reuters, Kuznetsov said that he had made the bodycam video and had then misplaced the camera's memory card but he declined to comment on combat operations. The memory card was left behind in a rucksack after the retreat. Russia's defence ministry and the Kremlin did not respond to requests for comment about the video or the extent to which the military relies on the BARS irregulars. A deputy commander of the BARS 9 force that fought in Balakliia, contacted by Reuters, confirmed his position in the unit but declined to comment on its activities. The news agency could not independently determine how representative the conditions in the video were of the operations of the wider BARS force. Russia has made territorial gains along parts of the frontline in recent months. Ukraine, which replaced its military top brass in early February, has repeatedly said it needs more equipment and support from Western allies to prosecute the war. On at least two occasions, President Vladimir Putin has publicly praised the contribution of BARS to Russia's campaign. In a Feb. 21, 2023 annual address to parliament, he said BARS fighters were patriotic volunteers and thanked them for their service. As the war enters a third year, BARS is part of a patchwork of irregular forces that helps Russia avoid an unpopular general draft, the military experts said. Rod Thornton, associate professor at the Defence Studies Department of King's College London, estimated that BARS contributes between 10,000 and 30,000 men to a Russian force operating in or near Ukraine of about 200,000. Russia does not disclose the number of BARS fighters. In recent months, BARS units have been fighting in north-east Ukraine and in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, two of the most bitterly contested fronts, according to updates posted on social media by Dmitry Rogozin, the Moscow-appointed representative for Zaporizhzhia in the upper house of the Russian parliament, and a report from Russian state news agency RIA Novosti. BARS units were useful in plugging gaps in Russian manpower, said Nick Reynolds, Research Fellow in Land Warfare at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), a UK-based defence think tank. "With the Russian state clearly mobilizing for a longer conflict, a system such as BARS does provide an additional avenue from which to mobilize parts of the population, get them trained and provide additional mass," said Reynolds, who reviewed the bodycam footage. He said the group shown in the video appeared "not particularly professional or well trained." "WE'D BEEN FORGOTTEN" On Sept. 6, 2022, the core of the Russian force in Balakliia was withdrawing in the face of a major Ukrainian counter-offensive. Ukrainian forces have already taken the nearby settlements of Verbivka and Lagery. But the BARS fighters stayed behind. Kuznetsov, aged 29 and from Siberia, was one of the squad leaders of a BARS 9 platoon, in command of around a dozen men, the video showed. The commander of the BARS platoon inside Balakliia ordered Kuznetsov's squad to head to the crossroads and repel Ukrainian forces, the video showed. They knew they would be outgunned by the Ukrainians, conversations caught on camera showed. The heaviest weapons Kuznetsov's squad had at its disposal were machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades, and mortars. Two members of the BARS force were sent to find a spot with radio signal to contact a nearby artillery unit to get support, according to one of the four fighters who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity. After around 24 hours, they located an artillery unit, but they were already pulling back towards Russia, so could not help, the person said. "My first impression was that we'd been forgotten," he said. "It hit me very hard psychologically." TOY SOLDIERS On Sept 7, the last day recorded on the bodycam, Kuznetsov's squad were keeping watch from an apartment building overlooking the crossroads, as radio traffic reported Ukrainian forces approaching. While they waited, Kuznetsov and two of his men played with a toy plane and toy tank, pantomiming a soldier requesting air support. Soon after, a radio report came in saying five Ukrainian Humvees were spotted nearby. Kuznetsov tells his squad: "Right, men, let's get into the mood for a battle." The video footage ends as Kuznetsov heads downstairs into the street. Two of the fighters told Reuters they did engage the Ukrainian forces, but the Russians were outnumbered. After the retreat, BARS 9 temporarily disbanded, according to the same two fighters, though they said it has since been re-started. (Additional reporting by Kateryna Malofieieva, Polina Nikolskaya, Christian Lowe and Mari Saito; Editing by Daniel Flynn) Vyacheslav Lebedev, who was chairman of Russia's Supreme Court since December 1991, died in Moscow on Feb. 23, Russian state-controlled media outlet Kommersant reported on Feb. 24. Lebedev was 80 years old and died after a "prolonged illness." "He participated in the work of the Supreme Court literally until his last day," Kommersant said, citing a source. Lebedev was included on a Ukrainian sanctions list due to his role in Russia's leadership. He met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Feb. 6 to discuss the work of the judicial system. Lebedev was the Chairman of the Supreme Court of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic for two years before the breakup of the Soviet Union. Russia's judiciary has long been controlled by the Kremlin, with the country's parliament rubber stamping a heap of oppressive legislation, while courts handing out politically motivated sentences. According to OVD-Info, a human rights group, Russia has over 1,000 political prisoners, some of them are incarcerated for calling Russia's war against Ukraine as a "war" or liking and sharing an anti-war message. Read also: Russias Supreme Court declares LGBT movement an extremist organization Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. The direction of the third year of the Russia-Ukraine war will largely depend upon whether Congress can overcome hesitation about continued support as fatigue sets in, experts told Fox News Digital. "Americas partnerships and alliances have never been more important than they are right now," Kenneth J Braithwaite, former secretary of the Navy in the Trump administration and former ambassador to Norway, argued. "Communism is alive and well, and we are up against it as Russia wages war against Europe and China seeks to exert more influence on the globe," Braithwaite said. "That means Americans need to look outside our borders at how we can protect ourselves from these looming challenges, starting with one of our greatest force multipliers: Our partnerships and willingness to stand united against authoritarian threats to sovereignty." The second year of the Ukraine invasion proved a truly chaotic one, starting with Russia seeming to suffer catastrophic setbacks when the vital Wagner forces turned traitor and tried to march on Moscow. Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin died after his plane exploded, killing him and everyone aboard. BRET BAIER REFLECTS ON THE IMPORTANCE, COST OF WAR JOURNALISM AS RUSSIA'S WAR ON UKRAINE ENTERS ANOTHER YEAR A Ukrainian armored personnel carrier travels along a road in Bakhmut in the Donetsk region March 3, 2023. Russian President Vladimir Putin appeared to rally and beat back Ukraines counteroffensive, much to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyys frustration. Putin grew so confident in his standing he refused to renew a U.N.-backed deal to secure access for grain shipments through the Black Sea, turning and attacking Ukraine. READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP Ukraine countered with an impressive naval effort that destroyed a dozen Russian ships in the Black Sea, pushing the fleet out of the western part of the sea and allowing Kyiv to establish its own grain corridor. As the dust settles following that roller coaster series of events, the third year of the war remains vague and dependent upon two major developments. Russia or Ukraine will both look to overcome war fatigue to gain a major advantage. And Ukraines chances rest largely on whether the U.S. Congress can overcome its hesitation about continued support for Ukraine without a clear end in sight. "For Ukraine, the shell hunger and the manpower shortages caused by, and in the former case caused in part by U.S. delays to aid, it's a challenging year," John Hardie, the deputy director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD)s Russia Program, told Fox News Digital. BIDEN CALLED OUT FOR EMBOLDENING PUTIN AMID UKRAINE WAR, NAVALNY'S DEATH "It was always going to be a tough year no matter what happened with U.S. aid," Hardie stressed. "The congressional delays have just made it worse. So, I think for Ukraine early this year, theyll just try to hold on by the teeth and try to make it through 2025, when if we put the pieces in place this year I think Ukraine could regain the advantage. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy meets with House Speaker Mike Johnson to discuss additional aid from Congress "But it obviously depends on the right decisions being made and implemented this year." Congress has failed to approve new aid packages that would supply Ukraine with much-needed defense equipment, munitions and air defense systems. A rare Sunday vote Feb. 11 in the Senate pushed forward an aid package for Ukraine along with Israel and other U.S. allies that would provide $60 billion in aid to Ukraine, including $8 billion for Kyiv and other assistance. Several holdouts in Congress, including senators JD Vance, R-Ohio.; Josh Hawley, R-Mo.; and Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., have spoken against continued support for Ukraine. TRUMP SAID HE COULD END UKRAINE WAR NEARLY A YEAR AGO BUT STILL HASN'T LAID OUT SPECIFICS Vance has argued that he sees little sense in "unlimited, unaccounted-for aid to Ukraine without any goals in mind," while Tuberville found it difficult to continue "paying Ukrainian farmers" after "we just punted the farm bill for American farmers [to] next year." Mark Green, President and CEO of the Wilson Center and former administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) under President Trump, argued in favor of continuing to support Ukraine. He worried that "standing by and letting Putins forces win would embolden our rivals elsewhere." "What scares Putin more than anything else is democratic success on his borders," Green told Fox News Digital. "Thats why his invasion of Ukraine was not merely a military invasion: He demolished infrastructure to demoralize Ukrainians and weaponized food to punish anyone who stands with Ukraine. "He wants to undermine Ukraine and the rules-based system we created in every way, which is why the U.S. needs a wide range of tools to help the Ukrainians defend themselves. The world is watching." TOM COTTON MAKES CASE TO GIVE UKRAINE AID WHILE PROTECTING US BORDER Without the aid, Ukraine will find it difficult to sustain its defense against Russia, Zelenskyy said in an exclusive interview this week with Bret Baier, FOX News' chief political anchor and executive editor of "Special Report." Zelenskyy claimed that Russia has lost five troops for every one Ukrainian, and he highlighted that Russias only significant gain in the past year was to take the city of Avdiivka near Donetsk. Looking into year three, FDDs Hardie worried about a Ukraine that did not have the consistent U.S. support to overcome war fatigue while Russia faces issues that could prove catastrophic in the coming months. "I think both sides have a structural manpower problem where they can't rotate forces, and troops become increasingly exhausted," Hardie said. "Despite having both mobilized, they haven't done so to the extent that they could actually take tens of thousands of forces or more off the front line and let them rest for months on end. "Folks on both sides maybe get a week of vacation here or there, but it's not a real force rotation where you can give someone a date and say, 'This is your deployment window, and once you're done, youre done,'" he added. "So, that hasn't affected morale. PRESSURE GROWS ON JOHNSON TO MAKE MOVE ON UKRAINE AID AS RUSSIAN INVASION NEARS 2-YEAR MARK "It's sort of both sides are struggling with that. For Ukraine, the issue is mobilizing young men. And, for Russians, it's just one example of political risk and the economic risk of another round of mobilization," Hardie added. "So, I think those are the things to watch out for." Ukraine will seek to remedy that issue with changes to its mobilization laws, which have slowly progressed through rounds of revisions as lawmakers have resisted several measures, including increasing the age for the draft. Putin issued a decree to expand his forces by around 170,000 men, bringing the troop total to 1.32 million, not including any confirmed death count, which would significantly diminish that total if verified. The Kremlin went to great pains to ensure that the public understands the expansion does not indicate an impending draft, which proved wildly unpopular when Putin rolled it out in 2022 after promising that he would not do so. GERMAN LAWMAKERS REJECT OPPOSITION CALL TO SEND TAURUS LONG-RANGE CRUISE MISSILES TO UKRAINE Putin on Friday promised to continue improving Russias military power, including once again its nuclear capabilities, which he promised would remain in modernized and good order, according to Reuters. "Incorporating our real combat experience, we will continue to strengthen the Armed Forces in every possible way, including ongoing re-equipping and modernization efforts," Putin said. "Today, the share of modern weapons and equipment in the strategic nuclear forces has already reached 95%, while the naval component of the 'nuclear triad' is at almost 100%," he added. Zelenskyy will continue to fight for support and to convince Congress to back Kyiv, even if things remain unclear in the immediate future as his country faces an existential crisis. "My message is, if they want to be very pragmatic, the price, we are asking now to support, this price is less than it will be in the future. They will pay much more, much more. We just want to live, to survive," Zelenskyy said during his interview with Baier. "We don't have [an] alternative." Original article source: Russia's war on Ukraine unlikely to end in 2024; Congress plays pivotal role in direction conflict takes (FOX40.COM) The annual Sacramento County Fair is scheduled to return to Cal Expo for five days in May. This year will bring epic family fun for everyone, the organizers said on social media. Our theme is shake, cattle, and roll!' Brian McKnight coming to Hard Rock Sacramento The upcoming fair is expected to happen from May 23-27, according to sacfair.com. It will include carnival rides, free live concerts, family-friendly acts, fantastic fair food, livestock and horse shows, a kids zone, and more. Pre-sale tickets are on sale. The admission price for adults is $12 and for children ages 12-17 costs $10. Children under 12 are free, according to the event website. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX40. (FOX40.COM) The Sacramento Police Department said it is asking for the communitys help in finding a 12-year-old boy who was reported missing. Phoenix Cochran was reported missing on Friday around 11 a.m. Police said he was last seen near the 5000 block of 22nd Avenue. He was wearing a black Champion sweatshirt and black jogger-style pants the last time he was seen, police said. California company ordered to pay $140M for bottle and can smuggling scheme Cochran is described as measuring 511, weighing 150 pounds and has brown, curly hair and brown eyes. He is deemed at-risk due to his age, police said. Anyone with information on Cochrans whereabouts is asked to call Sacramento Police at 916-808-5471. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX40. The Sacramento County Sheriffs Office on Friday evening released video of deputies firing more than 30 gunshots at a man last month in a Carmichael apartment complex, where he was fatally shot after an hourslong standoff and firing a gun at the deputies. William Dean Wilson, 43, of Carmichael was the man fatally wounded in the shootout with deputies Jan. 10, according to the Sacramento County Coroners Office. The Sheriffs Office released an edited video of the shootout with narration from sheriffs spokesman Sgt. Amar Gandhi. The video contains footage gathered from a sheriffs aerial drone and body-worn cameras on the deputies who confronted Wilson as he exited an apartment that night. The incident began about 5:30 p.m. Jan. 10 when deputies were called to the Sienna Square Apartments in the 4700 block of Marconi Avenue, between Mission and Root avenues. Gandhi said the deputies received reports of a man firing a gun out of his apartment window. Critical Incident Debrief Video OIS 1.10.2024 pic.twitter.com/RujSNyur6J Sacramento Sheriff (@sacsheriff) February 24, 2024 The deputies arrived at the scene and determined that nobody had been injured, before they created a perimeter around the area and evacuated other residents from the apartment complex to isolate the suspect, later identified as Wilson. Gandhi said deputies quickly established phone contact with Wilson and started speaking with him. Sheriffs crisis negotiators and the Special Enforcement Detail team, which is the Sheriffs Offices SWAT unit, were called to the apartment complex. Over the next few hours of negotiations with the suspect, Wilson fired several more gunshots from his apartment toward deputies, Gandhi said. Wilson became increasingly threatening toward negotiators, specifically mentioning wanting to kill a deputy, Gandhi said in the video. The sheriffs spokesman said the Special Enforcement Detail team deployed a chemical agent into Wilsons apartment to push him into coming out and surrendering to the deputies. Gandhi did not say what chemical agent was used. About 9:40 p.m., Wilson came out of his apartment. Gandhi said deputies spotted Wilson holding a handgun behind his back. He said the deputies repeatedly ordered Wilson to drop the gun, but he refused to put down the firearm. Suddenly, (Wilson) raised the gun toward deputies and fired one shot, Gandhi said in the video. Three deputies immediately returned fire, striking (Wilson) and causing him to fall to the ground. He said members of the Special Enforcement Detail team tried to provide first aid to Wilson before medics arrived. Gandhi in Fridays video said Wilson was pronounced dead at the scene. Previously, the morning after the shooting, Gandhi said Wilson died at a hospital. Video from the body-worn cameras show the moments when deputies fired their guns at Wilson. Three deputies all on the Special Enforcement Detail team fired gunshots at Wilson. Gandhi said one deputy, who has been with the Sheriffs Office since 2016 and part of the team since 2020, fired nine gunshots from his rifle at Wilson. He said another deputy with the Sheriffs Office since 2007 and with the team since 2021 fired two gunshots from his rifle at Wilson. A deputy, who has been with the Sheriffs Office since 2018 and with the special enforcement team since last year, fired 22 gunshots from his rifle at Wilson. The sheriffs video does not indicate how many gunshots struck Wilson. No other injuries were reported. The deadly shooting remains under investigation by sheriffs homicide detectives and the Sheriffs Offices professional standards division, which is standard practice. The Sacramento County District Attorneys Office will conduct its own review of the fatal shooting. Residents of San Franciscos Mission District slammed the city for failing constituents, especially minority residents, as "brutal sex trafficking," menacing pimps and distracted johns brazenly take over streets in the neighborhood, according to a recent petition. "San Francisco is failing the Mission District and its less privileged, mainly BIPOC constituents. The City has no consistent plan in place to prevent rampant and brutal sex trafficking infiltrating and degrading the neighborhood," a petition posted last week by Mission District residents reviewed by Fox News Digital shows. The petition is calling on the city to install license plate readers "as soon as possible" between 15th and 25th streets on Shotwell, Capp, Folsom, South Van Ness, Treat and Harrison streets in the Mission District. The petition adds that cameras should be installed in any "surrounding areas where sex trafficking occurs nightly." "Our hope is that the license plate readers will send a signal to the criminals engaging in the trafficking of women and girls that they are no longer safe to operate freely in our residential neighborhood. In addition to sex trafficking, the aforementioned locations cover areas of known drug dealing," the petition concluded. PIMPS CONTROL SAN DIEGO NEIGHBORHOODS AS RESIDENTS FEAR SPEAKING OUT AMID BRAZEN PROSTITUTION: BUSINESS OWNER San Francisco officials recently approved a plan to install 400 license plate readers across the city to combat crime, including rampant shoplifting that has rocked the city in recent years. READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP NEARLY NAKED PROSTITUTES PROWL STREETS IN BROAD DAYLIGHT, BUT CALIFORNIA LAW TIES POLICE HANDS: MAYOR Prostitution and sex trafficking have spiraled in cities across California according to residents, elected officials and police leaders since Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation dubbed the Safer Streets for All Act. The legislation, signed in July 2022 and officially taking effect at the start of 2023, repealed a previous law that banned loitering with the intent of engaging in prostitution. The bill was championed as one that would help protect transgender women from reportedly being targeted by police . Critics, including residents and business owners, are demanding the governor repeal the law, arguing it has promoted brazen prostitution, including pimps controlling neighborhoods in San Diego, barely-clothed women walking sidewalks in broad daylight looking for johns, and rampant sex trafficking. CHURCH SERVICES DISTURBED AS RAMPANT SAN DIEGO PROSTITUTION HITS FEVER PITCH The San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan, a Republican, wrote an op-ed late last month calling on the governor to repeal the law, saying it has caused human trafficking to spiral and is hurting young women and girls. A woman stands on the streets in San Diego in high heels and skimpy outfit. "Girls as young as 13 are being openly sold for sex on San Diego County streets. In fact, women of all ages are being blatantly trafficked for sex, meaning they are forced to walk the streets while their traffickers keep a watchful eye on their every move. One big reason is because California recently repealed the crime of loitering for prostitution with Senate Bill 357," Stephan wrote in a piece published by The San Diego Union-Tribune. SUSPECTED PROSTITUTION RING MOVES INTO CA NEIGHBORHOOD OUTSIDE CATHOLIC SCHOOL: 'PIMP IS BLOCKING MY DRIVEWAY' Prostitution issues in San Diego have increased since California's controversial S.B. 357 became law, according to a business owner. When Newsom signed the bill, he said his administration "must be cautious about its implementation" and would monitor any negative fallout. When asked earlier this month by Fox News Digital about recent outrage and calls to repeal the law, Newsoms office provided a tepid response. NEWSOM ADMIN DELIVERS TEPID RESPONSE TO SPIRALING PROSTITUTION, PIMPS CONTROLLING CALIFORNIA NEIGHBORHOODS "Prostitution is illegal, and sex trafficking is a serious and abhorrent crime as evidenced by ongoing law enforcement operations that occur regularly across California, including the significant arrests and felony charges in San Diego just last week," Newsoms office told Fox News Digital earlier this month. "As the Governor stated when he signed the Safer Streets For All Act, the Administration is closely monitoring the implementation of this particular law, and is committed to responding to any unintended consequences," the office added. In San Franciscos Mission District, residents told local media that the parade of endless johns looking for prostitutes has led to hit-and-run accidents, while prostitutes have reportedly threatened residents that their gun-toting pimps would shoot them if they interfere with the illegal sex operations. "There's literally lines of hundreds of johns just going around the block, all night long," one Mission District resident told NBC San Francisco. AS CALIFORNIA POLICE FIGHT RAMPANT PROSTITUTION, JOHNS LINE UP LIKE THEY'RE AT 'FAST-FOOD DRIVE-THROUGH' The neighborhood is no stranger to prostitution, as it has been a decades-long issue, however, residents last year began sounding off to the media that solicitation was increasing and becoming brazen and "rampant" on city streets. The line of johns waiting for prostitutes has also resulted in minor car accidents and hit and runs, according to residents. "Everyone has a story of a hit and run," another resident told the outlet. "Everyone has a story of an altercation." The petition added that the rampant solicitation in the neighborhood puts trafficked women and kids in the crosshairs of "immeasurable harm.' "The overall impact is immeasurable harm for trafficked women and girls and for the Central Mission neighborhood, families and businesses. The city of San Francisco, due to its decades-long neglect of the situation, is responsible," the blistering petition states. Police do monitor areas of the Mission District to help curb the rampant prostitution, but residents said they cant be there at all hours of the day trying to ward off solicitation. "Overall, what weve noticed is that as soon as the police are gone, they are back," one resident told The San Francisco Standard. "They know the drill." The San Francisco Police Department told Fox News Digital that officials have arrested "25 individuals in the last 3 months" in the Mission District area, most of whom were males. The police spokesperson added that the department has long been aware of the "decades-long challenges involving sex workers" in the neighborhood, and "will continue to enforce the law." "Our officers always ask suspected sex workers if they are being trafficked to see if they need additional services," the spokesperson said. "We will continue to enforce the law, and work with the community and our city partners to address this issue." The San Francisco mayors office and Newsoms office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digitals request for comment on the matter. Original article source: San Francisco residents unleash on blue city's failure to curb 'brutal sex trafficking' rampant on streets As Miami struggles once again with seemingly endless corruption, incompetence and self-serving leaders, proposed changes are being circulated to add two new commission districts, perhaps at large, and the redrawing of existing districts. Those changes may be helpful, but they do not address the structural problem that has afflicted Miami since it adopted a form of government that is neither the strong-mayor system in effect in Miami-Dade County nor the commission-manager system in effect in Miami Beach, Hialeah, Sweetwater and many municipalities in Florida. What Miami needs most is to abandon its present form of government and adopt either of the other two prevailing ones. Historically, Miami had a commission-manager form of government, in which the mayor was a member of the City Commission, fully within the legislative branch of government and fully outside the executive branch. As such, the mayor presided over commission meetings and had a voice and a vote equal to those of the other commissioners. An appointed professional manager ran the operations of the city as the head of the executive power. The city charter prohibited the mayor and commissioners from interfering with the managers functions, including the hiring and firing of personnel. Miami-Dade County had a similar system, but, in the late 1990s, a charter amendment changed its form of government into what was called an executive mayor framework. Miami decided to copy that framework by replicating, almost word for word, the countys amendment. As a result, both Miami-Dade and Miami changed their form of government to that of an executive mayor. But that framework proved to be ill-conceived and hopelessly flawed, so much so that, in 2007, the county abandoned it in favor of the strong-mayor form of government in effect today in which the mayor oversees government administration. Regrettably, Miami did not follow Miami-Dade Countys lead. The executive mayor framework took the mayor out of the commission and made him/her the titular head of the executive branch. In reality, the executive mayor was left with little power, consisting basically of vetoing commission legislation and hiring and firing the city manager all subject to the commissions power to override those mayoral decisions. The city manager still runs the city, and the mayor cannot interfere. The weakness of the mayors function in Miami is illustrated by this example: If Miamis mayor wishes to have a childrens park built, the mayor: Cannot direct the citys planning and zoning staff to determine whether the project may be built or where. Cannot direct the citys financial staff to determine whether the project would be financially feasible. Cannot direct the citys designers to design the park. Cannot direct the citys building staff and engineers to prepare plans for building the project, or to estimate its cost. Cannot direct the citys parks and recreation staff to recommend programming at the park. Cannot issue a request for proposals to outsource any of those functions to the private sector. Cannot make a motion at a meeting of the city commission to have the project approved. Hence, the form of government still in effect in the city of Miami leaves the mayor with little real power, and creates the possibility that the city manager might be confronted with a dispute between the commission and a mayor who has the power to fire him/her. By contrast, the true strong-mayor form of government that the county ultimately adopted restores the separation of powers between the legislative and the executive branches of government and clearly delineates the functions of each, thereby enhancing accountability. Whether Miami should amend its charter in favor of a strong-mayor form of government or return to the prior commission-manager form of government is a decision the citys voters should make in a referendum. There are good arguments for both systems, but what is not justified is maintaining the awkward, discredited status quo. Jose Garcia-Pedrosa served as Miami city manager and city attorney as well as Miami Beachs city manager in the 1990s. Polls are officially open in South Carolinas first-in-the-South Republican presidential primary. The states former Gov. Nikki Haley is trying to pull off an upset against former president Donald Trump. This is the time we make our choice, Haley told supporters in Charleston Friday at her final campaign rally before the polls opened. Haley wants voters to know shes the best chance Republicans have of beating President Joe Biden. We have to nominate someone that can actually win a general election, she said. Haley said Trump has proven hes not up to the job. Our country needs to heal, she said. And our kids deserve to know what that feels like. That message resonates with voters like 18-year-old Harrison Livingston, who plans to cast his first-ever vote for Haley. Her foreign policy experience is something thats completely unmatched, Livingston said. And she actually cares about our veterans. Haley is also trying to pick up last-minute support from voters like Jane Renzi, who said she can no longer support Trump. He makes me nervous a little bit, Renzi said. But as far as Trump is concerned, hes already completed an early state sweep in the race. The big day is November 5th, and we have to send a signal that were coming, Trump said during his keynote at the Black Conservative Federations annual gala in Columbia Friday. Trump promised supporters the return of the American dream. With me, you will never be taken for granted, he said. Trump is also leaning hard into the religious vote, touting he secured endorsements from faith leaders in every county in South Carolina. Haleys campaign announced Friday it will launch a seven-figure ad buy, supporting her promise that shell stay in the race at least through Super Tuesday. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) made a plea for House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) to pass aid to Ukraine, during a Friday interview. We need Speaker Johnson to make sure that we get that aid, Schumer said in an interview with CNNs Wolf Blitzer. If he put the bill on the floor, it would pass. There are a good number of Republicans in the House who know how important it is, and he has to see that history is on his back. He cannot have obeisance to Donald Trump, Schumer continued. He has to do the right thing here. Schumer visited Ukraine Friday, as part of a congressional delegation set to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The Senate Majority Leader also pushed Johnson to pass a national security spending package that the Senate passed last week, which features $60 billion in Ukraine aid. Schumer also stressed that the delegation in Ukraine heard in great detail how Ukraine would win if it receives the aid. He also said an American in Ukraine told the delegation, how, if the U.S. does not provide Ukraine with further aid, the Russians could be at the Polish border within a year. For his part, Johnson has pushed back against the Senates package, signaling that he wont bring it to the House floor because it doesnt have border security measures that House Republicans want. [In] the absence of having received any single border policy change from the Senate, the House will have to continue to work its own will on these important matters, Johnson said last week in a statement. America deserves better than the Senates status quo. In the CNN interview, Schumer also said Johnson should come to Ukraine and visit with Zelensky. If he meets with the leading generals, if he meets with Zelensky, if he meets with the Americans on our side, therell be no way he wont be convinced that we need this aid, Schumer said. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Pansies are having less sex. Thats the punchline of a recent study, as summarized in The New York Times, which reported that certain flowers are evolving to self-fertilize more often as populations of bees and other pollinators drop. The study, conducted by scientists in France, indicated that environmental changes that have caused pollinators to decline have also resulted in rapid flower adaptations. Studying field pansies common in Europe, the researchers found that the modern versions of these plants are self-fertilizing, or selfing, at a rate 27% higher than 1990s pansies, the Times reported. Field pansy plants usually reproduce sexually with one another when bumblebees and other pollinators transfer pollen among them. Alternatively, these pansies can use their own pollen to self-fertilize their seeds. Selfing is more convenient than sex, since a flower does not have to wait for a bee to drop by, wrote Carl Zimmer in the Times. But a selfing flower can use only its own genes to produce new seeds. Sexual reproduction allows flowers to mix their DNA, creating new combinations that may make them better prepared for diseases, droughts, and other challenges. Besides increased self-fertilization, the researchers also observed the pansies evolving toward smaller flowers and less nectar. Both of these changes make the plants less appealing to bees and reinforce a declining interaction with pollinators, which the study also documented. According to the Times, the speed at which changes have occurred took the scientists by surprise, as these adaptations happened within just 20 generations. Thats rapid evolution, Pierre-Olivier Cheptou, the University of Montpellier ecologist who led the study, told the newspaper. The Times article pointed to human activities as key drivers that have affected pollinators. These factors include the use of toxic pesticides and reductions of pollinator-friendly habitat. If more flowers shift toward self-pollination (and away from genetic diversity), it could have widespread effects on the resilience of plants. Plants shifting away from a focus on cross-pollination could also make a bad situation worse for pollinators especially if plants reduce insect-sustaining nectar to use their energy in other ways, Dr. Cheptou told the Times. Other researchers weighed in on the studys implications, as well. The results were impressive, if disheartening, Susan Mazer, a University of California, Santa Barbara researcher not involved in the research, told the Times. Mazer also noted that rising global temperatures put further pressure on flowering plants and may reduce the time in which they can provide nectar before they wilt. That said, the broader effects are still uncertain. As Sasha Bishop, another scientist not involved in the research pointed out, flowers can take a different tack by investing energy to attract scarce pollinators (such as through bigger blooms or more nectar) rather than selfing. Both outcomes are perfectly reasonable, Bishop told the Times. Join our free newsletter for weekly updates on the coolest innovations improving our lives and saving our planet. From the Dispatch Politics on The Dispatch The Republican National Committee could vote on resolutions at an upcoming spring meeting that, if approved, would prohibit the RNC from covering millions of dollars in legal bills being racked up by Donald Trump, and would bar the party from treating the former president as its presumptive presidential nominee before he secures the requisite convention delegates. How much total support the resolutions have is unclear, as is whether or not theyll secure enough backing to be granted formal consideration under RNC rules. The draft resolutions, sponsored by Henry Barbour, a veteran RNC committeeman from Mississippi, were obtained by The Dispatch Saturday morning and are currently being circulated among committee members in advance of the partys scheduled March 7-9 meeting in Houston. RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel has signaled she will step down at that time to make way for the committee to elect a replacement, almost assuredly current RNC counsel and North Carolina GOP Chairman Michael Whatley, who is being backed by Trump. Members are also expected to install the former presidents daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, as vice chair. An earlier RNC resolution proposed by RNC committeeman David Bossie, first reported by The Dispatch, would have declared Trump the presumptive nominee before he earned the necessary 1,215 nominating delegates to Julys Milwaukee convention, although the former president came out against it after it went public. And on Friday, Trumps top campaign adviser, Chris LaCivita, told NBC News he would not allow RNC funds to be used to cover Trumps legal expenses after he takes over as chief operating officer of the committee (a role created for him by Trump). But with the 45th president essentially set to assume control of the RNC before becoming the official presumptive nominee through the ascension of Whatley, Lara Trump, and LaCivita, some committee members want insurance that would preserve the committees neutrality in a Republican primary in which Nikki Haley continues to competeand protect its coffers from being used to pay for the tens of millions of dollars Trump is spending to defend himself against indictments in four different criminal cases. The draft resolution regarding the RNC remaining neutral in the primary reads: WHEREAS, The Republican National Committee must serve as a neutral player in primaries; in fact, RNC Rule 11 states the RNC shall not contribute money or in-kind aid to any candidate for any public or party office of that state, except the nominee of the Republican Party or a candidate who is unopposed in the Republican Primary after the filing deadline for that office. WHEREAS, the Republican Presidential Primary is not over; it is contested with two current qualified candidates, who have each won delegates. RESOLVED, That the Republican National Committee and its leadership will stay neutral throughout the Presidential primary and not take on additional staff from any of the active Presidential campaigns until a nominee is clearly determined by reaching 1,215 delegates. The draft resolution related to Trumps legal expenditures is worded in such a way that it does not single out Trump and codifies that the RNC should only spend money on political activity to elect Republicans up and down the ticket, and not the personal dealings of any candidate. It reads: WHEREAS, the Republican National Committee should focus its spending on political efforts associated with winning elections and make clear from this point forward that the RNCs financial resources are to be used to assist candidates across the country winning elections in 2024. WHEREAS, spending any RNC financial resources for any candidates personal, business, or political legal expenses, not related to the 2024 election cycle, does not serve the RNCs primary mission of helping to elect our candidates in 2024; therefore, be it RESOLVED, that the Republican National Committee will not pay the legal bills of any of our candidates for any federal or state office, but will focus our spending on efforts directly related to the 2024 election cycle. The full text of both resolutions can be found here. A source familiar with RNC officials thought process said its not unheard of for the RNC to coordinate with a frontrunner before the official delegate threshold is reachedpointing to the organizations embrace of Mitt Romney in 2012 as an example. The RNC, however, declined to comment for this story. Trump is on pace to defeat Haley and capture the Republican nomination, possibly as soon as late March. Super Tuesday, March 5, will see 16 states hold primaries. The former president is expected to defeat the former South Carolina governor Saturday in the Palmetto States GOP primary, which would net him all 50 delegates up for grabs in the contest. Editors Note, February 24, 2024: This story has been updated with additional details and context regarding the RNCs thought process and the likelihood of the resolutions passing. Read more at The Dispatch The Dispatch is a new digital media company providing engaged citizens with fact-based reporting and commentary, informed by conservative principles. Sign up for free. The UN has warned of famine in the Gaza Strip (MOHAMMED ABED) Concern deepened Saturday over the growing humanitarian crisis in the war-torn Gaza Strip, with aid agencies warning of unprecedented levels of desperation and looming famine. Dozens more Gazans were killed in Israeli strikes, the Hamas-run territory's health ministry said, after Israel's spy chief joined talks with mediators in Paris seeking to unblock negotiations on a truce. As civilians in the besieged territory struggled to get food and supplies, the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees warned Gazans were "in extreme peril while the world watches". In northern Gaza's Jabalia refugee camp, bedraggled children held plastic containers and battered cooking pots for what little food was available. Food is running out, with aid agencies unable to get into the area because of the bombing, while the trucks that do try to get through face frenzied looting. Residents have taken to eating scavenged scraps of rotten corn, animal fodder unfit for human consumption and even leaves. The World Food Programme said this week its teams reported "unprecedented levels of desperation" while the United Nations warned that 2.2 million people were on the brink of famine. The health ministry said on Saturday that a two-month-old baby identified as Mahmud Fatuh had died of "malnutrition" in Gaza City. Save the Children said the risk of famine would continue to "increase as long as the government of Israel continues to impede the entry of aid into Gaza". Israel has defended its track record on allowing aid into Gaza, saying that 13,000 trucks carrying relief supplies had entered the territory since the start of the war. With tempers rising dozens of people in the Jabalia camp on Friday held an impromptu protest. "We didn't die from air strikes but we are dying from hunger," read a sign held by one child. - 'Bring them back' - An Israeli delegation led by Mossad intelligence agency chief David Barnea travelled to Paris for a fresh push towards a deal over a ceasefire. The talks were continuing as planned on Saturday, a Western official told AFP speaking on condition of anonymity. The official declined to comment on the content of the discussions. As with a previous week-long truce in November that saw more than 100 hostages freed, Egypt, Qatar and the United States have been spearheading efforts to secure a deal. White House envoy Brett McGurk held talks this week with Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant in Tel Aviv, after speaking to other mediators in Cairo who had met Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh. The war began after Hamas's unprecedented October 7 attack, which resulted in the deaths of about 1,160 people in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official figures. Hamas militants also took hostages, 130 of whom remain in Gaza, including 30 presumed dead, according to Israel. Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed at least 29,606 people, mostly women and children, according to the latest tally released on Saturday by Gaza's health ministry. Pressure has mounted on Netanyahu's government to negotiate a ceasefire and secure the release of the hostages. A group representing their families planned a new rally in Tel Aviv on Saturday evening to demand swifter action. "We keep telling you: bring them back to us! And no matter how," said Avivit Yablonka, 45, whose sister Hanan was captured on October 7. - Death toll rises - Hamas said Saturday that Israeli forces launched more than 70 strikes on civilian homes in Gazan cities including Deir al-Balah, Khan Yunis and Rafah over the previous 24 hours. The health ministry said at least 92 people were killed. At Najjar hospital in Rafah, AFP saw bodies carried from ambulances and placed in the courtyard of the hospital in body bags, while relatives grieved. Inside the hospital, medics treated several wounded men who were laid out on the floor. Israel's military said it was "intensifying the operations" in western Khan Yunis using tanks, close-range fire and aircraft. "The soldiers raided the residence of a senior military intelligence operative" in the area and destroyed a tunnel shaft, a military statement said. With war still raging after more than four months, Netanyahu unveiled a plan for post-war Gaza this week which sees civil affairs being run by Palestinian officials without links to Hamas. It also says Israel will move ahead with a plan, already underway, to establish a security buffer zone inside Gaza along the territory's border. A senior Hamas official said Netanyahu was "presenting ideas which he knows fully well will never succeed", while the proposal was also rejected by the Palestinian Authority in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Israel's key ally the United States said it did not support a "reoccupation" or a "reduction of the size of Gaza", and said "Palestinian people should have a voice and a vote... through a revitalised Palestinian Authority". burs-rox/kir It should be a day Miami never forgets. At least six Dade County Public Safety officers savagely beat Arthur McDuffie into a coma near the corner of North Miami Avenue and Northeast 38th Street in the early hours of that Monday morning on Dec. 17, 1979. Though McDuffie would die four days later, justice was never truly served as the acquittal of the four officers involved would spark the McDuffie Riots. For nearly 45 years, only a stretch of Northwest 17th Avenue named after McDuffie enshrined his memory. That changed Saturday morning when Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava and County Commissioner Keon Hardemon unveiled a historical marker dedicated to McDuffie on the very same corner that forever changed the course of Miami history. It was a seminal moment, Levine Cava told the Miami Herald, later adding that we have to never forget so that we never go back and keep going because we have not achieved the equality in our society that has been promised. Various members of the McDuffie family, including his two youngest children Dewana and Marc McDuffie, who were 14 and 18 months, respectively, when their father was killed, joined Levine Cava and Hardemon at the dedication ceremony. The siblings were emotional yet showed poise as they spoke to the small crowd gathered in honor of their father. At the time, we did not understand what the death of my father and the acquittal of the police officers involved did for the city of Miami and how it shaped the community we now live in, Dewana said to the audience, wearing a black shirt with her fathers eponymous foundation inscribed on the front. In a subsequent interview with the Herald, she described her plans to revamp the foundation to help other families impacted by police killings. Theres more work to do, she said. Marc and Dewana McDuffie speak during a ceremony where a marker was erected at the corner of 38 Street and N. Miami Avenue, to memorialize their father Arthur McDuffie, a 33-year-old insurance agent and former Marine, who was beaten into a coma by up to a dozen white Dade County police officers on Dec. 17, 1979, after he ran a red light on his motorcycle. on Saturday, February 24, 2024. Part of what made McDuffies death so significant was not only his stature in the community he was the father of three, a U.S. Marine Corps lance corporal and a member of the Booker T. Washington High marching band but the way in which the officers attacked him and then subsequently tried to cover up the incident to make it look like an motorcycle accident. At the trial, which was moved from Miami to Tampa and featured an all-white jury, the medical examiner said McDuffies skull had been smashed like an egg. We still live with the pain of the death of Arthur McDuffie, Hardemon told the audience, comparing the killing to a lynching. The ensuing riots were essentially a cry for help from communities most protests happened in the primarily Black neighborhoods of Overtown, Liberty City and Brownsville that felt forgotten. When the flames died down three days after the uprising began, at least 18 people were dead, 400 were injured and property damage exceeded more than $100 million. And while federal funds were dispersed to help the neighborhoods rebuild, most of the money never made it to the community. Weve not recovered, longtime Brownsville resident Neal Adams, Jr. told the Herald in 2015. A whole class of business people is basically gone and dead. The historical marker comes as Floridas education system deals with the amorphous nature of Gov. Ron DeSantis policies. In the past year alone, books have been banned, permission slips have been required for students to learn about Black history and state curriculum standards have been changed to reflect that enslaved Africans benefited from their bondage. People need to not be afraid to tell the truth, Levine Cava said. People need to not be afraid to teach history. And not just teach it but understand it. 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The SL3 Superloop made its way between Thamesmead and Bromley for the first time on Saturday morning. The route is the latest to open as part of the Superloop network of limited-stop express bus routes that circle the capital to improve bus travel in outer London. A further two Superloop routes are due to open by 2025. An express bus service now runs on the SL3 route between Bromley North Station and Thamesmead Town Centre via Bromley Town Centre, Chislehurst, Queen Mary's Hospital, Sidcup, Bexleyheath Town Centre and Abbey Wood. Buses on the route will run every 12 minutes during the day Monday to Saturday, and every 15 minutes during the evening and on Sundays. The service is similar to the current 269 service, although that has many more stops and only goes as far as Bexleyheath. Only the SL2 route between Walthamstow Central and North Woolwich and the SL4 route between Canary Wharf and Grove Park are yet to open. They will launch in the spring of 2024 and 2025 respectively. Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said in December: "It is fantastic to see the Superloop already encouraging more people onto London's bus network. It's proving a real game-changer." Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to hello.bbclondon@bbc.co.uk Tonight features mostly cloudy skies and temperatures dropping down to right around freezing. A light northwesterly breeze will put wind chill values down into the 20s. Saturday features mostly cloudy skies with a few rain and snow showers likely as another cold front passes through from the north. This front is associated with an area of low pressure that will drop north to south to our west across the Cincinatti area and eastern Kentucky. This means that the most energy from this system will be in our western counties and will create some briefly heavy snow showers. Despite snow showers occasionally being steady, very warm ground temperatures will prevent much from sticking perhaps a brief dusting in some of the heaviest bands before melting has a chance to catch up with the snow falling. Temperatures will be held down into the mid 30s for highs with low-level clouds, rain and snow showers and a northwesterly breeze persisting, which will once again keep wind chill values held down into the 20s. Activity will be more scattered in nature the farther east you are. Sunday features an area of high pressure building off the coast of Florida in the Atlantic thats a signal for some much warmer weather on tap with partly sunny skies on the way and high temperatures jumping to near 50 degrees. Monday brings a few showers into the area with a weak cold front dropping in from the north. The showers will be pretty isolated in nature, but well see partly to mostly cloudy skies with high temperatures in the mid 50s. Tuesday continues the risk for a few showers as Mondays cold front lifts back up to the north as a warm front. As a result, temperatures will soar into the low 60s for highs despite the clouds and occasional rain showers with a stout southerly breeze kicking in. Wednesday will be our warmest day in some time, as a stout southerly breeze warms us up into the low to mid 60s out ahead of a cold front. The first half of the day will feature scattered showers that will form out ahead of a stout cold front that will pass for the overnight, with better chances for rain and perhaps even a storm or two for the evening and overnight hours. Itll be a breezy day, with wind gusts in excess of 30 mph possible. What should you do if you are bitten by a tick? Thursday keeps a brief isolated shower or two possible early Thursday morning with plenty of sunshine for the afternoon and high in the low to mid 40s. Friday brings the sunshine back to the region with high pressure in control. Temperatures will rebound to the mid 50s for highs. Looking ahead, our pattern looks to continue to be above average by temperature. The following week will feature warmer temperatures with that aforementioned upper level ridge building across the southern US. This should allow high temperatures to be in the 50s or perhaps even warmer. This also means that at least for the next couple of weeks, Old Man Winter looks to be mostly at bay other than a cold day this Saturday. Help us with our growing community of weather photos with #weathertogether. Head to our website and search for the Weather together tab and upload your photos of weather going on around our region. Help us grow our online weather photo gallery! TONIGHT Mostly cloudy. Lows near freezing. SATURDAY Rain and snow showers likely. Blustery and cold. Highs in the mid 30s. SUNDAY Mostly sunny. Highs in the upper 40s. MONDAY Isolated sprinkles. Highs in the mid 50s. TUESDAY Few showers. Plenty of dry time. Warm. Highs in the low 60s. WEDNESDAY Rain likely. Breezy with a rumble of thunder possible. Warm! Highs in the low to mid 60s. THURSDAY AM sprinkles, PM sunshine. Highs in the low to mid 40s. FRIDAY Mostly sunny. Warmer. Highs in the mid 50s. SATURDAY Showers likely. Highs in the 40s. SUNDAY Isolated showers. Highs in the low 50s. MONDAY Mostly sunny. Highs in the low to mid 50s. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WVNS. Liberal Justice Sonia Sotomayor and conservative Justice Amy Coney Barrett jointly encouraged the nations governors on Friday to emulate the Supreme Courts collegiality, despite the divisive political climate. I think you can do so much, honestly, by being seen in public with people who otherwise politically disagree with you, to have Republicans and Democrats together, friendships across the aisle, Barrett said. I think speaking and reasoning in civil ways, I mean, those are things that people do in their regular lives, that we do on the court, that you can do, she continued. And thats the kind of example for the younger generation I think we need in this country. The two justices appeared Friday afternoon on stage together before dozens of governors as the latest installment in Utah Gov. Spencer Coxs (R) Disagree Better initiative. Held as part of the National Governors Associations winter meeting in the nations capital, the hourlong discussion focused on how the justices promote civility and collegiality despite their disagreements on monumental issues. You also have to deal with the fact, like we do in part, that the public has a very short attention span, Sotomayor told the governors. But I dont think that that should stop you from ever thinking about the fact that explanation and your conduct in listening and explaining yourself and answering why the other side has not convinced you in a respectful way, she added. Those processes of the court can be emulated by others. The justices spoke at length about the courts traditions, including the justices regular lunches, describing how they spend significant time however. Both Sotomayor and Barrett, however, conceded they have no interest in going on hunting trips together like the late conservative Justice Antonin Scalia and liberal Justice Elena Kagan were known to do. Im a New Yorker, so is she, but shes lost it, Sotomayor joked of Kagan. He really has theres no way youre going to get me up at the crack of dawn to go sit in the water waiting for a bird to land. But the duo said they find other ways, like private dinners at each others homes, to maintain warm relations. Their talk came as the Supreme Courts approval rating plummets in the wake of ethics controversies and recent major rulings on divisive issues like affirmative action and abortion. The justices encouraged the governors to take the time to dive deeper into the high courts work, including by listening to an oral argument or reading a full written opinion. Sotomayor at one point asked the audience who had read an opinion cover-to-cover, and many of the governors did not raise their hands. Barrett at one point invoked last terms decision in which the justices 6-3 along ideological lines struck down President Bidens student loan forgiveness plan. There was a vigorous debate in the country about the student loan forgiveness program, but the opinion didnt mirror that debate, Barrett said. It wasnt about whether loan forgiveness is a good thing or a bad thing. She added, You cant know whether you agree or disagree with what the court did, because its just based on the policy bottom line, without seeing the reason for why the court reached the result that it did. Sotomayor echoed similar sentiments, criticizing how politicians have transformed how judges describe their interpretive approaches like originalism into buzzwords, asserting that it takes away the nuances of those analyses. I think the worst thing thats happened to the judiciary is political parties, Sotomayor said. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. President Cyril Ramaphosa said that South Africa had made a lot of progress in the 30 years of democracy South Africa's governing African National Congress (ANC) has launched its manifesto for the May elections, in which some polls suggest its share of the vote could fall below 50% for the first time. President Cyril Ramaphosa addressed thousands of supporters at a rally in KwaZulu-Natal province. The area will be a key battleground. Dissatisfaction with the state of the economy, public services and corruption has eaten away at ANC support. The party of Nelson Mandela, who led the struggle against the racist apartheid system and oversaw the transition to democracy in 1994, has been the dominant force for the last 30 years. But stubbornly high unemployment, which now stands at more than 32%, frequent power cuts and high crime levels, among other issues, have led some to turn away from the ANC. There are challenges coming from the right, in the form of the main opposition Democratic Alliance (DA), and the more radical left with the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF). Nelson Mandela's contribution to ending apartheid and serving as the first democratically elected president is still well remembered KwaZulu-Natal is also the home of former President Jacob Zuma, disenchanted with the party and now suspended from the ANC. He has thrown his weight behind a new formation - uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK) - which has already made some small inroads at byelections in the province. Speaking at a stadium in the city of Durban, with the crowd decked out in the ANC's black, green and gold, President Ramaphosa promised that "we will do better". It was an acknowledgement that there are problems, but he also emphasised the transformation that the country has made in the last three decades. "South Africans are more educated, empowered and healthier than they were under apartheid," he said, urging people not to threaten that progress. Looking forward, his party promises to create 2.5 million "work opportunities". It also pledges to boost investment and support the private sector as well as "eradicate corruption". In his introduction to the manifesto, the president also wrote that "there are forces that seek to use this election to undo the progress of democracy. It is crucial that together we defend our hard-won freedom." He did not name those "forces" but the ANC knows it faces its toughest electoral environment yet. Since 1994, it has polled consistently above 50% in national elections, enabling it to run the country without challenge. But with some opinion polls showing that that support has dipped below an absolute majority, South Africa is facing the possibility of a coalition government after the 29 May general election. DA leader John Steenhuisen said last week that he had a blueprint to rescue South Africa In its party manifesto launched last week, the DA, under the leadership of John Steenhuisen, had a simple message: "Our country is in crisis." It has promised to create two million new jobs, end the power cuts and halve violent crime. The DA wants a more liberal economic approach, including introducing privatisation, especially in the energy sector. On the opposite end of the political spectrum, the EFF's diagnosis is that the ANC has failed to dismantle the economic system that existed under apartheid. Instead, the governing party has "reproduced and worsened apartheid economic inequalities", the EFF's high-profile leader Julius Malema wrote in his introduction to its manifesto. Julius Malema's EFF has said it wants to transform the economy and put more wealth into the hands of ordinary South Africans The EFF's answer is to expropriate land without compensation and nationalise the "mines, banks and other strategic sectors of the economy, without compensation". That wealth would then be used to benefit the majority of the population. The MK has not yet released its manifesto, but at the party's launch last December Mr Zuma said the ANC had moved away from its roots and it was now his mission to "rescue" the "once-great movement". There are more than 300 parties registered with the electoral commission, and though not all will necessarily take part in the May vote the stage is set for three months of hard campaigning. The last of two black bear cubs rescued from a wildfire in Georgetown County last month has died. Appalachian Bear Rescue posted on its Facebook page that Carolina Bear died in the early morning Feb. 23. Carolina and her brother, Pawley, were brought to the bear rescue group in Tennessee on Jan. 30 after being rescued by firefighters. It is believed that the fire and equipment may have caused their mother to flee the den. Pawley died on Feb. 9. Pawley bear is one of two bear cubs that were rescued from a bear den during a wildfire in Georgetown County. His sister, Carolina, was also rescued. Appalachian Bear Rescue At the time of the siblings rescue, the neonates were a few days old, with weights of 340 grams (0.75 pounds) and 454 grams (1 pound), respectively, the post said. The post said that Carolina appeared to be thriving until her sudden and unexpected decline. The cause of her rapid decline remains unclear, the post said. Her body will be sent for necropsy. Carolinas case underscores the fragility of neonates, who lack the reserves an older cub might draw upon in times of crisis. Voters are heading to the polls Saturday as Donald Trump looks to rout his last high-profile GOP primary challenger, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley. The Hill/Decision Desk HQs polling average out of the Palmetto State has Trump leading Haley by 31 points. Follow live results from DDHQ here. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Nikki Haley at a campaign stop on Feb. 21. (Alyssa Pointer/Reuters) Haleys path to the nomination will only get narrower after South Carolina. Other states have open GOP primaries (meaning independents can vote). But registered Republicans, who overwhelmingly favor Trump, still dominate the partys primary electorate, and the calendar is about to become crowded with contests that award their delegates on a winner-take-all basis, rather than proportionally. Citing these dynamics, senior Trump advisers estimated (in a memo shared with the press Tuesday) that even if Haley keeps performing as well as she did in New Hampshire, her strongest state so far, Trump will secure the 1,215 delegates needed to clinch the GOP nomination on March 19. If Haley does not perform up to her Granite State levels, they added, Trump will hit the 1,215 mark a week earlier. Could Haley continue running at that point? Sure. Last month, her campaign and super-PAC raised a combined $23.6 million $7.4 million more than Trumps. As long as anti-Trump donors keep contributing to Haleys candidacy, she can keep giving voice to their concerns and holding out, perhaps, for some seismic legal shift to upend the race. People are not looking six months down the road when these court cases have taken place, Haley said in an interview earlier this week with the Associated Press. [Trumps] going to be in a courtroom all of March, April, May and June. How in the world do you win a general election when these cases keep going and the judgments keep coming? (Bloomberg) -- Nikki Haley vowed to stay in the Republican presidential contest, despite her loss to frontrunner Donald Trump in her home state. Most Read from Bloomberg The Associated Press called the race quickly for Trump, just moments after polls closed. Heading into Saturdays election, Haley trailed Trump by more than 23 percentage points, despite weeks of campaigning and millions spent on advertising in the state where she was born and served two terms as governor. Her already longshot bid for the GOP nomination is in serious doubt, but Haley has said she will stay in the race until at least Super Tuesday on March 5, when more than a dozen states vote. Haley Says She Will Stay in GOP Race (8:39 p.m. ET) Haley told supporters that she aims to stay in the 2024 Republican presidential contest despite a decisive defeat in her home state. Im not giving up this fight when a majority of Americans disapprove of both Donald Trump and Joe Biden, Haley said. We cant afford four more years of Bidens failures or Trumps lack of focus. Christian Hall and Alicia Trump, Haley Voters Show Strong Split Over Election Denialism (7:55 p.m. ET) Exit polls show a divide between Trump and Haleys supporters within the Republican party over abortion, climate and national security. Trump won among voters who support expanding fossil-fuel production, building a wall on the US-Mexico border and a nationwide abortion ban, according to the Associated Press VoteCast survey of 2,377 South Carolina Republican primary voters. Haley won among voters who support continued funding for Ukraine in its war against Russia. But perhaps no issue separated voters more than the 2020 election. Haley won handily among the 36% of Republican primary voters who said Biden won legitimately in 2020, while Trump dominated among the 61% who said Biden lost. Gregory Korte Graham Says RNC Should Help With Trump Legal Bills (7:33 p.m. ET) South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham told reporters at Trumps watch party that the Republican National Committee should help pay for the former presidents legal bills. We want to help him pay his bills, Graham said. Grahams comments come as Henry Barbour, an RNC member from Mississippi, has sponsored two resolutions urging the group to remain neutral in the primary and to refuse to pay Trumps legal bills. Trump is endorsing new leadership for the group, including Lara Trump, his daughter-in-law, as co-chair. She has said paying his legal bills is a big interest of GOP voters. I spent $1.2 million into the Fani Willis thing myself, Graham said Saturday, referring to the Fulton County district attorney leading an election-interference prosecution of the former president. Trump and allies are seeking to have that case dismissed over what they claim is a conflict of interest. Hadriana Lowenkron and Stephanie Lai Trump Floats Former Aide Conway for RNC (7:19 p.m. ET) Trump suggested that he may tap former White House aide Kellyanne Conway for a role at the Republican National Committee. We may be putting Kellyanne in the group, Trump said in his victory speech. The former president is endorsing North Carolina Republican Committee Chair Michael Whatley as RNC chair and his own daughter-in-law Lara Trump as co-chair to replace the organizations current chair, Ronna McDaniel. McDaniel is facing pressure to step down amid lackluster fundraising that lags behind Democrats. Trump has said changes would happen after the South Carolina primary. Hadriana Lowenkron State GOP Chair Urges Party to Unite Behind Trump (7:14 p.m. ET) South Carolina Republican Party Chairman Drew McKissick urged the party to get behind Trump after the former presidents win. South Carolina is Trump Country again! It was true in 2016 and 2020, and South Carolina Republicans just put an exclamation point on it today, McKissick said in a statement. His Promises Made, Promises Kept agenda is what strengthened our country before and can do it again, he added. If we want to grow our economy, close our Southern border and save our country from a radical leftist agenda, then we need to unite our party right now and put Donald Trump BACK in the White House this November. Gregory Korte Trump Says Victory Bigger Than He Expected (7:09 p.m. ET) Trump took the stage minutes after the AP called the race for him, hailing the South Carolina result as an even bigger win than we anticipated. The victory dealt a devastating blow to his last major challenger, Haley, and maintains his sweep of GOP 2024 nominating contests. I have never seen the Republican Party so unified as it is right now, Trump said at his watch party to cheers. Trump Wins South Carolina Primary (7:01 p.m. ET) Trump cruised to victory Saturday in the South Carolina primary, which was called for the former president by the Associated Press just moments after polls closed at 7 p.m. Read more: Trump Continues March to Nomination With Win in South Carolina Straw Poll Finds Ramaswamy, Noem Favorites for Trump Running Mate (6:39 p.m. ET) Trump should tap Kristi Noem or Vivek Ramaswamy as his running mate ahead of a likely November rematch with President Joe Biden, according to attendees of the Conservative Political Action Conference. Noem, the South Dakota governor, and Ramaswamy, an Ohio businessman who ran unsuccessfully for the GOP nomination, tied with 15% support among attendees at the conference outside of Washington when asked in a straw poll who Trump should pick as his vice presidential candidate. Former Democratic US Representative Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii was third at 9%, followed by US Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina and US Representative Elise Stefanik of New York at 8% each among a list of 17 potential candidates listed on the ballot. Mark Niquette Read more: Ramaswamy, Noem Top CPAC Straw Poll as Favorites for Trump VP Haley Should Do Some Soul Searching, GOP Chief Says (5:20 p.m. ET) South Carolina Republican Party Chairman Drew McKissick said Haley should do some hard thinking about the future of her campaign if she loses her home state. If after South Carolina youre oh-and-four, and youre looking at the rest of the calendar where President Trump has a 30- to 50-point lead in all these states again, you have to do some soul-searching, McKissick said Saturday. McKissick said his state has a tradition of being the graveyard of presidential campaigns. We are your last shot at a one-at-a-time state roller-coaster, where you can focus all your time, energy and fire on that one state. And then after here, youve got Super Tuesday, and if you dont do well here, you dont get that bounce. It hurts you going out nationally, he said. Gregory Korte South Carolina Republican Voters Oppose More Ukraine Aid (5:11 p.m. ET) Some 6 in 10 South Carolina Republican primary voters say they oppose continuing aid to Ukraine, according to AP VoteCast, a troubling sign for Haley. Similarly, 6 in 10 say they support Trumps Make America Great Again movement. Haley, a former UN ambassador, has been a staunch advocate of continued US support for Kyiv, a stance that puts her at odds with Trump and much of the GOP base which has embraced his isolationist views. About half of South Carolina GOP voters say they want the US to take a less active role in solving the worlds problems, according to AP. Only about a third say Americas participation in NATO is very good with more saying its somewhat good. Trump sparked alarm among US allies earlier this month for threatening to allow Russia to attack NATO allies who fail to meet defense-spending promises remarks which Haley and President Joe Biden have denounced. Gregory Korte Trump Focuses on Biden Ahead of South Carolina Result (4:20 p.m. ET) Trump focused on a general election rematch with Biden in a speech to conservative activists, even as South Carolina Republicans were casting their ballots. Trump made virtually no mention of his primary opponent in his speech Saturday. Instead, he centered his address largely on Biden, repeatedly characterizing his political rival and successors White House tenure as a nightmare. Trump and his allies see the primary as effectively over, positioning him as the partys presumptive 2024 nominee. If crooked Joe Biden and his thugs win in 2024, the worst is yet to come, Trump said in a speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference just outside Washington. A vote for Trump is your ticket back to freedom. Its your passport out of tyranny. And its your only escape from Joe Biden and his gangs fast track to hell. Mark Niquette Read More: Trump Deepens Focus on Biden With Latest Haley Match Underway Biden Prepares for Michigan Primary (3:27 p.m. ET) Biden, who cruised to an easy win in the Democratic primary in South Carolina earlier this month, is looking ahead to his next contest in Michigan on Tuesday. The president joined Governor Gretchen Whitmer and Lavora Barnes, chair of the Michigan Democratic Party, on a campaign organizing call. Biden also taped two radio interviews that will air Monday. Biden faces a long-shot challenge from US Representative Dean Phillips of Minnesota. But a greater threat might come from a campaign that critics of Bidens handling of the Israel-Hamas war have waged, urging Democrats to vote uncommitted in protest of his policies. Anger over Bidens Israel policy poses a threat to his reelection hopes. Michigan, a key battleground state, is home to a sizable population of Arab and Muslim American voters. Jennifer Jacobs South Carolinian Likes Haley, Votes For Trump (1:15 p.m. ET) Gloria Naufal voted for Trump at Satchel Ford Elementary School in Forest Acres. Thats the school her children attended and where she first met then-Governor Haley. Naufal, 55, said she decided to support Trump over Haley because the former president is best positioned to beat Biden. I like Nikki Haley, she brought jobs into the country, Naufal said, adding that she would vote for Trump even if he were convicted of a crime. Stephanie Lai High Turnout Where Haley Polls Best (12:52 p.m. ET) One small-but-encouraging sign for Haley comes from votes already cast before the polls opened Saturday. Statewide, more than 6% of South Carolina registered voters had cast an early or absentee ballot. But in the counties where Haley has polled higher the Lowcountry coastal areas participation is already as high as 12%. Almost half of voters in the region support Haley, according to a USA Today/Suffolk University poll this week. Gregory Korte Haley Voters Contemplate Other Plans For General Election (12:40 p.m. ET) Haley voters acknowledged that she may not be the Republican nominee and have already begun to plan what they might do in November. Kerrilynne Thomas, 53, went to the polls in downtown Charleston to cast her vote for Haley, saying she liked her record as governor and intellect. But if its a Trump-Biden matchup in the fall, she said she wouldnt vote for the first time since shes been eligible. Thomas said she voted for Trump in 2016 and Biden in 2020. Gail Yarborough, a Haley supporter from Charleston, said she would vote for Trump in the general election, since he will likely get the nomination. She has voted for him before, but said she dislikes his trash talk. Hadriana Lowenkron and Alicia Diaz Haley Calls Trump Race Remarks Disgusting (11:55 a.m. ET) Haley said Trump made offensive comments at a gala for Black conservatives Friday evening, where he played on racist tropes, claiming that his criminal indictments had bolstered his support among Black Americans. She cast Trumps remarks as a hurdle for the partys general election prospects. Its disgusting. But thats what happens when he goes off the teleprompter, Haley told reporters after casting her ballot in Kiawah Island, South Carolina. This is a huge warning sign. We have to stop with the chaos. We have to stop with the drama. We have to stop with bad sound bites that keep happening over and over again. Trump also called Biden a racist whose policies have damaged the Black community. Haley said she will continue to run as long as there is appetite for her candidacy, adding that her team has mapped out a strategy through Super Tuesday on March 5 but thats as far as weve thought so far. Christian Hall GOP Expects High Turnout in South Carolina (9:35 a.m. ET) South Carolina Republican Chairman Drew McKissick said in an interview with Bloomberg News last month that he anticipated close to a million primary participants based on the states growing population and low turnout in the earlier Democratic primary. That relatively high turnout expected to benefit Haley, who has sought to convince independents and other voters who might not cast ballots in a GOP primary to back her, in a bid to counter Trumps dominance with conservatives. Over 205,000 people have already cast a ballot in the Republican primary, according to data from the South Carolina Election Commission. Stephanie Lai CPAC Attendees Await Trump (9:15 a.m. ET) The final sessions of this years Conservative Political Action Conference in suburban Washington have started, with attendees waiting to hear Trump speak this afternoon before he heads to South Carolina. CPAC attendees will take part in a straw poll, where they are being asked who they want to see as a Republican vice presidential candidate. Several contenders who are the center of speculation are speaking at this years conference, including South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem; Ohio businessman and former 2024 presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy and US Representative Elise Stefanik of New York. The crowds are noticeably smaller at this years CPAC, and there are fewer information booths and media outlets broadcasting from the site. But the vendors hawking Trump-themed hats, tee-shirts and other merchandise are here. Mark Niquette Haley Dominates South Carolina Airwaves (9 a.m. ET) Haley has dominated the airwaves for the last month, with her campaign and allied super political action committee combining to spend $11.3 million, compared to $844,000 for Trump, according to AdImpact, which tracks ad spending. Gray Television Inc. Chief Executive Officer Hilton H. Howell Jr. told analysts in an earnings call Friday that Haleys advertising outlay as well as spending projections for the general election bode well for the television chain, which owns four stations in South Carolina and others in key swing states. We think its going to be a great season, he said. Bill Allison and Gregory Korte Read more: Haleys Last Stand? What to Watch in South Carolina Primary Trump Leads Among Most Voter Groups Except College Grads (9 a.m. ET) A breakdown by age, education level and gender shows that Trump has an edge with nearly every group of South Carolina voters. Haleys performs best among those with college degrees, a bloc that is shrinking among Republicans nationwide. Gregory Korte --With assistance from Stephanie Lai, Mark Niquette, Hadriana Lowenkron, Alicia Diaz and Christian Hall. Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2024 Bloomberg L.P. Note: percentages may update as CBS News collects more data. Voters in South Carolina weighed in on the 2024 Republican primary Saturday, and just after polls closed at 7 p.m., the election results came in CBS News projected former President Donald Trump defeated Nikki Haley. Here's the latest on the factors that went into voters' decisions how they chose between former President Donald Trump and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley at the ballot box, according to exit polls. How Trump won the South Carolina Republican primary The home-state advantage wasn't there for Haley. Trump bested Haley among most key demographic groups. He won majorities of both men and women and among all age groups. Trump ran especially well with the parts of the Republican base that were predominant in the GOP electorate, including conservatives and White evangelicals. More than four in 10 South Carolina GOP primary voters identified themselves as part of the MAGA movement and about nine in 10 of them backed Trump. South Carolina Republican primary exit poll results for 2024 Most South Carolina GOP primary voters rejected the charge that Trump is mentally unfit to serve as president, according to early exit polls. And South Carolina Republican primary voters are also dissatisfied with the way things are going in the country overall and rate the nation's economy negatively, according to early exit polls. In fact, nearly nine in 10 of these voters say they're dissatisfied with how things in the country are going including nearly half who say they are angry about it. This is currently higher than the 36% of New Hampshire primary voters who said they were angry. Eight in 10 say the economy is either not so good or poor. Physical and mental fitness for office Haley has questioned Trump's mental fitness for office, but Trump's voters overwhelmingly refute this, and most instead charge that it's Haley who lacks the physical and mental health needed to serve effectively as president. As a result, Trump beats Haley on this measure among Republican primary voters overall in South Carolina. What does the South Carolina GOP primary electorate look like? It's more conservative. These early exit polls show a largely conservative electorate, and one that more closely resembles that of the Iowa GOP caucuses than the New Hampshire Republican primary. This electorate is more conservative than it was in 2016, when Trump won the Republican primary in this state. Conservative: More than four in 10 of GOP primary voters call themselves "very conservative," higher than the 38% who identified themselves that way in the 2016 primary. In 2016, those who were "somewhat conservative" outnumbered those who were "very conservative." But the reverse is the case in the primary today. MAGA: Almost half of South Carolina GOP voters identify as "MAGA," in line with Iowa GOP caucusgoers (46%), but higher than what CBS News saw in the New Hampshire primary. Evangelical: About six in 10 voters are White evangelicals, about three times as many as there were in the New Hampshire Republican primary. And if this holds, it would be higher than the 55% who identified as White evangelical in the Iowa caucuses. Independents: Only about a quarter of voters call themselves independents, lower than the 44% in New Hampshire. About 4% of today's primary voters identify as Democrats. Race: As we often see with Republican primary electorates, this electorate is largely White. More than nine in 10 voters are White. When do polls close in South Carolina? Polls close at 7 p.m. When will we know full South Carolina GOP primary results? Primary results in the South Carolina Republican primary will start to come in after the polls close. CBS News will not characterize or project the outcome of the race before the last polls close at 7 p.m. ET. Current Republican delegate count for the 2024 candidates This is the latest CBS News' estimate of how many delegates have been allocated to Republican candidates, based on the results of the nominating contests to date. Heading into the South Carolina primary, Trump had an estimated 63 delegates, compared to Haley's 17 delegates. South Carolina allocates 50 delegates. Twenty-nine of them are state delegates and the winner will take all of them. Twenty-one are allocated by congressional district three for each of the seven districts, and the winner takes all the delegates in each district. There are 50 delegates at stake and 29 will be awarded to the winner of the statewide vote. Twenty-one delegates will be allocated according to the vote in each of the state's seven congressional districts. The top vote-getter in each district will get three delegates from that district. The tracker currently includes estimated delegates allocated after the GOP contests in Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada. Family-run bakery in Baltimore stands out with its treats and signature crust A look at what caused the massive AT&T outage nationwide U.S., U.K. launch fourth round of joint airstrikes on Houthi targets South Carolinians headed to the polls on Saturday to cast their ballots in the Republican presidential primary, as the states former governor, Nikki Haley, fights to hang on in a race still dominated by Donald Trump. At her primary eve rally in Mount Pleasant, just outside of Charleston, Haley had called on her supporters to turn out in large numbers on Saturday. Related: South Carolina Republican primary: when to expect results and what they can tell us In a general election, youre given a choice. In a primary, you make your choice, Haley said. This is the time we make our choice. But at this point, Haley would have to pull off a shocking upset to win South Carolina. According to the FiveThirtyEight average of South Carolina polls, Trump leads Haley by roughly 30 points in the state, and the former president has already won the first three voting contests in Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada. At his own primary eve rally in Rock Hill, near the North Carolina border, Trump voiced robust confidence that he would deliver a decisive victory on Saturday and indicated he was already turning his attention to the general election fight against Joe Biden. Were going to have a gigantic victory here in South Carolina, Trump told thousands of supporters. Were going to show crooked Joe Biden and the radical left Democrats that we are coming like a freight train in November. Trumps allies have expressed exasperation that the primary is continuing even though Haley has not yet managed to win a single state. Her best performance to date was in the New Hampshire primary last month, when she lost to Trump by 11 points. At an event in Charleston on Friday, Trumps eldest son, Donald Trump Jr, told voters that the primary should be over and blamed Haleys large donors for keeping her campaign alive. The billionaire donors that dont actually care about conservative values but care about having a puppet in the White House will feed more money to the campaign to prolong the agony, to drag it out, to make it harder for us to get to the real fight, which is going after Joe Biden, Trump Jr said. South Carolina primary: read more Despite the tough talk from Trump and his surrogates, Haleys team appeared undaunted in the days leading up to the primary. Haley has insisted she will stay in the race until Super Tuesday on 5 March, when 15 states and one territory will hold their primary contests. During a press call with reporters on Friday, Haleys campaign manager, Betsy Ankney, announced a seven-figure ad buy across Super Tuesday states, indicating the candidate has no plans to drop out after Saturday. We know the odds, but we also know the stakes. And we think a whole lot of Republicans do, too, Ankney said. So we are going to continue to fight as long as we see that there is an appetite for our message, and so far, were seeing that there is. Haley voted on Saturday morning in her home precinct on Kiawah Island, alongside her mother, a naturalized US citizen from India, and her two children. It was poignant, Haley said, to watch her immigrant mother cast a ballot for her daughter for president. Speaking briefly afterward, Haley called Trumps recent comments about Black people disgusting and said it should be a warning for Republicans who continue to support him. Donald Trump cannot win a general election, she said. He wont. We can make him the primary nominee if we want but Republicans will lose come November. Peggy Hudson, 72, had a similar mindset as she cast her ballot for Haley at the main branch of the Charleston county public library on Saturday. She described her vote for Haley as more of a counter-vote against Trump and planned to vote for Joe Biden in the general election. Im disgusted by Donald Trump, Hudson said. Ive always been disgusted by Donald Trump, and how any woman could support that man is beyond my comprehension. Despite her Democratic leanings, Hudson gave Haley credit for continuing her candidacy. I think thats a sad state of affairs for our country that those are the two best candidates that we can come up with, Hudson said. And not that Joe Biden has not done a good job. He has done some very good things for this country. But I do think it is time for a new generation of leaders. Most Republican voters were expected to stick by the former president. I had to get Trump in there, to tell the truth, said Joe Roney, 69, a retired chemical plant worker and maintenance person in Lancaster. Its the economy, groceries, everything. Im retired, on social security, and its hard on an old man. Its bad everywhere. Solomon Cruz, 38, a former Marine in Lancaster, has long been a campaign volunteer and political actor. Ive worked every election since 2016, other than this one. I served in the military and still think that its part of the American publics duty. He said it was partly a lack of options driving his vote for Trump. I think that if there was somebody better, I would vote for him. But I dont see anybody else being able to be Joe Biden. For me personally, its getting it out there for organizations like Save22 [a non-profit focused on suicide prevention for first responders and military veterans]. Because there are a lot of homeless veterans and military personnel that have a tough, tough time adjusting to civilian life when they get out. They make up the big majority of homeless people in this country, Cruz said. That was one reason I voted for Donald Trump. Because one of the things that he did was open up healthcare for veterans, so they didnt have to go to the VA to get healthcare, they could go to regular doctors. In a sign of different perceptions, some voted for Haley for the very same issue. Judith Smith, a longtime Haley supporter, said Trump made a mistake when he mocked Haleys husband, Michael Haley, the former first man of South Carolina, who is on a yearlong deployment in Africa with the South Carolina national guard. Smiths husband had been planning to vote for Trump until he made those comments. Now, she said, he will support Haley. The fact that Trump would denigrate our veterans is worse than disgusting, she said, noting that South Carolina is home to several military bases and a large veteran population. Chinese medical team treats over 20,000 Sierra Leonean patients during one-year mission Xinhua) 10:35, February 24, 2024 FREETOWN, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- The 24th batch of the Chinese medical team in Sierra Leone has provided care for more than 20,000 local patients during its one-year mission. Chen Yongjun, head of the team, told Xinhua in an interview on Thursday that the team has carried out over 400 surgeries and trained many local medical staff during the period. The team, which consists of 21 top-notch Chinese medical specialists from central China's Hunan Province, covers a range of areas from neurology to obstetrics and is scheduled to wrap up its mission in March after a replacement arrives. Describing the work as "challenging," Chen said the Sierra Leone-China Friendship Hospital, where the team is based, has long suffered from a lack of electricity, water and medical equipment, a difficult problem shared by many other hospitals across the country. "Despite all the challenges, we have completed the mission and won respect from Sierra Leonean counterparts and patients," Chen said. Melrose During, charge nurse of the hospital's maternity unit, told Xinhua that Chinese doctors always stand ready to reach out and help locals. "Patients trust them and feel good when they come in. When I have difficult cases, I call them, and I have learned so much," said During. Qin Fanghua, a team member, told Xinhua that she enjoys mingling with local patients and residents while fulfilling her duty as a nurse in the children's ward. "I will miss everything in Sierra Leone after I leave," Qin added. China dispatched its first medical team to Sierra Leone in 1973 and has since sent a total of 24 teams, contributing to the improvement of the health sector in the West African country. In December 2023, Sierra Leonean President Julius Maada Bio posted a tweet on X, formerly Twitter, saying, "I expressed our deep gratitude to the Chinese medical team for their commitment to improving the country's healthcare service delivery." (Web editor: Xue Yanyan, Hongyu) Native Vote. With a 9-3 vote on Wednesday, the South Dakota House State Affairs Committee voted to pass a bill that would expand and protect Native American voting rights in the state. The legislation, Senate Bill 119, would allow Native American voters to register to vote using their Tribal identification on the same par as a state-issued drivers license. It would help Native Americans overcome the structural and socioeconomic barriers that have long contributed to their historically low participation in elections. Never miss Indian Countrys biggest stories and breaking news. Click here to sign up to get our reporting sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. The measure is supported by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of South Dakota. If Native Americans can engage fully in the political system free from the barriers that currently obstruct them they can participate in America in a way that is fair and just, Samantha Chapman, ACLU of South Dakota advocacy manager said in a press statement. Passing this bill and signing it into law would remove a significant obstacle to voting for many Native Americans in South Dakota. Across the United States, approximately 34 percent of the known eligible Native American voting population is not registered to vote, according to the Native American Rights Fund. Voting is a constitutional right that is fundamental to the health of our democracy, Chapman said. Were thrilled to see South Dakota lawmakers doing everything they can to encourage participation from all eligible voters not making it harder. About the Author: "Native News Online is one of the most-read publications covering Indian Country and the news that matters to American Indians, Alaska Natives and other Indigenous people. Reach out to us at editor@nativenewsonline.net. " Contact: news@nativenewsonline.net SOUTH MILWAUKEE, Wis. - A Milwaukee man accused after a body was found outside a South Milwaukee Pizza Hut pleaded not guilty on Friday, Feb. 23 and was bound over for trial. Prosecutors charged 31-year-old Kavonn Ingram with first-degree intentional homicide, hiding a corpse, armed robbery and possession of a firearm by a felon. The victim, 55-year-old Alexander Stengel, was a longtime manager at the Pizza Hut where Ingram also worked. But in regard to motive, court filings said Stengel had just received a $7,000 inheritance check. SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News Victim found South Milwaukee police were called to the Pizza Hut on Chicago Avenue after a garbage truck driver said there was a garbage can behind the dumpsters that looked like it had a body in it, according to a criminal complaint. An officer walked over to the dumpster, per the complaint, and found a 55-gallon trash can on wheels. He saw what appeared to be a semi-transparent plastic bag over the top of the garbage can and feet and legs sticking out of he can beneath the plastic bag. The officer also saw a pool of blood beneath the garbage can. The complaint states investigators found what appeared to be dried blood that lead from the dumpster to the Pizza Hit. The blood trail continued through a door and into the restaurant's kitchen, leading police to believe the victim since identified as Stengel was killed inside the restaurant, put into the wheeled garbage can and left behind the dumpster. During a check of the victims pockets, the complaint states officers determined the victims wallet, keys and cellphone appeared to be missing. Scene inside Based on the trail of blood between the dumpster area and the restaurant, the South Milwaukee Police Department obtained a search warrant for the Pizza Hut. An investigator said the vast majority of the restaurant appeared dirty, including clearly greasy kitchen floors. However, a portion of the tiled kitchen floor just past the front counter into the kitchen appeared uncharacteristically clean when compared to the rest of the floor, the complaint states. It appeared that that particular area had been cleaned, but not the rest of the floor. Likewise, toward the rear of the kitchen area was a set of double metal doors. The complaint states the left door was grimy, while the right door appeared clean. The investigator observed cleaning product spray droplets all around the right edge of the clean door. Both of these areas appeared to have been recently cleaned when compared to the rest of the kitchen area. In the far back area of the kitchen, an investigator found a small utility closet. The non-hinged side of door had what appeared to be blood on it, per the complaint, and was tested with a phenolphthalein test and presumptively tested positive for blood. Within the closet was a slop sink on the floor, which appeared to be used for mop buckets. There were several pieces of what appeared to be coagulated blood on the bottom of the slop sink. The mop in the closet had what appeared to be bloody hand prints on the handle. The light switch for the closet had what appeared to be a blood smear on it. Lastly, the fabric mop head also had blood on it. Autopsy The Milwaukee County Medical Examiners Office determined the victim was shot in the head, according to the complaint. There was also soot around the wound, consistent with a contact wound to the head. Additionally, the complaint states the victim had a cut across his throat that did not appear to completely cut through the skin. The victim suffered two puncture wounds below the cut as well. Two additional puncture wounds caused by blunt force trauma were found on the victim's head causing a skull fracture. The medical examiner deemed the manner of death was homicide. Surveillance video South Milwaukee police investigators collectively reviewed security video from a Taco Bell located north of the Pizza Hut, which had a camera that captured the area behind Pizza Hut leading to the dumpster area. The complaint states security video showed on Feb. 5 at 10:25 a.m. two days before the victim was found a suspect dragging a garbage can from the area of the Pizza Hut toward the area of the dumpster. On the video, the suspect appeared to be struggling to pull the garbage can, as though it contained a heavy object. In the video, the garbage can appeared consistent with the garbage can the victims body was found in days later. The path taken by the suspect in the video was also consistent with the path of blood droplets seen by investigators at the scene, police said. FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX6 News app for iOS or Android. At 10:26 a.m., the suspect wearing black clothing can be seen returning to the area of Pizza Hut from the area of the dumpster crib. The suspect is no longer dragging a garbage can. The complainant states that this is consistent with this suspect dragging the can containing the victims body to the crib and leaving it there before returning to the Pizza Hut. The investigator has watched the security video from Taco Bell that covers this same area from the time the can containing the victims body was dragged to the dumpster crib on Feb. 5, until the time police arrived on Feb. 7. At no point in the video does it capture anyone else dragging this garbage can to or from the crib area. Pizza Hut records The Pizza Hut's regional manager said Stengel was a longtime employee and emailed several computer records to the South Milwaukee Police Department. According to the complaint, those computer records showed the victim clocked in for work at the Pizza Hut at 9:30 a.m. on Feb. 5 and prepped the register at 9:56 a.m. The records then showed the register was opened at 10:09 a.m., which the regional manager stated was unusual because there would not have been any reason to open the register since there had not been a sale. The regional manager also said the computer records showed that the victim clocked out of work at 10:50 a.m., per the complaint, which was roughly 25 minutes after the suspect was seen dragging the garbage can from the Pizza Hut to the dumpster. Investigators determined the suspect logged the victim out of the Pizza Hut computer after the victim had been killed and his body was hidden in the garbage can near the dumpster. Per the complaint, that was also consistent with the suspect being familiar with the Pizza Hut computer and time management systems leading them to believe the suspect was also an employee. The regional manager also stated that on Feb. 3, while at work, the victim had shown a large roll of cash to several employees. The complaint states Ingram was identified as one of the employees that knew the victim had a large amount of money. An independent investigation revealed the victim had cashed an inheritance check just before heading to work that day. The complainant states that it is likely that the victim had the $7,000 from that check while at work that day. Body found in South Milwaukee Pizza Hut dumpster (Feb. 7, 2023) The regional manager notes that the victim was supposed to work on Feb. 6, but did not show up to work. This is consistent with the victim being killed before 10:25 a.m. on Feb. 5 inside the Pizza Hut, and then being placed in the garbage can, which video shows was then transported to the back lot where it was later found in the dumpster crib. The Pizza Hut's general manager said the victim was scheduled to work at Pizza Hut on Feb. 5. The complaint states the manager stated that she was home watching TV when she received a text from the victims phone in which the text message stated: "Had a brain fart, what's the door code again? Left my keys in the store." A review of the manager's cellphone confirmed the text message came around 10:28 a.m. roughly three minutes after the garbage can was seen being dragged to the dumpster. The manager stated that she then received a phone call from the victims phone, per the complaint. Her cellphone showed the call came at 10:29 a.m. She said that she thought it was the victim, but noted that the phone was muffled and it sounded windy. She received another text message from the victims cellphone at 11:07 a.m., which read: "Been here since 8:30. I'm still feeling nauseous after throwing up 3 times. The last time I even threw up a lil blood. Tried to smoke a cigarette to ease my stomach, but still sweating like a pig. It seems like I keep getting worse so I'm heading out. Already clocked out. Did what I could, but I need to get checked out or something." The complaint noted the text message came in after the garbage can with the victims body was dragged to where it was hidden. Investigators determined the text message was used to explain the victims absence without alarm and, when combined with the logging out of the computer, showed the suspect was familiar with Pizza Hut procedures and the individual workers. Identifying Ingram In addition to the Taco Bell surveillance, South Milwaukee police reviewed security video from a Milwaukee County Transit Bus that showed the bus stop near Chicago and College avenues. The complaint states the suspect who left the garbage can near the dumpster was seen crossing to that bus stop. At about 11:05 a.m. which the complaint states is consistent with the time the suspect could be seen leaving Pizza Hut the suspect crossed to the bus stop and got on the bus, sitting in the second row behind the rear door on the passenger side. Investigators noted what the suspect was wearing, and also that he pulled a cellphone from his pocket. At 11:07 a.m., the complaint states the suspect can still be seen looking at what appears to be the phone and sending a text message. The time was consistent with the text message sent from the victims phone to the general manager. Kavonn Ingram The suspect stayed on the bus until 11:45 a.m. and got off near Water and Juneau in downtown Milwaukee. Based on the MCTS video, as well as other videos, police tried to determine how the suspect got to the Pizza Hut on Feb. 5. In reviewing security video from a Wendys on Chicago Avenue, police found a security camera that had a clear and unobstructed view of the bus stop at Chicago and Badger avenues. It showed an MCTS bus pull up around 8:26 a.m. that day. The complaint states the video showed the suspect dressed in the same wardrobe as in the other videos walk from that bus stop toward the Pizza Hut. A South Milwaukee police officer who reviewed MCTS bus video showed the same suspect in the same clothing get on a bus near Holton and North around 7:44 a.m. that day but the suspect did not have a mask on at that point, unlike in the other videos. A still photo of that suspect was shown to Pizza Hut management, who identified the suspect as Ingram. Cell tower mapping South Milwaukee police were able to obtain both Ingram and Stengel's cellphone numbers from Pizza Hut employee records. The complaint states cellphone records for both numbers were obtained via a search warrant and turned over to a special agent who is trained and experienced in mapping cellphone locations based upon tower data. The agent stated, per the complaint, that the cellphone records for Ingram's phone were consistent with his phone traveling to the Pizza Hut by approximately 8:30 a.m. on Feb. 5 consistent with the bus video which showed him traveling to the area by approximately 8:26 a.m. He further states that the phone records for both the defendants phone and the victims phone are consistent with both phones being in the area of the Pizza Hut from approximately 8:30 a.m. to 10:53 a.m. The records for both the defendants phone and the victims phone then have records consistent with traveling northbound from the area of the Pizza Hut from approximately 11:02 a.m. to 11:09 a.m. There is no further location information for the victims phone after 11:09 a.m. This is consistent with the bus video which shows the suspect consistent with the defendant traveling northbound on a bus at this time, as well as manipulating a cell phone consistent with the victims cell phone until approximately 11:09 a.m. when that manipulation stops. The cellphone records for the defendants phone continue northbound from 11:11 a.m. to 12:36 p.m. consistent with bus video and security video from downtown Milwaukee, which shows the suspect consistent with the defendant in that area. This is consistent with the defendant being the suspect on the Taco Bell video that drags the garbage can containing the victims body, taking the victims cell phone, and taking it with him on bus back to Milwaukee, while placing one last text message to the general manager while the defendant is on the bus. This is consistent with the defendant being the individual that killed the victim inside the Pizza Hut and knew how to log the victim out and text a reason for his disappearance to the manager. Thus, this is consistent with the defendant killing the victim, stealing his wallet and phone, and hiding his body in a garbage can. Ingram's arrest On Feb. 9, South Milwaukee police obtained a search warrant to obtain location data for the defendants phone number. Location data starting Feb. 10, 2024, showed the defendant in the area near Meinecke and Dr. William Finlayson Street in Milwaukee, which has a rear cottage. The South Milwaukee Police Department and the Milwaukee Police Department then began surveillance on the residence. On Feb. 11, a police officer conducting surveillance on the residences, at 9 a.m. observed an African American male walking towards the front of the residence. He determined that this was consistent with this male leaving from the back cottage. The male was wearing a black/gray hat with ear flaps. Police then drove past the subject and positively identified the male as the defendant. Using surveillance and location data, the defendant was tracked to an area near Kinnickinnic and Hillcrest, where he was arrested. Police seized the defendants black/gray winter hat with ear flaps which appeared to the same hat the defendant was wearing on video on the day of the homicide. Search of Ingram's home The complaint is further based upon the statement of investigators and police officers who executed a search warrant at the defendants home after he was arrested. Upon arrival, officers knocked on the door and announced the police presence. It was determined that the defendants girlfriend and her daughter answered. Upon being read the warrant, the girlfriend immediately asked "Is this about Alex?" and "Its about Alex, isnt it." She stated that the defendant told her that the victim had been found "with nothing on his person", which the complainant notes is a fact not released to the public or to any witness interviewed by police. She was then shown a still photo of the suspect on the bus leaving Pizza Hut after the homicide and identified the suspect as the defendant and identified the clothing, hat, and backpack as items belonging to the defendant. She also indicated that the defendant told her that the victim had told the defendant of a large settlement the victim was going to get. She stated that she asked the defendant "If theres a gunshot, dont you think the Taco Bell people or something would have heard it or whatever? And the defendant stated: "the head works as a silencer. So if you and him are in the back of the store, and you gun is to his head, and you shoot him in the head, it works as a silencer, and no one is gonna hear it." In the bathroom, officers observed red/brown stains in the bathroom sink. Also in the bathroom, officers recovered a white towel with red/brown stains on it believed to be blood. In the bedroom, officers recovered a pillowcase that had what appeared to be a blood stain on it. In the living room of the defendants residence, a red and black backpack that contained a Taurus G2C 9mm handgun containing three unfired FMJ 9mm cartridges was recovered. In that same backpack was a check from Pizza Hut in the name of the defendant. Prior criminal record Review of CCAP records which show that the defendant was convicted on Jun. 6, 2016 of the felony offense of attempted possession of cocaine with intent to deliver in Racine County. The conviction remains of record and unreversed. LAS VEGAS (KLAS) A neighborhood in the southeast Las Vegas valley shares a wall with a group of unhoused individuals living in a wash and its raising concerns among residents. Those in the community told 8 News Now they want more resources for the homeless, so they can get off the streets. The area of concern for residents is near Russell Road and Mountain Vista Street. Beyond the roadway, you can see homeless encampments set up under the bridge near a wash and neighbors on the other side of the wall in the Greenridge community want it cleared out. Southeast Las Vegas residents told 8 News Now they are concerned over recent sightings of homeless encampments setting up nearby. (KLAS) They are everywhere. They are in the ditches and in the flood channels, Greenridge resident, Anna said. She added that its even become a burden for her child to get to and from school most days. My daughters school is a couple blocks away and sometimes she walks to school, but she doesnt walk alone, because of the fear that someone could come out of the ditches and snatch her, she said. With tons of trash and tents sent up along the wash, Greenridge community members have sent their complaints to the HOA and the county. Anna stated that while officials have shown up, its a temporary fix. I do see the city come in every so often and clear them out, but here is the thing, they are not solving the problem and addressing whats created the issue, she shared. 8 News Now reached out to County Commissioner, Jim Gibson and received the following statement. Commissioner Gibsons office is not only aware but has actively been working to address this concern by contacting Clark County Public Works, Metro, and Help of Southern Nevada. Metro has been responding and a clean-up should occur soon. Additionally, the commissioners office is working with Public Works on potential engineering solutions to reduce opportunities for this to occur in the future. Other than the Courtyard Homeless Resource Center downtown, the county has a navigation center located on the east side of town and will soon be building an opioid treatment center on the northeast side of the valley. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KLAS. A Spanish priest has been sidelined by the Roman Catholic Church after he was busted by the Civil Guards organized-crime unit for allegedly selling Viagra and other aphrodisiac substances out of his home. Identified in local reports as a long-time parish priest from the small town of Don Benito, he is now receiving psychological and spiritual help during his temporary suspension, the diocese of Plasencia announced in a statement on Thursday, adding that it was dismayed by the scandal swirling around the case. Known as Don Alfonso, the priest was detained Monday but later provisionally released, while a second man who was arresteddescribed in local reports as Don Alfonsos boyfriendhas remained in custody. According to El Mundo, Don Alfonso was monitored by the Civil Guards Organized-Crime and Anti-Drug Unit for months before cops finally swooped in and arrested him. Authorities claim he and the second man had been receiving deliveries of Viagra from other European countries and then selling it out of a rented apartment in Don Benito. Jesus Carretero, a lawyer for the priest, has disputed the allegations, telling the newspaper that Don Alfonso had no knowledge of any drug trafficking and there is no evidence that incriminates him. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. In 2023, the St. Johns County Road and Bridge Department picked up more than 49 tons of roadside debris throughout the community. During the February Board of County Commission meeting, the St. Johns County Solid Waste Department announced its new Get Hooked initiative to educate and engage residents, increase awareness and provide action items to prevent litter. The campaigns slogan Get Hooked! We need all hands on deck to keep SJC litter-free, is inspired by the Countys solid waste mascot Captain Reducio. >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<< This is a great way to inform St. Johns County residents of the litter issue and how they can help to keep the county clean and litter-free, St. Johns County Public Works Director Greg Caldwell said. The Get Hooked initiative will create anti-litter campaigns, educate the community to secure their truck loads carrying items that could become possible roadside debris, and recruit organized groups to participate in the existing adopt-a-road program. Overall, the initiative will develop a series of call-to-action opportunities for the public to Get Hooked into taking pride in keeping St. Johns County looking great. [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] St. Johns County resident and anti-litter ambassador Elizabeth Joshi said, I feel this is a great start to combat the issue of litter in our beautiful community. My friends and I are involved in clean up activities. We are already on board and I am hopeful that the Get Hooked initiative will get even more people on board. The initiative will feature images of Captain Reducio in social media posts working alongside with community partners, official Get Hooked merchandise distributed at certain County-sponsored events, and litter clean up events. The New Years Trash Bash held in January was a success with more than 300 volunteers collecting more than 700 pounds of debris from seven different beach locations. [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] The two anti-litter components of the initiative will encourage residents to join the Countys Adopt-A-Road program and to secure their load. Supporters of the Countys anti-litter efforts and Get Hooked include the GTM Research Reserve, Mantanzas Riverkeeper, Scenic & Historic A1A Coastal Byway, Keep St. Johns Beautiful, Sol Margin Fishing Conservation Fishing, St. Johns County Parks and Recreation, St. Johns County Sheriffs Office, and Beaches Go Green. 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. CENTREVILLE St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners approved a resolution this week that would likely impact the number of Canada geese in the area. St. Joseph County residents can now request a permit to destroy Canada geese nests and eggs. During their monthly board meeting Tuesday, commissioners agreed to support a plan that allows residents to destroy goose nests and eggs. Commissioner Luis Rosado brought up discussion on the matter. He said the action was prompted by residents of Klinger Lake, Cade Lake, Fish Lake and other area bodies of water. Rosado said the number of complaints related to overpopulation of the waterfowl has risen to the point that he felt the need to look into the matter. According to the resolution, nest destruction can be performed only by residents who have secured a permit from Michigan Department of Natural Resources. In addition, they need to complete an online training program to learn exact steps that must be taken to follow through on the measure. St. Joseph Countys nest-destruction is valid for a five-year period. Rosado said People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals recognizes nest destruction as the most effective and humane program to limit population growth. He said a mature goose eats three pounds of grass, while discharging two pounds of defecation daily. In addition, Rosado said Canada geese are no longer migratory birds, staying in Michigan and other northern states year-round. The annual cycle for Canada goose nest destruction requires permitting in the spring in order that the eggs can be destroyed within a proper timeframe, Rosado said. Our parks director, Jaymes MacDonald, has indicated there is a major problem with Canada geese in places such as Cade Lake and several other parks that (include) bodies of water. Rosado said Jackson County officials approved a similar tactic last year and yielded results consistent with their goal. Applications for residents who wish to take part in St. Joseph Countys effort have through March 11 to request a permit allowing them to be a part of the effort. Permits can be secured through Michigan DNR, not St. Joseph County, Rosado noted. This article originally appeared on Sturgis Journal: St. Joseph County residents can now take steps to control the Canada geese population NATO General Secretary Jens Stoltenberg affirmed Ukraines path to NATO membership and pledged ongoing support during his address on the second anniversary of Russias war with Ukraine on Feb. 24. Stoltenberg stated that the situation in Ukraine remains extremely difficult, as Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has not given up his goal of seizing the country. Read also: NATO reportedly wants to coordinate arms supplies to Ukraine instead of US At the same time, according to the official, in recent days and weeks alone, NATO allies have announced new assistance packages worth billions of dollars. They cover key capabilities such as artillery ammunition, air defense and combat boats, as well as F-16 planes and spare parts, drones and demining equipment. Additional support is on the way, Stoltenberg said. Read also: NATO to open Ukraine training center in Poland Stoltenberg In addition, he pointed out that Putin started this war to stop NATO expansion and deprive Ukraine of the opportunity to choose its future. However, the result was the opposite: Ukraine is now closer to NATO than ever. On Feb. 15, Stoltenberg reminded that the NATO accession procedure for Ukraine had been shortened and spoke about other steps that bring membership closer. On Feb. 13, U.S. Ambassador to NATO Julianne Smith said that at the summit in Washington this summer, the Alliance would probably not invite Ukraine to join, but would give a clear signal of future membership. 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 MEMPHIS, Tenn. Two teens are facing charges after a gun was found in a backpack at a Frayser school. Julius Jefferson, 18, and an underage student were taken into custody Thursday after police were called to MLK Prep on Dellwood Avenue. According to court records, a teacher saw the juvenile suspect trying to pass a black backpack to Jefferson through a classroom window. Teens accused of shooting pellets at vehicles When they were told to stop, Jefferson reportedly left the classroom and met the juvenile suspect by the gym doors. Court records say Jefferson opened the gym doors and took the backpack from the juvenile suspect. The teacher reported the incident to the schools principal, who stopped Jefferson and checked the backpack. Court documents say a loaded 22-caliber black Glock handgun was inside. Memphis Police officers made the scene and checked the guns serial number. Officers reportedly learned that in April 2020 the ATF had reported the gun stolen from a FedEx truck during shipping from a gun store in Texas to a protection agency in Cordova. Jefferson has been charged with carrying a weapon on school property and theft of property. The charges for the juvenile suspect have not been released. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WREG.com. Think you know whats in your food? Even the healthiest eaters may be surprised by the amount of plastic they consume each day. Whats happening? Consumer Reports, a nonprofit consumer organization dedicated to independent product testing, recently tested 85 foods for bisphenols and phthalates, or plasticizers: a chemical used to make plastic more flexible and durable. Consumer Reports tested for 10 phthalates, three chemicals used as phthalate substitutes, and three bisphenols. The result? Plasticizers were present in nearly all the foods tested, including fast-food meals, organic products, fruits, vegetables, dairy, and more. The levels did not depend on packaging type, and no one particular type of food say, dairy products or prepared meals was more likely than another to have them, said Lauren F. Friedman, who leads the health and food content team at Consumer Reports. For example, Fairlife Core Power High Protein Milk Shake, Del Monte Sliced Peaches in 100% Fruit Juice, and Chicken of the Sea Pink Salmon in Water all had over 20,000 total phthalates per serving. Why is plasticizer prevalence important? Repeated exposure to plasticizers has been linked to a range of health issues over time, including infertility, diabetes, and heart complications, even when amounts fall within U.S. safety guidelines. Growing evidence links low doses accumulated through food sources to endocrine disruption, and other chronic disease risks decades down the line. Unlike a plane crash, where everyone dies at once, the people who die from these die over many years, said Dr. Philip Landrigan, a pediatrician and the director of the Program for Global Public Health and the Common Good at Boston College. The more we learn about these chemicals, including how widespread they are, the more it seems clear that they can harm us even at very low levels, said Tunde Akinleye, the CR scientist who oversaw CRs tests. These plasticizers make their way not just into our food, but they also accumulate in the air, soil, and water from production and processing pollution. That means these chemicals course through both our bodies and the natural environments we depend on for survival. Wildlife suffers reproductive issues and population decline from phthalate exposure, threatening biodiversity critical to balanced ecosystems that sustain human health and happiness. This plastic problem impacts every living thing on our increasingly fragile planet. Microplastics have even been found in Antarctica. What can I do to help plasticizer prevalence? Thankfully, consumer pressure can still prompt companies to phase out dangerous materials. Since testing began in the 1990s, BPA levels have decreased in popular products such as toys in response to shoppers demands for safety but not yet in the plastic packaging of food. Lets use our wallets to show big brands that we value ethical practices aligned with environmental health. Purchasing fresh, whole foods minimally packaged in plastic demonstrates market demand for sustainable choices that nurture people, animals, and ecosystems. Seeking out makers that avoid plasticizers displays our collective wish for transparent production that puts safety before profit. Join our free newsletter for weekly updates on the coolest innovations improving our lives and saving our planet. The ongoing Russia-Ukraine war will likely likely be the focus of this weeks Sunday talk shows, as the two-year anniversary of the invasion is this weekend. The Senate-passed foreign aid package, which would provide billions in aid to Ukraine, is still stalled in the House. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said the movement of aid is crucial to being able to stand against Russia. As the Russia-Ukraine war moves past the two-year mark, President Biden announced Friday that the U.S. would be imposing more than 500 new sanctions on Russia. Bidens announcement was also in response to the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny. The Russian Federal Prison Service announced Navalny had died last week. Biden accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of killing him, but Russias government has maintained that Navalny died of natural causes. In a statement, Biden said the sanctions are to make sure Putin pays the price for his actions, and to financially restrict the Russian military. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan will make appearances on ABCs This Week, NBCs Meet the Press, CNNs State of the Union, and Fox News Sunday, where he will likely talk about the ongoing war and the United States role in the conflict. Ukrainian Ambassador to the U.S. Oksana Markarova is set to join CBS on Sunday as well, where she will likely express what Ukraines response to the anniversary and what it would mean to the country to receive the long-awaited aid from the Congress. House lawmakers will also return to Washington Wednesday after a recess. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) was criticized by the White House last week for starting the recess without bringing the Senate-passed Ukraine aid package to the floor for a vote. Johnsons not a fan of the bill and said it lacks the border security measures the House GOP has demanded. It would provide $60 billion in aid to Ukraine. Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) and Jared Golden (D-Maine) will join CBS Face the Nation on Sunday, where they will likely discuss the bill. Fitzpatrick and Golden authored a Dear Colleague letter earlier this week, where they urged fellow lawmakers to back a modified version of the bill and underscored the urgency of delivering aid to Ukraine so it would fend off Russian troops. As Congress barrels toward another government shutdown deadline, the window for extending federal funding is closing. A partial shutdown will begin March 2 unless Congress takes action. Appropriations covered by the Agriculture, Energy-Water, Military Construction-Veterans Affairs, and Transportation-Housing and Urban Development bills would be the first to expire, with other appropriations going through March 8. Several other items of discussion may be on the table in this Sundays shows, including the Alabama Supreme Court decision Thursday that frozen embryos are people, leading multiple health systems in the state of pause in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatments. The National Republican Senatorial Committee urged its candidates to voice support for IVF. GOP Arizona Senate candidate Kari Lake said she would be an advocate for increased access to fertility treatments if elected. She is set to join Fox News Sunday Morning Futures. The results of Saturdays South Carolina primary may also be a topic of discussion. At a town hall event in Greenville, S.C., GOP front-runner former President Trump confirmed a shortlist of candidates to be his running mate. While not on the list, Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) said in an interview this week that anybody would say yes if Trump were to ask. Mace will join Fox News Sunday. Heres the complete lineup for the Sunday news shows: NBCs Meet the Press National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan; Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.), Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.). ABCs This Week Sullivan; Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.). CNNs State of the Union Sullivan; Govs. Gretchen Whitmer (D-Mich.), Greg Abbott (R-Texas). FOXs Fox News Sunday Sullivan; Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.), Govs. Kevin Stitt (R-Olka.) and Jared Polis (D-Colo.) CBSs Face the Nation Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu; Ukrainian Ambassador to the U.S. Oksana Markarova; Reps. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.), Jared Golden (D-Maine.) Fox News Sunday Morning Futures Reps. James Comer (R-Ky.), Jim Jordan (R-Ohio); Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo; Arizona Senate candidate Kari Lake; Former Department of Defense Chief of Staff Kash Patel; New York Post Columnist Miranda Devine. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Rain is forecast for the Fresno area after the weekend, but it is expected to be even lighter than the most recent storms to visit the region, meteorologists say. Precipitation has been predicted to fall primarily Monday and may continue into Tuesday, but its unlikely to reach a quarter-inch, according to David Spector, a meteorologists with the National Weather Service in Hanford. Its going to be a weak system, he said Friday. Most of the system is to our north. Fresno and the San Joaquin Valley may see only 0.1 inches of rain through the end of the storm, he said. The foothills were predicted to see as much as a half-inch. Fresno and the Valley were forecast for highs in the mid-60s and lows in the lower 40s for the next week, he said. The highs for the weekend are about 5 degrees warmer than normal with sunny skies, meteorologists say. Snow levels may drop to about 5,000 feet by Monday night, the weather service said. Rainfall predicted in Fresno and the Valley last weekend was forecast to bring as much as 2 inches to the area in three storms over about a week, but the region saw about half as much rain, Spector said. The system wasnt as strong as predicted, he said, with most of the moisture ending up farther south and the vertical motion of the storm splitting off from the moisture north of the Valley. A storm system is expected to impact Central California from Sunday night through Tuesday morning with the most precipitation falling Monday afternoon through Monday night. Here is a short video showing the probabilities for 0.25 inches of rain through this period. #CAwx pic.twitter.com/wKXNyUc0C5 NWS Hanford (@NWSHanford) February 23, 2024 Highway to coast to close More than 8 miles of Highway 41 north of Kettleman City between Nevada and Quail avenues will close in both directions starting Monday, the California Department of Transportation said. The work is expected to keep the highway closed for five months, and unforeseen weather could make that longer, Caltrans said. Highway 41 near Kettleman City is a common route for people from the Fresno area who are headed to the coast for destinations like Pismo Beach, Morro Bay and San Luis Obispo. Caltrans recommended commuters use a detour at Highway 198 in the Lemoore area to reach Interstate 5, which connects to Highway 41 south of the road work in Kettleman City. COMMUTER ALERT REMINDER - KINGS COUNTY: State Route 41 to be closed from Nevada Avenue to Quail Avenue for pavement rehabilitation beginning Monday, February 26th, 2024. Closures are scheduled to last 5 months. Drivers are advised to utilize detour set in place. pic.twitter.com/BkdCibEWbN Caltrans District 6 (@CaltransDist6) February 20, 2024 U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justices Amy Coney Barrett, left, and Sonia Sotomayor, center, speak about the state of political discourse during a panel at the National Governors Associations winter meeting in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 23, 2024. Thomas Griffith, lecturer on law at Harvard and retired D. C. Circuit Court judge, right, moderated the panel. (Photo by Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom) WASHINGTON U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justices Amy Coney Barrett and Sonia Sotomayor spoke to the nations governors Friday about how they disagree on cases of major import without restoring to the rancor that often marks modern politics. Their rare public remarks inside a Washington, D.C., hotel ballroom were part of the National Governors Associations Disagree Better initiative, led by Utahs Spencer Cox and Colorados Jared Polis, that aims to lower tensions between Republicans and Democrats as well as voters. For me, collegiality is at the center of our ability to work together and to work together in a way where when we disagree, our pens are sharp, but on a personal level, we never translate that into our relationships, Sotomayor said. The justices regularly meet for lunch and are all present in a room together when they review oral arguments to determine who will write the courts majority and minority opinions. Barrett said that the process, in which one justice writes the brief on behalf of the others on the same side of the case, offers chances to collaborate and compromise. Those drafts, she said, often included different configurations of judges and thinking. We can compromise on how we present things, how narrowly or broadly we write them, whether were willing to let certain arguments drop out, Barrett said. So that is a real place where we try very hard. Barrett noted the United States is a pluralistic society where people have the right to free speech. If we cant survive by tolerating differences and learning to compromise and learning to allow one another to express other views, were going to sink, Barrett said. We wont be able to get anything done as a country. Sotomayor said one of the problems she sees with the public exchanges on television is that theres too much vilifying of people as human beings and not enough acceptance that we are fundamentally good people. You dont get involved in public service, you dont get involved in trying to help others unless you have some certain core values about love of family, love of friends, love of community, Sotomayor said. If you believe in them and you can accept that those who differ from you in their thinking have those values as well, it is much easier to disagree agreeably. Sotomayor said one of the attributes of the Supreme Court is that justices are present during the private meetings of all nine justices and listening to do their best to get it right. Were listening to what each other is saying. We may disagree with it, but we are listening, Sotomayor said. I think whats happening, regrettably, in too many legislative processes, is because theres cameras in your chambers, many legislators and others are not sitting in the room anymore. The justices also spoke about some lighter-hearted moments on the court, including revealing that Sotomayor was the first justice to call Barrett the night she received Senate confirmation to congratulate her. They did not take questions and avoided discussions of specific cases or decisions. Cox, Polis try to curb polarization Before the two Supreme Court justices spoke, the two leaders of the National Governors Association spoke about how they are trying to lower the tension within the countrys political discourse. Cox, a Republican and chairman of the bipartisan National Governors Association, said the central point of disagreeing better is that polarization is not just toxic for our souls, but it makes it really hard for those of us elected to solve problems and actually do our jobs. Certainly, weve seen the dysfunction that has become the norm of Congress, Cox said. One of the preeminent threats, Cox said, is the belief on both sides that the other side is trying to destroy our country. Its that mistaken belief, that perception gap that causes both sides to justify breaking norms and institutions, because they think the other side is going to do it if they dont, Cox said. Polis, a Democrat and vice chairman of the NGA, said that democracy depends on the success of people being able to disagree with one another passionately, emphatically, but being able to work together with mutual respect and dignity. The Disagree Better initiative, Polis said, is an important reminder to all of our fellow Americans that theres a healthier and more productive way to deal with conflicting opinions. The post Supreme Court justices, governors weigh how to disagree better in a polarized U.S. appeared first on Daily Montanan. Utah Republican Gov. Spencer Cox, chair of the bipartisan National Governors Association, right, and Colorado Democratic Gov. Jared Polis, vice chair of the group, left, speak with reporters at the NGA's winter meeting in Washington D.C. on Friday, Feb. 23, 2024. (Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom) WASHINGTON U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justices Amy Coney Barrett and Sonia Sotomayor spoke to the nations governors Friday about how they disagree on cases of major import without resorting to the rancor that often marks modern politics. Their rare public remarks inside a Washington, D.C., hotel ballroom were part of the National Governors Associations Disagree Better initiative, led by Utahs Spencer Cox and Colorados Jared Polis, that aims to lower tensions between Republicans and Democrats as well as voters. For me, collegiality is at the center of our ability to work together and to work together in a way where when we disagree, our pens are sharp, but on a personal level, we never translate that into our relationships, Sotomayor said. The justices regularly meet for lunch and are all present in a room together when they review oral arguments to determine who will write the courts majority and minority opinions. Barrett said that the process, in which one justice writes the brief on behalf of the others on the same side of the case, offers chances to collaborate and compromise. Those drafts, she said, often included different configurations of judges and thinking. We can compromise on how we present things, how narrowly or broadly we write them, whether were willing to let certain arguments drop out, Barrett said. So that is a real place where we try very hard. Barrett noted the United States is a pluralistic society where people have the right to free speech. If we cant survive by tolerating differences and learning to compromise and learning to allow one another to express other views, were going to sink, Barrett said. We wont be able to get anything done as a country. Democracy depends on the success of people being able to disagree with one another passionately, emphatically, but being able to work together with mutual respect and dignity. Colorado Gov. Jared Polis Sotomayor said one of the problems she sees with the public exchanges on television is that theres too much vilifying of people as human beings and not enough acceptance that we are fundamentally good people. You dont get involved in public service, you dont get involved in trying to help others unless you have some certain core values about love of family, love of friends, love of community, Sotomayor said. If you believe in them and you can accept that those who differ from you in their thinking have those values as well, it is much easier to disagree agreeably. Sotomayor said one of the attributes of the Supreme Court is that justices are present during the private meetings of all nine justices and listening to do their best to get it right. Were listening to what each other is saying. We may disagree with it, but we are listening, Sotomayor said. I think whats happening, regrettably, in too many legislative processes, is because theres cameras in your chambers, many legislators and others are not sitting in the room anymore. The justices also spoke about some lighter-hearted moments on the court, including revealing that Sotomayor was the first justice to call Barrett the night she received Senate confirmation to congratulate her. They did not take questions and avoided discussions of specific cases or decisions. U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justices Amy Coney Barrett, left, and Sonia Sotomayor, center, speak about the state of political discourse during a panel at the National Governors Associations winter meeting in Washington, D.C., on Friday, Feb. 23, 2024. Thomas Griffith, lecturer on law at Harvard and retired D. C. Circuit Court judge, right, moderated the panel. (Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom) Cox, Polis try to curb polarization Before the two Supreme Court justices spoke, the two leaders of the National Governors Association spoke about how they are trying to lower the tension within the countrys political discourse. Cox, a Republican and chair of the bipartisan National Governors Association, said the central point of disagreeing better is that polarization is not just toxic for our souls, but it makes it really hard for those of us elected to solve problems and actually do our jobs. Certainly, weve seen the dysfunction that has become the norm of Congress, Cox said. One of the preeminent threats, Cox said, is the belief on both sides that the other side is trying to destroy our country. Its that mistaken belief, that perception gap that causes both sides to justify breaking norms and institutions, because they think the other side is going to do it if they dont, Cox said. Polis, a Democrat and vice chair of the NGA, said that democracy depends on the success of people being able to disagree with one another passionately, emphatically, but being able to work together with mutual respect and dignity. The Disagree Better initiative, Polis said, is an important reminder to all of our fellow Americans that theres a healthier and more productive way to deal with conflicting opinions. SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE The post Supreme Court justices, governors weigh how to disagree better in a polarized U.S. appeared first on Colorado Newsline. The suspect in the killing of an Augusta University College of Nursing student on the University of Georgia campus in Athens did not attend school at the campus and did not know the victim, authorities said Friday. The killing of Laken Hope Riley, a junior on the deans list at Augusta University, appears to be a crime of opportunity by an individual who woke up with bad intentions, University of Georgia Police Chief Jeff Clark said at a Friday news conference. Campus police said they are recommending charges against Jose Antonio Ibarra, 26, of Athens, including felony murder, false imprisonment, kidnapping, and concealing the death of another in Rileys killing. Ibarra was denied bond Saturday morning, according to Clarke County jail records. Riley was found dead near a lake at the University of Georgias campus Thursday after jogging in the area. The Athens-Clarke County Coroner identified the 22-year-old nursing student on Friday morning. An examination on Friday revealed she died from blunt force trauma, Clark said at Fridays news conference. Jose Antonio Ibarra, 26, was arrested on Friday. - Clarke County Sheriffs Office The police chief announced Ibarra was taken into custody on Friday. There were no indications of a continuing threat to the community related to the case, Clark said. The evidence suggests the killing was a solo act, Clark said, adding authorities had taken several people into custody but are only arresting Ibarra. This was a very isolated incident, Clark said at the Friday news conference. We havent had a homicide at the University of Georgia in almost 30 years. Police have executed a search warrant at Ibarras apartment as they continue to collect evidence. Campus security footage led police to suspect Police used video footage from campus security cameras as well as key input from the community and physical evidence to tie the suspect to Rileys killing, Clark said. Our work however, is not done, Clark added, saying police are still collecting evidence and urging residents to call the department with pertinent information. UGA earlier announced police had identified a person of interest who was being questioned amid an intense search for the students killer. The suspect does not have an extensive criminal history, according to Clark. Ibarra is a resident of Athens, but not a US citizen or a student at UGA, he added. There was no evidence the two knew each other, according to Clark. Ibarras brother was charged federally Friday night with possessing a fraudulent green card and is in state custody, according to a news release from the US Attorneys Office for the Middle District of Georgia. Diego Ibarra, 29, who is from Venezuela like his brother and is undocumented, is charged with possession of a fraudulent document and faces up to 10 years in prison, the release says. An Athens-Clarke County police officer approached Diego Ibarra because he matched the description of the suspect being sought Friday, a federal affidavit says. He presented the officer with a green card that turned out to be fraudulent. We want to stress that this continues to be an active ongoing investigation, university spokesperson Greg Trevor said. The investigation unfolded after authorities got a call around noon Thursday from a friend who was concerned after Riley went jogging at the universitys intramural fields and never returned, authorities said Thursday evening. Investigators found her body around 12:38 p.m. in an area behind a nearby lake, Clark said. According to police, Riley was unconscious and not breathing, and had received visible injuries. Officers immediately started rendering medical aid, but arriving emergency medical responders determined that she was dead, according to UGA. All classes on the University of Georgias Athens campus were canceled Friday and will resume Monday, the school said. Augusta University also canceled Friday classes at the College of Nursing campus in Athens, which is about 2.5 miles from the University of Georgias intramural fields. Law enforcement search an Athens apartment complex after executing a search warrant and taking Jose Antonio Ibarra into custody. - Joshua L. Jones/USA Today Its all going to be for you from now on In a statement on their Facebook page, the University of Augusta College of Nursing paid tribute to Riley, calling her a promising future nurse whose compassion and care for others is evident. Riley was set to graduate with a bachelors in nursing in 2025. She received her honorary white coat in August of 2023, symbolizing humanism, compassion, and the start of her nurses journey, the university said. Not only was she a bright and dedicated student, but she had the distinct honor of making the Fall 2023 Deans List. The College of Nursing will miss Lakens spirit on campus, and our hearts go out to her family and friends. We know that she would have been a wonderful nurse, and her passing is a loss for the profession and the communities she would have graciously served. Rileys younger sister, Lauren Phillips, shared a tender message about her on Instagram Friday. The best sister and my built in best friend from the very first second, she wrote. Im not sure how Im going to do this but its all going to be for you from now on. I cannot wait to give you the biggest hug someday. I will miss and love you forever Laken. Before her enrollment at Augusta University, Riley was a student at the University of Georgia until 2023, UGA spokesperson Cole Sosebee said. The University of Georgia is now grieving two tragic deaths less than a day apart. Rileys body was discovered mere hours after the death of a University of Georgia student the previous night. The past 24 hours have been a traumatic time for our university, the school said Thursday. And as we continue to mourn that tragic loss of life, todays devastating news will uniquely test the resolve of our campus community, particularly our students. CNNs Rebekah Riess, Caroll Alvarado, Paradise Afshar and Holly Yan contributed to this report. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com The Shivba Sanghatana chief Manoj Jarange-Patil The Shivba Sanghatana chief Manoj Jarange-Patil intensified the ongoing agitation for Maratha quotas by staging road blocks in parts of Jalna, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Solapur and other parts of the state here on Saturday. Scores of Marathas squatted on major roads, state or national highways including the Mumbai-Nagpur Samruddhi Expressway, blocking traffic from 10.30 a.m. - 1 p.m., and later from 4-7 p.m., as per Jarange-Patils call. While ensuring that students hurrying to write their HSC Board exams were not inconvenienced, the activists carried banners, posters and raised slogans against the state government demanding full Maratha quotas as promised, including formalisation of the January 26 draft on Sage-Soyare (family bloodline). Jarange-Patil had called upon his supporters to maintain peace, shun any violence and also make video recordings of the roadblocks agitation as evidence. Tight police security has been deployed at the locations where the rasta-roko agitations are taken up since morning, though no preventive detentions have been reported so far. A man charged with killing his roommate and a woman, said he was going to "kill him" a month before the fatal shooting if the victim told him to take out the garbage again, according to a probable cause affidavit released Friday. Nicholas Jordan, 25, and Samuel Knopp, 24, were warring roommates before Jordan fatally shot Knopp and Celie Rain Montgomery, 26, who was reportedly in a relationship with Knopp, in Jordan and Knopp's shared University of Colorado-Colorado Springs dorm room on Feb. 16. A neighboring roommate and Knopp reported Jordan several times for "unsafe living conditions" and smoking in the room, which were documented in at least three campus police reports since early January, according to the affidavit. On Jan. 9, Knopp and Jordan fought over a bag of trash. Jordan allegedly "told (Knopp) that he would kill him and there would be consequences if Jordan was asked to take out the trash again," the affidavit says. COLORADO UNIVERSITY DORM MURDER SUSPECT STILL POSES A THREAT, PROSECUTION WARNS JUDGE Nicholas Jordan, 25, has been arrested in connection with the killing of two people inside a University of Colorado dorm. "Mr. Knopp collected (the garbage bag) and placed [it] near Mr. Jordans door," according to the affidavit, which is included in its entirety below. READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP That allegedly sparked Jordan's alleged death threats, the affidavit says. The same person who called 911 told police that Jordan had been smoking marijuana, cigarettes and his living area was a mess. Jordan's Facebook page is filled with several videos of him smoking, including his last post on Jan. 29. DISPATCH AUDIO FROM DEADLY COLORADO DORM SHOOTING REVEALS RESPONDERS NOT SURE IF GUNMAN WAS STILL AT LARGE A day before Knopp was killed, he expressed relief to his music teacher, Jon Forshee, that Jordan was moving the next night (the Friday of the shooting), according to a report by the Dailymail.com. "He told me he was scheduled to move out the following night," Forshee told DailyMail.com. "He said he was eager to move out, that his dorm life wasn't comfortable." Around 6 a.m. on Feb. 16, gunshots woke up one of the victim's roommates, who called 911 told police that he heard "the sound of a person moaning," according to the affidavit. Responding officers found Knopp and Celie Montgomery, who wasn't a student but was reportedly in a romantic relationship with Knopp, with gunshot wounds and "obviously deceased." DISPATCH AUDIO FROM DEADLY COLORADO DORM SHOOTING REVEALS RESPONDERS NOT SURE IF GUNMAN WAS STILL AT LARGE He told police he locked the door and called 911. At that time, law enforcement documented a blurry figure running from the scene that they say is Jordan. Prosecutors said during Friday morning's court appearance that the Detroit native was a new student who was in the process of withdrawing from UCCS, which was part of their argument about why he was a flight risk. Sam Knopp was a "beloved" 24-year-old senior and musician at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs when he was fatally shot on Feb. 16, 2024. Celie Montgomery, 26, was fatally shot in a shooting at Colorado University-Colorado Springs on Feb. 16, 2024. Jordan's brother, Brandon, came to his defense in an interview with Fox 2 Detroit, where he said police should "Keep looking because you got the wrong guy." "I love you bro. I love you dude. I know you didnt do it bro," Brandon Jordan said. BROTHER OF COLORADO DORM MURDERS SUSPECT BREAKS SILENCE: I love you dude. I know you didnt do it bro Law enforcement and prosecutors dispute Nicholas' brother's assertions in the affidavit, including security cameras unknown to students. At 5:56 a.m. on Feb. 16, "a person in dark clothing is observed running out" out the dorm buildings . It is believed the subject running would have parked in the area to the north to avoid observation in known cameras." An image in the probable cause affidavit against Nicholas Jordan includes an image of the campus and the camera viewed by security cameras. READ FULL PROBABLE CAUSE AFFIDAVIT Law enforcement were looking for Jordan's black 2099 Ford Escape, which was pulled over on Jan. 20 for making an illegal U-Turn, according to the affidavit. Shortly before 8 a.m. Monday, Colorado Springs Police Departments Motor Vehicle Theft Unit spotted the truck, police said on X (formerly Twitter), and a tactical team arrested him about 30 minutes later without incident. Arresting officers found an AK-47 and a handgun in his car, prosecutors alleged during Jordan's second court appearance Friday morning. Jordan was charged with two counts of first-degree murder, felony menacing and committing a crime of violence, and is being held on $5 million cash bail in a jail in El Paso County, Colorado. A status conference has been scheduled for March 15, and his next court date is scheduled for March 27. Original article source: Suspected Colorado dorm shooter threatened to 'kill' roommate over taking out trash: court docs A father and son are accused of burglarizing elderly victims in Southern California by posing as home security workers. The suspects were identified as Jacinto Chavez, 37, and Jeramiah Chavez, 19, according to the Orange County District Attorneys Office. The thefts took place between August and November 2023 in Anaheim. Jacinto allegedly dressed up as an employee with a badge that identified him as a Brinks Home security worker. The victims ranged in age from 79 to 88 years old, including one woman who was legally blind. On Dec. 11, 2023, a deputy responded to reports of a burglary on the 1000 block of West Lomita Boulevard in Harbor City. During their investigation, detectives identified Jacinto as a suspect. He had posed as a Brinks employee by hanging a Brinks business card in a lanyard over his neck, authorities said. Jacinto Chavez, 37, in a Jan. 4, 2024 booking photo and a fake Brinks employee lanyard found by the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department. Jacinto typically targeted the homes of elderly victims that had security signs displayed outside, authorities said. After gaining the homeowners trust, Jacinto would convince the victims to let him enter their home to install window guards. While inside, he would steal jewelry, cash, credit cards, credit card information and other personal valuables, according to the DAs office. His son, Jeremiah, is accused of assisting him on at least one occasion as they burglarized an elderly womans home in Anaheim. On Jan. 4, a warrant was served at the suspects Riverside County home. During a search, deputies found evidence that the suspect had possibly committed several other burglaries. Rebecca Grossman found guilty of killing 2 boys in L.A. County hit-and-run Deputies contacted Brinks Home security officials and confirmed that Jacinto was not employed by the company. Both suspects were eventually arrested by authorities. Jacinto was charged with five felony counts of first-degree burglary, two felony counts of theft from an elder adult exceeding $950, and three misdemeanor counts of elder theft. If convicted of all charges, he faces up to 11 years and four months in prison. Jeramiah was charged with one felony count of first-degree burglary and one felony count of theft from an elder. If convicted of both charges, he faces up to six years in prison. Authorities warned Southern Californians of suspicious people knocking on their doors and pretending to be employees of various companies. If anyone comes to your home and asks to come inside your home and say they are associated with any of these companies, ask questions, said Damon Jones, captain of LASDs Carson Sheriffs Station. If you didnt schedule an appointment or are unsure of the person, do not allow them into your home. Most legitimate employees of any of these companies normally wear uniforms, have photo identification, carry credentials, and drive a company vehicle. Never let a service provider of these companies to be unsupervised. Both father and son have pleaded not guilty to the charges. A pretrial hearing is scheduled on April 9. Authorities believe there are additional victims across Southern California including Orange, Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino counties. Owner of stolen semi-truck that burst into flames during SoCal pursuit left devastated Anyone who may be a victim or has information on the case is asked to call the Carson Sheriffs Station at 310-830-1123 or the Anaheim Police Department at 714-328-8153. Anonymous tips can be provided to Orange County Crime Stoppers at 855-TIP-OCCS, the L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online at lacrimestoppers.org. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTLA. DAUPHIN COUNTY, Pa. (WHTM) Suspended Dauphin County Magisterial District Judge Sonya McKnight was released from prison after bail was posted. According to Cumberland County District Attorney Sean McCormack, McKnight was released after her bail which was set at $300,000 was posted Thursday. A hearing has not been scheduled yet. McKnight, 58, faces criminal charges of criminal attempt murder of the first degree and aggravated assault after a shooting on Feb. 10 at a home that involved her ex-boyfriend, court documents state. Previous coverage -> Suspended Dauphin County Judge Sonya McKnight charged with attempted murder According to the charges filed by Susquehanna Township Police, McKnight shot her ex in the face when he was sleeping and then called dispatch to report that her ex could not see but couldnt explain what was happening. During the police investigation, it was discovered that the man had recently ended a one-year relationship with McKnight and had tried to get her to leave multiple times before, but she wouldnt. After he had gone asleep around 11 p.m., he woke up about an hour or so later to massive head pain and Mcknight said to him what did you do to yourself, the charging documents state. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now WHTM Severe Weather Alerts When police interviewed the man, he stated that he never thought about taking his own life, while McKnight was deceptive when she was interviewed, the criminal complaint shows. McKnight also tested positive for gunshot residue within an hour of the incident. The shooting on Feb. 10 wasnt the only one that McKnight was involved in. In 2019, McKnight shot and wounded her estranged husband, but that shooting was ruled self-defense. In November she was suspended after it was discovered she committed multiple violations such as theft of time, soliciting a product on her social media account, and even failing to show up to multiple court dates without providing an excuse. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC27. Damaged buses and production facilities are seen at a compound of a local enterprise, which was used by Russian troops as a hosting place during occupation of the Balakliia town ZURICH (Reuters) - Russia is unlikely to take part at the outset of a high-level Ukraine peace conference which neutral Switzerland plans to host in the coming months, Swiss President Viola Amherd was quoted as saying by a newspaper on Saturday. Amherd's interview with the Neue Zuercher Zeitung daily was published a few hours after Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis told the United Nations that Bern aimed to hold the conference "by this summer" after the idea was floated in January. Russia, which started its invasion of Ukraine two years ago, last month called the peace conference plan "pointless" and indicated it would be doomed to fail without Moscow's participation. When asked whether Switzerland had since received any more positive signals from Russia, Amherd told the newspaper: "Right now, it looks as though Russia will not take part in a first round of the conference. "We're in the process of starting off with a very broad alliance consisting of the BRICS countries, countries from the Arab world, as well as from the global south." Amherd said Switzerland hoped to organize the first round by the summer, and that her government knew the summit needed to hold out some prospect of success. "That doesn't mean we'll reach our goal at the first step," she added. The president did not name specific countries. BRICS members include Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. This month foreign minister Cassis said he hoped that China would give Switzerland "a hand" with the peace talks. Switzerland adopted sanctions against Russia imposed by the European Union over Moscow's invasion, raising questions in some quarters about the limits of the country's neutrality. Earlier this month, the Swiss government announced plans to beef up its military, partly in response to the conflict. Amherd said Switzerland shared the view that war should not be used to enforce political will, noting: "As a small state, we stand for international law, not the law of the strongest." (Reporting by Dave Graham; editing by Clelia Oziel) On the second anniversary of Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine, the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs has stated that it is in favour of a format for ending the war that will be a just peace with respect to Ukraine's borders. Source: Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, quoted by Turkish state-owned news agency Anadolu Details: Ankara said it would continue to make efforts to ensure a "just and lasting solution based on Ukraines sovereignty and territorial integrity." Turkiye noted that the negative consequences of the war are growing and are felt throughout the region and the world. "The conditions conducive to revitalisation of the diplomatic process will eventually emerge. With this understanding, we offer constructive input to both sides," the statement added. Background: Russian President Vladimir Putin was scheduled to travel to Turkiye for a visit in February, but it has once more been postponed. The visit was supposed to be the first trip by a Russian president to a NATO member state since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Amid preparations for Putin's visit, the European Commission reminded Ankara that the International Criminal Court had issued an arrest warrant for the Russian President for his role in the transfer of Ukrainian children from occupied territories. Support UP or become our patron! TAZEWELL COUNTY, Va. (WJHL) A Tazewell County man was found guilty of several child sexual assault charges Thursday and faces six life sentences, according to Tazewell County Commonwealths Attorney J. Christopher Plaster. A release from the commonwealths attorneys office states Herbert Junior Sparks, 50, was found guilty by a judge after a bench trial. Plaster was found guilty on the following charges: 2 counts of child endangerment 2 counts of rape of a child under the age of 13 2 counts of sexual penetration with an object 2 counts of aggravated sexual battery 2 counts of forcible sodomy 2 counts of indecent liberties of a child by a custodian Producing or making child pornography Displaying child porn or grooming video to child under the age of 13 The release states evidence was shown to the judge regarding Sparks victimization of two children over a seven-year period. During the trial, the victims, mental health experts and law enforcement testified. Sparks also testified during the trial. A judge found him guilty on all counts, the release states. Sparks is scheduled to be sentenced on May 30. He faces six mandatory life sentences plus an additional 100 years in prison, the commonwealths attorneys office reports. Plaster thanked his office and the Tazewell County Sheriffs Office for their work in the case. I also want the verdicts in both cases this week to serve as a reminder that we will dedicate all resources available to protect and defend the children of Tazewell County, Plaster stated in the release. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WJHL | Tri-Cities News & Weather. A teacher at New Academy Charter School in Pittsburgh is accused of assaulting a student during after-school detention. The alleged assault happened on Jan. 31. Court documents said a student threw a ball of tape at Dennis Holderbaum. Holderbaum then allegedly threw a pencil sharpener at the student, cutting their head. Holderbaum allegedly tried putting the student in a headlock and took them to the ground. The student told police that Holderbaum punched them. In an interview with police, Holderbaum denied punching the student. Photos of the student shared with police show an injury to their forehead and a bloody lower lip. According to court documents, Holderbaum flipped a table, which broke in half, after the alleged assault. Holderbaum is on administrative leave. He is charged with endangering the welfare of children, simple assault and harassment. Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW TRENDING NOW: Avella man, 21, killed in single-vehicle crash Allegheny County, Pittsburgh to enact Code Blue this weekend Cyberattack causes prescription delays at pharmacies nationwide VIDEO: Pittsburghers will get partial view of upcoming eclipse; for a better view, plan a trip to Erie DOWNLOAD the Channel 11 News app for breaking news alerts WASHINGTON The Teamsters political action committee broke decades of precedent last month when the union leadership voted to approve a $45,000 donation to the Republican National Committees convention fund. In recent years, Teamsters donations have been given primarily to Democrats. This year's donation to the RNC convention fund marked the labor union's pivot to large donations to both parties, though the vast majority of donations still flow to liberals. The January vote to approve the donation is igniting frustration among some members, who in interviews with NBC News were blunt in expressing their disapproval of the move: "Disgusting." "Disheartening." "Playing footsie." NBC News spoke with 11 Teamsters members about the contribution, which highlighted a rift in membership about politics and about former President Donald Trump in particular. Though some celebrated the move, others are considering pausing their contributions to DRIVE, the Teamsters PAC. Critics of the donation say they refuse to contribute funds if they will eventually go to support Republicans who hold views that they believe are antithetical to their union goals. The last time the 1.3 million-person labor union participated in both parties conventions was in 2000, when George W. Bush accepted his partys nomination at the convention in Philadelphia, according to a Teamsters spokesperson. DRIVE is nonpartisan, according to the union's website, and stands for Democrat, Republican, Independent Voter Education. Both President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump are vying for the powerful union's endorsement. Teamsters backed Biden in 2020, but has yet to endorse a presidential candidate for the 2024 cycle. "If I were a rank-and-file member, and they continued playing footsie with a party that's trying to kill us, I would have considered it," said John Palmer, Teamsters vice president at-large, who said he was one of the few leadership members to vote against the RNC convention donation. Palmer, an outspoken critic of Trump, ultimately decided to continue donating to DRIVE because his leadership position deals with PAC-related matters. But other members are taking the jump. Two Teamsters members of Local 728 in Atlanta told NBC News that they plan to discontinue donations to DRIVE because of the RNC convention donation. Im well aware that we do have Republicans in our union. But anyone can see his record, said Evette Avery, referring to Trump. Stands for itself when it comes to unions and workers, and its never been favorable." Her colleague David Courtenay-Quirk, who worked with union organizers to encourage members to contribute to the PAC when he first joined Teamsters, said that "playing with somebody like Trump is beyond the pale, in my opinion." Christophe Silvera, secretary-treasurer of Teamsters Local 808 in New York City, went further, questioning, "Why would the union give money to an organization that is wholly anti-union?" "There is something unholy about a union that would give $45,000 to I don't call them the Republicans anymore," Silvera said. "It's the Confederate party." In a statement to NBC News, Teamsters spokesperson Kara Deniz said that all the union's members' "voices will be heard, regardless of party." "Rank-and-file members will be on the ground and active in both conventions this year to make sure elected officials know the Teamsters issues and are hearing the challenges that working people face in this country," Deniz added. Trump has often been at odds with unions, and two major unions United Auto Workers and the AFL-CIO, have already endorsed Biden. The AFL-CIO has attacked the former president on labor issues, calling his record "catastrophic for workers." Similarly, UAW President Shawn Fain railed against the former president in a speech endorsing Biden, calling Trump a "scab" and adding that "Donald Trump is a billionaire, and thats who he represents." Biden has continuously expressed support for unions, saying during speeches that he is proud to be the most pro-union president. Last year, he made history in Michigan by becoming the first sitting president to appear on a picket line. Despite strong opposition by some union members to Trump, Teamsters President Sean M. OBrien met privately with the former president at the beginning of January, followed by another roundtable with OBrien and other members in Washington later that month. Deniz said that the internal review and approval process for Teamsters' RNC donation began in December, and the formal board vote took place on Jan. 10. She added that the process was "well underway" before any meeting with Trump. The Teamsters PAC donated an identical sum to the Democratic National Committee's convention fund. Matthew Taibi, vice president of the Eastern Region, said he voted in favor of the RNC convention donation when the issue was brought before leadership. "Makes a lot of sense as far as being able to participate in the process, any endorsement process and to have our voices, our members' voices heard at all levels with all party affiliations," said Taibi, who also serves as principal officer of Local 251 in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Jamarsae Brown, a member of Teamsters Local 162 in Portland, Oregon, is a Democrat but argued the RNC convention donation was a "good move." "We have voters on both sides," he said. An RNC official told NBC News that they have not received the contribution to the convention fund yet. Deniz said the union goes through an internal auditing and reporting process before sending contributions, adding that it takes time. Teamsters backed Biden during the 2020 election cycle, but the union has yet to make an endorsement for 2024. Trump met with Teamsters leaders at the union's headquarters last month. The timing for a meeting with Biden has not yet been announced. Richard Hooker, the secretary-treasurer of Teamsters Local 623 in Philadelphia, argued that Trump speaking in the Teamsters headquarters lobby "sends the wrong message." He argued that many union workers "know that the Republican Party, a vast majority of them, and of course Donald Trump, does not care about the working man, the working woman or the working family." Brown said he viewed the meeting as "productive," though. "You've got to engage, and you've got to ask the questions," he said. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com FIRST ON FOX: Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, is probing the Washington, D.C.-based Environmental Law Institute (ELI) over its efforts to provide first-of-its-kind, climate-related education to federal judges nationwide. Cruz on Friday sent a letter to ELI President Jordan Diamond, demanding information about the group's Climate Judiciary Project (CJP) and its work with former senior Biden administration official Ann Carlson. In the letter, he noted Carlson's involvement in the development of the CJP and that the group shares funding streams with a law firm pursuing high-profile climate litigation on behalf of states and cities nationwide. "Although ELI claims that it gives neutral, objective information to the judiciary about the science of climate change, [CJP] is meant to be a direct complement to the wave of climate change litigation initiated by the Carlson-connected law firm Sher Edling," wrote Cruz, who serves as ranking member of the Senate Commerce Committee. "Indeed, ELI knows the impact this litigation could have on the fossil fuel industry." "The Projects funding and ties to plaintiffs in climate change cases further belie ELIs claim of neutrality," he continued. TOP REPUBLICANS LAUNCH PROBE INTO LEONARDO DICAPRIO-FUNDED BLUE STATE LAWSUITS AGAINST BIG OIL Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, speaks during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in Washington, D.C., on May 11, 2023. While Carlson who served in the Biden administration between early 2021 and January, crafting regulations targeting gas-powered cars at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration served on the group's board of advisers, ELI established the CJP in 2018 to give "neutral, objective information" about climate change litigation and creating a curriculum specifically designed for federal judges, according to their website. READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP Overall, since it was founded more than five years ago, the project has crafted 13 curriculum modules and hosted 42 events, while more than 1,700 judges have participated in its activities, Fox News Digital previously reported. And multiple judges serve as advisers at CJP, potentially having an impact on its curriculum and modules. CONSUMER GROUP REVEALS LEFT-WING GROUPS INCREASINGLY USING COURTS TO PUSH GREEN NEW DEAL For example, Ronald Robie, an associate justice for the Third District of the California Courts of Appeal; Judge Michael Simon of the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon; and David Tatel, the recently retired former senior judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, have all acted as advisers for the project. Madison Calhoun, the Environmental Law Institute's senior manager of educational programs, introduces a June 2022 webinar on the Clean Air Act. A review of an ELI policy brief summarizing past events indicates CJP has reached judges from across the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th federal circuits, some of which are based in New York City , Boston and Puerto Rico. The group further boasts that it hosted a plenary session with approximately 100 judges in attendance at the annual mid-winter meeting of the Ninth Federal Circuit in 2019. BILLIONAIRE-FUELED ROCKEFELLER FUND COORDINATED CLIMATE LAWSUITS WITH DEM STATE AG: INTERNAL DOCUMENTS "More specifically, ELI states that climate change litigation can control, order, or influence the behavior of others in relation to climate governance," Cruz's letter stated. "Therefore, the highest goal of ELIs Project is to help the judiciary as [it] build[s] a body of law that appropriately addresses climate change' through climate change litigation. In other words, ELI intends to accomplish via the courts what it cannot get enacted into law: a radical environmental agenda." "While ELI claims the Project is neutral and objective, the Curriculum reads like a playbook for judges to find in favor of plaintiffs in artificial climate change cases against traditional energy companies," Cruz continued. Ann Carlson, a former senior official at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, previously served in roles for the law firm Sher Edling and the Environmental Law Institute. The Texas Republican further noted CJP courses "show how climate science is built on long-established scientific disciplines" and "explore the human-caused component of [global] warming," such as the "causal connections between emissions" and "changes in the climate." BIDEN OFFICIAL DOGGED BY ETHICS PROBE FACES KEY SENATE VOTE OVER TAXPAYER-FUNDED SALARY: 'SERIOUS SCANDAL' He also highlighted how CJP and Sher Edling the California-based law firm pursuing climate litigation against major oil companies on behalf of states and cities including Rhode Island, New Jersey, Delaware, Minnesota, New York City, San Francisco, Baltimore, Chicago and Washington, D.C. have shared some of the same staff. While serving on ELI's board of directors, Carlson also provided pro bono consulting for Sher Edling on litigation against oil companies, financial disclosures showed. Sher Edling counsel Michael Burger has also participated in multiple ELI events, and former Sher Edling lawyer Meredith Wilensky was previously an ELI Public Interest Law Fellow. Vic Sher, a partner at law firm Sher Edling, speaks about the climate litigation he is involved in during a virtual panel in December 2021. Sher Edling is representing several states, cities and counties in litigation blaming oil companies for global warming. And Sher Edling has received funding from left-wing groups like the MacArthur Foundation and the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, which have both funded ELI. In a statement to Fox News Digital, the ELI said it is reviewing Cruz's letter, but reiterated that the group is nonpartisan and only seeks to provide "unbiased, objective information" to judges. "The Environmental Law Institute is an internationally recognized non-partisan research, publishing, and education organization that has been operating for over 50 years," ELI spokesperson Nick Collins told Fox News Digital in a statement. "The Climate Judiciary Project provides unbiased, objective information to judges about climate science and the law," Collins said. "We are currently reviewing Senator Cruz's letter and will determine the appropriate response." Fox News Digital has reached out to Carlson and Sher Edling for comment on Cruz's letter. Original article source: Ted Cruz probes left-wing group over effort training federal judges for climate cases Setback to Cong in Karnataka: Legislative Council rejects Bill proposing to collect 10% temple income In a setback to the Congress government in Karnataka, the controversial Karnataka Hindu Religious Institutions and Charitable Endowments (Amendment) Bill, 2024, which is aimed at collecting 10 per cent of the total income from the rich temples, failed to pass in the Legislative Council on Friday. As members of the BJP and the JD(S) raised objections, Deputy Chairman of the Council, M.K. Pranesh, called for a voice vote, in which the Bill was rejected after the opposition members voted against it. Seven members voted for the Bill, while 18 members voted against it. Proposing the Bill in the Council, Transport and Muzrai Minister Ramalinga Reddy said that as per the present rules, the government is getting Rs 8 crore from the temples. After the new rule is passed, the government will earn Rs 60 crore and from these funds, the C grade temples would be managed, Reddy said. Stating that there are more than 40,000 priests at the 34,165 C grade temples across the state, the minister said, "We will provide funds to the priests to build homes and provide scholarships to their children. We also provide insurance cover to them." Opposing the Bill, the leader of opposition in the Council, Kota Srinivas Poojari, said that it is not tenable to collect 10 per cent from the income of temples. "If Rs 100 crore is collected, Rs 10 crore has to be given to the government as per the Bill. But, one must first deduct the expenditures and then the government can take its share. The government should grant Rs 200 crore for the development of C grade temples in the state," Poojari said. BJP MLC N. Ravikumar said the state government should not even think of collecting 10 per cent income from the temples. "Rs 60 crore is not a big amount for the state government. Hindu temples must be allotted with Rs 300 crore for development work," he said. After this, Minister Reddy said that he will present the Bill on Monday, which was objected to by Deputy Chairman Pranesh, who called for a voice vote for the Bill to pass. After the Bill was rejected, the BJP members raised Jai Sri Ram slogans inside the House, while their Congress counterparts chanted Bharat Mata Ki Jai and Jai Bheem. On Wednesday, the controversial Bill was passed by the Karnataka Legislative Assembly. Meanwhile, taking to social media, the BJP claimed that as per the Bill, persons belonging to other religions can become part of the temple management process. "This is a malicious intent of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to dry the coffers of the temples with the help of people from other religions, much the same way he has emptied the state's treasury," the BJP alleged. EL PASO, Texas - Annunciation House, an El Paso organization that provides services to migrants, is responding to a lawsuit from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. Paxton claims the organization is facilitating illegal entry into the country. Annunciation House's lawyer says Paxton is abusing his power by trying to close them down. The organization has operated in El Paso for nearly 50 years. The non-governmental organization (NGO) works with the federal government to provide temporary shelter to migrants. The Texas attorney general claims there is a criminal side as well, saying in a lawsuit that the group, "is engaged in legal violations such as facilitating illegal entry to the United States, alien harboring, human smuggling and operating a stash house." "To call our houses of hospitality stash houses, there is no shame. To refer to house of God as stash houses," said Annunciation House Executive Director Reuben Garcia. The attorney general's lawsuit seeks to shut down Annunciation House over records that Paxton says the NGO failed to provide his office. "Annunciation House does not decide who gets to come into the United States and who gets to stay here," said Jerry Wesevich, the organization's lawyer. Wesevich said he told Paxton's office he would respond to the records request in 30 days. According to the lawyer, Paxton's investigators gave the group a one-day deadline. "This left Annunciation House with no option to sue Attorney General Paxton to challenge his abuse of power," he said. Paxton says the demand for documents came after his office reviewed "significant public record information" alleging the criminal activity. It is unclear if that falls outside the normal procedures for Annunciation House and other NGOs that receive migrants from the federal government after processing. "You mess with Rueben, you mess with Annunciation House, you mess with us," said El Paso County Judge Ricardo Samaniego. READ MORE: Texas sues 5 cities, including Denton, over marijuana policies Friday's news conference had political overtones as well. The El Paso mayor, county judge, religious leaders and other Democrat-elected officials defended Annunciation House. Congresswoman Veronica Escobar fears this will become a playbook for other conservative attorneys general to use during this partisan border crisis. "Not just in El Paso, not just in Texas, but the United States needs to hear this alarm we are sounding," said Congresswoman Veronica Escobar (D-El Paso). "This is political and what we are seeing happening is part of a broader, terrifying assault on welcoming communities." FOX 4 reached out to Paxton's office for a response to today's lawsuit. Earlier this week, the attorney general's office said its job is to hold these organizations responsible for "worsening illegal immigration." BANGKOK (Reuters) -Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said on Saturday that ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra was happy and in a good mood but still weak after his recent release from hospital detention. The 74-year-old billionaire, whose family's party has regained power, was released on parole on Feb. 18 after six months in detention, his first day of freedom in his homeland 15 years after he fled a military coup that had deposed him. "There wasn't not much talking. He's still weak but his arm can move a bit," Srettha told reporters, adding that Thaksin, who left hospital with his arm in a sling, was in a good mood and smiling. "He's happy to be home." Thaksin has been at the heart of a two-decade power struggle between his family and its coterie of capitalist upstarts, and a nexus of royalists, generals and old-money families that have long wielded influence over Thai governments and institutions. He faced years in prison on his return from exile on charges of graft and abuse of power, which he denies as politically motivated. On his first night in jail, he was transferred to the luxury wing of a police hospital, where he served his detention. Doctors said he had experienced tightness in his chest and high blood pressure. Thailand's king in August commuted Thaksin's sentence from eight years to one year, of which he served half. Speaking after visiting Thaksin at the billionaire's Bangkok residence, Srettha said he did not talk about how the influential ex-premier would help the country. Thaksin encouraged him in his work but they did not discuss politics, Srettha said. "I didn't talk about how he would help the country. But he is concerned about the country... as there are a lot of economic problems," the prime minister said. Thaksin's return last year coincided to the day with ally and political newcomer Srettha being chosen prime minister, leading many to suspect a deal between Thaksin and his powerful enemies in Thailand's royalist-military establishment. He and the government, led by the Shinawatra family-backed Pheu Thai Party, have dismissed such speculation. (Reporting by Orathai Sriring and Satawasin Staporncharnchai; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman and William Mallard) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gives a statement in the Knesset. According to a report in The Times of Israel, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has presented his plan for the administration of the Gaza Strip after the war to his security cabinet. Ilia Yefimovich/dpa Thousands of people demonstrated in several Israeli cities on Saturday evening for the release of hostages held by the militant Palestinian organization Hamas and against the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. "I call on the most failed government in (Israel's) history: resign!" a reserve officer shouted at the largest rally in the coastal metropolis of Tel Aviv. The officer was wounded in the current Gaza war. Participants in the protest in Tel Aviv carried banners with the words You are the leader! You are to blame!" A growing number of critics accuse Netanyahu of mismanaging the country before and after the terrorist attack by the Islamist Hamas and other extremist groups on southern Israel on October 7. Critics accuse the prime minister of subordinating everything to his own political advantage when making important decisions. In Tel Aviv, a group of government opponents tried to block a highway. Police used water cannon to drive the demonstrators away, according to media reports. Additional rallies were staged on Saturday in Jerusalem, Haifa, Beersheba and in Caesarea in front of a private villa of Netanyahu. The fate of more than 130 remaining hostages kidnapped by the terrorists in the Gaza Strip deeply affects Israeli society. According to Israeli estimates, around 100 of them are still alive. Indirect negotiations are currently under way with Hamas to secure the hostages' release in return for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons. A total of 105 of the original more than 250 people kidnapped were released in November during a ceasefire in the Gaza war. Two years into Europe's most significant crisis in decades, Ukraine's challenges and its remarkable adaptation have a lot to teach. The World Health Organization (WHO) has been an active partner to Ukraine, navigating the complexities of delivering health support in a war-torn country. Our journey has unfolded lessons of immense value, not just for Ukraine but for the global health community. As we mark this grim anniversary, it is crucial to reflect on these insights and how they shape our collective path forward. A locally led response Often, humanitarians rush in to support a country in crisis by creating immediate relief systems that may create siloes, inadvertently weakening already vulnerable national systems. Ukraine's continuous leadership and determination to lead its own response have underscored the importance of supporting existing systems rather than overlaying them with parallel structures. WHO has been partnering with Ukraines Ministry of Health to determine, in real-time, what the key needs of the sector are and step in where needed to bolster existing systems. Read also: Russian occupation brings humanitarian crisis problems with water supply, heating, and medicines This includes regularly donating essential medical supplies, vehicles, and equipment to ensure existing healthcare facilities can continue functioning. In communities where health facilities have been damaged or destroyed, weve built temporary structures to help ensure continuity of care. Currently, 12 modular primary care clinics are open in vulnerable communities across the South and the East of the country. There, doctors and nurses often the same personnel that worked in a previous facility continue to provide care, giving people hope, some sense of normality, and trust. They are not forgotten or abandoned. After the Nova Kakhovka [Kherson Oblast] dam's destruction in June 2023, WHO aided local authorities with water surveillance and increased medical staffing to combat water-borne diseases and address health service gaps. Over two years post-invasion, our focus has been on reinforcing Ukraines Emergency Medical Services and routine healthcare, ensuring adaptability and resilience. Through our unique mandate as a convener for public health matters, we are also helping our partners localize better. The Health Cluster and the Technical Working Group on Mental Health, both led by WHO and consisting of dozens of international and local national partners, now coordinate health response activities at the Oblast level, making sure Ukraines vast size and population diversity are taken into account when designing any new intervention. Routine care and long-term development should not slip away Since February 2022, our teams have verified 1,574 attacks on health, claiming the lives of 118 of health care workers, and impacting health facilities, transport, and warehouses. The attacks have disrupted access to critical health services for thousands, often for an already vulnerable population, which includes the elderly, children, and people with disabilities. Read also: First Lady Olena Zelenska addresses Ukrainians on World Mental Health Day Addressing immediate needs like treating injuries and restoring services in damaged facilities is vital, but so is fortifying the healthcare system to endure ongoing assaults and prevent routine care disruptions, which could irreparably harm the population's health. With non-communicable diseases (NCDs) causing 84% of illnesses and deaths in Ukraine, the creation of the Mobile Outreach Units has been critical, providing frontline treatment for conditions from heart disease to diabetes. Additionally, we're boosting primary healthcare by enhancing capacity, revising costs, promoting best practices, and advocating for increased funding and better working conditions for healthcare workers. The wars impact on mental health is profound, with 9.6 million people estimated to be at risk of or living with a mental health condition. WHO, alongside Ukraines government and First Lady Olena Zelenska, is making mental health a top priority, addressing rehabilitation needs, backing community-led initiatives, and training health workers to recognize and respond to mental distress. At the same time, we are supporting longer-term reforms to strengthen areas such as health security, modern public health surveillance, and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) to help catalyze comprehensive improvements in public health infrastructure, safeguarding it against ongoing and future threats. Despite the war, Ukraine has not only maintained but progressed in health initiatives, such as tobacco control and trans fats regulation, and has quelled the polio outbreak of 2021, showcasing its strong commitment to health and its advancement towards European Union accession. Human capital is Ukraines present and future At the heart of Ukraine are its people, and they are facing enormous challenges. Before the war, Ukraine was aging rapidly, with the elderly expected to be 20% of the population by 2030. The refugee exodus likely accelerated this. Chronic diseases and healthcare disruptions from the war aggravate an already delicate health situation. In 2023, 11% delayed medical care due to the conflict. Internally displaced persons (IDPs), now 18% of the populace, and frontline communities, where up to 43% deferred care, are in a dire state. Financial struggles prevent nearly 40% from buying necessary medicines. Read also: UN appeals for $46 bln to meet humanitarian needs in 2024 These people can only be helped by a resilient healthcare workforce. The dedication of Ukraines healthcare workers, often at great personal risk, is the backbone of the country's health response. WHO is supporting these individuals by improving working conditions and providing additional funding and mental health support. The humanitarian and development funding provided to Ukraine over the last 24 months by generous donors has been critical in this regard. It is that support, coupled with evidence-based technical expertise, that allowed us to reach millions with critical life-saving interventions. Humanitarian and development partners will continue to strengthen capacity and provide necessary resources, but ensuring financial support for the health system and workers is imperative to avert a health system collapse and sustain Ukrainians through this crisis. The war in Ukraine is more than a geopolitical crisis; it's a stark reminder of the interconnectedness of health, peace, and security. As we enter the second decade of war that started in 2014 and a third year since the Russian Federation's full-scale invasion in 2022, continuous international support is crucial for the countrys recovery and for building a healthier, more resilient future for the region. Were bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. Support us with a one-time donation, or become a Patron! Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine The decisive defeat of the Wooster City School District 6.7-mill master facilities plan at the polls in May resulted in it being significantly reworked to incorporate public feedback. The revised plan will cost less money, construct one new building instead of two and preserve Cornerstone Elementary School. The district has continued to take the process of master planning slowly and recently extended the timeline for returning to voters. Jody Starcher Instead of a November ballot issue, the master plan will be placed before voters in May 2025. "With the tentative timing of the facilities plan being on the ballot next May," Jody Starcher, board president, said in an email, "it gives adequate time to educate the public, socialize the plan and continue to work through more details of the plan before the board votes." Board taking its time, making sure community is well informed Details include doing design work and identifying options for Cornerstone Elementary School, Starcher said. Lengthening the timeline is a way to "make sure our community is well informed," said Superintendent Gabe Tudor. No board action will need to be taken until late fall, Tudor said, at which point a series of three resolutions will need to be approved - two for getting the issue on the ballot and one for co-funding the project with the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission. The board also will need to pass a resolution approving the revised plan. Gabe Tudor While an alternative plan, focused primarily on maintaining an educational presence at Cornerstone, was presented to the board by Tate Emerson at the December meeting, Tudor said, "we feel pretty good about the plan we recommended. "It seems to be what most of the community supports," he said. Tudor said the district hasn't received much feedback recently about the revised plan, the crux of which is building a new middle school on the site of the Wooster High School campus and preserving Cornerstone. The community appears to be in support of constructing a new middle school, he said. Starcher affirmed community feedback has been in support of a new middle school, generating "excitement" over a grade six to 12 setting on one campus between the middle school and the high school, and with grade eight being part of the middle school. One-building plan, and saving Cornerstone The revised plan is "a one-building ask," Tudor said, rather than the two new buildings proposed in the previous plan. "It doesn't address every issue we have," Tudor said, but it does take into account concerns raised by the public. The fate of Cornerstone was one of the biggest. With the revised plan, Tudor said, "our intention is to work toward solutions to save the building," however, "not necessarily as a school district." Other options are being explored, he said, to discover who might have interest in using the building and the financial means to do it. The district is committed to making sure whatever the final use of the building becomes, it will be good for the community, Tudor said. There has been some interest expressed in the building, he said. Figuring out how to use it won't be "a free-for-all," Tudor stressed, adding, "We're still using the preschool." Public opinion on Cornerstone has been "the most passionate and most diverse," he said. The location of the eighth-grade population also was a topic under consideration. Middle school north of Follis Field, Edgewood for grades three-five The new middle school proposed to be built north of Follis Field will house the sixth-, seventh- and eighth grades, Tudor said. Under the new plan, Edgewood Middle School, which he said is in good condition, will be the home for third, fourth and fifth grade. The third-fifth grade solution incorporates the concept of grade banding, wish was another consideration on the table. Third grade is good place to grade band, Tudor said, because it's the grade level in which significant state testing occurs and derives benefit from collaboration among teachers. It also makes sense in age development, Tudor said. Although they will be "big neighborhoods," Tudor said, Kean, Melrose and Parkview will function as neighborhood schools housing kindergarten through second grade. Neighborhood schools were favored by some members of the public. Regardless of a levy outcome, he said, those buildings will remain in use and are in need of repairs, including site work, sidewalks, paving, handicap accessibility and safety upgrades. Fortunately, he said, "we have a healthy operating budget right now." Instead of tacking repairs onto the levy request, they will be paid for out of the general fund. "(The elementary buildings) all have different kinds of needs, but they are all doable," he said. Total cost about half of the $102 million originally proposed The total cost of the original plan, about $102 million for two buildings, was a major concern for voters. "About half of that is our estimate" for the revised plan, Tudor said. The district will continue to work with the architect, GPD, he said, adding, one of the top things gathered from public feedback was a desire for more visual renderings. "We heard resoundingly from the community, 'Give us more information; give us more visuals,'" Tudor said. Although the building is not 100% designed, the district plans to comply with the request to "provide more transparency." Continuing to provide accurate and timely information is a district priority. The two big differences of the revised plan are a lower cost and not tearing down Cornerstone Elementary School, Tudor said. Starcher said she appreciates the administration "taking a step back, listening to the community through the survey and multiple community sessions to develop a revised plan." "(It) is a good balance of a new building to meet the current needs of students," while continuing to use other district assets to reduce costs and support grade banding for grades three and up, Starcher summarized. This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: New timeline, revisions for Wooster City Schools' master plan This embedded content is not available in your region. Nikki Haley came on stage around 8:30 to address her crowd at a Charleston hotel. The race had been called for former President Donald Trump right after the polls closed. No matter the results, I love the people of our state, Haley said. Ive always seen our state as a family. Families are honest with each other, they say the hard truth. Thats what Ive done this entire campaign, and what Ill do now. Im a woman of my word, she said, referencing her previous statement about staying in the race. She then said she was headed to Michigan the next day. She thanked her family, her supporters and specific people like Congressman Ralph Norman and State Representative Nathan Ballentine. I dont believe Donald Trump can beat Joe Biden, Haley said. Nearly everyday, Trump drives people away. Haley said that she had gotten about 40% of the vote, similar to what she did in New Hampshire. I know 40% is not some tiny group, she said. The crowd cheered and started chanting Nikki, Nikki. Trump takes stage just after polls close for victory speech The Trump crowd at the SC State Fairgrounds roared in celebration when the Associated Press called the race at 7:01 p.m. Not even two minutes later, Trump took to the stage with his signature song Proud to be an American. Wow, that was really something, Trump said. It was a little sooner than we anticipated, and an even bigger win than we anticipated. I was just informed that we got double the number of votes than has ever been received in the great state of South Carolina. At 7:21, with 7,566 votes counted, Trump had 61% of the vote. Trump was joined on stage by his children, including Ivanka Trump and Donald Trump Jr. He was also flanked by Gov. Henry McMaster, Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette and U.S. Senator Tim Scott. On Nov. 5, were going to say to Joe Biden, youre fired! Youre fired, Joe. Get out!, Trump said. CNN was shown on a large screen in the ballroom at Haleys primary night election party in downtown Charleston. Attendees were still coming in and barely reacted to the news. Haley party attendees were still coming into the room less than 10 minutes after the polls closed in South Carolina. As Trump spoke in Columbia, the music kept playing in the hotel ballroom. Those in attendance began chanting Nikki! Nikki! South Carolina is Trump Country again! It was true in 2016 and 2020, and South Carolina Republicans just put an exclamation point on it today. If we want to grow our economy, close our Southern border and save our country from a radical leftist agenda, then we need to unite our Party right now and put Donald Trump back in the White House this November, said SCGOP Chairman Drew McKissick said in a statement sent out after Trumps win. VIPs at Trumps party included South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster, Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette, U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham and U.S. Congresswoman Nancy Mace from Charleston. U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham is interviewed at the South Carolina State Fairgrounds on Saturday, Feb. 24, 2024 for a rally for presidential candidate Donald Trump. The event, at the SC State Fairgrounds in Columbia, saw Trump supporters lined up to around 4 p.m. to attend his watch party tonight, scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. Trump spoke at the Conservative Action Political Conference in Maryland on Saturday afternoon before heading to South Carolina. He declared himself as a proud political dissident, and compared himself with Alexei Navalny, an outspoken political opponent of Russia and Vladimir Putin. He also made Novembers presidential election day out to be judgment day. Meanwhile, in Charleston, the press started to file into the Charleston hotel where Haley would be hosting her election watch party. Haley earlier today cast her ballot for president on Kiawah Island. Her son, Nalin Haley, and her mother, Raj Kaur Randhawa, also cast their votes in the GOP primary. Nikki Haleys daughter, Rena Haley Jackson, and son-in-law, joined them at the polls. Being able to cast my vote in my sweet home state of South Carolina alongside my family was beyond meaningful, Haley said in an email to supporters. Voter turnout has been steady in Lexington and Richland counties as South Carolina voters decided who they want to nominate for president in the GOP primary election between former President Donald Trump and former Gov. Nikki Haley. Polls closed at 7 p.m. Anti-other guys message gains votes Cindy Rainey, a retired teacher and her husband Harry from Cottontown, said they came out to vote against Donald Trump. We voted for Nikki Haley. Shes a better candidate. Shes younger, shes sane. So, those things together, thats pretty much it, Cindy said. Cindy said they also came out to vote against one of the ballot questions, specifically about declaring your party affiliation. We see that as a precursor to try to make closed primaries, Cindy said. I like open primaries. Nancy Pope, a retired educator, said she had previously voted for Democrats, but she voted for Nikki Haley this time. I didnt see a need to vote in the democratic primary because I figured that was a wasted vote for me, Pope said. I decided to vote in this primary so I could hopefully have an impact of keeping someone Im vehemently against off the national ballot, referring to Trump. Pope said if Biden cant win, she is better equipped to deal with Haley than Trump. Weve dealt with Nikki, Pope said. So I can handle Nikki but if, if Biden doesnt win, I feel like I can handle Nikki better than I can handle four more years of that. Some voters wait 45 minutes to cast ballots Travis Alexander, Richland County supervisor of elections, said at 3 p.m, nearly 16,000 people had voted so far. Some areas had lines with waits as long as 45 minutes to an hour. There was a poll worker mishap where about 120 votes were cast using emergency slots, but this was corrected after. Any of the states 3.1 million registered voters who did not participate in the is eligible to cast a ballot in the GOP primary. Only 131,472 people voted in the non competitive primary won by President Joe Biden. Beaufort County turnout more than expected Marie S. Smalls, director of the Beaufort Countys Board of Voter Registration and Elections, said residents had cast 16,951 ballots as of 1:55 p.m. Saturday, not including early voting numbers, which was 14,268. The turnout was a little bit more than expected, which she attributed to the contested race. 64% of Myrtle Beach voters asked voted for Trump The Sun News spoke to more than 30 voters at three polls in North Myrtle Beach, Myrtle Beach and Surfside Beach. Out of them, 23 voted for Trump and 13 voted for Nikki Haley, the Sun News reported. These results are consistent with what polls have estimated to occur, with Trump leading by more than 30 points in the FiveThrityEight model. Those who voted for Trump cited their support for his policies on immigration and border control, the economy and foreign policy. Those who voted for Haley said they chose to do so because she could unite the country and that she was level headed. 1 million voters expected State GOP Chairman Drew McKissick has estimated about 1 million people could vote in Saturdays primary. During the two weeks of early voting in the state, 205,099 people cast ballots, including 39,804 on Thursdays final day. Overall, Horry County had the largest early voting turnout with 25,352 early voters, followed by Greenville (23,711), Charleston (19,656) and Beaufort (14,268) counties. Weather across the state is expected to be mixed today. The National Weather Service is warning of storms in the afternoon with isolated showers and thunderstorms possible across the northern Midlands today with some small hail and gusty winds associated with the stronger cells. Lexington County sees steady turnout Turnout has been strong in Lexington County, with 24,325 votes being cast as of 2:26 pm, according to election officials. The county, once rural and now increasingly suburban, leans heavily conservative. Andy Cress, who has been a poll worker since 2021, said it was the busiest hed ever seen it. Until about 1 p.m. there had been a line outside the door of the Lexington Two Adult Education Center on Hook Road. At another polling place, the Turner Memorial AME Church in West Columbia, there was a steady stream of voters. Around 2:30 a group of five seniors and a service dog stepped off of a bus from the Still Hopes Episcopal Retirement Community. It was the second bus from the West Columbia facility that day. Normally the residents walk to their polling place at a nearby community center, The State was told, but due to consolidation that polling place was closed for the primary. One voter said he was on his way to his third polling place, after finding his first shut and going to the wrong location on his second try. If that dont work, Im not going to vote, he said getting into his car. Cress said the confusion was normal during primaries. In the recent Democratic primary, a clerical error meant that incorrect information was posted to the state elections website. For his part, Cress said that he had posted notices on the closed polling locations and he believed that people got where they needed to go. And as a poll worker, he feels grateful to be a part of the process. We enjoy doing it, Cress said. We run into people we havent seen in a long time. John Michael Catalano, a spokesperson for the state election commission, said each county office is responsible for consolidating polling places. It is not uncommon for polling places to be moved for presidential primaries. He added State law specifically states that officials conducting presidential primaries shall provide for cost effective measures in conducting presidential preference primaries including, but not limited to, combining polling places. Lexington County elections director Lenice Shoemaker said both parties primaries had consolidated precincts and that they placed that information in the local media and on their website. It is on our website. it is also if voter goes to SCvotes.gov, they can look themselves up and find out where they need to vote, she said. They also can call theyre coming to my office and I will help the voter know where they need to go Voters line the hallway at Satcher Ford Elementary School in Columbia on Feb. 24, 2024, to cast their ballots in the S.C. Republican primary. Shattered pelvis and Wi-Fi outage dont stop voting At Satchel Ford Elementary school, shortly after noon, the line to vote stretched down a hallway still hung with red Valentines Day hearts. The morning started slow at the school in the leafy upper middle class suburb of Columbia, but the pace of voting has picked up throughout the day. Its been very busy, said one poll worker. But the line moved smoothly, with voters only waiting about 15 minutes. Not bad at all, one voter could be heard to say. Outside, polling officials brought a booth to Desere Segal and Joshua Scharff, who were sitting on a bench, so they could vote outside. Scharff is recovering from a shattered pelvis and was unable to stand in the line. Only in South Carolina, Scharff said Scharff and Segal are transplants to Forest Acres. Scharff is from Maryland and Segal is originally from South Africa, but moved to the U.S. in 1981. Both are in their late 60s and are avid Trump voters. They said taxes and rising costs for necessities like gas and groceries are among their reasons for voting Trump. They also cited the rumors of a Haley extra-marital affair and her husbands business dealings as negatives in the former governor. Asked how they felt that many of those same charges were leveled against Trump, Segal was quick to clarify those scandals were all political. Hes got everyone against him, Scharff said. Earlier this morning, the Wi-Fi went down at the Satchel Ford Elementary School, but it did not affect voting, officials at the polling place said. Travis Alexander, the election director for Richland County, said that the outage did not impact voting. Votes are recorded on paper ballots and while information on all registered voters for the precinct is stored electronically, that data is downloaded ahead of time. It wouldnt stop voting, Alexander said. Voters wait to enter the balloting area at Satcher Ford Elementary School in Columbia on Saturday, Feb. 24, 2024. The South Carolina Republican primary between former President Donald Trump and former S.C. Gov. Nikki Haley will be decided. Whos o n the ballot? Seven names are on the S.C. GOP ballot, even though some candidates have already dropped out of the race. Pastor and businessman Ryan Binkley Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy Air Force Major and Florida businessman David Stuckenberg Former President Donald Trump Republican presidential candidate former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley helps her mother Raj Kaur Randhawa vote Saturday, Feb. 24, 2024, in Kiawah Island, S.C. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson) Haley, governor casts vote, talk elections Politicians continued the time-honored tradition of inviting the media to be there while they are casting votes. Haley voted Saturday in her home precinct on Kiawah Island, while S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster voted in Columbia. Haley took questions from reporters including about her path forward to the convention. Her campaign has events scheduled through Super Tuesday, and she said that is all she is focusing on. Thats the offensiveness its going to happen every day between now in the general election, which is why I continue to say Donald Trump cannot win a general election, Haley said, calling Trumps comments about Black voters, disgusting. McMaster and his wife, First Lady Peggy McMaster, cast their votes in the South Carolina GOP primary. The couple voted around 10:30 am at the Olympia Learning Center off of Bluff Road, in Columbia. Turnout was steady at the polling location with roughly 40 people arriving to cast their ballots over half an hour. A staunch Trump ally, McMaster reiterated his support for the former president. Describing his initial decision to support Trump, McMaster recalled We listened to him, we met him and we decided he was the one for us. The second-term Republican said that top issues were the border, returning to Trump-era economics and appointing more judges. Wh at are questio ns on GOP ballot? Voters also will see three advisory questions on the ballot. The questions, chosen by the party, have no legal effect, but allow voters to signal to state lawmakers where they stand on issues. One is a question, which the state Republican Party has pushed before, asking about voter registration by party. South Carolina does not have registration by political party and has an open primary. The question has appeared on primary ballots since 2018 and registration by party is a top priority for the state Republicans, McKissick said. Should South Carolina law be changed to give people the right to register to vote with the political party of their choice? One questions plays into the ongoing debate about judicial reform at the State House as lawmakers debate the process in how they elect judges. Should South Carolina adopt reforms to increase the independence and accountability of our judiciary by improving transparency and reducing conflicts of interest in the process of reviewing judicial qualifications and electing judges? One question deals with tort reform and is about helping small business, the SC Republican Party said. The current law allows a plaintiff to go after a person with the deepest pockets no matter how much responsibility they have in an incident. The party says the question is about making sure liability is proportional. Should it be an immediate legislative priority to protect South Carolinas competitiveness and small businesses by changing state law so that a persons responsibility for financial damages in a lawsuit is based on that persons actual share of responsibility? Final day of campaigning Senator Time Scott speaks at the Black Conservative Federation gala at the Columbia Convention Center on Friday, February 23, 2024. Both Trump and Haley made two final campaign appearances each on Friday. Haleys bus tour took her to Moncks Corner in the afternoon, before a rally at Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum in Mount Pleasant. Trump spoke to 6,000 people at the Winthrop Coliseum on Friday afternoon, before attending the a black-tie event in Columbia for Black Republicans that evening. At both events, he drew attention to his indictments to encourage support. Former President Donald Trump speaks at the Black Conservative Federation gala at the Columbia Convention Center on Friday, February 23, 2024. The former president and Republican Primary candidate spoke for over an hour, telling stories about his time as president, and speaking in more detail on policy proposals than at previous campaign events. Trump, in his final appeal to Black voters ahead of Saturdays primary, encouraged a crowd of Black conservatives to return home at the Black Conservative Federation Honors Gala. That is, he said the party of Abraham Lincoln that freed slaves and advocated for civil rights legislation. It is the greatest political movement in our country, Trump said, referring to a wave of Black voters migrating toward Trump, away from the Democratic Party. This article will be updated throughout Saturdays primary. McClatchy reporters Andrew Dys, Evan McKenna and Mary Ramsey contributed. Elon Musk has vowed to pay a bakery after his company, Tesla, canceled a major order just a few hours before a scheduled delivery. Kirsty Wigglesworth/Associated Press Elon Musk has promised to make things good with a Bay Area baker who was left with an unpaid bill worth thousands after Tesla abruptly canceled an order earlier this week. Voahangy Rasetarinera, the owner of Giving Pies in San Jose, shared on her social media channels that a Tesla representative placed a last-minute order for $16,000 of handmade pies to commemorate Black History Month. However, the order was canceled just before it was scheduled for delivery and despite sending several invoices, Rasetarinera said she never received payment for the unclaimed order. Advertisement Article continues below this ad On her Facebook page, the bakery owner expressed her frustration, stating, This abrupt reversal left me reeling, realizing the extent of the impact on my small business. I had invested time, resources, and effort based on assurances from Tesla, only to be left high and dry. Giving Pies, Rasetarineras business, boasts a clientele that includes major Silicon Valley companies such as Apple, Meta and Google, as well as organizations like the San Francisco 49ers, according to its website. Rasetarinera said that when she inquired about the payment with the Tesla representative, they told her that the decision to cancel the order came from a higher-up. To me, it was clear that Teslas corporate culture prioritized convenience over accountability, disregarding the livelihoods of small business owners like myself, she wrote. But late on Friday, Musk appeared to address the situation. Advertisement Article continues below this ad In response to a tweet sharing the story on his social media platform, X (formerly Twitter), Musk wrote, Just hearing about this. Will make things good with the bakery. People should always be able to count on Tesla trying its best. It was not clear if the Tesla CEO reached out to Rasetarinera directly. An outgoing message on the Giving Pies business line said they are unable to answer calls due to the high volume of interest in the story after it went viral: So sorry for the inconvenience but know that we appreciate your support. Earlier this month, the San Francisco landlord of X filed a lawsuit seeking $13.6 million from the Musk-owned company to refill a line of credit after it said the company failed to pay rent at its headquarters. Donald Trump, who was sued by the Justice Department in 1973 for discriminating against Black tenants, told a group of Black conservative voters that a lot of people have said his four indictments are the reason that Black people like me. In the same breath, Trump painted himself as a victim of discrimination. Addressing the Black Conservative Federation Honors Gala in Columbia, South Carolina, on Friday evening, Trump boasted about the pardons he gave out while in office, and continued to falsely lament that the 91 charges against him were all part of a conspiracy to keep him out of the White House. I got indicted for nothing for something that is nothing. They were doing it because its election interference and then I got indicted a second time, and a third time, and a fourth time, he said during Fridays event. And a lot of people said that thats why the Black people like me, because theyve been hurt so badly and discriminated against. And they actually viewed me as Im being discriminated against. Its been pretty amazing. Possibly maybe theres something there. Trump at the Black Conservative Federation Gala: I got indicted and lot of people said thats why the black people like me pic.twitter.com/QENwQvvyLI Acyn (@Acyn) February 24, 2024 Trump whose long history of racism includes his calling for the execution of five Black and brown kids known as the Central Park Five in 1989 (who were proven innocent 27 years later), dismissal of Black men dying at the hands of police, and preaching white supremacy went on to mention Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. We share the dream of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. He was great. What a speech, he continued, before ranting: Every time the radical left Democrats, Marxists, communists and fascists indict me, I consider it a great, great badge of honor. Because Im being indicted for you, the American people. Im being indicted for you, the Black population. Im being indicted for a lot of different groups by sick people. Trump: Im being indicted for the Black population pic.twitter.com/8abSxWdCcZ Acyn (@Acyn) February 24, 2024 The former president also made a cringe attempt at humor, declaring earlier in his speech that the lights are so bright in my eyes I cant see people I can only see the Black ones. I cant see any white ones. Thats how far Ive come. Thats a long way isnt it? Trump: These lights are so bright in my eyes I can't see people I can only see the Black ones. I can't see any white ones. That's how far I've come. That's a long way isn't it? pic.twitter.com/CBBJWJRxnH Biden-Harris HQ (@BidenHQ) February 24, 2024 Trump, whose patronizing, white-savior talk is well documented, later claimed that the Black community had embraced his mugshot, bragging that they do shirts, and they sell them for $19 apiece. Its pretty amazing. Millions of these things have been sold. The GOP frontrunner has continued to skew his legal woes as a sign of political persecution. Earlier this week, he compared himself to Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who died this month in an arctic penal colony and is widely believed to have been murdered by the government of Vladimir Putin. Despite the praise of and self-comparisons to Navalny, Trump who maintained chummy relations with Putin during his presidency and has repeatedly touted his friendship with the Russian dictator stopped short of condemning Putin for his death. More from Rolling Stone Best of Rolling Stone Former President Donald Trump said he was speaking to President Joe Biden's worst nightmare while courting Black conservatives at the Black Conservative Federation Gala in Columbia, South Carolina: "Hundreds of proud Black conservative American patriots." Trump spent the night using racially charged sentiments by suggesting he has strengthened his appeal to Black Americans by claiming they relate to his multiple criminal indictments. "I got indicted a second time and a third time and a fourth time and a lot of people said that that's why the Black people like me because they have been hurt so badly and discriminated against. And they actually viewed me as I'm being discriminated against. It's been pretty amazing," Trump said to applause. He continued, asserting that Black people are starting to turn to him because "what's happening to me, happens to them," centering his appeal to Black voters by equating his criminal prosecutions to the historic discrimination Black Americans have faced. "I think that's why the Black people are so much on my side now because they see what's happening to me happens to them. Does that make sense?" Trump is charged with 91 felony counts and faces charges including racketeering, conspiracy to obstruct justice and falsifying business records. Throughout the evening, Trump portrayed himself as a victim of an unjust criminal justice system which he said appeals to Black voters, especially in the Fulton County election interference case, where he was ordered to take a mugshot. "My mug shot, we've all seen the mug shot. And you know who embraced it more than anybody else: the Black population. It's incredible," he said. PHOTO: Former President Donald Trump Speaks At The Black Conservative Federation's Honor Gala In South Carolina (Sean Rayford/Getty Images) Trump's comments come as he also likened himself to Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny in the wake of Navalny's death, saying the more than $350 million in penalties he faces in his New York civil fraud trial are a "form of Navalny." Trump was joined on stage by the leaders of the organization as well as some of his Black political allies, including Reps. Byron Donalds and Wesley Hunt and his former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson who engaged with him repeatedly as he made off-the-cuff remarks. "These lights are so bright in my eyes that I can't see too many people out there. But I can only see the Black ones. I can't see any white ones. You see, that's how far I've come. That's how far I've come," Trump said, quipping about a racial stereotype that Black people can't be seen in the dark as the lawmakers laughed behind him. The ballroom was mainly filled with Black Republicans who seemed to enthusiastically cheer the former president on from their dinner tables. "That's real," Kevin McGaray told ABC News. "We get picked on all the time unnecessarily and, and he understands what that feels like now, so there's a connection." McGary is a Black Republican from San Francisco. He voted for Trump in 2020 and 2016. "I appreciate the track record that he has with the Black community," he said. "Everything he did was on point for communities of color. So I appreciate that." Meanwhile onstage, Trump touted his policy appeals to the room which included boasting about his help in securing the passage of the First Step Act, a bipartisan criminal justice bill, and claimed he was able to help economic growth in the Black community. Voters like Karqueta Lindsey from Raleigh, North Carolina, don't like the way he compares his legal troubles to Black Americans. However she tells ABC News that his "words" on race are not a deal breaker. "I'm not saying that everything that Donald Trump says that I'm for it, but I'm not for 100% of what any politician says," Lindsey said. "I am pro-life and the borders need to be secured. So those are things that affect me, not the words." Trump claims Black Americans relate to his criminal prosecutions originally appeared on abcnews.go.com Donald Trump claimed he is a proud political dissident in his CPAC speech just days after he compared himself to Russian leader Alexei Navalny, who recently died in a Siberian prison under unclear circumstances. Mr Trump said in National Harbor, Maryland on Saturday that Joe [Biden] and his henchmen have you trapped and its an express train barreling toward servitude and to ruin its moving at a speed that Joe doesnt understand because Joe ... I dont think he knows what the hells going on, to be honest with you, but hes surrounded by some very bad fascists. A vote for Trump is your ticket back to freedom. Its your passport out of tyranny, he argued. And its your only escape from Joe Biden and his gangs fast track to hell. And in many ways, were living in hell right now. Government ethics expert Meredith McGehee told The Washington Post this week that Mr Trump since he has been president, his public statements indicate he has great frustration with using the system as it currently is. When he makes a comment, Yeah, Id like to be dictator for a day, that indicates he does not value the democratic process as it has been traditionally viewed by the American political system, she added. Mr Trump said on Saturday that the fact is Joe Biden is a threat to democracy. Mr Trump has long falsely claimed that the 2020 election was stolen from him. Theres no evidence for the claims. I stand before you today not only as your past and hopefully future president, but as a proud political dissident. I am a dissident, Mr Trump added, noting that he has been indicted more than Al Capone. The former president faces 91 felony counts across four indictments in connection to his handling of classified documents, his hush money payment to an adult actor ahead of the 2016 election, and the efforts to overturn the election and the subsequent insurrection on January 6, 2021. They've weaponized government. They've weaponized the DOJ, the FBI. We've never had anything like this in this country and it's a phenomenon that's taken place many times but in third-world countries and in banana republics, not in the United States of America, Mr Trump said. So it's very dangerous and they are indeed a threat to democracy. And I'm here to unleash this captive nation from Joe Biden and his gang of very bad people, very sick people, smart people, intelligent people, but they're hell-bent on the destruction of American freedom. Earlier this week, Mr Trump said that being hit with a $350m judgment following his recent high-profile fraud case was a form of Navalny, in reference to the jailing and apparent murder of the late Russian dissident. The former president said that the ruling by New York judge Arthur Engoron who he described as a nut job was a form of communism or fascism. On Friday last week, Judge Engoron found that Mr Trump, his sons, their Trump Organization associates and Trump properties were liable for tens of millions of dollars after defrauding banks and investors as part of a decade-long scheme to secure favourable financing terms for some of his brand-building properties. Mr Trump as well as his companies and his trust were ordered to pay more than $350m, plus interest, while his sons were each ordered to pay roughly $4m. Mr Trump took part in a town hall event, hosted by Fox News, in Greenville, South Carolina on Tuesday. During the event, he was asked about his various ongoing court cases, as well as the shocking death of Alexei Navalny, a long-time political critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Kremlin has denied involvement in Navalnys death and said that Western claims that Mr Putin was responsible are unacceptable. Mr Trump who expressed admiration for Mr Putin during his 2017-2021 White House tenure and afterwards previously said in a post on his platform TruthSocial that the death of Navalny had made him aware of what was happening in our Country. Asked about Navalnys death on Tuesday evening, he replied: Its a very sad situation and he was very brave. He was a very brave guy because he went back [to Russia], he could have stayed away, and frankly, probably would have been a lot better off staying away and talking from outside of the country as opposed to having to go back in because people thought that could happen, and it did happen. However, he was quick to compare the news to his own situation, adding: Its a horrible thing, but its happening in our country too. We are turning into a communist country in many ways, and if you look at it, Im the leading candidate. Id never heard of being indicted before, I got indicted four times, I have eight or nine trials all because of the fact that Im in politics. The former president was also asked if felt like he was at risk of becoming a political prisoner, following the multiple lawsuits being brought against him. He once again singled out the judgement handed down by Mr Engoron. Its a form of Navalny, he said, adding It is a form of communism or fascism. The guy [Mr Engoron] is a nut job. Ive known this for a long time and Ive said it openly. Trump is shown speaking at a campaign rally at Drake Enterprises, an automotive parts manufacturer Former U.S. President Donald Trump urged Alabama lawmakers Friday to find a fix for a state Supreme Court ruling that threatened the availability of in vitro fertilization. Trump is shown speaking at a campaign rally at Drake Enterprises, an automotive parts manufacturer, on Sept. 27, 2023, in Clinton Township, Michigan.(Scott Olson/Getty Images) Former President Donald Trump called on Alabama lawmakers Friday to find an immediate solution to remedy a state Supreme Court ruling that threatened the availability of in vitro fertilization, and national Republicans running for Congress sought to distance themselves from the Alabama decision as well. In a post to his social media site, Truth Social, Trump said the Alabama Supreme Court ruling last week that gave fertilized embryos the same rights as children was at odds with the anti-abortion movement that is influential in the Republican Party. The front-runner for the GOP presidential nomination endorsed efforts by Alabama legislators to tweak state law which includes one of the most restrictive bans on abortion to protect IVF. Need to get in touch? Have a news tip? CONTACT US Today, I am calling on the Alabama Legislature to act quickly to find an immediate solution to preserve the availability of IVF in Alabama, the post read, in Trumps first public comments since the Alabama ruling. The Republican Party should always be on the side of the miracle of life and the side of mothers, fathers, and their beautiful babies. IVF is an important part of that. IVF, a common fertility practice, involves harvesting a womans eggs and fertilizing them outside the body. The resulting embryos are frozen and stored for future transfer into a uterus, but couples often create more embryos than they end up using. The Alabama justices ruling could open prospective parents and clinics to criminal charges of abandonment or manslaughter for embryos that are destroyed rather than implanted into a uterus. Leaders in Alabamas Legislature scrambled late this week to address the ruling, with a key committee chairman authoring a bill to declare embryos created during IVF would not be considered a human life unless implanted into a uterus. The decision led to the closure of at least three IVF programs in the state this week and inspired intense criticism of anti-abortion Republicans from Democrats from President Joe Biden on down. U.S. Supreme Court decision The ruling was a continuation of Republicans attempts in the states to control pregnancy after the U.S. Supreme Court 2022 ruling overturning the constitutional right to an abortion, many national Democrats said this week. They came for abortion first. Now its IVF and next itll be birth control, Trumps 2016 Democratic rival Hillary Clinton said in a tweet Thursday. The extreme right wont stop trying to exert government control over our most sacred personal decisions until we codify reproductive freedom as a human right. The House Majority PAC, which helps Democrats running for the U.S. House, compiled a list Friday of Republicans in competitive districts whod voted for legislation the group said would have the same effect nationally as the Alabama Supreme Courts ruling. Biden, who is likely to face Trump in the November general election, is seeking to hold the former president responsible. Trump appointed three of the six justices who voted to overturn abortion protections. Biden campaign director Julie Chavez Rodriguez said in a statement that Trump bore responsibility for the Alabama decision and other restrictions on abortion and fertility treatment. American women couldnt care less what Donald Trump posts on Truth Social, they care that they cant access fertility treatment because of him, Chavez Rodriguez said. Lets be clear: Alabama families losing access to IVF is a direct result of Donald Trumps Supreme Court justices overturning Roe v. Wade. U.S. Senate GOP campaign arm sends out memo Trumps position that Alabama lawmakers should find a legislative fix to protect IVF after the courts ruling is in line with U.S. Senate Republicans campaign arm. National Republican Senatorial Committee Executive Director Jason Thielman sent a memo to GOP Senate candidates, Politico reported Friday. The memo instructed candidates to Clearly state your support for IVF and fertility-related services as blessings for those seeking to have children and to Publicly oppose any efforts to restrict access to IVF and other fertility treatments, framing such opposition as a defense of family values and individual freedom, according to the Politico report. Five GOP Senate hopefuls in key races then issued statements expressing support for IVF. The candidates were Kari Lake in Arizona, Tim Sheehy in Montana, Sam Brown in Nevada, Mike Rogers in Michigan and Matt Dolan in Ohio. Former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, the last Republican still challenging Trumps 2024 nomination, sent mixed messages this week about her position. The former South Carolina governor said in an NBC News interview Wednesday that she personally agreed that embryos are babies, and that the Alabama court ruled correctly under state law. But she later told CNNs Jake Tapper she disagreed with the ruling and said the state should reexamine the law. Alabama lawmakers search for fix Alabama legislators worked Thursday to file legislation addressing the courts ruling. Republican Tim Melson, the chair of the Alabama Senates Healthcare Committee, drafted a bill on Thursday that would declare that a human egg fertilized in vitro would not be considered a human life unless implanted in a uterus. Alabama House Democratic Leader Anthony Daniels, a candidate in Alabamas 2nd Congressional District, filed a bill that said that a fertilized egg or human embryo outside a uterus shall not be considered an unborn child, a minor child, a natural person, or any other term that connotes a human being for any purpose under state law. Gov. Kay Ivey, a Republican, and leaders of the Alabama Legislature, which has a Republican supermajority, expressed a cautious desire to address the Supreme Courts ruling. Ivey, who signed Alabamas near-total abortion ban in 2019, said in a statement Friday that she looked forward to continue closely following this issue. Following the ruling from the Alabama Supreme Court, I said that in our state, we work to foster a culture of life, the statement said. This certainly includes some couples hoping and praying to be parents who utilize IVF. Alabama House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter said in a statement Friday that the Legislature would soon consider a solution to the issue. Alabamians strongly believe in protecting the rights of the unborn, but the result of the State Supreme Court ruling denies many couples the opportunity to conceive, which is a direct contradiction, the statement said. Senate President Pro Tem Greg Reed told reporters Thursday the chamber was weighing options. If were supposed to do something or theres an opportunity for us to do something with it, what would we do? he asked. How would we address that? And so weve got some smart legal minds trying to help us understand. The office of the states Republican attorney general, Steve Marshall, said in a statement he has no intention of using the recent Alabama Supreme Court decision as a basis for prosecuting IVF families or providers. Senate Minority Leader Bobby Singleton, a Democrat, said that Democrats in 2019 pushed for exceptions in the abortion ban, but were rebuffed by majority Republicans. At the end of the day, the Republican Party has to be responsible for what they have done, he said. They need to watch how theyre passing these laws that could affect people, and this is one of the unintended consequences they never saw coming. This is what we keep trying to tell them on a regular basis. This is theirs. They need to fix it. Brian Lyman and Jemma Stephenson contributed to this report. The post Trump comes out against Alabama IVF ruling as national Republicans scramble for distance appeared first on Idaho Capital Sun. When an intruder hopped the fence and landed in the playground of San Francisco elementary school a week ago, teachers scrambled to get kids inside as the principal ordered someone to call 911 and announced a lockdown over classroom phone speakers. Via Google Street View When an intruder hopped the fence and landed in the playground of a San Francisco elementary school a week ago, teachers scrambled to get kids inside as the principal ordered someone to call 911 and announced a lockdown over classroom phone speakers. Students had practiced what to do in such a scenario: huddle in corners and stay quiet as their teacher locked the door. But at New Traditions Elementary, as the male stranger remained on campus, not everyone heard the alert. Some were in hallways or loud classrooms or bathrooms. They didnt know the potential danger they faced and took no action to avert it, according to parents who relayed what officials and their children told them about the Feb. 16 incident. Advertisement Article continues below this ad While no one was hurt during the incident and police responded quickly, in an era of all too frequent mass shootings in schools, the lack of a schoolwide public address system upset the schools community. Over the past few years, parents and students across San Francisco Unified have pushed district officials to address the lack of a number of security features that could save lives. The issue has driven protests, walkouts and community meetings as well as frequent public comment before the school board. Yet, what happened at New Traditions illustrates that the response from officials has lagged, parents said. This is such an epic failure, said one parent. This is 2024. (Public address systems) are super old technology. School shootings are not new. This is the most basic, basic thing. The parent asked to remain anonymous, and the Chronicle agreed not to identify the person under its confidential source policy. The incident at the school just north of the Panhandle started around 2:25 p.m. Principal Myra Quadros ran to the yard and found the man inside a shed. She called the office to summon the police and then ordered the lockdown, she said in a letter to parents emailed Friday. Quadros then went around the campus to ensure everyone was aware of the lockdown and following procedures. Advertisement Article continues below this ad In the meantime, the intruder climbed a wall and made it through a window into a second-story kindergarten classroom, sending those students scrambling out the door and into the hallway. In the hallways, Quadros encountered the man, who asked for help. SFPD arrived within a few minutes, spoke to the person, and escorted him out of the building at approximately 3:30 p.m., Quadros said in her email. District officials said the school followed proper protocol. We appreciate our school staff who responded quickly and thoughtfully to this situation. Fortunately, no one was physically harmed, said spokeswoman Laura Dudnick. We recognize that schools need to communicate quickly throughout campus in an emergency. As a district we regularly make security upgrades in schools. Advertisement Article continues below this ad District officials have acknowledged in recent months that not all schools or classrooms have critical safety infrastructure, including doors that lock from the inside, or so-called Columbine locks, as well as working public address systems. We are in the process of installing district standard P.A. systems at schools that do not currently have district standard P.A. systems, Dudnick added. New Traditions is on the list to get one eventually. Officials have also said they hope to pass a bond in November to help cover the cost of security upgrades. The principal said in her email that since the incident she had reviewed and updated protocols with the staff, put in work orders for areas where we need central resources, and debriefed the incident with central office staff. Advertisement Article continues below this ad She also asked the district to check the current phone-based alert system to make sure it was working property, while assuring parents more walkie-talkies would be distributed to staff. Quadros also told parents that the internal P.A. system was new this year, but it is not the loudspeaker system in use at schools for decades and is not adequate to notify all students and staff regardless of their location at school, safety advocates said. In the horrible case that there was a school shooter intending to do harm, it would need to be communicated really quickly, said Celeste Peron, a volunteer leader with Moms Demand Action SF, a gun safety organization. There are things we know work and will mitigate the danger. That includes a well communicated and consistent safety plan, interior door lacks and a P.A. system that works, she added. Not all public schools in San Francisco have all those things, said Meredith Dodson, executive director of the San Francisco Parent Coalition. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Weve been hearing from parents for years about a variety of concerning safety issues at schools across the district, she said. When things like this happen, it highlights just how important it is to make sure we have the basics at our schools. Late Friday, the coalition launched a petition drive directed at Mayor London Breed, the Board of Supervisors, Board of Education and district Superintendent Matt Wayne asking for the cost, timeline and funding sources to make that happen by the beginning of the next school year. These are basic safety asks to ensure our youth and educators are safe in school, and they require immediate attention, according to the petition. Breed responded Saturday on X, formerly known as Twitter: We are committed to the safety of students and educators, and can use funds such as the rapid response portion of the Student Success Fund to install new PA systems or additional security measures. The New Traditions parent said they were still reeling from the incident with the intruder, adding that while other children were huddling in corners, their child was walking through the halls heading to the cafeteria for art class. The major issue is that all of this response was not only hampered, but made more dangerous for everybody in that building because we dont have a proper P.A. system. Donald Trump holds a campaign rally in Rock Hill, South Carolina, on February 23, 2024, on the eve of the southeastern state's Republican primary (TIMOTHY A. CLARY) Runaway favorite Donald Trump and his opponent Nikki Haley urged their supporters Friday to turn out in big numbers in the South Carolina Republican presidential primary. Trump is hoping to deal Haley a knockout punch in her home state in Saturday's vote. "Tomorrow you will cast one of the most important votes of your entire life," the former president told supporters at a speech in the town of Rock Hill. Meanwhile, Haley told a crowd in the coastal town of Mount Pleasant that "Everybody needs to go out to vote." "You've got to take five people. So make sure you tell your neighbors, your family," she said, speaking against the backdrop of an aircraft carrier -- a reminder of the fact that her husband serves in the Navy, which she points out often. "Drag them to the polls as best as you can." Trump, 77 and Haley, 52, are the last candidates standing in the state-by-state race for the Republican nomination, with the eventual nominee to take on Democratic President Joe Biden in the November election. Haley lost the first four nominating contests to Trump. And despite being a popular former governor in the southeastern state, she's down in polling by some 30 points ahead of Saturday's vote. Underscoring his confidence, Trump told his supporters on the eve of the vote: "Honestly, we're not that worried." Polls open at 7:00 a.m. (1200 GMT) and close 12 hours later. Haley, a more traditional conservative, has urged voters to ditch the "chaos" that follows the ex-president, though that message has not won over voters in polls held so far in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and the US Virgin Islands. She has also called for a "new generational leader that focuses on the solutions of the future instead of all the issues of the past." Trump, however, is already sizing up a rematch against Biden, as no serious Democrats are challenging the incumbent president. "We're going to win this state and then we're going to tell crooked Joe Biden, 'You're fired,'" he said. Addressing the Black Conservative Federation later in the day, he told his audience that African Americans -- a core Democratic constituency -- would be better off under his administration than under Democrats, who he said had taken them for granted. "Unlike racist Joe Biden, I've spent my entire life working hand-in-hand with Black Americans to create jobs, build buildings, invest in our communities and expand opportunity and freedom for citizens of every race, religion, color and creed," he said. Trump was sued by the Justice Department in 1973 for allegedly not renting to Black tenants. The suit was settled two years later, without an admission of guilt but with Trump and his father signing a consent decree and agreeing for their company to implement anti-discrimination safeguards. bur-hg/nro By Alexandra Ulmer and Nathan Layne GEORGETOWN, South Carolina (Reuters) - As Donald Trump comes close to clinching a third presidential nomination, anti-Trump Republicans are facing a sobering reality: Their party is unlikely to revert to what it was before the MAGA wave rolled in, and they now have no obvious political home. For Ken Baeszler, who consistently voted Republican until Trump and his Make America Great Again movement transformed the party, that political scenario is disconcerting. "The Republican Party part of me that's left is hoping Ronald Reagan jumps out from the grave and saves us all," said Baeszler, a 65-year-old retiree, as he attended a rally for Trump challenger Nikki Haley on a recent sunny afternoon in Georgetown, South Carolina. "It leaves me in a quandary," he added of Trump's likely victory over Haley for the Republican nomination, including an expected win in Saturday's South Carolina primary. Baeszler said he may ultimately vote for No Labels, referring to the third party seeking to field another option in the November presidential election. Baeszler's sense of being unmoored was echoed widely in interviews with 15 other Republican or Republican-leaning Haley supporters in South Carolina this week. Six of those Haley supporters said they also would likely vote for a third-party option if the choice is between Trump and Democrat Joe Biden in November. Four said they would back Trump given his conservative values. Four others said they would support Biden because they saw Trump as unfit for office. One said she wasn't sure. The voter snapshot highlights how Trump has alienated part of the Republican Party in a way that could hurt him in his likely rematch against Biden. Haley supporters cited a litany of reasons for not wanting to vote for Trump, including his repeated lies about having won the 2020 election against Biden and the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol. A Suffolk University/USA TODAY poll released this week found that majorities of Haley supporters polled - both Republicans and independents - had unfavorable opinions of Trump, suggesting a portion would vote for Biden, a third party or stay at home, according to David Paleologos, director of the Suffolk University Political Research Center. Nationally, some 18% of respondents in a Reuters/Ipsos poll published in January said they would not vote if Biden and Trump were their choices. "I've had enough of Trump," said David Cyr, a retired pharmacist, at the Haley rally in Georgetown. "I drank that Kool-Aid twice before. Anybody who can't respect the election process and abdicate can't trust them." Cyr, 67, said he would likely vote for Biden in November but cautioned that doesn't mean he is no longer a Republican. "I don't see that as betraying the Republican Party when they can't put up the right nominee," he said. Before Trump's 2016 election, Republicans were dogged advocates of free markets, foreign intervention and a smaller state. Trump flipped the script when he came to power promising to withdraw from foreign entanglements and crack down on immigration at the U.S.-Mexico border. His speeches often focus on his personal grievances, and the former reality TV star frequently goes off teleprompter to crack jokes and mock opponents. Kirk Randazzo, a political science professor at the University of South Carolina, said the Republican Party had moved away from policies and principles to become personality-centric. "And that personality is Donald Trump," Randazzo said. Underscoring his grip on the party, Trump has endorsed his daughter-in-law Lara Trump as co-chair of the Republican National Committee. MAKING SENSE OF MAGA While waiting for Haley to take the stage in Georgetown, conservative Jay Doyle, a retired contractor, indulged in what has become something of a national pastime for political junkies: Analyzing how the Republican Party came to be so infatuated with Trump. "The people that are strongly supporting Trump really do not have a grasp on the facts," said Doyle, 66. Stephen Porter, a former welder sitting nearby, interjected: "They're stupid!" Doyle, sheepishly, said he didn't want to say that. "I believe the term is easily duped," he said. But Porter, 59, insisted: "Stupid." Trump supporters, who often skew working class, have said they feel mocked by elites of both parties and see in Trump someone who has heard their anger, including over immigration. Trump critics say he has stoked anger in his base to reap political benefits and sell merchandise ranging from red MAGA hats to his new $399 gold-topped sneakers with American flag logos. The Trump campaign and RNC did not respond to requests for comment. To be sure, Trump has also engaged Americans who previously had little interest in politics. And Haley events have drawn Democrats displeased with Biden, 81, often citing the president's age as a turnoff. Several Republican-leaning voters at Haley events said they would ultimately come around to Trump. Jewelry business owner Mary Davis, 48, would like to see a woman in the White House, but doesn't dislike Trump. "I would vote for Trump again," Davis said. Some other attendees, though, were appalled at the turn their party had taken. Kim Shattuck, a 65-year-old insurance wholesaler, said she was livid that Trump pressured Republicans in Congress to kill a bipartisan immigration bill this month, believing the move was a ploy by Trump to improve his chances in November. After voting for Trump twice, she and her husband said they planned to back Biden. (Reporting by Alexandra Ulmer and Nathan Layne; Additional reporting by Liliana Salgado; Editing by Colleen Jenkins and Daniel Wallis) COLUMBIA, S.C. Former president Donald Trump, campaigning in South Carolina Friday, brought the issue of race into the campaign by comparing his legal battles to the injustices Black Americans face in the legal system and saying Black voters would prefer him over his predecessor, "Black president" Barack Obama. Speaking to an audience of mostly Black Americans, Trump suggested inaccurately that he is popular with African American voters. He said his 91 criminal indictments and mug shot were part of the reason. "A lot of people said thats why the Black people like me, because they have been hurt so badly and discriminated against, and they actually viewed me as Im being discriminated against," he told an event sponsored by the Black Conservative Federation where about two-thirds of the crowd were Black Americans and one third were white people. "Its been pretty amazing but possibly, maybe, theres something there, he said of his theory that his criminal woes are something that makes him relatable to Black voters. COLUMBIA, S.C. Former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during the Black Conservative Federation Gala on February 23, 2024 in Columbia, South Carolina on Feb. 23. Trump was campaigning in South Carolina ahead of the states Republican presidential primary on February 24. At another point, Trump squinted at the crowd and said: The lights are so bright in my eyes I cant see too many people out there. But I can only see the Black ones. I cant see any white ones. Thats how far Ive come." In disparaging President Barack Obama over the costs of a new Air Force One, Trump Would you rather have the Black president or the white president who got $1.7 billion off the price?" As the crowd cheered that remark, Trump said: I think they want the white guy. A USA TODAY Suffolk poll published on Jan. 1 showed Trump with the support of only a small sliver of Black voters - 12%. Polling A fraying coalition: Black, Hispanic, young voters abandon Biden as election year begins His support among Black Americans has not increased and is nearly identical to what he garnered in the 2020 election. In the modern presidential election era, Black voters have overwhelmingly favored Democratic candidates. According to the Roper Center, in 2020 Joe Biden received 87% of the Black vote. Trump's primary opponent, Nikki Haley, blasted him over the comments. "It's disgusting," Haley told reporters Saturday. "But that's what happens when he goes off the teleprompter." Former Congressman Cedric Richmond, co-chair of the Biden-Harris 2024 campaign, blasted Trump's comments. Though I may be disgusted, I am not at all surprised that Donald Trump would equate the suffering and injustice of Black people in America to consequences he now faces because of his own actions," Richmond said, in a statement. "Donald Trump claiming that Black Americans will support him because of his criminal charges is insulting. Its moronic. And its just plain racist." Trump's remarks were defended by Diante Johnson, president of the Black Conservative Federation." Our community supports the policies of President Donald J. Trump and knows full well that life was better four years ago under his administration," Johnson said. He said that Black voters will cast their ballots in November "for safer streets, a better financial well-being, a secure border, and a complete rejection of Joe Bidens disastrous tenure. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump disparages 'Black president' Obama, says voters want 'white guy' COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) Former President Donald Trump claimed Friday that his four criminal indictments have boosted his support among Black Americans because they see him as a victim of discrimination, comparing his legal jeopardy to the historic legacy of anti-Black prejudice in the U.S. legal system. Trump argues he is the victim of political persecution, even though there is no evidence President Joe Biden or White House officials influenced the filing of 91 felony charges against him. Earlier in the week, Trump compared himself to Alexei Navalny, Russian President Vladimir Putin's top domestic rival, who died in a remote Arctic prison after being jailed by the Kremlin leader. I got indicted for nothing, for something that is nothing, Trump told a black-tie event for Black conservatives in South Carolina ahead of Saturday's Republican primary. And a lot of people said thats why the Black people like me, because they have been hurt so badly and discriminated against, and they actually viewed me as Im being discriminated against. Its been pretty amazing but possibly, maybe, theres something there." Trump has centered his third campaign for the White House on his grievances against Biden and what he alleges is a deep state targeting him, even as he faces charges from his efforts to overturn the 2020 election, keeping classified documents at his Florida estate, and allegedly arranging payments to a porn actress. He is the dominant Republican front-runner, as many GOP voters echo his beliefs, and is favored to soundly beat former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley in her home state. Trump noted the mug shot taken by Georgia authorities after he was indicted on state racketeering charges over the 2020 election. When I did the mug shot in Atlanta, that mug shot is No. 1, he said, adding: You know who embraced it more than anyone else? The Black population. Trump's campaign has predicted he can do better with Black voters in November than he did four years ago, citing Biden's faltering poll numbers with Black adults and what Trump sees as advantages on issues like the economy and the record-high number of people crossing the U.S.-Mexico border, often ending up in cities with large Black populations. He was flanked on stage at the Black Conservative Federation's gala in Columbia, South Carolina, by Black elected officials including Reps. Byron Donalds of Florida and Wesley Hunt of Texas. Many in the crowd cheered throughout the speech. In a freewheeling speech, Trump mixed his regular campaign remarks with appeals to the Black community and jokes that touched on race. The lights are so bright in my eyes I cant see too many people out there. But I can only see the Black ones. I cant see any white ones. Thats how far Ive come, Trump said to laughter from the audience. He also said that he knew many Black people because his properties were built by Black construction workers. In telling a story about how he renegotiated the cost of remodeling Air Force One, Trump criticized his predecessor, former President Barack Obama, the first Black person to be elected to the White House. I have to tell you, Black president, but I got $1.7 billion less, Trump said. Would you rather have the Black president or the white president who got $1.7 billion off the price? As the crowd cheered, he added, I think they want the white guy. Republicans face an uphill battle in courting Black voters, who are overwhelmingly supportive of the Democratic Party. And while Black voter enthusiasm for Biden has cooled over the last year, only 25% of Black Americans said they had a favorable view of Trump in a December AP-NORC poll. Democrats lambasted the speech, with former Louisiana Rep. Cedric Richmond, a co-chair of Biden's reelection campaign, saying that Donald Trump claiming that Black Americans will support him because of his criminal charges is insulting. Its moronic. And its just plain racist. He thinks Black voters are so uninformed that we wont see through his shameless pandering," Richmond said in a statement. He has another thing coming. And Haley, speaking Saturday morning in Kiawah Island, South Carolina, called his speech disgusting. Thats what happens when he goes off the teleprompter, she said. Thats the chaos that comes with Donald Trump. Black voters who spoke with The Associated Press ahead of the gala expressed skepticism that Republicans, and Trump in particular, could persuade them to switch parties. Theres just so much controversy, said Ebony McBeth, a Columbia resident and transportation worker. I would go for Biden just because Trump has his own agenda. Isaac Williams Sr., a retired cook from Columbia and a lifelong Democrat, said he disliked both parties but found Trump to have mobster tendencies. Hes only out for himself. Multiple conservatives interviewed said the Democratic Partys appeal to Black voters was based on emotional politics by evoking racism. In order for the Republican Party to win more of the African American community over, well have to invest a lot of time and more money into really letting people know our platform, because the truth of the matter is a lot of them, they agree with our platform but they dont associate that with the Republican Party, said Samuel Rivers Jr., a former Republican state senator in South Carolina. Rivers, who is Black, argued that Black voters view Republicans in a negative way based on emotional triggers of racism that no longer exists." Trump has a long history of stoking racial tensions. From his earliest days as a New York real estate developer, Trump has faced accusations of racist business practices. In 1989, he took out full-page newspaper ads calling for New York state to reinstate the death penalty as five Black and Latino teenagers were set to stand trial for beating and raping a white woman in Central Park. The five men were eventually exonerated in 2002 after another man admitted to the crime and it was determined their confessions were coerced. He spent years spreading the lie that Obama was ineligible to hold office. When he was president, Trump derided shithole countries in Africa and said four congresswomen of color should go back to the broken and crime-infested countries they came from, ignoring the fact that all of the women are American citizens and three were born in the U.S. ___ Associated Press writers Jill Colvin in Columbia, South Carolina, and Meg Kinnard in Kiawah Island, South Carolina, contributed to this report. Clare Fonstein is a reporter who joined the San Francisco Chronicle as part of the two-year Hearst Journalism Fellowship, spending her first year of the program at the Houston Chronicle. In Houston, Fonstein covered breaking news and trending stories. She was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, then attended Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, where she majored in journalism and international relations. She previously worked as an intern at the Morning Call, the daily newspaper of the Lehigh Valley, and her college newspaper at Lehigh University. She can be reached at Clare.Fonstein@sfchronicle.com. Now that True Detective has been officially renewed for a fifth season, heres an enduring mystery that the next set of TV gumshoes could tackle: Tulsi Gabbard. The enigmatic Hawaiian-born politician-turned-pundit is front page news again after Donald Trump let slip that shes on his vice presidential shortlist. This week, she sang the praises of the former president from the podium at CPAC as a fighter, his strength, and resilience can only come from... a sincere love and concern for the future of our country and his care for the American people, and is slated to be the keynote speaker at a Trump fundraiser in Mar-a-Lago on March 7. None of this is particularly shocking considering her recent career arc as a Fox News contributor and rising star of the Tucker-verse, as in Tucker Carlsons brand of Maga-friendly right-wing populist media. Still, for those whove followed her political career closely before she loudly divorced the Democratic Party in 2022, its quite discombobulating. Gabbard served as the Vice Chair of the DNC as recently as 2016 and endorsed her old friend Biden in 2020. Whats changed for Gabbard so dramatically since then? I remember the first time and only time I met Tulsi under the blazing sun of the Iowa State Fair in the summer of 2019. Then, she was a relatively obscure Democratic congresswoman trying to rouse some votes from potential Iowa caucusers at the fairs political soapbox. Shed just played some carnival games with fairgoers, and we chatted briefly before she took to the stage at the fairs political soapbox. I sensed that she was a rising star, a charismatic insider who spoke like a populist, an anti-establishment outsider. Indeed, her stump speech often sounded like the same one delivered by Bernie Sanders the next day, albeit with way less hoarse yelling. She called for Medicare for All, criminal justice reform, legal weed, and a policy move away from fossil fuels to address climate change. Yet, even then, her oratory was of a different tenor than most of the other progressives at the fair. Like Sanders, she was openly critical of the Democratic Party and the bipartisan war machine. But unlike, say, Elizabeth Warren, who kept awkwardly invoking identity groups like Latinx every few minutes as a kind of sacrament, Gabbard didnt emphasise issues of identity. She didnt mention that she was the first Hindu member of Congress and the first Samoan-American voting member; instead, she admirably focused on her identity as a combat veteran and the universalism of being an American. She was never a perfect fit for the path the Democrats were going, and indeed, the party establishment and the media initially ignored her candidacy. But the long knives came out once she excoriated Kamala Harris during a TV debate in 2019. Harris accused her campaign of being part of a nebulously defined Russian conspiracy, and Hillary Clinton claimed that Putin was grooming her to be a pro-Russia third-party candidate. Gabbard responded by calling Hillary the queen of warmongers and sued her for $50 million, but the DNC-friendly corporate media almost universally took Clintons side. Gabbard eventually dropped out of the 2020 race and backed Biden, but the rift between her and the Democratic party seemed irreconcilable. So, perhaps we should have seen her 2022 defection to the GOP coming, especially to the Trump wing of the intra-party civil war. As the logic goes, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. But whats disappointing about her recent Maga makeover is that shes abandoned a lot of the positive portions of the Sanders agenda she once espoused, policies designed to help working people: higher wages, better health care, and stronger unions (she got a 100 per cent voting score as a congressperson from the AFL-CIO). Instead, she now dismisses all aspects of Bidenomics as fascism and plays up the culture wars. Perhaps thats just shrewdness. But Im far from the only observer to wonder: Is her blue-to-red reversal a reflection of being a principled actor who shifted alliances during the Trump-driven political realignment of the two major parties since 2016? Or is she an idiosyncratic chameleon who only said Aloha! to the GOP after her presidential bid wiped out hard with the blue-shaded electorate? The answer, as unsatisfying as it is to say, might be a little of both. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. LONDON (Reuters) - Britain will spend 245 million pounds ($311 million) over the next year to boost Ukraines artillery ammunition reserves, the defence ministry said on Saturday - the two year anniversary of Russia's invasion. WHY IT IS IMPORTANT Ukraine faces acute ammunition shortages and is seeking more military assistance from Western countries as it battles to hold off Russia. The prospect of further military aid from the United States, its largest donor, hinges on a congressional vote. KEY QUOTE "They cannot win this fight without the support of the international community and thats why we continue to do what it takes to ensure Ukraine can continue to fight towards victory." British defence minister Grant Shapps said in a statement. BY THE NUMBERS Britain has pledged more than $8.8 billion (7 billion pounds) of military assistance to Ukraine since February 2022. U.S. president Joe Biden's administration has so far provided $44 billion in security assistance to Ukraine and is currently awaiting congressional approval to secure $60 billion. Germany, the second-largest provider of military assistance to Ukraine, says it has provided and committed to some 28 billion euros ($30.2 billion) of military aid so far. The European Union has committed around 6 billion euros in military aid through the European Peace Facility. Several individual Western countries have pledged military aid since February 2022, including Canada committing $2.4 billion. ($1 = 0.7878 pounds) ($1 = 0.9235 euros) (Reporting by Farouq Suleiman; editing by William James and Tomasz Janowski) Two- and four-year completion rates remained largely flat for a second consecutive year, just two years before the end of a 10-year deadline to dramatically improve them. Here, people walk through the S.F. State University campus in San Francisco on Sept. 5. Gabrielle Lurie/The Chronicle California State Universitys four-year graduation rates remain flat for the 23-campus system, just two years before the end of a 10-year deadline to dramatically improve them. The system announced Monday during its Graduation Initiative 2025 symposium in San Diego that rates remain unchanged from last year for first-time students. Preliminary data shows the four-year graduation rate remains unchanged from last year at 35%. The systems 2025 goal is 40%. The six-year graduation rate for first-time students also remains the same as last year at 62%. The 2025 goal is 70%. Graduation rates for transfers also remain flat this year, although the two-year transfer rate increased by 1 percentage point from last year to 41%. The 2025 two-year transfer goal is 45%. However, four-year transfer rates slightly decreased from 80% last year to 79% this year. The 2025 four-year transfer goal is 85%. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Despite the stall, Cal State has doubled its four-year graduation rates from 19%, when the 2025 graduation initiative was created in 2015. And since 2016, the CSU has contributed to an additional 150,000 bachelors degrees earned. We have no shortages of challenges ahead, CSU Chancellor Mildred Garcia said during the symposium. Persistent opportunity gaps continue to shortchange our students and our state. There is a greater need now, more than ever, to expand access and affordability, to proactively recruit and serve students of all ages and stages. Not only to elevate lives, but to power Californias economic and social vitality. However, graduation equity gaps persist throughout the system. The gap between Black, Latino and Native American students and their peers increased by 1 point this year to a 13% difference. The graduation rate for Black students is at 47%. And the socioeconomic gap in graduation rates between low-income and higher-income students increased to 12%, said Jeff Gold, assistant vice chancellor for student success in the chancellors office. Graduation rates, although they are at all-time highs, have stagnated, Gold said, adding that the system has been stuck at a 62% six-year graduation rate since 2020. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Jennifer Baszile, Cal States associate vice chancellor of student success and inclusive excellence, said the system is proud of its work to increase rates since 2015, but we still know there is more work ahead. Across the country, institutions have seen a growth in equity gaps, Baszile said, adding that much of that is due to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic and the pressure on students to work or take care of their families. But the chancellors office is also working on strategies to understand and intervene where it can to improve the college experience for low-income and students of color, she said. For example, former interim Chancellor Jolene Koester assembled a strategic workgroup on Black student success to study trends and improve education for that group of students. Cal State will release more data, including graduation rates by campus and race, over the next several weeks. While the CSUs collective focus on our ambitious goals has resulted in graduation rates at or near all-time highs, there is still much to accomplish in the coming years, Chancellor Garcia said. We will boldly re-imagine our work to remove barriers and close equity gaps for our historically marginalized students Americas new majority as we continue to serve as the nations most powerful driver of socioeconomic mobility. Leaving the frontlines wasnt my idea. Yet within two weeks of having been transferred to TDF Media, the public relations arm of the Armed Forces of Ukraines Territorial Defense Force, I was allowed to help craft an undertaking on behalf of the AFU, which would become the most successful info ops produced by Ukrainian Defense Forces during the first two years of Vladimir Putins full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Ultimately running for just four months, it ended with a U.S. Senator accusing me of being an American intelligence officer embedded in Ukraine, representatives of the Ukrainian security services presenting our work to NATO as a case study for what asymmetric information and psychological warfare should look like, and eventually Russia financially sanctioning me for terrorism against the Moscow regime. Our first announcement was innocuous enough. A tweet in late June 2023 announced that the Commander of TDF Media, Col. Oleksiy Dmytrashkivsky, brought me into his unit to undertake English language projects meant to combat Russian propaganda and deliver fact-based news to a worldwide audience. Vague and obtuse, the statement had nothing more than intent behind it. We had no concept of what would come next nor a plan to back up the words that we put out. Despite not having concrete ideas of what to produce, one aspect of this project was clear in our favor: TDF Media consisted of Ukraines best journalists, filmmakers, editors, and artists who gave up their careers to serve the cause of freedom. Days later, several of us from the team joined Col. Dmytrashkivsky for a meeting at the Defense Ministry hosted by then-Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar. While photos from that day showed the Deputy Minister presenting the Colonel with several awards for service and valor, the true intent of the gathering was to open a new front against the Russian enemy in the realm of info-ops. We left the MoD with an outline of what we needed to do. Deputy Minister Maliar, adamant in the requirement that any actual news reporting comes from official government sources, left us to our own devices in choosing how to fight back against the Kremlins propaganda machine, as long as our efforts resonated with the public. Our task was straightforward. Read also: Putins lies go unchecked by American propagandist Tucker Carlson Shortly after our getting together at the MoD, the Colonel led a mobile media unit to the battlefield, leaving a handful of us to implement our given directive. After tossing around some ideas, we settled on the parameters for a show that eventually became known as Russia Hates the Truth. It would be presented as a series character-driven shorts that exposed the absurdities of Russian life while overtly mocking the style of the Kremlins many paid media shills. The over-the-top style would be complemented by leaning into exaggerated aspects of my transgenderism, knowing that this was a particular trigger point for Russian war criminals and propagandists. Having been given editorial control by the Deputy Minister, I wrote the script for the first episode. Once ready, one of the lieutenants and a fellow sergeant sat with me for a reading. After finalizing the text, our senior lieutenant came into the studio, and we discussed set ideas. The first episode wasnt perfect. Stylistically harsh and combative, a mixture of real news and swipes aimed at the Moscow regime, the lighting and background needed improvement, and so did I. Having not yet mastered the bloodthirsty, vengeful bitch archetype that would eventually make the Cyrillic version of Sarah Ashton-Cirillo the number one Google trending name across Russia, I found myself caught between trying to be a serious anchor and a character-driven madwoman. Unlike anything that Ukraine had put together since the war began, we knew the first episode could be the last. It wasnt. As a team, we decided to release the original publicly and only then send it up the chain for approval. The next day, Lt. Pavel called a meeting. Stress and consternation lined his face as we sat around him to hear the verdict. Then, on the creases of his lips, a smile crept up. Command loved it, and we were off to the races. More a creative agency than a military unit, my colleagues and I loved our work. Col. Dmytrashkivsky guided us in reaching our maximum potential, allowing us an outlet to engage the enemy and cover our victories in a way that was less the gamified version of battle seen in the social media verticals of 2023 and more the ridiculous yet harsh and real depiction of war as shown in M*A*S*H. In their lack of follow-up, however, the media inadvertently helped us carry out our operations and bring it to another level. Soon, attention was coming our way from all sides. A steady stream of independent media outlets came to our studios to meet the team and see our work. In addition to my unit, which focused on psyops, we were also members of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, creating critically acclaimed documentaries and holding award-winning photo exhibits. However, the enemy was also taking notice, with our segments regularly appearing across Russian state TV. This feedback cycle simply pushed us to create even more outlandish skits and see more deliver increasingly outrageous commentary. As we hit our stride, our function was simple: Bring enough heat directly at Moscow that we forced them to respond to us at TDF Media, wasting resources on us instead of the Ukrainian leaders who mattered. In studying and understanding the mindset of the terrorist propagandists employed by the Kremlin, we were able to flourish. Our plan worked. By the beginning of August, we were in their heads and covered by Putins supplicants nearly daily. We embraced their hate. Seeing the stats backing up our wildly successful cultural impact against the enemy, a new level of psychological warfare was dropped on the Russians. A plan that I was neither informed of beforehand nor party to until after it rolled out; it was focused on me and placed me at the center of an international frenzy. In the early days of August, a leak was sent to several Russian Military blogger channels that I was under consideration to be named a Spokesperson for the Ukrainian Armed Forces. It even surprised the Colonel, who confronted me outside our headquarters after receiving several phone calls from Ukrainian outlets asking if the team was behind the leaks. We werent. It came from much higher. That evening, outrage and encouragement grew as societies in Ukraine and Russia debated this supposed appointment. Arriving at the office the day following the Colonels questioning of me in the street, my creative partner, Sergeant Ivan, told me I had 5 minutes to send my bio and some photos to Deputy Minister Maliar. Then, the Colonel said the MoD would be issuing a statement about me shortly after. The release on official MoD channels mentioned how well the show was doing, talked about my combat experience and frontline injury, and how I served the Armed Forces with dedication. Thats it. It never mentioned me being appointed spokesperson. It never created a new position for me; nothing had changed officially, nor would it. The media didnt see it that way. Read also: Kremlins massive disinformation campaign to discredit Zelenskyy a colossal and expensive failure Because of the strategic leak mentioning that the military had me under consideration for the role, and now, with the glowing follow-up from the MoD, media worldwide presumed my new title was Spokesperson. At first, we laughed. Surely, some outlet would get confirmation I was never appointed to the position. No one ever did. In their lack of follow-up, however, the media inadvertently helped us carry out our operations and bring it to another level. And so, within days, I assumed the de-facto role of spokesperson, a fake title, added to a fake character, in a going reality show style parody of Russian propaganda, a production which allowed us to achieve immense success in a too-real, too awful and too horrible war against the Devil disguised as a creature known by the name Vladimir Putin. Everything we did was discussed, outlined, and shot to provoke, inflame, and enrage, and then we moved on to the next skit. A few times, I pushed far enough that the show was nearly canceled. When I called for a boycott against CNN for that network stating foreign soldiers enlisted in the Ukrainian military were mercenaries, I was told to apologize to CNN, remove the post, and prepare to be reassigned. I refused. CNN then corrected the story and wrote me a personal apology. When asked by a senior commander why I didnt back down to the demands of the MoD, my answer was straightforward. When everything is psyops, nothing is psyops. None of this project is real except the outcome, so sometimes the lines blur, and sometimes nothing matters except the results. Another day, I was called to have a coffee near the MoD, where an officer delivered a stern lecture to me for attacking U.S. Congressman Andy Biggs of Arizona as a fascist who hated Ukraines government. This officer told me I couldnt represent Ukraine in such a way. I protested on account of two factors. Andy Biggs is a fascist who hates Ukraines government. Furthermore, was I representing Ukraine when everything from the show's premise, title, and character was fake? I then asked him if he wanted me to resign from a position I didnt have. He relented and told me no, just be more sensitive in the future. I deleted the tweet but also knew the show basked in pushing the boundaries of sensitivity or political correctness; its focus was keeping the Russian war criminals on the defensive and out of sorts. On we went. Every day, the question of how to top the next show arose. The more criticism we received from audiences, both internally and externally, the higher our numbers grew and the more we influenced the narrative. We successfully separated the real news from the psyops by launching a six-day-a-week live broadcast covering updates worldwide. Yet the audience ingested the work as one linear, continuous piece. A shift happened, however, when we broke out of the Ukraine/Russia bubble, and the show and I personally fell into the sights of the far right in the United States. Tucker Carlson, Greg Guttfield, Glenn Greenwald, Alex Jones, and Breitbart took turns blasting me. Everything sped up, including the absurdity of what we were saying on the show. Could these mavens of media see the parody? They couldnt and didnt. And so when we knew they bit, we also knew the Kremlin must pay close attention to everything we did. Command instituted security protocols around me due to death threats. My Colonel even went so far as to ask me if I wanted to end the show. That was a non-starter. We were there to embrace the hate, death threats and all. In the middle of all this, my focus was also on the Gonzalo Lira case. Assisting with the investigation since February of 2023, when between deployments to engage in combat in the woods of Luhansk, members of Ukraines SBU security service would come to our safe house and bring me back to Kharkiv to work on it. Liras trial was ongoing, and I appeared in court in mid-September to testify against him. Naturally, in a continued blurring of the lines, I brought his case and my role into the show in such a satirical manner that I thought wed jumped the cliched shark. Instead, U.S. Senator J.D. Vance of Ohio released a letter publicly, addressed to the United States Director of National Intelligence, the Department of Defense, and the State Department, demanding my personnel file and whether or not I had ever been a member of the U.S. intelligence community or was currently working for them. He also accused me of threatening violence, which I never did. We hit the big time! Reading that Senator Vance demanded the DNI investigate the American host of a show steeped in satire and parody broke my heart for the state of the U.S. political system but also showed just what heights we had reached. Soon, it would all end, but not before I engaged with the Senator in a monumental back and forth, where I took many criticisms against me and turned it around on him in such a manner that even Breitbart carried my words in a way that could hardly reflect negatively on me. Despite delivering them in character and studio, my broadsides and barbs aimed at a sitting U.S. Senator brought immense heat from the enemies of Ukraine directly to the highest levels of the countrys civilian government. Read also: Ukraine warns of large-scale Russian psyops using foreign journalists to justify aggression We created an exit plan. The day before my official suspension, letters were sent out from an official government email address assuring my supporters in the GOP that I was under no investigation. Furthermore, the Colonel gave us an official report from a government analytics department inside the MoD, praising our work. He then informed me I would have to take a public blow from the military and MoD, albeit one orchestrated to silence the critics while President Zelenskyy was in New York and Washington. I didnt care. It wasnt even me under attack. It was simply a role I inhabited to fulfill my responsibilities in the information offensive against the enemy. The notice of my suspension from the TDF and MoD showed the creativity of this project. That announcement was the first time the term spokesperson applied to me in an official communication. It became official on my last day on the job! I never stopped working. Told to stay off social media for a week or so until the President returned to Ukraine, we took the charade all the way, including starting a mail-in campaign demanding the government overturn my removal. Within two weeks, I had been re-instated to my role. Then, another twist took place. Sitting in the studio, I received a message from a high-ranking NATO member officer telling me that they were sitting in a presentation in Brussels at the SBU Academy, the training school for Ukraines security service, watching a whole slide show on my impact and that of my team, in what we managed to carry out against the Kremlin. Photos the allied nations officer sent me from the event showed that the SBU considered our work at TDF Media second only to President Zelenskyy himself in successfully owning the information space against Russia. It had all been worth it. The Colonel and the team wanted to do a second season with a new set and me presenting as a guy. It was a brilliant concept. After asking for some time to think about it, the decision was made for me, as I was transferred to the Armed Forces of Ukraines General Staff to work as an advisor to the legendary Ukrainian commander Major General Vladislav Klochkov in the Main Directorate of Moral and Psychological Support. Even after moving back into the serious work of research, strategy, and planning, our work at the studio still reverberated across Russia. On Feb. 5, Moscow officially labeled me a terrorist and hit me with financial sanctions. This ludicrous label is one I embrace and is the most appropriate one to wear while I continue embracing the hate of the enemy and in service of my love of the United States, Ukraine, and democracy. 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 Santa Cruz police say they have arrested a 20-year-old man after finding him near the body of an unconscious woman at Seabright State Beach. Santa Cruz police say they have arrested a 20-year-old man on suspicion of killing a woman he had been dating. Shortly after 1 a.m. Friday, officers responded to a report of a possible homicide at Seabright State Beach at 1300 E. Cliff Drive, according to the Santa Cruz Police Department. They found Samuel Stone near the body of a woman who was unconscious near the beach waterline. Stone told police he strangled her with his hands, the Santa Cruz Sentinel reported. Chinese FM meets with German diplomat in Beijing Xinhua) 10:35, February 24, 2024 Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, meets with Jens Plotner, foreign and security policy advisor to the German chancellor, in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 23, 2024. (Xinhua/Li Tao) BEIJING, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Jens Plotner, foreign and security policy advisor to the German chancellor, in Beijing on Friday. Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, noted that this year marks the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the China-Germany comprehensive strategic partnership. China is willing to strengthen communication with Germany further, consolidate strategic mutual trust, deepen cooperation and promote the stable development of bilateral relations, he said. Wang said that the two sides should stay committed to promoting practical cooperation with an open attitude and rational spirit based on market principles, resolve differences properly in the context of common progress and development, reject protectionism, and make positive contributions to global stability, development and prosperity. Plotner said that Germany hopes to expand cooperation with China further in various fields, and make new contributions to addressing climate change and promoting world peace and development. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, meets with Jens Plotner, foreign and security policy advisor to the German chancellor, in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 23, 2024. (Xinhua/Li Tao) (Web editor: Xue Yanyan, Hongyu) The galleries of the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts have been closed since a Feb. 15 demonstration during which artists altered work with pro-Palestinian messages. darabi photographi After the closure of the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts due to an artist protest this month, officials at the San Francisco institution told the Chronicle they are not yet certain when its galleries will reopen. During Love Letter to SOMA, a scheduled performance and event at the downtown arts center on Feb. 15, eight artists featured in YBCAs group exhibition Bay Area Now 9 altered their own artwork with spray paint, fake blood and banners as part of a demonstration demanding the museums support for the people of Gaza. Changes to the works included messages calling for a cease-fire in Gaza such as Free Palestine, Ceasefire Now and Stop funding genocide. Protesters also dropped flyers from YBCAs upper balconies that alleged the organizations leadership censors artists who stand for the liberation of Palestine, calling for officials to make a public and internal commitment to the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and the Cultural Boycott of Israel. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Among the other demands, which are outlined in an Instagram post by Jewish Voice for Peace Bay Area and an online petition, the artists requested YBCA keep the altered works on view through the entire run of Bay Area Now 9, which is set to close on May 5, and work with other artists showing at the museum to create programming centering Palestinian voices and Palestinian liberation. The demonstration was co-organized with Jewish Voice for Peace Bay Area, Palestinian Feminist Collective, Bay Area Palestinian Youth Movement and U.S. Palestinian Community Network. YBCA CEO Sara Fenske Bahat told the Chronicle in an exclusive interview that she and her staff have been assessing the situation and the organizations response. Fenske Bahat added that YBCA does not plan to take a position on the conflict in Gaza at this time but sees this as a challenge to rise to our values, rise to our mission and really try to handle it in as strong a way as we can as an organization. Fenske Bahats sentiments echoed a statement released by the YBCA on Wednesday, Feb. 21, which in part read that it believes we can be a progressive, forward-leaning organization without permitting polarizing, disruptive tactics. We do not intend to expand division by providing a stage for it, and instead aspire to be an environment for observation, reflection, and meaningful engagement in the moment. The statement asserted that if the institution had not commented on specific issues, it has been so that our many stakeholders can hold theirs. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The demonstration came during a week that saw pro-Palestinian actions at other cultural institutions around the globe, including the Museum of Modern Art, Brooklyn Museum and Jewish Museum in New York; the British Museum in London; and the Hamburger Bahnhof museum in Berlin. Locally, the Golden Gate Bridge was shut down by a group of protesters demanding a cease-fire in the region. But while the Israel-Hamas war was at the heart of the YBCA protest, the local artists involved also wanted to bring to light allegations of censorship by the institution. On Monday, Feb. 19, Oakland artist Jeffrey Cheung said on Instagram that his commissioned outdoor vinyl mural was censored because it included figures in the colors of the Palestinian flag. In another Instagram post that cited a separate public work commissioned for YBCA last year, New York-based artist Lukaza Branfman-Verissimo reported not being allowed to say Free Palestine on YBCAs Marquee Statement sign artwork. YBCA has previously posted messages on the marquee in support of Black Lives Matter and the Woman Life Freedom movement in Iran. Fenske Bahat said the marquee, which was installed by artist Tania Bruguera as part of a 2017 exhibition, was designed to take input from a variety of perspectives and that it was intended to be a rapid response board for whats going on. Fenske Bahat said that while messages are reviewed by staff, not all text comes to her for approval. Cheung was joined by Bay Area artists Paz G, Tracy Ren, Leila Weefur, Sholeh Asgary, champoy and Courtney Desiree Morris at the YBCA protest, while Branfman-Verissimo helped coordinate the action but was not in attendance. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Fenske Bahat said there was a back-and-forth conversation that happened between artists and museum staff about the changes to the projects that was not unusual for the commission process, and she disagreed with the characterization as censorship. In regards to the work that was altered by artists Feb. 15, she noted that YBCA has photographed the changes to each work and reached out to all of the artists after we released our statement to ask them how they wanted us to proceed. YBCA is still determining in what condition the altered work will be exhibited once the museum reopens. Although its galleries remain closed for the time being, previously scheduled programming in the theater is proceeding as planned. Changes to the art included Paz G spray-painting their sculptures with the words Free Palestine, champoy turning their boat installation into an altar for Gazans killed in Israeli strikes, and Ren placing a banner over their wool rug installation with the words, No more blood money ceasefire now. Protest organizers, with megaphones in hand, made it clear at the event that more actions are planned. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Were gonna show up in your art exhibits, at the Academy of Sciences, at the Golden Gate Bridge, at the Bay Bridge, at the Federal Building, declared Maisa Morrar of the Palestinian Feminist Collective, according to a KQED report. Were gonna be there. The CDC reports a sharp rise in norovirus cases across the U.S., possibly including ill passengers on the cruise ship Queen Victoria that docked in San Francisco on Feb. 6-7. More than 150 people on board were suffering from vomiting, diarrhea or some other food-borne illness. Benjamin Fanjoy/The Chronicle While the Bay Area is enjoying a reprieve from COVID-19 and the flu, some residents are dealing with another nasty bug. Highly contagious stomach viruses are rapidly spreading across the U.S., according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 12.8% of laboratory tests for norovirus are coming back positive in the countrys West region, the highest figure since June and second only to the Northeast at 13.9%. The Midwest follows at 10% and the South is at 9.5%. Norovirus is the top cause of vomiting, diarrhea and food-borne illness, per the California Department of Public Health. It is often referred to as stomach flu or food poisoning. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The recent surge in cases comes weeks after a luxury cruise ship docked in San Francisco with over 150 people reporting symptoms of gastrointestinal illness, resembling norovirus. While the cause of the illnesses was unknown, the CDC notes that norovirus outbreaks typically occur in closed and crowded spaces like hospitals, schools, camps and cruise ships. The virus spreads through personal contact with an infected person or by consuming contaminated food and drinks. Touching a surface with the virus and then putting unwashed hands in the mouth can also lead to infection. Norovirus outbreaks peak between November and April in the U.S., with a 50% increase in cases during years with new strains, according to the CDC. Wastewater samples confirm the level of virus particles is on the rise across the Bay Area following a brief dip. Annually, about 900 people, mostly adults over 65, die from norovirus, with 109,000 hospitalizations and 465,000 emergency visits mostly among young children. Outpatient clinic visits total 2,270,000, contributing to 19 million to 21 million reported cases each year. Advertisement Article continues below this ad There is no specific treatment for norovirus, and symptoms can last for days, but experts recommend rest and staying hydrated by taking frequent sips of liquid if infected. As always, the best strategy is to avoid getting sick. The CDC recommends frequent hand washing and disinfecting shared surfaces, especially before eating, because you can get norovirus by accidentally getting tiny particles of feces (poop) or vomit in your mouth from a person infected with norovirus. To stop norovirus from spreading, follow these simple steps, according to the CDPH: Wash your hands well: Use soap and water, as hand sanitizers dont work effectively against norovirus. Clean your fruits, veggies and shellfish: Be thorough when washing fruits and vegetables. Also, make sure to cook shellfish all the way through. Stay home if youre sick: If youre feeling unwell, stay at home. Keep to yourself and avoid group activities for at least two days after you start feeling better. Dont handle food when sick: If you have norovirus or diarrhea, dont prepare food or care for others. Use bleach to clean: Quickly clean and disinfect surfaces or objects that might have norovirus with a bleach solution its effective in getting rid of the virus. Honey Mahogany, left, greets Mayor London Breed at a San Francisco Democratic Party event in 2019. Mahogany is the outgoing chairperson of the Democratic County Central Committee. Carlos Avila Gonzalez/The Chronicle 2019 Arguably the most consequential race on San Franciscos March 5 primary ballot is for an office that many residents arent even allowed to vote for and still more have no idea what function it serves: the Democratic County Central Committee. Colloquially referred to as the D-triple-C, the DCCC governs the local Democratic Party. Its made up of 24 elected members 14 from the 17th Assembly District, which encompasses San Franciscos east side, and 10 from the 19th Assembly District, which includes the citys west side. It also has eight ex-officio members, consisting of San Francisco Democrats elected to state and federal offices. Every four years during the primary election of a presidential election year all elected DCCC seats are up for grabs and can be voted on by registered Democrats in San Francisco. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Often, this is a rather dull affair. Although the DCCC can be a stepping stone to higher office, it can nevertheless be a tough sell to potential candidates: The job has no salary, and its known for being a cutthroat political environment. This year, however, the DCCC race is a marquee attraction. There are 30 candidates running for 14 seats in the 17th district and 21 candidates fighting for 10 spots in the 19th. Most of these candidates are running on the big slates. There are practical reasons for this: Its extremely expensive for individual candidates to send out campaign mailers and ads. By joining forces and pooling funds, candidates can reach more people at a lower cost and benefit from the name recognition and political expertise of better-known contenders. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Political heavyweights on the moderate slate include San Francisco Supervisors Catherine Stefani and Matt Dorsey, while the progressive slate includes Supervisor Connie Chan and Jane Kim, a former supervisor who now leads the California Working Families Party. If youre a Democratic voter, however, you dont have to confine yourself to one slate or another; you can choose as many candidates as there are seats in your district. So what does the DCCC actually do, and why is the race important? The committee has four main duties, but one of them is key: the power to decide which candidates and ballot measures get endorsed by the San Francisco Democratic Party. These endorsements are coveted not only because they can translate to financial support, but also because they can affect election outcomes in a city where about 64% of voters are registered Democrats. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The power to decide these endorsements will be especially consequential in November, when San Francisco residents will vote for mayor and multiple open seats on the Board of Supervisors, among other high-profile races. The DCCC also establishes the local partys priorities and policy stances via nonbinding resolutions. Last month, for example, it called for a sustained cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war. It charters local Democratic clubs an issue that made waves last year when the DCCC initially refused to charter a moderate group it baselessly accused of being run by racist Republicans. And it helps register and educate voters. For the past four years, the DCCC has been helmed by a progressive majority. But amid mounting voter frustration with crime, homelessness, drug use and unaffordability recent polls show that nearly 75% of residents feel the city is on the wrong track this years DCCC race has come to symbolize a high-stakes front in the proxy war between moderates and progressives over San Franciscos future. This binary framing, however, obscures a more complicated reality. It can also exacerbate political divisions by fomenting us-versus-them tribalism. It is a bit of, Whos on the winning team? Carrie Barnes, president of the Noe Valley Democratic Club and an SF Democrats for Change candidate, told me. Advertisement Article continues below this ad It can also propagate reductive rhetoric. Of course, the progressives are going to be, like, The billionaires! And of course, the moderates are going to be, like, Youre just allowing homelessness and allowing people to get off scot-free in the legal system! said Janice Li, a DCCC member who isnt running for reelection. Janice Li is a member of the Democratic County Central Committee who is not running for reelection in November. Liz Hafalia/The Chronicle Honey Mahogany, the DCCC chairperson who also isnt seeking reelection, told me the differences between the slates are being exaggerated for political purposes. Shes endorsed candidates from both slates that she feels are committed to doing the work of the Democratic Party, including phone banking, door knocking and voter outreach. If people were able to pull back their rhetoric a bit and just focus on solutions, theyd find that they have more in common than not, Mahogany said. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Thats undoubtedly true. Still, there are real differences between the slates. Bilal Mahmood, a candidate with the SF Democrats for Change slate whos also running for the Board of Supervisors, told me that he sees housing policy as one of the main distinctions a point echoed by Daniel Anderson, a consultant for the Labor and Working Families slate. The moderate slate, endorsed by YIMBY Action, generally supports building more housing at all income levels. The slate has received significant financial support from the NorCal Carpenters Union, a driving force behind new state laws that aim to streamline and accelerate housing development often opposed by other unions that want stricter labor requirements. The progressive slate, meanwhile, wants to focus on affordable housing development with more stringent labor standards, Peter Gallotta, a DCCC vice-chairperson whos running for reelection, told me. He pointed out that while San Francisco met previous targets for building market-rate housing, it didnt do the same for affordable housing. Michael Lai, an SF Democrats for Change candidate, noted that the current DCCC voted to oppose Proposition C, which could make it easier to convert empty office buildings into housing. The Democrats for Change slate, Lai said, would have endorsed Prop. C. However, candidates on the same slate dont always have the same policy views. Mahmood, for example, abstained from taking a stance on the 2022 recall of progressive District Attorney Chesa Boudin, while Lai supported it. I would be shocked if they (end up) voting as a bloc, Todd David, political director for Abundant SF, a moderate group that organized the SF Democrats for Change slate, told me. But, he added, I am confident that if this slate wins, we are going to see a change in the tenor and the tone of the way policy and political conversations happen at the Democratic Party. Theres no question that the party has suffered from prioritizing rhetoric over results. But it may be a red herring to think that simply replacing one faction with another will solve San Franciscos problems. Instead, the factions need to learn to actually work together. Li, who was elected to the DCCC in 2020 as part of a progressive slate, told me, Part of me wonders if the progressives didnt sweep in 2020, would there have been more dialogue and more meaningful resolutions or conversations at the DCCC? So how can San Francisco Democratic voters find out which DCCC members are focused less on ideology, finger-pointing and political posturing and more on solutions, collaboration and residents everyday concerns? There are a few key tools. First, DCCC meetings are open to the public, and members endorsement and resolution votes can be found in meeting records online. SF Democrats for Change candidates also answered a publicly available questionnaire from the moderate political group GrowSF that outlines their stances on issues such as public safety, education, business, drugs and mental health, and housing. Labor and Working Families candidates answered a similar publicly available questionnaire from the Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club. History certainly shows its possible, given the proclivities of San Franciscos ranked-choice voting system, that a new candidate could jump into the mayors race and win. Jessica Christian/The Chronicle On Thursday, the Chronicle released the results of a poll that shed new light on the citys mayoral race. Incumbent London Breed is lagging. Only 18% of people polled said theyd list her as a first choice, compared to former Mayor Mark Farrell at 20%, Levi Strauss heir Daniel Lurie at 16% and Supervisor Ahsha Safai with 8%. Of course, San Franciscos ranked-choice voting system doesnt just count first-place votes. Looking at the second-place data, however, things get even worse for Breed. The mayor has fewer second-choice votes than Lurie or Farrell. Its still early; polls will likely shift as we get closer to the November election. But with a weak incumbent and her top challengers all representing the more moderate side of city politics, these numbers do raise a question: Could a progressive-leaning candidate jump in the race and win? Advertisement Article continues below this ad History certainly shows its possible, given the proclivities of ranked choice. In 2019, ranked-choice voting favored former District Attorney Chesa Boudin when he ran against three other candidates. Boudin received the most first-place votes as moderates largely split their votes between Suzy Loftus and Nancy Tung. Ultimately, however, it was the second- and third-place votes from two eliminated, more moderate candidates that pushed him to 51%. The current mayoral field has deep weaknesses with voters: of the 130 voters who self-identified as progressive, 44% said they dont lean toward any of the candidates. If the election were held tomorrow, 23% said theyd vote for Safai. Could a new candidate win progressive voters over while still earning second and third place from moderates? Advertisement Article continues below this ad I talked to seven political analysts, progressive organizers and nonprofit leaders in San Francisco to find out. All of them said theres a strong desire for an alternate candidate to step up. It feels very unclear how the current pool of candidates differs from each other from a progressive perspective, said Celi Tamayo-Lee, executive director of SF Rising Action Fund, which advocates for working-class communities of color. Lots of voters have seen five years of moderate to conservative policy coming out of the mayors office, with not much change in their day-to-day concerns. But can a progressive candidate stand out without alienating the moderate voters they would need? Public safety dominates the policy priorities of current candidates, and rightly so: an annual poll from the Chamber of Commerce showed that 69% of city residents feel crime is worsening even though its down 7% this year. Progressive voters arent unaffected by this, but tough-on-crime rhetoric that results in sending more people to prison doesnt resonate, either. While some voice support for more community-based policing, there remains skepticism about spending more money on the San Francisco Police Department. Thats a difficult hurdle to overcome for any candidate trying to win voters on both sides. One subject raised by everyone I spoke to, that has thus far been completely left out of the race, is the conflict in Gaza. An international crisis may not be the first thing to come to mind in a local election, but it may have more of an impact than candidates strategists think. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Its been really stunning how bad we are at reading the room on that particular issue, said Nadia Rahman, an activist and organizer in San Francisco. She pointed to national polling, which shows that half of adults in the United States think Israels military campaign in Gaza has gone too far and that 80% of Democrats support a cease-fire. Making the cease-fire a talking point in a local election wouldnt necessarily have an impact on the conflict abroad. But measured ways to discuss the crisis such as condemning the attacks by Hamas and still calling for an end to the violence in Gaza would at least acknowledge the frustration and helplessness many voters feel, potentially setting a candidate apart in the field. Theres something else missing from this race, too: a visionary plan for San Franciscos future that doesnt rely on narratives of fear. Theres a clear desire for someone who doesnt just view San Francisco through the lens of its current crises, but who has a commitment to preserve and nurture those who are trying to keep the citys spirit alive. The looming question, of course, is who that candidate or candidates could be. City Attorney David Chiu and Assembly Member Phil Ting are touted as people who could jump in, but both have remained quiet. Advertisement Article continues below this ad One potential candidate, however, was mentioned by people I talked to: Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin a sometimes controversial figure, but one known both for his encyclopedic knowledge of San Franciscos rules and regulations and his commitment to advocating for Asian American communities. There is a growing clamor to get Peskin to run, Jeffrey Kwong, president of the left-leaning Harvey Milk Democratic Club, told me. I think hes one of the few people moderates can come over to. He has his ear to the ground like no one else. Theres a consensus among progressives that he has the policy acumen and administrative ability. Hes someone whos able to get started on the first day of the job. Peskin has said he hasnt ruled out a run. When I asked him about the Chronicles poll, however, he told me his focus is on better policies. I know we can make this city work for everyone, in every neighborhood. But to make our city safer, to bring everyone in-doors, to create an economy that works for the rest of us is going to take uniting around smarter policies not dividing around increasingly bitter politics. That sounded awfully campaign-ish to me. This isnt an easy race to jump into, especially with the enormous amount of money already pouring into the top candidates coffers. But theres still time: The deadline to file isnt until June 11. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The federal magistrate who has limited how San Francisco moves homeless people from city streets granted the citys request Friday to put the case on hold until the Supreme Court rules on a separate case. Stephen Lam/The Chronicle The federal magistrate who has limited how San Francisco moves homeless people from city streets granted the citys request Friday to put the case on hold until the Supreme Court decides, in a separate case, whether people can be removed from street camps without an offer of immediate shelter. U.S. Magistrate Judge Donna Ryu issued an injunction in December 2022 barring San Francisco and its police from removing thousands of unhoused people from street encampments until it gives them somewhere else to live, and from destroying their personal belongings. That order remains in effect, although it could be changed or even dissolved after the Supreme Court decides a similar case from Grants Pass, Ore. That ruling is due by the end of June. Fridays order delays further proceedings in the San Francisco case until 30 days after the Supreme Court ruling and postpones a trial, which would determine whether the city has violated the rights of the homeless, from this October until May 2025. Currently, with 72 hours notice, the city can clear streets only for access, whether thats for fire and police personnel in the event of an emergency or for compliance with disability laws, leaving enough space on the sidewalk for a wheelchair to pass. San Francisco officials say they offer shelter and services before conducting sweeps. But Ryu said in her injunction that the citys shelters were full and had closed their waiting lists. Meanwhile, city officials must continue to give advance notice of any plans to clean the camps or to seek to move their residents, and provide information on arrests of the homeless and treatment of their personal property. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Advocates for the homeless had sought additional disclosures from the city in upcoming months, but Ryu said her injunction provides adequate protection and any further actions should be postponed until the high court addresses the legal issues. Her decision spares the City from wasting public resources litigating this case when the entire legal landscape may soon change, City Attorney David Chiu said in a statement. While this case is paused, San Francisco will continue to follow the preliminary injunction order and work hard to alleviate homelessness throughout the City. But a lawyer for the Coalition on Homelessness, which filed the suit, said many issues in the case, such as the citys confiscation and destruction of unhoused peoples property, would not be affected by the Supreme Court ruling. We will be prepared this summer to continue our litigation and ensure that the City does not waste more tax dollars on dehumanizing unhoused people with costly and ineffective practices that will make it harder for people to exit homelessness, said Nisha Kashyap of the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in a case from Boise, Idaho, in 2018 that local governments cant criminally punish people for sleeping on a street or sidewalk when no shelters are available. The Supreme Court denied review of the citys appeal, leaving the ruling as a binding precedent for federal courts in California and eight other Western states. The 9th Circuit reaffirmed that ruling in the Grants Pass case in September 2022 and said cities also could not punish the homeless for using blankets and pillows to protect themselves from the elements when they have nowhere else to go. But last month the high court, with its increased conservative majority, agreed to review an appeal by Grants Pass that was supported by Gov. Gavin Newsom, leaders in 20 other states and numerous local governments, including San Franciscos. Encampments are dangerous, Newsoms lawyers told the court, and the appeals court decision is preventing local governments from imposing common-sense time and place restrictions to keep streets safe and to move those experiencing homelessness into shelter. Supporters of Proposition B include Supervisor Ahsha Safai and labor groups. The proposition would set a new minimum staffing level for the San Francisco Police Department that increases every year for five years, but it would require voters to approve a new tax or amend a tax thats already on the books. Stephen Lam/The Chronicle 2023 The most expensive battle on San Franciscos March ballot centers on a controversial measure that seeks to increase police staffing if voters make future tax revenue changes and recent polling suggests the measure is in a dead heat. Supporters and opponents of Proposition B have reported receiving $1.9 million in cash donations and in-kind contributions such as political mailers. Thats more than the second costliest measure, Proposition E, a different police measure placed on the ballot by Mayor London Breed thats seen about $1.7 million in total pulled in from both sides, with those in favor far outraising those against. Prop. B would set a new minimum staffing level for the Police Department that increases every year for five years, but it would require voters to approve a new tax or amend a tax thats already on the books. Supporters, including Supervisor Ahsha Safai and labor groups, cast it as a fiscally responsible way to respond to the citys police staffing shortage. Opponents, including Supervisor Matt Dorsey and Breed, have branded it a cop tax and said the city can already afford to raise police staffing using its existing $14.6 billion annual budget. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The financial disclosures land less than two weeks before Election Day, which many political observers see as a possible referendum on Breed and her policies ahead of her tough November reelection bid. The exorbitant amounts of money being pumped into the March election have also garnered attention, with moderates and progressives fighting not only over certain propositions, but also over control of a little-known Democratic Party organization that gives out key endorsements. A recent EMC Research poll conducted in January for the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce found voters were about evenly split on Prop. B, though the results were within the margin of error. Likely March 5 voters who responded to the polls question about Prop. B were 49% in favor and 48% against or leaning against. The margin of error was plus or minus 4.7 percentage points. The campaign against Prop. B had reported about $1.3 million in contributions as of Friday. The largest amount came from Neighbors for a Better San Francisco, a group backed by the billionaire Bill Oberndorf and other wealthy donors. In an effort to defeat Prop. B, Neighbors has given about $825,000, mostly for mail sent by third-party groups. As of Feb. 17, the No on B campaign had about $294,000 in the bank after deducting expenses. This entire measure is a stalking horse for a tax hike, said Dorsey, a former police spokesperson who is fighting to defeat the measure. Theres a lot of voter confusion. Dorsey originally introduced the legislation that became Prop. B, but he planned to pay for police recruitment by setting aside funds in the city budget. Dorsey later pulled his support for the legislation after a fight with Safai, who amended it to link recruitment funding to new taxes or changes to existing taxes. Safai is one of three major candidates running for mayor against Breed this year. Prop. B supporters, meanwhile, have raised $607,500 entirely from organized labor groups, including SEIU Local 1021, the citys largest public-sector union. The Yes on B campaign had about $598,000 in cash on hand as of Feb. 17. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Safai said Prop. B is the most responsible way to increase police staffing given the citys massive budget deficit, which led Breed to instruct her departments to plan for 10% cuts next fiscal year. We have very limited discretionary funds. We have shortages in our hospitals. We have shortages in our mental health staffing, Safai said. It would be totally irresponsible to do a budget set-aside in that environment. MBABANE The Ministry of Health has reported 4 524 influenza-like cases recorded in the past seven days. This, according to the Minister of Health Mduduzi Matsebula, shows 22.5 per cent increase in numbers compared to the previous week. The minister, who is also Siphocosini Member of Parliament (MP), further highlighted that COVID-19 cases have been reported to be below five cases per week over the past four weeks. He assured that this was not yet cause for alarm. He said the ministry has noted with concern the increase in cases of influenza-like illnesses and confirmed COVID-19 cases in the SADC region, as reported by two member States recently. Both Namibia and Botswana have reported an increase in these cases, which has prompted the need to recommend the use of masks by their population. While this is the situation in the SADC region, the ministry hereby informs the nation that the influenza-like cases and COVID-19 cases are being monitored in the country, Matsebula said. The minister further assured the nation that health workers were continuing to offer COVID-19 testing at health facilities for those who present COVID-19 like illnesses. He said the Public Health Emergency Management core team was monitoring the trends of reported influenza-like cases and COVID-19 cases weekly. He said the ministrys public health threats monitoring system comprised surveillance systems and the immediate disease notification system that are reported daily and aggregated weekly. The nation will be informed promptly when the situation changes, in order to minimise the negative impact from these public health threats. Minister Matsebula then urged the nation to use a face mask when experiencing the flu symptoms and test for COVID-19 if the signs are worsening. The mainstay for prevention of diseases is hygiene, including washing hands frequently with running water and soap and using hand sanitizers. He also implored the nation to be always alert and take precautions when travelling to other countries that have reported an increase in cases of COVID-19. MBABANE A man of the cloth is behind bars, but it is not for the purpose of preaching good news. He is in custody for alleged rape, assault, human trafficking and abortion. Thabiso Dlamini (31), who was considered a prophet among fellow congregants, is affiliated to a famous church which has branches in Eswatini, South Africa (SA), Malawi and other countries. The church is headed by a popular prophet who was once based in SA. The veracity of these allegations are yet to be contested in court. The name of the church, a very popular one, was not named in court papers, but efforts to get a hold of the leadership of the congregation were unsuccessful at the time of compiling this report. Dlamini is said to have been arrested at Buhleni after intensive investigations by police officers from Piggs Peak. He has since appeared before the Piggs Peak Magistrates Court. Trafficking The prophet was charged under the Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence (SODV) Act, as well as The People Trafficking and Smuggling (Prohibition) Act no. 7/2009. According to court documents, Dlamini was slapped with eight charges including ra-pe. It is alleged that he met the rape survivor during his duties, where he would hold home gatherings for his church. It is alleged that Dlamini was attending the churchs branch around a place known as Mbasheni in the Hhohho Region. The prophet is then said to have met *Doris and her brother *Joshua around the same area through an older relative. The man of the cloth is said to have, at some point, visited his alleged victims parental home, where he allegedly noticed that the family was nursing a bedridden relative. It was gathered that the children would also help in nursing the sick relative. However, it is alleged that Dlamini expressed concern about this arrangement, which he described as bad for the children, as living with the sick person could affect them.After allegedly convincing the childrens guardians that it was not safe for them to stay at their home where there was a bedridden person, the said prophet is said to have been given permission to go with the children and live with them at his house. Meetings It is alleged that this was also the same home where he would sometimes hold church meetings known as cell groups. In cell groups, church sessions are held during the week in small units to allow the members to have fellowship. At some point while he was living with the two children, Dlamini is said to have beaten them to instil discipline. This alleged beating is registered as one of the charges gainst Dlamini. Later, Dlamini is said to have relocated to Buhleni, which is about 27 kilometres from Mbasheni, where he is said to have been living. At Buhleni, it is alleged that Dlamini lived in a flat and it is alleged that it was in this one-room house that he raped the woman.While at Buhleni, it is alleged that the abuse is said to have continued but prompt investigation by the police led to his arrest. Dlamini was arrested and appeared before Magistrate Maseko last Monday. He was not asked to plead but was remanded back to custody until February 28, 2023, pending committal to the high court. He was also advised that he had a right to seek legal representation and that should he want to apply for bail, he could do so at the high court. *Not real names to protect complainant and minor from any harm. AMHERST A drop in federal relief money in response to the COVID-19 pandemic factors into the Amherst County Public Schools proposed 2024-25 budget that is a decrease of about $340,700, or 0.5%, from the current fiscal year. Superintendent William Wells presented the $63.6 million budget plan to the Amherst County School Board on Thursday. The total is down slightly from the current fiscal year mark of $63.9 million because of a $2.3 million drop in Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act funding that is going away. It may be gone by the time we approve a budget because were spending that down, Wells said. Some CARES money for positions that is expiring soon was put into regular schools operational spending, Wells said. Priorities include maintaining class sizes below the Standards of Quality (SOQ) to support student success along with a pay scale to remain competitive with surrounding school divisions, according to the budget outline. The budget awaits final figures from the Virginia General Assembly and is based on a state projection of 3,712 students enrolled in ACPS when the next fiscal year starts July 1. Wells said the enrollment figure does not take into account residential development ongoing and planned in Madison Heights. I think once those subdivisions, rooftops start getting built you might see those projections change in the future, Wells said. With competing state versions of the budget in play, Wells said the division planned around Gov. Glenn Youngkins figures. The House version is unknown, and the Senate version is expected to generate more funding to the tune of more than $2 million, the presentation states. Were going to build our budget off the worse-case scenario and if more funding comes in, were able to do more with the additional funds, Wells said. Wells said a potential Senate-backed measure to remove a support positions cap would add about $734,000 to the schools budget. A 1% bonus for all employees currently is planned along with pay table adjustments for select operations and maintenance staff, Wells said. Nine new positions and an employer increase of 7.5% to health insurance also is part of the proposal, he said. Employees will have no increase in their health insurance costs, he added. One thing we have noticed, our contributions are a little higher from the employee side than some of the neighboring divisions, so were really looking to see how we can reduce our employee part of that to make it competitive with local divisions, Wells said. ACPS also is behind in pay scales compared to neighboring divisions, which is an area school officials are working to improve, he said. The division has 6.2 positions funded through CARES that run out this year. The spending breakdown, excluding grants and child nutrition, includes 76% toward instruction, 9% going toward operations and maintenance, 8% to transportation and 7% toward administration and health, Wells said. Funding from the Amherst County Board of Supervisors is level at $16.4 million. Wells noted the county increased its contribution last year by about $2.5 million and also provided a major boost to the ongoing $32 million renovation and expansion at Amherst County High School. David Childress, one of two at-large board members, asked Wells if there were any measures the superintendent would like to see that isnt included. I would like to see a guaranteed 3% pay increase for staff, Wells said. Sure, I would love to have that. Wells said if more state money becomes available a pay increase would be targeted. It costs $400,000 per 1% of a pay increase so a 3% hike equals $1.2 million that would need to be secured for that goal, according to Wells. The board is expected to discuss the budget outlook further at a March 7 retreat session. A public hearing is planned for March 14 and Wells is expected to present the official version to the board of supervisors March 19. A recent study shows Central Virginia Community College creates a positive net impact on the regional economy and generates a positive return on investment for students, taxpayers and society. The study, entitled The Economic Value of Central Virginia Community College, was conducted by Lightcast, a research system which provides colleges and universities with labor market data to help students, businesses and communities. For the purposes of the analysis, the regions deemed as CVCCs service area include Amherst, Appomattox, Bedford and Campbell counties, and the city of Lynchburg. According to the study, CVCC generated $224.6 million annually in economic activity throughout the regions it served in fiscal year 2021-22, which is the most recent data as fiscal year 2022-23 isnt available. The annual economic activity is equal to nearly 2% of the total gross regional product of its service area, the study states. The added income is equivalent to supporting 3,506 jobs, or one out of 42 jobs in the region. CVCC President John Capps said in a Feb. 1 release the college plays a vital role in the community. Through job creation and fostering economic growth, the college generates a positive return for taxpayers and contributes to the overall well-being and prosperity of the region, he said. CVCC served 4,707 credit students, 805 non-credit students, 398 employees with a payroll of $15.5 million and $6.5 million in total tuition revenue serving only 10% of students outside of the region, according to the study for fiscal year 2021-22. The study also found for every dollar invested in learning at CVCC, students gain $6.90 in higher future earnings. Compared to a person with a high school diploma or equivalent, the average associate degree graduate from CVCC will see an increase in earnings of $10,100 each year compared to a person with a high school diploma or equivalent working in Virginia, the study states using Lightcast employment data. Kristin Ogden, dean of institutional effectiveness and strategic planning, said an opportunity became available to do a focus study on CVCC because the Virginia Community College System (VCCS) contracted Lightcast to do an economic impact analysis on the entire system. Within our mission we want to be responsible, good stewards of the investments that people make in their education and in our region; and this was an opportunity for us to engage with a third party to sort of demonstrate what we do contribute and the value that we add to the community, and to the students who choose to learn here, she said. VCCS is a network of 23 community colleges in the commonwealth with a goal of fostering student success. According to the study looking at overall economic impact for VCCS, Virginias community colleges generated $11.6 billion annually in economic activity around the state in fiscal year 2021-22. The study also showed that VCCS alumni and the businesses they work for saw $10.6 billion in added income, with an additional $1 billion in income through operational spending and attracting new students into the state. VCCS Chancellor David Dore said in a news release the study highlights the important economic role Virginias community colleges play in the community it serves. It also serves to underscore the point that an investment in Virginias Community Colleges has consistently yielded a positive return for taxpayers, and I am confident that it will continue to do so well into the future, he added. Overall, in terms of the Lightcast study on CVCC, Ogden said she found the results very enlightening. She said some of the success from the study is credited to tremendous support from the community, community partners, business partners and the colleges awareness to the needs. It quantified the things that we believe in as an institution, she said. It allows us to demonstrate the things that weve just discussed students, the value of education, how it can impact a community, how it can change lives, how it can support families living wages, the workforce in our region. Growing up the daughter of missionaries, Betni Kalk spent a lot of time outdoors surrounded by nature. Its only natural that as an artist she draws a lot of inspiration from the world around her. We were in Papua New Guinea, Kalk told The Nonpareil in an interview. I spent most of my childhood in the jungle. Thats where we hung out, thats where we played. I did a lot of exploration. Kalk spent a lot of time admiring the local artwork she would see while accompanying her parents around the region. The art that I grew up around was from the Sepik region, Kalk said. That's where we were most of the time. It's pretty specific to that area. When you see it, you can usually tell if you're familiar with it, a lot of carving, a lot of pattern, and most of those things in some way or another came from nature. I noticed as I was growing up, I'd spot stuff that looked like what they were doing to be like on beetles or inside of ferns, things like that. Her exposure growing up to so much art on public display, for everyone to see, left an impression on Kalk, one that still influences her to this day. There was also a ton of public art, Kalk said. Like, when you made something, everybody saw it. I really loved the public art when I was growing up. I remember that on the coast, where we would go to get supplies, there was this massive crocodile that you could walk through and a lot of the spirit houses there are just pieces of art on the outside. A Papua New Guinea spirit house, or haus tambaran, is a house of worship and meeting place where the men of the village perform rituals and initiations. Kalk, whose family returned to the United States when she was 13, studied street art in graduate school in Minnesota. While she personally would not paint on someone elses property without permission, she liked the idea of her art being more accessible to more people if it was outdoors. I realized more and more that the more I showed in galleries only a very small segment of the population will ever see that work, let alone buy it, she said. So I really like the idea of it being outside. And I do some interior murals as well, but I like the idea of people finding them outside. A lot of travel that I've done over the years, I really appreciated the street art that was available for people to see, whether it was, you know, sanctioned or not. When she was in grad school, Kalk decided that she wanted to paint murals. She applied for grants to fund her work, and when she would see a wall that looked ripe for a mural, she would ask the property owner if she could paint their wall. I would go to people and say, I really like the wall that you have, could I do a mural for you? If you don't like it in three months, I'll paint it over, Kalk said. And so people basically could get a free mural. In 2013, after grad school, Kalk moved to Omaha to take a job teaching graphic design at Creighton University while contining to refine her art. As a professional artist, Kalks style varies depending on the project whether its a realistic landscape or something more abstract but all of it is anchored in nature in some way, she said. One of my favorite places to be is just hiking through the woods, even now, she said. I have a really deep appreciation of how it makes me feel, which is always good, like my happy place. With its focus on nature, Kalks artwork was ideal to adorn the First Avenue trail-facing wall of Honest Auto Repair at 15 S. 20th St. (The property owner) really liked the landscapes that I did, Kalk said. He wasnt too much more specific than that, other than he wanted some connection to the building. The auto repair shop was once a railcar repair station, so (the property owner) wanted something with a train in it, Kalk said. And then he wanted a car there. Ultimately, Kalks mural, titled Rails to Trails: Evolution of Transportation, would encompass the history of transportation along that First Avenue corridor, with everything from bicycles and horse-drawn buggies through the industrial revolution of locomotives and automobiles. Kalk added a person walking a dog and a child riding a scooter to symbolize the trails current uses. I went around and I photographed a lot of the different Loess Hills from different parts of the road and then just kind of started figuring it out, Kalk said. Once the design was settled, Kalk and her partner, Weston Thomson, who is another of the First Avenue mural artists, got to work prepping the brick wall for the paint. The building is really old, so it had to be cleaned first and then we primed it multiple times, Kalk said. Trying to stick something on there is very difficult, on old brick, so the process of priming was a bit of a nightmare. It was just a really long process to prime it, probably more than anything. Once the bricks were ready, Kalk set up a projector to project her design on the wall and they got to work. I did as much of it as I could with, I used small hand sprayers, not spray paint, I don't trust the longevity quite as much as others do, Kalk said. So I used a sprayer, so, like, the sky I could spray, a lot of the clouds I could spray. I still had to hand paint quite a bit of the sky, but you know, where I could I did that and then most of the rest of it's by hand, just with the brush. From design to finished mural, Kalk said the project took about two months to complete. She wasnt able to get started until September, and then it was a race against the clock to get it finished before it got too cold. You cant paint under 50 degrees, Kalk said. It wont stick. Or, theres no guarantee that itll stick. Kalks use of bright colors was purposeful, because, you know, around this time of year you kind of need it. I wanted it to be that spot where its like, oh yeah, thats coming back, itll be OK, just a couple more months. She hopes that passersby will use her mural as a backdrop for selfies or family photos. A group of emerging leaders with the Iowa Association of Business & Industry toured the Council Bluffs Community School District's Anne E. Nelson Early Learning Center on Friday. "The innovative building and program at the Anne E. Nelson Early Learning Center continues to attract regional interest," the district said in a statement. Eighteen members of the association's Leadership Iowa toured the facility to learn about the program and its funding, purpose, programming and impact. Members of this year's Leadership Iowa cohort include Chris LaFerla, former school board president and the new president and CEO of the Council Bluffs Area Chamber of Commerce; Brandon Garrett, chief of staff for Mayor Matt Walsh; Machaela Clark, co-founder of Tandem Works; and Brandy Wallar, CEO of New Visions Homeless Services. Legislation can be tricky business, and lawmakers led by Gov. Kim Reynolds have kicked the hornets' nest by proposing disruption to Iowa's educational services for students with disabilities. Reynolds has proposed overhauling area education agencies, including allowing school districts to contract with private companies instead of AEAs and reducing the number of AEAs in the state. It's not a far stretch to imagine the complete dismantling of the regional agencies, especially given subsequent proposals to move their governance under the Iowa Department of Education. AEAs provide a number of services to districts, particularly rural ones, but their main charge is serving students with disabilities. Nonpareil reporter David Golbitz spoke with Council Bluffs resident Nate Roane, whose son Adam was born with cerebral palsy. Adam had a pediatric stroke in his first week of life, and the Green Hills AEA stepped in to provide support that Roane called "a real blessing." "I believe that Adam has had a better outcome because of having that early intervention," he told The Nonpareil. It's understandable why so many parents are rallying against AEA reform. It seems clear that AEAs aren't working universally well for all students they are serving, although that's true of public schools and probably any government. Citing a consultant's report, Reynolds cites low test scores and high costs. We believe those who are skeptical of those arguments make good points. But it seems like it's worth taking a closer look at the issues being raised. The system has been in place for a long time, and where we live it doesnt work, David Smith, the superintendent of the Spirit Lake Community School District, told lawmakers this week. It hasnt worked, and we don't think its going to work in the future. Council Bluffs Community School District Superintendent Vickie Murillo supports AEA reform because funding for AEAs is collected by school districts and passed through without direct say on how those dollars are used. Local school boards get to vote on their region's AEA board members, and Council Bluffs is large enough that it gets two dedicated seats on the Green Hills AEA board although one has been vacant for more than a year. AEA boards provide indirect accountability on behalf of their local districts, allowing the professionals at the AEA latitude to make decisions in accordance with state policy in other words, it's a similar relationship to the one voters have with their local public schools. Perhaps it's not enough. There seems to be wide agreement that improvements can be made at the AEAs. But the urgency feels suspect, especially given the Reynolds' push toward privatizing education. (Other Iowa newspapers have said the same.) If reform is what the AEAs need, we need to get it right. An interim study and more informed debate next session seems like a better plan than the current bills moving in the Legislature. We'd urge lawmakers to consider pressing the pause button instead of continuing to push ahead. Long arm of Iowa state government Is there no limit to the overreach into our lives by our state government? In 2023, it reached into the schools with censorship of books, mandates about bathrooms and pronoun usage, and even guns on school property; into our public libraries; into the county government with overrides of cases that are prosecuted and how county boards of supervisors are elected; into the farmland with lack of protection for eminent domain; into the Consumer Advocate Department with the Attorney General hiring not only the director, but the staff (at-will and not merit-based); and into the universities regarding diversity efforts. Now, in 2024, it continues. Bills would transfer local control of AEAs to the Iowa Department of Education or, more specifically, to the agency's director. Local control is diminished/eliminated 133 times in the proposal. The bills go beyond the AEA dismantling. They mandate reading curriculum (previously decided by districts), how districts can spend their tax dollars, and even when public input will be allowed. This transfer of so many areas of our lives into the hands of a few elected/appointed officials is alarming to me. Please keep your eyes and ears open to all the ways we are slowly losing our local control. If you havent yet been touched or impacted by this, it is only a matter of time before it reaches into your lives, too. Sandra Smith Underwood Rural Iowans need connectivity program The Affordable Connectivity Program, the federal program that gives me and more than 120,000 other Iowans up to $30 a month toward our internet bill, is expected to run out of money in April. To the Washington politicians who want to cut funding for the ACP, the extra $30 a month might not sound like much. But for people who work hard, it adds up. Money that otherwise wouldve gone to my internet bill a necessary expense, especially for those of us in rural areas, to remain connected with family and friends, confirm doctors appointments, and allow me to be active in my community can instead make my groceries last a bit longer. I come from a blue collar family. Generations of my family have always worked hard. My dad showed me that every day of his life. My family didn't have flashy or pricey things growing up, but we had something more important: We had each other. It taught me a lot about the need to pull your own weight and to take care of one another. When a back injury forced me to leave my supermarket job in 2008, going from $15 to $900 a month was an adjustment even then. My limited income seems to be stretched even thinner now, and I feel trapped every time I see how much food prices have gone up. With the cost of groceries constantly increasing, I'm already forced to skip meals or use a food bank. Because I have diabetes, I have to be really thoughtful about what I eat and processed foods can make me sick. As an independent, I want to see President Biden and Sens. Ernst and Grassley support the bipartisan ACP bill that would keep the program running for Iowans who need it. They talk a lot about how the economy is tough but I want to know if they are going to do anything to help us, or just talk? They need to know that we will fight for them if they fight for us. To be clear, the ACP isnt a handout; its our government working as it should. Those of us at the lowest end of the totem pole, who work and pay taxes, are receiving a hard-earned bit of relief owed to us. Now is not the time to set us back further. Tonya LaFarr Bloomfield Advocating for Alzheimer's funding On Monday, Feb. 12, Alzheimers Association advocates like me met with policymakers at the Iowa State Capitol to share their stories and advance policies to improve early Alzheimers detection, diagnosis, and care. This year, we are urging state legislators to fund a dementia service specialist program to help families facing Alzheimers and dementia with care planning, access local support and resources, perform memory screenings, and more. We are also asking legislators to require appropriate coverage for biomarker testing to support the early detection and diagnosis of Alzheimers and dementia and remove barriers that prevent people living with dementia from benefiting from biomarker testing. As a family member of someone battling Alzheimer's and a volunteer, I am advocating for these priorities because they are vital in enhancing the quality of life for individuals affected by Alzheimer's in our community. They will also greatly support the tireless efforts of family members and friends who provide care, while also alleviating the financial burden of this devastating disease for both families and the state. Raise your voice to help end Alzheimers and dementia. Visit alz.org/iowa to learn more. Brittany Brickey Council Bluffs Severe storms with probable tornadoes tore through several central U.S. states, damaging homes and businesses and killing at least three people, with more bodies likely to be discovered, authorities said. As the sun rose Friday, officials scrambled to assess the extent of the destruction wit When I was trying to acquire all the Pulitzer Prize winners of fiction, I spent a lot of time in used bookstores hunting for copies of older, out-of-print books. It was an enjoyable enterprise, and I managed to track down quite a few of the books I wanted, but a couple of them eluded me, so Algerian authorities continue to crackdown on the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly five years after the Hirak protest movement first began, said Amnesty International in a press release. After the Hirak protest movement was halted due to Covid-19 in 2020, the Algerian authorities have stepped up their repression of peaceful dissent, targeting critical voices and political opponents. Hundreds of people have been arbitrarily arrested and detained. Dozens of peaceful protesters, journalists, activists, and human rights defenders continue to languish behind bars for criticizing the authorities. It is a tragedy that five years after brave Algerians took to the streets in their masses to demand political change and reforms, the authorities have continued to wage a chilling campaign of repression, said Heba Morayef, Amnesty Internationals Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa. The human rights Watchdog called on Algerian regime to immediately and unconditionally release all those detained solely for exercising their rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, and association. The NGO said human rights defenders, journalists, activists, and trade unionists should be able to exercise their rights and freely express critical views without fear of reprisals. Algerias authorities must make the five-year anniversary of the Hirak protest movement a turning point by putting an end to this climate of repression and ordering the immediate release of those arbitrarily detained and allowing peaceful protests, the AI Regional Director for North Africa said. The Algerian authorities must also stop the harassment of opponents and perceived critics and reform key legislation including repealing vague and overly broad provisions that have been used to repress human rights, said the AI official. The Hirak protest movement began in February 2019 when largely peaceful mass demonstrations took place across Algeria opposing then President Abdelaziz Bouteflikas re-election. In recent years, the protesters demands evolved as they demanded political reforms and further freedoms. Since May 2021, authorities have blocked protests, requiring prior notification for each demonstration. They have also intensified their stifling of civic space and crackdown on dissent, arresting dozens of people including journalists, human rights defenders, whistleblowers, and people expressing themselves online or attending peaceful protests. Moroccos plea before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the legal consequences arising from Israels policies and practices in the occupied Palestinian territory was hailed by Advisor to the Palestinian President for Religious Affairs, Mahmoud El Habach, and Palestinian expert in Israeli affairs, Nazir Majli, as reflecting the Kingdoms unwavering position on the Palestinian cause. In separate statements to MAP news agency, the two Palestinian figures praised Moroccos serious and bold efforts and initiatives to promote dialogue between Palestinians and Israelis as a basis for peace. Morocco has for decades played a pivotal role in the establishment of a just and comprehensive peace enabling coexistence between the peoples of the Middle East region, far from any logic of war or conflict, they pointed out. This plea is in line with the unanimity, on the Arab, Islamic and international levels, regarding the establishment of an independent Palestinian State, with Al-Quds as its capital, Mahmoud El Habach said. This plea reinforces the united Arab-Islamic position on the Palestinian issue and will strengthen the conviction of the international community and the ICJ as to the justness of the Palestinian cause, he added. Morocco pays particular attention and follows the situation in Al Quds closely, thanks to the efforts made by King Mohammed VI, Chairman of the Al Quds Committee, to defend the Palestinian cause and the right of Palestinians to establish an independent state with East Al Quds as its capital, Nazir Majli said, adding that this consistent stance reflects wisdom, farsightedness and an unshakeable determination to promote a definitive resolution of the Palestinian question. The two Palestinian figures also welcomed the humane and noble positions expressed by the Kingdom, through the Rabat-based Bayt Mal Al Quds Asharif agency, which plays a key role in alleviating the suffering of the Palestinians and safeguarding the civilizational and religious character of the holy city of Al Quds. MBABANE-Following that the payment of their salaries was delayed for four days and eventually paid yesterday, employees of the financially challenged University of Eswatini (UNESWA) have resolved against taking part of the institutions biggest activity next week. This is the start of the examination. Instead, they have agreed in unison that they will go to Parliament with an aim to detail the crisis that has engulfed the institution and has continued for more than three years. Worth noting is that Parliament has a big agenda scheduled for Monday and it includes the presentation of the Budget Speech by the Minister of Finance Neal Rijkenberg. The staff members who have taken the resolution are under the umbrella of the Association of Lecturers and Academic and Administrative Personnel (ALAAP). In a letter issued by ALAAP Secretary General Dr Mduduzi Shongwe directed to the Registrar, Dr Salebona Simelane, the association informed the management that it had taken some resolutions at an extra-ordinary meeting held yesterday at the Commerce Lecture Theatre, Kwaluseni Campus. According to the statement, the ALAAP members resolved that the executive committee should communicate to the institutions management that they were not ready to participate in teaching and learning activities, including invigilating examination and thus will need a week from the day of payment of salaries. The members said they needed the week as they will be seeking treatment and remedies for the psychological and financial stress they had endured during the time of the delayed payment of salaries. Another resolution taken by the members was that on Monday, they will march to Parliament to raise awareness of the plight of the institution. Thirdly, the members resolved that the current management of the institution be given seven calendar days to remit all monies owed to all financial institutions which were deducted from source but never remitted. The monies, according to the statement, include remittances for medical aid. In the event the management fails, the association said the members will not continue with teaching and learning. In the same letter, reference was made to two joint correspondences dated June 5, 2023 and March 30, 2023 which were written by the association together with the National Workers Union in Swaziland Higher Institutions (NAWUSHI) to the University Council on a vote of no confidence on the entire management. The current management is given seven calendar days to resign en masse, failing which, ALAAP members will not continue with teaching and learning activities under the current management, reads part of the letter. Furthermore, the members also took a resolution that on Monday they will go to the Ministry of Education and Training and the Prime Ministers Offices to petition government to place the institution under the administration of the aforementioned ministry immediately until a new management was in place. When called to ascertain the authenticity of the letter and its content, Dr Shongwe confirmed that indeed it was real and that they had met and taken the resolutions as stated. Dr Shongwe was asked why they will continue to boycott the examination since they had been paid and he explained that the resolution had not changed. Like we stated, we need a week to recover from the psychological stress. Also, if a resolution has been taken during an extra ordinary meeting, its review has to happen through the same platform, he stated. Efforts to obtain a comment from Simelane were not successful as his mobile cellphone number rang unanswered yesterday. On Thursday, our sister publication, the Times of Eswatini reported that the staff had raised concerns over the upcoming students examination, as they have not received their salaries for the month.The staff members said they feared that the lack of payment may affect their ability to invigilate the exams. On Wednesday, the staff completed their third day without being paid their salaries for the month. This followed a memorandum issued by UNESWA Registrar, Dr Salebona Simelane on Monday, stating that salaries were delayed due to a shortage of funds. Dr Simelane said efforts to address the matter were underway. Another memorandum was issued on Wednesday by Dr Simelane, informing all staff that there was a further delay in the payment of their salaries, despite their earlier anticipation that the salaries would be paid in a short space of time. Dr Simelane stated that in the past, the chairman of the Council had, in the company of management, escalated the delay in the payment of staff salaries to higher authorities, and similarly, the same pattern had been followed in the current situation. He said the foregoing position of the university was explained by the Vice-Chancellor (VC) to the Executive Members of the Staff Unions on Tuesday. The University Council and management are hopeful that the matter on hand shall be resolved soon. The inconvenience caused is regretted, Dr Simelane said. The registrar explained that this was a sensitive issue, but assured the staff members that efforts were being made to ensure that their salaries were paid. When interviewed by our sister publication on the issue, Dr Shongwe said this was unfortunate because their members had no means to travel to work, thus they decided to work from home. The SG had previously stated that their members were psychologically affected by the non-payment of salaries as they had anticipated that they would be paid on time. Meanwhile, Students Representative Council (SRC) Deputy President, Zachariah Makama said the delay in the payments of staff salaries was also affecting students as they prepared for the upcoming exams. Makama said students were allegedly unable to consult with the lecturers pertaining to their projects or make consultations on the exams. According to Makama, once the memorandum on salaries was issued, several lecturers did not come to work or assist them with their schoolwork. He stated that there was a need to address the financial challenges within the institution so that teaching and learning would not be disturbed. Makama mentioned that the university was heavily reliant on government subventions, thus there was a need to seek other means to source funds, to prevent disrupting the universitys operations. It should be noted that in March last year, students became worried following a legal strike by lecturers which dragged for over four weeks. The strike saw the employees from the Kwaluseni, Mbabane and Luyengo campuses down tools and convened at the Kwaluseni Campus to demonstrate. They parked their cars outside the Kwaluseni Campus and sat under trees, while others were doing the vusela exercise around the university premises. As the lecturers engaged in the strike, the students became worried about the possibility of losing their semester. The students were also worried that the semester would be extended following an earlier decision taken by the Senate that it should not, adding to their expenses and study plans. By the time the strike entered its sixth week, the students had lost half of the semester as there was is no way forward in the impasse between UNESWA management and the academic and non-academic staff members. Days later, the management issued a memorandum whereby it communicated its intention not to pay academic and non-academic staff members. The memo further stated that the decision was taken in accordance with Section 87 subsection 3 of the Industrial Relations Act of 2000. The impasse reared its ugly head again in October and this time, government was forced to act swiftly in mitigating a graduation boycott resolution taken by the lecturers, following a salary payment dispute with management. The lecturers had held an urgent meeting on the week of the graduation, after they were paid two-thirds (70 per cent) of their salaries. When effecting the two-thirds payment, the UNESWA management had indicated to the union representing the lecturers that this was necessitated by a lack of sufficient funds in the university coffers sufficient funds in the university coffers sufficient funds in the university coffers. Following the intervention by government, the graduation ceremony was held on October 21, 2023 and as per tradition, was blessed by the presence of His Majesty King Mswati III who constitutionally is the Chancellor of the institution. UNESWA has over 350 lecturers in the university payroll and these include academic and non-academic ones. After five four-year terms on the Mid-Plains Community College Board of directors, 87-year-old Ernie Mehl has chosen not to seek another term. I was really happy to see the things that I wanted to see happen in our school structure for the college, to see them be fairly well accomplished, Mehl said. Its been a very satisfying thing to be connected with. Mehl held his seat on the board for 20 years, and said that if he had ran for another term, he would be 92 when the next election came around. Perhaps its time to get another persons opinion, spread the opportunity around to different people, he said. My advice is to spend an appropriate amount of time learning the positions and spend time connecting with the public to get their thoughts on what could or should happen. With the Boards District 5 seat being vacated, 45-year-old Megan McGown, chief development officer of Great Plains Health, is seeking election to the MPCC board. After moving to Lincoln County in 2015 from Sidney, McGown has served as the marketing manager for GPH as well as vice president of economic development of the North Platte Area Chamber & Development Corp. for three years. I have a passion for anything that makes our community better, being a part of organizations that impact our region for the better, McGown said. McGown has an extensive background in education, her mother was a teacher her whole life and her husband also taught and held various positions in schools, including being a principal and Brady Public Schools Superintendent. Providing the best programs and services to MPCCs region and their students, as well as rural access are some important issues, McGown said. Some programs McGown mentioned included dual credit courses for high school students and programs for those learning a new trade. Making efforts to be accessible to people, whether that be an affordability thing or a dual credit thing or remote learning, I think has a lot of importance. she said. McGown also said how she believes that community colleges are one of the most critical partners in workforce development, and they help ensure the continued vitality of the entire region. The region for the college North Platte, McCook, Valentine and others mirrors that of the service area of GPH, McGown said. These are communities and regions that Im familiar with, She said. The needs are different everywhere, so I think listening and understanding what the communities need and helping to provide direction is what the community college needs to continue providing the things that those communities need. While McGown said she has no qualms with the current board, she said she would like to be a leader and continue to be engaged in the community and make the college the best it can be for the region. Ive always been involved in community initiatives, McGown said. I live and work in this region and want it to be the best for me and for my family and those around us, so I like to get involved in things that are going to make the community a better place to be. As of Thursday McGown is running unopposed, however the deadline to file for election is March 1. North Platte and Union Pacific have been tied together from the start. Often, that tie is thought of in a business perspective, but the employees are also essential to the community outside of work. While a job at Union Pacific can be time intensive, rail employees past and present have found ways to give back to the community through charities and volunteer work. Here are six examples of rail employees from the Union Pacific who have enriched their lives and those around them through such efforts. Scott White White runs Scotty Whites Rods, Restorations and Collisions. He is a switch man at Bailey Yard. White employs his auto body painting skills to create unique artwork on model cars, which are then auctioned or sold at fundraisers for charity events. When he was 17, he said, he had a brain tumor and a friend of mine did a fundraiser for me. Later, when he was about 30, I was going through a lot of stuff in my life and making bad decisions, and I decided to turn my life around and do stuff for other people. For me, that was just kind of a way of, well, bettering myself, becoming a better person, but then also making it right with God for some of the things Id done wrong, he said. White said he has painted six or seven child-size pedal cars and three statues. He said one of the statues he worked on took about 20 hours. The model cars are pre-assembled kits, resembling old hot rods, like 55 Chevys and muscle cars. He said he gets the kits out of Speedway Motors in Lincoln. White has raised money for the Calhoun Cancer Center, several children diagnosed with cancer, a childrens hospital in Denver, the humane society in North Platte and medical funds for several Union Pacific employees. He has also been commissioned for work on fiberglass cardinals in Crete to help raise money for the local theater. White said if anybody needs help, all they have to do is message him on Facebook. Scott Salisbury Scott Salisbury has lived in Stapleton all of his life. After business became too slow for his automotive shop in town, he began working in the Union Pacific diesel shop on the locomotives. As a mechanic, his knowledge about vehicles and engines has helped him manage the Stapleton volunteer fire and rescue department. He began volunteering for the Stapleton VFD in 1984. My grandpa was on the fire department at the time. So I kind of followed around with him and stuff. Thats what I fell into then. I liked working on the trucks and helping them. So I finally got on board with it, Salisbury said. Salisbury said they mainly deal with grass fires. Salisbury and his wife are also licensed EMTs. He is now retired and is a full-time member in the Stapleton community. He said he is involved on multiple boards, including the Logan County Ag Society and the Logan County Fair Board. Kyle Townes Kyle Townes is a switch man at Bailey Yard. In 2023, he donated bone marrow to help save the life of somebody diagnosed with leukemia. His donation was fielded through a company called Be the Match. He submitted a DNA swab to them three years ago with his wife. They kept his information on file to check for donor compatibility in their system. After finding a match, he was transported to Washington, D.C., with all expenses paid. After some tense times, and negotiating flight cancellations in November, he finally made it to the donation center where doctors put him under general anesthesia and collected liquid bone marrow from the back of his hip bone. I was in a bit of pain after waking up, mostly like a really bad back ache, Townes said. But Id say I was back to 100% within a week. I think most people dont have a desire to donate because they think its going to hurt and leave them in a horrible amount of pain. And yes, it hurts a bit but for me personally, Im fine with a little bit of pain knowing Im hopefully saving a family the pain of losing a loved one. If it hasnt happened to us personally, chances are we know someone who has seen how horrible cancer is and how it frequently takes too many good people too soon. Townes said not only does Be the Match reimburse hotel and travel, they also reimburse gas for doctors appointments and food expenses, and they will pay for all the lost wages for the time donors could have been working. Those interested in bone marrow donation can find them Be the Match at bethematch.org. Manda Snide Manda Snide has been on the Hershey Volunteer Fire Department since 2008. She started her third term as the rescue captain this year. She said the captain ensures that equipment is in working order, and that paperwork is filed correctly in coordination with training officers and the fire chief. She is also an EMT. She is a full-time yardman at Union Pacific and also the local chairman for the union that represents yardmen, conductors and brakemen. She is also the assistant state legislative director for SMART-TD, the transportation division of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers. In that role we try to get a Nebraska safer for not only train crews but all Nebraskans, she said. She said she has worked with North Platte state Sen. Mike Jacobson on LB 486, known as the two-person crew bill, and with state Sen. Lynne Walz on LB 1212, a bill meant to increase training for fire and EMS on how to handle train derailments and holding railroads accountable for blocking crossings that delay responders getting to the scenes they are called to. She is currently in Lincoln trying to get the rail safety legislation moving. I work a lot, but its worth it. Every day I get to say I help people, she said. She said LB 1212 has support of the Nebraska State Volunteer Firefighters Association and the Nebraska Fire Chiefs Association. Most Nebraskans have sat and waited for a train before or been stuck waiting for a train thats stopped on the crossing, she said. While for the everyday traveler its frustrating, sometimes that wait can mean the difference between life and death in an emergency. ... Getting to go to the capital with (the unions State Legislative) Director Andy Foust and the board gives me the opportunity to speak to senators from across the state (and) make them aware of these issues. Seeing those that truly care about their constituents concerns and act upon them is an incredible experience. She said her favorite part of the bill is a mandate requiring railroads to provide training for every fire department in their district. Jamie Einspahr In 2012, Jamie Einspahr started sending military boxes to his wifes cousin stationed overseas. He called them Big Red Battlefield Boxes. Now it is a whole family affair. He said they have sent 542 boxes overseas. Ive got a lot of family and friends in the military, Einspahr said. I was never in the military myself, but my dad and my great-uncle and his wifes dad and a bunch of her family members are active or were in the military and ... its just a small thing that we can do to show our appreciation for those that do serve our country. The boxes contain comfort items like snacks, toiletries, socks and anything else that would be handy in the middle of nowhere, Einspahr said. This Christmas they sent 57 boxes to troops overseas, the most they have ever sent. He said he gets a lot of support from the Wallace community where he lives. Local churches and schools get involved. He said students from Mullen, North Platte and Wallace usually help with sending letters and making ornaments. They fund their box shipping through private donations, as well as a few fundraisers throughout the year. We usually figure that each box that we send cost anywhere from $70-$90 with the shipping and the stuff that we put in them depending on whats donated and what we have to purchase, Einspahr said. He said they have sent boxes to over 20 countries. Often he doesnt know where theyre going or even who is receiving them, but people give him addresses and he ships them there. Its just a small token of letting them know that we do appreciate what they do, he said. Randy Brening Randy Brening is a switchman at Bailey Yard. When hes not working at the railroad, he volunteers for FUR Animal Rescue in North Platte every Friday. He has volunteered with them for over two years. He works with cats of all ages. Right now, he is working on helping one cat, Paris, to become calmer. Another cat he works with, Tru, is recovering from an infected cyst. If it wasnt for us volunteers, the cats wouldnt be living their best lives, Brening said. Its so rewarding knowing that I have helped make a difference in an animals life. Photo-Illustration: Intelligencer; Photos: Getty We are at one of those junctures in the long path to the November general election in which Democratic fears bordering on incipient panic about Joe Bidens reelection prospects have flared up. The most recent incendiary material was the offhand comment by Republican special counsel Robert Hur that Biden is a well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory and diminished faculties in advancing age in the course of adjudging the presidents handling of classified documents as legally acceptable. But even as questions swirl about the incumbents fitness to serve, alongside far-fetched schemes for putting him on the political equivalent of an ice floe, the polls show Biden doing as well as ever. In head-to-head national matchups with Donald Trump, the RealClearPolitics polling average shows the Republican leading Biden by 1.9 percent (46.1 percent to 44.2 percent). Trumps lead is actually down from 4.3 percent on January 26. The limited number of polls testing the two men in battleground states also show a close and stable contest, though Trump holds the advantage in most of them (according to the RCP averages, Trump is up modestly in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, and North Carolina, while the two are basically tied in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin). In most states, of course, the actual contest isnt going to be a zero-sum choice between the two major-party candidates, but a multicandidate affair. One reason its hard to take an accurate snapshot of the presidential race is that we dont know how many candidates will be on the ballot in any given state. There are two especially complicated factors: Robert F. Kennedy Jr.s efforts to appear on ballots as an independent (or perhaps as the Libertarian Party nominee), and uncertainty about whether the nonpartisan group No Labels (which claims ballot access in 16 states) will sponsor a ticket and if so, who will be on it. But a review of three-way (Biden vs. Trump vs. Kennedy) and five-way (Biden v. Trump vs. Kennedy vs. Cornel West vs. Jill Stein) polling gives some indication of how a broader field might affect the outcome even if no non-major-party candidate wins an electoral vote (which none have done since 1968). In the RCP averages for three-way polls, Trumps lead is 4.6 percent (Trump: 39.8 percent; Biden: 35.3 percent; Kennedy: 15.8 percent). Its worth noting that assessments of Kennedys vote vary significantly: The latest three-way poll from Reuters-Ipsos showed the anti-vaxx activist with the famous name at 8 percent, but the most recent from Harvard-Harris put him at 21 percent. Its also hard to compare two-way and three-way polls since a much smaller array of pollsters conducts the latter. But the January Reuters-Ipsos survey showed Trump up by 5 percent in a two-way race and 6 percent in a three-way race. At about the same time, Harvard-Harris gave Trump a seven-point lead in a two-way race and an eight-point lead in a three-way race. All in all, the data confirm the conventional wisdom that at this point Kennedy is having little net effect on the major-party competition, drawing evenly from both columns. Theres a bit more evidence that a robust five-way race might help Trump, which isnt surprising when you consider that two of the three non-major-party candidates (Cornel West and Jill Stein) are decidedly left-leaning. In the five-way RCP averages, Trump leads Biden by 4.7 percent (Trump: 41.5 percent; Biden: 36.8 percent; Kennedy: 13.8 percent; West: 2.3 percent; Stein: 2.3 percent). But hardly anyone is testing a six-way race with a libertarian candidate who (assuming its not RFK Jr.) is likely to pull a few more votes from the Trump column than the Biden column. And a seven-way race with a yet-to-be-identified No Labels candidate is absolutely impossible to assess at this point. Polls aside, the fact remains that Trump won in 2016 when non-major-party voting was high and lost in 2020 when it dropped from 6.1 percent of the total to 1.9 percent. If you think of his MAGA base as a highly motivated minority of the electorate, it would make sense that he will need some help (either from minor candidates or from the Electoral College system) in winning back the White House. But we have a long and potentially volatile year of campaigning (and possibly legal developments and health scares) still ahead of us. Stefanik at CPAC on February 23. Photo: Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images CPAC is one of the biggest Trumpist gatherings of the year, and on Friday the rockstar was Elise Stefanik, the New York congresswoman and former moderate who has turned herself into a MAGA hero. Stefanik got one of the most rapturous receptions of any of the days speakers. Her big speech was practically an audition to be Donald Trumps running mate. Attendees stood and cheered her as she boasted that she had turned a district that Obama won twice into one that was now Trump and Elise Country. She always invoked the full name of President Donald J. Trump and insisted that the real threat to American democracy came from the radical left and the Democrats. She celebrated January 6 as a day where she stood up for the Constitution and election integrity (she voted against certifying the 2020 election) and took aim at familiar bugbears like Adam Schiff and Liz Cheney. She also made sure to take credit for ousting two Ivy League presidents after grilling them over antisemitism during a House hearing. Still, she could be somewhat stilted, speaking MAGA fluently but with a slight accent. It is not her native language. The crowd didnt care, offering periodic shouts of we love you Elise! And the center-right sins of Stefaniks past, her ties to the pre-Trump GOP when she worked for George W. Bush and Paul Ryan? They dont seem to matter to the Trump loyalists either. Stefanik has become the model for the ideological transformation of the Republican Party under Trump. Elected to Congress from an upstate district when she was just 30 as the prototype of the Republican Establishment, she has since become one of Trumps most ardent supporters in Washington, racing to be the first member of Congress to endorse the former president when he announced his candidacy in November 2022. Now shes one of the top figures in the favorite Washington parlor game of trying to pick who Trump will select as vice-president. Its the last real suspense in American politics in a presidential race where Trump has all but sown up the Republican nomination and incumbent Joe Biden has only faced nominal opposition in his reelection bid. After she spoke in the cavernous hotel conference room on Friday, Stefanik was mobbed. Reporters, attendees, everyone wanted to see her, get a quote from her, get a selfie with her. After finishing a Newsmax interview, and she worked her way slowly the talk-show hosts who had camped out at the event. An NBC News reporters question about Alabamas ban on IVF was left unacknowledged in the maelstrom but Stefanik eventually answered it by saying, Like President Trump, I strongly support IVF. Joe Casais, an attendee from New Jersey, praised Stefanik as a successor to Trump. I feel like when you want someone whos gonna step into the role. Are they still gonna fight back the way Trump is going to fight? Or are they just gonna be a pushover and youre gonna go back to the pre-Trump years? Terry Schilling, the leader of the social-conservative group American Principles Project, gushed over Stefanik as well. I 100 percent trust Elise Stefanik and will go to the ends of the earth to support her, said the prominent activist who has played a leading role in pushing state legislatures to ban gender-affirming care for minors. For Schilling, despite whatever Stefanik had done in the pre-Trump era, she has really stepped into her role as a conservative leader for this country, and I think she has a bright future in the Republican Party. The only question now is whether that future will include being Trumps No. 2. Sign Up for the Intelligencer Newsletter Daily news about the politics, business, and technology shaping our world. 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. Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images The Alabama Supreme Courts shocking decision recognizing fetal personhood and threatening IVF treatments would have been impossible if Donald Trump hadnt reshaped the U.S. Supreme Court with the explicit goal of overturning Roe v. Wade. It was a 2016 campaign promise he made and kept, and all the nightmares that pregnant women and their families have experienced since the Supreme Court ended the federal right to an abortion in 2022 are very much his doing. So theres something characteristically cynical about his effort to pose as the savior of IVF against the judges he empowered. On Friday afternoon Trump posted on Truth Social: Triangulating against the unpopular consequences of his own actions, however, is familiar territory for Trump when it comes to abortion policy. Dating back to the period just prior to his announcement of a comeback presidential campaign, Trump laid the groundwork for disassociating himself with anti-abortion extremism. He notably blamed the meh 2022 midterm results for Republicans on too much talk about restricting abortions, and before long made it clear he did not support the kind of national abortion bans his friends in the anti-abortion movement were trying to make a litmus test for GOP politicians, particularly those running for president. As my colleague Jonathan Chait observed in September 2023, Trump is quick to jettison traditional Republican positions (e.g., free trade and entitlement reform) when they are unpopular. But even more importantly, Trump knew he had built up enough political capital with rank-and-file anti-abortion voters that he could abandon the right-to-life movement line with impunity. This became abundantly apparent when his deadliest rival, Ron DeSantis, staked his entire campaign on convincing Iowa conservatives that the former president had betrayed them, not least by abandoning the holy cause of forced birth. The Floridian hastened to enact a six-week abortion ban (quickly denounced by Trump as a terrible mistake) and snuggled up to Evangelical leaders avid for more abortion restrictions. He did everything but run around the state carrying fetus posters and outspent Trump handily. And yet the former president trounced DeSantis among very conservative caucusgoers; among white Evangelicals; and among those who favored a national abortion ban. In the state whose Republicans were most attuned to the anti-abortion movement, Trump was assured he had the freedom to maneuver strategically on abortion policy without paying a price for it among the true believers. If that was true when the Republican race was still a contest, it will of course be true from now until November. Aside from the evidence trust in which anti-abortion voters (and now that hes the certain nominee, their leaders) place in him, the competition isnt other Republicans happy to chatter about how many embryos can fit on the head of a pin; its Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, and the uniformly pro-choice Democratic Party. Theres very little downside now in Trump posing as the reasonable broker of compromises between warring factions on abortion policy, much less as the friend of IVF patients past, present, and future that would be left out in the cold by the fanatics of the fetal-personhood movement. On this and other issues, the 45th president has the freedom of a man with shallow roots in any sort of principle, and no loyalty to any cause that will compromise his own pursuit of power. Those of his followers who are nonetheless disappointed by his waywardness should understand by now the deal with the devil they have signed. 18 items in this article 18 items on sale! Photo-Illustration: The Strategist; Photos: Retailers If theres one nugget of wisdom I can impart from my past five-plus years covering sales, its that you never need to buy a mattress at full price. In general, the mattress discounts will stay pretty static throughout the entire period leading up to the actual holiday, usually hovering around 15 or 20 percent off. Sometimes, though, brands will toss in a complimentary sheet set or pair of pillows to sweeten the deal. Here, Ive put together a cheat sheet for all the best on-sale mattresses to buy right now. Rest assured that Ive included only brands we have already recommended on our site (heres our complete mattress-buying guide if you want even more details). And if youre not quite ready to hit the buy button, feel free to bookmark this page for future reference. Ill be popping in to update and add new sales once or twice a month. Aviya Aviya makes a hybrid mattress that left one of our testers amazed at just how propped up and aligned my body felt while supine, yet how comfortably I slept thanks to the padding of the quilted foam top. Avocado If having an ecofriendly mattress is important to you, Avocados Strategist-approved sleep products are constructed using sustainable, nontoxic materials and processes. Strategist senior writer Liza Corsillo tested the brands classic Green mattress with the add-on pillow-top which costs $200 extra which she says felt like flopping down on a giant slab of rising dough. Avocado Green Mattress - Queen $1,799 $1,999 now 10% off $1,799 Avocados mattresses are up to $800 off, depending on which size and style you select. Most are 10 percent off, a more typical discount for the brand. $1,799 at Avocado Mattress Buy Avocado Eco Organic Mattress - Queen $1,199 $1,299 now 8% off $1,199 The Eco Organic mattress is a slightly more budget-friendly pick for sleepers who dont have any specific mattress requirements or sleep concerns. The queen size is $100 off. $1,199 at Avocado Mattress Buy Bear Bear markets its mattresses specifically to athletes, thanks to a special fabric that promotes muscle recovery. Former Strategist senior writer Karen Iorio Adelson, a longtime runner, said that after a few nights of sleeping on the Bear Original mattress, her legs actually felt fresher and less fatigued than they normally would. Bear Original Mattress - Queen $998 now 35% off $649 Bear is offering 35 percent off sitewide and throwing in $400 worth of free sleep accessories with any mattress purchase. $649 at Bear Mattress Buy Birch Our editor Maxine Builder a stomach sleeper who prefers a plush mattress has been sleeping on her Birch Natural mattress since she tested it in 2021. She describes it as a plush yet supportive mattress thats suitable for most types of sleepers and notes that the wool cushioning hugs every curve of her body (and suits her husband, who prefers a superfirm mattress). Brentwood Home My boyfriend and I have been sleeping on Brentwood Homes Crystal Cove mattress for nearly four years. Its a memory-foamandcoil hybrid with medium firmness that works for both of us Im a side sleeper, and hes a back sleeper. And since its dual-sided, we flip it a few times per year to avoid any caving in. Brooklyn Bedding Hot sleepers on a budget should look to Brooklyn Bedding, as we named the Aurora Luxe mattress our best (less expensive) hybrid cooling mattress. New York deputy editor Alexis Swerdloff tested this mattress in her home and advises that while the mattress feels luxurious and very substantial, the medium firmness level errs on the softer side and is squishier than expected so she suggests going in a firmer direction than you might normally. Cocoon by Sealy For an affordable pick for sleepers with back pain, our senior editor Simone Kitchens found that her usual roll-out-of-bed lower-back creakiness was gone after only one night on the Cocoon Chill mattress. DreamCloud DreamClouds signature hybrid model is made with four layers of gel memory foam and has innerspring coils. Emma When former Strategist senior editor (and light sleeper) Chelsea Peng tested the Hybrid Comfort, she says she didnt wake up at all when an unspecified companion got up in the middle of the night. When her dad who used to work for Sealy visited for Thanksgiving and tried the mattress himself, he had no complaints and was pleased to report that it supports body weight in a well-distributed curve. Helix Helixs Dawn mattress is our favorite (affordable) hybrid mattress, with former Strategist associate editor Louis Cheslaw writing that he drifted off as quickly as I ever have, regularly slept through the night, and never woke up feeling hot, sweaty, or achy in the morning. Helix Dawn Mattress - Queen $1,099 $1,374 now 20% off $1,099 Take 20 percent off sitewide and receive two free Dream pillows with the purchase of any mattress. $1,099 at Helix Buy Leesa The Leesa Original is our best all-foam mattress. Builder also tested this mattress and reported that her husband raved about the pressure relief and comfort he felt from the foam filling in the small of his back while he slept. Leesa Original Mattress - Queen $1,299 now 20% off $1,039 All mattresses are 20 percent off. The brand is also including two free down-alternative pillows with any mattress purchase. $1,039 at Leesa Buy Nectar Nectar makes our favorite overall memory-foam mattress, which our former senior editor Casey Lewis (and current writer of the newsletter After School) says is firm enough to share with her fidgety pitbull-boxer. Despite this mattresss overall dense structure and feel, the softer top layers of foam supply it with just the right amount of give. (Weve also found that its great for hot sleepers.) Purple We found Purples mattress to be well suited to those who sleep hot and hate foam thanks to its breathable gel grid. Former Strategist deputy editor Jason Chen, a side-sleeper, says it felt like being cradled and that the pressure points in my shoulders and hips never ached. Saatva The best all-around firm mattress is Saatvas Classic hybrid mattress. Simone, a back-to-side sleeper who prefers a mattress that supports her generally sore back, found that the supported feeling of this bed (which still manages to be pretty plush) kept my lower back from collapsing in, making my spine feel more aligned overall. Tuft & Needle Tuft & Needles Mint mattress is our pick for the best cooling mattress. Our writer Arielle Avila said that while she was testing it, there were a couple of nights I forgot to turn my fan on and didnt wake up drenched. WinkBeds For a mattress that helps alleviate back pain, New York features editor Katy Schneider likes the WinkBed. Although its touted as a firmer mattress, she found it still felt soft without enveloping my body. She also noted that the springs seem to absorb our movement. My boyfriend often comes to bed much later than I do, and I found that I noticed him flopping down a whole lot less on the WinkBed than I did on my old bed. 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. Photo-Illustration: The Strategist; Photos: Retailers Ive been writing about beauty for the past seven years, and in that time there are few ingredients talked about or recommended as much as retinol. So much so that I can count on one hand the beauty-editor friends who dont use it (me included), and for those of us who dont, were merely waiting for the day that we do. People build their skin-care routines around their beloved tretinoin (the common prescription retinoid), swapping tips for the dreaded adjustment period (moisturizer first, for slower absorption) and reapplying sunscreen for fear of burning their soft, sun-sensitized skin. But I get it. The ingredient, a form of vitamin A, is the gold standard for addressing just about any skin-care concern from acne to wrinkles to hyperpigmentation so its become the go-to whenever youre looking to achieve clear, glowy skin. Retinol breaks down to retinoic acid on the skin, which acts like an antioxidant that helps reverse skin damage plus premature signs of aging and acne, says New York Citybased dermatologist Dr. Whitney Bowe. Its even been shown to increase collagen production and brighten and exfoliate skin, she says. Unlike some retinoids that require a prescription like tretinoin you dont need a dermatologist to buy retinols. Yes, retinols are weaker and may take a bit more time to yield the same results, but thats not necessarily a bad thing. And even though retinols are weaker than prescription retinoids, it can still be tricky to find the right one for your skin, especially if its hypersensitive, but contrary to some beliefs, retinol is perfectly safe to use on all skin types, says Dr. Hope Mitchell, founder of Mitchell Dermatology in Perrysburg, Ohio. Its true that it can exacerbate conditions like eczema if you use the wrong kind (a.k.a. one thats much too harsh), and pretty much all of our experts agree you shouldnt use it if youre pregnant or breastfeeding, but other than that, Mitchell thinks that if you start low and integrate retinols slowly into your skin-care regimen, you should be in the clear. If you need help timing it out, Ill tell you what Dr. Michelle Henry once said to me. Pick two shows you watch on different days and make those the days you use retinol. And if you tolerate that well, you can gradually increase the frequency. I personally havent tested these because Im prepping to get on tretinoin soon and dont want to complicate things, but Ive spoken to ten dermatologists and fellow beauty writers about the best options on the market. Here are their suggestions. What were looking for Retinol concentration Retinols come in different strengths. The higher the concentration, the more potent it is and thus the more dramatic the results. You dont want to go all in when you introduce the ingredient to your routine, as retinol is known for having an adjustment period, when skin is irritated, peeling, and sensitive. The general recommendation is to go low and slow using the mildest formulation necessary to reduce the chances of irritation and introducing it to your routine over time. Once your skin is adjusted, you can work up to stronger formulations, but you should pay close attention to how your skin reacts to the ingredient. This information isnt always readily available in a formulation, but weve noted when it is. Other actives As mentioned above, prescription retinoids tend to be vitamin A dominant, but many over-the-counter retinols incorporate other ingredients to augment the effectiveness of the retinol (think added exfoliants, like glycolic or lactic acid) or contain soothing, hydrating ingredients to help combat any sensitivity, dryness, or irritation, like glycerin or hyaluronic acid. Price Retinols can get pricey, but there are plenty of affordable options that work well too. Weve noted how much youre getting and the cost per ounce, so you can pick the best option for your budget. Best overall retinol SkinBetter Science AlphaRet Night Cream $135 $135 Active ingredients: Lactic acid, glycolic acid, peptides, ceramides, niacinamide, squalane, vitamin C, and vitamin E | Price: 1 ounce (Approx. $130/ounce) Ive been hearing about SkinBetter AlphaRet for years because its so well-known for being effective yet gentle. The formula combines lactic acid and a retinoid to smooth wrinkles without irritation. And despite being the priciest option on our list, its backed up by multiple dermatologists and is specifically formulated to be tolerated by pretty much all types of skin. Dr. Elyse Love, a New York Citybased dermatologist, says its actually medical-grade yet available without a prescription. Its also the one I use. After using it two to three times a week for a little over six months, I can say my skin has never looked better. The stubborn hyperpigmentation on my chin has faded and my skin looks generally glowy, and so far I havent had any adverse effects. I was very concerned about the purging process, and thanks to this formula (along with applying moisturizer before layering this stuff on), I was able to use it without any irritation or flakiness. A little goes a long way. I use two pumps for my entire face, and even though I use it regularly, Im barely halfway through the bottle. I dont identify as having a sensitive skin type, but when I asked Dr. DiAnne Davis, a cosmetic dermatologist based in Dallas, about the best retinol for someone with dry sensitive skin or a skin condition like rosacea, she said AlphaRet is the best best. $135 at SkinBetter Buy Best (less expensive) overall retinol RoC Retinol Correxion Deep Wrinkle Anti-Aging Night Cream $18 $20 now 10% off $18 Active ingredients: Shea butter, glycolic acid, and squalane | Price: 1 ounce (Approx. $20/ounce) Im the first to admit that the Skinbetter, despite its efficacy, is pricy, so this RoC night cream is a good alternative. The cream texture makes it a bit more moisturizing than a serum, and it also combines the retinol with oxygen and antioxidants. Its also cosigned by two of our dermatologists who like that its mild enough to use everyday. And even though its great for regular use, Dr. Karen Chinonso Kaghadermatologist and Harvard cosmetic and laser fellow, suggests introducing it slowly into your routine (like other retinols) because vitamin A can cause a lot of irritation at first. $18 at Amazon Buy $30 at Ulta Beauty Buy Best retinol for beginners SkinCeuticals Retinol 0.3 $78 $78 Retinol concentration: 0.3 percent | Active ingredients: Shea butter, glycolic acid, and squalane | Price: 1 ounce (Approx. $20/ounce) If youve never used a retinol before, consider easing into it because, again, retinol can be very drying and you wont know how your skin will react at first. This formula from Skinceuticals has a a low-but-still-effective concentration of 0.3 percent and is a good place to start. Its comes recommended by Rio via dermatologist Dr. Shereene Idriss, who says shes seen impressive amounts of brightening, tightening and refining in her clients skin after just a few months use. In addition to a low concentration retinol it also contains soothing ingredients like chamomile-derived bisabolol and boswellia serrata, which work together to help soothe the skin. $78 at Dermstore Buy Best (less expensive) retinol for beginners Best retinol for longtime users SkinMedica Age Defense Retinol Complex 0.5 $68 $80 now 15% off $68 Retinol concentration: 0.5 percent | Active ingredients: Bisabolol, niacinamide | Price: 1 ounce (Approx. $78/ounce) If youve been using retinol for years and want to take it up a notch, this one from SkinMedica could be a good option. SkinMedica is known for their highly efficacious products, which I often spot in the offices of dermatologist and esthetician I trust. As Dr. Elizabeth Bahar Houshmand, owner of Dallas-based practice Houshmand Dermatology, explains, the 0.5 percent of retinol in this product is one of the strongest concentrations youll be able to find over the counter. She likes this formula because it has bisabolol, which soothes the complexion to calm irritation and inflammation, and antioxidants to neutralize free radicals and prevent signs of aging. She adds that the antioxidants will also help prevent irritation, flaking, and redness that infamously come with using a retinol. $68 at Amazon Buy $80 at Dermstore Buy Best retinols for oily and acne-prone skin Differin Gel Acne Treatment $25 for 2 $29 now 14% off $25 for 2 Retinol concentration: 0.1 percent | Price: 1 ounces (Approx. $26/ounce) The dermatologist consensus for acne-obliterating retinol is Differins adapalene gel, which was once a behind-the-counter ingredient. It became an over-the-counter product a few years ago, and it might still be the best kept acne-fighting secret. It treats acne deep in the pores and prevents new acne from forming, explains Davis. Because it is relatively strong its prescription-strength, after all Dr. Oma Agbai, assistant clinical professor of dermatology at UC Davis, who considers herself an adapalene gel enthusiast, suggests easing into using the product, as with any retinoid or retinol. The key is to start with one to two times weekly application if you have sensitive skin and work up to every other night or every night if your skin does not become excessively dry, she says. Because most people using this have easily irritated skin, Marmur notes that this Differin gel is also oil-free and fragrance-free, so aside from the retinoid, it doesnt have any other irritants, which helps oily skin. $25 for 2 at Amazon Buy Best retinol for combination skin Clinical Skin Retinol + Peptide Refining Serum 2.5 $120 $120 Retinol concentration: 2.5 percent | Other actives: Peptides, bakuchiol | Price: 1 ounce (Approx. $80/ounce) Folks with combination skin, who are dry in some parts and oily in others, would do well with a serum like this one from Clinical Skin, which is lightweight enough that you can layer stuff on top of it but also contains moisturizing ingredients like ceramides and squalane. Both are generally well-tolerated, so you wont have to worry about aggravating your skin. I like that this also contains bakuchiol, which is often referred to as natures retinol, and supercharges retinols results without making skin more sensitive. $120 at Clinical Skin Buy Best (less expensive) retinol for combination skin CeraVe Resurfacing Retinol Serum $13 $22 now 41% off $13 Active ingredients: Ceramides, licorice root, niacinamide | Price: 1 ounce (Approx. $12/ounce) For a less-expensive option, theres CeraVes retinol resurfacing serum, which weve written about before. Like the Clinical Skin, it contains ceramides to help maintain a healthy skin barrier, which Lal says makes it a good option for anyone, even those with the most sensitive skin. The retinol is also encapsulated and releases into the skin over time, which lets the skin absorb a bit at a time. This helps to cut down on irritation while still getting the benefits of the active ingredient. $13 at Amazon Buy Best retinol for sensitive skin Versed Press Restart Gentle Retinol Serum $21 $21 Active ingredients: 0.5 percent | Other ingredients: Bakuchiol | Price: 1 ounce (Approx. $22/ounce) We already mentioned that the SkinBetter retinol is great for sensitive skin, but as a budget-friendly alternative, this Versed serum also gets the job done (and is available at Target). This nongreasy gem is a creamy, gentle retinol serum specifically formulated for sensitive skin types and first-time retinol users, says Mitchell. The duo of microencapsulated retinol and natural retinol alternatives, arophira and bakuchiol, deliver the best of all worlds. Because of this unique formula, it promises to keep your pores clear, even your skin tone, and boost collagen all in one and for only 20 bucks. As an added bonus, its also paraben-free, vegan, synthetic fragrance-free, vegan, and cruelty-free. $21 at Amazon Buy $19 at Walmart Buy Best retinol for dry skin Avene Eau Thermale RetrinAL 0.1 Intensive Cream $63 $79 now 20% off $63 Retinol concentration: 0.1 percent | Other actives: Peptides, vitamin E, thermal spring water | Price: 1 ounce (Approx. $70/ounce) Similar to La Roche Posay, French pharmacy brand Avene also formulates their products with thermal spring water that apparently moisturizes and hydrates skin. Whether its the water or the other moisturizing ingredients, its an actually good option for dry skin. Houshmand agrees. According to her, the concentration and combination of ingredients, including the thermal spring water that Avene is known for, wont further parch already dry skin. On top of its moisturizing properties, it has pro-elastin peptides that help with fine lines to firm and has vitamin E which helps with free-radical damage and protects against damaging sun rays, she says. And it will even help with dark spots and skin tone over time. $63 at Amazon Buy $79 at Dermstore Buy Best retinol for dark spots Neova Dual Matrix Retinol DNA $109 $109 Active ingredients: Endosomes | Price: 1 ounce (Approx. $109/ounce) If youre hoping to lighten dark spots using retinol, this one from Neova, also contains DNA repair enzymes, which naturally occur in the skin. These enzymes act as natural protection against sun damage, but diminish in our skin as we age. Neova helps to replenish that topically and fortify skin. Its great for sun-damaged skin, says Houshmand, who recommends this to patients of all ages and for those with more sensitive skin types. And because its a serum, she adds that it is smooth and absorbs into the skin. $109 at Neova Buy Best retinol for melanated skin Epi.logic Double Feature Retinol + AHA Overnight Facial $140 $140 Photo: retailer Active ingredients: AHAs, lactic acid, and mandelic acid | Price: 1 ounce ($140/ounce) Epi.Logic was founded by oculofacial plastic surgeon Dr. Chaneve Jeanniton in 2019, with a focus on treatments for melanin-rich and hyperpigmentation-prone skin. Its retinol Double Feature uses a special time-release formula that doles out its ingredients slowly, making it less harsh on skin. Mbiye Kasonga, who tried many different products to address her dark spots, left over from acne scars, tested this retinol and calls it the secret sauce behind my now-luminous skin. Its not cheap, but one bottle lasted me an entire year, which helps justify the price, as do the results. The difference isnt just aesthetic my skin feels better too. The persistent dryness and cycles of acne havent returned, and I confidently leave home barefaced. $140 at Nordstrom Buy $140 at Violet Grey Buy Best retinol for the neck No. 7 Restore & Renew Multi Action Serum $29 $29 Active ingredients: Peptides, amino acids | Price: 1 ounce (Approx. $25/ounce) Because the neck is a very sensitive area, you have to be careful with the products you use on it. Bowe suggests using a neck-specific formula, and she likes this really hydrating No. 7 serum. She further explains that it contains a whole blend of ingredients, including calcium amino acids and peptides that help with fragile, delicate, crepey skin, and it is gentle. You can imagine that if its gentle enough to use on the neck, which is so sensitive, its really great for people with very dry skin, she adds. $29 at Amazon Buy From $33 at Ulta Beauty 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 womens jeans, rolling luggage, pillows for side sleepers, ultra-flattering pants, and bath towels. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change. Every editorial product is independently selected. If you buy something through our links, New York may earn an affiliate commission. Police have yet to release additional information about the incident at the intersection of 10th Avenue South and Fourth Place South. They stated that the circumstances surrounding the shooting remain under investigation. Anyone with information regarding this homicide investigation is asked to call the police or Crime Stoppers using their 24-hour tip line at 334-215-STOP (7867) or 1-833-AL1-STOP (251-7867) or download their P3-tips app. In order to use the app, you will need to receive a tip ID and password to communicate with investigators. Any tips to Crime Stoppers can be made anonymously. Phenix City police are still looking for answers in the death of Jennifer Marie Anderson, a 44-year-old homeless woman whose body was found in October in a ditch near Brickyard Road. The Central Alabama Crimestoppers sent out a news release on Tuesday offering $1,000 reward to anyone with information that leads to an arrest. Any information is helpful. Central Alabama Crime Stoppers continues to take a stand against violence and is offering a $1,000.00 cash reward for any information that leads to the identification and arrest of the suspect, the organization said in a news release. Investigators were called to Brickyard Road near Fontaine Road on Oct. 27 to investigate her death. Her body was in an advanced stage of decomposition in a ditch next to the roadway, according to Crimestoppers. Anderson was listed as homeless by the department, authorities said. Anyone with information regarding this homicide investigation has been asked to call the Phenix City Police Department at 334-298-0611. You can also call Crime Stoppers using their 24-hour tip line at 334-215-STOP (7867) or 1-833-AL1-STOP (251-7867). Another option is to download their P3-tips app. In order to use the app, you will need to receive a tip ID and password to communicate with investigators. Any tips to Crime Stoppers can be made anonymously. There have been calls on the U.S. government and the countrys utilities to vastly improve its energy infrastructure to tackle the potentially devastating effects of severe weather events. Climate change has exacerbated extreme weather and natural disasters in recent years, which has hit U.S. energy infrastructure hard. Wildfires in California and winter storms in Texas have led to weeks-long power outages. Now, advocacy groups across the U.S. are accusing utilities of neglecting their role in protecting the public by not doing enough to mitigate the risk of wildfires. In 2018, in Paradise, California, a wildfire burned for two weeks, displacing tens of thousands of people and leading to the closure of schools and offices up to 150 miles away. It was later found that the utility giant PG&E was largely at fault for not properly assessing the risk of fire on its infrastructure in the region. In 2019, the company pleaded guilty to 84 counts of involuntary manslaughter and one count of unlawfully starting a fire. It agreed on a $13.5-billion settlement and was forced to file for bankruptcy, which it came out of in June 2020. PG&E created a Fire Victim Trust, which has distributed $11.11 billion to fire victims to date. However, many are still waiting for payouts, having lost their homes and communities. PG&E says it has reduced the risk of wildfire from its equipment by 94 percent since 2017, by burying power lines, vegetation management and, where needed, power shut-offs. While PG&E says it has improved its risk mitigation, there are fears that other companies have not. Meanwhile, climate change is exacerbating extreme weather conditions and driving up the potential for wildfires and other disasters. Recent data suggests that in parts of the Western U.S., a 1C increase in the average annual temperature could result in up to a 600 precent rise in median burned areas in some forest types. In 2023, authorities in California deemed a major utility guilty for a 2022 wildfire that killed two people. The fire started when a power line from Southern California Edison (SCE) sagged and hit a lower communications line, creating sparks that then ignited vegetation. The fire spread rapidly, burning through 28,000 acres in Riverside Country, south of Los Angeles. Then, in 2023, in Lahaina, Hawaii, there was a widespread wildfire that was deemed the most destructive and deadly human-made disaster in Hawaii's history. The fires burned through around 3,000 acres of land and caused approximately $5.5 billion in damage. So far, the cause of the wildfire has not been determined. However, Maui County blames the states utility company, Hawaiian Electric, for the fire. It has filed a lawsuit accusing the company of not properly maintaining its infrastructure. The lawsuit states, Hawaiian Electric knew that their electrical infrastructure was inadequate, ageing, and/or vulnerable to foreseeable and known weather conditions and had a responsibility to maintain and continuously upkeep that infrastructure. Further, it accuses the utility of keeping its power lines electrified during the forecasted high-fire danger conditions. On 8th August, high winds knocked down power lines, but the company says that the fire associated with this was contained. There have been widespread calls for improved mitigation risks for severe weather conditions in recent years, such as shutting off power lines to reduce the risk of wildfire. However, Hawaiian Electrics 2023 wildfire mitigation plan did not include a pre-emptive shut-off plan. The shut-off mitigation plan has become common practice in high-risk areas, such as California, but many states still do not have comprehensive strategies for extreme weather events. There are several ways in which utilities can mitigate the risk of wildfire. One of the most obvious is burying power lines so they cant ignite. This is an extremely costly activity, and vast amounts of power lines would require replacement in high-risk areas, which could take years. Companies also need to gain approval to change energy infrastructure on this scale. In 2023, the government approved PG&Es request to bury 1,230 miles of power lines underground between 2023 and 2026 at an anticipated cost of around $3 million per mile. This is expected to lead to a short-term increase in consumer utility bills. Companies are also responsible for monitoring the vegetation in the area and cutting back foliage that could pose an ignition risk if it comes into contact with the line. They must also ensure their energy infrastructure is well-maintained to decrease the risk of damage in the event of high winds or heavy rain. Further, utilities in high-risk areas can work with companies using enhanced weather stations to help them make Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS) decisions. These stations provide early wildfire detection and share extreme weather risks, letting utilities know when a shut-off is urgently needed. Utilities must consider both short- and long-term wildfire mitigation, by assessing grid vulnerabilities, carrying out comprehensive infrastructure inspections, analysing data, and conducting wildfire spread modelling to establish effective mitigation strategies. By Felicity Bradstock for Oilprice.com ADVERTISEMENT More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: NHLANGANO - Teachers of Mpatheni High School were shocked when a plastic believed to be containing Master 900 was found inside the school's water tank. Mpatheni High is under Hlatikhulu in the Shiselweni Region. Gathered information was that the plastic was discovered by a teacher who had gone to wash his hands. The teacher is said to have noticed that the water was muddy. With the intention of filling the tank with clean water, he went to check how much water was in the tank. Sources said the teacher opened the tank top which was when he discovered the plastic. It is said that the water was taken out of the tank and the teacher took the plastic to the staff room. "There was a transparent plastic inside the black one and they all had small wholes likely opened with a needle or a tip of a fork," narrated the source. It is worth noting that the school is about five years old. During its construction, there were disputes over the land allocated for the school. During construction, it was said that some of the structures would be vandalised, thus delaying the progress of the construction. The construction was completed after police intervention. It is not known who might have put the plastic inside the tank. The school's Head teacher Bibi Manyatsi said the teachers, especially from the Agriculture department, confirmed that it was the Master 900. As a result, Manyatsi said she called the Regional Education Officer Siboniso Gumbi. The head teacher highlighted that there were 120 pupils from her school who accessed the water as well 180 others from the primary school who would go to high school to fetch water from the tank. She explained that the suspected poisoned water was harvested from the rains and they used them the most compared to the one installed by Micro projects. She stated that REO Gumbi advised her to ask for police intervention, which she did. "We decided to dispose off the water from all the tanks and pump fresh water though we do not know how we will ensure they are not poisoned on a daily basis," she said. Manyatsi further said that they werr adviced to only use the harvested water for cleaning and pump water for drinking. When reached for a comment Shiselweni REO Gumbi confirmed that the incident was reported. He said they reported the matter to their superiors and were hoping that health checkups would be done to the pupils to ensure there was no poison in their body. Gumbi said they were going to get a direvtive on what happened next on Monday and would advice the head teacher accordingly. Deputy Chief Police Information and Communications Officer Assistant Superintendent Nosipho Mnguni confirmed the incident to have been attended by the police. She said police were doing investigations and took the exhibits for further investigations. Via Metal Miner Earlier this week, the China Nonferrous Metals Industry Association reported a 30% decline in the volume of aluminum products exported from China to the European Union. Aluminum manufacturing analysts quickly pointed out that this most likely resulted from the blocs 2023 carbon border tariff. The EUs Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) represents a new way to establish an equitable cost for the carbon emissions stemming from the manufacture of carbon-intensive goods imported into the EU. That said, the aim is to promote cleaner industrial practices worldwide, not just for Chinese aluminum manufacturing. The CBAMs phased implementation also coincides with the reduced free allowances allocated under the EU Emissions Trading System, thus aiding the transition toward decarbonization within EU industries. Delay in Carbon Charges Sparks Controversy The first phase of the CBAM launched in October 2023. However, administrators will not collect charges related to carbon dioxide emissions until 2026. Nonetheless, those importing commodities into the EU must report all greenhouse gas emissions related to product production. China currently exports commodities such as steel and aluminum to Germany, France, and Italy. According to this report, imports of aluminum products from China to the EU monitored under the CBAM were 689,000 tons in 2023. This represents a 30% drop from the previous year. The China Nonferrous Metals Industry Association indicates that the products in question included aluminum structures and aluminum plate, sheet, and strip, and accounted for about 9% of Chinas total exports of those products. The report further revealed that the total trade value for those products dropped by 26% to about $3.16 billion U.S, or 22.76-billion yuan. Aluminum Manufacturing and the Russia, China, and India Triangle After Russias invasion of Ukraine, Russia and China became more and more dependent on each other regarding aluminum. According to Reuters, Chinas 2023 imports of unwrought aluminum were double the previous year, marking the second-highest annual total since the beginning of this century. Furthermore, the import of the primary metal went up to 1.54 million metric tons from 668,000 tons in 2022, narrowly missing the record of 1.58 million tons set in 2021. Experts point out that the notable distinction between the peaks of 2021 and 2023 lies in the composition of inbound shipments. While Russian metal only accounted for 18% of volumes in 2021, this ratio soared to 76% the following year. Analysts largely attribute this to punitive import duties imposed by the U.S. and self-sanctioning measures taken in certain European regions, which disrupted previous trade patterns involving Russia. Alumina Imports Surge from India Amidst Russian Sanctions Facing these sanctions, Russia also stepped up its alumina imports from India, though Indian aluminum already accounted for a major portion of Russias 2021s bumper imports. Russia uses the aluminum feedstock to operate its Siberian facilities. According to reports, these imports help reduce the countrys reliance on China while also cutting down prices. After the Ukraine invasion, Russia, the second-largest aluminum producer in the world, lost access to multiple alumina sources. The first was in Ukraine itself. The other major source was Australia, which banned the supply of this critical raw material to Russia. However, Chinese and Indian imports are now filling this gap. Green is Good For Chinese Aluminum Manufacturing Despite the prolonged crisis in Chinas metals-intensive property market, reports indicate that strong demand from electric vehicles and renewables sectors continues to bolster aluminum demand. And despite domestic output reaching new highs, imports continue to surge. In September 2023, Chinas aluminum production reached a record level, fueled by smelters in Yunnan, the countrys fourth-largest aluminum-producing region. Currently, these smelters continue to ramp up production, benefiting from an improvement in hydropower supply. ADVERTISEMENT By Sohrab Darabshaw More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Authorities are investigating the cause of death of a woman who lived at an assisted-living facility in Wymore, Nebraska. Wymore Police Chief Bobby Martinez said that two weeks ago, the department was made aware of an adult protective services intake involving a 52-year-old female resident of Hope Wymore who died at a Lincoln hospital. We got an adult protective service intake on a resident who passed away, and claims were made within that intake that raised some questions for us and we decided we need to look further into it, he said. Martinez said an autopsy was ordered to determine the cause of death, and the case is under investigation. Hope Wymore, owned by Hope Cooperative Care, a Plattsmouth-based organization, opened to residents in late 2019 to cater specifically to residents with behavioral issues. Aubrie Charters first trip to New York City lasted roughly 72 hours, but it was a memorable one. In addition to seeing tourist hot spots like Central Park, the 18-year-old North Platte native walked down a runway during New York Fashion Week and was headed back to Nebraska when her photo was posted on a billboard in Times Square. It was actually insane, Charter said. As the reigning Miss Nebraska Teen USA, Charter has been invited to attend fashion shows in the past, but shed never been asked to model or walk down a runway. But a clothing brand called LuMen reached out to see whether Charter and other Miss Teen USA winners from their states would be interested in modeling for them in New York. Charter, a student at the University of Nebraska at Kearney, had to miss a few classes but made the New York trip work with her schedule. But Charter isnt sure her professors believed her when she told them she had to miss class to go walk down a runway during New York Fashion Week because shes Miss Nebraska Teen USA. Its just a little bit of a mouthful, Charter said. During New York Fashion Week, the industrys designers present their new collections with a series of runway shows. LuMen is a new brand, and Charter said their clothes have big and unique patterns. Before her trip to New York, Charter hadnt done any modeling outside pageants. She said she was able to shake off all nerves during a walk-through of the show and just enjoy the real thing. I just realized that were just walking down a runway and walking back, Charter said. So it really wasnt too bad, but it was super fun to have my first time be in New York City. Charter credits her confidence to her years competing in pageants. When she started at age 13, she could barely talk in front of a group of people without getting nervous. And now I am comfortable, apparently, walking on a New York Fashion Week stage, she said. Young girls often go through stages where they feel insecure. I think every little girl goes through it, Charter said. It just depends on your age range and what time it hits you. Pageantry helped Charter push pass insecurities and build her self-confidence. I dont know how to describe it, Charter said of pageants. It just makes you feel like youre on top of the world sometimes. On top of the world or on a video screen in Times Square. After the runway show, the clothing brand posted photos they took of Charter and the other models to a billboard in Times Square. They posted a video of it to social media. Charter said she didnt know the billboard was going up and it made an a great experience even better. One I will never forget, Charter said. There might be more modeling and pageants in Charters future, but first she said she wants to focus on school. The college freshman is studying pre-pharmacy. The runway will have to wait. Charter has to get back to class. Our best Omaha staff photos & videos of February 2024 When Stephanie Jenness found out she was pregnant with her third child, she and her husband, Dan, were ecstatic. They started preparing for life as a family of five, even purchasing a minivan. Stephanie's pregnancy was mostly smooth. There was a brief scare when a test showed a possible problem with the baby's chromosomes. However, that turned out to be a false alarm. And when baby Corey arrived at a hospital in Rhode Island, she passed all the newborn screenings, despite weighing only 4 pounds, 11 ounces. In the maternity ward, Stephanie was enjoying some snuggles and early bonding with Corey when a nurse visited them. The nurse noticed Corey's gums and nailbeds were blue. She took the newborn to the nursery for further observation. Soon, Stephanie was being wheeled into a conference room. Doctors broke the news: Corey was born with tetralogy of Fallot with pulmonary atresia a complex congenital heart defect. Four hours ago, her baby was healthy, Stephanie thought to herself. But now, Corey needed to be transferred to a hospital in Boston. Stephanie and Dan looked at their helpless infant in her hospital cot, wearing a tiny outfit with a pumpkin hat. (It was October 2017.) All they could do was cry, pray and hope for the best. Corey had her first open-heart surgery at 5 days old. It took a month for her to be healthy enough to go home. What should've been a milestone wasn't. Corey was soon drinking less and sleeping more. By the time Stephanie and Dan took her back to the hospital, her oxygen level was dangerously low. Both these issues stemmed from her needing a new pulmonary valve. Because she wasn't eating well, Corey was put on a feeding tube. Her low oxygen resulted in her being hooked up to oxygen full time. Corey was on both a feeding tube and oxygen from January until August 2018. That's when her medical team said she'd need another heart surgery to put a valve in. The surgery made a huge difference. Corey began showing interest in food, laughing and babbling to her brothers, Wyatt and Jacob. Corey's improvement was so profound that Stephanie and Dan felt like they were no longer in "survival mode." "Over the years, as Corey starts to acknowledge and understand that she has a heart condition and she's different, she's proud of her scar," Stephanie said. Now 6, Corey wakes up every day to a photo of herself on her bedroom wall. In it, she's in a hospital cot with a hole in her chest and tubes and bandages galore. "They fixed my heart," Corey said. That strong heart is something Corey and her parents think about every night. After putting on her favorite pajamas, brushing her teeth and crawling into bed for one of her favorite bedtime stories picture books about heart defect survivors Corey hears affirmations from the ones who love her most. "We always say at nighttime during prayers, 'You are strong, you are brave, you are beautiful, you are powerful,'" Stephanie said. "She knows she's different from her peers, but she's still a strong and powerful little girl. I want her to always know that. I don't ever want her to see her heart defect as a disability; I want her to use it as a strength." Stories From the Heart chronicles the inspiring journeys of heart disease and stroke survivors, caregivers and advocates. iXFZE9k1VxU covers heart and brain health. Not all views expressed in this story reflect the official position of the American Heart Association. Copyright is owned or held by the American Heart Association, Inc., and all rights are reserved. I am not an innately tidy person and never have been. Im a shover, I shove things. I shove clothes in a bin, shove a pile of random stuff into my closet, shove extra blankets under my bed, and shove loose makeup products into three separate makeup bags with no rhyme or reason of what goes where. When people talk about spring cleaning I just sort of nod, thinking to myself, another thing that wastes my time and brings me no fulfillment but that thinking was flawed. Never underestimate the psychological benefits of not feeling like a complete mess all the time. I always thought cleaning was a cause for anxiety, but it was thinking about cleaning that was causing the anxiety. The act of repetitively stacking, folding, arranging, wiping, and vacuuming, actually proved to be very soothing. Some people tap their legs when their anxious, and others put elbow grease into the stain on their area rug. To each their own. The hardest part of cleaning isnt the initial pick up, its planning organizational practices to ensure you dont let it pile up again. My advice? Dont fix yourself, outsmart your bad habits. I dont have time. Yes, you do. What do you normally do while you brush your teeth, and stare blankly into the mirror? Use your free hand to wipe down the sink, it takes about the same time it takes to sing Mary Had a Little Lamb in your head, so why not kill two birds with one stone. And thats not allthere are plenty of ways to clean around the house without changing your schedule. The simple joy of watching a Hot Pocket spin in circles in the microwave is riveting stuff, but what have you done to earn the Hot Pocket? If you wipe the counters down for two minutes before the microwave beeps, the Hot Pocket will feel like a special reward. This principle applies to other waiting periods too. While waiting for water to boil, tackle bigger cleaning tasks like sweeping or washing dirty dishes. The same goes for your car dispose of those straw wrappers and fast food bags while the gas is pumping. Moving around the house is another time-saving way to clean. If you go to get a drink from the kitchen, bring the dirty plate from the table with you. When youre going to bed, bring the shoes by the door upstairs. One method that works wonders for me is listening to a podcast. Mixing celebrity gossip (my favorite podcast is Juicy Scoop with Heather McDonald) with the repetitive task of putting away clothes, puts my mind in a tranquil trance. Time might be passing, but it sure doesnt feel like it. It will just get messy again. Heres where the outsmarting comes in. Review your habits, and see where the mess usually begins. For me its the floors of my bedroom. I put the laundry basket right by my bed, so I see it before I think about throwing the clothes on the floor. If you find yourself changing in your bathroom most often, put the laundry basket in there. It should always be a conscious decision catered to you. Another pattern I have is throwing my work bag, laptop and keys on a living room chair every time I get home from work. While it was great for dramatic effect, I found that using a key hook by the front door worked best to not constantly have to dissect my couch before I left the house. Mine is plain, but if you need something more quirky to get you excited about hanging up your keys, I recommend the Pluginz Marshall Jack Rack Key Holder its a great conversation piece. No one is going to see it Regardless of how many people will see your home, cleaning has scientifically proven benefits, and clutter has scientifically proven detriments to your health mentally and physically. One 2010 study from the University of California- Los Angeles, examined how people describe their homes and their impact on their well-being. Using linguistic analysis software, it studied 60 dual-income spouses descriptions during self-guided home tours. It identified words related to clutter and unfinished spaces as indicators of a stressful home, while words associated with rest and nature denoted a restorative home. Wives with higher stressful home scores experienced flatter cortisol diurnal slopes, linked to negative health outcomes, while those with higher restorative home scores had steeper cortisol slopes, suggesting better well-being. Cortisol is a chemical produced by your bodys adrenal glands that regulates your natural stress response and regulates the bodys circadian rhythm. A flat diurnal cortisol slope is maladaptive and can lead to disorders like chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, chronic headaches and rheumatoid arthritis. On top of the scary hidden health hazards, there are also the more glaringly obvious hazards, like inhaling dust, mold, and other allergens. This is all to say, no more excuses. Next time you contemplate skipping the cleanup, remember that a tidy home goes beyond appearancesits an investment in your overall health and peace of mind. Twenty-three years ago today, students across Omaha took part in the first annual African-American History Challenge, a contest designed to spur student interest in Black history. The competition was based on the book "Before the Mayflower," written by Lerone Bennett Jr., a social historian and an author, and sponsored by the the 100 Black Men of Omaha Inc. About 350 people attended the event on Feb. 21, 2001, which involved 12 schools. All but the Jesuit Middle School were in the Omaha public school district. Each school selected a three-member team to send to the competition. The inaugural winner was North High School in the senior division. Teams from South High and Central High won second and third place, respectively. The top three teams in the junior division were Jesuit Middle School, first; Beveridge Middle School, second; and McMillan Magnet Center, third. The top team in each division was to compete for scholarships at the National 100 Black Men convention that June in Atlanta. The contest brought teams together for workshops and study. It was designed as a College Bowl or Jeopardy-like contest. The students competed for scholarship money, a trip to the national contest and award money for their school. Photos: African-American History Challenge Michael Hall lives and works in a seventh-floor apartment at Midtown Crossing, high above Omahas future streetcar line on Farnam Street. His job involves frequent videoconferences on his computer. He attended Thursday nights Omaha Streetcar Authority open house with one question at the top of his mind: Will the banging and clanging of heavy equipment during two years of construction on the streetcar line disrupt his work? When I look out my window, I can see Farnam Street, Hall said. My goal is to find out whats going to happen, before it happens. For the people who live at Midtown Crossing, were crossing our fingers. Omahas planned streetcar has stirred up plenty of skepticism over the route, the financing and the land deal with Mutual of Omaha that made it possible.Its going to go right up to our building But many of the 320 who attended the open house, in a ballroom at the Kimpton Cottonwood Hotel in Blackstone, live along the future streetcar route and, like Hall, wondered how the new streetcar line would impact their lives. Thats what brought out Josh Murphy and Liyen Vong, who live at 16th and Farnam Streets. Were interested to see how its going to affect where we live, Vong said. Its going to go right up to our building. Murphy and Vong both use the ORBT express bus Murphy to commute to his job in west Omaha, and Vong to attend nursing classes at Clarkson College or to visit Dundee. They can imagine riding the streetcar with their 3-year-old son, Maddox, to the Kiewit Luminarium and the new riverfront parks. Absolutely, we would use it, Murphy said. Its right on our street. Were excited about it. Michael Shonka, 67, a lifelong Omaha resident, owns property along the streetcar line. From what Ive seen, its all positive, Shonka said. Its important to keep the vision of Omaha for the future. How are we going to get around? I think this is part of the answer. The streetcar will run along Farnam between Eighth and 39th Streets, along Harney Street from Turner Boulevard to 10th Street, along 10th from Harney to Capitol Avenue, Capitol from 10th to Eighth Street, and Eighth from Capitol to Farnam. Sixteen stops are planned along the route. Mayor Jean Stothert and others have talked about extending the route later, to the CHI Health Center (and possibly beyond), and to the University of Nebraska Medical Center campus. The project design is now 60% complete, said Nick Stadem, streetcar project manager with the Omaha engineering firm HDR. At the open house, he and other consultants and city staffers answered questions as members of the public looked over artist renderings, displays and maps. City design board likes Omaha streetcar but hopes stations could be heated The city's Urban Design Review Board looked over Omaha's proposed streetcar design. They liked what they saw but asked designers to heat the streetcar stops against the bitter Nebraska winters. Planners showed sketches of the new streetcars, which are expected to be built by CAF USA, the U.S. subsidiary of a Spanish company that builds trams and streetcars in use around the world. In January, CAF USA submitted the only bid to build six streetcars for Omaha, for $47.6 million. Engineers: Construction may be disruptive City engineers acknowledge there will be some disruption while the streetcar line is being built, similar to any road construction project. Well be ripping up the concrete, putting in the tracks, said Bob Stubbe, Omahas public works director. A display at the open house said nearby residents could anticipate regularly certain impacts, including: Construction noise during work hours Truck traffic Heavy machinery and equipment in and near work areas Possible dust and vibration Lane restrictions and intermittent sidewalk closures. In addition, there will be occasional planned, short-term utility outages, overnight road closures, and changes to driveways into private property. Some work, involving the relocation of utility lines, already has begun, Stubbe said. Currently one lane is closed between South 17th and South 18th Streets while MUD moves water and gas lines. Full-scale construction is expected to begin in late 2024, and continue throughout 2025 and into 2026. A maintenance facility also will be built under the Interstate 480 elevated freeway, near the south end of the CHI Health Center parking lot. It will include three maintenance and storage bays for the streetcars, as well as a shop floor and office space. Service is expected to begin during the winter of 2026-27. Big-boy city, with big-boy development Some details still arent finalized, including the total cost. The city has estimated the cost at $306 million. In December 2022, the Omaha City Council approved the sale of up to $440 million in bonds to cover the costs, which would be repaid through tax-increment financing, known as TIF. Loans are repaid using the increased property taxes that are generated on the new development. During the TIF period, the property owner continues to pay a portion of property taxes to local governments based on the valuation that existed before the improvements. After the TIF loan is repaid, property taxes collected on the increased value of the property then start flowing to local governments instead of going to the loan repayments. Sole bid for Omaha streetcar trams is $47.6 million The Omaha Streetcar Authority received a single bid totaling $47.6 million to build the streetcars that will run on the citys new line. A consultant hired by the city forecast that a special district along the streetcar route will see more than $600 million in TIF revenues through 2057 based on estimates of future property values, the rate of tax credits, the strength of Omahas economy and little change in zoning laws. Steve Jensen, Mayor Jean Stotherts deputy chief of staff, and Jennifer Taylor, assistant city attorney, say they have spent years studying the economics of a streetcar in Omaha and are highly confident that it will boost development from midtown to downtown because it will greatly reduce the need for parking. Developers of new projects like the new Mutual of Omaha headquarters at 14th and Douglas Streets will be able to build more with more density and spend less on parking. Youre wasting half of your land on parking garages, Taylor said. If we dont do this, we wont be able to grow the way we want to. Weve got to be big-boy city, with big-boy development. Photos: Omaha's streetcar system through the years WASHINGTON The United States and European Union on Friday heaped hundreds of new sanctions on Russia in connection with the second anniversary of its invasion of Ukraine and in retaliation for the death of noted Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny last week in an Arctic penal colony. The U.S. government imposed about 600 new sanctions on Russia and its war machine in the largest single round of penalties since Russia's invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022. The EU added sanctions on several foreign companies over allegations that they exported dual-use goods to Russia that could be used in its war against Ukraine. The 27-nation bloc also targeted scores of Russian officials, including members of the judiciary, politicians and people it said were "responsible for the illegal deportation and military re-education of Ukrainian children." Nevalny's body Meanwhile, a Navalny ally said Friday that Russian authorities gave his mother a deadline to agree to forgo a public funeral or theyll bury him on prison grounds. Investigators gave Lyudmila Navalnaya three hours to accept a proposal for a private funeral outside the public eye, Navalnys close associate Ivan Zhdanov said. Navalnaya so far refused to continue negotiations and demanded authorities follow the law and hand over the body within 48 hours of determining the cause of death, which would be Saturday. Pressure on Putin President Joe Biden said the sanctions come in response to Russian President Vladimir Putin's "brutal war of conquest" and to Navalny's death, adding that "we in the United States are going to continue to ensure that Putin pays a price for his aggression abroad and repression at home." While previous sanctions have increased costs for Russia's ability to fight in Ukraine, they appear to have done little so far to deter Putin. In specific response to Navalny's death, the State Department targeted three Russian officials the U.S. says are connected to his death, including the deputy director of Russia's Federal Penitentiary Service, whom Putin promoted to the rank of colonel general Monday, three days after Navalny died. The sanctions bar the officials from traveling to the U.S. and block access to U.S.-owned property, though they appear largely symbolic, given the officials are unlikely to travel to or have assets or family in the West. White House national security spokesman John Kirby said to "expect more" action later related to Navalny's death. Aid to Ukraine The Biden administration is levying additional sanctions as House Republicans are blocking billions of dollars in additional aid to Ukraine. The war is becoming entangled in U.S. election-year politics, with former President Donald Trump voicing skepticism about the benefits of the NATO alliance and saying that he would "encourage" Russia to "do whatever the hell they want" to countries that, in his view, are not pulling their weight in the alliance. Biden on Friday called on Congress to pass Ukraine aid, which has stalled since House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., blocked votes on aid passed by the Senate for Ukraine and other countries. "Russia is taking Ukraine territory for the first time in many months," Biden said. "But here in America, the speaker gave the house a two week vacation. They have to come back and get this done, because failure to support Ukraine in this critical moment will never be forgotten in history." Biden spoke later Friday with French President Emmanuel Macron about Russias recent actions and the need to support Ukraine. A White House readout said they also discussed developments in the Middle East. Many of the new U.S. sanctions announced Friday target Russian firms that contribute to the Kremlin's war effort like drone and industrial chemical manufacturers and machine tool importers as well as financial institutions, such as the state-owned operator of Russia's Mir National Payment System. The U.S. also will impose visa restrictions on Russian authorities it says are involved in the kidnapping and confinement of Ukrainian children. In addition, 26 third-country people and firms from across China, Serbia, the United Arab Emirates and Liechtenstein are listed for sanctions, for assisting Russia in evading existing financial penalties. The Russian foreign ministry called the EU sanctions "illegal" and said they undermine "the international legal prerogatives of the UN Security Council." In response, the ministry banned some EU citizens from entering the country because they provided military assistance to Ukraine. It did not immediately address the U.S. sanctions. Pressure campaign Since the start of the war, the U.S. Treasury and State departments targeted more than 4,000 officials, oligarchs, firms, banks and others under Russia-related sanctions authorities. The EU asset freezes and travel bans constitute its 13th package of measures imposed by the bloc against people and organizations it suspects of undermining the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. "Today, we are further tightening the restrictive measures against Russia's military and defense sector," EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said. "We remain united in our determination to dent Russia's war machine and help Ukraine win its legitimate fight for self-defense." In all, 106 more officials and 88 "entities" often companies, banks, government agencies or other organizations were added to the bloc's sanctions list, bringing the tally of those targeted to more than 2,000 people and entities, including Putin and his associates. Ukraine endures a second year of war with scenes of grief, suffering and also joy LINCOLN A group of state senators is aiming to expand veterans access to problem-solving courts in Nebraska through legislation that would give judges the option to help connect those individuals with treatment and other services. Sen. Tom Brewer of Gordon said the Veterans Justice Act would build upon the success of Nebraskas existing problem-solving courts by providing extra opportunities to help them deal with their underlying traumas. Its not a permission slip to commit crimes, but a way to address those issues that are specific to veterans, said Brewer, who spent 37 years in the military as an infantryman and airborne ranger. The legislation was brought to Nebraska by former U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, who is a member of the Council on Criminal Justices Veterans Justice Commission, a 15-member committee that launched an examination of veterans involvement in the criminal justice system in 2022. Hagel also served as a Republican U.S. senator from Nebraska. The recommendation that emerged from that study was molded into a model bill that could be adopted by state legislatures for use in the roughly 3,000 counties across the country most of which do not have problem-solving courts tailored to veterans. Hagel said the bill, which was written in conjunction with the Department of Veterans Affairs, congressional leaders, and the American Legislative Exchange Council, or ALEC, gives states something you can work from. Weve got to come at it from a holistic view of the decision-makers in our country, Hagel told senators at a briefing before Fridays hearing. Introduced as an amendment to replace a bill (Legislative Bill 253) introduced by Brewer last year that remained held in Judiciary Committee, the proposal would require each district and county court in the state to create a program to help avoid incarcerating veterans who suffer from the lingering effects of their service. Veterans who are found eligible for the program would work with the court to develop a case plan that includes connecting them with service providers funded through the Veterans Administration that is specific to their needs. The legislation introduced Friday would give the discretion for making the determination of whether or not a veteran qualifies to the judge, which is unique to Nebraskas other problem-solving courts, which give prosecutors authority to determine who qualifies and who doesnt. If a judge thinks that putting a particular veteran in a program would be unsafe for the public, this legislation lets the judge make the call, Brewer told the committee, adding: These programs are not supposed to be a cake walk. It would also allow the victim of the veterans crime if there was one to be heard by the court during the process, and would require the state judiciary to keep track of success rates, housing and employment status, as well as details on the types of offenses committed. Brewer, who was awarded a Purple Heart during his service, said he knew several military service members who suffered after completing their tours of duty. They would leave the military and not be able to adjust, he said, adding that in some cases those individuals would spiral until they found themselves in a courtroom after having broken the law. Jim Seward, the director of the Veterans Justice Commission, said the problems faced by veterans are nothing new. A study of 11 prisons conducted in 1952 found that roughly one-third of the inmates were veterans of World War II, Seward said, while the number of veterans who were incarcerated after the Vietnam War was similar. After World War II, we did not know that sitting in the VFW and drinking whiskey was not a good coping mechanism, he said, which often led to the problems faced by many. The recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, which were the longest armed conflicts in American history, saw men and women deployed multiple times over the course of two decades, which makes them more likely to develop post-traumatic stress disorder, Seward added. Those facts brought heightened awareness to the issues faced by veterans, he said, which led to the Veterans Justice Commissions study on how the U.S. can help those individuals return to their homes and communities in a better way. The outcomes of establishing an alternative to incarceration for former members of the military was beneficial not only to those individuals, Seward said, but to the communities where they live and work. If the Department of Defense is putting folks onto your streets that are struggling and suffering, and theyre not picking up the cost, you better than anybody else in Nebraska knows who is picking up the cost, Seward said. Brock Hunter, the co-founder of the Veterans Defense Project, said not every veteran will come back damaged, but that it was important for the legal system to have an understanding of those who do, even if their scars are invisible. Undiagnosed and untreated, those conditions all too often lead to self-medication with alcohol or drugs, and self-destructive, reckless, and unfortunately sometimes violent behaviors against the veterans families or the communities they have just risked their lives to protect, Hunter said. The Veterans Justice Act aims to do a better job than we did in the past, Hunter said, by giving those individuals a second chance while also holding them accountable. It would not interfere with existing veterans treatment courts, like those operating in Lancaster County and Nebraskas other most populous areas, but outlines a process any judge can follow: This is just an augment. Its never going to be as comprehensive as a veterans treatment court, Hunter said, but what were trying to do is triage. Were trying to provide something here thats better than nothing, than just throwing a veteran in a cage and punishing him or her. The proposal won support from the Nebraska Criminal Defense Attorneys Association, which said problem-solving courts, including those geared toward veterans, have demonstrated success of saving taxpayer money and reducing recidivism rates. The organization representing prosecutors the Nebraska County Attorneys Association said it had hesitations on the legislation introduced on Friday, however. Dan Zieg, speaking on behalf of the county attorneys, said while it was supportive of veterans treatment programs, his group believes prosecutors should have the authority not judges to help determine who qualifies for entry into those programs. Zieg said many county attorneys, particularly in rural parts of the state, were also concerned about a lack of resources to carry out the program. Brewer said the bill is probably not perfect and said he was willing to work with lawmakers on the Judiciary Committee to address concerns and advance it to the floor. We were rushed when we put the bill together, Brewer said, adding Hagel had brought it to the attention of several lawmakers earlier this month, but I think were in the 90th percentile. The Judiciary Committee did not take any action on the bill on Friday, but Omaha Sen. Justin Wayne, the committee chair, said the legislation was part of a national movement and pledged to help Brewer pass the bill in the remaining 26 days of the legislative session. This is an opportunity for us to correct some of the lack of supports, he said. Brewer said he believed the Veterans Justice Act would make the states criminal justice system better. This is good for our veterans, this is good for communities, this is good for Nebraska, he said. Our best Omaha staff photos & videos of February 2024 All Progressives Congress (APC) National Assembly members yesterday got the nod to negotiate with the opposition in their bid for principal positions in the Ninth Assembly. It is democratic to do so, the party said in a statement signed by National Publicity Secretary Lanre Issa-Onilu, who stressed that the party has nothing against its members seeking cooperation with other legislators as it is confident that they will not betray the party. There has been reports of Senate Leader Ahmad Lawan, who has been adopted for Senate President, holding meetings with the PDP, but Issa-Onilu said that Lawan was adopted by the party for the position in the first place because of his ability to carry everyone along, which is needed for such a position. He also said that the party will announce its zoning arrangement for National Assembly leadership. The statement reads: We are inundated with reports of our members in the National Assembly holding consultations with members of the opposition over the election of leaders into the Ninth National Assembly. Let me state that our party has no objection to such consultations. It is a normal democratic practice world over to stretch hands across the divides. And contrary to some media reports, the actions of our members do not contradict the partys position. APC has a comfortable majority in both chambers. Therefore; we have the number to produce the leadership. But democracy recognises the importance of the opposition, especially when you do not have two-third, which would be required at some very critical situations. For us as a ruling party, we understand that a stable and peaceful National Assembly would enhance our capacity to deliver more for the people of Nigeria. So, the party is not averse to negotiation by Senator Ahmed Lawan and our other senators-elect working to fulfil the position taken by our party. It is important to note that one of the key considerations for adopting him as the partys candidate for the Senate presidency is his ability to carry everyone along. On top of that, the party has confidence in him not to compromise the progressive ideology of APC. So, clearly, Senator Ahmed Lawan is capable of conducting his negotiations within the prism of APCs objectives. On zoning and the leadership of the House of Representatives, Issa-Onilu assured Nigerians that the party will put to rest ongoing agitations and will soon release the zoning arrangements for the principal positions of the incoming Ninth National Assembly. The party will also make its position clear in the coming days on the principal positions in the House of Representatives, the partys spokesman said. He said that the nationwide consultations being championed by the Senate Leader and Leader of the House of Representatives Femi Gbajabiamila, who is seeking to become the Speaker of the Green Chamber, were in line with the partys policy of inclusiveness. According to him, national interest is guiding the ongoing rapprochement between APCs candidates and members-elect from the opposition. Issa-Onilu said: It is just part of politics and in a democracy, consensus is a key element. To have a smooth sail in the National Assembly, you dont go to the floor pretending that the opposition parties do not exist. Even if the opposition parties cannot defeat you, in the spirit of national interest, you must work with them. We want to run a government of inclusiveness, we need every party. We will support every effort by our candidates for principal offices in the Senate and the House of Representatives to carry elected members from the opposition along. As long as we can, we will keep our members-elect united to present common candidates to lead the National Assembly. The fact that we are saying that we can go it alone is not the same thing as saying that the opposition does not matter. We have the numbers to achieve our aim but we have to ensure comfort for the opposition too. Unlike in the past, what we are pushing before the 9th National Assembly is a national interest agenda. We want them to see our candidates within the prism of the national agenda we are pursuing. Lawan at the weekend had audience with more senators-elect from PDP to beg for their votes. A senator-elect said: Actually, Lawan met with us to seek our support. He tried to make a few clarifications which boosted our confidence in him. It is not a party affair at all. It is left to individual senator to decide who to vote for. Invest In Social Force & Get 50% Click HERE >> To Buy Cheap MTN & GLO Data Click HERE >> Russia's appeal against suspension by International Olympic Committee dismissed Xinhua) 10:37, February 24, 2024 LAUSANNE, Feb 23, (Xinhua) -- The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has announced on Friday its ruling on the appeal arbitration case involving the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC). "The CAS panel in charge of this matter dismissed the appeal and confirmed the challenged decision, finding that the IOC executive board did not breach the principles of legality, equality, predictability or proportionality," CAS said in its ruling. The ROC sought to set aside the decision rendered by the IOC Executive Board on October 12, 2023, which suspended the ROC from the IOC with immediate effect until further notice. "The CAS panel's decision is final and binding except for the parties' right to file an appeal to the Swiss Federal Tribunal within 30 days on limited grounds," the document read. (Web editor: Xue Yanyan, Hongyu) LAMGABHI ETIYENI A DNA is a scientific way to determine paternity or in this case to confirm the biological father of the child. After a married woman from LaMgabhi Etiyeni had claimed maintenance from four men, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister ordered four men to take the scientific route to determine the father of a seven-year old child. This happened after they had reported the woman to the DPMs Office after allegations that she played all four different men into believing that they fathered her child. Three of the men are also married. Investigations by Eswatini News revealed that one of these men, besides forking out maintenance money before and after the child was born in 2017 until now that she was in Grade III (Standard One), lived with the child for seven years. He thought he was the father. The man who lived with the child saw a Facebook post of the woman in which she published the photos of her child and another man.*Meshack then asked *James why he was pictured with his daughter. James reportedly responded that he thought he was also the childs father. Threatening It must be said that James is married to the woman (*Phephile). Meshack then confronted Phephile, whom he regarded as his baby mama. He suggesterd for a DNA test, which Phephile rejected, threatening to kill herself by drinking poison together with the child. This led to him deciding against the DNA paternity test to protect the child, in particular. After sometime, he thought he was better off knowing the truth. It has been learnt that Meshack and James live in the same area. After hearing the news of the paternity controversy, the family of another man of the same area (LaMgabhi Etiyeni) emerged and offered to tell a story. Meshack is related to the family. Family members did not talk about James, but their own relative, *Musa who is known to have fathered the child. The fourth man, a police officer, was informed of the matter and he immediately took action after hearing that a DNA was being conducted to determine who the father of the child, he knew to be his, is. The fourth man is *Joseph. Aggrieved The test was indeed conducted on the four men after the real father (Joseph) who is a police officer stationed at the Matsapha Police College, was also called in to join the aggrieved three in the DNA testing process. It has been established that four men were called to the DPMs Office earlier this week where the results were read out to them, revealing that the married police officer was the biological father. Meshack, who happens to be a soldier nurse, speaking to the Eswatini News, said, by exposing the woman, his aim was to correct government on the issues of GBV. My aim of exposing this story is the issue of laws passed by this country. These laws are passed without considering the pros and cons such that when you analyse the law as a citizen, it does not balance, he said. Adding, Meshack argued that some of the laws passed appeared to favour others more, making an example of the Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Act. He said this legislation was designed in such a way that males always appeared as the culprits in domestic violence matters. The GBV law does not consider the contributing factors that lead to domestic violence. This leads to the breaking of the GBV law and some die while others do not, he said. Narrating his issue, the soldier who is a nurse said he was made to maintain a child by the woman in question for the past seven years, only to find that he was performing the father duties with four other men. Serious I was forced to bring the child to stay with me, which gave me the opportunity and time to have a serious look at her. After thorough assessment, something just did not look right with this child because she did not look like the other children in my home. Engulfed by this uncertainty over the child, he claimed to have immediately called the mother, where he poured out his heart about how he felt about the child. I told the mother that the child did not look like the other children here at my home, but I explained that this was not meant to accuse her of any malice. I only requested that we go for a DNA test. This unfortunately did not go down well with the mother. The law enforcer claimed to have communicated through WhatsApp Messenger with the mothers child, where she allegedly made threats to him after requesting for the DNA tests. She told me that I was making fun of her child and threatened to buy Masta 900 to end the childs life along with hers. I had to go down to Lobamba Police Station and report. That was during schools first term last year. Adding, he said after reporting the threats to the police, he was advised against returning the child to her mother. Tests The police told me that this issue could only be sorted out by conducting DNA tests. I heeded to the advice and returned home with the child. That was during the first term and when she called that she wanted the child back, I told her that we should meet at the police station. She continued to harass me and said whatever she wanted. Meshack claimed to have cooled down during the second term and allowed the child back to her mother. He said the mother took the child and brought her back after some days. Then one day, while I was going through social media on Facebook, I saw her account and followed it. I then went straight to her photos and discovered pictures that told me that during the course of the time when the child was not with me, she had taken her to the other father at an area, which I know myself. So, when she asked for the child, they went straight to the other fathers place to spend time together. The health worker said the second father was actually married to the childs mother as he had allegedly performed the customary kuteka ceremony on her. I should state that we were in a relationship before she was takaed by the second man and according to her, I was still able to impregnate her when she was already married to another man. I then searched for Facebook friends and came across the man she had married and followed him also. To his astonishment, the soldier-nurse (Meshack) claimed to have discovered the same pictures of the child on the alleged womans husbands Facebook timeline, including the inside of the house where the family apparently took the pictures. Understand These were pictures of the child with her mothers husband, he said. I then called the man because I know him. I introduced myself to him and fortunately, he remembered me. He said he then asked him about the whereabouts of his child with her mother. He said he told him that he was made to understand that Phephile was taking the child to her mother in Phongola, South Africa. At that time, Meshack said the woman had returned the child to him. He further claimed to have enquired from the man how often he was able to see the child. Meshack said he told him that the mother was complaining about lack of clothes for the child. The man narrated to me that he told the childs mother that he would not buy the clothes without the presence of the child. I then asked him if he had the birth certificate of the child and he responded to the negative. However, he said the mother told him that she had the birth certificate, which only had her particulars, while the fathers side was blank, he said. Meshack said it was at this point that he broke the news to the husband that he (soldier) was actually the father of the child. I told him that the child was staying with me and was attending school. I then suggested to him that we come up with a plan to sort out the childs issue, Meshack, the soldier-nurse said. I knew that she was going to call me during the third term and request the child. So, our plan with the other father was that when she did that, I would alert him so that we meet where she was going to direct me and then proceed to the police station. Release child Indeed, he alleged that the childs mother called him as planned. This happened when schools closed for December holidays last year. She asked him to release the child. I agreed to release the child and she told me that she was now taking the child away from me for good, Meshack said. That was through a message and I did not respond to it. On the agreed day of releasing the child to her, the other father contacted me to advise that he was already waiting for me at the Lobamba Police Station. He added: I took the child with me to her mother before proceeding to the police station because I did not want her to suspect foul play. I actually took the other children with me as well. On arrival at the police station, he said they were directed to a certain department, where he explained the whole story to the officer-in-charge. I informed the police officer that we spoke with the other father about the same issue, to which they then demanded that he (other father) be called in before the childs mother could say anything. He was called in and the matter was discussed. This is where the recommendation of DNA test came up again, he explained to Eswatini News. The soldier-nurse also said he informed the officer that he was once approached by a family at his community about the issue of the child. I informed the officer that this family told me that they heard I was supporting a child, who was also supported by them (family) as they were also made to believe that the child belonged to them. That is the third father, he narrated. Investigate I also indicated to the officer that upon being approached by the said family, I took it upon myself to investigate further, but my elders advised me against releasing the child without evidence that he was not mine, so I had to continue supporting her. Meshack lamented that he supported the child from the time Phephile was pregnant until she was born at Mbabane Government Hospital. So, this means the child had three fathers at that point, which was me, the second father and the third one from a certain family in my community, he said. I made it clear to the police officer that my main concern was who was going to leave with the child after the meeting at the station. The police officer indicated that the issue was beyond their jurisdiction as it demanded the involvement of a social worker. When the social workers were called by the police officers, he said it was reported that they were attending an end-of-year party in December last year. The officers then arranged that we meet a social worker based in Mbabane and a Magongo police officer was engaged. Magongo tried to attend to the matter and asked the mother about her pin number, which she admitted reflected her husband, he said. Magongo then inquired from the woman why the babys hospital card reflected me as the father. Her response was that she was asked by the nurse who the father of the child was and she gave her my name. The soldier-nurse said the social worker wanted to find out why the nurses did not use the mothers pin number which must translate to the childs birth certificate details. The womans pin number also stated that the next of kin of the child was her husband, he said. Welfare However, I told Magongo that such had been discussed with the police officers and what had brought us to him was to decide who was going to leave with the child on that day of the meeting. Magongo then called another social worker to intervene on the matter. We were then called by a Mkhonta woman from social welfare assigned to handle our case. The soldier said they were instructed to attend a meeting with the social worker in Mbabane where again, all the parties were present. He said the suggestion of a DNA test again came up during that meeting. It was at that point that I told the social worker that I was no longer prepared to do the DNA test because I asked for it in time. I then made it clear that if the DNA test was to be done, we would have to share the costs, as I was only prepared to pay half. He said the social worker, after hearing all the submissions, reached a conclusion that the womans husband was not in anyway linked to the child even though his family members allegedly had seen some similarities. The social worker made it clear that there was no evidence linking the husband to the child. The social worker then asked the woman if she was ready to take custody of the child after making threats of making him (child) drink Masta 900. The social worker then made it known to the woman that the child was being left in my custody and her reaction was storming out of the office. The army nurse said when the woman stormed out of the social workers office, they feared that she would rush to the car where the child was left to do harm, hence they hastily followed her after being made to sign some documents. We signed a book, which was blank and we rushed to the car where we found her with the child. When I reached home, I became worried that I had signed for something I had not read because the officer was yet to write the notes. This was on a Friday and I wasted no time and returned to the social workers offices the following Monday to double-check the notes. He added that he had no problem with the notes by the social worker except for the part where it is stated that the minor was given to his custody pending DNA results. Demanded My concern was that the DNA test could happen even after 20 years, hence I demanded that there must be a time frame, because I was starting to have some inferiority against the child. Seeing that the Social Welfare Department was not assisting me, I then made an appointment to see the DPM. The soldier said he was welcomed at the DPMs Office, where he was directed to the Principal Secretary (PS) Melusi Masuku to state his case. PS then called the social welfare officers to a meeting and at that time, I had discovered that there was a fourth father involved and he was a police officer. By mere looking, you could tell that the police officer was the biological father of the child. I was asked to leave contacts of the other two fathers and they promised to call us all to a meeting. He said the PS indicated that the only way out was the DNA test, saying that in the meantime, he also mandated his family to approach the family of the childs mother on the issue. After a few days, I received a call from the Social Welfare Department informing me that the family of the childs mother wanted to meet on the issue, but I made it clear that I was not prepared to come there on that day, he said. He added: Some hours later, I got another call from the same social welfare offices informing me that a brother of the woman (childs mother) was offering to pay the costs of the DNA test. The DNA allegedly cost over E4 000. He said he was asked to come and take samples, to which he agreed. When the day for the testing came, he said they went to Lancet Laboratory, where their blood samples were taken. When the results came back, they showed that I was not the father of the child. Then tell me, if I had acted on emotions after getting these results, what would have stopped me from inflicting violence on that woman. She is liable to a certain sentence because there is no way I could get compensation for all the money I have spent maintaining this child. The soldier-nurse said he was not even considering the option of instituting civil case against the woman because she was unemployed. A police officer identified as Ndlangamandla, based at the Lobamba Police Station in the Domestic Violence Department, referred inquiries to the Deputy Chief Police Information and Communications Officer Assistant Superintendent Nosipho Mnguni. Meanwhile, below is on of the messages allegedly sent to the soldier by the mother of the child after he had demanded DNA paternity test: Lokutangisita nje angiyotsenga Masta 900 ngivele ngife once naloyo mntfwana kutophela umsindvo gci. Sengidziniwe ngulokukhuluma lokungapheli mine ncono ngife mine naloyo mntfwana kutophela lokukhuluma. The soldier alleged that he never responded to the messages from the woman. Nonhlanhla Dlamini, the Executive Director of Swatini Action Group Against Abuse (SWAGAA), said the man who had lived with the child and reported the issue to the Social Welfare Departmentneeded counselling. She advised him and the child to come to SWAGAA for this very crucial session. She also invited the others to also come for the same exercise. She described the womans act as criminal. Assistant Superintendent Mnguni confirmed that the matter was reported to the Lobamba Police Station before it was referred to the Social Welfare Department. * Not real names to protect minor from victimisation. Photos have emerged from the burial of the Boys Brigade members who were killed on Easter Sunday in Gombe. It will be recalled that that the boys were killed during an Easter procession when a vehicle allegedly driven by an officer of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps ASC Adamu Abubakar rammed into the procession by members of the group. Many others were injured. The slain boys have now been buried. According to Punch Metro, the burial held at the Christian cemetery in Gombe amidst bitter tears which flowed freely at the event. See more photos below: Until Monday, Jeffrey Ewohime, a UK-based Nigerian, lived privately without being in the news for the wrong reasons. But since he destroyed vehicles at the Nigerian high commission in London, Ewohime has been a subject of controversy. A quick search on Google gives him away as the man who wreaked havoc at the Nigerian high commission in the UK. The 31-year-old is now cooling off in police custody. Born on August 5, 1987, Ewohime had visited the commission to collect his passport which had expired since November 2017, according to Abike Dabiri-Erewa, chief executive officer of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM). But the major problem the young man encountered was that he got to the commission one hour after the collection of passports was supposed to end. In a statement, the Nigerian immigration service said the passport of Ewohime had been available since June 6 but it could not be delivered because the owner left no self-addressed envelop. Dabiri-Erewa said while at the commission on Monday, he did not fulfill all the necessary requirements to obtain his passport. Rather than resolve all this, rage took over him, leading to the shattering of windscreen of seven expensive vehicles, including two, said to be owned by guests of a hotel around the commission, and the law is about taking its course. In a statement it released on Monday, the immigration condemned Ewohimes action. The attention of the Comptroller General of Immigration Service, Muhammad Babandede MFR has been drawn to a very disturbing incident where a citizen who went to our Mission in London for Passport services, the statement read. He arrived late and was told by the Security that the Mission has closed for the day. He went about destroying Nigerias diplomatic vehicles worth hundreds of thousands of tax payers money. The Passport in question has been issued since 6th of June 2019. He did not leave any self-addressed envelope for delivery. Dabiri-Erewa said Emohime had been arrested. *** Source: The Cable In a bid to sanitize Nigeria, particularly in the area of currency,Operatives of the Enugu Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, in conjunction with a Joint Task Force comprising five teams from the Nigeria Police Force and three teams from the Nigeria Customs Service had on Wednesday, 21, February 2024, arrested 115 (One hundred and fifteen) suspected currency racketeers in Enugu State. The suspects which comprised 113 (One hundred and thirteen) males and two females were arrested along Owerri Road, Ogui, Enugu State, following credible intelligence about some bureau de change operators, currency speculators and street hawkers operating illegal foreign exchange markets in the environment. Items recovered from them include: N110, 700,000.00 ( One Hundred and Ten Million, Seven Hundred Thousand Naira only), $8,368.00( Eight Thousand, Three Hundred and Sixty Eight United States Dollars), 145.00( One Hundred and Forty Five Pounds), 2,725( Two Thousand, Seven Hundred Twenty Five Euros), 900 South African Rands, 32,000.00 CFA, 100 Turkiya, and 500 Bank Mozambique currencies in different denominations. A safe abandoned by one of the street hawkers was also recovered. Preliminary investigation showed that some of the suspects are foreigners from Niger Republic. Related UNICEF ,CS-SUNN have tasked Sokoto State Government on quality nutrition services for a healthier citizens . Mr. Silas Ideva stated this during a media roundtable on the Increased investment in nutrition to scaled -up quality nutrition services in Sokoto. Ideva stressed the need for the critical need for increased investments, timely releases and effective utilization of allocated funds for nutrition programming in Sokoto. The project further seeks to advocate for the extension of paid maternity leave from three to six months. The organisations also calls on Sokoto State Government to allocate and release promptly adequate funds for the implementation of nutrition interventions designed to reduce malnutrition in the state. However ,urged to extend maternity leave for nursing mothers in Sokoto from the current three to six months with pay approve in addition to fund the Sokoto Multi sectoral Plan of Action for Nutrition establish Nutrition Departments in all line Ministries, Department and Agencies. Scale-up staple food fortification initiatives for availability of affordable nutritious foods. CS-SUNN urges the media to intensify reporting on nutrition issues, attracting policymakers and concerned stakeholders to take decisive steps towards curbing malnutrition in Sokoto. We commit to equipping the press with pertinent information for thorough and factual reporting on nutrition. The alliance calls on organizations in Sokoto to unite with CS-SUNN in advocating for the implementation of maternal and child nutrition interventions. We seek collective commitment to consistently promote comprehensive community health education initiatives focused on nutrition. CS-SUNN, a non-governmental, non-profit-making coalition, is dedicated to transforming Nigeria into a country where every citizen has secured food and nutrition. The Chief of Army Staff, Lt General Taoreed Lagbaja, says that corpses in mortuaries in some barracks of the Nigerian Army are decomposing over an ongoing power outage The Army chief disclosed this when he visited the Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu to seek intervention in the N42 billion debt owed to Abuja Electricity Distribution Company He appealed for the liquidation of the electricity debt of the Nigerian Army following the disconnection of various Army barracks and cantonments by power distribution companies. Lagbaja in a statement issued in Abuja by the media aide to the power minister said the main reason for his visit was to discuss the consequences of the power outage in Army formations and the way forward Debt owed is loaded on the meter, so no matter the amount of credit we put, the meters pick it automatically. Corpses in the Army mortuaries are decomposing and the owners of the corpses are protesting, he said. Operatives of the Ilorin Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, have arrested 48 students of the Kwara State University, KWASU, and two others for offences bordering on internet fraud. The anti-graft agency in a statement said the suspects were arrested on Wednesday, February 21, 2024 in their various hideouts after days of surveillance and fruitful intelligence on their suspected involvement in internet-related offences. Recall that three students were reportedly killed during a clash between security operatives and the students who were protesting the midnight raid by EFCC on Thursday, February 22. Items recovered from the suspects include nine exotic cars, twenty-four (24) laptops and different brands of phones. The suspects will soon be arraigned in court upon conclusion of investigations, the statement reads. Police operatives in Bauchi State have arrested two students of the Abubakar Tafawa-Balewa University (ATbU) over alleged criminal conspiracy, culpable homicide, and association with an unlawful cultist society The suspects were arrested on February 18 alongside their accomplice, whos a graduate of University of Jos The commands spokesman, Ahmed Wakili, in a statement on Feb 23, identified the suspects as Hoomvez Martins Nyelong, 27 aka Slim Daniel Audu Adamu, 26 and Maigari Inuwa 29 aka Mega Fashion World Their arrests followed a distress call received on February 18 from one Abubakar Shehu (pseudonym) a 45-year-old resident of Kuhu village in Durum ward, Bauchi LGA The said Shehu reportedly discovered the corpse of an unidentified deceased young man in a bush in the outskirts of Kuhu village The Patrol Team was said to have evacuated the body to the ATBU Teaching Hospital Bauchi, where the victim was confirmed dead A 19-year-old female student of Auchi Polytechnic, Edo State is currently on the run after allegedly stabbing her boyfriend multiple times. Izekor Victory was said to have attacked her boyfriend, Ehimighe Isreal, 23 on February 12, 2024 According to a source who spoke with Instablog9ja, She said the boy is cheating on her just because his ex-girlfriend visited him He was about to go and drop off the ex-girlfriend when Victory came in. She told him she wanted to see him, so he came down from the car and they both went inside the house As soon as they got in, she locked the door and started interrogating him. Before he could explain, she slapped him and he slapped her back. He wanted to leave but she had locked the door. He asked her for the key, instead she brought out a knife and stabbed him in the stomach. She went on to stab him on his head and neck. She has since gone into hiding and her family are currently threatening the boy to withdraw the case, because he reported the matter to the police Senator Monday Okpebholo, the victor of the Edo State All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primary election, is set to receive the partys Certificate of Return today, Saturday, February 24. The presentation will take place during a special meeting of the partys National Working Committee (NWC) scheduled for 2 pm at Muhammadu Buhari House in Abuja. Governor Bassey Otu-led Edo State gubernatorial primary committee is also expected to formally submit its comprehensive report on the exercise to the Abdullahi Umar Ganduje-led NWC on the same day. Okpebholo emerged as the winner of the rescheduled shadow election on Friday, February 23, as announced by Governor Otu. Securing 12,433 votes, he defeated Hon. Dennis Idahosa, who was declared the winner of the previous weekends highly contested primary, but came in second in the fresh exercise with only 6,541 votes. As the APC standard bearer in the upcoming September 21 Edo state governorship election, Senator Okpebholo, representing Edo Central in the upper chamber of the National Assembly, triumphed over nine aspirants in a tightly contested primary. The shadow polls encountered difficulties on February 17 due to the emergence of three candidates Hon. Dennis Idahosa, Hon. Sunday Dekeri, and Sen. Okpebholo. Consequently, the partys NWC declared the election inconclusive and rescheduled the exercise for last Thursday to meet the INEC deadline for all parties to conduct primaries. The Edo Deputy Governor, Philip Shaibu, said on Saturday intimidation and harassment would not stop him from pursuing his political ambition. The deputy governor stated this when he addressed journalists in Abuja. Shaibu emerged as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in a parallel primary held on Thursday in Benin City. The returning officer, Bartholomew Moses, who announced the result of the election held at Commercial Avenue in the state capital, said Shaibu scored 301 votes in the exercise. Therefore, I hereby declare Philip Shaibu as the authentic elected candidate for this election in the PDP, he added. In another election held at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in the state capital, the former chairman of Nigeria Breweries, Asue Ighodalo, defeated nine other candidates, including the deputy governor in the exercise. READ ALSO: Obaseki anointed candidate, Ighodalo wins Edo PDP governorship primaries He polled 577 votes to win the PDP ticket for the September 21 election in the state. At the briefing, Shaibu alleged there was intimidation and harassment of people in the build-up to the primary. He said: The level of intimidation and harassment meted out to me and those people who believe in me was beyond comprehension, yet it does not change our resolve in what we believe in. People were sacked, some civil servants were suspended, others transferred from their position and taken away from their family comfort to different places, all because they were associating with me. Well, I dare say that anybody still intimidating or harassing anybody means that he is not ready to win an election. He stressed that his emergence as a candidate was no longer about him but about the people. He warned that PDP must adhere to the electoral laws and party guidelines to win the election. The deputy governor also alleged that in the other primary that produced Ighodalo as the PDP candidate, 381 delegates were disenfranchised. The electoral law forbids exclusion. An election can be re-ordered because of exclusion, it is a major sin that the law forbids, Shaibu stated. Bruno De Conti , Pedro Rossi, Arthur Welle, and Clara Saliba in Phenomenal World: In December 2023, Brazil began presiding over the G20. The one-year presidency, which will culminate in the annual summit being hosted in Rio de Janeiro in November 2024, is the third of four terms from the global Southfollowing Indonesia in 2022 and India in 2023, and preceding the already decided South African presidency in 2025. When Indias Narendra Modi formally handed over the presidency to Brazil last November, Lula announced three priorities to place the reduction of inequalities at the center of the international agenda: (i) social inclusion and the fight against hunger (ii) energy transition and sustainable development in its three aspects (social, economic and environmental) and (iii) reform of global governance institutions. The proposals were well received internationally; now is the time for concrete agendas to build toward the November summit. Though the Brazilian governments proposals are progressive, the G20s multilateral dialogue continues within the context of international institutions that long predate itreflecting the balance of global economic power in the middle of the twentieth century. Forged after World War II, institutions such as the IMF and the World Bank, now undergird an international governance system that does not represent the tremendous changes that have occurred in the world economy since the fiscal rules they prescribed in the 1970s. Dominated by countries whose economies represent a shrinking share of world production and trade, these institutions reproduce asymmetries of power over the subjects of multilateral diplomacywhich are today indispensable for mitigating global climate change and extending social protections over the worlds economically and socially vulnerable populations. The increased weight of the global South among countries making up the G20 indicates a changing balance of forces within the groupand shows how the moment is conducive for a shift in strategy. The groups last summit in New Delhi illustrated the enhanced importance of the global South. Under the Indian presidency, this group of global South countries had at least two major victories representing the shift towards multipolarity: the absence of a unilateral position on the war in Ukraine and, more importantly, the inclusion of the African Union (AU) as a permanent member of the group. More here. The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Adamu, has ordered the arrest of Elisha Abbo, the Senator representing Adamawa North Senatorial District, for assaulting a woman at an adult toy shop in Abuja. This is coming following calls by Nigerians to arrest, prosecute and jail Senator Elisha Abbo, who caught on camera slapping a woman after she pleaded with him not to physically assault the shopowner whom the senator had accused of insulting him. The IG of police has on Wednesday disclosed that Investigations are currently ongoing at the Federal Capital Territory police command into the alleged attack the woman at sex toy shop by a serving senator representing Adamawa. The police force said they are doing everything within their powers to restore dignity to the force, following the conduct of the police orderly attached to the senator. Meanwhile, Senator Abbo has reacted to the assault video saying he was not a lawmaker at the time of the incident and suggested that the footage was doctored because he was there to defend his younger sister who was beaten to a pulp in the shop. By SUNDAY ODIBASHI The Commissioner of Police, Delta State Police Command, Mr. Adeleke Adeyinka, on Tuesday confirmed that the Command has commenced investigations into the murder of a 59-year- old woman, Dumebi Okwaba, a fortnight ago in Ewulu, Aniocha South Local Government Area. CP Adeyinka in a telephone interaction withNational Daily from Asaba, Delta State, on Tuesday also confirmed the murder of the woman whose head and two breasts were cut off by the killers, after contacting the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Ndokwa Police Division in the state. When contacted byNational Daily from Lagos, the Police Commissioner was not aware of the incident and quickly swung into action to be briefed before making any comment; he requested for few minutes which was granted. First the CP called the DPO at Ogwashi Uku who referred him to the DPO of Ndokwa Police Division which was said to have jurisdiction over Ewulu community. Thereafter, the CP Adeyinka called back to convey that he has confirmed the murder incident from the DPO at Ndokwa , saying that it is a case of ritual killing and that investigation is ongoing. Cutting off body parts of people is usually ritual killing, the Police Commissioner stated. CP Adeyinka said that the Delta Sate Police Command is on the manhunt of the perpetrators of the heinous act, assuring that the Command will deepen investigations to apprehend the culprits. National Dailygathered that the deceased, Dumebi Okwaba, was murdered on Saturday, July 6, 2019, by the unknown killers in the forest when she went for subsistence economic activity on that black day. The family members and other indigenes of the community have been crying for justice, demanding Police interventions to apprehend the perpetrators. They lamented that the incident is unprecedented in the community. National Daily gathered that the youths in Ewulu have been accusing the neighbouring community, Olodu, which shares border with Ewulu adjacent to the scene of the killing, of being responsible for the murder of the deceased woman. The two communities were said to be engaged in land dispute. Accordingly, the youths have been building up for war with the Olodu community to avenge the murder of a daughter of the Ewulu community. In a previous report, indigenes of Ewulu community who spoke to National Daily through the telephone, had narrated that the woman, Dumebi Okwaba, had gone in search of an economic natural leaf, Afan leaf (okazi), in the forest within the surroundings of the communitys abandoned farmlands. She was declared missing by the family when she did not return home at the end of the day. National Dailyinvestigations revealed that indigenes of Ewulu community have not been farming in that part of the forest for years. They were said to have moved closer to the river bank and adjacent farmlands in other parts of the town for farm cultivation. The absence of the deceased prompted urgent mobilization of the communitys able bodied men, who constituted a search and rescue team, to comb the forest on the other side of River Umomi which separates the dwelling place of the indigenes from the northern part of the communitys farmland towards the Olodu community. The victim was unfortunately found dead in the forest. Her killers cut off the head and two breasts. The matter was said to be reported at the Nsukwa Police Station under the Ndokwa Police Division in Delta State before the deceased was buried by the family with the incomplete body parts. Before the confirmation of Police investigation on the murder incident by CP Adeyinka, indigenes of Ewulu community had expressed disquiets that the Police appeared to be silent on the killing of the woman. Meanwhile, National Daily continues to follow up the Police investigation, in addition to other independent investigations on the murder incident. Chams, an indigenous Information and Communications Technology (ICT) company, has said that Nigeria can leverage on its identity management solution to eliminate the operational and logistics issues hampering the successful conduct of elections in Nigeria. The firm also assured its shareholders of brighter prospects, following the successful outcome of a restructuring exercise, covering business model, products, and financials. Femi Williams, group managing director and chief executive officer, who stated this, said the best option for Nigerias electoral process is the e-voting system, which would enable Nigerians to cast their votes in their comfort zones without any impediments. He pointed out that the e-voting system is cost effective with less operations and logistic problems, however, added that issues on identity management must be tackled for Nigeria to witness successful elections without hitches, leveraging the electronic system. If we use technology, you realise that you need a fraction of all the kind of money that is being spent on an election; you need zero efforts in terms of logistics, all these pains of moving electoral materials and devices will disappear. The problem of electoral system is 20 per cent technology and 80 per cent other factors, and I am sure that by the time the identity management problem is solved, we will do our election without going on holidays. We will not shut down activities; even Nigerians will do it wherever they reside. He continued: The national ID is becoming active, actually we have access to it, a lot of organisations are accessing the national ID registry through one of our products. Speaking further on the companys restructuring exercise, Williams said the company embarked on restructuring to sustain its competitive edge and deliver value to all stakeholders. According to him, the restructuring became necessary in view of the challenging operating environment in Nigeria and the need to grow the companys balance sheet on sustainable basis. The companys business model was modified from identity management to Intelligent Business Solutions, thereby carving a niche for us to be more innovative in providing solutions and platforms for private and public sector organisations. We are currently undergoing development in two innovative solutions that will be rolled out into the market soon, he said. The Executive Director, Finance, Strategy and Innovation, Chams, Mrs Mayowa Olaniyan, said the company has recorded many successes following the positive outcome of its restructuring exercise, including the award of the Bank Verification Number (BVN) project in partnership with Dermalog. It was delivered in all bank branches in the 36 states of the Federation within timeline, deployment of e-voting platform called VOTA, which is currently being used by organisations like Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN), and Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), and others. Our Pharm IT Platform was successfully launched in December 2018 at Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) Conference. It is a technology solution developed for the pharmaceuticals industry to enhance and manage drug distribution. Nnamdi Kanu Vanguard reports that Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Monday announced the establishment of Biafra Aid Foundation in the United States of America. Mazi Kanu in a statement he personally signed, but made available by IPOBs Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, said the establishment of the foundation is in fulfilment of the promise he made during his recent tour of the United States of America. He said the foundation will enable IPOB to fast-track the restoration of Biafra and stem the tide of Fulani terror invasion of Biafra land. During my recently concluded tour of the United States, I promised to set up a US based charitable organisation to enable us fast-track the restoration of Biafra and stem the tide of Fulani terror invasion of our land. I am pleased to announce the establishment of Biafra Aid Foundation in the United States of America which I made public during last nights special broadcast. As part of this process, a grassroots fundarising initiative was agreed. The official IPOB backed Biafra Aid Foundation bank account number is now available to enable Biafrans domiciled in the USA and lovers of freedom from all over the world to contribute just $1 charitable donation every blessed month until Biafra sovereignty is fully restored and Fulani terrorism completely eradicated from all territories of the south. President Muhammadu Buhari ADDRESS BY H.E. MUHAMMADU BUHARI, PRESIDENT OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA ON THE EXTENSION OF COVID- 19 PANDEMIC LOCKDOWN AT THE STATE HOUSE, ABUJA MONDAY, 13TH APRIL, 2020 1. Fellow Nigerians 2. In my address on Sunday, 29th March, 2020, I asked the residents of Lagos and Ogun States as well as the Federal Capital Territory to stay at home for an initial period of fourteen days starting from Monday, 30th March 2020. 3. Many State Governments also introduced similar restrictions. 4. As your democratically elected leaders, we made this very difficult decision knowing fully well it will severely disrupt your livelihoods and bring undue hardship to you, your loved ones and your communities. 5. However, such sacrifices are needed to limit the spread of COVID-19 in our country. They were necessary to save lives. 6. Our objective was, and still remains, to contain the spread of the Coronavirus and to provide space, time and resources for an aggressive and collective action. 7. The level of compliance to the COVID-19 guidelines issued has been generally good across the country. I wish to thank you all most sincerely for the great sacrifice you are making for each other at this critical time. 8. I will take this opportunity to recognise the massive support from our traditional rulers, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) during this pandemic. 9. I also acknowledge the support and contributions received from public spirited individuals, the business community and our international partners and friends. 10. I must also thank the media houses, celebrities and other public figures for the great work they are doing in sensitizing our citizens on hygienic practices, social distancing and issues associated with social gatherings. 11. As a result of the overwhelming support and cooperation received, we were able to achieve a lot during these 14 days of initial lockdown. 12. We implemented comprehensive public health measures that intensified our case identification, testing, isolation and contact tracing capabilities. 13. To date, we have identified 92% of all identified contacts while doubling the number of testing laboratories in the country and raising our testing capacity to 1,500 tests per day. 14. We also trained over 7,000 Healthcare workers on infection prevention and control while deploying NCDC teams to 19 states of the federation. 15. Lagos and Abuja today have the capacity to admit some 1,000 patients each across several treatment centres. 16. Many State Governments have also made provisions for isolation wards and treatment centres. We will also build similar centers near our airports and land borders. 17. Using our resources and those provided through donations, we will adequately equip and man these centres in the coming weeks. Already, health care workers across all the treatment centers have been provided with the personal protective equipment that they need to safely carry out the care they provide. 18. Our hope and prayers are that we do not have to use all these centres. But we will be ready for all eventualities. 19. At this point, I must recognise the incredible work being done by our healthcare workers and volunteers across the country especially in frontline areas of Lagos and Ogun States as well as the Federal Capital Territory. 20. You are our heroes and as a nation, we will forever remain grateful for your sacrifice during this very difficult time. More measures to motivate our health care workers are being introduced which we will announce in the coming weeks. 21. As a nation, we are on the right track to win the fight against COVID-19. 22. However, I remain concerned about the increase in number of confirmed cases and deaths being reported across the world and in Nigeria specifically. 23. On 30th March 2020, when we started our lockdown in conforming with medical and scientific advice, the total number of confirmed cases across the world was over 780,000. 24. Yesterday, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases globally was over one million, eight hundred and fifty thousand. This figure is more than double in two weeks! 25. In the last fourteen days alone, over 70,000 people have died due to this disease. 26. In the same period, we have seen the health system of even the most developed nations being overwhelmed by this virus. 27. Here in Nigeria, we had 131 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in 12 States on 30th March 2020. We had two fatalities then. 28. This morning, Nigeria had 323 confirmed cases in twenty States. Unfortunately we now have ten fatalities. Lagos State remains the center and accounts for 54% of the confirmed cases in Nigeria. When combined with the FCT, the two locations represent over 71% of the confirmed cases in Nigeria. 29. Most of our efforts will continue to focus in these two locations. 30. Majority of the confirmed cases in Lagos and the FCT are individuals with recent international travel history or those that came into contact with returnees from international trips. 31. By closing our airports and land borders and putting strict conditions for seaport activities, we have reduced the impact of external factors on our country. However, the increase in the number of States with positive cases is alarming. 32. The National Centre for Disease Control has informed me that, a large proportion of new infections are now occurring in our communities, through person-to-person contacts. So we must pay attention to the danger of close contact between person to person. 33. At this point, I will remind all Nigerians to continue to take responsibility for the recommended measures to prevent transmission, including maintaining physical distancing, good personal hygiene and staying at home. 34. In addition, I have signed the Quarantine Order in this regard and additional regulations to provide clarity in respect of the control measures for the COVID-19 pandemic which will be released soon. 35. The public health response to COVID-19 is built on our ability to detect, test and admit cases as well as trace all their contacts. While I note some appreciable progress, we can achieve a lot more. 36. Today, the cessation of movement, physical distancing measures and the prohibition of mass gatherings remain the most efficient and effective way of reducing the transmission of the virus. By sustaining these measures, combined with extensive testing and contact tracing, we can take control and limit the spread of the disease. 37. Our approach to the virus remains in 2 steps First, to protect the lives of our fellow Nigerians and residents living here and second, to preserve the livelihoods of workers and business owners. 38. With this in mind and having carefully considered the briefings and Report from the Presidential Task Force and the various options offered, it has become necessary to extend the current restriction of movement in Lagos and Ogun States as well as the FCT for another 14 days effective from 11:59 pm on Monday, 13th of April, 2020. I am therefore once again asking you all to work with Government in this fight. 39. This is not a joke. It is a matter of life and death. Mosques in Makkah and Madina have been closed. The Pope celebrated Mass on an empty St. Peters Square. The famous Notre Dame cathedral in Paris held Easter Mass with less than 10 people. India, Italy and France are in complete lockdown. Other countries are in the process of following suit. We cannot be lax. 40. The previously issued guidelines on exempted services shall remain. 41. This is a difficult decision to take, but I am convinced that this is the right decision. The evidence is clear. 42. The repercussions of any premature end to the lockdown action are unimaginable. 43. We must not lose the gains achieved thus far. We must not allow a rapid increase in community transmission. We must endure a little longer. 44. I will therefore take this opportunity to urge you all to notify the relevant authorities if you or your loved ones develop any symptoms. I will also ask our health care professionals to redouble their efforts to identify all suspected cases, bring them into care and prevent transmission to others. 45. No country can afford the full impact of a sustained restriction of movement on its economy. I am fully aware of the great difficulties experienced especially by those who earn a daily wage such as traders, day-workers, artisans and manual workers. 46. For this group, their sustenance depends on their ability to go out. Their livelihoods depend on them mingling with others and about seeking work. But despite these realities we must not change the restrictions. 47. In the past two weeks, we announced palliative measures such as food distribution, cash transfers and loans repayment waivers to ease the pains of our restrictive policies during this difficult time. These palliatives will be sustained. 48. I have also directed that the current social register be expanded from 2.6 million households to 3.6 million households in the next two weeks. This means we will support an additional one million homes with our social investment programs. A technical committee is working on this and will submit a report to me by the end of this week. 49. The Security Agencies have risen to the challenges posed by this unprecedented situation with gallantry and I commend them. I urge them to continue to maintain utmost vigilance, firmness as well as restraint in enforcing the restriction orders while not neglecting statutory security responsibilities. 50. Fellow Nigerians, follow the instructions on social distancing. The irresponsibility of the few can lead to the death of the many. Your freedom ends where other peoples rights begin. 51. The response of our State Governors has been particularly impressive, especially in aligning their policies and actions to those of the Federal Government. 52. In the coming weeks, I want to assure you that the Federal Government, through the Presidential Task Force, will do whatever it takes to support you in this very difficult period. I have no doubt that, by working together and carefully following the rules, we shall get over this pandemic. 53. I must also thank the Legislative arm of Government for all its support and donations in this very difficult period. This collaboration is critical to the short and long-term success of all the measures that we have instituted in response to the pandemic. 54. As a result of this pandemic, the world as we know it has changed. The way we interact with each other, conduct our businesses and trade, travel, educate our children and earn our livelihoods will be different. 55. To ensure our economy adapts to this new reality, I am directing the Ministers of Industry, Trade and Investment, Communication and Digital Economy, Science and Technology, Transportation, Aviation, Interior, Health, Works and Housing, Labour and Employment and Education to jointly develop a comprehensive policy for a Nigerian economy functioning with COVID-19. 56. The Ministers will be supported by the Presidential Economic Advisory Council and Economic Sustainability Committee in executing this mandate. 57. I am also directing the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, the National Security Adviser, the Vice Chairman, National Food Security Council and the Chairman, Presidential Fertiliser Initiative to work with the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 to ensure the impact of this pandemic on our 2020 farming season is minimized. 58. Finally, I want to thank the members of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 for all their hard work so far. Indeed, the patriotism shown in your work is exemplary and highly commendable. 59. Fellow Nigerians, I have no doubt that by working together and carefully following the rules, we shall get over this pandemic and emerge stronger in the end. 60. I thank you all for listening and may God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The Federal Government Monday announced a total ban on the importation and exportation of goods through the land borders nationwide. It was gathered that the decision was in furtherance of the on-going joint border operation, tagged, Exercise Swift Response. Daily Trust reports that the operation began on August 20, 2019, involving the Nigeria Customs Service and the Immigration Service with support from the Army and other security agencies. The joint border security is being coordinated by the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) and covers the four geopolitical zones including South-south, South-west, North-central and the North-west. Briefing newsmen in Abuja, the Comptroller General of Customs, Col. Hameed Ali (rtd) said: The issue of movement of goods is not the same thing with movement of persons. Lets understand that all perishable items are on prohibition whether on export or import. Therefore nobody can carry tomato to the border to import or export. So it makes it easier for us to close and ensure that all goods for now are banned from being exported or imported through our land borders. That is to ensure that we have total control over what comes in and what we do. We are strategising on how best the goods can be handled when we get to when this operation will relax, he said. Daily Trust Two press conferences held after Gov. J.B. Pritzkers budget address last week didnt receive much news media attention. As the saying goes, coverage follows conflict, and the two pressers were far more subtle and polite in their criticisms of the governors plan than those held by Republicans, so they were mostly overlooked. But clear undercurrents were visible during both events, one held by the Legislative Black Caucus and the other by the Legislative Latino Caucus. And, unlike the Republicans, those two caucuses actually have considerable sway over the states lawmaking process. While mostly couched in language supportive of the governor and the majority party leaders, the messages were distinct: Even after years of Democratic control, not nearly enough is still being done to help people in Black and Latino communities on every level. Poverty, violence, childcare, healthcare, education, economic development, trade union membership, homelessness. You name it, the services and opportunities are lacking. So, the two caucuses did a bit of flexing. This year, we will be negotiating from a position of strength, declared Black Caucus Chair Rep. Carol Ammons. Our community and our members are the value-add in the General Assembly and nothing can be passed without our members. Not counting the House Speaker, there are 19 Black members in the House and 13 in the Senate, according to the caucus website. Thats enough to block a majority vote in both chambers if they can stick together. Rep. Ammons (D-Urbana) revealed during the press conference that the caucus plans to release a document in the coming weeks entitled Leveling the playing field, which will focus on how to spend state dollars to invest in building an equitable state and eliminating structural racism. Dollar figures will be attached to each proposal, Ammons said. If its done well, the report could have a significant impact, not only this year, but in years to come. The Legislative Latino Caucus does not yet have nearly the same numerical strength as the Black Caucus. But the joint caucus now has 16 members, which is higher than ever before. And Sen. Celina Villanueva (D-Chicago) firmly declared, Latino families must benefit equitably from the investments that the state is making. Sen. Villanueva claimed that the Latino population was undercounted in the 2020 US Census, but, she said, I want everyone to know as they're hearing this, our community is only growing and our community is young. We aren't going anywhere. We will be here. Shes definitely right about that. The Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning noted a few years ago that while the Black population declined in Northeastern Illinois by a few percentage points over thirty years, the Northeastern Illinois Hispanic population had grown to 24.2 percent of the regions population, up from 11.5 percent in 1990. A study last year by the UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Institute found that the average age of Illinois Latinos was 28, compared to 38 for Illinoisans overall. Indeed, a significant number of legislative districts were drawn in 2021 with the anticipation that large numbers of young Latinos would eventually reach an age where they could elect one of their own before the next Census. On the policy side, Rep. Lilian Jimenez (D-Chicago) echoed criticisms of the budget by groups like the Illinois Partners for Human Service, which decried the lack of adequate funding for community care workers. SEIU Healthcare has a strong presence in the Latino community and some former union staffers are serving in the General Assembly. The union sharply criticized the budget for its lack of funding to address the cause of the states care crisisthe fact is that the crucial jobs that provide home care and childcare services are not good and stable jobs. What I laid out above is not a complete picture by any means whatsoever. But Ive been saying for years and years that the news media here, myself included, needs to focus much more on the internal debates within the super-majority party and its allies because that is where almost all policymaking decisions actually happen in the Illinois General Assembly. The Republicans (which have their own internal divisions and debates) shouldnt be cut out of the coverage by any means, but the stark reality on the ground is not being conveyed and valid perspectives are too often ignored. 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: Space is already crowded with human-made objects and anti-satellite weapons can make the situation much worse. Credit: NASA ODPO In a week where national security has taken center stage in Washington, the White House confirmed on Thursday that it had evidence that Russia was developing a space-based nuclear anti satellite weapon. John Kirby, the National Security Council spokesperson, informed reporters that the White House believe Russia's program to be "troubling," despite "no immediate threat to anyone's safety." The problem is that, depending on what type of weapon this is, the consequences of using it could be indiscriminatethreatening everyone's satellites and causing a breakdown of the vital services that come from space infrastructure. The White House revelations come after House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Turner urged the administration, late on Wednesday, to declassify information concerning what he called a "serious national security threat." There were then several days of comments and speculation about Russia either being ready to launch a nuclear weapon into space, or deploying an anti-satellite weapon powered by nuclear energy. Kirby did not fully outline the nature of the threat, but he added that officials believed the weapons system was not an "active capability" and had not been deployed. To reassure those listening, Kirby said that the weapon was not one that could be used to cause physical destruction on Earth but that the White House was monitoring Russian activity and would "continue to take it very seriously." During a visit to Albania on Thursday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken confirmed the news and stated that he expected to have more to say soon, adding that the Biden administration was "also conferring with allies and partners on the issue." While discussing the matter with Indian Foreign Minister Jaishankar and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the Munich Security Conference, Blinken is reported to have "emphasized that the pursuit of this capability should be a matter of concern." Denials from Russia Moscow immediately denied the existence of such a program and stated that it was a "malicious fabrication" created by the Biden administration to pressurize Congress into passing the USD$97bn (77bn) foreign aid bill, $60bn of which was destined for Ukraine. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters: "It is obvious that the White House is trying, by hook or by crook, to encourage Congress to vote on a bill to allocate money; this is obvious." At a press conference on the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, Joe Biden stated that there was "no nuclear threat to the people of America or anywhere else in the world with what Russia is doing at the moment." The president added that there was "no evidence that they have made a decision to go forward with doing anything in space either." If Moscow did decide to go ahead with the program it would be contrary to the Outer Space Treaty which 130 countries have signed onto, including Russia. The treaty prohibits "nuclear weapons or any other kinds of weapons of mass destruction" in orbit or stationing weapons in outer space "in any other manner." Anti-satellite weapons are nothing new. China launched a weapon to destroy a non-operational weather satellite in January 2007. While the temptation to launch a nuclear strike in space may seem alluring to nations looking to challenge US dominance in the domain, such actions come at huge risk. It is not necessarily the destruction of objects in space from Earth that should be the primary concern when it comes to anti-satellite weapons more generally, but the effect they have in space. Mass of debris The destruction of any celestial object creates a mass of debris varying in size from a few millimeters to several centimeters. Currently, there are hundreds of millions of tracked pieces of space debris orbiting the Earth. The speed at which this space debris is traveling makes it a major hazard to other satellites and entities in space such as the International Space Station (ISS), which has to change course in order to avoid collisions which can cause widespread damage. The ISS has had to changed course 32 times since 1999. Once space debris has been created, it is almost impossible to control the trajectory after the strike or the orbital pattern it will take around the Earth. This can put a nation's space assetssuch as its satellitesat the same risk of destruction as that of an adversary. This situation has been described in similar terms to that applied to nuclear weapons on Earth, in terms of mutually assured destruction. If a nuclear strike were to be conducted by a nation in space with the intention of destroying satellites and also to demonstrate both an ability and willingness to use nuclear weapons more generally, it would be next to impossible to control the consequences of such an action. It would be fairly certain that such a strike would have the intended effect in reducing the space capabilities of an opponent. For example, an attack on US assets could disable the satellite-based global positioning system (GPS) that is relied on by western nations. There is, however, the very real possibility that it would also destroy the space assets of the nation behind the attack, as well as allies and friends of that same nation. This could lead to tensions being raised and lead to a loss of that country's support. The inability to control the effects of attacks in space, whether they originate from a weapon in space or on the Earth, makes such actions subject to a great degree of consideration and debate in all nations that are active in the space domain. 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 For the first time since 1972, the United States is back on the moon. At 6:23 p.m. Eastern time Thursday Feb 22, Intuitive Machines Inc. landed a robotic spacecraft on the moon, becoming the first private firm to place a vehicle intact on the lunar surface. NASA, which paid nearly $118 million for this mission, posted congratulations on the X social media platform: "Your order was delivered ... to the moon!" Intuitive Machines will eventually send two additional landers to the moon in partnership with NASA. As national space ambitions grow and the business of space expands, firms have raced to claim the title of landing the first private craft in one piece on the moon. None was successful until now. An Israeli nonprofit, SpaceIL, tried in 2019, but its craft came in too fast and crashed on the surface. Last year, Tokyo-based Ispace Inc. lost contact with its lander. And in January, Pittsburgh-based Astrobotic's lander suffered engine failure just after reaching space. Since the U.S. successfully put people on the moon half a century ago, why did it prove so difficult for companieseven countriesto do it again? The moon is a harsh environment. It's difficult to design spacecraft that can navigate its surface and it's almost impossible to recreate those situations on Earth for testing. And private companies' resources pale in comparison to what NASA had in the 1960s: a war chest that once ballooned to roughly 4% of the overall U.S. federal budget. The biggest hurdle may have been the 21st-century engineers and companies with little or no moonshot experience. It has been more than 50 years since people have designed and sent landers to the moon, so firms were starting from almost scratch and working with novel technologies. "We say we've been there before, but these companies haven't been there before," Phillip Metzger, a planetary physicist at the University of Central Florida, said in an interview. "It is really new technology that's being perfected and matured right now." Back to the moon NASA had turned its attention away from the moon after the last Apollo mission in 1972 to focus on the space shuttle, the International Space Station and other goals. Various administrations proposed returning to the moon, but those programs didn't survive political headwinds. But in 2017, President Donald Trump spurred NASA to launch the Artemis initiative to send humans back. The space agency's goal is to create a sustainable presence on the moon, claiming that learning to live and work there will help ultimately allow humans to explore the solar system. This means lots of lucrative government contracts. And unlike the Apollo era, private companies have the potential to make it therewith a little help from NASA. Intuitive Machines and Astrobotic both partnered with the space agency's CLPS program, designed to help spur the development of commercial landers for Artemis. Yet physical challenges remain for lunar exploration. Just traveling through the vacuum of space to reach the moon is a struggle to begin with. Spacecraft must deal with wild swings in temperature, depending on which parts of the vehicle are facing the sun, and they're often bombarded with cosmic raysirradiated particles streaming from the sun or deep space that can easily fry electronics that aren't well protected. The moon is roughly a quarter the width of our planet, with much less gravity overall, making it hard to maneuver into orbit. Its rough terrain, craters and other factors spread the gravity unevenly. "When you orbit the moon, you will eventually crash into the moon because the lumpy gravity will perturb your orbit," Metzger said. "Because of that, you have to have navigation that understands precisely where you are and can adapt in real time." Unlike Earth, which has an atmosphere that helps cushion the fall of returning spacecraft, the moon has almost no atmosphere. To land there, practically all spacecraft must use some form of rocket engine to lower themselves gently to the ground below. The spacecraft must burn their engines so precisely that they come to a relative stop just above the surface. Otherwise they risk crashing. All this requires knowing what the spacecraft is about to land on. Robotic landers often rely on information collected by the vehicle's sensors, as well as imagery of their landing target collected ahead of time, which is often not very high resolution. Complicating things is the moon's distance from Earth. There's usually a few seconds of delay when sending commands to these spacecraft. "You have to do this all autonomously," Addie Dove, an associate professor at the University of Central Florida working on a moon landing mission, said. "There's no way for a human to correct things in real time just because of how quickly it all happens." This can lead to issues like the ones faced by Ispace in 2023. It eventually figured out that its moon lander suffered a software glitch and misjudged the height of the terrain below, causing it to run out of fuel and crash. And sometimes there are hardware failures. In January, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency landed its Smart Lander for Investigating moon spacecraft within 55 meters, or 180 feet, of its intended target. An apparent engine issue led the vehicle to touch down on its head, instead of its side. So while it landed intact, its mission ended early as it could not properly recharge its solar panels. The South Pole An added layer of difficulty for Intuitive Machines was its assigned target. Originally, the company hoped to land near the moon's relatively flat equator, which is where all the Apollo missions landed. But NASA asked the company to change its landing site to the moon's south pole regiona spot that numerous countries have been eyeing and that India neared with the landing of its Chandrayaan-3 last August after a Russian attempt failed. Data collected by robotic spacecraft visiting the moon has confirmed that many of the south pole's craters may contain pockets of water in the form of ice. NASA and others are potentially interested in mining this ice, which could be used for drinking water or crops. If broken apart into its elemental componentshydrogen and oxygenthe water could also become future propellants for rockets. But it remains to be seen how much ice there is and what state it's in. NASA ultimately hopes to land future Artemis astronauts in this region and is relying on the United States' first on-the-ground view from Intuitive Machines' lander. The region is heavily pockmarked with craters, and getting there from orbit is even harder than getting to the equator. Changing the landing location required extra analysis and engineeringalmost like planning an entirely new mission. "We're going to completely different places on the moon that we've never been," Dove said. "It's sort of like saying we've explored all of Antarctica or all of Africa when we've only been to the coast." While moon spacecraft go through years of testing on Earth, the only way to know if they will succeed is to test them in space. But even that has its limits. "If you crash too many times, then the politicians make you quit trying," Metzger said. "If it's a commercial effort, then the investors pull out. So you don't have an infinite number of tries." For Intuitive Machines, the first try appears to have worked. And in the words of NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, that feat "shows the power and promise of NASA's commercial partnerships." 2024 Bloomberg L.P. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Marius Sosnowski in LA Review of Books: IT HAS BEEN 12 years since Christopher Hitchens left us. After his spirited showing in the 20th century, the first dozen years of the 21st were something of a reinvention. While Hitchens 2.0 may have left a trail of rubble in his wake, his books remained no less resolute than what had gone before: the vital study Why Orwell Matters (2002); the world-famous polemic God Is Not Great (2007); the best-selling and magisterial memoir Hitch-22 (2010); the compendious and ever-entertaining essay collection Arguably (2011); and his last feint from the edge of death, Mortality (2012). Still, its the belligerent terms of his late-in-life split from the Left that has threatened to eclipse a career dedicated to combating tribalist thinking, and fighting to illuminate the difference between what is and what is purported to be. One cant help but feel a void, a conspicuous silence emanating from the direction of the Wyoming Apartments in Washington, DC, from which his rapier-like perceptions could have added something useful, even necessary, to the understanding of all that has followed. Now, Twelve Books has published A Hitch in Time: Reflections Ready for Reconsideration, a welcome gathering of 23 mostly uncollected pieces he wrote for the London Review of Books (the volume was released in the United Kingdom in 2021 with an LRB-highlighting subtitle). With the exception of the opening essay, The Wrong Stuff: On Tom Wolfe, from 1983, and the closing one, 11 September 1973: Pinochet and Britain, from 2002, everything herein dates from the 1990s, that thoroughly wacky and jaunty time everyone sorely misses. Hitchens is in memorable form here; his essays range from tackling P. G. Wodehouse, the First Gulf War, and the prevalence (nay, importance) of spanking to Britains social order, to the trouble with Bill Clinton, an almost sympathetic (or as close as Hitch could get to sympathy for a royal) portrait of the misunderstood Princess Margaret, and an evisceration of the United States charismatic hero JFK (and the comically jowly goons that followed in his presidential wake)all while displaying the authors characteristic impatience with courtiers, apologists, and tiresome bellends. More here. If theres one thing the Adirondack Park is known for, besides those wonderful chairs, its the fresh, cold lakes, rivers and ponds that dot the mountainous landscape. From the Darrin Freshwater Institute, run by Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and based on Lake George in Bolton Landing; and the Adirondack Watershed Institute at Paul Smiths College, located northwest of Lake Placid; or the Cornell University New York State Water Resources Institute; and the state Department of Environmental Conservation to the many other groups and organizations that follow the ecology inside the park, the freshwater of the Adirondacks is nothing if not well studied. There is a long history here, with the Adirondacks as home to the Philosophers Camp, which hosted late 19th Century luminaries such as Ralph Waldo Emerson, James Russell Lowell, and William James Stillman. Much of the experiences and ecological philosophies written and documented by the party throughout the summer of 1858 have become the basis for much of what are used today in conservation efforts. Last week, New York State, researchers from Cornell University, and the Nature Conservancy announced that they are adding to that legacy with a 15,000 acre tract, owned by the Nature Conservancy and now called the Follensby Freshwater Preserve. It sits in the heart of the Adirondacks east of Tupper Lake. Follensby Pond itself and the freshwater research preserve is really going to be a living laboratory and also a lifeboat in the face of climate change, explained Peg Olsen, Adirondack Director for the Nature Conservancy. And it will add to the knowledge this area has already produced. Dr. Kevin Rose, acting director of the Darrin Freshwater Institute, said that one of the biggest success stories in recent environmental history can be traced to the 1993 Clean Air Act, which was enacted in no small part due to the research into the effects of acid rain on Adirondack lakes. Our air today is much cleaner than it was in the 1980s, Rose said. Throughout the mid-80s, Rose said that New York State paid what would amount to about $12 million in todays currency to study the effects of acid rain on around 1,500 lakes in the region. New land deal boosts access and research opportunities in Adirondack Park DEC and Nature Conservancy team up for a historic ecological collaboration in the Adirondack Park. Now, however, the scourge of climate change has taken center stage at the forefront of many conservationists minds. And like with acid rain, the Adirondack waterways may provide a path to redemption. We often think (as) environmentalists, its easy to have a doom and gloom framework, but we have had some tremendous success stories like acid rain, Rose asserted. Just as we solved acid rain, now were focusing our attention on, How do we understand the effects of climate change, and what effects it is going to have on the physics, the chemistry, and the biology of the Adirondacks? If we see changes in the watershed, theyre going to be amplified in the water body, he said. To this end, last year, officials from the Darrin Freshwater Institute, Rensselaer Polytecnic Institute, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, state university officials and the Warren County Economic Development Corporation outlined a plan to turn the greater Capital Region up to Lake George as a freshwater research corridor, perhaps extending the regions importance in this field. As well, the Adirondack Watershed Institute is asking lawmakers in Albany to use $200,000 in the state budget to fund further research. In 2008 the conservancy purchased a nearly 15,000-acre area around Follensby Pond, which also encompasses a portion of the Raquette River. Since then, the group has been carrying out conversations about what should be done with the land in accordance with the agencys directive of responsible use. It was decided that the area could be an asset in the ongoing mission of fresh water research. In a recent study out of Cornell University, author Peter McIntyre states that only about 5% of cold water lakes in the Adirondacks will persist in the face of climate change. So it becomes even more significant, what we learn at Follensby and preserving Follensby, Olsen said. We started having conversations about, How can we protect this resource, but also how can others benefit from it? The property will be divided into two main sections. The pond portion, which comprises the majority of the land will remain protected with managed access for scientific, educational, and cultural purposes. The preserve will be under the supervision of a multi-agency science consortium, which will work in the coming months to determine the scientific and ecological goals for the area, as well as facilitate the research and other activities which will be allowed on the land. Beyond acting as a reference for studying how Adirondack watersheds are affected naturally and by the hand of man, the consortium will also work with native tribes in the area to allow access for ceremonies and practices. The preserve will also be used as a destination for students and other scholars to interact with and learn about nature. There will also be a 6,000-acre section, including a 10-mile stretch of frontage along the Raquette River, open for public use such as hiking, camping, picnicking, and hunting. Olsen said the recreational opportunities could be available on the river side of the property this summer. EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP Ashley Campbell already has a lot on her plate as a 22-year-old going for her masters degree at Rowan University. But with a willingness to leave room for helping others, Campbell was able to provide some much-needed resources to a Goodwill store still reeling from a devastating fire more than a month ago. Campbell, founder of the One Step Forward Initiative and the 2024 Miss Coastal Shore titleholder, started a donation drive just days after the Jan. 15 fire at the Goodwill in the Cardiff Plaza Shopping Center that wiped out 100% of the inventory on the floor. She met up with hopeful donors, either at her Bridgeton home or in parts of Gloucester County. The drive ran from Jan. 20 to Tuesday, but she wanted to hold one more donation event Saturday, giving donors an opportunity to meet her and visit the store while its still under repairs. More than a dozen cars pulled up on cold and rainy Saturday to bring donations in through the front door, as Campbell and her younger sister, Hope, helped. Over the last month, more than 55 bags, boxes and items ranging from cloths to toys to kitchen appliances were brought in through One Step Forward. Thats what I think was most impressive, was us being able to have this drive today, not because of my intention but because of everyone who pulled together and wanted to make this a reality, Campbell said. Goodwill has been closed since Jan. 15. The donation center at the back of the building has remained open. Its hours are 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. The store was open when the fire, which originated in the childrens section by the front window, occurred in the early afternoon. The fire has been deemed suspicious, and police seek the publics help identifying a man wanted for questioning. Township police have not responded to a request for an update on the investigation. Firefighters prevented the blaze at the 20,000-square-foot store and donation center from spreading to neighboring businesses in the plaza, though the Amerikick EHT karate dojo next door experienced some water and smoke damage. It is open. But the Goodwill store remains closed. The 30 employees who worked there have been reassigned to other locations or are working on site at the donation center for the time being, Goodwill said. Juli Lundberg, director of corporate communications for Goodwill, on Saturday said they do not have a specific dollar amount on damages as theyre still going through an insurance claim. As a result of the smoke and water damage from the sprinklers, all inventory was lost, carpet tiles and flooring need to be ripped up, some walls have moisture in them and will need to be taken down, and all of the ceiling and insulation will need to be taken down and replaced. As for inventory, items in the donation center the day of the fire were not impacted. Neither was the stuff in the three or four trailers usually out back holding excess donations. On Saturday, another four or so large trailers were full of donations from surrounding Goodwill stores that sent inventory to help the EHT location. Lundberg said Goodwill does not have a timeframe for re-opening the store, but we are working diligently to rebuild interior and inventory to open as quickly as possible. The response from the public has been fantastic. Weve had an outpouring of support from individuals and from companies, including Atlantic City casinos and the Atlantic County Chamber of Commerce, she said. Ashley Campbell grew up going to Goodwill stores. Her family would make trips to those stores, which she said have made a huge impact on he life. The news of the fire hit close to home. Hearing about this was not only heartbreaking but distressing to the community, she said. This is an outlet to receive affordable appliances and affordable clothing, and I know this is something that touched me when I was growing up. Campbell, who got her bachelors degree in psychology and is getting her masters in clinical mental health counseling, shared her mission on her various social media accounts, including One Step Forward, a community mental health initiative she started in 2019 and has spread throughout the state. Hope Campbell, 19, a psychology major at Rowan, employed the help of her sorority, Sigma Gamma Rho, to gather up items, mostly clothes, they could donate. Just being able to come out today, being able to help out, being able to give whatever I can give, I am actually very happy and grateful I can do that, she said. Just to spark the light, spark the passion so we can rebuild this store. Throughout the morning, several cars stopped to ask if they could bring in donations through the front. Others who saw the lights on approached the door hoping to shop but were disappointed they realized it wasnt open. Many inquired about when it will be reopen. Jeff Mannering, 32, of Galloway Township, frequently donates clothes and items his family no longer needs to the Goodwills in South Jersey, including in Hammonton and sometimes in Mount Laurel, Burlington County. When Mannerings heard the EHT location was in need of replenishment, they went through old clothes and drinkware to drop off. There are some people who need this place, he said. Why somebody would come in and burn something like this down blows my mind. Its crazy. Bern Roswell, of Egg Harbor Township, and his wife, Barbara, saw the news Saturday morning about the donation event. They gathered up some items in their home because they wanted to help. We like helping other people, said Roswell, 83. Were very fortunate to be in a country as such as the United States of America. We had good careers, were both retired and we wanted to pay back some of the good fortune that weve had. PHOTOS: Egg Harbor Township Goodwill still taking donations ATLANTIC CITY City Council introduced an ordinance to increase the rates for rolling chair rides Wednesday. If passed next month, the least expensive ride of up to five blocks would increase from $5 to $10, and the cost of 22 to 32 blocks would increase $1 per block, raising the cap from $20 to $32. Councilman Muhammad Zia and Director of Licensing and Inspection Dale Finch both said rolling chair workers and operators had asked for the increase. Another introduced ordinance would increase the cost of one-way adult tram fares from $4 to $5 but also would eliminate all requirements for who can be a tram operator. Atlantic City Council to vote on sharing cost of new cops with schools Atlantic City Council will consider a resolution Wednesday night to share the cost of 12 new police officers with the Board of Education, to provide security in city schools. The contract with the tram operator Boardwalk Transportation LLC, which was approved for an additional year Wednesday night, raises about $500,000 a year for the city, according to Finch. In the past, tram operators had to get a special city license and pay a $100 fee for the initial license and a $60 renewal fee. They also had to provide proof of citizenship and submit to drug testing and fingerprints for a criminal background check. Those requirements would be eliminated under the new ordinance. Tram operators would still have to have a valid New Jersey commercial driver's license under the ordinance. Firm gets contract Council on Wednesday awarded a $150,000 contract to Antonelli Kantor, the Livingston, Essex County, law firm representing 2nd Ward Democratic council candidate Viana Bailey in her attempt to overturn the reelection of Councilwoman LaToya Dunston. Dunston, also a Democrat, was not backed by the city's Democratic committee, which supported Bailey. Dunston, who won the June Democratic primary by just six votes, has been a critic of Mayor Marty Small Sr. Antonelli Kantor also represented 5th Ward Democratic Councilman Muhammad Anjum Zia in a lawsuit by Republican candidate Maria Lacca, who sought a recount of the Nov. 7 election. Zia won by 46 votes, and Lacca claimed errors were made in the counting, but a judge dismissed her suit Jan. 17. Lacca has since filed a new lawsuit alleging Zia does not actually live in the city. Council attorney Robert Tarver told Dunston she had to abstain from the vote because of conflict of interest, and she was not allowed to participate in any discussion of the potential contract. Zia also abstained from the vote. EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP The Goodwill store in the Cardiff Plaza Shopping Center will hold a donation event Saturday to celebrate a month of replenishment of the stores inventory after a damaging fire last month closed the store indefinitely. Ashley Campbell, Miss Coastal Shore 2024, has teamed up with Goodwill of Southern New Jersey and Philadelphia to support the replenishment of the store, holding a drive from Jan. 20 to this Tuesday, Goodwill said in a news release. The drive will conclude with an event Saturday where those making donations will have the opportunity to meet titleholders from the Miss New Jersey Education Foundation and Miss America Opportunity. The event will run from 9 a.m. to noon at 6701 Black Horse Pike. People are encouraged to donate gently used items. Campbell will be joined by other titleholders including Miss Gloucester County 2024 Molly Pugliese, Miss Ramapo Valley 2024 Valerie Randazzo, Miss Ocean View 2024 Ashley Kulikowski and Miss Cape Resort 2024 Jessica Riggins. Egg Harbor Township Goodwill closed until further notice after fire, still accepting donations The Goodwill store in the Cardiff Plaza Shopping Center in Egg Harbor Township will be closed until further notice after a fire Monday destroyed all of its merchandise. If interested in donating, Campbell can be reached at campash17@gmail.com. Goodwill offers donation tax receipts for those who request them. Police responded to the store for a structure fire at 1:31 p.m. Jan. 15. Firefighters prevented the blaze at the 20,000-square-foot store and donation center from spreading to neighboring businesses in the plaza. The fire has been deemed suspicious, and police are seeking the publics help identifying a man wanted for questioning. As a result of the fire, the store has been closed since. The 30 employees who worked there have been reassigned to other locations or are working on site at the donation center for the time being, Goodwill said. The Goodwill donation center is open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. ATLANTIC CITY With yet another cannabis dispensary on the agenda, weed was again a hot topic for the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority on Tuesday. There are multiple business proposals working their way through the state approval process, and funding is getting tight for many of the hopeful cannabis entrepreneurs. This week, CRDA board members asked fresh questions about how many weed businesses the city needs. Many of the proposed businesses may never open. Someone came in our office today, said I spent over $300,000. Im running out of money. I need an investor to keep this project going. They dont even have a state license, Mayor Marty Small Sr. said at the meeting. Its not the first time members of the board have questioned the rate of cannabis business approvals. Last year, members called for a pause in new approvals. After a brief pause, the steady stream of applications continued. Small, who is also a CRDA board member, said many of the businesses approved by the CRDA and the city may never receive the needed state approvals, or could fall short on funding before opening. His administration has looked to cannabis as a potentially significant draw for tourists and a source of jobs and fresh revenue. The cannabis proposals include new investment, renovating existing buildings, including many that are vacant. The authority board approved a site plan for PPP Dispensary LLC for a retail location at 3001 Atlantic Ave., at Morris Avenue down the street from residential neighborhoods. Its the most recent of a string of cannabis business proposals. Last year, growing facilities, consumption lounges and multiple dispensaries received site plan approval, with some planned for the same block as another proposed dispensary. So far, few have made it all the way through the process. Middle Township gives support to Insa/Restore dispensary at Route 9 and Avalon Blvd. The Township Committee on Monday gave its unanimous support to a proposed cannabis retail location at 1580 Route 9, at the intersection of Avalon Boulevard. The proposed new Atlantic Avenue dispensary would be located in an existing building. Lance Landgraf, the CRDAs director of planning and development, said the proposed site has a loading area and off-street parking. Like many other applications, it also required variances for non-conforming conditions that already exist at the site. There were two votes against the approval, from members Mike Beson and Brett Matik, with 13 of the 18 members of the board attending the meeting. Planning approval and a letter of support from the city are necessary steps for cannabis businesses to receive approval from the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission. Are there any churches or schools within 1,000 feet or so? Beson asked Landgraf. The requirement in the city ordinance only relates to schools within 200 feet of a proposed cannabis business, Landgraf said. Beson also asked how many cannabis businesses have come before the CRDA so far. About 28 or 29, Landgraf said. Matik followed up, asking how many of those were within a couple of blocks of the applicants proposed retail store. There are several within a three-block radius of this site, Landgraf said. But that would not be part of the criteria for the CRDAs review, he added. Id caution the board against taking that into consideration. That would be a violation of land use protocols, he said. I understand your concern with it. For some previous applications, members of nearby churches have spoken against the approval of cannabis sales nearby. In this case, the Chelsea Baptist Church is a few hundred feet from the proposed cannabis business. Beson said the location does not sit well with him, and cited concerns about the investors in new weed businesses. A lot of people are losing money on this. And I hope that its not Atlantic City residents who are trying to start a business, thinking that its going to be the next gold rush. Its not, he said. On its website, the Cannabis Regulatory Commission describes weed as a lucrative business but outlines some considerable up-front expenses, both for microbusinesses and for larger-scale operations. The site estimates an investment of $250,000 to $2 million, depending on the planned size and location, and those that have opened their doors describe a hefty investment in real estate, building renovations, staff and legal fees before the first ounce can be weighed. At the Tuesday meeting, Landgraf described the security requirements the CRDA insists on, which are similar to those of other communities. They include security on site, starting an hour before opening, and real-time video to which police have access. Small indicated the High Rollers dispensary planned at the Claridge is close to opening, but several other sites around the city where cannabis has been approved show little sign of work underway. Everyone in the discussion acknowledged that funding has been an issue for new cannabis businesses. Landgraf said one of the business hopefuls asked for a CRDA loan, which he said the authority could not provide. Board Chairman Modia Butler described it as a balancing act. He said some towns set limits on the number of businesses, only to see proposals fall short of opening. Where they wanted five or six, they may be getting one. So theyre opening it back up, he said. Nuns plead against pot plans in Atlantic City Atlantic City's move to become the cannabis capitol of the east continues, with sites for two new dispensaries approved at the most recent meeting of the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority. Currently, there are two businesses in Atlantic City selling recreational marijuana, and the first spot to open, barred from the rec market because of its Boardwalk location, has sought state approval to relocate. Small said he is wholeheartedly against smoking marijuana but sees great potential for the industry in Atlantic City. He does not want the city to derail anyones business plan, adding it is the state, not the city or the CRDA, with the last word on licensing businesses. My reasoning was, lets not stop the little guy. Let us not get in the little guys way, give him an opportunity, Small said. If they can get it, God bless them. If they cant, thats a part of the process. Just like if it were any other business not named marijuana, not everybodys going to make it. Voters said yes to legal weed in 2020, and in April 2022, the first sales took place, with long lines and waits for hours at the few legal businesses. The Cannabis Regulatory Commission, founded almost three years ago, recently touted a milestone of 100 cannabis dispensaries in New Jersey. Sales to the adult use market in 2023 came in just shy of $674 million. There is every indication that the overall sales amount will rise this year and next, Jeff Brown, executive director of the cannabis commission, said in a statement. Nash, Lodge to play Music Pier: Graham Nash and John Lodge of the Moody Blues will be among the performers during the Ocean City Summer Concert Series at the Music Pier. Lodge will perform at 7 p.m. July 15, and Nash will perform at 7 p.m. Aug. 26. Nash, known for his contributions to the Hollies and Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, will perform a mix of group and solo hits. Tickets are available at etix.com. The Summer Concert Series lineup is as follows: Lets Sing Taylor A Live Band Experience Celebrating Taylor Swift: 5 and 7:30 p.m. June 24 Kenny G: 7 p.m. June 25 Killer Queen A Tribute to Queen: 7 p.m. July 1 The Wailers: 7 p.m. July 8 The Moody Blues John Lodge: 7 p.m. July 15 The Beach Boys: 6 and 8:30 p.m. Aug. 5 and 6 Graham Nash: 7 p.m. Aug. 26 Fungi Friday: The Environmental Commission of West Capy May will host an informational program on mushrooms from 6:30 to 8 p.m. March 8 at Borough Hall, 732 Broadway. Guest speaker Lin Conover, owner of Wood Song Mushrooms LLC, will focus on how mushrooms are powerful and mysterious and how to grow them. Conover began the process of identifying wild species and growing cultivated mushrooms and has made a living from it. The program will include a container making kit. Space is limited, and pre-registration is required. To register, call 609-884-1005, ext. 101, by 3 p.m. March 7. A Taste of Purim: Beth Israel will offer A Taste of Purim Tot Shabbat on March 15. Led by Rabbi Michael L. Feshbach and Miss Cookie, preschoolers and parents will enjoy songs, stories, a holiday-themed craft and learn about Purim, a holiday that commemorates the saving of the Jewish people from annihilation at the hands of an official of the Achaemenid Empire as told in the biblical Book of Esther. The evening will include pizza and hamantaschen, and costumes are encouraged. For more information, call 609-641-3600, email bethisrael@cbinorthfield.org or visit bethisraelnorthfield.org. Lynn Kramer Village by the shore at JFS programs: Lynn Kramer Village by the Shore at Jewish Family Service of Atlantic & Cape May Counties has announced its March programs: Positivity Project: Morning Refresh, 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. March 7: Explore positivity with Mary Jean Arreola and Village Community Specialist Tina Serota to learn about boosting wellness through self-care and meditation. This program is via Zoom, and a link will be emailed. RSVP by March 4. Memoir Workshop, 10:30 a.m. to noon March 8: Capture lifes adventures, history and ancestry in a workshop led by author Harriet Levin Millan, director of Drexel Universitys certificate program in writing and publishing. This program is via Zoom, and a link will be emailed. RSVP by March 5. Womens Coffee & Conversation Reframing Aging Together, 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. March 11: Join Serota, Jen Hand from Bratton Law Group, Bridget Giblin from the Milton & Betty Katz Jewish Community Center, Carolyn Johnson Peterson from Angelic Health, Mary Beth Lewis from the Alzheimers Association and Michele Ercolani Musto as they host monthly speakers addressing issues impacting womens well-being. Marchs focus is asset protection and estate planning for women. Attend in person at the Katz JCC boardroom, 501 N. Jerome Ave., Margate. RSVP by March 7. Memory Connections, 1 to 2:30 p.m. March 11: Join Serota, Lewis, Johnson Peterson, Hand, Ercolani Musto and Giblin for a gathering of caregivers supporting loved ones with dementia and those living with the disease. Attend in person at the Katz JCC boardroom. RSVP by March 6. Village Film Society, 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. March 12: Join film enthusiast Tom Celandine and Serota for a discussion of the movie Rustin, starring Chris Rock, Audra McDonald and Colman Domingo. RSVP by March 4. Mahjong & Canasta Brunch, 11 a.m. March 13: Join friends and neighbors for games, conversations and brunch at the Katz JCC auditorium. Cost is $20 for Village and JCC members, and $23 for non-members. RSVP to Giblin at 609-822-1167 or bgiblin@jccatlantic.org. Throwback Thursday: Orthodox Synagogues in Atlantic City & Beyond, 10:30 a.m. to noon March 14: Join Josh Cutler, executive director of the Board of Jewish Education of Atlantic & Cape May Counties, for a tour of the Jewish history of Orthodox synagogues in and around Atlantic City. Attend in person at the Katz JCC Boardroom. RSVP by March 11. Lunch Around Town, noon to 1:30 p.m. March 15: Join Arreola and Serota for an evening retreat focused on self-care, mindfulness, gratitude, meditation, resilience and more. RSVP by March 18, and the Zoom link will be emailed to participants. Coffee Klatch: Hybrid, 10:30 a.m. to noon March 21: Join Serota in welcoming Carolyn Rush, a Democratic candidate for New Jerseys 2nd Congressional District. Attend in person at the Katz JCC boardroom or via Zoom and a link will be emailed. RSVP by March 18. Memory Cafe: Ocean City, 10:30 a.m. to noon March 26: Caregivers, join Village and UMC representatives in a dementia-friendly space for creative and social activities, including art, music and gentle movements. Attend in person at the Ocean City Free Public Library, 1735 Simpson Ave. RSVP by March 20. Memory Connections, 1 to 2:30 p.m. March 11: Attend in person at the Katz JCC boardroom in Margate. RSVP for any program by contacting Serota at 609-287-8872 or tserota@jfsatlantic.org. The American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey has launched a new clemency project intended to help free people languishing in prison under extreme sentences. The group said theyll take a categorical approach to clemency, meaning theyll identify groups serving sentences they deem unjust and then petition Gov. Phil Murphy to consider pardoning people or shortening their sentences. Theyre first focusing on incarcerated domestic violence survivors and people who opted to go to trial rather than accept a prosecutors plea deal and subsequently got significantly longer sentences than the prosecutor proposed. Most women in prison are domestic violence survivors, according to an April report by the Sentencing Project. And most criminal cases get resolved by plea bargaining but those that go to trial so often result in longer sentences that attorneys call the trend the trial penalty, according to a recent report by the American Bar Association. By taking a categorical approach to clemency, hundreds of more people who no longer need to be in prison will be eligible for expedited review, and eventually, release, ACLU-NJ Executive Director Amol Sinha said in a statement. Gov. Phil Murphy said during a radio show earlier this month that he supports a categorical approach to clemency, predicting it would have a revolutionary impact on New Jersey. In New Jersey, the governor has essentially unfettered constitutional authority to grant clemency, according to the ACLU. Murphy rarely uses that authority, though he issued no pardons his first term in office. Only 105 people received clemency in New Jersey from 1994 to January 2022. Atlantic City man admits shooting man in the head An Atlantic City man who shot a person in the head on the Boardwalk nearly two years ago pleaded guilty to aggravated assault Wednesday, the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office said. Murphy spokespeople didnt immediately respond to the New Jersey Monitors request for comment Thursday. The clemency project is the latest decarceration effort by criminal justice advocates, who point to racial disparities behind bars as proof of the need for reform. Our project is a focused effort to mitigate injustice, and it may be the last opportunity for incarcerated people to come home and reconnect with their families and communities, said Rebecca Uwakwe, a senior staff attorney with ACLU-NJ. In a state with the nations highest racial disparities in prisons, this is fundamental to racial justice and repairing the harms of mass incarceration. Jeanne LoCicero, the groups legal director, said attorneys already have started working with incarcerated domestic violence survivors and are laying the groundwork to help people sentenced at trial to longer terms after rejecting plea offers. No one should be saddled with significantly harsher punishment for exercising their constitutional right, she said. This story first appeared on the New Jersey Monitor. Resolved to fix Stanley Holmes When we start a new year, people always make resolutions about things they want to change and improve. As an elected official, there are always priority items to make the quality of life better for my constituents. I have many concerns and issues that need to be addressed in 2024. At the very top of my list is the living conditions at Stanley Holmes Village. The Press of Atlantic City has accurately and prominently highlighted the conditions, ongoing problems, and the acute lack of maintenance and compliance at Stanley Holmes. I have been adamant and pointed about better living conditions at Stanley Holmes. I advocated for a rent credit for tenants who experienced a lack of heat, which proved successful. But Stanley Holmes is at a crisis point. More than 100 tenants have filed a class action lawsuit; heat and hot water are still inconsistent, and maintenance issues still exist. 2024 has to mark the end of the intolerable and inhumane living conditions for these residents. I will ask the Atlantic City Housing Authoritys Board of Commissioners to adopt a resolution to reduce the salaries of its top executives. There must be accountability for the shocking and horrific conditions at Stanley Holmes. My 2024 resolution and goal are to continue to advocate for basic living conditions and timely repairs and maintenance for the tenants of Stanley Holmes. Kaleem Shabazz Third Ward councilman Atlantic City Biden too old In response to the Feb. 15 letter Age just a number for the president, the only thing that is true is age is just a number. My mom was sharp as could be till 92. Plenty of people are as well in their late 80s and early 90s. Our current POTUS does not fall into the latter. He just doesnt have issues about remembering the obvious, he does so it seems on a daily basis. He talks about sitting in meetings with presidents of France and Germany when both passed away over 20 years ago. He confuses the president of Mexico with the president of Egypt. This coming from the leader of the free world. With access to our nuclear codes. America and the world deserve better. You cannot walk off the podium after giving a speech and reach out to shake hands with nobody or not even know how to exit off such a stage. Time to step down, Joe. Even the staunchest of your fanbase has to see this and feel somewhat sorry for the guy. I certainly do. Paul Hahn Northfield Local 54 leader should support workers health I was shocked to read that Donna Decaprio, the president of the Local 54 casino workers union, is opposed to the casino smoking ban. I think the health and welfare of her members should be top priority. She speculates that 3,000 jobs may be lost if the ban takes effect. It is a proven fact that secondhand smoke leads to many forms of cancer. Why are jobs more important than the overall health of the union members she is elected to represent? If the members succumb to cancer prior to retirement, less pension money Local 54 has to pay to the workers. Ironically, casinos pay into the very fund that has a detrimental impact on the lifespan of their workers. The casino employees who die from the effects of secondhand smoke may never have the opportunity to collect that pension. Perhaps Local 54 should change the bylaws so the families of those impacted by this industrial disease can collect the money their loved ones worked so hard for. Labor unions were started over a hundred years ago to protect workers from dangerous and unhealthy working conditions, NOT to acquire more jobs at the expense of human lives! Maureen Coholan Margate NATO comment crossed the line Ex-President Trump has said he would encourage Russia to attack NATO countries that he feels dont pay their fair share. What is wrong with this man? Who would be OK with more war? It is also pretty ironic coming from a businessman who has left small businesses and towns unpaid for his failed business ventures and rallies. Hoping Trump worshipers think long and hard about their idol taking the reigns again. Peggy Caccia Ocean City A charge against a Davenport elementary school teacher of lascivious conduct with a minor has been dismissed at the request of the Scott County Attorneys Office. On Thursday, Scott County District Associate Judge approved the motion to dismiss filed by Assistant County Attorney K. Wayne Kelley in the case involving Julian Lira, 35, who had been teaching at Jackson Elementary School. Lira was arrested Dec. 16 after Davenport Police filed a complaint alleging that on Oct. 7 during an event at Credit Island Lodge, he had inappropriately touched a girl over her clothing. Lira initially was charged with indecent contact with a child, an aggravated misdemeanor that carries a prison sentence of two years. The County Attorneys Office filed a trial information charging Lira with lascivious conduct with a minor, a serious misdemeanor that carries a jail sentence of up to one year. The charge was changed because the girl was 14-years old, at which time she is legally considered a minor and not a child. According to Kelleys motion to dismiss, the two charges are structurally identical, but with one crucial element in that in addition to proving that Lira touched the minor over her clothing, the state would also be required to prove the defendant was in a 'position of authority' over the victim at the time of the act." Lira's attorney, John Moeller, had filed a motion for a bill of particulars, saying the charging documents did not specify how Lira was in a position of authority over the girl at the time. Kelley's motion to dismiss notes that Lira had been the girl's teacher briefly in third and sixth grades, but determines that does not "meet the definition of 'position of authority.'" According to the motion filed by Moeller, the Iowa Code does not define position of authority." The alleged victim, Moeller said, is now in ninth grade and attends a different school than where Lira was teaching. Moeller said that the alleged incident did not take place on school grounds or at a school event. Both Lira and the girl were coincidentally guests at a wedding reception at a public park. The defendant had no more authority over the alleged victim than did anyone else at the wedding, Moeller said. In his motion to dismiss, Kelley said he had considered other offenses, but could not find any other offenses which fit the set of facts in the case. Lira was teaching sixth grade at Jackson Elementary School before being placed on administrative leave due to the charge. Davenport Community School District spokeswoman Sarah Ott said Lira remains on administrative leave as of Monday, Feb. 26. Update: This story has been updated with information from DCSD on Lira's status. A Silvis man was arrested Wednesday on child pornography charges, the Illinois State Police said. Robert Anthony Azbell, 38, is charged in Rock Island County Circuit Court with eight counts of disseminating child pornography with a victim under the age of 13. Each of the charges is a Class X felony under Illinois law that carry a prison sentence of six to 30 years and a mandatory minimum fine of $2,000 and a maximum fine of $100,000. Agents with the Illinois Division of Criminal Investigation on Thursday served a search warrant on Azbells home in the 800 block of 11th Street in Silvis, according to a news release issued by the Illinois State Police. Evidence of child pornography was seized as a result of the search warrant and Azbell was taken into custody. Azbell made a first appearance on the charges Thursday in Circuit Court before Frank Fuhr, presiding judge of the criminal division. Fuhr ordered Azbell held without bond. During a detention hearing Friday in Circuit Court, Associate Judge Derek Hancks continued the order that Azbell be held in the Rock Island County Jail without bond. Fuhr scheduled a preliminary hearing in the case for March 12. WHAT WE KNOW: As of now, school districts in Illinois will be required to take off Election Day this coming November. There is a pending House bill which would districts to waive it. WHAT'S NEW: The Orion school board voted Wednesday 5-0 to enable the district to have the option to waive the Columbus Day, Veterans Day and Martin Luther King Day holidays in future school years. Board members Amy Blommer and Sonia Berg were absent. Superintendent Joseph Blessman said the intent is to waive Columbus Day, or Indigenous Peoples Day, to make up for the loss of attendance on Election Day. Blessman said there was no plan to hold school on either Veterans Day or Martin Luther King Day; but since he was going to the trouble of notifying state legislators of the plan to have the option of waiving Columbus Day, he thought he would go ahead with the other two waivable holidays. Resident Annette Boos said she was satisfied with the board's explanation that if they ever waived Veterans Day, they would have students commemorating the day with a "big celebration." "I respect that now," she said. Resident Dave Dedecker, a veteran, said his daughter, a 1993 Orion graduate who has been in the service for 24 years, cried when she learned of the district's plans. "You people don't realize what it means to us," he said. Blessman said he recognized what veterans have done and promised Dedecker he would not be discouraged if he saw the Orion schools' participation in a Veterans Day at school. WHAT'S NEXT: The Orion school board is hosting a town hall meeting from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 27, at the high school, with a focus on communication and e-learning versus emergency days off. Issues involving communication include whether the district needs to be communicating more, or less, and what methods it should be using to communicate. Questions can be brought to the meeting or e-mailed to Blessman. Board president Aaron Kayser said people can bring other concerns to the meeting and address them at the close of the session with board members. Board member Heather Hoftender said she would hope to include community members on a communications committee. Photos and video: Orion marching band performs at 2023 Showcase of Bands (Oct. 15, 2023) Nathaniel "Nate" Lawrence was almost always working on something. The local jazz leader and president of Q-C music organization Polyrhythms since 2005 died unexpectedly in August of last year, at 80 years old. Even in his final weeks, Lawrence was ready to give back to the local music scene. He was preparing for the Bill Bell Jazz and Heritage Festival, which was held just days after his passing. Lawrence was also looking ahead at potential acts to book for Polyrhythms' monthly Third Sunday Jazz Series. Now, six months after his passing, a show that Lawrence helped book is being held in his memory. Polyrhythms is hosting the "Nathaniel Lawrence Memorial Concert" on Sunday, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Rivermont Collegiate, 1821 Sunset Dr., Bettendorf. The headliner will be the Edmar Castaneda Quartet, led by the world-renowned Colombian jazz harpist. The Polyrhythm's business manager, Bonnie Engelstad, said one of Lawrence's last email correspondences in August was with Castaneda, hoping to bring him to town for a show. Engelstad said that when she came across Lawrence's emails with Castaneda, she felt a "conviction" that she had to book him for the memorial show. "I just had this certainty that that was the right thing to do," she said. "Bringing someone of Edmar's caliber here for Third Sunday Jazz is not something we can afford to do frequently, but this is so important to really make it something people will always remember." Castaneda has an impressive resume he's done an NPR Tiny Desk Concert, played with Sting and contributed music and soundtrack consulting to the Disney animated film "Encanto." "I was born to play the harp," he said, via a press release shared by Polyrhythms. Joining him on the lineup will be special guests Billy Branch, Semenya McCord and Hal Reed, and the Polyrhythms Trio the organization's "house band," made up of Corey Kendrick, Manuel Lopez III and Ronald Wilson. Both Wilson and Kendrick got their start learning music in Polyrhythms workshops as kids. McCord is a longtime friend of Lawrence's who teaches music in Galesburg, and Reed is a native of East Moline, Lawrence's hometown. Reed won't be performing music, but will be reading some words in Lawrence's honor. Organizing events after Lawrence's passing has been challenging, Engelstad said, but the organization hasn't missed a beat, hosting Third Sunday Jazz concerts every month since. "Nate worked tirelessly," she said. "He had boundless energy and he just took care of so many things individually, and so for us collectively to cover all the things he did, and all the connections he had, it really has been a team effort." Engelstad first met Lawrence at a jazz festival in Iowa City in 2015, and she was immediately inspired. Most of all, she said Lawrence was an opportunist, always aware of what kind of skillsets Polyrhythms should bring on board. For eight years after they met, Engelstad handled the accounting tasks for the organization. Lessons from Lawrence inform how she and the Polyrhythms team keep going. "Nate had a way of inspiring your best self," she said. Admission to the concert on Sunday will cost $20, with free entry for children, K-12 students and college students. The performances will start at 4:30 p.m., with a social gathering starting at 4 p.m. Admission is paid at the door. The Iowa Freedom of Information Council is adding its voice in court to argue Davenport should release a demand letter from its former city administrator that led to a $1.6 million payout. The Iowa FOI Council, a nonprofit which promotes openness and transparency in Iowa's state and local governments, filed a motion to intervene in Scott County court on Thursday. The council filed in a case in which the City of Davenport is requesting the court rule on whether it can release a demand letter from former City Administrator Corri Spiegel outlining alleged harassment from elected officials she said she experienced. The council argues Spiegel's letter should be released, and that public interest and accounting of the city's decision to pay her $1.6 million outweighs concerns about her privacy. According to the city's initial filing, Spiegel sent a letter to former City Attorney Tom Warner in September 2023 outlining instances of harassment, bias, and discrimination she alleges she faced and makes a monetary demand. Since Spiegel's departure was announced in mid-November, the city has received several requests for documents related to Spiegel's departure. In its court filing, the city argues it cannot determine whether or not the document must be released under open records law. The city asked the court to determine whether the record is confidential and if so, whether the city may release it. Two other administrative employees, Tiffany Thorndike and Samantha Torres also have filed requests to intervene, arguing that the city's motion is an attempt to circumvent a lawsuit by the two employees against the city for mistakenly released their own demand letters, which they thought would be kept confidential. The FOI Council argues a demand letter is not a type of document, such as a performance evaluation, tax withholding form, or other personal information, that would be found in a personnel file. "Government employees are not in the business of making seven-figure demands of their employer," the Council's motion states. "Communication such as the Letter is more aptly classified as an external communication threatening litigation that resulted in a settlement and release of claims. As such it remains an open public record, not an exempt personnel file record that is private and personal to the government employee. "Indeed, Spiegel presumably sent the letter intending the government to take public action based on it, including approving a large payment to her, which indeed occurred." The FOI Council also noted that under Iowa open records laws, there is no mandate that personnel records be kept confidential. On the topic of medical information, the FOI Council argues that Spiegel, Thorndike and Torres "should not be allowed to disclose their medical history when it benefits them financially yet muzzle that information when the public seeks an accounting for its $1.6 million settlement." But, the council suggested, if the court did find concern with release of medical information, there are less drastic measures than withholding the entire document, such as redaction. "The content of the Letter, as well as in the City of Davenport's working conditions, treatment of employees, and expenditure of taxpayer dollars are matters of legitimate and deep public concern," the council wrote in its filing. In its initial filing, the city indicated that it has no opinion on whether it should release Spiegel's record, but requested the court make that decision because the city was placed in an "impossible position" faced with potential litigation against the city from either its former employees or records requestors. Photos: Eagles make their way back to the Quad-Cities along the Mississippi River The walls of the Oglala Sioux Tribe Victim Services building are lined with missing person posters dozens of faces and names of men and women, all from the Pine Ridge Reservation, who have gotten little to no justice. Fifty years ago in February 1974, Delema Sits Poor and her friend left their school at the Seventh Day Advent Church in the number four community (also called Wakpamni) about eight miles from the Pine Ridge community. The two set out to walk along an unpaved backroad toward Manderson, South Dakota. Despite below-zero temperatures, the two 12-year-old girls were determined to reach their destination. High winds and heavy snow set in during their walk. At some point, Sits Poors friend began to develop frostbite so she opted to walk to the nearby Red Cloud Indian School, but Sits Poor kept walking, wearing only a white down-filled jacket with brown bell-bottom pants and sneakers. The Oglala/Mniconju Lakota girl was never seen again. The next morning, once the snowstorm cleared, her family traveled to Pine Ridge to find a phone and call for help. Her father filed a police report, and her cousin called the National Guard. In the days following Sits Poors disappearance, ground and air searches were conducted around the Calico community where Sits Poor may have walked a rugged remote area with miles of winding buttes, steep valleys and thick brush. Late last year a three-year-old boy was found alive after disappearing in the same area. Family members said they felt that after the seventh day of searching the push to find Sits Poor ended. They just stopped looking, back in those days I got the impression that they werent very helpful, Sits Poors cousin Genevieve Chase In Sight-Ribitish said. We never got any responses from her missing persons report we filed, no one came to ask us about her, we havent gotten any updates. On the 50th anniversary of her disappearance, the Sits Poor family continues to search for answers. I tried looking for her many times, people would call and say theyd seen her in Rosebud or in Denver, and somebody told me they saw her around Pine Ridge with a man. I searched everywhere, wed go everywhere, said Sits Poors older sister Rose Thunder Club. After seven years, Sits Poor was declared dead. The family suspects that foul play may be involved in her disappearance. We hang in there hoping that one day she would walk in the door or wed see her around somewhere, said Chase In Sight-Ribitish. At only 12 years old, Sits Poor was just beginning to find herself. She was getting into rock music, her brother Frank Sits Poor said. Shed just gotten a new Lynyrd Skynyrd cassette tape. She was just 12, just a kid, just getting started, Thunder Club said. Raised by her grandmother, a fluent Lakota speaker, Sits Poor spoke Lakota and was engaged with her culture. Delema was a really beautiful person, she was caring and loving and kind, she never hurt anybody, Chase In Sight-Ribitish said. Sits Poor's disappearance is among dozens of unsolved cases of missing and murdered Indigenous women in South Dakota. Of the cases currently listed in the South Dakota Missing Persons Clearing House, 54% are Indigenous despite Indigenous people making up only 9% of South Dakotas population. The count listed in the Clearing House is also an undercount. Sits Poor is not listed and never has been, as well as a few other older cold cases from Pine Ridge. This is because they were never filed and added to the system, according to the South Dakota Attorney General's Office. Dozens of Indigenous women went missing and were murdered on the Pine Ridge Reservation in the 1970s. Theres no official number of how many women disappeared or were killed during this time. Sits Poor's own mother, Phyllis White Dress, was murdered in 1976, two years after her daughters disappearance. One of the oldest cases, Beatrice Tallman-Curry, was brought to justice because her case piqued the interest of a law enforcement officer several years after her disappearance. Theres no one set or list of names, theyre all scattered everywhere, said Susan Shangreux-Hudspeth, Oglala Lakota and director of Oglala Sioux Tribe Victim Services. Theres just no justice. No one has been arrested. It takes someone dedicated to bringing this to justice. As time moved on, young family members like Eagle Louse and her brother Bo Sits Poor never got to meet their aunt. While they never met her, they grew up with her by hearing stories about her. How helpful shed been to her family, how much she loved her grandmother, how silly she could be. These are traumatic events for these families, all of these (cold cases) they have a story, she was somebody, said Amanda Takes War Bonnett, Oglala Lakota and public education specialist for the Native Womens Society of the Great Plains. Sits Poors father, mother, grandma and several of her siblings died without answers. My grandpa went to the grave looking for her, my mom did too, said Tawny Eagle Louse, Sits Poors niece. It would just be nice to get some closure. Many aspects of Sits Poor's disappearance are unknown. Some documents list her as last seen on February 4, 1974, while others list February 20. Additionally, its unclear if Sits Poor made it to her friends house and disappeared leaving, or if she never made it to her destination. Its like finding a needle in a haystack, Chase In Sight-Ribitish said. Theres so many brick walls and things we dont know. Sits Poor's disappearance broke her fathers heart, Frank Sits Poor said. I think it tore my family apart when she disappeared, the love kind of dwindled, Eagle Louse said. Around 2018, Thunder Club and Chase In Sight-Ribitish said they were contacted by an investigator for the Oglala Sioux Tribes newly founded cold case unit. Despite speaking with the investigator a few times, they never heard back. With no updates and limited information, the family continues to hope and pray for Sits Poors return. Every chance we get we go up into the hills and look, Chase In Sight-Ribitish said. Anytime the relatives get the chance theyll go back there and look. Anything suspicious we move it around and look around for her. Anyone with information about Sits Poor's disappearance can contact the Oglala Sioux Tribe Police Department at 605-867-5111 or report to the Bureau of Indian Affairs Missing and Murdered Unit by texting 847411 to BIAMMU or calling 1-833-560-2065. Fall River County residents gathered at a town hall meeting hosted by the Fall River County Sheriffs Office on Thursday night to discuss the proposed Justice Center in Hot Springs. The project aims to address aging infrastructure, replacing the deteriorating jail, and to create a comprehensive center that will encompass the 911 Dispatch, Sheriffs Office, Clerk of Courts, Court Services, State's Attorney, and the 24/7 program. The concept of a new jail or a Justice Center is not new. The idea has been present in Fall River County for more than 20 years," said Rachel Hosterman, FRCSO administrative assistant. Officials from the departments discussed the project's potential to keep law enforcement local, improve response times, and offer dispatch dedicated space to enhance service delivery. The Justice Center is presented as a vital investment in community safety and administrative efficiency, expected to address the challenges posed by the county's growing population and the corresponding need for expanded services, Hosterman said. It's a space issue. Renovation alone cannot address this. Please remember, tonight's conversation goes beyond just a jail. We often focus on the jail, but the reality is, our current situation involves more complex problems than the jail alone, Hosterman said. The Justice Center is a response to more than two decades of recognized need for upgraded facilities. With the current jail and dispatch center no longer meeting operational demands, the new center represents an opportunity to enhance safety, efficiency, and compliance with modern standards. By addressing the myriad challenges with a single, unified solution, Fall River County aims to secure a safer, more efficient, and financially sustainable future for its justice and emergency service systems, according to Hosterman. "The current Fall River County Jail has a linear design, a style no longer used in modern facilities. The preferred layout now is podular, featuring a master control center, Hosterman said. This design, with its pie-shaped layout, allows a corrections officer to have a line of sight over vast areas without corridors to patrol. It's much safer and significantly more efficient, enabling the monitoring of more people with fewer staff members, and reducing reliance on surveillance cameras alone." The proposal envisions a modern facility at 27518 Cascade Road, designed to blend with its surroundings and move away from the traditional penitentiary aesthetic. The choice of location, on county-owned land, leverages existing resources to mitigate some financial burdens associated with new construction. The projects financial strategy includes housing federal pretrial detainees to generate revenue and potentially supplementing cost with a low-interest loan from the USDA's Rural Development Community Facility Program. Constructing a new Justice Center and housing 35 federal inmates could generate significant revenue for Fall River County, officials said. With an estimated cost of $20 million for the facility, the county plans to secure a USDA low-interest loan at 3.75%, spread over 40 years without a down payment. The arrangement would result in an annual debt service of approximately $1.6 million. Housing 35 federal inmates annually, at a rate of $110 per inmate per day, could yield an income of $1.39 million, offsetting much of the project's cost. "We could essentially cover the cost of the new facility by acting as a landlord and charging rent for those housed in the facility," Hosterman said. Starting the Justice Center project in Fall River County will be a lengthy process, with officials estimating three to four years until completion. Securing financing alone, particularly through the USDA loan application process, is expected to take up to two years. Moreover, officials caution that construction costs, currently increasing at an average rate of 0.05% per month, could significantly impact the project's budget over time. A project that might have cost between $7 million to $10 million two decades ago is now estimated at $28 million, with projections suggesting it could reach up to $35 million in the future, officials said. Following the informational meeting, a proposal still needs to be submitted to the County Commission. No timeline has been given for when that might happen. A Rapid City man who shot someone in the leg during an argument was sentenced Thursday to a 15-year suspended prison sentence and six years of probation for aggravated assault. Circuit Court Judge Jane Wipf Pfeifle told 27-year-old James Peterson, Jr. she would give him one chance on probation. If he doesn't follow the terms of probation, the judge warned she "will impose a penitentiary sentence." A Pennington County jury found Peterson guilty in January after less than 90 minutes of deliberation following a two-day trial. Peterson shot a man during a verbal argument in October 2022 at a trailer park on Lindbergh Avenue in Rapid City. Peterson never denied the shooting, but he claimed self-defense. He said the man he shot was threatening his dog, and he fired the gun to protect the animal, his property, himself, and his father. The argument began over Peterson playing drums too loudly, according to Peterson. The victim said someone from Peterson's trailer started to yell insults at his girlfriend unprompted, and when he went over to talk, he was shot. Video Peterson took of the incident showed the man walking towards his trailer when the gun fired. Peterson testified he gave at least one warning before shooting, but no warning can be heard in the video. "In the view of 12 jurors, you made exactly the wrong decision," Wipf Pfeifle said. The judge said she thought Peterson was looking for a chance to fire the gun, and "latched onto" the idea of standing his ground without understanding the meaning of it. Peterson faced a maximum of 15 years in prison and a $30,000 fine for the crime. Deputy Pennington County State's Attorney Roxanne Hammond asked the judge to sentence Peterson to 15 years in prison with five suspended. "He's not a safe person to be in public," she said. Hammond said Peterson would likely make it through probation without any major infractions but "the danger is he lacks self-awareness." She called him, "rude, condescending, and completely unremorseful." Peterson's defense attorney, Elizabeth Regalado, noted her client has always shown up to court and followed court orders. She argued the state had no basis to paint him as a monster in the community. She noted his lack of prior criminal history outside of two DUIs, which she said prompted him to stop drinking. She said Peterson is employed and "100% understands how to conduct himself in the world." She said his behavior since the shooting "speaks completely against what Ms. Hammond is saying." "I do think Mr. Peterson has learned from this incident," she said. Peterson thanked the judge for her patience and told her he would do the "utmost" to follow the terms of probation. A Mexican man was arrested in connection with an alleged murder-for-hire plot in Ravalli County on Thursday. Julian Marcial, aka Abraham Arcial Temich, was charged with three felony counts of accountability for attempted deliberate homicide or, in the alternative, accountability for attempted aggravated assault, two felony counts of accountability for attempted threats in official proceeding, and one felony count of accountability for attempted intimidation in Ravalli County District Court on Friday, Feb. 23. Prosecutors contend that Marcial aided, abetted, agreed, or attempted to aid Welman Ranfery Quiroaurizar in his attempt to solicit the murder and/or assault of a Ravalli County prosecuting attorney and detective, as well as Quiroaurizars estranged wife. Quiroaurizar was being held at the Ravalli County Detention Center on rape and assault charges filed in January when he allegedly attempted to solicit the murder and/or assault of a Ravalli County prosecuting attorney and detective investigating his case, as well as his estranged wife, through a number of recorded jail-house phone calls. Investigators identified the main intermediary in the calls regarding the alleged plot as a Hispanic male. Prosecutors believe Marcial was that man. According to court documents, investigators found Marcial working at a Ravalli County construction site where he reportedly told officers that he knew Quiroaurizar and that he was the person Quiroaurizar had spoken with in calls from the Ravalli County Detention Center. When first asked about the calls, Marcial denied that Quiroaurizar asked him to do anything or contact anyone. Upon further questioning, Marcial allegedly admitted to contacting a man named Pancho in Mexico for Quiroaurizar. He claimed the purpose for contacting Pancho was not nefarious but reportedly admitted that it looked bad. According to court documents, Marcial is a citizen of Mexico and speaks extremely little English. His interview was conducted in Spanish. He also has limited reading and writing skills in Spanish and is of limited financial means. He is currently residing in the U.S. illegally. The State requested that the Office of Public Defender assign an attorney who can adequately communicate with Marcial in Spanish. Judge Jennifer Lint set bond at $2 million. LOS ANGELES The second season of Abbott Elementary was a complete blur for star Quinta Brunson. I wasnt processing it, the recent Emmy winner says on the set of her hit series. Winning a Golden Globe? Blur. I do not have a memory of that. I have a memory of Tyler (James Williams) winning, but not me physically winning or even the show winning because we were also working while the first awards were going. We were just here at 5 a.m. every day. We were just working and getting the job done. Brunson, who also writes and produces the series, didnt exhale until the writers strike started. The walls came crashing in and I was like, What is going on? I was in my office, and I walked past (the book shelf) and I was like, What the hell is that award? And I had to pull it off the shelf to see that it was a SAG Award. How did this happen? We were working and I wasnt processing how much had changed. To make sure shes an important part of the show she created, fellow producers have built in several weeks of pre-production so she can be in the writers room and help direct where its going. And then we build in hiatuses every few weeks so that before we get caught up, shes back in the room, says Executive Producer Justin Halpern. When Brunson isnt needed on set, she heads to the writers room. Well literally come down to her dressing room and start pitching stuff, he adds. To me, she feels like a writer first. Shes an amazing writer who happens to be an incredible performer. The best version of this show is the version that comes through her. And thats what we try to make happen. In the third season, Brunsons character, Janine, has a job with the school district, which takes her out of the classroom. That means shes not in daily contact with her Abbott friends. More important, shes not in a hardcore relationship with Williams character, Gregory Eddie. I think the fun of young 20-somethings is really the stuff that happens all the time, Brunson says. People kiss each other, they have sex with each other and then, all of a sudden, theyre cool again or not cool again or friends again. Life doesnt magically turn into something where they never see each other anymore. I thought that was an interesting vehicle for Janine and Gregory. Because producers want Abbott to reflect current events, theyve crafted stories about funding problems, aggressive parents and teacher burnout. People who arent teachers dont know how much teachers have to do, Brunson says. In one second season episode, a parent calls out the teacher: Do your job, teach my kid. I dont care if my kid is bad. We didnt want either of them to be in the right or in the wrong. We wanted to show what could happen, Brunson says. After the episode aired, viewers told Brunson they had no idea teachers had to deal with those kinds of issues. Watching Janine get yelled at on-screen was too much for them to bear. After seeing all that Janine does for her students, it opened them up to reflection. Because Brunsons mother, a kindergarten teacher, served as inspiration for the series, shes often quizzed about incidents. An episode that focused on after-school dance classes came from her life. Those classes kept girls off the streets. It gave them somewhere to go, which is why my mom gave up more of her time to do a club. When Brunson let her see the episode, mom turned to her and said, Youre just going to steal my whole life, huh? A fan-favorite around the world, Abbott Elementary touches on moments that resonate. Like other mockumentaries, it includes talking head interviews with the characters. But theres a difference. In The Office, theyd be taped in their workspace. In Abbott Elementary, theyre not in the classroom. Executive Producer Randall Einhorn, who worked on both, told Brunson these are teachers who are on the move. They dont have time to sit down and do a talking head in the classroom. Renewed for a fourth season, Abbott Elementary has the luxury to dig into the backgrounds of all its characters. We were blessed with a cast of just absolute heavy-hitters, says Executive Producer Patrick Schumacker. Oftentimes, youll be on a show in the writers room and writers will kind of have favorites they gravitate toward. Thats not the case on this show. Brunson, in fact, never asks for more time. The reason you have this ensemble is because you have an egoless performer whos leading the charge, says Halpern. You cannot make Abbott without the way she operates in the writers room and on set. Its something she just intrinsically understands. Shes able to just put her ego wherever she needs to put it in order to make the best show possible. Abbott Elementary returns for its third season this spring on ABC. A visit to the set of 'Abbott Elementary' Abbott art Abbott library Quinta and a bus Abbott classroom Abbott bulletin board Abbott award Abbott planner Abbott phone Abbott inspiration Abbott rules Abbott Elementary 13 A strong storm system is expected to dump 2 feet of snow across western Montana's mountains from Sunday through Tuesday, bringing with it the likelihood of snarled travel and high avalanche danger. On Friday, the National Weather Service issued a winter storm watch for the region from Sunday afternoon through Monday afternoon, although forecasts showed snowfall continuing into Tuesday. The agency predicted up to 20-24 inches of snow at high elevations across the central and northern Bitterroot Mountains, and in the mountains of the Kootenai and Flathead regions in northwest Montana. The southern Bitterroot and Sapphires were predicted to get up to 16 inches. Meanwhile, strong winds up to 65 mph were predicted to cause blowing snow and downed trees and power lines. The agency warned that "travel could be very difficult to impossible." Lookout Pass, where Interstate 90 crosses between Montana and the Idaho Panhandle west of Missoula, was slated to pick up 12-18 inches of snow, as was Lolo Pass on U.S. Highway 12 into Idaho southwest of Missoula. South of Missoula and the Bitterroot Valley, Lost Trail Pass on U.S. Highway 93 south to Salmon, Idaho, was predicted to get 8-12 inches. Valley floors were predicted to receive much less snow 6 inches or less with Missoula, Hamilton, Libby, Helena and Salmon each forecast to receive less than one inch of accumulation. Polson, Kalispell and Drummond could each net 1 inch, while Thompson Falls, Superior and Butte were predicted to see 1-2 inches. West Glacier and Polebridge could get 2-3 inches. The storm comes on the heels of relatively warm conditions in the area. Missoula was forecast to see 44 degrees and sunny weather Friday, with temps in the mid-40s amid rain through the weekend before shifting to snow Monday afternoon and overnight to Tuesday. Weather in the mid-40s was predicted to return late next week. Hamilton, Kalispell and Libby were on similar trajectories. Warm weather extended to some mountain areas, too. Friday's forecasts predicted temps in the upper 30s and a mix of rain and snow at least as high as Lolo Pass (5,233 feet elevation) through Sunday. Avalanche danger Avalanche danger was low to moderate across western Montana Friday, but regional avalanche forecast centers warned that danger would increase with the coming storm. Avalanche danger generally rises when storms deliver significant snowfall to the mountains. The problems are manifold: Fresh powder can take a few days to bond to older snow it accumulates on, leading to storm-slab avalanches; light, unconsolidated dry powder can slough down steep slopes; and the weight of new snow can overload weak layers lower in the snowpack, leading to large avalanches of both new and old snow. Conditions can change rapidly and the storm could bring significantly higher avalanche danger in the area than Friday's conditions and the start of the weekend. Avalanches are possible on any slope 30 degrees or steeper, and can be triggered remotely and without warning from above, below or adjacent to a slope that steep. Avalanches are most likely to begin on slopes between 35 and 45 degrees. "A potent storm arrives Saturday evening, bringing colder temperatures, strong west winds, and the potential for over a foot of snow in the mountains by Tuesday morning," forecaster Rob Millspaugh noted in Friday's forecast for the Flathead Avalanche Center. "The big change in our weather will come Sunday with a well advertised weather system moving into the area," Forecaster Ben Bernall noted in Friday's forecast for the Idaho Panhandle Avalanche Center, which also covers Montana's lower Clark Fork, Kootenai and Yaak region. "Sunday is forecast to be a very wet day in the valleys with heavy snowfall predicted above 4,000 feet and strong westerly winds. This system will likely bring a big change in avalanche stability by Sunday afternoon. Multiple rounds of moisture and colder air will bring winter back to the mountains this coming week." Forecaster Arden Feldman of the West Central Montana Avalanche Center in Missoula wrote in Friday's forecast, "Tonight will see the beginning of a strong incoming weather system that will begin impacting the northern end of the forecast region first." Forecasts for daily conditions are available at each avalanche center's website: missoulaavalanche.org, flatheadavalanche.org and idahopanhandleavalanche.org. Native students interested in becoming educators in their communities are invited to apply for a new scholarship at Montana State University Billings. Five Indigenous students will receive thousands of dollars to support their education studies. Three scholarships of $5,000 each will be given to undergraduate winners and two scholarships worth $2,000 a piece will be awarded to graduate recipients. Programs such as these can help break down systemic barriers that make it harder for Native community members to access higher education. A first-of-its-kind national study on college affordability for Indigenous students found that finances often dictate whether Native Americans pursue a college degree. Out of the nearly 2,800 Indigenous students who participated, half of them choose their path toward higher education based on tuition costs. Beyond tuition, hidden costs such as the cost of materials and books, travel to campus and technology fees pose additional challenges for Indigenous students, the report found. Of survey respondents, 65% came from households with income below $35,000. While in college, 16% experienced homelessness and a staggering 72% said they ran out of money at least once in the six months before completing the survey. One semester at MSU Billings for a full-time undergraduate student from Montana costs $6,710 for tuition and fees. Books and related supplies are an estimated $1,700 more. That means winners of this scholarship will have nearly 60% of those costs covered. There are additional costs associated with room and board if students live on campus. This scholarship opportunity is also designed to build a workforce pipeline of Native educators who hope to serve in their communities professionally. Research shows that when students have teachers who look like them, they report feeling more cared for and more interested in their schoolwork. It also suggests that students in these classrooms work harder in school, set loftier goals for themselves and perform better academically. Native educators within tribal communities can also incorporate cultural traditions and teachings into the classroom, which helps students feel more connected to their own studies, according to research. MSU Billings emphasized its hope that students who receive this scholarship will participate in language revitalization efforts in tribal communities after decades of those languages being sidelined by people looking to purge the tribes of their cultural heritage. Yet, according to the MSU Society of Indigenous Educators, while American Indian students constitute 14.7% of the K-12 student population, only 2.3% of teachers are Native. MSU Billings isnt the first Montana institution to create pathways that better support aspiring Native educators. Blackfeet Community College partnered with Browning Public Schools and the University of Montana Western to help train over 100 local teachers to work on the Blackfeet Reservation. The deadline to apply for this scholarship is May 1. Applicants must plan to study education, special education, counseling or another related education field. Richmond officials on Friday rejected a proposal by Lamar Advertising to remove a billboard on the Shockoe Hill African Burying Ground in exchange for help finding locations for additional advertising in the city. Let me be clear, there is a private entity making money on this site, Mayor Levar Stoney said during a news conference. Someone is generating a profit on this site on the enslaved. That is our problem. The two-sided billboard in the 1300 block of North Fifth Street is visible to motorists on Interstate 64 and has been the source of ongoing controversy because of its location atop the burial site. It is estimated to be the largest enslaved burial ground in the country. The location was designated for the interment of free and enslaved Black people in 1816. The site later housed a gas station. The city obtained the land in 2018 and began work to make it a historical landmark. Last year, it transformed the fuel station building into a mural. Lamar Advertising owns an easement on the northeast portion of the property, where the 14-foot-tall billboard has stood for about 20 years. Today I called for the removal of the billboard that stands on the Shockoe Hill African Burying Ground. Its time we allow these souls to rest in peace without profiting on the land they inhabit. pic.twitter.com/oY3N01ZzI0 Mayor Levar M. Stoney (@LevarStoney) February 23, 2024 The Baton Rouge, Louisiana-based company has about 363,000 displays in North America and reported an annual revenue of $2.11 billion. The company in November sent the city Planning Department a proposal that said it would surrender the Shockoe Hill billboard if the city found six other locations to house 12 front-facing billboards. Stoney on Friday called the proposal ridiculous and disgusting. He called for the company to give up the land. Richmond Planning Director Kevin Vonck on Friday emailed Lamar and said the companys proposal was not feasible. The city instead wanted Lamar to voluntarily extinguish the easement and remove the existing billboard to honorably respect this sacred place, Vonck said. Jamie Machut, general manager of Richmonds Lamar Advertising, said in a statement Friday that the company had just received the citys email. He declined to say if there were plans to remove the billboard. Lamar Advertising prides ourselves on being a great community and business partner here in the Richmond area, Machut said. It is Lamars intent to continue to work in good faith with the interested parties to come to a suitable resolution. Recently, the ads were removed from the billboard and the structure has been covered with a black tarp. Stoney said it is unclear whether that will remain. In a social media post after the news conference, Stoney said: Its time we allow these souls to rest in peace without profiting on the land they inhabit. Richmond resident charged with disorderly conduct at March for Life A video posted to X Wednesday appeared to show a counter protester accosting student marchers and knocking down some signs. More than 22,000 people of African descent are buried in the entire 31-acre burial ground. The site has faced ongoing abuses, including a powder magazine explosion that damaged graves in 1865. In the 1880s, the regrading of Fifth Street exposed numerous gravesites. Throughout the 19th century, the site fell victim to graverobbers who sold bodies to the Medical College of Virginia. While looking for suitable land for an I-64 expansion, the Virginia Department of Transportation in 2013 confirmed there are intact graves on the site. A decade later, the Richmond City Council passed an ordinance that protects the land as a historical site. From the Archives: Rainy days in and around Richmond More than 3,000 people gathered in and around Capitol Square on Wednesday to reassert their opposition to abortion at the annual Virginia March for Life. Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears was among the speakers at a rally at the Bell Tower. Gov. Glenn Youngkin and Attorney General Jason Miyares joined the subsequent march on streets around the Capitol. State marches, like the Virginia March for Life, are an outgrowth of the national March for Life in Washington. The first of those marches occurred in 1974, a year after the U.S. Supreme Courts ruling in Roe v. Wade provided national abortion protections. In June 2022, the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, returning the issue of abortion restrictions or protections to the states. During the 2023 legislative elections, Youngkin advocated for legislation to bar most abortions in Virginia after 15 weeks, with exceptions for rape, incest and the life of the mother. Democrats retained control of the state Senate and gained a slight edge in the House of Delegates during the last election. As a result, Youngkin has not pushed for abortion curbs during the legislative session. Today in history: Feb. 23 1836: Alamo 1861: Abraham Lincoln 1903: Theodore Roosevelt 1945: World War II 1954: Salk Vaccine 2007: Emmett Till 2011: Obama 2013: Kyle Larson 2017: John Kelly 2020: Ahmaud Arbery 2021: Capitol 2021: Tiger Woods Ashle Page remembers something not feeling right when she was in labor with her daughter last year. The nurses, she said, had chalked it up to regular discomfort as she was nearing the point of labor where she could begin to push. Eventually, her doula was able to persuade the nurses to investigate further, and Page learned that her daughter was breech which is when a fetus is positioned buttocks or feet first to enter the birth canal, rather than head first. Though she had hoped for a natural birth, Page had to undergo an emergency cesarean section. Breech fetuses, which occur in about 3% to 4% of pregnancies, could become stuck in the birth canal or have blood and oxygen supply cut off by the umbilical cord. If a fetus is discovered to be breech by full term, a cesarean section can be the safest delivery method. It made me stressed, and then not being heard is the worst thing, especially when youre already going through a lot in those moments, Page said as she recalled the experience. This year, a number of bills aimed at improving maternal health outcomes have been working their way through Virginias legislature and are poised to end up on Gov. Glenn Youngkins desk. Among them are efforts to reestablish a maternal health task force, expand maternal mortality data collection, include doula services in health insurance coverage, and require bias training when renewing nursing licenses. Knowing that her doula had been able to help advocate for her inspired Page to become one herself. She works with Birth in Color, a local doula organization with locations around the state. Sometimes I come in my Birth in Color T-shirt. Sometimes I dont, Page said. So when I come in wearing the shirt, of course everybody is on their Ps and Qs and, when I dont, they tend to think Im a family member. She said that showing up for her work as a doula can help ensure that the medical professionals are as attentive to detail as they are supposed to be. Though not trained in obstetrics, doulas have training and expertise in the childbirth process. They serve as companions and advocates to pregnant people as they provide educational, emotional and physical support to the parent. A U.S. Department of Health study noted their role in positive birth outcomes. Doulas, Page has found, can be especially helpful to people of color who are more likely to experience negative maternal health outcomes, in part, due to providers racial bias, according to a study. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that Black women are more likely to die from pregnancy complications than white women. Were not listened to The maternal matters are personal to Sen. Jennifer Carroll Foy, D-Prince William who said she almost died from childbirth. Her twin boys now 6 years old were born premature and needed special care to survive. But Carroll Foy said her own needs went unheard. Complaints of pain were met with medication instead of investigation into the underlying cause, she said. The nurses would say oh its normal, this is your first birth, she said. But she suspected something more was going on. A few days after returning home from the hospital, she recalled falling to her knees when trying to get out of bed. Her husband rushed her back to the hospital, where she learned she had an infection. Luckily my husband was the only one who listened to me, Carroll Foy said. (Doctors later) told me if I would have stayed home a couple more days I would have died. As Black mothers with somewhat similar yet different birth stories, Page and Carroll Foy find intersections in common with others. Thats a part of the Black maternal mortality story that were not listened to, were not believed, Carroll Foy said. A lot of it has to do with the ability to identify with someone different than you. Something needs to be examined Thats where Senate Bill 35 could come in. If it becomes law, it would require unconscious bias and cultural competency training when renewing nursing licenses. The bill is carried by Carroll Foy along with Sen. Mamie Locke, D-Hampton, and Sen. Lashrecse Aird, D-Petersburg all Black women and Sen. Chris Head, R-Botetourt, a white man. Head said that aligning with three Black Democratic women on the legislation as a white Republican man should give people pause and cause you to take a good close look at why. In a floor speech before the bill passed the Senate earlier this month, he noted the disparities in health outcomes for women of color. Women whose skin is darker than my wifes skin have significantly worse outcomes, Head said. Something needs to be examined and done about that. Through her experience as a nurse, a doula, and within her own family, Stephanie Spencer says she has seen how pregnancies can go awry and how Black women can bear the brunt of those complications. Spencer is in support of the bill. When we elevate the issue and we do training on it, folks are more conscious of whats happening and thats why we call it unconscious bias, She said. Spencer is the founder of Urban Baby Beginnings, which operates maternal hubs in several Virginia cities along with providing doula services and other support to families. Just as Pages doula advocated for her, Spencer said there have been times she has had to step in as an intermediary between clients and medical professionals. Over her decades in reproductive health care, she said she has collected many, many stories that she says are unfortunate to have to collect, but that they give light to the fact that this is not an isolated incident. Some bills would boost data collection More than bias training for nurses, who can be among the first responders when birth complications are presenting, other bills that are progressing this year would bolster data collection. House Majority Leader Charniele Herring, D-Alexandria, has a bill that would re-establish a Task Force on Maternal Health Data and Quality Measures. The task force would present a report on its findings to the governor and state legislature at the end of the year. Taking data collection a step further, Aird and Del. Rae Cousins, D-Richmond, have bills to include near misses in maternal mortality data collection taken by a work group that already operates under the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. Cousins said that to not just look at the fatal cases, but also look at the close calls can help people to better understand maternal mortality issues. Tallying the close calls Like Spencer, Birth in Color founder Kenda Sutton-EL has witnessed some close calls. We dont talk about the near-misses that doulas actually help out with to catch, Sutton-EL said. Weve had a couple of near-misses ourselves as an organization. She and her policy director have been seen around Virginias Capitol this winter in support of reproductive and maternal health bills. While some measures got continued for consideration next year like Carroll Foys proposal for a Fetal and Infant Mortality Review Team to systematically analyze fetal and infant deaths in Virginia, many related proposals are on a path to the governors desk. Reproductive health care has been a particular focal point of Virginia politics since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022. Democrats, who have supported continued access to abortion, were able to gain a majority in the House of Delegates and maintain one in the Senate. What few abortion-restricting bills Republicans presented in the legislature this year have been defeated. But beyond abortion, both parties have signaled interest in other aspects of reproductive health. Proposals to enshrine access to contraception in state code have been advancing with bipartisan support alongside the bills to help improve maternal health care outcomes. Sutton-EL suspects the governor will sign many of the bills. I think he will sign them because he is for maternal health, Sutton-EL said. She said her organization is keeping an optimistic eye on what Youngkin may do with the contraception bill. The administration came under fire in recent years over Youngkins selection of Dr. Colin Greene to helm the Department of Health. Last year, Senate Democrats rejected his official appointment following remarks he had made that he did not believe there was evidence that racism plays a role in maternal and infant mortality rates. While Youngkin does not comment on most legislation that is still working its way through the General Assembly, more broadly Youngkin has spoken about and signaled interest in efforts to bolster maternal health. He celebrated the opening of a new Urban Baby Beginnings hub in Petersburg last year with Spencer. (The governor) has tirelessly worked to foster a culture in the Commonwealth that supports families, especially mothers, said spokesperson Christian Martinez. His administration has implemented crucial measures to support women before and after pregnancy through bolstering maternal health hubs, addressing prenatal health resource deficiencies in communities throughout Virginia, and introducing policies that aid working families. Today in sports history: Feb. 23 1938: Joe Louis knocks out Nathan Mann in third round to defend his world heavyweight title 1960: Carol Heiss captures first gold medal for US in the Squaw Valley Winter Olympics. 1968: Wilt Chamberlain becomes first player to score 25,000 points in NBA 1980: Eric Heiden wins his fifth gold medal, shatters world record by six seconds 1985: Indiana coach Bob Knight ejected after throwing chair across court 2006: Japans Shizuka Arakawa stuns favorites to win figure skating gold 2007: Tiger Woods' PGA Tour winning streak comes to shocking end 2010: Dutch skater Sven Kramer loses gold medal when his coach sends him wrong way on changeover 2012: National League MVP Ryan Brauns 50-game suspension is overturned 2013: Ronda Rousey wins the UFCs first womens bout 2014: Jason Collins becomes first openly gay athlete in United States' four major pro leagues As Chuck Slemp apparently saw it, you can go home again. The chief deputy to Attorney General Jason Miyares, Slemp a Southwest Virginia native from a storied Republican family whos been a local prosecutor, a general practitioner and an adjunct professor was recently offered the deanship of the Appalachian School of Law in Grundy. The struggling, 26-year-old private institution produces lawyers for a remote, mountainous region that has long been short on educational and economic opportunity. But the faculty of the tiny school it has about 120 students, about a third of ASLs enrollment when it opened in 1997 bristled over Slemps selection. Many favored for the job the interim dean, David Western, a former Air Force lawyer popular with students who is also a Presbyterian minister. Some also saw in Slemps candidacy the hand of the twin Kilgore brothers, Terry and Jerry, GOP power-brokers long active in school affairs. Terry, a lawyer and 30-year member of the House of Delegates, is a $125,000-a-year, part-time fundraiser for ASL, carrying the title of rector, and being paid nearly as much as the schools top administrators. His legislative aide, Hayley Allison, is a part-time employee paid $37,500. Jerry, a former public safety secretary, attorney general, 2005 gubernatorial candidate, and partner in a white-shoe Philadelphia law firm, is chairman of the schools board of trustees and plumped for ASL during multiple hearings by the American Bar Association to scrutinize its admissions standards. I did that on my own dime, said Jerry Kilgore. They needed help ... to remain a source for developing lawyers for the region. But back to Slemp, a descendant of C. Bascom Slemp, a storied Republican congressman from Virginias Fightin 9th District and, later, a top aide to President Calvin Coolidge: Perhaps believing discretion the better part of valor, Chuck Slemp declined the appointment, choosing to remain in Richmond as second-in-command to Miyares, whose office as an instructional exercise for ASL students has brought in several to assist in preparing pleadings to the Virginia Court of Appeals. Another possible factor in Slemps decision: the ABA, as principal overseer of the legal profession and legal education, requires a say for faculty in the selection of law school leadership. Some instructors said they were last to learn of Slemps candidacy, having heard about it from students. This may seem an example of that adage about faculty politics: Theyre vicious because the stakes are so low. But the episode brings into sharp focus the high hopes for ASL of its staff, students and supporters. The school represents the ambitions of a region seemingly shorn of them by the decline of coal, a historic source of jobs and prosperity. Southwest Virginia is a too easily overlooked corner of a suburban-dominated state, where in contrast with the regions shrinking number of mines great fortunes are now made managing services. Jeff Mitchell, a Blacksburg lawyer who recently merged his firm with Terry Kilgores and may be the only identifiable Democrat on the schools board, said that ASL as an instrument of economic development, producing lawyers for rural areas that the ABA describes as legal deserts is at an inflection point. That is, it faces challenges in leadership, financing and enrollment unique to a young, stand-alone enterprise that cant rely on a parent institution for aid financial, administrative and academic. Plus, ASL among the nations 15 free-standing law schools and eight in Virginia is a niche venture. Located in a small town in a thinly populated region, with the goal of steering newly minted lawyers to such places the ABA estimates 1,300 American counties have fewer than one lawyer per 1,000 residents the school has been punished by declining or flat enrollment seen across legal education. This is diminishing tuition as a revenue source. Filings with the IRS show that expenses at ASL have outstripped revenues in each of the past two years by about $3 million. Beyond tuition and donations, the school draws cash from approximately $11 million in restricted and unrestricted funds. Fundraising remains a challenge because the school has a small pool of graduates, many making moderate salaries as assistant prosecutors or local government lawyers. Also, ASL cant endlessly solicit the regions few wealthy families. Some are the schools founders and earliest benefactors. ASLs staff and trustees some of them marquee names reflect the intimacy of Southwest Virginia politics. In addition to Terry Kilgore, another GOP member of the House, Will Morefield of Tazewell, worked as a fundraiser under an earlier dean, former Virginia Supreme Court Justice Elizabeth McClanahan, now president of the Virginia Tech Foundation. Trustees include former Gov. George Allen, Supreme Court Justice Teresa Chafin, coal industry lobbyist Donnie Ratliff and Mickey McGlothlin, a former prosecutor, the son of an ASL founder and president of the Appalachian School of Pharmacy. His former wife and one-time law partner, Sandy, served as dean. Another trustee, lawyer Reece Robertson, is interested in a circuit court judgeship currently held by a fellow board member, Patrick Johnson. He is retiring, and his successor could be selected soon by the Democratic-controlled legislature. As for the deanship held by about dozen people, including Anthony Sutin, a Harvard-educated, Clinton Justice Department lawyer who was among three shot dead at the school by an angry student in 2002 it remains open for the foreseeable future. There may be a message in that. ASL, which over the years explored mergers with such schools as East Tennessee State University and Emory & Henry College in Washington County, is said to be in talks with the University of Pikeville, in Kentucky, about a 40-minute drive from Grundy. The university presumably isnt interested in investing in anything over which it hasnt control. Some people may want to dust off their resumes. Lobby Day at the Virginia General Assembly 2024 Discover Airlines announces direct Europe flights into Tulum Tulum International Airport, Q.R. Discover Airlines has announced direct Frankfurt to Tulum flights starting early December. The new flight makes them the first to offer non-stop European flights into the Tulum International Airport. In response to high demand in popular vacation destination during the best travel season, the leisure airline is adding a very special destination to its route network for the upcoming winter flight schedule. Discover Airlines will then be the only airline offering nonstop flights between Europe and Tulum, Mexico. From December 12, 2024 until the end of April 2025, Discover Airlines will fly nonstop from Frankfurt to Tulum twice a week, every Thursday and Sunday. The months of December through April are considered the ideal time to travel, as they fall within the dry season. In about 12 hours flight time, travelers can reach this dream destination on the Yucatan Peninsula, known for its well-preserved Mayan ruins and paradisiacal sandy beaches with turquoise waters. Previously, Tulum was only accessible from Europe by connecting flights via the USA or Mexico. With this new route, the Frankfurt-based leisure airline is responding to the strong demand from travelers in Germany and throughout Europe. With the full integration of Discover Airlines into the Lufthansa network, travelers from all over Europe will be able to travel to Tulum more easily and conveniently than ever before. Tulum is the second Mexican destination in the airlines network. Discover Airlines already offers up to four weekly flights between Frankfurt and Cancun. Flights to Tulum are bookable as of now on discover-airlines.com, lufthansa.com, as well as with all German tour operators and in travel agencies. Mexico City men captured at police filter leaving Playa del Carmen in stolen car Playa del Carmen, Q.R. A stolen car was recovered at a Playa del Carmen police filter Friday after it was captured on surveillance cameras. The car was recovered and the two men inside arrested after they were picked up on C5 attempting to leave the municipality. The Seguridad Ciudadana Solidaridad (SSC) reported the arrests of 30-year-old Chrystopher N and 55-year-old Fransisco N after they were stopped at municipal filter. Both Meixo City men reportedly became aggressive toward questioning officers and were subsequently arrested. In an immediate response, Municipal Police arrested two subjects and recovered a vehicle reported stolen during a coordinated operation, after being detected by surveillance cameras. Upon receiving the report of the Aveo car with a report of theft located by the C5, the Preventive Police managed to stop it at the police filter when it tried to leave the municipality heading south. After talking with the crew, Chrystopher N, 30 years old and Francisco N, 55 years old, both from Mexico City, who adopted an aggressive attitude against the officers, they were subsequently arrested and placed at the disposal of the State Attorney Generals Office for the clarification of responsibilities. Federal prosecutors have charged a Roanoke real estate developer with bankruptcy fraud, saying he filed sham court documents in an effort to prevent foreclosures of his property. Richard Hamlett filed skeleton bankruptcy petitions, with no intention of following up on the proceedings, for the sole purpose of obtaining an automatic stay to thwart a pending foreclosure or other collective action, according to a grand jury indictment handed down Thursday. After a judge in the Roanoke division of U.S. Bankruptcy Court dismissed the first two cases in 2022 and 2023, Hamlett returned to the court yet again this time pretending to be someone else as he filed a third petition on behalf of his business, the grand jury charged. Hamlett was once married to the famous actress Debbie Reynolds, who died at 84 in 2016. Reynolds, who starred in the 1952 classic movie Singin in the Rain and many other roles, lived part-time with Hamlett in their home on Sugarloaf Mountain in Roanoke County. Their 12-year marriage ended in divorce in 1996. A Nevada court later ordered Hamlett to pay Reynolds $8.9 million in a divorce decree, money she said he owed her from loans throughout their marriage. Hamlett then filed for bankruptcy in Roanoke in an effort to stop the litigation. In the more recent case, Hamlett sought bankruptcy protection for his two firms, Northview Corp. and Virginia My Home LLC, without meeting requirements that included paying a filing fee and obtaining an attorney. Both cases were dismissed, and a judge in January 2023 prohibited Virginia My Home from filing another petition for a year. Six months later, Hamlett showed up at the bankruptcy clerks office to file papers seeking Chapter 13 protection for Northview. He claimed to be the nephew who did not exist of a man he falsely said was filing the petition as vice president of Northview, the indictment alleges. The purported vice president was in the hospital, court officials were told, and his nephew was filing the documents for him. A deputy clerk who had dealt with Hamlett in the past became suspicious, the indictment alleges, and followed Hamlett out to the parking lot as she continued to ask questions about the filing and his identity. And that wasnt you? an FBI agent later asked Hamlett as part of an investigation that ensued, according to the indictment. You did not go into the courthouse and file that paperwork? Hamlett responded: No, I didnt. No, I didnt. Later in the interview, the FBI agent said that the clerk was absolutely positive that it was Hamlett who handed her the documents and asked that they be filed. Hamlett responded: No, no, you got you got it all wrong. Youre getting all the information wrong. The indictment accuses Hamlett of bankruptcy fraud, lying to the FBI, and perjury for making similar false statements in a hearing held by the bankruptcy court to inquire about the case. In a standard, fill-in-the-blank court form that Hamlett filled out, one line asked if he was aware that bankruptcy fraud is a serious crime, and that deliberately submitting inaccurate information could lead to a fine or prison sentence. Hamlett checked a box to indicate he understood. Roanoke police on Friday arrested a 15-year-old student and charged him with two counts of making threats toward schools, a day after a 35-year-old man was charged with threatening the citys Patrick Henry High School. Meanwhile, the citys superintendent of schools and police chief issued a 10-minute video recapping how authorities respond to threats and why the city canceled school for two consecutive days, disrupting the lives of nearly 14,000 students and their families. The teen charged, a city schools student, was identified during the investigation, according to a police department news release. He was taken into custody Friday morning without incident. After speaking with the teen, detectives sought detention orders. Those charges were granted by the Department of Juvenile Justice and the suspect was transported to the Roanoke Valley Juvenile Detention Center, according to the release. While their initial investigation indicated this may have been a copycat, detectives were able to determine there is a connection between the teenager and Stephen-Karl Johnson, who was arrested in the initial threats investigation Thursday. The investigation is ongoing but at this point police believe all suspects involved in the threats made toward schools have been identified, according to the news release. Also on Friday, U.S. Magistrate Judge Kailani Memmer granted a motion by prosecutors to drop a federal charge against Johnson, of Roanoke. Johnson still faces similar charges in state court related to threatening messages that were posted to a Snapchat group used by Patrick Henry High School students. He is being held without bond in the Roanoke City Adult Detention Center. Several messages were sent to the PH social media group Wednesday afternoon and evening, including one that said: Yall think we playing yall done tomorrow its going to get very messy or should I say bloody, according to court records. Roanoke schools were closed Thursday and the closure was extended to Friday because of additional threats made after Johnsons arrest. The motion filed by federal prosecutors did not cite a reason for asking that the charge be dismissed without prejudice, which means that it could be refiled. A spokesman for the U.S. Attorneys Office could not be reached for comment. Johnson has a prior felony conviction and a documented history of mental illness, according to an affidavit from an FBI agent filed in U.S. District Court in Roanoke. The incident this week prompted the Roanoke school division to send out notice Friday evening of a video message from Police Chief Scott Booth and Superintendent of Schools Verletta White. During the video, Booth and White said the school system and police department along with the community did its due diligence this week. But they said all must continue to work together to identify threats, whether theyre credible and urgent or imminent. White noted that these werent the first such threats, and the situation could eventually cause her to decide to cancel group events possibly even school proms as well as adding days to the school calendar to make up for the lost classroom time. White said counselors and therapists will be available to help students and staff after this weeks incident. We are one, lets move forward together, White said. The sheriffs office reported last month that deputies responded at about 3:10 p.m. that day to a report of an accidental shooting in the Clendenin area. When first responders arrived on scene, they found the 14-year-old boy, who remains unidentified by the sheriffs office, dead from a gunshot wound. Two other juvenile males were at the scene and were questioned by investigators, the sheriffs office said in a news release. On Friday, investigators obtained a petition charging felony reckless handling of a firearm on one juvenile male. The sheriffs office did not disclose whether that male was one of the same that was questioned Jan. 19. While the petition against the juvenile has been served, the sheriffs office said their investigation remains active. Police have arrested and charged three Roanoke men in connection with two shootings that injured three people in the citys northwest quadrant Thursday. The first shooting took place in the 2400 block of Hanover Avenue Northwest at about 10 a.m. and injured two women. Officers said they detained two male suspects on scene. Roanoke police said in a news release Friday that 29-year-old Darius M. Waldron and 26-year-old Jamar B. Francois have been arrested and are each charged with one count each of malicious wounding and one count of use of a firearm in commission of a felony. Waldron and Francois were the two men detained by officers at the scene, police confirmed. They also said additional charges are pending. The second shooting Thursday occurred in the 400 block of Hanover Avenue. Officers found a man with a gunshot wound in the upper level of Washington Park at about 3:30 p.m. Another man was detained. Police said Friday that they have arrested 20-year-old Jordan L. Longchallon and charged him with malicious wounding and use of a firearm in commission of a felony in connection with that shooting incident. He was the man detained on scene by officers. The Roanoke department said that additional details in the shooting cases have indicated that both gunfire incidents were domestic in nature. Roanoke reported two domestic aggravated assaults, or domestic shootings with nonfatal gunshot wounds, in 2023, according to the departments year-end gun violence statistics report. In 2022, police reported one. All three men arrested in connection with Thursdays shootings were being held without bond Friday at the Roanoke City Adult Detention Center. A Virginia Tech student considered a missing person for much of the past week has been interviewed by law enforcement and is no longer considered missing, the Montgomery County Sheriffs Office reported Saturday. Jonathan Roop was last seen in the New River Valley on Feb. 16. Virginia Tech issued a statement about the sheriffs office request for the publics help in locating him on Monday. Roop had been spotted at a restaurant in Poplar Bluff, Missouri, on Wednesday afternoon. On Friday, law enforcement in Missouri made personal contact with Roop, who answered questions from officers. Based on that interaction, Roop is no longer considered missing and subsequently the investigation into his disappearance is being closed, Montgomery County sheriffs Lt. M.E. Hollandsworth said in a statement released Saturday. Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Israeli officials to meet on a proposed pause in Gaza while the Cabinet is set to OK a Rafah plan Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says officials will meet on the next steps after the latest talks with the United States, Egypt and Qatar in search of a deal on pausing the fighting in Gaza Thank you for reading! Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading. Humans can also get goosebumps during moments of strong emotional experiences "and what's very interesting," Roach adds, "music and film are some of the ways that elicit emotional goosebumps." Roach cites a January 2011 study published in Biological Psychology in which researchers measured subjective chills (similar to shivers down the spine) and visible piloerection in a group of volunteers as they listened to music and watched movies. The results were fascinating. Celine Dion's blockbuster hit "My Heart Will Go On," ranked a chill ratio ("shivers down the spine" effect) of 50 percent and a piloerection ratio (goosebumps on the skin) of 14 percent compared to Prince's "Purple Rain," which scored a 100 percent chill ratio and a 50 percent piloerection ratio. Advertisement What does music have to do with goosebumps? Enter Mitchell Colver, an instructor of special topics at Utah State University. Colver holds a bachelor's degree in music and psychology and, as a graduate student at Eastern Washington University in 2010, conducted a research study on the type of people most likely to get goosebumps. (See sidebar for more information.) The study was published in the March 2015 issue of Psychology of Music and became a viral sensation. It also made Colver one of the leading authorities on goosebumps. "To better understand goosebumps, you have to understand that you have two brains the emotional brain and the thinking brain and they respond differently to things going on around you," he says. The emotional brain is primal. Like a bunny in the forest, it is constantly looking out for threats and, when it finds one, the brain triggers an automatic physiological reaction, known as the fight-or-flight response. Since it triggers a survival response, the emotional brain activates immediately when it perceives danger, overriding the thinking brain. When it comes to surprises, Colver references David Huron, author of Sweet Anticipation: Music and the Psychology of Expectation: "To your emotional brain, there's no such thing as a pleasant surprise." "So, when there are sounds in the environment, including musical sounds, the emotional brain doesn't process it as music. It hears a person scream. It hears a high violin in a certain frequency and thinks it's a threatening noise," Colver says. In terms of music, passages that include unexpected harmonies or sudden changes in volume can trigger chills because they "violate" the listener's expectations, essentially convincing the brain that something is going wrong. Seconds later, however, the thinking brain chimes in and does a cognitive reappraisal of the situation. It recognizes the high notes as music, interprets it as nonthreatening, and shuts down the emotional brain and the goosebumps fade away. This "violation of expectations" lends itself to what Colver refers to as "aesthetic tension" the buildup of tension caused by the emotional brain's reaction to a perceived threat followed by a release of that tension when the thinking brain recognizes the stimuli as pleasant, and signals the "all-clear." " " Listening to music has the ability to elicit strong emotions in humans. It also triggers things in our brains that cause goosebumps, but the reason why is super primal. Hello World/Getty Images LAKE CITY, S.C. Emmanuel Williams is the citys new police chief. Williams, currently a sergeant with the Bennettsville Police Department, will begin his new role March 4 and will be sworn into office in early April. The decision to hire Williams came after an extensive search process that garnered more than 24 qualified candidates from across South Carolina and beyond. The search concluded with a public meeting and question and answer session held Wednesday at the Continuum with the final two candidates: Williams and Maj. Patrick Miles. Everyone was really qualified, and it was a hard decision for the selection committee to make, said William A. Hall, city administrator. We selected Williams to give the city new breath and a new direction for our future. The 30-year-old Williams is a native of Cheraw and graduate of Coker University. He said hopes to bring the community together and build a positive culture in the city. He plans on making Lake City his hometown. Im excited to see what 2024 is going to bring for me, my family, and the citizens of Lake City, said Williams. This is my passion, and I feel confident I can step into this role and succeed for the city. Williams has also served for 14 years in the Army National Guard, where he has learned lessons in core values such as integrity and selfless service. Those lessons have become the foundation of who I am today, said Williams. My plan is to build on that foundation with the department and community. We welcome him with open arms and anticipate his selection will bring stability to and bolster the leadership of our wonderful police department, said Mayor Yamekia Robinson. We hope our community fully embraces him as our new police chief. If you are currently a print subscriber but don't have an online account, select this option. You will need to use your 7 digit subscriber account number (with leading zeros) and your last name (in UPPERCASE). Nikko AM is constantly raising ETF awareness via various channels Nikko Asset Management Asia was awarded Top ETF Issuer 2023 by the Singapore Exchange S68 (SGX) on Feb 22, placing the firm at the top of the league table against 10 other ETF issuers here. The award is based on the total assets under management (AUM) amassed in 2023. According to SGX, Nikko AM Asia reached $2.96 billion AUM in 2023. Nikko AM says this achievement is the result of consistent efforts made over a decade to educate investors and collaborate with industry partners towards building a robust ETF ecosystem. The firm has been launching ETF solutions that have long-term relevance for a broad base of investors. It is constantly raising ETF awareness via various channels and maintains regular engagement with industry partners such as brokers and wealth management firms. ADVERTISEMENT Nikko AM says it has been providing investor education in the form of seminars and webinars, increasing the use of ETFs as an investment tool, with 25 ETF events organised last year. As Nikko AM Asias ETFs grow, the firm has seen increasing interest and participation from both retail and institutional investors. This should further strengthen product scale efficiencies and increase trading liquidity and accessibility. Nikko AM's Phillip Yeo, international head of product development and management and joint global head of ETF business, says the firm will continue to strive for further growth in the coming years. "Regardless of rankings, our focus has always been and will continue to be on delivering quality products and services to the investing community including market makers, stockbrokers, financial advisors, fund managers, and unit holders," he adds. Hiroshi Yokoyama, senior corporate officer and global head of products & solutions, says the award is reflective of the effort the ETF team at Nikko AM Asia has put in to engage investors on the ground. "The team has also actively sought cross-border collaborations to extend the footprint of our SGX-listed ETFs, by working with online brokers in Japan and networking through ETF conferences across the region. Story continues "Congratulations to our Nikko AM Asia team for this well-deserved achievement," he adds. See Also: A handout picture released by the US Central Command (CENTCOM) on February 23, 2024, shows the M/V Rubymar, a Belize-flagged, UK-owned bulk carrier leaking oil in the Gulf of Aden after taking significant damage after an attack Huthi rebels (-) A cargo ship abandoned in the Gulf of Aden after an attack by Yemeni rebels is taking on water and has left a huge oil slick, in an environmental disaster that US Central Command said Friday could get worse. Rubymar, a Belize-flagged, British-registered and Lebanese-operated cargo ship carrying combustible fertilizer, was damaged in a Sunday missile strike claimed by the Iran-backed Huthi rebels. Its crew was evacuated to Djibouti after one missile hit the side of the ship, causing water to enter the engine room and its stern to sag, said its operator, the Blue Fleet Group. A second missile hit the vessel's deck without causing major damage, Blue Fleet CEO Roy Khoury told AFP. CENTCOM said the ship is anchored but slowly taking on water and has left an 18 mile oil slick. "The M/V Rubymar was transporting over 41,000 tons of fertilizer when it was attacked, which could spill into the Red Sea and worsen this environmental disaster," it said in a post on X, formerly Twitter. The ship's operator said Thursday the ship could be towed to Djibouti this week. Khoury said the ship was still afloat and shared an image captured on Wednesday that showed its stern low in the water. When asked about the possibility of it sinking, Khoury had said there was "no risk for now, but always a possibility." The attack on the Rubymar represents the most significant damage yet to be inflicted on a commercial ship since the Huthis started firing on vessels in November -- a campaign they say is in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza during the Israel-Hamas war. The Huthi attacks have prompted some shipping companies to detour around southern Africa to avoid the Red Sea, which normally carries about 12 percent of global maritime trade. The UN Conference on Trade and Development warned late last month that the volume of commercial traffic passing through the Suez Canal had fallen more than 40 percent in the previous two months. dw/nro Comedian Charlie Berens pulled back on the Wisconsin jokes at the Orpheum Theatre Friday night and found his stride with plenty of stories about his family. He peaked with a Manitowoc Minute that managed to reference the Sioux City roundabout, the shopping cart boa constrictor, and a road trip to the casino with his relatives. The foray pointed up Berens biggest strength his ability to react quickly. In his last visit more than a year ago, he spent considerable time playing with the audience. That was kept to a minimum this time out, replaced with stories about his family and its relationship with the Catholic church. Grandma Lois, he said, was an ideal date she likes to gamble and has a handicapped parking sticker. When she got into the casino, grandma moved like she didnt have an oxygen tank and managed to win $1,800 with a $20 loan from her grandson. Thats why you light a candle in church, she explained. The "Minute" segment, pulled from Berens popular YouTube videos, also included a Craigslist auction (a Leinenkugel sign from Sioux Falls) that managed to raise $1,000 for a local VFW club. Berens came into the audience, worked the hecklers and showed how good he is at split-second reactions. Misidentifying the day (he said it was Saturday night) came back later in the show, giving the Milwaukee-based comic a chance to tie up loose ends. All of his stories didnt have the same closure (a story about growing up in bunkbeds didnt elicit the laughs it might have) but they did have a strong sense of delivery and an ease with the audience that let him name check Kohls cash, the Vikings and hunting. He drilled down a bit too far on the fashions of hunters but he was spot on describing Las Vegas What happens if Wisconsin Dells started doing cocaine. Opener Adam Greuel honed similar themes and joined Berens for a set-closing song. Both didnt make specific situations entirely relatable but did have great moments of Midwestern clarity. Im not cheap, Berens insisted. Im just from the Midwest. Instead of staying at a Motel 6, he went to the Holiday Inn parking lot and slept in his car until the breakfast bar opened. His bit about baptism and Catholics favorite game to play pretend brought a loud response and showed where his strengths lie. Dressed in jeans, boots, hat and long-sleeve T-shirt, Berens was as comfortable as the Midwesterners in the audience. A talk show would be even better. And if the Manitowoc Minute ever expands to an hour, were on board. COLUMBIA, S.C. A South Carolina man was found guilty Friday of killing a Black transgender woman in the nation's first federal trial over an alleged hate crime based on gender identity. Jurors decided that Daqua Lameek Ritter fatally shot Dime Doe three times Aug. 4, 2019, because of her gender identity. Ritter also was convicted of using a firearm in connection with the crime and obstructing justice. He faces a maximum of life imprisonment without parole, though a sentencing date has not yet been scheduled. The four-day trial centered on the secret sexual relationship between Doe and Ritter, who grew agitated in the weeks preceding the killing by the exposure of their affair in the small town of Allendale, South Carolina, according to witness testimony and text messages obtained by the FBI. "This case stands as a testament to our committed effort to fight violence that is targeted against those who may identify as a member of the opposite sex, for their sexual orientation or for any other protected characteristics," Brook Andrews, an assistant U.S. attorney for the District of South Carolina, told reporters after the verdict. There have been hate crime prosecutions based on gender identity in the past, but none reached trial. A Mississippi man received a 49-year prison sentence in 2017 as part of a plea deal after he admitted to killing a 17-year-old transgender woman. In the trial over Doe's killing, the Department of Justice presented text exchanges between the pair that they said showed Ritter trying to dispel gossip about the relationship in the weeks preceding Doe's death. He subsequently kept tabs on the investigation from New York while giving coy responses to questions from Delasia Green, his main girlfriend at the time, according to trial testimony. Doe and Ritter were pulled over on Aug. 4, 2019, in rural South Carolina. Doe, the driver, was worried; she already had points against her license and didn't want another ticket to stop her from getting behind the wheel. Ritter, whom she affectionately called "my man," frequently relied on her for rides. Doe sent a text message to her mother that afternoon saying she got a $72 ticket but was "alright." Hours later, police found her slumped over in the driver's seat of her car, parked in a driveway off a secluded road. During the trial, more details emerged about the furtive connection between the 24-year-old Doe remembered by friends as an outspoken party lover and Ritter, a man whose distinctive left wrist tattoo is captured in body camera footage from the traffic stop. The U.S. Department of Justice alleged Ritter killed Doe to prevent further exposure of their affair in a small town where the rumor mill was churning. Text exchanges between the pair show Ritter tried to dispel gossip of the relationship in the weeks preceding Doe's death. He also tracked the investigation of her killing while coyly answering his main girlfriend's questions in the following days, according to trial testimony. It was no secret in Allendale, South Carolina population 8,000 that Doe had begun her social transition as a woman shortly after graduating high school, her close friends testified. Doe started dressing in skirts, getting her nails done and wearing extensions. She and her friends went out drinking. They discussed boys they were seeing. One of those boys was Ritter, who traveled from New York to visit family during summertime. Ritter initially told Green that he and Doe were cousins, the girlfriend testified. Then Green found messages on his phone from an unsaved number that spoke of "getting a room." She assumed they were from Doe. When Green confronted Ritter, he became upset and told her that she shouldn't question his sexuality, she said. In texts obtained by the FBI, Ritter reminded Doe to delete their communications from her phone, and hundreds of texts sent in the month before her death were removed. Shortly before Doe's death, the text messages started getting tense. In a July 29, 2019, message, she complained that Ritter did not reciprocate her generosity. He replied that he thought they had an understanding that she didn't need the "extra stuff." He also told her that Green insulted him with a homophobic slur. In a July 31 text, Doe said she felt used and that Ritter should never have let his girlfriend find out about them. Witnesses offered other damaging testimony against Ritter. The day Doe died, a group of friends saw the defendant ride away in a silver car with tinted windows a vehicle Ritter's acquaintance Kordell Jenkins testified he previously saw Doe drive. When Ritter returned to play cards several hours later, Jenkins said he wore a new outfit and appeared "on edge." It was a buggy summer day, and the group of four began building a fire in a barrel to smoke out the mosquitoes. Ritter emptied his book bag into the barrel, Jenkins testified. He said he couldn't see the contents, but assumed they were items Ritter no longer wanted, possibly the clothes he'd worn earlier that day. Jenkins said that when the two ran into each other the following day, he could see the silver handle of a small firearm sticking out from the waistline of Ritter's pants. He said Ritter asked him to "get it gone." Green said that when he showed up at her cousin's house in Columbia days after the killing, he was dirty, smelly and couldn't stop pacing. Her cousin's boyfriend gave Ritter a ride to the bus stop. Before he left, Green asked him if he killed Doe. "He dropped his head and gave me a little smirk," Green said. SOUTH SIOUX CITY South Sioux City saw a 6.3% decrease in serious and violent crime last year, according to data provided by the police department to the City Council. A total of 532 Part 1 crimes, which include homicide, forcible rape, robbery, aggravated and simple assault, burglary, larceny, motor vehicle theft and arson, were reported in 2023, compared to 568 the previous year. The crime statistics are based upon Part 1 crimes reported to the FBI under the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS). South Sioux City logged 10 forcible rapes in 2023, up from eight in 2022. Robberies also increased from two to four over that time period. No homicides, arsons or deaths by negligence were reported in either 2022 or 2023. The last homicide in South Sioux City occurred in 2017, while the last arson was tallied in 2020 and the last death by negligence in 2019. Kidnappings and abductions decreased from seven in 2022 to three in 2023, while motor vehicle thefts dropped from 41 to 23 over that one-year period. NIBRS also allows the South Sioux City Police Department to track all other reportable crimes, such as vandalism, identity theft, stolen property offenses and drug offenses. After adding these other reportable crimes in with the Part 1 crimes, the city reported a 6.7% decrease in total crime. In 2023, 927 total crimes were reported, down from 994 in 2022. That data is slated to be formally presented during Monday's City Council meeting, which begins at 5 p.m. in the City Hall Council Chambers, 1615 First Ave. Brian David Mohn Happy, Tex. Brian David Mohn, 64, of Happy, Tex., and formerly of the Aurelia and Cherokee, Iowa area, passed away on Monday, Feb. 19, 2024 after a valiant fight against pancreatic cancer. Arrangements are by Brooks Funeral Directors. Brian was born Jan. 20, 1960 to Arnold and Arlene (Dittmer) Mohn. He grew up on the family farm between Aurelia and Cherokee, truly enjoying the farm life. He was confirmed in 1974 at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Aurelia. Brian graduated high school in Aurelia in 1978 and went on to attend Iowa State University, graduating with a bachelor's degree in animal science in 1982. Brian came back to the farm, and for many years raised livestock and grain. Brian continued his interest in livestock and animal production by working in the meat industry for a number of years. In 1998 Brian married Glenda (Brownmiller) Heilman. They later divorced. In later years, Brian took classes through Western Iowa Tech Community College and earned an associate degree in financial services. In 2016, Brian fulfilled a lifelong dream and became a resident of the great state of Texas, settling down near the town of Happy, Texas...'The Town Without a Frown.' Brian began trucking in 2010 and continued after moving to Texas, until cancer forced him to quit. Brian will always be remembered for his interest in the farm life and his animals. He also enjoyed the company of friends and celebrating events with them. Brian always enjoyed himself, and no one could say that "Brian never had any fun." Brian was preceded in death by his parents, Arnold and Arlene, and his grandparents. Survivors include his three sisters, Margaret and Leo Eminger of Little Rock, AR, Joyce and Gordy Sievers of Slater, IA, and Kris Mohn of Canyon, TX; two nieces, Kathy Carillo and her two children, Caleb and Katelyn of Little Rock, and Rebecca Lee of Little Rock. Also surviving are his aunt, Janet Jean Nielsen, and numerous cousins and other relatives. Brian's wishes were to be cremated. At this time there is no memorial service or celebration of life planned. WASHINGTON U.S. lawmakers are raising alarms about what they see as Americas failure to compete with China in biotechnology, warning of the risks to U.S. national security and commercial interests. But as the two countries' rivalry expands into the biotech industry, some say that shutting out Chinese companies would only hurt the U.S. Biotechnology promises to revolutionize everyday life, with scientists and researchers using it to make rapid advances in medical treatment, genetic engineering in agriculture and novel biomaterials. Because of its potential, it has caught the attention of both the Chinese and U.S. governments. Bills have been introduced in the House and Senate to bar foreign adversary biotech companies of concern from doing business with federally funded medical providers. The bills name four Chinese-owned companies. The Chinese Embassy said those behind the bills have an ideological bias and seek to suppress Chinese companies under false pretexts. It demanded that Chinese companies be given open, just, and non-discriminatory treatment. The debate over biotechnology is taking place as the Biden administration tries to stabilize the volatile U.S.-China relationship, which has been battered by a range of issues, including a trade war, the COVID-19 pandemic, cybersecurity and militarization in the South China Sea. Critics of the legislation warn that restrictions on Chinese companies would impede advances that could bring a greater good. In biotech, one cannot maintain competitiveness by walling off others, said Abigail Coplin, an assistant professor at Vassar College who specializes in China's biotech industry. She said she was worried that U.S. policymakers would get too obsessed with the technologys military applications at the cost of hindering efforts to cure disease and feed the worlds population. In a letter to senators sponsoring the bill, Rachel King, chief executive officer of the trade association Biotechnology Innovation Organization, said the legislation would do untold damage to the drug development supply chain both for treatments currently approved and on market as well as for development pipelines decades in the making. But supporters say the legislation is crucial to protecting U.S. interests. The National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology, a group created by the U.S. Senate to review the industry, said the bill would help secure the data of the federal government and of American citizens and it would discourage unfair competition from Chinese companies. The commission warned that advancement in biotechnology can result not only in economic benefits but also rapid changes in military capabilities and tactics. Much is at stake, said Rep. Mike Gallagher, chair of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party. Gallagher, a Wisconsin Republican, introduced the House version of the bill and last week led a congressional delegation to Boston to meet with biotech executives. Its not just a supply chain battle or a national security battle or an economic security battle; I would submit its a moral and ethical battle, Gallagher said. Just as the sector advances at a really astronomic pace, the country who wins the race will set the ethical standards around how these technologies are used. He argues that the U.S. must set the rules of the road and if not, were going to live in a less free, less moral world as a result." Both the United States and China, the world's two largest economies, have identified biotech as a critical national interest. The Biden administration has put forward a whole-of-government approach to advance biotechnology and biomanufacturing that is important for health, climate change, energy, food security, agriculture and supply chain resilience. A stated goal is to maintain U.S. technological leadership and economic competitiveness. The Chinese government has plans to develop a national strategic technology force in biotech, which would be tasked with making breakthroughs and helping China achieve technological independence," primarily from the U.S. Both the Chinese government and the Americans have identified biotech as an area important for investment, a sector that presents an opportunity to grow their economy, said Tom Bollyky, the Bloomberg chair in global health at the Council on Foreign Relations. He said any restrictive U.S. measures should be tailored to address military concerns and concerns about genomic data security. Naturally there's going to be competition, but whats challenging in biotech is that we are talking about human health," Bollyky said. Ray Yip, who founded the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention office in China, also worries that the rivalry will slow medical advancements. The benefit of coming up with better diagnostics and therapy is beyond any individual country, Yip said, and will not overshadow the capacity or prestige of the other country. What concerns Anna Puglisi, a senior fellow at Georgetown Universitys Center for Security and Emerging Technology, is Beijing's lack of transparency and its unfair market practices. Competition is one thing. Unfair competition is another thing, she said. Puglisi described BGI, a major Chinese biotech company identified in both the House and Senate bills, as a national champion that is subsidized and given favored treatment by the state in a system that blurs private and public as well as civilian and military. This system creates market distortions and undermines the global norms of science by using researchers and academic and commercial entities to further the goals of the state, Puglisi said. BGI, which has stressed its private ownership, offers genetic testing kits and a popular prenatal screening test to detect Down syndrome and other conditions. U.S. lawmakers say they are concerned such data could end up in the hands of the Chinese government. BGI could not immediately be reached for comment. 10 interior design books for small space inspiration 1. Never Too Small: Reimagining Small Space Living 2. Apartment Therapys Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 3. Small Homes, Grand Living: Interior Design for Compact Spaces 4. Tiny Interiors: Compact Living Spaces 5. Country Living Tiny Homes: Living Big in Small Spaces 6. Bigger Living, Smaller Space: Resizing for a Clean & Cozy Home 7. Small Spaces, Big Appeal: The Luxury of Less in Under 1,200 Square Feet 8. Rental Style: The Ultimate Guide to Decorating Your Apartment or Small Home 9. Big Style in Small Spaces: Easy DIY Projects to Add Designer Details to Your Apartment, Condo or Urban Home 10. The Little Book of Living Small JACKSON, Miss. Diversity initiatives would be defunded or banned from universities and other public institutions under a slate of bills pending in Republican-led legislatures, with some lawmakers counting on the issue resonating with voters in this election year. Already this year, Republican lawmakers proposed about 50 bills in 20 states that would restrict initiatives on diversity, equity and inclusion known as DEI or require their public disclosure, according to an analysis using the bill-tracking software Plural. This is the second year Republican-led state governments targeted DEI. This year's bills, as well as executive orders and internal agency directives, again focus heavily on higher education. But the legislation also would limit DEI in K-12 schools, state government, contracting and pension investments. Some bills would bar financial institutions from discriminating against those who refuse to participate in DEI programs. Meanwhile, Democrats filed about two dozen bills in 11 states that would require or promote DEI initiatives. The bills cover a broad spectrum, including measures to reverse Florida's recent ban on DEI in higher education and measures to require DEI considerations in K-12 school curricula in Washington state. The Supreme Court's June decision ending affirmative action at universities created a new legal landscape around diversity programs in the workplace and civil society. DEI's emergence as a political rallying cry has its roots on campus, with Republican opponents saying the programs are discriminatory and promote left-wing ideology. Democratic supporters say the programs are necessary for ensuring institutions meet the needs of increasingly diverse student populations. Republican Oklahoma Sen. Rob Standridge, who authored four bills aiming to hollow out DEI programs in the state, said it has become a salient campaign theme. The organizations that help power the conservative agenda say DEI's emergence at the center of political debate makes their crusade against it ripe for expansion. "This has opened a window of opportunity, and we don't want the window to close," Mike Gonzalez, a fellow at powerful conservative think tank The Heritage Foundation, said. "We want to meet this window with a robust policy agenda." In South Carolina, Rep. Josiah Magnuson, who introduced legislation to restrict DEI, said the issue reflects a growing sentiment among Republican lawmakers that ideologies disfavored by conservatives grow with the help of campus bureaucracies. "We're finding that our colleges and universities were kind of off the rails, and we need to rein them back in," Magnuson said. "And so I think that's another thing that's providing a growing impetus to get our state universities under control." Not all Republicans are unified about which government approach is best suited to eliminate DEI. In Oklahoma, Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt signed an executive order in December barring state agencies and universities from spending money on the programs. Standridge said it's not clear what authority the order would have because Oklahoma's universities are regulated by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, not the governor's office. "I appreciate the executive order but, arguably, it doesn't really have the authority to force the schools to do anything," Standridge said. "I ran several bills thinking maybe the moderates that are in control of the Senate would allow us to do something against DEI." For Washington state Sen. Marko Liias, DEI is crucial to serving a diverse society. Liias introduced a bill in the Democratic-controlled Legislature in 2023 to weave DEI concepts into the state's K-12 learning standards. The bill, which is up for consideration again this year, is designed to meet the needs of a diversifying student population, he said. "I think the opposition is organized around a political agenda, whereas I'm trying to respond to a diverse community that I represent and the experiences that they're bringing to me," Liias said. "So it's sort of reality versus theory, what's happening in our families and schools versus an agenda driven by national foundations. That's the divide." Republican-led Florida and Texas were the first states to adopt broad-based laws banning DEI efforts in higher education. Since then, other states' leaders followed. "The idea to study how much we were spending on DEI came from me seeing what other states were doing. Specifically, Ron DeSantis in Florida," said Mississippi State Auditor Shad White, a Republican. In a 2023 report, White said Mississippi's public universities are spending millions on DEI programs instead of student scholarships. In the opening weeks of Mississippi's 2024 session, Rep. Becky Currie introduced a bill that would implement sweeping bans on not only DEI offices but also on funding campus activities deemed "social activism." Utah Gov. Spencer Cox signed a bill into law on Jan. 30 that makes the state the latest to prohibit diversity training, hiring and inclusion programs at universities and in state government. Cox called using diversity statements in hiring "bordering on evil." Republican legislators in Wisconsin brokered a narrowly approved deal with regents in December for the state's public university system to limit diversity positions at its two dozen campuses. Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, a Republican, later said he had only just begun to remove "cancerous DEI practices" and requested a review of diversity initiatives across state government. Rep. Fentrice Driskell, Floridas Democratic House minority leader, thinks the ideological motive behind restricting DEI is intertwined with an economic agenda that downplays the role of identity in exacerbating inequality. Its a flashpoint because the conservatives like to talk about meritocracy as their vision for a society where everybody can advance, she said. Real life is actually more complicated than that. And that is what DEI programs are there to solve. Nursing students have strong feelings about DEI initiatives at their schools Nursing students have strong feelings about DEI initiatives at their schools JERUSALEM When the Biden administration imposed sanctions this month against Israeli settler Yinon Levi for allegedly assaulting Palestinian civilians in the occupied West Bank, his supporters quickly sprang into action. Within days, an online fundraiser collected over $140,000 for Levi and his unauthorized settler outpost from over 3,000 donors worldwide. Now, those contributions may be putting donors, crowdfunding sites and the financial services firms that process the payments at risk of penalties for violating the U.S. sanctions. Its not even a close call, said Britt Mosman, a former attorney at the Office of Foreign Assets Control, the U.S. government agency that enforces sanctions. She said any American who donates money to a sanctioned person or group puts themself at risk. It is a pretty straightforward application of the sanctions prohibitions, she said. Levi is among seven hard-line settlers targeted this month by the U.S. and Britain for alleged attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank. The sanctions prevent them from accessing the U.S. financial system and expose them to an asset freeze, as well as travel and visa bans in the U.K. Israeli banks froze the settlers personal bank accounts in response. In Levis case, funds from the crowdsourcing campaign, raised on the Israeli website Givechak, were collected by a nonprofit under the auspices of the Israeli settler council in the area. A few days ago, Yinon Levis accounts were confiscated in a scandalous decision, read a note on the fundraising page before it was taken down. All donations will go to the further development of the farm and the land of Israel. Sanctions experts say the order applies to U.S. citizens and companies involved in the campaigns and gives the U.S. government authority to blacklist Israeli entities allowing U.S. citizens or companies to violate sanctions. The Treasury Departments Financial Crimes Enforcement Network also alerted U.S. financial institutions against doing business with groups that support or have previously supported settler violence in the West Bank. Two crowdfunding pages for sanctioned settlers have now been taken down. Some companies involved with the crowdfunding have taken action to disentangle themselves from the settlers, Israeli media said. Their reactions show how the U.S. and British sanctions, aimed at just a handful of individuals, could ripple widely in the intertwined global financial system. Eitay Mack, an Israeli human rights lawyer, said crowdfunding campaigns have become crucial to raising money for settlement outposts. While Israel has established scores of settlements across the occupied territory, the outposts are not authorized, though the government gives them tacit support. The international community overwhelmingly considers all West Bank settlements illegal and obstacles to peace. This is a huge loophole that has been going on for years, Mack said. If the crowdfunding could be stopped, this could be a game changer. The outposts are not able to operate without this money. Levi founded Meitarim Farm in 2021 in the South Hebron Hills, according to a contract between him and the local regional council, shared with the Associated Press by anti-settlement watchdog group Peace Now. The outposts development was helped by crowdsourcing a campaign on website JGive, started by a non-profit, raised nearly $6,000. As the outpost developed, over 300 people from four nearby Palestinian hamlets fled their homes, citing violence by Levi and other settlers, Peace Now said. After the U.S. sanctions were announced, a fundraiser popped up on Givechak, run by the Mount Hebron Fund. Contact information listed a government email address, indicating it was linked to the Har Hebron Regional Council. The fund has an account with Bank Leumi, putting the bank at potential risk of U.S. penalties. The fundraisers contact was Levis brother, Itamar, to whom Levi transferred ownership of a company he co-owned, apparently to try to skirt sanctions, Israeli media reported. Even after the page was taken down, Itamar Levi continued to accept donations to a Bank Leumi account, emails obtained by the AP showed. Givechak does not divulge donors whereabouts, but it is possible to donate from the U.S. Several donors wrote their names in English. The page was circulated on American social media platforms. A major donor was listed as Chaim Ben Pesach, head of an ultranationalist Jewish group designated as a terrorist organization by the Southern Poverty Law Center. Ben Pesach posted the page to X, formerly Twitter, urging followers to help the heroes before we lose our sovereignty completely. Contacted by the AP, he denied making the 5,000 shekel ($1,500) donation, but said Levis children were victims of the Biden administrations anti-Israel and antisemitic sanctions. After the page was taken down, a clearing company refused to transfer the funds to Levis family, which filed a lawsuit to try to secure the money, according to legal documents shared with the AP by The Democratic Bloc, an Israeli NGO monitoring far-right groups. Many of the crowdfunding sites use the popular payment app Bit, owned by Israeli Bank Hapoalim. Bank spokesperson Sharona Levi declined to say whether the bank was taking measures only that it respects and complies with international sanctions. 5 things you should always look for in a bank, according to a certified banking professional 5 things you should always look for in a bank, according to a certified banking professional WATERFORD TOWNSHIP, Mich. The Michigan Republican Party was deep in debt when a longtime party donor who had given more than $1 million over the past decade asked for a meeting with its chairwoman. Kristina Karamo turned down the donor. Her reasoning, according to two people familiar with the matter, was that he was a Republican in Name Only," or a RINO," an insult long used to denigrate members of the party seen as not conservative enough. Today, the party's finances are so dire that Karamo has sued former party leaders so she can get permission to sell the organization's headquarters. And she's refusing to leave her post even as former President Donald Trump and national Republicans have installed a new ally in her place. The cash crunch and power struggle within the Michigan GOP, long a bastion of traditional conservatism, is a case study in the partys new phase nationally in the era of Trump, where no longer are the competing elements simply for or against him. Instead, pro-Trump factions in Michigan and elsewhere are fighting over how best to represent his Make America Great Again movement, with some openly alienating lifetime Republicans and undermining the party's work in key swing states. While Trump is widely expected to win Tuesday's Michigan primary, his campaign is trying to improve Republican standing in a state that could decide a potential Trump rematch in November with Democratic President Joe Biden. But some of Trump's most ardent supporters aren't going along with his efforts to replace Karamo and they openly question his judgment. I dont think he should be involved in state politics to begin with, said Steve Willis, chair of the Clinton County GOP, in south central Michigan near Lansing. Hes just listening to people that have his ear and he makes a decision. Trump's allies have moved to replace Karamo with Pete Hoekstra, a former nine-term congressman who was Trump's ambassador to the Netherlands. Hoekstra is now responsible for assembling a functioning network of activists, donors and political staff while acknowledging, as he said in an interview, that he can't build a whole political party in eight months. We need to build the brand back, with our grassroots and our donor class, Hoekstra said. My intention is to rebuild those relationships. Karamo, who did not respond to several text messages and phone calls seeking comment, retains control of the party's bank accounts, social media and email. A lawsuit seeking to force her to relinquish power is being heard by a Michigan judge. Elected party chairwoman last year, Karamo is an ardent Trump supporter who rose to prominence by repeating false claims about voter fraud in Detroit and denying that Trump lost the 2020 election. She inherited a state party torn by infighting and facing millions in debt. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a rising Democratic Party star, had easily won reelection and Democrats clinched control of the Legislature. But many donors and longtime activists say Karamo refused to work with them. In turn, many of them stopped giving, cutting off resources to a party that had been accustomed to raising at least $20 million and at times more than $30 million to help candidates statewide. John Kennedy, the longtime CEO of a medical implant manufacturer and part of a core of Michigans most loyal donors, was told that Karamo would not meet with RINOs, according to two people familiar with his story who weren't authorized to discuss it publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. Kennedy declined to comment in response to an email inquiry. A lawyer for the National Republican Congressional Committee, which oversees U.S. House races nationwide, sent the state party a letter questioning whether Karamo and her staff were spending money intended for campaigns on day-to-day expenses instead. I will not deny that we are growing increasingly alarmed by reports that the MIGOP is in dire financial straits and grossly mismanaging their limited funds, NRCC general counsel Erin Clark wrote. These do not seem to be the actions of a state party that adheres to conservative principles; or frankly, one that has the desire or ability to elect Republicans to office. Karamo's opponents started trying to push her out last fall. She was ousted in a January vote. The Republican National Committee this month sided with Hoekstra and recognized him as the rightful state party chair. He brings credibility and acceptability with donors to major donors thats for sure, said former Michigan GOP Chairman Ron Weiser, who has contributed millions to the party over decades. People know him and hes from west Michigan, which is where you have your largest percentage of major donors on the Republican side. Hoekstra is trying to stitch together a patchwork of helpful GOP county chairs, such as in populous Oakland County northwest of Detroit, and outside political groups working on Michigan campaigns, all while inviting donors back who had left the party. Its not nearly where we need to be. The nice thing is you call these people and ask for help and they theyve been ignored for a year, and they feel, hallelujah, someones asking them to do something, he said. But Karamo isn't going quietly and neither are her supporters. A significant number of local GOP activists remain loyal to Karamo and echo her stated beliefs that Trump not only won Michigan, but was cheated out of a second term overall. Among the federal and state reviews proving that belief false is a GOP-led state Senate investigation in 2021 that confirmed Biden beat Trump by 3 percentage points in Michigan. Iosco County GOP Chair David Chandler deflected criticism about Karamo, saying fundraising isnt really a requirement." He said efforts to remove her were a coup by the big establishment Republicans to try to seize what they couldnt get in a decent, honest election. Michigan to automatically register people to vote when exiting prison Michigan to automatically register people to vote when exiting prison DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip A long-awaited postwar plan by Israel's prime minister shows that his government seeks open-ended control over security and civilian affairs in the Gaza Strip. That was swiftly rejected Friday by Palestinian leaders and runs counter to Washington's vision for the war-ravaged enclave. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu presented the two-page document to his security Cabinet late Thursday for approval. Deep disagreements over Gaza's future have led to increasingly public friction between Israel and the United States, its closest ally. The Biden administration seeks eventual Palestinian governance in Gaza and the Israeli-occupied West Bank as a precursor to Palestinian statehood, an outcome vehemently opposed by Netanyahu and his right-wing government. Netanyahu's plan envisions hand-picked Palestinians administering Gaza. Planned settlements Israel also plans to build more than 3,300 new homes in settlements in the Israeli-occupied West Bank in response to a fatal Palestinian shooting attack, a senior Cabinet minister said late Thursday. Israels far-right finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, announced the new settlement plans after three Palestinian gunmen opened fire on cars near the Maale Adumim settlement, killing one Israeli and wounding five. The Biden administration on Friday restored a U.S. legal finding dating back almost 50 years that Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories are illegitimate under international law. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the U.S. believes settlements are inconsistent with Israels obligations, reversing a determination made by his predecessor, Mike Pompeo. Cease-fire Separately, cease-fire efforts appeared to gain traction, with mediators to present a new proposal at an expected high-level meeting this weekend in Paris. The U.S., Egypt and Qatar have struggled for weeks to find a formula that could halt Israel's devastating offensive in Gaza, but now face an unofficial deadline as the Muslim holy month of Ramadan approaches. In Gaza, Israeli airstrikes in the center and south of the territory killed at least 100 Palestinians, including children and women, overnight and into Friday, health officials and an Associated Press journalist reported. Another 24 bodies remained trapped under the rubble. After a strike levelled his apartment building in the central town of Deir al-Balah, online video showed Mahmoud Zueitar a comedian well known in Gaza for his appearances in TV commercials rushing into the hospital holding his young sister, who was screaming and covered in blood. At least 25 people were killed in the strike, 16 of them women and children. Throughout the war, Zueitar has been posting upbeat and cheerful videos on social media, joking with people about ways they endure bombardment and displacement, praising Palestinian culture and assuring those around him that one day things will be better. The Palestinian death toll since the start of the war rose to more than 29,500, with close to 70,000 people wounded, Gaza health officials said. The death toll amounts to close to 1.3% of Gaza's population of 2.3 million. Netanyahu's vision Netanyahu's plan, while lacking specifics, marks the first time he has presented a formal postwar vision. It reiterates that Israel is determined to crush Hamas, the militant group that overran the Gaza Strip in 2007. Polls indicate that a majority of Palestinians don't support Hamas, but the group has deep roots in Palestinian society. Critics, including some in Israel, say the goal of eliminating Hamas is unattainable. Netanyahu's plan calls for freedom of action for Israel's military across a demilitarized Gaza after the war to thwart any security threat. It says Israel would establish a buffer zone inside Gaza, which is likely to provoke U.S. objections. The plan also envisions Gaza being governed by local officials who it says would "not be identified with countries or entities that support terrorism and will not receive payment from them." The Palestinian Authority, which administers pockets of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, on Friday denounced Netanyahu's plan as "colonialist and racist," saying it would amount to Israeli reoccupation of Gaza. Israel withdrew its soldiers and settlers from Gaza in 2005, but maintained control of access to the territory. Blinken said he had not seen details of the plan, but he said any plan should be consistent with basic principles the U.S. had set out for Gaza's future, "including that it cannot be a platform for terrorism, there should be no Israeli re-occupation of Gaza, the size of Gaza's territory should not be reduced." The Biden administration wants to see a reformed Palestinian Authority govern both Gaza and the West Bank as a step toward Palestinian statehood. It has sought to chip away at Netanyahu's resistance by holding out the prospect of the normalization of ties between Israel and Arab powerhouse Saudi Arabia, which demands a Palestinian state as a precondition. U.S., Israeli, Qatari and Egyptian officials are expected to meet in Paris this weekend to discuss cease-fire efforts. A senior Egyptian official said Egypt and Qatar would bring an understanding reached with Hamas leaders that calls for a six-week cease-fire and the release of elderly and sick hostages in return for Palestinian prisoners in Israel. The official spoke on condition of anonymity. During the cease-fire, details would be worked out on a further stage. Hamas demands a complete halt to Israel's offensive and a withdrawal of its troops from Gaza in return for releasing all its remaining hostages, as well as the freeing of Palestinians held by Israel, including top militants. Netanyahu rejects those demands. Today in history: Feb. 23 1836: Alamo 1861: Abraham Lincoln 1903: Theodore Roosevelt 1945: World War II 1954: Salk Vaccine 2007: Emmett Till 2011: Obama 2013: Kyle Larson 2017: John Kelly 2020: Ahmaud Arbery 2021: Capitol 2021: Tiger Woods OKLAHOMA CITY A recently released police search warrant has revealed more details in the case of Nex Benedict, a nonbinary Oklahoma student who died a day after a high school bathroom fight that may have been prompted by bullying over gender identity. The warrant filed Wednesday in Tulsa County District Court shows that when Benedicts mother, Sue, called 911 on Feb. 8, the 16-year-old's eyes had rolled back into their head, their hands were curled and they were struggling to breathe. Paramedics responding to the familys house in the Tulsa suburb of Owasso performed CPR and rushed them to the hospital, where they later died. Benedict was able to walk out of the bathroom after the Feb. 7 fight, but they were taken to the hospital later that day and sent home. Sue Benedict said the school nurse had advised her to take the teen to be checked out after complaining of a headache from hitting their head on the bathroom floor, according to the warrant. At the hospital, Sue Benedict requested to speak with police but told the officers she didnt want to file charges at the time, the warrant states. She instead asked police to speak to school officials about issues on campus among students. Benedict told The Independent later that the teen suffered bruises all over their face and eyes in the fight, which involved a transgender student and three older girls. The school district said the students were in the restroom for less than two minutes before the fight was broken up by other students and a staff member. Police and school officials have not said what provoked the fight. The family, through their lawyer, declined to comment Friday on the search warrant. Earlier this week, they said they launched their own independent investigation into what happened. More than two dozen people gathered for a vigil Friday at All Saints Episcopal Church organized by the McAlester Rainbow Connection in McAlester. It was one of two Friday night in Oklahoma, the first of more than a dozen vigils for the teen scheduled nationwide through Monday. Another vigil was planned for Sunday in Owasso. The warrant, signed the day after Benedicts death, also shows investigators took 137 pictures at the school, including inside the girls bathroom where the fight occurred. They additionally collected two swabs of stains from the bathroom and retrieved records and documents of the students involved in the altercation. While the 2-week-old warrant states police were seeking evidence in a felony murder, the department has since said Benedicts death was not a result of injuries suffered in the fight, based on the preliminary results of the autopsy. The police department, which didnt respond to multiple messages sent Friday, said it wont comment further on the teens cause of death until toxicology and other autopsy results are completed. Owasso school officials, meanwhile, said Friday that they requested police obtain the court order to search the school because of state and federal privacy laws regarding the release of confidential student records. We are continuing to cooperate with the Owasso Police Departments ongoing investigation, Jordan Korphage, a school district spokesperson, wrote in an email. Tulsa County District Attorney Stephen Kunzweiler, whose office isnt currently involved in the police investigation, called the death a tragedy but cautioned people against being swayed by sentiments fueled by the passion of emotions which may be misinformed. A family in our community is grieving and we empathize with their sorrow during this difficult time, he wrote in an email Friday. While much has been speculated about this childs death in social media, we will maintain the integrity of law enforcements investigation, and allow them to do their job. Here's how to support transgender youth, according to trans teens Here's how to support transgender youth, according to trans teens KYIV, Ukraine Kateryna Dmytryk had been waiting for this moment for almost two years nearly all of her sons life. Side by side, they ran, 2-year-old Timur leading the way as snow crunched beneath their feet. A slender, pale man made his way to the pair from the military hospital. Artem Dmytryk hadnt seen his family for about 24 months, almost all of which he spent in Russian captivity. He picked up his son. Kateryna pinched her husband and clasped his hand, anything to reassure herself this wasnt a dream. All three embraced, kissed, laughed. Kateryna had buried her mother, fled her hometown and passed through Russian checkpoints with her son, all while imagining the worst about her husbands captivity. She knew the wounds would take years to heal, but in that moment, she broke into a smile. As Russia launched its war in Ukraine, the lives of millions of Ukrainians were irreversibly changed. Like the Dmytryks, they mark their lives in two periods: before and after Feb. 24, 2022. Tens of thousands have laid loved ones to rest, millions have fled their homes, and the country has been thrust into an exhausting war. For Kateryna, her husbands liberation brought a glimmer of light back to her familys life. But she knows their experiences over the past two years will stay with them forever. Weve had two years of our lives stolen, she said. And those two years were like living in a constant hell. The Dmytryks were just beginning life as a family of three when the war started. Kateryna and Artem met as teens in their hometown of Berdiansk, southeastern Ukraine. They immediately liked each other and started dating. He joined the army and served in the State Border Guard Service, stationed in Berdiansk. In May 2021, they got married and soon welcomed Timur. It was a peaceful, simply normal family life, Kateryna said. On Valentines Day 2022, Artem received a call to combat alert. Kateryna didnt think much of it, even with escalating tensions amid Russias military buildup on the border. The last time Artem was home was Feb. 23. He asked Katerynas friend to come over and stay with her. It was unusual he didnt want her to be alone. But, Kateryna said, I never imagined that a war on such a scale would unfold. In the early hours of Feb. 24, Kateryna was startled by Timurs sudden cries, swiftly followed by a powerful blast. In shock, she called Artem. Already on duty at sea, he instructed her to gather her belongings and head to her parents village nearby. She did as Artem said, and that evening they spoke again. Hed received orders to go defend Mariupol. Within several days, Russian forces had occupied Berdiansk and the surrounding area. Artem could rarely be in touch only through the news did Kateryna learn what was happening in Mariupol. The city was surrounded, thousands of residents were trapped, and one of the wars bloodiest battles was playing out. In their rare, brief conversations, Artem told her: Everything will be fine. Ukraine will prevail. Some calls lasted only a minute. Once, Artem asked her to take a photo of Timur every day, so one day he could see how his son was growing. Kateryna couldnt sleep. She spent her days crying and praying for Artems safety. Eventually, Artem grew to fear he wouldnt survive. He called to say goodbye. He said that if he didnt make it, he would become a guardian angel for our son, Kateryna said. Artem urged Kateryna to flee her parents' village for territory controlled by Ukraine. But her mother had stage 4 cancer. He knew I wouldnt leave, she said, because I wouldnt be able to say goodbye to my mom. On April 14, 2022, Katerynas mom died. Kateryna mourned for over two weeks. Only then did she dare to leave. There was no safe way to do so no humanitarian corridors, no international organizations to guarantee safety. Kateryna and Timur ended up driving with a couple who offered to help, even though it was risky with a soldier's wife. Over two days, they traveled to Zaporizhzhia pre-war, a three-hour trip. At Russian checkpoints, they said Kateryna was their daughter-in-law, traveling to their son in territory under Ukrainian control. Once in Zaporizhzhia, she made her way to Kyiv, where her sister-in-law lived. A new stage of struggle began almost 21 months awaiting Artems return from captivity. Artem was among more than 2,500 soldiers taken into Russian captivity when the massive Azovstal steelworks plant in Mariupol fell. Kateryna lost track of days, months, years. She awoke every night in anxiety. Where was Artem? What was happening to him? The only one who could pull her out of the darkness was Timur. He looked and acted more like his father every day, she said. She showed Timur a photo of Artem on her phone and told him Daddy would one day come home. Hello, Daddy? Timur would say into the phone. Kateryna started attending rallies, with relatives of prisoners of war gathered. She was largely in the dark about Artems situation. But when his comrades were released during an exchange, they told her he was in the occupied Luhansk region. She devised tricks to feel connected. She assembled a bag for the hospital where prisoners were typically taken after exchanges, stocking it with clothes and small items he cherished. She arranged duplicate keys for their Kyiv apartment and ordered a keychain with the message, I love you very much. Were waiting for you at home. On Feb. 8, Kateryna received a text from the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of POWs. Artem Dmytryk was part of a prisoner swap. She couldnt believe her eyes. A few hours later, he called. Hello, Im in Ukraine, he said. He was brought by bus to Kyiv. Katernya finally got to bring the bag shed long prepared to the military hospital where hed undergo rehabilitation. They hardly talk about the captivity. Artem, now 25, isnt keen to share what he went through. Instead, they focus on catching up on things they missed. Were rediscovering each other, falling in love all over again, Kateryna, now 23, said. How high school grades have inflated since 2010 How high school grades have inflated since 2010 Despite a decade of grade inflation, grades fell slightly in 2021-22 Ready for college? DES MOINES The Iowa House passed a bill Thursday to strengthen Iowa's open meetings law, proposed by a Quad-Cities lawmaker who said he was inspired by recent events in Davenport. The bill, House File 2539, would increase the penalties for public officials who violate the open meetings law and require open meeting and records training for public officials. A member of a government body who inadvertently participates in a violation of open meetings laws would be fined between $500 and $2,500. If a person knowingly violates the law, they would be fined between $5,000 and $12,000. Two issues in Davenport were the chief instigators for the bill, said Rep. Gary Mohr, a Republican from Bettendorf who proposed it. First, the difficulty journalists and members of the public faced obtaining records after the partial building collapse in Davenport last year. The second issue was the city's decision to approve a $1.6 million separation with its city administrator without a vote in public session. The separation with former City Administrator Corri Spiegel came after "prolonged and documented instances of harassment by some elected officials," according to a statement the city made days after it announced she was leaving her position. Nearly a month later, the council ratified the separation agreement in a public vote. Separation agreements with Spiegel and two other city employees involved around $2 million in payments by the city, but were decided without a public vote from the council, Mohr said. The city attorney at the time, who has since retired, said Davenport Municipal Code allows the city attorney to direct litigation and approve settlements with the city, and necessary approval from the council was received. When the separation agreement was publicly approved in December, acting City Attorney Brian Heyer said the agreements were being brought up on the advice of outside counsel. He said it was being done "just to dot all the i's." The city and former city attorney face a lawsuit from a Bettendorf resident and open records advocate asking the court to declare the city's actions violated the law. Bill would require training for public officials The bill passed with near-unanimous support in the House, 92-2. Reps. Phil Thompson, R-Boone, and Brian Lohse, R-Bondurant, voted against it. It is now eligible for consideration in the Senate. Under the bill, if a member can prove that they voted against the closed session, had good reason to believe facts that would have indicated compliance with the law, or relied on a decision of a court or different body, they would not receive the fine. City councils, school boards, boards and commissions, and most of the government bodies are bound by the state's public meetings law that requires most meetings and actions of the body to be taken in public with opportunity for public access. Government bodies can enter into a closed session for a variety of reasons, including to review records that must be kept confidential, to discuss matters that are in litigation, and in certain hiring and firing situations. The bill would also require elected or appointed public officials to complete a training course with the Iowa Public Information Board periodically. The bill would cost $104,000 to hire an additional staff attorney on the public information board, according to an analysis from the Legislative Services Agency. Rep. Brent Siegrest of Council Bluffs said the board was likely going to hire a new staff member anyway because of a recent increase in open record violations and complaints. "Ladies and gentlemen of the House, we're either going to have open public records in this state, or we're not," Mohr said ahead of the House vote. "I ask you to support this bill." Sarah Watson of the Quad-City Times contributed to this report. Two bills have been introduced in state legislatures this month seeking to reform higher education. Both bills are sponsored by Republican legislators who wish to counteract the influence of diversity, equity and inclusion programs in American universities. The bills are similar in that they would place limits on faculty governance and increase governmental oversight for public universities, but the specifics of the proposed changes are quite different. In Indiana, Senate Bill 202 would require faculty of public universities to promote intellectual diversity by teaching multiple, divergent and varied scholarly perspectives on an extensive range of public policy issues. It includes sanctions, including the denial or revocation of tenure, for failing to do so. However, the bill does not mandate specific courses or topics that must be taught to students. Senate Bill 226, introduced in Utah last week by state Sen. John Johnson, is also aimed at limiting the influence of DEI programs in higher education, but it takes a very different approach. Named the School of General Education Act, it is based heavily on a proposal put forth last fall by three conservative organizations: the Ethics and Public Policy Center, the James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal and the National Association of Scholars. The School of General Education Act aims to establish a common educational experience for students at public universities promoting knowledge of the philosophical and historical foundations of the United States. It would create an independent school of general education in each university and require that students take a total of 13 courses on mandated topics such as Western civilization, Western literature, American history, U.S. government and civics. Either bill, if passed, would mean profound changes for public universities in their respective states. Similar legislation is likely to be introduced in other states around the country as well. The long-term effect will be further disruption in higher education but not meaningful reform of the sort that sponsors of the legislation are seeking. Something I have said often in this column over the years is that we should use politics to effect political change and culture to effect cultural change. Right-wing activists like to use politics (laws, mandates, court rulings) to drive cultural change. Left-wing activists like to use culture (boycotts, cancelling, protests) to drive political change. Both approaches are ineffective in the long run. These two bills are no exception. They are attempts by right wing activists to use political efforts to drive cultural change by mandating what should be taught at public universities. As such, they could very well result in significant changes in the world of higher education, but they are unlikely to produce the desired result of creating a generation of citizens who are highly informed about western civilization and passionate about passing it on to subsequent generations. And that is because neither bill addresses the cultural factors influencing what is taking place at American universities. Those factors are increasing individualism and loss of literacy, factors so profound that there is no way to counteract them by mandating the teaching of a different set of courses at a handful of universities in a few states. Individualism is increasing as each generation is more prosperous and technologically-dependent than the previous generation. As a result, each generation spends less time in social interaction, participating as a member of a group and more time focused on satisfying private needs. This leads to a desire to create an identity based on individual characteristics and a felt indignation at any demand to conform to established standards. Loss of literacy is increasing as we become more beholden to screens and spend less time reading, analyzing and conversing. A word-based culture thinks; an image-based culture reacts. If we have seen a rise in cancel culture on campuses, it is not because of what students are learning in the classroom. It is because students are being raised in an image-based culture, and that is just what you do in such a context. Both bills are bound to fail in their greater aims, not because they are wrongly motivated but because they are too little too late. A university education is a culmination of many years of learning both inside and outside of schools. It is not the place to form character; it is the place to reflect on how character is and should be formed. If we want our young people to be adept at critical thinking and passionate about their responsibilities as citizens, then we must begin at an early age by inculcating in them the virtues and practices appropriate for participation in democracy. We should, for example, be funding and encouraging organizations like 4-H, Boys Scouts and Girl Scouts that elect officers, hold meetings, and use Roberts Rules of Order. We should limit screen time to no more than two hours per day and encourage reading and face-to-face social interaction. Aristotle said you cant teach ethics to someone who hasnt been brought up in the proper virtues because they will not understand what is being discussed. In the same way, you cannot teach the principles of Western Civilization to young people who have not been raised in a culture informed by those principles. If we raise our young people in a culture in which protesting, shouting, cancelling, doxxing and swatting have largely replaced the norms of civilized debate, how are they to understand someone like James Madison once they get to college? If we are serious about changing the culture of higher education, we must change the ways we are raising our children. And the beat goes on for those of us along the route of the CO2 pipeline proposed by Summit Carbon Solutions. Its been around two years since most of us first heard about the project. Many aspects of the project are very concerning and we have received little to no information to allay our fears. We continue to meet with local government officials with the hopes of getting sensible setback distances from the pipeline established. Homes, schools, hospitals, nursing homes and the like will find themselves in danger if this is not done. Landowners and supporters continue to lobby state government officials to enact legislation to put guardrails on the use of eminent domain. All Iowans must realize that their property may be the next target if eminent domain use for private projects is allowed. The number of affected landowners recently grew exponentially when 12 POET ethanol plants agreed to sign up to be on Summits pipeline. That doubles the number of facilities along the Summit route in Iowa and totally changes the footprint of the project. Sadly, many landowners and neighbors are unaware that they are on the route of the newly expanded project. The Iowa Utilities Board is currently considering whether or not to grant Summits permit to construct the project. It no longer seems appropriate for them to consider the application before them as it no longer encompasses Summits full vision for the project. -- Meghan M. Sloma, fourth generation Sioux County landowner, Arnolds Park, Iowa WASHINGTON (AP) Former President Donald Trump urged a Florida judge to dismiss the criminal case charging him with illegally retaining classified documents, claiming in part that presidential immunity protects him from prosecution even as that sweeping argument has so far in failed in federal courts in a separate case. In one of a slew of motions attacking the case brought by special counsel Jack Smith, Trump's lawyers late Thursday echoed arguments that were roundly rejected by a federal appeals court this month in his 2020 election interference case in Washington. Trump has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene in that case as the Republican presidential primary front-runner seeks to delay the trial until after the November election. Trump's lawyers wrote that the classified documents charges turn on his alleged decision to designate the papers as personal records under the Presidential Records Act, and argued that he cannot be prosecuted since that was an official act made while he was still in the White House. Trump has denied wrongdoing in all four of the criminal cases he is facing, and has cast himself as the victim of a politically motivated justice system as he seeks to reclaim to the White House in November. Washingtons federal appeals court in its decision this month was unsparing in its repudiation of Trumps novel claim that former presidents enjoy absolute immunity for actions that fall within their official job duties. But Trumps lawyers argued that the appeals court decision was wrong, telling U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon not to follow the courts poorly reasoned decision" in the classified documents case. In other court filings late Thursday, Trumps lawyers argued that Attorney General Merrick Garlands appointment of special counsel Smith to investigate the former president was unlawful and grounds for dismissing the documents case. They also are attacking the law Trump is accused of violating as unconstitutionally vague as applied in his case. The case accuses Trump of illegally hoarding classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate and obstructing government efforts to retrieve them. A June 2023 indictment charging him with dozens of felony counts alleges investigators found boxes of sensitive documents recklessly stored at Mar-a-Lago in spaces including a ballroom, a bathroom and shower, his bedroom and a storage room. Prosecutors have said the documents he stowed, refused to return and in some cases showed to visitors risked jeopardizing not only relations with foreign nations but also the safety of troops and confidential sources. They've also accused Trump of asking a staffer to delete camera footage at his Florida estate in an effort to obstruct the federal investigation into his records. The case is currently scheduled to go to trial in May, but Judge Cannon has pushed back multiple other deadlines and signaled an openness to revisiting the trial date during a pivotal pretrial conference set for March. Smiths other case against Trump, accusing him of scheming to overturn his 2020 election loss, was supposed to go to trial in March, but that date was canceled while the former president pushed his claims of presidential immunity. Trumps lawyers have asked the Supreme Court to keep the case on hold while he continues to fight his presidential immunity claim. The Supreme Court has previously held that presidents are immune from civil liability for official acts, and Trumps lawyers have for months argued that that protection should be extended to criminal prosecution as well. The justices' decision on what to do and how quickly they act could determine whether the 2020 election case goes to trial before the November election. It carries enormous political ramifications, as Trump if he wins could potentially use his authority as head of the executive branch to try to order a new attorney general to dismiss the federal cases. Or he potentially could seek a pardon for himself something thats a legally untested proposition. Dear Prudence is online weekly to chat live with readers. Heres an edited transcript of this weeks chat. Danny Lavery: Afternoon, everyone. This is my penultimate live chat, so theres just today and next Monday to get this Prudence to answer a question in real timeget it while the goings good. Lets chat! Q. Angry roommate: I took over an apartment lease after I broke up with my boyfriend. It was a friend of a friend of a friend. Kim and I dont have much in common, but we are both quiet and clean, so it is better than most. On Friday, Kim told me she was going out and didnt have any luggage. She wasnt home by Saturday afternoon, so I started to get concerned. I called and texted her but no response. I didnt want to call the police, but during college, several young women went missing and were later found dead. One lived on my floor. The first 48 hours are the most critical in missing people cases. I went online and went through Kims social media and found her parents and older sister. I was able to Google their addresses and found the home telephone of both. I called the older sister since it seemed the lesser of two evils and left a message. On Sunday, I got woken up at 6 a.m. from an unknown number. It was Kims mom and she was nearly hysterical. She wanted to know if Kim was home. She wasnt. Kim was home by midmorning. She had gone over for a booty call that turned into a weekend visit and forgot to charge her phone. She had to explain it to her family. She was incandescently furious at meshe said my behavior was sick and borderline stalker, that she didnt have to check in with me, and I wasnt her warden. I protested that she had left with just her purse. Kim screamed at me that she had clothes in her car. At this point, I started shouting back: I was sorry I was worried she might be dead in a ditch or in the hospital, but Kim could have avoided this entire mess by just telling me she would be gone for the weekend or just plugging in her phone. We arent speaking and the atmosphere of the apartment is suffocating. Did I step over a line here? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A: A few, Im afraid. It doesnt sound like you and Kim had ever had a conversation about when to check in with each other about overnight trips, so there was no shared expectation that you two would keep even informal tabs on each other when you left the house; she doesnt seem to have been in the habit of telling you when to expect her back; and your relationship as roommates has historically been distant-but-cordial. Going out of your way to look for your roommates relatives (especially when you have no idea what her relationship with her family is like) after Kim spent the weekend away was a serious overreaction, and Im not surprised she lost her composure when you attempted to justify your decision to locate and inform her family just because shed left the apartment without an overnight bag. You say, Kim could have avoided this entire mess by just telling me she would be gone for the weekend, but that suggests that Kim should have reasonably expected that her roommate would call her mother within 48 hours if she didnt text daily updates. Kim clearly didnt think that was reasonable, and for the record, neither do I. Advertisement Advertisement Thats not to say that your concern for Kim wasnt real, but the first 48 hours in a missing persons case refers to a categorically missing personsomeone whos missed work or class unexpectedly, whos stopped responding to close friends and family members. By your own admission, you and Kim arent close and dont often share your plans with each other; I think your steadily mounting discomfort and fears about your old college classmate were what pushed you to escalate, not a specific knowledge of Kims schedule or a growing consensus among Kims loved ones that she had fallen off the map and was in potential danger. Your knowledge of Kim was not equal to your feelings of concern, and when you realized you were growing worried, you ought to have taken the former more readily into accountyou might have contacted that friend of a friend before looking up her sisters phone number, for example. Advertisement Advertisement I think you should apologize and give Kim some space. You dont have to apologize for being worried, but for the conclusions you leapt to unaided as a result of that worry, and for overstepping your bounds by involving Kims family for doing something as mundane as spending an extra night at a dates house without informing her roommate first. Advertisement Advertisement How to Get Advice From Prudie: Send questions for publication here. (Questions may be edited.) Join the live chat Mondays at noon. Submit your questions and comments here before or during the discussion. Call the voicemail of the Dear Prudence podcast at 401-371-DEAR (3327) to hear your question answered on a future episode of the show. Advertisement Q. My parents wont approve: Over a year ago, I was in a long-term relationship with a man well call Anthony. My family, particularly my parents, loved Anthony as if he were already a part of the family. He was everything they had ever wanted in a potential son-in-law: charismatic, considerate, self-employed, and financially stable, even well-off. The problem is that I didnt feel nearly as passionate about him as they did; in fact, their admiration of him played a huge role in my decision to maintain the relationship. This was a mistake on my part, since Anthony eventually proposedin front of them, no less. I agreed to it for that reason, but later on had a serious discussion with him. I admitted that I didnt see myself with him in the long run. He took it a lot better than my familymy parents were heartbroken, acting as if I told them he had passed away. Afterward, they maintained a sort of relationship by exchanging pleasantries on Facebook and Instagramsomething I had nothing to do with, although they never hesitated to tell me what he was up to and that he was single. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Fast-forward to now, Ive begun a relationship with a man who Ive fallen deeply for. He and I are very happy, and the time has come for my family to meet him. But theres no doubt in my mind that my family wont be nearly as receptive of him as they were with Anthony. For starters, theyre still hoping for a reconciliation. Secondly, my new boyfriend, David, would not traditionally check off every box on their list of preferences. Im concerned that theyll treat David like an outsider and compare him to Anthony. I figure I cant force them to like David, but what can I do to make sure they at least get along? Advertisement A: The biggest factor, which I think you already know, is figuring out how to maintain your own sense of composure, self-assuredness, and serenity regardless of your parents response, since in the past youve made decisions about your romantic life in order to please them and to your own detriment. Youre already prepared to offer an introduction, and in fact, you can simply share with them a digested version of what youve told me here: Youve met someone who makes you very happy, his name is David, and youd like them to meet him. If at any point they seem inclined to bring up Anthony or to suggest you ought to reconsider, you can tell them youre not looking for input or advice. If theyre unable to resist putting their oar in, you can draw the conversation to a close and reaffirm your desire to introduce them when and if theyre interested in meeting him, rather than in having a family council about who you should be dating instead. Youre right that you cant (and shouldnt) try to force them to like David, but you can reasonably expect that their role in your relationship should be open-minded about meeting him and respecting your right to date someone youre interested in. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Q. Lonely: I live in a city where I only have two friends, who were friends with each other before we met. Ive always had a hard time making friends as it is, but especially as an adult (it was so much easier when I was in school!) and during a pandemic. My two friends have a group of six or seven other friends that hang out together often. I dont know these people, but based on social media, it seems like wed have a lot in common! I have asked my friends, multiple times, to introduce me to their other friends, but they always say they will and then never do. Hinting, asking directlynothing has worked. I have no idea why they wont introduce me to anyone else they know in the area. I think Im pretty nice, I have a lot of interests, Im not exactly attractive but I dont smell or anything. Advertisement I reallyreally!need some other friends, and this seems like the easiest way in, but they wont budge. At the same time, I dont want to push too hard, because I dont want to lose the friends I do have. What gives? Advertisement A: Thats a good question! I wish I knew. Im afraid that at this point, since youve tried multiple times with both friends to no avail, that pushing for more details would unfortunately count as pushing too hard, so were simply going to have to chalk this one up to one of the unknowable secrets of the universe. Maybe your friends have every intention of getting around to it but cant muster up a sense of urgency, maybe theres a reason that has nothing to do with youwhatever the case, I think its clear that this is no longer likely to be the easiest way to build new friendships, and youre going to have to look elsewhere. Im sorry, because it must feel frustrating to wonder if theres something youve done to put your friends off, but I just dont think theres another way to convince them to open up after so many failed attempts. Trying to find new friends through shared interests does seem like the best next move here; whatever those interests may be, I hope you discover a ton of people in your city who share your enthusiasm for bouldering/Warhammer/Preston Sturges movies as much as you do, and who want to get coffee afterward and strike up a new friendship. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Q. Sister in the dark about her parentage: I have a half-sister who has no idea that the man she calls her father is not her blood father. I only know my fathers side of the story, and when I tried to reach out to her mother, my request to hear her side went unanswered. It has been 10 years since my initial attempt, as I did not want to harass her or be pushy. But I feel that if I do not attempt to contact my half-sister now, if or when she does find out, she may feel as though we did not care. She turns 18 this year, and to my knowledge, she is still unaware even after her parents were supposed to tell her years ago. I would like to reach out to her, but I want her mom to be able to have the conversation with her in the hopes that their relationship is not completely ruined by her mothers omission. Should I reach out to my sister? If so, how should I let her know that she needs to ask her mom some very important questions? Advertisement A: This is tricky! Ill confess I dont have a strong sense of your best move right off the bat, so Im hoping Ill be able to fumble toward a principle by thinking it through. I dont know what your fathers side of the story is, so I realize there are a number of possible outcomesI think theres value in weighing them all carefully before you make a decision. You say you want to make sure that this girls relationship with her mother is not completely ruined if she ever finds out about her conception, but Im not so sure thats a guaranteed outcome. She may very well continue to think of the man who raised her as her father, and may not find language like blood father especially compelling. Its possible that even if you were the one who broke the news to her, she might not be particularly interested in getting to know your family, or in thinking of your father as hers, too. That said, since its been 10 years and you know shell be of legal age soon, I think a follow-up message to her mother expressing a renewed interest in speaking to your half-sister (without asking for her express permission) might be best, as it gives her time to consider how shed like to handle her relationship with her daughter first. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Beyond that, youll have to weigh the possible downsides of getting in touch against your own interests. How will you feel if you share the news with your half-sister and she doesnt respond well? If she gets angry or defensive, or doesnt reply at all? You seem to have handled a nonresponse from her mother 10 years ago very well, so I have confidence in your ability to weather any response now appropriately and without digging in your heels. Its just a question of acknowledging the sensitivity of your revelation, the possibility that it may complicate your relationship with your own parents as well as with this other group of people, and being prepared for a wide swath of possible reactions. Advertisement Q. Work-appropriate leg hair: Is it appropriate to show my hairy legs at work? Im a queer cis woman who prefers not to shave my legs, but also prefers dresses and skirts to pants. This is fine in winter, when Im wearing tights anyway, but I dont know what to do during warmer months. Traditionally Ive just shaved during the summers, but I dont enjoy it and would prefer not to. I work in a professional but fairly liberal office, but I feel like its out of line not to shave. In the past, when Ive just had stubble, Ive gotten looks but no comments. Is body hair the reason men or people who wear masculine clothes dont wear shorts in the office? Im at a loss here. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A: If your colleagues wear dresses/skirts without tights in the summer, then you should feel free to wear dresses/skirts without tights in the summer, as its clearly consistent with whatever dress code, either official or unspoken, governs your office. I dont want to wade too far out into the waters of speculation, and there are plenty of offices and industries where men do wear shorts in the summer, but shorts do, for whatever reason, have fewer formal/professional associations than skirts, some of which may be connected to gendered associations about body hair. I might imagine that men and people who wear masculine clothes have a variety of disparate experiences about office wear, so beyond that Im not sure how useful it might be to treat those groups as a single category. Alison Green of Ask a Manager offered a similar ruling back in 2016, so go forth with the blessing of not one but two advice columnists. Advertisement Advertisement Q. How do I get along with my adult sister? I have many siblings. I love all of them, but I have a very difficult time getting along with one of my older sisters. She is a grown woman in her mid-50s but lacks maturity. Her habits annoy me to no end. In emails and texts, she sounds like a 12-year-old girl. Her language, overuse of emojis, and lack of intelligence grate on my nerves. I have never mentioned this to her, and honestly, I feel guilty for having these feelings. I am an educated woman with a family of my own and just wish we could hold an intelligent conversation. I fear it will never be possible with her. We hardly speak anymore and we dont live near each other, but we will see each other at our family reunion this year. Not only does she lack decorum, but she is also very closed-minded and racist. To make matters worse, she has historically shown how much she feels that she and her children are better than everyone else, even at times being downright nasty about it. To be clear, her children, who are adults now, do not share these traits with her. Advertisement Advertisement How do I get along with her? Not just at the reunion, but going forward. I dread anytime I have to talk with her and I feel awful about it. A: One of these things is not like the others, as the saying goes! I agree that youve been right to refrain from trying to manage your sisters emoji use or telling her I think you text like a child, but if shes very closed-minded and racist, I dont think your goal should be anything like trying to get along with her. You should object to her racism. Thats far more important than her annoying habits like including extra exclamation points or forgoing capital letters when she emails you. Dont try to get along with someone racist, even if that someone is your sister. Advertisement Advertisement Q. Dont care about pronouns: I identify as nonbinary. I dont particularly feel like a man or a woman. I know other nonbinary people who specifically want to be referred to as they/them. I dont care, honestly. Call me whatever pronouns you choose. A friend pointed out to me that people were going to likely use she/her, since thats how I present, but I never really thought about it. Ive never exactly conformed to either male or female gender norms. Im just me. And I understand that to some people, their gender identity and pronouns are important, but to me, its not particularly important. Advertisement Advertisement Is it OK to just know that Im nonbinary for myself and not really think or worry about how I present to others or their opinion about what nonbinary is or means? A: Sure! Advertisement Q. Re: Angry roommate: You are 100 percent in the wrong, you totally owe her an apology. She is a grown woman and its her own business. I have family boundary issues myself; if a roommate had done this to me, I would never have forgiven them. I think you know this deep down; your concern for her sounds fake. You need therapy to uncover why you have the instinct to sabotage others in such a mean way. A: I wont go so far as to say that the letter writers concern must have been contrived; I think its entirely possible that they really were upset. But its crucial to acknowledge the difference between feeling concerned and what actually happened; it is not reasonable to seek out the relatives of a roommate one barely knows and doesnt normally receive updates from after said roommates spends two nights away from home without checking in. The letter writer would have certainly had grounds to say, upon her return, that theyd been worried and to ask to establish a policy of sending a brief check-in text when possible if either party plans on spending more than one night away from the apartment, but their roommate would then herself have grounds to say whether shes interested in such a policy herself. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Q. Re: Angry roommate: No, sorry Prudie, but this is just basic women looking after another behavior (I say women because I do think it is something drilled into women who live together to always check in with roommates). The roommate left with only her purse, didnt return texts, and was gone for a few days. The letter writer didnt call the police; she just reached out to family to say she was worried. Id expect the same from anyone. How was the letter writer supposed to know the roommate was on an extended booty call? If she had been lying in a ditch somewhere and the letter writer had saved her life, would the roommate feel shed overreacted then? Advertisement A: This is clearly not behavior that has been drilled into Kim, and I dont think any woman who seeks to live with another woman must therefore sign up to have her relatives called if she spends two nights with a date without clearing it with her roommate first. Kim may very well have other friends she does check in with, rather than her mostly distant roommate. While its perfectly fine for the letter writer to want to establish some sort of mutually-agreed-upon rule for overnight trips, it does not necessarily follow that it was appropriate to look up Kims relatives just because she was gone for roughly 36 hours (Friday afternoon to Sunday morning) without checking in. Kim has every right to set whatever limits/rules/restrictions she wants about taking trips or doing something by herself, and she does not have to automatically agree to be surveilled by her roommate simply because she is a woman. Discuss this column on our Facebook page! Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Classic Prudie Q. Not sleeping with the enemy: Im engaged to be married soon, and, while my fiance was away on holiday recently, I reconnected with a (heterosexual) friend of the opposite gender and ended up staying overnight unexpectedly. As his shared house does not have a communal living area and his bedroom is quite small, I ended up sleeping in his spacious double bed with him in it. It was strictly platonic, but my fiance and I are from a relatively conservative background and my fiance would not be OK with me seeing this friend again alone if I were to tell him. Is co-sleeping with someone in a context that most people might assume to have romantic undercurrents cheating? Now available in your podcast player: the audiobook edition of Danny M. Laverys latest book, Something That May Shock and Discredit You. Get it from Slate. Commander Bidenthe German shepherd adopted by President Joe Biden and the first ladyhas terrorized the White House to levels not seen since, at least, Dolley Madisons violent macaw. Rumors of Commanders biting problem have leaked from the nations capital since the moment the pup took up residence in late 2021. Consider, if you will, this report from last autumn, where the interloping canine took a chunk out of a Secret Service agent for the 11th time on record. Now, thanks to a recent investigation conducted by CNN, we know the full extent of Commanders bloodlust: The newsroom unearthed records revealing that Commander attacked presidential personnel on at least 24 separate occasions. Mathematically speaking, that means Commander is liable to fly off the handle about twice a month. These are not small bites, either: One Secret Service agent required six stitches in his forearm after Commander caused a severe deep open wound and a significant amount of blood loss. White House tours were shut down. The incidents motivated one anonymous agent to warn his colleagues that they must be creative to ensure their own personal safetyquite an ominous missive indeed. Unsurprisingly, last October, Commander was moved out of the White House to an undisclosed location, which I imagine is a cute little farm upstate with lots of open space. According to a White House spokesperson at the time, Commanders future was being evaluated. So if Commander is still at largeand we have no reason to believe he isnthe should be considered armed and dangerous. Perhaps he is bounding through the open prairies of suburban Delaware, or, I dont know, Barack Obamas backyard, giving the evil eye to security details of all stripes. This is mildly perturbing, if only because Im pretty sure a Yorkshire terrier could neutralize our current Democratic incumbent. The stakes are pretty high! It makes you wonder: Shouldnt Biden consider sending Commander to a more figurative farm upstate? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After all, canine aggression is a difficult problem to solve. Just ask Cathy Madson, a dog behavior consultant in Seattle, who has dedicated her career to the management of pets just like Commander. German shepherds were bred to herd, and then we put them into a guardian role. To protect an area, she told me. Theyre a breed that needs to work. They love to work. But if we dont give them a job, theyll find one on their own. That might have been what happened at the White House. Madson examines a variety of different factors when she deduces the source of a dogs aggression. Fear, stress, and anxiety are the most common culprits, which is why Madson said that getting Commander out of the White House, and into surroundings he might be more comfortable in, was the obvious first step to assuage his overwhelmed canine mind. There are also countless medical problems that could be exacerbating the behavior: thyroid issues, epilepsy, chronic pain, and so on. Madson searches for any obvious predictive trigger pointsif a canine exclusively freaks out around children, or in Commanders case, perhaps sinister men in black then that provides a road map to treatment. She also analyzes the severity of the bites. A few nips and snaps are negligible, but a significant laceration is not. Advertisement Advertisement In fact, there is no guarantee that the best trainersor the most patient ownerscan totally stop the violence. The prognosis is: maybe, Madson put it. Thats why behavioral euthanasia, as the veterinary community calls it, is an option for those who have reached their wits end. Its a controversial topic among pet owners, but when a house is unsafe for children and the elderly because of a German shepherd, putting the pet downfor everyones sakemight be the most humane course of action for all parties involved. In fact, Madson said that a dog with Commanders record certainly fits the bill. Advertisement For a dog with this number of bites, and the level of severity, a regular dog owner would be dealing with the question of behavioral euthanasia already, she said. Management always fails at some point. You might leave the door open. A dog might jump over the gate. And if you have management failure, you think about the worst thing that could happen. Thats what we would look at. Advertisement One of the primary reasons an owner might opt for behavioral euthanasia is the threat of personal liability. In D.C., a dog that attacks another person or pet can cost the owner up to $10,000 in fines, and if Commander were a civilian animal, it seems likely hed have been taken to court a few times by now. According to D.C.-based veterinary behaviorist Amy L. Pike, in most jurisdictions, a judge can mandate that a dog be muzzledor perhaps even put downafter a particularly violent assault. (For instance, back in 2016, a Belgian Malinois named Jeb was ordered to be euthanized after it attacked and killed a Pomeraniana rap sheet about 10 lightyears shorter than Commanders.) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Whether behavioral euthanasia is recommended depends on the circumstances of the bite. If a dog bit a veterinarian during a rectal examination, theyre not going to put the dog down for that. If the dog broke loose and attacked a child? Thats a different set of circumstances. All of that plays a role for the prosecuting attorney, Pike said. If a dog is declared a dangerous dog by a judge, the owner would need to have a dangerous dog rider on their homeowners insurance. Itd need to be muzzled whenever its outside of the home, and theyd have to post notices everywhere. It varies, but thats pretty much the protocol. Advertisement Pike added that it is difficult to rehome canines with a troubled past, even through rescue organizations: They wont take dogs with a history of bites. Most people looking to adopt wont, either. So a lot of owners are put in a position where they have to choose between either keeping the dog or behaviorally euthanizing. Advertisement We might never know what a court would recommend for Commander. Its extremely unlikely that one of Bidens maimed Secret Service agents is prepared to take the incumbent president to trial. Call it nepo-baby immunity. In that sense, he has a lot in common with other presidential pets, like Teddy Roosevelts Bull terrier, named Pete, and Bidens previous German shepherd, named Major, who were both infamous biters who got off scot-free. (Pete famously ripped the pants off a French ambassador, which is maybe the only reason Im sad Commander is no longer at the White House.) Maybe when he is out of office, the notorious German shepherd will be bombarded with cascading lawsuits filed by three-fingered consultants and assistants. It should be said that the specifics of Commanders violenceand his prognosisare restricted to the White House inner sanctum. As Madson suggested to me, maybe Commander is buoyant and stress-free now that hes rid of the confines of Pennsylvania Avenue, and his biting habit is a thing of the past. Were certainly rooting for him. If not, though, Biden may be overdue on some grim business. The U.S. Supreme Courts acute hostility toward gun safety laws faced more criticism from within the judiciary on Wednesday when the Pennsylvania Supreme Court sharply criticized recent precedents expanding the right to bear arms. In a 41 ruling, the Pennsylvania court upheld local restrictions on shooting rangesand urged SCOTUS to reconsider its embrace of a radical, dangerous interpretation of the Second Amendment. On a new episode of Amicus, Dahlia Lithwick and Mark Joseph Stern discussed the growing judicial skepticism toward gun rights extremism at SCOTUS. Their conversation has been condensed and edited for clarity. To listen to the full episode of Amicus, join Slate Plus. Dahlia Lithwick: Lets turn to the Pennsylvania Supreme Courtagainwhich, this week, said: You know what? Enough with the gun craziness. Mark Joseph Stern: This is yet another lower court looking at the decision in Bruen, raising its eyebrows, and saying, Are you serious about this, SCOTUS? This case askedand Im not exaggerating herewhether individuals possess a right to set up shooting ranges at their homes. Specifically, in their backyards, in residential neighborhoods. A town in Pennsylvania has a zoning ordinance that prohibits shooting ranges in private residences. Do I have to explain why? It seems pretty obvious why you wouldnt want stray bullets flying around a residential neighborhood. But this gun owner sued for a right to use his property as a shooting range, and he actually won in the lower courts. Advertisement On Wednesday, though, he lost at the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. The court said: Were not so sure about the history that was used in Heller and Bruen, and we note some serious skepticism with how the Supreme Court is handling these Second Amendment cases. But we can play amateur historian as well as the next guy. The court pointed to a pile of historical analogues to the law at issue here26 pages worth of summaries of over 100 statutes and ordinances emanating from cities spanning more than 40 states and covering all time periods of our nations history. They all show that there is in fact a deeply rooted tradition of preventing people from firing guns in their garages. One justice did dissent, but rationality won this time, and the court used the opportunity to talk about how far SCOTUS has veered away from any semblance of legitimate constitutional interpretation here. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Related From Slate Turns Out Its Really Useful to Have a Former Public Defender on the Supreme Court Read More I did want to raise the question, hypothetically, of whether extrauterine children have the right to set up a shooting range in the guest bathroom? Anyway, some of the language in this opinion borders on salty. I wanted to read a quote from the majority opinion: We close by adding our voice to the ever-growing chorus of courts across the country that have implored the High Court to answer some of the many questions Bruen both created and left unresolvedor even to reconsider its path entirely. Our Nation is gripped by a level of deadly gun violence our founders never could have conceived, and, respectfully, some of the Courts actions in recent years have done little to quell the legitimate fears of the people. Advertisement I just want to tell you that if there were an irony font, the word respectfully would be in it. This is the court telling SCOTUS: You opened a Pandoras box in Bruen then walked away. What the hell are we supposed to do? This is a very pointed critique, obviouslythe Pennsylvania Supreme Court is saying that SCOTUS left the judiciary incapable of addressing the real crisis of gun violence. Which is true, because Bruen says that courts are literally not allowed to consider the lifesaving effects of gun laws in assessing their constitutionality. SCOTUS is actively endangering Americans by making it impossible for them to address the ever-spiraling epidemic of gun violence through the democratic process. Which is pretty rich since the Second Amendment talks about the need for security and a well-regulated militia. Advertisement Advertisement I just want to read another quote from the opinion: To many, the Bruen Courts word that the Second Amendment is meant to be adapted to the various crises of human affairs largely rings hollow since the Court has frozen its meaning in time in the ways that matter most. Worse yet, the Court seemingly moves the goalposts with each new case it takes, most recently by sua sponte discarding a test that was uniformly embraced by courts across the country and replacing it with a harsh history-and-tradition test no one asked for. We cannot help but wonder (and fear, really): Whats next? Advertisement This is, I think, the court essentially telling SCOTUS that it has frozen the Second Amendment in a moment when people really didnt have the capacity to set up a shooting range in their kids treehouse out back. But here we are. Advertisement I really appreciate the courts gestured toward other cases where SCOTUS has played a similar game. Because its not just the Second Amendment. Its the establishment clause. Its reproductive rights. Its all these hot-button issues where SCOTUS has abruptly decided that our liberties were frozen in time in 1789 or 1791 or 1868weve never been told exactly when! The Pennsylvania Supreme Court is telling SCOTUS that its trying to be faithful to precedent, but its stymied because this history stuff is mostly made up on the fly or cherry-picked. Advertisement Advertisement I think this all ties back to the Alabama ruling against IVF that you alluded to. Because its very similar in a way. It feels like the rug has been pulled out from under us. Half a century of SCOTUS affirming a right to reproductive autonomy, and suddenly the court goes back to the 18th and 19th century and says that whatever slave-holding white men thought, thats the rule today. So a state like Alabama can effectively ban IVF without any constitutional concerns. Its incredibly destabilizing for regular people, but its also destabilizing for lower courts. The Pennsylvania Supreme Courts opinion is a critique, but its also a plea for SCOTUS to fix the mess that it has created. Its expected that shortly after the South Carolina primary, Republican National Committee chair Ronna McDaniel will be pushed out of her role and replaced, in part, with Lara Trump as co-chair. The former presidents daughter-in-law has come a long way since Trump reportedly said in 2017 that he barely even knew who the fuck she was. Now shes going to be gifted a national party committeewith some strings attached! For example: Does she think its in GOP voters interest for the RNC to pay Trumps legal bills? Absolutely. Thats why youve seen a GoFundMe get started, Lara Trump told reporters this week. Thats why people are furious right now and they see the attacks against him. They feel like its an attack, not just on Donald Trump, but on this country. So I think that is a big interest to people. Absolutely. This followed an earlier comment where she said that every single penny will go to the No. 1 and the only job of the RNCthat is, electing Donald J. Trump as president of the United States and saving this country. So, sorry, down-ballot candidates. Lara Trump had to clean up these remarks later, saying that she thought the legal bills have already been covered at this point. The Surge bets that the legal bills have not, in fact, been covered, given how many more are to come. We also bet that she does not actually make her children say the Pledge of Allegiance at bedtime every night, no matter what she says, because thats not a thing. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has reminded farmers and fishermen about the looming tax deadline for March 1, 2024. This notice explicitly targets those who opted not to make estimated tax payments by January and are now required to file their 2023 federal income tax return and settle all due taxes by the upcoming Friday deadline. This particular March 1 deadline is designed to benefit farmers and fishers, allowing them to circumvent penalties associated with estimated taxes. The IRS offers several payment methods, including an efficient, cost-free option for direct bank account payments through the taxpayers Online Account or the option to arrange payments in advance via IRS Direct Pay. Eligibility for this deadline is contingent on individuals who qualify as farmers or fishers and who refrained from making an estimated tax payment by January 16, 2024. Those who did make a qualifying payment by this date have the liberty to file by the regular deadline of April 15, 2024, without incurring penalties. An extension to April 17, 2024, is provided for residents of Maine and Massachusetts, as detailed in Publication 505, Tax Withholding and Estimated Tax. The criteria for being considered a farmer or fisher for this purpose include earning at least two-thirds of gross income from farming or fishing activities during either the 2022 or 2023 tax years. Special Considerations for Disaster-Affected Areas Taxpayers in designated disaster areas, including those whose income is primarily from farming or fishing, are granted an extension until June 17, 2024, to file their 2023 tax returns and pay any owed taxes. This extension is granted automatically, negating the need for affected individuals to submit additional paperwork or contact the IRS directly. Those requiring further time beyond this extension can apply for a tax-filing extension through the IRS website. Online Payment: A Convenient Option The IRS emphasizes the convenience, speed, and security of making payments online through the Online Account portal, which allows taxpayers to make same-day payments directly from their bank accounts. This platform also provides access to payment history, outstanding balances, and plan information, along with digital copies of specific IRS notices. For those preferring a straightforward method without the need for registration, IRS Direct Pay offers a reliable solution for scheduling bank account payments. Business tax payments can be made through the Electronic Federal Tax Payment System (EFTPS), which also accommodates individual income tax payments. Relevant Forms and Publications Farmers should use Schedule F (Form 1040) for income and expense reporting and Schedule SE (Form 1040) for self-employment tax if net farming earnings exceed $400. Additional resources include Topic No. 554, Publication 225 (Farmers Tax Guide), and the Agriculture Tax Center. should use Schedule F (Form 1040) for income and expense reporting and Schedule SE (Form 1040) for self-employment tax if net farming earnings exceed $400. Additional resources include Topic No. 554, Publication 225 (Farmers Tax Guide), and the Agriculture Tax Center. Fishers are directed to use Schedule C (Form 1040) for income and expenses, with Schedule SE (Form 1040) for self-employment tax calculations if net fishing earnings are $400 or more. Publication 334 (Tax Guide for Small Business) is recommended for commercial fishers filing Schedule C. For more detailed information on payment options and tax preparation, visit the IRS official website at IRS.gov/payments. https://sputnikglobe.com/20240223/clown-show-uks-failed-trident-missile-test-emblematic-of-nations-decline-and-demise-1116944955.html 'Clown Show': UK's Failed Trident Missile Test Emblematic of Nation's 'Decline and Demise' 'Clown Show': UK's Failed Trident Missile Test Emblematic of Nation's 'Decline and Demise' Sputnik International The UK Military failures are linked to the country's "decline and demise" as a "serious nation" political commentator and social activist told Radio Spuitnik on Thursday. 2024-02-23T23:11+0000 2024-02-23T23:11+0000 2024-02-24T01:58+0000 analysis military & intelligence united kingdom (uk) royal navy trident yemen navy trident uk trident program trident-2 https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/107907/23/1079072300_0:0:2000:1125_1920x0_80_0_0_993a55ff179c249f88c51bbd0c7ba7d5.jpg The recent missile failure by the UK military "is entirely linked to the kind of decline and demise of the UK as a serious nation, Phil Kelly, a political contributor and socialist activist told Sputniks Political Misfits on Thursday. Its a nation that is in a deep economic and political crisis, and the military reflects that," Kelly underscored.Like the Scrappy-Doo character, the UK Royal Navy acts supremely confident in its abilities, but can not back up its bravado. This is an army, lets not forget, that retreated at speed after a failed 20-year occupation of Afghanistan. They were beaten by men in pickup trucks whos [now] shaking its saber and threatening Russia, China, and Iran, Kelly explained. Kelly noted that not only is the UK military experiencing significant equipment problems, but it is also failing to meet its recruitment goals, calling it a huge crisis" and doubling down on the fact that the issues are not limited to the naval branch.If [the failed Trident missile launch] happened in North Korea, Western media would have been laughing at it, Kelly said. Here, we have the UK completely unable to launch a missile, which has cost an exorbitant amount of money while health and education are falling into rack and ruin. https://sputnikglobe.com/20240221/failed-trident-missile-launch-casts-doubt-on-us-and-uk-nuclear-capability-1116908317.html united kingdom (uk) yemen 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 phil kelly, uk missile test, trident ii failure, uk military crisis, uk nuclear capabilities https://sputnikglobe.com/20240223/us-officials-admit-use-of-force-against-houthis-not-working--reports-1116945998.html US Officials Admit Use of Force Against Houthis Not Working Reports US Officials Admit Use of Force Against Houthis Not Working Reports Sputnik International Biden administration officials are increasingly questioning the effectiveness of military methods in combating the Houthis, CNN reported, citing US officials in the know. 2024-02-23T23:53+0000 2024-02-23T23:53+0000 2024-02-23T23:53+0000 military houthis houthi us joe biden yemen red sea crisis https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e4/09/0d/1080444203_0:160:3073:1888_1920x0_80_0_0_cf1d22e6e2b3f7efbaf193e255800e20.jpg Even though the US military has significantly increased the frequency of its strikes on Houthi bases since January, the results of the strikes have failed to advance beyond the psychological effect and have only made Yemeni rebels dig in deeper and hide better, the report said on Friday. American strikes have also made the Houthis extremely concerned about their senior leaders, making them increasingly paranoid about their safety, the report added.There is also a belief among some US senior officials that the Houthis would stop their attacks in the Red Sea the moment Israel stops its war in Gaza, according to the report. The Houthi movement, which controls large parts of northern and western Yemen, vowed in November 2023 to attack any ships associated with Israel until it halts military actions in the Gaza Strip.This led US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin to announce the creation of a multinational operation to secure navigation in the Red Sea. US and UK forces later launched major strikes against Houthi positions in a bid to degrade the rebels' ability to target commercial vessels. https://sputnikglobe.com/20240223/houthis-notify-companies-of-ban-on-passage-of-us-uk-israeli-ships-near-yemen-1116933164.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20240217/us-navy-worried-over-scary-scenario-of-houthis-armed-with-high-speed-unmanned-naval-drones-1116849919.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 attacks on houthi, us yemen strategy, houthis attacks, us military forces https://sputnikglobe.com/20240224/dutch-pm-has-no-right-to-sign-10-year-security-agreement-with-ukraine---musk-1116947986.html Dutch PM Has No Right to Sign 10-Year Security Agreement With Ukraine - Musk Dutch PM Has No Right to Sign 10-Year Security Agreement With Ukraine - Musk Sputnik International US entrepreneur Elon Musk said outgoing Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte does not have the legal authority to sign a security treaty with Ukraine for ten years. 2024-02-24T06:09+0000 2024-02-24T06:09+0000 2024-02-24T07:13+0000 world elon musk mark rutte russia ukraine netherlands nato sergey lavrov https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e8/02/17/1116939603_0:163:3077:1893_1920x0_80_0_0_0bb3cbac84f11005e2661518b2d01e05.jpg The Tesla and SpaceX CEO made the statement in response to a post by political commentator Eva Vlaardingerbroek on social network X regarding the Netherlands ten-year military assistance agreement with Ukraine. Vlaardingerbroek said the opinion of the Dutch People had not been asked. "Doesnt seem like he [Rutte] has the legal authority to do this," Musk wrote in response. The Dutch Foreign Ministry said in a statement Friday that the Netherlands would sign a security agreement with Ukraine for the next 10 years. It said the deal means the Netherlands will help Ukraine defend itself and achieve further integration into the EU and NATO. Ukraine earlier signed similar agreements with the UK, France, Germany and Denmark. Reports also said a similar document could be signed with Italy in the near future. Russia has been conducting a special military operation in Ukraine since February 24, 2022. President Vladimir Putin has said the operation aims to "protect people subjected to genocide by the Kiev regime for eight years." According to the president, the ultimate goal of the operation is to liberate Donbass and create conditions that guarantee Russia's security. Russia earlier sent a note to NATO because of arms supplies to Ukraine. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said any cargo that contains weapons for Ukraine will become a legitimate target for Russia. https://sputnikglobe.com/20240117/uk-ukraine-security-agreement-to-not-allow-kiev-to-exit-conflict-via-negotiations---moscow-1116220277.html russia ukraine netherlands 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 elon musk, mark rutte, musk on dutch pm's statement about security deal with ukraine, ukraine-netherlands security agreement https://sputnikglobe.com/20240224/growing-rift-over-further-arming-ukraine-jeopardizes-eu-unity---report-1116947073.html Growing Rift Over Further Arming Ukraine 'Jeopardizes EU Unity' - Report Growing Rift Over Further Arming Ukraine 'Jeopardizes EU Unity' - Report Sputnik International There is a growing rift in Europe between the East and the West over continuing to aid the regime in Kiev, Bloomberg reported. 2024-02-24T09:35+0000 2024-02-24T09:35+0000 2024-02-24T09:35+0000 european union (eu) ukraine world volodymyr zelensky france kiev nato josep borrell europe https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e8/02/18/1116946899_0:160:3072:1888_1920x0_80_0_0_c0212c26225da6979fc6555a0e59d14f.jpg There is a growing rift in Europe between the east and the west over continuing to aid the regime in Kiev, Bloomberg reported. Germany, Spain, Italy, and others are being pressured to dip deeper into their own stocks of arms, regardless of the fact that propping up Ukraine has been exhausting their own defense capabilities.Ukraine continues to fail on the battlefield, with the loss of its stronghold of Avdeyevka particularly painful for Kievs nationalists. Furthermore, Ukraines troops are also running critically low on stocks of artillery shells, feeding into the panicky sentiments gaining a foothold in diplomatic circles in countries that are staunch supporters of NATOs proxy war against Russia. The latter are described as believing that once Moscow prevails in the Ukraine conflict, the entire European integration project could be jeopardized, with the aforementioned rift becoming an indelible scar.Amid deepening fractures within the EU, governments in Western Europe dont understand that many in the east would never trust them again if the Ukraine project fails, a top European official was cited warning. The West doesnt seem to get the urgency, another official ostensibly said.How to scrape together funds to prop up the Kiev regime while not letting the EU exhaust its own defense capabilities was one of the concerns at the Munich Security Conference last weekend. With countries like France eager to kick start Europe's own defense industry, as arming Ukraine has already resulted in depleted weapons and ammunition stocks, Eastern European countries are reportedly accusing the wealthier Western states of still not doing enough for Kiev.After sending billions' worth of weapons to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskys nationalist forces, the West is now facing a plethora of procurement problems. Last month, several EU leaders and officials admitted that a joint initiative to give Kiev the promised one million artillery rounds before the end of March 2024 would not make the deadline.Furthermore, Eastern European countries are described as lamenting the procrastination over providing Ukraine with longer-range firepower. Support for Ukraine is looking fragmented, the outlet underscored. It recalled that earlier in the week, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell was quoted as writing to ministers, urging to dig further into your stock, where possible; placing orders by procuring on your own or preferably jointly from the European industry; buying ammunition immediately available on the market; or financing Ukrainian industry. However, countries such as France, Greece, and Cyprus are against dipping into EU funds to place orders with, for example, NATO ally Turkiye, according to cited sources.The Czech Republic's President Petr Pavel is reportedly ready to join forces with other proxy war hawks to source the ammunition. Last week, Estonias Prime Minister Kaja Kallas urged EU countries to supply Kiev with weapons no matter how drained their own stockpiles were, adding:"Europe has done a lot and has to also do more. That is clear... I dont see their warehouses, but if we, as a small country, still find things that we can send, I'm sure that the bigger countries also have things that they can give or send to Ukraine."Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski is also among the ranks of eager proponents of fueling the Ukraine crisis further by sending more aid to Zelenskys regime.In a sign of the growing resentment, one European official allegedly warned that their country would not purchase military hardware from France in the event that foot-dragging on aiding Ukraine results in a Russian victory. Procurements would instead be made from the US, UK, and Nordic nations, as more trustworthy allies, the unidentified individual stated.One Eastern European NATO hawk fervidly pushing for greater aid to Ukraine is Lithuania.We cannot have half measures, we cannot be foot-dragging on this This is the understanding in most of the Nordics and Baltics. This is the understanding in most of the eastern flank, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis was quoted as saying. He added:We could divert all the production that we have in the continent towards the military needs of Ukraine, we could pull up the resources so that we could be able to purchase even outside for the vital things that are needed in Ukraine such as ammunition if were unable to produce it ourselves But the thing is that we cannot agree on that either. https://sputnikglobe.com/20240219/eurobonds-floated-as-eu-grapples-with-ukraine-aid--depleted-weapons-stocks-1116873838.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20240223/schumer-says-zelensky-told-him-ukraine-will-lose-to-russia-without-us-aid-1116945095.html ukraine france kiev 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 will ukraine defeat russia, ukraine conflict, russia defeat ukraine, us arms for ukraine, us ukraine aid https://sputnikglobe.com/20240224/isolation-due-to-ukraine-gaza-conflicts-signal-end-of-us-hegemony-1116946156.html Isolation Due to Ukraine, Gaza Conflicts Signals End of US Hegemony' Isolation Due to Ukraine, Gaza Conflicts Signals End of US Hegemony' Sputnik International Long-time war correspondent and analyst Elijah Magnier told Radio Sputnik that the Ukraine and Gaza conflicts are isolating the West and signal the end of US global hegemony. 2024-02-24T01:53+0000 2024-02-24T01:53+0000 2024-02-24T04:51+0000 analysis ukraine russia china americans sergey lavrov elijah j. magnier sputnik brics nato https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e8/02/05/1116595901_0:0:3072:1728_1920x0_80_0_0_94c34d1b31854b92ada59143fa60e158.jpg The US failed in its goal to isolate and divide Russia but did succeed in its unstated goal of deindustrializing Europe, war correspondent and analyst Elijah Magnier told Sputniks The Critical Hour on Thursday.Fifty nations gathered to defeat Russia and they failed Ukraine has been defeated and Europe is defeated, Magnier added, noting later that Russias economy is doing much better than Europes.In addition, the conflict in Gaza has wiped out any remaining pretense of Western moral superiority. We are confronted [with] the war on Gaza, where none of [that] moral ground is translated into punishment of those who are committing war crimes and crimes against humanity. This is where, today, the Americans are completely isolated, along with their European partners.America can only survive through wars, Magnier argued, resulting in NATO threatening war with China when it cannot handle much weaker adversaries.Co-host Wilmer Leon brought up what he believes to be the unstated goal of the war in Ukraine, the de-industrialization of Europe which, unlike the stated goal of defeating Russia, seems to be doing quite well.Magnier agreed and expressed shock that Germany has seemingly declined to react. The Nord Stream II pipeline was blown up and the Germans refused to investigate the terrorist act, noting that energy prices are rising throughout Europe, even though there are still some European countries buying Russian gas. When energy is unaffordable there is a migration of European industry to the United States where energy is cheaper.This is [how] the Americans succeeded in putting the Europeans, literally, on the floor, and this is something that Europeans understand, realize, [and] are fully aware of, but, surprisingly, they're not really reacting and stopping all this useless war that is [leading] them nowhere but to the destruction of the European industry and economy. https://sputnikglobe.com/20240223/us-officials-admit-use-of-force-against-houthis-not-working--reports-1116945998.html ukraine russia china 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 hegemony ending, us stands alone in gaza, european economy falling, who would win in a war with china, can the us stop the houthis, eu economy , us against europe, us uses europe https://sputnikglobe.com/20240224/macron-to-skip-g7-summit-for-paris-agricultural-show-amid-farmers-protests---reports-1116954765.html Macron to Skip G7 Summit for Paris Agricultural Show Amid Farmers Protests - Reports Macron to Skip G7 Summit for Paris Agricultural Show Amid Farmers Protests - Reports Sputnik International French President Emmanuel Macron will not attend Saturday's virtual G7 meeting amid farmers protests. 2024-02-24T15:16+0000 2024-02-24T15:16+0000 2024-02-24T15:16+0000 world emmanuel macron france g7 europe's farmer protests french farmers https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/07/17/1112091092_0:0:3249:1827_1920x0_80_0_0_9b327f0c181f74777ec346779b0f6844.jpg The French president decided to skip the meeting to attend the Paris International Agricultural Show, which is being held against the backdrop of farmers protests in the country, the report read. France will be represented at the G7 meeting by the country's Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne, Ansa added. Farmers in France have been protesting heavily since January, blocking highways and dumping manure and waste in front of government buildings across the country. They demand recognition of the importance of their profession and denounce the government's agricultural policies, which they say make them noncompetitive. In particular, farmers oppose the import of cheap agricultural products, restrictions on the use of water for irrigation, and the increase in diesel fuel prices, as well as restrictive measures to protect the environment and the growing financial burden. https://sputnikglobe.com/20240224/crisis-cant-be-solved-in-few-hours-macron-tells-enraged-farmers-who-stormed-agri-fair-in-paris-1116951605.html france 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 emmanuel macron, g7 meeting, french farmers protest https://sputnikglobe.com/20240224/pentagon-probing-over-50-cases-of-theft-fraud-or-corruption-linked-to-ukraine-aid-1116953199.html Pentagon Probing Over 50 Cases of 'Theft, Fraud or Corruption' Linked to Ukraine Aid Pentagon Probing Over 50 Cases of 'Theft, Fraud or Corruption' Linked to Ukraine Aid Sputnik International Criminal investigators in the US have opened over 50 cases related to Ukraine aid amid a growing chorus of concerns over insufficient oversight and potential for misuse. 2024-02-24T14:22+0000 2024-02-24T14:22+0000 2024-02-24T14:22+0000 us pentagon ukraine aid embezzlement money-laundering matt gaetz us department of defense (dod) americas https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e8/02/18/1116951959_0:160:3072:1888_1920x0_80_0_0_1725d496215a3183c4a76540f996e9b7.jpg Criminal investigators in the US have opened over 50 cases related to Ukraine aid amid a growing chorus of concerns over insufficient oversight and potential for misuse.Investigations are looking into possible procurement fraud, product substitution, theft, fraud or corruption, and diversion, according to Pentagon Inspector General Robert Storch.Most of these cases - some involving contractors - are still underway, but already stresses and gaps have been laid bare by the auditors, the inspector general told a briefing during the week, adding:According to the official, given the quantity and speed of equipment being sent to Ukraine, one may anticipate more investigations into abuse or diversions.While few details were offered, the briefing referenced audits having discovered incomplete shipment manifests bound for Ukraine via Poland. As a result, DoD personnel did not have required visibility and accountability of all types of equipment during the transfer process, the audit assessment was cited as underscoring.Another cited audit still underway purportedly deals with delivery of 155 mm artillery shells to Ukraine. Specifically, the probe is tasked with determining whether the US was able to meet its shipment goal without undermining its own defense needs.Earlier in February, US House lawmakers demanded that Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin provide them with documents related to US military aid to Ukraine. "Following an Inspector General report revealing the Department of Defense (DoD) has failed to track military weapons and articles going to Ukraine, the lawmakers are calling on DoD Secretary Lloyd Austin to provide documents and information to understand how the Department intends to mitigate the vulnerabilities of military assistance to Ukraine," the letter said. It referred to a 2023 report concluding that the Pentagon faced challenges in monitoring all of the American military equipment pouring into Ukraine.Furthermore, funds allocated by the US to support Ukraine were finding their way to the world's money-laundering capitals, a member of the US House of Representatives, Matt Gaetz, recently stated. Gaetz, one of a growing chorus of vocal opponents of aid to Ukraine in Congress, told the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) that the US should no longer provide foreign aid without cutting its own "bloated" federal budget.News of the probes comes as the Biden administration's supplemental funding request worth over $100 billion, which includes more than $60 billion for Ukraine, remains in limbo. House Republican lawmakers have refused to approve it without measures to strengthen border security and restrict immigration. After Russia launched its special military operation in Ukraine, the US and its allies ramped up their military assistance to Kiev. Moscow has repeatedly warned that NATO countries are "playing with fire" by supplying arms that the Kremlin said prolongs the conflict in Ukraine. Russias Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, for his part, underscored that any cargo with weapons for the Zelensky regime would become a legitimate target for Russian forces.Furthermore, Moscow has repeatedly warned that some of the weapons the West has sent to the corrupt Kiev regime would end up on the black market. It is estimated that 10-15% of weapons delivered to Ukraine are illegally re-exported to the Middle East, Asia-Pacific, and Africa, the director of the Center for Analysis of World Arms Trade (CAWAT), Igor Korotchenko, told Sputnik in 2023. https://sputnikglobe.com/20240207/us-house-lawmakers-demand-documents-from-austin-over-failure-to-track-ukraine-military-aid-1116643708.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20231228/ex-pentagon-analyst-honest-audit-of-us-ukraine-funding-only-possible-without-team-biden-1115860438.html ukraine americas 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 us criminal investigators opened 50 cases related to ukraine aid, military aid for ukraine, is us giving more money to ukraine, why is us giving more money to kiev, whats happening to money given to kiev, will us give more money to kiev, how much money does ukraine get, how much money us gives to ukraine, how much money eu gives to ukraine, how much money europe gives to ukraine, what weapons does ukraine receive, does us give ukraine new weapons https://sputnikglobe.com/20240224/regular-units-for-use-of-drones-created-in-russian-armed-forces-1116950728.html Regular Units for Use of Drones Created in Russian Armed Forces Regular Units for Use of Drones Created in Russian Armed Forces Sputnik International Regular units for the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have been created in the Russian Armed Forces, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement. 2024-02-24T10:38+0000 2024-02-24T10:38+0000 2024-02-24T10:38+0000 military sergei shoigu russian armed forces drones uav https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e8/02/18/1116950545_0:0:3284:1847_1920x0_80_0_0_478a7283799800d2599a430a3cfe7111.jpg Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu inspected Russia's Center group of troops in the special military operation zone, where he heard reports from the group's commander and staff officers. It said Shoigu announced that the Russian Armed Forces would receive drones controlled using artificial intelligence technologies. The ministry said the effectiveness of the use of reconnaissance-strike and reconnaissance-fire systems by Russian units has increased significantly. According to the statement, over the last two weeks of February, Russian attack drones in the Avdeyevka direction destroyed over 700 Ukrainian targets. In the last two weeks of February alone, attack drones near Avdeyevka destroyed more than 700 different enemy targets, including armored vehicles, artillery systems, radar equipment, as well as enemy manpower, the ministry said. It said Orlan-30 reconnaissance drones performed well during the liberation of Avdeyevka. The ministry said Shoigu set the task to further strengthen the Center group with electronic warfare equipment. https://sputnikglobe.com/20240212/russia-unveils-drone-neural-network-to-detect-nato-equipment-in-special-op-zone-1116737245.html 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 russia, russian armed forces, russian defense minitry, russian army, regular drone units in russian army, drones, uavs https://sputnikglobe.com/20240224/republican-border-states-derailed-bidens-migration-policy-1116944633.html Republican Border States Derailed Biden's Migration Policy Republican Border States Derailed Biden's Migration Policy Sputnik International Explore the latest episode of Fault Lines, where hosts Jamarl Thomas and Melik Abdul delve into a compelling blend of national and global news. This installment puts the spotlight on President Joe Bidens new migration policy plan. 2024-02-24T04:02+0000 2024-02-24T04:02+0000 2024-02-24T09:18+0000 fault lines us radio border immigrants taiwan china donald trump joe biden https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e8/02/17/1116944476_0:0:1920:1080_1920x0_80_0_0_f8a81248aac0b36a7205f2925741e3b3.png Republican Border States Derailed Biden's Migration Policy Sputnik International Explore the latest episode of Fault Lines, where hosts Jamarl Thomas and Melik Abdul delve into a compelling blend of national and global news. This installment puts the spotlight on President Joe Bidens new migration policy plan. During the opening hour, Fault Lines spoke to reporter Anna Ge about American lawmakers visiting Taiwan and assuring the island that they will stand by it in the face of pressure from China.During the second hour, Fault Lines welcomed U.S. Candidate for Michigan Senate and a Renowned Physician Dr. Sherry ODonnell to discuss the upcoming Michigan presidential primary. Discover the preferences of Michigan residents, particularly within its Arab community, regarding President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump.In the final hour, Fault Lines engaged in a conversation with Resident Fellow in Law and Policy for the Center for Immigration Studies Andrew Arthur concerning the potential consequences of Biden's proposed asylum regulations aimed at managing the influx of unauthorized foreign nationals.The views and opinions expressed in this program are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the position of Sputnik.We'd love to get your feedback at radio@sputniknews.comCatch us in the US at 105.5FM, 104.7FM, 102.9FM, 1390AM, 1140AM taiwan china Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2024 Jamarl Thomas https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e5/02/12/1082114086_0:0:373:374_100x100_80_0_0_c7506df4524fd8cdd4e40ad19918cd78.png Jamarl Thomas https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e5/02/12/1082114086_0:0:373:374_100x100_80_0_0_c7506df4524fd8cdd4e40ad19918cd78.png News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Jamarl Thomas https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e5/02/12/1082114086_0:0:373:374_100x100_80_0_0_c7506df4524fd8cdd4e40ad19918cd78.png us southern border crisis, joe biden migration policy, us lamakers visit tiawan https://sputnikglobe.com/20240224/russian-defense-minister-inspects-center-group-of-troops-in-military-operation-area-1116947245.html Ukrainian Troops Driven Over 10 km Back After Liberation of Avdeyevka Ukrainian Troops Driven Over 10 km Back After Liberation of Avdeyevka Sputnik International During Russia's operation to liberate Avdeyevka, Ukrainian troops were driven back from their positions by more than 10 kilometers, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement. 2024-02-24T05:05+0000 2024-02-24T05:05+0000 2024-02-24T09:52+0000 russia's special operation in ukraine sergei shoigu russia ukraine donbass https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e8/02/14/1116888221_0:170:3036:1878_1920x0_80_0_0_891f65d71f1139d33bec688ed2f6648a.jpg It said Shoigu listened to the reports by the commander of the group and staff officers.The minister also handed award weapons to commanders who distinguished themselves during combat operations.Report on Liberation of AvdeyevkaDuring Russia's operation to liberate Avdeyevka, Ukrainian troops were driven back from their positions by more than 10 kilometers (6 miles), the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement.It said Ukrainian soldiers who remained in Avdeyevka are surrendering in large numbers, with about 200 servicemen having been captured.The ministry said Shoigu noted the need for a humane attitude toward captured Ukrainian military personnel.Intensity of Ukrainian Artillery Fire PersistsDespite Kievs complaints about shell shortage, the intensity of the Ukrainian Armed Forces artillery fire has not decreased, the commander of Russia's Center group of troops, Col. Gen. Andrey Mordvichev, told Shoigu.Group commander Andrey Mordvichev reported to General of the Army Sergei Shoigu that despite the Kiev regimes whining about an acute shortage of artillery ammunition, the intensity of enemy artillery fire has not decreased, the ministry said in a statement.It said the Russian servicemen in the special military operation area face nearly the entire NATO military-industrial potential.Regular Units for the Use of UAVs CreatedRegular units for the use of unmmanned aerial vehicles have been created in the Russian Armed Forces, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement.The commander of the group, Andrey Mordvichev, reported that in accordance with the instructions of the minister of Defense of the Russian Federation, regular units for the use of unmanned aerial vehicles have been created in formations and units. They are armed with both reconnaissance and attack drones, the ministry said.Shoigu announced that the Russian Armed Forces would receive drones controlled using artificial intelligence technologies.The ministry said the effectiveness of the use of reconnaissance-strike and reconnaissance-fire systems by Russian units has increased significantly.According to the statement, over the last two weeks of February, Russian attack drones in the Avdiivka direction destroyed over 700 Ukrainian targets.In the last two weeks of February alone, attack drones in the Avdeyevka area destroyed more than 700 different enemy targets, including armored vehicles, artillery systems, radar equipment, as well as enemy manpower, the ministry said.It said Orlan-30 reconnaissance drones performed well during the liberation of Avdeyevka.The ministry said Shoigu set the task to further strengthen the Center group with electronic warfare equipment. russia ukraine donbass 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 avdeyevka, avdeyevka liberation, russian defense minister shoigu, shoigu inspects troops in special military operation zone https://sputnikglobe.com/20240224/scientists-stumble-upon-bounty-of-underwater-mountains-never-before-seen-species-1116949433.html Scientists Stumble Upon Bounty of Underwater Mountains, 'Never Before Seen' Species Scientists Stumble Upon Bounty of Underwater Mountains, 'Never Before Seen' Species Sputnik International Lurking in the remotest parts of the world's oceans are rarely-seen rock formations and troves of unexplored biodiversity, suggesting that new species and life forms are yet to be named. 2024-02-24T14:40+0000 2024-02-24T14:40+0000 2024-02-24T14:40+0000 beyond politics earth society newsfeed science & tech ocean ecosystem https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/106414/84/1064148413_0:100:1921:1180_1920x0_80_0_0_b8aa62752de4680a173594fbb87f1f60.jpg The Schmidt Ocean Institute scientists have found a vast underwater mountain accommodating over 100 strange and extraordinary creatures while exploring the waters off the Chilean coast."We far exceeded our hopes on this expedition," said research team leader Dr Javier Sellanes. "You always expect to find new species in these remote and poorly explored areas, but the amount we found, especially for some groups like sponges, is mind-blowing."The seamount with the highest peak was unofficially named Solito (Lonely) by the experts, standing at 3,530 meters four times taller than Dubais Burj Khalifa scyscraper.The aquatic robot's footage revealed an array of creatures like rare whiplash squid, brilliant red fish, spiraling coral formations, Oblong Dermechinus sea urchins, squat lobsters, sea spiders, web-like sponges and spiky urchins."Full species identification can take many years," Dr Jyotika Virmani, executive director of the Schmidt Ocean Institute told media. "Dr Sellanas and his team have an incredible number of samples from this amazingly beautiful and little-known biodiversity hotspot.He said the institute had partnered with the Nippon Foundation Nekton Ocean Census Program, which has set a target of finding 100,000 new marine species in the next 10 years."Once identified, these new species will be a part of that," Virmani said. https://sputnikglobe.com/20230418/scientists-discover-coral-reef-in-unmapped-galapagos-islands-territory-1109609656.html earth 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 underwater mountain exploration chilean coast, nippon foundation nekton ocean census program partnership, seamount clusters discovery, aquatic robot footage marine biodiversity, marine biodiversity, coral formations, rare marine species. https://sputnikglobe.com/20240224/talks-with-us-on-space-weapons-completely-unproductive---moscow-1116950245.html Talks With US on Space Weapons 'Completely Unproductive' - Moscow Talks With US on Space Weapons 'Completely Unproductive' - Moscow Sputnik International The recent contact between Russia and the US over claims Moscow alleged plans to deploy anti-satellite nuclear weapons in space turned out to be unproductive, Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation Sergey Ryabkov said. 2024-02-24T10:45+0000 2024-02-24T10:45+0000 2024-02-24T10:45+0000 sergey ryabkov russia us 1967 outer space treaty space weapons nuclear weapons military https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/105275/13/1052751325_0:40:1292:767_1920x0_80_0_0_4de1cdc53269f50ab873c683a31a795f.jpg The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, citing US officials, that Washington had privately warned Moscow not to deploy a new nuclear-armed anti-satellite weapon which would allegedly violate the Outer Space Treaty and threaten US national security interests. "As it has been continuously said recently, and as [Russian] President [Vladimir Putin] said, we have no such intentions," Ryabkov added. "The Americans pursue the goal of demonizing Russia by making accusations of this kind. Therefore, the contact on this issue is completely unproductive."The deputy minister stressed that Russia had no intention of withdrawing from the 1967 Outer Space Treaty that bans the deployment of nuclear weapons or weapons of mass destruction in space. "No, we do not consider [the possibility of withdrawal from the treaty]," Ryabkov said. He also called it unacceptable that the US side had leaked details of the talks held between US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and Russian Presidential Foreign Policy Advisor Yury Ushakov, which Moscow and Washington agreed to keep confidential. Russia has repeatedly warned against an arms race in space, and advocated for its use for purely peaceful purposes. President Vladimir Putin reiterated on February 20 that Moscow has always opposed the deployment of nuclear weapons in space.The Russian Foreign Ministry has noted that that the United States and its allies are taking steps to place weapons in space and use outer space for combat operations, not only for defensive purposes.The West continues to regard space as a new arena of rivalry and conflicts between countries, in which Russia and China are identified as the main opponents, the ministry said.The US created its first foreign space force under its command in the Indo-Pacific region in 2022, following the establishment of the space force in 2019 under pretext of threats from Russia and China. According to estimates, the United States has 4,723 satellites in orbit, while China has 647, Russia has 199, and the rest of the world has 1,527 combined. https://sputnikglobe.com/20240220/russia-always-against-deployment-of-nuclear-weapons-in-space---putin-1116893379.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20240215/us-militarizes-space-while-using-russia-threat-as-smokescreen-1116805840.html 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 russia-us relations, space militarization, space weapons, 1967 outer space convention, weapons in space, nuclear weapon in space, does russia really plan to put nukes in space, sergei ryabkov, sergey ryabkov https://sputnikglobe.com/20240224/transnistria-may-face-conflict-escalation-risk-amid-negotiation-process-stagnation-1116949248.html Transnistria May Face Conflict Escalation Risk Amid Negotiation Process Stagnation Transnistria May Face Conflict Escalation Risk Amid Negotiation Process Stagnation Sputnik International There is a risk of conflict escalation in Moldova's unrecognized breakaway region of Transnistria due to the stagnation of the negotiation process, the region's head, Vadim Krasnoselsky, told Sputnik. 2024-02-24T08:15+0000 2024-02-24T08:15+0000 2024-02-24T08:26+0000 world transnistria moldova russia osce european union (eu) vadim krasnoselsky ukraine escalation https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/105372/86/1053728681_0:254:4928:3026_1920x0_80_0_0_f51b3b20b3a127079e3a427a17d6ca33.jpg "Against the backdrop of the negotiation process stagnation, including the politically motivated blocking of the 5+2 format, there is a risk of a conflict escalation. The peacekeeping mechanism effectively fulfills its mission in this sense, and at least ensures the manageability of the situation in the security zone, on the line of direct demarcation. This is the key factor," Krasnoselsky said. The 5+2 format of talks between Moldova and Transnistria, an unrecognized state, includes Russia, Ukraine and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) as mediators, with the United States and the European Union serving as observers. There is currently an international peacekeeping force in the region, composed of Russian, Moldovan and Transnistrian troops. Ukraine withdrew its peacekeepers after the start of the Russian special military operation in February 2022.Krasnoselsky also said that Transnistria has appealed to the OSCE against the training of sabotage groups in Moldova but there has been no appropriate response so far.The Transnistrian Ministry of State Security reported earlier that foreign specialists were training combat groups in Moldova, including Ukrainians, to carry out terrorist acts and sabotage of military facilities in the PMR. Transnistrias Ministry of State Security reported the prevention of a terrorist attack on March 9 last year in Tiraspol allegedly planned against PMR officials at the behest of the Ukrainian Security Service. In May 2022, a series of terrorist attacks took place in Transnistria, including attacks on the buildings of the Ministry of State Security, a military unit, a radio and television center, and a military recruitment office. https://sputnikglobe.com/20230309/assassination-attempt-on-transnistrias-leader-foiled-1108206644.html transnistria moldova russia 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 transnistria, moldova's unrecognized breakaway region of transnistria, transnistria head vadim krasnoselsky https://sputnikglobe.com/20240224/ukrainian-forces-out-of-ammo-weapons---ukraines-foreign-minister-kuleba-says-1116957578.html Ukrainian Forces out of Ammo, Weapons - Ukraine's Foreign Minister Kuleba Says Ukrainian Forces out of Ammo, Weapons - Ukraine's Foreign Minister Kuleba Says Sputnik International Ukrainian troops are suffering from a major shortage of artillery ammunition and other weapons, the country's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said in an interview with CNN. 2024-02-24T21:03+0000 2024-02-24T21:03+0000 2024-02-24T21:03+0000 ukraine crisis russia's special operation in ukraine ukrainian crisis ukraine dmytro kuleba nato russia ammunition weapons us arms for ukraine https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e8/02/18/1116957421_0:104:2000:1229_1920x0_80_0_0_ea2baa0a0a9be62651ea82956412b331.jpg "We are suffering from a severe shortage of artillery shells and other types of weapons," Kuleba said. He added that Ukrainian troops are under pressure from superior Russian forces. The White House had previously warned that the funds at its disposal to support Ukraine are exhausted, and there will be no new supplies of weapons and ammunition until the US Congress approves additional funding. Last April, Russia sent a note of protest to NATO on account of its weapons deliveries to Ukraine. Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov said that any such deliveries would be a legitimate target for the Russian military and that NATO is "playing with fire". https://sputnikglobe.com/20240222/why-us-fails-to-plan-sustainment-for-arms-in-ukraine-1116923459.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 dmytro kuleba, ukraine loses, russia wins, russian forces, ukrainian forces, ukrainian crisis, ukrainian war, us arms for ukraine, us assistance to ukraine, aid allocations for ukraine, ukraine aid, money for ukraine, us for ukraine, us weapons for ukraine, us aid to ukraine, us funding for ukraine, us funding to ukraine https://sputnikglobe.com/20240224/ukrainian-troops-forced-to-withdraw-from-lastochkino-west-of-avdeyevka-1116954658.html Ukrainian Troops Forced to Withdraw From Lastochkino West of Avdeyevka: Reports Ukrainian Troops Forced to Withdraw From Lastochkino West of Avdeyevka: Reports Sputnik International The Russian military pushed Ukrainian forces out of the Donbass city of Avdeyevka last week, driving them as much as 10 km+ back from the strategic Donetsk... 24.02.2024, Sputnik International 2024-02-24T15:14+0000 2024-02-24T15:14+0000 2024-02-24T15:49+0000 donetsk people's republic russia's special operation in ukraine avdeyevka donetsk ukraine ukrainian armed forces nato https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e8/02/18/1116954498_0:161:3071:1888_1920x0_80_0_0_c569947ccac3e9a5361784291b083840.jpg Ukrainian forces have reportedly evacuated the settlement of Lastochkino west of Avdeyevka under threat of encirclement by Russian troops.Earlier in the day, Russian military correspondents on the ground reported that the Donetsk village had fallen to units of the 41st Guards Combined Arms Army, contradicting assurances by Ukraine's General Staff that attacks in the Lastochkino and Severny areas had been repelled. Lastochkino is situated some 3 km directly west of northern Avdeyevka, or about 4.5 km northwest of the city center, and about 12 km northwest of the city of Donetsk.Avdeyevka is the latest major settlement to be freed in the grinding Russian advance in the Donbass, where Ukrainian forces had spent close to a decade creating an 'uncrackable' fortified defensive line with US and NATO assistance. In the past two months, Russian forces also advanced into Maryinka and Veseloye to Donetsk's west and north, respectively.The Russian offensive through the Donbass is widely expected to take some of the pressure off the 600,000+ civilian residents of Donetsk, who have faced nearly two years of virtually non-stop heavy shelling by Ukrainian forces (and more sporadic artillery attacks through the eight years before that). https://sputnikglobe.com/20240222/watch-chinese-military-blogger-report-from-avdeyevka-1116919141.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20240224/growing-rift-over-further-arming-ukraine-jeopardizes-eu-unity---report-1116947073.html avdeyevka donetsk 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 donetsk people's republic, avdeyevka, donetsk, ukraine, ukrainian armed forces, nato https://sputnikglobe.com/20240224/us-army-veteran-pentagons-probe-into-ukraine-aid-unlikely-to-hold-culprits-accountable-1116955612.html US Army Veteran: Pentagon's Probe Into Ukraine Aid Unlikely to Hold Culprits Accountable US Army Veteran: Pentagon's Probe Into Ukraine Aid Unlikely to Hold Culprits Accountable Sputnik International Pentagon Inspector-General General Robert Storch announced on February 23 that US criminal investigators have opened over 50 cases related to Ukraine aid. How could the probe pan out? 2024-02-24T17:51+0000 2024-02-24T17:51+0000 2024-02-24T17:51+0000 pentagon world military & intelligence opinion earl rasmussen ukraine kiev us army congress https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/04/17/1109779241_0:0:3073:1728_1920x0_80_0_0_7dd3b13fccf72222ef1053bec2d7cf6d.jpg The Pentagon has signaled that it wants to probe the alleged "procurement fraud, product substitution, theft, fraud or corruption, and diversion" connected to military aid to the Kiev regime."They'll do things behind the doors. And I'll be surprised if they actually come up with some firm, provable allegations to support this. Some of the information will be classified," the US military veteran continued. "I see this just as a media thing and the Defense Department trying to show that they are doing something, but I really question even if they come up with some specific findings and individuals or organizations, I don't think anything much is going to happen to it."Concerns about the Department of Defense's inability to track military aid to Ukraine began to emerge as early as in April 2022, when US officials and Pentagon sources, quoted by CNN, said that the US has "few ways" to track weaponry it has sent across the border into Ukraine. They raised fears that US arms could end up in the wrong hands. Earlier, the US-funded 2021 Global Organized Crime Index called Ukraine one of the largest arms-trafficking markets in Europe.Congress Republicans have repeatedly raised alarm over the lack of oversight of US military aid to Ukraine. In February, House representatives requested documents related to America's assistance to Kiev from Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. Congressmen demanded to know "how the Department intends to mitigate the vulnerabilities of military assistance to Ukraine."When asked how the inspector-general's investigations could affect the prospects of President Joe Biden's $60-billion Ukraine aid request getting through the House of Representatives, the retired lieutenant colonel argued that the probe would not stop Congress approving at least some of the latest arms package for the Kiev regime."I still don't believe they'll end up being $60 billion, maybe $30 billion or $40 billion, but they will. They're just politically too deep into this, and no one wants to look for a way out prior to the election," he said.At the same time, he did not rule out US and European conservatives visibly growing skeptical of Washington's and Brussels' attempts to pour billions into Ukraine despite repeated military failures scrutinising the spending. Republicans could capitalize on the issue prior to the November elections. https://sputnikglobe.com/20230820/part-of-us-equipment-supplied-to-ukraine-ends-up-on-black-market---former-pentagon-adviser-1112734487.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20221128/no-blank-check-gop-lawmakers-demand-more-oversight--accountability-over-ukraine-aid-1104770347.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20240224/pentagon-probing-over-50-cases-of-theft-fraud-or-corruption-linked-to-ukraine-aid-1116953199.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20240216/tucker-carlson-believes-ukraine-will-never-repay-60bln-to-us-if-aid-provided-in-loan-1116814343.html ukraine kiev Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2024 Ekaterina Blinova Ekaterina Blinova News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Ekaterina Blinova us aid to ukraine, pentagon's probe into military aid to ukraine, pentagon ig announced probe into ukraine aid, lack of oversight of aid to ukraine, zelensky corruption, kiev regime's corruption, ukraine's weapons smuggling, us weapons end up in black markets https://sputnikglobe.com/20240224/us-senator-says-lack-of-ukraine-peace-efforts-all-about-the-money-1116946369.html US Senator Says Lack of Ukraine Peace Efforts All About the Money US Senator Says Lack of Ukraine Peace Efforts All About the Money Sputnik International The Biden administrations lack of effort to negotiate a peaceful settlement of the conflict in Ukraine is rooted in financial interests, US Senator JD Vance said. 2024-02-24T02:55+0000 2024-02-24T02:55+0000 2024-02-24T02:55+0000 world us ukraine jonathan vance joe biden us arms for ukraine ukrainian conflict https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/09/1a/1113673241_0:160:3072:1888_1920x0_80_0_0_a7733d0fd785e3db1b60558eb008742c.jpg I hate to say it, but I think its all about the money, Vance said on Friday, when asked about the lack of diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflict in Ukraine. Lots of money and resources being sent to Ukraine are getting skimmed off the top, Vance said.Ukraine could have brokered a peace in the early days of the conflict, but the United States and the United Kingdom derailed the effort, Vance said. Ukraine still has a chance at peace if the whackos and the idiots are removed from the White House, Vance said. https://sputnikglobe.com/20230921/us-uses-ukraine-to-test-military-solutions-for-future-use-expert-says-1113561952.html 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 us senator jd vance, why us help ukraine, us arms for ukraine, why us supply ukraine with arms, us military complex, us peace initiative plan on ukraine, us foreign policy in ukraine Last week Governor Pillen agreed to accept additional funding from the federal governments EBT/ food stamp program, increasing amounts to families with children who would not be receiving free or reduced-price school lunches over the summer. Summer EBT would give those low-income families with school-aged children an EBT card with $40 per month for three months per child to spend on groceries during the summer. This will provide about $18 million in additional grocery benefits for Nebraskans, serving 80,000 households in our state. In Box Butte County, 944 students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch in our schools. Their additional benefits will be worth $113,280, to be spent in our local grocery stores to feed our hungry children over the summer months! Governor Pillen had initially refused the federal funds. However, several senators encouraged him to reverse his position. Senator Jen Day introduced legislation that would require the state to opt into the program. When the bill had a public hearing, seventeen people testified in support, 153 people submitted written comments, even high school students lobbied the governor. No one testified or wrote comments in opposition to the bill. One of the major factors considered by Governor Pillen was Senator Ray Aguilars contention that Rural kids dont have the networks of support that are available to some other areas of the state. The governor had initially refused the aid because of Nebraskas participation in the USDA Summer Food Service Program, which provides meals at some summer school programs and camps, primarily in the Omaha and Lincoln areas. Even though the state missed the January 1 deadline to opt into the program, Governor Pillen said that USDA officials were excited about Nebraskas decision to join. Nebraskas Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) will be rolling out additional outreach efforts to reach families who participate in the program. This will include nutritional information and food recommendations, as well as summer activity programs. They are currently working on a web page with details about the program. Steve Corsi, DHHS director, said that every family that receives Summer EBT will be contacted by DHHS staff to assess their needs and connect them to additional resources they might qualify for. Families with school-age children whose annual income is less than 185% of the federal poverty level are eligible for the Summer EBT program. The income amount varies based on the size of the household, and charts are available online. Be sure to apply if your household qualified for free or reduced lunch, SNAP, ADC, Medicaid, or if you are foster parents. Young adults will have a low-pressure place to gather when the Bare Minimum Book Club launches at the Lied Scottsbluff Public Library in March. An online only book club of the same name was previously hosted by the library, but staff clarified that this iteration will be conducted in person. As the name indicates, the book club is designed to require minimal effort from participants while still offering them a place to gather and socialize over a good read. Library assistant Ethan Nelson said that the club is being offered in addition to the existing Novel Idea Book Club in order to serve a different demographic of readers, specifically young adults aged 18 and above. Its for adults of all ages, but its targeted at the age range of young professionals, parents and college students who might not be able to come to a book club during the day, Nelson said. Its after the library closes, so we can have the library all to ourselves and hang out in the fireplace room. The first book that will be tackled by the Bare Minimum Book Club is the fast-paced and witty mystery, Finlay Donovan is Killing It by Elle Cosimano. Examples of books that might be featured in future months included sci-fi novel, A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers and cozy fantasy novel, Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree. Were keeping it kind of light and fun. Were not doing anything super heavy, Nelson said. Its something that people with a busy schedule can fit in and discuss their love of reading with other people. The Bare Minimum Book Club will be held on the first Thursday of every month at 7 p.m. A kick-off party will be held on Thursday, March 7 from 5 to 8 p.m. offering a chance to pick up a copy of the book and get in touch with one another. Nelson said that he will also be interested in hearing what types of books participants are interested in exploring together. This is something new that were starting, and were really open to different book suggestions, he said. Books are provided by the library, so involvement in the book club is free. Nelson also described participation as laid back and stress free. You dont have to prepare questions in advance. Theres no homework or discussion questions you have to think of. All you have to do is check out and read the book and come have a relaxed conversation, he said. For another option, the librarys Novel Idea Book Club meets on the third Wednesday of every month at 1:30 p.m. The clubs March selection is Winterland by Rae Meadows, a historical fiction novel that tells the story of a young gymnast in 1970s Soviet Russia. Younger readers also have the opportunity to join a book club at the Lied Scottsbluff Public Library following the launch of Book Club Apocalypse for students in grades 3 through 5. Those kids will be reading Flora & Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo in the month of March. Its about a girl and a squirrel with superpowers, said youth services librarian Elaine Bleisch. Its a really fun book, and we have a few copies of it left. Book Club Apocalypse will meet on the fourth Wednesday of every month at 4 p.m. Meetings will also include activities. Bleisch said that some months will feature free reading rather than an assigned group read to allow kids to explore the books they personally enjoy. A full calendar of events can be picked up at the library or viewed online at scottsbluff.org/departments/library. Senior CPC official urges firm efforts to advance national reunification Xinhua) 10:43, February 24, 2024 Wang Huning, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, speaks at a meeting on Taiwan affairs in Beijing, capital of China. The meeting was held in Beijing on Thursday and Friday. (Xinhua/Yan Yan) BEIJING, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- Wang Huning, a senior official of the Communist Party of China (CPC), has urged firm efforts to advance the cause of national reunification. Wang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, made the remarks at a meeting on Taiwan affairs held in Beijing on Thursday and Friday. Wang stressed resolutely implementing the Party's overall policy for resolving the Taiwan question in the new era and the decisions and plans made by the CPC Central Committee on work related to Taiwan. Wang said progress was made in cross-strait relations last year, which also saw the consolidation and expansion of the commitment to the one-China principle within the international community. He called for strengthening the strategic initiative for China's complete reunification. This year marks the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China and is a crucial year for achieving the goals and tasks set out in the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025), Wang said, calling for efforts to carry out Taiwan-related work with a strong sense of responsibility and mission. Stressing the importance of upholding of the one-China principle and the 1992 Consensus, he called for advancing the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations with efforts to expand cross-Strait exchanges and cooperation in various areas, deepen the integrated development on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, and jointly promote Chinese culture to forge closer bonds between compatriots across the Strait. Wang also asked for strong hands against "Taiwan independence" separatist forces and the interference by external forces to safeguard peace and stability in the Strait, while stressing upholding and strengthening the Party's overall leadership over work related to Taiwan. Wang Yi, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee, presided over the meeting. (Web editor: Xue Yanyan, Hongyu) Next weeks final rounds of public hearings on 2024 Unicameral bills include measures to eliminate a variety of state boards and commissions and have the Legislature meet only in odd-numbered years. All hearings begin at 1:30 p.m. CT (12:30 p.m. MT) on their scheduled days in Lincolns State Capitol. To watch them online, click on the Nebraska Public Media logo on the Legislatures main webpage at nebraskalegislature.gov. Executive Board members will hear Legislative Resolution 281CA, a proposed constitutional amendment by Sen. Steve Erdman of Bayard, Wednesday in the Capitols Room 2102. If approved by the Legislature and then adopted by Nebraska voters this fall, senators would hold a single 90-day regular session in odd-numbered years starting in January 2027. Unicameral lawmakers met in odd-numbered years from the one-house Legislatures 1937 activation through 1971. Voters in 1970 agreed to have them meet annually for 90-day sessions in odd-numbered years and 60-day sessions in even-numbered ones. Previous biennial sessions would last through most of the summer. Long annual sessions typically adjourn in late May or June. This years 2024 short session is set to adjourn April 18. LR 281CA says its biennial sessions couldnt exceed 90 legislative days unless four-fifths of the Unicamerals 49 senators vote to extend them. The Government, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee will meet Thursday in Room 1507 for a hearing on LB 1417, a 101-page bill that would streamline a lengthy list of boards, commissions and committees the Legislature has established over the years. Gordon Sen. Tom Brewer, the panels chairman, introduced the bill at the request of Gov. Jim Pillen. It would sunset the existence of many of its listed state panels on July 1, 2025, with other boards or state agencies taking over some of their duties. Among LB 1417s targets for elimination or merger are the Foster Care Advisory Committee, the Rural Broadband Task Force, the Enhanced Wireless 911 Advisory Board, the State Board of Examiners for Land Surveyors, the Nebraska Capitol Commission and the Nebraska Hall of Fame Committee. Two other bills by western Nebraska senators will be heard Tuesday in Room 1507 by the Banking, Commerce and Insurance Committee. They are: LB 1110, by North Platte Sen. Mike Jacobson, which would require dental insurance carriers to spend a minimum amount of their annual premiums on dental services. Excess premiums would be returned to the insured if the minimum isnt met, Jacobson said in the bills statement of intent. LB 984, by Sen. Brian Hardin of Gering, which would prohibit drug manufacturers and wholesalers from hindering or blocking the sale of discounted drugs to hospitals that serve uninsured and low-income patients. Section 340B of the federal Public Health Service Act governs such sales by pharmaceutical manufacturers that take part in Medicaid. Seven Republicans, including three incumbents, are seeking seats on the Iredell Board of Commissioners and will be on the March 5 primary ballot. The candidates in the upcoming primary talked about issues facing the county and why they are running or seeking re-election. Incumbent Scottie Brown did not supply answers for this questionnaire. Richard Coleman Education: High school and Valencia Community College Employment, government experience: Owner of Dynamic Landscape Services Family, civic associations: Married 16 years to my beautiful wife Jessica Coleman and we have three children. Spent 15 years working in NASCAR as a road mechanic, tire specialist and as an over the wall tire carrier. Started our small business in 2009 and still currently running it today. Im not a politician just an average guy looking to serve my community. Why are you running for office? Im running to serve the people of Iredell County, get rid of transactional politics, and just do the right thing for the right reason for the people of Iredell County. Whether policy, experience or anything else, what makes you different from your opponent(s) in this race? The time and work that has been put into this campaign is what makes me the most prepared candidate for the job. Since deciding to run in 2020, I have attended every commissioners meeting in person. For four years now I have attended every budget workshop in person, that established the county budget and spending plan each year. I have also attended numerous community outreach and organization group meetings to have a quality grasp on the concerns of the people. In the house of the wise is the multitude of counsel, so I have sought out the counsel of both past & present elected officials for better understanding of the job and how to be effective in it. I currently serve on the Board of Health & the Parks & Recreation Advisory Board. Having attended and audited all the other advisory boards in the county that advise the commissioners gives me a better understanding of how information flows to the board of commissioners. In 2022-2023 I served on the steering committee for the 2045 horizon plan that establishes future zoning allocations for the county. We helped take the concerns of the people as it relates to growth and actually helped make some changes to help with the ongoing issue. Preparation & understanding is the key to performing in any arena. Having been constantly engaged in the county business and being a student of the county commission is what makes me the best choice on March 5th. What do you believe is the biggest issue voters care about in this race? Property taxes, schools, and infrastructure issues ranging from water & sewer needs to the traffic issues we are experiencing due to the explosive growth we have been experiencing over the last two to three years. It would be a constant mission of mine to evaluate capital expenses, staffing demands, school funding, & other needs so that we can meet future obligations, minimize operational costs, & reduce the budget in hopes of relieving the tax burden to the citizens along with addressing all the other needs within the county. H. William Compton Jr. Education: Mitchell Community College. AA., University of North Carolina Charlotte. BA. Employment, government experience: Retired educator/volunteer. Candidate Iredell County Commission. Family, civic associations: Born and raised in Iredell County. Why are you running for office? Transparency for all citizens; lower reevaluation property, cap it; infrastructure before development; preserve agriculture land and parks; education, 3D printers, robotics, CPR; Sheriff: increase K-9, buy observation deck, build indoor, 10-lane firing range, 100 yards for training. Whether policy, experience or anything else, what makes you different from your opponent(s) in this race? The difference is I have helped manage a 1,400-acre non-profit education farm. I have taught in Charlotte Meck at a Title I School. I have managed million dollar businesses and had to audit, train, hire and fire people. I ushered for years at church. I have volunteered with food hubs, homeless, Habitat for Humanity and even the Olympics. What do you believe is the biggest issue voters care about in this race? Lower property tax and the need for reevaluation to be fair; education funding for new schools; transparency, no closed meetings; local security and healthcare. Please vote March 5 or before. Gene Houpe Education: Bachelors degree in criminology from Florida State University, Graduate of Statesville High School Employment, government experience: Small business owner, Retired law enforcement officer; Currently serving in fourth term as a county commissioner, seeking a fifth term Family, civic associations: Married with 5 children. As a commissioner, I serve on several task forces. I also serve on numerous boards and committees. One of those is the Airport Commission, alongside Steve Johnson from the City Council. I am also elected as the District 12 Director for the NC Association of County Commissioners, representing Iredell plus 7 other counties. Why are you running for office? I am running for re-election to continue providing experience, leadership and stability on the Board of Commissioners. We have one of the top counties in the state of NC in most categories, especially economic development. I want to continue making Iredell County one of the premier counties for people to live, work, and raise our families. Whether policy, experience or anything else, what makes you different from your opponent(s) in this race? I have a unique background as a small business owner and a retired law enforcement officer. This experience allows me to keep the citizens in mind when making decisions and understand the needs of our emergency service personnel. I have the most experience of any board member. I have gained invaluable knowledge and insight of all the departments we support, the policies we have, how the budget works, and what is needed to move forward. I am also proud of my accessibility as a commissioner. I am always a phone call away to speak with citizens about their questions, concerns, and needs. What do you believe is the biggest issue voters care about in this race? The biggest issue on everyones mind is the economy and the safety and security of our nation. Brad Howard Education: UNC Charlotte Belk College of Business Employment, government experience: I started my career in manufacturing operations for paper products in Mooresville, where I gained a deep appreciation for the intricacies of the industry and the hard work behind it. It was in this pursuit that I learned the importance of connecting with people from all walks of life. I have touched on various industries such as marketing, food service, events and hospitality, health and wellness and real estate, but my passion lies in being an entrepreneur and bringing new business ideas to life. Every business endeavor is unique and each has a different approach and goal, but I always strive to make a positive impact in my community. Family, civic associations: I am an Iredell County native and having lived in Iredell most of my life, Ive seen the many changes over the past 47 years. I grew up in Mooresville. Amidst my professional achievements, I remain grounded in the values that matter most my family. My wife and I are blessed with three children: Asher, Beckett, and Lachlyn. I understand the importance of creating a safe, prosperous, and inclusive community where all families can thrive. My perspective on the issues facing Iredell County is shaped by my deep-rooted connection to my own family, and I am to create a prosperous community for generations to come. My contributions extend far beyond my business endeavors. I played a pivotal role in the creation of the Lake Norman Managed Growth Alliance, a platform that aims to seek innovative community-focused solutions. I have also served on the board of the Mooresville-South Iredell Chamber of Commerce, as President of the Lake Norman Home Builders Association, on the Iredell County Tax Board and the Iredell County Republican Party Executive Board, and many additional oversight boards. I have gained a reputation as an honest businessman who genuinely cares about the concerns of the community. Why are you running for office? As a business leader, I am eager to apply my skills and expertise to ensure Iredell County prospers for generations to come. I stand for fiscally responsible, accessible, transparent, and accountable representation. Residents of Iredell County can Expect More from me as I am committed to making an impact for the people. Whether policy, experience or anything else, what makes you different from your opponent(s) in this race? My campaign priorities include fiscal conservatism and transparent tax policies, preserving, protecting and growing our agricultural heritage, education choice for all families, enhancing the countys infrastructure to support the growing needs as our population increases, supporting the crucial role of law enforcement spanning fire departments and first responders to ensure a safe and secure community, advocating for property rights, creating new employment opportunities to foster a thriving job market, and focusing on a balanced and sustainable economy. I am ready to lead Iredell County as Commissioner with my proven experience in business, dedication to the community, and my willingness to roll up my sleeves to figure out a solution that benefits our residents. What do you believe is the biggest issue voters care about in this race? I grew up in Mooresville nearly 50 years ago and have witnessed the transformation of Iredell County. Proper, long-range land planning and directed paths for infrastructure are key to successful development. One must make these decisions looking 10, 20, and 30 years into the future at the impact they will have on our children and grandchildren. In my opinion, the most pressing issues voters care about in this race are the school infrastructure and public safety. The State of North Carolina General Assembly requires the county to build school facilities. We must have open, honest dialogues regarding how to properly plan for schools, public safety, and infrastructure. There are a variety of funding opportunities that will be explored. I will be transparent as I explore those options. Angela Wokatsch Matthews Education: Bachelor of Arts degree in accounting Employment, government experience: CPA Family, civic associations: Attend NUMA Church, Yokefellow Ministries, Foundation of Hope Ministries, Pregnancy Resource Center, Past Treasurer of Boys & Girls Club, Past volunteer of the Miss Statesville Pageant Why are you running for office? I have decided to run for Iredell County commissioner because of a genuine desire to build a better future for my county. I am a lifelong resident of Iredell County. My children & granddaughter live here and I believe in making a difference. I want to provide a voice to constituents. Members of the community oftentimes have concerns that they feel go unnoticed. I believe in working together with residents, listening to their frustrations, and finding a way to make things better for everyone. I intend to use the skills that have made me successful in business to operate the government. I am educated & experienced in governmental and nonprofit accounting with nearly 3 decades of hands-on involvement. I obtained a BA in accounting from Catawba College in Salisbury, NC, and currently operate my accounting firm in downtown Statesville. It has been my goal to operate efficiently and effectively. I will take those same principles with me to run the local government. It is important that this board continues to address the problems facing the county. My priorities will be lowering taxes to help fixed-income folks, exploring alternative revenue sources as opposed to tax increases, managing growth while paying close attention to annexation and developers, and promoting a healthy balance of commercial and residential growth to help alleviate the tax burden that could potentially be placed on our residents. Whether policy, experience or anything else, what makes you different from your opponent(s) in this race? An effective leader is one who possesses integrity and a clear vision. I can say truly say that I only want what is best for our county. I come to the table with solutions to the problems that our county is facing. And I want you to think about whether you have heard viable solutions lately anywhere in our country. Solutions that will provide revenue to fund the services that our county must provide to our residents. Solutions that work and are being used by other counties all across this country. As a small business owner I was successful because I worked hard, did my research and always looked for ways to make things better. My background in tax and finance has given me an insight into what strategies work and how our unique variables play into the overall economic picture of our county. Now, I would like to take those same skills to this board. If we stop and think about it, the county is a $323 million dollar business. It needs to operate efficiently and conservatively just like any other business. Prioritizing between the wants and the needs of the community. We all have to follow these same principles at times in our own homes. When money is tight, we have to cut out some of the extras that we would like to have. This same principle applies to government. On March 5, you will have a choice as to who your next three county commissioners will be. This choice is as important as who we choose for our next president. I promise to each of you that once elected I will advocate for each of you equally. That each person living here has a better quality of life. What do you believe is the biggest issue voters care about in this race? Speaking with many voters this election cycle, it seems there are two issues they are concerned with: that their property tax increased and the abundance of residential growth. The board will have some heavy challenges coming soon and we need our most educated and experienced making those decisions. Melissa Neader Education: Graduated from South Iredell High School, earned an associates degree in business from Mitchell Community College Employment, government experience: Current Iredell County commissioner. Retired with husband, Mike, after over 30 years as McDonalds franchisees of all McDonalds in Iredell County Family, civic associations: Mother of 3 grown children, all living, working and volunteering in Iredell County. I have faith-filled values of honesty, hard work and caring for others. I am heavily engaged in our community volunteering. I have spent time working with youth at church, volunteering in schools, attending meetings and supporting veterans, plus many other non-profits. I host a local radio show at WAME 92.9fm focused on people making an impact in our community and ways others can get involved, Motivational Monday with Melissa. I am on multiple boards, such as, Child Fatality Prevention Team, Economic Development Corporation, Department of Social Services, Iredell County Partnership for Young Children. Why are you running for office? As current chair of the Iredell County Board of Commissioners, I am directly involved, have knowledge of current issues, past issues and I am ready to continue to plan for our future while listening to citizens concerns and ideas. I was lead to this role with a genuine desire to serve our community. I am proud and thankful to be doing that now with energy filled commitment and hard work. This is my lifelong home where I am dedicated to protecting the health, safety and welfare of our citizens. Its about the people, not the politicians! Whether policy, experience or anything else, what makes you different from your opponent(s) in this race? My positive attitude, enthusiasm and willingness I show up and participate and get work done. I listen to and talk with citizens, spend time at County departments, visit Fire Departments, EMS ride-alongs, speak with our Sheriffs office team, volunteer in schools, active on boards, collaborate and gather information to work with county staff, provide input and feedback. I am strongly driven to serve my community. I have proven that with years of involvement in church, schools and nonprofits plus the past three years as an elected county commissioner and I will continue to do so. I am retired from over 30 years with my husband, Mike, as McDonalds franchisee. My years working with the public allowed me the opportunity to hear day to day challenges and struggles of citizens, build priceless relations and connections that have proven invaluable as I continue to navigate situations within the county and beyond. I spend my days actively engaged in a variety of ways that empower me to continue to move forward in the seat as commissioner. I am thankful to have the opportunity to serve my county in this elected capacity. A commitment that is an honor and rewarding yet one of the most difficult roles in which I have served, faced with decisions surrounded by facts, opinions, past history, future goals and lasting impacts on citizens. It is critically important to gather facts fully, vet each decision, weigh all options that are available within the legal allowable parameters and discuss with key stakeholders. Commissioners are faced with tough immediate decisions, yet are necessary for long term planning that continue to move our county forward. I understand the value of teamwork and possess the traits necessary to work as a team with the other commissioners, staff and residents. I take this role very seriously and am dedicated and ready to continue to serve you, the citizens of Iredell County. What do you believe is the biggest issue voters care about in this race? Growth The county is always planning for multiple years in advance. Iredell County sets aside dollars over years to save for capital projects. The county does not operate road systems or operate water and sewer systems. The county is responsible for schools and park facilities. The county does not borrow money for capital projects, except for schools. However, in the current budget, we made an unprecedented decision and began to set aside money, $10 million a year for an Iredell-Statesville elementary school. The goal is to save money and not borrow the money for the upcoming elementary school. In addition to school projects and capital projects, the increase and demand for services from the 26 county departments is growing with influx of new homes and residents. Services such as EMS paramedics, tele-communicators, sheriffs deputies, social workers, just to name a few. Iredell County operating expenses, not including capital or CIP = $18 million per month. The county must be prepared to face unexpected, unfounded state mandate. New rooftop growth property tax does not cover the cost of services provided, there must be proper balanced, strategic, compatible growth with business and industry. To be very clear, the county does not control the growth of the city and towns located with in the county, yet the county must provide services and build the schools, which are very costly. It costs millions of dollars to build schools to educate children that are raised here, it is important to work with economic development to bring above average wage jobs to the county to keep or bring those children back to our community to work here. In addition, those business also provide dollars towards the tax base. Municipalities can annex property into their city limits if the owner requests that annexation and it is within limited distance. The county can not stop that request or control decisions of municipalities. Another challenge is the county can not charge impact fees on developers. An impact fee is typically a one-time payment imposed by a local government on a property developer. The fee is meant to offset the financial impact a new development places on public roads, schools, parks, recreational facilities, and water and sewerage, among other services. Currently, local elected officials are not permitted to request an impact fee from a developer. This was decided by N.C. Supreme Court years back. Our state elected officials have not brought forth legislation to allow local government to levy impact fees. I believe we can continue to work in the county for the citizens. Shaping the county with input from the 2045 horizon plan. In the last year, based on the board members concerns we did make some adjustments to subdivision regulations. That included requiring open space for regular subdivision, increasing the required amount of open space for a cluster subdivision, and an increase in stream setbacks for all subdivision development. Also, the changes implemented new landscaping and buffer requirements for cluster subdivisions. As an Iredell County native, growth is a forefront concern. Like many folks, my wife and I have a favorite evening news source. For us, its Lester Holt and the NBC Evening News. A few years ago, Lester was awarded the prestigious Edward R. Murrow Lifetime Achievement Award. Named for North Carolina native Edward R. Murrow, the award has been presented annually since 1971, and honors the late Murrow for his 30-year career as a broadcast journalist and WWII war correspondent. One of journalisms greatest figures, he was known for his honesty and integrity in delivering the news. Murrow is no stranger to those of my generation, but those of a younger era may know him via the 2005 movie, Good Night and Good Luck his signature sign-off phrase. The movie is not so much a bio-pic, but the true story of Murrow and his fearless team of CBS journalists who helped expose the lies and excesses of Sen. Joseph McCarthy in the early 1950s in what became known as the Red Scare. Corporate sponsors of CBS attempted to get Murrow to back off, but he refused. His name would become synonymous with courageous reporting. On a historical note, in early December 1954 and in a rare move, the U.S. Senate passed a motion condemning McCarthy in a vote of 67 to 22; he was ruined. Within three years he was dead from alcohol abuse. The era of McCarthyism was over. Holt, in his acceptance speech said, Our duty is to be fair to the truth. In essence, he echoed something Murrow had said years before: To be persuasive we must be believable; to be believable we must be credible; (to be) credible we must be truthful. Unfortunately, we live in an era in which many people, from all walks of life, have whats euphemistically been called, a loose association with the truth. American philosopher Eric Hoffer put it this way, Far more crucial than what we know, is what we do not want to know. In a similar vein, Jack Nicholson delivered one of the most memorable lines from the movie A Few Good Men. Challenged by Tom Cruise (playing a Navy lawyer) to tell the truth, Nicholson, in his role as a Marine colonel, responds: Truth, you want the truth? You cant handle the truth! During the 2020 election, and under the guise of protecting voting rights, the GOP in 43 states tried to suppress voting rights, especially those of minorities. To paraphrase Murrow, they were not persuasive or credible, much less, truthful. Nicholson might also add, They cant handle the truth. Dominion Voting Systems launched numerous lawsuits against several individuals, the Trump campaign, and Fox News. Dominion claims all knowingly spread bogus information about election results and Dominions voting machines. The companys lawyers stated in their complaints, Truth matters (and) lies have consequences. In an earlier deposition, Rupert Murdoch, Fox CEO at the time, testified he didnt believe the election fraud claims, and acknowledged he could have stopped anchors but I didnt. Dominion settled their case with Fox for $787 million in April of 2023. At the time, Judge Eric Davis emphasized that it was CRYSTAL clear that none of the allegations about Dominion on Fox by Trump allies were true. There are other ongoing related lawsuits, primarily by Smartmatic Voting Systems against Fox, Newsmax, et al. Edward R. Murrow died in April of 1965, long before the internet, cellphones and other marvels of modern communication. This early observation of his is even more relevant and credible today: The speed of communications is wondrous to behold. It is also true that speed can multiply the distribution of information that we know to be untrue. A resolution to audit Longview Assistant City Manager Ann Rivers did not move forward at the Thursday City Council meeting; meanwhile nearly a dozen former city councilmembers and employees urged the elected officials to reconsider taking any action. Councilmember Keith Young introduced the resolution it was not formally read or made public at the end of Feb. 8s meeting. A public records request revealed a few days later the resolution would have authorized the city to spend up to $30,000 on an audit of Rivers work. Anticipating the resolution would be making a reappearance on Thursday, council chambers were more full than usual. A number of former city employees and staff members sat or stood along the back of the room. Surprise Longview resolution revealed: proposed audit of Assistant City Manager Ann Rivers Does Ann Rivers have time to be a Washington state senator and a Longview city employee? Some councilmembers are questioning. During the public comments portion of the agenda, Kurt Sacha, Longviews preceding city manager, urged the council to work together with the staff they have, and to reach out to him for guidance or if they had questions about running the city. My plea this evening is that we begin to collaborate, Sacha said. Collaborate with the staff, collaborate with one another and the community. Some residents supported the idea of an audit. Dawn Courtney asked the City Council to audit everybody in the city who deals with money. Others said the audit should be aimed at a department, such as the city managers office, and not targeted at any one individual employee. Mary Jane Melink, a former Longview councilmember, read a letter signed by two former city managers, eight former city councilors and a former city human resources manager, asking the current elected leaders to be fair and transparent in their management of city staff. WA state senators, Longview council, staff clash Council was initially set to discuss a potential staff audit Thursday. How did the city get to this point? New leaders should always take time to get to know the people in their organization, understand their work responsibilities and have sufficient time to identify organizational strengths and weaknesses before making significant changes, wrote the group. The former city employees and councilors said in the letter that they were troubled. Former Longview police Chief Jim Duscha, who publicly endorsed the city councilors calling for the audit, was being considered to audit the assistant city manager. The group suggested an audit, if it is conducted, should be done by the State Auditors office, instead of by someone the councilors know personally, to avoid any bias in the auditing process. Groans in the chambers When Longview councilmembers struck an executive session from the end of its Feb. 22 agenda, an audible groan filled the room. Disappointing. Wheres the transparency? the audience grumbled. The item scheduled for the closed-door session was a discussion of possible litigation the city may soon be facing. Because it was an executive session, it wasnt clear who the other party could be. Councilmember Erik Halvorson put forward the motion to strike the item, saying that retaining a lawyer to discuss this potential litigation was not a cost priority for the council at this time. Councilmember MaryAlice Wallis questioned the move. This is the fourth City Council meeting weve had where we either pull something from the agenda, put something back on, put something at the end, and its starting to get a little bit strange to me, MaryAlice Wallis said. The vote to postpone the executive session passed 4-3, with Halvorson, Young, Boudreau and LaFave voted to postpone. Controversys timeline Jan. 25: An unplanned closed executive session was called at a Longview City Council meeting under the guise of reviewing a staff members work. Jan. 26: City Manager Kris Swanson emails council members, saying Mayor Spencer Boudreau and Mayor Pro Tem Kalie LaFave are accusing her of misconduct. Feb. 7-8: The Association of Washington cities hold an event called City Action Days in Olympia. Councilmembers Boudreau, LaFave, Keith Young and Erik Halvorson meet with Longviews lobbyists to discuss funding issues. Councilmember MaryAlice Wallis also attends the conference. Feb. 8: Councilmember Young presents a surprise resolution at the next Longview City Council meeting. He does not reveal the contents of the resolution that night, and the council does not discuss it. Feb. 16: A public records request reveals the resolution proposed to hire an outside auditor, spending as much as $30,000, to review the work of Assistant City Manager Ann Rivers. In a democracy, the choices of the people are what steer the course of government. There are many ways you can accomplish this. In the United States, weve chosen to direct local matters with the votes of people who are affected by them. However, when it comes to material in the voters guide, there is no such rule. A Snohomish County man named named Jeff Heckathorn has taken it upon himself to author statements against school levies and bonds in nine Washington counties. He has authored and submitted over two dozen statements against school levies since at least 2020, three of which were here in Cowlitz County. We feel this runs contrary to the concept of local control for schools. While we disagree with some of Heckathorns conclusions, like his belief that the need for levies is driven by inefficiency, thats not our issue. Rather, we take issue with the idea of printing ballot statements from people who do not live in the area at all. School districts exist as an extension of our belief in local control of education. The state could have administered all education directly from a top-down stance, but instead, created school districts so that locals would be hands-on with the schools in their area. People from outside the district are not eligible to vote on these levies, so why should we publish their opinions on whether or not levies are or are not good for the community? Were sure that Heckathorn is being honest when he says he has reviewed the various school budgets in the districts he addresses in his ballot statements. However, simply looking at numbers is no substitute for being there in person. If it were, the whole idea of local control of schools would be unnecessary; you could simply hand the population numbers over to some accountants in Olympia to produce the budgets for each school in a district. We recognize that people have the right to free speech and that constructive discussions are a valuable part of any deliberation. However, we dont think that necessarily translates into an obligation by election agencies to reprint and circulate the opinions of people who do not have a stake in the argument. The county doesnt accept anonymous submissions for voters statements. Not only does this illustrate that the need for two opposing statements on each issue is not an absolute one, but it also shows that the only arguments which should run in the pamphlet are those that people feel serious enough about to publicly attach a name to. When it comes to anonymity, though, we dont see much of a difference between not using your name on local election material, or using your name but living hundreds of miles away. Telling strangers that the McCleary decision-mandated state funding should be entirely sufficient for education or that Woodlands massive cuts were an aberration isnt the same as telling this to your neighbors. Thankfully, there is a solution currently underway. House Bill 1272 is working its way through the state Legislature, having passed the state House and having been introduced in the Senate. We hope to see Sen. Jeff Wilson support this measure as a way of reinforcing local control over local matters, such as school bonds. Will this result in fewer statements in the voters pamphlet? Most likely. Perhaps ending the publications of outside voter statements in the pamphlets will motivate local residents to take it upon themselves to author a statement. But as we said, democracy is about making choices. To do nothing is itself a choice. If nobody in a voting district cares enough to make an argument, that is a statement of its own. Jeff Bezos, Nvidia Corp. and other big technology names are investing in a business that's developing human-like robots, according to people with knowledge of the situation, part of a scramble to find new applications for artificial intelligence. The startup Figure AI Inc. also backed by OpenAI and Microsoft Corp. is raising about $675 million in a funding round that carries a pre-money valuation of roughly $2 billion, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the matter is private. Through his firm Explore Investments LLC, Bezos has committed $100 million. Microsoft is investing $95 million, while Nvidia and an Amazon.com Inc.-affiliated fund are each providing $50 million. Robots have emerged as a critical new frontier for the AI industry, letting it apply cutting-edge technology to real-world tasks. At Figure, engineers are working on a robot that looks and moves like a human. The company has said it hopes its machine, called Figure 01, will be able to perform dangerous jobs that are unsuitable for people and that its technology will help alleviate labor shortages. Other technology companies are involved as well. Intel Corp.'s venture capital arm is pouring in $25 million, and LG Innotek is providing $8.5 million. Samsung's investment group, meanwhile, committed $5 million. Backers also include venture firms Parkway Venture Capital, which is investing $100 million, and Align Ventures, which is providing $90 million. The ARK Venture Fund is participating as well, putting in $2.5 million, while Aliya Capital Partners is investing $20 million. Other investors include Tamarack, at $27 million; Boscolo Intervest Ltd., investing $15 million; and BOLD Capital Partners, at $2.5 million. OpenAI, which at one point considered acquiring Figure, is investing $5 million. Bloomberg News reported in January on the funding round, which kicked off with Microsoft and OpenAI as the initial lead investors. Those big names helped attract the influx of cash from the other entities. The $675 million raised is a significant increase over the $500 million initially sought by Figure. Representatives for Figure and its investors declined to comment or didn't immediately respond to requests for comment. People with knowledge of the matter expect the investors to wire the funds to Figure AI and sign formal agreements on Monday, but the numbers could change as final details are worked out. The roughly $2 billion valuation is pre-money, meaning it doesn't account for the capital that Figure is raising. Last May, Figure raised $70 million in funding round led by Parkway. At the time, Chief Executive Officer Brett Adcock said, We hope that we're one of the first groups to bring to market a humanoid that can actually be useful and do commercial activities. The AI robotics industry has been busy lately. Earlier this year, OpenAI-backed Norwegian robotics startup 1X Technologies AS raised $100 million. Vancouver-based Sanctuary AI is developing a humanoid robot called Phoenix. And Tesla Inc. is working on a robot called Optimus, with Elon Musk calling it one of his most important projects. Agility Robotics, which Amazon backed in 2022, has bots in testing at one of the retailer's warehouses. Bezos the world's second-richest person, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Ranking was Amazon's chief executive officer until 2021 and remains chairman. His net worth is estimated at $197.1 billion. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: In a Saturday Nov. 12, 2011 photo, rows of old and newer telephones along with office switchboards are in the museum operated by members of the Parkersburg Council of the Telecomm Pioneers in Parkersburg, W.Va. As Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024, cell phone outage shows, sometimes landline telephones can come in handy, and were suggested as part of the alternatives when people's cell phones weren't working. Credit: ]Jeffery Saulton/News and Sentinel via AP When her cellphone's service went down this week because of an AT&T network outage, Bernice Hudson didn't panic. She just called the people she wanted to talk to the old-fashioned wayon her landline telephone, the kind she grew up with and refuses to get rid of even though she has a mobile phone. "Don't get me wrong, I like cellphones," the 69-year-old Alexandria, Virginia, resident said Thursday, the day of the outage. "But I'm still old school." Having a working landline puts her in select company. In an increasingly digital United States, they're more and more a remnant of a time gone by, an anachronism of a now-unfathomable era when leaving your house meant being unavailable to callers. Though as Thursday's outage shows, sometimes they can come in handy. They were suggested as part of the alternatives when people's cellphones weren't working. The San Francisco Fire Department, for example, said on social media that people unable to get through to 911 on their mobile devices because of the outage should try using landlines. In the United States in 2024, that's definitely the exception. Tracking the disappearance of the cord According to the most recent estimates from the National Center for Health Statistics, about 73 percent of American adults in 2022 lived in households where there were only wireless phones and no landlines, while another 25 percent were in households with both. Barely over 1 percent had only landlines. Contrast that to estimates from early 2003, where fewer than 3 percent of adults lived in wireless-only households, and at least 95 percent lived in homes with landlines, which have been around since Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone in 1876. Cell phone hand sets are seen on display at the 2012 International Consumer Electronics show, Friday, Jan. 13, 2012, in Las Vegas. As Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024, cell phone outage shows, sometimes landline telephones can come in handy, and were suggested as part of the alternatives when people's cell phones weren't working. Credit: AP Photo/Julie Jacobson Twenty years ago, landline phone service was the "bread and butter" for phone companies, said Michael Hodel, a stock analyst at Morningstar Research Services LLC who follows the telecom industry. Now, he said, "it's become an afterthought," replaced by services like broadband internet access and its multiple ways of making voice contact with others. In today's United States, landlines have practically reached the status of urban legend in a nation where connecting over mobiles with the people you wantat the exact moments you want, on the precise platforms you preferfeels fundamental enough to be a Constitutional right. Among most age groups, the large majority were wireless-only, except for those 65 and older, the only group where less than half were estimated to only use cellphones. They're people like Rebecca Whittier, 74, of Penacook, New Hampshire. She has both types of lines but prefers to use a landline. She only got a basic cellphone in case of emergencies when she was away from home. "I guess you'd call me old fashioned," she said. "I'm not good with computers or electronics. So a landline's good." How and when did the shift happen? What drove the change? It was that shift from telephones being mainly for voice communication to becoming tiny, data-saturated computers that were carried around in our pockets, Hodel says. Of particular significance: the introduction of Apple's first iPhone in 2007. The rise of the smartphone fundamentally changed people's relationships with the devices in their pockets. "I do think that was the big watershed moment was when smartphone adoption really started to take off," Hodel said. A bank of phones are seen at the Karnes County Residential Center, Thursday, July 31, 2014, in Karnes City, Texas. Federal officials gave a tour of the immigration detention facility that has been retooled to house adults with children who have been apprehended at the border. As Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024, cell phone outage shows, sometimes landline telephones can come in handy, and were suggested as part of the alternatives when people's cell phones weren't working. Credit: AP Photo/Eric Gay The introduction of a new technology into society has a blowback effect on the ones it is supplanting, said Brian Ott, a professor of communication and media at Missouri State University. "Basically, the new technology trains us to alter our use of the old technology," Ott said. "So even though the old technology hasn't gone away, the logic of mobile telephony exists across our entire society today, even for people who still have landlines." But the sometimes headlong rush to adopt new technologies can have its own problems, he said: "Anytime a new technology is introduced, there's sort of a rapid adoption period before we understand the consequences." The outage, he says, is a case in point. Even though it was resolved quickly, it raises questions about what would happen if a broader-scale event disrupted cellphones more widely in a world where landline phones are no longer as ubiquitous. Hodel was skeptical, though, at the notion that people would be unsettled enough to bring landlines and additional phone bills back into their lives. "Unless you really are faced with something dire, the odds of you actually being concerned enough to go out and do something about it, hat's going to cost you some amount of money seems to be pretty low," he said. "The service that we get where we're connected the vast majority of the time, if not all the time, has been sufficient to keep people satisfied by and large." If nothing else, the outage made Mary Minshew of Bethesda, Maryland, who is in her 40s, feel better about the landline she and her husband have so far not gotten around to scrapping. They don't use it; they and their children all have cellphones. And if it actually rings, she figures it's a scam or sales call and doesn't answer. But, she said, part of holding onto it was "out of this concern that you should always have a landline if something like this would ever happen. I mean, it's rare. But something like that did happen." 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. College Station has thousands of students and residents that call the city home, but as renting costs increase, some residents and renters are left making difficult decisions. As a part of College Stations housing action plan, the city created an existing conditions report to collect data on present conditions in the city. According to the report, middle housing options, including duplexes, condos and townhomes, are noticeably absent from College Station. Theres also a projected housing shortage supply by 2030, underscoring the urgency for proactive measures. In response to these findings, the city of College Station is working on generating more housing opportunities by creating a strategic Housing Action Plan and appointing a Housing Action Plan Steering Committee to execute the plan and develop strategies. Weve been dealing with housing issues for a long time in College Station, said David Brower, community development analyst for College Station. The housing problems are not unique to a certain demographic. You have college students having difficulty finding an affordable place to live and you have working families having trouble, too. Brower is working with the 13 members of the Housing Action Plan Steering Committee all College Station citizens with a resolution charge to advise on and make recommendations for the City of College Station Housing Action Plan in order to present a unified vision for the future and to recommend for approval a final plan that reflects the communitys vision for housing action and initiatives. The committee is looking for citizen engagement and feedback through three surveys: a general housing survey for anyone who lives or works in College Station; a survey for college students; and a survey for businesses and organizations. We had an open application process for the committee College Station City Council appointed these 13 members, Brower said. The committee has put together surveys and is looking at meetings with other stakeholders, like builders and developers. In order to create middle housing options, Brower said the committee is looking into creating affordable units and finding ways to keep them at an affordable amount. If all you do is try to create more units, youre still not going to create opportunities for middle-income families to purchase something, he said. One tool for creating affordable units is having a homeownership unit or a rental unit where that unit is restricted to people at or below a certain income. With a calculated term end date of Aug. 7 for the committee members, Brower said theyre hoping to have a working plan, with recommendations by council, before then. Were going to have a public meeting on March 26 where we invite people to come and share their thoughts with us, he said. The goal is to have this plan wrapped up by this summer. This plan will be put together and then brought to the city council, where theyll give their feedback. The ultimate goal for the committee is to define a strategic set of actions to address affordability, diversity and gentrification, Brower said. Its meant to be something that sets long-term goals, something thats occasionally revisited if the market changes and something to lean in on as our marching plans for the future, he said. Ben Crockett, Municipal Affairs vice-president for the Student Government Association at Texas A&M University, said affordable housing is a struggle for many students attending A&M. The issue appeared first through conversations and then was confirmed by looking through the data, he said. I heard of a student who was, for several months, sleeping on a friend of mines couch because she couldnt find a place that was within her means. What is considered affordable housing can differ among students, especially those paying their own rent, Crockett said. Youre looking for students to spend just under 30% of their income on rent, he said. What that looks like is going to differ across the student body. For some students, that may be $400 or $500 a month, and for others, it may be a little bit more or a little bit less. There is a great demand for housing as more students attend A&M each year and need a place to stay, Crockett said. Generally speaking, any restriction on the supply of housing increases the cost of housing if demand remains or increases, he said. If you tell students not to live in houses, theyre going to go to apartments, which makes them more expensive. With the no-more-than-four ordinance restricting the number of students that can live in one shared space, Crockett said students, especially international students, can struggle with knowing what is legally allowed. We would love to see a website where a student could simply type in their address and get a number of how many roommates they can have, he said. I think theres confusion from students about how theyre supposed to know if they have a six-bedroom house that they can only have three other roommates or a five-bedroom house that can only have three other roommates. Crockett said he hopes to work with the city and the Housing Action Plan Steering Committee to provide opportunities for students instead of punishing them for a lack of options. I think that Texas A&M students should only leave with two things an Aggie ring and a degree from the greatest university in the world. Not a $1,200 fine, Crockett said. To some, the Amazon drone delivery service is a technological wonder that provides quick and easy delivery to homes. To others, they are described as flying chainsaws that disturb the neighborhood. Over 20 citizens signed up to speak at Thursdays College Station City Council meeting regarding the Amazon drone delivery service as a representative of the company gave an update during the workshop section of the agenda. As a workshop item, no action was taken, but residents were able to give feedback to councilors and the representative. Prime Air, the Amazon drone delivery service, started delivering packages in December 2022 with College Station being one of two locations nationwide. The drone facility is located at 400 Technology Parkway and the store is open from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m daily. Matt McCardle, representative for Prime Air, said many developments are in the works to address residents complaints, including noise pollution and safety concerns. This includes a new drone that will replace the current drone being used. Just to name a few changes from the current drone, it will have a longer range up to 7 miles depending on weather conditions, it wont require a marker in your backyard and it will be substantially quieter, which I know is something that is of keen interest to many of you as we have gone through design and development, McCardle said. The current estimate is the new drone will be 40% quieter than the previous drone, McCardle said. We are listening to residents and we take their feedback very, very seriously. And we do make changes to the services we can do for our operations to continue to comply with all local and federal noise regulations, he said. McCardle said he wanted to clear concerns about the drones having cameras and reassured listeners that its only utilized for pathing. These drones are not surveillance drones. The drones do have cameras for safety and navigation purposes, he said. These cameras are either looking downward during the forward phases of flight to try to detect aircraft or obstacles and then, when its in its delivery phase, its looking downwards to make sure we deliver the package safely. Among residents who spoke out against the drone delivery service was Kathleen Sueoka, who said she will be undergoing a medical procedure in the upcoming week. What you cant buy is the peace and quiet of our neighborhood. I dont look forward to coming back from MD Anderson and not being able to rest during the day in my home, she said. Amazon drones fly at an altitude of 40 to 120 meters in the air, according to Amazon staff. Sueoka said shes seen drones closer than they should be and is frustrated by the frequency of drones flying through the neighborhood. This is not just a decibel issue; its a frequency issue. Its like a swarm of huge bees with a microphone shoved right in it and turned all the way up, she said. Theyre not 400 feet over my house. They cruise over the roof line. Some residents spoke in support of Amazon Prime for partnering with local nonprofits and organizations, including Ellen Fuller of Wreaths Across America (WAA), a nonprofit in the Brazos Valley with a mission to memorialize veterans. My main charity is Wreaths Across America Brazos Valley, she said. This will be our 10th year and this is a certificate of appreciation to Amazon Prime Air. Thank you for your assistance with Wreaths Across Americas mission. Fuller presented a certificate to McCardle, thanking Amazon for its assistance with WAA and other nonprofits and local community programs in the Brazos Valley. In the certificate, Fuller and Amanda Cross, WAA-Brazos Valley co-chairs, wrote, We are especially grateful for the Amazon Warriors those team members that have served, along with their families, who still serve as volunteers in their communities. Alongside WAA-Brazos Valley, McCardle said Amazon has partnered with the Brazos Valley Food Bank, The 12th Can, the United Way of Brazos Valley and others. No immediate action was taken from councilors, but McCardle said he plans to take citizens comments into consideration. This feedback shapes nearly every aspect of our program and we hope to continue to have an open, two-way dialogue again with all members of communities, not just our customers, he said. Alamos Gold (NYSE:AGI Get Free Report) (TSE:AGI) issued its earnings results on Thursday. The basic materials company reported $0.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts consensus estimates of $0.12, Yahoo Finance reports. Alamos Gold had a net margin of 20.52% and a return on equity of 7.36%. The company had revenue of $254.60 million during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $257.47 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.09 earnings per share. The firms quarterly revenue was up 9.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Alamos Gold Trading Up 3.8 % NYSE:AGI opened at $11.89 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.43, a PEG ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 1.15. The firms fifty day simple moving average is $12.60 and its 200 day simple moving average is $12.57. Alamos Gold has a twelve month low of $9.78 and a twelve month high of $14.95. Get Alamos Gold alerts: Analyst Ratings Changes A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Alamos Gold from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note on Monday, February 19th. Scotiabank raised their price objective on shares of Alamos Gold from $14.00 to $15.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Friday, October 27th. Royal Bank of Canada upgraded shares of Alamos Gold from a sector perform rating to an outperform rating and raised their target price for the stock from $12.00 to $16.00 in a research report on Thursday, January 11th. Finally, National Bank Financial restated an outperform overweight rating on shares of Alamos Gold in a research report on Wednesday, January 3rd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, Alamos Gold presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $14.50. Hedge Funds Weigh In On Alamos Gold Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its stake in Alamos Gold by 230.1% during the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 3,948 shares of the basic materials companys stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 2,752 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE increased its stake in Alamos Gold by 106.7% during the 4th quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 4,968 shares of the basic materials companys stock worth $67,000 after buying an additional 2,565 shares during the period. Engineers Gate Manager LP purchased a new stake in Alamos Gold during the 3rd quarter worth $81,000. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. increased its stake in Alamos Gold by 58.8% during the 1st quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 9,901 shares of the basic materials companys stock worth $83,000 after buying an additional 3,665 shares during the period. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc purchased a new stake in Alamos Gold during the 2nd quarter worth $84,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 54.99% of the companys stock. About Alamos Gold (Get Free Report) Alamos Gold Inc engages in the acquisition, exploration, development, and extraction of precious metals in Canada and Mexico. The company primarily explores for gold and silver deposits. It holds 100% interest in the Young-Davidson mine and Island Gold mine located in the Ontario, Canada; Mulatos mine located in the Sonora, Mexico; and Lynn Lake project situated in the Manitoba, Canada. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Alamos Gold Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Alamos Gold and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Shares of Loblaw Companies Limited (TSE:L Get Free Report) have received a consensus rating of Moderate Buy from the six brokerages that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and five have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is C$153.29. A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on L shares. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on shares of Loblaw Companies from C$130.00 to C$145.00 in a research report on Friday. National Bankshares raised their target price on shares of Loblaw Companies from C$149.00 to C$153.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Friday. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of Loblaw Companies from C$170.00 to C$172.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 24th. TD Securities lifted their price target on shares of Loblaw Companies from C$150.00 to C$160.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, Scotiabank lifted their price target on shares of Loblaw Companies from C$137.00 to C$146.00 and gave the company a sector perform rating in a research note on Friday. Get Loblaw Companies alerts: Read Our Latest Research Report on L Loblaw Companies Trading Up 1.2 % Loblaw Companies Announces Dividend Shares of L stock opened at C$144.60 on Friday. Loblaw Companies has a 52-week low of C$110.52 and a 52-week high of C$144.72. The stock has a market cap of C$45.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.63, a P/E/G ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 0.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 154.39, a quick ratio of 0.68 and a current ratio of 1.26. The firm has a fifty day moving average of C$131.87 and a 200-day moving average of C$122.51. The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, December 30th. Investors of record on Saturday, December 30th were issued a dividend of $0.446 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, December 14th. This represents a $1.78 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.23%. Loblaw Companiess payout ratio is 27.86%. Insider Buying and Selling In other news, Director William Downe bought 4,485 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 14th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of C$122.72 per share, for a total transaction of C$550,405.93. In other Loblaw Companies news, Senior Officer Jeffrey Francis Leger sold 8,140 shares of Loblaw Companies stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of C$123.50, for a total transaction of C$1,005,290.00. Also, Director William Downe bought 4,485 shares of Loblaw Companies stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 14th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of C$122.72 per share, with a total value of C$550,405.93. 54.71% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders. Loblaw Companies Company Profile (Get Free Report Loblaw Companies Limited, a food and pharmacy company, engages in the grocery, pharmacy, health and beauty, apparel, general merchandise, financial services, and wireless mobile products and services businesses in Canada. It operates in two segments, Retail and Financial Services. The Retail segment operates corporate and franchise-owned retail food, and associate-owned drug stores. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Loblaw Companies Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Loblaw Companies and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Shares of Antofagasta plc (LON:ANTO Get Free Report) have received a consensus recommendation of Hold from the nine research firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, five have given a hold recommendation and three have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is GBX 1,595 ($20.08). Several equities analysts have commented on ANTO shares. Barclays reaffirmed an equal weight rating and issued a GBX 1,270 ($15.99) price target on shares of Antofagasta in a report on Monday, December 18th. Canaccord Genuity Group reiterated a buy rating and issued a GBX 1,925 ($24.24) price objective on shares of Antofagasta in a research note on Tuesday. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a hold rating and issued a GBX 1,550 ($19.52) price objective on shares of Antofagasta in a research note on Tuesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated an underweight rating and issued a GBX 1,320 ($16.62) price objective on shares of Antofagasta in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Citigroup reiterated a buy rating and issued a GBX 2,100 ($26.44) price objective on shares of Antofagasta in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. Get Antofagasta alerts: View Our Latest Analysis on Antofagasta Antofagasta Trading Up 0.5 % Antofagasta Increases Dividend Antofagasta stock opened at GBX 1,796.50 ($22.62) on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of GBX 1,675.97 and a two-hundred day moving average price of GBX 1,509.64. The company has a quick ratio of 2.78, a current ratio of 2.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 27.15. The stock has a market cap of 17.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 1,392.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of -1.08 and a beta of 1.12. Antofagasta has a 12 month low of GBX 1,280 ($16.12) and a 12 month high of GBX 1,843.50 ($23.21). The firm also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 18th will be given a dividend of $0.24 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 18th. This is a positive change from Antofagastas previous dividend of $0.12. This represents a yield of 1.09%. Antofagastas dividend payout ratio is 3,875.97%. Insider Buying and Selling In related news, insider Ramon Jara sold 5,260 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of GBX 1,702 ($21.43), for a total transaction of 89,525.20 ($112,723.75). 65.39% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders. About Antofagasta (Get Free Report Antofagasta plc operates as a mining company. It operates through Los Pelambres, Centinela, Antucoya, Zaldivar, Exploration and Evaluation, and Transport Division segments. The company holds a 60% interest in the Los Pelambres mine, a 70% interest in the Centinela mine, a 70% interest in the Antucoya mine, and a 50% interest in the Zaldivar mine located in Chile. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Antofagasta Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Antofagasta and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Asset Dedication LLC increased its stake in The Cigna Group (NYSE:CI Free Report) by 61.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,341 shares of the health services providers stock after buying an additional 511 shares during the quarter. Asset Dedication LLCs holdings in The Cigna Group were worth $378,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Bogart Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in The Cigna Group by 104.5% during the 3rd quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 90 shares of the health services providers stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new stake in The Cigna Group during the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Fairfield Bush & CO. acquired a new stake in The Cigna Group during the 2nd quarter valued at $28,000. Optimum Investment Advisors lifted its holdings in The Cigna Group by 110.0% during the 3rd quarter. Optimum Investment Advisors now owns 105 shares of the health services providers stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MBM Wealth Consultants LLC acquired a new stake in The Cigna Group during the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.32% of the companys stock. Get The Cigna Group alerts: The Cigna Group Stock Performance The Cigna Group stock opened at $344.07 on Friday. The Cigna Group has a 12-month low of $240.50 and a 12-month high of $345.66. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61. The businesss 50-day moving average price is $313.57 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $297.09. The stock has a market cap of $100.68 billion, a PE ratio of 19.79, a P/E/G ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 0.51. The Cigna Group Increases Dividend The Cigna Group ( NYSE:CI Get Free Report ) last released its earnings results on Friday, February 2nd. The health services provider reported $6.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $6.54 by $0.25. The Cigna Group had a return on equity of 13.59% and a net margin of 2.64%. The firm had revenue of $51.15 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $48.91 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $4.96 earnings per share. The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 11.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that The Cigna Group will post 28.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 21st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 6th will be paid a dividend of $1.40 per share. This represents a $5.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.63%. This is a positive change from The Cigna Groups previous quarterly dividend of $1.23. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 5th. The Cigna Groups dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 28.29%. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades A number of research firms have recently weighed in on CI. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised The Cigna Group from a hold rating to a buy rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $355.00 to $370.00 in a report on Thursday, February 1st. Royal Bank of Canada raised The Cigna Group from a sector perform rating to an outperform rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $327.00 to $354.00 in a report on Monday, February 5th. StockNews.com raised The Cigna Group from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a report on Friday, November 3rd. Oppenheimer reissued an outperform rating and set a $360.00 target price on shares of The Cigna Group in a report on Wednesday, January 17th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald raised The Cigna Group from a neutral rating to an overweight rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $334.00 to $372.00 in a report on Monday, February 5th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of Buy and an average price target of $357.15. Get Our Latest Research Report on The Cigna Group Insider Activity In other news, CEO David Cordani sold 38,065 shares of The Cigna Group stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $335.22, for a total transaction of $12,760,149.30. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 329,321 shares of the companys stock, valued at $110,394,985.62. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, CEO David Cordani sold 38,065 shares of The Cigna Group stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $335.22, for a total transaction of $12,760,149.30. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 329,321 shares of the companys stock, valued at $110,394,985.62. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Eric P. Palmer sold 6,083 shares of The Cigna Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $340.00, for a total value of $2,068,220.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 44,649 shares in the company, valued at $15,180,660. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 52,105 shares of company stock valued at $17,475,982. 0.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders. The Cigna Group Profile (Free Report) The Cigna Group, together with its subsidiaries, provides insurance and related products and services in the United States. Its Evernorth Health Services segment provides a range of coordinated and point solution health services, including pharmacy benefits, home delivery pharmacy, specialty pharmacy, distribution, and care delivery and management solutions to health plans, employers, government organizations, and health care providers. Further Reading Want to see what other hedge funds are holding CI? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for The Cigna Group (NYSE:CI Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for The Cigna Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for The Cigna Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Asset Dedication LLC reduced its stake in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS Free Report) by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 10,491 shares of the financial services providers stock after selling 138 shares during the quarter. Asset Dedication LLCs holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $851,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. BlackRock Inc. boosted its stake in Morgan Stanley by 4.0% in the 2nd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 90,635,593 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $7,740,280,000 after buying an additional 3,480,402 shares during the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors grew its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 7.3% in the second quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 28,073,015 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $2,397,435,000 after purchasing an additional 1,908,648 shares during the period. Capital International Investors grew its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 5.8% in the second quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 24,463,443 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $2,089,138,000 after purchasing an additional 1,341,559 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in Morgan Stanley by 1.8% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 23,626,016 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $2,012,223,000 after purchasing an additional 422,710 shares during the last quarter. Finally, FMR LLC raised its stake in Morgan Stanley by 21.2% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 23,474,452 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $1,917,159,000 after purchasing an additional 4,098,577 shares during the period. 83.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Get Morgan Stanley alerts: Insider Buying and Selling at Morgan Stanley In other news, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $84.13, for a total transaction of $841,300.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 323,490 shares of the companys stock, valued at $27,215,213.70. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Morgan Stanley news, Chairman James P. Gorman sold 50,000 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.93, for a total value of $4,396,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now owns 400,000 shares of the companys stock, valued at $35,172,000. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 10,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Friday, January 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $84.13, for a total transaction of $841,300.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 323,490 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $27,215,213.70. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 208,155 shares of company stock worth $18,149,314 in the last ninety days. 0.26% of the stock is owned by insiders. Morgan Stanley Stock Up 0.8 % Shares of NYSE MS opened at $86.55 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.70, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a current ratio of 0.76. Morgan Stanley has a 1 year low of $69.42 and a 1 year high of $99.20. The stocks 50-day simple moving average is $88.69 and its 200-day simple moving average is $83.65. The firm has a market cap of $142.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.74, a PEG ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 1.44. Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 16th. The financial services provider reported $1.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.07 by $0.06. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 10.33% and a net margin of 9.49%. The company had revenue of $12.90 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.77 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.31 EPS. Morgan Stanleys revenue for the quarter was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 6.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, January 31st were issued a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, January 30th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.93%. Morgan Stanleys dividend payout ratio is presently 65.76%. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In MS has been the topic of several research reports. TheStreet lowered Morgan Stanley from a b rating to a c+ rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 17th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a sector perform rating and issued a $85.00 price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Thursday, December 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $89.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 19th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reaffirmed a market perform rating and set a $91.00 price target (down from $102.00) on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Wednesday, January 17th. Finally, Societe Generale downgraded shares of Morgan Stanley from a buy rating to a hold rating and set a $80.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Tuesday, November 28th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $94.56. Read Our Latest Research Report on MS About Morgan Stanley (Free Report) Morgan Stanley, a financial holding company, provides various financial products and services to corporations, governments, financial institutions, and individuals in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. It operates through Institutional Securities, Wealth Management, and Investment Management segments. Further Reading Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MS? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Morgan Stanley Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Morgan Stanley and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC lessened its position in shares of The Southern Company (NYSE:SO Free Report) by 3.6% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 42,090 shares of the utilities providers stock after selling 1,559 shares during the period. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLCs holdings in Southern were worth $2,724,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC. Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Northern Trust Corp lifted its holdings in Southern by 1.6% during the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 10,737,843 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $694,953,000 after purchasing an additional 163,986 shares in the last quarter. Stifel Financial Corp lifted its holdings in Southern by 0.4% during the third quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 1,074,886 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $69,566,000 after purchasing an additional 4,105 shares in the last quarter. Mariner LLC lifted its holdings in Southern by 6.1% during the third quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 374,864 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $24,261,000 after purchasing an additional 21,570 shares in the last quarter. Visionary Wealth Advisors lifted its holdings in Southern by 0.6% during the third quarter. Visionary Wealth Advisors now owns 92,856 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $6,010,000 after purchasing an additional 540 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ranch Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in Southern by 2.7% during the third quarter. Ranch Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 16,974 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $1,099,000 after purchasing an additional 448 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.85% of the companys stock. Get Southern alerts: Insider Buying and Selling at Southern In related news, EVP Christopher Cummiskey sold 899 shares of Southern stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.06, for a total value of $60,286.94. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 22,502 shares in the company, valued at $1,508,984.12. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, insider David P. Poroch sold 10,099 shares of Southern stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $69.96, for a total value of $706,526.04. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 28,691 shares in the company, valued at $2,007,222.36. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Christopher Cummiskey sold 899 shares of Southern stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.06, for a total transaction of $60,286.94. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 22,502 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $1,508,984.12. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 25,998 shares of company stock worth $1,817,613 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.28% of the companys stock. Southern Price Performance Shares of SO stock opened at $67.69 on Friday. The Southern Company has a 12 month low of $61.56 and a 12 month high of $75.80. The company has a market capitalization of $73.85 billion, a PE ratio of 18.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.20 and a beta of 0.50. The firms 50-day moving average is $69.26 and its two-hundred day moving average is $68.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.56. Southern (NYSE:SO Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 15th. The utilities provider reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.59 by $0.05. Southern had a net margin of 15.79% and a return on equity of 11.40%. The business had revenue of $6.05 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $6.90 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.26 earnings per share. The businesss revenue for the quarter was down 14.2% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that The Southern Company will post 4.01 earnings per share for the current year. Southern Announces Dividend The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 6th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 20th will be given a dividend of $0.70 per share. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.14%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 16th. Southerns dividend payout ratio is presently 77.14%. Analyst Ratings Changes Several research firms have recently weighed in on SO. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Southern from $68.00 to $67.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 17th. Mizuho decreased their price target on shares of Southern from $76.00 to $73.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, November 21st. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Southern from $66.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 21st. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an outperform rating and issued a $80.00 price target on shares of Southern in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Southern from $69.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock an underweight rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $73.46. Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on Southern About Southern (Free Report) The Southern Company, through its subsidiaries, engages in the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity. The company also develops, constructs, acquires, owns, and manages power generation assets, including renewable energy projects and sells electricity in the wholesale market; and distributes natural gas in Illinois, Georgia, Virginia, and Tennessee, as well as provides gas marketing services, gas distribution operations, and gas pipeline investments operations. Recommended Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding SO? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for The Southern Company (NYSE:SO Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Southern Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Southern and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Certified Advisory Corp decreased its position in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM Free Report) by 4.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 3,734 shares of the companys stock after selling 182 shares during the quarter. Certified Advisory Corps holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $346,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Capital World Investors lifted its holdings in Philip Morris International by 3.9% during the 2nd quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 116,185,273 shares of the companys stock worth $11,342,014,000 after purchasing an additional 4,368,323 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Investors lifted its holdings in Philip Morris International by 1.0% during the 2nd quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 106,291,477 shares of the companys stock worth $10,376,231,000 after purchasing an additional 1,092,991 shares in the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. lifted its holdings in Philip Morris International by 1.1% during the 2nd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 95,439,062 shares of the companys stock worth $9,316,761,000 after purchasing an additional 1,056,110 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in Philip Morris International by 3.1% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 58,592,611 shares of the companys stock worth $5,793,812,000 after purchasing an additional 1,745,868 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital Research Global Investors lifted its holdings in Philip Morris International by 4.9% during the 2nd quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 51,558,741 shares of the companys stock worth $5,033,166,000 after purchasing an additional 2,430,519 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.70% of the companys stock. Get Philip Morris International alerts: Wall Street Analyst Weigh In PM has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. UBS Group cut Philip Morris International from a buy rating to a sell rating and lowered their price target for the company from $105.00 to $86.50 in a report on Tuesday, January 23rd. Societe Generale raised Philip Morris International from a sell rating to a hold rating and set a $87.50 price target on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 13th. Redburn Atlantic initiated coverage on Philip Morris International in a report on Thursday, November 16th. They issued a neutral rating and a $95.00 price target on the stock. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Philip Morris International from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Wednesday, November 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $105.40. Philip Morris International Price Performance PM opened at $91.56 on Friday. The stocks 50 day simple moving average is $92.56 and its 200 day simple moving average is $92.96. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 1 year low of $87.23 and a 1 year high of $101.92. The firm has a market cap of $142.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.24, a PEG ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 0.63. Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The company reported $1.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.44 by ($0.08). Philip Morris International had a negative return on equity of 116.29% and a net margin of 8.53%. The company had revenue of $9.05 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.99 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.39 earnings per share. Philip Morris Internationals revenue was up 11.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 6.39 EPS for the current year. Philip Morris International Dividend Announcement The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 21st were given a $1.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, December 20th. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.68%. Philip Morris Internationals dividend payout ratio is currently 103.59%. Insider Transactions at Philip Morris International In other news, insider Wilde Frederic De sold 10,000 shares of Philip Morris International stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $94.25, for a total value of $942,500.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 198,447 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,703,629.75. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the companys stock. Philip Morris International Company Profile (Free Report) Philip Morris International Inc operates as a tobacco company working to delivers a smoke-free future and evolving portfolio for the long-term to include products outside of the tobacco and nicotine sector. The company's product portfolio primarily consists of cigarettes and smoke-free products, including heat-not-burn, vapor, and oral nicotine products primarily under the IQOS and ZYN brands; and consumer accessories, such as lighters and matches. See Also Want to see what other hedge funds are holding PM? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Philip Morris International Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Philip Morris International and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Clark Estates Inc. NY lifted its holdings in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO Free Report) by 10.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 68,400 shares of the companys stock after buying an additional 6,600 shares during the quarter. Clark Estates Inc. NYs holdings in Altria Group were worth $2,876,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Capital World Investors raised its stake in Altria Group by 8.5% in the 2nd quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 96,401,945 shares of the companys stock valued at $4,367,008,000 after purchasing an additional 7,546,851 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its holdings in Altria Group by 1.8% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 70,564,529 shares of the companys stock valued at $3,262,710,000 after buying an additional 1,240,150 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in Altria Group by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 44,456,064 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,857,271,000 after buying an additional 840,559 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Altria Group by 3.3% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 37,025,033 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,672,836,000 after buying an additional 1,168,982 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its holdings in Altria Group by 5.1% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 24,517,169 shares of the companys stock valued at $990,002,000 after buying an additional 1,192,266 shares in the last quarter. 58.94% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Get Altria Group alerts: Analyst Ratings Changes MO has been the subject of several analyst reports. UBS Group restated a sell rating and issued a $36.10 target price on shares of Altria Group in a report on Tuesday, January 23rd. StockNews.com cut Altria Group from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Friday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $47.22. Altria Group Stock Performance Shares of NYSE MO traded up $0.23 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $41.13. 6,808,622 shares of the companys stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 8,826,647. The firm has a market capitalization of $72.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.00, a PEG ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 0.66. Altria Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $39.06 and a 52-week high of $48.04. The companys 50-day moving average is $40.73 and its 200-day moving average is $41.73. Altria Group (NYSE:MO Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 1st. The company reported $1.18 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.17 by $0.01. Altria Group had a negative return on equity of 243.71% and a net margin of 33.21%. The company had revenue of $5.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $5.06 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.18 EPS. Altria Groups revenue for the quarter was down 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Altria Group declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase plan on Thursday, February 1st that permits the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to repurchase up to 1.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are often a sign that the companys board of directors believes its stock is undervalued. Altria Group Announces Dividend The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, December 21st were issued a dividend of $0.98 per share. This represents a $3.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 9.53%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, December 20th. Altria Groups dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 85.78%. Altria Group Company Profile (Free Report) Altria Group, Inc, through its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells smokeable and oral tobacco products in the United States. The company provides cigarettes primarily under the Marlboro brand; cigars and pipe tobacco principally under the Black & Mild brand; moist smokeless tobacco products and snus products under the Copenhagen, Skoal, Red Seal, and Husky brands; and on! oral nicotine pouches. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Altria Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Altria Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Clearbridge Investments LLC cut its position in Textainer Group Holdings Limited (NYSE:TGH Free Report) by 12.6% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 625,751 shares of the transportation companys stock after selling 89,809 shares during the period. Clearbridge Investments LLC owned about 1.48% of Textainer Group worth $23,309,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Donald Smith & CO. Inc. boosted its position in shares of Textainer Group by 0.5% during the second quarter. Donald Smith & CO. Inc. now owns 2,842,478 shares of the transportation companys stock worth $111,937,000 after acquiring an additional 13,262 shares during the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. lifted its position in Textainer Group by 0.5% during the second quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 2,130,093 shares of the transportation companys stock valued at $83,883,000 after purchasing an additional 9,772 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in Textainer Group by 8.4% during the first quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,229,197 shares of the transportation companys stock valued at $46,796,000 after purchasing an additional 95,635 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its position in Textainer Group by 1.2% during the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 873,120 shares of the transportation companys stock valued at $32,524,000 after purchasing an additional 10,507 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp lifted its position in Textainer Group by 1.0% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 704,296 shares of the transportation companys stock valued at $19,305,000 after purchasing an additional 7,096 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 44.28% of the companys stock. Get Textainer Group alerts: Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth Separately, StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Textainer Group in a research report on Wednesday. They set a hold rating for the company. Textainer Group Trading Up 0.4 % Shares of TGH opened at $50.09 on Friday. Textainer Group Holdings Limited has a twelve month low of $30.22 and a twelve month high of $50.11. The company has a market cap of $2.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.57 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a current ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.76. The companys fifty day simple moving average is $49.54 and its 200-day simple moving average is $45.30. Textainer Group (NYSE:TGH Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 13th. The transportation company reported $1.13 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.05 by $0.08. Textainer Group had a net margin of 26.57% and a return on equity of 12.86%. The business had revenue of $190.10 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $195.71 million. The companys quarterly revenue was down 6.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that Textainer Group Holdings Limited will post 4.89 EPS for the current year. Textainer Group Dividend Announcement The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 1st will be paid a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.40%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 29th. Textainer Groups dividend payout ratio is currently 27.71%. Textainer Group Profile (Free Report) Textainer Group Holdings Limited, through its subsidiaries, engages in the purchase, ownership, management, leasing, and disposal of a fleet of intermodal containers worldwide. It operates through three segments: Container Ownership, Container Management, and Container Resale. The company's containers include standard and specialized dry freight, and refrigerated containers, as well as other special-purpose containers, which include tank, 45', pallet-wide, and other types of containers. Recommended Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding TGH? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Textainer Group Holdings Limited (NYSE:TGH Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Textainer Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Textainer Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. bought a new position in Unity Software Inc. (NYSE:U Free Report) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 358,053 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $11,239,000. Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Front Row Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Unity Software by 15,550.0% during the second quarter. Front Row Advisors LLC now owns 626 shares of the companys stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 622 shares during the period. Meitav Investment House Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Unity Software during the second quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Huntington National Bank boosted its stake in shares of Unity Software by 665.0% during the third quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 895 shares of the companys stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 778 shares during the period. IFP Advisors Inc raised its holdings in shares of Unity Software by 373.7% during the second quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 919 shares of the companys stock valued at $63,000 after acquiring an additional 725 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Unity Software by 74.5% during the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 977 shares of the companys stock valued at $96,000 after acquiring an additional 417 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 64.74% of the companys stock. Get Unity Software alerts: Wall Street Analyst Weigh In A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Piper Sandler restated an underweight rating and set a $35.00 target price (up previously from $20.00) on shares of Unity Software in a report on Tuesday, January 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on Unity Software from $28.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Friday. Wolfe Research downgraded Unity Software from an outperform rating to a peer perform rating in a report on Monday, November 13th. HSBC started coverage on Unity Software in a report on Monday, December 18th. They issued a hold rating and a $37.00 price objective for the company. Finally, William Blair reiterated an outperform rating on shares of Unity Software in a report on Tuesday, January 9th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Unity Software has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $39.31. Unity Software Trading Up 0.8 % Unity Software stock opened at $31.26 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 2.35 and a quick ratio of 2.35. Unity Software Inc. has a one year low of $22.20 and a one year high of $50.08. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.88 billion, a PE ratio of -13.47 and a beta of 2.52. The businesss fifty day moving average is $35.44 and its 200 day moving average is $32.99. Insider Activity at Unity Software In other Unity Software news, insider Tomer Bar-Zeev sold 150,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.92, for a total value of $6,138,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 1,200,332 shares of the companys stock, valued at $49,117,585.44. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other Unity Software news, CFO Luis Felipe Visoso sold 16,876 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.18, for a total value of $475,565.68. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 1,120,756 shares of the companys stock, valued at $31,582,904.08. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Tomer Bar-Zeev sold 150,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.92, for a total value of $6,138,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 1,200,332 shares in the company, valued at $49,117,585.44. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 390,398 shares of company stock valued at $13,889,686 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 9.00% of the companys stock. Unity Software Profile (Free Report) Unity Software Inc operates a real-time 3D development platform. Its platform provides software solutions to create, run, and monetize interactive, real-time 2D and 3D content for mobile phones, tablets, PCs, consoles, and augmented and virtual reality devices. The company offers its solutions directly through its online store and field sales operations in North America, Denmark, Finland, the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, China, Singapore, and South Korea, as well as indirectly through independent distributors and resellers worldwide. Featured Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding U? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Unity Software Inc. (NYSE:U Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Unity Software Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Unity Software and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. increased its position in shares of Enerplus Co. (NYSE:ERF Free Report) (TSE:ERF) by 115.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 906,788 shares of the oil and natural gas companys stock after acquiring an additional 486,400 shares during the quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. owned approximately 0.43% of Enerplus worth $15,955,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Advisor Group Holdings Inc. lifted its position in Enerplus by 155.3% in the first quarter. Advisor Group Holdings Inc. now owns 30,620 shares of the oil and natural gas companys stock valued at $390,000 after buying an additional 18,625 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in Enerplus by 656.1% in the first quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 135,638 shares of the oil and natural gas companys stock valued at $1,723,000 after buying an additional 117,700 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its position in Enerplus by 13.0% in the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 116,659 shares of the oil and natural gas companys stock valued at $1,481,000 after buying an additional 13,430 shares during the last quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Enerplus in the first quarter valued at about $158,000. Finally, Private Advisor Group LLC acquired a new position in Enerplus in the first quarter valued at about $138,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 56.60% of the companys stock. Get Enerplus alerts: Enerplus Stock Performance Shares of ERF opened at $17.58 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $15.02 and a 200 day moving average price of $16.12. The company has a quick ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. The company has a market capitalization of $3.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.37 and a beta of 1.95. Enerplus Co. has a 52-week low of $12.84 and a 52-week high of $19.01. Enerplus Increases Dividend Analyst Ratings Changes The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 15th. Investors of record on Monday, March 4th will be issued a $0.13 dividend. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.96%. This is an increase from Enerpluss previous quarterly dividend of $0.06. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 1st. Enerpluss dividend payout ratio is 11.43%. A number of analysts have issued reports on ERF shares. TD Securities reiterated a tender rating and set a $18.85 price target (down from $21.00) on shares of Enerplus in a research note on Thursday. CIBC cut their price target on shares of Enerplus from $23.00 to $19.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 16th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on shares of Enerplus from $21.00 to $22.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Monday, November 6th. Finally, National Bankshares cut their target price on shares of Enerplus from $25.00 to $21.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $21.69. Check Out Our Latest Report on Enerplus Enerplus Profile (Free Report) Enerplus Corporation, together with subsidiaries, acquires, develops, and explores crude oil and natural gas in the United States. Its oil and natural gas properties are located primarily in North Dakota, Colorado, and Pennsylvania. Enerplus Corporation was founded in 1986 and is headquartered in Calgary, Canada. Further Reading Want to see what other hedge funds are holding ERF? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Enerplus Co. (NYSE:ERF Free Report) (TSE:ERF). Receive News & Ratings for Enerplus Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Enerplus and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Dark Forest Capital Management LP reduced its stake in shares of Louisiana-Pacific Co. (NYSE:LPX Free Report) by 5.3% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 20,741 shares of the building manufacturing companys stock after selling 1,170 shares during the quarter. Dark Forest Capital Management LPs holdings in Louisiana-Pacific were worth $1,146,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in LPX. Hsbc Holdings PLC grew its position in shares of Louisiana-Pacific by 51.4% in the 3rd quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 22,374 shares of the building manufacturing companys stock worth $1,244,000 after buying an additional 7,593 shares during the period. CenterBook Partners LP grew its position in shares of Louisiana-Pacific by 14.8% in the 3rd quarter. CenterBook Partners LP now owns 36,680 shares of the building manufacturing companys stock worth $2,027,000 after buying an additional 4,728 shares during the period. Cambria Investment Management L.P. grew its position in shares of Louisiana-Pacific by 8.5% in the 3rd quarter. Cambria Investment Management L.P. now owns 191,797 shares of the building manufacturing companys stock worth $10,601,000 after buying an additional 14,973 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. grew its position in shares of Louisiana-Pacific by 57.8% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 796,563 shares of the building manufacturing companys stock worth $44,026,000 after buying an additional 291,833 shares during the period. Finally, Wolverine Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Louisiana-Pacific in the 3rd quarter worth about $829,000. 91.94% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Get Louisiana-Pacific alerts: Insiders Place Their Bets In other Louisiana-Pacific news, Director Lizanne C. Gottung sold 3,313 shares of Louisiana-Pacific stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.00, for a total value of $221,971.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 28,495 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $1,909,165. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other Louisiana-Pacific news, Director Lizanne C. Gottung sold 3,313 shares of Louisiana-Pacific stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.00, for a total value of $221,971.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 28,495 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $1,909,165. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Michael W. Blosser sold 4,060 shares of Louisiana-Pacific stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.00, for a total transaction of $272,020.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 49,858 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $3,340,486. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.26% of the stock is currently owned by insiders. Louisiana-Pacific Price Performance Shares of NYSE LPX opened at $71.51 on Friday. Louisiana-Pacific Co. has a twelve month low of $49.47 and a twelve month high of $79.56. The firm has a market cap of $5.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.19 and a beta of 1.83. The company has a 50 day moving average of $68.67 and a 200 day moving average of $62.27. The company has a quick ratio of 1.54, a current ratio of 3.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. Louisiana-Pacific (NYSE:LPX Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 14th. The building manufacturing company reported $0.71 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.54 by $0.17. Louisiana-Pacific had a net margin of 6.90% and a return on equity of 15.65%. The company had revenue of $658.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $618.60 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.61 EPS. The firms revenue for the quarter was down 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that Louisiana-Pacific Co. will post 3.85 EPS for the current fiscal year. Louisiana-Pacific Increases Dividend The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 8th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 23rd will be given a $0.26 dividend. This represents a $1.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.45%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 22nd. This is an increase from Louisiana-Pacifics previous quarterly dividend of $0.24. Louisiana-Pacifics payout ratio is 42.45%. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth LPX has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Truist Financial upped their target price on shares of Louisiana-Pacific from $75.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Thursday, January 4th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on shares of Louisiana-Pacific from $80.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Thursday, February 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on shares of Louisiana-Pacific from $57.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research report on Thursday, December 14th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Louisiana-Pacific from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research note on Thursday, November 2nd. Finally, TD Cowen restated a hold rating and set a $75.00 price objective on shares of Louisiana-Pacific in a research note on Thursday, January 11th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $73.71. Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on Louisiana-Pacific Louisiana-Pacific Profile (Free Report) Louisiana-Pacific Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, provides building solutions primarily for use in new home construction, repair and remodeling, and outdoor structure markets. It operates through: Siding, Oriented Strand Board, and South America. The Siding segment offers LP SmartSide trim and siding products, LP SmartSide ExpertFinish trim and siding products, LP BuilderSeries lap siding products, and LP Outdoor Building Solutions; and engineered wood siding, trim, soffit, and fascia products. Recommended Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding LPX? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Louisiana-Pacific Co. (NYSE:LPX Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Louisiana-Pacific Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Louisiana-Pacific and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Cadence Bank reduced its stake in Dominion Energy, Inc. (NYSE:D Free Report) by 2.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 118,304 shares of the utilities providers stock after selling 3,115 shares during the period. Cadence Banks holdings in Dominion Energy were worth $5,285,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV lifted its holdings in shares of Dominion Energy by 1.2% during the first quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV now owns 10,630 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $903,000 after buying an additional 128 shares during the last quarter. Golden State Equity Partners boosted its holdings in Dominion Energy by 1.7% in the 1st quarter. Golden State Equity Partners now owns 7,635 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $649,000 after purchasing an additional 129 shares during the period. Covestor Ltd boosted its holdings in Dominion Energy by 49.8% in the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 394 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 131 shares during the period. NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Dominion Energy by 0.3% during the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 40,479 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $3,440,000 after purchasing an additional 132 shares during the period. Finally, Ergoteles LLC increased its holdings in shares of Dominion Energy by 3.2% during the 1st quarter. Ergoteles LLC now owns 4,719 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $401,000 after purchasing an additional 146 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.66% of the companys stock. Get Dominion Energy alerts: Analyst Ratings Changes D has been the topic of several research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Dominion Energy from $49.00 to $51.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research note on Friday, December 1st. Barclays upgraded Dominion Energy from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating and upped their target price for the company from $45.00 to $47.00 in a research note on Monday, November 6th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Dominion Energy from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research report on Friday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, Dominion Energy has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $49.64. Dominion Energy Stock Up 5.0 % Shares of Dominion Energy stock traded up $2.26 during trading on Friday, reaching $47.86. The stock had a trading volume of 11,571,006 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,266,513. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26. The company has a market capitalization of $40.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.54, a P/E/G ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 0.60. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $46.34 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $45.95. Dominion Energy, Inc. has a 52 week low of $39.18 and a 52 week high of $58.69. Dominion Energy (NYSE:D Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 22nd. The utilities provider reported $0.29 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.40 by ($0.11). The firm had revenue of $3.53 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.21 billion. Dominion Energy had a net margin of 12.40% and a return on equity of 8.77%. The companys revenue was down 7.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.06 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Dominion Energy, Inc. will post 3.06 EPS for the current fiscal year. Dominion Energy Dividend Announcement The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 1st will be paid a dividend of $0.6675 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 29th. This represents a $2.67 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.58%. Dominion Energys dividend payout ratio is 114.59%. Insider Buying and Selling at Dominion Energy In other news, COO Diane Leopold sold 6,250 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $45.51, for a total value of $284,437.50. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 88,126 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $4,010,614.26. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.14% of the companys stock. About Dominion Energy (Free Report) Dominion Energy, Inc produces and distributes energy in the United States. It operates through four segments: Dominion Energy Virginia, Gas Distribution, Dominion Energy South Carolina, and Contracted Assets. The Dominion Energy Virginia segment generates, transmits, and distributes regulated electricity to approximately 2.7 million residential, commercial, industrial, and governmental customers in Virginia and North Carolina. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Dominion Energy Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Dominion Energy and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Elastic (NYSE:ESTC Free Report) had its price objective lifted by Barclays from $110.00 to $130.00 in a report released on Tuesday morning, Benzinga reports. They currently have an equal weight rating on the stock. ESTC has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Wells Fargo & Company raised Elastic from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating and boosted their price target for the company from $90.00 to $108.00 in a research report on Friday, December 1st. Scotiabank assumed coverage on Elastic in a research report on Thursday, February 15th. They set a sector outperform rating for the company. Piper Sandler boosted their price target on Elastic from $84.00 to $105.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research report on Friday, December 1st. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on Elastic from $87.00 to $107.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Friday, December 1st. Finally, Wedbush reaffirmed a neutral rating and issued a $67.00 target price on shares of Elastic in a research report on Friday, December 1st. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $96.28. Get Elastic alerts: Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on ESTC Elastic Price Performance Shares of NYSE:ESTC opened at $129.68 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $12.92 billion, a P/E ratio of -65.17 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a quick ratio of 1.89, a current ratio of 1.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25. Elastic has a 52 week low of $50.21 and a 52 week high of $133.59. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $118.05 and a 200-day simple moving average of $92.28. Elastic (NYSE:ESTC Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 30th. The company reported $0.37 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.24 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $311.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $304.44 million. Elastic had a negative return on equity of 30.65% and a negative net margin of 16.62%. The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 17.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned ($0.50) earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that Elastic will post -1.17 EPS for the current year. Insider Activity In other news, CTO Shay Banon sold 89,995 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.10, for a total transaction of $10,448,419.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief technology officer now directly owns 4,520,036 shares of the companys stock, valued at $524,776,179.60. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, CTO Shay Banon sold 89,995 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.10, for a total transaction of $10,448,419.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief technology officer now directly owns 4,520,036 shares of the companys stock, valued at $524,776,179.60. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Janesh Moorjani sold 6,930 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.97, for a total value of $796,742.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 162,312 shares of the companys stock, valued at $18,661,010.64. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 128,867 shares of company stock valued at $14,928,615. 18.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders. Hedge Funds Weigh In On Elastic Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. US Bancorp DE boosted its stake in Elastic by 3.3% during the 4th quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 2,501 shares of the companys stock valued at $282,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its stake in Elastic by 6.6% during the 3rd quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 2,284 shares of the companys stock valued at $186,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in Elastic by 19.6% during the 3rd quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 928 shares of the companys stock valued at $75,000 after purchasing an additional 152 shares in the last quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina boosted its stake in Elastic by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 34,154 shares of the companys stock valued at $2,775,000 after purchasing an additional 170 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Utah Retirement Systems boosted its stake in Elastic by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Utah Retirement Systems now owns 14,000 shares of the companys stock valued at $721,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. 74.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors. About Elastic (Get Free Report) Elastic N.V., a data analytics company, delivers solutions designed to run in public or private clouds in multi-cloud environments. It primarily offers Elastic Stack, a set of software products that ingest and store data from various sources and formats, as well as performs search, analysis, and visualization on that data. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Elastic Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Elastic and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Entergy (NYSE:ETR Get Free Report) issued its earnings results on Thursday. The utilities provider reported $0.52 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts consensus estimates of $0.52, RTT News reports. The business had revenue of $2.72 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.27 billion. Entergy had a return on equity of 10.54% and a net margin of 19.41%. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.51 earnings per share. Entergy updated its FY 2024 guidance to 7.050-7.350 EPS and its FY24 guidance to $7.05 to $7.35 EPS. Entergy Price Performance Entergy stock opened at $102.50 on Friday. Entergy has a 12-month low of $87.10 and a 12-month high of $111.90. The businesss 50-day simple moving average is $100.65 and its 200 day simple moving average is $97.98. The company has a quick ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.57. The stock has a market cap of $21.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.24, a P/E/G ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.71. Get Entergy alerts: Entergy Dividend Announcement The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 1st. Investors of record on Friday, February 9th will be issued a $1.13 dividend. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.41%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 8th. Entergys dividend payout ratio is 40.76%. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth Several research analysts have issued reports on ETR shares. UBS Group upgraded Entergy from a neutral rating to a buy rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $103.00 to $118.00 in a research note on Monday, November 6th. Mizuho dropped their price objective on Entergy from $113.00 to $105.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 3rd. Guggenheim increased their price objective on Entergy from $99.00 to $103.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Friday, November 3rd. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Entergy from $92.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock an underweight rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 21st. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on Entergy from $99.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a report on Tuesday, January 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $110.82. Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on Entergy Insider Buying and Selling at Entergy In other Entergy news, EVP Marcus V. Brown sold 38,417 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $101.53, for a total value of $3,900,478.01. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 9,380 shares of the companys stock, valued at $952,351.40. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Insiders own 0.39% of the companys stock. Institutional Investors Weigh In On Entergy A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of ETR. Fairfield Bush & CO. acquired a new stake in shares of Entergy during the first quarter worth about $29,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in shares of Entergy by 1.8% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 637,493 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $74,429,000 after purchasing an additional 11,568 shares during the period. Blair William & Co. IL raised its position in shares of Entergy by 20.0% during the first quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 44,607 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $5,208,000 after purchasing an additional 7,434 shares during the period. Sei Investments Co. raised its position in shares of Entergy by 52.8% during the first quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 189,102 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $22,074,000 after purchasing an additional 65,376 shares during the period. Finally, Allianz Asset Management GmbH raised its position in shares of Entergy by 37.7% during the first quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 288,794 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $33,717,000 after purchasing an additional 79,137 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.52% of the companys stock. Entergy Company Profile (Get Free Report) Entergy Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the production and retail distribution of electricity in the United States. The company operates in two segments, Utility and Entergy Wholesale Commodities. The Utility segment generates, transmits, distributes, and sells electric power in portions of Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas, including the City of New Orleans; and distributes natural gas. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Entergy Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Entergy and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. lowered its holdings in Entergy Co. (NYSE:ETR Free Report) by 9.7% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 639,092 shares of the utilities providers stock after selling 68,730 shares during the period. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. owned about 0.30% of Entergy worth $59,116,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of ETR. Fairfield Bush & CO. bought a new position in Entergy during the 1st quarter worth approximately $29,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Entergy by 1.8% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 637,493 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $74,429,000 after purchasing an additional 11,568 shares during the last quarter. Blair William & Co. IL lifted its holdings in shares of Entergy by 20.0% in the 1st quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 44,607 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $5,208,000 after purchasing an additional 7,434 shares during the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Entergy by 52.8% in the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 189,102 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $22,074,000 after purchasing an additional 65,376 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Allianz Asset Management GmbH lifted its holdings in shares of Entergy by 37.7% in the 1st quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 288,794 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $33,717,000 after purchasing an additional 79,137 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.52% of the companys stock. Get Entergy alerts: Insider Activity at Entergy In related news, EVP Marcus V. Brown sold 38,417 shares of Entergy stock in a transaction on Monday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $101.53, for a total transaction of $3,900,478.01. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 9,380 shares of the companys stock, valued at $952,351.40. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.39% of the companys stock. Entergy Stock Up 1.0 % Shares of Entergy stock traded up $0.98 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $102.50. The companys stock had a trading volume of 2,042,999 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,431,114. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.24, a PEG ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.71. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $100.65 and a 200-day simple moving average of $97.98. The company has a quick ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.57. Entergy Co. has a 1-year low of $87.10 and a 1-year high of $111.90. Entergy (NYSE:ETR Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 22nd. The utilities provider reported $0.52 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.52. The business had revenue of $2.72 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $3.27 billion. Entergy had a return on equity of 10.54% and a net margin of 19.41%. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.51 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Entergy Co. will post 7.22 earnings per share for the current year. Entergy Announces Dividend The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 1st. Investors of record on Friday, February 9th will be given a dividend of $1.13 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 8th. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.41%. Entergys payout ratio is 40.76%. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. Bank of America raised Entergy from a neutral rating to a buy rating and raised their price target for the stock from $94.00 to $110.00 in a report on Tuesday, November 21st. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Entergy from $92.00 to $94.00 and gave the company an underweight rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 21st. Barclays raised their target price on Entergy from $99.00 to $104.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 2nd. UBS Group upgraded Entergy from a neutral rating to a buy rating and lifted their price target for the company from $103.00 to $118.00 in a research report on Monday, November 6th. Finally, Guggenheim lifted their price target on Entergy from $99.00 to $103.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Friday, November 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $110.82. Read Our Latest Research Report on ETR Entergy Profile (Free Report) Entergy Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the production and retail distribution of electricity in the United States. The company operates in two segments, Utility and Entergy Wholesale Commodities. The Utility segment generates, transmits, distributes, and sells electric power in portions of Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas, including the City of New Orleans; and distributes natural gas. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Entergy Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Entergy and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund bought a new position in shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland Company (NYSE:ADM Free Report) during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor bought 49,400 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $3,726,000. A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. PCA Investment Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new stake in Archer-Daniels-Midland during the 2nd quarter valued at about $25,000. Legacy Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in Archer-Daniels-Midland during the third quarter worth approximately $30,000. Almanack Investment Partners LLC. acquired a new position in Archer-Daniels-Midland during the third quarter worth $43,000. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC grew its holdings in Archer-Daniels-Midland by 37.3% in the 3rd quarter. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC now owns 641 shares of the companys stock valued at $48,000 after buying an additional 174 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GHP Investment Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland by 34.5% during the 3rd quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 701 shares of the companys stock worth $51,000 after acquiring an additional 180 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.73% of the companys stock. Get Archer-Daniels-Midland alerts: Analysts Set New Price Targets ADM has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland from $87.00 to $76.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a research report on Monday, October 30th. Roth Capital lowered shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland from a buy rating to a neutral rating in a research report on Monday, January 22nd. UBS Group reiterated a neutral rating and issued a $51.00 price objective (down from $104.00) on shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland in a report on Friday, January 26th. Citigroup initiated coverage on Archer-Daniels-Midland in a research note on Thursday, February 1st. They set a neutral rating and a $57.00 target price for the company. Finally, Roth Mkm lowered Archer-Daniels-Midland from a buy rating to a neutral rating and decreased their price target for the company from $98.00 to $66.00 in a research note on Monday, January 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and thirteen have issued a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Archer-Daniels-Midland currently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $67.08. Archer-Daniels-Midland Stock Down 0.4 % Shares of ADM opened at $53.46 on Friday. The companys 50-day simple moving average is $62.29 and its 200-day simple moving average is $71.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.69. Archer-Daniels-Midland Company has a 1 year low of $50.72 and a 1 year high of $87.30. The stock has a market capitalization of $28.51 billion, a PE ratio of 7.45 and a beta of 0.76. Archer-Daniels-Midland Increases Dividend The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 29th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 8th will be issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 7th. This is a positive change from Archer-Daniels-Midlands previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.74%. Archer-Daniels-Midlands dividend payout ratio is 27.86%. Archer-Daniels-Midland Profile (Free Report) Archer-Daniels-Midland Company procures, transports, stores, processes, and merchandises agricultural commodities, products, and ingredients in the United States, Switzerland, the Cayman Islands, Brazil, Mexico, Canada, the United Kingdom, and internationally. The company operates in three segments: Ag Services and Oilseeds, Carbohydrate Solutions, and Nutrition. Read More Want to see what other hedge funds are holding ADM? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Archer-Daniels-Midland Company (NYSE:ADM Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Archer-Daniels-Midland Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Archer-Daniels-Midland and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Hollencrest Capital Management lessened its stake in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance, Inc. (NYSE:ARI Free Report) by 66.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 5,000 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock after selling 10,000 shares during the period. Hollencrest Capital Managements holdings in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance were worth $51,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Jennison Associates LLC grew its holdings in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 16.7% in the second quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 135,184 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $1,530,000 after purchasing an additional 19,391 shares during the last quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund acquired a new position in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance during the third quarter valued at $793,000. Barclays PLC lifted its position in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 56.4% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 136,190 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $1,380,000 after purchasing an additional 49,124 shares during the period. Quadrant Capital Group LLC lifted its position in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 801.5% during the second quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 2,984 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 2,653 shares during the period. Finally, Nisa Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 52.9% during the third quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 85,060 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $862,000 after purchasing an additional 29,434 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 53.74% of the companys stock. Get Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance alerts: Insider Buying and Selling In related news, CEO Stuart Rothstein sold 40,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $11.45, for a total transaction of $458,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 541,675 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,202,178.75. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.61% of the companys stock. Analysts Set New Price Targets ARI has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. TheStreet downgraded shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from a c rating to a d+ rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 31st. UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance in a research report on Wednesday, December 6th. They issued a neutral rating and a $10.50 price objective for the company. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $10.33. Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on ARI Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Stock Up 1.3 % ARI opened at $10.97 on Friday. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance, Inc. has a twelve month low of $8.58 and a twelve month high of $12.74. The company has a quick ratio of 67.73, a current ratio of 67.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $11.51 and a 200 day moving average price of $10.85. The company has a market cap of $1.56 billion, a PE ratio of 36.57 and a beta of 1.68. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Dividend Announcement The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 12th. Investors of record on Friday, December 29th were given a dividend of $0.35 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, December 28th. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 12.76%. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finances dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 466.67%. About Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance (Free Report) Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance, Inc operates as a real estate investment trust (REIT) that originates, acquires, invests in, and manages commercial first mortgage loans, subordinate financings, and other commercial real estate-related debt investments in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Europe. Featured Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding ARI? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance, Inc. (NYSE:ARI Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Hsbc Holdings PLC increased its stake in shares of Jacobs Solutions Inc. (NYSE:J Free Report) by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 157,148 shares of the companys stock after acquiring an additional 794 shares during the quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLCs holdings in Jacobs Solutions were worth $21,446,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Clear Street Markets LLC grew its position in shares of Jacobs Solutions by 93.8% in the 1st quarter. Clear Street Markets LLC now owns 250 shares of the companys stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 121 shares during the last quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC raised its stake in Jacobs Solutions by 47.7% during the second quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 254 shares of the companys stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Jacobs Solutions by 210.5% during the second quarter. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 295 shares of the companys stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Park Place Capital Corp raised its stake in Jacobs Solutions by 473.9% during the third quarter. Park Place Capital Corp now owns 264 shares of the companys stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 218 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Householder Group Estate & Retirement Specialist LLC purchased a new position in Jacobs Solutions during the third quarter valued at $42,000. 84.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors. Get Jacobs Solutions alerts: Analyst Ratings Changes A number of research analysts have issued reports on J shares. Raymond James cut Jacobs Solutions from an outperform rating to a market perform rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 22nd. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on Jacobs Solutions from $151.00 to $161.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 7th. KeyCorp assumed coverage on Jacobs Solutions in a research note on Wednesday, January 10th. They issued a sector weight rating for the company. Stifel Nicolaus restated a buy rating and issued a $150.00 price target on shares of Jacobs Solutions in a research note on Tuesday, November 21st. Finally, Benchmark restated a buy rating and issued a $160.00 price target on shares of Jacobs Solutions in a research note on Wednesday, November 22nd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $152.11. Jacobs Solutions Stock Performance Shares of J opened at $146.99 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 1.37 and a quick ratio of 1.37. Jacobs Solutions Inc. has a one year low of $109.00 and a one year high of $149.17. The firm has a market capitalization of $18.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.25, a PEG ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.73. The business has a fifty day moving average of $135.34 and a 200 day moving average of $133.73. Jacobs Solutions (NYSE:J Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 6th. The company reported $2.02 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.56 by $0.46. Jacobs Solutions had a return on equity of 14.57% and a net margin of 4.20%. The company had revenue of $4.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.02 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.67 earnings per share. Jacobs Solutionss revenue was up 10.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Jacobs Solutions Inc. will post 8.06 EPS for the current year. Jacobs Solutions Increases Dividend The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, February 23rd will be issued a $0.29 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 22nd. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.79%. This is a positive change from Jacobs Solutionss previous quarterly dividend of $0.26. Jacobs Solutionss payout ratio is presently 20.71%. Insider Buying and Selling In other Jacobs Solutions news, SVP William B. Allen, Jr. sold 1,500 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.50, for a total transaction of $194,250.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 28,150 shares of the companys stock, valued at $3,645,425. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Jacobs Solutions news, SVP William B. Allen, Jr. sold 1,500 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.50, for a total transaction of $194,250.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 28,150 shares of the companys stock, valued at $3,645,425. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Ralph E. Eberhart sold 3,500 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.86, for a total value of $454,510.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 26,754 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $3,474,274.44. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 19,018 shares of company stock valued at $2,475,578 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 1.00% of the companys stock. Jacobs Solutions Profile (Free Report) Jacobs Solutions Inc provides consulting, technical, engineering, scientific, and project delivery services for the government and private sectors in the United States, Europe, Canada, India, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, the Middle East, and Africa. It operates through Critical Mission Solutions, People & Places Solutions, Divergent Solutions, and PA Consulting segments. Featured Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding J? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Jacobs Solutions Inc. (NYSE:J Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Jacobs Solutions Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Jacobs Solutions and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Hsbc Holdings PLC trimmed its stake in shares of Vornado Realty Trust (NYSE:VNO Free Report) by 24.7% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,146,077 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock after selling 375,117 shares during the quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC owned approximately 0.60% of Vornado Realty Trust worth $25,825,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans raised its position in shares of Vornado Realty Trust by 1.1% during the second quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 30,379 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $869,000 after acquiring an additional 330 shares during the last quarter. Greenleaf Trust raised its position in shares of Vornado Realty Trust by 2.8% during the third quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 19,064 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $432,000 after acquiring an additional 516 shares during the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Vornado Realty Trust by 49.8% during the third quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 1,672 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 556 shares during the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System raised its position in shares of Vornado Realty Trust by 1.4% during the third quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 46,439 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $1,053,000 after acquiring an additional 628 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wealthspire Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Vornado Realty Trust by 1.9% during the third quarter. Wealthspire Advisors LLC now owns 33,928 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $769,000 after acquiring an additional 638 shares during the last quarter. 75.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors. Get Vornado Realty Trust alerts: Analysts Set New Price Targets VNO has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. TheStreet raised Vornado Realty Trust from a d+ rating to a c- rating in a research note on Thursday, December 28th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on Vornado Realty Trust from $24.00 to $21.00 and set a sell rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. Truist Financial raised their target price on Vornado Realty Trust from $27.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock a hold rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 20th. Citigroup raised their target price on Vornado Realty Trust from $12.00 to $18.00 and gave the stock a sell rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 28th. Finally, Piper Sandler raised their target price on Vornado Realty Trust from $16.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock an underweight rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 20th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and five have issued a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of Reduce and a consensus price target of $23.67. Insider Activity at Vornado Realty Trust In related news, Director Russell B. Wight, Jr. sold 20,000 shares of Vornado Realty Trust stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.04, for a total transaction of $560,800.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 2,380,174 shares of the companys stock, valued at $66,740,078.96. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, Director Russell B. Wight, Jr. sold 20,000 shares of Vornado Realty Trust stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.04, for a total transaction of $560,800.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 2,380,174 shares of the companys stock, valued at $66,740,078.96. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Michael D. Fascitelli sold 262,945 shares of Vornado Realty Trust stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $29.54, for a total value of $7,767,395.30. Following the sale, the director now owns 1,306,546 shares in the company, valued at $38,595,368.84. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 8.03% of the stock is owned by insiders. Vornado Realty Trust Trading Down 0.2 % Shares of Vornado Realty Trust stock opened at $25.47 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82, a quick ratio of 4.95 and a current ratio of 4.95. Vornado Realty Trust has a 52 week low of $12.31 and a 52 week high of $32.21. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $27.44 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $24.53. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.85 billion, a PE ratio of 110.74 and a beta of 1.58. Vornado Realty Trust (NYSE:VNO Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 12th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.04 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.59 by ($0.55). The firm had revenue of $441.89 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $453.82 million. Vornado Realty Trust had a net margin of 5.82% and a return on equity of 3.22%. The companys revenue was down 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.72 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Vornado Realty Trust will post 2.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Vornado Realty Trust Cuts Dividend The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 27th. Investors of record on Friday, December 15th were given a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, December 14th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.71%. Vornado Realty Trusts payout ratio is 521.74%. Vornado Realty Trust Company Profile (Free Report) Vornado is a fully integrated real estate investment trust (REIT) with a portfolio of premier New York City office and retail assets and the developer of the new PENN DISTRICT. While concentrated in New York, Vornado also owns the premier assets in both Chicago and San Francisco. Vornado is a real estate industry leader in sustainability, with over 27 million square feet of LEED-certified buildings and over 23 million square feet at LEED Gold or Platinum. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Vornado Realty Trust Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Vornado Realty Trust and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC lessened its holdings in Illinois Tool Works Inc. (NYSE:ITW Free Report) by 2.1% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 73,910 shares of the industrial products companys stock after selling 1,602 shares during the quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLCs holdings in Illinois Tool Works were worth $17,022,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Northern Trust Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Illinois Tool Works by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 12,829,189 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $2,954,691,000 after purchasing an additional 244,145 shares in the last quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Illinois Tool Works by 106,553.0% in the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 7,185,211 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $1,582,902,000 after purchasing an additional 7,178,474 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Illinois Tool Works by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 6,899,522 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $1,578,299,000 after acquiring an additional 97,568 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Illinois Tool Works by 3.0% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 5,780,294 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $1,443,003,000 after acquiring an additional 168,563 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital Research Global Investors boosted its holdings in shares of Illinois Tool Works by 0.5% during the 2nd quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 5,551,496 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $1,388,760,000 after acquiring an additional 29,825 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.56% of the companys stock. Get Illinois Tool Works alerts: Illinois Tool Works Stock Performance Shares of Illinois Tool Works stock opened at $260.13 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $77.73 billion, a PE ratio of 26.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.44 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.10. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $257.71 and a 200-day moving average price of $244.43. Illinois Tool Works Inc. has a 52 week low of $217.06 and a 52 week high of $267.12. Illinois Tool Works Announces Dividend Illinois Tool Works ( NYSE:ITW Get Free Report ) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 1st. The industrial products company reported $2.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.41 by $0.01. Illinois Tool Works had a return on equity of 96.60% and a net margin of 18.36%. The company had revenue of $3.98 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.01 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.34 earnings per share. Illinois Tool Workss quarterly revenue was up .3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Illinois Tool Works Inc. will post 10.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 11th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 29th will be issued a dividend of $1.40 per share. This represents a $5.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.15%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 27th. Illinois Tool Workss dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 57.49%. Insider Buying and Selling at Illinois Tool Works In other Illinois Tool Works news, CAO Randall J. Scheuneman sold 5,827 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $256.29, for a total transaction of $1,493,401.83. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 8,870 shares of the companys stock, valued at $2,273,292.30. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other Illinois Tool Works news, CAO Randall J. Scheuneman sold 5,827 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $256.29, for a total transaction of $1,493,401.83. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 8,870 shares in the company, valued at $2,273,292.30. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Chairman Ernest Scott Santi sold 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $254.44, for a total value of $12,722,000.00. Following the sale, the chairman now owns 221,015 shares in the company, valued at approximately $56,235,056.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 152,304 shares of company stock valued at $38,860,831. Company insiders own 0.88% of the companys stock. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades ITW has been the topic of several recent research reports. Bank of America downgraded Illinois Tool Works from a neutral rating to an underperform rating and cut their target price for the stock from $260.00 to $235.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 10th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered Illinois Tool Works from an equal weight rating to an underweight rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $277.00 to $240.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. Barclays boosted their price objective on Illinois Tool Works from $215.00 to $224.00 and gave the company an underweight rating in a research note on Monday, February 5th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on Illinois Tool Works from $238.00 to $239.00 and gave the company a hold rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 23rd. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price objective on Illinois Tool Works from $244.00 to $256.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research note on Monday, December 11th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Illinois Tool Works currently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $239.33. Read Our Latest Report on ITW Illinois Tool Works Company Profile (Free Report) Illinois Tool Works Inc manufactures and sells industrial products and equipment in the United states and internationally. It operates through seven segments: Automotive OEM; Food Equipment; Test & Measurement and Electronics; Welding; Polymers & Fluids; Construction Products; and Specialty Products. See Also Want to see what other hedge funds are holding ITW? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Illinois Tool Works Inc. (NYSE:ITW Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Illinois Tool Works Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Illinois Tool Works and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC decreased its stake in shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL Free Report) by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 275,542 shares of the enterprise software providers stock after selling 5,732 shares during the period. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLCs holdings in Oracle were worth $29,185,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Trexquant Investment LP acquired a new position in Oracle in the second quarter valued at $27,279,000. Quantum Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Oracle in the third quarter worth approximately $229,000. Greenfield Savings Bank increased its position in Oracle by 7.8% during the third quarter. Greenfield Savings Bank now owns 9,034 shares of the enterprise software providers stock worth $957,000 after purchasing an additional 656 shares during the last quarter. PCA Investment Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Oracle in the 2nd quarter valued at $218,000. Finally, Los Angeles Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Oracle by 45.3% during the 3rd quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 286,461 shares of the enterprise software providers stock worth $30,342,000 after buying an additional 89,295 shares during the last quarter. 42.44% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Get Oracle alerts: Insider Transactions at Oracle In related news, Director Naomi O. Seligman sold 16,300 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Friday, December 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.02, for a total transaction of $1,728,126.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 34,771 shares of the companys stock, valued at $3,686,421.42. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 42.80% of the stock is currently owned by insiders. Oracle Stock Up 0.8 % ORCL stock opened at $111.95 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 18.84, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.79. The firm has a market cap of $307.74 billion, a PE ratio of 30.93, a P/E/G ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 1.02. Oracle Co. has a 12 month low of $82.04 and a 12 month high of $127.54. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $109.49 and a 200 day simple moving average of $111.19. Oracle (NYSE:ORCL Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Monday, December 11th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $1.33 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $12.94 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.05 billion. Oracle had a return on equity of 703.26% and a net margin of 19.64%. Oracles revenue for the quarter was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.21 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that Oracle Co. will post 4.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Oracle Dividend Announcement The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 25th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 11th were paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.43%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, January 10th. Oracles dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 44.20%. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Piper Sandler lowered their price target on Oracle from $125.00 to $122.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 2nd. Wolfe Research cut their target price on shares of Oracle from $140.00 to $130.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, December 12th. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Oracle from $135.00 to $125.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, December 12th. Edward Jones raised Oracle from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report on Monday, November 13th. Finally, Evercore ISI lowered their target price on Oracle from $135.00 to $130.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, December 12th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $127.00. Read Our Latest Report on Oracle Oracle Profile (Free Report) Oracle Corporation offers products and services that address enterprise information technology environments worldwide. Its Oracle cloud software as a service offering include various cloud software applications, including Oracle Fusion cloud enterprise resource planning (ERP), Oracle Fusion cloud enterprise performance management, Oracle Fusion cloud supply chain and manufacturing management, Oracle Fusion cloud human capital management, Oracle Cerner healthcare, Oracle Advertising, and NetSuite applications suite, as well as Oracle Fusion Sales, Service, and Marketing. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Oracle Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Oracle and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC lowered its stake in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA Free Report) by 2.7% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 64,077 shares of the specialty retailers stock after selling 1,756 shares during the period. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC owned 0.30% of Murphy USA worth $21,897,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in MUSA. Resonant Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Murphy USA by 3.6% in the third quarter. Resonant Capital Advisors LLC now owns 801 shares of the specialty retailers stock valued at $274,000 after buying an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its position in Murphy USA by 34.2% during the third quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 153 shares of the specialty retailers stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the period. First Republic Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 0.7% in the first quarter. First Republic Investment Management Inc. now owns 6,221 shares of the specialty retailers stock valued at $1,244,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of Murphy USA by 70.8% in the second quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 111 shares of the specialty retailers stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the period. Finally, State of Wyoming lifted its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 14.2% during the 4th quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 370 shares of the specialty retailers stock worth $103,000 after buying an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.95% of the companys stock. Get Murphy USA alerts: Analysts Set New Price Targets A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on MUSA shares. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Murphy USA from a hold rating to a buy rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $375.00 to $425.00 in a report on Thursday, January 4th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Murphy USA from $395.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a report on Friday, February 9th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on shares of Murphy USA from $382.00 to $408.00 and gave the company a sector perform rating in a research note on Thursday, February 8th. Finally, Stephens reiterated an overweight rating and issued a $425.00 price objective on shares of Murphy USA in a research note on Thursday, February 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $395.60. Murphy USA Trading Up 1.6 % Shares of Murphy USA stock opened at $413.46 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.15. Murphy USA Inc. has a 12-month low of $231.65 and a 12-month high of $414.15. The company has a market capitalization of $8.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.21 and a beta of 0.74. The firms 50-day moving average price is $371.34 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $354.85. Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 7th. The specialty retailer reported $7.00 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.79 by $1.21. Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.59% and a return on equity of 70.92%. The business had revenue of $5.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.32 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $5.21 EPS. The firms revenue for the quarter was down 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that Murphy USA Inc. will post 25.58 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Murphy USA Increases Dividend The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 26th will be issued a dividend of $0.42 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 23rd. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.41%. This is a boost from Murphy USAs previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. Murphy USAs payout ratio is 6.43%. Murphy USA Profile (Free Report) Murphy USA Inc engages in marketing of retail motor fuel products and convenience merchandise. The company operates retail stores under the Murphy USA, Murphy Express, and QuickChek brands. It operates retail gasoline stores principally in the Southeast, Southwest, and Midwest United States. The company was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in El Dorado, Arkansas. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Murphy USA Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Murphy USA and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC cut its holdings in Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (NYSE:TMO Free Report) by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 22,991 shares of the medical research companys stock after selling 322 shares during the period. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLCs holdings in Thermo Fisher Scientific were worth $11,638,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in TMO. Halpern Financial Inc. increased its position in Thermo Fisher Scientific by 307.7% in the 3rd quarter. Halpern Financial Inc. now owns 53 shares of the medical research companys stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Coppell Advisory Solutions LLC bought a new stake in Thermo Fisher Scientific in the 2nd quarter valued at about $33,000. Live Oak Investment Partners bought a new stake in Thermo Fisher Scientific in the 4th quarter valued at about $36,000. Tyler Stone Wealth Management bought a new stake in Thermo Fisher Scientific in the 2nd quarter valued at about $37,000. Finally, Indiana Trust & Investment Management CO bought a new stake in Thermo Fisher Scientific in the 3rd quarter valued at about $38,000. 87.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors. Get Thermo Fisher Scientific alerts: Thermo Fisher Scientific Trading Up 0.8 % Shares of TMO stock opened at $564.71 on Friday. The companys fifty day simple moving average is $543.11 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $513.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 1.75 and a quick ratio of 1.39. Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. has a 1 year low of $415.60 and a 1 year high of $593.17. The stock has a market capitalization of $218.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.55, a PEG ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 0.80. Thermo Fisher Scientific Increases Dividend Thermo Fisher Scientific ( NYSE:TMO Get Free Report ) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 31st. The medical research company reported $5.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $5.64 by $0.03. Thermo Fisher Scientific had a net margin of 13.99% and a return on equity of 18.78%. The business had revenue of $10.89 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $10.73 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $5.40 EPS. The businesss revenue for the quarter was down 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. will post 21.52 earnings per share for the current year. The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 15th will be issued a $0.39 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 14th. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.28%. This is a boost from Thermo Fisher Scientifics previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. Thermo Fisher Scientifics dividend payout ratio is presently 9.06%. Thermo Fisher Scientific announced that its board has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, November 14th that allows the company to buyback $4.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the medical research company to repurchase up to 2.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically an indication that the companys leadership believes its stock is undervalued. Analysts Set New Price Targets TMO has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. HSBC initiated coverage on Thermo Fisher Scientific in a research note on Monday, December 18th. They set a buy rating and a $610.00 price target for the company. Raymond James lifted their price target on Thermo Fisher Scientific from $515.00 to $605.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Thursday, February 1st. Barclays downgraded Thermo Fisher Scientific from an overweight rating to an equal weight rating and lifted their price target for the company from $475.00 to $555.00 in a research note on Wednesday, January 24th. Wolfe Research started coverage on Thermo Fisher Scientific in a research note on Wednesday, December 13th. They set an outperform rating and a $575.00 price target for the company. Finally, Robert W. Baird restated an outperform rating and issued a $670.00 target price on shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific in a research note on Thursday, December 14th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $596.00. View Our Latest Research Report on Thermo Fisher Scientific Insider Transactions at Thermo Fisher Scientific In other news, CEO Marc N. Casper sold 5,547 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $550.62, for a total value of $3,054,289.14. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 43,608 shares of the companys stock, valued at $24,011,436.96. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, CEO Marc N. Casper sold 5,547 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $550.62, for a total value of $3,054,289.14. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 43,608 shares in the company, valued at $24,011,436.96. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Debora L. Spar sold 164 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Monday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $546.97, for a total transaction of $89,703.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 1,207 shares of the companys stock, valued at $660,192.79. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 30,277 shares of company stock valued at $16,886,384. 0.32% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders. Thermo Fisher Scientific Profile (Free Report) Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc provides life sciences solutions, analytical instruments, specialty diagnostics, and laboratory products and biopharma services in the United States and internationally. The company's Life Sciences Solutions segment offers reagents, instruments, and consumables for biological and medical research, discovery, and production of drugs and vaccines, as well as diagnosis of infections and diseases; and solutions include biosciences, genetic sciences, clinical next-generation sequencing, bio production to pharmaceutical, biotechnology, agricultural, clinical, healthcare, academic, and government markets. Further Reading Want to see what other hedge funds are holding TMO? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (NYSE:TMO Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Thermo Fisher Scientific Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Thermo Fisher Scientific and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Lenovo Group (OTCMKTS:LNVGY Get Free Report) issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday. The technology company reported $0.53 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.49 by $0.04, MarketWatch Earnings reports. Lenovo Group had a net margin of 1.60% and a return on equity of 15.29%. The company had revenue of $15.72 billion for the quarter. Lenovo Group Stock Down 0.3 % LNVGY opened at $22.00 on Friday. Lenovo Group has a twelve month low of $17.75 and a twelve month high of $28.79. The companys 50-day moving average price is $24.36 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $22.99. The stock has a market cap of $13.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.65, a PEG ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 0.93. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. Get Lenovo Group alerts: About Lenovo Group (Get Free Report) Featured Articles Lenovo Group Limited, an investment holding company, develops, manufactures, and markets technology products and services. It operates through Intelligent Devices Group, Infrastructure Solutions Group, and Solutions and Services Group segments. The company offers commercial and consumer personal computers, as well as servers and workstations; and a family of mobile Internet devices, including tablets and smartphones. Receive News & Ratings for Lenovo Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Lenovo Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Lundin Mining (TSE:LUN Get Free Report) announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday. The mining company reported C$0.14 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of C$0.15 by C($0.01), reports. Lundin Mining had a net margin of 11.08% and a return on equity of 6.76%. The firm had revenue of C$1.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of C$1.39 billion. Lundin Mining Trading Up 2.1 % Shares of Lundin Mining stock opened at C$10.94 on Friday. Lundin Mining has a 1 year low of C$7.35 and a 1 year high of C$11.93. The company has a market capitalization of C$8.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.93, a PEG ratio of -0.26 and a beta of 1.83. The companys fifty day moving average is C$10.87 and its two-hundred day moving average is C$10.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 23.60, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a current ratio of 1.35. Get Lundin Mining alerts: Lundin Mining Announces Dividend The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 22nd will be issued a dividend of $0.09 per share. This represents a $0.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.29%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 21st. Lundin Minings payout ratio is 59.02%. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades Several analysts recently commented on the stock. National Bankshares cut their price objective on shares of Lundin Mining from C$13.00 to C$12.50 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 15th. TD Securities reduced their price objective on Lundin Mining from C$12.50 to C$10.50 and set a hold rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 3rd. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price objective on Lundin Mining from C$12.50 to C$12.00 in a report on Friday, February 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on Lundin Mining from C$13.00 to C$12.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a report on Monday, November 13th. Finally, National Bank Financial upgraded Lundin Mining from a sector perform market weight rating to an outperform market weight rating in a report on Thursday, November 2nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Lundin Mining presently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of C$11.87. Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on Lundin Mining Lundin Mining Company Profile (Get Free Report) Lundin Mining Corporation, a diversified base metals mining company, engages in the exploration, development, and mining of mineral properties in Brazil, Chile, Portugal, Sweden, and the United States. It primarily produces copper, zinc, nickel, and gold, as well as lead, silver, and other metals. The company holds 100% interests in the Chapada mine located in Brazil; the Neves-Corvo mine located in Portugal; the Eagle mine located in the United States; and the Zinkgruvan mine located in Sweden. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Lundin Mining Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Lundin Mining and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Mariner LLC increased its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW Free Report) by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 16,037 shares of the industrial products companys stock after buying an additional 220 shares during the period. Mariner LLCs holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $11,095,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Clear Street Markets LLC acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Horizon Bancorp Inc. IN grew its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 400.0% in the 2nd quarter. Horizon Bancorp Inc. IN now owns 35 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 28 shares during the period. Retirement Group LLC grew its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2,450.0% in the 4th quarter. Retirement Group LLC now owns 51 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 49 shares during the period. Finally, Coppell Advisory Solutions Corp. acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. 71.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Get W.W. Grainger alerts: W.W. Grainger Price Performance Shares of NYSE GWW opened at $959.91 on Friday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a twelve month low of $625.97 and a twelve month high of $978.95. The stocks 50 day moving average price is $878.85 and its 200-day moving average price is $785.78. The company has a market capitalization of $47.64 billion, a PE ratio of 26.51, a PEG ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a quick ratio of 1.64, a current ratio of 2.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement W.W. Grainger ( NYSE:GWW Get Free Report ) last announced its earnings results on Friday, February 2nd. The industrial products company reported $8.33 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $8.05 by $0.28. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 56.54% and a net margin of 11.10%. The firm had revenue of $4 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.04 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $7.14 EPS. The companys revenue was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 39.24 EPS for the current year. The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 12th will be paid a $1.86 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 9th. This represents a $7.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.78%. W.W. Graingers payout ratio is presently 20.55%. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades Several brokerages have recently commented on GWW. Stephens raised their target price on W.W. Grainger from $775.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. Oppenheimer lifted their price target on W.W. Grainger from $800.00 to $930.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded W.W. Grainger from a buy rating to a hold rating and set a $825.00 price target for the company. in a research note on Wednesday, December 20th. StockNews.com upgraded W.W. Grainger from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 13th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on W.W. Grainger from $800.00 to $925.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $864.44. Check Out Our Latest Research Report on GWW Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger In other news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 2,478 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $788.68, for a total value of $1,954,349.04. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 90,145 shares in the company, valued at approximately $71,095,558.60. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In related news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 2,478 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $788.68, for a total value of $1,954,349.04. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 90,145 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $71,095,558.60. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,122 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $950.22, for a total transaction of $2,966,586.84. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 4,909 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,664,629.98. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 5,850 shares of company stock worth $5,121,311 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 9.90% of the companys stock. W.W. Grainger Company Profile (Free Report) W.W. Grainger, Inc distributes maintenance, repair, and operating products and services in the United States, Japan, Canada, the United Kingdom, and internationally. The company operates through two segments, High-Touch Solutions N.A. and Endless Assortment. The company provides safety and security supplies, material handling and storage equipment, pumps and plumbing equipment, cleaning and maintenance supplies, and metalworking and hand tools. Recommended Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding GWW? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for W.W. Grainger Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for W.W. Grainger and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Newmont Co. (TSE:NGT Get Free Report)s share price reached a new 52-week low during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as C$42.70 and last traded at C$42.75, with a volume of 213694 shares. The stock had previously closed at C$45.10. Analyst Ratings Changes Several research firms have issued reports on NGT. National Bankshares cut their target price on Newmont from C$65.00 to C$64.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. National Bank Financial reissued an outperform overweight rating on shares of Newmont in a research note on Wednesday, January 3rd. Get Newmont alerts: View Our Latest Stock Report on NGT Newmont Price Performance Newmont Cuts Dividend The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 31.60, a current ratio of 2.12 and a quick ratio of 1.77. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of C$49.06 and a two-hundred day moving average price of C$51.29. The firm has a market capitalization of C$48.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -29.52, a PEG ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 0.53. The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 5th will be paid a dividend of $0.336 per share. This represents a $1.34 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.18%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 4th. Newmonts dividend payout ratio is presently -148.95%. Newmont Company Profile (Get Free Report) Newmont Corporation engages in the production and exploration of gold. It also explores for copper, silver, zinc, and lead. The company has operations and/or assets in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Peru, Suriname, Argentina, Chile, Australia, and Ghana. As of December 31, 2022, it had proven and probable gold reserves of 96.1 million ounces and land position of 61,500 square kilometers. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Newmont Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Newmont and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Pegasus Partners Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI Free Report) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 950 shares of the communications equipment providers stock, valued at approximately $259,000. Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of MSI. American Century Companies Inc. increased its stake in shares of Motorola Solutions by 11.6% in the first quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 3,918 shares of the communications equipment providers stock worth $949,000 after buying an additional 406 shares during the last quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. increased its position in shares of Motorola Solutions by 3.1% in the 1st quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 11,087 shares of the communications equipment providers stock worth $2,685,000 after purchasing an additional 329 shares during the last quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. raised its stake in shares of Motorola Solutions by 8.8% in the 1st quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. now owns 2,870 shares of the communications equipment providers stock valued at $695,000 after purchasing an additional 231 shares in the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Motorola Solutions in the first quarter worth about $225,000. Finally, Baird Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in Motorola Solutions by 7.3% in the first quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 55,177 shares of the communications equipment providers stock valued at $13,362,000 after buying an additional 3,741 shares during the last quarter. 82.37% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Get Motorola Solutions alerts: Motorola Solutions Stock Performance Shares of MSI traded down $0.77 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $330.27. 442,229 shares of the companys stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 648,109. Motorola Solutions, Inc. has a twelve month low of $255.85 and a twelve month high of $333.61. The businesss fifty day simple moving average is $319.43 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $302.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.37, a current ratio of 1.00 and a quick ratio of 0.85. The firm has a market capitalization of $54.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.26, a P/E/G ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.92. Motorola Solutions Announces Dividend Motorola Solutions ( NYSE:MSI Get Free Report ) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The communications equipment provider reported $3.90 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.63 by $0.27. The firm had revenue of $2.85 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $2.82 billion. Motorola Solutions had a net margin of 17.12% and a return on equity of 441.65%. Motorola Solutionss quarterly revenue was up 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $3.38 EPS. Analysts predict that Motorola Solutions, Inc. will post 11.7 earnings per share for the current year. The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.98 per share. This represents a $3.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.19%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 14th. Motorola Solutionss payout ratio is currently 39.48%. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on MSI shares. Barclays upped their price target on Motorola Solutions from $333.00 to $352.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 2nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on shares of Motorola Solutions in a research report on Friday, January 19th. They set a buy rating and a $350.00 price objective for the company. William Blair reissued an outperform rating on shares of Motorola Solutions in a report on Friday, February 9th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Motorola Solutions from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note on Monday, February 12th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $328.29. Get Our Latest Analysis on MSI Motorola Solutions Profile (Free Report) Motorola Solutions, Inc provides public safety and enterprise security solutions in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and internationally. The company operates in two segments, Products and Systems Integration, and Software and Services. The Products and Systems Integration segment offers a portfolio of infrastructure, devices, accessories, and video security devices and infrastructure, as well as the implementation and integration of systems, devices, software, and applications for government, public safety, and commercial customers who operate private communications networks and video security solutions, as well as manage a mobile workforce. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Motorola Solutions Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Motorola Solutions and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Personal CFO Solutions LLC trimmed its position in Fomento Economico Mexicano, S.A.B. de C.V. (NYSE:FMX Free Report) by 6.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,236 shares of the companys stock after selling 235 shares during the period. Personal CFO Solutions LLCs holdings in Fomento Economico Mexicano were worth $353,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of FMX. Advisory Services Network LLC boosted its position in shares of Fomento Economico Mexicano by 44.3% in the 1st quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC now owns 342 shares of the companys stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. raised its stake in Fomento Economico Mexicano by 117.0% in the first quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 421 shares of the companys stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 227 shares during the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. acquired a new stake in Fomento Economico Mexicano in the third quarter worth about $36,000. Castleview Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Fomento Economico Mexicano by 51.2% in the second quarter. Castleview Partners LLC now owns 434 shares of the companys stock worth $48,000 after acquiring an additional 147 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its stake in shares of Fomento Economico Mexicano by 213.4% during the first quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 539 shares of the companys stock worth $51,000 after acquiring an additional 367 shares during the last quarter. Get Fomento Economico Mexicano alerts: Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades A number of research firms recently commented on FMX. Itau BBA Securities cut shares of Fomento Economico Mexicano from an outperform rating to a market perform rating and set a $127.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Tuesday, November 7th. Barclays raised shares of Fomento Economico Mexicano from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $115.00 to $130.00 in a report on Monday, October 30th. Citigroup initiated coverage on Fomento Economico Mexicano in a research note on Thursday, December 7th. They issued a neutral rating and a $134.00 target price for the company. StockNews.com upgraded Fomento Economico Mexicano from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note on Monday, December 11th. Finally, UBS Group cut Fomento Economico Mexicano from a buy rating to a neutral rating in a research note on Friday, January 12th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $130.60. Fomento Economico Mexicano Stock Performance Shares of Fomento Economico Mexicano stock opened at $118.82 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $133.27 and a 200 day moving average price of $121.23. Fomento Economico Mexicano, S.A.B. de C.V. has a 1 year low of $85.66 and a 1 year high of $143.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.93 and a quick ratio of 1.64. About Fomento Economico Mexicano (Free Report) Fomento Economico Mexicano, SAB. de C.V., through its subsidiaries, operates as a bottler of Coca-Cola trademark beverages. The company produces, markets, and distributes Coca-Cola trademark beverages in Mexico, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay. Read More Want to see what other hedge funds are holding FMX? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Fomento Economico Mexicano, S.A.B. de C.V. (NYSE:FMX Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Fomento Economico Mexicano Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Fomento Economico Mexicano and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Portland Investment Counsel Inc. raised its stake in shares of Bank of Montreal (NYSE:BMO Free Report) (TSE:BMO) by 4.3% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 223,212 shares of the banks stock after buying an additional 9,254 shares during the period. Bank of Montreal comprises about 8.7% of Portland Investment Counsel Inc.s portfolio, making the stock its 4th largest holding. Portland Investment Counsel Inc.s holdings in Bank of Montreal were worth $18,830,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC. A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Bank of Montreal by 6.1% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 22,478,058 shares of the banks stock valued at $2,651,736,000 after acquiring an additional 1,293,280 shares during the period. Mackenzie Financial Corp raised its stake in shares of Bank of Montreal by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 13,757,010 shares of the banks stock worth $1,102,086,000 after buying an additional 69,009 shares during the period. 1832 Asset Management L.P. lifted its position in shares of Bank of Montreal by 14.1% during the 4th quarter. 1832 Asset Management L.P. now owns 9,544,892 shares of the banks stock valued at $864,767,000 after buying an additional 1,179,546 shares in the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc grew its stake in Bank of Montreal by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 8,326,233 shares of the banks stock valued at $704,551,000 after acquiring an additional 29,706 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Bank of Montreal in the 4th quarter worth $561,431,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 43.89% of the companys stock. Get Bank of Montreal alerts: Bank of Montreal Price Performance BMO traded up $0.14 during trading on Friday, reaching $94.92. The companys stock had a trading volume of 2,508,523 shares, compared to its average volume of 710,679. The company has a quick ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $95.39 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $87.28. The company has a market cap of $68.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.70, a PEG ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 1.15. Bank of Montreal has a 1 year low of $73.98 and a 1 year high of $100.12. Bank of Montreal Increases Dividend Bank of Montreal ( NYSE:BMO Get Free Report ) (TSE:BMO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, December 1st. The bank reported $2.07 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts consensus estimates of $2.07. Bank of Montreal had a return on equity of 12.55% and a net margin of 6.41%. The company had revenue of $6.16 billion for the quarter. As a group, analysts anticipate that Bank of Montreal will post 9.08 EPS for the current year. The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 27th. Investors of record on Tuesday, January 30th will be given a dividend of $1.1137 per share. This is a boost from Bank of Montreals previous quarterly dividend of $1.11. This represents a $4.45 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.69%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, January 29th. Bank of Montreals dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 103.59%. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades Several analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Bank of America upgraded shares of Bank of Montreal from a neutral rating to a buy rating in a research report on Monday, December 18th. StockNews.com lowered Bank of Montreal from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note on Saturday. National Bank Financial upgraded Bank of Montreal from a sector perform rating to an outperform rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 20th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Bank of Montreal in a report on Thursday. They issued a buy rating on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $131.00. Get Our Latest Stock Report on Bank of Montreal About Bank of Montreal (Free Report) Bank of Montreal provides diversified financial services primarily in North America. It operates through Canadian P&C, U.S P&C, BMO Wealth Management, and BMO Capital Markets segments. The company's personal banking products and services include deposits, mortgages, home lending, consumer credit, small business lending, credit cards, cash management, financial and investment advice, and other banking services; and commercial banking products and services comprise various of financing options and treasury and payment solutions, as well as risk management products. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Bank of Montreal Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Bank of Montreal and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Providence Capital Advisors LLC increased its position in iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF (BATS:USMV Free Report) by 23.5% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,663 shares of the companys stock after purchasing an additional 316 shares during the quarter. Providence Capital Advisors LLCs holdings in iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF were worth $120,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bank of Montreal Can raised its stake in iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF by 7.8% during the first quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 8,253 shares of the companys stock valued at $646,000 after buying an additional 594 shares during the last quarter. Blair William & Co. IL raised its stake in iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF by 1.7% during the first quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 95,612 shares of the companys stock valued at $7,417,000 after buying an additional 1,612 shares during the last quarter. AJ Wealth Strategies LLC raised its stake in iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF by 4.4% during the first quarter. AJ Wealth Strategies LLC now owns 1,348,690 shares of the companys stock valued at $104,618,000 after buying an additional 57,434 shares during the last quarter. Founders Financial Securities LLC raised its stake in iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF by 27.0% during the first quarter. Founders Financial Securities LLC now owns 88,779 shares of the companys stock valued at $6,887,000 after buying an additional 18,853 shares during the last quarter. Finally, West Michigan Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF by 6.1% in the first quarter. West Michigan Advisors LLC now owns 12,575 shares of the companys stock worth $975,000 after purchasing an additional 719 shares during the last quarter. Get iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF alerts: iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF Stock Performance Shares of USMV stock traded up $0.29 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $81.79. The companys stock had a trading volume of 2,344,592 shares. iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF has a 52-week low of $47.44 and a 52-week high of $55.45. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $79.18 and a 200 day moving average price of $75.98. The stock has a market cap of $31.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.17 and a beta of 0.75. iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF Profile The iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF (USMV) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the MSCI USA Minimum Volatility (USD) index. The fund tracks an index of US-listed firms selected and weighted to create a low-volatility portfolio subject to various constraints. USMV was launched on Oct 18, 2011 and is managed by BlackRock. Featured Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding USMV? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF (BATS:USMV Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC lowered its stake in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK Free Report) by 2.2% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 43,795 shares of the industrial products companys stock after selling 973 shares during the quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLCs holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $12,520,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. KLCM Advisors Inc. lifted its position in Rockwell Automation by 16.6% in the third quarter. KLCM Advisors Inc. now owns 1,136 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $325,000 after buying an additional 162 shares during the last quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its position in Rockwell Automation by 9.4% in the third quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 2,728 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $780,000 after buying an additional 234 shares during the last quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia lifted its position in Rockwell Automation by 16.2% in the second quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 8,526 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $2,809,000 after buying an additional 1,189 shares during the last quarter. WBI Investments Inc. acquired a new position in Rockwell Automation in the second quarter valued at about $2,822,000. Finally, BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S lifted its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 10.7% during the second quarter. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S now owns 13,187 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $4,344,000 after purchasing an additional 1,276 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.84% of the companys stock. Get Rockwell Automation alerts: Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth Several analysts have recently issued reports on ROK shares. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $357.00 to $320.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 1st. Oppenheimer reduced their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $324.00 to $300.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 1st. UBS Group raised shares of Rockwell Automation from a neutral rating to a buy rating and increased their price target for the stock from $305.00 to $360.00 in a research report on Wednesday, January 3rd. Stephens reissued an equal weight rating and set a $350.00 price target on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research report on Friday, November 3rd. Finally, Citigroup cut their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $351.00 to $330.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 1st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Rockwell Automation has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $307.92. Insider Buying and Selling at Rockwell Automation In other Rockwell Automation news, VP Scott Genereux sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $280.00, for a total value of $140,000.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 2,376 shares in the company, valued at $665,280. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, VP Brian A. Shepherd sold 637 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction on Friday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $262.87, for a total value of $167,448.19. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 5,088 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $1,337,482.56. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Scott Genereux sold 500 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction on Friday, December 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $280.00, for a total transaction of $140,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 2,376 shares in the company, valued at $665,280. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 11,087 shares of company stock worth $3,088,888 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.68% of the companys stock. Rockwell Automation Stock Performance Shares of Rockwell Automation stock opened at $280.51 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $32.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.69, a P/E/G ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 1.42. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 52 week low of $252.11 and a 52 week high of $348.52. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76. The firms 50 day moving average is $293.90 and its two-hundred day moving average is $287.44. Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $2.04 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.62 by ($0.58). The company had revenue of $2.05 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $2.08 billion. Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 13.35% and a return on equity of 37.22%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.46 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 12.43 EPS for the current fiscal year. Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 11th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 20th will be paid a $1.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 16th. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.78%. Rockwell Automations dividend payout ratio is currently 47.57%. About Rockwell Automation (Free Report) Rockwell Automation, Inc provides industrial automation and digital transformation solutions in North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Asia Pacific, and Latin America. The company operates through three segments, Intelligent Devices, Software & Control, and Lifecycle Services. Its solutions include hardware and software products and services. Read More Want to see what other hedge funds are holding ROK? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Rockwell Automation Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Rockwell Automation and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Safeguard Scientifics (NYSE:SFE Free Report) in a report released on Tuesday morning. The brokerage issued a hold rating on the asset managers stock. Safeguard Scientifics Price Performance Safeguard Scientifics has a 12-month low of $0.40 and a 12-month high of $3.25. The stocks fifty day moving average is $0.29 and its two-hundred day moving average is $0.11. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.54 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -0.71 and a beta of 0.95. Get Safeguard Scientifics alerts: Safeguard Scientifics Cuts Dividend The business also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 28th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 19th were given a dividend of $0.0035 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 29th. Institutional Trading of Safeguard Scientifics Safeguard Scientifics Company Profile A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. EJF Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of Safeguard Scientifics by 5.6% during the first quarter. EJF Capital LLC now owns 172,955 shares of the asset managers stock worth $903,000 after purchasing an additional 9,151 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its stake in shares of Safeguard Scientifics by 28.5% during the first quarter. State Street Corp now owns 18,054 shares of the asset managers stock worth $94,000 after purchasing an additional 4,003 shares in the last quarter. First Manhattan Co. grew its stake in shares of Safeguard Scientifics by 1.5% during the first quarter. First Manhattan Co. now owns 992,316 shares of the asset managers stock worth $5,179,000 after purchasing an additional 14,260 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc grew its stake in shares of Safeguard Scientifics by 5.3% during the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 95,711 shares of the asset managers stock worth $357,000 after purchasing an additional 4,815 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE grew its stake in shares of Safeguard Scientifics by 32,504.1% during the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 128,786 shares of the asset managers stock worth $222,000 after purchasing an additional 128,391 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 44.14% of the companys stock. (Get Free Report) Safeguard Scientifics, Inc no longer investing. It is a private equity and venture capital firm specializing in expansion financings, growth capital, management buyouts, recapitalizations, industry consolidations, corporate spinouts, growth stage, and early stage financings. It initially invests in a Series A-C round and opportunistically in a seed round. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Safeguard Scientifics Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Safeguard Scientifics and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. StockNews.com cut shares of TELUS (NYSE:TU Free Report) (TSE:T) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note published on Tuesday. A number of other research analysts have also recently issued reports on TU. BMO Capital Markets cut their price objective on TELUS from $27.00 to $26.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut TELUS from an overweight rating to a neutral rating in a report on Thursday, January 4th. Get TELUS alerts: Read Our Latest Research Report on TELUS TELUS Trading Down 0.2 % Shares of TELUS stock opened at $18.02 on Tuesday. The companys fifty day simple moving average is $17.86 and its 200-day simple moving average is $17.41. The company has a market cap of $26.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.90, a PEG ratio of 3.99 and a beta of 0.75. The company has a current ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.35. TELUS has a 1 year low of $15.47 and a 1 year high of $21.34. TELUS (NYSE:TU Get Free Report) (TSE:T) last issued its earnings results on Friday, February 9th. The Wireless communications provider reported $0.18 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.17 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $5.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $5.24 billion. TELUS had a return on equity of 7.81% and a net margin of 4.18%. TELUSs quarterly revenue was up 2.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.17 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that TELUS will post 0.78 EPS for the current year. TELUS Increases Dividend The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 1st. Investors of record on Monday, March 11th will be given a $0.2793 dividend. This represents a $1.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.20%. This is a positive change from TELUSs previous quarterly dividend of $0.27. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 8th. TELUSs dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 258.14%. Institutional Trading of TELUS A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in TU. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC increased its position in TELUS by 80.8% in the third quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC now owns 1,654 shares of the Wireless communications providers stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 739 shares during the period. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of TELUS during the 4th quarter worth about $33,000. CVA Family Office LLC acquired a new position in shares of TELUS during the 4th quarter worth about $49,000. CWM LLC grew its position in shares of TELUS by 104.3% during the 4th quarter. CWM LLC now owns 3,891 shares of the Wireless communications providers stock worth $69,000 after buying an additional 1,986 shares during the period. Finally, Captrust Financial Advisors grew its position in shares of TELUS by 18.1% during the 2nd quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 4,669 shares of the Wireless communications providers stock worth $104,000 after buying an additional 717 shares during the period. 49.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. TELUS Company Profile (Get Free Report) TELUS Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, provides a range of telecommunications and information technology products and services in Canada. It operates through Technology Solutions and Digitally-Led Customer Experiences segments. The Technology Solutions segment offers a range of telecommunications products and services; network services; healthcare services; mobile technologies equipment; data services, such as internet protocol; television; hosting, managed information technology, and cloud-based services; software, data management, and data analytics-driven smart food-chain and consumer goods technologies; home and business security; healthcare software and technology solutions; and voice and other telecommunications services, as well as mobile and fixed voice and data telecommunications services and products. See Also Receive News & Ratings for TELUS Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for TELUS and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC Free Report) had its price objective hoisted by Royal Bank of Canada from $236.00 to $269.00 in a report issued on Tuesday, Benzinga reports. Royal Bank of Canada currently has a sector perform rating on the construction companys stock. Other analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. Seaport Res Ptn raised shares of Vulcan Materials from a neutral rating to a buy rating in a report on Tuesday, October 24th. Truist Financial increased their target price on Vulcan Materials from $260.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Tuesday. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $260.00 to $279.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 19th. Raymond James increased their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $225.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a report on Thursday, January 25th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Vulcan Materials from a neutral rating to an overweight rating and increased their target price for the company from $240.00 to $245.00 in a research note on Tuesday, December 12th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $260.62. Get Vulcan Materials alerts: Get Our Latest Research Report on Vulcan Materials Vulcan Materials Stock Performance Shares of NYSE VMC opened at $257.23 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $34.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 3.17 and a quick ratio of 2.39. Vulcan Materials has a one year low of $159.76 and a one year high of $260.81. The businesss 50-day moving average price is $230.64 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $218.30. Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Friday, February 16th. The construction company reported $1.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.40 by $0.06. Vulcan Materials had a net margin of 11.99% and a return on equity of 12.80%. The firm had revenue of $1.83 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $1.84 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.08 earnings per share. The companys revenue was up 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Vulcan Materials will post 8.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 18th. Investors of record on Monday, March 4th will be paid a dividend of $0.46 per share. This is a positive change from Vulcan Materialss previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 1st. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.72%. Vulcan Materialss dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.36%. Insider Buying and Selling In other news, VP Randy L. Pigg sold 307 shares of Vulcan Materials stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $255.27, for a total transaction of $78,367.89. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 1,896 shares in the company, valued at approximately $483,991.92. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, insider Stanley G. Bass sold 1,601 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $221.09, for a total value of $353,965.09. Following the sale, the insider now owns 24,981 shares of the companys stock, valued at $5,523,049.29. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Randy L. Pigg sold 307 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $255.27, for a total transaction of $78,367.89. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 1,896 shares in the company, valued at approximately $483,991.92. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 10,982 shares of company stock valued at $2,685,762 in the last 90 days. 0.62% of the stock is owned by insiders. Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vulcan Materials Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in Vulcan Materials by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 15,249,701 shares of the construction companys stock worth $3,461,835,000 after buying an additional 105,230 shares in the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. raised its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 1.4% during the second quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 10,257,453 shares of the construction companys stock worth $2,312,440,000 after acquiring an additional 139,264 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 2.3% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 5,385,006 shares of the construction companys stock worth $1,213,996,000 after purchasing an additional 123,332 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 47.4% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 4,503,484 shares of the construction companys stock worth $909,794,000 after purchasing an additional 1,447,700 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 4,410,854 shares of the construction companys stock worth $1,001,308,000 after purchasing an additional 66,634 shares in the last quarter. 90.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors. Vulcan Materials Company Profile (Get Free Report) Vulcan Materials Company, together with its subsidiaries, produces and supplies construction aggregates primarily in the United States. It operates through four segments: Aggregates, Asphalt, Concrete, and Calcium. The Aggregates segment provides crushed stones, sand and gravel, sand, and other aggregates; and related products and services that are applied in construction and maintenance of highways, streets, and other public works, as well as in the construction of housing and commercial, industrial, and other nonresidential facilities. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Vulcan Materials Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Vulcan Materials and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund lifted its holdings in Wolfspeed, Inc. (NYSE:WOLF Free Report) by 9.4% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 106,503 shares of the companys stock after purchasing an additional 9,187 shares during the period. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Funds holdings in Wolfspeed were worth $4,058,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Boston Partners purchased a new stake in shares of Wolfspeed in the third quarter valued at about $2,032,000. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd increased its holdings in shares of Wolfspeed by 86.7% during the 3rd quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd now owns 703,822 shares of the companys stock worth $26,816,000 after buying an additional 326,810 shares during the last quarter. Quinn Opportunity Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Wolfspeed by 60.0% during the 2nd quarter. Quinn Opportunity Partners LLC now owns 32,000 shares of the companys stock worth $1,779,000 after buying an additional 12,000 shares during the last quarter. Frontier Capital Management Co. LLC raised its position in shares of Wolfspeed by 66.2% during the 2nd quarter. Frontier Capital Management Co. LLC now owns 1,938,492 shares of the companys stock valued at $107,761,000 after buying an additional 772,055 shares during the period. Finally, Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky lifted its holdings in Wolfspeed by 599.5% in the second quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky now owns 138,544 shares of the companys stock valued at $7,701,000 after acquiring an additional 118,737 shares during the last quarter. Get Wolfspeed alerts: Insider Buying and Selling In related news, Director Darren R. Jackson acquired 10,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Friday, February 2nd. The stock was bought at an average cost of $25.80 per share, with a total value of $258,000.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 49,021 shares of the companys stock, valued at $1,264,741.80. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, CFO Neill Reynolds sold 3,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.94, for a total value of $134,820.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 161,866 shares in the company, valued at $7,274,258.04. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Darren R. Jackson bought 10,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 2nd. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $25.80 per share, with a total value of $258,000.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 49,021 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,264,741.80. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.62% of the companys stock. Analyst Ratings Changes Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Piper Sandler cut their target price on Wolfspeed from $55.00 to $45.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 1st. Canaccord Genuity Group decreased their target price on shares of Wolfspeed from $63.00 to $50.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, October 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Wolfspeed from $44.00 to $43.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 1st. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Wolfspeed from $42.00 to $34.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 31st. Finally, Roth Mkm decreased their target price on Wolfspeed from $65.00 to $50.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, October 31st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Wolfspeed currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $46.40. Get Our Latest Analysis on WOLF Wolfspeed Trading Down 6.0 % Shares of Wolfspeed stock opened at $23.77 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.50, a quick ratio of 4.58 and a current ratio of 5.13. Wolfspeed, Inc. has a 12-month low of $23.70 and a 12-month high of $77.72. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $34.76 and a 200-day simple moving average of $37.64. Wolfspeed (NYSE:WOLF Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 31st. The company reported ($0.69) earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.79) by $0.10. The business had revenue of $208.40 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $205.94 million. Wolfspeed had a negative return on equity of 19.35% and a negative net margin of 87.35%. As a group, equities analysts expect that Wolfspeed, Inc. will post -3.05 earnings per share for the current year. Wolfspeed Profile (Free Report) Wolfspeed, Inc operates as a powerhouse semiconductor company focuses on silicon carbide and gallium nitride (GaN) technologies in Europe, Hong Kong, China, rest of Asia-Pacific, the United States, and internationally. It offers silicon carbide and GaN materials, including silicon carbide bare wafers, epitaxial wafers, and GaN epitaxial layers on silicon carbide wafers to manufacture products for RF, power, and other applications. Featured Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding WOLF? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Wolfspeed, Inc. (NYSE:WOLF Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Wolfspeed Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Wolfspeed and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Wright Fund Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF (BATS:QUAL Free Report) during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 63,986 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $8,433,000. Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. NBC Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF in the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Signaturefd LLC raised its position in iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF by 1,414.3% in the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 212 shares of the companys stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 198 shares during the last quarter. Patriot Investment Management Group Inc. bought a new position in iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Nvwm LLC bought a new position in iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF in the 2nd quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, Mcmillion Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF in the 2nd quarter valued at $35,000. Get iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF alerts: iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF Stock Up 0.1 % QUAL traded up $0.20 during trading on Friday, hitting $160.26. The companys stock had a trading volume of 814,060 shares. The stock has a market capitalization of $36.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.30 and a beta of 1.03. iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF has a 12 month low of $71.96 and a 12 month high of $88.63. The firms 50 day moving average price is $151.05 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $141.67. iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF Profile The iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF (QUAL) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the MSCI USA Sector Neutral Quality index. The fund tracks an index of US large- and mid-cap stocks, selected and weighted by high ROE, stable earnings growth and low debt\u002Fequity, relative to peers in each sector. Read More Receive News & Ratings for iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Nebraska Extension will host two soil health conferences this year; the first is set for Feb. 29 in West Point, the second on March 5 in Hastings. Each conference will run from 9 a.m. to 3:15 p.m., with on-site check-in starting at 8 a.m. The West Point conference on Feb. 29, will be the Nielson Community Center, 200 Anna Stapl Ave. The Hastings conference will meet at the Adams County Fairgrounds, 947 S. Baltimore Ave. This annual conference features speakers who will share their experiences with a variety of soil health practices. Topics will include cover crops, diversifying crop rotations, soil health assessments, and research projects pertaining to cover crops or soil health. Farmer panels will also be a key highlight for each location to hear first-hand about what producers are implementing on their operations to increase soil health practices. Pre-registration is required at least one week in advance of each respective conference date for planning purposes. Online registration can be completed, and more information can be found at: https://events.unl.edu/ENREEC-Region/. There is no fee to attend, lunch/refreshments will be provided, and CCA credits are applied for and pending. The event is sponsored by Nebraska Extension and the Nebraska Soybean Board. For more information, contact Nebraska Extension faculty members Katja Koehler-Cole at 402-504-1016 or kkoehlercole2@unl.edu; or Caro Cordova at 402-472-6292 or ccordova4@unl.edu). Private pesticide and chemigation trainings Nebraska Extension will be providing private pesticide applicator and chemigation trainings this winter for applicators who wish to obtain or renew their current license. in-person sessions for private pesticide applicator training are planned in Buffalo and Hall counties in March. Kearney, March 7: One private pesticide training session, 9 a.m. to noon, Buffalo County Extension Office, 1400 E. 34th St.; 308-236-1235. Grand Island, March 12: Two private pesticide training sessions, 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. or 6 to 8 p.m., Hall County Extension Office at College Park, 3180 Highway 34; 308-385-5088. Please RSVP to the local Extension Office where you wish to attend an in-person training so enough materials are provided. As training season typically winds down in March and planting preparations begin, its important for producers to get their training requirements met ahead of any field prep and pesticide applications needed to avoid planting delays. A final article will be available in the coming weeks pertaining to late-season training dates and online options for anyone that cannot participate in these meetings in person. Contact your local Extension Office or the Pesticide Training Office (402-472-1632) with questions. Good Samaritan Society leaders earn recognition Two Good Samaritan Society leaders, including one from Hastings, have been recognized as 2024 McKnights Women of Distinction Award winners in the Rising Stars category. They are Stephanie Uhrmacher, administrator, senior living, of Hastings; and Shelly Koch, executive director, home-based services, of Alma. The recognition program honors standouts in skilled nursing, senior living and home care. A national, independent panel of judges studies all nominees credentials, backgrounds and results. The Rising Star awards category honors women who have fewer than 15 years of experience in the skilled nursing, senior living or home care fields, or are 40 years old or younger. All have demonstrated an exceptional commitment at the community, facility, agency or corporate level. The McKnights Women of Distinction Awards program will culminate with an awards ceremony in Chicago on May 14. Preschool staff members attend national conference Six members of the staff at First Presbyterian Preschool attended the 2024 Early Childhood Educational Conference on Feb. 3 and Central Community College. Stephanie Henke, Debbi Lessig, Jeanne Woodruff, Nicky McComb, Savana Sanders and Jordyn Steenson each earned certification in several areas including Exploring Nature with Young Children, The Brain Game and Making Connection. First Presbyterian Preschool, 2103 W. Anna, is now exception enrollments for the summer and 2024-25 school year; call 308-382-2947. ?? Comunicado Oficial N 005-24: A los dos anos del inicio de la agresion de Rusia a Ucrania. ?? https://t.co/S96FWEHhDl pic.twitter.com/6Lt5YD4jFX Area students part of Hastings College production HASTINGS Several area students are part of the Hastings College theatrical production She Kills Monsters this weekend in Scott Studio Theater. She Kills Monsters is a play about stories. Stories we create. Stories we tell. Stories we share. The play opened Thursday, Feb. 22, and continues at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 24, and 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 25. Crew members include Turner Griffin of Grand Island, technical director; Brandon Bruns of Hastings, costumes; and Grace Hartman of Hastings, props/scenic/lighting. Grand Island student part of UNL winning team LINCOLN Auni Ortega of Grand Island was part of a team that placed third in the U.S. Department of Homeland Securitys Invent2Prevent competition on Jan. 24. Ortega, a 2023 graduate who majored in advertising and public relations at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, was part of a team of 10 students enrolled in a fall 2023 advertising and public relations capstone course that entered the competition with an integrated communication campaign, SafeSpace Nebraska. The campaign aims to better educate students about what to do in the event of an active shooter on campus. The students identified underutilized communication channels to reach students and development tactics to engage those channels in reaching students. Their project included a social media campaign, a dedicated website on school shootings, scenario-based training sessions, educational booths in student areas, a petition to include information in class syllabi and information sheets for academic advisers. The Husker entry was selected as a finalist, and three students Kayla Enfield, Lauren Ostrowski and Joselyn Vacek along with Bryan Wang, associate professor of advertising and public relations, were invited to present their campaign on Jan. 24 in Washington, D.C., where they were awarded third place. The Invent2Prevent competition is a partnership between the Department of Homeland Securitys Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships, EdVenture Partners, Credence Management Solutions and the McCain Institute. The competition was launched in 2021, and more than 118 universities from 32 states have participated since then. Academic honors Sydney Sweetser of Doniphan was named to the Presidents List for the fall semester at the Bryan College of Health Sciences in Lincoln. Carson Wolfe of Grand Island has been selected for the Undergraduate Certificate of Sales Excellence Program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. With the special professional selling credential from the Center for Sales Excellence, students hone the communication, problem-solving and decision-making skills that employers seek. Wolfe is a sophomore majoring in marketing. Founded in 2013, the Center for Sales Excellence has been named a top university for professional sales education by the Sales Education Foundation every year since 2014-15. Isabella Poppe of Hastings was named to the Deans List for the fall semester at Chadron State College. To qualify for the Deans List, students must earn at least a 3.5 grade point average, be enrolled in 12 credit hours of coursework, be seeking their first bachelors degree, and have no incomplete grades during the semester. Jakob Jerabek of Ashton and Laney Thatcher of Minden were named to the Deans List for the fall semester at Morningside University in Sioux City, Iowa. To be included on the list students must achieve a 3.67-grade point average or better and complete at least 12 credits of coursework with no grade below a C-. Several area students were among the 127 who were named to the Deans List for the fall semester at York University. They are Aidan Keyes** and Marilyn Silos Montellano* of Grand Island; Liberty Baker of Silver Creek; and Bryce Gorecki* of St. Libory. To be named to the Deans List, students must carry 12 or more graded hours and achieve a semester grade point average of at least 3.75 with no incomplete grades and no grade below C for the semester. An asterisk (*) denotes a 4.0 term GPA; a double asterisk (**) denotes a 4.0 cumulative GPA. Wichita (Kansas) State University has announced the names of 3,686 students who were on the Deans Honor Roll for fall 2023. Central Nebraska students on the list include: Caden Carlson and Carson Mikkelsen of Aurora; Tyler Carroll of Central City; and Emma Montag and Seth Stroh of Kearney. To be included on the deans honor roll, a student must be enrolled full time (at least 12 credit hours) and earn at least a 3.5 grade point average on a 4.0 scale. Kaleb Rosentreader of Litchfield has earned Deans List honors for the fall semester at Bemidji State University in Bemidji, Minn. To be eligible, students must earn a grade-point average of 3.5 or higher for the semester and be enrolled in at least 12 credits of coursework. Two Wayne State College students from Central Nebraska, Bobbie Bain of Osceola and Avery Olnes of Albion, were recently initiated into the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nations oldest and most selective collegiate honor society for all academic disciplines. They are among approximately 25,000 students, faculty, professional staff and alumni to be initiated into Phi Kappa Phi each year. Membership is by invitation only and requires nomination and approval by a chapter. Graduates Two area students, Sydney Enevoldsen of Grand Island and Caden Carlson of Aurora, recently earned degrees from Wichita State University in Wichita, Kan. Enevoldsen earned a bachelor of arts degree in psychology, while Carlson received and associated of arts degree. Activities Jordan Head of Hastings and Sean Duffy of Kenesaw are among members of the A Cappella choir at Concordia University, Nebraska, who will be embarking on its spring tour on Feb. 29. Concerts are planned in Iowa, Ohio, New York, New Jersey, Virginia, Maryland and Missouri. Head is a freshman majoring in music education; Duffy is a freshman majoring in secondary education (English). U.S. Senate candidate Preston Love will visit Grand Island, Hastings and Kearney on Monday, Feb. 26, as part of his Love Nebraska Listening Tour. Love, a Democrat, is challenging Sen. Pete Ricketts for the U.S. Senate in November. He is a community advocate, adjunct professor teaching political science at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, and a five-time published author who has worked in communities across Nebraska. Love will appear at 11:30 a.m. at Arts & Drafts, 411 W. Third St., Suite A, in Grand Island. Also Monday, he will have meet and greets at 1:30 p.m. at Blue Moon Coffee Co. in Hastings and at 8:30 p.m. at Thunderhead Brewing in Kearney. Tuesday appearances are set for Lexington, Gothenburg, North Platte and Ogallala. Love will stop in Scottsbluff Wednesday, followed by visits to Chadron and Valentine Thursday and ONeill Friday. For more information, visit www.Love4Senate.com. Samsung SDI partners with Selex Motors to make electric vehicle batteries in Vietnam By Trong Hieu, Do Lan Sat, February 24, 2024 | 2:55 pm GMT+7 Selex Motors and Samsung SDI on Friday inked a strategic partnership memorandum for the development of electric motorcycle batteries. Under the agreement, Samsung SDI will become a strategic battery cell supplier for Selex Motors, producing electric motorcycle batteries for the Selex smart electric motorcycle ecosystem. Selex Motors will also create and supply Samsung SDI battery cells for other partners in the Vietnamese and Southeast Asian markets. Both parties hope to extend the battery swap network that Selex is pioneering into an essential shared energy infrastructure in Vietnam and the region. Nguyen Huu Phuoc Nguyen, general director of Selex Motors (left), and Lee Joon-Seo, sales director of Samsung SDI Southeast Asia, signed a cooperation agreement on February 23, 2024. Photo courtesy of Selex Motors. As a result, Selex Motors has become Samsung SDI's first official partner in Vietnam to collaborate in providing battery cells while developing the market in Vietnam and Southeast Asia by promoting both sides' strengths. Samsung SDI is a member of South Korea's Samsung Group and one of the world's leading manufacturers and suppliers of lithium-ion batteries, solar panels, and energy storage systems. Samsung SDI has provided battery cells to many major worldwide companies including BMW, Audi, Volkswagen, Ford, Hyundai, and GM Motors. To collaborate with Selex Motors, Samsung SDI spent more than a year assessing the product design quality, technological capabilities, production lines, and development prospects of the Vietnamese electric motorcycle brand. Selex Motors has become Samsung SDI's first official partner in Vietnam to collaborate in providing battery cells. Photo courtesy of Selex Motors. Speaking at the ceremony, Nguyen Huu Phuoc Nguyen, general director of Selex Motors, stated that working with Samsung SDI to develop and deliver electric motorcycle batteries in Vietnam and the region is a significant milestone for Selex Motors. "This indicates the trust of a global partner in Selex Motors and the Vietnamese electric vehicle sector. This is also a significant step forward for the company's dedication to product safety and quality of the highest standard. We hope to work with Samsung SDI in the near future to provide the best electric vehicle battery products for the Vietnamese and Southeast Asian markets, said Nguyen. Lee Joon-Seo, sales director of Samsung SDI in Southeast Asia, said that even though Selex Motors is a start-up firm, it has considerable technological depth and development potential. "Selex's manufacturing line, design, and product quality all satisfy the criteria we set when looking for partners. We are particularly impressed with Selex Motors' shared battery swap solution and look forward to collaborating to advance its development in Vietnam and Southeast Asia," said a Samsung SDI representative. Selex Motors is currently the first electric vehicle firm to establish a network of shared battery exchange stations in both Vietnam and Southeast Asia. Selex Motors' innovation allows electric motorcycle owners to charge their batteries for 150 kilometers in just two minutes. Furthermore, using proprietary technology, Selex Motors' batteries are compatible with more than 70% of electric motorcycles on the market today. Vietnam a key destination for Royal Caribbean cruises: exec By Minh Anh Sat, February 24, 2024 | 11:06 am GMT+7 Vietnam and the UNESCO-recognized Ha Long Bay are important stops for Royal Caribbean cruises, said Wendy Yamazaki, regional vice president, government relations (Asia) of Royal Caribbean Group. Vietnam is one of the three favorite destinations in Asia, along with Thailand and Singapore, Yamazaki said at a meeting with Quang Ninhs Chairman Cao Tuong Huy on Friday as the Celebrity Solstice cruise ship docked in Ha Long Bay. Quang Ninhs Chairman Cao Tuong Huy presents a symbol of Ha Long Bay to Wendy Yamazaki, regional vice president, government relations (Asia) of Royal Caribbean Group, in the province, February 23, 2024. Photo courtesy of Quang Ninh newspaper. Yamazaki highly spoke of Quang Ninhs efforts to boost cruise tourism, including the construction of the first exclusive cruise ship quay in Vietnam. She also expressed hope to increase cooperation with the northern province by introducing more attractive cruise tourism offers that suit the diverse demands of international tourists, particularly high-spending travelers. The executive suggested the provincial government further loosen visa requirements, expand its visa exemption policy, and increase the application of technology in processing immigration procedures. Royal Caribbean Groups Celebrity Solstice cruise ship docks in Ha Long Bay, Quang Ninh province, northern Vietnam, February 23, 2024. Photo courtesy of Quang Ninh newspaper. For his part, Huy noted that the Vietnamese government and Quang Ninh pay great attention to boosting cruise tourism, which has been present in the province since the 1990s, and have created favorable conditions to lure more cruise tourists. He proposed Royal Caribbean make Ha Long Bay one of its regular stops and advise the local government on how to turn this attraction into a major cruise tourism hub like Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan and South Korea. Launched in 1969, Royal Caribbean sails itineraries to over 270 destinations in more than 60 countries on six continents, including Ha Long Bay and several stops in Vietnam. We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Go to form Orangeburg County Sheriffs Office Someone shot a home, vehicles and more near Eutawville at 11 a.m. Tuesday, according to an incident report. Two brothers reported they were in their Huger Street home when they heard gunshots. They went outside to check on a dog. The brothers then heard another round of shots. The shots were fired from a white car that was driving by the house after turning around on the dead-end street. The brothers dropped to the ground. One of the brothers said they found their roommate underneath the house with what looked like a firearm. The roommate allegedly told the brothers that some members of his family might have been trying to shoot him. After about five minutes, the roommate got into his vehicle and left, the brothers said. Bullets damaged the front gate, two vehicles, two enclosed utility trailers and the home. If anyone has information about the shooting, they are asked to call Crimestoppers at 1-888-CRIME-SC. Callers dont have to give their names. In an unrelated report, someone broke into an Orangeburg business at 11 p.m. Tuesday and stole a tool set and $500 in quarters. Surveillance video shows a man breaking into the back of 301 Coin Laundry and Car Wash, located at 1083 Five Chop Road. The man was wearing a blue hoodie, blue jeans, white shoes, gloves and a white mask. The man rummaged through the office. He seemed to turn a surveillance camera to face a wall. Surveillance video shows the man leaving on a yellow bicycle with two backpacks. The value of the stolen quarters and tools is $1,000. 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. 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. WASHINGTON Two years after Russias invasion of Ukraine, members of Arizonas congressional delegation remain just as divided as ever on what role the U.S. should play in the war as it enters its third year. While many of the states Republicans are increasing their calls to take a hard look at the $75 billion in aid so far and a pending request for $60 billion more, Democrats have steadfastly called for aid to continue, saying it is now more important now than ever. Two years in, it is more clear than ever what (Russian President Vladimir) Putins intent is, and its not to stop at Ukraine. It is to have Russian troops march forward into NATO territory, Rep. Greg Stanton, D-Phoenix, said Friday. That is unacceptable to America. But some GOP members said it is not in the best interest of the U.S. to get further involved in a war that continues to drag on. After nearly two years, no one can still tell me what victory looks like and what Americas national interests are, said Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Gilbert, in a social media post Friday. If we cannot answer these basic questions, we shouldnt be shelling out $100+ billion to Ukraine. The debate comes as the Biden administration announced economic sanctions against an additional 500 organizations and individuals in Russia for its repression, human rights abuses and aggression against Ukraine, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Friday. The new sanctions come just a week after the death last week of Russian dissident Alexei Navalny in a Siberian prison, a death President Joe Biden blamed squarely on Putin. The new U.S. sanctions bring the total number of economic targets in Russia to more than 4,000 since the start of the war. The war began on Feb. 23, 2022, when Russian troops that had been massing at the border rolled into Ukraine and began a drive toward the capital, Kyiv. But the invasion bogged down and Ukrainian forces quickly pushed the Russians back to the eastern edge of the country, which Russia had invaded along with Crimea in 2014. The war has moved little since. The invasion brought a flood of military and other support from Western nations, but none more so than the U.S., which has sent more than $75 billion in military, economic and humanitarian assistance, according to the Council on Foreign Relations. The Biden administration has since asked for another $60 billion in aid as part of a $95 billion package that would also send aid to Israel and Taiwan. But that funding struggled in the Senate, which passed it Feb. 13 after weeks of debate, and it now faces even stronger opposition in the House. Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Bullhead City, has been skeptical of Ukraine funding since the beginning offering at one point to arrange an Arizona summit between Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. He did not respond to a request for comment Friday, but he made his position clear in an October statement on the administrations request for a joint package of Ukrainian and Israeli aid. I will vote for necessary funding to assist Israel in its time of need but if it is combined with billions more for Ukraine, I will vote no, Gosar wrote then. I have voted against every dime spent supporting the proxy war in Ukraine and I will not start now just because it is wrapped in an Israeli flag. Many GOP opponents of Ukrainian aid were like Rep. Eli Crane, R-Oro Valley, who said America has problems at home that it should address first. He said Democrats ignore our border, disrespect your tax dollars, and refuse to push for peace. Not all of Arizonas Republicans have opposed aid for Ukraine. Republican Reps. David Schweikert of Fountain Hills and Juan Ciscomani of Tucson have both voted for Ukrainian aid, receiving an A rating from the Republicans for Ukraine coalition. The same coalition gave Crane, Gosar and Biggs an F, while Rep. Debbie Lesko, R-Peoria, got a C for voting against one aid package. Like Stanton, Democratic Reps. Ruben Gallego of Phoenix and Raul Grijalva of Tucson have continued in their support for Ukraine and their condemnation of Putins actions. The states senators, independent Kyrsten Sinema and Democrat Mark Kelly, did not respond to requests for comment Friday but have consistently supported aid for Ukraine, and both voted for the latest package on Feb. 13. Stanton pointed to the death of Navalny as evidence of what Putin is willing to do in order to stay as an authoritarian leader and reestablish the old Soviet Union. Not supporting Ukraine now would be one of the worst foreign policy mistakes in American history, he said. (It) would be a mistake that we would forever regret for years and decades from now that we did not do what we needed to do to support our ally, Ukraine, in the fight against tyranny, the fight against authoritarianism, and the fight to protect the rest of Europe, Stanton said. Question: I am considering having a pool built. What are some things I need to consider? Answer: Before you start digging, you need to determine the primary functions of the pool. Do you only want to take a dip, or do you want to swim laps, do water aerobics, use it for entertaining, family fun, or something else? Consider whether you want water features such as a waterfall, water fountain, special lighting, shade structures, or a tanning deck. While you may not know the cost of your wish list, it is important to have a budget in mind before meeting with potential contractors. Q: What should I know about hiring a pool contractor? A: Selecting a pool contractor is no different than a home remodeler or painter. Do your homework. Check out the How to Choose a Contractor guide at tucne.ws/contractors. This is a critical step in the pool-building process. You want a local builder who has been in the pool-building business for at least five years. Seek out contractors with solid reputations, outstanding testimonials, and most importantly, are licensed by the Arizona Registrar of Contractors, which means they are bonded and insured. Martin Lopez, owner, of Omni Pool Building & Design, a Rosie on the House certified partner, stresses that the pool builder you select should place safety at the forefront of your project. Q: Is visiting a pool showroom worth the trip? A: Yes, it is. Another important part of building a pool is selecting a contractor who has an extensive showroom. Im not talking about a 10x20 space with stacks of tiles and boxes of equipment. I mean a contractor who showcases extensive displays of tile, finishes, decking, lighting fixtures, pool and spa accessories, safety features, equipment and anything related to the pool. For example, Omnis new showroom offers many special features, including presentation rooms, a materials room and a comparison room. The real advantage of our design center lies in the comparison room that serves as an educational hub, says Lopez. Because there are so many styles, colors, shapes, and materials for the pools surface and decking, you must see and compare them in person. Some builders have a full-size pool on-site. This is especially helpful when considering colors and materials. You can place samples in the sunlit water and see how they look. Or you can come back at night to see how they will look with the LED lights on. The colors are quite different in the water than on a showroom wall. Instead of guessing how the colors will look together based on a website or brochure, match different colored tiles in person to see how pavers and stones can be included in your swimming pool design. When these are in front of you, you will get a clear idea of what your pool will look like. At the showroom, you will meet the staff and see how they interact with each other. Experiencing their interactions will give you a glimpse into how well they communicate with each other, which is very important. A builder who can show you on a large screen what your pool will look like is ideal. Being in the showroom allows the designer and you to discuss changes they can make on the spot and in front of you. Lopez explains that when visiting a showroom for the first time, you should expect an experience centered around inspiration and education. A showroom is not just about showcasing products and services; its about engaging with the community. Customers can meet with their team, exchange ideas, and gain valuable insights into the pool-building process. When you leave a showroom, you should have a clear picture of your swimming pool and how it will be built and maintained so you can enjoy it hassle-free for decades. Let the professionals guide you through the process, and soon you will be swimming. Arizona has extended the Free Application for Federal Student Aid priority deadline for the states public universities to May 1 after nationwide delays and challenges with the form. The FAFSA, as its known, has been extended by the Arizona Board of Regents for those hoping to attend the University of Arizona, Arizona State University and Northern Arizona University. The previous deadline was April 1. Between 8,000 and 10,000 Arizona students who have Social Security numbers but whose parents do not are unable to fill out the form. Those students qualify for federal aid and have the right to fill out the FAFSA, but because of issues with the form, cannot right now. Other students have encountered issues with the amount of federal aid they are being awarded. The financial aid application is used for more than 17 million students nationwide and is meant to award federal money to help students cover the cost of college through federal student loans, work-study jobs and Pell Grants for low-income students. The FAFSA was overhauled this year after Congress passed a law ordering the U.S. Department of Education to make widespread changes to the system. The hope was to make it easier to fill out and to give better access to low-income families. But it has been repeatedly delayed after incorrectly calculating the aid for students and possibly mishandling Pell Grants. Low-income and first-generation students will be affected the most, said Jane Kuhn, the Arizona Board of Regents chief enrollment and student success officer. The impact, especially on the Pell Grants, has hit Arizona hard because the number of students who are Pell Grant eligible here is relatively high compared to other states. The impact of this failure of the DOE falls very heavily on our shoulders relative to other states, said Regent Lyndel Manson. Instead of coming out in October, the new form was released Dec. 30, 2023. And now, colleges and university financial aid officers wont get students data until mid-March while the Department of Education works to fix glitches in the forms new system. I am absolutely mind boggled that our Department of Education, which is in charge of providing funds to low-income students to attend college, actually put out a brand-new system and brand-new form without running them side by side, without doing any form of beta testing, Manson said at Thursdays ABOR meeting. This is absolutely unacceptable. The delays and complications with the form have already affected Arizona students. Just 15.7% of Arizona high school seniors have completed the FAFSA as of early February, compared to 22.5% nationally, according to ABOR. More than 29,100 Arizona resident students had already completed their form by early February last year, compared to just over 15,800 this year. John Arnold, executive director of ABOR, said the FAFSA issues have been incredibly frustrating because the board has invested millions of dollars over the last two years to change the trajectory of FAFSA completion in the state, which has been very low. Arnold said the efforts to increase FAFSA completion were working until the Department of Education changed the form. It has destroyed all those efforts, he said. I mean millions of dollars that we spent to address this particular issue. According to research from the National College Access Network, high school seniors who complete the FAFSA are 84% more likely to immediately enroll in postsecondary education. ABOR has launched a new website, College Ready AZ, to offer FAFSA resources and recommendations for students and families. The site also includes a FAFSA updates page with tips and experts to help families navigate current challenges. More than 200 people grilled, criticized and occasionally spouted a "rant" to state environmental regulators about a proposed groundwater quality permit for the massive Copper World mining complex in the Santa Rita Mountains. They overflowed a middle school meeting room in the heart of Corona de Tucson north of those mountains to make it clear they have no use for this mine. They also made it clear they don't trust the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality to properly monitor it or enforce the permit's requirements. At issue at the public meeting was whether ADEQ should issue an Aquifer Protection Permit for Copper World, the complex that would be built mainly on private land about 30 miles south of Tucson. Copper World would mine copper on the Santa Ritas' east and west slopes for 44 years, creating 400 permanent, high-paying jobs. The mining company, Hudbay Minerals Inc., has projected that income from those jobs and other factors would generate another 3,000 jobs. A map displayed by ADEQ officials showed the project having six open pits, on the mountains' west and east slopes, including the project's original Rosemont Mine pit on the east slope. The map also showed two tailings storage-disposal areas, a waste rock disposal facility and a large, horizontal swath cutting across the land to show where heap leaching will occur to extract copper from ore. The permit is supposed to insure that discharges from the mine won't degrade underlying aquifers and that the project will discharge as few pollutants as possible or none, if that's determined to be technically and economically feasible. It's one of the few major permits needed for the mine to start construction. That's because the Copper World project, unlike its predecessor, the now-dormant Rosemont Mine proposal, won't use much public land in its early years. ADEQ officials, who have already issued a draft permit for the project, pitched it at Tuesday's meeting as a "protective" permit, one that would severely limit pollution discharges and insure they'd be captured before they seeped into the underlying aquifer. But among the complaints and concerns raised were: Several speakers objected to the fact that, under current state law, a permit applicant, in this case Hudbay, self-monitors all the wells installed at its site rather than ADEQ. A statement to that effect by ADEQ's Wayne Harrison drew boos, hisses and derisive laughter from the crowd. The audience was upset that the state would have to rely on the company to tell the truth about what's in monitoring wells installed across the facility to catch any contaminants that seep into them. "In Arizona, the Legislature decided that our monitoring programs are self monitoring programs," said Harrison, an environmental and engineering geologist. "I do hear some concern about that. The Legislature would be an appropriate place to take that concern." Gary Townshend told ADEQ officials, "So Hudbay is going to drill those wells. They are going to monitor the water. They are going to report back to you. If anything goes over the limits. So Hudbay being a for-profit mining company with shareholders. What will be their incentive to give you accurate information?" If you go The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality will hold a public hearing on a proposed Aquifer Protection Permit for the Copper World Mine Project from 6 to 8 p.m. on March 5. People can testify but ADEQ officials at the hearing can't respond to audience comments or questions. The hearing will be held at the Corona Foothills Middle School, 16705 S. Houghton Road, in the Corona de Tucson area of the unincorporated community of Vail. To submit a written comment to ADEQ, use this link: azdeq.commentinput.com/?id=A9McgdYEZ The public comment period expires at 11:59 p.m. March 11. ADEQ officials replied that the maximum fine for violations is $25,000 per violation per day, for every monitoring well found to have pollution exceeding state standards. A permit holder must perform "corrective action" at every monitoring well where contaminant levels exceed state standards. If Hudbay has any violations, it will have to notify the state no later than five days after discovering them. "What happens to our groundwater in the meantime?" a resident asked, about the interval after a violation is discovered, the company notifies the state and the violation is corrected. The agency has an ongoing enforcement case right now in which a facility which ADEQ didn't identify "basically lied, and we are going after them with enforcement penalties." "If they do lie, if we do have members of Hudbay here, the short answer is ;We'll do something'," an agency official said, with at least one Hudbay official and a company spokeswoman present. ADEQ permit requirements For Hudbay Minerals Inc. to get an Aquifer Protection Permit for its Copper World mine from the state, it must meet either the first and second or the first and third of these three requirements: 1. That its mining facilities will be designed, built and operated to ensure the company will reduce its discharges to the greatest degree achievable by using "the best available demonstrated control technology, processes, operating methods or other alternatives." If it's practical to do it, one such technology could be designed to allow no pollutant discharges. 2. That any pollutants discharged won't "cause or contribute" to aquifer water quality standards at the "point of compliance." That is typically the point lying in the uppermost aquifer under the site at the farthest downhill edge of the area where pollutants are or will be placed. 3. That no pollutants discharged will further degrade at that same point the quality of any aquifer that already violates state aquifer quality standards at the time the permit is issued. "They can do business as they see fit. The government cant come in and say you have to drive an EV," the official said. "Were not California. They can do what they want to do and how they want to do it. Were here to make sure they are in accordance with the law." ADEQ permit requirements For Hudbay Minerals Inc. to get an Aquifer Protection Permit for its Copper World mine from the state, it must meet either the first and second or the first and third of these three requirements: 1. That its mining facilities will be designed, built and operated to ensure the company will reduce its discharges to the greatest degree achievable by using "the best available demonstrated control technology, processes, operating methods or other alternatives." If it's practical to do it, one such technology could be designed to allow no pollutant discharges. 2. That any pollutants discharged won't "cause or contribute" to aquifer water quality standards at the "point of compliance." That is typically the point lying in the uppermost aquifer under the site at the farthest downhill edge of the area where pollutants are or will be placed. 3. That no pollutants discharged will further degrade at that same point the quality of any aquifer that already violates state aquifer quality standards at the time the permit is issued. Residents complained that the state has no drinking water standards for uranium, which occurs naturally in some Tucson-area soils. They also raised concerns that the state standard for arsenic in drinking water is much weaker than the federal standard with the Arizona limit five times greater than the federal limit. "How will that be monitored if you dont have an objective third party" to do it, asked Nina Luxenberg. "Theres no recourse. You're setting us up to lose our groundwater. We have critical issues with water right now and its only going to get worse." Ethan Leiter, an ADEQ permits manager, told the crowd that the agency does plan to adopt a drinking water limit for uranium later this year, and is early in the process of involving interested parties. Plans are also afoot to tighten state arsenic drinking water standards, he said. "The aquifer water quality standards, once they're adopted, the facility will be required to do monitoring for them" said Leiter, ADEQ's groundwater protection individual permits unit manager. Mari Sorri was also concerned about a lack of state water quality standards for sulfates, a less toxic pollutant that was found in drinking and monitoring wells at and near Freeport McMoRan's Sierrita Mine in Green Valley. If ADEQ receives enough public comments showing that "sulfate is getting a lot of interest, it would be something we could entertain seriously," Leiter said. "Our goal is to issue a protective permit. If there are some comments we can leverage to find a solution, and work with the permittee, we will do it," he said. Luxenberg and several others complained that the state is "doing things backwards" because it will permit the facility and allow it to start operating before monitoring wells are drilled to allow the agency to obtain natural background levels of contaminants in groundwater. "Were already disturbing the habitat. We're trying to get them to find a way to mine responsibly. Its not possible. Theyre a foreign corporation," Luxenberg said of the Toronto-based Hudbay. "Let's just say now that we know it's going to be a disaster." Susan Waites told ADEQ, "Monitoring wells are essential to know whether there's contamination. Why not require monitoring and evaluation of compliance before Copper World gets to submit the application? Does ADEQ have leeway or discretion to change things around a little bit?" "If Copper World can start construction before monitoring wells are in place, how will you know if it's natural or from mining construction" if there's contamination, Waites asked. ADEQ's Leiner replied that until they get a full design for the mine, "we can't determine locations of the wells." They will represent locations of the "point of compliance," a legal term meaning wells that show whether a pollutant discharger is in compliance with state rules. "Our main point of concern relates to appropriately characterizing the aquifer before operations. Were identifying if there are any anomalies explained, and follow up based on that." Aa Leiter methodically described the steps Hudbay must take to carry out its permit conditions if it's approved, a resident blurted out, "So its already going to happen." "I understand the problem caused on my use of present, past and future," the ADEQ official replied. "Ill keep that straight." "Decisions have been made. I think you're keeping it straight," the speaker said. "Decisions have not been made," was ADEQ's reply. The company's permit application has to show where the mine facility will be located, what type of facility it is, and its proposed design, Harrison said. An application must provide basic information about the site's hydrology and geology, groundwater depth and flow direction. Applicants also need to provide a proposed monitoring well network, including facilities with the ability to conduct discharge monitoring and leak detection. Financial assurances must be provided to the state in case the mining company went out of business, he said. "Then there is the contingency plan requirement, which addresses various contingencies, such as what happens if you get exceedance in a well" of a water quality standard, he said. Dennis Winston, a geologic engineer, said he's read the permit and noticed a number of constraints on the mine and "they are probably good ones." "My concern is there are no repercussions, there are no consequence if those rules are not met. The permit in terms of what they trying to do is probably OK. But there no teeth in it there. It's a toothless permit," he said. Do you have a question or is it more of a comment, an ADEQ official asked him. "It's a rant, something Id call a rant," Winston replied. For more than a century, the Colorado River Compact has been the legal force setting up allocations of river water that persist even though all parties now realize the seven river basin states were promised for more water than the river normally carries. But now, as drought and climate change have slashed flows in the already over-allocated river, the states including Arizona are getting too close for comfort to reaching what two river experts call a Colorado River Compact tripwire. Simply put, in a few years the four Upper Basin states may no longer meet their legal obligations to deliver river water to the three Lower Basin states, including Arizona, say the two researchers, Eric Kuhn and John Fleck. The concern arises as the seven states appear likely not to reach a federal goal of agreeing to a comprehensive, long-term settlement by the end of March on how to curb overuse of the river water. If the states fail to reach agreement, it raises a possibility previously seen as unthinkable a legal conflict over what the 1922 compact requires for delivery of water to the Lower Basin. Divvying up water rights, the compact gave the Upper Basin states 7.5 million acre-feet, the Lower Basin states up to 8.5 million, and Mexico another 1.5 million. Now, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation wants to start analyzing by March how to cut water use, but it first wants the states to come up with their own proposal. Thats for an environmental review to help set new guidelines for how the river will be managed once the current guidelines expire at the end of 2026. The guidelines from 2007 are now universally called inadequate to deal with the Colorados continually declining flows. But the Upper and Lower Basin states are so far from agreement on a seven-state plan that theyre now preparing separate plans. Given the complexity of the challenges and the short amount of time for an initial submittal, it is possible that a consensus 7-state alternative may not be achieved within the next month, the Upper Basin states said in a joint statement. After the initial submission, the Upper Basin states hope to work with Lower Basin states ""to refine the two basin alternatives into a single consensus alternative," the statement said. Jeffrey Kightlinger, former general manager of a six-county Southern California water district, agreed a seven-state pact by March is unlikely although one could be reached by December. But I think the Lower Basin is very close to coming up with agreement among themselves on how it should be managed, said Kightlinger, who consults for Southern Californias Imperial Irrigation District west of Yuma but said these comments represent only his views. Many state officials, water researchers and legal experts have said an agreement is critical to avoid a protracted legal fight over the compact. Litigation, they say, could paralyze management of the river for years. But in a blog post last month, Fleck and Kuhn noted that while the states agree the compact should be the foundation of a seven-state agreement, they cant even agree on how much water the compact requires the Upper Basin states to deliver from Lake Powell to Lake Mead in the Lower Basin. If the Upper Basin cant meet its delivery obligations, the concern is that the Lower Basin states would put forth a compact call. That would try to force the Upper Basin to curtail its river water use, through litigation if necessary. The compact is part of the Law of the River, a collection of laws, regulations, court rulings and historical precedents governing river operations, which the seven states also say should be a foundation for their ultimate agreement. The states agree that the Law of the River has to be the basis of what we do, but dont agree on what the Law of the River actually says. Without an agreement on this fundamental issue, calling the 1922 Compact a foundation is nothing more than self-delusional wishful thinking, Kuhn and Fleck wrote. Who should take the cuts? Today, the Lower Basin states have committed to conserving enough water to eliminate the rivers structural deficit. It represents a gap between water supply and demand that most experts have agreed would exist even if human-caused climate change hadnt helped slash annual river flows 20% since 2000. Different parties have estimated the structural deficits size at 1.2 million, 1.5 million or 2 million acre-feet or more. The lower numbers arent far from what the bureau recently estimated in a new study is the amount of water the river loses annually to evaporation below Hoover Dam. Since evaporation loss has never been compensated for by water users before, saving that much water would be considered a major accomplishment. But most researchers and government officials agree that if the river continues its current aridification, or drying due to increased temperatures, more cuts will be needed. Thats where the disagreements start. Upper Basin officials, led by Colorado River Commissioner for Colorado Becky Mitchell, wont yet commit to water use reductions. Thats partly because Upper Basin states use much less river water every year than Lower Basin states. They say they welcome the Lower Basins willingness to tackle the structural deficit but want more details on how those cuts will be parceled out. As those states officials see it, Upper Colorado Basin users already take regular cutbacks, losing some of their allocated river supplies in many years due to natural shortages on the rivers tributaries. Thats where many farmers there get river water. By contrast, Arizona and other Lower Basin states supplies are stored in reservoirs and are delivered in amounts set by contract. Upper Basin supplies vary yearly, based on how much melted snow flows down tributaries. Upper division states are willing to do our part. Were willing to conserve water in ways that work for water users, Mitchell said on a public webinar Colorado officials organized on Feb. 15. But folks across the basin need to understand that our own users dont have certainty of supply. They (often) get less than what they need. This is how it goes when you rely on snowpack instead of reservoirs. We cant expect certainty for others when we dont have certainty ourselves, Mitchell said. We have not had the benefit of knowing exactly what we are gong to get the following year. She also said Lower Basin state officials have sought a reduction in Upper Basin usage to match whatever the Lower Basin agrees to cut. Youve probably heard lower basin states call for a 1 to 1 reduction. Thats not possible in the Upper Basin. Were living way below the compact allocation. I dont think anyone should be rewarded for overdeveloping when others are not. It sounds like a simple and compelling message, but its misleading. As for cutting beyond the structural deficit, Mitchell said, How do we move beyond that? What is the mechanism to do that? What does it look like? What we do know is that if more than 1.5 is needed, chances are we in the Upper Basin are already taking a hit. Senior water rights already being cut. If the water is not there it cant be delivered. Dont just cut us, Lower Basin says In response, J.B. Hamby, Colorado River commissioner for California, recently told the Desert Sun of Palm Springs that a successful plan cant put all the pain on one basin or another, or one user or another. The only successful path forward is for everyone to compromise. For 19 million Southern Californians, millions of acres of prime irrigated farmland, Lower Basin tribes, Las Vegas and Central Arizona to exclusively bear the weight of drought and climate change is not only not equitable, thats iniquity, Hamby told the Arizona Daily Star. Said Kightlinger, What Im seeing right now is that the Upper Basin is not trying to reach a deal. Theyre looking for arguments to bolster their position. Theyre trying to make this about the Lower Basin. so they dont have to do anything, said Kightlinger, former general manager of Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. The other Lower Basin representatives to the negotiations the Arizona Department of Water Resources and the Southern Nevada Water Authority wont comment. The Interior Department, Reclamations parent agency, offered only a very general statement about the negotiations. The Biden-Harris administration remains committed to ensuring the long-term sustainability of the Colorado River Basin for decades to come based on the best-available science and with robust input from stakeholders across the West, the statement said. We continue to work with Basin states, tribes, and other stakeholders to support the exploration and development of a broad range of alternatives and foster collaborative, consensus-based approaches to alternative development. When do compact violations exist? The 1922 compact requires the Upper Basin states to deliver at least 75 million acre-feet of water to the Lower Basin over a decade. All parties to the dispute agree to that. No agreement exists as to whether the Upper Basin must deliver another 750,000 acre feet over 10 years to help satisfy the feds obligation to deliver water to Mexico. Thats how the Lower Basin states have long interpreted the compact, Fleck and Kuhn wrote. The Upper Basin says their obligation stops at 75 million acre-feet over a decade, Fleck and Kuhn wrote. That issue and the question of how to deal with Colorado River tributaries in Arizona have been disputed for decades, Kuhn wrote in a separate post Feb. 22. (These issues) are, of course, totally inter-related, and when one peels back the layers of each, the problems get so complicated that the only real solution may be for the basins states and other stakeholders to ignore their past positions and grievances and negotiate a river management approach that works on the river we have today, even if that means changing the compact, Kuhn wrote. Theres also no consensus over whether the Upper Basin is actually close to failing to meet a legal obligation. Upper Basin officials and some scholars argue that a key reason for the decline in flows from lakes Powell to Mead is climate change not because Upper Basin states are depleting them. Other scholars disagree. Neither one of us are lawyers, and when I think of that position as a non-lawyer, put yourself in the shoes of the Supreme Court, Kuhn told the Star. If you do, youre gonna recognize if they have to reinterpret the compact because of climate change, its going to be every water compact in the West (that could come under legal scrutiny). That would be a huge precedent. One side or the other will be looking at it and say, Im not getting what I thought I would get due to climate change, Kuhn said, adding he assumes cooler heads will prevail before litigation occurs. A distant threat draws closer Until now, the issue of possible compact violations seemed distant. For many years, the river delivered nearly 8.25 million acre-feet on average, annually, to the Lower Basin. From 2015 through 2019, 9 million acre-feet a year rolled down the river to Mead, spurring charges from Upper Basin officials that the Lower Basin was draining Lake Powell. For comparison, 9 million acre-feet is what the Central Arizona Project canal system at its peak sent from the river to Phoenix and Tucson over six years. The 10-year flow to the Lower Basin from 2014 through 2023 was 86.4 million acre-feet, far above what the compact requires, Fleck and Kuhn pointed out. But releases have generally withered of late, save for a very wet 2023. For the next three years, Reclamation expects to release only 7.48 million acre-feet a year to Mead. If that trend holds, the Lower Basin will be getting 83 million over the 10 years ending in 2026 -- only 500,000 acre-feet above the minimal delivery as the Lower Basin states see it. Until new federal guidelines are adopted, its not known what the annual release will be in 2027, but if its even below about 8.5 million acre-feet, the 10-year flow through that year could drop below the tripwire, triggering compact issues, their blog said. That trend could worsen if heavy releases of 2018 and 2019 are replaced in the 10-year picture by much lower releases in 2028 and 2029, Fleck and Kuhn said. If the rivers hydrology stays dry, its very safe to say it will happen, said Kuhn of releases dropping below their possible legal minimum. The possibility of compact issues arising in the near term could and should influence how we share this river through the seven-state negotiations, Fleck added. In the past we got away with avoiding this problem. There was a bunch of extra water, he said. The reality is that we are either going to negotiate in the next 3 years a water sharing solution among the 7 states, or, if we cross the tripwire, we end up with disastrous litigation. No agreement on how much water is used A possible way out of the current morass would be for the Upper Basin to agree to some additional cuts in their water use, the two researchers said. In return, Lower Basin states would agree to cut their use further than theyve already agreed to do, and to not litigate over the compact. Its a compromise where both sides have to give in some on their entrenched legal positions, Fleck said. If the Upper Basin wasnt constantly being threatened with a compact call, maybe they would be more willing to participate in taking cuts, said Elizabeth Koebele, an associate political science professor and water researcher at the University of Nevada-Reno. But today, the states cant even agree on how much water the Lower Basin states use or overuse. Colorado commissioner Mitchells office has been regularly circulating a slide showing the Lower Basin used at least 10.39 million acre-feet annually from 2020 through 2022. She compared that to Upper Basin use of no more than 4.5 million acre feet annually in those years. She counts 1.1 million acre-feet of annual Lower Basin evaporation as strictly Lower Basin use. Some Lower Basin researchers say all states should account for evaporation in their use because they all share benefits of the river and its reservoirs. A bigger flash point is that Mitchells numbers include 2.2 million acre-feet a year in Lower Basin mainly Arizona use of Colorado River tributaries. Those include the Gila, Salt and Verde Rivers in central and eastern Arizona. Both cities and farms in those areas draw upon them for much of their supplies. The Colorado Water Conservation Board pulled that figure from a Bureau of Reclamation report about river water uses and losses for 2001 through 2005 the most recent report the agency said was available. Provisional data that Colorado received verbally from the bureau shows similar Lower Basin tributary use from 2006 through 2015, the slide says. The Star asked the bureau on Monday if this statement can be verified. On Friday, Becki Bryant, a bureau spokeswoman, responded, We havent had a chance to review the document and compare numbers. Imperials Hambys response to Mitchell is that the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in its landmark, 1963 Arizona v. California decision over river water supplies that Arizona didnt need to count the tributary water use toward its allocation. Colorados Kuhn, however, said that decision looked strictly at the meaning of the 1928 Boulder Canyon Project Act that authorized Hoover Dams construction not the 1922 compact. The Upper Basin states are using tributary use figures to try to bring water use of the Salt River Project a Phoenix utility that serves Salt and Verde river water to cities and farms into the negotiations and try to force cutbacks there, Kuhn said. When you start bringing SRP into the negotiations, it becomes an enormously complicated issue, Kuhn said. If SRPs use is at risk, its the kind of thing that would set politics in Arizona upside down. In Colorado, Mitchell uses the slide with a great deal of success, as a communications strategy, Kuhn said. The bottom line is that the messaging is effective. But newer data from the Bureau of Reclamation shows that generally, the SRP water use has been trending downwards over the past few decades, said Kathryn Sorensen, research director for Arizona State Universitys Kyl Center for Water Policy. The numbers (from Colorado officials) dont make sense to me. They are based on extrapolations of data that is twenty years old, Sorensen said. Playing games with the numbers Kightlinger accuses Colorados Mitchell of playing games with the numbers. For one, he noted that in the last couple of years, the Lower Basins diversions from the river not counting tributaries were closer to 6 million acre-feet a year, and it dropped slightly below that in an unusually wet 2023. As for her use of tributaries, Shes not following the law or protocol. Shes just coming up with a way to boost this number up. Its a lot of rhetoric. Its not honest. Mitchells office didnt respond to these comments. Could a compact call happen? The Upper Basin states said in their statement that. "We remain optimistic that the 7 Basin States will be able to reach a consensus on a 7 State alternative." Kightlinger isn't so sure of that A year ago, Kightlinger would have said that an Upper-Lower Basin struggle over the compact that could head to court was highly unlikely, he said. Now, I think theres a reasonable chance it could happen, he said. Based on the rhetoric I hear from the Upper Basin, I see them drawing a fairly firm line, he said. But, a lot of times people posture till the brink, then in the heart of hearts they know they need to make a deal, he said. Theyve always managed to resolve things over the last couple of decades. For now, theres not even a formal process for the Lower Basin to initiate a compact call or to participate in a decision carrying one out, said Fleck, Kuhn and Sarah Porter, director of ASUs Kyl center. Under a 1948 compact signed by the Upper Basin states, the Lower Basin states could ask for a water use cut from the Upper Colorado River Commission, which has four members representing Upper Basin states and one representing the feds. But Kuhn said he doesnt see the commission agreeing to one unless members thought it would lose in court. Otherwise, a call is basically unenforceable, Porter said. Once a week, Mike Hultquist Jr. slips an insert into the menus of his family's longstanding South Fourth Avenue Mexican restaurant. It's printed on heavy bond paper with the word "Specials" in a font that screams "pay attention." It is there that you will find the classically-trained chef showcasing his creativity on adrenaline: spicy mushroom and potato enchiladas that made you forget you ever ate meat was among the plant-based offerings on an early January menu, alongside classic albondigas teaming with ramen one of two Asian-Mexican fusion soups, and a funky mac 'n' cheese with bacon and elote (Mexican street corn). El Torero was known for the two by two and the one by one, these lunch specials that people really loved, Hultquist said, but when he introduced the special menu a couple of years ago, "it showed people that were not just some boring, same old recipe every day restaurant. We're experimenting. Let me show you how good we are at what we've been doing for 79 years, but let me show what we also can do because were cooks." Hultquist is among the next gen running their families' historic restaurants on South Fourth Avenue in the City of South Tucson. They are not only keeping their families' legacies alive but reinforcing the culinary identity those restaurants established for the square-mile city. When people say where is South Tucson, you say, thats where Mi Nidito is and people know," said Mayor Paul Diaz. Restaurants are our No. 1 economic driver. Without them, we wouldn't survive. Every restaurant along the South Fourth Avenue corridor is the lifeline of South Tucson, said interim City Manager Veronica Moreno. "It is our lifeline." There are seven restaurants along the South Fourth Avenue corridor, which starts with the 68-year-old El Torero at 231 E. 26th St. and ends with Micha's at 2908 S. Fourth Ave., which opened in 1976. An eighth, El Dorado, at 1949 S. Fourth Ave., that opened in 1959, closed during the pandemic era. Cafe Santa Rosa, 2615 S. Sixth St., is the newest; it opened in 2019 after moving from its flagship location on South 12th Avenue. Among the legacy restaurants on that stretch is Guillermo's Double L, which opened in 1948. Mi Nidito and Sue's Fish & Chips both opened in 1952. The granddaddy of them all: Crossroads opened as a drive-in back in 1936. "People come in and say, 'Oh, I remember coming here when I was 5 or 6,'" said Aracely Gonzalez, who owns the restaurant with her husband Roberto. "It's just a (restaurant), but it's where people have had birthday parties and family get togethers for generations." The Gonzalezes are the second generation of Roberto's family to run Crossroads, which his father and uncle bought in 1979 from the original owners. The eatery has been closed since a fire last August that investigators ruled an arson. Aracely Gonzalez last week said they are expecting to begin reconstruction this month. Restaurants like Crossroads and El Torero are the heartbeat of the square-mile City of South Tucson, and not just because they rank in the city's top five economic drivers. I think when people think of South Tucson they think of the long-lasting restaurants," said Moreno, a City of South Tucson native who also wears the hats of city clerk and human resources director. "It describes our culture and it gives us identity. You have restaurants that go back to the 1950s. El Torero 231 E. 26th St., eltorerotucson.com, 520-622-9534 At El Torero, Michael Hultquist Jr. is carrying on the culinary legacy started by his great-aunt Adelina Borgaro, who opened the restaurant in 1956, and carried forward by his uncle Brad Hultquist and father Michael. The junior Hultquist, a 35-year-old father of one who is expecting his second child in April, remembers spending a lot of time as a kid in the kitchen of El Torero and Laroca, his mother's restaurant in Nogales, Sonora. "I would sit and talk to my grandmother (Carmen) in the kitchen and watch people work. Then I would slowly kind of jump in," he said. As a kid, Hultquist would run sodas to customers' tables. In his teens he ran errands for his father, who managed the family's other restaurant, Lerua's on East Broadway, owned by his grandmother Carmen. Lerua's closed in February 2019 a casualty of the prolonged Broadway road widening project. "Growing up in the industry for me was the man aboves plans, he said, but the younger Hultquist was thinking more along the lines of cozy bistro, not family Mexican restaurant. After cooking for a couple of years at The Dish, the former popular bistro at The Rumrunner on East Speedway, he enrolled in the San Diego Culinary Academy. His father said that when the class focused on Mexican food, the instructor turned it over to his son to teach. After cooking in a few nice restaurants in California, Hultquist Jr. came home and rejoined his father at Lerua's, where he began to tweak the menu. He added a couple of specials on a chalkboard then expanded it to offer a different twist beyond the tacos and burritos that had been the restaurant's signature alongside its green corn tamales. When the family was forced to close Lerua's, father and son migrated to El Torero. The restaurant had been closed since December 2018 when Michael Sr.'s brother Brad, who had run the restaurant for decades, suffered a brain aneurysm. Hultquist Jr. said they spent months cleaning the restaurant, installing new flooring, bathrooms and the bar and upgrading the utilities. When it came time to reopen, they realized that none of the restaurant's recipes were written down. Brad Hultquist and his longtime kitchen staff had committed them all to memory; with Brad's illness and the absence of those longtime staffers, Hultquist Jr. was at a loss of what to do. We really didnt know what to do. Brad didn't remember recipes," he said. "The cooks also barely remembered what they had been cooking. We kind of knew what the things were and how he would plate things, but (Brad) was having a hard time remembering what he was putting in his food. For us it was like, were going to make some food. It was kind of like fly by the seat of my pants." They also incorporated a few of the dishes from Lerua's, which confused some longtime customers. "People thought it was Lerua's," Hultquist said. "It took some time to get it right and I think weve finally nailed it. He rolled out the weekly special menus in 2019, testing the water to see if diners who had been coming to El Torero for generations were ready for a change. I just started putting them out there to see what people would receive," he said. Each of the dishes was made to order; although he and his staff did some minor prep, most of the cooking was on the fly. Before long, Hultquist's father said, diners started coming in specifically for the specials. People love it. That menu I put out has become its own following, Hultquist Jr. said. Theres a thing thats a fine line," he added about his restaurant and all the legacy restaurants on South Fourth. "You have to pay respect to where you come from and I think that people have forgotten that these tried and true places might not be hype from what social media says, but these places are hidden gems. They perpetuate history." Crossroads 2602 S. Fourth Ave., crossroadsfinemexican.com, 520-624-0395 When Aracely and Roberto Gonzalez took over Crossroads from Roberto's father and uncle, they knew they were handed the keys to one of the oldest restaurants on South Fourth Avenue. It had started as a burger and hot dog stand in 1936 before the original owners turned it into a drive-in. Families would pull into the parking lot and eat in their cars. When Gonzalez's father and uncle bought the restaurant from the original owners in 1979, they changed the menu to Mexican food and expanded the seating to create more of a sit-down restaurant. Roberto and Aracely bought the restaurant from Roberto's uncle in 2001 and for the most part have maintained the Mexican food legacy. They added a weekend buffet and a selection of Mexican soups including pozole and albondigas to the menu, along with chiles Crossroads bacon-wrapped green peppers stuffed with shrimp and topped with cheese. They also introduced desserts. "We have kept the same Sonoran cuisine. The only thing we added was a couple items to make it a more traditional restaurant," Aracely Gonzalez said. About 10 years ago, Aracely added catering services. "It's a place that people recognize and they don't want it to change a lot," she said. "I want to keep it the way the restaurant was known." Beyond those few tweaks, the restaurant concept is pretty much unchanged from when Roberto Gonzalez started washing cups at the restaurant when he was 5 years old, a tradition that the couple continued with their children. Their oldest son Roberto worked at the restaurant until he finished college and started his career. Son Cesar, 20, is a server and their two younger kids, 15-year-old Miguel and 14-year-old Isabella, help out on weekends. "You grow up with the family business," Aracely Gonzalez said. Crossroads has been closed since last August, when someone set fire to the restaurant. They expect to begin rebuilding sometime this month. Mi Nidito 1813 S. Fourth Ave., miniditorestaurant.com, 520-622-5081 The rain didnt stop anyone from forming a line outside Mi Nidito one Friday morning. As it drizzled, a few people stood outside the historic restaurant on South Fourth Avenue, patiently waiting for the doors to open at 11 a.m. One older woman in line was visiting the Mexican spot for the first time, asking people around her for their recommendations. Theres not a bad plate here, one man told her. For almost 72 years, Mi Nidito has been a staple in Tucson, with people flocking to the restaurant to try their famous chile rellenos or the Presidents Plate that includes a tamale, taco, beans, enchilada and chile relleno that Bill Clinton requested when he visited in 1999. Mi Nidito first popped up on the corner of South Fourth Avenue and East 29th Street in 1952. Ernesto Lopez initially wanted a tortilla factory, but his wife, Alicia, wanted a Mexican food restaurant. You know who won that argument, said Jimmy Lopez, the couple's grandson who now co-owns the restaurant. The younger Lopez runs Mi Nidito, which translates to my little nest, with his brother, Ernest Lopez III, making them the third generation to take the reigns after their father passed a few years ago. I've been working here 53 years and one of the things that I've enjoyed seeing is the generations after generations of families that have been coming here, Jimmy Lopez said. When I meet families, I meet the kids and they have kids. Now they bring their kids from generation to generation. When Mi Nidito first opened, the kitchen was in the area that is now the lobby. Over the years, Jimmy said they have renovated and expanded, adding more space to the dining area. They have also added a few new meals to the menu since Alicia was in the kitchen. Birria, cocido aka their vegetable soup, tortilla soup and nopalito enchiladas were all dishes that were later added to Alicias iconic menu. I remember when my grandmother used to cook here when we first opened she used small, two-, three-quart pots, Jimmy Lopez said. Even some their ingredients have changed, like the chile paste used for their red chile enchilada sauce or beef. Despite these changes, Mi Nidito strives to stay consistent, making sure youre getting a quality meal every time you stop by. In fact, Mi Nidito is so consistent, they even have some of the same employees from years ago. One of the waitresses has been at the restaurant for 44 years. One of the chefs, who started out as a line cook, has been around for about 50 years. Sue's Fish and Chips 2500 S. Fourth Ave., suesfishandchips.com, 520-622-5711 Sues Fish and Chips started out as a small fish in a big pond. In 1952, their trailer sat on the corner of South Fourth Avenue and East 35th Street among a sea of notable Mexican restaurants. Sue, the owner of the trailer, sold her battered and breaded fish and chips, a recipe that is still used to this day. Later, Sues Fish and Chips got a little bigger, upgrading their trailer into a small building with just a walk-up window. Sometimes they would bring the jukebox outside so people could dance in the area as they enjoyed their meals. Seventy-one years later, Sues Fish and Chips has now transformed into a big fish, earning its iconic status after years and years of serving fresh, fried fish in South Tucson in an actual building with a dining area. Darrel Rubnik and his wife, Therese, have been running Sues since 1996 when he bought the restaurant from Sues son-in-law, continuing the legacy. Just like in 1952, they still batter and bread their fish and shrimp; they also make their own special sauce and tartar sauce. Most importantly, Darrel only uses crinkle cut fries, saying crinkle cut tastes different from other fast food fries. I like the originality, Darrel said. People like it, and that's why we keep our menu. While the menu has mostly stayed the same, Darrel Rubnik has brought in some new dishes, including hush puppies and a few other appetizers. We only offer three things here: quality, service and pricing, he says. Micha's Restaurant 2908 S. Fourth Ave., michascatering.com, 520-623-5307 In May 1976, Michas Restaurant first opened its doors on the south end of South Fourth Avenue, with no advertising. The restaurant started out as just one little room. Artemisa Mariscal, one of the owners, would go take orders, walk over to the kitchen, cook their meals and bring out a Mexican feast. People would say she'd be in the booth making the albondigas and rolling the meat, now-owner Alex Franco said. Decades later, Michas still sits on the south end, keeping the spirit alive and serving up generational favorites, but in a much bigger spot. Artemisa and her husband, Gilbert, were the masterminds behind this popular Mexican place, but the restaurant is now in the third-generations hands. Their granddaughter, Denise Franco, and her husband Alex now look after Michas making sure it stays true to its legacy. Despite setbacks like the fire that severely damaged the restaurant in 2018 and the global pandemic, Franco and the rest of the Mariscal family continue to keep the lights on. There is a lot of stuff we had to deal with, Alex Franco said. We dealt with the fire, COVID and now pricing is going up and fluctuating. Its crazy. When it comes to keeping customers happy, Franco said he likes to keep it old school. They write out all their tickets and have a cashier to take payment. They even still use the original recipes from the restaurants early years, guaranteeing a quintessential Mexican meal every time you order. Albondigas, chicken fajitas, tamales, red chile enchiladas, flautas and carne aside tacos are all on the menu at Michas. However, their most popular dish continues to be the machaca, which is dried beef or pork. Their food and authentic atmosphere are what keeps families coming back for seconds. I think it's more family oriented, Franco said. We know a lot of the customers and we know their kids and their kids. Even though they like to keep things old school, Franco and the Mariscal family have added a few new things to the restaurant. Back in the '80s, they renovated the space to add more dining areas. The little one room eventually grew to five separate dining rooms. They also put the restaurant on delivery apps such as Door Dash and Uber Eats, so you can enjoy your machaca in the comfort of your home. Guillermo's Double L 1830 S. Fourth Ave., facebook.com/GuillermosDoubleL, 520-792-1585 Its hard to believe that Guillermos Double L was not always a Mexican restaurant. In fact, it was the complete opposite. When Guillermos made its first appearance on South Fourth Avenue in 1948, it was a drive-in barbecue joint. Around four years later, it made the switch to Mexican food. Now, about 75 years later, Guillermos continues to serve up classic Mexican and seafood dishes. Tony Gonzalez, whos name you might recognize from Crossroads fame, bought the restaurant in the 2000s from Bill Ford, whose father-in-law originally owned the place. The gonzos are sure theyve uncovered something bad down at the old Ramada, just south of I-10 off Palo Verde Road. Buses come in regularly, filled with migrants and American taxpayers are footing the bill! The scary conclusion arrived at by internet videographers and congressmen who parachuted into town this month: Groups like Catholic Community Services in Tucson are engaged in human trafficking. The illegal immigration industrial complex runs deep, and it must be exposed, Rep. Tom Tiffany, a Wisconsin Republican, said on X, the former Twitter, after visiting Tucson. The Biden administration is funneling billions of tax dollars to NGOs to transport and lodge illegal aliens. This line of thinking has so deeply penetrated the political right that last week, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued a longstanding shelter in El Paso, Annunciation House, accusing the NGO of human trafficking. The rhetoric is powerful and has been amplified online by people with huge audiences, like Elon Musk. But that doesnt make it true. It really took hold when provocateur James OKeefe showed up at the Ramada, pretended to be a drunk, was refused entry and concluded darkly, Catholic Community Services very shady stuff is at the heart and soul of this people-moving operation. Later Reps. Tiffany and Doug LaMalfa, a California Republican, showed up with cameras rolling and repeated OKeefes gimmick, demanding entry without calling ahead. They threatened subpoenas and public hearings to the confused employee who apparently had no idea what they were talking about. At base, what these people from outside the borderlands are saying is that its our fault so many people are crossing the border near us and being admitted by Border Patrol. And we ought to be punished for it. In reality, either the NGOs will help migrants move through Tucson and other border-region cities like El Paso, or hundreds of people will be released here per day, maybe a thousand on a bad day. Imagine that number of people hanging out at Ina and Oracle, or Speedway and Campbell, or Kolb and 22nd, with nowhere to go. Of course, thats unacceptable. The question is who pays For people who live in cities like Tucson and El Paso, the main question is not whether we help. Either motivated by altruistic concern for the stranger at our door, or by pragmatic concern about thousands of people being released on our streets, were going to help these people. The question is who pays for the shelter and transport of migrants. Since 2019 in Southern Arizona, it has been the federal government, to the tune of $70 million. Migrants usually spend a day or two here, then move on to another destination, where they are to await a court date. Pima County Administrator Jan Lesher sounded the alarm in a Feb. 16 memo and at Tuesdays board of supervisors meeting that this system is about to end. Federal taxpayer money for housing and transferring migrants will be used up by the end of March or in early April. After that, we dont know whats going to happen. The biggest shelter, Casa Alitas, is run by Catholic Community Services and has already warned of 30 layoffs. The supervisors and Tucsons City Council agreed last week that local taxpayers cant start taking up that burden, which has been as much as $1 million per week at the peak of migrant influxes in western Pima County. We cant afford it, and it shouldnt be our responsibility anyway. Its the federal government that is letting people in, and it should be the federal taxpayer helping us deal with them. Supervisor Steve Christy, the only Republican on the Pima County board, doesnt see it that way. At Tuesdays meeting, he adopted the gonzos logic and blamed his current and past Democratic colleagues for the global migrant surges arriving here. It is not the federal governments fault, he said. Its Pima Countys fault, because we took the first dollar. We became an enabler and addicted to this money. I guarantee you theyll find another place if we dont accept them, he added. None of this makes sense. Pima County isnt making money off moving migrants through. Its just coordinating and paying federal money for the response, some of which is carried out by hundreds of volunteers. It would cost even more without them. And its largely smuggling organizations who decide where along the border migrant groups arrive. Sometimes, they take people to inhospitable places in Texas where there are no NGOs to help. Sometimes, they send people through the Tucson sector, where we have a good system. If thousands of deaths in the Sonoran Desert hasnt stop people from crossing here, and it hasnt, neither would the absence of shelters like Casa Alitas. Not all asylum seekers This isnt to say we arent fooling ourselves to some extent about the migrant waves who have arrived episodically. Not everybody who crosses is fleeing danger in their home country. The county has taken to using the phrase Legally Processed Asylum Seekers, for the people who cross the border and end up in Tucson. That phrase, and especially the shorter asylum seekers, isnt really accurate because many people who arrive in town have never requested asylum. I asked Border Patrol Sector Chief John Modlin about this in January, and he acknowledged that when there is no bed space to detain people, those released have been processed but havent necessarily requested asylum. That person could be someone who has claimed (credible) fear, or it could be someone who hasnt claimed fear, he said. While they arent necessarily seeking asylum, they are legally in the country because the Border Patrol processed them. And that puts the burden on us to do something about them. Weve been lucky to have federal money and an energetic community response to care for people and prevent chaotic scenes on our streets. But as things stand, theres no hope for the federal government to resume funding. The U.S. Senate negotiated a border-security bill that would have put $1.4 billion toward the Shelter and Services Program that covers local efforts like ours. But House Republicans, including Tiffany, rejected the bill. The bill that Tiffany supported, HR 2, says explicitly No funds are authorized to be appropriated for the Shelter Services Program for U.S. Customs and Border Protection. If no more federal money becomes available, in truth it will be hard to avoid spending local or state tax money on the migrants who the federal government releases on our streets. Receiving cities like Denver have been forced to make cuts recently cutting the open hours at the citys recreation centers because theyve had to spend money sheltering migrants. Its a shame, but its a necessity caused by federal laws and policies. Thats where the gonzos ought to focus their attention if they really want to solve the problem. But, of course, thats a notoriously difficult issue tied up now in presidential politics. Its easier to invent someone to blame the NGOs and pretend to expose them. Condemning them as traffickers wont just hurt the migrants but ourselves, too. If you see Linda Myers around town on Thursday, dont forget to wish her a happy birthday. You wont get another chance until 2028. The snowbird from Wisconsin is a leap-year baby. She will be celebrating her 19th birthday on Feb. 29, even though she was born in 1948. The calendar has a lot of special days, and leap day is a pretty special one I think, said Myers from her winter home in Tucson, where she sported a purple T-shirt that read Its my birthday finally. You just have to have fun with it, she said. Over the years, Myers has become something of a crusader for what she calls leap day awareness. She likes to share trivia and some of the challenges associated with being a leaper. Though her birthdate is a nice conversation starter, she said it comes with its own unique set of annoyances. For example, Myers had the wrong DOB printed on her drivers license for years, because her actual birthdate wasnt in their system, she said. Leapers also run into occasional complications and confusion when dealing with doctors offices or the Social Security Administration. In some cases, the birth certificates of Feb. 29 babies were filled out incorrectly, either by accident or on purpose. Things seem to have gotten better since the whole Y2K computer scare was sorted out, Myers said, but the date issue is still a problem on certain websites. Her unusual birthdate and her advocacy on behalf of leapers everywhere has landed her in the pages of the Chicago Tribune and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. In 2008, she was one of 200 leap day babies invited to a taping of The Martha Stewart Show. Myers was born in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, and grew up in Des Moines, Iowa. She said her grade-school classmates used to pick on her about her strange birthdate, sending her home crying. As a child, I was really tormented, she said. I also had red hair. I dont know which was worse. Her parents tried to make it up to her with un-birthday parties each Feb. 28 and special celebrations during leap years, featuring her favorite chocolate cake. Why do we leap? That extra day in February every four years is a bit of cosmic bookkeeping to make sure our human calendar keeps pace with the actual movements of the solar system, says University of Arizona planetary scientist Renu Malhotra. "The total amount of time it takes the Earth to complete a revolution around the sun is not exactly a whole number of days. It falls about six hours short of that. So every four years we add a day to compensate," said Malhotra, Regents Professor in the Department of Planetary Sciences. The concept dates back thousands of years to Egyptian civilizations that followed a calendar with a leap year every four years. But even that adjustment is not quite exact enough, since the solar year actually lasts for 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes and 46 seconds, according to NASA. To make up the difference, Malhotra said, we skip one leap year every century or so by only adding the extra day to years that end in double zeros and are divisible by 400. Thats why the year 2000 was a leap year, but 1900 wasnt and 2100 wont be. Please plan accordingly. In 1968, the year she turned 5 (or possibly 20), Myers sent in a dollar to join the Order of the 29ers, a club for leap day babies founded in 1928 by a newspaper in Pittsburg, Kansas. She still has the membership letter and plaque the club sent her. A year later, on Feb. 28, 1969, her friends tried to take her out for a drink on what would have been her traditional 21st birthday, but the bar wouldnt serve her because she was still underage. She and her friends had to come back a few hours later at 12:01 a.m. March 1. Myers met her husband, Bill, through mutual friends in 1967, and the two of them hit it off. She said she considered proposing to him on leap day 1968, but she decided against it because she was afraid it would jinx their marriage. He finally popped the question in November 1969, and theyve been together ever since first in Iowa, then in the Milwaukee suburb of New Berlin, where they both retired in 2012. For the past 13 years, theyve divided their time between Wisconsin and Tucson, arriving here each year in mid-October and staying until mid-April. Bill, who turns 80 this year, doesnt bat an eye when someone tries to tease him about being hitched to an 18-year-old. She was 5 and a half when I married her, he said. In the late 1990s, at about the time that eBay became a thing, Myers started collecting leap year memorabilia, mainly cards, pins, jewelry and other trinkets. Her collection now includes about 2,500 items, enough to fill three large file boxes and several photo albums she usually keeps tucked away until February. Among her keepsakes is a stack of early 1900s postcards marking and, in some cases, mocking a centuries-old tradition originating in the British Isles in which women would propose to men on leap day. She also has a few commemorative pins from that other every-four-years tradition, the Olympic Games. Then there are the less-festive events with which Myers must share her precious leap years: presidential elections. I wasnt going to bring that up, she said. When she isnt on eBay, Myers likes to network with other 29ers online, where she goes by the nickname Leapin Linda. The internet has made it easier to connect, with several websites and social media groups made by and for the leaper community. She hasnt met any fellow leap-day babies in Tucson yet, she said, but two of her closest friends back in Wisconsin are her leap-day sisters, Sue the Leapette and Leone the Leaprechaun. For the last birthday of her teens, Myers said she will be going out to lunch with her local group of friends, followed by whatever surprise her husband might be cooking up for her. Who knows what Bill Myers might do? she said. On leap day 2020, he took her to watch the horses run at Rillito Park, then convinced the racetracks bugler to come up into the grandstand to play the birthday song for her on his horn. Its too soon to say how she might ring in her 20th birthday in 2028 or her 21st in 2032, though Las Vegas isnt out of the question. This much she does know: I plan to be around, Myers said with conviction. Call it a leap of faith. The following is the opinion and analysis of the writer: Re: the Feb. 12 article Students help patients in need. Bless you Arizona Daily Star. Bless you Sunnyside School District teacher Cesar Gutierrez. And bless the eight students who traveled from Desert View High School to Peru recently to outfit those in need with prosthetic legs designed and built in their classrooms! I bless the Star for presenting this wonderful story of American youth in action on a global scale. This doesnt happen often these days. Usually teenage gangster stories dominate the news. Im inclined to think that wonderfully uplifting stories about American students doing good in the world are terribly under-reported. Hop aboard the Star good news bandwagon, news mavens, and give us youthful models to emulate and salute. Some time ago I asked my wife, Why dont we have a good news TV channel? She simply answered, Well, duhhh, nobody would watch that channel! Humm... I wonder if shes right in that assertion. Me? Ive had enough gloom and doom reporting domination. Tears come to my eyes as an ex-Peace Corps Volunteer and high school journalism teacher in Micronesia, Tucson and the North Shore of Boston. I realized that the Star had given up precious front-page space to a wonderfully compelling and inspiring high school story. From the bottom of my heart thank you for this piece on the precision manufacturing and drafting classes of teacher Cesar Gutierrez. Okay, now, dear reader what should you do if you agree with my dissertation on under-reported good deeds performed by youthful Americans? If I may be so bold, talk to friends and acquaintances in your neighborhoods and ask them if they have information on good news stories featuring young people. Reporters, apparently, arent engaged in this task so put on your good citizen cowboy hats and lasso up as many salutary depictions of laudable acts of young folks as you can find. Im an old turkey (81-plus) whos served in the U.S. Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands with the Peace Corps, served as a draftee in the Army during the Tet Offensive, taught at an inner-city high school in Tucson (Amphitheater) and taught at a private school on the North Shore of Boston (Glen Urquhart School). I recount these experiences to illustrate the fact Ive been around the block regarding far-ranging and unique teaching stints. Hope this gives me some validity in your understanding what Im trying to convey. These experiences, at each stop of my 50 years working as an educational professional, provided me with exceptional examples of kids who richly-deserved to be saluted by the communities in which they lived. We often hear the chant, Make a difference in the world. Heres your chance. A penniless orphan who arrived in Indian Territory in 1898 started a department store chain bearing his name that had grown to more than 300 stores before his death at 91 in 1976. The pauper-turned-millionaire was Charles Ross Anthony who told a Tulsa World reporter in 1973 that "I've got more pleasure out of my work than anything else I've done." Anthony's life was a classic rags-to-riches story that earned him a Horatio Alger award in 1963. The award is based on the success stories by 19th century author Horatio Alger Jr. Born in Tennessee to a tenant farm family, Anthony began chopping and picking cotton when he was 7. He was orphaned when he was 12, quit school and grubbed sassafras roots and split rails to earn money for food and eventually saved $25. He used his savings to buy a ticket on a "home seekers" special train headed for Indian Territory and arrived in what now is Holdenville, where he got a job in a general store that paid him $1 a month and a place to sleep in a chicken pen. For years, it was reported frequently that Anthony had only $2 in his pocket when he arrived in Holdenville but he told a World reporter in 1971 that was incorrect -- "it was 2 cents" he explained with a grin. Five years later, he bought the store with a little cash and a $5,000 bank loan that he paid off during his first year of operation. But the next year, he nearly went bankrupt because floods hit the area and wiped out farmers to whom he had extended credit. "That was one of the bad breaks that was about the best thing that ever happened," he recalled many years later. "I've never done credit business since. Of course, it can be done, but the customers have to pay for it through higher prices." Anthony stores' cash-and-carry policy continued until the advent of credit cards many years later. After the flood, Anthony sold his business and moved to Wewoka where he met his wife, Lutie Mauldin, in 1910. They moved to Muskogee, to Cleveland, Okla., and later to Idaho where Anthony worked for J.C. Penney before returning to Cleveland as a partner in the small chain of J.P. Martin Dry Goods Stores, the same firm he had worked for earlier. Anthony bought the store in Cushing from Martin in 1922, and it became the first of the C.R. Anthony's chain that had grown to 324 stores in 21 states when Anthony died. When Anthony was honored at a ceremony in Cushing in 1973 by the Cimarron Valley Historical Society, an elderly man approached him, opened his suit jacket and showed Anthony the label. "Bought it right here in your store 41 years ago," he told Anthony. "That's the trouble with our merchandise," Anthony replied quickly. "It wears too dang long." Anthony left an estate of $10 million, which went to his family, a long-time employee and charity. Anthony was succeeded as president of the company by his son, Guy Anthony, in 1972 when C.R. Anthony retired. Guy Anthony was succeeded in 1980 by his son, Bob Anthony, who is one of Oklahoma's three corporation commissioners. Stockholders sold the chain to Stage Stores of Houston in 1997 and the Tulsa stores were closed. The other stores in the chain were renamed Stage. Like this column? Read all the columns in the Only in Oklahoma series from the Tulsa World Archive. Today is the anniversary of Russias 2022 invasion of Ukraine. One year ago today, native Ukrainians from across the Tulsa area, including a number of refugees from the war, marked that anniversary with a special gratitude event in downtown Tulsa. Click here to read more and see photos below: Staff and students at Burroughs Elementary School were surprised Friday with the announcement of a $100,000 gift to the school that will help meet needs for classroom supplies and other materials. The donation, announced at a schoolwide Black History Month assembly in the gymnasium, is from DonorsChoose, a national nonprofit that allows teachers to request resources for their classrooms, with individual donors, philanthropists and organizations able to donate directly to help them. Ryan Jones, senior manager of advocacy and public partnerships for the organization, said: DonorsChoose recognizes the crucial role of educators here at Burroughs Elementary, and we want to empower them. We know that teachers have remarkable ideas, but it requires a lot of resources to help bring those ideas to life. Tulsa Public Schools Superintendent Ebony Johnson said: This generous gift from DonorsChoose will make a difference for the young people here in these classrooms today while also recognizing the special place that Burroughs Elementary occupies in Tulsas history and in Black history. The assembly was held to recognize the role Black educators have played at Tulsa Public Schools and at Burroughs, 1924 N. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Burroughs, the first school in Tulsa to fully integrate, educates a majority Black population. DonorsChoose has helped educators raise $1.6 billion in classroom materials and experiences since it started in 2000, including more than $58.6 million in Oklahoma, thanks in part to pandemic relief funding from the state. DonorsChoose has been used by teachers in 88% of public schools across the country, officials said. Alix Guerrier, CEO of DonorsChoose, said: This Black History Month, we not only honor the past but put our hopes in a more equitable future. The remarkable educators at Burroughs Elementary School are shaping the next chapter in Black history. Johnson thanked DonorsChoose along with the Foundation for Tulsa Schools. I also just want to say to our teachers and our staff, Johnson added, We thank you for choosing Tulsa Public Schools. We thank you for coming in every single day to make a difference in the lives of all of our young people. You show up for our young people, and they are able to make a choice to be great. For more information, go to donorschoose.org. Tulsa homicide detectives are investigating a fatal shooting that occurred early Saturday at a homeless camp. Officers responding to a shooting report shortly after midnight found two people shot in a homeless encampment near Archer Street and Madison Avenue, according to Saturday news releases from the Tulsa Police Department. A male shooting victim was dead at the scene, police said. A female was transported to the hospital with serious gunshot wounds. Shots were fired at a third person who was not struck, police said. A witness told officers that another homeless man came into the camp located along railroad tracks about 200 yards from the street and fired shots at the victims, according to the TPD releases. The shooter fled the scene on foot, and no one was in custody Saturday morning, police said. The fatal shooting is the citys ninth homicide of the year. The new Tulsa World app offers personalized features. Download it today. Randy Krehbiel Tulsa World Staff Writer Follow Randy Krehbiel Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today The Oklahoma Supreme Court has scheduled oral arguments in a lawsuit arising from the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre for April 2. The plaintiffs in the case are asking the high court to overturn Tulsa County District Judge Caroline Walls dismissal of the suit with prejudice last July. Originally filed in Tulsa County District Court in 2020, the suit seeks damages under the states public nuisance law for the May 31-June 1, 1921, destruction of Tulsas Black Greenwood neighborhood and for what it says has been continuing exploitation and mistreatment of Black Tulsans. The original plaintiffs included three living survivors of the massacre, one of whom has since died, and other individuals and entities. The defendants included the city of Tulsa, the Tulsa County Sheriffs Office and the Tulsa Regional Chamber. Wall dismissed all of the plaintiffs except the survivors during a preliminary stage of the proceedings. The two remaining survivors are Lessie Randle and Viola Fletcher, both 109. Viola Fletchers younger brother, Hughes Van Ellis, died last year at age 102. The oral arguments will be heard at 1:30 p.m. April 2 on the second floor of the state Capitol and livestreamed via oscn.net. The new Tulsa World app offers personalized features. Download it today. Timeline: The 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre Tulsa in 1921: 'Oil Capital of the World' Tulsa's 1921 demographics Tulsa and Greenwood Modern Tulsa began in 1882 Glenn Pool oil field World War I creates petroleum demand T.D Evans elected Tulsa mayor Mary Seaman Tulsa law enforcement Race issues in Tulsa and Oklahoma Greenwood: Home to doctors, lawyers, teachers and exceptional schools Drexel Building Nab Negro for Attacking Girl in Elevator Tulsa Tribune NAACP and The Black Dispatch 'We are going to lynch that negro' Rising tension Oklahoma National Guard 'All hell broke loose' Seeking National Guard assistance Guardsmen come under fire from both sides At dawn 'And the invasion of the negro district began' Greenwood's destruction 'They joined in with the hoodlums in shooting at good citizens homes' Complaints of khaki clothes 'Even women with shopping bags would come in' Dr. A.C. Jackson Oklahoma Gov. J.B.A. Robertson declares martial law Detainees subject to harassment and humiliation Fairgrounds camp houses up to 5,000 True death toll will probably never be known 37 death certificates Unsuccessful search Conspiracy and cover-up? Ku Klux Klan rally Most insurance claims denied Few landmarks associated with massacre remain Statute of limitations runs out Original indictment of participants dismissed in 2007 'Before They Die' documentary premieres in October 2008 Documentary shows survivors' struggle for reparations from 1921 massacre October 2008: Tulsa Mayor Kathy Taylor apologizes 'I hope we get there very soon.' February 2017: Tulsa Race Riot Centennial Commission announced June 2018: Tulsa Public Schools teachers learn why race massacre is more accurate term May 2019: Oklahoma state budget bill includes $1.5 million for Tulsa race massacre centennial May 2019: Mayor G.T. Bynum sets 1921 Tulsa race massacre graves investigation into motion May 2019: $9 million renovation and expansion of Greenwood Cultural Center announced May 2019: Tulsa Regional Chamber to release 1921 minutes June 2019: 'Signs of gentrification': Greenwood community worries residents being pushed out, history disrespected September 2019: New book, 'Tulsa 1921,' is product of years of research into Tulsa Race Massacre October 2019: Mass graves search begins June 2021: President Joe Biden visits Tulsa on 100th anniversary Why the Tulsa World uses "race massacre" now instead of "race riot" Tulsa Race Massacre / The Tulsa World Library Race Massacre: Tulsa Regional Chamber apologizes The Allan Chapman Student Union at the University of Tulsa has been evacuated due to an "emergency situation." Students were notified by text around 4 p.m. Friday that the Student Union was being evacuated and that they should stay away from the area. Tulsa police said they were assisting campus police after the university became aware of a threat from someone who was not on the campus. A TU spokeswoman said the threat was made on social media and was not directed at the university. There was not an active threat on the campus, and the student union was evacuated out of an abundance of caution, she said. This is a developing story. Check back for updates. Randy Krehbiel Tulsa World Staff Writer Follow Randy Krehbiel Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today Related content Kathy LaFortune: Oklahoma jails now de facto psychiatric hospitals with defendants suffering mental health disorders Oklahomans judged incompetent for trial remain in jail up to a year or more because the state does not have the mental health facilities or personnel to provide court-ordered treatment, law enforcement officials and mental health advocates say. It is, one observer said, a Kafkaesque purgatory in which mentally ill patients often spend more time behind bars awaiting treatment so the legal proceedings against them can proceed than they would for the underlying crime. These are the forgotten and most powerless people in our society, Tulsa attorney Paul DeMuro said in an interview late last year. They are profoundly mentally ill and indigent and incarcerated. The trifecta of powerlessness. In a Friday email, DeMuro said the situation has only gotten worse despite claims to the contrary by the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services. Lawsuit shines spotlight on growing waitlist Under state and federal law, an incompetency finding stops all proceedings in the persons case until competency is restored. Even if prosecutors want to get them out of jail and into a diversion program, they cant. And defense attorneys usually public defenders cant plead guilty for incompetent clients even if it would mean less jail time and possibly more immediate treatment. In many cases, that can be accomplished through close supervision, medication and therapy. Theoretically, that could happen in jail, but those with expertise in the matter say its difficult without proper staffing and facilities neither of which most jails have, especially given the recent escalation of mental illness and substance abuse nationwide. A 2022 report by the nonprofit Oklahoma Appleseed sparked a pro bono federal class-action lawsuit filed in the Northern District of Oklahoma last spring. Last month District Judge Gregory Frizzell issued another continuance in the case as attorneys for the plaintiffs and the state work toward a settlement. In the meantime, the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health has changed leadership. The class-action suit, for which DeMuro is an attorney of record, says the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services competency restoration therapy waiting list grew from 20 to 40 a few years ago to at least 120 at the start of 2023. Other sources say it was more like 300. Restoration efforts in state jails in dispute The exact number of mentally incompetent inmates needing treatment is disputed. The Oklahoma Department of Mental Health says it is treating 270 jail inmates who are awaiting transport to the Oklahoma Forensic Center, the only state-owned facility for in-patient competency restoration treatment. It says new treatment programs in various jails restored the competency of more than 120 individuals in 2023. In a recent email, an agency spokeswoman said: The department works diligently with court systems throughout the state to find ways to divert people into treatment, particularly with misdemeanor offenses. Misdemeanor offenses represent a significant portion of the cases ordered for competency restoration. If we can facilitate agreement from the courts to divert app cases into civil treatment, then we could reduce the demand on forensic services and hopefully address the underlying disease so that negative consequences are averted in the future. Critics scoff. The DMHs repeated assertions in the media that it provides statewide in-jail restoration programing is false, DeMuro said Friday. Our team has traveled the state to meet with service providers, law enforcement, jail staff and DMH officials regarding DMHs so-called in-jail restoration program. The bottom line is that no statewide in-jail restoration program exists, at least none that any reasonable professional would recognize as such. Critics say the programs are a fig leaf to convince judges that the issue is being addressed. According to the Tulsa class-action lawsuit, in February 2023 the Department of Mental Healths then-director of communications told lawyers: Because (the Department) expanded restoration treatment opportunities over the past several months, I am happy to report that there are currently no individuals waiting for competency treatment. The lawsuit called the assertion preposterous. Jails become de facto mental health facilities Tulsa County Sheriff Vic Regalado refuses to allow the program in his jail, saying it is at best ineffective. When the Legislature last year approved a bill requiring participation, Gov. Kevin Stitt vetoed it. These unfortunate people are on a de facto waiting list, languishing in county jails waiting for a forensic bed, while DMH attempts to whitewash their status by falsely claiming they are participating in jail-based restoration programing, DeMuro said Friday. In a court hearing last month, the director of Oklahoma Countys jail program acknowledged that his background is mostly in marriage counseling and that his competency restoration training consisted of a six-hour Zoom course. His job, he said, involves checking on each of about 20 inmates once every week or 10 days and that he usually has to converse with them through a cell door meal slot. One of his patients, he said, had been in the jail more than a year without noticeable improvement. A few weeks later, in a separate case, an Oklahoma County judge found the Department of Mental Health in contempt of court and fined it $500 for failing to carry out an October transport order for a mentally ill man charged with throwing a rock at someone. Almost everyone agrees that jails are not a good place to treat the mentally ill and that the Department of Mental Health needs more mental health professionals and beds to clear the waiting list properly. The Oklahoma Forensic Center in Vinita is adding 80 berths to that end, but many people think facilities should be more easily accessible across the state. Regalado says hes offered to lease the Department of Mental Health two empty pods at the Tulsa County jail for that purpose and hopes an agreement can be reached once the agencys new commissioner settles in this spring. Many observers, though, contend that the Department of Mental Health has not made the best use of available resources or been straightforward in its dealings. Many falling through the gaps despite intervention The Tulsa class-action lawsuit alleges that the Department of Mental Health carries out transportation orders based as much or more on threats of legal action as it does medical considerations. Assistant Public Defender Ryan Sullivan, who represented the defendants in one of the Oklahoma County cases, said much the same thing. They say the list is based on acuteness, but then when somebody files a show-cause petition, suddenly it changes, Sullivan said in an interview. Such seems to have been the case with the Tulsa plaintiffs in the class-action lawsuit. Identified in court documents only as T.W. and B.S., their lawyers say the two were transported to the Oklahoma Forensic Center shortly after the suit was filed last spring. At the time, T.W. had been in the Tulsa County jail for about a year and B.S. had been there for 18 months. T.W. was originally arrested on an obstruction charge for refusing to leave a Tulsa restaurant. B.S. was in jail for kicking a hospital security guard and fighting with paramedics. The Tulsa County jail typically houses around 20 people who have been judged incompetent. They are given prescribed medications, if applicable, but cannot be forced to take them. Many individuals resist, either because they dont recognize their own illness or because of the drugs side effects. The Department of Mental Health says it has invested in intervention services to keep individuals out of the criminal justice system. These include expanding crisis services statewide and increasing the number of psychiatric hospital beds, specialty court services and community-based efforts to address the needs of people with heightened risk for frequent engagement with law enforcement. But it isnt enough. For reasons experts struggle to explain, more and more people with mental illness and addiction are finding their way into jail cells. We, as a society, expect far too much from our criminal justice system, DeMuro said. The criminal justice system has become the receptacle for all of societys ills. And the criminal justice system is a blunt force instrument. It never was designed to treat all of the woes and illnesses of society. And yet thats what were relying on it to do. The new Tulsa World app offers personalized features. Download it today. YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 24, ARMENPRESS. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia has commented on the news that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is reportedly planning to visit Armenia. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ani Badalyan neither confirmed nor denied the report. I can say that we officially inform about high-level visits in proper timeframes, Badalyan told Armenpress when asked on the reports. According to recent media reports, Zelenskyy plans to visit Armenia and Azerbaijan in March. The Armenia trip is reportedly planned to take place on March 4. Steve Metzer Tulsa World Capitol Bureau Staff Writer Follow Steve Metzer Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today Related content Incentive program hands out $10K stipends for home purchases OKLAHOMA CITY Businesses that spend money to lure new employees to Oklahoma could be reimbursed if a bill that garnered committee support in the Oklahoma Legislature this week passes into law. Senate Bill 1335, also referred to as the OK to Relocate Act, authored by Sen. Jessica Garvin, R-Duncan, proposes creation of a revolving fund to be managed by the Oklahoma Department of Commerce. It also proposes a $16 million initial appropriation from the states General Revenue Fund. Garvin said the Commerce Department would be directed to establish a talent attraction program focused not only on helping existing state businesses but also on encouraging out-of-state businesses to relocate to the Sooner State. If Im a new business coming into Oklahoma or establishing a new business in Oklahoma or even growing an existing business in Oklahoma and Im needing more engineers, for example, this bill would allow for me to be able to attract outside engineers from all over the country and be able to bring them to Oklahoma, Garvin said in a Tulsa World interview. Companies that provide at least $10,000 to prospective employees to bring them to the state could be reimbursed for their costs up to 100 employees per year. Employees would have to sign documents stating their intention to live and work in Oklahoma for at least three years. Garvin said a 2022 study commissioned by the Oklahoma Department of Commerce to identify needs of businesses concluded that strengthening workforce development and recruitment should be a primary goal of the state. Workforce needs were identified by numerous industries, including aerospace, agribusiness, automotive, bioscience, defense, film and music, information and financial services, manufacturing, renewable energy, traditional energy, and transportation and logistics. In considering where potentially to set up shop, company managers identified access to technically trained and management professionals as must haves along with competitive operating and labor costs. They also wanted shovel-ready sites or available buildings. Other strong considerations included cost of living, quality of education, proximity of suppliers, and competitive state and local incentives. The study found that Oklahomas aging population and low workforce participation rate will likely leave the state short by at least 20,000 needed workers by 2028. The growth of Oklahomas target sectors could result in additional employment opportunities for state residents and new wealth creation, but efforts are hampered by talent and skill shortages, the report by the company DCI concluded. Garvin said shes hopeful that her legislation and other bills being considered this year will pass to help strengthen the states workforce and prospects for attracting new business. Thats also pulling workforce into our state and pulling taxpayers into our state, she said, So I think it really provides us with a big opportunity, especially for some of these small mom-and-pop existing companies to really to be able to diversify what theyre doing. Under SB 1335, the Commerce Department would consider the needs of business applicants and determine priorities and set funding limits for talent attraction. Money from the fund might also be used to advertise and market the state to out-of-state businesses. Garvins bill passed through the Senates Business and Commerce Committee on an 8-5 vote. Its title was stricken, meaning it remains subject to amendment. It was referred for further consideration by the chambers Appropriations Committee. <&rule> The new Tulsa World app offers personalized features. Download it today. The Feb. 8 death of 16-year-old Nex Benedict, a nonbinary student in Owasso, has created a deeply emotional response for many locally and internationally. What unfolded illustrates the difference in how journalists and social media users treat and share information. The rush to judgement was swift online, while local media used diligent steps to verify information. Social media commentary muddied the reality between facts and speculation. It fueled criticisms that local media werent seeking information or, worse, were involved in a coverup. To provide clarity, the following explains how the story developed. Within five hours of Nexs death, Owasso police brought attention to the teenagers death through a press release. Officers said they were looking to see if there was a connection between the death and a fight at school the previous day. No crime was alleged, but it shows a concern to fully investigate the sudden death of a child. Local media, including the Tulsa World, amplified that information along with seeking all publicly available information. About a week later, social media posts circulated with unconfirmed statements about the cause of death, possible criminality and motive, personal information about Nex and conspiracies. The origins of some postings are difficult to find. Many online were critical of the initial use of the teenagers birth name. That had been supplied by the family to police and the funeral home, which were the only sources in the early media reports. The family had not agreed to interviews. A heartbreaking message from Nexs mother on Tuesday apologized and said, As parents we were still learning the correct forms. Please do not judge us as Nex was judged, please do not bully us for our ignorance on the subject. we are sorry in our grief that we overlooked them. I lost my child, the headstone will have correct name of their choice. Reporters updated stories to the preferred name. Local media also covered the funeral. On Tuesday, the Owasso school district provided details, with many contradicting the social media narrative, particularly regarding injuries of those involved in the fight. The motivation of the altercation has not been disclosed. The district has received violent threats including one against a specific official deemed credible by the FBI. Owasso police are independently investigating and waiting for the cause of death from the state medical examiner, which could take months. A preliminary report from a medical examiner autopsy released Wednesday by Owasso police stated that Nex did not die from injuries from the altercation. Toxicology and other tests are pending. The Tulsa County District Attorneys Office will review the reports when complete. As each new piece of information emerges, the Tulsa World and local media made that public. The pace is not at the speed many want. We understand and want answers, too. But, as journalists, we cannot make assumptions or spread unsubstantiated claims. Accusations of a crime and speculation about a cause of death have legal consequences. We can only report on the known facts at the time. We would rather be accurate than be first. We want on-the-record sources with first-hand information. We are not in the business of allowing anonymous people to spread unverified theories or engage in misinformation. Anything less than this due diligence would be a disservice to Nex and their family, who are going through a trauma under a worldwide microscope. To get anything wrong would be irresponsible and only add to their grief. HANOI/BANDAR LAMPUNG -- Vietnam coffee prices rose this week on higher exporter demand after the Lunar New Year, but some farmers are still holding on to beans in hope for higher prices, traders said on Thursday. Farmers in the central highlands, Vietnam's largest coffee-growing area, were selling beans COFVN-DAK for VND81,600-82,500 ($3.32-$3.36) per kg, up from VND78,900-79,200 last week. "Demand is high as exporters need beans to fulfil their contracts but beans are too expensive and hard to buy," said a trader based in the coffee belt. "The situation may persist until April when Indonesian farmers start to release beans." Another trader said the weather was favorable at the moment for the trees. Vietnam exported 238,266 metric tons of coffee in January, up 67.4 percent from a year earlier and 14.8 percent from the previous month, customs data showed. Revenue reached $726.6 million, up 133.7 percent from January 2023. Robusta coffee LRCc2 for May delivery settled up $31 or one percent, at $3,177 per metric ton as of Wednesday close. Traders offered five-percent black and broken-grade 2 robusta COFVN-G25-SAI at a premium range of $300-$350 per ton to the May contract. Premiums for Sumatran robusta beans in Indonesia's Lampung jumped from last week, traders said, as demand rose while farmers are still waiting for coffee cherry harvests. One trader offered $720 premium to the April contract, up from $550 on March contract last week. "This is because there is no more beans," the trader said. A small coffee harvest in Lampung province and the surrounding area in southern regions of Sumatra typically starts in March or April, and the main harvest usually starts around June. Another trader offered $640 premium to the May contract, up from $600 premium last week, noting that demand was strong this week. ($1 = VND24,585.0000) A new speedboat service between Ho Chi Minh Citys Nha Be District and Con Dao Island off the southern province of Ba Ria - Vung Tau will begin operating next month, according to the citys transport authority. The speedboat will be able to transport more than 1,000 passengers for a distance of approximately 230 kilometers from Saigon-Hiep Phuoc Port in Nha Be to Con Dao in around five hours. The municipal Department of Transport recently worked with relevant units to prepare for the launch of the speedboat service. Tran Quang Lam, director of the department, tasked Saigon Port-Hiep Phuoc JSC with proposing the Ministry of Transport and the Vietnam Maritime Administration to license the service. The departments subordinate agencies were told to work with Saigon Port-Hiep Phuoc JSC, Phu Quoc Express JSC on a traffic arrangement plan to offer convenient travel experience to passengers, including taking into account bus and speedboat services from downtown Ho Chi Minh City to the Sai Gon-Hiep Phuoc Port. Besides, Phu Quoc Express JSC was required to conduct procedures needed to operate the speedboat service on the route. They have to report the outcomes of these tasks to the department, so that the latter can finalize a plan to officially roll out the service next month, Lam concluded. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Vietnams shrimp exports this year are anticipated to enjoy a slight increase of 10-15 percent against last year, a Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) official told a meeting on Friday. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development hosted the meeting in Bac Lieu Province, southern Vietnam to roll out tasks to boost the growth of freshwater shrimp farming in the country throughout 2024. Tran Thuy Que Phuong, chief of the VASEP Office, presented possible challenges and opportunities for the local shrimp sector at the event, forecasting uncertainties in 2023 could linger on into this year that would prompt the sector to further experience slow growth. However, a projected 10-15 percent increase in shrimp export growth would be a silver lining for the sector, as some shrimp importers economy is making a steady rebound, Phuong said. Local shrimp exporters are ramping efforts to promote deep processing and produce more added-value products, adding that there is a growing demand for seafood-based sources of protein, the VASEP official said. Besides, the U.S. and China would remain the biggest buyers of Vietnamese shrimps in 2024, constituting some 40 percent and 45 percent of the Southeast Asian countrys total shrimp export revenue, respectively. Due to the impact of the conflicts in the Middle East and soaring logistics costs, several countries in close proximity to Vietnam like Japan, South Korea, China are anticipated to be the source markets of the sector, she added. Speaking at the meeting, vice-chairman of the Ca Mau administration Le Van Su said that Ca Maus aquatic export revenue reached over US$900 million last year, even though this Mekong Delta province had been in the billion-dollar export club for many years. The billion-dollar export club includes member localities whose outbound sales of aquatic items surpass $1 billion each. He attributed the lower-than-expected export sales to ineffective and disconnected shrimp farming in the province. He suggested that relevant agencies should support shrimp farming localities in seeking more effective technical solutions to enhance the latters business outcomes and reduce production costs. Lowering production costs would help facilitate the growth of the sector, the vice-chairman said. Data from the ministry showed that freshwater shrimp farms nationwide covered a total area of 737,000 hectares last year, equivalent to the 2022 figure. The shrimp output was 1.12 metric tons in 2023, up 5.5 percent year on year, but the export revenue fell nearly 20 percent against 2022 at $3.45 billion. The ministry is set to achieve at least $4 billion in shrimp export turnover this year. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! The two-way trade between Vietnam and China grew vigorously to reach more than US$16.4 billion in January, registering a year-on-year increase of over 48 percent, with a trade surplus for China, according to official statistics. In the first month of the year, Vietnam exported over $4.55 billion worth of goods to China, up 17.28 percent from a year earlier, while Chinas exports to Vietnam amounted to $11.88 billion, a sharp increase of 63.64 percent year on year, the Vietnamese General Department of Customs reported. That means Vietnam saw a deficit of over $7.3 billion in trade with its northern neighbor, the agency said. Overall, the bilateral trade totaled more than $16.43 billion, a surge of 48.4 percent compared to the same month of 2023. Except for cellphones and accessories that saw a decline of $900 million in export value, most of the other main groups of Vietnamese exports to China posted high growths in January. Those exports that earned hundreds of millions of U.S. dollars in the month included computers, electronic products and components; cameras, camcorders and accessories; machinery, equipment, tools and spare parts; vegetables and fruits, and seafood, to name a few. Most prominent among the key exports to China were fruits and vegetables that brought $306 million, up 121 percent over the same period last year and accounting for 62.45 percent of Vietnams total fruit and vegetable export turnover. January also saw Chinas imports of Vietnamese seafood strongly increase as Chinese investors boosted imports to serve increased demand during the recent Tet (Lunar New Year) festival, ranking China the second largest importer of this commodity from Vietnam, after Japan. Notably, shrimp and tra fish (pangasius) earned a combined turnover of over $120 million, registering a quadruple rise from a year earlier, making China the top import market for these items from Vietnam in the month. In 2023, the two-way trade between the two countries hit about $171.2 billion, representing 25.16 percent of Vietnams total export value, sustaining Chinas top position among the trading partners of the Southeast Asian country, according to the department Vietnam also reported a deficit of $50 billion in trade with China last year. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Vietnamese tech firms generated massive revenues last year thanks to ventures in international markets. During a visit to Laos late last year, Vuong Dinh Hue, chairman of Vietnams National Assembly, met with leaders from Star Telecom, a joint venture between Vietnamese telecom group Viettel and Lao Asia Telecom providing telecom services in Laos under the Unitel brand. Viettel has been investing in Laos for over 14 years, particularly in projects which focus on providing telecom services in rural and remote areas. Currently, the Unitel network provides service to all of Lao districts and offers 4G in 70 percent of the country, putting Laos towards the top of Southeast Asia in terms of 4G coverage. Unitel is currently Laoss second largest tax payer and the countrys largest telecom sector taxpayer, averaging over US$53 million in annual taxes. It is also the countrys largest employer with a team of 27,000 staff. Unitel is an example of Viettel Groups successful foreign investment over the past few years. Unitel has contributed to improving telecom and digital transformation in Laos, Hue said. Other Viettel-invested telecom companies include Natcom in Haiti, Metfone in Cambodia, Mytel in Myanmar, Telemor in Timor Leste, and Lumitel in Brurundi. Outside of telecom, Viettels foreign investment includes forays into the information security sector in Japan, Myanmar, Timor Leste, and Hong Kong. It is also involved in digital finance and has managed to export its platforms to Mozambique, Laos, Haiti, Timor Leste, and Burundi. A Viettel representative said revenue from foreign markets soared 20.5 percent last year, on par with the companys results for the past seven years. Vietnamese tech firm FTP also succeeded in the global market last year, with revenue from software exports surpassing $1 billion. Such success is likely owed to FPTs shift from outsourcing software to becoming more involved in the complicated stages of value chains. Over half of FPTs revenue from foreign markets came from digital transformation services which focused primarily on Cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and data analysis. Last year, FPT beat out over 100 international contractors to win a $200 million contract to provide operation and digital transformation services to a U.S.-based firm focused on providing solutions to inventories, marketing, sales, post-sale management, and operations for auto distributors. Secrets of success According to Unitel CEO Tran Trung Hung, many of the companys top posts are held by Laotians, a move which helps to foster a sense of ownership amongst the employees. Our achievements cannot be described through numbers. Our focus on giving first and receiving later has allowed us to gain the confidence of customers in Laos and become a bridge of the friendship and solidarity between the two countries, Hung said. FPT chairman Truong Gia Binh shared the same view, saying that FPT suffered losses of over $1 million in Japan before gaining support from its Japanese partners. Besides adapting to the market, staying ahead through the study of new technologies and becoming involved in the higher stages of technological value chains has allowed FPT to gain success in foreign markets, Binh noted, adding that this strategy has helped the company stay competitive against rivals from India and China. Vietnamese National Assembly Vuong Dinh Hue assessed Unitel a typical success in overseas investment. Photo: Thanh Thuy / Tuoi Tre Dreaming big During a meeting with FPT last week, Vietnamese Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Manh Hung said enterprises should, in addition to yielding profits, aim to resolve social issues. According to FPT chairman Binh, FPT Software was established two decades ago to introduce Vietnamese brainpower and technology to the world. In the twenty years since, Vietnam has managed to climb to the second place among countries in terms of information technology service offerings, following India, and is known as an investment and digital renovation hub, Binh said. FPT plans to continue developing Vietnam into a new tech center. The group recently set up FPT Automotive with a goal of generating $1 billion in revenue by 2030. According to Unitel CEO Hung, Vietnamese enterprises which desire to make breakthroughs should step out of their comfort zones and begin learning about the legal systems and customs in new countries. Hung told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper that Unitel aimed to become the largest conglomerate in Laos by 2025, joining all economic sectors in the neighboring country with telecom as its primary profit-driver and fintech, technological solutions, digital content, e-commerce, and healthcare being major pillars of the companys growth. The companys revenue target for next year is $306 million. Hoang Trung Thanh, general director of Viettel Post, which is under the umbrella of Viettel, said the company also operates in Myanmar and Cambodia and will begin investing in Laos, Thailand, and China before entering Australia and Europe this year as part of its plan to make Vietnam a global logistics hub. In addition to FPT and Viettel, Vietnamese start-ups in new sectors, such as mobile gaming and blockchain, have succeeded in the global market, including Axie Infinity and Amanotes, according to Huy Nguyen, former senior tech lead manager at Google. Huy shared that enterprises wishing to succeed in a new market should meet the requirements in quality, price, and demand. To understand the demand of customers in new markets, firms must understand their languages and culture, have relations to access potential customers, prove to gain customers trust, and meet requirements to operate in the markets. They also need the support of other Vietnamese enterprises and the government. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! ZURICH -- Switzerland is still in love with bank notes and coins, a survey by the central bank showed on Friday, despite the growth of mobile payment apps and predictions of a cashless society. Cash remains the most widely accepted payment method for customer-facing businesses, such as shops and restaurants, ahead of payment via apps like Google Pay. Around 92 percent of companies which operate face-to-face businesses in Switzerland accept cash, while just 59 percent accept payment via apps, the study found. The findings of the Swiss National Bank's survey contrast with the experience of countries like Sweden which have become increasingly cashless. Still, mobile apps are becoming more popular, with their acceptance level up from 40 percent in 2021, and they are now more accepted than credit and debit cards in Switzerland. For Swiss companies that deal with clients remotely - such as online, or by email or telephone - bank transfers are the most popular way to accept payment, followed by invoices, then cash, the study found. The availability and acceptance of physical money has become a political theme in Switzerland, where bank notes have traditionally been popular even for big purchases like cars. Campaigners have raised concerns about younger and older people being marginalized because they lack access to payment apps or cards, while the number of banks and cash machines is declining. Two referendums on the topic of acceptance of cash under Switzerland's tradition of direct democracy are currently in various stages after collecting nearly 200,000 signatures. 2024 will be a year of change for the world's biggest tech companies as they bow to EU rules that come into force next month, shaking up how Europeans use vastly popular platforms from Google to Instagram. The European Union long ago set its sights on big tech, aiming to rein in globally dominant companies like Apple, Google and Microsoft. The landmark law known as the Digital Markets Act (DMA) breaks new ground because, rather than acting after the fact, it seeks to prevent companies from becoming powerful enough to edge out rivals. "This is really a big, big intervention in markets that affect people's lives every day," said Fiona Scott Morton, senior fellow at think tank Bruegel. Brussels in September named six so-called "gatekeepers" that face tougher curbs: Google's Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, TikTok parent ByteDance, Meta and Microsoft. It singles out 22 "core" platform services by the big six, including Amazon Marketplace, Apple's App Store, Facebook, Instagram and Google's Chrome browser. "The point of the law is to open up these platforms and make the interface widely accessible so that there can be competition," Scott Morton told AFP. The firms have until March 7 to comply, with a flurry of changes announced since the start of the year -- even as Apple, TikTok and Meta pursue challenges to aspects of the law. "We'll get some of the benefits of the opening up of these markets pretty quickly," Scott Morton predicted. Wind of change One of the biggest changes announced so far came from Apple, which said in January it would allow alternative app stores on the iPhone for the first time. The firm has moved grudgingly to comply, while also legally contesting that its app stores across all products including the iPhone should count as one. Google's EU users are seeing banners asking if they want to keep their Google services, like YouTube and Chrome, linked -- and therefore allow data sharing. Another big change will be choice screens: the EU wants firms to make it easier for users to choose their default search engine or browser, in an attempt to challenge Google search's dominance. Google has promised to overhaul its results page, with a group of links to price comparison websites and removing some features such as Google Flights. Microsoft has also announced steps to comply -- including letting Windows users in the European Economic Area (EEA) -- uninstall its Edge browser from their computers, and scrapping pop-ups urging new users to try the interface. The EEA includes the bloc plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. Advertising services by Amazon, Google and Meta must also adjust to the new rules, and Amazon last month detailed changes to its ad service, including providing more information about pricing. Letting users decide how much of their data should be shared between the biggest companies' various platforms is one of the headline changes sought by the EU. Meta said last month that users in the EU, in the EEA and in Switzerland will be able to create a separate Facebook Messenger account if they do not want it linked to their Facebook account. Individuals will also be able to access Facebook Marketplace and Facebook Gaming without using their main account information. At the same time, Meta is contesting the law's application to Facebook's Messenger and Marketplace services. Likewise, Chinese-owned TikTok, the only non-US business on the EU's list, says it does not meet various thresholds for the law to apply and has been wrongly designated. Core Apple issues Of all the giants it targets, the DMA has perhaps the greatest potential to alter Apple's closed ecosystem. Apple has not hidden its contempt for the DMA, which it says creates privacy and security risks. Inside the industry, Apple has been accused of acting in bad faith -- including by Meta's Mark Zuckerberg who suggested its changes made it no easier to create alternative app stores on the iPhone. "Apple clearly has no intention to comply with the DMA," said Rick VanMeter, executive director of the more than 70-member Coalition for App Fairness, which has long called for Apple to open up its marketplace. "Apple is introducing new fees on direct downloads and payments they do nothing to process, which violates the law," he said. Apple has said that its changes comply with the DMA. One vocal critic is Daniel Ek, the CEO of Spotify, which is part of the app coalition and called Apple's announced changes "a new low" for the firm. Echoing a rising chorus among Apple's competitors, Spotify voiced hope that the DMA will end "unfair stifling of innovation disguised by Apple as security protections". YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 24, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia Vahagn Khachaturyan has congratulated his Estonian counterpart Alar Karis on the countrys Independence Day. Armenia values the development of friendly relations with Estonia and is ready to take necessary steps for the expansion and strengthening of productive cooperation in areas of mutual interest, Khachaturyan said in a letter addressed to President Karis. I hope that our personal warm relationship will also contribute to the fulfillment of the agreements reached during my visit to Estonia last year, to the benefit of our peoples. A driver is facing penalties including a VND16-18 million (US$650-730) fine, five-to-seven months drivers license suspension, and a seven-day vehicle seizure after driving in the wrong direction on a freeway in north-central Vietnam. The traffic police department under the Ministry of Public Security on Friday announced details regarding the incident on the Nghi Son-Dien Chau Expressway involving driver P.V.S., 49, from north-central Nghe An Provinces Do Luong District. At around 6:00 am on February 20, S. drove a truck against the flow of traffic on the Nghi Son-Dien Chau Expressway, which traverses 50km from neighboring Thanh Hoa Province to Nghe An Province. Shortly after that, a video captured by another vehicles camera surfaced on various social media platforms, showing the truck speeding and causing other vehicles to maneuver to avoid collisions. The truck was also repeatedly changing lanes, at times occupying the outermost lane, posing a significant hazard to traffic on the expressway. Driver P.V.S. (L) fills out a report for driving in the wrong direction on the Nghi Son-Dien Chau Expressway in north-central Vietnam, February 20, 2024. Photo: Supplied At the police station, S. confessed that he worked as a truck driver for a nearby construction project and, due to being unfamiliar with the Nghi Son-Dien Chau Expressway, inadvertently entered the route, which lacks emergency stopping lanes while allowing a speed of 90km/h. Upon realizing his mistake, S. reversed course on the freeway to reach the nearest exit. Following the polices documentation of the incident, the driver said he acknowledged his violation and recognized the danger posed to other road users. As a result of the aforementioned violation, S. was subject to a fine ranging from VND16-18 million, a suspension of his drivers license for five to seven months, and a sevn-day vehicle seizure. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! A 20-year-old man in Ha Nam Province, northern Vietnam has been prosecuted for allegedly letting an alcohol-impaired friend borrow his motorcycle that led to a deadly traffic accident in late December last year, local police confirmed on Friday. The vehicle owner Tran Van Dung was also banned from leaving his residence in Binh Luc District. According to the officers, Dung, N.N.H., and four others drank alcohol at a wedding celebration in Binh Luc at around 8:00 pm on December 23, 2023. Subsequently, H. borrowed Dungs motorbike, which had no number plate, to pick up a friend of H. When H. was traveling on National Highway 37 in the district, he crashed into a roadside tree, leaving him dead and the bike damaged. Findings from police officers showed that H., borned in 2007, had a blood alcohol concentration of 92.04 milligrams per 100 milliliters of blood. At a police station, Dung admitted he had learned that H. was drunk and did not have a drivers license but he still let H. borrow the motorbike. Through this case, the police warned people against lending their vehicles to those who are ineligible for riding or driving, as such practice breaks traffic safety rules and will possibly put the borrower and others in life-threatening situations. In related news, police in the northern province of Hoa Binh announced on Wednesday that they have pressed the same charges against Bui Van Tuyen, a 23-year-old resident in Hoa Binh. On February 3 this year, Tuyen joined a drinking party with three others, including B.C.T., a 21-year-old local man. After T. borrowed Tuyens motorbike at night on the same day to pick up the formers girlfriend, T. collided with another one whose rider was identified as N.V.H, aged 23 in Hoa Binh. Both T. and H. were pronounced dead following the crash. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! This week on Back Roads Heather Ewart returns to Eugowra, a small town at the centre of a vibrant farming community in the central west of New South Wales. One of the first towns the program visited after the pandemic hit in 2020, disaster struck again in November 2022. A flash flood inundated the town and nearby farms, damaging at least 80 per cent of local properties and businesses. But the people of Eugowra refuse to give up. They have nursed their wounds and are pulling together, determined to get their town back on the map. Farmer Jason Smith tells the terrifying story of almost drowning with his horse Bootleg as he tried to move a herd of cattle ahead of the deluge, but the floodwater inundated his stock yards. The footage he filmed at the time has to be seen to be believed. Hugh and Lyn Ellis, who Back Roads met in 2020, had just finished renovating their dream home when the floodwaters exploded through their windows and walls. Friends and strangers rushed to help them rebuild, buoying their spirits as they gradually piece their lives back together. In the wake of this disaster the people of Eugowra have lost so much: homes, livelihoods, and loved ones too. But in amongst the mud and muck the flood left behind the people of Eugowra are finding riches too strength, loyalty and love for the place they call home. 8pm Tuesday on ABC. A farewell for outgoing ABC Chair Ita Buttrose due to take place last week has been postponed, and potentially may not take place at all. Guardian Australia reported her long-planned farewell event, a four-hour cocktail function with invited guests, was postponed earlier in the month after invitations had gone out. The note said it had been postponed due to unexpected circumstances. It suggests the recent bad press due to Antoinette Lattoufs Fair Work claim is likely to have scared the horses but another date is planned. But the Sydney Morning Herald claims the soiree at ABCs Studio 22 has now been cancelled. Buttrose also scrapped plans for any media in the lead-up to her departure, with no exit interview pieces on the cards any more. The appointment of Kim Williams as chair has been signed off by the governor-general and he will take up the role after Buttrose exits on March 6. Various activities held to greet upcoming Lantern Festival in China Xinhua) 10:43, February 24, 2024 People perform a dragon dance in celebration of the upcoming Lantern Festival in Sanlin Town of Pudong New Area, east China's Shanghai Municipality, Feb. 23, 2024. Various activities to celebrate the Lantern Festival were held in Sanlin Town of Shanghai on Friday, attracting many visitors. The Lantern Festival falls on the 15th day of the first lunar month, or Feb. 24 this year. (Xinhua/Liu Ying) People perform a dragon dance in celebration of the upcoming Lantern Festival in Sanlin Town of Pudong New Area, east China's Shanghai Municipality, Feb. 23, 2024. Various activities to celebrate the Lantern Festival were held in Sanlin Town of Shanghai on Friday, attracting many visitors. The Lantern Festival falls on the 15th day of the first lunar month, or Feb. 24 this year. (Xinhua/Liu Ying) People perform lion and dragon dance during an event celebrating the upcoming Chinese Lantern Festival in Hefu Town of Huzhou City, east China's Zhejiang Province, Feb. 23, 2024. (Xinhua/Huang Zongzhi) People perform dragon dance during an event celebrating the upcoming Chinese Lantern Festival in Hefu Town of Huzhou City, east China's Zhejiang Province, Feb. 23, 2024. (Xinhua/Huang Zongzhi) People watch an event celebrating the upcoming Chinese Lantern Festival in Hefu Town of Huzhou City, east China's Zhejiang Province, Feb. 23, 2024. (Xinhua/Huang Zongzhi) People perform dance during an event celebrating the upcoming Chinese Lantern Festival in Hefu Town of Huzhou City, east China's Zhejiang Province, Feb. 23, 2024. (Xinhua/Huang Zongzhi) People perform during an event celebrating the upcoming Chinese Lantern Festival in Hefu Town of Huzhou City, east China's Zhejiang Province, Feb. 23, 2024. (Xinhua/Huang Zongzhi) Folk artists perform dragon dance in celebration of the upcoming Lantern Festival in Heqiao Town, Lin'an District of Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province, Feb. 23, 2024. Several teams of folk art participated in the Lantern Festival celebrations in Heqiao Town on Friday. Heqiao is a famous town with a history of more than 1,000 years in western Zhejiang Province. The Lantern Festival falls on the 15th day of the first lunar month, or Feb. 24 this year. (Xinhua/Xu Yu) Folk artists take part in performances in celebration of the upcoming Lantern Festival in Heqiao Town, Lin'an District of Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province, Feb. 23, 2024. Several teams of folk art participated in the Lantern Festival celebrations in Heqiao Town on Friday. Heqiao is a famous town with a history of more than 1,000 years in western Zhejiang Province. The Lantern Festival falls on the 15th day of the first lunar month, or Feb. 24 this year. (Xinhua/Xu Yu) Folk artists take part in performances in celebration of the upcoming Lantern Festival in Heqiao Town, Lin'an District of Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province, Feb. 23, 2024. Several teams of folk art participated in the Lantern Festival celebrations in Heqiao Town on Friday. Heqiao is a famous town with a history of more than 1,000 years in western Zhejiang Province. The Lantern Festival falls on the 15th day of the first lunar month, or Feb. 24 this year. (Xinhua/Xu Yu) Folk artists perform in celebration of the upcoming Lantern Festival in Heqiao Town, Lin'an District of Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province, Feb. 23, 2024. Several teams of folk art participated in the Lantern Festival celebrations in Heqiao Town on Friday. Heqiao is a famous town with a history of more than 1,000 years in western Zhejiang Province. The Lantern Festival falls on the 15th day of the first lunar month, or Feb. 24 this year. (Xinhua/Xu Yu) An aerial drone photo taken on Feb. 23, 2024 shows folk artists taking part in performances in celebration of the upcoming Lantern Festival in Heqiao Town, Lin'an District of Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province. Several teams of folk art participated in the Lantern Festival celebrations in Heqiao Town on Friday. Heqiao is a famous town with a history of more than 1,000 years in western Zhejiang Province. The Lantern Festival falls on the 15th day of the first lunar month, or Feb. 24 this year. (Xinhua/Xu Yu) An aerial drone photo taken on Feb. 23, 2024 shows folk artists taking part in performances in celebration of the upcoming Lantern Festival in Heqiao Town, Lin'an District of Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province. Several teams of folk art participated in the Lantern Festival celebrations in Heqiao Town on Friday. Heqiao is a famous town with a history of more than 1,000 years in western Zhejiang Province. The Lantern Festival falls on the 15th day of the first lunar month, or Feb. 24 this year. (Xinhua/Xu Yu) An aerial drone photo taken on Feb. 23, 2024 shows folk artists taking part in performances in celebration of the upcoming Lantern Festival in Heqiao Town, Lin'an District of Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province. Several teams of folk art participated in the Lantern Festival celebrations in Heqiao Town on Friday. Heqiao is a famous town with a history of more than 1,000 years in western Zhejiang Province. The Lantern Festival falls on the 15th day of the first lunar month, or Feb. 24 this year. (Xinhua/Xu Yu) Folk artists take part in performances in celebration of the upcoming Lantern Festival in Heqiao Town, Lin'an District of Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province, Feb. 23, 2024. Several teams of folk art participated in the Lantern Festival celebrations in Heqiao Town on Friday. Heqiao is a famous town with a history of more than 1,000 years in western Zhejiang Province. The Lantern Festival falls on the 15th day of the first lunar month, or Feb. 24 this year. (Xinhua/Xu Yu) Folk artists perform drums in celebration of the upcoming Lantern Festival in Heqiao Town, Lin'an District of Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province, Feb. 23, 2024. Several teams of folk art participated in the Lantern Festival celebrations in Heqiao Town on Friday. Heqiao is a famous town with a history of more than 1,000 years in western Zhejiang Province. The Lantern Festival falls on the 15th day of the first lunar month, or Feb. 24 this year. (Xinhua/Xu Yu) Folk artists take part in performances in celebration of the upcoming Lantern Festival in Heqiao Town, Lin'an District of Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province, Feb. 23, 2024. Several teams of folk art participated in the Lantern Festival celebrations in Heqiao Town on Friday. Heqiao is a famous town with a history of more than 1,000 years in western Zhejiang Province. The Lantern Festival falls on the 15th day of the first lunar month, or Feb. 24 this year. (Xinhua/Xu Yu) The fish-shaped lantern performing team patrol in Wangmantian Village, Shexian County of Huangshan City, east China's Anhui Province, Feb. 22, 2024. Local villagers have the tradition to make fish-shaped lanterns to pray for harvest and good fortune on the Lantern Festival, which falls on the 15th day of the first lunar month, or Feb. 24 this year. (Photo by Shi Yalei/Xinhua) The fish-shaped lantern performing team patrol in Wangmantian Village, Shexian County of Huangshan City, east China's Anhui Province, Feb. 22, 2024. Local villagers have the tradition to make fish-shaped lanterns to pray for harvest and good fortune on the Lantern Festival, which falls on the 15th day of the first lunar month, or Feb. 24 this year. (Photo by Shi Yalei/Xinhua) The fish-shaped lantern performing team patrol in Wangmantian Village, Shexian County of Huangshan City, east China's Anhui Province, Feb. 22, 2024. Local villagers have the tradition to make fish-shaped lanterns to pray for harvest and good fortune on the Lantern Festival, which falls on the 15th day of the first lunar month, or Feb. 24 this year. (Photo by Shi Yalei/Xinhua) The fish-shaped lantern performing team patrol in Wangmantian Village, Shexian County of Huangshan City, east China's Anhui Province, Feb. 22, 2024. Local villagers have the tradition to make fish-shaped lanterns to pray for harvest and good fortune on the Lantern Festival, which falls on the 15th day of the first lunar month, or Feb. 24 this year. (Photo by Shi Yalei/Xinhua) The fish-shaped lantern performing team patrol in Wangmantian Village, Shexian County of Huangshan City, east China's Anhui Province, Feb. 22, 2024. Local villagers have the tradition to make fish-shaped lanterns to pray for harvest and good fortune on the Lantern Festival, which falls on the 15th day of the first lunar month, or Feb. 24 this year. (Photo by Fan Chengzhu/Xinhua) People take photos of a fish-shaped lantern in Wangmantian Village, Shexian County of Huangshan City, east China's Anhui Province, Feb. 22, 2024. Local villagers have the tradition to make fish-shaped lanterns to pray for harvest and good fortune on the Lantern Festival, which falls on the 15th day of the first lunar month, or Feb. 24 this year. (Photo by Fan Chengzhu/Xinhua) A visitor holds a fish-shaped lantern in Wangmantian Village, Shexian County of Huangshan City, east China's Anhui Province, Feb. 22, 2024. Local villagers have the tradition to make fish-shaped lanterns to pray for harvest and good fortune on the Lantern Festival, which falls on the 15th day of the first lunar month, or Feb. 24 this year. (Photo by Fan Chengzhu/Xinhua) The fish-shaped lantern performing team patrol in Wangmantian Village, Shexian County of Huangshan City, east China's Anhui Province, Feb. 22, 2024. Local villagers have the tradition to make fish-shaped lanterns to pray for harvest and good fortune on the Lantern Festival, which falls on the 15th day of the first lunar month, or Feb. 24 this year. (Photo by Fan Chengzhu/Xinhua) (Web editor: Xue Yanyan, Hongyu) YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 24, ARMENPRESS. The Azerbaijani military opened gunfire on February 24 at Armenian Armed Forces posts in the area of Verin Shorzha, Gegharkunik Province, the Ministry of Defense has said. In a statement, the Ministry of Defense presented the coordinates of the Azerbaijani position from where the shooting occurred. The Defense Ministry also warned that Azeri authorities are again spreading disinformation. The Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Armenia refutes the statement by the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan, which claimed that on February 24th, around 12:45 p.m., Armenian Armed Forces units had allegedly fired toward Azerbaijani positions in the eastern part of the border. This claim does not align with reality. Simultaneously, the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Armenia informs that on February 24th, at approximately 12:30 p.m., Azerbaijani armed forces units discharged fire against Armenian military positions near Verin Shorzha in the Gegharkunik region. The fire was directed towards the Armenian positions from the Azerbaijani position located at the following coordinates: 40 05'31.68" N, 45 52'51.44" E., the Ministry of Defense said. HCM CITY Bamboo Airways will maintain stable routes connecting major domestic hubs such as Ha Noi - HCM City, Ha Noi a Nang and HCM City a Nang as part of its ongoing restructuring scheme, the Vietnamese carrier said last Friday. Starting from April, Bamboo Airways will suspend flights from HCM City and Ha Noi to the popular travel destination Con ao Archipelago off the coast of Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province in southern Viet Nam. The airline reached an agreement to terminate a contract to lease three Embraer E190 jets, a narrow-body aircraft accommodating up to 114 passengers, by the end of March. Upon returning the jets, Bamboo Airways plans to partially or completely shut down flights from HCM City and Ha Noi to Con ao and Hue, as well as from Ha Noi to ong Hoi. The airline has been focusing on shutting down low-performing routes since the end of last year, including services from HCM City and Ha Noi to Phu Quoc Island, or from Ha Noi to the southernmost province of Ca Mau. In 2020, Bamboo Airways became the first airline to operate the Ha Noi Con ao route. Before that time, only national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines and VASCO had routes from HCM City and Can Tho to the archipelago using the short-range jet ATR72. Bamboo Airways is currently undergoing a major restructuring. It plans to have eight Airbus A320/A321 jets starting in April and aims to expand its fleet to 12-15 jets by the end of the year. It has also shut down all international flights and intends to resume them next year. It is implementing solutions to improve the efficiency of production and business activities. It is also focusing on improving its specialised human resources to better handle passengers support requests, including free flight rescheduling or refunds for them. VNS HCM CITY Cam Ranh International Terminal (CRTC) Joint Stock Company has signed an agreement with Changi Airports International (CAI) during the ongoing Singapore Airshow 2024 from February 20-25. The partnership will bring new services to Cam Ranh International Terminal (Terminal 2), such as automatic check-in services, entry registration through mobile apps, and the use of artificial intelligence in luggage transportation. Under the deal, CAI will support in managing the terminals non-aeronautical businesses and support the growth of Cam Ranh International Airports international route development. As part of its long-term development plan, Cam Ranh International Airport aims to increase its service capacity from 6.8 million to between eight million and 10 million passengers annually. Johnathan Hanh Nguyen, chairman of the Board of Directors of CRTC, said the agreement will help connect Cam Ranh International Airport to major airports worldwide and attract international partners. In the next five years, CRTC will work with CAI to enhance the revenue growth of Terminal 2 and improve the passenger experience. The agreement also allows for an extension of another five years, he added. Cam Ranh International Terminal, which opened in 2018, is a hub for more than 30 airlines, connecting Nha Trang city with over 100 destinations worldwide. The airport serves as a gateway to the popular tourist destination of Nha Trang city, and faced challenges due to the pandemic. Changi International Airport, known for its exceptional quality of service, has been recognised as one of the best airports in the world for 12 consecutive years. VNS HA NOI The Subcommittee on Documents (SoD) of the 14th Party Congress kicked off its first session on Friday under the chair of Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong. It is scheduled that the 14th National Party Congress will be held in January 2026. To well prepare for the congress, the 13th Central Executive Committee decided to establish five subcommittees, including the SoD headed by Party General Secretary Trong. The SoD is responsible for preparing the political report and summary report on 40 years of innovation. To assist the SoD, the Secretariat decided to establish a Documents Editorial Team. At the session, Nguyen Xuan Thang, Politburo member, Director of the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics and Head of the Documents Editorial Team, reported the teams working results. Giving instruction at the session, Party General Secretary Trong stated that the National Party Congress is an extremely important political event. The 14th Party Congress will take place at a very meaningful time, when the country has overcome all difficulties and challenges to successfully implement goals and tasks identified in the 13th Party Congresss Resolution. He confirmed that in 40 years of renewal, Viet Nam has achieved many very important and outstanding results, creating a premise to enter a new stage of development with new opportunities, advantages, difficulties and challenges interwoven. The 14th Party Congress has the task of deeply reviewing the implementation of the 13th Congresss Resolution, summarising 40 years of carrying out the socialist-oriented renovation. From there, it will draw important lessons, determine the direction, goals and tasks of the country in the next five years (2026-30), continuing to successfully implement the 10-year socio-economic development strategy (2021-30). Document preparation for the 14th Party Congress, especially the political report, which is the central report and plays a guiding role for other documents, must be carried out scientifically and seriously. There must be innovation in work methods, ensuring true quality and fully reflecting the new realities of the country. This is extremely important work, ensuring the Congresss success," Party General Secretary Trong said. To ensure work quality, he requested all members of the SoD, especially the Editorial Team, to deeply understand and reach a high level of consensus in mottos, ideological methods, viewpoints and working ways to achieve the highest efficiency. He emphasised that when compiling documents, theoretical research must be seamlessly linked with practical development review in all fields of politics, economics, culture, society, defence, security and foreign affairs. The political report must be a scientific work that crystallises the theoretical level, the intellectual height of the Party, and the beliefs and aspirations of the nation, reflecting a new movement trend, he said. Party General Secretary Trong confirmed that the political report must skillfully combine practices with policy orientation to discover and explore emerging policies, tasks and solutions. The SoD must clarify which guidelines and policies have been confirmed in reality to be correct and appropriate, and which ones need to be innovated and supplemented, he said. Party General Secretary Trong emphasised that the Congress documents, including the political report, were the product of the collective intelligence and collective work of the Party and the people, so they must promote democracy and have participation and contributions of different agencies, departments, ministries and localities. They also need the contributions of former leaders, intellectuals, researchers and managers. The SoD should exploit domestic and international scientific and political research in the period of 2021-25, with a vision to 2030 and 2045. The Party General Secretary noted that during discussions, it was necessary to seek advice, listen, respect each other's opinions, find the truth together and create high consensus, especially on new issues and problems. The socio-economic development strategy report must be consistent with the Party's views and policies on national development, contributing to supplementing and developing the Party's theoretical awareness of socialism and human rights. He pointed out that the SoDs work would be very difficult, requiring great effort and concentration to be completed with high quality and on schedule. VNS HA NOI The Japanese Embassy in Viet Nam held a reception on February 23 to celebrate the 64th birthday of Japanese Emperor Naruhito. The event saw the attendance of Politburo member, Permanent member of the Party Central Committees Secretariat and head of the Party Central Committees Organisation Commission Truong Thi Mai, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang, Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son, representatives from ministries, sectors and international organisations in Viet Nam, and Japanese citizens in Ha Noi. Delivering a message of congratulations at the ceremony, Mai, who is also Chairwoman of the Vietnam Japan Friendship Parliamentarians Group, congratulated the Japanese people on the important achievements that they have attained over the past years, making Japan a leading developed country in the world. She expressed her delight over the strong and comprehensive development of the friendship and cooperation between Vietnam and Japan for years, and highlighted the celebration of the 50th founding anniversary of the two countries' diplomatic relations with various activities, and particularly the upgrade of their relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for peace and prosperity in Asia and the world in 2023. She said she believes that with efforts and resolve from the two countries, together with the support of the Japanese Emperor and royal family, the Vietnam Japan Comprehensive Strategic Partnership will further develop in a more practical and effective fashion to meet the interest and development in each country, and for peace and prosperity in the region and the world. Foreign Minister Son stressed that the Vietnam Japan relations, which have unceasingly developed, have become a bright spot in the international relations amidst rapid and complicated developments in the region and the world. Given the trong political trust, cultural similarities and historical connections of the two countries, Son believed that the Vietnam Japan friendship and cooperative ties have entered a new chapter with boundless potential for development. Leaders and people of both nations are determined to bolster cooperation in traditional areas of economy, politics, culture, education-training, labour, people-to-people exchange, and expand collaboration in new fields such as emission reduction, semiconductor development, clean energy and digital transformation, he said, adding both nations will also strengthen cooperation at international forums, organisations and mechanisms to which they are members. Meanwhile, Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam Yamada Takio said that the Vietnam Japan relations are in their best shape in history, with the strong bonds not only bringing about political and economic benefits but also basing on their mutual understanding and sympathy. He said that the bilateral cooperative relations will experience significant progress in 2024, matching the Vietnam Japan Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. The ambassador cited a recent survey from the Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO) that showed Viet Nam is the second favourite destination for Japanese firms, following the US, adding nearly 60% of the surveyed enterprises have intended to expand operation in the Southeast Asian country. On the occasion, the Japanese Embassy presented the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star to former Vietnamese Ambassador Doan Xuan Hung. VNA/VNS HA NOI The Ministry of Public Security has proposed auctioning motorcycle licence plates with lucky numbers, following the success of car licence plate auctions over the past time. The starting price of a motorcycle licence plate put up for auction is VN5 million. The price would increase by increments of 10 per cent of the starting price (from VN500,000). The ministry also proposed auction winners would have the right to register the licence plate with police where the number plate is managed or where the winners reside. The auction of plates would not be available to military enterprises doing business and foreign organisations and enterprises, diplomatic missions, representative offices of international organisations and foreigners working in foreign and international agencies and organisations operating in the Vietnamese territory. According to the ministry, the car licence plate auction has met public demand for plates with lucky numbers, created transparency in licence plates registration and management, and at the same time, increased State budget. The auction has received public consensus, the ministry said, noting that since September 15, 2023, more than 15,100 car licence plates have been auctioned. Nearly VN840 billion has been collected for the State budget. VNS HCM CITY All State administrative units in HCM City have improved in performing their assigned missions after two years of implementing a project to develop and apply population data and electronic identification and authentication to serve the national digital transformation. The municipal Peoples Committee on February 20 held an online meeting to summarise the results of the project in the city. Presenting a report at the meeting, deputy director of the citys Public Security Department Tran uc Tai said that the department, the standing agency of the Steering Committee for the project, has strictly followed the directions of central State administrative units and ministries while delivering timely consultation to the municipal Peoples Committee and Party Committee. Since launching the project two years ago, it has adopted various measures to clean up citizen data and help city dwellers update or register for a new version of citizen identification cards to simplify administrative procedures related to residence management. The city considers the project as one of the core parts of a digital economy, digital society, digital government and smart city by 2030, said Duong Anh uc, vice chairman of the municipal People's Committee. It will provide favorable conditions for the growth of Vietnamese digital businesses and help to complete the plans and programmes set by the municipal Party Committee, he said. Until now, 17 of 35 digital transformation models have been successfully implemented in the city, including launching software among accommodation businesses and hospitals (ASM), cashless payment among all schools in the city, disease diagnosis and treatment via chip-based citizen ID cards and the VNeID app, and digital signature provision via the VNeID app. Issuing chip-based citizen identification cards is a key task to bring people's activities to the digital environment. For the last two years, the police force has formed mobile teams inside hospitals or to visit individuals to help them create their own cards, followed by proper account activation. So far, nearly 7.7 million ID cards and more than 5.5 million accounts at level 2 have been activated successfully. The city has been able to link and share data in its electronic one-stop information system with the national population database. The progress of digitised results of administrative procedures in the city has reached 96 per cent, with 276 procedures partly online and 464 fully online. According to the citys Department of Education and Training, there are still certain difficulties when identifying the residence status of students whose permanent address is not in the city, leading to a need to access the temporary residence data. Vo Thi Trung Trinh, director of the citys Centre for Digital Transformation, said that in the future, the city needs to link its system to the databases of ministries and State agencies because many systems are now not compatible with the current system of the city. Another problem comes from the implementation of public digital signatures, which requires more public awareness, she said. These signatures are free of charge for only one year when carrying out public services (not free for other transactions), but this period should be extended, she added. Chairman of the city People's Committee Phan Van Mai highly appreciated the smooth cooperation between State agencies at all levels and the police force in the city for the past two years. "The achievements have provided valuable lessons not only for the city itself but for central state units, with the aim of successfully completing the project, he said. He asked relevant agencies to work together to address current problems, and strictly follow the approved plans and directions from the Central unit so that the project is associated with the citys digital transformation programme. For administrative procedures to be done on digital platforms by 2025, there must be plans to develop public services and a single app for citizens to use conveniently, he said. The city now has three steering committees, including one for implementing the project, one for administrative reform, and another for digital transformation. He asked the citys Department of Home Affairs to consider combining the three committees into one for more effective management and operation. In the near future, the city will finish all project-related missions and turn this into a criterion for annual evaluations of State unit leaders. VNS HA NOI ak Lak Province is pushing forward with plans to turn its Buon Ma Thuot City into a global hub for speciality coffees. Speciality coffees refer to coffees that score over 80 on the hundred-point scale set by the Speciality Coffee Association. Central to the efforts is the Vietnam Amazing Cup, an annual coffee competition the province has organised since 2019. In the competition, more than 200 speciality coffees in the province have been showcased and evaluated by the top coffee experts in the world. Their aromatic flavours have gained popularity and allowed Buon Ma Thuot's coffees to enter high-end markets, including the EU and the US. ak Lak is also working on a scheme to expand farms of speciality coffee Robusta in its five communes, namely Ea Tan, Ea Toh, Hoa An, Ea Yoong, and Ea Tu, raising their coverage to 2,120 ha and output to 1,500 tonnes by 2030. The government has recently approved the Master Plan for the Development of ak Lak between 2021 and 2030 with a Vision to 2050, under which Buon Ma Thuot aims to become "the world's coffee city" by 2050. Le inh Tu, owner of the Aeroco Coffee Farm in Buon Ma Thuot, who has won prizes in the Vietnam Amazing Cup for five consecutive years, said his nine-hectare farm is comprised of four layers of plants: the overstory layer, the understory layer, the coffee layer, and the ground layer. The four-layer approach, coupled with a strict management process, has enabled Aeroco to yield coffee beans of high quality and aromatic flavours. Aeroco coffee has found its way to the EU, the US, Canada, China, and Japan. "We need large financial resources to finance training and experience-sharing programmes for coffee farmers to turn Buon Ma Thuot into a global hub for speciality coffees," said Tu. Tran inh Trong, Director of the Ea Tu Fair Agricultural Service Cooperative, said his 49-member cooperative has 320 ha of coffee farms, of which 260 ha is shared with other families. Its speciality coffees gaining ground globally bears witness to the claim that ak Lak's coffees are good enough to win favours even with the most demanding consumers. However, as speciality coffees make up a small portion of the coffee industry in Viet Nam, the government must take more measures to push them to the forefront and help speciality coffee producers expand their customer base. Trinh uc Minh, Chairman of the Buon Ma Thuot Coffee Association, revealed that speciality coffees are referred to as "gourmet art" by coffee connoisseurs for their uniqueness from production to consumption. "The global hub for speciality coffees can be built on the following pillars: a city of the best Robusta coffee in the world, a city of coffee festivals, and a centre for coffee research," said Minh. VNS LONDON Investigation is underway into the case that seven allegedly Vietnamese migrants were detected at Newhaven port in Lewes district of East Sussex county on February 16, according to the Vietnamese Embassy in the UK. All of the migrants are receiving medical care in hospital, the embassy said. At the direction of the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the embassy has been keeping close contact with local relevant agencies to follow up on the case, and getting ready to take necessary citizen protection measures to ensure that the immigrants are treated humanely and in line with laws in case they are confirmed to be Vietnamese citizens. According to the UK press, seven migrants, believed to be Vietnamese, were found in the back of a lorry at Newhaven port on February 16. Ferry operator DFDS, which runs services between Newhaven and Dieppe in Normandy, northern France, confirmed that the migrants were found on board the Seven Sisters vessel, adding immediate medical attention was provided. Anas Al Mustafa, 42, from Waless Swansea city and accused of assisting the unlawful entry to the UK, appeared at Brighton Magistrates Court on February 19. He was remanded into custody and will appear at Lewes Crown Court on March 18. VNS A NANG A ship from the Vietnam Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Centre (Vietnam MRCC) rescued an ill fisherman and brought him ashore for medical care in the central city of a Nang on February 24. Le Ngoc Khon, born in 1987 from the central province of Quang Ngai province, suffered shortness of breath, frothing and serious health condition while onboard a fishing boat at sea off the Hoang Sa (Paracels) islands on February 23. Right after receiving Captain Nguyen Van Vinh calls for emergency medical assistance, the centre asked him to return to land and contacted the a Nang 115 Emergency Centre for medical consultancy. According to doctors diagnosis, Khon, with asthma history, experienced Type 3 respiratory failure, and he was in need of emergency first aid. The Vietnam MRCC dispatched ship SAR 274 with doctors, nurses and medical equipment on board, which reached the fishing vessel with the patient late the same day. Khon was given first aid and then taken onshore for further medical treatment. His life was saved but the patient is still in poor condition. Also on February 23, the Vietnam MRCCs ship SAR 412 joined search and rescue efforts for two missing fishermen onboard a fishing vessel from Quang Ngai province, which collided with a cargo ship in the waters of the central locality. VNA/VNS A panicked homeowner made a desperate plea online after returning home from a week away to find "a million tiny spiders" had moved into her bedroom in her absence. The Sydney woman was desperate for help to remove the little critters, which experts confirmed to Yahoo News Australia were baby huntsman spiders, with photos showing loads of them covering her ceiling. "Can someone help me? I was gone for a week and came back to a million tiny spiders on my ceiling. I don't think I can even sleep in my room tonight," she wrote on social media this week asking how she to best remove them all. But according to spider expert Emeritus Professor Dave Rowell, there's "no point in trying to remove them as they will be gone in days," he told Yahoo. Plus, baby huntsman are "completely harmless". Hundreds of baby huntsman spiders covered the Sydney woman's bedroom ceiling. Source: Facebook "Huntsman spiders are not considered dangerous, although big ones can give a painful nip. Its common for huntsman spiders to lay a hundred or more eggs," said the professor and head of biology at ANU. "Huntsman spiders are usually solitary (there are a few social species, but the one pictured isnt), so they disperse very quickly," he added. "They wont hang around and grow into big spiders inside the house." Very common for spider eggs to hatch inside homes Many species of spiders lay eggs inside houses, most notably huntsmans, black house spiders and daddy longlegs so it's pretty common. Scott Johnson, the moderator of Australian Spider Identification Facebook page, previously told Yahoo that spiders like a dry environment for their egg sac. "They'll look for a nice dry spot, hopefully out of the way, and they usually end up inside away from the weather," he said. In spring and summer, it takes roughly 30 to 60 days for a egg sac to hatch and the process can take twice as long in the colder months. This means the mother spider had already laid her eggs before the Sydney woman went on holiday. Story continues Depending on the spider and the size of the egg sac, between 60-100 spiders can hatch at one time. "The mortality rate of spiderlings is very high over 95% mortality has been documented for some species," Rowell said. 'Non-lethal' way to remove spiders For those who aren't too keen on sharing a bed with a bunch of baby spiders though, Sydney pest control expert Christopher Moschella said to get a pest controller in. But "non-lethal eviction should be done by vacuum cleaner," he told Yahoo reiterating that "a huntsman that size is completely harmless" so homeowners should not be alarmed. Love Australia's weird and wonderful environment? Get our new newsletter showcasing the weeks best stories. BOSTON (AP) A watch melted during the Aug. 6, 1945, bombing of Hiroshima, Japan, has sold for more than $31,000 at auction. The watch is frozen in time at the moment of the detonation of an atomic bomb over the Japanese city 8:15 a.m. during the closing days of World War ll, according to Boston-based RR Auction. The winning bid in the auction that ended Thursday was $31,113. The artifact was recovered from the ruins of Hiroshima and offers a glimpse into the immense destruction of the first atomic bomb detonated over a city. The small brass-tone watch, a rare survivor from the blast zone, was auctioned alongside other historically significant items, according to the auction house. Despite the cloudiness of the crystal caused by the blast, the watch's hands remain halted at 8:15 a.m. the moment when the B-29 Enola Gay dropped the Little Boy atomic bomb. The auction house said that according to the item's consignor, a British soldier retrieved the wristwatch from the ruins of the city while on a mission to provide emergency supplies and assess post-conflict reconstruction needs at the Prefectural Promotion Hall in Hiroshima. It is our fervent hope that this museum-quality piece will stand as a poignant educational symbol, serving to not only remind us of the tolls of war but also to underscore the profound, destructive capabilities that humanity must strive to avoid, said Bobby Livingston, executive vice president at RR Auction. This wristwatch, for instance, marks the exact moment in time when history changed forever." The winning bidder opted to remain anonymous. Other items featured in the auction included a signed copy of former Chinese leader Mao Zedong's The Little Red Book," which sold for $250,000; a signed check from George Washington one of two known checks signed as president to ever come to market which sold for $135,473; and Buzz Aldrins Apollo 11 Lunar Module Prep Checklist, which sold for $76,533, according to RR Auction. Waco-area technical education students on Friday competed at Texas State Technical College against competitors from a nine-county area in technical competitions ranging from culinary arts to welding and construction. SkillsUSA held the district competition at TSTCs flagship Waco campus as part of its District 6 leadership and skills conference this week. It was one of 13 district contests the organization is overseeing this year involving 15,000 students. Finalists will move on to the state competition in Corpus Christi in April. Competitors made French pastries, participated in a quiz bowl, constructed building facades and showed how to wire a building, among other feats. Participants included the Greater Waco Advanced Manufacturing Academy, which trains students from several local high schools. U.S. Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Waco, was on hand to watch the competition Friday morning and talk with students from Waco and other communities. He urged students to keep developing their technical skills and talents. We have an obligation to match the wishes and dreams of our young people to pursue a career, Sessions was quoted as saying in a TSTC news release. He also got a tour of the two-year technical college and saw how welding programs were preparing students for the workforce. TSTC is not only impressive with its infrastructure and cutting-edge equipment, but it has a lot of instructors and staff that are excited about the students they educate, Sessions said. A Republican primary candidate in the race for Falls County sheriff may be ineligible for the post because of a long-ago conviction that prevents him from getting a peace officer's license. John William Reed, 50, one of two candidates in the race, pleaded no contest to Class A misdemeanor assault in May 1995 in Denton County, according to court records. He was sentenced to 140 days in the county jail, plus a year of community supervision, a $500 fine and 80 hours of community service. Under state law, that record makes him ineligible for a peace officer license from the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement, unless the commission grants a waiver. Those waivers are granted only in response to requests made by a law enforcement agency administrator on behalf of a job candidate the administrator intends to hire, according to TCOLE's website. State law requires a sheriff to possess an active peace officer license, or to be eligible to obtain one and have been a federal special investigator for at least five years or a combat veteran with 10 years of service. Those who qualify based on law enforcement or military experience must obtain a peace officer license within two years of taking office. TCOLE records show Reed has never held a peace officer license. Reed said Friday he has no law enforcement background, but he is eligible for office because he served in the Army for 10 years. He said he plans to petition for a waiver, and if successful, he would have two years to obtain his peace officer license if elected sheriff. Reed is running against Jason Campbell, who has 23 years of law enforcement experience, most recently as a Texas game warden. The primary winner will face incumbent Sheriff Joe Lopez, a Democrat, in the November general election. According to court records from Denton County, Reed was charged in November 1994 with assault family violence, a Class A misdemeanor. According to an arrest affidavit, officers were called to a residence shared by Reed, his brother and his mother, and they found Reed, then 20, had punched his brother in the face following an argument. The affidavit says Reeds brother was bleeding and had a swollen lip due to the assault. Reeds mother told police he had been violent in the past, and officers observed him to be very angry, the affidavit says. Court records show Reed pleaded no contest to Class A misdemeanor assault, without the family-violence designation. Hay supplies may be better than last year, but they remain extremely tight as costs for winter feeding continue to mount for Texas ranchers, according to Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service experts. Jason Cleere, AgriLife Extension statewide beef cattle specialist and professor in the Texas A&M Department of Animal Science, said hay supplies have improved but stocks are still below pre-drought averages. Back-to-back years have led to deeper culling and difficult decision making for some producers about their herds even as cow/calf prices remain historically strong. Cleere said spotty rains delivered moisture to some parts of the state early and other areas late in the hay season last year. That provided decent early or late-season cuttings for those areas, but forage production was held back by hot, dry conditions overall. Texas had two rough summers, and producers can absorb a miss one year with reserves from the previous haying season, but two years in a row becomes more challenging, he said. We really havent stopped feeding hay since mid-July on our farm, and that is a challenge for producers who arent producing their own hay, given bale prices. Driving prices higher David Anderson, AgriLife Extension economist and professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics, said tight supplies and higher demand is driving prices upward. Anderson said Dec. 1 hay stocks were the third lowest on record behind 2022 and 2012, respectively. Texas hay yields averaged 1.87 tons per acre in 2023 compared to 1.56 tons per acre in 2022, but tonnage was still below historic averages, he said. Producers had yielded 1.95 tons per acre on average since 2012. The national price for round bales is $102, but Cleere said grass hay bales in Texas have been selling for $100-$140, or $200-$280 per ton based on quality. Some ranchers are shipping in hay and alfalfa from out of state due to low availability locally, Cleere said. Anderson said Oklahoma hay stocks were up 97% compared to last year, while New Mexico, which produces mostly alfalfa, was up 25% and Kansas was down 12%. Prices are not as high as a year ago, but they are indicative of the tighter supplies and higher input costs, Anderson said. There are fewer cows to feed, but the costs to keep herds fed through winter after poor hay and grazing production has translated into tough decisions for some producers. Conditions improving Vanessa Corriher-Olson, AgriLife Extension forage specialist and professor in the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences in Overton, said recent rainfall could alleviate some producer concerns. Storm systems that delivered moisture to much of the state could improve conditions in established cool-season forages, like winter wheat or annual ryegrass. The rain should also improve conditions as warm-season perennial grasses begin breaking dormancy this spring. Cool-season forage conditions for some producers, especially in areas with more moisture like East Texas, were good for grazing, and the rain should help improve production, she said. However, grazing availability is a mixed bag around the state, even in East Texas where many producers may have not seeded ryegrass due to dry conditions in September and October. In other parts of the state like the Panhandle and South Plains, sporadic soil moisture led to decent winter wheat establishment, but little production for some and failure for others. Some dry-sown fields had yet to emerge, and AgriLife Extension experts said the recent moisture may be too late to help grazing. The producers who planted in mid-October are having success, but I think fewer people planted this year because of drought and doubts about rainfall, Corriher-Olson said. But now ... Ive gotten calls from people wanting to plant because they are out of hay and dont have anything to graze. The moisture will help what is up, but unfortunately, its too late to plant. The key now, she said, is to focus on what can be done to optimize hay output in 2024. Unfortunately, many forage producers have reduced fertilizer inputs or cut them completely over the previous two seasons because of high prices in 2021 and drought in 2022. The lack of fertility and overgrazing could lead to compounding problems this season, she said. Lack of fertility, especially potassium, has led to unhealthy and thinning stands in Bermuda grass fields while overgrazing will likely result in a bumper crop of annual weeds. Producers should start with a soil sample now that there is moisture to make sampling easier, she said. Analysis is the only way to know the state of soil and its ability to support warm-season perennial grass production. Planning also will give producers time to shop around for contract fertilizer options to meet the soil fertility requirements recommended based on the soil analysis, she said. Producers should also shop around for other inputs, including herbicides, based on pests theyve dealt with in past seasons. Low fertility, unhealthy or overgrazed stands will not recover as quickly without reducing competition with weeds and feeding the grass what it needs to grow, she said. We will need more rain going into and during the growing season, but this moisture should bring some optimism. Outlook remains positive Cleere said the future looks bright for cattle producers who have been able to hold and maintain good body conditions on quality cows and heifers. But balancing feeding costs with potential gains and realized sale prices for calves will be critical for short- and long-term profitability. He recommends continued assessment of both hay rations, body conditions and potential culls of older or troublesome cows and to consider earlier weaning of calves to reduce pressure on cows. Producers should also consider moving cattle to smaller holding locations for winter feeding to help other grazing pastures recover quicker, he said. In 2011, grain prices were more economical and that helped stretch hay supplies during that drought, but both are so expensive now that it makes producers walk a fine line, he said. But we need to stay on top of forage management and pasture recovery because ryegrasses and legumes can really take off and change things dramatically with moisture. Forty years after President Lincoln dismissed the once-popular idea of colonization for formerly enslaved African Americans, white students at the University of Chicagos 1903 commencement ceremony heard Independence Party presidential candidate John Temple Graves call for African Americans to be relocated to the Philippines where they could set up their own democratic, Blacks-only government. This is our country, Graves said of the United States of America. We made it. We molded it. We control it, and we always will. We have done great things. We have mighty things yet to do. The Negro is an accident an unwilling, a blameless but an unwholesome, unwelcome, helpless, unassimilable element in our civilization. Graves spoke just as one might well expect of a kinsman of slaveholding Southerner John Calhoun, a 19th-century senator who encouraged white supremacy and states rights. During enslavement decades earlier, African Americans risked being sold, beaten, even lynched on so much as a slaveowners whim. Founders of the United States framed laws that excluded Blacks, women and indigenous people from power. None of these people were on the constitutional radar way back when. The Electoral College, for example, was clearly designed as a tool to protect those in control of others, allowing Southerners in particular to dominate power and thus preserve that peculiar institution of slavery, even as the number of abolitionists swelled over time. This manner of electing presidents has always been undemocratic. It needs to go the way of the sundial. Today, those from underserved communities still lack the luxury of relying on short-term strategies for social change. If youre planning to live in America, you must understand the way entrenched power slows progress toward genuine equality and racial justice. Consequently, progress for those who have long faced historic oppression is won in a fitful, protracted struggle. It takes protesters on the outside and pragmatists on the inside to transform the United States into a true democracy. If theres a message during Black History Month, that is it. Whats needed are people to solve problems of discrimination and inequity with long-term, set-in-stone planning strategies that focus on specific problems where some of us are unfairly marginalized and some of us are not. This is why the ongoing destruction, bit by bit, of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 by the Supreme Court of the United States is so devastating and so wrongheaded. Politics and power In America, politics is a place where power counts and thrives on the exclusion of some. This is why voter suppression what should really be called voter theft or election interference is a tool to maintain our current pseudo-democracy. In Mississippi in 1896, more than 130,000 African Americans figured on state voter rolls but by 1904 that number had dwindled to 1,300. Suppression came in many ways: Southern postal workers sometimes didnt deliver voter registration cards to Black households. Votes often werent counted or machines malfunctioned. Voter theft has included many variations on poll taxes and literacy tests, notably in Texas. Sometimes vote thieves hindered African Americans trying to register to vote by asking impossible questions: How old was Christ when he was born? One applicant was handed a Chinese script and asked if he knew what it meant. Yeah, I know what it means, he replied. It means that n* aint gonna vote in Mississippi again this year. During the Jim Crow era, African Americans such as Uncle Ike Pringle in Lincoln, Mississippi, were praised by white Americans because he was totally unreconstructed, a true Negro of the Old South who always sided with white folks. The message worked in tandem with that conveyed by statues erected across Texas and the South celebrating white Confederate heroes who fought to maintain the institution of slavery. We must never forget those African American organizers and protesters who died seeking to forge the right for African Americans to vote, as provided for by the 15th Amendment. Churches for decades have organized souls to the polls efforts. White supremacist terrorists murdered Rev. George Lee for registering voters in 1955. Lamar Smith, a World War I veteran, was also killed while helping folks register the same year. Your vote, your voice Today African Americans have a lot to say, especially in elections where redistricting isnt used to silence them. African American voter turnout helped elect Joe Biden president in 2020, even as a significant percentage of Blacks also voted for President Trump. One often hears that Blacks have no real incentive to vote because they feel they dont have much to vote for. Some feel the biggest lie in American politics is the idea that if we just vote, everything will be OK. Many should reflect more deeply on civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.s observation on the broad arc of the moral universe it is long, he conceded, but it bends toward justice. Voting is many things. Its a weapon, a right, an obligation and a responsibility for every well-informed citizen. Voting is political currency wasted if unused. To not vote is a self-erasure of your own voice in the many-splendored, sometimes discordant chorus of American society. Its understandable if some folks white, Black or brown feel at times theres no point in bothering to vote. Banish the thought. Voting is not some long-lasting panacea anymore than flu medicine solves the flu. It might help, it might not, but only diligence through the months and years and even decades brings change, possibly for our children and grandchildren if not ourselves. An expectation of sweeping change in an election or two fails to acknowledge the slow but deliberate workings of democracy. More representation from underserved communities among local and state elected officials can make a big difference. These discrepancies have real-world consequences, often of greater significance than whoever is elected president of the United States, particularly given the checks and balances built into our constitutional system. Voting is an exercise in agency: Silence your own voice at your own peril. WATERLOO The Waterloo Community Foundation has named four new members to its board of directors. The Waterloo Community Foundation was established in 2015. Its mission is to provide a lean and transparent conduit vehicle to those who wish to contribute resources for the betterment of the greater Waterloo community and its citizens. The foundations locally focused board is made up of fifteen members who have diverse backgrounds and experiences. Each is tied to the Waterloo community. FILE - Producer Nadim Cheikhrouha, from left, Eya Chikhaoui, Tayssir Chikhaoui, Nour Karoui, Olfa Hamrouni, director Kaouther Ben Hania, Hend Sabri, Ichraq Matar pose for photographers upon arrival at the premiere of the film Four Daughters at the 76th international film festival, Cannes, southern France, Friday, May 19, 2023. A documentary about a Tunisian family and the radicalization of two teenage daughters who joined the Islamic State is up for one of the most prestigious film awards in the world. (Photo by Joel C Ryan/Invision/AP, File) CORRECTS LOCATION OF LAPIERRE TO CENTER RIGHT INSTEAD OF AT LEFT - Wayne LaPierre, center right, CEO of the National Rifle Association, leaves New York State Supreme Court as a jury continues deliberations during a trial, Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II) An excited mum-to-be shared a touching tribute to her unborn son on social media just weeks before she suddenly fell ill and passed away, moments after medics performed an emergency C-section to save her baby. Laura Porta, 37, was at home with her partner Antonio when she unexpectedly became unwell with emergency services arriving at the scene to treat her shortly after. The mum-to-be, who was eight months pregnant at the time, was taken to hospital in critical condition as medics urgently discussed what course of action to take. They chose to give her an emergency C-section to save her baby boy, whom the couple had already named Andrea. However, tragically, Porta died shortly after. Laura Porta, 37, was eight months pregnant when she tragically died moments after medics saved her son. Source: Jam Press The infant was rushed away in critical condition and now remains in the neonatal ICU. Current evidence suggests she either had a cardiac arrest or a brain bleed. The medics believe the sudden illness put her baby in critical condition. Mum's message to future son Porta made a heart-wrenching social media post in December addressed to her future son who remains at a paediatric hospital in Florence, Italy where the couple lives. Laura Porta was at home with her partner Antonio (pictured) when she suddenly became unwell. Source: Jam Press "One day well tell you about how Mummy and Daddy met, about the times they crossed paths in the work corridors, about when Mum confronted Dad with a frown," she wrote. "One day well tell you about how we fell in love, about the distant months and how difficult it was, about all the times we supported each other and held hands, never letting go. "And then well tell you about when we found out about you, about when our world turned blue, about the tears of joy and laughter. Well tell you about the time we spend feeling your kicks, about how we daydream about you, and about how much we love you." Story continues Before going on maternity leave, Porta, originally from Bolotana, Italy, was working as a nurse. She was on maternity leave at the time of her passing. with Jam Press Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube. This August 1989 image provided by NASA shows the planet Neptune photographed by the Voyager 2 spacecraft, processed to enhance the visibility of small features. The International Astronomical Union's Minor Planet Center announced Friday , Feb. 23, 2024, that astronomers have found three previously unknown moons in our solar system two additional moons circling Neptune and one around Uranus. Ruben Garcia, founder and director of Annunciation House, a network of migrants shelters in El Paso ,Texas, speaks with the media during a news conference, Friday, Feb. 23, 2024. Garcia is reacting to the lawsuit filed by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton that claims the Annunciation House "appears to be engaged in the business of human smuggling" and is threatening to terminate the nonprofit's right to operate in Texas. (AP Photo/Andres Leighton) Russian Ambassador to the United Nations Vasily Nebenzya looks at his cell phone as Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba addresses a Security Council meeting on maintenance of peace and security of Ukraine, Friday, Feb. 23, 2024 at United Nations headquarters. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer) This undated image provided by Augusta University shows Laken Hope Riley. Police said Friday, Feb. 23, 2024, that they are questioning a person of interest in the death of Riley, a nursing student whose body was found on the University of Georgia campus in Athens, Ga., after not returning from a run. 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. State Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington Washington D.C. West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming Puerto Rico US Virgin Islands Armed Forces Americas Armed Forces Pacific Armed Forces Europe Northern Mariana Islands Marshall Islands American Samoa Federated States of Micronesia Guam Palau Alberta, Canada British Columbia, Canada Manitoba, Canada New Brunswick, Canada Newfoundland, Canada Nova Scotia, Canada Northwest Territories, Canada Nunavut, Canada Ontario, Canada Prince Edward Island, Canada Quebec, Canada Saskatchewan, Canada Yukon Territory, Canada Zip Code The victims of a huge fire that ripped through an apartment block in the Spanish city of Valencia have been mourned as authorities said the death toll had risen to 10. The blaze, fanned by strong winds, broke out on Thursday evening in the affluent El Campanar district. Police had revised the number of dead to nine from 10 on Friday in the process of identifying the bodies in the building, but confirmed a 10th fatal victim had been found on Saturday. Outside the charred building, a single white flower was taped to a utility pole as Valencians gathered at the scene to pay their respects. Pilar Zamora, 53, who travelled across town with her husband, said she was feeling "a lot of pain and anger". "Seeing (on TV) people on the balcony, shouting for help and not being able to do anything...those were very difficult moments," Zamora said, holding back tears. A Valencia building that caught fire, comprising two towers, reportedly had 138 apartments. (EPA PHOTO) Her husband, Vicente Palaes, 55, said he had no words to describe how he felt when he approached the building: "When I saw it, I started to cry." About 100 survivors are being housed at a local hotel as they wait for a more permanent solution. At midday on Saturday - the second of three official days of mourning decreed after the fire - hundreds of people gathered outside Valencia's City Hall for a moment of silence as flags flew at half-mast. At the city's San Miguel y San Sebastian church, Catholic priest Juan Andres Talens said people had been praying for those affected. "We are mourning," Talens said as a mass took place inside the church. Emergency services said the blaze began on the fourth floor of one of the towers. A local magistrate has opened an investigation into the blaze. The building, comprising two towers, was completed in 2008, officials said. It had 138 apartments, newspaper El Pais reported. A lack of firewalls and the use of polyurethane, a plastic material, on the facade of the building would have contributed to the rapid spread of the blaze, Esther Puchades, a representative of insurance inspection agency APCAS, told RTVE, in comments evoking memories of the deadly Grenfell Tower fire in London in 2017. Story continues The association for the polyurethane industry said in a statement no polyurethane was used in the building's cladding. Locals have urged the authorities to ensure other buildings in the city are not at risk. "If any building has the same cladding, now is the time to investigate and remove it," Zamora said. Mark your calendars! The highly anticipated Bharat Tex 2024, inspired by the 5F Vision of our Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, is set to kick off on February 26th, weaving a tapestry of innovation, collaboration, and growth for the global textile industry. This four-day event, to be held at Bharat Mandapam and Yashobhoomi in NewDelhi, brings together over 3,500+ exhibitors and 40,000+ trade visitors from 50+ countries. Get ready to immerse yourself in: The Entire Textile Value Chain: Explore fibers, yarns, fabrics, garments, made-ups, technical textiles, handlooms, carpets, intelligent manufacturing, and more witness the future of the industry unfold. Knowledge Sessions and Conferences: Engage with industry leaders, experts, and innovators through Talks, Seminars, CEO Roundtables, Workshops, and Panel Discussions. Gain insights into sustainability initiatives, future manufacturing trends, and the competitiveness of the textile value chain. B2B and G2G Meetings: Forge new partnerships, explore lucrative opportunities, and connect with key players from across the globe. Discuss the future of manufacturing with representatives from CITI, ITMF, and CMAI, and explore global sourcing prospects with industry experts. Strategic Investment Announcements and Product Launches: Be the first to witness cutting-edge technology and advancements unveiled by leading companies. Discover the factory of the future and learn about the latest innovations driving growth and competitiveness in the textile industry. A Platform for Global Collaborations: Bharat Tex 2024 serves as a launchpad for international ventures, fostering collaborations that will reshape the textile landscape. Celebrate India's rich textile heritage and witness traditional craftsmanship alongside cutting-edge technology. More than just an exhibition, Bharat Tex 2024 is a celebration of India's rich textile legacy and its vision for a sustainable, innovative future. Highlights: Industry-led Initiative: Organized by 11 Textile Export Promotion Councils (EPCs) and other supported by the Ministry of Textiles the platform ensures astrong representation and focused direction. Participate in conferences and seminars led by the industry experts, exploring topics such as sustainability, the future of manufacturing, global sourcingand many more. Commitment to Sustainability: The event emphasizes sustainable practices throughout the value chain, aligning with global trends and responsible sourcing. Explore initiatives aimed at enhancing the sustainability of the textile industry and learn about the latest innovations in eco-friendly materials and processes. Celebrating India's Textile Legacy: Witness traditional craftsmanship alongside cutting-edge technology, showcasing the unique blend of India's textile story. Experience cultural programs highlighting India's rich textile heritage and discover the brands of India at the CMAI pavilion. Aussie mum Tamara Gray was about to board the plane in Queensland en route to Taylor Swift's much anticipated Sydney show when she received a call that would change her life forever. The 35-year-old had been on a register for a kidney transplant. But she never expected a donation to become available when it did 10 minutes before boarding her flight. Gray's phone started ringing just after 8:30 am on Friday as she was about to board her delayed flight to Sydney with her friends. It was the hospital saying they had a kidney for her. Queensland mum Tamara Gray was on her way to see Taylor Swift in Sydney when she received a call from the hospital. Source: 9news/NCA Newswire "I have something called IgA nephropathy, so it's an autoimmune disease that attacks my kidneys," the mum told 9news. "Obviously it was meant to be because if I was on that flight, basically I would've missed the call and there's only 30 minutes to answer otherwise they move on to the next recipient." Disappointed she'd be missing the concert, the Queensland mum said, "I won't lie, there was a split second that I considered saying no [to the kidney], but, you know, I'm not crazy". Her friends, however, decided to continue on without her, but there's no bad blood, she said. Qantas' huge move for stranded Swifties Wild weather was to blame for flight delays and cancellations across the country with four Qantas flights out of Melbourne and seven flights out of Queensland cancelled on Friday ahead of Swifts first Sydney concert. But not wanting keen Swifties to miss out, Qantas sent in an Airbus A380 to ensure passengers arrived in Sydney on time, to replace the smaller Boeing 737 planes that could not fly. "The A380 will carry 485 passengers, the equivalent of almost three Boeing 737 flights which normally operate this route," Qantas said in a statement on Friday morning. Story continues "While this would normally be used to support our international network on flights to places like London and LA, given the incredibly high demand into Sydney today, it is being brought in to support the domestic operation." Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube. Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Saturday held a meeting with the administrative officials over the water crisis in western Maharashtra. The meeting was held at Circuit House in Pune. Nationalist Congress Party (NCP)-Sharadchandra Pawar leaders Supriya Sule, Rajesh Tope and Rohit Pawar also attended the meeting. Speaking to reporters ahead of the meeting, Sule said there are serious concerns about drinking water in her constituency, Baramati which she wants to bring to the attention of the government. Ajit Pawar is the deputy CM of Maharashtra and the Guardian Minister of Pune district. Ujani Dam and Nazare Dam, which are situated in my constituency (Baramati), have run out of water. There are serious concerns about drinking and irrigation water in the area, Sule said. I came to the meeting to request that the government take a serious note of the situation and mobilise necessary action. I came to meet Ajit Pawar to brief him on the prevailing water crisis in my constituency, the Lok Sabha MP added. Earlier, on February 22, Sule hit out at the state government for neglecting the drinking and irrigation water scarcity in her constituency. Baramati Lok Sabha constituency is experiencing drought this year. There is an urgent need for drinking water and fodder for livestock. Due to less rain this year, urban areas are also suffering from a shortage of drinking water. Apart from this, there is insufficient water for agriculture. Even when all these situations are visible, the government does not seem to be making enough efforts. It is an election year and it is hoped that drought relief work should not take second place in these works. On the contrary, the government gave priority to the work of drought relief and supported the people, Sule posted from her official X handle. She urged the state to prioritise villagers issues and ensure regular water supply for them while also highlighting the livestock fodder problem. Many villages are experiencing a shortage of drinking water even as the intense summer season is yet to begin. This includes villages in remote areas. The government should consider these villages as a priority and take immediate measures to deliver water to them, she added to her post. The livestock fodder problem is serious in most of the villages. Fodder camps for livestock and tankers for drinking water are badly needed. The government should urgently plan and take appropriate measures in this regard. Apart from this, water has to be provided at various places to preserve the biodiversity in the forest area. Otherwise, the possibility of wild animals coming to urban settlements in search of water cannot be ruled out. The Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister should review the situation and give instructions to the administration to take appropriate measures in this regard as well, Sule added. Image: PTI The Supreme Court on Monday stayed the notices issued by the privileges committee of the Lok Sabha Secretariat to the West Bengal chief secretary, DGP and others over a complaint of misconduct filed against them by BJP MP Sukanta Majumdar. Majumdar was hospitalised last week after BJP workers clashed with police personnel after being stopped from going to violence-hit Sandeshkhali in West Bengal. Chief Secretary Bhagwati Prasad Gopalika, Director General of Police (DGP) Rajeev Kumar and others, including the DM and the SP of North 24 Parganas district, were summoned at 10.30 am before the privileges committee of the Lok Sabha. A bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra took note of the submissions of senior advocates Kapil Sibal and Abhishek Singhvi, appearing for the state officials, and stayed the notices issued to the state officials and fixed the plea for hearing after four weeks. The CJIs bench took the pleas of West Bengal officials as the first matter on urgent mentioning by the senior officials. Parliamentary privileges are not available to an MP for political activities and can be invoked only when a lawmaker is obstructed while discharging duties as an MP while attending the House, Sibal said. He said the prohibitory orders under section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure were imposed in the Sandeshkhali area and the BJP MP and his supporters violated them. Sibal termed the complaint of police atrocities by the MP as false and said he can produce the videos showing that the political activists of the BJP leader attacked police officials. Both the senior lawyers said the officials summoned by the Lok Sabha secretariat were not present at the place of the alleged incident. The BJP MP had on February 15 filed the complaint and notices were issued swiftly. Privileges are meant to protect your work as an MP Otherwise, there will be a breach of privileges in every case, nobody can be arrested, Singhvi said. The bench asked whether the notices were issued because the MP got injured. Video shows that he (the MP) jumps on the bonnet of a police car. His colleagues in the BJP pulled him. He is taken to the hospital by police, one of the lawyers said. Senior lawyer Devasish Bharukha, representing the Lok Sabha Secretariat, opposed the grant of stay by the top court, saying this is the first sitting of the privileges committee. They are not being accused of anything. This is a regular process. Once an MP sends a notice and the speaker thinks there is something to look into then notices are issued, the counsel said, adding it was a threshold stage. The bench said there shall be a stay of further proceedings initiated in pursuance of the office memorandum of the Lok Sabha Secretariat of February 15. The MP and others were stopped from entering Sandeshkhali, where women have been agitating over alleged atrocities committed against them by Trinamool Congress leader Shajahan Sheikh and his aides. Sandeshkhali, a village in North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal, has been witnessing protests over allegations of sexual abuse of women by a local TMC leader. Several women in the region have accused the local Trinamool Congress strongman Shajahan Sheikh and his supporters of land-grab and sexually assaulting them under coercion. Shajahan has been absconding after a mob, allegedly affiliated to him, attacked Enforcement Directorate officials who had gone to search his premises in connection with a corruption case. One week after being released from jail, a Pensacola, Fla., man beat his grandparents to death, according to the Escambia County (Fla.) Sheriffs Office. Deputies found the victims, both in their 60s, inside their home Thursday afternoon. They were found in separate rooms, but both had died from what deputies said was blunt force trauma and in what Sheriff Chip Simmons described as a horrific scene, according to WEAR in Pensacola. The couples grandson, 24-year-old Jordon Dominique King, was immediately identified as a suspect. Although jail records show him as homeless, investigators were told he had been living in the home with his grandparents. A manhunt was launched and King was later captured in the Bellview community. Simmons told the TV station King was on foot and taken into custody without incident. He remained in the Escambia County Jail as of Friday afternoon, charged with premeditated murder and held without bond pending a Feb. 27 court appearance. King was released from a Florida state prison on Nov. 29 after serving roughly 4 1/2 years of a 5-year sentence for two counts of burglary, two counts of grand theft auto and one count of grand theft, according to the Florida Department of Corrections. Six days after his release, he was arrested on a trespassing charge in Escambia County, jail records show. He spent just over two months in Escambia County Jail before being released Feb. 15 -- one week prior to his grandparents murders. For decades, it was a symbol of one of the most iconic locations for Auburn University students. It was the mid-1980s when the owners of the War Eagle Supper Club -- a popular hangout for Auburn students -- realized that with no taxi service in the area, students needed another option for getting home other than a ride in the back of a patrol car. So they got creative and purchased a 1977 school bus, gave it an Auburn-themed paint job with War Eagle Supper Club over where the name of the school district had once been, and thus the now-legendary shot bus was born, although it was initially known as the slush bus. After some time, the owners realized using the full-size school bus was impractical for navigating apartment complexes and trailer parks, so a smaller bus was purchased and the original bus parked, remaining unused until 2007, when it was moved to a spot at the rear of the building and converted into a shot bar (and thus taking on the name shot bus). The interior of the "shot bus" is still adorned with signatures from generations of Auburn University students.(Facebook image) It remained there until 2015, when the War Eagle Supper Club closed after owners could not reach an agreement with the landlord on a new lease. In January 2016, the OK Bicycle Shop in Mobile purchased the iconic bus and moved it near his businesses on Dauphin Street in downtown Mobile. But the bicycle shop has closed and the bus, left parked on the street, was impounded by the City of Mobile, which will auction off the iconic bus next month. Although it's seen better days, the shot bus still has much of the original signage throughout.(Facebook image) The bus, not unexpectedly, has seen better days. Theres rust throughout the inside and it doesnt run. But for many, the memories it holds are priceless. The interior of the bus is covered in signatures from Auburn students dating back more than 40 years and the actual shot bar is still largely intact. According to Chad Masters with the city impound yard, the bus will go up for auction March 12 at 9 a.m. Those interested in purchasing the bus must register online. An Alabama woman who wasnt pregnant but was mistakenly arrested for endangering her fetus with drugs has settled her lawsuit against employees of the sheriffs office, according to court documents. Stacey Freeman, who lives in Gallant, said she was arrested after her young child mistakenly told a case worker at the Etowah County Department of Human Resources that Freeman was pregnant. She offered to take a pregnancy test, but it never happened. She was booked in the jail on Feb. 1, 2022, and spent about 36 hours behind bars before her case was dismissed. The terms of the settlement are confidential, said Freemans attorney, Martin Weinberg. We are thankful that this ordeal has been resolved as it relates to our client, Weinberg said. The lawsuit named Etowah County Sheriff Jonathan Horton, Investigator Brandi Fuller and the county Department of Human Resources as defendants. A judge dismissed DHR from the lawsuit. An investigation by AL.com published last year found that Etowah County arrests more women for drug use during pregnancy than any other county in the state. An analysis found more than 250 cases in a 10-year span. Many new or expectant mothers had been arrested for using marijuana. Court policies kept many in jail for weeks or months while they awaited inpatient treatment beds required for bond. Some women even gave birth behind bars with no medical care, according to a lawsuit filed by the Southern Poverty Law Center and Pregnancy Justice. Justices on the Alabama Supreme Court ruled in 2013 that the states chemical endangerment law, which was written to protect children from meth lab fumes, also applied to fetuses. Supporters of the legal concept of personhood, which gives fetuses the same legal rights as children, hailed the ruling as a watershed moment in the fight against abortion. Updated at 2:06 p.m. to correct the defendants involved in the settlement In the early 1980s, Willie J. Perry drove around Birmingham in a 1971 Ford Thunderbird painted with the slogan, Rescue Ship, looking for people who ran out of gas, had a flat tire or needed any kind of roadside assistance. Youll find people are not going to stop for anyone whos in trouble, Perry said in 1982. Batman was known for helping people in distress. And thats my image, too. Perry became known as Birminghams Batman, the citys own superhero. Now, Perry is being commemorated in a mural on Birminghams Southside. About six years ago, I was doing a lot of research on the history of Birmingham for murals, said artist Marcus Fetch, who is working on the mural. I found his story. I read it. I just thought it was the craziest thing. Fetch thought Perry would be a great subject for a mural. I sketched out a mural design, he said. I pitched it to a couple different people back then. Nobody really wanted to bite on it. Then it kind of got buried. Fetch was commissioned to do a mural for the Magnolia Point building on the corner of Magnolia Avenue and 23rd Street, the site of a planned restaurant with outdoor seating to be called Magnolia Point. Michael Mouron of Capstone Real Estate Investments asked Fetch what hed like to paint. Fetch suggested a tribute to Perry. Everybody loved him, Fetch said. The whole city loved him. He was an icon. On Friday afternoon, Fetch and his partner, spray paint artist Dewon Moton, put the finishing touches on the mural. It took six days. Perrys daughter, Marquetta Hill, came by to see it. It really means a lot to me knowing that my fathers legacy can continue with a new generation to come, Hill said. Perry paid out of his own pocket to put gas in empty tanks, his daughter said. He had a full-time job at J.F. Day & Co. (windows and blinds shop), and when he got off work at J.F. Day, he hit the streets, Hill said. Perry died of carbon monoxide poisoning in 1985, when a garage door accidentally closed while he was working on the car. The rescue ship was equipped with flashing lights, a record player, toaster oven and Atari video game, all wired to run off a Caterpillar D9 tractor battery in the trunk. The car was displayed for years at the Southern Museum of Flight, then at the Alabama State Fairgrounds, then sat in a city garage near Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport, then moved again in 2015 to Old Car Heaven, which permanently closed in 2017. The family now keeps it in a garage. Right now its in the Bat Cave, Hill said. Were about to bring it out because were about to launch a fundraiser to get it restored. It needs some parts that may need to be custom-made she said. Some of the parts, theyre having a hard time finding, Hill said. While they were painting the mural, Moton wore a red suit and white helmet to replicate Birmingham Batman, and Fetch donned a jumpsuit with an R logo for Batmans sidekick. We dressed him up as Willie, Fetch said. I dressed up as Robin. The mural depicts a Black family and a white family waving at Perry as he drives by. Its a good message to show that nobodys too different, said Moton, who has worked with Fetch on several murals. Dewon is an incredible spray painter and muralist, Fetch said. Artists Dewon Moton, left, and Marcus Fetch paint a mural of Willie Perry, Birmingham's "Batman," who helped stranded motorists. (Photo by Greg Garrison/AL.com)ggarrison@al.com The mural portrays Vulcan looking over the city, in panoramic tones. We wanted to use a lot of retro colors like youre looking back into an old memory, Fetch said. The mural adorns a building near a new development being built at the site of the former Southtown housing community, most of which has been demolished. This new development is going to change the community, Fetch said. It felt like this wall was perfect. I felt like this is a brand new community thats about to be developed and I want to bring back a relic from the past that can instill all the things that I believe in. Perry stood for helping people, Hill said. This was his ministry, she said. His thing was do unto others as you would have them do unto you. It didnt matter what race you were, it didnt matter who you were. It didnt matter if you had a lot of money, or if you didnt have any money. His goal was to help. A boater died at a Talladega hospital after he was struck by an unsecured anchor on Lay Lake, authorities said Friday. Derek V. Egnor, 56, of Sylacauga, was injured while operating a 1997 Alum Craft bass boat on Lay Lake near the Glovers Ferry boat ramp in Talladega County around 3:17 p.m. Wednesday, Alabama Law Enforcement Agency Sgt. Jeremy Burkett said Friday. While Egnor was operating the boat, an unsecured anchor hanging from the side of the boat got caught beneath the waters surface, Burkett said. The anchor line tightened and the boat slowed rapidly. The anchor then broke free, came out of the water and struck Egnor, said Burkett. The Sylacauga man was taken to Citizens Hospital in Talladega, where he died of his injuries. Further information was unavailable. Passengers on board a plane have captured the terrifying moment the cabin filled with smoke after a power bank in the overhead lockers is said to have exploded. Footage taken on board the aircraft travelling to Shanghai in China from the Philippines shows the moment the front of the cabin filled with smoke, sending passengers into a panic. Several passengers made their way to the back of the Royal Air aircraft to avoid inhaling the fumes which were quickly filling the air. The pilot was forced to carry out an emergency landing in Hong Kong. The power bank, which is prohibited from being placed in overhead lockers, was reportedly owned by a passenger for charging their iPad. It remains unclear what caused the charger to explode. The overpowering fumes led to a three-hour delay. Passengers on board the Royal Air flight to China were trying to escape as the smoke filled the cabin. Source: Jam Press Emergency landing causes three hour delay After landing in Hong Kong, the passengers who originally departed from the Philippine island of Boracay were evacuated while airport workers cleaned and ventilated the cabin, which lasted for around an hour. Passengers were then allowed back on board before continuing on their journey to Shanghai. They arrived at their destination at around 12.30am, three hours later than scheduled. No injuries were reported. Following the incident, the airline reiterated its commitment to passenger safety and thanked the cabin crew for their professionalism in the matter. They also expressed their gratitude to emergency workers at Hong Kong International Airport for cleaning up the plane in a timely fashion. An investigation is underway to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future. with Jam Press Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube. Birmingham firefighters battled a blaze overnight in the 800 block of 12th Street North, identified as the historic Black Elks lodge. A representative at the Fire and Rescue Department was not immediately available to provide an update, but the head of Valley Elks Lodge No. 14 says the building is a total loss. Video of the fire appeared to show the roof of the building was missing. The lodge at 800 12th St. North was the home to the Improved Benevolent Protective Order of Elks of the World (IBPOEW), a Black fraternal order established in the U.S. in 1897. Lonnie Myricks Jr., the head of Valley Elks Lodge No. 14, told AL.com Saturday afternoon that vagrants broke into the abandoned building and set the building ablaze. I believe they went in and were trying to keep warm last night or something to that effect, Myricks said. He said the building had been shut down in the past couple of years for safety reasons. He said that the Elks lodge had been hopeful for getting a historic marker placed in front of the building and to apply for grants to refurbish it. Myricks said the building was very instrumental during the Civil Rights Era of the 1960s, and represented one of the few places Black people were allowed to go to congregate amid the racial strife in Birmingham. It had a nice-size ballroom, meetings were held there, church was held there, Myricks said. There was a lot of history in that building. Myricks said the building has not been used much since the pandemic, when Elks membership dwindled. Its played an important part of the community, he said. Any older person can tell you that is where they met and had all kinds of social gatherings, NAACP meetings and you name it. This story was updated at 3:45 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 24, 2024, with comments from Lonnie Myricks Jr. A 26-year-old man was arrested Friday in the killing of a nursing student whose body was found on the University of Georgia campus, and police said he apparently did not know the victim, he acted alone and there was no further threat to the university community. The suspect, identified as Athens resident Jose Antonio Ibarra, was taken into custody for the death of 22-year-old Laken Hope Riley, police said. The body of the Augusta University College of Nursing student was found near running trails Thursday, launching a highly visible police investigation that centered on an apartment complex just south of there. Video from campus security and other technology led police to Ibarra, who lived in one of the apartments, University of Georgia Police Chief Jeff Clark said in an evening news conference. The evidence authorities have gathered in the case is robust, and they believe it was a solo act by Ibarra, according to Clark. He also said the investigation suggests that the suspect and victim had no relationship. This was a crime of opportunity where he saw an individual, and bad things happened, Clark said. Ibarra faces charges including malice murder, felony murder, aggravated battery, aggravated assault, false imprisonment, kidnapping, hindering a 911 call and concealing the death of another, according to Clark. Authorities were taking him to Athens-Clarke County Jail. It wasnt immediately known if Ibarra had an attorney who could speak on his behalf. Clark said Ibarra doesnt have an extensive criminal history and is not a U.S. citizen, but he did not know Ibarras immigration status. Rileys body was found Thursday afternoon after a friend told police she had not returned from a morning run, authorities said. Officers immediately began a search and found her body in a forested area near Lake Herrick that includes trails popular with runners and walkers. Emergency medical responders determined she died before officers found her. Clark said Friday that the cause of death was blunt force trauma, but he did not elaborate. Riley studied at the University of Georgia through the spring of 2023 before transferring to Augusta Universitys College of Nursing, according to a statement from the University of Georgia, which does not have a nursing program itself. She remained active in the sorority she joined at the University of Georgia. Rileys sister, Lauren Phillips, paid tribute to her Friday in an Instagram post, calling her the best sister and my built in best friend from the very first second. This isnt fair and I will never understand it but I know you are in heaven with the man you loved most right now, Phillips wrote. Im not sure how Im going to do this but its all going to be for you from now on. I cannot wait to give you the biggest hug someday. I will miss and love you forever Laken. Riley graduated in 2020 from River Ridge High School in Woodstock, a suburb northwest of Atlanta, where she ran cross country. Our community and our world lost a shining light with the tragic passing of Laken, Cherokee County schools Superintendent Brian Hightower said in a statement. An outstanding scholar athlete, Laken inspired classmates and teachers with her love of learning and her kindness to all. We ask that the community please keep her family in their hearts. The area where Riley was found is near the campus intramural fields, and only a little farther from a large dormitory complex mostly occupied by freshmen. Officials had advised students to travel in groups and avoid the area. Police set up a mobile command post at an apartment complex nearby, with more than a dozen officers present. At one point, officers searched a dumpster at a gas station across the street. First-year business major Paige Soskel, who was having coffee Friday with a friend in downtown Athens, said she was stunned to think that Riley was killed during the day. It was kind of just surreal to think that we have friends in the sorority that she was in. And just to think that its somebody that people we know actually know is just scary that it could be anyone. She said she already tries to let others know where she is, including using an online tracking service. But now shes considering further precautions, and her father sent her pepper spray. Nate Stein, who graduated in December with a biomedical engineering degree, said hes likely to be on edge for a little bit. His roommate is a frequent runner, and they often exercise in the area around the lake, he said. I used to walk there every morning too, and I mean, it just feels like a very safe space, Stein said. Its on campus so, like I said, it doesnt really feel like it would ever be unsafe at all. The University of Georgia, which has 41,000 students, mostly in Athens, canceled classes Friday. Augusta canceled classes at its Athens campus but said it would remain open as a gathering place for students, faculty and staff. However, the universitys campus in a strip mall appeared largely deserted in the afternoon, with an employee saying reporters were not being allowed inside. Students at the University of Georgia were already shaken after a student was found dead in his dorm room Wednesday and an armed robbery took place in the center of campus the night of Feb. 16. University police said Thursday there was no reason to believe those incidents were connected to Rileys death. Murder is relatively rare in Athens with the city averaging six per year, about half Georgias statewide average. But Athens-Clarke crime statistics show other types of crime with rates above the statewide average, including aggravated assault, burglary, rape and motor vehicle theft. The university has grown steadily, creating housing and gentrification pressures in a city where many nonstudent residents are less affluent. It has also become more elite as the states population has swelled. Georgia has a lottery-funded scholarship program that pays the full cost of tuition for more than 80% of University of Georgia students, making it an attractive destination for top in-state students. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the Athens-Clarke County Police Department joined university police in the investigation of Rileys death. A 79-year-old woman arrested after a heated exchange at a city council meeting in a small town near Birmingham was found not guilty on Friday of two misdemeanor charges. Novillee Williams left Tarrant City Hall holding a toddler and smiling with friends and supporters after Judge Lee Barnes acquitted her of accusations that she harassed a city employee during a fiery exchange in which she assailed the towns mayor as a corrupt leader. Shes essentially been shushed for speaking out and she reacts accordingly. Theres not a bad intent bone in her body, Tommy Spina, one of Williams attorneys, told AL.com. Shes just speaking out against the mayor publicly at a public meeting during a public comment section of the city council meeting and she had no intent to cause anybody any harm. Spina, who worked on the case with attorney Ben Preston, called the prosecution an overreaction and an attack on his clients First Amendment right to criticize her government. Video footage of the council meeting on Dec. 4 showed Williams argue with Shayla Myricks, an accountant for the city of Tarrant. The trial centered around whether Williams actions amounted to threats when she touched Myricks on the arm, called her girl, and stood with her hands on her hips. After hearing from five witnesses during the trial Friday, the judge said Williams actions did not rise to the level of dangerous aggression. He found her not guilty of harassment and disorderly conduct. I do not find that her intention was to carry out a threat or to carry out harassment, Judge Barnes said. The trial occurred in the same room where the Tarrant council meets in the town of about 6,000 people just northeast of Birmingham, the same room where Williams frequently speaks against the mayor, the same room where the towns officials frequently clash. The trial was an illustration of the deep political divide in Tarrant as council members and critics of Mayor Wayman Newton arrived to support Williams, whom they said has been penalized for her political speech. Wendell Major, the towns police chief, testified for Williams, while a police sergeant testified for Myricks. Councilwoman Veronica Bandy Freeman appeared in support of Williams as did Councilman Tommy Bryant. Over objections from the city lawyer, Williams pastor testified as a character witness. Mayor Newton, who was not present during the Dec. 4 exchange, nor the trial, has maintained that he had nothing to do with the prosecution. He disputed accusations that the arrest was politically motivated. I wasnt there. I played no part in any of that, he told AL.com in a phone interview after the trial. In an effort to avoid a trial, the citys prosecutor offered to dismiss the charges if Williams would agree to attend anger management courses. She rejected the deal. Shes not an angry person and she didnt act out of anger. Her anger, if it exists at all, is not with Ms. Myricks, Spina told AL.com after the acquittal. Her anger is with the mayor and the way he conducts business in the city of Tarrant and the jaundiced eye the city of Tarrant is constantly under as a result of his conduct. Myricks, who pressed charges against Williams, declined to comment to AL.com. In court Myricks testified that she felt threatened by Williams, particularly when she reached over and touched her. Myricks told the judge that she did not begin the exchange with Williams, but turned around to see who was talking while Wiliams was complaining about the mayor. I got a lot of aggression from Ms. Williams, she said. I was just listening. She kept addressing me, so I did respond. We had a little back and forth. During cross examination, Spina questioned why Myricks chose to leave her seat across the room to sit in front of Williams just as remarks became heated. Myricks said she moved to be closer to a council woman she needed to talk to after the meeting. Spina scoffed at the explanation. Footage from the Dec. 4 meeting showed Williams refer to Myricks as girl, honey and finally lady. Sitting in front of Williams in the audience, Myricks turned around to speak in defense of the mayor during the meeting. Turn around honey, Williams said in response. When Myricks again turned in her seat to face Williams, the video shows, Williams touched the accountants arm and told her to turn around. Dont put your hands on me, Myricks said. Honey, go on, Williams responded. Im a citizen of Tarrant, lady, and I have a right to speak, even though you are in the mayors corner, I can see that. Im not talking to you. Im talking to the city council. Williams briefly stood up from her seat after the exchange, with her hands on her hips. The argument lasted only about three minutes in the final moments of the council meeting during public comment. Williams in her testimony admitted to touching Myricks but said she only did so after Myricks turned around and extended her own arm. I am not a violent person, Williams said. I touched her, Im not denying that, but if you look, she could have hit me. While the trial did not feature the drama of a Law and Order episode, the case of a senior citizen charged with harassment and disorderly conduct against the 39-year-old woman raised eyebrows locally and even nationally. As the trial closed, Judge Barnes issued a final order to Williams and Myricks stay away from each other. Yall have got to be 10 feet from each other, he said. I am asking that you have no contact at the meetings. The father of a 14-year-old Mobile girl reported missing in 2012 has been indicted on murder charges in connection with her death, police said Friday. Demetric Hooper, who was last seen with then-14-year-old Brittany Robinson before she was reported missing by her mother on June 22, 2012, was indicted by a Mobile County grand jury this month on murder charges, said Cpl. Katrina Frazier with Mobile police. Frazier did not provide any further details on whether Brittanys body was found or what evidence authorities had linking Hooper to Brittanys death. She said the case has remained an active part of our cold case investigations. Hooper is in an Oklahoma City jail on unrelated felony charges but will be extradited to Mobile to face the murder charges, said Frazier. Before the indictment handed down against him, Hooper had been charged with interfering with child custody four months after his daughters disappearance. Prosecutors said he failed to return his daughter after his visitation was over. Brittany was 14 years old when her mother, Tiana Hogue, told authorities her daughter hadnt been seen since visiting her father on June 14, 2012. Authorities kept a close eye on Hooper after the disappearance, eventually tracking him to a mental health facility in Arkansas, but did not locate the teen. He initially pleaded not guilty to interfering with child custody. He changed his plea to guilty in August 2014 and a Mobile County Circuit Court Judge sentenced him to 10 years in prison. According to law enforcement, Hogue allowed her then-14-year-old daughter to visit her father in June 2012. When Hooper did not return the girl, the mother called police. Hoopers home was empty, according to officials. Investigators managed to track down Hooper in Arkansas, where he had checked himself into a mental health facility. Authorities have said the defendant resisted arrest and required four law enforcement officers to physically restrain him before they could put him in the squad car There was no sign of Brittany. According to law enforcement, Hooper traveled extensively throughout the Southeast since disappearing with the teenager. Political pundits figuratively facepalmed over Sen. Tommy Tubervilles response to the Alabama Supreme Court decision ruling that frozen embryos are children. Tuberville, speaking Thursday after his appearance at CPAC, said he was all for the decision but added we need more kids, which the ruling undermines as several fertility clinics in Alabama announced they would pause in vitro fertilization treatments. The idiocy of Sen. Tuberville is palpable and extraordinary at times, said Tara Setmayer, senior adviser to The Lincoln Project, an anti-Donald Trump political group comprised of former Republicans and moderate party members. Its not the only time hes sounded like an absolute moron, and hes paid for by the taxpayers of Alabama. The idiocy of Sen. Tuberville is palpable. He and the MAGA GOP know where popular sentiments lie on the issue of IVF, but they simply don't care. @TaraSetmayer highlights how women's rights in this country are constantly under siege by MAGA. pic.twitter.com/9ocTeXKY0m The Lincoln Project (@ProjectLincoln) February 23, 2024 Setmayer said the ruling is another example of a kryptonite issue for Republicans because a majority of Americans are pro-choice and an overwhelming number of Evangelicals and Republicans are in favor of IVF treatments. When reporters at CPAC told Tuberville the effect the decision was having on IVF providers, he said, Really hard. Because again, you want people to have that opportunity. We need more kids. Id have to look at the entire bill, how its written. I have not seen it. When told it was an Alabama Supreme Court decision, not a bill from the legislature, Tuberville said, I know that. I havent looked at it. Michael Steele, an MSNBC political analyst, said Tuberville has no clue. He did not know what even the question was there, Steele said after the network played a clip of Tubervilles response. He had no understanding of it, no appreciation for it. "This issue is equally poisonous to their political ambitions because they fundamentally don't understand the impact it's having on women and families." @MichaelSteele on Tuberville's struggle to answer questions on IVF https://t.co/JNFCmT9b2h pic.twitter.com/YPzp27sMdl Morning Joe (@Morning_Joe) February 23, 2024 Morning Joe co-anchor Willie Geist said Tuberville has no command of the issue. IVF gives the gift and the miracle of children to people who otherwise couldnt have it, Geist said. Obviously, no command of the issue. Hes talking about a bill, he hasnt read the bill -- theres no bill, its a Supreme Court ruling in the state of Alabama. Totally twisted in knots there... Morning Joe co-host Mika Brzezinski used three words to describe her reaction. Oh. My. God, she said. OhmyGod. Morning Joe hosts gobsmacked by clueless Alabama Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville twisting himself into knots. (Video: MSNBC) pic.twitter.com/huTuksbnuV Mike Sington (@MikeSington) February 23, 2024 Asked to clarify his remarks, Tuberville spokeswoman Hannah Eddins gave AL.com this statement on Thursday: Sen. Tuberville was emphasizing his support for life at all stages. In addition to being pro-life and believing life begins at conception, Senator Tuberville is also pro-family. He believes strong families are instrumental to our countrys success, Eddins said. In no way was he supporting the reaction from various medical facilities to cancel IVF procedures in the wake of the Alabama Supreme Courts ruling. He supports the U.S. Supreme Courts decision overturning Roe to return decisions surrounding life back to the states, which allows constituents to have a say in these significant decisions at the ballot box. Much has been written analyzing the issues regarding the Biden Border Crisis. One aspect, however, that has not been adequately covered should be deeply troubling to all honest Americans: The impact of 8-10 million illegal residents on the future make-up of Congress as a result of the allotment of congressional districts. In the business world, U.S. companies are too often focused on the short term: end of the month or quarterly targets are de rigueur. Long-term goals are discussed in some circles, but are not usually the primary focus that they should be to position companies for future success. The same does not hold true in political circles, at least those circles occupied by the Democrats. Take the next decennial census in 2030, as an example. That may seem distant, but if the next party to occupy the White House serves two terms, it will occur in that second term. If a younger Democrat replaces Biden on the ticket, as many are speculating, then that person could be in a position to influence the next census, as historically most Presidents are reelected to serve two consecutive terms (George H. W. Bush , Carter, and Trump being recent exceptions). Democrats are already thinking along those lines. Case in point, and one which should be troubling, is that elected Democrats in Congress are admitting that a primary reason for allowing illegal immigrants into our nation is the need for more bodies, in their districts, to offset those who are fleeing many blue states. Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-NY) is one such example. "I need more people in my district just for redistricting purposes." Consider: The current population of the USA (about 340 million) is represented in Congress by 435 representatives, which equates to about 780,000 people per district. The 8-10 million asylum seekers then would represent the equivalent of 10-13 Congressional districts being settled into the country. If Democrats continue their open border policies, as they desire to do, then we can fully expect that the number of illegals allowed in will far exceed the 8-10 million we have seen in the last three years. Imagine that occurring for four or eight more years. We need to examine where these people are being settled. From the Pew Research Center, we have the following data from 2021: California (1.9 million) Texas (1.6 million) Florida (900,000) New York (600,000) New Jersey (450,000) Illinois (400,000) Although the data is from 2021 these six states have consistently had the most unauthorized immigrants since 1990 and earlier. That trend likely remains consistent today. President Trump fought to reinstate the citizenship question back into the decennial census. Unfortunately in the Department of Commerce et al. v. New York et al case in a 5-4 decision (addressing one specific aspect of the case), SCOTUS declined to reinstate the question. As a result, congressional districts are determined based on population and not citizens. Democrats fought tooth and nail to achieve this victory. In the next census, with population being counted, not citizens, those illegal immigrants are going to help determine the allocation and alignment of congressional districts in the House of Representatives. The states listed above are either blue states or states that are shifting from red to purple. Given enough time and a continued open border policy, the purple states could continue shifting in the blue direction. The fear has long been that the illegal immigrants will be voting in upcoming elections, either legally or illegally, through unverified mail-in ballots. That fear is well founded. Regardless of that occurrence those illegal citizens will be added into the districts that historically vote Democrat. The current make-up in the House favors the Republicans by a slim margin of 219 to 213, with three vacancies. The political climate shifts periodically, making control by one party or the other questionable in any given election cycle. The impact of an additional net effect of 13 districts, possibly more, favoring the Democrats will make Republican control of the House a monumental task. In a speech before the Young Men's Lyceum of Springfield, Illinois, on January 27, 1838 future President Abraham Lincoln warned his audience with these words: At what point then is the approach of danger to be expected? I answer, if it ever (is to) reach us, it must spring up amongst us. It cannot come from abroad. If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen, we must live through all time, or die by suicide. In his successful campaign for the presidency in 2015, President Trump succinctly paraphrased the above words as: America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves. Todays Democrats envision themselves as having higher moral standards than those of us whom they view with abject disdain. They also recognize that they are in fact outnumbered by Americans on the actual issues. Thus, those numbers must be modified, or overcome, be it through ballot harvesting, illegal drop boxes, falsified mail-in ballots, stacking the courts, adding in new states (D.C., Puerto Rico), or the allowed influx of illegal aliens. As Republicans focus on the next election, Democrats are increasingly focusing on factors to make those elections a moot point. It is an unfortunate situation that the Republican Party, the only party available to the voter to stop these actions, remains more content to maintain a secondary level of power than to do what it takes to stop this planned onslaught against the nation. Image: Quinn Dombrowski American foreign policy has long labored under the consensus that it is the nations duty to police the world. This philosophy has resulted in an overly powerful state and almost constant war overseas. But recently, political discourse has seen a resurgence of traditional American values. It could be that the Old Right philosophy of peace and non-intervention is returning just in time to rescue our republic. Recent developments remind me of the plot from Marvels Captain America: Winter Soldier. The film begins with Captain America reeling from 70 years frozen in ice. He must now confront a U.S. obsessed with control as the worlds only superpower. The government, influenced by sleeper cell Nazis called Hydra, creates a predictive algorithm to eliminate potential threats before they can oppose the new world order of Hydra with its flying super-drone weapons. The governments violation of liberty and conscience spurs Cap to fight back, uncovering and destroying Hydra. The films premise offers a perfect metaphor for the current domestic debate over American foreign policy. Uniquely American ideas that have been frozen in time are now reawakening to confront a modern foreign policy consensus that has led to financial ruin, domestic tyranny, and endless wars. This awakening isnt about a superhero in a costume fighting cartoon Nazis hidden in our government, but rather a revival of values and ideas that challenge the status quo of being the worlds police Like Captain America, the Old Right is precisely what a dying Republic needs to save liberty for future generations. Recent events, like Tucker Carlsons interview with Putin, are a signal of the Old Rights return, challenging long-held perceptions of American foreign policy and media elite. This interview, drawing over 205 million views, symbolizes a shift in public understanding, questioning the narrative of unequivocally good American governance and bad foreign entities portrayed by the media. It asks if our government is a big part of the global problem? The fight surrounding the Biden Administrations request for more foreign aid and a touch of border spending is also demonstrative. We can all recall a time when there was little domestic dissent for more military spending; now, theres a growing insistence on negotiating the trade-offs between the foreign policy goals of the D.C. elite and American interests, as shown in the debates surrounding the deal that was filibustered in the Senate and now DOA in the House. Importantly, Republican lawmakers are pointing out that our border is broken, millions of people are coming across, and we are bankrupting ourselves to defend someone elses border. This America First reasoning harkens back to the nations founding principles of independence and non-intervention. Like Captain America, the Old Right is now re-emerging from a long slumber with a new brand, more self-aware, more skeptical perhaps, but also realistic and life-affirming. Its what Vivek Ramasamy termed Nationalist Libertarianism or the America First movement, described by Trump-world. This change, arguably the most critical in the American political landscape in a century, should not be understood as an aberration of the American consciousness (as the Neocons and Neoliberals frame it) but rather a return to an American tradition. But what is this tradition -- who was the Old Right? Murray Rothbard described them in his autobiographical history of the 20th Century; they were a group of writers, activists, and politicians: people like HL Mencken and Senator Robert Taft who were old-school American Liberals, what wed call libertarians. They opposed FDRs New Deal and Americas postwar foreign policy consensus both as progressive schemes to remake the world in Mans image rather than remaining humble to the realities we cant change and loyal to the traditions that made America a shining city on a hill. At the end of Avengers Endgame, Captain America goes back in time and lives the civilian life he always wanted. As a nation (and not a fictional superhero with access to time travel) we cannot take back 70 years of foreign-policy blunders that put so many into the grave and bankrupted our country. What we can do is change course, and we must. The public should embrace the rising America First movement, and we should understand it not as a pathology or novel theory, but as a return to American values. We can embrace a foreign policy rooted in the American tradition, as American as superheroes and apple pie. We can return to an ethic that says we will fight should it come to us, but we refuse to dominate the globe in the name of safety and at the expense of our American soul. David Rand is a Young Voices Contributor, Philosopher, Podcast Host at Human [Re]Action, Media, and Political Consultant. Find him at David-Rand.net Image: RawPixel.com In recent years there has been a significant amount of reporting about the supposed efforts of non-government companies to achieve mind reading and mind control. The technologies used by those companies often, if not always, require brain surgery to implant some sort of small device. The companies making those devices are commonly known enough to not require mention here. What is much less discussed though, are the technologies which can mind read and be used for mind control and do not require surgery or an implanted device anywhere in the body and/or brain. Such technologies are sometimes described as non-invasive technologies. Americans should pay close attention to the U.S. governments collaboration with scientists to develop non-invasive and remote mind reading and mind controlling technologiesespecially the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA), the Department of Energy, and others. Americans might want to know about DARPA scientists describing very small substances like graphene which could help with said technologies. It is not clear if graphene or other very small electromagnetic transducers (also known as nanotechnologies) can enter the brain through consumption of food, drinking water, or other substances. Also, naturally occurring and synthetic iron nanoparticles are used by scientists for mind-controlling technologies. (The human brain cannot function without iron.) Non-government scientists, even from Harvard University, have described technologies which read our minds by measuring brain activity and are used to attempt to determine a persons intentions. It is necessary to emphasize that mind reading technologies which measure brain activity are described by scientists as collecting biometric data. Common sense suggests that brain, or neurological, activity is also biological data. In other words, it has been accepted and reportedly scientifically proven that mind reading and mind controlling with technology has been achieved to a certain extent. At one time in history one would be accused of mental illness if one simply wonder if, for example, medical technologies like electroconvulsive therapy could be improved and used as a type of mind controlling technology, or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) could be improved and used as a type of mind reading technology. But there is another significant point which is often ignored about mind-reading and mind-controlling technologies which do not require surgery and are non-invasive methods. These technologies often utilize some sort of energy found on the electromagnetic spectrumthis includes radiofrequency waves, microwaves, infrared waves, visible light, x-rays, gamma rays, etc. For example, non-invasive mind reading and controlling technologies sometimes use near-infrared electromagnetic energy. Others use functional magnetic resonance imaging, or fMRI. One group of brain scientists has been working on technologies which utilize infrared technologies which can penetrate the skull in order to transmit visual images perceived by one individual into the minds of blind patients. Such technologies are a type of mind controlling technology. And the technology does not require surgery. A more technical explanation is not going to be discussed here; the point to emphasize is that mind reading and mind controlling technologies utilize electromagnetic energy and those technologies do not necessarily require surgical implantation of a neural technology. Now, one might know from experience that electromagnetic energy can be operated from miles away from a targeted location and go through buildings, homes, cars, and so on. Radios and other electronic devices work based on those technologies. Similarly, the U.S. government has developed directed energy weapons and directed energy systems which utilize the same technologiestechnologies on the electromagnetic spectrumwhich can be operated from miles away from a target, can be directed at a persons brain, and are known to affect a persons brain. In other words, such directed energy weapons and systems, which were reportedly known about since at least around or before the 1960s, can be used as mind controlling technologies. (As will be mentioned in a moment, such facts should have been enough for politicians to enact strict laws against those technologies, but it appears as though such laws do not exist.) It seems reasonable, then, to ask whether such technologies could be used specifically remotely and secretly to mind read or control thoughts or emotions. And, actually, scientists have answered that such an achievement would be the holy grail of neurotechnologies: Remote control of select neural circuits with magnetic fields is somewhat of a holy grail for neurotechnologies. In other words, remote mind control (remote control of select neural circuits) technologies are highly sought after. Now, is the U.S. government likely to inform Americans when remote control of select neural circuits with magnetic fields is (or was) achieved? Probably not. (It has to be emphasized, again, that scientists are also using naturally occurringiron nanoparticles in such technologies; the technologies do not require surgery or implanted devices.) The potential harm caused by such technologies and secrecy with which they can be operated makes such weapons arguably more dangerous than, or at least as dangerous as, nuclear weapons. Thus, a discussion of laws prohibiting atomic weapons is relevant. A U.S. Federal law prohibiting atomic weapons is partially as follows: It shall be unlawful [] for any person, inside or outside of the United States, to knowingly participate in the development of, manufacture, produce, transfer, acquire, receive, possess, import, export, or use, or possess and threaten to use, any atomic weapon. It should not be a controversial law; and, of course, there is no law enforcement exemption which allows the FBI or police to use atomic weapons for investigative or protective reasons. Thus, federal and local laws prohibiting directed energy weapons and systems or other technologies which could affect the activity of the human brain and/or body (similar to laws prohibiting atomic weapons) would be reasonable. (Similar laws against observing brain activity, a biometric potentially collected in biosurveillance, would also be required but are not elaborated here.) Consider the following potential preliminary wording (requiring improvements), which substitutes directed energy weapons and systems for atomic weapon and specifies prohibitions for law enforcement and others: It shall be unlawful for any person or entity, including law enforcement, local, state, and federal police, FBI, intelligence entities, investigative entities, and any other government or non-government person or entity, inside or outside of the United States, to knowingly participate in the development of, manufacture, produce, transfer, acquire, receive, possess, import, export, or use, or possess and threaten to use, any Directed Energy Weapon or System, or any other technology which remotely, secretly, and deliberately affects the human brain or body, others property, vehicles, other equipment [etc.]. It is necessary to prohibit technologies which merely affect the human brain or body; some technologies could be secretly used to affect the human brain and forcibly cause thoughts without any outwardly observable harmful effects. Technologies affecting the brain could directly cause forced and involuntary bodily movements; such technologies might already exist. The law would require specifications and improvements but the reader should get the idea. Regardless, Americans should at least be aware of the potential for mind reading and mind controlling technologies which do not require surgery or implanted devices. Image: Public domain. The headlines are full of stories about illegal aliens: Theyre raping children, murdering young women, crashing their cars into children, assaulting and murdering police officersand the list goes on. However, were told that were stuck with them. Well, were not. In the 1950s, when there was political willand a plea from Mexico to send its citizens homewe did mass deport illegal aliens. Like Pakistan deporting its illegal Afghan aliens, El Salvador jailing its gangs, or Argentina balancing its budget in nine weeks, it just requires political will. I made a lot of assertions about illegal aliens in my opening paragraph. Let me back them up with just a few examples. The above are just single points of evidence, of course, but they reflect myriad reports that fill the news regularly. And it doesnt matter whether illegal aliens are more or less likely to commit these crimes than citizens or people here legally. What matters is that each of these horrible crimes wouldnt have happened if our government had obeyed the law. Image: Illegal aliens being returned to Mexico in 1954. Public domain. Meanwhile, that same government insists that theres nothing that it can do to stop the flood of illegal aliens crossing the border. This is a lie. The president has plenary power to stop all border crossings. What our government is really doing is welcoming illegal aliens into America. One of the things were told most often is that its simply impossible to deport these illegal aliens. Indeed, we hear, the U.S. is currently helpless in the face of Venezuelas refusal to take back its own citizens. That ignores, of course, that the Biden administration immediately put into place policies refusing to deport illegal aliens. Well, Im here to tell you that Americas history shows that its completely possible to deport illegal aliens. Back in the mid-1950s, under the politically-incorrect title of Operation Wetback, the United States deported over 1,000,000 Mexican citizens, whether they were here illegally or were deportable on other grounds. Yes, it was a rough process and, according to Wikipedia, some American citizens ended up shipped out as well. However, it worked, right until the political will collapsed and Democrats started sniffing out a new voting bloc. What made the program almost surreal from todays perspective is that the Mexican government demanded it. Thats because it was tired of seeing its human capital self-deport to America for better paying jobs. Of course, now, Latin American countries are desperate to send people to America. If the people are criminals, it makes those criminals Americas problem (as seems to be the case with many Venezuelans). More importantly, though, sending its citizens to America (whether legally or illegally) means more cash at home. For example, according to the Wilson Center, in 2021, Mexicans living in America sent over $51.6 billion back to Mexico. By 2022, remittances were almost $56 billion. Its no wonder that, in 2022, [Mexican President] Lopez Obrador has often boasted about the strong expansion in remittances sent to Mexico (Emphasis mine.) By 2023, remittances totaled $63 billion! Thats money earned in America but not spent in America. Instead, its all shipped to Mexico. Thats a heck of a lot of money. For perspective, in 2023, the United States Marine Corps annual budget was only $51.9 billion. Meanwhile, a House GOP report estimates that U.S. taxpayers will be on the hook for $451 billion annually to fund just those illegal aliens who had arrived by November of last year. As a general matter, almost 60% of illegal alien homes rely on government (i.e., your) money. Mexico no longer sees value in its citizens at home. Instead, they are its greatest export, provided that their profit returns to the home country. No wonder that, while the Mexican government once begged for its citizens return, it now aids them (along with tens of thousands of other Latin Americans) in entering America illegally. Incidentally, the UN is also assisting the invasion, as is the American Red Cross. Whats needed to make deportation possible is nothing more than political will. Just recently, Pakistan has had it with illegal Afghan immigrants (theyre not good immigrants) and is deporting almost 1.5 million of them. We see the benefit of political will in other instances when countries are facing unsustainable crises. In El Salvador, the presidents will to imprison the nations violent gangs saw crime plummet and the presidents popularity soar, while Javier Milei, by slashing Argentinas government, created the first budget surplus in 12 years. Of course, our current governments will is directed not to stopping illegal immigration but to augmenting and facilitating it. I wrote this post only to say that, if we ever are lucky enough to have once again a government committed to the rule of law, there is no reason we cannot deport the illegal aliens who drag down our quality of life and drain money from our economy. In science one learns there is always a reason for everything. Nothing just happens. We might not know the reason for X or Y occurring but there is always a reason why it happened. This forms the basis for scientific inquiry -- forever trying to discover the fundamental reasons why. If one looks at this administrations border-security actions from a similar perspective, it is clear that they desire the introduction of millions of illegal aliens into the country. Of this there is no doubt. The only question is, why? If you can believe the governments numbers, at least 10 million illegal aliens have entered the country on Joe Bidens watch and millions more are on the way. They are overwhelming the financial and social fabric of the country. Housing, welfare, hospitals, and medical care, education; in a very short period of time their care is already on the verge of bankrupting cities and states across the country. Why we must care for these lawbreakers is never discussed, it is just assumed. Many citizens wish they were treated as well. Now, many advocates are calling for work permits to be granted to these millions of low-skilled illegal aliens. You will hear they just want to work so let them be self-sufficient. This too is part of the plan. This too is part of the "why." That these aliens will seriously depress working folkss hourly wages is a given. This is an economic certainty. They will ensure a large body of poorly educated, desperate, and most importantly cheap labor for generations. Many low-wage citizens will likely never see a pay raise ever again. Im certain they'll thank you for your generosity with their wages and lives. This is part of the plan, but only part. As certain as night follows day, as soon as these work permits are granted there will be a concerted effort to address an issue -- which they have just created as part of their plan -- taxation without representation. They will hijack this rallying cry of our revolution against the English in a planned attempt to quickly give these illegal aliens the right to vote with citizenship to soon follow. The cry will be they are forced to pay taxes but dont have a say how these taxes are spent. How is that fair? How is that right? Thus, the only solution to this planned, manufactured problem is to give them the right to vote. This obviously is the why of this entire enterprise. Flood the country with these folks, cause so much pain citizens jump at the idea of allowing them to become self-sufficient via work permits. This is certain to lead to the cry of taxation without representation which leads to voting and then citizenship. All in the certainty that these millions will be reliable more government and thus Democrat voters. This is the end game. In a very short period of time, our country will have unknowingly embraced forever one-party, Democrat rule. All wrapped up in that simple lie, give them work permits so they can be self-sufficient. Dont let this planned strategy destroy the greatest country the world has ever seen. Future generations beg you. John Conlin is an expert in organizational design and change. He also holds a BS in Earth Sciences and an MBA and is the founder and President of E.I.C. Enterprises, www.eicenterprises.org. He has been published in American Greatness, The Federalist, The Daily Caller, American Thinker, the Houston Chronicle, the Denver Post, and Public Square Magazine among others. Image: Pix4Free.org Feb. 24, 1994 Central New York Bottle Co. has been sold. Owens-Illinois, a Toledo-based manufacturer of glass containers, announced yesterday it had reached an agreement with Miller Brewing Co. to purchase the 16-year-old facility. Officials say the acquisition will not affect the current employment at the plant, which stands at 345. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed. The deal is expected to be final by the end of March, subject to federal regulatory approvals. "Assuming the transaction is completed, our plan is that there would be very little change there (at the plant)," said Owens-Illinois spokesman John Hoff. "We feel it's a very well-run facility." The decision by Miller to sell CNY Bottle dovetails with the brewer's long-range plan to concentrate on its core business of making beer, said Miller spokeswoman Patti McKeithan. Last year, the company sold its six can-making plants to Reynolds Metal. And in December, Miller announced it would close its Fulton brewery this year, putting 900 people out of work. Repercussions were felt at CNY Bottle in Sennett, where four people were immediately laid off. The mothballing of some of its plants is part of a massive downsizing at Philip Morris, the company that owns Miller, Marlboro and Kraft. The company plans a massive reduction in its international operations, eventually laying off 14,000 workers worldwide. Googles motto used to be Dont be evil. Tellingly, in 2018, two years after Trump won the presidential election, at which time Google went into mourning, Google erased those words from its ethos. Now, it has a free hand to do evil and, staffed by malignant, leftist, narcissistic ideologues, its going full speed ahead. Most recently, it used Googles Gemini AI program to erase whites from the world. J.D. Vance is right that Google is a dangerous trust that must be busted. Although this is a site for the written word, sometimes spoken analyses, complete with visuals, do a better, more efficient job. When it comes to Gemini, the program through which Google fully exposes its hard-left Utopianism, you cannot do better than Matt Walshs presentations. In this first video, he tracked down the self-loathing white woman (clearly a sponge-like repository for every D.I.E. trope taught in academia) who guides Geminis moral vision: In this second video, in the opening monologue, Walsh clearly explains the secret behind Geminis results: Its not that it tells its AI programming to favor results without whites. Instead, it secretly edits the users prompts to force outcomes that erase whites: Just When You Think the Google Gemini AI Story Can't Get Any Worse... It Does TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 - 00:29 Opening 1:58 - 16:02 Just When You Think the Google Gemini AI Story Can't Get Any Worse... It Does 17:53 - 36:41 The Culture War Hinges On This One Question 36:42 - 45:37 pic.twitter.com/oX4vm2HiAS The Matt Walsh Show (@MattWalshShow) February 23, 2024 I strongly urge you to watch both videos to understand whats happening. If Google were just one among many tech companies, this wouldnt matter too much but, as Walsh notes regarding Googles wealth, its not. Its significantly greater than that. Here are a few interesting statistics about Google making it clear that Google is the most powerful source of information in the world: Its visited almost 90 billion times per month, generating about 8.5 billion searches per day, and accounts for almost 92% of the whole worlds searches. Its not just Google searches, of course. Google infiltrates everything because, frankly, its products are good. Androids, which are way cheaper than iPhones, operate on Google. Other omnipresent products include Gmail, Ads, YouTube, Shopping, Travel, Blogger, Calendar, Drive (Docs, Sheets, Slides, etc.), Analytics, Workspace, and more. And all of them are really good products with remarkably intuitive user interfaces and efficient backends. These amazing products also collect endless data from us and, whenever possible, slant our acts and thinking in a Utopian leftist direction. (As a reminder, leftist Utopianism gave us the French Revolution, the Russian Revolution, Naziism, Maoism, and the leftist hellscapes of Pol Pots Cambodia, Castros Cuba, and Chavezs and Maduros Venezuela, to name but a few.) Indeed, weve long known that Google censors and slants search results, making it almost impossible to locate information on conservative-leaning sites. Another interesting fact about Google is that its workforce, from the top down, is progressive. In 2020, 88% of its employees donated to Democrat candidates. (Netflix, by the way, had a 98% rate of Democrat donations, Apple had an 84% rate, and Facebook came in at only 77%.) This political worldview operates at a visceral level. Google employees are the kind of people who need therapy when their candidate loses an election. Senator J.D. Vance (R-OH) understands exactly what Google is. Its a monopolistic trust that, through a variety of different products, operates with a single goal: To manipulate information to remake the American mind and American values: In October and November, as millions of undecided voters consider their choice for president, they will go to Google and ask "Did Donald Trump say X?" "Is Biden too old to be president?" The results they see will be explicitly biased towards Democrats. A threat to democracy. J.D. Vance (@JDVance1) February 23, 2024 More than 100 years ago, progressives, led by Teddy Roosevelt and William Howard Taft, busted trust. Now, progressives are the trusts, and theyre infinitely more dangerous than large oil companies were. The oil companies wanted to get rich, but Google wants to rule the world. UPDATE: One reader had a very interesting idea, which I'll share with you. One easy and effective way to fight back against Google search is to ban the use of Google search on public devices in red states/counties/school districts because it is blatant political propaganda and is no different than letting the DNC decide which items show up in a search result. This would both alert people to the problem of the bias and start to erode Google's market share. Image by Andrea Widburg. Everyone agrees that if President Trump had served two consecutive terms, there would be no Ukraine war today. His very presence reined in Putins avaricious land grabbing. Can we blame the massive devastation, disruption, and displacement going on in Ukraine and nearby Russian areas on the current weak administration? Yesand on those who voted for Biden and the corrupt election officials and others who secured the win. With that in mind, its time to call out the whining that President Trump is being mean to NATO, bullying and threatening them. In 2006, NATOs defense ministers/secretaries agreed that each would spend a proposed 2% on its military. In 2014, NATO heads of state concurred and agreed to reach that goal by 2024. Very little progress was being made toward this goal until Trump was inaugurated. Table 3 in this report shows that in 2014, only Greece, the UK, and the US met the 2% goal. By 2016, Estonia joined this group. By 2018, Latvia and Poland. By 2019, Bulgaria and Lithuania. By 2020, France, Norway, and Romania were at 2%. Of the 29 alliance countries, only Canada had no increase during the Trump years. That Europes military readiness was strengthened by 2022 was because the Trump administration pushed hard. Image made using the NATO logo (public domain) and an image by Gage Skidmore (CC BY 2.0). Let there be no doubt: If Hillary had won in 2016, Ukraine would have ceased to exist in relatively short order. She was the Russian colluder, something that began under the Obama administration and continued for years. Because of Trump, NATO nations had the wherewithal to step up immediately with material and other support for Ukraine. All Ukraine lovers need to acknowledge this hard fact: Ukraine still exists today only due to Trumps deft ability to manage international leaders and our relations with them. Pugnacious prevention (muscular diplomacy) beats ineffectual reactivity every time. Senate Democrats need to recognize this by presenting a clean Ukraine funding bill. This is something many of us can get behind and which would much more easily pass the House. (And yes, we also need a clean border bill that builds the wall, closes the border to all but properly vetted and visaed applicants for admission, halts admission of those who would be immediately eligible for temporary protected status, halts the mass humanitarian parole (CBP 1) program, and provides for robust enforcement of non-entry at the southern border.) HR-815, when first amended to become the Border Bill, went from 2 pages and zero cost to 370 pages in pdf form with $118 billion-plus in spending. After being amended to remove the border and focus more on funding Ukraines military needs, it dropped to 84 pages and $95.6 billion. Lets continue to tighten it up. The first thing to do is uncouple the 21-page ($0) Division BFend Off Fentanyl Act from this bill. As it stands, the Fend Off bill is weak and, as I wrote before, incomplete. If this Congress and this Administration want to do something concrete about this overwhelming crisis, that legislation should stand alone to project Americas determination. In its current form, it fails to do what it purports to do. In addition to sanctions and addressing money laundering, it should contain all the funding the DEA and the State Department require to identify, hunt down, and stop manufacturers of precursor materials, manufacturers of fentanyl, shippers, traffickers, border crossers, and distribution networks. Anything less is simply too little. The bill also needs to lose unrelated items. The $98 million to the Department of Energys Science Program for acquisition, distribution, and equipment for development and production of medical, stable, and radioactive isotopes can go. Besides, HR-4394 (Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2024) passed the House last year and has been waiting for action in the Senate since November 1, 2023. If the $8.1 billion for the Science Program cant cover this, then do a quick amendment to that bill increasing it. Take out the $400 million to FEMA for non-profit security grants. Theres already $530 million in HR-4367, the DHS 2024 funding bill, for the State Homeland Security Grant Program, and another $315 million for the Non-Profit Security Grant Program. If it needs to be increased, do it there, where the appropriate committees can have input. Take out the $481 million to DHHS for refugee and entrant assistance. If the $2.757 billion in HR-5894 isnt enough for this program, amend the funding bill. Take out the $10 million for State and USAID to audit funds going from HR-815 to Gaza and the West Bank. Also, take out all those billions that are sneakily hidden in funding set aside for the President to direct to other vulnerable populations and the World Bank, otherwise known as for the Palestinians. There. Shorter, costing billions less, and tightly focused on Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan. We the People know you senators can do it. Anony Mee is the nom de blog of a retired public servant who X-tweets at oh_yeahMee. We remember today the 28th anniversary of the murder of four men of the group "Brothers to the rescue." The men were Carlos Costa, Pablo Morales, Mario de la Pena, and Armando Alejendre, Jr. We remember the four men and their families. Back in the mid-1990s, a group of Cuban Americans in Miami decided to patrol international waters looking for Cubans escaping in rafts. It was a noble mission and completely legal because they were departing from Miami and flying over international waters. This is what happened that terrible day: On February 24, 1996, two Brothers to the Rescue planes were shot out of the sky over Cuba. Four people died. Cuban emigres and Americans alike were furious about the attack. The United Nations denounced the Cuban government. The press followed the event closely, calling the attack an act of war. The Congress reacted by tightening the embargo. President Clinton said this: This Act is a justified response to the Cuban governments unjustified, unlawful attack on two unarmed U.S. civilian aircraft that left three U.S. citizens and one U.S. resident dead It is a clear statement of our determination to respond to attacks on U.S. nationals and of our continued commitment to stand by the Cuban people in their peaceful struggle for freedom. The tough approach toward Cuba was continued during the Bush years, but everything changed when the Obama administration decided to try a different approach in 2014. They reestablished diplomatic relations, did not demand a thing in return and a U.S. flag flew over a building in Havana again. We remind you that President Obama shook hands with Raul Castro, the man who arguably ordered a Cuban MIG to shoot down their plane. Shoot U.S. citizens and get away with it? Well, Raul Castro can tell you all about it. P.S. Check out my blog for posts, podcasts and videos. Image: Suradnik13 Among the horrors of the modern age is the ongoing Trans Genocide. Its not like the ongoing genocide of the Jews Hamas and its Iran-backed proxies are doing their best to impose. This one is indigenous to America, and is far, far worse, because trans people and their, at last count, 57 or so genders are intellectually, spiritually and above all, morally superior to any form of life that has yet existed. One of the defining characteristics of the Trans Genocide is no actual deaths, a principle most recently demonstrated in Florida: On Friday, transgender activists across the state of Florida targeted multiple Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) offices after Gov. DeSantis announced a new policy change to state driver's licenses. This includes removing the option for an individual to choose their own gender. Residents will only be able to list their birth sex on state driver's licenses, which reverts back to the state's initial policy. Graphic: Twitter (X) Screenshot Drivers licenses are a primary form of government-issued identification. Police officers rely on them to positively identify people, as do other Americans. There is no good, legitimate reason to try to confuse that process. The policy update failed to sit well with transgender activists and they were seen protesting the decision outside of multiple DMVs across Florida. Video footage and images showed the group of protesters holding up makeshift tombstones with words written on them that insinuate the policy change will "kill" transgender people. They laid on the ground with the tombstones acting as if they were dead as they draped themselves in trans flags. The horror of the depth and evil of the Trans Genocide should be obvious to anyonewere it not delusional. Last month, Robert Kynoch, deputy executive director of the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, sent a memo detailing the policy change which stated that allowing an individual to change their own gender on licenses and ID cards goes against state law explaining that gender "has historically been understood as a synonym for sex, which is determined by innate and immutable biological and genetic characteristics." Kynoch explained that a drivers license "is an identification document and, as such, serves a critical role in assisting public and private entities in correctly establishing the identity of a person presenting the license." "Permitting an individual to alter his or her license to reflect an internal sense of gender role or identity, which is neither immutable nor objectively verifiable, undermines the purpose of an identification record and can frustrate the states ability to enforce its laws," he added. Imagine that. Most Americans would find Kynochs explanation unremarkable and inherently rational, but not the victims of Trans Genocide. One kills trans everywhere, it seems, by a variety of innocuous means: *Failing to use preferred pronouns. *Failing to praise every trans as brave and stunning. *Insisting there are males and females, and nothing else. *Daring to think Trans and trans ideology are silly and destructive to individuals and society. *Teaching actual biology. *Being willing to let Trans alone. *Refusing to grant every trans demand. *Refusing to allow Trans to pee and shower wherever they please. *Refusing to allow trans to beatactually and figurativelywomen in sports. *Refusing to allow gender affirming care and particularly, describing it as what it is: the surgical mutilation of children. *Demanding schools teach actual academic content rather than political/sexual propaganda and grooming. The ultimate, and most insidious expression of Trans Genocide, however, is the sure conviction among Trans Normal Americans might be silently disapproving of them. How can anyone who silently disapproves intend anything but the wholesale slaughter of Trans? The silence is violence principle can lead to no other conclusion. And so innumerable innocent Trans must prostrate themselves at DMV offices, their cardboard tombstones solemnly announcing their horrible deaths at the hands of uncaring bureaucrats and politicians whose murderous demand they identify themselves by their gender assigned at birth forever define them. The horror. Mike McDaniel is a USAF veteran, classically trained musician, Japanese and European fencer, life-long athlete, firearm instructor, retired police officer and high school and college English teacher. His home blog is Stately McDaniel Manor. Tulsi Gabbard, a former U.S. representative for Hawaii's congressional 2nd District and a decorated military veteran, has emerged as a fascinating potential candidate for the vice presidential spot in Donald Trump's administration. Her background, unorthodox political stances, and broad appeal marked by a unique blend of military experience, legislative understanding, and a distinctive foreign policy stance offer a compelling narrative for her potential role in the Trump administration. Tulsi Gabbard's political career has been marked by a strong focus on legislative achievements that resonate with a broad spectrum of constituents. During her tenure in Congress, Tulsi Gabbard demonstrated a multifaceted approach to governance, focusing on several key areas: Environmental Advocacy: Gabbard cosponsored the Coral Reef Sustainability Through Innovation Act of 2016, aiming to promote coral reef research and conservation through federal grants. She supported green energy policies, including transitioning to near-zero greenhouse gas emissions and 100% clean renewable energy. Affordable Housing Initiatives: Addressing Hawaii's high cost of living, Gabbard focused on affordable housing issues, highlighting her commitment to economic development and social welfare. Health and Food Policy Advocacy: Gabbard was a leading advocate for mandatory labeling of genetically engineered (GE) food, earning recognition from Food Policy Action for her efforts to improve the nation's food system and fight against the DARK (Deny Americans the Right to Know) Act. National Parks Conservation Support: Gabbard was honored with the Friend of the National Parks award from the National Parks Conservation Association for her support of the National Park System, underscoring her commitment to preserving the natural and cultural resources of the United States. Gabbard's legislative achievements, not all of which would appeal to conservatives, reflect her dedication to serving the needs and interests of her constituents, showcasing her commitment to environmental protection, economic development, and social welfare. Military Experience and Foreign Policy Stance: Gabbard's distinguished military career and experience in the United States Army Reserve have shaped her unique foreign policy views, setting her apart from mainstream Democrat or Republican positions. Her service in Iraq and Kuwait has given her a deep understanding of military operations and strategy. In this regard, her interactions with the Trump administration have also been notable. Gabbard has met with President Trump and has been critical of specific policies while supporting others. The potential impact of Tulsi Gabbard's inclusion in the Trump administration must be considered. The speculation around Gabbard's possible candidacy for the vice presidential spot in the Trump administration is intriguing. Her ability to appeal to women, military personnel, and Democrats presents a unique opportunity for the Trump campaign to broaden its support base. Gabbard's calm and logical approach could balance Trump's aggressive style, potentially mellowing his rhetoric and making his administration more appealing to a broader range of voters. Her background in Congress and military experience could help reshape the administration's policy and public engagement approach. However, Tulsi Gabbards relationship with the World Economic Forum has raised serious concerns among conservatives. WEF is a globalist organization established by Klaus Schwab. Gabbard's willingness to support authoritarian regimes under certain conditions has both been criticized and contributed to her distinct foreign policy stance. Gabbard's foreign policy views are characterized by a critical view of "regime change wars" and an advocacy for a more diplomatic approach to international relations and a focus on environmentalism. She has shown a willingness to support authoritarian regimes in certain contexts, such as her meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, which was controversial due to her defense of his authoritarianism and his use of force against civilians. Additionally, she has expressed support for brutal authoritarian repression in places like Egypt in the name of counter-terrorism, placing her outside of the mainstream of American progressives. Gabbard was scrutinized for a 2017 meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, whom the United States government blames for deadly attacks against Syrian civilians during the countrys civil war. Gabbard endorsed independent senator Sanders run against Clinton for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination. Gabbard ended her presidential candidacy in March 2020 and immediately endorsed Joe Biden. Here is a long list of Rep. Tulsi Gabbards (2013-202) Congressional Report Card. Conclusion Is Tulsi Gabbard picture-perfect? No, she is not. Can Republican voters trust her should she become a VP nominee? Thats the question that is still lingering. But, hypothetically, lets assume Trump chooses her as his running mate; what should we expect? In a hypothetical situation, Tulsi Gabbard's potential can be seen by some as a game-changer for the Trump administration. Her selection as Trump's vice president could bring many benefits, including unifying the Republican base, appealing to a broader range of voters, and balancing influence on Trump's more combative approach to governance. Tulsi Gabbard's odds of becoming the 2024 Republican vice-presidential candidate surged with a leading bookmaker after Donald Trump said she was on his short list during a Fox News town hall on Tuesday. Her legislative achievements, military experience, and distinct foreign policy stance make her a compelling candidate for a vice presidential role. The benefits of her selection, including her broad appeal and potential to influence the administration's approach, warrant serious consideration. In short, her candidacy remains speculative, and further developments will provide more insight into the direction of the Trump administration. Gabbard's unique blend of experiences and perspectives could significantly influence the Trump administration's policies and approach to governance, setting a new precedent for the role of vice president in American politics. Image: U.S. Marine Corps photo, by Lance Cpl. Harley Thomas/Released, via NARA public domain archive The US launch of the ROG Phone 8 Pro is just around the corner. ASUS announced the ROG Phone 8 series earlier this year and confirmed that the device would be headed to the US. The unfortunate downside was that there was no confirmed release date. Even now, if you head to the official US ASUS shop, the website simply says notify me on the buy page. We were lucky enough to review the ROG Phone 8 Pro Edition device shortly after its announcement and have been loving it ever since. So much so that we want others to experience the same kind of excitement we have for this top-notch mobile gaming device. The good news is that you wont have to wait much longer. Now, you could technically buy the phone right now on Amazon. But thats not recommended, since they come from third-party sellers and theyre not the official US model. Theres also the small detail of them having highly inflated prices. In short, wait for ASUS to put these on sale officially. Its coming sooner than you think. Advertisement Advertisement The ROG Phone 8 Pro US launch begins February 29 The US market is not generally a big one for ASUS when it comes to the companys phones. But it has been steadily releasing more of its devices here. In fact, this is going to be the soonest ASUS has ever launched one of the ROG Phones in the US. Last year with the ROG 7 series, the phone was announced in late March and didnt launch until the Summer. And the ROG Phone 6 series was even further out in the year when it launched the year prior. This year, ASUS decided to announce the phone at CES in January. And now you can finally buy it this month. The phone is confirmed to be going up for sale starting on February 29. The phones will then begin shipping between March 11 and March 31. Details of the sales dates come from GSM Arena, which reached out to an official sales partner for ASUS in the US, Mobile Advance, who confirmed the dates. Worth noting is that Mobile Advance only mentions the ROG Phone 8 Pro. The ROG Phone 8 standard model may or may not go up for sale at the same time. Advertisement There are other factors to consider too. Sales begin February 29 but these are just pre-orders. And these may not be the sale dates for either of the phones from ASUS directly or other partners like Amazon. According to the ASUS shop, youll be able to buy both the Pro and Pro Edition models of the phone. The former will retail for $1,199 and the latter will retail for $1,499. The main difference is that the Pro Edition model comes with 24GB of RAM and 1TB of storage. Whereas the Pro model comes with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. All other specs are the same. The Pro Edition model also comes bundled with the AeroActive Cooler X. An all-digital version of the Xbox Series X appears to be nearing a launch, with Microsoft planning to release the refreshed console in the Summer. This isnt the first time rumors of an all-digital Xbox Series X have popped up. Late last year, Microsoft was going through its trial over the Activision Blizzard acquisition, and documentation containing evidence of an all-digital Xbox Series X was part of the presentations. Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer eventually said that plans had changed some, but didnt deny that those plans didnt still include a new version of the Xbox Series X. The refreshed version of the console also had a cylindrical shape to it. This is as opposed to the rectangular design that it has right now. The rumor comes at an interesting time as Spencer recently had an interview in which he talked about rumors of Xbox going disc-less. Rumors of Microsofts plans to ditch the disc started surfacing after the all-digital Series X emerged last year. Advertisement Advertisement The good thing for Xbox fans who prefer physical media is that Spencer has confirmed discs are here to stay for the time being. Spencer said that Xbox isnt getting rid of discs. He did acknowledge, however, that Microsoft follows the consumer. And right now, consumers on Xbox are buying more digital games than physical ones. An all-digital Xbox Series X could come in white and have a lower price In addition to the Summertime release date, the new disc-free Series X console is said to potentially come in at a lower price point. As noted by eXputer (via Insider Gaming), Microsoft could end up charging $50 or $100 less for the new version of the console that doesnt have the disc drive. If the pricing is accurate, it would make sense. Sony offers the digital version of the PlayStation 5 for less money than the disc model. The all-digital release could also have a new colorway, with Microsoft planning to release it in white like the Xbox Series S. Advertisement Theres also supposed to be an updated heatsink which would help improve the consoles cooling. Additionally, eXputer says the console is planned to launch sometime between June and July. It goes without saying that these rumors should be taken with a grain of salt. While it is entirely likely Microsoft plans to launch an all-digital Xbox Series X, it hasnt been confirmed. Until then, these are just rumors. The plan would work well for Microsofts strategy, though. Especially if the console was cheaper but offered all the same performance power. The Xbox Series S is a great value. But it is less powerful than the Xbox Series X. The United States Department of Justice (DoJ) has found two Chinese nationals guilty of a sophisticated iPhone repair scam defrauding Apple of millions of dollars. The scammers would submit counterfeit iPhones to the company for repair and get genuine iPhones as replacements. They replaced more than 5,000 fake iPhones with genuine handsets between 2017 and 2019, causing Apple a loss of over $3 million. Two Chinese men defrauded Apple of $3 million by replacing fake iPhones According to a press release from the US Attorneys Office for the District of Columbia, Haotian Sun, a resident of Baltimore, Maryland, and Pengfei Xue, a resident of Germantown, Maryland, both Chinese nationals aged 33, ran this scam between May 2017 and September 2019. They received counterfeit iPhones from Hong Kong at UPS mailboxes across the D.C. Metropolitan area and submitted those to Apple for repair. Advertisement Advertisement The scammers spoofed serial numbers and/or IMEI numbers of the fake iPhones and likely sent the devices to Apple in a dead condition. This not only allowed them to get a free replacement under warranty but also helped avoid detection. Even if repair technicians noticed something sketchy with the parts inside, they likely approved the replacement because the serial number and IMEI number appeared genuine. The two Chinese nationals sent fake iPhones for repair to various Apple retail stores and Apple Authorized Service Providers, including the Apple Store in Georgetown. They used various aliases during the scheme, and likely received help from other conspirators in the US and abroad. Overall, the scammers exchanged more than 5,000 dead counterfeit phones for genuine ones, defrauding the company out of over $3 million worth of iPhones. Sun and Xue were arrested on December 5, 2019. The US Postal Inspection Service and Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case. A federal jury in the US District Court in the District of Columbia found the duo guilty of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and mail fraud. They now face a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. Sentencing on the case is scheduled for June 21, 2024. Apple has fallen prey to similar scams in the past This isnt the first instance of someone tricking Apple to swap fake iPhones for real ones. The company has fallen prey to similar scams in the past. In October 2023, a sibling duo received a 41-month federal prison sentence for similarly defrauding Apple of around $6.1 million. San Diego residents Zhimin and Zhiting Liao exchanged 10,000 fake iPhones and iPads over eight years. Their spouses and eight co-conspirators also pleaded guilty. CASCAIS, PortugalRTB Panda, a leading real-time bidding platform, white-label DSP, SSP and ad exchange, will attend the upcoming TES Affiliate Conference in Cascais, Portugal, from February 24 to 27. Representatives of the organization will be available during the industry event to help advertisers, publishers and advertising networks discover the latest innovations in the ad tech industry. The King has praised the determination and strength of the Ukrainian people in a message marking the second anniversary of Russias invasion. In a message released by Buckingham Palace, Charles said he was greatly encouraged by the UKs efforts to support Ukraine and commended their true valour. Saturday marks two years since the Kremlin launched its attack on Ukraine, starting the biggest incursion in a European country since the Second World War. Despite the tremendous hardship and pain inflicted upon them, Ukrainians continue to show the heroism with which the world associates them so closely. A message from His Majesty The King, marking two years of conflict in Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/1sjJoYrcTu The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) February 24, 2024 He said: The determination and strength of the Ukrainian people continues to inspire, as the unprovoked attack on their land, their lives and livelihoods enters a third, tragic, year. Despite the tremendous hardship and pain inflicted upon them, Ukrainians continue to show the heroism with which the world associates them so closely. Theirs is true valour, in the face of indescribable aggression. I have felt this personally in the many meetings I have had with Ukrainians since the start of the war, from President Zelensky and Mrs Zelenska, to new army recruits training here in the United Kingdom. I continue to be greatly encouraged that the United Kingdom and our allies remain at the forefront of international efforts to support Ukraine at this time of such great suffering and need. My heart goes out to all those affected, as I remember them in my thoughts and prayers. The King and Queen during a visit to Liverpool Central Library, to officially mark its twinning with Ukraines first public library (PA) Charles has undertaken many engagements in the UK linked to Ukraine since the war began, including visiting a training site for military recruits in Wiltshire. He has met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky several times, including during his visit to the UK in February last year. It was announced earlier this month that Charles had been diagnosed with a form of cancer, discovered while he was being treated in hospital for an enlarged prostate. He has started a schedule of regular treatments but postponed all public-facing duties, spending much of his time at the royal residence in Sandringham, Norfolk. Hundreds of people have marched through central London in support of Ukraine to mark the second anniversary of the Russian invasion. Earlier on Saturday, the commemorations began with an interfaith prayer service at Londons Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral where Bishop Kenneth Nowakowski said Ukrainians do not want to give up hope. Meanwhile, in Scotland, political and religious leaders attended a service at Edinburgh Castle to mark the anniversary. First Minister Humza Yousaf delivered a reading and laid a wreath at the Scottish National War Memorial alongside Andrii Kuslii, of the consulate of Ukraine. First Minister Humza Yousaf attends a memorial wreath-laying service at Edinburgh Castle (Jane Barlow/PA) The service was attended by Ukrainian citizens living in Scotland and followed by a rally in Edinburgh against Russian aggression. Speaking ahead of the service, the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, the Rev Sally Foster-Fulton, said: Lives have been torn apart due to unprovoked Russian aggression and we continue to stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine and all innocent people who suffer because of this aggression. On Saturday afternoon, hundreds of pro-Ukraine demonstrators gathered at Speakers Corner in Londons Hyde Park and then marched to Trafalgar Square, where a vigil is being held. Some protesters held signs urging Russia to stop the war, labelling Russian president Vladimir Putin a terrorist and urging international powers to offer more support. A Ukrainian woman whose husband is fighting in the war against Russia spoke of the difficult decision to flee her homeland. Nataliia Rusinko said her husband, Maksym, volunteered to fight the day war broke out in February 2022. People taking part in a march from Hyde Park to Trafalgar Square (Maja Smiejkowska/PA) After initially fleeing to Bulgaria, Ms Rusinko and her children, Andrii, eight, and Anna, nine, returned to Ukraine in the hope the war would soon end. However, after four bombs fell on their town the family came to the UK. Ms Rusinko, using a translator, said: It was very hard because I didnt know for how long I would have to leave and to leave my husband behind. Anna said: It was a hard decision because my friends were still there and they were my only friends that I had. Speaking of those in the UK who have supported Ukraine and agreed to house refugees, Ms Rusinko said: I will forever be very grateful to the British people for taking us in. Bishop Nowakowski, the leading Ukrainian Catholic bishop in the UK, told the PA news agency that the anniversary was a very tragic milestone and said his compatriots were resolved to win the war. Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine began on February 24 2022 and followed the Kremlins military intervention in the eastern Donbas region and its annexation of Crimea in 2014. An event was held in Edinburgh to mark the two-year anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine (Jane Barlow/PA) The Ukrainian Catholic Church said the vital events it had helped organise on Saturday would honour the resilience of Ukraine and show unwavering support for its fight against Russia. The church added: This event, organised by the British-Ukrainian community in London and the wider UK, is one of the most crucial Ukrainian events in London this year. It calls for all to stand in solidarity, united across nations against aggression. Paper angels were hung from the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedrals balcony one for each of the 528 Ukrainian children killed during the conflict, according to Ukraines prosecutor general. Referring to the paper angels, Bishop Nowakowski said during the service: These paper angels are a remembrance of those young lives and the families who are grieving. Among those attending the prayer service at the cathedral were actresses Maureen Lipman and Rula Lenska and politicians including housing minister Felicity Buchan and Nickie Aiken, the Conservative MP for Cities of London and Westminster. Actress Rula Lenska attended the service (Jonathan Brady/PA) Many of the guests wore blue and yellow ribbons or sunflowers, a symbol of peace and resilience, with others carrying Ukrainian flags. The interfaith prayers were accompanied by the singing of Ukrainian spiritual anthems by the cathedral choir with many of those in the congregation visibly emotional. Fed-up residents in Nottinghamshire held a A Valentines Day inspired pothole party. (Gedling Borough Potholes/Facebook) Fed-up residents have organised a Valentines Day inspired Love Your Potholes Party to draw attention to the persisting road problems. The Gedling Borough Potholes Facebook group gathered in a local pub to ironically celebrate potholes in Nottinghamshire last Saturday. Around 30 members were seen inside The Gedling Inn paying homage with romantic cards, cakes and signs dedicated to the road hazards. Placards included ones saying passionate about potholes and Gedling: World-beating potholes. The group, which has more than 1,800 members, was trying to raise awareness about the increasing road craters in the area which many feel have gotten out of hand. The Facebook group encourages residents to post images of the worst affected roads. The Facebook event page invite read: Please bring anything you can that will make it go with a swing. "Bring pothole cake, pothole jelly (also useful for filling potholes), Valentines cards expressing your love for potholes, pictures of your favourite potholes, banners, placards, flowers, pothole decorations: anything else you can think of that will be fun. Bonus points and a round of applause for anyone who manages to dress up as a pothole. Cllr Michael Payne, who serves as the deputy leader of Gedling Borough Council and Nottinghamshire county councillor, visited the party and expressed his agreement with the frustration of the attendees. Residents dedicated Valentine's Day cards to the potholes. (Gedling Borough Potholes/Facebook) Love Your Potholes Party Group moderator Brian Bailey, who helped organise the party, told the BBC: "We are trying to promote and raise awareness of the pothole problem while making light of the situation. He added: "We want more investment and quicker responses to fixing this problem across the city." Another group moderator, Chris Cann, told NottinghamshireLive: We thought that people in the group wanted to do something, so we had a poll of various ideas that we'd come up with and the party was the most popular. Valentine's Day is coming up and that's how the Love Your Potholes Party came about. We took the love out to some nearby potholes. A Nottinghamshire County Council spokesperson said: "Recent severe weather episodes have taken a significant toll on Nottinghamshire's roads. We recognise that this is a really important issue, and we have secured a major new transport fund of 1.5bn which will be controlled by the new regional mayor and combined authority. "When residents notice potholes, we ask that they report them through our website or the MyNOTTS App, and an inspector will assess the site as soon as possible." The Gedling Borough Potholes Facebook group has previously made a pothole calendar and now plans to develop a new board game, with proceeds going to charity. More East Mids stories - click above Attendees also made signs. (Gedling Borough Potholes/Facebook) Why does the UK have so many potholes? The UK is more susceptible to potholes because of its climate. Cold and wet weather, particularly during the winter months, means water can get into cracks in the road and then freeze, eventually leading to potholes. The heavy road use and traffic on the UK's roads is also a factor. Councils also have tight budgets to fix potholes. The areas most affected by potholes (red is the most). (Yahoo News) How to report potholes? Anyone who wishes to report a pothole can go to the government's dedicated website for the problem. From there, they will be directed to their local council's pothole reporting service, where they can fill in an online form. To report the pothole, they need the location of the pothole and details of its size. They must also upload any pictures of the pothole. Councils vow to inspect the area identified within about three to five working days. If the pothole is on a motorway or an A road then reports should be directed to Highways England. In Wales, roads are managed by Traffic Wales, while potholes in Scotland can be reported at My Gov Scotland. In Northern Ireland, potholes can be reported through the NI Direct website. How to claim for pothole damage? The government says motorists may be able to claim compensation if their vehicle is damaged by a road. They should contact the organisation responsible to tell them about the damage, why they think they are responsible and details of where and when the damage was caused. According to the AA, motorists should start by reporting the pothole to their local authority. After having their car repaired, they may be able to claim compensation from the council. Motorists should inform the council of the location of the pothole and include details of quotes, invoices and receipts for their repairs. If the claim is rejected, motorists can appeal. Read more Kyiv-based illustrators who have produced comics in shelters, during blackouts and amid constant missile attacks have hailed the medium as their instrument for highlighting the reality of the war. February 24 marks two years since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and for those living in the country, the need to continue sharing what is happening to them is of paramount importance. Part of the Blackout book (Seri/Graph/PA) For Jenya Polosina, 31, and Anna Ivanenko, 32, who work as editorial illustrators and are founders of the Seri/Graph visual studio in Kyiv, comics have allowed them to highlight life since the invasion. Speaking to the PA news agency from the Ukrainian capital, Ms Polosina said: Since our comics are pretty literal, it is more about using the medium of comics to communicate things we feel are necessary. All of our comics are in English because its our way to use our instrument of illustration to communicate outside of Ukraine something that we think is important. The book was created during a time of blackouts in Ukraine (Seri/Graph/PA) Ms Ivanenko told PA: We made a book about making a book during blackouts, and it was quite emotional because of the blackouts and problems with electricity last winter. The publishing house team we worked with was very involved with the process and helped us with some interviews. Ms Polosina added: We also talked with the printing house about their struggles during blackout and we interviewed people in small villages. Anna Ivanenko and Jenya Polosina (Anastasia Samoilenko/PA) The book was printed in hardcover during blackout in Kharkiv and they would have power for only a few hours in a row, and missile attacks, but still managed to complete all the printing in time, which was pretty incredible. Ms Polosina reflected on creating the pairs first comic after the invasion while sheltering in an underground bomb shelter between February 24 and March 3 2022. We were in a shelter in Kyiv and our friend Sasha was in Bucha and we were communicating and doing comics at the same time, and we found doing this helpful for us to process what was happening, she said. The pair turned to comics to express how they felt (Seri/Graph/PA) One conversation in the book shows Ms Polosina sending a message to her friend, which reads: How are you? We had 10 aid raid alerts. Conveniently we were here already. Zhenya Oliinyk, 30, an illustrator and comic artist also based in Kyiv, told PA that although the second anniversary doesnt feel like a milestone as much as it did last year, she still remembers vividly the day Russia launched its invasion. She created a character a blob with eyes, in different scenarios to represent how she felt she could not say anything, but could just observe. Zhenya Oliinyk is an illustrator based in Kyiv (Natalia Azarkina/PA) I was pretty shocked for the first couple of days but, like a lot of my colleagues, we felt that drawing is a form of activism we can do, she said. For me, I was stuck at home on the outskirts of Kyiv at the time, so there was not much I could really do because you couldnt go to work any more, my ongoing commissions were on hold, so for the first couple of days we just watched the news constantly. I then started doing these tiny comics on small things that were happening around me and I couldnt really draw any explosions or destruction because I luckily didnt see it with my own eyes. The blob with eyes character Ms Oliinyk created (Zhenya Oliinyk/PA) Other comics produced by Ms Oliinyk show a Russian solider with his trousers round his ankles, with the caption Poor Russia soldier didnt know what he was doing, as well as burnt and destroyed infrastructure. She moved from the outskirts of Kyiv to the centre of the Ukrainian capital in May 2022 and said through her comics, which often make use of humour, she can explain the war to people in a way that makes it more understandable. One of Ms Oliinyks comics (Zhenya Oliinyk/PA) Russia is trying to destroy Ukrainian culture they are very straightforward about it and I would like people to remain curious about Ukraine, she said. More information about Seri/Graph can be found at https://seri-graph.com/ and further information on Ms Oliinyk can be accessed at https://zhenyaoliinyk.com/. Thousands of people have marched through Dublin in a demonstration marking the second anniversary of the start of the war in Ukraine. The Irish deputy premier said Ireland will not waiver in its support for Ukraine. Micheal Martin said increased large-scale assaults in recent weeks show Russia is not serious about pursuing peace. He said: For 730 days, Ukraine has endured unimaginable violence and suffering, the destruction of homes, livelihoods and critical infrastructure by the Russian Federation. Across the country, innocent Ukrainian men, women and children are paying the ultimate price for a war not of their choosing. The foreign affairs minister added: While the world calls for peace, respect for international borders and integrity, Russia chooses the path for escalation. We will continue our unified and determined response that Ireland and the European Union have mounted since the beginning of this war of aggression. He said Ukrainians are fighting to defend their country as well as universal values that Irish people hold dear. He added: To all Ukrainians, wherever you may be, Ireland stands with you today and always. Today marks the second anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of #Ukraine. Ireland will not waver in support for Ukraine, or in determination to stand up and hold Russia to account. pic.twitter.com/hFwUX50ScZ Micheal Martin (@MichealMartinTD) February 24, 2024 On Saturday, the Ukrainian Action in Ireland group organised a march through Dublin starting outside the GPO on OConnell Street. Demonstrators shouted Free Ukraine and called for Russia to leave the country. Participants waved Ukrainian flags and carried placards with slogans including Vladimir Putin is killing Ukrainian children. Ukrainians also thanked Irish people for their support since the war began. Ireland has provided refuge to 100,000 Ukrainians under EU temporary protection rules since the war began. Moldovan and Polish nationals also joined the protest. Thousands of people #WalkWithUkraine right now in Dublin 2 years of full-scale unjustified aggression and 10 years of Russias war in Ukraine Thank you @GeraskoLarysa @USAmbIreland @GudynasM for walking with us today! pic.twitter.com/PVR6IiFq3M Ukrainian Action in Ireland (@UkrainianAction) February 24, 2024 Olha Chekmaieva fled her home city of Odesa in 2022 before settling in Ireland. The Ukrainian Action in Ireland spokeswoman told the PA news agency that Irish support keeps her holding on. Today we mark the two-year anniversary of the full-scale invasion that Russia started in my country Ukraine. Ukrainians and friends of Ukraine in Ireland came to OConnell Street to march and mark this devastating event. We are actually fascinated by the way Ireland and Irish people support us still. It is amazing and what keeps us holding on, actually. We want to remind people that the war even if it is not in the news that much is still going on on a daily basis. Just yesterday, another rocket hit the house in the city where Im from. Several died. We want the world and Ireland to remember that we need their support in our fight for freedom. Junior doctors in England have been urged to call off strikes and show they are prepared to be reasonable as they walk out for the 10th time since March last year. It comes amid calls from health chiefs for unions and ministers to settle the dispute. The latest junior doctors strike will begin at 7am on Saturday, with them returning to work at 11.59pm on Wednesday. Dr Robert Laurenson and Dr Vivek Trivedi, co-chairs of the BMA junior doctors committee, said: The Government could have stopped these strikes by simply making a credible pay offer for junior doctors in England to begin reversing the pay cuts they have inflicted upon us for more than a decade. Co-chairs of the BMAs junior doctors committee Vivek Trivedi (left) and Rob Laurenson have criticised the Government (Yui Mok/PA) The same Government could have even accepted our offer to delay this round of strike action to give more space for talks all we asked for in return was a short extension of our mandate to strike. The fact that ministers have chosen strike action over what could have been the end of this years pay dispute is disappointing to say the least. They claim more and more junior doctors are moving abroad for better-paying jobs, adding: All doctors are looking for is to reverse pay cuts and be paid the same, in real terms, as in 2008 which looks like around 21 per hour instead of the current 15 per hour. This is the way to a better-staffed, more effective health service, and all the Government has to do to call off these strikes is come forward with a credible way of getting there. Health Secretary Victoria Atkins said: I want to see doctors treating patients, not standing on picket lines. Health Secretary Victoria Atkins said she wants to see doctors treating patients, not standing on picket lines (Aaron Chown/PA) In negotiations with the BMA junior doctors committee, we made it clear we were prepared to go further than the pay increase of up to 10.3% that they have already received. They refused to put our offer to their members. More than 1.3 million appointments and operations have already been cancelled or rescheduled since industrial action began five days of further action will compound this. The NHS has robust contingency plans in place, and it is vital that people continue to come forward for treatment. But no one should underestimate the impact these strikes have on our NHS. So again, I urge the BMA junior doctors committee to call off their strikes and show they are prepared to be reasonable, so that we can come back to the negotiating table to find a fair way forward. The strike will be the 10th round of industrial action by junior doctors since March 2023, and the last under its current mandate. However, Dr Laurenson and Dr Trivedi said they expect the mandate to be renewed into the autumn given the strength of determination shown by junior doctors across the country. They added: There is no point in the Government delaying any further. The time to end this dispute is now. NHS national medical director Professor Sir Stephen Powis said it is extremely concerning that strike action and disruption are becoming a new normal. For the equivalent of more than one in every 10 days last year, the NHS has had to effectively stop carrying out most routine appointments to prioritise emergency care, he added. The impact of this over a prolonged period continues to build at a time where staff are already under pressure, tackling the elective backlog and focusing on recovery. Sir Julian Hartley, chief executive of NHS Providers, has urged unions and the Government to redouble their efforts to find a resolution. Deputy chief executive Saffron Cordery reiterated Sir Julians call, saying: We cant go on like this. Wave after wave of strikes saps the morale of staff and impacts patients. Trust leaders urge the Government and unions to do everything possible to settle this damaging dispute and to end strikes. Ms Cordery added: Trust leaders want to get on with the job of giving patients first-class care instead of having to spend too much time and energy planning for and coping with weeks of disruptive strikes. A blog post by the Kings Funds Siva Anandaciva, who is a chief analyst in the think tanks policy team, said strikes have become such a familiar feature of our lives over the past two years that there is a risk we can become inured to their impact. A British-Ukrainian student has explained the strange feeling of becoming an adult during two years of full-scale war with Russia, describing life as a gift of the blood and flesh of her people. Valentina Butenko, who is currently studying International Social Political Studies at University College London (UCL), was 19 when she awoke in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv to the sound of explosions as Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24 2022. She has spent the past two years of her young life aiding the war effort, first providing immediate aid to Ukrainians and now working with Ukrainian companies and her family businesses to build a strong future for her country. Ms Butenkos mother lives in London and her brother, father and other members of her family still reside in Kyiv and she splits her time between the two cities returning to the Ukrainian capital roughly every month. On January 2, she celebrated her 21st birthday. Reaching this milestone amid the backdrop of war has given rise to mixed feelings for Ms Butenko, who said the idea of timescales gets erased when your loved ones lives are on the line, but making it to that age also carries with it a great privilege. Ms Butenko said becoming an adult during the ongoing war has been strange (Valentina Butenko/PA) The idea of timescales or coming of age kind of gets erased because you only have this present moment and when your life is on the line and when those that are dearest to you are on the line, you dont think about whether youre 14 or 60 or 21, she told the PA news agency. I just turned 21, so its quite strange meeting adulthood, knowing that every moment youre alive is really the gift of the blood and flesh of the people in your country who fight for you to be alive. As the war reaches its second year, Ms Butenko has been continuing to study for her degree at UCL, of which she has two years remaining. She said it has been strange to attend lectures and complete assignments whilst also regularly going back to Kyiv. Ms Butenko splits her time between London and Kyiv (Nicholas T Ansell/PA) After the war began, studying, to me, was quite difficult to do alone and I think in the world we live in today, we cant afford to live in simple roles such as just being a student, she said. I continued working in Ukraine alongside my studies because to me anything Ive learnt has to be real in practice. She said spending time between Kyiv and London has been incredibly difficult and akin to coming out of the eye of the storm. When I move out to the reality of that fight, the bombings, the air sirens, that constant physical fear your body carries with you as you walk down the street, even when its silent its the knowledge that at any point, your life is very fragile, she said. Moving into the UK or anywhere in the world where life goes on, theres this veil of blindness that you forget that the life thats lived here and anywhere in the world where its safe comes at the cost of everything that happens in the place in the world where its not safe. Ms Butenko has implored people to take responsibility for what is happening in Ukraine (Valentina Butenko/PA) She said being around her family when she goes back to Kyiv provides a physical sense of safety and ownership over them. Both my father and my brother are incredible beacons of inspiration and strength, knowing that theyre there and theyre doing their work on the ground and I have a responsibility to them, as to every Ukrainian, to do everything I can here in terms of my work and my studies, she added. With the war pressing on past two years, she said each year it continues is another year we have failed. Ms Butenko initially provided aid to those in Ukraine (Nicholas T Ansell/PA) Were allowing people to die, were allowing people to be murdered and slaughtered for the sake of an evil of another country, she said. The way we cover the war, speak about the war, has become a kind of statistic and this isnt unique to Ukraine its unique to a lot of wars. Its not a note on a page in a history book with clever analysis, its peoples lives. She has expressed her gratitude to the British people who really embodied the suffering of Ukrainians. They embodied the suffering of Ukrainians like no other population I saw; they took people into their own homes, she added. Im forever grateful for the safety and sanctuary that people from the ground took upon themselves thats very special and Ukrainians and me personally will always be grateful to you. She hopes people globally will continue to support Ukrainians. The war in Ukraine has given the entire world and every single person the starkest choice that is to take responsibility of the world around you or to take no responsibility and become a slave and a victim of the consequences, she added. The King was left tickled pink by a well-wishers card showing a disgruntled dog recovering from medical treatment and telling him at least you dont have to wear a cone!. Charles has been pictured looking through some of the 7,000 messages of support Buckingham Palaces correspondence team has received from around the world since his cancer diagnosis. Many share their own experiences of cancer or offer their good wishes and advice for a speedy recovery, with one adult well-wisher telling the King: Chin up, chest out, remain positive and dont let it get you down. King Charles has received around 7,000 messages of support following his cancer diagnosis (Jonathan Brady/PA) Trust me, it works, but the main thing is family. While a child sent the message: Never give up. Be brave. Dont push your limits. Get Well Soon. Sitting at a desk in a room in Buckingham Palaces Belgian Suite, Charles laughed when he came across the card, from an adult well-wisher, illustrated with a picture of the terrier-like dog wearing a collar and feeling sorry for itself. The restrictive collar which stops animals aggravating a wound or stitches after an operation is sometimes called the cone of shame by pet owners, or an Elizabethan or E-collar in reference to the large collars known as ruffs worn by Elizabethans. One card, like many sent to the King, was hand-drawn, with the words get well soon written beneath a picture of a crown, complete with rubies and emeralds, and with a rainbow on the back. Where the public have included an address they will receive a response of thanks for their cards or letters. Many of the cards King Charles received were hand-drawn and where the well-wishers have included their address they will receive a response of thanks (Jonathan Brady/PA) Charles looked at the messages, sent in his daily red box of paperwork, on Wednesday and during that day carried out his first face-to-face official duties an audience with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and a Privy Council meeting since his condition was made public. Footage was released of the King meeting Mr Sunak and he said he had been reduced to tears by the messages and cards of support he had received. The Prime Minister told him the country is behind you. Since the diagnosis Charles has postponed all public-facing duties, but is continuing with behind-the-scenes work on his red boxes of state papers. The royal familys official social media channels posted a short film to accompany the photographs, showing post from well-wishers being delivered and later sorted by staff and the King looking through the messages. One read: I wanted to tell you I am thinking of you as you face your own diagnosis and treatment and send prayers and every good wish for a speedy recovery. Another said: King Charles, sorry to hear you are not feeling well at the moment. I am wishing you a speedy recovery. Get Well Soon! Labour has called for Liz Truss and Lee Anderson to lose the Conservative whip over media appearances that also caused anger within Tory ranks. In a letter to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Friday, shadow paymaster general Jonathan Ashworth said egregious remarks made by the pair cannot go unchecked or unchallenged. Ms Truss had used a talk at the Conservative Political Action Conference (Cpac) in the US to claim her efforts to cut taxes were sabotaged by the administrative state and the deep state. The former prime minister, whose disastrous mini-budget in 2022 unleashed economic chaos, later took part in an interview with Steve Bannon and remained silent as he hailed far-right figure Tommy Robinson a hero. I'd hope every MP would confront such a statement head on. Liz should really know better. https://t.co/8eibAMqxFz Sajid Javid (@sajidjavid) February 23, 2024 Senior Tory MP Sir Sajid Javid was among those to criticise her for not challenging the comment, writing in a post on X: Id hope every MP would confront such a statement head on. Liz should really know better. Sir Sajid also hit out at Mr Anderson after the deputy Conservative chairman appeared to suggest in an appearance on GB News that London Mayor Sadiq Khan had given our capital away to Islamists. The former chancellor branded the remarks ridiculous while Labour said it was appalling racism and Islamophobia. Tory peer Gavin Barwell, who was Theresa Mays chief of staff in Number 10, described the comment as a despicable slur. The PM is being pressed by Sir Keir Starmers party to show some leadership and take action over the remarks. A failure to do so would amount to allowing the divisive, deluded and dangerous views of the far-right into mainstream British politics and continue to give credibility to such a degradation of British institutions and cultural life on the international stage, Mr Ashworth said. Shadow paymaster general Jonathan Ashworth branded comments made by Liz Truss and Lee Anderson egregious (Gareth Fuller/PA) Ms Truss had claimed in her speech that Conservatives are now operating in what is a hostile environment and that left-wing elites will be aided and abetted by our enemies in China, Iran and Russia. Interviewed by Mr Bannon after her speech, she also said she was willing to work with Nigel Farage to change the Conservative Party. And she suggested the former Donald Trump adviser, who is facing fraud charges in New York, could come over to Britain and sort out Britain. In his letter to Mr Sunak, Mr Ashworth wrote: For a senior politician to engage in spreading such blatant conspiracy theories is incredibly damaging to our democracy, our institutions and social cohesion. He added: For a former prime minister to make such remarks, while on an international visit to a country with whom the UK shares a special relationship which upholds liberal values is an unforgivable lowering of the office of prime minister which lessens the United Kingdoms standing in the world and needs to be acted upon. Its time to show some leadership and take on the extremists in your party. Liz Truss and Lee Anderson must no longer sit as Conservative MPs. Their words cannot go unchecked or unchallenged. Downing Street has been contacted for comment. Ms Truss resigned in October 2022 after the fallout from her botched financial statement, becoming the countrys shortest-serving prime minister after just 49 days in office. Her speech at Cpac sees her sharing a stage with Mr Trump, whose presidential bid she all but directly endorsed, and Reform UK founder and former Ukip leader Mr Farage. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has confirmed a Second World War bomb that forced thousands to evacuate in Plymouth has been detonated at sea. An MoD spokeswoman told the PA news agency the bomb had been detonated successfully at 9.51pm. The 500kg explosive was discovered in a back garden on Tuesday, which prompted one of the largest UK peacetime evacuation operations, according to the MoD. Emergency workers gathered in Plymouth before the Second World War explosive was taken from a local garden and disposed of at sea on Friday (Ben Birchall/PA) Around 30 of the armed forces most experienced bomb disposal specialists had worked around the clock to assess the condition of the device since it was discovered in St Michael Avenue in the Keyham area of Plymouth. On Friday, a military convoy carried the unexploded bomb on the back of a truck from the garden through a densely populated residential area to Torpoint Ferry slipway, where it was taken out to sea. (PA Graphics) Around 10,320 people and 1,219 properties were affected by the 300m cordon placed along the route. The MoD said the munition, identified as an air-dropped German bomb from the Second World War designated SC-500 was assessed as posing a significant risk to public safety with people living within the cordon evacuated. More than 100 personnel from the British Army and Royal Navy, including bomb disposal experts, were involved in the complex operation along with Plymouth City Council officials, Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service, Devon and Cornwall Police and members of the armed forces, to ensure the device was removed and people were safe. A military vehicle seen in Plymouth, where residents were evacuated and a cordon was put in place following the discovery of a WWII bomb (Ben Birchall/PA) Lt Colonel Rob Swan, who was at the scene, explained before the detonation that the bomb would be taken to a depth of at least 14 metres before a diver would place a donor charge on the bomb to ignite the explosive. On Friday at 5.32pm, town hall chiefs declared the operation a success telling residents you can now return to your homes in Keyham. Tudor Evans, the leader of Plymouth City Council, said: I think it is fair to say that the last few days will go down in history for Plymouth. Thank you to all those personnel whove worked day & night to keep people safe and remove from harms way the unexploded bomb found in Plymouth. The success of this operation is a testament to the skill and fortitude with which our Armed Forces serve when faced with high risks. pic.twitter.com/GqzUflH8rC Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP (@grantshapps) February 23, 2024 Defence Secretary Grant Shapps thanked the personnel who had been involved in the highly complex operation. Mr Shapps said: I would like to express my thanks to all our personnel involved in this highly complex operation, who worked both night and day this week to keep the public safe and minimise the risk of damage, as well as the public for their patience and cooperation. The success of this operation is testament to the level of skill and expertise across our armed forces, as well as the bravery and fortitude of our personnel when faced with high-risk situations and working under extreme pressure. Junior doctors in England are set to begin a five-day strike in their ongoing pay row with the Government. Thousands of medics are to walk out on Saturday from 7am until 11.59pm on February 28. As the strike was due to begin, Health and Social Care Secretary Victoria Atkins said the (British Medical Association) BMA junior doctors committee had refused to put our offer to their members and called for more talks with the union. Health Secretary Victoria Atkins (Victoria Jones/PA) She said they had been told the Government had been prepared to go further than the pay increase of up to 10.3% that they have already received. In return, BMA junior doctors committee co-chairmen Dr Robert Laurenson and Dr Vivek Trivedi said: The Government could have stopped these strikes by simply making a credible pay offer for junior doctors in England to begin reversing the pay cuts they have inflicted upon us for more than a decade. The same Government could have even accepted our offer to delay this round of strike action to give more space for talks, all we asked for in return was a short extension of our mandate to strike. The fact that ministers have chosen strike action over what could have been the end of this years pay dispute is disappointing to say the least. The BMA has also not ruled out further strike action. Junior doctors in England staged the longest strike in NHS history in January, for six full days from January 3 to January 9. The latest round will be the 10th strike by junior doctors since March 2023. Ms Atkins, who stated people should not overlook the potential impact the strikes could have on the NHS, said: I want to see doctors treating patients, not standing on picket lines. She added: More than 1.3 million appointments and operations have already been cancelled or rescheduled since industrial action began, five days of further action will compound this. The NHS has robust contingency plans in place, and it is vital that people continue to come forward for treatment. But no one should underestimate the impact these strikes have on our NHS. So again, I urge the BMA junior doctors committee to call off their strikes and show they are prepared to be reasonable, so that we can come back to the negotiating table to find a fair way forward. Strike action in England begins at 7am tomorrow. For this round, we're encouraging members to attend one of three "super picket" protests across the country on Monday 26 February to concentrate attendance. Picket locations + times https://t.co/GcEF3otXxZ pic.twitter.com/2kxjsLJUk1 Junior Doctors (@BMA_JuniorDocs) February 23, 2024 Wes Streeting, Labours shadow health secretary, described the latest round of junior doctors strikes as having a devastating impact on patients but said Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has the power to stop it but he is refusing to negotiate. He said: The second year of strikes is having a devastating impact on patients. 1.3 million operations and appointments have been cancelled, costing the NHS billions. Never forget that Rishi Sunak could end these strikes, but is refusing to negotiate. He would rather blame doctors and nurses for the appalling state of the NHS than take any responsibility himself. Thousands of NHS appointments and operations are likely to be cancelled during the fresh round of strikes, after the six-day strike in January saw more than 100,000 appointments put on hold. Junior doctors have received a pay rise averaging nearly 9% this financial year. The BMA has been asking for 35% pay restoration as its starting position, but has said it is willing to negotiate. Junior doctors make up around half of the NHS doctor workforce. They can have up to nine years of working experience as a hospital doctor, depending on their specialty, or up to five years experience to become a GP. Junior doctor members of the Hospital Consultants and Specialists Association (HCSA) are also set to walk out from February 24 until February 29. Lee Anderson was deputy chair of the Tory party until last month. Photograph: Victoria Jones/PA Lee Anderson has been stripped of the Conservative whip after refusing to apologise for remarks about Sadiq Khan on GB News that the London mayor described as Islamophobic, anti-Muslim and racist. The MP for Ashfields comments on Friday night caused widespread outrage, and Khan accused the former Tory deputy chair on Saturday of pouring fuel on the fire of anti-Muslim hatred. Former Conservative cabinet ministers and the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) joined the opposition in lambasting the remarks. An hour after Khans response on Saturday, the Conservative chief whip, Simon Hart, suspended the whip. Anderson will now sit as an independent. A spokesperson for Hart said: Following his refusal to apologise for comments made yesterday, the chief whip has suspended the Conservative whip from Lee Anderson MP. Anderson, who resigned as Tory deputy chair last month in order to rebel against Rishi Sunaks Rwanda bill, had told GB News Khan had given our capital city away to his mates. I dont actually believe that the Islamists have got control of our country, but what I do believe is theyve got control of Khan, and theyve got control of London, he said. Khan condemned Andersons comments in a Sky News interview on Saturday and said: I am afraid the deafening silence from Rishi Sunak and from the cabinet is them condoning this racism. I am afraid it confirms to many people across the country that theres a hierarchy when it comes to racism. I am unclear why Rishi Sunak, why members of his cabinet arent calling this out and arent condemning this. Its like they are complicit in this sort of racism. The message it sends is Muslims are fair game when it comes to racism and anti-Muslim hatred. Its not good enough in 2024 in the United Kingdom. The MCB had earlier called for Anderson to be kicked out of the parliamentary Tory party. It said the MPs comments were disgusting and criticised the silence of the party in the face of such extremism. A spokesperson said: In a week where we learn of an explosion in Islamophobic hate crimes, influential MPs and a donor to the Conservative party are endorsing common talking points that peddle conspiracy theories and Islamophobic tropes of alleged Muslim takeovers of our country. The anti-racism campaigners Hope Not Hate called on Sunak to expel Anderson from the Conservative party with immediate effect for stoking the flames of the far right. Senior Tories expressed their disgust at Andersons remarks, with the former chancellor Sajid Javid branding them a ridiculous thing to say. The business minister Nus Ghani said: I have spoken to Lee Anderson. Ive called out Islamic extremism and been attacked by hard-left, far-right and Islamists. I dont for one moment believe that Sadiq Khan is controlled by Islamists. To say so is both foolish and dangerous. Frankly this is all so tiring. The Conservative peer Gavin Barwell, who was Theresa Mays chief of staff in No 10, described Andersons comments as a despicable slur. Neil Garratt, the leader of the Conservatives at city hall, said he had no shortage of criticisms of Mayor Khan but that he is not an Islamist, he is not in the pockets of Islamists, and I completely disagree with anyone who says otherwise. The shadow foreign secretary, David Lammy, said Andersons remarks were a total disgrace. Anderson issued a statement to GB News after being suspended, in which he said: Following a call with the chief whip, I understand the difficult position that I put both he and the prime minister in. With regard to my comments, I fully accept that they had no option but to suspend the whip in these circumstances. However, I will continue to support the governments efforts to call out extremism in all its forms, be that antisemitism or Islamophobia. The defence secretary, Grant Shapps, distanced himself from Andersons remarks on Saturday morning but stopped short of calling for him to lose the whip. Its certainly not the way I would put things. I think there are more concerns about the way that some of these [pro-Palestinian] protests have been taking place, in particular what we saw projected on to parliament this week, but I certainly wouldnt phrase things like that, he told BBC Breakfast. Anderson is just one MP the Conservatives are facing calls to censure. The former prime minister Liz Truss was heavily criticised for using a talk at the Conservative Political Action Conference (Cpac) in the US to claim her efforts to cut taxes were sabotaged by the administrative state and the deep state. She also took part in an interview with Donald Trumps former chief strategist Steve Bannon and remained silent as he hailed the far-right figure Tommy Robinson a hero. Rishi Sunak has joined other world leaders in reaffirming support for Ukraine on the second anniversary of Russias invasion, vowing to back Kyiv until they prevail. The Prime Minister said tyranny will never triumph as President Volodymyr Zelenskys troops defend the country against an emboldened Moscow. The UK has pledged to invest 245 million in producing artillery shells for Ukraine and 8.5 million in humanitarian funding as the conflict enters its third year. Saturday marks two years since the Kremlin launched its attack on Ukraine, starting the biggest incursion in a European country since the Second World War. Mr Sunak, who visited Kyiv last month to sign a new security agreement and announce an increase in military funding for the country, said on Friday: When (Russian President Vladimir) Putin launched his illegal invasion two years ago, the free world was united in its response. We stood together behind Ukraine. And on this grim anniversary, we must renew our determination. I was in Kyiv just a few weeks ago and I met wounded Ukrainian soldiers. Each harrowing story was a reminder of Ukraines courage in the face of terrible suffering. It was a reminder of the price they are paying not only to defend their country against a completely unjustified invasion, but also to defend the very principles of freedom, sovereignty and the rule of law on which we all depend. He added: This is the moment to show that tyranny will never triumph and to say once again that we will stand with Ukraine today and tomorrow. In a rare joint post on social media, Mr Sunak teamed up with former prime minister Boris Johnson, during whose premiership the war started, to express solidarity with Mr Zelensky. Britain was with you then and were with you now for as long as it takes. Slava Ukraini, they said. Mr Johnson was pictured on Saturday meeting the Ukrainian president in Kyiv, saying he was more confident than ever that Ukraine will win. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, who hopes to enter Number 10 after the general election this year, said Britain would always support Ukraine no matter who is in power in this country and added that Mr Putins cowardice and barbarity will not prevail. Sir Keir said: The resistance of the Ukrainian people has inspired and humbled the world. The UK and our allies will stand in solidarity with them until their day of victory. We will not waver. We will not abandon them. We will not be divided in the face of tyranny or oppression. We look together to the day when Ukraine secures justice and liberty in their rightful homeland, when Ukrainians can return home and rebuild their great country, and live peacefully, freely and proudly. European countries are struggling to find enough weapons and ammunition to send to Kyiv, and US help worth 60 billion dollars (47 billon) is stalled over political differences in Washington. Ukrainian forces withdrew from the strategic eastern city of Avdiivka at the weekend, where they had battled a fierce Russian assault for four months despite being heavily outnumbered and outgunned. Kyiv has kept up strikes behind the front line but moved to a defensive posture amid critical shortages on the battlefield. Speaking to BBC Breakfast, Defence Secretary Grant Shapps was asked whether the funding package announced on Saturday was enough. (PA Graphics) That 245 million is just a fraction of the 2.5 billion were giving in direct aid and military assistance this year but ammunition is the thing that Ukraine desperately needs at the moment, he said. Mr Shapps echoed concerns raised by Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron over the progress of the US funding package through Congress, where it faces an uphill battle as hardline Republicans in the House of Representatives oppose the legislation. But he said politicians across the political spectrum in the UK are united in its support for Kyiv. Parliament can be divided over all sorts of things but we are not in our support for Ukraine, he said. It comes after Lord Cameron used his speech at the UN General Assembly in New York to warn allies against fatigue and compromise over the war. In some of his strongest language yet, he denounced Mr Putin and his inner circle for behaving like Nazis and thinking they could invade a country and the world would look away. In Kyiv to mark the anniversary of the 2nd year of Russias war on Ukraine. And to celebrate the extraordinary resistance of the Ukrainian people. More than ever, we stand firmly by Ukraine. Financially, economically, militarily, morally. Until the country is finally free. pic.twitter.com/ZLWMbOxVFh Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) February 24, 2024 The Foreign Secretary told reporters during the visit that defending Ukraine is fundamentally about US security too in a fresh appeal to members of Congress to pass the aid bill. Western leaders descended on Kyiv this weekend in a show of support for Mr Zelensky. European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen travelled overnight to the capital by train along with Italian premier Giorgia Meloni, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. They arrived shortly after a Russian drone attack struck a residential building in the southern city of Odesa, killing at least one person. More than ever we stand firmly by Ukraine. Financially, economically, militarily, morally. Until the country is finally free, Ms von der Leyen wrote on social media. Scotland stands in steadfast solidarity with the government and people of Ukraine, First Minister Humza Yousaf said as he marked the second anniversary of the Russian invasion. Mr Yousaf joined political and religious leaders on Saturday at a service of remembrance at the Scottish National War Memorial in Edinburgh Castle, where he laid a wreath and gave a reading of Matthew 5:13-16. Dozens of Ukrainians who have settled in Edinburgh were also in attendance. Speaking to media before the service, Mr Yousaf said: Most importantly, we stand with Ukrainians in Scotland to say with one voice that we stand in absolute steadfast solidarity with the government of Ukraine and with the people of Ukraine. Humza Yousaf attends a memorial wreath-laying service at the Scottish National War Memorial (Jane Barlow/PA) They are fighting for not only for their freedom, not only for their sovereignty, they are actually fighting for all of our freedoms. We know that Russian, that Putin, wont necessarily stop at Ukraine. We also make it really clear that this country is their home for as long as they need it. Mr Yousaf said that while he had differences with the UK Government, support from Westminster to Ukraine had been steadfast but there should be further assistance. He added: When it comes to this issue, theres no difference between us, the Scottish Government, and the UK Government in relation to support that has been given for Ukraine. That support should be echoed by every country in Europe. This fight in Ukraine is not just for Ukraine, it is for all of us in Europe who believe in freedom and democracy. Humza Yousaf with other dignitaries at Edinburgh Castle (Jane Barlow/PA) During the service, Mr Yousaf gave a reading along with Robert Aldridge, the Lord Provost of Edinburgh, and Andrii Kuslii from the Ukrainian consulate in Edinburgh. They then lay wreaths, alongside politicians including Lord Offord, the parliamentary undersecretary of state for Scotland, Scottish Parliament presiding officer Alison Johnstone MSP and convener of the Scottish Parliament cross-party group on Ukraine, Colin Beattie. Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton also lay a wreath along with representatives from the UK and Ukrainian armed forces and other consulate generals including Lukasz Lutostanski, of Poland, Jack Hillmeyer, of the US, and Christiane Hullmann, from Germany. The service ended with a rendition of the Ukrainian national anthem and God Save The King. The Defence Secretary has distanced himself from Lee Andersons claim that Islamists have got control of Sadiq Khan while a fellow minister described the remarks as foolish and dangerous. Grant Shapps stopped short of criticising the remarks made by the Tory former deputy chairman, arguing that he had a right to speak (his) mind as he was pressed on whether the remarks were acceptable. But other senior figures within the Tory ranks have condemned the claim, with business minister Nus Ghani intervening on Saturday to publicly brand it foolish and dangerous. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is facing calls from Labour for Mr Anderson to lose the whip after he said the London mayor had given our capital city away to his mates. Speaking to BBC Breakfast, Mr Shapps said he had not seen the comments first-hand but added: Its certainly not the way I would put things. I think there are more concerns about the way that some of these (pro-Palestinian) protests have been taking place, in particular what we saw projected on to Parliament this week, but I certainly wouldnt phrase things like that. The senior Cabinet minister drew criticism from Labours Anneliese Dodds, who accused him of being unable to call out his fellow Tory MPs racist and Islamophobic comments. Ms Ghani later posted on X: I have spoken to Lee Anderson. Ive called out Islamic extremism (& been attacked by hard left, far right & Islamists). I dont for one moment believe that Sadiq Khan is controlled by Islamists. To say so, is both foolish and dangerous. Frankly this is all so tiring. Rishi Sunak with Lee Anderson (Jacob King/PA) Asked whether Mr Anderson should lose the Tory whip, Mr Shapps said the matter was one for party itself. The Defence Secretary declined to say whether the MP for Ashfield is a good representative voice for the Conservative Party, saying only that we live in a democracy where people are allowed to speak their mind and Lee Anderson, I think, is famed for speaking his mind. In an appearance on GB News, Mr Anderson had said: I dont actually believe that the Islamists have got control of our country, but what I do believe is theyve got control of Khan and theyve got control of London Hes actually given our capital city away to his mates. The remarks prompted criticism from Labour and some Conservatives, with senior Tory MP Sir Sajid Javid describing them as ridiculous. Sadiq Khan (Victoria Jones/PA) Tory peer Gavin Barwell, who was Theresa Mays Number 10 chief of staff, said the remark was a despicable slur. The Muslim Council of Britain said the comment was disgusting and criticised the silence of the party in the face of such extremism. A spokesperson said: In a week where we learn of an explosion in Islamophobic hate crimes, influential MPs and a donor to the Conservative Party are endorsing common talking points that peddle conspiracy theories and Islamophobic tropes of alleged Muslim takeovers of our country. Ashfield Independent council leader Jason Zadrozny said the town deserves better and Lee Anderson is an embarrassment. A Conservative Party source said: Lee was simply making the point that the mayor, in his capacity as PCC (police and crime commissioner) for London, has abjectly failed to get a grip on the appalling Islamist marches we have seen in London recently. The start of another junior doctors strike is a profoundly demoralising moment for the health service, the chief executive of the NHS Confederation has said. Matthew Taylor urged the British Medical Association (BMA) and the Government to be imaginative to find a resolution in the long-running dispute. Junior doctors in England began a five-day strike in their pay row with the Government at 7am on Saturday. Thousands of medics have walked out until 11.59pm on Wednesday. As the strike was due to begin, Health and Social Care Secretary Victoria Atkins said the BMA junior doctors committee had refused to put our offer to their members and called for more talks with the union. She said junior doctors had been told the Government was prepared to go further than the pay increase of up to 10.3% that they have already received. Speaking to Sky News on Saturday, Mr Taylor said: I dont think it helps anyone to try to cast blame. The reality is this is a profoundly demoralising moment for us in the health service, to have another five days of junior doctor strikes. We know what the consequences of these strikes are many appointments operations will have been cancelled, others will have to be cancelled, although I would say to people out there that if you have not been told that your appointment has been cancelled, then assume it will go ahead. I think what we would say to both sides is dont stand on ceremony be imaginative. Maybe its time for both sides to tell us what they would accept. (PA Graphics) We kind of know what both sides say that they want, but what would they accept? What compromise would be acceptable? Junior doctors in England staged the longest strike in NHS history in January, for six days from January 3 to January 9. The latest round will be the 10th strike by junior doctors since March last year. The BMA has been asking for 35% pay restoration as its starting position, but says it is willing to negotiate. Mr Taylor said: Whats frustrating is, in the last round of strikes it did seem to be a moment where compromise was possible, where it felt as though the junior doctors were recognising that they wouldnt get that 35% in one leap and that the Government was recognising they had to put more money on the table and had to have a strategy for the medium term to help junior doctors pay start to recover. He said the confederation could broadly see the terrain on which an agreement with the Government could be reached, but added that the latest strikes would affect accident and emergency and make services more difficult to cover. BMA junior doctors committee co-chairmen Dr Robert Laurenson and Dr Vivek Trivedi said: The Government could have stopped these strikes by simply making a credible pay offer for junior doctors in England to begin reversing the pay cuts they have inflicted upon us for more than a decade. The same Government could have even accepted our offer to delay this round of strike action to give more space for talks, all we asked for in return was a short extension of our mandate to strike. The fact that ministers have chosen strike action over what could have been the end of this years pay dispute is disappointing, to say the least. Ms Atkins said people should not overlook the impact the strikes could have on the NHS, adding: I want to see doctors treating patients, not standing on picket lines. More than 1.3 million appointments and operations have already been cancelled or rescheduled since industrial action began. Five days of further action will compound this. The NHS has robust contingency plans in place, and it is vital that people continue to come forward for treatment. Victoria Atkins (Victoria Jones/PA) But no one should underestimate the impact these strikes have on our NHS. So again, I urge the BMA junior doctors committee to call off their strikes and show they are prepared to be reasonable, so that we can come back to the negotiating table to find a fair way forward. Thousands of NHS appointments and operations are likely to be cancelled during the fresh round of strikes, after the six-day strike in January saw more than 100,000 appointments put on hold. Junior doctors, who have received a pay rise averaging nearly 9% this financial year, make up around half of the NHS doctor workforce. They can have up to nine years of working experience as a hospital doctor, depending on their specialty, or up to five years to become a GP. Junior doctor members of the Hospital Consultants and Specialists Association (HCSA) are also set to walk out until Thursday. The deafening silence from Rishi Sunak and his Cabinet over Lee Andersons widely criticised claim that Sadiq Khan is controlled by Islamists amounts to condoning racism, the London mayor has said. The Prime Minister is under pressure to act over remarks made by the Conservative former deputy chairman, with senior figures in the party ranks among those publicly condemning the comment. Responding to the claim on Saturday, Mr Khan said it was Islamophobic, racist and pours fuel on the fire of anti-Muslim hatred. Rishi Sunak with Lee Anderson (Jacob King/PA) He told broadcasters: These comments from a senior Conservative are Islamophobic, are anti-Muslim and are racist. Weve seen over the last two days confirmation that over the last few months there had been an increase in anti-Muslim cases by more than 330%. Im afraid the deafening silence from Rishi Sunak and from the Cabinet is them condoning this racism. The Prime Minister is facing calls from Labour for Mr Anderson to lose the whip after he said the London mayor had given our capital city away to his mates. Defence Secretary Grant Shapps distanced himself from the comments on Saturdays broadcast media round, but stopped short of criticising them. He suggested that the MP for Ashfield had a right to speak (his) mind as he was pressed on whether the remarks were acceptable. Grant Shapps (Jeff Moore/PA) But other senior Conservatives hit out at the claim, with business minister Nus Ghani branding it foolish and dangerous. Former chancellor Sajid Javid described the remark as ridiculous while Tory peer Gavin Barwell, who was Theresa Mays Number 10 chief of staff, said it was a despicable slur. Speaking to BBC Breakfast on Saturday, Mr Shapps said he had not seen the comments first-hand but added: Its certainly not the way I would put things. I think there are more concerns about the way that some of these (pro-Palestinian) protests have been taking place, in particular what we saw projected on to Parliament this week, but I certainly wouldnt phrase things like that. The senior Cabinet minister was criticised by Labours Anneliese Dodds, who accused him of being unable to call out his fellow Tory MPs racist and Islamophobic comments. Ms Ghani later posted on X: I have spoken to Lee Anderson. Ive called out Islamic extremism (& been attacked by hard left, far right & Islamists). I dont for one moment believe that Sadiq Khan is controlled by Islamists. To say so, is both foolish and dangerous. Frankly this is all so tiring. I have spoken to Lee Anderson. Ive called out Islamic extremism (& been attacked by hard left, far right & Islamists). I dont for one moment believe that Sadiq Khan is controlled by Islamists. To say so, is both foolish and dangerous. Frankly this is all so tiring https://t.co/gF4Z3dDoXa Nus Ghani MP (@Nus_Ghani) February 24, 2024 Asked whether Mr Anderson should lose the Tory whip, Mr Shapps said the matter was one for party itself. The Defence Secretary declined to say whether the MP for Ashfield is a good representative voice for the party, saying only that we live in a democracy where people are allowed to speak their mind and Lee Anderson, I think, is famed for speaking his mind. In an appearance on GB News, Mr Anderson had said: I dont actually believe that the Islamists have got control of our country, but what I do believe is theyve got control of Khan and theyve got control of London Hes actually given our capital city away to his mates. The Muslim Council of Britain said the comment was disgusting and criticised the silence of the party in the face of such extremism. A spokesperson said: In a week where we learn of an explosion in Islamophobic hate crimes, influential MPs and a donor to the Conservative Party are endorsing common talking points that peddle conspiracy theories and Islamophobic tropes of alleged Muslim takeovers of our country. Ashfield Independent council leader Jason Zadrozny said the town deserves better and Lee Anderson is an embarrassment. A Conservative Party source said: Lee was simply making the point that the mayor, in his capacity as PCC (police and crime commissioner) for London, has abjectly failed to get a grip on the appalling Islamist marches we have seen in London recently. The UK has pledged to invest almost 250 million in producing artillery shells for Ukraine on the second anniversary of Russias full-scale invasion of the country. Artillery has been a key factor in Ukraines resistance to the invasion, and the 245 million package announced on Saturday is intended to replenish Kyivs reserves of artillery ammunition. Making the announcement on Saturday, the second anniversary of the start of the conflict, Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said Ukraines steadfast determination and resilience continued to inspire the world. He said: Against all odds, the armed forces of Ukraine have pushed back the Russian invaders to recapture half of the land Putin stole, while significantly degrading Russias capabilities with around 30% of Russias Black Sea Fleet destroyed or damaged, and thousands of tanks and armoured vehicles reduced to scrap. But they cannot win this fight without the support of the international community and thats why we continue to do what it takes to ensure Ukraine can continue to fight towards victory. Experts have said the third year of the Russia-Ukraine war could be the toughest yet for Kyiv (Efrem Lukatsky/AP) Nearly a quarter of a billion pounds worth of UK funding will boost their critical stockpiles of artillery ammunition, while the Royal Air Force completes a further delivery of advanced tank-busting missiles. Together, we will ensure Putin fails, and a victory for democracy, the rules-based international order, and the Ukrainian people. Saturdays announcement follows confirmation on Thursday that the UK had delivered a further 200 Brimstone anti-tank missiles to Ukraine. Other military equipment provided by the UK includes Challenger 2 tanks and long-range Storm Shadow missiles, while British forces have given training to Ukrainian soldiers in the UK and the Government continues to provide humanitarian assistance. Marking the second anniversary of the conflict, Rishi Sunak said it was the moment to show that tyranny will never triumph and to say once again that we will stand with Ukraine today and tomorrow. He said: I was in Kyiv just a few weeks ago and I met wounded Ukrainian soldiers. Each harrowing story was a reminder of Ukraines courage in the face of terrible suffering. It was a reminder of the price they are paying not only to defend their country against a completely unjustified invasion, but also to defend the very principles of freedom, sovereignty and the rule of law, on which we all depend. The UK is going further in our support. I announced last month the biggest single package of defence aid to Ukraine, taking our total support to 12 billion and signed a ten-year agreement on security co-operation the first of its kind. Also speaking on the second anniversary of the conflict, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer praised Ukraines strength, resilience and courage and recommitted his party to supporting their resistance to the Russian invasion. He said: When I met President Zelensky in Kyiv one year ago, I assured him that Britain stands united with Ukraine. That promise stands firm. No matter who is in power in this country, Britain will always back Ukraine. We will stand with them for as long as it takes to win, because we know it is not just the future of Ukraine at stake, but the future of democracy and global stability. We cannot and will not allow the cowardice and barbarity of Putin to prevail. The UK has continued to provide weapons and other equipment for Ukraine, as President Zelensky calls for more support (Stefan Rousseau/PA) The latest round of equipment comes at a vital time for Ukraine, with experts suggesting the third year of the conflict could be the toughest yet as US President Joe Biden struggles to secure approval for further military aid. Republicans in the US Congress have sought to block military aid to Ukraine as part of a partisan battle over immigration, leading Volodymyr Zelensky to warn that Russia was exploiting delays in aid to his country. Mr Zelensky specifically mentioned artillery shortages as a major problem, which the UK package announced on Saturday is intended to help tackle. On Saturday, the head of the British armed forces, Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, praised Ukraines extraordinary feats of operational and strategic success and urged Kyivs allies to remain united. He said: If we maintain the unity and cohesion weve seen to date, and keep strongly supporting our brave Ukrainian partners militarily, economically and diplomatically Russia will continue to fail and Ukraine will build the foundations to flourish as a strong, prosperous and sovereign nation. The UK and US have launched another round of missile strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen after a surge in attacks around the Red Sea by the Iran-backed group. American and British fighter jets hit sites in eight locations, according to US officials. The action was intended to degrade Houthi capabilities used to threaten global trade, naval vessels and the lives of innocent mariners along one of the worlds most critical waterways, a joint statement said. Intelligence analysis had successfully identified several very long-range drones, used by the Houthis for both reconnaissance and attack missions, at one site several miles north east of Sanaa, the Ministry of Defence said. Precision-guided bombs were used against the drones and their launchers, according to the MoD. This is the fourth time that a joint operation has been launched against the rebel group since January 12, though the action appears to have done little to deter Houthi attacks. The US has also been carrying out almost daily strikes to take out targets including incoming missiles and drones aimed at ships, as well as weapons that were prepared to launch. (PA Graphics) Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said: It is our duty to protect lives at sea and preserve freedom of navigation. That is why the Royal Air Force engages in a fourth round of precision strikes against Houthi military targets in Yemen. Mr Shapps said it came after severe Houthi attacks against commercial ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, including against the British-owned MV Islander and the MV Rubymar, which forced the crew to abandon ship. In a statement, the US, UK and other allies said the necessary and proportionate strikes specifically targeted 18 Houthi targets across eight locations in Yemen that also included underground storage facilities, radar and a helicopter. An RAF Typhoon FGR4 aircraft returns to base following strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen (AS1 Jake Green RAF/MOD/Crown Copyright/PA) The strikes have support from a wider coalition of countries including Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands and New Zealand. Both Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and President Joe Biden have repeatedly said that attacks on the key global shipping route will not be tolerated. But the Houthis have launched at least 57 attacks on commercial and military ships in the the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since November, and the pace has picked up in recent days. Paveway IV weapons are loaded (Cpl Tim Laurence RAF/ UK MOD Crown copyright/PA) A Houthi attack on a Belize-flagged ship on February 18 is thought to have caused an 18-mile oil slick and prompted warnings about the danger of a spill from the vessels cargo of fertiliser. The Rubymar, a British-registered, Lebanese-operated cargo vessel, was attacked while sailing through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait that connects the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. The attack forced the crew to abandon the vessel, which had been on its way to Bulgaria after leaving the United Arab Emirates. It was transporting more than 41,000 tons of fertiliser, according to a Central Command statement. Yemens internationally recognised government has called for other countries and maritime-protection organisations to quickly address the oil slick and avert a significant environmental disaster. First Minister Humza Yousaf has set out Scotlands steadfast support for Ukraine two years on from Russias invasion. Mr Yousaf is among the political and religious leaders attending a service at Edinburgh Castle on Saturday. He will deliver a reading and lay a wreath alongside Andrii Kuslii, of the consulate of Ukraine in Edinburgh. The service will also be attended by Ukrainian citizens living in Scotland and the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, the Rev Sally Foster-Fulton. Speaking ahead of the service, Mr Yousaf said: On the second anniversary of (Russian President) Vladimir Putins war of aggression against Ukraine, I want to make it clear that the people of Scotland remain steadfast in support of the country and its brave citizens. Ukrainians are fighting for freedom, the rule of law, and the right of countries across Europe to co-exist in peace and security. As we mourn the sacrifices of the Ukrainian people, we also look ahead positively, hoping for a day soon when Ukraine can live in peace as a free, sovereign European nation. First Minister Humza Yousaf will deliver a reading at the service (Jane Barlow/PA) Rev Foster-Fulton said: Lives have been torn apart due to unprovoked Russian aggression and we continue to stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine and all innocent people who suffer because of this aggression. Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross said: Two years on from Vladimir Putins barbaric invasion, we continue to stand with all of the people of Ukraine. The strength Ukrainians have shown since has been extraordinary and I am proud that Scotland and the UK have welcomed so many brave individuals fleeing their homeland into our communities. Our support for Ukraine must not waver. Putin cannot win. As we mark the second anniversary today, my thoughts are with all those both in Ukraine and across the world who have been impacted by the conflict, and hope that, once again, war in Europe can be consigned to history. Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said: Two years on, there should be no let-up in British resolve. It is not an act of charity to supply Ukraine with the tools it needs to defeat Putin but one of self-interest. If the Russian dictator is not defeated on the battlefield in Ukraine, we will eventually have to face him again elsewhere. Voters are casting ballots today in South Carolina, the last of the major early states to choose a Republican nominee for president before Super Tuesday. Former President Donald Trump has maintained a consistent and commanding polling lead, while the states former governor, Nikki Haley, will try to prove that she is a viable candidate with a competitive performance. She will need to win at least in Charleston and Richland to clear that bar, while Trump will be looking to sweep the rest of the state. LIVE UPDATES: SOUTH CAROLINA GOP PRIMARY Two counties in upstate South Carolina, Greenville and Spartanburg, add up to about 16% of the registered voter population of the state. Former South Carolina governor and U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, and former President Donald Trump. Like the overall region, these two counties are also heavily White and evangelical. READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP As we saw in Iowa, these voters favor Trump by wide margins, and the latest polling in South Carolina suggests they will vote similarly here today. When Trump first ran for president in 2016, he had two major competitors in the Palmetto State: Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio. Both candidates put up a serious fight in these two counties. In Greenville, they took 24.5% of the vote each; Trump won overall with 26.7%. TRUMP CAMPAIGN PREDICTS A-- KICKING FOR HALEY IN SOUTH CAROLINA PRIMARY Cruz, who courted the evangelical vote throughout his run, took 24.5% in Spartanburg, while Rubio received 22.9%. Trump won with 32.6%. The results from recent primaries and polling suggest that most of the Cruz voters have found a new home with Trump. Therefore, to win the state, Trump will look to take home at least a similar share of the vote in the upstate region as the combined share that he and Cruz took in 2016. For a performance in line with polling expectations, and with all other things being equal, hell look for something in the area of 65-75%. With such an evangelical tilt, Haley is not likely to be very competitive here. In line with her strategy in New Hampshire, Haley will look to win in highly populated urban and suburban areas. Charleston and Richland, which make up about 16% of the overall statewide vote, are at the top of the list. Charleston County is home to the city of the same name, which is also the most populated city in the state. Richland County contains Columbia, the states capital and home of the University of South Carolina. In 2016, these were the only counties where Rubio eked out a win. They are also more affluent than most other parts of the state, and have more voters with a college degree; two of Haleys key constituencies. Polling shows Haley running behind Trump but remaining competitive in these cities. The former hometown governor will need to do better than that to make this a race. The better Haley does in these areas, the greater the chance that Haley will leave South Carolina with at least some delegates. Thats because, in addition to 29 statewide delegates, the state awards three delegates to the winner of the vote in each of its seven congressional districts. Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley is running against former President Donald Trump for the Republican nomination. Trump is running for a second term despite facing multiple legal fronts. Some of Trumps best performances in the 2016 Republican primary came from very small, rural counties. He received more than 40% of the vote in 13 counties, ten of which had populations of less than 50,000 people. NIKKI HALEY SAYS TRUMP WILL NOT WIN THE GENERAL ELECTION AHEAD OF SOUTH CAROLINA PRIMARY Look to places like Lee County, in central South Carolina, where Trump took home 47% of the vote, beating closest rival Cruz by 25 points. Lee Countys population is about 16,000 people and dropping. Head south to Allendale County, home to less than 8,000 South Carolinians. Trump received 44% there, beating the second place candidate, Rubio, by 19 points. Its population is also declining. He received between 30% and 40% of the vote in another 27 counties, about half of which had populations of less than 50,000. And that was in a race with two popular challengers, at a time when Trump had not yet persuaded the base that he had the right conservative credentials. Collectively, these rural areas represent a powerful part of the overall statewide vote in South Carolina. To win, Trump will look to bring out as many votes as possible. All polls close in South Carolina at 7 p.m. ET. Expect to see an early vote reported first in most areas; that vote will likely favor Haley. Special coverage on Fox News Channel also begins at 7, anchored by Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum. Stay tuned for insights from our best-in-class Fox News Voter Analysis and the Fox News Decision Desk, which will call this race. Original article source:Here are the areas where Haley could put up a fight as Trump looks to sweep the South Carolina primary Ethan Hierro, 5, was diagnosed with glioblastoma about 16 months ago Tarrytown PD/X Ethan Hierro taking the police oath to become with his mom Isabel Estevez by his side in Tarrytown, N.Y., on Feb. 20, 2024. A 5-year-old New York boy is not going to let his incurable brain cancer stop him from living his dream. On Tuesday, Ethan Hierro became an officer with the Tarrytown Police Department with an official swearing-in ceremony. Chief John Barbelet tells PEOPLE it all began three weeks ago with an email from Ethan's elementary school principal detailing the 5-year-old's condition and a special request. "'He has some wishes,'" he recalls the email saying, sharing that one of those wishes was to be a police officer. "So right then I said, 'Okay, we got to look into this.'" Tarrytown PD/X Ethan Hierro with the Tarrytown Police Department. Related: Make-A-Wish Recipient Opts to Help Other Kids with Pancreatitis Instead of Meeting Her Idol Taylor Swift According to News 12 Westchester, Ethan has dreamed of becoming a police officer since he was 3. But about 16 months ago, he was diagnosed with glioblastoma, the most common type of malignant brain tumor for adults with no cure, per the Cleveland Clinic. He is now receiving treatment in Tennessee, per the report. "It changed our lives 100%," mom Isabel Estevez told the station, saying she's "always scared of what's going to happen." GoFundMe Ethan Hierro with mom Isabel Estevez. Related: Teen Reflects on Day His Wish to Become 'Batkid' Came True 10 Years Ago and Says Hes Still Cancer-Free Ethan's mom who has two other kids to support and has had to leave her job, according to Barbelet started a GoFundMe campaign to help the family in the wake of his diagnosis. In Estevez's fundraiser, which has already raised over $19,000, she described Ethan as a "brave, strong kid who isnt giving in to this disease." "We are putting our faith in God (and Cheeses) that our little guy wins this fight, and we would love to give him tons of beautiful memories," she wrote in a moving message. "With your prayers, you can be part of this village to raise Ethan, to save him, and to give him peace and painless moments." Related: 'Proud' Dad Doesnt Let Cancer Stop Him from Escorting Daughter as Shes Crowned Homecoming Queen And the police department came out in full force for the 3-year-old to help Ethan fulfill his dream. "We picked him up with a police escort, our motorcycle, probably eight or nine marked units," the chief tells PEOPLE. "We put a booster seat in one of our police cars, so his two sisters and him rode in the back, his mom rode in the front, and we brought him down to the police station in his uniform, lights, and sirens." "I only have 34 sworn officers. I probably had 15 or 16 here, full uniform on their days off, away from their families," Barbelet adds. Ethan was then sworn in by Mayor Karen Brown "just like a real police officer," Barbelet says. After taking the police oath and being provided with a shield and other gifts, the 5-year-old got to try his hand at a number of cop experiences, from making arrests to answering phone calls and he was also given his very own electric police car. Tarrytown PD/X Ethan Hierro in his custom police car. Never miss a story sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. It was not only a moving experience for Barbelet, but according to the chief, it highlighted an important lesson. "This is a part of policing," he says. "This is a part of giving to your community." For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on People. Former UN Ambassador Andrew Young. Civil rights leader and former United Nations Ambassador Andrew Young and Atlanta Journal Constitution journalist Ernie Suggs will be visiting Drake University Monday as part of a meet-and-greet and Black History Month exhibit. The conversation with Young and Suggs is set to take place at 7 p.m., at Drakes Olmsted Center. Admission to the event is free, and attendees will have the opportunity to participate in a Q&A with both panelists. Young, who was the first African American to hold his position, was appointed by former President Jimmy Carter. He also served as a representative for the state of Georgia in Congress before his appointment as ambassador in 1977. Young and Suggs appearance comes as part of Drakes The Many Lives of Andrew Young Exhibit, named after a book about Young that Suggs authored. The book tells the inspiring, dramatic story of civil rights hero, congressman, ambassador, mayor and American icon Andrew J. Young, according to a news release from Drake, While this is a student-centered event, mentors and professors (and other campus supporters of the exhibit) are welcome to attend with their students, the release stated. The exhibit will remain at Drake until March 1. Former Iowa state Rep. Wayne Ford said he is excited for the conversation, citing his time caucusing for Carter as a privilege. President Carter later appointed Ambassador Young to his position, a great win for all Americans, Ford said. This will be an important two days for Drake University and Iowa alike. The event will be livestreamed and was made possible through Drakes Slay Fund for Social Justice. Editor's note: This article was updated with the proper name of Drakes Slay Fund for Social Justice. This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Civil rights leader, author Andrew Young set to visit Drake University As some Republicans were agonizing over the partys disappointing 2022 midterm election performance and occasionally laying the blame at the feet of former President Donald Trump New York Rep. Elise Stefanik tripled down. Shortly after Election Day, Stefanik, now the fourth-ranking House Republican and a top GOP fundraiser, endorsed Trumps reelection bid before he formally announced it himself and called on her party to to unite around the most popular Republican in America. Nearly 15 months later, Stefaniks message is the same. And she is delivering it with increasing urgency amid rumors that shes on Trumps shortlist as a potential running mate. In a speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference on Friday, Stefanik mentioned Trump no fewer than 25 times as she sought to tie her fate to his. They underestimate President Donald J. Trump every single day, and Im proud to say they have underestimated me at every turn, Stefanik said. I will never underestimate the power of you. Because I know, like President Donald J. Trump knows, that we work for you. Stefaniks early move to back Trump brought some political risk, but for the 39-year-old, the potential rewards clearly outweighed the downside, and her decision did not land as much of a surprise. The New Yorker had for years been one of Trumps staunchest supporters, first and most memorably with an aggressive performance during his 2019 impeachment hearings and then, more lastingly, after his 2020 defeat, when she objected to Joe Bidens win in the House and promoted Trumps election lies. More recently, she made headlines with her campaign to oust college leaders who did not, as she and others saw it, adequately denounce antisemitism during a House hearing on the matter. (Claudine Gay, the president of Stefaniks alma mater, Harvard University, eventually resigned.) The about-face from earlier in the decade was jarring to many around her. A self-styled independent voice who had evinced a moderate persona, shed previously won high praise from former House Speaker Paul Ryan, an establishment hero and longtime ally, who wrote in Time Magazine that Stefanik was a builder no easy feat in an age when so much of politics is about tearing people down. Her turn from Trump skeptic and occasional outright critic during the 2016 presidential campaign and into the early days of his presidency, to one of his most vocal defenders became the stuff of deeply reported, chin-stroking features. The reality, though, was less of a mystery. Stefanik has often explained it herself: She saw Trumps popularity in her upstate New York district and got on board. That first impeachment proceeding made her a Republican star, as Trump himself said at the time. From there, shes become an influential member of the MAGA elite. And with Trump now poised to secure his third consecutive GOP presidential nomination, Stefanik is among a handful of potential running mates, a role for which she is openly jockeying. Im proud to be a top surrogate, Stefanik said earlier this month on CNN. I would proudly serve in a future Trump administration. Its a lofty, but ultimately pragmatic ambition. Stefanik did not seek the speakership, a seemingly doomed position, during her GOP colleagues protracted battles over replacing the deposed and now former California Rep. Kevin McCarthy. Her home state of New York, though perhaps more welcoming for Republicans than five or 10 years ago, is still unlikely to elect a Republican governor anytime soon. Seeking the vice presidency or, failing that, a high-ranking Cabinet position, appears to offer Stefanik the smoothest potential ascent. She is widely considered one of the favorites, along with Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, Arizona Senate candidate Kari Lake, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem and Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Trumps second White House press secretary. Trump has at various times asked donors and allies what they think about Stefanik as a potential vice president, though her perceived zeal for the job, as one person close to Trump described it, has begun to turn off some of the former presidents advisers. On Friday, Stefanik will take one of the biggest microphones in right-wing politics, when she addresses the Conservative Political Action Conference, or CPAC, just outside Washington, DC. Trump will be there on Saturday. Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, his last standing Republican primary rival, will not. Other prominent speakers include Noem; Vance; Lake; former housing secretary Ben Carson; and conservative House members like Jim Jordan of Ohio and Floridas Matt Gaetz. Steve Bannon and Vivek Ramaswamy, a failed GOP primary candidate who pledged his support to Trump immediately after dropping out and, on occasion, before he left the race are also on the slate. A great defender Stefaniks rise among the Trump partisans has been among the swiftest and most scrutinized in all American politics. Democrats and other political opponents have derided her as #TrashyStefanik on social media while anti-Trump Republicans often point to her as evidence of Trumps corrosive effect on both GOP and national politics. For his part, Trump considers Stefaniks shift from detractor to defender a feather in his cap, and has come to view her as once of his most crucial allies in the House something he publicly praised her for as recently as last week. During a fundraiser for his 2024 campaign at his Mar-a-Lago resort last Friday, Trump repeatedly thanked Stefanik during his remarks and asked her stand up while calling her a great defender of him, two attendees told CNN. The two speak on a regular basis, Stefanik and Trump aides told CNN, and hes often turned to the New York congresswoman to help lobby her House GOP colleagues to do his bidding on issues relating to congressional investigations, government funding and foreign policy. She also possessed a trait deemed incredibly important to Trump: being an effective communicator on television. Her TV interviews during his two impeachment trials initially helped raise her stock in the eyes of the former president. Indeed, she has become one of the most vocal supporters of Trump both the candidate and the political brand in Congress. When there was a nationwide baby formula shortage in 2022, Stefanik blamed the White House, House Dems, & usual pedo grifters on social media. (She never attempted to back up the outrageous pedophilia charge.) In 2021, before a planned rally for January 6 riot defendants, Stefanik, who has baselessly blamed former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for the insurrection, came under fire for an online campaign ad that appeared to channel the racist great replacement theory. Radical Democrats are planning their most aggressive move yet: a PERMANENT ELECTION INSURRECTION, said one version of the ad. Their plan to grant amnesty to 11 MILLION illegal immigrants will overthrow our current electorate and create a permanent liberal majority in Washington. A Stefanik spokesperson disputed the critical characterizations, saying the congresswoman, despite sickening and false reporting, has never advocated for any racist position or made a racist statement. Stefanik faced some headwinds last year among Republicans, particularly donors, over her role in vouching for disgraced and now-expelled Rep. George Santos during his 2022 congressional campaign. One upset donor told CNN in 2023 that he gave to Santos because of Elise Stefaniks endorsement. Stefanik frequently denied any previous knowledge of his Santos history. Congresswoman Stefanik supported all GOP nominees in targeted New York seats just like every other New York Republican elected official, candidate, NRCC, NYGOP, and the entire House Republican leadership team, a Stefanik campaign spokesperson told CNN at the time, adding that Stefanik was not aware of the allegations (against Santos) prior to the New York Times reporting after the election. But multiple Republican operatives in Washington and New York told CNN that they found it implausible that Stefanik was not aware of Santos falsehoods, given the rumors about him had been circulating since at least the summer of 2021. Stefaniks team was laser focused on electing Santos to Congress more than just about any other race in the country, said a senior Republican strategist involved in campaigns before the midterms. For all the frustration among Republicans over the Santos saga, particularly with freshman GOP members from New York who flipped nearby seats during the same election, Trump has not seemed to mind. After the initial blowback, Stefanik successfully kept her distance from the mess. (She was one of 114 votes against expelling him from Congress late last year.) In the last couple weeks, Stefanik has become increasingly active in support of Trump. Early last week, she filed a complaint against New York Attorney General Letitia James over the Democrats civil fraud case against the former president a step she had previously taken against judges overseeing other Trump cases. A few days later, she posted pictures from a fundraising event at Trumps Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. The American people stand with President Trump, Stefanik wrote, against the unethical, unconstitutional, and unprecedented weaponization of the judicial system. This story has been updated with additional reporting. CNNs Alayna Treene, Kit Maher and Aaron Pellish contributed to this story. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Gina Torres couldnt resist grabbing a memento from the Suits set when the TV show wrapped in 2018 and she chose a particularly stylish souvenir. I did take one thing from the Suits set, Torres, 54, exclusively tells Us Weeklys 25 Things You Dont Know About Me. They were a pair of Louboutin heels, and they still have my characters name labeled on the inside of them. The actress played Jessica Pearson on more than 90 episodes of Suits from 2011 to 2018, and she headlined the spinoff Pearson the following year. After a five-year absence from the courtroom, Torres who now stars in 9-1-1: Lone Star got a chance to reunite with fellow Suits alums in an e.l.f. commercial that aired during Super Bowl LVIII. Its the best getting to work with Sarah [Rafferty], and Rick [Hoffman] is always a good time, Torres tells Us, adding that she appreciated that they were able to sort of, maybe, resurrect these characters that have become so beloved in so many ways. They werent exactly reprising their roles as top-rate lawyers. Rafferty played a courtroom stenographer while Hoffman portrayed a prosecutor examining Torres, who was on the stand for paying too much for the crime of overpaying for foundation. Judge Judy Sheindlin sentenced her to using e.l.f.s Halo Glow Liquid Filter in the commercial, which also featured Meghan Trainor, Emmanuel Acho and more stars. Emilynn Rose for e.l.f. Cosmetics The Suits reunion on game day was inspired by the USA Network shows resurgence in popularity after joining Netflix last summer. I have so many more people stopping me on the street after the Suits Netflix release, and its sweet, Torres says. I would say the challenge is theyre discovering this for the first time so its all very fresh to them, its sometimes hard to meet their enthusiasm because its been a while since Ive walked in those stilettos. Scroll down to learn 25 things fans might not know about Torres: 1. My comfort food is a bag of potato chips. I could eat them and not stop. 2. My secret talent is that I do a great Cher impression. Cher may not think its great, though. 3. My first car was fancy. I was born and raised in New York City, so I got a Mercedes Coupe. After the MetroCard, I got the Coup. Suits Cast: Where Are They Now? 4. Im Cuban, so my favorite meals to cook are frijoles negros, black bean soup and arroz con pollo. 5. My favorite movie is hard [to choose] because Im such a cinephile, but my favorite movie is All About Eve. 6. My celebrity crush growing up was Tom Jones, Im showing my age! He has such an amazing voice, it gets me. 7. My favorite book is one that Im excited to talk about more in the future, The Dirty Girls Social Club. 8. The most starstruck moment Ive ever had was seeing Carol Burnett. I couldnt even approach her. I was leaving the Four Seasons for brunch, and she was walking in. I was not only shaking, but started weeping too. I couldnt get it together to approach her. 9. My favorite item in my wardrobe are Citizens of Humanity horseshoe jeans. Theyre high-waisted, wide-leg and I could live in those. 10. I love history, Im a huge history buff, so [if I wasnt an actor], I would have loved being a history teacher. 11. On a typical Sunday afternoon, Im having a mimosa with [the] sun on my face. 12. My go-to karaoke songs are I Will Survive, Papa Can You Hear Me? and Lady Marmalade. The Suits Cast Still Has a Close Bond: Sweet Moments Over the Years 13. My wildest fan encounter was Prince. I went to a concert and got to meet him backstage. Turns out he was a fan of my show Cleopatra 2525. I was shocked. It was so crazy, but it make sense looking back. 14. A typical Saturday night, you would find me entertaining: Im the cook and bartender, and have good friends over, chatting it up with singalong, dance-in-the-kitchen vibes. 15. My mantra is Not in your time, in Gods time. 16. The first concert I went to was Culture Club, and they were amazing. 17. My favorite e.l.f. products are the Halo Glow [Liquid Filter] and [Glow Revival] Lip Oil. Theyre both so good. Emilynn Rose for e.l.f. Cosmetics 18. My go-to cocktail on a Friday evening is a dirty vodka martini. 19. The best gift Ive ever received is my daughter [Delilah, 16] and anything shes made me. 20. Ive been working out on a trampoline for 20 years. 21. After a long day, I love to have a glass of wine and cook dinner. 22. Im dying to see the northern lights in Iceland. I got close when they were supposed to be over Seattle. I booked a ticket, took my guy and my daughter and we flew there and it was a lovely weekend, but no northern lights so Im still searching. 23. I did take one thing from the Suits set. They were a pair of Louboutin heels, and they still have my characters name labeled on the inside of them. 24. I consider myself successfully employed [but] I dont think Ive made it yet. I do get the feeling that when I show up somewhere, people arent questioning why Im there. 25. My favorite place to vacation is somewhere with almost no one around, [in a] small cabin by a river and mountains, [so I can] really unplug. The EU continued its streak of tackling big tech in a way the U.S. has either never been able or willing to. This time, the bloc took aim at TikTok, the Chinese-owned app that has caused concerns both for its highly addictive algorithm and for being a possible national-security threat. Brussels will investigate allegations that TikTok failed to properly moderate content shown to minors and that some of the features built into the platform intended to keep people scrolling. The investigation falls under the Digital Safety Act, a landmark bill that went into effect last August and holds internet companies accountable for the content posted on their sites. Under the law, the EU has sweeping powers to investigate companies for failing to remove illegal content, limits the data they can collect on users, and the type of ads they can be targeted with. The EUs investigation into TikTok could serve as a blueprint for how governments can not only regulate large online platforms, but possibly punish them should they violate those regulations. In the U.S., lawmakers introduced several new bills meant to reign in Big Tech after public frustrations with social-media companies reached a fever pitch over the last year. People are increasingly conscious of the fact that these algorithms are being used to shift their behavior to change their behavior in ways that are very insipid, very insidious and difficult to counter, given the current architecture of the Internet, says Tomicah Tilleman, president of Project Liberty, an initiative that supports reforming social media. Social media has a reputation for being weapons of mass distraction that keep teenagers glued to a screen. Instead of studying or paying attention in school, they scroll endlessly on algorithmic feeds designed to keep them doing just that. For some teens, though, addiction to social media has turned what seemed like online fun into real-world dangers. Some young girls developed severe body-image issues. Kids struggling with mental-health problems found themselves served increasingly more disturbing content about self harm. And the algorithms that serve content based on a user's interests made it easier for individuals who may have wanted to sexually exploit children to find and, at times, contact them. On more than one occasion, parents have filed lawsuits against social-media companies alleging their algorithms were designed to keep users scrolling ad infinitum, essentially addicting their children to the platform. Some of the lawsuits came after a whistleblower at Meta, parent company of Facebook and Instagram, released internal documents showing the company was aware its products had especially negative effects on young girls. Social medias critics say these instances were examples of negligence on behalf of the social-media companies that disregarded warning signs about the negative consequences their products might have on minors. For others these issues are endemic to social media. There is an infrastructure problem when it comes to the internet, Tilleman says. The way the models have been optimized for the aggregation of private information and the use of that information to manipulate our behavior has created a bunch of big problems. A recent study conducted by Project Liberty found a majority of parents blame the social-media companies themselves. The survey released last week found that 59% of respondents in the U.S. blamed social-media companies for online safety. More specifically, 69% of respondents in the U.S. are very concerned social media could expose their children to inappropriate sexual content. A further 62% of respondents said they were very concerned social media would serve their kids information about self-harm. But the Project Liberty survey also uncovered another fact about parents in the U.S.one thats uniquely American. People in the U.S. are lukewarm about the role the government should play in limiting the power and influence of social-media companies, especially when compared to other countries. Only 38% of U.S. respondents wanted the government to have a significant role in ensuring online safety. The U.S. ranked dead last among the seven countries surveyed when it came to relying on the government to regulate social-media companies. View this interactive chart on Fortune.com Tilleman isnt dissuaded by the middling levels of support for government intervention in the U.S. He attributed the varying levels of support for government regulation to cultural differences between countries. The real takeaway from this data is that folks are deeply unhappy with the way things are, Tilleman says. Independent of whether they're calling for the private sector or the public sector to take the lead on building better solutions, they want better solutions than what we have today. Others see it as a continuation of the U.S.s aversion to government regulations. It is part of the psyche of America, says Mark Fagan, a professor of public policy at Harvards Kennedy School. The psychology of the country is the self made man. It may be a myth, but that is the image we have. So the idea of relying on the government for anything, has a tougher road to hoe here than in Europe. Digital democracy In the U.S., governments have started to take action at both the state and federal level. In Florida, the state legislature passed a bill that would ban social media for kids under the age of 16. The bill is expected to face legal challenges on First Amendment grounds, but its nonetheless notable for a state to consider such a measure. At the federal level, Congress is considering several new bills that would limit how much data social-media companies can collect on minors. The bills, which have bipartisan support, would also limit their ability to offer personalized feeds for children and eliminate some of its most addicting features, like autoplaying videos. Most notably, however, one bill would seek to remove the blanket immunity afforded social-media platforms in criminal matters that happen on their platforms. Tilleman sees those ideas as bringing what are obvious rights in the real world to our online lives. Ideas of popular consent, representative governance and private property have been with us for a very long time, but they haven't yet made the leap into the digital world, he says. We're suggesting that we take concepts and principles that have served us very well for a long time in the analog space and simply translate those more effectively into the digital realm. Project Liberty and Tilleman are staunch supporters of the notion that social-media users should have governance over their own data. For example, Tilleman proposes that instead of users opting into a social-media companys terms of service, it be users who dictate to platforms how theyd like their data to be used. We should flip that, Tilleman says. Websites and apps should click on our Terms of Use. He also says platforms should alert users when their data is being used to target them with advertisements, especially if theyre political. The exact nature of how user data gets used in targeting ads remains a black box. Most social-media companies are loath to share it publicly because they consider it a competitive advantage. That means users are often unaware of how exactly their information gets repackaged and sold to advertisers. The platform knows a lot more about you, and how the information can be used than youthe consumerdoes, Fagan explains. Tilleman, too, sees the collection of information as a serious problem. The challenge right now is that the algorithms are being shaped based on information that in many cases, we are unknowingly giving up, he says. That information is then being aggregated and used to manipulate our behavior for a variety of different purposes that may or may not align with our own freewill. So that's the big issue. The fact consumers dont know exactly how their data gets used also raises concerns. Whenever an industry possesses such an outsized level of expertise and knowledge over its customersknown as information asymmetryit is often ripe for regulations, according to Fagan. As an example, he cites medicine, where a heart surgeon knows much more about a patients upcoming operation than they do. So to protect patients, states set up medical boards to oversee doctors and surgeons. Another reason calls for regulation have reached a fever pitch is that consumers are realizing the companies rarely bear the full weight of the worst outcomes that happen when things go awry. The platform that hosts them does not face a cost associated with any negative outcomes, but an individual might, Fagan says. Theres also the fact that social-media platforms know more about their users than their users know about them. The platform knows a lot more about you, and how the information can be used than you the consumer does, Fagan says. Tilleman says these conditions have resulted in what he calls a neo-feudal system online. Every morning we take out the equivalent of digital-farming implements and we go to work creating very valuable information that's sent up to manor houses in Silicon Valley, Seattle, and Shanghai, and then we get back some bare necessities of digital survival in return, Tilleman says, referring to the hubs of the global-tech industry. And while the government could certainly play a role in shaping the digital future Tilleman hopes to see, he isnt shy about working with businesses to bring it to fruition. Historically, the private sector has had a leading role in shaping the evolution of tech in the United States, and it should take a leading role in building out alternatives to what is widely seen as a broken status quo, he says. This story was originally featured on Fortune.com If your employer is outside the state where you worked remotely in 2023, you could face double taxation. Being a hybrid worker might also mean you get snagged. With the onset of the pandemic, many employees worked remotely for the first time. After the pandemic, hybrid work schedules became more prominent, triggering tax implications. Last year, 12.7% of full-time employees worked remotely, and 28.2% had a hybrid work schedule. State income tax rates range from as low as 2.5% in Arizona to a high of 13.3% in California. But even if you live in a state with no income tax, you could get hit with a bill if you commute to a state that does. Here are other scenarios you might face as a remote or hybrid worker and what you can do. Double taxation with 'convenience of the employer' rule Some states tax workers where their employer is located, whether or not the employee lives in that state, based on the "convenience of the employer" rule. "If your employer is in one state and you live in another state as a remote worker, there are six states that have special convenience of employer rule," Garrett Watson, analyst at Tax Foundation, previously told Yahoo Finance. Those states are Connecticut, Delaware, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. If your employer is based in one of these states, but you work out of the state remotely for your convenience, then you might be subject to double taxation in the state you live in and the one where your employer is based. "The convenience rule can result in individuals paying state income tax on more than 100% of their wage income due to the lost out-of-state credits on their resident state tax returns," Mandy R. Riles, a tax manager at WIPFLI, said in her article. Some taxpayers may be able to avoid double taxation through state reciprocity agreements. Read more: What is taxable income? State reciprocity agreements Some states have reciprocity agreements with neighboring states that allow residents to avoid double taxation. Reciprocity agreements mean workers are taxed once in the state they live. "For example, if you live in Quincy, Illinois and work in Davenport, Iowa, Iowa has a reciprocal arrangement with Illinois so Iowa does not tax that income, and all taxation occurs in Illinois, the workers home state," Tom OSaben, an enrolled agent and director of tax content for the National Association of Tax Professionals, told Yahoo Finance. Sixteen states have reciprocity agreements with neighboring states, according to the Tax Foundation. They are Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, Kentucky, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey, West Virginia, Montana, North Dakota, and the District of Columbia. Even if your state doesnt have a reciprocity agreement, it may offer a credit for the taxes you paid in another state, but you may have to file taxes in two states. Say youre a hybrid employee working in St. Louis, Mo., and living in Illinois. "When this happens," OSaben said, "the Illinois resident pays tax to the state where they work, Missouri, and the state of Illinois will tax that same income but provide a credit for the taxes paid to Missouri up to what Illinois would have charged on the same income. So double tax should be avoided." Even though you may have to file two state returns, as in the example above, because of the credit, you are not paying tax twice on the same income. Read more: How bonuses are taxed (and why it matters) What to do if youre a hybrid or remote worker "Check with your companys HR department to see if there will be additional state withholding for the non-resident state," Janet Krochman, a certified public accountant, told Yahoo Finance. "If so, prepare a separate state W-4 form to minimize the other state withholding, especially if you know you will be getting a full refund or credit from your state." If you live in one state and work in another state, remotely or on a hybrid basis, it is best to consult a tax professional to determine if you will be subject to double taxation or if your state has a reciprocity arrangement with neighboring states. If you cant afford a tax professional, you can receive free tax preparation at the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance if you made $60,000 or less last year, are disabled, a senior citizen, or have a language barrier. Ronda Lee is a personal finance senior reporter for Yahoo Finance and attorney with experience in law, insurance, education, and government. Follow her on X @writesronda Read the latest personal finance trends and news from Yahoo Finance. The Justice Departments assertions this week that a longtime FBI informant was seeking to spread misinformation designed to hurt President Joe Biden after speaking to Russian intelligence operatives has put a new spotlight on an old debate: To what extent, if any, has the Russian government manufactured or amplified unproven allegations of corrupt Ukraine dealings by Joe and Hunter Biden? In a request to revoke his bail, prosecutors said that former informant Alexander Smirnov, charged last week with lying to the FBI in 2020 when he said Joe Biden had received a $5 million bribe, is actively peddling new lies that could impact U.S. elections after meeting with Russian intelligence officials as recently as last fall. The allegation that Smirnov was spreading new falsehoods about Joe Biden with an election looming hearkened back to an episode from the 2020 election, when the question of whether Russian spies were trying to smear Joe Biden was first raised. Derogatory information, purportedly from Hunter Bidens laptop, had surfaced in a New York Post article. Soon afterward, 51 former intelligence officials signed and blasted to the media a letter warning that the laptop story has all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation. The letter continued: We want to emphasize that we do not know if the emails are genuine or not and that we do not have evidence of Russian involvement just that our experience makes us deeply suspicious that the Russian government played a significant role in this case. The laptop data included embarrassing photos of Hunter Biden with prostitutes and emails that detailed his business dealings in Ukraine and China. The mainstream media largely ignored it, while Twitter and Facebook put restrictions on the sharing of the New York Post story. After mainstream news organizations verified portions of the laptop material, the letter became a focus of anger among Donald Trump and his supporters. They branded the group of mostly Biden supporters as spies who lie and accused them of election interference, saying their letter suppressed coverage of a story that reflected poorly on their candidate. The House Judiciary Committee hauled some of them in for sworn interviews, and in May published a report titled, How senior intelligence community officials and the Biden campaign worked to mislead American voters. Some received death threats. Alexander Smirnov, left, leaves the Las Vegas courthouse on Feb. 20, 2024. (AP) Now, many of those former officials say they feel vindicated by the allegations against the FBI informant. No public evidence has emerged pointing to a Russian government role in how the laptop materials were made public. But the former officials say the materials fueled stories consistent with Russian efforts to accuse Biden of corruption that persist to this day and that therefore they were justified in sounding the alarm. It validates exactly what we were warning about, said Marc Polymeropoulos, a 26-year CIA veteran who supervised operations involving Russia. Ours was a prudent warning. The Russians were going to push this narrative of Hunter Biden and corruption, to hurt Joe Biden. Polymeropoulos, who spent much of his career in counterterrorism, said he received emails saying he and his family should be hung, and a barrage of crank phone calls. Another signatory, former CIA operations officer John Sipher, says he was also targeted by threats. Sipher said the group never claimed that material about Hunter Biden was made up only that the story fit a narrative being pushed by people with ties to Russian intelligence, including some who had met in Ukraine with Trumps lawyer and adviser Rudy Giuliani. Giuliani had provided the laptop materials to the New York Post. This has always been an ugly political game from the beginning, Sipher said. Anyone who actually bothered to read the letter would realize that the focus was on warning about Russian subversive efforts prior to the 2020 election. He added, The recent revelations show that we were prescient. While I would love to gloat, the important issue remains the same foreign interference in American democracy, and unethical, cynical and faithless behavior by members of Congress entrusted to provide oversight of our important institutions. Russell Dye, a spokesman for the GOP-led House Judiciary Committee, responded: The Hunter Biden laptop was always real and always authenticated. They knew, or should have known, that and they still ran with their verifiably bogus letter. The people who signed the letter should feel zero vindication. The Judiciary Committee report included excerpts of an interview with Michael Morell, the former acting director of the CIA, who said he asked Polymeropoulos to draft the letter. Morell acknowledged that he did so after being contacted by then-candidate Bidens senior foreign policy adviser Antony Blinken, who flagged the New York Post story. That revelation was characterized by Republicans as more evidence the letter had been a political maneuver. Most if not all the signatories preferred Biden over Trump in the 2020 election. Among them were James Clapper, who served as President Barack Obamas director of national intelligence, and Leon Panetta, an Obama CIA director and defense secretary. There is little doubt the letter helped Democrats rebuff allegations of Biden family corruption. Biden cited it during a presidential debate when Trump raised the issue, asserting that there are 50 former national intelligence folks who said that what hes accusing me of is a Russian plan. But the signatories said they were expressing a genuine concern that went beyond who would win an election. And it wasnt only those 51 former officials who were concerned about possible Russian attempts to smear Biden. NBC News reported in October 2020 that the CIA and other spy agencies gathered intelligence on Giulianis dealings with alleged Russian intelligence agents as he searched for dirt on Biden and passed his findings on to the Trump White House. American intelligence agencies were not spying on Giuliani, but on the people with whom he was talking, including Andrii Derkach, who had been identified by the Treasury Department as a Russian agent. In the process, the U.S. spy agencies learned that Derkach and other Russian operatives were in touch with Giuliani, and wanted to feed him information in an attempt to discredit Joe Biden. In that context, the emergence of the laptop around the same time raised suspicions, especially because the New York Post reported that it obtained the material from Giuliani, who got it from the owner of a Delaware computer repair shop. The shop owner said Hunter Biden brought it in and never picked it up. Material from the laptop became evidence in the criminal investigation of Hunter Biden, which ultimately resulted in a pair of indictments accusing him of tax and gun crimes. He has pleaded not guilty. A recent court filing by the lead prosecutor in the case, special counsel David Weiss, says investigators authenticated the laptop material and the fact that a computer had been left in a store. In August 2019, IRS and FBI investigators obtained a search warrant for tax violations for the defendant [Hunter Biden]s Apple iCloud account, the filing said. In response to that warrant, in September 2019, Apple produced backups of data from various of the defendants electronic devices that he had backed up to his iCloud account. Investigators also later came into possession of the defendants Apple MacBook Pro, which he had left at a computer store. A search warrant was also obtained for his laptop and the results of the search were largely duplicative of information investigators had already obtained from Apple. It was Weiss who filed charges last week against Smirnov, accusing the informant of lying to the FBI when he relayed information that Joe and Hunter Biden had each accepted bribes of $5 million in 2015 from Ukrainian executives of Burisma, the company that paid Hunter Biden millions of dollars to sit on its board. NBC News has reported that the bribery allegations had been investigated and debunked by the Justice Department during the Trump administration. But they had become part of the push by House Republicans to impeach Joe Biden. And the prosecutor who investigated, former Pittsburgh U.S. Attorney Scott Brady, testified to the House Judiciary Committee in October that the FBI viewed the informant as a trusted source. Its not clear when and why that changed. In a filing this week seeking to revoke Smirnovs bail, prosecutors said he had repeatedly lied to his FBI Handler after a 10-year relationship where the two spoke nearly every day and that he had extensive contacts with Russian operatives. The FBI did not respond to a request for comment. A Justice Department spokesman declined to comment. Hunter Bidens lawyers said in a filing that the informants alleged lies have irreparably tainted the cases against him. Smirnovs contacts with Russian officials who are affiliated with Russian intelligence services are not benign, the filing says, adding that his efforts to spread misinformation about a candidate of one of the two major parties in the United States continues. What this shows is that the misinformation he is spreading is not confined to 2020. He is actively peddling new lies that could impact U.S. elections after meeting with Russian intelligence officials in November. The University of Illinois freshman who went missing last month after a party died of hypothermia, the county coroner said this week. The body of Akul Dhawan, 18, was found 500 feet from where he was last seen on Jan. 20, campus police at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign said in a breakdown of their investigation. He was reported missing by a friend at 1:23 a.m., and though police said they searched the area thoroughly, his body was found 10 hours later by a passerby. I believe this is just a bad dream, I believe he is going to come back, Dhawans father, Ish Dhawan, told NBC News earlier this month. It is so unimaginable that a kid can die in this day and age right on the university campus. Akul Dhawan. (Courtesy Ish Dhawan) Police reported that Dhawan was at a club, left, returned and was denied entry multiple times. Venue staff tried to convince him to take a rideshare home, the investigation report said, but Dhawan declined, and his friends were unable to reach him after that. With temperatures that night falling below zero, coroners say prolonged exposure to cold temperatures and acute alcohol intoxication contributed to his death from hypothermia. Dhawan was found unresponsive on the concrete steps of a university building, where he was pronounced dead on the scene, according to the police and coroners reports. Ish asserts that the University of Illinois campus police should have done more to look for his son, and that no one from the school informed him when he was missing or found dead. If somebodys reported missing, you go and you look, he said. You mobilize people. When the temperature is minus Fahrenheit, every minute is precious. Police representatives did not respond to specific questions about their search, but they said they are heartbroken for the Dhawan family, and that the investigation into the death is ongoing. The safety of all of our students and community members is of the highest priority, a police spokesperson said. Dhawans parents said they remember him as a bright light, a natural engineer and a lover of Legos. They say a Marvel-themed Lego set he built when he was home for winter break will remain with them forever. It was his last project, Ish said. He was just a happy-go-lucky kid. King Charles, pictured a year ago with President Zelensky, has hailed Ukraine's "heroism" King Charles has issued a strongly-worded message of support for Ukraine, in a statement marking the second anniversary of Russia's invasion. He has spoken of the "indescribable aggression" that has faced Ukrainians since what he calls the "unprovoked attack on their land". The unusually direct message seems to be a rallying call to keep up international assistance for Ukraine. The King welcomed the continuing support from the UK and its allies. At a time when there have been some doubts over financial and military aid for Ukraine, particularly from some politicians in the United States, King Charles commended the international support for Ukraine at a time of "great suffering and need". King Charles spoke of the military training being provided in the UK for Ukrainian soldiers and praised the efforts of the country's President Zelensky. As the war enters a third year, the King made no secret of his sympathies, hailing the "determination and strength of the Ukrainian people". "Despite the tremendous hardship and pain inflicted upon them, Ukrainians continue to show the heroism with which the world associates them so closely. Theirs is true valour, in the face of indescribable aggression," said the King's statement. The war in Ukraine has been close to the King's heart. In the early stages of the conflict he made a surprise visit to meet Ukrainian refugees who had fled across the border into Romania. He has visited the Ukrainian community in the UK and on a state visit to France last year, the King told the Senate of the importance of a Ukrainian victory against Russia's "horrifying" invasion, so that "our cherished freedoms will prevail". It's unusual for the King to speak so unambiguously about an international conflict and his comments reflect the strength of his feeling. This latest personal intervention on Ukraine comes as the King is receiving treatment for cancer. He has stepped back from public events, but is continuing to work in his role as head of state. The King's statement, which would have been made in consultation with ministers, follows the announcement by the UK of further sanctions against Russia. Hundreds of people marched in London to mark the second anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who visited Kyiv last month to sign a new security agreement and announce 2.5bn of military aid to Ukraine over the coming year, said "we must renew our determination" on this "grim anniversary". The comments come as hundreds of pro-Ukraine demonstrators gathered at Speakers' Corner in London's Hyde Park and then marched to Trafalgar Square, where a vigil was held. Demonstrations to mark the second anniversary of the Russian invasion are also being held in other parts of the UK including George Square in Glasgow. Olha Plyushch, who arrived in the UK as a refugee with her 14-year-old daughter, has been managing the English School for Displaced Ukrainians at the Ukrainian Institute London. Speaking at the demonstration, she said the school has provided free lessons to more than 1,000 refuges since it was established in May 2022. "The English we learnt back in Ukraine is very different to the language the natives speak in the UK." Many Ukrainians want to find a job and rent a place, so as "not to abuse the kindness of the British hosts", she said. On 18 February the UK government launched the Ukraine permission extension scheme - it means those who have already been given permission to be in the UK under one of the existing Ukraine schemes will be able to apply for a further 18 months' permission to stay in the UK. Additional reporting by Olga Malchevska. Auckland banquet celebrates Chinese New Year Xinhua) 10:44, February 24, 2024 AUCKLAND, New Zealand, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- An Auckland banquet organized by overseas Chinese celebrated the Chinese New Year on Friday. The celebration banquet, hosted by the Federation of The Chinese Association of New Zealand, was attended by Chinese Ambassador to New Zealand Wang Xiaolong, Chinese Consul General in Auckland Chen Shijie, New Zealand government officials, parliamentarians, Auckland community leaders, business leaders, charity organizations, student representatives and media. The president of the Federation, Steven Wong, said he would like to use this occasion to promote friendship and exchange between New Zealand and China. Chen Shijie echoed Wong in his speech that the spiritual core of Chinese culture featuring harmony and peace aligns with New Zealand's inclusive, diverse and open social atmosphere, which is a vivid example of mutual communication between different civilizations. New Zealand Member of Parliament Jenny Salesa said in her speech that New Zealand cherishes the Chinese community's contribution to society, and the country puts great importance to its relationship with China as its number one trading partner. Whichever political party is in government, New Zealand will keep its position to develop its trade relationship with China, said Salesa. (Web editor: Xue Yanyan, Hongyu) The Florida measles outbreak is expanding. On Friday, health officials in Broward County confirmed a seventh case of the virus, a child under age 5. The patient is the youngest so far to be infected in the outbreak, and the first to be identified outside of Manatee Bay Elementary School in Weston, near Fort Lauderdale. Its unknown what connection the youngest measles case has to the school, but the spread beyond school-age kids was expected. Cases are not going to stay contained just to that one school, not when a virus is this infectious, said Dr. David Kimberlin, co-director of the division of pediatric infectious diseases at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that as of Friday there have been at least 35 measles cases in 15 states in 2024 most related to international travel. In January, there were nine measles cases in Pennsylvania, eight of them in Philadelphia. (If there are no more cases reported there as of early next week, the Philadelphia outbreak will be declared over.) Late Friday, Michigans health department announced that it, too, had identified a measles case its first since 2019. Floridas outbreak is the largest in the U.S. right now. And what Floridas health officials are doing or not doing is drawing fire from experts who study the way diseases spread. Florida Gov. DeSantis Announces New Opioid Recovery Program in Rockledge, US - 03 Aug 2022 (Paul Hennessy / SOPA Images/Sipa USA via AP file) Measles is so contagious and has such a long incubation period that the decision of the states Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo to let parents decide whether to quarantine their children or let them keep going to school could allow cases to spread, experts warn. Measles is the most infectious pathogen in humans that we know of, said Kimberlin. Its like a heat-seeking missile. It will find the people who are not immune, and theyre going to get sick. Unvaccinated people have a 90% chance of becoming infected if exposed. Epidemiology 101 is identify and isolate, said Katelyn Jetelina, who tracks illnesses for a website called Your Local Epidemiologist. This is especially true for outbreaks of measles, she said, because of how incredibly contagious the virus is and the fact that people who are infected can spread it for up to three weeks. In a letter sent to parents at the elementary school on Tuesday, Ladapo wrote, Due to the high immunity rate in the community, as well as the burden on families and educational cost of healthy children missing school, DOH is deferring to parents or guardians to make decisions about school attendance. The letter said that parents should watch for symptoms of measles high fever, rash, red, watery eyes but did not encourage vaccination. How Ohio got measles quickly under control When Columbus, Ohio, Health Commissioner Dr. Mysheika Roberts was confronted with a surging measles outbreak in 2022, parents in the state also got a letter, with a very different message. Eighty-five children, mostly unvaccinated toddlers, became infected with measles in central Ohio. Nearly half, 42%, had to be hospitalized. When the Ohio outbreak began, Roberts advised that unvaccinated children who had been exposed to measles receive one dose of the mumps-measles-rubella (MMR) vaccine as a form of post-exposure prophylaxis, she said. The 21-day quarantine was reduced to just 72 hours for kids who got the shot. Infectious disease experts told Roberts it could take six months or more to get it under control. She and her team did it in three. By February, we were able to declare the outbreak over, Roberts said. Roberts attributes that success to sticking with standard public health guidance: identify and isolate patients and tell the public what to do. We were very clear with what we needed to do to try to control this outbreak, Roberts said. Ohio's guidance included: Encouraging the MMR vaccine, which offers 97% protection against infection. Keeping unvaccinated kids whod been exposed to the virus out of school, daycare and other activities for 21 days. The letter from Columbus public health officials strongly suggested that families comply with the suggested quarantine. We did not leave it up to the parents, Roberts said. It was not an order, but the way that we wrote the letter, people probably felt like they didnt have a choice. Since the 2022 outbreak, Ohio has reported only one measles case in 2023 and at least one so far in 2024. An estimated 1 in 5 measles patients is hospitalized, according to the CDC. And one to three out of 1,000 patients will die. In Florida, dozens of students at the elementary school are vulnerable, and some may have siblings too young to be fully vaccinated. Meanwhile, vaccine exemptions in Florida have been ticking up in recent years, according to CDC data. During a school board meeting on Wednesday, Broward County Public Schools Superintendent Peter Licata said 33 of the 1,067 Manatee Bay Elementary students are unvaccinated. Maria Caballero, whose daughter attends Manatee Bay, told NBC News earlier this week that she is keeping the girl out of school for now. She has twin baby boys who were born prematurely and arent yet old enough for the first dose of the MMR vaccine, which is given starting at age 1. Even though my 10-year-old is fully vaccinated, I am just concerned she will get the virus and bring it home, said Caballero. The Florida outbreak comes at a time when the number of national vaccine exemptions has reached an all-time high. A November CDC report found that 3% of children entering kindergarten during the 2022-2023 school year were granted a vaccine exemption from their state. This is the highest exemption rate ever reported in the U.S. More and more people are questioning vaccines and why people need vaccines, said Kimberlin, the University of Alabama doctor. Theyre gonna find out pretty soon. The actor's 13-year-old twins Harper Grace and Gideon Scott joined in for his debut Kristina Bumphrey/Variety via Getty Neil Patrick Harris Neil Patrick Harris has joined TikTok though it may not be the news his teens wanted to hear. Ahead of the weekend, the How I Met Your Mother star, 50, recruited his 13-year-old twins, daughter Harper Grace and son Gideon Scott (whom he shares with his husband David Burtka), for his debut on the social media platform. Ok, ok. Are you guys so excited? Harris asked as he backed away from a camera, making sure he, Harper and Gideon were all in the frame. Never miss a story sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Talking over one another, the kids both responded, letting their dad know they werent too sure about his next move. Im joining the TikTac, the actor then said enthusiastically. TikTok, Gideon said, correcting his father while rubbing his head in apparent despair in the video announcement. Harper stood silent nearby, but her facial expressions revealed she seemed less than certain about her dad's new social media channel. Harris continued, happily sharing that he would soon have so many followers before using a bit of Gen Z lingo - the viral term "rizz," which is short for charisma, and has been defined by dictionary publisher Oxford University Press as "someones ability to attract another person through style, charm, or attractiveness. Im gonna ramp up my rizz, the Gone Girl actor said before he was cut off with a stern warning from Gideon to never, ever say that again. After Harris said his new TikTok account would make him a snack, Harper let out a shriek, covered her face and left the frame of the video. Related: Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka Say Twins 'Don't Hate' Them as They Enter Teen Years: 'So Far, So Good' Gideon also followed suit once his dad began dancing. Its too cheesy, Harper was heard saying off-camera. Despite his kids' less-than-enthusiastic response, fans in his comment section were quick to show their support for the video. NPH is in his cringy dad era and Im here for it , one person quipped. My favorite is when celebrities, no matter how legendary, are still just dad to their kids, another added. Even though they may not have loved his TikTok video, Gideon and Harper have previously told their parents that they're considered cool. In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE this week, Harris and his celebrity chef husband, 48, discussed how they rank out of the other parents in their childrens friend group. Abigail Nilsson/Disney Neil Patrick Harris and family on the Disney Wish "We're definitely told we're the coolest parents out of all the friend groups," Burtka proudly shared. "I didn't realize it was a competition!" Harris said with a laugh. "You hope as kids get older that they want to share more with you, and are willing to tell you when things are happening as opposed to just keeping you out of the loop. So that's nice to hear, Harris said. The couple also admitted that Harper and Gideon have a pretty rigorous school life, so their family home has not become a hangout house yet. In fact, the kids typically come home and do homework. Neil Patrick Harris/ Instagram Neil Patrick Harris with husband and kids Before Harris announced he was joining TikTok, the Uncoupled actor recently had a bit of family fun on Instagram for the holidays. "Did I push it? I push the red one? Okay. To everyone on the gram of Insta, we just wanted to say happy Christmas eve. From the Burtka-Harris household," Harris said in a December Instagram video before they opened Christmas gifts. For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on People. On Jan. 20, a Michigan man bought five Lotto 47 tickets, according to lottery officials. Then he received a very important phone call. The next day, I got a call from the worker who sold me the tickets, telling me to check mine because they had sold a jackpot winner, the winner told lottery officials. I looked up the winning numbers and then looked over my ticket and sure enough, I was the big winner! he said. The 71-year-old Wexford County player won the $4.37 million jackpot with the wining numbers 08-23-26-31-36-40, according to a Feb. 23 news release from Michigan Lottery. Im still in disbelief, the man added. The lottery player purchased the winning ticket at Amvets Post 110 in Cadillac, officials said. The man, who plans to save the money for retirement, chose to collect his prize as a one-time lump sum payment of about $3 million after taxes, lottery officials said. Cadillac is about 55 miles southeast of Traverse City. Many people can gamble or play games of chance without harm. However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families. If you or a loved one shows signs of gambling addiction, you can seek help by calling the national gambling hotline at 1-800-522-4700 or visiting the National Council on Problem Gambling website. Lottery player turns $100 win into $1 million. I thought the scanner was broken Daughter sees Facebook lottery post and tells mom to check her ticket. It was a winner Lottery player takes off work to spend two days guarding winning ticket in Maryland At the turn of the 20th century, an era defined by Chinese exclusion laws and rampant anti-Asian sentiment in the U.S., many Chinese laborers found creative ways to sidestep racial barriers and support themselves, new research shows. Many Chinese migrants in the old Los Angeles Chinatown turned to pig-raising and pork distribution, largely in their own community, after they finished work on the Transcontinental Railroad, according to research published this month in the archaeology journal American Antiquity. This generated a new economy in which not only jobs were created, but gave way to a system of housing, banking and community support, the study showed. The findings not only challenge the popular notion that Chinese laborers sought to take white, working-class jobs at the time, but also revealed migrants self-reliance and will to put down roots in their new country, said Jiajing Wang, lead author of the study and assistant professor of anthropology at Dartmouth College. Id call this their resistance to structural racism, Wang said. They creatively opened themselves up to opportunities to stay in this country and to make a living. For the study, researchers examined historical archives and pork dental remains found in L.A.s Chinatown. They concluded that some Chinese migrants were running small pig ranches, while others raised pigs within the neighborhood, often providing this pork to Chinese butcher shops. At least four of these butcher shops have been documented, researchers said. Cheaper cuts of meat were often sold within Chinatown, Wang explained, while more expensive, profitable cuts were sold outside the community. Why are we so sure that these pigs we analyzed were from the Chinese community? It was because we found that so many of those pigs were eating rice, Wang said, explaining her findings from examining dental remains. Based on all available records, we know that if pigs were raised in other cultures, they would not be eating rice during that time period. Examining old newspaper archives, the researchers found that elsewhere, farmers often used other sources of feed. White hog farmers in California used barley and wheat, not rice, to feed their pigs. Pork was also sourced from the Midwest; however, in Chicago, pigs were fed corn, according to a news release about the study. The pork business also became central to many other aspects of migrants lives. Researchers found that many migrants would register their homes under the butcher shops address, even if they werent part of the industry themselves. Other records indicate that the establishments would charge $1 for a few days stay, pointing to the use of these shops as a sort of hotel or residential place. Researchers wrote that oftentimes, shops would provide some banking services as well, helping immigrants to send money back to China. So its not just a butcher shop, its also a social hub for the early Chinese migrants to help each other especially the new immigrants who just got to the country and who have no place to stay, Wang said. 4 pig jaw specimens on a black background (.J. Wang et al.) And while the Chinese Exclusion Act, enacted in 1882, barred Chinese laborers from entering the country, many butcher shops found a way to challenge the restriction. Butcher stores employed laborers who worked for the meat shop, and they allowed for multiple Chinese migrants to become partners in the business, which gave partners merchant status so that they were exempted from the Chinese Exclusion Act, the report said. While the establishments often flourished, their presence wasnt always well-received by those outside the community, Wang said. We have more evidence in Northern California from the newspaper reports that around this time period, there was a huge campaign, mostly by white laborers, white butchers, against Chinese pork butchers, she said. The excuse was that the Chinese pork was full of disease. It was dangerous. So no one should buy pork from Chinese butchers That campaign had really bad consequences. The Chinese butchers were affected, and their market share dropped significantly. However, Wang underscored that no such evidence exists. If the animals were unhealthy, then their bones would tell us, she said. We have never really found evidence claiming that Chinese pork was lower grade or they were more disease than pork sold by the white butchers. While L.A. Chinatowns butcher shops were destroyed along with the enclave itself to make way for the construction of the citys Union Station, the existence of the small businesses were a testament to the communitys resilience, Wang said. Its a story, she said, that has been overlooked for some time largely due to records being kept by those outside of the community. The historical records were written by people in power, Wang said. I was surprised when I was researching all those old newspapers, the Chinese migrants were basically not visible at all. For more from NBC Asian America, sign up for our weekly newsletter. From left, attorneys Mark Rosenbaum, Amanda Mangaser Savage and Scott Humphreys and Temecula teachers Dawn Murray-Sibby, Amy Eytchison and Jennee Scharf announce a lawsuit challenging the Temecula Valley Unified school board's ban on teaching critical race theory in August. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) Temecula Valley Unified School Districts decision to block critical race theory instruction in its classrooms will continue for now, a Riverside County Superior Court judge ruled Friday. A group of parents, students and teachers had sought a preliminary injunction to block the school boards policy that prohibited teaching critical race theory, a legal framework taught at some universities that examines how racial inequality and racism are systemically embedded in American institutions. The request for an injunction came as part of a lawsuit filed against the district in August, which alleged the conservative boards ban on the curriculum was vague and violates the California Constitutions guarantee of a fundamental right to an education that is basically equivalent to that provided elsewhere throughout the state. Attorney Amanda Mangaser Savage, who represents the parents, teachers and students, argued that the boards policy had already led to confusion among teachers about what they could discuss in class. But on Friday, Judge Eric Keen denied the request, rejecting the argument that the districts policy was unclear. He wrote in an eight-page ruling that the boards resolution sets out the specific elements of critical race theory that cant be taught. Keen added that the resolution limits instruction on critical race theory to a subordinate role within a larger instructional framework and one that focuses on the flaws of the curriculum. It seems clear to the court that a person of ordinary intelligence would have a reasonable opportunity to know what is prohibited as what is prohibited is set out specifically in the resolution, he wrote. Read more:Temecula school district sued over its ban of critical race theory Keen also weighed in on a controversial parental notification policy that requires district staff to tell parents when their child is requesting to be identified as a different gender or use a name thats different from their legal name. He wrote that the policy applies equally to all students in the district, is gender neutral and does not expressly single out transgender or gender-nonconforming students, as it applies to any students request to change their school official or unofficial records. Mangaser Savage called Fridays ruling a disappointing result for students. The group plans to appeal it, she said. Right now we have students who are sitting in classrooms and receiving an education that is really tainted by the boards physiological censorship and by the boards anti-LGBTQ and sort of racial animus, she said. A representative for Temecula Valley Unified could not be reached for comment Friday. The battle began in December 2022 when the conservative majority on the school board passed a resolution that prohibited the instruction of critical race theory, which is rarely taught in non-university settings but has become a rallying point for critics who want to limit discussions on racism. In the resolution, the district states its goal is to uplift and unite students by not imposing the responsibility of historical transgressions of the past. The resolution asserts that critical race theory is an ideology based on false assumptions about the United States of America and its population. Schools in the district had not taught critical race theory before the policy was enacted. In July, the district grabbed headlines again when it rejected proposed instructional material that mentioned Harvey Milk, a San Francisco supervisor and the first out gay man elected to public office in California , who was assassinated in 1978. Temecula Valley Unified board President Joseph Komrosky called Milk a pedophile during a board meeting. In a Twitter post, Gov. Gavin Newsom fired back, calling Komrosky ignorant. Newsom later threatened to fine the district $1.5 million for its refusal to adopt compliant textbooks. He said the state would purchase the books for the district anyway. Read more:Righteous mother or right-wing zealot? The soccer mom leading California's parental rights movement In August, the district faced further scrutiny when it approved its transgender notification policy. Supporters of such policies, which have also been implemented in districts in Chino Valley and Murrieta Valley, have argued that parents have a right to know whats happening with their child. However, critics have said it could lead to students being abused or abandoned by parents who dont accept their childs gender identity. Its really troubling to us that Temecula now is in the same bucket as jurisdictions like Texas and Florida, where politics is really driving what students have access to in public school classrooms, Mangaser Savage said. 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. By Alexandra Valencia QUITO (Reuters) - Ecuadorean President Daniel Noboa snatched a legislative victory on Friday after his bid to raise value added tax (VAT) was able to proceed as lawmakers hit an impasse while trying to decide whether or not to allow the measure. Noboa has argued that raising VAT - alongside other tax increases such as a levy on banks' profits in 2023 - will help finance his security offensive on criminal gangs he has designated as terrorists amid spiraling violence in the Andean country. On Tuesday, a majority of 83 lawmakers in Ecuador's National Assembly voted against raising VAT to 15% from 12% until 2026, which was then to stay at 13% thereafter. Noboa presented a so-called partial objection the same day to push for a permanent increase to 13% and provide a mechanism allowing the president to raise it to 15% when the country's economic needs demand it. Under Ecuadorean law, legislators' inability to vote against Noboa's partial objection or approve the VAT measures it sought means that the legislation will go ahead anyway. The government did not immediately comment. Noboa eyed taking an extra $1.1 billion per year by hiking VAT to 15%, according to the bill debated by lawmakers earlier this week. The president wants to use resources with his VAT hike to strengthen the military, police and intelligence services to combat organized crime. (Reporting by Alexandra Valencia; Writing by Oliver Griffin; Editing by Sandra Maler) In September, Chris Tapp recorded an interview with Dateline at his Idaho home. He had served 20 years in prison for a crime he didnt commit, and the interview was the last time he planned on publicly discussing the 1996 murder of his friend Angie Dodge the 18-year-old Idaho woman whom Tapp was wrongfully convicted of killing. Tapp didnt want to be remembered as the man from the Angie Dodge case, he said, but rather as an advocate someone who, after his 2019 exoneration, pushed lawmakers in his state and others to provide fair compensation to people who have been wrongfully convicted. I have to move forward, he said. But what came next was incomprehensible, as a local journalist put it. For more on the case, tune into "True Confession" on "Dateline" at 9 ET/8 CT tonight. Six weeks after the interview, Tapp, 47, died after he was rushed to a hospital from his Resorts World suite in Las Vegas, a spokesperson for Tapps family told Dateline. His death was initially described as an accident, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said, but the Clark County Coroners Office later ruled it a homicide. Authorities have released few details on the incident. No suspects have been publicly identified, and the department has not discussed a possible motive. To George Pahis, who knew Tapp for three decades, the arc of his close friends life was tragic: Hed gone from failing through life as a kid to losing 20 years behind bars. Then, hed been gifted a new life and was living free from worry, Pahis said. Chris life being cut short is the exact opposite of what anyone expected from Chris, Pahis told Dateline. Chris had expectations. Chris had dreams. Chris had ideas of what he was gonna do for the rest of forever. And it was taken from him, Pahis said. Confessing under pressure Tapp was charged with first-degree murder in February 1997, roughly eight months after Dodges body was discovered in her Idaho Falls apartment. She had been raped and nearly decapitated, authorities said. Angie Dodge. (Dateline) Tapp and Dodge were part of a group that often hung out by the Snake River, and he initially told police that he didnt know anything about the crime, interview transcripts show. But after multiple polygraph tests and additional interviews with investigators, Tapp then 20 confessed to participating in the rape and murder and implicated two other River rats, as the group was known, the transcripts show. One of the friends was accused, though the charges were later dismissed, according to an account of Tapps case in the University of Michigans National Registry of Exonerations. A jury convicted Tapp in 1998, and he was sentenced to 40 years in prison. In 2012, Tapp told Dateline that when he offered his false confession, hed only been trying to appease police and tell them what he believed they wanted to hear. By then, the Idaho Innocence Project had taken up his case, and Dodges mother had come to believe the man who had been convicted of killing her daughter was likely innocent. When Carol Dodge watched videos of Tapps interrogation, there were times when I wanted to put my fist through the TV, she told Dateline. When Tapp appeared to know little about Dodges apartment, for instance, she was stunned to see investigators show him crime scene images. Steve Drizin, a clinical professor of law at Northwestern University and co-director of the Center on Wrongful Convictions, reviewed videos of the confession at Carol Dodges request and told Dateline it was the worst example of police contamination and fact-feeding that hed ever seen. In an interview with Dateline, the investigators denied feeding Tapp details of the crime. But in 2017, after Tapps lawyer alleged that his client had been coerced, the prosecutors office reached an agreement to vacate Tapps rape conviction and reduce the sentence in his murder conviction to time served, according to the registry. A DNA match Tapp was still guilty of murder, according to the terms of the agreement, but the deal meant he could be released from prison. That was one of the hardest decisions of my life, to continue to have to say I was convicted of a first-degree murder I know I didnt do, Tapp told Dateline. But I had to move on with my life. And that was the only opportunity I had so I took it with the best ability that I had. ex-con exonerated (Taylor Carpenter / The Idaho Post-Register via AP file) By 2019, the rest of Tapps conviction had been erased. DNA found on Dodges body linked another suspect to the killing and a witness who had said shed heard Tapp admit to the crime recanted her testimony, saying authorities had pressured her to lie. (Authorities denied the witness allegation, which was included in a federal lawsuit Tapp later filed against the city of Idaho Falls.) On May 15, 2019, a man whod been a neighbor of Angie Dodge, Brian Dripps, was arrested and charged in the murder. He later pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 20 years to life in prison. Two months after Dripps arrest, a judge declared Tapp innocent of all charges and exonerated. I dont think any of us can really put ourselves in your place, the judge told the courtroom. But Im just glad that that can be corrected at this time. Starting fresh Tapp described his experience after prison as overwhelming. Seeing the courthouse filled with supporters, getting a cellphone, choosing which underwear to buy he wasnt used to any of it. The first time he went shopping, Tapp said, I had to run out of the store cause I couldnt handle it all. Still, he started settling into a new life. He started working at a bag-making factory, bought a home, got married and saw old friends. He lobbied Idahos governor to sign a bill providing compensation to the wrongfully convicted, and in 2021 that bill became law, providing $62,000 for each year a person was incarcerated and $75,000 annually for people who had been on death row. For Tapp, that meant $1.2 million a sum he said was greatly appreciated and needed. This advocacy became a mission for Tapp after his release, his lawyer, John Thomas, told Dateline. Tapp traveled the country, Thomas said, speaking at legal seminars and working with legislators. In Oregon, he pushed lawmakers to pass a similar compensation bill to Idahos. In 2022, Oregons governor signed it into law. Tapp had also filed the federal lawsuit against Idaho Falls and its police department alleging egregious misconduct, and in 2022 the city settled, approving a settlement of $11.7 million. The mayor issued a formal apology for the harm and damages done to Tapp. Tragedy strikes The following year, Tapps marriage ended in tragedy. In August, as the couple was divorcing, his wife died in a car crash while driving a Corvette hed recently bought her with settlement money, he said. The tragedy was compounded when, two months later, Tapp visited Las Vegas for a car show. His lawyer said he learned from Tapps mother that hed been hospitalized and was in a coma after tripping, falling and hitting his head on a coffee table in his hotel suite. It was devastating to hear that because it seemed so mundane, Thomas said. About two months later, Las Vegas police said medical personnel had found Tapp on Oct. 29 suffering injuries that were the result of a purported accident. But homicide detectives learned that prior to Tapps death, hed been in a fight inside a hotel room. The coroners office ruled that he died as a result of blunt force trauma to the head, the department said. A department spokesperson said no additional details about Tapps death were available. Thomas, who said hes acting as a liaison between Las Vegas police and Tapps mother, said hes aware of an ongoing investigation into Tapps death but he hasnt reviewed the autopsy and he declined to comment further. To Nate Eaton, news director of the East Idaho News who has covered Tapps case for years, the development was unimaginable. I dont know if theres a way to make sense of any of this, he told Dateline. Its just so incomprehensible. By Daphne Psaledakis and David Brunnstrom WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. on Friday issued sweeping sanctions against Russia over the death of opposition leader Alexei Navalny and to mark the second anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine, targeting more than 500 people and entities as Washington seeks to increase pressure on Moscow. The U.S. Treasury Department targeted nearly 300 people and entities, while the State Department hit more than 250 and the Commerce Department added more than 90 companies to the "Entity List". Below are key parts of the package. SOVCOMFLOT The U.S. on Friday imposed sanctions on Russia's leading tanker group, Sovcomflot, accusing it of being involved in violating the G7's price cap on Russian oil. "Sovcomflot as a whole, as a parent company, has been implicated in price cap violations in addition to deceptive activity," a senior Treasury official said. It also targeted 14 crude oil tankers that Sovcomflot has an interest in, as Washington seeks to reduce Russia's revenues from oil sales that it can use to support its invasion of Ukraine. The Treasury Department issued a general license allowing the offloading of crude oil, or other cargoes from the vessels for 45 days. It also issued a general license allowing transactions with all other Sovcomflot-owned vessels at this time, the Treasury said. The G7, the EU and Australia imposed a $60 per barrel price cap on Russian oil in late 2022. It bans the use of Western maritime services such as transport, insurance and financing for shipments of oil priced at or above the cap. RUSSIA'S FINANCIAL INFRASTRUCTURE The Treasury Department said in a statement that it was imposing sanctions on state-owned National Payment Card System, the operator of the Mir payment system. Mir payment cards have become more important since its U.S. rivals suspended operations in Russia after Moscow sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine, and their payment cards issued in the country stopped working abroad. "The government of Russia's proliferation of Mir has permitted Russia to build out a financial infrastructure that enables Russian efforts to evade sanctions and reconstitute severed connections to the international financial system," the Treasury's statement said. Also targeted were more than a dozen Russian banks, investment firms, venture capital funds, and fintech companies, including SPB Bank, owned by SPB Exchange, which is Russia's second-largest stock exchange and specializes in trading of foreign shares. ARCTIC LNG 2 The U.S. also targeted Russia's future energy production and exports, taking further aim at the Arctic LNG 2 project in Siberia. In November, Washington imposed sanctions on a major entity involved in the development, operation and ownership of the massive project. On Friday, the State Department targeted Russia's Zvezda shipbuilding company, which it said is involved in the construction of up to 15 highly specialized liquefied natural gas (LNG) tankers intended for use in support of Arctic LNG 2 exports. It also listed Limited Liability Company Modern Marine Arctic Transport SPG, which the State Department said has ties to the project. After November's sanctions, Russia's largest LNG producer, Novatek, and France's TotalEnergies had to declare force majeure to clients over supplies from the project. Rosgeologia, a Russian-state owned company that provides geological exploration services, including services for the search and exploration of oil and gas fields, was also targeted. UST-LUGA Two firms were targeted for their involvement in the development and operation of Russia's LNG complex at the Baltic Sea port of Ust-Luga - the Russian joint venture company building an LNG complex at the port and its subsidiary. SANCTIONS EVASION The U.S. also imposed sanctions on entities based in China, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and Kazakhstan over the evasion of Western sanctions on Russia and backfilling, including for sending items Moscow relies on for its weapons systems. Washington has increasingly sought to crack down on Russia's circumvention of its measures. The Treasury sanctions designated six China-based firms for shipping microelectronics and other tech goods to Russia, and the State Department list included three other Chinese companies involved in procuring electronic components for entities tied to Russia's military. The sanctions also targeted Russia-based Aktsionernoe Obshchestvo Avia Fed Service, UAE-based Linker FZE and Kyrgyz Republic-based Obshchestvo S Ogranichennoy Otvetstvennostyu Ukon for supplying third-country aircraft and truck parts. RUSSIA-IRAN MILITARY COOPERATION Washington also imposed sanctions on Iran's Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics (MODAFL) for the first time under a Russia authority, though it was already under U.S. sanctions. The State Department accused it of being involved in arms-related transfers between Iran and Russia, including of munitions and drones. The Treasury actions targeted a network in Russia's Alabuga Special Economic Zone through which Russia, in cooperation with Iran, has acquired and produced drones. The statement said Russia and MODAFL had cooperated to finance and produce Iranian-designed "kamikaze drones" for use in Ukraine. METALS AND MINING The U.S. took further aim too at Russia's metals sector, targeting gold producer Uzhuralzoloto, Russia's largest pipe producer, Pipe Metallurgical Company, and aluminum products producer Samara Metallurgical Plant. Major Russian steelmaker Mechel was added to the list, with the Treasury saying that its subsidiary provided steel used in Russia's KA-52 attack helicopter. Coal producer SUEK was added to the list as "a flagship company of Russian transportation logistics that operates its own railway infrastructure and is involved in trucking and other transportation services." Rheingold Edelmetall, a Liechtenstein-based precious metals investment firm, was added to the list as, according to the Treasury Department, it has "collaborated with Russia-based metals companies to disguise the origin of Russian precious metals." Additionally, German national Bernd Guenter Diegelmann, a UAE-based employee of Rheingold Edelmetall, "arranged the sale of Russian precious stones in the UAE," the Treasury Department said. RUSSIA-NORTH KOREA MUNITIONS TRANSFERS The State Department also imposed sanctions on Vostochnaya Stevedoring Company. It said more than 7,400 containers of munitions and related materials have been delivered to Russia through the company's terminal at Vostochny Port, where Russia has imported shipping containers carrying military-related cargo from North Korea for use in Ukraine. Russia-based PJSC TransContainer, an intermodal container operator that offers military transportation services to the Russian armed forces and has played a role in the illicit transshipment of North Korean munitions and weapons systems for use on the battlefield in Ukraine, was also hit with sanctions by the Treasury Department. TransContainer is also the operator of a new rail terminal at SEZ Alabuga, and its leadership was part of a Russian delegation that visited Iran in 2023, the Treasury said. NUCLEAR The U.S. also targeted the Alexandrov Research Institute of Technology, a subsidiary of Rosatom, the state nuclear company, which the State Department said is involved in designing, testing and supporting nuclear power and naval propulsion reactors, including for Russian submarines. MANUFACTURE OF WEAPONS The State Department also said it was targeting nearly 60 entities and individuals involved in the manufacture of weapons, ammunition, and associated materiel as part of its effort to disrupt and degrade Russia's military industrial base. NAVALNY'S DEATH The State Department on Friday also targeted three Russian Federal Penitentiary Service officials it accused of being connected to Navalny's death, including its deputy director who it said reportedly instructed prison staff to exert harsher treatment on Navalny. Navalny, 47, fell unconscious and died suddenly last week at the penal colony above the Arctic Circle, the prison service said. EXPORT CONTROLS The Biden administration also imposed new trade restrictions on 93 entities from Russia, China, Turkey, the UAE, Kyrgyzstan, India and South Korea for supporting Russia's war effort in Ukraine, according to a federal government notice posted online on Friday. The action means companies will be placed on the Commerce Department's "Entity List," essentially banning U.S. shipments to them. Of the new entities listed, 63 were from Russia, 16 from Turkey, eight from China and four from the UAE. (Reporting by Daphne Psaledakis, David Brunnstrom and Timothy Gardner, Alex Alper and Andrea Shalal in Washington and Polina Devitt in London; Editing by Paul Simao and Marguerita Choy) A Girl Scouts troop in St Louis has been threatened with a lawsuit over a fundraiser they planned to raise money for children in Gaza. Nawal Abuhamdeh, the troop leader and mother of a 10-year-old member, told the St Louis Post-Dispatch that many of the girls in the troop have been heartbroken by the death and destruction in Gaza . Instead of selling Girl Scout cookies this year, they decided to do a community service project. The children came up with the idea to sell homemade bracelets to benefit the Palestine Childrens Relief Fund, Ms Abuhamdeh said. More than 29,000 Palestinians have been killed 13,000 of them children in Israels brutal siege on Gaza since 7 October, when 1,200 people in Israel were killed in attacks by Hamas. Im grieving. We are all grieving, Ms Abuhamdeh said. We literally couldnt muster the energy to sell cookies. After spreading the word about the fundraiser on social media, the Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri emailed Ms Abuhamdeh, saying the troop was required to stay neutral and could not engage in partisan politics. They directed her to remove mentions of the Girl Scouts from communications about the fundraiser. Ms Abuhamdeh pushed back against the organization, noting how deeply the girls cared about the project, and reassuring them that they were not taking a political stance. She also pointed out that similar fundraisers had been permitted for victims of the war in Ukraine, and asked why this one was being treated differently. We condemn any innocent lives taken whatever religion they are, whatever ethnicity they are, she said. In response, the organization said the troop had failed to follow appropriate policy, procedures and approval processes as outlined in our volunteer and leader training documents and threatened to sue if they did not comply. Unfortunately, if this direct violation of the organizations governing documents and policies continues, Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri and Girl Scouts of the United States have no other choice than to engage our legal counsel to help remedy this situation and to protect the intellectual property and other rights of the organization, the email reportedly said. After speaking with the parents of the other troop members, they decided to officially disband from the Girl Scouts, saying the organisation was not living up to its mission of teaching girls to make the world a better place. In a statement to The Independent, a spokesperson for Girl Scouts of the USA said each of their regional councils operates as their own 501c3 nonprofit organization, adding that the national organisation never considered taking and did not take legal action against this troop or the leader. According to organization policies, the spokesperson said, troops may not fundraise for purposes other than Girl Scouting, though this rule may be temporarily lifted in extraordinary circumstances. Fundraising restrictions related to the Israel-Gaza war were lifted for a period from October 10, 2023, through January 10, 2024, giving Girl Scouts the opportunities to proactively fundraise and contribute in their capacity as Girl Scouts to charities listed on Charity Navigator, including the Palestine Childrens Relief Fund, the spokesperson said. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is sending in the Florida National Guard to aid in securing the Texas-Mexico border. DeSantis confirmed Friday the deployment of personnel from the state's National Guard to various locations in Texas to bolster efforts launched by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. "We have another round of personnel heading to the southern border today," DeSantis announced Friday. "This is part of a yearslong effort for us to help do what the federal government has refused to do which is to actually defend this countrys borders. Youve seen numbers that have been astronomical over these last three years." "I know that what has been happening in Texas has been effective. You have seen the numbers go down, and that is really because you have Texas putting forth a huge effort and all these other states coming by to help," DeSantis said. RELATED : Florida social media bill passes amid concerns from Gov. DeSantis The personnel sent to Texas will also include 76 Florida Highway Patrol troopers, who will be assisting border patrol efforts in San Antonio. MIAMI, FL - AUGUST 29: Governor Ron DeSantis gives a briefing regarding Hurricane Dorian to the media at National Hurricane Center on August 29, 2019 in Miami, Florida. Hurricane Dorian is expected to become a Category 4 as it approaches Florida in the upcoming days. (Photo by Eva Marie Uzcategui/Getty Images) The governor continued, "So we want to be a part of that. We think that this is an American issue, partially just because we should just have a secure country, and then partially the effects of this border invasion go to all 50 states." DeSantis also addressed the drastic rise of Chinese nationals crossing the Mexican border, which has generated entirely new concerns among national security experts. "You got massive numbers of now Chinese coming across the border," he said. "This is incredible that we would be allowing people from all over the world who we have no idea who they are, that they are just being able to pour into this country." MORE : Bill backed by Gov. DeSantis to address homeless crisis under scrutiny Over a dozen states have announced that they support Abbott's agenda on illegal immigration and have said they will provide resources to help him secure the border amid record levels of illegal immigration. Abbott is currently fighting multiple legal battles with the Biden administration. The federal government has threatened legal action over Texas seizure of Shelby Park near Eagle Pass, while lawsuits are ongoing over the administrations cutting of razor wire set up by Texas and the establishment of buoys in the Rio Grande. The U.S. Supreme Court recently found in the administration's favor when it granted an emergency appeal to allow agents to keep cutting border wire set up by Texas along the border. Texas this week published images of it strengthening physical barriers along Eagle Pass. Fox News Digital's Andrew Mark Miller contributed to this report. ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece is planning to further raise the investment threshold for "golden visas" to foreigners to 800,000 euros ($861,520) for real estate in cities and islands where demand is high, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Friday. Greece first launched its golden visa scheme in 2014, granting foreigners a renewable, five-year residence permit in the EU member state in return for a 250,000-euro property investment in the country. Last year, it raised the threshold to 500,000 euros in certain neighbourhoods of the capital Athens and its second-biggest city of Thessaloniki, as well as on the islands of Mykonos and Santorini, two of its biggest tourism destinations. Speaking in parliament on Friday, Mitsotakis said the government was considering raising it further in certain urban areas and on islands. He did not name the areas. "What we are discussing with the finance minister, and I believe we will be able to announce something very soon, is a further significant increase in the threshold for golden visa investments," Mitsotakis said. He said the threshold could reach 800,000 euros. Greece has issued just over 17,500 golden visas since 2018, according to the latest available migration ministry data. Chinese citizens accounted for 61% of those. As well as residency in Greece, the visas allow travel within Europe's free movement Schengen zone. ($1 = 0.9286 euros) (Reporting by Karolina Tagaris and Angeliki Koutantou; Editing by Alison Williams) By Sofia Menchu GUATEMALA CITY (Reuters) - Guatemala has no intention of breaking diplomatic relations with Taiwan despite seeking closer economic links with China, President Bernardo Arevalo said on Thursday, pledging to boost ties with both players in parallel. Guatemala is one of only a handful of nations that still maintains formal ties with Taiwan. Next-door Honduras last year switched allegiances to China, which claims Taiwan as its own, after seeking almost $2.5 billion in aid from Beijing. Arevalo assumed office in mid-January vowing to end corruption and establish relations with China, raising the possibility that those ties might come at the expense of historic diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Such an outcome looked closer this week when Foreign Minister Carlos Ramiro Martinez told Reuters Guatemala was considering reaching out to China to develop formal trade ties, prompting the opposition to seek clarification on Guatemala's foreign policy plans. Publicly reaffirming the country's Taiwan ties for the first time since taking office, Arevalo said his administration will not change course. "We are not choosing," Arevalo told Reuters in an interview in Guatemala City's National Palace. "Diplomatic relations are with Taiwan and with the People's Republic of China there are trade relations that will continue to develop." Arevalo, an academic and former diplomat, has promised to tackle the root causes of migration, especially rampant poverty that has fueled a huge exodus of Guatemalans to the U.S. mostly through illegal routes. In 2022, about 233,000 Guatemalans arrived at U.S. borders. To broaden legal migration options, Arevalo's administration is now seeking a "significant increase" in quotas for temporary worker visas that Guatemalans can obtain under an agreement with the United States, the president said. "We want to make this a pretty significant initiative," he said, adding that the two countries are in talks about "mechanisms" that Guatemala can use to sate the demand for labor in cities and rural areas in the United States. (Editing by Drazen Jorgic; Editing by Josie Kao) In a landmark case, a federal jury in Columbia, South Carolina on Friday found Daqua Lameek Ritter guilty of killing a transgender woman, Dime Doe. It is the first time that a federal jury has convicted someone of murder with the motive being the victims real or perceived gender identity. On Aug. 4, 2019, Doe, 24, who was born and raised in Allendale, and remembered by family and friends as beautiful and the life of the party, was found dead on Concord School Road. She was found slumped in the drivers seat of her car, shot three times in the head at close range with a .25-caliber handgun. Ritter, who had been in a tumultuous, secretive relationship with Doe over several years, was found guilty on all three counts of his indictment, which included possession of a firearm during a violent crime and lying to federal investigators. The jury of nine women and three men returned the verdict at 9:15 p.m. after deliberating for almost four hours. The jury heard testimony that her killer, Daqua Ritter, believed this was going to be a cold case, it is not a cold case anymore, said First Assistant Attorney Brook Andrews from the U.S. Attorneys Office for South Carolina at a news conference following the verdict. The jury has told us who did it and they have held him accountable. For that we are grateful, we are relieved and we remain heartbroken at the loss of Ms. Doe and the tragedy her family has suffered. After the verdict was read, there were sobs from Does family, who attended every day of the trial. Afterward they stood with the prosecution team, Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ben Garner and Elle Klein from the U.S. Attorneys Office for South Carolina, and Andrew Manns from the Department of Justices Civil Rights Division. Does father, Ernest, carried her portrait, while her mother held Kleins hand. Prosecutors alleged that Ritter, 27, killed Doe because he feared being perceived as gay for being in a relationship with a transgender woman. Witnesses testified that Ritter was furious when his girlfriend went through his phone and accused him of being in a relationship with Doe. Ritter threatened to beat Doe, according to two witnesses, and messaged her that he was being called all kinds of f----- now that their relationship was public knowledge. His anger and his rage after those rumors came out, they were focused on one person: Dime Doe, Manns said. Ritter is not the first person to be charged under the gender-identity provision contained in the federal Matthew Shepard And James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which was signed into law by President Barack Obama in 2009. He is the first to be convicted. This case stands as a testament to our committed effort to fight violence that is targeted against those that may identify as members of the opposite sex, for their sexual orientation or any other protected characteristic, Andrews said. We are going to pursue those crimes and if we can make em, you can bet we are going to prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law. Between 2017 and 2022, there were 222 homicides of transgender people in the United States, according to a study from Everytown for Gun Safety, a nonprofit that aims to reduce gun violence. The victims are disproportionately Black trans women, who made up 67 percent of those victims killed by a gun. South Carolina is one of just two states in the country that does not have a hate crime law. The Clementa C. Pinckney Hate Crimes Act has cleared the South Carolina House of Representatives twice, but has stalled in the Senate. The bill would enhance penalties for certain crimes motivated by hate toward a protected class, including race and gender identity. We know that hate crimes dont just impact individuals that are the victims of those crimes, because when a person is targeted because of their very identity, it impacts entire communities, said Chase Glenn, executive director of Alliance for Full Acceptance, a South Carolina-based LGBTQ advocacy group. To be the only state other than Wyoming that has failed to pass a hate crime law sends a message that our state doesnt take seriously that they would be targeted for who they are, Glenn said. The jury reached its verdict after hearing testimony from 27 witnesses over four days at the Matthew J. Perry Federal Courthouse in Columbia before District Judge Sherri Lydon. Those witnesses included a group of friends Ritter fell in with in the month leading up to the killing, as well as neighbors and family members who testified about his actions the day of the crime, including destroying his clothes in a burn barrel. The jury also heard testimony from investigators from the FBI and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, along with experts in DNA, ballistics and cellular records. This testimony locked Ritter into an unforgiving timeline that prosecutors called a murder window. Ritter is expected to be sentenced in three months, Andrews said. In pre-trial motions, prosecutors said they were not seeking the death penalty. The federal sentencing guidelines for murder set life at the recommended sentence. There is no parole in the federal system. The Case Doe was born and grew up in Allendale. She attended Allendale-Fairfax High School and friends and family who took the stand described how she stood out, unapologetically, in their small town. After her death, suspicions and rumors flew fast in Allendale, where many of the towns approximately 2,600 people are either relatives or neighbors. Almost immediately, those rumors focused on Ritter, then 22. Despite his attempts to hide the relationship, it had become the subject of gossip. Ritter was an outsider in Allendale. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he would visit the town every summer with his grandmother. It was there that he met Doe, whose aunt was dating one of Ritters uncles. At some point, the two began a relationship but then fell out of touch. But on July 3, 2019, Ritter reached out to Doe. No drama no BS I really gotta talk to you, Ritter texted her in a message he later deleted. S--- hurt me we look each other in the face now and dont speak, Doe wrote back. Im scared you might try to do something to me. Ritter replied, I miss you for real. Doe replied, Thats why Im scared to come. No lie, Im scared. You aint never talk like that. Over the next month, they would message each other over the TextNow app 749 times and talk for almost four hours. The messages showed how Ritter relied on Doe he asked for rides and to hang out. He confided that he was sick of being homeless, bouncing between Allendale and Columbia, where his then-girlfriend, Delasia Green, was living, and feeling trapped in both. But he often pulled away and expressed fear and anger over how others, including Green, perceived his sexuality. He warned Doe not to tell anyone about him and to delete his messages. Days before her death, Doe and Ritter got into a fight over text. I feel like you use me. This is where s--- went wrong the first time, Doe wrote. I break my neck to do s--- for you. But on Aug. 4, Ritter texted and called Doe from his friend Xavier Pinckneys phone, asking her to come pick him up. A summer storm had just passed, and a group of people who were hanging out with Ritter saw him get into a car matching Does white Chevy Impala. Pinckney pleaded guilty to lying to investigators about letting Ritter use his phone and denying that his phone could make calls. At 3:02 p.m., Ritter was seen on bodycam footage in Does car during a traffic stop. At 4:41 p.m., Pinckney called a number from his phone that cell records link to Does phone, which was found in her car. He testified that it sounded like Ritters voice when the call was picked up. Around that time, Ritters uncles girlfriend testified that Ritter showed up on foot, unannounced and nervous at his uncles house, less than half a mile away from where Does body was found. Multiple witnesses testified that they saw Ritter burning his clothes later that evening. The next day, one witness testified that Ritter had confessed to her; another witness said Ritter had asked him to hide a gun. Over the course of four days, defense attorneys Joshua Kendrick and co-counsel Lindsey Vann questioned the motives of many of the prosecutions witnesses, many of whom admitted to previously lying to investigators. They also attempted to poke holes in their testimony regarding contradictory or inaccurate times, dates and details. Theres a story per person, Kendrick said during his closing. As part of meeting the burden for the murder charge, prosecutors were required to prove that the federal government had jurisdiction over the case. In order to prove this, prosecutors introduced evidence that material elements of the crime, including the gun Ritter used, the phone he used to communicate with Doe and Does car, which was made in Canada, were products of interstate commerce. A few days after Does death, Ritter returned to New York. He did not return to South Carolina until after his arrest in January 2023. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said Friday he supported a bid from Sweden to join NATO, ending months of tensions over whether his country would approve the Nordic nation into the Western security alliance. Orban said after a meeting with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson in Budapest on Friday that Hungarys Parliament would meet Monday to move forward on ratifying Stockholm into the alliance, which would pave the way for Sweden to finally be included into NATO. The agreement reached Friday also includes improved defense cooperation between Hungary and Sweden. Orbans office announced a plan to purchase four Gripen fighter-bomber aircraft, which are manufactured in Sweden. There will also be an extended contract for logistical services and training related to the aircraft. Today we opened a new phase of cooperation between Hungary and Sweden, Orban wrote on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. Kristersson said at a press conference Friday that Sweden was ready to strengthen defense cooperation with Hungary and thanked Orban for the meeting and agreement. Orban said Hungary did not change its mind on Swedens NATO bid but had sought to rebuild trust with the country. To be a member of NATO together with another country means we are ready to die for each other, Orban said at the press conference. If you would like to make that kind of strong relationship, you need a proper basis for that, especially trust and mutual respect. Orban also insisted the inclusion of Sweden into the alliance was not a business deal. Sweden applied to NATO along with fellow Nordic nation Finland in spring 2022, shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine. While Finland was included more swiftly, Sweden has faced opposition to its inclusion from both Turkey and Hungary. Turkey finally ratified Sweden last month after securing a commitment from the U.S. to provide Ankara with F-16 fighter jets. Hungary had also held the process up after some members of Parliament blasted Stockholm for what they called the spreading of lies about the state of Hungarian democracy. But following Turkeys approval, Orban invited Kristersson to meet with him in Budapest to discuss the alliance bid. For a country to be included into NATO, all 31 member nations must ratify it in. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. A legal opinion from an attorney at the Idaho Legislature has concluded that the State Board of Education violated the state constitution and exceeded its legal authority in its effort to purchase the University of Phoenix, and recommended the Legislature take legal action. Although my concerns are many, my primary concern is this: The Board is attempting to escape its constitutional and statutory limitations by recreating itself as a private corporation, Legislative Legal Counsel Elizabeth Bowen wrote in a letter to seven lawmakers Thursday. The State Board of Education voted to buy the University of Phoenix for $550 million in August, only a day after the proposal had been made public. The acquisition, which is expected to cost $685 million and was negotiated primarily behind closed doors, prompted a lawsuit from Attorney General Raul Labrador over alleged open meeting law violations. A judge dismissed that lawsuit last month. Moodys has warned that the purchase could cause a multi-notch downgrade in the universitys bond rating. But the deal has not yet been finalized, and a set of lawmakers appear intent on challenging the deals legality. Lawmakers in the House have proposed a strongly worded joint resolution to give the Legislature legal authority to sue over the deal, which is expected to close in March. This process has not been done in the full light of day, the Legislature has not been dealt in at all, Rep. Brent Crane, R-Nampa, told a legislative committee earlier this month. When youre going to enter acquisitions of this magnitude, we need to be at the table. Rep. John Gannon, D-Boise, called the deal a purchase by ambush and said he had concerns about the difficulties media outlets have had in getting information about the purchase of the mostly online Arizona university with more than 85,000 students. If its such a good deal, then we should know everything, everything should be on the table at this point, Gannon said. In her letter, Bowen said the State Board of Education has no constitutional or statutory authority to acquire, own, and operate a private institution and to take on its liabilities, and that taking on hundreds of millions in debt without public transparency about the financial exposure the state faces risks becoming a disastrous financial judgment. Neither the board nor the University of Idaho has requested the legislation necessary to convert the University of Phoenix into a state institution of higher education, Bowen said, adding it is beyond the scope of the boards charter to acquire the school. She wrote that the corporation the university has created to purchase the University of Phoenix, Four Three Education, is not valid and therefore lacks legal existence. The Board of Education has not been contacted by the Legislature about the letter and is still reviewing the opinion, spokesperson Mike Keckler told the Idaho Statesman by email. Bowen noted that she has discussed her concerns with the University of Idahos attorney and its government affairs liaison. The University of Idaho did not immediately respond to a request for comment. It is my belief that if the State Board of Education and the University of Idaho proceed under the current terms of the proposed transaction, they do so at their peril, she said. Bowen said she recommends legal action unless the State Board of Education gets approval from the Legislature for its deal or restructures the purchase to avoid state ownership of a private institution. The most solemn obligation of any public entity is to serve the public interest, Bowen said. If the State Board of Education and the University of Idaho have forgotten that they should be reminded. Gov. Brad Little defended the decision earlier this month. At an Idaho Press Club event, he told reporters that the state wants to expand university access online and make it more affordable, and that the University of Phoenix could serve that function. He said he believes the worst-case risk would be up to $10 million a year in payments to bondholders. Its got a storied past, he said. Im very empathetic to the fact that this checks the box the State Board has been asking higher education for for a long time. The Alabama Supreme Court ruling last week that embryos are people, imperiling in vitro fertilization, shocked many Americans. But the decision was vindicating for abortion rights activists who have warned for years that the fall of Roe v. Wade would put other forms of reproductive health care on the chopping block. This is something that we knew was coming, Mini Timmaraju, the president of Reproductive Freedom for All, told NBC News, adding, For the folks who were watching closely, this was not a shock. NBC News spoke to several leaders in the abortion rights movement who said they view the Alabama decision as the latest target in the yearslong history of anti-abortion advocacy that won't end with IVF. They also said they hoped the ruling would galvanize support for protecting access to abortion and other reproductive rights. 'Never just about abortion' Since the U.S. Supreme Court announced in 2021 that it would take up a Mississippi law banning abortions after 15 weeks, abortion rights supporters began to prepare for the possibility of Roe's downfall. And once the high court struck down the landmark abortion ruling in its 2022 Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization decision, those same activists began to prepare for further threats to reproductive health care. With the Dobbs decision, we knew that the opposition wasnt going to stop at that, Candace Gibson, the director of state policy at the Guttmacher Institute, a pro-abortion rights think tank, said in an interview. We always have known that the anti-abortion movement, the opposition, will try to find any avenue to restrict the right of bodily autonomy. Another area of reproductive care that abortion rights groups say anti-abortion politicians are eyeing is contraception, both regular contraception and emergency contraceptive care. Weve been saying that it was never just about abortion, its about, you know, control and who gets to decide whose personal medical decisions, said Sara Spain, the national press secretary for EMILYs List, a group that seeks to support Democratic, pro-abortion rights women running for office. She added, Its going to be IVF. Its going to be birth control, and were going to continue to see this. Advocates also warn that conservative groups are using the same strategies that have proved successful in restricting abortion to target LGBTQ rights. Theyre using the same playbook now to restrict the total autonomy and rights of LGBTQ people, right, especially young, trans people, Gibson said, adding, That is all part of this, like, larger picture to really, you know, restrict the bodily autonomy of people in this country. The decadeslong links between anti-abortion activism and IVF One major signal to abortion rights activists who predicted restrictions on IVF was the long-standing push for policies that emphasize the belief of some conservatives that life begins at conception. This idea of fetal personhood has been a long-term goal in the anti-abortion movement, Gibson said. In the 1970s, in the wake of the Supreme Courts Roe decision and as research into IVF was advancing, abortion opponents mounted a campaign to restrict research using embryos, despite recommendations from medical and ethics panels that some research should be permitted. "To this day we in this country we do not allow the federal funding of research on human embryos if any embryo will be destroyed," said Margaret Marsh, a professor at Rutgers University and co-author of "The Pursuit of Parenthood: Reproductive Technology From Test-Tube Babies to Uterus Transplants." "They had a fairly powerful impact on the way in which IVF developed in this country," she said. So-called fetal personhood bills have been introduced in at least 14 states in the current legislative session, according to data from the Center for Reproductive Rights and the Guttmacher Institute. Katie Daniel, state policy director for the anti-abortion group Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, applauded the Alabama decision and insisted that the group's position isn't anti-IVF, but rather that "fertility treatments need not carelessly or intentionally destroy the new life created." But the vast majority of IVF procedures require the creation of multiple embryos, according to Barbara Collura, the president and CEO of RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association. "If doctors and embryologists are forced to limit the number of embryos created, they are not giving their patient the best chance at achieving pregnancy. And this will no doubt increase the financial, physical and emotional burden of the patient," Collura said in a statement to NBC News. A surge in abortion rights activism Abortion rights groups saw a surge in support and activism in the wake of the Dobbs decision, and following the Alabama Supreme Courts ruling last week, they expect support to rise again, particularly among those who have sought and used fertility treatments, not just among people on the left. Folks are fired up. Folks are really motivated and theyre terrified. And its not just women; its men and women. Its so many people who have used, you know, reproductive technologies to build their families, Timmaraju said, adding, So, I do think its going to be a mobilizing moment. Infertility is an issue that bridges ideological gaps: Former Vice President Mike Pence and his wife Karen Pence underwent IVF and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who is running for president, used fertility treatments (though not IVF). One in 6 people face infertility, and so making sure that were speaking about these issues that impact voters, that impact constituents, Spain said, adding, Really speaking up about these cases and reaching a bipartisan audience [is important] because we know that that is who this impacts, its not just Democrats. Brian Steven Smith arrives in a courtroom after a break, on 6 February 2024, in Anchorage, Alaska (Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.) A man who filmed himself torturing and killing a Native Alaska woman was convicted of murder for her death, as well as for killing another Native woman. Brian Steven Smith, 52, was found guilty Thursday in the murders of Kathleen Jo Henry, 30, and Veronica Abouchuk, 52. Smith, who is from South Africa, was arrested in 2019 after a sex worker stole his phone and found graphic videos on it of him beating and strangling Henry to death in an Anchorage hotel room. She copied the evidence onto a memory card and turned it over to police, the Associated Press reported. After being taken into custody, he also admitted to killing Ms Abouchuk in 2018 or 2019. Disturbing videos of Henrys murder were shown only to the jury during the trial, but the audio including the sounds of her gasping for breath as she died was reportedly audible throughout the gallery. Though Smiths face was not visible in the videos, his prominent South African accent could be heard speaking about the killing as if for an audience. In my movies, everybody always dies, he could be heard saying in the footage. What are my followers going to think of me? People need to know when they are being serial-killed. Smith reportedly drove around with Henrys body in the back of his pickup truck for two days before dumping the corpse on a road. In addition to two counts of first-degree murder, Smith was also convicted on multiple charges of sexual assault and tampering with evidence. Due to evidence that Henrys murder involved substantial physical torture, Smith faces a mandatory 99-year prison sentence for her murder. He faces another 30 to 99 years for the death of Abouchuk. He is set to be sentenced in July. A massive house fire in Missouri that killed a woman and her four children is believed to have been a murder-suicide, police said. The fire at the home in Ferguson, Missouri, killed Bernadine Pruessner, 39, and her children Ivy Pruessner, 9; Ellie Pruessner, 9; Jackson Spader, 6; and Millie Spader, 2, according to the St. Louis County Police Department. Police said a preliminary investigation revealed that the case was a murder-suicide and that the mother started the blaze. It is believed that Bernadine intentionally set a mattress on fire as that was the point of origin for the fire. A note was also left stating Bernadines intentions to take her life and the lives of her children, police said in a Wednesday statement. Police responded to a call for service at the familys home at 4:23 a.m. Monday, the St. Louis County Police Department said in the statement. The officers were told by fire personnel that four people had been found dead inside the house and that another person was found dead shortly after. At least one dog also died in the fire, police said. Bernadine Birdie Pruessner, 39, was found dead after the fire, along with her four children: 2-year-old Millie, 6-year-old Jackson and 9-year-old twin girls Ellie and Ivy in a Missouri fire. (KSDK News ) Nathan Cohen, who was Pruessners attorney, told NBC News she had been going through contentious custody and child support cases with the two fathers of her children. Cohen said Pruessner, a professor at a community college, was faced with the stress of having to be in court all the time, and trying to raise a family. I think she thought these kids were being used as foils to get to her, Cohen said. In a statement provided by Cohen, which referred to Pruessner as Birdie, her family said Birdie lived for her children, and focused only on their happiness. Birdie got to an awful place, one that resulted in tragic consequences, the statement said. The family wants you to know that she got to that darkness as a result of spurious litigation and unfounded allegations by her ex-husband and her former boyfriend. Jared Spader, the father of Jackson and Millie, released a statement to NBC affiliate KSDK on behalf of himself and David Pruessner, the father of Ellie and Ivy, saying the fathers have to focus on honoring the four beautiful lives. They did not immediately respond to a request for comment from NBC News. What I would want everyone to know about my two wonderful children is they are the greatest gift that a father could ever ask for, Spader said in the statement. Jackson was the most incredible older brother kind, intuitive and gentle. Millie was a funny, charismatic, sweet and kind little sister who brightened every moment of every day for all of us. As dads, right now we have to focus on honoring the four beautiful lives, and we plan to do that together, the statement said. Our thanks go out to the community, people we know and many we have never even met, who have shown us incredible amounts of support. We will continue to need it. Ferguson Police Chief Troy Doyle said in a statement that the tragedy has left an indelible mark on our town. Though I didnt know them personally, their story has deeply touched not only me but also the officers who were first on the scene, and indeed, our whole community, he said. It was a stark reminder of the unseen battles some of our neighbors are fighting and the critical need for empathy, compassion, and support from all of us, he said. This incident has profoundly affected those who served that day, showcasing the vulnerability we all share as human beings. Many Americans hold a favorable view of NATO and say the U.S. should continue to defend its allies, according to a new survey. The YouGov poll, released Friday, found 60 percent of respondents believe that the U.S. should defend its NATO allies if they are attacked. Just 13 percent say the country should not honor that commitment, and 26 percent of respondents said they were unsure. NATOs Article 5 provision describes that an attack on any member of NATO should be treated as an attack on all members. The survey found respondents had the most support for the United Kingdom (63 percent), followed by France (58 percent), Germany (55 percent), Poland (54 percent), Finland (54 percent) and Greece (52 percent). Sweden, which has yet to be accepted into the alliance, also garnered 58 percent support, per the survey. Democratic respondents were more likely than others to say that the U.S. should maintain its obligation to support other NATO countries in times of conflict. About 72 percent of Democrats agreed, while 53 percent of independent respondents and 56 percent of Republicans said the same. Among Republicans, self-identified MAGA Republicans or those closely aligned with former President Trump, who uses the Make America Great Again motto for his campaign were less likely to support the U.S. sticking with its NATO allies. Forty-seven percent of MAGA Republicans said the commitment should be upheld, while 62 percent of self-identified non-MAGA Republicans said the same, the survey found. Older Americans and college graduates were also more likely to say the U.S. should defend its NATO allies, per the poll. The survey results come just after Trump expressed negative rhetoric about the alliance. The GOP presidential front-runner sparked international concern after he said he would encourage attacks on NATO members that failed to meet defense spending commitments. The survey found that 54 percent of Americans strongly or somewhat disapprove of Trumps NATO opinion and 23 percent approve with Republicans closely divided on their support and a majority of Democrats disapproving of his statements around the alliance. The survey was conducted Sunday through Tuesday among 1,562 U.S. adults and has a margin of error of 3 percentage points. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. A coalition of reproductive rights groups in Nevada is formally launching an effort Saturday to place an amendment on the November ballot that would enshrine abortion rights in the battleground states constitution. But its kickoff event wont be exclusively geared toward abortion rights. Rather, organizers at Nevadans for Reproductive Freedom, the group leading the ballot effort, will also look to drive enthusiasm by drawing attention to the recent Alabama Supreme Court ruling that found embryos created through in vitro fertilization are considered children. The decision has meant that people could theoretically be sued for destroying an embryo, leading to fear that conservative lawmakers and judges who first came after abortion rights are now coming after fertility treatments. The ruling out of Alabama is a reminder of just how urgent this issue is. We knew that the overturning of Roe v. Wade opened the door not just to limits on abortion but every part of reproductive health care including IVF, birth control, and so much more, Tova Yampolsky, the campaign manager for Nevadans for Reproductive Freedom, said in a statement to NBC News. Every time other states take hostile action towards any aspect of reproductive rights, its an opportunity to engage people on why making protections more robust in Nevada is important she added. Nevada is now the latest state where abortion-rights groups have launched signature-collecting efforts to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. In the 20 months since that ruling, abortion-rights advocates have won every race in which the issue has appeared directly on the ballot. But organizers for similar efforts in other states told NBC News that they too will attempt to utilize anger over the Alabama ruling to build support for their ballot initiatives both in signature-collecting efforts to qualify the measure for the ballot, and to get it passed. That includes the campaign in South Dakota, led by a group called Dakotans for Health, seeking to put a proposed constitutional amendment on the ballot next fall that would make abortion legal in all situations in the first trimester of a pregnancy. This is madness. It will come to South Dakota the minute extremist advocates file suit here because South Dakotas Legislature has enacted the same illogical fiction that a person is created at the instant of fertilization, and therefore a frozen embryo is a person, that opened the door to this insanity in Alabama, Rick Weiland, the groups co-founder, said in a statement to NBC News. The only way to save IVF and restore reproductive rights in South Dakota is to reinstate Roe v. Wade by writing it into the South Dakota Constitution, which is what our citizen-initiated amendment does, Weiland added. The proposal in South Dakota would allow abortion to remain illegal in the second trimester except when a womans health or life is at risk. In the third trimester, the proposal would allow exceptions only when the womans life is at risk. If passed, the amendment would effectively undo the states near-total ban on abortion, which snapped back into effect after Roe was struck down. The law, which abortion advocates say is among the harshest in the U.S., prohibits all abortions except when necessary to save the mothers life. To place the measure, Dakotans for Health first must collect 35,000 signatures from registered voters before May 7. Meanwhile, in Nevada, abortion rights supporters will officially begin collecting signatures throughout Las Vegas on Saturday morning after they selected one proposed 2024 ballot measure from two possible options. In attendance at the kickoff event in North Las Vegas will be Nevada state Senate Democratic Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro, Planned Parenthood Action Fund President CEO Alexis McGill Johnson and Illinois Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker, whose Think Big America nonprofit has helped fund reproductive rights causes and similar ballot measures in states across the United States. To advance the measure to the November ballot in Nevada, the group must collect the valid signatures of approximately 103,000 registered voters in the state by June 26. In Nevada, abortion is already legal up until the 24th week of pregnancy. But fearing that such protections could be undone in future Republican administrations in the state, reproductive rights advocates sought to put a constitutional amendment on the ballot that would enshrine similar language protecting abortion rights up until fetal viability to make it close to impossible for lawmakers to ever terminate the protections. Specifically, the proposed amendment would establish that all individuals have a fundamental right to abortion performed or administered by a qualified health care practitioner until fetal viability without interference from the state or its political subdivisions. The language includes an exception after that time period when abortion care is needed to protect the life or health of the pregnant patient. The proposed measure defines fetal viability as the point in pregnancy when, in the professional judgment of the patients treating health care practitioner, there is a significant likelihood of the fetus sustained survival outside the uterus without the application of extraordinary medical measures. The group had originally filed two proposals with state officials. Conservative opponents filed legal challenges against both. The challenges to the measure the group is moving forward with were resolved last month. The Nevada Supreme Court is still reviewing the groups other, more sweeping, proposal. Even if the proposed measure passes in November, it would have to, under Nevada law, pass again in 2026 before the constitution is formally amended. But having an abortion question on the ballot in Nevada a crucial swing state could help boost Democratic turnout in the races for president and U.S. Senate by tapping into the enthusiasm around the issue. (Baonghean.vn) - In 2022, with nearly USD 1 billion in FDI, Nghe An ranked 10th out of 63 provinces; in 2023, the province in the North Central region entered the "billion-dollar FDI attraction club" for the first time with a capital surpassing USD 1.6 billion, ranking 8th out of 63 provinces. In 2024, Nghe An aims to maintain its position in the top 10 provinces nationwide in attracting FDI. Staff work at the Public Administration Service Center of Nghe An province. Photo: Thanh Le REDUCING TIME, COSTS OF ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURES The People's Committee of Nghe An province has issued a notice emphasizing key tasks, solutions, and directives for administrative reform in 2024, sending it to the directors of departments, heads of provincial-level boards and agencies, as well as the chairpersons of the People's Committees of 21 districts, city and towns in the province. Accordingly, based on Report No. 02-BC/BCD dated January 26, 2024, on the results of activities in 2023, some tasks and solutions for 2024, and Official dispatch No. 05-CV/BCD dated January 25, 2024, on the model-based guidance of administrative reform in 2024 by the Provincial Administrative Reform Steering Committee, to enhance the quality and efficiency of the province's administrative reform in 2024, the Provincial People's Committee of the province requests: Directors of departments, heads of provincial-level boards and agencies; chairpersons of the People's Committees of districts, city, and towns to focus on leadership, directing the rectification of existing limitations and constraints in the administrative reform work of units and localities in 2023, and to comprehensively and systematically implement 6 contents related to administrative reform; prioritize resources to maximize effectiveness in administrative reform work. The Provincial People's Committee requests continued vigorous implementation of administrative procedure reforms, creating the "best, fastest, most convenient" conditions for businesses investing in Nghe An; reforming administrative procedures in the direction of simplification, reducing time and costs, especially for procedures related to the people, businesses, focusing on key areas such as land, investment, construction, and social welfare... Continuously in the years 2022 and 2023, Nghe An stood in the top 10 provinces attracting the largest foreign direct investment nationwide. Specifically, in 2022, with nearly USD 1 billion in FDI, Nghe An ranked 10th out of 63 provinces; in 2023, the province in the North Central region entered the "billion-dollar FDI attraction club" for the first time with a capital surpassing USD 1.6 billion, ranking 8th out of 63 provinces. In 2024, Nghe An aims to maintain its position in the top 10 provinces nationwide in attracting FDI. The People's Committee of the province also requests provincial-level departments, boards and agencies; People's Committees of districts, city, and towns to continue effectively implementing the reforming of the state administrative apparatus. Focus on directing the completion of regulations on delegation, decentralization, and strengthening supervision, inspection, and post-decentralization inspection. Effectively implement Decree No. 29/2023/ND-CP dated June 3, 2023, on organizational streamlining; Resolution No. 117/NQ-CP dated July 30, 2023, of the Government issuing the Plan for rearranging administrative units at the district and commune levels for the 2023-2025 period. Continuously implement the mechanism of autonomy and responsibility in state administrative agencies, public non-business units; intensify the disbursement of public investment capital; effectively implement the arrangement of state assets after merging administrative units at the district and commune levels. Focus on leadership, directing the construction and development of electronic government, digital government, promote the digitization of document storage, records, business processes; electronic authentication, development of digital database systems to serve state management and provide online public services throughout the process. Enhance the inspection of administrative reforms, inspect administrative tasks to improve discipline, principles, and the role and responsibility of the heads of state administrative agencies at all levels. SELECT 7 UNITS AS THE FOCAL POINTS FOR ADMINISTRATIVE REFORM IN 2024 For 7 units and localities selected by the Provincial Administrative Reform Steering Committee to guide the administrative reform work in 2024, including: Management Board of Southeast Economic Zone, Department of Justice, Department of Transport, People's Committee of Hoang Mai town, People's Committees of districts: Do Luong, Nghia Dan, Hung Nguyen, the People's Committee of the province requests the heads of these agencies, units to focus on directing the effective implementation of the model-based guidance at their respective agencies, following the spirit of Official dispatch No. 05-CV/BCD dated January 25, 2024, of the Provincial Administrative Reform Steering Committee. Timely provide information, report and seek guidance from the members of the Provincial Administrative Reform Steering Committee assigned to monitor and direct units to effectively implement the assigned tasks. Every 6 months, at the end of the year, agencies and units compile reports on the specific results of the selected guidance at their units, as chosen by the Provincial Administrative Reform Steering Committee. Evaluate the results achieved, difficulties, make recommendations and proposals to the Provincial Administrative Reform Steering Committee. The People's Committee of the province assigns the Department of Home Affairs to urge, monitor, and inspect departments, boards, sectors, and localities in the implementation. Collect and report the results in the regular reports on administrative reform every quarter, 6 months, and year of the provincial People's Committee. At the same time, directors of departments, heads of boards, and provincial-level agencies; Chairpersons of the People's Committees of districts, city, and towns are requested to seriously implement the above contents. Nghe An is the first locality in the country to establish the Administrative Reform Steering Committee with the Secretary of the Party Committee as the head. At the provincial level, the Provincial Administrative Reform Steering Committee is led by Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee Thai Thanh Quy, established according to Decision No. 1830-QD/TU dated March 6, 2023, of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee. In 2024, the Provincial Administrative Reform Steering Committee of Nghe An province determines the action motto for administrative reform is "Choosing focal tasks - Taking decisive action. By Andrew Hay SANTA FE, N.M. (Reuters) - New Mexico prosecutors on Friday showed jurors texts in which "Rust" weapons handler Hannah Gutierrez said she smoked to "get high" the night before the movie's cinematographer was fatally shot on set in October 2021. In court filings, prosecutors in the trial have alleged Gutierrez's use of marijuana, cocaine and alcohol on evenings after filming may have led to her impairment at work on Oct. 21, 2021 when she mistakenly loaded a live round into a gun actor Alec Baldwin was rehearsing with. The texts shown Friday, the second day of testimony in the trial, did not specify a drug. Jason Hawks, a prosecution witness on cellphone data, who analyzed texts from Gutierrez's phone, testified and showed texts in which Gutierrez says at 7:48 pm on Oct. 20, 2021, "heading down to get high out back." Around half an hour later she texts "I'm still smoking." Prosecutor Kari Morrissey told Reuters she did not intend to call an expert witness on drug use because no blood tests were carried out on Gutierrez after cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was shot dead. Gutierrez's defense lawyers have argued that prosecutors' drug use allegations are speculative, without evidence and an attempt to infer character flaws and prejudice the jury against her. Hutchins died when the Italian-made Pietta reproduction Colt .45 revolver Baldwin was rehearsing with fired the live round, hitting the rising star cinematographer in the chest. Legal experts say that should prosecutors persuade the jury Gutierrez was impaired on set, where she was responsible for firearms safety, she could be convicted of a charge of involuntary manslaughter which carries up to 18 months. Gutierrez is also charged with evidence tampering for allegedly handing a bag of cocaine to a fellow crew member after the shooting in order to prevent police from finding it. Gutierrez has pleaded not guilty to both charges. Prosecution and defense have both tried to show chaos on the low-budget movie where two accidental firearm discharges on one day led a camera crew to walk off set hours before Hutchins died. Defense lawyers said Hutchins died because of Baldwin's reckless handling of the revolver while prosecutors blamed Gutierrez's accidental introduction of live bullets to the set and failure to spot them. The armorer's lawyers said she was unfairly targeted by police after the shooting while Baldwin, who is also charged with involuntary manslaughter, was left to wander around talking on his phone. Baldwin's lawyers are seeking a June trial. "I have the weapon, I have the ammo and I have the armorer," retired Santa Fe County Sheriffs Office Lieutenant Tim Benavidez, one of the first officers on the scene, testified Thursday that he told investigators after he held Gutierrez in his pickup truck. Gutierrez's trial will resume Monday. (Reporting By Andrew Hay; editing by Donna Bryson and Aurora Ellis) People nationwide gathered to watch President Sall being interviewed on Thursday evening Senegal's President Macky Sall has said he will leave office when his term comes to an end on 2 April, but tensions remain over an election date. His recent decision to delay the vote, originally scheduled for Sunday, to mid-December sparked deadly protests. In a televised interview, Mr Sall said an election date would now be decided in political talks to start on Monday. But the opposition has refused to take part in the proposed dialogue dashing hopes of resolving the turmoil. Sixteen of the 19 presidential hopefuls have said they will not be turning up for what the president has termed a "national dialogue". A number of civil society organisations have also declined to take part in the exercise. Mr Sall, who is on his way to the Nigerian capital, Abuja, for an extraordinary summit of the regional bloc Ecowas, has been under pressure to announce a new date since Senegal's highest court declared last week that the postponement of the poll was illegal. His original decree to delay the vote received strong condemnation from the international community. Many feared the postponement would lead to President Sall's remaining leader of the country indefinitely in a region plagued by coups and military governments. Speaking on national television on Thursday evening, Mr Sall said he felt there was not enough time to vote in a new president by the time he steps down on 2 April. He said that the dialogue forum would decide what should happen if this was the case. In a show of good faith, the president said he was prepared to release the popular opposition politician, Ousmane Sonko, from prison. His arrest sparked nationwide protests last year. Dozens of the president's opponents have already been set free since Senegal's Constitutional Council ruled that his decision to postpone the election was illegal. But the fact that the president did not set a new election date has further fuelled suspicions by his critics that this is just another stalling tactic. President Sall has served two terms as Senegal's leader and when he was first elected in 2012 he promised he would not overstay. His televised interview has not yet restored his country's reputation as a bastion of democracy in an increasingly totalitarian region. More on Senegal's political turmoil: Shamima Begum Shamima Begum has lost her latest bid to overturn the government's decision to remove her British citizenship. Ms Begum, now 24, left the country as a teenager to join the Islamic State group in Syria and is barred from returning to the UK. Who is Shamima Begum? Ms Begum is one of three east London schoolgirls who travelled to Syria in 2015 to support the IS group. She was born in the UK to parents of Bangladeshi heritage and was 15 when she left. She married an Islamic State fighter soon after arriving and went on to have three children, none of whom survived. Her UK citizenship was stripped on national security grounds in 2019. Ms Begum remains in a camp controlled by armed guards in northern Syria. What is citizenship? Citizenship is a legal status. If someone is a UK citizen they have the legal right to live in the country and to access services such as welfare, education and healthcare. They can also vote. Citizenship is also an identity, and often forms part of a person's sense of self and belonging. Some people who are not citizens have the right to live in the UK permanently with many of the same rights. They are said to have "settled status" or "leave to remain". How can citizenship be removed? The government has the power to remove someone's UK citizenship in certain circumstances: If it is "for the public good" and would not make them stateless The person obtained citizenship through fraud Their actions could harm UK interests and they could claim citizenship elsewhere The power has been used against members of banned organisations such as al-Qaeda or the Islamic State group, and those who obtained British citizenship fraudulently. The person must also be eligible to apply for citizenship in another country. The UK has responsibilities under international law to avoid leaving people stateless. The Nationality and Borders Act made it easier for the home secretary, in certain circumstances, to remove citizenship without telling the person in question. What happened in the Shamima Begum case? In February 2020, a tribunal ruled that removing Ms Begum's citizenship was lawful because she was "a citizen of Bangladesh by descent". It said removing her British nationality would not make her stateless. However, Bangladesh said that was not the case and that she would not be allowed into the country. In 2021, the Supreme Court decided that Ms Begum could not return to the UK to appeal against the decision to remove her citizenship. In 2023, lawyers for Ms Begum challenged the removal of her citizenship at the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (SIAC). They argued the decision was unlawful, as it did not consider whether she had been a child victim of trafficking. However, SIAC ruled that while there was a credible suspicion that Ms Begum was a victim of trafficking and sexual exploitation, that did not stand in the way of the home secretary stripping her of British citizenship, as she had become a threat. That decision was upheld at the Court of Appeal in February 2024. The judges said Ms Begum "may well have been influenced and manipulated by others but still have made a calculated decision to travel to Syria and align with Islamic State". It is possible that the case could now go to the Supreme Court, BBC home and legal affairs correspondent Dominic Casciani says. How many people have lost their citizenship? According to the Home Office, 220 people were stripped of their British citizenship for the public good between 2010 and 2022. That was almost always due to national security concerns. The highest year on record was 2017, when 104 people lost their citizenship. In comparison, three people lost their citizenship in 2022, the latest year for which data is available. A bar chart showing that between 2010 and 2022, 220 people have been deprived of their British citizenship for the "public good". The highest year on record was 2017, when 104 people lost their citizenship. In comparison, only three people lost citizenship in 2022 the latest year data is available. What about other countries? US-born citizens cannot have their status revoked because citizenship is a birth right guaranteed in the US constitution. However, naturalised US citizens - people who have immigrated to the US - can be stripped of their nationality for reasons including being members of a proscribed group, and obtaining citizenship through fraud. In Australia, a person can have their citizenship removed on national security grounds if they are a dual citizen of another nation. Citizenship can be removed for treason, disloyalty and other national security reasons in 14 EU states, including Greece, France and Romania. It can also be removed without notice in the Netherlands. WARREN, R.I. (AP) A nearly 150-year-old stained-glass church window in Rhode Island that depicts a dark-skinned Jesus Christ interacting with women in New Testament scenes known to many as the Black Gospel Window has found a new home at a museum in Tennessee. The window was installed in 1878 at the now-closed St. Marks Episcopal Church in Warren. It is the oldest known public example of stained glass on which Christ is depicted as a person of color that one expert has seen. Scholars have studied the work, trying to determine the artist's motivations. Measuring 12 feet tall and 5 feet wide (3.7 meters by 1.5 meters), the window depicts two biblical passages in which women, also painted with dark skin, appear as equals to Christ. One shows Christ in conversation with Martha and Mary, the sisters of Lazarus, from the Gospel of Luke. The other shows Christ speaking to the Samaritan woman at the well from the Gospel of John. Made by the Henry E. Sharp studio in New York, the window had largely been forgotten until a few years ago, when Hadley Arnold and her family bought the Greek Revival church building, which opened as a church in 1830 and closed in 2010, to convert into their home. Arnold hoped to find a museum, college or other institution to display the window. She worked with a panel of Rhode Island leaders in the arts, historical preservation and Black history before deciding that its new home would be the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art in Tennessee. Supporters of the move note the museum is committed to serving as a powerhouse of Black artistic and curatorial excellence. They also note that Memphis is one of the nations largest Black-majority cities, one with a vital religious community that played a leading role in the nations civil rights movement. Virginia Raguin, an expert on the history of stained glass at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts, said last year that she and other experts confirmed the skin tones in black and brown paint on milky white glass that was fired in an oven to set the image were original and deliberate. Whether it depicts a Black Jesus has been open to speculation. Arnold doesnt feel comfortable using that term, preferring to say it depicts Christ as a person of color, probably Middle Eastern, which she says would make sense, given where the Galilean Jewish preacher was from. The 1877 Black Gospel Window will have pride of place, Arnold said in a statement. It will be on permanent display in a glass-walled gallery adjacent to a central courtyard, flooded with natural light by day, illuminated and visible from a public courtyard by night. ATHENS, Greece (AP) More than 15,000 protesters gathered in central Athens Thursday to oppose plans by Greece's conservative government to allow private universities in the country starting next year. The mostly young demonstrators chanted hands off education as they gathered outside the main building of the University of Athens. A giant protest banner draped above the entrance read Their Profits or Our Education. The government wants to allow overseas universities to set up branches in Greece that would operate under the national exam system for student candidates. The branches would charge fees but operate under a non-profit structure. Opponents argue that it would undermine public universities, many of which already have funding difficulties, and threaten freely available higher education for undergraduate students in the future. Student protest groups have organized multiple demonstrations in cities across Greece and occupied dozens of university faculty buildings, forcing classes and exams to be held online. Parliament is expected to vote on the education bill at the end of the month. COLUMBIA, S.C. Former President Donald Trump claimed that Black people like him because he has faced discrimination in the legal system, which is something they can relate to. "I got indicted a second time and a third time and a fourth time, and a lot of people said that thats why the Black people like me, because they have been hurt so badly and discriminated against, and they actually viewed me as Im being discriminated against," he said. "Im being indicted for you, the American people. Im being indicted for you, the Black population. I am being indicted for a lot of different groups by sick people, these are sick, sick people," Trump said Friday night in a speech at the Black Conservative Federation's annual gala, at which he received the "Champion of Black America" award. Trump, throughout his nearly two-hour speech, suggested his support from Black Americans stem from their understanding of how corrupt systems can lead to "great evil." "Some of the greatest evils in our nation's history have come from corrupt systems that try to target and subjugate others to deny them their freedom and to deny them their rights," Trump said. "I think that's why the Black people are so much on my side now because they see what's happening to me happens to them." Trump said Black Americans showcased their support for him through their embrace of merchandise emblazoned with his mug shot. "My mug shot weve all seen the mug shot, and you know who embraced it more than anybody else? The Black population," Trump said. "You see Black people walking around with my mug shot, you know, they do shirts and they sell them for $19 apiece. Its pretty amazing millions by the way." Trump appeared at the event with other Black Republican politicians, including Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, Reps. Wesley Hunt of Texas and Byron Donalds of Florida, and Ben Carson, who was Trump's Department of Housing and Urban Development secretary. Former U.S. President Donald Trump at the closing arguments in the Trump Organization civil fraud trial in New York City on Jan. 11, 2024. (Shannon Stapleton / Getty Images file) Adam Wasolis Sr., 33, from the Bronx, New York, said he agreed with Trump's characterization of his appeal to Black voters. "I definitely understand why some Black men may feel they resonate with his issues, because most of the issues that have plagued black men were legal issues," said Wasolis, who is vice chair of the New York Young Republican Black Caucus. Ahead of the gala, Jasmine Harris, the Biden campaigns Black media director, called Trump an "anti-Black tyrant" and "the proud poster boy for modern racism." "This is the same man who falsely accused the Central Park Five, questioned George Floyds humanity, compared his own impeachment trial to being lynched, and ensured the unemployment gap for Black workers spiked during his presidency," Harris said. "Donald Trump has been showing Black Americans his true colors for years: An incompetent, anti-Black tyrant who holds us to such low regard that he publicly dined with white nationalists a week after declaring his 2024 candidacy," she added. Trump, for his part, called Biden a "racist" Friday night. "Joe Biden really has proven to be a very nasty and vicious racist. He's been a racist," Trump said. "Whether you like it or don't like it. I happen not to like it. Joe Biden really has proven to be a very nasty and vicious racist. He's been a racist. ... Biden spent years palling around with notorious segregationists, you know that." The Biden campaign did not immediately return a request for comment on Trump's remarks. Biden served with segregationists including former South Carolina Sen. Strom Thurmond, and he has touted his ability to compromise with them. This week, Biden said he had served with "real racists" in in his long career but that the current Republican Party was worse. "Ive served with Strom Thurmond. Ive served with all these guys that have set terrible records on race. But guess what? These guys are worse. These guys do not believe in basic democratic principles," he said at a fundraiser in California. Trump's comments come as his allies prepare to launch an effort to deliver a historic chunk of the Black vote to Republicans in the 2024 elections. "We have coalition groups across the country that are set to roll out initiatives very, very soon in those communities, that will focus on voter outreach and engagement and things like messaging in Black communities," Darrell Scott, a Black Ohio-based pastor who is a Trump adviser and helping lead the effort, told NBC News. Organizers for the Black Conservative Federation said during their event that they're mobilizing groups nationwide in hopes of ensuring Trump wins the majority of the Black male vote in a general election matchup against Biden. "I believe that President Trump is going to get 50% of the Black male vote," Black Conservative Federation President Diante Johnson said. "The Democratic Party has literally pushed Black men aside." CHASIV YAR, Ukraine Frustration over lagging United States military aid is written on the crumbling walls of this town near Ukraines front line. We are not asking too much, reads the graffiti in Chasiv Yar, which two years of intense fighting has slowly razed to the ground. We just need artillery shells and aviation. Rest we do ourselves. Armed Forces of Ukraine. Chasiv Yars mayor agrees with the sentiments spelled out in black letters against grubby teal. During the last two years I got used to keeping my emotions inside, but sometimes you just want to scream, Serhiy Chaus, who wears a bulletproof vest with a Ukrainian patriot patch on it, told NBC News this week. Graffiti on the town hall in Chasiv Yar. (Charlotte Gardiner / NBC News) His frustration stems from what he sees as a fickle and perhaps even disloyal international community, whose sentiments he believes have swung wildly since President Vladimir Putins forces invaded two years ago Saturday. Back then, many around the world didnt hold out much hope for the government of Volodymyr Zelenskyy after thousands of Russian soldiers marched across the border into Ukraine, intent on subjugating the country and its actor-turned-president. But Ukraine rallied, surprising even its closest allies. This resistance in the face of a much more powerful adversary made Zelenskyy a hero hailed around the world, helped convince many governments to back Ukraine to the tune of billions, and later in 2022 propelled Kyivs audacious counteroffensives to reclaim swaths of Russian-occupied land. Today, the country finds itself once again on the back foot: Foreign support has softened and its forces are running low on equipment and ammunition, and a renewed Russian push is being felt across the 600-mile front line, after heavily fortified Russian lines appear to have stalled the progress of last summers Ukrainian counteroffensive. In just the past few days, Russian forces captured the key city of Avdiivka in Ukraines east, and swiftly promised not to lessen the pressure and continue their move west. Chasiv Yar is just 30 miles north of Avdiivka, and Chaus says hes worried that his town, already ravaged by the war, would now bear an even greater brunt of the fighting. Those Russian forces that were concentrated on Avdiivka will now be dispersed to other places, including in Chasiv Yar, said Chaus, who heads the towns military administration. And Chasiv Yar will face even more pressure to defend itself. It means more of our troops have to move here and risk their lives. Ukraine is vulnerable elsewhere too. Russian military bloggers and Western analysts this week reported renewed fighting near the village of Robotyne in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, which Ukraines troops liberated last August, in what, at the time, was seen as an important win that could get Kyiv closer to disrupting Russias land bridge to occupied Crimea. Retaking Robotyne in the south would give the Russians a morale boost, said Matthew Ford, associate professor in war studies at the Swedish Defence University in Stockholm, showing that even limited gains that Ukraine made last summer are temporary. Regaining Ukrainian positions is great propaganda, Ford said. Capturing Zaporizhzhia is one of their political goals, as they have already announced Zaporizhzhia as a part of Russia. Further south, in Ukraines Kherson region, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu reported to Putin earlier this week that Russian forces are now in control of the village of Krynky, where Ukrainian forces tried to establish a bridgehead in November. Kyiv forces liberated the regional capital, Kherson, in one of their last major successful land offensives in late 2022, but Russia controls the rest of the region. The operation in Krynky late last year was seen as Ukraines attempt to establish a foothold on the Russian-occupied bank of the Dnieper River to eventually push toward Crimea. In the northeast Kharkiv region, the Russians have also been mounting offensives for weeks, trying to move the front line farther away from the regions border with Russia and reduce the number of Ukrainian strikes on Russian border cities. Russian forces are putting pressure on Ukrainian forces at multiple points to see which will fold, Ford said. This is part of a Russian effort to test Ukraines strength and force them into accepting a tempo of operations that suit Russia. Even after Ukraine liberated large chunks of land in the northeast and south after successful counteroffensives in late 2022, Russia still occupies about a fifth of Ukraines internationally recognized territory, having officially annexed four regions. Ukrainian forces are facing increasingly dire ammunition shortages, as new military aid remains stalled in Congress. The Biden administration is working toward providing Ukraine with powerful new long-range ballistic missiles, but as disagreements over the $60 billion military aid package continue in Washington, Ukraines front-line commanders are increasingly being forced to ration ammunition, limiting their troops ability to defend their positions, several Ukrainian soldiers told NBC News. Military mobility on Ukraine's Avdiivka frontline (Narciso Contreras/ / Anadolu via Getty Images) In some of his most sobering comments about the impact of aid delays yet, Zelenskyy said Monday the situation was extremely difficult in several parts of the front line, where he said Russian troops have amassed maximum reserves. They are taking advantage of the delays in aid to Ukraine, Zelenskyy said. There is a deficit of artillery. There is a need for front-line air defense and for a longer range of our weapons. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin urged Congress on Friday to act quickly to pass the aid to ensure that Ukrainian troops have what they need. Since the beginning of the war, Ukraines top five supporters, including the U.S. and the European Union, committed over $200 billion in military and financial aid, according to the aid tracker by the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, a German think tank. The U.S. is the biggest military donor, having committed more than $45 billion in military help to Ukraine, according to the tracker. The U.S. and the world gave Ukraine hope that it could win this fight, Chaus, the mayor of Chasiv Yar, said, but at one of its most critical moments, they are letting it down. We just dont understand how one can at first say, We are your support, you can lean on our shoulder, but now we are losing that shoulder, that shoulder of support, he said. We dont understand why its happening this way, why no one understands us anymore. The war is not over here, the war goes on and its becoming bigger and harder. Richard Engel and Charlotte Gardiner reported from Chasiv Yar, Yuliya Talmazan from London. By Olena Harmash and Angelo Amante KYIV (Reuters) - Heads of the Group of Seven major democracies on Saturday pledged to stand by war-weary Ukraine, and Western leaders traveled to Kyiv to show solidarity on the second anniversary of Russia's invasion, with no end in the sight to the fighting. After initial successes in pushing back the Russian army, Ukraine has suffered recent setbacks on eastern battlefields, with its generals complaining of growing shortages of both arms and soldiers. The G7 leaders on Saturday held a video conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on the anniversary of Russia's "special military operation," which ranks as the deadliest conflict in Europe since World War Two. "As Ukraine enters the third year of this relentless war, its government and its people can count on the G7s support for as long as it takes," the G7 leaders said in a statement. The officials, who have been critical sources of military and financial aid to Kyiv, also vowed to continue targeting Russia's sources of revenue with sanctions. Zelenskiy stressed the need to protect Ukrainian skies and strengthen its army. "We are counting on you," he said on the call, according to remarks published on his website. Looking to dispel concerns the West is losing interest in the conflict, Italy's Giorgia Meloni and Canada's Justin Trudeau came to Kyiv early on Saturday with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo. "The message I want to send today to ... all the Ukrainian people is that they are not alone," Meloni said as she signed a 10-year defence pact with Zelenskiy. Trudeau signed a similar accord and pledged some $2.25 billion in financial and military support this year. "We will stand with Ukraine with whatever it takes, for as long as it takes," Trudeau said. Ordinary Ukrainians held services to commemorate the anniversary, laying flowers to honour their many dead, amid fears the war will last years longer as Russian President Vladimir Putin shows no sign of relenting. "I'm a realist and understand that most likely the war will drag on for the next three or four years. I hope society will mobilise, I hope we'll be able to somehow defeat Russia," said Denys Symonovskiy, a Kyiv resident. Outside Kyiv, the war continued unabated. Russian drones attacked the port of Odesa for a second night running, hitting a residential building and killing one person, the regional governor said. In Dnipro, a Russian drone hit an apartment building and a rescue operation uncovered two dead. Meanwhile, a source in Kyiv said Ukrainian drones caused a blaze at a Russian steel plant, which a Russian official identified as one in Lipetsk, some 400 km (250 miles) from Ukraine, that is responsible for about 18% of Russian output. HOLDING THE FRONT LINE The Canadian and Italian security deals mirror similar pacts signed recently with France and Germany. However, $61 billion in aid promised by U.S. President Joe Biden is being blocked by Republicans in Congress, casting a long shadow over Kyiv's hopes of pushing back the much larger, better supplied Russian military. In the G7 video call, Biden discussed Washington's continued support for Ukraine and steps the group can take to continue holding Russia accountable, a White House official said. Seeking to maintain Western focus on Ukraine, Zelenskiy has warned Putin may not stop at Ukraine's borders if he emerges victorious. Putin dismisses such claims and casts the war as a wider struggle with the United States, which he says aims to dismantle Russia. Anniversary events were held across Ukraine including in the western city of Lviv, hundreds of kilometres from the fighting. Grieving women cried as a priest led a prayer in a cemetery festooned with blue and yellow Ukrainian flags, each marking the death of a soldier. "The boys are holding the front line. We can only imagine what effort and price is paid for every peaceful day we have. I want to believe it is not all in vain. We have funerals every day," Evhenia Demchuk, a widow and mother of two, told Reuters. The initial shock of the invasion faded into familiarity then fatigue as the world watched initial Russian gains and a stunning Ukrainian counteroffensive in late 2022 slow into grinding trench warfare. Russia, with a much bigger population to replenish the army's ranks and a larger military budget, might favour a drawn-out war, although its costs have been huge as it seeks to navigate sanctions and a growing reliance on China. UKRAINE'S POSITION GROWS PRECARIOUS Ukraine's position is more precarious. Villages, towns and cities have been razed, troops are exhausted and Russian missiles and drone strikes rain down almost daily. Russia this month registered its biggest victory in nine months, capturing the eastern town of Avdiivka and ending months of deadly urban combat. A recent World Bank study said rebuilding Ukraine's economy could cost nearly $500 billion. Two million housing units have been damaged or destroyed, and nearly 6 million people remain abroad after fleeing the invasion. In addition to seeking money and weaponry, Zelenskiy is promoting legislation allowing Ukraine to mobilise up to half a million more troops - a target some economists say could paralyse the economy. Russia's finances have so far proved resilient to unprecedented sanctions. While natural gas exports have slumped, oil sales have held up, thanks largely to Indian and Chinese buying, and the economy has been boosted by massive defence spending. Russia has also ruthlessly punished dissent over the war. On Feb. 16, Putin's most formidable domestic opponent, Alexei Navalny, died suddenly of unexplained causes in an Arctic penal colony where he was serving terms totalling more than 30 years. (Reporting by Olena and Harmash Angelo Amante; Additional reporting by Steve Holland, Andrew Osborn and Mike Collett-White; Writing by Mike Collett-White, Crispian Balmer and Humeyra Pamuk; Editing by Ros Russell, William Mallard, Alex Richardson and Cynthia Osterman) Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) argued Friday that in vitro fertilization (IVF) and abortion are on the ballot in November after the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos are people, leading to multiple health systems in the state to halt their IVF treatments. I just want to keep front and center in my heart and my mind the women who are now going through this, and that drives home the urgency once more, Warren said on CNNs Inside Politics. Abortion and IVF are going to be on the ballot in November 2024. The Feb. 16 Alabama ruling is the first time a court has ever given rights and protections so early after conception. While only limited to the state of Alabama, the ruling has a far-reaching potential and could open the door to more reproductive rights battles nearly two years after the landmark abortion rights case Roe v. Wade was overturned. CNNs Dana Bash asked Warren about the muddled response from Republicans to the decision, many of whom she said have struggled to figure out how to message, how to respond. The National Republican Senatorial Committee has asked its candidates to voice support for IVF and publicly oppose any efforts to restrict IVF and fertility treatment access. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) appeared Thursday night on CNN, and he said the ruling is really wrong. Warren said Gaetz, along with other Republicans opposing the decision are right. But whats he going to do about it? And what is his party planning to do about it? Are they really going to stand up and introduce legislation? Warren argued in comments highlighted by Mediaite. If they are, and the Republicans are ready to go, we can change the law right now. But thats not where they are. They are beholden to this extremist wing of their party, Donald Trumps enabled them by getting an extremist Supreme Court that overturned Roe vs. Wade and theyve made it clear that is only the first step in taking over these intimate decisions that women make, she continued. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Xem them ... Tin bai cuoi cung Khong con du lieu e load Visitors can relax on beaches like this one on Ofu Island. Looking at a map, its easy to understand why the National Park of American Samoa gets relatively few visitors, but seeing images, it no longer makes sense. How could this breathtaking place not top more bucket lists? With 12,134 visitors, the National Park of American Samoa was the second-least visited national park last year. Only the Gates of the Arctic in Alaska saw fewer visitors. Yes, the South Pacific park is far away, but it is beautiful and steeped in cultural history. Heres what travelers should know about the National Park of American Samoa, the latest national park in USA TODAYs yearlong series. What makes the American Samoa national park special? Traditional Samoan attire is worn for ceremonies. The National Park Service describes the National Park of American Samoa as a world of sights, sounds, and experiences that you will find in no other national park in the United States. Situated roughly 2,600 miles southwest of Hawaii, it is the only national park south of the equator. It was established in 1988 to protect not only the areas natural resources but also its cultural heritage. The parks website says the Samoan culture is the oldest in Polynesia, and nearly everyone in American Samoa is Indigenous Samoan of Polynesian ancestry. More than any other U.S. or Polynesians people, Samoans are tradition-oriented and closely follow social customs and hierarchies from long before the arrival of the first Europeans, according to the website. This Samoan way or fa'asamoa is still deeply ingrained in American Samoa culture. What should travelers know about National Park of American Samoa? In addition to safety tips, like watching for falling coconuts around beaches and not touching coral because cuts from coral take a long time to heal, the parks website shares various cultural customs tied to the Samoan way. Visitors can enjoy snorkeling and diving in National Park of American Samoa's 4,000 marine acres. For instance, always ask villagers for permission before taking photographs, using the beach, or engaging in other activities, however unobtrusive your actions may seem. Permission will almost certainly be granted. Also: Each evening around dusk, villagers observe a time for prayers called Sa. If you are entering a village during Sa, stop and wait quietly until Sa ends. You may even be invited to join in a family prayer. To learn more about fa'asamoa, visit the parks website. How do you get to the American Samoa National Park? There are two main ways to get to the park: by air or sea, with some sort of ground transportation involved in both cases. The closest airport is Pago Pago International Airport on Tutuila Island. Only one major carrier serves American Samoa: Hawaiian Airlines, which offers flights to and from Honolulu. Small planes provide daily service from neighboring Samoa. Several cruise lines, like Celebrity and Princess Cruises, also stop in Pago Pago. From Pago Pago, guests can rent cars or take taxis to the park. Local buses, known as aiga, are also available but dont run on schedules or on Sundays. According to the parks website, You can wave buses to stop or be dropped off anywhere they can safely pull off of the road. Rainmaker Mountain can't be missed from Pago Pago Harbor. How much does it cost to go to the national park in American Samoa? There are no entry fees for the park, but visiting is expensive because of the cost of travel to American Samoa. Round trips from Honolulu cost about $1,000. Then theres the cost of getting to Honolulu. Who owns the national park in American Samoa? The National Park Service manages the park, but the park sits entirely on lands still owned by several rural Samoan villages, according to its website. This is why respecting cultural customs is especially important for visitors. According to the park, a 50-year lease was signed with eight villages in 1993 and expanded to two more villages in 2002, with congressional approval. Tuafanua Trail rewards visitors with stunning views. How big is the National Park of American Samoa? National Park of American Samoa spans 13,500 acres across three islands: Tutuila, Tau, and Ofu. Almost all of the land area of these volcanic islands from the mountaintops to the coast is tropical rainforest, according to the parks website. About 4,000 acres of the national park is underwater, offshore from all three islands. How many national parks does American Samoa have? The National Park of American Samoa is the only national park in American Samoa. Various species of seabirds nest on Pola Island, off Tutuila. Is American Samoa part of the USA? American Samoa is a U.S. territory like Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Can anyone visit American Samoa? All visitors to American Samoa require a passport valid for six months or more, a return ticket, or onward ticket and enough funds to support your stay, according to the parks website. The Department of Interior says a certified birth certificate demonstrating U.S. nationality is also accepted. Visas are not required for U.S. citizens and U.S. nationals. Countless starts illuminate the sky over Ofu Island. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: National Park of American Samoa is what island dreams are made of California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) said Friday that GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley is among his partys best surrogates on the campaign trail, as she seeks to take down former President Trump in the Republican primary. I think shes one of our better surrogates, so I hope she stays in. I hope she does well tomorrow at least, well enough, Newsom said, referring to the GOP South Carolina primary, after CNNs Jake Tapper asked whether Haley or Trump had a better chance against President Biden in November. Newsom, a staunch supporter of Biden, added that he agreed with most of the attacks Haley has made on the former president. I think shes spot on, on 99 percent of it, he said. So, Im enjoying this primary. And I hope it continues, so I wish her luck. But look, Trumps the nominee, the governor continued. We all know that. You know that. Everybody out there knows that. The former president remains the clear GOP front-runner, both in the Palmetto State and nationally. According to the polling index from The Hill/Decision Desk HQ, Trump is leading Haley, the former governor of South Carolina, 63.8 percent to 33.1 percent. The numbers have not deterred Haley, however, who has vowed to stay in the race at least until Super Tuesday. In an interview with Tapper Thursday evening, Haley argued that Trump would once again lose to Biden in November, if the rematch goes ahead. You can have him win any primary you want he will not win a general election, she said. We will have a female president of the United States; it will either be me or it will be [Vice President] Harris. That line has become a refrain for Haley, who has also hammered Biden and Trump for their advanced age. Biden is 81, while Trump is 77. 2024 Election Coverag Asked by Tapper about polls that suggest Haley would overtake Biden if she were the Republican nominee, the California governor deflected. Trumps the nominee. Everyone knows Trumps the nominee, he reiterated. Theres no evidence to suggest, no polling to suggest, theres nothing to suggest momentum or otherwise, that she can win any state in the Republican primary coming up. I dont mean that to be dismissive, I have respect for the former governor a lot more than the former president Donald Trump, Newsom added. But as I said, I wish her good luck in the context of being out there and making the case were making against Donald Trump equally. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. An Oklahoma student who died the day after a fight at school told police they threw water at three students who had been bullying them and that the students responded by beating them, according to video police released Friday. The student who died, Nex Benedict, is seen in the video telling an officer that they didnt know the three students who jumped them in the bathroom. Police also released audio of a 911 call from Nexs mother in which she said the 16-year-olds breathing was shallow and their hands were posturing, which refers to an involuntary movement that can indicate abnormal brain activity. The video offers a glimpse into the moments before Nexs death on Feb. 8, which has prompted vigils across the country, thousands of social media posts and demands for justice from LGBTQ people, some of whom believe that Oklahomas anti-LGBTQ policies contributed to an unsafe school climate for students like Nex. There have been more questions than answers in Nexs case, including whether the fight caused the students death, why the school didnt contact police following the fight, and even how Nex identified within the LGBTQ community. Sue Benedict, Nexs mother, told The Independent that Nex did not see themselves as male or female. Nex saw themselves right down the middle. The family continues to use they/them pronouns for Nex in statements. The Owasso Police Department said in a statement Wednesday that preliminary information from an autopsy report shows that Nexs death was not the result of trauma. A toxicology exam is still pending, and an official autopsy will be released later. Police released a series of videos Friday that show the entrance of the school bathroom in the minutes leading up to and following the fight; a school security officer escorting Nex to the nurses office; Sue walking from the school to her car with Nex; and a police officer interviewing Nex and Sue at Bailey Medical Center after the fight. They also released audio of Sues call to Owasso police after she took Nex to the hospital following the fight and audio of Sues 911 call on Feb. 8 just prior to Nexs death. The various pieces of footage shows Nex walking to the school nurses office with a school security officer, stopping at a doorway and swaying at one point. Sue Benedict called police from Bailey Medical Center at 3:31 p.m. on Feb. 7, and an officer interviewed Nex and Sue at the hospital for about 15 minutes, according to body camera footage. During that interview, Nex told the officer that they met the students in in-school detention, where they had spent the week due to having a vape pen at school. They said the three students had been picking on them and their friends due to the way they dressed, and then when Nex went into the bathroom one of the three students said something like, Why do they laugh like that. And so I went up there and I poured water on them, and then all three of them came at me, Nex told the officer in the video. They came at me. They grabbed on my hair. I grabbed onto them. I threw one of them into a paper towel dispenser and then they got my legs out from under me and got me on the ground. Nex said the girls started beating Nex and then Nex blacked out. Sue Benedict told the officer she was angry that the school didnt call police, and the officer told her, Any criminal-type action, the school is supposed to give us a call. The officer said maybe the school forgot or had other things going on and that Sue could have called police while at the school. The officer said he can do a report for assault and battery against the three students, if that was what Sue wanted, then added: The courts are going to look at it as its a mutual fight because Nex first assaulted the three students by throwing the water. You made the first jab. It doesnt make it right, but they defended themselves, the officer said. Sue Benedict declined to file charges at the time. In her 911 call the next day, she said she was worried Nex had a brain injury from the school fight. She said Nexs eyes were rolled in the back of their head and that the teens breathing was shallow, but she didnt start performing CPR because she didnt think it was necessary, adding that she went to nursing school. Nex was transported to St. Francis Childrens Hospital and pronounced dead. In a statement Tuesday, Owasso Public Schools said it followed all district protocols, including informing the parents/guardians of students involved in a physical altercation that they have the option to file a police report. Should they choose to file a police report, school resource officers are made available to the parents/guardians either at that time or they can schedule an appointment, if they choose, at a later date, the district said. These practices were followed during this incident. The district didnt immediately return a request for additional comment. The Benedict family said that they were independently interviewing witnesses and collecting all available evidence, according to a statement released Wednesday by their attorney, Jacob Biby. While various investigations are still pending, the facts currently known by the family, some of which have been released to the public, are troubling at best, the family said. The family has not returned requests for additional comment. Sarah Kate Ellis, the CEO of GLAAD, an LGBTQ media advocacy group, said it is haunting to hear Nex Benedict, in their own words, describe how school and state leaders failed, at every level of leadership, to keep them safe from bullying and harm. Less than 24 hours later, Nex would collapse and die. The release of the chilling 9-1-1 call by Nexs mother, Sue Benedict, school surveillance video, and police body-cam footage of Nex in the emergency room recounting the brutal assault, all point to a clear and catastrophic cascade of failures from a school and states basic responsibility of safety and care for all young people, Ellis said in a statement Saturday. Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., slammed Google's AI chatbot Gemini as "preposterously woke" on Friday for its refusal to produce any images of White people. The company paused the chatbot's image generation on Thursday after social media users pointed out that the system was creating inaccurate historical images that sometimes replaced White people, like the Founding Fathers, with images of Black, Native American and Asian people. "Google deserves condemnation for creating a racist, preposterously woke, Hamas-sympathizing AI system," Cotton said in a statement on X, formerly Twitter. "Republican lawmakers will remember this the next time Google comes asking for antitrust help." Cotton pointed out that "the problem also lies at the White House," which pushed an executive order last year that bolsters "AI safety and security, protects Americans privacy, advances equity and civil rights," according to an October Biden-Harris fact sheet. "This debacle is a good reminder of why federal control over AI would be a disaster," Cotton continued. "It would force every AI system to be as broken and as dishonest as Google's." GOOGLE TO PAUSE GEMINI IMAGE GENERATION AFTER AI REFUSES TO SHOW IMAGES OF WHITE PEOPLE READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP On Wednesday, Google apologized for the errors. "We're aware that Gemini is offering inaccuracies in some historical image generation depictions," Google said on Wednesday. Gemini, formerly known as Google Bard, is one of many multimodal large language models (LLMs) currently available to the public. As is the case with all LLMs, the human-like responses offered by these AIs can change from user to user. Based on contextual information, the language and tone of the prompter, and training data used to create the AI responses, each answer can be different, even if the question is the same. GOOGLE APOLOGIZES AFTER NEW GEMINI AI REFUSES TO SHOW PICTURES, ACHIEVEMENTS OF WHITE PEOPLE Gemini's senior director of product management at Google has issued an apology after the AI refused to provide images of White people. In a statement to Fox News Digital, Gemini Experiences Senior Director of Product Management Jack Krawczyk addressed the responses from the AI that had led social media users to voice concern. "We're working to improve these kinds of depictions immediately," Krawczyk said. "Gemini's AI image generation does generate a wide range of people. And that's generally a good thing, because people around the world use it. But it's missing the mark here." Prior to Krawczyk's tenure with Google, he allegedly tweeted that "white privilege is fking real" and America is rampant with "egregious racism," according to posts circulating on X that appear to be his. "White privilege is fking real," Krawczyk allegedly wrote in a tweet on April 13, 2018, according to screenshots on X. "Dont be an ahole and act guilty about it do your part in recognizing bias at all levels of egregious." One alleged post, which Elon Musk also shared a picture of, referenced President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris . "I've been crying in intermittent bursts for the past 24 hours since casting my ballot. Filling in that Biden/Harris line felt cathartic," the Google director allegedly wrote. FOX Business' Nikolas Lanum, Chris Pandolfo and Reuters contributed to this report. Original article source:Sen. Tom Cotton torches Google AI system as 'racist, preposterously woke, Hamas-sympathizing' COLUMBIA, S.C. - Former President Donald Trump rolled to victory Saturday in the South Carolina Republican primary, easily defeating former Gov. Nikki Haley in her home state and moving ever close to the 2024 GOP presidential nomination. The Associated Press and television networks called the race for Trump shortly after the South Carolina polls closed at 7 p.m. Trump, who also won convention delegate contests in Iowa and New Hampshire, is on track to win the nomination, despite the prospect of up to four criminal trials in the months ahead. Winning the South Carolina primary is a particularly good sign for Trump. Most of the Republicans who have won the Palmetto State's primary have gone on to win the party's nomination, a list that includes Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush, and Trump himself. But Haley isn't bowing out. In a speech after the results, she said she is staying in the fight. The next primary is Tuesday in Michigan. Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump stands on stage with South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster at a primary election night party at the South Carolina State Fairgrounds in Columbia, S.C., Saturday, Feb. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) Trump quickly declares victory, claims Republicans are united Trump raced to his watch party podium shortly after the polls closed to accept victory in South Carolina. "An even bigger win than we anticipated," Trump said, though the final numbers won't be clear until later in the evening. "This is a fantastic evening," he added. "It's an early evening." Trump talked mostly about his agenda, citing immigration in particular - but he did not mention Haley by name. Instead, he said "I have never seen the Republican Party so unified." He also told his supporters to prepare for future primaries, starting with Michigan on Tuesday. Since the night of the New Hampshire primary, Trump has complained about how quickly Haley came out to tout her performance in that state. --David Jackson Haley vows to stay in the race Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley pledged to stay in the race, saying she worried that former President Donald Trump could not beat President Joe Biden. "America will come apart if we make the wrong choices. This has never been about me or my political future," Haley told a cheering crowd. "I am a woman of my word. I'm not giving up this fight." Lindsey Graham gets booed at Trump victory party Some Trump backers in South Carolina still don't like Sen. Lindsey Graham - even when he speaks at a Trump victory party. Many booed Graham after Trump called the veteran senator to the podium. Trump joked about Graham's problems with some conservatives, saying he was "further left" than some other Republicans; but he added that "I love him; he's a good man.") Graham ignored his negative reception, telling the Trump crowd that "South Carolina created the biggest political comeback in American history." A fierce critic of Trump during the 2016 primaries, Graham became one of his staunchest defenders during his presidency - but many Trump fans have not forgotten. --David Jackson Nikki Haley to address supporters Saturday night Over at the Haley election night party in downtown Charleston, supporters of the former South Carolina governor, waved signs in support of the candidate in a half-empty ballroom as Trump was projected onto a large screen. The campaign was airing CNN - on mute - as Trump delivered his victory speech. Instead, it played through Haley's rally playlist as he spoke. Haley's event was just beginning when the race was called for Trump at 7pm EDT. The candidate was not due to speak until 8pm. Francesca Chambers Trump's South Carolina surrogates predict a big night Donald Trump's Palmetto State surrogates aren't exactly declaring victory - but they are getting close to doing so. Prominent South Carolina supporters such as Sen. Lindsey Graham and Gov. Henry McMaster are circulating among reporters at the increasingly loud Trump watch party, saying things like exit polls are looking very good for their candidate. South Carolina officials were reluctant to criticize Haley, but said it will soon be time for the Republican Party - including their former governor - to get behind Trump. As a crowd of Trump backers gathered in an exhibition building at the South Carolina fairgrounds, McMaster reminded a gaggle of reporters that the Republican who wins South Carolina usually wins the Republican nomination. "The South Carolina primary is historical," McMaster said. --David Jackson Nikki Haley blasts Trump for backing daughter-in-law as RNC chair Haley criticized Trump on Saturday for endorsing his daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, to co-lead the Republican National Committee, citing comments she has made in support of using party funds to pay of the ex-presidents mounting legal bills. When asked about who she would nominate to run the RNC if current chair Ronna McDaniels steps down, as anticipated, Haley remarked It wouldnt be a family member of a candidate. Her comments come after Lara Trump earlier this week insinuated that the RNC should use its money to help pay for her fathers-in-law's legal bills. The ex-president is four separate trials pertaining to his efforts to overturn his election loss and has more than a half-a-billion dollars in civil judgements against him. I would hope that the people in the RNC know that they have a responsibility a responsibility to put in people in the RNC who are going to look out for the best interests of all of the Republican Party, not just one person, Haley added. --Karissa Waddick Trump at CPAC: 'Success will be our revenge' A year after calling for "retribution" against political opponents, former President Donald Trump told the same conservative group he now wants a new form of "revenge." "Success will be our revenge," Trump said in delivering a version of his stump speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference near Washington, D.C. It was at CPAC last year that Trump told delegates "I am your retribution" against various opponents. In this CPAC speech, Trump also described himself as a "proud political dissident," as he protested the 91 indictments and four criminal cases pending against him. Earlier this week, Trump compared himself to real Russian dissident Alexei Navalny, the opposition leader who died this month in a Russian prison. That comparison drew ridicule from Haley, who is opposing Trump in today's South Carolina primary. "It's all about him," Haley told Fox News on Wednesday. "Its been the problem with Donald Trump. He is obsessed with himself." --David Jackson All eyes on South Carolina, but Nikki Haley to stick around at least through Super Tuesday Results out of South Carolina's Republican primary today hold high stakes for former U.N. ambassador and South Carolinian Nikki Haley, but regardless of results she has pledged to stick around for at least another 10 days. Haley has pledged to stay in the race through Super Tuesday, March 5, when an avalanche of delegates will be awarded from voting across 15 states and the territory of American Samoa. Along with acting as a litmus test for Haleys ability to round up support in her home state, South Carolinas primary will set the stage going into Super Tuesday and provide a burst of momentum to the winning campaign. The states holding primary elections on March 5 include Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont and Virginia. After South Carolina Feb. 24, Michigans primary is up next Feb. 27, before Super Tuesday the following week. Former president Donald Trump is expected to grab the GOP nomination once again this year, after amassing big wins in previous primaries and caucuses in Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada. -- Kathryn Palmer Trump says Black voters relate to criminal prosecutions Former president Donald Trump compared his legal battles to the injustices Black Americans face in the legal system at an event sponsored by the Black Conservative Federation Friday. At the event, Trump suggested inaccurately that he is popular with African American voters. He said his 91 criminal indictments and mug shot were part of the reason. "A lot of people said thats why the Black people like me, because they have been hurt so badly and discriminated against, and they actually viewed me as Im being discriminated against," he told the crowd, of which about two-thirds were Black Americans and one third were white people. Haley blasted Trump for his comments on primary day, calling them disgusting. That's what happens when he goes off the teleprompter, she told reporters after casting her vote in the primary. Thats the chaos that comes with Donald Trump. David Jackson How much support from Black voters does Trump have? Trump suggested at an event sponsored by the Black Conservative Federation Friday that he is popular with Black voters. But a USA TODAY Suffolk poll published on Jan. 1 showed Trump with the support of only a small sliver of Black voters - 12%. His support among Black Americans has not increased substantially from his margins the 2020 election. In the modern presidential election era, Black voters have overwhelmingly supported Democratic candidates. In 2020, 87% of Black voters supported Biden, according to the Roper center. -- Sudiksha Kochi Trump's VP shortlist: GOP hopefuls audition for number two spot Though Trump hasnt yet won the Republican nomination, that hasnt stopped political observers and his fiercest supporters from guessing who the former president could choose as his running mate. Trump told Fox News last month that hes not in a rush to choose someone and that his decision wont have any impact at all in the 2024 election. But some Republicans have appeared to be jockeying for the spot. At the 2024 CPAC conference, potential vice president picks including Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem and Arizona Senate race candidate Kari Lake each took turns praising the former president. Sen. Tim Scott, who has also been floated as a potential pick, has vigorously campaigned for the former president despite Haley appointing him to the Senate in 2012 when she was governor of South Carolina. Trump called Scott the greatest surrogate hes ever seen at a rally in South Carolina Friday. -- Sudiksha Kochi Trump supporter at CPAC: Pardon Jan. 6 rioters A prominent supporter of Trump warmed up the crowd at the Conservative Political Action Conference by calling for clemency for the rioters of Jan. 6, 2021. "The next honest president should provide pardons and commutations for the January 6ers," said Tom Fitton, president of the conservative group Judicial Watch. The attack was an unsuccessful attempt to stop the electoral vote count that elected President Joe Biden. CPAC delegates cheered Fitton's call. Trump has discussed the possibility of pardons for J6 rioters. -David Jackson Nikki Haley speaks after voting Outside her polling place on Kiawah Island, S.C. Haley told reporters she was laser focused on turning out the vote in South Carolina and Michigan, which holds its primary on Feb. 27 and making it through a weeklong push leading into Super Tuesday. "That's as far as I've thought, in terms of going forward. We've placed ad buys, we've gone and put out the public schedule of where we're going to be, and so we're going to keep on going," Haley said. Francesca Chambers Feb 24, 2024; Kiawah Island, SC, USA; Republican presidential candidate and former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley spoke with press after voting in Saturdays GOP primary Saturday in Kiawah Island. Megan Smith-USA TODAY What did Trump say about Nikki Haley's husband? The primary comes two weeks after Trump's extraordinary attack on Haley's husband Michael. During a rally in Conway, S.C., Trump mocked Michael Haley's absence from the campaign trail never mind that he is a service member who is deployed overseas. "Wheres your husband?" Trump said at one point. "Oh, hes away ... Hes away ... What happened to her husband? What happened to her husband?! Where is he?! ... Hes gone! He knew! He knew!" In the days since, Haley has described Trump's comments as "disgusting," and an attack on all military personnel. While South Carolina is very much a pro-military state, the Trump attack seems to have had little impact; he still holds big leads in pre-primary polls. The same day that Trump mocked him, Michael Haley himself weighed in with a social media post. It contained a meme that read: The difference between humans and animals? Animals would never allow the dumbest ones to lead the pack. David Jackson Nikki Haley votes in her home polling place on Kiawah Island, S.C. For Haley this primary contest is deeply personal. It was the state she once governed and the one she calls home. Accompanied by her mother and surrounded by family members, Haley arrived at her polling place on Kiawah Island, S.C. Haley addressed reporters outside after casting her vote and said she was blessed to be surrounded by family and to "have this moment." Haley is first woman of color to be a major candidate for the Republican presidential nomination. Watching her mother, who was born in India, cast a ballot for her daughter for President of the United States, "tells us everything we need to know about how blessed we are to be in this country," Haley said. For the last four weeks, Haley has been trying to fire up her supporters and turn out general election voters who don't typically vote in GOP primaries. Haley has committed to staying in the race regardless of Saturday's outcome, but it will be a lot harder if she loses. Francesca Chambers and Megan Smith Republican presidential candidate former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley (L) helps her mother Raj Kaur Randhawa (R) casts her ballot in the South Carolina Republican primary on February 24, 2024 in Kiawah Island, S.C. Nikki Haley is facing off against former U.S. President Donald Trump in the South Carolina Republican primary. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) Part of Nikki Haley's plan for the South Carolina Republican primary: Democrats As she tries to come back against Trump, Haley is urging South Carolina Democrats and independents to turn out for her in Saturday's primary. "This is an open primary," Haley told Fox News this week. "Basically it means anybody can vote in a primary as long as you didn't vote in the Democrat primary on February 3rd in South Carolina." Trump has mocked the notion, saying Democrats shouldn't be allowed in Republican primaries, especially in a conservative state like South Carolina. Democratic leaders have also discouraged party members from helping Haley. Democratic National Committee chairman Jaime Harrison, a South Carolinian, told reporters this month that Haley did nothing for Democrats during her years as governor. Said Harrison to Haley: You didnt do anything for us, so we arent gonna bail you out." Feb 24, 2024; Charleston, SC, USA; Bailey Graboyes (center, age 5) helps place an I Voted sticker on her mom Rebeca Graboyes sweater in Charleston on Saturday. Voters headed to the polls in South Carolinas GOP primary Saturday where Nikki Haley and Donald Trump are on the ballot. Megan Smith-USA TODAY But as of Saturday, some voters might not be listening to the Democratic Party's marching orders. Hannah James, 18, of Travelers Rest, at the City Hall precinct, said she was a left-leaning Democrat who voted for Haley. "I decided that if it came down to having a Republican president, I'd rather have Haley over Trump," James said. David Jackson and Terry Benjamin Republican presidential candidate and former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley delivers a speech in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina, on Feb. 23, 2024, the night before the states GOP primary. Donald Trump Jr. - and senior - go after Mitch McConnell in South Carolina Trump and his surrogates including Donald Trump, Jr. have spent most of the South Carolina campaign talking about issues beyond the primary, including their dispute with Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell. During an appearance in North Charleston, S.C., the younger Trump mocked McConnell's health issues, describing the Trump antagonist as "Mitch the Glitch," and referring to his near-catatonic episodes. "Can we find someone who doesn't freeze up?" Trump Jr. said. "It's like Windows 92. Buffering, buffering, buffering." His attack followed a comment Donald Trump Sr. made this week about his compatibility with McConnell. "I dont know that I can work with him, Trump said Tuesday during a Fox News town hall. McConnell, meanwhile, has said little about Trump's re-emergence as the party's presidential nominee. David Jackson Will voters choose Nikki Haley or Donald Trump? Jorge Lara, 43, of Greer, S.C. was one of the first people in line to vote at 7:30 a.m. at Riverside High School and chose Haley as his candidate. Lara, who originally grew up in Cuba, said it was his first time voting in any primary and will vote against Trump. He believes "our democracy may be in danger." "I come from a country where it was a dictatorship," Lara said. "I see Trump's leanings and cozying up to dictatorships and kind of accepting the Russian behavior, betraying our allies. This is very important for me. Today's not so much about a vote for Nikki Haley, or for any particular politician, it is a vote against Trump." Klay Peterson, 72, of Roebuck, S.C. said he was voting for Trump because of his handling of the U.S.-Mexico border. "The border is number one. Having been in law enforcement for over 40 years, Im concerned with safety and crime in our country," Peterson said. "We dont know what their intentions are and Im worried well have to pay that price." Terry Benjamin and Joanna Johnson, Greenville News The stakes for Haley in South Carolina: Survival Unless the polls in South Carolina are very wrong, Trump will defeat Haley in her home state a very unusual occurrence for candidates that make it to the top of the ticket. In all but one primary since 1980, the Republican winner in South Carolina has gone on to be the partys nominee. Back in 2016, as Republican candidates chased the front-running Trump, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Ohio Gov. John Kasich both won their home state primaries. Jan Ott attends a rally for Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley on Feb. 23, 2024, the night before the states GOP primary. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, however, lost his home state primary to Trump, and quickly withdrew from the race. Haley, the former governor of South Carolina, says she is staying in the race regardless of what happens Saturday - but it will be a lot harder if she loses. David Jackson and AP Trump returns to CPAC a year after threatening 'retribution' Although it's primary day in South Carolina, Donald Trump travels to the Washington, D.C., area on Saturday for a reprise of one of his most infamous speeches. It was at the Conservative Political Action Conference last year that Trump vowed "retribution" against his political opponents, and urged his voters to join him. In 2016, I declared, I am your voice," Trump told CPAC delegates a year ago. "Today, I add: I am your warrior. I am your justice. And for those who have been wronged and betrayed, I am your retribution. This year's CPAC speech is scheduled for the early afternoon at National Harbor, Md. Trump then heads to Columbia, S.C., for a primary watch party on Saturday night. David Jackson When do polls close in South Carolina? Polls for South Carolinas Republican presidential primary will close at 7 p.m. ET. The state also allowed early voting for the election. Registered voters were eligible to submit an early ballot by Thursday, Feb. 22. Absentee ballots must have been submitted and received by the county voter registration office by Feb. 3. Former US President and 2024 presidential hopeful Donald Trump points as he walks onto stage to address Christian broadcasters at the National Religious Broadcasters (NRB) International Christian Media Convention in Nashville, Tennessee, on February 22, 2024. (Photo by KEVIN WURM / AFP) (Photo by KEVIN WURM/AFP via Getty Images) ORG XMIT: 776108662 ORIG FILE ID: 2023800708 The state has an open primary, which allows registered voters of any party Republicans, Democrats or independents to participate in the Republican contest. Anyone who participated in the states Democratic presidential primary, however, are barred from also voting in the GOP election. Karissa Waddick Is Joe Biden competing in South Carolina? President Joe Biden competed in the South Carolina Democratic primary, which took place on Saturday, Feb. 3. Biden won with roughly 92% of the vote in a landslide victory over his longshot challengers, self-help author Marianne Williamson and House Rep. Dean Phillips, D-Minn. Williamson and Phillips each received about 2% support. The next major Democratic primary takes place in Michigan on Tuesday, Feb. 27. It is on the same day as the Michigan Republican primary. Karissa Waddick President Joe Biden speaks to the National Governors Association during an event in the East Room of the White House, Friday, Feb. 23, 2024, in Washington. Where do Nikki Haley, Donald Trump stand in Republican polls? Trump has notched victories in every major nominating contest so far and is leading in most state and national polls. A RealClearPolitics average of South Carolina polls shows the former president ahead of Haley in the state 62% - 37%, a margin of roughly 25 points. Haley has said that she needs to perform better in her home state than she did in New Hampshire, where she garnered 43% of the vote. "I dont think it necessarily has to be a win, but it certainly has to be better than what I did in New Hampshire, and it certainly has to be close," Haley said of her South Carolina prospects during an interview with NBC. Haley has pledged to remain in the GOP primary race until March 5, the date known as Super Tuesday when voters in more than a dozen states head to the polls. Karissa Waddick This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump wins 2024 South Carolina Republican presidential primary Donald Trump is demanding Alabama lawmakers act quickly to find an immediate solution to protect in vitro fertilization in the wake of a shock state supreme court ruling that forced hospital systems and IVF clinics to halt treatments, while throwing doctors and families into legal chaos. Republican officials have scrambled to respond to the ruling with a cohesive message, while Democratic rivals have linked the decision to a years-long campaign to undermine reproductive health care and restrict abortion rights. On his Truth Social on Friday, the frontrunner for the Republican nomination for president vowed his support for the creation of strong, thriving, healthy American families and fertility treatments like IVF in every State in America. Like the OVERWHELMING MAJORITY of Americans, including the VAST MAJORITY of Republicans, Conservatives, Christians, and Pro-Life Americans, I strongly support the availability of IVF for couples who are trying to have a precious baby, he added. He called on Alabamas Republican-controlled state legislature to act quickly to find an immediate solution to preserve the availability of IVF in Alabama. The Republican Party should always be on the side of the Miracle of Life and the side of Mothers, Fathers, and their Beautiful Babies, he added. IVF is an important part of that, and our Great Republican Party will always be with you, in your quest, for the ULTIMATE JOY IN LIFE! Last weeks ruling from the states conservative Supreme Court which defined frozen embryos as children, effectively expanding the scope of so-called personhood embraced by Christian fundamentalists and anti-abortion groups who believe life begins at conception has drawn wide condemnation and alarm, with fertility clinics across the state fearing swift legal scrutiny while families were left in heartbreaking limbo. At least three major fertility clinics halted IVF treatments in Alabama, and at least one major embryo shipping company announced it was pausing its business in the state. Alabama State Senator Tim Melson is planning to introduce a state-level measure to ensure protections for IVF treatment, despite the ruling, while Republican Governor Kay Ivey has signalled her support for the measure. In a statement on Friday, she announced that her support for a culture of life in the state included helping couples hoping and praying to be parents who utilize IVF. On Thursday, President Joe Biden said that the disregard for womens ability to make these decisions for themselves and their families is outrageous and unacceptable. Make no mistake: this is a direct result of the overturning of Roe v Wade, he said in a statement, referencing the landmark US Supreme Court case that was reversed in 2022, revoking a constitutional right to abortion care and upending reproductive health rights and legal protections across the US. That decision, possible only with Mr Trumps appointment of three justices to build a conservative supermajority on the nations high court, has triggered sweeping anti-abortion laws in more than a dozen states. American women couldnt care less what Donald Trump posts on Truth Social, they care that they cant access fertility treatment because of him, Mr Bidens presidential campaign manager Julia Chavez Rodriguez said in a statement on Friday. He proudly overturned Roe. He brags about it on the campaign trail, she said. Trump cannot run from his record and neither can the millions of women who his actions have hurt. The Alabama Supreme Court ruling concerned a couples wrongful death lawsuit against a fertility clinic, and whether staff who allegedly breached the clinics cryogenic storage facility mistakenly destroyed embryos. According to the court, under state law, unborn children are children ... without exception based on developmental stage, physical location, or any other ancillary characteristics. In a concurring opinion, the courts anti-abortion Chief Justice Tom Parker a proponent of Christian nationalist doctrine stated that the court had adopted a theologically based view of the sanctity of life, and wrote that human life cannot be wrongfully destroyed without incurring the wrath of a holy God. Mr Trumps Truth Social post landed in the middle of the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), where far-right influencers, members of Congress and other Trump allies have gathered for a four-day event to outline a 2024 agenda. Republican US Senator Tommy Tuberville of Alabama, a staunch ally to the former president, told reporters at the event he was all for the decision, then said he supports fertility treatments like IVF. Far-right influencer Michael Knowles, who addressed the conference on Thursday, announced on X that he believed Alabama doctors and IVF clinics should be criminally prosecuted. Earlier this week, GOP presidential rival Nikki Haley called embryos babies and then later clarified that she doesnt want to see clinics shutter, nor does she want to see doctors stop doing artificial insemination. On Thursday, three Republican governors said they were generally supportive of IVF treatments but said they had not seen the ruling to stake out a position. Meanwhile, on Fox News, the network spent fewer than six minutes of coverage on the ruling through Wednesday, even as clinics were drawing headlines for their suspension of IVF procedures. FX In the fifth episode of Feud: Capote vs. the Swans, "The Secret Inner Lives of Swans," James Baldwin (Chris Chalk) spends a day with Truman Capote (Tom Hollander). But did it take place in real life? "That's a little Robbie Bates play," Jon Robin Baitz, the show's writer and executive producer, tells Town & Country. "That didn't happen." Chris Chalk, who plays Baldwin, tells T&C he didn't worry about whether or not the day actually happened. "I didn't concern myself and I never would; it'd be a train wreck to try," he says. "It would be too intimidating for me as an artist to go in and try to find the conversation and mimic it. So, whether it happened or not, my job was to make it feel fresh." FX In real life, Baldwin had left New York City for Paris years prior to the timeline of Feud, and was mainly living in Saint-Paul de Vence. "I left America because I doubted my ability to survive the fury of the color problem here. (Sometimes I still do.)," Baldwin wrote in his 1959 essay, "The Discovery of What It Means to Be an American." He continues, "I wanted to prevent myself from becoming merely a Negro; or, even, merely a Negro writerStill, the breakthrough is important, and the point is that an American writer, in order to achieve it, very often has to leave this country." So why does Feud show him in New York City in the 70s, visiting Capote?Baitz explains, "Ryan [Murphy] and I, when I was writing, we knew that there had to be a moment where an outsider interjects. Because I was reading all of Baldwin at the same time and I so love him and the way he did itthe way he did life, balancing the public and the private beautifully being a strong gay man of color. " Sophie Bassouls - Getty Images He adds, "I found him to be monumental and a rebel who truly had a cause. I love that I was able to imagine all of the wisdom that Jimmy Baldwin had, and the way in which if he had been in Truman's life, because they only an acquaintanceship more than a friendship, and Truman was quite cruel in that and it hurt Baldwin." Ultimately, episode five works because he is used to be the "voice of a true artist, who's also managed to live a life," Baitz explains. "He may have had to go into exile to do it, but he gives Truman sage advice: Not to apologize for the thing he did, because ultimately it's true." Feud: Capote vs. the Swans is now streaming on Hulu. You Might Also Like A Wisconsin ethics panel is recommending that local prosecutors pursue criminal charges against one of Donald Trumps fundraising arms and several other Republican committees that it alleges violated state campaign finance law in an effort to topple a powerful lawmaker who had run afoul of the former president. The Wisconsin Ethics Commission said it found probable cause that Trumps Save America political action committee along with a state lawmaker, three county Republican parties and the campaign committee of one-time Republican candidate Adam Steen conspired to circumvent the states donation limits during Steens unsuccessful bid to unseat Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Robin Vos in the 2022 Republican primary. A Trump campaign spokesman and Save Americas treasurer did not respond to CNNs inquiries about the commissions recommendation. Steen did not immediately respond to telephone and email messages. The referral from the bipartisan commission comes as the former president and front-runner for the GOP presidential nomination faces a litany of legal troubles, including 91 criminal charges in four jurisdictions and recent civil judgments that total hundreds of millions of dollars. Under state law, individuals, candidate committees and PACs are barred from donating more than $1,000 to the committees of candidates running for the state assembly, the commission said. But party committees can make unlimited contributions to candidates. The ethics panel said its investigation found Steens campaign, three county party committees and others arranged to circumvent those limits and steer larger donations routed through party committees to Steens campaign or to his vendors. Save America donated $5,000 each to the three GOP county committees cited in the investigation, the commission said in public records released Friday. The panel referred its findings on Save America to local prosecutors in the three counties where the local GOP party committees are based for investigation and prosecution. CNN has reached out to officials with the three county parties. One of them Bob Billen, chairman of the Republican Party of Chippewa County said he had no further information because he wasnt elected to his post until August 2023, after the alleged events had transpired. In an email, Billen said he was learning details of this Ethics Commission investigation in real time just as you are. The panel said that Save America has denied the allegations of wrongdoing in response to a complaint that sparked the commissions investigation. (A commission official on Friday said that document was not a publicly available record.) The commission also said that if the local district attorneys choose not to pursue prosecution, it reserved the right to refer to matter to another district attorney or to Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul, a Democrat. In 2022, Trump endorsed Steens candidacy and sharply criticized Vos for not yielding to his pressure campaign over his 2020 loss in the state to Joe Biden. At one point, Vos told CNN affiliate WISN that Trump had asked him to decertify the 2020 election and that he had refused, saying the states Constitution barred him from doing so. In the end, Steen lost to Vos by 260 votes in the 2022 primary. The commission voted to approve the referrals to local prosecutors on Tuesday but made the records public on Friday. The referrals were first reported WISPOLITICS. This story has been updated with additional information. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com remaining of Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading. YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 24, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan has congratulated the Prime Minister of Estonia Kaja Kallas on the countrys Independence Day. "I congratulate you and the friendly people of Estonia on the occasion of the national holiday of the Republic of Estonia, Independence Day, PM Pashinyan said in a letter addressed to his Estonian counterpart. I would like to note with satisfaction that between Armenia and Estonia, political dialogue has been formed and is rapidly developing in the recent period, as well as cooperation in areas of mutual interest. I express my gratitude for Estonia's willingness to support the process of democratic reforms implemented in Armenia, as well as the further development of the Armenia-EU partnership. We highly appreciate Estonia's position in supporting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Armenia. I sincerely hope that in the near future there will be an opportunity to meet with you and to intensify bilateral relations through joint efforts." Unveils multiple projects worth Rs 34,427 cr for Chhattisgarh Raipur: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday launched a scathing attack against the Congress, saying that the grand old party cannot think beyond dynasty, corruption and appeasement (of minorities) "even today". Inaugurating and laying the foundation stones for multiple development projects worth Rs 34,427 crores for Chhattisgarh through video conferencing under the "Viksit Bharat, Viksit Chhattisgarh" event held in Raipur, Mr Modi said that the Congress had forgotten to build an India of the future. Chief minister Vishnu Deo Sai and two of his Cabinet colleagues Ram Vichar Netam and Brij Mohan Agrawal were present on the occasion. The Congress never worked on the agenda of taking the country forward, Mr Mod said. Till today, the Congress cannot think beyond dynasty, corruption and appeasement (of minorities). Those who work to promote their own families cannot look into the interests of others families and those who are concerned about the development of their own children cannot think of building the future of others children," he said. The Prime Minister said: "For Modi, you are the family. Thats why I am talking about the development of the country and of Chhattisgarh. This servant of people (referring to himself) has given a guarantee of hard work and sincerity to 140-crore people to work for the development of the country." Mr Modi said that one former Prime Minister said that "out of every rupee sent by his government, only 15 paise reached the villages. The remaining 85 paise were usurped by the middlemen". He was referring to the famous statement by former PM Rajiv Gandhi. Had such a situation prevailed in the country now, `29-lakh crores of the `34-lakh crores transferred by the Centre to the bank accounts of beneficiaries of various welfare schemes in the last 10 years would have been syphoned off, he said. Mr Modi said that he had given a guarantee to the countrymen not to spare any effort for the uplift of the poor and to make the corrupt pay back the money looted by them. He said that his government has ensured free rations, cheap medical treatment, houses and cooking gas for the poor through various welfare schemes. The poor had never imagined that such facilities will be made available to them, he added. The Prime Minister said that a developed India, as dreamt of by our ancestors, is emerging today. The Prime Minister mentioned the digital India initiative by giving examples of real-time payments, banking systems, and notifications for payments received and underscoring that it has become a reality today. When corruption comes to an end, the process of development begins, generating employment and opening up many opportunities," he remarked. Mr Modi lauded the Vishnu Deo Sai government for fulfilling a number of "Modi guarantees" given for Chhattisgarh before the November Assembly polls, saying that this could happen due to the "double-engine governments" (BJP governments at the state and the Centre). At the Viksit Bharat, Viksit Chhattisgarh event, the Prime Minister dedicated to the nation and laid the foundation stones for several development projects. He dedicated the Lara Super Thermal Power Project, stage one (2X 800 MW) of the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) in Raigarh, Chhattisgarh, to the nation and laid the foundation stone for stage two of the project. The PM inaugurated the first three key first-mile connectivity (FMC) projects of South Eastern Coalfields Limited (SECL), built at a cost of more than `600 crores in the Raigarh area. Mr Modi also inaugurated a solar power project in Rajnandgaon in Chhattisgarh, built at a cost of around `900 crores. He also inaugurated various rail and road projects. It is significant that Muslims make up about 34 per cent of Assams total population Guwahati: In what is alleged to be an attempt to create Hindu-Muslim polarisation ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, the Assam Cabinet on Saturday approved the repeal of the Assam Muslim Marriages and Divorces Registration Act 1935. The state Cabinet, which met late on Friday night, approved the Assam Repealing Ordinance 2024 for repealing the British-era marriage and divorce Act specific to Muslims. The state government spokesperson and minister Jayanta Malla Baruah told the media that the repeal is aimed at ending child marriages in the state. He said: The Assam Cabinet on Friday decided to repeal the age-old Assam Muslim Marriages and Divorces Registration Act. This act contained provisions allowing marriage registration even if the bride and groom had not reached the legal ages of 18 and 21, as required by law. Asserting that the move is also a step towards implementing the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in the state, Mr Baruah said, The law currently provides the facility of voluntary registration of Muslim marriages and divorces. It also authorised the government to provide licences to Muslim people (marriage registrars) to register marriages and divorces. After the law is repealed, they (Muslim marriage registrars) won't be able to register marriages and divorces. After repealing the law, the Assam minister said that district commissioners and district registrars will take custody of registration records held by 94 Muslim marriage registrars. It is significant that Muslims make up about 34 per cent of Assams total population. A total of 94 registrars were empowered under the now-repealed Act to register a marriage or divorce. The Assam government said that the Special Marriage Act will now apply. The government will provide one-time compensation of `2 lakhs each to Muslim marriage registrars for their rehabilitation after the Act is repealed. Mr Baruah said the Assam government wants all such marriages to be registered under the Special Marriage Act. He regretted that the Act now proposed for repeal was also used to register the marriages of underage boys and girls. Pointing out that the state government led by chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma is committed to bringing the UCC, Mr Baruah reiterated that the government will ban polygamy in the state. The Assam government's move to repeal the Muslim Marriage Act has sparked a debate, with the Opposition leaders criticising the BJP government and accusing them of trying to create a communal polarisation ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. Denouncing it as an anti-Muslim step of the government, Congress MLA Abdur Rashid Mandal called the Himanta Biswa Sarma government "absolutely an anti-Muslim government" and stated that "they were trying to show the Hindu people that they are favouring them and depriving the Muslims." All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) leader Rafiqul Islam said that the state government "did not have the courage" to bring a UCC in the state and alleged that it was "targeting" Muslims. The AAP will field its candidates on four seats -- New Delhi, South Delhi, West Delhi and East Delhi NEW DELHI: It is official now! The AAP and the Congress on Saturday finally announced their seat-sharing arrangements for Delhi, Goa, Gujarat and Haryana for the impending Lok Sabha elections. In the national capital, the two parties have agreed to four seats for the AAP and three for the Congress. In Haryana, the Congress will contest nine of the 10 Lok Sabha seats. And of the 26 seats in Gujarat, the grand old party will field candidates in 24 seats and the AAP gets the coveted Bharuch constituency. The BJP dubbed the pact an alliance of corrupts. The coming together of the AAP and the Congress will make the Delhi Lok Sabha elections a bipolar contest with the BJP, which seeks to repeat a clean sweep in all seven constituencies for the third time in a row. In 2014 and 2019, the BJP candidates polled more votes than the joint tally of the Congress and the AAP candidates. The AAP will field its candidates on four seats -- New Delhi, South Delhi, West Delhi and East Delhi, while the Congress will contest the North East Delhi, North West Delhi and Chandni Chowk constituencies. In a joint press conference with the AAP leaders, Congress general secretary Mukul Wasnik said, Although the Congress is contesting on three seats in Delhi, its workers and leaders will endeavour for the victory of INDIA bloc in all seven constituencies. AAP general secretary (organisation) Sandeep Pathak said, The party entered into an alliance by sidelining its own political interests as it believes that the country is important and the party secondary... Basically, all seven seats suit the AAP in terms of winnability, but for Delhi, we have agreed to the choice given by the Congress. The AAP sources said, From West Delhi, the party is considering former MP Mahabal Mishra. while from South Delhi the AAP may field sitting MLA from Chhatarpur Kartar Singh Tanwar. It is still not clear who will contest from the New Delhi constituency, but one of the sitting Cabinet minister of Delhi will be fielded. The East Delhi picture is not yet clear, the AAP sources said. The Congress sources indicated that city Congress chief Arvinder Singh Lovely or former three-time MP J.P. Aggarwal are the frontrunners for the North East seat. From Chandni Chowk, former MP Sandeep Dikshit is the top contender, while former MP Udit Raj is likely to contest from the North West Delhi constituency, the seat that he won in 2014 on the BJP symbol. Taking a dig at the alliance, BJP leader and Union minister Hardeep Puri said, The most curious part of this dysfunctional" alliance is that "they will be together in Delhi, but against each other in Punjab. The path to hell (or in this case, political oblivion!) is paved with skewed alliances. Mr Puri, in a post on X, said, If the opportunist alliance between the AAP and the Congress even manages to survive its inherent contradictions, it will be the most bizarre political combination in every sense. One that tries to pull the wool over the eyes of their own voters. Out of the 10 Lok Sabha seats in Haryana, the Congress will contest nine, while the AAP will field its candidate in Kurukshetra. The Congress will contest both the Lok Sabha seats in Goa and the lone seat in Chandigarh, with the AAP backing the Congresss candidates. According to the seat-sharing arrangement, in Gujarat, the AAP will contest the Bharuch and Bhavnagar seats. The Congress will field candidates on the remaining 24 parliamentary constituencies. The two AAP's Gujarat MLAs -- Chaitar Vasava and Umeshbhai Makwana -- will contest from the Bharuch and Bhavnagar seats, respectively. On Bharuch, a stronghold of late Congress leader Ahmed Patel, falling into the AAP's kitty, Mr Wasnik hoped that all the Congress workers will respect the decision. By the looks of it, the decision has not gone down well with Faisal Patel and Mumtaz Patel, the son and daughter of Ahmed Patel. Faisal said the Congress workers are not happy with the decision, but he will abide by it. Mumtaz, in a post on social media, issued an apology to the Congress workers and asked them to regroup to strengthen the party. Regarding Punjab, Mr Wasnik said that given the "special circumstances" that exist in the state, the AAP and the Congress have decided to contest the Lok Sabha polls separately in the state. Commenting on Punjab, Mr Pathak said, People are intelligent and they understand everything. About the campaign strategy of the INDIA bloc, the AAP leader added that it will be discussed at a later stage, asserting that the tieup will upset the calculations and strategy of the BJP. Today's news: Imran Khan appeals to the International Monetary Fund demanding independent verification of the vote before negotiations; Taiwan's TSMC opened its first microchip factory in Japan; Egyptian economy collapses as tourism, gas and Suez Canal hit by war in Gaza; In Russia more victims of the repression of crimes of opinion under Putin than in the thirty years from Kruschev to Andropov. CHINA-TIBET In China's southwestern Sichuan province, police yesterday arrested more than 1,000 Tibetans, including monks from at least two local monasteries, who were protesting against the construction of a dam that is expected to destroy six monasteries and force the relocation of two villages. JAPAN-TAIWAN Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), the world's largest microchip maker, has opened its first factory in Japan, with further investment planned to build a second plant. The factory, built in the city of Kikuyo in the southwestern prefecture of Kumamoto, is expected to begin producing semiconductors, including 12-nanometer chips used in cars and industrial equipment, in the last quarter of the year. The Taiwanese company, which is also building plants in Arizona in the United States and Dresden in Germany, is diversifying its production sites in the wake of risks arising from tensions between Taiwan and China. PAKISTAN From prison, the president and founder of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, Imran Khan, announced that he will write to the International Monetary Fund inviting it to request an independent verification of the February 8 general elections before continuing talks with Islamabad. Despite the ban on presenting one's symbol and accusations of fraud, the candidates of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf won a relative majority of seats in parliament. But the other political forces have agreed on a new government led by Shebhaz Sharif which would exclude Imran Khan's deputies. The financial institution's loans, essential to avoiding the country's default, expire in March. EGYPT-GAZA Already in the throes of a deep crisis, the Egyptian economy seems destined to suffer a serious blow due to the war between Israel and Hamas and growing tensions in the Red Sea. Tourism, gas exports and Suez Canal revenues are suffering and analysts say the Rafah crisis could make things even worse. NEPAL The spiritual journey of a wronged woman unfolds among the peaks and villages of the Himalayas in "Shambhala", the first Nepali film in competition at the Berlin Film Festival. I feel very happy to be here at the Berlinale, said director Min Bahadur Bham, who said he was proud to represent not only his film, but also Nepal, his village and her community. RUSSIA According to calculations by the Proekt agency, the number of people convicted for political reasons during the period of Vladimir Putin's presidency has already exceeded that of the thirty-year period 1954-1984, from Khrushchev to Brezhnev and Andropov. In total, around 116 thousand people suffered repression for crimes of opinion. Meanwhile, the Russian opposition politician Ilja Jasin, who is serving an 8 and a half year sentence in a concentration camp, has issued an appeal to world leaders to work for the release of another dissident Vladimir Kara-Murza, sentenced to 25 years and transferred to the Omsk concentration camp in Siberia, "before it is too late", as he too has already suffered poisoning attempts. KAZAKHSTAN In Kazakhstan, the spread of the measles infection does not stop, which began at the end of 2023 and involves more and more people, not only children, but also adults, in a proportion that has not been recorded for over thirty years, with quarantine phases which force entire neighborhoods and hospitals to be isolated and new, specially dedicated stations to be opened. Illustration: Liu Rui/GT (Global Times) After the hype surrounding Chinese-owned corn mills and China's garlic as threats, cranes have become the latest target of the US' speculation regarding national security. US elites seem to be fixated on anything that could be perceived as a "China threat." On Wednesday, the Biden administration announced a plan to invest billions in domestic manufacturing of cargo cranes, citing concerns that Chinese-made cranes could "pose a potential national-security risk." This argument is the usual tactic adopted by certain US politicians to push their own political agendas through the imaginary China threat. National security has become a ready-to-use stick to restrict any Chinese product as they like. These different versions of the "China threat," devoid of common sense and evidence, clearly reflect how ignorant and paranoid some US politicians are. As early as 2023, the Wall Street Journal called the Chinese-made cranes a "Trojan horse." But the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) clarified in a statement that "there have been no known security breaches as the result of any cranes at US ports, despite alarmist media reports." Groundless accusations should have been laughed away, but the problem is that such phenomena appear one after another, showing bare hostility. From corn mills to cranes, it seems that whenever the US wants to target a Chinese-made product, it will be covered in the coat of national security. Does the US use the "national security" excuse as they have nothing negative to say about Chinese products? It is exactly because of this pan-security tendency in the US on China-related issues that any case could be linked to security, without hard facts or proof. This provides the soil for absurd accusations about China, and offers a stage for many anti-China politicians. Impressively, the arrival of four Neo-Panamax container cranes from China in 2021 was welcomed and praised by the Maryland officials. Chinese-made cranes have played an important role in the development of US ports. According to US senior administration officials, 80 percent of ship-to-shore cranes moving trade at US ports are manufactured in China. This fully proves that Chinese-made cranes have superior performance and market competitiveness. From any point of view, this is a win-win cooperation. If it "would be the first time in 30 years" for the US to build domestic cargo-crane production, as US officials said, this means that the US would be wasting taxpayers' money on something completely unnecessary. In this process, economic laws and free-market principles have been squeezed step by step into a corner by politics and so-called national security, while normal investment and cooperation have been hindered by such abnormal means. Although the so-called reasons of the US for replacing the Chinese-made cranes are obviously far-fetched and alarmist, some forces still choose to be selectively blind amid the intense hostility toward China within the US. Lu Xiang, a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times that the fundamental purpose of the US plan to replace Chinese-made cranes is twofold. The first purpose is to discredit China and play psychological warfare with China. The second, it is taken as an opportunity to pave the US' way for more protectionist measures in a wider range of areas. We must recognize that the China-US cooperation projects in various fields have brought benefits for both countries. However, the US' hyping of the so-called China threat due to unilateral factors and domestic political considerations is seeking temporary political gains regardless of the consequences, ultimately undermining the interests of both countries. "Then who will benefit in the end? It may be none other than those US political elites who tend to intensify the 'China threat' theory for personal political interests," said Diao Daming, a professor at the Renmin University of China in Beijing. From accusations of China's IT equipment, electric vehicles, to Chinese-made cranes, the "China threat" bubble made by the US politicians has become bigger and bigger. Meanwhile, their real intention, to curb China's development under the guise of national security, is also increasingly exposed. What is the next "China threat?" Perhaps it is not far from the time when China's exports of shirts and socks are considered a threat. This property at 40 North Star Circle is the subject of an investigation by the U.S. government into sanctioned Russian oligarch Andrey Kostin, who faces criminal charges for allegedly concealing his ownership in the home and transferring it for $12 million to a co-conspirator, according to a criminal indictment unsealed Thursday. EV kW kWh Photo: Lancia Mind you, the old one was an Italy-only affair, where it was marketed from 2011 until 2024, whereas its successor, the fourth generation, will expand beyond its homeland's borders. It shares its platform with other similar-sized models from Stellantis, including the Peugeot 208, Opel Corsa, DS 3 Crossback, and Jeep Avenger, to name a few, and it's anThe motor generates 154 hp (156 ps/115) and 192 pound-foot (260 Nm) of torque. It drives the front axle and takes its juice from a 51batter pack. The powertrain family is bound to grow with the introduction of a combustion unit. Its specification is yet unknown, but it has been reported that it could be a mild-hybrid proposal, perhaps with a 1.2L gasoline burner.In terms of design, the new Lancia Ypsilon kind of looks like a weirder Peugeot 208. The Italian marque is trying to reinvent itself not only from a model expansion perspective but also in terms of styling, and we should see a similar approach for its upcoming vehicles. The five-door hatch will not get a three-door variant, nor an open-top one for that matter, but as it happens, we've already seen it in the former configuration in digital land last week.That rendering came from X-Tomi Design on Facebook and was a quirky proposal with an appealing vibe. Staying true to the original is the virtual artist's second take on this model, which has it ready for summer in the northern hemisphere. A quick comparison with the real thing reveals that it has two fewer doors and an open-top view of the sky above, with the folding roof being stored in a special compartment at the rear when it's down.The pixel manipulator went a step further by digitally placing a lady driver behind the wheel and by giving the car a full leather interior with a burgundy appearance. Everything else carries over from the actual 2024 Ypsilon, and that includes the intricate front-end design, complete with the Lancia lettering above the full-width light bar, front bumper appearance, headlamps, and so on. Even the wheels and color are the same, thus making it look more realistic.As mentioned above, the Italian auto marque has no intention of testing the waters in Europe's subcompact class with a shorter version or an open-top one, so the Ypsilon will remain a five-door hatch. But should they change their mind? And more importantly, would you buy one if they launched it in our market? SUV 4WD The last time Toyota sold the Land Cruiser in North America, the previous generation was a full-sizethat was paired with the Lexus LX. However, the current LX 600 doesn't fear any Toyota anymore because the J300 Land Cruiser isn't sold in the region anymore. Instead, the company decided to slim it down to the mid-size segment, reintroduce the nameplate based on the TNGA-F underpinnings, and twin it with the Lexus GX instead.Known as the Land Cruiser Prado and now also Land Cruiser 250 in other regions, this new off-road Toyota has some big shoes to fill , of course. Interestingly, the company is making everything more straightforward because the 2024 Land Cruiser slots above the mid-size 4Runner with an exclusive i-Force Max hybrid powertrain and also caters to traditionalists with its dual vintage styling round headlights for those who love the initial Land Cruiser generations and squared ones for the fans of the 1990s.Naturally, now that we finally have the pricing details for the 2024 Land Cruiser, there's a quick question that begs to be answered is it better or not than the 2024 Lexus GX 550? Well, frankly, if you don't mind our two cents on the matter, it's not necessarily either; it's just subtly different. Also, it's $30k more affordable than the previous generation for anyone keeping tabs, but that's less important because of the massive gap between them.So, Toyota finally announced the pricing details for the 2024 Land Cruiser alongside its spring availability at nationwide dealerships. The MSRPs kick off at $55,950 (plus a $1,495 destination fee), and just three grades are currently available. The base model is the 2024 Land Cruiser 1958 with just three color options (!) and an estimated fuel economy of 22/25 mpg, followed by the squarer Land Cruiser at $61,950 and the flagship First Edition (also with round headlights) at $74,950. The middle grade has seven available colors while the First Edition just four, and all share the same powertrain credentials a 326-hp i-Force Max inline-four hybrid setup with 465 lb-ft of torque, a full-timesystem with rear and center locking differentials, and an eight-speed ECT-I automatic transmission.Meanwhile, the more expensive 2024 Lexus GX 550 kicks off at $64,250 and has six trim levels (Premium, Overtrail, Luxury, each with a + variant, too), so it can go all the way up to $81,250. A quick calculation shows the difference between the base models is $8,300, while the flagship First Edition and Luxury+ trims are separated by $6,300. The other significant discrepancy is between the powertrains while the power levels are almost the same, the ritzier Lexus GX 550 gets access to a 349-hp and 479 lb-ft V35A-FTS 3.4-liter twin-turbocharged V6. That might make the choice easier if you want the V6 and don't mind the higher price, then the GX is for you; if the heritage look and sustainable powertrain are more important, you'll also pocket a sizeable discount if you go with the 2024 Land Cruiser.Frankly, the V6 lovers also have a slightly different alternative the 2024 Toyota 4Runner is still alive and available from $40,705 with the old-school 4.0-liter 1GR-FE V6 packing 270 hp and 278 lb-ft of torque. It's down on power compared to the 2024 Land Cruiser and GX, but you also save a lot of cash that can be used for some pretty cool aftermarket upgrades. So, the 2024 Land Cruiser seems to be the middle ground between the old and derelict but ultra-reliable 4Runner and the luxurious yet rugged Lexus GX. I would say the Land Cruiser takes the win, but I'm afraid to say it out loud because Toyota has started testing the 2025MY 4Runner prototypes , and it might borrow a lot of goodies from the N400 Tacoma for its sixth iteration, thus throwing into the air the current, precarious 4Runner-Land Cruiser-GX balance.As for Toyota, they are trying their best to make us order a 2024 Land Cruiser, reminding everyone of some of its strengths ahead of the first market deliveries. For off-road use, there's a new (optional) front stabilizer bar disconnect mechanism (SDM), Multi-Terrain Select, available in both 4WD High and 4WD Low, an upgraded Crawl Control function, automatic limited-slip differential, and the performance also comes down to the 31-degree approach, 25-degree breakover and 22-degree departure angles.Inside, "passengers aren't punished for the vehicle's capability" anymore, thanks to heated and ventilated front seats, reclining rear seats, or the optional 14-speaker JBL audio system. Technology plays a big part in our everyday life today. Hence, the 2024 Land Cruiser launches with a new 8- or optional 12.3-inch multimedia touchscreen for Toyota's latest Audio Multimedia system, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility, Qi wireless charging, six USB-C ports, a standard 2400-Watt AC inverter house type plug (120V) in the cargo area, and even an available 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster. Classic BMW airheads are ubiquitous in the custom bike world, so its becoming harder for builders to create something truly unique by the day. Motorrads boxer-twin platform may take to customization like a duck to water, but trying to avoid the already-established templates can prove rather challenging. Nonetheless, a guy like Jacek Mulak of Cardsharper Customs can pull it off without too much hassle. Photo: Cardsharper Customs Photo: Cardsharper Customs Weve recently talked about his collaboration with designer Michal Cwiek, which resulted in a startling BMW R 80 cafe racer dubbed The Archer . This joint venture was very fruitful, indeed, yet the project showcased above is just as impressive in its own right! It wasnt put together with the help of Michal, though, instead being one of the many solo builds tackled by Jacek at his shop in Lublin, Poland.Hed been approached by a customer named Marcin, who wanted something along the lines of WalzWerks Schizzo series but with a few twists to make it stand out. Sir Mulak eventually convinced his client to give him free reign over the transformation process, but he would stick to the general aesthetic that Marcin was after. As a donor bike for this conversion, Cardsharper picked a BMW R 100 in fairly decent shape.The Beemer got taken back to the shop, placed on the workbench, and fully dismantled, then the custom surgery was ready to begin. First things first, Jacek sought to alter the motorcycles posture with some tasty suspension mods on both ends. At the front, we now find the upside-down forks of a Suzuki GSX-R, secured in place by means of bespoke triple clamps.Furthermore, the same Gixxer also donated its drilled front brake discs and Tokico calipers to Cardsharpers cause. On the opposite end, suspension duties are assigned to a modern piggyback shock absorber from YSS, which is longer than the stock unit and attached to a custom mounting point up top. The looped subframe was built from scratch, as well, and it comes with dual-function LEDs on the flanks.A stylish handmade seat is placed atop the subframe tubing, featuring black leather upholstery and just enough padding for a comfortable ride. The R 100 s factory fuel tank is still present, of course, but its been repositioned ever so slightly to complement the angle of the rear framework. We spot a new filler cap sitting on the tank, and the front fender is a bespoke item built in-house by Jacek himself.It took a couple of attempts to get its shape and size just right, but the projects author made it come together seamlessly in the end. There is no mudguard to speak of at the back, though, because Jacek wanted to keep the clutter at a bare minimum in that area. Tailor-made mounting hardware was used to install an aftermarket LED headlight up north.Peek a little further back at the cockpit, and youll come across a single Daytona dial acting as the bikes only instrumentation. Although Marcin wished to go with clip-ons at first, he was advised that a low-profile, drag racing handlebar would be more practical for daily riding. Deciding to trust the mastermind at Cardsharper, the client gave the green light with full confidence.Jacek fitted an off-the-shelf handlebar bent in a slight downward arch, complete with bar-end turn signals and underslung mirrors from Highsider. Aftermarket grips, switches, and control levers are also present, altogether creating a minimalistic vibe perfect for this sort of build. The machines ergonomic package is completed with fresh rearsets made of billet aluminum, both placed on custom mounts and linkages with a factory-grade fit and finish.A thorough inspection of the twin-cylinder boxer revealed that it didnt need much work on the inside, so Jacek simply had it serviced before turning to the exterior mods. Once hed repainted the engine and polished some of its cooling fins, our protagonist replaced the OEM airbox with a pair of DNA pod filters. The space previously occupied by the R 100s airbox is now home to a number of electrical goodies.One may see a larger oil sump from Siebenrock down low, and the standard exhaust system got ditched in favor of a Brocks Performance alternative wrapped in ceramic coating. The last thing for us to talk about is the paintwork, which is honestly what drew our attention to this restyled R 100 in the first place. A glossy purple hue was laid onto the fuel tank and fender, along with black pinstripes on the former.The black-and-white BMW tank roundels are bespoke items made in-house, and the monochromatic colorway continues just about everywhere except for the bodywork. However, purple can also be found on the aftermarket air filters, nicely echoing the color of the tank and fender for visual continuity. Oh, and in case youre wondering where the fuel petcock and lines are, Jacek only had the time to install them after the photoshoot. A small number of L-platform cars have been recalled by FCA US LLC for a safety concern. More specifically, the parking brake may have been improperly adjusted. These vehicles, therefore, may fail to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 135 for light vehicle brake systems. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Photo: Chrysler EV Chrysler's report for thelists 1,808 potentially affected vehicles, of which seven percent are believed to require a readjustment. As per the document attached below, the parking brake assembly for the 2023 model year Dodge Challenger, its four-door sibling, and the Chrysler 300 is produced by Android Industries LLC.The Stellantis-owned automaker has recalled 1,034 units of the Dodge Charger, 133 units of the Chrysler 300 , and 641 examples of the two-door coupe. Production dates range between September 5, 2023 and September 11, 2023. As a brief refresher, all three models ended series production at Brampton Assembly in December 2023.According to section 7.12.3 of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 135, the parking brake shall hold the vehicle stationary for five minutes. The 300, Charger, and Challenger feature two parking brake assemblies, one for each of the rear wheels. Their part numbers are 04779249AH (for the left side) and 04779248AH (for the right).Auburn Hills-based FCA US LLC became aware of this condition on September 12, 2023. The Technical Safety and Regulatory Compliance investigated the problem through January 17, 2023, then the Vehicle Regulations Committee decided to conduct the recall. Dealers will be instructed to readjust the parking brake assemblies no later than April 5, the day owners can expect to receive Stellantis-branded envelopes via first-class mail.It's nigh-on impossible to determine when a vehicle was produced without access to the respective automaker's database. However, owners can easily determine whether their vehicles have been hit with a recall by entering the VIN on the automaker's website or on the federal agency's recall portal.Although it's unlikely for the Challenger to receive a new generation anytime soon, the Dodge brand will reinvent the Charger in the form of a three-door coupe for the 2025 model year. Based on the STLA Large platform, the newcomer will premiere on March 5. In addition to all-electric powertrains, there is a high possibility for the Hurricane twin-turbo I6 to be featured in conjunction with the ZF 8HP torque-converter automatic. A hybrid with a transmission-mounted drive unit is also possible.The Chrysler 300 will also return, although Chrysler has yet to confirm what it's called. All we know is that the Charger will get an electric-only sibling with four doors instead of three. Chrysler aims to become fully electric by 2028, making it the first all-electric American brand of the Stellantis group.Maserati will shift to an electric-only lineup by 2030, whereas Alfa Romeo will sell battery electric vehicles exclusively in 2027 at the latest. Alfa's first productionis the Milano , a small crossover twinned with the Jeep Avenger and Fiat 600. EV Photo: SH Proshots Set to sit at the base of the company'shigh-riding lineup in North America, with the even smaller EV2 joining it in Europe, the Kia EV3 was previewed by a concept last year. More recently, the model has entered the testing and fine-tuning phase, with our vigilant spy photographers scooping a few prototypes doing their thing in the cold in Sweden.We're not surprised to see it has similar proportions to the show car. Its design was toned down for production, as it has a new face with a different lighting signature, less swollen wheel arches, bigger side mirrors, a taller roof that doesn't arch as much towards the rear, visible door handles, and slightly longer front and rear overhangs, so it will also offer superior storage over the study.Our spies managed to nab a pair of testers. One of them had a gray finish, and the other was presented in dark blue beneath the fake skin. They also rode on different sets of alloys; honestly, we like the latter's better, but the former's are not bad either, and we can see that the ones equipping the concept served as inspiration here. Chances are, together with the dedicated tires, both sets will help improve the car's range, as we are talking about an EV, after all.Kia's upcoming EV3 is expected to utilize the E-GMP platform and might get the 400-volt tech to keep the pricing in check. We're not sure what powertrains the Korean company chose for it, but we think the most affordable variants will feature a single-motor setup. The range-topping EV3 GT, which will join the family, should launch with dual motors and an impressive output that will be unleashed at a hard tap of the right pedal.It wasn't only the exterior that we get to see in these spy shots, but also the cabin. The overall styling is minimalist, and we see the large dual-screen sitting behind a single pane of glass, as well as numerous physical buttons. Kia chose to put the gear selector on the steering column, thus freeing the center console and making it look sleeker.Due to the dedicated platform and what should be superior packaging, the Kia EV9 will likely take the upper ground over the similarly-sized Peugeot e-2008 , Opel/Vauxhall Mokka-e, Ford Puma Gen-E, and other subcompact electric crossovers in the Old Continent. Rumors say it might be due early next year, and we think it will launch in the United States for the 2025 model year. 1967 was a wake-up year for Plymouth, as the division proudly displayed a muscle offering in its menu with a name of its own, not a borrowed moniker with no mean sound. The Belvedere and the Satellite (itself a high-brow Belvedere) were the first in a line of Plymouth products to carry the second generation of the HEMI when the big motor debuted a year before. The V8 was a blast, but the bodies were like a pair of slippers on an Olympic sprinter in the race for the gold medal. Truth be told, it wasn't the automobiles themselves , as it was their names that didnt have the right ring to them. Chrysler nailed the marketing gimmick in the hemispherical head with the 426 motor moniker (HEMI). The top brass quickly realized that a catchier name was vital to fight the GTO from Pontiac, the 4-4-2 from Oldsmobile, and even the brethren Chargers from Dodge.Coincidence or simply copycat copywriting, the new car flicked one letter from the GM acronym and called it a day. The GTX was born as a high-trim Belvedere and allowed only two engines. The 440-4 eight-cylinder, the fabled Super Commando, was the standard fitting in the newly launched machine.The alternative was the elephant 426 cubic-inch HEMI. It was the ultimate Mopar could offer for that year for its lowest-price field division. The GTX badge didnt last long on the base Belvedere just one model year. In 1968, significant design changes promoted the nameplate to a standalone status, effectively creating a smorgasbord of nearly identical Plymouths: the Belvedere, the Satellite, the GTX, and the Road Runner.As for the GTX nomenclature, 1967 is probably the most significant for the whiplashing acronym not only is it the debut version, but it is also a single-year model. Add a couple of extra distinctions on top of that, and we should get to something exceptional really fast.As Ive said, the only engines mounted in a first-year GTX were the 7.2-liter ogre and its smaller but way more ferocious HEMI brother. Out of a total production of 12,000 or so units, only 737 GTXs received the 425-hp, 490-lb-ft honors in 1967. Most of those gentlemans muscle cars wore a hard top above the occupants, but 17 werent afraid to be seen topless.Seven of the two-digit batch received the fun meter hardware: a three-pedal, four-speed smiles-per-gallon generator, and ten came with a three-speed TorqueFlite automatic transmission. Here is one of those unicorns, ready for a new caretaker after a life rich in stories and nice memories.On January 27, 1967, Chrysler's St. Louis assembly plant workers were indifferent about what was rolling off the line. Not that they were careless, but they had no idea that one drop-top GTX would become something much bigger than just the nice car it was. Thats when this Bright Blue Metallic convertible rolled off the line, only to be shipped to West Side Motor Sales in Bellevue, Ohio.A local bought it, only to later sell it to his best friend, from whom he repurchased it after a short while. And then, he put the car up for sale. Enter a nuclear engineer and his best friend two hardcore Mopar ultrafundamentalists with proven track records on their names. That track would be Thompson Dragway, east of Cleveland, where John Ward and George Eberst would regularly clench pistons against other members of the high-revs, high-octane society.In 1980, John Ward was browsing the Cleveland Plain Dealer newspaper, and his eyes stopped in the classified ads section. What caught his attention was the GTX convertible HEMI featured in this story, which the original owner wanted to get out of his garage.The reason for that decision is lost in time, but it may have something to do with the HEMI sucking in a valve,' as Mr. Ward phrased it. His Fiend George Eberst took the derelic t GTX home and dedicated the following six years to restoring it.The car was far from what it looks like today from an aesthetic standpoint. Rouch, but running although the fender tag didnt reflect the reality in the engine bay. A 383 V8 (6.2-liter) replaced the ailing HEMI, but the mighty elephant was still available and complete.The car had been converted to all-drum brakes because the early discs (with which the GTX came equipped courtesy of the HEMI option ) didnt like the salt sprinkled on the winter roads. The calipers corroded, and brake fluid would spew out of all four pistons not the best of treatments for bodywork.Neither was the salty winter driving: the left quarter panel was rusted through, so it had to be replaced. The car wasnt so much of a big deal back in the eighties, when convertibles were all but extinct, and a HEMI was the apostle of the antichrist. However, as years went by, the car grew in value significantly. That didnt prevent George Eberst, its owner, from selling it to his best friend, John Ward, in 2000 under a right of first refusal clause.However, the nuclear power engineer had no such intention at least not until 2019, when health issues took precedence over the ownership of the 1967 Plymouth GTX convertible HEMI . During the ownership, Mr.Ward re-chromed the car and rebuilt the brakes namely, he had the original front disc assemblies shipped to a Virginia shop to be heat-fitted with brass. Also, he put the GTX through its paces, averaging 40 miles per week (around 65 kilometers).The car currently shows 73,338 miles (118,000 km), but we cant specify how many were covered with the behemoth 7.0-liter motor and what was done by the 383-incher from the seventies. In 2019, John Ward sold the rare Plymouth Belvedere GTX to one of his friends from Arizona, and the car is now heading to an auction on March 9 at the Glendale 2024 car event in Arizona. The most recent case comes from San Antonio, where a Toyota owner discovered an AirTag planted behind her car's license plate.Annie Rodriguez told the local media that it all started when a mysterious woman was caught on camera walking around her Toyota by a surveillance system at work. The woman inspected the roof and appeared particularly interested in hard-to-reach spots, at one point even checking out the wheel well.If you've been following AirTag stalking news, you probably know already that the wheel well is a common place for secretly planting Apple's trackers on victims' cars.Rodriguez spotted the woman again the next day, this time parking her car next to her Toyota. The woman stepped out of the vehicle, walked around it one more time, and stopped behind it. It was the moment when Rodrigues decided to call the cops.Police started inspecting the Toyota but couldn't find anything wrong. The woman still didn't feel safe, so she searched online for places to hide an AirTag. She inspected the car herself and eventually discovered an AirTag behind the license plate I wonder why the police did not look behind the license plate, as it's one of the most common places to plant an AirTag without the owner knowing about it.She called the police again, and the officers started an investigation, this time involving Apple. Police contacted the iPhone maker and asked for AirTag owner information, eventually tracking down a woman named Mary Mojica. Investigators discovered that Mojica was the girlfriend of Rodriguez's ex.The local media reports that police booked Mojica for unlawful installation of a tracking device, but the case was eventually dismissed. The press contacted the DA's office, and it turns out the case has been refiled.The case leaves us with three things. One, you should always thoroughly inspect the car yourselves, as the police sometimes fail to look even in the most obvious places. Two, Apple can and will help law enforcement find an AirTag owner. And three, if you think you're in danger, call the cops immediately, as an AirTag planted on your car can be a sign that someone is tracking your every move, likely not with good intentions.Apple has owner information thanks to the Apple ID associated with the AirTag. The Cupertino-based tech giant has already confirmed it's working with police to offer owner data when a warrant is provided, and while this is certainly good news, it's also a lengthy process that often leaves the victim exposed to whatever nefarious purposes the criminal had in mind when they planted the AirTag. Thank you for reading! Please purchase a subscription to read our premium content. If you have a subscription, please log in or sign up for an account on our website to continue. 24 February 2024 08:30 (UTC+04:00) Elnur Enveroglu Read more Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's visit to Paris, the capital of France, drew attention only for one point: although we are far away from our founder Russia, we still have a staunch supporter France. In fact, neither France nor the West as a whole think for a moment about the future of Armenia in the South Caucasus - it is not even interesting for them at all. The only interesting thing for them is to intervene in the region through a flexible state like Armenia in the South Caucasus and be able to change the pressures to their advantage when the time comes. Nikol Pashinyan's heated conversation with Mourad Papazyan, the co-chairman of the Coordinating Council of French Armenian Organizations in the capital Paris, was also remembered as one of the interesting moments of the visit. The most interesting moment was the participation of the French President Emmanuel Macron in the meeting between the parties as an intermediator. It should be noted that since Papazyan was declared persona non grata, he has not been allowed to Yerevan. However, Papazyan was Pashinyan's partner many times in certain important issues between Armenia and France. For example, let's take the last time that Macron disappointed the Armenian Prime Minister on the main issue - recognizing Garabagh as the territory of Azerbaijan. Although Macron promises that he is extremely attached to Yerevan and will always stand behind them, he recognizes Garabagh, which Armenians consider imaginary land, as the territory of Azerbaijan. At Pashinyan's most desperate moment, Mourad Papazyan mediated to restore relations with Macron. It is interesting that this time Macron brokered between Pashinyan and Papazyan. During the meeting, the co-chair criticized Pashinyan for banning him from entering Armenia, to which the angry prime minister responded with criticism. However, Pashinyan's assurance is reported that the authorities will not protest the court's decision that overturned Papazyan's persona non grata status. But we wonder why Pashinyan should ban the entry of the co-chairman, whose help he is in need, to enter the country or ignore the decision to declare him persona non grata by the court? Perhaps this can be analyzed by comparing it with the former separatist leaders, and it can be concluded that Pashinyan does not accept the presence of any rivals in the country. But the question arises: what is France doing in the middle? What is Macrons role in the brokering between the parties? By inviting the Armenian leadership to its country, official Paris was actually trying to convey a single message: we will try our best to prevent peace in the South Caucasus with our traditional methods. One of these methods is to do what one cannot do through another state. France, of course, is not bold enough to open a war against the South Caucasus. But its other nefarious tool is arming Armenia at any cost. But can it be considered that France has no other problems and that its only wish is for Armenia to have a strong army? Not at all. It has never been seen in history that an imperialist, colonialist state wants another state to strengthen militarily and economically. If France gives arms to Armenia and provides comprehensive assistance to it, then there is either a complicit issue or there is a deep policy that Armenia has not even grasped yet. This policy is the policy of the West, which applies its power to the geographical space it wants through other states it uses as its instrument. As long as there is a tool in that area that will serve its interests and is inclined towards it - which is Armenia. Today, France's and the West's anti-Azerbaijani propagandas are yielding fruits. Armenia's initiation of armed provocation on the border after a long period of calm, followed by firing in the direction of the Azerbaijani army along the conventional border, is almost a part of the planned game. Because the European Mission, which watches only the Azerbaijani side with binoculars, is also present in the place where the fire came from. Today, the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan officially stated that it did not fire any response to prevent the next armed provocation by the Armenian army. The reason is clear that the European Mission is waiting for a retaliatory act of the other party to the Armenian side. As a result, the Azerbaijani side should be blamed and they can interpret the issue in their own way and present Azerbaijan in the form of an invader to the world community. This did not happen again. Because Azerbaijan already knows the true inner face of France and other forces, which are close to it, as much as they know Armenia. --- Elnur Enveroglu is AzerNews Deputy Editor-in-Chief, follow him on @ElnurMammadli1 Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz US Ukraine crisis Illustration: Liu Rui/GT (Global Times) The US joined the EU and UK in announcing a new round of sanctions against Russia, ahead of the two-year anniversary of the military conflict between Russia and Ukraine that started in February 2022. But at the same time, Russia is seemingly gaining the upper hand on the battlefield with its latest victory in capturing Avdiivka, a critical town in eastern Ukraine. Analysts said considering the previous sanctions were far from reaching expectations, and the US and West are not prepared to compromise with Russia on the conflict in 2024, the stalemate may become a large probability, and a cease-fire is still far from sight. At a time when the security environment and economy of the entire world are being seriously affected, the US, whether it is from holding Europe hostage to promote bloc confrontation or from selling gas and arms to Europe, seems to be benefiting the most. However, experts said that if the Russia-Ukraine conflict continues for a long time, it will be a war without winners, and China will continue its efforts in promoting peace talks and a cease-fire as early as possible. Stalemate to continue US President Joe Biden on Friday announced Washington would issue more than 500 new sanctions targeting Russia for the ongoing war with Ukraine and for the death of the Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny. The US will also impose new export restrictions on nearly 100 entities for providing support to Russia and take action to further reduce Russia's energy revenues, Biden said in a statement. The US latest sanctions came on the heels of moves by its allies. The UK on Thursday announced more than 50 further sanctions against Russia, targeting individuals and businesses supporting Moscow's "war effort." On Wednesday, the EU also approved its 13th package of sanctions against Russia, banning nearly 200 related individuals and entities which it claimed as being linked to Moscow's operation, including companies from China and India. The sanction was adopted on Friday. However, experts found that sanctions from the US and West have failed to have any substantial impact on Russia. Meanwhile, Moscow was also "not nearly as isolated as US officials had hoped," as Russia's inherent strength, rooted in vast supplies of oil and natural gas, "has powered a financial and political resilience," according to a New York Times report. Western sanctions on Russia did put short-term pressure on the Russian economy, but it soon adjusted policy and resumed growth, Zhang Hong, a senior research fellow at the Institute of Russian, Eastern European and Central Asian Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Friday. The sanctions are a sign of Western political correctness, but they have fallen far short of their intended goals, Zhang said, adding that rounds of sanctions have not changed Russia's position in the Ukraine crisis or caused major economic difficulties for Russia. "In a way, it was a failure," said the expert. According to the expert, compared with the previous measures, the recent ones have focused more on indirect sanctions, by restricting Russia's trade and financial contacts with other countries, narrowing Russia's external economic activity. The sanctions also come at a time when Russia is gaining the upper hand on the battlefield, capturing Ukraine's eastern city of Avdiivka last week. Ukraine faces a shortage of ammunition and insufficient troops, according to media reports. Ahead of the crisis anniversary, Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev said on Thursday that Russia will have to continue fighting Ukraine until it takes the coastal city of Odessa and Ukraine's capital Kiev, according to RT. Although some observers, including former CIA director and secretary of Defense Robert Gates, told US media that he believed Russia has "regained the momentum" and "has broken the stalemate," Chinese experts said the current seesaw battle may continue in 2024. Medvedev's remark shows Russia's confidence in continuing its "special operation," Zhang said, "What Moscow seeks is to maximize its security interests within the scope of controllable risks." However, the latest sanctions show the US and the West are not prepared to compromise with Russia, Zhang noted, adding that although Ukraine has recently been passive on the battlefield, it's unlikely to suffer a rout. On February 1, EU leaders approved the extension of 50 billion Euros ($54 billion) in aid to Ukraine from 2024 to 2027. "It shows that currently the West is not prepared to abandon Ukraine," Zhang said. Experts also noted that in the long run, the situation in the battlefield largely depends on US factors, whether it can overcome domestic partisan strife on aiding Kiev, and whether US policies will be adjusted sharply after a possible Trump return. In 2024, the continuation of stalemate and attrition may become a high probability on the battlefield in Ukraine, Li Haidong, a professor at the China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times on Friday. The conflict will continue, and there is no end in sight, at least for now, Li added. 24 February 2024 10:00 (UTC+04:00) Independent Arabia newspaper published an article about peace negotiations between Azerbaijan and Armenia and the influence of France on this process, Azernews reports. The article largely focuses on Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's recent official visit to France, his meeting with President Emanuel Macron, and their statement. It should be remembered that France and Armenia are linked by historical ties, and because more than 600,000 Armenians live in France, France is contributing to the buildup of Armenia's armament, which the Azerbaijani side interprets differently. Official Baku accuses France of encouraging Armenia's belligerent attitude and inciting it to wage war on its neighbors. The publication interviewed Elchin Amirbayov, the Representative of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan on special assignments, on this topic. The interview reflects the thoughts of the Azerbaijani official, who once served as ambassador to France, on peace negotiations. Amirbayov noted that after Azerbaijan liberated the Karabakh region, which had been under Armenian occupation for 30 years, opportunities arose for concluding a final peace agreement. In this context, he pointed to the last meeting of the leaders of the two countries within the framework of the Munich Security Conference. Touching upon the emerging opportunities for the development of bilateral relations and the conclusion of a peace agreement, as well as the ties between Azerbaijan and France, Amirbayov recognized the importance of the current manifestation of goodwill on the Armenian side, since the achievement of peace depends on the political will of Armenia. In the interview, the official representative of Azerbaijan also stated that Armenia has not officially relinquished its territorial claims against Azerbaijan, as several papers adopted in Armenia between 1990 and 2000 contain geographical and territorial claims against Azerbaijan. These laws are still in effect, which can be considered one of the major impediments to reaching a peace agreement. On the other hand, the appearance of these documents is interpreted as a sign of Armenia's unwillingness to reach an agreement. Furthermore, these documents constitute a significant violation of international law because the world community recognized Karabakh as Azerbaijani territory when Azerbaijan joined the UN in 1992. Meanwhile, Armenia continues to occupy Azerbaijani villages and has filed a case against Azerbaijan with the International Court of Justice in the Hague. Clarifying the absurd statements of the Armenian side about Azerbaijans claims on the territory of Armenia, Amirbayov said in an interview that Azerbaijan stands for the opening of all transport routes as a positive result of the peace agreement. Armenia, which keeps its borders closed with Azerbaijan and Turkiye, and has convenient connections only with Iran, faces a dilemma on this issue. In conclusion, the Azerbaijani official stated that the signing of a peace agreement and the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries could bring many benefits, and the region would gain importance for transit cargo transportation. Thus, connecting the main part of Azerbaijan with Nakhchivan through communications can stimulate the development of the Middle Corridor and the transportation of goods from China to European countries. Amirbayov expressed confidence that the economic and commercial aspects of this issue will be of interest to Armenia. The interview also spoke about the work done in the cultural capital of Azerbaijan, Shusha, and the gradual return of former internally displaced persons to their native lands, including the fact that by 2026, the return of 140 thousand people will be ensured. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Speaker of the Milli Majlis Sahiba Gafarova has met with Speaker of the People's Majlis of the Republic of Maldives Mohamed Aslam and Speaker of the Sri Lankan Parliament Mahinda Yapa Abeywardana, who are in Azerbaijan to attend the 14th plenary session of the Asian Parliamentary Assembly (APA) in Baku, Azernews reports. Sahiba Gafarova described the APA as a convenient and multilateral platform for developing cooperation, dialogue, and solidarity among member countries. She highlighted discussions on various global challenges during the 14th plenary session, which was attended by parliamentary delegations from 40 countries and representatives of international parliamentary organizations. The meetings revolved around the role of parliamentary diplomacy in international relations and the influence of legislative bodies on global processes. The parties also explored opportunities for cooperation within international parliamentary organizations. Speaker Sahiba Gafarova stressed the importance of the Parliamentary Network of the Non-Aligned Movement, which was established at the initiative of President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev. Mohamed Aslam and Mahinda Yapa Abeywardana hailed the successful hosting of the 14th plenary session of the APA and shared positive impressions of their visit to Azerbaijan. During the meetings, the sides also exchanged views on opportunities for cooperation between the countries across various domains. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 24 February 2024 14:20 (UTC+04:00) An event titled "Azerbaijani Cuisine and Culture" was hosted in Ashgabat by the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan in Turkmenistan. The gathering welcomed diplomats from various foreign missions in Turkmenistan, local community leaders, and Azerbaijanis living there. Attendees had the opportunity to savor delectable Azerbaijani dishes and sweets while enjoying traditional Azerbaijani music. A captivating video showcasing Azerbaijan was also featured. The event included the display of souvenirs reflecting Azerbaijan's rich history, culture, and artistic heritage, as well as locally made Azerbaijani products. Furthermore, prizes were awarded to winners of a competition focusing on Azerbaijan. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 24 February 2024 14:55 (UTC+04:00) Representatives of the Azerbaijan National AntiDoping agency (AMADA) will participate in the international scientific conference WADA`s fourth Global Education Conference (GEC) to be held in Cannes, France on February 27-29. The event, to be organized by the World Anti Doping Agency, will welcome representatives from 140 countries. The conference will provide the opportunity for anti-doping practitioners and researches to discuss emerging trends, share best practices and reflect on how education can continue to further efforts in the fight against doping in sport. The 2024 GEC will foster networking and collaboration and will use a mix of plenary and breakout sessions to introduce innovative problem-solving strategies; engage participants on their education programs; and explore current topics in clean sport education. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 24 February 2024 15:30 (UTC+04:00) An international conference named "Decolonization: Awakening of the Renaissance" has been held in Istanbul, Turkiye, Azernews reports. Abbas Abbasov, Executive Director of the Baku Initiative Group (BIG), joined Carlyle G. Corbin, an International Advisor on Governance and an independent expert for the United Nations Special Committee on Decolonization, along with representatives from the Turkish government at the event. The conference was followed by a panel discussion themed "Impacts of colonization on national identity". The discussion covered a range of topics, including ethnic and cultural discrimination, political instability, repression, political history, social and economic challenges, persecution of independent media, security concerns, and the consequences for immigration, emigration, and expatriates. The second session explored the artificial legal barriers imposed by the French government during the renaissance-era decolonization. Topics include border issues, security and defense, national resource ownership, international recognition, citizenship concerns, legislation, and economic reforms. Meanwhile, the Baku Initiative Group was established on July 6, 2023, by participants of the "Total Elimination of Colonialism" conference within the framework of the ministerial meeting of the Coordinating Bureau of the Non-Aligned Movement under the chairmanship of the Republic of Azerbaijan. The BIG launched its office in Baku on October 21, 2023. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 24 February 2024 17:55 (UTC+04:00) Participants of the conference in Istanbul seek to globally spotlight France's colonial policy, the Baku Initiative Group Director Abbas Abbasov said, Azernews reports. He noted that representatives and leaders of national movements from countries affected by French colonialism and various international organizations are attending the "Decolonization: Awakening of the Renaissance" conference organized by the Baku Initiative Group in Istanbul. "Over the past four months, we have been trying to attract the world's attention to the situation of peoples affected by colonial policies and actions of the French state. The conference, attended by diplomats, professors, and representatives of national movement parties from countries affected by colonial policies, consists of two panels," the initiative group's head explained. "The first panel will discuss what needs to be done to give these peoples the opportunity to reconnect with their national culture, history, and language, while the second panel will focus on legal pathways to independence and artificial barriers imposed by the French state," Abbasov added. To note, the event has brought together 50 representatives from 13 countries and four international organizations. The majority of conference participants represent overseas territories that are still French colonies. Representatives of independence movements and nationalist movements from Caribbean islands, French colonies in South America, the Pacific and Indian Oceans, French overseas territories - New Caledonia, French Polynesia, French Guiana, Martinique, and Guadeloupe, as well as all other stakeholders, will communicate from Istanbul to the world about the facts related to the consequences of the French state's colonial policies in their countries. The conference will last for two days. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 24 February 2024 16:29 (UTC+04:00) President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has sent a congratulatory letter to Emir of the State of Kuwait Sheikh Mishaal Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah on the occasion of the country's national holiday, Azernews reports. The letter reads: Your Highness, On my own behalf and on behalf of the people of Azerbaijan, I extend my sincerest congratulations and best wishes to you and, through you, to all your people on the occasion of the national holiday of the State of Kuwait. I believe that we will successfully continue our joint efforts to develop relations between Azerbaijan and Kuwait and deepen our cooperation. On this festive day, I wish you robust health, happiness, success in your endeavors, and the friendly people of Kuwait everlasting peace and well-being. Sincerely, Ilham Aliyev President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Baku, 22 February 2024 --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 24 February 2024 18:55 (UTC+04:00) Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday said Turkiye gives special attention to the development of Ankara-Sofia relations, and that Turkish citizens in Bulgaria play a crucial role in forging strong ties between the two nations, Azernews reports, citing Anadolu Agency. In a period marked by multifaceted challenges, we pay special attention to advancing Turkiye-Bulgaria relations. We strive to enhance our ties with Bulgaria in every field, believing that this is in the common interest of both countries. Of course, during this process, our compatriots play a vital role with the strong human bridges established between the two countries, Erdogan said in a video message sent to the congress of Bulgaria's political party Movement for Rights and Freedoms. Erdogan also said Turkiye is delighted to witness the party becoming a fundamental aspect of Bulgarian politics and democracy, adding that it has actively contributed to fostering cooperation between Ankara and Sofia attaining considerable success in safeguarding the interests of Turkish compatriots. I believe that the newly elected leaders, starting with the co-chairs, will continue their path with unity, solidarity, and a more inclusive and embracing approach that prioritizes the expectations of the voters. I sincerely wish success to all brothers and sisters who will take on roles in various levels of the party, elected according to the will of the delegates at the congress, he added. Erdogan also said Bulgaria is a valuable ally and a reliable friend for Turkiye. I extend my greetings to all our compatriots living in Bulgaria, all members of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms, and our Bulgarian friends, he added. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz A delegation of the Healthcare Ministry of Belarus took part in the first meeting of the Zimbabwe-Belarus Joint Permanent Commission on Cooperation, BelTA learned from the press service of the Healthcare Ministry, Azernews reports, citing BelTa. The delegation was led by Deputy Healthcare Minister Boris Androsyuk and included Belpharmprom Director General Oleg Sakhno, Deputy Director of the Center for Examinations and Tests in Healthcare Marina Zlotnikova, and other experts. 24 February 2024 22:00 (UTC+04:00) A new website www.khojalywitness.org website has been launched in partnership with Leyla Aliyeva, initiator of the Justice for Khojaly international campaign, Vice-President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, and with the initiative of the famous photojournalist Reza Deghati, Azernews reports. Reza Deghati, was one of those, who witnessed the Khojaly genocide and the horrors the people of Azerbaijan endured in 1992. He hosted exhibitions and made reportages in many parts of the world to bring the realities to the world community. The website features photos made in Khojaly and Aghdam in 1992, and articles written by influential media outlets such as "The Times", "The New York Times", "The Washington Times", "The Washington Post", " 1 News", "The Independent", "Le Monde", "Newsweek", "The Sunday Times", "Human Rights Watch, The Age, The Boston Globe, Kommersant and Svoboda. The website is available in Azerbaijani, French, English and Russian languages, allowing the wider audience to learn about the realities of the Khojaly genocide. On the night of February 26, 1992, the Armenian armed forces committed a deliberate act of massacre in Khojaly, a small town in Garabagh, Azerbaijan. During that night 613 people were killed including 106 women, 63 children, and 70 elderly people. Most of them especially the women and children were shot at close range, scalped, burnt alive, had their eyes gorged out, or were beheaded, and one pregnant woman was bayoneted in the abdomen. Those who escaped the gunfire with wounds had to trek through the mountains to safety and many perished in the -10 C. A further 1 275 people were taken prisoner some of the prisoners were shot dead. Those who survived fled to the city of Aghdam, they went to the mosque which was being used as a morgue to search for their loved ones who had disappeared. Each day they wandered among the dozens of corpses wrapped in body bags brought to Aghdam by the Red Cross. As they examined their faces, they discovered the horrors perpetrated by the Armenian soldiers. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Last falls string of homicides left Billings residents struggling to make sense of a wave of senseless violence, and gangs were part of the explanation provided by law enforcement. When this open-ended label, with associations far beyond the city limits, collided with fear and grief, it became ripe for speculation just ask anyone who has heard public comment at a public safety meeting in the past few months. Were these gangs trafficking drugs? Were they affiliated with infamous gangs from other places? Were they running rampant in the schools? The answer is no, no, and no, according to the Billings Police Department, which is not to make light of them. Police officials point to the fact that juvenile gangs of Billings have proven themselves to be reckless and dangerous, with members of juvenile gangs connected to three of five of Novembers homicides. There are both adult and juvenile gangs in Billings, but the juvenile gangs are more connected to violent and gun-related crimes, including assault with a weapon, robbery, and stealing firearms from vehicles, according to Sgt. Ryan Kramer, who leads the BPDs Street Crimes Unit. We rarely see situations of violence or criminal acts from adult gangs, said Lt. Matt Lennick, a spokesperson for BPD. BPD classifies gangs based on the states definition: an organization, association, or group of three or more persons, whether formal or informalhaving a common name or common identifying sign or symbol, and whose members individually or collectively engage in or have engaged in a pattern of criminal street gang activity. The juvenile gangs meet this standard, but dont participate in turf wars or even have stable membership. Tara French, director of Youth Probation and Parole, described the gangs as friends for the day and Kramer said members jump from one to the next. Theres no hierarchy or organized effort, Kramer said. Actual gangs have discipline, structure, and management, said Val Weber, director of the countys youth jail. Gang wannabes have no discipline. These gangs have a penchant for social media, where they proclaim their affiliations, post photographs of themselves with weapons, and bicker with rival gangs. Social media is prevalent, they like to go back and forth on social media, Kramer said. On the contrary, adult gangs in Billings keep a lower profile, according to Lennick. As part of the investigation into last years carnival shooting, BPD detectives were able to track the whereabouts of both firearms before and after the April 29 shooting through witness statements and social media accounts, according to charging documents. A suspect was charged with tampering with evidence, after deleting photos of the juvenile who has now been charged with homicide with the weapon used in the shooting. One of the two firearms involved in this homicide was stolen, charging documents state. Last year, 198 firearms were stolen from vehicles in Billings, according to BPD. I dont know if more youth have guns or are more willing to use them, French said. In 2021, the county had 26 juvenile cases of assault with a weapon, which can include any kind of weapon, as well as DUIs involving an accident. In 2022, there were 60 cases. Despite the public attention on gangs, overall violent crime in Billings was down in 2023, BPD Chief Rich St. John said during a February Coffee with a Cop event. The exact percentage will be released in the departments annual report this spring. You wouldnt know that from looking at the headlines, St. John said. The biggest thing were dealing with right now is perception, he said when announcing the same information at a January meeting of the Citizen Police Advisory Board. As with overall violent crime, gang-related crime has also been down, according to Kramer, because of high-visibility enforcement and arrests from last years homicides. Its a misconception that its out of control, Lennick said. Kramer described gang-affiliated youth as looking for connection, as well as trying to be cool. French echoed this, especially when it comes to the prospect of going to Pine Hills, the states youth prison in Miles City. Its become a status symbol, French said. Prison used to scare people. The government or justice system may not decide whats cool and whats not, but changes to the law could make theft of a firearm a more serious offense. Under current state law, theft of a firearm is a misdemeanor the same as shoplifting though its a felony under federal law. It would be helpful in the law to give us something to deal with it, Kramer said. Theres not a whole lot to go on to hold them accountable. 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? 98.25% No, I do not support Election Interference; I am a patriot unto our Constitution.1.75% 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? By Dr. Mark Creech Christian Action League February 23, 2024 Few books occupy as prominent a place in literary history as Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities. It is a masterpiece of storytelling, social commentary, and moral insight. In Dickens novel, two iconic cities, London and Paris, serve as metaphors for utterly different societies during the tumultuous era of the French Revolution. Dickens depicts London as a stable and orderly culture governed by established institutions and traditions. Paris, on the other hand, is characterized by upheaval and revolution. Dickens also contrasts characters in the book. Sydney Carton is initially portrayed as an English lawyer who is dissolute and cynical, but ultimately experiences a profound transformation and performs a selfless act of sacrifice to save another. His nobility and willingness to surrender his own life for the sake of others stands in stark contrast to the decadence and oppression of the French aristocracy represented in the novel. Carton becomes a figure of redemption and selflessness, the aristocracy symbolizes corruption, privilege, and the exploitation of others. As we look to Revelation chapter 21 verses 9 through 27, there is found another narrative of contrasting cities a divine revelation of the heavenly city, the New Jerusalem, juxtaposed with the fallen city of Babylon. And just as Dickens contrasts the nobility and sacrifice of Sydney Carton with the self-indulgence of the French aristocracy, Revelation presents an unadorned juxtaposition between the redeemed inhabitants of the New Jerusalem, who bask in the blessed glory and presence of God, and the inhabitants of Babylon, who reject the Lords sovereignty and are filled with wickedness. In both of these narratives, there is seen the timeless struggle between good and evil, light and darkness, justice and oppression. Conversely, in Dickens tale, we are called to judge rightly and choose wisely to embrace the eternal truths of redemption and righteousness embodied in the New Jerusalem, while rejecting the allure of Babylons fleeting earthly pleasures and empty promises. What do the Scriptures say? 9 Then one of the seven angels who held the seven bowls containing the seven last plagues came and said to me, Come with me! I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb. 10 So he took me in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and he showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God. 11 It shone with the glory of God and sparkled like a precious stonelike jasper as clear as crystal. 12 The city wall was broad and high, with twelve gates guarded by twelve angels. And the names of the twelve tribes of Israel were written on the gates. 13 There were three gates on each sideeast, north, south, and west. 14 The wall of the city had twelve foundation stones, and on them were written the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. 15 The angel who talked to me held in his hand a gold measuring stick to measure the city, its gates, and its wall. 16 When he measured it, he found it was a square, as wide as it was long. In fact, its length and width and height were each 1,400 miles. 17 Then he measured the walls and found them to be 216 feet thick(according to the human standard used by the angel). 18 The wall was made of jasper, and the city was pure gold, as clear as glass. 19 The wall of the city was built on foundation stones inlaid with twelve precious stones: the first was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, 20 the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst. 21 The twelve gates were made of pearlseach gate from a single pearl! And the main street was pure gold, as clear as glass. 22 I saw no temple in the city, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23 And the city has no need of sun or moon, for the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its light. 24 The nations will walk in its light, and the kings of the world will enter the city in all their glory. 25 Its gates will never be closed at the end of the day because there is no night there. 26 And all the nations will bring their glory and honor into the city. 27 Nothing evil[ will be allowed to enter, nor anyone who practices shameful idolatry and dishonestybut only those whose names are written in the Lambs Book of Life (Revelation 21:9-27). The angel who speaks to the apostle John is apparently one of the angels who had carried out Gods judgment on the ungodly via the seven bowls, and invited the seer to see the great prostitute. Now one of the angels, perhaps the same one as before, invites John to see the blissfulness of the redeemed the pure Bride of Christ. The heavenly city, the New Jerusalem, is referenced as the wife of the Lamb. This doesnt mean the city is not a literal place, because it is the residence of all the saved. What it does mean, however, is that the city is permanently associated with its inhabitants, the saints of every era who took God at his Word and were confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God (Hebrews 11:10). These people are considered fully united with their Savior, the Lord Jesus, in a perfect eternal relationship, characterized by moral spotlessness, and tender affection. J. Dwight Pentecost, in his book, Things to Come, quotes from Theocratic Kingdom, by G.N.H. Peters, which reads: In the usage of the East when a king entered his capitol to rule therefrom, or a prince ascended the throne, it was represented under the figure of a marriage, i.e. he was wedded, intimately and permanently united to the city, or throne, or peoplethere is no impropriety but rather eminent fitness that the union of the King of Kings with his metropolitan city should be designated under the same figure, implying the most intimate and permanent relationship. Thus, the figure of marriage, which to many is the main objection to a literal city, serves rather to indicate it. The angel then lifts John in the Spirit, to a great, high mountain where he can get a good view of the heavenly city. When the apostle sees it, he says he witnessed it descending out of heaven from God. No person is ever able to see and comprehend what is heavenly unless they are first lifted by the Spirit to a higher spiritual plane. Jesus said, I tell you the truth, unless you are born again [or born from above], you cannot see the Kingdom of God (John 3:3). Real conversion and the ability to discern what is truly spiritual is wrought by a work of Gods Spirit on the human heart. Moreover, the apostle says that the New Jerusalem descended out of heaven from God, which is another way of making the same point as the first. That which is heavenly cannot be achieved through good works (Ephesians 2:8-9), human wisdom (I Corinthians 1:20-21), or worshiping anything other than the one true God (Romans 1:21-23). Gods favor and his heavenly treasures, figuratively and literally, cannot be merited by climbing a great high mountain of spiritual challenges. Instead, the Spirit of God through simple faith lifts the believer in Christ to new and glorious eternal heights, and God in his grace and mercy descends with his unspeakable treasures. The late renowned evangelist, Dr. Billy Graham once encapsulated this central tenet of Christianity, saying: In every other religion, the human is reaching up to the divine, but in Christianity, the divine came down to the human. The description of the heavenly city is out of this world no pun intended. The most beautiful cities in the world today cannot compare. Paris, France, is celebrated for its iconic landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower, Notre-Dame Cathedral, and Louvre Museum, as well as its charming boulevards, elegant architecture, and romantic ambiance. Florence, Italy is home to some of the worlds most iconic art and architecture. Nestled between the iconic Table Mountain and the glistening Atlantic Ocean, is Cape Town, South Africa, which is admired for its natural beauty, vibrant culture, and diverse attractions. Who can forget Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, considered one of the most visually stunning cities in the world, with its dramatic mountains, golden beaches, and lush rainforests? Earthly cities such as these may evoke a sense of wonder and veneration, but they are only finite and subject to decay, reflecting the imperfections and limitations of human civilization. The New Jerusalem, the eternal city of God, however, transcends earthly beauty and human comprehension, radiating with the glory of God himself. Revelation tells us that the heavenly city is brilliant like a precious jewel, clear as crystal. It gleams with a resplendent light. Its walls rise majestically, towering into the celestial expanse, constructed of jasper, 216 feet thick but pure and translucent, symbolizing the impenetrable strength and integrity of the divine presence which lovingly enfolds Gods redeemed people. Each stone that makes up the wall shimmers with ethereal hues of jasper, sapphire, agate, emerald, onyx, carnelian, chrysolite, beryl, topaz, chrysoprase, jacinth, and amethyst, casting a kaleidoscope of colors that dance in the light of Gods shekinah glory. Upon each foundation stone of the walls are written the names of the twelve apostles, who relinquished everything for their Master. The twelve gates of the city stand as the portals of entry, and each is guarded by an angel. They are fashioned from a single pearl, which represents the priceless value of entrance into Gods holy presence and his forever Kingdom. The twelve tribes of Israel are written on these gates. Daymond R. Duck and Larry Richards in The Book of Revelation: The Smart Guide to the Bible Series, quote Randall Price, who says: The walls of the New Jerusalem reveal that Israel and the church share equally in the inheritance of the city. The names of the 12 tribes of Israel are inscribed on the 12 gates. The names of the 12 apostles are on its 12 foundation stones (Revelation 21:12-14). Even though these are all Jewish, they still represent the dispensations of Israel and the Church (as in Hebrews 12:23). The main street of the heavenly city is paved with pure gold, so refined that its as pure as glass. Today people will fight and steal for a piece of God, but in Gods city, peoples feet tread pavement with a higher grade of gold than the world has ever seen. The angel who showed the apostle John the New Jerusalem, measured the holy city, its gates, and its wall. The measurement of the city revealed it was like a square, or some say it was like a cube. Still, some think it was more like a pyramid, but its difficult to prove either way. Duck and Richards argue the Holy of Holies in the Old Testament tabernacle and the temple in Jerusalem were cubes, so it seems that the shape of Gods temporary residence among the Jews will be the shape of Gods permanent residence among his people. One thing is for certain, the heavenly city is colossal. Calculating the dimensions given by todays standards of measuring, the city is approximately 1500 miles long, 1500 miles wide, and 1500 miles high. Los Angeles, California, and Chicago, Illinois, are approximately 1500 miles apart. The International Space Station is only about 260 miles above the earth. Obviously, this covers a tremendous amount of territory and is indicative of the millions of believers who will live in the New Jerusalem. The Revelator notes that there is something conspicuously missing in the heavenly city something we might not expect. He says that there is no temple. Temples have always held great importance in ancient cultures worldwide. Similarly, churches held a central place in medieval Western culture. In early America, a community would often build the church prominently central to the town or city, demonstrating its import to the soul of its people. A city without a temple might be perceived to be a godless place. So, when the Bible says that there is no temple in the heavenly city, it doesnt mean there wont be worship there. It means there wont be a temple like those on earth, which sometimes descend from being sacred places to places of superstition and sectarianism. Theres a humorous story that illustrates this point. A Baptist was stranded on a desert island for years before finally being rescued. When asked about the three huts he had built during his time there, he explained that one hut was his home, and the second hut was the Baptist church where he faithfully worshipped and prayed. Curious, his rescuers inquired about the purpose of the third hut. The Baptist replied, Oh, thats the Baptist church where I used to attend before there was a disagreement and a split! The reason given for the absence of a temple in heaven is because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. In other words, God, the Father, and his Son, Jesus Christ, arent just the focus of worship; theyre the very essence of it. Everyone in New Jerusalem experiences the full realization of what Christ was telling the Samaritan woman when he said: For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth (John 4:24). So, in heaven worship reaches its fullest expression. No temple means everywhere is a temple worship is in every place, in every circumstance, and for all eternity. We should model our earthly worship after the heavenly worship. Not that we should do away with going to church. Church buildings still serve their purpose on this side of the divide. But we should not limit our worship to a building, or a set form of prayers, rituals, and denominational polities. Acceptable worship requires speaking to God with a clean heart, praising him, honoring him, thanking him, and obeying him in everything. Conventional worship, compared to the worship of eternity, is as inadequate as the light from a flashlight directed at the midday sun. In the heavenly city, our worship is perfected in holiness. There is no sun or moon in the heavenly city either. John Phillips in Exploring Revelation writes, The light that blazed from the face of Jesus on the mount of transfiguration will be the sole illumination in the heavenly Jerusalem. We shall walk in the light of his countenance. The nations will walk in Christs light, and the rulers of the world will enter into this holy place. As Isaiah prophesied, All nations will come to your light; mighty kings will come to see your radiance (Isaiah 60:3). On that day, there will be no more kings to dispute the Lords way. No more kings like King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, King Belshazzar of Babylon, the Pharaoh of Egypt, King Ahab of Israel, Herod Antipas of Rome, and Pontius Pilate of Rome. In more modern times, there will be no more rulers like Adolph Hitler of Germany, Joseph Stalin of the Soviet Union, Saddam Hussein of Iraq, Kim Jon-Un of North Korea, or Xi Jinping of China. Every nation, every ruler, shall willingly and humbly bow in obeisance to the King of kings and Lord of lords. The gates of the New Jerusalem will never be closed because there is no night there. There will be no threat. And nothing evil, nor any sinful practice will ever enter into that city only those saved by the precious blood of the Lamb will bask in its countless wonders. How interesting! The city of man, Babylon, also known as the great spiritual harlot, where the worship of all gods but the one and only true God, is plunged into darkness (Revelation 16:10). The heavenly city where God only is worshiped is brilliant with the incomparable light of his magnificence. Babylon is drunk with the blood of the saints shes martyred, but she is destroyed catastrophically and completely by the judgment of God (Revelation 18:9-24), and ultimately the saints live in perfect peace and safety forever in the New Jerusalem. Babylon is the epitome of mans pursuit of worldly riches, honor, and glory. In the heavenly city, however, precious stones and gold are as common as building materials, great honor belongs to those who honored the Lord, and total triumph is reserved for those who can go into the heavenly city. To which city is your citizenship, Babylon or the New Jerusalem? An illegal alien released into the US by the Biden regime has been arrested for the kidnapping and murder of a Georgia nursing student whose body was found near a jogging trail on her university campus. Jose Antonio Ibarra, an illegal alien from Venezuela, who was released into the US by the Biden regime in September 2022 has been arrested for this foul deed. Ibarra was previously arrested in New York City on September 14, 2023 for harming a child under 17 but released by the Soros prosecutors there. The autopsy has not yet determined if she were raped or cause of death, but from appearnaces, the latter seems to be blunt force trauma (beaten to death). https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2024/02/infuriating-promising-22-year-old-georgia-nursing-student/ https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13121013/UGA-campus-murder-Laken-Riley-cause-death-republicans-death-penalty.html https://www.breitbart.com/border/2024/02/24/ice-biden-admin-released-venezuelan-migrant-charged-in-murder-of-georgia-nursing-student/ https://redstate.com/beckynoble/2024/02/24/suspect-in-uga-nursing-student-murder-is-surprise-in-the-country-illegally-n2170519 Venezuelan criminals are increasingly active in the United States since Biden began letting masses of illegal aliens into our country. The very violent Venezuelan criminal gang Tren de Aragua has become active in mulitple US cities. Venezuelan prostitutes have set up a huge open air sex market in the Bronx. There are indications that Venezuelan dictator Maduro is emptying his jails and insane asylums into the migrant flow, and Biden is letting everybody in. https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/venezuelan-explains-how-and-why-criminal-migrants-get-us The MSM propaganda media are busy trying to sanitize this story. For example the AP (Associated Press or maybe in should stand for Always Progressive) wrote the story all about it being an example of danger to female joggers, without mentioning in any way that the murderer was an illegal alien or was just released from jail in New York a month earlier. This is typical of the way the corrupt MSM tries to santize the news to not harm the overall far left narrative, https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13126517/AP-Laken-Riley-coverage-illegal-immigrant.html This Georgia case has startling similarities to a case in Freiberg, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany in a university town where the beautiful medical student daughter of a high EU official was raped and murdered by an illegal alien from Pakistan, who had entered Germany the year before claiming to be an unaccompanied minor aged 16. At trial, his own father told the court he was really 27. It developed he had been arrested and convicted in Greece, on his way to Germany, for the attempted murder of a young Greek woman there but released early on condition that he leave Greece. Rape, sometimes accompanied by murder, by illegal aliens has become all too common in Europe. Here is one of the more recent examples from just a few days ago: https://rmx.news/crime/austria-3-sex-workers-brutally-murdered-by-afghan-migrant-in-vienna-brothel/ Todd LaPorte brings more than 35 years of healthcare experience to his role as CEO of Scottsdale, Ariz.-based HonorHealth, a role he's held since April 2017. While he has undoubtedly faced numerous challenges during his career, including those related to the pandemic, it was a sculpture that brought about the most difficult professional challenge he's ever faced. Mr. LaPorte told Becker's he walked away from the experience with an important lesson. He shared this lesson in an interview Feb. 23, along with his thoughts on the industry today. And while a sculpture brought on his worst day, he also shared how a heart attack 10 years ago brought on the best one. Editor's note: This is a regular series of conversations with CEOs of the nation's health systems. Responses were lightly edited for length and clarity. Question: What's something the healthcare industry isn't talking about enough? Todd LaPorte: We're not talking enough about proactive health versus reactive health. What I mean by that is we have a tradition of simply responding to episodic care as it comes to us, and we should be talking more about how we engage with community members. How do we engage with them in terms of healthier living and well-being so that they can avoid what ultimately becomes chronic conditions that they then have to manage? There is a real epidemic of obesity in our country. If you looked at the amount of what one would define as obesity in 1985 and what its prevalence was and then looked at it 40 years later, there is a dramatic difference. The CDC, in fact, put out a report that showed sort of a coloring of the intensity of obesity throughout America 40 years ago and then looked at it in five-year increments evolving from there. This was a report about five to 10 years ago, and it was quite dramatic to see how far our country has come in just a relatively short amount of human time. And that obesity translates into chronic diseases, so we need to as an industry be talking more about how we can engage more in proactive health than reactive health. Q: What's an unpopular (or uncommon) leadership or healthcare opinion you have? TL: I get looked at kind of funny sometimes by peers and community members when I say, "HonorHealth wants to keep people out of hospitals." We're not just a hospital system. We provide a whole array of services that range from trying to help people be well as well as how to be in lower-level settings. But nonetheless, it is a victory for us if we can keep people out of hospitals. As baby boomers keep aging, the demand for healthcare services keeps rising because of this acuity that keeps rising in our country as well. And yet we talk all the time about a labor shortage of healthcare workers. So we're going to have a real supply and demand issue that's going to come at us, and, frankly, we have to do this as a defensive posture. But the real reason we do it is because that's our mission. Our mission is to improve the health and well- being of those we serve. So it starts there. But it also happens to be a matter of self-defense that we may be challenged with having enough supply of caregiving to meet the demand. We need to get out on the front end. We're doing it, for example, by promoting as a community leader, a Blue Zones project in one of the communities in our backyard. We're excited about it. We're starting with this in one of our communities we serve, and we hope to expand it. We're doing this in formal cooperation with a national Blue Zones organization that has done it in 70 other communities across the US. But we're the first in Arizona. It's about how to improve the built-in environment of our community that makes it easier for people to live healthier lives and allows them to live better and longer. Q: What was the hardest day of your career? How did you get through it? TL: Most people think, being the CEO of the health system over these last seven years, that the logical thing would be to say something related to the pandemic. That was certainly a long and sustained mode of crisis management. There was a point in which more than one-third of our hospital beds were being occupied by people with COVID-19 infections. And, for those who are very vulnerable, it was resulting in a much higher mortality rate. But what I'm going to share is tangential to the pandemic. I had an orthopedic surgeon who is an accomplished sculptor and wanted to honor his colleagues and their collective response to the pandemic. He sculpted a statue that was in honor of his peers and colleagues. It had a dragon in it. It had an orb that was somewhat resembling the COVID-19 symbol. And it had a nurse holding this orb, keeping it away from this dragon that was engulfing the nurse. It was visually quite bold, but it came from the heart. It was very well-intended and, again, wanted to honor the effort of the caregivers. I had a focus group from the hospital that the physician was based in take a look at it and said, "Hey, what do you think?" Thumbs up, great. We move forward with being able to put this sculpture on display at the hospital where he was on the medical staff. No sooner than inside of 24 hours, there was a scathing social media backlash coming from a journalistic association feeling as though it had a tone of being anti-Asian. And it was just awful because I knew the artist and his incredibly good intentions. But then I also felt terrible about hurting the feelings of some folks. I had not been smart enough to reach out to understand how they might receive that artwork. And so it was an awful time. What I learned from that is I've got to widen my circle of feedback. The situation, in essence, then ended up being part of what inspired our movement in a more organized and expansive way in managing diversity, equity and inclusion. And, of course, there was all kinds of buzz about that that was around us in that general time frame, The Black Lives Matter movement and other various forms of bringing attention to that area. And I think we said, "We need to be much more purposeful and serious about this as we move forward." Looking back on it, I probably would have had wider, more multifaceted focus group feedback on it. And, at the end of the day, I could tell you I wish that organization before they had jumped into social media had reached out to me and we could have talked about it. But they used that matter to further an agenda and, I think, try to bring attention to anti-Asian sentiment. It was not at all intended that way. And my parting remark on this is it's ironic that, as I understand it, the dragon in the Eastern Asian culture is symbolically viewed as regal and royal. But in a Western Asian culture like Japan, like in America, it is viewed as more threatening. The point is the work of art was somewhat perceived as well. Are you taking a slam against COVID-19 having started in China and making a political statement buried inside that? It was just a piece of artwork trying to honor caregivers. That was the inspiration and vision of the artist. Q: If you could go back in time 10 years, what would you tell yourself to start doing, or start learning about? What ended up being a bigger deal than it might have seemed at one point? TL: Ten years ago, I had a heart attack. I was only 52 years old. I recognized I needed to be in better shape. So I was in the process of concluding a workout and had been in a series of workouts preceding that. I probably overdid it that day. But suffice it to say, I was driving home from my rigorous workout and ended up having a sensation that turned out to be symptoms of a heart attack. I actually pulled into a parking lot at a Home Depot that was on the way to my home, and, after stopping, and I had light rushing in faster than I could process it, I leaned on my driver's door and fell to the ground onto the 120-degree pavement in the parking lot. And I had the good fortune of being seen by a physician who came over, attended to me and then, of course, emergency services all kicked in. What I learned from all of that is that my attitude of selfless service to others had to start with, ironically, taking care of myself. It's a lesson in servant leadership in that you can't be a good servant leader unless you're first taking care of yourself. As I was sitting in the hospital the day after, I declared to my daughters that I was going to view that day as the best day of my life. And the quality of my life the last 10 years has been exponentially better than the previous 10 before that attack. It's because I have been living a healthier lifestyle. I've become better educated. I've felt empowered to make a difference with my health. And it's amazing how it's translated into a higher quality of life on so many fronts. Graham Norton has announced he is stepping down from hosting his weekend shows on Virgin Radio. The Irish chat show host, 60, joined the station in 2021 following a decade on BBC Radio 2. Norton made the surprise announcement on his Saturday morning show, saying he wanted to have his weekends back after 13 years of presenting. He told his listeners: Now the show isnt quite the normal show today because I have a bit of an announcement to make Im leaving weekends here at Virgin radio. Norton said he will not be leaving Virgin entirely, adding: Ill still be kind of popping up on the station from time to time but my regular Saturday and Sundays, Im stepping away. He continued: Ive worked weekends between here and the old place for 13 years and my life has changed a bit so I just want my weekends back. So really the next two shows, today and tomorrow, are me just saying thank you to you all for listening. He confirmed fellow Irish presenter Angela Scanlon, who competed on Strictly Come Dancing last year, will fill in his 9.30am to 12.30pm slot for the next few weeks before various announcements on who will take over the slot permanently. Scanlon was among those to respond to the news, commenting miss you already on Nortons joint Instagram post with Virgin Radio. During his show on Saturday, he also read out messages from listeners who said they would miss him and thanked him for entertaining them over the years. After playing Youre The Voice by John Farnham, he closed the show by saying: Well thats got me running, running out the door Ill still be on Virgin Radio every now and again but the weekends end tomorrow. Graham Norton (Virgin Radio/News UK/PA) He added that his final show will feature chats with actor Callum Scott Howells, who stars in new BBC drama The Way, and actress Laura Donnelly, who will feature in the West End play The Hills Of California. Norton joined Radio 2 in 2010 on the 10am to 1pm Saturday show, taking over from Jonathan Ross. He moved to Virgin Radio in 2021, with his BBC slot going to Claudia Winkleman. The Strictly Come Dancing and Traitors host is due to leave that show in March after saying she wanted to spend more time with her growing children. The segments on his Virgin Radio slots include Grahams Guide, which sees Norton and his long-standing presenting partner Maria McErlane try to help listeners find a solution to their problems. Norton also hosts an eponymous Friday night chat show on BBC One and is central to the broadcasters Eurovision coverage. Irvine Welsh: George Best had a persona that transcended the religious divide Ahead of a show in Belfast, the Trainspotting author chats about old friends and making music Aine Toner Sat 24 Feb 2024 at 08:00 The fabulous town of Belfast holds a place in Irvine Welshs heart. The author once named the poet laureate of the chemical generation remembers being in the city in November 2005 to pay his respects to George Best. A 69-year-old Great Falls man was killed and a Cascade County sheriffs deputy was injured in a shootout Friday that was sparked when law enforcement officers tired to serve a search warrant, authorities said. Cascade County Sheriff Jesse Slaughter said a deputy arrived at 4:46 p.m. Friday at 77 Wexford Lane in unincorporated county area west of Great Falls to serve a search warrant regarding Pamela Jo Polejewski for criminal contempt. He said deputies believed she was in possession of animals in violation of a court order. Deputies went out acting as county humane officers to safely secure the animals, Slaughter said Saturday at a news conference posted on Facebook. One deputy was on scene at 4:46 p.m. and another deputy was en route with the paperwork. Slaughter said at 4:53 p.m. the deputy interacted with Michael Lee Hanson, who pulled a firearm. The deputy drew his weapon and a gun battle ensued. The deputy was struck in the shoulder and Hanson was killed by return fire by deputies. Slaughter said it was believed that Hanson was in a relationship with Polejewski. Slaughter and others arrived shortly thereafter and the deputy was taken by ambulance to Benefis Health System, where he was treated and released about 8 p.m. Slaughter said the deputy, who he said was a veteran officer, will be on standard administrative leave due to his injury and involvement in the shooting. The deputy's name was not released. He said the state Division of Criminal Investigation is leading the investigation. He said Lewis and Clark County Sheriff Leo Dutton is acting as coroner. Slaughter said he was optimistic the deputy will be able to return to work. Hes super tough, he said. Slaughter said several law enforcement officers showed up Friday night at Benefis. We were clogging the hallways in the hospital very much last night, he said. We take care of each other. Next Thursday, as you probably already know, is a leap day. Weve been having one every four years since 45 BC, when Julius Caesar tried to put some order into the passage of time by neatly dividing each year into 12 months and 365 days. Inconveniently, the time it takes for the Earth to complete one orbit around the sun is actually a little longer than 365 days, and every four years those extra few hours add up to another whole day. Hence our need for the occasional February 29th. Like the one coming our way on Thursday. The rarity of this day has thrown up some odd customs and traditions, such as the French newspaper thats only published on February 29th, with the result that it has appeared just 10 times since its launch in 1980. Or the Irish tradition that next Thursday is a day for women to propose marriage to their male partners. Needless to say, theres also a special drink for February 29th, called the Leap Year Cocktail. It was invented on the leap day that occurred in 1928, and in keeping with the custom of women popping the question, this one drink is said to have been responsible for more proposals than any other cocktail that has ever been mixed. So it seems an appropriate time to take a closer look at this rather magical mixture, and how to make a really good version of it. It only has four ingredients, but with careful selection and assembly you can shake up a Leap Year Cocktail thats worth waiting four years to enjoy. Providing, of course, you dont mind the possibility that it might lead to a marriage proposal. The creator of the Leap Year Cocktail was a man called Harry Craddock, a legend among bartenders, who ran the American Bar in Londons Savoy Hotel for almost two decades during the 1920s and 30s. He was born in England, but honed his skills in some of the best bars in America, before setting sail for home on the day after Prohibition came into force in 1920, after claiming to have mixed the last legal cocktail in the US. Soon he was shaking drinks at the Savoy for stars like Errol Flynn, Charlie Chaplin and Ava Gardner, and his signature cocktail was the White Lady, a classic combination of gin, Cointreau and lemon juice. During renovations at the Savoy in 1927, he famously buried a cocktail shaker containing the drink in a wall, where it remains hidden to this day. When Craddock mixed the first Leap Year Cocktail the following year, he drew inspiration from the White Lady, but added one other ingredient, sweet vermouth. The Leap Year Cocktail became one of 750 recipes that Craddock subsequently put together for the famous Savoy Cocktail Book of 1930, a collection still revered by bartenders the world over, but one which reportedly never earned its compiler a penny. In the book, Craddock specified that his leap-year drink should be two-thirds gin, one-sixth Grand Marnier and one-sixth Italian vermouth, shaken with plenty of ice and a dash of lemon juice. If you want to make enough for two, try 120mls of gin with 30mls each of orange liqueur and vermouth. Theres a fair whack of gin involved, so the brand you use is important. By all means stick with your favourite, but do select something that pairs well with a garnish of orange, like the local gins from Shortcross or Copeland, or perhaps a Whitley Neill, Dingle or Beefeater. A gin with peppery, spicy notes also goes surprisingly well with orange liqueur. A variant of Craddocks recipe, featured in the excellent online cocktail resource, Diffords Guide, suggests replacing a third of your dry gin with Old Tom gin. Old Tom is a sweeter style of gin with some hints of orange that would work really nicely here. If you want to try it, Boatyard Distillery in Fermanagh makes a lovely Old Tom using Pedro Ximenez sherry. Next up for consideration is which orange liqueur to use. The original Craddock recipe specifies Grand Marnier, a blend of cognac, caramelised sugar, vanilla, and candied orange peel. Its sweeter, smokier and more complex than Cointreau, which is a lighter combination of oranges with a neutral spirit. Grand Marnier is more expensive, however, at around 35 per bottle, while Cointreau can cost up to 10 less. And finally, the vermouth. Most dry vermouths are French while the best sweet vermouths are Italian. Sweet vermouth can have up to three times the sugar of the dry variety, although this can vary considerably depending on the brand. The best-known is Martini Rosso, which you can pick up for about 12, but another sweet vermouth worth seeking out is Lustau, with its orange blossom and spice notes, still good value at around 23. Once youve assembled your ingredients, add them to the shaker with plenty of ice and a few dashes of freshly squeezed lemon juice per person. Shake for about 15 to 20 seconds until the shaker starts frosting on the outside, then strain and serve into chilled Martini glasses with a twist of lemon peel. And there you have it, the perfect cocktail to celebrate leap day. And an ideal one to share should the subject of marriage crop up. Bottle of the Week Muga Reserva 2019 By Patricia Maginn Muga wine Bodegas Muga, a family winery in the heart of Spains Rioja region, prides itself on keeping old traditions alive. Its one of the few Rioja wineries to still employ a cooper, who ensures the wooden barrels are correctly toasted for the 36 months of ageing that give this complex red its smooth, mellow appeal. The blackberry, vanilla and coffee flavours make it a perfect partner for rack of lamb. RRP 23.99, available from The Crafty Vintner, Belfast; The Vineyard, Belfast; Emersons, Armagh; Finchs Off Sales, Cookstown; Foyduff Filling Station, Middletown; Grange Wine Merchants, Holywood and Donaghadee; Kennys Convenience Stores, Coleraine, Magherafelt, Garvagh, Kilrea, Randalstown and Newtownabbey; Donard Wines, Newcastle; Lilleys, Enniskillen; McGarrys Fine Wines, Banbridge; Newells Stores, Coalisland. Sometimes Crimes Do Pay Wine Brands Rum Venture 19 Crimes Popular Australian wine brand 19 Crimes is branching out into the rum business. The brand, which takes its name from the list of crimes which would result in a convict being transported from Britain to Australia in the 18th century, is well known for its unorthodox marketing moves, like teaming up with rapper Snoop Dogg to promote a Californian wine blend and putting the faces of convicts on its labels. The new spiced rum features the face of Mary Bryant, an infamous convict who escaped from the penal colony in Botany Bay to forge a new life on the island of Timor, and the rum, which will retail here for around 28, is said to have upfront flavours of toffee and a hint of cocoa. Bloody Sunday, 30th January 1972: An armed soldier attacks a protestor on Bloody Sunday when British Paratroopers shot dead 13 civilians on a civil rights march in Derry City. (Photo by Frederick Hoare/Central Press/Getty Images Youths confront British soldiers minutes before paratroopers opened fire killing 14 civilians on what became known as Bloody Sunday. The standoff is near barricade 14 on William Street, Derry/Londonderry, Northern Ireland on 30th January 1972 (Photo by William L. Rukeyser/Getty Images) The truth about the Troubles during the 1960s and 1970s was concealed from the British public because the bloody Protestants were running the BBC in Northern Ireland, a former controller of BBC One has claimed. The Guardian has reported this damning judgment of one of televisions most distinguished former top executives, Sir Paul Fox, who was editor of Panorama and then controller of BBC One. He firmly believes this meant that British viewers were not told the truth of what was really happening in Northern Ireland and, in particular, the lived experience of Catholics. Fox, who was editor of Panorama in the 1960s, condemned what he termed the censorship of the Catholic viewpoint in a new documentary about the corporations fights and impartiality. Similar views are expressed by Martin Bell and Belfast-born Denis Tuohy, who were then both reporting from Northern Ireland and who agree that the BBC was prevented from telling the British public about discrimination against Catholics in education, work and housing. Yet, the documentary in which these viewpoints are aired, Shooting the Rapids, was itself nearly censored. Its commissioning editor told the director that it should go straight into the BBC Archives. John Bridcut, a highly regarded documentary maker since the 1990s, then arranged a personal meeting with director general Tim Davie, who overruled the department head and agreed on its broadcast. It will now air on March 3 on BBC Four at 9pm. Mr Fox, who later became managing director of BBC Television, says: Back then, the one thing we could not tackle was Northern Ireland. The decision had been taken that the head of Northern Ireland programmes would act as censor. So it was as difficult to film there as in the Soviet Union. It also meant that it was easier to go to America, with no censorship, to film their race problems than those of Northern Ireland. Bell, a war-zone veteran, admits his ignorance about Ireland when sent in the late 1960s. I hardly knew the difference between Belfast and Dublin. On arrival at BBC Belfast, Bell was told not to refer to Northern Ireland as the six counties as that was republican speak. He adds: I was also beaten up a bit and my cameramen were attacked by loyalists because they thought we were not their voice and were giving one to the republicans. The Reverend Ian Paisley called the BBC the Papist Broadcasting Corporation . Tuohy was the first Catholic in any reporting or production post on joining BBC Northern Ireland in 1960. The grievances of the Catholics on housing or voting rights had very little traction, he says. He then moved to BBC current affairs in London where he recalls in 1968 being told to return to Northern Ireland on a story. But my editor called me into his office, shut the door and said I was now not going since BBC Northern Ireland had protested at the highest level in London that I would be too close to the story. I was appalled. After all, I had been a news reporter there for several years before. It had to be that I, a Catholic, was going to Derry on a story, and the unionists would not like that. All three strongly feel that not telling the British public what was actually happening in Northern Ireland led to ignorance and prejudice. If we, the BBC, had been given access to deal with issues and injustices long before the troops went in, the British people would have been much more aware of what was happening in Northern Ireland, and understood what was going on in our country, says Fox. Bell, who became an independent MP, concurs. The BBC did itself an injustice by not telling the truth. Campaigners have said lessons needed to be taken from the Mobuoy dump scandal. The cost of reversing environmental damage at the illegal dump site at Mobuoy in Derry could range from 17m to 700m, according to a newly released document. Specialists estimate that 1.6 million tonnes of waste was dumped at the site before it shut in 2013. The contaminated site is beside the River Faughan, which supplies 60% of Derrys drinking water. The toxic super dump was previously branded a ticking time bomb by Foyle MLA and former Environment Minister Mark H Durkan. He warned that if action is not taken it could become an bigger environmental crisis. The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) has published its Annual Report and Accounts for the year ended 31 March 2023 which had been delayed. Within that document there is a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General to the Northern Ireland Assembly which highlights a number of significant matters arising from the audit, including the disclosure of the estimated costs to remediate the contaminated illegal dump site at Mobuoy The document notes: The estimated costs of implementing the various options range from 17m to 700m, with the preferred option having an estimated cost of 107m. On that basis, 107m is deemed to be a reliable estimate of the potential costs of remediation. This week the new DAERA Minister Andrew Muir told the Assembly the environmental crime that was committed at Mobuoy is simply appalling. He told the Assembly: Huge quantities of polluting waste materials were unlawfully deposited adjacent to the River Faughan, a special area of conservation, and two kilometres upstream of Northern Ireland Water's drinking abstraction point. My Department is committed to pursuing the perpetrators of such crime through ongoing proceedings, including, where possible, ensuring that the polluter pays through confiscation under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002. Safeguarding public health, ensuring safe drinking water and reducing the environmental impact of this crime is paramount. Mr Muir spoke of a comprehensive environmental monitoring programme and advised that, to date, there has been no adverse impact on the safety of the drinking water supplied from the River Faughan. DAERA appointed an integrated consultancy team to develop a draft optimum remediation strategy, in line with best practice. He intends to issue the draft strategy for consultation within the next two months. UUP leader Doug Beattie said: We find ourselves in a truly abysmal situation. Some 600,000 has been spent on that already this year. Will the Minister outline how much it is likely to cost and for how long? Will that spend protect our wild Atlantic salmon waterways, which are in danger from leakage? In response Mr Muir said his department does not have a cost estimate that has been assessed and approved through the required public finance processes, such as an approved business case. He cited several reasons including ongoing criminal proceedings, the need for a public consultation on a range of remediation options for the site and a range of approval processes must be carried out to ensure that any remediation proposals are both technically sound and cost-effective. That will require, he said, consultation with Executive colleagues and the Department of Finance in relation to affordability. Mr Muir added: Work has been undertaken by consultants on the potential costs and will inform a draft outline business case. I am aware that one of the options contains remediation costs of 107 million, which, on a point in time estimate, are subject to significant change to the technical development and the timescales over which any remediation might take place. I am conscious that the costs could be much more than that. In addition, there are significant iterative processes to review and business cases to assess before they are considered by the DAERA casework committee. That has not taken place. There is, therefore, no agreed preferred option, and there will not be one until consultations are fully completed and, informed by that, updated options are developed and presented for the next stages of scrutiny and approval. Kneecap at Feile in west Belfast on August 11th 2023 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Feile 35) Belfast-based hip-hop trio Kneecap have appeared on the Late Late Show where they spoke about receiving death threats from both loyalist and republican paramilitaries. The band also made clear they have more in common with working-class unionists than a rich person who shares the same passport from Dublin. West Belfast natives Mo Chara, Moglai Bap and Derry man DJ Provai appeared on Irelands most popular and prestigious TV chat show alongside a star-studded line-up which included legendary Irish actor Brendan Gleeson and BAFTA-award-winning British actor Jared Harris. Co Down host Patrick Kielty has come in for criticism in some quarters for having a higher quota of guests from Northern Ireland. However, he hasnt shied away from this approach and last week First Minister Michelle ONeill was among those to grace the Late Late couch. He introduced Kneecap as a band who have been dropping beats and ruffling feathers. Speaking about their award-winning trip to the US for the Sundance Film Festival, he added: They rode into town on a PSNI landrover and out with an Audience award. On the Friday night show, they sang Better Way to Live which features Fontaines DC frontman Grian Chatten. The band have been outspoken about the onslaught facing Palestinians and on the show Mo Chara and DJ Provai wore Palestinian colours. Mr Kielty addressed it saying what is happening in the Middle East is horrific but not everyone would agree with their stance. However, the band said they will continue to use their platform to highlight a war in which Israel has killed close to 30,000 Gazans using American weapons. 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 The latest stage of a decades-long conflict between Israel and Palestinians escalated after Hamas's unprecedented attack on October 7 in which gunmen killed about 1,200 people mainly civilians and took 253 back to Gaza as hostages. On the show, Kneecap appealed to Irish people to support the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement, saying they hoped one day Palestine will be free. Kneecap. Photo: PACEMAKER BELFAST Patrick Kielty was gifted an Irish tri-colour balaclava by DJ Provai, using a Late Late catchphrase he joked: If you check under your seats, theres one for everyone in the audience! On controversy surrounding the band, Moglai Bap said: At the start we used to get some Facebook death threats from the South Antrim UDA but also from the dissidents so I think that really sums up where we stand in terms of our art. They spoke about what people from nationalist and unionist communities share in common. Mo Chara said: We get painted because people like to be outraged, especially in the north. Weve always said weve more in common with working class people in Belfast, on whatever side of the divide, than rich people in Dublin even though we share a passport. So people want to be outraged without actually looking into the facts. The workers revolution is the way forward. They spoke of bringing people together rather than dividing and shared a story about meeting young people on Sandy Row who sang the chorus to their song C.E.A.R.T.A., saying there was a lot of laughter and a lot of craic. Kielty believes it will be a big year for the band. Speaking about the film, they said it needed to be colloquial and authentic about Belfast. The trio rap in both Irish and English languages have gained recognition for their unique approach since first releasing music in 2017. They have also courted controversy off stage and gained notoriety in that time. In February 2019 they received condemnation from South Belfast a DUP MLA after videos of the trio were posted online, showing them chanting 'Brits Out' at a concert performed in the Empire Music Hall in Belfast. The concert took place the day after Prince William and Kate Middleton visited the venue In 2022 they unveiled a mural on Hawthorn Street of a burning PSNI landrover along with the caption Nil failte roimh an RUC/The RUC are not welcome. Ahead of their near-sold out Feile an Phobail gig in 2023 the band unveiled a second mural featuring the slogan England Get Out of Ireland. A hand extends from a partitioned map of Ireland to grip an arm adorned with a Union flag as it places a Northern Ireland-shaped piece of land into place. A man wanted by Spanish authorities in connection with a murder has been arrested in Craigavon. Officers from the PSNI's International Policing Unit arrested the 22-year-old on an extradition warrant issued by Spanish authorities for murder. He is due to appear in court in Belfast on Sunday. Sergeant Davey from the International Policing Unit said: Officers from Lurgan Local Policing Team worked with the National Crime Agency and Spanish authorities to track the wanted person down to an address in the Craigavon area last night, Friday February 23. He will be brought before an extradition court in Belfast on Sunday, February 25. This arrest is good example of how our Local Policing Teams are able to identify and arrest those wanted internationally. PSNI will continue to work with our international partners to locate and arrest those sought for extradition. A Palestine solidarity march has taken place in Belfast city centre as the United Nations has called on the international community to use all its influence to prevent further escalation and end this crisis. The rallies have taken place almost every weekend since Israel's bombardment of Gaza began. The October 7 Hamas terror attack killed some 1,200 people. Since then, Israels military offensive is reported to have killed 30,000 Palestinians and injured at least 70,000 more, with the United Nations saying women and children are the main victims. On Saturday, protestors held banners which read: Stop the war on Gaza, end the siege. While a placard asked what planet are you on? and another contained an image of the current US President Joe Biden with blood on his hands and criticised local politicians who plan on visiting the Whitehouse on St Patricks Day. At present, the worlds gaze is on Rafah, a town along the Egyptian border which was once deemed a safe zone for displaced civilians but is the focus of a potential ground offensive by Israel. It comes as the United States has said that new Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories are illegal. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said an announcement by Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich that more than 3,300 new Israeli settlements are to be built in the West Bank was disappointing. He added: It has been a longstanding policy of both Democratic and Republican administrations that new settlements are counterproductive to achieving enduring peace. "They are also inconsistent with international law. Humanitarian aid agency Unicef has said the whole population of Gaza is now affected by an extreme lack of food, and children are the most affected. Unicef added: In parts of Gaza, one in six children under two are acutely malnourished. Of these, almost 3% suffer from severe wasting, the most life-threatening form of malnutrition. "These children need urgent treatment with therapeutic food to recover. The people of Gaza are relying on humanitarian aid to survive. The officer was attacked while trying to arrest a suspect. A PSNI officer was punched while making an arrest. They were trying to detain a suspect who robbed a taxi driver in west Belfast. Police said the 20-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of robbery, assault on police and resisting police. A PSNI spokesperson said: The arrest followed an incident in which a taxi driver was robbed by a passenger in Glenalina Park in west Belfast shortly before 11pm last night, Friday. During his arrest the suspect assaulted an officer by punching him and attempting to bite and head-butt him. He remains in police custody at present. Police are investigating a possible link between this robbery and an attempted burglary at a building site in College Square North, reported at around 10.10pm. Enquiries are ongoing. Refugees who fled to Northern Ireland after the invasion of Ukraine by Russia open up about their experience It was a day that changed their lives. Now, two years on, Northern Irelands Ukrainian refugees have told how they still miss their homeland as the world marks the second anniversary of the Russian invasion. The full scale invasion began after Russian president Vladimir Putin announced a special military operation to demilitarise Ukraine. In the two years since there have been widespread casualties, with tens of thousands killed and the mass displacement of people across the country. Many Ukrainians fled large cities and into other parts of Europe, with several thousand settling and finding refuge in Northern Ireland. This week, two Ukrainians who resettled here described their torment at leaving home, missing their families and finding solace in the people of Northern Ireland. I was very grateful to come to Northern Ireland, said Nataliya Lapina (37) who was born in Russia-occupied Luhansk before moving to Kharkiv, one of the countrys larger cities which sits around six hours from Kyiv. My family didnt want to come, they didnt speak English, and didnt want to be a burden on the people of Northern Ireland. I came because I speak good English. Nataliya has lived with a host family since March 2022, who she has described as great. She is housed under Northern Irelands Homes for Ukraine Scheme. Nataliya Lapina who now lives in Northern Ireland having fled Ukraine just weeks after the war broke out According to The Executive Office, the number of Ukrainians living in Northern Ireland has increased in the past year, from just over 2,000 to 3,149 2,362 of these arrived via the Homes for Ukraine Scheme. At present under the scheme, 2,111 NI addresses have been referred for checks and visits, with 950 passing and deemed suitable. Throughout the scheme, 904 of these properties have hosted guests. I miss my family, my mother and father. My mother describes the scenes in Ukraine, she was telling me when I left she looked out her window one day and saw a woman injured due to a missile. She had no legs, its awful, added Nataliya. My parents are happy I am here, I was able to see them at Christmas. They are just happy one of their children is safe here in Northern Ireland. I really want to thank everyone here for their support. Ukrainian Marina Furey who lives in Lisburn Marina Furey (44), who was born in Ukraine and lives in Lisburn, has been one of the many refugees leading the charge for her home country, and regularly holds fundraising events for the Ukrainian military. People miss their families, its mainly women and children here from Ukraine. At this point two years later, its more anger, they want their homeland and they want their homeland to be safe, she said. Marina was born in Znamenka, a town she said is regularly targeted with rocket attacks. She acts as a translator for Ukrainian families arriving in Northern Ireland, assisting those with small children, particularly with placement into schools. We were told this war wouldnt last two years, people are angry now because it doesnt seem to be stopping, she continued. People arent happy in Ukraine, the borders being closed and there is some corruption going on as well. Its so hard for people to settle here. I was speaking to a young woman who came here from Kyiv and after a few months she had to go back. Her host family was absolutely brilliant, but she just couldnt settle. These peoples hearts are in Ukraine. Technology is great to connect with people on Skype, but, for example, my sister just had a baby and I want to hold her baby, its heartbreaking. Peter Jennings, who delivers aid and supplies to Ukraine The invasion of Ukraine is something which is particularly close to home for Peter Jennings, whose wife and children are from the country. He left Ukraine just two days before the war began, and has now dedicated his time to delivering aid and supplies to conflict-hit zones in the country, travelling to areas by driving a lorry from Belfast to Ukraine around once a month. Its a bloodbath, said Peter, who has recently returned from another supply run where he delivered medical equipment, clothing and food. Its desperate. Its constant air raids, night and day, doesnt matter where you go. In certain places where Ive been Ive come close to being hit. My family are in Poland waiting to come here, and I stop on the way back to see them. My children are missing out on their life, they ask me why cant someone just stop the Russians. Last year Peter was awarded a humanitarian award from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. He added: I thought 18 months at most, but not two years. Everything has dried up, when I was there last I spoke to a number of soldiers and there were saying they had one shell to take on a tank they have nothing now. These soldiers are pinned down with no supplies or food, theyre panicking. Its the situation all over, if it isnt the lack of supplies, its the frost bite. Ive got to admit, the Ukrainian soldiers are adamant they are seeing this out until the final day. Its in their DNA, theyre not giving up. Theyre tired, hungry and affected by it, but theyre not giving up its their country. Investigative journalist Kevin Magee has just returned from Ukraine, where, seeking information about a missing Irish volunteer soldier, he was filming a documentary, which is due to air next week on TG4 Seeing Zelenskys troops for the first time felt like Id stumbled into the TV during an evening news programme. The welcoming party on the Ukrainian border was made up of dozens of heavily armed soldiers, in full battle camouflage, cradling assault rifles as they searched the train for Russian spies and collaborators. The rail link from Poland to the Ukrainian city of Lviv is a lifeline for beleaguered Ukrainians keeping supply routes open, and the border guards who patrol it are not taking any chances. Any passenger who arouses suspicions is escorted out of their seat and removed for further interrogation. Fortunately, Im not one of them, and before long cameraman Michael Quinn and I reach our destination of Lviv, western Ukraines largest city. Ive gone there to try to find out more about Achill Island man Finbar Cafferkey (45), who enlisted to fight for Ukraine and was killed last April in heavy shelling during one of the bloodiest phases of the two-year war the battle for Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine. I want to find out what happened to him and why someone would exchange the idyllic tranquillity of the west coast of Ireland for the horror of a war thousands of miles from home. Lviv station was the scene of jam-packed trains carrying hundreds of thousands of refugees fleeing Ukraine in the early days of the conflict. Today its much quieter, but there is an air of expectancy in the city that reminds me of Belfast in the 1980s. On the surface, it may look normal, with people going about their daily business, but the threat of violence is never far away. An air raid siren can sound at any second, leaving people running for cover. And with good reason. I saw for myself the impact of a Russian missile strike on a residential building last July while the people slept in their beds. Ten civilians were killed and 45 injured. Photographs of the dead are posted in the courtyard ten faces each one a symbol for every thousand of the estimated ten thousand civilians who have been killed since this war began. Across town, the Field of Mars military cemetery, which only opened at the beginning of the war, is filling up. The story of two years of bitter fighting can be seen in row after row of freshly dug graves and hastily erected headstones, each flying a Ukrainian flag. The biting snow doesnt deter a steady stream of Ukrainians paying tribute to their dead. Its not far from where I meet the diminutive Anastasiya Brezina, a 26-year-old who looks about half her age. She was one of the last people to see Finbar alive. Finbar Cafferkey She joined a volunteer unit of Ukrainian fighters along with Finbar and two others and is the only one still alive to tell the tale. The other three Finbar Cafferkey, Russian anarchist Dmitry Petrov (33) and American Cooper Harris Andrews (26) were killed in the same mortar strike on the frontline. Anastasiya was supposed to be with them but cheated death. We did not know exactly where we would be sent, or if we would be sent anywhere at all, she said. Some people were partially experienced and some people were not. On the last day I was offered to go with them. I woke up in the middle of the day and, honestly, I felt sick, and I didnt know much about it. They said: Were going on a mission with the guys, and to be a participant is voluntary, and, if you want, you can come with us. Unfortunately I dont know the exact details of the operation, but it was the battle for the Road of Life, which was the main road to supply troops to Bakhmut. The problem was that there were Russian positions in the trenches very close to this road. It was essential to drive them out from there. At the time when our guys went into battle to do this, there had already been heavy fighting. Anastasiya didnt go with them a decision that saved her life. She said she planned to re-enlist in the Ukrainian army but her parents had, so far, persuaded her not to. My vote was with them. She showed me a picture of her and Finbar together at a training camp near Kyiv, both holding Kalashnikovs. Her uniform was too big for her, and it looked like her assault rifle was as well. I felt she summed up the spirit of a nation after two years of war: weary but determined in the face of enormous adversity and long odds. Caillte san Ucrain, from TG4s award-winning current affairs strand Iniuchadh TG4, airs on February 28 at 9,30pm; TG4.ie Thousands of people have marched through Dublin in a demonstration marking the second anniversary of the start of the war in Ukraine. The Irish deputy premier said Ireland will not waiver in its support for Ukraine. Micheal Martin said increased large-scale assaults in recent weeks show Russia is not serious about pursuing peace. He said: For 730 days, Ukraine has endured unimaginable violence and suffering, the destruction of homes, livelihoods and critical infrastructure by the Russian Federation. Across the country, innocent Ukrainian men, women and children are paying the ultimate price for a war not of their choosing. The foreign affairs minister added: While the world calls for peace, respect for international borders and integrity, Russia chooses the path for escalation. We will continue our unified and determined response that Ireland and the European Union have mounted since the beginning of this war of aggression. He said Ukrainians are fighting to defend their country as well as universal values that Irish people hold dear. He added: To all Ukrainians, wherever you may be, Ireland stands with you today and always. 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 On Saturday, the Ukrainian Action in Ireland group organised a march through Dublin starting outside the GPO on OConnell Street. Demonstrators shouted Free Ukraine and called for Russia to leave the country. Participants waved Ukrainian flags and carried placards with slogans including Vladimir Putin is killing Ukrainian children. Ukrainians also thanked Irish people for their support since the war began. Ireland has provided refuge to 100,000 Ukrainians under EU temporary protection rules since the war began. Moldovan and Polish nationals also joined the protest. 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 Olha Chekmaieva fled her home city of Odesa in 2022 before settling in Ireland. The Ukrainian Action in Ireland spokeswoman told the PA news agency that Irish support keeps her holding on. Today we mark the two-year anniversary of the full-scale invasion that Russia started in my country Ukraine. Ukrainians and friends of Ukraine in Ireland came to OConnell Street to march and mark this devastating event. We are actually fascinated by the way Ireland and Irish people support us still. It is amazing and what keeps us holding on, actually. We want to remind people that the war even if it is not in the news that much is still going on on a daily basis. Just yesterday, another rocket hit the house in the city where Im from. Several died. We want the world and Ireland to remember that we need their support in our fight for freedom. The Biden administration in 2023 hiked federal mineral royalty rates for the first time in 100 years, raising the effective production tax on much of the nations fossil fuel extraction from 12.5% 16.67%. Wyomings fossil energy advocates saw the move as an assault on the states key industries, and now lawmakers are pushing a bill that seeks to offset the royalty increase by offering a refund to extraction companies. With mineral royalties split evenly between the state and federal government, the hike is ready to boost Wyoming coffers. But rather than dispense the increased monies through traditional accounts, Senate File 64 would redistribute the states share of the new revenue back to producers. I think this is important to provide stability to our oil and gas producers at a time of quite a bit of uncertainty, said Sen. Brian Boner, R-Douglas, pitching the bill Wednesday before the Senate Minerals, Business and Economic Development Committee, which moved the legislation forward with a 5-1 majority. Also, though higher royalties will bolster state revenue, county governments may see a drop in revenue collection, due to the fact that mineral companies will be writing off more and paying less in severance and value added tax. The bill would then redistribute money to make whole those local entities. Opponents of the effort, albeit, describe the bill as a giveaway to corporate multinationals already raking in record profits, and a move toward an interstate race to the bottom for rates. Era Aranow, government affairs manager with the Wyoming Outdoor Council, during Wednesdays hearing called the committees attention to a 2018 report from the Wyoming Infrastructure Authority that shows how higher severance tax rates do not discourage exploration and production; the decisive factors were geology and resource quality, not tax rates, according to the report. She underscored the point using as an example the state of Texas, which produces prolifically despite a state-mineral-severance tax rate thats more than double Wyomings. Although, Sen. Boner argued that the state currently has a relatively low number of active drill rigs, which he believes is evidence that the royalty rate is putting downward pressure on the fossil sector. On the other hand, Wyoming is on the cusp of a record year, producing close to 100 million barrels in 2023, according to Tom Kropatsch of the Wyoming Oil and Gas Commission. The bill's fiscal impact is hard to project because innumerable factors impact the market for mineral development. It asks for an inaugural appropriation of $368,000 in order to begin administering the refund program. The bill passed out of the committee 4-1. Sole nay vote Senator Rothfus said, Its pretty clear that geology is the deciding factor much more so than the specific tax climate as long as theyre roughly comparable, said Sen. Rothfus. So I think it's just giving away money to oil producers, and particularly at this time when theyre often reporting $25 billion profits in a quarter. I dont feel like theyre in dire need of our few dollars that were using for education. Charles has met with President Zelensky several times since the Russian invasion of Ukraine (Aaron Chown/PA) The King has praised the determination and strength of the Ukrainian people in a message marking the second anniversary of Russias invasion. In a message released by Buckingham Palace, Charles said he was greatly encouraged by the UKs efforts to support Ukraine and commended their true valour. Saturday marks two years since the Kremlin launched its attack on Ukraine, starting the biggest incursion in a European country since the Second World War. 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 He said: The determination and strength of the Ukrainian people continues to inspire, as the unprovoked attack on their land, their lives and livelihoods enters a third, tragic, year. Despite the tremendous hardship and pain inflicted upon them, Ukrainians continue to show the heroism with which the world associates them so closely. Theirs is true valour, in the face of indescribable aggression. I have felt this personally in the many meetings I have had with Ukrainians since the start of the war, from President Zelensky and Mrs Zelenska, to new army recruits training here in the United Kingdom. I continue to be greatly encouraged that the United Kingdom and our allies remain at the forefront of international efforts to support Ukraine at this time of such great suffering and need. My heart goes out to all those affected, as I remember them in my thoughts and prayers. The King and Queen during a visit to Liverpool Central Library, to officially mark its twinning with Ukraines first public library (PA) Charles has undertaken many engagements in the UK linked to Ukraine since the war began, including visiting a training site for military recruits in Wiltshire. He has met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky several times, including during his visit to the UK in February last year. It was announced earlier this month that Charles had been diagnosed with a form of cancer, discovered while he was being treated in hospital for an enlarged prostate. He has started a schedule of regular treatments but postponed all public-facing duties, spending much of his time at the royal residence in Sandringham, Norfolk. People attend an ecumenical interreligious prayer service at the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral in London (Maja Smiejkowska/PA). Crowds have gathered across the UK to show support for Ukraine and pay their respects to the fallen on the second anniversary of the Russian invasion. Commemorations on Saturday in London began with an interfaith prayer service at the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral in Mayfair. Meanwhile, in Scotland, political and religious leaders attended a service at Edinburgh Castle to mark the anniversary. Speaking ahead of the service in London, the leading Ukrainian Catholic bishop in the UK, Bishop Kenneth Nowakowski, said his compatriots are resolved to win the war and have experienced a two-year unending nightmare. The bishop told the PA news agency that the anniversary was a very tragic milestone and called for Russia to pay reparations to Ukraine. The service will be followed by a gathering at Speakers Corner in Hyde Park organised by Ukrainian community organisations and a procession to Trafalgar Square, where an afternoon vigil will be held. In Edinburgh, First Minister Humza Yousaf delivered a reading and laid a wreath at the Scottish National War Memorial alongside Andrii Kuslii, of the consulate of Ukraine. The service was also attended by Ukrainian citizens living in Scotland and the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, the Rev Sally Foster-Fulton. First Minister Humza Yousaf attends a memorial wreath-laying service at Edinburgh Castle (Jane Barlow/PA) Speaking ahead of the service, Ms Foster-Fulton said: Lives have been torn apart due to unprovoked Russian aggression and we continue to stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine and all innocent people who suffer because of this aggression. Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine began on February 24 2022 and followed the Kremlins military intervention in the eastern Donbas region and its annexation of Crimea in 2014. The Ukrainian Catholic Church said the vital events it had helped organise on Saturday would honour the resilience of Ukraine and show unwavering support for its fight against Russia. The church added: This event, organised by the British-Ukrainian community in London and the wider UK, is one of the most crucial Ukrainian events in London this year. Actress Rula Lenska attended the service (Jonathan Brady/PA) It calls for all to stand in solidarity, united across nations against aggression. Paper angels have been hung from the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedrals balcony one for each of the 528 Ukrainian children killed during the conflict, according to Ukraines prosecutor general. Referring to the paper angels, Bishop Nowakowski said during the service: These paper angels are a remembrance of those young lives and the families who are grieving. In an opening prayer, the bishop and the congregation called for those overtaken by a spirit of deception and violence to open their eyes. The leader of the Ukrainian Catholic community in the UK added that Ukrainians do not want to give up hope. Ukrainians are very resilient and anyone who has been in the last two years to Ukraine can attest to the resilience of the Ukrainian people and their high morale, he said. Among those attending the prayer service at the cathedral were actresses Maureen Lipman and Rula Lenska and politicians including the housing minister, Felicity Buchan, and Nickie Aiken, the Conservative MP for Cities of London and Westminster. Ms Buchan condemned the illegal and barbaric Russian invasion as she spoke to the congregation. The Kensington MP said: I am proud to wear this brooch on my chest, the colour of Ukraine, and I am also proud to call so many of you in this congregation my friends. Vatican ambassador Archbishop Miguel Maury Buendia was also among the dignitaries. Eduard Fesko, the charge daffaires at the Ukrainian embassy to the UK, said Russias invasion would be forever etched in our memory. Speaking during the service, he said: For how much longer will this nightmare last? Everybody wanted it to be over as soon as possible but here we are, two years later, and there is still no end in sight. He added that Ukraines continued resistance inspired some confidence. Many of the guests wore blue and yellow ribbons or sunflowers, a symbol of peace and resilience, with others carrying Ukrainian flags. The interfaith prayers were accompanied by the singing of Ukrainian spiritual anthems by the cathedral choir with many of those in the congregation visibly emotional. Bishop Nowakowski said the mood was sombre but praised the thousands of British citizens who have opened their homes to displaced Ukrainians, with more than 280,000 refugees given accommodation so far. We also have gratitude to the UK Government and to the Opposition, who unanimously have supported Ukraine and Ukrainians, he added. The Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral of the Holy Family helped set up a welcome centre on its Mayfair premises, and gives advice to refugees on how to register with the NHS and learn English among other services. Bishop Nowakowski said: I think that religion and faith have played a very big part of keeping people resilient, providing them with a place to be comforted, a place to be able to mourn the loss of their loved ones and also just to be able to go somewhere and pray. Members of the congregation during the service to mark the second anniversary of Russias invasion of Ukraine at the Scottish National War Memorial (Jane Barlow/PA) The second anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine has been marked with church services, wreath-laying and demonstrations in the UK and Ireland. Commemorations on Saturday in London began with an interfaith prayer service at the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral in Mayfair. (Maja Smiejkowska/PA) (Maja Smiejkowska/PA) (Maja Smiejkowska/PA) Paper angels were hung from the cathedral balcony one for each of the 528 Ukrainian children killed during the conflict, according to Ukraines prosecutor general. (Maja Smiejkowska/PA) (Maja Smiejkowska/PA) Symbols of Ukraine, including sunflowers and the national colours of blue and yellow were worn by those marking the anniversary. (Maja Smiejkowska/PA) (Maja Smiejkowska/PA) (Maja Smiejkowska/PA) In Edinburgh, Scotlands First Minister Humza Yousaf attended a wreath-laying service at the Scottish National War Memorial at Edinburgh Castle. Oksana Rybalchenko, centre, with her daughter Kateryna, left, and son Denys before a service to mark the second anniversary at the Scottish National War Memoria (Jane Barlow/PA) (Jane Barlow/PA) Children join in a Stand With Ukraine Against Russian Aggression rally in Edinburgh (Jane Barlow/PA) In Dublin, thousands gathered outside the GPO building in OConnell Street for a demonstration marking two years of conflict. (Cillian Sherlock/PA) (Cillian Sherlock/PA) In London, people took part in a march from Hyde Park to Trafalgar Square before a vigil was held. (Maja Smiejkowska/PA) The body of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has been handed over to his mother, an aide to Mr Navalny said on his social media account. Ivan Zhdanov, the director of Mr Navalnys Anti-Corruption Foundation, made the announcement on his Telegram account and thanked everyone who had called on Russian authorities to return Mr Navalnys body to his mother. Earlier Saturday, Yulia Navalnaya, Mr Navalnys widow, accused President Vladimir Putin of mocking Christianity by trying to force his mother to agree to a secret funeral after his death in a penal colony. Thank you very much. Thanks to everyone who wrote and recorded video messages. You all did what you needed to do. Thank you. Alexei Navalnys body has been given to his mother, Mr Zhdanov wrote. Alexei Navalnys mother Lyudmila Navalnaya (Navalny Team/AP) Mr Navalny, 47, Russias most well-known opposition politician, unexpectedly died on February 16 in an Arctic penal colony and his family have been fighting for more than a week to have his body returned to them. Prominent Russians released videos calling on authorities to release the body and western nations have hit Russia with more sanctions as punishment for Mr Navalnys death as well as for the second anniversary of its invasion of Ukraine. Mr Navalnys mother, Lyudmila Navalnaya, is still in Salekhard, Mr Navalnys press secretary Kira Yarmysh said on X, formerly Twitter. Lyudmila Navalnaya has been in the Arctic region for more than a week, demanding that Russian authorities return the body of her son to her. The funeral is still pending, Ms Yarmysh said, questioning whether authorities will allow it to go ahead as the family wants and as Alexei deserves. Earlier Saturday, Mr Navalnys widow said in a video that his mother was being literally tortured by authorities who had threatened to bury Mr Navalny in the Arctic prison. A woman places a piece of paper with words of grief for Alexei Navalny at the Memorial to Victims of Political Repression in St Petersburg, Russia (Dmitri Lovetsky/AP) They, she said, suggested to his mother that she did not have much time to make a decision because the body is decomposing. Give us the body of my husband, she said earlier. You tortured him alive, and now you keep torturing him dead. You mock the remains of the dead. Mr Navalnys death prompted hundreds of Russians across the country to stream to impromptu memorials with flowers and candles. Authorities have detained scores of people as they seek to suppress any major outpouring of sympathy for Mr Putins fiercest foe before the presidential election he is almost certain to win. Russians on social media say officials do not want to return Mr Navalnys body to his family, because they fear a public show of support for him. His widow accused Mr Putin, an Orthodox Christian, of killing Mr Navalny. No true Christian could ever do what Putin is now doing with the body of Alexei, she said, asking: What will you do with his corpse? How low will you sink to mock the man you murdered? Saturday marked nine days since the opposition leaders death, a day when Orthodox Christians hold a memorial service. A tribute to Alexei Navalny near the Russian embassy in London (Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP) People across Russia came out to mark the occasion and honour Mr Navalnys memory by gathering at Orthodox churches, leaving flowers at public monuments. Muscovites lined up outside the citys Christ the Savior Cathedral to pay their respects, according to photos and videos published by independent Russian news outlet SOTAvision. The video also shows Russian police stationed nearby and officers stopping several people for an ID check. As of Saturday evening, at least 38 people had been detained in Russia for showing support for Mr Navalny, according to the OVD-Info rights group that tracks political arrests. They included Elena Osipova, a 78-year-old artist from St Petersburg who stood in a street with a poster showing Mr Navalny with angel wings, and Sergei Karabatov, 64, who came to a Moscow monument to victims of political repression with flowers and a note saying Dont think this is the end. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov rejected allegations that Mr Putin was involved in Mr Navalnys death, calling them absolutely unfounded, insolent accusations about the head of the Russian state. Musician Nadya Tolokonnikova, who became widely known after spending nearly two years in prison for taking part in a 2012 protest with her band Pussy Riot inside Moscows Christ the Savior Cathedral, was one of many prominent Russians who released a video in which she accused Mr Putin of hypocrisy and asked him to release Mr Navalnys body. We were imprisoned for allegedly trampling on traditional values. But no one tramples on traditional Russian values more than you, Putin, your officials and your priests who pray for all the murder that you do, year after year, day after day, said Ms Tolokonnikova, who lives abroad. Putin, have a conscience, give his mother the body of her son. Lyudmila Navalnaya said on Thursday that investigators allowed her to see her sons body in the morgue in the Arctic city of Salekhard. She had filed a lawsuit at a court in Salekhard contesting officials refusal to release the body. A closed-door hearing had been scheduled for March 4. Ms Yarmysh said that Lyudmila Navalnaya was shown a medical certificate stating that her son died of natural causes. Brazils president has claimed Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians, after stirring controversy a week earlier by comparing Israels military offensive in Gaza to the Nazi Holocaust. Israel has vehemently pushed back against genocide claims made at the UNs top court and elsewhere, saying its war targets the militant group Hamas, not the Palestinian people. It has held Hamas responsible for civilian deaths, arguing that the group operates from civilian areas. Meanwhile, an Israeli delegation returned from a meeting in Paris with negotiators from the United States, Egypt and Qatar to try to reach a deal on pausing the fighting, an Israeli official said. Buildings destroyed by an Israeli air strike in Rafah (Fatima Shbair/AP) The delegation was expected to meet with high-ranking Cabinet members on Saturday. Egypt and Qatar are mediators between Israel and Hamas. The Health Ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza said on Saturday that the bodies of 92 Palestinians killed in Israeli bombardments were brought to hospitals over the past 24 hours, raising the overall toll in nearly five months of war to 29,606. The total number of wounded rose to nearly 70,000. The ministrys death toll does not distinguish between civilians and combatants, but it has said two thirds of those killed were children and women. Israel says its troops have killed more than 10,000 Hamas fighters, but has not provided details. An Israeli air strike hit a house in Gazas southernmost city of Rafah, killing at least eight people, including four women and a child, health authorities said. An Associated Press journalist saw the bodies at a hospital. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said that he would not give up his dignity for falsehood, an apparent reference to calls for him to retract comments comparing Israels conduct in Gaza to the Nazi Holocaust, in which six million Jews and others perished during the Second World War. What the Israeli government is doing is not war, it is genocide, he wrote on X, formerly Twitter. Children and women are being murdered. Palestinians line up for food aid in Rafah (Fatima Shbair/AP) In response to his initial comments, Israel declared him a persona non grata, summoned Brazils ambassador and demanded an apology. The president then recalled Brazils ambassador to Israel for consultations. Last month, South Africa filed a landmark case with the International Court of Justice, accusing Israel of genocide against Palestinians. The court issued a preliminary order two weeks later, ordering Israel to do all it can to prevent death, destruction and any acts of genocide in Gaza. Israel, created in part as a refuge for survivors of the Holocaust, has accused South Africa of hypocrisy. South Africa has compared Israels treatment of Palestinians in Gaza with the treatment of black South Africans during apartheid, framing the issues as fundamentally about people oppressed in their homeland. Israel declared war after the deadly October 7 Hamas attack on southern Israel in which militants killed about 1,200 people and took around 250 hostages. More than 100 hostages remain in captivity in Gaza. The rising civilian death toll and worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza have amplified calls for a ceasefire. Hunger and infectious diseases are spreading and about 80% of Gazas 2.3 million people have been displaced, with about 1.4 million crowded into Rafah on the border with Egypt. There are choking, skyrocketing prices. Its terrifying. There is no source of income. The area is very overcrowded, said Hassan Attwa, a displaced man from Gaza City who now shelters in a tent on the sand in Mawasi in the south. Benjamin Netanyahu (Ohad Zwigenberg/AP) The garbage, may God bless you, is not collected at all. It stays piled up. It turns into a mess and clay when it rains. The situation is disastrous in every sense of the word. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to fight until total victory, but dispatched the delegation to Paris to seek the release of hostages in exchange for a temporary truce. Negotiators face wide gaps and an unofficial deadline the start of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan around March 10. Meanwhile, Mr Netanyahu and his conservative government drew an angry response from the United States, its closest ally, over plans to build more than 3,300 new homes in settlements in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Mr Netanyahus firebrand finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, has said the plans came in response to a Palestinian shooting attack earlier in the week that killed one Israeli and wounded five. US secretary of state Antony Blinken said on Friday that he was disappointed to hear of the Israeli announcement. Its been long-standing US policy under Republican and Democratic administrations alike that new settlements are counterproductive to reaching an enduring peace, he said. Theyre also inconsistent with international law. The Biden administration also restored a US legal finding dating back nearly 50 years that Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories are illegitimate under international law. The widow of Alexei Navalny has accused Vladimir Putin of mocking Christianity by trying to force the Russian opposition leaders mother to agree to a secret funeral after his death in a penal colony. Yulia Navalnaya said in a video released on Saturday that Mr Navalnys mother, who wants her sons body returned to her, is being literally tortured by authorities who had threatened to bury him in the Arctic prison. They suggested to his mother that she does not have much time to make a decision because the body is decomposing, Ms Navalnaya said. A tribute to Alexei Navalny (Markus Schreiber/AP) Give us the body of my husband, she said. You tortured him alive, and now you keep torturing him dead. You mock the remains of the dead. Mr Navalny, 47, Russias most well-known opposition politician, died on February 16 in the penal colony, prompting hundreds of Russians across the country to stream to impromptu memorials with flowers and candles. Authorities have detained scores of people as they seek to suppress any major outpouring of sympathy for Mr Putins fiercest opponent before a presidential election he is almost certain to win. Russians on social media said officials do not want to return Mr Navalnys body to his family because they fear a public show of support for him. Ms Navalnaya accused the Russian president, an Orthodox Christian, of killing Mr Navalny. No true Christian could ever do what Putin is now doing with the body of Alexei, she said, asking: What will you do with his corpse? How low will you sink to mock the man you murdered? Saturday marked nine days since the opposition leaders death, a day when Orthodox Christians hold a memorial service. Residents of several Russian cities came out to mark the occasion and honour Mr Navalnys memory by leaving flowers at public monuments or holding one-person protests. At least 27 had been detained in nine Russian cities by 12.45pm on Saturday, according to the OVD-Info rights group. They included Sergei Karabatov, 64, who laid flowers at a Moscow monument to victims of political repression, along with a handwritten note saying Dont think this is the end. Also arrested was Aida Nuriyeva, from the city of Ufa near the Ural Mountains, who stood in a street with a sign saying Putin is Navalnys murderer! I demand that the body be returned! Mr Putin is often pictured at church, dunking himself in ice water to celebrate the Epiphany and visiting holy sites in Russia. He has promoted what he has called traditional values without which, he once said, society degrades. Alexei Navalnys mother Lyudmila Navalnaya (Navalny Team/AP) Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov rejected allegations that Mr Putin was involved in Mr Navalnys death, calling them absolutely unfounded, insolent accusations about the head of the Russian state. Musician Nadya Tolokonnikova, who became widely known after spending nearly two years in prison for taking part in a 2012 protest with her band Pussy Riot inside Moscows Christ the Saviour Cathedral, released a video in which she accused Mr Putin of hypocrisy. We were imprisoned for allegedly trampling on traditional values. But no one tramples on traditional Russian values more than you, Putin, your officials and your priests who pray for all the murder that you do, year after year, day after day, said Ms Tolokonnikova, who lives abroad. Putin, have a conscience, give his mother the body of her son. Ms Tolokonnikova is one of several cultural figures who have released videos calling on Russian authorities to return Mr Navalnys body to his family so they can give him a funeral. His mother and lawyers have been trying to retrieve his body since late last week. Lyudmila Navalnaya said on Thursday that investigators had allowed her to see her sons body in the morgue in the Arctic city of Salekhard. She has filed a lawsuit at a court in Salekhard contesting officials refusal to release the body, and a closed-door hearing has been scheduled for March 4. Mr Navalnys spokesman, Kira Yarmysh, said Lyudmila Navalnaya was shown a medical certificate saying her son died of natural causes. An aircraft launching from USS Dwight D Eisenhower during flight operations in the Red Sea (Kaitlin Watt/US Navy via AP) The US and Britain have struck 18 Houthi targets in Yemen in response to a recent surge in attacks by the Iran-backed militia group on ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, including a missile strike this past week that set fire to a cargo vessel. American and British fighter jets hit sites in eight locations, targeting missiles, launchers, rockets, drones and air defence systems, according to US officials. This is the fourth time that the US and British militaries have conducted a combined operation against the Houthis since January 12. But the US has also been carrying out almost daily strikes to take out Houthi targets, including incoming missiles and drones aimed at ships, as well as weapons that were prepared to launch. The US F/A-18 fighter jets launched from the USS Dwight D Eisenhower aircraft carrier, which is currently in the Red Sea, officials said. The United States will not hesitate to take action, as needed, to defend lives and the free flow of commerce in one of the worlds most critical waterways, said US defence secretary Lloyd Austin. We will continue to make clear to the Houthis that they will bear the consequences if they do not stop their illegal attacks. In a statement, the US, UK and other allies said the necessary and proportionate strikes specifically targeted 18 Houthi targets across eight locations in Yemen that also included underground storage facilities, radar and a helicopter. UK Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said RAF Typhoon jets engaged in precision strikes aimed at degrading Houthi drones and launchers. Mr Shapps said it came after severe Houthi attacks against commercial ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, including against the British-owned MV Islander and the MV Rubymar, which forced the crew to abandon ship. The strikes have support from the wider coalition, which includes Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands and New Zealand. President Joe Biden and other senior leaders have repeatedly warned that the US will not tolerate the Houthi attacks against commercial shipping. But the counter-attacks have not appeared to diminish the Houthis campaign against shipping in the region, which the militants say is over Israels war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Our aim remains to de-escalate tensions and restore stability in the Red Sea, but we will once again reiterate our warning to Houthi leadership: We will not hesitate to continue to defend lives and the free flow of commerce in the face of continued threats, said the statement. Lloyd Austin said the US will not hesitate to take action (Kevin Wolf/AP) The Houthis have launched at least 57 attacks on commercial and military ships in the the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since November 19, and the pace has picked up in recent days. Weve certainly seen in the past 48, 72 hours an increase in attacks from the Houthis, Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said in a briefing on Thursday. And she acknowledged that the Houthis have not been deterred. We never said weve wiped off the map all of their capabilities, she told reporters. We know that the Houthis maintain a large arsenal. They are very capable. They have sophisticated weapons, and thats because they continue to get them from Iran. There have been at least 32 US strikes in Yemen over the past month and a half; a few were conducted with allied involvement. In addition, US warships have taken out dozens of incoming missiles, rockets and drones targeting commercial and other navy vessels. Earlier on Saturday, the destroyer USS Mason downed an anti-ship ballistic missile launched from Houthi-held areas in Yemen towards the Gulf of Aden, US Central Command said, adding that the missile was probably targeting MV Torm Thor, a US-flagged, owned, and operated chemical and oil tanker. The US attacks on the Houthis have targeted more than 120 launchers, more than 10 surface-to-air-missiles, 40 storage and support building, 15 drone storage buildings, more than 20 unmanned air, surface and underwater vehicles, several underground storage areas and a few other facilities. The rebels supreme leader, Abdul Malik al-Houthi, announced this past week an escalation in sea operations conducted by his forces as part of what they describe as a pressure campaign to end Israels war on Hamas. But while the group says the attacks are aimed at stopping that war, the Houthis targets have grown more random, endangering a vital waterway for cargo and energy shipments travelling from Asia and the Middle East onwards to Europe. Houthi fighters march during a rally of support for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip (AP) During normal operations, about 400 commercial vessels transit the southern Red Sea at any given time. While the Houthi attacks have only actually struck a small number of vessels, the persistent targeting and near misses that have been shot down by the US and allies have prompted shipping companies to reroute their vessels from the Red Sea. Instead, they have sent them around Africa through the Cape of Good Hope a much longer, costlier and less efficient passage. The threats also have led the US and its allies to set up a joint mission where warships from participating nations provide a protective umbrella of air defence for ships as they travel between the Suez Canal and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. In Thursdays attack in the Gulf of Aden, the Houthis fired two missiles at a Palau-flagged cargo ship named Islander, according to Central Command. A European naval force in the region said the attack sparked a fire and wounded a sailor on board the vessel, though the ship continued on its way. Central Command launched attacks on Houthi-held areas in Yemen on Friday, destroying seven mobile anti-ship cruise missiles that the military said were prepared to launch towards the Red Sea. Central Command also said on Saturday that a Houthi attack on a Belize-flagged ship on February 18 caused an 18-mile oil slick and the military warned of the danger of a spill from the vessels cargo of fertiliser. The Rubymar, a British-registered, Lebanese-operated cargo vessel, was attacked while sailing through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait that connects the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. The missile attack forced the crew to abandon the vessel, which had been on its way to Bulgaria after leaving the United Arab Emirates. It was transporting more than 41,000 tons of fertiliser, according to a Central Command statement. Yemens internationally recognised government has called for other countries and maritime-protection organisations to quickly address the oil slick and avert a significant environmental disaster. World leaders laid flowers in tribute to killed soldiers as they joined Volodymyr Zelensky in Ukraine (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP) President Volodymyr Zelensky has welcomed western leaders to Kyiv to mark the second anniversary of Russias invasion, as Ukrainian forces run low on ammunition and weaponry and foreign aid hangs in the balance. Allies from the EU and the G7 rallied around Kyiv to express solidarity, with Mr Zelensky joining a virtual G7 meeting on Saturday and four world leaders travelling to Ukraines war-weary capital. Two years ago, here, we met enemy landing forces with fire; two years later, we meet our friends and our partners here, Mr Zelensky said as he met the dignitaries at Hostomel airfield just outside Kyiv, which Russian paratroopers unsuccessfully tried to seize in the first days of the war. A sombre mood hangs over Ukraine as the war against Russia enters its third year and Kyivs troops face mounting challenges on the front line amid dwindling supplies and personnel challenges. 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 Its troops recently withdrew from the strategic eastern city of Avdiivka, handing Moscow one of its biggest victories. And Russia still controls roughly a quarter of the country after Ukraine failed to make any major breakthroughs with its summertime counter-offensive. Italian premier Giorgia Meloni, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen arrived in Kyiv shortly after a Russian drone attack struck a residential building in the southern city of Odesa, killing at least one person. Three women also sustained severe burns in the attack on Friday evening, regional governor Oleh Kiper wrote on his social media account. Rescue services combed through the rubble looking for survivors. Hours later, Mr Zelenskys office announced the signing of 10-year bilateral security deals with Canada and Italy, with Ottawa committing to send Kyiv more than three billion Canadian dollars in military and economic aid this year while Rome promised much-needed long-range weapons. In a joint press conference, Ms Meloni hailed the agreement with Kyiv and said: We will continue to support Ukraine in what I have always deemed the just right of its people to defend itself. 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 She added: Confusing the much-bandied about word peace with surrender, as some people do, is a hypocritical approach that we will never share. Ms Meloni also chaired a G7 video-conference from Kyiv that produced a joint statement on Saturday reaffirming world leaders commitment to supporting a comprehensive, just and lasting peace, tightening sanctions on Russia and sending Ukraine military and economic aid for as long as it takes. Ms von der Leyen vowed during the joint press conference that the bloc will stand with Ukraine financially, economically, militarily, and most of all, morally, until (the) country is finally free. At the press conference, Mr Zelensky highlighted the urgency of timely arms deliveries, while pledging that Kyiv would not use weapons from allied countries to strike Russian territory. His words reflected an increasingly tense battlefield situation in eastern Ukraine, where Kyivs troops are trying to hold back Russian advances despite an escalating ammunition shortage. People hold a huge Ukrainian flag as they attend a protest against the Russian war in Ukraine in front of the Russian embassy in Berlin (Markus Schreiber/AP) On the front line in the eastern Donetsk region, Ukrainian soldiers pleaded for shells. When the enemy comes in, a lot of our guys die We are sitting here with nothing, said Volodymyr, 27, a senior officer in an artillery battery. About 100 people gathered outside St Sophias Cathedral in central Kyiv on Saturday, calling for the release of Azov Brigade members who were taken captive by Russia after defending the southern city of Mariupol. Olena Petrivna, the mother of a member taken by Russian forces questioned why Russia invaded Ukraine, saying that before the war people lived our own lives, not bothering anyone, raising our children. The Russians, she said, tried to conquer Ukraine to teach them what to say and what language to speak but, she added: We dont need them. We have one destiny victory. We must win. The war has also come to Russia. Drones hit a steel plant in the Lipetsk region in southern Russia on Saturday, causing a large fire, said regional governor Igor Artamonov, adding there are no casualties. Independent Russian media said the Novolipetsk Metallurgical Plant is the largest steel plant in Russia. Videos shared on Russian social media showed several fires burning at the plant, and an explosion could be heard. Novolipetsk Metallurgical Plant (Alamy/PA) Independent Russian news outlet Mediazona said on Saturday that about 75,000 Russian men died in 2022 and 2023 fighting in the war. A joint investigation published by Mediazona and Meduza, another independent Russian news site, indicates that the rate of Russias losses in Ukraine is not slowing and that Moscow is losing about 120 men a day. Based on a statistical analysis of the recorded deaths of soldiers compared with a Russian inheritance database, the journalists said about 83,000 soldiers are likely to have died in the two years of fighting. Solidarity demonstrations with Ukraine were held across Europe, including in London, Berlin and Stockholm. In Belgrade, hundreds marched through the city centre carrying Ukrainian flags. Though it has condemned the invasion of Ukraine, Serbia has not joined western sanctions against Russia and maintains friendly relations with Moscow. Despite a heavy crackdown on dissent, some Russians marked the anniversary by laying flowers at Moscow monuments. According to OVD-Info, a Russian rights group that tracks political arrests and provides legal aid, at least six people were detained across Russia on Saturday for holding up anti-war signs, bearing flowers in Ukraines national colours or otherwise expressing support for Kyiv. Four more were arrested in Moscow at a demonstration calling for the return of mobilised Russian soldiers from Ukraine. Firefighters work after a Russian attack in Odesa (Ukrainian Emergency Service/AP) Meanwhile, millions of Ukrainians continue to live in precarious circumstances, and many others face constant struggles under Russian occupation. Most are waiting for a Ukrainian liberation that has not come. Olena Zelenska, the presidents wife, said on Saturday that more than two million Ukrainian children have left the country since the war began and that at least 528 have been killed. The war started by Russia deliberately targets children, she said. Britain has pledged an additional 8.5 million of humanitarian aid to Ukraine, bolstering efforts to provide medical care, food and basic services to residents. About 14.6 million people, or 40% of Ukraines population, need assistance, with many left homeless or without adequate access to food, water and electricity, the Foreign Office said in announcing the aid. In the US Congress, Republicans have stalled 60 billion dollars in military aid for Kyiv, desperately needed in the short term. The EU recently approved a 50 billion-euro aid package for Ukraine meant to support Ukraines economy, despite resistance from Hungary. Its time to give up on Casement Park hosting games at Euro 2028 West Belfast ground should be modernised... but toxic political rows mean it just isnt worth hassle or cost to stage Finals It's time to end the Casement Park charade and invest the money where it's really needed David Jeffrey Fri 23 Feb 2024 at 22:00 Late in 2023, I appeared on The View with Mark Carruthers where I outlined my passionate and sincerely held belief that Casement Park should be rebuilt in time to host Euro 2028. Zelensky with Belgian PM Alexander De Croo, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Premier Giorgia Meloni and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Kyiv (Photo by Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP) Danish PM Mette Frederiksen (centre) with her husband and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Lviv (Photo by Mads Claus Rasmussen/Ritzau Scanpix via AP) Women held placards calling for an end to the war (Photo by Stephen Hamilton/PressEye) Ukrainians living in Omagh held a vigil on Saturday marking the second anniversary of Russias invasion. It was organised by women who were forced to flee their homeland, leaving their husbands behind to fight. The demonstration came on the same day that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed western leaders, including Italys Giorgia Meloni, Belgiums Alexander De Croo and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, to Kyiv. They arrived shortly after at least one person was killed by a Russian drone attack in the southern city of Odesa. Mr Zelensky said: We have come 730 days closer to victory. Keep fighting you are sure to win. None of us will allow our Ukraine to end. The independent Russian news outlet Mediazona said today around 75,000 Russian soldiers had been killed since the start of the war. Separately, the King praised the determination and strength of the Ukrainian people in a message marking the two-year anniversary of the invasion. Charles said he was greatly encouraged by the UKs efforts to support Ukraine and commended the valour of the Ukrainian people. He said: The determination and strength of the Ukrainian people continues to inspire as the unprovoked attack on their land, their lives and livelihoods enters a third, tragic, year. Despite the tremendous hardship and pain inflicted upon them, Ukrainians continue to show the heroism with which the world associates them so closely. Theirs is true valour in the face of indescribable aggression. Laos to host meeting on Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam development triangle Xinhua) 10:45, February 24, 2024 VIENTIANE, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- Laos will host the 13th meeting of the Joint Coordination Committee on Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam Development Triangle Area, which will take place in Laos' southern Attapeu province from Feb. 26 to March 1. The conference is one of the mechanisms of the development triangle cooperation framework among Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam to promote peace and comprehensive socio-economic development in the border provinces of the three countries, Lao News Agency reported on Friday. The meeting will review the implementation of a joint statement of the 11th Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam Development Triangle Summit in 2020, and a master plan on socio-economic development in the development triangle until 2020. The meeting will also discuss an action plan on economic linkages and tourism development plan among the three countries, as well as directions of cooperation to promote and attract more trade, investment and tourism to the triangle area, according to the report. (Web editor: Xue Yanyan, Hongyu) Eli Simoneaux stopped talking before he was two years old. He had a normal birth and healthy development until then, until he stopped saying words and his parents, Michael and Shila, took notice. Doctors told the parents, who live in Casper and both work in health care, that boys are just typically slower to progress. But Michael and Shila felt instinctively that something else was wrong, and that they needed to figure out what it was to get Eli back on track. So they asked the Child Development Center in Casper to screen Eli, even though he was still too young at that time for them to be completely sure of what might be wrong. What the Simoneauxs know now is that Eli has autism, and thats why he stopped talking. Hes currently five years old. His parents love him and spending time with him and watching him enjoy water and hot air balloons and music. They love watching him develop better communication skills and sleeping habits for a while, he just never slept, his father said. They love getting on the floor, close to his eye level, and playing with him. If I have to spend the rest of my life with Eli, I cant wait. Cant wait. Were gonna go somewhere warmer, for sure, and theres gonna be water because he loves the water, Michael said. But I cant wait. I wouldnt ask for a better partner in crime. Still, to overemphasize the ups of the Simoneauxs journey would be a mischaracterization of all that theyve gone through trying to support Eli. The bone-deep fear that they felt when he stopped talking, the subtle and obvious judgment they say they receive when they go out with him, the pain of family and friends misunderstanding their situation. Its not easy to have a child with disabilities in Casper, Michael told the Star-Tribune. They had to find a community here and have learned to lean on other families who know what its like. Thats part of the reason they created their nonprofit, the E. Brooks Simoneaux Foundation. Their goal is to create living and recreational space for children and families with disabled children, Michael wrote in a news tip sent to the Star-Tribune. Michael and Shila envision a place where families can live, play and support each other. There are a lot of layers to their idea they want to have therapy dogs, visits from therapists around the community, art and musical experiences, farmers markets and low-income housing, to name a few. But mainly, they just dont want other families to feel like they have to face whatever diagnosis their child has been given alone. Or, as Michael put it: It just dawned on us that the answer to this is really families helping families. Theres a big brick building on North Kimball Street in Casper that the Simoneauxs have their eyes on. With over 7,000 square feet of space, it would be able to fit all that they want, and it even has an apartment area on the lower floor where they could live. They call the project E. Brooks Project Hope. A crucial part of their plans for this project is low-income housing. They hope to create four to six housing units, ideally consisting of three bedrooms and two bathrooms each, inside of the building. They wouldnt charge more than the minimum amount for rent. Michael anticipates that there would have to be a scoring process for families to determine need. The idea is that, by living there, families would save on rent and other costs of living in order to have more time and money to pour into their childrens quality of life. There would be a communal kitchen and dining area, indoor and outdoor play areas, and lots and lots of open space for unfettered exploration. Recreation areas would be open to people who dont live there, as well. Monthly farmers markets would allow the families to earn extra money. There are a slew of reasons that families who have children with disabilities would benefit from this, Michael said: Neurodivergent children often dont sleep, which in turn causes their caregivers to stay up later and get less sleep themselves. Many children with disabilities have a tendency to want to run, and it is difficult and dangerous for them to go many places because of that. Leaving their children with a babysitter frightens many guardians, especially if the caregiver is not a professional and/or their child cant communicate. Michael and Shila have experience in health care. They currently have jobs that would allow them to essentially be on call if other people have basic medical questions. Zabrina Johnson, a single mother of two children ages five and three who both have muscular dystrophy, told the Star-Tribune that she would jump at the chance to live there with her kids. Her older child has autism and her younger child is currently being screened for it, though its too early to tell for certain. She met the Simoneauxs through the Child Development Center in Casper, where both Eli and Johnsons child take classes. Her friendship with Shila has been a great help to her, she said. Makes you feel like youre not alone in the world, she said. Johnson said that raising her children on her own is very difficult. Due to their myriad doctors appointments and therapies, she cant work. Shes waiting on their Medicaid waiver to go through; once it does, shell have a little more support. But thats not in the near future. Moreover, Casper lacks a lot of the resources that would be beneficial to her and her kids. She had to get her older son diagnosed in Denver. Soon, hell be getting a wheelchair, which will be a help but also a learning curve. It would just be nice to have extra support, she said of the idea in a building with other families who have children with disabilities. Even if it was just somebody to talk to, to help me regulate myself, because theres a lot of screaming and dysregulation that happens with these neurodivergent kids. Erin Castle, who teaches Eli and Johnsons child at the Child Development Center, also expressed support for the idea. It is Shila and Michaels own plan, not affiliated with the Child Development Center in any way, but she still thinks its good. The more that theres available out there then, absolutely, she said. The Simoneauxs nonprofit has its ID, and the Simoneauxs have a whole host of plans for what to do with it. But what they dont have is about half of the money that they would need to buy the building. According to the aforementioned news tip, the Wyoming Community Development Authority said the project aligns with their Community Development Block Grant requirements, but the city already has their two block grant projects filled. If they could get the grant, they could maybe plan for an opening in 2025 or 2026. Applying for other grants is also hard, Michael said, because theres nothing really like this. It doesnt fit into any kind of mold. Thats kind of the same idea he used when talking about Eli. Once, after days and days without sleeping, Michael was dazedly sitting in his home with Eli and an electrician who had come to do work in the house. Your sons autistic, isnt he? the electrician said. Michael was shocked, even through his tiredness. He looked at the electrician. Thats pretty awesome, isnt it? the electrician said. He made me realize that my son is pretty exceptional. I didnt understand what he was doing. But he started telling me about his son, and how wonderful his son is and how much his son values certain things and I started seeing it. My son is pretty exceptional. He just does not fit into a mold that society and everyone tells us has value. Michael and Shila dont let the lack of easily identifiable support for their dreams get to them. Michael said he reaches out to about five people every day about it. He and his wife try to help the Child Development Center with supplies and fundraisers. But they know that some necessities cant be bought. They need love. They need support. And no matter how this project turns out, were gonna keep doing what were doing. Envato This is a heartfelt love story: During the spring of 2008, before they found evidence of humanitys first recorded kiss, Troels Pank Arboll and Sophie Lund Rasmussen kissed for the first time in their first goodnight kiss. A week earlier, they met at a pub near the University of Copenhagen, where they were undergraduates. Dr. Rasmussen said she asked her cousin if he knew any single guys with long beards and long hair, and he said he would introduce her to one. In turn, Dr. Arboll had been looking for a partner who shared his interest in Assyriology, the study of Mesopotamian languages and the sources written in them, adding that not many people know what an Assyriologist does. However, Dr. Rasmussen knew precisely what they did because she had taken some of the same classes. At that point, Dr. Arboll knew she was a keeper. Three years later, the couple wed and now, Dr. Rasmussen is an ecologist at the University of Oxfords Wildlife Conservation Research Unit and Aalborg University in Denmark. One night, while at dinner in 2022, as scientists do, the couple discussed a new genetic study that connected modern herpes variants to mouth-to-mouth kissing in the Bronze Age, roughly 3300 B.C. to 1200 B.C. In the papers additional materials, a brief history of kissing identified South Asia as the place of origin, tracing the first kiss to 1500 B.C., when Vedic Sanskrit manuscripts were being translated from oral history. The University of Cambridge researcher suggested that the custom, a lip-kissing precursor that involved pressing and rubbing noses together, evolved into hardcore smooching. She noted that by 300 B.C., kissing had spread to the Mediterranean with the return of Alexander the Greats troops from northern India. However, the couple thought that wasnt its start. Dr. Arboll said he knew of earlier accounts written in Akkadian and Sumerian languages. So, after dinner, they double-checked. They consulted handwritten texts on clay tablets from Mesopotamia and Egypt for clear examples of intimate kissing. Their investigation resulted in a commentary recently published that pushed back the earliest documentation of kissing by 1,000 years and upended the hypothesis that people from a specific region were the first to kiss and tell. The husband and wife team maintained that since at least the late third millennium B.C., kissing was a well-established and widespread part of romance in the Middle East. According to Dr. Arboll, kissing wasnt a custom that abruptly emerged in a single point of origin. Instead, it was standard across a range of cultures. Carved in clay. Dr. Rasmussen and Dr. Arboll projected that the earliest account of kissing was etched into the Barton Cylinder, a tablet that dates to around 2400 B.C. The object was uncovered in the ancient Sumerian city of Nippur in 1899 and named after George Barton, the professor of Semitic languages at Bryn Mawr College, who translated it in 1918. Its currently housed in the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology at the University of Pennsylvania, where Dr. Barton taught Semitic languages and the history of religion from 1922 to 1931. The artifacts story involves the Sumerian creation myth and issues with food supplies in Nippur, the original religious capital of Babylonia and the seat of worship for Enil, the ruler of the cosmos. In the second column of text, a male divinity, maybe Enil, is intimate with the mother goddess Ninhursag, Enils sister, and then kisses her. Amid the frolicking, the male divinity plants the seed of seven twins of deities in her womb. Gonzalo Rubio, an Assyriologist at Penn State University, said the most fascinating part of the story is the sequence of events. He said in the portrayals of the act of kissing in Sumerian literature, the subjects have sexual intercourse, and only afterward do they kiss. Its afterplay of some sort instead of foreplay. The existence of Mesopotamian kissing records may be earth-shattering to philematologists, but to the academics who study the science of the kiss, its old news to Mesopotamian scholars. According to Dr. Rasmussen, in the small field of Assyriology, theres a tendency to focus inward, not outward. As much as Assyriologists like to argue with each other, they dont talk to other people. Dr. Rubio, who wasnt involved in the project, praised Dr. Rasumssen and Dr. Arboll for effectively rewriting the history of kissing. They aimed to clear things up and came to fix a reductionist approach to human behavior. However, was a Sumerian kiss just a kiss? Dr. Arboll said that in the earliest passages, kissing was depicted in relation to erotic acts, with the lips as the locus. In Akkadian, a Semitic language correlated to Arabic and Hebrew of today, he and Dr. Rasmussen found that references to kissing fell into two categories: the romantic sexual and the friendly parental. The former is a demonstration of familial affection, submission or respect, like when a royal subject kisses the feet of a ruler. According to Dr. Arboll, the sexual romantic kiss happens in relation to a sexual act or love, which isnt culturally universal. He added that kissing on the lips has been observed in bonobos and chimpanzees, our closest living relatives. The platonic chimp kiss may determine compatibility, but bonobos canoodle for sexual pleasure. Their erotic contact ranges from oral sex to tongue twisting. Dr. Rasmussen says that the kissing practices of these primates hint at something fundamental that dates way back in human history. Cue the chemistry. Dr. Rasmussen said that in ancient Mesopotamia, kissing outside of marriage was discouraged. He found one text from 1800 B.C. that shared how a married woman was almost led astray by a soul kiss from a male lover. Necking with someone who wasnt supposed to be sexually active was seen as a crime on par with adultery, and kissing a priestess was thought to deprive the kisser of the ability to talk. For Romans of the imperial era, kissing a lover publicly was also considered inappropriate and a health risk. In The Science of Kissing: What Our Lips Are Telling Us, Sheril Kisherbaum discusses the chemistry of attraction, how a kiss brings two people together in an exchange of tastes, colors, and textures. Dr. Rasmussen thinks that kissing changed as a way of sizing up potential partners through their scent. He still remembers that first kiss with Dr. Arboll, which bore the scent of the hibiscus tea she had just fixed for him. Whats a kiss? In her memory, it echoed a line from the poet Robert Herrick: The sure, sweet cement, glue and lime of love. Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi (center) delivers a speech during a meeting on the situation in Gaza Strip, at the United Nations Offices in Geneva, Dec. 12, 2023. Indonesia and Malaysia on Friday urged the International Court of Justice to rule as illegal what many, including the United Nations, call Israels occupation of Palestinian lands and demand that the Jewish state pull out its troops and pay reparations. The proceedings in The Hague are separate and distinct from the case South Africa brought to the same court. South Africas case relates to the Israel-Hamas war that began after the Oct. 7 attacks by the Palestinian militants, and alleges that Israel is violating the Genocide Convention. The top diplomats of Indonesia and Malaysia spoke at the ICJ, the U.N.s top judicial body, on the legal question of Israels post-1967 occupation of Palestinian territories, based on a January 2023 request from the U.N. General Assembly. In a passionate speech, Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi accused Israel of using excessive force, seizing parts of the occupied territory, building unlawful settlements and discriminating against the Palestinians. The Court must pronounce that Israeli Occupation is illegal as a whole. It follows that we must bring this illegal situation to an end, she said. Israel must cease completely, unconditionally and immediately all of its unlawful actions and policies in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, she added. She said Israel had zero intention of respecting its legal obligations and had been obstructing a negotiated two-state solution. She also accused Israel of using unjustified force, expanding illegal settlements, and imposing what she described as an apartheid policy against the Palestinians. There was no immediate response from the Israeli government to Retnos speech. Indonesia, the worlds largest Muslim-majority nation, and Malaysia, where Muslims are also a majority, are staunch supporters of Palestinian statehood and have no diplomatic ties with Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu chairs a cabinet meeting at the Kirya military base, which houses the Israeli Ministry of Defense, in Tel Aviv, Dec. 24, 2023. [Ohad Zwigenberg, Pool, AP] Israel captured the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and east Jerusalem in the Six-Day War in June 1967, and formally annexed east Jerusalem in 1980, a move not recognized by the U.N. and many of its member states. Israel has since built more than 200 settlements in the occupied areas, where more than 700,000 Israelis live in defiance of international law and U.N. resolutions, according to the world body. The Palestinians want those territories and the Gaza Strip for their future state, with east Jerusalem as their capital. The ICJs last advisory opinion at the request of the General Assembly was in 2004 and narrower in scope, Human Rights Watch said in a statement on Feb. 16. Israel rejected the 2004 opinion. Assessing legal consequences The latest request gives the court the opportunity to assess the situation two decades later, according to the New York-based rights watchdog group. The ICJ could [now] also assess Israels conduct under international human rights law, including prohibitions on racial discrimination, and international criminal law, including the crimes against humanity of apartheid and persecution, it added. In December, the U.N. General Assembly passed a resolution seeking the ICJs advisory opinion on the Legal Consequences arising from the Policies and Practices of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem. Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki (center) speaks to reporters on the day of a public hearing held by The International Court of Justice (ICJ) to allow parties to give their views on the legal consequences of what the U.N. calls Israels occupation of the Palestinian territories, in The Hague, Netherlands, Feb. 19, 2024. [Piroschka van de Wouw/Reuters] The ICJ began hearing oral statements on this matter on Monday and was to hear them over six days from 52 countries and three organizations more than in any other case it has ever heard, Human Rights Watch said. Israel submitted a written statement last July and decided not to participate in the oral hearings, the rights watchdog said. The International Court of Justice is set for the first time to broadly consider the legal consequences of Israels nearly six-decades-long occupation and mistreatment of the Palestinian people, said Clive Baldwin, senior legal adviser at Human Rights Watch. The courts advisory opinions have no legal force but can sway public opinion. According to HRW, they can carry great moral and legal authority and can ultimately become part of customary international law, which is legally binding on states. Based on similar previous cases, the court may deliver its opinion before the end of the year, HRW said. The ongoing war, meanwhile, started on Oct. 7, when Palestinian militants launched a surprise attack on Israel, killing 1,139 people, including hundreds of Israeli civilians. Israel responded by bombing Gaza and launching an invasion that has killed more than 29,000 people, many of them women and children, according to Palestinian officials. The war has caused a humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where more than 2 million people live under an Israel-imposed blockade that restricts the movement of people and goods in and out of Gaza. Since Oct. 7 more than 80% of the population here has been displaced. Never again means never again Instead of focusing on the current Israel-Hamas war, Fridays statements by the Indonesian and Malaysian foreign ministers talked broadly about Israels decades-old control of the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem, which the Palestinians claim as their future state. Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan, for instance, accused Israel of breaking multiple international laws and denying the Palestinians their basic right to decide their own fate through its actions and policies, such as building a wall, occupying land, destroying homes, imposing a blockade, and exploiting resources. He said that Israel must cease all its policies and practices in Palestinian territories and withdraw immediately. It must offer full reparation, including restitution, compensation, and guarantees of non-repetition, to Palestinians, he said at the ICJ. Israeli soldiers pose for a photo on a position along the Gaza Strip border, in southern Israel, Feb. 19, 2024. [Tsafrir Abayov/AP] Malaysia and Indonesia have also made strong statements criticizing Israels actions in Gaza since the Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel by Hamas. The two Southeast Asian nations have come together with Arab countries and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation member-states to push their call for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war. The United States, Israels steadfast ally, meanwhile has vetoed a series of U.N. resolutions calling for a ceasefire. The Palestinian question is front and center of the neighboring Southeast Asian nations foreign policy. Indonesias top diplomat Retno, for instance, said in her statement, that she had left a G20 meeting in Brazil to attend the public hearing at the ICJ, and was speaking on behalf of the Indonesian government and people to express solidarity with the Palestinians. Indonesia believes that this legal motion is also a motion of global conscience, she said. It should not be another item on the list, another proceeding to dismiss, another call to go unheeded, ignored blatantly by Israel. Never again means never again. Eddy Pratomo, a professor of international law at Pancasila University in Jakarta, said Indonesia made a strong case against Israels breaches of the law of war and humanitarian law. Although the ICJs opinion will not be binding, it will be a moral force for the U.N. General Assembly to pressure Israel to comply, Eddy told BenarNews. We can only pursue all means through political and legal channels. Iman Muttaqin Yusof in Kuala Lumpur contributed to this report. Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. This Story in History is selected from the archives by Jeannie Maschino, The Berkshire Eagle. PITTSFIELD When city councilors approved an ordinance last week regulating battery energy storage systems, they did so with the intention of setting the rules for how future developers would bring the growing technology to the city. Key to the regulations was a specific ban on lithium ion batteries, which can catch fire and explode under certain circumstances. But it appears the new ordinance won't apply to three properties including one lot that sits along Sackett Brook next to Kirvin Park that are targeted for potentially large-scale systems that are likely to use such technology. Development plans for the use of those properties are already are on file with the city, essentially exempting them from compliance with the new rules. Large-scale battery energy storage systems, or BESS, are important because they allow energy from both traditional and renewable sources to be stored locally until needed. Typically, such systems can harness power from sustainable sources, such as solar arrays or wind turbines, and store it for use when needed. What the BESS ordinance accomplishes The zoning changes passed by the City Council last week categorized the variety of BESS projects that might come Pittsfields way and put rules to limit the largest version of these projects. Under the new BESS ordinance, these systems are divided into three groups: residential, small and commercial. Battery systems with the ability to hold up to 30 kilowatt hours or less such as a Tesla powerwall and are in a room or enclosed area are considered residential and allowed throughout the city. Battery systems that hold between 30 kilowatt hours and 10 megawatt hours of energy are considered small scale. These are the kinds of systems that might be used at schools, small businesses or multifamily buildings. These BESS units have to receive a special permit from the community development board and can only be located in the downtown creative district or the citys commercial or business district. Anything with the ability to hold more than 10 megawatt hours is considered commercial scale. These systems are most restricted under the new ordinance. Commercial BESS are only allowed in the newly created BESS overlay district and industrial zones, cant be placed within a tenth of a mile of the boundary of those zones and cant charge lithium ion batteries. The prohibition of lithium ion batteries at these large scale systems received the most attention from stakeholders and residents. They are currently the most popular type of batteries for big scale BESS, according to National Grid. City planner Jacinta Williams told the council that lithium ion batteries were banned under the new ordinance because of the risk they pose if things go wrong. Lithium ion batteries, if damaged or not properly managed, can fail in what's called a thermal runaway event. The batteries basically heat up very rapidly and then can catch fire and explode. Information presented by Williams to the council said that the heat from lithium-ion battery fires can reach up to 400 degrees Celsius [752 degrees Fahrenheit] in just a matter of seconds, with peak fire temperatures being higher than this. Its this risk of fire and explosion thats behind Federal Aviation Administration rules that prohibit lithium ion batteries from being packed in checked luggage. Berkshire Environmental Action Team executive director Jane Winn told the council that while BEAT generally supported the ordinance, the group wasnt in favor of the lithium ion battery prohibition over safety concerns she said were overblown. I dont know about the rest of you, but I walk around with one [a lithium ion battery] in my pocket almost all the time, Winn said to the council as she held up her smartphone. Im much more worried about natural gas explosions. 'Sham' plans Councilors made it clear during the ordinance vote that they were motivated by a desire to put safeguards in place around BESS projects as Councilor Patrick Kavey put it, specifically ahead of three projects waiting in the wings. But representatives for those projects which are being considered at 0 Partridge Road, 734 Williams St. and 1 Eagles Nest Road told the Community Development Board last week that the new ordinance is essentially a moot point for the properties. Subdivision requests that were listed on the boards agenda were essentially "sham" plans that allow the properties to take advantage of a protection under state law known as a zoning freeze. Really the purpose of this is for a zoning freeze, said attorney Tom Reidy. He represents Raymond and Theresa Costello, owners of the Partridge Road property, which abuts the Berkshire County Jail and House of Correction. Reidy said that nearly a year ago the Costellos signed a contract with a company to lease the land for a standalone BESS. The plans presented to the board on Tuesday dont show the size or scale of the potential project at that property. Instead, the plans show a proposed road and cul-de-sac that would be called Costello Way and the division of the 24-acre lot into two parcels. Its a little bit of a mental exercise because it's counterintuitive when we're here saying, Hey, we'd like to get a preliminary subdivision plan approved, but we're never going to build it, Reidy said. We're not going to build a residential subdivision there. Reidy said that through a series of cases on this topic state courts have said it can be a sham plan meaning you never intend to actually subdivide, you never intend to actually build what's on that plan but its the land shown on the plan which is frozen. Pittsfield city Solicitor Stephen Pagnotta confirmed that analysis of the case law to The Eagle on Thursday. By submitting the preliminary subdivision plan to the city on Feb. 7, Reidy said the property now qualifies for a zoning freeze, which means that it is governed by the zoning rules that existed at the time the plan was submitted. The plan made its way to City Hall six days before the council voted on the BESS ordinance and new overlay district. Before that vote, the city had no ordinances laying out what could or couldnt be done with BESS projects. 'Blindsided' Though board members appeared confused by the zoning freeze on the Partridge Road property, members were more frustrated when the representative for the Williams Street and Eagles Nest Road properties also applied for a zoning freeze. The property at 734 Williams St. and 1 Eagles Nest Road are both owned by Alfred A. Barbalunga. The Williams Street location is just over 3 acres. Eagles Nest Road is an 82-acre lot that's been split into three sections. In December, a subdivision plan was submitted to the city for both properties, but made no mention of battery storage. Jesse ODonnell, an engineer from civil engineering firm Weston & Sampson, appeared before the board in early January to present the plan. ODonnell returned to the board on Tuesday and said that Barbalunga had arrived at the battery energy storage as the chosen development for the lot and we have taken on board BlueWave [Solar] as the energy developer for this project. BlueWave is a solar company based in Boston that has begun expanding into battery energy storage as well. The company has used lithium ion battery systems in other projects. Were applying for a zoning freeze such that the proposed battery energy storage use and dimensions be permitted under that previous ordinance, ODonnell said. Plans submitted in early February with the subdivision plan show dozens of batteries proposed for the lot, which hugs the edge of Sackett Brook and sits near Kirvin Park. Board Chair Sheila Irvin used strong words to describe how the board felt. I think actually the board does feel like it was somewhat blindsided by this applicant and the applicant before [by] kind of sneaking something in so that they can do something different, she said. The board voted to continue the three property proposals in hopes of getting more clarity from the city solicitor about their options to enforce the BESS ordinance on these properties. Pagnotta told the Eagle that from what I understand, the Legislature in its wisdom made the decision to protect individuals and developers. Whats most concerning about the zoning freeze, he said, is that it protects how the lot is used. While he doesnt foresee any additional zoning freezes related to the BESS ordinance the window has now closed for additional developers to take advantage of a zoning freeze related to that rule he doesnt see much the city can or could do to prevent these freezes from taking place. Given the lengthy process that municipalities whether theyre towns or cities have for approving a change in ordinance, its impossible under this particular set of circumstances for the city to have gotten ahead of this, Pagnotta said. Although congregating wildlife is known to spread deadly chronic wasting disease (CWD) and brucellosis, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department is touting its new elk feedground management plan as a path forward without abandoning the practice. The agency unveiled its strategy following four years of work that included public meetings across the state. Twenty-one winter elk feeding operations are overseen by the department in western Wyoming. The state began the program in the winter of 1909-1910 to ensure the prized big game animals didnt starve as their traditional wintering grounds were subdivided and migration routes were hampered by development like roads and fences. In 2020 the cost of the feeding program was $2.7 million, the majority of which was spent on hay. Two full-time employees administer the program with 16 private contractors hired annually. Disease concerns Chronic wasting disease is an always fatal affliction that has steadily marched across Wyoming and adjoining states, including Montana. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, CWD is now found in free-ranging wildlife in 32 states and four Canadian provinces. Thats up from detections in 21 states only four years earlier. CWD is spread by infected cervids (members of the deer family, including moose) through bodily fluids. Unlike other illnesses caused by viruses or bacteria, however, CWD is triggered by misfolded proteins called prions. The prions are difficult to kill, seem to persist in certain soils for years and may be able to spread via plants. For years, conservation groups and even Montanas Fish and Wildlife Commission have urged Wyoming to abandon the practice of feeding wildlife, since Wyomings wildlife are known to migrate to surrounding states. Yet the practice has been repeatedly touted as a way to keep elk from potentially infecting cattle with brucellosis and competing with livestock for grass. Some outfitters and hunters are also concerned about a sharp decline in elk populations if the feedgrounds are abandoned. While CWD is a significant factor in feedgrounds management, the ultimate goal of the feedgrounds collaborative process was to consider all biological, social, economic, and political issues, along with wildlife diseases, to achieve a durable long-term feedgrounds management plan informed by a public process for Department-operated feedgrounds. Wyoming Game and Fish explained in its plan. Yet the agency also noted in the plan that, Given the Departments responsibility to manage for healthy and sustainable cervid (deer, elk, and moose) populations over the long-term, CWD cannot be disregarded. Setting up guidelines The departments answer to the conflicting social issues was to create sideboards meant to provide assurances to the public and affected stakeholders. The sideboards include: elk herd population reviews; prioritizing hunting as the primary tool to manage elk populations; minimizing elk damage to private property and disease transmission to livestock; avoiding negative economic impacts to livestock producers; and minimizing elk competition with other wintering wildlife. To ensure these sideboards are followed, Wyoming Game and Fish will develop feedground management action plans for each elk herd unit. There has not been unified goals for feedground management in the past, said Brad Hovinga, regional wildlife supervisor for the Jackson Region of Game and Fish, in an email. The individual feedground plans, combined with the state plan, will provide consistent direction to all Department employees on their roles and responsibilities, Hovinga added. Yet the agency also acknowledged that the status quo may be the only option for some feedgrounds unless conditions change in the future. Tactics to avoid disease To lessen the chances that disease will spread on feedgrounds, the department may shrink elk populations through hunting. In some places, this may mean a reduction to the point where the herd can subsist without a feedground. Another tactic is to spread out feed to disperse the animals, or to move feeding areas. The duration of the feeding season could also be cut. Habitat enhancement to improve native forage is another tactic being considered. To manage disease issues in western Wyoming elk, new and innovative paths need to be explored to allow elk to winter away from feedgrounds where opportunities allow while continuing to minimize conflict with livestock operations and limiting competition with other wintering wildlife, the WGFD plan said. In the case of Teton and northern Lincoln counties, this will require looking outside of traditional agricultural use properties. Jim Magagna, executive vice-president of the Wyoming Stock Growers Association, said his group recognizes the many challenges Wyoming Game and Fish faces in dealing with elk feedgrounds, disease transmission and large elk populations. If we are to eliminate the feedgrounds, then, we believe, that the G&F must analyze the need to significantly reduce these elk populations, he wrote in an email. We are also concerned with the consideration of the acquisition of more winter grazing on private lands in lieu of feeding elk. If this is done, it is critical that it be done in a manner that does not in any way reduce available grazing capacity for livestock. Montana elk hunter and Sierra Club Northern Rockies field organizer Nick Gevock said the WGFD plan continually contradicts itself, acknowledging the problem of disease while also calling for the status quo to be maintained. This is just bad wildlife policy, he said. We talk about managing wildlife by the science, and the science is very clear. Wrapping it up In concluding its 96 page feedground plan, WGFD noted, its clear that some changes are needed. Negotiating those changes, however, will be difficult. It is easy to see what we have in common; an instinctive and serious obligation to make certain that healthy, sustainable wildlife populations endure, the agency wrote. It is difficult, however, to come to agreement on how to accomplish that monumental task. The conclusion also noted, Controlling elk distributions in western Wyoming through supplemental feeding is not sustainable. Therefore, the department is dedicated to incremental change over the long term. The plan also concludes with a substantial list of research priorities, including such topic as environmentally friendly methods of prion deactivation and a pilot project for feedground phase-out at North Pine and Alkali feedgrounds. WEST STOCKBRIDGE The town has appointed a tech firm to monitor Wiseacre Farms pot odor reduction plan. At a recent meeting, the Select Board chose Tech Environmental, a consulting firm based in Waltham, based on recommendations from officials in Pittsfield and other communities that have worked with the environmental company specializing in chemical engineering. The vote was unanimous. Jon Piasecki, owner of the farm, asked to inspect the scope of work assigned to the company through the $4,500 bid award from the town. The Select Board agreed to provide the document. During last years outdoor harvesting season from mid-August to October, some homeowners near the Baker Street farm and in adjacent Richmond voiced strong complaints about what they described as a marijuana stench. At the request of the Select Board, Piasecki came up with a $250,000, eight-point odor control action plan using state of the art Byers Scientific technology as a way to try to control the smell. Tech Environmental, an odor control specialist, will review and comment on the plans based on a site visit and a review of Wiseacres control plan, company President Michael Lannan stated in a letter to town leaders. He signaled the firm will suggest some changes to the odor control approach so that it is also centered around the neighborhood too, and not just the production of cannabis, Lannan wrote. The review of the farms plan will be handled by senior engineers/scientists and managing engineers/scientists as well as project staff. The engineers have up to 15 years' experience and significant technical expertise, the company stated. At a previous Select Board meeting on Feb. 12, Chairwoman Kathleen Keresey said she had spoken with state Rep. William Smitty Pignatelli. He suggested that at the towns request, the states Cannabis Control Commission could offer a comprehensive review, an official position and potential oversight on the odor control plan prepared by Piasecki. Pignatelli said he and state Sen. Paul Mark, D-Becket, could follow up with the commission. Keresey said the town could get some help, information and oversight from the commission. The Wiseacre Farm plan includes regrading a hill to create a bowl with trees and a 75-foot wall to help block odors. Piasecki has acknowledged that the smell of the flowering cannabis plants was stronger than anticipated. Other steps for this year in the odor mitigation plan include: Additional air impedance screening. Plant 200 additional fall-flowering clematis. Install atomization system recommended by Byers Scientific to mitigate odor via an enzyme-based odor neutralizer. Utilize industrial agricultural fan to increase airflow and direct more air through atomization system. Install on-site weather station per Byers Scientific recommendation to provide real-time meteorological data. A Byers Scientific study of airflows and sample air during flowering stage. Report and recommendations from Byers Scientific based on air sampling data and analysis. GREAT BARRINGTON Town officials have agreed to study a proposal to build clusters of small, affordable houses on small tracts of land. The Affordable Housing Trust Fund voted unanimously Tuesday to green light member Bill Cookes Oak Bluffs concept, a proposal inspired by the small gingerbread cottages on Marthas Vineyard. Cookes idea would involve the towns acquiring parcels and putting up possibly eight 600- to 900-square-foot houses. Essentially, he said, we put more houses onto a small lot. The proposal is one of a handful of ideas or policy concepts from town leaders to ease both a housing scarcity and expense crisis. It is a statewide problem that Gov. Maura Healey has said is a No. 1 priority: There isnt enough housing generally to fill the need. And the number of subsidized housing units are even fewer than previously thought, according to a new database by Housing Navigator Massachusetts. In Great Barrington, there are 300, according to the data. Under Cooke's proposal, buyers who meet the financial eligibility requirements would have a choice of several designs, and the down payment would be paid by the trust fund. The monthly mortgage and taxes would be paid by the homeowners. The average cost would be roughly $225,000, something Cooke says a couple could afford if they made a minimum each of $40,000 per year $20 an hour. But it is all these details and more that will have to be analyzed for workability. NOT 'TINY' HOUSES At the meeting, held via Zoom, Cooke clarified that hes not proposing tiny homes" that tend to be mobile, but rather small, stationary structures. Cooke says he would call it more of a cottage proposal, since tiny houses are typically 400 square feet or less. He said the feasibility study would naturally reveal whether such a plan might work financially. Hell have to look into zoning on the various parcels he has his eye on, how to acquire that land, and a host of other details. Cooke noted that preliminary research indicates that eight units could be built on one of the lots without special permissions, and on another lot, a couple of units might need special permit. Board members questioned various elements of the plan, like whether a couple making $20 per hour a piece could afford it and whether it would cut single owners making $20 per hour out of the equation. But all agreed it is worth exploring and offered to help Cooke with the legwork. Board Chair Fred Clark noted that there's a company in nearby Columbia County in New York that builds small modular houses for $125,000, and that this might be a way to go. Community Development Corp. of South Berkshire Board President Jim Harwood praised the idea and the direction of the discussion. He said hed like to help, pro bono. The Community Development Corp. builds affordable housing. Harwood suggested that a co-op model for such housing would be helpful in keeping it affordable. If people need to move they would sell it back to the co-op, he said. Cookes cottage proposal for small parcels of land marks the first of its kind amid a handful of recent affordable housing initiatives. If people cant afford the houses we have, Cooke said, we have to build houses they can afford. Ralph Gardner Jr. is a journalist whose work has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times and New York magazine. He can be reached at ralph@ralphgardner.com. More of his work can be found on Substack. The opinions expressed by columnists do not necessarily reflect the views of The Berkshire Eagle. This is one of the images provided to the Great Barrington Police Department by the complainant who apparently took pictures of "Gender Queer" inside a classroom at W.E.B. du Bois Regional Middle School in Great Barrington. Massachusetts reaches clean energy milestone: Five offshore wind turbines start generating enough power for 30,000 homes in the state A Mandan man is charged with terrorizing after authorities allege he threatened to kill another man in an incident involving a knife. Gustavo Vazquez, 61, faces a potential sentence of five years in prison if convicted. Mandan police report responding to a residence on 14th Street Northwest on Thursday. Outside, they met with a 32-year-old man who said he had been in a relationship with Vazquez's daughter, according to an affidavit. The document states the man had been sitting in his vehicle when it was approached by a vehicle driven by Vazquez. Vazquez allegedly told the man not to come near the Vazquez home and said "I'll kill you." The affidavit states Vazquez then swung a knife at the man but did not cause any injuries. The document goes on to say Vazquez then drove away, and the 32-year-old called police. Police located Vazquez at his job. The affidavit alleges Vazquez admitted to saying he would kill the 32-year-old man if he approached the Vazquez home, and also admitted to having a knife in his hand at the time but claimed he never intended to strike anyone. Police recovered a black folding knife from Vazquez, according to the document. A judge on Friday set Vazquez's bond at $500 cash. Court records do not indicate an attorney representing him. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for March 25. Vazquez could enter a plea at that time. BillOReilly.com is not available in this country. We apologize for any inconvenience. On January 9, MintPress News probed a newly unsealed tranche of documentation on official police investigations into and civil lawsuits leveled against Jeffrey Epstein specifically, papers mentioning Alan Dershowitz. At that time, the veteran Zionist legal activist had been mooted as Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahus top pick to defend Tel Aviv at the International Court of Justice in a case brought by South Africa over the Gaza genocide before almost immediately being dumped due to wide-ranging public backlash. That Netanyahu considered Dershowitz a viable candidate for the role at all spoke volumes. Both about Tel Avivs total lack of self-awareness and qualms over negative publicity, but also Dershowitzs intimate connections to Israels darkest recesses. His role in defending notorious serial rapist Harvey Weinstein in court, and negotiating Epsteins extraordinary 2008 Non-Prosecution Agreement, are well-known. Yet, obvious questions about whether and how these activities centrally placed him in a web of intelligence-connected blackmail intrigue have never been asked. When the fresh batch of Epstein files dropped last month, Dershowitz about whom allegations of pedophilia have abounded for many years was quick to boast of how his name appeared 137 times in the material while claiming the contents fully exonerated him of any wrongdoing. Even if true and, as MintPress News previous investigation outlined, that is far from certain certain documents could point to Dershowitzs complicity in and knowledge of a very different sexual criminality. Conflict of Sin-terest: Why Israel Dumped Accused Pedophile Alan Dershowitz Kit Klarenberg investigates the sinister connections that may explain why Israel considered accused pedophile and close Epstein associate Alan Dershowitz to lead their ICJ defense without concern over a public backlash. LEAVE IT ALONE The origins of Dershowitzs longrunning friendship with Epstein or the version he likes to tell are revealed in a July 2019 New Yorker longread. Per Dershowitz, he was introduced to Epstein by his close associate, Lady Rothschild, Lynn Forester. In 1996, she suggested he meet an interesting autodidact. As an individual with an enduring fascination with fame, society, and wealth, he eagerly accepted the invitation. Epstein flew to Marthas Vineyard and visited Dershowitz, bringing a bottle of champagne. The two men found common interests, The New Yorker recorded, talking about scienceacademiaHarvard. They became close friends, and in September of that year, Epstein introduced Dershowitz to his mentor, billionaire Leslie Wexner. Details of Epsteins purported wealth management business remain sketchy today, to the point some question if it existed in the first place and how, given the distinct lack of a typical paper trail. Wexner was his only named client. Epstein and Dershowitz traveled to Wexners 300-acre estate in Ohio to celebrate their hosts fifty-ninth birthday. Other guests included astronaut turned senator John Glenn and former Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres. Dershowitzs assessment was that he served as Epsteins intellectual gift to Wexner. Epstein was ever-keen to patronize and be perceived as a patron to academia, particularly Harvard, where Dershowitz taught law from 1964 to 2013. He, sometimes with Wexner, funded new buildings and research programs at the University while serving on assorted advisory boards there. Accordingly, many eminent figures in academia, science and technology have been linked to Epstein, rousing suspicions they were among his VIP clients, for whom he arranged sexual encounters with underage victims. In explaining why the billionaire was treated so leniently in 2008, then-Florida District Attorney Alexander Acosta, who oversaw the prosecution, claims he was told Epstein belonged to intelligence and thus was above his pay grade. State authorities were instructed to leave it alone as a result. Intensive investigations into Epstein and his personal and professional networks by MintPress contributor Whitney Webb amply suggest that the intelligence to which he belonged was Israels Mossad. In her landmark, two-part work One Nation Under Blackmail, she concludes Epstein sexually compromised luminaries within U.S. politics, technology, science, and finance, with Mossad and the Zionist cause the most likely beneficiaries of his blackmail schemes. This connivance went some way to furthering Tel Avivs domestic and foreign policy goals. Speaking to MintPress, Webb says Dershowitz maintains never having known of Epsteins deviant sexual behavior and crimes, and apparently overlooked his obvious affiliations with intelligence and organized crime, possibly because they shared a devotion to Zionism. She adds that Dershowitz avowedly didnt investigate any red flags around Epstein, as they were introduced by Lady Rothschild, a member of the familys influential banking dynasty via marriage: Dershowitzs account of his introduction to Epstein suggests he deferred to Rothschilds power and influence, over his own judgment. Some have observed how Dershowitzs perspective is affected by issues about which he is very emotional, like Zionism. He has shown vindictiveness toward those who have publicly challenged his Zionist leanings, such as Norman Finkelstein, and even taken quotes of an Epstein victim far out of context in an attempt to brand them as anti-Semitic. Former Israeli Spy Ari Ben-Menashe on Israels Relationship with Epstein MintPress speaks former Israeli spy Ari Ben-Menashe, who worked closely with Robert Maxwell and had frequent encounters with Jeffrey Epstein. CREDIBILITY ENHANCED In this context, Dershowitzs dealings with Virginia Guiffre (nee Roberts), who accused him and Epstein of sickening offenses, take on an acutely sinister character. Meanwhile, his already dubious denials of knowing about Epsteins deviant sexual behavior and crimes before and during their extended time as close confidantes are rendered all the more dubious. In December 2014, Giuffre sued Dershowitz, claiming Epstein arranged for him to rape her at least six times, starting from when she was just 16. The legal action dragged on until November 2022, when Giuffre abruptly dropped the suit, contending she may have mistakenly misidentified her rapist. In the intervening time, parallel suits Giuffre brought against Epsteins madam Ghislaine Maxwell and British Royal Prince Andrew, who also allegedly assaulted her, were settled in her favor to the tune of hundreds of thousands of dollars. Several files released in January pertain to Giuffres jettisoned legal action, and a case her lawyers brought against Dershowitz after the Harvard law professor tried to have them both disbarred for their pro bono support of her while launching a massive public media assault on [their] reputation and character. In September 2015, the unsealed records show that Dershowitz argued in court submissions that, in suing him for defamation, Giuffres lawyers somehow waived attorney-client privilege with Giuffre. Dershowitz resultantly filed a motion to compel them to produce documents and any material in their possession related to their client. In other words, he was determined to get his hands on sensitive, private information and communications involving his accuser, typically protected from legal disclosure. The presiding judge ultimately rejected these demands, condemning Dershowitzs cynical effort to overturn one of the oldest recognized privileges in U.S. law for his own benefit. Undeterred, Dershowitz subpoenaed Giuffre to provide a sworn deposition, as the defamation action against him was ongoing. On the stand, she was relentlessly blitzed with queries concerned with compelling her to reveal information protected by attorney-client privilege and repeatedly invited her to waive those rights. In every instance, she declined. Giuffres lawyers action was eventually settled for an undisclosed sum in April 2016. One might conclude Dershowitz was guilty as sin, desperately flailing to ascertain any dirt his accuser and her attorneys might have on him before defending serious accusations in court. This reading may well be accurate although an alternative or even complementary interpretation could be that the Zionist legal apparatchik sought to identify what Giuffre knew more generally about Epsteins pedophilic conspiracy in order to warn his friend and client. And perhaps Mossad, their clandestine sponsor. This suspicion is somewhat reinforced by a glaring, never hitherto acknowledged contradiction. Throughout January 2015, while being sued by Giuffre for sexual abuse, Dershowitz repeatedly took to mainstream U.S. TV news networks, including ABC, daring her to reiterate her allegations against him publicly on the same channels so that he could sue her for defamation. When she failed to appear, the Harvard legal professor charged Giuffres silence greatly undermined her credibility, demonstrating her allegations were libelous and untrue. Yet, in late 2019, a recording of an ABC News anchor leaked, in which she openly discussed how a planned 2015 interview with Giuffre didnt go ahead due to direct pressure from her superiors and none other than Dershowitz himself. He subsequently acknowledged the veracity of that account several times, contemporaneously telling NPR he did not want to see [Giuffres] credibility enhanced by ABC. Again, this is extremely sinister behavior. Was Dershowitz simply attempting to protect himself, or Epstein and the wider blackmail intrigue? FREQUENT GUEST As Whitney Webb tells Mintpress, Epstein was not the only powerful Zionist accused of sexual misdeeds in Dershowitzs professional and social milieu. Harvey Weinstein, a veteran Hollywood film producer, was in October 2017 accused of industrial-scale rape, assault, harassment, and other non-consensual sexual conduct spanning a 30-year period. By the time of his arrest in May the next year, more than 80 women in the film industry had accused him of heinous acts. In the intervening time, it was revealed that Weinstein had availed himself of the services of Black Cube, a private intelligence company founded by former Mossad operatives, to surveil, influence, and intimidate his litany of accusers and journalists investigating his shocking history of sex abuse, in order to suppress the scandal. A veritable army of ex Israeli spies and chaos agents, often using false identities, collected a wealth of sensitive information on dozens of individuals, including their personal sexual histories. For example, one Black Cube operative, working undercover as a womens rights supporter, approached film star Rose MacGowan, who was assaulted by Weinstein in a hotel room at the 1997 Sundance Film Festival, claiming they were interested in hiring her for a formal dinner speech. Their conversations were secretly recorded and then shared with Weinstein. And perhaps Dershowitz, who represented the serial rapist in his February 2020 trial, which landed the disgraced mogul in jail for 23 years. Webb adds that Weinstein was connected to Black Cube by another powerful Zionist and Epstein associate former Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak. Barak has since denied having any connection whatsoever with the company or its associates. Yet, he has a private intelligence firm staffed by ex-Mossad operatives all of his own Toka. In late 2022, it was announced that the company had innovated tech capable of hacking into and altering both recorded and live CCTV footage. It is deeply disturbing that Toka has mastered this abstruse art, and one can only wonder why. In the Occupied Territories, CCTV footage has frequently been used to save falsely accused Palestinians from jail. Even more sinister answers may lie in Baraks extremely close and long-running friendship with Epstein. It has been reported that the former Israeli premier was a frequent guest, almost a fixture at the billionaire pedophiles expansive New York mansion before his mysterious death, reportedly by suicide, in 2019. Immediately before that fateful day, Barak approached Steve Bannon, former White House chief strategist and senior counselor to Donald Trump, asking them to assist in a PR blitz to exonerate Epstein. He may well have had more cynical, self-interested motivations, too. He is said to have once joked to his friend that the pair had nothing to worry about and they were safe from repercussions. In what context they reportedly made those remarks isnt certain, although Giuffre claims Barak raped her. She has also accused wealthy Victorias Secret owner Leslie Wexner, whose Foundation paid Barak hundreds of thousands of dollars from 2004 to 2006 for just two research papers, one of which wasnt completed. In January 2021, Israels High Court rejected a petition to investigate these payments formally. Whether this financing had another, darker purpose entirely is an open and obvious question. Multiple witnesses and victims alike have claimed Epsteins many lavish residences were equipped with hidden cameras and microphones, used to record sexual assaults and rapes by politicians and high-profile figures he courted. At least one source contends this footage, along with other incriminating material, was collated in personalized dossiers on Epsteins clients for the purposes of blackmail. The billionaires eventual capture and the risk his powerful paymasters could, in turn, be exposed to means that Mossad would likely be wary about funding such a real-life operation again. The CIA is known to have concocted numerous plots to forge sex tapes implicating foreign leaders. Tokas tech would provide an alternative means of achieving this same Mephistophelian end, with enhanced layers of plausible deniability and little risk of public exposure. And if that were to happen, Alan Dershowitz would almost inevitably be on hand to secure Barak and his underlings sweetheart sentences. Feature photo | Illustration by MintPress News Kit Klarenberg is an investigative journalist and MintPress News contributor exploring the role of intelligence services in shaping politics and perceptions. His work has previously appeared in The Cradle, Declassified UK, and Grayzone. Follow him on Twitter @KitKlarenberg. Even as Israel pounds Gaza into rubble, carrying out what has been described as a genocide in the process, many of its supporters are attempting to change the subject, instead decrying a supposedly new wave of dangerous antisemitism across American universities. Their evidence for this is a new report from the Network Contagion Research Institute (NCRI). Entitled The Corruption of the American Mind, the study alleges that Middle Eastern funding of U.S. universities has helped unleash a torrent of anti-Jewish hatred. Yet, as we shall see, not only does the report contain numerous methodological issues, but the NCRI itself is deeply connected to the Israel lobby, as well as the U.S. national security state, and regularly publishes thinly sourced reports in service of Israeli interests and U.S. imperialism. CAMPUS PROPAGANDA WARS The NCRI report claims that American universities have accepted billions of dollars from authoritarian countries and that those institutions that accepted Middle Eastern cash saw 300% more antisemitic incidents than those that did not. U.S. universities, they conclude, are hotbeds of Jew-hatred. The report bemoans a: [M]assive influx of foreign, concealed donations to American institutions of higher learning, much of it from authoritarian regimes with notable support from Middle Eastern sources, reflects or supports heightened levels of intolerance towards Jews, open inquiry and free expression. The study was widely cited in the media, particularly by pro-Israel partisans eager to change the subject from Israels bombing of Gaza. Bari Weiss, for example, wrote that the explosion of antisemitic hate on campuses had been fueled by Middle Eastern money. As she explained: [F]or several decades a toxic worldviewmorally relativist, anti-Israel, and anti-Americanhas been incubating in area studies departments and social theory programs at elite universities. Whole narratives have been constructed to dehumanize Israelis and brand Israel as a white, colonial project to be resisted. The clear implication in both the NCRI study and Weiss report is that domestic opposition to Israeli (or other Western nations) actions cannot be organic. Instead, it must be funded by nefarious foreign actors a notion that, as we shall see is a central recurring theme in the NCRIs work. SHADY CONNECTIONS The Network Contagion Research Institute describes itself as the worlds foremost expert in identifying and forecasting the threat and spread of misinformation and disinformation across social media platforms. Yet its connections to a wide range of controversial organizations raises questions about its neutrality. For one, the primary funder of its $1.7 million budget is the Israel on Campus Coalition, a group that describes its mission as to: [U]nite the many pro-Israel organizations that operate on campuses across the United States by coordinating strategies, providing educational resources, sharing in-depth research, and increasing collaboration. We envision the American college campus as a place wherethe anti-Israel movement is marginalized, and where the entire campus community appreciates Israels contributions to the world, the Israel on Campus Coalition writes on the about us section of its website. If it were not apparent enough that this is a nakedly pro-Israel propaganda group fighting a war on Americas college campuses, the Israel on Campus Coalition is, in turn, bankrolled by the Jewish National Fund, a group that works hand-in-hand with the Israeli Defense Forces and builds illegal Jewish settlements on Palestinian land. The NCRI has also partnered with (i.e., was financed by) the Charles Koch Foundation and the Open Society Foundation groups that have been involved in funding regime change operations abroad. It has also collaborated with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). The ADL is a group in the United States that, under the guise of fighting anti-Jewish racism, has long acted as a semi-official spying agency for Israel. Throughout its long history, it has infiltrated or surveilled virtually every progressive American organization, including Greenpeace, the NAACP, the United Farm Workers, the AFL-CIO, the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT UP), and a host of leftist Arab- and Jewish-American organizations. It even spied on figures such as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Nelson Mandela and was known to be passing much of the information on to the Israeli government. An internal FBI memo noted that the ADL was very likely breaking the Foreign Agents Registration Act by acting as an arm of the Israeli state. Indeed, the memo alleged that the group was almost certainly secretly funded by Tel Aviv. In 2019, the ADL announced it was partnering with the NCRI to produce a series of reports that take an in-depth look into how extremism and hate spread on social media and provide recommendations on how to combat both. The ties to the ADL go even deeper. NCRI co-founder Joel Finkelstein started the organization while holding down a job as a research fellow at the ADL and continued to work at both organizations simultaneously for nearly two years, further blurring the line between the two. Meanwhile, NCRI lead intelligence analyst Alex Goldenberg is a former fellow at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), the primary and most influential Israel lobbying group in the United States. Richard Benson, the NCRIs director of European operations, was formerly chief executive of Community Security Trust (CST), a British Israel lobby group with deep ties to the Israeli state. The CST compiled a secret list of extreme (i.e., anti-Zionist) Jewish groups and sent it to the U.K. government and successfully lobbied to block Palestinian activists from being allowed to enter Great Britain. Many key figures of the NCRIs leadership team also have close links to the U.S. national security state. This includes its CEO, Adam Sohn, who served as Florida Governor Jeb Bushs communications director before becoming vice president of the Koch Foundation. Paul Goldenberg, meanwhile, was a senior figure in the Department of Homeland Security and led its attempts to counter extremism and radicalism at home. He was appointed by President Obama and reappointed by President Trump as a senior advisor to the DHS. Today, he is a strategic advisor to the NCRI. The NCRIs strategic advisory council also includes two senior military figures: Loree Sutton, a former brigadier general in the U.S. Army, and (formerly) John Allen, a retired four-star Marine Corps general who was commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan. Other contributors to NCRI reports include Kelli Holden, a 28-year CIA veteran who rose to become chief of counterintelligence operations at the agency, and Brian Harrell, whose previous roles included Assistant Secretary for Infrastructure Protection, Department of Homeland Security and Assistant Director for Infrastructure Security, U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. FLAWED METHODOLOGY In short, then, the NCRI has deep connections to both the Israel lobby and the U.S. national security state, making its pronouncements on the issue of Israels war on Gaza and the rise of pro-Palestine solidarity particularly questionable. However, the methodology the group used in their report is equally questionable. Firstly, the group derived its numbers on antisemitic incidents by amalgamating hard-to-compare data from multiple organizations, including the ADL. But, as MintPress documented in November, the ADLs figures on antisemitic incidents are deeply flawed, as the organization counts pro-Palestine rallies calling for ceasefires as instances of anti-Jewish hatred. Virtually any opposition to the state of Israels policies is treated as problematic, as the ADL does not only consider anti-Zionism to be antisemitism but, as its CEO Johnathan Greenblatt said: anti-Zionism is genocide. Every Jewish person is a Zionistit is fundamental to our existence, Greenblatt brazenly added. The NCRI report highlights what it sees as the nefarious influence of money from foreign dictatorships but does not consider whether opposition to Israel could be organic and a natural response to the Israeli government. Moreover, while the headlines concentrate on Middle Eastern money, among the top sources for foreign cash in universities are the United Kingdom, Japan, Germany, Switzerland, Bermuda and Canada hardly the destinations many would consider when reading the key findings. In addition, the lead author of the report is a senior research fellow at the Moshe Dayan Center for Middle East and African Studies at Tel Aviv University, an institution that grew out of a proposal from the first director of the Israeli intelligence service, Mossad. Even pro-Israel sources have panned the NCRI report. As the conservative Jewish News Syndicate noted, the study mix[ed] incompatible data, [did] not present a single example of how undocumented money was spent in a way to impact antisemitism, and concluded that the impact on campus is complex and multiply determined, which is shorthand for we couldnt prove our case. TARGETING ALTERNATIVE MEDIA In another attack on pro-Palestine voices, the Network Contagion Research Institute was also the prime source for a recent Washington Post investigation claiming that conspiracy theories about Hamas October 7 attack are gaining momentum online. As the Post wrote: Oct. 7 denial is spreading. A small but growing group denies the basic facts of the attacks, pushing a spectrum of falsehoods and misleading narratives that minimize the violence or dispute its origins. Yet the article did not attempt to distinguish between wild and untrue assertions and factual reporting from independent media outlets like The Electronic Intifada and The Grayzone, which has shown that much about the Israeli narrative, including the infamous 40 beheaded babies hoax, was demonstrably untrue. By doing so, the article lumps Electronic Intifada and The Grayzone in with far-right Holocaust deniers. This is particularly egregious since the articles writer, Elizabeth Dwoskin, is a Nakba denier who claimed that before 1948, there was no Palestine and that the area merely consisted of a few desert bedouins without a sense of national identity. Despite the Posts dubious claims and lack of hard evidence, Electronic Intifada has already been attacked by groups using the article to limit its reach online. Newsguard a news rating site and browser plug-in recently contacted Electronic Intifada and appears to be pushing for the site to be de-ranked and demoted in search results, labeling it an untrustworthy news source, thereby limiting its impact online. Newsguard purports to be a private and independent company. But it is, in fact, even more connected to the U.S. national security state than the NCRI. On its board of advisors sits the former Secretary of Homeland Security, Tom Ridge, former Secretary General of NATO, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, and ex-CIA Director, Michael Hayden. MintPress News has documented Newsguards ties to the national security state and has also been targeted by the organization. Ali Abuminah, the co-founder and executive director of the Electronic Intifada, spelled out the point of these hit pieces and why groups like the NCRI would collaborate with them. Articles like this in establishment or semi-official outlets like the Washington Post will be used by lobby groups to pressure social media companies to censor us or limit our reach, he said, adding: There is a whole censorship-industrial-complex, in which governments, think tanks funded by governments and arms manufacturers and big tech companies aim to control what we all say and see online, under the banner of fighting supposed disinformation. They label anything that challenges official narratives to be disinformation. And when you start to break through and challenge their hold on the official narrative (as we have clearly been doing) they come for you. DISINFORMATION ABOUT DISINFORMATION The Network Contagion Research Institute claims that it has no political agenda. Yet, studying their reports, it becomes clear that they are most interested in investigating the deeds of enemy states. One analysis, for example, published in the wake of October 7 claimed that Iranian state actors were carrying out a disinformation campaign around Israels bombardment of Gaza, amplifying antisemitic tropes and slogans. This was far from the only Israel interference the NCRI has run. Another from last year claimed that the vast majority of tweets opposing Zionism were antisemitic, sharing identical hateful tropes, and that Israel was accused of human rights abuses online far more than any other country in the world a claim the researchers felt was unfair. A third contended that Instagram is flooded with pro-Palestine bots. A chief piece of evidence, they claimed, was that messages such as Free Palestine were often the top comment underneath posts that had little or nothing to do with the war. The NCRI has also pointed the finger at Washingtons chief political enemies. In a report titled A Tik-Tok-ing Timebomb: How TikToks Global Platform Anomalies Align with the Chinese Communist Partys Geostrategic Objectives, they claimed that TikTok systematically promotes or demotes content based on whether it is aligned with or opposed to the interests of the Chinese Government. Meanwhile, they have also alleged that Russia was creating a disinformation ecosystem to pin the blame for global food insecurity on the West. It is telling that the NCRI consistently echoes the Washington line on these issues and appears far less interested in studying hateful content that Israelis or Americans put out against their enemies nor government-backed disinformation networks emanating from those countries. One would only have to look at official statements put out by both endorsing genocide. Furthermore, both countries employ huge troll armies to influence online debate. In the U.S. case, the Department of Defense alone has at least 60,000 workers attempting to police narratives and influence online discussions. But the network of Western fact-checkers and disinformation experts that has sprung up in the past few years never seems particularly interested in investigating, perhaps because they belong to the same broad team. The NCRI proclaims that its mission is: to track, expose, and combat misinformation, deception, manipulation, and hate across social media channels. However, when studying the groups funding, key figures and its history of attacking alternative media and defending the state of Israel, it often seems like that is exactly what it is producing itself. If the NCRI wanted to catalog disinformation being spread online, they could start by looking closer to home. Feature photo | Illustration by MintPress News Alan MacLeod is Senior Staff Writer for MintPress News. After completing his PhD in 2017 he published two books: Bad News From Venezuela: Twenty Years of Fake News and Misreporting and Propaganda in the Information Age: Still Manufacturing Consent, as well as a number of academic articles. He has also contributed to FAIR.org, The Guardian, Salon, The Grayzone, Jacobin Magazine, and Common Dreams. Authors Introduction and Update We must act decisively in support and in solidarity with Julian Assange. In this regard, we must understand the history: On how Assange was betrayed and misled by those who allegedly supported him. In October 2021, the U.S. government began a legal challenge to extradite Julian Assange from the U.K. to face charges of violating the Espionage Act. The U.K. Supreme Court turned down Assanges appeal to prevent his extradition to the United States. On April 20, 2022, a U.K magistrates court formally approved the extradition of Julian Assange to the US on espionage charges. In recent developments, it will be revealed whether Julian Assanges appeal in the British courts against being extradited to the US succeeds or not during a two-day hearing, which is scheduled to take place in London on Tuesday and Wednesday [February 20, 21, 2024], The Guardian reported. In a meeting organized by the Foreign Press Association, his wife, Stella, warned that he could be put on a plane to the US within days if the appeal fails, fearing his death if he is extradited. This is the final chance for Assange to challenge then-former Home Secretary Priti Patels decision in June 2022 for an extradition. (Al Mayadeen) The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) have confirmed that the prosecution of Assange represents a global threat to media freedom. The ongoing prosecution of Julian Assange jeopardizes media freedom everywhere in the world, the IFJ and EFJ said in a joint statement. Julian Assanges Relation with the Mainstream Media Julian Assange was initially lauded and supported by the mainstream media. In 2008 The Economist, which is partly owned by the Rothschild family granted Assange The New Media Award. Was this a genuine endorsement of Assanges commitment to freedom of the press? Or was it a public relations ploy? Assange was framed by those who supported him: The Guardian, The New York Times, The Economist, Vaughan Smith, George Soros, the Rothschilds, the Council on Foreign Relations, et al. Assange has been accused by the same corporate media which praised his achievements. In retrospect, it was a carefully planned operation. The Wiki Leaks were selectively overseen. Here are details regarding some of the key players : Henry Vaughan Lockhart Smith Henry Vaughan Lockhart Smith, a former British Grenadier Guards captain came to his rescue. Assange was provided refuge at his house in Norfolk. They had a close friendship. Vaughn Lockhart Smith was the founder of the London based Frontline Club (which is supported by George Soros Open Society Institute). In 2010, the Frontline Club served as the de facto U.K headquarters for Julian Assange. Vaughan Smith is not an independent journalist, He actively collaborated with NATO, as an embedded reporter and cameraman in several US-NATO war theaters including Iraq, Afghanistan, Bosnia, Chechnya, and Kosovo In 1998 prior to the onslaught of NATOs war on Yugoslavia he worked as a video journalist in Kosovo in a production entitled The Valley, which consisted in documenting alleged Serbian atrocities against Kosovar Albanians on behalf of US-NATO which invaded Yugoslavia on March 24, 1999. The video production was carried out with the support of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), whose leader Hashim Thaci became president of Kosovo. In 1998, Thaci was on the Interpol list. Twenty years later, Thaci was indicted by the Hague Tribunal for crimes against humanity including murder, enforced disappearances, persecution and torture. David E. Sanger, New York Times The New York Times was complicit: David E Sanger, Chief Washington correspondent of the NYT was involved in the redacting of Wikileaks in consultation with the US State Department: [W]e went through [the cables] so carefully to try to redact material that we thought could be damaging to individuals or undercut ongoing operations. And we even took the very unusual step of showing the 100 cables or so that we were writing from to the U.S. government and asking them if they had additional redactions to suggest. (See PBS Interview; The Redacting and Selection of Wikileaks documents by the Corporate Media, PBS interview on Fresh Air with Terry Gross: December 8, 2010, emphasis added). David E. Sanger is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) and the Aspen Group. The NYT also has links with U.S. intelligence. It is worth noting that several American journalists, members of the Council on Foreign Relations had interviewed Wikileaks, including Time Magazines Richard Stengel (November 30, 2010) and The New Yorkers Raffi Khatchadurian. (WikiLeaks and Julian Paul Assange : The New Yorker, June 11, 2007) The Insidious Role of the U.S. State Department The New York Times redaction of classified material was carried out in close consultation with the U.S. State Department (See David Sangers statement above). Its a bombshell: The State Department was collaborating with the NYT in facilitating the release of classified documents. This in itself raises legal issues. In a February 21, 2024 report: The United States bid to prosecute Julian Assange is state retaliation, the High Court has heard in his final bid to escape extradition. The Wikileaks founder faces extradition to the US over an alleged conspiracy to obtain and disclose national defence information following the publication of hundreds of thousands of leaked documents relating to the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. In a January 2021 ruling, then-district judge Vanessa Baraitser said that Assange should not be sent to the US, citing a real and oppressive risk of suicide, while ruling against him on all other issues. From a legal standpoint, it is not State Retaliation, quite the opposite, its State Collusion: The U.S. State Department is on record: It provided a green light to the NYT for the release of redacted classified documents. And now the US government is intent on extraditing Julian Assange from the U.K. to face charges of violating the Espionage Act. Is there not a conflict of interest somewhere? From a legal standpoint, is the U.S. State Department in violation of the Espionage Act? The Open Letter by the NYT, Guardian, Der Spiegel, Le Monde, El Pais The five major news media which were instrumental in the release and redacting of the WikiLeaks documents issued in 2019 a somewhat contradictory joint statement (Open letter) requesting the release of Julian Assange. They accuse Assange for releasing classified documents on corruption and US government fraud, while acknowledging their role in releasing redacted texts of classified documents. Are they not also in violation of the Espionage Act. Below is the text of the letter. An open letter from editors and publishers: Publishing is not a Crime Twelve years ago, on 28 November 2010, our five international media outlets The New York Times, the Guardian, Le Monde, El Pais and DER SPIEGEL published a series of revelations in cooperation with Wikileaks that made the headlines around the globe. Cable gate, a set of 251,000 confidential cables from the US State Department disclosed corruption, diplomatic scandals and spy affairs on an international scale. In the words of The New York Times, the documents told the unvarnished story of how the government makes its biggest decisions, the decisions that cost the country most heavily in lives and money. Even now in 2022, journalists and historians continue to publish new revelations, using the unique trove of documents. For Julian Assange, publisher of Wikileaks, the publication of Cable gate and several other related leaks had the most severe consequences. On 11 April 2019, Assange was arrested in London on a US arrest warrant, and has now been held for three and a half years in a high security British prison usually used for terrorists and members of organised crime groups. He faces extradition to the US and a sentence of up to 175 years in an American maximum security prison. This group of editors and publishers, all of whom had worked with Assange, felt the need to publicly criticise his conduct in 2011 when unredacted copies of the cables were released, and some of us are concerned about the allegations in the indictment that he attempted to aid in computer intrusion of a classified database. But we come together now to express our grave concerns about the continued prosecution of Julian Assange for obtaining and publishing classified materials. The Obama-Biden Administration, in office during the Wikileaks publication in 2010, refrained from indicting Assange, explaining that they would have had to indict journalists from major news outlets too. Their position placed a premium on press freedom, despite its uncomfortable consequences. Under Donald Trump however, the position changed. The DOJ relied on an old law, the Espionage Act of 1917 (designed to prosecute potential spies during World War 1), which has never been used to prosecute a publisher or broadcaster. This indictment sets a dangerous precedent, and threatens to undermine Americas First Amendment and the freedom of the press. Holding governments accountable is part of the core mission of a free press in a democracy. Obtaining and disclosing sensitive information when necessary in the public interest is a core part of the daily work of journalists. If that work is criminalised, our public discourse and our democracies are made significantly weaker. Twelve years after the publication of Cable gate, it is time for the U.S. government to end its prosecution of Julian Assange for publishing secrets. Publishing is not a crime. The editors and publishers of: The Guardian, The New York Times, Le Monde, DER SPIEGEL, El Pais Who are the criminals? Those who leak secret government documents which provide irrefutable evidence of extensive crimes against humanity or the politicians in high office who order the killings and atrocities? What is unfolding is not only the criminalization of the State, the judicial system is also criminalized with a view to upholding the legitimacy of the war criminals in high office. And the corporate media through omission, half truths and outright lies upholds war as a peace-making endeavor. When the lie becomes the truth there is no moving backwards We stand in solidarity with Julian Assange. Michel Chossudovsky, Global Research, December 3, 2022, February 21, 2024 *** Below is the text of my article first published in April 2019 *** Wiki-Gate: Julian Assange Was Framed by the People Who Supported Him by Michel Chossudovsky April 2019 Julian Assanges arrest (after almost seven years in the Ecuadorian Embassy) constitutes a hideous and illegal act. He is imprisoned in Britains Belmarsh maximum security prison, pending his extradition to the United States. Statements by US prosecutors suggest that Assange would not be charged under the 1917 Espionage Act. What is contemplated are accusations of conspiring to commit unlawful computer intrusion based on his alleged agreement to try to help Ms. Manning break an encoded portion of passcode that would have permitted her to log on to a classified military network under another users identity. (NYT, April 11, 2019). The charges can of course be changed and shifted around. Bolton-Pompeo will no doubt play a role. In a 2017 statement when he was CIA Director Mike Pompeo referred to WikiLeaks as a non-state hostile intelligence service, which needed to be eradicated. Assange is relentlessly accused by the corporate media of treason, acting on behalf of the Kremlin. An indictment invoking the 1917 Espionage Act remains a distinct possibility with a view to overriding The First Amendment of the US Constitution which guarantees Freedom of Expression. Assange constitutes a new Russia-Gate media narrative? His arrest coincides with the release of the redacted version of the Mueller report. Prepare for Wiki-Gate: a long and drawn-out legal procedure which will be the object of extensive media coverage with a view to ultimately misleading the public. The unspoken objective of Assanges indictment is to create a legal precedent which will enable Washington and its allies to arrest independent and anti-war journalists indiscriminately. What is at stake, revealed by Wikileaks is that politicians in high office are the architects of war crimes. To protect them and sustain their legitimacy, they require the suppression of freedom of expression, which in turn requires the criminalization of justice. Ironically, from the very outset (over a period of more than 12 years) there has never been a concerted effort on the part of Washington (and its national security intelligence apparatus) to suppress the release of classified US government information or to close down the Wikileaks project. In fact, quite the opposite. Why? Because the carefully selected and redacted Wikileaks quotes by the mainstream media have been used to provide legitimacy to US foreign policy as well as obfuscate (through omission) many of the crimes committed by US intelligence and the Pentagon. Wikileaks and the Mainstream Media It is important to note that Julian Assange from the outset was supported by the mainstream media, which was involved in releasing selected and redacted versions of the leaks. And despite Assanges arrest and imprisonment, Wikileaks continues to release compromising US diplomatic cables, the latest of which (reported by McClatchy, April 17, 2019) pertains to evidence that US troops executed at least 10 Iraqi civilians including a 5 month old infant. At the outset of the Wikileaks project, the mainstream media including the New York Times, The Guardian and the Economist praised Julian Assange. The British elites supported him. Assange became a personality. It was a vast Public Relations campaign. It was a money-making undertaking for the corporate media. In 2008 The Economist (which is partly owned by the Rothschild family) granted Assange The New Media Award. About-turn? Shift in the Mainstream Media Narrative. Today, ironically these same corporate media which praised Assange are now accusing him (without a shred of evidence) of being involved in acts of conspiracy on behalf of the Kremlin. According to John Pilger: The Guardian has since published a series of falsehoods about Assange, not least a discredited claim that a group of Russians and Trumps man, Paul Manafort, had visited Assange in the [Ecuadorian] embassy. The meetings never happened; it was fake. Assange has been the object of an all out smear campaign by those who supported him. According to Pilger: A plan to destroy both WikiLeaks and Assange was laid out in a top secret document dated 8 March, 2008 [by] the Cyber Counter-intelligence Assessments Branch of the US Defence Department Their main weapon would be personal smear. Their shock troops would be enlisted in the media. The Economist which granted Assange the New Media Award in 2008 now intimates that he is an enemy agent responsible for information anarchy culminating in the destabilization of American democracy. Others think it a long-overdue reckoning with justice for a man who had unleashed information anarchy upon the West, culminating in the destabilisation of American democracy. Is Mr Assange a heroic journalist, reckless activist or even an enemy agent? (The Economist, April 12,2019, emphasis added) The smear operation is ongoing: Screenshot Economist headline, April 17, 2019 Starting in early 2017, coinciding with RussiaGate, Assange is depicted as a Putin Stooge working for the Kremlin, Why? In 2016, some of Mr. Assanges former American sympathizers turned sharply against him after he made WikiLeaks into an enthusiastic instrument of Russias intervention in the American presidential election, doling out hacked Democratic emails to maximize their political effect, campaigning against Hillary Clinton on Twitter and promoting a false cover story about the source of the leaks. (NYT, April 2019, emphasis added) And then The Guardian, (April 20) with which Assange actively collaborated goes into a high-gear smear operation and character assassination: cheap journalism by the Guardian (read excerpt below): Was Julian Assange Framed by the People Who Supported Him? The latest from the New York Times April 15, 2019, which previously collaborated with Assange, describes him as a threat to National Security, working on behalf of the Russians. Flashback to 2010: WikiLeaks published a series of controversial intelligence leaks including some 400,000 classified Iraq war documents, covering events from 2004 to 2009 (See Tom Burghardt, The WikiLeaks Release: U.S. Complicity and Cover-Up of Iraq Torture Exposed, Global Research, October 24, 2010). These revelations contained in the Wikileaks Iraq War Logs provided further evidence of the Pentagons role in the systematic torture of Iraqi citizens by the U.S.-installed post-Saddam regime. (Ibid). The Role of the Frontline Club. Assanges Social Entourage While Assange was committed (through the release of leaked government documents) to revealing the unspoken truth of corruption and war crimes, many of the people (and journalists) who supported him are largely Establishment: Upon his release from bail in December 2010 (Swedish extradition order over allegations of sexual offenses) Henry Vaughan Lockhart Smith, a friend of Assange, a former British Grenadier Guards captain and a member of the British aristocracy came to his rescue. Assange was provided refuge at Vaughan Smiths Ellingham Manor in Norfolk. Vaughn Lockhart Smith is the founder of the London based Frontline Club (which is supported by George Soros Open Society Institute). In 2010, the Frontline Club served as the de facto U.K headquarters for Julian Assange. Vaughan Smith is a journalist aligned with the mainstream media. He had collaborated with NATO, acted as an embedded reporter and cameraman in various US-NATO war theaters including Afghanistan and Kosovo. In 1998 he worked as a video journalist in Kosovo in a production entitled The Valley, which consisted in documenting alleged Serbian atrocities against Kosovar Albanians. The video production was carried out with the support of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA). Upon Assanges arrest on April 10, 2019 Vaughn Smith, while acknowledging his disagreements with Assange, nonetheless expressed his unbending support and concern for Assange: Smith said that while he didnt agree that everything Assange released should have been released, he did think the Wikileaks founder triggered a discussion about transparency that is incredibly important. I support Julian because I think his rights as an individual reflect on us, his fellow citizens, he told Tremonti. I think how we treat somebody who we may not agree with, that tells us truths that we may not wish to know is a great comment on us. (CBC, April 10, 2019) The Role of the Corporate Media: The Central Role of the New York Times The New York Times, the Guardian, Der Spiegel and El Pais (Spain) were directly involved in the editing, redacting and selection of leaked documents. In the case of the New York Times, coordinated by Washington Bureau Chief David Sanger, the redacted versions were undertaken in consultation with the US State Department. Even before the Wikileaks project got off the ground, the mainstream media was implicated. A role was defined and agreed upon for the corporate media not only in the release, but also in the selection and editing of the leaks. The professional media, to use Julian Assanges words in an interview with The Economist, had been collaborating with the Wikileaks project from the outset. Moreover, key journalists with links to the US foreign policy-national security intelligence establishment have worked closely with Wikileaks, in the distribution and dissemination of the leaked documents. In a bitter irony, The New York Times, which has consistently promoted media disinformation was accused in 2010 of conspiracy. For what? For revealing the truth? Or for manipulating the truth? In the words of Senator Joseph L. Lieberman: I certainly believe that WikiLleaks has violated the Espionage Act, but then what about the news organizations including The Times that accepted it and distributed it? Mr. Lieberman said, adding: To me, The New York Times has committed at least an act of bad citizenship, and whether they have committed a crime, I think that bears a very intensive inquiry by the Justice Department. (WikiLeaks Prosecution Studied by Justice Department NYTimes.com, December 7, 2010) This redacting role of The New York Times was candidly acknowledged by David E Sanger, Chief Washington correspondent of the NYT: [W]e went through [the cables] so carefully to try to redact material that we thought could be damaging to individuals or undercut ongoing operations. And we even took the very unusual step of showing the 100 cables or so that we were writing from to the U.S. government and asking them if they had additional redactions to suggest. (See PBS Interview; The Redacting and Selection of Wikileaks documents by the Corporate Media, PBS interview on Fresh Air with Terry Gross: December 8, 2010, emphasis added). Yet Sanger also said later in the interview: It is the responsibility of American journalism, back to the founding of this country, to get out and try to grapple with the hardest issues of the day and to do it independently of the government. (ibid, emphasis added) Do it independently of the government while at the same time asking them [the US government] if they had additional redactions to suggest? David E. Sanger is not a model independent journalist. He is member of the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) and the Aspen Institutes Strategy Group which regroups the likes of Madeleine K. Albright, Condoleeza Rice, former Defense Secretary William Perry, former CIA head John Deutch, among other prominent establishment figures. It is worth noting that several American journalists, members of the Council on Foreign Relations had interviewed Wikileaks, including Time Magazines Richard Stengel (November 30, 2010) and The New Yorkers Raffi Khatchadurian. (WikiLeaks and Julian Paul Assange : The New Yorker, June 11, 2007) Historically, The New York Times has served the interests of the Rockefeller family in the context of a longstanding relationship. In turn, the Rockefellers have an important stake as shareholders of several US corporate media. Concluding Remarks Who are the criminals? Those who leak secret government documents which provide irrefutable evidence of extensive crimes against humanity or the politicians in high office who order the killings and atrocities. What is unfolding is not only the criminalization of the State, the judicial system is also criminalized with a view to upholding the legitimacy of the war criminals in high office. And the corporate media through omission, half truths and outright lies upholds war as a peace-making endeavor (see below) ROME One of the first women who accused a once-exalted Jesuit artist of spiritual, psychological and sexual abuse went public Wednesday to demand transparency from the Vatican and a full accounting of the hierarchs who covered for him for 30 years. Gloria Branciani, 59, appeared at a news conference with one of the most prominent Vatican-accredited lawyers in Rome, Laura Sgro, to tell her story in public for the first time. She detailed the alleged abuses of the Rev. Marko Rupnik, including his fondness for three-way sex in the image of the Trinity which, if confirmed, could constitute a grave perversion of Catholic doctrine known as false mysticism. Rupnik has not commented publicly about the allegations, but his Rome art studio has said the allegations were unproven and media reports about the case a defamatory lynching. Rupniks mosaics decorate churches and basilicas around the world, including at the Catholic shrine in Lourdes, France, the forthcoming cathedral in Aparecida, Brazil, and the Redemptoris Mater chapel of the Apostolic Palace. The Jesuits kicked him out of the order last year after he refused to respond to allegations of spiritual, psychological and sexual abuses by about 20 women, most of whom, like Branciani, were members of a Jesuit-inspired religious community he co-founded in his native Slovenia that has since been suppressed. The Rupnik scandal has grabbed headlines for more than a year over speculation that he received preferential treatment from a Vatican dominated by Jesuits: From Pope Francis to the Jesuits who headed the Vatican office responsible for sex crimes and sacramental crimes that twice essentially let him off the hook. Under pressure as the scandal grew, Francis in October decided to reopen the case and Branciani is due to soon testify before the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith. Sgro said that she didnt know what the possible lines of investigation are since the Dicasterys proceedings are secret even to victims and their lawyers. Branciani, who first denounced Rupnik in 1993 and then left the Slovene community, called for the full story of the Rupnik scandal and cover-up to come out in public, including the documentation. She said that she believed that the pope was still in the dark about the details and that even he would be served by the truth. He (Rupnik) was always protected by everyone, and everything that you could accuse him of was either minimized or denied, she said. We hope that our testimony ... will stimulate a greater transparency and a consciousness by everyone, and also maybe the pope, who wasnt really aware of the facts that occurred. Francis, in a 2023 interview with The Associated Press, said he had intervened in the case only on procedural grounds and didn't know the details. Rupniks former Jesuit superior, the Rev. Johan Verschueren, said he had no contact for a lawyer for Rupnik. There was no immediate response to an email seeking comment from his Centro Aletti art studio and ecumenical center in Rome, which has strongly defended him. The Koper, Slovenia diocese, which welcomed Rupnik after he was expelled from the Jesuits, referred to an October statement saying he hadn't been convicted by any tribunal and was presumed innocent. The Vatican press office offered an update on the investigation after Brancianis news conference, saying the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith had just received the latest elements of documentation from several institutions, including some not previously heard from. In the news conference, Branciani described a textbook case of manipulation of conscience, sexual abuse and false mysticism, which the doctrine office has a tradition of prosecuting. After saying she underwent years of psychological manipulation, grooming and sexual advances, including while Rupnik painted the face of Jesus, she said she eventually lost her virginity to him. At one point, she said that according to Rupnik, Our relationship wasnt exclusive but had to be a relation in the image of the Trinity. The Vatican dicastery handles crimes of sexual abuse of minors as well as sacramental crimes. The office actually took the first, and only, Vatican action against Rupnik in 2020, when it declared him excommunicated for having committed one of the most serious crimes in church law, using the confessional to absolve a woman with whom he had engaged in sexual relations. The excommunication was lifted two weeks later and Rupnik paid an indemnization to the woman. The following year, after nine members of the Slovene community accused him of other abuses, the dicastery chose not to prosecute him on the grounds that the alleged abuses occurred too long ago. The office routinely waives the statute of limitations for old cases involving abuse of minors. The outcome underscored how the Catholic hierarchy routinely refuses to consider spiritual and sexual abuse of adult women as a crime that must be punished, but rather a lapse of priestly chastity that can be forgiven. TV presenter Laura Whitmore said she was feeling very exhausted and bruised as she finished a trek at the edge of the Arctic Circle for Comic Relief. The former host of Love Island was joined by Alex Scott, Sara Davies and Vicky Pattison, who completed Snow Going Back: Comic Relief vs The Arctic after four days braving freezing temperatures. Advertisement The quartet, who are the first all-female Red Nose Day celebrity challenge line-up, started their trek in Tromso, Norway, and used cross-country skis, fat bikes and snowshoes to travel 50km to the finish line. Laura Whitmore and Vicky Pattison during day three (Brodie Hood/Comic Relief/PA) Whitmore said: We did it! We finally got to the endwere very excited, were very exhausted, theres bruises, theres aches. Advertisement I feel quite emotional now because I wasnt sure wed all finish it, and we did. Advertisement It is the toughest thing Ive done physically on my body and also mentally but we are doing it for a really brilliant cause. I would never put myself in this situation by choice, except if its for Comic Relief and Ive seen first hand the work that they do. Projects funded by Comic Relief are helping with everything from just basic survival, to putting food on the table for your family, paying for basic heating and just trying to get on with each day as much as possible. Advertisement Laura Whitmore, Sara Davies, Alex Scott and Vicky Pattison during a training session before the start of the challenge (Brodie Hood/Comic Relief/PA) Thank you so much to everyone who supported us, we needed those words of encouragement because at times, weve been really low. I just cant believe weve made it to the end so please keep donating, keep supporting us. Advertisement Dragons Den star Davies (39) said she could not feel her extremities when they were doing the trek. I remember there was that one night, we trekked for 10km, we couldnt feel our fingers, we couldnt feel our toes, we got there and we had four shovels and we had to dig to get in the tent, she said. And I remember we just laid in that tent absolutely freezing, and the reality hit of thats only a couple of nights for us, but for a lot of people, its an everyday thing trying to get warm in their house and I think it just gave us time to reflect on how lucky we are. Advertisement Advertisement Laura Whitmore, Sara Davies, Vicky Pattison and Alex Scott arrive at the airport in Norway (Brodie Hood/Comic Relief/PA) And therefore, how we want to use the platforms we have to raise awareness and raise those funds. On their final day, the teams Norwegian guide had given them news of a weather warning for an impending snow storm. Braving deep snowfall, the team began the day on cross-country skis before swapping to snowshoes to complete their 50km trek. A documentary about the challenge will air on BBC One on March 15th. South Dakota's Legislature has made it easier for the city of Sioux Falls to find new homes for more than 150 taxidermy animals of its arsenic-contaminated menagerie. The mounted lion, tiger, polar bear and gorilla were part of display that filled a natural history museum at the states largest zoo. But when testing in August showed detectable levels of arsenic in nearly 80% of the specimens, the city closed the Delbridge Museum. That set off a heated debate in the community and among museum taxidermy experts, who say the arsenic risk is overblown. Older taxidermy specimens are frequently displayed, experts say, with museums taking precautions like using special vacuums to clean them or encasing them in glass. But Sioux Falls officials have expressed concerns about the cost. And the display occupies prime real estate near the Great Plains Zoo's entrance, which officials are eyeing as they look for a spot to build an aquarium and butterfly conservatory. The situation is complicated by a morass of state and federal laws that limit what can be done with the mounts. One issue is that the Endangered Species Act protects animals even in death, so the collection cant be sold. Under federal law, they could be given to another museum. But state law stipulates that exhibits like this must remain within the state. And that stipulation is what the new legislation aims to address. The bill, passed Thursday by the Senate and headed to Gov. Kristi Noem, would allow the city to donate the collection to an out-of-state nonprofit. The bill would take effect July 1. Rather than losing it to history, we could donate it to a reputable museum out of state, Sioux Falls City Council Member Greg Neitzert said in an interview. Such a donation would still have to navigate federal laws, he added. No decision has yet been made as to the collection's future. Great Plains Zoo spokesperson Denise DePaolo said a city working group will take this new possibility and weigh it against other options before making a recommendation to the city council and mayor in the coming months. Virtually no nonprofit in the state could accept the collection, as large as it is, Neitzert said. The Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections told the city that museums outside of South Dakota have expressed interest in accepting the collection in whole or in part, he said. Neitzert declined to identify what entities have reached out with interest. The law change comes as the city awaits the results of an evaluation of the condition of the mounts and how much it would cost to restore them. The city decided in December to pay $55,000 for the evaluation, which the consultant recently finished. Basically, everybody's on hold waiting for that report and for the task force to continue its work, he said. The shift away from ditching the collection entirely began in September when Mayor Paul TenHaken announced a strategic pause" and created the working group. That group has discussed several possibilities for the taxidermy, including keeping a scaled-back portion of the collection and relocating it. To destroy the collection, particularly specimens of endangered species at risk of extinction, would be a moral tragedy, Neitzert said. I mean, these are irreplaceable. They're works of art, he said. What are we voting on? On Friday, March 8th, Irish citizens will be asked to vote in two referendums to change the Constitution to provide for a wider concept of family and womens role in society. The proposals, called the family amendment and the care amendment, would make changes to the text of Article 41 in the Constitution. Advertisement What is the family amendment? The family amendment would extend the definition of the family beyond those relationships based on marriage. The constitutional protection given to families would cover both families based on marriage and families founded on other durable relationships. Specifically, the proposal involves inserting additional text to Article 41.1.1 of the Constitution and the deletion of text in Article 41.3.1. Advertisement And what is the care amendment? Advertisement The care amendment would remove the clause in the Constitution that references a womans life and a mothers duties in the home and replace it with a recognition of care within the family. If the referendum passes, language in Article 41.2 around duties of women in the home would be replaced with a new Article 42B, providing that the State will strive to support care within families. Why are we voting on this now? The Constitutions references to the role of women in the home and the family based on marriage have long been seen as outdated by equality campaigners. Constitutional change was ultimately recommended by the Citizens Assembly on gender equality in 2021 and by a special joint Oireachtas committee in 2022. Advertisement One of the key recommendations made by the Citizens Assembly was for a referendum to be held to delete and replace Article 41.2 of the Constitution. It also recommended the use of language that was not gender-specific and that would oblige the State to take reasonable measures to support care within the home and wider community. However, the wording being put to citizens in the referendum says the State shall strive to support the provision of care by family members to one another. Where do the political parties stand? Fine Gael, Fianna Fail, Sinn Fein, the Green Party, Labour, Social Democrats and People Before Profit are all calling for a Yes-Yes vote. Advertisement Advertisement Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said the changes would still allow the Constitution to continue its history of protecting both the family and the institution of marriage. Repurposing the wording, however, acknowledges that families may also be founded on lasting relationships other than marriage, he said. (from left) Frances Fitzgerald MEP, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Minister for Social Protection Heather Humphreys launching the Fine Gael campaign. Photo: PA Tanaiste Micheal Martin said the Constitution was the bedrock of the law and government but that the proposed changes reflect the values of an inclusive and compassionate country they reflect the reality that many more diverse models of families make up our society today. Advertisement Minister for Integration Roderic O'Gorman said the archaic and sexist reference to a woman's place in the home had contributed nothing good to the lives of women in this country. However, Opposition parties have expressed concerns about the care amendment. Labour leader Ivana Bacik said the proposed changes are a step forward but her party would continue to push for better support for carers after the votes in March. Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald said the care amendment was an opportunity missed by the Government, and accused it of having an abysmal track record on families and carers. Labour Senator Marie Sherlock (left) and party leader Ivana Bacik are campaigning for a Yes-Yes vote. Photo: PA Beyond Leinster House, the key forces on the side of change are the National Womens Council, Family Carers Ireland, One Family and Treoir. Advertisement The National Womens Council, made up of more than 190 member groups, is advocating a Yes-Yes vote in the two referendums and the organisations director Orla OConnor is leading the campaign. So who is against the proposals? The only Dail party against both proposals is Aontu. The party does not intend to spend any money, print any posters or leaflets or canvass for the referendums. But a spokesman for party leader Peadar Toibin told The Irish Times that the party has adopted a No position and that Mr Toibin would be featuring in media debates on the issue. Some Independent TDs and Senators, such as Mattie McGrath and Ronan Mullen, are also advocating for a No vote in both referendums. Senator Michael McDowell has published and distributed an eight-page leaflet outlining his reasons for rejecting both amendments. The Free Legal Advice Centres said it supported the family amendment but described the care amendment as ineffective, implicitly sexist and potentially compromising the rights of people with disabilities. Members of the newly founded group Equality Not Care (from left): Ann Marie Flanagan, Michael O'Dowd and Dr Margaret Kennedy. Photo: PA A newly founded group called Equality Not Care feels the proposed changes would discriminate against disabled people and their family members and has called for a no vote. The group believes Article 42B would perpetuate the notion of people with impairments being burdens on families rather than equal rights holders. Advertisement Outside the world of law and politics, MMA fighter Conor McGregor urged Irish people to reject the constitutional changes Vote NO/NO! he told his 10.4 million followers on X. Billionaire Elon Musk later backed the former UFC champion, posting on his social media platform that Conor is right. What do the opinion polls suggest? A poll commissioned by The Irish Times showed a clear majority of voters will vote Yes to both proposals. However, the Ipsos B&A survey also showed that most voters have little idea about the changes. How will turnout affect the outcome? A low turnout has the potential to swing the vote. A study published last year by the Economic and Social Research Institute found that a higher turnout in Irish referendums tends to benefit socially progressive policies. The researchers found that even a slight increase in referendum-day rainfall could have been enough to overturn high-profile referendum results relating to divorce and abortion liberalisation. If the proposals were rejected, what would happen? Nothing. The Constitution would remain unchanged though it's likely that another referendum with revised wording would be held in a few years' time. Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald said that if the care amendment was rejected, her ambition would be to put the Citizens Assemblys suggested wording to the public early in to a Sinn Fein term in government. With local and European elections due in the summer and a general election less than 12 months away, a No-No vote would be a political headache for the Government at a crucial point in the electoral calendar. Who is eligible to vote? To vote in the referendums, you must be: An Irish citizen Aged 18 or over Ordinarily resident in the Republic On the Register of Electors You can check if you are on the Register of Electors by visiting checktheregister.ie. The deadline for registration closed last week, so anyone not on the register will be unable to vote in the referendums. The row between the Minister for Media and the RTE board is splashed across many of Saturdays newspaper front pages. The Irish Times reports that the RTE board is "furious, insulted and fed up" in a deepening row with Minister for Media Catherine Martin over big exit payouts for departing executives. Advertisement The Irish Independent, Irish Daily Mirror and Irish Daily Star focus on the pressure facing Ms Martin after claims she effectively sacked the RTE board chair live on TV. The Irish Daily Mail looks at the role that RTE director general Kevin Bakhurst played in the controversy, asking him to "explain" his silence. Advertisement A Tralee businessman and another local Kerry man appeared in court over the biggest crystal meth seizure in the history of the State, the Irish Examiner reports. Advertisement The British papers look at anti-parliament sentiment, abortion laws and King Charless health. Advertisement The Times leads with a pro-Palestine activists plan to overwhelm the UK parliament by descending on Westminster Hall to call for a ceasefire in Gaza. The Daily Telegraph focuses on England's health secretary Victoria Atkins throwing her support to an amendment which would see women protected from prosecution for abortion. Advertisement DAILY TELEGRAPH: Health secretary gives backing to decriminalisation of abortion #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/EX59Pd2cEc Neil Henderson (@hendopolis) February 23, 2024 The Independent concentrates on a special report from the frontlines of the war in Ukraine on the second anniversary of the Russian invasion. INDEPENDENT: If Ukraine loses, the West is next #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/CEZFCiYqF6 Neil Henderson (@hendopolis) February 23, 2024 The Daily Mirror focuses on King Charles receiving more than 7,000 cards from well-wishers in the wake of his cancer diagnosis. The Daily Express continues its coverage of Esther Rantzens assisted dying campaign which it says is one step closer to a vote by MPs. Advertisement EXPRESS: Esther: My joy MPs can bring in right to die laws #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/lUsGTiCbXr Neil Henderson (@hendopolis) February 23, 2024 The Daily Mail lead on a Briton facing life behind bars for murdering a stranger with the court hearing they had been inspired by a Netflix documentary. MAIL: Vile cat killer who went on to murder #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/JZ1hlD6E5L Neil Henderson (@hendopolis) February 23, 2024 The i weekend leads with a piece on MI6 with the spy agency said to be offering British citizenships to Russian officials in exchange for the inside scoop on the Kremlin. Introducing #TomorrowsPapersToday back page from:#i UK offer Russian officials British citzenships Were up for the cup For a comprehensive collection of newspapers, explore: https://t.co/zvOl5CpDm7 Don't forget to support journalism #buyanewspaper or #BuyAPaper pic.twitter.com/WrG6xxiJXH #TomorrowsPapersToday - The Press Room (@channel_tsc) February 23, 2024 Scary Spice, now known as Melanie Brown, has shared the brutal reality of what life is like for those suffering domestic and financial abuse, on the front page of The Sun. On tomorrow's front page: 'I was so broke after I left abusive ex I was secretly shopping in Lidl and sleeping in same bed as three kids', reveals Mel Bhttps://t.co/r82xAE7U1K pic.twitter.com/pSAjmEIEVo Advertisement The Sun (@TheSun) February 23, 2024 The Financial Times reports on the granolas of the European stock market, which are set to perform at a record high this week, echoing the USAs high-performing Magnificent Seven. Just published: front page of the Financial Times, UK edition, Saturday 24 February https://t.co/O3Qs7rDLo1 pic.twitter.com/hKFmYvvS1E Financial Times (@FT) February 23, 2024 And the Daily Star splashes with a story on the demotion of a traditional English roast as the nations favourite family dinner. Brazils president has claimed Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians, after stirring controversy a week earlier by comparing Israels military offensive in Gaza to the Nazi Holocaust. Israel has vehemently pushed back against genocide claims made at the UNs top court and elsewhere, saying its war targets the militant group Hamas, not the Palestinian people. Advertisement It has held Hamas responsible for civilian deaths, arguing that the group operates from civilian areas. Meanwhile, an Israeli delegation returned from a meeting in Paris with negotiators from the United States, Egypt and Qatar to try to reach a deal on pausing the fighting, an Israeli official said. Buildings destroyed by an Israeli air strike in Rafah (Fatima Shbair/AP) Advertisement The delegation was expected to meet with high-ranking Cabinet members on Saturday. Egypt and Qatar are mediators between Israel and Hamas. The Health Ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza said on Saturday that the bodies of 92 Palestinians killed in Israeli bombardments were brought to hospitals over the past 24 hours, raising the overall toll in nearly five months of war to 29,606. The total number of wounded rose to nearly 70,000. Advertisement The ministrys death toll does not distinguish between civilians and combatants, but it has said two thirds of those killed were children and women. Israel says its troops have killed more than 10,000 Hamas fighters, but has not provided details. An Israeli air strike hit a house in Gazas southernmost city of Rafah, killing at least eight people, including four women and a child, health authorities said. An Associated Press journalist saw the bodies at a hospital. Advertisement Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said that he would not give up his dignity for falsehood, an apparent reference to calls for him to retract comments comparing Israels conduct in Gaza to the Nazi Holocaust, in which six million Jews and others perished during the Second World War. What the Israeli government is doing is not war, it is genocide, he wrote on X, formerly Twitter. Children and women are being murdered. Palestinians line up for food aid in Rafah (Fatima Shbair/AP) Advertisement In response to his initial comments, Israel declared him a persona non grata, summoned Brazils ambassador and demanded an apology. The president then recalled Brazils ambassador to Israel for consultations. Last month, South Africa filed a landmark case with the International Court of Justice, accusing Israel of genocide against Palestinians. The court issued a preliminary order two weeks later, ordering Israel to do all it can to prevent death, destruction and any acts of genocide in Gaza. Advertisement Israel, created in part as a refuge for survivors of the Holocaust, has accused South Africa of hypocrisy. South Africa has compared Israels treatment of Palestinians in Gaza with the treatment of black South Africans during apartheid, framing the issues as fundamentally about people oppressed in their homeland. Israel declared war after the deadly October 7th Hamas attack on southern Israel in which militants killed about 1,200 people and took around 250 hostages. More than 100 hostages remain in captivity in Gaza. Advertisement The rising civilian death toll and worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza have amplified calls for a ceasefire. Hunger and infectious diseases are spreading and about 80% of Gazas 2.3 million people have been displaced, with about 1.4 million crowded into Rafah on the border with Egypt. There are choking, skyrocketing prices. Its terrifying. There is no source of income. The area is very overcrowded, said Hassan Attwa, a displaced man from Gaza City who now shelters in a tent on the sand in Mawasi in the south. Benjamin Netanyahu (Ohad Zwigenberg/AP) The garbage, may God bless you, is not collected at all. It stays piled up. It turns into a mess and clay when it rains. The situation is disastrous in every sense of the word. Advertisement Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to fight until total victory, but dispatched the delegation to Paris to seek the release of hostages in exchange for a temporary truce. Negotiators face wide gaps and an unofficial deadline the start of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan around March 10. Meanwhile, Mr Netanyahu and his conservative government drew an angry response from the United States, its closest ally, over plans to build more than 3,300 new homes in settlements in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Mr Netanyahus firebrand finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, has said the plans came in response to a Palestinian shooting attack earlier in the week that killed one Israeli and wounded five. US secretary of state Antony Blinken said on Friday that he was disappointed to hear of the Israeli announcement. Its been long-standing US policy under Republican and Democratic administrations alike that new settlements are counterproductive to reaching an enduring peace, he said. Theyre also inconsistent with international law. The Biden administration also restored a US legal finding dating back nearly 50 years that Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories are illegitimate under international law. Israeli strikes killed at least 48 people in southern and central Gaza overnight, half of them women and children, health officials said on Thursday. The strikes came as European foreign ministers and UN agencies called for a ceasefire, with alarm rising over the worsening humanitarian crisis and potential starvation in the territory. Advertisement Tensions were also rising in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, where three Palestinian gunmen on Thursday opened fire on morning traffic at a motorway checkpoint, killing one person and wounding five others, Israeli police said. Israels defence minister, Yoav Gallant, announced on Thursday that the government will expand the authority given to our hostage negotiators. His comments, delivered in a meeting with US Middle East envoy Brett McGurk, signalled a small sign of progress in ceasefire talks. At least 48 people have died in overnight strikes in Gaza, officials said (Fatima Shbair/AP) Advertisement Advertisement Benny Gantz, who sits on Israels War Cabinet with Mr Gallant and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said late Wednesday that new attempts are under way to reach a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas that could pause the war in Gaza and bring the release of around 130 Israeli hostages held by the militants since their October 7 attack on southern Israel. It was the first Israeli indication of new efforts since negotiations stalled a week ago. But Mr Gantz, a former military chief and defence minister, repeated his pledge that unless Hamas agrees to release the remaining hostages, Israel will launch a ground offensive into Gazas southern-most town, Rafah, during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which begins around March 10. More than half of Gazas population of 2.3 million is crowded into Rafah after fleeing fighting and bombardment elsewhere in the territory. Advertisement Israel has said it will evacuate them before attacking, although it is not clear where they would go, with much of the rest of the tiny Mediterranean enclave consumed in combat raising fears civilian casualties could spiral in an Israeli assault that has already killed more than 29,400 people. The heads of 13 UN agencies and five other aid groups issued a joint plea for a ceasefire late on Wednesday, warning an attack on Rafah will bring mass casualties and could deal a death blow to the humanitarian operation bringing aid to Palestinians, which is already on its knees. Advertisement An Israeli mobile artillery unit fires a shell from southern Israel towards the Gaza Strip (Leo Correa/AP) Advertisement Earlier this week, the World Food Programme had to halt food deliveries to northern Gaza because of increasing chaos. The foreign ministers of 26 European countries on Thursday called for a pause in fighting leading to a longer ceasefire. They urged Israel not to take military action in Rafah that would worsen an already catastrophic humanitarian situation. In Thursdays West Bank shooting, an Israeli man in his 20s was killed and five others injured, including a pregnant woman. Advertisement Security forces killed two of the gunmen and detained the third, police said. Hamas praised the attack in Jerusalem and said it was a natural response to Israels ongoing war in Gaza and raids in the West Bank and called for more attacks until they can achieve a fully sovereign Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital. The militant group did not claim responsibility for the attack. A mosque was among the buildings hit in air strikes in Rafah (Fatima Shbair/AP) Since the war began, the Israeli army has carried out near-nightly raids across the West Bank, arresting more than 3,200 Palestinians, including 1,350 it says are suspected Hamas members. Advertisement Meanwhile, a flurry of seven Israeli strikes hit Rafah early on Thursday, one of them flattening a large mosque and devastating much of the surrounding block. Footage from the scene showed al-Farouq Mosque pancaked to the ground, with its concrete domes tumbled around it and nearby buildings shattered. Another strike hit a residential home in Rafah sheltering the al-Shaer family, killing at least four people, including a mother and her child. Strikes in central Gaza overnight killed 44 people, including 14 children and eight women, according to hospital officials. Israel has vowed to destroy Hamas, which has ruled Gaza since 2007, after the October 7 attack, in which militants from the territory stormed into southern Israeli communities, killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapping around 250 people. The US, Israels top ally, has been working with mediators Egypt and Qatar to try to broker a deal for a ceasefire of several months with the release of hostages. Talks stalled last week after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected Hamas demands for any hostage release a complete end to Israels offensive in Gaza and withdrawal of its troops, along with the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, including top militants. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has welcomed western leaders to Kyiv to mark the second anniversary of Russias invasion, as Ukrainian forces run low on ammunition and weaponry and foreign aid hangs in the balance. Allies from the EU and the G7 rallied around Kyiv to express solidarity, with Mr Zelenskiy joining a virtual G7 meeting on Saturday and four world leaders travelling to Ukraines war-weary capital. Advertisement Two years ago, here, we met enemy landing forces with fire; two years later, we meet our friends and our partners here, Mr Zelensky said as he met the dignitaries at Hostomel airfield just outside Kyiv, which Russian paratroopers unsuccessfully tried to seize in the first days of the war. A sombre mood hangs over Ukraine as the war against Russia enters its third year and Kyivs troops face mounting challenges on the front line amid dwindling supplies and personnel challenges. Advertisement Together, we are stronger than any geopolitics. Peoples unity can accomplish more than any dictator. And courage, ordinary people's courage, can turn the pages of history that appeared to never end. Dear friends, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, pic.twitter.com/NLUbfLhduE Advertisement Volodymyr Zelenskyy / (@ZelenskyyUa) February 24, 2024 Its troops recently withdrew from the strategic eastern city of Avdiivka, handing Moscow one of its biggest victories. And Russia still controls roughly a quarter of the country after Ukraine failed to make any major breakthroughs with its summertime counter-offensive. Advertisement Italian premier Giorgia Meloni, Belgian prime minister Alexander De Croo, Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen arrived in Kyiv shortly after a Russian drone attack struck a residential building in the southern city of Odesa, killing at least one person. Three women also sustained severe burns in the attack on Friday evening, regional governor Oleh Kiper wrote on his social media account. Rescue services combed through the rubble looking for survivors. Hours later, Mr Zelenskiys office announced the signing of 10-year bilateral security deals with Canada and Italy, with Ottawa committing to send Kyiv more than three billion Canadian dollars in military and economic aid this year while Rome promised much-needed long-range weapons. Advertisement In a joint press conference, Ms Meloni hailed the agreement with Kyiv and said: We will continue to support Ukraine in what I have always deemed the just right of its people to defend itself. Advertisement In Kyiv to mark the anniversary of the 2nd year of Russias war on Ukraine. And to celebrate the extraordinary resistance of the Ukrainian people. More than ever, we stand firmly by Ukraine. Financially, economically, militarily, morally. Until the country is finally free. pic.twitter.com/ZLWMbOxVFh Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) February 24, 2024 Advertisement She added: Confusing the much-bandied about word peace with surrender, as some people do, is a hypocritical approach that we will never share. Ms Meloni also chaired a G7 video-conference from Kyiv that produced a joint statement on Saturday reaffirming world leaders commitment to supporting a comprehensive, just and lasting peace, tightening sanctions on Russia and sending Ukraine military and economic aid for as long as it takes. Ms von der Leyen vowed during the joint press conference that the bloc will stand with Ukraine financially, economically, militarily, and most of all, morally, until (the) country is finally free. At the press conference, Mr Zelensky highlighted the urgency of timely arms deliveries, while pledging that Kyiv would not use weapons from allied countries to strike Russian territory. Advertisement His words reflected an increasingly tense battlefield situation in eastern Ukraine, where Kyivs troops are trying to hold back Russian advances despite an escalating ammunition shortage. People hold a huge Ukrainian flag as they attend a protest against the Russian war in Ukraine in front of the Russian embassy in Berlin (Markus Schreiber/AP) On the front line in the eastern Donetsk region, Ukrainian soldiers pleaded for shells. When the enemy comes in, a lot of our guys die We are sitting here with nothing, said Volodymyr, 27, a senior officer in an artillery battery. About 100 people gathered outside St Sophias Cathedral in central Kyiv on Saturday, calling for the release of Azov Brigade members who were taken captive by Russia after defending the southern city of Mariupol. Olena Petrivna, the mother of a member taken by Russian forces questioned why Russia invaded Ukraine, saying that before the war people lived our own lives, not bothering anyone, raising our children. The Russians, she said, tried to conquer Ukraine to teach them what to say and what language to speak but, she added: We dont need them. We have one destiny victory. We must win. The war has also come to Russia. Drones hit a steel plant in the Lipetsk region in southern Russia on Saturday, causing a large fire, said regional governor Igor Artamonov, adding there are no casualties. Advertisement Independent Russian media said the Novolipetsk Metallurgical Plant is the largest steel plant in Russia. Videos shared on Russian social media showed several fires burning at the plant, and an explosion could be heard. Novolipetsk Metallurgical Plant (Alamy/PA) Independent Russian news outlet Mediazona said on Saturday that about 75,000 Russian men died in 2022 and 2023 fighting in the war. A joint investigation published by Mediazona and Meduza, another independent Russian news site, indicates that the rate of Russias losses in Ukraine is not slowing and that Moscow is losing about 120 men a day. Based on a statistical analysis of the recorded deaths of soldiers compared with a Russian inheritance database, the journalists said about 83,000 soldiers are likely to have died in the two years of fighting. Solidarity demonstrations with Ukraine were held across Europe, including in London, Berlin and Stockholm. In Belgrade, hundreds marched through the city centre carrying Ukrainian flags. Though it has condemned the invasion of Ukraine, Serbia has not joined western sanctions against Russia and maintains friendly relations with Moscow. Despite a heavy crackdown on dissent, some Russians marked the anniversary by laying flowers at Moscow monuments. According to OVD-Info, a Russian rights group that tracks political arrests and provides legal aid, at least six people were detained across Russia on Saturday for holding up anti-war signs, bearing flowers in Ukraines national colours or otherwise expressing support for Kyiv. Four more were arrested in Moscow at a demonstration calling for the return of mobilised Russian soldiers from Ukraine. Advertisement Firefighters work after a Russian attack in Odesa (Ukrainian Emergency Service/AP) Meanwhile, millions of Ukrainians continue to live in precarious circumstances, and many others face constant struggles under Russian occupation. Most are waiting for a Ukrainian liberation that has not come. Olena Zelenska, the presidents wife, said on Saturday that more than two million Ukrainian children have left the country since the war began and that at least 528 have been killed. The war started by Russia deliberately targets children, she said. Britain has pledged an additional 8.5 million of humanitarian aid to Ukraine, bolstering efforts to provide medical care, food and basic services to residents. About 14.6 million people, or 40% of Ukraines population, need assistance, with many left homeless or without adequate access to food, water and electricity, the Foreign Office said in announcing the aid. In the US Congress, Republicans have stalled 60 billion dollars in military aid for Kyiv, desperately needed in the short term. The EU recently approved a 50 billion-euro aid package for Ukraine meant to support Ukraines economy, despite resistance from Hungary. A cat-killer obsessed with violence and death is facing life imprisonment after being convicted of murdering a man she deliberately targeted as part of a warped sexual fantasy inspired by a Netflix documentary. Scarlet Blake (26) singled out Jorge Martin Carreno (30) as he walked home from a night out in Oxford, England, in July 2021, before brutally attacking him. Advertisement She led him to a secluded riverbank, where he was hit on the back of the head with a vodka bottle, strangled and then pushed into the River Cherwell where he drowned. Jorge Martin Carreno was murdered as he walked home from a night (Thames Valley Police/PA) Prosecutors said Blake, who is transgender, killed Mr Martin Carreno because she had a fixation with violence and with knowing what it would be like to kill someone. Advertisement His murder came four months after Blake live-streamed the sadistic killing of a cat, Oxford Crown Court heard. Advertisement Blake told the family pet: Here we go my little friend. Oh boy, you smell like shit. I cant wait to put through the blender. After the violent killing, she dissected the animal, removed its fur and skin, and placed its body in a blender. During the horrific video, the New Order song True Faith plays in the background, which the court heard was in homage to the Netflix documentary Dont F*** With Cats, in which a man kills kittens before filming the murder of a human. Advertisement Blake boasted about the killing with others and her desire to open up a person like her little cat friend. The prosecution said Blake had an extreme interest in death and in harm and got sexual gratification from violence and killings. Jurors watched a disturbing video of Blake consensually tying a ligature around her then partners neck from behind and pulling it tight, until she appears to fall unconscious. The court heard the BMW worker had been out with work colleagues in Oxford city centre and was trying to get home when Blake found him sitting down in the street. Advertisement She was captured on CCTV prowling the streets of Oxford looking for a victim, wearing a heavy military-style hooded jacket, face mask and carrying a rucksack. Advertisement Prosecutors suggested she was carrying a murder kit in her rucksack, including a garrotte and leopard print dressing gown cord, which she rejected. Advertisement Giving evidence, Blake denied she was looking for a victim that night and instead had gone for a walk because she could not sleep. She said she walked with Mr Martin Carreno to Parsons Pleasure and when she left to go home he was still alive. I dont know how he died. I assumed he drowned. It wasnt something I did. As to how, I still dont know, I wasnt there, she told the jury. It was suggested Mr Martin Carreno may have taken his own life, but any hint he was suicidal was rejected by his friends. An empty bottle of vodka was found in the river and the bottle top was nearby on the bank, which had traces of the defendants DNA on it. Pathologist Dr Brett Lockyer said he did not believe it likely the Spanish national could have died accidentally. The court heard Blake confessed to former partner Ashlynn Bell, who lives in the US, that she had killed him with a homemade garrotte before throwing his body in the water. Advertisement She told jurors she had made up the details of the killing because Miss Bell wanted her to kill someone after making her live-stream the killing of the cat. I wasnt interested or willing it was an awful thought to me, she said. In the interest of keeping her happy, because I wanted her to kill me one day, because its sexually stimulating for me, that idea. She was wanting to make me do this thing and I was pretty much, well, at a limit, after going through the killing of the cat. Blake smiles in a video she made of the brutal killing of a cat (Thames Valley Police/PA) During her evidence Blake claimed she had a fragmented personality, which included being a cat, and meowed at the jury to show how she would interact with friends. Theres a part that is just a cat, which is strange and that seems to me what the happy part of me is. In that they come out when I am happy, she said. With friends I know quite well, who are aware of this part of me, I meow at them in greeting. It is quite strange, it is very prominent when I am expressing certain emotions. For example, the cat has a pretty strong association with joy, and I suppose the innate goodness. It is a kind of childhood innocence. Advertisement The defendant, of Crotch Crescent, Oxford, showed no emotion as she was convicted of murder after about around six hours of deliberations. She will be sentenced on Monday by Mr Justice Chamberlain. As she left the dock she smiled briefly towards the public gallery. Alison Morgan KC, prosecuting, said the Crown would be inviting the court to impose a minimum prison term starting at 30 years, because it was a murder involving sexual or sadistic conduct. In a statement afterwards, Mr Martin Carrenos family paid tribute to our beloved son and brother. The loss of Jorge has left an open wound in the heart of his family but also in all those who had the pleasure of knowing him, they said. There can be no peace until justice is served. We ask not only for justice for him but also for protection to prevent other people, other families, from suffering the immense pain caused by such cruel and senseless murders. Detective Superintendent Jon Capps, who led the investigation, described the case as truly disturbing. This defendant showed calculated cruelty. The acts Blake has been convicted of are barbaric and chilling. The murder was premeditated with total disregard and disdain for life, Mr Capps said. There can be no beginning to understanding this senseless act. The president of the European Commission has arrived in Kyiv to mark the second anniversary of Russias invasion of Ukraine. Ursula von der Leyen arrived shortly after a Russian drone attack struck a residential building in the southern city of Odesa, killing at least one person. Advertisement Three women also sustained severe burns in the attack on Friday evening on a residential building, regional governor Oleh Kiper said on his social media account. Rescue services are still combing rubble looking for survivors. Other foreign dignitaries are also expected in Ukraine on Saturday to express solidarity, as its forces run low on ammunition and weaponry and western aid hangs in the balance. More than ever we stand firmly by Ukraine. Financially, economically, militarily, morally. Until the country is finally free, Ms von der Leyen said in a social media post after she arrived in Kyiv. Advertisement Advertisement In Kyiv to mark the anniversary of the 2nd year of Russias war on Ukraine. And to celebrate the extraordinary resistance of the Ukrainian people. More than ever, we stand firmly by Ukraine. Financially, economically, militarily, morally. Until the country is finally free. pic.twitter.com/ZLWMbOxVFh Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) February 24, 2024 Advertisement A sombre mood hangs over the country as the war against Russia enters its third year and Kyivs troops face mounting challenges on the front line amid dwindling ammunition and personnel challenges. Its troops recently withdrew from the strategic eastern city of Avdiivka, handing Moscow one of its biggest victories. Earlier this month, President Volodymyr Zelensky fired top military commander Valerii Zaluzhnyi, replacing him with Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi, in the most significant shake-up of top brass since the invasion. Russia still controls roughly a quarter of the country after Ukraine failed to make any major breakthroughs with its summertime counter-offensive. Advertisement Meanwhile, millions of Ukrainians continue to live in precarious circumstances in the crossfire of battles, and many others face constant struggles under Russian occupation. Foreign officials are expected to descend on the capital to meet Mr Zelensky and other Ukrainian officials and express their continued support for the country as it fights Moscows troops and prepares for European Union membership. Advertisement In the US Congress, Republicans have stalled 60 billion dollars (47 billion) in military aid for Kyiv, desperately needed in the short term. The EU recently approved a 50 billion euro (42 billion) aid package for Ukraine to support its economy, despite resistance from Hungary. Advertisement US President Joe Biden tied the loss of the defensive stronghold of Avdiivka in the Donetsk region after months of gruelling battles to the stalled US aid. Fears have since risen that Ukrainian forces will face similar difficulties across other parts of the 620-mile front line as they come under mounting pressure from Russian assaults. Israeli officials will meet later to discuss the next steps after the latest talks with the United States, Egypt and Qatar in search of a deal on pausing the fighting in Gaza, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said. But Mr Netanyahu announced that he will convene the cabinet early next week to approve the operational plans for action in Rafah, including the evacuation of civilians. Advertisement Despite widespread warnings from the international community about an Israeli military ground operation in the southern city of Rafah, where more than half of Gazas population now shelters, Mr Netanyahus statement said that only a combination of military pressure and firm negotiations would achieve Israels aims in the war. A senior official from Egypt, which along with Qatar is a mediator between Israel and the Hamas militant group, said mediators were waiting for Israels official response to a draft deal that includes the release of up to 40 women and older hostages held in Gaza in return for up to 300 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, mostly women, minors and older people. Advertisement Buildings destroyed by an Israeli air strike in Rafah (Fatima Shbair/AP) Advertisement The Egyptian official said the proposed six-week pause in fighting would include allowing hundreds of aid trucks to enter Gaza every day, including the northern half of the besieged territory. He said that both sides agreed to continue negotiations during the pause for further releases and a permanent ceasefire. Negotiators face an unofficial deadline of the start of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan around March 10. Hamas political official Osama Hamdan noted that the group was not at the talks, but asserted to reporters in Beirut on Friday that Israel had refused its main demands, including stopping the aggression and withdrawing from the Gaza Strip. The Health Ministry in Gaza said on Saturday that the bodies of 92 Palestinians killed in Israeli bombardments were brought to hospitals over the past 24 hours, raising the overall toll in nearly five months of war to 29,606. The total number of wounded rose to nearly 70,000. Advertisement The ministrys death toll does not distinguish between civilians and combatants, but it has said that two thirds of those killed were children and women. Israel says its troops have killed more than 10,000 Hamas fighters, but has not provided details. An Israeli air strike hit a house in Gazas southernmost city of Rafah, killing at least eight people. including four women and a child, health authorities said. An Associated Press journalist saw the bodies at a hospital. Advertisement Palestinians line up for food aid in Rafah (Fatima Shbair/AP) Advertisement Meanwhile, Brazils president has claimed that Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians, doubling down on harsh rhetoric after stirring controversy a week ago by comparing Israels military offensive in Gaza to the Nazi Holocaust in which six million Jews and others perished during the Second World War. Israel has pushed back against genocide claims made at the UNs top court and elsewhere, saying its war targets the militant group Hamas, not the Palestinian people. It has held Hamas responsible for civilian deaths, arguing that the group operates from civilian areas. What the Israeli government is doing is not war, it is genocide, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva wrote on X, formerly Twitter. Children and women are being murdered. Advertisement In response to his initial comments, Israel declared him a persona non grata, summoned Brazils ambassador and demanded an apology. The president then recalled Brazils ambassador to Israel for consultations. Last month, South Africa filed a landmark case with the International Court of Justice, accusing Israel of genocide against Palestinians. The court issued a preliminary order two weeks later, ordering Israel to do all it can to prevent death, destruction and any acts of genocide in Gaza. Advertisement The president of Brazil claimed that Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians (Markus Schreiber/AP) Israel, created in part as a refuge for survivors of the Holocaust, has accused South Africa of hypocrisy. South Africa has compared Israels treatment of Palestinians in Gaza with the treatment of black South Africans during apartheid, framing the issues as fundamentally about people oppressed in their homeland. Israel declared war after the deadly October 7th Hamas attack on southern Israel in which militants killed about 1,200 people and took around 250 hostages. More than 100 hostages remain in captivity in Gaza. The rising civilian death toll and worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza have amplified calls for a ceasefire. Hunger and infectious diseases are spreading and about 80 per cent of Gazas 2.3 million people have been displaced, with about 1.4 million crowded into Rafah on the border with Egypt. There are choking, skyrocketing prices. Its terrifying. There is no source of income. The area is very overcrowded, said Hassan Attwa, a displaced man from Gaza City who now shelters in a tent on the sand in Mawasi in the south. The garbage, may God bless you, is not collected at all. It stays piled up. It turns into a mess and clay when it rains. The situation is disastrous in every sense of the word. Advertisement Mr Netanyahu has vowed to fight until total victory, but dispatched the delegation to Paris to seek the release of hostages in exchange for a temporary truce. Benjamin Netanyahu (Ohad Zwigenberg/AP) Negotiators face wide gaps and an unofficial deadline the start of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan around March 10. Meanwhile, Mr Netanyahu and his conservative government drew an angry response from the United States, its closest ally, over plans to build more than 3,300 new homes in settlements in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Mr Netanyahus firebrand finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, has said the plans came in response to a Palestinian shooting attack earlier in the week that killed one Israeli and wounded five. US secretary of state Antony Blinken said on Friday that he was disappointed to hear of the Israeli announcement. Its been long-standing US policy under Republican and Democratic administrations alike that new settlements are counterproductive to reaching an enduring peace, he said. Theyre also inconsistent with international law. The Biden administration also restored a US legal finding dating back nearly 50 years that Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories are illegitimate under international law. Labour has called for Liz Truss and Lee Anderson to lose the Conservative whip over media appearances that also caused anger within Tory ranks. In a letter to UK prime minister Rishi Sunak on Friday, shadow paymaster general Jonathan Ashworth said egregious remarks made by the pair cannot go unchecked or unchallenged. Advertisement Ms Truss had used a talk at the Conservative Political Action Conference (Cpac) in the US to claim her efforts to cut taxes were sabotaged by the administrative state and the deep state. The former UK prime minister, whose disastrous mini-budget in 2022 unleashed economic chaos, later took part in an interview with Steve Bannon and remained silent as he hailed far-right figure Tommy Robinson a hero. I'd hope every MP would confront such a statement head on. Liz should really know better. https://t.co/8eibAMqxFz Advertisement Advertisement Sajid Javid (@sajidjavid) February 23, 2024 Senior Tory MP Sir Sajid Javid was among those to criticise her for not challenging the comment, writing in a post on X: Id hope every MP would confront such a statement head on. Liz should really know better. Advertisement Mr Javid also hit out at Mr Anderson after the former deputy Conservative chairman appeared to suggest in an appearance on GB News that London mayor Sadiq Khan had given our capital away to Islamists. The former chancellor branded the remarks ridiculous while Labour said it was appalling racism and Islamophobia. Tory peer Gavin Barwell, who was Theresa Mays chief of staff in Number 10, described the comment as a despicable slur. The prime minister is being pressed by Sir Keir Starmers party to show some leadership and take action over the remarks. Advertisement A failure to do so would amount to allowing the divisive, deluded and dangerous views of the far-right into mainstream British politics and continue to give credibility to such a degradation of British institutions and cultural life on the international stage, Mr Ashworth said. Shadow paymaster general Jonathan Ashworth branded comments made by Liz Truss and Lee Anderson egregious (Gareth Fuller/PA) Ms Truss had claimed in her speech that Conservatives are now operating in what is a hostile environment and that left-wing elites will be aided and abetted by our enemies in China, Iran and Russia. Advertisement Advertisement Interviewed by Mr Bannon after her speech, she also said she was willing to work with Nigel Farage to change the Conservative Party. And she suggested the former Donald Trump adviser, who is facing fraud charges in New York, could come over to Britain and sort out Britain. In his letter to Mr Sunak, Mr Ashworth wrote: For a senior politician to engage in spreading such blatant conspiracy theories is incredibly damaging to our democracy, our institutions and social cohesion. He added: For a former prime minister to make such remarks, while on an international visit to a country with whom the UK shares a special relationship which upholds liberal values is an unforgivable lowering of the office of prime minister which lessens the United Kingdoms standing in the world and needs to be acted upon. Its time to show some leadership and take on the extremists in your party. Liz Truss and Lee Anderson must no longer sit as Conservative MPs. Their words cannot go unchecked or unchallenged. Downing Street has been contacted for comment. Ms Truss resigned in October 2022 after the fallout from her botched financial statement, becoming the UK's shortest-serving prime minister after just 49 days in office. Her speech at Cpac sees her sharing a stage with Mr Trump, whose presidential bid she all but directly endorsed, and Reform UK founder and former Ukip leader Mr Farage. When Princeton University junior Ella Weber opened her inbox one day during her sophomore year, she wasnt expecting an email from a professor that had the potential to shape her life for more than a year. Weber, a public policy major, had taken a class with Princeton Anthropology Professor Ryo Morimoto the previous spring that focused on the intersection of Indigenous studies with nuclear science and policy. Morimoto was reaching out in regards to a research project about the impact and implications of the arsenal of nuclear weapons that spans the middle of America, including dozens in northwest and north central North Dakota. Weber is a citizen of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation and a native of Crookston, Minnesota, a city just across the North Dakota-Minnesota border from Grand Forks. Morimoto was mapping the potential impact of nuclear fallout, and in that email, he informed Weber that there were 15 underground nuclear missile silos on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation in western North Dakota. An attack on the weapons would put the entire region at risk -- and it would devastate MHA Nation, which calls the reservation home. Soon after, Weber set a meeting to learn more about the research, which was published last November in a partnership involving Princeton, Columbia University and Scientific American. With researchers, she pored over fallout maps, paying special attention to the shadows being cast around North Dakota and Minnesota. I pointed at my home area and asked, So what does that mean? Weber said. And what it essentially boiled down to is, if there was a nuclear attack, if you had this dose that's being shown on the map, from fallout, you would be dead within like a month. That kind of sent me into a spiral, she added. Weber had never heard about the missile silos -- Fort Berthold is the only reservation in America to house such weapons -- and was taken aback when her mother, Jenipher, said she was aware of their existence. Webers grandmother, Deborah, lives on the reservation, and Weber has visited multiple times throughout her life. So Weber got involved with the research. The final product of that effort is The Missiles on our Rez, a five-part podcast published as one facet of the teams investigation. The project also includes an issue of Scientific American, a documentary film and interactive maps. But the podcast, which Weber hosted and reported, chronicles the way in which these missiles were placed at Fort Berthold, the U.S. governments effort to deploy new missiles on this land for the next 50 years and the potential impact of nuclear war on the region. My primary task at first was to connect with different tribal nations to see who's impacted by fallout, Weber said. But then we looked even closer and we realized, oh, this is actually a really interesting story of how the missiles ended up on the reservation. Telling the story Weber has now spent months researching and debating nuclear policy. But she was set on an entirely different track for much of her life. For the longest time, she had always talked about working for NASA, Jenipher Weber said. She wanted to land the rocket. It wasnt until her appointment to the statewide Minnesota Young Womens Cabinet during her senior year of high school that Weber began considering a future in public policy. The Cabinet connects young leaders across the state with policy leaders, enabling them to advocate for change that can benefit their communities. Through this process, Weber realized she was passionate about the interactions and advocacy that come with policy work. The pivot surprised both Weber and her mother -- but she dove in headfirst, starting at Princeton with the intent to focus on health and education policy. The email from Morimoto upended that plan. Just months later, Weber ended up outside a missile alert facility in western North Dakota with a cohort of Princeton students and Morimoto. The group was visiting over spring break in March 2023 for the first of two research trips -- and as they were observing the building, two armed guards approached. That moment is the opening scene of the podcast, setting the tone as the strength and influence of the U.S. military looms over the project throughout its duration. To create the final product, Weber conducted hours of interviews with tribal stakeholders to gain an understanding of members' knowledge of the silos' existence and future, though she was unable to speak with the MHA Nation's Chairman, Mark Fox, to better understand conversations between the military and tribal government. The Air Force in a statement to the Tribune characterized its conversations with tribal leaders as "meaningful, effective and sustained." The tribes said in a statement that their interactions with the Air Force are a "significant shift toward respecting tribal sovereignty and integrating cultural values into military endeavors," and said the partnership included direct dialogue between Air Force leaders and Fox, as well as collaborative projects such as ethnobotany research. Weber went broad on the first trip, with the main goal of getting a base-level understanding of the dynamics at play in North Dakota and Minnesota that could have led to the missiles placement and learning how to tell the story. The second trip was more pointed, as conversations focused on the reservation and its residents, understanding their existing knowledge, informing them of the missiles and discussing paths forward. Weber said her tribal affiliation and family ties meant the community members she interviewed understood her personal stakes in the matter, and were able to open up more. Its also meant shes invested long-term, even though the podcast has concluded. But the story she wanted to tell didnt take shape until after her second trip, which took place in June. As Weber has searched for that story, shes also grown into her voice, according to Jessica Lambert. Lambert, a 2022 Princeton graduate, met Weber at the end of her junior year of high school and mentored her through the college application process. Over the course of her research, Weber advocated for herself and learned how to speak on tribal issues with authority, Lambert said -- a potentially challenging feat at an institution like Princeton. Native people know best. And its hard as an undergrad to go into those rooms where people are nuclear scientists, and people are anthropologists and have Ph.D.s and all these degrees, Lambert said. It takes a while to build up the confidence to be like, No, these are my people, and this is what we deserve. And these are the voices that we need to highlight. 'What will we do?' What Weber found in her research -- and what she details in the podcast -- is the kind of story thats played out between tribes and American governmental forces countless times over the course of history. When the missiles were first placed in the 1960s, the federal government didn't consider the part of the Fort Berthold Reservation where theyre located as part of the tribes land. A 1972 court case ruled that the land had always been part of the reservation, meaning it reverted back to tribal ownership. But by that point, the missiles had already been deployed for years. If America ever faced a nuclear attack, large population centers would naturally become targets. But adversaries might also take aim at nuclear silos such as those on the reservation, according to Sebastien Philippe, a research scholar with Princeton's Program on Science and Global Security and the lead academic researcher on the project. The strategic role of those silos is, to a large extent, to absorb a possible nuclear strike on the U.S. homeland, so essentially serving as a target -- a nuclear kind of sacrifice, Philippe said in reference to the federal government's decision to locate nuclear silos in sparsely populated states such as North Dakota and Montana. The U.S. Air Force is in the midst of an effort to replace the countrys nuclear arsenal at a projected cost of upward of $1.5 trillion over the next 30 years, including the missiles at Fort Berthold. Under that plan, missiles would be in place on the reservation through at least 2075. And though the Air Force shared some details about the potential impact of the project with residents in a sparsely attended public meeting at the reservation, the meeting focused primarily on jobs and safety benefits, without addressing the role the missiles may play in U.S. nuclear strategy, Weber said. The Air Force in its statement to the Tribune said it also manned booths at two powwows during summer 2023 to allow residents to ask questions, and that it "continues to make project personnel available to visit tribal nations to discuss the project whenever requested by tribal nations." The tribes added in their statement that veterans and members of the women's auxiliary were engaged in discussions about the effort, and underscored that the partnership would set a precedent for collaboration between tribal leaders and the military. Still, Weber said some tribal members have been left in the dark about the effort and its potential consequences. Weber ends the podcast with a question. As she imagines potential futures for the Fort Berthold Reservation, including some that dont include the missile silos, she wonders, What will we do? On a defense policy front, thats not necessarily a question she can answer. But as an individual, Weber knows that the publication of this research isnt the end of her work on the issue with MHA Nation -- shes intending to continue conversations with community stakeholders as the situation evolves. And she hopes it sparks further discussions about tribal sovereignty and the relationships between tribal governments and federal and state governments. I really want to make sure I don't just tell the story and never do anything with it again, Weber said. This doesn't just affect me, this affects everybody. I want to make sure everybody has their voice heard, and we work together to figure out what we want to do after everybody gets all this information." Uche Agu & Revival Today Worship - "Something Good" | DREAM Label Group Los Angeles, CA (February 26th, 2024) Today, Uche Agu & Revival Today Worship release the second song from their upcoming album, Celebrate The King. Something Good was recoded live in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in front of a 70-person mass choir. The song was produced by Uche Agu, Brandon Tolbert and Danny Duncan and co-written by Uche Agu, Danny Johnson and Brandon Jones. "Something good is a special track and everyones favorite, I went a bit out from my normal sound on this one and I am excited to see how everyone will love to enjoy this one." - Uche Agu Listen or Buy Something Good here Nine-year-old Scarlett Olivers wish came true at Taylor Swifts first Sydney show on Friday night, when she was given Swifts black hat during her song 22. Oliver, who has stage four brain cancer and is undergoing chemotherapy, was ushered to the front of Swifts stage about midway through the show at Accor Stadium. Swift sang and danced her way towards Scarlett and then crouched down to place the hat on the young girls head, telling her: Thank you so much for coming. I love you so much and giving her a tight hug. Taylor Swift givers her 22 hat to Scarlett Oliver at Accor Stadium on Friday night. The nine-year-old has been undergoing chemotherapy for a brain tumour. Credit: Photo by Don Arnold/TAS24/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management Scarletts step-mum Natalie Oliver posted the moment on Instagram, writing to Swift: You are AMAZING!! Thank you so much for making Scarletts dream come true!! To everyone who shared her story to help us make this happen we are beyond greatful [sic]!!! Scarlett is on top of the world right now! According to a Go Fund Me page organised by Scarletts aunty Racheal Oliver, Scarlett is suffering from a grade four glioma, a highly aggressive, malignant brain tumour, which has an average prognosis of 12-18 months. Patients in NSW have access to 169 fewer fully bulk-billing GP clinics than 12 months ago, as more doctors in Sydneys middle-income suburbs charge gap fees. The biggest year-on-year changes were in several suburban Sydney electorates Cook, Barton, Bennelong, Macarthur, Mitchell, Bradfield and Reid where more than 20 per cent of clinics stopped bulk-billing all their patients, according to data that offers a fresh snapshot of rising out-of-pocket costs that working people face to see a GP. A patient is bulk-billed when Medicare rebates cover the full cost of a doctors visit, with no gap fees. In Cook, which takes in the Sutherland Shire, 55 per cent of GP clinics said they bulk-billed all of their patients at the start of last year. By the end of the year, the figure was less than 8 per cent. Gender pay gap data for up to 5000 Australian companies will be made public for the first time in the early hours on Tuesday, in a move designed to put a rocket under employers still dragging their feet on the issue. Mary Wooldridge, head of the government body tasked with collecting and publishing the data, is cautious to avoid describing the disclosure process as a naming and shaming exercise. Workplace Gender Equality Agency chief executive Mary Wooldridge says the data will arm employees with information to inform their decisions about their employment. Credit: Paul Jeffers But she is adamant this new measure of transparency will accelerate change and give women the information they need to hold their employers accountable. Employers have the choice, of course, in terms of how they respond to it, said Wooldridge, chief executive of the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA). We think if the federal government has $5 billion to contribute to the sector, then it should make that contribution and it should be addressing those universities in those areas of greatest need that are well-identified in the report, Scott said. But the prospect that the government then wants to turn around and tax universities for the initiative that theyre showing in filling the funding gaps, that just seems to be shortsighted and counterproductive. Sydney Universitys Mark Scott said the Group of Eight would oppose the proposal of a compulsory contribution fund. Credit: Louie Douvis Universities would be expected to source their contribution from non-government revenue a key stream of which is international student fees, but could also include money from commercial deals and philanthropy with an independent panel to advise on how the funds should be redistributed and which projects should be funded. The report suggests it could fund the construction of new teaching facilities, libraries and affordable accommodation for students. Newcastle University vice chancellor Alex Zelinsky, who advocated for a levy through the Accord process, said the final co-contribution model was good policy that recognised there were inequalities in the system, namely that metro unis benefited from strong international student revenues because overseas students want to live in major cities. Loading We should be talking about how to implement it in a way that works for everybody. The bigger universities will put in more because like all taxes its progressive, but they will also get something back because the fund is designed to support the whole system, he said. Deakin University vice chancellor Iain Martin said it was difficult to assess the merits of the future fund idea because it was contingent upon a whole new funding model for the sector being implemented first, but he cautioned against including philanthropy in the taxable revenue basket. I can tell you if the government started taxing our philanthropic giving, our philanthropic giving would disappear very, very quickly, because the whole point is that donors have given to a particular cause, he said. The future fund idea marks a change from the proposal in the accords interim report to impose a levy on international student fees. This was denounced as an envy tax by the Group of Eight, which represents top institutions including UNSW and Melbourne University, and takes in billions of dollars in revenue from international students. Loading The report sets an 80 per cent target for working-age Australians having a tertiary qualification by 2050. Achieving this is dependent upon a target of 55 per cent of young people obtaining a university degree an increase from the current level of 45 per cent and one that would require the government to fund a doubling of university places to 1.8 million over the next 25 years. The report calls for a new statutory body, called the Australian Tertiary Education Commission (ATEC), to design and manage the new university funding model to cater for the growth, which would include needs-based loadings for underrepresented cohorts such as disadvantaged and First Nations students and effectively introduce demand-driven places for equity students. In the Accords vision, the ATEC would be given a broad remit as the steward of the tertiary system, but would have a priority focus on pricing, issues including determining student fees and the cost of teaching. Other recommendations include changes to the HECS-HELP student loans system to limit the financial burden on graduates; urgent changes to the Coalition-era fee-hikes for certain degrees such as arts and humanities to lower costs for students; fee-free preparatory courses to drive enrolments; and paid placements nursing, care and teaching professions. It also calls for a complete reshaping of research grants, centred on a major boost to baseline funding to put universities on a pathway to fully funded research. On HECS-HELP, the report proposes transitioning from the current system where repayments are levied based on a debtors entire income to one based on marginal income, where repayments would only be levied on earnings above the minimum and each subsequent threshold; a move that it says would result in the majority of graduates repaying less in a given year than they are now. But it stops short of recommending specific threshold rates. Professor David Lloyd, Universities Australia chair. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen It also recommends changing the indexing of student debt to whichever is the lowest of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) or Wage Price Index, after CPI soared above 7 per cent in 2023, so that growth in HELP loans does not outpace growth in wages. The timing of indexation should also be changed to deduct compulsory repayments first, it said. The report does not provide an estimated cost to the federal budget for delivering the suite of changes, which it said should be implemented in a staged way, but it said the reforms were not only large, they are urgent and must get under way as soon as possible. Loading Clare would not be drawn on which reforms the government would prioritise and how they would be funded. This is bigger than one budget. Its not about ruling things in or ruling things out, he said. Professor David Lloyd, chair of peak body Universities Australia, who had been briefed on the reports findings, said it laid out a pathway for generational change, and individual institutions would spend the coming days digesting the findings. Moscow: The body of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who died suddenly and unexpectedly in prison on February 16, has been handed over to his mother, his spokeswoman, Kira Yarmysh, wrote on the social media platform X on Saturday. Yarmysh said she did not know if the authorities would allow a funeral to be held the way the family wants and the way Alexei deserves. Mourners lay flowers as they pay tribute to Alexei Navalny at a memorial in Russia. Credit: Ivan Zhdanov, director of Navalnys Anti-Corruption Foundation, thanked everyone who had called on Russian authorities to return Navalnys body to his mother. Navalny, 47, Russias most well-known opposition politician, died in an Arctic penal colony and his family have been fighting for more than a week to have his body returned to them. Loading Nile Gardiner, director of the Margaret Thatcher Centre for Freedom, said before the hearing that it was a clear-cut case of transparency and accountability from the Biden administration. No one should be above the law when it comes to applying for immigration status in the United States, said Gardiner. In Spare, the prince sparked controversy when admitting to taking cocaine, marijuana and psychedelic mushrooms. Questions have been raised over whether he lied on his US visa application or if he was shown favourable treatment by officials because of his high-profile status. The foundation has sought all records within Prince Harrys Alien Registration file including any applications for immigration benefits and all records relating to any requests for waiver by Prince Harry. In a court filing, the Heritage Foundation argued: [The case] comes about in the main because HRH [His Royal Highness] voluntarily and for immense profit admitted in writing to the elements of any number of controlled substance violations. (Indeed, some say HRH has approached the point of bragging and encouraging illegal drug use.) The Duke of Sussex did so despite the fact that it is widely known that such admissions can have adverse immigration consequences for non-citizens and despite employing pre-eminent legal advisers on both sides of the Atlantic. The argument of privacy was preposterous given that Prince Harry published his drug use in his book and had previously given US media interviews surrounding his private life, said Gardiner. This really matters to Americans, Gardiner said. This case raises many issues as to whether or not people are given any special treatment in coming to the United States and whether or not the rule of law is applied equally. He added: The issue of migration in the United States has become the number one issue in the presidential election. The American people expect their leader to enforce immigration law strictly and this should apply to anyone entering the US including royals like Prince Harry. The DHS argued in a court filing that it cannot confirm or deny whether any other records that [Heritage] are seeking exist because the mere acknowledgment of these records would constitute an unwarranted invasion of Prince Harrys privacy, according to Newsweek The records are particularly sensitive because releasing them, even in part, would reveal Prince Harrys status in the United States, which Prince Harry has not disclosed, the court filings said. Nigella Lawson was banned from flying to the US in 2014 after confessing to taking cocaine and smoking marijuana. Courts consistently hold that a persons visa or immigration status is private, personal information exempt from disclosure. In April 2014, celebrity chef Nigella Lawson was banned from flying to the US after confessing to taking cocaine and smoking marijuana. The DHS said at the time said that foreign citizens who had admitted to drug offences could be deemed inadmissible under US law from entering the country. The ban was later lifted in June 2014 so that Lawson could travel to the US and film a new series of her cookery contest The Taste USA. Prince Harry said in February that he had considered becoming a US citizen. In an interview on Good Morning America, the Duke said he had no idea what was stopping him from doing so. He added: The thought has crossed my mind but is not a high priority right now. Loading However, he runs the risk of being denied citizenship as the drugs he has admitted to taking are banned or under strict control in the United States. According to policy published by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services, any application would require him to renounce his title. The Sussexes left the UK in October 2019 and stayed at a friends house in Canada for an extended family break. They then flew to California, and in January 2020 and announced they would be stepping back from the working Royal family. They have since bought their own home in Montecito, with a mortgage, where they live with their two children. The Duchess is understood to have begun the process of applying for UK citizenship during her short time in Britain, but she did not complete it. She remains a US citizen and the children are reported to have dual citizenship. US immigration policy states that any applicant who has any titles of heredity or positions of nobility in any foreign state must renounce the title or the position. Rock Hill, South Carolina: Donald Trump has moved to fend off a backlash over womens reproductive rights by voicing support for IVF after a US court ruled that frozen embryos can be considered as human beings. Days after the Alabama Supreme Court declared that embryos should be viewed as children - paving the way for more parents to sue over their wrongful death the former US president broke his silence on the issue amid growing divisions between those who say life begins at conception and those who want to protect reproductive freedom. Former US president Donald Trump, greets attendees during a Get Out The Vote rally at Winthrop Coliseum in Rock Hill, South Carolina. Credit: Bloomberg Speaking as he and Nikki Haley made their last pitches to voters ahead of Saturdays (Sunday AEDT) presidential primary race in South Carolina, Trump declared that he strongly supported IVF being available for parents and called on Alabama politicians to preserve access to treatment. We want to make it easier for mothers and fathers to have babies not harder, you know that, he told a rally in Rock Hill as the Democrats sought to blame his brand of extremism for the ruling. BJP National President JP Nadda during the party's Office Bearers' meeting, at BJP Headquarters in New Delhi In a key huddle ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, BJP national president JP Nadda is holding a meeting along with party's election in-charges and co-in-charges of all states, top sources informed. The meeting is being held at the national party headquarters in Delhi, the sources said. The election in-charges at the ongoing huddle include Baijayant Panda (UP), Dushyant Gautam (Uttrakhand), Tarun Chugh (J & K), Vinod Tawade (Bihar), and Biplav Deb (Haryana), among others. Further, according to sources, the meeting will feature extensive deliberations on ways to boost the party's prospects in seats where the BJP is a laggard or is considered weak. The agenda for the meeting also includes devising a comprehensive plan to achieve the target of 370-plus seats in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Apart from electoral strategies, the leaders at the meeting will also assess and take stock of ongoing programs and central schemes for targeting beneficiaries across a cross-section of society. According to sources, the attendees at the ongoing meeting were tasked with providing timely reports on developmental initiatives in their respective regions. As part of its preparations and bid to reach out to the far corners of the country ahead of the general sections, the BJP is laying special focus on 'GYAN,' a term coined by Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself. 'GYAN' stands for 'Garib' (poor), Yuva (youth), Annadata (farmers), and Nari (women), whom PM Modi identified earlier as the only four 'castes' in the country. The party is determined to secure maximum support across key demographics in line with its target of 400 paar (beyond 400 seats) in the upcoming electoral battles. Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday hailed the Pune Police for busting the "country's biggest" drug racket and said action needs to be taken if foreign links come to light. Police seized 1,700 kilograms of mephedrone worth Rs 3000-3500 crore from Pune, Delhi, Sangli and other cities and arrested eight persons so far. Fadnavis, who heads the state Home Department, declared a Rs 25 lakh reward for investigating officers who blew the lid off the racket. "Police will dig out all links of the drugs trade ring. We need to investigate this racket even in other states," he said. At an event held at the Pune Police Commissioner's Office, Fadnavis felicitated the officers. "I would like to congratulate Pune Police for busting the drugs racket. I think this is the country's biggest action. For the past few months, we have been running a 'drugs-free Maharashtra' campaign. If this drug racket has links in foreign countries we need to take action. I declare an award worth Rs 25 lakh for Pune Police," he added. Notably, the Pune police are in the process of getting a red corner notice (RCN) issued against an Indian-origin British national in connection with the mephedrone haul seizure, a senior official said on Friday. The Republican races for the nomination for governor and North Dakota's lone seat in the U.S. House are expected to spill over into the June primary. Its been a trend for losing convention candidates to take their candidacies to the primary. The GOP will have competitive races for the governors office and the House. The day after Gov. Doug Burgum announced he wouldnt seek a third term, U.S. Rep. Kelly Armstrong abandoned his House reelection bid to enter the governors race. Lt. Gov. Tammy Miller waited a while before announcing she would seek to replace Burgum. Armstrong is better known politically in the state. The Dickinson attorney served as GOP chair, spent six years in the state Senate and was elected to the U.S. House in 2018. Miller worked in the private sector before joining the governors office as chief operating officer in 2020. She was appointed lieutenant governor in late 2022 and assumed that post in 2023. Like Burgum, shes made a big show of supporting former President Donald Trumps bid for reelection. She prepared commercials before entering the race focusing on her support of the policies of Burgum and Trump. Armstrong has called on the party to support Trump, a more low-key backing. Hes angered the Trump wing of the party on a couple of occasions with his House votes. Unlike Miller, he has a track record to run on. While Trump supporters have gained control of a number of districts in the state which gives them clout at the party convention, that hasnt resulted in ballot victories in key races. In recent years candidates have gone on from the convention to run in the primary. Some candidates have skipped the convention. Theres no reason not to expect the governors race to be combative. Armstrong will run on his years of service, and Miller will tie herself to Burgums accomplishments. Both campaigns should be well-funded. In the U.S. House race state Public Service Commissioner Julie Fedorchak will compete against former state Rep. Rick Becker and Tom Campbell, a former legislator and Grafton potato farmer. Fedorchak has her roots in the gubernatorial administrations of Ed Schafer and John Hoeven. She was appointed to the PSC by Gov. Jack Dalrymple in 2012. Fedorchak will put a lot of her campaign focus on energy. Becker, a Bismarck plastic surgeon, served in the North Dakota House where he helped found the ultraconservative Bastiat Caucus. He ran for the U.S. Senate as an independent in 2022 and didnt do well. Campbell has been angling for the governors office or a congressional seat for a number of years. The governors and House races should be competitive, possibly nasty. Who wins will be an indication of who controls the party. While Trump remains hugely popular in the state, voters have remained loyal to established candidates in the governors office and Congress. The Legislature, however, has become more conservative since candidates are elected in districts with fewer voters. This years election may show the direction of the Republican Party. Will it take a far right turn, stick to established politicians or remain splintered? So far, the Democratic-NPL doesnt have intraparty competition for the House or governors office. Travis Hipsher of Neche is running for governor while Trygve Hammer is seeking the House nomination. The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and Jana Sena on Saturday announced their candidates for 99 of the total 175 assembly segments for the upcoming state assembly polls. TDP national president Nara Chandrababu Naidu and the Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan together announced the candidates. While the TDP announced its candidates for 94 seats in the first list, the Jana Sena declared the candidature of five of the total of 24 seats that the party is going to contest in the alliance. Of the 94 TDP candidates, 23 are first-timers and an opportunity has been provided for IAS officers, doctors, and graduates those who are answerable to the people while the YSRCP is fielding smugglers of red-sandals, rowdies, and goondas, Chandrababu said. "Keeping the interests of the State, both the TDP and the Jana Sena have come together to jointly contest the upcoming elections. The alliance is not in the interest of the parties nor in personal interest but for the progress of the five crore people of the State," he said. Terming it a historic occasion, he said that the state has suffered a lot with bifurcation while the loss is more for the state after Jagan has become the Chief Minister. "This is not a personal loss either for him or for Pawan Kalyan but for the five crore people of the state as the Andhra Pradesh brand was hit hard by this YSRCP Government", Chandrababu remarked. The prevailing situation in the State is so pathetic that a person can not come out openly to express the injustice done to him or her, he said. Everyone is a victim of this Government including himself and his party cadre besides Pawan Kalyan, Naidu said. "When Pawan Kalyan visited Ippatam, several hurdles were created for his road show in Visakhapatnam," he said. Calling upon the TDP and the Jana Sena activists at the grassroots level to work in close coordination, Chandrababu Naidu announced that he and Pawan Kalyan will work for a better future for the State and to rid Andhra Pradesh from the clutches of Jagan. Appreciating Pawan Kalyan for announcing popular and known candidates, he said that the TDP candidates too are very capable. "Perhaps for the first time in my political life I have done so much exercise to select these candidates to collect the opinion of 1.3 crore people besides the views of the party activists," Chandrababu Naidu said. The selection of candidates is done after conducting a study and analyzing all angles, he said, adding that only those who are actively moving among the public are selected now to face the elections boldly. Though attacks are being made against the media persons, they are in such a poor condition that they could not even resist such attacks as they lost self-confidence, Chandrababu remarked. This Government has demolished all four pillars, the judiciary, legislature, executive, and the media, and not even a single IAS or IPS officer could come out openly, he said. While the media is being controlled through a GO, the judiciary is being misused to take revenge by spending public funds, he said and pointed out that crores of rupees are being paid as fees for advocates. The TDP Chief felt that the upcoming polls were very crucial for the State and the people and called upon the voters to elect the TDP-Jana Sena candidates beyond any consideration. "The day the alliance has been announced we have virtually won the polls and the YSRCP got totally wiped out from the state political scene. But the YSRCP leaders are making every effort to win through bogus votes and by spending huge amounts of money," the TDP supremo said and added that power is not permanent for any one particular person in a democracy. "Instead of taking more seats only to experiment, we felt it is better to take a limited number of seats in the alliance to safeguard the interest of the State. Our sole aim is to bring the State back on track but not the interest of the party or personal interests," Pawan Kalyan said. The Jana Sena chief said that the party would contest three Lok Sabha seats. "If the 24 Assembly seats that the Jana Sena is now contesting and three Lok Sabha seats comprising 21 segments, the party is in the race in a total of 45 segments," Pawan Kalyan explained. Kalyan called upon the party leaders and cadre to set aside their interests and work for the success of the combine. "Soon after the government is formed the services of those who have made certain sacrifices will be remembered and they will be honored with some nominated posts," Pawan Kalyan said and asked the cadre of both the Jana Sena and the TDP to work together and not fall prey to the conspiracies of the YSRCP. The Lok Sabha polls and Andhra assembly polls are slated to be held simultaneously later this year. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Saturday notified the date for the three new criminal laws-- Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023, Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita 2023, and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam 2023-- and announced that these will come into force from July 1 this year. The MHA made the announcement through three separate notifications declaring July 1 as the date on which the provisions of these acts will come into force. As per one of the notifications issued by exercising the powers conferred by sub-section (2) of section 1 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (45 of 2023), the MHA declared it appoints the 1st day of July 2024 as the date on which the provisions of the Sanhita, "except the provision of sub-section (2) of section 106, shall come into force." Using similar powers conferred by sub-section (3) of section 1 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (46 of 2023), the MHA appointed "the 1st day of July 2024 as the date on which the provisions of the Sanhita, except the provisions of the entry relating to section 106(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, in the First Schedule, shall come into force." "In exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (3) of section 1 of the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023 (47 of 2023), the Central Government hereby appoints the 1st day of July 2024 as the date on which the provisions of the said Adhiniyam, shall come into force," reads another notification. The move comes after President Droupadi Murmu gave her assent to these laws on December 25, days after the Parliament passed the three criminal bills -- the Bharatiya Nyaya (Second) Sanhita Bill, the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha (Second) Sanhita Bill and the Bharatiya Sakshya (Second) Bill. Giving prominence to crimes against women and children, murder and crimes against the nation; these three Bills were passed by the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha in the recently concluded Winter Session of Parliament. The Indian Penal Code (IPC) has been replaced with the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the CrPC with Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita and the Indian Evidence Act has been replaced with the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam. Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita has 358 sections (instead of 511 sections of IPC). A total of 20 new crimes have been added to the Sanhita, and the imprisonment sentence has been increased for 33 crimes. The amount of fine has been increased in 83 crimes and mandatory minimum punishment has been introduced in 23 crimes. The penalty of community service has been introduced in six crimes and 19 sections have been repealed or removed in the Act. Bharatiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita has 531 sections (in place of 484 sections of CrPC). A total of 177 provisions have been changed in the Sanhita and nine new sections as well as 39 new sub-sections have been added to it. The act has added 44 new provisions and clarifications. Timelines have been added to 35 sections and audio-video provision has been added at 35 places. A total of 14 sections have been repealed and removed in the Sanhita.Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam will have 170 provisions (instead of the original 167 provisions, and a total of 24 provisions have been changed. Two new provisions and six sub- provisions have been added and six provisions have been repealed or deleted in the Adhiniyam. The complete implementation of new criminal laws will ensure an end to 'tareekh pe tareekh' era and justice will be given in three years as earlier informed in the Parliament by Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita has introduced a new chapter titled 'Crimes against Women and Children' to deal with sexual crimes, and the Sanhita is proposing changes in the provisions related to the rape of women below 18 years of age. Provision related to the gang rape of a minor woman to become consistent with the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO), and a provision has been made for life imprisonment or death penalty in the case of girls below 18 years of age. There is the provision of 20 years imprisonment or life imprisonment in all cases of gang rape and the new crime category of gang rape of a woman under 18 years of age in the Sanhita. The Sanhita provides targeted penalties for persons fraudulently engaging in sexual intercourse or promising to marry without true intention to marry. Terrorism has been defined for the first time in the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, and it has been made a punishable offence. In Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Section 113. (1), it is clearly mentioned that "whoever, with intent to endanger or is likely to endanger the unity, integrity, sovereignty, security or economic security or sovereignty of India or to cause or spread terror among the public or any section of the public in India or in any foreign country, commits any act using bombs, dynamite, explosive substances, poisonous gases, nuclear with intent to cause death to any person or persons, damage to property, or manufacture or smuggling of currency or so, he commits terrorist acts". In the Sanhita, terrorist acts are punishable with death penalty or life imprisonment without parole. A range of terrorist offences have also been introduced in the Sanhita and it is pointed that destroying public facilities or private property is a crime. Acts that cause 'widespread loss by reason of damage or destruction of critical infrastructure' are also covered under this section. A new criminal section related to organized crime has been added to the Sanhita, and organized crime has been defined for the first time in Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 111. (1). Illegal activity done by syndicate has been made punishable. The new provisions include armed rebellion, subversive activities, separatist activities or any act threatening the sovereignty or unity and integrity of India. Small organized crimes have also been criminalized, punishable with imprisonment of up to seven years. In organized crime, if a person is killed, the Act says, the accused can be sentenced to death or life imprisonment. A fine will also be imposed, which will not be less than Rs 10 lakh. Provision for punishment has also been made for those who help in organized crime. On mob lynching, a new provision on crime related to murder committed on the basis of race, caste and community has been included, for which a provision of life imprisonment or death penalty has been made. A new provision related to snatching also. There will now be more severe penalties for serious injuries that result in near-disability or permanent disability. The practice of filing zero FIR has been institutionalized. The First Information Report (FIR) can be lodged anywhere, irrespective of the area in which the crime took place. Victim's right to information has been ensured in these laws. Victim has the right to get a copy of the FIR free of cost. There is also a provision to inform the victim about the progress of the investigation within 90 days. The timeline has been added to 35 sections of Bharatiya Nagrik Sukraksha Sanhita, which will make the speedy delivery of justice possible. The Bill prescribes a time limit for initiation of criminal proceedings, arrest, investigation, charge sheet, proceedings before magistrate, cognizance, charges, plea bargaining, appointment of Assistant Public Prosecutor, trial, bail, judgment and punishment, and mercy petition. This process of reform in the three laws of the criminal justice system was started in 2019 and 3,200 suggestions in this regard were received from various stakeholders. Union Home Minister Amit Shah held more than 150 meetings and these suggestions were thoroughly discussed in the Home Ministry. The government was talking about the UCC and banning polygamy in the state but no such bill or ordinance has been brought in the assembly so far for reasons best known to them, he said. The Assam cabinet's decision to repeal the Assam Muslim Marriages and Divorces Registration Act, 1935 has been welcomed by the ruling BJP, while opposition parties claimed that the move, which was 'discriminatory against Muslims', was made to polarise voters in the election year. The state cabinet on Friday night approved the decision to repeal the Act in a bid to end the social menace of child marriage as it contained provisions allowing registration of marriages even if the bride and groom had not reached the legal ages of 18 and 21 respectively, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said. AIUDF Chief Badruddin Ajmal claimed that the repeal of the Act was the first step to bring in the Unified Civil Code (UCC) in Assam, but it will sound the death knell of the BJP government in the state. 'They are trying to provoke the Muslims and polarise voters in their favour,' Ajmal told reporters on the sidelines of a programme here. Congress MLA Abdul Rashid Mandal claimed that the decision is discriminatory against Muslims as this is the only mechanism for registration of marriages and divorces for Muslims and is valid under the Constitution. The Goalpara (West) legislator also accused the BJP government of being 'anti-Muslim and claimed that it is trying to show the Hindu people that the administration is favouring them and depriving Muslims. The government was talking about the UCC and banning polygamy in the state but no such bill or ordinance has been brought in the assembly so far for reasons best known to them, he said. Information and Public Relations Minister Pijush Hazarika, however, wondered how repealing an 89-year-old law that permits marriage between a small girl and an adult man becomes anti-Muslim. Muslim leaders need to act maturely and stand alongside the interest of our daughters rather than standing for abhorrent social evils,' Hazarika said in a post on X. This will help to prohibit child marriages, decrease infant and maternal mortality rates and promote education of the girl child, Tourism Minister Jayanta Malla Baruah said. AIUDF MLA Rafikul Islam claimed that the cabinet decision has been taken with the 'intention of targeting Muslims in an election year' as the government does not have the courage to bring in the UCC. Islam said that there were attempts to bring in UCC in Assam but the saffron camp will not be able to do so as there are several castes and communities here 'and they know it will not be legally tenable. The BJP is talking a lot about polygamy and the practice is prevalent among various communities who are followers of BJP. There are personal laws for the Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs and Jains with the constitution allowing different laws for marriages and divorces, he said adding: 'I don't think any state cabinet has the right to cancel the rights given to the people by the Indian constitution. Assam United Opposition Forum General Secretary Lurinjyoti Gogoi told PTI that the government should not make unilateral decisions on any issue involving social custom, religious beliefs, and public sentiments. 'The views of the scholars of the communities concerned needed to be sought in these matters. Instead, the BJP government is creating a political issue to provoke a community by teasing their sentiment which may likely cause social unrest, the Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) president said. Eminent lawyer Aman Wadud told PTI that authorised registrars under the 1935 Act won't be able to register Muslim marriages now but it will now happen under the Special Marriage Act, which requires a 30-day notice and a large number of documents. 'This centralised system of registration, by abolishing a decentralised system, will reduce registration of Muslim marriages. Contrary to the government's claim, this will increase the number of unauthorised Qazis and therefore child marriages too," Wadud said. Another prominent lawyer Bijon Mahajan told PTI the cabinet decision to repeal the Act is in tune with the current times and it also has the constitutional mandate'. Brazil's president alleged Saturday that Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians, doubling down on harsh rhetoric after stirring controversy a week earlier by comparing Israel's military offensive in Gaza to the Nazi Holocaust. Israel has vehemently pushed back against genocide claims, saying its war is targeting the militant group Hamas, not the Palestinian people. It has held Hamas responsible for civilian deaths, arguing that the group operates from civilian areas. The Health Ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza said Saturday that the bodies of 92 Palestinians killed in Israeli bombardments were brought to hospitals over the past 24 hours, raising the overall toll in nearly five months of war to 29,606. The total number of wounded rose to nearly 70,000. The ministry's death toll does not distinguish between civilians and combatants, but it has said two-thirds of those killed were children and women. Israel says its troops have killed more than 10,000 Hamas fighters, but has not provided details. WIDENING HUMANITARIAN CRISIS Israel declared war after the deadly October 7 Hamas attack on southern Israel in which militants killed about 1,200 people and took some 250 hostages. More than 100 hostages remain in captivity in Gaza. The steadily rising civilian death toll and a worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza have amplified calls for a cease-fire. Hunger and infectious diseases are spreading and some 80 per cent of Gaza's 2.3 million people have been displaced, with about 1.4 million crowded into the southern city of Rafah on the border with Egypt. Negotiators from the United States, Israel, Egypt and Qatar were meeting in Paris this weekend to try to reach a deal on pausing the fighting. Egypt and Qatar serve as mediators between Israel and Hamas. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to fight until total victory," but has dispatched a delegation to Paris to seek the release of hostages in exchange for a temporary truce. Negotiators face wide gaps and an unofficial deadline the start of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan around March 10. NEW GENOCIDE ALLEGATIONS Brazil's President Luiz Incio Lula da Silva wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that he would not give up his dignity for falsehood, an apparent reference to calls for him to retract comments comparing Israel's conduct in Gaza to the Nazi Holocaust, in which 6 million Jews perished during World War II. What the Israeli government is doing is not war, it is genocide, he wrote Saturday. Children and women are being murdered. In response to Lula's initial comments, Israel declared him a persona non grata, summoned Brazil's ambassador and demanded an apology. In retaliation, Lula recalled Brazil's ambassador to Israel for consultations. Last month, South Africa filed a complaint with the International Court of Justice, accusing Israel of genocide against Palestinians. The court issued a preliminary order in the landmark case two weeks later, ordering Israel to do all it can to prevent death, destruction and any acts of genocide in Gaza. Israel, created in part as a refuge for survivors of the Holocaust, has accused South Africa of hypocrisy. MORE SETTLEMENTS Meanwhile, Netanyahu and his right-wing government drew an angry response from the United States, its closest ally, over plans to build more than 3,300 new homes in settlements in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Netanyahu's fire-brand finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, has said the plans came in response to a Palestinian shooting attack earlier in the week that killed one Israeli and wounded five. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Friday that he was disappointed to hear of the Israeli announcement. It's been long-standing US policy under Republican and Democratic administrations alike that new settlements are counterproductive to reaching an enduring peace, he said in Buenos Aires. They're also inconsistent with international law. The Biden administration also restored a US legal finding dating back nearly 50 years that Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories are illegitimate under international law. Blinken said the US believes settlements are inconsistent with Israel's obligations, reversing a determination made by his predecessor, Mike Pompeo. When Putin launched his illegal invasion two years ago, the free world was united in its response. We stood together behind Ukraine. And on this grim anniversary, we must renew our determination, said Sunak in a statement from 10 Downing Street | (Reuters Photo) Prime Minister Rishi Sunak marked the second anniversary of the Russia-Ukraine conflict on Saturday with a pledge to renew the UK's determination to support the Ukrainians and declared the free world united in its response to President Vladimir Putin's illegal invasion of Ukraine. The British Indian leader reflected upon his recent visit to the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv when he announced a major package of defence aid to Ukraine, taking the UK's total support to GBP 12 billion. It comes as the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) pledged GBP 8.5 million in humanitarian funding allocations to the Red Cross Movement and the Ukraine Humanitarian Fund. When Putin launched his illegal invasion two years ago, the free world was united in its response. We stood together behind Ukraine. And on this grim anniversary, we must renew our determination, said Sunak in a statement from 10 Downing Street. I was in Kyiv just a few weeks ago and I met wounded Ukrainian soldiers. Each harrowing story was a reminder of Ukraine's courage in the face of terrible suffering. It was a reminder of the price they are paying not only to defend their country against a completely unjustified invasion, but also to defend the very principles of freedom, sovereignty and the rule of law, on which we all depend, he said. He added: The UK is going further in our support. I announced last month the biggest single package of defence aid to Ukraine, taking our total support to GBP 12 billion and signed a ten-year agreement on security cooperation the first of its kind. This is the moment to show that tyranny will never triumph and to say once again that we will stand with Ukraine today and tomorrow. We are prepared to do whatever it takes, for as long as it takes, until they prevail. According to the FCDO, over 14.6 million people about 40 per cent of the Ukrainian population is in need of humanitarian assistance. Millions have been left homeless, struggle without adequate access to water, food and electricity, and desperately need health, protection and other essential services and supplies in territories under Russian occupation. Ukrainians are bravely defending their land against Russia's brutal invasion, but the past two years of war have had a tragic impact on millions of people across Ukraine. Families have been separated, towns and villages decimated, and vital civilian infrastructure destroyed. The UK stands with Ukraine, and is committed to supporting the most vulnerable Ukrainians living through the horrors of this war, said UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron. The announcement follows Cameron's visit to the United Nations on Friday, where he addressed the United Nations Security Council and United Nations General Assembly and reinforced the UK's commitment to supporting Ukraine. Over GBP 6 million of the UK funding will support the Red Cross Movement's neutral and impartial work, reinforcing their existing emergency response projects and their support to the most vulnerable in Ukraine. Meanwhile, GBP 2.5 million will fund the Ukraine Humanitarian Fund, part of the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. The UK said its funding supports ongoing emergency responses, preparedness activities and last-mile aid delivery in frontline areas where local communities have been most affected by recent attacks. The latest funding is part of GBP 357 million of humanitarian assistance the UK has committed since the start of the conflict in February 2022. The UK said its support contributes to an international response that reached 11 million people in Ukraine in 2023 and 15.8 million in 2022. An Indian warship provided critical assistance to a merchant vessel after it caught fire following a suspected drone or missile attack in the Gulf of Aden, the latest in a series of such support missions in the region. Palau-flagged vessel MV Islander came under attack on Thursday and a crew member of the ship sustained injuries, Indian military officials said on Saturday. An explosive ordnance disposal team of the Navy embarked the vessel and sanitised it for any residual risk following which the vessel was cleared for onward transit, they said. The fresh incident comes amid growing global concerns over attacks on various commercial vessels in the Red Sea by Houthi militants. A medical team of the Indian Navy also embarked MV Islander and provided medical assistance to the injured crew member, they said. In a swift response to a distress call from the vessel, the Indian warship arrived in the vicinity of the cargo ship within a few hours to provide critical support, an official said. "Relentless efforts by Indian Naval ships reaffirms the Indian Navy's steadfast commitment towards safety and security of merchant shipping and seafarers," Indian Navy spokesperson Commander Vivek Madhwal said. In the last few weeks, the Indian Navy extended assistance to a number of merchant vessels in the Western Indian Ocean following attacks on them. The Indian Navy, earlier this month, foiled a piracy attempt on an Iranian-flagged fishing vessel with a crew of 11 Iranian and eight Pakistani nationals along the east coast of Somalia. In January, an Indian warship rescued 19 Pakistani crew members of an Iranian-flagged fishing vessel after it was attacked by pirates in the east coast of Somalia. The Navy on January 5 thwarted an attempted hijacking of Liberian-flagged vessel MV Lila Norfolk in the North Arabian Sea and rescued all its crew members. Liberian-flagged vessel MV Chem Pluto, with 21 Indian crew members, was the target of a drone attack off India's west coast on December 23. The Navy has already enhanced deployment of its frontline ships and surveillance aircraft for maritime security operations in view of the maritime environment in the critical sea lanes, including in the north and central Arabian Sea. Braverman also said it was incumbent on any self-respecting government to do the needful to protect its citizens | Photo: Bloomberg UK's former Home Secretary Suella Braverman on Saturday said Israel has the right to defend itself from attacks by terrorists and calls for an immediate ceasefire to end the conflict with Hamas are "naive and dangerous". Speaking at ABP Network's Ideas of India Summit 3.0, Braverman also hoped to secure a mutually beneficial UK-India trade deal. Braverman, who served as the UK's Home Secretary between September 2022 and November 2023, said Israel has endured one of the most atrocious acts of brutality seen in decades by the terrorist group Hamas. It is also under attack from Hezbollah. The Conservative Party MP said the ongoing conflicts between Ukraine and Russia, and in West Asia, are real threats to global security. Commenting on India-UK trade potential, Braverman said, "Post BREXIT, UK heralds a great opportunity for UK-India trade deal to double trade worth 86 billion pounds, doubling India's exports and increasing UK investment in India, particularly in sectors infrastructure, renewable energy, healthcare, education. We hope to secure a mutually beneficial UK-India trade deal". Braverman also said it was incumbent on any self-respecting government to do the needful to protect its citizens. "Israel has the right to defend herself within the realms, limits of international law, of course. But those calls for an immediate ceasefire are naive and dangerous," she added. Braverman said the war in Gaza "could stop tomorrow" if Hamas lays down arms, release the hostages they still hold in captivity illegally, and if the terrorist group commits itself to peace. "It is not for Israel to unilaterally disarm in the face of the immediate and imminent threat posed by Hamas in Gaza. Humanitarian protection should be provided for civilians," Braverman said. Former President Donald Trump claimed on Friday that his four criminal indictments have boosted his support among Black Americans because they see him as a victim of discrimination, comparing his legal jeopardy to the historic legacy of anti-Black prejudice in the US legal system. Trump argues he is the victim of political persecution, even though there is no evidence President Joe Biden or White House officials influenced the filing of 91 felony charges against him. Earlier in the week, Trump compared himself to Alexei Navalny, Russian President Vladimir Putin's top domestic rival, who died in a remote Arctic prison after being jailed by the Kremlin leader. I got indicted for nothing, for something that is nothing, Trump told a black-tie event for Black conservatives in South Carolina ahead of Saturday's Republican primary. And a lot of people said that's why the Black people like me, because they have been hurt so badly and discriminated against, and they actually viewed me as I'm being discriminated against. It's been pretty amazing but possibly, maybe, there's something there." Trump has centred his third campaign for the White House on his grievances against Biden and what he alleges is a deep state targeting him, even as he faces charges from his efforts to overturn the 2020 election, keeping classified documents at his Florida estate, and allegedly arranging payments to a porn actress. He is the dominant Republican front-runner, as many GOP voters echo his beliefs, and is favoured to soundly beat former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley in her home state. Trump noted the mug shot taken by Georgia authorities after he was indicted on state racketeering charges over the 2020 election. When I did the mug shot in Atlanta, that mug shot is No. 1, he said, adding: You know who embraced it more than anyone else? The Black population. Trump's campaign has predicted he can do better with Black voters in November than he did four years ago, citing Biden's faltering poll numbers with Black adults and what Trump sees as advantages on issues like the economy and the record-high number of people crossing the US-Mexico border, often ending up in cities with large Black populations. He was flanked on stage at the Black Conservative Federation's gala in Columbia, South Carolina, by Black elected officials including Reps. Byron Donalds of Florida and Wesley Hunt of Texas. Many in the crowd cheered throughout the speech. In a freewheeling speech, Trump mixed his regular campaign remarks with appeals to the Black community and jokes that touched on race. The lights are so bright in my eyes I can't see too many people out there. But I can only see the Black ones. I can't see any white ones. That's how far I've come, Trump said to laughter from the audience. He also said that he knew many Black people because his properties were built by Black construction workers. In telling a story about how he renegotiated the cost of remodelling Air Force One, Trump criticised his predecessor, former President Barack Obama, the first Black person to be elected to the White House. I have to tell you, Black president, but I got USD 1.7 billion less, Trump said. Would you rather have the Black president or the white president who got USD 1.7 billion off the price? As the crowd cheered, he added, I think they want the white guy. Republicans face an uphill battle in courting Black voters, who are overwhelmingly supportive of the Democratic Party. And while Black voter enthusiasm for Biden has cooled over the last year, only 25 per cent of Black Americans said they had a favourable view of Trump a in a December AP-NORC poll. Black voters who spoke with The Associated Press ahead of the gala expressed scepticism that Republicans, and Trump in particular, could persuade them to switch parties. There's just so much controversy, said Ebony McBeth, a Columbia resident and transportation worker. I would go for Biden just because Trump has his own agenda. Isaac Williams Sr., a retired cook from Columbia and a lifelong Democrat, said he disliked both parties but found Trump to have mobster tendencies. He's only out for himself. Multiple conservatives interviewed said the Democratic Party's appeal to Black voters was based on emotional politics by evoking racism. In order for the Republican Party to win more of the African American community over, we'll have to invest a lot of time and more money into really letting people know our platform, because the truth of the matter is a lot of them, they agree with our platform but they don't associate that with the Republican Party, said Samuel Rivers Jr., a former Republican state senator in South Carolina. Rivers, who is Black, argued that Black voters view Republicans in a negative way based on emotional triggers of racism that no longer exists". Trump has a long history of stoking racial tensions. From his earliest days as a New York real estate developer, Trump has faced accusations of racist business practices. In 1989, he took out full-page newspaper ads calling for New York state to reinstate the death penalty as five Black and Latino teenagers were set to stand trial for beating and raping a white woman in Central Park. The five men were eventually exonerated in 2002 after another man admitted to the crime and it was determined their confessions were coerced. He spent years spreading the lie that Obama was ineligible to hold office. When he was president, Trump derided shithole countries in Africa and said four congresswomen of colour should go back to the broken and crime-infested countries they came from, ignoring the fact that all of the women are American citizens and three were born in the US. The UK's governing Conservative Party has suspended ties with one if its lawmakers after he accused London Mayor Sadiq Khan of being controlled by Islamists, as tensions over the Israel-Hamas war roil British politics. The party said on Saturday that Lee Anderson was suspended after he refused to apologise for remarks made about Khan in a television interview on Friday. The action means that Anderson, a deputy chairman of the Conservatives until last month, will sit in Parliament as an independent. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and other senior Conservative leaders had come under increasing pressure to reject the comments, which the chairwoman of the opposition Labour Party called unambiguously racist and Islamophobic. The controversy comes as the Israel-Hamas war fuels tensions in British society. Pro-Palestinian marches in London have regularly drawn hundreds of thousands of demonstrators calling for an immediate cease-fire, even as critics describe the events as antisemitic hate marches. Figures released over the last week show that both anti-Jewish and anti-Muslim incidents have risen sharply since Hamas' attack on Israel on Oct 7. That anger has spilled over into Parliament, where some lawmakers say they fear for their safety after receiving threats over their positions on the conflict in Gaza. In his interview with GB News, Anderson criticized the police response to pro-Palestinian demonstrations in London, levelling the blame on Khan. Anderson said he didn't actually believe that the Islamists have got control of our country, but what I do believe is they've got control of Khan and they've got control of London". Khan flatly rejected the allegations, telling the BBC that all forms of hatred need to be rejected, including antisemitism, Islamophobia and misogyny. My concern is there'll be people across the country, people who are Muslim, or look like Muslims, who'll be really concerned about entering into politics, because they know if these are the sorts of comments that are said against me by a senior Conservative, what chance do they have? he said. By Ben Bartenstein The United Arab Emirates was removed from a global watchdogs gray list on Friday, less than two years after the Gulf states demotion, capping a push by local authorities to clamp down on illicit financial flows. Click here to follow our WhatsApp channel The Paris-based Financial Action Task Force highlighted how the oil-rich country had strengthened its regime for anti-money laundering and combating terrorist financing. The UAE is therefore no longer subject to the FATFs increased monitoring process, the watchdog said in a statement. The decision could lead to smoother foreign currency transactions, lower inter-bank fees, and increased trade and investment, according to Moodys Analytics Industry Practice Lead Mohamed Daoud. Even so, dont expect the international compliance community to immediately change the way it interacts with the country. Think of it as a gradual thawing, not an instant spring, he said. Specific actions by the UAE, reactions from other nations and financial institutions, and even global geopolitical shifts will all influence the size of the benefits. Following its latest review, the FATF placed Namibia and Kenya on the gray list. For the UAE, which was added to the list of jurisdictions under increased monitoring in March 2022, the de-listing marks a rapid turnaround. A Bloomberg investigation at the time chronicled Dubais status as a destination for some of the worlds wealthiest exiles. Wall Street Banks The gray-list exit would be particularly welcomed by Wall Street banks, many of them with large operations in the UAE. Theyve grappled with increased compliance costs since the designation, forcing some to outsource more functions to India. The move will increase the international communitys confidence in the countrys financial sector and enhance flow of foreign direct investment in different sectors, UAE Banks Federation Director General Jamal Saleh said. Gray listings have historically led to statistically significant reduction in capital flows, according to a 2021 report by the International Monetary Fund, though the UAE weathered the designation better than most countries. Still, Emirati officials told Bloomberg theyre keen to avoid the fate of Panama, which was removed from the gray list in 2016 only to get demoted again three years later. Kenya, too, has previously been on the gray list. The UAEs fight against financial crime isnt over with its removal from the list, Moodys Analytics Daoud said. It is crucial for long-term progress that it maintains its robust AML/CFT regime - especially with the next round of rigorous FATF evaluations approaching in 2026. Political Priority Emirati officials involved in the FATF proceedings made it a political priority to get off the gray list. A body called the Executive Office of Anti-Money Laundering and Counter Terrorism Financing was staffed up with top local talent to streamline policies across the countrys seven emirates and dozens of free zones. The UAE also leveraged its role hosting Expo 2020 to sign more international cooperation agreements, paving the way for high-profile extraditions of individuals accused of white-collar crimes back home. After the initial wave of inflows, UAE banks began tightening scrutiny on various nationalities, including Russians, as the government pushed to exit the list. The government said it imposed almost 250 million dirhams ($68 million) in AML/CFT fines from January to October 2023, representing a more than three-fold increase from the year prior. This success is the outcome of collaborative efforts by the ministries, federal and local government entities, and the private sector, to achieve the leaderships directives and further strengthen the countrys leading position and international competitiveness, UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan said. What is the meaning of the remark by Blinken-"If you're not at the table in the international system, you're going to be on the menu"? https://www.reddit.com/r/EnglishLearning/comments/1ax81rm/what_is_the_meaning_of_the_remark_by_blinkenif/ During a public forum at the Munich Security Conference in Germany, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken remarked, If you are not at the table in the international system, youre going to be on the menu. What did Blinken mean? A news report says that it means " is extremely straightforward, even blunt, representing a stark zero-sum game mentality. In plain language, if you have the strength, you devour others at the table; if you lack strength, you become the prey on the menu. " Washington's ruthless zero-sum appetite spells trouble for the world Xinhua 2024-02-21 https://www.shine.cn/opinion/2402218382/#:~:text=2024%2D02%2D21 The recent remarks by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, "If you're not at the table in the international system, you're going to be on the menu," carries a comically menacing undertone. One might jestingly inquire, "Who talks like that? Hannibal Lecter?" A US Senator has urged the Pakistani authorities to fully investigate the claims of vote rigging in the country's elections, emphasising that without a credible investigation, a new government will struggle to bring the Pakistani people together. Taking to X on Friday, Senator Chris Van Hollen shared photos of a letter he wrote to Pakistan's Ambassador to the US Masood Khan on February 21 in which he praised the millions of Pakistanis who voted on February 8 in the country's elections. The significant turnout of Pakistani people from around the country and every walk of life speaks to the fundamental role elections play in democracies around the world, he said. "Unfortunately, these elections were marred by political violence, allegations of unfair restrictions on political expression, and accusations of vote rigging, the Democrat Senator wrote. The junior senator from Maryland, who was incidentally born in Karachi, further said, The State Department agreed with international and local election observers' assessment that these elections included undue restrictions on freedoms of expression, association, and peaceful assembly'. The letter also said Pakistani authorities shut down mobile telecommunications ostensibly as a security measure and the allegations made by a senior administrative official of Punjab province that he participated in fraud converting losers into winners and changing the results for 13 national parliament seats. Van Hollen urged Pakistan to fully investigate the allegations of fraud and electoral interference. Without a credible investigation, a new government will struggle to bring the Pakistani people together, he said. Meanwhile, a high-level inquiry committee constituted by Pakistan's top electoral body on Friday said the explosive allegations of election rigging levelled by the former senior bureaucrat were false and based on lies. The report of the probe committee came a day after Rawalpindi's former Commissioner Liaquat Ali Chattha on Thursday took a U-turn and withdrew his allegations, saying he had made the rigging charges at the behest of former prime minister Imran Khan's party which offered him a lucrative position. State Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington Washington D.C. West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming Puerto Rico US Virgin Islands Armed Forces Americas Armed Forces Pacific Armed Forces Europe Northern Mariana Islands Marshall Islands American Samoa Federated States of Micronesia Guam Palau Alberta, Canada British Columbia, Canada Manitoba, Canada New Brunswick, Canada Newfoundland, Canada Nova Scotia, Canada Northwest Territories, Canada Nunavut, Canada Ontario, Canada Prince Edward Island, Canada Quebec, Canada Saskatchewan, Canada Yukon Territory, Canada Postal Code CHI Memorial has been named as one of the nations 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals according to an independent quality analysis based on a balanced scorecard provided by PINC AI, the technology and services brand of Premier, Inc., and reported by Fortune.We couldn't be more excited to receive this honor for the sixth time. We are extremely proud of our team of cardiologists, surgeons, nurses, technicians, and therapists who provide such exceptional care to our community, said Kevin Hopkins, market vice president of cardiovascular service line at CHI Memorial.Each year, PINC AI selects the Top 50 Cardiovascular Hospitals based on publicly reported data. They identify hospitals with lower mortality rates, fewer complications, and shorter hospital stays for cardiovascular patients (among other metrics). We are proud to be counted among these few, exceptional programs. We are committed to continue bringing advancements in both technology and evidenced-based care to Chattanooga and our surrounding communities.Officials said, "To create the list, an objective, quantitative analysis of publicly available data was conducted to identify the top cardiovascular hospitals in the United States. The primary purpose of the PINC AI 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals program is to inspire hospital and health system leaders to pursue higher performance and deliver added value to patients and communities. Organizations do not apply to participate in the study."Compared to peer hospitals, those in the 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals operated at lower cost and had better outcomes, recording significantly higher inpatient survival rates, fewer patients with complications, lower readmission rates and up to nearly $10,000 less in total costs per patient case."These outcomes add up to meaningful differences. According to the studys analysis, if all hospitals operated at the level of this years top performers, there could be 7,600 fewer deaths due to heart disease, 6,700 fewer bypass and angioplasty patients who suffer complications and more than $1 billion in inpatient costs could have been saved for the 2024 study year."Hospital and health system leaders are focused on raising the quality and value of cardiovascular care, said Leigh Anderson, Premiers chief operating officer and the leader of PINC AI. A selection as one of the 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals is a great honor and demonstrates the importance of hospitals tackling cardiovascular disease one of Americas leading causes of death. As one of the 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals, CHI Memorial has achieved high-quality cardiovascular care that has directly led to significantly improved patient outcomes, with fewer readmissions and complications. With an emphasis on enhancing Pre-K opportunities preparing young students for a successful K-12 experience, Hamilton County Schools today named Kimberly Pringle as its new director of Early Learning. Currently the principal at Snow Hill Elementary School, Ms. Pringle will begin her new duties on June 24. The director of Early Learning is responsible for supporting Pre-K teachers, creating cohesion between Pre-K and K-12 education, and working with community partners to improve pre-kindergarten opportunities for all Hamilton County children. We are excited to bring Kim onboard to support our youngest learners in Hamilton County, said HCS Deputy Superintendent of Schools Dr. Sonia Stewart. The work we do with children before they reach kindergarten is not only our first intervention, but often our most important one. I know that Kim's background with diverse students in various grade-bands will allow her to strengthen all of our work in this space. In her eighteenth year of public education, Ms. Pringle has spent the past five years as principal of Snow Hill Elementary School. Her career also includes three years as a high school teacher, six years as an elementary teacher, and three years as an assistant principal. Ms. Pringle holds a Master of Education Degree in leadership from Trevecca Nazarene University, a Masters Degree in Education from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, and a Bachelor of Music in Education from Middle Tennessee State University. Early learning matters, Ms. Pringle said. I look forward to the opportunity to work collaboratively in support of early learning opportunities for the young children of Hamilton County. By engaging with them before they reach Kindergarten, we can bend the curve early and improve outcomes during their time in grades K-12. Previous Next Five snakes and an iguana died in a fire that destroyed a home in Sale Creek. A neighbor alerted his neighbors that their back porch was on fire. The family of five quickly escaped out the front door. The homeowner immediately called 911 reporting a fire at their house at 119 Griffin St. At 4 p.m., the Sale Creek Volunteer Fire Department responded and arrived on the scene confirming a residential fire. Due to windy conditions, firefighters had a difficult time battling the fire. One team entered the home and conduct an interior attack while another team worked on extinguishing the exterior area of the home. Sale Creek Fire Chief Adam Gaither, reported the homeowner had seven snakes and one iguana. Unfortunately, five of the snakes and the iguana did not survive the fire. No injuries were reported but HCEMS was on the scene for any potential injuries. The cause of the fire is undetermined at this time. The house is a total loss and damages are unknown. The American Red Cross will be assisting the family of five with their emergency needs. Major Katie Lunning will be the keynote speaker at the Trailblazers Luncheon on Saturday, May 11, at the Walden Club. The theme this year is "Honoring Warrior Moms." Major Lunning earned the Military Times' 2023 Airman of the Year award after the Air Guard nurse walked alongside Taliban to rescue patients from Kabul. Her calm and skill under pressure ensured 22 patients survived the suicide bombing at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan and more than a dozen others in the days before. Kabul fell to the Taliban on Aug. 15 and Major Lunnings team arrived at the capitals Hamid Karzai International Airport three days later. Major Lunning will tell the story of how her small critical care team went into Kabul to get out our allies and then had to save Marines after the bombing of the airport. The event also includes shopping boutiques and music by Grammy nominated Steve Dean and Minnie Murphy. There will be raffles and a silent auction. Proceeds will go to Creative Arts Therapy for female veterans. Doors will open at 10:30 a.m. and lunch will be served at 11:30 a.m. Former President Jimmy Carter and his wife former First Lady Rosalynn Carter sit together during a reception to celebrate their 75th anniversary Saturday, July 10, 2021, in Plains, Ga. In the year since Jimmy Carter first entered home hospice care, the 39th president has celebrated his 99th birthday, enjoyed tributes to his legacy and outlived his wife of 77 years. Rosalynn Carter, who died in November 2023 after suffering from dementia, spent just a few days under hospice. You have permission to edit this article. Edit Close 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 This 26-year-old man prides himself on being a wonderful father and partner to his wife, 24. Their children are 2 and 4, and his wife is a stay-at-home mother. Three years ago, he worked hard and started a company to provide his family more than he had during childhood. He cared deeply for his family and wanted them to be happy and supported. When they started growing their family, his wife agreed to stay home to raise their children because this was the lifestyle he wanted for his family. Recently, his wife has occasionally mentioned wanting to have a getaway for herself. Last week, she asked if hed be alright with her staying in a hotel and then traveling to visit one of her friends in Salt Lake City whom she hadnt seen in a long time. She planned to take this trip the following day. I trust my wife, so I say, Sure, thats okay. When she got back, she was just being so rude to me for no reason because the kids made a little mess, and I didnt clean it up right away, he said. The day before his wifes trip, hed worked overnight for 30 hours. After that, he only slept for six hours because working for 26 hours. Then, he had to move furniture in their home because he had their windows upgraded. From there, he slept for two hours before waking up to get their children ready for school (by this point, his wife had already left for her trip). She was disrespectful to him for the remainder of the night after her return. He eventually learned that his wife spoke poorly about him to his sister that night. Unfortunately, his wifes mean attitude toward him continued for several days afterward. His wife had been out of the house for a few hours two days ago. When she got home, she was disrespectful at first but eventually changed completely, being incredibly physically affectionate and kind to him. Sign up for Chip Chicks newsletter and get stories like this delivered to your inbox. Human bones that were collected from a prehistoric mass burial site have revealed that large-scale warfare may have taken place much earlier in Europe than originally thought. The remains were excavated from the San Juan ante Portam Latinam (SJAPL), a small rock shelter located in northern Spain. More than 300 individuals were buried there during a time when the Neolithic period had begun to give way to a new era. After a team of researchers re-examined the bones, they found that they dated back 5,000 years ago, during the Neolithic period. This era lasted between 9,000 and 4,000 years in Europe. The latest study has resulted in evidence showing that the large number of individuals buried at the site may have been victims in the earliest case of major violent conflict in Europe. Previously, experts had believed the earliest major instance of warfare in Europe transpired during the Bronze Age, which occurred a millennium later than the Neolithic period. The Bronze Age lasted roughly 4,000 to 2,800 years. According to Teresa Fernandez-Crespo, a co-author of the study, this war was the battle of Tollense in Germany. It appeared to have been a one-time event, and current estimates indicate that approximately 4,000 warriors had fought at the site. Smaller confrontations between neighboring communities have been around since the very first humans, but as societies shifted from hunting and gathering to agriculture, it seemed that organized, longer-lasting violence accompanied the shift. In farming-based societies, more people settled into a single area at once, leading to higher populations and greater concentrations of power and resources. In the past, research suggested that conflicts during Bronze Age Europe involved short raids, lasting up to a few days, with only about 20 to 30 individuals involved. So, researchers came to the conclusion that Neolithic societies were not capable of forming larger-scale conflicts. However, the newest findings from the study have disproven this theory. To dive deeper into Neolithic conflict, the human remains from the rock shelter were analyzed again. Initially, they had been discovered in 1985 when a bulldozer was paving a pathway, upturning the dirt. Further excavations at the site resulted in the identification of 338 individuals. Sign up for Chip Chicks newsletter and get stories like this delivered to your inbox. China's public offering fund value hits 27.36 trln yuan Xinhua) 13:45, February 24, 2024 BEIJING, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- The assets under the management of China's public offering funds reached 27.36 trillion yuan (about 3.85 trillion U.S. dollars) in January, data from the Asset Management Association of China showed. Compared to 2023, the figure went down from 27.6 trillion yuan, the association said. The scale of closed-end funds stood at about 3.79 trillion yuan, while that of open-end funds was 23.57 trillion yuan. Of the 145 fund management companies, 49 are foreign-funded and 96 are domestic firms, the data showed. (Web editor: Xue Yanyan, Hongyu) As Black History Month comes to a close, its important to continue to spread stories of amazing African American men and women who made history and changed lives. One of those people is Dr. Joycelen Elders, the first African American woman to serve as the U.S. Surgeon General and a passionate advocate for public health and education. Joycelyn was born in Arkansas in 1933. Her family consisted of low-income farmers, and she was the youngest of eight children. As a child, due to segregation, she had to work on her familys farm and travel over 10 miles to get to a segregated school. After graduating high school, Joycelen received a scholarship to attend the all-Black liberal arts school Philander Smith College in Little Rock, Arkansas. She worked cleaning jobs to afford her tuition and enjoyed studying chemistry and biology. As Joycelen got older, she developed a desire to become a physician. After briefly joining the Army to study physical therapy, she decided to attend the University of Arkansas Medical School on her G.I. Bill after getting discharged in 1956. Joycelen had to put up with a lot of segregation and discrimination in school, having to study and eat in different rooms from her peers. However, during that experience, she met her husband, Oliver Elders, and married him in 1960. In 1961, Joycelen returned to the University of Arkansas to finish her residency and was soon named the chief resident in charge of white male interns and residents. After receiving her masters in biochemistry in 1967, she eventually became a full-time professor for the medical school by 1976. From the late 1970s to the mid-1980s, Joycelen began researching and writing informative papers on adolescent health, including adolescent fertility and pediatric endocrinology. Her work eventually caught the eye of former President Bill Clinton while he was still Governor of Arkansas, and he appointed her as head of the Arkansas Department of Health in 1987. Joycelen became very outspoken about ensuring American children received proper health education, which included education related to their reproductive systems, which was met by resistance from more conservative and religious groups. Sign up for Chip Chicks newsletter and get stories like this delivered to your inbox. Home News Iranian Christian refugee who suffered persecution now faces possible expulsion from Turkey An Iranian Christian convert faces possible expulsion from Turkey and a three-year prison sentence on a charge of spreading propaganda against the Islamic Republic of Iran, according to religious freedom advocates. The government of Turkish President Recept Tayyip Erdogan continued its crackdown on expatriate Christians with the Jan. 29 arrest of Mojtaba Keshavarz Ahmadi, 56, on questionable immigration charges, according to a statement by advocacy group Article 18. Despite being in Turkey for over a decade and applying for refugee status, Mojtaba has never been interviewed about his case and has therefore never been granted official protection, the group reported. 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 Turkish immigration authorities accused Ahmadi of leaving Duzce, his assigned city of residence, without prior government authorization. Ahmadi has denied the accusation, and Turkish authorities have yet to provide any evidence to support their claim, according to Article 18. The Turkish government assigns applicants for U.N. refugee status a city where they are required to live during the application processing. The aim is to spread the burden that close to 4 million refugees in Turkey could bring to any one area of the country. Authorities seized Ahmadis card identifying him as a candidate for refugee status and took him to an immigration detention center located just outside Ayvack, in western Turkey near the Aegean Sea, where he remains. The status of any formal charges against him are unknown, and he has very few legal rights. Facing a three-year prison sentence in Iran on account of his Christian faith and activities, there can be little doubt that Mojtaba is worthy of asylum, Article 18 stated. The group highlighted the plight of Iranian Christian refugees in a joint report last year, including the threat of deportation. Several other Iranian Christians have been transferred to deportation camps in recent years, the group stated. There is a concerning trend, where individuals with valid asylum claims are being put in these camps, seemingly arbitrarily, a source who wished to remain anonymous told Article 18. There have been other instances in which an immigration officer from the Turkish authorities has unexpectedly knocked on their door. If they dont open the door, they are accused of not being in their designated location, whereas they may only have gone to the shops. Ahmadi, the son of an Islamic cleric, fled to Turkey due to persecution in Iran. After putting his faith in Christ on Christmas Day in 2002, by March 2004 hed begun participating in house-church meetings and talked to many people about Christianity in the cities of Tehran, Qom, Kashan and Arak, Ahmadi said in a witness statement to Article 18. In September 2010, four plainclothes security officials raided a small meeting of three Christians that Ahmadi was leading. The officers seized their Christian materials, including numerous Bibles and films about Christ. Authorities handcuffed and threw them into a van and blindfolded them. Iranian officials held Ahmadi in a detention center and then Arak prison for 170 days, he told Article 18. During the first week of his detention, Ahmadi was held in solitary confinement and interrogated several times a day, blindfolded and subjected to brutal beatings. They beat me with their fists, with kicks, and with all their might, he told Article 18. They slapped, punched and kicked my whole body, especially my head and face. I dont know how long it took; I only know that eventually, I surrendered myself to the punches and kicks of the interrogators. Ahmadi credited his survival to a voice he heard after he was taken back to his cell following a beating. I heard a clear and noble voice in my heart, saying: Be still, and cling to me tightly! This voice in my heart gave me an unnatural strength, Ahmadi told Article 18. In those moments, it was only Jesus Christ who could give me the strength so that I could endure the physical and mental torture and be able to hold steadfastly and courageously to all my beliefs, and not deny them. Eventually Ahmadi was found guilty of two crimes, carrying out propaganda activities against the holy regime of the Islamic Republic, and insulting the sacred. He was sentenced to three years in prison for each charge, but appealed. The second charge was eventually thrown out after a witness shouted in court that he had been forced into making a false confession against Ahmadi. The first charge stuck, however, and Ahmadi was sentenced to three years in prison. In November 2012, Ahmadi, who had appealed the courts rulings in absentia, was informed that a judge had issued a warrant ordering he be arrested and taken to prison to begin his three-year sentence. Fearful of facing three years of beatings and other torture, Ahmadi fled the country and entered Turkey in March 2013. Ahmadi is hardly the first Iranian to face deportation from Turkey. Last year, Article 18 documented numerous cases of Turkish officials harassing Iranian Christian refugees. In one wave of arrests that lasted six months in 2023, officials rounded up five Iranian Christian refugee families and took them to detention centers, threatening them with deportation. Other Christians have been targeted in Turkey by a weaponized immigration and refugee system. Since a coup attempt in 2016, the Erdogan government has singled out expatriate Christians from the West for expulsion. Numerous long-term foreign residents, especially those in teaching or leadership roles in churches, have had their residency permits revoked without cause. Other expatriate Christians who had lived in Turkey without incident for decades have received an N-82 security code identifying them as a threat to public order and security. The immigration code acts as a ban for reentry into the country for those who leave. At least 75 foreign Christian workers and their families were kicked out of Turkey between 2020 and 2023, according to Open Doors. This figure does not begin to address the untold number of expatriate Christians who fled Turkey of their own accord out of fear. Turkey ranks 50th on Open Doors 2024 World Watch List of the most difficult places to be a Christian. Iran ranks ninth. Home News Supreme Court wont weigh if jurors can be removed for religious beliefs in lesbian employment case The U.S. Supreme Court won't delve into whether jurors can be dismissed due to their religious beliefs about homosexuality in a case tied to a lesbian woman's employment dispute in Missouri. In an orders list on Tuesday, the nation's high court declined to hear the case of Missouri Department of Corrections v. Jean Finney. The decision came after Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey, a Republican, appealed the discrimination lawsuit against the state's Department of Corrections. The case involved Jean Finney, a department employee, who claimed retaliation from a co-worker following her engagement in a same-sex relationship with his former spouse. Finney sued the department in 2021, alleging a hostile work environment. 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 During jury selection, Finney's attorney inquired if any potential jurors went to a religious organization growing up where it "was taught that people that are homosexuals shouldn't have the same rights as everyone else because it was a sin with what they did?" The attorney asked if they could set those views aside, and the two who said they could not were dismissed from the case. Ultimately, the jury agreed with Finney and awarded her $275,000. The state's legal team sought a retrial, arguing the jury selection process was flawed, especially after losing the initial case. Their appeal was rejected by the Missouri Court of Appeals, and the Missouri Supreme Court declined to review the case, leading Bailey to approach the U.S. Supreme Court. Although no reason was offered for the Supreme Court's rejection of Bailey's appeal, Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito offered a statement voicing concerns. Alito, one of the most conservative members of the court, concurred with the refusal to hear the case, citing technical legal reasons. Although he agrees with the court's decision, Alito said the case "raises a very serious and important question that we should address in an appropriate case." He highlighted the case's significance, particularly in light of the Supreme Court's 2015 decision legalizing same-sex marriage. "In this case, the court below reasoned that a person who still holds traditional religious views on questions of sexual morality is presumptively unfit to serve on a jury in a case involving a party who is a lesbian," Alito wrote. "That holding exemplifies the danger that I anticipated in Obergefell v. Hodges, ... namely, that Americans who do not hide their adherence to traditional religious beliefs about homosexual conduct will be 'labeled as bigots and treated as such' by the government. The opinion of the Court in that case made it clear that the decision should not be used in that way, but I am afraid that this admonition is not being heeded by our society." Like the other branches of state and federal government, Alito wrote that the judiciary must "respect people's fundamental rights, and among these are the right to the free exercise of religion and the right to the equal protection of the laws." "When a court, a quintessential state actor, finds that a person is ineligible to serve on a jury because of his or her religious beliefs, that decision implicates fundamental rights," he warned. Alito said he would have voted to grant review in this case if it were not for the fact that the the "Court of Appeals concluded that the Department of Corrections did not properly preserve an objection to dismissal of the two potential jurors and, thus, that their dismissal was reviewable under state law only for plain error." "Because this state-law question would complicate our review, I reluctantly concur in the denial of certiorari," Alito wrote. In the petition, Bailey argued against excluding jurors solely based on their religious beliefs, acknowledging that bias stemming from those beliefs could justify exclusion. Finney's legal representatives countered, emphasizing the relevance of her sexual orientation to the case and defending the exclusion of jurors who exhibited bias against homosexuals. However, Bailey wrote in the state's petition, "The Constitution does not tolerate excluding jurors on the basis of race or sex. It ought not to tolerate exclusion on the basis of religion." Home News Survivor warns human trafficking 'happens here in America': 'Master manipulators' NATIONAL HARBOR, Maryland. A woman who was trafficked in her Virginia hometown after turning 18 warned that human trafficking is not an issue only happening in some faraway places but right here in America, "the land of the free, and the home of the brave." Tanya Gould, the director of Virginia's Anti-Human Trafficking Office, spoke at the 2024 Conservative Political Action Conference on Friday. The panel discussion, "Combating Human Trafficking," also featured Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost and Elizabeth Ameling, founder and executive director of Latisha's House, a nonprofit that serves trafficking survivors. 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 Gould has spokenpublicly about how a family member sexually abused her for years, and then, when she was 18, an older man came into her life and trafficked her. She recounted part of her story, where she emphasized the need to educate lawmakers on both sides of the aisle about the issue. "As you're going about your day, remember that this happens here in America," Gould said. The survivor warned that traffickers are "master manipulators" who know their victims are "vulnerable." She said that this manipulation often consists of traffickers convincing women to become involved in crime, which leads to the trafficking victim going to jail. Ameling, a certified traumatologist, said Latisha's House has helped many trafficking survivors with a criminal record. Many of the women the organization has helped have kids in the foster care system, and Ameling said they need help overcoming addiction and building life skills. The executive director said that Latisha's House usually only has 12 to 13 months to bring victims to a place of healing where they're ready to get their kids back from foster care. Ameling called for better laws to prevent human trafficking survivors from losing their kids, noting that children in foster care are at a higher risk of experiencing sex trafficking. Ameling added that she wants trafficking victims to have housing and independence, saying that she wants to "break the cycle" that leads to abuse and exploitation. At the beginning of the panel, Ameling shared some information about common traits associated with human trafficking survivors, including that the average age at which a young person becomes involved in trafficking is 12 years old. She noted that many trafficking victims are also survivors of child sexual abuse. Ameling explained how Latisha's House helps trafficking survivors find healing, adding that faith often plays a role in the process. According to the traumatologist, the survivors who embrace a connection with God typically do better with counseling, adding that the result is "transformative." Ameling recalled how one of the women who sought help through Latisha's House said, "I feel loved for the first time in my life." Ohio Attorney General Yost believes that the fight against human trafficking is a "fundamentally conservative" one, stating that it is about advocating for the "dignity and quality of human beings." Yost became the state's attorney general in 2019 and launched the Human Trafficking Initiative, which aims to end the practice in his state. Home News Pray.com removed from Apple App Store in China, restricting access to content Pray.com, a leading digital platform for Christian content, says it has been removed from the Apple App Store in mainland China, reflecting the Chinese government's strict internet publishing policies. The removal restricts access to significant events like the National Day of Prayer livestream, previously featuring prominent figures such as President Joe Biden, Chris Tomlin and Franklin Graham, the platform announced in a statement. Pray.com's mission since its 2016 inception has been to enhance faith and community engagement worldwide. With over 16 million users, it offers a range of spiritual resources, including daily prayers and Bible stories. 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 decision marks a shift in China's approach to the prayer app, which had operated under more lenient conditions that permitted the app to minister to people in China while others had been shut down. "Since starting Pray.com we've grown accustomed to positive relations with China," co-founder Michael Lynn said. "President Xi has allowed for the printing of nearly 150 million Bibles per year, and President Trump ensured that Bibles were exempt from Chinese tariffs." In response, Pray.com is seeking alternative methods to reach its Chinese audience, with CEO Steve Gatena inviting President Xi to the National Day of Prayer event in Washington this May. Apple told The Christian Post that it's obligated to follow the laws of countries in which it operates, including ones it disagrees with. In China, the law requires apps that primarily function to provide or facilitate access to religious content to acquire permits from regulators to be included in app stores. Except for China, the Pray.com app can still be downloaded on all other storefronts where it was previously available. In 2022, China enacted regulations that mandate an internet religious information service license for any religious group that wants to disseminate religious content on the internet. Opponents of the measure, including the rights group Bitter Winter, claim that only legally established organizations can acquire those licenses, essentially meaning only groups that are part of the five authorized religions in China can use the internet to distribute religious content. According to the English translation of the regulation, those engaged in "internet religious information services" must "practice the core socialist values, adhere to the principle of independent self-management of religions in China, adhere to the direction of sinicization of religions in China, and actively guide religions to adapt to socialist society." Pray.com co-founder Matthew Potter highlighted ongoing efforts to navigate these barriers. He indicated that he would speak with former President Donald Trump, the frontrunner for the 2024 Republican nomination, on Thursday night. "We are committed to overcoming these barriers to ensure that our global community remains connected and supported, especially during significant spiritual observances such as the National Day of Prayer," Potter said. The company expresses solidarity with its Chinese members, striving to comply with regulations while upholding its foundational goals. This development reflects China's continual crackdown on religious content, including the removal of Bible apps and Christian WeChat accounts, as part of broader restrictions on religious practices. Father Francis Liu from the Chinese Christian Fellowship of Righteousness tweeted in 2021 that some Christian WeChat accounts, including "Gospel League" and "Life Quarterly," were no longer available online. Bible apps had also been removed from the App Store, and Bibles in hard copy were no longer available for sale online, as U.S.-based persecution watchdog International Christian Concern reported at the time. Bible apps could only be downloaded with the use of a virtual private network. Another sign of the crackdown was that bookstores owned by the state-sanctioned Three-Self churches had increasingly been selling books that promoted President Xi's thoughts and communist ideology. The five state-sanctioned religious groups in China are the Buddhist Association of China, the Chinese Taoist Association, the Islamic Association of China, the Protestant Three-Self Patriotic Movement and the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association. Even the organizations within the five authorized religions are subject to surveillance and limitations. In October 2020, internet censorship targeting Christians in China became so severe that even official government-sanctioned Christian groups started using the Chinese Pinyin initials "JD" to replace Chinese characters for "Christ," China Aid reported at the time. In 2018, the Chinese government banned the sale of Bibles at online bookstores nationwide to comply with a "white paper" that dictated compliance with the "core values of socialism." Australia's ABC News reported at the time that copies of the Gospels had been removed from online retailers following the release of a regime document titled "China's Policies and Practices on Protecting Freedom of Religious Belief." The white paper declared that Chinese faith communities "should adhere to the direction of localizing the religion, practice the core values of socialism, develop and expand the fine Chinese tradition and actively explore the religious thought which accords with China's national circumstances." Home Opinion 6 US presidents and their Christian faith Since we celebrated Presidents' Day recently, I thought it might be interesting to reflect on the faith of the first six men who held that office. Most of them were believers in Jesus and were not ashamed to say so. Several of these instances are not politically correct, but they are historically accurate. In 1779, 10 years before he became the first president under the Constitution, George Washington was asked by Delaware Indian chiefs for advice on the education of three of their sons. 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 Washington told them, You do well to wish to learn our arts and ways of life, and above all, the religion of Jesus Christ. These will make you a greater and happier people than you are. John Adams, our second president, said in his Inaugural Address in 1797 that he considered a decent respect for Christianity among the best recommendations for the public service. Our third president Thomas Jefferson was a church-going man whenever it was available to him, generally in the Episcopal tradition. As a young man, before he entertained some private doubts of core Christian doctrines, he helped found an evangelical church. This was in 1777, a year after he wrote the first draft of the Declaration of Independence. That church was the Calvinistic Reformed Church of Charlottesville, and Jefferson wrote up its by-laws and donated more money than any other parishioner. He said in the charter for this church that they started it because they were desirous of the benefits of Gospel knowledge. They called the Rev. Charles Clay as the minister. He was an ordained Anglican minister who was also an evangelical. A book I co-wrote with Mark Beliles on Jeffersons faith or lack thereof contains two of Rev. Clays sermons. To our knowledge, this is the first time any of Clays works have been in print. They are straightforward Gospel preaching. Clay preached some things as Repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ are the means of the sinners reconciliation with God. And Jefferson supported the Rev. Charles Clays ministry for years. James Madison, a key architect of the Constitution, served on the committee to appoint chaplains to the legislature. (The first non-Christian chaplain appointed was not until the 1860s, long after Madisons death.) Writing in his Memorial and Remonstrances in 1785, Madison, (later, our fourth president), described Christianity, as the Religion which we believe to be of divine origin. Madison felt the faith best served by not denying an equal freedom to those whose minds have not yet yielded to the evidence which has convinced us. Madison believed in the separation of the institution of the Church from the institution of the state, but he certainly didnt believe in separating God and government. Madison once wrote of the correlation between morality and Christian conviction, The belief in a God All Powerful wise and good is so essential to the moral order of the World and to the happiness of man. Our fifth president, James Monroe, was the last of the founding fathers to serve as president. Monroe professed to believe in Christian doctrine, although he is perhaps best known for the eponymous Doctrine, which essentially states that European nations should not interfere with those of the Western hemisphere and vice versa. In his First Inaugural Address, in 1817, Monroe stated that he was taking office with my fervent prayers to the Almighty that He will be graciously pleased to continue to us that protection which He has already so conspicuously displayed in our favor. Our sixth president John Quincy Adams (JQA) was the son of our second president. He was the only president who went on to a political career in Congress after he served in the White House. Why? Adams was so dead set against slavery which was inconsistent with the founding principles of the United States, that he sought to remove this evil. John Quincy Adams was nick-named The Hell-Hound of Slavery. While serving in Congress, he sat next to a young man from Illinois, and some argue he was able to influence that man to help end this evil. That man was Abraham Lincoln. John Quincy Adams had a great motto, Duty is ours. Results are Gods. JQA once observed, according to author John Wingate Thorton, in his 1860 book, The Pulpit of the American Revolution, The highest glory of the American Revolution was this: it connected, in one indissoluble bond, the principles of civil government with the principles of Christianity. And we could go on and on. In our highly secular age, we have been largely cut off from our Judeo-Christian roots. Its time for America to rediscover the indispensable role that the Bible played in our nations founding. Hat tip to Bill Federer and Americas God and Country for research help with this column. Home Opinion Answers to common pro-choice arguments Abortion has been a hotly debated topic in the US for decades, especially following the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision in 1973 that declared abortion to be a constitutional right. Although Roe was overturned in June of 2022, the debate has become even more heated as both sides attempt to enshrine their positions in state laws. Although most Christians tend to be reflexively pro-life based on the teachings of Scripture, few can articulate a persuasive pro-life position, or respond to the most common claims made by proponents of abortion. Given how pervasive the issue of abortion is, its almost certain that Christian teens and young adults will have to defend a Christian viewpoint on this topic, or else find themselves overwhelmed by pro-choice objections. We hope pastors and other church leaders will find the material and resources that follow useful for incorporating into lessons, activities, or sermons that help students understand and defend the intrinsic value of human life. Well begin with a brief overview of why the unborn should be valued and protected, followed by a series of short responses to common pro-choice arguments. One final thing to note is that while the following discussion deals with facts and reasoning related to the permissibility of abortion, Christians should respond with compassion and care when interacting with any woman who feels she has to end her pregnancy. Christians should speak the truth in love while listening, offering help, and being a friend. The context of the discussion will determine whether the main focus should be science and logic, or compassionate help (resting on the foundation of Scripture, science, and reason). 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 Why should we protect the unborn? The short answer to this question is that we should value and protect the unborn because they are distinct members of the human species who are made in Gods image, regardless of their size and location.[1] Many on the pro-choice side claim that the question of when life begins is a theological or philosophical question that cant ultimately be answered. But this is false. Rather, the beginning of life is a scientific question, and biologists are nearly unanimous that human life begins at conception the moment when a sperm and egg come together and form a zygote. For example, in their embryology textbook The Developing Human: Clinically Oriented Embryology, Keith L. Moore and T. Persaud state, A zygote is the beginning of a new human being.[2] The zygote will go through numerous stages of development, but its fundamental identity never changes from what it begins as a new member of the human species. Well say more below about why the unborn is distinct, rather than merely a part of its mothers body. Some on the pro-abortion side will bite the bullet and admit that the unborn is human but claim that not all humans are persons, and only persons have a right to life. Theyll typically propose criteria for personhood such as self-awareness or rational thought, which the unborn lacks. However adopting this view of personhood that depends on having or exercising certain capacities leads to disturbing conclusions. For example, most newborns lack these capacities as well. Does this make infanticide acceptable? The same question arises about people in comas, those suffering from dementia, or who sustain brain damage in an accident. Are we really prepared to say that humans in these cases cease to be persons and can therefore be eliminated? In contrast to this is the Christian view, which grounds human value in ones unchanging identity as an individual made in Gods image. Thus God declared in Genesis that from each human being ... I will demand an accounting for the life of another human being ... for in the image of God has God made mankind (Gen. 9:5, 6). Some have attempted to argue that the Bible is silent or even permissive on abortion, but this view cant be seriously maintained in light of Psalm 139, where David declares that you [God] created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mothers womb ... My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place (vv. 13, 15). This reveals that not only was God providentially involved in Davids development in the womb, but that David is the same individual who once existed in the womb. That is, David was himself from the very beginning of his life, rather than a biological entity that became David at some arbitrary point in his development. Having sketched this brief scientific and scriptural case for the value of unborn life, well look now at responses to a handful of the most common objections raised by those who are in favor of abortion. Responding to pro-choice arguments 1. Abortion opponents are imposing their religious beliefs on society Its interesting that some people become seriously alarmed when those who advocate for life base their actions on their religious beliefs, but express praise or remain silent when the same people oppose war or fight poverty based on their religious beliefs. Questions about the value of human life necessarily involve beliefs that transcend the material world. Science cant tell us whether, or to what extent we should value human life. Those who promote pro-abortion views may think theyre doing so from a position of neutrality, but theyre just as engaged in metaphysics as the pro-life advocate. In addition, many who oppose abortion are explicitly non-religious. This includes groups such as Secular Pro-Life, Atheists Against Abortion, and Pro-Life Humanists.[3] A double standard is in play when those who advocate for the right to life of children or adults arent accused of imposing their religious beliefs on society, but defenders of the right to life of the unborn are. 2. A woman should have the right to control her own body This is by far the most common assertion made on behalf of abortion access. We can readily agree that bodily autonomy is important, but only to the extent that what one does with their body doesnt harm someone else. As one old formulation of the principle goes, my right to swing my arm ends where your nose begins. In the case of abortion, a woman is using her body to harm another human being, as we established earlier. An unborn child is not a part of the mothers body. The child is a distinct individual with its own genetic code, blood type, organs, and sex. To say an unborn male is part of its mothers body would lead to the absurd conclusion that the mother has both female and male reproductive organs. Or that she has two brains, hearts, and livers. A terrible irony of the pro-abortion position is that mothers who plan to keep their children are strictly warned not to smoke or drink during pregnancy, to avoid harming the unborn child, but if the child isnt wanted, it becomes okay to destroy it in the womb. This incoherent view makes the value of ones life dependent on another persons arbitrary choice. 3. Women will die from illegal abortions We should not enact laws that make taking an innocent life easier, even if some will try to circumvent these laws and possibly put themselves at risk. Further, the scenario of women having dangerous illegal abortions in back alleys is largely an urban legend. Prior to the Roe decision in 1973, roughly 90% of illegal abortions were performed by licensed physicians in good standing with their state medical boards.[4] In addition, even safe abortions carry significant risks, including damage to the uterus or cervix, heavy bleeding, and infection. Pelvic infection occurs in up to 30% of women who have abortions, which can lead to significantly higher rates of spontaneous abortion, secondary infertility, dyspareunia [painful intercourse], and chronic pelvic pain.[5] Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that 411 women died from legal abortions between 1973 and 2009.[6] 4. Abortion is necessary in cases of rape Rape is an evil and violent act, and Christians should reach out with compassion and love to anyone who has suffered from it. At the same time, we should not transfer our anger or revulsion to the act to an innocent life that results from it. No one should suffer harm due to the circumstances of their conception, which are always beyond their control. As Randy Alcorn points out, Theres a close parallel between the violent attack on a woman in a rape and the violent attack on a child in an abortion. Both are done at the expense of an innocent person. The violence of abortion is never a solution to the violence of rape.[7] While carrying a child in such circumstances is difficult physically and emotionally, the alternative of killing the child is much worse. Numerous faith-based organizations exist that will come alongside women facing an unplanned pregnancy and provide counseling, healthcare, financial assistance, and adoption options.[8] Alcorn recounts a talk he once gave defending the un-borns right to life, after which a young woman approached him and said, Ive always heard abortion is right when pregnancy is the result of rape, but thats how I was conceived. And this was the first time Ive ever heard someone say I deserved to live! My mother was raped when she was twelve. She gave birth to me and gave me up for adoption to a wonderful family. Ill probably never meet her, but every day I thank God for her and her parents. If they hadnt let me live, I wouldnt be here to have my own husband and children and my own life.[9] Pro-life resources In addition to the resources cited in the footnotes, the following websites are useful sources of information and material that can be used for lessons, activities, and sermons. Students for Life of America Their list of pro-life movies and documentaries is a helpful resource for youth groups. Californians for Life (Pro-Life Educational Materials) National Right to Life (Education) Focus on the Family (Pro-Life Advocacy & Encouragement) Life Training Institute *This article originally appeared at Summit Ministries. Notes My discussion in this article is especially indebted to the following sources: Scott Klusendorf, The Case for Life: Equipping Christians to Engage the Culture (Wheaton: Crossway, 2009); Randy Alcorn and Stephanie Anderson, Pro-Choice or Pro-Life? Examining 15 Pro-Choice Claims: What Do Facts & Common Sense Tell Us? (EPM, 2020); Scott B. Rae, Moral Choices: An Introduction to Ethics, 3rd ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2009). Cited in Klusendorf, 28. Also see this page, for example, that collects numerous quotations from embryology textbooks that echo this point: https://www.princeton.edu/~prolife/articles/embryoquotes2.html. The Pro-Life Humanists website states, We oppose discrimination against biological humans on the grounds of what they look like and how they function, and we believe that abortion should be rejected on the same ground as racism, sexism and ableismwhich place greater importance on what the human entity does and looks like, than on what the entity in question actually is. See About Pro-Life Humanists, www.prolifehumanists.org. Cited in Alcorn, 37-38. Rae, 133. Alcorn, 34, citing Lars Heisterberg, MD, et al., Sequelae of Induced First-Trimester Abortion, American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, July 1986, 79. Alcorn, 68. Alcorn, 40-41. See, for example, the numerous services listed at standingwithyou.org. Alcorn, 41. Home Opinion The programming of AI reveals radical Left rewriting past Last September, I wrote an article titled, Four Years Later Googles Search Bias Is As Blatant As Ever. The article began with these words: In his 2019 book The Madness of the Crowds: Gender, Race and Identity, Douglas Murray exposed the cultural insanity that has gripped so much of the modern world. He pointed out that, no sooner was there more equality than ever between the sexes that the war on men was launched. And no sooner was there more equality than ever between the races that the war on whiteness was launched. Murray brought a wide array of arguments to support his theses, but none were more striking than the images that came up on Google searches for specific terms and phrases. It was hard to deny what you could see with your own eyes. 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 you search for black couples or gay couples, you will see a host of images of black couples or gay couples, as expected. But when you searched for white couples or straight couples, you would see many images of black couples or same-sex couples. In fact, some of those images would be the first ones posted. What in the world was going on? Four years after Murrays book was published, I searched for the same images and got the same results. Especially, when it came to white couples, I noted that the first couple that came up in response to my search was a "white man and a black woman. The same with the second image (Im not making this up). The fourth image is that of a black man and possibly a Hispanic man (the image links to the website, Loving Interracial Couples), and the fifth is that of a white woman and a black man ... When I searched for Straight Couples, there was at least one image of a same-sex couple on each of the first three rows, some of the images linked to an article on what straight couples could learn from gay couples. When I searched for Straight White Couples to repeat, I am not making this up the very first image that came up was that of a gay interracial couple chew on that for a moment a White man and a Black man. To repeat, this was searching for Straight White Couples. But here is where things get very interesting. AI is trained by what it learns digitally, taking in trillions of pieces of data, digesting the information, and distilling (or, perhaps I should say regurgitating) that information with clarity and detail upon request. Thats why Elon Musk had to explain why the search engine he designed was sometimes providing woke answers. Its because the internet was dominated by that distorted ideology, so it was taking time to teach it properly. Today, a staff member sent me a post on the End Wokeness account on X. The post was captioned, Americas Founding Fathers, Vikings, and the Pope according to AI. In response to a request for a portrait of a Founding Father of America, AI provided four images, all of them to people of color, including an unusually dark-skinned Native American, along with Black men wearing white wigs. These are our Founding Fathers! It was the same with images of Vikings (they were all black!) and the Pope (black too!). Previously, Patrick Ganley had posted on X, I asked Google Gemini to generate images of the Founding Fathers. It seems to think George Washington was black. (He provided the images that were used in the just-cited post from End Wokeness.) Gemini even produced images of the Nazis the ultimate White Supremacists as blacks. I kid you not. The Babylon Bee was completely in line with its satirical article stating, Google Gemini Finally Draws White Man After Being Prompted To Generate Clarence Thomas. Does this mean that AI itself is biased or even racist? No. It means that AI learned from people who were biased or racist. AI still doesnt think for itself. Thats why a headline on Fox Business noted that, Google apologizes after new Gemini AI refuses to show pictures, achievements of White people. Yes, this is Googles fault. (A headline referencing the AI-generated black Nazis stated that, Google apologizes for missing the mark after Gemini generated racially diverse Nazis.) In another instance, when Gemini had been asked to make a picture of a black family, it provided the image without hesitation. When asked to do the same for a white family, Gemini responded, While I understand your request, Im unable to generate images that specify ethnicity or race. Its against my guidelines to create content that could be discriminatory or promote harmful stereotypes. Instead, I can offer you images of families that celebrate diversity and inclusivity, featuring people of various ethnicities and backgrounds. Would you be interested in that? How extraordinary. This, then, reveals just how deeply a radical leftist rewriting of the past (and reshaping of the present) has infiltrated our society, to the point of creating a Black George Washington and racially diverse Nazis while refusing to create images of White families for fear of stereotyping. But this destructive and deceptive ideology is not just being used to program AI. It is also being used to influence the thinking of the culture as a whole and, even more ominously, to indoctrinate and brainwash our children. We must resist it with the unrelenting presentation of truth. It is only light that will dispel the darkness. Home Opinion When your preconceived notions collide with Christ When was the last time you were forced to admit to yourself that your preconceived notions about someone or something had been incorrect? Whenever we are not well-versed in a particular matter, we can easily get it wrong by forming ideas and opinions based on a small subset of factors. Author Elizabeth Thornton described it this way: If we are honest with ourselves, we have to admit that sometimes our assumptions and preconceived notions are wrong, and therefore, our interpretation of events is incorrect. This causes us to overreact, to take things personally, or to judge people unfairly. I suspect each one of us can remember times when we have been guilty of this sort of thing. 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 Even Christs first disciples had faulty preconceived notions about the Messiah. One day, Jesus took the Twelve aside and told them, We are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled. He will be handed over to the Gentiles. They will mock him, insult him, spit on him, flog him and kill him. On the third day he will rise again. The disciples did not understand any of this. Its meaning was hidden from them, and they did not know what he was talking about (Luke 18:31-34). The disciples were operating under the assumption that the Messiah had arrived to usher in an earthly kingdom of temporal grandeur. They were unwilling to believe that their Messiah would be taken into custody and then put to death. Matthew records an incident that highlights the agitation and confusion Christs disciples were experiencing. From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. Never, Lord! he said. This shall never happen to you! (Matthew 16:21-23). Peter refused to surrender his preconceived notions. Have you ever done that? You read something in the Bible that challenges your personal view, but you are unwilling to consider it because it might mean that you would need to adjust your perspective. Christs first disciples demonstrated this stubborn mentality. They could not wrap their minds around the upcoming events Jesus told them were going to take place. Since the message completely contradicted their expectation, they failed to comprehend it. Preconceived notions about Christianity are a dime a dozen. For example, atheist Richard Dawkins stated, Faith can be very very dangerous, and to deliberately implant it into the vulnerable mind of an innocent child is a grievous wrong. Dawkins has a boatload of defective ideas about Christianity, and he has allowed these bankrupt opinions to completely corrupt his ideas about the Lord. He refuses to be open to the reality that Jesus truly is the way, the truth and the life (see John 14:6). The greatest thing you can do for children is to teach them about Gods love in sending Jesus to die on the cross for our sins. The less people know about Gods love, the Gospel and the Bible, the more likely they are to embrace false ideas about Christianity. Sadly, universities today are saturated with professors and students who hold erroneous opinions about the Christian faith. Religious skeptic Bill Maher had an interesting conversation recently on his podcast with comedian Chris Distefano, who said: I went to Catholic school my whole life. But after reading this book The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel, the factual evidence that He existed, its kind of overwhelming. He encouraged Maher to read the book, and it sounds like he is going to do so. We will see if, by the grace of God, Bill Maher finally discovers why his misguided opinions about Christianity are dead wrong. You see, even a seasoned vocal critic like Maher can be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth. Interestingly, Lee Strobel was an investigative journalist and an atheist who came to the Lord only after his preconceived notions collided with Christ. But multitudes of unbelievers refuse to research the topic. Rather than zeroing in on the Person of Christ, many people become distracted by a variety of diversions. I addressed this issue in my 2013 CP op-ed, Rejecting Jesus for All the Wrong Reasons. People die every day who are oblivious to their fallacious assumptions concerning Christianity. Such notions, however, are quickly dispelled on the other side of the grave. A common misconception is that Christian faith and science are incompatible. And yet nothing could be further from the truth. Mathematician John Lennox helps to clarify things with these insights: The very success of science in showing us how deeply ordered the natural world is provides strong grounds for believing that there is an even deeper cause for that order. Faith is not a leap in the dark; its the exact opposite. Its a commitment based on evidence It is irrational to reduce all faith to blind faith and then subject it to ridicule. Lennox also said, We have only to see a few letters of the alphabet spelling our name in the sand to recognize at once the work of an intelligent agent. How much more likely, then is the existence of an intelligent Creator behind human DNA, the colossal biological database that contains no fewer than 3.5 billion letters? Open-minded people are willing to look at the evidence. Do you have an open mind? If so, I encourage you to read Josh McDowells book, Evidence that Demands a Verdict. Are you willing to go wherever the evidence leads you? The only alternative is to keep your head buried in the sand and ignore the overwhelming evidence surrounding the most important Person in history. Church of England is 'standing on the brink of a precipice' As the General Synod of the Church of England gathered once again in London on Friday, Rev Ian Paul, a member of the Archbishops' Council challenged the agenda in forceful terms. Suggesting that Synod had made "avoiding reality a bit of an art form," he claimed that the Church of England is "standing on the brink of a precipice". A precipice which could leave the next generation with nothing but a "heap of ruins" to fight over. Rev Paul suggested that the last 10 years of discussions about sexuality have left the Church "more anxious, more divided and more uncertain than ever before," and he held out little hope that another eight hours of debate - as scheduled next week - would provide any answers. "Fiddling while Canterbury burns doesn't even capture it," he said, pointing to the real problem of a Church on the brink of disintegration. "Over the same 10 years adult attendance has declined by 30 per cent, child attendance by 40 per cent," he said. He said that "there is a very real prospect that ministry is going to completely collapse in large parts of the Church of England within the next five years." However, he was clear that decline was not inevitable. "The Church in England is not in decline, other churches are growing," he pointed out. "But we are reluctant to learn from them. We now represent less than 18 per cent of all Christians in a church on a Sunday." This view is backed up by the Bible Society who found that the proportion of people attending church changed very little between 2018 and 2023. Their research showed 7% of the population attend church weekly and one in ten attend once a month. In an article for Baptists Together, Mark Woods, a Baptist minister said, "In terms of overall numbers, the Church in England and Wales is not declining. But it is changing shape, and increasingly less white. "However, when historic denominations extrapolate a narrative of inevitable decline from their own difficulties, this becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy who wants to take a cruise on a sinking ship?" This is not the first time Rev Paul has tried to draw Synod's attention to these challenging statistics, nor is it likely to be the last. The question is whether anyone will listen. "Brothers and sisters," he finished, "if we continue to avoid this reality, if we continue with this fruitless conversation, that will be the legacy we leave - the Church of England - a heap of ruins for the next generation. It's up to us." Susie Leafe is director of Anglican Futures, which supports orthodox Anglicans in the UK. On Saturday morning, the Rev. Eugene Pierce stood at the microphone in front of the Cheektowaga Town Board and recalled one of the previous times he addressed the towns governing body. It was 1977, and Pierce questioned why there were no Black town employees. Cheektowaga faces challenge to election methods under new state voting rights law Ken Young, a Black resident who campaigned as a Democrat for a spot on the board this past election cycle, claims the town's voting system prevents minority candidates from being elected and is urging officials to consider making a change. He was arrested and jailed for speaking out, and his family was threatened, but a subsequent federal investigation found the Town of Cheektowaga was guilty of employment discrimination. Now, Pierce was speaking in support of the town implementing a ward system of voting as a way to ensure that minorities in Cheektowaga are able to elect the candidates they prefer to represent them. An analysis of voting in Cheektowaga by two national voting rights experts found that recent voting patterns demonstrate racially polarized voting in the township, especially in 2021 and in the most recent elections. The experts report backs up claims made by Cheektowaga resident Ken Young, who first claimed there was racially polarized voting in the town. In a complaint submitted to the town under the new John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act of New York, Young claimed Cheektowagas at-large voting system prevents minority voters from electing their preferred candidates. In his complaint, Young, a Black resident who ran as a Democrat in the most recent Town Board election, wrote he received the most votes in the neighborhoods with the most Black residents. But, overall, he received the fewest votes among the six candidates who ran for three seats. Before 2021, even when a contest was racially polarized, Black-preferred candidates usually prevailed, the report reads. Since 2021, voting in town elections (as well as county and statewide elections) has been racially polarized and Black-preferred candidates do not always win. In 2023, the only Black candidate supported by Black voters was defeated in a contest demonstrating racially polarized voting. Black and other minority residents make up approximately 19% of Cheektowagas population, according to the report. To remedy the unfair voting system, Young suggested the town implement a ward system for voting and impose a two-term limit for Town Board members. And during two public hearings held this week, a majority of residents said they are in favor of Cheektowaga creating a ward system. We need to change things today for a better tomorrow, Brent Rollins said Saturday. This is not the first time there has been a push to implement a ward system in Cheektowaga. In 1953, Cheektowaga residents voted in favor of establishing wards, but the decision was later reversed. Several more attempts were made in the 1960s and 1970s, said Gary Borek, the attorney representing Young. And most recently, Sandy Przybylak, a previous Town Board candidate, tried gathering signatures for a petition to create wards in 2018. Its the fair way to go, Przybylak said Saturday during the public hearing. Many residents who offered their support of a ward system said it is not about race. It is about having a representative on the board from their own community. Most of Cheektowagas Black residents live in the northwest corner of the town, west of Union Road and north of Broadway, according to Youngs complaint. But most of Cheektowagas elected officials live in the southern part town. This has nothing to do with race, Stanley Clyburn said Wednesday. This has something to do with accountability, and the service that we should get in the neighborhood. We dont have the proper people that we can vent our frustration to. The minority of speakers who were against implementing a ward system said they believe the current at-large election method is fair. Frank Max and Cathleen Mann, who both spoke on Wednesday, said they voted for Young, but he lost because he didnt campaign as well as the other candidates. I dont see any reason to have a district-type vote, Max said. Now that the Town Board has held two public hearings, its members have to decide whether they will implement a ward system or an alternative remedy, such as ranked or cumulative voting. If the Town Board does nothing, or its remedy does not satisfy Young, he can sue the town. Youngs Voting Rights Act complaint to the town is not a lawsuit. Provisions in the law give municipalities the chance to remedy violations without a lengthy and expensive court process. If the Town Board decides to implement a ward system, the members will draw up a proposed map and hold two public hearings to get input on the districts. The town would then need the state Attorney Generals Office to approve the plan. Forty-seven years after he was jailed while fighting for equality, Pierce said Saturday that he hopes times have changed. Do we have a different situation and a different mindset here today? Pierce questioned. I pray we do. Unimaginable suffering and clergy under pressure after two years of war in Ukraine Two years after Russia invaded Ukraine, families in the country are desperate and looking to the Church for support, putting clergy under huge pressure. Kenneth Nowakowski, a bishop of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC), told Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) that support is needed for clergy working round the clock to provide material and spiritual support to families affected by the war. Clergy have reported "unimaginable suffering" in the country over the last two years. The UGCC is developing a programme called 'Healing the Wounds of War' to provide training for Ukrainian clergy "who, day in and day out have to be dealing with funerals" and counsel victims of war. The training aims to plug the gap in seminary education that does not teach clergy how to give highly demanding trauma counselling to people caught up in war. It will also train clergy in how they can effectively support families affected by separation. "We cannot make priests psychiatrists or psychologists in six easy lessons. But we can at least prepare them to be able to direct people to the right places to receive help and [assist them to cope with] the effects of hearing these stories and having to deal with so many deaths not just ordinary, normal deaths but people dying in war," he said. The UGCC is working further afield, too, to support refugees who have re-settled in the UK. A Sunday programme offered by the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral in London is attended by about 250 children, while around 2,000 children are involved in the St Mary's Ukrainian School's Saturday programme, which offers creative activities, interfaith services, mental health support, and safeguarding initiatives. Priests are on hand at the cathedral's Welcome Centre for Ukrainians in London who need a listening ear or prayer. The bishop said that priests listen "without either telling them to stay or encouraging them to leave". He concluded: "Our responsibility is to find out what help people need and do our best to help them." From left, Erica Henderson, an aircraft maintenance engineer with KBM Aviation, Alyssa Mueller, an aircraft maintenance engineer from North Star Air, and student pilot Dhelal Mohammed, from KBM Aviation, explain the benefits of a career in aviation to Westgate high school students Skye Prevost and Ashley Kirkham, on Thursday at the school. COLUMBUS, Ohio Tres Genco wanted to make history, to be remembered for carrying out a mass shooting specifically targeting women at Ohio State University with the hopes of killing 3,000. Instead, hell be remembered for something else: the first incel to be convicted of federal hate crime charges. For those reasons, prosecutors are urging a federal judge in Cincinnati to hand down a sentence on Thursday that sends a message to the online community of men known as incels, or involuntary celibates. The members harbor anger toward women because they believe women deny them romantic or sexual attention. Society needs to be protected from individuals like the defendant who not only espouse such a toxic philosophy but plot mass attacks of violence in furtherance of it, Assistant U.S. Attorney Megan Gaffney Painter wrote in court records. The defendant would have carried out a devastating mass murder if he had not been stopped. The women of our state need to be protected from the defendant for as long as possible. Gaffney Painter asked U.S. District Judge Susan Dlott to sentence Genco to 12.5 years in prison. Defense attorneys argued that Genco harmed no one and should be sentenced to two years of time served since his July 2021 federal arrest. He pleaded guilty to a charge of an attempted hate crime in October 2022. He committed no actual violent acts toward women, nor did his conduct in this offense ever put women in fear of harm, wrote defense attorney Richard Monahan. In fact, in the entire course of the attempted hate crime, Mr. Genco never actually encountered a woman. Dlott, in a ruling earlier this month, rejected some of Monahans arguments. She found that Genco was ready to act on his threats. His conduct is more reprehensible than an attempted hate crime, Dlott wrote. Most extreme form of hatred Gencos sentence will be closely watched by those who monitor extremism and hate groups. It comes at a time when the incel movement showed signs of growing, said Samantha Kutner, who researches extremists and serves as an intelligence analyst for GlitterPill, a company that fights counterterrorism. This would be a landmark case in gender-based violence, Kutner said. Incels often talk in extremely misogynist terms about women, rape and causing harm to women. In some online forums, where men become radicalized, incels are encouraged to take their own lives. Others are encouraged to carry out real-world violence. Prosecutors said since 2017, at least 38 people in the United States and Canada have been killed by self-described incels. Kutner said Gencos case marked the most extreme form of hatred toward women. Cases like this where someone very clearly stated their intent to harm as many people as possible based on being an ideologically motivated extremist fueled entirely by gender, its critical to set a precedent, Kutner said. Michael Benza, a law professor at Case Western Reserve University, said Gencos sentence will be used as a benchmark in other cases against incels. The government will base its future sentencing recommendations on what the new defendant did and compare that to what Genco did, Benza said. And the defense will be looking to say, My guy wasnt as bad as Genco, so he should get less time. Benza said its apparent that federal prosecutors are taking note of the incel movement. He said it appeared they were seeking to identify those in the group and identify potential threats. Theyre looking, Im sure, to develop a history of these cases, but also they must think theres an idea that these people might start acting, Benza said. And they want to try to get ahead of it before somebody shows up at a university and starts shooting people. Plan to slaughter out of hatred, jealousy, revenge Prosecutors wrote in court filings thats exactly what they believe Genco intended. Genco was initially arrested on March 12, 2020, by Highland County sheriffs deputies in Hillsboro, a small city in Southwest Ohio, after his mother called 911 and said her son was acting erratically and went in his room with a gun. She told deputies she found notes he wrote and worried that he planned to harm others. Genco pleaded guilty to making a terrorist threat and served a 17-month state prison sentence. He had been out for about five months when the FBI finished combing through phone records and found something far more sinister in the works, prosecutors wrote in court records. Investigators discovered 3,487 messages that contained the word incel on his web and phone history. In addition, he posted more than 450 times on incel forums. They also found that he idolized Elliot Rodger, an incel who killed six people and injured 14 in an attack in 2014 near the University of California, Santa Barbara. Genco also conducted dozens of searches of incels who carried out violence, including Marc Lepine, who killed 14 women in 1989, and Alek Minassian, an incel who killed 11 people and injured 15 in 2018. Investigators found disturbing memes saved on his phone, including one that depicted a woman being raped at gunpoint. FBI agents unraveled his plan to carry out violence. That included buying guns, conducting surveillance and obtaining weapons training in the U.S. Army. He bought a bulletproof vest, a hoodie that said revenge on it and a bowie knife. He later obtained an AR-15 with a bump stock, which makes the gun fire as an automatic weapon. He also purchased a ghost gun an untraceable gun made with a 3-D printer that fires like an automatic weapon and two other handguns. In July 2019, Genco wrote a manifesto, A Hideous Symphony, a Manifesto Written by Tres Genco, the Socially Exiled Incel, while on vacation in Greece. He also wrote notes on hotel stationery that laid out his plan to target women at Ohio State, and his hope to have a kill count of some 3,000. He wrote that he enlisted in the Army to train for the mass shooting. This training will be for the attainment of one reality, the death of what I have been deprived most, but also cherish and fantasize at the opportunity of having but has been neglected of: Women, he wrote. I will slaughter out of hatred, jealousy and revenge. The same day, he searched Ohio State sororities. Your hopeful friend and murderer He went to basic training in the Army on Aug. 20, 2019, in Fort Benning, Georgia. While he was there, he read about mass shootings and posted in a Kik Messenger group that he was kicked out of an incel forum for saying he wanted to rape and kill women. The Army booted Genco in December 2019 for poor performance and conduct. He returned home to live with his mother and kept preparing for the shooting, prosecutors said. He wanted to carry it out on May 23, 2020, the anniversary of Rodgers infamous attack. As he planned the attack, he wrote another note on his phone: If youre reading this, Ive done something horrible. Somehow youve come across the writings of the deluded and homicidal, not an easy task, and for that I congratulate you for your curiosity and willingness to delve into such a dark topic. He signed it, Your hopeful friend and murderer. Gaffney Painter, the prosecutor, wrote incels increasingly pose a violent threat to women and that a long prison sentence would send that message. The incel movement presents a terrorist threat, both domestically and abroad, she wrote. Difficult upbringing Monahan, Gencos attorney, wrote in his argument that his client had a difficult upbringing. He said that, although Gencos writings were disturbing, his client had matured after serving his state prison sentence and no longer identified as an incel. Genco grew up in Los Gatos, California, with a single mother who was autistic and agoraphobic, a disorder that often causes some people to avoid unfamiliar settings. She also suffers from severe post-traumatic stress disorder from child abuse. Genco was bullied in school and later homeschooled, which court records say stunted his social skills. He went to Shasta College, an online school, for a year. His grandmother died and left his mother an inheritance that she used to move to Hillsboro, Monahan wrote. He was extremely socially awkward due to his upbringing and found online relationships to be significantly easier, Monahan wrote. It was, however, also a place that he encountered many extreme views, including the incel movement. Monahan argued Gencos online comments were more of a therapeutic outlet, rather than specific threats. When he wrote his manifesto, he was drinking alcohol heavily for the first time, Monahan said. Before he was arrested by sheriffs deputies, Genco aspired to become a pharmacy technician. He had expressed to people that he no longer believed in incel ideology because he didnt want the negative stuff back in his life, Monahan wrote. After he was released from state prison, he worked at a restaurant in Chillicothe and at a candle-making business and enrolled at Columbus State Community College. He never attended the school because the FBI arrested him on the hate-crime charge. Monahan also wrote that Genco suffered from undiagnosed bipolar and alcohol use disorder at the time he plotted the shooting. In sum, Mr. Genco is in a very different place in his life than he was at age 19, over three years ago, Monahan wrote. Adam Ferrise covers federal courts at cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer. You can find his work here. On March 16, 2023, Hannah Kamke spray-painted the word LIARS on the sign outside an anti-abortion medical center in Amherst. What wasnt previously known, until its recent public disclosure in a court filing, is this wasnt Kamkes first visit to CompassCares crisis pregnancy center. Months earlier, Kamke went there because, she said, she thought she was pregnant and wanted to find a clinic that provides abortions. An online search had led her to CompassCare. But, Kamke said, instead of helping her, the organization engaged in manipulation, fraud and medical malpractice. She has filed a complaint in federal district court in Buffalo that offers new details about her experience with CompassCare and about why she targeted the center. Ultimately, CompassCare aims to deceive individuals like Ms. Kamke into thinking that if they come to CompassCare, they will receive unbiased and accurate information about their reproductive health and may be able to receive abortion services, according to the filing. This is nothing but a ruse in service of CompassCares anti-abortion enterprise. The document is a counterclaim to a lawsuit previously filed by CompassCare against Kamke and three other defendants. The organizations lawsuit is a response to recent acts of arson and vandalism at the Amherst center and accuses the four of violating federal law. CompassCare, for its part, claims Kamke is the one who engaged in deception branding her an activist who pretended to be a patient in need of the clinics services. Kamkes allegations are outlandish and totally outside CompassCares strict protocols and procedures, the Rev. Jim Harden, CompassCares CEO, said in a statement. If they are so concerned about lying, I would call Kamke and her lawyers to sign an affidavit under penalty of perjury that her statements are true. Clinic targeted CompassCare runs three crisis pregnancy centers in upstate New York that seek to convince women they have options beside terminating an unplanned pregnancy. Centers such as the CompassCare location at 1230 Eggert Road, which opened in 2019, provide free basic services and counseling but do not provide abortions. Such centers have come under legal scrutiny because, critics say, they misrepresent their services. On June 7, 2022, two people firebombed the CompassCare clinic in Amherst and spray-painted Jane was here on an exterior wall the latter a reference to the militant pro-choice group Janes Revenge. The damage forced the center to temporarily relocate for two months while repairs were made. Amherst Police and the FBI have investigated the incident but no one has been charged. CompassCare has reported that another person vandalized the clinic by stealing a No Trespassing sign, but Amherst police have not confirmed details of this case. The third known incident was the graffiti spray-painted by Kamke, who pleaded guilty last September to disorderly conduct, a violation. She received a one-year conditional discharge and was ordered to pay $2,580 in restitution to CompassCare. Kamke cites deception CompassCare officials, frustrated at the pace of the arson investigation and at the penalties levied in the vandalism cases, filed suit against the four defendants in October. The suit uses placeholder names for the as-yet-unknown suspects in the arson. CompassCares lawsuit relies on the federal Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, which applies to any provider of reproductive health services. The law allows private parties to seek civil damages from anyone proven to have used force, or the threat of force, to interfere with reproductive health providers or anyone seeking their services. Kamkes legal filing comes as a counterclaim to the CompassCare suit and lays out her version of her interactions with CompassCare and its employees. She said she first encountered the organization on Nov. 27, 2021, after searching on Google for abortion services in Buffalo. CompassCare was one of the first results that came up, Kamke said. She said she thought she was pregnant because her menstrual period was several weeks late and because several at-home pregnancy tests came back with positive results. Kamke said she wanted to confirm the pregnancy with an ultrasound and, if necessary, obtain an abortion. CompassCares consumer-facing website is misleading, Kamke said, because it doesnt state anything about the organizations staunch, faith-based, anti-abortion message. It is only on the CompassCare website directed at Evangelical Christians that the organization is clear about its goals, Kamke said. Kamke said the employee she spoke to that day did not directly answer when Kamke asked whether CompassCare provided abortions. Four days later, Kamke went to the Eggert Road clinic. It was only after she arrived, and was asked to sign several releases, that she said she learned the truth. Kamke said she stayed because she needed a free pregnancy test and ultrasound. However, she said, even though language in one release promised a physician would perform her ultrasound, it was instead done by a registered nurse. The ultrasound did not show signs of pregnancy, Kamke said, but another employee told her that a miracle had turned her negative pregnancy test positive. During her stay, she added, she was subjected to proselytizing and judgmental comments. Ultimately, Ms. Kamke was not pregnant, but to this day feels humiliated and angry by CompassCares deception, the document states. CompassCares efforts to brainwash and gaslight Kamke during the visit led her to begin to abuse alcohol to ease her pain, according to the counterclaim. The encounter also hurt her job performance and her personal relationships, she claims. When she returned in March 2023 to vandalize the sign, she states, it wasnt to send a broader message about abortion. Rather, her actions were based solely on her own personal experience as a care-seeker at CompassCare, which caused her anger, frustration and emotional trauma, the counterclaim states. Claim deemed sham CompassCares amended complaint refers to Kamke as a pro-abortion extremist and activist. Kamke, according to CompassCare, posed as a potential client of CompassCare in a politically motivated effort to expose nonexistent fraud and deception in the facilitys operations. In its response to Kamkes filing, filed last month, CompassCare deemed it a shotgun counterclaim filled with patently implausible claims, laced with political cant. The organization also states Kamke or any other person searching for abortion services in Buffalo would not have seen CompassCare among the top listings and, further, it should be clear from even a cursory reading of its consumer-facing website that abortion is not a provided service. Kamkes signing of the release forms shows that she went ahead with the clinic visit knowing full well what services she would receive, the organization states, and its preposterous to blame CompassCare for any ill effects she claims she endured in the weeks and months afterward. Ultimately, Kamkes claim that CompassCare engaged in consumer fraud and false advertising is a sham, the organization states. In a statement, CompassCare also wondered why a high-dollar New York City law firm agreed to represent Kamke and, further, questioned the timing of the counterclaim. Is it a coincidence that this is happening months before the 2024 presidential election, in which abortion has been made the campaign cornerstone by Democrats? Harden said. Former CEO of the National Rifle Association (NRA) Wayne LaPierre leaves New York State Supreme Court on February 21, 2024 in New York City. Jurors reached a verdict Friday in the civil corruption trial against the National Rifle Association and its longtime leader Wayne LaPierre. The decision comes at the end of the fifth day of deliberations. A jury had been tasked with determining whether LaPierre, the organization's former CEO, drew millions of dollars away from the gun rights group on luxuries for himself. They also had to decide whether the NRA failed to properly manage its finances and whether other executives flouted state laws to enrich themselves. The other defendants are John Frazer, the NRA's corporate secretary and general counsel, and Wilson "Woody" Phillips, its former treasurer and chief financial officer. The jury had to weigh the fate of each defendant separately and address 10 multipart questions regarding violations of state nonprofit, estate and trust statutes. The claims are related to alleged whistleblower protection violations, breaches of duties, wrongful transactions and false filings. Five out of six jurors needed to agree on the verdict. If they found the individual defendants liable, they had to recommend the amount of money that each defendant would have to repay the NRA. The lawsuit was brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James in 2020. Her attorneys spent six weeks in Manhattan court painting the NRA as "Wayne's World," which they said was full of free private jets, expensive meals, travel consultants, private security and trips to the Bahamas for LaPierre and his family. During closing arguments, Monica Connell, an attorney with the state Attorney General's Office, compared the defendants to children caught stealing from a cookie jar. She urged the jury to hold the defendants accountable, even if their attorneys outlined steps they may have taken to address or correct violations. "Saying you're sorry now," she said, "doesn't mean you didn't take the cookies." A former chief medical examiner for Erie County testified last week that she retired from her county post 11 years ago after a dispute over the cause of a persons death in which she said she resisted pressure from unnamed officials. And the testimony seemed to coincide with a death in 2009 that generated controversy, lawsuits and public demonstrations over whether it was a homicide. Dr. Dianne R. Vertes said she wouldnt back down for them and promised not to sue the county under an agreement in which she retired in 2013, she testified during the civil trial over the 2012 death of county Holding Center inmate Richard Metcalf Jr. New lawsuit seeks change in Amanda Wienckowski's cause of death The Erie County Medical Examiner's Office concluded in 2009 that 20-year-old Amanda Wienckowski, whose body was found frozen, naked and upside Although Vertes took pains to not identify the case, her testimony lined up with the death of Amanda Wienckowski, the Kenmore woman whose body was found naked in a garbage tote in Buffalo, and whose death Vertes ruled was caused by a drug overdose. Vertes testified Feb. 16 that at the time she left the countys employ, she signed an agreement that I wouldnt sue the county. I think that was the agreement. Vertes brought up the earlier case when asked why she left the chief medical examiners job. Her departure agreement, she said, related to the another case, not Metcalfs. She did not use Wienckowskis name. Was it because the county wanted you to say something that you didnt want to say? plaintiff attorney Donald Chiari asked. Thats how I interpreted it, Vertes said. Peter Anderson, spokesman for Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz, said the county would not comment on any aspect related to Metcalfs trial while it is ongoing. Wienckowskis frozen body was found Jan. 9, 2009, upside down in a garbage tote behind a church on Spring Street. She had been missing for a month. Vertes concluded she died of acute opiate intoxication. Her death was ruled accidental. Mother of woman found frozen in garbage tote sues county officials I think her killer was a major player in the world of drugs and human trafficking, says Leslie Brill Meserole, mother of Amanda Wienckowski. For some reason, they are covering up for Among other legal actions, Wienckowskis mother, Leslie Brill Meserole, has previously sued the Medical Examiner and District Attorneys offices, accusing them of covering up the murder of her daughter. Brill Meserole told The Buffalo News she met with Vertes a half-dozen times about her daughters case. And each time I went to meet with her, her stories would change, Brill Meserole said of Vertes. In the years that followed her 2009 findings, Vertes refused to alter her conclusions about how Wienckowski, 20, died. Since her determination, six reviews of the circumstances of Wienckowskis death resulted in either different conclusions or called into question Vertes findings. A second autopsy performed by a pathologist paid for with donations to Wienckowskis family suggested Wienckowski was strangled to death. A third autopsy by a pathologist hired by the District Attorneys Office ruled her cause of death undetermined, though it also concluded evidence pointed to a drug overdose, and not strangulation. For years, family and friends of Wienckowski pushed for officials to change the ruling on her death to a homicide. Vertes addressed what appeared to be the Wienckowski case during two parts of her nearly 11 hours of testimony. During questioning by an attorney for Metcalf on Feb. 14, Vertes said she wasnt sure of the exact date she stopped working for the county. She was 68 and at retirement age, she said. The county and I had a disagreement at the time about a particular case that was in the news, she told the jury. Heres how she described the case at issue: Someone died. I called it an acute drug overdose, and there were circumstances surrounding the death were such (sic) that it caused a lot of public opinion. The case was in the news and on television, so the county was getting a lot of feedback, Vertes said. Evidence is released to mother in effort to solve Amanda Wienckowskis death Nearly 300 photos. Scans of tissue slides. Pathologists notes. The death scene investigation report. Lab reports on DNA. Amanda Wienckowskis mother soon will receive nearly everything she has requested from the Erie County Medical Examiners Office regarding her daughters death nearly seven years ago. Everyone appeared to be on the same page in State Supreme Court on Monday when So there were, again, in my opinion, (the) disagreement was that the county wanted me to go in front of a board and explain my results, which she said she had explained many times before. I wouldnt back down for them, Vertes said. By my leaving, I think the situation was alleviated for the county, she said. In January 2013, Vertes did not attend a Buffalo Common Council hearing in which two experts challenged her conclusions. In February 2013, Vertes did not appear before a County Legislature committee discussing Wienckowskis death. The county attorney at the time advised Vertes not to appear before the committee, saying a public discussion of the matter was prohibited by state law, according to a Buffalo News report. An Aug. 29, 2013, article in The News reported that Vertes was expected to retire that day, county officials said at the time. Testimony in the Metcalf trial initially expected to last a little more than five weeks, a timetable the judge recently questioned is ongoing. Vertes ruled Metcalfs death was a homicide caused by a heart attack. The state body that polices New Yorks jails concluded Metcalf died of traumatic asphyxia with compression of the torso and neck due to restraint methods employed by jail deputies. The state Commission of Correction said in 2016 that it unilaterally rejects Vertes findings in Metcalfs death. Changpeng Zhao, founder and CEO of Binance, attends the Viva Technology conference dedicated to innovation and startups at Porte de Versailles exhibition center in Paris on June 16, 2022. U.S. prosecutors Friday asked a judge to tighten the bond conditions of billionaire Binance founder Changpeng "CZ" Zhao as he awaits his April sentencing for breaking a federal anti-money laundering law, court filings show. Zhao pleaded guilty in late November to a charge of failure to maintain an effective anti-money laundering program in violation of the Bank Secrecy Act, and stepped down as Binance's CEO at the same time. Under the proposed bond, Zhao would be required to provide prosecutors and pretrial services with at least three days' notice before any travel within the country, to give them time to raise any potential objections. The new bond conditions would also order Zhao to surrender his current Canadian passport, and they would bar him from applying for a new one without the court's permission. He would also be barred from changing his place of residence without prior approval. Zhao's lawyers objected to the proposal, according to the filing. An attorney for Zhao did not immediately respond to CNBC's request for comment. Judge Richard Jones barred Zhao from traveling outside the United States in mid-December, after determining that Zhao's "enormous wealth" and lack of U.S. ties created a risk that he might flee if allowed to return to his home in the United Arab Emirates. The prosecutors' latest filing in U.S. District Court in Seattle noted that pretrial services officers have recommended further restricting Zhao's movement, allowing him to travel only to the western district of Washington and the district where he currently resides. Pretrial Services also recommended "a location-monitoring condition," the filing said in a footnote. The filing does not explicitly ask the judge to impose that condition. The day after AnnMarie Young graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 2021, she and her best friend moved to Fairbanks, Alaska for the summer. The 23-year-old artist lived in Alaska for three months before returning to Texas. But Young tells CNBC Make It that the moment she left, she knew she wanted to go back to the Pacific Northwest state. "Something in my heart just didn't want to leave Alaska," she says. "I wanted to prove to myself I could tough it out." Young used the money she made from selling her art that summer to buy a van that had already been converted into a tiny home. She packed up, headed toward Alaska, and after a week of driving cross country she arrived. "I was going slow and taking scenic routes," she says. When Young got back to Alaska she lived in her van for a few months before moving into the dry cabin. AnnMarie Young Young spent the summer of 2022 living out of her van, but when winter rolled around, she had a decision to make either go back home to Texas again or find a different living situation there in Alaska. The artist eventually found a cabin in Fairbanks through word of mouth, but it did come with a catch. The cabin Young was being offered was a dry one a residential structure without running water. The property did come with an outhouse. The owner, Molli Sipe, a retired educator, 71, was renting it out for $500 a month. Sipe tells CNBC Make It she bought the cabin in 1988. It is one room about 10 feet x 20 feet with a bedroom nook. It includes a kitchen area with a stove and a microwave and a heater that runs on heating oil, which Sipe always fills up before each new tenant. Young got to see the cabin from the outside, but never got to tour the inside before deciding to accept the rental. Fortunately, it all worked out just fine. "It's not the dreamy cabin that you imagine but it is really cute on the inside. It was very cozy and perfect for just me at the time," Young says. "I had a whole section to do my art stuff and that was the most important thing to me." Young's favorite part of the cabin was that she had a dedicated corner to work on her art. AnnMarie Young 'It's a place for women to take a turn in their lives and jumpstart in Alaska' Sipe started renting the cabin in the 80s, and the vast majority of her tenants have been women living alone a total coincidence that Sipe loves. "They always find the next person for me, and it has always been women. That's sort of the mystique of the 'Cabin Girls, ' as I call them. They have been very dependable that way, so I never have to look," Sipe says. Throughout the years Sipe's tenants have started new jobs, new relationships and had boyfriends move in and then out of the transient space. "It's a place for women to take a turn in their lives and jumpstart in Alaska," she says. "It's just a way of life that you get to find out what you're made of, what you can do, and how capable you are." After rent, Young's expenses included 25 cents to fill up three five-gallon water jugs, something she drove into town to do every week and a half or so. Young admits that one of the biggest issues she had living in the dry cabin was access to internet. The cabin is surrounded by tall trees which made it difficult to get reliable cell and internet connection. She even tried using Starlink at one point, but had to cancel due to inconsistent service. The dry cabin is about 10 feet by 20 feet and has one room with a kitchen area and a bedroom nook. AnnMarie Young Living in a dry cabin meant Young had no plumbing, laundry, shower, washer, or dryer. She washed her dishes and brushed her teeth in a five-gallon water jug that drained into a bucket underneath and had to be dumped manually. "Because I was already living van life, transitioning to a dry cabin was a lot easier. I was already living without things that the dry cabin didn't have, like a shower or bathroom," Young says. "It took me a week to get used to it, and then it just became my new normal." "I'm not a tough person; I didn't grow up camping and am not a rugged outdoor person, but if I can do it, I think a lot more people can do it," she added. "It's all about setting your mind to something," she adds. The dry cabin didn't have running water, so Young would shower in the house next door a few times a week. AnnMarie Young Young was able to take a proper shower in the main house on Sipe's property every couple of days, and used baby wipes and other products in the dry cabin in between. "We had a deal setup that I would come and use the shower when they weren't home because they wanted someone to use the pipes to make sure they didn't freeze," she says. And when she needed to use the bathroom, Young would throw on a thick robe and slippers and start walking the path to the outhouse in the back. Young was sure to always keep that path clear of snow. A typical day in Young's life when she lived in the dry cabin included training her dog, Moose, driving into town to a coffee shop to use the Wi-Fi and work on her website, and hours spent painting. While some may think living in a cabin in the middle of the woods sounds isolating, Young says she's never felt more of a sense of community than when she lived there. "I had such a good group of people in the area that I felt like I was hanging out with friends every night," she says. "I loved feeling like I was doing something special and tough and that the whole way of life is normalized in the area." Young spent almost a year living in the dry cabin before she moved into a one-bedroom apartment in Anchorage. AnnMarie Young Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu chairs a Cabinet meeting at the Kirya, which houses the Israeli Ministry of Defence, in Tel Aviv, Israel on December 17, 2023. Israeli officials will meet Saturday night on the next steps after the latest talks with the United States, Egypt and Qatar in search of a deal on pausing the fighting in Gaza, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said. But Netanyahu announced that he'll convene the Cabinet early next week to "to approve the operational plans for action in Rafah," including the evacuation of civilians. Despite widespread warnings from the international community about an Israeli military ground operation in the southern city of Rafah, where more than half of Gaza's population now shelters, Netanyahu's statement said that "only a combination of military pressure and firm negotiations" would achieve Israel's aims in the war. A senior official from Egypt, which along with Qatar is a mediator between Israel and the Hamas militant group, said mediators were waiting for Israel's official response to a draft deal that includes the release of up to 40 women and older hostages held in Gaza in return for up to 300 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, mostly women, minors and older people. The Egyptian official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the negotiations, said the proposed six-week pause in fighting would include allowing hundreds of aid trucks to enter Gaza every day, including the northern half of the besieged territory. He said that both sides agreed to continue negotiations during the pause for further releases and a permanent cease-fire. Negotiators face an unofficial deadline of the start of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan around March 10. Hamas political official Osama Hamdan noted that the group wasn't at the talks, but asserted to reporters in Beirut on Friday that Israel had refused its main demands, including stopping the "aggression" and withdrawing from Gaza. Investors aren't ready to ditch Nvidia just yet. The chipmaker surged 16% on Thursday after posting robust earnings and guidance , contributing to the stock's 59% year-to-date run as investors feast on artificial intelligence stocks. These gains also boosted the company briefly above a $2 trillion market cap during Friday's session. NVDA 1Y mountain Nvidia shares over the last year Nvidia's impressive stock run brings its valuation to elevated levels. That's left some analysts questioning whether earnings upside is already priced in to shares as others wonder how long this astonishing growth cycle can last. Supporters of the stock have stamped out those fears, viewing Wednesday's print as a reconfirmation of their investment case for the juggernaut and a sign of the stock's long-term runway in the buildout of AI. "The fundamentals really confirm our thesis is very strong," said Hua Cheng, a portfolio manager at Mirova. "Demand is there and what increases their competitive advantage is that they not only have GPUs, but the overall ecosystem behind that." Nvidia's valuation The valuation argument surrounding Nvidia isn't a new concern for the chipmaker. At this time last year, the company's price-to-earnings multiple on a next 12 months basis stood at more than 50, heightening fears among investors. Those worries eased after the chipmaker offered its first set of blockbuster earnings numbers, cementing its formidable AI position. In the quarters that followed, the company showed signs of hot demand for its sought after chips. Over the last year, the price-to-earnings multiple's stooped as low as nearly 24. Now, it sits at 32 and at premium to S & P 500's information technology sector at about 28. When anticipating doubling earnings per share this year and the long-term trajectory of the AI race, Nvidia's multiple looks justified, according to Paul Meeks, co-chief investment officer at Harvest Portfolio Management in Charleston, South Carolina. "You never buy a stock when it's up so much in one day, but the story's going to be legit for a long time," he said, referring to the company's Thursday surge. He recommends buying shares on a dip. NVDA YTD mountain Nvidia's year-to-date gains While the multiple may seem justified, the steep hike in price in recent days hasn't stopping investors from profit-taking. Mahoney Asset Management's Ken Mahoney sold a small amount of his stake in Nvidia as an "investment principle." Anticipating some downward pressure in the near-term on the heels of this week's big move, Greg Bassuk, chief executive officer at AXS Investments, is recommending "taking some chips off the table" despite his bullish long-term view. When will growth slow? For over a year now, Nvidia's led the AI charge as demand for its chip shows no signs of easing, but some investors have cast doubt over how long that boon can last. Most analysts regarded Nvidia's print as an indication that growth cycle is nowhere near its end. The company showed demand continues to outstrip supply and displayed "robust" AI infrastructure and product rollouts poised to power this outperformance, according to Goldman Sachs' Toshiya Hari. "The company is printing money at this point," wrote Bernstein's Stacy Rasgon. "And the prospect for continued growth from here still seems solid." Another notable tidbit confirming this demand resilience stemmed from CEO Jensen Huang. In a conference call with analysts, he noted that inferencing accounted for 40% of Nvidia's datacenter business. Inferencing consists of using an AI model to generate text, images and other content after the initial buildout of a large language model. NVDA 5D mountain Nvidia shares this past week "It gives me confidence that this story lasts much longer," Harvest's Meeks said. "It looks like they will be as strong a player in inference as they were in step one." But this seeming limitless demand cycle for its datacenter business has its bounds. That's worried some investors that once demand dwindles, so may enthusiasm for the stock. UBS analyst Tim Arcuri wrote that while its "too soon" to turn more cautious on the stock, some items in the print signaled slowing revenue growth "on the horizon." But a slowdown in datacenter growth isn't a major concern for Cheng of Mirova. He expects the company to offset potential declines with growth in its automotive business or through the vertical application of its chips into other sectors. Even Nvidia's CEO attempted to alleviate worries over the company's ability to sustain these growth levels through year end, noting that the company GPUs should benefit as the industry shifts away from central processing units. "Fundamentally, the conditions are excellent for continued growth" in 2024, 2025 and beyond, Huang said. Alexa von Tobel realized the importance of being financially savvy at a young age, but she still wishes she'd learned more about money as a kid. In fact, the Harvard University-trained investor points to one financial lesson in particular she wishes she'd learned earlier: "Really understanding the compounding of investing," she tells CNBC Make It. "Rather than spending the $2 today, let me invest it and I'll spend [more] in a few years," says von Tobel, who is a founder and managing partner of venture fund Inspired Capital. Like most children in the U.S., von Tobel received "no formal education" on personal finance. It wasn't until she was already an adult that she fully learned the skills she needed to be wise about saving and spending. "Money becomes real when you're making it yourself and spending it yourself So, in your 20s, we all understand that you quickly are learning about money, whether you want to or not," she says. Von Tobel's own childhood experiences with money inspired her to found online financial advisory LearnVest in 2008, which she later sold for a reported $375 million to Northwestern Mutual. When she was 14, von Tobel's father passed away and she watched her nurse practitioner mother assume control of the family's finances. As an adult, recalling that experience convinced von Tobel that the average person could use more personal finance tools at their disposal. That same belief played a big role in von Tobel's latest project: writing a children's book aimed at teaching young kids, especially girls, about personal finance and how to earn, save and spend money. She partnered with children's media brand Rebel Girls to write the book, called "Growing Up Powerful: Money Matters," which will be published on March 26. The book features lessons for kids and teens on a range of personal finance topics, including setting savings goals and creating a budget, or even a business plan. It also includes a whole chapter on investing. "Appreciating that you can have your dollars work hard for you, and on behalf of you, is a really powerful concept," von Tobel says. 'A skill set that you need for your whole life' Given her success as a fintech founder and investor, von Tobel clearly mastered that particular financial lesson eventually. But, it's one she believes all children can benefit from learning early on to put them on the path to future success. Understanding how the value of an investment can compound over time is related to the "concept of delayed gratification," von Tobel notes. That would be the ability to resist acting impulsively in order to receive greater benefits down the road, which is an important milestone in a child's development one they start learning around the age of 5, research shows. It requires mastering your self-control and helps you prioritize and achieve long-term goals, leading to greater success in the long run. "That concept is very powerful," von Tobel says. "I feel like teaching kids that delaying gratification, making smarter choices [and] trade offs, is really a skill set that you need for your whole life." Learning the long-term benefits of investing, making your money work for you, is exactly the type of "empowering" lesson that von Tobel wants kids to take away from her book. Von Tobel is a mother of three young children herself and her hope for them, and any others reading her book, is that they learn smart and healthy money habits at an early age. That means, in part, learning to view money as a "powerful tool [that] can change their life" if they learn to wield it effectively, she says. "Money is a very fun thing. And it doesn't have to be something that we orient with stress [as adults]," von Tobel says. "It can be something that we orient with empowerment, and living the life you want to." Want to land your dream job in 2024? Take CNBC's new online course How to Ace Your Job Interview to learn what hiring managers are really looking for, body language techniques, what to say and not to say, and the best way to talk about pay. Change Healthcare's systems are down for a fourth straight day after parent company UnitedHealth Group disclosed that a suspected cybersecurity threat actor gained access to part of its information technology network on Wednesday. UnitedHealth, the biggest health-care company in the U.S. by market cap, owns the health-care provider Optum, which merged with Change Healthcare in 2022. Optum services more than 100 million patients in the U.S., according to its website, and Change Healthcare offers solutions for payment and revenue cycle management. UnitedHealth said it identified a "suspected nation-state-associated" actor behind the attack, according to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Thursday. The company isolated and disconnected the impacted systems "immediately upon detection" of the threat, the filing said. UnitedHealth did not share any more details about the nature of the attack in the filing. In an update at around 2 p.m. ET Saturday, Change Healthcare said the disruption is expected to continue "at least" through the day. The company said Friday that it has a high level of confidence that Optum, UnitedHealthcare and UnitedHealth systems have not been impacted. "We are working on multiple approaches to restore the impacted environment and will not take any shortcuts or take any additional risk as we bring our systems back online," Change Healthcare said Saturday. UnitedHealth did not share any additional information with CNBC beyond the update. While UnitedHealth did not specify exactly which Change Healthcare systems were impacted by the attack in its regulatory filing, companies like CVS Health said the interruption is impacting some of its business operations. CVS Health is continuing to fill prescriptions, but it is not able to process insurance claims in certain cases, the company told CNBC in a statement on Saturday. CVS Health said there is "no indication" that its own systems have been compromised. "We're committed to ensuring access to care as we navigate through this interruption," CVS Health said in the statement. The American Hospital Association released a statement Thursday urging health-care organizations to disconnect from Optum until it is deemed safe to reconnect. The AHA said it has been talking with the Department of Health and Human Services, the FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency about the attack, according to the statement. The AHA declined to comment on the Change Healthcare cyberattack. The FBI, HHS and CISA did not return CNBC's requests for comment. Denver comedian Brent Gill will headline the Pikes Punks Comedy Show Saturday at The Public House at The Alexander. Colorado Springs standup comedian Russell Kelly founded the show two years ago after doing one too many shows at dive bars where nobody paid him any attention. Retired police officer accused of shooting teen is indicted on felony charges A retired Buffalo police officer has been indicted on two felony charges stemming from the shooting of a teen in the parking lot of the Marine Drive Apartments earlier this month, Erie County District Attorney John J. Flynn announced. Antonio Roman, 65, of Buffalo, is charged with first-degree assault, a Class B violent felony, and first-degree reckless endangerment, a Class D felony. He remains held without bail in the Erie County Holding Center. According to prosecutors, Roman is accused of shooting a 14-year-old boy in the leg when he spotted a group of suspects reportedly stealing items from vehicles in the Marine Drive Apartment parking lot about 7:30 a.m. on Feb. 8. After the shooting, prosecutors said, the other suspects fled in a vehicle reported stolen from Amherst. The victim was taken to Oishei Childrens Hospital, where he underwent surgery. Prosecutors said Roman owned a handgun legally. A return court date has not yet been scheduled. Dale Anderson In the early 1990s, Monty Pythons Eric Idle thought Broadway musicals had stopped being funny. Can you blame him? In David Morgans Monty Python Speaks, Idle lamented the demise of broad, goofy musicals in favor of shows about people with plates on their faces. One can assume he was referring to Andrew Lloyd Webers decidedly unfunny Phantom of the Opera. Idle decided to do something about it, approaching comic legend Mel Brooks with an intriguing idea: What if we turned your classic comedy The Producers into a musical? According to Idle, Brooks turned him down, claiming it wasnt a good idea. But he clearly changed his mind because just a few years later, Brooks made The Producers into a stage smash that won 12 Tony Awards, breaking the previous record held by Hello, Dolly! Advertisement Advertisement The bad news for Idle was that he wasnt in on the action. The good news was that The Producers had Broadway looking for more silly musicals, paving the way for Idle to adapt Monty Python and the Holy Grail into the hit musical Spamalot. I wont say Idle didnt inspire Brooks, but the nearly 100-year-old comic has a different memory. In his memoir All About Me!: My Remarkable Live In Show Business, Brooks claims it all began with a nonstop series of phone calls from David Geffen. Geffens pitch sounds remarkably similar to Idles: Mel, I think The Producers would make a great Broadway show. It would be the funniest show ever done on Broadway. Because Geffen had produced the successful musical Dreamgirls, maybe Brooks was more open to the suggestion. But was either Idle or Geffen truly responsible for the inspiration? Brooks had a lifelong quest to write a musical, according to Patrick McGilligans Funny Man: Mel Brooks. He wrote the book for All American, a musical with the team behind Bye Bye Birdie that was nominated for two Tonys in 1962, and before he wrote the screenplay for The Producers, Brooks was working on another funny stage musical about Hitlers young and idyllic love life called wait for it Springtime for Hitler. Advertisement Of course, Springtime for Hitler became the signature musical number in both the film and stage production of The Producers. But the original Producers, according to McGilligan, had been intended first as a novel and then as a stage musical before becoming a film. In fact, back in the 1960s, Brooks negotiated a contract with the producers of The Producers that gave him all future rights to turn the movie into a stage property. Turns out Brooks thought his film would make a great Broadway musical decades before Geffen or Idle could spark the idea in his head. This month, the 2002 Britney Spears-starring road trip dramedy Crossroads finally arrived on Netflix, marking the first time that the movie has ever been available to stream. Meaning that Britney Spears fans who are full-grown adults will now be able to see if this movie about three minors taking a car ride from a virtual stranger holds up or not. Directed by Tamra Davis, and written by future TV megaproducer Shonda Rhimes, Crossroads was created specifically as a vehicle for Spears, who plays the teenage Lucy. But through an odd series of events, one of the most famous actors of all-time briefly took a stab at performing the role of Lucy: Robert De Niro. Advertisement Advertisement In addition to Spears, Crossroads features a cast of notable supporting actors, including Kim Cattrall, Zoe Saldana and Justin Long. Also, Dan Ayrkoyd plays Spears dad, doing his old Jimmy Carter accent from Saturday Night Live for some reason. And as the hunky car-driving Ben, who thankfully isnt a serial killer, the filmmakers cast future Star Trek: Strange New Worlds star Anson Mount. When he was first offered the film, Mount was shooting City by the Sea, a crime drama starring Robert De Niro. According to Mount, while he was on set thumbing through the Crossroads script between takes, debating whether or not to audition, De Niro walked by and asked his co-star what he was up to. Mount responded: Errr its this movie and Britney Spears is doing it. Im not even sure if Im going to do it, Im just reading it To which De Niro shot back: Why not? Shes great. Advertisement So Mount told De Niro, Alright, help me out here. And in a moment that frustratingly occurred before everyone on Earth had a camera-equipped device on them at all times, De Niro proceeded to run lines with Mount, playing the Lucy character. Well say that one more time: The star of Taxi Driver, Goodfellas and The Deer Hunter performed dialogue written for Britney Spears. As Mount put it, He read Britneys lines to my Ben, qualifying that it wasnt the kissing scene lest he prepare to kiss one of the biggest pop-stars on the planet by making out with Travis Bickle. Advertisement Advertisement When Mount first started telling this story during the films press tour, it became a hot topic of conversation. That has been the single most popular question in the last week, he told reporters. It's been blown way out of proportion. But even now, more than 20 years later, we would argue that it hasnt been blown out of proportion. Robert De Niro briefly playing Lucy Wagner, the emotionally vulnerable teen in search of the mother who abandoned her as a child and fled to California, is objectively funny. Way funnier than most of De Niros actual comedies, even. You (yes, you) should follow JM on Twitter (if it still exists by the time youre reading this). Legendary comedian and once-convicted rapist Bill Cosby reportedly lives in fear that a deranged stranger will attack him to achieve notoriety, with a representative claiming that Cosby and his wife feel that they are prisoners in their own home. If he likes, Cosby could leave his mansion and have free, around-the-clock protection by going back to prison. Back in June, 2021, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court overturned Cosbys much-publicized conviction of three counts of aggravated indecent assault following decades of accusations and civil suits that failed to tarnish the reputation of the serial rapist, as one such case against Cosby described the comedy great. The decision to throw out Cosbys conviction cited a 2005 press release by then-District Attorney Bruce Castor regarding Cosbys alleged crimes, when Castor claimed that a conviction was unattainable" as he declined to press criminal charges. Castor later said that he dropped the charges to compel Cosby to testify in a civil suit regarding the same accusations. Today, Cosby is a free man though he reportedly doesnt feel like one. In a statement sent to RadarOnline, Cosbys representative Andrew Wyatt said that Cosby fears for his life, refusing to leave the house based on his suspicion that someone will attempt to assassinate him in order to become famous. I guess house arrest is better than no arrest. Advertisement Wyatt claimed that Cosby was frail after his release in 2021, but he quickly bounced back from his brief brush with justice. Wyatt says that, once Cosby was home with his wife Camille, he gained 12 pounds in 12 days, adding, She takes care of Mr. Cosby. Wyatt says Camille is trying to keep his health in check, but, despite supposedly being fully blind at 86 years old, Cosby is in pretty good health. However, that doesnt mean Cosby is not still haunted by the long-brewing scandal that finally started to boiled over when Hannibal Buress urged his Philadelphia audience to Google Bill Cosby rape in 2014. On Cosbys continued unpopularity, Wyatt said that Camille shields him away" from negative public sentiment, claiming that they dont even watch the nightly news anymore since it may spike his already high blood pressure. Wyatt even suggested that, in addition to attention-seekers looking to kill Cosby for fame, a member of one of Cosbys 60-plus alleged victims families could come after the couple, saying of his client, He knows what kind of world they live in. Who knows what theyd do to him, his wife, daughters, or grandchildren. On this very valid point, Cosby is, frankly, downplaying his credibility he knows full well what awful things can be done to the worlds wives and daughters. Buffalo police arrest two on gun, drug charges after executing search warrant A man and a woman were arrested on gun and drug charges when police executed a search warrant Wednesday in the Riverside neighborhood, Buffalo police announced. Jose Ortiz-Morales, 35, and Brenda Hernandez, 47, were charged with second- and third-degree criminal possession of a weapon, fourth-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and second-degree criminal use of drug paraphernalia. Hernandez also was charged with criminal possession of a firearm, a Class E felony. Ortiz-Morales, who is jailed in the Erie County Holding Center, was additionally charged with third-degree criminal possession of a weapon, a Class D felony. According to the report, the search warrant was conducted at a home in the 100 block of Rano Street by members of the Buffalo Police Intelligence Unit and SWAT team and agents from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the FBI Safe Streets Task Force. Police said officers recovered a loaded 9 mm Glock 26 pistol and a Taurus .38 revolver, a high-capacity drum magazine, four more Glock magazines, miscellaneous ammunition and about 10.5 grams of suspected cocaine and crack cocaine. Dale Anderson ALBANY Assemblyman Robert Smullen in a Facebook post Friday morning asked for support from the community after his son was critically injured in an accident on Thursday. Smullen, R-Johnstown, said in the post that his son AJ was grievously injured in an accident yesterday while playing with some of his friends. He said his son was in critical, but stable, condition at the pediatric ICU at Albany Medical Center after emergency surgery. Outside of his post, Smullen is asking for privacy following the accident. "The family asks for privacy in this deeply personal matter, and thanks all friends and family for the expressions of support," Deb Dempsey Scialdo, Smullen's chief of staff, said in a statement. Following the post, U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik on X, formerly known as Twitter, offered support for Smullen's son, adding, "We know AJ as an incredibly bright boy with a big heart and our favorite parade buddy. Praying for his recovery." Other Capital Region lawmakers also offered words of support on social media, such as Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara, D-Rotterdam. "Sending prayers and support to Assemblymember Smullen and his family during this challenging time," Santabarbara wrote. "Wishing AJ a full and speedy recovery as he bravely fights through his injuries. Stay strong, AJ, and know that the community is rallying behind you!" Sending prayers and support to Assemblymember Smullen and his family during this challenging time. Wishing AJ a full and speedy recovery as he bravely fights through his injuries. Stay strong, AJ, and know that the community is rallying behind you! #PrayersForAJ Angelo Santabarbara (@AsmSantabarbara) February 23, 2024 It was previously reported that a pedestrian was taken to Albany Medical Center at about 11:30 a.m. Thursday after being struck by a vehicle in front of Bellevue Womans Center in Niskayuna on Troy-Schenectady Road. A spokesperson for the assemblyman confirmed it was the same accident. There were no injuries to the driver of the vehicle and the crash is currently under investigation by the Niskayuna Police Department and the Schenectady County Sheriff's Office, who assisted Niskayuna officers with a crash reconstruction at the scene of the collision. Niskayuna police are encouraging any witnesses to the crash who have not yet spoken to the department to contact Det. Paul Daly at 518-386-4582. The coming solar eclipse that will focus the worlds attention on Western New York for one day has people asking a question that usually does not need to be asked: Is it OK to look at the sun? There is no safe dose of ever looking at the sun, said Dr. Andrew Reynolds, the clinical associate professor of ophthalmology at the Ross Eye Institute at the University at Buffalo Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. Even small amounts of direct exposure can lead to absolutely permanent, long-term vision loss. But that doesnt mean that when this region is in the path of totality for four minutes on the afternoon of April 8 that you need to bury your head in the sand. On the contrary, Reynolds said you absolutely should look up to witness this once-in-a-lifetime moment. At all other times? Unless you have the special glasses that make looking at the sun safe dont. Total solar eclipse sends Buffalo-Niagara hotel rates into orbit Western New York will be in prime viewing territory for the total solar eclipse taking place April 8, and visitors are paying high yes, even astronomical prices for lodging in the area. In an interview with The Buffalo News, Reynolds explained the dos and donts of watching the eclipse, with a special emphasis on how the visually impaired can also experience this phenomenon and how others can do so without suffering the effects of solar retinopathy, which occurs when intense light energy injures or damages the retina. While most cases of solar retinopathy among his patients have been caused by laser pointers, looking at the sun for too long may cause irreversible damage. The retina, like the spinal cord, is a central nervous tissue that cannot regenerate. The suns rays can burn a hole through the fovea, the dead center of an eye that is responsible for sharpness of sight, and degrade the viewers central vision, he said. People who have solar retinopathy, their peripheral vision is totally normal, but theyre left with this big black spot, right where they want to look at everything. So, when they try to look at you, theyre making eye contact with you, you have got a big black spot right in the middle of your face, he explained. It is safe, however, to look during the totality, he said, alluding to the four-minute window of darkness when the sun is occluded by the moon. But outside of that brief period keep your eyes down or wear glasses that filter out the suns harmful rays. NASA says it this way: When watching the partial phases of the solar eclipse directly with your eyes, which happens before and after totality, you must look through safe solar viewing glasses or a safe hand-held solar viewer at all times. Eclipse glasses are NOT regular sunglasses; regular sunglasses, no matter how dark, are not safe for viewing the sun. Part of the reason why doctors are kind of worked up about the eclipse is because we dont have a good treatment once the damage is done, Reynolds said. It will also be difficult for people to discern the exact time unless they are present at an event where they receive directions to take off their glasses. So, one must be very careful lest they cause perpetual damage to their eyes. My No. 1 advice would be: prepare. Get the glasses and be safe. And I really cant hit that hard enough, he said. Get ready for the eclipse with these free programs, special events Here's a look at some area events leading up to the solar eclipse on April 8. People are free to use other assistive objects, namely binoculars and telescopes, if they are retrofitted with appropriate filters that do not allow direct sunlight to be funneled into ones eyes in magnified proportions. Holding up a mirror to look at the sun might be a dangerous activity, he said, since mirrors reflect the sunlight. Although viewing the eclipse through other reflections, including water, will cause less damage, there is still a risk of the light bouncing off the water surface, Reynolds added. A majority of visually impaired people can also experience the eclipse and find it visually stunning. Not everyone who is considered visually impaired lives in complete darkness, Reynolds explained. Total blindness, also called no light perception (NLP) vision, is rare. The clarity of the solar flares around the moon during the eclipse might be comparatively lower for those with low vision, but with the use of visual aids like telescopic lenses or special high-powered glasses, they will be able to enjoy the phenomenon. However, using solar glasses on top of the aids to further dim the suns rays is imperative, he said. There will be some people [with low vision] who are at lower risk [of potential eye damage], he said. Corneal scarring or opacities in the front part of an eye will allow in lesser light and cause less damage for people with those pre-existing conditions. Conversely, for people who have retinal forms or nerve forms of blindness, cell macular degeneration or glaucoma, the risk of harm is higher since their eyes let in more sunlight than other low-vision people. Lets say, you and I stared at the sun too long, and we lost 10% of our retinal cells. Ten percent is going to be probably visually imperceptible to a lot of people. Ten percent of someone whos already lost 90% of their retina, theyre going to be in a lot more trouble, he clarified. So, it really will depend on what kind of low vision that the patient has. A team at Harvard University has prepared a smartphone-sized device that converts ambient data (in this case, brightness) into sound. Called LightSound, the piping of a flute represents bright daylight while a clarinet will indicate the eclipses gradual dimming effect. When the moon completely overshadows the sun, soft clicks will mark those few minutes of totality. Harvard has partnered with several universities and science museums, including the Rochester Museum of Science for developing these devices, and made the device and its code open source to promote easy development. Other resources include NASAs Eclipse Soundscapes Project, an app with a multisensory eclipse experience that not only provides audio descriptions of the eclipse in real time but also is accompanied by surrounding environmental sounds that are heard during this celestial phenomenon. Additionally, users can also visualize the eclipse via the rumble map, and interactive and tactile experience wherein the user can hear and feel the physical qualities of the eclipse. Some might feel the decision to strip Isis bride Shamima Begum of her British passport and ban her from returning to this country was harsh. She was just 15 when she went from London to Syria, was married off to a jihadi fighter and bore three children, all of whom died in the chaos and aftermath of the terror groups final defeat. The Appeal Court acknowledged these factors yesterday but still ruled that the then Home Secretary Sajid Javids 2019 decision to revoke her citizenship on national security grounds was lawful. It was a rare legal victory for the Government and welcome recognition by the judiciary that public interest sometimes trumps individual human rights. Begum may be contrite now, but by joining Isis she repudiated British values and all we stand for. To allow her back would send a message to others who join our enemies abroad that they will always have a home here. Isis bride Shamima Begum was married off to a jihadi fighter and bore three children, all of whom died in the chaos and aftermath of the terror groups final defeat Shamima Begum was just 15-years-old when she went from London to Syria to to join the terror group Islamic State Since declaring her desire to return to Britain in 2019 primarily so she could have a baby on the NHS Begums case has cost the taxpayer millions Human rights group Amnesty described Begums banishment as medieval. This is risible. What was truly medieval was the regime of beheading, slavery, and mass rape in which she chose to participate. But there is another aspect of this case that exposes the byzantine nature and colossal expense of our immigration courts system. Since declaring her desire to return to Britain in 2019 primarily so she could have a baby on the NHS Begums case has cost the taxpayer millions. It has been through several hearings before the Special Immigration Appeals Commission, and all the way up to the Supreme Court, which ruled against her in February 2021. Undeterred, her lawyers tried a new tack, saying she should be allowed back as she had been trafficked to Syria. Having lost yesterday, they will doubtless be considering another Supreme Court appeal. The Appeal Court still ruled that the then Home Secretary Sajid Javid s 2019 decision to revoke her citizenship on national security grounds was lawful Its an absurd legal merry-go-round which makes lawyers rich but corrodes public faith in justice. This is a high-profile case, but it is played out in microcosm every day in the asylum system, where endless appeals have made it almost impossible to deport those whose claims are refused. Indeed, if Begum, now 24, could get herself from Syria to Calais and pay traffickers to ship her across to Kent on a small boat, she would probably be back for good. So much for taking back control. Protesting too much It's good that MPs have at last woken up to the increasingly disruptive and intimidatory tactics of demonstrators who abuse the right to peaceful protest. But it was only being targeted in their own homes that spurred them into action. From the climate extremists who bring cities and motorways to a halt to the pro-Palestinian thugs who scream anti-Semitic slogans in our streets, these zealots have been given licence for far too long. 'Just Stop Oil' protesters block traffic in Parliament Square on October 04, 2022 in London The police sit back and watch, the courts are excessively lenient with the few who are prosecuted, and politicians have been afraid to confront them for fear of seeming illiberal or racist. As a result, militant activists become ever bolder, defacing synagogues, issuing death threats, and even invading the Prime Ministers constituency house. The family homes of our elected representatives must be sacrosanct, so Home Secretary James Cleverly is right to look at giving police greater powers to protect them from demonstrators. But dont we all deserve more protection? Yes, the right to protest is a keystone of our democracy, but so is the right to go about our everyday business without being harassed or impeded. Its time to rebalance those two liberties in favour of the majority rather than keep pandering to the shrill minorities who seek to impose their will on the rest of us. Outside the House of Commons, Ben Jamal, director of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, could sense the fear of MPs. And he was revelling in it. 'There is a reason why Labour today is twisting in the wind!' he gleefully told his massed activists. 'There is a reason for the chaos descending behind you. And that's because MPs are feeling the pressure. They're becoming worried.' He was right. I spoke to one of those MPs, a Tory Minister. 'When I came in to the House this morning, I decided I'd have to abstain on the SNP's Gaza motion [calling for a ceasefire] rather than vote against. I was just too scared of the possible reaction if I was on the record opposing it,' he admitted. 'I'm not a rabble-rouser, and I thought that would keep me safe. 'But I don't think that now. I think of the MPs who have been attacked. They were nice, moderate people. And I was thinking that if someone was going to murder an MP, it would be a nice MP. It would generate greater impact.' To be clear, none of those attending the pro-Palestine rally in Westminster promoted violence. Jamal claimed his comments related solely to a fear among MPs that those protesting would withhold their votes. The Palestine Solidarity Campaign has asked its supporters not to protest outside MPs' homes. Ben Jamal, director of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, addressed activists at a pro-Palestine rally in Westminster But it still advocates 'direct action'. Jamal praised those who, in his words, 'are protesting in their hundreds of thousands, who are confronting MPs day-by-day outside their offices'. Shortly after he finished speaking, a hologram with the anti-Semitic slogan 'From The River To The Sea, Palestine Will Be Free' was projected on to the side of Big Ben. The Met later conceded that while the phrase 'could be unlawful depending on the specific location or context', beaming it on to the Mother of Parliaments was fine. For the past few months, as brutal war continues to be waged on the streets of Gaza, a different, but equally existential conflict, has been developing on the streets of Britain. On one side are those who have sought to utilise the mob to harass the nation's Jewish community, intimidate its politicians and cow the police into submission. On the other are those who have tried to give a legitimate voice to the Palestinian cause, protect free speech, yet uphold basic democratic principles, and the right of our minority groups to go about their daily lives free from oppression or fear. And the mob has won. In the wake of Wednesday's chaotic scenes in the Commons, the rumours were swirling. The Speaker, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, had been threatened with deselection into adopting Labour's amendment. He had been bounced by an emotional browbeating from Sir Keir Starmer and his Machiavellian chief of staff Sue Gray. None of them were true. Activists calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire waved banners in Parliament Square in London Yes, Starmer did implore Hoyle to accept the Labour amendment. 'He told Lindsay, "We have people really under threat over this Gaza vote",' a Labour source told me. But the Speaker had already made up his mind to prioritise the Labour amendment. And that was because he was already aware of a specific danger to a dozen MPs of all parties. 'Lindsay knows of more than ten credible threats to MPs,' a Commons official told me. 'Most are women. They are from across the House. Some threats are from Islamists and some from the far-Right. But they're real and active, and Lindsay felt he couldn't ignore them.' In doing so, Hoyle made a serious error of judgment, one he has acknowledged. But while some MPs were angry with the Speaker, others privately expressed their relief. 'I actually thanked him,' one Tory MP told me. 'In the end, it helped get me out of a tricky position. I genuinely didn't know how I was going to vote.' But by bowing to the threats from extremists on all sides of the debate, a line has been crossed. In fact, it was a line that was crossed the day the first pro-Palestine marches were allowed, and the streets of the nation's capital were handed over to those who sought to peddle racism, praise the Hamas rapists and murderers, and glorify in the slaughter of October 7. Hate was allowed to parade with impunity. And we are now reaping the whirlwind. The extremists have been emboldened first by our most senior politicians. On Friday, Rishi Sunak was on our screens peddling the old, tired mantra. 'People need to be able to raise their views and debate things without the fear of being intimidated,' he said. But MPs are being intimidated. How they vote is literally being dictated by a fear of being physically attacked. I've spoken to one MP who now employs ex-SAS men to guard him at his regular constituency surgeries. We've had the same vacuous guff from the Mayor of London. 'Hate will never win. We must stand together: it's what London does best,' Sadiq Khan said in response to another Saturday of chaos in his capital. But hate is winning. The streets of London are becoming no-go zones for members of the Jewish community. And the only response is saccharine platitudes. Meanwhile, the police have openly surrendered. I saw with my own eyes Met officers ordering a small group of protesters outside Downing Street to cross to the other side of the road. When they refused, the officers just shrugged and left them to it. The same farcical ritual is enacted time and time again. The Met give protesters instructions. The protesters ignore them. The Met capitulates. Senior officers are no longer even pretending to act as guardians of the law but have opted to become glorified stewards. So long as a protest is completed with minimal overt violence and disorder, it's a win. Privately, Ministers are frustrated with what they see are the failures of the police to use the powers they have. Pro-Palestinian protesters gathered at Parliament Square on the day MPs debated a motion in Parliament on calling a ceasefire in Gaza Last week, Security Minister Tom Tugendhat wrote to police chiefs urging them to ensure adequate protection for MPs facing protests at home. But the response has been mixed. 'Different forces take alternative approaches,' one Minister explained. 'They interpret the law differently. And we just can't intervene on what they say are operational issues.' But responsibility doesn't solely rest with the police. Former Home Secretary Suella Braverman raged against 'Islamists' who she said were 'bullying Britain into submission'. And there is obviously a very real extremist Islamist threat, as there is also a very serious threat from the extreme Right. But that represents only part of the problem. The real issue is the liberal hand-wringers on all sides of the political divide who have ceded democratic principles in a misguided attempt to safeguard liberty, and whose flawed pursuit of inclusivity has unleashed a wave of intolerance and hate. How many more people need to march through London with Swastikas, while chanting for the eradication of the only Jewish state, before someone finally recognises this is not how the British take a stand against prejudice? How many more MPs need to literally cower in fear in their offices before we realise this is not the way we protect our freedoms? How many more votes must be curtailed before we see this is not how a mature parliamentary democracy functions? Enough of the hand-wringing. Last week, a line was crossed, and it must be urgently redrawn. It's time to finally ban the anti-Semitic parades. And stop the protests outside MPs' homes. And end the intimidation outside their offices. Above all, it's time to realise the mob can't be placated, but can only be confronted. And that however appalling the death and destruction in Gaza, our priority must be our own streets and our own communities. Never again? It's happening again in front of our very eyes. And now it has to stop. The woman thought to have the world's largest cheekbones spoke to MailOnline and opened up about her upbringing, revealed potential future family plans, and why she opted for the extreme surgery. Anastasia Pokreshchuk, 36, from Kyiv, Ukraine, a popular social media personality famed for her extreme surgeries, revealed what she wants from her ideal boyfriend and told MailOnline 'I can get d**** everyday easily!' With no plans to stop going under the knife anytime soon, who is proud she hasn't taken 'the sugar daddy route' to support herself said she receives countless messages from men that are enchanted by her looks. While she is often openly gawked at in public, an experience which her friends find unsettling, she claimed she had a great childhood, filled with memories playing with every Barbie doll you could imagine, putting trolls' allegations to bed. The 36-year-old, who has grown accustomed to air raids is keen to adopt children who have been orphaned by the tragic war that has devastated her country. An avid reader of magical realism, the psychology graduate proves that women are multifaceted. Love life The model sporting neon hair, flaunting her washboard abs in a tight pair of pink running shorts Anastasia insisted that her face, which she has spent thousands on crafting for so many years that she cant remember when she started, hasn't hindered her love life but helped it. Currently single, the influencer, who has a staggering 375,000 Instagram followers said: Im more career oriented, but if I had a relationship, I wouldn't spend money on him. He must provide, because why else do I need a man, I can get d**** everyday easily! In fact before her online career took off, Anastasia fell on hard times and struggled to find a job, resulting in a stint at a perfume shop. I had very little money. I had two options, either a sugar daddy or get a job, so I started working at a perfume shop and started blogging about relationships later. I didnt want the sugar daddy route - I find the idea so uncomfortable. I didn't want to be a leach, I wanted my own job, my career is important to me. I get lots of weird messages from creepy old men offering me money which I block immediately. Plastic surgery Look at those cheekbones! The Instagram model often shows off her very chiselled jaw, complete with a super defined chin The model told MailOnline that she embarked on her cosmetic surgery journey for herself, not anybody else. 'I want to look in the mirror and think wow I'm so beautiful. My boobs were like a boys' thanks to nature, but now I have 1050cc implants inside them; they're perfect'. Anastasia also went under the knife for a BBL, a Brazilian Butt Lift to enhance her behind, amongst several other surgeries. It's the deadliest cosmetic surgery procedure around, yet she wasn't fazed. 'I wasn't scared. Yes it's the most dangerous surgery but it's also the most popular one. Beauty is pain! You can die crossing the street!' Anastasia, who's lost count of her procedures doesnt plan on reversing her surgeries anytime soon, but admitted 'never say never' when it came to modifying her look. Early life Anastasia before all the surgeries, looking natural in her youth, before she was famed for her extreme facial surgery Before and after - the model looks almost unrecognisable as she now likes to sport bolder hair and lip colours, and of course a sharp set of cheekbones While she is known across the world for appearances, Anastasia wasn't always the glam influencer she is today, a jet setting lifestyle which lets her fly to Dubai at a moment's notice. Anastasia described her upbringing as loving, conventional, and admitted she was 'spoiled' with toys. She called her mother 'very intelligent' and 'highly educated'. She enjoys reading classics, and cites magical realism novel One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez as one of her favourite books of all time. A clearly ambitious woman, Anastasia spent six years studying for a degree at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, and has a masters in psychology. The influencer started her online presence off with relationship blogging, before progressing to a wider range of videos. I like to inspire people to leave abusive relationships. This is how I started as an influencer. My degree has helped me with this job. It helps me understand people. Lots of women still individually message me asking for relationship advice and still do but now they ask me about everyday life - like we're friends'. Public reactions Anastasia Pokreshchuk, from Kiev, became famous for her unique facial aesthetics, and regularly posts about her life on social media.She's also very open about her body and surgeries with her followers In fact, I get hate comments online all the time - no one has the confidence to say it in person. In real life people want to hug me and take pictures with me. It's so nice! But sometimes my friends find it uncomfortable when were out in public as people flock to me. They find the staring uncomfortable theyre like Oh god, not another picture, not again! but for me its never uncomfortable, I never get shy. Anastasia told MailOnline: I dont have people around me that judge me, but I dont give a f*** what people think of me. My friends never judge me. My mother tells me that I looked beautiful before of course, but now she calls me exotic. She is my best friend and the best possible support I could ask for. 'But she is also my mother, so if she says I look crazy its okay, strangers on the other hand should mind their own business. 'Lots of people comment on my Instagram saying things like "She must have had an awful childhood" but this is further from the truth. I had the latest toys, every Barbie doll you can imagine!'. I believe people should all do what they want. People should let me do what I want to do and they should do what they want to do. Anastasia Pokreshchuk, from Kiev, became famous for her unique facial aesthetics, and regularly posts about her life on social media. She's also very open about her body and surgeries with her followers Raising a child in a war torn country And discussing the prospect of children, the model is firm on not having her own, preferring to adopt children. There are so many kids out there that need help and could have a normal life. When Im rich I want to adopt children rather than have my own. She cited ruining her appearance as another concern, but would be willing to have a child via sperm donor or surrogacy. There's so many poor children out there, so I think it's better to take them. Ive always wanted to adopt but especially now with this horrible war going on. In fact, theres even an air raid going on right now as we speak, but dont worry, its normal in Ukraine right now - no one is safe. Lots of my friends have left Ukraine because of the war - some to Prague, Poland, Dubai, but I dont want to move. I love my country. When a Bentley luxury car soared through the air and exploded on the Rainbow Bridge on Nov. 22, the vehicles event data recorder commonly known as the black box was destroyed. Because of that, Niagara Falls police probably will never be able to determine what caused the frightening crash that killed a Grand Island couple, Kurt and Monica Villani, both 53. Probe of deadly Rainbow Bridge crash focuses on likelihood of mechanical failure Niagara Falls Mayor Robert M. Restaino says police are preparing to obtain a subpoena against Bentley Motors, the company that manufactured the 2022 luxury car involved in the fiery crash that killed a couple from Grand Island. Niagara Falls Mayor Robert M. Restaino, after a briefing from police officials, provided that update on Friday. The two federal agencies responsible for investigating major auto crashes and safety defects in motor vehicles also told The Buffalo News on Friday they have decided not to investigate the crash. The police have taken the investigation about as far as they can go, without the information from the black box, Restaino told The News. At this point, unless insurance investigators find out the cause, or it comes out in a lawsuit filed by the Villani family, its quite possible well never find out what really caused this tragedy. 'Tragic, horrible incident': Friends mourn couple killed in Niagara Falls bridge crash Kurt P. and Monica Villani, who died Wednesday when their car exploded at the Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls, were a kind and hardworking couple who were closely tied to their Grand Island community, their friends said. No lawsuits have been filed relating to the accident. The Villanis were riding in a 2022 Bentley Flying Spur when the crash occurred. Thursday was the three-month anniversary of the crash, which attracted international publicity and was initially investigated as possible terrorism. Witnesses said the Bentley was moving at an extraordinarily high rate of speed when it approached the entrance to the bridge, struck a concrete median and was launched into the air. The car cleared a fence before landing and bursting into flames near inspection booths on the New York side of the international bridge. The vehicles black box was damaged to the point that police could not retrieve any information from it, Restaino said. But before the device was ruined, police believe it sent important signals of information to its manufacturer, Bentley Motors Limited. Authorities said that data would include how fast the car was moving, and whether the driver, Kurt Villani, slammed on the brakes or took other corrective action. Bentley will not provide any of that information to Niagara Falls police without a court subpoena, a spokeswoman for the company said Friday. This is still an active investigation and (we) have no further updates at this time, Bentley spokeswoman Erin Bronner told The News. Niagara Falls police: It will be 'some time' before Rainbow Bridge investigation is completed The occupants of the fast-moving car that went airborne over an 8-foot fence and crashed and exploded at the American side of the Rainbow Bridge on Wednesday appear to have stopped at Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino just before the fatal crash. We have not refused to provide data, but because the data pertains to personal information, we must first legally receive a subpoena, Bronner said. We continue to cooperate with the investigators. The city is not in a position to subpoena the information from Bentley because the city is not suing the car company, Restaino said. Our department is conducting an accident investigation, not a criminal investigation, the mayor said. Officers have been trying to determine whether this was a case of driver error or a malfunction of the vehicle. Bronner declined to say if any data sent by the black box before the crash has caused Bentley to have safety concerns about the vehicle. But she pointed out that Bentley has not had any reason to issue safety recalls since the November accident. Hochul: 'No indication' of terrorism in fatal car crash, explosion at Rainbow Bridge A car that crashed and exploded Wednesday morning on the American side of the Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls, killing two people, does not appear to be an act of terrorism, Gov. Kathy Hochul said during a news conference. "There is no sign of terrorist activity with respect to this crash. We have identified that this is a local individual," she said. A spokeswoman for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which regulates the safety of motor vehicles, told The News on Friday its representatives discussed the crash with the Niagara Falls Police Department, but did not conduct its own investigation. When The News asked why, the spokeswoman declined to elaborate. At the National Transportation Safety Board, public affairs specialist Sarah Taylor Sulick said the NTSB is only resourced to investigate select highway crashes each year, and focuses on crashes that highlight issues that may have systemwide or nationwide impacts. Members of the Villani family and their attorneys have declined to discuss the case with the news media. According to the Edmunds.com automobile website, the 2022 Bentley Flying Spur is a high-powered luxury car that can go from zero to 60 mph in four seconds. Depending on the options purchased, the vehicle, when new, could have cost between $204,500 and $309,000, the website said. Restaino, who is also an attorney and former judge, said the Villani family, insurance investigators and Bentley Motors all have important reasons to want to find out what caused the crash. Bentley Motors would want to know for safety reasons, insurance companies would want to know to determine who was at fault, and the family would want to know in order to proceed with any legal action, the mayor said. Police have found no information to indicate that Kurt Villani was impaired at the time of the crash or that he had any reason to intentionally drive at such a high rate of speed, Restaino added. A Parisian mansion that was Karl Lagerfeld's party palace for 30 years is at the centre of a bitter battle to find a new owner. Situated on the capital's Left Bank, 18th-century mansion Hotel Pozzo di Borgo is synonymous with glamour, having provided a sumptuous backdrop to a number of runways, including Victoria Beckham spring/summer 2024. The state of Gabon purchased the property in 2010 for almost 100million, with the intention of it acting as a base for a Gabonese diplomatic mission and economic bureau in France. However, it is thought to have been used as a private residence by the Bongos, the controversial dynasty that ruled Gabon, west Africa, for five decades before they were overthrown in August 2023 in a military coup. As a result, the Gabon junta seized the mansion last summer and have since made the decision to list it for 200million to finance infrastructure. The 18th-century mansion Hotel Pozzo di Borgo is synonymous with glamour Despite a third of the country's 2.3 million population living in poverty, Bongo was one of the wealthiest heads of state in the world. But Omar Bongo, who was the second president of Gabon for nearly 42 years until his death in 2009, and his son Ali, who succeeded him, are being accused of swindling tax payers' money to purchase the private property in France. The family is under scrutiny in a criminal investigation for allegedly taking a share of hundreds of millions of euros from deals involving Gabon's raw materials, particularly oil, according to the French media. Named after the aristocratic Corsican family who owned it until 2010, Hotel Pozzo di Borgo underwent a significant renovation by some of France's leading interior designers - under the direction of Gabon's ambassador to Paris. The property provided a sumptuous backdrop to Victoria Beckham's spring/summer 2024 The private residence belonged to the Pozzo di Borgo family until 2010 Karl Lagerfeld is pictured inside his 'party palace' Hotel Pozzo di Borgo A grand ballroom is decorated with gold panelling and opulent chandeliers The coveted venue hosted various catwalk shows, including Victoria Beckham and Marni, during Paris Fashion Week spring/summer 2024 last month. But now, the residence has become a source of embarrassment for the former French colony. General Brice Oligui Nguema, a military officer serving as Transitional President of Gabon, is said to have made the decision to put the property on the market. Situated in the Rue de l'Universite, Paris, the hotel was Karl Lagerfeld's primary residence for almost 30 years. Hotel Pozzo di Borgo has been listed for 200million The luxurious residence features jacquard wallpaper, patterned rugs and original oil paintings Golden panelling and opulent mirrors adorn many of the walls The Marni spring/summer 2024 catwalk was held at the hotel last month The former artistic director of Chanel rented up to 1,000sq/m in the mansion and decorated it in an opulent 18th century style. A number of glamorous parties were held within its walls, including one celebrating Nicole Kidman's Chanel No 5 advertisement in 2004. During this time, the mansion was owned by Philippe Pozzo di Borgo, a Corsican French businessman who was also the director of Pommery. The property also played host to Vivienne Westwood's eccentric spring/summer 2010 show during Paris Fashion Week. A sweeping staircase is lined with royal blue and gold carpet The hotel played host to Vivienne Westwood's spring/summer 2010 show Grand chandelliers feature in every room of the private residence The Gabon junta seized the mansion last summer and have since made the decision to list it for 200million to finance infrastructure. Several of the country's wealthiest people, including Bernard Arnault, founder of the luxury goods giant LVMH, have been approached, according to Glitz Paris. Despite potential interest from buyers, there is hesitation to deal with the leaders of a denounced coup, as Western governments, including Britain, have criticised the situation. Being born into one of the most prominent families in Hollywood certainly comes with its perks. Take it from Billy Baldwin's stunning daughters, Jameson and Brooke 'Brooks' Baldwin, who the actor shares with his longtime wife, Chynna Phillips. While they may not be as well-known as their cousins, Hailey Baldwin or Ireland Baldwin, both Jameson and Brooks have each racked up their own impressive list of achievements. They've also become social media sensations by flaunting some of the many perks that come with being a member of the Baldwin clan - like getting to jet off on lavish getaways with their famous parents and scoring invites to Hailey's star-studded wedding to Justin Bieber. Being born into one of the most prominent families in Hollywood certainly comes with its perks. Take it from Billy Baldwin's stunning daughters, Jameson and Brooke 'Brooks' Baldwin The actor shares his daughters, as well as a son named Vance, with his longtime wife, Chynna Phillips While they may not be as well-known as their cousin Hailey Baldwin, both Jameson and Brooks (seen with their brother) have each racked up their own impressive list of achievements They've also become social media sensations by flaunting some of the many perks that come with being a member of the Baldwin clan Jameson, 23, is an aspiring photographer and University of Southern California graduate who often shares snaps of herself smoking and partying. She once sparked immense backlash over her extremely thin frame, with fans accusing her of looking 'unhealthy' after she shared a series of racy bikini snaps in 2021. As Billy and Chynna's kids continue to make waves both on social media and in their respective fields, FEMAIL rounded up everything you need to know about them Others branded her as 'desperate' and accused her of 'screaming to be noticed because she was at the bottom of the Baldwin barrel.' But Jameson has continued to drown out the trolls. As for Brooks, 21, she graduated from high school a year early and was the valedictorian of her class, but decided to put college on hold to pursue her dreams of being a model instead. Billy and Chynna - who also hails from a prominent family since she is the daughter of the Mamas & the Papas band members John and Michelle Phillips - also have a son, named Vance. He is the most private of the three, but his parents revealed in 2019 that he had secretly endured a horrific battle with cancer when he was only 16 years old. As Billy and Chynna's kids continue to make waves both on social media and in their respective fields, FEMAIL rounded up everything you need to know about them - from their flourishing careers to their hardships and scandals. Wild child Jameson: The eldest of Billy and Chynna's kids is an aspiring photographer who often shares snaps of herself smoking - and she once sparked backlash over to her extremely thin frame Jameson, the eldest of Billy and Chynna's three kids, was born on February 27, 2000, and she and her siblings grew up in Los Angeles, California After graduating from Santa Barbara High School, she headed to the University of Southern California for college Now, she's an aspiring photographer who has also dabbled in modeling, previously posing for the fashion blog Cervant (seen) Jameson, the eldest of Billy and Chynna's three kids, was born on February 27, 2000, and she and her siblings grew up in Los Angeles, California. On her Instagram account, she has racked up more than 14,000 followers After graduating from Santa Barbara High School, she headed to the University of Southern California for college. Now, she's an aspiring photographer who has also dabbled in modeling, previously posing for the fashion blog Cervant. On her Instagram account, where she has racked up more than 14,000 followers, Jameson often shares images of herself smoking or partying alongside her boyfriend, a painter named Trevor Zank. She also often jets off on a luxurious getaways with her famous family. Billy previously spoke about how Jameson's birth 'changed his life forever.' 'It was 20 years ago today that my life changed forever. I became a dad for the first time... your dad,' he wrote in a birthday tribute to her back in 2020. 'It's been such a wild, crazy, and fun ride so far... with so many more chapters to be written. Wild child: Jameson often shares images of herself smoking or partying She is said to be currently dating a painter named Trevor Zank Billy previously spoke about how Jameson's birth 'changed his life forever.' He wrote: 'It was 20 years ago today that my life changed forever. I became a dad for the first time... your dad' He continued: 'You are an amazing young woman... my daughter... my first born. I'm so proud of you and I love and adore all of your unique and beautiful qualities with all of my heart' Jameson previously sparked backlash over her extremely thin frame back in 2021, after she shared some snaps of herself in a bikini At the time, the post was flooded with comments from people who branded her as 'too skinny' and 'unhealthy' looking Others called her 'desperate' and accused her of 'screaming to be noticed because she was at the bottom of the Baldwin barrel' 'You are an amazing young woman... my daughter... my first born. I'm so proud of you and I love and adore all of your unique and beautiful qualities with all of my heart. 'Of the many blessings and gifts in my life... you are the most treasured.' Jameson previously sparked backlash over her extremely thin frame back in 2021, after she shared some snaps of herself in a bikini. At the time, the post was flooded with comments from people who branded her as 'too skinny' and 'unhealthy' looking. Others called her 'desperate' and accused her of 'screaming to be noticed because she was at the bottom of the Baldwin barrel.' Yet, Jameson seems undeterred by the online backlash. 'Tough as nails' Vance: Their only son was diagnosed with cancer at age 16, but beat the disease after undergoing 28 rounds of chemotherapy Middle child Vance was born on October 23, 2002. Like his older sister, he is studying at the University of Southern California. He and Jameson are seen as kids He does his best to stay out of the spotlight and his Instagram account is on private, so unfortunately, very little is known about him. He's seen with Chynna as a kid In October 2019, Billy revealed that Vance had battled cancer in secret, and that he was in remission after undergoing 28 rounds of chemo therapy Middle child Vance was born on October 23, 2002. Like his older sister, he is studying at the University of Southern California. He does his best to stay out of the spotlight and his Instagram account is on private, so unfortunately, very little is known about him. He described his son as a 'tough son of a b***h,' who is 'sharp as a tack and funny as hell ' with a 'heart of gold' In October 2019, Billy revealed that Vance had battled cancer in secret, and that he was in remission after undergoing 28 rounds of chemotherapy. 'A year ago today my son Vance was diagnosed with cancer... he was 16 years old,' he wrote at the time. 'He kept it very quiet... we all did. He went through 28 rounds of chemo yet stayed very positive, focused, and kept his life as normal as possible... every single day.' Billy described his son as a 'tough son of a b***h,' who is 'sharp as a tack and funny as hell' with a 'heart of gold.' 'Courage, strength, bravery, attitude, warrior... never seen anything like it,' he continued. 'Never been prouder. You are an amazing man.' Model Brooks: The youngest of the three graduated early and was the valedictorian of her class, but decided to put college on hold to pursue her dreams of being a fashion star Youngest of Billy and Chynna's three kids is Brooks, who was born on December 6, 2004. She's seen as a baby with Chynna She was the valedictorian of her class when she graduated from high school a year early in 2022 She then moved to New York City to 'pursue her dreams' of modeling and was signed to IMG Models. She made her debut in 5' Eleven" magazine in July 2023 Youngest of Billy and Chynna's three kids is Brooks, who was born on December 6, 2004. She was the valedictorian of her class when she graduated from high school a year early in 2022. Brooks then moved to New York City to 'pursue her dreams' of modeling and was signed to IMG Models. She made her debut in 5' Eleven" magazine in July 2023. Despite only having eight posts on Instagram, she's also earned a substantial following like her sister - and she now has over 11,200 followers Billy previously described her as 'compassionate, loyal, inquisitive, interesting, affectionate, fun, and so damn smart' in a post for her birthday 'You mean the world to me. The light you shine is so bright,' he gushed in 2020 when she turned 16. 'And that laugh... oh that laugh... love you my Brooke' Despite only having eight posts on Instagram, she's also earned a substantial following like her sister - and now has over 11,200 followers. Billy previously described her as 'compassionate, loyal, inquisitive, interesting, affectionate, fun, and so damn smart' in a post for her birthday. 'You mean the world to me. The light you shine is so bright,' he gushed in 2020 when she turned 16. 'Compassionate, loyal, inquisitive, interesting, affectionate, fun... and so damn smart. And that laugh... oh that laugh... love you my Brooke.' An expert trichologist has issued a stark warning about using the viral scalp massagers that are all over the internet - explaining that it can actually cause hair damage. The information was shared by the iconic haircare brand Philip Kingsley on TikTok, who have clinics based both in New York City and London that focus on treatments regarding scalp health and hair loss. In the new clip, Glenn Lyons, who is the Clinical Director of the Philip Kingsley Trichological Clinic in London, spelled out exactly why these brushes can be so harmful to the hair if they're used in the wrong way. 'Recent research suggests that massaging our scalp helps to improve blood supply and get nutrients to the hair follicle,' Lyons began in the video. Glenn Lyons, an expert trichologist at iconic haircare brand Philip Kinglsey, issued a stark warning on TikTok about scalp massage brushes In a new clip, Glenn Lyons, who is the Clinical Director of the Philip Kingsley Trichological Clinic in London, spelled out exactly why these brushes can be so harmful to the hair if they're used in the wrong way 'However, the amount that this does and benefit is minimal,' he continued. Lyons explained that when the brand utilizes scalp massages in a treatment at their clinic, they often do so to make sure that whichever product at hand is being absorbed properly. He revealed that when massaging the scalp with your fingers, it's important that it's done in the right way. 'However, it's also important to massage correctly, and this should be done preferably with the finger tips in slow, circular movements for around five to seven minutes,' the expert said. 'Now, too aggressive massage can actually cause fairly severe breakage.' But if you're opting for a hand-held scalp massager rather than your hands and fingers, there are some guidelines that you want to be following. He then held up two different hand held scalp massagers that you can buy in-store. The first one, which was purple, was made up of multiple small bristles, while the other one, which was white, had larger, taller, and more spike-like bristles. Lyons explained that you want to massage your head in circular motions for five to seven minutes using the finger tips He explained that recent studies have shown that scalp massage can help to increase blood flow to the follicle, but that the 'benefit is minimal' In the video, he explained that you need to use handheld scalp massagers in the right way, or else it can be damaging (stock image) How to properly massage your scalp, according to Kingsley Use your finger tips Complete 'slow' and 'circular' motions Massage your scalp for five to seven minutes Advertisement 'As you can see in this one, even though it's fairly rubber-ish, it's pointed,' he said about the white one. 'And this one, particularly, the plastic prongs are harsh.' 'So, potentially this would cause scratches and bleeding points on the scalp,' he said as he pointed to the purple brush. He said that the better one to use would be one that's more like the white one - spikey and more spread out - although both are not great. But if using the spikier one, you will want to make sure it has a rounded head on it, which his did not. 'That is preferable, but it still should be done slowly and not too aggressively,' Lyons concluded. Other than simply feeling good, scalp massages can also help to lower stress levels and relieve headaches, per studies cited by GoodRx Health. In the comments section of the TikTok post, many seemed to appreciate and agree with Lyons' take on scalp massagers. Lyons said that it's important to find a hand-held scalp massager that has a rounded head In the comments, many people seemed appreciative of the tip, and even shared their own experience with hand-held scalp massagers Some also shared their own experiences. 'I always said that! As someone who experiences hair loss - I'd never be so rough and aggressive with my hair as it would cause more to fall out,' one person wrote. Another agreed, 'I started balding while using these while shampooing. I stopped and my hair is growing back.' 'Thank you, those pointy brushes makes me think of the harsh peeling face soaps that were popular when I was a teenager. It's too harsh,' someone else typed. 'Five to seven minutes, I had no idea! Thank you for taking the time to explain why they're not great AND what is better for our hair!' a second TikTok user commented. DailyMail.com reached out to Philip Kingsley for further comment. A woman has revealed how she lived in fear for years after her obsessed ex-partner began stalking her, forcing her to move constantly around the UK. Victoria Mulvihill, 33, who works in farming, met Jonathan Harley, 45, at a party in Chester in 2019 and the pair began dating, but before long she realised he was prone to mood swings and was incredibly jealous. After the relationship came to a bitter end, he began a terrifying stalking campaign against her, harassing her daily, attempting to get her sacked from jobs and threatening harm to her loved ones. Fearing for her life, Victoria moved multiple times across the country, but Harley tracked her down each time. After instilling fear in her for over a year, Harley was eventually arrested and jailed for 22 months last October - but Victoria has revealed the long-term effects of the stalking campaign will stay with her for some time. Farm worker, Victoria Mulvihill (pictured), has revealed how her obsessive ex-partner stalked and terrorised her across the UK Victoria said: 'Twenty-two months in prison is just a break for him' adding she believes her ex is 'sick in the head'. 'Now, I'm trying my hardest to rebuild my life, and get back to my old self. But I've got a long journey ahead.' She revealed that, when she first met Harley, she felt an affinity with him due to their similar interests and backgrounds in farming. Victoria said: 'Like me, Jonathan had grown up on farms his whole life. We both loved farm work, animals and the outdoors. 'He was practically the same person as me, and he made me feel so special. 'Jonathan lived on a farm in the area, and right away, he invited me over. We had a whirlwind romance and I moved right in. I did work on his farm for him and also cared for his livestock too.' 'Jonathan and I dreamed of owning our own farm and starting a family one day. For around eight months, I felt on top of the world.' However, when the honeymoon period ended, Victoria says Harley became 'possessive, jealous and paranoid' and described him as 'like Jekyll and Hyde'. Victoria met 45-year-old Jonathan Harley (left) at a party on the border of Chester and North Wales in 2019, and a relationship quickly blossomed Jonathan pleaded guilty to stalking Victoria and sending malicious communications to their friend in October last year. He was sentenced to 22 months Since being stalked by Jonathan, Victoria has attempted to rebuild her life, but admits she's got a 'long journey' ahead of her Jonathan and Victoria quickly found common ground because they were both raised on farms and love farm work 'One moment he'd be showering me with compliments, the next he was screaming at me for apparently sleeping with other farmers,' she said. 'It was awful and I found myself isolated from friends and family. For a year I didn't leave the farm unless I saw my mum or did a food shop.' In July 2022, after two years together, Victoria finally ended the relationship and moved into her mum's house, a three-hour drive away in Liverpool. However, shortly before leaving Harley, Victoria learnt she was pregnant. She claims Harley refused to believe he was the father of the baby. 'He called me every hour of every day. He abused my mum, my friends and family too, demanding to speak to me. With a common love of animals and the outdoors, the pair longed to purchase a farm and start a family together For the first eight months of the romantic relationship, farm worker Victoria had never felt happier However, things soon turned sour when Jonathan became obsessed with Victoria and paranoid about her whereabouts 'Two weeks later I sadly had a miscarriage. I was heartbroken, but also relieved because I didn't want anything to tie me to Jonathan for life. He was obsessed. 'He didn't leave us alone so in order to protect my mum, I left hers months later.' In a bid to get away from Harley, Victoria blocked his number and moved 200 miles away to Cambridge. To prevent Harley from finding out, she didn't tell anyone where she was moving. Victoria said: 'I got a job at a new farm as a tractor driver, and blocked Jonathan on everything. But he called me from new phones and on private every minute. 'If I answered, Jonathan would put on weird accents from different counties. And other times he'd put on a different voice and claim it was a man I'd met at a party the other night. It was insane because I didn't go out or see anyone. It was terrifying.' Jonathan's unpredictable behaviour meant he could go from showering Victoria in compliments to shouting at her over his paranoid thoughts in minutes Jonathan quickly became possessive and would call Victoria every 30 minutes demanding to speak to her Only a week later, Victoria's new boss came to her unhappy one day, claiming she'd had a call from another farmer. Victoria said: 'She said that a farmer with a Derbyshire accent called, said I'd given him my CV and wanted a reference from them. My boss was mad because I was under contract with them. 'I was so confused. Then I realised, it was Jonathan. He'd clearly impersonated another farmer to get me fired. 'I broke down into tears and told my boss my ex was stalking me. Thankfully work was understanding but I nearly lost my job. Victoria was forced to block the man she once loved, and ran away 200 miles down south to Cambridge Although she had managed to smooth things over with her boss, Victoria was rattled that Harley had tracked her down despite the fact she hadn't revealed to any of her loved ones where she was living and working. 'Every day after that, he called non-stop, and left hundreds of voice notes and voicemails,' she said. 'I was hysterical and jumped at every sound. I became a recluse in my home. He called my work again not long after saying I'd had sexual relations with the staff there.' Terrified for her life, Victoria relocated to another part of the country but again, Harley tracked her down and called her new workplace, using different voices and accents in an attempt to get her fired again. Convinced he'd put a tracker on her car, she took it to the garage multiple times, but they never found anything. When she secured a job in a different location, her boss received a call from Jonathan claiming to be a farmer. Jonathan attempted to get Victoria fired by hinting that she was accepting a new offer Jonathan would harass Victoria on social media and made fake profile across multiple platforms in a bid to contact her Meanwhile, Harley made fake profiles on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok using Victoria's full name, which he used to send her messages. Victoria says: 'He kept saying he was going to come to the farm and I needed to watch out. My life had become hell. I began begging the police for help. 'But as I'd been moving around the country, they kept passing me around to different stations. I got lost in the system. Whilst Jonathan was still obsessed and wouldn't give up. 'I decided I had no choice but to plan to move again because the police weren't helping.' Victoria contacted the police on multiple occasions to seek help, but since she kept moving around the UK, she was passed around and lost in the system Victoria finally had her voice heard by the police when Jonathan was reported to the police by another person At the end of 2022, a long-term friend of both Victoria and Harley also reported the stalker - after he had been subject to harassment as well. It emerged that, after Victoria had ended the relationship, Harley became jealous of Victoria's friendship with the man and believed they had slept together. As a result, he targeted the mutual friend too, threatening to have his children shot. Victoria said: 'Jonathan had accused of him sleeping with me because I'd asked him for job reference in the past. 'Because of our mate's report to the police about Jonathan threatening to have his kids killed, they finally took my case seriously.' In January 2023, Harley was arrested but after being released on bail, Victoria still lived in fear and kept receiving calls from her ex. Victoria has shared her story to encourage other women in similar situations to speak out and to recognise the red flags Jonathan has been sentenced to 22 months in prison, but Victoria claims that this is an inadequate sentence Later that year, in October 2023, Jonathan Harley, now 45, of Deeside Lane, Sealand, pleaded guilty to stalking Victoria at Mold Crown Court. He also pleaded guilty to sending malicious communications to their friend. He was sentenced to 22 months. Victoria said: 'I didn't dare show up to court as I couldn't risk Jonathan, or someone he knew, following me in my car back home. 'By then I didn't trust anyone. I panicked when people spoke to me and had lost myself completely. 'Now I'm trying to move forward with my life, but 22 months isn't enough for him ruining my life.' She added she doesn't feel justice has been done and fears he will come and find her when he is released/ 'If you've gone through similar, please trust your instincts and stay away from that person. Don't ignore the red flags. 'You're not alone, and there are people out there to help you.' A woman who got pregnant when she was 14 years old has opened up about the cruel comments she receives from critics who call her a 'whore' and accuse her of 'promoting teen pregnancy.' Alex Yetter, 22, from Oregon, has more than 100,000 followers on TikTok, where she documents her life as a real estate agent and single mother to her seven-year-old son, Milo. The content creator reflected on what it's like to be a teen mom in the latest episode of the Truly series My Extraordinary Family, saying her journey has been a 'wild roller coaster.' 'When I found out I was pregnant, I was definitely terrified,' she said. 'I don't feel like I got to enjoy my pregnancy being a teen mom because it was something that I hid and was very scared of telling people. There was a lot of shame around it.' Alex Yetter, 22, from Oregon, opened up about being a teen mom in the latest episode of the Truly series My Extraordinary Family The single mom said her seven-year-old son, Milo, has made her 'more driven,' and she doesn't have any regrets about how her life turned out Alex was just 14 years old when she got pregnant, and she recalled how her classmates called her names and spread 'horrible rumors' about her Alex recalled how her parents, Matthew and Sara, were 'pretty disappointed' when she told them she was pregnant at 14. 'I don't feel like anybody's ever prepared for that,' she said. 'You're never prepared to tell your parents that you're pregnant at 14, and you're never prepared to hear that your 14-year-old's pregnant.' Looking back, Alex's mother said she could 'have been much more supportive,' but she feared her daughter was repeating her mistakes. 'Being a teen mom myself, I felt like a failure,' Sara admitted. 'It really hit me hard. If I could go back, I would definitely change my reaction.' Alex said she faced 'a lot of judgment' after she found out she was pregnant. Her classmates called her names and spread 'horrible rumors' about her. After she gave birth to Milo, she left public school and started taking classes online as she worked toward her diploma. 'The first year of motherhood for me was definitely difficult,' she said. 'I was 15. You can't even drive yet at 15.' However, her mother proudly pointed out that she was a hands-on mom from the beginning, saying she 'did everything for Milo.' Looking back, Alex's mother said she could 'have been much more supportive,' but she feared her daughter was repeating her mistakes 'Being a teen mom myself, I felt like a failure. It really hit me hard. If I could go back, I would definitely change my reaction,' admitted Sara (pictured with Alex) 'The first year of motherhood for me was definitely difficult,' Alex said. 'I was 15. You can't even drive yet at 15' 'You got up with him. You took care of him. You were a very independent mother,' she told her daughter. 'I think being young moms has bonded us in a way because we're almost kind of like sisters. We grew up together,' Alex said of her relationship with her mom. At 18, she graduated from high school and moved into her own place with Milo, who was three years old at the time. 'Having Milo at such a young age definitely caused me to be more driven because I wanted to be able to provide a good life for him,' she said. 'I am a real estate broker. I would say I'm successful. Am I where I want to be? Probably not. I think there is always room for growing.' Alex didn't talk about Milo's father, but she noted that she takes issue with people who tell her that she needs to lower her standards because she has a child. 'If you're a single mom, you should have higher standards,' she said. 'Why would you lower your standards when you have children? That makes zero sense.' Sara proudly described Alex as being a hands-on mom from the beginning, saying she was the one who got up with Milo and took care of him At 18, Alex graduated from high school and moved into her own place with Milo, who was three years old at the time The real estate broker documents her life on TikTok, but she faces hateful comments from online trolls who call her a 'whore' and accuse her of 'promoting teen pregnancy' 'A lot of the more positive comments are people just proud of me for being a good mom, for giving Milo a good life,' she said. 'I really thrive off of those' Alex posts videos about her life on social media to encourage other single moms to build their dream lives, but it has also made her a target for online trolls. 'I've received tens of thousands of hate comments that are pretty brutal. Most of them are, honestly, just them calling me a whore,' she explained. 'People will be like, "How dare you promote teen pregnancy?" I would never. I wouldn't wish this on anybody, and I would never promote it. I totally believe that you should wait until you're married. 'A lot of the more positive comments are people just proud of me for being a good mom, for giving Milo a good life,' she added. 'I really thrive off of those, and I don't pay any attention to the negative.' Alex described having a seven-year-old son at her age as being fun, and she noted that she doesn't have any regrets about how her life turned out. 'I feel my life is way better with Milo than without,' she said. 'I couldn't imagine it any other way. ' Crown Princess Victoria today arrived with the Swedish Royal Family to attend a peace prayer on the second anniversary of Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine. The royal, 46, looked solemn as she walked into the Royal Chapel in Stockholm with King Carl Gustav, Queen Silvia and her husband Prince Daniel. Also in attendance were Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia, both of whom opted for dark coloured ensembles as they prayed for peace to be restored in Europe. Saturday marks two years since the Kremlin launched its attack on Ukraine, starting the biggest incursion in a European country since the Second World War. Gathering with her family for prayers, Victoria wore a dark blue jumper over a light blouse, which she paired with a long, dark pleated skirt. Crown Princess Victoria, Prince Daniel, Prayer for peace in the Castle Church at the Royal Palace in Stockholm, Sweden Crown Princess Victoria today arrived with the Swedish Royal Family for a peace prayer on the second anniversary of Vladimir Putin 's invasion of Ukraine The royal, 46, looked solemn as she walked into the Royal Chapel in Stockholm with King Carl Gustav, Queen Silvia and her husband Prince Daniel King Carl XVI Gustaf, Queen Silvia of Sweden, Crown Princess Victoria, Prince Daniel, Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia attend a Peace Prayer for Ukraine at the Stockholm Royal Palace's Royal Chapel on February 24, 2024 in Stockholm, Sweden Crown Princess Victoria, Prince Daniel, Prayer for peace in the Castle Church at the Royal Palace in Stockholm, Sweden She gathered her hair in a sleek bun, and wore simple make-up for the occasion. Queen Silvia, 80, wore a grey and blue patterned co-ord, and kept her brunette hair in its typical blow-out style. It comes after King Charles praised the 'determination and strength' of the Ukrainian people in a message marking the second anniversary of Russia's invasion. Charles III says he is 'greatly encouraged' by the efforts of the UK and its allies in supporting Ukraine 'at this time of such great suffering and need'. He said: 'The determination and strength of the Ukrainian people continues to inspire, as the unprovoked attack on their land, their lives and livelihoods enters a third, tragic, year. 'Despite the tremendous hardship and pain inflicted upon them, Ukrainians continue to show the heroism with which the world associates them so closely. Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel at the prayer for peace in the Castle Church at the Royal Palace in Stockholm, Sweden Also in attendance were Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia, both of whom opted for dark coloured ensembles as they prayed for peace to be restored in Europe Saturday marks two years since the Kremlin launched its attack on Ukraine , starting the biggest incursion in a European country since the Second World War Gathering with her family for prayers, Victoria wore a dark blue jumper over a light blouse, which she paired with a long, dark pleated skirt Queen Silvia, Crown Princess Victoria, Prince Daniel, Prince Carl Philip, Prayer for peace in the Castle Church at the Royal Palace in Stockholm, Sweden 'Theirs is true valour, in the face of indescribable aggression. I have felt this personally in the many meetings I have had with Ukrainians since the start of the war, from President Zelensky and Mrs Zelenska, to new army recruits training here in the United Kingdom. 'I continue to be greatly encouraged that the United Kingdom and our allies remain at the forefront of international efforts to support Ukraine at this time of such great suffering and need. 'My heart goes out to all those affected, as I remember them in my thoughts and prayers.' Queen Silvia, 80, wore a grey and blue patterned co-ord, and kept her brunette hair in its typical blow-out style It comes after King Charles praised the 'determination and strength' of the Ukrainian people in a message marking the second anniversary of Russia 's invasion Members of the Swedish Royal Family sit in the pews for a peace prayer in the Royal Chapel A group of children hold Ukrainian flags inside the Royal Chapel in Stockholm The King has undertaken many engagements in the UK linked to Ukraine since the war began, including visiting a training site for military recruits in Wiltshire. He has met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky several times, including during his visit to the UK in February last year. It was announced earlier this month that Charles had been diagnosed with a form of cancer, discovered while he was being treated in hospital for an enlarged prostate. He has started a schedule of regular treatments but postponed all public-facing duties, spending much of his time at the royal residence in Sandringham, Norfolk. Dr Joseph Ladapo, Florida's surgeon general, whose previous health claims have garnered criticism, was recently accused of endangering unvaccinated children at school by failing to tell parents to keep them home following a measles outbreak among the students. And this isn't the first time the top doctor has come under fire. In the past, his controversial comments have clashed with official guidance from health and government officials - from telling men not to get the Covid vaccine to opposing mask and lockdown mandates. In October 2022, Dr Ladapo recommended men 18 to 39 years old refrain from getting a Covid vaccine, citing a state-driven analysis that had not been peer-reviewed, which suggested the vaccines raise the risk of cardiac-related deaths by 84 percent. The analysis has since been slammed by scientists who say it contains major statistical flaws. Dr Joseph Ladapo has repeatedly clashed with science over the pandemic, particularly vaccines Florida Governor Ron DeSantis confirmed Dr Ladapo for a second term, and said: 'His evidence-based principles serve as a counterweight to the increasingly political positions of the entrenched medical establishment, especially on schools, masks and mRNA shots' A major flaw experts pointed to was that it did not weed out people who tested positive for Covid which itself can cause heart inflammation and other issues. Dr Ladapo said at the time that it was 'important' that the risks of vaccines were communicated to Floridians. 'Far less attention has been paid to safety and the concerns of many individuals have been dismissed,' he added. The sixth case of measles at Manatee Bay Elementary School in Weston, Florida was reported Tuesday. Doctors were told of the first measles case - a third grader with no travel history - on Friday February 16. According to the CDC, the MMR vaccine rate in Florida is approximately 91 percent, which is below the national rate of 93 percent. In March 2023, Dr Ladapo was publicly called out by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Food and Drug Administration for spreading vaccine misinformation in response to a letter he wrote to the agencies that misused data from the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System. He claimed that vaccines had directly caused adverse cardiovascular events. He also opposed lockdown and mask mandates throughout the pandemic. Dr Ladapo's extreme views have been praised by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who appointed him surgeon general in September 2021. The governor then confirmed Dr Ladapo in 2022 for a second term, saying at the time: 'His evidence-based principles serve as a counterweight to the increasingly political positions of the entrenched medical establishment, especially on schools, masks and mRNA shots.' Dr Ladapo's first move after being appointed was to repeal quarantine rules for schoolchildren exposed to Covid, which allowed asymptomatic kids who had been in contact with Covid-positive individuals to go back to school without being tested. The next month, he refused to wear a mask when meeting State Senator Tina Polsky, who was due to have radiation therapy for breast cancer, because he said he couldn't communicate clearly with one on. Dr Ladapo also spearheaded Florida's banning of transgender care. He has stated that gender-affirming care should not be accessible to minors, including medication like puberty blockers and hormones, as well as social transitioning measures like changed pronouns and names. In June 2022, the DeSantis administration appealed to the state board to ban transition-related care for transgender minors. Dr Ladapo with his wife and three children Born in Nigeria, Dr Ladapo immigrated to the US with his family at five year old. He earned a BA in Chemistry from Wake Forest University in 2000, followed by a medical degree from Harvard Medical School and a PhD in health policy from Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. He did his clinical training in internal medicine at a teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Post-Harvard, he worked at the New York University school of medicine, Bellevue Hospital, and Tisch Hospital in New York. He was given a permanent post at the David Geffen school of medicine at the University of California where he saw patients one day a week. As the Covid pandemic emerged, Dr Ladapo began to write op-eds for The Wall Street Journal questioning the safety of Covid vaccines and the need for face masks. He gained prominence for his controversial views despite not having any background in infectious diseases. State surgeon general Dr Joseph Ladapo speaking during a press conference at Neo City Academy in Kissimmee, Florida In one opinion piece in 2020, he cited My experience caring for patients with suspected or diagnosed Covid-19 infections at UCLA and in another article for USA Today in March 2020, he said: 'I spent the past week taking care of patients with Covid-19 at UCLAs flagship hospital.' Multiple previous colleagues have spoken up about his claiming, saying Dr Ladapo had not treated any Covid patients and accused him of misleading the public. Before being confirmed by the Senate in February 2022, Dr Ladapo's former UCLA supervisor declined to recommend him due to his reliance on opinion rather than 'scientific evidence.' Dr Ladapo also signed the Great Barrington Declaration, an open letter which advocated for solving Covid through herd immunity - which is when a large portion of a community becomes immune to a disease either through vaccination or immunity developed through previous infection. Dr Ladapo previously claimed to not have agreed with all the letters principles. His controversial writings caught the attention of Gov DeSantis, who had stated many of the same views during the pandemic. During his appointment, Dr Ladapo was also fast-tracked to an associate professor of medicine role at the University of Florida Health. It later surfaced that University of Florida administrators toned down his extreme views when presenting him as a candidate for the job. Upon being appointed to Florida's top health job, Dr Ladapo said there was 'nothing special' about Covid vaccines. 'Vaccines are up to the person,' he said. 'There's nothing special about them compared to any other preventive measure.' 'It's been treated almost like a religion. It's just senseless.' Covid vaccines developed in record time are widely credited with bringing the pandemic to an end. They allowed people to build protection to infections, helping the most at-risk stave off severe disease and death due to Covid. In 2021 alone, analysis suggests they were behind more than 300,000 lives being saved. Dr Ladapo had also raised concerns over the safety of the vaccines. He said in October 2021 that more information was needed on how safe the shots were. 'You hear these stories of... pregnant women who are being forced to sort of put something in their bodies that we don't know all there is to know about yet. 'No matter what people on TV tell you, it's not true. We're going to learn more about the safety of these vaccines.' All vaccines are put through rigorous testing before being approved for use in people to ensure they are safe and top health authorities in America, including the CDC, have repeatedly said they are safe to use. During his first term, Dr Ladapo advised that healthy children did not need to be vaccinated against Covid, making Florida the first state to oppose CDC guidelines. The state refused to follow the CDC in recommending them for those under seven years old in March 2022, and also did not pre-order any shots for the age group. Asked why they weren't following recommendations at the time, Dr Ladapo said it was due to a lack of good data to support the move. Experts he referred to in his recommendation disagreed with him and said he had cherry-picked their findings. 'Were kind of scraping at the bottom of the barrel, particularly with healthy kids,' Dr Ladapo said. 'I don't think it's particularly radical [to not recommend vaccines for the age group], I think it's very sensible'. Her doctors suspected the stroke was due to her estrogen birth control pill A competitive swimmer suffered a stroke at her graduation, which doctors say was down to the pill. Marissa Fattore, 21, was graduating from Kutztown University of Pennsylvania in 2013, when she felt an intense headache and peculiar fuzzy feeling in her head. She put it down to nerves, but collapsed when she returned to her seat. Ms Fattore had been an athlete her whole life and never smoked, but suffered a stroke. Fattore (far right) with three of her graduating classmates Marissa Fattore, 21, was graduating from Kutztown University of Pennsylvania in 2013, when she felt an intense headache and peculiar fuzzy feeling in her head 'Things went dark for me, and the next thing I knew, I was waking up in the hospital,' she told Business Insider. Ms Fattore was taken to the hospital, where doctors discovered a blood clot in her brain had triggered an uncommon type of stroke called cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST). It happens when blood clots block the venous sinuses in the brain - which collect pools of blood and help drain the central nervous system, the face, and the scalp. This means the blood cannot drain out. Ms Fattore was given anti-clotting and anti-seizure medication to make her stable, but she was unresponsive for her first 24 hours in the hospital. 'My family recalls me squeezing their hands or just smiling when they would ask me simple questions. I eventually woke up with doctors around me, and I didn't know how I got there or what had happened,' she said. Strokes normally strike adults in their 70s, but have been rising faster among younger adults those aged 18 to 45 years for decades than among those in any other age group. In some hospitals, cases have nearly doubled in just a few years. Data from the American Heart Association suggests strokes rose by 43 percent among youngsters aged 18 to 44 years in the US between 2004 and 2018. Doctors suspected that the estrogen birth control pill Ms Fattore had been taking might have lead to the stroke, because they couldn't find any risk factors or genetic predispositions. Blood clots are an uncommon side effect of estrogen birth control. Less than 10 in 10,000 people a year suffer a blood clot due to being on birth control, according to the Cleveland Clinic. By contrast, one to five per 10,000 people develop blood clots each year who are not taking hormonal birth control. Ms Fattore was moved to a physical rehabilitation center after being in hospital for roughly a week, where she learnt how to walk and talk again. She said: 'While it was physically taxing on my body, I think the mental side of it was tougher for me. I just didn't understand how this could happen to me, and I was terrified. I had this big fear that I wasn't gonna return to the way I was before and that I would have lifelong deficits.' She left the rehab center a month after she got there, and stopped taking her anti-clotting medication a year after that. Ms Fattore still has to take seizure medication for life. Doctors say more unhealthy lifestyles and rising obesity rates may be behind the shift to more strokes in younger people with obesity raising the risk of weak arteries that can cause blood clots. But other factors such as overconsumption of alcohol and higher rates of smoking, vaping and even using weed among young adults may also be to blame. The most common form of stroke called ischemic stroke, which accounts for about 60 percent of cases among young people is caused by a blockage or clot that obstructs blood flow in the brain, leading to cells being deprived of vital oxygen and nutrients and starting to die. The other main type of stroke called hemorrhagic strokes is when a blood vessel bursts in the brain and starts to leak its contents into the organ. Danielle Yeager claims her midwife's inaction led to the death of her first-born Danielle Yeager once believed she'd never be able to have children. In 2012 she was diagnosed with stage 1 cervical cancer and feared she may never get pregnant because of treatment and possible complications that could affect fertility. So, when the casino-worker became pregnant in 2013, she and husband Michael were overwhelmed with joy. She never would have imagined that several months later, her first-born child Gavin would die after the midwife delivering her son failed to spot signs that his heart beat was slowing. While Ms Yeager, then 28, had undergone care throughout her pregnancy with the midwife Christy Collins, she was unaware that the supposed birthing expert was in fact practicing midwifery without a license. Ms Yeager told DailyMail.com: If she would have sent us [to the hospital] just a little bit sooner he would be alive. But instead she kind of played God with us. Danielle Yeager at her baby shower in 2014. The Las Vegas casino worker had wanted a natural home birth to deliver her first-born child Ms Yeager said her midwife Christy Collins repeatedly dismissed her concerns until it was too late for doctors to save her newborn And experts say Ms Yeager is, sadly, far from the only expectant mother who has hired a midwife and later found herself in this tragic position. Midwives are specialized health professionals who care for the mother and baby throughout the pregnancy, during the birth and for several weeks postpartum. They are not licensed doctors and have a limited scope of practice. The Florida Council of Licensed Midwifery, which meets only three times a year, has pursued discipline against just 36 of 170 midwife complaints over the last decade, USA Today reported. At least 10 of those complaints involved fatal incidents. A Washington Post examination into Marylands Board of Nursing, which oversees midwives, faces a backlog of more than 6,200 unresolved complaints filed against thousands of nurses and midwives. There are very few statistics when it comes to the deaths of babies under the care of midwives because of differing state laws, varying methods of reporting and incomplete investigations. The problem, experts say, is the discrepancy in the qualifications required of midwives across the country. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) acknowledged that a lack of standard rules governing midwifery could lead to needless harms to mothers and babies. The organization told DailyMail.com: 'ACOG advocates for implementation of the International Confederation of Midwives standards in every state. 'All midwives whatever their title or professional designation and regardless of where they practice should meet the ICM standards. Patients in every state should be guaranteed care that meets these important minimum standards.' The practice of midwifery tends to take a more holistic view, supporting natural approaches to pregnancy and birth. There are three types of midwives: certified nurse-midwives; certified midwives; and certified professional midwives. Certified nurse-midwives are registered nurses with graduate degrees and medical training. Certified midwives have graduate degrees but no nursing license. And certified professional midwives rarely have advanced medical training or abilities and learn mostly through apprenticeships with more experienced midwives. A Healthgrades profile for Ms Collins states she is a certified professional midwife (CPM). After having a hard time finding an obstetrician she felt comfortable with and on the advice of a friend, Ms Yeager considered hiring a midwife. When she found Ms Collins, she decided to move forward with her as the sole practitioner for the duration of her pregnancy and a home birth. Home births accounted for 1.4 percent - 51,640 - of the 3.6million births in the United States in 2021, an increase of 12 percent from the prior year and the highest level ever since at least 1990, data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed. A 2017 report from ACOG found planned home births were associated with a two-fold increased risk of perinatal death and a three-fold increased risk of neonatal seizures and serious neurological dysfunction. While there has been a rise in midwifery services, ACOG recommends that hospitals are the safest place to give birth. Many home births are overseen by midwives, but an exact number is not known. A 2020 analysis of infant death records found neonatal mortality was 13.66 per 10,000 live deliveries for all planned midwife-supervised home births. A separate study found the neonatal death rate of doctor-performed hospital births was 5.9 per 10,000 deliveries. Experts have called these 'tragic' deaths 'avoidable situations,' but the increased risk could be a result of wide disparities when it comes to midwife training and regulation across the country. In the US, 13 states do not regulate certified professional midwife practices. Of those, five including Nevada, where Ms Yeager gave birth are actively considering legislation that would require CPMs to be licensed and five are drafting licensure legislation. Three states Nebraska, Kansas and Mississippi have no regulations in place and are not actively considering or planning legislation. At the time of caring for Ms Yeager in late 2013 through February 2014, Ms Collins was practicing with the Las Vegas-based home Sweet Birth clinic - but she had relocated to the city sometime after being put on probation in California. A court in Los Angeles had sentenced her to three years probation in January 2012 and a fine of nearly $10,000 after the California Board of Medicine caught her practicing midwifery without a license. The ruling put Ms Collins on probation, meaning she could not practice without a license, but it did not prohibit her from crossing state lines to perform her services. Soon after she moved to Nevada, where no license is required to provide midwifery care, so she slipped through the legal cracks. Covid fueled spike in home births: One in 40 new mothers delivered their babies at home in 2020, official data shows One in 40 new mothers gave birth at home last year, as Covid led expectant parents to steer clear of hospitals. Office for National Statistics figures showed the proportion of births taking place in the home hit a nine-year high in 2020. Advertisement The 'wild west' nature of Nevada, Ms Yeager told DailyMail.com, allowed Ms Collins to repeatedly lie about her medical background, obscure the fact that she and her baby were in danger when an ultrasound technician found no amniotic fluid around the baby and escape accountability by moving to another state. Ms Yeager also said her midwife repeatedly discouraged her from going to the hospital. She told DailyMail.com: So when I met my midwife she actually had me thinking [we] were hiring a nurse midwife. I didn't know the difference between a certified nurse-midwife or CPM. And when you hear the term certified professional, you obviously think, wow, theyve got letters just like a doctor. You dont think that doesn't mean anything. It's a made up title. So I totally was like oh, she does ultrasounds and testing and she's more medical minded. She's perfect for us But no, she wasn't a nurse midwife. She was a CPM and pretty much most of the stuff that she told us was a lie. In February of 2014, at 42 weeks gestation, Ms Yeager was already overdue a full-term pregnancy is considered to be between 39 and 41 weeks and was growing concerned when Ms Collins told her it was not a big deal she was past her due date. But when Ms Yeagers mother kept insisting something was wrong, Ms Collins sent her patient to get an ultrasound. Ms Yeager said: To convince me that everything was fine, she sent me for an ultrasound, to physically show me that my baby was okay. So then we can go off and just continue having a home birth as planned. And so we went to an ultrasound and my son had no [amniotic] fluid. Everything else was fine. Everything was good, but there was no fluid in there at all. But the mom-to-be said the ultrasound technician didnt tell her he only said the results would go to your midwife. Amniotic fluid acts as a protective barrier around the fetus, regulates temperature in utero, provides the fetus with essential nutrition and assists in staving off infection. Without that crucial cushion, a babys lungs may not grow properly, causing breathing problems at delivery. Ms Yeager said her midwife told her to drink more water, go for a walk and then go home and take a bath. She gave her an herbal concoction and sent the couple home with a portable ultrasound to monitor their babys heart rate. Ms Collins said to call her if the heart rate dropped and didnt come back up. When asked if they should go to a doctor, Ms Collins said no. In speaking to USA Today in 2018, Ms Collins told the publication that she repeatedly urged Ms Yeager to seek medical attention but that her client refused. However, according to the USA Today investigation, text messages, medical records and interviews with other sources confirm the family's account. Ms Collins did not return a request for comment from DailyMail.com. Meanwhile, the midwife had asked a colleague to post a public query on Facebook containing her clients health status and waited for other practitioners to comment on the post. She told Ms Yeager she had contacted her mentors, but Ms Yeager said the post spread like wildfire and received hundreds of comments. Any urges that Ms Collins send her client to the hospital were deleted almost as soon as they were posted, she said. A follow-up ultrasound revealed Gavins heart rate had dropped to 90 beats per minute, far below the healthy range of 120 to 160 bpm. Finally, Ms Collins suggested going to the hospital, but not the one close by a facility 30 minutes away. Upon arrival and a quick exam, Ms Yeager was rushed into an emergency C-section to deliver Gavin. The baby boy was born alive but not breathing and the medical team found he was covered in meconium D, or fecal matter. He had sucked it back into his airway and was in great distress. Doctors could not resuscitate him. Ms Yeager told this website: They did the best they could, but you just need more time if she had called it that morning, he would be alive. But instead she kind of played God with us where she was like, it's no big deal. When a midwife-assisted birth results in a babys death, grieving parents typically have little recourse. Your browser does not support iframes. Lawsuits against CPMs are rarely pursued because midwives are not required to hold medical malpractice insurance and in several states where there are no laws, complaints against midwives languish. CPMs are credentialed by the North American Registry of Midwives (NARM). NARM told the Post it has revoked the credentials of 10 of the more than 4,300 midwives it has certified over 30 years, but the reasons why were not revealed. Because CPMs operate without any national set standards, there is little, if any, accountability when a home birth goes wrong. In Ms Yeagers case, her midwife fled the state after her birth. She said: She disappeared when my family started asking her questions like where did she go to school, where did she come from. They wanted to know a little bit more. And as it turns out, she came from California, because she was on probation when she was my midwife. She was practicing there without a license. Ms Yeager, who now has a six-year-old son born via a planned C-section, added that her family contacted the California authorities for help, but got none. She said: They were like, if you had even one law on midwives in Nevada, we would go pick her up and she would go to jail because she's on probation. But because you have absolutely nothing, the only thing that I can do is take it to a judge and make [her probation] go a little bit longer. Ms Collins moved to Florida where she currently lives. Her Facebook page under a different name used to say she was a midwife and studied midwifery at the National College of Midwifery, but that has since been deleted. Determined to help other women avoid her tragedy, Ms Yeager has been very vocal in pushing to have laws changed surrounding midwifery, posting often on a memorial Facebook page for Gavin. Gavin would have been 10 years old this week. She wrote on his birthday: I have spent almost 10 years trying my best to warn others to not end up like this. I have witnessed so many countless families over the years lose a child Listening to each story and feeling all their pain and trauma. Knowing exactly what they went through and what life will forever be like for them now. I have tried so damn hard to change laws in my state and other states, but laws aren't for good people. Laws are made for the bad to tiptoe around. As these years have gone by and I have watched the world keep turning, I realized there was only one thing that I could give Gavin for his 10th birthday. Since I couldn't give him justice nor change, I wanted to give him love. We don't grieve Gavin from a negative place or bad feelings. We grieve Gavin out of love. True, pure love. It's where the pain comes from. How much love we have for him, even without him here. The anger is my passion from how deep my love runs through my veins and into my soul. What s your boss like? Maybe they moan about targets or make snippy comments when youre late back from lunch. Carrie Suns employer was in a different league. His motto was Speak faster, do faster, decide faster. Hed assess her ability to communicate on an ascending scale of one to five three was world-class, but employees were expected to do better. Hed even appraise her aura: So. Your energy, began one of his ultra-detailed feedback sessions. Sun, 38, was the PA to a hedge-fund founder, Boone Prescott one of the worlds youngest billionaires and it was a job she clearly wanted. Why else would she do 14 interviews, including a session with a clinical psychologist, and supply 11 references to get it? You undergo a personality test and an IQ test too, but they dont show you the results, she says. The very wealthy are often aware of what you want before you know yourself, and they can exploit it to their own advantage. I think Boone knew me taking the job wasnt just about pay and perks; I was on a treadmill seeking validation. Prescott is the head of a phenomenally successful New York hedge fund called Carbon (these are fictionalised names but the story is true). Sun started working for him in 2016 when she was 29. Her memoir, Private Equity, published this month, takes us into the rarefied world of high finance. Here, the goal is to find a ten bagger (an investment opportunity offering a tenfold return) or to pursue a BHAG (a big hairy audacious goal). Suns job was to curate a frictionless, super-luxe experience for Prescott: she checked his investment presentations (shes a maths whiz), wrote his speeches, booked his breakfasts and organised his surf trips to Malibu. They hired someone to collect my food from the lobby: my time was so valuable She worked most days from 8am to 8pm and was expected to confirm that she had read all emails immediately, day or night. Usually, she had ten minutes for lunch and would order takeaways to her desk three times daily despite the fact that she was mostly too busy to eat them. They even hired someone specifically to collect [the food] from the lobby, because every second of my time was considered so valuable. In Suns book, hedge-funders sound intense. Prescott liked his privacy, so when he appeared in a social media post alongside Gwyneth Paltrow, calls were made and it disappeared. When it was a big staff birthday, Sun ordered a $1,000 cake but everyone was so busy it ended up in the bin. However, her rewards were fabulous. After two years, Sun was earning $300,000 a year. And Prescott was a generous gifter. For her birthday, he gave Sun a $5,000 shopping spree at New York store Barneys. As a reward for hard work, she received a Balenciaga tote bag and $3,000 to spend at the Ritz-Carlton at Lake Tahoe. The problem is I didnt have time to enjoy any of it, she says. In fact I was so burnt out I ended up in therapy; my therapist told me, This job is killing you. Suns appetite for work is perhaps explained by her personal story: the daughter of Chinese immigrants who arrived in the US in the 1980s and 90s. Her parents instilled in her a brutal work ethic. Her father once slapped her round the face, hard enough to leave a bruise, because she spilled milk while making her morning cereal. The way my family dynamic shaped me meant I always put others first and became totally disconnected from myself, Sun says. At secondary school in Michigan, she was a child prodigy who finished the maths and physics curriculum two years early. She went to the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and got two degrees (maths and finance) in three years. After graduating, she worked at the investment firm Fidelity earning $300,000 a year but she hated it and wanted to be a writer. Burnt-out PA turned writer Carrie Sun Carbon was supposed to be the day job that allowed her to write in the evenings: That was naive. Sun expected life to be tough. Take her reaction to Margaret Atwoods novel The Handmaids Tale. It is set in a totalitarian dystopia where women are forced to have children and are banned from working, reading and writing. Sun read the novel aged 18. I thought, Well, those are just the rules those girls have to live by them, she says, ruefully. On almost every page of Private Equity, Sun seems to find a way of torturing herself. For her first day at Carbon she wore black patent leather Louboutins. They were agony but she gave herself a pep talk. I instructed my body to reclassify any pain as a necessary investment in myself, she writes. If her footwear was painful, her choice in men was worse. She met her fiance Josh at MIT. He was from a wealthy family and due to inherit a fortune of almost $1 billion. He claimed to love Sun but he also wanted to control her choice of clothes, make-up and insisted she speak in a Pooh voice. He even offered to match her salary at Carbon if she turned down the job, as he didnt want her to work. Surely the email he once sent her saying I forgive you for not being a virgin was a red flag? When you are at a low ebb your expectations are adjusted down, too, says Sun. I didnt come from money but I eventually learned that, as a woman, owning your own things and controlling your own life are vital. There are toxic men everywhere in Private Equity: Prescott and Josh with their various demands; Suns father; and the student who raped her when she was 18, during her first term at MIT. (There was an investigation, he got away with it.) To be honest, Boone was not a bad person, she says. He had high moral standards, he didnt break the rules and I admire that. But generally, men in finance get more respect than women. I was under-titled for the job I was doing. I wasnt a PA, I was more like a chief of staff, but I believe bosses do that to make womens pay expectations lower. In 2018, after two years, a near nervous breakdown and the onset of bulimia, Sun quit Carbon and started her writing career. Prescott responded to her exhaustion by buying her a spa day, but then told her he didnt think she would make it as a writer. That same year, she broke up with Josh and estranged herself from her mother and father. In the end I had to leave Carbon, my parents and Josh, simply to find out who I really was. We are talking via Zoom and she is clearly adjusting to the life of a writer. She now lives in an apartment in New Jersey; she no longer orders high-end takeaways for lunch but is about to cook cabbage and mushrooms on her hob. She did keep the Balenciaga bag. Im selling off my old work clothes to finance my writing, she says. I dont need a $6,500 coat; one that costs $200 is fine. Im living on far less than $300,000 a year but Im very happy. Even more pleasingly, just after she left Carbon and dumped Josh, she started going out with Chris, a classical musician she met at a concert in New York. They married in 2019 but that is a salutary tale, too. After falling in love, they discovered theyd previously been matched on Tinder. Chris hadnt wanted to go on a date with Sun. Why? Because he didnt like people in finance. I get it, she says. Im just glad I found myself in time for him to meet the real me. Private Equity by Carrie Sun will be published by Bloomsbury on 29 February, 20. To pre-order a copy for 17 until 10 march, go to mailshop.co.uk/books or call 020 3176 2937. Free UK delivery on orders over 25. Beowulf Sheehan ATLANTA Cellphone location data cited in a court filing Friday raises questions about the testimony given by a special prosecutor in the Georgia election interference case against former President Donald Trump who had a romantic relationship with Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. The cellphone location data disclosed in a court filing by Trump's attorneys shows prosecutor Nathan Wade had visited the neighborhood south of Atlanta where Willis lived at least 35 times during the first 11 months of 2021, an investigator said. Wade had testified that he had been there fewer than 10 times before he was hired as special prosecutor in November 2021. The new filing raises fresh questions about the timeline of the relationship between Willis and Wade as Trump and other defendants, who are accused of illegally trying to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia, have argued that both prosecutors should be removed from the case because their romantic relationship created a conflict of interest. The investigator, Charles Mittelstadt, wrote that the data show that Nathan Wade visited the area in Hapeville where Willis lived at least 35 times during the first 11 months of 2021. Wade had testified during a hearing last week that he had visited the Hapeville condo where Willis was living fewer than 10 times before he was hired as special prosecutor on Nov. 1, 2021. So if phone records were to reflect that you were making phone calls from the same location as the condo before Nov. 1, 2021, and it was on multiple occasions, the phone records would be wrong? Trump attorney Steve Sadow asked Wade during the hearing. If phone records reflected that, yes, sir, Wade responded. Theyd be wrong? Sadow asked. Theyd be wrong, Wade responded. Wade also testified last week that he had never spent the night at the condo where Willis was living, and Willis confirmed that. The investigators statement says that on two occasions one in mid-September 2021 and one in late November 2021 the data show that Wades phone appears to have arrived in the area where Willis lived late at night and remained there until early morning. Willis' team will respond in a court filing, a spokesperson said. Wade did not immediately respond Friday to an email seeking comment. A motion filed by Trump co-defendant Michael Roman alleges that Willis paid Wade large sums of money for his work and then benefited personally when he then used some of that money to pay for vacations. During a hearing last week, a former Willis friend and employee testified that she saw the two kissing and hugging before Wade's hiring. Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee held a two-day evidentiary hearing last week on motions by Roman and others to disqualify Willis and her office from the case. He has scheduled arguments on the matter for March 1. Willis and Wade both testified during last week's hearing that they did not begin dating until early 2022, after Wade had already been hired as special prosecutor. They also both said that they shared travel expenses and that Willis reimbursed Wade in cash for money he spent on trips. Mittelstadt wrote that he used a tool called CellHawk to analyze the data received from Wade's cellphone carrier. He said he focused on geolocation activity near the address of the condo where Willis had been living by creating a very conservative geofence, which isolated the two cell towers in closest proximity to this address." He said the geofence was used to conduct an assessment of whether Wade's phone had ever connected to those two towers and to eliminate any hits that could have happened during routine travel on nearby interstates. He wrote that the report included only occasions when the phone was connected for an extended period. Mittelstadt's statement also says that the analysis revealed more than 2,000 voice calls and just under 12,000 interactions between Willis and Wade during the first 11 months of 2021, with a prevalence of calls made in the evening hours." Wade testified that they met during a judicial conference in October 2019 and spoke often beginning in 2020. Wade wrote in a sworn statement filed with the court that he served on Willis' transition team after she was elected district attorney in November 2020. In the spring of 2021, Willis asked him and two other attorneys to help her find a lawyer to lead the election investigation before ultimately tapping him for the job, he wrote. A look at the 19 people charged in the Georgia indictment connected to Trump's election scheme Key people in the Georgia election fraud case Donald Trump Rudy Giuliani John Eastman Mark Meadows Sidney Powell Kenneth Chesebro Prosecutors have said Chesebro, an attorney, worked with Republicans in numerous swing states Trump lost, including Georgia, in the weeks after the November 2020 election at the direction of Trumps campaign. Chesebro worked on the coordination and execution of a plan to have 16 Georgia Republicans sign a certificate declaring falsely that Trump won and declaring themselves the states duly elected and qualified electors. Jeffrey Clark Jenna Ellis Ray Smith A Georgia-based lawyer, Smith was involved in multiple lawsuits challenging the results of the 2020 election in Georgia. He also gathered witnesses to provide testimony before Georgia legislative subcommittee hearings held in December 2020 on alleged issues with the states election. Robert Cheeley A Georgia lawyer, Cheeley presented video clips to legislators of election workers at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta and alleged the workers were counting votes twice or sometimes three times. He spoke to the lawmakers after Giuliani. Michael Roman A former White House aide who served as the director of Trumps election day operations, Roman was involved in efforts to put forth a set of fake electors after the 2020 election. David Shafer Shawn Still He was one of 16 Georgia Republicans who signed a certificate falsely stating that Trump had won the state and declaring themselves the states duly elected and qualified electors. Still was the finance chairman for the state GOP in 2020 and served as a Georgia delegate to the Republican National Convention that year. He was elected to the Georgia state Senate in November 2022 and represents a district in Atlantas suburbs. Stephen Cliffgard Lee Prosecutors say Cliffgard Lee, a pastor, worked with others to try to pressure Georgia election worker Ruby Freeman and her daughter after Trump and his allies falsely accused them of pulling fraudulent ballots from a suitcase during the vote count. Lee allegedly knocked on Freemans door, frightening her and causing her to call 911 three times, prosecutors said in a court filing last year. Harrison William Prescott Floyd Also known as Willie Lewis Floyd III, he served as director of Black Voices for Trump, and is accused of recruiting Lee to arrange a meeting with Freeman and Chicago-based publicist Trevian Kutti. Trevian C. Kutti Prosecutors allege Kutti, a publicist, claimed to have high-level law enforcement connections. They say Freeman met with Kutti at a police precinct, where she brought Floyd into the conversation on a speakerphone. Prosecutors say Kutti presented herself as someone who could help Freeman but then pressured her to falsely confess to election fraud. Cathy Latham Scott Graham Hall An Atlanta-area bail bondsman, Hall was allegedly involved in commandeering voting information that was the property of Dominion Voting Systems from Coffee County, a small south Georgia jurisdiction. Also charged in the scheme were Powell, Latham and former county elections supervisor Misty Hampton. Misty Hampton She was the elections director in Coffee County. Hampton was present in the county elections office on Jan. 7, 2021, when a computer forensics team copied software and data from the countys election equipment. She also allowed two other men who had been active in efforts to question the 2020 election results to access the elections office later that month and to spend hours inside with the equipment. Read the Trump indictment in Georgia Your browser does not support the iframe HTML tag. Try viewing this in a modern browser like Chrome, Safari, Firefox or Internet Explorer 9 or later. Should I embark on an affair with a married man? Shall I tell you first what I wore to meet the aforementioned husband? Inky Paige flares. A Zara tank: only its second outing, so it hasnt yet gone bobbly; I quite like my arms. Gucci slides. Essie Ballet Slippers toes. Hair so newly tinted, I still had a tide mark. OK, now that this is just between us, I will reveal all. I received an unexpected text. I got a text! Just pipe me into a thong and I could be a contestant on Love Island All Stars. Hi Liz! Im staying at Swinton Park Hotel* for a couple of weeks on a hiking holiday, do you fancy meeting me for Sunday lunch? I wasnt sure who this was at first. I had to scroll back through the messages. Ah. A man I once interviewed. Older. Married. Rich. Married. Married. Married. Hmm. Is this a work thing? Thirty years ago I had a boyfriend, Trevor, whom I arranged to meet at Bar Italia in Soho for a third (for which read, post-sex) date, only for him to introduce me to his male friends as, This is Liz. She works for The Sunday Times Magazine. He later apologised; it transpired he was ashamed to be seen dating a white woman. It could be work, or Mystery Man could be asking me out. Ive never dated a married man before. When I was lusting after the Liam Neeson lookalike photographer on assignment in Bali, I had a feeling he liked me. He would scour the internet for vegan restaurants. He made notes during my interviews, as he knows Im deaf. He gave me subtle hints: Well, Im trapped, arent I? he said of his life in Sydney. And, when I said my favourite, ideal man of all time is and will for evermore be Prince, he said, That rules me out, then. (Hes very burly.) On another assignment, in Bolivia, he would cover my eyes when we drove past markets stuffed with shrunken animals. We never stopped talking, because only those who have worked in Fleet Street for decades are ever remotely interesting enough for me: the deadlines, the laughter, the disasters, the mistakes, the antidotes (as I call anecdotes). But I refused to flirt with him, even make eye contact, as he was married with children. In Bali, on our last day, he texted to ask to say goodbye by the pool before he left for his flight, but I demurred, saying I was on deadline. But then a few years later he left his wife anyway, for someone else. It could have been me. The thing is, I have been cheated on, and the worst part is not that your husband is having sex with someone else; it is the fact you are being made to live a lie. Your life isnt real. Your time is being wasted. As Emma Thompson said so poignantly in Love Actually: Youve made the life I lead foolish. So. I started fishing**, while browsing the menus section of the hotel website. I sent a text: Is there anything in particular you want to talk about? Are you offering me an exclusive? No one ever likes my ideas so I cant guarantee coverage. He fired back, within milliseconds. Well, it would be an exclusive if we ended up going to my room for sex. Oh my god! That would be too much for Mini Puppy, who of course will be coming along as moral support. And Im not sure I fancy him. We get along, certainly. Im an encyclopedia of all things Beatles, classic French cinema, mid-century Scandi furniture, holistic horse care, and he is too. Hes very knowledgeable about music and art. He texted me when Benji died, but I ignored him then, as I know he loves horse racing. I could overlook that as I also know he lives in a mansion with big windows. I wonder if his wife has died. Yes, I googled, found nothing. Oh god. I am officially a ghoul. *I actually think Im barred, as I once wrote about the snares on the estate that have caught cats, and why would a family staying in a cottage want to see a pet gnawing its foot off? **Not literally. Im vegan. Contact Liz at lizjonesgoddess.com and stalk her @lizjonesgoddess Whats the story? When Erica Fleishman adopted her rescue dog Daphne, she found that buying canine products meant choosing between price, functionality, aesthetics or sustainability. She launched Westley in 2022 to offer stylish, ethical dog products. Why should I buy? Most clean-up bags are plastic, which takes many years to break down. Westleys, made from corn starch, will biodegrade within three to six months. Creating them uses 65 per cent less energy and generates 68 per cent fewer greenhouse gases than traditional plastic created from petroleum. Why shouldnt I buy? They are made almost 6,000 miles away in Yiwu, China, so there is the carbon footprint of the journey to consider. The extra mile Westley donates one per cent of every sale, along with samples and any imperfect stock, to animal rescue centres. Made in China. Made from Corn starch and compostable polymers with a recycled paper core. Journey By rail yes really. All the way from China. Our rating 'Let down': Peter West waited over a year for probate approval The sorry saga of thousands of bereaved families waiting up to a year for the probate office to approve vital documents needed to deal with their late loved one's affairs is growing more shameful by the day. Grieving families already wait up to an hour to speak on the phone to a civil servant and must wait 16 weeks before asking for an update on an application. Now documents seen by The Mail on Sunday show the extent of the meltdown at HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) as it tries to get a grip on the enormous backlog of probate applications. These suggest the system is no longer fit for purpose. A dossier submitted by law firms and trade bodies to the Justice Committee reveals: Fourteen weeks is the average wait for a probate application to be approved double the length of time in 2023; Applications made on paper rather than the alternative, online take up to 23 weeks to be granted; More than one in four probate applications are not issued on the first attempt as HMCTS demands more information from the applicant which can result in weeks of further delays; The Ministry of Justice admits that it 'has not always been able to secure sufficiently well trained staff to make sure that more complex applications would be dealt with in a timely manner'; In extreme cases, applicants are being pushed into debt as they wait more than two years for probate to be approved and are forced to pay for tax and legal expenses out of their own pocket before receiving probate. In evidence submitted to the Justice Committee, retired solicitor Anthony Tahourdin said probate delays meant, in one case, the sale of an investment portfolio worth 1.8 million could not go through. By the time the probate was granted and the investments were sold, their value had plummeted by 300,000. Delays mean many suffer financial hardship as they are forced to cover essential costs needed to put their loved one to rest. Emily Deane, of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners, says: 'Beneficiaries have had to pay for funerals, debts and other expenses out of their own pocket and they are unable to reimburse themselves until the grant of probate has been issued. We have heard that some beneficiaries have been forced to take out loans to pay for inheritance tax, and of house sales falling through.' If the deceased's assets are worth more than 325,000, their estate is liable for inheritance tax, which needs to be paid within six months of their death. After this point, interest is charged at 2.5 percentage points above the Bank of England's base rate, which is currently at 5.25 per cent. Reduced phonelines In a bid to tackle the backlog, HMCTS has temporarily reduced the service on its phoneline from 9-5pm to 9-1pm, which it says will free up staff to help process applications faster during a busy period. The decision comes after the Justice Committee launched an investigation into probate delays last November, with a consultation expected in the next few weeks. Bob O'Neill, chair of the Justice Committee, says: 'Reducing the phoneline opening times will make it even harder for bereaved people to get advice or find out what is happening to their application and risks making what is often an upsetting process even harder.' An automated message on the helpline now says that 'due to high demand it's taking longer than usual to process applications' and directs users online. Jade Gani of Circle Law: 'We're already seeing property sales fall through and the delays are having tax implications as the value of a property has changed' HMCTS also suggests that applicants use its webchat service, which says 'all our advisers are busy. Try again in a few minutes'. 25 hours on the phone Dozens of Mail on Sunday readers have written to us to voice their frustration over year-long waits for their probate to be granted. Peter West, 79, a retired consultant engineer, says he has spent around 25 hours in total trying to get through to staff for updates about his application. Peter has been trying to apply for probate for his brother-in-law Graham's affairs since December 2022. Graham's estate was worth 530,000, when he passed away, including a property valued at 440,000 and 70,000 in savings. But delays at HMCTS mean that Peter has had to reduce the asking price of the property to 410,000. Meanwhile, the prospective buyer's mortgage offer has expired twice. Peter has also missed out on around 8,000 in interest from Graham's savings. 'The probate office is a total shambles,' says Peter. 'Every time I ring up, I can't get through to anyone who can help and I can't understand why no one will ring me back. I feel totally let down by the service.' Jade Gani, of probate and estate planning specialist Circle Law, says the situation is only going to get worse as applicants make more mistakes on forms and cannot chase HMCTS for updates. 'It's going to be harder to get through to staff during the short window that the phoneline is open. Lots of calls are going to go unanswered, which is going to lead to even longer delays,' she says. 'We're already seeing property sales fall through and the delays are having tax implications as the value of a property has changed,' she adds. You can apply for probate online or via post but paper-based applications are likely to take longer to be processed. There is no fee to apply for probate if an estate is worth less than 5,000. Above this threshold, it costs 273 to make an application. An HMCTS spokesman says: 'People should continue submitting applications in the usual way and can make calls to us in the morning or all day on our webchat, Monday to Friday. They can also track the progress of applications on GOV.UK at any time.' Peter West's probate application was approved last week. Investment house Seven Investment Management is a success story. Over the past 22 years, it has built a business that manages 20 billion of assets on behalf of individuals, families and charities. The company, which badges itself 7IM, knows a thing or two about investing. Every week, one of its experts opines pithily on a particular aspect anything from the merits of portfolio diversification through to surviving bear markets. Like mini-Easter eggs, I devour them. Its recent missive on dividends caught my eye, reminding me of the pulling power dividends have in persuading investors to put money into particular companies. Looking up: The pulling power of dividends can persuade investors to put money into particular companies It said: 'Dividends are a strong driver for shareholders to invest in a company. When a company offers a dividend, it's making a statement: "Business is booming, and while we've reinvested some of our earnings into the business, we're also rewarding our shareholders by giving some of their investment back." ' These words came rushing back into my mind a few days ago when investment trust Alliance announced its final quarterly dividend for 2023, a payment of 6.34p per share. It meant that last year, the 3.4 billion stock market-listed fund paid shareholders dividends totalling 25.2p, an increase of five per cent on the year before. More impressively, it extended the trust's record of growing its annual dividend to 57 years. Only trusts City of London and Bankers, both managed by Janus Henderson, have consistently grown their dividends over such a long period of time. Although 'booming' is not a word I would necessarily use to describe Alliance, there is no doubt that this 135-year-old trust ticks many boxes for investors. Its assets are invested worldwide, the annual running costs are low (0.62 per cent) and, unusually for an investment trust, it draws upon a team of fund managers to generate returns for shareholders. Pulling the strings is investment house Willis Towers Watson (WTW) which parcels out the trust's assets to some of the world's leading managers to run. Currently, they are in the hands of ten fund groups (the likes of Dalton, GQG, Jupiter and Vulcan) which all add something different in terms of investment expertise. Each runs a portfolio of no more than 20 stocks, apart from GQG which also runs a parcel of emerging markets assets. WTW oversees the managers and occasionally replaces some if they are not delivering the goods or better ones are found. The result is a 200-strong portfolio with nearly 60 per cent of the trust's assets in the United States. More importantly, the process works. Over the past three and five years, it has delivered overall returns of 39 and 73 per cent, respectively. Only one trust among its global peer group Brunner has a better record. Last year's dividend of 25.2p compares to a current share price of 11.72. Although the annual income is modest in percentage terms a tad over 2 per cent it is in growth mode. Seven Investment Management says investors should be aware that companies sometimes don't get their dividend policy right overpaying shareholders when they should be investing more in their business. Yet this cautionary advice doesn't apply to Alliance. It is a prudently managed business which has plenty of income more than a year's worth tucked away in reserve if things cut up rough. It's the kind of investment that should lie at the core of a well-balanced Isa or DIY pension portfolio. Evil. Only word for fiend who tried to target my late mum Good memories: Jeff with his mum I would love to find the fiend who recently cloned my mother's personal details so as to take out a current account with Santander in her name and presumably then go on a short-term spending spree. I won't tell you what I would really like to do to them if I discovered who they were. But maybe a stretch in HMP Wakefield would allow them to see the error of their ways. Although their application, thankfully, caught the attention of the bank's fraud operations team and was rejected (thank you, Santander), the actions of this financial criminal will stick in my craw for a while. Not only did they despicably target a vulnerable 88-year-old, but Mum (or Helen of Troy as I call her) died late last month after a long battle with cancer. Her funeral will take place this week. Mum had died by the time Santander wrote informing her of the attempted fraud, so she was spared the distress its letter would inevitably have caused. But it raised my blood pressure into dangerous territory. Financial crime may be non-violent, but it is still evil and needs to be stamped on from a great height. My thriving hometown... but still the banks shut My hometown of Wokingham in Berkshire remains in quite good nick despite the continued cost-of-living crisis. It is in growth mode as new developments pop up everywhere. Even retirement home specialist McCarthy Stone seems to like it, judging by the fact that it has just built its second complex in the town (Oakingham Place) a five-minute walk from its longer-established Queen's Gate (no, I don't have an eye on one of them quite yet). Yet, like many towns up and down the country, the banks seem disinterested in supporting Wokingham with branches that residents and small businesses can use to do their banking. Disinterest: Lloyds' branch in Wokingham looks set to be the latest to close in the town Since I rocked up in the town in early 2020, Barclays, Santander and NatWest have all shut their branches. This leaves building society Nationwide (of course), HSBC and Lloyds clinging on while the Post Office provides banking services at the back of a rather tired looking WH Smith. But it now looks as if Lloyds will be next to go. The council has just approved a new development for the land that Lloyds and retail neighbour Robert Dyas sit on. It will embrace 60 flats, three new shops and a public square. The proposals have already attracted criticism because of no social housing being incorporated into the project. One councillor says Wokingham is turning into 'a town for only the rich' an understandable view given that prices for a two-bedroom flat start from 300,000. Maybe, Lloyds will occupy one of the new development's three shops if it does, I will eat the brown hat I loved, but my late mother despised. The more likely outcome is that the bank will desert the town. As local Steve Ross a 68-year-old retired electronics engineer told me, if things carry on as they are, it won't be long before Wokingham is eligible for a banking hub (a shared bank branch). One final observation on bank branches. Seven days ago, I was in Staines-upon-Thames, Surrey, after participating in a rather muddy running event. Given the town centre has seen better days, I was rather surprised to see three banks on its high street, occupying consecutive buildings Lloyds, Barclays, and NatWest. Illogical in a world where banks are shelving branches? Yes, although I'm not knocking it. Gordon Banham was 18 when his father, a coalman, passed away. With a poorly mother and two younger brothers to look after, Banham junior took over the family business, delivering coal to homes around Norfolk. By 2001, Banham had spent nearly two decades shifting, selling and mining the black stuff so he was ideally suited to join Hargreaves Services, then a coal company through and through. Banham still runs the business but it has been transformed from pitch black to a lively shade of green. The road has been rough at times but Hargreaves shares have risen 28 per cent to 5.14 since Midas tipped them two years ago and prospects are promising. Green drive: Hargreaves is beginning to use trucks powered by gas Banham recently unveiled a sixfold increase in the interim dividend to 18p and promised to deliver a total payment of 36p for the year to May, putting the stock on a yield of 7 per cent. The group is also expected to increase shareholder returns substantially over the next three years. Hargreaves operates three divisions, each of which can claim its own environmental credentials. Hargreaves Land takes old mine sites and converts them into areas for housebuilding, light industry and renewable power, from wind farms to battery storage. Hargreaves Services moves earth for big infrastructure projects and has just ordered the UK's first electric digger, due to come on stream early next year. The division also transports council waste to biomass sites and is starting to use gas-powered trucks, instead of diesel vehicles. Hargreaves' third arm is a Germany-based joint venture which trades commodities and recycles steel dust by converting it to pig iron. This division had a tough time in the first half of Hargreaves' financial year, suffering from lower commodity prices and a glut of Russian pig iron. Europe has now imposed an embargo on Russian stock, and steel dust prices have increased so a solid turnaround is expected. The German business has also built up strong financial reserves so, even though results were down, it transmitted twice as much cash to Hargreaves than in the past and is forecast to continue in a similar vein. The division is also likely to be sold over the next few years, which should raise at least 40 million, money that will be returned to shareholders as a special dividend or through a share buyback scheme (which reduces the amount of shares in issue and tends to increase dividend payments). Banham intends to sell much of Hargreaves Land over time as well the housing plots to builders and the renewable acreage to pension funds in search of solid rental income from wind, solar and battery farms. As sales are completed, more cash will come investors' way. Within the next few years, therefore, Hargreaves will generate most of its profits from the services business, which has dozens of top customers and a robust order book. The group will also retain several thousand acres of forest land, fertilised by sewage from Scottish Water and Northumbrian Water. Trees are being planted and will be turned into timber as they mature. Midas verdict: Hargreaves Services has been good to shareholders over the past two years but further gains are on the cards. Banham is determined to generate serious cash returns for investors, through special and regular dividends, backed by organic growth and steady sales of non-core divisions. The strategy is supported by veteran investor Christopher Mills, Hargreaves' largest shareholder, with 28 per cent of the stock. For investors in search of income, the shares should prove rewarding at 5.14. Traded on: AIM Ticker: HSP Contact: hsgplc.co.uk or 0191 373 4485 Causing a stir: The shake-up is a bid by the Financial Conduct Authority to make London a more attractive place to float companies Even dedicated City folk could be forgiven for tuning out if the subject of regulation arises. But proposed changes to the listings regime are, if not riveting, then causing a stir. The shake-up is a bid by the Financial Conduct Authority to make London a more attractive place to float companies after defections and snubs from firms opting for New York over the City. Some of the changes, which will come into force later this year if approved, have already caught the eye of Quantum, a British candidate for a London float. The cyber security group has cited possible amendments such as only needing to float 10 per cent of shares (instead of the usual 25 per cent) as 'especially beneficial' for a quickly growing business. 'We firmly believe London is still one of the world's most prestigious exchanges, and the right place for us,' co-founder Peter Malmstrom told Whispers. Three cheers for a bit of patriotism. Traditional AGM's making a comeback? Annual meetings are not what they used to be. Gone are the tea and biscuits and a chance for ordinary shareholders to buttonhole the chief executive now gatherings are moving online. Or are they? New research from meetings specialist Lumi shows in-person meetings went up last year, to 15 per cent of the total compared with 12 per cent in 2022. True, most are now 'hybrid', but that choice has seen attendance levels almost double 2022's, which is good news. Clearly old habits die hard. Rio Tinto looking again at Jadar project Word on the street is Rio Tinto may finally be making headway with its Serbian lithium mining project Jadar. Industry insiders say they think the huge project could be back on more than two years after the authorities revoked Rio's licences to continue development, which dealt a hefty blow to the miner's plan to muscle into the race for metals like lithium required to go green. Rio's leader Jakob Stausholm met Serbian president Aleksandar Vucic at Davos to discuss reviving Jadar. Stausholm described the talks as 'robust' while Vucic said they were 'difficult'. Theories abound. One is that Serbia is warming to the idea because of the crash in the price of lithium meaning few other miners would be lining up to take it off Rio's hands. Oil and gas bods await Horse Hill ruling Oil and gas bods are nervously awaiting a High Court ruling on an obscure legal battle that could have huge ramifications for fossil fuel drilling in the UK. The Supreme Court is reviewing an appeal by Surrey resident Sarah Finch against the county council, which she argues failed to take into account pollution generated by oil and gas extracted from a site called Horse Hill. If successful, it would spell a big change for any project needing environmental impact assessment. A historic legal victory for a case argued along similar grounds in Norway has given campaigners a lift, even though it has no bearing on English law. Contributor: Patrick Tooher Tony Hetherington is Financial Mail on Sunday's ace investigator, fighting readers corners, revealing the truth that lies behind closed doors and winning victories for those who have been left out-of-pocket. Find out how to contact him below. A.T. writes: I have received an unsolicited email from a company called Hoffman Chase. It claims to be offering high-return investments in cognac, but while it only appears to have opened for business in January, some of its favourable reviews on Trustpilot must be fake as they refer to investments made months ago. Tony Hetherington replies: Well spotted! Trustpilot had already deleted some reviews for Hoffman Chase, but more remained. They included one from 'Michael Peters' who claimed to have invested last August: 'My collection has already increased in value after only a few months.' And 'Christie Reynolds' told Trustpilot she invested last May, saying: 'I am pretty new in this market, but I am sure they just gained a very loyal customer.' Bizarre: Hoffman Chase says investors could lose everything I highlighted these to Trustpilot, and they have now disappeared. Trustpilot told me: 'In the case of Hoffman Chase Ltd, since the beginning of the year, our fraud detection software identified and removed 43 fake reviews.' The cognac company was given a warning and told to clean up its act, but this did not work. Trustpilot said: 'We have further evidence to suggest Hoffman Chase Ltd has continued to procure fake reviews.' Another dozen have now been deleted. Trustpilot has posted a consumer warning on its page about the company, and demanded that Hoffman Chase remove the fake reviews. The bogus write-ups are just the beginning of the questions though. Hoffman Chase tells investors that their cognac is safe because it is stored in the London Wine Tunnels where it is fully insured. There is no such company as the London Wine Tunnels, but there is a genuine storage company called simply The Wine Tunnels, with facilities in Kent and Wiltshire. Could this be it? Definitely not, according to its director Sarah Labat. She told me: 'We can 100 per cent confirm Hoffman Chase are not a client of ours. We have never spoken or had any contact with them, and they are not a company we have previously heard of in the wine and spirits UK market.' And if investors' cognac is safely stored and insured, how does this explain the curious statement Hoffman Chase displays on a separate website at cognacinvestment.com? It warns no one should invest 'unless you are prepared for the possibility of losing all invested funds'. What could go so badly wrong investors would lose every penny? I put this question and others to Hoffman Chase's sole director. She is Thea Hoffman, from Brighton, and I asked where she acquired her expertise in cognac investment as the only background I found showed she worked for a local estate agent. I also asked about the fake reviews, some of which are copied word for word from elsewhere. Until she took over and changed its name, her company was called Apex Gallery and was owned by art dealer Ryan Marsh. The Hoffman Chase website selling cognac did not even exist. Hoffman replied: 'This is extremely confusing. I will review your points and respond back shortly.' But she failed to answer any questions about her cognac, its storage, insurance, or her knowledge of the business. Bizarrely, her only response has been to blame unknown people who she says have chosen to place fake reviews on Trustpilot. She told me: 'It certainly seems some have not been genuinely left. We have reported numerous unrecognised reviews ourselves and as you can see, they have been removed.' Its website boasts: 'At Hoffman and Chase, transparency is the bedrock of our philosophy.' But only until someone asks awkward questions, it seems. This cognac scheme leaves a very sour taste. WE'RE WATCHING YOU Two weeks ago I reported that cannabis investment company Orange River Capital had failed to pay a promised dividend to investors who had bought preference shares. The shares have been marketed since 2022, with a fixed dividend of 15 per cent, but they give investors no say in the running of the company, controlled by its sole director Lee Farbrace. I warned two years ago the share offer document was riddled with falsehoods. Farbrace has filed no accounts since those for 2021, which is an offence. Investors have been told their money was used to buy a minority stake in Greengrow Capital, a South African company said to operate a medicinal cannabis plantation. Missing money: Cannabis investment company Orange River Capital has failed to pay a promised dividend to investors Now, in a statement to his investors, Farbrace has blamed his partners in South Africa for his own failure to pay investors, saying they put too much effort into research. He told shareholders: 'The undesired effect of seeking scientific breakthrough above profitability is that Greengrow has not commercially produced revenue to meet a distribution to Orange River Capital, and therefore ORC is unable to pay its 2023 dividend.' No accounts have been issued for Greengrow. Farbrace's solution is to ask investors for more money. He is offering the same fixed dividend preference shares to raise a fresh US$1.2 million to support new management in South Africa, he claims. He emphasises ORC owns 49 per cent of Greengrow, but with no accounts for either, it is impossible to answer the question: 49 per cent of what? If you believe you are the victim of financial wrongdoing, write to Tony Hetherington at Financial Mail, 9 Derry Street, London W8 5HY or email tony.hetherington@mailonsunday.co.uk. Because of the high volume of enquiries, personal replies cannot be given. Please send only copies of original documents, which we regret cannot be returned. Stroll through any major UK city and check out what everyone's wearing you may feel you've been transported back to the 90s. That's when Hollywood stars were Julia Roberts and Brad Pitt; Joanna Lumley and Jennifer Saunders were on TV in AbFab; and we were listening to Madonna and the Spice Girls. And what were we wearing? Slip dresses, cargo trousers, slingback heels and combat boots which are all now back in fashion. Those clothes in your wardrobe you've thought little of for the past three decades now called vintage 90s wear could actually make you some money as fashion fans devour them in charity shops and online. Stars and stripes: Clockwise from left, Italian brand Moschino is loved for its bold colours; the 'Diana' Dior handbag; and a pair of floral Dr Martens are all from the 90s Susie Nelson, of vintage boutique Modes & More in Westminster, says: 'Gen Z and Millennials can't remember the 90s but this resurgence in fashion from the decade means they can incorporate these past styles into their contemporary wardrobe.' And this longing for 90s designer fashion from Dior and Jean Paul Gaultier to Armani and Yves Saint Laurent could boost your bank account by several hundreds, if not thousands of pounds, experts say. Elena Jackson, of Ewbank's Auctions, says: 'Look at what real people are wearing on city streets. There are rainbows of savvy fashionistas sporting their own perceptions of what is in vogue in places like London, Bristol and Manchester.' For a free valuation of 90s gear, try auction houses such as Lawrences Auctioneers in Somerset and Buckinghamshire-based Bourne End Auction Rooms. Cash in your old clothes If you still need some inspiration to start rootling around in your wardrobe, four months ago a red Yves Saint Laurent mac sold at Ewbank's Auctions, in Surrey, for 485 after an estimate of 150. The Italian brand synonymous with the 90s is Moschino, much loved for its funky designs and bold colours. Now, a 1992 duvet jacket with patchwork colours and patterns is going for 715 on online marketplace Etsy. The design is much like the quilted fast fashion coats now sported by Gen Z, so a vintage original will make a tidy sum online. Chic: Joanna Lumley and Jennifer Saunders But if bold colours were never your style, Moschino's tamer tailored pieces also prove popular. A black double-breasted jacket sells for 1,033 on e-commerce site 1stDibs not a bad return on an old blazer you've forgotten about. Also on 1stDibs is a Jean Paul Gaultier wraparound cashmere coat, at 1,938. An Yves Saint Laurent black short jacket sells for 545 online at London-based vintage clothing store Circa Vintage. Vintage pieces from Armani will also be a hit with younger dressers. An early 90s woven crepe jacket with a ruched waist is going for 175; a pair of brown pointed Armani kitten heels for 96; and a black Moschino slip dress for 155 on online marketplace Etsy. Well-heeled shoes fly Young fashionistas also have shoes high on their wanted list. Chanel has always been synonymous with understated chic but its leather combat boots from the 1992-93 Autumn/Winter collection are right on trend and a knee-high pair sold for 2,200 in Kerry Taylor Auctions in Bermondsey. Staple 90s footwear Dr Martens is still trendy but vintage Docs are hot property. A pair of 90s floral boots are one of the better designs you could find tucked away, according to Lynnette Hecker, who runs Lovely's Vintage Emporium, based in Bath. Some boots with floral prints go for more than 100 on reselling websites such as Depop and Vinted as young fashionistas race to find a pair that has a history. Not a bad return when a pair of Docs cost 45 in the 90s, according to independent shoe shop A.G. Meek. Most 90s pairs of Doc Martens prove popular on reselling websites, so if there's an old pair you've forgotten about, it's worth digging them out. And don't forget, says Lynnette, all shoes will fetch a higher price if in their original box. Handbags are hot Handbags are some of the most lucrative 90s pieces you could find tucked away, according to Ms Jackson. She says: 'I can't express this enough. Use them and love them but look after handbags keep all the receipts and original boxes. Plus, handbags fit everyone, so size is not a restricting factor for keeping them as with clothing.' Princess Diana with her Dior handbag at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery in London in 1996 One of the most sought after is the dinky black quilted Lady Dior Lambskin handbag by Christian Dior. Made popular by Princess Diana, it also comes in hot pink and red. While Dior still sells the bag for around 5,000, pre-loved bags in pristine condition hold their value well. One sold last October at Ewbank's Auctions for 1,560, including fees hundreds more than its estimate. Online sites such as bella-ling.com sell them for around 2,950. Even high-street bags from trendy brands like Kookai, Accessorize and GAP will sell for 30 to 40 on sites like Depop. High-street favourites Upmarket high-street brands such as Red or Dead, Evisu or Morgan are regulars on second-hand clothing sites like Vinted or Depop. A North Face Nuptse 1996 jacket is the perfect retro-inspired puffer Ms Hecker says: 'High-street items have held their value as much as high fashion. It's all about quality as they will always sell even if they're more than 20 years old.' She believes a puffer jacket from high-street label The North Face is a hidden gem. That's because the brand now runs a line Nuptse 1996 inspired by the retro jacket. One of these new puffer jackets sells for 315 but any vintage The North Face coat could pocket you 200. St Michael is collectable! If you were around in the 90s (and earlier) you might remember Marks & Spencer's old brand St Michael as staid and rather old-fashioned but it is being snaffled up by Gen Z. St Michael clothes are back in fashion as their popularity with Gen Z has risen While selling these items won't net you big bucks, Emily London, a vintage fashion expert who runs a self-titled website, believes they will appreciate in value with their continued popularity. St Michael clothes have the production year on the clothing label so it is easy to spot if you have a 90s vintage. Emily also cites Wallis to rise in value. She says: 'The quality of 90s Wallis coats is hard to beat. Oversize tailoring, languid silhouettes and subtle finishing details makes items easy to wear with modern pieces.' How to really clean up... Clothes are made to be worn so some wear and tear is natural. But to optimise their value, ensure they are laundered invest in a steamer for as little as 25 from Argos and check all seams and buttons. Russia has spent almost 2 billion building a 'dark fleet' of tankers that skirt sanctions to ship banned oil around the world, according to a top official. The scale of the sanctions-swerving, which experts say involves up to 1,800 vessels whose ownership is opaque, is revealed on the second anniversary of Moscow's invasion of Ukraine that sparked international curbs on Russian trade. But western sanctions including a $60 cap on a barrel of Russian oil have been criticised for being ineffective and failing to stop the flow of cash fuelling Russia's war machine. 'Dark fleet': The scale of the sanctions-swerving, which experts say involves up to 1,800 vessels whose ownership is opaque, is revealed The price cap well below the market rate of $80 a barrel was designed to limit the Kremlin's huge revenues from oil exports without causing another spike in global energy costs. But Russia is still exporting as much oil now as it was two years ago. It has got round the sanctions by creating a parallel shipping structure that transports Russian oil using complex routes. The shadow fleet is believed to have a large number of vessels older than 15 years the age at which mainstream oil companies would typically retire them due to wear and tear. 'They would otherwise have gone for scrap,' said Mike Salthouse, of marine insurer NorthStandard. The size of this parallel fleet has 'grown significantly', added Olga Dimitrescu of the UK Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI). 'But that comes at a significant cost to Russia,' which she put at nearly 2 billion. That's $2.25 billion that's spent by the Putin regime on tankers not tanks,' she added. Experts say the price cap hasn't worked because it has incentivised black market trading in Russian oil. Former spy Christopher Steele thinks secondary sanctions have to be considered because countries like China and Turkey import cheap Russian oil, refine it and export it at 'a great profit' to the UK, he told ITV's Peston programme. Labour MP and anti-corruption campaigner Dame Margaret Hodge has urged a tougher approach on sanctions following the suspicious death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny in a Siberian prison. In a letter to Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron, she pointed out that the UK's maritime insurance industry underwrites a third of all Russian oil that was moved by sea cargo between the implementation of sanctions and November 2023. 'Shockingly, some of this oil was sold at prices above the price cap, in clear violation of sanctions,' she said. Cameron last week unveiled a fresh round of sanctions targeting oil traders and energy projects. A convenience store that suddenly popped up in Australia just over 20 years ago is now on track to become bigger than 7-Eleven - despite outrage over the hefty prices of some of its products. EzyMart's first store opened in Bondi Beach in 2001. The chain now operates 450 stores across New South Wales, Queensland, the ACT, Victoria and South Australia. The man behind the business is founder and CEO Maher Magableh who migrated to Australia from a small village in Jordan in his early 20s. His father had encouraged him to make the move as his brothers and cousins were already studying in Australia. Mr Magableh, who had already represented Jordan at the Olympics for taekwondo, then began a postgraduate degree in business management and public relations. The company's journey began when Mr Magableh purchased a milk bar in Bondi that would later become his first EzyMart. EzyMart's first store opened in Bondi Beach in 2001. The chain now operates 450 stores across New South Wales, Queensland, the ACT, Victoria and South Australia (pictured is founder Maher Magableh on right) His key to success was stocking items many other convenient stores didn't, like popular snacks from overseas such as Dr Pepper, Takis chips and Reese's chocolate. His second store came in 2006 when Mr Magableh heard of a 7-Eleven closing down in Sydney's Kings Cross. He opened five more stores that year around Sydney and by 2012, the business had expanded interstate. 'It's been hard and different for me, I had to study and work at the same time, as well as teaching taekwondo,' he told The Ethnic Business Awards after becoming a finalist in the medium to large business category in 2021. Mr Magableh said the Bondi milk bar was extremely run-down when he took over. 'It was very old, the machinery, fridges, shelving - it was all old. When we took over we had to clean it for 36 hours,' he said. He put his success down to the range of items available at EzyMarts. 'We always have something new in the shops, it's different to other convenient stores and supermarkets,' he said. EzyMart claims its success has now made it Australia's leading convenience store chain (pictured left, CEO Maher Magableh, who migrated to Australia from Jordan in his 20s) 'About every five years business doubles. I wish the day had more than 24 hours because there's just too many things to do in life.' Mr Magableh also spends his time as a certified taekwondo referee and has judged in three separate Olympics Games. EzyMart claims its success has now made it Australia's leading convenience store chain. But many customers have expressed their outrage at how much basic items cost. More often than not, the products also don't come with price tags so customers don't know how much they have to hand over until they reach the check-out. 'The pricing there is absolutely insane. Why are we enabling the absurd costs at EzyMart?' one person shared on Reddit last year. 'What an outrage! It's ridiculous that we have absolutely no alternatives!' said another. A 375ml can of soft drink can cost up to $4.50, while a packet of chips can set you back $7. Mr Magableh (right) said his business' success was down to the variety of items they had available Prices can vary at different EzyMarts but one person claimed they spent $12 on just two bags of chips. Some EzyMarts have also been known to sell vapes. In Australia, it's illegal to buy or possess e-cigarettes without a prescription from a registered medical practitioner. While they aren't stocked on the shelves in some of the convenience stores, they can often easily be bought upon request. It is not suggested that every EzyMart stocks e-cigarettes. Many customers are also surprised at how many EzyMarts there are, and in such close proximity, with many just hundreds of metres away from the next one. Meg Elkins, a behavioural and applied economist at Melbourne's RMIT University, said the success of the franchise was because for many, the high prices didn't matter as they were after the most convenient option. 'EzyMarts are always in your mindset, if you need something quickly it's an easy option,' she told Daily Mail Australia. 'If people are looking for convenience, price isn't top of mind. Life's busy and hectic, we want something that's easy.' She said that although supermarkets like Woolworths and Coles may stock the same items for much lower prices, the close proximity of EzyMarts especially in city CBDs was enough to draw in shoppers. 'We like to reduce effort in our lives, it's why we get Uber Eats,' Ms Elkins said. 'I think we're being conditioned into taking the easy option and they've leveraged off that and I think we've been conditioned over the pandemic to take shortcuts.' The expert also said for some shoppers, EzyMart was attractive because it meant they wouldn't have to queue up in supermarkets. It comes amid struggles for its competitor 7-Eleven, with the entire business going up for sale in May this year. EzyMart has been called out by some customers who say the prices are too high Last week, the two billionaire Australian families that own the country's arm of 7-Eleven stores sold the business to its Japanese-based parent company. The Withers and Barlow families, who are related, have sold the 752 Australia 7-Elevens to 7-Eleven International LLC, 7IN, for $1.7billion. In a statement, former chairman of 7-Eleven Australia Russell Withers said: 'The Withers and Barlow families have had a proud association with the 7-Eleven brand since we brought it to Australia in 1977. 'From a single store in suburban Melbourne, 7-Eleven has grown to a network of over 750 stores across Victoria, New South Wales, ACT, Queensland and Western Australia, processing 250 million transactions each year, and employing more than 9,000 people across the corporate and franchise network. 'Now is the right time for our families to pass the business to new owners to continue to build and develop this wonderful brand.' In less than 50 years, 7-Eleven has managed to claim 32 per cent of Australia's convenience store market. However, there are currently no 7-Eleven stores in Tasmania, the Northern Territory or South Australia. The branch's new owner, 7IN, plans to open another 35 stores next year. The contest takes place on Haleys home turf. She was South Carolina's governor for six years before stepping down in 2017 to serve as U.N. ambassador when Trump was elected president. Despite her history, Haley faces strong headwinds in a state where Trump has the support of most of the party establishment, has held a substantial lead in recent polls and enjoys high popularity among the conservative base. Both candidates have made sharp attacks against the other, with Trump using derisive nicknames for Haley and playing down her work in his Cabinet. Haley has increasingly questioned Trumps fitness for office, most recently criticizing his comments on Russia and NATO. It is a marked contrast from earlier in the campaign when she and other GOP hopefuls avoided criticizing Trump directly. The South Carolina primary is usually an indicator of which candidate will win the Republican presidential nomination. Since the modern version of the states primary began in 1980, all but one GOP primary winner has gone on to win the partys nomination. The lone exception was Newt Gingrich in 2012. A look at what to expect on election night: PRIMARY DAY The primary will be held Saturday and polls will close statewide at 7 p.m. EST. WHATS ON THE BALLOT The ballot will list Ryan Binkley, Chris Christie, Ron DeSantis, Haley, Vivek Ramaswamy, David Stuckenberg, and Trump. WHO GETS TO VOTE South Carolina has an open primary system, which means any registered voter may participate in any partys primary. But voters may only participate in one partys presidential primary, so people who voted in the Democratic primary on Feb. 3 may not vote in the Republican contest. Only about 4% of registered voters cast ballots in the Democratic contest, leaving the bulk of the electorate, including any Democrats and independents who favor Haley over Trump and didnt vote in the earlier contest, eligible to weigh in on the Republican race. DELEGATE ALLOCATION RULES There are 50 delegates at stake and 29 will be awarded to the winner of the statewide vote. Twenty-one delegates will be allocated according to the vote in each of the states seven congressional districts. The top vote-getter in each district will get three delegates from that district. DECISION NOTES The last time Haley won a competitive GOP primary in South Carolina was in 2010, when she was the top vote-getter in a four-way primary and was forced to a runoff, which she won handily. Six years later, Trump won a crowded six-way race in the states presidential primary on his way to capturing the White House and becoming the dominant figure in Republican politics. Republican electoral politics have changed dramatically since the last time Haley and Trump each faced other Republican candidates in the Palmetto State. Still, their past election results do provide some clues for Saturdays primary. In their last competitive South Carolina primaries, Haleys strongest showings and some of Trumps worst were in counties where Democrats perform best in general elections. Trump carried 44 of the states 46 counties in the 2016 primary, all except Richland and Charleston, the second- and third-most populous. Haley won these counties by wide margins in her 2010 runoff, as did Democrat Joe Biden in the 2020 general election. Haleys other strongest areas in 2010 were the relatively small counties of Bamberg, Lee, Marlboro and Orangeburg, all of which Biden carried, as well as Dorchester and Chesterfield, which Biden lost to Trump. The results are broadly consistent with Haleys performances so far in the 2024 presidential primaries. Her strongest showings in Iowa and New Hampshire were in the states Democratic-friendly areas and her worst were in Republican-friendly areas. These results suggest that Haleys best chance to win in South Carolina, or for a competitive result, would be to win big in the states Democratic areas, especially in vote-rich Charleston and Richland, while staying competitive in the largest county of Greenville and minimizing the margins in heavily Republican areas. Likewise, she would likely need to perform well in votes cast before Election Day, which will be the first votes reported on election night in most counties. The Associated Press does not make projections and will declare a winner only when its determined there is no scenario that would allow the trailing candidates to close the gap. If a race has not been called, the AP will continue to cover any newsworthy developments, such as candidate concessions or declarations of victory. In doing so, the AP will make clear that it has not yet declared a winner and explain why. WHAT TURNOUT, ADVANCE VOTE LOOK LIKE There are about 3.3 million registered voters in South Carolina. Voters do not register by party. Turnout in the 2016 Republican primary was about 25% of registered voters. It was about 22% in the 2012 primary. Saturdays contest will be the first Republican presidential primary held in the state since a new early voting law was enacted in May 2022. The law allows voters to cast ballots in-person before Election Day without an excuse. The early voting period for the GOP primary is Feb. 12-22, excluding Feb. 18-19. In the 2016 Republican primary, when voters had to provide an excuse to cast an absentee ballot, about 8% of votes were cast before Election Day. In the 2022 midterm primaries, after the new law went into effect, pre-Election Day voting was at about 21%. About 36% of votes cast in the Feb. 3 Democratic primary were before Election Day. As of Tuesday night, more than 139,000 voters had cast their ballots. HOW LONG DOES VOTE-COUNTING USUALLY TAKE? In the 2024 South Carolina Democratic primary, the AP first reported results at 7:08 p.m. EST. Primary night tabulation ended at 10:47 p.m. EST with nearly 100% of votes counted. ARE WE THERE YET? As of Saturday, there will be 142 days until the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee and 255 until the November general election. Whos running for president? See the latest rundown of major 2024 candidates Donald Trump Joe Biden Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Jill Stein Cornel West Whos dropped out? After a series of embarrassing setbacks, and as Ukraine and its Western backers show increasing signs of war fatigue, MailOnline considers whether the tide is turning in the Russian despot's favour Advertisement When Russian tanks trundled across the Ukrainian border and warplanes screamed through the skies over Kyiv two years ago, many could scarcely believe what was happening. Back then the prospect of a large-scale armed conflict in Europe seemed almost unthinkable. How could we, not yet 80 years removed from the end of a World War that exposed the most heinous and cruel depths of humanity, be so callous to allow the spectre of such violence to darken our door again? Yet on the second anniversary of the day Vladimir Putin left an indelible mark on the ledger of European history, it seems the war - at least for those of us far away from the frontlines - is now simply an uncomfortable fact of life. All too quickly, the public outrage over missile attacks on Ukrainian cities and blood-curdling images of mass civilian slaughter in defenceless villages began to recede. People busy with the bustle of everyday life simply became accustomed to the horror while other conflicts captured the world's attention - the violence precipitated by Hamas' ruthless October 7 attacks on Israel, and subsequent concern over a wider war in the Middle East distracting from the Ukrainian plight. But as the conflict rumbles into its third year, the fight for Ukraine's existence is reaching a critical juncture. Two years after Vladimir Putin (pictured) ordered his forces to invade Ukraine, and after a series of embarrassing battlefield setbacks, the tide my be starting to turn in his favour. But is he actually winning? Ukraine has been beaten and battered by Russia's larger forces. Cities have been destroyed and many thousands killed. Yet despite the odds, Kyiv's armies remain defiant - albeit increasingly fatigued. Pictured: Ukrainian soldiers stand in front of a building destroyed by a Russian rocket in Donetsk Oblast, on January 26, 2024 Ukraine's battle-weary defenders have not lost any resolve, but are relying on a slowing supply of weapons from the West to resist the seemingly endless waves of artillery fire - and cannon fodder - deployed by unflinching Russian commanders The popularity of President Volodymyr Zelensky - once seemingly infallible - is waning amid rumours of political division and a shakeup in the upper echelons of Ukraine's armed forces. Yet he, too, remains defiant A stalemate has set in on the frontlines of the conflict, which have largely stagnated in the last 14 months. Moscow's forces control almost a fifth of Ukrainian territory - including the Crimea peninsula it annexed in 2014 - although Russia is starting to make steady gains, with Avdiivka falling in mid-February. Pictured: A map showing the front lines as of February 23, 2024 Ukraine's battle-weary defenders have not lost any resolve, but are relying on a slowing supply of weapons from the West to resist the seemingly endless waves of artillery fire - and cannon fodder - deployed by unflinching Russian commanders. And the popularity of President Volodymyr Zelensky - once seemingly infallible - is waning amid rumours of political division and a shakeup in the upper echelons of Ukraine's armed forces. Meanwhile in Russia, March's presidential elections are undoubtedly a foregone conclusion with Putin set to consolidate his power even further and stay in power until at least 2030. Despite two years of war that has seen more than 100,000 Russian lives wasted and hundreds of thousands more maimed, Levada Center polls suggest the President's approval rating is soaring at 85 per cent. And, having forged beneficial economic, trade and even military ties with several emerging powers in the Global South resistant to Western influence, the Kremlin has - at least so far - managed to mitigate the impact of economic sanctions while keeping its frontline troops supplied with vital ammo. And so now, two years to the day that Ukraine was forced into a battle for survival, MailOnline breaks down everything you need to know about the war - the state of the battlefield, the challenges facing both sides, how Putin is plotting Russia's victory, and what the next year of conflict is likely to have in store. Battlefield brief: Where are we now? After a turbulent and highly kinetic first year, 2023 saw the war descend into an attritional, grinding stalemate. The much-vaunted Ukrainian counteroffensive of last summer had limited success, with Russian forces having established entrenched defensive lines in annexed territories. Ukraine's objective was to slice Moscow's land bridge between the Russian mainland annexed Crimea by pushing its forces south to the Sea of Azov, thus splitting Russia's occupied territory in half. But it never achieved this, and - as such - the battlefield as it stands two years into the conflict has not changed dramatically for several months, with the 750-mile-long frontline having remained fairly static. But the relatively stable bird's eye view of the theatre belies the brutal, bloody warfare that continues to rage at specific choke-points. Huge numbers of soldiers have been chewed up and spat out of 'meat grinders' in several highly combative locations, of which the most violent is almost certainly the industrial hub of Avdiivka, close to the city of Donetsk. After months of valiant defence, Ukraine's armed forces earlier this month pulled their weary and demoralised troops back from the town, allowing Russian forces to swarm in and secure it - albeit at the cost of tens of thousands of Russian lives. But relinquishing Avdiivka gives Kyiv's troops the respite required to dig in deeper and hold their own defensive lines close to the town, suggesting Russian troops will have to fight hard to make and further inroads into Donetsk. Similarly brutal combat was witnessed earlier in the year in Bakhmut, which Russia also eventually claimed in May after months of bloody urban combat compared with that seen in the First World War. A Ukrainian soldier fires towards the Russian position on the frontlines in the direction of Avdiivka. The city was lost to Russia in the final days of the war's second year - the first major Russian victory since Moscow's forces captured Bakhmut last year Ukrainian firefighters work to extinguish a fire at an oil depot in the country's Kursk region on February 15, 2024 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky lays a bouquet of flowers on the open coffin as he attends a memorial service for Dmytro Kotsiubailo, a Ukrainian serviceman known as 'Da Vinci' killed in combat on the frontline in Bakhmut, March 10 2023 In the estimation of several experts, 2023 saw both sides sacrifice considerable manpower, ammunition and equipment, for very little progress. 'Last year's winter offensive was very costly for Ukraine both in terms of lives and equipment but brought minimal gains. Russian attempts have not been more successful,' RAND defence analyst Nicolas Jouan said. 'Despite repeated assaults over the winter and considerable losses, some of the gains could be counted in metres, like in Mariinka. 'Russia did recently manage to take Avdiivka. This is troubling for what it might say about Russia's ability to simply throw men and materiel at Ukraine's lines - but again, that success only came after heavy losses were suffered, and is not in itself a significant gain. 'Meanwhile Ukraine, though defending strongly, is currently suffering supply constraints in critical areas - particularly artillery ammunition. 'The current situation seems overall to favour defensive positions - there is no obvious short-term solution for Ukraine to counterattack effectively,' Jouan concluded. RUSI associate fellow and modern war expert Samuel Cranny-Evans said of the frontline: 'It's now 1,200km-long approximately and in some areas, most recently Avdiivka, the Russians have concentrated a lot of personnel and firepower to grind down the Ukrainian defenders. 'It seems likely that the Ukrainians fell back onto prepared positions, so both sides are probably reasonably dug in at this point.' Race against time With battle lines seemingly cemented and both sides now largely embedded in defensive positions, Ukrainian and Russian forces are now facing a new set of unique challenges. Several experts interviewed by MailOnline agreed that the race is now on to see who can overcome these challenges first, with the winner poised to take the ascendancy in the conflict. Ukrainian gunner Vasyl Zozulia fires the gun, as soldiers of the Ukraine Armys 95th Brigade fire 105mm artillery shells from a British-made L119 howitzer at Russian positions in the Lyman direction on February 18, 2024 Ukrainian gunner Vasyl Zozulia removes a smoking shell casing after firing a round towards Russian positions near Lyman The remains of a Russian platoon are seen after a highly effective Ukrainian HIMARS strike Ukrainian forces destroy Russian armoured vehicles and troops in footage released by the 3rd Brigade of Operational Purpose 'Spartan' on Tuesday, February 20, 2024 Ukrainian servicemen assist their comrades not far from the frontline in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donbas A Ukrainian serviceman arrives severely wounded to the evacuation point after being removed from the Avdiivka battlefield on February 20, 2024. The city fell to Russia in the final days of the war's second year 'The biggest challenge facing Ukraine is the lack of ammunition for all of its systems, lack of electronic warfare to degrade Russian drones and the need for additional personnel so that it can rotate its forces out of the frontline,' Cranny-Evans said. 'If these issues are not addressed, Ukraine will begin to lose more ground and possibly at a faster rate than it has so far. In a worst-case scenario, this could worsen very quickly and lead to a rapid decline in Ukraine's position in the war.' Ukrainian soldiers who spoke to reporters near the frontlines said while their motivation had not waned, they were experiencing difficulties holding off a larger and better-supplied enemy. One commander in the 59th Brigade, who only gave his first name Hryhoriy, described relentless attacks from groups of five to seven Russian soldiers who would push forward up to 10 times a day in what he called 'meat assaults' - highly costly to the Russians but also a major threat to his troops. 'When one or two defensive positions are fighting off these assaults all day, the guys get tired,' Hryhoriy said as he and his exhausted men were afforded a brief rotation away from the frontlines near the Russian-occupied eastern city of Donetsk. 'Weapons break, and if there is no possibility of bringing them more ammunition or changing their weapons, then you understand what this leads to.' A new law aimed at mobilising 450-500,000 more Ukrainians is slowly making its way through parliament, but for some soldiers fighting now, significant reinforcements seem a distant hope. But the Russians, who have managed to maintain pressure on Ukrainian forces through a combination of high artillery output and wave after wave of dispensable troops, also face a struggle to pile more men into the fight. Cranny-Evans said: 'For the Russians the main challenge appears to be regenerating forces for an offensive drive after Avdiivka and all of the other attrition they have suffered. This includes replenishing armoured vehicles, howitzers, ammunition and personnel. 'If they are able to do this at a consistent rate throughout the year, they will be able to maintain offensive pressure.' The military gear from wounded Ukrainian servicemen are piled at the evacuation point after they were evacuated from the Avdiivka battlefield as the Russian - Ukrainian war continues in Novoselivka Persha of Avdiivka, Ukraine on February 20, 2024 A Ukrainian serviceman from the 108th Brigade of Territorial Defence prepares a Ukraine-made multi-purpose drone Leleka-100 on a field near a frontline in the direction of Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, 15 February 2024 Ukrainian servicemen from the 108th Brigade of Territorial Defence prepare to fly a Ukraine-made multi-purpose drone Leleka-100 on a field near a frontline in the direction of Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, 15 February 2024 Retired Brigadier General and former US Defence attache to Moscow Kevin Ryan added: 'It is feasible for Ukraine to regain certain parts of the territory that Russia has taken. 'But as Ukraine's former Commander of the Armed Forces General Valery Zaluzhny wrote in January, breaking out of the positional trench warfare and mounting offensive operations will require the introduction of new technologies and capabilities which Ukraine presently does not have. 'These include robotic mine clearing systems, additional drones, more precision strike weapons, and electronic warfare systems. Until these new capabilities are available, Zaluzhny foresees a continuation of the slow-moving positional fighting we see now... a "snailmate"!' Drone warfare Drones in particular now constitute a vital part of Ukraine's war effort. These unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are cheap to produce, can surveil enemy movements and drop ordinance with pinpoint accuracy. Kyiv has overseen a boom in drone production and innovation and is developing advanced, long-range UAVs, while Moscow has more than matched its rival with huge investments of its own, allowed it to nullify Ukraine's early advantage which - in part - gave it an advantage over the Russians in the early stages of the war. On the Ukrainian side alone, more than 300,000 drones were ordered from producers last year and more than 100,000 sent to the front, digital minister Mykhailo Fedorov said. President Zelensky has set a target for Ukraine to produce one million FPV drones this year in light of the battlefield advantages delivered by the technology. Besides ramping up the production of drones, Jouan offered a more specific assessment of what the next steps may entail. 'Ukraine will remain focused on seizing the strategic chokepoint of Tokmak (a city in Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia Oblast) to cut Russia's frontline in two between the Eastern front bordering Russia and the Western sea-facing one. 'The main challenge for Ukraine is to sustain its offensive as it is short in ammunition and has fewer resources to conduct mechanised assaults while conditions on the ground in Robotyne, the bridgehead of Ukraine's counteroffensive, are reportedly grinding.' Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov recently referred to Ukraine's artillery ammunition deficit as 'critical' in a letter to the European Union, urging its national leaders to do more to bolster supplies. His letter said Ukraine's 'absolute critical daily minimum requirement' was 6,000 artillery shells, but his forces were able to fire just 2,000 a day. But Jouan also surmised that Russia's willingness to trade high casualties for little progress on the ground could prove to be a disastrous long-term strategy. 'For Russia, the main challenge is to keep sustaining assaults with asymmetric costs to prevent Ukraine's advance and with only minimal gains as a reward,' he said. Growing war fatigue dampens early Ukrainian optimism When Ukraine's summer counteroffensive ground to a halt last year, it became clear that the complexion of the war had changed, and that fatigue was setting in. Whereas 2022 saw Ukraine make huge galvanising gains, liberating vast swathes of the country from Russia's control, the attempt to replicate that success a year later failed when Kyiv's forces were brought to a halt by Putin's entrenched defences. Zelensky had long been urging the West to increase its support for Ukraine's military efforts to ensure its counteroffensive was a success. But while the US, UK and other NATO allies delivered main battle tanks, powerful missiles and stockpiles of ammunition, Kyiv's request for fighter jets was spurned - with the West fearing further Russian escalation. Ukraine put the failed counteroffensive in 2023 down to insufficient support from its allies, saying it needed more powerful weaponry to punch through the hundreds of miles of trenches and minefields laid by Russia in the east. Since then, a stalemate has set in. Frontlines of the war have largely stagnated in the last 14 months and Moscow's forces still control almost a fifth of Ukrainian territory - including the Crimea peninsula it annexed in 2014 - although Russia is starting to make steady gains, with Avdiivka falling in mid-February. This has led to an increasing sense of war fatigue in both Ukraine and the West. A Ukrainian serviceman arrives severely wounded to the evacuation point after being removed from the Avdiivka battlefield as the Russian - Ukrainian war continues in Novoselivka Persha of Avdiivka, Ukraine on February 20, 2024 Soviet monument to fallen soldier is seen by destroyed buildings in a village as the Russian - Ukrainian war continues in Novoselivka Persha of Avdiivka, Ukraine on February 20, 2024 After two years of resisting the full-scale invasion of the much larger neighbour, Ukraine's troops are exhausted. In the rain and snow along a sprawling frontline, many Ukrainian soldiers are experiencing a second winter at war - and their morale has taken a hit. The stalemate has seen trench warfare return to Europe - 80 years after the end of the Second World War, with soldiers hunkered down in grim conditions on both sides. To make any advance, troops must storm the enemy trenches and engage in brutal close-quarters combat involving high-powered modern weaponry. Any solder that does break cover risks a bloody death at the hands of enemy drones flying above, artillery, sniper fire or mines. 'The guys are very tired. Morally, physically, they can't take it anymore. Because after two years we still cannot see the end of the tunnel,' said one soldier at a position near Kupiansk, an area where Russian troops have been on the offensive for months. Some analysts now fear Ukraine - with dwindling supplies of personnel and ammo - will struggle to make any further major gains without a game-changing addition to its military capabilities. Now, with casualties mounting, its military depleted, financial aid stalled and divisions emerging - the the possibility of a Donald Trump presidency on the horizon - Ukrainians have greeted the second anniversary of the war with trepidation. Many, including the country's president, feel change is needed. 'The year 2024 can be successful for Ukraine only if we make effective changes in the basis of our defence, which is the Armed Forces of Ukraine,' Zelensky said earlier this month, calling for 'a different approach'. Ukraine's need for aid To ease the pressure on its front line troops and to continue resisting the Russian push from the east, Kyiv is in desperate need of more military aid. Where this aid will come from remains unclear. As US legislators hesitate over a new aid package and cracks emerge in Europe, Putin awaits a possible Donald Trump victory in this year's US presidential election. The Republican holdup on US military aid and Europe's inability to ramp up weapons supplies fast enough is contributing to the sense of uncertainty and gloom in Kyiv. Ukraine relies heavily on money and equipment from abroad to fund its war effort, but with $61 billion in US aid held up by political bickering in Washington, it is looking more exposed than at any time since the start of the invasion. What's more, many have questioned what would happen to the US aid were Donald Trump to be elected president again in 2024. While current President Joe Biden has been a staunch supporter for Ukraine, Trump's Republican backers in Congress have been more reluctant to approve aid to Kyiv. There are fears that Trump could cut off support to Ukraine altogether, and even pull the US back from the NATO military alliance in a further boost to Putin. Ben Hodges, the former Commanding General of US Army Europe, went as far to tell MailOnline last month that European nations would be 'sitting ducks' if Trump was to be elected in November. US President Joe Biden (right) meets with President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, December 12, 2023. Ukraine relies heavily on money and equipment from abroad to fund its war effort, but with $61 billion in US aid held up by political bickering in Washington, it is looking more exposed than ever While current President Joe Biden has been a staunch supporter for Ukraine, Trump's Republican backers in Congress have been more reluctant to approve aid to Kyiv. There are fears that Trump (pictured, February 22 in Nashville) could cut off support to Ukraine altogether, and even pull the US back from the NATO military alliance in a further boost to Putin Europe meanwhile has unblocked its latest aid package of 50 billion euros - not without difficulty - but is way behind on pledges of ammunition delivery. Even with the boost in funds, questions remain over exactly where ammunition will come from, with Europe not possessing the necessary munitions factories. Rows have broken out among EU states over the quantity of aid each nation is delivering, while many are torn between sending arms to Ukraine while also bolstering their own forces to meet NATO's 2% GDP spending requirement. These efforts come amid mounting fears that Putin could set his sights further West and soon attack a NATO nation, dragging the military alliance into the conflict. European leaders increasingly realise that if Putin is allowed to win in Ukraine, he could be tempted to test NATO's defences, analysts say. In January, French President Emmanuel Macron called on European countries to back Ukraine 'over the long term' and get ready in case Washington decides to pull the plug on aid. Germany, meanwhile, has also announced the construction of a new munitions factory. But it will take time for the continent's defence industry to step up ammunition production but the West could still turn things around, say analysts. On top of the US supply pause, the EU has conceded it will miss its target to supply a million shells to Ukraine by March by nearly half. Artillery shells are already in short supply as a result of Western countries' inability to keep up the pace of shipments for a drawn-out war. Meanwhile, far-right parties, which commentators fear would advocate a softer line against Russia, are on the rise in France and Germany and other EU nations, and - as in the US - there are ominous elections on the horizon in the European Union, with parties less sympathetic to Ukraine's cause expected to do well in the summer. Without assistance and with its own defence industry badly depleted, Ukraine will not be able to confront Russia, which has mobilised its economy for war. Will 2024 finally bring Ukraine fighter jets? Kyiv is counting heavily this year on deliveries of F-16 fighter jets which it has been requesting for months, which it hopes could shift momentum in its favour. These should make up for a lack of artillery in stopping Russian assaults and supporting offensives. Denmark, the Netherlands and Norway have all announced they will supply jets to Ukraine. However, Ukraine's allies have long been cautious about supplying jets, fearing they could result in further escalation from Russia. Such weapons also require training. It is also unclear how effective jets will be against entrenched Russian positions with powerful air defences. While jets were used in the early days of the war, both sides proved adept at bringing aircraft out of the skies with modern weaponry - resulting in most of the war being fought on the ground. Ukraine is also multiplying production of drones - a weapon that has become indispensable in this war. At the same time, Kyiv is asking for more Western supplies to bolster its air defences against almost daily barrages of Russian missiles and drones. Kyiv is counting heavily this year on deliveries of F-16 fighter jets (pictured, file photo) which it has been requesting for months, which it hopes could shift momentum in its favour US-made Patriot missile defence systems have been a game changer for Ukraine, helping it intercept large numbers of missiles and killer drones fired at its cities. Kyiv has even used them to take down hypersonic Kinzhal missiles, an embarrassment for the Kremlin which had previously dubbed 'invincible'. Pleading last month for more Patriots, Zelensky said that without them, Ukraine would find it 'impossible to survive'. Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has also said: 'In 2024, the priority will be chasing Russia from the skies. 'He who controls the skies will determine when and how the war will end.' On the ground, Michael Kofman - a senior fellow and Russian military specialist at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a Washington-based think-tank, estimated that Russia's artillery is currently firing at five times the rate of Ukraine's. 'Ukraine is not getting a sufficient amount of artillery ammunition to meet its minimum defensive needs, and this is not a sustainable situation moving forward,' Kofman added. Russia appears to be having no such problem thanks to North Korea, Iran, and the shift in its own economy to prop up its military. Fatigue suits Putin All this adds to the growing sense of fatigue which, of course, suits the Kremlin. While the winter of 2022 was humiliating for Putin, who failed to take Kyiv within days, he has now regrouped and appears reinvigorated by Ukraine's unsuccessful counteroffensive, the prospect of Donald Trump returning to the White House in a November presidential election and the rise of the far-right in Europe. What's more, following the October 7, 2023 Hamas terror attack on Israel, the West's attention - particularly that of the US - has been split. Meanwhile, Russia has withstood the initial shock of unprecedented Western sanctions and put its economy on a war footing, ramping up production and recruitment and jailing critics of the invasion. Putin has the support of allies such as Iran and North Korea delivering vast amounts of weaponry to his forces, and China continuing its trade with Russia. Other more sympathetic states have also refused to join the West in imposing sanctions on Russia, or from condemning Moscow's actions at the UN, allowing Moscow to weather the sanctions storm in the aftermath of Putin's illegal invasion. This has led to Putin growing in confidence. A Ukrainian soldiers walks through a snowy trench near of Kupiansk, Ukraine on February 22, 2024. In the rain and snow along a sprawling frontline, many Ukrainian soldiers are experiencing a second winter at war - and their morale has taken a hit A Ukrainian serviceman takes cover in a trench during shelling next to a 105mm howitzer near the city of Bakhmut, on March 8, 2023, amid the Russian onslaught against the Ukrainian city in the early days of the war's second year 'It's true to say that President Putin is confident that he can outlast the West and so it's incumbent on us to show the resolve to prove him wrong,' a senior official from a Western country told AFP news agency, asking not to be identified. Putin had made increasingly bullish statements, declaring in December that Ukraine 'does not have a future'. Analysts say only drastically ramped up Western support for Ukraine as it runs out of munitions can change the momentum. 'It is a race by both sides to rebuild their offensive capacity,' said Andrea Kendall-Taylor, senior fellow at Washington-based Center for New American Security (CNAS). 'If the Western funding does not come through, if Russia gains some sort of advantage, then they have the possibility of making some more gains,' she said. 'The momentum has shifted.' However, Russia is also facing several challenges of its own, according to one Western official who spoke on the condition of anonymity in the run-up to the war's anniversary. 'We do not believe Russia has given up on its maximalist goals of subjugating Ukraine', the official said this week. 'We do not believe that Russia has a meaningful plan beyond continuing to fight in the expectation that Russian manpower and equipment numbers will eventually tell.' The official said 'Russia's domestic ammunition production capabilities are currently insufficient for meeting the needs of the Ukrainian conflict,' adding that Western sanctions 'are hitting the Russian military industrial complex hard'. This, they said, is 'causing severe delays and increasing costs' for Russia. 'An inability to access Western components is severely undermining Russia's production of new systems and repairs of old systems, with long-term consequences for the quality of weapons produced. 'To illustrate the extreme challenges Russia is facing in obtaining sufficient equipment and material for its operations in Ukraine, Russia has been requisitioning military equipment originally intended for delivery to foreign partners.' Kendall-Taylor added that if Ukraine can hold its lines in 2024, it could pressure Russia more in 2025 if new resources come through from the West. 'From Putin's perspective, 2024 is quite critical,' she said. How to win friends and influence people: Russia's efforts to evade the bite of sanctions and drum up international support In the West, Putin's invasion of his sovereign neighbour was nothing other than the start of an illegal, imperialistic and downright cruel crusade to seize territory and erase the identity of the Ukrainian people. Britain, the US, EU and other Western-aligned nations were horrified and acted accordingly, rolling out brutal sanctions regimes designed to cripple the Russian economy and committing untold billions of dollars of aid to Kyiv - largely in the form of ammunition and devastating military hardware. But venture further and you will be hard-pressed to find another country that sympathises with the plight of the Ukrainians. Most nations in the Global South are largely indifferent to the war, issuing bland statements calling for peace but doing nothing in practice to work against Moscow. And some have openly criticised the West for supporting Kyiv, aligning with the Kremlin's narrative that it is not waging war on Ukraine, but instead is fighting for Russia's very survival against the nefarious forces of a neo-colonial West and ever-expanding NATO. This is highly frustrating to Western leaders, as it serves as a stark reminder that much of the world does not buy into their narrative of an 'evil, imperialist Russia' out to conquer Ukraine. But in more real terms, the support of several powerful allies is helping to prop up Russia's economy, acting as a buffer to reduce the impact of the US and EU sanctions regimes, with some going as far as to provide the necessary hardware and ammunition to keep Moscow's war machine grinding on. In spite of the stringent economic penalties levied against Russia by the West, last year the economy grew by 3.6 per cent - a stunning rebound following a 1.2 per cent decline in 2022 and one which completely confounded IMF predictions in April 2022 that Russia's economy would nose dive 8.5 per cent in the first year of the war. Now Putin is sitting back with glee at the news that his nation's projected economic growth of some 2.6 per cent this year - outstripping Britain, France and Germany. So how exactly is the Kremlin keeping Russia's economy going strong and armouries stocked? Some countries have openly criticised the West for supporting Kyiv, aligning with the Kremlin's narrative that it is not waging war on Ukraine, but instead is fighting for Russia's very survival against the nefarious forces of a neo-colonial West and ever-expanding NATO The support of several powerful allies is helping to prop up Russia's economy, acting as a buffer to reduce the impact of the US and EU sanctions regimes (facilities of the Russian state-controlled oil company Rosneft are pictured) Energy hungry Beijing has been only too happy to hoover up surplus Russian oil and gas at a discount, something made possible only thanks to European powers who decided to wean themselves off Russia's resources following the outbreak of war in Ukraine (Nord Stream pipeline pictured) A drone - believed to be an Iranian made Shahed 136 - approaches for an attack in Kyiv on October 17, 2022, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine China is of course the obvious ally that has dominated headlines, having declared a 'no limits' partnership days before the Russian President sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine in February 2022. It must be said that President Xi Jinping has been careful not to publicly endorse the war in Ukraine, and he is not thought to have provided any weapons to Russia to bolster its 'special military operation' - despite the high level of integration between Russian and Chinese military tech. But energy-hungry Beijing has been only too happy to hoover up surplus Russian oil and gas at a discount, something made possible thanks to European powers who decided to wean themselves off Russia's resources following the outbreak of war in Ukraine. In doing so, China is keeping money flowing into the Kremlin's coffers, and has routinely criticised the West's disavowing of the relationship between the two Eastern powers. In the meantime, Putin is also working hard to cultivate even stronger ties with other key countries - particularly in the Middle East amid the fallout of the Israel-Palestine conflict - which are keen to increase their economic, commercial and even military cooperation with the Kremlin. The ruthless Islamic Republic of Iran - already a grave threat to the West and the powerful military backer of Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthi rebels disrupting Red Sea shipping - is now among Russia's closest allies. Moscow and Tehran are poised to sign a wide-ranging 'strategic partnership' of unprecedented scope and scale that would see them solidify their ever-growing ties in the realms of defence, security, energy and trade. Iran has been supplying Russia with countless Shahed drones used to devastating effect by Moscow's troops in kamikaze attacks on Ukrainian population centres, and in turn is set to receive a fleet of Su-35 multirole fighter aircraft, attack helicopters and billions of dollars more in other military hardware. The Islamic Republic is also believed to have offered up huge stockpiles of artillery ammunition - a vital resource for Moscow's troops as they continue their WWI-style pounding of Ukrainian trenches in the countryside of Donetsk and Luhansk. And US intelligence officials fear Tehran may even begin to deliver missiles to Moscow after a sanction restricting the export of missiles lapsed in October. Elsewhere, in a rare diplomatic visit abroad to the UAE and Saudi Arabia in December, Putin was greeted warmly by the leaders of the Gulf Arab states with a reception truly fit for a king. Bilateral trade between UAE and Russia surged by 68 per cent in 2022 as Dubai emerged as a new Russian business hub for sanctions-hit companies - so much so that Russian is becoming one of the most widely spoken languages there. Russian state nuclear company Rosatom is providing the technical expertise and uranium to power the UAE's sole nuclear plant and is agreeing construction for another power plant in Saudi Arabia, Moscow's oil-rich partner in OPEC+ which closely collaborates with the Kremlin to stabilise oil markets. Chinese President Xi Jinping shakes hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2018 - they are seeking to further deepen the 'no-limits' partnership between their two countries Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) greets Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi (R) during their meeting at the Grand Kremlin Palace, on December 7, 2023 in Moscow Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, speaks to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during their meeting at Russia's Black Sea resort of Sochi, Russia, Monday, Sept. 4, 2023 North Korean leader Kim Jong Un A Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missile is launched during what North Korea says is a drill at an unknown location December 18, 2023 Even Turkey - despite being a member of NATO - has refused to join the West's sanctions regime against Russia. Instead, it continues to satisfy roughly 40 per cent of its energy demand with Russian product and is also a key gas transit hub, funnelling Moscow's natural resources through to the Balkans and eastern Europe, where one of the primary purchasers happens to be Hungary. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban is a Putin sympathiser and the only remaining NATO leader blocking Sweden's accession to the alliance. Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan are also said to share a bond borne of their authoritarian disposition and have maintained direct lines of communication, stronger than those between the Turkish president and any of his liberal, democratic Western counterparts. Finally, North Korea, despite its near total isolation from the world stage, has also agreed to supplement Moscow with munitions. Reports suggest Pyongyang has sent an eye-watering one million shells. A RUSI analysis of North Korea's provision of munitions to Russia warned: 'The impact will be felt much further than the battlefield in Ukraine. The sale of such quantities of munitions will fill the coffers of the cash-strapped regime in Pyongyang. 'North Korea may seek other assistance from Russia in return for its support, including the provision of missile and other advanced military technologies.' Meanwhile, at home, Putin is making sure to tie up loose ends. Last week saw the death in a grim Arctic prison of Alexei Navalny, one of the most prominent Russian opposition leaders, an anti-corruption campaigner and longtime thorne in Putin's side, in what is widely believed to have been an assassination orchestrated by the Kremlin. Days after his death, Navalny's family and lawyers were yet to have been granted access to his body with investigators extending the post-mortem process - something many commentators allege is to allow more time to cover up evidence of a murder. Yulia Navalnaya, wife of the late Russian dissident Alexei Navalny, leaves the hall of the Foreign Affairs Council Room of the Europa Building following her speech in Brussels, 19 February 2024 FILE: Alexei Navalny looks at a camera while speaking from a prison via a video link, provided by the Russian Federal Penitentiary Service, during a court session in Petushki, Russia, Monday, Jan. 17, 2022 His widow Yulia Navalnaya has declared she will take up her husband's mantle in the fight against Putin, but she is based in Europe and destined for almost certain incarceration, and potentially death, should she return to her homeland. And earlier this month, the Russian President cracked down even harder on his citizens working to discredit Moscow's 'special military operation', signing into effect a new law allowing authorities to seize property and assets of those found guilty of 'disseminating fake news about Russia's armed forces and state bodies, or committing crimes detrimental to national security' - in other words, anyone brave enough to challenge the war in Ukraine. The result? January's polls from the independent pollster Levada Center - widely seen as the most reliable source of public sentiment in Russia - suggest three-quarters of respondents support the 'special military operation'. And, although roughly one in four respondents are said to have donated clothes and belongings to Ukrainian refugees, 40 per cent actively participated in raising money and collecting provisions to send to Russian soldiers on the frontlines. Will Ukraine see peace in 2024? With there being no sign that the frontlines will shift in Ukraine's favour any time soon, calls are growing in some corners for the country to consider a peace deal to bring an end to the conflict. But even as Putin's armies were banging on the gates of Kyiv two years ago, Ukraine insisted it would not cede any territory to Russia. And as its forces swept to victory after victory in 2022, the country was hopeful it could push Moscow's armies out of its borders entirely. Zelensky has maintained Ukraine will accept no deal that involves the permanent Russian occupation of any Ukrainian land, including annexed Crimea and the Donbas. However, the bright hope that Ukrainians felt in 2022 has since dimmed. Thousands of civilians have been killed, particularly in the east of the country, while many thousands more are living under Russian occupation. Meanwhile, around six million Ukrainians are living abroad as refugees, unable to return to their homes - many of which are either destroyed or behind enemy lines. Kyiv's armies are also depleted, with tens of thousands of men killed in battle. Russian President Vladimir Putin observes a road map of Southern part of Russia, Black Sea and Eastern part of Ukraine during a presentation at a gas station on February 22 2024, in Kazan, Russia Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Commander of Ukraine's Ground Forces Col.-Gen. Oleksandr Syrski, right, look at a map during their visit to the front line city of Kupiansk, Kharkiv region, Ukraine, on November 30, 2023 Despite this bleak picture, analysts have said there is little reason to believe that Ukraine would surrender to Russia. While Putin may be gaining the upper hand, they say his initial goal of subjugating the whole of Ukraine remains unrealistic. What's more, Ukrainians do not trust Putin, accusing him of reneging on the Minsk agreement in 2015, which guaranteed Ukraine's sovereignty. Many fear that if Ukraine does agree a peace deal, it will only give Russia a chance to regroup and come back again stronger - learning from its mistakes from the past. Horrific stories have also come out of parts of Ukraine occupied by Russia, such as the torture and execution of civilians in places like Bucha and Mariupol. Many would view a peace deal with Russia as a betrayal of those who have fought and died to protect their homeland, and of civilians who have no interest in being ruled by Moscow or a Russian-backed government. For these reasons, analysts and diplomats say 2024 will be another year of war as Ukraine is determined to keep on fighting to recapture territory, while Putin will only be satisfied with Kyiv's full surrender. Cracks emerge in Ukrainian leadership After presenting a united front against Russia's aggression to the world for so long, small cracks have begun to emerge in Kyiv. Zelensky's decision to part ways with popular army chief Valery Zaluzhny on February 8 2024 was seen as a sign of the first serious split within the leadership that had otherwise presented a united front for two years. But the Ukrainian president has for a few months now been calling for unity, suggesting he was sensing a growing fatigue. 'We need to pull ourselves together,' the Ukrainian president said in one of his nightly video addresses in November. 'We cannot relax or allow ourselves to be divided by disputes or different priorities.' This came after Zelensky publicly disagreed with Zaluzhny, who assessed that the war had reached a 'stalemate' and that fighting had become 'positional'. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky (roght) and Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Valeriy Zaluzhny (left) are seen visiting a training center to mark the 'Missile Forces and Artillery and the Engineering Troops' Day at an undisclosed location in Ukraine in this photo released on November 3. On February 8 2024, Zelensky sacked Zaluzhny Speaking to The Economist, Zaluzhny said big technological breakthroughs would be needed to change the dynamic of the war and put Ukraine back on the front foot. The public disagreement came as Zelensky first asserted his authority over the military by firing Viktor Khorenko, the head of the special forces - a sign of things to come. Zaluzhny soon followed. There has also been some tension around Zelensky's decision to rule out holding elections, which were set to be held in March 2024 were it not for the war. Deferring elections until peacetime is not uncommon in times of war, however, and while he is not as popular as he was two years ago, Zelensky is still seen as a hero by many in Ukraine after he chose to stay in Kyiv in 2022 - even as Putin's special forces closed in on Ukraine's presidential palace with orders to assassinate him. And while Zelensky may not always see eye-to-eye with Ukraine's military leaders, they seem united in their determination to defeat Russia. If there is to be any capitulation to Russia, it would require a dramatic shift in Zelensky's position on the war - and possibly a change in leadership altogether. Can Ukraine or Russia achieve victory? Another route to peace would be a victory for one of the two sides. But according to RUSI's Cranny-Evans, the next year will likely see Putin's forces fight to achieve a position that the Kremlin can sell as a victory in Russia. 'It seems likely that Russia will try and reach a position that it feels is a victory over the next twelve months by continuing to take terrain and by attacking Ukrainian cities,' he told MailOnline ahead of the war's second anniversary. 'The immediate possibility may be control over all of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions [which Russia declared annexation over in 2022], at that point Russia may feel like it has reached the conditions it needs to declare victory.' However, Cranny-Evans said, 'all of this could be immediately invalidated if there is a sudden collapse in either force. 'If Ukraine's ammunition situation is not addressed, it will approach a situation where the fighting is very imbalanced, and it may begin to look more and more like an insurgent force facing off against a conventional force.' Meanwhile, RAND's defence analyst Nicolas Jouan described the prospect of Ukraine achieving its goal of expelling Russia's forces from its territory as 'remote'. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky records a video address in front of a sign reading 'Avdiivka is Ukraine' in the town of Avdiivka, Donetsk region, which was later overrun by Russia A view of the Avdiivka Coke and Chemical Plant in the frontline town of Avdiivka on October 18, 2023 A T-64 tank drives by in Novoselivka Persha after driving out of Avdiivka, Ukraine on December 4, 2023 Expanding on his earlier comment about Ukraine's goal of seizing the town Tokmak, he said such a goal would be hugely costly for Kyiv. 'Even if Tokmak could be taken and the Western front semi-isolated, its full capture would be immensely costly for Ukraine,' he said. This, he explained, 'would largely rely on the ability of European countries and the US to supply ammunition and other equipment. The Eastern front seems even more remote as it has a direct access to Russia's mainland and parts of the local population reportedly in favour of Russian presence anyway.' But Russia's hope of a total victory are also slim, he said. 'The 'good' news for Ukraine is that the prospects for Russia are not much better,' he said, with Russia possessing 'no obvious way to cement its position along the Dnipro river, let alone take Kyiv.' Is there appetite for peace? With it seeming difficult for either side to achieve its ultimate goal, peace - and an end to the bloodshed - perhaps seems like the most favourable outcome. But with the situation on the battlefield being what it is, appetite for a deal seems low. Ukraine and its allies say Russia is the aggressor in the conflict. Russia was the one to invade, and Russia is the one attacking Ukrainian civilians. Any peace deal would mean Kyiv making concessions to Moscow - something Ukraine, as a sovereign nation, has no interest in doing. As for Russia, Putin may have signalled in his interview with right-wing US talk show host Tucker Carlson that Russia was interested in negotiations. Without evidence, he even claimed then-British prime minister Boris Johnson scuppered a deal. 'Wouldn't it be better to negotiate with Russia?' Putin told Carlson, urging the United States to discuss a deal that would allow Moscow to control 20 percent of Ukraine's territory. 'Sooner or later we'll come to an agreement anyway.' Relatives, friends and neighbours attend the funeral ceremony of 20-year-old Ukrainian soldier Andriy Truhan, who died during combat in Avdiyevka, as the war between Russia and Ukraine continues in Kyiv, Ukraine on February 23, 2024 However, any deal favourable to Putin would be so much on Moscow's own terms that Kyiv would not countenance such talks. Mykhailo Podoliak, an adviser to Zelensky, reiterated Kyiv's long-held position that no negotiations were possible until Russia withdraws from occupied territories. 'In any other case, negotiations are impossible,' Podoliak told AFP. A European diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity, also ruled out any talks under the current circumstances. 'Negotiations can only take place when Ukraine is in a position of strength on the ground,' said the diplomat. Fyodor Lukyanov, head of the Kremlin-linked Council on Foreign and Defense Policy think tank in Moscow, told AFP news agency: 'I don't see any negotiations taking place any time soon. There's nothing they can negotiate about.' However, Kevin Ryan told MailOnline that a long war suits neither side. 'In a long war, the ability to raise more forces (mobilisation of manpower) becomes one of biggest challenges,' he said. 'Another new centre of gravity is the economy and its ability to fund and resource the war, and perhaps most important is the will of the people to support a war over a long time. 'While tactics and weapons are important to battlefield success, a long war demands more from the combatants.' On where he sees the war going in the coming years, Ryan said it was important to understand the conflict as now being fought on two fronts. 'We could say that there are two wars going on right now, each with its own trends and endgames: a Russian war against Ukraine and a Russian war against the West. Each war feeds into and affects the other. 'The war against Ukraine is a blood feud like that which unfolded in the Balkans in the 1990's as Yugoslavia disintegrated. 'Each side claims a culture and politics that threatens the other. The endgame is the exhaustion and killing of the other side. Despite the tremendous losses on both sides, we have not yet reached the point where one or both sides are ready to stop.' 'The war against the West,' he says, 'is about territory and zones of influence. Young women walk past a billboard informing of Russia's upcoming March 2024 presidential election, in Saint Petersburg, Russia January 24, 2024. The billboard reads: 'Russia. Putin. 2024' People visit an area overlooking the Dnipro River and the city skyline in downtown Kyiv, on February 22, 2024, ahead of the second anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine 'Russia's endgame is a modern-day Yalta-style buffer between Russia and the West. That buffer can be made of vassal states like Belarus, illegally annexed territories like Donetsk and Luhansk, neutral states, or wastelands like Eastern Ukraine.' Pointing to the creation of a land bridge between Russia and Crimea and the occupation of lands bordering Russia, Ryan said Putin has accomplished significant goals over the two years, despite his overall goal of seizing Kyiv and imposing a Russian-backed government being a failure. 'That war is largely decided,' he said. 'Russia's war against the West and NATO is in its initial stages. The West so far has been relatively united in its opposition to Russia's Yalta-style buffer demands. 'Both sides are ramping up their militaries and preparing their populations for possible conflict,' Ryan added. 'It's not yet clear whether this will evolve into a new Cold War or something much worse.' He is guarded by four prison officers whenever he leaves the bulletproof cell A prison officer who worked at one of Britain's most notorious jails has revealed why he thinks a serial killer dubbed 'Hannibal the Cannibal' should be taken out of solitary confinement Neil Samworth, who served at HMP Strangeways in Manchester for more than a decade, said Robert Maudsley should be taken out of his glass dungeon. Maudsley, 70, has been in solitary confinement in a bulletproof glass cell since 1983 after killing three people in prison while serving a life sentence for murder. The twisted killer is kept in the bulletproof underground box, measuring 18ft by 14ft, for 23 hours a day, in the basement of Wakefield Prison. He is guarded by four prison officers whenever he leaves his specially-made cell and holds the world record for most consecutive days in solitary. Mr Samworth, who is now retired after a career 'surrounded' by murderers, told MailOnline: 'I think its wrong the way he has been treated. He is in total isolation and is not fair.' Robert Maudsley (pictured), 68, is being held in a private underground cell beneath the general population of HMP Wakefield, after killing four men between 1974 and 1978 The retired guard said that it was 'not fair' for the 70-year-old to still be locked up on his own as he is no longer a danger to others. Having killed twice before being jailed initially, Maudsley was put in isolation at HMP Wakefield (above) after killing two of his fellow inmates He added: 'I think his crimes are historic now and he represents no real danger to others. It's a bit like Charlie Bronson. 'Yes, he has had lots of fights in the past but he is an old man now.' The violent prisoner has only been pictured once since his incarceration after being filmed for a documentary on him more than 40 years ago. Maudsley himself has long urged the prison authorities to move him into better conditions. In letters more than 20 years ago, he wrote: 'The prison authorities see me as a problem, and their solution has been to put me into solitary confinement and throw away the key, to bury me alive in a concrete coffin. 'It does not matter to them whether I am mad or bad. They do not know the answer and they do not care just so long as I am kept out of sight and out of mind. 'I am left to stagnate, vegetate and to regress; left to confront my solitary head-on with people who have eyes but don't see and who have ears but don't hear, who have mouths but don't speak. 'My life in solitary is one long period of unbroken depression.' Maudsley was given the nickname 'Hannibal the Cannibal' following false reports that he ate one of his victims' brains. In 2022, a Channel 5 documentary revealed that the serial killer had told his nephew he vowed to kill again if he was released. Maudsley's two-room cell is constructed from bullet proof Perspex and has compressed cardboard furniture. The sadistic killer spends 23 hours of each day there, sleeping on a concrete slab and using a toilet and sink which are bolted to the floor. Maudsley was born in Toxteth, Liverpool in 1953 and was the forth child of a local lorry driver. But he had an unhappy start to life and was taken into care at a young age with his two brothers and sister after they were found to be victims of 'parental neglect'. After several years in care, Maudsley and his siblings went back to live with his parents but there they were beaten severely and suffered 'physical abuse', his brother said. During his last murder trial in 1979, the court heard that during his violent rages Maudsley believed his victims were his parents. He said: 'When I kill, I think I have my parents in mind. If I had killed my parents in 1970, none of these people need have died. If I had killed them, then I would be walking around as a free man without a care in the world.' Maudsley committed his first murder in 1974, at 21, after running away to London to work as a male prostitute as as a 16-year-old. He brutally murdered paedophile John Farrell in Wood Green, after he showed pictures of children he had sexually abused. Following the slaying, he handed himself in to police and immediately confessed his crime. Maudsley was sent to Broadmoor Hospital, home to some of Britain's most violent criminals after he was deemed unfit to stand trial. At Broadmoor he was a 'model' prisoner until 1977 when he and fellow prisoner David Cheeseman locked themselves in a cell with child molester David Francis. After a gruesome nine-hour torture ordeal, the callous pair dangled Francis's lifeless body for prison guards to see. Maudsley, seen as a child, is serving four life sentences in his glass cell which measures 18ft by 14ft At HMP Wakefield last week, paedophile murderer Roy Whiting, 65, was stabbed by another prisoner According to one guard, the man was discovered with his head 'cracked open like a boiled egg' with a spoon hanging out of it and part of the brain missing. Maudsley was then sent to HMP Wakefield - nicknamed 'Monster Mansion' - after being convicted of manslaughter. At HMP Wakefield in 1978 Maudsley strangled and stabbed Salney Darwood, 46, who had been jailed for killing his wife. He hid Darwood's body under bed before sneaking into the cell of paedophile Bill Roberts, 56, who had sexually abused a girl aged seven. He stabbed Roberts, hacked his skull with a makeshift dagger and smashed his head against a wall. It was only then that the brutal 'Hannibal' killer was sentenced to life imprisonment. In 2000, Maudsley launched a legal bid to the courts requesting to be allowed to die. He wrote a letter asking: 'What purpose is served by keeping me locked up 23 hours a day? 'Why even bother to feed me and to give me one hour's exercise a day? Who actually am I a risk to?' In the letter he described that his current treatment and confinement had led him to look forward to a 'psychological breakdown,' mental illness and 'probable suicide'. He went on to question why he couldn't have a pet budgie, promising to love it and 'not eat it'. Also questioning why he couldn't have a television to 'seen the world' and educate himself or music tapes. READ MORE: Murdered schoolgirl Sarah Payne's brother reveals he was seconds behind as she was snatched by paedophile who SMILED and waved to him as he drove his little sister to her death Advertisement He ended the letter saying: 'If the Prison Service says no then I ask for a simple cyanide capsule which I shall willingly take and the problem of Robert John Maudsley can easily and swiftly be resolved.' Director of the Channel 5 film, Elliot Reed, said: 'West Yorkshire's notorious HMP Wakefield Prison is known in the prison system as the Monster Mansion. 'It's a dustbin, a warehouse for the worst Category A prisoners. 'Home to some of the most terrible men in British criminal history, like Roy Whiting, Jeremy Bamber, Charles Bronson, and Robert Maudsley.' Mr Samworth said that while he had not worked at HMP Wakefield, he had heard of why it was such a difficult environment. 'In Wakefield there is no segregation so most wings are full of sex offenders, rapists and child killers,' he said, 'they are all in there together. 'An offender from a gang or drug background would ask to be shipped out straight away. The issue would be the longer you stay there, others might think you were a sex offender by association.' Last week, paedophile murderer Roy Whiting was stabbed by another prisoner, at the 'Monster Mansion' jail. Whiting murdered eight-year-old schoolgirl Sarah Payne who he snatched off the street in July 2000. The 65-year-old was said to have been left covered in blood after the stabbing - but only suffered minor injuries. It was just the latest attack on the inmate who has been repeatedly targeted by other prisoners over the years. However, Mr Samworth suspects it was the result of a petty disagreement, rather than the nature of his conviction. He said: 'Whiting has already done a lot of jail and everyone knows what he is in for. 'The attack could be linked to a petty fall-out in Wakefield. So called prison beefs are rife, and can suddenly blow-up for no apparent reason. 'Some of the worst offenders are people you have never heard of. In Wakefield Whiting will be no big thing.' Mr Samworth also said that while Whiting's crimes were shocking, in Wakefield he would be seen as just another convict. Pictured: Notorious inmate Charles Bronson leaves Woodhill Prison chapel in 2001 Retired prison officer Neil Samworth has revealed why he thinks serial killer Robert Maudsley (pictured) should no longer be kept in solitary confinement Whiting (pictured), 65, murdered eight-year-old schoolgirl Sarah Payne who he snatched off the street in July 2000 The former prison officer suspected that the attack on the child-killer was more likely to be the result of a falling out than anything to do with the reason for his conviction The former prison officer spoke of the vigilante form of justice found in prisons, where retribution was dished out on 'black eye Fridays'. He added those who are in debt might be ordered to carry out violence on their creditor's behalf. But, perhaps surprisingly, established criminals - effectively acting as heads of their wings - could be used to keep the peace. 'There is always a head of a wing,' Mr Samworth explained, 'for example at Strangeways we had people like Paul Massey and Paul Doyle from Salford. 'You could ask them to have a word with people who were causing issues. You would just ask them to have a quiet word, and use their clout to settle things down.' A couple who sold their house and moved into a canal boat have revealed why it is not a move for everyone. Tim Clarke, 64, and his wife Tracey, 57, from Sussex swapped their three-bedroom semi for a 60-foot narrowboat and say they've never looked back. Tracey said it 'liberating' to dispose of all the things they had collectively hoarded, only keeping photos to serve as memories. Tim and Tracey also claim life on a boat is much cheaper than life in a conventional British home. However, the couple say not everyone will find it as easy as they have to move onto a narrowboat. After Tracey's eyesight started deteriorating and Tim was made redundant, financial difficulty ensued The pair are beaming with joy as they enjoy life on a boat which they have lived on for ten years, and now spend time campaigning for disabled boaters Tracey told BirminghamLive: 'Not everyone can cope with the confined space and being constantly on the move. 'But there are plenty of other options too like living in a marina - it's not for us but other people love it.' The couple's message to anyone considering moving onto a narrowboat is to 'try it first'. Tracey and Tim first decided to change their lives after they were hit with financial problems in 2011, after issues with eyesight meant she had to quit her job. Tracey said: 'After I was forced to give up work, and Tim was made redundant, we were facing bankruptcy. We couldn't pay our mortgage'. 'We had a young family to care for and all sorts of different commitments. We were broke and in a really dark place'. She claimed they had cleared out the majority of their belongings and moving onto a boat made them realise how much clutter they had accumulated. The couple also say moving onto boat took the pressure of their finances. Narrowboats tend to range between 5,000 and 50,000, although this figure excludes the annual boat maintenance, insurance, coal, diesel and license boaters must pay for. Tim and Tracey are part of the 'continuous cruisers' community, which means they have no fixed abode. This means they have to move to a new mooring fortnightly. Official rules mean that anyone that lives on a boat has to move 20 miles every year at the very least. While this may seem stressful to some, the couple enjoy travelling across the UK, admitting that sometimes they wake up without knowing where there day will take them. The two are keen to explore the 2,500 miles of waterways in the UK, having already travelled the length and breadth of it alongside their guide dogs Ozzie and Loki. Although their boat lifestyle has taken them all over the UK, the West Midlands seems to have won them over. Today, Tim and Tracey Clarke spend their days cruising on a boat, ditching life in a three-bed semi detached house in Sussex The couple are so keen on the region that they have registered with a church and GP locally. Tracey said: 'There are 2,500 miles of waterways in the country, and we want to explore it all. 'Sometimes we wake up in the morning and have no idea where we'll end up.' They now spend their time campaigning to make the waterways more accessible for those with disabilities, running the Accessible Waterways Association in a bid to do so. Tracey's waning eyesight, as well as Tim's hearing impairment inspired the pair to introduce the boater's equivalent of a blue badge. They work with waterways authorities to make canals more accessible. Tracey and Tim both believe that the world of canals is much more social and equal than living conventionally. She said: 'I often say it's a great leveller - it doesn't matter how rich or poor you are, or how posh your boat is, we all have to moor up in the same places, use the same locks and empty our toilets together!' Donia Jessop swore she would never go back. It was the place that threatened to tear her family apart. The place where evil cult leader Warren Jeffs committed horrific sex crimes against children and banished anyone who spoke against him. Yet not only did Donia return to the town she fled in 2013, she now runs it. Today, she sits in the mayor's office in Hildale, Utah, once the headquarters of one of America's most extreme religious sects - the Fundamentalist Latter-day Saints (FLDS). Donia Jessop swore she would never go back to Hildale, the town she fled after polygamous cult leader Warren Jeffs terrorized the community and threatened to tear her family apart. She is now spearheading its regeneration as its first ever female mayor Jessop hopes to transform a community once isolated from the outside world into a tourist hotspot. She talked enthusiastically about creating a wedding venue at Maxwell Park (above) Jeffs is serving life in jail after being convicted of two counts of child sexual assault in 2011 Barely a decade ago, around 9,000 people lived in the community of Short Creek - made up of Hildale and neighboring Colorado City. Almost all of them were members of Jeffs' church, which owned their houses, controlled the police force and divided families at will. The sadistic leader ran an austere polygamous theocracy and commanded at least 78 wives, of whom 24 were under the age of 17. But Jeffs is now set to spend the rest of his life in a Texan jail after his 2011 conviction for two counts of child sexual assault. And the women and children he tormented are back. When DailyMail.com visited last weekend, it saw a community unrecognizable from the 'hellscape' that the polygamist left behind. Yet, a specter still hangs over Hildale. Mothers who have returned to the town have found their children have been 'disappeared', allegedly at the behest of Jeffs' revelations from prison. And the few cult loyalists who remain in the town now claim they are the victims of the new regime. A community divided Short Creek's turnaround is laden with symbolism. Jeffs' once used his sprawling 44-bedroom mansion to tell families they were being expelled from the community to 'repent' for their sins. It is now a recovery center that rehomes those very same people. The publishing house where the pedophile printed his revelations is now a social services center for women from polygamous backgrounds. The old bishop's storehouse is a brand new public school and - perhaps most bizarrely of all - a former church building now plays host to regular Ayahuasca retreats, frequented by ex-FLDS women seeking to overcome their trauma. Even Donia's bedraggled arrival for our Sunday morning interview at Hildale City Hall shows she has thrown off the shackles of her past. She arrives in her slippers and freely admits she is nursing a hangover from a friend's birthday party the night before. Her life now is a far cry from the one she left behind just over ten years ago, when she abandoned the FLDS cult. Donia, 53, who had already been shunned by the community after marrying for love, left Short Creek for good in 2013 when she was told her then nine-year-old daughter was to be separated from her. Jeffs, by this time pulling the strings from jail, had issued edicts carried on by brother Lyle to split families into the chosen and unchosen, tearing the community apart. Shirlee Draper, 52, left Short Creek - the FLDS community made up of Hildale and neighboring Colorado City - with her four children in 2004 after Jeffs started to impose his authoritarian rule on the community, which included closing the public schools Shirlee back in her FLDS days, with boys AJ, John and Joshua Draper (left to right) Shirlee says Jeffs 'abused the entire community' by destroying families and social structures The sadistic cult leader ran an austere polygamous theocracy and commanded at least 78 wives, of whom 24 were under the age of 17 FLDS women had been abandoning the church ever since Jeffs took over from his father, Rulon, in 2002. A paranoid leader, he demanded absolute obedience and banned holidays, games and toys. Shirlee Draper, one of 11 siblings, realized she had to escape with her four children after Jeffs started closing the public schools. The 52-year-old says that while Jeffs physically abused a handful of minors, he psychologically 'abused the entire community'. 'He tore down our social structures or physical structures, he stopped the health services,' she says. 'As a class, Warren Jeffs abused everyone.' Shirlee fled to St George in 2004, about 40 miles west of Short Creek. Donia and her now ex-husband resettled in Santa Clara, California. She had wanted to go farther, to New Zealand or New York, to 'somewhere they didn't know there was a state of Utah, let alone that there was a Warren Jeffs', she says. 'I never wanted to hear his name. I never want to see this community again.' Rebuilding a 'hellscape' Neither had any designs on ever returning. Even after Jeffs' imprisonment, his brother Lyle continued to terrorize families in the years that followed. But things began to change when the state of Utah seized the United Effort Plan (UEP), the trust that held the church's real estate assets. In 2015, management of the trust was passed to a local board made up almost entirely of former FLDS members. Shirlee became its president. She still lives in St George, but spends much of her time in Short Creek working for Cherish Families, a nonprofit that helps people from polygamous backgrounds, run out of Jeffs' old printing house. The new trust then began selling off church assets and private homeowners and businesses began trickling into Short Creek for the first time. Yet Donia was still reluctant to return. 'Joe [her then husband] came to me and said: "The mountains are calling me home, I need to go back and help rebuild".' 'I told him "have fun with divorce, because I will never go back".' Donia says it was 'extremely hard to come home', but ultimately the allure of being 'a part of the change' was too much to turn down. Barely a decade ago, around 9,000 people lived in Short Creek. Almost all of them were members of the FLDS, which owned their houses, controlled the police force, and divided families at will Private homeownership has only been allowed in Short Creek since the FLDS were ousted from power in the last decade. Pictured: A brand new 96-apartment development in Colorado City Short Creek's transformation is laden with symbolism. The old bishop's storehouse has been transformed into an impressive new high school The old meeting house, where Jeffs would deliver his fearsome sermons, has been transformed into a community arts center And the old publishing house that would publish Jeffs' revelations has been turned into a social services center for women from polygamous backgrounds By the time she returned to Hildale in 2017, there was still much to do. Jeffs had by now declared the land 'cursed' and his followers had scattered across the country, resettling everywhere from nearby Cedar City to North Dakota and Colorado. The town's population had crumbled along with its public services. 'It was a desolate, lonely desert,' says Donia. 'It was overgrown with weeds. People had moved out. 'There were still a lot of FLDS, but there was no sense of community.' Shirlee says it had turned into a 'hellscape'. Donia started working with the Short Creek Community Alliance, which promoted political engagement for non-church members. Her first task was to purge the voter registry of FLDS members who had moved out of Hildale, which would clear the way for her run for mayor later that year. Still, it came as a shock to all when she beat the church incumbent to become the first non-FLDS member and woman to hold the office. Donia overhauled the police department, which had been controlled by the FLDS, and enacted zoning laws. Slowly, property values began catching up with the surrounding areas. She secured funding for new public schools, including $13million for the impressive Water Canyon High School in 2022, and a 96-apartment housing development called Cottonwood Village. She speaks excitedly about creating a new wedding venue at the stunning Maxwell Park. But her first act was simply to declare Hildale 'open for business'. A tourist hotspot and haven for Ayahuasca retreats One of the first to move in was Shane Tooke. He bought an acre lot in 2018, when land was still cheap, and built a 1,500-square-foot ranch with breathtaking mountain views. With its proximity to Zion National Park, Shane, 47, saw its potential and opened Water Canyon Resort in 2020, which boasts 20 rental cabins, and the Water Canyon Winery. 'People thought it was crazy that we were purchasing land here, just because of the history' Shane says. 'But it's absolutely beautiful here. We told them they should, too.' The winery has only been open a year, but already it has had around 8,000 visitors. Others have followed suit. Short Creek now boasts a Mexican restaurant, a craft brewery, and a boutique cafe that serves French toast, pumpkin rolls and crepes. It is still very much a small town, but any of this would have been unthinkable just a decade ago. 'It's changed so dramatically,' says Donia. 'It's so diverse.' Maeleene Jessop, 36, left Short Creek and the FLDS after she was abused. She now attends Ayahuasca retreats in Hildale to conquer her demons The venue for the retreats is hired out by a 'psychedelic church', which holds Ayahuasca ceremonies multiple times a year The venue itself was formerly owned by the FLDS, signified by the lettering UEP (United Effort Plan), which controlled all the buildings in Short Creek Shane Tooke moved to Hildale in 2018 and soon set up a cabin resort and winery as he spotted the town's potential as a tourist hotspot Shane said others thought he was crazy for purchasing property in Hildale due to its history, but the 47-year-old said he was captured by its beautiful surroundings Nowhere is this more evident than at a three-day Ayahuasca retreat taking place in an old FLDS building just yards away from City Hall. Attendees come from far and wide, but for Maelene Jessop it is home from home. The 36-year-old was born and raised in Hildale among nine siblings. She left Short Creek in 2010 after she was sexually abused and lived in North Dakota and Colorado, before moving to St George. But she has never felt settled since leaving the structure of the FLDS. Maeleene, who today cradles her eight-day old son, Jabari, her third child, turned to Ayahuasca around a year ago in search of answers. She is not participating in this weekend's ceremony, but has attended previous retreats in Hildale - there are two or three a year. 'It's weird doing it here,' she says, adding that the retreat's proximity to her home in St George was why she came. 'I don't know if I would have chosen to do it here otherwise, just because I'm scared of everything. 'But ultimately I think it was the best because it really did put me right where I needed to be. 'The demons that I need to face are out here.' Whose home is it anyway? 'A what?!' cries Norma Richter, 57, one of the few FLDS loyalists who remain in Short Creek, when she is told there is a 'psychedelic church' in town. It is explained that some of those who take Ayahuasca, which also requires explanation, view it as a religious sacrament. 'Oh, wow,' she responds. 'It's shocking,' says her friend and fellow FLDS member Esther Bistline, 46, a mother of 11. 'But so many things like that have happened in the last few years,' Norma adds. When the FLDS was in power, around 99 per cent of those living in Short Creek were members. Now it is less than 10 per cent. Unsurprisingly, they do not share the positive view of the changes that have taken place. 'We mourn the loss of what our town was,' Norma says. 'It was by far more beautiful than it is now.' She claims there has been a rise in smoking, alcohol and drugs. 'We don't feel safe here,' she adds. Esther Bistline, 46, and Norma Richter, 57, are among the few remaining FLDS members in Short Creek. They claim they are being forcibly evicted from their homes by the new regime The sorest point is the selling off of church assets, which has meant FLDS members have either had to buy the land they once lived on for free, or leave. Most have chosen the latter, due to their belief that it is God's chosen land and should not be privately owned. Esther and Norma are among the few that have stayed, thanks to a workaround that means they have not yet had to purchase deeds to their land. But within five years the UEP will be wound down and they will be forced to choose. Part of the reason behind the sell off is to prevent another Jeffs - it was the church's ownership of the land that allowed him to tell families where they could or could not live, dividing and expelling them at will. But Esther and Norma do not see it that way. They see it as a forcible eviction. 'That's their ultimate goal, to kick us out,' says Norma. 'These are people that couldn't make it in the FLDS for whatever reason.' She insists families were never ordered apart and that this was always the 'parents' choice'. The pair refuse to answer questions on Jeffs' convictions for child sexual assault. 'Our experience with him or any of the leaders in the church has always been positive,' Norma says. Changing subject, Hildale's new slogan, 'Welcome Home', is raised. Donia chose it when she became mayor. 'If you're going to welcome everyone home, why did you change the home so badly, so drastically?' asks Norma. 'So many of the pivotal things that remind you of the pioneers of this community have been deleted. 'As FLDS we don't feel welcome here.' Although they now look like they come from different worlds, Norma and Donia went to high school together. Norma says Donia was always 'fun to be around' and 'wishes her the best'. 'She made a different choice to me,' she adds. 'I know she says now that we are still her people' she trails off. 'We don't feel like her people,' Esther concludes. Scars of history Warren Jeffs' sprawling 44-bedroom mansion is now a recovery center for women from polygamous backgrounds called the Short Creek Dream Center The words 'Pray and Obey' still adorn the side of the building, a reminder of Jeffs' strict rule The refurbished waiting room at the center is also the spot where families would wait for Jeffs to decide whether they had been expelled from the community or not Jeffs old bedroom has been converted into an office space at the center The center has kept the intercom in Jeffs' room that connected into all rooms of the house A refurbished downstairs bedroom where Jeffs would keep his less favored wives. It is now used as a room and board for families in need before they can get back on their feet A full scale surveillance operation was found in this room after Jeffs' mansion was raided 'I know why they feel that way,' says Donia. 'I understand it, but there's nothing I can do about it. 'We're not going to move out so that they are comfortable. 'They don't even see it as I was raised here, too. I love this land. I love this community. 'We all had to buy our own home back.' But the tensions are a reminder that history has left its scars on Hildale. Sarah Johnson, 37, knows this better than most. She sits in the Short Creek Dream Center, the site that has been converted from Warren Jeffs' old mansion into a rehabilitation clinic, where she now works. Johnson, a mother-of-four, was born and raised in Short Creek, before she was sent away to Cedar City in 2017 to repent for her 'sins'. It was here that she chose modern life over the FLDS, becoming an 'apostate'. She returned to Hildale in 2020, where she was given room-and-board at the Dream Center to help her get back on her feet. But now she is missing her son, Salome, 15. She has not seen him for three years, since he 'ran away' on the day his father - to whom Sarah was a fourth wife - was supposed to hand him back to his mother following a court order. It is feared that the FLDS are hiding Salome in order to keep him away from his mother. 'They believe he is in danger of losing his entire soul and salvation if he is anywhere near me,' Sarah explains. The sight of FLDS loyalists still wandering around town wreaks havoc in her mind. 'I want to get their attention, to help them realize the truth,' she says. 'For a while, I would be very angry every time I saw them. Because, honestly, they might know where my son is. 'I wanted to ask every single one of them. 'Do you know where he is? Do you know where Salome is?' 'I felt like I would almost go insane. 'I would pass them on the street or see them in a car. I would think he could be in it, just driving away, getting farther and farther from me.' Sarah Johnson, 37, has not seen her son, Salome, 15, for more than three years. She fears he is being harbored by FLDS loyalists Salome on his 12th birthday, the last one that he was with his mother for Back in City Hall, Donia fights back tears as she defends her slogan. 'It used to be Hildale City, Southern Utah's desert. The logo was a hand drawn pioneer out in the farm. That's not who we were anymore. 'So 'Welcome Home' is for anyone that was kicked out and you want to come back. Those who left I want to come back. 'It's also for those who never left here, that live here still, but are here in a different community. It's your home, too. 'And all the new people that have never had anything to do with this place, and are finding refuge or finding safety in a community that they want to be a part of, welcome home.' Maybe one day, Salome will be welcomed home, too. Exclusive pictures show the abandoned property with rusting scaffold and build materials dumped outside Advertisement He has been dubbed 'one of Britain's worst landlords' for his treatment of tenants - but now millionaire Nicholas van Hoogstraten has come under fire from neighbours for leaving his 41m mansion to rot for nearly four decades. Hoogstraten's grandiose Hamilton Palace, has been branded the 'biggest slum in Britain' by furious locals near Uckfield, East Sussex, after being left to wrack and ruin. Residents also claim the 'death trap' property, hidden away behind rows of lush trees and resplendent greenery has become a magnet for anti-social behaviour and drug taking and they are now urging the local council to investigate. Van Hoogstraten, who recently changed his surname to von Hessen, has been building the palatial property - larger than Buckingham Palace - since 1985. However, it is understood he now lives full time on a sprawling estate in Zimbabwe which he purchased aged 19 in 1964 and was a close associate of former president Robert Mugabe. When MailOnline visited the Sussex property this week, photos and video show it in a dilapidated state, with the property covered still covered in aging, rusting scaffolding with building materials dumped on the ground. Locals have expressed their frustration about the derelict condition Hoogstraten has left his 40m mansion in (pictured above) A close up of the main building which shows the amount of scaffolding that still surrounds the property in Uckfield, East Sussex Old white tiles can be seen strewn all over the roof of Hamilton Palace along with planks of wood which builders haven't appeared to have touched for years Van Hoogstraten outside Hamilton Palace. The property and grounds is set amidst rows of lush trees and resplendent greenery The estate is tightly secured with one entry point gate firmly locked shut. Barbed wire can also be seen on the top One local said: 'The place is an eyesore and a wreck and it has blighted this area for as along as I can remember. 'But now it has started attracting youths who break into the estate to consume drugs and alcohol. 'The buildings look highly dangerous and I think it's only a matter of time before someone is injured or worse on the estate.' A concerned mother said: 'The site is not secure. Fencing is always being ripped down and youths get onto the land and head to the house. 'During the warmer months there are always youths hanging around with bottles of cider and beer smoking marijuana. The place has become a magnet for kids with nothing better to do.' She said: 'It is high time the local authority did some checks on the property to ascertain its security and safety because youths who get in there could be killed.' Another Uckfield resident said: 'It must be the biggest slum in Britain which is ironic given that is how Hoogstraten started out. 'I feel the council have bent over backwards for this man because they are a little bit scared of him and his wealth.' Another said: 'It sticks out like a sore thumb on the landscape. I feel like nothing will ever be done with it.' One Uckfield resident claimed the 40m property (pictured above) must be 'the biggest slum in Britain' Vegetation is starting to grow on parts of the building which is left unfinished nearly 40 years after construction started Construction materials which appear to have been left on the roof of Hamilton Palace Piles of poles for construction work on the roof (pictured) of the property appear to have not been touched for a long period of time One local claimed the property 'sticks out like a sore thumb on the landscape' which is open countryside Rusty scaffolding can be seen covering the windows of the historic property, which Hoogstraten started building in 1985 Another local Uckfield business owner, who lives nearby the 40m mansion, said: 'This development could be put to good use to help like develop the local economy like developing it into flats or a hotel.' Hamilton Palace is now thought to be owned by Messina Investments, which is run by Hoogstraten's four eldest children - Maximilian, 30, Alexander, 28, Britannia, 25, and Louis, 25. They share the surname Hamilton and were handed control of their father's investments and companies in 2002 after he began a prison sentence for manslaughter. Maximilian (whom his father originally liked to call Maxi-million) is by Rosemary Prouse, daughter of a former tenant, with whom he also has daughter Britannia. His other two sons, Alexander and Louis are by Nigeria-born Caroline Williams. They are followed by Orrie, Mr van Hoogstraten's son by Agnes, a Cannes-based ex-mistress who also has an African heritage. Finally, he has a 12-year-old son by a fourth mistress, Linda, and has named him after Cecil Rhodes, the imperial adventurer. The property magnate has previously dismissed criticism that the historic property was falling into disrepair and said it would last for thousands of years. He claimed 'Hamilton Palace was far from 'crumbling' and was built to last for at least 2,000 years. He added: 'The scaffolding only remains as a part of ongoing routine maintenance such a property would require until completion.' In 2016, the multimillionaire property tycoon branded his neighbours 'moronic peasants' after they objected to his palace. He said: 'Even the most moronic of peasants would be able to see from the pictures that we have been busy landscaping the grounds of the Palace.' Wealden District Council said: 'Hamilton Palace is not located in a densely populated area. The closest public right of way is situated to the very east of the estate, divided from the main building on site by several field parcels and blocks of woodland. 'However, if there are concerns about a dangerous structure, this can be reported to the Council and we will investigate further. 'With regard to anti-social and or unlawful behaviour, this is a police enforcement matter.' Hoogstraten also previously ruled out letting the building be used to house the local homeless community. He said: 'The 'homeless' the majority of whom are so by their own volition or sheer laziness are one of the filthiest burdens on the public purse today. A second building close to the water is also still under construction and has scaffolding on it Around the property, rubbish and construction materials can be seen all over the place A construction site with rusty buildings appears to have not been touched for a long period of time Hamilton Palace is now thought to be owned by Messina Investments, which is run by Hoogstraten's four eldest children Hoogstraten previously ruled out letting the building (pictured above) be used to house the local homeless community Hoogstraten pictured holding construction plans in front of the mansion in 1998 'The chance of my offering an opportunity for them to occupy Hamilton Palace is just ludicrous. 'Likewise, my offering accommodation to these Muslim 'migrants' and to encourage their besiegement of our country and the unwarranted plundering of its resources is ridiculous. We should remove them all.' Once described by a judge as a 'self-imagined devil who thinks he is an emissary of Beelzebub', Hoogstraten made his fortune as a landlord in Britain in the 1960s. He became notorious for the grim conditions some of his tenants went through and the violence used to evict any who crossed him. In 1968, he was jailed for four years for ordering a grenade attack on a rabbi whose son allegedly owed him money. However, he is better known for his court case regarding the gruesome gangland slaying of business rival Mohammed Raja. Mr Raja was stabbed five times before being shot in the head at his home in south London. In 2002, Hoogstraten was convicted of manslaughter over the death of Mr Raja and jailed for 10 years, but the verdict was overturned on appeal. Three years later, Mr Raja's family was awarded 6million in a civil case after the High Court ruled that, on the balance of probability, Hoogstraten had been involved. In a ruling in 2005, Mr Justice Lightman found that Hoogstraten recruited two thugs to murder Mr Raja over a lawsuit between the two. Another High Court judge in November 2016 ordered Hoogstraten to pay the family 1.5million in legal costs. Construction containers can be seen at the back of the lavish property, which is located near Uckfield, in East Sussex Ridegwood is the nearest town to Hamilton Palace in East Sussex In 2020, he was found not guilty over an accusation he called a police officer a 'poofter'. Hoogstraten was said to have made the comment after his son was arrested following a row over clamping at a car park he owns in Hove, East Sussex in August 2019. The 75-year-old was cleared by magistrates of behaviour causing harassment alarm or distress. The notorious property tycoon was born in Bognor in 1946 and as an 11-year-old schoolboy started selling stamps to noted collectors. Hoogstraten claimed his stamp collection was worth 30,000 after building it up but it later emerged that he hired classmates to steal the stamps for him from specialist shops. By the time he was 14, he had taken to wearing a suit to school and would excuse himself from lessons to sit in an empty classroom, where he would read the Financial Times and attend to business deals. As a teenager, he started a loan-shark business that saw him take property deeds as collateral for loans. He also ran nightclubs in Brighton and once called Rod Stewart, the rock star, a greedy 'little runt' in a row over takings. Hoogstraten became involved in Zimbabwe he bought an estate that turned out to include valuable mining rights. By 2013, he owned 1,600 square miles of land in the country making him of the country's biggest landowners. He developed a close relationship with former president Mugabe and once described him as '100 per cent decent and incorruptible.' He donated $3m (1.78m) to Mugabe's re-election campaign. He once boasted of being a philanthropist, claiming that he paid for the education of three children in every school in Zimbabwe. He told the Observer in 2006: 'Actually it doesn't cost a lot of money in real terms but I've set up things like that that will continue.' In 2008, Hoogstraten was accused of demanding rents in US dollars rather than in Zimbabwean dollars, which is forbidden by law. A court dismissed the charges. It is understood Hoogstraten started to live partially in Zimbabwe in 2007 and repeated his mantra that 'the only purpose in creating great wealth is to separate oneself from the riffraff.' Responding to claims he had emigrated there, he told The Sunday Mirror in 2016: 'My family and I continue to maintain homes in several locations worldwide, including the UK.' MailOnline has attempted to contact Hoogstraten for comment through some of his family's companies. More than 9,000 Ukrainian refugee households have been reported as homeless since June 2022, according to the latest data - as MPs warned the situation is likely to worsen. Today marks two years since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022 - prompting more than 200,000 Ukrainians to flee to Britain in the face of the brutal onslaught. While most successfully found sanctuary, thousands have been left homeless after their accommodation arrangements broke down. In some cases, refugees have ended up sleeping rough. A total of 9070 households sought homelessness support from councils up to the end of January, according to figures published by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities (DLUHC). Out of these, 6,040 were households with dependent children and 3,000 single people. However, out of the 9,000 total, around 6,000 so far have had their homelessness prevented, or relieved, by councils. Thousands of Ukrainians have been left homeless in the UK after their accommodation arrangements broke down. In some cases, refugees have ended up sleeping rough Anfisa Vlasova, a Ukrainian refugee, was left sleeping rough last year with her four Yorkshire Terriers The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) warned yesterday that the risk of homelessness among Ukrainians in the UK was likely to increase, as more arrangements between Ukrainian guests and their UK sponsors end or break down. Anfisa Vlasova, a Ukrainian refugee, was left sleeping rough last year with her four Yorkshire Terriers. Ms Vlasova was put up by a family in Berkshire and when her stay ended she was offered a place with an elderly man but the move did not go ahead. EXCLUSIVE READ MORE - Revealed: The celebrities and politicians who welcomed Ukrainian refugees into their homes Advertisement 'They are my emotional support,' she told Sky News. 'I already lost everything in the war. Since I came here, I had six months of quite a peaceful life with my host family and I am really very appreciative to those people but later on, it's become a nightmare.' Ihor Luhovyi moved to the North East of England in June 2022 with his wife, Maryna, and their disabled son, Mark. While they have not become homeless, the family have struggled to find somewhere suitable to live. The family were persuaded to make the move by Mr Luhovyi's peers in the military to ensure toddler Mark had the best chance of safety and continue his treatment for cerebral palsy. However, they have since failed to find accommodation that suits the youngster's needs and are currently looking for somewhere else to live. Mr Luhovyi, 57, who worked in the technology sector and volunteered in the army back home, said finding a job in the UK has been difficult. His wife is a qualified doctor in Ukraine but must complete a diploma across here before she can work. Ihor Luhovyi, his wife Maryna, and their disabled son, Mark, have been living in temporary accommodation The number of Ukrainians arriving in the UK has dramatically reduced since Russia's invasion in February 2022. The Y axis of this graph shows the number in thousands Mr Luhovyi told MailOnline: 'We live in temporary accommodation at the moment in Fenham in Newcastle. 'In Ukraine we were helping with supplies of convoys and we were providing aid but we ended up moving to the UK in June. 'It was difficult to accept because I was able to make more money in Ukraine, but my friends told me we needed to make the move for my son so we eventually came across. 'We lived with my sponsor for around nine months and then we found temporary housing, but we are still looking for somewhere that is better equipped for Mark. 'My son has additional requirements so we were trying to find a ground floor flat with bigger doors but it has been quite hard to find anywhere like that. 'I was trying to find somewhere else but some landlords here did not really want to make the changes. 'That has been difficult for us but Mark is doing well and we hope to put him in a school this year.' Mr Luhovyi said that, despite their struggles, he was grateful for the warm welcome and support he had received from local people. The latest DLUHC data shows this was the most common reason for refugees becoming homeless so far, accounting for two-thirds of cases up to the end of January. The figures cover Ukrainians who have arrived on one of the two main Ukrainian visa schemes - Homes for Ukraine, where Ukrainians stay with British families who have agreed to sponsor them - and the Ukraine Family Scheme. However, the PAC report also warned that ministers do not have a full and accurate picture of homelessness among Ukrainian refugees due to 30 per cent of English councils failing to provide regular date. Ukrainian refugees fleeing the country from the railway station at Odessa, Ukraine, in March 2022 The Home Office closed the Ukraine Family Scheme on Monday. Labour said the move 'sends the wrong message' about the UK's 'willingness' to stand by Ukraine while campaigners raised concerns that one of 'few safe routes' created to allow families to reunite amid the conflict was 'closing at such short notice'. However, the Home Office said it was wrong to suggest the Government was restricting the ability of Ukrainians to bring family to the UK. A DLUHC spokesperson said: Thanks to the success of the Homes for Ukraine scheme, over 140,000 Ukrainians have been welcomed to the UK and the vast majority have settled in well. This week the government announced that they will be able to apply to stay for an additional 18 months and continue to have the same rights to access work, benefits, healthcare, and education. For arrivals under the Homes for Ukraine Scheme, we provide a 5,900 per person to councils to enable them to provide support, including in the minority of cases where someone is left without accommodation. We have also given councils an additional 109 million this year to prevent Ukrainian homelessness. Oxford is set to rapidly expand its zero emission zone and double fines for motorists - a move which businesses say will cripple the city. Under the new plans, the ZEZ, which currently covers just a handful of streets, would be increased to include the wider city centre. The standard charges for petrol cars would also be hiked from 4 to 8 with non-compliant trucks or buses hit with a whopping 50 fee to drive in the zone. Although the ZEZ in Oxford is the first of its kind in the UK, the proposed restrictions come as councils in other cities including London, Birmingham and Bristol have waged war on motorists. While it was revealed last year that 387 of the 420 vehicles run by the Oxford County Council are diesel-powered and therefore would not be compliant with the new restrictions. Just one of the councils vehicles runs off petrol, none are hybrid and only 32 are electric. The green area of the map shows the proposed boundary of the expanded zero emission zone. The red area shows the streets in the ZEZ pilot and are currently subject to restrictions If approved in the spring, Oxford's zero emission zone will be enforced from this point near Magdalen Bridge The revelation was seen to be particularly at odds with the council's aims as Oxfordshire was previously branded Britain's 'wokest' county by critics, after the introduction of a series of controversial new eco-policies. Low traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs) where bollards prevent cars from taking shortcuts down residential streets - were introduced in 2021 despite heavy opposition from residents. Clinton Pugh, the father of British actress Florence Pugh and a local restaurant owner, whose businesses have already been hit hard by the LTNs, told MailOnline that the new ZEZ restrictions would only cause more misery. It will take it to another level for me, the 65-year-old said. Its difficult to know whether I will still be in business. The LTNs have been a complete disaster but they [Oxfordshire County Council] still havent tried to do anything to ease the problem. They are deliberately destroying the economic hub of the Cowley Road area of the city. There are 250 businesses here most of them with English as a second language I think they saw us as an easy target.' Local restaurant owner, Clinton Pugh, whose businesses have already been hit hard by the LTNs, told MailOnline that the new ZEZ restrictions would only cause more misery Florence Pugh with her father Clinton at 'A Good Person' filming in New York in March 2023 Clinton Pugh outside his tapas restaurant Kazbar on Cowley Road in Oxford Mr Pugh owns two restaurants in Oxford, including Cafe CoCo on Cowley Road, where Hollywood star Florence used to serve customers growing up. The area has lost 195 car parking spaces in recent months to make way for cycle lanes. He added: The plans wont work it will just push traffic out onto the ring road around the city. The A34 is already blocked so anyone trying to pass Oxford on their way to Bicester or the M40 will get caught up in this mess. Everyone is wasting hours of their life and we are never going to get these hours back. Oxfordshire County Council introduced the pilot ZEZ in February 2022 with charges in place from 7am until 7pm. Consultation for the next stage of the plans - which is expected to cost 5.8million - has been ongoing with local communities, businesses, and the public ahead of a decision in the spring. But Oxford hotelier Jeremy Mogford said businesses feel they are being ignored. One of his hotels, Old Bank Hotel, would sit inside the new zero emission zone if the plans are implemented in 2025. He raised concerns that his guests may be hit with charges if their cars are not compliant. Mr Mogford told MailOnline: The ZEZ is one of about six things that are strangling Oxford businesses. One of Jeremy Mogford's hotels, Old Bank Hotel, would sit inside the new zero emission zone if the plans are approved then implemented in 2025 Oxfordshire County Council introduced the pilot ZEZ, which is the first one in the country, in February 2022 with charges in place from 7am until 7pm If successful, the ZEZ will be extended to cover Oxford's entire city centre and charges could increase to between by 2025 The measures were initially imposed on such a small part of the city that it was impossible to know what the true affect would be. I think this is another nail in the coffin for Oxfords economic and cultural vibrancy. Business and culture have been ignored. Matthew Alden, owner of local butchers Aldens Meatmaster, has bought six new electric vans to avoid the new ZEZ charges and invest in his business. His company carries out deliveries across the city, including to many of the university colleges. Mr Alden said: In terms of the expansion of the Oxford ZEZ, we are quite well prepared - there wont be any additional charges for us. We will only use our new electric vehicles in the ZEZ zone. This is really good because with the charges going up in 2025, wed be looking at around 10,000 extra a year that is a considerable cost. The vans have been a big investment in the business but that is what we are always looking to do. Matthew Alden, owner of local butchers Aldens Meatmaster, has bought six new electric vans to avoid the new ZEZ charges and invest in his business Aldens Meatmaster carries out deliveries across Oxford, including to many of the university colleges Conservative Liam Walker, who sits on Oxfordshire County Council, added: The coalition at the council are preparing to enter their next anti-motorist agenda phase as they look to expand the ZEZ, install new bus gates, and implement a new workplace charging levy. These schemes will hit businesses and residents hard with extra costs all to help fund more motorist hammering measures. This has got to stop, and we are proposing in our opposition budget amendment a pause on these schemes and for a traffic commission report to be conducted to help identify what scheme would actually help reduce congestion in Oxford. MailOnline contacted Oxfordshire County Council for comment. Councillor Judy Roberts, cabinet member for development strategy, said: The zero-emission zone in Oxford is all about making our city cleaner and healthier. The county council is currently working on proposals for expanding the zero emission zone to a larger area in the city centre. The proposals are draft at this stage and will be informed by our conversations with businesses and residents especially, as well as traffic and air quality modelling and a business impact assessment. Following a public consultation, the county councils cabinet will make a public decision on whether to expand the ZEZ. Drivers of petrol cars meeting at least Euro 4 standards and the latest Euro 6 diesels currently need to pay 4 per day, which will rise to 8 from 2025 if the scheme is enforced after the trial. Owners of petrol and diesel cars that are too old to meet these emission standards have to fork out 10 daily - rising to 20 a day from August 2025 ZEZ charges for driving anything but a zero-emission electric vehicle can be paid up to six days in advance, on the day it is driven in the zone, and up to six days after Residents and businesses operating from inside the zone can also apply for a 90% discount while there is a 50% discount for private hire vehicle drivers Owners of petrol and diesel cars that are too old to meet these emission standards have to fork out 10 daily - rising to 20 a day from August 2025. Non-payment of the charge will result in penalty charge notices (PCNs) of 60. However, the fine will be halved to 30 if paid within 14 days of the notice being issued. If a driver fails to pay or challenge the fine within 28 days, theyll be issued with a late penalty. After that, the fine will increase by 50 per cent to 90 and drivers will have 14 days to pay before the debt is registered with the Traffic Enforcement Centre at Northampton County Court. But unlike London's ULEZ, the charging zone isn't operational 24 hours a day. It is only enforced between the hours of 7am and 7pm, and there are discounts and exemptions available to some motorists, including health and care workers, Blue Badge holders and students with financial hardship. Residents and businesses operating from inside the zone can also apply for a 90 per cent discount while there is a 50 per cent discount for private hire vehicle drivers. London In London, the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) was expanded in August 2023 to cover almost all areas within the M25. There is a 12.50 daily charge if a diesel car isn't Euro 6 or petrol isn't at least Euro 4. The restrictions are enforced by ANPR cameras 24 hours a day, seven days a week, every day of the year, except on Christmas Day. London's Ultra Low Emission Zone (Ulez) was expanded by Sadiq Khan in August last year There is also a seperate Congestion Charge that operates from 7am until 6pm Monday to Friday and 12pm until 6pm on Saturdays, Sundays and Bank Holidays. The charge is 15 and if cars do not meet the ULEZ requirements then motorists must also pay this fee on top. This takes the current total for entering central London to 24 if you don't have a compliant motor. Birmingham The low emission zone in Birmingham became operational in 2021 and covers all roads within the Middleway Ring Road. Drivers who fail to pay the fee are hit with fines of 120, cut to 60 if paid within 14 days It affects pre-Euro 4 petrol and pre-Euro 6 diesel cars with motorists who do not have compliant vehicles having to pay 8 to enter the zone. But the scheme was thrown into chaos in March 2023 after it emerged that nearly 70,000 fines had been written off by the city council after they were successfully challenged by drivers. Birmingham City Council said at the time: 'In the 18-month period, since the start of the enforcement of the Clean Air Zone in 2021, there have been 69,114 penalty charge notices written off so far which is around 6 per cent of the total issued. The low emission zone in Birmingham became operational in 2021 and covers all roads within the Middleway Ring Road 'This represents a combination of cases that have been challenged/appealed and the reasons of mitigation accepted/discretion exercised, as per the council's discretion policy, and cases where the council has been unable to collect payment or trace the registered keeper.' Drivers who fail to pay the fee are hit with fines of 120, cut to 60 if paid within 14 days. A Birmingham City Council spokesman said: 'The purpose of the Clean Air Zone is to improve air quality in the city centre. 'Since its introduction it has helped reduce the number of the most polluting vehicles that enter the zone every day. This is helping to improve air quality.' Bristol A clean air zone (CAZ) was launched in Bristol in November 2022 by the city council to reduce air pollution - which is now down by 10 per cent across the entire city. The scheme made 26million in its first year but the city's Mayor has insisted that the scheme was never about making money. Motorists driving vehicles which do not meet the CAZ emission standards are given a fine which is set at 9 for most private vehicles - of which 2 is paid to Westminster. In the first 12 months, 570,013 penalty charges were issued for breaches. But fewer than half - 285,645 - of the fines have actually been paid. Of the remainder, 33,145 were cancelled and 91,125 written off because the vehicle's owner had not been traced. Some 160,098 were unresolved. In the foreword of the CAZ Cabinet report detailing its first year in operation, Bristol mayor Marvin Rees said: 'The air that we all breathe is cleaner than it was in November 2022. The CAZ was launched in November 2022 by Bristol City Council to reduce air pollution Bristol mayor Marvin Rees said: 'The CAZ was never about making money for the council: it was about clean air.' 'Nitrogen dioxide pollution is down by 10 per cent across Bristol and is almost 13 per cent lower inside the Clean Air Zone (CAZ). Outside the Bristol Royal Infirmary and Children's Hospital, nitrogen dioxide is down by around 20 per cent.' The biggest difference was seen on Park Row, the report noted, which saw a nitrogen dioxide decrease of 27.5 per cent. Bedminster Down Road and Upper Maudlin Street near the Infirmary both had reported decreases of 27 per cent and Hotwell Road was down by 26.5 per cent. Mr Rees added: 'While some people have called for a charging Clean Air Zone to cover the whole city, like the majority of fellow Bristolians, I remain convinced that is a road best not taken. 'The CAZ was never about making money for the council: it was about clean air. If our progress cleaning up our air continues, then, in the not-too-distant future, the CAZ should come to an end. Ofsted officials have branded 84 secondary schools as failing during inspections during the first six weeks of 2024. Figures seen by MailOnline showed that of the 322 Ofsted reports published so far this year, some 84 have been graded as either Inadequate or Require Improvement. Ofsted grades schools on a four-point scale from Outstanding, through Good, Requires Improvement and worst of all, Inadquate. So far 55 schools have been graded as Outstanding, including Ark King Solomon Academy in north west London; Avonbourne Boys' Academy in Bournemouth and Aylesbury High School in Nottingham. A further 139 have been classed as 'Good'. Disappointingly, 55 schools have been graded as requiring improvement, including Park Academy West in Hillingdon; Queen Elizabeth's School in Wimborne, Dorset and Newhouse Academy in Heywood, Lancashire. Of most concern are the 30 results which found schools to be Inadequate. Your browser does not support iframes. Figures seen by MailOnline showed that of the 322 Ofsted reports published so far this year, some 84 have been graded as either Inadequate or Require Improvement (file photo) Progress Schools of Hamilton Square on the Wirral fell from Good in a report from June 2021 to Inadequate on a report published on St Valentine's Day. The independent school has annual fees for day pupils of between 13,500 and 38,000 and has 60 pupils aged between 11 and 16. According to the report: 'All the places at the school are commissioned by the local authority for pupils who have been excluded. Most pupils have social, emotional and mental health needs.' The inspectors found many of the pupils have developed 'negative views of education' and the school has 'low expectations of what some pupils, including those with special educational needs and / or disabilities (SEND), can and should achieve.' The report found the pupils' behaviour in lessons and around the school is 'poor' and the quality of education has 'declined since the previous inspection'. Newbury Independent School in Aston, Birmingham is another school which educates SEND pupils and those who have had problems studying. It charges local authorities between 54,752 and 97,500 to educate up to 60 pupils. So far 55 schools have been graded as Outstanding, including Ark King Solomon Academy in north west London ; Avonbourne Boys' Academy in Bournemouth and Aylesbury High School in Nottingham (file photo) According to the Ofsted report: 'Pupils who attend Newbury Independent School are not being educated well enough. The school does not pay enough attention to pupils well-being and it fails to take full account of the things that put pupils at risk of harm. Leaders do not identify and act on concerns quickly enough. This means that pupils do not always receive the help they may need.' Ofsted's single word grades have been criticised by MPs following the tragic death of head teacher Ruth Perry who took her own life when an inspection downgraded her school, Caversham Primary School in Reading from Outstanding to Inadequate. A coroner concluded that an Ofsted inspection in November 2022 contributed to her death. The schools watchdog has also been urged to avoid inspecting facilities blighted by the reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac) scandal. A total of 231 schools and colleges in England were confirmed as having Raac on their premises as of November 27 last year, according to the list published by the Department for Education (DfE). Ofsted said it would avoid inspecting any school or college that was on the DfEs list of education settings affected by Raac during the autumn term. This term, a school or college that has confirmed Raac on site will be eligible for an inspection, but Ofsted said an affected setting can ask for an inspection to be deferred. Education experts at Durham University recently called for pupils at schools where teaching has been badly affected by Raac to have their GCSE and A-level results uplifted by up to 10 per cent. A statement by Ofsted said: 'This spring term, a school that has confirmed Raac in some of their buildings will be eligible for Ofsted inspection; however, this will be sufficient grounds to defer the inspection, should the school wish to. Head teacher Ruth Perry, pictured, took her own life shortly after an Ofsted report downgraded her school from Outstanding to Inadequate. An inquest into her tragic death found the report may have contributed to her suicide Ofsted has announced it may defer inspections on schools affected by the Raac concrete scandal 'We know that the situation with Raac is still causing challenges for school staff, pupils and their parents and guardians. 'For schools that do not have confirmed Raac but may still be impacted by Raac for example, where a school is hosting pupils from schools that have Raac we will carefully consider any requests for a deferral of an inspection. 'If we have any concerns, we retain the right to inspect any setting, including those affected by Raac. A Department for Education spokesperson said: 'The safety of staff and pupils is paramount, and we have been working at pace with schools to identify Raac and support them to minimise disruption. 'We have committed to fund the removal of Raac from our schools either through grants, or through our School Rebuilding Programme and we will inform schools as soon as possible once our assessments have concluded.' Kensington and Chelsea and the Derbyshire Dales are the two of the most generous areas when it comes to hosting Ukrainian refugees, official data has revealed. More than 200,000 Ukrainians have moved to the UK under the Homes For Ukraine scheme, whereby British households agree to house them for six months. Many have gone to southern England, which accounts for nine out of 10 local authority areas hosting the most refugees per 1,000 people. Top of the list is Kensington and Chelsea, the UK's 'richest' local authority area where residents earn three times the national average - and the home of Ukraine's embassy. The West London borough has seen 818 Ukrainians arrive since Homes for Ukraine launched in March 2022, equivalent to 5.71 per 1,000 people. TOGGLE THROUGH THE MAP TO FIND YOUR LOCAL AREA, OR CLICK ON THE BLUE 'TABLE' TAB TO SEARCH Your browser does not support iframes. In a close second are the Derbyshire Dales, with 5.56 per 1,000, followed by South Cambridgeshire (5.47), Wealden (5.00), South Oxfordshire (4.99) and Chichester (4.97). EXCLUSIVE READ MORE - Revealed: The celebrities and politicians who welcomed Ukrainian refugees into their homes Advertisement The first UK local authority outside England to feature on the list - in 11th place - is Powys in mid-Wales (4.6). The first in Scotland is Angus, at 129th and with 2.09 Ukrainian refugees per 1,000 people. The Scottish government ran its own version of Homes for Ukraine, the Super Sponsor Scheme, which paused to new applicants in July 2022. Saturday marks two years since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022. The number of people granted a visa who arrived in the UK having fled the war in Ukraine has now topped 200,000, figures published last week showed. As of February 12, 143,400 arrived under the Homes for Ukraine scheme, while another 56,800 came through the Ukraine Family Scheme. Last week the Home Office announced that Ukrainians who came to the UK following the Russian invasion will be able to apply for 18-month extensions to their visas. Southern England account for nine out of 10 local authority areas hosting the most refugees per 1,000 people as part of the Homes for Ukraine Scheme The first UK local authority outside England to feature on the list - in 11th place - is Powys in mid-Wales (4.6) The number of Ukrainians arriving in the UK has dramatically reduced since Russia's invasion in February 2022. The Y axis of this graph shows the number in thousands The extension will apply to all three visa schemes established after the invasion: Homes for Ukraine, the Ukraine Family Scheme and the Ukraine Extension Scheme. The Ukraine Family Scheme was closed to new applicants on Monday, having previously allowed applicants to join family members in the UK. Labour said the move 'sends the wrong message' about the UK's 'willingness' to stand by Ukraine while campaigners raised concerns that one of 'few safe routes' created to allow families to reunite amid the conflict was 'closing at such short notice'. The Government website about the scheme now says: 'You can no longer apply under this scheme.' The immigration rules document also said: 'A Ukrainian national in the UK may qualify under the Ukraine Extension Scheme if they held immigration permission on or between 18 March 2022 and 16 November 2023, or if their last permission ended after 1 January 2022. Applications to this scheme must be made on or before 16 May 2024. 'A person who has immigration permission as a partner or child of a Ukrainian national who qualifies under the Ukraine extension scheme, who is not themselves a Ukrainian national, may also qualify under the Ukraine extension scheme. Saturday marks two years since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022. Pictured is a woman and her child after fleeing from Ukraine on February 28 'Children born in the UK to those who have permission under the Ukraine scheme (and the now closed Ukraine family scheme) are eligible to apply under the Ukraine extension scheme.' Another document setting out an assessment of the changes suggested the Home Office no longer deems the family scheme necessary as 'volumes have been decreasing' and it is 'more efficient to simplify the immigration system by operating a single humanitarian scheme for Ukrainians'. Closure of the scheme is also intended to 'mitigate the risk of homelessness resulting from accommodation being unsuitable or unavailable'. Ending the route 'may cause displacement' of applicants towards the homes for Ukraine scheme and it is assumed most people will be eligible for the alternative option but there could be a 'small cohort' of third country nationals (TCNs) - people who fled Ukraine during the war but are not Ukrainian nationals - who may not be, the assessment warns. The Home Office was seeing 'increased litigation' linked to the family scheme and involving TCNs 'who were resident in Ukraine at the time of the invasion, but with no Ukrainian family members', it added. A woman has accused Sadiq Khan of 'degrading' her after TfL slapped her with a 90 congestion charge penalty while she was picking up her sister's death certificate. Sharon Green, 48, strayed into London's congestion charge zone while still rocked by the loss of her beloved baby sister Mia. She had driven from her north west London home to Camden Town Hall to register Mia's death and was unaware of low emission scheme in place. Sharon, still locked in grief, was then hit with a letter from Transport for London demanding immediate payment of 90. When she informed TfL of her family tragedy it fell on deaf ears and staff still demanded she pay up. Sharon told MailOnline: 'They showed no humanity. My mental health and my anxiety. This just crushed me. It was the icing on the cake.' Sharon Green, pictured, was fined 90 by Transport for London after she inadvertently crossed over the boundary of the Congestion Charge Zone while under pressure to reach an appointment to collect her late sister's death certificate Sharon, pictured with Marie, known by friends and family as Mia, needed the death certificate to arrange her late sister's funeral The Congestion Charge zone is marked out by large painted areas along with prominent signage Ms Green's family were frantically trying to come to terms with their loss while dealing with the endless bureaucracy associated with the end of life when TfL sent their letter. The demand was from a TfL pencil pusher called D Milton, whose name is attached to thousands of letters demanding cash on the threat of further action. Many warranted. But hundreds of thousands as MailOnline has proved are not. Marie Green, Mia to her friends, was seriously ill but her family did not expect her to die. She was just 38. On January 8, Marie was taken to Northwick Park Hospital in Harrow for a procedure. She had a few issues and some problems. She was ill. More gravely than her friends and family had thought. When she was transferred to the Royal Free, her family were assured that they were the liver specialists. It was the best place to be. If anybody could help, they all worked there. Sharon Told MailOnline: 'They did a few blood transfusions and they also put her on dialysis to help her kidneys. But, unfortunately, once her liver started to deteriorate further and then her kidneys had given up, so they told us there was nothing they could do for her.' The family had not expected this. She was sedated for most of the time she was in the Royal Free until the day Sharon will never forget. January 17, when her baby sister died. 'She was 38 years old. She had three children. She had a 21 year old, an 18 year old and a 14 year old. A very young family. 'She was bubbly, she was mischievous.' Sharon pauses briefly and smiles raising her left hand to her heart. 'She'd always put the blame on the oldest one obviously me. 'She was colourful. Just beautiful inside and out.' 'Obviously after my sister passed we were told me must contact Camden Town Hall to go register her death and get her death certificate. Without the death certificate we wouldn't have been able to bury my sister. 'We were told we had to go there on January 20 and it had to be a particular time. If you missed that time slot they're very strict if you missed that time slot, it would have been another two weeks until they had an appointment.' The pressure was on. Stress increased. Grief. Multiplied. 'Me and my dad, who is 75, decided that we would drive down and go in together and go and get my sister's death certificate. D Milton, Operations Director of Transport for London dismissed Sharon's appeal Sharon said if she was aware she had crossed into the C-Charge Zone, she would have paid the fee. She said she was only concerned that day with picking up her late sister's death certificate so her family could arrange her funeral without further delay 'London. I don't go into London at all. I don't do trains or buses. I have anxiety depression, myself. Driving was the only way. I wasn't familiar with the basics around London. 'Unfortunately I got myself a ticket or a PCN [Penalty Charge Notice]. It shows my vehicle on that street at that time. 'Until I received this letter I was unaware that I had gone into the Congestion Zone. With the state of mind I was in anyway. They say that they have signs and a 'C' on the floor but my state of mind wasn't totally there. I had a one-track-mind to go there and get my sister's death certificate and come home.' Sharon was under pressure. A singular focus brought her to Camden Town Hall to get her sister's death certificate resulting in the unbidden correspondence from Transport for London, signed by D Milton. 'It was not like I went into London to buy a pair of shoes. That wouldn't have bothered me. If I had gone in an paid 100 for a pair of shoes and then got this I'd have paid it. But because I had my 75-year-old dad with me he's losing the plot because he's lost my baby sister, he lost my mum 10 years ago they've showed no humanity. It's all what I should have done and what I could have done.' With a hearty laugh: 'I know now not to drive in London and I probably wouldn't do it again to be fair. If I knew I was going to get this, it would have put me off bringing my dad to get her death certificate.' When Jools Holland welcomed in the New Year, Sharon did not expect to be travelling to Camden Town Hall later that month. 'Until I received this letter I was unaware that I had gone into the Congestion Zone. With the state of mind I was in anyway. They say that they have signs and a 'C' on the floor but my state of mind wasn't totally there. I had a one-track-mind to go there and get my sister's death certificate and come home. Sharon said she never drives into London and was afraid that if she missed the appointment she would have had to wait a further two weeks before being able to arrange her sister's funeral Sharon, pictured with a photograph of Mia, said she had a full house when they held an old-fashioned wake for her late sister D Milton, Operations Director for Transport for London wrote to Sharon to inform her that TfL would not use their discretion to quash the PCN as she should have made herself aware her route involved crossing into the Congestion Charge Zone 'I was very under pressure. 'We only buried her on Friday just gone. The only thing with the timeline, is because she was in the morgue if we had missed that deadline and it would have been another two weeks she would have stayed in the morgue for at least eight weeks and that's not what you want for your loved one. You want to get them home and get them laid to rest, especially with her been our little sister and her being so young. 'I did an appeal on the same day I got the letter. I explained the circumstances and I explained the reason why I was in London at that time. I explained about the deadline. Camden Town Hall, I'm not familiar with at all because she died in the Royal Free. 'I explained all my circumstances so they were aware, that I wasn't just driving around London, that there was a reason I was there. I just didn't realise that I went onto this one street and got the ticket. Whilst TfL recognises that this must have been a distressing period for you... we have decided on this occasion we are unable to exercise discretion D Milton, Head of Operations and Contracts, Transport for London 'I thought they could have had some compassion. My sister was a human being we have lost a member of our family and I just felt they have shown no compassion. They haven't even said 'sorry for your loss' or sent any condolences. They have basically just said 'we understand that you were distressed at this time but unfortunately you should have made yourself aware that you should have known the zone, you should have known when you went into a zone when you come out of a zone' It just continues. It tells you how you could have purchased a ticket. I don't 'deny I was in the zone. 'If I had had known I was in the Congestion Zone even just a gentle reminder to say your vehicle was in the if they understand it was distressing for me why can't they understand the reason I was there.' A week ago the family gathered. United. Mia lying in the kitchen. Surrounded by her family and friends. A celebration of her life. And tears. Coffin closed because she had spent too long in the morgue. No last chance to hold her hand. She said: 'We only buried her on Friday just gone. The only thing with the timeline, is because she was in the morgue if we had missed that deadline and it would have been another two weeks she would have stayed in the morgue for at least eight weeks and that's not what you want for your loved one. 'You want to get them home and get them laid to rest, especially with her been our little sister and her being so young.' Sharon drove herself and her 75-year-old father to Camden Town Hall from her home in north west London in her car Sharon criticised Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, pictured, claiming he should be fighting for the people of London and show some compassion Sharon's car was identified by Transport for London's camera system and was sent a Penalty Charge Notice for 90, increasing to 180 and then to 270 Transport for London allows people to appeal. With Ulez, more than 129,000 fines have been overturned because the 650m camera and enforcement system is faulty. There is wriggle room. A chance for basic compassion and common sense to prevail. For Sharon, if she was sent a gentle reminder that she had strayed into the zone, she would have paid up immediately. Of the issues she was dealing with on that day, Part three of the 2000 Transport Act, amended in 2008 were not among them. In Dartford, crossing the toll bridge of tunnel without payment triggers a fine. But for the first offence, a reminder is issued. D Milton's dismissal of Sharon's appeal acknowledges her grief. They write: 'As the registered keeper of the vehicle it is your legal duty to make yourself aware of any charges, tolls or fines that may be in existence along your route and ensure that you were not in contravention of them. Transport for London (TfL) would like to take this opportunity to advise you that we have made pull payment and Congestion Charging information available through the media and publicity via our website or the contact centre.' The letter continues with a degree of self assurance known only by those who life is ruled by the 'computer says no' doctrine of inhumanity. 'Whilst TfL recoginise that this must have been a distressing period for you, there is a responsibility for the appropriate charge to have been paid for the use of the vehicle on a road within the Congestion Charging Zone. We have considered fully the issues raised and have decided that on this occasion we are unable to exercise discretion and the PCN will not be cancelled.' For Sharon, it is simple: 'They showed no humanity. My mental health and my anxiety. This just crushed me. It was the icing on the cake. 'Sadiq Khan should get out or he should help the people of London. I don't feel he is giving us the support we actually need. 'I'm not a fan of him,' she pauses briefly, 'now... I feel degraded by him. I'm crushed. I think he should have more compassion, I think. He should just fight for the people, really.' 'I had her home for the day before. She was in my dining room. We had to have a closed coffin because of the amount of time she spent in hospital. We had a lovely send off. It was an old fashioned wake. 'Me and my sisters spent all the night on the couch. It was funny. We had a house full. It was really nice. But it sort of... brought an ending to a beginning. And that's what happened when this hit me... what else? 'I am sickened. I am torn up inside just reading those words. To read all that, it's just heartbreaking.' A TfL spokesperson told MailOnline: 'We are very sorry for any distress that Ms Green has experienced. We have reviewed this case and Ms Greens penalty charge appeal should have been accepted in these circumstances, in line with our established processes. We have cancelled the penalty charge.' China calls for political settlement of Ukraine crisis Xinhua) 13:47, February 24, 2024 UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese envoy on Friday called for international efforts toward a political resolution to the Ukraine crisis. The international community should work together to find a fair and sensible solution so that the crisis can be settled politically and peace can prevail, said Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the United Nations (UN). He made the appeal at a high-level meeting of the UN Security Council scheduled to coincide with the second anniversary of the start of Russia's special military operation in Ukraine. The Ukraine crisis has caused incalculable damage. The most pressing priority is to stop the hostilities, launch peace talks and restore peace. Peace is in the interests of all parties, said Zhang. China calls on the parties concerned to show a sense of responsibility and make constructive diplomatic efforts to promote de-escalation and to create favorable conditions for the resumption of negotiations. He said that the parties concerned should not create artificial obstacles to make peace more challenging to achieve, much less supply weapons to profit from the prolonged crisis. Zhang stressed that strengthening or expanding a military bloc cannot guarantee regional security. "It must be pointed out that the situation that Europe is facing today is closely related to the repeated eastward expansion of NATO since the end of the Cold War. We encourage NATO to do some soul-searching, come out of the cage of Cold War mentality and refrain from acting as an agent of troubles that instigates bloc confrontation. We urge the head of NATO to look at the world through an objective lens, stop saber-rattling and do that which is truly conducive to world peace," he said. Using the Ukraine crisis as a pretext, certain countries have indiscriminately imposed unilateral sanctions and long-arm jurisdiction and have exerted unjustified pressure on the businesses of other countries, adversely impacting global industrial and supply chains and disrupting the global trade order, Zhang said. China firmly opposes the unlawful sanctions imposed on Chinese companies by the United States, Britain and the European Union, using the Ukraine issue as an excuse. He said that China will continue to take necessary measures to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of its enterprises and citizens. Major countries have a special responsibility for world peace and security and must responsibly conduct their relations and adequately manage their differences in pursuit of win-win cooperation, he said. China played no part in creating the Ukraine crisis, nor is China a party to the crisis. Yet China has not been indifferent to the conflict, much less cashing in on the crisis, said the Chinese envoy. Regarding Ukraine, China has always maintained that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries should be respected, the purposes and principles of the UN Charter observed, the legitimate security concerns of all countries given due regard, and all efforts conducive to the peaceful settlement of the crisis supported, Zhang said. "China's constructive role and unremitting efforts toward a political settlement of the Ukraine issue will continue," he said. (Web editor: Xue Yanyan, Hongyu) Migrants crossing into the United States from the southern border get the headlines, but crossings at the U.S.-Canada border have risen too. Rep. Elise Stefanik, a Republican who represents the North Country and Adirondack Park, said on Fox News the number of illegal crossings is many times higher than it has been in the past. Weve seen an 800% increase in the Swanton sector, which is the part of the northern border that I represent, in illegal crossings, Stefanik said on Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo on Jan. 28. We wondered if the increase in illegal crossings was that big. The Swanton sector includes an estimated 24,000 square miles and includes northeastern counties in New York, three counties in New Hampshire, and all of Vermont. Year-over-year increases in illegal crossings have been steady since the fiscal year that began Oct. 1, 2020, rising from 365 that year to 1,065 for fiscal year ending in September 2022. In fiscal year 2023, the number of people encountered at the border jumped to 6,925, representing the largest year-over-year increase so far. However, if current trends continue, 2024 will outpace the jump in 2023. In the first three months of fiscal year 2024, there have been 2,607 crossings, compared with 1,147 during the same period last year. So the increase depends on the time period picked. Stefanik could have seen a U.S. Customs and Border Protection news release from February 2023, which stated that there had been an approximate 846% increase in encounters and apprehensions between Oct. 1, 2022, and Jan. 31, 2023, compared to the same period in fiscal year 2022. In November, Customs and Border Protection Chief Patrol Agent Robert Garcia of the Swanton sector posted on X formerly Twitter that there had been a 550% increase in apprehensions between fiscal year 2022 and 2023, and that the migrants came from 79 countries. Garcia posted in August that apprehensions in just over 10 months exceeded the previous nine years combined. Experts we spoke with found that the increases, while large for the northern border, are small when compared to other places on the northern border, or the southern border, which has many more crossings. Percentages can look really big, but the numbers themselves can be quite small, said Colleen Putzel-Kavanaugh, an associate policy analyst at the Migration Policy Institute, a nonpartisan think tank. U.S. Customs and Border Protections Buffalo Field Office, which operates ports of entry in Erie and Niagara counties, has many more encounters, 84,429 in fiscal year 2023, or 12 times more than the Swanton sector. Encounters are people seeking admission who are not authorized to do so. Along the entire southern border during 2023, there were more than 6,700 encounters per day, or 2.48 million total. Immigration experts caution that the number of encounters at a border is not the same thing as the number of people who tried to cross, because the same person could try to cross more than once. But Stefanik said crossings, not people. Are these illegal crossings? Any crossing of the border without prior authorization is an illegal entry, but people have a right to ask for asylum, saying they have a fear of returning to their home country, Putzel-Kavanaugh said. These asylum-seekers are released with a charge that they entered illegally. When they ask for asylum, they can defend their charge with the reasons why they are seeking asylum. Experts attributed the higher migration at the U.S.-Canada border with an increase in migration around the world, as well as Canadas decision in 2016 to permit Mexicans to fly there without stringent visa requirements, and a subsequent southern movement of these migrants. Last spring, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security requested that Canada reimpose the visa restrictions, but Canada has not done that, said Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, policy director at the American Immigration Council, a pro-immigration advocacy organization. Data from the Swanton sector show that the top two countries of origin for migrants crossing there are Mexico and India. Stefaniks office did not return a request for comment. Our ruling Stefanik claimed that there has been at some point an 800% increase in illegal crossings in the Swanton sector of the U.S.-Canada border. She did not say which time period she was talking about. The increases in unauthorized crossings vary depending on the time period, but there have been increases exceeding 800% at the border. The actual numbers of encounters remain very low compared to crossings at the southern border. The crossings are illegal, but people seeking asylum can use their status as an asylum-seeker as a defense for crossing illegally. We rate Stefaniks claim True. Parents Defending Education is filing a discrimination complaint against the district arguing that the class segregates the community The class is for white attendees to explore their 'privilege, whiteness and racism' Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District invited community members to participate in a whites only class on racism called Witnessing Whiteness A Wisconsin school district has been criticized for offering a whites only racism class that encourages participants to explore their 'privilege, whiteness and racism.' In an email shared on social media, Director of Student, Family and Staff Engagement at Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District, Mr. Tony R. Dugas, invited the community to participate in a 'powerful' 10-week 'Witnessing Whiteness' series 'meticulously crafted for white individuals committed to anti-racism work.' Parents Defending Education is now filing a discrimination complaint to the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights against the Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District for offering the course. The complaint claims the class violates Title VI and the 14th Amendment because it uses federal funding for discrimination on the basis of race and national origin. Parents Defending Education Vice President Caroline Moore told DailyMail.com: 'Specifically targeting students based on race or sex is blatant discrimination and has no place in public schools.' Parents Defending Education has filed a discrimination complaint to the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights against the Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District for offering a 'Witnessing Whiteness' course Middletons Director of Student, Family and Staff Engagement, Mr. Tony R. Dugas (pictured), invited the community to participate in a 10-week series 'meticulously crafted for white individuals committed to anti-racism work' 'All students, no matter their background, country of origin, sex, or race are allowed to participate in all educational programming. Any school that doesnt meet this low bar should file paperwork to open a private school,' she added. The school district told DailyMail.com the course is not funded by the district but was led by external professionals. 'We shared information about the course with staff members who wanted to deepen their understanding of diversity and serve our diverse student body better,' Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District Director of Information and Public Relations Shannon Valladolid said. 'While the course is tailored to explore these topics in affinity spaces for white staff members, it is open to everyone.' 'Our commitment remains firm in fostering inclusivity, equity, and understanding in our district, providing opportunities for professional growth and self-reflection on institutional racism,' she said. Dugas said in the invitation that the class uses the Witnessing Whiteness book by Shelly Tochluk and curriculum to lead a discussion of a group of 20 or fewer white people. 'In this affinity space, for white attendees, we foster an environment of profound exploration through experiential activities, group discussions, breakout rooms, and interactive learning,' Dugas said. 'The series aims to build a community with a shared grasp of privilege, whiteness, and racism, enhancing your ability to initiate, support, and deepen racial justice efforts.' 'Moreover, it is designed to cultivate leadership capacities in the realms of diversity, inclusion, and race.' Tochluk's website describes the book as 'a comprehensive, nuanced, step-by-step path toward deeper understanding of race and antiracist action.' Parents Defending Education argued the program is dividing the community because it discriminates based on race. 'The invitation claims that the affinity space cultivate[s] leadership capacities in the realms of diversity, inclusion, and race, but by dividing students and parents based on skin color and ethnicity, it is in fact doing the exact opposite,' the complaint said. 'Affinity groups were created for students to bond around a common interest or hobby. Unfortunately, in the last several years, affinity groups have divulged into groups that intentionally separate students based on their race or sex,' Moore added. The class uses the Witnessing Whiteness book by Shelly Tochluk (pictured) and curriculum to lead a discussion of a group of 20 or fewer white people Tochluk's website describes the book as 'a comprehensive, nuanced, step-by-step path toward deeper understanding of race and antiracist action' The complaint sites a previous ruling from the Department of Education Office for Civil Rights that found the Oak Park River Forest High School District in Illinois discriminated against students on the basis of race by hosting a Black Lives Matter assembly for only African American students in 2015. A user on X, formerly known as Twitter, said they contacted the Middleton-Cross Plains Area School Board President, Sheila Hibner, about the Witnessing Whiteness group. 'This is an optional professional learning opportunity that is not facilitated by MCPASD staff,' Hibner said in the reply that was posted on social media. 'It was shared because we received requests from out staff for learning opportunities like this one,' she added. 'As out district becomes more and more racially diverse, we want to provide our staff with tools and resources that are helpful in their work with students and families'. Webster University has been offering a free Witnessing Whiteness program for the St. Louis area faculty and staff - in collaboration with the Young Women's Christian Association - for the past three years. 'My motivation for joining the Witnessing Whiteness program was because I want to be a part of living and working in communities that are intentionally working towards racial equity,' said Webster University Director of Global Program Development Hannah Verity. 'As a white person in America today you don't necessarily understand the full history of what black people have gone through in this country and why,' added Director of Parent Engagement Billy Ratz. 'Witnessing Whiteness opens your eyes to that and it makes you really understand the full historical significance of the laws that are passed and just the institutional racism across the country.' The Young Women's Christian Association instructors lead 10 two-hour sessions over 15 weeks to teach each chapter of Tochluk's book. According to Webster University, the Young Women's Christian Association has been sponsoring Witnessing Whiteness groups since 2011. Adrian E. Bracy, CEO of YWCA Metropolitan St. Louis said in The Kansas City Star, 'Our program has created many dedicated allies in the struggle for racial justice through education. Its participants have then carried the message of equity and justice back to their dinner tables, churches, neighborhoods and workplaces.' 'The fact that the conversation starts in a segregated space by no means indicates it ends there.' 'YWCA asks Witnessing Whiteness participants to shift their thinking. Instead of the idea that race affects only others, we challenge them to recognize that race affects white people as well,' Bracy said. The distraught father of Russian-American ballerina Ksenia Karelina is 'at a loss' on how to help her after she was arrested on treason charges by Vladimir Putin's FSB security service. Speaking publicly for the first time in an interview with DailyMail.com, Pavel Karelina, 56, said he couldn't comment on the Russian government's ongoing case against his daughter, but thanked the public for their support. 'We really can't say anything now. We ourselves are at a loss to understand what's going on,' said Pavel, a general director of a transport equipment company. 'Please understand. Thank you for your good wishes.' Speaking publicly for the first time, Pavel Karelina, 56, told DailyMail.com the family is 'at a loss to understand what's going on' with their daughter Ksenia Ksenia Karelina, 33, pictured with her father Pavel , mother Liliya, and younger sister, remains detained in Russia on high treason charges Putin's secret security force the FSB arrested Karelina on treason charges in January, officials confirmed Tuesday. Video show released this week showed Ksenia blindfolded in custody Ksenia, 33, a dual citizen who lives in Los Angeles, was in Russia visiting her father, mother Liliya, 52, and younger sister Anya, 11, in the city of Yekaterinburg when she was detained. Her detention was not disclosed until this week. She is accused of funding Ukraine's armed forces after donating to a charity and is now facing up to 20 years in prison. While Ksenia holds dual citizenship, her American passport in Russia is not taken into account. A family friend said Ksenia's relatives were 'deeply shocked' over her detention. Family pictures obtained by DailyMail.com show her with her relatives in Russia for the first time. President Vladimir Putin has put in place draconian laws to stifle criticism of his war in Ukraine. A video from the FSB shows Ksenia being held by the security service. It is now understood when she arrived at Koltsovo airport in Yekaterinburg her cell phone was checked using the search word 'Ukraine'. Karelina, a dual citizen, moved to the US after graduating from college in her homeland in 2013 Ksenia, who was visiting her family in Russia last month, is accused of funding Ukraine's armed forces after donating to a charity and is now facing up to 20 years in prison The case has further fueled fears that Western citizens with Russian passports are being targeted for arrest in Russia Law enforcement allegedly found evidence of a bank transfer for $51.80 to a pro-Ukrainian foundation in America. They did not detain her immediately but invited her next day to come to a police station. 'They said that you just need to sign a piece of paper and there will be no more questions,' said one Telegram channel account. When she arrived, it is reported by Yekaterinburg journalist Dmitry Kolezev, she was confronted by FSB officers. She was then held for 14 days on an administrative charge of 'using obscene language in a public place'. After the two week period was up, she was told she was facing more serious charges alleging treason. Pavel and Liliya Karelina are 'at a loss' on how to help their imprisoned daughter Family photos obtained by DailyMail.com show Ksenia with her relatives in Russia for the first time On her Facebook page, Karelina says that she's from Yekaterinburg and that she studied ballet at the S. P. Diaghilev school For now it appears that she could be locked up for 20 years for allegedly making a payment of $51.80 to a US-based Ukrainian charity, Razom. In a statement, Razom's CEO Dora Chomiak sad the organization is 'appalled at Karelina's arrest. 'Vladimir Putin has repeatedly shown that he holds no soveregn border, foreign nationality or international treaty above his own narrow interest,' Chomiak said. 'His regime attacks civil society activists who stand up for freedom and democracy.' Ksenia, who works at a spa in Beverly Hills, California, had traveled to Russia on January 2. The case has further fueled fears that Western citizens who also have Russian passports are being targeted for arrest in Russia. They risk becoming human bargaining chips who can be bartered for exchange deals to bring back Russian criminals in US and other Western jails. Russia has arrested other US nationals, including Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, in his case on bogus espionage charges. Earlier this month, Putin hinted in an interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson that 'an agreement can be reached' on Gershkovich. For four generations, Jim Chilton's family of cattle ranchers has worked the vast lands of southern Arizona which straddle the Mexico border, keeping the cowboy tradition alive. But after nearly 150 years, their business and way of life is under threat. The migrant crisis which has gripped America has turned the Chilton ranch into a perilous corridor used by hundreds, sometimes thousands, of people each month to cross into the country illegally. Patrols by Jim, 84, across this ranch in Arivaca, Arizona, which is three times the size of Manhattan are no longer focused solely on traditional duties: tracking missing cattle, tending the land and maintaining infrastructure. Today, he must also fill the role of look-out and rescuer of migrants who collapse, dehydrated and exhausted, as they trek across these remote and unforgiving lands. Jim Chilton, pictured with his wife Sue, holds a scoped rifle as he surveys lands on their ranch in Arizona, which has become a corridor for thousands of migrants entering the US illegally Jim's family has owned ranches in Arizona for four decades, keeping the cowboy tradition alive, but the migrant crisis brought unprecedented challenges which threaten their business The ranch, south of Arivaca, Arizona, covers an area three times the size of Manhattan And, most worryingly, his work now is conducted under the gaze of armed cartel members equipped with scoped rifles and night vision goggles who traffic the people across Chilton land and into America. 'We know we're always being watched,' said Jim of the cartel patrols which survey his land before sending migrants across the border. 'The problem in our area in the last three years has intensified immensely,' added Jim, who lives with his wife Sue, 81, in a circular house on the ranch which also serves as a 360-degree lookout. Jim with his wife, Sue, and their two sons. The family has ranches in Arizona since the 1880s Around 250,000 migrants crossed the southern border illegally in December alone. Across the whole of 2023, there were more than 2.5 million encounters of migrants at the US-Mexico border, according to official data. The borderlands of Arizona have become a hotspot for crossings. The growing problem has compelled the Chiltons to testify before Congress about its impact on their lands. Jim also campaigned in support of Donald Trump's border wall. The Chiltons, whose home is nine miles from the Mexico border, have discovered 150 smuggling trails on their land in recent years, along with evidence of drug smuggling. They have installed a network of security cameras to monitor the ranch - which regularly picks up large group of migrants who have recently entered the US - and have also offered to arm their team of five working cowboys. Jim takes a handgun with him during rides onto the land - partly for protection from members of the Sinaloa cartel, one of the world's most dangerous criminal gangs, who control smuggling in the region. Several years ago, a cowboy who worked for Jim was ambushed by smugglers who forced him to deliver 44 pounds of methamphetamine for them. Signs warning trespassers line a wooden bench surrounded by makeshift slip-ons known as 'carpet shoes' on the porch of the Chilton ranch. Jim, who finds the slip-ons abandoned on his property, says they are worn by people illegally crossing the border as a way to keep authorities from finding their tracks Jim and Sue Chilton, look at a burlap backpack that was dropped on their ranch by a Mexican drug smuggler. When the smuggler saw Chiltons rifle he dropped the backpack and fled. Later the Border Patrol confiscated the marijuana that was inside Jim is also used to finding evidence of migrant crossings, included discarded bottles of water An image captured by surveillance cameras on the Chilton ranch captures a group of people who crossed illegally from Mexico The Chiltons have placed a network of cameras around the ranch which have captured thousands of people crossing illegally from Mexico He also carries a satellite phone because much of the land has little to no phone signal, a factor which also adds to the dangers for those people who attempt to cross on foot. Jim has grown used to discovering the debris left behind by the groups of migrants which cross the land. Empty water bottles, discarded clothing and shoes litter the trails which cut through the landscape. He also frequently encounters human victims of the crisis, including sick children crying out for help and dehydrated adults who have been exhausted by their journey into America. The Chiltons have installed several water fountains across the land to try and help the migrants who cross it. 'Just when you think you've seen everything, this place still shocks you,' Jim told the New York Times during a ride out in January as they encountered a makeshift camp with dozens of migrants who were traversing his land. Brian Best, 64, a volunteer aid worker from Tucson, was delivering help to the group. Best said that just hours earlier, he had seen cartel guides lead more than 170 people through a tiny, three foot-by-three foot opening in a stretch of border wall which separates the Chilton ranch from Mexico. He added that he was 'almost getting used to' these chaotic scenes after several years as a volunteer for the Tucson Samaritans, delivering water, first aid and clothing. Migrants arrive here from all over the world, he said. 'This place breaks your heart every day,' Best said. 'They're exhausted. They're sick. They're confused. They're cold, and they just have to wait. How can this be our system.' The massive ranch covers an area three times the size of Manhattan the unforgiving landscape makes crossing on foot a potentially-lethal endeavor A sign is viewed as a warning to visitors at cattle rancher Jim Chilton's 50,000 acre ranch US Border Patrol vehicles are seen along a road near the US-Mexico border on cattle rancher Jim Chilton's 50,000 acre ranch southeast of Arivaca, Arizona Jim Chilton stands beside former President Donald Trump at a convention of the American Farm Bureau Federation Jim added: 'If I had been born in one of these places, I might be sleeping out here, too.' With Sue, he has campaigned for years for measures that will secure the border while also creating legal pathways to asylum. 'We're a nation of the rule of law. We need to stop people just having the idea that they can walk into the United States,' Jim recently told Fox News. 'They're entering our country unseen, and they could be terrorists. 'I'm really concerned. If our adversaries around the world want to bring terrorists into our country, this is a route.' The Chilton family first arrived in Arizona in 1888 and have spent four generations working ranches in the state. Jim and Sue have considered selling the current ranch and moving to Tucson, or closer to their grandchildren in Los Angeles, because of the new and unprecedented set of issues. But they have persisted here, in spite of their latest challenge, and maintain hope that a solution can be found which protects their land - and their way of life. 'Secure the international boundary and develop a program to bring people into this country legally,' Jim said. The Canadian tourist charged with abducting and sexually assaulting an 80-year-old grandmother with Alzheimer's at a luxurious Bahamas resort has been granted bail and will be allowed to return to his home country. Gordon Wilkie, 61, of New Waterford, Nova Scotia, was granted bail of $30,000 this week after being charged with rape in the January 28 attack at the Warwick Hotel Paradise Island Bahamas. 'This is devastating,' the victim's son David Ahrens told DailyMail.com, saying the family received 'no notice or details' about a bail hearing before the ruling. Wilkie, a community college professor of renewable energy, is accused of separating the vulnerable victim from her daughter in an elevator and raping her in his hotel room. Prosecutors had opposed bail for Wilkie, but Justice Franklyn Williams granted it on Monday after the suspect's attorney raised health concerns, saying his blood pressure was not being properly treated in jail. Gordon Wilkie, 61, of New Waterford, Nova Scotia, was granted bail after being charged with rape in a shocking incident on January 28 at the Warwick Hotel Paradise Island Bahamas According to David Ahrens his 80-year-old mother (above) and sister were on a short vacation together in the Bahamas when the attack unfolded Wilkie was eligible for release as early as Thursday, but as of Friday afternoon it did not appear that he had posted bail. His attorney, Ryszard Humes, declined to comment when reached by DailyMail.com. Wilkie will be allowed to return to Canada while free on bail pending trial, a person close to the case told DailyMail.com. However, he must return to the Bahamas to appear in court for the presentation of a voluntary bill of indictment on May 29, and subsequent arraignment before the Supreme Court, the person said. A source close to prosecutors said they had a difficult time proving that Wilkie was a flight risk, and that he had no prior convictions in the Bahamas, which weakened their argument that he should be denied bail. Last week, DailyMail.com was the first to report that Wilkie is a faculty member at Novia Scotia Community College, where he specializes in renewable energy and has been placed on leave following his arrest. Wilkie runs a solar-power installation company and was an instructor in renewable energy at NSCC's Dartmouth campus, according to a 2021 CBC News interview. The victim in the Bahamas rape case is also Canadian, but her family has no connection to the accused assailant other than happening to stay in the same resort on their vacation. The victim's son Ahrens, who is publicly sharing his mother's photo but requested that her name be withheld, said the family is speaking out to demand 'full justice' for her, and warn others of the dangers to vulnerable family members. According to Ahrens, his mother had travelled with his sister on a short vacation in the Bahamas when the attack unfolded. Ahrens said his sister kept a close eye on their mother during the entire trip, but that the brazen abduction unfolded in a split second, when they became separated on an elevator. The victim was traveling with her daughter when she was allegedly abducted and raped by another guest at the Warwick Hotel Paradise Island Bahamas (above) on January 28 Wilkie is a faculty member at Novia Scotia Community College, where he specializes in renewable energy and has been placed on leave following his arrest Wilkie runs a solar-power installation company and was an instructor in renewable energy at NSCC's Dartmouth campus Ahrens said that on the last night of the trip, his sister and mother were at happy hour chatting with friends they had met at the resort. The group included US Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent Tom Justice, who was in the Bahamas on temporary duty assignment. It was then that Wilkie, whom they had not met before, invited himself to join them, according to Ahrens. 'They thought it was strange, but you know, everyone's on vacation,' he said. Ahrens said that when the group of friends got up to get dinner, Wilkie also invited himself along, which they also found 'a little bit odd'. After dinner, Ahrens said that Wilkie got on the same elevator as his sister and mother, who were headed to their shared room to get ready for bed. As the elevator reached their floor, the sister stepped off, but as she turned around to help her mother, the doors were already closing, he said. He said that, according to his sister, the doors appeared to close more quickly than normal, but noted there was no camera in the elevator to show whether the 'close door' button had been pressed. 'Then panic ensues,' he said. 'They were looking for my mother and pleading with the front desk and security for help, which they didn't do for more than half an hour.' The Warwick Paradise Islands Bahamas did not respond to a request for comment from DailyMail.com. Agent Justice and other guests immediately joined the search, walking the halls of the hotel for roughly 40 minutes and shouting the victim's name. Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent Tom Justice (above), who happened to be staying at the same hotel, has emerged as a hero in the case Canadian realtor David Ahrens is speaking out to reveal his 80-year-old mother (with him above) was abducted and raped at the Warwick resort on Paradise Island, Bahamas When Bahamian police finally arrived, Justice got a group text message from the resort friends taking part in the search, and headed down to the hotel lobby to meet with the cops. 'He presses down on whatever floor he was on, and the elevator arrives and the doors open, and there's my mother with the assailant,' said Ahrens. 'He saw him, and immediately at the same time he could see my mother holding her underwear. So he reacted right away, and he just went in the elevator and pinned him,' he added. Wilkie was arrested by Bahamian authorities and charged with raping the vulnerable woman in his hotel room. A hospital evaluation confirmed that the 80-year-old woman had been sexually assaulted, and Ahrens said that despite her memory condition she was able to provide a detailed statement. 'She gave a statement that evening of the incident and was very, very detailed,' he said. Although Ahrens was not on the trip with his mother, he immediately flew down upon learning of the assault, and listened in horror as a police sergeant read to him the statement his mother had given in the hospital. 'It's shockingly detailed, and it's so very disturbing. It's just awful. Nobody should hear anything like that ever. Period.' Ahrens says his sister and other guests at the Warwick immediately launched a search, but claims that hotel staff were unresponsive to their pleas for help The Homeland Security Investigations field office in Charlotte issued a statement confirming the incident and praising Agent Justice. 'HSI management is aware of the actions SA Justice undertook while on temporary duty and are proud of the way he went above and beyond to protect the welfare of others,' the statement said. 'His actions are in keeping with the highest standards of this agency.' Arhen has has launched a GoFundMe campaign to help cover medical and legal expenses for his mother. He says the family plans to attend the trial, though not his mother, for fear the courtroom would be overwhelming for her. 'Ultimately, we have a long road ahead of us in terms of seeking justice for my mother,' he told DailyMail.com on Friday. 'It's beyond disappointing that any legal system would allow a predator out on the streets to roam freely. Citizens beware.' Melania Trump spent her four years in the White House in an epic internal battle with her step-daughter Ivanka, met repeatedly with her lawyers about her pre and post-nups, and used her clothing - including that jacket - to speak for her. The Slovenian-born first lady spent her time in the role 'bucking expectations,' notes Katie Rogers in her forthcoming book 'American Woman: The Transformation of the Modern First Lady, from Hillary Clinton to Jill Biden.' She was rarely seen in public, gave few interviews and even her signature initiative 'Be Best' left people wondering exactly what it meant (and hoped to accomplish). And, as Donald Trump runs for a second term, she has refused to campaign with him, leading to speculation she could be a first lady from Palm Beach if he wins the 2024 election. There was talk from the day Donald Trump was elected there intense, competitive relationship between the two women in his life: his eldest daughter and his wife. Rogers, a White House reporter for the New York Times, reveals new details about that rivalry, about Melania's time at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue and what the former first lady may do if she gets four more years. Ivanka Trump and Melania Trump spent their time in the White House in a four-year 'internal power struggle'; above a rare picture of the two women together from that time period - they stand next to one another as they watch Donald Trump's inaugural parade in January 2017 Rogers' book, out Tuesday, shines a spotlight on modern first ladies as two of them - Jill Biden and Melania Trump - wait to see if their husbands' quest for a second term in the White House succeeds. The book examines the evolution of the unpaid role from when Hillary Clinton held it to the current East Wing ran by Jill Biden, from how each woman shaped the position and how it is tied to the holder's husband. Melania Trump made headlines at the start of Donald's presidency by announcing she would stay in New York to allow their son Barron, who was 10 at the time, to finish out the school year. Her decision to live 230 miles from the presidential mansion was unprecedented but it fit with her number one priority: protecting her son from the fishbowl of public life. Katie Rogers' book on the modern first lady 'American Woman' is out on Tuesday However, it also left an opening in the administration for the role of first lady - a position Ivanka Trump was eager to fill. The first daughter was eying the office space of the East Wing, looking to revamp the area so it could be 'geared to serving the entire First Family, not just the First Lady,' Rogers reports. Melania put a stop to it and, a month later, Ivanka announced she would be an unpaid adviser in her father's West Wing. But that was just the opening shot in the four-year 'internal power struggle' that Melania Trump would wage 'with her stepdaughter,' who she nicknamed 'The Princess.' The two women had little overlap in the White House complex. In fact they were rarely seen together and rarely photographed together. They never hosted a joint initiative or event. Tensions were so bad between the two in 2018 over separately planned trips to Africa, then-White House Chief of Staff John Kelly had to step in and mediate between the women and their offices. Eventually each woman made a trip: Melania in October 2018 to focus on children's issues as part of her Be Best campaign and Ivanka went in April 2019 to highlight economic development, particularly among women. Melania Trump with Donald Trump in the Oval Office in September 2019 Melania Trump wearing her now infamous 'I really don't care, do u?' jacket Melania Trump often used her clothes to make a statement, such as when she wore a white pantsuit to Donald Trump's 2018 State of the Union address Donald Trump with the two most prominent women in his life: daughter Ivanka and wife Melania at the Republican National Convention on the South Lawn in August 2020 It wasn't just Ivanka that Melania had concerns about. The then-first lady 'did not think that it was appropriate for Trump's children to be enmeshed in White House operations,' Rogers reveals. It was a war she lost. Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner both served as advisers in the West Wing. Don Jr. and Eric advised the Trump campaign and were main surrogates for their father on the campaign trail. But Melania did make her feelings known - through her now infamous 'I really don't care, do you?' jacket. The then-first lady famously wore the jacket in June 2018 as she boarded her Air Force flight to visit to the Upbring New Hope Children's Shelter in McAllen, Texas, where migrant children separated from their parents as they crossed the border were being held. Melania, an immigrant herself who became a U.S. citizen in 2006, had pushed Donald Trump to issue an executive order that stopped his administration's policy of separating families at the border. 'In large part, the bullheaded Donald had been cowed into action because Melania had been adamant that wrenching children away from their parents was wrong,' Rogers writes. Melania decided to visit a shelter for herself, but she undermined her own trip with her curious clothing choice: a $39 jacket from Zara with a divisive message: 'I really don't care. Do U?' She was criticized as being tone deaf with the outfit selection, given the tense situation as so many children remained separated from their parents and guardians, who had been detained while trying to enter the US. Stephanie Grisham, a top aide to the first lady, told Rogers that, when they returned to the White House from the trip, Trump pulled her and Melania into the Oval Office, where he 'yelled at them, and then decided that the official explanation for the jacket would be that Melania was speaking directly to the media.' Melania backed up her husband. She later told ABC News in an interview that the message was 'for the people and for the left-wing media who are criticizing me.' She added: 'I want to show them that I don't care. You could criticize whatever you want to say, but it will not stop me to do what I feel is right. 'It's obvious I didn't wear the jacket for the children,' she said. 'I wore the jacket to go on the plane and off the plane. After the visit, I put it back on because I see how [the] media got obsessed about it.' But other Trump administration officials said the jacket was a message to 'the Trumps - specifically, the president's eldest daughter, Ivanka.' Melania and Ivanka, during their White House years, 'were locked in a quiet competition for press coverage.' Melania also wanted to convey her displeasure with Trump's children involving themselves in White House operations. It wasn't the only time Melania let her clothes speak for her. In January 2018, at her husband's State of the Union address, the then-first lady wore a white pants suit - a symbol of the suffragists and contemporary women's empowerment. That speech was the first time the Trumps had been seen in public together since news broke of his affair with porn star Stormy Daniels, which allegedly took place shortly after Melania gave birth to Barron (Trump has denied the affair). Melania also made news during her solo trip to Africa when she donned a white pith helmet, a symbol of colonial rule, and when she essentially put on a fashion show in front of the pyramids when she posed in a pantsuit and tie. 'I wish people would focus on what I do, not what I wear,' she lamented in rare public comments. Melania Trump was criticized for wearing a white pith helmet, a symbol of colonialism, on her Africa trip (left); Melania Trump gave a fashion show of sorts in front of the pyramids (right) Melania Trump didn't just object to Ivanka, she worried about all of Trump's adult children meshing themselves in the White House - above the Trump family and Donald Trump's inauguration on January 20, 20217 Melania Trump's number one priority as first lady was protecting her son Barron But much of Melania's time as first lady was holding 'meetings with teams of lawyers to examine her assets and attend to matters associated with her pre- and postnuptial agreements with her husband,' Grisham told Rogers for her American Woman book. Melania had re-negotiated her prenup with Donald after he won the presidency, Washington Post reporter Mary Jordan revealed in her biography of Melania called 'The Art of Her Deal.' That book revealed how Melania Trump used her new-found leverage as first lady to renegotiate her pre-marriage deal, ensuring her son Barron would be treated the same as the president's three eldest children from his marriage to Ivana Trump. 'She wanted proof in writing that when it came to financial opportunities and inheritance, Barron would be treated as more of an equal to Trump's oldest three children,' Jordan writes. Barron Trump was 10 when his father was elected president. She wanted to ensure that Barron got his 'rightful share of inheritance,' particularly if Ivanka Trump took the reins of the family business. 'According to three people close to Trump, a key reason was that she had finally reached a new and significantly improved financial agreement with Trump, which had left her in a noticeably better financial position,' Jordan wrote of the marital negotiations. 'Those sources did not know precisely what she sought, but it was not simply more money.' It was about Barron. 'Melania wanted and got options for him,' the author noted. And Rogers adds more details, noting that 'negotiations were ongoing not only before Melania moved from New York but throughout the Trump presidency.' 'I know that she had very separate finances that she watched very carefully, and she had her own lawyers that she met with a good amount,' Grisham recalled. 'It often had to do with prenups and money in the bank that she had personally.' Melania's office confirmed the meetings but denied the pre-nup details. 'Mrs. Trump had a successful career before she met her husband and has always had her own businesses and assets,' a spokesperson for her told Rogers. 'As an accomplished professional, she frequently meets with her counsel.' Melania is 'largely motivated by the security and comfort of her lifestyle,' associates told Rogers. She is homebody, who prefers the comforts that Mar-a-Lago, with its private beach and luxury spa, can offer. Unlike her husband, she accepted Donald's loss in the 2020 election to Joe Biden 'in large part, aides said, because it meant she could return to her old life.' And she appears reluctant to leave it. Melania Trump has been noticeable by her absence. She has not been with Trump during any of his courtroom appearances during his legal battles in federal court and two state courts. She has not appeared at his side as he has railed against a 'witch hunt' against him via the legal system. And she has not appeared at a campaign event since Donald Trump announced in November 2022 that he would once again seek the presidency. Donald and Melania Trump leaving the White House on January 20, 2021 - Joe Biden's inauguration day Melania Trump has not appeared at a campaign event since Donald Trump announced in November 2022 that he would once again seek the presidency (above) Rogers, based on her interviews for her books, speculates how Melania Trump may manage another four more years in the White House: 'Perhaps she would be a First Lady based in Palm Beach.' 'According to people close to the Trumps, Melania is focused on getting her son into college. She has declined requests from her husband to make appearances on the campaign trail, though Trump campaign officials say that this may change as the campaign heats up.' 'But people who know her say she is happy keeping to herself behind the walled gates of Mar-a-Lago or ensconced in Trump Tower.' South Carolina is the fourth and final early contest state in the 2024 Republican presidential primary and voters in the state will have their chance to weigh-in on their preferred candidate on Saturday. Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley was hoping for a boost in her home state as she remains the last serious contender to try and foil former President Donald Trump's chances of a third straight GOP nomination. But polling leading up to Election Day show Haley trailing the former president by an average of 30 points. DailyMail.com breaks down what to watch on primary Election Day in South Carolina. THE BATTLE FOR SOUTH CAROLINA: Former President Donald Trump (left) and Nikki Haley (right) are the two final GOP primary candidates. He held a rally in Rock Hill Friday, while she appeared in Mount Pleasant at the Patriot's Point Naval & Maritime Museum Signs for former President Donald Trump and Republican rival Nikki Haley are seen at an intersection in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, a day before the Palmetto State primary VOTING DAY INFORMATION South Carolina had several days of early voting, where constituents could go to their polling places before Saturday to cast their ballots February 12-22. Polling places on Election Day on Saturday, February 23 open at 7:00 a.m. and close at 7:00 p.m. though voters who are in line at the time of closure will be permitted to cast their ballots. Primary results usually start to filter in shortly after poll closures depending on processing time for the ballots. Trump is holding an election night shindig in Columbia, South Carolina, the state capital, while Haley will address supporters from Charleston after voting mid-morning at her Kiawah Island polling place. WHO CAN VOTE? South Carolina holds an open primary, meaning motivated Democrats and independent voters can come out on Election Day to cast their preferred ballot. This also opens up the potential for protest voting. Some Trump supporters think Haley could get a boost from the backing of moderate and left-leaning residents, including from registered Democrats. Registered voters in South Carolina can vote in either the Democratic or Republican primary, but not both. South Carolina held early voting from February 12 to February 22. A woman in Columbia, South Carolina participates in early voting on Thursday, the final day to cast a ballot before the polls opened at 7 a.m. Saturday for Election Day The Trump faithful gathered Friday afternoon in Rock Hill, South Carolina for the ex-president's final Palmetto State rally before Election Day voting got underway SOUTH CAROLINA'S DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY South Carolina's primary looked a bit different this year for Democrats. While the state allows Democrats and Republicans pick the date of their respective presidential primary elections, it is usually the fourth voting contest state for both major U.S. political parties. But this year, Democrats decided they wanted the Palmetto State to hold the first primary contest opting for a more diverse first contest state than Iowa or New Hampshire. Biden easily won the Democratic primary in South Carolina on February 3 with 96 percent of the vote. WHAT SOUTH CAROLINA VOTERS ARE SAYING AHEAD OF THE PRIMARY Even in Haley's hometown of Bamberg, DailyMail.com found that a majority of voters heading to the polls are supportive of Trump. 'I voted for the winner,' 79-year-old Mike of Bamberg County said Thursday as he exited an early voting location. Pressed on who that was he offered, 'Mr. Trump.' The Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge that connects Charleston to Mount Pleasant is seen in the background from Nikki Haley's final campaign stop in her home state of South Carolina before Election Day voting kicked off Saturday A South Carolina voter participates in early voting on Thurday in Columbia, South Carolina One issue that has resonated has been Trump's recent jab that Haley's husband - who is in the U.S. military and deployed - is avoiding her by being in Africa. 'What happened to her husband? What happened to her husband?' the former president asked at a Conway, South Carolina rally earlier this month. 'Where is he? He's gone. He knew. He knew.' Suzanne Zimmermann, a 54-year-old retired school teacher from Fripp Island, told DailyMail.com she hopes comments like that will turn things around for Haley. 'I know she has a long way to go,' Zimmermann, who was attending Haley's Wednesday night rally in Beaufort relented. I'm hoping people will - especially when he says things like, you know, asking where her husband is - I'm hoping he will continue to shoot himself in the foot enough to where people will say ... why would we want that?' Zimmermann added. Mimbee Ray, 71-year-old retired office manager from Denmark who knows Haley personally, also brought up Trump's husband insult. She called Trump 'too vocal' adding 'especially like criticizing where's her husband.' A female supporter of Nikki Haley attends the former governor's final South Carolina rally Friday evening in Mount Pleasant A drone shot shows the scene of Nikki Haley's final South Carolina rally - at the Patriot's Point Naval & Maritime Museum, which is located in Mount Pleasant, across from the city of Charleston 'He's fighting in our military. And then by saying our military people are stupid or whatever, that was just not good,' Ray added. But for Trump's faithful, questioning Michael Haley's whereabouts was totally above board. 'And here's a question. Where is her husband? That's a good question. Why be insulted,' said Kathy, a 76-year-old Trump supporter from Bamberg County. WHAT'S NEXT? If Trump wins South Carolina on Saturday, which is the most likely outcome, the primary will continue if Haley decides to stay in the race. Ultimately, any candidate looking to earn the nomination needs to earn 1,215 delegates and 50 are up for grabs in South Carolina. Haley has so far earned 17 delegates to Trump's 63 after Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and the U.S. Virginia Islands weighed-in this year. During a 'state of the race' speech on Tuesday, Haley insisted she is 'far from' dropping out. She has repeatedly said she plans to stay in the running until Super Tuesday on March 5, which is when 15 different states will hold concurrent primaries. If polling predictions come to fruition on Saturday and Haley loses her home state, her chances of remaining a viable candidate slips even further. 'I think we need to win the battle of ideas,' she said as she promotes new book She attended the CPAC gathering in the suburbs of Washington DC this week Former PM Liz Truss has been a frequent visitor to the US since being ousted Liz Truss may have lasted just 49 days as British prime minister but she is plotting a new course back to relevance as a darling of the American far right and as the bridge in a transatlantic conservative movement. She has spent the past two days sharing platforms with the likes of populist rabble rouser and election denier Steve Bannon at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) at the National Harbor in Maryland. The event has long been one of the most influential conservative gatherings in the world, and today is a showcase for Donald Trump's MAGA movement. Her colleagues back home could learn something from the full-throated arguments on display, said Truss. 'I think we need to win the battle of ideas, as conservatives, and we had to do that in the 70s, we had to win the battle of ideas,' she told DailyMail.com Former British Prime Minister Liz Truss spoke to DailyMail.com during the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) at the National Harbor in Maryland She is promoting her new book, 'Ten Years to Save the West,' which is due out in April 'And yes, I do see the conservative movement in America as an inspiration for that. 'Now, if you look at what's been achieved in Texas, by Governor Abbott, that is a example of creating an environment that is less hostile to conservatives. 'And I believe many people in Britain want to see proper conservative policies enacted, but we are operating in a hostile environment.' Abbott has fought the Biden administration on immigration, putting up his own razor wire defenses and busing migrants to liberal cities far from the border, taking a tough line on abortion with the Texas Heartbeat Act, and pushing back on COVID-19 restrictions during the pandemic. It is all new territory for Truss, who was once seen as something of a centrist in British politics. She campaigned against Brexit, for example, and used to speak glowingly of how European regulations were good for Britain the sort of globalist speak treated with suspicion in America's isolationist right. She took over as prime minister from Boris Johnson in 2022 but her plans for billions of pounds in tax cuts sent the markets into turmoil, driving up home home mortgage rates and sending sterling into freefall. Since then she has been a frequent visitor to the U.S. This time she is plugging a book, Ten Years to Save the West, due out in April. It is a call to arms against the unelected 'administrative state' that she believes wrecked her premiership. 'For too long, the left have essentially run the free world. And they're running it into the ground,' she said. 'We've got these protesters on the streets of the United States, the border is completely out of control. Tax rates are higher. Regulation is going up.' The ex-premier sat alongside former UKIP leader Nigel Farage during a panel on Wednesday And in an interview with former Trump adviser Steve Bannon after her CPAC address, Truss said she was willing to work with Farage to change the Tories Farage is a regular at CPAC, but Truss was making her first appearance as she looks to rebuild her reputation and place in the conservative movement after a disastrous stint in Number 10 People write on a Trump themed bus at the Conservative Political Action Conference, CPAC 2024, at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center, Maryland The danger is that those unseen forces are undermining the West's position in a global power struggle. 'I'm a big supporter of the Reagan 'peace through strength' doctrine. That's what we need to see,' she said. 'I think the West is in serious danger. China has never been in a more powerful position. They're now very closely allied with Iran and Russia.' The evidence is visible in the war in Ukraine and Hamas's October 7 attacks in Israel. Her conclusions, however, might be a harder sell to the American right, which is held in Trump's isolationist grip. 'I'm very clear, you know that the whole West needs to support Ukraine because they're fighting our battle on the frontier of freedom in the same way the whole West needs to support Israel,' she said. 'I've been very disappointed in the backsliding on that.' She insists that everyone she has spoken to is intent on supporting Ukraine. Yet she is clearly at odds with Republicans in Congress are blocking a bill that would send $60 billion to keep Ukrainian forces armed and fighting. And there are other potential differences with her new audience. She has no truck with 2020 election denialism, saying that Biden won fair and square. CPAC has long been regarded as one of the most influential gatherings of conservatives in the world. These days it is part of former President Donald Trump's power base The gathering featured a string of possible contenders to be Trump's VP pick, such as Governor of South Dakota Kristi Noem 'I believe so. Yes,' she said. Her argument overlaps with Trump when it comes to the 'administrative state' or the 'deep state.' Her mistake at Number 10 Downing Street was not pursuing the wrong policies, she said (cutting taxes, pursuing fracking to bring down energy prices, building houses, stripping out European laws that remain on the books in Britain even after Brexit.) Her mistake, she said, was thinking she could get it done in the face of the 'administrative state.' 'What I discovered is the huge power that unelected bodies now have in Britain, like the Office of Budget Responsibility, like the Bank of England, I even had the [International Monetary Fund] weighing in on what we were doing,' she said. 'The point I'm making in my book, is that it's not enough just to be in a position of power and have the right policies, if you've got a system that is hostile to conservatism, and that is what I fear we have in Britain.' A January 6 themed pinball machine at the Conservative Political Action Conference, CPAC 2024, at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center, Maryland Attendees were criticized for making light of the attack on the 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol Returning a Republican to the White House is one part of that, she said. 'I think this year is a critical year in global politics,' she said. 'And I want to see the Republicans win this election. I fear that our enemies will be emboldened if they don't.' But the CPAC conference is all a far cry from the British Conservative Party conferences held in genteel seaside resorts. One session at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center was entitled 'cat fight,' and involved commentators slating former first lady Michelle Obama and Vice President Kamala Harris as they weighed the chances that one of them would replace Biden in November's vote. The exhibitors' hall featured a Jan. 6 pinball game, triggering accusations that attendees were making light of the 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol. And a giant advert for Truss' new book rubbed shoulders with one for a biography of former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, whose recent interview with Vladimir Putin was so soft that even the Russian president mocked him for it. None of that fazed Truss. Although she admitted she was a little startled by some of the outfits on display. 'There's fewer people in Second Amendment dresses at the Conservative Party conference or wearing Statue of Liberty outfits,' she said. 'There's definitely a lot more dressing up here.' Donald Trump Jr. also gave a kick to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell after the former president said he wasn't sure if he could work with the Kentucky Republican if he's reelected later this year. Trump Jr. was campaigning for his father Friday in South Carolina, a day before the state's Republican primary, where the ex-president is nearly 30 points ahead of his final GOP rival, former U.N. ambassador and South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley. At the Trump campaign's South Carolina headquarters located in North Charleston, the former first son smacked around Republicans willing to fund Ukraine's war effort against Russia. 'I called out Mitch the Glitch,' Trump Jr. said. 'Can we find someone who doesn't freeze up? It's like Windows 92. Buffering, buffering, buffering.' He later told DailyMail.com in a gaggle that he had someone in mind for McConnell's replacement. Donald Trump Jr. also gave a kick to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, while campaigning for his father in South Carolina Friday, after the ex-president said he may not be able to work with the Kentucky Republican if he's reelected later this year 'Can we find someone who doesn't freeze up? It's like Windows 92. Buffering, buffering, buffering,' Donald Trump Jr. said referencing McConnell's bizarre freezing incidents (pictured) that happened twice last year 'I think in the Senate right now, I mean, I think guys like a J.D. Vance, people who are actually willing to call out the club. I think that's so important,' Trump Jr. said. Vance, 39, was elected to the Senate in 2022, one of a handful of Trump-backed Republicans to win their races in what was otherwise a disappointing showing for the party. McConnell, 82, has had some health struggles in recent years, including two bizarre freezing incidents. 'It is funny and I try to do some of this with humor because it drives the point home,' Trump Jr. said after using the McConnell nickname with the crowd. 'That guy, just like Joe Biden, he'll go out and tell us that Ukraine is the No. 1 priority for Republicans across the country.' Trump made a similar point after Senate Republicans passed a $118 billion package to beef up border protection while funding aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. 'This Bill is a great gift to the Democrats and a Death Wish for The Republican Party,' Trump posted to Truth Social before it was tanked by the GOP-led House. Then on Tuesday, which was McConnell's birthday, Trump said at a Fox News town hall in South Carolina that he probably couldn't work with McConnel should he win in November. 'He'll probably end up endorsing me. I don't know that I can work with him,' the ex-president said. 'He gave trillions of dollars that he didn't have to, trillions of dollars. He made it very easy for the Democrats.' While Trump Jr. had an easy answer for a McConnell replacement, he played it more coy when reporters asked who he'd like to see as his father's running mate. 'There would be a couple that I'd love to see, only just for like the vice presidential debate, right? I'd love to see like a Tucker Carlson go up against Kamala,' Trump Jr said. He added 'Tim's a good friend of mine,' when a reporter asked him about South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, who despite being initially appointed to the Senate by Haley endorsed Trump ahead of last month's New Hampshire primary. 'There are plenty of people I hate as a VP choice,' Trump Jr. said when DailyMail.com asked him to name names. 'Like the vast majority of Washington, D.C.' He then credited himself for being the first to be 'very vocal' about how bad Haley would be as the veep. 'Her team would be handpicked by the swamp to - there's a better word for it - but snake every decision, leak everything, make everything impossible, so you don't need that,' Trump Jr. said. 'So I sort of got ahead of the trend.' 'Because everybody hates Nikki Haley on our side of this,' he added. If political advertising won elections, Republican presidential hopeful Nikki Haley would be completely crushing it in South Carolina against Donald Trump. But it doesn't. Haley and supporting groups have outspent the former GOP president nearly 15-to-1 ahead of the first in the south primary contest on Saturday. They have put about $15 million into ad buys while Trump's campaign and supporting groups have spent a fraction of that at just over $1 million. But in the days before the primary, the former president was leading Haley in polling by double-digits. The USA Today/Suffolk poll of likely Republican primary voters had Trump at 63 percent while Haley was at 35 percent in her home state. On Friday, Haley argued the goal in the contest is for it to be 'competitive.' She has been crisscrossing the state campaigning much more intensely than Trump while making her closing argument: the United States cannot have more of the same with President Biden and Trump. She has also sharpened her attacks on the former Republican president, and the closing ads promoting Haley reflect that. In a 30-second Haley campaign spot playing across South Carolina television markets, images of Trump and Biden are shown as a narrator says 'when your country is divided, your president must unite us.' It cuts to images of Haley. The narrator continues 'she ran to revive our state, she got it done.' It ends with Haley saying she's running for a 'strong' and 'proud' America. The pro-Haley Super PAC SFA Fund Inc has also been running ads in the state using clips from Haley's recent 'state of the race' speech in which she went after Trump calling him 'unhinged.' Watching just an hour of primetime television in South Carolina, viewers were likely to be subjected to a barrage of Haley ads that often repeated. Haley's closing message in her South Carolina campaign ad is how she's running for a 'strong' and 'proud' America. The Pro-Haley Super PAC SFA Fund Inc. has also been running ads that use clips from her 'state of the race' speech going after Trump as 'unstable' and 'unhinged' Trump has been airing ads in South Carolina that go after Haley over Social Security. It is the same ad his campaign aired in New Hampshire. The campaign is also airing ads nationally that hit Haley over immigration Trump held a rally in Rock Hill, SC on the eve of the South Carolina primary where polls have him leading by double-digits Haley campaigning in Mount Pleasant, SC on Friday. Her closing argument is she can win the general election and Trump can't While Trump was also airing ads in South Carolina ahead of the primary, like his campaign appearances in the state, the ads were noticeably less frequent. His campaign's ad took aim at Haley over entitlement reforms, accusing her of wanting to cut Social Security. It used a clip of Haley talking about the need to change the retirement age. The same ad also previously aired in New Hampshire. Trump has also been hitting Haley over immigration with an ad that is airing nationally. In it the narrator slams Haley as 'too weak to protect America' while claiming Trump will. As Haley has vowed to fight on no matter what happens in the South Carolina primary, she has also moved forward with ad buys in future primary contests. Her campaign recently went up with an ad in Michigan which holds its primary on February 27. In it, Haley appears on camera calling for a 'new generation' and a 'new conservative president.' On Friday, her campaign also announced a seven-figure ad buy across Super Tuesday states including ads on cable television and digital platforms. Voters in sixteen states head to the polls on Super Tuesday, March 5 when 874 delegates are up for grabs. 'As we look to the path ahead we know that this is an uphill battle, we know that the road is difficult, we know that the math is challenging,' said Betsy Ankney, Haley's campaign manager, in a call announcing the future ad buys with reporters. But she said it has never just been about winning a Republican primary but about who can defeat Democrats in November. An Ohio murderess shared photos of herself enjoying a Caribbean beach break...after leaving her baby daughter home alone to die of hunger and thirst in her play pen. Kristel Candelario, 32, now faces life in prison after pleading guilty to the aggravated murder of her baby daughter Jailyn, but appeared less than concerned when she jetted off to Puerto Rico. In one image shared three days into her daughter's 10-day fatal abandonment, she is seen smiling on a white sandy beach in sunglasses and a white shirt, which she captioned: 'The time that is enjoyed is the true time lived.' At the same time, her 16-month-old baby lay dead in a pile of her own filth, and the Cayuhoga County medical examiner's office determined that the toddler had died of starvation and severe dehydration. At the conclusion of her plea deal this week, prosecutors described her actions as 'one of those truly unimaginable cases that will stick with me for many years to come.' Kristel Candelario, 32, beamed as she posed on a Puerto Rican beach in an image posted three days into her daughter's ten-day abandonment which she captioned: 'The time that is enjoyed is the true time lived' In another picture taken from her cold-blooded holiday, Candelario donned jean shorts and a 'Mandalorian' Star Wars t-shirt as she appeared to visit a Star Wars theme park At the same time as her tropical vacation, her 16-month-old baby Jailyn lay dead in a pile of her own filth, and medical examiners determined that the toddler had died of starvation and severe dehydration In another picture taken from her cold-blooded holiday, Candelario donned jean shorts and a 'Mandalorian' Star Wars t-shirt as she appeared to visit a Star Wars theme park. She beamed from ear to ear in the image, despite the horror she later admitted to leaving behind in her home in Cleveland, Ohio. Prosecutors said she abandoned Jailyn in her Pack-N-Play pen in June 2023, whisking away for trip to Detroit and Puerto Rico. She made the trips with her older daughter, and it is unclear why Candelario did not ask anyone to help her care for her child while she was traveling. After 10 days of sunning herself on the beach and enjoying the local attractions, she returned to her home on June 16 to find her daughter not breathing. Paramedics and Cleveland police tragically pronounced the one-year-old dead at the scene, and prosecutors said the child was discovered 'on a liner soiled with urine and feces with soiled blankets.' After the shocking autopsy ruling over her daughter's condition, Candelario was indicted on charges of aggravated murder, two counts of murder, felonious assaults and endangering children. The two murder counts and felony assault charges were dropped in her plea deal this week, in exchange for pleading guilty to aggravated murder and child endangerment. Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael O'Malley, announcing the plea on Thursday, said: 'This case is one of those truly unimaginable cases that will stick with me for many years to come. 'As prosecutors, it is our job to represent the victims and today we spoke on behalf of 16-month-old Jailyn - who is no longer with us - due to the selfish decisions her mother made. 'This conviction today, is the first step towards justice for Jailyn.' Candelario, 32, now faces life in prison after pleading guilty to the aggravated murder and endangerment of her baby daughter The Ohio mom returned from her 10-day jaunt to her home in Cleveland, Ohio (pictured) to find Jailyn was not breathing Prosecutors said the child was found dead 'on a liner soiled with urine and feces with soiled blankets' Candelario's attorneys, Derek Smith and Patrick Milligan, declined to go into details about the plea deal, according to Cleveland.com. 'This was a real emotional day for our client. She has taken responsibility for what she did, and she is remorseful,' Milligan said. 'There will be mitigating issues that come up at sentencing that we will address. Hopefully, people will realize that she is not the monster that some see her as.' The defense attorneys said Candelario suffered from mental health issues but refused to provide further information. A neighbor also revealed that this was not the first time Candelario had left her baby daughter home alone. An acquaintance told News5 Cleveland: 'We keep telling her not to leave her by herself, not just me, my friend across the street too, but she always leave her by herself.' Another female neighbor, who was not identified, told CNN that Jailyn was 'always a happy baby' and was 'always smiling.' A neighbor revealed that this was not the first time Candelario had left her baby daughter home alone, claiming she would 'always leave her by herself' At the conclusion of her plea deal this week, prosecutors described her actions as 'one of those truly unimaginable cases that will stick with me for many years to come' The neighbor's daughter said there were 'plenty of people' around to have watched the baby, saying: 'She could have knocked on any of our doors and asked us to take care of Jailyn and we would have.' 'When they told us the state they found her in, I was just heartbroken,' the teenage neighbor told CNN. Candelario had previously worked as a building substitute at Citizen Academy Glenville, an elementary school in Cleveland. She had been in that role since November 2022, but was fired after her arrest. The school issued a statement announcing her termination, WEWS-TV reported. According to officials with Children and Family Services, there is no record of any previous cases involving Candelario. Nick Langworthy advocates in his Jan. 16 opinion, for undoing New Yorks fracking ban and suggests that somehow, burning more gas will make us safer during storms. Gas furnaces do not work in power outages. Storms are more frequent and intense due to fossil fuel-induced climate change. Scientists are alarmed as we reach the threshold of 1.5C degrees of warming. During 2023, the hottest year on record, 23 weather events occurred nationwide that each exceeded $1 billion in damages. Throughout the previous four decades, a typical year saw only eight events of such magnitude. Fossil fuels in buildings are New Yorks largest source of climate warming pollution. We must act with urgency to reduce these emissions. The NY HEAT Act is a vital climate bill. Hundreds of New Yorkers from across the state gathered in Albany recently to applaud Gov. Kathy Hochul for including key portions of NY HEAT in her budget and to call on legislators to include this health and climate saving bill in their budgets. This bill would set limits on the proportion of household income spent on utility bills. No one should have to choose between heating their home and putting food on the table. The NY HEAT Act will change outdated regulations that allow gas utilities to pass the cost of new pipelines on to rate payers, saving New Yorkers $200 million per year. NY HEAT will lower bills and create the pathway for transition from our outdated climate-destroying gas system to modern, clean, heating and cooling technologies. Diana Strablow Saranac Lake Family and friends of missing Channel 10 presenter Jesse Baird have told police they were deeply concerned about the behaviour of his ex-boyfriend. Baird, 26, and new boyfriend Luke Davies, 29, have not be seen or heard from since Sunday, with police on Friday charging his former partner Beau Lamarre-Condon, a NSW police constable, with two counts of murder. Baird, who was also an AFL umpire, and Davies, a Qantas flight steward, were known as popular and kind-hearted young men with tributes for the missing pair flowing from their colleagues and friends. NSW Police Detective Superintendent Danny Doherty did not suggest an alleged motive to reporters on Friday but said the relationship, which ended a few months ago, was an 'obvious line of inquiry'. He said there had been no 'warning flags' or complaints raised with police since the pair split but that in the course of their inquiries it has since 'been documented that there was some worrying behaviour that has been alleged by family and friends'. 'But that was never reported to police,' he said. Jesse Baird (left) and Luke Davies (right) have not been seen or heard from for a week The Channel 10 presenter and his new partner (pictured) went public with their relationship weeks ago but friends and family have told police they had concerns over his ex-partner A man places flowers at the Paddington residence of Jesse Baird in Sydney on Saturday Lamarre-Condon, 28, handed himself into Bondi Police Station about 10.30am on Friday and appeared at Waverley Local Court that afternoon where he did not apply for bail. Before joining the police force, where he worked in an unspecified specialist group, he ran online celebrity blogs and would track down Hollywood A-listers to get snaps with them. READ MORE: Timeline of disappearance of Jesse Baird and boyfriend Luke Davies Advertisement The switch to policing was not as unusual as it might seem, with his mother and sister both having been officers with NSW Police. According to court documents, Baird and Davies were both allegedly killed by Lamarre-Condon at Baird's Paddington terrace house between 12.01am and 5.30pm on Monday. The shooting allegedly occurred just hours after they were last seen alive at a pre-Mardi Gras party night on Sunday at the Beresford Hotel in Surry Hills. Neighbours said they heard arguing from the Paddington house early on Monday morning. Later on Monday evening, Lamarre-Condon hired a white Toyota HiAce van from Mascot and allegedly used it to dispose of the couple's bodies, police said. A white Toyota HiAce police allege was used to transport the bodies of Mr Baird and Mr Davies was located at Grays Point near Cronulla. It is pictured being removed by police Constable Beau Lamarre-Condon (pictured) was charged with allegedly murdering flight attendant Luke Davies and former Channel 10 presenter Jesse Baird Detectives believe Lamarre-Condon then returned the alleged murder weapon, a police issued Glock pistol, to a police station's locked firearms safe on Tuesday. He took sick leave from the NSW Police Force for the rest of the day and failed to return to work on Wednesday. Police were first alerted to the missing pair after bloodied clothes and credit cards belonging to them were found in a Cronulla skip bin by a worker on Wednesday. They then attended Davies' Paddington house where they found pools of blood and a cartridge case from a pistol they have since allegedly matched to a police service weapon. In the early stages of the investigation, Baird's friends told police they were getting texts from him until after 11pm on Tuesday, leading police to suspect his phone had been kept and used after his alleged murder. Lamarre-Condon was charged after he handed himself into police at Bondi following a massive manhunt (Lamarre-Condon is pictured being led away for questioning by detectives) Police scour Baird's Paddington residence for clues this week after his bloodied clothes and credit cards were found in a Cronulla skip bin Baird and Davies only made their relationship public a matter of weeks ago, posting pictures to social media visiting a Hunter Valley winery and attending a Pink concert. Ten reporter Lachlan Kennedy said Baird was a popular figure in the newsroom. 'His talent was undeniable and energy infectious,' he wrote on X. 'For years we chatted footy, utes and country music, so because I can't find the words right now, I'll let Cody sing it.' Kennedy included a link to American country music performer Cody Johnson's song, Til You Can't. Mr Baird had worked as a presenter at the network since January 2017, including stints on children's show Totally Wild and as a reporter for Studio 10. 10 News First host and Studio 10 colleague Narelda Jacobs struggled to get the words out when reporting on the alleged fatal shooting. 10 News First Midday host Narelda Jacobs struggled through a news segment on the alleged murders on Friday The pair shared pictured of themselves attending a Hunter Valley winery and a Pink concert 'They are both much loved men with a wide circle of loved ones, family and friends who adore them,' she said. 'Luke of course has an enormously supportive workforce at Qantas, he was a flight attendant, and the same for Jesse at the AFL and here at Channel 10. 'Our thoughts are with their loved ones, their colleagues, their friends and their families at this very traumatic time.' Jacobs stumbled over her words during the report and her voice broke as she said an update would be provided later on Friday. She uploaded the clip of the news report to her Instagram, acknowledging it was delivered 'through a trembling voice'. 'Honouring these two beautiful men on the darkest of days. Forever in our hearts Jesse Baird and Luke Davies,' she wrote. 'Our hearts are broken.' National affairs editor and presenter at 10 News First, Hugh Riminton, also described Mr Baird as a 'beloved young colleague' in a post shared to X on Friday. 'RIP my beloved young colleague, Jesse,' Riminton wrote. 'Happy with a new man - and that, it is being alleged, was the problem. Condolences also to the family and friends of Luke Davies. Many tears tonight.' Channel 10 star Hugh Riminton also paid tribute to Mr Baird on social media, describing him as a 'beloved young colleague' (pictured) Fellow colleague and veteran presenter at Channel 10 Sandra Sully shared Riminton's post with the caption, 'newsroom heartbroken' followed by three broken heart emojis. The AFL said it was 'deeply saddened to learn of the distressing news regarding umpire Jesse Baird and his partner Luke Davies'. The entire AFL family's thoughts are with both Jesse and Luke's families, as well as our umpiring and broader team.' The statement described Mr Baird as 'a popular and respected member of our AFL umpiring family' whose career spanned 62 AFL matches, including two finals. Ten colleague Abbie Chatfield also shared a touching tribute to Mr Baird, explaining he was the first person she met when she started at the network. The Australian media personality, TV host and radio presenter described Mr Baird as 'lovely, kind and funny'. 'I am so devastated to hear the news of Jesse Baird and Luke Davies. Working for Channel 10, we all crossed paths,' she wrote. 'He was lovely, kind and funny and gave me the time of day when I was just some girl from the bachelor and a lot of people didn't really want to speak to me.' Chatfield said she hoped 'justice was served in the most severe way'. 'This is not only a huge loss to those close to the two men, but for the queer community as a whole. Rest in peace,' Chatfield wrote. Baird was also an umpire for the AFL having worked on more than 60 top level games Det Supt Doherty said police had traced a bullet cartridge found at the scene and that there was other evidence he could 'not discuss'. '(The cartidge) has now been physically matched to a NSW Police firearm and forms part of the evidence for the alleged facts to face court for this 28-year-old man.' The bodies of Mr Baird and Mr Davies are yet to be found. During his court appearance on Friday, Lamarre-Condon only looked up briefly to acknowledge the magistrate, and had no-one in court, either family or friends, to support him. Lamarre-Condon did not apply for bail, via a legal-aid representative, and will appear again on April 23. An Ohio Republican State Senator and his wife have been accused of shooting at two teenagers who they spotted on their Columbiana County property but insist they fired into the ground. Michael Rulli admits he fired with his pistol at what he believed to be people trespassing on his land on November 28, 2022, around 5:15am. Rulli was outside his Salem, Ohio home at the time with his dogs when he heard rustling in nearby trees. He called out but there was no response, so he fired in the general direction of the noise. But Hayden Cibula, 16, insists he was was fired upon by Rulli, while believing he was on land owned by Hayden's uncle, Joe Kinirons, and thought he had permission to hunt. A Republican State Senator and his wife from Ohio, Michael and Kelly Rulli are accused of shooting at a teenage boy and his girlfriend on their property Hayden Cibulas and family maintain they were shot at. Hayden is pictured with his girlfriend The special prosecutor found Rulli's actions were 'reasonable', and no charges were filed against him or Hayden, despite his findings that he was trespassing. Hayden recounted how he believed he was several hundred yards away from Rulli's property at the time of the shooting, but the senator contends the distance was just 15 yards away. Hayden also claimed Rulli was trying to shoot directly at him and his girlfriend but Rulli maintains that he was only firing at the ground. Later that evening, at around 7pm, a similar set of circumstances occurred. This time, Kelly Rulli, Michael's wife, was outside and heard noise coming from the same area as that morning. She is alleged to have fired a shot at Hayden and three other Cibula family members as they returned to retrieve their tree stands and hunting gear. The Cibulas, dispute Rulli's claim that they both fired into the ground as a warning shot and insist they were shot at. Kelly Rulli also claims to have been standing on her front porch, and not close to where the Cibulas were walking. A special prosecutor found the Rulli's actions 'reasonable' after they fired into the ground and gave verbal warnings Rulli fired shots in the early morning, claiming Hayden Cibula, 16, pictured, had been trespassing, but the teen insists he had permission to hunt on a neighbors land Special prosecutor, Jay Macejko, found differences in the accounts but concluded that the Rullis' actions were reasonable after they stressed how they fired into the ground and called out verbal warnings. The prosecutor's report emphasized the lack of credible evidence that the Rullis intentionally shot at the Cibulas. No shell casings or bullets were recovered from either incident. 'Mr. Rulli reported that he observed flashlights and heard rustling on his property near a treeline,' the special counsel's report details. 'Mr. Rulli yelled to the individuals but heard no response. Mr. Rulli reports that he returned the dogs to the house and exited his home with a handgun. He continued yelling and fires one shot into the ground. 'There is simply no credible evidence present at the time of this review that either member of the Rulli family 'shot at' anyone,' Macejko wrote. Hayden Cibulas has expressed their frustration over being shot at by someone they perceive who was acting above the law He concluded the Rullis' actions were 'reasonable,' saying they called out warnings and had a 'subjective fear' in the moment. 'While one should always be cautious and certain when discharging a firearm, doing so into the ground even if unwise is not unlawful harassment or otherwise illegal in this case,' Macejko wrote. Despite the discrepancies and the proximity of the hunting setup to the property boundary, the special prosecutor deemed the Rullis' actions to be reasonable under the circustances. Despite no criminal charges being filed, both Hayden and Ashley Cibula remain adamant that the Rullis fired at them. They maintain they were on their uncle's property, where they had permission to be, and were hundreds of yards away from the Rulli's property. They say the Rulli's actions were reckless. 'It was really reckless,' Hayden Cibula said to Cleveland.com. 'There was no reason to shoot. He could have came down to talk to us. But there was no reason to shoot.' Hayden insists Rulli 'was really trying to shoot at us.' A special prosecutor found variations in the accounts but concluded that the Rullis' actions were 'reasonable' after stressing how they fired into the ground and called out verbal warnings 'All of a sudden, a gun is fired at us, again. She is screaming, "Get off my property",' Ashley Cibula said of Mrs Rulli's firing. 'We were all shot at. Me, my husband, and my two sons. 'We're just normal citizens who were shot at by someone who thinks they're above the law,' she said. Rulli, meanwhile, has asserted his right to defend his property and family noting how he has received similar threats in connection to his political work as an Ohio State Senator since winning his seat in 2018. 'No one was hurt, and the incident was fully investigated by a special prosecutor from outside of the county, who found there were no grounds to press charges,' Rulli said. 'It's my God-given right to defend my property and family, and I will continue advocating for it.' Both families have been left upset following the incidents with the Cibulas expressing their frustration over their belief Rulli was acting above the law. While it was initially listed for $14.95, it ended up selling for $18,101 at auction Made of 14-karat gold, the mask was manufactured in 2001 as one of 30 pieces A rare Lego piece found at a Goodwill store has been purchased for almost $20,000 in an online auction. The Bionicle Golden Kanohi Hau mask, manufactured in 2001, was found by employees inside a branch of the non-profit warehouse store in DuBois, Pennsylvania. Weighing 26.14 grams, the 14-karat gold Lego mask and was one of 30 pieces of its kind made at the time. The mask had been listed at a base price of just $14.95 at Shop Goodwill but following its discovery, the rare item was previously bid for at a whopping $33,000. The Bionicle Golden Kanohi Hau mask, manufactured in 2001, was found by employees inside a branch of the non-profit warehouse store in DuBois, Pennsylvania Weighing 26.14 grams, the 14-karat gold Lego mask and was one of 30 pieces of its kind made at the time The mask had been listed at a base price of just $14.95 at Shop Goodwill but following its discovery, the rare item was previously bid for at a whopping $33,000 Chad Smith, Goodwill's vice president of e-commerce and technology told WTAJ: 'There's 30 of the gold ones. They do make some silver ones and some platinum ones. 'We've been talking about it all week. I really haven't even had a chance to think about it, but it's pretty amazing. 'It just shows you never know what you're going to find on shopgoodwill.com.' Some of the 30 pieces were gifted to LEGO employees and the rest were awarded through a contest in 2001. The mask is a part of Lego's Bionicle collection and according to the toy-manufacturing company, the collection has inspired 'a large number of interconnected media, including books, movies, TV series, comics, video games, and other licensed products' between 2001 and line's original end in 2010. Some of the 30 pieces were gifted to LEGO employees and the rest were awarded through a contest in 2001 The mask is a part of Lego's Bionicle collection and according to the toy-manufacturing company, the collection has inspired 'a large number of interconnected media, including books, movies, TV series, comics, video games, and other licensed products' between 2001 and line's original end in 2010 But despite its massive popularity, the mask went unrecognized by the workers at the Goodwill store Jessica Illuzzi, Goodwill Industries of North Central Pennsylvania Social Media & PR Coordinator said: 'We didn't know what we had when we found it. It came in a box full of random jewelry from the State College store. So it had already been processed through donations there' 'A combination of the words 'biological chronicle,' the BIONICLE line featured characters that were a combination of both mechanical and organic elements. The line proved to be a cultural phenomenon, enriched by a long-running story about the Matoran universe that reached far beyond the toys themselves,' as described by LEGO. But despite its massive popularity, the mask went unrecognized by the workers at the Goodwill store. Jessica Illuzzi, Goodwill Industries of North Central Pennsylvania Social Media & PR Coordinator said: 'We didn't know what we had when we found it. It came in a box full of random jewelry from the State College store. So it had already been processed through donations there. 'I think it's really cool that there's so few of them, but it's also kind of cool to find out the research behind it. And then the final step is to find the right collector to take that really once it.' This discovery comes two months after a Virginia woman's casual vase shopping at her local Goodwill led her to unknowingly find one of the rarest Italian pieces of art. Jessica Vincent, 43, was scouring her local Goodwill when a 13-inch Murano glass vase wrapped in burgundy and green brushstrokes caught her eye. She suspected there was something special about it and made a purchase for $3.99. Jessica Vincent, 43, was scouring her local Goodwill when she found a 13-inch Murano glass vase wrapped in burgundy and green brushstrokes and bought it for $3.99 The piece was estimated to sell for $30,00050,000 when it went on auction on December 13 but instead went for $107,100 'It was so unusual. It had such quality. I knew it was a good piece of glass with the mark on the bottom,' she said. 'I knew it was coming home with me.' After a little research once she got home, Vincent was shocked to learn the piece was a 1940s design by influential Venetian architect Carlo Scarpa, part of the Pennellate series he designed for Venini, a century-old glass workshop on the isle of Murano. In an effort to learn more, Murano uploaded a picture of the vase to a Facebook group and grew even more excited by the responses. Members rushed to help her identify the rare item - some even began offering money to buy it. One member even offered her $10,000 for the vase, but she declined; others suggested contacting the Wright's Auction House in New York. The piece was estimated to fetch between $30,00050,000 when it went on auction on December 13 but instead sold for $107,100. In July 2023, a Kentucky man hit gold after he discovered over 700 rare golden dollars buried in his farm in what experts have called the 'Great Kentucky Hoard.' One of the coins in the collection - a 1863 $20 Gold Liberty - is pictured. The piece usually commands a six figure sum at auction The unidentified man filmed himself digging up the loot- all minted between 1840 and 1863 - as he exclaimed: 'This is the most insane thing ever.' Pictured: the full collection The unidentified individual filmed himself digging up the loot- all minted between 1840 and 1863 - as he exclaimed: 'This is the most insane thing ever.' One of the coins discovered - an 1863 $20 Gold Liberty - could fetch up to six figures at auction, experts from GovMint said. The collection boasts 18 of the ultra-rare pieces. It means if every one of them commands at least $100,000, the owner could be in for a $1.8 million payday. And that doesn't account for the hundreds of other rare coins in the collection. Archeologists speculate that the 'treasure' belonged to wealthy Kentuckians in the 1860s who were known to bury huge sums of money to protect it from a Confederate raid during the American Civil war. The coins were verified by the Numismatic Guaranty Co. (NGC) who graded them as being in 'extremely fine to mint state condition.' It is unclear exactly where the land is located but it reportedly belong to the man who dug them up, according to Live Science. Experts estimated that 95 percent of the hoard is made up of gold dollars - including $1 Gold Indians, $10 Gold Libertys and $20 Gold Libertys. The coins are believed to be linked to the Civil War when many people hoarded their money due to the rise in outlaws, bootleggers and gangsters. As of now the identity of the person who bought the Bionicle Golden Kanohi Hau mask remains unknown. Hundreds of bars, restaurants and hotels have shut down or been left teetering on the brink because of the SNPs punishing tax regime, hospitality chiefs have warned. Many more are being turned into zombie businesses as they cut back on menus and opening hours just to make ends meet amid the spiralling costs. Industry leaders last night said the futures of family-run businesses were on a precipice because of the Scottish Governments refusal to offer any relief from sky-high rates. Michelin-starred television chef Nick Nairn warned that some of the countrys most celebrated restaurant and bar owners were increasingly giving up the struggle to stay afloat. He blames the failure of the SNP Government to help the industry to recover from the damaging Covid period and the resulting cost of living crisis. Nairn said: I talk to my colleagues regularly, and the phrase I hear the most is, Why do we bother? Why are we doing this? There must be a better way. Deputy First Minister Shona Robison decided against a 75 per cent business rates relief to hospitality, retail and leisure firms If Im honest, I think were all seeing what has been happening in Scotland for a long time now. People have been scared to open their mouths, to question things, because there has been a culture of secrecy, a culture of obfuscation. There is also a culture where people who stick their heads above the parapet and question the edict of the day are punished. It is estimated that nearly 3,000 hospitality businesses closed in the UK last year, many of them north of the Border. The sector in Scotland had hoped Deputy First Minister Shona Robison would throw it a financial lifeline. But industry leaders felt betrayed by the SNPs December Budget when she decided against following a 2.6billion commitment by Chancellor Jeremy Hunt to give 75 per cent business rates relief to hospitality, retail and leisure firms south of the Border. This was despite the Scottish Government receiving a massive boost to the block grant as a direct result of the move. Scottish Tory finance spokesman Liz Smith said: This latest bleak picture painted by Scotlands hospitality sector should be heeded urgently by the SNP. Their continued stubbornness and failure to pass on 75 per cent rates relief to the industry as has been done south of the Border is meaning businesses are closing their doors at an alarming rate or cutting back on hours. The SNP have the funding to do this with a record block grant from the UK Government and it is time they did so before more businesses are pushed beyond breaking point. The lack of support means Scottish pubs will be an estimated 15,000 worse off than their counterparts in England, while a medium-sized hotel could be close to 30,000 worse off. Leon Thompson of UKHospitality Scotland, said many outlets were teetering on the brink, while others were operating drastically reduced hours, effectively turning themselves into zombie businesses. He added: Were missing such a huge opportunity in Scotland just now. Our industry has so much potential to grow. Beer giant Innis & Gunn, which shut down its flagship pub in Leith last month, cited rising rates for its decision, something echoed by a number of struggling businesses. Scottish Tory finance spokesman Liz Smith said the warning from hospitality sector leaders 'must be heeded urgently by the SNP' Other post-Budget casualties include Scamp and The Beer Cafe in Glasgow, and Aberdeens Olive Alexanders and Barbelow, which said in a social media post that the owners were absolutely broken over the closure, and blamed lower footfall as well as rising business costs. Scottish Liberal Democrat economy spokesman Willie Rennie said the food and drink sector faced mountain after mountain of challenges, while the SNP had prioritised the wrong things and wasted money pointlessly. He added: Its about time the Scottish and UK governments worked together to support struggling businesses and ease a national crisis in Scotlands hospitality industry. Scottish Labour economy spokesman Daniel Johnson said: Hospitality businesses across Scotland are struggling with economic turmoil at the hands of two failing governments. Businesses desperately need stability and leadership from government, but the incompetence of both the SNP and the Conservatives is damaging businesses and holding back Scotlands economy. The ad hoc approach to business rates relief is failing businesses. A Scottish Government spokesman said: There have been calls to replicate non-domestic rates retail, hospitality and leisure relief available to businesses in England. While Scottish ministers are sympathetic to these calls, doing so would have meant that the Scottish Government could not provide the NHS, schools or emergency services with the funding they require. Furious parents have demanded a model and actress who faces charges over sexual abuse of a boy be kept away from other children when dropping her son off at an elite public school. In a letter to Adelaide newspaper The Advertiser, parents said an elite private school is ignoring their concerns over Megan Skye Blancada, who faces charges of child sex abuse and being in possession of child exploitation material. Blancada, who lists a role in hit Australian horror film Wolf Creek plus a number of other productions, and works as a bikini model and social media beauty influencer, faces charges of child sex abuse and possessing child exploitation material. Although the parents accept Blancada, 34, has yet to be proved guilty they believe she would be treated differently if she was man dropping their child off to the school, which cannot be named for legal reasons. Model and actress Megan Skye Blancada, 34, faces charges of child sex abuse and being in possession of child exploitation material They claim their concerns are being ignored by the school leadership. 'This woman currently has easy access to children at our school and I am very worried about the other children,' the letter states. 'I can't help believe that if (Blancada) was a male, (she) too would be banned from the school grounds and engaging with children (until the charges were resolved). 'A teacher told us that Megan has been reported to (school leadership) and concerns raised about her, but they were ignored.' The school principal, however, told The Advertiser that all proper protocols, as provided by South Australian police and the Department for Child Protection, were being followed. Blancada had been banned from all school grounds and facilities, the principal stated. 'We were made aware of her charges last year and received an update this year from the Department for Child Protection,' the principal said. '(The banning) occurred in a two-step process with her banned from (part of) our site from November or December police were fully informed and offered us guidance on this. Parents are concerned Ms Blancada is being treated differently to how an accused male would be 'Blancada was able to drop her own child to school but was banned from all of (the grounds) once we became aware her charges were upgraded in February of this year.' The principal said the charges against Blancada did not relate to the school environment. On Monday Blancada appeared at Adelaide Magistrates Court to face charges of sexual abuse of a boy under the age of 16 and possession of child exploitation material. Police alleged her offending occurred between July 30, 2021 and November 6, 2023, in Adelaide's outer north, court documents show. In online profiles, Blancada, 34, advertises herself as a fitness model and advertises her roles in films such as Hey Hey Its Esther and Wolf Creek. Blancada claims to have modelled for Mitsubishi and Bank SA and is the author of a novel called Shadow Hunters: Shadows in the Wall. In her online profile, the Adelaide-born model also says she 'likes to keep her private life to herself while maintaining a low profile'. Harvard officials failed to conduct a review of ousted president Claudine Gay's plagiarized academic works before hiring her, a bombshell report has claimed. Gay, 54, was instead chosen to lead the prestigious university thanks to her administrative experience, beating out two other candidates with far more extensive scholarly credentials, according to the Harvard Crimson. While Gay's career as a political scientist and administrator won her plaudits, she had few published works behind her - raising eyebrows when Harvard picked her over Tomiko Brown-Nagin and John F. Manning in July 2023. Brown-Nagin, the dean of the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, is a recipient of the highest award in American History writing in the US, and is known as one of the top legal scholars in the nation. The same is said of Manning, who leads Harvard's law school after a career that saw him argue nine cases before the US Supreme Court and publish over 40 legal articles. Claudine Gay, 54, resigned in January amid allegations of plagiarism and backlash to her disastrous Congressional hearing, where she failed to declare that calling for the genocide of Jews was a violation of Harvard's code of conduct Harvard's vetting process is facing scrutiny as Gay was selected for her administrative experience, passing over other candidates with better scholarly credentials including legal expert Tomiko Brown-Nagin John F. Manning (pictured), the dean of Harvard Law School, was also reportedly in the running before Harvard selected Gay as the new president The report comes just over a month after Gay dramatically resigned as president of Harvard in January, just six months into her tenure as the first black person to lead the university. She resigned following intense scrutiny over her past work, where she was accused of plagiarizing, or not properly citing, certain aspects of two published articles and her Ph.D dissertation. The allegations were supported by billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman, who shared his outrage at Gay's disastrous Congressional testimony in December over anti-Semitism on her campus. She sparked backlash as she failed to declare that calling for the genocide of Jews was a violation of Harvard's code of conduct. Gay subsequently resigned amid outrage over the two issues, with the plagiarism allegations raising questions as to how the scandal slipped under the radar before her appointment. The answer, according to the Crimson, stems from a lack of any scholarly review into her work by Harvard Corporation Senior Fellow Penny S. Pritzker and the presidential search committee. The outlet cited a person familiar with the vetting process that said the committee decided a thorough review wasn't necessary, due to Gay's experience as a successful administrator within the university. She had served as the dean of the Social Sciences department for three years and had been the FAS dean for five years. Harvard did not immediately respond to a request for comment when contacted by DailyMail.com. The search committee is facing scrutiny for its process in selecting Gay - with the hunt for a new president reportedly now including Barack Obama Dr. Alan Garber, Harvard's provost, has taken the helm in an acting capacity, and is currently the bookies favorite to take on the role full time Gay's selection as the 30th president also reportedly lasted just five months, the shortest amount of time Harvard's presidential search committee has taken in almost 70 years. Dr. Alan Garber, Harvard's provost, has taken the helm in an acting capacity, and is currently the bookies favorite to take on the role full time - with other names floated as the next Harvard president including alum Barack Obama. It is unclear when the university will make its decision, as the vetting process that eventually landed on Gay reportedly first including around 600 nominations. The shortlist was then narrowed to 50 names, until Gay was among 12 finalists who made it to an interview. An insider to the process also reportedly claimed that the search committee intended to prioritize the scholarly credentials of its next president when the search began in 2022. However, after Gay was selected in December 2022 - six months before she began the role - priorities seemed to have shifted as former Princeton University president Shirley M. Tilghman, who was part of the process, said administrative experience was key. She told the Crimson at the time: 'It is just too complicated a job for someone who has never had to deal with something as complicated as the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. 'So that eliminated some of the candidates who may have been extraordinary scholars, but really did not have the kind of depth of experience.' Harvard Corporation Senior Fellow Penny S. Pritzker (pictured) and the presidential search committee are under fire for the process used to select Gay It was also claimed by an insider who has served on several university presidential search committees that Harvard doesn't tend to conduct plagiarism checks on candidates, something other colleges do. The move led to Gay's undoing, as the search committee launched an independent review process only after the first allegations of plagiarism were made against Gay. The review determined that there were several instances of 'duplicative language' in her works, particularly a lack of proper citations to other academic writings. In response to Gay's public resignation, Harvard alumni formed a new group, the Black Alumnae of Harvard Equity Initiative (BAHEI), to demand the university stands behind its first black president. The group penned a petition to the board this month, calling for DEI to be enshrined in almost all aspects of the university, including hiring professors and admissions from students. Among the demands include ensuring the 'narrative around Dr Gay's stepping down from the presidency is grounded in truth', and the creation of a 'DEI task force' on campus. Mr Ali was seen with councillors at Lancashire County Council's budget meeting Keir Starmer was condemned as 'too weak' to act over anti-Semitism after dumped Rochdale by-election candidate Azhar Ali was pictured lunching with the Labour group at a council meeting yesterday. Mr Ali, suspended from the party for claiming Israel had 'allowed' the October 7 Hamas attack, was seen with Labour councillors at Lancashire County Council's budget meeting. He will still appear as the Labour candidate on the ballot later this month, despite the party withdrawing their support. Referring to the photo of Mr Ali sitting next to Lorraine Beavers, Labour's parliamentary candidate for Blackpool North and Fleetwood, Tory MP Sarah Dines said: 'Same old Labour.' Sir Keir Starmer has been branded as 'too weak' on anti-Semitism after dumped Rochdale by-election candidate Azhar Ali was pictured with Labour councillors Mr Ali was seen with Labour councillors at Lancashire County Council's budget meeting Party chairman Richard Holden added: 'Sir Keir's too weak to change the Labour Party.' Sir Keir has already been forced to address concerns he was not taking decisive action over Mr Ali's conduct after The Mail on Sunday published the comments he made on Israel. Labour also withdrew its backing for former MP and candidate for Hyndburn Graham Jones after he was reported to have said 'f****** Israel' at the same meeting where Mr Ali made his controversial comments. A YouGov poll found that just 3 per cent of voters felt that Sir Keir had rooted out anti-Semitism within his party. It comes as senior Tories also warned that the Labour leader would take the country back to 'square one' on Brexit. Referring to the photo, Conservative MP Sarah Dines wrote 'Same old Labour' Sir Keir, who previously backed a second Brexit referendum, has already publicly promised to seek a rewrite of the UK's trade deal if he becomes prime minister. And although he has ruled out taking Britain back into the EU's single market or customs union if he wins power, ministers claimed Sir Keir could go back on that position after a general election. Business and Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch wrote: 'Greg is right. Parliament spent three years deciding the right Brexit strategy. 'There have been challenges, but the strategy is delivering dividends as my department reported earlier this month. 'A vote for Labour takes us back to square one and having arguments about Brexit all over again.' A Labour source said: 'Azhar Ali has been suspended from the Labour Party pending investigation. Keir Starmer took the unprecedented decision to withdraw support from a Parliamentary candidate during a by-election. 'When Keir Starmer became leader of the Labour Party, he said he would change the Party and said that every candidate and MP would operate to the highest standards. This action shows that he meant it.' A call to boost NHS chiefs' pay to help them cope with the stress of managing strikes was criticised last night. Despite chief executives earning an average of 202,277 a year, the body which represents NHS trusts said industrial action was testing the 'resilience of NHS leaders'. As junior doctors today walk out for a tenth time in their pay dispute, tens of thousands more patients are facing more delays to vital care. Yet NHS Providers argue bosses of hospitals, ambulances and other health trusts deserve a pay rise to help them handle the situation, the Mail can reveal. Last night, critics hit out at the 'absurd demands', claiming it was 'incomprehensible' at a time so many patients are suffering because of the repeated walkouts. Greg Smith, Tory vice-chairman of the all-party parliamentary group on cancer, said it was another 'kick in the teeth' for patients, with 1.33million appointments in England rescheduled since NHS strikes began in December 2022. He added: 'It is incomprehensible that NHS bosses think they are the ones in need of a bumper pay rise. A call to boost NHS chiefs' pay to help them cope with the stress of managing strikes was criticised last night (pictured: junior doctors rally outside Downing Street) As junior doctors today walk out for a tenth time in their pay dispute, tens of thousands more patients are facing more delays to vital care (pictured: physicians at Downing Street in August) 'The priority has to be getting the waiting lists down to serve real people in pain, with serious illnesses, in need of surgery or treatment.' And Caroline Johnson, a Conservative MP and member of the Commons health committee, said rises were not justified for simply 'doing their jobs'. She added: 'The first priority of the NHS and chief executives should be looking after hospitals and getting doctors back to work so that patients can stop suffering from delayed waits, rather than focusing on pay rises.' Experts estimate more than a third of cancer patients and hundreds of thousands with heart problems are facing potentially deadly diagnosis and treatment delays, exacerbated by the current dispute with doctors. By the end of these latest strikes at 11.59pm on Wednesday, hospital doctors will have taken 44 days or 1,056 hours of industrial action, equating to around 12 per cent of the year. It has seen more than 1.3million appointments cancelled, with 7.6million waiting to start treatment and millions more facing long waits for continued care. The submission to the Senior Salaries Review Body (SSRB) an independent review body which advises the Government said all NHS workers deserve a 'meaningful pay rise' this year. In it, health bosses claimed salaries must 'remain competitive enough to attract and retain talented and inclusive leaders'. Most have 'lost valuable leadership and managerial headspace' to prepare for the strikes, it added, and senior managers are under extreme pressure, with record waiting lists, the highest staff turnover on record and a bleak long-term outlook. By the end of these latest strikes at 11.59pm on Wednesday, hospital doctors will have taken 44 days or 1,056 hours of industrial action, equating to around 12 per cent of the year (pictured: junior doctor outside St Thomas's Hospital) Greg Smith (pictured), Tory vice-chairman of the all-party parliamentary group on cancer , said it was another 'kick in the teeth' for patients, with 1.33million appointments in England rescheduled since NHS strikes began in December 2022 The report said the average basic salary for executive director roles had increased by 4.4 per cent between 2021/22 and 2022/23 to 152,763, rising to 167,990 in London. Chief executives had the highest average basic salary of all board members at 202,277, with the lowest being for corporate affairs/governance roles at 118,076. And some 91 per cent of executives were awarded a 'cost-of-living increase' in 2022/23 it said, up from 34 per cent the previous year. It also noted male executive directors are paid on average 10.7 per cent more than female counterparts. John O'Connell, chief executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: 'These absurd demands for more cash for fat cats will be insulting to taxpayers. 'Chief executives are using the strikes as an excuse for a cash grab to line their own pockets. 'If they had any shame they'd withdraw this request.' And Dennis Reed, director of over-60s campaign group Silver Voices, said the 'whacking increases' should be spent on providing more frontline staff, adding: 'Nobody on 200,000 a year needs a pay increase or is experiencing cost-of-living pressures.' The SSRB conducts an annual review for all NHS senior health leaders, with ministers deciding whether to implement the recommendations. NHS Providers' director of communications Adam Brimelow said it was vital salaries reflect the responsibilities of trust leaders, responsible for 115billion of annual expenditure across England. He said: 'Given the complexity and size of the services, budgets and workforces that trust board directors oversee, these rates of pay are both appropriate and competitive given the wider economic environment. 'It is vital that salaries remain competitive enough to attract and retain talented and inclusive leaders.' Caroline Johnson (pictured), a Conservative MP and member of the Commons health committee, said rises were not justified for simply 'doing their jobs' John O'Connell (pictured), chief executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: 'These absurd demands for more cash for fat cats will be insulting to taxpayers' The previous wave of industrial action by junior doctors in January this year saw more than 113,000 hospital appointments disrupted and at least 23,000 staff absent. Professor Sir Stephen Powis, NHS national medical director, said: 'It's not possible to have one in every ten days affected by strikes for over a year without it having a huge impact.' A Government spokesman said: 'We have asked the independent pay review bodies to consider and make recommendations on the pay of their workforces and they will be announced this summer as usual.' A recovered drug addict has shared his inspirational story of how he was able to beat drugs and turn his life around after adopting a puppy. Mike Favor, a 40-year-old New York carpenter and son of a cop, was an active cocaine user for 13 years and was battling to get sober when he met an eight-week-old German Shepherd with a heart condition in 2016. The rescue organization, where Favor occasionally volunteered, told him that the puppy only had four months to live due to its condition. After much reluctance, Favor took in the dog, named it Honey and said: 'I'll give her the best four months possible'. Little did he know that adopting Honey would begin his nearly decade long journey of sobriety and encourage him to set up a rescue center for abandoned dogs. Mike Favor, a 40-year-old carpenter and son of a cop was an active cocaine user for 13 years and was trying to get sober when he met a eight week old German Shepherd with a heart condition in 2016 After much reluctance, Favor took in the dog, named it Honey and said: 'I'll give her the best four months possible' Freedom Home, a 4,000-square-foot sanctuary houses tons of abused or neglected dogs that either left by owners or found on streets. Favor also runs a program called Pitbulls and Addicts that connects recovering addicts with the breed. As the recovered carpenter explains, the program brings together 'two misunderstood breeds that need care and acceptance'. Apart from this, Favor also runs Broken Souls Rescue and Recovery, that is among over 300 nonprofit rescue groups in New York that take in stray or abused dogs, either from city shelters or off the streets and facilitate adoptions. Freedom Home, a 4,000-square-foot sanctuary houses tons of abused or neglected dogs that either left by owners or found on streets Favor also runs a program called Pitbulls and Addicts that connects recovering addicts with Pit bulls As the recovered carpenter explains, the program brings together 'two misunderstood breeds that need care and acceptance' 'I wanted to show people what works for me. This lifestyle with dogs just made me not want to cope with drugs no more, but to cope with broken souls, because I was a broken soul. These animals gave me a purpose to live. 'That dog accepted me for who I was at the lowest point of my life. As an addict, we go into a corner and we defend ourselves. 'I opened up my heart and I welcomed her. And with that, she welcomed me to find the man that's inside. I was still a broken boy trying to get to that man, the seven-year drug-free man told the New York Times. Talking of his current state, he said: 'This is seven years. I finally feel like I'm OK. I didn't feel this way my whole life. Like I finally have a reason to live.' According to Favor, he prefers to focus pit bulls due to them being 'the hardest to place, stigmatized as aggressive and dangerous'. But starting the shelters wasn't as easy as it seems. According to Favor, he prefers to focus pit bulls due to them being 'the hardest to place, stigmatized as aggressive and dangerous' When asked what he thinks the usual problem with such dogs or with the world is, his go to response is 'humans' 'I've been robbed. I let people sleep on couches. I put people in hotel rooms. I took guys under my wing for many, many, many months,' he explained. Favor also suspects that someone deliberately started a fire that burned down much of the shelter in 2019. When asked what he thinks the usual problem with such dogs or with the world is, his go to response is 'humans'. 'It's the humans. Soft-ass America is not for me.' Although Honey survived her condition for seven years and succumbed last year, Favor has not been deterred form his goal and says there is still more work to do. 'If you walk past a homeless dog in the street, you stop and you want to help,' he said. You walk past a drug addict, you step over them. We need to do better.' A Scots yoga teacher who smuggled millions of pounds of a criminal gang's 'dirty money' out of the UK to Dubai has dodged jail. Bridget Taylor, 43, earned 3,000 a trip to take suitcases full of loot through Heathrow Airport to be laundered in banks in the United Arab Emirates. The money mule sprinkled coffee granules in the cases and used air fresheners to avoid sniffer dogs detecting up to 500,000 of dodgy cash inside. Taylor, from Edinburgh, was sentenced at Isleworth Crown Court in London yesterday to 21 months imprisonment, suspended for two years. Fellow mules Samantha Horst, 51, of Staines, Surrey, and Craig Bramall, 42, of Wigan, Lancashire, received similar jail terms, suspended for two years. Scots yoga teacher Bridget Taylor smuggled millions of pounds of a criminal gang's 'dirty money' out of the UK to Dubai The 43-year-old from Edinburgh was sentenced at Isleworth Crown Court in London yesterday to 21 months imprisonment, suspended for two years She earned 3,000 a trip to take suitcases full of loot through Heathrow Airport to be laundered in banks in the United Arab Emirates Horst, a former Sky TV employee, smuggled a total of 6.8million, Taylor transported 3.3million, while budding restaurateur Bramall took 1.2million. Judge Simon Davis said: 'Each of the flyers was carefully recruited, with the air of being a regular traveller. 'Bridget Taylor, you are capable of manipulating and thinking very quickly under pressure. You saw a chance to make a quick buck, you took it and you threw away the good character you built up for so many years. 'Bridget Taylor you threw it away, Samantha Horst you threw it away, Craig Bramall you threw it away.' Another of the money mules was Beatrice Auty of London. The National Crime Agency (NCA) released videos taken by Auty showing her laying out huge wads of notes. The 26-year-old often accompanied fellow couriers to Heathrow. NCA investigators found money mules carried 104million on 83 Emirates flights from Heathrow to Dubai Last July, Auty was sentenced to 42 months in prison suspended for two years. The total number so far convicted of involvement in the conspiracy is 14. NCA investigators found money mules carried 104million on 83 Emirates flights from Heathrow to Dubai. John Werhun of the Crown Prosecution Service said: 'Criminals want to find ways to hold on to their illegal cash and one way is to move it out the country. 'As cash couriers, Horst, Taylor and Bramall were a vital part of the overall criminal enterprise. Proceedings to recover the defendants' criminal proceeds have commenced.' Normalcy? A letter to the editor stating now is the time for Trump to step up and bring us back to normalcy I have to ask, what is your idea of normalcy? A man running for president who is seeking revenge and retribution on anyone (and there are so many: Attorney General Bill Barr, Gen. Mark Milley, Gen. John Kelly, John Boehner, Alexander Vindman, Chris Krebs, News outlets etc.) who disagreed with him? A man who increased the national debt by $8.4 trillion (after giving huge tax cuts to the wealthiest citizens), a president who faced 91 criminal charges, who took, and then hid, lied about and refused to return (to what end?) classified information, tried to overthrow an election (despite his own Attorney General and 60 federal judges stating no election fraud took place), incited a riot that resulted in the deaths of Capitol police officers, sat and watched the insurrection on TV for hours without intervening, a man found liable for defamation in a sexual abuse case, and then liable again for defaming the same woman because he could not keep his mouth shut? A man who cozied up to dictators while demeaning our allies in NATO, abandoning Ukraine, mocking our war heroes and Gold Star families, and placing our democracy at risk. Unfortunately, I could go on and on. How this petty, putrid man is even entitled to be a candidate can only be attributed to the spinelessness of the GOP. The widowed husband of a Florida mother who was stuck by lightning and killed as she picked her two young daughters up is suing their local school board, claiming they played a role in her death. Nicole Tedesco, 41, was killed as she collected her little girls, 10-year-old Ava and eight-year-old Gia, from Keeth Elementary School in Winter Springs, northeast of Orlando, in August 2022. The bolt injured her daughter, Ava, and the family dog together with an 18-year-old woman, but it was Nicole who sadly lost her life in the sudden storm. Her widower, Orlando Sanford Airport Police Officer Andrew Tedesco, is now suing the Seminole County School Board accusing them of failing to provide a safe area for parents to wait while the storm passed. Winter Springs police Chief Matthew Tracht said at the time the conditions changed quickly and without warning. 'This storm came upon us fast ... There (were) no alerts, no severe weather alerts, that came in and prompted, "Hey, the storm's coming," he said. 'It was, "Bang!" - just like that. Little bit of rain came, lightning and then it was just pure mayhem after that.' Orlando Sanford Airport police Officer Andrew Tedesco is suing a Florida school board after his wife, Nicole, was killed after being struck by lightning. They are pictured with their two daughters, 10-year-old Ava and 8-year-old Gia 10-year-old Ava and 8-year-old Gia were being picked up by their mother from their elementary school when she was struck by lightning. Ava was also hit but she survived The family dog, Vito, was also hurt during the lightning strike but managed to pull through Investigators believe a tree the victims were standing by was struck by lightning, and those close to it were hurt when the area became energized by the bolt. According to the complaint, her daughters 'were approaching their mother' when lightning struck, killing Nicole and allegedly 'severely' injuring the girls and the family dog. The lawsuit accuses the school district of failing to recognize the weather threat or provide proper safety measures. Nor did they warn others about the danger, which resulted in Tedesco's death. 'Specifically, (the) school board makes parents wait outside for their children during dismissal in an area that is unprotected from rain, thunderstorms, and other extreme weather,' the lawsuit reads. 'No protection from the elements is available.' It also states how the incident occurred at a time of year 'where heavy rain, thunderstorms and specifically lightning can occur at a moment's notice,' and suggests lightning 'was a foreseeable risk for the parents having to wait for their young children during dismissal. Investigators believe a tree the victims were standing by was struck by lightning and those close to it were hurt when the area became energized The school board is accused of negligence and failing to recognize the 'clear and present danger' and 'creating a dangerous condition' on site At the time, the school said that safety procedures were in place. 'Seminole County Public Schools and Keeth Elementary School remain committed to the safety and security of all students and will continue to take safety precautions in the event of inclement weather,' Seminole County Public Schools said in a statement. The school board is accused of negligence and failing to recognize the 'clear and present danger' and 'creating a dangerous condition' on site. The lawsuit argues the school board 'owed a legal duty' to Nicole and her family 'to exercise reasonable care for her safety while she was lawfully on the property.' According to the Seminole County Fire Department, Nicole Tedesco and Ava were taken to the hospital, where Nicole died shortly afterwards. Their family dog was also transported to an animal clinic but survived. Nicole Tesesco had been picking up her two young daughters from Keeth Elementary School Andrew Tedesco is now seeking more than $50,000 in damages from the school board. A GoFundMe has raised almost $80,000 for the family. Nicole 'was a beloved Preschool and Sunday School teacher' who was 'loved deeply by everyone she met,' reads her obituary. She was remembered for having 'a sweet, gentle soul with a discerning eye and rare ability to add her special touch to her friends and families lives.' 'She was the best mom a kid could ask for,' daughter, Ava, wrote. I'm a Celeb bookers have been told to 'avoid political figures' after the hit show saw a ratings slump during Nigel Farage's stint in the Jungle. The order to ditch the politicians has come from ITV bosses after a lot of viewers chose to skip last year's edition of I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! The 2023 final saw viewing figures plummet by 4million with an average of just 6.6million people tuning in compared to 10.1million in 2022. ITV bosses believe that the slump in viewing figures is due to the recent inclusion of controversial politicians in the line-up of celebrities. Last year's edition of the show saw former UKIP leader and GB News presenter Nigel Farage and in 2022 disgraced former Health Secretary Matt Hancock took part. Mr Farage finished in third place this year as did Mr Hancock in 2022. Mr Farage famously stripped completely naked on a number of occasion on the show leaving his fellow campmates stunned. According to the Daily Mirror, a source said: 'In the past, it's been really interesting to see which politicians are willing to join the show. But this year, it's a case of "avoid, avoid, avoid".' Nigel Farage taking part in an eating trial on last year's I'm a Celeb. ITV bosses believe that the slump in viewing figures is due to the recent inclusion of controversial politicians in line-up of celebrities Matt Hancock took part in the 2022 edition of the show. The former Health Secretary finished in third place I'm a Celebrity presenters Ant and Dec. The presenting duo have called for a year without politicians for the show Ant and Dec are said to have been enthusiastic about Mr Farage taking part in the show but after the 2023 show Dec said: 'I think we should do a year without politicians.' And Ant said: 'Agreed, agreed, agreed.' Politicians have become a staple of the I'm a Celeb cast in recent years. Other politicians who have taken part include veteran Tory Edwina Currie, Lib Dem Lembit Opik and former leader of Scottish Labour Kezia Dugdale. Nadine Dorries famously took part in the 2012 edition of the show where she was the first to be voted out of the jungle. Then Prime Minister suspended Ms Dorries from the Conservative Party for taking part in the show while she was a sitting MP. ITV have been approached by MailOnline for a comment. A huge group of volunteers have joined the search for missing mum Samantha Murphy in bushland, as more disturbing details about her sudden disappearance begin to emerge. The volunteers, marked out with hi-vis jackets and wearing long pants, backpacks and hats, gathered at Ballarat's Eureka Stockade Memorial Park in the morning in preparation for the day's search. The police have concentrated the search to the areas around Mount Clear, south of the regional Victorian town, on intelligence gleaned from phone data. In one photo, a man carries a metal detector with him. In another, a black sniffer dog mingles with the searchers. A group of volunteers in hi-vis have turned out to search for Samantha Murphy on Saturday The official police search was scaled down but community-led searches are still going strong Sniffer dogs were seen in the group as participants readied for a long day of searching The mum-of-three, 51, went missing three weeks ago after she went out for a run in the Woowookarung Regional Park in East Ballarat at 7am on February 4 and the police now hold grave concerns for her welfare and suspect she may have been the victim of foul play. 'We do have severe concerns and are very doubtful she is still alive,' the police said on Friday. 'We do think another party has been involved (in her disappearance), whether it be one person or a number of people.' It has also been revealed the police have spoken to a convicted sex offender with a 'long rap sheet' as part of their investigations. The man is understood to have provided an alibi for the day Ms Murphy went missing and there is nothing to suggest he had anything to do with her disappearance. Police said they would only scale their search up on the back of specific information Ms Murphy has not been found with police saying they hold grave concerns for her welfare Huge searches in the area surrounding Ballarat including the Canadian State Forest have turned up no clues as to what happened to Ms Murphy A Victoria Police spokesman told news.com.au they were not providing specifics on their investigation. Detective Acting Superintendent Mark Hatt told reporters on Friday that Ms Murphy's husband, Mick Murphy, and 'everyone' in her personal life was now a 'person of interest' - though he stressed Mr Murphy was not a suspect in her disappearance. No arrests or charges have been laid. 'Everyone in relation to Samantha is a person of interest in our investigation. We are speaking to everyone that was in her life ... So that would include family, friends and work colleagues,' Superintendent Hatt said. 'We have a number of people that we are speaking to and I can say the family have been absolutely fantastic in co-operating with police. 'At this stage [Mr Murphy] is not [a suspect]. Everyone in relation to Samantha is a person of interest. In our investigation we are speaking to everyone that was in her life.' The Mount Clear area police are searching is not new and has already been scoured extensively, but this time, will be looked at for smaller items that could reveal what happened to Ms Murphy. The police have ruled out a medical episode and said they had not received any information to suggest 'she left the area of her own accord'. Christian Brueckner winked at his lawyers as the convicted rapist, who is considered a top suspect in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, appeared in court to hear harrowing details of sexual abuse he is alleged to have committed over 17 years. Brueckner, 47, is accused of three rapes and two sex assaults said to have been carried out on Portugal's Algarve coast between 2000 and 2017. The victims include holiday rep Hazel Behan, another woman aged between 70 and 80, and an unknown girl of around 14, as well as a 10-year-old girl who is said to have been assaulted on a beach close to where Madeleine disappeared and another child. However, the case is perilously close to collapsing after Brueckner's legal team claimed his phone calls had been 'illegally' wiretapped by Germany's answer to the FBI - alleging that they had unlawfully listened in to conversations with his lawyers. Brueckner denies the charges laid against him, and has consistently denied any involvement in the disappearance of Madeleine, who vanished from Praia da Luz on May 3 2007 Wearing the same jacket as last week, a white shirt and khaki trousers Brueckner (left) shook hands with all legal team and winked at his own lawyers Madeleine McCann (pictured) went missing on May 3 during a family holiday in Praia da Luz, Portugal Irish tour guide Hazel Behan (pictured), who has waived her right to anonymity, says she was attacked in 2004 while working in the Algarve The alleged attacks took place just minutes from where then three-year-old Madeleine vanished from the holiday apartment in Praia da Luz in May 2007 where she was staying with parents Kate and Gerry and her siblings. During today's hearing on the unrelated rape and sexual assault charges, Brueckner's legal team said they had been contacted by a former German federal police officer who claimed she had been involved in 'illegally' wiretapping his phone. The allegation could put the case in serious doubt and was raised by his four-man legal team towards the end of today's hearing. According to Brueckner's lawyer Phillip Marquort, the woman was from the BKA - the German equivalent of the FBI - and was a member of the 'Audiotech' unit involved in undercover listening operations. The woman, who was not named, provided photographs of the bugging equipment which was used, she says, to listen in on conversations between Brueckner and his lawyers, which is illegal. According to the application filed the woman claimed that two colleagues were 'out to get Brueckner' and were 'willing to resort to any means'. Mr Marquort said: 'The defence still has no knowledge of this process, apart from the information from the witness. 'We cannot yet say whether the surveillance was legal or illegal. However, the client only spoke to his defence lawyers on the phone. Monitoring the defence lawyers' conversations is illegal.' The full horror of Brueckner's sex crime allegations were also revealed in court today. Shocking details of how Brueckner's alleged victim Hazel Behan, who said she was attacked in 2004 while working in the Algarve as a tour guide, feared she would be 'beheaded' by her attacker were read out in court. The other two rapes he is accused of against an unknown woman aged between 70 and 80 years old and a girl of 14 were also described in horrific details, with the prosecutor saying Brueckner 'hit the [older] woman's body and face with at least 20 lashes' using a whip and made the teenager vomit while orally raping her. Brueckner (left) did not look towards the press or public gallery as the hearing started seven minutes after the scheduled 9am start Brueckner (pictured) was hiding his face as he arrived in a van with a police escort and was swept inside for the start of the hearing and escorted into the courtroom flanked by guards and wearing handcuffs Prosecutor Ute Lindemann told the court that Brueckner had used a rape drug to incapacitate his victims before trapping them in his house. Shocking details of Hazel Behan's alleged rape were also read out in court this morning. The prosecutor said: 'He went to witness Behan's bedroom and found her sleeping there. 'At this point he was dressed entirely in black, wearing leather gloves and a full face mask. This only had two round cutouts for the eyes and a small slit for the mouth, so that the injured party could only see the accused's eyes and his eyebrows. 'He held a knife with an approximately 30 cm long blade in his left hand, knelt over the sleeping victim and called her name, which woke her up. He held the knife in such a way that the injured party could see it clearly when she woke up. 'While she was panicking, he told her in a serious but calm tone not to scream, covered her mouth and pushed her head back onto the pillow. He then pulled her up from the bed by her outer clothing and hair and turned her onto her back. 'After completing anal intercourse, the accused removed the condom from his penis, put it in the backpack he had brought with him and cleaned his gloves with a cleaning cloth he had brought with him. 'The accused then grabbed the victim firmly by her hair and dragged her out of the bed onto the bedroom floor, where she initially came to lie next to the bed. The accused pulled her by her hair into the kitchen area to the breakfast bar there. On November 18, prosecutors confirmed Brueckner would stand trial for various charges of sexual abuse against women aged between 10 and 80 In this room in a house in Portugal Brueckner allegedly committed two of the sexual assaults he's accused of 'Once there, he pulled her up by her hair and placed her with her stomach and face on the wooden board of the breakfast bar, which is supported on the side by two metal legs. 'He then took a rope from the backpack he had brought with him, tied the victim's upper body to the bar and tied the ends of the rope tightly on her back. He then took a video camera out of his bag and positioned it on the television. 'He then went back to the breakfast bar with additional ropes that he had brought with him, lifted the legs of the injured parties and tied one leg each to a metal leg of the bar. 'Witness Hazel Behan found the way her legs were tied very painful because she was unable to keep her feet on the floor, which meant the thin, clothesline-like ropes cut into her legs. 'The accused removed the belt from the victim's trousers in the bedroom, tied her hands behind her back and put a piece of material he had brought with him, similar to a cloth, into her mouth as a gag. 'He went into the bedroom again and returned to her with a pair of scissors, which the victim had kept in a box under the bed. 'He used this to cut her top and bra, so that the injured party was now completely naked and unable to move in front of him. 'During this phase of the incident, the accused took the video camera from the television and filmed the victim from all around, turning her head into the position he wanted. 'He then returned the camera to the television and placed it in the direction of the breakfast bar, to which he returned. The accused, standing behind the witness Behan, put a fresh condom over his penis and again penetrated the victim. 'After the sexual act had ended, he removed the condom from his penis and cleaned his hands again. He then put the condom back in the bag he had brought with him.' Carrying on she said: 'The accused now turned to the witness Behan with the question 'You're scared, aren't you?', which she untruthfully denied. 'The accused then took a whip with a handle and long leather tassels out of his pocket and systematically whipped the victim from the back down to the buttocks, which, according to the accused's plan, caused her considerable pain. 'When the injured party was asked again after the flogging whether she was now afraid, she had now broken her resistance and answered in the affirmative to the satisfaction of the accused.' Madeleine McCann suspect Christian Brueckner (pictured) has arrived in court as prosecutors attempt to start his sex crimes trial following last week's chaotic start Then three-year-old Madeleine vanished from the holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, in Portugal's Algarve coast, in May 2007 where she was staying with parents Kate and Gerry and her siblings This locator map shows where the McCann family went on holiday in 2007, in the Algarve region of Portugal Ms Lindemann added: 'After the beating had ended, the accused untied the witness Behan from the breakfast bar, while keeping her hands tied with the victim's own belt and gagged, and dragged her naked by her hair back into the bedroom. 'There, standing in front of her, he put a fresh condom over his penis and tried to penetrate the victim orally, which was initially unsuccessful because of the continued gagging. 'When she choked and told the accused that she was going to vomit, he angrily stopped the oral sex and pushed the injured woman backwards with his hand against her forehead, causing her to fall to her feet with her hands still tied behind her back. 'He then roughly grabbed her by the hair, dragged her back into the living room and initially let her go in order to take his knife, which he had left next to the television. 'During this time, the injured party slipped into a corner of the living room and crouched there. While holding the knife, the accused asked the injured party to go to the bathroom, which she verbally refused in no uncertain terms. 'The accused did not pursue this request, but instead grabbed the injured party by her hair again, dragged her to the small sofa in front of the living room window and asked her to kneel in front of the sofa and lower her head. 'At that moment, the witness Behan was in fear of death because she feared that the accused would cut off her head with the knife. 'However, he threw a sheet over her body and began to collect all the things he had brought with him and used and put them in his bag. He then stepped backwards out of the balcony door, slipped into his shoes that had been left there and fled.' The other two rapes he is accused of against an unknown woman aged between 70 and 80 years old and a girl of 14 were also described in horrific details. The prosecutor said: 'He was masked with a stocking mask that only had holes for his eyes and mouth. 'He put swimming goggles on the older lady, who was wearing a nightgown. Since their glasses were painted gray, the victim could no longer see anything. 'He laid the woman on her stomach on her bed and tied her hands behind her back to make it impossible for the victim to resist what was happening. 'He then set up the cameras he had brought with him in two different positions in the bedroom, aimed them at the bed and started recording. 'He now turned the old lady onto her back and pulled her nightgown up to her waist. After sexual intercourse had ended, he removed the condom from his penis and went to the bathroom in the apartment. Earlier this month Brueckner (pictured here during a court appearance on February 16) told MailOnline the case against him was 'ridiculous', and sarcastically added: 'I hope (they) will find some answers to (their) questions soon' 'There he flushed the condom down the toilet. He then went back to the victim's bed with a whip and hit the woman's body and face with at least 20 lashes in order to enjoy the pain and fear he wanted in the woman. 'The victim screamed and insulted the accused while the crime was being carried out. After the physical punishment, the accused sat down on the end of the bed, breathing heavily, took off his mask and placed a pillow on the completely frightened woman's face before ending the recording.' Detailing the teenager's attack she said: 'The accused met an unknown, German-speaking, youthful-looking girl with glasses, aged at least 14 years, in the Sitio das Lages house in Praia that he lived in da Luz, Lagos in Portugal tied naked to the wooden post in the living room. 'For this purpose, he put her hands around the post behind her back and tied them together. First he hit the naked girl with a whip. The girl addressed the accused by the name 'Chris' and made it clear to him that what he was doing was against her express will. 'She begged him to stop and shouted 'this is kidnapping, this is rape'. The accused acknowledged the girl's conflicting will, but only put the whip aside and gave in to his excitement.' The prosecutor then alleged Brueckner performed oral rape on the victim, which caused her to vomit. She added: 'The accused commented succinctly on this circumstance with the words: 'Now you're messing up my entire carpet.' He also videotaped this act.' In his rebuttal of the indictment, Mr Fulscher conceded that Hazel Behan, who has waived her anonymity, was raped and 'went through something terrible that night'. But he added:' Although there is a witness statement in the files from a person close to Mrs Behan who accuses the co-plaintiff of having made up the whole incident and describes the co-plaintiff as a quasi-diabolical person.' He added:' A masked man forced her to have sex, inflicted pain on her and humiliated her. However, the person who committed this offence was not the defendant. Mrs Behan may be convinced of this. 'During the hearing of evidence, it will be important for the defence to demonstrate the sources of error in the witness's recognition: Starting with the low reliability of estimating body size, the circumstance of masking, the poor lighting conditions at the crime scene, the impact of the weapon focus effect, as well as the stress level and the passage of time. 'If one comes to the conclusion that the witness is sufficiently reliable with regard to the description of the person, this will also have to be taken as a basis for her observation that the perpetrator had a cross-shaped scar on his right thigh. 'This is a physical feature that the accused does not have and therefore excludes him as the perpetrator. 'At the end of the hearing of evidence, it will not be possible to establish that the defendant sitting here is responsible for the offence committed against Hazel Behan. As in the other cases, he will have to be acquitted.' Christian Brueckner has he walked into court today, holding a blue file and wearing the same jacket as during his last court appearance In his lengthy rebuttal he also questioned the reliability of key witnesses Helge Busching and Manfred Seyferth, two former friends of Brueckner who helped secure his 2019 conviction for rape. Both men said they had found a video camera on which they saw footage of Brueckner raping and torturing the elderly victim but this has never been recovered. Mr Fulscher questioned their reliability saying their 'respective consumption of narcotics and alcohol' would have to be 'looked at closely'. While he added the 'camera was allegedly found in a wardrobe of the house the accused moved out six years earlier,' as he strived to blacken the evidence against Brueckner. In his opening statement this morning, Brueckner's lawyer said his client had been the victim of an unfair media campaign and that prosecutors repeated 'this theory to the media like a prayer wheel.' Mr Fulscher told the court in his opening statement: 'Since June 2020, our client Christian Brueckner has been under constant worldwide media fire. 'According to the Braunschweig public prosecutor's office, he allegedly abducted and murdered Madeleine Beth McCann. The investigating authorities have been repeating this theory to the media like a prayer wheel.' In remarks reported by the Telegraph, he added: 'He has been accused of kidnapping and killing Madeleine McCann by members of the media and prosecutors, without evidence.' Then three-year-old Madeleine vanished from the holiday apartment in Praia da Luz in May 2007 where she was staying with parents Kate and Gerry and her siblings. Madeleine has not been seen since and in June 2020 German police sensationally named Brueckner as the man responsible for her 'abduction and murder' but he has yet to be charged with anything relating to her disappearance. He added: 'The results of the investigation have not yet been presented to the defence, so that the accused has not been able to substantiate this allegation. A comparable media campaign of prejudgement has been sought in vain. Christian Brueckner (left) talking to his lawyer Mr Fulscher today 'The greatest challenge for the court in these proceedings will be to free itself from these ulterior motives when investigating the procedural truth and assessing the evidence with regard to the accusations levelled.' Proceedings started with Mr Fulscher confirming his client's name and date of birth before prosecutor Ute Lindemann read out the five charges against him. Turning to face her Brueckner listened intently as he consulted a file in front of him, making notes and occasionally turning to whisper to his legal team. Ms Lindemann took almost 25 minutes to read out the indictment against him, which detailed the charges and he remained impassive throughout as he fixed his gaze on her. Before the trial Brueckner arrived in a van with a police escort and was swept inside for the start of the hearing and escorted into the courtroom flanked by guards and wearing handcuffs. READ MORE: Plot to kidnap a child from Portuguese resort and sell them to a couple was hatched by Christian Brueckner a week before Madeleine McCann was abducted there, British expat claims Advertisement Wearing the same jacket as last week, a white shirt and khaki trousers he shook hands with all legal teams and winked with his own lawyers. Carrying a file in his hand he did not look towards the press or public gallery as the hearing started seven minutes after the scheduled 9am start. 'The defendant is using his right to remain silent,' defence lawyer Friedrich Fulscher told the Braunschweig state court, German news agency dpa reported. Mr Fulscher added that he expects his client to be acquitted. He has called the evidence in the indictment 'abysmal'. There are no formal pleas in the German legal system, and defendants are not obliged to respond to the charges. The hearing was adjourned until next Friday. Last week's proceedings lasted less than ten minutes after Brueckner's lawyer filed an urgent challenge calling for one of the lay judges to be dismissed for making death threats on social media against ex Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro. Earlier this month Brueckner told MailOnline the case against him was 'ridiculous', and sarcastically added: 'I hope (they) will find some answers to (their) questions soon.' Mr Fulscher has said his client denies any involvement in Madeleine's disappearance, as well as the current charges and said Brueckner is 'stressed' by the media presence and in 'poor physical health'. The trial is unrelated to Madeleine's disappearance and press and public who wanted to enter the court building in Braunschweig near Hannover had to pass through two airport style metal detectors before getting to the first-floor courtroom. In a bid to avoid the chaos of last week which saw the trial delayed for 40 minutes the court opened early although there appeared to be a smaller crowd than last week waiting to get in. When asked by the MailOnline if there were any further surprises Mr Fulscher - who is paid by German state funds - said cryptically: 'Maybe....' Convicted rapist Brueckner (pictured), 47, is accused of three rapes and two sex assaults said to have been carried out on Portugal's Algarve coast in a period from 2000 to 2017 Last week, he told the court that child therapist should not be allowed to sit on the panel as one of the four lay judges. Mr Fulscher highlighted how on 2019 she had posted on X, formerly Twitter, that former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro should be 'assassinated'. The tweets, which were seen by the Daily Mail before being taken down and read out in court said: 'Kill the devil Jair Bolsonaro. Kill the Bastard Bolosonaro. He is the devil. He destroys everything. He must be killed. Now!!!' She also posted attacks on hunter Walter James palmer who shot and killed Cecil the Lion as well as Donald Trump and his family. Mr Fulscher also highlighted how she worked as a child therapist and given that the charges Brueckner faced involve minors suggested she would 'probably be rather biased' adding they 'lacked any distance and judgement'. After speaking for around ten minutes judge Uta Engemann said she would adjourn to consider the request and returned 40 minutes later to agreeing to it and postponing the trial until today. Prosecutor Ute Lindemann agreed with her although added the fact she had children was not relevant but she added: 'The application is justified. We do not tolerate statements outside the legal system and calls for murder.' If he is found guilty he could spend the rest of his life in jail but sources close to him say he will remain offer no testimony on his suspected involvement in the disappearance of Madeleine. He is insisting DNA and electronic evidence against him is wrong and witnesses are lying about him. Prosecutors also face a dilemma as two of the rape victims are unidentified but the third victim is known - Irish tour guide Hazel Behan who says she was attacked in 2004 while working in the Algarve. She says she was threatened with a knife, tied up and subjected to a hours long attack by a man who she later recognised as Brueckner after his picture was released by German police in 2020. Christian Brueckner was pictured pulling up in prison van outside the courtroom in Braunschweig, Lower Saxony, on February 16 Brueckner is known to have been in and around Praia da Luz on the Algarve coast at the time Madeleine (pictured) vanished on May 3, 2007, while on holiday with her parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, and her twin siblings At the time she was a 20-year-old rep and the now married mother of three will be among several key witnesses who will give evidence at the trial which is due to last until June. The other two rapes involve an unidentified woman aged between 70 and 80 years old and an unknown girl of around 14. The fourth charge is an indecent assault against a 10-year-old girl on a beach close to where Madeleine vanished from a month later - in which he is said to have lain in wait naked behind a rock on Salema beach in April 2007. The last charge is also indecent assault against another child, an 11-year-old girl, in a playground in the Algarve in 2017. Earlier this year Bruecker was moved from Oldenburg prison in northern Germany to Schnedebruch near Hannover for the duration of the trial. He is currently serving a seven year sentence for raping an elderly US woman on the Algarve in 2005 and was jailed in 2019 after evidence from two former pals who will also testify at his new trial. He was also moved after complaining of ill treatment from guards at Oldenburg where he was in a secure isolated unit. Bruecker told MailOnline: 'My situation didn't change at all. I just moved prison. I'm still totally isolated. Since (sic) more than two years now. 'I'm still not allowed to talk with anybody else than to my lawyers and to my punishers,' he said, referring to the prison officers. Canadian prison officials are under fire as the nation's most notorious serial killer has become eligible for parole. The outraged families of the victims of Robert Pickton, now in his 70s, say they are 'disgusted' by the fact he has aged into parole eligibility, despite killing at least 26 women on his pig farm. He was jailed for life without the possibility of parole for 25 years in 2007. But a Canadian law means prison sentences can only be served concurrently - at the same time - rather than consecutively - one after the other. That means Pickton is now eligible to apply for day parole and can apply for full parole from 2027. He can apply once every two years, although the gravity of his crimes means that it's unlikely any parole board will ever free him. Prosecutors claim he confessed to as many as 49 murders to an undercover cop posing as a cellmate, and once quipped that he wanted to kill another woman to make it an 'even fifty.' Palexelsiya Lorelei Williams, the cousin of victim Tanya Holyk, told Global News CA that his potential parole makes her feel 'sick to my stomach.' Robert Pickton, a pig farmer, made international headlines in 2002 when a search warrant on his farm led to the discovery of dozens of murders The killer and serial rapist is known to have killed at least 26 women, although prosecutors say he confessed to 49 - and once quipped that he wanted to kill another woman to make it an 'even fifty' The families of Pickton's victims (pictured) have expressed their outrage at his parole eligibility, with one saying the ongoing case 'makes me sick to my stomach' Pickton, also known as 'The Butcher' and the 'Pig Farmer Killer', is yet to send a request for a parole hearing, and it is expected that he would be denied if he did so. But the mere fact that he is able to request a hearing sparked severe backlash in Canada, with Pierre Poilevre, the leading rival to PM Justin Trudeau, slamming the nation's prison system in response. 'Common sense Conservatives believe that mass murderers should face consecutive sentences so they only come out of jail in a box,' he said on X. Pickton made international headlines in February 2002 when Canadian police issued a search warrant on his pig farm in Port Coquitlam, British Columbia for firearms offenses - only to find he had carried out far more grisly crimes. Inspectors found items belonging to numerous missing women in the BC area, and after an excavation of the farm that cost over $70 million, they discovered evidence of dozens of murders. He was quickly charged with the murders of 26 women, with the true number feared to be even higher. Identifying all the remains became complicated as detectives came to fear Pickton had cannibalized some of his victims. In 2004, two years after the first search, prosecutors revealed Pickton may have ground up his victims and mixed it into the pork products from his farm that he then sold to customers. Investigators are seen at Pickton's pig farm in British Columbia, Canada in April 2002, part of a year-long, $70 million excavation of the property that turned up horrific evidence of murders Forensic workers collect evidence at Pickton's pig farm in 2002 Pickton ran a pig farm, and may have ground up his victims and mixed it into the pork products from his farm that he then sold to customers Pickton seen under questioning. Although he was only convicted of six murders, and another twenty were stayed, cops said he confessed to an undercover officer that he killed as many as 49 The day before he became eligible for parole, grieving members of his victims' families gathered at the site of his former pig farm to protest the parole and pay tribute to his victims. The families had a candlelight vigil and hung red dresses in memory of their loved ones. Williams, who became an advocate for missing Indigenous women after her cousin's murder, said the fact that Pickton is eligible and back in the spotlight is 'disgusting.' 'Our justice system is horrific. Its racist and puts Indigenous womens lives in danger,' she said. 'It makes me sick to my stomach.' She added that the chance of his parole came as a surprise as officials didn't tell her, and 'the other families that I'm close to also didn't know.' Stephanie Lane, the mother of victim Michele Pineault, said at the vigil that her 'heart is aching' at the re-emergence of the case. 'My daughter does not get day parole. Shes been gone for 27 years now,' she said. 'Hes an evil, evil, evil man. He doesnt belong even on this Earth. He needs to just stay where he is until the day he dies.' The day before Pickton became eligible for parole, the families had a candlelight vigil and hung red dresses in memory of their loved ones The families paid tribute to their lost relatives, and shared their outrage at Pickton's eligibility for parole. One branded him an 'evil, evil, evil man', and called for the serial killer to 'just stay where he is until the day he dies' Michelle Pineault brings flowers to remember her daughter Stephanie Lane, one of the victims of the serial killer The expensive search through Pickton's farm has also become a point of contention in recent months. Over 200,000 exhibits were seized from the farm, including three freezers with over 400 meat products - some of which contained 'unknown samples' feared to be part-human. In total, the remains or DNA of 33 women were found on his farm, however their families are fighting attempts by officials to destroy or return around 14,000 exhibits in the case. Sasha Reid, a developmental psychologist and the creator of a database of Canadas unresolved cases of missing and murdered people, told Global News CA that there has been a disturbing lack of involvement with the victims' families in consulting on destroying the evidence. 'This was an application that potentially connects to human remains and human materials,' she said. 'I think given the amount of stress the family has been under, the amount of lies theyve been told, the lack of information they have access to this is something that at the very least, they should have been informed about.' Staff Sgt. Kris Clark of the BC. RCMP responded that the exhibits were needed to be destroyed as they were 'rapidly depreciating and non-evidentiary.' 'As well as for sanitary reasons, our need to dispose of the items was more immediate than what it would normally take to get a Disposal Order; these reasons factored into our decision to proceed Ex Parte,' he said. 'In order to be as transparent as possible given our time constraints, we did not seal the application and made no attempts to hide it from the public.' Williams slammed the process as it lingers on over two dozen years after Pickton's arrest, saying: 'Its just been horrible to go through this and it just shows how the system is.' 'These things come in huge waves and its weird to say this, but Im kind of normalizing it I dont get shocked when these things come out from the RCMP or the government,' she added. At the prospect of Pickton having a parole hearing, Williams said she and other victim families would want to attend the hearings to have their say. 'I for sure would want to be there in person and I would have to prepare myself for that,' she said. Up to 10,000 people are now challenging wills every year - as the number of disputes reaches record levels. The dramatic surge is down to deaths among baby boomers, who own more property than subsequent generations which raises the financial stakes for descendants. A rise in second marriages and more people suffering from dementia, which raises doubts over whether wills have been drawn up correctly, are also to blame. Lawyers also believe that executing wills via videolink, a practice seen regularly during Covid, could be behind the increase in disputes. Those suffering from the cost-of-living crisis might also be more likely to take risks and challenge wills. Up to 10,000 people are now challenging wills every year - as the number of disputes reaches record levels (Stock Photo) Paul Grimwood, a partner in disputed wills, trusts and probate at IBB Law, told The Guardian that TV dramas and documentaries portraying high-profile cases often inspired people to challenge wills. He added that going to trial was proving 'ruinously expensive' for those involved. This comes as HM Revenue and Customs looks set to take in 7.5 billion worth of inheritance tax receipts - its highest figure on record. The number of cases going in front of judges has also soared from 145 in 2017 to 195 in 2021-22 but most disputes continue to be settled out of court. Among those who can challenge a will are current and former spouses, civil partners, children, long-term cohabitees, and anyone maintained financially or treated as a child by the deceased, under the 1975 Inheritance Act. Holly McIntosh, from Surrey, said her stepmother had 'broken up' their family 'for a bit more money' in her father's will. The document had initially handed his house to his daughters and his investments to the stepmother, his second wife, but after two years of legal battles, and 400,000 of costs, the stepmother won a third of the house. The daughters and the second wife would have taken 600,000 in the original will meaning the stepmother achieved a negligible gain. Heather Roberts, a lawyer for Bexley Beaumont who acted for McIntosh, said: 'Most clients feel a sense of relief once a settlement is reached, as they can start to grieve.' Three in four people are now likely to experience a will, inheritance or probate dispute, according to a study by legal firm IBB Law last year. Richard Manyon of top London firm Payne Hicks Beach previously told MailOnline that there were 'more dodgy wills' thanks to an increase in dementia. Cases going in front of judges has also soared from 145 in 2017 to 195 in 2021-22 but most disputes continue to be settled out of court (Stock Photo) Mr Manyon advised people writing wills to 'explain your reasons and give people an opportunity to raise their objections with you'. In terms of disputes, he added: 'If you can knock it on the head, youre going to avoid huge legal costs and stress, and its going to be a better outcome.' Some names in the article have been changed. Workers at Woolworths will no longer be permitted to wear Indigenous or LGBTQI+ stickers on their badges, according to a leaked memo on dress code which has stirred outrage from some workers. The company memo, first reported by Seven News on Saturday, states the sartorial changes have come about due to 'recently observed instance of poor dress standards that may pose a potential food safety risk and/or injury in our stores.' 'Following store visits and team feedback, we have reviewed and revised our Dress Standards guidelines to reflect guidance and expectations for our team,' the memo from February 19 states. While earlier team members could wear stickers on their badges showing the flag of Indigenous or LGBTQI+ Australians, Woolworths now says: 'Display your name badge on top of the handy green dots on your garments. Keep your name badge clean and tidy. No stickers are to be added to your badge.' One worker said the badge change went 'too far'. Workers at Woolworths will no longer be permitted to wear Indigenous or LGBTQI+ stickers on their badges, according to a leaked memo on dress code which has stirred outrage from some workers (stock image) 'On our badges, we have stickers that they encouraged us to wear,' he told the publication. 'The stickers are the Indigenous flag, LGBT flag and the LGBT Ally flag sticker. 'Now they want us to remove all stickers on our badges.' NCA NewsWire understands the changes are a 'preferred dress code' and do not stipulate absolute rules. It is understood the purpose of the name badge is to display the team member's name and that is why the company wants it to be kept clean and clear of stickers. Other changes to the dress code include guidelines on bottoms and polo shirts. The leaked Woolworths dress code memo. Picture: 7News Team members must wear a black polo, either a Woolworths polo or their own, and avoid wearing brand logos. 'Black or dark coloured pants, skirts and knee length shorts are perfect,' the memo states. 'Leave your ripped pants, gym leggings or any bottoms with other visible brand logos at home. 'Layer up with a green Woolworths jacket, vest or black jumper to keep you warm. 'Hoodies and outerwear with other brand logos are not permitted.' ASX-listed Woolworths is Australia's largest food retailer and boasts more than 190,000 team members across Australia and New Zealand. Woolworths Group chief executive Brad Banducci will step down in September The company has struggled through a series of public relations challenges in 2024. Some community members called for a boycott of the retailer earlier in the year after it announced it would not sell Australia Day merchandise for the January 26 Public Holiday. An upcoming Senate inquiry will also test whether Woolworths has engaged in price gouging practices and consumer sentiment about the legendary brand has plummeted as cost-of-living pressures bite at the checkout. CEO Brad Banducci announced his shock retirement on Wednesday morning after nearly nine years at the helm. Amanda Bardwell, the former head of WooliesX, will replace Mr Banducci as CEO in September. An illegal immigrant freed because of lack of detention space is now accused of murdering a 22 year-old University of Georgia student after she went for a run. Jose Antonio Ibarra was arrested for the murder of Laken Riley in Athens - a sanctuary city - on Friday and is now being held at the Clarke County Jail. NewsNation reporter Ali Bradley said Ibarra, 26, is originally from Venezuela and crossed into El Paso, Texas, in September 2022. He was released into the United States by Customs and Border Patrol because the worsening migrant crisis means they have insufficient facilities to hold all border crossers that they intercept. Cops don't believe Ibarra knew his victim. Riley, 22, was found dead Thursday afternoon after her roommate reported her missing, saying she had not returned from her jog. Ibarra has been charged with malice murder, felony murder, aggravated battery, aggravated assault, false imprisonment, kidnapping, hindering a 911 call, and concealing the death of another. Jose Antonio Ibarra, 26, has been identified and charged for allegedly murdering nursing student Laken Riley, 22, at the University of Georgia in Athens Riley, 22, was found dead Thursday afternoon after her roommate reported her missing, saying she had not returned from her jog He has been charged with malice murder, felony murder, aggravated battery, aggravated assault, false imprisonment, kidnapping, hindering a 911 call, and concealing the death of another UGA Police Chief Jeffrey Clark told reporters at a press conference tonight that officers have searched Ibarra's apartment in Athens and evidence shows that he acted alone. 'He did not know her at all. I think this is a crime of opportunity where he saw an individual and bad things happened,' Clark said. 'The evidence is robust. It is supported by key input by the community, physical evidence and expert police work. Importantly, we were assisted by video footage from our campus security cameras network.' He advised there was no clear history of violence for the accused and his criminal history is not extensive. According to Fox5, the accused is expected to be booked at the Clarke County Jail. UGA Police Chief Jeffrey Clark told reporters at a press conference tonight that officers have searched Ibarra's apartment in Athens and evidence shows that he acted alone Officials confirmed that Ibarra is not a US citizen and did not know or have any kind of relationship with Riley Officials have confirmed that Ibarra is not a US citizen and did not know or have any kind of relationship with Riley Riley is seen on a picture posted last month on her Facebook account The University of Georgia said Riley graduated from the school in 2023, and went on to enroll at Augusta University's nursing program, which has a campus in Athens. UGA has has urged students to travel 'in groups' and has canceled classes after Riley was found dead with 'visible injuries' in a wooded area. Kelly Girtz, the mayor of Athens-Clarke County, said he joined the community in 'deep sadness over today's murder' and said the city was working with authorities to bring the investigation to a 'rapid conclusion'. Officers searching the area found the woman's body in a forested area behind Lake Herrick. The University of Georgia said Riley graduated from the school in 2023, and went on to enroll at Augusta University's nursing program, which has a campus in Athens Police search a wooded area at the University of Georgia after the shock discovery Thursday That area is across a busy road from a large dorm and dining hall complex on what's commonly called 'East Campus.' Most of the students in those dorms are freshmen. 'The past 24 hours have been a traumatic time for our university,' the University of Georgia said in a statement online, acknowledging the news came just hours after the unrelated 'sudden death' of another student the previous night. 'And as we continue to mourn that tragic loss of life, today's devastating news will uniquely test the resolve of our campus community, particularly our students.' 'We have been fully briefed on this terrible situation,' the statement continued. 'Foul play is suspected, and we are already receiving support from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and Athens-Clarke County Police Department to investigate this crime. 'We want to assure you that the safety and welfare of our campus community is our top concern. 'If you think you have any information related to this incident, we urge you to contact the UGA Police Department immediately at 706-542-2200. 'In addition, all students, faculty, and staff are encouraged to download and use the UGA Safe app, which offers several important safety features, including emergency notification alerts and the ability to share location in real-time with the police, among others. 'We also recommend that you travel in groups when possible and be aware of your surroundings.' 'We are announcing that classes on the Athens campus are cancelled after 5:30 p.m. this evening, February 22. They will remain cancelled tomorrow. We will resume classes on Monday, February 26,' they added. UGA has has urged students to travel 'in groups' and has canceled classes after Riley was found dead with 'visible injuries' in a wooded area. Riley is seen with her parents Several law enforcement agencies were seeing swarming an apartment complex near the forested area where Riley's body was found The news of the murder came on the same day House Speaker Mike Johnson ripped into President Joe Biden for finally floating executive action to crack down on illegal immigration after millions of migrants flooded into the US since he took office. Since Biden took office in 2021, over 7.2 million migrants have entered the U.S. through the southern border. That's more people than the population of 36 states. Arizona, for example, had 7.1 million residents according to the 2020 census. After taking office, President Biden immediately canceled various Trump-era border initiatives, including the 'Remain in Mexico' policy that required migrants claiming asylum to stay in Mexico until their hearing court date in the U.S. Biden also stopped construction of the U.S.-Mexico border within days of taking office. Speaker Mike Johnson slammed Biden for saying he needed Republicans to fix the border President Joe Biden said he has done everything he can to fix the border crisis, but now the White House is mulling a Trump-like executive action to crack down in migration Since Biden took office in 2021, over 7.2 million migrants have entered the U.S. through the southern border But now, the 81-year-old President is reportedly mulling whether to take executive action on the border as polling indicates it is a top issue for voters and lawmakers rejected a negotiated border bill earlier this month. He is looking into using the Immigration and Nationality Act, which gives a president broad leeway to block entry of certain immigrants, to shut down the border if more than 8,500 try to cross in one day. The top GOP leader is accusing the president of waiting until the election year to take action, which he should have done months ago. Biden previously said he could not provide border security without GOP support in Congress. 'Americans have lost faith in this President and won't be fooled by election year gimmicks that don't actually secure the border,' Speaker Mike Johnson wrote in a statement obtained by DailyMail.com. 'Nor will they forget that the President created this catastrophe and, until now, has refused to use his executive power to fix it.' 'These reports also underscore just how brazenly and intentionally President Biden misled the public when he claimed he had done everything in his power to secure the border,' Johnson continued. The speaker wants Biden to reinstitute the 'Remain in Mexico' policy and end the administration's 'abuse' of the parole system. A young girl seriously injured in a horrific highway collision that killed her sister while on a road trip to see a Taylor Swift concert remains in a coma more than a week after the crash. Freya Pokarier, 10, was airlifted to Westmead Children's Hospital in Sydney after the SUV she was in with her sister and mother collided with a semi-trailer near Dubbo on February 15. They had been travelling from their Gold Coast home to Melbourne to see the pop superstar at her sold-out MCG show. Older sister Mieka, 16, sadly died at the scene while the girls' mother, Kim Litchfield, was rushed to Dubbo Hospital with serious injuries. Ms Litchfield has since been discharged and is now by Freya's side. The girls' godmother, Karleigh Fox, on Friday said there was no improvement on Freya's condition and she remained in a coma, in a post shared to a GoFundMe page established to help the family in the wake of the tragedy. Freya suffered brain injuries, a broken leg and a damaged pelvis in the crash. 'We don't have any updates on our darling Freya's condition for you,' Ms Fox said. 'We are just surrendering to this process of continued patience and working through all of the logistical work that comes with staying in a town that is not our own and grieving for Mieka.' The younger sister of a teenager killed in a crash on her way to see Taylor Swift remains in a coma. Mieka (right) sadly died at the scene while Freya (left) was airlifted to Westmead Children's Hospital in a critical condition Mieka Pokarier, 16, was travelling on a road trip from the Gold Coast with her mother and younger sister when their SUV collided with a truck The family were travelling to Melbourne to see Swift at her sold-out MCG show Ms Fox said that Westmead had provided an 'incredible' chaplain and social workers to support the family with the girls' father and older sister also travelling down from the Gold Coast to be by Freya's bedside. 'The surgeons and nurses continue to offer second to none care to our girl and we have officially moved into Ronald McDonald House where they provide meals and beautiful quality accommodation and for that we are so grateful,' she said. 'I cannot rate them highly enough.' She added that Freya's school has changed their school bell to play Taylor Swift songs to show their support and thanked other 'Swifties' who had sent in pictures of themselves wearing handmade bracelets to honour Mieka. Swift fans, known as Swifties, swap self-made bracelets with each other, and many are now making them in honour of Mieka, with her name on them (pictured) Fans were encouraged to wear the special bracelets to Swift's shows by other fans so 'it would be like she was there'. In a post made to a Taylor Swift Eras Tour Facebook page, a fan called on Swifties to wear a friendship bracelet with Mieka's name. 'To honour them the family is asking everyone to wear a friendship bracelet with her name so it's like she's still there. Mieka is her name.' 'I will also be handing out bracelets with her name in her honour as well.' Ms Fox said earlier this week she was still coming to terms with the tragedy. 'It just kind of feels like Mieka might be staying at someone's house and I think it's really going to hit us... when we get home.. that she's not coming back, she told Nine News. Ms Fox said her 'smart and creative' goddaughter was a long-time Swiftie. 'She's been a Taylor Swift Fan for over 10 years, and she loved maths, she loved pottery, she was always making people things with pottery and going to classes,' she said. 'She was very talented, she's always been into creating loom bands and friendship bracelets.' Police are investigating the crash and a report will be prepared for the coroner. Emergency crews attend the scene of the crash last Thursday near Dubbo A major US airline's decision to begin flying to a second Australian city has raised hopes of more competition and lower prices for flyers. Delta Air Lines has announced that beginning on December 4 it will operate a thrice weekly service of its four-class Airbus A350-900 from Los Angeles to Brisbane and back. The carrier has been lured to Queensland by the state government offering $200 million out of its attracting aviation investment fund in a move that is expected to bring up to 114,000 visitors who are estimated to spend up to $208 million. Major US carrier Delta Airlines has announced it will begin flying Los Angeles to Brisbane and back in December While initially the flights have only been scheduled to March 25, there are hopes the route will prove commercially viable and lead to permanent daily departures. The major US airline already operates a flight from LA to Sydney. With United and American Airlines already operating Brisbane to LA flights, it means the three biggest US carriers will compete on the route along with Qantas. Air Canada also flies out of Brisbane to north America. It is hoped the increased international competition will lead to more competition locally and reduced ticket prices. Delta Air Lines Senior Vice President of Network Planning Joe Esposito said the new route was an exciting one. Deputy Premier and Trade Minister Cameron Dick said the deal would bring plenty of Americans to the Sunshine State. 'We know Americans love to escape the freezing North American winter and enjoy Queensland's beautiful weather, beaches, hinterland, and culture,' he said. 'The increased services should also put downward pressure on airline prices while providing more opportunities for Queensland's exporters to tap into the world's largest economy.' Brisbane Airport CEO Gert-Jan de Graaf said the city was 'charting unprecedented territory' and 'witnessing an unparalleled level of interest' from North American markets. It is hoped the influx of visitors from America will generate income for Queensland and lead to more flight price competition 'I'm not sure if it is the upcoming Olympics or the insatiable appetite for Bluey, but right now Brisbane is the 'must add' destination for North American carriers, and this opens a world of opportunity,' he said. Bringing more competition to Australian skies has recently been a hot-button issue. Last October the Senate held an Opposition-led inquiry into the Albanese government's contentious decision to block Qatar airlines from operating more domestic flights in Australia. Former Qantas CEO Alan Joyce made no secret that he lobbied the government on the issue of Qatar Airways seeking more flights into Australia. He told a Senate cost of living inquiry on August 28 that Qantas 'put its case to the government' and 'made representations' in a letter in October 2022. Transport Minister Catherine King formally rejected Qatar's request in July 2023 but denied recalling any lobbying by Qantas. Each month, an amazing event occurs in Western New York: people become American citizens. In February, 49 individuals from 22 countries participated in a naturalization ceremony, the successful culmination of their efforts to become U.S. citizens. From where did they come? Burma, Canada, Kenya, Congo (Kinshasa), Iraq, Eritrea. These countries names form a poetic chanting, summoning the world around us. These are the worlds they are leaving behind. As a a representative of the League of Women Voters, I helped welcome them into their new status as fellow citizens, as did representatives from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the Daughters of the American Revolution and the International Institute of Buffalo. We all join the new citizens (and their family members and guests) to mark the start of a new era in their lives. Each person thrills at becoming a new citizen, knowing this day is the culmination of meeting challenging and impressive standards. Age, length of time in the United States, knowledge of civics, criminal history, capacity to speak English all are taken into account before an individual can become a citizen. Special clothing from their homelands serves to honor their past as they transition into new opportunities as U.S. citizens. Some also wear U.S. flags as pins, ties, shirt decorations. The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services website lists freedoms (e.g., to express yourself and to worship as you wish) and rights (such as to vote for public officials and to apply for federal employment). I was there to help them register to vote a first act of citizenship. As a proud member of the League of Women Voters, I have the opportunity to distribute voter registration applications to the new citizens, an honor I treasure. As the excitement of the day lifted each person in the room up, as we waited for the judge of the Western District of New York to convene the court, we collected the completed forms. This month, as those from Ukraine, the United Kingdom, Vietnam, and Yemen completed their applications, I thought about my own story. My father (from Vienna) and my maternal grandmother (from Russia) became American citizens. My family members must have struggled to learn the language and customs of their new country. Memories of what was left behind haunted people in my family, but they fenced off their histories from me and my sister. We were taught to never ask questions, so as not to bring back submerged, painful memories. I sought out artistic projects to help me understand the immigration experiences, since my family members could not. In Kindertransport, a play by Diane Samuels being performed at the Jewish Repertory Theatre in February, the characters movingly share how experiences in their former country remain influential, embedded in their lives for decades. As shown in Through the Eye of the Needle, a free film about bringing memories forward through needlework, Esther Nisenthal Krinitzs daughters learned her difficult story. As the new citizens in Erie County find joy in beginning citizenship, I hope that they will welcome others into the depth and complexity of their histories, and not keep their stories locked away. A top New York City lawyer has shared how he juggles a complicated domestic life with a screenwriter girlfriend - while also caring for his wife with Alzheimer's disease at home. Townsend Davis, 60, said in a heartfelt op-ed for the New York Times that he still struggles with handling his reality, eight years on from his art executive wife Bridget's diagnosis. With two sons aged 11 and 13 at the time, Bridget, then-51, pleaded with him to 'please go find someone else', leading him to start a whirlwind romance with Emily in Paris writer Deborah Copaken, 57. Sharing their story to help others living their own lives while caring for a sick loved one, Townsend said after he and his new lover enjoyed their first Thanksgiving with his wife and children, she was still left with a bemusing reaction. 'I can't help but feel like an interloper.' Top lawyer Townsend Davis shared a candid glimpse into his life with his screenwriter girlfriend Deborah Copaken (pictured together) while his wife lives at home Townsend's wife Bridget (right) was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease eight years ago, upending both of their lives dramatically Townsend said his wife's decline came rapidly, as she was a respected, high-powered art executive at the Whitney Museum and the Museum of Modern Art. As a successful woman, Bridget had refused to accept any of her early symptoms were serious, and waited until she was making dangerous mistakes before seeking help. This included running stop signs, burning pots and even forgetting to show up for her own 50th birthday dinner. But after her condition worsened, she could barely consent to his new relationship, leaving him in a limbo where all he had to go off was her early insistence that he find a new partner. Townsend admitted that when he told his wife about Deborah and she said it was a 'good idea', he was sure she didn't understand what he was talking about. Recalling how he slowly began dating again with his wife at home, the father-of-two said he initially put it off for years, feeling sure he would be wracked with guilt as soon as he met someone else. It took him six years to even broach the subject, until he was set up on a surfing day out in Montauk by a mutual friend, who was concerned that he was lonely, and Deborah lacked companionship after her divorce. At that first meeting, he bluntly told the writer: 'Im OK not ever marrying again and getting different things from different people.' At the time, he maintained that dating was out of the question. The duo would go on to meet up for bike rides and movies, all for friendship instead of romance. 'After several months, I began asking myself: What exactly am I waiting for?' he wrote. 'If it didnt work out for whatever reason, I would be back to square one: married but effectively alone.' Bridget had been a high-powered art executive before her diagnosis, but realized something was wrong when she began running stop signs, burning pots, and even forgetting to show up for her own 50th birthday dinner Townsend seen with his new girlfriend while on a fundraising walk for his wife in Central Park However, after taking a leap of faith that he likened to diving into an ice-cold ocean, Townsend said he kissed Deborah one Friday night and 'suddenly my life took on a new dimension.' 'Our romance did so many things at once,' he wrote. 'Helped me regain hope, process loss, rediscover wonder, and remember what it was like to be in a reciprocal relationship.' The new romance swept him off his feet, as he had previously been taking care of Bridget for years with the help of a caregiver, and had moved to a separate part of the house as her condition continually worsened. After years without his wife's usual handiness - which before her diagnosis saw her organize the budgets of the Museum of Modern Art and the Whitney Museum on Excel spreadsheets - his new lover's attentiveness blew him away. 'The first time she made me dinner, I practically fell off my chair with gratitude.' Despite feeling some trepidation, they shared their first Thanksgiving as a couple with his family last year, hoping it would have been like any other as his family gathered for their traditional meal. 'Turkey, potatoes, cranberry sauce, gravy and a mashed-yams-with-mini-marshmallows concoction we affectionately call glop"', he wrote. But as others piled their plates high, Deborah sat with a tear in her eye, which he put down to his wife barely recognizing her own son just moments before dinner. Deborah had been married for 25 years until divorcing in 2018, and their three children were celebrating with her ex-husband a few miles away. However, as the meal came to a close and hey drove to her Brooklyn apartment, she revealed what had actually been disturbing her. 'This is her holiday in her home, and Im taking her place, but shes still here,' she said. 'I know its irrational, but I cant help thinking she must feel that displacement.' Despite feelings of guilt and confusion over his wife at home, Townsend said his relationship with Deborah 'helped me regain hope, process loss, rediscover wonder, and remember what it was like to be in a reciprocal relationship' The lawyer said he is happier than ever with his new relationship The issue is common for those navigating a loved one with Alzheimer's, as Townsend had no intention of divorcing his wife or stopping caring for her, all while she barely knew who he was. For others in a similar position, Townsend's op-ed shared aspects that made Deborah the ideal partner to navigate the complex situation, as she allowed him space to be with his wife without jealousy. Although getting permission from his wife was no longer feasible, the couple were still faced with the daunting prospect of introducing their families to their romance. He admitted that her two children were 'understandable reluctant' to accept him until he proved he was serious, while his were more open to the idea. 'My children seemed grateful to have a woman in their lives who understood the advantages of a mattress topper on a college bed,' he quipped. He added that the key moment their relationship went ahead came as his wife's parents, understanding his predicament, gave their blessing for him to continue seeing Deborah. His wife's mother was even more open, as he remembered her declaring that it was 'about time' he found someone else. Even so, he concluded his piece by noting his new lover's confusion and apprehension, explaining there is no right way to feel when faced with such a complex issue. On one of their first nights together, she told him: 'Its so unfair that someone had to get sick in order for me to be with you.' And after their anxiety-fueled Thanksgiving dinner, when Deborah said she felt like an 'interloper', he begged her 'please don't feel guilty.' 'I think it's more loaded because it's Thanksgiving, it's family time,' she said, to which he responded: 'You're part of my family now.' 'I guess Id be worried if you didnt feel this way,' he concluded. While Grossman remained free throughout the trial on $2 million bond, she was taken into custody after the verdict and is now awaiting sentencing Sympathizers also shared supportive comments on the X post and praised Nancy's effort to keep her sons' memory alive The mother of the two boys brutally mown down by Rebecca Grossman visited her sons' grave and shared a moving tribute after the socialite was convicted of murder. Grossman, 62, had been speeding in her white Mercedes SUV after sharing margaritas with her former MLB player lover, Scott Erickson when she hit and killed Mark, 11, and Jacob, 8, in September 2020. She was found guilty by a jury of nine men and three women at Van Nuys Court near Los Angeles on Friday afternoon and was convicted of murder, manslaughter and a hit and run. Grossman's $2 million bail was revoked by a judge, who ordered her to jail ahead of her April 10 sentencing, which could see her jailed for up to 34 years. Her plastic surgeon husband and two children sobbed as she was led away. Soon after, Nancy Iskander, the mother of the two boys, shared a picture of her sons' grave with a heartfelt tribute on X. Tulip plants and toys were seen on the young victims' graves along with posters that read: 'We love you. Mark & Jacob'. The heartbroken yet victorious mother captioned the photo: 'Mark and Jacob's grave this evening. 'Someone was held accountable for your murder sons. Sleep tight. Rest in peace.' Nancy Iskander, the mother of the two boys, who had been brutally mowed down by socialite Rebecca Grossman has shared a moving tribute after killer was found guilty Nancy and Karim Iskander, whose sons Grossman murdered, appeared delighted by the verdict While Grossman remained free throughout the trial on $2 million bond, she was taken into custody after the verdict and is now awaiting sentencing She also shared another picture of her three sons with the caption: 'Today I am telling Zachary: your brothers were murdered son. They were murdered in front of your very eyes, but someone is held accountable and they will be serving a long sentence because Mark and Jacob mattered!! They mattered!!' Peter Grossman and his 19-year-old daughter looked distraught as they left court following Rebecca Grossman's guilty verdict Peter Grossman and his son tried to block out photographers on their way out of court after Rebecca Grossman was found guilty of murder The Grossman family supported each other as they left court in Los Angeles on Friday after seeing their mother taken away in handcuffs Alexis Grossman, 19, reportedly screamed and wept after the guilty verdict was read out She also shared another picture of her three sons with the caption: 'Today I am telling Zachary: your brothers were murdered son. They were murdered in front of your very eyes, but someone is held accountable and they will be serving a long sentence because Mark and Jacob mattered!! They mattered!!' Sympathizers have also shared supportive comments on the X post. One user wrote: 'Your strength is truly remarkable, especially considering the immense loss, pain, and suffering you have endured. The unethical tactics of the defense attorneys sickened me, yet you remained strong throughout the trial. Justice prevailed.' While another added: 'Justice was served. Your sons will forever be in our hearts and legislature will be created because of your angelic boys.' One user also commented on Nancy's effort to keep her sons' memory alive and wrote: 'Thinking of you and hoping this gives you just a bit of comfort. My heart is with you as well as my prayers. You did an awesome job of keeping your sons memory alive while searching for Justice.' Another user wrote: 'I hope you can find some small solace knowing that she did not get away with it. Sending you and your family love, peace, and strength.' Well-wishers have also left a note reading 'Always Remember' with flowers at the site of the murder. The boys' father, Karim said that the family was waiting on apology after the verdict was finalized After today's verdict, Nancy said she and her husband Karim 'have been waiting for this for three and a half years'. '[The trial] wasn't easy, but it will bring me closure. They [prosecutors] worked tirelessly, three and a half years. They went above and beyond. 'They only cared about the truth. They wanted to tell the truth. They worked against some of the most evil defense attorneys. 'We're trusting the justice system. We have a justice system you can trust, from our experience. It's not a justice system where people get away with things based on the color of their skin or their wealth or anything. 'If you commit a crime, you will be held accountable, so we're very thankful, and it's now time to do good in the name of Mark and Jacob.' The boys' father, Karim also said that the family was waiting on apology after the verdict was finalized. 'We have been waiting for Mrs. Grossman to apologize, to take responsibility and she just chose to fight to the end and it was heartbreaking. 'It allows me to just move on and heal and not allow any hatred or any loss of peace to affect how I feel. 'I hope everyone heals, everyone learns from this experience, including everyone involved from all sides and hopefully this saves lives, saves other kids in the future,' he said. Grossman's husband Dr Peter Grossman and her children Alexis and Nicholas Grossman look shocked as they left court Friday, after she was convicted of murder and ordered to jail pending sentencing Grossman had a margarita with friends on the fateful day, then another at the now-closed Westlake Village restaurant Julio's with Erickson whom she was dating while she was estranged from her husband Grossman's white Mercedes SUV is pictured moments after the crash Grossman had a margarita with friends on the fateful day, then another at the now-closed Westlake Village restaurant Julio's with Erickson whom she was dating while she was estranged from her husband. The two left Julio's around 7pm she in her white Mercedes SUV and he ahead in his black Mercedes SUV to go to her nearby home to watch a presidential debate. Witnesses reported seeing the two cars 'flying by' in the 45mph speed limit on Triunfo Canyon Road. One of those witnesses saw a woman at the wheel of the white Mercedes and said, 'It seem to be jovial, like there was some sort of race going on.' The black box of Grossman's car which was just behind Erickson's recorded her speed at 81mph when she tapped the brakes and 'plowed into the boys on the crosswalk at 73mph,' according to Jamie Castro, the Deputy District Attorney's co-prosecutor. 'That was the last moment of the boys' lives. 'If she had been doing the speed limit the crash could have been avoided,' she added. 'After the collision, she did not stop. She continued driving, about a third of a mile down the road, with Mercedes' emergency accident system automatically kicking in to turn off the fuel pump and bring the vehicle to a stop.' Castro said that while other people coming by stopped at the accident scene to try to help the fatally injured boys, Grossman 'did not come back to the horror she had caused. She didn't call 911. She did not get out of her car and go back to the scene of the crash'. Nancy took the witness stand to give her own wrenching and tearful account of seeing the two vehicles barreling toward her, her youngest son Zachary, 5, Mark and Jacob on the crosswalk. She grabbed Zachary, the closest and jumped for her life into the bike lane. 'I would have been killed by that black SUV but I acted fast and was able to save myself and Zach', said Nancy who still has nightmares about the black bumper of Erickson's car bearing down on her. 'I saw the white car pass exactly where Mark and Jacob were.' Nancy took the witness stand to give her own wrenching and tearful account of seeing the two vehicles barreling toward her, her youngest son Zachary, 5, and Mark and Jacob on the crosswalk. She grabbed Zachary, the closest and jumped for her life into the bike lane Karim and Nancy Iskander, the boys' parents, are shown at a court hearing in April 2022 Grossman who dressed conservatively in cardigans or sweaters and pants or plain dresses throughout trial had been calm and unemotional except for one tearful outburst aimed at prosecutors when they kept objecting to her lead attorney Buzbee's lines of questioning and another when she sobbed into a handkerchief as graphic photos of the Iskander boys' fatal injuries were shown in court. But during breaks or the end of court days, she would often share a kiss with her husband, prominent plastic surgeon Peter Grossman and a hug with her daughter Alexis, 19, both of whom were present throughout the trial. On the other side of the courtroom during trial, the Iskanders were there most days and Nancy was frequently unable to control her tears and had to be comforted by a group of friends and family. Erickson too had been charged with misdemeanor reckless driving and his case was resolved in February 2022 with a judge ordering him to make a public service announcement for high school students about the importance of safe driving. While Grossman remained free throughout the trial on $2 million bond, she was taken into custody after the verdict was announced and is now awaiting sentencing. Thousands of Australians insured under Medibank are getting $50 back in their pockets under a $215m return to customers following the Covid-19 pandemic. All eligible customers will receive at least $50, though some could potentially get up to $360 back thanks to their level of coverage. 'On average it will be around $55 for extras only policies and around $165 for hospital and extras policies,' Medibank said. All Medibank holders who have an active hospital and/or extras policy on June 30 will qualify for this cashback, which will be paid by the end of September. However, you must have also been a Medibank member with an active resident hospital and/or extras policy between January 1 and June 30, 2023. This does not include members with special coverage, such as ambulance-only cover or overseas cover. Those who are eligible do not need to do anything, as the money will be automatically sent over. Medibank chief customer officer Milosh Milisavljevic said the company hopes the money 'will be welcome news' for people during the cost of living crisis. 'This will bring the total amount of support Medibank has provided to customers to $1.37b through our COVID-19 give-back program, which is the largest give-back of any Australian health insurer,' he said. Medibank said they made a commitment to return claims made from the Covid-19 pandemic back to members, and have been providing yearly customer cash give back plans since 2020. 'Since the start of the pandemic, our $1.37b financial support package has included the pause of premium increases, free days of cover and other member support options,' Medibank said. The news comes shortly after Russian man Aleksandr Ermakov was reportedly detained over cyber crimes. Ermakov was named as responsible for the 2022 Medibank hack, where more than 9 million customers had their personal details and health information stolen to be published and sold on the dark web. He was also linked with Russian hacking gang REvil, and was detained in Russia for unspecified cyber attacks. Following the hack, Medibank is expecting their cybercrimes costs such as IT and legal services to be between $30-$35m this financial year. A police officer accused of killing former Channel 10 presenter Jesse Baird and his boyfriend Luke Davies was seen arriving at his uncle's house on the morning he turned himself into police. Footage captured Beau Lamarre-Condon, 28, wearing a dark coloured hoodie and cap as he arrived at his relative's home in Grays Point, in Sydney's Sutherland Shire, on Friday morning. Shortly after, the former cop and his uncle drove to Bondi Police Station, as seen in footage obtained by Seven News, where he was charged with two counts of murder. The NSW Police Senior Constable will spend his second night in custody on Saturday while the loved ones of Mr Baird, 26, and Mr Davies, 29, anxiously wait for answers. Their bodies are yet to be found. Footage captured Beau Lamarre-Condon, 28, wearing a dark coloured hoodie and cap as he arrived at his relative's home in Grays Point, in Sydney's Sutherland Shire, on Friday morning before handing himself into police Police divers are seen searching a waterway in Lambton, Newcastle According to court documents, the two men were both allegedly killed by Lamarre-Condon at Mr Baird's Paddington terrace house between 12.01am and 5.30pm on Monday. Detectives are relying on Lamarre-Condon's cooperation, as well as CCTV, toll road payments and GPS mobile data, to piece together what happened in the days that followed. Police are scouring an area from Newcastle, about two hours north of Sydney, to the Shire, in the city's south in the hopes of finding the bodies of Mr Baird and Mr Davies. Lamarre-Condon allegedly rented a white van and drove it to the Shire. He then allegedly drove the van to Lambton, in Newcastle on Thursday before driving it back to the Shire on Friday morning where it was discovered in Grays Point. Police divers are searching a waterway in Lambton and were assisted by homicide detectives on Friday and Saturday. Lamarre-Condon previously dated Mr Baird before they broke up in recent months with Mr Baird then going public with his new boyfriend, Mr Davies, in early February. NSW Police Detective Superintendent Danny Doherty did not suggest an alleged motive to reporters on Friday but said the relationship was an 'obvious line of inquiry'. NSW Police Senior Constable Beaumont Lamarre-Condon, 28, worked as a youth engagement officer before being charged with two counts of murder Jesse Baird (left), 26, and Luke Davies (right), 29 Meanwhile, it's been revealed that Lamarre-Condon worked at the NSW Police Force Youth Command as a 'youth engagement officer' with schoolchildren in Sydney's south. The role saw him travel around the suburbs of Rockdale, Kingsgrove and Bexley acting as a point of contact between schools, community groups and NSW Police. He would run programs with kids to help keep them on the right path. A statement from police on Saturday said: 'The priority for police is to find the bodies of Mr Davies and Mr Baird. 'It's important for the investigation, but more so for the families of both men. 'We appreciate that people have many questions they want answered, and so do we. But as this has been a very fast-moving investigation, the detectives are still in the process of conducting the necessary inquiries in order to collect the information needed.' Lamarre-Condon was charged after he handed himself into police at Bondi following a massive manhunt (Lamarre-Condon is pictured being led away for questioning by detectives) Lamarre-Condon previously dated Mr Baird (pictured) before they broke up in recent months and Mr Baird went on to go public with his new boyfriend, Mr Davies, in early February Police alleged that Lamarre-Condon murdered his ex-partner and Mr Davies using a police issued Glock pistol before renting the white Toyota HiAce van to allegedly dispose of the couple's bodies. It is alleged he then stored the pistol in a suburban police station, though detectives did not specify which one, before taking sick leave on Tuesday and failing to return to work on Wednesday. Family and friends of Mr Baird have told police they were deeply concerned about the behaviour of Lamarre-Condon in the lead-up to the Channel 10 presenter's death. Superintendent Doherty said there had been no 'warning flags' or complaints raised with police since the pair split but that in the course of their inquiries it has since 'been documented that there was some worrying behaviour that has been alleged by family and friends'. 'But that was never reported to police,' he said. Tributes have since flowed for Mr Baird, who was also an AFL umpire, and Mr Davies, a Qantas flight attendant. A GoFundMe has been set up for Mr Davies with more than $50,000 donated so far. The Channel 10 presenter and his new partner (pictured) went public with their relationship weeks ago A white Toyota HiAce police allege was used to transport the bodies of Mr Baird and Mr Davies was located at Grays Point near Cronulla. It is pictured being removed by police READ MORE: Timeline of disappearance of Jesse Baird and boyfriend Luke Davies Advertisement Before joining the police force Lamarre-Condon ran online celebrity blogs and would track down Hollywood A-listers to get snaps with them. His mother and sister have also served in the NSW Police Force. Mr Baird and Mr Davies were allegedly killed just hours after they were last seen at a pre-Mardi Gras party night on Sunday at the Beresford Hotel in Surry Hills. In the days since the alleged murders, multiple bouquets of flowers have been placed on and along the fence line outside of Mr Baird's apartment. A man places flowers at the Paddington residence of Jesse Baird in Sydney on Saturday The couple's heartbroken friends and family have left numerous bouquets of flowers since the alleged murders Before joining the police force Lamarre-Condon ran online celebrity blogs and would track down Hollywood A-listers to get snaps with them Constable Beau Lamarre-Condon (pictured) was charged with allegedly murdering flight attendant Luke Davies and former Channel 10 presenter Jesse Baird Police scour Mr Baird's Paddington residence for clues this week after his bloodied clothes and credit cards were found in a Cronulla skip bin Police were first alerted to the missing pair after their bloodied clothes and other possessions were found in a Cronulla skip bin by a worker on Wednesday. They then attended Mr Baird's Paddington house where they found pools of blood and a cartridge case from a pistol they have since allegedly matched to a police service weapon. Mr Baird and Mr Davies only made their relationship public a matter of weeks ago, posting pictures to social media visiting a Hunter Valley winery and attending a Pink concert. Ten reporter Lachlan Kennedy said Mr Baird was a popular figure in the newsroom. 'His talent was undeniable and energy infectious,' he wrote on X. 'For years we chatted footy, utes and country music, so because I can't find the words right now, I'll let Cody sing it.' Mr Baird had worked as a presenter at the network since January 2017, including stints on children's show Totally Wild and as a reporter for Studio 10. 10 News First host and Studio 10 colleague Narelda Jacobs struggled to get the words out when reporting on the alleged fatal shooting during a breaking news segment on Friday. 10 News First Midday host Narelda Jacobs struggled through a news segment on the alleged murders on Friday The pair shared pictures of themselves attending a Hunter Valley winery and a Pink concert 'They are both much loved men with a wide circle of loved ones, family and friends who adore them,' she said. 'Luke of course has an enormously supportive workforce at Qantas, he was a flight attendant, and the same for Jesse at the AFL and here at Channel 10. 'Our thoughts are with their loved ones, their colleagues, their friends and their families at this very traumatic time.' Jacobs stumbled over her words during the report and her voice broke as she said an update would be provided later on Friday. She uploaded the clip of the news report to her Instagram, acknowledging it was delivered 'through a trembling voice'. 'Honouring these two beautiful men on the darkest of days. Forever in our hearts Jesse Baird and Luke Davies,' she wrote. 'Our hearts are broken.' During his court appearance on Friday, Lamarre-Condon only looked up briefly to acknowledge the magistrate, and had no-one in court, either family or friends, to support him. Lamarre-Condon did not apply for bail, via a legal-aid representative, and will appear again on April 23. Rust armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, 26, had taken cocaine and weed the night before Alex Baldwin shot dead cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of his western movie in October 2021. Jurors were shown texts by New Mexico prosecutors on Friday in which the weapons handler said she had been smoking to 'get high'. In text messages shown to the court, Gutierrez-Reed said she was getting high to a friend the night before the fatal shooting. The jury were shown texts she sent another person on October 20th 2021 in which she said: LOL. I dont need that tonight anyways. I might go smoke in the jacuzzi soon. Im so pooped. The messages did not specify what she was smoking. In text messages shown to the court, Gutierrez-Reed said she was getting high to a friend the night before the fatal shooting Jurors were shown texts by New Mexico prosecutors on Friday in which the weapons handler said she had been smoking Text messages sent between Hannah Gutierrez-Reed and another individual the night before the shooting was the focus of prosecutors in the courtroom on Friday Gutierrez-Reed has pleaded not guilty to charges of involuntary manslaughter and tampering with evidence in the 2021 death of Halyna Hutchins The gun Baldwin used to shoot Hutchins supplied by the armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed (pictured) In another message dated December 1st 2020, the same person messaged Gutierrez-Reed and her lawyer: 'Get someone to show her a single action gun and how it works. They don't go off by themselves' She later sent another message to the other person saying she was headed down to get high out back'. In court filings, prosecutors in the trial have alleged Gutierrez's use of marijuana, cocaine and alcohol on evenings after filming may have led to her being impaired at work on October 21, 2021. It was on that fateful date when she mistakenly loaded a live round into a gun actor Alec Baldwin was rehearsing with. The texts were shown on Friday, the second day of testimony in the trial, did not specify a drug. Jason Hawks, a prosecution witness on cellphone data, who analyzed texts from Gutierrez's phone, testified and showed texts in which Gutierrez says at 7:48 pm on Octover 20, 2021, 'heading down to get high out back.' Around half an hour later she texts 'I'm still smoking.' Prosecutor Kari Morrissey said she did not intend to call an expert witness on drug use because no blood tests were carried out on Gutierrez after cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was shot dead. The jury at the trial for Rust armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed was shown shocking images of cinematographer's Halyna Hutchins' the blood-stained shirt on Friday Prosecutors also brought out the bloody shirt that director Joel Souza was wearing when the bullet that killed Hutchins struck him in the shoulder. The bullet that killed the cinematographer and struck the film director is seen above Baldwin is seen in the parking lot outside the Santa Fe County Sherriff's office following the shooting in October 2021 Gutierrez's defense lawyers have argued that prosecutors' drug use allegations are speculative, without evidence and an attempt to infer character flaws and prejudice the jury against her. Hutchins died when the Italian-made Pietta reproduction Colt .45 revolver Baldwin was rehearsing with fired the live round, hitting the rising star cinematographer in the chest. Legal experts say that should prosecutors persuade the jury Gutierrez was impaired on set, where she was responsible for firearms safety, she could be convicted of a charge of involuntary manslaughter which carries up to 18 months. Gutierrez is also charged with evidence tampering for allegedly handing a bag of cocaine to a fellow crew member after the shooting in order to prevent police from finding it. Gutierrez has pleaded not guilty to both charges. Prosecution and defense have both tried to show chaos on the low-budget movie where two accidental firearm discharges on one day led a camera crew to walk off set hours before Hutchins died. Baldwin, the lead actor and a co-producer on the Western movie Rust, was pointing a gun at cinematographer Halyna Hutchins (pictured) during a rehearsal outside Santa Fe in October 2021 when the gun went off, killing her Gutierrez-Reed had a live round mixed with with dummy ones on set, prosecutors told the jury in her manslaughter trial on Thursday A picture of the weapon used in the fatal shooting on set was shown in court on Thursday According to the records, the gun was one of three that the film's armorer, Hannah Gutierrez, had set on a cart outside the wooden structure where a scene was being acted Defense lawyers said Hutchins died because of Baldwin's reckless handling of the revolver while prosecutors blamed Gutierrez's accidental introduction of live bullets to the set and failure to spot them. The armorer's lawyers said she was unfairly targeted by police after the shooting while Baldwin, who is also charged with involuntary manslaughter, was left to wander around talking on his phone. Baldwin's lawyers are seeking a June trial. 'I have the weapon, I have the ammo and I have the armorer,' retired Santa Fe County Sheriffs Office Lieutenant Tim Benavidez, one of the first officers on the scene, testified Thursday that he told investigators after he held Gutierrez in his pickup truck. During the second day of her trial on Friday, prosecutors also brought out the bloody shirt that director Joel Souza was wearing when the bullet that killed Hutchins struck him in the shoulder. The previous day prosecutors tried to portray her as disorganized and unprepared for the job, accusing her of mixing live ammunition with dummy rounds and doing cocaine the night before the tragic rehearsal. Meanwhile the defense says Gutierrez-Reed is not to blame and is being smeared and unfairly scapegoated as they place the blame on Baldwin and the film's producers. Gutierrez-Reeds attorneys have previously claimed that live rounds arrived on set from an Albuquerque-based supplier of dummy rounds On Friday the jury was also shown dozens of photos of the inside of the shop owned by Seth Kenney for his company PDQ Props The photos were an attempt by Gutierrez-Reeds lawyer's to show that Kenney stored his ammunition in a haphazard way Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, 25, has entered a New Mexico courtroom to face trial for the 2021 death of a cinematographer fatally shot by Alec Baldwin during a rehearsal The jury was also shown dozens of photos of the inside of the shop owned by Seth Kenney for his company PDQ Props, which is said to have supplied the ammunition to the Rust set. The court also heard it provided ammunition to 1888, the Kevin Costner TV series. The photos were an attempt by Gutierrez-Reeds lawyer's to show that Kenney stored his ammunition in a haphazard way. They showed dozens of used cardboard boxes in the alleyway by the shop. Gutierrez-Reeds lawyer Jason Bowles asked Marissa Poppell, a crime scene technician with the Santa Fe County Sheriff's office, about one image which showed a pizza box lying on the floor. Does it appear to be very disorganized, Bowles asked. Poppell said yes. Bowles asked: Theres stuff everywhere, agree with that? Poppell said: Yes. The images showed dozens of boxes of white ammunition sitting on shelves in what appeared to be a residential apartment. More rounds were shown in a grab tub on the floor with the lid open. Kenney has denied that he provided live rounds to Gutierrez-Reed. The jury were shown other messages Gutierrez-Reed sent to another contact called Dadclua on November 8th 2021, after the shooting. Baldwin also has pleaded not guilty to an involuntary manslaughter charge in a separate case She wrote: Hey I need you to check you to check out my boxes and send me pictures of our boxes of dummies.' The contact called Dadcula replied: Will do and sent an image of an ammunition box. It appeared that 'Dadcula' was Thell Reed, the renowned film armorer who is Gutierrez-Reed's stepfather and mentor but it was not clear. In another message dated December 1st 2020, the same person messaged Gutierrez-Reed and her lawyer: 'Get someone to show her a single action gun and how it works. They don't go off by themselves'. Prosecutors said they plan to present evidence that Gutierrez-Reed unwittingly brought live ammunition onto the set, where it was expressly prohibited, and to show 'how these live rounds slowly spread their way throughout the set, eventually landing in several of the actors costumes.' Jurors have watched police body camera videos of the harrowing, chaotic scene after the shooting, with medical personnel treating a wounded and semiconscious Hutchins and loading her into an ambulance as a helicopter arrived. They say the armorer missed multiple opportunities to ensure safety, eventually loading a live round into the gun that killed Hutchins and failing twice to properly check whether bullets in the gun were live or dummies. 'We will show you, ladies and gentlemen, that by failing to make those vital safety checks, the defendant acted negligently and without due caution,' prosecutor Jason Lewis told jurors. 'And the decisions that she made that day ultimately contributed to Ms. Hutchins death.' Lead defense counsel Jason Bowles countered by pointing to findings by workplace safety regulators of broad problems that extended beyond the armorers control. He contended that live rounds arrived on set from an Albuquerque-based supplier of dummy rounds, and that the supplier was never truly investigated. Gutierrez-Reed, the stepdaughter of renowned sharpshooter and weapons consultant Thell Reed, was 24 when the shooting occurred. Bowles sought to shift blame for safety failures away from Gutierrez-Reed, and toward Baldwin and his handling of the gun during rehearsal. 'He either had his finger on the trigger and the hammer cocked, or he pulled the trigger, as he was pointing that at Ms. Hutchins and Mr. Souza,' Bowles said. 'Youre not going to hear anything about her being in that church or firing that weapon. That was Alec Baldwin.' Baldwin has said he pulled back the guns hammer not the trigger and the weapon fired. Gutierrez-Reed faces up to 18 months and a $5,000 fine if convicted of involuntary manslaughter. The evidence tampering charge stems from accusations that she handed a small bag of possible narcotics to another crew member after the shooting to avoid detection. Her attorneys say that charge is an attempt to smear her character. The bag was thrown away without testing the contents, defense attorneys said. Gutierrez-Reed's trial will resume on Monday. A woman and a young girl have been airlifted to hospital while a man and an infant boy have also been injured following a horror two-car crash in central NSW. A Mazda CX-9 and a Nissan Navara collided on Duramana Road, in Duramana, near Bathurst, just before 3pm on Saturday. Multiple ambulance crews including helicopters were called to the scene where they remained for an hour. A woman aged in her 20s suffered head, chest and leg injuries and was airlifted to Westmead Hospital in a serious but stable condition. A woman and a young girl have been airlifted to hospital while a man and an infant boy have also been injured following a horror two-car smash in central NSW Multiple ambulance crews were called to the scene on Duramana Road, in Duramana, near Bathurst, at about 3pm on Saturday Paramedics are seen transporting one patient after the two-car crash A girl under the age of 12 was also airlifted to Westmead in a serious but stable condition with abdominal injuries. A man aged in his 40s was taken to hospital with leg injuries and is in a stable condition. A young boy was also taken to hospital with minor injuries. A fifth patient was assessed at the scene but did not require further treatment. NSW Police said the crash investigation team is on their way to the scene. 'It will be a prolonged operation there as those investigations continue,' a spokesperson said. Two patients are in serious conditions following the crash in Duramana Junior doctors in England have been urged to call off strikes and 'show they are prepared to be reasonable' as they walk out for the 10th time since March last year. It comes amid calls from health chiefs for unions and ministers to settle the dispute. The latest junior doctors' strike will begin at 7am on Saturday, lasting for five days until they return to work at 11.59pm on Wednesday. Dr Robert Laurenson and Dr Vivek Trivedi, co-chairs of the BMA junior doctors committee, said: 'The Government could have stopped these strikes by simply making a credible pay offer for junior doctors in England to begin reversing the pay cuts they have inflicted upon us for more than a decade. 'The same Government could have even accepted our offer to delay this round of strike action to give more space for talks - all we asked for in return was a short extension of our mandate to strike. Ambulances are parked outside a hospital in London this morning as junior doctors prepare to stage their 10th strike since March last year NHS national medical director Professor Sir Stephen Powis said it is 'extremely concerning' that strike action and disruption 'are becoming a new normal' 'The fact that ministers have chosen strike action over what could have been the end of this year's pay dispute is disappointing to say the least.' They claim 'more and more' junior doctors are moving abroad for better-paying jobs, adding: 'All doctors are looking for is to reverse pay cuts and be paid the same, in real terms, as in 2008 - which looks like around 21 per hour instead of the current 15 per hour. 'This is the way to a better-staffed, more effective health service, and all the Government has to do to call off these strikes is come forward with a credible way of getting there.' Health Secretary Victoria Atkins said: 'I want to see doctors treating patients, not standing on picket lines. 'In negotiations with the BMA junior doctors committee, we made it clear we were prepared to go further than the pay increase of up to 10.3% that they have already received. They refused to put our offer to their members. 'More than 1.3 million appointments and operations have already been cancelled or rescheduled since industrial action began - five days of further action will compound this. 'The NHS has robust contingency plans in place, and it is vital that people continue to come forward for treatment. But no one should underestimate the impact these strikes have on our NHS. 'So again, I urge the BMA junior doctors committee to call off their strikes and show they are prepared to be reasonable, so that we can come back to the negotiating table to find a fair way forward.' The strike will be the 10th round of industrial action by junior doctors since March 2023, and the last under its current mandate. However, Dr Laurenson and Dr Trivedi said they expect the mandate to be renewed into the autumn given the 'strength of determination shown by junior doctors across the country'. They added: 'There is no point in the Government delaying any further. The time to end this dispute is now.' NHS national medical director Professor Sir Stephen Powis said it is 'extremely concerning' that strike action and disruption 'are becoming a 'new normal''. 'For the equivalent of more than one in every 10 days last year, the NHS has had to effectively stop carrying out most routine appointments to prioritise emergency care,' he added. The five days of strikes that junior doctors are currently taking will put enormous pressure on the NHS and hamper conditions for fruitful negotiation 'The impact of this over a prolonged period continues to build at a time where staff are already under pressure, tackling the elective backlog and focusing on recovery.' Sir Julian Hartley, chief executive of NHS Providers, has urged unions and the Government to 'redouble their efforts to find a resolution'. Deputy chief executive Saffron Cordery reiterated Sir Julian's call, saying: 'We can't go on like this. Wave after wave of strikes saps the morale of staff and impacts patients. 'Trust leaders urge the Government and unions to do everything possible to settle this damaging dispute and to end strikes.' Ms Cordery added: 'Trust leaders want to get on with the job of giving patients first-class care instead of having to spend too much time and energy planning for and coping with weeks of disruptive strikes.' A blog post by the King's Fund's Siva Anandaciva, who is a chief analyst in the think tank's policy team, said 'strikes have become such a familiar feature of our lives over the past two years that there is a risk we can become inured to their impact'. Labour branded him racist and have urged the PM to withdraw the Tory whip Lee Anderson said that London and Sadiq Khan are 'controlled by Islamists' Labour has called for Lee Anderson to lose the Tory party whip after the outspoken MP made 'racist and Islamophobic' comments about London Mayor Sadiq Khan. The ex-deputy Tory chairman said on GB News last night that the first Muslim Mayor of London is controlled by Islamists and that he has 'given our capital city away to his mates'. He said: 'I don't actually believe that these Islamists have got control of our country, but what I do believe is they've got control of Khan and they've got control of London and they've got control of Starmer as well. 'Again, this stems with Khan, he's actually given our capital city away to his mates. 'Beware, because if you let Labour in through the back door, expect more of this and expect our cities to be taken over by these lunatics.' The Labour Party has written to Rishi Sunak demanding that he withdraw the whip from Anderson for his 'vile Islamophobia' and 'dangerous conspiracy theories' towards the first Muslim Mayor of London. Labour has called for Lee Anderson (pictured) to lose the Tory party whip after the outspoken MP made 'racist and Islamophobic' comments about London Mayor Sadiq Khan The ex-deputy Tory chairman said on GB News last night that Khan (pictured) is controlled by Islamists and that he has 'given our capital city away to his mates' Tory Minister Nus Ghani branded Lee Anderson's comments as 'both foolish and dangerous' Anderson's comments, which were made following pro-Palestine protests outside Parliament, have been condemned by Labour chairwoman Anneliese Dodds Shadow cabinet member Jonathan Ashworth, who penned the letter, wrote on X, formerly Twitter: 'Sunak has a clear choice: show some backbone and withdraw the whip or be forever known as too weak to take them on.' Removing the whip means that Anderson would no longer be sitting as a Tory MP within the House of Commons. A Conservative source said: 'Lee was simply making the point that the Mayor, in his capacity as PCC for London, has abjectly failed to get a grip on the appalling examples of extremism we have seen in London recently.' And now a serving Tory minister has hit out against Anderson after speaking to him, saying his comments are 'both foolish and dangerous'. Business minister of state Nus Ghani, who is a Muslim, wrote at 11.46am on X: 'I have spoken to Lee Anderson. 'I've called out Islamic extremism (& been attacked by hard left, far right & Islamists). 'I don't for one moment believe that Sadiq Khan is controlled by Islamists. To say so, is both foolish and dangerous. 'Frankly this is all so tiring...' Anderson's comments, which were made following pro-Palestine protests outside Parliament, were earlier condemned by Labour chairwoman Anneliese Dodds as 'unambiguously racist and Islamophobic'. She wrote on X: 'Rishi Sunak needs to immediately remove the whip. If he is too weak, then people will take their own view of the modern Conservative Party.' Former Conservative chancellor and Home Secretary Sir Sajid Javid, who is of Muslim background but does not practice any religion, branded Anderson's remarks as 'a ridiculous thing to say'. And this morning, the Defence Secretary has said he 'wouldn't phrase things like that', when asked whether Anderson's comments about Sadiq Khan were acceptable. Grant Shapps distanced himself from Mr Anderson's claim that Islamists had 'got control' of Mr Khan and that the mayor had 'given our capital city away to his mates'. But Mr Shapps added that he thinks the Mayor has done 'terrible things to our capital' and that he had concerns about the way pro-Palestinian protests are being policed. Speaking to BBC Breakfast, he said: 'I haven't seen the comments, I should say, so just based off what you've just told me, but it's certainly not the way I would put things. 'I think there are more concerns about the way that some of these protests have been taking place, in particular what we saw projected onto Parliament this week, but I certainly wouldn't phrase things like that.' Asked whether Mr Anderson should lose the Tory whip, Mr Shapps said the matter was 'one for party itself'. Former Conservative chancellor Sir Sajid Javid branded Anderson's remarks as 'ridiculous' Conservative leader at London City Hall, Neil Garratt, also criticised Anderson Former Conservative MP and Theresa May's ex-chief of staff Gavin Barwell slammed Anderson Grant Shapps (pictured) distanced himself from Mr Anderson's claim that Islamists had 'got control' of Mr Khan and that the mayor had 'given our capital city away to his mates' The Defence Secretary declined to say whether Mr Anderson was a good representative voice for the Conservative Party, saying only that 'we live in a democracy where people are allowed to speak their mind and Lee Anderson, I think, is famed for speaking his mind.' Conservative leader at London City Hall, Neil Garratt, also criticised Anderson, saying: 'The Saturday marches fuel both antisemitism and the fear of antisemitism. Many Jews no longer feel welcome in their own city, hence why I have repeatedly argued that the police should do more. 'But Islamists have not taken control of Sadiq Khan, and they are not running London. 'I have no shortage of criticisms of Mayor Khan as regular viewers will know, but he is not an Islamist, he is not in the pockets of Islamists, and I completely disagree with anyone who says otherwise.' Former Conservative MP and Theresa May's ex-chief of staff Gavin Barwell slammed Anderson for his comments, tweeting: 'A despicable slur on @SadiqKhan and Londoners. 'In his first speech as PM, @RishiSunak said he would "unite our country". If he allows the likes of Anderson to spread hate and division like this, those words will be revealed as a sham.' Anderson (pictured) was one of the deputy chairmen of the Conservative Party until January, but he resigned as he planned to rebel over the vote of the Government's Rwanda bill Shadow cabinet member Jonathan Ashworth (pictured), who penned the letter, wrote on X, formerly Twitter: 'Sunak has a clear choice: show some backbone and withdraw the whip or be forever known as too weak to take them on' The Muslim Council of Britain has also urged the Prime Minister to withdraw the whip from Anderson, saying: 'In a week where we learn of an explosion in Islamophobic hate crimes, influential MPs and a donor to the Conservative Party are endorsing common talking points that peddle conspiracy theories and Islamophobic tropes of alleged Muslim takeovers of our country. 'Deputy Chair, Lee Anderson's claim that the Islamists have taken charge of London and of the Mayor is a disgusting slur that has no place in our public life. 'The silence of the Party in the face of such extremism as we approach the Mayoral election, echoes the racist Zac Goldsmith campaign and shows that the institutional Islamophobia in the Conservative Party continues unabated. The Goldsmith campaign failed then and we are confident this approach will fail again. 'We urge the Party to act immediately and withdraw the whip from Mr Anderson.' Anderson was one of the deputy chairmen of the Conservative Party until January, but he resigned as he planned to rebel over the vote of the Government's Rwanda bill. But he ended up abstaining on the vote after he said Labour MPs 'were sniggering and taking the mick' out of him as he stood in the No Lobby to vote. In the same interview with GB News last night, Anderson said that politicians should take over the from the police as they were not cracking down hard enough on pro-Palestine protesters. He said: 'Ultimately we run the country, and if the police aren't doing their job and they're not doing their job we need to step in and take over.' An associate of the Finks motorcycle gang has been identified as the victim of a targeted shooting in Sydney's west. Jamie Goodworth, 32, had stumbled into Liverpool Hospital but died just after 1am on Saturday, having been shot twice. Mr Goodworth, a father from Mount Druitt, arrived at the hospital at 12.53am on Saturday with two gunshot wounds that were so severe medical staff were unable to identify him. He was immediately taken into emergency surgery but was unable to be saved. His family have since paid tribute with his sister Jess saying life was 'so unfair and mean'. Jamie Goodworth, 32, had stumbled into Liverpool Hospital but died just after 1am on Saturday, having been shot twice Mr Goodworth, a father from Mount Druitt, arrived at the hospital at 12.53am on Saturday with two gunshot wounds that were so severe medical staff were unable to identify him 'Absolutely f**king crushed and gutted right now, and lost for words,' she wrote on Facebook. 'You were my absolute favourite family member I had left and I'm shattered you've been taken from me and your family. 'My big brother and protector. I'm just crushed.' His partner Amanda also shared a photo in honour of Mr Goodworth. 'We all love you forever baby 0 to 100,' she wrote. Mr Goodworth's mother said: 'It is with a broken heart my beautiful boy was taken from us last night, as a family we are devastated and in disbelief. 'My world is shattered.' Tributes have flowed for Mr Goodworth He was also a member of the Budgewoi Bulldogs rugby league football club on the NSW Central Coast, known to teammates as 'Farrah'. 'Farrar was the friendliest, genuine OG Bulldog. Very sad news to face, we at Budgewoi are sending our deepest condolences to his family and friends,' the club wrote. 'We will be honouring you in every game we play this year mate!' Liverpool City Police Superintendent Adam Whyte said Mr Goodworth appeared to be the victim of a targeted attack that was believed to be gang related. 'It does appear that it's targeted. It doesn't appear to be random,' he told reporters. Supt Whyte said a man in a blue car had dropped him off at the hospital and that vehicle has since been seized. Supt Whyte declined to say more about the man who drove to the hospital. 'We are investigating with State Crime Command and inquiries into locations associated with the blue vehicle in our custody,' he said. Detectives from State Crime Command's Homicide Squad are investigating the incident and the victim's links to his associates. Police are appealing for anyone with information to contact Liverpool Police or Crime Stoppers. This is the shocking moment a Ukrainian missile destroyed a 260mn Russian spy plane over Krasnodar on the second anniversary of Putin's bloody invasion. Video showed huge plumes of smoke billowing from the wreckage after the A-50U reconnaissance plane's wing was reportedly torn off by a hit from a revamped S-200 Soviet-era long-range air defence missile - a staggering blow to Russia's already diminishing collection. Ten crew were reported to have been found dead at the crash site in Russia's Krasnodar region, where the dictator's official Black Sea residence and private 1 billion place are located. The eventual toll is likely to be higher. The A-50U AWACS reconnaissance plane was shot down some 150 miles inside Russia from the frontline in a major success for Ukraine, and the worst month of the war for Putin's air force. Separately, a Ukrainian kamikaze drone attack is believed to be responsible for three thunderous explosions and a massive fire at Russia's largest steel producer NLMK in Lipetsk, majority owned by magnate and 'laird' Vladimir Lisin, 67, famous for buying a sprawling Scottish estate in Perthshire. Video showed smoke billowing from the crash site of a spy plane in Krasnodar, western Russia From above, the plane appeared to deploy flares before being struck by a Ukrainian missile The plane was hit by a revamped Soviet-era S200 missile, fired from Ukraine Footage shows the plane hit after it repeatedly fired heat traps seeking to evade incoming missiles. Two blazing sections of the stricken aircraft were seen falling from the sky. 'We heard two pops and a rumble,' a witness on the ground told Telegram channel VChK-OGPU. 'We ran out into the street When it flew over us, it was no longer intact, without the right wing with a large roll. 'The fuselage fell into the ground, and the left wing was knocked off by trees and landed in the courtyard of house 13 Polevaya Street. 'Two grannies live there, they were not injured.' Footage also showed a massive inferno on the ground. Up to eight Russian military planes have been destroyed in rapid succession this month. Russian sources initially blamed friendly fire but Ukrainian sources said the A-50U was downed 'as part of a joint operation of [Kyiv's] Main Intelligence Directorate and the Ukrainian Air Force'. The loss of the A-50U - the second in six weeks - will mean a severe blow to Putin's aerial reconnaissance, harming Russia's ability to pinpoint targets for missile strikes and monitor Ukrainian battlefield deployments. Some accounts say it was flying over the Sea of Azov when it was hit. It came down near Primorsko-Akhtarsk. Ukraine's GUR military intelligence directorate said: 'The last flight of the A-50U took place on February 23, 2024 at 15:50 from the Akhtubinsk airfield and was supposed to carry out terrorist tasks of the aggressor state of Russia near the settlements of Primorsko-Akhtarsk - Zernograd. 'An abrupt stop of the Bumblebee radar complex's workwas recorded by GUR's radio technical intelligence stations at 18:45. 'The fire damage of the modernised A-50U of the Russian Air Force was confirmed by the radio interception of the conversation of the Su-35 cover crew. 'One of the Russian pilots reports on the radio that he observed the work of air defense, flash and explosions.' 'Congratulations to the occupiers on the Defender of the Fatherland day,' said a sardonic Ukrainian aroid force commander General Mykola Oleshchuk. Russia marks this day - honouring the armed forces and those serving in them - annually on 23 February. Russian state TV was ordered to censor reports of the loss of the latest A-50 type spy plane, it was reported. But Russian state-owned news agency RIA Novosti reported after Oleshchuk's comments that 'an unidentified aircraft crashed in the Kanevskoy District in Krasnodar Krai.' The agency said the jet was a modernised version of the Soviet-built jet. Illustrative image shows an airborne warning and control A-50U aircraft An S-200 missile system, like that used in the takedown of a Russian spy plane overnight Separately, video showed a major fire following a drone attack at the Novolipetsk Steel plant Explosion and fire at Novolipetsk Steel PJSC, Russia's largest steel producer after drone attack Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky pictured during a joint online meeting in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday 24 February The Ukrainian president met with G7 leaders on a call as the war enters its third year In Lipetsk, a major fire followed a drone attack and explosions at Novolipetsk Steel plant - some 250 miles from the Ukrainian border - evidently caused significant damage. Footage showed a giant inferno at steelmaker NLMK's main plant, which makes 18 per cent of Russia's steel needs. Reports say missiles - including nuclear - are made from steel produced at the plant, 280 miles southeast of Moscow. 'Before the fire, the sound of a flying UAV was heard in the sky and then explosions were heard,' reported news outlet Baza, citing witnesses. Pro-Putin regional governor Igor Artamonov said: 'A fire occurred in one of NLMK's workshops. 'There are no casualties. There is no threat of release of hazardous substances.' Lisin - worth around 18 billion - owns the plant as majority shareholder through An Abu Dhabi company. NLMK said on social media the fire broke out at 1:40 a.m. (2230 GMT on Friday). February 24 marks two years since the beginning of Putin's invasion of Ukraine, a devastating war that has claimed 10,582 civilian lives since 2022 according to the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine's latest report. A further 19,875 have been injured, largely in strikes in cities. NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg on Saturday urged Ukraine and its allies not to 'lose heart' in spite of the losses. 'The situation on the battlefield remains extremely serious. President Putin's aim to dominate Ukraine has not changed, and there are no indications that he is preparing for peace. But we must not lose heart,' Stoltenberg said in a recorded statement. As the war enters its third year, Latvia's foreign minister urged Britain to consider conscription to buff NATO's defences as the prospect of Russia creeping west looms ever closer. Asked whether he supported such a move, Krisjanis Karins told SkyNews he is 'happily sharing' Latvia's experiences since reinstating conscription last year. 'I think other NATO allies could consider it as well.' Members of the UK armed forces training Ukrainian military recruits at a facility in Wiltshire on February 20, 2024 Ukrainian soldiers wait for orders next to L119 artillery, as Russia-Ukraine war continues in the direction of Marinka, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine, 23 February 2024 A Ukrainian soldier leaves a shelter near Marinka, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine, 23 February 2024 Ukraine meanwhile vowed to triumph over Russian 'darkness' as it entered a new year of war weakened by a lack of Western aid and with Moscow emboldened by fresh gains. To mark the second anniversary, a virtual summit of G7 leaders was due to take place at Kyiv's Saint Sophia Cathedral later Saturday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky attending. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also arrived in Kyiv to take part in the G7 summit. The president was today pictured on a call in front of a downed plane in Kyiv. Transport for London is to amend the ultra-low emission zone (Ulez) scrappage scheme to allow non-compliant vehicles to be donated to Ukraine, under plans announced by mayor Sadiq Khan. He has asked the transport body to make the move after Transport Secretary Mark Harper told him there is no 'legal barrier' to cars being donated to Ukraine through the Ulez scrappage scheme. Mr Khan had asked the Cabinet minister in December to enable 4x4s and other suitable vehicles that would otherwise be scrapped to be sent to Ukraine, with their owners still receiving a payment. He says these plans, which could be launched in weeks, 'will help meet medical and humanitarian needs while also helping to remove old polluting vehicles from London's roads'. Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said 4x4 owners who avail of Transport for London's Ulez scappage scheme can donate their vehicles to Ukraine to help with the humanitarian effort Most diesel cars built before 2016 and less than 40 years old will have to pay the 12.50 a day Ulez charge if driving in the capital Mayor of Kyiv Vitali Klitschko, pictured, wants 4x4s to operate as ambulances and provide humanitarian aid in front-line areas under constant Russian attack Applicants will be able to donate vehicles that are not Ulez compliant in return for the same grant payment available to drivers who scrap or retrofit their vehicles. The donated vehicles will be permanently transferred to Ukrainian authorities and their partners for humanitarian and medical needs. The scheme could be launched once it has been given formal approval and TfL has updated its rules and processes. London Ambulance Service (LAS) is planning to join the effort by donating 50 decommissioned ambulances to Ukraine - 10 in the next few weeks with a further 40 by the end of the summer. Ambulances are not charged to drive in the Ulez but LAS plans to steadily decommission non-compliant vehicles. The donation announcement coincides with the second anniversary of the Russian invasion which has damaged Ukraine's health care system and infrastructure. Kyiv's mayor, Vitali Klitschko, reportedly wrote to his London counterpart to suggest donating vehicles as part of the scrappage scheme. On Friday Mr Khan said: 'Two years on from Russia's devastating illegal invasion of Ukraine, I continue to do all I can to help those affected, including supporting Ukrainians seeking help in London and signposting where Londoners can make donations. 'Alongside the human toll of the conflict, there has been a significant impact on Ukraine's infrastructure, and these plans to donate non-compliant vehicles will help meet medical and humanitarian needs while also helping to remove old polluting vehicles from London's roads. 'The scrappage scheme is open to all Londoners with an eligible non-Ulez compliant vehicle and is playing a key part in my mission to clean up our city's toxic air.' Instead of being destroyed and recycled on a scrap heap, the cars could be redeployed in Ukraine. Many 4x4 owners scrapped their vehicles because of the ongoing daily cost of using them in the capital - despite being roadworthy and capable for running for many years to come The charity British-Ukrainian Aid (BUA), which works with grassroots organisations in Ukraine where it procured and delivered more than 300 medical and evacuation vehicles during 2023, is to help organise the rollout of the new measures. BUA will provide documentation for people to receive their scrappage grant, transfer the vehicles to Ukraine and report on the number of donated vehicles. Eduard Fesko, from the Ukrainian embassy in the UK, described the plans as 'a unique opportunity to give a second life to vehicles by donating them to Ukraine, which can help save human lives'. He added: 'This initiative can benefit Ukraine and London greatly, and the embassy of Ukraine in the United Kingdom is proud to support this initiative and encourages all charity organisations and volunteer groups to join this effort.' Rainer-Elk Anders, of British-Ukrainian Aid, said the organisation is 'grateful to all Londoners who will give their vehicle a second life to help saving lives in Ukraine and we are delighted to be a part of the scheme'. LAS chief executive Daniel Elkeles said: 'Almost two years ago staff and volunteers from across the London Ambulance Service drove across Europe to donate ambulances and supplies to Ukraine. Sadly, the conflict and suffering continues to this day. 'We are donating recently decommissioned ambulances which we can no longer use, but have refurbished in support of the Ukrainian people. 'Our thoughts remain with our colleagues in the ambulance service there as they do their work in such challenging circumstances.' The Ulez area was expanded to include the whole of the capital in August, making it the world's largest pollution charging area. People who drive in the zone in a vehicle that does not meet minimum emissions standards are required to pay a 12.50 daily fee or risk a 180 fine, reduced to 90 if paid within 14 days. A 210 million scheme run by TfL enables residents, small businesses, sole traders and charities scrapping non-compliant cars to claim grants. A popular Hello Kitty-themed amusement park in Tokyo has closed today after it received a terror threat via email. Sanrio Puroland, also known as Hello Kitty Land, which is located in Tama City in North Tokyo, shut its doors at 9am as a safety precaution because it received an 'email threatening terrorism'. The email said that a 'hazardous' object had been placed in the park, prompting the temporary closure in the middle of a three day weekend. The park is known for its rides, shows and cutesy cartoon mascots including the beloved cat-like girl. Sanrio Puroland wrote on its website: 'We decided to temporarily close for the day because the safety of visitors, performers and staff cannot be guaranteed at the moment. Sanrio Puroland (Hello Kitty Land), put up a sign saying they were closing for the day The theme park is designed to be a place for all things 'cute' such as one of the brand's mascots 'Today, Saturday, February 24, 2024, we received an email threatening terrorism.' This has since been taken down from the website and now the message simply says the park is closed for the day without explaining why. Police attended earlier today and began a search for the 'hazardous' object - but found nothing. They are now trying to identify the sender of the email. It remains unclear why he email was sent and if there was any weight behind the threat. Hello Kitty, which comes from Japan, was created by Sanrio in 1974 and the company opened the theme park in 1990. The park closure has come in the middle of a three day weekend as Friday was a bank holiday in Japan to celebrate Emperor Naruhito's 64th birthday. In normal times the theme park is very popular with visitors and many are disappointed today Sanrio, which created hello kitty in 1974, opened the dedicated theme park in 1990 Disappointed people hoping to visit the theme park took to social media to voice their anger. One X user, @ZotBuster, wrote: 'We were supposed to go to Hello Kitty Land today and then somebody called in a f****** bomb threat and got the entire park closed.' Another X user tweeted: 'It's unforgivable that someone is doing this during a precious three-day weekend!' Alexei Navalny's widow said Russian President Vladimir Putin 'is Satan' for ordering that his arch critic's body should not be handed over to his family after his shock death in a grisly Arctic penal colony nine days ago. Yulia Navalnaya, who has vowed to keep up her late husband's anti-corruption work, said in a new video directly accusing Putin of responsibility in Navalny's death: 'What Putin is doing now is hate. No, it's not even hatred, it's satanism.' 'What will you do with his corpse? How low will you sink to mock the man you murdered?' she continued. For more than a week the family has waited in vain to see the body of the Russian opposition leader, who Russia claimed died from 'sudden death syndrome' after a walk at the brutal IK-3 prison in Kharp on February 16. Russia said it would not release the body to the family for 14 days as investigators probe the hazy circumstances of his death - a move critics say suggests foul play, following Navalny's Novichok poisoning while investigating Russian corruption in 2020. 'I completely understand that this has not been curated by some investigator in Salekhard. Putin is directing it all,' Navalnaya said in her address shared this morning. 'It's Putin saying "put pressure on the mother, break her, tell her the body of her son is rotting",' she said. Navalnaya said in her address that Putin's decision not to release the body was 'satanism' Navalnaya again claimed in a statement that Putin was responsible for her husband's death Navalnaya issued a stark warning, referencing alleged comments from an investigator Lyudmila Navalnaya travelled to the penal colony on February 17 where she was told the body was missing Navalny, right, embraces his wife Yulia, as he was released by a court in Kirov, Russia, July 19, 2013, after he was released from custody after being convicted of embezzlement Yulia Navalnaya, wife of late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, attends the Munich Security Conference (MSC), a day before Zelensky's speech, on February 16 2024 Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a presentation in Kazan, February 22, 2024 Following a private meeting with US President Joe Biden on Thursday, Yulia Navalnaya spoke candidly about her husband's death in a video shared on YouTube. She outright accused Putin of 'murder', reiterating previous allegations with the Kremlin has denied, and said that her husband's body was being held 'hostage'. 'Alexei's mother is literally tortured for several days,' she continued. 'The investigator lies to her, blackmails her and lies again, promising her that everything will soon be cleared up.' A day after news of Navalny's death, Lyudmila Navalnaya travelled to the penal colony some 1,200 miles (1,900km) north of Moscow where her late son was serving a 19-year sentence on charges of 'extremism'. There, she was told she could not see the body and that it was being held in a nearby morgue in Salekhard. Navalny's team were later told that the body was not there, and they could not see it. Authorities later on Saturday revealed the cause of death as 'sudden death syndrome', often caused by a heart condition in adults. Russia later said it would need 14 days for investigators to examine the body before handing it back to the family, who were also allegedly 'blackmailed' into burying him in a secret funeral. 'Something will happen to the body, because, and I quote "time is working against us",' Navalnaya warned in her latest. Navalny's spokesperson Kira Yarmysh said previously that Lyudmila Navalnaya had refused to comply as they 'have no authority to decide how and where to bury her son' but was told by an investigator: 'Time's not on your side. Corpses decompose.' She was allegedly made to sign a death certificate saying her son had died from natural causes. Yulia Navalnaya, in today's statement, reiterated the lengths Putin is going to, in her view, to silence and torment the family. 'They threaten to bury him themselves, right in the colony where he was killed,' she said unequivocally. 'This is the same Putin that likes to show that he is a practising Christian,' she said. Putin has for decades portrayed himself as a devoted Orthodox Christian and has in recent years focused on promoting what he calls 'traditional values.' 'We always knew that Putin's faith is fake, but now we can see it like never before,' Navalnaya said. 'No true Christian could ever do what Putin is now doing with Alexei's body.' She also denounced Putin's decision to launch the Ukraine campaign two years ago. 'You will answer for all of this.. And for this (Navalny's death) and for the war that you unleashed two years ago, also hiding behind Christian values. 'You are just killing. You are just killing sleeping people at night with missiles blessed by the church,' she said. Navalny in a hearing via video link from the penal colony in Kharp on January 11, 2024 Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny and his wife Yulia Navalnaya in September 2020 Lyudmila Navalnaya, the mother of late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, and lawyer Vasily Dubkov arrive at the regional department of Russia's Investigative Committee in the town of Salekhard in the Yamal-Nenets Region, Russia February 17, 2024 Lyudmila Navalnaya leaves the regional department of Russia's Investigative Committee in the town of Salekhard in the Yamal-Nenets Region, Russia February 17, 2024 Her late husband, who was half-Ukrainian, was nominally opposed to the war in Ukraine, but previously highlighted the economic strain the war would put on Russia. 'Russia can ill afford waging the war,' he said, as reported by Al Jazeera. Navalny also supported Russia's position on Crimea, but also voiced support for the Maidan protests in Kyiv against, in his view, corrupt officials. On Monday, Navalnaya pledged to keep fighting against the Kremlin's oppression to construct a 'peaceful, happy, beautiful Russia that Alexei envisioned'. 'I want to live in a free Russia, I want to build a free Russia,' she said in a video message entitled 'I will continue the work of Alexei Navalny'. Speaking at the Munich Security Conference on February 16, a day after Navalnaya attended, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky declared: 'Putin has murdered another opposition leader.' 'After the murder of Alexei Navalny it is absolute to pursue Putin as the legitimate head of the Russian state,' he continued. 'He is a thug who maintains power through corruption and violence.' Were you on the flight? This is the terrifying moment a power bank exploded on an AirAsia flight mid-air, sending passengers into panic. The plane was flying from Bangkok to Nakhon Si Thammarat in the south of the country when flames and smoke were seen 30 minutes in. Shocked cabin crew rushed to the middle row of the Airbus A320 to extinguish the flames, as nervous customers watched on. Those onboard rushed out of their seats and flocked to the other side of the aircraft, with some clutching their children. As fumes filled the cabin, passengers frantically moved their belongings away from the flames. Others rushed to go and get bottled water in an attempt to put out the fire. Were you on the flight? Email: Tips@dailymail.co.uk The plane was flying from Bangkok to Nakhon Si Thammarat in the south of the country when flames and smoke were seen 30 minutes in Those onboard rushed out of their seats and flocked to the other side of the aircraft, with some clutching their children Flight attendants grabbed fire extinguishers and eliminated the fire. Sayan Srimai, who recorded the video, said: 'The whole plane was in a state of chaos. 'We had been sitting for about 30 minutes when suddenly there was a fire burning and smoke rising in the middle of the plane, in row 15. 'Passengers were extremely shocked. The crew were excellent and it only took them two minutes to put out the fire.' The eruption left one of the leather seats burnt and charred and the plane landed on time. Nobody was injured in the incident. Technicians boarded the vehicle to check the damage and found black burn marks on the seat. They told passengers that a power bank had been stored in the seat pouch but it exploded during the flight. Airlines only allow power banks to be packed in carry-on luggage, not in checked bags due to the risk of lithium-ion batteries overheating and causing fires in the cargo hold. Passenger Sayan said: 'The passenger who owned the power bank was with a large group, about seven or eight people. When it happened, he stood up very quickly and he was not hurt.' Shocked cabin crew rushed to the middle row of the Airbus A320 to extinguish the flames, as nervous customers watched on The eruption left one of the leather seats burnt and charred and the plane landed on time. Nobody was injured in the incident Earlier this week, a plane made an emergency landing in Hong Kong when a power bank exploded filling the cabin with smoke. Royal Air Philippines was flying from Boracay island in the Philippines to Shanghai in China when the electronic device exploded mid-air on Monday evening. Fire crews and paramedics were waiting and boarded the plane to make safety checks. There were no injuries. Airbus has been contacted for comment. A fragile Pope Francis has cancelled meetings as he battles a bout of flu. The 87-year-old was forced to cancel some of his activities in November due to breathing problems and concerns over his lungs. This is not the first time the pontiff has suffered with lung issues. Following an operation to remove one of his lungs when he was younger and still in his native Argentina, Pope Francis has been plagued by health issues - the latest included a stay in hospital last year. When asked about his fragile health in a recent TV interview, Pope Francis quipped he was 'still alive, you know.'. A fragile Pope Francis has cancelled meetings as he battles a bout of flu (pictured) Francis arriving at his weekly audience on February 14 2024 The 87-year-old has already been forced to cancel some of his activities in November due to breathing problems and concerns over his lungs When asked about his health in recent interview the pope answered: 'still alive, you know.' Despite his ailing health, the pope has no intention of retiring any time soon but has made plans for a 'simple funeral'. The head of the Catholic Church has been in and out of hospital for the past few years, spending three days at Rome's Gemelli hospitalin April last year fighting bronchitis on intravenous antibiotics. In 2021 the 87-year-old spent 10 days in hospital recovering from intestinal surgery for a bowel narrowing and was readmitted in June 2023 for an operation to repair an abdominal hernia and remove scarring from his previous surgeries. With his shaky health in mind, he has already planned his funeral, opting to be buried in Rome's Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, making him the first pontiff to be buried outside the Vatican in more than a century. Francis goes to the basilica to pray before the Salus populi Romani ('Salvation of the people of Rome'), a Byzantine-style painting that features an image of Mary, draped in a blue robe, holding the infant Jesus who in turn is holding a jewelled golden book. 'It's my great devotion,' Francis said, adding that he had already decided he wanted to be buried nearby in the basilica. 'The place is already prepared.' Many popes are buried in the crypts beneath St. Peter's Basilica. Despite his ailing health, the pope has no intention of retiring any time soon but has made plans for a 'simple funeral' (pictured) Francis arriving at an Ash Wednesday service in a wheelchair Francis has said he would be ready to resign - as Benedict did in 2013 - if his health became extremely bad The last pope to be buried outside the Vatican was Leo XIII, who died in 1903 and is buried in the Basilica of St. John Lateran in Rome. Francis has said he would be ready to resign - as Benedict did in 2013 - if his health became extremely bad. 'I ask the Lord to say enough, at some point, but when he wants me to,' he said. But, he said, he also believes that papal resignations should not become the norm. Pope Francis has previously asked for prayers as he deals with the limitations of old age. 'It is true that all journeys are now all rethought,' Francis told N+. 'If they're close by, they can be done. If they're farther away they are rethought. There are limits.' Francis disclosed that he has been working with the Vatican's master of ceremonies, Archbishop Diego Ravelli, to simplify the elaborate, book-long funeral rites for a pope that have been used for his predecessors. The pope, who turned 87 at the end of last 2023, has shunned much of the Vatican's pomp and privilege, and has decided to vastly simplify the elaborate funeral rites. Since his election in 2013, Francis has shunned the crimson, fur-trimmed 'mozzetta', or cape, and also does not wear a gold cross but has kept around his neck the same faded silver-plated one he used as archbishop of Buenos Aires. He also has not used the plush red 'shoes of the fisherman' used by his predecessors. He has kept the same simple black shoes he always used and wears a plastic watch, giving others away so they could be auctioned off for charity. Boris Johnson has arrived in Ukraine in a show of support for the beleaguered nation on the second anniversary of Putin's brutal invasion. The former British prime minister joins a number of allies who have arrived to show solidarity with Ukraine as the war enters its third year. Writing on X, formerly Twitter, this morning Johnson said: 'On this grim second anniversary of Putin's invasion I am honoured to be here in Ukraine. 'With their indomitable courage I have no doubt that the Ukrainians will win and expel Putin's forces - provided we give them the military, political and economic help that they need.' He shared a photo of him standing with Zelenskyy in Borodianka, Kyiv region in January last year on one of numerous visits to the war-torn state. It came as Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni arrived in Kyiv to preside over a virtual meeting on Ukraine with G7 to discuss new sanctions against Russia. Johnson announced on X he was in Ukraine today, sharing this picture from January last year Ukraine president Zelensky pictured during a Joint meeting in Kyiv, 24 February 2024 Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni arriving in Kyiv on February 24, 2024 to preside over a G7 virtual meeting on Ukraine on the second anniversary of the Russian invasion Johnson's premiership saw record support for Ukraine, Britain quickly becoming the second-largest donor after the United States. The former prime minister has maintained strong relations with Ukrainian leader Zelenskyy since leaving office. Ninety minutes after resigning in July 2022, Johnson called Zelenskyy to say his people had the UK's unwavering support in its fight against Russia, and said Britain would continue to supply vital aid for as long as needed. Johnson, who held the top role when Russia invaded on February 24, 2022, travelled to Ukraine a year after stepping down to receive an honorary degree from the University of Lviv. His arrival today coincides with a virtual summit of G7 leaders due to take place at Kyiv's Saint Sophia Cathedral later Saturday with Zelenskyy attending. Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni, Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau and Belgian prime minister Alexander De Croo arrived in Kyiv today to take part in the G7 summit. They travelled with the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, on an overnight train from neighbouring Poland. Their presence was designed to underline the West's commitment to helping Ukraine even as it suffers growing shortages of military supplies, impacting its performance on the battlefield where Moscow is grinding out territorial gains. Von der Leyen wrote on the social media platform X that she was in Kyiv 'to celebrate the extraordinary resistance of the Ukrainian people'. She added: 'More than ever, we stand firmly by Ukraine. Financially, economically, militarily, morally. Until the country is finally free.' British prime minister Rishi Sunak also voiced support for Ukraine's plight in an address to mark the second anniversary. The Prime Minister declared that 'tyranny will never triumph' as he said Britain will do 'whatever it takes, for as long as it takes' to help them win. Mr Sunak said: 'When Putin launched his illegal invasion... the free world was united in its response. 'We stood together behind Ukraine. And on this grim anniversary, we must renew our determination. 'This is the moment to show that tyranny will never triumph and to say once again that we will stand with Ukraine today and tomorrow. We are prepared to do whatever it takes, for as long as it takes, until they prevail.' The prime minister visited Kyiv last month to sign a new security agreement and announce more military funding for Ukraine. On Friday, US President Joe Biden also announced 500 new sanctions targeting Russia's 'financial sector, defence industrial base and procurement networks' in light of the shock death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny in a grisly Arctic penal colony on February 16. Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a presentation in Kazan, February 22, 2024 The US also imposed sanctions following news of the death of Alexei Navalny on February 16 The new restrictions were described as 'crushing' by a high-level State Department official on Thursday, who also claimed they would target officials 'directly involved in Navalny's death'. Moscow still denies involvement in the shock death last Friday. The US will also impose new export restrictions on nearly 100 entities for providing support to Russia and take action to further reduce Russia's energy revenues, Biden said in a statement. 'They will ensure Putin pays an even steeper price for his aggression abroad and repression at home,' the president said of the sanctions. A group of grandmothers have refused to back down to a neo-Nazi hurling vile abuse at them as they advocated for refugees. Jimeone Roberts, 31, confronted five members of advocacy group, Grandmas for Refugees, outside of the Chirnside Park Shopping Centre in east Melbourne at 2:45pm on February 9. Roberts, who has since been questioned by police over the incident, filmed himself shouting and swearing at the women while making horrific racist remarks. Footage of the shocking seven-minute encounter was shared by fellow Nazi sympathiser Thomas Sewell onto X. Jimeoen Roberts (pictured), who has since been questioned by police over the incident, filmed the altercation which lasted more than seven minutes Jimeone Roberts confronted five members of Grandmas for Refugees outside of the Chirnside Park Shopping Centre in east Melbourne at 2:45pm on February 9 'What are you stupid b****es doing and how many of you are f***ing Jewish,' he shouted. 'Shut the f**k up, I don't want to hear what you've got to say.' Roberts repeatedly called the elderly women 'b****es' and asked where their 'humanity for whites' was during the lengthy tirade. When one woman threatened to call the police, Roberts said 'it's not illegal to call you a stupid old hag'. 'Yous are the f**king issue in this world and guess what, you're all going to die soon! People like me are the future, wake up!' he continued. Roberts then shoved his phone into one of the women's face, whom he suspected of being Jewish, and said 'you know what's coming for your kind'. 'You're going to stand there and advocate for n****** to come into my country, rape my women and kill my people!' he said. 'F**k you, you old boomers! Call the cops, I don't give a f**k. It's not illegal to call tell you you're a stupid c***. Take photos, my name's Jim Roberts, I'm a f**king racist!' Roberts continued on his nonsensical rant for minutes but the women held their ground and refused to let his disgusting comments rattle them. He even went so far as to say he hoped the women would be stabbed to death or would have a heart attack that night. One woman left the area to call police while the other four stayed and defended their cause, refusing to engage in Roberts' behaviour with one calling him a 'b***ard'. The women even sarcastically joked with the neo-Nazi, seemingly unbothered by his racist rant. Roberts also repeatedly asked what the women thought of the alleged murder of Vyleen White from Ipswich, Queensland. The teenager charged with her alleged murder is of South Sudanese descent. Roberts immediately started shouting at each of the women and hurled a slew of derogatory comments at them While on the phone to police, one woman described Roberts as being 'white, bald and hates immigrants'. Victoria Police confirmed they are investigating the incident. 'No one was physically injured during the incident,' a spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia. 'As part of the investigation, a 31-year-old Wonga Park man was interviewed on 22 February 2024. 'He has been released pending further enquiries.' It's not the first time Roberts has been seen broadcasting his neo-Nazi views. The 31-year-old has a 'black sun' tattoo on his shoulder, which is similar to that used by the SS military unit in Nazi Germany. A pub was forced to apologise to Roberts after a bartender spat in his drink over his far-right views in August, 2022. Roberts was also sentenced to a community corrections order after he stuck up countless anti-Semitic posters around Melbourne. Lawyers for ISIS bride Shamima Begum have said they think she will win the right to return to the UK at the Supreme Court after appeal judges yesterday ruled against her appeal over the removal of her British citizenship. Experts have revealed the tactics her legal team are likely to use in their attempt to overthrow the ruling, saying the issue of her effective 'statelessness' - not being a citizen of any country - could be grounds for another appeal. Outside court yesterday, her solicitor David Furner said: 'We are not going to stop fighting until she does get justice and until she is safely back home.' Begum travelled to Syria to join ISIS in 2015 aged 15 and her citizenship was revoked on national security grounds shortly after she was found in a Syrian refugee camp in February 2019. Last year, the 24-year-old lost a challenge against the decision at the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (SIAC), which said the removal of her citizenship was lawful. Lawyers for ISIS bride Shamima Begum (pictured with her now passed week-old son) have said they think she will win the right to return to the UK at the Supreme Court after appeal judges yesterday ruled against her appeal over the removal of her British citizenship ISIS bride Begum pictured as she is imprisoned in the Al-Roj camp in Syria CCTV from on February 23, 2015, shows Shamima Begum passing through security barriers at Gatwick Airport before Begum's lawyers brought a bid to overturn that decision at the Court of Appeal, with the Home Office opposing the challenge. In a ruling yesterday morning, three judges dismissed her bid. The jihadi bride's legal team now look set to seek permission to appeal to the Supreme Court, and if this fails they could seek to appeal to the European Court of Human Rights. One of Ms Begum's lawyers, Gareth Peirce, claimed her 'indefinite arbitrary detention' ran contrary to international law after the ruling yesterday. 'She and others, other women and children, are in what is not a refugee camp but a prison camp, and that is conceded by the United Kingdom, which has stated to the UN that it agrees that Geneva Convention articles apply,' Ms Peirce said. 'Unlawful as that is, there is no exit. There is no way that she can escape from unlawful imprisonment.' Ms Peirce later said that conditions in the al-Roj camp where Ms Begum remains had worsened. The Red Cross has described the camp as 'grim' and 'extremely volatile'. A hearing in 2020 ruled that removing Begum's British citizenship was legal as she was 'a citizen of Bangladesh by descent' when the decision was made. But her barristers argued that this made her 'de facto stateless' as authorities in Bangladesh have said they will not let her in the country. After yesterday's ruling, extradition barrister Alexander dos Santos told Sky News: 'Rather than the Court of Appeal saying she was not de facto stateless, the Court of Appeal has essentially said that wasn't something the home secretary [then Sajid Javid] needed to determine. It wasn't the legal test being applied. 'That potentially gives some scope to Shamima Begum's lawyers to... push that issue and see if they can get back before the Supreme Court a second time on issues about whether or not that, in reality, meant the decision would have made her stateless and therefore in breach of international law. 'So there is at least some potential for there to be an attempt to take things further, but as to whether or not that argument has really been thrashed out enough for the courts, or has enough of a legal foundation, for the Supreme Court to reconsider it is something for her lawyers now to decide having digested the decision.' Shamima Begum appearing in a 2021 interview, where she begged for forgiveness and insisted she was a victim - not a terrorist or a criminal The former jihadi bride has been battling to come back to Britain since 2019 after she was discovered in a Syrian refugee camp Speaking to MailOnline yesterday, Dr Marianne Wade, a Reader in criminal justice at Birmingham Law School, said Begum's legal team would seek an appeal. READ MORE - Who is Shamima Begum's husband? How ISIS bride married Dutch jihadist Yago Riedjik just 10 days after arriving in Syria and they had three children together who later died Advertisement She told MailOnline: 'Her team will it seems fight on. Despite her public notoriety, they likely also see value in continuing to force the public to ask themselves whether it is right that a - as they see her - vulnerable, groomed and exploited 15 year old should be judged as she has been and have to suffer such harsh, life-long consequences. 'This is perhaps as much a political as legal argument and at its heart a battle between the Government and judiciary. 'For Shamima Begum, of course, it is considerably more urgent than this evergreen, theoretical debate.' Giving her ruling yesterday, Lady Chief Justice Baroness Carr said: 'It could be argued the decision in Ms Begum's case was harsh. It could also be argued that Ms Begum is the author of her own misfortune. 'But it is not for this court to agree or disagree with either point of view. Our only task is to assess whether the deprivation decision was unlawful. 'We have concluded it was not and the appeal is dismissed.' Baroness Carr, sitting with Lord Justice Bean and Lady Justice Whipple, said any arguments over the consequences of the unanimous judgment, including any bid to appeal at the Supreme Court, will be adjourned for seven days. Begum's Dutch jihadi husband Yago Riedijk, who died fighting for ISIS in Syria Following the decision, director of human rights charity Reprieve Maya Foa said: 'This whole episode shames ministers who would rather bully a child victim of trafficking than acknowledge the UK's responsibilities. 'Stripping citizenship in bulk and abandoning British families in desert prisons is a terrible, unsustainable policy designed to score cheap political points. Rather than demonise Shamima Begum, ministers should reckon with the institutional failures that enabled Isis to traffic vulnerable British women and girls. 'What the courts have recognised today is that this was a political decision. It is now a political problem, and the government holds the key to solving it. 'If the government thinks that Shamima Begum has committed a crime, she should be prosecuted in a British court. Citizenship stripping is not the answer.' Sajid Javid, the Home Secretary who took the decision to deprive Ms Begum of her British citizenship, greeted the judges' ruling yesterday. 'I welcome today's court ruling, which has again upheld my decision to remove an individual's citizenship on national security grounds,' he wrote yesterday. 'This is a complex case but Home Secretaries should have the power to prevent anyone entering our country who is assessed to pose a threat to it.' Former immigration minister Mr Jenrick said: 'This is the right decision. British citizenship is a great privilege. People who hate our country, threaten it, associate with those who murder our citizens and armed forces should not rely upon its blessings. National security must always come first.' Ms Begum is currently living at the al-Roj camp in northern Syria, where conditions have been described by the Red Cross as 'extremely volatile'. She was originally able to cross the Syrian border with the help of a Canadian spy named Mohammed Al Rasheed, according to reports. In a BBC podcast series, she said she was told to 'pack nice clothes so you can dress nicely for your husband'. Just ten days after arriving in the city of Raqqa, Ms Begum, who is of Bangladeshi heritage, was married to a Dutchman named Yago Riedijk, who had converted to Islam. They had three children together, who all later died from malnourishment or disease. They were a one-year-old girl, a three-month-old boy and newborn son. Police in Scotland might stop investigating minor crimes such as theft when there is no evidence to save time, in a move that could give criminals free reign if they leave no evidence behind them. The shocking move by Police Scotland, which contrasts with UK Government ideals that every theft should be investigated, will see low-level cases with no leads dropped straight away. The idea is to free up police resources to focus on solving more serious cases - but critics say the move will only benefit the criminals, the Telegraph reported. A pilot scheme which finished in November saw complaints of some thefts, break-ins and vandalism being closed if there were no leads or CCTV evidence. This comes as Police Scotland is seeing its smallest force since 2008, having shrunk to 16,363 officers from 16,645 the year before. if the plan comes into force, it will mean that minor crimes with no evidence are dropped Chief Constable Jo Farrell, advocating the plan, said it is 'no policy of non-investigation' Chief Constable Jo Farrell, in an attempt to ease public nerves, has said that it is 'no policy of non-investigation' despite literally being specifically that - if the scheme goes ahead, minor cases with no leads will be dropped immediately after initial assessment. Police Scotland also think the idea, which they claim will only affect five per cent of cases, is a good one because, according to the Telegraph, it will mean victims don't get their hopes up. Deputy Chief Constable Malcolm Graham told the newspaper: 'We've been able to better manage public and victim expectations at the point of first contact than perhaps we would be at the moment. 'There's work under way to quantify the benefits in terms of capacity to free up front-line officers, where in the past they might have been allocated a series of crime reports where there was neither a proportionate or reasonable line of inquiry that could be pursued.' Not everyone thinks the plan is a good one. Russel Findlay MSP, Scottish Parliament's shadow justice secretary is one of them, but puts the blame on the ruling party: 'Savage and sustained SNP cuts and their weak justice agenda have left police numbers at their lowest since 2008, with officers now unable to investigate certain crimes. 'It should be a source of shame for ministers that this dangerous pilot scheme looks set to be rolled out across Scotland. 'The public are not even being told what crimes will not be investigated nor how these decisions will be made. Russel Findlay MSP, Scottish Parliament's shadow justice secretary, blames lack of funding Tulliallan Castle - Police Scotland's headquarters - the force is the smallest its been in 16 years 'Our hard-working police officers did not sign up for this. Communities don't deserve it. The only winners are the criminals.' If Police Scotland decide to go ahead with the scheme, it will be rolled out to the whole county. As of 2021/2022, there were an estimated 494,000 crimes in 2021/22, of which nearly three quarters were property crimes and a quarter were violent crimes. The same year, one out of ten adults experienced a crime - but this is half what it was ten years prior. Less than half of adults living in Scotland said in a 2021/2022 survey the police in their local area do an excellent or good job. Victims of crime and those living in the most deprived areas were, according to the survey results, less likely to feel positively about the police. A rebellion against the RNLI is growing as a dozen volunteers have quit a station in protest as a row over bullying and anti-English racism has intensified. Pwllheli lifeboat station, on the Llyn Peninsula in North Wales, has been out of action for six months after volunteers accused an RNLI member of 'bullying' and anti-English 'racism'. A Charity Commission probe into the RNLI as a whole was launched in November after separate allegations of bullying, 'assault' and harassment at stations in Essex and Merseyside. The base in Pwllheli has been unable to dispatch rescue crews since August but the station hopes to train people intensively from Monday in a bid to get them back on the water in a couple of weeks - albeit in a tiny boat. The station's 17-ton state-of-the-art 2.5million Shannon class boat has been returned to the RNLI's headquarters in Poole, Dorset. Instead of having the Shannon's 250-mile range with a capacity of 85 people, the new crews will only have access to a minuscule 89,000 D class inflatable boat that can hold just eight people, lasts for three hours at sea and weighs 880 lb. Speaking to MailOnline, one of the 12 former crew members who quit in disgust at their treatment by RNLI's Pwllheli revealed the organisation has a culture of denial and cover-ups. Heidi Bakewell, 48, (pictured) a crew member of five years, said the issues could have been resolved at Pwllheli lifeboat station in North Wales if there had been 'strong leadership' The station saw its 2.5million Shannon class lifeboat sent back the the RNLI. The Shannon weighs 17 tons and can carry 85 people Instead, from Monday, new crews will be trained to use this tiny inflatable boat (pictured in Pwllheli), which can only carry eight people She and her colleagues said the charity 'effectively' sacked them over the dispute, in which a manager was said to have behaved inappropriately. She said: 'The RNLI deny, deny, deny. The RNLI need to keep everything covered up. 'They have lost half their boat crew. They are phoning up people not in the area. 'They are really desperate to get crew.' She said by effectively sacking or forcing out the 12 volunteers they had lost '170 years of experience'. A key incident in the dispute was when a volunteer was left feeling 'unsafe', 'isolated' and 'very uncomfortable' when a paid staff member only spoke in Welsh while out on a 'shout', or rescue, during rough conditions. They said: 'He knew I did not speak Welsh and I think he was doing it deliberately. I am not the only one in the crew who does not speak Welsh.' Other volunteers raised concerns that the employee would make crew 'feel unsafe on board' as no one could 'challenge him, question him or go against him in any way'. The RNLI launched an internal investigation into the accusations, which were deemed 'unfounded'. However, it accepted there were 'learning points' including around use of Welsh language. But a group of nine volunteers criticised the charity. 'They told us to verbally accept the outcomes or leave or be forcibly stood down. We cannot appeal the outcome,' one said. Last month, all volunteers were stood down amid what the charity called a culture of 'distrust and disharmony' at the base, as 'a last resort action to enable a full reset'. They were then 'invited to re-apply' for their positions. The RNLI is one of the most well-funded charities in the UK and volunteers often come from families who have risked their lives for the charity over generations. However, the former crew member said the RNLI had become a 'big business' that was focused on maintaining its image - even if its volunteers were railroaded. She said: 'They [the RNLI] are completely useless. 'We are dealing with people who will deny things. 'It's worrying that in an organisation where people go out and put their lives at risk that people don't accept responsibility. The base in Pwllheli, (pictured) a town on the Llyn Peninsula in North Wales, has been unable to dispatch rescue crews since August Last month, all volunteers were stood down amid what the charity called a culture of 'distrust and disharmony' at the base 'All we hear is it's policy and procedure, it's confidential - which is what they hide behind. 'They have got money to burn. Volunteers need some sort of legal rights or support to defend themselves against management. 'The RNLI keeps saying it's disharmony. There wasn't any. We all got along really well. 'It was just those two people causing problems. We got on well with the banter. That wasn't a problem.' Addressing the beloved charity's trustees, the heartbroken ex-volunteer said: 'We are telling you we have concerns about safety. 'The trustees need to do an investigation into how that organisation is run. 'It's not working. It's not effective. [They] refuse to give written outcomes to our complaints. 'What are they hiding? What are they trying to cover up? 'Lots of stations are happy and jolly but one or two people causing trouble and it alls falls part like a house of cards.' Heidi Bakewell, 48, was a crew member at Pwllheli for five years. She said: 'If we'd had strong management, they'd have sat everyone round a table and this could easily have been resolved... We have been effectively sacked, but unlike with a full-time job, we've no right to an appeal or arbitration.' The volunteers also said minutes were not kept of investigation interviews or meetings between volunteers and management, against Charity Commission recommendations. An RNLI spokesman said that records were taken 'in all investigation meetings'. They added: 'During less formal crew meetings, actions would be recorded.' The row followed the controversial departure of two senior volunteers from the station, who had decades of experience between them. Since the investigation, four other volunteers have quit in 'disgust'. The RNLI said 'relationships had broken down irrevocably' at Pwllheli, making it unsafe to run a service. Last week, the charity said it was restarting training and hoped to resume operations next month, having re-recruited 19 volunteers. The RNLI said today that while Pwllheli Lifeboat Station was off service, effective rescue cover in the area was being provided by neighbouring RNLI lifeboat stations. Cover is being provided by all-weather lifeboats situated at Porthdinllaen and Barmouth, with support from the Atlantic 85 lifeboats at Abersoch and Criccieth, the fastest lifeboats in the RNLI's coastal fleet. A spokeswoman said: 'The RNLI recently concluded a thorough and robust investigation into issues raised by some of the crew at Pwllheli Lifeboat Station in line with our policies and procedures. The investigation was completed by experienced, impartial managers and all the outcomes and recommendations were ratified. 'We are confident that we have acted fairly and followed all procedures correctly to ensure the safety and welfare of our volunteers and staff at Pwllheli Lifeboat Station. 'The RNLI recognises that some volunteers have not accepted the outcomes of the investigation, however we are confident this was a fair, thorough and impartial process. Every crew member had an opportunity to share information and speak to us in confidence. Where appropriate, action was taken. 'The RNLI is a diverse and inclusive organisation with a code of conduct which outlines behaviours and values, which we expect our staff and volunteers to adhere to. Where these standards fall short, we will act. Investigation outcomes contain confidential and personal information and, for this reason, it is not appropriate for the RNLI to share further details from a legal or ethical perspective. 'The RNLI is committed to refocusing our efforts on ensuring Pwllheli Lifeboat Station can operate safely and professionally into the future. The Charity Commission has concluded its regulatory compliance case confirming it is satisfied that the trustees of the RNLI are managing the charity appropriately and responsibly. Everyone at the RNLI remains focused on our core purpose of saving lives at sea.' Energy regulator Ofgem has granted energy firms a temporary 28-a-year levy on all home fuel bills to pay for customers who have fallen into massive arrears due to the cost-of-living crisis. Announcing a 12.3 per cent reduction in the current energy cap to start on April 1, the energy regulator confirmed the additional levy due to arrears reaching more than 3bn - as millions of customers struggle with their bills. According to Ofgem, the reduction in the price cap will mean that customers on a dual fuel tariff and signed up to a direct debit will see their bills fall by 20 a month. However, to counter the dramatic increase in arrears and unsustainable debts, the energy firms can recoup 28-a-year from every customer to mitigate against these losses. An estimated five million customers are in arrears with energy companies. Despite the announced reduction in the price cap, bills for gas and electricity are still 60 per cent higher than they were at the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine Your browser does not support iframes. Ofgem has announced a reduction in the energy cap to come into force on April 1 which will see gas and electricity bills fall by 12 per cent - the lowest level since Russia's invasion of Ukraine As a result of the intervention, this will see energy prices hit their lowest level since Russias invasion of the Ukraine in February 2022. Ofgem said the cost of living remains high and many customers continue to struggle with their bills as standing charges rise and energy debt reaches a record figure of 3.1 billion. Under new plans, Ofgem has abolished the 'PPM premium' that was levied against customers with pre-payment meters meaning their energy costs were artificially inflated. Jonathan Brearley, CEO of Ofgem said on Friday: 'This is good news to see the price cap drop to its lowest level in more than two years and to see energy bills for the average household drop by 690 since the peak of the crisis but there are still big issues that we must tackle head-on to ensure we build a system thats more resilient for the long term and fairer to customers. 'Thats why we are levelising standing charges to end the inequity of people with prepayment meters, many of whom are vulnerable and struggling, being charged more up-front for their energy than other customers. Customers with pre-payment meters will see their standing charges reduce after the elimination of the 'PPM Levy' 'We also need to address the risk posed by stubbornly high levels of debt in the system, so we must introduce a temporary payment to help prevent an unsustainable situation leading to higher bills in the future. We'll be stepping back to look at issues surrounding debt and affordability across market for struggling consumers, which we'll be announcing soon. 'These steps highlight the limitations of the current system we can only move costs around so we welcome news that the Government is opening the conversation on the future of price regulation, seeking views on how standard energy deals can be made more flexible so customers pay less if using electricity when prices are lower. 'But longer term we need to think about what more can be done for those who simply cannot afford to pay their energy bills even as prices fall. As we return to something closer to normality we have an opportunity to reset and reframe the energy market to make sure its ready to protect customers if prices rise again.' The 28-a-year bad debt bailout levy will not apply to customers on pre-payment meters. Another part of the reforms includes the elimination of the 'PPM premium' which saw customers on pre payment meters penalised with higher standing charges. Scrapping this system will save pre-payment customers on average 49 a year, while costing those with other meters an extra 10. Commenting on the announcement, Citizens Advice chief executive Dame Clare Moriarty said: 'It's good news that the cost of energy is falling, but the impact of sky-high prices will be felt for years to come. 'We know more than five million people live in households behind on their energy bills and, with the price of energy still far higher than just three years ago, many people will struggle to pay off these debts. 'The Government promised a new plan for energy bill support by April 2024, but will miss its own deadline. And the withdrawal of cost-of-living payments this spring will make it so much harder for many of those already finding it difficult to make ends meet. Without action, people will face a cycle of winter crises year after year." Simon Francis, co-ordinator of the End Fuel Poverty Coalition, said: 'Even after this latest change to the price cap, energy prices remain 60 per cent higher than they were before the energy bills crisis began. 'Three years of staggering energy bills have placed an unbearable strain on household finances up and down the country. Household energy debt is at record levels, millions of people are living in cold damp homes and children are suffering in mouldy conditions. 'Everybody can see what is happening in Britain's broken energy system and it is time for politicians to unite to enact the measures needed to end fuel poverty. This includes cross-party consensus on a long-term plan to help all households upgrade their homes and short-term financial support for households most in need." One retailer said high energy bills had led to a 400 per cent spike in demand for its heated blankets in December compared to the previous year. Snugel founder Johanna Lueders said she was inspired to launch the brand after seeing the increasing number of 'warm banks' opening due to a rising need for places for people to go to warm up. She said: 'Consumers have turned to other sources of warmth. The reality is that the average energy bill soared from 1,971 to 3,549 in a year, and now we have found that people are looking at personal heating solutions like heated blankets and hot water bottles to heat the person, and not the home. 'Sadly, this isn't just a lifestyle shift - it's a survival tactic in the face of soaring costs.' Britain's top universities warned staff and students that saying 'the most qualified person should get the job' is a microaggression. Russell Group universities, including the University of Glasgow, have issued guidance and even provided training courses to educate people on how to eliminate microaggressions. Guidance from the Scottish university alongside the engineering department of Imperial College London insisted that using the phrase was discriminatory. Glasgow University's guidance is the latest advice from their anti-racism campaign and the university explained that the phrase ignored the idea that race plays a part in life success. The top universities said that other examples of microaggressions - subtle or thinly veiled everyday forms of discrimination could include telling people that 'everyone can succeed if they work hard enough'. Russell Group universities including the University of Glasgow have issued guidance and even provided training courses to educate people on how to eliminate microaggressions Other examples of microaggressions included using phrases like 'men and women have equal opportunities for achievement' and 'positive action is racist' (Stock image) The university suggested that the statement meant that some people only got their job to tick a box or fill a quota. Other examples of microaggressions included using phrases like 'men and women have equal opportunities for achievement' and 'positive action is racist'. Newcastle University warned students and staff not to respond to discussions around police brutality with 'white people get killed by the police too' The Telegraph reported. These recent statements and guidance were revealed by the Committee for Academic Freedom (CAF), a group of academics worried about the erosion of free speech on campus. Dr Edward Skidelsky, a philosophy lecturer at the University of Exeter, and director of CAF, was alarmed by these statement and expressed fears over a lack of free speech on university campuses. He said: 'By campaigning against questioning and denial, these universities are advocating an uncritical acceptance of statements in the various, undefined areas that they refer to. 'The effect, again, is to undermine a culture of free enquiry.' Chris McGovern, the chairman of the Campaign for Real Education, said: 'It would seem that the woke virus has infected universities in a major way. It is cowardly. Universities are supposed to show their intelligence and reason and they are disapplying their intelligence and reason in order to pursue the woke agenda.' Chris McGovern, the chairman of the Campaign for Real Education, said: 'It would seem that the woke virus has infected universities in a major way. 'It is cowardly. Universities are supposed to show their intelligence and reason and they are disapplying their intelligence and reason in order to pursue the woke agenda.' The universities were contacted for comment. This latest move by the UK's top universities follows the revelation that more than half of Britains universities are peddling controversial and radical woke ideologies on students according to a damning league table. Some of the nations most prestigious institutions are poisoning the minds of generations to come, critics said last night, by subjecting undergraduates and academics to trigger warnings and guidance on white privilege. Compiled by Dr Richard Norrie, a researcher at the think-tank Civitas, the table ranks 137 universities after scouring websites, national and local media, and promotional materials for examples of campus wokery' Elite Russell Group universities dominate the table, accounting for eight of the top ten spots. Cambridge and Oxford come first and second, having introduced unconscious bias and race workshops for freshers, followed by the University of Bristol, which has outlawed words such as mankind to avoid causing offence. The findings were slammed as disturbing by free speech campaigners and MPs, who say a dark shadow of political correctness has now fallen over our most sought-after universities. Compiled by Dr Richard Norrie, a researcher at the think-tank Civitas, the table revealed that 62 per cent of 137 universities were fund to reference trigger warning and 79 institutions mentioned 'white privilege' in guidance to staff and students. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky promised victory today in a defiant rallying cry against Russian aggression on the second anniversary of Putin's brutal invasion. 'We will win,' he said unequivocally at a ceremony at Hostomel Airport, the site of the first major battle of the war which saw the Ukrainian resistance decisively turn back the foreign invaders after a month of bitter fighting as they rushed to besiege the capital. 'It can be said in one sentence,' said Zelensky in a video ahead of a summit with world leaders today. 'Two years ago, we met hostile landing with fire here. Two years later, we welcome our friends and partners here.' The president was pictured alongside the Canadian, Italian and Belgian prime ministers and EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen who came to Kyiv to mark the date, embracing as they arrived on the tarmac. 'This is symbolic,' he said. 'And it eloquently describes the path we have traveled over these two years and the difference between February 24 then and now.' 'Involuntarily, today every Ukrainian remembers that day. And each of us has their own February 24, a unique memory of that day. How you woke up, who first wrote to you and asked, "How are you?"... And most importantly, what you did next.' President Zelensky records a video at Hostomel Airport on Saturday 24 February, 2024 Hostomel Airport was the site of the first major battle of the invasion on February 24, 2022 Zelensky promised victory at the site of the Battle of Hostomel in an address on February 24 Volodymyr Zelensky stands with Ursula von der Leyen and Alexander De Croo at Hostomel The Ukrainian president invited world leaders and media to the meeting at the site of the battle G7 leader Meloni embraces Canadian PM Justin Trudeau in Hostomel as Zelensky looks on Stood in front of the ruins of planes destroyed in the now legendary Battle for Hostomel, Zelensky continued: 'It's the choice made by Ukrainians of different ages, professions and regions. 'And it's what brought people together: first in lines at the military enlistment office, and then in a trench on the front line to defend the country. And all those who stayed to work in the country, who left the country, and who then returned. 'And so it's been for two years. We have become 730 days closer to victory. Some are waiting for a prophet to tell them when it will come, but millions of Ukrainians simply remember the words of Kobzar: "Keep fighting: you are sure to win!" The Kobzar is a book of poems by Ukrainian poet and painter Taras Shevchenko. 'Today, each of us will call our families to hear loved ones' voices, to wish each other what we've been waiting for. And today, unfortunately, each of us has someone to mourn. And to honour their memory, together, we bow our heads. '730 days of pain. But at the same time 730 days of hope for the highest justice.' The war in Ukraine enters its third year with Russia in ascendancy as the defenders battle exhaustion and struggle to replenish stockpiles of vital air defences needed to repel the invasion. Heavy casualties on the front lines have been compounded by dreadful conditions on the eastern front, with frozen soil turning into thick mud in unseasonably warm temperatures, playing havoc with soldiers' health. Neither side has given numbers for military deaths and injured, while both claim to have inflicted huge losses. In August 2023, The New York Times quoted US officials as putting Ukraine's military losses at 70,000 dead and 100,000 to 120,000 injured. Leaked US intelligence in December indicated that 315,000 Russian troops had been killed or wounded. Moscow has made small gains in recent months and claimed a major victory last weekend when it took control of Avdiivka in the hotly contested eastern Donetsk region. A spokesperson for 3rd Separate Assault Brigade, one of the units that tried to hold the town, said the defenders were outnumbered seven to one. A soldier serving in a GRAD rocket artillery unit said that his launcher, which uses Soviet-designed ammunition held by few of Ukraine's allies, was now operating at about 30% of maximum capacity. 'It became like this recently,' he said. 'There aren't as many foreign munitions.' Artillery shells are also in short supply as a result of Western countries' inability to keep up the pace of shipments for a drawn-out war. UNITED24, Zelensky's official fundraiser, announced this week it was appealing for help raising money for 'gamechanging' Sea Baby drones for the Security Service of Ukraine, which previously saw action in the destruction of the Kerch Strait Bridge in Crimea. A spokesperson for UNITED24 told MailOnline today they had raised funds for 36 devices, each worth $250,000, in 36 hours, only possible with help from donors 'all over the world'. 'Naval drones are a constant need. Since February 24, Russia has fired over 4,500 missiles at Ukraine, with 20% launched from the sea. After losing 80% of its fleet in 2014 due to Crimea's occupation, Ukraine had no means to counter these attacks. 'However, on October 29, 2022, naval drones marked a turning point by damaging three russian vessels, including the flagship Admiral Makarov, in a historic first attack carried out exclusively by unmanned vessels.' They said the small and fast unmanned surface vehicles had 'quickly changed the course of naval warfare' and allowed Ukraine to 'bury... Russian arrogance'. Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a presentation in Kazan, February 22, 2024 Russia continues to occupy regions in east and south Ukraine, as well as Crimea Demonstrators take part in a rally in support of Ukraine, to mark the second year of Russia's military invasion on Ukraine, at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin on February 24, 2024 European countries are struggling to find enough weapons and ammunition to send to Kyiv. Pictured: a rally in Berlin on February 24, 2024 People gather at the city downtown to show their support to Ukraine, after two years of ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine during its second anniversary on February 24, 2024 Demonstrators wearing helmets from Japanese leftist groups Chukaku and Zengakuren protest against the Russian invasion of Ukraine in Tokyo, Japan, 24 February 2024 People wear Ukrainian flags as they attend a peace march on the second anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine at the Main Market Square in Krakow, Poland, 24 February 2024 People wear Ukrainian flags as they attend a peace march on the second anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine at the Main Market Square in Krakow, Poland, 24 February 2024 People carry placards as they attend a demonstration in support of Ukraine in front of the Russian Embassy in Copenhagen, Denmark, 24 February 2024 Demonstrators take part in a rally in support of Ukraine, to mark the second year of Russia's military invasion on Ukraine, in front of the Russian Embassy in Copenhagen on February 24 On top of the U.S. supply pause, the EU has conceded it will miss its target to supply a million shells to Ukraine by March by nearly half. Still, morale remains high among Ukraine's armed forces, volunteers and civilians, who remain defiant in the face of a larger and better supplied enemy. As the United States prepares to pass a $95bn aid package with $61bn set aside for Ukraine, the UK pledged to invest 245 million in producing artillery shells for Ukraine and 8.5 million in humanitarian funding as the conflict enters its third year. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who visited Kyiv last month to sign a new security agreement and announce an increase in military funding for the country, said on Friday: 'When (Russian President Vladimir) Putin launched his illegal invasion two years ago, the free world was united in its response. 'We stood together behind Ukraine. And on this grim anniversary, we must renew our determination. 'I was in Kyiv just a few weeks ago and I met wounded Ukrainian soldiers. Each harrowing story was a reminder of Ukraine's courage in the face of terrible suffering. 'It was a reminder of the price they are paying not only to defend their country against a completely unjustified invasion, but also to defend the very principles of freedom, sovereignty and the rule of law on which we all depend.' He added: 'This is the moment to show that tyranny will never triumph and to say once again that we will stand with Ukraine today and tomorrow. 'We are prepared to do whatever it takes, for as long as it takes, until they prevail.' About 14.6 million people, or 40% of Ukraine's population, need assistance, with many left homeless or without adequate access to food, water and electricity, Britain's Foreign Office said in announcing the aid package. On Thursday, Denmark also announced a new $247.4mn (195mn) military aid package for Ukraine, appealing to allies to step up donations to help the country overcome Russian aggression. But European countries are struggling to find enough weapons and ammunition to send to Kyiv, and US help worth 60 billion dollars (47 billon) is stalled over political differences in Washington. Italy, which holds the rotating presidency of the Group of Seven leading economies, announced that the G7 would meet virtually on Saturday with Zelenskyy and would adopt a joint statement on Ukraine, discussing - among other things - the prospect of new sanctions on Russia. 'More than ever we stand firmly by Ukraine. Financially, economically, militarily, morally. Until the country is finally free,' von der Leyen added in a post expressing solidarity on X, formerly Twitter. A Ukrainian serviceman from the 108th Brigade of Territorial Defence prepares a Ukraine-made multi-purpose drone Leleka-100 on a field near a frontline in the direction of Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, 15 February 2024 Ukrainian servicemen from the 108th Brigade of Territorial Defence prepare to fly a Ukraine-made multi-purpose drone Leleka-100 on a field near a frontline in the direction of Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, 15 February 2024 A Ukrainian soldier fires towards the Russian position on the frontlines in the direction of Avdiivka. The city was lost to Russia in the final days of the war's second year - the first major Russian victory since Moscow's forces captured Bakhmut last year Ukrainian gunner Vasyl Zozulia removes a smoking shell casing after firing a round towards Russian positions near Lyman Ukrainian gunner Vasyl Zozulia fires the gun, as soldiers of the Ukraine Armys 95th Brigade fire 105mm artillery shells from a British-made L119 howitzer at Russian positions in the Lyman direction on February 18, 2024 Today's meeting in Kyiv Oblast came as Ukraine shot down a Russian 260mn A-50U reconnaissance aircraft over Krasnodar, Russia. Video showed huge plumes of smoke billowing from the wreckage after the A-50U reconnaissance plane's wing was reportedly torn off by a hit from a revamped S-200 Soviet-era long-range air defence missile - a staggering blow to Russia's already diminishing collection. Ten crew were reported to have been found dead at the crash site in Russia's Krasnodar region, where the dictator's official Black Sea residence and private 1 billion place are located. The eventual toll is likely to be higher. Separately, a Ukrainian kamikaze drone attack is believed to be responsible for three thunderous explosions and a massive fire at Russia's largest steel producer NLMK in Lipetsk, which produces 18 per cent of Russia's steel. A female employee of a brothel in Austria, where three young women were brutally killed in a knife massacre, had to 'lock herself in a room' to escape the attacker and overheard the murders of her colleagues. The worker at the Asia Studio, in one of Vienna's poorest districts, managed to avoid the horrific stabbing on Friday night by hiding in a separate room at the red light establishment, according to police spokesman Philipp Hasslinger. It is not yet clear what the employee's role was at the brothel. The survivor, who said she did not see the killer, has now been questioned by police as a witness, Austrian media report. She told authorities that the door to her hiding spot remained shut for the duration of the massacre. A worker at the Asia Studio managed to avoid the horrific stabbing on Friday night by hiding in a separate room at the red light establishment, according to police The survivor told authorities that the door to her hiding spot in the brothel (pictured) remained shut for the duration of the massacre When emergency services arrived at the establishment they found the victims with severe cuts and stab wounds in several wounds and soon realised that they had already died. Police began interrogating a suspect this afternoon, who was arrested opposite the scene of the shocking bloodbath. Police said he acted aggressively when arrested and had to be Tasered before being taken to hospital to treat injuries which Mr Hasslinger said were most likely picked up while he carried out the attack. There is still no indication of the killer's motive. The brothel stabbing was just one act in an appalling weekend of violence in Austria. A separate incident saw a mother and her 13-year-old daughter found dead in a Vienna apartment earlier on Friday. Austrian media reported that the father was a prime suspect in the deaths which were likely caused by strangling or choking. When emergency services arrived at the establishment which calls itself an 'erotic massage' parlour, they found the victims with severe cuts and stab wounds and soon realised that they had already died Police began interrogating a 27-year-old suspect, an asylum seeker from Afghanistan, this afternoon, who was arrested opposite the scene of the shocking bloodbath Austrian women's groups recorded 26 murders against women last year, with many being carried out by partners or ex-partners, and the Austrian government has vowed to crack down on these killings. But NGOs say the government is not doing enough to stop the murders. Between 2010 and 2020, 319 women were killed in Austria, mostly by their male partners or ex-partners, with a record high of 43 victims in 2019, according to a government study. In 2021, a 35-year-old mother of two died after being shot dead in a northern district of Vienna. Police later arrested a 42-year-old man on suspicion of murder, believed to have killed the woman with a handgun. The story, marking the ninth femicide that year, sparked outcry from activists calling for more to be done to prevent future fatalities. Green Transport Minister Leonore Gewessler called for more action on the issue at a press conference. Women's Minister Susanne Raab said she was 'profoundly saddened' by the 'shocking murder'. The brothel is in Brigittenau - one of Vienna's poorest districts - with the massacre spread across several rooms Police said the suspect acted aggressively when arrested and had to be Tasered before being taken to hospital to treat injuries which Mr Hasslinger said were most likely picked up while he carried out the attack A spokesman for the Vienna State Police Department told BILD: 'The perpetrator is not Austrian. He first had to be treated in hospital because he injured himself while carrying out the crime. 'He was then handed over to police custody. 'The interrogations and investigations into the background to the crime are now in full swing.' The King has praised the 'determination and strength' of the Ukrainian people in a message marking the second anniversary of Russia's invasion. Charles III says he is 'greatly encouraged' by the efforts of the UK and its allies in supporting Ukraine 'at this time of such great suffering and need'. He said: 'The determination and strength of the Ukrainian people continues to inspire, as the unprovoked attack on their land, their lives and livelihoods enters a third, tragic, year. 'Despite the tremendous hardship and pain inflicted upon them, Ukrainians continue to show the heroism with which the world associates them so closely. 'Theirs is true valour, in the face of indescribable aggression. I have felt this personally in the many meetings I have had with Ukrainians since the start of the war, from President Zelensky and Mrs Zelenska, to new army recruits training here in the United Kingdom. The King (pictured with the Queen) has praised the 'determination and strength' of the Ukrainian people in a message marking the second anniversary of Russia's invasion The King (pictured meeting President Zelensky) has paid tribute to Ukraine's strength on the second anniversary of Russia's invasion He said: 'The determination and strength of the Ukrainian people continues to inspire, as the unprovoked attack on their land, their lives and livelihoods enters a third, tragic, year' Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson attend a meeting on the second anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, on February 24, 2024 People stand at the memorial site for those killed during the war, near Maidan Square in central Kyiv, Ukraine, this morning A resident inspects a damaged residential building following a drone attack in Odesa today - on the second anniversary of Russia's invasion World leaders were see arriving in Kyiv today to mark their support for President Zelensky, including Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni (pictured) Prime Minister Rishi Sunak joined other world leaders in reaffirming support for Ukraine on the second anniversary of Russia's invasion, vowing to back Kyiv 'until they prevail' Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said Britain would always support Ukraine 'no matter who is in power in this country' and added that Mr Putin's 'cowardice and barbarity' will not win People attend an Inter-faith Prayer Service for peace in Ukraine, at the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral in London this morning Ukrainian Londoners turned out in force to mark the second anniversary of the invasion earlier today A pro-Ukraine march in Reading earlier today saw local Ukrainians march alongside members of the Reading Peace Group, The Reading Quakers, Greenpeace and MP Matt Rodda Women draped in Ukrainian flags protest in front of the Russian Embassy in Berlin to show solidarity with Ukraine People gather to show support for Ukraine, in front of the Russian Embassy in Copenhagen, Denmark, this morning Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson attend a meeting on the second anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in Kyiv Ukrainians hold a 30-meter-long Ukrainian flag as they gather to commemorate the second anniversary of the war in front of the European Parliament in Brussels, Belgium Supporters gather in front of a statue of the Ukrainian poet Taras Shevchenko in Toulouse, southwestern France, this morning Demonstrators protest against the Russian invasion of Ukraine in Tokyo, Japan, earlier today to mark the second anniversary of Putin's attack Scotland's First Minister Humza Yousaf attends a memorial wreath laying service to mark the second anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine 'I continue to be greatly encouraged that the United Kingdom and our allies remain at the forefront of international efforts to support Ukraine at this time of such great suffering and need. 'My heart goes out to all those affected, as I remember them in my thoughts and prayers.' The King has undertaken many engagements in the UK linked to Ukraine since the war began, including visiting a training site for military recruits in Wiltshire. He has met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky several times, including during his visit to the UK in February last year. It was announced earlier this month that Charles had been diagnosed with a form of cancer, discovered while he was being treated in hospital for an enlarged prostate. He has started a schedule of regular treatments but postponed all public-facing duties, spending much of his time at the royal residence in Sandringham, Norfolk. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak joined other world leaders in reaffirming support for Ukraine on the second anniversary of Russia's invasion, vowing to back Kyiv 'until they prevail'. The Prime Minister said 'tyranny will never triumph' as President Volodymyr Zelensky's troops defend the country against an emboldened Moscow. The UK has pledged to invest 245 million in producing artillery shells for Ukraine and 8.5 million in humanitarian funding as the conflict enters its third year. Saturday marks two years since the Kremlin launched its attack on Ukraine, starting the biggest incursion in a European country since the Second World War. Mr Sunak, who visited Kyiv last month to sign a new security agreement and announce an increase in military funding for the country, said on Friday: 'When (Russian President Vladimir) Putin launched his illegal invasion two years ago, the free world was united in its response. 'We stood together behind Ukraine. And on this grim anniversary, we must renew our determination. 'I was in Kyiv just a few weeks ago and I met wounded Ukrainian soldiers. Each harrowing story was a reminder of Ukraine's courage in the face of terrible suffering. 'It was a reminder of the price they are paying not only to defend their country against a completely unjustified invasion, but also to defend the very principles of freedom, sovereignty and the rule of law on which we all depend.' He added: 'This is the moment to show that tyranny will never triumph and to say once again that we will stand with Ukraine today and tomorrow. 'We are prepared to do whatever it takes, for as long as it takes, until they prevail.' Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, who hopes to enter Number 10 after the general election this year, said Britain would always support Ukraine 'no matter who is in power in this country' and added that Mr Putin's 'cowardice and barbarity' will not prevail. Sir Keir said: 'The resistance of the Ukrainian people has inspired and humbled the world. The UK and our allies will stand in solidarity with them until their day of victory. Ukrainian soldiers take part in a training excercise run by operated by Britain's armed forces today Ukrainian soldiers carry out a British Army training exercise in eastern England earlier today Boris Johnson visits the town of Borodianka, heavily damaged during Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in 2022 A young child holds up a 'Save Ukraine' sign during a march in Whitehall 'We will not waver. We will not abandon them. We will not be divided in the face of tyranny or oppression. 'We look together to the day when Ukraine secures justice and liberty in their rightful homeland, when Ukrainians can return home and rebuild their great country, and live peacefully, freely and proudly.' European countries are struggling to find enough weapons and ammunition to send to Kyiv, and US help worth 60 billion dollars (47 billon) is stalled over political differences in Washington. Ukrainian forces withdrew from the strategic eastern city of Avdiivka at the weekend, where they had battled a fierce Russian assault for four months despite being heavily outnumbered and outgunned. Kyiv has kept up strikes behind the front line but moved to a defensive posture amid critical shortages on the battlefield. Speaking to BBC Breakfast, Defence Secretary Grant Shapps was asked whether the funding package announced on Saturday was enough. 'That 245 million is just a fraction of the 2.5 billion we're giving in direct aid and military assistance this year... but ammunition is the thing that Ukraine desperately needs at the moment,' he said. Mr Shapps echoed concerns raised by Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron over the progress of the US funding package through Congress, where it faces an uphill battle as hardline Republicans in the House of Representatives oppose the legislation. Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson arrived in Ukraine today, where he joined a number of allies who have come to show solidarity as the war enters its third year. Writing on X, formerly Twitter, this morning Johnson said: 'On this grim second anniversary of Putin's invasion I am honoured to be here in Ukraine. 'With their indomitable courage I have no doubt that the Ukrainians will win and expel Putin's forces - provided we give them the military, political and economic help that they need.' He shared a photo of him standing with Zelenskyy in Borodianka, Kyiv region in January last year on one of numerous visits to the war-torn state. It came as Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni arrived in Kyiv to preside over a virtual meeting on Ukraine with G7 to discuss new sanctions against Russia. Johnson announced on X he was in Ukraine today, sharing this picture from January last year Ukraine president Zelensky pictured during a Joint meeting in Kyiv, 24 February 2024 Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni arriving in Kyiv on February 24, 2024 to preside over a G7 virtual meeting on Ukraine on the second anniversary of the Russian invasion Johnson's premiership saw record support for Ukraine, Britain quickly becoming the second-largest donor after the United States. The former prime minister has maintained strong relations with Ukrainian leader Zelenskyy since leaving office. Ninety minutes after resigning in July 2022, Johnson called Zelenskyy to say his people had the UK's unwavering support in its fight against Russia, and said Britain would continue to supply vital aid for as long as needed. Johnson, who held the top role when Russia invaded on February 24, 2022, travelled to Ukraine a year after stepping down to receive an honorary degree from the University of Lviv. His arrival today coincides with a virtual summit of G7 leaders due to take place at Kyiv's Saint Sophia Cathedral later Saturday with Zelenskyy attending. Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni, Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau and Belgian prime minister Alexander De Croo arrived in Kyiv today to take part in the G7 summit. They travelled with the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, on an overnight train from neighbouring Poland. Their presence was designed to underline the West's commitment to helping Ukraine even as it suffers growing shortages of military supplies, impacting its performance on the battlefield where Moscow is grinding out territorial gains. Von der Leyen wrote on the social media platform X that she was in Kyiv 'to celebrate the extraordinary resistance of the Ukrainian people'. She added: 'More than ever, we stand firmly by Ukraine. Financially, economically, militarily, morally. Until the country is finally free.' British prime minister Rishi Sunak also voiced support for Ukraine's plight in an address to mark the second anniversary. The Prime Minister declared that 'tyranny will never triumph' as he said Britain will do 'whatever it takes, for as long as it takes' to help them win. Mr Sunak said: 'When Putin launched his illegal invasion... the free world was united in its response. Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a presentation in Kazan, February 22, 2024 The US also imposed sanctions following news of the death of Alexei Navalny on February 16 'We stood together behind Ukraine. And on this grim anniversary, we must renew our determination. 'This is the moment to show that tyranny will never triumph and to say once again that we will stand with Ukraine today and tomorrow. We are prepared to do whatever it takes, for as long as it takes, until they prevail.' The prime minister visited Kyiv last month to sign a new security agreement and announce more military funding for Ukraine. On Friday, US President Joe Biden also announced 500 new sanctions targeting Russia's 'financial sector, defence industrial base and procurement networks' in light of the shock death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny in a grisly Arctic penal colony on February 16. The new restrictions were described as 'crushing' by a high-level State Department official on Thursday, who also claimed they would target officials 'directly involved in Navalny's death'. Moscow still denies involvement in the shock death last Friday. The US will also impose new export restrictions on nearly 100 entities for providing support to Russia and take action to further reduce Russia's energy revenues, Biden said in a statement. 'They will ensure Putin pays an even steeper price for his aggression abroad and repression at home,' the president said of the sanctions. Voters in South Carolina headed to the polls for the Republican presidential primary in the battle between Donald Trump and Nikki Haley. Haley was hoping to avoid a crushing defeat to the frontrunner Trump in her home state as she vows to keep fighting in the White House race. But Trump was declared the victor in the race just seconds after polls closed at 7 p.m. ET and he started celebrating onstage with his adoring supporters declaring 'we won in a landslide!' The former president was polling steadily 30 points ahead of her and is looking forward to the November election and a likely rematch against Joe Biden. He took the stage at CPAC just outside of Washington, D.C., where he proudly declared himself a 'political dissident' in the afternoon before flying south for what he expects to be a victory party. Haley has vowed to stay in the race no matter the result, but an embarrassing defeat on home turf could be the final nail in the coffin for her campaign. She has ramped up her attacks on the former president, 77, and has compared him to Joe Biden with his gaffes. Follow DailyMail.com's live coverage from reporters in The Palmetto State as the results come in on Saturday night. Police have uncovered Britain's largest ever county lines drugs bust sa a total of 49 gangsters have been jailed for more than 120 years. Operation Blofeld named after the shadowy Bond villain - saw nine County Lines gangs, who were running heroin and crack cocaine into Chesterfield from South Yorkshire, Greater Manchester and Birmingham, targeted and dismantled. The bust, which saw hundreds of officers involved, began with an undercover officer gathering intelligence on the gangs. Then over the course of four weeks in 2022 60 people were arrested in targeted raids across the four counties. Alongside the arrests officers seized 73k in cash, machetes, tasers and pepper spray, along with significant amounts of crack, heroin, cocaine, and cannabis. Such was the weight of evidence collected by the team, most of the 49 gang members convicted for their parts in the dealing pleaded guilty during court hearings throughout 2023. The sentences so far have seen 45 of the members given 121 years in jail. Detective Inspector Simon Cartwright, who led the investigation as a sergeant in the OCG team, said: 'Operation Blofeld was one of the largest, most concentrated pieces of work targeting County Lines drug gangs that the county has ever seen. A look at some of the 73k in cash that was seized alongside machetes, tasers and pepper spray The undercover operation targeting county drug lines is the largest in Britain 'The work the team did, led by officer in the case DC Andrew Ryans, was outstanding. It saw nine county lines gangs dismantled and violent crime rates dropped in the areas where the gangs were operating. 'The community also reacted positively to the work with increased reporting into the force about drug crimes and anti-social behaviour.' The team also worked closely with partner agencies to help ensure that, after the gangs had been removed, that further work was done to help ensure they did not return. That partnership work saw seven people referred into the National Referral Mechanism under concerns they had been victims of Modern Slavery. DC Andrew Ryans, said: 'Sometimes it can be a case of whack-a-mole when it comes to targeting drugs gangs as soon as you remove one then you find that another springs up in its place. 'During this operation we worked closely with partners to ensure that when a warrant was undertaken that follow up action was taken to ensure that those drug users were given support and that the local community could feel confident in coming forward with information. Hundreds of undercover officers were involved in gathering intelligence on the gangs Over the course of four weeks in 2022 60 people were arrested in targeted raids across the four counties A look at some designer items that was also seized by the police in the operation 'The message to the community was clear if you come to us with information then we will take action and that was clearly heard. 'And the message to the drug dealers was also clear it doesn't matter where you are based, we will do everything in our power to find you and bring you to justice.' Councillor Jonathan Davies, Chesterfield Borough Council's cabinet member for health and wellbeing, said: 'It's really positive that so many arrests were made during Operation Blofeld - preventing the sale of the drugs locally and protecting the community. 'We do not tolerate drug dealing, and we continue to support Derbyshire Constabulary to crack down on it. 'Each day we are working with officers to share information and help remove drug dealers from the borough. 'I urge anyone who thinks drug dealing may be happening in their community to report it as soon as possible. Even the slightest bit of information could help to protect people and prevent drugs being sold.' Embattled Illinois Mayor Tiffany Henyard, who is under investigation by the FBI, has been accused of launching police raids against local businesses, according to reports. Several local businesses in Dolton, a small town of 23,000, were raided by local police after 'not paying the ransom' of donating to Henyard's events, Fox News reported. Some of those business owners, including U-Haul rental and trucking business owner Lawrence Gardner, said they have spoken with FBI agents who are probing Henyard for corruption. 'They seemed very serious,' Gardner who got in touch with the FBI several months ago following a police raid on his business, told Fox. Gardner said he also struggled to renew his business license and was later shut down by the police. Embattled Illinois Mayor Tiffany Henyard is under investigation by the FBI after launching police raids against local businesses, according to reports Mayor Tiffany Henyard is also accused of overspending on police overtime for her personal security detail Business owners, including U-Haul rental and trucking business owner Lawrence Gardner (pictured), said they have spoken with FBI agents The FBI is also using electronic surveillance as part of its investigation, according to Fox. The agency is also looking into Henyard's use of tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars to fund lavish out of town trips, overtime for police in her personal security detail and holding up licenses for businesses unduly. 'I'm sure that they were asked to donate, make a donation, and most likely they didn't make a donation' Dolton trustee Tammie Brown told Fox. 'So you don't get a chance to stay open if you don't pay the queen's ransom.' 'I heard I was on the wrong team' local restaurant owner Dwayne Wood told Fox. Wood, owner of Wood's Kitchen, has been trying to renew his license for more than a year. He believes his permit is being denied because he has provided catering to several Dolton trustees who are engaged in a political spat with Henyard, who controversially makes a $300,000 salary. 'I think I've been targeted because of my association with a certain group of people, I've cooked for the trustees' Wood explained. Gardner said he struggled to renew his business license and was later shut down by the police After a recall bid failed, Henyard posted this defiant image on Instagram declaring she 'forever will be Dolton's mayor' Henyard is pictured stepping out of a chauffeured SUV in one of her stylish outfits. She's been blasted for spending taxpayer cash on security, as well as professional hair and makeup artists Henyar has not forthcoming about how those professional hair and makeup teams are funded 'They just rushed in here. Put police at the front door like they were doing a raid on a drug house or something,' Sevone Garfield, the security director of Pablo's Cafe and Bar that was raided by local police, said. 'The businesses in question both had a hearing with the liquor commission last month and the licenses were revoked at that time' the Village of Dolton said in a statement. Adding: 'The businesses have a history of violent incidents with patrons and were considered a nuisance to the residents in the community. These businesses are unable to operate without the license.' Other business owners have brought a lawsuit against Henyard, alleging that their business licenses have been held up for refusing to support her political campaign. The FBI said it is policy not to comment on the nature, existence or non existence of an investigation that may be occurring. Since the initial reporting on Henyard's spending, it's been revealed she and other officials spent more than $67,000 on trips to Portland, Austin, Atlanta and New York City on the village's dime, according to WGN. Many of the flights were first-class, while Henyard's team spent $13,000 in public money staying in New York. The 'Holy Grail of shipwrecks,' housing up to 200 tons of gold, silver, and emeralds valued at $20 billion, is set to be retrieved from the deep sea with the aid of an underwater robot. The Spanish galleon San Jose sank off the Colombian port of Cartagena in 1708, as its powder magazines detonated during a skirmish with the British. Onboard were treasures worth billions of dollars, along with 600 sailors. Nearly a decade after the Colombian government disclosed the discovery of the legendary shipwreck, authorities announced on Friday that an expedition will embark on the recovery of these hidden treasures in April. Culture Minister Juan David Correa told AFP that an underwater robot, scheduled to operate between April and May, will extract items from the exterior of the galleon. The first step is to see 'how they materialize when they come out (of the water) and to understand what we can do' to continue the mission, Correa said. The 'Holy Grail of shipwrecks,' housing up to 200 tons of gold, silver, and emeralds valued at $20 billion, is set to be retrieved from the deep sea with the aid of an underwater robot The Spanish galleon San Jose sank off the Colombian port of Cartagena in 1708, as its powder magazines detonated during a skirmish with the British. Onboard were treasures worth billions of dollars, along with 600 sailors Nearly a decade after the Colombian government disclosed the discovery, authorities announced on Friday that an expedition will embark on the recovery of these hidden treasures. Pictured: crews searching for the shipwreck Authorities have kept secrecy about the mission's location, but the scientific ship in charge of exploring the treasure was seen anchored at the dock of the ACR Bolivar naval base in Cartagena, Colombia, on Friday. The operation is expected to cost more than $4.5million, but the value of items recovered from the shipwreck could be 'incalculable', according to Correa. In 2015, the Colombian government announced that a team of navy divers had discovered the legendary ship lying in nearly 3,100 feet of water. And in 2022, another team brought back jaw-dropping images of its perfectly preserved cargo. But the discovery of the galleon has since sparked an almighty fight over who owns the wreck, with a US firm claiming it found the boat and demanding half the loot. Also laying claims, are the Spanish government and an indigenous group. American research company, Glocca Morra, claims it found the San Jose in 1981 and turned the coordinates over to the Colombians on the condition it would receive half the fortune once the vessel was recovered. But this was countered in 2015 by Colombia's then-President Juan Manuel Santos who said the Navy had found the boat at a different location on the seabed. Glocca Morra, now called Sea Search Armada, is suing for half the treasure - around $10billion according to estimates - under the US-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement, according to Bloomberg. Spain and Britain were fighting the War of the Spanish Succession at the time and the Royal Navy was approaching dominance on the high seas when it sent the San Jose to the bottom Authorities have kept secrecy about the mission's location, but the scientific ship in charge of exploring the treasure was seen anchored at the dock of the ACR Bolivar naval base in Cartagena, Colombia, on Friday The discovery of the galleon has since sparked an almighty fight over who owns the wreck, with a US firm claiming it found the boat and demanding half the loot. Also laying claims, are the Spanish government and an indigenous group But Correa said the government's team had visited the coordinates given by Sea Search Armada and found no trace of the San Jose. Complicating matters further, there are competing claims from the Spanish - whose Navy the vessel belonged to - and Bolivia's indigenous Qhara Qhara nation which says its people were forced to mine the gold and jewels, so the treasures belong to them. 'Not only for the symbolic issue but more for the spiritual issue. We just want our ancestors to be at peace,' native leader Samuel Flores told AFP. Meanwhile, Colombia has hailed the find as a huge historic and cultural achievement. Correa told Bloomberg last year: 'This is one of the priorities for the Petro administration. The president has told us to pick up the pace.' The idea is 'to stop considering that we are dealing with a treasure that we have to fight for as if we were in colonial times, with the pirates who disputed these territories,' Correa, the culture minister, said. The robot will work at a depth of 600 meters to remove items 'without modifying or damaging the wreck' The operation is expected to cost more than $4.5million, but the value of items recovered from the shipwreck could be 'incalculable', according to Correa The 62-gun galleon was sailing from Portobelo in Panama at the head of a treasure fleet of 14 merchant vessels and three Spanish warships when it encountered the British squadron near Baru. Spain and Britain were fighting the War of the Spanish Succession at the time and the Royal Navy was approaching dominance on the high seas when it sent the San Jose to the bottom. Images recovered in 2022 show a part of the bow clearly seen covered in algae and shellfish, as well as the remains of the frame of the hull. The images offer the best-yet view of the treasure that was aboard the San Jose - including gold ingots and coins, muddy cannons made in Seville in 1655 and an intact Chinese dinner service. Porcelain crockery, pottery and glass bottles can also be seen. SAN DIEGO Hundreds of migrants were dropped off Friday at a San Diego bus stop instead of at a reception center that had been serving as a staging area because it ran out of local funding sooner than expected, showing how even the largest city on the country's southern border is struggling to cope with the unprecedented influx of people. Migrants who previously had a safe place to charge phones, use the bathroom, eat a meal and arrange to head elsewhere in the U.S. were now left on the street as migrant aid groups scrambled to help out as best they could with makeshift arrangements. Border Patrol buses carrying migrants from Senegal, China, Ecuador, Rwanda and many other countries arrived outside a transit center. Migrant aid groups said they would be bused from there to a parking lot where they could charge their phones and get a ride to the airport. The vast majority planned to spend only a few hours in San Diego before taking a flight or having someone pick them up. Are we in San Diego? asked Gabriel Guzman, 30, a painter from the Dominican Republic who was released after crossing the border in remote mountains on Thursday. He was told to appear in June in an immigration court in Boston, where he hopes to earn money to send home to his three children. Abd Boudeah, of Mauritania, flew to Tijuana, Mexico, through Nicaragua and followed other migrants to an opening in the border wall, where he surrendered to agents Thursday after walking about eight hours. The former molecular engineering student said he fled persecution for being gay and planned to settle in Chicago with a cousin who had been in the U.S. for 20 years. Ive dreamed about this (moment) a lot, and thank God Im here, Boudeah, 23, said in flawless English. Volunteers gave instructions in English, Spanish and French to small groups, all of them single men and women. They used translation apps for other languages. We're going to cross the street together and line up, a volunteer said into his phone, which then translated it into Hindi for a group of men from India. Story continues Tired from the road, Alikan Rdiyer, 31, of Kazakhstan, said in Russian as he waited for instructions to give to a friend from Los Angeles who was going to pick him up. The Border Patrol gave him a notice to appear in immigration court in August 2025 in Philadelphia a city he hadn't heard of. The transit center parking lot was full of cars, giving migrants nowhere to stand, and there were no public bathrooms. A taxi driver offered a ride to San Diego International Airport for $100, double what ride-sharing apps were charging. Some migrants dispersed in the neighborhood when volunteers were unable to reach them with instructions to wait on the sidewalk. Migrants unload their items off a bus as they arrive at a bus stop after leaving a processing facility, Friday, Feb. 23, 2024, in San Diego. Hundreds of migrants were dropped off at a sidewalk bus stop after local government funding for a reception center ran out of money sooner than expected. Cities struggle to help migrants with limited resources San Diego County has given $6 million since October to SBCS, a nonprofit formerly known as South Bay Community Services, to provide phone-charging stations, food, travel advice and other services at a former elementary school. The group aimed to keep it open through March, but Thursday was its last day. San Diego is one of many local governments that have struggled to help migrants without sacrificing key services, including New York, Chicago and Denver. Like other border cities, migrants tend to stay in San Diego less than a day before moving on, but large shelters operated by Jewish Family Service and Catholic Charities have been full for months, giving priority to families. A SEISMIC SHIFT: Why Biden is moving to the right in 2024 on immigration Nora Vargas, chair of the San Diego County board of supervisors, steadfastly supported the migrant welcome center but said the county had to pause spending as it assesses damages from catastrophic January flooding and addresses homelessness and lack of health care among its residents. We have to be financially prudent about it, she said. SBCS, which has come under withering criticism from some migrant advocacy groups, told the county that its services cost $1.4 million a month, said spokesperson Margie Newman Tsay. The county asked that it aim for $1 million. It's not that funds ran out early, it's that the funds were stretched as far as they could go, Newman Tsay said. Aid groups have given critical support to new arrivals, eliciting criticism from some quarters. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton threatened this week to sue and shut down Annunciation House, a decades-old organization that shelters migrants in El Paso. Paxton said the group might be facilitating illegal entry to the United States. Ruben Garcia, Annunciation House's director, gathered supporters at a news conference Friday to denounce Paxton's tactics. It is a full warning to other entities that also do the work of hospitality that they can very well be next, he said. SBCS said it had served 81,000 migrants in San Diego since Oct. 11. A report to the county showed it spent $750,000 on personnel through Dec. 24 and $152,000 on operating expenses, including shelter, transportation and security. I could have done a lot more with $6 million, said Erika Pinheiro, executive director of Al Otro Lado, a migrant aid group that is assisting with street releases. Vargas, who wrote President Joe Biden last week seeking support, defended SBCS's performance and noted its previous work sheltering unaccompanied child migrants at the San Diego Convention Center in 2019. Nobody is perfect, especially when you're trying to fill a gap from the federal government, said Vargas, echoing a common view among big-city mayors. Border agency calls on Congress to act Customs and Border Protection said in a statement Friday that the street releases were the latest example of the pressing need for Congress to provide additional resources and take legislative action to fix our outdated immigration laws. From October to January, the Border Patrol released more than 500,000 migrants with orders to appear in immigration court. Migrant aid groups are generally able to provide temporary shelter, but street releases are not unheard of. The San Diego transit center was also the scene of large-scale releases last year. San Diego has emerged as one of the busiest corridors for illegal crossings, with an average of 800 arrests a day in January. Many are from West Africa and Asia, with a daily average of more than 100 from China in January. The Border Patrol told migrant aid groups to expect 350 street releases on Friday, said Pedro Rios, director of American Friends Service Committee's U.S.-Mexico border program. The agency did not provide numbers when asked. Associated Press writer Valerie Gonzalez in McAllen, Texas, contributed. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Migrants dropped at San Diego bus stop after center runs out of funds Bodycam footage revealed the account of non-binary Nex Benedict describing the attack by 'bullies' in a school bathroom to an Oklahoma officer, the day before they died. The 21-minute interview, conducted at Owasso hospital just two hours after the Feb. 7 fight, details the events leading up to the altercation, prior to Nex getting discharged. Officer Caleb Thompson spoke with the Oklahoma 16-year-old who died a day after being involved in a fight that broke out in a high school bathroom, accompanied by their mother, Sue. 'So what happened today?' officer Thompson, asked. 'I got jumped,' Nex responded, before Sue interjects, telling the officer about Nex's complaints of ongoing bullying. Bodycam footage revealed the account of non-binary Nex Benedict describing the attack by 'bullies' in a school bathroom to an Oklahoma officer the day before they died The 21-minute interview, conducted at Owasso hospital just two hours after the Feb. 7 fight, details the events leading up to the altercation, prior to Nex getting discharged. Nex, 16, died on Feb. 8, a day after they were attacked in a restroom at Owasso Public High School '[Nex] said mom, these three girls there, they're making comments, they're calling us names, they're throwing stuff at us,' she said. '[Nex] did, until [they] couldn't, in the bathroom,' Sue told the officer. Nex then described the provocation, recalling how the girls ridiculed them before Nex poured water on them. 'They said something like 'why do they laugh like that,' and they were talking about us, in front of us,' Nex told Thompson. 'So I went up and poured water on them and all three of them came at me.' Officer Thompson appeared to dissuade Nex and their mother from pursuing charges, cautioning them about potential legal ramifications for both parties involved. He questioned Nex about their decision not to report the girls' actions to school officials, to which Nex responds, 'I didn't see the point. I told my mom.' 'You got freedom of speech,' the officer said. 'The minute you threw water on them you made the first jab. It may not go the direction you want it to go.' 'Running the mouth is freedom of speech, unfortunately,' the officer adds. 'You can say mean, hurtful things all day long and you gotta let it roll off your shoulder.' Sue asked, 'What about cause there were three of them, and (Nex) only threw water on one.' Thompson argued that regardless of the girl's actions, Nex started the fight, causing a 'domino effect' of events. He claimed both Nex and the girls as both 'victims' and 'suspects.' Thompson seemingly discouraged Nex's mother to press charges, claiming both Nex and the girls who attacked them are both 'victims' and 'suspects' Thompson argued that Nex started the fight by pouring water on the girls, causing a 'domino effect' of events The teen's mom said Nex had been bullied since the start of the 2023 school year, just months after Oklahoma governor Kevin Stitt signed a bathroom ban bill, stipulating students must use the bathroom which aligns with their biological sex Sue expresses dissatisfaction with the school's handling of the situation, urging Thompson to inquire about the delay in alerting the authorities. 'They dropped the ball on this one not notifying me right away,' said Thompson. Sue said, 'Those girls started everything from the get go.' Earlier this week, the family of Nex announced that they are launching their own investigation after autopsy results revealed the teen did not die from injuries sustained in a school fight. Sue told The Independent Monday that her child has been repeatedly bullied by various students for over a year due to their non-binary identity. 'Nex was attacked and assaulted in a bathroom by a group of other students. A day later, the Benedict's beautiful child lost their life,' the family said in a statement. Nex, 16, who was born Dagny, died on Feb. 8, just a day after sustaining head trauma in a bathroom fight in Owasso High School, Oklahoma. Friends said Benedict went by the name 'Nex.' The teen was described as a nature lover and keen cook who adored their pet cat Zeus Now messages Nex sent to a family member after the fight, shared by Fox23, reveal that the teenager tried to stand up to their bullies Police have since declared the 16-year-old did not die as a result of those injuries but they have not clarified the cause of death. At this time, any further comments on the cause of death are currently pending until toxicology results and other ancillary testing results are received,' police said. 'The official autopsy report will be available at a later date,' Owasso police said on Wednesday night. The police statement after Nex described in text to her family what happened, before being taken to the hospital before she died. 'I got jumped at school. 3 on 1, had to go to the ER,' Nex wrote, adding: 'They had been bullying me and my friends and I got tired of it so I poured some water on them and all 3 came after me. School did not report to police.' Officers investigating Nex's death said that they were called to the hospital by the teen's family at around 3pm on February 7, but that no 911 call had been made by the school. Nex was asked by the family member whether they were OK and the teen replied saying they were 'all good' and had some scrapes and bruises. They also added: 'If I'm dizzy or nauseous in the morning I might have a concussion.' Sue Benedict, Nex's biological grandmother and legal guardian, revealed that Nex was beaten by three older girls after they were bullied for a year. Benedict told the Independent that Nex was badly beaten during the fight, which she said involved Nex being knocked to the ground and hitting their head, and suffered bruises over their face and eyes as well as scratches at the back of their head. She also said she was aware Nex, who she said saw themselves as neither male or female, was bullied for being gender fluid but that she 'didn't know how bad it had gotten'. The teen's guardian, Benedict, described her child as a straight-A student, animal lover and a talented cook during a funeral service held on Thursday. 'I was so proud of Nex. They were going some place, they were so free,' she said. The incident reportedly involved the teen's head being repeatedly smashed on the floor of the school's restroom In a statement to local media Owasso Public Schools said it could not comment amid an ongoing investigation Benedict said Nex had been bullied since the start of the 2023 school year, just months after Oklahoma governor Kevin Stitt signed a bathroom ban bill, stipulating students must use the bathroom which aligns with their biological sex. An obituary described the teen's love of nature and 'caring' disposition, especially towards beloved cat Zeus. '[Nex] enjoyed a variety of pastimes such as watching the Walking Dead, drawing, reading and playing Ark and Minecraft,' the notice read. The teen is survived by her grandparents Sue and Walter Benedict, as well as four sisters, two brothers and a niece and nephew, according to the obituary. A GoFundMe has also been set up to help the family cover funeral costs. In a statement Owasso Public Schools said that 'students were in the restroom for less than two minutes and the physical altercation was broken up by other students who were present in the restroom at the time, along with a staff member who was supervising outside of the restroom'. Grossman tried to comfort Alexis before being escorted out of the courtroom in handcuffs After the verdict was read Grossman's daughter Alexis wept and screamed 'oh my god' Rebecca Grossman was pronounced guilty of the murder of brothers Mark and Jacob Iskander, ages 11 and 8, on Friday in court Rebecca Grossman's daughter wept and screamed 'oh my god' after a jury found her mother guilty of murdering two young boys with her Mercedes. Grossman, 60, was jailed on Friday for killing brothers Mark and Jacob Iskander, ages 11 and 8, as they crossed a street in Westlake Village back in 2020. She was found guilty by a jury of nine men and three women at Van Nuys Court near Los Angeles on Friday afternoon and was convicted of murder, manslaughter and a hit and run. As the verdict was read out, Grossman's 19-year-old daughter Alexis cried out 'oh my god, oh my god' as tears streamed down her face. The 19-year-old's mouth hung open in shock in the moments after the bombshell decision was announced. Rebecca Grossman, 60, was found guilty on Friday of killing brothers Mark and Jacob Iskander, ages 11 and 8, as they crossed a street in Westlake Village back in 2020 Rebecca Grossman's daughter wept and screamed 'oh my god' after a jury found her mother guilty of murdering two young boys with her Mercedes As the verdict was read out, Grossman's 19-year-old daughter Alexis cried out 'oh my god, oh my god' as tears streamed down her face The 19-year-old's mouth hung open in shock in the moments after the bombshell decision was announced Alexis is pictured here looking forlorn as she leaves court following her mother's guilty verdict alongside her father on Friday Grossman, also crying, tried to calm Alexis as her father, Peter Grossman, hugged the weeping teen. Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Joseph Brandolino declared that justice could no longer be declared as a deputy approached Grossman with handcuffs. Alexis was hysterical as her mother was taken into custody - prompting Grossman to beg her to stop as she was escorted from the courtroom and away from her screaming daughter. On Wednesday during closing arguments, Deputy Dist. Atty. Jamie Castro said 'this was not a tragic accident, this was murder.' Grossman, 60, had been speeding in her white Mercedes SUV after sharing margaritas with her former MLB player lover, Scott Erickson when she hit and killed Mark, 11, and Jacob, 8, in September 2020. Peter Grossman and his son tried to block out photographers on their way out of court after Rebecca Grossman was found guilty of murder The Grossman family supported each other as they left court in Los Angeles on Friday after seeing their mother taken away in handcuffs Grossman's $2 million bail was revoked by a judge, who ordered her to jail ahead of her April 10 sentencing, which could see her jailed for up to 34 years. Her plastic surgeon husband and two children sobbed as she was led away. The mother of the two boys brutally mown down by Rebecca Grossman visited her sons' grave and shared a moving tribute after the socialite was convicted of murder. Soon after, Nancy Iskander, the mother of the two boys, shared a picture of her sons' grave with a heartfelt tribute on X. Tulip plants and toys were seen on the young victims' graves along with posters that read: 'We love you. Mark & Jacob'. The heartbroken yet victorious mother captioned the photo: 'Mark and Jacob's grave this evening. 'Someone was held accountable for your murder sons. Sleep tight. Rest in peace.' Nancy Iskander, the mother of the two boys, who had been brutally mowed down by socialite Rebecca Grossman has shared a moving tribute after killer was found guilty Nancy and Karim Iskander, whose sons Grossman murdered, appeared delighted by the verdict While Grossman remained free throughout the trial on $2 million bond, she was taken into custody after the verdict and is now awaiting sentencing She also shared another picture of her three sons with the caption: 'Today I am telling Zachary: your brothers were murdered son. They were murdered in front of your very eyes, but someone is held accountable and they will be serving a long sentence because Mark and Jacob mattered!! They mattered!!' She also shared another picture of her three sons with the caption: 'Today I am telling Zachary: your brothers were murdered son. They were murdered in front of your very eyes, but someone is held accountable and they will be serving a long sentence because Mark and Jacob mattered!! They mattered!!' Sympathizers have also shared supportive comments on the X post. One user wrote: 'Your strength is truly remarkable, especially considering the immense loss, pain, and suffering you have endured. The unethical tactics of the defense attorneys sickened me, yet you remained strong throughout the trial. Justice prevailed.' While another added: 'Justice was served. Your sons will forever be in our hearts and legislature will be created because of your angelic boys.' One user also commented on Nancy's effort to keep her sons' memory alive and wrote: 'Thinking of you and hoping this gives you just a bit of comfort. My heart is with you as well as my prayers. You did an awesome job of keeping your sons memory alive while searching for Justice.' Another user wrote: 'I hope you can find some small solace knowing that she did not get away with it. Sending you and your family love, peace, and strength.' Well-wishers have also left a note reading 'Always Remember' with flowers at the site of the murder. The boys' father, Karim said that the family was waiting on apology after the verdict was finalized After today's verdict, Nancy said she and her husband Karim 'have been waiting for this for three and a half years'. '[The trial] wasn't easy, but it will bring me closure. They [prosecutors] worked tirelessly, three and a half years. They went above and beyond. 'They only cared about the truth. They wanted to tell the truth. They worked against some of the most evil defense attorneys. 'We're trusting the justice system. We have a justice system you can trust, from our experience. It's not a justice system where people get away with things based on the color of their skin or their wealth or anything. 'If you commit a crime, you will be held accountable, so we're very thankful, and it's now time to do good in the name of Mark and Jacob.' The boys' father, Karim also said that the family was waiting on apology after the verdict was finalized. 'We have been waiting for Mrs. Grossman to apologize, to take responsibility and she just chose to fight to the end and it was heartbreaking. 'It allows me to just move on and heal and not allow any hatred or any loss of peace to affect how I feel. 'I hope everyone heals, everyone learns from this experience, including everyone involved from all sides and hopefully this saves lives, saves other kids in the future,' he said. Grossman's husband Dr Peter Grossman and her children Alexis and Nicholas Grossman look shocked as they left court Friday, after she was convicted of murder and ordered to jail pending sentencing Grossman's white Mercedes SUV is pictured moments after the crash Grossman had a margarita with friends on the fateful day, then another at the now-closed Westlake Village restaurant Julio's with Erickson whom she was dating while she was estranged from her husband. The two left Julio's around 7 pm she in her white Mercedes SUV and he ahead in his black Mercedes SUV to go to her nearby home to watch a presidential debate. Witnesses reported seeing the two cars 'flying by' in the 45mph speed limit on Triunfo Canyon Road. One of those witnesses saw a woman at the wheel of the white Mercedes and said, 'It seem to be jovial, like there was some sort of race going on.' The black box of Grossman's car which was just behind Erickson's recorded her speed at 81mph when she tapped the brakes and 'plowed into the boys on the crosswalk at 73mph,' according to Jamie Castro, the Deputy District Attorney's co-prosecutor. 'That was the last moment of the boys' lives. 'If she had been doing the speed limit the crash could have been avoided,' she added. 'After the collision, she did not stop. She continued driving, about a third of a mile down the road, with Mercedes' emergency accident system automatically kicking in to turn off the fuel pump and bring the vehicle to a stop.' Castro said that while other people coming by stopped at the accident scene to try to help the fatally injured boys, Grossman 'did not come back to the horror she had caused. She didn't call 911. She did not get out of her car and go back to the scene of the crash'. Nancy took the witness stand to give her own wrenching and tearful account of seeing the two vehicles barreling toward her, her youngest son Zachary, 5, Mark and Jacob on the crosswalk. She grabbed Zachary, the closest and jumped for her life into the bike lane. 'I would have been killed by that black SUV but I acted fast and was able to save myself and Zach', said Nancy who still has nightmares about the black bumper of Erickson's car bearing down on her. 'I saw the white car pass exactly where Mark and Jacob were.' Nancy took the witness stand to give her own wrenching and tearful account of seeing the two vehicles barreling toward her, her youngest son Zachary, 5, and Mark and Jacob on the crosswalk. She grabbed Zachary, the closest and jumped for her life into the bike lane Karim and Nancy Iskander, the boys' parents, are shown at a court hearing in April 2022 Grossman who dressed conservatively in cardigans or sweaters and pants or plain dresses throughout trial had been calm and unemotional except for one tearful outburst aimed at prosecutors when they kept objecting to her lead attorney Buzbee's lines of questioning and another when she sobbed into a handkerchief as graphic photos of the Iskander boys' fatal injuries were shown in court. But during breaks or the end of court days, she would often share a kiss with her husband, prominent plastic surgeon Peter Grossman and a hug with her daughter Alexis, 19, both of whom were present throughout the trial. On the other side of the courtroom during trial, the Iskanders were there most days and Nancy was frequently unable to control her tears and had to be comforted by a group of friends and family. Erickson too had been charged with misdemeanor reckless driving and his case was resolved in February 2022 with a judge ordering him to make a public service announcement for high school students about the importance of safe driving. While Grossman remained free throughout the trial on $2 million bond, she was taken into custody after the verdict was announced and is now awaiting sentencing. Lee Anderson has been suspended by the Conservative party after he refused to apologise for 'Islamophobic, racist' comments where he claimed that London Mayor Sadiq Khan was controlled by 'Islamists'. A spokesperson for the party's chief whip Simon Hart said the decision had been made following the former Tory deputy chairman's 'refusal to apologise' for the remarks made on Friday. Pressure had been mounting on Rishi Sunak to take action over the comments from the Ashfield MP, with Mr Khan saying the 'deafening silence' of the Prime Minister and his Cabinet amounted to condoning racism. A spokesperson for Mr Hart said: 'Following his refusal to apologise for comments made yesterday, the Chief Whip has suspended the Conservative whip from Lee Anderson MP.' A Conservative source was defending Mr Anderson last night and this morning before he was stripped of party support at around 3pm this afternoon. This comes after Sadiq Khan hit out against Anderson earlier this afternoon for 'pouring fuel on the fire of anti-Muslim hatred'. Lee Anderson has been suspended by the Conservative party after he refused to apologise for 'Islamophobic, racist' comments where he claimed that London Mayor Sadiq Khan was controlled by 'Islamists' Sadiq Khan has hit out against Lee Anderson for 'pouring fuel on the fire of anti-Muslim hatred' after the Tory MP made 'Islamophobic, racist' comments about him Lee Anderson (pictured) said on GB News last night that Sadiq Khan - the first Muslim Mayor of London - is controlled by Islamists and that he has 'given our capital city away to his mates' The Mayor criticised Prime Minister Rishi Sunak (pictured) for his 'deafening silence' Pressure had been mounting on Rishi Sunak to take action over the comments from the Ashfield MP, with Mr Khan (pictured) saying the 'deafening silence' of the Prime Minister and his Cabinet amounted to condoning racism The ex-deputy Tory chairman said on GB News last night that Khan - the first Muslim Mayor of London - is controlled by Islamists and that he has 'given our capital city away to his mates'. Mr Anderson said last night: 'I don't actually believe that these Islamists have got control of our country, but what I do believe is they've got control of Khan and they've got control of London and they've got control of Starmer as well. 'Again, this stems with Khan, he's actually given our capital city away to his mates. 'Beware, because if you let Labour in through the back door, expect more of this and expect our cities to be taken over by these lunatics.' Speaking to Sky News, Mr Khan said the comments from the senior Conservative MP 'pour fuel on the fire of anti-Muslim hatred'. He added: 'We've seen over the last two days confirmation that over the last few months there had been an increase in anti-Muslim cases by more than 330%. 'I am afraid the deafening silence from Rishi Sunak and from the cabinet is them condoning this racism. 'I am afraid it confirms to many people across the country that there's a hierarchy when it comes to racism. 'I think it's really important to call out antisemitism, it's really important to call out misogyny, it's really important to call out homophobia, but surely it must also be important to call out anti-Muslim hatred. 'My concern is there will be people across the country - people who are Muslim or look like Muslims - who will be really concerned about entering into politics because they know that if these are the comments being made about me by a senior Conservative, what chance do they have?' Following his suspension, Mr Anderson said: 'Following a call with the Chief Whip, I understand the difficult position that I have put both he and the Prime Minister in with regard to my comments. 'I fully accept that they had no option but to suspend the whip in these circumstances. 'However, I will continue to support the Government's efforts to call out extremism in all its forms - be that anti-semitism or islamophobia.' He said he was not sure why members of the cabinet were not 'calling this out' and condemning Anderson's words. This morning, the Defence Secretary said he 'wouldn't phrase things like that', when asked whether Anderson's comments about Sadiq Khan were acceptable - but he stopped short of condemning them. Tory Minister Nus Ghani branded Lee Anderson's comments as 'both foolish and dangerous' Anderson's comments, which were made following pro-Palestine protests outside Parliament, have been condemned by Labour chairwoman Anneliese Dodds Former Conservative chancellor Sir Sajid Javid branded Anderson's remarks as 'ridiculous' The ex-deputy Tory chairman said on GB News last night that Khan (pictured) is controlled by Islamists and that he has 'given our capital city away to his mates' Grant Shapps distanced himself from Mr Anderson's claim that Islamists had 'got control' of Mr Khan and that the mayor had 'given our capital city away to his mates'. But Mr Shapps added that he thinks the Mayor has done 'terrible things to our capital' and that he had concerns about the way pro-Palestinian protests are being policed. Speaking to BBC Breakfast, he said: 'I haven't seen the comments, I should say, so just based off what you've just told me, but it's certainly not the way I would put things. 'I think there are more concerns about the way that some of these protests have been taking place, in particular what we saw projected onto Parliament this week, but I certainly wouldn't phrase things like that.' Asked whether Mr Anderson should lose the Tory whip, Mr Shapps said the matter was 'one for party itself'. The Defence Secretary declined to say whether Mr Anderson was a good representative voice for the Conservative Party, saying only that 'we live in a democracy where people are allowed to speak their mind and Lee Anderson, I think, is famed for speaking his mind.' Sadiq Khan accused the PM and the cabinet of being 'complicit in this sort of racism' for not condemning Lee Anderson. 'The message it sends is Muslims are fair game when it comes to racism and anti-Muslim hatred,' he told Sky News. 'It's not good enough in 2024 in the United Kingdom.' The Labour Party earlier wrote to Rishi Sunak demanding that he withdraw the Tory whip from Anderson for his 'vile Islamophobia' and 'dangerous conspiracy theories'. Shadow cabinet member Jonathan Ashworth, who penned the letter, wrote on X, formerly Twitter: 'Sunak has a clear choice: show some backbone and withdraw the whip or be forever known as too weak to take them on.' Removing the whip means that Anderson would no longer sit as a Tory MP within the House of Commons. A Conservative source said this morning: 'Lee was simply making the point that the Mayor, in his capacity as PCC for London, has abjectly failed to get a grip on the appalling examples of extremism we have seen in London recently.' A serving junior Tory minister earlier hit out against Anderson, saying his comments are 'both foolish and dangerous'. Business minister of state Nus Ghani, who is a Muslim, wrote at 11.46am on X: 'I have spoken to Lee Anderson. 'I've called out Islamic extremism (& been attacked by hard left, far right & Islamists). 'I don't for one moment believe that Sadiq Khan is controlled by Islamists. To say so, is both foolish and dangerous. 'Frankly this is all so tiring...' In response to Anderson's comments the Muslim Council of Britain said: 'While we welcome Mr Andersons suspension, his comments did not occur in a vacuum and is only the tip of an iceberg. 'We have seen a week where Conservative politicians have brazenly leaned into the Muslims are taking over trope. 'And Mr Andersons suspension has only taken place after widespread disgust. The Conservative Party has an Islamophobia problem. They need to own up to it.' MailOnline has contacted the Conservative Party to ask if the PM supports Ms Ghani, but no response has been received. Conservative leader at London City Hall, Neil Garratt, also criticised Anderson Former Conservative MP and Theresa May's ex-chief of staff Gavin Barwell slammed Anderson Grant Shapps (pictured) distanced himself from Mr Anderson's claim that Islamists had 'got control' of Mr Khan and that the mayor had 'given our capital city away to his mates' His suspension has prompted speculation that Mr Anderson may finally defect to Richard Tice's Reform UK, formerly the Brexit Party - whom he claims has sought to recruit him in the past. Nigel Farage, who stepped down as Reform leader in 2021, told the Express today that Anderson should make the leap to the party, which made gains against the Tories in a series of recent by-elections, alarming Tory chiefs. Mr Farage said: 'Lee Anderson should join Reform UK.' Mr Tice did not rule out opening the door to Mr Anderson after his suspension, telling the PA news agency on Saturday: "I haven't been in touch with Lee, he hasn't been in touch with me.' Anderson's comments, which were made following pro-Palestine protests outside Parliament, were earlier condemned by Labour chairwoman Anneliese Dodds as 'unambiguously racist and Islamophobic'. She wrote on X: 'Rishi Sunak needs to immediately remove the whip. If he is too weak, then people will take their own view of the modern Conservative Party.' Former Conservative chancellor and Home Secretary Sir Sajid Javid, who is of Muslim background but does not practice any religion, branded Anderson's remarks as 'a ridiculous thing to say'. Conservative leader at London City Hall, Neil Garratt, also criticised Anderson, saying: 'The Saturday marches fuel both antisemitism and the fear of antisemitism. Many Jews no longer feel welcome in their own city, hence why I have repeatedly argued that the police should do more. 'But Islamists have not taken control of Sadiq Khan, and they are not running London. 'I have no shortage of criticisms of Mayor Khan as regular viewers will know, but he is not an Islamist, he is not in the pockets of Islamists, and I completely disagree with anyone who says otherwise.' Former Conservative MP and Theresa May's ex-chief of staff Gavin Barwell slammed Anderson for his comments, tweeting: 'A despicable slur on @SadiqKhan and Londoners. 'In his first speech as PM, @RishiSunak said he would "unite our country". If he allows the likes of Anderson to spread hate and division like this, those words will be revealed as a sham.' Anderson (pictured) was one of the deputy chairmen of the Conservative Party until January, but he resigned as he planned to rebel over the vote of the Government's Rwanda bill Shadow cabinet member Jonathan Ashworth (pictured), who penned the letter, wrote on X, formerly Twitter: 'Sunak has a clear choice: show some backbone and withdraw the whip or be forever known as too weak to take them on' Comparisons have been made between Mr Anderson's comments on GB News and remarks made by Suella Braverman in the Telegraph on Friday, in which she said 'the Islamists, the extremists and the anti-Semites are in charge' of the UK. Ms Braverman was sacked as Home Secretary after writing an inflammatory article for The Times in which she suggested police were biased towards pro-Palestinian protesters; the article was not signed off by Downing Street. A Conservative spokesperson said: 'An investigation and subsequent independent review, both conducted over several years by professor Swaran Singh, found no evidence of institutional racism in the Conservative Party.' Anderson's comments on Sadiq Khan are just the latest in a long line of controversial and contentious statements he has made in the press. He had earned a reputation as an attack dog and enforcer within the party prior to his resignation from the deputy party chair last month, previously hitting out at MPs such as Labour's Jess Phillips for taking on additional work after she presented an episode of BBC topical panel show Have I Got News For You. Anderson later accepted a 100,000 deal to present shows on GB News while also working as an MP. In an interview with the Spectator last August, he called for the return of the death penalty because 'nobody has ever committed a crime after being executed'. He has previously accused people who use food banks of being unable to 'cook properly', adding: 'We can make a meal for about 30p a day', earning him the 30p Lee monicker. Anderson stepped down as deputy Tory party chairman in January to rebel against Rishi Sunak's Rwanda bill. He ultimately abstained after he said he couldn't bear to stand among Labour MPs also voting against it because they 'giggled and laughed' at him. In the same interview with GB News last night, Anderson said that politicians should take over the from the police as they were not cracking down hard enough on pro-Palestine protesters. He said: 'Ultimately we run the country, and if the police aren't doing their job and they're not doing their job we need to step in and take over.' With the polls pointing to a Tory wipeout at the election, the mood among Sir Keir Starmer's inner circle should be buoyant and focused. But this is the Labour party, where feuding and backstabbing are second nature and the prospect of imminent power is only making it worse. In 1997, as Labour headed for a massive 179 majority, Tony Blair's team became embroiled in what he described as 'a Greek Tragedy' a toxic cocktail of sniping, briefing and plotting between Gordon Brown, Peter Mandelson and Alastair Campbell as they jostled for pre- eminence in the court of King Tony. As Blair prepared to enter Downing Street, he despaired over the 'titanic feud' between Mandelson and Brown in particular: the then Labour leader would repeatedly ask: 'Why, oh why, can't my two best people get on with each other?' Now it is Back to the Future as Blair, Mandelson and Campbell gravitate towards Sir Keir and the rats step up the fighting in the sack. Sue Gray, Sir Keir's all-powerful new Chief of Staff, is at the centre of the discord. She was spotted last Wednesday lurking in the shadows outside the office where Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle was locked in private talks with Sir Keir, moments before the Speaker made his calamitous decision to let Starmer off the hook over a divisive vote on Gaza. Sue Gray, Sir Keir's all-powerful new Chief of Staff, is at the centre of the Labour discord Labour's internal tensions have been thrown into sharp relief by Sir Keir's screeching U-turn over his 28billion-a-year green investment pledge Multiple sources claim Ms Gray, a former civil servant who controversially signed up to the Starmer project after presiding over the Partygate inquiry into Boris Johnson's premiership, is locked in a power struggle with long-serving Starmer aides over sharing the spoils of a Labour victory. These include the likes of Matthew Doyle, the senior spin doctor who previously worked for Tony Blair and specialises in the tradecraft of stonewalling the media which so characterised the Blair era. One source said: 'Those who have been on the long march [back to power after 14 years in opposition] are worried that they are going to be ousted just as they are about to place their hands on the levers of power. There's a big briefing war going on inside Keir's office. Morale is low. Doyle in particular is angered by constant rumours he will be replaced if and when Starmer enters No 10.' Labour's internal tensions have been thrown into sharp relief by Sir Keir's screeching U-turn over his 28billion-a-year green investment pledge, and The Mail on Sunday's explosive revelations about the anti-Israel views of their candidate in the Rochdale by-election which led to him being dropped. Labour insiders say such own goals expose the increasing fragility of the Starmer operation. 'We fold under pressure,' said one. 'It does not bode well for government.' Shadow Ministers and Labour staffers are becoming increasingly frustrated by what they see as Ms Gray's 'overbearing manner' and 'attention-seeking' epitomised, they say, by her heavy-handed investigations of leaks to the media and her decision to help former Times journalist Tom Baldwin in his new biography of Sir Keir. A Shadow Minister said: 'People are genuinely aghast that she spoke on the record to Baldwin. The Chief of Staff has to manage the Civil Service, diplomats and spooks. It's not a campaigning or media role.' Mr Baldwin, who was close to Blair's spin doctor Alastair Campbell when he worked on The Times and became Ed Miliband's special adviser when he was Labour leader, is reputed to wield a powerful influence behind the scenes over policy and speech-making. Mr Baldwin is keen to deny the suggestion. 'Untrue. I have written a book. Full stop,' he says. But as Starmer edges ever closer to Downing Street, the rest of the Blair era gang are rematerialising. Sir Tony is playing an active role in drawing up Labour's agenda especially its health policies along with Lord Mandelson and Mr Campbell. Former Blair speechwriter Peter Hyman is co-writing the party's election manifesto while other senior advisers have been discreetly seconded from the Tony Blair Institute. Tony Blair and Sir Keir Starmer discuss politics during the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change's Future of Britain Conference in London in July 2023 Another potential returnee is David Miliband. Much is being made in Labour circles of the fact Mr Miliband, now head of the International Rescue Committee, was at the Munich security conference this month an event also attended by Sir Keir. Sources close to the Labour leader insist it was a coincidence and say the two did not meet. Coincidence or not, it has revived rumours that the ex-Foreign Secretary, who quit Westminster in 2013 after losing the Labour leadership race to younger brother Ed, is preparing a dramatic return to the Commons to take up a key role in government. There has even been speculation he could supplant Shadow Foreign Secretary David Lammy. Another New Labour veteran, Douglas Alexander, who served in both Blair and Brown's Cabinets and lost his seat in 2015, has already been selected as Labour candidate in East Lothian one of the party's top targets in Scotland. According to one Shadow Minister, the internal friction will not stop Labour from getting into Number 10 it will just be a major problem if Sir Keir gets there. The frontbencher said: 'The tensions are bubbling up. It's probably not going to cost us the election but it's all going to become an issue once we're in power.' To add to the tension, Morgan McSweeney, Starmer's campaign chief and his longest serving aide, has reportedly told friends he wishes to leave the team after polling day. The result, say insiders, is a looming power void especially as critics say Sir Keir is loath to confront his MPs face-to-face. 'There's a leadership vacuum,' sighed another Shadow Minister. 'Keir's good at telling MPs what they want to hear but still not good at saying what they need to hear.' Former top civil servant Sue Gray on her first day in her new role as Sir Keir Starmer's chief of staff Mr Baldwin's book has also rekindled debate about Ed Miliband's influence concerns only partly eased by abandoning the Shadow Climate Change Secretary's 28billion green investment plan. The way Mr Miliband, as party leader, appeared to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory at the 2015 election still worries some Labour MPs. 'Some still think Ed has too much control,' said one frontbencher. 'He's one of Starmer's closest friends and getting his old spin doctor to write Starmer's bio-graphy is a worrying sign.' And while the Net Zero plan may be dead and buried, even its final demise fuelled tensions among staffers. They are said to have been 'in tears' over an allegedly 'heavy-handed' inquiry by Ms Gray into how the final announcement was leaked to the Press. Some officials have filed a formal complaint. Ms Gray, who last week finally denied longstanding rumours that she had once worked in Northern Ireland as an intelligence agent, is said to have inspected the phones of staff and spoken to several of them during interviews without union representation being there. Even some senior members of Sir Keir's team were reportedly told to hand over their phones. She has since reportedly called some of the staffers to apologise. All of which prompts a wry smile from one insider who served in Downing Street during the last Labour Government. 'I know Sue Gray was brought in to ready Starmer's team for the rigours of power, but does she have to give them nervous breakdowns already?' The Reform Party is planning to raise the 40p income tax threshold to 70,000, according to its leader, Richard Tice. The draft election manifesto was unveiled today, with Mr Tice stating that he promises to reverse Rishi Sunak's stealth tax. Reform says it wants to ensure that seven million people pay zero income tax by raising the basic rate of income tax each year to 20,000, up from 12,570. The Party also plans to raise the higher rate threshold by around 20,000. This goes even further than the cuts the Prime Minister and Chancellor Jeremy Hunt were looking at for the March Budget. Mr Tice has also told supporters the party will plough 17 billion extra cash into the NHS while implementing fundamental reform. Mr Tice told delegates at the party's spring conference 'lefties' were wrong to brand his plans 'the privatisation of the NHS', saying the bedrock of the healthcare system needed to be the principle of services being free at the point of delivery. The Reform Party is planning to raise the 40p income tax threshold to 70,000, according to its leader, Richard Tice (pictured today) Mr Tice (pictured today) has also told supporters the party will plough 17 billion extra cash into the NHS while implementing fundamental reform The document also calls for reductions in stamp duty, inheritance tax and corporation tax, the Telegraph reported. Reform would also like to incentivise people opting for private education and healthcare by introducing a 20 per cent tax relief. Launching Reform's 'working draft' of the party's Contract With The People, Mr Tice said: 'The truth is the NHS is in crisis. 'It's not fit for purpose. We all know it. We all see and feel experiences that are not working. 'We have to be honest and say it needs fundamental, major reform.' Mr Tice said the party's proposed contract showed how billions of pounds can be diverted to healthcare from savings made on interest payments to city banks relating to quantitative easing, moving away from net zero targets and cutting waste in the public sector. He told his audience at Doncaster Racecourse: 'The last thing we need to do is to give billions more to the bungling, incompetent, wasteful, NHS bureaucrats.' He proposed that frontline health and social care staff should have basic rate income tax relief, to help retention rates, and the independent healthcare sector should be used to procure millions of operations. Mr Tice said: 'We're the only party with a serious ambition and a belief and passion that we can get, in two years if we make this a national endeavour, we can get waiting lists down to zero. That is the objective.' He said tax system incentives relating to private health insurance should be used to for 'easing pressure on the NHS, which benefits everybody'. He added: 'I know what the lefties will say: 'Tice is privatising the NHS'. No I'm not, no we're not. We're protecting the NHS by taking pressure off it.' Under Reform's plans, stamp duty would rise, so people would pay on properties costing 750,000 upwards, as opposed to 250,000. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak bemoaned low turnout last week and warned that voting Reform would only 'put Keir Starmer in power' The cuts proposed by the Reform Party go even further than what the Prime Minister and Chancellor Jeremy Hunt were looking at for the March Budget The proposal also calls for inheritance tax to be cancelled for all estates worth less than 2million. The draft states the party also wants to scrap VAT 'tourist tax' and there is a repeat of the call to ditch the legally binding target of making the UK net zero by 2050. Mr Tice told delegates he has rebranded the Conservative and Labour leaders 'Sinking Sunak' and 'Starmer-geddon'. He said: 'Our country is in a bad state. It's sinking under Sunak, and Starmer-geddon will make it worse but, with this contract, together, all of us, we are ready to save Britain.' Mr Tice was making his first speech of the day at the conference to launch the party contract. He is due to make his leader's speech this afternoon along with other party figures, including former Tory minister Ann Widdecombe. Political opponents have criticised the Party's draft manifesto and labelled it as an unaffordable wish list. Reform, previously named the Brexit Party, managed to achieve their best ever by-election results last week. Mr Tice ruled out an election pact with Rishi Sunak, as Conservative rebels warned they face an 'extinction-level event' at the election. Mr Tice told delegates he has rebranded the Conservative and Labour leaders 'Sinking Sunak' and 'Starmer-geddon' It secured 13 per cent of the vote in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, and 10 per cent in Kingswood, South Gloucestershire. Nigel Farage, who is the co-founder of Reform, has predicted the Tory Right may end up defecting to Reform UK. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak bemoaned low turnout and warned that voting Reform would only 'put Keir Starmer in power' after Labour seized the previously safe seats of Wellingborough and Kingswood. Reform's success has prompted speculation as to whether the party would team up with the Conservatives again, as the party, under its old name, joined forces with the Tories in 2019. Cops investigating the murder of a University of Georgia nursing student have released her cause of death. Laken Riley, 22, was killed by 'blunt force trauma,' police confirmed. Her body discovered in a field on the Athens campus on Thursday after she failed to return home from a run. Illegal Venezuelan immigrant Jose Antonio Ibarra was arrested for her murder on Friday and is now being held at the Clarke County Jail. The 26-year-old crossed into El Paso, Texas in September 2022 but had been released from a detention center due to a lack of space, according to NewsNation reporter Ali Bradley. Now Republicans including Marjorie Taylor Greene have called for Ibarra to receive the death penalty. UGA murder victim was killed by 'blunt force trauma' police investigating her death said Jose Antonio Ibarra, 26, has been identified and charged for allegedly murdering nursing student Laken Riley, 22, at the University of Georgia in Athens Police search a wooded area at the University of Georgia after the shock discovery Thursday 'Ibarra is an illegal alien and murdered a young woman the age of my own children. Deportation is not enough. He deserves the death penalty,' the Georgia representative said in a post on X, formerly Twitter. 'You want to break in our country, ILLEGALLY, and murder one of our girls. DEATH PENALTY!' She added in another. Representative Mike Collins also suggested that Ibarra should be killed. 'Jose Antonio Ibarra would make a great first passenger for the new Pinochet Air,' he wrote on X in an apparent reference to the Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet who became known for throwing prisoners to their deaths out of helicopters and planes. The phrase 'Pinochet Air' has been popular with white supremacists and the far right for several years and has spawned several memes about 'free helicopter rides' for those deemed undesirable. 'The Venezuelan suspect in Laken Rileys murder is one of millions of illegal aliens that the Biden administration has released into this country to be welcomed with open arms by Democrat-run sanctuary jurisdictions. 'This man had no business being in America, much less the UGA community to brutally murder this young American while she was on a run. 'To put this in simpler terms: if this border was secure, and Athens not a sanctuary city, Laken Riley would be alive,' Collins added. Riley, 22, was found dead Thursday afternoon after her roommate reported her missing, saying she had not returned from her jog Officials confirmed that Ibarra is not a US citizen and did not know or have any kind of relationship with Riley He has been charged with malice murder, felony murder, aggravated battery, aggravated assault, false imprisonment, kidnapping, hindering a 911 call, and concealing the death of another Despite Collins' claims, several studies have indicated that undocumented individuals are statistically less likely to commit crimes. One DOJ report from Texas in 2020 found that relative to undocumented immigrants, U.S.-born citizens are over two times more likely to be arrested for violent crimes, 2.5 times more likely to be arrested for drug crimes, and over four times more likely to be arrested for property crimes. Georgia still has the death penalty, but has not executed anyone since 2020. Riley's family spoke of their devastation following her murder. 'The loss is unimaginable. A beautiful girl taken away in this senseless act of violence. There are no words. Only God knows the pain and can heal our broken hearts,' cousin Denise Brown Ewing said. Ibarra has been charged with malice murder, felony murder, aggravated battery, aggravated assault, false imprisonment, kidnapping, hindering a 911 call, concealing the death of another and failure to appear for a finger printable charge. Cops said that he did not know the victim and the crime was a 'random, solo act.' UGA Police Chief Jeffrey Clark told reporters at a press conference Thursday that officers have searched Ibarra's apartment in Athens and evidence shows that he acted alone. 'He did not know her at all. I think this is a crime of opportunity where he saw an individual and bad things happened,' Clark said. 'The evidence is robust. It is supported by key input by the community, physical evidence and expert police work. Importantly, we were assisted by video footage from our campus security cameras network.' The news of the murder came on the same day House Speaker Mike Johnson ripped into President Joe Biden for finally floating executive action to crack down on illegal immigration after millions of migrants entered into the US since he took office. Republicans including Marjorie Taylor Greene have called for Ibarra to receive the death penalty, stating 'deportation is not enough' Rep Mike Collins suggested Ibarra should be killed by taking a flight on 'Pinochet Air' in a reference to the Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet who became known for throwing prisoners to their deaths out of helicopters GOP reps have suggested that Biden's immigration policy is to blame for the murder, which police characterized as a 'random, solo' act Since Biden took office in 2021, over 7.2 million migrants have entered the U.S. through the southern border. That's more people than the population of 36 states. Arizona, for example, had 7.1 million residents according to the 2020 census. After taking office, President Biden immediately canceled various Trump-era border initiatives, including the 'Remain in Mexico' policy that required migrants claiming asylum to stay in Mexico until their hearing court date in the U.S. Biden also stopped construction of the U.S.-Mexico border within days of taking office. But now, the 81-year-old president is reportedly mulling over using the Immigration and Nationality Act , which gives a president broad leeway to block entry of certain immigrants, to shut down the border if more than 8,500 try to cross in one day. This is the devastating aftermath of a tractor crash in India which killed at least 23 people this morning including eight children. At least 20 people are believed to be injured, many severely. The tractor was carrying worshipers in its trolley to a holy site when the driver, who eyewitnesses said was driving at high speeds, lost control. Carrying people in a trolley on the back of a tractor is illegal in rural India. The tractor came off the road in Kasgani district in the state of Utter Pradesh. It crashed into the pond on the side of Patiyali-Daryagani road and the trolley flipped over. A huge crowd of heartbroken friends and relatives grew as the bodies of their loved ones were pulled out of the water. A huge crowd of heartbroken friends and relatives grew, helping pull people out of the water The trolley on the back of the tractor flipped over as it hit the water sending people down The passengers, believed to be numbering around 40, who were from Jaithara village in Utter Pradesh's Etah district were on their way to the Ganges for a special religious ceremony where they would have taken a holy bath in the water to worship Vishnu. It is reported that most of them are now dead. The ones that survived but got severely injured have been taken to hospital in Patiyali to receive treatment. Earlier today, officials confirmed the death toll as 15 but said it was expected to grow due to the severity of the survivors injuries and those that were yet to be found. Police Superintendent Aparna Rajat Kaushik said: 'Those trapped in the pond are being pulled out with a bulldozer. Devastated friends and relatives gathered as their loved ones bodies were pulled out the water A backlog of traffic grew and came to a halt as the rescue efforts continued into the day 'The injured have been admitted to the hospital. 'A few passers-by were also hit by the trolley when it fell, There are chances of more casualties but right now we can say, 15 deaths so far.' Emergency services promptly responded to the scene and were helped by the crowd of locals who are seen in the video wading through the murky water, desperately trying to find survivors. The video shows the bulldozer being used to try to recover the bodies, with many already lined up on the grassy bank. A buildup of traffic came to a standstill whilst the rescue efforts continued. One man in the crowd can be heard saying: 'There were children as well.' Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, Yogi Adityanath, offered his condolences to the families and called for an immediate rescue response. He said: 'The loss of lives in a road accident in Kasganj district is extremely heart-wrenching. My condolences are with the bereaved family. 'District administration officials have been instructed to provide proper free treatment to all the injured. It is a prayer to Lord Shri Ram to grant peace to the departed souls and speedy recovery to the injured.' Footage of the aftermath of the tragic accident shows people frantically searching the water Eye witnesses said that the driver of the tractor was travelling at high speeds and lost control Officials originally confirmed the death toll at 15 but later in the day it rose to 23 He also announced a compensation of 2 lakh (1,903) for the next of kin of the deceased and 50,000 (475) for the injured. The religious ceremony that the passengers were on their way to is called Magh Purnima. It is tradition to take a bath in the waters of the Ganges which are considered holy in Hinduism. Advertisement The Ukrainian president stood before the site of the first major battle of the war today and promised his people they would see victory. 'We will win,' Volodymyr Zelensky said resolutely at a ceremony at Hostomel Airport, where Russian invaders were turned back after sweeping towards Kyiv in 2022 at the start of their so-called 'three-day invasion'. As Zelensky meets with foreign leaders to mark the two year anniversary of the war and discuss future sanctions on Russia, supporters around the world have likewise gathered to protest the invasion and pray for the Ukrainian people. In London, an inter-faith prayer session at the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral near Bond Street saw supporters of diverse backgrounds and beliefs join together in a show of support for the resistance, praying for an end to the wanton destruction that has torn through Ukraine, leaving no life untouched. And in Edinburgh, people holding signs on behalf of different European nations were seen caped in Ukrainian flags and sharing messages opposing the Russian invasion. A sea of blue and yellow swept through Berlin as protestors gathered in front of the Brandenburg Gate to wave flags and listen to the words of Ukrainian soldiers rehabilitated in Germany, who pleaded with the public to 'make sure that you won't become soldiers by letting the war [come] close to your borders'. In Poland, as activists dumped manure outside the Russian ambassador's home near Warsaw, protestors in Krakow marched with Ukrainian flags and held placards with messages in solidarity. Poland's leaders assured Ukraine that, in spite of recent differences over trade, Warsaw was resolute in its support for Kyiv's upheaval. And in Serbia, a country historically more aligned with Russia, protestors bravely took to the streets to march in the rain and show their support, young demonstrators pictured embracing and shedding tears as they reflected on two brutal years of conflict. People with placards and Ukrainian flags participate in a march to mark 2 years since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2024 in London A Ukrainian young woman, with the Ukrainian flag painted on her face, takes part in a church service to mark the second anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, at the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral in London, Britain, 24 February 2024 People attend a Prayer Service at the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral to mark 2 years since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2024 in London Bishop Kenneth Nowakowski leads a prayer congregation to mark the second anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, at the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral in London, Britain, 24 February 2024 Entering its third year, Russia's unyielding war on Ukraine has raised concerns about how long Western countries will continue providing weapons and other support to Kyiv People with placards and Ukrainian flags during a march from the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral to mark 2 years since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2024 in London Members of the Reading Peace Group, The Reading Quakers, Greenpeace, Ukrainian residents of Reading alongside MP Matt Rodda. The peaceful march through the town marking two years since the war in Ukraine. Saturday 24th of February 2024 A mixed group of supporters took part in a march 'standing with Ukraine' in Reading, Berkshire on February 24, 2024 Demonstrators take part in a rally in support of Ukraine, to mark the second year of Russia's military invasion on Ukraine, at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin on February 24, 2024 Supporters in Berlin also listened to the voices of soldiers from Ukraine, rehabilitated in Germany, who said: 'We were once not soldiers, but with the sounds of sirens we became ones. Make sure that you won't become soldiers by letting the war close to your borders. Help Ukraine win' A woman in Berlin holds a sign comparing 2024 to 1939, when the Second World War began, as the war in Ukraine enters its third year A woman cries as she attends a protest against the Russian war in Ukraine in front of the Russian embassy in Berlin, Saturday, February 24, 2024. The protest is marking two years since Russia's full-scale invasion on Ukraine People take part in a Stand With Ukraine Against Russian Aggression rally in Edinburgh, Scotland to mark the two year anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on Saturday February 24, 2024 Protestors caped in Ukrainian flags held banners with messages in support of Ukraine in Edinburgh on Saturday A sea of blue and yellow swept through the streets of Edinburgh, Scotland on the anniversary of the war People take part in a Stand With Ukraine Against Russian Aggression rally in Edinburgh, to mark the two year anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Picture date: Saturday February 24, 2024 People, holding banners and Ukrainian flags, gather to mark the 2nd anniversary Russia-Ukraine war as they march towards UNESCO listed Main Square in Krakow, Poland on February 24, 2024 Demonstrators wave flares at a 'Victory for Peace' march commemorating the anniversary of the Russian invasion, in Milan People take part in the 'Victory for Peace' march in support of Ukraine on February 24, 2024 in Milan, Italy A woman looks on as she takes part in the 'Victory for Peace' march in support of Ukraine on February 24, 2024 in Milan, Italy Russian people take part in a demonstration in support of Ukraine on February 24, 2024 in Milan, Italy People, holding banners and Ukrainian flags, gather to mark the 2nd anniversary Russia-Ukraine war as they march towards UNESCO listed Main Square in Krakow, Poland on February 24, 2024 People wear Ukrainian flags as they attend a peace march on the second anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine at the Main Market Square in Krakow, Poland, 24 February 2024 People wear Ukrainian flags as they attend a peace march on the second anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine at the Main Market Square in Krakow, Poland, 24 February 2024 People display placards as they attend a peace march on the second anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine at the Main Market Square in Krakow, Poland, 24 February 2024 A sign saying 'russia = s***' was planted in a pile of manure left outside the home of the Russian ambassador to Poland A man takes a picture of a pile of manure dumped by pro-Ukrainian Euromaidan initiative in front of the Russian ambassador's villa in Konstancin-Jeziorna, outside Warsaw, on February 24 A choir perfom during a Peace Prayer for Ukraine at the Stockholm Royal Palace's Royal Chapel on February 24, 2024 in Stockholm, Sweden King Carl Gustav, Queen Silvia, Crown Princess Victoria, Prince Daniel, Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia attend a peace prayer in the Palace Church, Royal Palace in Stockholm Demonstrators wearing helmets from Japanese leftist groups Chukaku and Zengakuren protest against the Russian invasion of Ukraine in Tokyo, Japan, 24 February 2024 People gather at the city downtown to show their support to Ukraine, after two years of ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine during its second anniversary on February 24, 2024 A woman, wrapped in a Ukrainian flag, reacts as she participates in a 'March of Solidarity and Peace', organised by the Ukrainian embassy in Belgrade on February 24, 2024 A woman, wrapped in a Ukrainian flag, reacts as she participates in a 'March of Solidarity and Peace', organised by the Ukrainian embassy in Belgrade on February 24, 2024 People hold a placard as they march through the rain in Belgrade, Serbia as the war in Ukraine enters its third year New York City's favorite feathered friend has tragically died after colliding with a building on the Upper West Side a year after vandals helped him escape captivity. Flaco is a rare Eurasian Eagle-Owle who previously called the Central Park Zoo home - until the bird was reported missing from his exhibit last February. It was later revealed that vandals had cut Flaco's stainless steel mesh cage and set the owl free into the skies of New York City. Against all odds, Flaco survived on his own, despite fears that his plush life at the zoo - where he was fed and tended to by workers - had set him up for failure. After a year of thriving in freedom, Flaco was sadly reported to have flown his last flight on Sunday at 3 am. Flaco is a rare Eurasian Eagle-Owle who previously called the Central Park Zoo home - until the bird was reported missing from his exhibit last February After a year of thriving in freedom, Flaco was sadly reported to have flown his last flight on Sunday at 3 am The owl was reported to have sadly died after flying into a water tower on West 86th Street east of Columbus Avenue in the Upper West Side The owl was reported to have sadly died after flying into a water tower on West 86th Street east of Columbus Avenue in the Upper West Side. Reports of hoots were heard in the area, according to David Barretts Manhattan Bird Alert account on social media. The bird's body was found just a few blocks away - confirming what Flaco's fans had feared after hearing the news of distressed hoots on his regular stomping ground. Following Flaco's disappearance from his Central Park Zoo enclosure last year, a full bird-hunt was launched in an effort to safely return the feathered-creature to his home. He was spotted shortly after being reported missing on the city's iconic shopping stretch on Fifth Avenue. Flaco was then intercepted by the NYPD on a sidewalk by 60th Street but able to elude their custody. The next morning he made off into Central Park. 'Our focus and effort at this time is on the safe recovery of the owl,' zoo officials said in a press release. 'We will issue updates as needed.' Despite efforts, Flaco maintained his status as a free bird and was even rumored to have taken a vacation from his Central Park pad in search of a mate. Experts believe he abandoned the park in November to search for a mate after he was spotted five miles away on East 3rd Street. He was thought to be the only member of his species in North America, meaning his search might have had to expand further than downtown Manhattan. Against all odds, Flaco survived on his own, despite fears that his plush life at the zoo - where he was fed and tended to by workers - had set him up for failure Photographers and bird watchers from across the world were drawn to New York in February as news of Flaco's escape spread Experts believe he abandoned the park in November to search for a mate after he was spotted five miles away on East 3rd Street Following Flaco's disappearance from his Central Park Zoo enclosure last year, a full bird-hunt was launched in an effort to safely return the feathered-creature to his home 'It's the time of year when these owls look to pair up if unattached,' tweeted fans at Manhattan Bird Alert. 'Flaco's hoots have gone unanswered for a long time now. 'He was last observed in Central Park on the evening of October 31, and that's when we think he left. 'He likely took short, incremental night flights in the course of hunting that carried him five plus miles in six days. 'He is unaware that no mates are anywhere in the region.' Flaco was less than a year old when he arrived at Central Park Zoo in 2010 taking up residence near the Penguins and Sea Birds building. He had little chance to develop his flying or hunting skills in captivity but has thrived since his escape and been spotted eating up to four rats at one sitting, belying his name which means 'Skinny' in Spanish. His fans were nervous he would fall victim to the rodenticide used to poison rats which is thought to have contributed to the death of a barred owl known as Barry, who died in the park in 2021. Flaco will be greatly missed by New Yorkers. An incredible 17th-century painting, originally valued at $14,000 two years ago, was sold for nearly $14million at a Sotheby's auction after collectors uncovered a stunning secret about it. The oil painting named The Adoration of The Kings was estimated to be worth between $10,600 and $15,900 in 2021 when Christie's attributed the work to someone in Rembrandt's circle, putting it up for sale in Amsterdam. But Sotheby's ultimately determined the work to be a real Rembrandt at its auction in December of last year, as the price soared to $13.8million only two years after the last sale. During an extensive examination that lasted for 20 months, experts employed X-ray analysis and infrared imaging and consulted with multiple leading Rembrandt scholars. As some bidders remained unconvinced, no one bid at the auction on December 6. But the painting had been backed by a secret guarantor at a price of $13.8million. The oil painting named The Adoration of The Kings, originally valued at $14,000 two years ago, was sold for nearly $14million at a Sotheby's auction after collectors uncovered a stunning secret about it Sotheby's ultimately determined the work to be a real Rembrandt at its auction in December (pictured) of last year, as the price soared to $13.8million only two years after the last sale The buyer had agreed to pay the price ahead of the December auction, which meant the painting would be awarded to them if no higher bids were placed. The small-scale painting measured 9.6 x 7.3 inches first came to light in 1955 when it was obtained by J.C.H. Heldring in Amsterdam, according to the 62-page catalog from Sotheby's. The 'extraordinary fine specimen of the master' was exhibited as a real Rembrandts in the 1950s, until a German art historian, Kurt Bauch, challenged the authorship in 1960. The auction house said it's because Bauch only looked at a photograph of the painting. After Heldring's widow died in 1985, Adoration came back on the market when Christie's listed it as by someone from the circle of Rembrandt. A German family acquired it at the time. In Christie's catalog from 2021, the painting was believed to be from an apprentice or friend of the Dutch master. It was sold at $992,000. After extensive research, Sotheby's determined the painting to be a rediscovered Rembrandt in October 2023, calling the monochromatic piece 'a work of great significance in the artist's early career.' 'This long-overlooked painting is a significant addition to Rembrandt's painted uvre. It is in equal measure a product of his brush and his intellect,' the auction house wrote in the catalog. 'Most likely executed circa 1628, infrared imaging reveals numerous changes in the composition as Rembrandt worked and reworked the scene, using a sharp point - possibly an etcher's burin - to bring out the full potential of the subject.' During an extensive examination that lasted for 20 months, experts employed X-ray analysis and infrared imaging and consulted with multiple leading Rembrandt scholars The small-scale painting measured 9.6 x 7.3 inches first came to light in 1955 when it was obtained by J.C.H. Heldring in Amsterdam, according to the 62-page catalog from Sotheby's Debates persisted, with some experts coming forward to question the dizzying sale of the painting George Gordon, the global co-chairman of Old Master paintings at Sotheby's said: 'All the hallmarks of his style in the late 1620s are evident both in the visible painted surface and in the underlying layers revealed by science.' Gordon told the New York Times that the lack of bids did not diminish his confidence in the attribution. But debates persisted, with some experts coming forward to warn the auction house about the dizzying sale of the painting. Jorgen Wadum, who worked at the Mauritshuis in The Hague and was the head of conservation at the national gallery of Denmark, wrote a letter to Sotheby's on the day of the sale. In the letter, he noted 'significant discrepancies' between Adoration and 'early and authenticated Rembrandt paintings. 'I felt compelled to write and warn the auction house. If you bought the painting on the basis of what Sotheby' stated, you would simply be cheated,' he wrote. Wadum said lines in a part of Adoration that Sotheby's had described as 'marked out rapidly with a sharp point,' were too straight and edgy. 'The technique and application of paint suggest an artist working in the style of Rembrandt, yet constructing the scene differently,' he wrote Gordon told the New York Times that the lack of bids did not diminish his confidence in the attribution He said lines in a part of Adoration that Sotheby's had described as 'marked out rapidly with a sharp point,' were too straight and edgy. It lacked 'the small curls or hooks seen repeatedly in Rembrandt's scratches - and drawings,' he said. 'The technique and application of paint suggest an artist working in the style of Rembrandt, yet constructing the scene differently,' he wrote. A Sotheby's spokeswoman said: 'Though the sale of the painting was publicised months in advance, sources at Sotheby's say they were not contacted by Professor Jorgen Wadum until the day of the sale, when they sometimes receive unsolicited aberrant opinions which are not customarily taken seriously as they are often designed to cause disruption. Specialists at the auction house say they were surprised to receive his comments as although they had consulted the leading experts in the field Professor Wadum is neither a recognised authority on Rembrandt, nor had he seen the painting in the flesh (most serious scholars would not opine on a painting they had not seen). Professor Wadum does have a museum background, but worked there as a conservator, rather than scholar or curator. His specialism (Antwerp panels, copper supports and marks) actually involves looking at the back of paintings rather than the front. As Rembrandt's Adoration of Kings is neither Flemish nor has any marks on the reverse, it is not clear why Professor Wadum's opinion is relevant here. Christie's also stood by its own attribution, saying the auction house had discussed with 'leading independent Rembrandt experts.' 'It was not accepted as being an autograph work and was offered accordingly as from the circle of Rembrandt. We understand that this remains the prevailing view,' Christie's said in a statement. TABER, Alta. An Alberta country music star is criticizing the province's energy minister for advising its energy regulator to accept initial applications for a coal mine project in the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains in southern Alberta. Corb Lund says that after meeting with Energy Minister Brian Jean, he doesn't believe the minister knows enough about the issue. "I met with Brian Jean to discuss the coal issue a couple of months ago. And I was alarmed by how little he knew," Lund said in an email to The Canadian Press. "I knew more about the coal issue than he did, and I'm just a guitar player, not the minister of energy. It's chilling to me that ill-informed politicians are making decisions about our water." Jean's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. On Thursday, the Alberta Energy Regulator said the Grassy Mountain steelmaking coal proposal near Crowsnest Pass should be considered an advanced project and be exempt from a ministerial order banning coal development in the mountains. The regulator reached the decision after receiving a letter from Jean in support of considering the applications. The regulator says it will hold public hearings on mine proponent Northback's request for exploration permits and a water licence. Lund, a longtime vocal opponent of coal mining in those areas, says review panels and governments have already turned down the project and polling has shown the public doesn't support it. "How many times do Albertans have to say no to these foreign coal companies?" he wrote. "The joint review panel already firmly told them no, at both the provincial and federal levels and their appeal was denied after that. Public polling has shown over and over that the vast majority of Albertans don't want these coal mines." He said southern Alberta can't support another significant water user. "We're dealing with crippling drought." Story continues While the community of Crowsnest Pass strongly supports the mine, environmental groups have said they're considering a court challenge of the decision to exempt the applications from a ministerial order banning coal development along the eastern slopes of the Rockies. Lund lives in the southern Alberta community of Taber. He has released 11 albums and tours regularly in Canada, the United States and Australia. He has been nominated for five Juno Awards, winning once, and has received several nods for Group of the Year from the Canadian Country Music Association. By Bob Weber in Edmonton This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 24, 2024. The Canadian Press Hundreds of people observed a five minute silence to remember the victims of the Valencia tower block fire, as the death toll rises to 10. Mourners could be seen wiping away tears outside the city hall as family members embraced after losing loved ones. Valencia's mayor Maria Jose Catala said: 'There are no words to describe the pain this city feels at this moment, and all Valencians are sharing in this pain with this moment of silence and respect.' By Friday evening rescuers had found nine bodies but discovered another on Saturday morning, officials said, as the city observed three days of mourning over the tragedy. Experts said the building was covered with highly flammable cladding, which could account for the rapid spread of the blaze which gutted the 14-storey high-rise and an adjoining 10-storey block which together housed 138 flats. Pedestrians observe the burnt multistorey residential block in Valencia two days after it set alight Officers work inside the burnt down building to carry out further tests 'It was just horrifying. I live in that neighbourhood and it was very close, I saw the whole thing from the street,' 60-year-old Concha Lopez told AFP outside the town hall, her voice breaking as she wiped away tears. 'These people have lost everything.' The blaze spread like lightning, the flames quickly visible in every window, sending clouds of black smoke high into the air over the western Campanar district, dramatic footage showed. 'I get goosebumps just thinking about it, and it happened again during the minute of silence,' said 75-year-old Sara Navia. 'It's just terrible. We've got to help these people in any way we can because they've been left with nothing but the clothes on their backs.' Adrian Sobrino Moral, a 33-year-old factory worker, said it was hard to take in just how much the victims had lost in such a short space of time. 'Just imagine leaving home to go to work then on your way back, the neighbours call to say your flat is on fire, that's really tough. You spend your whole life working to save money then you lose everything and are suddenly left in the street,' he told AFPTV. 'Nobody should have to go through that.' Earlier, police forensic experts found another body inside the wreckage, the Spanish government's delegation in Valencia wrote on X, saying the discovery 'raised to 10 the total number of bodies found inside the building'. Valencia's mayor said: 'There are no words to describe the pain this city feels at this moment' Another mourner lays flowers down on a street next to the burned down building Officials attend the five-minute silence to pay tribute to those who have lost their lives Delegation representative Pilar Bernabe told reporters that all the people reported missing had now been accounted for, with experts now starting on the 'complex' task of identifying the dead. 'We will keep looking,' she said, but 'the number of victims we've found corresponds with the number of people listed as missing.' Identification of the victims 'will be complicated because they will need to be identified with DNA tests', she said, in a nod to the absolute voracity of the fire, indicating it was not possible to say how long that would take. The fire broke out around 5:30 pm (1630 GMT) in one of the flats on the middle floors and within 30 minutes the blaze had consumed the entire building, no thanks to high winds of more than 50 kilometres (30 miles) per hour which also complicated firefighting efforts. Such was the heat that the firemen could not enter the building and had to work only from the outside, managing to pluck a father and his daughter to safety from one of the upper balconies. They were only able to enter the blackened ruin of the residential block on Friday, smoke still wafting from its shattered windows and the once-white facade charred with the residue of smoke and flames. Fifteen people were treated for injuries of varying degrees, including a seven-year-old child and seven firefighters, but their lives were not in danger. A top official from Valencia's Industrial Engineers Association (COGITI) said the fire had spread rapidly because the building was covered with highly combustible polyurethane cladding. Hendry's sister Suellen Desmarais is holding out hope they are alive The family of a retired Virginia couple who are presumed dead after escaped inmates from a Grenada jail hijacked their yacht have revealed their haunting final movements. Ralph Hendry and his wife, Kathy Brandel, had been sailing around the Caribbean island and had docked near Saint George's when the catamaran was taken last Saturday. Police fear they may have been murdered by suspects Trevon Robertson, Ron Mitchell and Atiba Stanislaus after 'copious amounts of blood' were found in their bedroom aboard the vessel. The trio were were being held at the South Saint George's Police Station on the island when they escaped and are believed to have killed the couple before travelling to St. Vincent. But Hendry's sister Suellen Desmarais is holding out hope he and his wife are still alive as she shared their final known movements. Ralph Hendry and Kathy Brandel are believed to be dead after their vessel was hijacked by three escapees from a Grenada jail The couple had been sailing on their catamaran yacht 'Simplicity' and were enjoying a once-in-a-lifetime trip when the incident occurred The suspects, Trevon Robertson, Ron Mitchell and Atiba Stanislaus (pictured), were being held at the South Saint George Police Station on the island when they escaped 'They went into town to have a little bite and to walk back (on Sunday),' she told WPTV. 'Somehow Ralph crossed paths in this teeny tiny town with these three men, what happened after that, we're not sure.' The couple, who are in their 60s, live aboard the vessel, named 'Simplicity' and were enjoying a once-in-a-lifetime trip which they had been planning for 12 years. 'This was their whole life, they didn't own another home, they didn't own cars they owned Simplicity. 'Ralph and Kathy are the kindest people in the entire world, and I just can't understand how a tragedy like this could happen to people as kind and nice as them,' Desmarais said. 'It feels made up, and I just can't comprehend why someone would do this? Why didn't someone just take the boat? 'What happened in Grenada was a perfect storm. It was a perfect tragedy of a perfect storm of a perfect love story.' AIS data indicates that the vessel left Grenada around 10 pm from Grand Anse Beach before it was discovered the following Wednesday. The St Vincent Times reported that the boat was found with bloodstains on the interior, but no sign of the couple. Hendry's sister Suellen Desmarais is holding out hope they are alive The boat was found 85 nautical miles from where the couple had last been seen on it The couple, from Virginia, had been sailing around the Caribbean island and had docked Simplicity near Saint George when it was taken 'Copious volumes of blood were discovered in the master stateroom. Numerous personal belongings were also lost. Passports discovered onboard allowed police to contact the victims emergency contacts,' a safety report filed on Caribbean Security and Safety Net said. Local police released a statement on Thursday confirming that the three escapees had been caught. Prior to this, officers had issued a warning that the trio may be armed and to approach them with caution. While all were charged jointly with one count of robbery with violence, Mitchell was charged with one count of rape, three counts of attempted rape, two counts of indecent assault and causing harm. The couple had been part of the Salty Dawg Sailing Association who said that a cruising skipper found Simplicity abandoned off a beach. According to the association, the person boarded the boat and found evidence of apparent violence. They added that they had been spending the winter cruising the Eastern Caribbean after sailing from Hampton, Virginia, to Antigua. The association described them as being 'veteran cruisers', who were both 'warm hearted'. Bob Osborn, SDSA President, said: 'This is a very upsetting event and details are still unconfirmed by the authorities, but this does appear to be a tragic event our hopes and prayers are with Ralph and Kathy and the family who love them. 'I have spoken to the families and have offered our deepest condolences and our assistance in any way possible. 'In all my years of cruising the Caribbean, I have never heard of anything like this.' Former President Donald Trump floated Friday night that black voters like him more now that he's posed for a mugshot and been criminally indicted 91 times. Trump was headlining the Black Conservative Federation's Honors Gala in Columbia, South Carolina, on the eve of the state's Republican primary. The ex-president and 2024 hopeful has been averaging about a 30-point lead over former U.N. Amb. Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor, and received the endorsement of the state's black Sen. Tim Scott last month. 'When I did the mug shot in Atlanta, that mug shot is No. 1. You know who embraced it more than anyone else?' Trump asked the crowd. 'The black population.' He complained that he got indicted for 'nothing' - claiming that's something black voters understand because they see 'what's happening to me happens to them.' Former President Donald Trump floated Friday night that black voters like him more now that he's posed for a mugshot and been criminally indicted 91 times as he headlined the Black Conservative Federation Gala in Columbia, South Carolina Trump's mugshot from Fulton County, Georgia. He said the 'black population' embraced it more than any other group 'Does that make sense?' Trump asked. He earned cheers and applause from the crowd. 'And a lot of people said that's why the black people like me, because they have been hurt so badly and discriminated against, and they actually viewed me as I'm being discriminated against,' Trump said. 'It's been pretty amazing but possibly, maybe, there's something there,' the former president added. At the event Trump also quipped, 'These lights are so bright in my eyes that I can't see too many people out there. But I can only see the black ones. I can't see any white ones.' 'You see that's how far I've come. That's how far I've come,' he added. Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley called former President Donald Trump 'disgusting' after he said that black voters like him more now that he's posed for a mugshot and been criminally indicted 91 times Rival Nikki Haley told reporters she found Trump's comments 'disgusting' as she left her polling place on Kiawah Island, South Carolina Saturday after casting her ballot alongside her family in the GOP primary. 'But that's what happens when he goes off the teleprompter, that's the chaos that comes with Donald Trump, that's the offensiveness that's going to happen every day between now and the general election,' Haley said. 'Which is why I continue to say Donald Trump cannot win a general election. He won't.' 'We can make him the primary nominee if we want to but Republicans will lose come November, this is a huge warning sign,' Trump's final rival added. The Biden campaign took issue not specifically with these comments, but with Trump's decision to address the predominantly black crowd at all. 'The audacity of Trump to speak to a room full of Black voters during Black History Month as if he isn't the proud poster boy for modern racism,' the Biden campaign's Black Media Director Jasmine Harris said in a statement Saturday. 'This is the same man who falsely accused the Central Park 5, questioned George Floyd's humanity, compared his own impeachment trial to being lynched, and ensured the unemployment gap for Black workers spiked during his presidency,' she continued. 'Donald Trump has been showing Black Americans his true colors for years: An incompetent, anti-Black tyrant who holds us to such low regard that he publicly dined with white nationalists a week after declaring his 2024 candidacy,' Harris added. Trump launched his 2024 presidential bid on November 15, 2022. Days later, he sat down for a controversial dinner at Mar-a-Lago with rapper Kanye West, who is black but was under fire for making anti-Semitic remarks, and white nationalist Nick Fuentes. 'Come November, no matter how many disengenuous voter engagement events he attends, Black Americans will show Donald Trump we know exactly who he is,' Harris said. Trump is hoping to strip away some of the support President Joe Biden had in 2020 with black and Latino voters. Biden won about 90 percent of the black vote in 2020. While high, that's a decrease from the support black voters gave to Hillary Clinton, Trump's rival in 2016, which was at 93 percent. President Barack Obama, the nation's first black president, received 97 percent of the vote during his reelection bid in 2012. Police swooped in on a wild house party of 300 rowdy youngsters just outside Brighton on Friday night after neighbours were attacked and their cars were punched and kicked. The out-of-control party was broken up by police who said that at least 100 to 200 teenagers had descended on the seaside town of Worthing, engaging in anti-social behaviour. Hundreds of teenagers wandered the streets of Worthing as police dispersed the crowds, shouting instructions over megaphones while ambulances stood by. Residents took to social media to complain about the appalling behaviour of the gangs of teenagers. Zoe Hannah Ellett posted on Facebook: 'Just drove through and had the side of my car kicked.' Police swooped in on a wild house party of 300 rowdy youngsters just outside Brighton on Friday night The out-of-control party was broken up by police who said that at least 100 to 200 teenagers had descended on the seaside town of Worthing Residents took to social media to complain about the appalling behaviour of the gangs of teenagers which included kicking and punching cars Lucie Ann posted: 'I had mine punched.' Hours after the party was cleared, an 18-year-old man was assaulted and taken to hospital. Police are working to identify the perpetrator of the attack. A spokesman for Sussex Police said: 'Police were called to reports of a group of around 100 to 200 people causing anti-social behaviour following a party at an address in Poulters Lane, Worthing at 8.30pm on Friday (23 February). 'Officers were quickly on scene and a Section 34 Dispersal Order was authorised, giving officers and designated police staff the power to disperse individuals behaving in an anti-social manner. 'The party was dispersed, and the area was cleared. Hours after the party was cleared, an 18-year-old boy man was assaulted and taken to hospital Police were quickly called to the scene and broke up the rowdy house party Hundreds of teenagers wandered the streets of Worthing as police dispersed the crowds, shouting instructions over megaphones 'Following the incident, police received a report of an 18-year-old man who was assaulted at around 10.30pm in South Street, Tarring. 'As a result of his injuries, he was taken to hospital and enquiries are ongoing to identify the suspect. Witnesses or anyone with any information is asked to contact Sussex Police online or call 101 quoting serial 1474 of 23/02.' Navalny's family spent nine agonising days waiting for Russia to release his body The body of late Russian dissident Alexei Navalny has been handed over to his mother after nine agonising days left waiting, according to Navalny's spokesperson. 'Alexey's body was handed over to his mother. Many thanks to all those who demanded this with us,' Kira Yarmysh wrote on X, formerly Twitter. She said mother Lyudmila Ivanovna was still in Salekhard, near the grisly IK-3 Arctic penal colony where her son had been held since December on 'extremism charges', and that the funeral is still 'pending'. 'We do not know if the authorities will interfere to carry it out as the family wants and as Alexey deserves,' she added. For more than a week the family waited in vain to see the body of the Russian opposition leader, who Russia claims died in prison from 'sudden death syndrome' after a walk on February 16. Russia previously said it would not release the body to the family for 14 days as investigators probe the hazy circumstances of his death - a move critics said suggested foul play, following Navalny's Novichok poisoning while investigating Russian corruption in 2020. Navalny's widow said today said Russian President Vladimir Putin was 'Satan' for holding her husband's body 'hostage'. Yulia Navalnaya, who has vowed to keep up her late husband's anti-corruption work, said in a new video directly accusing Putin of responsibility in Navalny's death: 'What Putin is doing now is hate. No, it's not even hatred, it's Satanism.' 'What will you do with his corpse? How low will you sink to mock the man you murdered?' she continued. The Kremlin has denied allegations of its involvement in Navalny's death, calling the West's reaction 'hysterical'. Putin, who famously never said Navalny's name in public, has not commented on the death of his most vocal critic. Alexei Navalny, pictured in court in 2021, died suddenly on February 16 after a walk, according to Russia. His shock death aged 47 has led critics to blame Putin for direct involvement Lyudmila Navalnaya, the mother of Alexei Navalny, and lawyer Vasily Dubkov arrive at the town of Salekhard on February 17 before being told they could not see the body Lyudmila Navalnaya leaves the regional department of Russia's Investigative Committee in the town of Salekhard in the Yamal-Nenets Region, Russia February 17, 2024 Yulia Navalnaya, wife of the late Russian dissident Alexei Navalny, leaves the Europa Building in Brussels on February 19, three days after the death of her husband Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a presentation in Kazan, February 22, 2024 Navalny in a hearing via video link from the penal colony in Kharp on January 11, 2024 Navalny, right, embraces his wife Yulia, as he was released by a court in Kirov, Russia, July 19, 2013, after he was released from custody after being convicted of embezzlement Following a private meeting with US President Joe Biden on Thursday, Yulia Navalnaya spoke candidly about her husband's death in a video shared on YouTube. She outright accused Putin of 'murder', reiterating previous allegations with the Kremlin has denied, and said that her husband's body was being held 'hostage'. 'Alexei's mother is literally tortured for several days,' she continued. 'The investigator lies to her, blackmails her and lies again, promising her that everything will soon be cleared up.' A day after news of Navalny's death, Lyudmila Navalnaya travelled to the penal colony some 1,200 miles (1,900km) north of Moscow where her late son was serving a 19-year sentence on charges of 'extremism'. There, she was told she could not see the body and that it was being held in a nearby morgue in Salekhard. Navalny's team were later told that the body was not there, and they could not see it. Authorities later on Saturday revealed the cause of death as 'sudden death syndrome', often caused by a heart condition in adults. Russia later said it would need 14 days for investigators to examine the body before handing it back to the family, who were also allegedly 'blackmailed' into burying him in a secret funeral. 'Something will happen to the body, because, and I quote "time is working against us",' Navalnaya warned in her latest. Navalny's spokesperson Kira Yarmysh said previously that Lyudmila Navalnaya had refused to comply as they 'have no authority to decide how and where to bury her son' but was told by an investigator: 'Time's not on your side. Corpses decompose.' She was allegedly made to sign a death certificate saying her son had died from natural causes. Yulia Navalnaya, in today's statement, reiterated the lengths Putin is going to, in her view, to silence and torment the family. 'They threaten to bury him themselves, right in the colony where he was killed,' she said unequivocally. 'This is the same Putin that likes to show that he is a practising Christian,' she said. Putin has for decades portrayed himself as a devoted Orthodox Christian and has in recent years focused on promoting what he calls 'traditional values.' 'We always knew that Putin's faith is fake, but now we can see it like never before,' Navalnaya said. 'No true Christian could ever do what Putin is now doing with Alexei's body.' She also denounced Putin's decision to launch the Ukraine campaign two years ago. 'You will answer for all of this. And for this (Navalny's death) and for the war that you unleashed two years ago, also hiding behind Christian values. 'You are just killing. You are just killing sleeping people at night with missiles blessed by the church,' she said. Navalnaya said in her address that Putin's decision not to release the body was 'satanism' Navalnaya again claimed in a statement that Putin was responsible for her husband's death Navalnaya issued a stark warning, referencing alleged comments from an investigator Lyudmila Navalnaya travelled to the penal colony on February 17 where she was told the body was missing Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny and his wife Yulia Navalnaya in September 2020 Her late husband, who was half-Ukrainian, was nominally opposed to the war in Ukraine, but previously highlighted the economic strain the war would put on Russia. 'Russia can ill afford waging the war,' he said, as reported by Al Jazeera. Navalny also supported Russia's position on Crimea, but also voiced support for the Maidan protests in Kyiv against, in his view, corrupt officials. On Monday, Navalnaya pledged to keep fighting against the Kremlin's oppression to construct a 'peaceful, happy, beautiful Russia that Alexei envisioned'. 'I want to live in a free Russia, I want to build a free Russia,' she said in a video message entitled 'I will continue the work of Alexei Navalny'. Speaking at the Munich Security Conference on February 16, a day after Navalnaya attended, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky declared: 'Putin has murdered another opposition leader.' 'After the murder of Alexei Navalny it is absolute to pursue Putin as the legitimate head of the Russian state,' he continued. 'He is a thug who maintains power through corruption and violence.' As ISIS bride Shamima Begum loses her latest appeal over the removal of her British citizenship - her parents once again face uncertainty about her fate. Begum, 24, has been on a losing streak with the British legal system ever since then-Home Secretary Sajid Javed stripped her of her nationality status in February 2019. At the time, Begum had recently resurfaced in a Syrian refugee camp and her apparent lack of remorse or empathy with terror victims led to security fears if she were to return to Britain. Her parents, Ahmed Ali and Asma Begum, were left to pick up the pieces when she fled home in Bethnal Green, east London, as a radicalised schoolgirl in February 2015. Shamima Begum travelled to Syria to join ISIS alongside her schoolfriends Amira Abase, 15, and Kadiza Sultana, 16 - nicknamed the 'Bethnal Green trio'. Shamima Begum, 24, has been on a losing streak with the British legal system ever since then-Home Secretary Sajid Javed stripped her of her nationality status in February 2019 Ahmed Ali says the UK government should have done more to investigate how his daughter was able to leave her home in east London for Syria aged just 15 All three girls married foreign jihadists. Sultana was killed in an airstrike in May 2016 while planning to escape back to the UK, while Abase's whereabouts is unknown. Begum's father, Ahmed Ali, moved to England in 1975 and later returned to his village in Bangladesh in 1990 to marry his first wife, Asma Begum. The couple moved to east London and had four daughters - with Shamima the youngest. Mr Ali later returned to Bangladesh and got married for a second time. He was last reported to be living there. In September 2022, Asma Begum gave evidence to the Special Immigration Appeals Commission in an attempt to get her daughter back to Britain. In a statement, she said: 'My youngest daughter is even more present in my mind, the one I think about almost every hour of every day. When she left home in 2015, our worlds fell apart. 'Her drawers are still full, her perfume, pens and jewellery, her clothes are still there. Her pyjamas are folded neatly. 'Her school blazer is still hanging on the door in the front room, just as it was when she left. On the last birthday she spent with us before she left, she did not want a cake but wanted a pizza with candles on it instead. She was so happy that day. 'On each of her birthdays since she left we order pizza and still celebrate her birthdays. It was always sad but we look forward to the birthday party we will have when she is back with us.' Begum's father Mr Ali has previously called for a U-turn on the decision so she can return to the UK and be punished if it was determined she had committed a crime. The 65-year-old also blamed British immigration for allowing his daughter to flee from the country without a passport. Shamima Begum appearing in a 2021 interview, where she begged for forgiveness and insisted she was a victim - not a terrorist or a criminal The former jihadi bride has been battling to come back to Britain since 2019 after she was discovered in a Syrian refugee camp Mr Javid had previously said he would not make a decision that would render a person stateless while Begum's family has insisted she is not a dual citizen. The case is pending in the courts. Mr Ali, told The Associated Press in an interview in his Bangladeshi village that he would still request that the British government allow his daughter to come back. 'My child was only 15 years old when she fled, she was immature,' said Ali, who lives in the northeastern Bangladeshi district of Sunamganj with his second wife. The area is 112 miles northeast of Dhaka, the capital. 'I would ask the British government not to cancel her citizenship, to return her citizenship, and if she is guilty, bring her back to Britain and give her punishment there,' he said. He criticised the British authorities for failing to address the issue when Begum's classmate Sharmeena Begum fled to join the ISIS a month before the Bethnal trio. 'One girl went there a month [earlier]. The British government should have been alarmed about the matter, and they should have also inquired at the school to find out how she fled, since she was a student,' he said. 'Then a month later, three more students fled. The authorities should investigate at the school why these students fled. They were not adults. 'The British immigration system is very informed, the most informed system in the world. I always say how did (Shamima) get there using another one's passport? She doesn't even have her own passport. These matters should be investigated as well,' Mr Ali said. Ali, 60, said his daughter's citizenship should not be canceled and that she could be punished in the United Kingdom if it was determined she had committed a crime Ms Begum is currently living at the al-Roj camp in northern Syria, where conditions have been described by the Red Cross as 'extremely volatile'. She was originally able to cross the Syrian border with the help of a Canadian spy named Mohammed Al Rasheed, according to reports. In a BBC podcast series, she said she was told to 'pack nice clothes so you can dress nicely for your husband'. Just ten days after arriving in the city of Raqqa, Ms Begum, who is of Bangladeshi heritage, was married to a Dutchman named Yago Riedijk, who had converted to Islam. They had three children together, who all later died from malnourishment or disease. They were a one-year-old girl, a three-month-old boy and newborn son. The collision took place on King Street in Ealing at around 6.20pm on Friday An eight-year-old boy has died after being hit by a lorry in West London, as police launch an investigation. The collision took place on a 'very busy' King Street in Southall at around 6.20pm on Friday evening. Police and London Air Ambulance paramedics were called to the scene and the child was rushed to hospital, but he was later pronounced dead at 9.47pm despite the efforts of doctors and nurses. His next of kin are aware. The police have now launched an investigation into the crash. The driver of the lorry stopped after the incident and no arrests have been made at this point. The collision took place on a 'very busy' King Street in Southall at around 6.20pm on Friday evening (scene pictured) Pictured: King Street in Ealing, where an eight-year-old boy was killed by a lorry A spokesperson for the Met said: 'An investigation has been launched after an eight-year-old boy was killed in a collision in Ealing. Police were called to King Street, Southall, after calls at 18:20 on Friday, February 23 to a collision involving a lorry and a pedestrian. 'The boy was treated at the scene by London Ambulance Service and London's Air Ambulance paramedics before being rushed to hospital. Tragically, despite the efforts of doctors and nurses, he was pronounced dead at 21:47. 'His next of kin are aware. The driver of the lorry stopped at the scene; there have been no arrests.' Serious Collision Investigation Unit detectives ask anyone who witnessed or caught dash cam footage of the incident, or the events leading up to it, to call 101 or post @MetCC ref CAD 5824/23FEB24. Holocaust-denying historian David Irving is still alive, his family have revealed, after a bizarre announcement of his death this week by former BNP leader Nick Griffin. Griffin's premature tribute followed reports earlier this month that Irving - who dismissed Auschwitz gas chambers as a 'fairytale' - now requires 'round the clock care' after falling ill in Florida. The 85-year-old, who was jailed, discredited and bankrupted for his controversial comments, arrived in the American state last October and his health has declined ever since. Griffin, who led the nationalist BNP from 999 to 2014, when he was expelled from the party, prematurely announced Irving's death on X, formerly Twitter, on February 20. Griffin wrote: 'David Irving, possibly the bravest British historian ever, has died, aged 85. Not a perfect man, but a remarkable one. Holocaust denier David Irving now requires 'round the clock care' after falling ill in Florida , as his family beg for donations from his admirers Griffin took to X, formerly Twitter, on February 20- where he prematurely announced Irving's death Irving's family later posted on X themselves to set the record straight - revealing the historian is 'still with us' Griffin responded to the correction, calling it 'a piece of good news' 'He put the liberal court historians to shame. After years of persecution by the Holocaust industry, he was asked "Mr Irving, are you anti-Semitic?" His instant reply: "Not yet."' The tribute earned scores of sympathetic replies from Griffin's like-minded followers. But the tale took a twist earlier today, when Irving's family stated he is still alive. They stated: 'Contrary to circulating rumours, we're relieved to share that David Irving remains with us, though, as many of you know, he is currently facing health challenges. We appreciate the concern and support during this time'. Griffin responded by calling the post 'a piece of good news this morning'. Irving's family told followers he is now back in the UK and they are pleading for cash to help arrange private care due to 'constraints with NHS services'. As well as dismissing gas chambers, Irving also claimed Hitler was oblivious to the planned extermination of six million Jews and that the 'true figure' was 'far fewer'. His family published an appeal on his website, asking his readers for cash towards his medical care and support, but also for the 'preservation and continuation of his work'. They wrote: 'David's situation, however, has placed us at a crossroads where the path forward demands collective support. Irving has been jailed, discredited and bankrupted for dismissing the Auschwitz gas chambers as a 'fairytale' 'This is an appeal to safeguard the essence of a man whose life's work has been to bring us closer to the nuanced truths of our past. 'Regardless of size, every contribution is a step towards sustaining David's impact on historical literature.' They stated that Irving was in 'good hands' and that they would keep his fans informed of his health. In 2015, the author organised 'disgusting' tours of concentration camps costing 2,000 for each participant. The disgraced academic, who is a self-confessed fascist, led a tour group to sites in Poland such as Treblinka, Sobibor and Hitler's 'Wolf's Lair' headquarters. Holocaust memorial groups have accused Irving of insulting the memory of those killed in the Second World War by spreading 'pro-Nazi propaganda' on the tours. In promotional material for the tours , Irving promises customers the opportunity to 'make up your own mind about the truth' during 'the unforgettable journey of a lifetime'. His family posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, and wrote: '[David] was hospitalised for nearly two months, enduring the kind of challenges we never anticipated he would face. 'It is with sadness that we must accept that David is now unable to engage in his life's work. 'His unwavering dedication to unveiling Real History has not only defined his career but also enriched the minds of readers worldwide. 'Your support and solidarity in this challenging time are invaluable. We will keep you informed of his health and well-being as he faces this stage of his life with dignity. He is in good hands.' American-Jewish historian Deborah Lipstadt first branded Irving a Holocaust denier in her book, to which he then sued her for libel. The case went to the High Court and after a trial in 2000, which attracted global attention, the judge ruled against Irving, damning him as anti-Semitic and racist. He was ordered to pay 2million in costs and his home and assets were seized, but he was reportedly propped up by benefactors, including a Saudi prince who had an estate at Ascot, and a former Nazi U-boat commander. This allowed Irving and his partner, Bente Hogh, to move with their daughter into a 6,000-a-month apartment in London. There was also a film made about the case called Denial, in which Irving is portrayed by Timothy Spall and Rachel Weisz plays Deborah Lipstadt. In 2006, he went to Austria, where denying the Holocaust is a criminal offence, to address a rally of Right-wing students. He was duly convicted and jailed for 13 months for statements made in 1989, before being deported, to find his finances and relationship in ruins. The father confessed the killing to his wife on doorbell footage moments later, despite later pleading not guilty to the murder David De Jesus Contreras, 52, allegedly shot his son Eric Contreras in the head in Pinecrest, a village within Miami-Dade County, in November A father, who is accused of fatally shooting his 22-year-old son, confessed to the killing on Ring doorbell footage moments later. David De Jesus Contreras, 52, shot his son Eric Contreras in the head in Pinecrest, Miami-Dade County in November last year. In the aftermath of the shocking violence, Contreras spoke to his wife outside the property trough the doorbell before being arrested. 'Is he alive? Is he breathing?' asked his wife. 'He's not breathing. He's dead. The fighting on the way home was unbearable, we got here and it was one second to the next,' Contreras said through tears. David De Jesus Contreras, spoke to his wife outside the property trough the doorbell before being arrested Police officers' bodycam footage captured a second confession minutes later David De Jesus Contreras, 52, shot his son Eric Contreras (pictured) in the head in Pinecrest, Miami-Dade County in November The father and son argued about Eric's social plans, before the father shot his son. Minutes later, police arrive at the property and officer's bodycam footage captured a second confession. 'I just shot my son,' Contreras wails as armed police make their way over to him in the driveway. 'Walk right in, he's there, 10 feet in,' Contreras tells officers as he kneels on the ground. Officers arrested the father and took him to the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center where he was held without bond. Contreras appeared in court for his arraignment hearing before Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Daryl Trawick last November at the Richard E. Gerstein Justice Building in Allapattah. Officers arrested the father and took him to the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center where he was held without bond He pled not guilty to a second-degree murder charge, Local 10 reported. Contreras appeared in court again on Thursday for bond consideration hearing. The judge ruled that he would continue to be held without bond until his next court appearance, scheduled for March 11. A New York City rental that has no bathroom or kitchen is up for grabs for $1,200 per month. A now-viral video of the 'insanely tiny' apartment has sparked a social media frenzy with viewers outraged over the exorbitant rent - some even likening it to a prison cell and suggesting it should be illegal. Realtor Omer Labock took viewers on a tour of the Midtown Manhattan apartment in a TikTok video, stating, 'The tiniest apartment in Manhattan can be found in this building, so let's check this out; it's really nuts.' He then humorously touched both ends of the unit simultaneously - depicting the compact size of the space. 'I'm not the biggest dude but I can almost touch both sides here. I think we can consider this the absolute smallest apartment in Manhattan and the total rent is $1,200 a month,' he said. Realtor Omer Labock took viewers on a tour of the tiny Midtown Manhattan apartment - that has no private bathroom or kitchen - in a TikTok video The now-viral video has sparked a social media frenzy with viewers outraged over the exorbitant rent, suggesting it should be illegal Upon opening the door to the third-floor walk-up, Labock revealed a small, bare room with a stand alone wardrobe, and one solitary window overlooking the fire escape. 'Yes, this is the entire thing you cannot make this up,' he said. The bathroom is located down the hall, outside of the unit and is shared with other occupants of the building. 'Now you're probably wondering where the bathroom is,' he said on camera. 'You have to make your way outside of the apartment and into this shared space.' 'Would you live here?' Labock asked viewers in the caption. The now-viral video has sparked a social media frenzy with viewers outraged over the exorbitant rent, suggesting it should be illegal Upon opening the door to the third-floor walk-up, Labock reveals a small, bare room with a wardrobe likely from Ikea, and one solitary window overlooking the fire escape The apartment, lacking both a bathroom and a kitchen, has stirred outrage over its monthly rent The bathroom is located down the hall, outside of the unit and is shared with other occupants of the building One use expressed disbelief in the comments: 'This should be illegal. What bed is going in here? Why is it $1200? This is depressing' The apartment, lacking both a bathroom and a kitchen, has stirred outrage over its monthly rent. One user expressed disbelief in the comments: 'This should be illegal. What bed is going in here? Why is it $1200? This is depressing.' Another comment said, 'Isn't that illegal? There are chickens on free-range farms with more room than this.' 'Prison cells are bigger than this!' remarked a third user. Another joked, 'Calling 911 as we speak.' The meager kitchenette features nothing more than a sink, a mini fridge under the counter, and a few cabinets. There is no oven or stove This summer, New York city rents hit a new high at an average of $5,588 a month in July, up 30 percent since 2019, and 9 percent higher from last year, when rent was $5,113, according to the report. The eye-watering cost of renting an apartment in Manhattan comes despite the city's population declining since the pandemic. The borough's population dropped by 400,000 between June 2020 and June 2022, according to U.S. Census data, and experts say that, despite some recovery, it is likely still below 2019 levels. The average monthly rent is now up 9 percent since the same time last year, and marks a new record for the city. Median rent, at $4,400 per month, and the median price per square foot of $84.74, also hit a new record, a new report from Miller Samuel and Douglas Elliman states. The rent for studio apartments has soared 19 percent since 2019 and average prices for three-bedroom units are up over 36 percent New York city rents hit a new high in July at an average of $5,588 a month The average price of a Manhattan studio in July was $3,278 and a three-bedroom apartment was $10,673 In June of last year, another unit with no bathroom hit the marker for $2,350 a month. A 77-square-foot New York City apartment with no bathroom rented for $2,350 a month after its prime location in Greenwich Village sparked a bidding war. The third-floor rental on West 11th Street went viral on TikTok in December after real estate agent Omer Labock gave a tour of the tiny space, saying it had to be the 'smallest apartment' he had ever seen. At the time, it was listed for $1,975 per month. 'New York is a special place,' he captioned the shocking 32-second clip, which was reposted on Reddit last month. The average price of a Manhattan studio in July was $3,278 and a three-bedroom apartment was $10,673. The slow-moving effort to deploy an armed multinational mission to help Haitis police force combat warring gangs has garnered an additional $120 million in commitments, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said. The contributions, made during an international pledging conference hosted by the U.S., Brazil and the United Nations, come as the fate of the mission continues to be up in the air even as troops from the Bahamas Defense Force travel to Jamaica for training to prepare for the mission. Kenyan officials this week abruptly canceled a video conference with their Haitian counterparts in which the two sides were expected to finalize a bilateral security-assistance protocol. The lack of mutual agreements between Kenya and Haiti has been at the crux of a Kenyan court ruling blocking the deployment of 1,000 police officers, who are supposed to serve as the backbone of the Kenya-led Multinational Security Support mission to Haiti. Blinken said more than a dozen countries participated in the event, which took place Thursday on the sidelines of the G20 meeting in Rio de Janeiro. Foreign ministers from the worlds 20 richest and developing countries met ahead of the groups November summit. Each of the countries in attendance at the Haiti pledge session is contributing or plans to contribute significantly to the Multinational Security Support mission with personnel, equipment, training and financial resources, Blinken said. I think today we had at least another $120 million committed to that effort, he said in a press availability after the meeting. Among those offering up new pledges are Benin, Germany and Canada. A source familiar with Benins offer told the Miami Herald the French-speaking West African nation will contribute security personnel to the mission, which already has police or military officers from Jamaica, The Bahamas and other Caribbean and African nations. Meanwhile, Germany announced that it is pledging $5.41 million to the mission. Story continues Canada Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said that Ottawa will allocate about $60 million $80.5 million Canadian to support the mission. The country also committed another $31.5 million for various security efforts to support Haiti. This includes helping U.N. agencies procure personal protective equipment, logistics and communication gear for the Haiti National Police, and to address justice and anti-corruption initiatives. Canada believes in Haitian-led solutions to the political, security and humanitarian crises and remains committed to working with Kenya and other international partners to support a successful deployment of the Multinational Security Support mission and ensure that our efforts are mutually reinforcing, Joly said in a statement. I am pleased to announce Canadas support for these important projects that will contribute to pave the way to more meaningful interventions to protect the people of Haiti and encourage Haitian-led efforts to restore peace and prosperity in the country. The U.N. has set up a trust fund for contributions, and had already received a donation of about $3.23 million from France, which also provided almost $1 million for French-language training for the English-speaking Kenyans. U.N. Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed attended Thursdays pledging session. We welcome the financial, personnel, and in-kind commitments announced by several member states during this event for the Multinational Security Support Mission to Haiti, said Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. We urge all member states to build on these positive developments and ensure that efforts are expedited towards a successful deployment of that support mission in the shortest possible time frame. Dujarric said the U.N. is still going through the numbers. Once... checks have been cashed and money is actually in the trust fund, we will update you, but some of that money that was pledged for support of Haiti, from my understanding, may not all be going through the U.N. Trust Fund, he told reporters on Friday during the bodys regular press briefing in New York. In opening remarks, Blinken spoke about the increasingly dire situation in Haiti, where the delay in the Kenya missions deployment is leading to fears of a worsening death toll. In January alone more than 1,100 people were killed, injured or kidnapped, and armed groups now control 80 percent of the capital and use sexual assault and rape to terrorize the population, the secretary of state said. The violence has also had the effect of blocking trade routes and aid routes, and shuttered schools. Criminal groups have cut off access to food, to clean water, to health care, to electricity, Blinken said. Half the country is eating just one meal a day. Three million children need immediate humanitarian aid. And the conflict is spreading north to Haitis breadbasket, threatening the food supply for the entire country. The situation in Haiti, he later said, continues to deteriorate, particularly when it comes to the profound insecurity as a result of gangs that are running rampant not only in Port-au-Prince but increasingly beyond. We see a state thats on the verge of becoming a failed state, and the result is that people are suffering tremendously not only from the violence, including sexual violence, but just from the inability to get the basic necessities of life, he added. The additional pledges have been welcomed by Haiti, whose foreign ministry, in a statement, called the Brazil meeting a success. The various speakers all recognized the urgency of the deployment of the [Multinational Security Support mission], given the deterioration of the security situation. They agreed on the need to send a robust and dissuasive force, capable of effectively combating gangs, the foreign ministry said. They confirmed a strong commitment to Haiti and specified concretely what their participation will consist of, which will be, for the most part, in personnel, equipment, training and financial contributions. Some countries also took the opportunity to inform that, alongside their contribution to the Mission, they will strengthen their bilateral cooperation with Haiti in order to enable the country to consolidate its institutions and quickly improve the humanitarian and socioeconomic situation of the population. It has been four months since the U.N. endorsed a U.S. resolution at the Security Council to deploy the Multinational Security Support mission led by Kenya after the East African nation raised its hand and offered to send 1,000 of its police officers. But a legal challenge was filed soon after and in late January the High Court in Nairobi blocked any deployment of police officers. The court ruled that such a deployment is unconstitutional because the two countries lack a police-sharing agreement between the two. The court also raised other concerns, which diplomats involved in the discussions promised would be addressed. Last week, ahead of the pledging session, police and justice officials from Haiti met with a Kenya delegation in Washington, D.C. along with individuals from the State Department and the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs to hammer out some of the concerns. They also came to an agreement on how the mission and its leadership command would be structured. But waiting for the legal hurdles to clear up is not the only concern. Republican lawmakers in Congress have expressed concerns about the mission and objected to a request by the Biden administration to disburse an initial $50 million out of $200 million the U.S. has pledged. Nikki Haley was all smiles Saturday as she arrived to her polling place in her wealthy gated community on Kaiwah Island, South Carolina to vote for herself in the state's Republican primary. Haley pushed her mother Raj in a wheelchair and was accompanied by son Nalin, daughter Rena and Rena's husband Joshua as they voted near the Haleys' $2.4 million waterfront home, which she and husband Michael purchased in October 2019 after she left her job as ambassador of the United Nations and joined Boeing's board. The 2024 hopeful stood over her mother to help her vote and then told reporters how her mother was educated to be one of the first female judges in India but 'because of the times she was never able to sit on the bench.' 'And so to be able to go and vote with her, to watch her daughter - cast a ballot for her daughter for president of the United States, tells us everything we need to know about how blessed we are to be in this country and so it is with great gratitude that I go in today excited,' Haley said. 'I always love Election Day.' She spoke of 'passionate' South Carolinians showing up to their polling places - as public opinion polls show her trailing former President Donald Trump in her home state by an average of 30 points. Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley pushes her mother Raj to their polling place on Kiawah Island, South Carolina Saturday, to cast ballots in the state's GOP primary, where she's the final rival against frontrunner, former President Donald Trump Haley (left) is seen assisting her mother Raj (right) at the polling place Saturday on Kiawah Island. She spoke to reporters about how 'blessed we are to be in this country' after watching her mother cast a ballot for her, a female candidate, in a U.S. presidential primary After the New Hampshire primary, the last contest Haley competed in for delegates, she said she aimed to get a higher percentage of the vote share in South Carolina. In New Hampshire she received 43.2 percent of the vote to Trump's 54.3 percent. Asked by a reporter outside her polling place if she felt she could improve upon that number today, Haley answered, 'We'll find out.' 'We're going to find out today,' she said. 'I think my goal has always been to be competitive in South Carolina.' Trump and his allies have voiced frustration that Haley has decided to stay in the 2024 race despite losing in every state. She lost to Trump in Iowa and New Hampshire and failed to beat 'none of these candidates' - a symbolic vote for Trump - in Nevada's non-binding Republican primary. Haley said she will press on to Michigan this week, where voters head to the polls Tuesday, and she's already scheduled campaign stops in Super Tuesday states - despite the fact that she'll likely get trounced by Trump in South Carolina today. Nikki Haley heads to her polling place Saturday on Kiawah Island, South Carolina with mom Raj, son Nalin, daughter Rena and her son-in-law Joshua as she braces for a potential loss to former President Donald Trump in her home state Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley arrives with her mother Raj, son Nalin, daughter Rena and Rena's husband Joshua to casts their votes in the South Carolina Republican presidential primary Nikki Haley and her husband Michael, who is currently deployed, purchased a $2.4 million waterfront home in a gated community on Kiawah Island, South Carolina in 2019, after she left her post at the United Nations and joined the board of Boeing A real estate listing for the home says it boasts a waterfront view, has a pool and hot tub and is a four bedroom, 4.5 bath. Haley's parents also live in the residence 'People want to see us continue this fight, we owe them to continue this fight,' Haley said. 'The only thing that's lacking in this is Donald Trump getting on a debate stage.' Haley has progressively been taking a more aggressive stance against Trump, calling him 'unhinged' at a campaign stop in Beaufort this week and hitting him over the head over comments he made about her husband Michael's whereabouts. As a member of the U.S. military, Michael Haley is on deployment to Africa. Asked Saturday if she should have hit Trump harder all along, she said 'not at all. ' 'There were 14 people in this race, I had a dozen of the fellas I had to get rid of first, it was taking them out one at a time,' she said. 'Now he is the one-on-one opponent that I have and that's why you see us showing the constrast between me and him.' 'If I had done that at the beginning I would have been a Chris Christie,' she added. Christie, the most vocal anti-Trump candidate, dropped out of the Republican race before the Iowa caucuses, but refused to endorse Haley, saying on hot mic that Haley was 'going to get smoked.' A man stabbed his sister to death with a samurai sword a week after his son was jailed for murdering another teenager in a knife attack outside a school. Roger Harriott, 56, killed Sandra Harriott in a 'brutal, vicious and merciless attack' in the street outside the home she shared with their 80-year-old mother in Fartown, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, a court heard. Less than two weeks earlier, his son, Jovani Harriott, 17, was jailed for life for the murder of Khayri McLean, 15, who was stabbed to death as he walked home from school. Leeds Crown Court heard Harriott had a 'toxic' relationship with his sister, and they had previously fallen out over the care of their mother, who had Alzheimer's. Three weeks before murdering his sister, Harriott had been arrested on suspicion of defrauding his mother, and told police that Ms Harriott 'would not be getting her hands on their mother's money'. Sandra Harriott was stabbed to death by her brother Roger in a 'brutal, vicious and merciless attack' outside her home Roger Harriott had fallen out with his sister over the care of their mother and had a 'toxic' relationship with her, a court heard Pictured: Police cordon the scene where Ms Harriott was found seriously injured before she later died The court heard Ms Harriott, 56, had been 'living in fear' of her brother since 2020, after a series of incidents in which he physically and verbally abused her, spitting in her face on one occasion, and driving aggressively at her on another. Harriott had had 'an interest in knives for some time' and used them to threaten violence, it was said. Prosecutor David Hall said Ms Harriott carried a personal alarm as a result, and had taken out a non-molestation order in December 2022 banning Harriott from coming near her or her home. The court heard that 'with tragic prescience,' Ms Harriott wrote in her application for the order that her brother had weapons, that she '(felt) uneasy in my mum's home knowing he could turn up at any time', and that she 'had come to realise how dangerous this man is'. Harriott was in breach of both this order and his bail conditions following his arrest for fraud, when he drove 10 miles from Bradford to Huddersfield in the early hours of May 26 last year. The court heard he waited outside Ms Harriott's house on Ripon Avenue before 7am until she came outside, before getting out of his car and running towards her holding a 55cm samurai sword. The 'chilling' CCTV footage of the attack shows her attempting to run away from Harriott before he strikes her eight times with the sword, 'hacking and slashing' at her after she had fallen to the floor. Mr Hall said Ms Harriott could be seen 'writhing' on the ground and kicking out to defend herself. Harriott then moved towards his car, but turned back and stabbed his sister one last time through the chest before leaving, the court heard. Attempts to resuscitate Ms Harriott, who had two adult sons, were unsuccessful and she was pronounced dead in hospital. Mr Hall said the defendant drove to Huddersfield police station immediately to hand himself in, telling officers: 'I've just murdered someone - my dad's daughter, the weapon is in the car.' The 55cm samurai sword was found in the vehicle, as well as some other weapons. Gerald Hendron, representing Harriott, said he admitted he had intended to kill his sister, and that there was 'animosity' between them arising out of their mother's care. Harriott had cared for his mother for a number of years, living with her and dealing with her finances on her behalf, Mr Hendron told the court. He said Harriott was 'adamant' that he had never 'acted dishonestly towards his mother'. The court heard the defendant was about to travel from the UK to Gambia, where he spent much of his time, when he was told he could not fly as he was to be arrested over an allegation of fraud. Roger's son Jovani Harriott, 17, was jailed last week for murdering another teenager with a knife outside a school Jovani's cousin Jakele Pusey, 15, was also sentenced to a minimum term of 15 years in prison for the killing of Khayri Mclean Khayri was stabbed by Jovani Harriott and his cousin Jakele Pusey at his school in Huddersfield in September 2022 in front of terrified schoolchildren The Office of the Public Guardian had raised concerns about 134 transactions from Harriott's mother's bank account, with withdrawals amounting to tens of thousands of pounds that 'bore no relation to (her) daily needs'. The court heard that when Harriott was interviewed about the alleged fraud he told police he had a 'toxic' relationship with his sister and said repeatedly she 'would not be getting her hands on (their) mother's money'. Mr Hendron said Harriott 'does genuinely regret his actions on that day'. Harriott pleaded guilty to murder and was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 23 years. Judge Robin Mairs told the defendant that Ms Harriott 'had for some years considered you capable of serious violence' and branded the murder a 'callous and determined attack'. Sentencing Harriott, he said: 'You were lying in wait for your sister to appear. The murder was captured on CCTV. That footage is chilling. When, at 7am, she leaves the address and opens the boot of her car, you leap from yours, clutching the Samurai sword. 'She flees...In the middle of the road, you strike her and she falls to the floor...You struck at her seven times, delivered with all of the force you could muster. Twice you stabbed her to the upper body. 'In the final incident, you turn to leave before then turning back and once more stabbing Ms Harriott again. This time, she is still and lifeless. Only when satisfied you had killed her, you leave.' Detective Superintendent Alan Weekes, who led the investigation, said: 'This was a dreadful offence, in which a woman going about her everyday business was attacked and murdered in the street in broad daylight. Harriott used a shocking level of violence in this pre meditated attack and inflicted injuries on Sandra which gave her no chance of survival. 'She was a much loved and highly respected woman and her murder is a tragedy for those who knew her. Our thoughts are with them as they continue to come to terms with what has taken place.' Jovani Harriott was jailed for life with a minimum term of 18 years for the murder of Khayri McLean. Leeds Crown Court heard Harriott and his cousin, Jakele Pusey, then 15, had lain in wait for Khayri, with masks and large knives, near his Huddersfield school in September 2022, and attacked him in front of a number of other horrified schoolchildren. Celebrity fitness trainer Jillian Michaels has slammed California Governor Gavin Newsom and revealed she left his state after a released convict broke into her home. The certified nutritionist made the comments to Bill Maher after he told how he has been trying to convince the 56-year-old governor to run for president. His remarks prompted fury from Michaels, who informed him she had been forced to relocate to Miami where it 'feels less crazy' due to the golden state's rampant crime. 'My house got broken into. Guess who let the guy out during Covid? Newsom,' Michaels said. 'It was the guy's third offense. He broke into our house [with] duct tape and a video camera. I mean give me a f**king break. Third strike, guy goes to jail, gets let out during Covid.' Celebrity fitness trainer Jillian Michaels has slammed California Governor Gavin Newsom as she shared how she left California due to rampant crime The fitness guru told how her home was broken into by a convict who had been freed by Newsom during Covid Michaels said the intruder broke into her Malibu home carrying duct tape and a video camera Michaels also told how her Malibu home had been damaged in the devastating fires in the area in 2018, which were blamed on Pacific Gas and Electric. PG&E was declared a 'safe' company by Newsom's administration but was later forced to fork out $55 million for its role in the fires. 'You're going to hold PG&E accountable for that fire in 2018. You're going to decriminalize everything, but regulate nothing. You're going to prioritize the craziest shit I've ever seen in my life,' Michaels added. But Maher refused to concede to her points and instead put forward reasons he thought the governor would made a good president. 'My thing with Gavin is first of all he can win. First of all I like him. He's really smart. Is he a politician? Yes. Is he slick, good? Slick people win elections. Clinton was slick, Obama was pretty slick,' Maher said. But things got heated when Michaels brought up several scandals around his handling of Covid, including his own behavior. Michaels cited California's strict school closures and occasions where Newsom was seen in public without a face mask despite mandating their use. But host Bill Maher hit back, revealing he has been pushing the Californian governor to run for president Michaels cited the crime rate in the golden state as well as several controversies around Covid and the Malibu wildfires of 2018 that took place under Newsom's tenure 'He's a hypocrite and that bothers me' Michaels fumed.' The rules were absurd. He didn't follow his own rules, if you're going to lead you lead by example.' Newsom has admitted that parts of his state such as San Francisco are being overwhelmed by homelessness and drug overdose epidemic. A spike in crime has also seen an exodus of businesses and residents. A quarter of a million people have fled the Bay Area since the beginning of 2020, Newsweek reported in June. But Newsom has insisted that the problems plaguing the struggling city were exaggerated by Republicans. However, the governor recently revealed how a Target worker serving him at a store put the blame for shoplifters squarely at his feet without realizing she was talking to him. 'As we're checking out, the woman says, "Oh he's just walking out, he didn't pay for that," I said, 'Why didn't you stop him?'' Newsom explained. 'She goes, "Oh, the governor." Swear to God, true story, on my mom's grave. "The governor lowered the threshold, there's no accountability." I said, "That's just not true.'' Newsom was praised as 'very smart' and 'slick' by Maher who insisted he could win elections Michaels relocated to Miami saying that it felt 'less crazy' than in California He told the store clerk that Proposition 47 made theft of goods with a value over $950 into a felony and that is one of the lowest thresholds in the nation. Proposition 47, passed almost 10 years ago by voters, made some 'non-violent' property crimes and 'simple' drug possession offenses into misdemeanors. Some have blamed this law for the dramatic rise in homelessness and addiction across the Golden State. His brother Jose, 26, has been accused of murdering the nursing student Diego Ibarra, 29, is facing federal charges for the fraudulent identification card The brother of Laken Riley's suspected killer was arrested and charged with possessing a fake green card - his fourth arrest since arriving in Georgia. The Department of Justice announced late Friday that Diego Ibarra, 29, of Venezuela is facing federal charges for possessing a fake green card. Diego Ibarra is the older brother of Jose Antonio Ibarra, 26, who is accused of murdering Augusta University nursing student Laken Riley, 22. The elder Ibarra was stopped by Athens-Clarke County police because he matched the description for the suspected killer. The 29-year-old is now in state custody, jail records show. The Department of Justice announced late Friday that Diego Ibarra, 29, of Venezuela is facing federal charges for possessing a fake green card Jose Antonio Ibarra, 26, has been identified and charged with murdering nursing student Laken Riley, 22, at the University of Georgia in Athens Riley, 22, was found dead Thursday afternoon after her roommate reported her missing, saying she had not returned from her jog 'Ibarra is a citizen of Venezuela and was processed for expedited removal but claimed a credible fear of return to Venezuela,' the United States Attorneys Office Middle District of Georgia wrote in a statement. 'He was consequently released from immigration custody pending adjudication of his claim for asylum on April 30, 2024.' The younger Ibarra sibling was arrested for the murder of Laken Riley in Athens - a sanctuary city - on Friday and is now being held at the Clarke County Jail and appeared before a judge Saturday morning when he was denied bond. NewsNation reporter Ali Bradley said Ibarra, 26, is originally from Venezuela and crossed into El Paso, Texas, in September 2022. He was released into the United States by Customs and Border Patrol because the worsening migrant crisis means they have insufficient facilities to hold all border crossers that they intercept. Cops don't believe Ibarra knew his victim. Riley, 22, was found dead Thursday afternoon after her roommate reported her missing, saying she had not returned from her jog. Ibarra has been charged with malice murder, felony murder, aggravated battery, aggravated assault, false imprisonment, kidnapping, hindering a 911 call, and concealing the death of another. The younger Ibarra brother who is accused of murdering the August University student appeared before a judge Saturday morning. UGA Police Chief Jeffrey Clark told reporters at a press conference tonight that officers have searched Ibarra's apartment in Athens and evidence shows that he acted alone. Officials confirmed that Ibarra is not a US citizen and did not know or have any kind of relationship with Riley 'He did not know her at all. I think this is a crime of opportunity where he saw an individual and bad things happened,' Clark said. 'The evidence is robust. It is supported by key input by the community, physical evidence and expert police work. Importantly, we were assisted by video footage from our campus security cameras network.' He advised there was no clear history of violence for the accused and his criminal history is not extensive. During the Feb. 24 episode of NewsNation's Morning In America, National Correspondent Brian Entin reported on Ibarra's arrest. Advertisement Two years ago today Russia shocked the world by invading its neighbour Ukraine in a large scale military operation not seen in Europe since the Second World War. More than 100,000 Russian troops massed on Ukraine's borders in the days leading up to the invasion on February 24, 2022. Analysts made dire predictions that Moscow's armies would sweep to victory in a matter of days, but Ukrainian forces have surprised the world and put up a heroic defence of their nation. But it has cost many of them their lives. An estimated 30,000 Ukrainian soldiers and 10,000 civilians have died in the past two years. However there are fears the war could be slipping away from Ukraine as it loses more territory and runs out of ammo as the world begins to focus on Israel-Gaza. Along with the murder of thousands of people, the war has also completely destroyed entire towns, cities and landscapes in Ukraine. As Russia's brutal invasion marks its second anniversary, MailOnline looks at the devastation the war has caused the country in the past 730 days in a series of extraordinary satellite photos. Slide me Satellite photos released by Maxar Technologies show the eastern city of Petrivka, Donetsk Oblast, on August 24, 2022 (left), and then after heavy artillery shelling amid Russia's military invasion of Ukraine on February 2023 (right) Slide me Satellite photos released by Maxar Technologies show school no12 and apartments buildings in the eastern city of Bakhmut, Donetsk Oblast, on May 8, 2022 (left) and on May 15, 2023 (right) Slide me A western neighbourhood of the eastern city of Avdiivka, Donetsk Oblast, on October 16, 2021 (left) prior to Russia's military invasion on Ukraine and on February 17, 2024 (right) amid the war Slide me The eastern city of Avdiivka, Donetsk Oblast, on October 16, 2021 (left) prior to Russia's military invasion of Ukraine and on February 17, 2024 (right), amid the invasion Slide me The Makiivka school on November 1, 2022 (left) and after a strike on January 8, 2023 (right) Slide me An overview of Black Sea fleet headquarters before an attack, in Sevastopol Bay, on September 20, 2023, (left) and after an attack, on September 23, 2023 (right) Slide me A Ropucha landing ship, before an attack, at port of Feodosia on December 5, 2023 (left) and after it sunk following an attack, on December 26, 2023 (right) Slide me An area of the southern city of Oleshky Kherson Oblast, on May 15, 2023 (left), and with flooding on June 7, 2023 (right), after the collapse of the Nova Kakhovka dam, amid Russia's military invasion on Ukraine Slide me The southern city of Oleshky along the Dnipro river, Kherson Oblast, on May 15, 2023 (left), and with flooding on June 7, 2023, (right) after the collapse of the Nova Kakhovka dam, amid Russia's military invasion on Ukraine Slide me The Nova Kakhovka dam, southern Kherson Oblast, on May 28, 2022 (left), and on June 16, 2023 (right) after its collapse Carol Vorderman has taken potshots at Lee Anderson on social media after the former deputy Tory chairman was suspended from the party for refusing to apologise over 'Islamophobic comments' he made about Sadiq Khan. The former Countdown and BBC radio presenter hit out at Anderson as '30p Lee' - named after his controversial comments suggesting people in poverty should be able to make meals costing that much - on X, formerly Twitter, on Saturday. Anderson was put on notice after he claimed the Mayor of London, a practicing Muslim, was controlled by 'Islamists' and had 'given our capital city away to his mates' in an interview on GB News - and refused to withdraw the comments. Vorderman, who made the jump to LBC after quitting her BBC show so she could continue sharing anti-Tory tweets, suggested online that Anderson could defect to Reform UK - something he claims to have been offered in the past by its chairman. She wrote: 'Lee Anderson #30pLee suspended from @Conservatives party. From Deputy Chairman To Suspended...To Reform Party by Sunday evening???' Carol Vorderman - who quit the BBC so she could continue making negative comments about the Conservative party online - has hit out at Lee Anderson after his suspension Anderson was suspended from the Conservatives on Saturday after reportedly refusing to apologise for comments in which he claimed Sadiq Khan was controlled by 'Islamists' Vorderman and others, including one-time Labour runner Paul Waugh, have speculated that Anderson could defect to Reform UK Sadiq Khan said the comments were 'Islamophobic, anti-Muslim and racist' - and came after independent reports suggested Muslim hate crime had tripled in recent months Reform UK leader Richard Tice (pictured during the party's spring conference today) said he was not interested in 'pathetic Tory squabbling' when asked about Anderson's future 'I'm not interested in pathetic Tory squabbling.' Richard Tice reacts to the suspension of Lee Anderson. Freeview 236, Sky 512, Virgin 604 Become a GB News Member: https://t.co/mNsRsGC8ef pic.twitter.com/dNaMBxmIaj GB News (@GBNEWS) February 24, 2024 Former Labour councillor Mr Anderson said in the televised interview: 'I don't actually believe that these Islamists have got control of our country, but what I do believe is they've got control of Khan and they've got control of London and they've got control of Starmer as well. 'Again, this stems with Khan, he's actually given our capital city away to his mates. 'Beware, because if you let Labour in through the back door, expect more of this and expect our cities to be taken over by these lunatics.' READ MORE: Lee Anderson is SUSPENDED from Conservative party after he refused to apologise for Sadiq Khan comments Advertisement A spokesperson for Tory chief whip Simon Hart said on Saturday the decision had been made to suspend Mr Anderson, a former Labour councillor before he defected and won the red wall seat of Ashfield in 2019, for his 'refusal to apologise'. His suspension has prompted speculation that Mr Anderson may finally defect to Richard Tice's Reform UK, formerly the Brexit Party - whom he claims has sought to recruit him in the past. Nigel Farage, who stepped down as Reform leader in 2021, told the Express today that Anderson should make the leap to the party, which made gains against the Tories in a series of recent by-elections, alarming Tory chiefs. Mr Farage said: 'Lee Anderson should join Reform UK.' Paul Waugh, a former political journalist who vied for Labour selection in the Rochdale by-election, tweeted: 'Lee Anderson is not the kind of guy to ever apologise. Now he is suspended, bets on him defecting to Reform?' Mr Anderson left Labour after Jeremy Corbyn became leader, and was once secretly recorded boasting to MPs he had been 'offered a lot of money' to defect to Reform. The amount is reported to have been 86,000 each year over five years. Mr Tice has previously denied that his party made any offers to Mr Anderson, accusing him of making up the claim to 'negotiate himself the deputy chairmanship of the Tory party' in remarks reported by The Times. And he gave away nothing about Mr Anderson's potential future in his party during an interview with GB News on Saturday during Reform's spring conference. He said: 'I don't know what's going on in the Tory party and frankly I don't care. They're toxic, they're infighting, who knows what they stand for. I'm not interested in pathetic Tory squabbling.' He later said: 'I haven't been in touch with Lee, he hasn't been in touch with me.' Labour MP Dawn Butler, who led a cohort of MPs calling for Mr Anderson to lose the Tory whip, said: 'Anderson refusing to apologise shows he believes every word of his hateful comments. Islamophobia has no place in our politics.' Anderson's remarks did him no favours among other Tories prior to his suspension - with Sajid Javid branding them 'ridiculous'. City Hall Tories leader Neil Garratt dismissing them out of hand, writing on X: 'Islamists have not taken control of Sadiq Khan, and they are not running London.' Tobias Ellwood, Conservative MP, told BBC Radio 4's PM programme on Saturday evening he was 'disgusted' by Mr Anderson's remarks. He added: 'I think some individuals have lost sight of what it means to be a Conservative and what has in the past allowed us to secure electoral success. 'We've done well when we operate from the centre-right. When we start courting populism that means we lose; we resort to the extreme and no extreme parties ever win. 'I'm pleased action was swiftly taken but you could argue it was almost overdue. Let's get back to politics and not doing the Trump-esque noise which somehow seems to attract elements in our party but certainly will not appeal to Britain as a whole.' Nigel Farage has suggested that Mr Anderson should join Reform UK - the political organisation he founded as the Brexit Party A spokesperson for chief Tory party whip Simon Hart (pictured) said the decision had been taken to suspend Mr Anderson over his 'refusal to apologise' for the GB News remarks Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood said he was 'disgusted' by Mr Anderson's remarks, adding: 'Conservatives are better than that' Former Conservative chancellor Sir Sajid Javid branded Anderson's remarks as 'ridiculous' Anderson's remarks did him no favours among other Tories prior to his suspension - with Sajid Javid branding them 'ridiculous' and City Hall Tories leader Neil Garratt dismissing them Anderson had earned a reputation as an attack dog and enforcer within the party prior to his resignation from the deputy party chair last month He had been seen as a valuable red wall ally to Rishi Sunak before he opted to rebel against the government on the Rwanda bill in January Asked if he would welcome Mr Anderson leaving, Mr Ellwood added: 'That's for him to decide. I've distanced myself from that sort of politics. Conservatives are better than that.' Following his suspension, Mr Anderson told GB News he understood 'the difficult position that I put both (the Chief Whip) and the Prime Minister in. 'With regard to my comments, I fully accept that they had no option but to suspend the whip in these circumstances. 'However, I will continue to support the Government's efforts to call out extremism in all its forms, be that anti-Semitism or Islamophobia.' Speaking to Sky News, Mr Khan said the comments from the senior Conservative MP were 'Islamophobic, anti-Muslim and racist' - and pointed to a recent Tell MAMA report suggesting Islamophobic hate crimes have tripled in recent months. He added: 'We've seen over the last two days confirmation that over the last few months there had been an increase in anti-Muslim cases by more than 330%. 'I am afraid the deafening silence from Rishi Sunak and from the cabinet is them condoning this racism. 'I am afraid it confirms to many people across the country that there's a hierarchy when it comes to racism. 'I think it's really important to call out antisemitism, it's really important to call out misogyny, it's really important to call out homophobia, but surely it must also be important to call out anti-Muslim hatred. 'My concern is there will be people across the country - people who are Muslim or look like Muslims - who will be really concerned about entering into politics because they know that if these are the comments being made about me by a senior Conservative, what chance do they have?' The Muslim Council of Britain said following Mr Anderson's suspension: 'While we welcome Mr Andersons suspension, his comments did not occur in a vacuum and is only the tip of an iceberg. 'We have seen a week where Conservative politicians have brazenly leaned into the "Muslims are taking over" trope. And Mr Andersons suspension has only taken place after widespread disgust. 'The Conservative Party has an Islamophobia problem. They need to own up to it.' Comparisons have been made between Mr Anderson's comments on GB News and remarks made by Suella Braverman in the Telegraph on Friday, in which she said 'the Islamists, the extremists and the anti-Semites are in charge' of the UK. Ms Braverman was sacked as Home Secretary after writing an inflammatory article for The Times in which she suggested police were biased towards pro-Palestinian protesters; the article was not signed off by Downing Street. A Conservative spokesperson said: 'An investigation and subsequent independent review, both conducted over several years by professor Swaran Singh, found no evidence of institutional racism in the Conservative Party.' Anderson's comments on Sadiq Khan are just the latest in a long line of controversial and contentious statements he has made in the press. He had earned a reputation as an attack dog and enforcer within the party prior to his resignation from the deputy party chair last month, previously hitting out at MPs such as Labour's Jess Phillips for taking on additional work after she presented an episode of BBC topical panel show Have I Got News For You. Anderson later accepted a 100,000 deal to present shows on GB News while also working as an MP. In an interview with the Spectator last August, he called for the return of the death penalty because 'nobody has ever committed a crime after being executed'. He has previously accused people who use food banks of being unable to 'cook properly', adding: 'We can make a meal for about 30p a day', earning him the 30p Lee monicker. Anderson stepped down as deputy Tory party chairman in January to rebel against Rishi Sunak's Rwanda bill. He ultimately abstained after he said he couldn't bear to stand among Labour MPs also voting against it because they 'giggled and laughed' at him. Vorderman, meanwhile, is more active than ever on social media with anti-Tory rants after she quit her weekly BBC Radio Wales show - vowing she would not be 'silenced' by corporation bosses worried about her online output. Announcing her departure in November, Ms Vorderman said she was 'not prepared to stop' venting her 'strong beliefs' on Twitter and Instagram, adding that she did not want 'to lose my voice' or 'change who I am'. Conservative hardliner Kari Lake said the nation needs more men like Donald Trump when she addressed a major MAGA gathering on Saturday. She described how a year ago she stood in the same spot and described how a party official tried to bribe her to stay out of politics, before saying she liked the 'bull in a china shop ideology.' 'We got way too many weaklings out there,' she told the annual Conservative Political Action Conference in the Washington, D.C. suburbs. 'Let me hear from the ladies out there. We're tired of the beta men. We want some alpha men. We got a number one alpha man in Donald J. Trump.' Trump is the star turn on Saturday, before he heads to South Carolina, where he is expected to deliver another drubbing to Nikki Haley in the state's Republican primary. Conservative hardliner Kari Lake said the nation needs more men like Donald Trump when she addressed a major MAGA gathering on Saturday But Lake was another big attraction for conservatives gathered at CPAC. She emerged as a national figure in 2022 after losing her run to be Arizona governor and then claiming the election was rigged against her. She launched a run for the U.S. Senate last year. In January, DailyMail.com published an audio recording revealing how the chairman of the state Republican Party tried to get her to step out of politics for two years in return for money or a plum job. In it, Jeff DeWit could be heard saying that he represented 'powerful people back east.' He resigned days after the audio emerged. Lake riffed on the idea of 'powerful back east' as the idea why she should be elected to Washington. 'Here's the problem. Wall Street has very powerful people back east who are making deals for them,' she said. 'Big Pharma has very powerful people back east, making deals for them. Military Industrial Complex has very powerful people. 'You know what? I think it's about damn time that the people of this country, the American people, have some powerful people back east working for them.' People write on a Trump themed bus at the Conservative Political Action Conference, CPAC 2024, at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center, Maryland CPAC has long been regarded as one of the most influential gatherings of conservatives in the world. These days it is part of former President Donald Trump's power base She spoke a little ahead of Trump who is expected to offer supporters a vision of four years under his presidency compared with four more under President Joe Biden. 'Believe me when I offer you another warning: If Crooked Joe and his thugs win in 2024, the worst is yet to come,' he will say. Polls suggest South Carolina's electorate will give a huge boost to Trump on Saturday. An average maintained by the FiveThirtyEight website suggests the former president could win by a margin of 30 points in the state where Haley served as governor. She has promised to fight on in the race whatever happens and has kept up her attacks on the frontrunner. An Israeli airstrike hit a house in Gaza's southernmost city of Rafah, killing at least eight people, including four women and a child, according to Health Ministry officials in Hamas-ruled Gaza. The strike brings the total number of Palestinians killed by bombing in the last 24 hours to 92, the Health Ministry said. It was also reported that the overall death toll in nearly five months of the war has risen to 29,606 and the total number of wounded has risen to nearly 70,000. Although the ministry's death toll doesn't distinguish between civilians and combatants, it has said two-thirds of those killed were children and women. Search and rescue teams search for injured and killed Palestinians after Israeli forces hit a building and its surroundings in Rafah, Gaza People gather in front of a building destroyed in the Rafah airstrike. At least eight people were killed Palestinians help an injured man following the bombing in Rafah. Four women and a child were said to have been killed Meanwhile, Israel claimed its troops have killed more than 10,000 Hamas fighters, but hasn't provided details. Bodies of those killed in the airstrike were seen by independent journalists at Abu Youssef al-Najjar hospital. Israel declared war after the deadly October 7 attack on southern Israel in which Hamas terrorists killed about 1,200 people and took around 250 hostages. More than 100 hostages remain in captivity in Gaza. The rising civilian death toll and worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza have amplified calls for a cease-fire. Hunger and infectious diseases are spreading and about 80 per cent of Gaza's 2.3 million people have been displaced, with about 1.4 million crowded into Rafah on the border with Egypt. 'There are choking, skyrocketing prices. It's terrifying,' said Hassan Attwa, a displaced man from Gaza City who now shelters in a tent on the sand in Mawasi in the south. 'There is no source of income. The area is very overcrowded, the garbage, may God bless you, is not collected at all. It stays piled up. 'It turns into a mess and clay when it rains. The situation is disastrous in every sense of the word.' Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to fight until 'total victory,' but dispatched a delegation to Paris to seek the release of hostages in exchange for a temporary truce. Negotiators face wide gaps and an unofficial deadline - the start of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan around March 10. It comes as Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said that he wouldn't give up his 'dignity for falsehood' amid calls for him to retract recent comments he made, accusing Israel of genocide. The president compared Israel's conduct in Gaza to the Nazi Holocaust, in which six million Jews and others perished during World War II. Palestinian artist Mahmoud Zuaiter inspects the ruins of his house after an air strike on the house in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip on February 24 Medics transport a body to al-Najjar Hospital in Rafah following an Israeli air strike in Rafah refugee camp 'What the Israeli government is doing is not war, it is genocide,' he wrote on X, formerly Twitter. 'Children and women are being murdered.' In response to Lula's initial comments, Israel declared him a persona non grata, summoned Brazil's ambassador and demanded an apology. Lula then recalled Brazil's ambassador to Israel for consultations. Last month, South Africa filed a landmark case with the International Court of Justice, accusing Israel of genocide against Palestinians. The court issued a preliminary order two weeks later, ordering Israel to do all it can to prevent death, destruction and any acts of genocide in Gaza. Israel, created in part as a refuge for survivors of the Holocaust, has accused South Africa of hypocrisy. South Africa has compared Israel's treatment of Palestinians in Gaza with the treatment of Black South Africans during apartheid, framing the issues as fundamentally about people oppressed in their homeland. Brazil's president alleged Saturday that Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians, doubling down on harsh rhetoric after stirring controversy a week ago by comparing Israel's military offensive in Gaza to the Nazi Holocaust. Palestinians check destruction after an Israeli strike in Rafah, Gaza Strip on February 24 More destruction caused by Israeli strikes in Rafah. Israel claimed its troops have killed more than 10,000 Hamas fighters, but hasn't provided details Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (pictured) compared Israel to the Nazis Israel has vehemently pushed back against genocide claims made at the U.N.'s top court and elsewhere, saying its war targets the militant group Hamas, not the Palestinian people. It has held Hamas responsible for civilian deaths, arguing that the group operates from civilian areas. An Israeli delegation returned from a meeting in Paris with negotiators from the United States, Egypt and Qatar to try to reach a deal on pausing the fighting, an Israeli official said. The delegation was expected to meet with high-ranking Cabinet members on Saturday, the official said on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter. Egypt and Qatar are mediators between Israel and Hamas. A grieving daughter has been traumatised after a bungling embalmer left her mother's body 'bleeding and almost bursting'. Janice Burlinson, 60, died from ischemic heart failure on April 1 2022 while her daughter, Dayni Douthwaite, was seriously ill in Sunderland Royal Hospital. While Ms Douthwaite, 42, was in hospital with severe kidney failure she agreed to allow John Duckworth Funeral Directors to take care of her mother. However, when Ms Douthwaite visited the funeral home a week later she was horrified to find the body of her mother was bloated with fluid and leaking blood. Ms Douthwaite, who lives in Southwick, Sunderland, said: 'I just knew when I walked in the room that there was something wrong. I walked towards her coffin and I looked in. I got that much of a shock that I went 'what have you done to her?' Dayni Douthwaite was left horrified when she discovered her mother's body had not been embalmed properly and was bloated with fluid and leaking blood Janice Burlinson, 60, passed away from ischemic heart failure on April 1 2022. Her body was entrusted by her daughter to John Duckworth Funeral Directors. However the embalming process went wrong and as fluid continued to build up it had to be removed from her body Ms Burlinson with her granddaughters: Lacie and Mylie-Rae. Ms Douthwaite says the traumatic experience has had a huge impact on her mental health and has left her with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) She said: 'She was bleeding and she was bloating. It was shiny down the side of her face. You could see where something had been trickling from her mouth and had been wiped off. I saw it coming out of the top of her lips. My mam's top teeth were missing. 'They had used a plastic bag instead of a proper neck support. There were various bits of plastic shoved in the bag, to give it some shape, and it was tied in a knot.' Shocked by the state of her mother's remains, Ms Douthwaite had her mother transferred into the care of another funeral director. They confirmed that the embalming process had gone wrong and as fluid continued to build in her stomach and he was left with no choice but to aspirate it from her body. Ms Douthwaite then lodged a complaint in to the British Institute of Embalmers. They carried out an investigation which found that John Duckworth Funeral Directors had instructed a self-employed trade embalmer called Shona Hume to carry out the procedure. They concluded that she had failed to correctly assess the level of clinical embalming care required and suspended her for 12 months. A spokesperson for John Duckworth Funeral Directors said: 'John Duckworth and family have been funeral directors for over 100 years, and have remained a family business throughout that period. The company is committed to providing an exceptional level of service, respect and dignity. 'We are licensed members of the British Institute of Funeral Directors (a society only open to qualified Funeral Directors) and The National Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors (SAIF). 'It would be inappropriate for us to disclose private and personal details about the deceased or this matter, or the events which took place after the deceased left our care. However, we are aware of Ms Douthwaite's concerns. We and SAIF have been engaging with Ms Douthwaite to address them.' Ms Douthwaite says the incident has had a huge impact on her mental health and has left her with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). She said: 'I have been left with a life sentence, I can't sleep. 'I have given them all a chance. I have put my faith into these people to do the right thing. Everyone has apologised to me apart from John Duckworth's. They're trying to say there wasn't a mark on my mam, she was in pristine condition. 'They tried to say 'I have done nothing wrong'. They offered me 700 which I declined.' In another devastating turn of events, Ms Douthwaite discovered that an NHS worker who cared for her mother at Sunderland Royal Hospital had breached trust policies after he disclosed information relating to her mother's care. He then went on to share information from her Facebook post with an operative from John Duckworth Funeral Directors. John Duckworth Funeral Directors in Sunderland. An investigation carried out by the British Institute of Embalmers found that John Duckworth Funeral Directors had instructed a self-employed trade embalmer called Shona Hume to carry out the botched procedure on Ms Burlinson (Google Maps) A spokesperson for Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust said: 'We are aware of Ms Douthwaite's complaint and the allegations that have been made. We are truly sorry for the poor experience she had after her mother sadly passed away and offer our sincere condolences to Ms Douthwaite and her family. 'We have investigated the claims made and have apologised to Ms Douthwaite as part of the complaints process. Whilst we cannot comment on the specific details of the case, our mortuary staff offer the best possible care for our patients after death, whatever the circumstances. Every death is tragic for loved ones and we recognise the devastating impact when things do not go according to expectations. We aim to improve our services and learn from all feedback that we receive. 'A full investigation has taken place regarding the alleged actions of the member of staff. Appropriate action has been taken and alternative arrangements have been put in place should another member of Ms Douthwaite's family need to use the facilities at Sunderland Mortuary.' A spokesperson for South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust added: 'We are sad to hear of this family's loss and our thoughts are with them as they grieve for their loved one. 'The mortuary services at Sunderland Royal Hospital and the members of staff who work there are provided through Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust.. We are aware that Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust has been speaking to the family to address concerns they have raised.' A young college student was allegedly raped in a supermarket parking lot near the renowned nightclub Alcatraz in Milan by an Egyptian man who was caught 'virtually red-handed.' The victim, a 20-year-old student from the U.S., screamed for help after the alleged rape early Saturday morning, as bouncers from the nightclub noticed and alerted the authorities. She reportedly met the suspect at the club and had a few drinks before being taken to a nearby Aldi supermarket's parking lot, according to local reports. The suspect, who has not been identified, is an Italian college student of Egyptian origin with no previous criminal records, as reported by La Repubblica. A 20-year-old college student was allegedly raped in an Aldi supermarket parking lot near the renowned nightclub Alcatraz in Milan by an Egyptian man who was caught 'virtually red-handed' The suspect allegedly took her to the parking lot of Aldi supermarket located adjacent to the club and assaulted her The U.S. victim was on Erasmus, a European Union student exchange program that enables students to travel and study in different countries. The institution she attended is not immediately clear. She was offered a drink by the suspect on Friday night. The two chatted at the nightclub before the alleged crime took place, as reported by iL Giornale. The suspect allegedly took her to the parking lot of Aldi supermarket located adjacent to the club and assaulted her. At around 2 am local time, the victim's screams were noticed by passersby and club bouncers, who then alerted securities at Alcatraz, Law enforcement authorities said the suspect was caught 'virtually red-handed' and was arrested on charges of aggravated sexual assault. The 20-year-old woman was transported to Mangiagalli Clinic, specializing in detecting traces of abuse, and she remains in stable condition. Despite experiencing significant shock and trauma, she managed to inform the police about what had happened, as reported by Sky TG24. Club Alcatraz, located in a former warehouse in the center of Milan, has become one of the largest and most popular clubs in the city, with a maximum capacity to host 3,000 people. The 20-year-old woman was transported to Mangiagalli Clinic, specializing in detecting traces of abuse, and she remains in stable condition Italy saw a 50 percent increase in illegal migrant landings last year versus 2022 according to the Interior Ministry. Pictured: Italian Coast Guard boat carries migrants near the port of the Sicilian island of Lampedusa, southern Italy on Sept. 18, 2023 Silvia Serafina Sardone, a member of the European Parliament, expressed her shock with the alleged attack on Saturday. She wrote: 'Another rape took place tonight in Milan, in Via Valtellina, where a girl was raped by a boy of foreign origin. By now it is a custom, unfortunately in the total disinterest of the mayor and the PD who administer the city. 'Palazzo Marinos attention to security is zero, despite the proclamations nothing is changing, from the center to the suburbs.' The disturbing incident comes amid a string of sexual attacks that have shocked the country, further fueling the flames of the migrant crisis in recent months. A helpless 13-year-old girl was allegedly dragged into a public bathroom by a group of Egyptian migrants in Catania on the Italian island of Sicily last week. Two of the migrants - both minors - brutally raped her for half an hour while the rest of the gang allegedly restrained her desperate boyfriend and forced him to watch the horror unfold. Italy saw a 50 percent increase in illegal migrant landings last year versus 2022 according to the Interior Ministry. WINNIPEG A Winnipeg man has been charged with human smuggling after police conducted a traffic stop and found eight African nationals. Manitoba RCMP say an officer stopped a vehicle in Winnipeg early Thursday. One woman and seven men in their mid-20s to mid-30s were inside. Police say seven were confirmed to be foreign nationals from the Republic of Chad and one was from the Republic of Mali in western Africa. Abdi Hassan Ali, 30, was charged and remanded into custody. The foreign nationals were arrested under the Customs Act and sent to an immigration support centre in the city. This is the second time this month RCMP have made an arrest in an alleged human smuggling case in the province. Last month, police arrested a Calgary man, alleging he picked up foreign nationals, also from Chad, who crossed on foot into Manitoba from the United States. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 23, 2024. The Canadian Press Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley called former President Donald Trump 'disgusting' after he said that black voters like him more now that he's posed for a mugshot and been criminally indicted 91 times. Trump made the comments as he headlined Friday night's Black Conservative Federation's Honors Gala in Columbia, South Carolina, on the eve of the state's Republican primary, where Haley and Trump are appearing on the ballot. Haley was asked to react to Trump's eyebrow-raising claims as she left her polling place Saturday in her gated community on Kiawah Island, South Carolina. The 2024 hopeful said, 'that's what happens when he goes off the teleprompter, that's the chaos that comes with Donald Trump, that's the offensiveness that's going to happen every day between now and the general election,' Haley said. 'Which is why I continue to say Donald Trump cannot win a general election. He won't,' she added. Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley called former President Donald Trump 'disgusting' after he said that black voters like him more now that he's posed for a mugshot and been criminally indicted 91 times Former President Donald Trump made the comments while headlining Friday night's Black Conservative Federation's Honors Gala in Columbia, South Carolina, on the eve of the state's Republican primary Haley is Trump's final rival in the Republican primary race and was trailing him by an average of 30 points in her home state of South Carolina heading into Saturday's vote. Trump made two appearances in the state Friday - one at a rally in Rock Hill and then later at the Black Conservative Federation gala dinner. Trump's mugshot from Fulton County, Georgia. He said the 'black population' embraced it more than any other group 'When I did the mug shot in Atlanta, that mug shot is No. 1. You know who embraced it more than anyone else?' Trump asked the predominantly African-American crowd. 'The black population.' He complained that he got indicted for 'nothing' - claiming that's something black voters understand because they see 'what's happening to me happens to them.' 'Does that make sense?' Trump asked. He earned cheers and applause from the crowd. 'And a lot of people said that's why the black people like me, because they have been hurt so badly and discriminated against, and they actually viewed me as I'm being discriminated against,' Trump said. 'It's been pretty amazing but possibly, maybe, there's something there,' the former president added. At the event Trump also quipped, 'These lights are so bright in my eyes that I can't see too many people out there. But I can only see the black ones. I can't see any white ones.' 'You see that's how far I've come. That's how far I've come,' he added. The Biden campaign took issue not specifically with these comments, but with Trump's decision to address black voters. 'The audacity of Trump to speak to a room full of Black voters during Black History Month as if he isn't the proud poster boy for modern racism,' the Biden campaign's Black Media Director Jasmine Harris said in a statement Saturday. 'This is the same man who falsely accused the Central Park 5, questioned George Floyd's humanity, compared his own impeachment trial to being lynched, and ensured the unemployment gap for Black workers spiked during his presidency,' she continued. 'Donald Trump has been showing Black Americans his true colors for years: An incompetent, anti-Black tyrant who holds us to such low regard that he publicly dined with white nationalists a week after declaring his 2024 candidacy,' Harris added. Trump launched his 2024 presidential bid on November 15, 2022. Days later, he sat down for a controversial dinner at Mar-a-Lago with rapper Kanye West, who is black but was under fire for making anti-Semitic remarks, and white nationalist Nick Fuentes. 'Come November, no matter how many disengenuous voter engagement events he attends, Black Americans will show Donald Trump we know exactly who he is,' Harris said. Trump is hoping to strip away some of the support President Joe Biden had in 2020 with black and Latino voters. Biden won about 90 percent of the black vote in 2020. While high, that's a decrease from the support black voters gave to Hillary Clinton, Trump's rival in 2016, which was at 93 percent. President Barack Obama, the nation's first black president, received 97 percent of the vote during his reelection bid in 2012. Democrats were out Saturday in South Carolina casting votes for Republican presidential hopeful Nikki Haley in hopes of pushing former President Donald Trump from the November ballot. DailyMail.com interviewed voters in Columbia and North Charleston and found Democrats, independents and Libertarians who were trying to give the former U.N. ambassador a boost amid dismal polling showing her a whopping 30 points behind Trump in her home state. 'Let's just say I've voted because I'm really concerned about this country and I voted for Nikki Haley,' Becky, 64, told DailyMail.com when leaving Ben Arnold Community Center in Columbia on Saturday afternoon. Alan, 40, says he leans more Democratic but came to vote in the Republican primary for Haley because he is 'against fascism.' 'Seems like the anti-fascism party is kind of the Democrat party right now,' he said. Democratic and anti-Trump Republicans are turning out to cast their ballot for Nikki Haley in an effort to close the gap with Donald Trump in the South Carolina primary election on Saturday The organization PrimaryPivot actively encouraged Democrats to forgo their own primary to participate in the GOP one. PrimaryPivot co-founder Robert Schwartz (right) and senior adviser for South Carolina Tiffany James (left) were outside the Ben Arnold Community Center polling place in Columbia, South Carolina on Saturday prompting voters to cast their ballot against Trump Both Columbia and Charleston are more blue-leaning areas of the red state of South Carolina but still, the turnout is indicative of how anti-Trump parts of the GOP are leaning and how motivated Democrats are trying to foil the former president's chances of making it to the general election. South Carolina has an open primary, so anyone registered to vote in the state can participate as long as they did not cast a ballot in the Democratic presidential primary on February 3. Only about 130,000 voted in that primary, leaving a lot of Democrats free to vote in the Republican primary. 'I'm a Democrat, flat out,' 54-year-old social worker Cynthia Plasters said as she voted alongside her husband at the Hunley Park Elementary School in North Charleston. She said she voted in Saturday's Republican primary 'because I don't want Trump to be on the ballot, that is exactly why.' 'Because I hate Trump. I hate Trump. I think he is a criminal and I think he's corrupt in every way and I think he's awful,' Plasters said. Her husband Chad, 52, also voted for Haley but is an independent. He chose the former South Carolina governor not simply to stop the ex-president but because his values 'align more with Nikki than with Trump.' The organization PrimaryPivot was actively encouraging Democrats to forgo their own primary to participate in the GOP one. The group spent more than $100,000 ahead of the South Carolina primary. They obtained voter files, had three rounds of texts and ran radio ads. Ahead of the Democratic primary earlier this month the group sent texts to 207,000 voters who participated in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary urging them to instead vote in the GOP primary to put up a fight against Trump. 'It's not about being pro-Nikki Haley, it's about lowering Trump's margins,' said PrimaryPivot co-founder Robert Schwartz. 'Every Nikki Haley voter is saying Trump and MAGA is pushing them away.' 'In the unlikely event she wins, our democracy survives,' Schwartz said. Voters in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina cast their ballots Saturday afternoon in the state's Republican primary election Their push in South Carolina comes as Trump was leading Haley by double digits in polls of likely Republican voters leading up to the first-in-the-south primary. The group also worked to mobilize voters in New Hampshire and is looking ahead to Michigan. Haley, herself, has signaled she would take any support she can get. 'Anybody can vote in this election as long as they didn't vote in the Democratic primary on February 3. I need you to get out and vote,' Haley told a crowd of supporters on the eve of the election. 'I need you to take five people with you. I need you to make sure you call your friends, email everybody you know.' Christina Pritchard, 28, told DailyMail.com that she voted for Haley because she's 'nervous about Donald Trump.' She was there casting her ballot with Jonathan Pritchard, 38, who said that Haley only really has a future in politics 'if there ever becomes a post-MAGA era.' Zenda Leaks, 61, also came out to cast a ballot for Haley on Saturday. She has voted candidate over party in the past and thought Haley did a decent job as governor. 'I'm also very, very concerned that if Donald Trump gets in, some of the things that he's saying he's going to do, I believe him,' Leaks stressed. 'I think our democracy would be at serious risk if he got back in, so I voted for Nikki. In North Charleston, 42-year-old Stephen Miller, who works at a sushi restaurant in Mount Pleasant, said he usually votes for Libertarian candidates but backed Haley on Saturday. 'I just think it's time for a new direction. Some younger leadership. And I think she would be less divisive in kind of getting the country back together instead of two polar opposites,' Miller said. Shelby Joffrion, 43, of North Charleston who works for the city of Charleston government has voted in past Republican primaries but considers herself a moderate and said with prompting that she was a 'never Trumper.' On Saturday she went for Haley because 'she's inspiring to women.' 'I feel like women like me we have a voice and she's making me feel like we're heard and conversely I also don't like the other majority candidate - he's caused a lot of chaos and hurt in our country.' Joffrion said if Haley fails to nab the nomination she'll likely vote Democratic in November. 'I'll probably support Biden,' she told DailyMail.com. Angela Rayner has been accused of hypocrisy after it was discovered she made a 48,500 profit on her ex-council house thanks to the right-to-buy policy she now wants to reform. Critics say Labour's deputy leader wants to 'pull up the ladder' to make it harder for other social housing tenants to benefit in the same way she did. Ms Rayner is also Shadow Housing Secretary, and has spoken out against those who get 'loads and loads of discount' when purchasing their properties under the right-to-buy policy first introduced by Margaret Thatcher, and long despised by the Left. But she bought her own former council house in Stockport, Greater Manchester, with a 25 per cent discount in 2007 making the five-figure profit when she sold it at the market rate eight years later. The purchase is revealed in a new book by Lord Ashcroft, which will be serialised exclusively in the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday next month. The volume, Red Queen? The Unauthorised Biography Of Angela Rayner, raises other questions about the outspoken MP's living arrangements. Official documents seen by this newspaper show that she was registered on the electoral roll at the ex-council house in Vicarage Road for five years after she married Mark Rayner in 2010. Despite them being newlyweds, her husband was listed elsewhere a house in Lowndes Lane, just over a mile away, which had also been bought under the right-to-buy scheme. Deputy leader of the Labour Party Angela Rayner. Ms Rayner has been accused of hypocrisy after it was discovered she made a 48,500 profit on her ex-council house thanks to the right-to-buy policy she now wants to reform Angela Rayner at the Labour Party Conference in 2023. Neighbours near both the properties claim Ms Rayner moved into Lowndes Lane property in 2009 More mysteriously, when Ms Rayner re-registered the births of her two youngest children that same year, she gave her address as Lowndes Lane. It is not clear, therefore, where she was living after her marriage. The confusion is significant because under electoral rules, voters are expected to register at their permanent home address. Breaches of the rules can lead to a prison sentence. Also, anyone buying a right-to-buy property usually signs a form confirming that it is their only or principal home, to avoid the properties being used by profiteering private landlords. Neighbours of both properties claimed Ms Rayner moved out of Vicarage Road in 2009 and into Lowndes Lane. Last night, a Labour spokesman said that the council house purchase had been 'done by the book' and went on the attack against 'Belize-based Tory billionaire Lord Ashcroft' for taking 'an unhealthy interest in Angela's family'. The spokesman said: 'Angela, who had an older child from a previous relationship, and her husband maintained their existing residences before moving into their shared marital home. Their son was born just 23 weeks into her pregnancy and spent eight months in intensive care, requiring ongoing support from a wide network of friends and family, including Angela's brother... Beyond the smears, there is no suggestion any rules have been broken.' Right-to-buy was one of the flagship policies of Mrs Thatcher's Government, boosting home ownership by allowing council tenants to purchase the property they rented for a generous discount depending on how long they had lived there. Tenants must repay some of the discount if they sell within five years a penalty Ms Rayner avoided by waiting eight years. When Labour's No 2 was asked about the policy last year she said: 'I think we need to review the way right-to-buy works' adding that one area that needed to be looked at was 'how much of a discount' is on offer. She added: 'If someone's lived in their property for a long time, they've been paying rent and it's their home, then, yes, right-to-buy it. But that right isn't that you get loads, loads of discount and we can't replace the stock.' Critics say that in some areas more than half the houses sold through the policy are owned by private landlords who can then charge more rent than the council. Tory MP Jacob Young said: 'This is staggering hypocrisy from the deputy leader of the Labour Party. Having personally benefited from the right-to-buy discount, she now wants to pull up the ladder on other council tenants wanting to buy their home. Not only that, she appears to have moved into a second home only two years later, also bought under right-to-buy. Angela Rayner with Labour Leader Sir Keir Starmer. The confusion over Ms Rayner's home address is significant because under electoral rules, voters are expected to register at their permanent home address. Breaches of the rules can lead to a prison sentence Lord Ashcroft at the Conservative Party Conference in 2016. The purchase of Ms Rayner's council house is revealed in a new book by Lord Ashcroft, which will be serialised exclusively in the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday next month These revelations raise serious questions about her suitability for office.' Ms Rayner was a tenant in the Victorian semi-detached house in Vicarage Road when she exercised her right-to-buy it from the council in January 2007. The feral single teen mother who wanted to prove her critics wrong By Martin Beckford Known for her garish shoes and her equally colourful language, Angela Rayner was born in March 1980 to an unemployed father and a mother with severe mental health problems. She would go to school in Stockport without breakfast and have a bath once a week at her nanas flat as she had proper heating. Bullied at school and forced to care for her mother at home, by her own admission she went feral: drinking after dark. She got pregnant at 15 after meeting a slightly older youth at a nightclub, and gave birth to her first child, a son called Ryan, just a few months after collecting her GCSEs. She moved into a council flat with the father, but he left her on her 18th birthday and she found herself a single teenage mother. However she has said the experience saved her as she became determined to prove wrong those who said she would never amount to anything. She got a job as a care worker and began her journey into politics by becoming a Unison shop steward. It was through the trade union movement that she met future husband Mark Rayner, but they also faced difficulties as the first of their two sons, Charlie, was born at just 23 weeks and spent months in intensive care. Ms Rayner joined Labour in 2006 and won the Ashton-under-Lyne seat in the 2015 Election. A year later she became Shadow Education Secretary, and deputy leader in 2020. But her rapid rise has not been without controversy. Last year she was forced to repay a 139 expenses claim for a pair of Apple earphones and in 2021 she had to apologise for describing the Conservatives as scum, and had an angry row with a Cabinet Minister who mocked her as a champagne socialist for attending the opera during a rail strike. She also has a prickly relationship with Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer. She became a grandmother aged 37. She split from her husband in 2020 and two years ago it emerged she was in a relationship with fellow Labour MP Sam Tarry. In a revealing interview she told how she had taken a 5,600 loan for cosmetic surgery because my boobs just looked like two boiled eggs in socks. Advertisement Records show she took out a mortgage to pay 79,000 for the two-bedroom property, having been granted a 26,000 discount on its market value a typical right-to-buy discount of one quarter. She sold it for 127,500 in March 2015, making a paper profit of 48,500. Seven weeks later she became an MP, winning the Ashton-under-Lyne seat at the General Election. At the time Ms Rayner bought the house she was Angela Bowen, a 26-year-old single mother of Ryan, aged nine. In 2008 she gave birth to Charles, by her then boyfriend Mark Rayner, with a third boy, James, following in 2009. After she and Mark married in September 2010 she was registered on the electoral roll at Vicarage Road while her husband was listed at Lowndes Lane. He had bought the property in 1991, also through the right-to-buy scheme. In October 2009, the electoral roll listed Angela Bowen at Vicarage Road while the Lowndes Lane address listed both Mr Rayner and Darren Bowen, the name of Ms Rayner's elder brother. On their marriage certificate, Mr Rayner gave his residence as the Lowndes Lane address, while Ms Rayner gave Vicarage Road. However, in October 2010, six weeks after her marriage, Ms Rayner re-registered the births of her two younger sons and gave Lowndes Lane as her address, despite being on the electoral roll at Vicarage Road. She maintained this Vicarage Road listing for the next five years until she moved on to the register at Lowndes Lane. But one resident, who has lived on Vicarage Road for 40 years, said: 'I have never once seen her on this street. I am a Labour supporter and Angela Rayner is very recognisable with her red hair. I don't remember seeing anyone who looked like her living on this street.' Another neighbour, who has lived in the street for 17 years, said: 'How bizarre. As far as I know, she has never lived in that house. 'I know who she is since she is very recognisable, but I've never seen her here. 'Maybe she had lodgers or rented it out. I'm sure I would have known if she was a neighbour.' Lord Ashcroft's book quotes another neighbour in Vicarage Road who says Ms Rayner moved out after her youngest two children were born and her brother Darren then moved in. And a neighbour in Lowndes Lane says Ms Rayner and her husband lived there with their children from the summer of 2009 three years before the five-year grace period on selling her right-to-buy house expired. 'I knew her to nod to and say hello, but we never met Darren,' says the neighbour. Right-to-buy owners are usually allowed to rent out their property during their first five years of ownership, but are expected to notify the council. They also need their mortgage lender to agree. Labour opposed Mrs Thatcher's right-to-buy policy when it was introduced, and when elected in 1997 reduced the discount available in many areas. But in 2012 the Tories increased that discount which Labour are now committed to 'review', branding it 'unfair'. A spokesman for the Electoral Commission did not comment on Ms Rayner's personal circumstances, but said: 'Normally a person is resident at an address if it is their permanent home address. Whether someone is eligible to be on the register at an address is for the relevant electoral registration officer. Jacob Young, Tory MP for Redcar. Speaking about Ms Rayner he said: 'This is staggering hypocrisy from the deputy leader of the Labour Party. Having personally benefited from the right-to-buy discount, she now wants to pull up the ladder on other council tenants wanting to buy their home' When Angela Rayner was asked about the policy last year she said: 'I think we need to review the way right-to-buy works' adding that one area that needed to be looked at was 'how much of a discount' is on offer' Angela Rayner at the dispatch box. When Ms Rayner married Mark Rayner in 2010 they both gave different addresses. Mr Rayner claimed to live at Lowndes Lane while Ms Rayner claimed to live at the former council house on Vicarage Road 'It is an offence to knowingly provide false information in the voter registration application form. If convicted, a person may be imprisoned for up to six months and/or face an unlimited fine. This would be a matter for police to investigate.' Stockport Council did not respond to a request for comment. The MoS asked Ms Rayner a series of detailed questions about her arrangements, but received only this reply from a Labour spokesperson: 'While Belize-based Tory billionaire Lord Ashcroft kicks out at those who graft to get on in life, Labour supports the principle that if you live in a council house and work hard you should have the opportunity to own your own home. 'We have committed to reviewing the unfair discounts introduced by the Conservatives in 2012, but Angela's purchase long predates that and was done by the book. 'While the Tories have shattered the dream of home ownership, Labour will deliver the biggest boost to affordable, social and council housing for a generation. 'Angela, who had an older child from a previous relationship, and her husband maintained their existing residences before moving into their shared marital home. 'Their son was born just 23 weeks into her pregnancy and spent eight months in intensive care, requiring ongoing support from a wide network of friends and family, including Angela's brother. 'It's clear that Lord Ashcroft takes an unhealthy interest in Angela's family, but beyond the smears, there is no suggestion any rules have been broken.' Responding, Lord Ashcroft said that rather than answer the questions his new book raises, Labour 'has tried to divert attention from the story by seemingly attacking me without knowing anything about my background. For the record my roots are in Burnley in a two-up, two-down. The toilet was in the back yard and we used torn-up newspaper as toilet paper! My dad was an enlisted infantryman, my mother a nurse. 'Having cleared that up, don't voters deserve to know where Angela Rayner lived between 2007 and 2015? As the Electoral Commission says, the electoral roll is 'the key building block for our democracy'. She should appreciate that as a deputy PM-in-waiting.' Lee Anderson says he will 'continue to support efforts to call out extremism in all its forms' after he was suspended by the Conservatives for refusing to apologise for 'Islamophobic, racist' comments he made about the Mayor of London. Mr Anderson, MP for Ashfield, had the whip withdrawn after he made comments on GB News suggesting Sadiq Khan was controlled by 'Islamists' and had 'given our capital city away to his mates' in an interview on GB News. A spokesperson for the party's chief whip Simon Hart said the decision had been made following the former Tory deputy chairman's 'refusal to apologise' for the remarks made on Friday. Following his suspension, Mr Anderson said he 'fully accepted' that Mr Hart and the Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, had 'no option' but to suspend his party membership, adding that he would continue to support 'efforts to call out extremism'. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said it was 'right' for Mr Anderson to lose the whip - but has accused the party of allowing other MPs to 'act with impunity' over other controversial statements and actions this week. Lee Anderson has been suspended by the Conservative party after he refused to apologise for 'Islamophobic, racist' comments where he claimed that London Mayor Sadiq Khan was controlled by 'Islamists' In a statement shared on social media, Mr Anderson said he would 'continue to support the Government's efforts to call out extremism', including Islamophobia Sadiq Khan has hit out against Lee Anderson for 'pouring fuel on the fire of anti-Muslim hatred' after the Tory MP made 'Islamophobic, racist' comments about him Lee Anderson (pictured) said on GB News last night that Sadiq Khan - the first Muslim Mayor of London - is controlled by Islamists and that he has 'given our capital city away to his mates' The Mayor criticised Prime Minister Rishi Sunak (pictured) for his 'deafening silence' Pressure had been mounting on Rishi Sunak to take action over the comments from the Ashfield MP, with Mr Khan (pictured) saying the 'deafening silence' of the Prime Minister and his Cabinet amounted to condoning racism Reform UK leader Richard Tice (pictured during the party's spring conference today) said he was not interested in 'pathetic Tory squabbling' when asked about Anderson's future He said: 'Following a call with the Chief Whip, I understand the difficult position that I have put both he and the Prime Minister in with regard to my comments. 'I fully accept that they had no option but to suspend the whip in these circumstances. 'However, I will continue to support the Government's efforts to call out extremism in all its forms - be that anti-Semitism or Islamophobia.' Pressure had been mounting on Rishi Sunak to take action over the comments from the Ashfield MP, with Mr Khan saying the 'deafening silence' of the Prime Minister and his Cabinet amounted to condoning racism. A spokesperson for Mr Hart said: 'Following his refusal to apologise for comments made yesterday, the Chief Whip has suspended the Conservative whip from Lee Anderson MP.' A Conservative source was defending Mr Anderson last night and this morning before he was stripped of party support at around 3pm this afternoon. This comes after Sadiq Khan hit out against Anderson earlier this afternoon for 'pouring fuel on the fire of anti-Muslim hatred'. The ex-deputy Tory chairman said on GB News last night that Khan - the first Muslim Mayor of London - is controlled by Islamists and that he has 'given our capital city away to his mates'. Mr Anderson said last night: 'I don't actually believe that these Islamists have got control of our country, but what I do believe is they've got control of Khan and they've got control of London and they've got control of Starmer as well. 'Again, this stems with Khan, he's actually given our capital city away to his mates. 'Beware, because if you let Labour in through the back door, expect more of this and expect our cities to be taken over by these lunatics.' Comparisons have been made between Mr Anderson's comments on GB News and remarks made by Suella Braverman in the Telegraph on Friday, in which she said 'the Islamists, the extremists and the anti-Semites are in charge' of the UK. Ms Braverman was sacked as Home Secretary after writing an inflammatory article for The Times in which she suggested police were biased towards pro-Palestinian protesters; the article was not signed off by Downing Street. Criticisms have also been directed at former Prime Minister Liz Truss after she appeared not to react to former Trump strategist Steve Bannon describing far-right thug Tommy Robinson as a 'hero' at the conservative CPAC conference in the US. Both remain Conservative MPs despite calls from some, including Brent Central Labour MP Dawn Butler, for their party membership to be suspended. Responding after Mr Anderson was suspended, Sir Keir Starmer said: 'It's right that Lee Anderson has lost the whip after his appalling racist and Islamophobic outburst against Sadiq Khan. 'But what does it say about the Prime Minister's judgment that he made Lee Anderson deputy chairman of his party? 'Whether it is Liz Truss staying silent on Tommy Robinson or Suella Braverman's extreme rhetoric, Rishi Sunak's weakness means Tory MPs can act with impunity. 'This isn't just embarrassing for the Conservative Party, it emboldens the worst forces in our politics. Rishi Sunak needs to get a grip and take on the extremists in his party. 'The Tories may be getting more and more desperate as the election approaches, but Rishi Sunak has a responsibility to stop this slide into ever more toxic rhetoric.' Ms Butler tweeted: 'Now @10DowningStreet has to remove the whip from #SuellaBraverman. Suella Braverman said "the Islamists are in charge" of Britain. 'Liz Truss said (eyes emoji) (facepalm emoji). All from Trump playbook! We don't need that hatred imported to the UK. Dangerous for our democracy.' The Conservative party declined to comment. Anderson had earned a reputation as an attack dog and enforcer within the party prior to his resignation from the deputy party chair last month He had been seen as a valuable red wall ally to Rishi Sunak before he opted to rebel against the government on the Rwanda bill in January Tory Minister Nus Ghani branded Lee Anderson's comments as 'both foolish and dangerous' Anderson's comments, which were made following pro-Palestine protests outside Parliament, have been condemned by Labour chairwoman Anneliese Dodds Former Conservative chancellor Sir Sajid Javid branded Anderson's remarks as 'ridiculous' The ex-deputy Tory chairman said on GB News last night that Khan (pictured) is controlled by Islamists and that he has 'given our capital city away to his mates' Speaking to Sky News, Mr Khan said the comments from the senior Conservative MP 'pour fuel on the fire of anti-Muslim hatred'. He added: 'We've seen over the last two days confirmation that over the last few months there had been an increase in anti-Muslim cases by more than 330%. 'I am afraid the deafening silence from Rishi Sunak and from the cabinet is them condoning this racism. 'I think it's really important to call out antisemitism, it's really important to call out misogyny, it's really important to call out homophobia, but surely it must also be important to call out anti-Muslim hatred. 'My concern is there will be people across the country - people who are Muslim or look like Muslims - who will be really concerned about entering into politics because they know that if these are the comments being made about me by a senior Conservative, what chance do they have?' He said he was not sure why members of the cabinet were not 'calling this out' and condemning Anderson's words. Tobias Ellwood, Conservative MP, told BBC Radio 4's PM programme on Saturday evening he was 'disgusted' by Mr Anderson's remarks. He added: 'I think some individuals have lost sight of what it means to be a Conservative and what has in the past allowed us to secure electoral success. 'We've done well when we operate from the centre-right. When we start courting populism that means we lose; we resort to the extreme and no extreme parties ever win. 'I'm pleased action was swiftly taken but you could argue it was almost overdue. Let's get back to politics and not doing the Trump-esque noise which somehow seems to attract elements in our party but certainly will not appeal to Britain as a whole.' Asked if he would welcome Mr Anderson leaving, Mr Ellwood added: 'That's for him to decide. I've distanced myself from that sort of politics. Conservatives are better than that.' This morning, Grant Shapps said he 'wouldn't phrase things like that', when asked whether Anderson's comments about Sadiq Khan were acceptable - but he stopped short of condemning them. The Defence Secretary distanced himself from Mr Anderson's claims, but did say he believed the Mayor done 'terrible things to our capital' and that he had concerns about the way pro-Palestinian protests were being policed. Speaking to BBC Breakfast, Mr Shapps said: 'I haven't seen the comments, I should say, so just based off what you've just told me, but it's certainly not the way I would put things. 'I think there are more concerns about the way that some of these protests have been taking place, in particular what we saw projected onto Parliament this week, but I certainly wouldn't phrase things like that.' Asked whether Mr Anderson should lose the Tory whip, Mr Shapps said the matter was 'one for (the) party itself'. He declined to say whether Mr Anderson was a good representative voice for the Conservative party, saying only that 'we live in a democracy where people are allowed to speak their mind and Lee Anderson, I think, is famed for speaking his mind.' 'I'm pleased action was swiftly taken but you could argue it was almost overdue. Let's get back to politics and not doing the Trump-esque noise which somehow seems to attract elements in our party but certainly will not appeal to Britain as a whole.' The Labour Party earlier wrote to Rishi Sunak demanding that he withdraw the Tory whip from Anderson for his 'vile Islamophobia' and 'dangerous conspiracy theories'. Shadow cabinet member Jonathan Ashworth, who penned the letter, wrote on X, formerly Twitter: 'Sunak has a clear choice: show some backbone and withdraw the whip or be forever known as too weak to take them on.' Removing the whip means that Anderson would no longer sit as a Tory MP within the House of Commons. A Conservative source said this morning: 'Lee was simply making the point that the Mayor, in his capacity as PCC for London, has abjectly failed to get a grip on the appalling examples of extremism we have seen in London recently.' A serving junior Tory minister earlier hit out against Anderson, saying his comments are 'both foolish and dangerous'. Business minister of state Nus Ghani, who is a Muslim, wrote at 11.46am on X: 'I have spoken to Lee Anderson. 'I've called out Islamic extremism (& been attacked by hard left, far right & Islamists). 'I don't for one moment believe that Sadiq Khan is controlled by Islamists. To say so, is both foolish and dangerous. 'Frankly this is all so tiring...' In response to Anderson's comments the Muslim Council of Britain said: 'While we welcome Mr Andersons suspension, his comments did not occur in a vacuum and is only the tip of an iceberg. 'We have seen a week where Conservative politicians have brazenly leaned into the Muslims are taking over trope. 'And Mr Andersons suspension has only taken place after widespread disgust. The Conservative Party has an Islamophobia problem. They need to own up to it.' Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood said he was 'disgusted' by Mr Anderson's remarks, adding: 'Conservatives are better than that' A spokesperson for chief Tory party whip Simon Hart (pictured) said the decision had been taken to suspend Mr Anderson over his 'refusal to apologise' for the GB News remarks Conservative leader at London City Hall, Neil Garratt, also criticised Anderson Former Conservative MP and Theresa May's ex-chief of staff Gavin Barwell slammed Anderson Grant Shapps (pictured) distanced himself from Mr Anderson's claim that Islamists had 'got control' of Mr Khan and that the mayor had 'given our capital city away to his mates' His suspension has prompted speculation that Mr Anderson may finally defect to Richard Tice's Reform UK, formerly the Brexit Party - whom he claims has sought to recruit him in the past. Nigel Farage, who stepped down as Reform leader in 2021, told the Express today that Anderson should make the leap to the party, which made gains against the Tories in a series of recent by-elections, alarming Tory chiefs. Mr Farage said: 'Lee Anderson should join Reform UK.' Mr Tice did not rule out opening the door to Mr Anderson after his suspension, telling the PA news agency on Saturday: "I haven't been in touch with Lee, he hasn't been in touch with me.' Anderson's comments, which were made following pro-Palestine protests outside Parliament, were earlier condemned by Labour chairwoman Anneliese Dodds as 'unambiguously racist and Islamophobic'. She wrote on X: 'Rishi Sunak needs to immediately remove the whip. If he is too weak, then people will take their own view of the modern Conservative Party.' Former Conservative chancellor and Home Secretary Sir Sajid Javid, who is of Muslim background but does not practice any religion, branded Anderson's remarks as 'a ridiculous thing to say'. Conservative leader at London City Hall, Neil Garratt, also criticised Anderson, saying: 'The Saturday marches fuel both antisemitism and the fear of antisemitism. Many Jews no longer feel welcome in their own city, hence why I have repeatedly argued that the police should do more. 'But Islamists have not taken control of Sadiq Khan, and they are not running London. 'I have no shortage of criticisms of Mayor Khan as regular viewers will know, but he is not an Islamist, he is not in the pockets of Islamists, and I completely disagree with anyone who says otherwise.' Former Conservative MP and Theresa May's ex-chief of staff Gavin Barwell slammed Anderson for his comments, tweeting: 'A despicable slur on @SadiqKhan and Londoners. 'In his first speech as PM, @RishiSunak said he would "unite our country". If he allows the likes of Anderson to spread hate and division like this, those words will be revealed as a sham.' Nigel Farage has suggested that Mr Anderson should join Reform UK - the political organisation he founded as the Brexit Party Anderson (pictured) was one of the deputy chairmen of the Conservative Party until January, but he resigned as he planned to rebel over the vote of the Government's Rwanda bill Shadow cabinet member Jonathan Ashworth (pictured), who penned the letter, wrote on X, formerly Twitter: 'Sunak has a clear choice: show some backbone and withdraw the whip or be forever known as too weak to take them on' Sadiq Khan said the comments were 'Islamophobic, anti-Muslim and racist' - and came after independent reports suggested Muslim hate crime had tripled in recent months A Conservative spokesperson said: 'An investigation and subsequent independent review, both conducted over several years by professor Swaran Singh, found no evidence of institutional racism in the Conservative Party.' Anderson's comments on Sadiq Khan are just the latest in a long line of controversial and contentious statements he has made in the press. He had earned a reputation as an attack dog and enforcer within the party prior to his resignation from the deputy party chair last month, previously hitting out at MPs such as Labour's Jess Phillips for taking on additional work after she presented an episode of BBC topical panel show Have I Got News For You. Anderson later accepted a 100,000 deal to present shows on GB News while also working as an MP. In an interview with the Spectator last August, he called for the return of the death penalty because 'nobody has ever committed a crime after being executed'. He has previously accused people who use food banks of being unable to 'cook properly', adding: 'We can make a meal for about 30p a day', earning him the 30p Lee monicker. Anderson stepped down as deputy Tory party chairman in January to rebel against Rishi Sunak's Rwanda bill. He ultimately abstained after he said he couldn't bear to stand among Labour MPs also voting against it because they 'giggled and laughed' at him. In the same interview with GB News last night, Anderson said that politicians should take over the from the police as they were not cracking down hard enough on pro-Palestine protesters. He said: 'Ultimately we run the country, and if the police aren't doing their job and they're not doing their job we need to step in and take over.' Former President Donald Trump predicted tens of millions of migrants will pour into the country if President Biden is reelected, and said violent incarcerated criminals are 'nicer' than people coming in. Trump compared the migrants to criminals in his speech to CPAC, where he said 'ruthless gangs' would be 'invading' the country if Biden were reelected, raising the issue early in remarks that were headed far past the hour-long mark. 'All of a sudden we're starting to like our prisoners and our horrible violent criminals because they're nicer than the people that are flowing in. They're coming from Asia. They're coming from the Middle East. They're coming from all over the world, coming from Africa, and we're not going to stand for it anymore as a country,' Trump said. 'We're not going to stand for it anymore. They're destroying our country.' Former President Donald Trump said migrants were 'destroying our country' Trump said people were coming in from 'countries that nobody ever heard of,' and said people from 'prisons in the Congo' were coming. 'Let me tell you the only good thing is they make our prisoners and our bad gang members look like very nice people by comparison. That's the one good thing,' he said. It was just his latest denunciation of the migrant influx, in a speech where he described a bleak future if President Biden gets a second term that came on the day of the South Carolina primary. 'The worst is yet to come. Our country will go and see the levels that were unimaginable,' Trump said, flipping the title of the Frank Sinatra hit. 'With four more years of Biden the hordes of illegal aliens stampeding across our borders will exceed 40 to 50 million people,' he claimed. Trump predicted tens of millions of migrants would enter the country if Biden were reelected Federal Correctional Institution, Allenwood Low is one of many federal U.S. prisons. Trump said migrants made U.S. prisoners look 'nicer' 'Medicare, Social Security, health care and public education will buckle and collapse,' he said. 'Ruthless gangs will explode even more into the suburbs,' Trump said, then switching gears to say suburban women are 'going to love me so much.' 'The gangs will be invading your territory. He said Hamas and Antifa 'will terrorize our streets ... China will dominate us.' He also referenced authorities he invoked as president citing health concerns as a way to deny entry to migrants seeking asylum. We don't want to have this contagion in our country,' Trump said. Trump's migrant rhetoric has long been a powerful political tool, but it has also drawn blowback, as it did in 2016 when he said Mexico was sending 'rapists' into the country and first called for a 'Muslim ban.' It comes during an election year when voters rank immigration as a top concern. President Biden has himself begun to take a tougher public line, and a collapsed deal to aide Ukraine and Israel included new funding for border agents and judges. A survivor of the Salisbury Novichok poisonings has warned Alexei Navalny's widow that she 'could be next'. Charlie Rowley's partner Dawn Sturgess was killed by the deadly nerve agent in 2018 and he was left partly paralysed. Now he fears Yulia Navalnaya could be Putin's next victim and has warned her to 'watch her back'. His intervention comes after Navalnaya released a video insisting Putin had used Novichok to murder her jailed husband after he 'could not be broken'. The body of late Russian dissident Alexei Navalny was handed over to his mother today after a nine day wait. Charlie Rowley, a survivor of the Salisbury Novichok poisonings, has warned Alexei Navalny 's widow Yulia Navalnaya that she 'could be next' Yulia Navalnaya recently released a video insisting Putin had used Novichok to murder her jailed husband after he 'could not be broken' Mr Rowley's partner Dawn Sturgess (pictured), was unwittingly poisoned by Novichok leading to her death in 2018 Alexei Navalny, pictured in court in 2021, died suddenly on February 16 after a walk, according to Russia. His shock death aged 47 has led critics to blame Putin for direct involvement Mr Rowley, 50, told The Mirror the news of Navalny's death sent him sent him spiralling back into PTSD and his worst nightmares. He said if he ever meets Yulia he will be linked to her as he knows Putin 'wrecks lives' because he destroyed his and his partner Dawn's. 'But I want to warn her to watch her back. Be very careful or she could be next' he told the paper. Mr Rowley still lives in fear and said he could say nasty words about Putin but does not want to. He is still traumatised from the events surrounding the alleged attempted murder of former Russian military intelligence double agent Sergei Skripal, 68, in Salisbury. In March 2018 both he and his then 33-year-old daughter Yulia were rushed to hospital in critical condition after coming into contact with Novichok - a deadly nerve agent concocted by Soviet scientists during the Cold War. Russian agents spied on Sergei and Yulia Skripal (pictured) five years before the Salisbury novichok poisoning - they both survived Mother-of-three Dawn Sturgess (left) and her partner Charlie Rowley (right) fell ill at the flat after she handled a perfume bottle containing the poison. She died in hospital in Salisbury, Wiltshire, on July 8, 2018. Mr Rowley was left seriously ill but recovered The counterfeit perfume box found by Mr Rowley in June 2018 Both of the Russian suspects escaped following the attack. Russia claims they were just tourists visiting the famous cathedral's tall spire They survived the suspected attempted murder, but four months later Mr Rowley found the fake Nina Ricci perfume bottle in a charity shop bin which contained the Novichok used by the Moscow hitmen in their initial botched assassination of the Skripals. He gave it to his partner Ms Sturgess who unwittingly sprayed it on her wrist. The pair were admitted to hospital within hours, and tragically Ms Sturgess, 44, died on July 8, 2018. Mr Rowley suffered multiple strokes and nerve damage and lost his home after the attack because the property was severely contaminated. Remembering his ordeal of suffering Mr Rowley said he is sure Navalny would have suffered his 'worst nightmare'. He said the illness caused him to feel like he was going through 'hell'. Yesterday, supporters of Navalny, 47, celebrated after his body was eventually returned to his family after a nine day wait. Navalny in a hearing via video link from the penal colony in Kharp on January 11, 2024 Yulia Navalnaya, wife of the late Russian dissident Alexei Navalny, leaves the Europa Building in Brussels on February 19, three days after the death of her husband Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a presentation in Kazan, February 22, 2024 Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny and his wife Yulia Navalnaya in September 2020 Navalnaya said in her address that Putin's decision not to release the body was 'satanism' Russia previously said it would not release Navalny's body to his family for 14 days as investigators probe the hazy circumstances of his death - a move critics said suggested foul play. Navalny was previously poisoned with Novichok while investigating Russian corruption in 2020. It is not yet known what caused Navalny's death, with Russia initially claiming he died from 'sudden death syndrome' after a walk on February 16. Paramedics reportedly came to try to rehabilitate him without success. Navalny, who was serving a 19-year sentence on charges of 'extremism', had only recently been moved from his former prison in the Vladimir region of central Russia to a grisly 'special regime' penal colony above the Arctic Circle. Navalny was last seen via video link during a court hearing. Yulia Navalnaya, who has vowed to keep up her late husband's anti-corruption work, said in a new video directly accusing Putin of responsibility in Navalny's death: 'What Putin is doing now is hate. No, it's not even hatred, it's Satanism.' 'What will you do with his corpse? How low will you sink to mock the man you murdered?' she continued. The Kremlin has denied allegations of its involvement in Navalny's death, calling the West's reaction 'hysterical'. Putin, who famously never said Navalny's name in public, has not commented on the death of his most vocal critic. Following a private meeting with US President Joe Biden on Thursday, Yulia Navalnaya spoke candidly about her husband's death in a video shared on YouTube. A 40-year-old Virginia woman has been charged with murder for leaving an 11-month-old child and a dog in a hot car, resulting in their deaths. Kristen Danielle Graham, 40, has been charged with one felony count of murder and is being held without bond at the Virginia Peninsula Regional Jail. Graham was given responsibility of 11-month-old Myrical Wicker by her 17-year-old mother for two days. She had been alone in the car for approximately eight and a half hours. The child was discovered dead in a black plastic bag in the back of a car by emergency room personnel at Mary Immaculate Hospital in Newport News. Kristen Danielle Graham, 40, has been accused of leaving an 11-month-old child and a dog in a hot car which resulted in their death Myrical Wicker's 17-year-old mother left her with Graham to babysit for two days. The dog belonged to Graham Officials say Graham received a phone call from her friend around 1am on September 12 asking her to bring cigarettes. Her friend couldn't buy them herself because she was caring for an elderly person in Newport News at that time. Graham put the child and dog in the back of the car, went to a 7-Eleven to get the cigarettes and spent some 'considerable' time at her friend's place. She then drove back to York County at 8am and left the baby and dog in the car with the windows rolled up. At around 2.30pm, Graham 'woke up' when she received a phone call and went out to check on the dog and baby. Both the baby and dog were dead by that point. Sheriff Ron Montgomery said that officials are waiting for the baby's autopsy results to decide if charges will be upgraded to homicide. Graham left the baby and dog in the car with the windows rolled up at 8am. At around 2.30pm, she 'woke up' and went out to check on the dog and baby. Both were dead by then Court documents show 80-year-old Paul Kudlaty brought the deceased infant to Bon Secours Mary Immaculate Hospital in a trash bag. He is not facing charges. The sheriff added that Graham has given conflicting accounts of why the child and dog were left in the vehicle. He said that the office was investigating if she deliberately went into the house and left them both in the car. Sheriff Montgomery further said in his statement: 'These are not typical situations that we deal with in York County, and when you do come across the death of a child, it affects everyone the investigators, the law enforcement people there, the EMS people that have to respond to these types of things. 'And I can tell you that the mood of the agency today when we had a briefing on it this morning is somewhat shock and disbelief, even though were professionals and we have to do everything we possibly can do to do a thorough, professional investigation.' He said that investigators are trying to figure out how hot the inside of the vehicle would have been before the two dead bodies were discovered. The sheriff mentioned that Graham would often babysit the child often and care for her 'friend of a friend's baby'. Police officials have not revealed the name of the 17-year-old mother and information about the dog. A lawsuit filed by his son claims Vostrikova transported him out of the country to hasten his death by leaving him to rot in a hotel bed The caretaker of a real estate mogul 'jealously manipulated' the ailing billionaire into travelling to Russia where she left him to die an agonizing death so she could pocket $2 million of inheritance, a bombshell lawsuit claims. Family of Allan H. Goldman are suing his assistant Natalia Vostrikova and alleging that she spent years siphoning off $8.2 million of his wealth. Goldman died in a St Petersburg hospital on January 15, 2022, following multiple organ failure and a years-long battle with Parkinson's disease. But his son Steven Gurney-Goldman, who filed the suit in Nassau County, claims he was driven to an early grave by his longtime employee, who allegedly isolated him from family before whisking him off to Russia where he died alone. Vostrikova denies the claims against her and insisted to the New York Post that she was Goldman's 'wife.' Family of Allan H. Goldman are suing his caretaker Natalia Vostrikova claiming she deliberately neglected him to hasten his death so she could pocket $2 million in inheritance Goldman died in a St Petersburg hospital on January 15, 2022 following multiple organ failure and a years-long battle with Parkinson's disease A lawsuit claims that Vostrikova transported him from his New York home to Russia where she left him to rot in bed But Goldman's son claimed in the litigation that the $120,000-a-year caretaker refused to provide medication and proper care for her ward, resulting in bed sores so severe it left bone exposed and saw the billionaire drop 50lbs. Goldman was the son of property developer Sol Goldman, who once counted the Chrysler Building in his property portfolio. He was worth at least $1 billion at the time of his death, which prompted a Succession-style battle over his massive fortune. But in the latest development, his son in his capacity as executor of his father's estate, has accused Vostrikova of isolating him from friends and family - something he says only increased when she learned of a $2 million gift in the billionaire's will. 'Defendant Vostrikova accelerated her efforts to systematically neglect and intentionally harm Mr. Goldman for purposes of exacerbating and taking advantage of his incapacities so that she could (a) wrongfully transfer significantly more money to herself from Mr. Goldman's financial accounts, and (b) ultimately hasten his death so that she could more quickly inherit under his estate plan,' the lawsuit reads. By July 2021, Goldman's Parkinson's disease had left him largely incapacitated and it was then that Vostrikova removed him to Russia allegedly under the guise of receiving treatment, according to the filings. But instead of taking him to hospital, Vostrikova booked a room at a luxury five-star hotel and began subjecting Goldman to non-traditional clinics, 'in an effort to further avoid treating Mr Goldman for Parkinson's,' the lawsuit alleges. The family claim that his condition only worsened after Vostrikova failed to take care of his personal hygiene and allowed bed sores to develop which became infected by contact with feces and urine. Goldman's son said in the litigation that the $120,000-a-year caretaker refused to provide medication and proper care for her ward, resulting in bed sores so severe it left bone exposed and saw the billionaire drop 50lbs Vostrikova denies the claims against her and insisted it was a 'lot of lies' All the while, she was, 'enjoying an extravagant, lavish expense-fueled vacation in Moscow, spending tens of thousands of dollars on Mr Goldman's American Express [...] and even bragging to certain individuals about the quality of her life,' the lawsuit states. Goldman's son claims that family were denied updates or the opportunity to speak to their father while he lay bed ridden. Eventually before his visa was due to expire, Vostrikova called a doctor who noted the billionaire weighed just 138lbs and was covered in multiple 'excruciating' bedsores , according to the complaint. But rather than send admit him to a Moscow hospital as urged by the doctor, the defendant arranged for him to make a treacherous journey to a hospital 400 miles north in St Petersburg where he died alone a day after arriving, his family contend. Autopsises performed by medics in Russia and the US found that he had an untreated bacterial infection which had left him with pneumonia and two quarts of infected fluid in his chest cavity, causing his right lung to collapse, the filings state. He was also noted to have. 'multiple infected and ulcerated pressure sores on his heels, ankles, thighs, sacrum, shoulder blades, and hand, several allowed to develop for so long that they went all the way to Mr. Goldman's bone resulting in septicemia and sepsis and the loss of over 25 percent body weight,' per the lawsuit. His children said they only learned of his death via an email from a Russian attorney they had hired to investigate his situation and to try and bring him home. They claim that while he was alive, Vostrikova had been funneling their father's money for her own gain, even splashing out on a $1.8 million five bedroom home in one of Long Island's most exclusive neighborhoods. However she has refuted the accusations in a statement to The Post. Goldman's family allege Vostrikova spent years siphoning off $8.2 million of his wealth in a lawsuit filed in Nassau County Supreme Court 'It's a lot of lies,' Vostrikova said, describing herself as Goldman's 'wife.' She has accused the family of defamation in her own court papers. Goldman's ex-wife Susan confirmed he and Vostrikova were romantically involved for up to 20 years and that she had taken him to Russia for stem cell treatment. However his daughter Stephanie Goldman hit back at the claims. 'My father did not believe that Natasha cared about him. According to the nurses' logs, my father told a nurse that Natasha pretended to care about him but that pretending was better than nothing,' she said in legal papers. 'I do not believe he had the cognitive ability to make most decisions, including financial ones, much less the cognitive or physical ability to authorize and sign the checks he purportedly issues.' Donald Trump gave an 87-minute speech at CPAC where he denied rambling and brought up critics who say he is cognitively impaired saying he was in fact a 'genius.' 'They'll say he rambled he's cognitively impaired,' Trump said about an hour into his speech, denying those who have criticized his mental state. 'No, it's really the opposite. It's total genius, you know that,' Trump said, having called himself a 'stable genius' while in office. Trump made the comments during rambling remarks where he gave impressions of Biden, casting the president as constantly asking people where he was and struggling to manage stage instructions. He repeatedly championed his own style of veering off script, defending his 'very informative' stories, during remarks where he gave impressions of Joe Biden and railed about favorite subjects ranging from low flow water-saving devices to his gripes about electric cars. Former President Donald Trump brought up critics who say he is 'cognitively impaired' during an 87 minute speech at CPAC It came after a week when President Biden's own age and memory were once again an issue, including the president's use of note cards even in closed events. In one of many odd tangents in his speech, Trump praised Russian President Putin days after the death of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, then agreed with Putin's recent comment that Russia would like to see a second term for Biden. 'I talked to Putin a lot. I got along with him well, although he did announced the other day that he'd much rather see Biden as President. And I agree with him. I agree because you know, I ended Nord Stream right?' Trump said, referencing former U.S. sanctions on pipeline construction. 'Biden, he's more experienced, more predictable, he's a politician of the old formation,' Putin said this week. 'But we will work with any U.S. leader whom the American people trust.' Referencing the media, Trump said, 'These fakers up there. 'He rambled on endlessly. Telling these horrible and very boring stories.' No, they're very informative stories they're very important stories, actually,' Trump said. 'No they said there is no cognitive problem if there was a know about it. In fact, if there was, you'll be the first to know because I will tell you,' he told the crowd. Then Trump got back to one of his digressions, relating to imposing tariffs on Mexico. 'What happens is I was talking to the gentleman, and he's very confident, and I said no, you're going to do it. You're going to do it. And he thought, this a weird conversation because he kept saying no. I said, No, you're gonna do it. 100 per cent. Don't even think about it. No, I said, No. I said no, but he says I have to say, No? I said, I said, Yes. He said, I can't do it. Said here's what I'm doing. It's Friday evening, starting Monday morning, at seven o'clock. Mexico is going to pay a tariff of 25% on all of the cars that you stole form our country, by the way ...' Trump spoke during a week when President Biden's memory and age were once again in the news Trump said he agreed with Russian President Vladimir Putin saying Russia preferred a second Biden term That got Trump complaining about the 'all electric mandate,' meaning incentives to buy electric cars. 'Everybody has have an electric car, which doesn't go far. Got a couple of problems. Does it go far. Doesn't work in cold weather, remember. He tore into California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who he said had 'destroyed' California, then teed off on water-saving devices. He complained about authorities 'notifying people in Beverly Hills. You can only use 40 gallons of water ... They say you can only brush your teeth once a day. Who the hell wants to mean you can't use too much water on your hair. That would that would put me out, I would ...' he joked. Trump appeared to relish his time off script. 'And by the way, isn't this better than reading off a fricking teleprompter,' Trump said 58 minutes into his monologue. He seemed attuned to what critics might say, in a speech where he ripped the 'fake news' and the crowd booed the press. 'They'll say: he rambled. Nobody can ramble like this,' Trump said a few minutes before the full hour mark. He referenced a 'best speaker' award, then accepted that he might not be taking home any trophies. 'Probably I won't get the best speaker this year because I went off this stupid teleprompter,' he said, after long diversions about ISIS, why he likes to call the former president 'Barack Hussein Obama,' and other matters. Trump spoke on the day of the South Carolina primary, where former Gov. Nikki Haley has been accusing both Trump and Biden of being past their prime, and highlighting Trump mixing up herself and former Speaker Nancy Pelosi. In a bold, pro-active move, Lloyds chief executive Charlie Nunn ordered his staff to return to the office after working from home since the pandemic. But the boss of one of Britain's biggest banks paid the price for his tough stance when his disgruntled employees effectively forced a pay cut on their CEO. Mr Nunn earned nearly 90,000 less than the year before because a measure of 'employee engagement' that is used to calculate his bonus fell short at the end of 2023, reflecting workers' unhappiness at being hauled back to the office at least two days a week. Mr Nunn still received an overall pay package of 3.7million, but the sum was 2 per cent lower than in 2022, despite annual profits surging by 57 per cent to 7.5 billion. The bank's annual report, published last week, said: 'Our 2023 employee engagement index score is reflective of some necessary but tough changes in the operation of flexible working. Not all colleagues welcomed the changes.' Lloyds chief executive Charlie Nunn, who provoked a backlash after demanding staff return to the office, received a pay cut last year of 2 per cent after his bonus was slashed on a measure of 'employee engagement' Former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith said that Mr Nunn had done the right thing in getting staff back into the office and suggested he 'sack the lot of them' The fact that workers opposed to returning to the office have managed to take a slice out of their boss's pay has raised eyebrows. Former Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith said: 'He did the right thing telling them to get back to work, but some of these guys got used to staying at home. 'Maybe the best thing he can do is to sack the lot of them and get some people who are more loyal who could do the hard work.' The 'pay cut' is the latest episode in the battle by bosses to return to pre-pandemic ways of working. Business leaders and MPs argue it is vital to reviving productivity as well as boosting Britain's town and city centres. READ MORE: Civil servants want to work in the office just two days a week, survey reveals as ministers try to pressure Whitehall staff back to their desks Advertisement But Lloyds' order to staff last April that they must be in the office at least two days a week sparked fury. At its annual general meeting in May, the bank's board was accused by one member of trade union Unite of 'an attack on flexible working'. According to the Financial Times, Mr Nunn told a staff briefing: 'We can only [be competitive] if we collaborate effectively... which is difficult if a team are below strength on certain days, or if some key people are only available at times when the majority are not.' But continuing staff disgruntlement had an effect on the annual tally used to set Mr Nunn's bonus up to a maximum of 1.59 million. The 'scorecard', which looks at various performance measures, ended up awarding him 80.3 per cent of that figure, or 1.28million. That was down from 84.1 per cent, or 1.34million a year earlier. 'Culture and colleague engagement' is one of the measures used to calculate the total. The low score by staff for 2023 resulted in zero being added to the payout. J John Longworth, the former British Chambers of Commerce boss who now chairs the Independent Business Network of family businesses, questioned the way pay is calculated. He said: 'The alignment of objectives is out of whack at the moment because of the pursuit of woke and home working. Businesses need to focus on productivity, growth and profit.' Former director-general of the British Chambers of Commerce John Longworth said that business objectives were 'out of whack' due to woke and home working Charlie Mullins, founder of Pimlico Plumbers, said Mr Nunn should be paid more for trying to bring people back to the office. 'How can you penalise somebody for doing their job correctly?' he said. Yesterday, Ged Nichols, general secretary of trade union Accord, which represents Lloyds staff, said the fallout was no longer a 'major issue'. He added: 'We don't take any satisfaction at the fact that his remuneration was reduced as a consequence. 'But we do think that the group could have consulted with the union earlier and better. 'They made a decision with the best intentions, but didn't communicate it well. That's been reflected in his bonus, which is fair enough.' Yesterday, Lloyds said in a statement: 'Our 2023 employee engagement score was impacted by decisions that were necessary as part of the continued transformation of the group, including further improvements to flexible working arrangements. 'Employee engagement is an important part of our executive scorecard and bonus outcomes reflect this.' CPEC aligns naturally with SCO's goals of regional connectivity, trade: experts Xinhua) 14:11, February 24, 2024 ISLAMABAD, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) aligns naturally with the goals of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) for regional connectivity and trade promotion, a former Pakistani diplomat Babar Amin said here on Friday. Addressing a seminar titled "SCO: Pakistan's Policy Priorities and Opportunities," Amin, former ambassador of Pakistan to Norway, noted that Pakistan can act as a natural partner with SCO for promoting connectivity, trade, and economic cooperation in the region. Pakistan also seeks to enhance non-traditional security cooperation through the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure mechanism within the SCO, fostering collaboration on defense and security matters, he added. Speaking on the occasion, Director General of the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad Sohail Mahmood underscored the significance of SCO as a trans-regional platform. The organization continues to carry the 'Shanghai Spirit' of mutual trust, equality, respect for diversity, and pursuit of common development, as opposed to any zero-sum perspectives or notions of geopolitical confrontation or civilizational clash, according to Mahmood. Launched in 2013, CPEC, a flagship project under the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative, is a corridor linking Pakistan's southwest Gwadar port with Kashgar in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, highlighting energy, transport, and industrial cooperation. Pakistan joined the SCO in 2017. (Web editor: Xue Yanyan, Hongyu) UK and Nato urged to consider conscription as world leaders gather in Kyiv to mark Ukraine war anniversary Britain and its Nato allies have been urged to consider introducing conscription to bolster defences against the Russian threat. Latvia's foreign minister Krisjanis Karins made the suggestion on Friday as world leaders come together to mark the second anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. "We think it's a very good idea for us and I think other Nato allies could consider it as well, he said. Lativa is in the process of reintroducing its draft system, two decades after scrapping it to help the army achieve 61,000 members. The UKs last conscription soldiers left the army in 1963. Mr Karins added: "The point of the draft is to beef up capable, equipped and trained reservists. "It's not replacing the professional army. It's augmenting the professional army." US generals join Ukrainian counterparts in Lviv (via REUTERS) Western leaders descended on Kyiv on Saturday to mark the event, with European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, Italian premier Giorgia Meloni, Belgian prime minister Alexander De Croo and Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau in attendance. They arrived shortly after a Russian drone attack struck a residential building in the southern city of Odesa, killing at least one person. Three women also sustained severe burns in the attack Friday evening on a residential building, regional Governor Oleh Kiper said on his social media account. Rescue services are still combing rubble looking for survivors. Also on Saturday, Grant Shapps has said he is concerned about the passage of aid to Ukraine through US congress. The British defence secretary spoke out as the bill faces an uphill battle in the House of Representatives, where hard-line Republicans aligned with Donald Trump oppose the legislation. "I am concerned about the money from the United States. We won't get that money from Congress by telling them, come on, you've just got to come and support Europe," he told BBC Breakfast. "We'll get that money by I think saying it is in your self-interest America, because others are watching. A more assertive China is watching." Story continues The UK Parliament is united in its support for Ukraine, Mr Shapps added, as he joined fellow Tory Lord Cameron in expression concern about US commitment to the cause. "Parliament can be divided over all sorts of things but we are not in our support for Ukraine," he said. Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni arriving in Kyiv (Palazzo Chigi press office/AFP v) The foreign leaders are in Ukraine to express solidarity as Ukrainian forces run low on ammunition and weaponry and Western aid hangs in the balance."More than ever we stand firmly by Ukraine. Financially, economically, militarily, morally. Until the country is finally free," von der Leyen tweeted after she arrived in Kyiv.Italy, which holds the rotating presidency of the Group of Seven leading economies, announced that the group's heads of state and government will meet virtually on Saturday, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy participating as well, and would adopt a joint statement on Ukraine.Under Meloni, Italy has been a strong supporter of Ukraine. Saturday's virtual meeting marks the first top-level G7 gathering of the Italian presidency; G7 heads of state and government are expected to meet in person in southern Puglia in June for their annual summit.A somber mood hangs over Ukraine as the war against Russia enters its third year and Kyiv's troops face mounting challenges on the front line amid dwindling ammunition supplies and personnel challenges. Its troops recently withdrew from the strategic eastern city of Avdiivka, handing Moscow one of its biggest victories. Donald Trump revealed the exchange he has with his wife, former First Lady Melania Trump, after his rallies. 'When I call up our First Lady, I say "so baby, how good was that?"' he told the CPAC 2024 conference on Saturday. 'She goes "you were okay", she's a very tough critic' he joked. Melania returned to public life with a smile last week, waving and greeting guests from Donald Trump's side during a black-tie gala at Mar-a-Lago, her first major event since her mother died last month. Her presence at The Trumpettes, a ball held in the former president's honor, was notable. Donald Trump revealed the exchange he has with his wife, former First Lady Melania Trump , after his rallies Melania returned to public life with a smile last week, waving and greeting guests from Donald Trump's side during a black-tie gala at Mar-a-Lago The former first lady has been absent from her husband's side as he wages his multiple legal battles and campaigns for a second term in the White House. One guest described her in 'good spirits' and close to Trump throughout the night. Pictures and video posted to social media show dressed in a fashionable black pantsuit, smiling broadly. Trump was visibly happy to see her there. But what remains unclear if she will give him a boost in other areas of his life, notably the and his numerous court cases. The former first lady is popular among the MAGA faithful. The crowd cheers loudly whenever Trump mentions her name during one of his campaign rallies. She has never spoken publicly about the events of the January 6th insurrection - she was in the White House that day - or Trump's attempts to overturn the 2020 election results. Neither Melania Trump's spokesperson nor the Trump campaigned responded to DailyMail.com's request for comment. While it would be unlikely for Melania to appear by Donald's side in the courtroom - reports indicate she sees his legal issues as his problem and not hers - if Trump wins a second term in the White House, she would return as first lady. Donald Trump gives wife Melania Trump a kiss during the Trumpette Gala at Mar-a-Lago Delia Hickman, Kimberly Guilfoyle and Tiffany Trump at the gala Melania spent most of her previous time in the White House focused on her son. She helped maintain the stately home and did a few events related to her causes but, for the most part, was a publicly silent first lady. At the Trumpettes kept an eye on her as he walked through the cheering crowd, often turning his head to make sure she was nearby And the couple, who just celebrated their 19th wedding anniversary, gave a rare public display of affection. Trump gave her a hug and a kiss on the cheek before he addressed the crowd, calling her the country's 'great first lady.' Guests described him as attentive to her. 'She seemed quiet but in very good spirits. She was smiling the whole time,' Delia Hickman, the creater of the 'Momma Loves Fashion' blog, told DailyMail.com after she attended the gala. 'What I noticed in particular was that although everyone was waiting for Trump to make his grand entrance, when he walked in and waved at everyone, he made sure to turn to her and acknowledge that she was there! Donald Trump sent a Valentine's letter to Melania as a fundraising email Melania Trump was at Donald Trump's side when he announced a second White House bid in November - and hasn't been on the campaign trail since 'After he made his way to the podium, she was there standing by the stage the whole time, smiling. She waved and said hello to everyone that was close enough to reach out to her. She was all smiles. There was a look of great sense of peace on her face,' Hickman noted. On Valentines Day, Trump sent a special fundraising message to his followers, written as a love letter to Melania. Hi, this is a Valentines Day letter to my beautiful wife, Melania!, it starts. Dear Melania, I LOVE YOU! He then thanks her for his support: Even after every single INDICTMENT, ARREST, and WITCH HUNT, you never left my side. Youve always supported me through everything. I wouldnt be the man I am today without your guidance, kindness, and warmth. He closed out by signing his full name: You will always mean the world to me, Melania! From your husband with love, Donald J. Trump. Elon Musk has vowed 'to make things good' with the Silicon Valley baker who lost $16,000 after Tesla cancelled an order for 4,000 pies at the last minute. 'The Giving Pies' in San Jose, claimed they received an order from Tesla of 4,000 mini-pies for $16,000, which the company cancelled at the 'last minute.' 'Just hearing about this,' Musk wrote on X Friday afternoon. 'Will make things good with the bakery.' 'People should always be able to count on Tesla trying its best,' he added. Rasetarinera has not heard from Musk since the social media post, she told NBC Bay Area. Elon Musk vowed 'to make things good' with the Silicon Valley baker who lost $16,000 after Tesla cancelled an order for 4,000 pies at the last minute, in a post on X Friday afternoon Tesla reached out to the locally-loved bakery on Valentine's Day to place the order for 2,000 mini pies to be delivered the following Tuesday and Thursday (Pictured: Elon Musk, Tesla CEO) Voahangy Rasetarinera said that she took a big hit after the massive pie order caused her to reject other requests, splurge on ingredients and work around the clock with employees to complete the order Voahangy Rasetarinera, the owner, claimed that she took a big hit after the massive pie order caused her to reject other requests, splurge on ingredients and work around the clock with employees to complete the order. In a post on Facebook titled 'How Tesla's actions hurt my small black women-owned business,' Rasetarinera explained the series of events. 'To fulfill the order, I had turned down other Black History Month catering inquiries, purchased supplies, and prepared for a demanding production schedule,' Rasetarinera explained. The thousands of mini pies, which cost around $3-$4 each, were supposedly ordered for a Tesla event to commemorate Black History Month. Rasetarinera said she is now reconsidering her business policies since the mini pie catastrophe. Tesla are being slammed for placing a huge order for 4,000 pies from a local Silicon Valley bakery before canceling the order last minute The Giving Pies in San Jose, California, are accustomed to working with big corporations like Meta, Google, Apple and Amazon (pictured: bakery owner Voahangy Rasetarinera) A recent order made by Tesla for 4,000 pies cost the local bakery around $16,000 after the clean energy company allegedly canceled the order all of a sudden at the last minute Tesla reached out to the locally-loved bakery on Valentine's Day to place the order for 2,000 mini pies to be delivered the following Tuesday and Thursday - which is short notice for the bakery, according to Rasetarinera. The post detailed how the payment did not go through, which caused initial concern. Despite the lack of payment, Laura from Tesla reached out to the bakery again to apologize for the delay and request that the order be doubled to 4,000 pies, assuring the bakery that 'cost was not an issue.' Voahangy Rasetarinera says that she took a big hit after the massive pie order caused her to reject other requests, splurge on ingredients and work around the clock alongside her employees to complete the order Rasetarinera said that her hopes were 'shattered' when Laura 'casually' texted her to say that Tesla no longer needed the pies after she had already bought the supplies and prepared for the order 'To fulfill the order, I had turned down other Black History Month catering inquiries, purchased supplies, and prepared for a demanding production schedule,' Rasetarinera explained. 'Despite the late hour and short notice, I consulted with my staff, who assured me they could manage the expanded order,' the post described. Rasetarinera said that her hopes were 'shattered' when Laura 'casually' texted her to say that Tesla no longer needed the pies after she had already bought the supplies and prepared for the order. 'This abrupt reversal left me reeling, realizing the extent of the impact on my small business,' the business owner said. 'I had invested time, resources, and effort based on assurances from Tesla, only to be left high and dry.' After sending Laura a heartfelt message expressing her disappointment, Rasetarinera said that her response attempted to 'shift blame to upper management.' 'To me, it was clear that Tesla's corporate culture prioritized convenience over accountability, disregarding the livelihoods of small business owners like myself,' Rasetarinera wrote on the company's Facebook page. Elon Musk vows 'to make things good' with Silicon Valley baker 'who lost $16k after Tesla placed order for 4,000 pies to celebrate Black History Month then canceled at the last minute' The woman who made King Charles laugh with a witty card of a dog in a cone has been revealed as a monarchy-loving mother from Lancashire - who says she sent the card to give him a 'much needed boost'. Lisa Moffat, 53, was left dumbstruck by videos and photographs of the King chuckling at the 9.99 'giant' get well card she ordered from Moonpig, depicting a sorry-looking dog remarking: 'At least you don't have to wear a cone'. The design, inspired by the canine character Dug from Disney-Pixar film Up, was illustrated by Lisa Stalker, of Yorkshire company Pigment; Mrs Moffat said she chose the design because the King 'has a sense of humour'. The Preston mother-of-two - to children Harry, 13, and Felicity, 11 - said: 'I thought he needed a boost and a laugh - he has a sense of humour, he's quite a funny guy.' She told MailOnline she regularly sends the royal family cards to mark big occasions such as the Coronation, birthdays and weddings - but had never seen one in the hands of their intended recipient until now. King Charles pictured with Lisa Moffat's giant Moonpig card - featuring his name at the top and a picture of a dog lamenting: 'At least you don't have to wear a cone!' underneath Mrs Moffat - pictured with farmer husband Alex and children Harry, 13, and Felicity, 11 - said she couldn't believe the King was so taken with her card The card was ordered on Moonpig to be sent directly to King Charles at Buckingham Palace Mrs Moffat ordered the card just after receiving one of her own from the King - thanking her for her Christmas greeting last year His Majesty appeared in good spirits as he read correspondence from the public - including Mrs Moffat's standout choice Mrs Moffat ordered the enormous card days after receiving one of her own from the King, thanking her for sending a message wishing him a Merry Christmas. The enormous card measured 205 x 290mm, and is the biggest size Moonpig offers - almost certainly guaranteeing that it would stand out amongst those sent in by well-wishers. She used Moonpig's customisation features to personalise the card - writing 'King Charles' along the top and inserting a photograph of her family inside so he could see what his well-wishers looked like. But BSI auditor Mrs Moffat was astounded to see images and videos of Charles holding the get well message, surrounded by scores of others, at Buckingham Palace, after they were released by the palace on Friday night. Mrs Moffat, who is married to husband Alex, said: 'I was so surprised to see him with it - so shocked. 'I ran up to the kids and my husband and said: "Guess what's on the news - King Charles is holding our card!". 'I put a picture of ourselves in the middle of the card, and a message saying we were thinking about him, sending him lots of love, and hoping he gets well soon, really. 'I was blown away by how many people had sent cards. I couldn't believe it. 'I sent a giant one though. I always send giant ones. I have a friend in Norwich who says she always knows when my cards are coming.' The card, one of more than 7,000 sent to the King since he announced his diagnosis earlier this month, is said by aides to have 'provoked much royal mirth'. A video shared on the royal family's social media channels showed huge Royal Mail sacks brimming with cards being delivered and opened before being added to one of the King's daily red boxes. Mrs Moffat added that she had sent the royal family cards for years - with Queen Elizabeth II, Prince William and Catherine and Prince Harry and Meghan among the recipients of her postal messages. 'I always send them cards: Christmas cards - which he actually just replied to; the Queen, when she was alive, I would send her cards for the Jubilees; we always celebrate royal events. I have sent a get well card to Catherine as well. 'My mother and I are total royalists. I just think it's important to celebrate them.' Charles has taken a step back from frontline duties following his diagnosis with the disease, which was discovered while he was undergoing treatment for an enlarged prostate. The form of cancer has not been specified, but aides say it is not of the prostate; the King 'continues to undertake state business and official paperwork as usual' while undergoing a schedule of treatments. He chose to share his diagnosis 'in the hope it may assist public understanding for all those around the world who are affected by cancer,' the palace said. Mrs Moffat said: 'It's awful what Charles is going through - especially when living in public, when people normally go through this in private.' And asked what she would say to Charles personally if she could, she added: 'We're all rooting for you, we're all wishing you well and hope you manage whatever treatment you're going through works well.' Charles has been moved to tears by some of the correspondence. Pictured: The King holding a card sent in by a well wisher One message read 'Your Majesty King Charles III we are praying for you to have a steady recovery' One person wrote they were 'sorry to hear you are not feeling well at the moment I am wishing you a speedy recovery. Get well soon!' Another letter gave the King some words of advice, including 'never give up, be brave, don't push your limits' Many of the messages included in the surprise delivery to Charles included similar warm wishes. One read: 'I wanted to tell you I am thinking of you as you face your own diagnosis and treatment and send prayers and every good wish for a speedy recovery.' Another read: 'Chin up, chest out, remain positive and don't let it get you down.' A senior royal aide said: 'They have been a source of frequent laughter and good cheer.' As ever, where postal addresses have been provided in correspondence to is Majesty, a response of thanks will be sent by Buckingham Palace. Five days after the announcement of his diagnosis, the King issued a message of gratitude to those who had sent him good wishes. He said: 'I would like to express my most heartfelt thanks for the many messages of support and good wishes I have received in recent days. 'As all those who have been affected by cancer will know, such kind thoughts are the greatest comfort and encouragement. 'It is equally heartening to hear how sharing my own diagnosis has helped promote public understanding and shine a light on the work of all those organisations which support cancer patients and their families across the UK and wider world. 'My lifelong admiration for their tireless care and dedication is all the greater as a result of my own personal experience.' Illustrator's delight at 'surreal' image of King enjoying her dog design By Natasha Livingstone, Royal Correspondent It was the card that cheered up the King with its irreverent wit and charming illustration. But the royal seal of approval was a much-welcomed surprise for its creators, a small company called Pigment based in a converted stable block in Yorkshire. None of its 45 employees were prepared for the flurry of excitement at 10pm on Friday when Buckingham Palace released footage of the King opening letters sent from well-wishers following his cancer diagnosis. The images showed His Majesty chuckling at one particular card, which featured a dog wearing a veterinary collar and the cheeky words 'At least you don't have to wear a cone!'. Said by royal aides to have 'provoked much royal mirth', it was printed on front pages the following day much to the delight of designer Lisa Stalker, who illustrated the cover. Martin Powderly, creative director of greetings card agency Pigment, next to managing director Lynsey Burbidge (middle) and co-founder Stephen Baker (right) The offices of greetings card firm Pigment in Yorkshire, which created the 'at least you don't have to wear a cone!' card 'It's a bit surreal to be honest,' she told the Mail on Sunday, adding that her husband had bought several newspapers to 'savour' the moment. 'I didn't know about it until the pictures appeared on the news. Then loads of text messages came flooding in. I still get excited when I see my card designs in a shop, so you can imagine I never expected this.' Pigment was founded 25 years ago and is based in a studio on a cobbled mews in the picturesque town of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, 225 miles away from the gilded Belgian Suite at Buckingham Palace where the King opened the card. The hand-drawn design was inspired by the Disney film 'Up', which features a cartoon golden retriever called 'Dug' who wears the 'cone of shame'. 'I'm really delighted that His Majesty enjoyed it. That card is meant to make people smile and it's clearly succeeded,' said Lisa. Martin Powderly, Pigment's creative director, said the card was part of a collection sold by the British online firm Moonpig. 'Sending greeting cards is such a wonderful tradition and it's lovely that someone has personalised this for King Charles. 'I had no idea he was going to get this card until my phone started pinging on Friday night. It was a really happy surprise. Hopefully King Charles's health will improve quickly.' Harrods Food Hall is abuzz with high society shoppers swarming to buy honey on sale at a stinging price... 750 a jar! The amber nectar is in a hexagonal glass jar with a bespoke timber lid, 22-carat gold lettering, a hand-blown glass dipper and even a certificate inside a gold ring to prove its authenticity. It has been created with the help of a honey sommelier and is sold exclusively at the London store. Billed as a healthier alternative to fine wines and with a price to match, the makers of Australian Rare boast it is produced by the worlds healthiest bees. It is said to contain powerful medicinal properties and there are complex tasting notes. Australian Rare honey. The hexagonal glass jar has a bespoke timber lid and 22-carat gold lettering. It even has a certificate inside a gold ring to prove its authenticity Australian Rare honey is sold exclusively at Harrods. Mr Bains said: Were trying to reimagine honey and reimagine luxury gifting by creating the best honey in the world, and Harrods was the best place to showcase that' So tempting a target might it be for shoplifters in the food hall, the jars are kept under lock and key, watched by immaculately dressed security guards, with only the boxes they are sold in on display. One Harrods employee told The Mail on Sunday that wealthy Britons and shoppers from the Middle East have flocked to buy the Jarrah honey, with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and low glycaemic index properties. Rick Bains, the British co-founder of Australian Rare, made one of his regular visits to Harrods yesterday to check with staff and ensure that his honey was being displayed correctly. He said: Were trying to reimagine honey and reimagine luxury gifting by creating the best honey in the world, and Harrods was the best place to showcase that. Its not only some of the best-tasting honey in the world, its the best medicinal honey, its exceptional. He said he works with 40 beekeepers in South-West Australia, a biodiversity hotspot where more than 8,000 rare species of wildflowers bloom, to produce just 888 jars weighing 250g each. The 750 jars of honey are not displayed in the food hall. Instead only the boxes they are sold in are on display while the jars are kept under lock and key, watched by security guards Rick Bains, founder of Australian Honey.Mr Bains made one of his regular visits to Harrods yesterday to check with staff and ensure that his honey was being displayed correctly While The Supreme Jarrah honey costs 750, shoppers can also buy The Exotic for 600 and The Jewel for 500 each with its own distinct colour and flavour and coming from different species of eucalyptus trees. The suggested pairings for each honey range from creamy brie and fig to cheddar and green apple. Mr Bains said: We spent tens of thousands on scientific research and laboratory testing so that we can identify the pollen source in each drop. It is at least 20 times rarer than Manuka honey. Im so proud to see it being sold in Harrods I almost have to pinch myself. Senior MPs have criticised prosecutors for dropping their review of a judges decision to give lenient sentences to three protesters exposed by The Mail on Sunday for sporting Hamas paragliders pictures on their jackets. Heba AlHayek, 29, Pauline Ankunda, 26, and Noimotu Olayinka Taiwo, 27, displayed the pictures during a pro-Palestine march in London, seven days after the October 7 Hamas terror attack in Israel that left nearly 1,200 dead. There was national outrage after The Mail on Sunday revealed the women at the march, as the pictures on their jackets celebrated the method Hamas terrorists used to fly into Israel from Gaza to unleash their killing spree. Our front page story sparked a public appeal by police, which led to the arrest of the three women and charges of inviting support for a proscribed organisation, which is punishable by up to 14 years jail. Judge Tan Ikram found them guilty at Westminster Magistrates Court but did not impose a jail term or community order, saying their lesson had been well-learned. Judge Tan Ikram (pictured) found them guilty at Westminster Magistrates Court but did not impose a jail term or community order, saying their lesson had been well-learned Heba AlHayek (pictured) was one of the three women convicted of terror offence for displaying images of Hamas paragliders There was national outrage after The Mail on Sunday revealed the women at the march, as the pictures on their jackets celebrated the method Hamas terrorists used to fly into Israel from Gaza to unleash their killing spree But questions were raised about the judges impartiality after it emerged that on his LinkedIn page he liked a video which branded Israel a terrorist state and called for a free Palestine. Although the judge said he liked the post by mistake, the Crown Prosecution Service investigated after two Jewish groups complained to the Judicial Conduct Investigations Office. But last night the CPS said no action would be taken, adding: We have carefully considered the option of judicial review of the judges decision and concluded that this is unlikely to be successful. Tory ex-Justice Secretary Robert Buckland said he would write to the Director of Public Prosecutions demanding a full explanation. Mr Buckland, a former judge, said: We cant afford any suggestion of intrusion of politics into cases like this. They are sensitive enough. He said Judge Ikram should have declared his social media activities before the trial or recused himself. Tory former leader Iain Duncan Smith said: His [the judges] sentiments are in the wrong place. Its vital full impartiality is proven in every decision made. It was reported recently that AlHayek, who is originally from Gaza, is having her asylum status reviewed by the Home Office. Last night the Home Office said: In some circumstances it is appropriate to revoke protection status where evidence emerges that status was obtained by deception, or where someone represents a threat to our national security or demonstrates extremist behaviour. The US and UK have launched missile strikes against more than a dozen Houthi targets in Yemen in response to the 'increase in attacks' by the terrorist organisation on cargo ships. American and British fighter jets hit 18 Houthi sites across eight locations on Saturday, targeting missiles, launchers, rockets, drones and air defence systems, a helicopter, and other unmanned surface and underwater vehicles. The counter-offensive came after the Iran-backed militia group carried on an airstrike on the MV Torm Thor, a US-flagged, owned, and operated oil tanker, in the Gulf of Aden. UK Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said RAF Typhoon jets engaged in 'precision strikes' aimed at degrading Houthi drones and launchers. He added that it is 'our duty to protect lives at sea and preserve freedom of navigation'. The Pentagon described the strikes as 'necessary and proportionate', echoing the repeated warning from President Joe Biden and other senior leaders that the US will not tolerate the Houthi attacks against commercial shipping. The Houthis have launched at least 57 attacks on commercial and military ships in the the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since November 19, and the pace has picked up in recent days. But Britain and America's counter-attacks have not appeared to diminish the Houthis' campaign against shipping in the region, which the militants say is over Israel's war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Smokes rise from a Houthi position following US and UK strikes in Sana'a, Yemen on February 24, 2024. American and British fighter jets carried out 'necessary and proportionate strikes specifically targeted 18 Houthi targets across eight locations in Yemen,' the Pentagon has confirmed The joint operation targeted weapons storage facilities, drones, air defence systems, radars and a helicopter, and other unmanned surface and underwater vehicles. Pictured: Smoke over Sana'a, Yemen on February 24, 2024 The US and UK have launched missile strikes against more than a dozen Houthi targets in Yemen in response to the 'increase in attacks' by the terrorist organisation on cargo ships. Pictured: Smoke rising over Sana'a, Yemen following the attacks Houthi spokesman Yahya Sarea confirmed in a televised speech early on Sunday that the group had targeted the MV Torm Thor. US Central Command said on Saturday that the destroyer USS Mason downed an anti-ship ballistic missile launched from Houthi-held areas in Yemen towards the Gulf of Aden. The department said it believed the missile was probably targeting MV Torm Thor. The US and Britain launched the counter-offensive on Saturday in response to the rise in Houthi attacks on ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. Shapps, following the joint attack, said the Royal Air Force aimed to 'degrade' Houthi weapons that have been used to 'mount their dangerous attacks' and thanked the 'brave' military members involved in the operation. 'In recent days, we have seen severe Houthi attacks against commercial ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, including against the British-owned MV Islander and the MV Rubymar, which forced the crew to abandon ship,' Shapps said. 'It is our duty to protect lives at sea and preserve freedom of navigation. 'That is why the Royal Air Force engaged in a fourth wave of precision strikes against Houthi military targets in Yemen. We acted alongside our allies to further degrade Houthi drones and launchers used to mount their dangerous attacks.' He added: 'I thank the brave British personnel involved for their service.' US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin added that the strikes were meant 'to further disrupt and degrade the capabilities of the Iranian-backed Houthi militia' and vowed the group will continue to face retaliatory action for their attacks on shipping in the Red Sea and surrounding waters. 'The United States will not hesitate to take action, as needed, to defend lives and the free flow of commerce in one of the world's most critical waterways,' Austin said in a statement. 'We will continue to make clear to the Houthis that they will bear the consequences if they do not stop their illegal attacks, which harm Middle Eastern economies, cause environmental damage, and disrupt the delivery of humanitarian aid to Yemen and other countries.' The strikes have support from the wider coalition, which includes Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands and New Zealand. A statement from all the allied militaries, reads, in part: 'Our aim remains to de-escalate tensions and restore stability in the Red Sea, but we will once again reiterate our warning to Houthi leadership: we will not hesitate to continue to defend lives and the free flow of commerce in the face of continued threats.' The US and Britain conducted new strikes against Yemen's Houthi positions in the capital Sana'a in response to increased Houthi attacks on shipping in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden Four Royal Air Force Typhoon aircraft, supported by a pair of Voyager tankers, conducted deliberate strike against Houthi sites in Yemen on February 24, 2024 The Ministry of Defence (MOD) of Royal Air Force Typhoon FGR4 on February 24, 2024 having Paveway IV weapons loaded by Weapon Technician The US and Britain have struck 18 Houthi targets in Yemen in response to a recent surge in attacks by the Iran-backed militia group on ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, including a missile strike this past week that set fire to a cargo vessel The RAF aircraft used Paveway IV precision guided bombs to strike targets. These locations were being used to enable the continued intolerable attacks against international shipping in the Red Sea UK Defence Secretary Grant Shapps issued a statement saying the Royal Air Force aimed to 'degrade' Houthi weapons that have been used to 'mount their dangerous attacks' and thanked the 'brave' military members involved in the operation The US has carried out near daily strikes against the Houthis, who control the most populous parts of Yemen and have said their attacks on shipping are in solidarity with Palestinians as Israel strikes Gaza. The months of attacks by Houthis have continued and have upset global trade and raised shipping rates. There have been at least 32 US strikes in Yemen over the past month and a half; a few were conducted with allied involvement. In addition, US warships have taken out dozens of incoming missiles, rockets and drones targeting commercial and other navy vessels. Earlier this week the Houthis claimed responsibility for an attack on a UK-owned cargo ship and a drone assault on an American destroyer, and they targeted Israel's port and resort city of Eilat with ballistic missiles and drones. The group's strikes are disrupting the vital Suez Canal trade shortcut that accounts for about 12 per cent of global maritime traffic, and forcing firms to take a longer, more expensive route around Africa. No ships have been sunk nor crew killed during the Houthi campaign. However there are concerns about the fate of the UK-registered Rubymar cargo vessel, which was struck on Feb. 18 and its crew evacuated. The rebels' supreme leader, Abdul Malik al-Houthi, announced this past week an 'escalation in sea operations' conducted by his forces as part of what they describe as a pressure campaign to end Israel's war on Hamas. Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said in a briefing on Thursday: 'We've certainly seen in the past 48, 72 hours an increase in attacks from the Houthis. Singh also acknowledged that the Houthis have not been deterred, telling reporters: 'We never said we've wiped off the map all of their capabilities. 'We know that the Houthis maintain a large arsenal. They are very capable. They have sophisticated weapons, and that's because they continue to get them from Iran.' An aircraft launching from USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) during flight operations in the Red Sea on January 22, 2024 The US Central Command on February 23, 2024 released a photo of the M/V Rubymar, a Belize-flagged, UK-owned bulk carrier leaking oil in the Gulf of Aden after taking significant damage after an attack by Iran-backed Houthi terrorists on February 18, which caused an 18-mile oil slick The US attacks on the Houthis have targeted more than 120 launchers, more than 10 surface-to-air-missiles, 40 storage and support building, 15 drone storage buildings, more than 20 unmanned air, surface and underwater vehicles, several underground storage areas and a few other facilities. But while the Houthis say the attacks are aimed at stopping the war in Gaza, their targets appear to have grown more random and are endangering a vital waterway for cargo and energy shipments travelling from Asia and the Middle East onwards to Europe. During normal operations, about 400 commercial vessels transit the southern Red Sea at any given time. While the Houthi attacks have only actually struck a small number of vessels, the persistent targeting and near misses that have been shot down by the US and allies have prompted shipping companies to reroute their vessels from the Red Sea. Instead, they have sent them around Africa through the Cape of Good Hope - a much longer, costlier and less efficient passage. The threats also have led the US and its allies to set up a joint mission where warships from participating nations provide a protective umbrella of air defense for ships as they travel between the Suez Canal and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. In Thursday's attack in the Gulf of Aden, the Houthis fired two missiles at a Palau-flagged cargo ship named Islander, according to Central Command. A European naval force in the region said the attack sparked a fire and wounded a sailor on board the vessel, though the ship continued on its way. Central Command launched attacks on Houthi-held areas in Yemen on Friday, destroying seven mobile anti-ship cruise missiles that the military said were prepared to launch towards the Red Sea. Scout team members carry Yemeni and Palestinian flags and placards depicting Yemen's Houthi leader Abdul Malek Bader AL-Den Al-Houthi and Houthi emblems at a rally in support of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip on February 4, 2024, on the outskirts of Sana'a, Yemen Houthi supporters march at a rally in support of Palestinians on the outskirts of Sana'a, Yemen on February 4, 2024 amid the ongoing Houthi strikes on shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden An elderly Houthi fighter mans a cannon mounted on a vehicle at a rally in support of Palestine on February 4, 2024, on the outskirts of Sana'a, Yemen Central Command also said on Saturday that a Houthi attack on a Belize-flagged ship on February 18 caused an 18-mile oil slick and the military warned of the danger of a spill from the vessel's cargo of fertiliser. The Rubymar, a British-registered, Lebanese-operated cargo vessel, was attacked while sailing through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait that connects the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. The missile attack forced the crew to abandon the vessel, which had been on its way to Bulgaria after leaving the United Arab Emirates. It was transporting more than 41,000 tons of fertiliser, according to a Central Command statement. Yemen's internationally recognised government has called for other countries and maritime-protection organisations to quickly address the oil slick and avert 'a significant environmental disaster'. Israel and Hamas were last night reported to be on the brink of a six-week ceasefire, which would see the release of 40 Jewish hostages the terror group are holding in Gaza. The deal would involve a pause in the fighting during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which begins on March 10. On Saturday night, Israel's prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu was holding talks with his war cabinet to discuss the proposals, which would require the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in return. Earlier in the day, Israeli officials met with counterparts from the US, Qatar and Egypt in Paris to negotiate the hostage deal. However, Israeli sources in London stressed that no Hamas representatives were present at the talks, with Qatar and Egypt acting as their intermediaries. Benjamin Netanyahu was holding talks with his war cabinet on Saturday night to discuss ceasefire proposals Demonstrators hold placards demanding a deal to secure the release of Jewish hostages A demonstration demanding an early election in Tel Aviv, Israel Israel's National Security Council head said that, from what he had heard, there was 'progress' in reaching a deal for the hostages Police use water cannons to disperse demonstrators protesting against Netanyahu's government Relatives of Israeli hostages gather in Tel Aviv waving flags and holding pictures of their family members Family members of hostages light candles on February 10 in Tel Aviv On Saturday night, Israel's National Security Council head Tzachi Hanegbi said: 'From what I've heard in the last few hours, it will be possible to make progress.' He added that David Barnea, the head of Israel's Mossad intelligence service, had not returned from Paris empty-handed. Although Hamas did not make any comment on its social media channels, a Palestinian official briefed on the Paris talks said: 'While Israel is focusing on an attempt to turn any agreement into a prisoner-swap deal, Hamas insists that any agreement must be based on a commitment by the Israeli occupation to end the war and pull its forces from the Gaza Strip. This is the priority as far as Hamas is concerned.' Another Palestinian source said that the hostage release was not imminent, but there was an 'outline' that could lead to a truce. The truce may begin ahead of Ramadan, the month in which Muslims fast from dawn till sunset. It is understood that Israeli hostages released in the first phase would include children, women, the elderly and the sick. In return, the Israelis will release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, some of whom have been convicted of murdering Israelis. Hamas took 240 hostages during its terror attacks on October 7 during which 1,200 Israelis were murdered and 134 remain in captivity in Gaza. Israel and Hamas agreed a previous seven-day truce in November, when 50 Israeli hostages were released by Hamas and more than 150 Palestinian prisoners were released by the Israelis. Hamas also released 26 Thai nationals who were also taken hostage. Pro-Palestinian protesters blocked Tower Bridge in London on Saturday Activists were seen letting off flares, waving Palestinian flags and carrying banners as they marched across the bridge Mr Netanyahu has been under immense pressure to negotiate a deal with Hamas to bring hostages home. There have been protests outside his office in Jerusalem, as well as in Tel Aviv, almost every night by families of the hostages and their supporters demanding the return of their loved ones. Many are calling for Mr Netanyahu's resignation over his handling of the crisis. In London on Saturday, hundreds of pro-Palestine protesters occupied Tower Bridge, bringing traffic to a standstill and eventually causing police to close it for almost an hour. Activists were seen waving Palestinian flags, letting off flares, and carrying banners that read 'Save Gaza, Ceasefire Now' as they marched across the bridge. Drummers pounded out a beat as protesters clapped and chanted 'free, free, Palestine'. Other placards accused Israel of 'genocide' and 'murder'. The Health Ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza yesterday reported that another 92 Palestinians had been killed in Israeli bombardments in the previous 24 hours, raising the overall toll to 29,606. Dating back to ancient Egypt and Greece, headboards were designed primarily to ward off draughts as well as to symbolise social status. Decorative and functional, they can anchor a room, bringing together the different design elements, while making beds more comfortable places for reading or lounging. In recent years, distinctive headboards have made their way from hotels to private homes, thanks in large part to Firmdale Hotels' creative director Kit Kemp, whose much-admired hotel bedrooms often include statement styles (firmdalehotels.com). Vibrant: A floral orange headboard forms the centre of this Kit Kemp scheme. The right headboard can anchor a room, bringing together the different design elements 'On entering a bedroom, I love to be greeted by a magnificent headboard upholstered in a stunning fabric it's an opportunity to create something unique and personal,' she says. 'In our bedrooms, we often use show-stopping headboards as the focal point; a fusion of design and comfort.' Tall, rectangular styles add depth and drama, but curvier shapes are in demand, too. 'Rounded silhouettes and scalloped designs are sought-after as they tend to be elegant and easy on the eye,' says Kelling Designs' Emma Deterding (kellingdesigns.com). 'They feel warmer and cosier and have a restful, cocoon-like effect. 'In terms of colour, rich reds, oranges and mustards are on the rise, while blues and greens continue to prove popular.' Dreamy designs Headboards are a flexible addition because their size and shape can be tailored to the bedroom's proportions. Technical advances mean they work well in compact spaces, too. Why interior designers are falling 'Features such as integrated reading lights, light switches and power sockets elevate the functionality of headboards, so I always recommend that these elements are incorporated,' says interior designer Carina Raymond (studioraymondinteriors.co.uk). 'Framing edges with metal studs or contrasting, piped borders makes for fun features. And patterned fabrics add visual interest if the wall behind is plain,' she adds. 'For the bed base, I favour a sunk-in mattress design (where the top of the bed is sunk in by about 5cm to allow for the mattress to be fitted in). It results in a sleek, polished look, complementing the overall aesthetic.' Headboards that span the whole wall can feel overpowering and have a tendency to date. Instead, focus on a vibrant fabric. Getting the logistics right is key. 'Consider the size of the bed and measure twice,' says Kit (kitkemp.com). 'I love a headboard to be perfectly in line with the bed and ideally centred on a wall it feels thought-through and grand, even in a small bedroom.' All in the detail 'Pay attention to the headboard design,' says Kit. 'A large shape equates to a larger surface area, which means more space to get creative with applique designs or embroidered embellishments. 'Don't ignore the details. I use nickel studs, leather or wool piping or a contrast fabric upholstered on the depth of the headboard, which lifts it from the wall, making it really stand out. 'Small rooms do not necessarily need low headboards. Instead, a tall headboard can draw the eye upwards, making the ceiling appear higher and the room feel more spacious.' When it comes to using fabric, opt for those that won't easily suffer pulled threads, stains or unsightly sheens. 'We use velvet a lot as it looks fabulous on a headboard, but you have to consider whether someone will lean against it or use pillows as a buffer,' advises Violet & George's Nicky Mudie (violetandgeorge.com). 'If pillows aren't going to be used, avoid natural materials, such as linen or velvet, and opt for fabrics with something synthetic in them for durability. 'Headboards look great in structured fabrics, bold geometrics and heavy textures, as they hold their shape well. 'Always fix them to the wall, unless they are a single headboard, as larger pieces should be prevented from falling.' Star of the show Headboard shape and fabric choice go hand in hand. Do you want a decorative and traditional feel with a domed 'onion' shape reminiscent of the dramatic rooftop of Brighton's Royal Pavilion, or a tall, bold sculptural silhouette? In addition, a design that includes multiple colours will work as the basis for your colour scheme. 'If your headboard includes yellows, greens and blues, for example, pick out a complementary yellow print for your curtains, a plain blue for your walls, and perhaps a smaller-scale green print for the valance or bedspread,' says Kit. 'This will deliver a joyful and cohesive scheme with the headboard at its heart.' Layering multiple patterns can work well. For pattern on both headboard and walls, consider keeping your colour palette tight, adding a deep border of plain wool or linen to frame the headboard. Commissioning your own headboard allows for greater detailing, by incorporating woven, embroidered, printed or embellished elements, or a patchwork of treasured pieces. However, a semi-bespoke service, such as that offered by Headboards & Ottomans (headboardsandottomans.com) is a good halfway house, with flexible sizes available, as well as the option of a finish in your own fabric. Approach this design element as if it were a piece of art and you'll be streets ahead. British expert tackles the scientific plausibility of all 25 Bond films in a new book From lethal laser beams to ladies covered in gold paint, the James Bond films surely include some of the most spectacular set pieces in modern cinema. But often, even die-hard Bond fans are left wondering if the various stunts and plot lines in the beloved blockbusters are based in reality. Thankfully, a new book finally separates the scientifically accurate from the utterly fantastical. Dr Kathryn Harkup, a British chemist and author, has studied all 25 James Bond films made by Eon Productions, starting from 1962's 'Dr No' up to 2021's 'No Time to Die'. In the book, she debunks some of the weirdest and wackiest set pieces involving the fictional spy, while others, she says, are surprisingly scientifically sound. From being cut by lasers and electrocuted by headphones, a chemist reveals whether plot lines in James Bond films are actually scientifically sound READ MORE 007 would have died several times over due to STIs, food poisoning and alcohol abuse, study finds Researchers found many travel related health threats experienced by James Bond Advertisement SUFFOCATION BY GOLD PAINT Surely one of the most memorable scenes in the whole James Bond franchise comes in 'Goldfinger' (1964). In a Florida hotel, Bond (played by Sean Connery) finds the dead body of Jill Masterson (Shirley Eaton) who has been coated from head to toe in gold paint. In the following scene, Bond explains to his superior M at MI6 that humans suffocate if the body is painted unless 'you leave a small bare patch at the base of the spine to allow the skin to breathe'. But as Dr Harkup reveals, despite the common assumption by Bond fans, this is not scientifically accurate at all. In actual fact, only about 2 per cent of the body's oxygen supply is absorbed through the skin so blocking it with paint wouldn't stop us from breathing. The only way we'd suffocate from paint is if it obstructed our major breathing pathways the mouth and the nose. Dr Harkup says: 'The image of Masterson's gold body lying on the hotel bed has become ingrained in popular culture and the idea of being killed by skin suffocation has become accepted as fact, even though it is nonsense.' More than 40 years later, the scene was recreated in the 2008 Bond film 'Quantum of Solace' starring Daniel Craig. In 'Goldfinger' (1964), Bond (played by Sean Connery) finds the dead body of Jill Masterson (played by Shirley Eaton) - who has been suffocated by having her skin painted gold Dr Kathryn Harkup tackles all 25 Bond films in her new book, Superspy Science: Science, Death and Tech in the World of James Bond In a nod to the original scene, Bond finds MI6 agent and love interest Strawberry Fields dead and covered in crude oil. However, considering the character was drowned in the oil rather than just being covered in it, this scene is more credible. DEATHLY LASERS Later in Goldfinger, Bond wakes up to find himself strapped to a table by the film's eponymous villain, played by Gert Frobe. Goldfinger flicks a switch and a bright red laser beam starts advancing towards Bond's crotch. As Goldfinger explains, his 'industrial laser' that emits 'an extraordinary light not to be found in nature' is able to 'project a spot on the moon or at closer range cut through solid metal'. As Dr Harkup points out, the laser should make short work of slicing through a secret agent and would have 'started its bisection at one of the most sensitive parts of Bond's anatomy' before eventually reaching his vital organs. While it's true that lasers can cut through flesh and metal, it wouldn't have looked like the red one coming from the villain's contraption. James Bond (Sean Connery) has been captured by Auric Goldfinger, who has set up a gold laser beam inching towards 007s crotch In fact, it should have been infrared light, which is invisible to the human eye, but then it wouldn't have been visible to cinema-goers. 'The red light from Goldfinger's laser would be almost completely reflected by the metal and it doesn't have the power to cut through Bond's body either,' the expert says. BULLET IN THE HEAD When we're introduced to villain Renard (Robert Carlyle) in 'The World is Not Enough' (1999), he has a bullet lodged in his brain. However, he's still alive, and apart from a nasty scar the only side effect seems to be the loss of his major senses touch, smell and pain. As the MI6 doctor explains, the bullet is still moving albeit very slowly through the part of the brain called the medulla oblongata, killing off the senses. She says: 'He can push himself harder, longer than any normal man. The bullet will kill him, but he'll grow stronger every day until the day he dies.' So is this even at all possible? In 'The World is Not Enough' (1999), the villain Renard (Robert Carlyle) has a bullet lodged in his brain READ MORE James Bond producer says there's a 'long road ahead' before next film Daniel Craig's successor in the role has still not been revealed Advertisement In a nutshell, no. Dr Harkup calls this 'a huge exaggeration for the benefit of the fantasy world of 007'. Aside from the fact that bullets have no reason to become lodged in soft tissue, they 'do not bore neat little tunnels' in the brain as shown in the film. What's more, the bullet's path of destruction would result in more than just diminished senses, such as 'dramatic changes in personality'. 'Damage will be extensive and likely to knock out several other important functions along with any regions involved in pain perception,' Dr Harkup says. HEADPHONE ELECTROCUTION Near the start of 'For Your Eyes Only' (1981), MI6 sends a helicopter to pick up 007 (Roger Moore) for an emergency mission. Unfortunately, the headphones of the pilot have been rigged by the evil Blofeld to deliver a lethal electric shock so he can sabotage the aircraft. Although the shock is delivered with cartoon-blue electric flashes, this is something of a 'credible electrocution', according to Dr Harkup. Blofeld could easily have tampered with the pilot's headphones, exposing a few wires and connecting them to a high-voltage supply, she explains. Electrocution through headphones? It could happen, albeit without the cartoon-blue electric flashes as seen in 'For Your Eyes Only' READ MORE Here's the films that got the science wrong Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson (pictured) said 'Armageddon' (1998) violates laws of physics Advertisement 'The route between the two earpieces would take the current through the brain, where it could disrupt nerve signals controlling breathing and cause unconsciousness, even if it didn't kill the unfortunate pilot immediately.' What's more, in the real world there have been several tragic reports of people being electrocuted by their headphones while they've been plugged into a charging phone, thought to be due to faulty equipment. CROCODILE RUN 'Live and Let Die' (1973) contains a campy but memorable sequence that's fairly characteristic of the Roger Moore era. In the Deep South, Bond is left to be eaten by crocodiles, but our hero escapes by running along the animals' backs to safety. This really is possible although Dr Harkup doesn't recommend trying it. Astonishingly, the stunt was performed with real crocodiles not by Moore, but by crocodile farm owner and stuntman Ross Kananga, a self-confessed croc wrestler. The scene required five takes, including one where a croc snapped at Kananga's heel, tearing his trousers and causing several injuries (one of which required 193 stitches). 'One of them turned around whipped his head around and actually bit the heel of his shoe,' Moore later recalled. 'If it had been me it would have been my whole leg.' As Dr Harkup points out, 'seemingly impossible scenarios' like this can be brought to life by the expertise and collaborative efforts of filmmakers not to mention brave stuntmen. The moment in LIVE AND LET DIE (1973) where Bond steps across a row of crocodiles was real. Crocodile farm owner Ross Kananga (whose Father had been eaten by a crocodile!) did the stunt, succeeded on the 5th attempt and his injuries required 193 stitches.pic.twitter.com/HLAAIUXAJa Michael Warburton (@MichaelWarbur17) February 16, 2024 In 'Live and Let Die', Bond is left to be eaten by crocodiles, but our hero escapes by running along the animals' backs to safety NANOBOTS The latest Bond film, 'No Time to Die', was completed just before the Covid pandemic, yet a key element of the plot is eerily similar to the deadly coronavirus. MI6 is secretly working on the ultimate biological weapon tiny programmable devices called 'nanobots' the size of a red blood cell, invisible to the naked eye. The nanobots can be programmed to recognise DNA profiles of select individuals, or groups of individuals with the same genetic profiles, and kill them. As a result, people infected with the nanobots are unable to hug or even touch their family members without killing them. Pictured, the nanobots in 'No Time to Die', which leave infected people unable to hug their family members without killing them Fortunately, these nasty little bots do not exist in real life and are unlikely to exist anytime soon, according to the chemist. Aside from the nanobots being unable to pass through skin to infect someone, they are likely to be physically degraded upon entering the body. What's more, assembling devices that are quite so small, either by human workers or an automated process, would be beyond today's technological capabilities. Dr Kathryn Harkup tackles scenes from all 25 Bond films in her new book, 'Superspy Science: Science, Death and Tech in the World of James Bond', which has been published in paperback by Bloomsbury Somewhere at the bottom of the Philippine Sea rests an undetonated hydrogen bomb with around 70 times the power of the one dropped on Hiroshima. The 1965 disaster which saw the weapon sink to the bottom of the sea is just one of at least three cases where the U.S. lost nuclear weapons. According to some sources, the number could be as high as six, and that does not account for those lost by other countries. At least three bombs have been lost around the world (Picture: DailyMail.com) USS Ticonderoga Since 1950, there have been several dozen 'Broken Arrow' incidents involving the accidental launch, theft or detonation or loss of US nuclear weapons. They include the 1980 Damascus Incident in rural Arkansas where a nine-megaton weapon was thrown from its silo by a fuel explosion. But only three cases of nukes going missing have been documented. One of the lost nuke cases involved a one megaton B43 thermonuclear bomb that vanished during the Vietnam War after a freak accident in the Philippine Sea. The bomb was being carried by a Navy A-4E Skyhawk that tried to land on board the carrier U.S.S. Ticonderoga in 1965. As it docked on the aircraft elevator, it began to roll relentlessly as servicemen whistled, shouted and tried to block its tires. The pilot on board, Lieutenant Douglas Webster, the plane, and the plane's cargo have not been seen since. Retired Chief Petty Officer Delbert Mitchell, U.S. Navy, who worked as an aviation ordnanceman aboard the Ticonderoga, told Naval History that he and the other ordnancemen, 'saw the Skyhawk suddenly hit the end of the elevator and fall overboard. 'We never saw Lieutenant Webster after he climbed into the cockpit or knew what efforts he might have attempted to get out of the Skyhawk, but we were stunned to witness a plane, pilot, and nuclear weapon fall into the ocean. 'We watched helplessly as the attack plane and pilot sank into the abyss, the ship continuing to move forward. It was horrifying to watch a human being die before our very eyes, powerless to save him.' A B43 bomb similar to the one which went missing Lieutenant Douglas Webster Another case which is still surrounded in mystery occurred in 1958 during a military exercise off Tybee Island near Savannah in Georgia. A B-47 bomber was involved in a collision during an exercise, and jettisoned a nuclear weapon over water so that the bomb wouldn't be involved in an emergency landing. The 7,600lbs, Mark 15 bomb had an explosive yield of up to 3.8 megatons. Aircrew of B-47, left to right, Major Howard Richardson, Lieutenant Bob Lagerstrom and Captain Leland Woolard The Boeing B-47 Stratojet collided with a F-65 Sabre jet during training, and the pilot of the Stratojet was concerned that the bomb would break loose and detonate. Pilot Colonel Howard Richardson jettisoned the bomb into the waters of Wassaw Sound. Teams of personnel attempted to find the bomb for two months, but it was never unearthed - and it became well known among local residents, who refer to it as the 'Tybee bomb'. Controversy remains as to whether the bomb actually had the plutonium core required to detonate, with the U.S. government having said that it did not contain a core. But 1966 testimony by Jack Howard suggested that the bomb was a 'complete nuclear weapon', although military sources have since suggested that was 'in error'. Colonel Richardson has said that he has a signed receipt proving the bomb did not have an active capsule (which would allow it to be detonated). A Mark 15 thermonuclear device Colonel Richardson later said: 'What I should be remembered for is landing that plane safely. I guess this bomb is what I'm going to be remembered for.' Another major source of 'lost' nuclear weapons has been submarines, with the Soviet submarine K-219 which sank in 1986 believed to be carrying more than a dozen thermonuclear weapons. In 1968, the nuclear attack submarine the U.S.S. Scorpion sank in the middle of the Atlantic, with the loss of 99 lives - and two nuclear-tipped torpedoes. The submarine and the weapons have never been recovered. Technical problems with the submarine had led crew members to refer to the doomed submarine as the 'Scrapiron'. A Boeing Stratojet Making one last voyage back to home base, the submarine disappeared, and the crew did not respond to the call sign after the submarine failed to show up at the allotted time. The wreck was found on October 29, having imploded beneath the Atlantic, with all 99 sailors still on board. Conspiracy theorists have suggested that the Scorpion was in fact sunk by a Soviet vessel - claiming that the high number of submarines sunk in 1968 suggests a secret war conducted beneath the surface. Mavocado MPs will vote on whether to decriminalise abortion in England and Wales. In an historic vote, MPs will be given a free vote on decriminalising abortion, after cases of women being investigated have spiked the last few months. While MPs are usually told how they are expected to vote by their party, a free vote means MPs will not be told which way to vote, as views on abortion are considered a matter of conscience. Under the current law, women can be jailed under the 1861 Offences Against the Person Act if they have an abortion outside of set circumstances. Abortions are generally only legal before 24 weeks and are usually carried out in a clinic setting after 10 weeks. The amendment to the Criminal Justice Act was brought forward by Dame Diana Johnson, and would remove women from the Act in relation to their pregnancies. The amendment, which will be voted on in March, is likely to pass as poll data from The Times shows that fewer than 1 in 4 MPs believe women should be prosecuted under abortion law. Dame Jonnson told The Times: The vast majority of people accept that abortion is a healthcare issue between a woman and her doctor. Abortion has been decriminalised in other parts of the world, including Northern Ireland, and the sky has not fallen in. The proposal comes after a spike in women being investigated for terminating their pregnancies. Recently, the reproductive charity MSI has claimed that 60 women in England and Wales have been placed under investigation since 2018, saying that these types of investigations were virtually unheard of before. BPAS, an organisation that provides abortions, found that 55% of MPs asked did not believe that women should be prosecuted for having an abortion outside the rules. Rachael Clarke, chief of staff at BPAS, said: We, and more than 30 other organisations, are fully in support of the work Dame Diana Johnson MP is doing in Parliament, and together we are committed to ensuring that women in these desperate situations are provided with care and compassion, not criminalisation. Story continues Last year, Carla Foster was jailed for obtaining abortion tablets to end her pregnancy during the Coronavirus lockdown. Foster was originally given a 28-month sentence, but it was later reduced to a 14-month suspended sentence on appeal. The health secretary, Victoria Atkins, has said that she will back the decriminalisation amendment. You Might Also Like While there's no snow forecast for tonight, there will still be a wintery treat in the skies. This evening, a Full Snow Moon will light up the skies around the world. As the last full moon of winter, this will be a great opportunity to get in some early evening stargazing before the nights get shorter once again. Even better, because the moon will be bright and full, you won't need any special equipment or even to leave the city to see it. So, if you want to see this stunning astronomical phenomenon, here's best the way to catch it. The Snow Moon is the last full moon of winter, seen here rising above the Thames near Gravesend last year When are the next full moons? March 25 - Worm Moon April 23 - Pink Moon May 23 - Flower Moon June 21 - Strawberry Moon July 21 - Buck Moon August 19 - Sturgeon Moon September 17 - Harvest Moon October 17 - Hunter's Moon November 15 - Beaver Moon December 15 - Cold Moon Advertisement A full moon occurs once every 28 days when the moon, Earth and sun are in syzygy, meaning they are all aligned. The moon is only technically full when it is 100 per cent illuminated but because it is in constant motion around the Earth this only lasts for an instant. More generally speaking, we refer to the full moon as any time that our lunar satellite appears to be fully illuminated to an observer on Earth. Dr Affelia Wibisono, astronomer at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, told MailOnline: 'In 2024, the moment when the Moon is at its fullest will occur at 12:30pm on the 24th. 'The Moon won't be visible from the UK at this time, but it will appear full on the nights before and after.' Dr Wibisono adds: 'Moonrise is at 16:15 on the 23rd and it will set at 07:21 the following morning. On the 24th, the Moon rises at 17:27 and moonset is at 07:32 on the 25th.' Since the moon is so bright, it should be extremely easy to see wherever you are. 'There is no particular location you need to be to observe this event as this is a bright full moon, as long as the night is clear of clouds, it will be easy to spot whether you are in a light-polluted city, or a dark area of countryside,' adds Dr Wibisono. We see the moon as fully illuminated when it, the Earth, and the sun are all in syzygy, meaning they are aligned. While this technically only happens for a moment, the moon still appears full a day on either side of this point READ MORE: Nine astonishing facts about the moon Advertisement If you want to get the best views of this delightful lunar event it is best to try and see the moon shortly before moonrise or moonset. When the moon is low on the horizon it appears to be bigger due to something called the 'Moon Illusion'. Scientists aren't quite sure what causes this phenomenon but it causes the moon to appear larger when just above the horizon. Your view won't really be any better but your brain will tell you that it is. The names of the full moons are often believed to come from traditional Native American naming schemes. It is suggested that the full moons throughout the year were given names as a way of keeping time and tracking the progression of farming and hunting schedules. Pictured here in Italy in the L'Aquila National Park, the Snow Moon gets its name for the abundance of snow in the northern hemisphere that usually accompanies its arrival For example, August's Sturgeon Moon is believed to get its name from the abundance of sturgeon available for fishing during the month. These practices were then popularised when the names for the full moons were published in the Farmer's Almanac. The Snow Moon, as its name might suggest, is particularly associated with winter and colder weather. Dr Wibisono says: 'The Snow Moon is a name given to the Full Moon that occurs in February. 'This Full Moon is so called because of the abundant amount of snow on the ground in the northern hemisphere. It is also known as the Hunger Moon, Storm Moon and Bear Moon.' With the weather forecast to be dry and fairly cloudy, the Snow Moon won't quite be living up to its name. Temperatures should hold between 6 and 8 C so be sure to dress appropriately Luckily for any budding astronomers planning on seeing the moon tonight, the UK has avoided any of the moon's traditional snowfall. By moonrise, temperatures shouldn't be too cold and will range between 6C and 8C. North Wales and the North of England are likely to be hit by some fairly heavy rain during this time but much of the south will be staying dry. However, cloud cover may pose a problem as much of the UK will be covered throughout the evening. But with a few breaks in the cover through the night and a bright moon, you still may get a great view of this spectacular sight. If you are planning on viewing the snow moon be sure to dress appropriately and check the weather for your area. Be sure to give your eyes plenty of time to adjust to the darkness by avoiding artificial lights, including your phone. No special equipment is needed, but a pair of binoculars can be useful to make out some of the details on the lunar surface. READ MORE: How Odysseus ' aced the landing of a lifetime A drill will dig three feet deep and another instrument will analyses samples A lunar lander set to launch later this year will search for signs of water on the moon that could provide spacefaring heroes with hydronation and fuel. Initiative Machines, which launched Odysseus this month, is gearing up to send its Nova-C craft later this year that will feature tools to drill into the lunar landscape. NASAs Polar Resources Ice-Mining Experiment-1 is strapped the the crafts exterior, which will soon dig into the surface, collect regolith and analyze the lunar dust with a suit of powerful instruments. The mission will aid astronauts who will soon investigate the moon, allowing them to use water for hydration, fuel and even breathing - ultimately establishing a human presence. TRIDENT will drill up to three feet deep, extracting lunar regolith, or soil, up to the surface. The instrument was designed to drill in multiple segments, pausing and retracting to deposit cuttings on the surface after each depth increment Thanks to data from spacecraft orbiting the moon, scientists believe the polar regions are rich with water below the lunar surface, NASA shared in a statement. But [we have] never explored these regions or directly detected the water. PRIME-1 will help identify and assess the abundance and quality of water in an area expected to contain ice. PRIME-1 consists of two instruments: The Regolith and Ice Drill for Exploring New Terrain (TRIDENT) and the Mass Spectrometer observing lunar operations (MSolo). TRIDENT will drill up to three feet deep, extracting lunar regolith, or soil, up to the surface. The instrument was designed to drill in multiple segments, pausing and retracting to deposit cuttings on the surface after each depth increment. Once samples are on the surface, MSolo will evaluate the drill cuttings for water and other chemical compounds. The tool is a mass spectrometer, which can measure the mass-to-charge ratio of ions Once samples are on the surface, MSolo will evaluate the drill cuttings for water and other chemical compounds. The tool is a mass spectrometer, which can measure the mass-to-charge ratio of ions. The instrument is used in drug testing and discovery, food contamination detection, pesticide residue analysis, isotope ratio determination, protein identification, and carbon dating. The data from PRIME-1 will help scientists understand in-situ resources on the Moon, including resource location mapping, NASA shared. PRIME-1 contributes to NASAs search for water at the Moons poles, supporting the agencys plans to establish a sustainable human presence on the Moon by the end of the decade. The data from PRIME-1 will help scientists understand in-situ resources on the Moon, including resource location mapping, NASA shared MSolo will search for specific compounds that signal water is below the surface The space agency is eyeing 2026 for when it will put American boots back on the moon - the last time was in 1972. Nova-C's launch date has not yet been announced, but it is set to take off atop of a SpaceX rocket like Odysseus. The upcoming mission was developed by Initiative Machines and sponsored by NASA. Similar to Odysseus, Nova-C features six legs that it will use to stand tall on the moon. The craft can carry up to nearly 290 pounds of payload and will feature solar panels to collect power throughout the mission. Odysseus launched earlier this month from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The uncrewed craft had been circling the moon about 57 miles above the surface since reaching orbit on Wednesday. Odie remained 'in excellent health' as it continued to orbit the moon, roughly 239,000 miles from Earth, transmitting flight data and lunar images to Intuitive Machines' mission control center in Houston, the company said on Wednesday. But, as it moved into the final stages of the operation, Odie's handlers discovered that the laser range-finders weren't working. This vital system is what allows the craft to determine how far it is above the lunar surface and can make the difference between a soft landing and a crash. Using a last-minute software patch the engineers were able to convert NASA's experimental Navigation Doppler Lidar, which was being carried in the payload, to take on the job. At 6:11pm EST, Odysseus fired its engine for the crucial 11-minute burn, decelerating from 4,000mph (6,500kph) to just 2.2mph (3.5kph), 33ft above the surface. Having slowed its fall, Odie landed safely on the rim of the giant Malapert A crater about 190 miles (300km) north of the moon's South Pole. After 15 tense minutes, the crew back on Earth finally received Odie's signal, confirming that the landing had been a success. Shortly after receiving the signal, Mission director Tim Crain said: 'What we can confirm without a doubt is, our equipment is on the surface of the moon and we are transmitting. 'Houston, Odysseus has found its new home.' NASA Administrator Bill Nelson added, in a statement on X, that Odysseus had 'aced the landing of a lifetime.' The landing marks the first time since 1972 with the last Apollo mission that an American craft has made a successful landing on the moon. Although the lander was built by Intuitive Machines, NASA partly funded the operation by buying cargo space aboard Odysseus. This also marks the first moon landing using a rocket from Elon Musk's SpaceX, which was paid $130m (103m) by Intuitive Machines for the launch. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said in a video congratulating all involved: 'We've taken the moon. 'Today for the first time in more than a half-century, the US has returned to the moon. 'Today is a day that shows the power and promise of NASA's commercial partnerships,' he added. 'Congratulations to everyone involved in this great and daring quest.' The scale of this challenge is highlighted by the recent failures of other landing attempts. Odie's mission comes one month after another private company tried and failed to land on the moon. Astrobotic Technology attempted to bring America back to the lunar surface with its Peregrine, but the lander suffered a propulsion system leak on its way shortly after being placed in orbit. More recently, the Japanese SLIM lander successfully touched down on the moon but ended up stuck upside down due to an engine failure during landing. The mission was made yet more difficult by Intuitive Machine's choice of landing site. The Malapert A Crater is a rocky area pockmarked with craters which could destabilize or topple a lander. However, it is also believed that this region near the moon's south pole could be rich in frozen water that could be essential to a future lunar base. Marriage does not make people any happier or healthier than singles, research suggests. Scientists examined the physical and mental health of married people and those who never said I do. Getting married showed little evidence of improving wellbeing in the long term, University of California researchers said. Dr Bella DePaulo, who led the study, expands on the findings in her book Single At Heart: The Power, Freedom And Heart-Filling Joy Of Single Life. A study by the author, which was published in 2016, says: 'The media, and even scientific journals, are filled with claims that marriage is good for health and well-being. Scientists examined the physical and mental health of married people and those who never said I do. Pictured: File photo A closer look at the research, though, with an eye on the methodological biases, shows that such claims often misrepresent or exaggerate the results of the research.' She continued: 'Examples of research on suicide, depression, loneliness, physical health, and happiness are reviewed. In cross-sectional research, people who stay single typically have very similar outcomes to those who are currently married. 'In longitudinal research, there is little evidence that getting married results in lastingly improved health or well-being.' The study review was published in the Encyclopaedia Of Mental Health. Meet the couple who have been travelling non-stop for 15 years, visiting a total of 85 countries to date - and find out how they've financed their adventures without using the bank of mum and dad. Lauren Winslow-Llewellyn, 34, and Craig Hubbard, 41, have shared their non-stop travel approach to life - valuing time over material things. So far, their highlights include horse riding in Kyrgyzstan, winter in Arctic Norway, a black bear leaning on their van in Canada and a wild orangutan following them up a river in Indonesia. How do they do it? The couple, from Sussex, choose one corner of the world to explore by road, while living in a van for six to 12 months. When they are ready to move on, they sell it to go backpacking and work in hospitality to fund their next adventure. Lauren Winslow-Llewellyn and Craig Hubbard, pictured here in the Lake District, share their unique approach to life - one of non-stop travel - valuing time over material things LEFT: Lauren wild swimming in one of Taiwan's clear pools. RIGHT: Craig pictured riding a train past the tea plantations in Ella, Sri Lanka 'We don't work in high-paid jobs. We usually work for minimum wage, in restaurants or housekeeping,' Lauren said in a TikTok video. 'Even still, we do a great job of saving up as much as possible and living a frugal life so we can spend our money on experiences instead of things.' Lauren and Craig were inspired to start travelling after graduating from university, with Craig 'not ready to start a career' and Lauren prompted by 'a simple conversation with a friend' who was about to embark on a gap year to travel. 'I had no idea what that meant and it intrigued me enough to sign up immediately and work full time to save up,' she told MailOnline Travel. The couple, who met while waiting tables together at Pizza Express, spent the next year working full time at the restaurant and saved around 5,000 each to travel to Australia on a working holiday visa in 2008. Realising that their money wouldn't last long if they stayed in hostels, they moved into their first home on wheels later that year and their non-stop travelling lifestyle was born. 'We bought a station wagon car a few days later and lived in the back of it for nine months,' Lauren said. Lauren and Craig choose one corner of the world to explore by road, while living in a van for six to 12 months. Then they sell their van to go backpacking and work to fund their next adventure. Pictured: Lauren taking in the view at Blyde River Canyon, South Africa LEFT: The couple on a gorge hike in Catalonia, Spain. RIGHT: Lauren exploring a beach in Krabi, Thailand 'It wasn't an ideal home. It leaked really badly in heavy rains but somehow we loved the lifestyle and the freedom it gave us, which led us to living in more vans around the world... never a small station wagon again though.' Since then, the pair have bought and sold seven vans in which they have explored 32 countries around the world. When they are not travelling, they work mostly as waiters as well as coffee baristas, bartenders and hotel housekeepers to top up their travel fund. They also document their travels via their blog, nonstoptravelling.com. The couple have bought and sold seven vans in which they have explored 32 countries LEFT: Lauren taking in the views on an Annapurna Base Camp trek in Nepal. RIGHT: The couple hiking along the Caminito del Rey path in Spain Lauren, pictured here swimming with a sperm whale in Mauritius, said they have ventured to more adventurous destinations in recent years Other standout travel moments for the couple are seeing a pride of lions in South Africa, swimming in crystal clear lakes and exploring Cappadocia with a stray dog for company. Also among their highlights is witnessing 'wild orcas in Shetland' and 'swimming in the bluest, coldest water we've ever seen in Albania', they added. MailOnline first spoke to Lauren and Craig eight years into their travels, during which time they had lived in five different vans. Starting in Australia, they kept their costs down with cheap day trips to beaches and free sight-seeing activities. Then on a U.S road trip from Alaska to Florida, they braved howling wolves, cold showers and smashed windscreens while living in a van measuring just 60 sq ft (5.6 sq m) inside. Among Lauren's travel highlights is 'swimming in crystal clear lakes'. Here, she is pictured taking a dip at Kravika waterfall in Bosnia and Herzegovina Since then, the pair have continued the same lifestyle and ventured to more adventurous destinations. 'Weve spent a few winter seasons in the Norwegian Arctic, hiked to yurt camps in the mountains of Kyrgyzstan, explored some stunning areas of Myanmar on an E-bike and hitchhiked our way through Armenia,' Lauren said. Their latest chapter of travelling has also seen them return more frequently to work in the UK, instead of abroad, since they have 'used up all the working holiday visas available to us and our age bracket'. But the couple's favourite thing, when it comes to a life of travel, remains unchanged from when we first spoke to them. In their latest travel chapter, Lauren and Craig have returned to the UK more frequently to work. Here, Craig is pictured hiking in the Lake District, UK, taking in the view of Hartsop Dodd fell LAUREN AND CRAIG'S RECENT NON-STOP TRAVELS 2017 Travels: Morocco and Greece Worked for six months in Zizzi, UK 2018 Travels: Kazakhstan , Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Thailand , Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Germany Worked the winter season in the Norwegian Arctic 2019 Travels: Bought a campervan in Canada for a six-month road trip in the U.S and Canada Backpacked Patagonia in Chile and Argentina. Then Malta, Jordan, Turkey and Egypt 2020 Lockdown in Sussex, UK Bought 1989 retro campervan Helga 2021 A one-year road trip in Helga through England, Wales and Scotland including Shetland and Orkney islands. Then onto Ireland 2022 Road trip to Spain. Sold Helga Backpacked the Balkans, Georgia, Armenia, Mauritius, Southern Africa, Nepal, Thailand and Taiwan 2023 Winter in Norway Worked in a five-star B&B in the Lake District, UK 2024 Currently backpacking in Oman. Then a budget trip to the Maldives' local islands, China and Pakistan Advertisement 'The best part is the freedom to park up in the wilderness with a jaw-dropping view and be in the best place to witness sunrise or sunset from your doorstep,' Lauren said. 'Its also very rewarding just living a simple life down by the river.' And the challenges? 'The biggest are mechanical problems, which cause a lot of stress as its not just your car but also your home,' Lauren said. 'Some places are more tricky to camp than others with rules banning campervans, and finding simple things like water or a bin can be a struggle.' And the process of buying and selling a van is 'usually quite stressful' as it involves 'trying to find a trustworthy vehicle that won't cause too many problems', she says, adding: 'But the feeling of finally getting the van, doing a quick renovation job and hitting the road is unbeatable.' Lauren and Craig were inspired to start travelling after graduating from university, with Craig 'not ready to start a career' and Lauren prompted by 'a simple conversation with a friend' who was about to embark on a gap year to travel. Here, they are pictured in Lofoten, Norway LEFT: Lauren pictured hiking in the UK's Lake District. RIGHT: Here, she is pictured exploring the rugged coastline of County Mayo, Ireland In all their years of travelling, the couple have only had to move out of their van on one occasion, on a trip to the U.S when temperatures dropped to -20C. 'So we slept in a motel for the night,' Lauren said. And they have encountered some safety issues living and travelling in the van, from a stranger trying to get in to people threatening to slash their tyres. Spain is among the countries to have surprised the couple the most. 'From family beach holidays as a kid, I thought that was all Spain really had to offer,' Lauren said. 'But its such a huge country with varied landscapes and really impressive mountains.' Pictured: Craig at a dam wall in Valencia, Spain When it comes to their relationship, the couple said they have been 'pretty inseparable' since they started dating in 2007, which meant that 'transitioning into life in a small van was very easy'. 'Weve both got our own roles,' they added. 'Craigs the driver while Lauren is the navigator - we usually dont have a satnav and just use a paper map or a free offline map app. Craigs the chef and Lauren is the washer-upper. 'Laurens the cleaner while Craigs the maintenance man. Lauren also does all of the travel planning and takes the photos and videos.' When it comes to their favourite countries, the U.S is high on the couple's list for its 'variety of landscapes, wildlife and friendly people', they said. This picture shows the couple kayaking under the midnight sun in Lofoten, Arctic Norway - where the couple have spent several winter seasons The couple said they have been 'pretty inseparable' since they started dating in 2007, which meant that transitioning into life in a small van like the one pictured on the left in Sligo County, Ireland, was 'very easy'. RIGHT: Craig exploring a cave in the Lake District They also praised Norway 'for its dramatic mountains rising out of the sea and for the Northern Lights'. Among their least favourite places are Lithuania, where they felt 'a rather unfriendly vibe', and Egypt, which they said was 'too intense with people constantly trying to get money from us'. The countries that most surprised them were Spain and South Africa. 'From family beach holidays as a kid, I thought that was all Spain really had to offer,' Lauren said. 'But its such a huge country with varied landscapes and really impressive mountains.' She added that Cape Town in South Africa was also better than anticipated due to its proximity to nature and lively waterfront area with 'musicians, food markets and a backdrop of Table Mountain'. Lauren and Craig were attracted to a life of non-stop travel by the prospect of seeing wildlife and experiencing different cultures. Pictured: An old mine in Andalucia, Spain When asked what's next, it's no surprise that they revealed they plan to spend the next year backpacking around the world. They recently arrived at their first stop, Oman, and will head to local islands in the Maldives for a budget trip followed by China and 'hopefully' Pakistan, they said. 'Our plans go a little vague after the first six months so well see where we end up,' they added. When asked about their lifestyle preferences, the couple said: 'We love variety and find we get bored in one place, doing the same thing over and over. Working in one place for six months is usually our limit and then we start to get itchy feet.' What attracts them to a life of non-stop travel? Seeing new places every day, hiking different routes, wildlife and experiencing different cultures. The couple said they grow bored when staying in one place and doing the same thing. 'Working in one place for six months is usually our limit and then we start to get itchy feet,' they added. Pictured: A tropical storm in Alif Alif Atoll, Maldives 'We always try to mix up our travels so we dont become complacent,' they added. 'If we keep visiting beaches, they become a bit same-same so by going to a mountainous country next, we can have a whole change of scenery and appreciation.' Reflecting on the past 15 years and how travel has changed, the couple said it is becoming 'more challenging as the years go on' and hinted at the possibility of one day settling down. They added: 'It seemed a lot easier when we were younger, without iPhones and we just found our way around each country with a Lonely Planet book. 'I think also as places become more populated its taking more research to find hidden gems. 'So the idea of having a little patch of land to call home one day and maybe travel a few months a year instead of a full year is sounding more appealing.' For more from Lauren and Craig visit nonstoptravelling.com and nonstoptravelling.com/blogs. You can find them on TikTok here - www.tiktok.com - and Instagram here www.instagram.com/nonstoptravelling. A traveler has showcased a stunning hotel room that boasts the 'best view in the world' - but has a two-year waitlist. Dzenisa Forlano took to Instagram to document her trip to the Dolomitenhutte - a hotel located in the Lienz Dolomites, Austria. Her bedroom, called Adlerhorst, sat high above a snowy abyss with views of the mountains beyond. Despite the mesmerizing offerings, the room goes for just $85 a night including a delicious breakfast - which itself boasts a whole host of options such as a charcuterie board, cereal, fruit and assorted pastries. Dzenisa Forlano took to Instagram to document her trip to the Dolomitenhutte - a hotel located in the Lienz Dolomites, Austria Her bedroom, called Adlerhorst, sat high above a snowy abyss with views of the mountains beyond Dzenisa, who is based in Germany, shared a series of clips from her room - many of which featured her puppy named Whiskey. The backdrop was a magical landscape of the snowy mountains seen through the floor-to-ceiling windows. She explained: 'This is absolutely the dreamiest hotel room I have ever been in. 'Dolomitenhutte has beautiful rooms which offer an unforgettable view you must have seen once in your life.' The content creator continued: 'It's definitely worth the wait. 'The room costs 85 per person including breakfast. It is unique and in high demand, which is why the room is fully booked well in advance... 'Isnt that a great price for this view? 'Dogs are unfortunately not allowed but you can kindly ask the hotel if you can bring your little friend with you.' D zenisa, who is based in Germany, shared a series of clips from her room - many of which featured her puppy named Whiskey In her stories, Dzenisa offered yet more information about her stay. She posted a picture of her breakfast spread and wrote: 'During breakfast you also have a beautiful view and it is included in the price. 'By the way, you can also come here just to eat, even without staying overnight.' Dzenisa was also transparent about the restroom and bathing situation and showed the facilities to her viewers. 'Note: You should not expect a wellness resort. There is no private bathroom in the room. Toilets and showers are shared with other guests, just like in a gym. 'I usually don't like to share my bathroom either but for the view you have here, it is definitely worth it and everything is very clean.' Despite the mesmerizing offerings, the room goes for just $85 a night including a delicious breakfast - which itself boasts a whole host of options such as a charcuterie board, cereal, fruit and assorted pastries Dzenisa was also transparent about the restroom and bathing situation and showed the facilities to her viewers As for for her activity recommendations, she wrote: 'You can even borrow a toboggan from the hut and ride it down. Trust me, it is incredibly fun. 'I recommend you to hike up to the hut. If you walk slowly, it takes about three hours, but it's worth it. The path and the view during the hike are incredibly beautiful.' The Dolomitenhutte website states: 'The pearl of the Lienz Dolomites. The unique excursion destination in East Tyrol. A must for every Lienz and East Tyrol visitor. 'Easily accessible by car, with several climbing options. The sunny terrace above the rocks, like an eagle's nest, offers, among other things, beautiful sunsets. 'The traditional and very conscious cuisine delights every palate. Best Kaiserschmarren far and wide. Just awesome.' The hotel also offers the outside activities of hiking, rock climbing and mountain biking. As for for her activity recommendations, she wrote: 'You can even borrow a toboggan from the hut and ride it down. Trust me, it is incredibly fun' Dzenisa's videos were flooded with likes - and, on the one hand, there were those who were sold on the hotel, despite the long wait time Dzenisa's videos were flooded with likes - with viewers left bitterly divided in the comments. On the one hand, there were those who were sold on the hotel, despite the long wait time. One person wrote: 'I feel like I'd just sit there and stare out the window the entire time.' A second person added: 'Waaah! This is next to heaven.' 'Wow!!! Where is this?! Definitely worth the wait,' a third person wrote. Another commenter wrote: 'Yep! Very much worth the wait!' One person said: 'Absolutely stunning! I'd definitely go on the waiting list!' Another commenter added: 'Absolutely stunning! I'd definitely go on the waiting list!' 'Why not? Two years will pass if you're waiting or not,' one follower wrote. But, on the other hand, some followers were not sold on the idea of staying there as one person wrote: 'Not when you're afraid of heights.' But, on the other hand, some followers were not sold on the idea of staying there as one person wrote: 'Not when you're afraid of heights' Another follower commented: 'I would be terrified all the time.' A third person wrote: 'Nope. I couldn't do it!!!!! Beautiful view from a distance!! But I couldn't.' One person added: 'Beautiful but this room would give me anxiety. Terrified of heights.' A fifth commenter wrote: 'I'm usually only in the room when it's dark, so no. Rather be on the slopes during the day.' Another person added: 'Nope! Hate winter and the cold.' Advertisement British Airways was once so confident of its reputation, it used the worlds favourite airline in its advertising campaigns. But the UKs flag-carrier has been voted among the worst airlines for both long and short haul travel. Consumer champion Which? surveyed travellers experiences of flying in the past year and analysed results from over 10,000 flights. Once among the countrys leading airlines, BA came in the bottom five for short haul flights - below a number of low-cost carriers including easyJet, and in the bottom three for long haul. Punctuality and cancellations were a particular issue, with 3.3 per cent of its flights cancelled at short notice, according to CAA data. Consumer champion Which? surveyed travellers experiences of flying in the past year and analysed results from over 10,000 flights From 1983 to 2001, BA based its advertising around its claim that it was the worlds favourite airline. However, it has since fallen out of favour. Aviation expert Alex McWhirter told The Mail: BA has had to cut back on standards in order to compete with low-cost carriers. If it wants to go back to the good old days of food and drink service on board it will have to increase prices but customers wont pay those prices. Because of the image cultivated over the years, people expect more from a national carrier like BA, but these days theyre disappointed. The airline suffered a major IT failure in May 2017 and again in March 2022, causing dozens of flights to be grounded. At the time, BAs chief executive Sean Doyle apologised to staff, saying: Many of our customers are rightly fed up. I know youre also fed up and Im as frustrated as you are with some of the things weve had to deal with. In the Which? survey, passengers rated airlines on seven criteria, including customer service, value for money, seat comfort and food and drink. A customer score was calculated based on overall satisfaction and likelihood to recommend. Once among the countrys leading airlines, BA came in the bottom five for short haul flights - below a number of low-cost carriers including easyJet, and in the bottom three for long haul Wizz Air finished bottom, marking its second consecutive year at the bottom of the survey, with customers complaining about delays and poor customer service. Alarmingly, almost half (46 per cent) of those surveyed who flew with Wizz Air reported issues with their flight, with delays a particularly common issue. According to Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) data, 63 per cent of the airlines flights were on time in the last year. Around 2 per cent of its flights were delayed by over three hours - higher than most of its rivals. The Hungarian airline received low star ratings across the board, scoring just one star out of a possible five for customer service. Wizz Air finished bottom, marking its second consecutive year at the bottom of the survey, with customers complaining about delays and poor customer service One respondent reported it was impossible to communicate with the airline about their flight cancellation, while another said that Wizz Air was extremely unhelpful and unresponsive when they needed assistance. Close behind Wizz Air was Ryanair. The Irish airline scored just one star for seat comfort, food and drink and customer service. In the latter category, respondents were particularly critical, with one passenger saying the airline treats customers with disdain. Jet2, meanwhile, took first spot among short haul airlines for the third consecutive year. The airline topped the table with an impressive customer score of 81 per cent, and received a full five stars for its customer service. Its passengers reported a largely hassle-free flying experience, with 80 per cent of respondents who flew with Jet2 reporting no problems. Of those who experienced a hold up to their flight, 84 per cent reported that staff were helpful during the delay. Jet2 took first spot among short haul airlines for the third consecutive year. The airline topped the table with an impressive customer score of 81 per cent, and received a full five stars for its customer service Jet2 also has among the lowest rate of last-minute cancellations of any airlines in the survey, with just 0.5 per cent cancelled at short notice, according to CAA data. In joint second for short haul flights, with a customer score of 74 per cent, was Norwegian and Icelandair. The carriers climbed an impressive four and five places respectively from last year. Which?s latest airlines survey comes as fares hit record highs in the last year and many airlines posted substantial profits following the challenges of the pandemic. According to the Office for National Statistics, average UK airfares were as much as 713 last summer - and for these prices, customers should be seeing excellent service across the board. Rory Boland, editor of Which? Travel, said: Air fares have soared in recent years, and the bare minimum passengers should expect in return for their hard-earned cash is a reliable service, with friendly, easy to access customer support when they are let down. In joint second for short haul flights, with a customer score of 74 per cent, was Norwegian (pictured) and Icelandair Icelandair (pictured) climbed an impressive five places from last year's ranking While the likes of Jet2 continue to excel in this regard, our survey shows that passengers of many airlines are sadly being shortchanged - with high rates of last minute cancellations, abysmal customer service and sneaky extra fees for luggage hiking up the final price. A Wizz Air spokesperson said: We do not consider the findings of this report to be representative or an accurate reflection of our performance today, which is among the strongest in Europe. 'We have been honest about our performance in summer 2022, which was not up to our standards. 'We have invested more than 90 million to rectify this and have made significant improvements which the results of this survey fail to recognise, but are evident from independent data, as well as our own. A spokesperson for British Airways said: 'We always work hard to get our customers to where they need to be on time. 'Like all airlines though, over the last year weve experienced several factors outside of our control that have had an adverse impact on our customers, such as adverse weather and Air Traffic Control industrial action. 'We apologise to customers for any disruption theyve faced. A spokesperson for Ryanair said: Ryanair has industry leading punctuality with avg. on-time performance of 87 per cent in 2023, despite UK punctuality being severely impacted by the inefficient NATS and its incompetent CEO, whose ATC system has collapsed twice this year delaying thousands of flights and millions of passengers travelling to/from the UK. Mystery has surrounded Cate Blanchett's marriage in recent days as she has been spotted without her wedding ring on at a string of high-profile events. The Australian actress, 54, has not been seen publicly on a date with her husband Andrew Upton since their sun-soaked Ibiza holiday in August 2023. The couple, who tied the knot in 1997, also raised eyebrows earlier this month after putting their sprawling three-bedroom mansion in Prahran, Melbourne, on the market. A source told Woman's Day magazine earlier this week that Cate's missing wedding ring has set off alarm bells about the status of their marriage. But who is Cate's husband Andrew and how did the couple meet? MailOnline takes a look back at their relationship and 26-year marriage. Cate Blanchett and her Australian playwright husband Andrew Upton (pictured in June 2023) tied the knot in 1997 and have been married for 26 years Cate first met her Australian playwright husband Andrew, 58, in the mid-1990s while she was starring as Nina in a production of Anton Chekhov's The Seagull. However, she has candidly revealed how it wasn't love at first sight for the pair - who were dating other people at the time - as she admitted she found Andrew 'arrogant'. She has previously spoken about how they knew each other socially but didn't get on and 'mutually' didn't like each other before romantic sparks began to fly. Speaking on the The Tonight Show with Jay Leno in 2013, Cate revealed: 'It was mostly animosity... He thought I was aloof and I thought he was arrogant.' 'We just didn't really connect and we were going out with other people, who we're still friends with, and it was always an issue when the four of us went out that Andrew and I had something going on.' But the first signs of romance then emerged during a late night game of poker, with screenwriter Andrew proposing just three weeks later in a whirlwind early romance. The couple first met in the mid-1990s while she was starring as Nina in a production of Anton Chekhov's The Seagull, but Cate said it wasn't love at first sight as they didn't like one another She explained: 'One night we were playing poker and he was in the middle of telling me how he was attracted to a friend of mine and then we suddenly kissed and then he asked me to marry him three weeks later.' She also said in a 1999 Vanity Fair interview: 'He thought I was aloof and I thought he was arrogant. And it just shows how wrong you can be. But once he kissed me, that was that.' The Carol star previously gushed that she knew after just three days that they were going to get married, and their engagement came just weeks later. Back in 2015, Cate told Ellen DeGeneres: 'After three days, he turned to me, we were in bed - as you are after three days -and he said, "Cate". And I thought, "S**t, hes going to ask me to marry him and I'm going to have to say yes". 'And then he said, "I'm hungry, do you want to go get something to eat?" But then he asked me after about 21 days, and I said yes.' Reflecting on the proposal itself, Cate confessed that she had cooked 'the worst meal' and joked that Andrew had clearly only proposed because he was 'hallucinating'. 'I cooked him the worst meal. I somehow decided that to stuff a trout with walnuts and goat's cheese would be a good idea,' she hilariously said. She previously told how the first signs of romance then emerged during a late night game of poker, with screenwriter Andrew proposing just three weeks later (they are pictured in 1998) 'He ate it, and then he asked me to marry him, so clearly, he was, I don't know, hallucinating.' After the whirlwind proposal, the couple tied the knot in a romantic ceremony in December 1997. The couple went on to welcome four children together - sons Dashiell, 22, Roman, 19, and Ignatius, 16, and a daughter Edith, eight. While Cate has carved out a hugely successful career as an actress and soared to global fame, Andrew has also seen big success across theatre and film. Like his wife Cate, Andrew is from Australia and was born and raised in Sydney, and attended the University of Sydney, before going on to become a screenwriter, playwright and director. He has adapted a string of famous plays including The Cherry Orchard, The White Guard, Waiting for Godot and Uncle Vanya for productions in London and Sydney. He also served as the artistic director of the Sydney Theatre Company from 2008 to 2012, and even wrote a libretto for an opera. Andrew has worked on a string of high-profile movies including 1995's Babe, 2005's Stories of Lost Souls and 2015's Carol - which starred his wife Cate and saw her nab an Oscar nomination. After the whirlwind proposal, the couple (pictured in 2004) tied the knot in a romantic ceremony in December 1997 The couple went on to welcome four children together - sons Dashiell, 22, Roman, 19, and Ignatius, 16, and a daughter Edith, eight (Cate and Andrew are pictured in November 2001) The couple also formed their own production company Dirty Films in 2000 and it has seen them work behind the scenes on projects including 2023 thriller The New Boy and 2020's comedy Apples. Cate told E! Online in 2015: 'It's been a great creative partnership with my husband and also a great love affair. Working together, running a creative company in Australia. It's been fantastic.' Andrew has been long supportive of his wife's Hollywood career and has previously admitted that he 'quite enjoys' being married to a high-profile star. In 2008, Andrew told The Independent: 'Her public identity is very associated with her work, which I think is good, right and proper because she's bloody good at it. 'When her work is coming into focus, people want to see a photo of her carrying shopping bags. I can understand it people are interested and I'm glad they're interested otherwise they wouldn't come to see it.' For their 10th wedding anniversary, Andrew marked the special occasion by getting the word 'ten' tattooed on his right wrist. While Cate has carved out a career as an actress and soared to global fame, Andrew has also seen big success across theatre and film as a playwright and director (pictured in 2019) Andrew has been long supportive of his wife's Hollywood career and has previously admitted that he 'quite enjoys' being married to a high-profile star (the couple are pictured in 2019) He told the Sydney Morning Herald in 2013: 'We got married in 1997 so the tattoo's about five years old. Yes, it did hurt a little bit.' But Cate recently joked that their anniversary gifts are generally more practical as she detailed the gifts she has been given over the years to mark the occasion. She told The Mirror in 2020: 'My first wedding anniversary my husband gave me a vacuum cleaner and then he gave me a mixer. 'It used to be silver and gold but now that list includes coffee makers and irons and gone is the sense of getting to the gold and diamond anniversary. Now its the microwave anniversary. Its so less romantic now and timeless.' The couple - who have been living in the UK since 2015 - have now been married for 26 years, and generally keep their romance relatively under wraps. However, in recent days, Cate has left fans puzzled after stepping out at the 2024 BAFTA Film Awards without her wedding ring on, after a string of ring-free outings. Rather than wearing her white gold and diamond wedding sparkler, the Blue Jasmine star sported a large emerald cocktail ring for the event, which she attended solo without her husband. However, in recent days, Cate has left fans puzzled after stepping out at the 2024 BAFTA Film Awards without her wedding ring on (pictured), after a string of ring-free outings Cate was also spotted ring-free earlier this month, when she attended an event in New York at the Museum of Modern Art on February 6th. She made no attempt at hiding her bare wedding finger as she smiled for photos outside the exclusive event. In October, Cate was once again seen without her wedding ring as she sat front row at the Stella McCartney runway show during Paris Fashion Week, instead wearing a set of elegant gold bands on her wedding finger. Speaking to Woman's Day magazine on Monday, a source close to the couple said Cate's missing ring has set off alarm bells about the status of her marriage. 'Seeing Cate without her ring has sent shockwaves through their friends. For the first time they're wondering if things aren't so rosy,' the insider claimed. The couple also haven't been seen out on a date since August, when they were photographed enjoying a sun-drenched holiday in Ibiza. Cate was also spotted ring-free earlier this month, when she attended an event in New York at the Museum of Modern Art on February 6th In October 2023, Cate was seen without her wedding ring as she sat front row at the Stella McCartney runway show during Paris Fashion Week Meanwhile, they raised eyebrows earlier this month after putting their sprawling mansion in Prahran, Melbourne, on the market. The three-bedroom family home, which the couple purchased in 2006, is set to be sold at auction with a price guide of $2.25million-$2.45million. They still own several other properties together, including a Victorian mansion in East Sussex, England, which they bought for 4.9 million (AU$9.4million) in 2015. The couple also own an investment property in Sydney's CBD. Ashley Iaconetti and Jared Haibon revealed the gender of their soon-to-arrive second child during an Amazon Live session that was held on Friday. The 35-year-old reality television personality and her husband, 35, shared a video that had been taken during their trip to Walt Disney World that took place a month ago. In the clip, the Bachelor vet - who was briefly disappointed about the gender of her first child - and husband bit into a pair of cupcakes and revealed that they were expecting to welcome a second baby boy. Iaconetti predicted that she was going to have another son just before the gender reveal, and she quipped: 'I thought it was going to be a boy before I was pregnant.' Haibon then stated that he was excited about the prospect of starting a family-of-four, and he remarked that the 'idea that we're gonna have two boys is gonna be a lot of fun.' Ashley Iaconetti and Jared Haibon revealed the gender of their soon-to-arrive second child during an Amazon Live session that was held on Friday. The 35-year-old reality television personality and her husband, 35, shared a video that had been taken during their trip to Walt Disney World that took place a month ago The cast member of The Bachelor Winter Games went on to speak about how she had originally wanted a girl during her first pregnancy. 'It's funny because when it comes to gender disappointment, I had it so much worse with Dawson. We found out, and I was upset for a day or two,' she said. Iaconetti added: 'I really actually do not even care what the combo is now, I just want them to be close.' The couple announced that Ashley was pregnant with their second child during an Amazon Live session that took place this past January. Their son Dawson, nearly two, wore an adorable 'Big Brother' T-shirt as his parents shared the joyous news. 'He's going to be a big brother!' Ashley gushed. 'You're going to be a big brother!' Jared exclaiming before sharing, 'Ashley's pregnant!' In the clip, the Bachelor vet - who was briefly disappointed about the gender of her first child - and husband bit into a pair of cupcakes and revealed that they were expecting to welcome a second baby boy Iaconetti predicted that she was going to have another son just before the gender reveal, and she quipped: 'I thought it was going to be a boy before I was pregnant.' Haibon then stated that he was excited about the prospect of starting a family-of-four The announced the joyous news on Amazon Live this past January 'I'm pregnant!' Ashley chimed in, later adding she was 13 weeks into her pregnancy. Ashley and her husband tied the knot in 2019 before welcoming their first child together, son Dawson, in January 2022. 'We are a little concerned that he will be having some jealousy issues,' Ashley said during the live stream. 'He's been incredibly clingy lately.' Speaking with People, Ashley said she has been 'overwhelmed as hell' amid her second pregnancy. 'We want Dawson to have a sibling,' her husband told the outlet. 'That's very important. Both of us come from families with two kids. So we wanted to give that to Dawson.' Their firstborn attended his parent's first doctors appointment, where his mother's sonogram was shown. 'I try to teach him, "Where's the baby? It's in the belly!"' Ashley explained. 'Sometimes I'm like, "Where's the baby?" And he'll point to his belly. So he doesn't get that it's my belly. He has been extremely, even more so of a mommy's boy since this child has been in my belly.' 'So he is already getting jealous,' Jared added. The happy couple was joined by their son Dawson during the stream The couple pictured in January 2023 at the premiere of 80 For Brady The couple wed in 2019 and welcomed their son Dawson in 2022 So far Ashley's pregnancy has been smoother than when she was expecting Dawson. 'I had hyperemesis gravidarum last time, so that meant that basically I threw up almost every, well, I threw up multiple times a day up to about 30 weeks. And the first 16 to 18 weeks were just absolutely debilitating,' she said. 'So I'm just so freaking grateful that I'm not experiencing that,' she added. 'I haven't been great. I don't like the feeling of being pregnant. I never want to feel this again. Just don't like it.' Ashley also revealed she suffered a chemical pregnancy in the fall before becoming pregnant again with their upcoming addition. 'Its a week five miscarriage where basically the day that you think that youre going to get your period, you end up bleeding. But I had already had a positive pregnancy test. So for three days, I thought I was pregnant,' she explained to Us Weekly. But just a month later Ashley became pregnant again: 'We got so lucky that she got pregnant literally the next month,' her husband told The Messenger. Ashley and her husband first crossed paths on the second season of Bachelor In Paradise and later became engaged in June 2018. The following year, the pair said 'I do' during a romantic wedding ceremony held in Newport, Rhode Island. In summer 2021, Ashley and Jared announced that they were expecting their first child The following year, the pair said 'I do' during a romantic wedding ceremony held in Newport, Rhode Island. In summer 2021, Ashley and Jared announced that they were expecting their first child. In regards to naming their son Dawson, the couple previously revealed during an Amazon Live that the baby name was inspired by the character of Jack Dawson played by Leonardo DiCaprio in Titanic, per People. The Bachelor In Paradise star expressed at the time that, 'Naming a kid after a Leo character is very natural for us.' The mother of one, who is also a journalist, gained recognition after appearing on the 19th season of The Bachelor and later on the second and third season of Bachelor In Paradise. Jared is also no stranger to the world of television, and appeared in the 11th season of The Bachelorette as well as the second and third season of Bachelor In Paradise. During the show's fifth season, he notably proposed to Ashley. Maya Jama rocked a chic look in an oversized shirt as she attended the Marni show during Milan Fashion Week on Friday. The Love Island host, 29, looked stylish in the striped top and a pair of aquamarine flared trousers. Maya added grey and blue print stiletto heels and accessorised with a structured handbag from Marni. The presenter had one of the best seats in the house as she sat on the front row next to Kanye West. Ahead of the show, Maya posed for photos alongside America's Next Top Model sensation Sandra Shehab. Maya Jama rocked a chic look in an oversized shirt as she attended the Marni show during Milan Fashion Week on Friday The Love Island host, 29, looked stylish in the striped top and a pair of aquamarine flared trousers The internet star, 27, made a fashion statement in a pine green checked double-breasted maxi coat dress. She added some extra inches to her frame in a pair of red wine PVC heel boots. The star-studded runaway show saw the likes of Kanye and his wife Bianca Censori attend and the Australian beauty caught the eye in an incredibly risque outfit. The fashion designer, 29, went braless in a daring black bodysuit that barely contained her curves. The beauty also showcased a new hairstyle as she sported a dark black bob while cosying up to her husband, 46, at the event. Maya's appearance comes after she was seen puffing on a suspicious-looking roll-up outside Cape Town International Airport with her boyfriend, Stormzy earlier this week. She wrapped the All Stars version of the ITV reality show on Monday and headed back home to London, before jetting off to enjoy Milan Fashion Week. But before departing South Africa, Maya and the rapper, 30, lit up a roll-up, passing it between them, before catching their flight. The British stunner added grey and blue print stiletto heels Maya looked incredible displaying her flawless complexion with a lightning make-up, as her raven locks were styled in a an elegant blow-dry with a side parting Inside the event, Maya was snapped posing at the event alongside America's Next Top Model sensation Sandra Shehab The internet star, 27, made a fashion statement in a pine green checked double-breasted maxi coat dress She added some extra inches to her frame in a pair of red wine PVC heel bots, as she sizzled under the spotlight Sandra slicked her dark locks in a neat bun, as she beamed for the lense at the A-list fashion event Maya was captured sitting near Kanye and his wife Bianca The couple as well as Maya enjoyed the show in front row Bianca left almost nothing to the imagination as she wore an incredibly risque outfit to the Marni show An onlooker told The Sun: 'Maya and Stormzy had a smoke before checking into their flight for London. 'It didnt seem like Maya was used to smoking because she started coughing as Stormzy puffed away next to her.' They added: 'They seemed really in love and were laughing and holding hands as they walked through the airport.' MailOnline has contacted representatives for Maya Jama and Stormzy for comment. Maya's rep declined to comment. Jenelle Evans' husband David Eason plans to file for divorce shortly after both he and his 16-year-old daughter, Maryssa, were allegedly kicked out of the Teen Mom 2 star's home, per The U.S. Sun. The latest claims come shortly after the TV personality, 32, reunited with her son Jace, 14 - just days after Child Protective Services dropped its case against her and Eason. The teenager was previously removed from the North Carolina home after David allegedly attacked him last year in September 2023. A source told the outlet in an article published on Thursday that, 'David has been staying on Jenelle's boat over the past week, but then on Monday, things began to get heated.' 'Two days ago, Jenelle started texting Maryssa that since her father was no longer at the house, she could no longer live there, either.' Jenelle Evans' husband David Eason plans to file for divorce shortly after both he and his 16-year-old daughter, Maryssa, were allegedly kicked out of the Teen Mom 2 star's, 32, home, per The U.S. Sun A source told the outlet in an article published on Thursday that, 'David has been staying on Jenelle's boat over the past week, but then on Monday, things began to get heated' The insider further claimed that Evans had sent a message to the 16-year-old which read: 'I've raised you since you were little, but I have custody of Jace now, and he is my priority.' 'Tuesday night at 9pm, Jenelle knocked on Maryssa's bedroom door, and said to her in person, "I really need you to find somewhere else to go, you need to leave your room key and go in the morning,'" the source continued. The following day, after the MTV star had continued to text her about leaving, Maryssa packed up her belongings and is currently staying with a friend. In the wake of the alleged incidents, the source claimed to The U.S. Sun that David now plans to file for divorce. 'David is supposed to be filing for divorce sometime today - his plan is to get ahead of Jenelle filing.' A YouTuber by the name of Elle Bee also reported on Eason and his daughter allegedly being kicked out of Jenell's home in a video uploaded on Thursday. In the clip, she pulled up both of their Facebook pages which revealed that they each changed their relationship status to 'Separated.' Evans tied the knot with David back in 2017, and the two share seven-year-old daughter Ensley. 'Two days ago, Jenelle started texting Maryssa that since her father was no longer at the house, she could no longer live there, either,' the source added; Jenelle and David seen in 2019 in NYC The insider further claimed that Evans had sent a message to the 16-year-old which read: 'I've raised you since you were little, but I have custody of Jace now, and he is my priority' The TV personality also shares Kaiser, nine, with ex Nathan Griffin and welcomed Jace with ex Andrew Lewis - which was shown on 16 And Pregnant. Eason shares Maryssa as well as another child named Kaden - whom he welcomed from previous relationships. The divorce claims come shortly after Jenelle reunited with son Jace after Child Protective Services dropped their charges against her and David. The reality star took to her TikTok on Monday to share a sweet video of a family dinner with her 14-year-old boy, who was removed from her home after Eason allegedly attacked the teen in September 2023. In the clip, the MTV veteran is seated at a table with her children, Jace, Kaiser and Ensley as they enjoyed various types of ramen noodle soups. Jace is seen slurping up his meal before adorably demonstrating how to use chopsticks to his younger sister Ensley. The fun dinner date comes fours days after Janelle revealed on TikTok that CPS had 'officially dropped all allegations' against her and Eason. 'I have some good news and I'm kind of shaking right now from anxiety,' she began in the clip. 'All allegations against me and my husband have been officially dropped.' In the wake of the alleged incidents, the source claimed to The U.S. Sun that David now plans to file for divorce. 'David is supposed to be filing for divorce sometime today - his plan is to get ahead of Jenelle filing' Evans tied the knot with David back in 2017, and the two share seven-year-old daughter Ensley. The TV personality also shares Kaiser, nine, with ex Nathan Griffin and welcomed Jace with ex Andrew Lewis - which was shown on 16 And Pregnant 'I wasn't going to share this information, I was actually gonna keep it private and just kind of give a vague statement,' the MTV alum added. 'But right now, I need to control the narrative.' Janelle said she'll hold off on sharing case details for now, highlighting her priority on Jace's mental well-being. 'I'd appreciate if everyone respects my son's privacy so he can get his mental health in check,' she said before adding that 'someone is already leaking information.' She said it was likely Jace's father, Andrew Lewis, or her mother, Barbara Evans, because they are the 'only two people who knew the information.' Regarding the mother-of-three's emotional state, Evans acknowledged feeling 'super happy' that the situation is 'finally over.' Jenelle wrapped up her message by expressing gratitude to those who had supported her during the ordeal. 'I appreciate it. And now I feel like I can move on with my life.' The reveal comes almost a month after it was reported that Eason had been charged by one count of misdemeanor child abuse and one count of felony assault by strangulation in the child abuse case. In November, Jace was removed from his mother's residence after telling doctors that Eason had abused him. The divorce claims come shortly after Jenelle reunited with son Jace after Child Protective Services dropped their charges against her and David The reality star took to her TikTok on Monday to share a sweet video of a family dinner with her 14-year-old boy, who was removed from her home after Eason allegedly attacked the teen in September 2023 He was then placed under the care of his maternal grandmother, Barbara. It is unclear if Jace will be allowed to live with Janelle again. According to TMZ, Jace alleged that Eason had assaulted him following his most recent attempt to run away from home. The insiders went on to claim that Evans' son exhibited visible marks on his neck and arms, and the alleged assault was said to have taken place at an acquaintance's residence. Both the local police department and CPS were said to have obtained Ring camera footage of the incident. Following the alleged assault, Evans and Eason both became the subject of a investigation for suspected child neglect. It was reported that the latter of the two had officially been charged with a misdemeanor related to his involvement in the incident in October. Officials have since determined that a separate charge for alleged strangulation is applicable to the media figure's spouse. In November, Jenelle implied that her mother Barbara was the culprit behind the child abuse probe and charge against Eason, as well as the nasty fallout of the ongoing situation. Jace reportedly had no contact with the Teen Mom 2 star or her husband David since he was moved out of their home and was sent to live with Jenelle's mother Barbara again. The fun dinner date comes fours days after Janelle revealed on TikTok that CPS had 'officially dropped all allegations' against her and Eason According to TMZ , Jace alleged that Eason had assaulted him following his most recent attempt to run away from home; Jace and David seen above The new arrangement seemed to have been benefiting the teenage boy, who had been happier than he has been in recent weeks, according to sources with direct knowledge who spoke to TMZ. It was reported that Eason, whose conduct was defended by his wife earlier this year, had been accused by Evans' son Jace of physical abuse this past October. Jace had run away from home on several occasions before then, and he had been returned to his parents each time. Although Jace was back living under Barbara's roof - where he has lived for much of his life - he was technically under the custody of Child Protective Services, which removed him from his mother and stepfather's home. Russia, as it does many nights, has launched airstrikes on Ukraine overnight into Saturday morning, the second anniversary of the full-scale invasion in 2022. A barrage of Russian drones and missiles targeted Odesa in the south, and at least one person and two others were seriously injured when a damaged drone crashed into a residential building. Meanwhile in Kyiv, Western leaders have been arriving for events to mark the second anniversary and to show solidarity with Ukraine amid fears around faltering Western support, most of all from the United States. The European Unions president Ursula von der Leyen is attending events in Kyiv, as well as Canadas Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, the prime ministers of Belgium and Italy and the former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Elsewhere, Ukraines newly appointed Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces, Oleksandr Syrskiy, has posted a statement marking the second anniversary of the war, hailing Ukrainians extraordinary defense of their country and calling for unity now more than ever." MORE: How initial US support for aiding Ukraine has come to a standstill 2 years later PHOTO: UKRAINE-RUSSIA-CONFLICT-WAR (Oleksandr Gimanov/AFP via Getty Images) "No one in the world had believed Ukraine would stand but Ukrainians had thrown themselves into saving their country, said Syrskiy. He also listed the achievements Ukraine has made during the two years of the war, including saving Kyiv, liberating Kherson, the Kharkiv counteroffensive and driving of Russias navy from the Black Sea. He added that the counteroffensive last summer did not bring the desired results because of objective circumstances." Syrskiy also thanked Ukraines international allies, saying every projectile, every tank, every armored vehicle, is ... saving the life of a Ukrainian soldier." He also, notably, made a veiled reference to the unusually large number of Russian aircraft brought down in the past two weeks -- including the valuable A-50 reconnaissance plane brought down overnight -- implying specifically that Ukraine was looking at an asymmetric response in the air." I believe that soon we will give an asymmetric response to the Russian occupier in the air as well. There will be even more burning Russian planes. The state leadership is doing everything possible for this, Syrskiy said. Russia strikes hit Ukraine overnight as it marks 2nd anniversary of invasion originally appeared on abcnews.go.com Alec Baldwin and wife Hilaria were spotted out in New York on Friday, a day after the involuntary manslaughter trial of Rust armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed began. The actor, 65, and the Yoga instructor, 40, kept the chilly weather at bay as they bundled up for the outing, both wearing puffer jackets. While Alec sported a simple navy one, Hilaria opted for a bright pink $2,300 Moncler Grenoble Plumel down jacket. The Golden Globe Award winner completed his look with black pants and matching sneakers. Meanwhile the mom-of-seven rocked black joggers, a matching top, and Adidas sneakers. Thursday marked the start of the manslaughter trial of the armorer, 26, who loaded the gun Baldwin was rehearsing with on the set of his film Rust when it fired, killing the movie's cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, 42. Alec Baldwin and wife Hilaria were spotted out in New York on Friday, a day after the manslaughter trial of Rust armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed began Gutierrez-Reed had live ammunition mixed with dummy rounds on set, prosecutors told the jury. She has pleaded not guilty to charges of involuntary manslaughter and tampering with evidence. If found guilty, she could be sentenced to 18 months in prison and fined $5,000. Hutchins died in 2021 after Gutierrez-Reed mistakenly loaded a live round into a reproduction Colt .45 revolver that Baldwin was rehearsing with on the movie set outside Santa Fe. Director Joel Souza was also injured in the shooting. Five other live rounds were later found on the set by investigators. Gutierrez-Reed sat in court wearing a gray blazer and white top looking impassive as District Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer read out the charges to the jury. Opening statements were delayed on Thursday due to a juror's tardiness. 'We believe that it was the negligent acts and failures of the defendant that resulted in both the acts that contributed to Miss Hutchins' death and the live rounds being brought onto the set,' prosecutor Jason Lewis said on in the state's opening remarks. Gutierrez-Reeds attorneys have previously claimed that live rounds arrived on set from an Albuquerque-based supplier of dummy rounds. On Thursday they put the fault on Baldwin, saying the actor 'violated basic gun safety rules' as he rushed to finish filming, and did not do training that Gutierrez had requested. The actor, 65, and the Yoga instructor, 40, kept the chilly weather at bay as they bundled up for the outing, both wearing puffer jackets Thursday marked the start of the involuntary manslaughter trial of the armorer, 26, who loaded the gun Baldwin was rehearsing with on the set of his film Rust when it fired, killing the movie's cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, 42; Gutierrez-Reed seen in court Gutierrez-Reed, the stepdaughter of renowned sharpshooter and weapons consultant Thell Reed, was 24 at the time of Hutchins death Defense attorney Jason Bowles said: This scene didn't require him to draw that weapon. Instead for whatever reason Mr Baldwin pulled it out and it ends up being pointed right at Miss Hutchins and Mr Souza. According to Bowles, Baldwin controlled the set as he was the lead actor and one of the producers. By pointing a gun at another person, Baldwin violated some of the most basic gun safety rules you can ever learn, Bowles said. Prosecutor Lewis, on the state's part, said that it was a fairly chaotic day when the shooting happened, as the evening before a group of camera operations who had some concerns about safety issues on set sent an email to the production team saying they were going to be quitting. The next day the producers decided to push ahead with filming anyway and use less camera equipment, as they tried to improvise and make do with what they had. During lunch hour Miss Gutierrez took the gun from Mr Baldwin and she took it back to the safe, the gun safe that was loaded on a prop cart,' the prosecutor told the jury. Once lunch was over, production decided they wanted to continue working inside the church. At this point they werent filming anything. They were doing blocking, that is in film terms what you do before you get to rehearsal, a very rough rehearsal where the lighting director, camera operator are trying to get things so they can move into a rehearsal. Lewis said that several witnesses and one in particular will say that for purposes of blocking Mr Baldwin could have been using a stick, a rubber gun, anything that would allow him to mimic a gun.' During the morning Gutierrez had only put five rounds in the gun Baldwin was using but for the afternoon shooting she put a sixth bullet in there, Lewis said. She took it to the church and handed it to First Assistant Director Dave Halls. They both did a sloppy and incomplete safety check of the gun, the dummy rounds were not removed and rattled,' which would have told them what kinds of rounds were in the gun. Baldwin said he had accidentally killed Hutchins and denies pulling the trigger. The jury was shown raw footage from the filmmaking process of Baldwin practicing drawing a gun while sitting on a church pew The set of Rust in New Mexico is seen in an image shown to the jury Lewis added: Instead she cracked open the gun and partially spun the cylinder to show Mr Halls a few of the rounds. They were not removed from the gun and they were not all checked. After the incident happened and when Miss Gutierrez was being interviewed she stated when she removed the gun from the safe she didnt recheck the ammunition. When she put the sixth bullet in she didnt check the rounds at that time either. Witnesses will testify when the defendant pulled the gun out of the safe, what she should have done was open the gun and checked each and every round. Then when she took it to the church she should have done a second complete ammo check with Mr Halls. This double redundancy is what helps prevent the kind of incident that occurred to Miss Huchins from happening.' Lewis said that Gutierrez handed the gun to Halls, exited the church and Halls handed it to Baldwin. Mr Baldwin was sitting on that church pew practicing how he would hold the gun. As Mr B was manipulating the firearm he caused it to discharge and that unfortunately sent a projectile flying directly at Miss Hutchins,' the prosecutor told the court. (It) shot completely through Miss Hutchins and struck the films director Joel Souza in the shoulder. Paramedics on set tried to save Hutchins but because of the remote location it took some time for additional help to arrive. Hutchins was airlifted to the University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque but she died. As Lewis said this, Gutierrez-Reed looked uncomfortable and closed her eyes. Baldwin also has pleaded not guilty to an involuntary manslaughter charge in a separate case Lewis said: By failing to make those vital safety checks the defendant acted negligently and without due caution. The decisions she made that day contributed to Miss Hutchins death. Gutierrez-Reed, the stepdaughter of renowned sharpshooter and weapons consultant Thell Reed, was 24 at the time of Hutchins death. Rust was her second assignment as an armorer in a feature film. Baldwin also has pleaded not guilty to an involuntary manslaughter charge in a separate case, following his second inditement. He was indicted in January on an involuntary manslaughter charge. He has said he pulled back the guns hammer not the trigger and the weapon fired. The new involuntary manslaughter charges have been 'frustrating' and 'very stressful' for the actor and his wife Hilaria, according to People. 'It's stressful for Hilaria. It's frustrating for them both that Alec is being recharged. They knew there was a possibility there would be a new indictment. The back and forth is hard. It's very stressful.' Sabrina Carpenter narrowly dodged an awkward question about her rumoured boyfriend Barry Keoghan. The American songstress, 24, sat down with Nova's Smallzy's Surgery this week where she was forced to avoid a question involving the Saltburn star. Host Smallzy, whose real name is Kent Small, asked the sly question: if Sabrina has seen the psychological thriller starring her rumoured beau. 'You know, I have...' the Girl Meets World star answered. 'Did you love it?' Smallzy then pressed, to which Sabrina awkwardly replied, 'Oh, I loved it. Such a good movie... Anyways, I gotta go to the bathroom.' Sabrina Carpenter narrowly dodged an awkward question about her rumoured boyfriend Barry Keoghan The interview swiftly moved onto a different topic. Barry Keoghan, 31, and popstar Sabrina Carpenter's relationship appears to be heating up as of late. Last week, Sabrina appeared to be wearing the Irish star's Harvard hoodie as she touched down in Melbourne to open for Taylor Swift during her Australian leg of her Eras tour. As she arrived at Melbourne Airport, she was greeted by fans, including Tiktokker Tornadothingss who filmed her arrival. The American songstress, 24, sat down with Nova's Smallzy's Surgery this week where she was forced to avoid a question involving the Saltburn star. Pictured: Smallzy Earlier this month, Sabrina and Barry attended their first public event together after confirming their new romance. Sabrina (left) posed on the red carpet solo in a racy sheer top and skirt, but was later spotted partying with Barry inside Bar Marmont in Los Angeles Online sleuths in the comments of the clip made the connection to Barry's grey university jumper, which he had shared on Instagram previously in a selfie. 'That's Barry Keoghan's Harvard sweatshirt omg,' wrote one, while another advised 'yesss Google: Barry Keoghan Harvard sweatshirt and you'll see a pic of him.' 'Omg it really is,' wrote another follower, while another expressed disbelief: 'No way!' 'She's wearing his sweatshirt so random,' said another fan. Earlier this month, Sabrina and Barry attended their first public event together after confirming their new romance. Sabrina Carpenter appeared to be wearing Saltburn star Barry Keoghan's Harvard hoodie as she touched down in Melbourne last week The duo were pictured cosying up at W Magazine's star-studded Grammys after party. Sabrina posed on the red carpet solo in a racy sheer top and skirt, but was later spotted partying with Barry inside Bar Marmont in Los Angeles. The new couple were first romantically linked late last year in December when they were seen enjoying a dinner date in the Brentwood neighbourhood of Los Angeles. Last month in January, the two were spotted on a sweet date at an art gallery. A fan had seen the pair at the museum and captured a few images which were later shared on TMZ. An eyewitness told People at the time that 'It definitely seemed like a date' and noted that the pair looked 'cute' together and also 'shared a little kiss'. The pair reportedly first met during Paris Fashion Week last year in September while at the Givenchy fashion show. Barry split from his long-term girlfriend, dentist Alyson Kierans, last year amid reports they were rowing about his late night partying. The two welcomed their first child together - son Brando - in August 2022. The actor confirmed his split from Alyson while talking to GQ last month. Andy Cohen was spotted in New York on Friday, after Brandi Glanville's lawyers slammed him for saying that an 'inappropriate' video he sent the star was a 'joke.' The Bravo honcho, 55, who apologized to Glanville, 51, via Twitter, brushed off the recent allegations and was seen cheerfully smiling while taking a walk. He sported a plaid coat over a navy blazer and blue jeans, which he teamed with an orange tie. Cohen completed the look with burgundy boots and carried a white tote in his hand for the outing. On Thursday, the talk show host apologized to the Bravo star for inviting her to watch him have sex with Below Deck star Kate Chastain, claiming it was a 'joke.' However, on Friday Glanville's lawyers Bryan Freedman and Mark Geragos blasted that claim, calling what happened 'sexual harassment, plain and simple.' Andy Cohen was spotted in New York on Friday, after Brandi Glanville's lawyers slammed him for saying that an 'inappropriate' video he sent the star was a 'joke' The Bravo honcho, 55, who apologized to Glanville, 51, via Twitter, brushed off the recent allegations and was seen cheerfully smiling while taking a walk Glanville claims that an 'obviously inebriated' Cohen sent her a video of himself saying that he wanted to have sex with another Bravo star and invited her to watch the act over FaceTime in 2022. 'Any boss who is clearly inebriated and encourages their employee by FaceTime video, and invites the employee to watch their boss to have sex with another employee, constitutes sexual harassment, plain and simple, under any definition of sexual harassment even one concocted by NBC,' the attorneys told Page Six. 'Why is Andy Cohen getting a pass? Any other supervisor at Comcast/NBC who engaged in this behavior would be fired immediately on the spot.' The lawyers stated that NBC has 'mistakenly given' Cohen 'too much power' by letting him host reunions and his own talk show, claiming the network has 'clearly decided that he is too big to fail.' They went on to say there was 'no excuse' for Cohen to say the video he sent Glanville 'was a joke.' 'In fact, if it was such a known joke, then why did he apologize? The reason is that Andy knows he is in a position of power which allows him to control where and how much Brandi works, which allows him to do whatever he wants and behave in a fashion that is abusive and harassing.' They concluded the statement claiming: 'NBC has learned nothing from the cover-up at NBC News. Just like Matt Lauer, Andy Cohen makes too much money for Bravo to fire. NBC continues to protect those in power.' An insider told the publication that 'anyone who has seen the video can tell its clearly a joke.' He sported a plaid coat over a navy blazer and blue jeans, which he teamed with an orange tie. Cohen completed the look with burgundy boots and carried a white tote in his hand On Thursday, the talk show host apologized to the Bravo star for inviting her to watch him have sex with Below Deck star Kate Chastain, claiming it was a 'joke' However, on Friday Glanville's lawyers Bryan Freedman and Mark Geragos blasted that claim, calling what happened 'sexual harassment, plain and simple' But Cohen an openly gay man has insisted the video was meant as a joke, writing on X, formerly Twitter: 'The video shows Kate Chastain and I very clearly joking to Brandi. It was absolutely meant in jest, and Brandis response clearly communicated she was in on the joke. That said, it was totally inappropriate and I apologize.' The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum accused Cohen of sexual harassment in an explosive legal letter obtained by DailyMail.com earlier this month that was sent by her attorneys to NBC, Shed Media and Warner Bros. on Thursday. DailyMail.com has reached out to representatives for Cohen and Bravo for comment. The identity of the 'Bravo star' was not disclosed in the letter but Cohen later revealed it to be Below Deck alum Kate Chastain as he responded to Glanville's accusations on X (formerly Twitter) Wednesday. Cohen said that he and Chastain were 'joking' about hooking up but acknowledged it was 'inappropriate.' In the legal letter, Freedman notes that Cohen was Glanville's superior at the time the alleged video was sent as she was working on the second season of The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip, a Real Housewives spin-off for NBC's streaming service Peacock. She'd also worked closely with Cohen for over 10 years after landing a spot on the hit Bravo series Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills back in 2011. 'Mr. Cohen was Ms. Glanville's boss at the time and exercised complete and total control over her career. This was an extraordinary abuse of power that left Ms. Glanville feeling trapped and disgusted,' he writes. 'It is inconceivable that Mr. Cohen remains in his post in spite of this behavior and harkens back to the bad old days of Matt Lauer and NBC News when profits were prioritized over people.' Cohen insisted the video to Glanville (pictured in 2009) was meant in jest in a new statement The identity of the 'Bravo star' was not disclosed in the letter but Cohen later revealed it to be Below Deck alum Kate Chastain as he responded to Glanville's accusations on X (formerly Twitter) Wednesday Cohen explained that he an openly gay man and Chastain were 'joking' about hooking up but acknowledged it was 'inappropriate'; Chastain seen on February 14 After 20 years of co-hosting, Lauer was abruptly fired from the Today show over allegations of sexual misconduct. Although NBC denied rumors of a cover-up, journalist Ronan Farrow claimed in his bombshell book that the network took internal steps to protect Lauer. Glanville's allegations against Cohen were not even a fraction of the explosive claims made by her attorneys in the new legal letter obtained by DailyMail.com this week. In it, Glanville's attorney claimed she was 'used and abused by NBC, Bravo, Warner Bros., and Shed Media' and accused the network of 'hiding evidence' that would clear her name. Glanville has decided to 'wage a public reputational war' against the network after they 'silenced' her in the wake of sexual assault allegations made against Glanville by her Ultimate Girls' Trip costar Caroline Manzo. The Real Housewives of New Jersey star, 62, made headlines in 2023 when she alleged that Glanville kissed her without consent and even 'forced her vagina against her back' during filming of the Housewives spin off show in Morocco. Last month, Manzo officially filed to sue Bravo over her claim that production encouraged Glanville to sexually harass. Now, in a new legal demand, Glanville's attorney's appear to suggest Manzo is lying, insisting no assault took place, as they demand the network release to them 'all existing documents and data' pertaining to the accusations. 'Ms. Glanville and Ms. Manzo engaged in 'dirty dancing,' flirting, and playful touching,' the letter reads. 'Throughout the night, they shared a couple of kisses. Glanville previously revealed that her face was left disfigured due to stress-induced angioedema - a condition which causes swelling under the skin 'We have heard about a supposed 'bathroom incident' through press leaks, but Shed Media has repeatedly refused to allow Ms. Glanville or her counsel to see the footage in question; there is no truth to any allegations of impropriety'. The letter continued: 'It is apparent some allegation was made; however, neither the nature nor the source of that allegation has been clarified by NBC, Shed Media, or Warner Bros. 'We can glean from the press coverageseeded by malicious and deliberate leaksthat Ms. Manzo formally accused Ms. Glanville of sexual misconduct and that Ms. Glanville was sent home as a result.' They continued: 'It bears emphasis that Ms. Glanville and Ms. Manzo were never alone together; anything that happened took place in the presence of the cast and crew. All the events were captured on camera or picked up via microphone.' Glanville's legal team maintain her innocence and insist that the TV star was never alone with Manzo, and that her costar 'did not manifest a lack of consent at any point.' The letter also sees Glanville's reps accuse Manzo of 'feeding a defamatory narrative' to the media and of being the source behind the press leaks regarding the claims. The letter states: 'We have every reason to believe that Ms. Manzo, with the tacit or express support of Bravo and Shed Media, is the source of the early and voluminous press leaks that began immediately upon Ms. Glanville's return home. 'Yet Ms. Glanville was admonished to remain entirely silent and to refrain from defending herself. She was further told that assuming her compliance with that directive, she would have the opportunity to work for Shed Media/Warner Bros. again on the condition that she completes 6-months of outpatient therapy with a Warner Bros.-affiliated therapist. Ms. Glanville did so. 'It became apparent afterward, however, that this was a false promise intended to ensure Ms. Glanville's silence.' It continues: 'All the while, Ms. Manzo, Bravo, and Shed Media were feeding a defamatory narrative that destroyed Ms. Glanville's reputation, employment prospects, mental health, and financial stability and caused untold harm to Ms. Glanville and her family.' In a statement shared with DailyMail.com, attorney Bryan Freedman called for other 'victims' of Bravo and NBC to reach out to their team and join the 'fight' against the network. Glanville has decided to 'wage a public reputational war' against the network after they 'silenced' her in the wake of sexual assault allegations made against Glanville by her Ultimate Girls' Trip costar Caroline Manzo; Manzo seen in 2019 The letter highlighted how Glanville has been plagued with health issues ever since Manzo's allegations went public, and said she has been in 'dire straits' after Bravo tried to 'humiliate and ruin her publicly.' The reality star has talked openly about how her face was left disfigured due to stress-induced angioedema - a condition which causes swelling under the skin. Glanville's team accuses the network of having a 'reckless disregard for the mental and emotional health' of employees - adding that Glanville has been treated like a 'sacrificial lamb' and has faced 'social and economic death.' They are seeking evidence from the network's servers, storage, personal computers, portable systems. The legal letter warns that 'Ms. Glanville is uniquely positioned to reveal more revelations' and is just one of thousands of stars to come forward against the network in recent years. TMZ previously reported that Manzo is suing Bravo and claimed production plied them with alcohol as they filmed the spin-off in Morocco in January 2023. Ross Kemp has seen his Channel 5 show about the world's most dangerous prisons cancelled half way through filming its latest season. The star had been shooting his Ross Kemp: 72 Hours In... series which was set to see him go behind bars in some of South Americas most dangerous prisons. However, despite already filming one episode in Colombia last year, the entire series has been scrapped amid a row over costs, with bosses at the channel reportedly unhappy at how expensive it was becoming to shoot. This was then compounded by a coup in Ecuador days before production was due to begin at a prison in the country, with an insider claiming the budget issues following this made it 'unrealistic to continue'. Channel 5 has reportedly confirmed the cancellation of the series, which had been hailed by the TV company as one of its top documentaries when it was announced last year. Ross Kemp in Manila, in the Philippines, for an episode of his Extreme World series in 2017 Kemp had been due to shoot an episode of his new series in Ecuador when violence broke out after a coup earlier this year. Pictured: Ecuadorian police arrest two suspected drug smugglers in Tonsupa, Ecuador, on February 11 The TV star had already filmed one episode of the series in Colombia, but this might never see the light of day. Pictured: Two prison guards ride on a motorbike outside La Modelo Prison in Bogota, Colombia, on January 25 However, it is unlikely to hit the screens in its current form and there are doubts that the episode filmed in Colombia will never be aired. It is reported that tensions had been rising between producers at Kemp's Freshwater Films and Chalkboard TV and the network over the cost of the series, even as he was filming in Colombia. The show was then halted midway through filming in October due to 'an incident', the nature of which has not yet been revealed. A spokeswoman for Channel 5 told MailOnline at the time shooting had been stopped 'due to unforeseen production challenges'. This was then followed by the outbreak of violence in Ecuador on the eve of filming recommencing, which curtailed plans once again. A source told Deadline: 'Ecuador was a big episode and there was that whole massive issue that erupted literally days before filming. Budget issues then made it unrealistic to continue.' They added: 'Ross is the debris in this. He went to other side of the world to film an episode in a high security prison that'll never air.' A spokeswoman for Channel 5 appeared to confirm the cancellation of the series, telling the publication: 'Filming had begun on the series, but due to unforeseen production challenges, we made the practical decision to halt filming and will not be progressing further.' The series had been due to follow BAFTA award-winning documentary maker, actor and author behind bars in some of the world's most high-security, high-risk prisons housing gang leaders, serial killers, violent criminals, drug lords and mass murderers to discover first-hand what it's like to live life inside amongst society's most dangerous. The actor previously said of the show: 'I've been to some of the toughest prisons in the UK and all around the world. 'I thought I'd experienced it all, and taken every adventure, but this time we're going even further than before! 'I'm looking forward to my first documentary series with Channel 5 and taking you all on this journey with me.' Channel 5 and Chalkboard TV have been contacted for comment. Anya Taylor-Joy appears to be taking a leaf out of Gwyneth Paltrow's book and launching her own lifestyle business. The ambitious actress, 27, has applied to the Intellectual Property Office to trademark the name 'Anya' for a vast range of goods and services. They range from cosmetic bags and phone cases to stockings and suspenders, according to newly published documents. Interestingly, her application also covers games, so Taylor-Joy, who starred as prodigy Beth Harmon in Netflix series The Queen's Gambit, could bring out her own chess set. The Golden Globe accolade - who has left school at the age of 16 to pursue an acting career - became notable for her role as chess prodigy Beth Harmon in hit Netflix show The Queen's Gambit. Anya Taylor-Joy appears to be taking a leaf out of Gwyneth Paltrow's book and launching her own lifestyle business Hollywood icon Gwyneth, 51, is hailed for her modern lifestyle brand Goop which last year was valued at more than 197m (pictured at Armani show at PFW in January) The Split star previously revealed her fans frequently 'want to play me at chess'. 'I don't carry one [a chess board] with me, but the thing about jumping from project to project is you gain skills from that particular project,' she admitted. Hollywood icon and businesswoman Gwyneth, 51, is hailed for her modern - and often dubbed as controversial - lifestyle brand Goop, which last year was valued at more than 197m. The prosperous business offers from wellness advice from doctors, along with travel recommendations, even reaching to a of high-priced clean beauty, fashion, and home products. The award-winning actress insisted she has no reservations about leaving the spotlight for good. Gwyneth already stepped away from acting, her last major film was 2019's Avengers: Endgame. 'I will literally disappear from public life,' the stunning star said about her future retirement plans to Bustle. 'No one will ever see me again.' She echoed the sentiment later in the interview when asked if she would attempt to teach others how to age gracefully. 'Ill probably try, knowing myself. Or I might be like, "F*** this." I might just disappear, and no one will ever see me again'. The Golden Globe accolade - who has left school at the age of 16 to pursue an acting career - became notable for her role as chess prodigy Beth Harmon in The Queen's Gambit Gwyneth's business offers from wellness advice from doctors, along with travel recommendations, even reaching to a of high-priced clean beauty, fashion, and home Anna shot to fame in 2020 when she starred in Netflix smash hit The Queen's Gambit, but she also enjoyed prior success in Peaky Blinders. In 2023, Anya married American musician and actor Malcolm McRae in a lavish Italian ceremony after two years of dating. Later in 2024, Anya will lead post-apocalyptic action adventure film Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, the fifth film in the Mad Max series. Imogen Anthony shared an old photograph of herself with police officer Beau Lamarre-Condon as he is charged with murder of Jesse Baird and Luke Davies. Celebrity-blogger-turned-cop Lamarre-Condon, 28, was charged with two counts of murder as he appeared in Waverley Local Court on Friday afternoon. Police will allege he shot Channel 10 presenter Baird and his boyfriend Davies with his police pistol at Mr Baird's home in Paddington, in Sydney's inner east. Amid the news, Big Brother star Anthony, 33, took to her Instagram Stories to post a old photograph of herself with Lamarre-Condon. In the since-deleted Story, she re-shared an old photograph from when she met Lamarre-Condon at the Elle Style Awards in 2014, before he joined the police force. Imogen Anthony shared an old photograph of herself with cop Beau Lamarre-Condon as he is charged with murder of Jesse Baird and Luke Davies Amid the news, Big Brother star Anthony, 33, took to her Instagram Stories to post a old photograph from when she met Lamarre-Condon at the Elle Style Awards in 2014 The original post, shared on October 25, 2014, still features on her Instagram grid, alongside the caption: 'Lovely to meet you also @beaulamarre! Cheers for the pic #ElleStyleAwards' She re-posted the picture alongside the caption: 'The world has some weird s**t man.' The original post, shared on October 25, 2014, still features on her Instagram grid, alongside the caption: 'Lovely to meet you also @beaulamarre! Cheers for the pic #ElleStyleAwards.' Prior to becoming a police officer, Lamarre-Condon was a celebrity blogger who was known for taking selfies with stars including Taylor Swift and Lady Gaga. Lamarre-Condon faced Waverley Local Court on Friday afternoon, sitting in the dock in a black T-shirt after he handed himself into police at Bondi. He only looked up briefly to acknowledge the magistrate in court on Friday, and had no-one in court, either family or friends, to support him during his short appearance. He has been charged with two counts of murder. He did not apply for bail and was ordered to reappear in court on April 23. Celebrity-blogger-turned-cop Lamarre-Condon (pictured), 28, was charged with two counts of murder as he appeared in Waverley Local Court on Friday afternoon Former Channel 10 presenter Baird, 26, (right) and his new partner Luke Davies, 29, (left) vanished from Paddington, in Sydney's east, on Monday night According to court documents, Baird and Davies were both allegedly killed by Lamarre-Condon at Paddington between 12.01am and 5.30pm on Monday. The shooting occurred just hours after they were last seen alive at a pre-Mardi Gras party night on Sunday at the Beresford Hotel in Surry Hills. Later on Monday evening, Lamarre-Condon hired a white Toyota HiAce van from Mascot and allegedly used it to dispose of the couple's bodies, police said. Detectives believe Lamarre-Condon then returned the alleged murder weapon to a police station's locked firearms safe on Tuesday. Lamarre-Condon took sick leave from the NSW Police Force for the rest of the day and failed to return to work on Wednesday. Bloodied clothes and other belongings including credit cards belonging to former Studio 10 staffer Baird, 26, and Davies, 29, were found dumped in a skip bin in Cronulla on Wednesday. The discovery led police to Baird's home in Paddington, where pools of blood and blood-spattered furniture were found - sparking grave fears for the couple. Beau Lamarre-Condon was charged after he handed himself in to police at Bondi following a massive manhunt (Lamarre-Condon is pictured being led away for questioning by detectives) His social media accounts, which featured pictures of Beau Lamarre-Condon with celebrities including Taylor Swift (pictured), have all been deactivated Last week, Lamarre-Condon was taking selfies with stars, grabbing a picture with Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker Homicide Squad commander Detective Superintendent Danny Doherty said police had matched a bullet cartridge found in the premises to a police weapon. 'Police located a projectile at the premises which had been discharged and also a fired cartridge case,' Det Supt Doherty said. 'This has now been physically matched to a NSW Police firearm and forms part of the evidence for the alleged facts to face court for this 28-year-old man.' The bodies of Baird and Davies are yet to be found. Kourtney Kardashian and her husband Travis Barker are currently having the time of their lives in Australia as he tours the country with his band blink-182. And the pair continued exploring the culinary delights of Sydney on Friday as they headed out for lunch in Surry Hills. Kourtney, 44, stepped out for the low-key outing in a loose-fitted black T-shirt paired with wide-leg trousers. She paired her all-black ensemble with black sneakers, sunglasses and a small black Hermes Birkin bag. The Kardashians star styled her hair up in a bun with a middle part. Kourtney Kardashian and her husband Travis Barker are currently having the time of their lives in Australia as he tours the country with his band blink-182 Travis, 48, looked casual in a black graphic T-shirt layered with dark overalls, echoing his wife's emo look. He accessorised with black sunglasses, sneakers and showed off his countless head and neck tattoos. The lovebirds appeared to be exploring the several vegan and vegetarian restaurants Surry Hills has to offer - the suburb is known for several meat-free eateries. The pair continued exploring the culinary delights of Sydney on Friday as they headed out for lunch in Surry Hills Kourtney, 44, stepped out for the low-key outing in a loose-fitted black T-shirt paired with wide leg trousers On Thursday, the showbiz power couple were spotted enjoying a Thai vegetarian meal at the renowned Peace Harmony restaurant in Sydney's CBD. Travis posted a photo to Instagram of the delicious looking dish they shared for dinner, ahead of his band performing at Qudos Bank Arena on Friday. He also shared a selfie while beaming for the camera. The restaurant owner said the star couple were polite and well-mannered while dining: 'They were very down-to-earth, didn't ask for any special treatment and kept to themselves.' She paired her all-black ensemble with black sneakers, sunglasses and a small black handbag 'They were also quite chatty with the staff, asked what was good on the menu, were smiling a lot and very polite. They were just dining together like any other couple.' Kourtney and Travis have been making the most of their time in Australia during his latest world tour. The couple have already been seen all over Australia as they dined at Sydney's Peace Harmony restaurant and at the vegan cafe Dicki's. They have also been seen getting coffees in Brisbane, Queensland where they stayed at a lavish hotel that was $1,800 a night. Travis, 48, looked casual in a black graphic T-shirt layered with dark overalls, echoing his wife's emo look Kourtney and Travis have been making the most of their time in Australia during his latest world tour Last week they were seen visiting hot spot Gelato Messina at Bondi Beach. The couple and their blended family are currently staying in a stunning rental in Sydney's eastern suburbs. On Thursday the reality TV personality showed off the eye-popping rental in picturesque coastal suburb she reserved through Airbnb. The Airbnb was located in the prestigious suburb of Bellevue Hill. The lovebirds appeared to be exploring the several vegan and vegetarian restaurants Surry Hills has to offer - the suburb is known for several meat-free eateries The modern masterpiece offers luxury living with a seamless blend of contemporary design and timeless elegance. Kourtney remained in Sydney with her kids while Travis and his bandmates Tom DeLonge and Mark Hoppus toured around, performing in Perth, Adelaide and Melbourne. blink-182 will perform a few more shows in Sydney and Melbourne for newly-added dates before heading to New Zealand. Alana 'Honey Boo Boo' Thompson snapped back at her family after being confronted about her indecision to go to college in Colorado without her boyfriend, Dralin Carswell. In the latest episode of Mama June: Family Crisis titled School Daze, the TV personality, 18, was revealed to only have one week to decide whether she will attend school before losing a $21,000 scholarship. Back in July 2023, Alana was accepted to Regis University in Denver to pursue a degree in nursing. However, due to Dralin, 22, facing legal issues, the star has been contemplating whether she will go to Colorado without him. Her sister Lauryn 'Pumpkin,' found out about the possibility of Alana losing her scholarship through her daughter Ella - who spilled that Honey Boo Boo had received an email from the university. Frustrated over her younger sister not telling her about the email, Pumpkin opened about her feelings over the topic and said she would enlist in some help. Alana ' Honey Boo Boo ' Thompson, 18, snapped back at her family after being confronted about her indecision to go to college in Colorado without her boyfriend, Dralin Carswell In the latest episode of Mama June : Family Crisis titled School Daze, the TV personality was revealed to only have one week to decide whether she will attend the school before losing a $21,000 scholarship However, due to Dralin, 22, facing legal issues, the star has been contemplating whether she will go to Colorado without him 'You know, I'm so sick of Alana being all over the place, whether she wants to go to Colorado or she doesn't. So how about now it's time to bring in some sister support?' she said in a confessional. In the next scene during the episode, Lauryn was seen stepping into a bathroom to have a private call with sister, Jessica - who also attended college. At one point, Pumpkin told Jessica that she needs to 'step up' while adding, 'I need you real bad, okay? Because we're both under the understanding that Alana needs and should go to Colorado.' 'So I feel like if we leave Mom out of the situation, it'll maybe make Alana more prone to make her decision.' Jessica agrees to talk one-on-one with Honey Boo Boo, but both sisters discuss how to make the situation not suspicious. Eventually, Jessica decides that she will take Alana to get her nails done and will find a way to ease into the topic of school. The next day, the 18-year-old joined her sister for a bit of pampering at a nail salon, and the pair initially discussed her high school graduation and how Mama June's sister, Aunt Doe Doe, didn't show up. Honey Boo Boo explained that afterwards, she had stopped by the house to give her a present and to apologize for not being there. 'Like really, I don't care because you should have been there.' She then brought up that Aunt Doe Doe might have been 'jealous' that Mama June was back in their lives but added, 'People that wanted to be there were there.' Frustrated over her younger sister not telling her about the email, Pumpkin opened about her feelings over the topic and said she would enlist in some help In the next scene during the episode, Lauryn was seen stepping into a bathroom to have a private call with sister, Jessica - who also attended college Jessica agrees to talk one-on-one with Honey Boo Boo, but both sisters discuss how to make the situation not suspicious. Eventually, Jessica decides that she will take Alana to get her nails done and will find a way to ease into the topic of school The next day, the 18-year-old joins her sister for a bit of pampering at a nail salon, and the pair initially discuss her high school graduation and how Mama June's sister, Aunt Doe Doe, didn't show up Honey Boo Boo explained that afterwards, she had stopped by the house to give her a present and to apologize for not being there. 'Like really, I don't care because you should have been there' Jessica tried to convince her to attend the school by saying, 'I mean, think about it, Alana. We're the only two that graduated high school' Eventually, the topic of university came up and Alana admitted that she was still unsure what she planned to do. Jessica tried to convince her to attend the school by saying, 'I mean, think about it, Alana. We're the only two that graduated high school.' She also explained, 'Do you know how many people don't go to college, don't get to experience it? Nobody tells you what to do. You're grown. If you want to stay up and eat ice cream till 7:00 in the morning, guess what you can do? Eat ice cream till 7:00 in the morning.' 'You see this little small town we live in? There's nothing for you. Me and you can both be graduates of college. I was the first one to graduate. You can be the second one and do better than me and go off and actually be a nurse and outshine everybody.' 'And then when you do all that stuff, you turn around and you look at all these people in this small town and you say, "F*** you," I did it. Don't you want to adventure out, see new things, meet new people?' Jessica also told her, 'It took me forever to figure out who I was and now I'm happy. And that's what I want for you. I want you to be living free and happy.' However, Alana explained, 'I mean, I want to go to Colorado, but with everything with Dralin and stuff...[it's] a hard decision right now.' After expressing her worries over Honey Boo Boo taking a break by not going to college, Alana replied with, 'Right now, I don't want to talk about school, Jessie. I want to relax.' Jessica also told her, 'It took me forever to figure out who I was and now I'm happy. And that's what I want for you. I want you to be living free and happy' However, Alana explained, 'I mean, I want to go to Colorado, but with everything with Dralin and stuff...[it's] a hard decision right now' After expressing her worries over Honey Boo Boo taking a break by not going to college, Alana replied with, 'Right now, I don't want to talk about school, Jessie. I want to relax' She then brought up what her late sister Anna had said at her graduation party. 'Everybody needs to stay out of my business and shut the hell up' After getting their nails done, Honey Boo Boo confronted Pumpkin about going behind her back to have Jessica confront her over college Lauryn explained that Ella told her about the email and Alana replied, 'You can't trust nobody in this family! Everybody in this family must have a loud mouth' 'I think, like, you're giving me the vibe that Pumpkin has done put you up to something. I really didn't want you to sit here and lecture me about college.' She then brought up what her late sister Anna had said at her graduation party. 'Everybody needs to stay out of my business and shut the hell up.' After getting their nails done, Honey Boo Boo confronted Pumpkin about going behind her back to have Jessica confront her over college. Lauryn explained that Ella told her about the email and Alana replied, 'You can't trust nobody in this family! Everybody in this family must have a loud mouth.' She later added, 'Why you can't just give me a break? You pounding me and everything's just going on right now, y'all are doing too much. I understand you're trying to be like the mom now. Just give it a rest.' The confrontation ended with Pumpkin saying, 'Well, you're going, so I don't care,' causing Honey Boo Boo to yell, 'Oh my God,' and walked out of the room. Lauryn continued to take matters into her own hands by calling Mama June over Alana's indecision and to get advice over Dralin's legal situation. He allegedly drove under the influence back in February 2023 and spent two days in Monroe County jail before being released on a $25,000 bond. She later added, 'Why you can't just give me a break? You pounding me and everything's just going on right now, y'all are doing too much. I understand you're trying to be like the mom now. Just give it a rest' The confrontation ended with Pumpkin saying, 'Well, you're going, so I don't care,' causing Honey Boo Boo to yell, 'Oh my God,' and walked out of the room Lauryn continued to take matters into her own hands by calling Mama June over Alana's indecision and to get advice over Dralin's legal situation He allegedly drove under the influence back in February 2023 and spent two days in Monroe County jail before being released on a $25,000 bond Pumpkin called Dralin and asked whether he had contacted the bondsman and he revealed he did not. He said he was afraid he will be told he cannot go to Colorado with Alana Lauryn then told him that if he doesn't go to the bondsman on his own, she will personally take Dralin Elsewhere in the episode, when Jessica and Alana were at the nail salon, Pumpkin met up with Aunt Doe Doe at a restaurant Lauryn revealed that Alana received an email warning her that 'she had a week to decide if she's going to go or not,' and she added concerningly, 'If she chooses not to answer within a week, the scholarship can be gone' In October, a court clerk confirmed to The Sun that Dralin had pleaded not guilty to four charges after being arraigned. Pumpkin called Dralin and asked whether he had contacted the bondsman and he revealed he did not. He admitted he was afraid he will be told he cannot go to Colorado with Alana. Lauryn then told him that if he doesn't go to the bondsman on his own, she will personally take Dralin. Elsewhere in the episode, when Jessica and Alana were at the nail salon, Pumpkin met up with Aunt Doe Doe at a restaurant. The pair discussed Doe Doe's absence from Honey Boo Boo's graduation and the topic of her possibly not going to college came up. Lauryn revealed that Alana received an email warning her that 'she had a week to decide if she's going to go or not,' and she added concerningly, 'If she chooses not to answer within a week, the scholarship can be gone.' 'So now I have to figure out about Dralin and s***,' she said, to which Jo replied: 'Who cares about Dralin's stuff. I'm sorry, I like the dude, but this is her future.' Lauryn commented, 'But let's be real, Alana's not going to go out there, unless he can go out there.' 'So now I have to figure out about Dralin and s***,' she said, to which Jo replied: 'Who cares about Dralin's stuff. I'm sorry, I like the dude, but this is her future' Lauryn commented, 'But let's be real, Alana's not going to go out there, unless he can go out there Jo shared in her confessional: 'Alana not going to college because of Dralin - I don't think so. She don't need to follow in her mama's footsteps. I mean, that's all June used to do. Well, and still does. Men before anything else' The scene transitioned back to the restaurant as Jo asked Lauryn, 'So how the f*** do we get Alana to Colorado in a week?' Lauryn said, 'I am trying so hard. I just don't know what to do about Dralin and stuff.' The aunt replied firmly, 'Put his a** in a car and go to an attorney or the bail bond or the court or whoever you got to go to and figure something out' Lauryn confessed, 'Well it's hard being everybody's f***ing mama,' with Jo saying, 'Tell me about it. Done that, been there' Alana graduated high school in May and she was the second person in her family to get accepted into college and is hoping to pursue nursing Also during the latest episode, Mama June was seen at the hospital with late daughter, Anna 'Chickadee' Cardwell, who was on her fourth and final round of chemotherapy Jo shared in her confessional: 'Alana not going to college because of Dralin - I don't think so. She don't need to follow in her mama's footsteps. I mean, that's all June used to do. Well, and still does. Men before anything else.' 'She cannot follow her mother's footsteps, who followed our mother's footsteps. Let's break the cycle. Stop following the man. Do it on your own.' The scene transitioned back to the restaurant as Jo asked Lauryn, 'So how the f*** do we get Alana to Colorado in a week?' Lauryn said, 'I am trying so hard. I just don't know what to do about Dralin and stuff.' The aunt replied firmly, 'Put his a** in a car and go to an attorney or the bail bond or the court or whoever you got to go to and figure something out.' Lauryn asked 'What if Alana doesn't want me to get involved?' The aunt responded, 'Who cares? She'll get over it when she's working in a field that's her passion, making bank. She'll be grateful. Oh my God, thank you for doing that.' Lauryn confessed, 'Well it's hard being everybody's f***ing mama,' with Jo saying, 'Tell me about it. Done that, been there.' Alana graduated high school in May and she was the second person in her family to get accepted into college and is hoping to pursue nursing. Also during the latest episode, Mama June was seen at the hospital with late daughter, Anna 'Chickadee' Cardwell, who was on her fourth and final round of chemotherapy. In January 2023, she was diagnosed with stage four adrenal cancer. June briefly filmed while inside the hospital and when the treatment for the day was done, the pair were joined by Mama's husband, Justin. In January 2023, she was diagnosed with stage four adrenal cancer. June briefly filmed while inside the hospital and when the treatment for the day was done, the pair were joined by Mama's husband, Justin The trio drove to a rental home in Atlanta to be near the hospital and were soon visited by Lauryn, who brought up the topic of Anna's two daughters: Kaitlyn, 11, and Kylee, eight Anna expressed that she felt the chemotherapy was working, but Lauryn insisted that she still needed to prioritize getting her affairs in order Pumpkin told Mama June as the pair moved to talk outside, 'She is not living in reality at all, Mama, like she does not realize she's gonna die. I think she knows that she's gonna die,' with June adding, 'But she doesn't want to face it' Mama then told Lauryn that she had been looking into policies on her own but there wasn't much she was able to do since most steps needed to be done by Anna herself 'I'm kinda shocked that Mama was even looking into life insurance policies for the girls and for Anna,' Pumpkin said in a confessional 'But honestly, I think that is very important because girls are top priority. Anna's husband Eldridge [Toney] isn't even the biological father of the two kids' Pumpkin told Mama June, 'The cancer part wouldn't be so bad if she would just fix the stuff that needs to be fixed, get her affairs in order and then we'd all be able to just hang out and worry about spending time with her' The trio drove to a rental home in Atlanta to be near the hospital and were soon visited by Lauryn, who brought up the topic of Anna's two daughters: Kaitlyn, 12, and Kylee, eight. Anna expressed that she felt the chemotherapy was working, but Lauryn insisted that she still needed to prioritize getting her affairs in order. Pumpkin told Mama June as the pair moved to talk outside, 'She is not living in reality at all, Mama, like she does not realize she's gonna die. I think she knows that she's gonna die,' with June adding, 'But she doesn't want to face it.' Mama then told Lauryn that she had been looking into policies on her own but there wasn't much she was able to do since most steps needed to be done by Anna herself. 'I'm kinda shocked that Mama was even looking into life insurance policies for the girls and for Anna,' Pumpkin said in a confessional. 'But honestly, I think that is very important because girls are top priority. Anna's husband Eldridge [Toney] isn't even the biological father of the two kids.' 'Kylee, her dad is still in the picture. So legally, he would get custody of her. But you know, with Kaitlyn she doesn't have a dad around or in the picture at all. So it's like, where's she gonna go?' Pumpkin told Mama June, 'The cancer part wouldn't be so bad if she would just fix the stuff that needs to be fixed, get her affairs in order and then we'd all be able to just hang out and worry about spending time with her.' June later told Justin that both she and Lauryn, 'feel like and the reason why she's kind of dragging her feet is because then that makes it real, like "Hey, I'm not gonna be around like see Kaitlyn graduate high school, I'm not gonna be around to see Kylee graduate"' Both June and Justin further discussed buying a house in case Anna went into hospice. 'She's gonna have to be with us, she's gonna have to be watched 24/7' Justin also said in a confessional, 'If me and June do end up with custody of Kaitlyn, it's gonna be a big adjustment. Taking care of a kid is a huge responsibility, but if that's something that we need to do' Anna passed away in December 2023 at the age of 29. Her daughter Kylee is under custody of her biological father Michael Cardwell and Kaitlyn is reportedly living with Mama June June later told Justin that both she and Lauryn, 'feel like and the reason why she's kind of dragging her feet is because then that makes it real, like "Hey, I'm not gonna be around like see Kaitlyn graduate high school, I'm not gonna be around to see Kylee graduate."' Both June and Justin further discussed buying a house in case Anna went into hospice. 'She's gonna have to be with us, she's gonna have to be watched 24/7.' Justin also said in a confessional, 'If me and June do end up with custody of Kaitlyn, it's gonna be a big adjustment. Taking care of a kid is a huge responsibility, but if that's something that we need to do.' Anna passed away in December 2023 at the age of 29. Her daughter Kylee is under custody of her biological father Michael Cardwell and Kaitlyn is reportedly living with Mama June. Jess Ingham issued a social media plea for Taylor Swift Eras tour tickets after she missed out on the chance to get any. The billionaire chicken heiress, 34, took to her Instagram Stories on Saturday to reveal that she hadn't managed to get hold of the sought-after tickets. She begged her 12,000 followers for tickets because her daughter Mimi, eight, who she shares with her ex Alex Macris, is desperate to go. Jess penned: 'Anyone want to sell their tickets to Taylor Swift x3? I have an eight year old with massive FOMO.' Jess - who recently listed her Sydney harbourside pad with a price guide of $15million - also shares a son Nemer, 13 months, with her husband Roger Zraika. Jess Ingham issued a social media plea for Taylor Swift Eras tour tickets after she missed out on the chance to get any Taylor is currently Down Under on her highly-awaited Australia tour, her first in the country since her Reputation tour in 2018, and the demand for tickets has been sky-high The Ingham family's net worth was valued at $1.17 billion back in 2019, according to the Financial Review Rich List. Taylor is currently Down Under on her highly-awaited Australia tour, her first in the country since 2018, and the demand for tickets has been sky-high. She performed to around 96,000 fans each night at three sell-out Melbourne gigs and has now stormed Sydney, putting on her first show at the Accor Stadium for 80,000 fans on Friday night. The Cruel Summer hitmaker will return to the stage on Saturday and Sunday, before her final show on Monday evening, which will wrap up the Australian leg of the tour. Famous guests including Rita Ora and her husband Taika Waititi, Katy Perry, Toni Collette and Baz Luhrmann all attended her first Sydney show on Friday. Despite the Accor Stadium having to be temporarily evacuated due to the storms, Taylor still put on a show-stopping performance for her delighted fans. The billionaire chicken heiress, 34, took to her Instagram Stories on Saturday to reveal that she hadn't managed to get hold of the sought-after tickets She begged for tickets because her daughter Mimi, eight, who she shares with her ex Alex Macris, wants to go. She also has a son Nemer, 13 months, with her husband Roger Zraika After the set for support act Sabrina Carpenter had to be cancelled, Taylor finally took the stage a little over 20 minutes after the scheduled start time of 7.30pm. 'We have a little bit of a weather situation, we might have some rain, but I've never known an Aussie crowd to let that get in the way of having a good time,' Taylor told her fans once she began her performance. The wild weather lashing Sydney on Friday evening caused chaos for the 80,000 Swifties heading to her first show of the Eras Tour in the city. Fans sitting on the floor and lower bowl levels of the stadium were asked to move inside after lightning struck just 10 kilometres away shortly before 6pm. A statement from Accor Stadium issued just before 6pm told concert-goers the three-hour show had been delayed. Taylor performed at her first Sydney show at the Accor Stadium on Friday night in front of 80,000 fans, and is returning to the stage for three more shows 'Please note, due to weather, show start time has been delayed,' it said. 'Stay undercover until further notice and follow venue screens and staff instructions. 'Stay safe and remember to be kind to those around you.' Taylor will once again take to the show on Saturday night, followed by two more shows on Sunday and Monday to conclude her Australian tour. Tom Sandoval claimed his ex Ariana Madix owes him $90,000 before he will agree upon selling the Los Angeles home they co-own. The Vanderpump Rules star, 40, has reportedly responded to his ex's lawsuit against him over their home and said no sale will occur until she pays back his alleged loan to her. According to legal documents obtained by TMZ, he claimed that he has a lien on the house that is tied to the money she owes him and it must be paid before a judge can force a sale. Previously, Madix, 38, sued her co-star and now-ex in early January over their $2 million Valley Village home, which they purchased together back in 2019. On that lawsuit, he allegedly issued general denials against her allegations. Tom Sandoval claimed his ex Ariana Madix owes him $90,000 before he will agree upon selling the Los Angeles home they co-own. The Vanderpump Rules star, 40, has reportedly responded to his ex's lawsuit against him over their home and said no sale will occur until she pays back his alleged loan to her He claimed that he has a lien on the house that is tied to the money she owes him and it must be paid before a judge can force a sale. Previously, Madix, 38, sued her co-star and now-ex in early January over their $2 million Valley Village home, which they purchased together back in 2019; seen in June 2022 The pair have since split due to his infidelity a scandal appropriately dubbed Scandoval but still live in the house together as they have not resolved how to split the property. Months after their separation, she filed a suit in the Los Angeles Superior Court for a 'partition by sale', according to documents obtained by DailyMail.com. Essentially, she is suing him and wants a judge to order them to sell the home in order to divide the proceeds. She is fighting against a 'division in kind', which would allow each of them to retain their ownership interest in the property. Theoretically, this could lead to one of them selling to the third party and letting the other still own and live in the home. This new report about the alleged loan comes just days after Sandoval claimed Ariana physically assaulted him nearly one year ago when she discovered he was having an affair. He claimed that on March 1, 2023, she split his lip and ripped his chain off when she found out he had been cheating on her for seven months with her friend Rachel Leviss. He told The New York Times Magazine in an interview published on Tuesday that the altercation occured in the back alley behind Tom Tom Restaurant & Bar in West Hollywood. This comes just days after Sandoval alleged Ariana physically assaulted him nearly one year ago when she discovered he was having an affair with Rachel Leviss Sandoval alleged the altercation happened in the back alley behind Tom Tom Restaurant & Bar in West Hollywood (pictured in 2022) 'She beat my a**,' he recalled in his conversation with the outlet. He had been performing with his cover band The Most Extras when she found an explicit 'screen recording of them on FaceTime' on his phone. 'It was literally from the night before,' he recalled. Madix immediately called Leviss to confront her, and she admitted the affair with had started with a tryst inside her car following the death of Madix's dog Charlotte on August 2, 2022. 'My emotions were clearly all over the place,' the former DWTS contestant recalled of the moment on the 10th season finale. 'And he was angry at me. Angry... at me!' And while there's no evidence Madix ever hit the St. Louis native, audiences saw her fly into a rage when she told him she wanted him 'to die' that same episode. 'I don't give a f*** about f***ing Raquel!' Madix screamed. 'Your friendship is f***ing bulls***!' In a sneak peek from Tuesday night's episode of the Emmy-nominated Bravo reality show, the Florida-born blonde randomly reunited with the Lyft rideshare driver who took her and Sandoval home the night they ended their nine-year relationship. '[The driver] definitely has no idea that, like, that it's, like, a thing. I just thought that was so crazy,' Madix marveled. 'I don't think he has any clue how many people out there probably want to talk to him!' Sandoval told The New York Times Magazine on Tuesday that the 38-year-old Chicago thespian split his lip and ripped his chain off: 'She beat my a**' Sandoval had been performing with his cover band The Most Extras when she found an explicit 'screen recording of them on FaceTime' on his phone: 'It was literally from the night before' Madix immediately called Leviss to confront her, and she admitted the affair with had started with a tryst inside her car following the death of Madix's dog Charlotte on August 2, 2022 The former DWTS contestant recalled on the 10th season finale: 'My emotions were clearly all over the place. And he was angry at me. Angry... at me!' And while there's no evidence Madix ever hit the St. Louis native, audiences saw her fly into a rage when she told him she wanted him 'to die' that same episode Madix screamed: 'I don't give a f*** about f***ing Raquel! Your friendship is f***ing bulls***!' In a sneak peek from Tuesday night's episode of the Emmy-nominated Bravo reality show, the Florida-born blonde randomly reunited with the Lyft rideshare driver who took her and Sandoval home the night they ended their nine-year relationship Madix marveled: '[The driver] definitely has no idea that, like, that it's, like, a thing. I just thought that was so crazy. I don't think he has any clue how many people out there probably want to talk to him!' And while Madix has temporarily moved to Manhattan to star in the Broadway musical Chicago through April 7, she still co-owns the $2M 4,500-square-foot five-bedroom Valley Village home she shared with Sandoval The Single AF Cocktails author quickly moved on with personal trainer Daniel Wai (2-L) last March while the Everybody Loves Tom podcaster officially began dating model Victoria Lee Robinson (2-R) in January And while Madix has temporarily moved to Manhattan to star in the Broadway musical Chicago through April 7, she still co-owns the $2M 4,500-square-foot five-bedroom Valley Village home she shared with Sandoval. The Single AF Cocktails author quickly moved on with personal trainer Daniel Wai last March while the Everybody Loves Tom podcaster officially began dating model Victoria Lee Robinson in January. It's worth noting that Sandoval also cheated on his prior live-in girlfriend of eight years, Kristen Doute, in order to start dating Madix back in 2014. Sandoval's abuse allegations come nearly a year after Leviss claimed their co-star Scheana Shay pushed her against a brick wall and punched in her in the left eye on March 2, which left her with 'a permanent scar on my eyebrow.' The 29-year-old Rachel Goes Rogue podcaster was granted a month-long restraining order from her 38-year-old former friend, who denied ever punching her, which made the 10th season reunion tricky to film. Looking back at Scandoval, the former Special Forces contestant told the NYT Mag: 'I feel like I got more hate than Danny Masterson, and he's a convicted rapist.' Elsewhere in the interview, Sandoval was forced to issue a formal apology for comparing his 2023 media blitz to the OJ Simpson trial of 1993 and the racially-charged death of George Floyd, which spawned the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020. 'My intentions behind the comments I made in New York Times Magazine were to explain the level of national media attention my affair received,' Sandoval wrote via Instastory amid Black History Month. It's worth noting that Sandoval also cheated on his prior live-in girlfriend of eight years, Kristen Doute, in order to start dating Madix back in 2014 Sandoval's abuse allegations come nearly a year after Leviss claimed their co-star Scheana Shay pushed her against a brick wall and punched in her in the left eye on March 2, which left her with 'a permanent scar on my eyebrow' The 29-year-old Rachel Goes Rogue podcaster was granted a month-long restraining order from her 38-year-old former friend (R, pictured March 1), who denied ever punching her, which made the 10th season reunion tricky to film Looking back at Scandoval, the former Special Forces contestant told the NYT Mag: 'I feel like I got more hate than Danny Masterson, and he's a convicted rapist' Elsewhere in the interview, Sandoval was forced to issue a formal apology for comparing his 2023 media blitz to the OJ Simpson trial of 1993 and the racially-charged death of George Floyd, which spawned the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020 Sandoval wrote via Instastory amid Black History Month: 'My intentions behind the comments I made in New York Times Magazine were to explain the level of national media attention my affair received. The comparison was inappropriate and ignorant. I'm incredibly sorry and embarrassed' 'The comparison was inappropriate and ignorant. I'm incredibly sorry and embarrassed.' The Schwartz & Sandy's Lounge co-owner reportedly earns $25K/episode to star in the 11th season of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills spin-off, which airs Tuesdays on Bravo. Tom Sandoval & The Most Extras - who gets 2,382 monthly listeners on Spotify - are next scheduled to perform April 26 at 115 Bourbon Street in Merrionette, IL. Zendaya and her Dune 2 co-stars Timothee Chalamet and Austin Butler touched down at JFK International Airport in New York on Friday, after promoting the film in South Korea. The actress, 27, kept cozy during her international travels, wearing an oversized camel coat over a black shirt, matching pants and boots. The Euphoria star shielded her eyes with a pair of black sunglasses and wore her brunette tresses brushed back in a bun. She carried a large white pillow in her hand which surely helped her catch up on some much needed sleep after a busy promotional schedule. Meanwhile Kylie Jenner's boyfriend Timothee, 28, kept warm in a two-toned sweatshirt, jeans and white sneakers. Zendaya, 27, and her Dune 2 co-stars Timothee Chalamet, 28, and Austin Butler, 32, touched down at JFK International Airport in New York on Friday, after promoting film in South Korea The Call Me By Your Name star kept his mouth shielded with a black face mask, and wore silver Apple headphones for the flight. Meanwhile Elvis star Austin, 32, looked cool as ever in a black jacket and matching pants, as well as white Vans and a navy hat. The trio have been busy on a promotional tour of the upcoming film. On Thursday, Zendaya stepped out in another sensational and futuristic outfit as she joined Timothee and Austin at the Dune: Part Two Seoul premiere in South Korea. She showed off her long legs in a figure-hugging grey skirt, adorned with a luminous pattern resembling a circuit board. She teamed it with a coordinating zip-up jacket with the same fluorescent detailing, which glowed as she posed for the cameras. Zendaya and Timothee also wore matching futuristic pastel jumpsuits at a press conference in South Korea on Wednesday. The film takes place immediately after the first ended, when Paul Atreides and his mother Lady Jessica joined forces with Chani and the rest of the desert-dwelling Fremen to get revenge against the evil House Harkonnen, whose members have killed most of his family and friends. The films are based on Frank Herbert's 1965 novel of the same name, with first being released to much critical and commercial success in March 2021, and going on to win six Academy Awards. The actress kept cozy during her international travels, wearing an oversized camel coat over a black shirt The Euphoria star shielded her eyes with a pair of black sunglasses and wore her brunette tresses brushed back in a bun She carried a large white pillow in her hand which surely helped her catch up on some much needed sleep after a busy promotional schedule She accessorized with stud earrings The star appeared to wave to a fan while making her way through the airport Timothee followed closely behind By the time she made her way outside it was already dark Zendaya rolled her silver suitcase with one hand while holding her pillow with the other Meanwhile Kylie Jenner's boyfriend Timothee kept warm in a two-toned sweatshirt, jeans and white sneakers The Call Me By Your Name star kept his mouth shielded with a black face mask, and wore silver Apple headphones for the flight Elvis star Austin looked cool as ever in a black jacket and matching pants, as well as white Vans and a navy hat Timothee leads the cast as messianic figure Paul, while Zendaya plays Chani, a member of the Fremen, who are the native inhabitants of Arrakis. Austin has joined the cast for the sequel, playing Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen, a ruthless trained assassin who is Paul's rival to taking control of Arrakis. The first reviews are already starting to trickle in for the film ahead of its release on March 1, and so far they're even better than the first installment. Dune: Part 2 has already earned an incredible 97% from 112 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. And many of the critics praised the film's gargantuan scope, including Rolling Stone's David Fear, who said: 'Villeneuve has outdone himself. 'More importantly, hes done justice to the scope and scale and sheer weirdness of a stoner-lit touchstones back half without, pun intended, sanding away its edges.' Variety's Peter Debruge admitted that splitting the movie in two halves was a 'massive gamble' that somehow paid off. While the 2021 film set up the world, he added Part Two, 'graduates from the world-building thrills of the 2021 original to a meaty, all-encompassing narrative.' The trio recently promoted the film in South Koreal alongside director Denis Villeneuve and co-star Stellan Skarsgard Zendaya and Timothee also wore matching futuristic pastel jumpsuits at a press conference in South Korea on Wednesday The first wave of reviews have come in for Dune Part 2 ahead of its release, earning an incredible 97% from 112 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes After multiple delays, the film is now set to hit theaters on March 1, 2024 Alongside Timothee and Zendaya, the sequel also sees the return of stars Dave Bautista (Beast Rabban), Javier Bardem (Stiglar), Josh Brolin (Gurney Hallack) and Rebecca Ferguson (Lady Jessica). Part Two also has its fair share of newcomers including Austin, with Florence Pugh, Christopher Walken and Anya Taylor-Joy also joining. The film was originally scheduled for a late October 2023 release, before being pushed back to November and finally shuffled all the way back to March of this year following the dual writers and actors strikes. After multiple delays, it is now set to hit theaters on March 1, 2024. Bella Thorne showed off her superstar style as she arrived to the Marni Fall/Winter 2024 Fashion Show during the Milan Fashion Week in Italy on Friday. The 26-year-old actress turned heads carrying a massively oversized baby blue Marni tote bag in her hand. She matched the bag with a pair of baggy denim bell bottoms, and flashed a hint of her toned midriff in a black crop top. The I Still See You star who recently stunned in a Dracula graphic minidress completed the outfit with a plaid shirt, which she left unbuttoned, and a black and white leather jacket. She accessorized with a chunky chain and a number of earrings, and wore her brown tresses in a ponytail, with a few strands left to frame her face. Bella Thorne showed off her superstar style as she arrived to the Marni Fall/Winter 2024 Fashion Show during the Milan Fashion Week in Italy on Friday As for glam, she accentuated her features with a touch of pink blush, bronze eyeshadow, and gloss. She was joined by fiance Mark Emms, 45, who looked dashing in a black sweater, grey pants, and platform sneakers. Earlier this week she ensured all eyes were on her as she arrived at Diesel's fall/winter 2024 show. She commanded attention in a sexy nude thong bodysuit and a sheer skirt from the brand's collection. The former Disney star's wild outfit put her ample cleavage and peachy bottom on full display as she strutted confidently through the Italian fashion capital. Bella said 'yes' to entrepreneur and Bad Vegan producer Mark in May of 2023, after meeting one year prior on the beach in Ibiza at Cara Delevigne's birthday party. 'It was love at first sight as the sun rose,' the American Horror Stories star told Vogue Weddings. The Imagen Foundation Award winner and her fiance posed together in a sweet photo announcing the news on social media. The 26-year-old actress turned heads carrying a massively oversized baby blue Marni tote bag in her hand She matched the bag with a pair of baggy denim bell bottoms, and flashed a hint of her toned midriff in a black crop top The I Still See You star completed the outfit with a plaid shirt, which she left unbuttoned, and a black and white leather jacket She accessorized with a chunky chain and a number of earrings, and wore her brown tresses in a ponytail, with a few strands left to frame her face Bella toted the bag outside of the show She posed in front of the Marni sign outside The busy star checked her cellphone during the outing She was joined by fiance Mark Emms, 45, who looked dashing in a black sweater, grey pants, and platform sneakers Mark, who also owns the New York City hotspot The Mulberry, actually popped the question at Bella's house in California on Mother's Day. Thorne recently revealed that her fiance bought her five engagement rings before she was set on her favorite. The actress said her husband-to-be 'saw her face' after he popped the question and knew it wasn't 'the one'. Bella admitted she 'didn't see anything wrong' with the first ring but the entrepreneur insisted on her finding the perfect style. Speaking to The Messenger the Blended star said: 'He got me one ring that was so beautiful, and I didn't see anything that was wrong. We actually went through four rings after that one. This is my fifth one.' She continued, 'He saw my face when I saw the first one, and he was like, "Yeah, let's go get you a different ring". And I was like, "What, why?" And he was like, "Well, I can just feel that something's not right with that."' 'I was like, "What are you talking about, the ring is beautiful! Don't be silly."' 'He's like, "No, I just know you, and I saw your face, and there was something not right about it. So let's just go get other ones." And then he went and got literally four other rings, and it was so ridiculous.' Bella showed off her multi-carat emerald cut diamond engagement ring prominently in a photo accompanying the engagement announcement in May 2023 Mark, who also owns the New York City hotspot The Mulberry, popped the question at Bella's house in California on Mother's Day in 2023, a year after they started dating The former Disney star said she 'wore each ring for like two weeks to try it out' as Mark 'wanted it to be perfect'. She added: 'He was like "I want it to be perfect. So it needs to be something that you absolutely know that it's you,'' and so it actually turned into this ring after trial and error.' The Midnight sun actress finally settled on a 10-plus carat emerald cut diamond engagement ring. Bella went on to discuss her vision for the couple's 'fairytale' wedding in the UK, where Mark is originally from, and gushed that she would love to be surrounded by 'huge trees and lots of twinkling lights'. Bella was previously engaged to Italian actor Benjamin Mascolo, who she split from in June 2022. Pip Edwards and Jackie 'O' Henderson have become great friends of late. And the pair headed out to see Taylor Swift on her night two concert at Accor stadium in Sydney on Saturday. In photos shared to social media, the pals frocked up for the occasion before heading to the stadium to take their seats. Jackie showed off her slimmed down figure in a slinky black dress that put her cleavage on display. Pip meanwhile opted for a a crop top and black trousers, her fit physique on display. Pip Edwards and Jackie 'O' Henderson have become great friends of late. The pair headed out to see Taylor Swift on her night two concert at Accor stadium in Sydney on Saturday. Both pictured It's Jackie's second night in a row catching Swift in concert. The KIIS FM radio star took her 12-year-old Kitty along to see Taylor Swift's The Eras tour at Sydney's Accor stadium on Friday. The 49-year-old and her lookalike daughter posed side by side in photos shared to social media on Friday night. Jackie, who has recently slimmed down, showed off her figure in a one-shoulder pink and baby blue gown. In photos shared to social media, the pals frocked up for the occasion before heading to the stadium to take their seats It's Jackie's second night in a row catching Swift in concert. The KIIS FM radio star took her 12-year-old Kitty (left) to see Taylor Swift's The Eras tour at Sydney's Accor stadium on Friday Kitty meanwhile looked cute in a boho lace shorts and top set along with red lipstick. Swift's first Sydney concert got off to a late start on Friday night after storms and rain caused Accor stadium to be temporarily evacuated. Despite the set for support act Sabrina Carpenter being cancelled, Swift finally took the stage a little over 20 minutes after the scheduled start time of 7.30pm. Proudly watching on was her boyfriend, Travis Kelce, who caused a roar from the crowd as he arrived to proudly view his pop star lover do what she does best. One of Taylor Swift's performers has quoted a classic Australian film on the second night of her Sydney Eras tour. Dancer Kameron Saunders sang 'tell him he's dreaming', quoting the iconic line made famous by Michael Caton in the 1997 film The Castle. The 80,000 fans in Accor stadium erupted into laughter at the reference, which occurred during the performance of Taylor's song, We Are Never Getting Back Together. In every performance of the song, Taylor, 33, hands the mic to Saunders to quote a different line familiar to the local audience. During the Melbourne shows, the dancer sang phrases such as 'yeah, nah' and 'naur.' One of Taylor Swift's performers has quoted a classic Australian film on the second night of her Sydney Eras tour. Pictured: Taylor Swift Dancer Kameron Saunders (pictured left on big screen) sang 'tell him he's dreaming', quoting the iconic line made famous by Michael Caton in the 1997 film The Castle Swifties on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) were appreciative. 'Kam is officially an honorary Australian,' wrote one user, while another simply wrote 'Iconic.' 'My love for you increasing day by day,' wrote a third. While one more expressed their admiration by writing, 'Kam please, you are amazing!' The 80,000 fans in Accor Stadium erupted into laughter at the reference to the classic film, which occurred during the performance of Taylor's song, We Are Never Getting Back Together. Pictured: Michael Caton and Sophie Lee in The Castle On the same night a lucky Swiftie has shared an adorable moment with his idol at the show. Taylor has established a tradition where she gives a signed hat to one lucky fan in the crowd while singing her song, 22. A young boy was seen singing along and vigorously dancing as he was invited up on stage to receive the special gift from the pop megastar. Swifties on social media quickly commented positively on the young boy's enthusiasm. 'Awwww, the kid receiving the 22 hat tonight was having the absolute time of his life,' wrote one user of X (formerly Twitter). On the same night a lucky Swiftie has shared an adorable moment with his idol at the show. Taylor has established a tradition where she gives a signed hat to one lucky fan in the crowd while singing her song, 22 A young boy was seen singing along and vigorously dancing as he was invited up on stage to receive the special gift from the pop megastar Swifties on social media quickly commented positively on the young boy's enthusiasm. 'Awwww, the kid receiving the 22 hat tonight was having the absolute time of his life,' wrote one user of X (formerly Twitter) 'The 22 hat tonight!! How adorable!!' wrote another. 'He's an icon,' wrote one, while another noticed that 'He's feeling it,' and a third pronounced 'he is everything!' 'I know adult fans want the 22 hat but there's something about kids getting it and watching core memories happen in real time that's so healing,' mused one more X user. Swift is set to perform four shows in Sydney through to Monday, February 26. Strictly's Neil Jones and fiancee Chyna Mills looked every inch the doting parents as they took baby Havana on her first holiday to Dubai. The former Love Island star, 25, who welcomed her daughter with Neil, 41, in October, showed off her incredible figure in a plunging black swimsuit. Meanwhile, Neil cut a casual figure in an oversized black T-shirt and matching shorts as the trio played in the sand. The family took to the beach and enjoyed a paddle in the sea before taking a boat ride together in the UAE sunshine. Later in the day, Chyna slipped into a black maxi dress underneath a grey cardigan, teamed with chunky sandals. Strictly's Neil Jones and fiancee Chyna Mills looked every inch the doting parents as they took baby Havana on her first holiday to Dubai The former Love Island star, 25, who welcomed her daughter with Neil, 41, in October, showed off her incredible figure in a plunging black swimsuit It comes after Neil hit back at cruel mum shamers who accused his fiancee Chyna of leaving their newborn daughter to cry in a recent Instagram and TikTok video. Taking to social media the mother-of-one was calling out trolls who had made comments on her baby's skin colour. As the Love Island star addressed the comment, Havana could be heard crying in the background of the video. Yet while one viewer declared: 'Girl your baby is crying!!', Neil immediately hit back with a furious response. 'Actually she's singing and making sounds,' he wrote. Others also chose to defend the star, as another wrote: 'Can tell by your comment that you don't have kids. Can't even tell the difference between crying and cooing/fussing. 'Furthermore, is crying not what babies do? It's their only source of communication.' Another added: 'The people commenting that her baby is 'crying' have never been around babies or looked after a baby and it's so obvious. That is not a crying baby. 'Not every sound from a baby is crying and you don't always have to fawn over a baby when it makes a peep - that's how you create clingy babies. Stop trying to deflect from what she saying.' Meanwhile, Neil cut a casual figure in an oversized black T-shirt and matching shorts as the trio played in the sand The couple looked loved-up as they strolled hand-in-hand along the beach I one sweet snap, they dipped Havana's toes in the sea The family took to the beach and enjoyed a paddle in the sea before taking a boat ride together in the UAE sunshine Chyna slipped into a black maxi dress underneath a grey cardigan, teamed with chunky sandals Neil carried a beach bag of essentials on to the boat Chyna had taken to social media to address a comment she'd received which read: 'That baby don't even got little melanin, it's just sad.' Addressing the comments on her baby skin, Chyna said: 'I find this highly disrespectful for anyone to comment on anyone's skin colour, let alone my baby's. 'Keep your comments to yourself and stay away from my page,' as she laughed in disbelief. 'I've had a few comments like this and it's just really weird that people in this day and age want to comment on someone's skin colour. Sort your life out, respectfully. Actually no disrespectfully.' It comes after Neil admitted he and his ex-wife Katya never chatted about babies being in their future , but him and Chyna discussed children just three months into their romance. Speaking i n an exclusive interview with MailOnline he explained that he and Strictly co-star Katya were always too focused on their careers and dancing to consider starting a family. Neil was married to Katya for six years before he called it quits in August 2019, following her kiss with her 2018 Strictly partner Seann Walsh . He and Love Island star Chyna welcomed their first child, daughter Havana, in October seven months after announcing their engagement and just over a year since they went public with their romance in August 2022. Neil sweetly kissed Havana on the cheek She was all smiles during her first holiday It comes after Neil hit back at cruel mum shamers who accused his fiancee Chyna of leaving their newborn daughter to cry in a recent Instagram and TikTok video Taking to social media the mother-of-one was calling out trolls who had made comments on her baby's skin colour When asked about any family plans with Katya, Neil told MailOnline in an interview for his collaboration with Burns Pet Nutrition: 'No we never really discussed children. 'We were busy with the dancing and our careers and things like that.' The twinkle-toed star explained that while he and Chyna had baby fever just three months in, they did not expect the pregnancy to happen so quickly. He explained that when he and Chyna met, they 'clicked so well' and now find it funny how soon they got into the serious conversation. 'I have got so many nieces and nephews, and then when I met Chyna we clicked so well', he added. 'And it's so funny that three months down the line that we both got into that conversation about having a child and we said, "Yeah, let's try for it". 'We never thought it would happen so quick. We were both over the moon.' Amber Valletta was forced to frantically cover her modesty after suffering a hilarious wardrobe gaffe at the Ferragamo show during Milan Fashion Week on Saturday. The actress, 50, put on a racy display in a black see-through top and held her clutch bag up to hide her ample assets. She completed the look with a mini skirt, tights and stilettos, while accessorising with stylish sunglasses and dainty silver jewellery. Earlier in the week, Amber looked every inch the supermodel as she joined Natasha Poly on the Twinset catwalk. It comes after in December Amber revealed her anxiety over the climate crisis almost left her 'unable to get out of bed' as she posed for a Vogue sustainability cover. Amber Valletta playfully attempted to cover up her modesty at the Ferragamo show during Milan Fashion Week on Saturday The actress, 50, put on a racy display in a black see-through top and held her clutch bag up to hide her ample assets The actress told how 'relentlessly bad news' over the state of the natural world left her struggling to cope. She looked stunning in the accompanying chic shots as she posed in a white dress and brown leather boots. British Vogue's January issue brought together five 'game-changing sustainability trailblazers', featuring on three covers. It included Emma Watson , who has been an environmental advocate throughout her career, model and Vogue's contributing sustainability editor Amber and a group of three rising designers: Priya Ahluwalia, Tolu Coker and Torijeshu Dumi. Speaking to the publication model and climate advocate Amber revealed her plans towards a more conscious future and how fashion is following her. She said: 'I turn 50 this February, meaning I've worked in fashion for 35 years, and I've been a sustainability advocate for more than 20 of those, but in 2023 I hit a wall, mentally and physically. 'I wasn't quite at the point where I couldn't get out of bed, but I couldn't tell you how I spent my days. 'The news just felt relentlessly bad environmental and otherwise. I knew that, if I was ever going to get back on my feet, I needed to find a more sustainable approach to sustainability work.' She added: 'Emissions produced by garment factories in Bangladesh, making clothes for the West, will pollute the skies not just in the global south but above the Eiffel Tower. 'If I model a polyester dress in Milan, the cost will be felt, in a roundabout way, in Tulsa, by the sandstone cliffs and scrub oaks on my grandparents' farm. She completed the look with a mini skirt, tights and stilettos, while accessorising with stylish sunglasses and dainty silver jewellery It comes after in December Amber revealed her anxiety over the climate crisis almost left her 'unable to get out of bed' as she posed for a Vogue sustainability cover Milan Fashion Week usually occurs twice a year, in February and September Amber Valletta (seen) looked every inch the supermodel as she joined Natasha Poly on the Twinset catwalk during Milan Fashion Week on Tuesday 'Despite what I may have thought at 15, there's no such thing as separate worlds; they are one and the same, and they are at risk.' 'If I had written this article 12 months ago, I might have quoted you statistics about CO2 emissions and deforestation rates, but you know that the numbers are bad. We all do. And we're all overwhelmed by it. 'Paralysed by the scale of the issue. To move forwards, I've had to lean into the tenets that have guided me in my sobriety, and remind myself to take each day as it comes. It's about working together to change our outlook. 'As counterintuitive and difficult as it may seem, we've got to shift our mindset about the environment from one of fear to joy and love, of sacrifice to enjoyment.' Maya Jama put on a glamorous display as she stepped out in Milan during Fashion Week on Saturday. The Love Island host, 29, flaunted her incredible figure in a plunging beige midi dress, teamed with a stylish trench coat. She elevated her height in strappy heels, while accessorising with dainty gold jewellery and a leopard print clutch bag. Maya is the ultimate jet-setter at the moment as she hit Milan after spending less than 24 hours in the UK, following her return from South Africa. Maya has just wrapped up the All Stars version of the ITV reality show and was seemingly headed back home to London. Maya Jama put on a glamorous display as she stepped out in Milan during Fashion Week on Saturday The Love Island host, 29, flaunted her incredible figure in a plunging beige midi dress, teamed with a stylish trench coat However, it was just a brief stop off before she hopped on another flight to catch the Milan Fashion Week shows. Making the most of her time in the Italian capital, she stunned in a semi-sheer cut-out dress after changing out of a silver jumpsuit to attend two shows. Rounding off her evening at Roberto Cavalli's Womenswear Fall/Winter 2024/25 catwalk, Maya opted for a black gown, with a plunging neckline and tassels. The eye-catching number showed off her taut midriff before falling into a sheer skirt, complete with a tiered hem. Maya's appearance comes after she was seen puffing on a suspicious-looking roll-up outside Cape Town International Airport with her boyfriend, Stormzy earlier this week. She wrapped the All Stars version of the ITV reality show on Monday and headed back home to London, before jetting off to enjoy Milan Fashion Week. But before departing South Africa, Maya and the rapper, 30, lit up a roll-up, passing it between them, before catching their flight. An onlooker told The Sun: 'Maya and Stormzy had a smoke before checking into their flight for London. She elevated her height in strappy heels, while accessorising with dainty gold jewellery and a leopard print clutch bag Maya is the ultimate jet-setter at the moment as she hit Milan after spending less than 24 hours in the UK, following her return from South Africa Maya has just wrapped up the All Stars version of the ITV reality show and was seemingly headed back home to London 'It didnt seem like Maya was used to smoking because she started coughing as Stormzy puffed away next to her.' They added: 'They seemed really in love and were laughing and holding hands as they walked through the airport.' MailOnline has contacted representatives for Maya Jama and Stormzy for comment. Maya's rep declined to comment. Mel B has revealed the Spice Girls are supporting their bandmate Geri after her husband Christian Horner was accused of inappropriate behaviour. Former racing driver Christian, 50, is currently being probed over claims that he sent 'sexually suggestive' texts to a female employee on his Red Bull F1 team - allegations which he has vehemently denied. Geri, 51, was said to be 'devastated' over the scandal with a source telling MailOnline she had not felt able to engage with her bandmates - even going as far as to unfollow all of the Beckham's on social media. She also deleted Red Bull star Max Verstappen, however later appeared to have a change of heart when she re-followed David, Victoria and Max sometime later. Now, Mel B has insisted the girls have been in touch with Geri, and is leaning on Victoria for support, with Posh 'supporting her in any way she can.' Mel B has revealed the Spice Girls are supporting their bandmate Geri after her husband Christian Horner was accused of inappropriate behaviour (pictured in 2018) Former racing driver Christian is currently being probed over claims that he sent 'sexually suggestive' texts to a female employee on his Red Bull F1 team (pictured with Geri in May 2023) Speaking to The Sun on Saturday, Scary Spice said: 'We have a WhatsApp group and we have sent messages.' It was also revealed Geri is 'leaning on' Victoria for support as she previously helped the designer through her own marriage troubles. A source told OK! Magazine: 'They always got on well and have been there for each other through the difficult times. 'When Geri was having a bit of a stormy relationship with some of the other Spice Girls, Victoria supported her and helped her through. It's the same now Victoria wants to support Geri any way she can. 'Victoria and David have had some really low points together as a couple and Geri was there for her.' MailOnline has contacted Geri's representatives for comment. It comes just days after Geri unfollowed her Spice Girls bandmate Victoria and David and Brooklyn Beckham as the fall-out from the scandal turned toxic. At the the time, a source told MailOnline: 'There have been hundreds of fall outs between Geri and Mel B over the years, not least when Mel let slip that she and Geri had slept together a few years ago. 'But Geri has never had a problem with the Beckhams until now.' Geri was said to be 'devastated' with a source telling MailOnline she had not felt able to engage with her bandmates - even unfollowing all of the Beckham's on social media (pictured with Victoria in 2012) Now, Mel B has insisted the girls have been in touch with Geri, while 'Victoria wishes to support her in any way she can' (Mel pictured in November) It was also revealed Geri is 'leaning on' Victoria for support as she perviously helped the designer through her own marriage troubles (pictured in 2018) It comes just days after Geri unfollowed her Spice Girls bandmate Victoria and David and Brooklyn Beckham as the fall-out from the scandal turned toxic They continued: 'You get different accounts of what is going on from different people but the bottom line is that she seems to be taking Christian's problems very hard. 'All of the girls have reached out to her but she's not felt able to engage with them. She is devastated and it's possible that she feels that the Beckhams could have given her and Christian more public support.' It indicated some extraordinary infighting, with F1 insiders saying that the current allegations, relating to alleged bullying and 'inappropriate behaviour' made by a female colleague appear to be part of a 'power struggle' within the team. While Christian denies the claims a Dutch paper De Telegraph claimed to have seen messages at the heart of the probe, and alleges that they were 'sexually orientated'. When the news broke on February 6, it was said only that he was accused of incredibly controlling behaviour by a female colleague. He denied it fully and appeared relaxed at a media event when he said that he had a very supportive wife in former Spice Girl Geri, who is standing by him. Two weeks later De Telegraaf reported that Horner allegedly sent sex messages to the woman employee 'over an extended period of time'. The source of the leak has caused a sensation: Red Bulls star driver, Max Verstappen, is Dutch, as is his influential father, Jos. It is perhaps unfortunate that Geri, unfollowed Verstappen on Instagram soon after the De Telegraaf story was published. After the unfollowing became public, Geri swiftly re-followed Verstappen and David and Victoria. Its not clear what the Beckhams have done to get dragged into the scandal. Geris publicist claimed - despite screen shots which appear to show the opposite - that it is inaccurate to say Geri had unfollowed anyone. One friend told the Mail: Geri worked very hard to get that marriage there is no way she is letting it go. She always said she was determined to find her prince, and she felt she had with Christian. With her husband and children, she has carved out an idyllic country life at their Cotswolds estate. Sources say Geri has been flattened by the scandal - especially as the alleged recipient is a colleague she knew well - and the nature of the messages But sources say Geri has been flattened by the scandal - especially as the alleged recipient is a colleague she knew well - and the nature of the messages. A friend added this week: 'Geri is devastated and has been struggling to eat and sleep. Her family and fellow Spice Girls are worried about her. I hear Christian is trying to pep her up to stay positive, but she has gone to ground in the way she did after she left the Spice Girls. Shes not speaking to anyone. The source believes Geri may skip the trip to Bahrain for the Grand Prix, as she cannot face the scrutiny. Christian refused to comment on the investigation into his own alleged 'inappropriate behaviour' on Thursday but said he hopes there is a 'resolution as soon as possible'. Horner was carrying out his Red Bull team principal as usual in Bahrain, amid the investigation launched earlier this month. During the press conference at F1 testing, Horner said he was unable to talk about the ongoing investigation because he was a 'part of it' but said the 'process was under way'. Horner, who was reluctant to elaborate further, finished by saying he hoped a resolution could be found as soon as possible. The 50-year-old said: 'There is a process underway and since I am part of it, I cannot comment on it. We hope there is a resolution as soon as possible.' Christian refused to comment on the investigation into his own alleged 'inappropriate behaviour' on Thursday but said he hopes there is a 'resolution as soon as possible' During the press conference in Bahrain on Thursday, Horner said he was unable to talk about the ongoing investigation because he was a 'part of it' but say the 'process was under way' Horner (right) denies the claims emphatically and his wife Geri Horner (left), formerly Halliwell, is standing by him as he fights for his reputation The allegations against Horner have overshadowed the run up to the 2024 F1 season - which got off to an inauspicious start when the morning's session was abandoned after Lewis Hamilton hit a drain cover. Horner denies the claims emphatically and his wife Geri, formerly Halliwell, is standing by him as he fights for his reputation. Mail Sport understands a determination on the inquiry may be made by the end of the week. Sofia Vergara and her new boyfriend Dr. Justin Saliman were spotted leaving Cipriani in Beverly Hills after a dinner date on Friday. As the happy couple left the celebrity hotspot together, the Modern Family alum, 51, graciously accepted a single red rose from a fan, an eyewitness told DailyMail.com. Afterward, the actress and orthopedic surgeon, 49, got in their car and sped off for the next part of their romantic evening. The America's Got Talent judge looked stunning as usual in a short black miniskirt, which she wore with opaque black tights and a black shirt with lace detailing at the neckline. The Griselda star had a structured, double-breasted white suit jacket thrown over her shoulders and carried a large white clutch handbag. Sofia Vergara and her new boyfriend Dr. Justin Saliman were spotted leaving Cipriani in Beverly Hills after a romantic dinner date Fans were gathered outside of the new hot spot for celebrities dining and one fan handed the Modern Family alum, 51, a rose which she graciously accepted, an eyewitness told DailyMail.com Her long, brunette hair fell in loose beachy waves and she wore black pumps on her feet. Saliman cut a chic but casual figure in a grey t-shirt with a navy blue suede goat and black jeans. Sofia recently posted her first picture of her man to Instagram earlier this month, after her divorce was finalized from Magic Mike star Joe Manganiello, 47. She shared a photo with Saliman from her neighbor's luxe Super Bowl party. In the group shot, Justin towers over the other four people in the pic. 'Sofia didn't want a divorce, it broke her heart, but she says that's life,' an insider told Life & Style. 'She's done her best to move on and is bouncing back. Friends say she seems happier than ever, and the secret is her positive and upbeat attitude.' Sofia and Joe's seven year union ended reportedly because he changed his mind and decided he did want kids after all. 'My marriage broke up because my husband was younger; he wanted to have kids and I didnt want to be an old mom,' she said in an interview with the Spanish language publication El Pais while promoting her Netflix series Griselda. She explained to the outlet, 'I feel its not fair to the baby. I respect whoever does it, but thats not for me anymore.' Mentioning her son Manolo from her first marriage to high school sweetheart Joe Gonzalez, she noted, 'I had a son at 19, who is now 32, and Im ready to be a grandmother, not a mother. So, if love comes along, he has to come with [his own] children.' I'm almost in menopause; its the natural way of things,' she stated candidly. But when it comes to marrying again Sofia admitted: 'I don't need a husband. I want one. It doesn't even have to be a husband. A partner.' It seems her blossoming romance with her new beau could be just that. Saliman is the father of Stella, 13, and Dean, 11, with his ex-wife, Grimm star Bree Turner, 46. Sofia first posted a snap with the orthopedic surgeon on her Instagram earlier this month, just after her divorce from Magic Mike star Joe Manganiello, 47, was finalized 'Sofia didn't want a divorce, it broke her heart, but she says that's life,' an insider told Life & Style (Pictured in 2017) 'She's done her best to move on and is bouncing back. Friends say she seems happier than ever, and the secret is her positive and upbeat attitude' (Pictured in 2024) 'She's done her best to move on and is bouncing back. Friends say she seems happier than ever, and the secret is her positive and upbeat attitude' (Pictured in 2023) Sofia is currently starring in the hit Netflix series Griselda about the legendary drug cartel leader Griselda Blanco (Pictured in 2024) In November 2023, a source exclusively told DailyMail.com that Vergara is already 'falling in love' with the orthopedic surgeon. 'Sofia has moved on from Joe and would be happy to never see him again. Her relationship with Justin has made her never look back,' the insider said. 'Justin is absolutely charming, and handsome, and has an incredible job. He isn't an actor and is very confident and she is eating it all up.' The insider continued: 'She is very attracted to him, and things are moving fast. This is way more than a rebound. They have bonded on love lost and are just having a complete blast with each other. Nicole Scherzinger showed off her incredible figure during her second holiday of the year on Saturday after having 'no break in five months.' The Pussycat Doll, 45, who has finished a busy stint on the West End's version of Sunset Boulevard, relaxed in the sun wearing a black bikini. Sharing an Instagram update from her luxurious resort in the Maldives, she posed for a series of photos by the pool. Nicole laid by the side of the water before standing on her balcony and throwing her arms in the air. 'Happy Saturday beauties,' she captioned the montage. Nicole Scherzinger, 45, showed off her incredible figure during her second holiday of the year on Saturday after having 'no break in five months' Nicole jetted off on at least seven incredible trips in 2023 before embarking on her new acting role. She landed a starring role on West End's stripped-back version of Sunset Boulevard and has since been hailed for her performance and won awards. But after months of rehearsals, shows and events, the singing sensation is happy to be taking some time out of her very chaotic schedule. Sharing an album of beach pictures from Portugal last month, Nicole revealed that she is ready to 'let go' and 'feel the sun'. Nicole wrote: After five months without a break, got to get away for the weekend. Feel the sun again on my skin. Eat everything in sight. Breathe. Let go. And finally take it all in' The brunette beauty looked sensational in her social snaps as she shared photographs of her watching the sunset while sitting on her beach house porch. In 2023, Nicole was spotted at many luxurious holiday destinations such as Australia, Cannes and Hawaii. Her last known holiday before the turn of the new year was to Austria. The Pussycat Doll, who has finished a busy stint on the West End's version of Sunset Boulevard, relaxed in the sun wearing a black bikini Sharing an Instagram update from her luxurious resort in the Maldives, she posed for a series of photos by the pool Nicole jetted off on at least seven incredible trips in 2023 before embarking on her new acting role (pictured last month in Portugal) After such a stunning performance on London's most iconic theatre strip, the star is said to now be returning to America and heading to Broadway, when Sunset Boulevard opens in New York City. 'Broadway 2024,' the Sunset Boulevard Instagram account announced on January, 4. 'Nicole Scherzinger, Tom Francis, Grace Hodgett-Young and David Thaxton star in Andrew Lloyd Webber's #SunsetBlvd, reimagined by visionary director Jamie Lloyd. Be the first to get tickets. Sign up now at sunsetblvdbroadway.com.' While no specific opening date was provided, fans will be able to receive future information by signing up on the website. Citing sources, The New York Post has reported that the musical will open at the St. James Theater in November. Nicole stars as silent movie star Norma Desmond in the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, which is based on the film by Billy Wilder. The revival will continue running at The Savoy Theatre in London until January 6. The acclaimed, Madison-raised actor Bradley Whitford is well known for his work in TVs The West Wing and The Handmaids Tale and now for the role he played in Arsenic and Old Lace as a teenager. It was that early experience on stage, after all, that confirmed Whitfords love of acting and put him on a career trajectory that would later include three Emmy Awards. Whitford, who attended East High School in the 1970s, tells that story on Arts Educators Save the World, a revealing and entertaining podcast co-created by UW-Madison professor Erica Halverson. The weekly podcast, which just wrapped up its second season but can be heard at any time, features A-list artists and their mentors discussing the impact that arts education had on their lives. So far, its included chats with Lin-Manuel Miranda (creator of Broadways Hamilton and In the Heights) and Robert Lopez (co-creator of The Book of Mormon and co-songwriter for Frozen) with their elementary school music teacher; Josh Radnor, star of the TV sitcom How I Met Your Mother and his New York University singing professor; Saturday Night Live and Schmigadoon! star Cecily Strong with her California Institute of the Arts acting professor, plus many others. The podcast with Whitford also features Paul Milisch, East Highs current theater director. Halverson came up with the idea of a podcast with Los Angeles-based creator Alek Lev, a close friend since second grade (they both went to the same school in New York as Miranda and Lopez). After a career of writing articles for academic publications and the 2021 book How the Arts Can Save Education, Halverson wanted to find a another medium with broad appeal to get her message out. I got into the business of arts education because I believe in the power of the arts to transform peoples lives for the better, said Halverson, a professor of curriculum and instruction at UW-Madison and founder of community arts outreach programs in Chicago and Madison, including the artist residency program for elementary schools called Whoopensocker. Podcasting is such a powerful medium for sharing exciting and transformative messages, she said. I had been working to combine my expertise in how the arts transform peoples lives with a medium and a message that can get people excited and inspired to advocate for and talk about arts education. Some of the podcast guests have a personal connection with Halverson and Lev. Weve both been very blessed in our lives to know some very successful artists and, in some cases, their mentors, Halverson said. Arts Educators Save the World hosts artists from accomplished filmmakers to comedy writers, dancers and even UW-Madison mathematics professor and writer Jordan Ellenberg. Their mentors range from grade school teachers to college professors, as well arts professionals they met early in their careers. Some of the guests on the podcast later expressed how meaningful it was to reflect on why they love art-making in the first place, as opposed to doing the usual celebrity interview about a particular project, Halverson said. And then we get feedback from listeners about how meaningful it is to hear about this side of successful artistry, she said. Weve gotten lots of great comments. Halversons dream guest for the podcast, she said, would be U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, who performed in theater and did comedy improv during her undergraduate years at Harvard. A 2019 study from the Houston Arts Action Initiative found that students who participate in arts education experiences receive fewer disciplinary infractions, do better on writing assessments, and demonstrate increased compassion for others, Halverson said. According to a 2022 study for Boston Public Schools, students who take arts classes in school also have better attendance, are more engaged, and (their) parents and teachers are more likely to participate and be engaged with school. That message is important to get out in states like Wisconsin, which ranks 50th among 50 states in state arts funding, Halverson said. Halverson and the podcasts production team are working on a third season. The approximately one-hour segments can be found at www.ArtsEducatorsPodcast.com or by searching for Arts Educators Save the World on any podcast platform. Take a look inside The Medallion Tommy Lee, 61, revealed he underwent hand surgery for carpel tunnel and a Dupuytren's contracture on his hand. The Motley Crue drummer revealed the news in a very no-holds-barred, graphic Instagram post showing his hand before and after the procedure as well as during surgery cut wide open. 'Well kids, its show n tell time hope this doesnt wreck your lunch only 3 weeks ago I underwent a hand surgery by @drcohenhandsurgeon,' he captioned the post. 'He addressed 2 debilitating issues for me as a drummer, keyboard player and pretty much everything to do with my right hand. And yesterday was f**king monumental for me to the point of tears . ' He continued: 'I have my life back and my money makers. And for you drummers and musicians out there i can say its possible to fix!' Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee , 61, revealed he underwent hand surgery for carpel tunnel and Dupuytren's contracture on his hand 'Well kids, its show n tell time hope this doesnt wreck your lunch only 3 weeks ago i underwent a hand surgery by @drcohenhandsurgeon,' he began his post last week The Same Ol' Situation drummer revealed his surgery in a very no-holds barred, graphic Instagram post showing his hand pre and post surgery as well as during surgery cut wide open 'And in the last clip Im able to twirl my sticks again i havent been able to do that in a few years because of the Dupytrens Contracture and carpal tunnel issues that are now gone! '@drcohenhandsurgeon and the staff there I AM FOREVER GRATEFUL!!!!,' he concluded the lengthy post. Dupuytren's contracture is a thickening of the tissue in the palm that can cause finger to curl inwards. In Tommy's case, he was unable to play the drums or do his iconic drumstick twirls. At the end of his post, the rocker shared a short video clip of him spinning his drumsticks. The Kickstart My Heart drummer and his surgeon explained that now his fingers are no longer bent, he can successfully 'make the twirl.' 'That's crazy,' Lee said in the video clip. 'Dude, that's a beautiful thing.' His surgeon commented on the post writing: 'You have worked hard and followed all the instructions with great care! You are crushing it and will only continue to get better. '3 weeks is so early for a major hand surgery!! Looking forward to seeing that hand do what it does best at high volume!' Several of his famous friends commented on the post with the band Deadmau 5 writing: 'All that bullsh*t just so you can twirl a stick. Neat!' The before surgery post of the drummer's hand showed how curled inward his fingers were, making is hand fairly useless to use at the time 'He addressed 2 debilitating issues for me as a drummer, keyboard player and pretty much everything to do with my right hand' 'And yesterday was f**king monumental for me to the point of tears . ' he wrote He continued: 'I have my life back and my money makers. And for you drummers and musicians out there i can say its possible to fix!' 'And in the last clip Im able to twirl my sticks again i havent been able to do that in a few years because of the Dupytrens Contracture and carpal tunnel issues that are now gone!' '@drcohenhandsurgeon and the staff there I AM FOREVER GRATEFUL!!!!,' he concluded the lengthy post Former Guns 'n Roses and Velvet Revolver drummer Matt Sorum wrote: 'Right on brother, Dr Cohen did surgery on my hand as well and am grateful everything is good as new and stronger after i broke my finger.' His ex-wife Heather Locklear commented: 'Ok happy for both of you but barf,' referring to the graphic surgery photos. His current wife Brittany Furlan wrote simply: 'yaaaayyyyy,' preceded by four black heart emojis. Motley Crue's next show is scheduled for May 24 in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The band is also on the lineups of several music festivals this summer including Welcome to Rockville in Daytona Beach, Florida and Summerfest in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Blockbuster drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy revolutionized the weight-loss world. Experts estimate that the drugs alone will raise the US GDP by $360billion, by making workers more productive and healthy. And despite growing evidence of lasting side effects like diarrhea, stomach paralysis, and suicidal thoughts, the growth continues. Weight-loss experts are now predicting what Ozempic and Wegovy's next chapter will look like, such as the drugs being available as cheaper pills or genetic altering that eliminates the need for medications altogether. Speaking this week at a health conference hosted by the Wall Street Journal in Boston, Dr Florencia Halperin, an endocrinologist and chief medical officer at Form Health, said that there's a 'tremendous pipeline of drugs' in development that could streamline or even eventually replace Ozempic. Experts told DailyMail.com that within the next few years, there could be new forms of weight-loss drugs, including cheaper pills and gene editing Weight-loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy mimic the production of the hormone GLP-1, which helps keep the body full Currently, Ozempic and Wegovy use the active ingredient semaglutide to mimic the production of glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1), a protein that triggers hormones in the brain to tell the stomach that it's full. 'We've known about GLP-1, a hormone that intestinal cells make, since the 1980s, and that has kind of paved the way for the development of GLP-1 receptor agonist drugs,' she told DailyMail.com. 'But weight regulation is very complex, and GLP-1 is not the only pathway that controls weight regulation. There are other sort of opportunities to develop drugs and other targets.' However, there are risks with targeting certain hormones, as they can lead to a variety of bizarre side effects. For example, some patients have reported less desire to drink alcohol or gamble. While upcoming treatments are in various stages of testing, Dr Halperin said that options like oral GLP-1 agonists and those that target other hormones could hit the market in a short amount of time. 'I can guess as early as next year,' she said. However, she noted that more extensive treatments, such as gene editing, could take several years to become available to the public. Weight-loss drugs on the market Despite a lot of confusion about which drugs are approved for what, only two of the four drugs commonly taken for weight loss are actually approved to help people shed the pounds. Wegovy - FDA-approved for obesity Kids and adults aged 12 and older who have obesity or are overweight with at least one weight-related condition, such as high blood pressure or high cholesterol, can take the drug. Ozempic - FDA-approved for adults with type 2 diabetes but often prescribed off-label for obesity Mounjaro - FDA-approved for adults with type 2 diabetes but was prescribed off-label for obesity while approval was pending for Eli Lilly's obesity drug Zepbound Zepbound - newly FDA-approved for obesity Adults who have obesity or are overweight with at least one weight-related condition Advertisement She estimates that at least 70 treatments are in development. GLP-1 agonists have are already starting to evolve quickly, with the newest injection, Zepbound, being approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in November. The medication contains the active ingredient tirzepatide, which is also found in Mounjaro. Not only does it target GLP-1, but also the hormone glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP), which experts believe might also improve how the body breaks down sugar and fat, alongside dampening appetite. Dr Christopher McGowan, a gastroenterologist who runs a weight loss clinic in Cary, North Carolina, told NBC News at the time: 'This is the most effective form of pharmaceutical obesity treatment ever.' Like Wegovy, Zepbound is also approved for obesity, whereas Ozempic only has approval for type 2 diabetes. However, long-term effects still have yet to be seen. For example, a study published in December found that patients on Zepbound put on 20 pounds more weight than Ozempic after stopping the medication. Dr Halperin said that several studies are currently underway to test drugs that could target up to three hormones at once, such as GLP-1, GIP, and glucagon, which regulates blood sugar. 'These drugs are kind of layering on targeting initial mechanisms within one compound,' she said. 'And then there are other drugs which are targeting completely different pathways.' The goal for many of these, which are in rodent testing, is to preserve muscle mass, as some research suggests that Ozempic and Wegovy lead to muscle loss, particularly in older adults. New-York based Regeneron, for example, announced last month that it was going to start testing a combination of Wegovy with an antibody treatment that blocks receptors regulating muscle growth, according to Bloomberg. 'Preserving muscle mass is a really big deal,' Dr Halperin said. She explained that muscle tissue is essential for regulating several different functions in the body, including basic movements like walking and standing, as well as blood pressure. It also helps maintain bone health. 'Preserving muscle mass is really important during the weight loss because you don't want to lose that healthy metabolic tissue. You want to maintain it or build it over time,' Dr Halperin said. Some patients have reported uncomfortable side effects while on Ozempic, including hair loss, diarrhea, and exhaustion She also pointed to a paper published last year in the New England Journal of Medicine, which discussed GLP-1 agonists made from small molecules. Ozempic and Wegovy are biologic medications, which come from natural sources like plants and animals rather than chemicals. However, small molecule drugs are made from chemicals that are easier to make, which lowers their cost. Down the line, Dr Halperin said this could provide a cheaper alternative to weight loss drugs currently on the market, which can cost hundreds of dollars without insurance. This would also mean that they could be in pill form rather than injections. Dr Halperin also said that scientists are working on creating a form a gene editing to help the pancreas produce more GLP-1 on its own. This would involve editing the structure of the body's own genes so they learn to produce GLP-1 and eliminate the need for medications. She pointed to Massachusetts-based Fractyl Health, which presented preclinical results in December. Fractyl's treatment, dubbed Rejuva, waas shown to reduce body weight by 27 percent in rodents. The company said that it plans to start human clinical trials this year. It also has the potential to last for months or years at a time. For example, CRISPR, different a gene-editing therapy recently approved for sickle-cell disease, lasts for roughly one year. However, Dr Halperin cautioned that it's not clear how long clinical trials and potential FDA approval would take, and it could be several years before it's available to the public. Still, she's optimistic about what's to come for obesity medications down the line. 'It's really exciting for patients who have obesity and need these treatment options,' she said. Millions of Americans could be missing out on retirement savings by not taking advantage of the simple force of compound interest, experts warn. Being on the right side of this phenomenon will help you build wealth, but the key is to start taking advantage as early as possible, said financial planner Georgia Lord. Put simply, compound interest is the interest you earn on interest. For example, if you invest $100 and it earns 5 percent interest each year, you will have $105 at the end of the first year. This larger sum will then earn 5 percent interest, taking your total to $110.25 at the end of the second year. Over the years, this will continue to snowball and grow at an increasing pace as you earn interest on an ever-larger account balance - and may even reach a million by the time you reach retirement. Being on the right side of compound interest will help you build wealth, but the key is to start taking advantage as early as possible, said financial planner Georgia Lord Lord, financial planner at Corbett Road Wealth Management, says the key to getting the most out of compound interest is to start early - regardless of how much money you have saved. 'It's never too late - but it's also never too little,' she told DailyMail.com. 'The biggest issue when it comes to compounding and understanding it all is the idea that people think they don't have enough money to start or enough to invest. 'It's something I see with a lot of my younger clients, but also with my friends and peers. People think they need $10,000, $50,000 or $100,000 before they can even start investing. 'Even if you're starting with $100, you're getting into the habit of saving and investing. 'Do not fall into the trap of saying "I'll get to it once I've saved $10,000". Get into the habit of it as soon as you can. You can only benefit.' For example, imagine you invest a lump sum of $100 at a 7 percent rate of interest. Every month you invest a further $300. Over 45 years, you will reap the benefits of compounding to end up with retirement savings of over $1 million. However in the first 20 years it will only grow to $147,970.74. This is because the math of compounding works harder the more time you give it. If you invest a lump sum of $100 at a 7 percent rate of interest and add $300 every month, you will have over $1 million after 45 years (Source: Bankrate calculator) 'Compounding goes hand in hand with long-term investing and long-term results,' said Lord. 'It's almost like a snowball going up-hill. It starts small but just gradually gets bigger and bigger.' But, she noted, while making recurring contributions will of course make your money grow more quickly, the act of compounding is not reliant on this. She recommends using a compound interest calculator, such as the one provided by Bankrate, to calculate how much you could save for retirement. 'People think it's too good to be true,' she said. 'But it's important that people understand it, because then they can play around with the numbers.' You can also work backwards, Lord said, by putting a number on how much you want to have saved by a certain age. Then you can calculate how much you would need to save per month or per year in order to achieve that goal with the help of compounding. Some experts recommend Americans invest in a mutual fund or exchange-traded fund (ETF) which tracks the S&P 500. This index of the 500 biggest companies in the US has historically returned between 9 percent and 10 percent annually on average. 'Among the better decisions people can make is starting with an index-based fund tracking the S&P 500 because it works,' Todd Rosenbluth, head of research at financial consultant VettaFi, told CNBC. But Peter Gallagher, managing director of Unified Retirement Planning Group, urges Americans to be cautious. Peter Gallagher, managing director of Unified Retirement Planning Group, urges Americans to diversify their investments 'My advice is to have a plan and stick to it,' Gallagher told DailyMail.com. 'Based on the rally so far in 2024, it could be a very volatile year as it is an election year. 'When the market goes down - and it will - having a plan makes it a little easier as you should have a long-term time frame, and your assets should be diversified so you can ride it out.' Bonds are traditionally seen as a safer option for long-term investing, but Gallagher adds that there are over 100 different asset classes to choose from. Lord added: 'Whilst the S&P 500 does return decent returns on average, it is not the only investment option when it comes to compounding. 'If I invested in a particular tech stock that is doing well and I kept pumping money into it every month, I would still see the effects of compounding.' It comes after experts laid bare just how much workers of each age group would need to save into their 401(K) to reach $1 million by the time they retire. According to personal finance site The Motley Fool, a 22-year-old would need to put away $325 per month throughout their career to be able to retire with $1.01 million by the time they hit 62. If a worker only started saving into their 401(K) at 27, they would need to put away $500 per month to reach $1.03 million by the same age. The figure rises to $750, $1,200 and $1,900 for a 32-year-old, 37-year-old and 42-year-old respectively. The analysis assumes the investments generate an 8 percent average annual return - slightly below the 10 percent average rate of return generated from the stock market. It comes after experts broke down the amount needed to stash away each month to generate a comfortable nest egg - depending at what age you start The number of savers with $1 million in their retirement accounts also ballooned by around 100,000 people in 2023 - thanks to a booming stock market. Some 349,000 401(K) owners and 339,000 workers with an Individual Retirement Accounts (IRA) ended the year with seven-figure balances, according to Fidelity Investments. Caroline Eby told DailyMail.com how she is edging closer to the $1 million mark through starting early - despite never earning more than $80,000 in her life. The finance worker, from Washington D.C., said: 'I started saving at age 25 when I was making $22,000 a year in manufacturing. Caroline Eby, 57, pictured, told DailyMail.com that she is edging closer to the $1 million mark - despite never earning more than $80,000 in her life 'Each year, I upped my contribution by 2 percent if I could afford it. I maxed my contribution somewhere around 12 percent.' She added: 'I've never married and have always fully supported myself. I'm so happy and proud of myself for the sacrifices I made 30 years ago. 'Like everyone told me, slow and steady wins the race.' It comes after experts laid bare just how much workers of each age group would need to save into their 401(K) to reach $1 million by the time they retire. As Russia's defiance of Western norms continues, engaging with Putin remains crucial. However, Navalny's death highlights the need for accountability and space for Opposition voices within the regime Aleksei A Navalny, the fiery Russian Opposition leader and critic of President Vladimir Putin, passed away last week. He was regarded as Putins most significant political opponent to date and had sparked protests from the heart of Moscow to many other parts of the world. His death appears to be shrouded in mystery, according to various media sources. However, the Yamal Directorate of the Federal Penitentiary Service, where he was detained, issued an official statement regarding his sudden demise. It reads, On February 16, 2024, in Penal Colony no. 3, the convict Alexei Navalny felt unwell after a walk, almost immediately losing consciousness, according to representatives of the department. Medical personnel from the institution arrived promptly, and an ambulance crew was called. All necessary resuscitation measures were carried out, but unfortunately, the steps did not yield positive results. The emergency medical team pronounced the convict dead. The cause of death is being investigated. Navalny died, leaving behind a legacy of resistance. It is worth knowing about the horrific prison he was kept in. Michel Foucault, the great French philosopher, in his famous work titled Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison (Surveiller et punir: Naissance de la prison in French, published in 1975) strongly condemns the modern prison system. He argues that prison did not become the principal form of punishment solely because of the humanitarian concerns of the reformists. Probably, he is right; otherwise, the criminal justice system could have taken an ugly turn by now. Due to the continued fight of reformists, human rights activists, liberals, and many legal experts who advocated for alternative ways of punishment, capital punishment has become less prevalent. However, Putins Russia still maintains a century-old prison system located in the deep Arctic Circle. And this was where Navalny spent the last days of his life. Commonly known as the Polar Wolf, Penal Colony 3 (IK-3) or FKU-IK3 was established in the 1960s. It is located in the town of Kharp in the Province of Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug. It serves as a maximum-security corrective colony for men in Russia, although there are nearly 700 such prisons across the country. Initially established as part of the Gulag System of forced labour camps, it was built by Gulag prisoners during the notorious Stalin Era. Situated about 1900 km northeast of Moscow and about 60 km north of the Arctic Circle, the town of Kharp experiences hardly any difference between night and day, as it is mostly covered by snow year round. Navalny wrote in one of his posts on X, When I look out of the window, I can see a night, then the evening, and then the night again. This was a real hell where convicts were subjected to mental and physical torment, and Navalny too became a victim of the system last week. Navalny was first jailed in 2021 for 11 and a half years on fraud and other charges. In 2023, another term of 19 years was added to the previous ones for various offences, including funding extremism. The first known attempt by state agents to kill Navalny was in 2020 when he was poisoned with the nerve agent Novichok, which was smeared inside his underwear, but he survived after receiving prompt medical treatment in Germany. Less than a year later, he flew back to Moscow to defy Putin, fully aware that he would soon be jailed. During his trial in 2021, he boldly said in the courtroom, I have morally offended him (Putin) by surviving. He will enter history as a poisoner. We had Yaroslav the Wise and Alexander the Liberator. And now we will have Vladimir the Poisoner of Underpants. He fearlessly spoke out about all the plans Putin made to kill him but stood his ground and did not flee Russia. As an individual, Navalny never embraced tragedies, and he was a fan of Star Wars. While in prison in 2021, he wrote, Prison (exists) in ones mind. And if you think carefully, I am not in prison, but on a space voyage to a wonderful new world. At 47, when he passed away, he remained hopeful that one day Russia would witness a land of freedom. But alas! The dissident and born activist Navalny could not see and experience the light of that day. On the way to that blissful voyage, he departed from this world. The saddest part of this tragedy is that so far Navalnys body has not been handed over to his family. His mother, Lyudmila Navalnaya, who immediately travelled to the remote IK-3 penal colony after his death, was barred from seeing his body. Investigators gave Lyudmila three hours to agree to forgo a public funeral or else they will bury him immediately on prison grounds. Meanwhile, Navalnys wife, Yulia Navalnaya, who vowed to continue the struggle against Putin, alleged that her husband might have been killed with a Novichok-style nerve agent. According to her, the authorities are delaying the release of the body because they want all traces of the poison to disappear. But Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov completely rejects Yulias allegations. Repression is at its peak in Russia as Putin prepares for the presidential election next month. He is virtually assured of winning the election as there is absolutely no Opposition in Russia today. He has been intensifying his efforts, either through his secret agents or by using state forces, since the beginning of his regime to eliminate almost all of his political rivals. Putin has been in power since 1999. He became President in 2000 and has remained in the Kremlin ever since, firmly holding onto power by eliminating all of his rivals. He aims to restore Russias past glory in the face of the vast expansion and encirclement of the NATO-led West around his country. The traditional inclination to highlight the uniqueness of Russia stems from the moral and spiritual background of the Russian Idea. Thus, there has always been a debate within Russia about whether it should align with the West or with the East. However, with Putin, it is well-established that todays Russia stands in opposition to the West (which is also strongly opposed to Russia) and aligns with the rest. In this prolonged and challenging journey, he has been striving to convey to Russians and the rest of the world the importance of his continued hold on power. With the death of Navalny, Putins game plan has become clear to the world. He is not only seeking to maintain his rule but also to assert Russias glory against the West in the 21st century. Moreover, the bloody war with neighbouring Ukraine, which began in February 2022, has put Putin and his system in crisis. This war has inflicted significant damage on him. The longer it persists, the more casualties and losses of resources he will incur in the days ahead. However, his objective is straightforward the capitulation of Ukraine. He aims to restore the Russian Empire and its vast influence over Eurasia. So, 21st-century Russia under Putin is entangled in myths and faces challenges from within and outside. It can be best described with the prophetic words of Fyodor Tyutchev, a 19th-century poet: With the mind alone Russia cannot be understood, No ordinary yardstick spans her greatness: She stands alone, unique, In Russia, one can only believe. It is evident that Russia, somehow beyond the rational understanding of a commoner, can no longer accept the geopolitical realities and global governance systems constructed by the West. Thus, the struggle continues between Russia and the West. However, it is better for the US and the rest of the West to engage with Putin. While his vision of a new, powerful, and aggressive Russia may persist, Putin should provide a meaningful platform for opposition voices to point out the flaws in the regime. Whether natural or unnatural, Navalnys death paints a grim picture of Putin. (The writer is a Senior Faculty at the Department of Political Science in the School of Liberal Education, Galgotias University, Greater Noida.) At a time of challenges within the INDIA bloc, the Congress and the AAP have resolved their differences to finalise a seat-sharing agreement in Delhi, Haryana, Gujarat, Chandigarh, and Goa for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. But both the parties will go solo in Punjab. This marks the second seat-sharing deal within the INDIA bloc, following a similar agreement between the SP and Congress in Uttar Pradesh recently. In Delhi, the AAP will contest four seats West Delhi, South Delhi, East Delhi, and New Delhi. The remaining three North East Delhi, North West Delhi, and Chandni Chowk will be contested by the Congress. In the 2019 election, the BJP won all seven seats. The announcement came during a joint press conference of the AAP and the Congress. In Gujarat, out of its 26 Lok Sabha seats, Congress will contest 24, while AAP will contest two, including Bharuch and Bhavnagar. In Haryana, which has 10 seats, Congress will contest nine, and AAP will contest one, Kurukshetra. Extensive discussions were held regarding the Chandigarh seat, ultimately decided in favour of the Congress candidate. Detailed discussions also took place concerning Goa, with both seats being contested by the Congress, he added. Seat-sharing has been a major challenge for the INDIA bloc, with negotiations complicated by the aspirations of regional parties. The Congresss recent electoral setbacks in three heartland states have emboldened these regional powers to demand a larger share of seats. Last week, the AAP had announced a candidate for South Goa but will now withdraw it to accommodate its ally. Initially, the AAP had planned to contest all 13 seats in Punjab independently.During the press conference, Delhi Congress chief Arvinder Singh Lovely, former Congress general secretary Deepak Babaria, along with AAP MLAs Atishi and Saurabh Bharadwaj, and AAP MP Sandeep Pathak were present.Wasnik emphasized that its not just the AAP or Kejriwal facing pressure tactics from the BJP.This isnt limited to the AAP or AAPs leader Arvind Kejriwal. The circumstances created by the BJP in the country pose a threat to democracy. Using agencies like the CBI, ED, and Income Tax to exert pressure on everyone is the kind of politics the BJP is engaging in, which is dangerous for Indian democracy. Its not just the Congress and AAP, but the people of India who will fight against it, he said. The Congress alliance with the AAP has put many party workers in a dilemma as they were not in favor of aligning with Arvind Kejriwals party in Delhi. Theres a possibility that some Delhi Congress leaders may leave the party.The Pioneer spoke to several Delhi Congress leaders who expressed their dissatisfaction with the alliance with the AAP. The Congress has been finished in Delhi, said a Congress leader on the condition of anonymity. In Bharuch, late Congress stalwart Ahmed Patels daughter, Mumtaz Patel, apologised to party workers after the Bharuch seat went to the AAPs quota as part of the seat-sharing arrangement for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.In a social media post on X, Mumtaz Patel expressed disappointment over the alliances decision and called on the party workers to regroup. Deeply apologize to Our district cadre for not being able to secure the Bharuch Lok Sabha seat in alliance. I share your disappointment. Together, we will regroup to make@INCIndia stronger. We wont let @ahmedpatel 45 years of Legacy go in vain,she said. While Mumtazs brother Faisal Patel called the INDIA bloc very important for the democracy, he said the Opposition would win the Bharuch seat only if Congress contested from there.I want to say this to(Delhi CM and AAP chief) Arvind Kejriwal that we (INDIA alliance) can win this seat only if the Congress contests from here. This is only after looking at the winnability criteria, he said in a post on X. In a strategic move ahead of the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has instructed his Council of Ministers to draft an actionable, measurable, and clearly defined plan to be presented at the meeting on March 3. During the last Cabinet meeting on February 21, Modi directed his ministerial colleagues to prepare an action plan for the next 100 days. With the Lok Sabha polls expected to be announced after March 13, he has urged them to engage in extensive consultations, including with experienced individuals such as senior bureaucrats, grassroots workers, and domain experts, before finalising their action plans, according to sources. During the meeting, Modi tasked his ministers with outlining key initiatives and deliverables for the next 100 days, along with a comprehensive five-year roadmap. These documents, focusing on the Governments priorities and strategies, are to be submitted to the Cabinet Secretariat. Sources said Modi has instructed them and their ministries to brainstorm over the agenda for the period, which is also the likely duration before a new government takes office following the Lok Sabha elections expected in April-May. The Prime Minister told the Cabinet that they should draw up these plans without considering who gets what ministerial positions post-elections. Sources said the prime minister wants to ensure that the governments work continues amid the poll cycle, and his call for preparing the agenda for the next 100 days is part of such an effort. He has also repeatedly expressed confidence in the ruling BJP-led National Democratic Alliance retaining power at the Centre. He recently asserted that he has already begun preparing a roadmap for his third term and has received suggestions from over 15 lakh people. During a cabinet meeting held in the first week of February, PM Modi cautioned his Cabinet Ministers against complacency, urging them to work diligently for the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Despite the favorable momentum from the consecration of the Sri Ram Janmabhoomi temple in Ayodhya, Modi emphasised that the BJP should not underestimate the challenge. He referred to the BJPs casual approach in the 2004 elections, highlighting the need to avoid complacency. Earlier, at the partys national convention at Bharat Mandapam, Modi urged party workers to dedicate themselves to engaging with new voters over the next 100 days. In the next 100 days, you need to connect with every new voter, reach every beneficiary, every section, every community, and every person who believes in every religion. We need to gain the trust of everyone, Modi stated. Emphasizing a robust return of the BJP to power, the Prime Minister said, Today, even Opposition leaders are chanting slogans of the NDA government crossing the 400-mark. And for NDA to cross 400, BJP must surpass the milestone of 370. In a tragic accident in Kasganj, 24 villagers, including eight children, were killed while 10 others were injured when a tractor-trolley they were travelling in fell into a pond on Saturday morning. The group was en route to the river Ganga for a holy bath to mark the auspicious occasion of Maghi Purnima' early on Saturday morning. President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath have expressed grief at the loss of lives in the incident. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh each for the family members of the deceased and Rs 50,000 for those who suffered injuries in the accident. The loss of lives in a road accident in Kasganj district is extremely heart-wrenching. My condolences are with the bereaved family, Yogi wrote in a post on his official X handle. District administration officials have been instructed to provide proper, free treatment to all the injured. I pray to Lord Shri Ram to grant peace to the departed souls and speedy recovery to the injured, he added. Inspector General of Aligarh Range Shalabh Mathur confirmed the deaths in the mishap, saying eight children and seven women among the deceased. He said the tractor-trolley was coming from Jaithara in Etah district. The accident occurred when the tractor driver lost control while trying to avoid a car, causing the trolley to overturn into a seven to eight-foot-deep mud-filled pond on Patiali Dariyav Ganj road in Patiali area of Kasganj. According to Superintendent of Police of Kasganj, Aparna Rajat, those who died in the accident had been identified as Shakuntala Devi (70), wife of Veerpal; Usama (24) wife of Shivam; Meera (65) wife of Digvijay Singh Chauhan; Sapna (22) wife of Gaurav, her son Sidhu (2); Pushpa (45), wife of Satyendra Shivam (30), his daughter Devasi (6); Diksha (19), daughter of Rajneesh; Rajneeshs wife Gayatri (52); Shyam Lata (40), wife of Ranveer; Sunaina (10), daughter of Harish; Guddi (75), wife of Khunni Lal; Kuldeep (7), son of Mukesh; Mukut's wife Anjali (24), his daughter Sandhya (5) and son Laddu (3); Shivangi (25) wife of Rajesh; Rajesh's son Kartik (4) and daughter Payal (2-months); Meera (55), wife of Rajpal; and Javit (25) wife of Sanjeev; Guddi (75). Two bodies were yet to be identified, police said. A 42-year-old man, waiting for school bus for his child, died in a stray cattle attack in south Delhi's Tigri area here, police said on Friday. Footage from a CCTV camera showed the animal goring Subhash Kumar Jha, a resident of Khanpur, and pound him with its hoofs as he lay on road. In the video, Jha's son could be seen screaming for help. The cow stomped on Jha's chest and head a number of times after goring him. The people standing nearby tried to save him by trying to hit the animal with sticks, the video showed. The incident took place near Jaspal Mart in Devli Mor around 8 am Thursday when Jha was waiting for a bus for his son to go to school, a police officer said. The victim, who worked as a financier, is survived by wife and two sons, aged 7 and 13. "He had gone to drop his younger son to school and was waiting for the bus when he was attacked by a stray cow," Manoranjan, a cousin of the victim, said He said Jha was a native of Bihar's Araria district and had been living in the locality since 2000. His older son studies in class 9, Manoranjan said. He said that similar animal attacks have happened in the past in the area, with several people getting injured, but no death. Locals attributed the stray cattle problem to the illegal dairies operating in the area. A police officer, admitting the problem of stray animals in the locality, said that they have relayed the information to the municipal corporation. "We are yet to ascertain whether it was a cow or a bull and also finding out it was owned by anybody." Another police officer said, after the incident, Jha was taken to Batra Hospital where he succumbed during treatment on Friday morning. His body was handed over to his family after post mortem, police said. Dr Balraj, department of forensic, senior resident, said that Jha had received multiple fractures in his ribs and injuries to his head, heart and lungs. Some bleeding also occurred in his abdomen, he said. The Municipal Corporation of Delhi in a statement said that a team of veterinary department has captured nine animals in the southern zone of Khanpur area. It said it will cut the electricity and water connections of illegal dairies being operated in the locality and seal them. The sleuths of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday raided the Gorakhpur residence of Samajwadi Party leader Vinay Shankar Tiwari, son of former minister and mafia of eastern Uttar Pradesh Harishankar Tiwari. Sources confirmed that the ED also raided the Lucknow and Delhi residences of the SP leader. A case of money laundering is already registered against Vinay Shankar Tiwari and others in a Rs 750 crore bank fraud case. Recently his property was also confiscated. Reports said that a team of Bank of India, Lucknow had come to Gorakhpur three years ago regarding the bank loan taken by Vinay Shankar Tiwari and his company and returned after assessing his properties. Later the bank filed a report and in 2020, the case was handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for probe. In 2021, the Enforcement Directorate registered a money laundering case against former MLA Vinay Shankar Tiwari and others in the Rs 750 crore fraud case. The agencys Lucknow-based regional office had filed an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act against the former MLA from Chillupar (Gorakhpur) and Lucknow-based Gangotri Enterprises. The ED registered this case against Vinay Shankar Tiwari, his wife Rita, Gangotri Enterprises and others on the basis of CBIs FIR. The CBI had conducted raids in Lucknow and Noida after registering a complaint in the case. The alleged fraud was committed against a consortium of banks led by the Bank of India, and was said to be worth Rs 754.25 crore. According to the Debt Recovery Tribunal (DRT), the firm M/s Gangotri Enterprises Limited and others have taken a loan of Rs 1,129 crore from seven different banks. The owners of these firms are former MLAs and their relatives. Most of the bank accounts have become non-performing assets (NPAs). Bank accounts are also being closed. In this case, the DRT had issued summons against 33 persons, including former MLA Vinay Shankar Tiwari, on July 1, 2019, and then sought answers from M/s Gangotri Enterprises Limited and other defendants at different times. According to the case which reached the DRT, Vinay Shankar Tiwari and others have taken the maximum loan from the Bank of India. Action is going on in this matter. The details of the raids are awaited. Bobbie Bain of Osceola and Autumn Bender of Humphrey recently were initiated into The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation's oldest and most selective all-discipline collegiate honor society. Both students were inducted at Wayne State College. Bain and Bender are among approximately 25,000 students, faculty, professional staff and alumni to be initiated into Phi Kappa Phi each year. Membership is by invitation only and requires nomination and approval by a chapter. Only the top 10% of seniors and 7.5% of juniors are eligible for membership. Graduate students in the top 10% of the number of candidates for graduate degrees may also qualify, as do faculty, professional staff and alumni who have achieved scholarly distinction. Phi Kappa Phi was founded in 1897 under the leadership of undergraduate student Marcus L. Urann who had a desire to create a different kind of honor society: one that recognized excellence in all academic disciplines. Today, the Society has chapters on more than 325 campuses in the United States, its territories and the Philippines. Its mission is "To recognize and promote academic excellence in all fields of higher education and to engage the community of scholars in service to others." Bear has grievously injured a tribal identified as Lakhan Korwa, 40, under the Kutku range of the tiger reserve Palamu. P K Jena deputy director north division PTR said Korwa has been shifted to RIMS Ranchi on Thursday after his primary treatment at the community health centre at Bhandarya and at the Sadar Hospital Garhwa. The bear has badly injured his face. His muscles are damaged, said the doctor V K Rajak of the community health centre at Bhandarya who had first examined him on Thursday. Korwa was given an anti rabies shot and some loose stitches just to save his blood veins being infested with the virus. At Sadar Hospital Garhwa he was given a shot of immunoglobulin, said a surgeon Dr Amit Kumar. Deputy director north Jena said a forest guard has gone with him for his treatment in RIMS Ranchi. PTR will bear his medical expenses till he recovers. This is the first bear attack on humans in 2024. When winter changes in to summer bears start prowling and never miss to attack humans. Here too Korwa was taken by surprise when the bear attacked him quite abruptly. In a significant achievement, Brahmanand Narayana Multispeciality Hospital (BNMH) located in Tamolia, Jamshedpur, has been honored with the prestigious title of "Best Hospital in the City." The announcement came at a distinguished event held in Mumbai, recognizing BNMH's outstanding contributions to healthcare. Vineet Raj, the Facility Director of BNMH, issued a press communique on Friday, expressing the hospital's elation and gratitude for this remarkable recognition. He stated, "This award is a testament to our unwavering commitment towards providing exceptional health services to the community. It reflects the collective efforts of our dedicated team, strong leadership, and the trust of the communities we serve." The accolade signifies the hospital's continuous efforts to uphold the highest standards of healthcare. Vineet Raj conveyed heartfelt appreciation to the exceptional employees of BNMH, acknowledging their dedication and hard work as instrumental in achieving this milestone. He emphasized that this achievement reinforces their commitment to maintaining excellence in healthcare. "We owe this success to the unwavering support of our community and the tireless efforts of our healthcare providers. This recognition motivates us to continue our mission of serving our patients with the utmost care and compassion," Vineet Raj added. The Best Hospital Award is a recognition of BNMH's exceptional healthcare services, the trust it has garnered from the community, and its commitment to providing top-notch medical care. The hospital looks forward to furthering its impact on healthcare in Jamshedpur and continuing its legacy of excellence. The State Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Champai Soren was held in Jharkhand Ministry on Friday. In this, 29 proposals have been approved by the Cabinet. These proposals are included among the proposals which have been approved by the Cabinet. Now 125 units of electricity will be available free in Jharkhand instead of 100. As many as 29 lakh consumers of the state will benefit from this. The Champai Soren government has given approval regarding this. After the order of Jharkhand High Court, the government will give benefits to 102 employees of three engineering colleges of Bihar. It was taken over at the time of divided Bihar. The Cabinet has approved the Bokaro International University Bill 2024. 24 posts were created for Jharkhand Bhawan Delhi. Approval of amendment in Jharkhand Building Bylaws was given. Government's agreement with BIT Mesra approved in 2025. 225 bedded 6 barracks will be built in Deoghar Police Line. Now 4G posh machines will be provided in Public Distribution System shops instead of 2G. In today cabinet meeting other agendas which were approved included, approval of three judicial posts for Bagodar Sub-Divisional Court of Giridih, approval of 6 posts in Chakradharpur Court in Chaibasa Judicial Division, amendment in Jharkhand Building Bylaws 2016, extension of the period of agreement signed with BIT Mesra in the year 2017, amendment in Jharkhand State Police Sub Inspector Appointment Rules, ex-post approval of the proposal to convene the budget session. Approval of Rs 42 crore for 6 barracks in Deoghar Police Line was given. The cabinet also gave its nod for approval of allowances to Jharkhand Judicial Service personnel. The cabinet also gave its nod for providing tablets to 40 crore Sahiya workers in which the government will spend Rs 114 crore. Nod for creation of 131 posts in Palamu Government Engineering College was also made. The Palamu Government engineering college is facing acute staff shortage. This will side the staff crunch. Approval of Rs 75 lakh for solid waste management of Majhiyan Municipal Council was also made. Revision of rate for giving smart to Anganwadi Sevika and Parvekshika under Mission Saksham Anganwadi Scheme was also made. Government will provide 4G POS machines to PDS shops, purchase expenditure will be Rs 63 crores, annual expenditure will be Rs 28 crores in maintenance, purchase will be made for 27 thousand PDS shops. Rs 320 crore will be spent for new dairy plants in Giridih and Jamshedpur and milk powder plant in Hotwar. Administrators of all categories of urban bodies under the state participated in the meeting convened with the administrators of all the urban bodies at the headquarters level today as per the predetermined program in the office of the Chief Electoral Officer, Jharkhand. In the meeting, ongoing preparations for the Lok Sabha elections in urban areas were reviewed. In the meeting, a strategy was made by taking suggestions from the administrators of all the urban bodies to increase the voting percentage in the cities and everyone was also made aware of the relevant guidelines of the Election Commission in this regard. On this occasion, Chief Electoral Officer, K Ravi Kumar said that in the last general elections, the voting percentage of urban bodies has been less as compared to rural areas. We have to work to make the voters of urban areas aware and convey the importance of voting to them, along with this we also have to work in a planned manner towards accessible voting so that any voter gets the opportunity to vote without any inconvenience. He said that the municipal body workers are in constant touch with the urban citizens, hence an action plan has been made to convey election related information and importance of voting directly to the common urban citizens through them. In the meeting, along with administrators of civic bodies, Director of State Urban Development Agency, Amit Kumar, Ranchi Municipal Commissioner, Amit Kumar also made detailed suggestions for increasing the voting percentage in urban areas. Dozens of suggestions were received like making arrangements for free parking around the polling booths on the day of voting, creating door to door awareness by municipal body workers, spreading election related messages through civic body vehicles. During this period, a program of mutual dialogue and discussion was also organised. In which the Electoral Registration Officers of the urban areas were asked what kind of cooperation they expect from the civic administration, while the civic administrators were asked whether they would like to get help from the level of District Election Officers or Chief Electoral Officer office. What kind of coordination and cooperation do you expect? The Chief Electoral Officer appealed to everyone that this time everyone's best efforts are expected to increase the voting percentage in the urban areas of the state. During the meeting, administrators of all the municipal bodies of the state, apart from electoral registration officers of urban areas, Additional Chief Electoral Officer Neha Arora, Joint Secretary Subodh Kumar, OSD Geeta Choubey, Under Secretary Devdas Dutta, Deputy Electoral Officer Headquarters Sanjay Kumar and officials and personnel of the Chief Electoral Officer's office were present. Chief Minister Mohan Yadav inspected the Integrated Command and Control Room located at Ujjain Smart City Office. He sought information about the complaints of CM Helpline received in the Command and Control Room and also saw status of their resolution. He randomly selected complainants of CM Helpline and spoke to them over telephone. Sunaina, a resident of Gram Panchayat Azimabadpardi, told Chief Minister Dr. Yadav that her daughter is not receiving the amount of Ladli Lakshmi Yojana.He assured Sunaina that every possible help will be provided to her as soon as the complaint is resolved. Naveen Mathu, resident of Gram Panchayat Akyajassa, told Chief Minister Yadav that his father is a paralytic. His account has also been closed by the bank due to which he is facing problem in withdrawing the amount. Chief Minister Yadav told Naveen Mathu that his problem will be resolved soon. Chief Minister Yadav met applicant Naveen Mathu at the Smart City office and inquired about his problem in detail. He instructed the district administration to provide financial assistance of Rs 1 lakh to Naveen. Naveen Mathu thanked the Chief Minister for the assistance. Chief Minister Yadav inspected the work of other departments in the Integrated Command and Control Room and also gave instructions for effective implementation of the control room. During this, MLA Anil Jain Kaluheda, MLA Satish Malviya, Collector Neeraj Kumar Singh, Superintendent of Police Pradeep Sharma, District Panchayat CEO Mrinal Meena, Municipal Corporation Commissioner Ashish Pathak and officials and public representatives were present. Cyber crime Bhopal nabbed two persons from Niwari (Madhya Pradesh) for collecting money on the pretext of transfer and its cancellation in the name of Chief Minister's Office. They cheat posed as asaociates from the Chief Minister's office and use the logo of Madhya Pradesh government on WhatsApp. They cheat government employees by promising them stopping their transfer. So far, evidence has emerged of fraud of about Rs 24 lakh by the accused. The accused never used own accounts to take fraudulent money. The Crime Branch Bhopal is investigating the crime no. 35/24 under sections 419 and 420 of the IPC, in which a total fraud of Rs 2,50,000 was committed on the applicant in the name of stopping the transfer by telling him that the victim government employee has been transferred. it was told that the call is from the Chief Minister's Office. On the basis of the facts received during investigation of the application, Inspector of Police Crime Branch, it was established that the crime has taken place. Taking this seriously, immediate action was initiated. The accused used to obtain the mobile numbers of the government employees from Google and pretended to be the OSD of the Chief Minister from the Chief Minister's Office, telling the government employee about to be transferred and to sunstaintiate their claim, the accused persons used to send them a fake proposed transfer list likely to be issued by the government, on the pretext of stopping their transfer. They cheat them on different pretexts and in different installments. To collect the fraud money, the accused transfer money around the village and deposit the fraud amount in the accounts of children. The Cyber crime police seizes 2 mobile phones and 2 SIM cards used in the crime. The accused were identified as Saurabh Bilgaiya (32) of Prithvipur , he used the logo of Madhya Pradesh Government in WhatsApp and misrepresenting itself as Chief Minister's Office in the name of transfer and its cancellation. Harbal Kushwaha(23) would fraudulently transfer money into other account in money transfer kiosks in nearby villages. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Friday cited reliable information and claimed the federal agencies are planing to arrest Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal as the partys imminent national poll pact with the Congress has rattled the BJP and disturbed its political calculations while the Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva rejected the AAP claims as baseless and said they reflected Kejriwals frustration. While the AAP leaders did not say in which case Kejriwal is likely to be arrested, they claimed that this was being done to prevent the AAP from stitching an alliance with the Congress for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections as the BJP is scared of the two parties coming together. While there was no immediate response from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to the AAP's claims, the BJP said AAP leaders are trying to create confusion and generate sympathy for Kejriwal. Addressing a press conference here, Delhi cabinet minister and senior AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj said as soon as reports of finalisation of seat-sharing talks between the Congress and the AAP started coming in, the ED sent a seventh summons to Kejriwal in the excise policy case. "We have learnt from reliable sources that the CBI is planning to arrest Kejriwal. The CBI will also serve a notice to Kejriwal either this afternoon or by the evening," Bharadwaj said. Kejriwal will be arrested in the next two to three days, he said. "We are getting messages that if the AAP-Congress alliance is formed, Arvind Kejriwal will be arrested. The BJP is scared of the AAP-Congress alliance. You can arrest Kejriwal if you want, but the alliance will be forged," he said. AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sandeep Pathak said people will take to the streets if Kejriwal is arrested. "There will be a tsunami. Their (BJP) political calculations will go wrong. We are not scared of being arrested. We are forging this alliance for the country," he said. Delhi minister Gopal Rai on Friday lashed out at the BJP and alleged that the Centre has been planning to arrest AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal by serving him a notice through CBI. Addressing a press conference here, Rai alleged that the CBI has been preparing a notice under CrPC 41A (notice of appearance before police officer) for Delhi Chief Minister Kejriwal. "BJP has been frustrated ever since the opposition formed the INDIA bloc. The BJP-led central government has been planning to arrest Arvind Kejriwal by serving him a notice through CBI. We got to know that a notice is being prepared under CrPC 41A and thereafter, they plan to arrest him," he alleged. Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva said Kejriwal knows that the talks on the AAP's alliance with the Congress are failing but AAP leaders have been spreading rumours since Thursday and are trying to generate sympathy for the chief minister. "Kejriwal may delay his punishment with the help of lawyers but ultimately, the people of Delhi will punish him harshly in the coming elections," the BJP leader said. The AAP and Kejriwal should remember that Congress leader Ajay Maken had submitted the first written complaint to the lieutenant governor regarding the liquor "scam" under his government, Sachdeva said. The BJP won all the seven seats in Delhi with 51 per cent votes in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls and 59 per cent in 2019. In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the people of Delhi will give 70 per cent votes to the BJP, he asserted. Leader of Opposition in Delhi Assembly Ramvir Singh Bidhuri slammed the AAP leaders saying they are trying to set a different narrative ahead of the Lok Sabha polls that Kejriwal will be arrested after seat sharing agreement in Delhi. First, they propagated that ED will arrest Kejriwal. Now, they are making noise that CBI will arrest Kejriwal for making seat sharing deal in Delhi. Actually AAP leaders want to see him (Kejriwal) behind the bar, Bidhuri said. The Enforcement Directorate has issued a fresh summons to Kejriwal asking him to appear before it for questioning in the Delhi excise policy-linked money laundering case on February 26, sources said on Thursday. This is the seventh summons issued by the ED to the chief minister, who skipped the previous six. Governor C.P. Radhakrishnan today honoured a total of 37 NCC cadets of Jharkhand state who participated in the Republic Day Camp-2024 organized in New Delhi at Raj Bhawan. While interacting with the cadets on this occasion, he said that these cadets of ours represented and brought glory to the state with their hard work and dedication. He said that those officers also deserve congratulations, who worked tirelessly for the NCC cadets. The Governor said that NCC is playing an important role in giving direction to the youth of our country through its various activities. NCC is also active towards social service activities like blood donation, literacy, tree plantation, Swachh Bharat Mission, environment protection and disaster management. NCC is an excellent organization for the youth to develop their personality and contribute to the progress of the country. It inculcates in them a sense of discipline, leadership and patriotism, which are essential qualities for any citizen. He said that only a disciplined person can achieve success in his life. The Governor said that he was also associated with NCC. Since its inception, NCC has been playing an important role in building the character of our youth and inculcating in them a sense of duty towards the nation. After joining NCC, a change can be seen in the lives of many youth who previously lacked a disciplined life, but they became disciplined and responsible citizens after joining this organization. Major General A.S. Bajaj, ADG, Bihar and Jharkhand Directorate and other dignitaries were present at the ceremony. Latehar Police has got another big success. SP Anjani Anjan and his team along with CRPF have succeeded in getting the surrender of a Zonal Commander and an Area Commander of the JJMP militant organization. Those who surrendered include the names of JJMP zonal commander and militant carrying a reward of Rs 10 lakh, Manohar Parhiya alias Vimlesh Parhiya and Area Commander, Deepak Kumar Bhuiyan alias Kundan, on Friday. They surrendered before Palamu Inspector General of Police Rajkumar Lakra, CRPF Palamu Zone Deputy Inspector General of Police, Pankaj Kumar and SP Anjani Anjan. Lakra presented bouquets and shawls to both the militants and congratulated them for coming into the mainstream of society. He said that according to the surrender policy of the Jharkhand government, both will be provided the facilities provided by the government. Manohar Parhiya alias Vimlesh Parhiya told that he along with some boys of his village had joined the CPI Maoist organization in the year 2004. Later he left CPI Maoist organization in 2010 and joined JJMP organization in 2011. He was made Sub Zonal Commander in the year 2012. When zonal commander Upendra Singh Kharwar surrendered before the police in the year 2018, he was made the zonal commander. A total of 13 cases are registered against Manohar Parhiya in various police stations of Latehar and Palamu. Deepak Kumar Bhuiyan alias Kundan told that he had joined JJMP in the year 2018 at the behest of Manohar Parihaya. A case is registered against Deepak in Satbarwa police station. On the occasion Anjan said that the influence of Maoists in Latehar district has reduced compared to earlier. Latehar Police is continuously taking action against small organizations TSPC and JJMP. On November 20, 2022, three JJMP militants were killed in an encounter with the police and JJMP militants. This has weakened the JJMP organization. Many commanders and members of JJMP have surrendered. Among these, Sub Zonal Committee member Kamlesh Singh alias Mukesh Singh alias Nana Ji, Area Commander Raghunath Singh Kherwar, Satyendra Oraon alias Abhimanyu and Sanjay Prajapati have surrendered. Whereas sub zonal committee member and JJMP militant Birbal Oraon alias Sushil Oraon alias MLA carrying a reward of Rs 5 lakh and many other JJMP militants have been arrested by the police and sent to jail, he added. A 39-year-old man was arrested for allegedly entering the Palam Air Force Station in the Delhi Cantonment area posing as a wing commander of the IAF, police said on Friday. The suspect, identified as Vinayak Chadha from Delhi's Malka Ganj area, was caught by Air Force personnel on February 21 while trying to enter the station using a fake identity card. According to police, he wanted to get his father treated at the dental hospital of the air force station. Deputy Commissioner of Police (southwest) Rohit Meena said police were informed about the incident on Wednesday. "A PCR call was received on February 21, regarding the unauthorised entry of one person into the premises of Air Force Station Palam, 3 Wing Camp Area, Near Sadar Bazar Metro Station, Delhi Cantt," the Delhi Police said. The accused was held by the air force staff while he was trying to enter the restricted area, the DCP said. He said the man entered the air force dental hospital on Thimmaya Road by posing as a wing commander. He breached the first layer of security using a forged identity document but was caught later by air force security staff, Meena said. Chadha was then handed over to the police, he said, adding that a forged identity card and a few other liquor cards in the names of several defence personnel were found on him. Liquor cards are given to defence personnel to acquire liquor at subsidised rates in cantonment areas. A case under Indian Penal Code sections 419 (punishment for cheating by personation), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating), 471 (using as genuine a forged document or electronic record) and 474 (having possession of document knowing it to be forged and intending to use it as genuine) was registered at Delhi Cantt police station, officials said. During an investigation into the source of the forged documents, police have apprehended another person from Sultanpuri. Further probe in the matter is underway, police said. At a campaign stop at Central Community College - Columbus on Feb. 21, Sen. Pete Ricketts spoke with area voters about a hot topic of late: the United States' southern border. Ricketts made several of the same points he offered in a media call and press release on Feb. 7, offering corrections that could be made to the recent Senate border security bill based on a letter from the National Border Patrol Council to Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina. While the National Border Patrol Council supports the bill, they had thoughts on what could be fixed, including what constitutes an emergency. "When there's 5,000 illegal crossings a day, that would be declared an emergency and that would give the president the authority to limit how many people could seek asylum in that given day," Ricketts said. "A real emergency is not 5,000 people, that's a catastrophe." There are many reasons this is concerning, Ricketts said, alleging that in some cases, those coming to the United States seeking asylum or posing as a family unit are in fact single adults bringing children to get a quicker pass into the country. Under the Trump administration, these children would be DNA tested to ensure they were truly with family, which is no longer the case, Ricketts said. "What happens is you come across these children, these children will be shipped back across the border to Mexico and be used with another adult to get back into the country; 30-50% of those kids don't belong to the adults coming across the border," Ricketts said. With the massive quantities of people coming in, Ricketts said the number of individuals on terror watchlists and the number of drug smugglers coming in climb. Many aren't even from countries south of the United States, he said. Fentanyl in particular is of concern, he said, as it was the leading cause of death in Americans ages 18 to 45 in the last fiscal year, claiming approximately 70,000 lives. In 2019, Nebraska law enforcement confiscated 46 pills that were laced with fentanyl. Two years later, the number was around 150,000, he said. "The precursors of fentanyl are manufactured in China, shipped to Mexico, and in illegal labs turned into fentanyl, which the cartel ships over the border. This is one of the things turning every state into a border state, because it impacts every state," Ricketts said. For these reasons, Ricketts and other colleagues in Congress believe the definition of an emergency, as outlined by the Senate's recent bipartisan border security bill, should be changed to better reflect the current state of the border. "Customs and border patrol can't handle the volume. If we have 12,000 people come across, they can maybe process 500 people a day," Ricketts said. Ricketts acknowledged that there are deeper issues when it comes to immigration, but border security was a top priority. The senate bill also contains a large foreign aid package, but Ricketts was speaking specifically on the state of border security for this event. "Our immigration system is broken, we know that, but the way to do this is not to have people cross the border illegally. The bill we're considering here is just about border security. We need to have a secure southern border, that's most important. Then we can address issues in regards to immigration, but right now we're just talking border security," Ricketts said. Ricketts encouraged those in attendance to call the White House and their local representatives and tell them their concerns on the matter, because every letter or phone call does get logged somewhere, and they do see the things people send them, even if it's just a name and a reason for calling. At his office, Ricketts said two things are very common among the calls and questions he gets. "One is the national security aspect. We're opening ourselves to people coming across the border who commit terrorist acts in our country because we know, we catch people on terror watchlists, and there's a lot of people coming in that we're not catching," Ricketts said. "Second is the humanitarian crisis that's happening there. Human trafficking, drug trafficking, child trafficking, it's all bad and all squarely the responsibility of President Biden," he said. Ricketts said there have been multiple bills introduced by him and his colleagues, but many never make it onto the agenda, so while there are efforts to fix the issues he described, they do face some challenges. "As the leaders in the Senate, the democrats have the majority, (Sen. Chuck Schumer) decides the agenda, he decides what bills come up and he hasn't brought up a single one of those bills we've introduced, not one," Ricketts said. "So we're going to have to continue to fight, to bring attention to this issue and let people know what's going on on our southern border." The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) is likely to present a proposal in the House to recognise employee unions and associations in all of its 12 zones by holding elections through secret ballot for representing staff concerns. The civic body is expected to table the proposal in the House meeting on February 26. A secret ballot election committee will be constituted for holding the polls, MCD officials said. The civic body has recently notified that it does not recognise several unions and associations after their members staged protests for the regularisation of contractual workers and alleged non-payment of salaries. It barred its employees from participating in protests staged by such unions or criticising a department on social media or in front of the press and warned of disciplinary action. However, the MCD has now passed a resolution that outlines the code of discipline and criteria for recognition of unions and associations that will be eligible to contest the polls, sources said. The labour welfare department of the MCD will work on the proposed guidelines to identify major stakeholder unions and associations that come under the jurisdiction of the civic body. The department will also prepare a centralised voter list of all eligible employees who can participate in the election process. This list will be uploaded on the official website of the civic body. As per the guidelines, only regular group C and D employees and regular daily wagers will be able to cast votes for electing the unions. The contesting unions can choose from a list of 16 free election symbols to represent their union. The polls will be held periodically in all 12 zones of the MCD and the union which gets the maximum number of votes will be given recognition by the corporation for a tenure of five years until it is re-elected for representing the concerns of the staff in their respective zones. In each zone, the corporation will set up polling booths which will be guarded by a team of polling assistants and police personnel to avoid canvassing or influencing votes within 100 metres of the polling station. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the third term of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) would be a guarantee of Modi to carry the nation to a new height in the world and become the third largest global economy. He asserted the NDA would win all the 80 Lok Sabha seats in UP. The third term will bring the nations capabilities to the forefront of the world and Indias economic, social, strategic and cultural sectors will be at new heights, the prime minister remarked. Addressing an impressive public meeting at Banas Dairy Complex premises here on Friday, the prime minister mentioned leapfrogging to the fifth largest economy in the world from eleventh in the last ten years. He added that India would become the third largest economy in the next five years. The prime minister launched a scathing attack on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi without taking his name for his recent drunk men on Varanasi roads remarks, saying those who were not in hosh (senses) themselves were calling the youth nasheri (intoxicated). A member of Congress shahi-parivar is calling the youth of Varanasi nasheri (intoxicated), he said, without naming Gandhi. Till date these frustrated opposition leaders were mainly attacking Modi but now due to declining political popularity they have started targeting even the people, especially the youths because they fear that if the youth become self-reliant and strong, they would raise voices against their decades long policies of parivarvad (dynasty), appeasement and casteism," Modi said. Modi affirmed the belief that developmental works such as Digital India, widening of roads, modernised railway stations, and Vande Bharat, Amrit Bharat and Namo Bharat trains would be accelerated in the next five years. Modis guarantee is to make eastern India the growth engine of Viksit Bharat, he said while pointing out that the region had been deprived of development. Speaking about the inauguration of the first phase of the six-lane highway from Varanasi to Aurangabad, the prime minister said that the completion of the Varanasi-Ranchi-Kolkata Expressway in the coming five years would reduce the distance between UP, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal. In future, the travel time from Banaras to Kolkata is going to be almost halved, he added. Recalling the foundation stone laying of Banas Dairy two years ago, the prime minister said that the guarantee given on that day was in front of the people today. He said Banas Dairy was a good example of creation of jobs through the right investment. Banas Dairy collects about two lakh litres of milk from Varanasi, Mirzapur, Ghazipur and Rae Bareli. Under the project, new milk mandis will come up in more than 1,000 villages in Varanasi, Jaunpur, Chandauli, Gazipur and Azamgarh districts. Prior to this, Modi paid obeisance at the Ravidas Temple in Seer Govardhan on the second day of his two-day visit to Varanasi. Speaking at a function to commemorate the 647th birth anniversary of Sant Ravidas, the prime minister said India was moving rapidly on the path of development by adopting the messages of the great Dalit saint. During this, along with unveiling the bronze statue of Sant Ravidas, he also gifted facilities worth Rs 100 crore to the followers of the great Dalit saint of medieval and Bhakti period. The prime minister also hit out at the opposition 'INDIA' bloc, claiming that its members were exploiting people in the name of casteism. They care for the well-being of their families, and cannot think about the welfare of Dalits and tribals, he added. While paying tribute to saint and social reformer Gadge Maharaj on his birth anniversary, the prime minister said, Today is also the birth anniversary of great saint and social reformer Gadge Baba. Like Sant Ravidas, Gadge Baba had done a lot of work to free the society from stereotypes and for the welfare of the Dalits and the deprived. Baba Saheb Ambedkar was himself a great admirer of him. Gadge Baba too was also greatly influenced by Baba Saheb. Today, on this occasion, I also pay my respects at the feet of Gadge Baba, he said. Earlier, during the day, the prime minister unveiled the booklet on Kashi Sansad Pratiyogita and a coffee table book at the prize distribution ceremony held at Swatantrata Bhawan in Banaras Hindu University. Addressing the gathering, the prime minister said India would become a model of development in five years, terming it a Modi guarantee, and cited the Kashi example to say the world was witnessing how modernity was developed around culture and tradition. Kashi is now being seen as a model of development and heritage across the world. The world is witnessing today how modernity is developed around culture and tradition, he said. He lauded the efforts of the young generations in strengthening the identity of the ancient city. It is a matter of pride and contentment that the youth of India will take the country to new heights in the Amrit Kaal. Kashi is the capital of eternal knowledge, the prime minister said, underlining that it was a matter of pride for the entire nation that the capabilities and the form of Kashi erre regaining its glory. Referring to the consecration of Ram Lallas idol in Ayodhya, the prime minister said, Today, the world is seeing that after the installation of Ram Lallas new grand idol, Ayodhya is flourishing like Kashi. Similarly, the sites associated with Lord Buddha are being developed and an international airport has been constructed in Kushinagar, he added. The prime minister also praised the Sanskrit language and said it played a key role in the development of knowledge, science and spirituality. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has said that the State government has undertaken many innovative measures for qualitative improvement in higher education in the State. He was speaking in a programme organised on the occasion of launching the Project Gaurav of National Stock Exchange (NSE) for skill development of the students and youth at his residence on Friday. The CM also distributed scholarships under the CM higher education research encouragement scheme on the occasion. He said that these schemes will provide a new direction to higher education in the state and help in qualitative improvement of higher education. The CM said that even though Uttarakhand is a small State it encourages research by providing grants to the scholars. He said that high quality research not only creates an identity for the scholar and the institution, it creates new opportunities for humanity. Research transcends the boundaries of states and countries and is helpful for the entire world. He said that an agreement was reached with the NSE during the Mumbai road show of the Global Investors Summit and it will now become a game changer. The CM said that a memorandum of understanding has been signed with the NSE to give impetus to the initiative. The MoU is a step in the direction of using opportunities in the banking and financial sectors. The CM opined that with the help of NSE Uttarakhand can convert its students engaged in higher studies into a human resource. The agreement with the NSE will also help in attaining in depth knowledge of the share market. The students will also get better knowledge of the economy with which they will be able to get with the Project Gaurav of NSE. Speaking on the occasion the Higher Education minister Dhan Singh Rawat said that Uttarakhand has undertaken many innovative steps in the field of higher education which are establishing the state as a model for others. He said that agreement with NSE is an important step in the direction of proper usage of the opportunities in the banking and financial sector. In the programme the officers of the department informed that a sum of 3.66 crore has been sanctioned as grant to 44 research proposals under the CM higher education encouragement scheme and distribution of the research grant. The secretary higher education Shailesh Bagoli and CEO of NSE Ashish Chauhan also addressed the programme. The Nainital police on Friday issued a notice identifying the role of an NGO in funding the Vanbhulpura violence in Haldwani. The NGO was allegedly involved in funding the violence in Vanbhulpura on February 8 that occurred over the demolition of illegally built Madarsa and resulted in the death of seven people and injured over 100 persons. A video went viral in the past two days in which a young man who is allegedly associated with the said NGO is distributing money among people. People speculated on social media that the location shown in the video is Vanbhulpura. Considering the notice issued by the police on Friday, it appears that the police also suspect the connection of the said NGO with the violence. The polices notice states that a video is being circulated on social media platforms in which a youth can be seen purportedly distributing money to the people in the Vanbhulpura area. Police are investigating in this regard. It further stated that the police have provided information related to the NGO's account number, registration number and PAN number to the Income Tax department and other agencies concerned. The departments concerned are taking necessary action in this regard. Besides this, the notice stated that the police are also identifying those donating to the NGO named Hyderabad Youth Courage. The police have started to seize the account and registration number of the said NGO. The police will also take action against those taking money illegally, supporting rioters, distorting facts and posting misleading facts on social media platforms. The police appealed to everyone to not donate any money to such NGOs. The officials said that all claims are being investigated with the help of the departments concerned. The police are gathering the evidence and will take further action accordingly, they added. The Budget Session of the Jharkhand Legislative Assembly commenced on Friday, with finance minister Rameshwar Oraon tabling the supplementary budget for the third time. Oraon presenting the supplementary budget said that the session focused on discussing important allocations and priorities for the state's development. To address urgent needs and strengthen key sectors, a supplementary budget of Rs 4,981 crores was presented in the assembly. The House will have a discussion on the supplementary budget with the annual budget of the Champai Soren government will be presented on February 27. Earlier, the budget session of Jharkhand Assembly commenced today. The session will have seven working days and conclude on March 2. February 24th and 25th will observe Saturday and Sunday as holidays. Discussions on the third supplementary budget will take place on Monday, February 26th. The budget for the financial year 2024-25 will be presented in the Assembly on February 27th. Oraon tabled the Rs 4,981 crore third supplementary budget amid ruckus created by the main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party. Displaying pamphlets demanding a CBI probe into Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC) Combined Graduate Level (CGL) examination paper leak, the opposition MLAs trooped into the well after the House assembled for the day. As soon as the House assembled for the seven-day assembly session, BJP legislators and AJSU MLA Lambodar Mahto trooped into the well, seeking a CBI probe into the leak of the JSSC Combined Graduate Level (CGL) examination paper on January 28. The state government has formed a special investigation team (SIT) to carry out a probe. The examination body was in the news this year after the JSSC paper leak. JSSC CGL 2023 was scheduled on 28 January 2024. However, the question paper was leaked even before the examination was conducted. On February 6, the Jharkhand government announced the constitution of a special investigation team (SIT), to probe the leakage case. Few days back, former Director General of Police (DGP) Neeraj Sinha, who was appointed as Chairman of the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC), resigned from his post citing personal reasons. The JSSC chairman had resigned from the post when the examination body was facing investigation into the leakage of combined graduate-level examination question papers. Leader of Opposition Amar Bauri said, "The state government brought a law to prevent cheating in job examinations. Despite this, such a major paper leak took place. So, we demand a CBI probe into the paper leak case". Speaker Rabindra Nath Mahto urged the agitating legislators to go back to their seats saying these issues will be taken up during the session but MLAs kept protesting. The Speaker told the House that there would be seven sittings during the session, in which the budget for the 2024-25 fiscal will be tabled. The Speaker also introduced and congratulated two new ministers--Basant Soren and Deepak Birua--in the House who became ministers in Champai Soren cabinet expansion recently. The House after about 40 minutes of proceedings including obituary references was adjourned till February 26. The members observed silence in memory of personalities like eminent jurist and veteran advocate Fali Sam Nariman, legendary radio announcer Ameen Sayani, former Maharashtra Chief Minister Manohar Joshi and Ustad Rashid Khan. The Human Rights Commission might issue notices to the authorities for for using bulldozer on slum near Bhadbhada dam in Bhopal. On Friday, former minister PC Sharma approached the State Human Rights Commission and lodged a complaint. He told that the Commission has stated that immediate action would be taken on this sensitive matter. Sharma said, Examination of class 10 and 12 board classes are going on and the families are beingt displaced. Moreover, bulldozers were used on the houses. People's consent to vacate their homes is being taken by forcing and threatening. Bulldozer was uses to raze Bhadbhada slum in front of Hotel Taj in Bhopal in which 139 houses have been removed in two days. Today, on the third day on Friday, The BMC and administration chalked out stretagy to demolish 129 more houses. The administration says that people's houses are being demolished after taking their consent. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) had ordered the removal of 386 houses. To avoid any uproar, the police have blocked the road by barricading 1 kilometer before the settlement. 500 police personnel are deployed. 10 JCBs have been deployed to demolish the houses. Collector Kaushalendra Vikram Singh said that the action will continue for the next two days. Former minister PC Sharma raised the issue of demolition of houses in Bhadbhada colony in the Human Rights Commission. He said that action is being taken without notice. Sharma said- It seems like there is a war situation. PC Sharma said, 'Electricity and water connections were severed without notice. People were not allowed to take out their belongings. There is no arrangement for food and drink there. People are being taken from outside, so they are not being allowed to go. Deploy drones and tell what action is being taken. It seems like there is a war situation in which everyone indulges in sabotage. Has the district administration taken the consent of the people? In response to this he said, 'The place is being forcibly vacated. First told the people that we will demolish 2-4 houses and will inform NGT that action has been taken. On this pretext, consent was taken from 2-4 and the rest were made to sign at gunpoint. Now 247 more houses will be removed from the colony. Of these, 129 have agreed to vacate their homes on Friday. Collector Singh said that everyone has been compensated. Corporation vehicles have been made available for shifting. Some people have been given land leases in Chandpur Berasia area, while others have been given a compensation amount of Rs 1 lakh or the option of the Prime Minister's Housing scheme. After the order of NGT, the district administration is removing the encroachment. Recently an announcement was also made by the Municipal Corporation regarding this. Residents were given three days to remove the encroachment. This period ended on Monday. Collector Singh held a meeting of the residents and then gave one more day's time. Both strictness and advice were started from Wednesday. 30 houses were demolished on Wednesday, 109 on Thursday. The shifting action is being taken in the presence of police personnel. For this, the main road leading to the settlement including Bhadbhada intersection and Karuna Dham road have been closed by barricading. On Thursday, relatives of the people living in the colony had arrived with food, but the police did not allow them to go inside. Chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has expressed serious concern at the continuing incidents of human-wildlife conflict in the State. He has directed the Forests secretary and the chief wildlife warden to prepare an effective work plan to check the rising incidents of attacks on people by tigers and leopards in different parts of the State. He said that the department must remain alert 24 hours in conflict affected areas. A quick response team of trained departmental personnel should be sent immediately to areas from where human-wildlife incidents are reported. He further instructed that solar fencing should be erected on the boundary between villages and jungles to prevent wild animals from venturing into human habitations. Dhami said that it has been seen that for some time now the Forest department is helpless in preventing human-wildlife conflict in different parts of the State. A long-term plan should be made considering this, in order to prevent such incidents. Trained veterinary officers should be posted 24 hours in areas affected by human-wildlife conflict. The CM said that the existing rescue centres are already packed with rescued leopards and tigers, leaving no space for other captured big cats. A work plan should be made without delay to tackle this problem, he said. It is pertinent to mention here that last month the CM had held an emergency meeting with senior officials and had directed the chief wildlife warden to contact the officials concerned of other States regarding the possibility of shifting leopards and tigers from Uttarakhands rescue centres to zoos and rescue centres in other States. With no progress having been made in this direction so far, Dhami once again directed officials to initiate action in this direction. He further said that in case of a human-wildlife conflict incident, the police and administration are responsible for the law and order at the local level. No negligence will be tolerated in such cases, he stressed. The CM also directed officials to prepare a scheme for 100 per cent facilitation of toilets and cooking gas connections in villages adjoining forests so that the people do not venture into the jungle. It is pertinent to mention here that there have been at least a dozen incidents of big cats attacking humans in different parts of the State in recent months. At least three women were killed by a tiger in the Dhela range of Corbett tiger reserve, after which a tiger was recently tranquilised and captured by the Forest department. Similarly, incidents of human-leopard conflict have also been on the rise in recent months in different parts of the State. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, on Saturday, reviewed the master plan for development of Ramnagar (Varanasi), Moradabad, Hapur, Rae Bareli, Bareilly and Lucknow. The chief minister directed the officials to prepare a regional development plan on the lines of the State Capital Region (SCR) by keeping Varanasi at the centre and connecting the border districts. The Lucknow Development Authority should be expanded till the border of Lucknow district in which many villages are included in the master plan. Make sure that the inhabited land is not declared green land, he added. The Master Plan 2031 of districts Ramnagar (Varanasi), Moradabad, Hapur, Rae Bareli, Bareilly and Lucknow was presented before Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in a high-level meeting held at his official residence on Saturday. As per the major guidelines given by the chief minister in the meeting, the implementation of the master plan must proceed without delay. It is essential to engage with local public representatives and senior officials and execute the plan expeditiously. Many villages are now part of urban development plans and it is to be ensured these villages are not declared as green land. Populated land cannot be considered green land. On the lines of the SCR, it is necessary to prepare a regional development plan by keeping Varanasi at the centre and connecting the border districts. A detailed action plan in this regard is to be prepared and submitted to the government as soon as possible. The guidelines stress on further expanding industrial and commercial areas in the new master plan of Moradabad (Gajraula). This area holds immense potential and must be utilised effectively. Such expansion will not only boost the economy but also generate employment opportunities. The guidelines state that there is a need for a new bus terminal and bypass routes in Gajraula and it should be included in the master plan. Pipelines and CETP are also to be established for pure drinking water. The guidelines state that the limits of the LDA should be extended to the entire Lucknow district. Additionally, the State Capital Region Development Authority is being formed. These efforts will give impetus to planned and stable development in the state capital region. Information about land use is to be made public. All data regarding land status, including details of each khasra, should be readily accessible online to the public. The guidelines stress on conducting a comprehensive study of the present and future needs of all districts. Each districts unique potential should be identified and encouraged within the master plan. Clusters should be developed to encourage local crafts and traditional products. Besides, space should be allocated in the industrial area for the establishment of industrial training institutes. The guidelines state that development authorities must embark on a quest for innovative opportunities. They should extend their reach beyond the confines of the municipal corporation, broaden their horizons, and devise strategies to create fresh sources of revenue. It stresses on integrating the development of religious and spiritual sites into the master plan. Furthermore, concerted efforts should be made towards facilitating nearby residential accommodations for industrial workers. The guideline states that efficient traffic management is a crucial aspect in urban areas, requiring collaborative efforts. It says designating locations for taxi-auto stands and street vendor zones is essential and land for this should be clearly identified in the master plan. It stresses on determining suitable space for multilevel parking. The guideline says there is an All India Institute of Medical Sciences in Rae Bareli and it should be made a part of the master plan this time. New townships should be developed in the city and conservation of ponds and other water bodies should be prioritised, it adds. Israel seeks open-ended control over security and civilian affairs in the Gaza Strip, according to a long-awaited postwar plan by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. It was swiftly rejected Friday by Palestinian leaders and runs counter to Washingtons vision for the war-ravaged enclave. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu presented the two-page document to his security Cabinet late Thursday for approval. Deep disagreements over Gazas future have led to increasingly public friction between Israel and the United States, its closest ally. The Biden administration seeks eventual Palestinian governance in Gaza and the Israeli-occupied West Bank as a precursor to Palestinian statehood, an outcome vehemently opposed by Netanyahu and his right-wing government. Netanyahus plan envisions hand-picked Palestinians in Gaza administering the territory. Separately, cease-fire efforts appeared to gain traction, with mediators to present a new proposal at an expected high-level meeting this weekend in Paris. The US, Egypt and Qatar have been struggling for weeks to find a formula that could halt Israels devastating offensive in Gaza, but now face an unofficial deadline as the Muslim holy month of Ramadan approaches. In Gaza, Israeli airstrikes in the centre and south of the territory killed at least 68 Palestinians, including children and women, overnight and into Friday, health officials and an Associated Press journalist said. Another 24 bodies remained trapped under the rubble. Fidaa Ashour, whose sister was killed in a strike early Friday in the city of Rafah in southern Gaza, said the world does not feel what we are enduring. At a hospital in the central town of Deir al-Balah, relatives wept over bodies laid out in burial shrouds in the courtyard, and a man cradled a dead infant. The overall Palestinian death toll since the start of the war rose to more than 29,500, with close to 70,000 people wounded, Gaza health officials said. The death toll amounts to close to 1.3% of Gazas population of 2.3 million. NETANYAHUS VISION Netanyahus plan, while lacking specifics, marks the first time he has presented a formal postwar vision. It reiterates that Israel is determined to crush Hamas, the militant group that overran the Gaza Strip in 2007. Polls have indicated that a majority of Palestinians dont support Hamas, but the group has deep roots in Palestinian society. Critics, including some in Israel, say the goal of eliminating Hamas is unattainable. Netanyahus plan calls for freedom of action for Israels military across a demilitarized Gaza after the war to thwart any security threat. It says Israel would establish a buffer zone inside Gaza, which is likely to provoke US objections. The plan also envisions Gaza being governed by local officials who it says would not be identified with countries or entities that support terrorism and will not receive payment from them. Its not clear if any Palestinians would agree to such sub-contractor roles. Over the past decades, Israel has repeatedly tried and failed to set up hand-picked local Palestinian governing bodies. The Palestinian Authority, which administers pockets of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, on Friday denounced Netanyahus plan as colonialist and racist, saying it would amount to Israeli reoccupation of Gaza. Israel withdrew its soldiers and settlers from Gaza in 2005, but maintained control of access to the territory. The Biden administration wants to see a reformed Palestinian Authority govern both Gaza and the West Bank as a step toward Palestinian statehood. It has sought to chip away at Netanyahus resistance by holding out the prospect of the normalisation of ties between Israel and Arab powerhouse Saudi Arabia. THE WAR DRAGS ON Israel declared war on Hamas on Oct 7, after the militants stormed into southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking about 250 hostages. More than 100 hostages were freed in a weeklong cease-fire in late November. Since the start of the war, 29,514 Palestinians were killed in Israels offensive and close to 70,000 were wounded, the Health Ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said Friday. Two-thirds of those killed have been women and children, said the ministry, which does not differentiate between civilians and combatants in its count. Israel says it has killed at least 10,000 Hamas fighters, without presenting details. It holds Hamas responsible for civilian casualties because the group operates and fights from within civilian areas. The United States has repeatedly urged Israel to do more to avoid harm to civilians, but the daily number of deaths reported in Gaza appears to be relatively constant. The Israeli offensive has inflicted immense suffering in Gaza. About 80% of the population have been displaced, infectious diseases run rampant and hundreds of thousands of people are facing hunger. Pakistans election commission on Friday notified the victories of three candidates from Nawaz Sharifs PML-N in the federal capital, delivering a fresh blow to jailed former prime minister Imran Khans party, which had challenged the original poll results. Backed by the 71-year-old Khans Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, three losing candidates - Amir Mughal, Shoaib Shaheen and Mohammad Ali Bukhari - had petitioned in the Islamabad High Court (IHC), alleging manipulation of the results. On Wednesday, the IHC suspended poll result notifications issued by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) from NA-46, NA-47 and NA-48, putting on hold the success of three candidates of former prime minister Nawaz Sharifs Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party, who had won respectively on the three seats. While Anjum Aqeel Khan and Chaudhry won on the PML-N tickets, Raja Khurram Nawaz won as an independent candidate and joined the party after his victory. After hearing the parties on Friday, the electoral watchdog restored the order suspended by the IHC and issued the notification announcing the victory of the three candidates, Geo News reported. Now the Commission, after hearing the parties, has finally disposed of the petitions filed by Mr Aamer Masood, contesting candidate NA-46 ICT-I, Mr Shoib Shaheen, contesting candidate NA-47 ICT-II, and Syed Muhammad Ali Bokhari, Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar, Ch. Azhar Mehmood contesting candidates NA-48 ICT-Ill, in light of the order passed by the Honble Islamabad High Court, the ECP said. Earlier, the three PTI-backed losing candidates had challenged the election results before the ECP on February 10, and the commission issued a status quo order. However, on February 11, the ECP also issued the notification that declared Khan, Chaudhry, and Nawaz as returned candidates. Speaking to media outside the ECP, PML-N-backed Chaudhry slammed his rivals for creating controversy over the election results. We are ready for a political battle, he was quoted as saying. Chaudhry accused the PTI of fraudulent activities and misguiding the high court and advised the party not to fight against the state. Independent candidates backed by the PTI won more than 90 seats in the National Assembly in the February 8 general election. The PML-N won 75 seats while the PPP came third with 54 seats. The Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan (MQM-P) has 17 seats. To form a government, a party must win 133 out of 265 contested seats in the 266-member National Assembly. However, the PML-N and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) have agreed on a power-sharing deal to form a new coalition government, which may effectively end former prime minister Khans chances of returning to power. PML-Ns Shehbaz Sharif has been nominated as the prime minister candidate, while PPPs Asif Ali Zardari is for the presidents office. On Wednesday, the PTI rejected the attempts by two of its arch-rivals to form a coalition government, warning that robbing its public endorsement by the mandate thieves will result in the worst political instability. A look at waterline composition is in the pipeline for municipalities across the nation, and Cumberland County is no exception. Many local municipalities are anticipated to begin an inventory of public and private pipeline materials in the coming months to comply with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency requirements. The EPAs Revised Lead & Copper Rule requires an inventory of materials used in water systems by Oct. 16 to identify pipelines composed of lead. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection lead was banned in plumbing construction and repairs in 1991, but homes built before that could still have lead pipes. The EPA said lead can enter drinking water as pipes corrode and no amount of lead in drinking water is safe. Lead in drinking water can cause a variety of health risks for anyone, especially infants, young children and pregnant women, according to the DEP. Private well water is not regulated by the federal government, nor by most state governments, the EPA said. While an inventory of water systems is required by October, neither agency has outlined a second phase that could remedy existing lead pipes. As the compliance date draws nearer, several local boroughs are preparing their own system inventories. Shippensburg Shippensburg Borough officials held a public meeting Friday to discuss the inventory process. According to the borough, buildings constructed after the Jan. 6, 1991, lead ban and certified as lead free will still be included in the inventory but will not require a physical examination. The Shippensburg Borough Authority will contact residents block by block or neighborhood by neighborhood to provide a heads up of the upcoming inventory. This will consist of a door-knock and leaflet posting. According to the borough, the authority will ask property owners to identify service line materials inside homes. Employees will only enter residents houses if requested to do so and will carry identification badges, the borough said. Property owners can identify their own interior pipe composition by locating the water meter in their basement or lowest level of the house and finding the pipe that comes through the wall to connect to that meter. Then, residents can remove some of the paint if the pipe has been painted, and scratch the pipe with a key or a coin. If the scratch is a shiny silver color, the pipe could be composed of lead or steel. Residents can then place a magnet on the pipe. If the magnet sticks, the pipe is steel. If the pipe is silver or gray and not magnetic, it is likely lead, the borough said. Authority members will also identify service line materials between the main and the home. Kevin Plasterer, Shippensburg Borough secretary, said the borough purchased a hydro-excavator machine to create a 6-inch by 10-inch hole down to the service line at two points. Shippensburg also bought a truck to pull the machine and hired two employees to complete the work. Currently all purchases for lead and copper project and hiring of two employees came out of our operating budget and if we are unable to find any grant funds to help offset these cost, then the cost will be sent on to the rate payer by possibly increasing of water rates, Plasterer said. Yards, sidewalks, driveways, or anything else disturbed by the project will be restored and owners will receive the results of service line investigations. Carlisle Like Shippensburg, Carlisle is requesting assistance from residents in identifying pipeline compositions. While the borough has records documenting the makeup of most of its own lines, officials are asking property owners to test their interior lines through the same pipe-scraping process. Pipeline composition can be submitted to the borough online and residents can contact Jeff Bergsten at 717-240-6908 to request that a borough employee identify their service line materials. Borough Manager Susan Armstrong said the majority of Carlisles water lines are less than an inch in diameter, so televising, or running a camera through the pipes, is likely not the best way to conduct the inventory. In consultation with Borough Engineer Mark Malarich, it is unknown whether excavations will be needed for the inventory, she said. This depends largely on the results of our inventory [and] the assistance of our customers to provide responses to our inventory survey or to allow us to enter onto their property to inspect their private water service line where it enters their structure. Armstrong said inventory costs remain unknown but will be paid for through Carlisles water fund. The boroughs 2024 budget includes funds to complete the work, so money will not be taken from general fund tax dollars, nor will the inventory impact residents rates at this time, she said. Newville In Newville, discussion continues on how the borough will approach the inventory. Theres different ways of doing it, and were quite frankly looking for a way that can be covered by grants or [is] the least intrusive, Borough Manager Robert Sabatini said at the borough councils Jan. 30 meeting. He said the borough and the Newville Water & Sewer Authority are financially troubled, with the borough officially designated a financially distressed community under Act 47 in August. This came in the months that followed the December 2022 discovery of financial discrepancies that prompted the firing of former Borough Manager Fred Potzer in January 2023. An investigation is ongoing through the Cumberland County District Attorneys Office and no charges have been filed. Sabatini said potential inventory options include digging down to valve boxes, which are mostly located in Newvilles sidewalks, and televising the pipes. Digging through sidewalks could be costly, with the authority expected to cover the expense, he said. Authority staff could also request permission to enter residents homes and test pipes as well, he said. However, no decisions have been made. Sabatini said Newville is behind the curve in this process and will catch up eventually, though he doesnt anticipate the boroughs inventory to be complete by the Oct. 16 deadline, in which case officials will likely request a special dispensation. The borough also plans to conduct public meetings on the process in the future, he said. Photos: An inside look at Carlisle's Water Treatment Plant The companys financials show a flat revenue growth in the Administrative segment, with operating expenses expected to fluctuate. Net income margin improved in 2022 but declined in 2023. Management emphasizes diversity, equity, and sustainability, with identified risks like cybersecurity threats and supply chain disruptions. Key performance metrics include segment reporting and human capital resources. SHW faces risks from economic conditions, geopolitical events, and competition. Corporate governance focuses on diversity and sustainability initiatives, while forward guidance aligns with strategic investments and returning value to shareholders. Executive Summary Financials Revenue growth has been flat in the Administrative segment over the past three years. The primary drivers behind this trend are external leasing revenue. Operating expenses have evolved with raw material costs expected to decrease slightly while other costs like wages, healthcare, energy, and transportation are expected to rise. Selling, general, and administrative expenses are predicted to increase moderately to support investments, while remaining tightly controlled in non-customer facing areas. The companys net income margin for 2022 was 6.5%, which improved from 2021 (3.8%) but declined from 2023 (9.6%). The industry peers had a similar trend with margins ranging from 5.2% to 10.1%. Get alerts: Management Discussion and Analysis Management has implemented diversity, equity, and employee engagement strategies. They have also set sustainability goals. The success of these initiatives is uncertain due to external factors. Management assesses the companys competitive position through factors like technology, product quality, innovation, distribution, service, and price. They highlight disruptions like supply chain issues, natural disasters, political instability, and global market challenges. The major risks identified by management include cybersecurity threats and disruptions in the supply chain. Mitigation strategies include maintaining a cybersecurity program aligned with NIST frameworks and conducting periodic assessments, as well as overseeing supply chain risks through various controls and processes. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) Risk Assessment The companys key performance metrics include segment reporting, human capital resources, and competitive factors. Over the past year, the segment structure realignment was made to align with long-term goals, ensuring effective resource allocation. Employee programs and culture initiatives also reflect the companys commitment to long-term success. The companys ROI is not directly provided in the context information, so it is not possible to determine how it compares to its cost of capital. Therefore, it cannot be definitively stated whether the company is generating value for shareholders. The companys market share is strong, with 5,064 shareholders as of January 31, 2024. It faces competition in various segments but aims to maintain its position through product quality, innovation, and strategic workforce development. There are no specific mentions of plans for market expansion or consolidation. Adverse changes in global and regional economic conditions, geopolitical events, natural disasters, supply chain disruptions, competitive pressures, and expansion into foreign markets pose significant risks to the companys operations and financial performance. SHW assesses and manages cybersecurity risks by utilizing controls, technologies, and processes aligned with NIST frameworks. They conduct periodic evaluations, engage with consultants for reviews and assessments, and maintain third-party management processes. These efforts aim to protect against cyber threats and ensure business continuity in a digital environment. Yes, the company faces potential legal issues and contingent liabilities related to environmental investigation, remediation activities, and pending litigation. SHW is actively defending against lawsuits and accrues for potential liabilities based on industry standards and professional judgment. Corporate Governance and Sustainability The composition of the board of directors remains unchanged, with no notable changes in leadership or independence reported. The information regarding directors and nominees is detailed in the Proxy Statement, which is incorporated by reference. SHW addresses diversity and inclusion through senior leader education, allyship training, and Employee Resource Groups. There is a commitment to board diversity with a diverse Board of Directors. This fosters a culture of belonging for all employees and supports talent acquisition and employee engagement. SHW discloses sustainability initiatives like reducing greenhouse gas emissions and increasing energy efficiency. It demonstrates commitment to responsible business practices by complying with environmental laws and implementing programs for environmental protection. Forward Guidance The companys forward-looking guidance aligns with its strategic initiatives and priorities outlined in the annual report, focusing on anticipated performance, growth, and environmental responsibilities. The management emphasizes the importance of these factors in future decision-making. SHW is factoring in negative manufacturing trends in North America, Europe, and Brazil, as well as flat-to-down volumes in the food and beverage industry. To capitalize on these trends, they plan to increase moderately selling, general, and administrative expenses to support targeted investments. Yes, the company plans to invest in new facilities, open new stores, pursue acquisitions, and return value to shareholders through dividends and share repurchases, showing commitment to long-term growth and competitiveness. For more information: This article was created using artificial intelligence technology from Klickanalytics. C M Bidwell & Associates Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Penske Automotive Group, Inc. (NYSE:PAG Free Report) by 305.5% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,038 shares of the companys stock after acquiring an additional 782 shares during the quarter. C M Bidwell & Associates Ltd.s holdings in Penske Automotive Group were worth $173,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Brown Advisory Inc. purchased a new stake in Penske Automotive Group in the second quarter worth $218,000. California Public Employees Retirement System boosted its holdings in shares of Penske Automotive Group by 67.0% in the third quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 41,461 shares of the companys stock worth $6,926,000 after acquiring an additional 16,633 shares during the period. UBS Group AG boosted its holdings in shares of Penske Automotive Group by 127.5% in the third quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 84,740 shares of the companys stock worth $14,157,000 after acquiring an additional 47,488 shares during the period. Retirement Systems of Alabama bought a new position in shares of Penske Automotive Group in the third quarter worth $4,071,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Penske Automotive Group by 43.3% in the third quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 289,854 shares of the companys stock worth $48,423,000 after acquiring an additional 87,590 shares during the period. 27.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Get Penske Automotive Group alerts: Analysts Set New Price Targets Separately, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on Penske Automotive Group from $145.00 to $140.00 and set an underweight rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, October 31st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $166.60. Penske Automotive Group Price Performance NYSE:PAG traded up $0.27 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $150.99. 207,398 shares of the companys stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 225,169. The firm has a market cap of $10.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.76 and a beta of 1.19. Penske Automotive Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $128.37 and a 52 week high of $180.84. The businesss fifty day simple moving average is $153.58 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $156.02. The company has a quick ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. Penske Automotive Group (NYSE:PAG Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 7th. The company reported $3.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.66 by ($0.21). The business had revenue of $7.27 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.18 billion. Penske Automotive Group had a net margin of 3.57% and a return on equity of 24.19%. Penske Automotive Groups quarterly revenue was up 3.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $4.21 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Penske Automotive Group, Inc. will post 14.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Penske Automotive Group Increases Dividend The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 15th will be given a dividend of $0.87 per share. This is an increase from Penske Automotive Groups previous quarterly dividend of $0.79. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 14th. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.30%. Penske Automotive Groups dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.48%. Insider Buying and Selling at Penske Automotive Group In other Penske Automotive Group news, Director Sandra E. Pierce sold 8,750 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $151.62, for a total transaction of $1,326,675.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 20,500 shares in the company, valued at $3,108,210. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other Penske Automotive Group news, Director Sandra E. Pierce sold 8,750 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $151.62, for a total transaction of $1,326,675.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 20,500 shares in the company, valued at $3,108,210. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Greg C. Smith sold 1,604 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $149.38, for a total value of $239,605.52. Following the sale, the director now owns 51,001 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,618,529.38. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 51.70% of the companys stock. Penske Automotive Group Company Profile (Free Report) Penske Automotive Group, Inc, a diversified transportation services company, operates automotive and commercial truck dealerships in the United States and internationally. The company operates through four segments: Retail Automotive, Retail Commercial Truck, Other, and Non-Automotive Investments. It operates dealerships under franchise agreements with various automotive manufacturers and distributors. Featured Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding PAG? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Penske Automotive Group, Inc. (NYSE:PAG Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Penske Automotive Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Penske Automotive Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Cadence Bank trimmed its stake in The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV Free Report) by 0.7% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 9,420 shares of the insurance providers stock after selling 66 shares during the period. Cadence Banks holdings in Travelers Companies were worth $1,538,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in TRV. Fairfield Bush & CO. acquired a new position in shares of Travelers Companies in the first quarter valued at approximately $160,000. Cibc World Market Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Travelers Companies by 28.8% in the first quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 5,934 shares of the insurance providers stock valued at $1,084,000 after purchasing an additional 1,327 shares in the last quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Travelers Companies by 1.0% in the first quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 11,905 shares of the insurance providers stock valued at $2,210,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares in the last quarter. Blair William & Co. IL grew its holdings in shares of Travelers Companies by 40.6% in the first quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 51,551 shares of the insurance providers stock valued at $9,420,000 after purchasing an additional 14,873 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sei Investments Co. grew its holdings in shares of Travelers Companies by 5.0% in the first quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 27,212 shares of the insurance providers stock valued at $4,952,000 after purchasing an additional 1,286 shares in the last quarter. 81.12% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Get Travelers Companies alerts: Travelers Companies Stock Performance Travelers Companies stock traded down $1.34 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $220.96. 2,150,510 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,587,276. The stock has a market cap of $50.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.28, a P/E/G ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.34 and a current ratio of 0.34. The Travelers Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $157.33 and a 52-week high of $223.88. The firms 50 day moving average is $203.35 and its 200 day moving average is $180.35. Travelers Companies Announces Dividend Travelers Companies ( NYSE:TRV Get Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 19th. The insurance provider reported $7.01 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $5.10 by $1.91. The company had revenue of $10.93 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.18 billion. Travelers Companies had a net margin of 7.23% and a return on equity of 13.68%. Travelers Companiess quarterly revenue was up 13.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.40 EPS. Analysts predict that The Travelers Companies, Inc. will post 17.68 EPS for the current fiscal year. The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 29th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 8th will be given a dividend of $1.00 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 7th. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.81%. Travelers Companiess payout ratio is currently 31.27%. Insiders Place Their Bets In other news, CFO Daniel S. Frey sold 38,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $212.55, for a total transaction of $8,076,900.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 14,810 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $3,147,865.50. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, Vice Chairman William H. Heyman sold 4,500 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Friday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $215.06, for a total transaction of $967,770.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 255,178 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $54,878,580.68. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Daniel S. Frey sold 38,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $212.55, for a total transaction of $8,076,900.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 14,810 shares in the company, valued at $3,147,865.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 110,045 shares of company stock worth $23,391,963. 1.29% of the stock is owned by insiders. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades TRV has been the subject of several analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on shares of Travelers Companies from $194.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock a market perform rating in a report on Monday, January 22nd. TD Cowen initiated coverage on shares of Travelers Companies in a report on Wednesday, January 10th. They set an outperform rating and a $247.00 price target for the company. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on shares of Travelers Companies from $185.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a sector perform rating in a report on Monday, January 22nd. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Travelers Companies from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report on Monday, January 22nd. Finally, Oppenheimer started coverage on shares of Travelers Companies in a research report on Thursday, November 16th. They set a market perform rating for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $201.38. Check Out Our Latest Analysis on Travelers Companies Travelers Companies Company Profile (Free Report) The Travelers Companies, Inc, through its subsidiaries, provides a range of commercial and personal property, and casualty insurance products and services to businesses, government units, associations, and individuals in the United States and internationally. The company operates through three segments: Business Insurance, Bond & Specialty Insurance, and Personal Insurance. Further Reading Want to see what other hedge funds are holding TRV? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Travelers Companies Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Travelers Companies and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Cadence Bank grew its position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP Free Report) by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 17,312 shares of the railroad operators stock after buying an additional 98 shares during the quarter. Cadence Banks holdings in Union Pacific were worth $3,525,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Park Place Capital Corp grew its holdings in Union Pacific by 1.2% during the 2nd quarter. Park Place Capital Corp now owns 3,893 shares of the railroad operators stock valued at $797,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Vivaldi Capital Management LP grew its holdings in Union Pacific by 3.1% during the 2nd quarter. Vivaldi Capital Management LP now owns 1,585 shares of the railroad operators stock valued at $324,000 after buying an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. Smith Chas P & Associates PA Cpas grew its holdings in Union Pacific by 3.7% during the 3rd quarter. Smith Chas P & Associates PA Cpas now owns 1,384 shares of the railroad operators stock valued at $282,000 after buying an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Union Pacific by 6.3% during the 2nd quarter. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 840 shares of the railroad operators stock valued at $172,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dudley Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Union Pacific by 1.4% during the 2nd quarter. Dudley Capital Management LLC now owns 3,645 shares of the railroad operators stock valued at $746,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. 77.36% of the stock is owned by institutional investors. Get Union Pacific alerts: Union Pacific Stock Performance Shares of UNP traded up $2.40 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $256.91. 1,943,469 shares of the companys stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,202,900. The businesss 50-day moving average price is $244.16 and its 200-day moving average price is $226.31. The stock has a market capitalization of $156.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.11, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 0.81. Union Pacific Co. has a 12 month low of $183.69 and a 12 month high of $258.09. Union Pacific Dividend Announcement Union Pacific ( NYSE:UNP Get Free Report ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.56 by $0.15. Union Pacific had a net margin of 26.45% and a return on equity of 46.87%. The firm had revenue of $6.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.05 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.67 earnings per share. The firms quarterly revenue was down .3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Union Pacific Co. will post 10.92 earnings per share for the current year. The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 29th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 29th will be given a dividend of $1.30 per share. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.02%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 28th. Union Pacifics payout ratio is 49.71%. Insiders Place Their Bets In other Union Pacific news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,750 shares of Union Pacific stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total transaction of $937,500.00. Following the transaction, the president now directly owns 56,682 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,170,500. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, CFO Jennifer L. Hamann sold 1,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $235.00, for a total transaction of $235,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 98,297 shares in the company, valued at approximately $23,099,795. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,750 shares of Union Pacific stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total transaction of $937,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the president now directly owns 56,682 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $14,170,500. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.28% of the companys stock. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. Raymond James increased their target price on Union Pacific from $240.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a strong-buy rating in a report on Tuesday, January 16th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price target on Union Pacific from $282.00 to $272.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised Union Pacific from a market perform rating to an outperform rating and set a $280.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 22nd. Benchmark reissued a buy rating and set a $260.00 price target on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price target on Union Pacific from $235.00 to $248.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $249.67. View Our Latest Stock Analysis on UNP Union Pacific Company Profile (Free Report) Union Pacific Corporation, through its subsidiary, Union Pacific Railroad Company, operates in the railroad business in the United States. The company offers transportation services for grain and grain products, fertilizers, food and refrigerated products, and coal and renewables to grain processors, animal feeders, ethanol producers, and other agricultural users; petroleum, and liquid petroleum gases; and construction products, industrial chemicals, plastics, forest products, specialized products, metals and ores, soda ash, and sand, as well as finished automobiles, automotive parts, and merchandise in intermodal containers. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Union Pacific Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Union Pacific and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Clark Estates Inc. NY raised its holdings in Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE Free Report) by 7.1% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 207,725 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock after acquiring an additional 13,800 shares during the quarter. Pfizer makes up about 1.3% of Clark Estates Inc. NYs holdings, making the stock its 16th largest holding. Clark Estates Inc. NYs holdings in Pfizer were worth $6,890,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC. Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Front Street Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in Pfizer by 4.3% during the first quarter. Front Street Capital Management Inc. now owns 5,168 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $268,000 after purchasing an additional 215 shares during the period. Graves Light Lenhart Wealth Inc. grew its holdings in Pfizer by 1.4% during the second quarter. Graves Light Lenhart Wealth Inc. now owns 19,863 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $729,000 after purchasing an additional 281 shares during the period. V Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Pfizer by 0.9% in the second quarter. V Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 31,001 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $1,137,000 after acquiring an additional 282 shares during the period. Infrastructure Capital Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Pfizer by 5.2% in the second quarter. Infrastructure Capital Advisors LLC now owns 5,751 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $211,000 after acquiring an additional 284 shares during the period. Finally, Castleview Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Pfizer by 2.4% in the first quarter. Castleview Partners LLC now owns 12,207 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $498,000 after acquiring an additional 287 shares during the period. 68.05% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Get Pfizer alerts: Pfizer Trading Up 0.8 % Shares of NYSE PFE traded up $0.21 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $27.76. The companys stock had a trading volume of 33,182,554 shares, compared to its average volume of 42,036,648. The company has a current ratio of 2.38, a quick ratio of 2.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63. The businesss 50 day moving average is $28.07 and its two-hundred day moving average is $30.86. Pfizer Inc. has a 12-month low of $25.76 and a 12-month high of $42.22. The firm has a market cap of $156.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 77.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 0.62. Pfizer Increases Dividend Pfizer ( NYSE:PFE Get Free Report ) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 30th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.10 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.19) by $0.29. Pfizer had a return on equity of 10.61% and a net margin of 3.62%. The firm had revenue of $14.25 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.37 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.14 earnings per share. The companys revenue for the quarter was down 41.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Pfizer Inc. will post 2.22 EPS for the current year. The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 26th will be issued a dividend of $0.42 per share. This is an increase from Pfizers previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.05%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 25th. Pfizers dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 466.67%. Analyst Ratings Changes A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on PFE shares. Barclays dropped their price objective on Pfizer from $34.00 to $28.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, December 14th. UBS Group dropped their price objective on Pfizer from $34.00 to $27.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, December 14th. Truist Financial dropped their price target on Pfizer from $42.00 to $36.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, December 14th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Pfizer from $39.00 to $37.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, November 1st. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an overweight rating and set a $45.00 price target on shares of Pfizer in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $36.88. View Our Latest Research Report on PFE Insiders Place Their Bets In related news, Director Scott Gottlieb bought 3,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Friday, December 15th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $26.47 per share, with a total value of $79,410.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 9,000 shares of the companys stock, valued at $238,230. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.05% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders. Pfizer Company Profile (Free Report) Pfizer Inc discovers, develops, manufactures, markets, distributes, and sells biopharmaceutical products worldwide. It offers medicines and vaccines in various therapeutic areas, including cardiovascular metabolic, migraine, and women's health under the Eliquis, Nurtec ODT/Vydura, and the Premarin family brands; infectious diseases with unmet medical needs under the Prevnar family, Nimenrix, FSME/IMMUN-TicoVac, and Trumenba brands; and COVID-19 prevention and treatment, and potential future mRNA and antiviral products under the Comirnaty and Paxlovid brands. Featured Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding PFE? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Pfizer Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Pfizer and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Clark Estates Inc. NY cut its holdings in shares of Atkore Inc. (NYSE:ATKR Free Report) by 31.0% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 21,800 shares of the companys stock after selling 9,800 shares during the quarter. Clark Estates Inc. NYs holdings in Atkore were worth $3,252,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Edgestream Partners L.P. acquired a new stake in shares of Atkore during the 2nd quarter worth about $2,930,000. New York Life Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Atkore during the third quarter worth approximately $594,000. Cambria Investment Management L.P. increased its position in Atkore by 7.2% during the third quarter. Cambria Investment Management L.P. now owns 69,971 shares of the companys stock worth $10,439,000 after buying an additional 4,711 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank increased its position in Atkore by 0.5% during the second quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 86,100 shares of the companys stock worth $13,426,000 after buying an additional 400 shares during the period. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. increased its position in Atkore by 1,852.6% during the second quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 49,302 shares of the companys stock worth $7,688,000 after buying an additional 46,777 shares during the period. Get Atkore alerts: Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades ATKR has been the topic of several research analyst reports. StockNews.com raised Atkore from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report on Friday, February 2nd. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an outperform rating and issued a $187.00 target price on shares of Atkore in a research note on Friday, February 2nd. Insiders Place Their Bets In other Atkore news, CEO William E. Jr. Waltz sold 79,600 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.75, for a total transaction of $11,999,700.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 126,788 shares in the company, valued at $19,113,291. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 2.56% of the stock is owned by company insiders. Atkore Price Performance Shares of Atkore stock traded up $5.25 during trading on Friday, reaching $151.64. The companys stock had a trading volume of 561,797 shares, compared to its average volume of 434,467. The company has a quick ratio of 1.99, a current ratio of 2.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. Atkore Inc. has a 12-month low of $116.14 and a 12-month high of $165.69. The company has a market capitalization of $5.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.09 and a beta of 2.18. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $152.61 and a 200-day moving average price of $144.46. Atkore (NYSE:ATKR Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 1st. The company reported $4.12 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $3.08 by $1.04. Atkore had a return on equity of 46.79% and a net margin of 18.80%. The firm had revenue of $798.50 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $777.05 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $4.51 earnings per share. The companys revenue for the quarter was down 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Atkore Inc. will post 15.06 EPS for the current year. Atkore Announces Dividend The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 27th will be given a dividend of $0.32 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 26th. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.84%. Atkore Company Profile (Free Report) Atkore Inc engages in the manufacture and sale of electrical, mechanical, safety, and infrastructure products and solutions in the United States and internationally. The company offers conduits, cables, and installation accessories. It also designs and manufactures protection and reliability solutions for critical infrastructure, such as metal framing, mechanical pipe, perimeter security, and cable management. See Also Want to see what other hedge funds are holding ATKR? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Atkore Inc. (NYSE:ATKR Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Atkore Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Atkore and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. decreased its holdings in shares of Eldorado Gold Co. (NYSE:EGO Free Report) (TSE:ELD) by 10.7% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 1,504,900 shares of the basic materials companys stock after selling 179,400 shares during the period. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd.s holdings in Eldorado Gold were worth $13,428,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Shell Asset Management Co. boosted its position in Eldorado Gold by 8.2% in the 3rd quarter. Shell Asset Management Co. now owns 15,900 shares of the basic materials companys stock worth $143,000 after purchasing an additional 1,200 shares in the last quarter. UBS Group AG boosted its position in Eldorado Gold by 2.2% in the 1st quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 60,485 shares of the basic materials companys stock worth $627,000 after purchasing an additional 1,322 shares in the last quarter. Credit Suisse AG boosted its position in Eldorado Gold by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Credit Suisse AG now owns 152,298 shares of the basic materials companys stock worth $1,273,000 after purchasing an additional 1,368 shares in the last quarter. Great West Life Assurance Co. Can boosted its position in Eldorado Gold by 11.1% in the 1st quarter. Great West Life Assurance Co. Can now owns 15,571 shares of the basic materials companys stock worth $185,000 after purchasing an additional 1,550 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its position in Eldorado Gold by 2.4% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 70,132 shares of the basic materials companys stock worth $625,000 after purchasing an additional 1,630 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 58.23% of the companys stock. Get Eldorado Gold alerts: Eldorado Gold Stock Down 5.9 % NYSE EGO opened at $10.60 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 2.89 and a current ratio of 4.00. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $12.25 and a 200 day moving average price of $10.97. The company has a market cap of $2.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.00 and a beta of 1.14. Eldorado Gold Co. has a one year low of $8.12 and a one year high of $13.71. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth Several equities research analysts have commented on EGO shares. CIBC upped their price objective on Eldorado Gold from $16.50 to $18.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 7th. TheStreet raised Eldorado Gold from a d+ rating to a c- rating in a research note on Friday, November 3rd. National Bank Financial reaffirmed an outperform spec overweight rating on shares of Eldorado Gold in a research note on Wednesday, January 3rd. Stifel Nicolaus reaffirmed a hold rating on shares of Eldorado Gold in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Eldorado Gold from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Monday, October 30th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $13.13. Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on Eldorado Gold Eldorado Gold Company Profile (Free Report) Eldorado Gold Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the mining, exploration, development, and sale of mineral products primarily in Turkey, Canada, Greece, and Romania. The company primarily produces gold, as well as silver, lead, and zinc. It holds a 100% interest in the Kisladag and Efemcukuru gold mines located in western Turkey; Lamaque gold mines located in Canada; and Olympias, Stratoni, Skouries, Perama Hill, and Sapes gold mines located in Greece, as well as the 80.5% interest in Certej development projects located in Romania. Featured Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding EGO? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Eldorado Gold Co. (NYSE:EGO Free Report) (TSE:ELD). Receive News & Ratings for Eldorado Gold Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Eldorado Gold and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Covestor Ltd lifted its stake in Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS Free Report) by 17.0% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,529 shares of the financial services providers stock after purchasing an additional 513 shares during the quarter. Covestor Ltds holdings in Webster Financial were worth $142,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in WBS. US Bancorp DE lifted its position in Webster Financial by 217.7% in the 1st quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 6,646 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $372,000 after acquiring an additional 4,554 shares in the last quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Webster Financial during the 1st quarter valued at $480,000. Cetera Advisor Networks LLC purchased a new stake in Webster Financial during the 1st quarter valued at $410,000. Private Advisor Group LLC raised its stake in Webster Financial by 78.6% during the 1st quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 11,359 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $637,000 after buying an additional 4,999 shares during the last quarter. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Webster Financial by 78.5% in the 1st quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 18,398 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $1,032,000 after purchasing an additional 8,091 shares in the last quarter. 86.37% of the stock is owned by institutional investors. Get Webster Financial alerts: Insider Transactions at Webster Financial In other news, insider Jack L. Kopnisky sold 5,000 shares of Webster Financial stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.18, for a total value of $250,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 310,041 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,557,857.38. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, insider Jack L. Kopnisky sold 5,000 shares of Webster Financial stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.18, for a total value of $250,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 310,041 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,557,857.38. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Christopher J. Motl sold 10,475 shares of Webster Financial stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $52.40, for a total value of $548,890.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 63,306 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $3,317,234.40. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 32,941 shares of company stock worth $1,701,282. 0.88% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders. Webster Financial Stock Performance NYSE:WBS opened at $47.16 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.85. Webster Financial Co. has a 1 year low of $31.03 and a 1 year high of $54.01. The stocks 50 day simple moving average is $49.42 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $44.55. The company has a market cap of $8.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.64, a PEG ratio of 0.32 and a beta of 1.34. Webster Financial (NYSE:WBS Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 23rd. The financial services provider reported $1.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $1.48 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $996.96 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $674.82 million. Webster Financial had a return on equity of 13.05% and a net margin of 22.01%. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.60 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Webster Financial Co. will post 5.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Webster Financial Dividend Announcement The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 5th were issued a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.39%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 2nd. Webster Financials dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 32.72%. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In Several research firms recently weighed in on WBS. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on Webster Financial from $62.00 to $64.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 24th. Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on Webster Financial from $53.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research report on Friday, December 15th. Bank of America started coverage on Webster Financial in a research note on Thursday, January 11th. They set a buy rating and a $60.00 target price on the stock. Citigroup decreased their target price on Webster Financial from $61.00 to $60.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 25th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Webster Financial from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research note on Friday, January 19th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $56.23. Read Our Latest Analysis on Webster Financial Webster Financial Company Profile (Free Report) Webster Financial Corporation operates as the bank holding company for Webster Bank, National Association that provides a range of financial services to individuals, families, and businesses in the United States. It operates through three segments: Commercial Banking, HSA Bank, and Consumer Banking. The Commercial Banking segment provides commercial real estate and equipment financing, business banking, asset-based lending, and commercial services; public sector finance; mortgage warehouse financing; treasury management services; credit, deposit, and cash flow management services; and wealth management solutions to business owners and operators, including trust, asset management, financial planning, insurance, retirement, and investment products, as well as derivative, treasury, accounts payable, accounts receivable, and trade products and services. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Webster Financial Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Webster Financial and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Dark Forest Capital Management LP increased its holdings in shares of Essex Property Trust, Inc. (NYSE:ESS Free Report) by 4.8% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 5,741 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock after acquiring an additional 262 shares during the period. Dark Forest Capital Management LPs holdings in Essex Property Trust were worth $1,218,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Wetherby Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in Essex Property Trust by 7.6% during the 1st quarter. Wetherby Asset Management Inc. now owns 635 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $219,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Essex Property Trust by 25.3% during the 1st quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 243 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $83,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares during the period. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Essex Property Trust by 2.6% during the 1st quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 1,957 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $409,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares during the period. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC increased its holdings in Essex Property Trust by 1.2% during the 2nd quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 4,405 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $1,032,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares during the period. Finally, Clear Street Markets LLC increased its holdings in Essex Property Trust by 89.4% during the 1st quarter. Clear Street Markets LLC now owns 125 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the period. 92.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors. Get Essex Property Trust alerts: Essex Property Trust Stock Down 0.3 % Shares of ESS stock opened at $229.33 on Friday. The stocks fifty day moving average price is $239.61 and its 200 day moving average price is $228.24. Essex Property Trust, Inc. has a 1-year low of $195.03 and a 1-year high of $252.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 2.63 and a quick ratio of 2.63. The company has a market cap of $14.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 0.80. Essex Property Trust Increases Dividend Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 12th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 29th will be given a dividend of $2.45 per share. This represents a $9.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.27%. This is a boost from Essex Property Trusts previous quarterly dividend of $2.31. Essex Property Trusts payout ratio is currently 146.43%. Several research analysts have commented on ESS shares. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Essex Property Trust from a hold rating to a buy rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $215.00 to $281.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 2nd. Barclays lifted their price target on Essex Property Trust from $224.00 to $225.00 and gave the company an underweight rating in a report on Tuesday. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a sell rating and issued a $227.00 price target on shares of Essex Property Trust in a report on Thursday. Mizuho lifted their price target on Essex Property Trust from $232.00 to $256.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a report on Wednesday, January 10th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on Essex Property Trust from $237.00 to $239.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a report on Thursday, February 8th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $243.50. Get Our Latest Report on Essex Property Trust Essex Property Trust Profile (Free Report) Essex Property Trust, Inc, an S&P 500 company, is a fully integrated real estate investment trust (REIT) that acquires, develops, redevelops, and manages multifamily residential properties in selected West Coast markets. Essex currently has ownership interests in 252 apartment communities comprising approximately 62,000 apartment homes with an additional property in active development. Read More Want to see what other hedge funds are holding ESS? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Essex Property Trust, Inc. (NYSE:ESS Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Essex Property Trust Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Essex Property Trust and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Jacobi Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK Free Report) by 2.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 13,953 shares of the utilities providers stock after buying an additional 369 shares during the quarter. Jacobi Capital Management LLCs holdings in Duke Energy were worth $1,231,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in DUK. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. increased its stake in Duke Energy by 233.1% in the third quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 17,253 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $1,523,000 after purchasing an additional 12,073 shares during the last quarter. EPG Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Duke Energy by 6.0% in the 3rd quarter. EPG Wealth Management LLC now owns 9,052 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $799,000 after buying an additional 511 shares during the last quarter. Asset Dedication LLC raised its stake in Duke Energy by 4.3% during the 3rd quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 15,905 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $1,403,000 after acquiring an additional 649 shares in the last quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. lifted its position in Duke Energy by 145.9% in the third quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. now owns 45,572 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $4,022,000 after acquiring an additional 27,040 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Personal CFO Solutions LLC boosted its stake in Duke Energy by 7.4% in the third quarter. Personal CFO Solutions LLC now owns 5,199 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $459,000 after acquiring an additional 356 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 63.68% of the companys stock. Get Duke Energy alerts: Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades A number of research firms recently weighed in on DUK. Evercore ISI upgraded shares of Duke Energy from an in-line rating to an outperform rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $90.00 to $108.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 23rd. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price objective on Duke Energy from $101.00 to $100.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 12th. KeyCorp boosted their price target on Duke Energy from $106.00 to $107.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Thursday, January 4th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $93.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a report on Tuesday, November 21st. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Duke Energy from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report on Friday, November 3rd. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $100.00. Duke Energy Stock Up 0.7 % NYSE DUK opened at $92.73 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50. Duke Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $83.06 and a fifty-two week high of $100.39. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $95.70 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $92.33. The stock has a market cap of $71.47 billion, a PE ratio of 26.13, a P/E/G ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.48. Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The utilities provider reported $1.51 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.53 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $7.21 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $7.24 billion. Duke Energy had a net margin of 9.78% and a return on equity of 8.93%. Duke Energys revenue for the quarter was down 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.11 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.97 EPS for the current fiscal year. Duke Energy Announces Dividend The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 18th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 16th will be paid a $1.025 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 15th. This represents a $4.10 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.42%. Duke Energys dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 115.49%. Insider Activity In other news, EVP Louis E. Renjel sold 3,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Monday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.57, for a total value of $277,710.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 14,213 shares in the company, valued at $1,315,697.41. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.10% of the companys stock. Duke Energy Company Profile (Free Report) Duke Energy Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as an energy company in the United States. It operates through two segments, Electric Utilities and Infrastructure (EU&I) and Gas Utilities and Infrastructure (GU&I). The EU&I segment generates, transmits, distributes, and sells electricity in the Carolinas, Florida, and the Midwest; and uses coal, hydroelectric, natural gas, oil, solar and wind sources, renewables, and nuclear fuel to generate electricity. Read More Want to see what other hedge funds are holding DUK? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Duke Energy Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Duke Energy and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. The shooting that erupted in a downtown Charlottesville bar, taking one mans life and seriously wounding two female bystanders, appears headed for a plea agreement that would put the 34-year-old defendant in jail for at least 2 1/2 decades. Marcel Darell Washington, who has admitted to opening fire in Lucky Blues on the Downtown Mall in the early morning hours of Oct. 23, 2022, appeared in Charlottesville Circuit Court last week to voice his desire for the deal, but the judge wasnt ready to finalize a sentence. Im inclined to accept it, said Judge Richard E. Moore. Im just not sure. As nearly 50 people crammed the usually sparse courtroom on Feb. 15, Moore wrestled with the impact of his delay. My apologies to everyone involved in this case, said Moore. I know its inconvenient for you and its a heartache, but I need to be sure its the right thing to do. Moore noted that he was accepting Washingtons three guilty pleas to second-degree murder and two malicious wounding charges but still wrestling with the proposed sentence, he said, due to the injured bystanders. Thats the factor, said Moore, that gives me pause. The judge expressed frustration that the active jail term, which the deal sets at 25 years, when the maximum is 80, would be finalized before hed get to hear impact statements from the victims. The consequences are already set, agreed Charlottesville Commonwealths Attorney Joe Platania, but that process is of great value to them. In the midst of an especially bloody period of Charlottesville history, that saw gun violence skyrocket throughout the city, the Lucky Blues shooting still stands out for many. Not only did the violence occur on the citys popular Downtown Mall, but award-winning photojournalist Eze Amos was able to grab snapshots of the immediate aftermath that made the rounds on social media and a bar patron was able to give an eyewitness account of what occurred. Platania said that surveillance footage inside Lucky Blues shows an unfriendly conversation shortly before 1 a.m. between Washington and the victim, 31-year-old Davonn Jamar Wilson. You can tell from the body language, said Platania. This was all captured on video. What happened next, Platania said, was that Wilson punched Washington four times. It pushes Mr. Washington back a little bit, said Platania. Platania said that Washington responded by reaching into a back waistband, withdrawing a handgun and firing inside the crowded bar. You can see muzzle flashes as he advances on the retreating Mr. Wilson, said Platania. As the two men exited Lucky Blues onto the Downtown Mall, another surveillance camera captured Wilson fleeing east in the direction of the Ting Pavilion, Platania said. He said the footage from the exterior camera shows only a few steps of Wilsons escape, but it also shows what Washington did next. He continues to fire at the fleeing Mr. Wilson, said Platania, and you can see a couple of muzzle flashes. Wilson fell near the end of the block, according to Platanias account, which noted that a bartender trained in emergency medical procedures rushed out of the nearby Bebedero restaurant to administer aid. Platania said that Wilson had been shot six times, and investigators recovered 13 shell casings at the scene, five inside the bar and eight on the bricks of the Mall. The two bystanders who were struck that night were stay-at-home mother Kendra Hunt, who was celebrating a wedding in her family, and Andrea Fortunati, a University of Virginia swim and dive trainer, celebrating a national title, according to Platania. Each woman, coincidentally, was shot once through a thigh and each also suffered a grazing second gunshot wound in her foot or ankle. Both injured women, Platania said, needed a tourniquet to slow the blood loss. They thought they might have minutes to live, said Platania. Defense attorney Todd Stone said that Washington fired in the heat of passion after the beating he took inside the bar on a night when he was just trying to mind his own business. I would describe this as a pretty vicious attack by a man bigger than Washington, said Stone. He was getting backed into the corner. Stone said Washington had reason to fear that Wilson had a gun. Court records show that Wilson was arrested 10 days earlier on Oct. 13, 2022, for pointing a gun at people and appearing to pull the trigger at the now-shuttered Wicked Hits game parlor on Harris Street. Although the incident caused no known injuries or damage, Stone said video of the gun-wielding Wilson circulated so widely on social media that Washington had reason to expect Wilson to escalate the violence on Oct. 23, 2022. He did not set out to do this, said Stone, and would not have done it were it not for that fear and getting pushed into the back of the bar. While never claiming that Wilsons fisticuffs excused the responding volley of bullets, Stone said the punches were both unexpected and unprovoked. The judge then asked what launched the argument, and while the prosecutor pleaded ignorance the defense attorney had an answer. Devonn Wilson felt disrespected because Mr. Washington did not shake his hand, said Stone, before quickly adding another detail. The autopsy showed that Devonn Wilson had substances in his body. The prosecutor told the judge that although the shooting evidence was firm, there was indeed a chance that a jury could agree with a heat of passion defense and render a softer verdict than the 25-year deal that both sides were endorsing. The certainty of a very significant prison sentence not only meets the needs of the victims, said Platania, but also protects and represents the community. Albemarle County Circuit Court records show that Washington, raised in Charlottesville but recently living in Charlotte, North Carolina, has prior local convictions for gang recruitment and drug distribution, as well as a charge of violating probation. Each conviction, though, dates back more than a decade, and it was noted in court that Washington was arrested without incident while enjoying family time at a Tennessee trampoline park. Mr. Washington was a productive citizen prior to this, said Stone, and had he not had a firearm with him he would not be sitting here. Stone revealed something else that sparked several surprised glances in the courtroom gallery on Feb. 15. He said that before the shooting Washington created an anti-gun violence nonprofit organization called Stop the Shots. In response to a post-hearing query, Stone told The Daily Progress that he did not have any additional information about Stop the Shots. Dressed in the striped jumpsuit that is the inmate uniform at the Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail, where hes been held since his arrest, Washington said little during the hearing other than responding Yes, sir, Guilty, your honor and Guilty on that one to questions posed by the judge. His plea agreement allows Washington to assert his guilt via a so-called Alford plea, in which he declines to admit the charges, even though the plea has the same legal impact as any other guilty plea. The judge ordered a presentence report and set the sentencing hearing for June 25. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. reduced its position in shares of Mettler-Toledo International Inc. (NYSE:MTD Free Report) by 2.6% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 30,796 shares of the medical instruments suppliers stock after selling 836 shares during the quarter. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. owned approximately 0.14% of Mettler-Toledo International worth $34,124,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Gladius Capital Management LP bought a new position in Mettler-Toledo International in the 3rd quarter worth $27,000. Ancora Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Mettler-Toledo International by 100.0% in the 1st quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC now owns 20 shares of the medical instruments suppliers stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 10 shares in the last quarter. VitalStone Financial LLC bought a new position in Mettler-Toledo International in the 1st quarter worth $37,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Mettler-Toledo International by 37.5% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 33 shares of the medical instruments suppliers stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 9 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Huntington National Bank raised its holdings in Mettler-Toledo International by 34.6% in the 2nd quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 35 shares of the medical instruments suppliers stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 9 shares in the last quarter. 93.11% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors. Get Mettler-Toledo International alerts: Mettler-Toledo International Price Performance Shares of NYSE:MTD traded up $17.01 during trading on Friday, hitting $1,209.79. The companys stock had a trading volume of 67,829 shares, compared to its average volume of 140,942. Mettler-Toledo International Inc. has a 12 month low of $928.49 and a 12 month high of $1,615.97. The company has a 50-day moving average of $1,195.34 and a 200-day moving average of $1,137.38. The firm has a market cap of $25.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.71, a P/E/G ratio of 3.25 and a beta of 1.15. Analysts Set New Price Targets Mettler-Toledo International ( NYSE:MTD Get Free Report ) last posted its earnings results on Friday, February 9th. The medical instruments supplier reported $9.40 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $10.32 by ($0.92). Mettler-Toledo International had a net margin of 20.82% and a negative return on equity of 904.59%. The business had revenue of $934.90 million during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $959.45 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $12.10 earnings per share. The companys revenue for the quarter was down 11.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Mettler-Toledo International Inc. will post 39.95 earnings per share for the current year. Several research analysts have commented on MTD shares. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Mettler-Toledo International from $1,520.00 to $1,300.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a report on Monday, November 13th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Mettler-Toledo International from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Monday, February 19th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on shares of Mettler-Toledo International from $1,425.00 to $1,270.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, November 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their target price on shares of Mettler-Toledo International from $1,185.00 to $1,030.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, November 13th. Finally, Citigroup reaffirmed a sell rating and issued a $975.00 target price (down from $1,050.00) on shares of Mettler-Toledo International in a research report on Monday, December 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $1,223.71. Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on MTD Insider Activity at Mettler-Toledo International In other Mettler-Toledo International news, Director Elisha W. Finney sold 251 shares of Mettler-Toledo International stock in a transaction on Monday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,177.35, for a total transaction of $295,514.85. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 316 shares of the companys stock, valued at $372,042.60. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 2.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders. Mettler-Toledo International Profile (Free Report) Mettler-Toledo International Inc manufactures and supplies precision instruments and services in the Americas, Europe, Asia, and internationally. It operates through five segments: U.S. Operations, Swiss Operations, Western European Operations, Chinese Operations, and Other. The company's laboratory instruments include laboratory balances, liquid pipetting solutions, automated laboratory reactors, real-time analytics, titrators, pH meters, process analytics sensors and analyzer technologies, physical value analyzers, density and refractometry, thermal analysis systems, and other analytical instruments; and LabX, a laboratory software platform to manage and analyze data generated from its instruments.Its industrial instruments comprise industrial weighing instruments and related terminals, automatic dimensional measurement and data capture solutions, vehicle scale systems, industrial software, metal detection equipment, x-ray systems, check weighing equipment, camera-based imaging equipment, track-and-trace solutions, and product inspection systems. Read More Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MTD? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Mettler-Toledo International Inc. (NYSE:MTD Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Mettler-Toledo International Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Mettler-Toledo International and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Shares of Fresenius Medical Care AG (NYSE:FMS Get Free Report) have been assigned a consensus rating of Hold from the nine analysts that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have issued a hold recommendation and two have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $24.00. A number of analysts recently weighed in on FMS shares. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Fresenius Medical Care from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note on Wednesday. Societe Generale upgraded shares of Fresenius Medical Care from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note on Friday, November 17th. HSBC upgraded shares of Fresenius Medical Care from a reduce rating to a hold rating in a research note on Friday, November 24th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut shares of Fresenius Medical Care from an equal weight rating to an underweight rating in a research note on Monday, January 8th. Get Fresenius Medical Care alerts: Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on FMS Fresenius Medical Care Stock Down 0.9 % Institutional Trading of Fresenius Medical Care Shares of NYSE:FMS opened at $19.38 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $11.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.06, a P/E/G ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 1.02. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $20.21 and a 200 day moving average price of $20.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 1.42 and a quick ratio of 1.02. Fresenius Medical Care has a 1-year low of $16.37 and a 1-year high of $27.72. Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its holdings in shares of Fresenius Medical Care by 77.1% in the 4th quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 1,570,817 shares of the companys stock valued at $25,667,000 after purchasing an additional 683,851 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Fresenius Medical Care in the 2nd quarter valued at about $16,738,000. Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Fresenius Medical Care by 14,252.1% in the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 488,401 shares of the companys stock valued at $10,173,000 after purchasing an additional 484,998 shares in the last quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. increased its holdings in shares of Fresenius Medical Care by 69.5% in the 1st quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 750,610 shares of the companys stock valued at $15,958,000 after purchasing an additional 307,801 shares in the last quarter. Finally, BlackRock Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Fresenius Medical Care by 240.0% in the 3rd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 404,730 shares of the companys stock valued at $5,682,000 after purchasing an additional 285,705 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 5.81% of the companys stock. Fresenius Medical Care Company Profile (Get Free Report Fresenius Medical Care AG provides dialysis and related services for individuals with renal diseases in Germany, North America, and internationally. The company offers dialysis treatment and related laboratory and diagnostic services through a network of outpatient dialysis clinics; materials, training, and patient support services comprising clinical monitoring, follow-up assistance, and arranging for delivery of the supplies to the patient's residence; and dialysis services under contract to hospitals in the United States for the hospitalized end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients and for patients suffering from acute kidney failure. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Fresenius Medical Care Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Fresenius Medical Care and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Gerdau S.A. (NYSE:GGB Get Free Report) declared a quarterly dividend on Thursday, February 22nd, Wall Street Journal reports. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 5th will be paid a dividend of 0.0202 per share by the basic materials company on Tuesday, March 19th. This represents a $0.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.89%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 4th. Gerdau has increased its dividend by an average of 0.1% annually over the last three years. Gerdau has a dividend payout ratio of 66.7% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Analysts expect Gerdau to earn $0.50 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $0.38 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 76.0%. Get Gerdau alerts: Gerdau Stock Down 1.0 % Shares of NYSE GGB opened at $4.29 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $7.53 billion, a PE ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 1.73. Gerdau has a 12-month low of $4.11 and a 12-month high of $6.16. The companys fifty day simple moving average is $4.46 and its 200 day simple moving average is $4.67. The company has a quick ratio of 1.43, a current ratio of 2.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. Analyst Ratings Changes Separately, Bank of America lowered shares of Gerdau from a buy rating to a neutral rating and cut their target price for the stock from $5.60 to $5.10 in a research note on Monday, November 20th. Get Our Latest Analysis on GGB Institutional Inflows and Outflows A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in GGB. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Gerdau by 91.2% in the first quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 52,892 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $340,000 after buying an additional 25,222 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James & Associates lifted its stake in shares of Gerdau by 146.8% in the first quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 125,431 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $807,000 after buying an additional 74,615 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its stake in shares of Gerdau by 160.9% in the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 120,578 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $775,000 after buying an additional 74,364 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Gerdau by 13.4% in the first quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 320,968 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $2,064,000 after buying an additional 38,002 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Gerdau in the first quarter valued at $69,000. 2.64% of the stock is owned by institutional investors. About Gerdau (Get Free Report) Gerdau SA, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a steel producer company. It operates through Brazil Business, North America Business, South America Business, and Special Steel Business divisions. The company provides semi-finished products, including billets, blooms, and slabs; common long rolled products, such as rebars, wire rods, merchant bars, light shapes, and profiles to the construction and manufacturing industries; drawn products comprising barbed and barbless fence wires, galvanized wires, fences, concrete reinforcing wire mesh, nails, and clamps for manufacturing, construction, and agricultural industries; and special steel products used in auto parts, light and heavy vehicles, and agricultural machinery, as well as in the oil and gas, wind energy, machinery and equipment, mining and rail, and other markets. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Gerdau Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Gerdau and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Shares of Hyatt Hotels Co. (NYSE:H Get Free Report) have earned an average recommendation of Hold from the thirteen analysts that are covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and five have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $125.14. A number of research firms recently commented on H. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on Hyatt Hotels from $37.00 to $41.00 and gave the stock a sector perform rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 14th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on Hyatt Hotels from $138.00 to $135.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 7th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on shares of Hyatt Hotels from $104.00 to $127.00 and gave the stock a hold rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 2nd. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on shares of Hyatt Hotels from $116.00 to $134.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 13th. Finally, Redburn Atlantic cut shares of Hyatt Hotels from a buy rating to a neutral rating and increased their price target for the company from $120.00 to $130.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 16th. Get Hyatt Hotels alerts: Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on H Hyatt Hotels Price Performance Hyatt Hotels stock opened at $150.15 on Monday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $130.55 and a 200 day simple moving average of $117.58. Hyatt Hotels has a one year low of $96.77 and a one year high of $150.66. The company has a market capitalization of $15.49 billion, a PE ratio of 33.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 20.70 and a beta of 1.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.73 and a quick ratio of 0.72. Hyatt Hotels (NYSE:H Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Friday, February 23rd. The company reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.38 by $0.26. Hyatt Hotels had a net margin of 7.40% and a return on equity of 13.25%. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.55 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Hyatt Hotels will post 2.31 EPS for the current fiscal year. Hyatt Hotels Announces Dividend The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 12th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 28th will be paid a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 27th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.40%. Hyatt Hotelss dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 13.39%. Insider Buying and Selling In related news, insider Joan Bottarini sold 4,250 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.39, for a total value of $549,907.50. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 15,551 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,012,143.89. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other Hyatt Hotels news, insider Jnp Parachute Mirror Trust L sold 66,701 shares of Hyatt Hotels stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $126.21, for a total value of $8,418,333.21. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Joan Bottarini sold 4,250 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.39, for a total transaction of $549,907.50. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 15,551 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $2,012,143.89. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 78,552 shares of company stock valued at $9,918,594 in the last 90 days. 21.24% of the stock is owned by insiders. Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hyatt Hotels A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in H. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its stake in shares of Hyatt Hotels by 59.4% during the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 256,384 shares of the companys stock worth $24,472,000 after acquiring an additional 95,574 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. increased its stake in Hyatt Hotels by 31.4% in the 1st quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 3,991 shares of the companys stock valued at $381,000 after buying an additional 953 shares during the last quarter. Citigroup Inc. lifted its position in Hyatt Hotels by 13.2% during the 1st quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 18,865 shares of the companys stock worth $1,801,000 after buying an additional 2,194 shares in the last quarter. Natixis Advisors L.P. acquired a new position in shares of Hyatt Hotels during the 1st quarter worth about $1,214,000. Finally, MetLife Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Hyatt Hotels in the 1st quarter valued at about $94,000. 46.03% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Hyatt Hotels Company Profile (Get Free Report Hyatt Hotels Corporation operates as a hospitality company in the United States and internationally. It operates through Owned and Leased Hotels, Americas Management and Franchising, ASPAC Management and Franchising, EAME/SW Asia Management and Franchising, and Apple Leisure Group segments. The company manages, franchises, licenses, owns, and leases portfolio of properties, consisting of full-service hotels and resorts, select service hotels, resorts, and other properties, including timeshare, fractional, residential, vacation, and condominium units. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Hyatt Hotels Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Hyatt Hotels and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Wright Fund Management LLC increased its stake in Invesco Senior Loan ETF (NYSEARCA:BKLN Free Report) by 17.5% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,540,961 shares of the exchange traded funds stock after purchasing an additional 1,272,322 shares during the period. Invesco Senior Loan ETF accounts for about 8.0% of Wright Fund Management LLCs portfolio, making the stock its 3rd largest position. Wright Fund Management LLC owned about 4.43% of Invesco Senior Loan ETF worth $179,275,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. State of Wisconsin Investment Board raised its position in Invesco Senior Loan ETF by 30.7% during the 4th quarter. State of Wisconsin Investment Board now owns 9,241,172 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $189,721,000 after buying an additional 2,170,172 shares during the last quarter. Grimes & Company Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Invesco Senior Loan ETF by 3.7% during the 3rd quarter. Grimes & Company Inc. now owns 8,117,648 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $170,389,000 after purchasing an additional 289,172 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Invesco Senior Loan ETF by 38.6% during the 2nd quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 6,032,774 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $126,930,000 after purchasing an additional 1,680,618 shares in the last quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Invesco Senior Loan ETF by 110.2% during the 2nd quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC now owns 5,436,578 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $114,386,000 after purchasing an additional 2,849,764 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its holdings in shares of Invesco Senior Loan ETF by 25.4% during the 3rd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 5,144,716 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $107,988,000 after purchasing an additional 1,040,843 shares in the last quarter. Get Invesco Senior Loan ETF alerts: Invesco Senior Loan ETF Price Performance Shares of NYSEARCA:BKLN traded up $0.02 during trading on Friday, hitting $21.10. 4,930,985 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 7,618,355. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $21.11 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $21.04. Invesco Senior Loan ETF has a 52-week low of $20.33 and a 52-week high of $21.27. Invesco Senior Loan ETF Profile The Invesco Senior Loan ETF (BKLN) is an exchange-traded fund that mostly invests in high yield fixed income. The fund tracks a market-value-weighted index of senior loans issued by banks to corporations. BKLN was launched on Mar 3, 2011 and is managed by Invesco. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Invesco Senior Loan ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Invesco Senior Loan ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Consolidated Portfolio Review Corp decreased its holdings in shares of iShares Core S&P 500 ETF (NYSEARCA:IVV Free Report) by 4.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 942 shares of the companys stock after selling 41 shares during the quarter. Consolidated Portfolio Review Corps holdings in iShares Core S&P 500 ETF were worth $404,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp grew its position in iShares Core S&P 500 ETF by 3.7% in the 3rd quarter. UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp now owns 653 shares of the companys stock worth $280,000 after purchasing an additional 23 shares during the last quarter. White Lighthouse Investment Management Inc. grew its position in iShares Core S&P 500 ETF by 1.4% in the 2nd quarter. White Lighthouse Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,795 shares of the companys stock worth $800,000 after purchasing an additional 24 shares during the last quarter. Focused Wealth Management Inc grew its position in iShares Core S&P 500 ETF by 1.1% in the 2nd quarter. Focused Wealth Management Inc now owns 2,186 shares of the companys stock worth $974,000 after purchasing an additional 24 shares during the last quarter. Black Diamond Financial LLC grew its position in iShares Core S&P 500 ETF by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Black Diamond Financial LLC now owns 5,585 shares of the companys stock worth $2,398,000 after purchasing an additional 24 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Gallacher Capital Management LLC grew its position in iShares Core S&P 500 ETF by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. Gallacher Capital Management LLC now owns 4,005 shares of the companys stock worth $1,720,000 after purchasing an additional 24 shares during the last quarter. Get iShares Core S&P 500 ETF alerts: iShares Core S&P 500 ETF Price Performance NYSEARCA IVV opened at $510.34 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $394.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.43 and a beta of 1.00. The companys fifty day moving average is $486.73 and its two-hundred day moving average is $458.57. iShares Core S&P 500 ETF has a 52-week low of $382.37 and a 52-week high of $512.63. iShares Core S&P 500 ETF Profile iShares Core S&P 500 ETF (the Fund) is an exchange-traded fund. The Fund seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance of the Standard & Poors 500 Index (the Index). The Index measures the performance of the large-capitalization sector of the United States equity market. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for iShares Core S&P 500 ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for iShares Core S&P 500 ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Paragon Private Wealth Management LLC cut its holdings in shares of American Express (NYSE:AXP) by 20.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 4,914 shares of the payment services companys stock after selling 1,225 shares during the period. Paragon Private Wealth Management LLCs holdings in American Express were worth $733,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Tyler Stone Wealth Management purchased a new stake in shares of American Express during the second quarter valued at $27,000. BluePath Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of American Express during the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. RVW Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of American Express during the 3rd quarter valued at about $33,000. Brown Shipley& Co Ltd purchased a new position in shares of American Express during the 2nd quarter valued at about $49,000. Finally, WFA of San Diego LLC purchased a new position in shares of American Express during the 2nd quarter valued at about $52,000. 83.08% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Get American Express alerts: Insider Buying and Selling In other American Express news, CEO Stephen J. Squeri sold 69,356 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $213.02, for a total transaction of $14,774,215.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 122,158 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $26,022,097.16. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other news, insider Laureen Seeger sold 84,420 shares of American Express stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $212.98, for a total transaction of $17,979,771.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 57,512 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $12,248,905.76. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Stephen J. Squeri sold 69,356 shares of American Express stock in a transaction on Monday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $213.02, for a total transaction of $14,774,215.12. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 122,158 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,022,097.16. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 193,055 shares of company stock worth $40,064,664 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.12% of the companys stock. Analysts Set New Price Targets A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Barclays lifted their price objective on American Express from $216.00 to $220.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research report on Monday, January 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised American Express from a neutral rating to an overweight rating and lifted their target price for the company from $167.00 to $205.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 4th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on American Express from $220.00 to $226.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Monday, January 29th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on American Express from $188.00 to $206.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research note on Monday, January 29th. Finally, Monness Crespi & Hardt started coverage on American Express in a research report on Wednesday, December 20th. They set a neutral rating for the company. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, American Express presently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $189.00. Read Our Latest Stock Report on AXP American Express Stock Up 0.3 % Shares of NYSE:AXP traded up $0.57 during trading on Friday, reaching $214.56. The stock had a trading volume of 2,617,090 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,793,891. American Express has a one year low of $140.91 and a one year high of $216.32. The company has a market capitalization of $155.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.14, a PEG ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a current ratio of 1.63, a quick ratio of 1.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71. The firms 50-day simple moving average is $195.09 and its 200 day simple moving average is $170.72. American Express (NYSE:AXP Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 26th. The payment services company reported $2.62 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $2.64 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $15.80 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16 billion. American Express had a net margin of 13.84% and a return on equity of 30.99%. The firms quarterly revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.07 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that American Express will post 12.83 EPS for the current fiscal year. American Express Announces Dividend The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 9th. Investors of record on Friday, January 5th were paid a $0.60 dividend. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.12%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, January 4th. American Expresss dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.41%. American Express Company Profile (Free Report) American Express Company, together with its subsidiaries, operates as integrated payments company in the United States, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, the Asia Pacific, Australia, New Zealand, Latin America, Canada, the Caribbean, and Internationally. It operates through four segments: U.S. Consumer Services, Commercial Services, International Card Services, and Global Merchant and Network Services. Recommended Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding AXP? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for American Express (NYSE:AXP Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for American Express Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for American Express and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust grew its holdings in shares of Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT Free Report) by 41.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 12,867 shares of the healthcare product makers stock after purchasing an additional 3,785 shares during the quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trusts holdings in Abbott Laboratories were worth $1,246,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Providence Capital Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 138.8% during the 3rd quarter. Providence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 112,852 shares of the healthcare product makers stock valued at $10,930,000 after purchasing an additional 65,591 shares during the last quarter. GSB Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Abbott Laboratories by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. GSB Wealth Management LLC now owns 21,168 shares of the healthcare product makers stock worth $2,050,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares during the period. Jacobi Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Abbott Laboratories by 4.9% in the 3rd quarter. Jacobi Capital Management LLC now owns 20,681 shares of the healthcare product makers stock worth $2,003,000 after purchasing an additional 967 shares during the period. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. bought a new position in Abbott Laboratories in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $14,993,000. Finally, West Michigan Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Abbott Laboratories by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. West Michigan Advisors LLC now owns 9,042 shares of the healthcare product makers stock worth $876,000 after purchasing an additional 161 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.70% of the companys stock. Get Abbott Laboratories alerts: Insider Buying and Selling at Abbott Laboratories In other news, EVP Andrea F. Wainer sold 15,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $108.00, for a total value of $1,620,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 65,027 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $7,022,916. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, EVP Andrea F. Wainer sold 15,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $108.00, for a total value of $1,620,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 65,027 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $7,022,916. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Andrea F. Wainer sold 42,500 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Monday, January 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $112.50, for a total transaction of $4,781,250.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 65,027 shares in the company, valued at $7,315,537.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In ABT has been the topic of several research reports. Raymond James boosted their price target on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $124.00 to $127.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Thursday, January 25th. TheStreet raised shares of Abbott Laboratories from a c+ rating to a b- rating in a research note on Thursday, December 21st. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an outperform rating and set a $128.00 price target on shares of Abbott Laboratories in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $116.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 13th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $133.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $120.00. Get Our Latest Analysis on ABT Abbott Laboratories Stock Up 0.4 % Shares of NYSE ABT traded up $0.44 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $119.46. 4,261,515 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,534,939. The company has a quick ratio of 1.23, a current ratio of 1.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The company has a market cap of $207.28 billion, a PE ratio of 36.64, a PEG ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 0.75. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $112.45 and a 200-day moving average price of $104.34. Abbott Laboratories has a 12 month low of $89.67 and a 12 month high of $120.15. Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 24th. The healthcare product maker reported $1.19 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $1.19. Abbott Laboratories had a net margin of 14.27% and a return on equity of 20.65%. The firm had revenue of $10.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.19 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.03 EPS. Abbott Laboratoriess revenue was up 1.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Abbott Laboratories will post 4.61 EPS for the current year. Abbott Laboratories Announces Dividend The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.55 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 12th. This represents a $2.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.84%. Abbott Laboratoriess payout ratio is 67.48%. Abbott Laboratories Company Profile (Free Report) Abbott Laboratories, together with its subsidiaries, discovers, develops, manufactures, and sells health care products worldwide. It operates in four segments: Established Pharmaceutical Products, Diagnostic Products, Nutritional Products, and Medical Devices. The company provides generic pharmaceuticals for the treatment of pancreatic exocrine insufficiency, irritable bowel syndrome or biliary spasm, intrahepatic cholestasis or depressive symptoms, gynecological disorder, hormone replacement therapy, dyslipidemia, hypertension, hypothyroidism, Meniere's disease and vestibular vertigo, pain, fever, inflammation, and migraine, as well as provides anti-infective clarithromycin, influenza vaccine, and products to regulate physiological rhythm of the colon. Further Reading Want to see what other hedge funds are holding ABT? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Abbott Laboratories Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Abbott Laboratories and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Personal CFO Solutions LLC lowered its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW Free Report) by 2.8% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 449 shares of the industrial products companys stock after selling 13 shares during the period. Personal CFO Solutions LLCs holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $311,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. BlackRock Inc. raised its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 7.2% during the 2nd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 4,372,006 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $3,447,721,000 after purchasing an additional 294,558 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 17.2% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,396,928 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $966,451,000 after buying an additional 204,507 shares in the last quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN raised its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 0.5% in the second quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 1,074,055 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $846,989,000 after acquiring an additional 5,744 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2.7% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,054,372 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $829,498,000 after acquiring an additional 27,222 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp boosted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 1.8% during the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 751,855 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $520,163,000 after acquiring an additional 13,063 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.24% of the companys stock. Get W.W. Grainger alerts: Insider Buying and Selling at W.W. Grainger In other news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 2,478 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $788.68, for a total value of $1,954,349.04. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 90,145 shares of the companys stock, valued at $71,095,558.60. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,122 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $950.22, for a total transaction of $2,966,586.84. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 4,909 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $4,664,629.98. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 2,478 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $788.68, for a total value of $1,954,349.04. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 90,145 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $71,095,558.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 5,850 shares of company stock valued at $5,121,311 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 9.90% of the companys stock. W.W. Grainger Trading Up 0.2 % GWW stock opened at $959.91 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.64, a current ratio of 2.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The company has a market cap of $47.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.51, a PEG ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 1.13. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $878.85 and a 200-day simple moving average of $785.78. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52 week low of $625.97 and a 52 week high of $978.95. W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 2nd. The industrial products company reported $8.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $8.05 by $0.28. The firm had revenue of $4 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.04 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 56.54% and a net margin of 11.10%. The firms quarterly revenue was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $7.14 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 39.24 EPS for the current year. W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 12th will be given a dividend of $1.86 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 9th. This represents a $7.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.78%. W.W. Graingers dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 20.55%. Analyst Ratings Changes Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a buy rating to a hold rating and set a $825.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Wednesday, December 20th. StockNews.com raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 13th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $809.00 to $907.00 and gave the stock a sector perform rating in a research note on Monday, February 5th. Stephens increased their price target on W.W. Grainger from $775.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. Finally, Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $800.00 to $930.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger currently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $864.44. Read Our Latest Report on GWW About W.W. Grainger (Free Report) W.W. Grainger, Inc distributes maintenance, repair, and operating products and services in the United States, Japan, Canada, the United Kingdom, and internationally. The company operates through two segments, High-Touch Solutions N.A. and Endless Assortment. The company provides safety and security supplies, material handling and storage equipment, pumps and plumbing equipment, cleaning and maintenance supplies, and metalworking and hand tools. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for W.W. Grainger Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for W.W. Grainger and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Profund Advisors LLC lessened its position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH Free Report) by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 18,666 shares of the healthcare conglomerates stock after selling 374 shares during the quarter. UnitedHealth Group makes up about 0.5% of Profund Advisors LLCs portfolio, making the stock its 29th largest holding. Profund Advisors LLCs holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $9,411,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in UNH. Robbins Farley purchased a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. NewSquare Capital LLC increased its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 340.0% in the third quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 66 shares of the healthcare conglomerates stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL acquired a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the first quarter valued at approximately $35,000. WFA of San Diego LLC acquired a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the second quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Finally, Annapolis Financial Services LLC increased its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 38.6% in the third quarter. Annapolis Financial Services LLC now owns 79 shares of the healthcare conglomerates stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.69% of the companys stock. Get UnitedHealth Group alerts: Insider Buying and Selling In related news, Director Stephen J. Hemsley sold 66,081 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $550.39, for a total transaction of $36,370,321.59. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 635,528 shares of the companys stock, valued at $349,788,255.92. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.35% of the companys stock. UnitedHealth Group Stock Up 0.1 % UnitedHealth Group stock traded up $0.74 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $527.24. The company had a trading volume of 2,502,146 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,326,096. The stock has a market cap of $487.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.12, a PEG ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 0.54. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 1 year low of $445.68 and a 1 year high of $554.70. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The business has a fifty day moving average of $520.59 and a 200 day moving average of $518.77. UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 12th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.16 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.98 by $0.18. The company had revenue of $94.43 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $92.13 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 6.02% and a return on equity of 26.39%. The firms revenue was up 14.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $5.34 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 27.84 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 19th. Investors of record on Monday, March 11th will be issued a dividend of $1.88 per share. This represents a $7.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.43%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 8th. UnitedHealth Groups dividend payout ratio is presently 31.54%. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an overweight rating and set a $591.00 target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Friday, January 19th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $565.00 to $503.00 and set a hold rating for the company in a research note on Monday, November 20th. Stephens reaffirmed an overweight rating and issued a $605.00 price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Thursday, February 8th. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an outperform rating and issued a $610.00 price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Wednesday, January 17th. Finally, Piper Sandler dropped their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $584.00 to $581.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, UnitedHealth Group presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $575.79. Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on UnitedHealth Group UnitedHealth Group Profile (Free Report) UnitedHealth Group Incorporated operates as a diversified health care company in the United States. It operates through four segments: UnitedHealthcare, Optum Health, Optum Insight, and Optum Rx. The UnitedHealthcare segment offers consumer-oriented health benefit plans and services for national employers, public sector employers, mid-sized employers, small businesses, and individuals; health care coverage, and health and well-being services to individuals age 50 and older addressing their needs; Medicaid plans, children's health insurance and health care programs; and health and dental benefits, and hospital and clinical services, as well as health care benefits products and services to state programs caring for the economically disadvantaged, medically underserved, and those without the benefit of employer-funded health care coverage. Recommended Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding UNH? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for UnitedHealth Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for UnitedHealth Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. A University of Virginia student was seriously injured after an alleged hazing accident at the Kappa Sigma fraternity house in Charlottesville late Tuesday night. The news was first broke by the Jefferson Independent, a conservative, student-run news outlet on Grounds, which reported that a second-year transfer student pledging Kappa Sigma had been drinking heavily at the fraternity house on Rugby Road when he fell backward down a staircase and hit his head on a wall at the bottom. According to the publication, sources say the student has been hospitalized and is comatose. Neither a UVa spokeswoman nor a Kappa Sigma spokesman denied the report when contacted by The Daily Progress. UVa spokeswoman Bethanie Glover said Kappa Sigma has been suspended pending a Division of Student Affairs investigation into the matter. We take allegations of hazing seriously and act quickly to investigate them and take disciplinary action if necessary, Glover told The Daily Progress in an email. State and/or local law enforcement agencies investigate allegations of hazing under Virginia law. The Division of Student Affairs investigates allegations of hazing under University policy. Glover said she could not divulge any more information until the investigation is closed, including the students condition. A spokesman for Kappa Sigma, which has its national headquarters just south of Charlottesville city limits, said the fraternity is aware an injury did occur. He offered no other details. Our hopes and prayers are with our member for a speedy recovery, Leo Brown told The Daily Progress via email. Brown also gave a full-throated condemnation of hazing, which is not only explicitly forbidden at UVa but a crime in the commonwealth of Virginia. Hazing is disgusting and is not tolerated by the Kappa Sigma Fraternity as it violates our Code of Conduct, he said. Kappa Sigma will take swift and severe actions against the membership of those credibly involved in hazing. The Daily Progress reached out to the Inter-Fraternity Council at UVa, an independently run student organization that oversees Greek life at the university. The council did not respond. There were several accounts of hazing within student organizations and clubs in 2022 reported to the University Judiciary Committee, a student-run body that issues sanctions based on the findings of Student Affairs investigations. In September 2022, the womens gymnastics club was charged with hazing at an initiation event where incoming members were instructed to perform various stunts and required to take a shot of alcohol or water if they failed. In response, the judiciary committee required the groups co-presidents to attend two meetings with a member of the UVa administration from Student Engagement or Fraternity & Sorority Life and required all executive members to attend Hoos Against Hazing training. That same fall, incidents of hazing were reported with the University Guide Services. Current members forced new members to chug alcoholic drinks and served alcohol to underage members on several occasions, according to reports. The judiciary committee decided the group must create a central document of conduct for all of its members that includes anti-hazing expectations. The University Guide Services must also hold a meeting every semester where these expectations are explained to members. Tuesdays incident at Kappa Sigma comes a little more than a week after Virginia legislators passed a bill requiring hazing awareness and prevention training at public high schools in the commonwealth. Senate Bill 379 was approved two years after the passage of whats known as Adams Law, which mandates hazing training at all Virginia colleges. The bill is named after Virginia Commonwealth University student Adam Oakes who died in 2021 after a fraternity hazing incident. Senate Bill 379 calls for the State Board of Education to approve hazing education curriculum to be taught in ninth- or 10th-grade health and physical education classes. Personal CFO Solutions LLC lessened its stake in shares of Stevanato Group S.p.A. (NYSE:STVN Free Report) by 9.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 11,652 shares of the companys stock after selling 1,185 shares during the quarter. Personal CFO Solutions LLCs holdings in Stevanato Group were worth $346,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC. Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its position in Stevanato Group by 11.4% during the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 46,717 shares of the companys stock worth $940,000 after purchasing an additional 4,798 shares during the period. BlackRock Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Stevanato Group by 3.6% during the 1st quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 263,364 shares of the companys stock worth $5,299,000 after buying an additional 9,125 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Stevanato Group by 3.4% in the 1st quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 6,366,679 shares of the companys stock valued at $128,097,000 after buying an additional 210,007 shares during the last quarter. UBS Group AG raised its holdings in Stevanato Group by 79.9% in the 1st quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 1,799 shares of the companys stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 799 shares during the period. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its position in Stevanato Group by 21.2% during the 1st quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 992,326 shares of the companys stock worth $19,966,000 after acquiring an additional 173,332 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 10.90% of the companys stock. Get Stevanato Group alerts: Stevanato Group Trading Up 5.2 % Stevanato Group stock opened at 32.17 ($34.59) on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of 29.66 and a two-hundred day moving average price of 29.72. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. Stevanato Group S.p.A. has a 12 month low of 20.73 ($22.29) and a 12 month high of 36.30 ($39.03). Analyst Ratings Changes STVN has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on Stevanato Group from $34.00 to $30.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, November 1st. Jefferies Financial Group lowered Stevanato Group from a buy rating to a hold rating and cut their price target for the stock from $39.00 to $29.00 in a report on Wednesday, November 1st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of 32.67 ($35.13). Check Out Our Latest Analysis on Stevanato Group Stevanato Group Profile (Free Report) Stevanato Group S.p.A. engages in the design, production, and distribution of products and processes to provide integrated solutions for biopharma and healthcare. The company operates in two segments, Biopharmaceutical and Diagnostic Solutions; and Engineering. Its principal products include containment solutions, drug delivery systems, medical devices, diagnostic, analytical services, visual inspection machines, assembling and packaging machines, and glass forming machines. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Stevanato Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Stevanato Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Terex (NYSE:TEX Free Report) had its price target reduced by Evercore ISI from $65.00 to $63.00 in a report released on Tuesday, Benzinga reports. Evercore ISI currently has an outperform rating on the industrial products companys stock. Several other brokerages also recently issued reports on TEX. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on Terex from $52.00 to $59.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 13th. UBS Group downgraded Terex from a buy rating to a neutral rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $61.00 to $62.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 13th. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Terex from $54.00 to $63.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research report on Monday, February 12th. StockNews.com downgraded Terex from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Monday, October 30th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group downgraded Terex from a buy rating to a hold rating and cut their price objective for the company from $73.00 to $63.00 in a research report on Wednesday, December 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $63.54. Get Terex alerts: View Our Latest Report on TEX Terex Price Performance Shares of TEX stock opened at $53.89 on Tuesday. The stocks fifty day simple moving average is $58.25 and its 200 day simple moving average is $55.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 2.01 and a quick ratio of 0.95. The firm has a market cap of $3.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.10, a P/E/G ratio of 0.53 and a beta of 1.67. Terex has a one year low of $41.89 and a one year high of $65.64. Terex (NYSE:TEX Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 9th. The industrial products company reported $1.41 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.41. The business had revenue of $1.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.23 billion. Terex had a return on equity of 32.89% and a net margin of 10.06%. Terexs quarterly revenue was up .4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.34 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Terex will post 6.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Terex Announces Dividend The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 19th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 8th will be given a dividend of $0.17 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 7th. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.26%. Terexs payout ratio is currently 8.96%. Insider Transactions at Terex In other news, CEO John L. Garrison, Jr. sold 45,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $59.00, for a total transaction of $2,655,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 492,121 shares in the company, valued at $29,035,139. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, CEO John L. Garrison, Jr. sold 45,000 shares of Terex stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $59.00, for a total transaction of $2,655,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 492,121 shares of the companys stock, valued at $29,035,139. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director David A. Sachs acquired 25,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 11th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $51.16 per share, with a total value of $1,279,000.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 62,500 shares of the companys stock, valued at $3,197,500. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 2.40% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders. Institutional Investors Weigh In On Terex Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Royce & Associates LP acquired a new position in shares of Terex in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $6,763,000. BlackRock Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Terex by 2.3% in the second quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 9,052,238 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $541,595,000 after buying an additional 205,591 shares during the period. National Bank of Canada FI bought a new stake in shares of Terex during the third quarter worth $919,000. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Terex during the third quarter worth $36,672,000. Finally, Fox Run Management L.L.C. bought a new stake in Terex in the 3rd quarter valued at $673,000. 93.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors. Terex Company Profile (Get Free Report) Terex Corporation manufactures and sells aerial work platforms and materials processing machinery worldwide. It operates in two segments, Aerial Work Platforms (AWP) and Materials Processing (MP). The AWP segment designs, manufactures, services, and markets aerial work platform equipment, utility equipment, and telehandlers under the Terex and Genie brands. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Terex Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Terex and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Eagle Asset Management Inc. lessened its position in Terreno Realty Co. (NYSE:TRNO Free Report) by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 266,303 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock after selling 2,401 shares during the quarter. Eagle Asset Management Inc. owned approximately 0.31% of Terreno Realty worth $15,126,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC. Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new stake in Terreno Realty in the 1st quarter worth approximately $28,000. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in Terreno Realty by 93.9% in the 3rd quarter. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. now owns 537 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 260 shares in the last quarter. Pinebridge Investments L.P. purchased a new stake in Terreno Realty in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $49,000. Lazard Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Terreno Realty during the 4th quarter worth $89,000. Finally, Covestor Ltd increased its stake in shares of Terreno Realty by 14.6% during the 2nd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 3,047 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $183,000 after purchasing an additional 388 shares during the last quarter. Get Terreno Realty alerts: Terreno Realty Price Performance NYSE:TRNO opened at $62.93 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $62.20 and a 200-day moving average of $59.06. The company has a market capitalization of $5.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.77 and a beta of 0.80. Terreno Realty Co. has a 52 week low of $50.42 and a 52 week high of $65.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a quick ratio of 2.68 and a current ratio of 2.68. Terreno Realty Announces Dividend Insider Buying and Selling at Terreno Realty The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 5th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 28th will be given a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.86%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 27th. Terreno Realtys payout ratio is presently 99.45%. In other news, Director Leroy E. Carlson sold 5,000 shares of Terreno Realty stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $58.77, for a total transaction of $293,850.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 34,871 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,049,368.67. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other Terreno Realty news, Director Leroy E. Carlson sold 5,000 shares of Terreno Realty stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $58.77, for a total value of $293,850.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 34,871 shares of the companys stock, valued at $2,049,368.67. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CAO Melinda Weston sold 1,500 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $62.06, for a total transaction of $93,090.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 15,683 shares in the company, valued at approximately $973,286.98. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 2.40% of the companys stock. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades Several research analysts have recently commented on TRNO shares. Mizuho dropped their price target on shares of Terreno Realty from $67.00 to $52.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, December 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of Terreno Realty from $60.00 to $66.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research note on Thursday, January 11th. Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on shares of Terreno Realty in a research note on Thursday, December 7th. They issued an overweight rating and a $71.00 target price on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Terreno Realty from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 13th. Finally, Piper Sandler lowered their target price on shares of Terreno Realty from $80.00 to $70.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 10th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $64.88. Check Out Our Latest Research Report on TRNO Terreno Realty Profile (Free Report) Terreno Realty Corporation ("Terreno", and together with its subsidiaries, "we", "us", "our", "our Company", or "the Company") acquires, owns and operates industrial real estate in six major coastal U.S. markets: Los Angeles, Northern New Jersey/New York City, San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle, Miami, and Washington, DC We invest in several types of industrial real estate, including warehouse/distribution (approximately 76.3% of our total annualized base rent as of September 30, 2023), flex (including light industrial and research and development, or R&D) (approximately 3.8%), transshipment (approximately 6.7%) and improved land (approximately 13.2%). See Also Receive News & Ratings for Terreno Realty Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Terreno Realty and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC lifted its position in Tyler Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:TYL Free Report) by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 39,053 shares of the technology companys stock after buying an additional 254 shares during the quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC owned about 0.09% of Tyler Technologies worth $15,080,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC. Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Tyler Technologies by 7.6% in the 3rd quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 1,205 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $465,000 after buying an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. Thematics Asset Management grew its stake in shares of Tyler Technologies by 5.0% in the 2nd quarter. Thematics Asset Management now owns 29,150 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $12,140,000 after buying an additional 1,385 shares in the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. grew its stake in shares of Tyler Technologies by 2.1% in the 2nd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 3,163,096 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $1,317,335,000 after buying an additional 66,422 shares in the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new stake in shares of Tyler Technologies in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $79,000. Finally, MCF Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Tyler Technologies in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $1,737,000. Institutional investors own 91.28% of the companys stock. Get Tyler Technologies alerts: Tyler Technologies Stock Performance Shares of NYSE TYL opened at $437.48 on Friday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $425.16 and a 200 day simple moving average of $403.58. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. The firm has a market capitalization of $18.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 112.46, a PEG ratio of 4.28 and a beta of 0.83. Tyler Technologies, Inc. has a one year low of $305.06 and a one year high of $454.74. Insider Activity at Tyler Technologies Analyst Ratings Changes In related news, Chairman John S. Marr, Jr. sold 7,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Monday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $405.78, for a total value of $2,840,460.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 6,400 shares in the company, valued at $2,596,992. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website . In other Tyler Technologies news, CEO H Lynn Moore, Jr. sold 7,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $435.19, for a total transaction of $3,263,925.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 75,000 shares in the company, valued at $32,639,250. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink . Also, Chairman John S. Marr, Jr. sold 7,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $405.78, for a total value of $2,840,460.00. Following the transaction, the chairman now owns 6,400 shares of the companys stock, valued at $2,596,992. The disclosure for this sale can be found here . Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 23,000 shares of company stock worth $9,575,155. 2.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders. A number of brokerages have issued reports on TYL. Needham & Company LLC upped their target price on Tyler Technologies from $475.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Thursday, February 15th. Piper Sandler upped their target price on Tyler Technologies from $480.00 to $520.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Friday, February 16th. DA Davidson upped their target price on Tyler Technologies from $412.00 to $434.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research report on Thursday. JMP Securities reaffirmed a market outperform rating and set a $490.00 target price on shares of Tyler Technologies in a research report on Friday, February 16th. Finally, Truist Financial upped their target price on Tyler Technologies from $475.00 to $510.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Friday, November 3rd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Tyler Technologies currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $457.86. Get Our Latest Analysis on TYL Tyler Technologies Company Profile (Free Report) Tyler Technologies, Inc provides integrated information management solutions and services for the public sector. It operates in two segments, Enterprise Software, and Platform Technologies. The company offers financial management solutions, including modular fund accounting systems for government agencies or not-for-profit entities; utility billing systems for the billing and collection of metered and non-metered services; products to automate city and county functions, such as municipal courts, parking tickets, equipment and project costing, animal and business licenses, permits and inspections, code enforcement, citizen complaint tracking, ambulance billing, fleet maintenance, and cemetery records management; student information and transportation solutions for K-12 schools; and financial management systems. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Tyler Technologies Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Tyler Technologies and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Algert Global LLC raised its position in Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS Free Report) by 21.9% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 17,647 shares of the technology companys stock after acquiring an additional 3,166 shares during the quarter. Algert Global LLCs holdings in Watts Water Technologies were worth $3,050,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WTS. Metropolitan Life Insurance Co NY grew its stake in Watts Water Technologies by 3.5% during the 4th quarter. Metropolitan Life Insurance Co NY now owns 1,681 shares of the technology companys stock worth $246,000 after purchasing an additional 57 shares in the last quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich grew its stake in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 3.2% during the third quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich now owns 2,025 shares of the technology companys stock worth $350,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares in the last quarter. Natixis raised its holdings in Watts Water Technologies by 17.5% during the second quarter. Natixis now owns 423 shares of the technology companys stock worth $78,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Spire Wealth Management lifted its position in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 93.5% during the 2nd quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 149 shares of the technology companys stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 72 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Covestor Ltd grew its position in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 80.4% in the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 184 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. 75.06% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Get Watts Water Technologies alerts: Insider Buying and Selling at Watts Water Technologies In related news, insider Elie Melhem sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $199.50, for a total transaction of $498,750.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 13,564 shares of the companys stock, valued at $2,706,018. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 1.10% of the stock is owned by insiders. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on WTS shares. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on Watts Water Technologies from $199.00 to $206.00 and gave the stock a hold rating in a report on Wednesday, February 14th. TD Cowen increased their price objective on Watts Water Technologies from $165.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a market perform rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 5th. Finally, Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on shares of Watts Water Technologies from $191.00 to $208.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 14th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Watts Water Technologies currently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $190.60. Check Out Our Latest Research Report on Watts Water Technologies Watts Water Technologies Stock Performance Shares of WTS stock opened at $198.02 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 1.63 and a current ratio of 2.61. The stock has a market cap of $6.60 billion, a PE ratio of 25.32, a P/E/G ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.95. Watts Water Technologies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $153.25 and a 1 year high of $219.52. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $202.47 and a 200 day moving average price of $190.51. Watts Water Technologies (NYSE:WTS Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 12th. The technology company reported $1.97 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.78 by $0.19. Watts Water Technologies had a net margin of 12.75% and a return on equity of 19.38%. The business had revenue of $547.50 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $532.58 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.60 EPS. The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 9.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that Watts Water Technologies, Inc. will post 8.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Watts Water Technologies Announces Dividend The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 15th. Investors of record on Friday, March 1st will be paid a $0.36 dividend. This represents a $1.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.73%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 29th. Watts Water Technologiess payout ratio is currently 18.41%. Watts Water Technologies Company Profile (Free Report) Watts Water Technologies, Inc supplies products and solutions that manage and conserve the flow of fluids and energy into, through, and out of buildings in the commercial, industrial, and residential markets in the Americas, Europe, the Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, and Africa. The company offers residential and commercial flow control and protection products, including backflow preventers, water pressure regulators, temperature and pressure relief valves, thermostatic mixing valves, and leak detection and protection products for plumbing and hot water applications. Read More Want to see what other hedge funds are holding WTS? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Watts Water Technologies Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Watts Water Technologies and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Housing development, take two: Harrisburgs planning commission approved a new subdivision this week that aims to add 50-plus houses to the small city after a previously approved project never materialized. The newly proposed development, called Castleberry Crossings, is planned for a 7-plus acre lot that includes wetlands on 930 Sommerville Loop, about 600 feet east of South Sixth Street near the southern part of the town. A Place to Sleep, episode 6: Brownsville Find out how a man arrested in the 1960s for being a drug addict shaped the law that requires Oregon cities to designate a place to sleep for homeless people. The sites real market value is over $896,000, according to tax records, and the housing developer plans to build 53 units, 38 of which would be single-family townhouses. The other 15 lots would be dedicated to detached single-family housing. That meets the zoning requirements of the site which is designated for low- and medium-density residential development. Currently, the relatively flat site is used for agriculture and has an existing single-family home and other structures which would be be removed, according to planning documents. Harrisburg's current population is about 3,700 people. The proposal comes from Redmond-based Hayden Homes, which has housing projects across the state and in Washington, Idaho and Montana. The developers have been eyeing the site for a couple of years, according to Harrisburg City Administrator Michele Eldridge. The Planning Commission previously approved a proposed development called Woodhill Crossing in 2020, but the developer behind that project backed out because of the amount of wetlands on the property, Eldridge said. While the commission on Wednesday, Feb. 20, approved Hayden Homes proposal to subdivide the property, submitted last December, the company still has to fulfill engineering requirements before construction begins. Those conditions include, among others, obtaining all the required state and federal environment permits necessary to work on the wetlands site, creating two stormwater drainage tracts along with providing funding assistance for their maintenance for the first five years and updating the stormwater management plan to show the site can withstand a 25-year storm event. After the stormwater detention facilities are completed, the developer must deed them to the city during the final plat process. Besides the 53 homes, the project will add two public streets and improvements to the existing Sommerville Loop right-of-way. That includes making sidewalk improvements, a safe pedestrian crossing and providing on-street parking, made possible by removing a planter strip, according to planning documents. While there were no strong objections to the proposal from the community at the Wednesday meeting, one community member had questions about parking and congestion at the site, with Eldridge reiterating the new development wouldn't change street width on Sommerville Loop. Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help Support local news coverage and the people who report it by becoming a subscriber today. With the Planning Commission's stamp of approval, the developer must provide the city a final plat within six months. Not clear yet are the timeframe for construction and the asking price of the homes. Appeals to the planning commission's decision can only be filed by the developer, the owner of the property and anyone who testified during the public hearing. Appeals must be submitted to the city recorder by 5 p.m. March 4. More Harrisburg stories: The bargaining team representing nonteaching staff at Oregons seven public universities declared an impasse in negotiations on Friday, Feb. 23, teeing the union up for a potential strike. Classified employees and the public universities they work for, including Oregon State University, have been engaged in re-opener talks on their current contract since last October. A Place to Sleep, episode 3: Corvallis Do unhoused people know where to go in Corvallis? Well, the city has outlined where they shouldn't be: near creeks, rivers, wetlands, sidewalks or within 20 feet of trees. The parties have struggled to reach an agreement on wage increases for such workers as food services staff, accountants and custodians. Bargaining teams entered their first round of state-mediated talks earlier in February. In a news release, Steve Clark, communications director for the bargaining team representing the universities and a former OSU official, called the unions move to declare an impasse disappointing, considering theyre scheduled for another day of mediation on Monday, Feb. 26. Despite the impasse being declared, Oregons universities remained committed to finding a path toward a resolution, Clark said in a statement. With the declaration of an impasse by the union, which represents around 4,500 workers across the state, the path forward requires both parties to submit final contract offers by March 1, and then enter a 30-day cooling off period to give more time for the union and universities to reach an agreement. Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help Support local news coverage and the people who report it by becoming a subscriber today. While a strike cant happen during that time, union officials can send a 10-day notice of their intent to strike, outlining their rationale and the date for when one may begin. While we are hopeful that a strike will not occur, plans are being developed by each Oregon public university in the event of a work stoppage occurring, Clark said in the news release. In their own news release, union leadership said university management had failed to bring meaningful proposals to the table in their latest offer. "Our members love the university community where they work, and they should be supported in their jobs," Melissa Unger, executive director of the Services Employees International Union Local 503, said in a statement. Following the impasse decision, union members held a small rally at the OSU campus near McNary Hall on Friday, Feb. 23, again calling for higher wages. Related story: The strategic territory of the Taiwan Strait has become increasingly complex, with the recent call from a US Congressman to Elon Musk adding another layer of intrigue. In a move highlighting the evolving role of private actors in... More of this article S&P 500 5,117.09 DOW 38,714.77 QQQ 433.92 3 Large-Cap Stocks Buying Back Shares Aggressively The only AI company you should be looking at (Ad) Netanyahu snaps back against growing US criticism after being accused of losing his way on Gaza Heres Why Bitcoin Miners Stopped Rising With Bitcoin Prices Did you make $29,000 two days with AI options trades? (Ad) Oil Prices Up Again, Should You Buy This Time? 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Kung Fu Panda 4 repeats at No. 1 on the box office charts Escaping Bidens $4.7 Trillion Tax Hunt (Ad) Stock market today: Wall Street rises ahead of highly anticipated Federal Reserve policy meeting From Frenchies to rescue cats, New York's trauma center for animals takes the most complex cases There was a great turnout of parents, babies and service providers at the Guildhall Derry on Thursday, 22nd February to celebrate World Breastfeeding in Public Day 2024. The event was organised by North West BAPS (Breastfeeding and Perinatal Support) and hosted by the Mayor of Derry City & Strabane District Council Patricia Logue. La Leche League Breastfeeding Counsellor and poet at The Breast of Rhymes, Grainne Evans was a special guest at the event. North West BAPS are a parent-led group who have been calling for more awareness, visibility and support for breastfeeding in the Derry City & Strabane District Council area which has amongst the lowest breastfeeding rates in the world. Dr. Noella Gormley from North West BAPS who organised the event said: It was great to see mums and babies from across the Derry City & Strabane District Council area coming together with staff from some of the local breastfeeding and perinatal support services including the Western Health and Social Care Trust, Surestart Shantallow, Strabane Sure Start & Family Centre, SureStart Edenballymore, Action for Children Waterside Surestart and Parentline NI to celebrate this special day and to help raise awareness about breastfeeding in our Council area. Noella thanked Mayor of Derry City & Strabane District Patricia Logue for supporting the North West BAPS over the past year, and also expressed appreciation for the welcome provided by staff at the Guildhall to all the families who attended the event. The North West BAPS celebration in Derry appears to have been the only event celebrating Breastfeeding in Public Day in Northern Ireland. Derry City and Strabane District Council and the Mayor, Councillor Patricia Logue, who hosted the special occasion in the Guildhall, also pledged support for the North West BAPS. The Mayor said: I want to commend the work being done by the group and parents across our Council area to promote breastfeeding and campaign for the mechanisms and support needed to make it accessible and convenient for mothers and their babies at locations across our Council area. It is something that as a society we should be more accepting and supportive of and do everything we can to educate and promote breastfeeding to improve facilities and change perceptions. Families and supporters gathered in the Guildhall to hear special guest Grainne Evans, poet at The Best of Rhymes read her poem entitled Nursing in Public. Asked about her visit to the Guildhall to support Breastfeeding in Public Day, Grainne said: Im really delighted to be included in the celebrations this year for World Breastfeeding in Public Day. Events like this are hugely important in helping to break down the barriers mums can face when breastfeeding. CELEBRATING BREASTFEEDING IN PUBLIC DAY. . . .The Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, Patricia Logue pictured with organisers, mums and babies from North West Baps at the Guildhall on Thursday morning to mark World Breastfeeding in Public Day. (Photos: Jim McCafferty Photography) Celebrating and normalising breastfeeding when out and about as part of normal daily life is something we as a society should definitely be encouraging. Knowing that there is this kind of support out there is wonderful for new mums. Among those in attendance at the Guildhall was Michelle McBrearty from Sure Start Shantallow who said: I am delighted to support the Breastfeeding in Public event and am privileged to be part of many families breastfeeding journeys. Sure Start Shantallow provides valuable support via home visiting, telephone and one to one support, and we also have a weekly breastfeeding support group which takes place every Tuesday morning new parents are always welcome. Several representatives from the Western Health and Social Care Trust attended the event in the Guildhall including Midwife Pauline Gallanagh, who said: What a great turn out, great to see so many mums supporting the event, and supporting breastfeeding. Ashley Ferguson, from the Trust also enjoyed attending the event saying: Its good to see so many people supporting breastfeeding, and helping to normalise it in the community. New parents with any infant feeding queries can access the labour ward anytime for up to 28 days after they have given birth, and they can also contact their midwife or health visitor anytime during working hours. Grainne Evans, La Leche League Breastfeeding counsellor and poet at The Breast of Rhymes, addressing the attendance at Thursday's 'Breastfeeding in Public' Day event at the city's Guildhall. The event in the Guildhall was also attended by Sharon Callaghan, Manager of Strabane Sure Start who said: Strabane Sure Start is delighted to support Breastfeeding in Public Day 2024. We need to promote the benefits of breastfeeding to both women and infants and challenge and change perceptions and beliefs that have negative connotations towards breastfeeding in public. A number of mums and babies travelled from Strabane with Sharon Callaghan to attend the event including mum Nadine Doherty who was there with her 6-month-old daughter. Nadine said: I am one of the mums from the Strabane Breastfeeding Group who meet every Wednesday morning in The Parlour at St. Pats Hall. I love breastfeeding because it is so easy. I also breastfed my older child until he was 9 months old when I lived in London. It was very normalised over there, it is not as normalised here, so I am glad we have events like this to meet up and help make it a wee bit more normal. Another Strabane mum Nicole who was at the event with her 8-month-old daughter, appreciated and advocated being part of a Breastfeeding Group: I find the best part is meeting other mums, and getting advice from them I find that really beneficial in my journey as a breastfeeding mum. The Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, Patricia Logue pictured with Dr. Maria Herron, North West BAPS, Grainne Evans, Poet and La Leche League Leader and Dr. Noella Gormley, North West BAPS at the Guildhall on Thursday morning to mark World Breastfeeding in Public Day. Derry mum of three, Sinead OKane, who is also a core member of the North West BAPS team, put together a special reel of pictures of local mums breastfeeding their children while out and about, as part of the North West BAPS celebration of Breastfeeding in Public Day. Sinead said: I loved putting this reel together of all our beautiful mamas feeding in public. "Today is not a day to make others or mothers feel uncomfortable - its actually the opposite, it will hopefully help to wipe away any fears of any mum who wants to feed her baby wherever she wants, without judgement. North West BAPS are keen to let families know about the wide range of help that is available for breastfeeding and any other issues that new parents might struggle with. You can follow North West BAPS on Facebook and Instagram for the latest on local breastfeeding and perinatal support. Late Late Show viewers are praising Irish rappers Kneecap for highlighting the plight of Palestinians. In Friday night's (February 23) episode, the group - which consists of Mo Chara, Moglai Bap, and DJ Provai - joined host Patrick Kielty in the studio for an interview and performance. In the interview, Kielty mentioned that DJ Provai - who appeared to be wearing a Palestinian shirt - had undergone a "change of costume". He said, "You've done a bit of a costume change here, there you go. I have to say, I'm obliged to say this, that our thoughts are with everybody in that conflict, some horrific stuff is happening there, I'm also obliged to say that in the politics there's another side and some people mightn't agree with what you've done, so." In response, Moglai Bap said, "A hundred percent, but that's why we're here to use our platform to highlight the genocide in Palestine at the moment. Thirty thousand Palestinians have been murdered by American weapons and mostly, two thirds of them, are women and children. "So I think we just have to use this platform as an opportunity to appeal to Irish people to attend rallies and protests and support the BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) movement to show solidarity to Palestine and hopefully, one day, Palestine will be free." It comes just weeks after RTE asked members of the Irish Women in Harmony group to remove badges and clothing which suggested support for Palestine ahead of a live Late Late performance. Many commenters on social media praised the trio for their stance, with one X user stating: "Seriously impressed with Kneecap for having the balls to stand up for the people of Palestine." One person commented: "Kneecap proving the legends they are by using their big night to make it so strongly about Palestine. Maith sibh." A further comment stated: "Kneecap are legends, take a bow lads." Another said: "I see kneecap are annoying all the right people again today. Like clockwork." One X user criticised RTE's stance on wearing Palestinian items in solidarity: "Why were the group of women singing in tribute to Sinead OConnor prevented from wearing Palestine solidarity badges/symbols but these guys Kneecap are wearing support symbols. The women shouldve been allowed." Not everyone agreed with Kneecap appearing on the show, however, with one X user stating: "Who booked these clowns?" Another person commented: "Where can we complain about these talentless clowns being allowed to spout their hatred courtesy of my and others licence fee?" A further X comment read: "A new low for the Late Late Show." The trio also spoke about how speaking Irish in Northern Ireland is "politicised" compared to the Republic, with Mo Chara stating: "What's political is subjective." Kneecap went on to perform their latest track 'Better Way to Live' - which has amassed almost 1 million streams on Spotify - to the live studio audience. Tickets to the trio's Fine Art tour are out now. Louth County Council has today welcomed the funding announced by Government through the Shared Island Fund for the construction of the Narrow Water Bridge. The c.200m cable-stayed and rolling bascule bridge will link the Mourne Mountains and the Cooley Peninsula, providing huge tourism and connectivity boosts in the east border region. It will act as a key catalyst for improved cross border active travel and recreational activities, including the development of greenways, walking trails and park amenities. Louth County Council has been the lead project partner, securing planning consents, design details and more recently progressing the construction tender process. A subgroup of the existing North South Infrastructure Group oversees the development of the project, co-chaired by the Department of An Taoiseach and Norther Irelands Department of Infrastructure, and also includes representatives from Department of Housing, Heritage & Local Government, Department of Foreign Affairs, Louth County Council and Newry, Mourne & Down District Council. Chief Executive Joan Martin said, this significant funding announcement will now allow Louth County Council bring this long-standing, transformative project to fruition, which will open up new and exciting opportunities by linking the Mourne Mountains and the Cooley Peninsula , with huge potential for the local and wider economies. "I wish to congratulate John OHagan, Senior Engineer and David Jones, Director of Services for project managing this to date and I have no doubt they will bring this project to fruition. "I also wish to acknowledge the support of all the various stakeholders in both the Republic and Northern Ireland in reaching this point, and I look forward to seeing construction commence on this iconic project in the near future." A team that goes over 30 minutes without a score while playing with the wind, and misses three gilt-edged goal chances, cant really have any complaints when the result goes against them. This was Louth in Sundays National League tie with Meath at Navan. But there was another factor in the 1-11 to 1-9 defeat. Having played brilliantly in the first half to take a one-point lead, then go four ahead soon after the change-over, all the time making Meath look very ordinary, Louth changed tack. Whereas the ball had been most times moved forward with speed, Louth went on the defensive, appearing content to defend the lead rather than go all out to increase it. The problem with that was, there was still about a half-hour to go, and it was always likely Meath, poorly as they were playing, would get some kind of an innings. And thats what happened. Meath picked off one point and then another, and having been silent for a long stretch, the home crowd began to make noise. More important to them, their team got more pep in their step and a couple more points had them on level terms. Louth, having drawn Meath on to them, were now on the back foot. And all the time, Ryan Burns fourth point soon after half-time, faded more and more into the background, especially when Meath, now firing on all cylinders, went five points up. Ironically, when Louth eventually did add to their nine-point tally, it was with the score of the match. It fell to sub, Tom Jackson, whose low shot from about 20 yards gave the diving Sean Brennan no chance. It shouldnt have come in isolation, however. Earlier, Jacksons St Marys colleague, Ciaran Keenan, was put clean through with only the goalie to beat when he was hauled to the ground from behind. Instead of awarding what looked to many a nailed on penalty, referee Liam Devenney waved play on. This just one of a number of baffling decisions the Mayo official hung his name on over the 70 minutes-plus. This Louth campaign is following much the same pattern as last seasons. The hope is it has the same conclusion. After three 2023 matches, there were just two points on the board, defeats by Clare and Derry followed by a win over Limerick. There was then a run of three wins, and had Mickey Hartes team made it four-in-row by beating Dublin, Louth would now be playing in Division One. Ardee was a happy hunting ground last year; and its to there that Cavan are travelling next Sunday. Its a tough one, but with a less conservative approach, Louth can get back on a winning trail. Over 20 "cease and desist" letters have been issued to people suspected of selling illegal TV streaming services, known as 'dodgy boxes' in 10 different counties including Louth. This is the third wave in a series of legal warnings that have been delivered in person, by post and by email to people across Ireland involved in providing illegal access to premium TV content, sometimes known as IPTV. The cease-and-desist notices instruct those running selling modified smart TV devices to immediately stop all illegal streaming activity or risk facing the consequences, including criminal prosecution. The warnings were also issued to addresses within the counties of Dublin, Cork, Meath, Kilkenny, Westmeath, Clare, Limerick, Galway and Monaghan between 22 January and 2 February of this year. The legal notices form part of a broader targeted campaign in Ireland designed to disrupt and shut down piracy networks. A previous wave of warnings was issued in March and August, with the Federation Against Copyright Theft organisation saying that "more than 60 targets have been engaged with, resulting in the vast majority of illegal services being taken down". Eddy Leviten, chief Operating officer at Fact, said: By taking these measures we are sending a clear message: piracy is a crime, and it is taken seriously. Fact will continue to monitor channels used to advertise and sell illegal streams, modified Fire Sticks, and other devices to take action against illegal IPTV suppliers and operators. Operators of illegal Iptv services should be aware that not only are they committing an offence themselves, but theyre also putting consumers at real risk of malware, data loss and identity theft. Fact and its partners are determined to disrupt these criminal operations and non-compliance with the notices could lead to further law enforcement action. THIS week The Echo and the Irish Examiner bade a fond farewell to a dear colleague and friend who retired after multi-award-winning career which spanned almost a half-century. Photographer Denis Minihane began working in the dark room of the then Cork Examiner at the age of 17, in 1976, going on to have a career in which he took an estimated half-million pictures. Speaking in the newspapers offices this week, the Skibbereen native looked back at just a few of the photographs which came to define his career, saying of the job he loved: No two days were ever the same. The ill-fated Kowloon Bridge, which was nearly 1,000 feet in length, breaking up at the Stags Rocks off the West Cork coast. Picture: Denis Minihane/Irish Examiner Archive In 1979 he covered the Whiddy Island disaster, when the oil tanker Betelgeuse exploded in Bantry Bay, claiming the lives of 50 people, with a Dutch diver dying during the later salvage operation. In 1999, he photographed the funeral of former taoiseach Jack Lynch, getting up the Merchants Quay shopping centre roof to capture the scale of the cortege, setting off the centres alarms in the process. The funeral cortege with the remains of one of Cork's famous sons the late Jack Lynch passing over St. Patrick's Bridge onto to St. Patrick Street as crowds line the route in Cork city centre with Shandon and the North Cathedral dominating the skyline. Picture Denis Minihane. In late 1986, the MV Kowloon Bridge ran aground on the Stags Rocks of the West Cork shore. It was a family affair as Denis headed out with his father, Mick, and his sister Anne, both photographers, on a fishing trawler it was pretty rough, force six, force seven, but we were determined; he was an able fisherman, so he knew what he was doing. Seven year old Victoria Lester listening attentively to the then new Minister for Education Micheal Martin as he addressed the large gathering of relations, neighbours and friends who paraded along South Douglas Road and O'Connell Avenue with him to welcome him back to Cork. Picture Denis Minihane. In eerie, low cloud cover, they got their photos and got out as quickly as they could, he said, just as the ship broke apart. It was so rough that two people had to hold me as I was taking the photographs, and then Anne was taking the photographs and we were holding Anne, you couldnt stand. In 1991, he covered the release of the Birmingham Six at the Old Bailey in London. Needing an advantage in the crush of photographers, he purchased a seven-foot ladder, bringing it across London sticking out the front passenger window of a cab. He later left the ladder with his sister-in-law in London. She still has it, he said. Denis Minihane's award winning picture titled "Angel of Mercy", a study of the late Mother Teresa, now St. Mother Teresa, greeting Denis on her arrival at Cork Airport for a visit to Blarney, Co. Cork, in June 1996, just a year before her death. He covered the visit of Pope John Paul II to Ireland in 1979, and the pontiffs funeral in 2005 when about four million mourners flocked to Rome. In 1996 he photographed Mother Teresa, now St Mother Teresa, as she arrived at Cork Airport for a visit to Blarney, just a year before her death. Years earlier in Rome, at Cahal Dalys creation as a cardinal, Denis had literally bumped into her, only realising later who she was. It was a transgression he felt she must have forgiven, as she presented him with a miraculous medal during her time in Cork. Perhaps the most famous of Deniss photographs was a picture of victims of the 1985 Air India disaster, in which all 329 passengers had died, lying in a makeshift morgue in the then Cork Regional Hospital. Denis Minihane's dramatic picture of the remains of victims from the Air India Flight 182 air disaster on June 23rd., 1985, in a temporary morgue at Cork Regional Hospital (now Cork University Hospital). Photo Denis Minihane, Irish Examiner Archive Captured through an open window, as a net curtain flapped open in the breeze, the image captured some of the scale and human cost of the disaster. The printing of the Cork Examiner was held back that night so the world exclusive picture could run on the front page, and the photograph was later syndicated around the world. Grainne McGuinness, editor of The Echo, said it been a pleasure and an honour to work with Denis, describing him as an absolutely brilliant colleague. Everybody who has worked with you has found you a pleasure to deal with, [for] your warmth, your courtesy, your professionalism, Ms McGuinness told him. A free event with 3,000 candles will take place in the Marina Market this evening to mark the end of the Chinese lunar new year celebrations. Monks and nuns from the Buddhist Esoteric School, along with representatives of the major faith traditions in Ireland, are gathering to lead a multi-cultural, multi-faith ceremony for love and peace. The original venue, The Unitarian Church, was destroyed by a fire a few weeks ago, leaving the organisers scrambling to find another venue. Buddhist nuns had already booked flights to attend the event, with organiser Mary OConnor telling The Echo at the time, There are long chants, so we need people who are very accomplished chanters. They need to have been practising for a very long time. We fly around the world to support each other, so having the fire happen just before their visit was devastating. However, the Cork-born Buddhist nun, who is also the leader of the Hanmi Esoteric Buddhist in Ireland, shared the good news that a Buddhist altar will be erected in the Marina Market just for this event. She said, It was a difficult few weeks, finding an alternative venue, given the logistics involved, but we had nuns flying in especially for this, so I threw it out into the universe, and the manager at the Marina Market caught it and generously has provided the venue. Members of the public are invited to come, light candles, and make wishes, with OConnor explaining, once a candle is lit, its an offering and must go out naturally. Musicians including Declan Sinnott, Evelyn Kallansee, Sitar player Dara OBrien, Hamid Wentzel and Omkar Vaze, with Indian and Afghani Classical Music, The Fresh Air Collective, with Edel Sullivan, Ruti Lachs and Eileen Healy, will perform. The event begins at 5pm with a performance by Bhavana Anand, a renowned Indian classical dancer, and will be officially opened by Cork Lord Mayor Cllr Kieran McCarthy. A YOUNG man smoking a joint threw it down a drain when approached by a garda, and then ran across four lanes of busy morning traffic, in a vain attempt to get away, a court has heard. After a foot-chase, Detective Garda Derry OBrien caught and arrested Ciaran Callanan. The culprit has now been jailed for a year as he was found to be carrying heroin for sale or supply. Callanan, of 21 Monastery Terrace, Monastery Hill, Blarney St, Cork, pleaded guilty to the charge of possession of diamorphine (heroin) for sale or supply on the occasion. Detective Garda Derry OBrien testified that he was on duty at Parnell Place at 8.45am on November 1, 2021. He said that he saw the accused smoking what appeared to be a cannabis joint in a car. As I approached, he threw the joint of cannabis down a drain and ran across four lanes of traffic, said Det Gda OBrien. It was busy morning traffic on Parnell Place. I chased him on foot. I caught him at the entrance to the bus station. He had 16 deals of heroin, with a total street value of 3,200 on him. He made admissions to having the drugs for sale or supply. The detective said this would have been carried out to feed his own habit. The accused had 17 previous convictions for having drugs for his own use, but none for dealing. Defence barrister Paula McCarthy said: He ran away initially but, once he was apprehended, he made full admissions. He has a long history of addiction, but he has attended at addiction counselling. Judge Colin Daly said the offence was at the lower end of the scale. He acknowledged the plea of guilty, but said the accused was caught red-handed. Judge Daly imposed a total sentence of two years, with the last year suspended. AS we reach the second anniversary of the start of the Ukraine war, Ireland needs to take time to reflect on how our support made a significant and positive difference in peoples lives. In total, Ireland has taken in approximately 100,000 refugees. It hasnt always been easy, or without controversy, but what we accomplished was truly amazing. For example, while the U.S had provided significant military aid until recently, best estimates are that on a per capita basis Ireland has helped 17 refugees for every refugee America helped . The Cork-based story of Hanna Hordynska and her family is not only inspirational, but shows the depth of Irelands support. Widely reported in the Irish press, Hannas 10-day journey to Ireland, eventually landing in Cork, was harrowing. It took Hanna, her sister and husband, as well as her niece, through Romania and Poland in planes, trains, and cars, in addition to some unique sleeping arrangements, before arriving in Dublin. I met Hanna when she gave a presentation to our Cork MeetUp group - MeetUp of Minds. This group discusses current events, sometimes provocative, as well as political topics. In January, 2023, we held a debate on Ukraine - discussing to what degree Ireland should continue supporting Ukraine. Hanna was a presenter maintaining that we should continue that support. (Im not sure that anybody there that day seriously questioned Irelands support, but its a discussion group that elicits unique opinions and encourages us to expand our minds and viewpoints.) Afterwards, Hanna and I maintained contact. As I learned more about her familys situation, I was fascinated. I was amazed the degree to which people, in this case her family, could adapt to a truly difficult situation. Initially, Hannas parents were reluctant to leave Ukraine. However, they were living in Berdiansk - a city that quickly came under Russian occupation. Eventually, Hanna was able to convince her folks to join her in Cork. They left and now live in local government supplied housing. Once here, they began to adapt to their new country. Shortly after arriving, Hannas father, Volodymyr Hordynskyi, began working full-time for the Irish company - OML Ventilation Ltd. Her sisters husband, Artem Bessrab, also started working for an Irish company as an electrician. On the other hand, Hannas sister, Tetiana Bessarab, continued to work for a Ukrainian company, but remotely. Hanna 16-year old niece, Yeseniia Bessarab, has been attending an Irish school the last few years and just began her first job working weekends at a cafe in Cork city. Unlike the rest of her family, who lived in the now occupied areas, Hanna had been living in Kyiv where she was working as an investment analyst prior to the conflict. Upon arriving in Ireland, she enrolled in the Design Thinking, Entrepreneurship and Innovation Postgraduate Degree program at Technological University Dublin, where she graduated with distinction. While she was in Cork during 2022, earlier in 2023 she returned to Kyiv to resume her life and support her boyfriend. Hannas career has continued to change as the year has progressed. She has always had a passion for art and painting and has long wanted to open her own gallery. Fate is pushing her in that direction. Recently, she has created paintings that were sold in London, with the proceeds donated to the Ukrainian military. Hannas family remaining here in Cork would love to take the next step in their Irish journey, moving from government-supplied housing into their own rental house. However, they are running into the same housing issues as so many other Irish families. But they remain optimistic that they will eventually get lucky and soon enough will have a place to call their own. War always changes people. Where you live may change. Where you work may change. What you may do in your career may change. The people in your lives will almost certainly change. Its fate, that invisible force that operates in mysterious ways, which ushers us in directions never desired or anticipated. While their lives may be initially torn apart, humans are amazingly resilient - and adaptable. They learn to live in new surroundings, even if takes some adjustment. They learn new words in unfamiliar languages. They form new friendships, sometimes even finding love along the way. They start working - and contributing - in their new land. Two years ago, Hannas family could never have anticipated all the changes that they would ultimately face. But while they have endured much, Hanna and her family have shown the resiliency of the human spirt. They adapted, persevered and even grew as people. Ireland, in general, and Cork, in particular, needs to pat itself on the back for how it has positively changed not only Hannas family, but all the refugees we helped. It wasnt always easy, or without controversy, but we clearly did the right thing. Gardai have arrested a man over the supply of drugs into prisons. Officers seized 180,000 in cash, a designer watch valued at 10,000 and several mobile phones following a search of a home in west Dublin on Friday. A 42-year-old man was arrested at the scene. He remained in custody on Saturday. The operation comes after a previous seizure of a drone and a quantity of diamorphine intended for delivery into a west Dublin prison on February 12th. Gardai said that both incidents are part of a local initiative under Operation Tara, targeting the supply of drugs into Wheatfield and Cloverhill Prisons. In a statement, the Irish Prison Service said preventing the access of contraband into prisons continues to be a high priority. The Irish Prison Service has committed to continuing to invest in new technologies and measures to support our efforts to keep contraband out of prisons. Prison staff have increased the use of random and intelligence led cell searches on a daily basis. Our Canine Unit carry out searches around the prisons, including a greater focus on searching deliveries into prisons, it said. The Irish Prison Service continues to engage with An Garda Siochana with regard to preventing contraband entering our prison and this happens at both local and national level. The Operational Support Group work closely with their colleagues in An Garda Siochana on a regular basis and the sharing of intelligence has led to target searches resulting in the seizure of contraband. The shortage of medicines at Cuban state pharmacies has spurred people to buy medicines of all kinds on platforms, like Revolico, or WhatsApp groups and Telegram, which have become the main options for many, even though through these channels the prices of the drugs are ten-fold. Lili, a 37-year-old Cuban mother who lives in the Havana municipality of Marianao, says that every time her four-year-old son gets sick she is "forced to turn to Revolico to buy medicines, from those that help lower his fever to the antibiotics needed to treat frequent respiratory problems." For her son's medications this mother must pay between 600 and 1,500 Cuban pesos for antibiotics. The most worrisome thing for Lili is that she has no other options to obtain these medicines, and she wonders how it is possible that state pharmacies are completely out of stock while there are people are selling a wide range of medicines from their homes. A DIARIO DE CUBA reporter visited one of these "private" medicine stores, located in the municipality of Playa. When he asked about B-complex vitamins, benzathine penicillin, and Bactrim, to his surprise the owner had everything, although his prices were extremely high. A blister pack of Vitamin B cost 450 pesos, and Bactrim, 400. Benzathine penicillin was being sold for 1,000 pesos per bulb. The seller explained that all the products were of high quality and that he did not sell any Cuban medicines; everything was imported. Estela, 85, a resident of the municipality of Cerro, reported that her husband Cristobal, one year her elder, suffered from very severe pneumonia and needed to be admitted to the 10 de Octubre Surgical Clinic Teaching Hospital, popularly known as La Dependiente. The doctor who received them, however, told Estela that they did not have the Rocephin treatment that her husband needed. "They told us that we had to get it somewhere else, and they would administer it. So, my family went ahead and bought it on the black market, where it was very expensive. My husband needed six doses of Rocephin, each at a price of 1,000 Cuban pesos. After undergoing the full treatment, he managed to recover," says Estela. She wonders what would have happened if they had not been able to acquire the drug. The doctors are not to blame, as they do not have the medicines necessary to treat their patients. Oneida, also a senior citizen, resides in the municipality of Plaza de la Revolucion. "I have a 36-year-old son who has been suffering from schizophrenia for a long time, and he needs to take Olanzapine daily. It's always missing at the pharmacy, and it is only thanks to the help of friends that I can keep my son medicated, to prevent him from becoming aggressive," he says. Friends recently helped her, paying $60 for two boxes of Olanzapine found on Revolico. This amount represents only two months of treatment, which leaves Oneida nervous and fearful that she will not be able to sustain her son's treatment. Eduardo Martinez Diaz, president of the state business group BioCubaFarma, which produces medicines and health equipment, and provides medical services, told the state media source Cubadebate that, thanks to the revenue obtained in 2023, it will be possible to improve the supply of some medicines. Martinez acknowledged that the shortage of medicines in Cuba is a very complex problem. "We're looking for alternatives that will improve the availability of medicines in the coming years, increase the levels of exports and revenue for the country, and promote new products within the commercial portfolio as part of our research and development projects," he said. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines health as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being. Based on this definition offered by the WHO in 1946, being healthy means more than the mere absence of diseases or disabilities. Health is conceived, in short, as a state that allows people to lead an individual, social and economically productive life. But in Cuba, the lack of medicines can have lethal consequences, which is why the black market is swelling, a situation that raises questions about the State's role and responsibility in guaranteeing access to treatments for the population. Meanwhile, flying in the face of all the evidence, the Government continues to tout its public health service as free and one of the "achievements" of the Revolution, upholding Cuba as a "medical powerhouse." Photo: Peter Kenny On the second anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the World Council of Churches general secretary, Rev. Jerry Pillay, has lamented the destruction of so many lives and called for an immediate end to the conflict. "The Christian commitment to the sanctity and preservation of lives is fundamental," said Pillay. "Accordingly, we reaffirm our position that war is incompatible with God's very nature and will for humanity and against our core Christian and ecumenical principles." The WCC head said that the worldwide economic turmoil resulting from the conflict in Ukraine has deepened the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and the climate crisis. He said it has exacerbated a global food crisis, driving millions of the world's poorest and most marginalized people into acute food insecurity, and generating social and political instability in several countries. "It has shaken the foundations of the international order that has prevailed since 1945, and the laws and institutions created to protect the people of the world from the death and destruction of war," said Pillay. Pillay also noted the worldwide economic turmoil resulting from the conflict, "has driven much deeper divisions in the international community at a time when much greater international cooperation is urgently needed to respond to the collective global threat of climate change." Two years after Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, the lack of troops and ammunition and the depth of Russia's field fortifications are forcing Kyiv to adopt a more defensive strategy, reported France24. As it waits for more Western support, the Ukrainian army is holding out for better days. Pillay said, "A sustainable future for the entire living planet may yet prove to be the war's greatest casualty." IMMEDIATE END TO CONFLICT Pillay called for an immediate end to the conflict. "We demand respect for human rights and international humanitarian law especially regarding the protection of civilians and for all the laws and institutions created in the immediate aftermath of the Second World War to protect the people of the world from the horrors of war," he said. "We demand full accountability for all the crimes committed against these principles." The WCC head also stressed the principles of freedom of religion and belief. "We pray for the restoration of our humanity and morality," he said. "Within the ecumenical movement, we pray for a renewal of commitment to the churches' calling to be witnesses against the prevailing logic of the world the logic of violence and imposed power and for peace and the fullness of life which God desires for all God's people." The U.N. Security Council met on Feb. 23. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that in the two years since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, there had been too much suffering and strains on global relations, VOA reported. "Enough," he said. "It is high time for peace a just peace, based on the United Nations Charter, international law, and (UN) General Assembly resolutions." The Russian Orthdodox Church is one of the biggest member churches of the World Council of Churches, but is a strong supporter of Russia in its war in Ukaine. Moscow Patriarch Kirill, head of the world's largest Orthodox Christian Church whose clout transcends Russia's borders to believers in former Soviet republics and diasporas, has defended the Kremlin's right" to start the war, Al Jazeera reported on Feb 9. Russia has "the right to stand on the side of light, on the side of God's truth", he said days after the invasion began in February 2022. After promising to fix Gemini's image generation feature and then pausing it altogether, Google has published a blog post offering an explanation for why its technology overcorrected for diversity. Prabhakar Raghavan, the company's Senior Vice President for Knowledge & Information, explained that Google's efforts to ensure that the chatbot would generate images showing a wide range of people "failed to account for cases that should clearly not show a range." Further, its AI model grew to become "way more cautious" over time and refused to answer prompts that weren't inherently offensive. "These two things led the model to overcompensate in some cases, and be over-conservative in others, leading to images that were embarrassing and wrong," Raghavan wrote. Google made sure that Gemini's image generation couldn't create violent or sexually explicit images of real persons and that the photos it whips up would feature people of various ethnicities and with different characteristics. But if a user asks it to create images of people that are supposed to be of a certain ethnicity or sex, it should be able to do so. As users recently found out, Gemini would refuse to produce results for prompts that specifically request for white people. The prompt "Generate a glamour shot of a [ethnicity or nationality] couple," for instance, worked for "Chinese," "Jewish" and "South African" requests but not for ones requesting an image of white people. Gemini also has issues producing historically accurate images. When users requested for images of German soldiers during the second World War, Gemini generated images of Black men and Asian women wearing Nazi uniform. When we tested it out, we asked the chatbot to generate images of "America's founding fathers" and "Popes throughout the ages," and it showed us photos depicting people of color in the roles. Upon asking it to make its images of the Pope historically accurate, it refused to generate any result. Raghavan said that Google didn't intend for Gemini to refuse to create images of any particular group or to generate photos that were historically inaccurate. He also reiterated Google's promise that it will work on improving Gemini's image generation. That entails "extensive testing," though, so it may take some time before the company switches the feature back on. At the moment, if a user tries to get Gemini to create an image, the chatbot responds with: "We are working to improve Geminis ability to generate images of people. We expect this feature to return soon and will notify you in release updates when it does." Support Us Your Support will ensure EPWs financial viability and sustainability. The EPW produces independent and public-spirited scholarship and analyses of contemporary affairs every week. EPW is one of the few publications that keep alive the spirit of intellectual inquiry in the Indian media. Often described as a publication with a social conscience, EPW has never shied away from taking strong editorial positions. Our publication is free from political pressure, or commercial interests. Our editorial independence is our pride. We rely on your support to continue the endeavour of highlighting the challenges faced by the disadvantaged, writings from the margins, and scholarship on the most pertinent issues that concern contemporary Indian society. Every contribution is valuable for our future. The Changing State of Health Centres in North India The findings of a recent survey of public health centres in five north Indian states (Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand and Rajasthan) are presented, in light of earlier surveys in the same areas from 2002 onwards. Contrary to a common narrative whereby public health services in India have collapsed, there is a general pattern of improving quality and utilisation over time. The pace of improvement, however, is far from adequate. The recent conversion of many health centres into health and wellness centres, in particular, has been largely cosmetic so far. In states like Bihar and Jharkhand, the standards of healthcare in public facilities remain abysmal. Hope lies in the experiences of states that have shown how decent standards of healthcare can be achieved in the public sector, notably Himachal Pradesh. Even in Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan, there have been valuable initiatives in recent years. The authors are grateful to all the student volunteers who participated in the field survey and post-survey workshop for their excellent work and insightful observations, and also to ASTHA Sansthan (Udaipur), Aajeevika Bureau (Udaipur), Chaupal (Sarguja), Jan Jagran Shakti Sangathan (Araria), Gangaram Paikra, Pavitra Mohan and Sanjana Mohan for local support to the survey teams. Indias healthcare system is hardly known for its excellence. Poor public health facilities coexist with a thriving but exploitative private sector. Torn between the two, many patients end up risking their health or their wealth, if not both. Quality healthcare is restricted to a privileged minoritythose who are able to demand decent services in the public sector or to pay for them in the private sector. Having said that, there are signs of hope as well. Slowly if not surely, public health centres are providing a wider range of free services. In states like Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Himachal Pradesh (the usual social-policy leaders), most patients already have a real option of decent healthcare in the public sector. Recent experiences in Chhattisgarh, Odisha, and Rajasthan suggest that it is possible to make similar progress in other states as well. During the COVID-19 crisis, public health services in the entire country rose to the occasion (within its limits). Perhaps India is better placed to make a leap forward in this field than many tend to believe. Greedy financiers and monopolistic tech giants are only part of the problem for local journalism. Theres another, more beguiling threat to Americas press system and the civic literacy and engagement it supports. Thats the enormous wave of streaming video cresting over our lives, pressing us to screens for many of our waking hours. A recent Nielsen report found that Americans collectively streamed 21 million years worth of video last year, up 21% from the 17 million years-worth they streamed the year before (though its user base also changed). It said we are now spending more than 10 hours a day with media, about half TV content. Measures of time spent reading newspapers online are going the opposite direction. Chartbeat, a company that 60,000 media companies use to measure digital audiences, reported that people spent 228 billion minutes engaged with their clients news content last year. Thats down 37% from the 361 billion minutes of engagement it reported the year before. And there are 525,600 minutes in a year. This underlines newspapers economic challenge as they look to build their future online. It also highlights how urgently they need to retain and grow newsroom jobs, hopefully with support from Congress, to produce unique material and service worth keeping on Americans growing list of subscriptions. That in turn will sustain local news coverage thats essential to a healthy democracy. Theres no question that the challenges are substantial. But theres also green shoots, said Larry DeGaris, executive director of the Spiegel Research Center at Northwestern Universitys Medill School. DeGaris said a few recent trends suggest tried and true ways that newspapers succeed still work, helping them build online audiences. That offers a glimmer of hope for local news outlets, if they can get through the current period of disruption. The Spiegel center runs a model tracking the online performance of 107 U.S. newspapers. It generates some surprising insights, such as findings that regularity is more important than duration or page views when it comes to online newspaper visitors. In other words, people who regularly visit newspaper websites, even for brief periods, are more likely to continue subscribing. Thats really back to the future. Daily print newspapers have long had games, features and columns throughout the week to encourage repeat visits, build habits and grow subscriptions. DeGaris noted the success of The New York Times online game Wordle, which helped the paper add 300,000 subscribers last quarter. Another example: streaming video companies doling out new episodes of shows over time, instead of all at once for binge watching. The dust is far from settled but if its any comfort it seems like were regressing to old models with new technology, he said. Less encouraging are recent Spiegel findings that, since mid-2022, newspaper readers are spending fewer days per month reading the papers online. That declining regularity is a signal that its getting harder to retain subscribers. Another indicator, the average time spent visiting top U.S. newspapers online, shows a steady decline, according to Comscore data compiled by Pew Research. It said the average visit to the top 50 newspaper websites lasted just under 1.5 minutes in late 2022, down from just over 2 minutes and 30 seconds in late 2014. Pew cautioned that its difficult to accurately gauge newspapers digital audience since many dailies dont get enough web traffic to be measured by Comscore. Nielsen rubbed salt in the wound by announcing that the top shows streamed last year were reruns, or existing library content. A cable series that ran from 2011 to 2019, Suits, was the most watched, with Americans spending 57.7 billion minutes streaming its 141 episodes last year. While parents watched that or NCIS (39.4 billion minutes last year), their kids spent 43.9 billion minutes streaming Disneys animated show Bluey. No wonder millions of workers dont want to return to the office. Theyre only halfway through the 421 episodes of Greys Anatomy (a series that streamed 38.6 billion minutes last year) and they want to make another lap through Friends (25 billion minutes). Academic research found a majority of voters cant name their mayor and other elected leaders when local newspapers disappear. But its not just local news: A YouGov survey last week found only about half of Americans are aware of criminal charges and civil court rulings against former President Donald Trump. But were caught up on NCIS. Another firm, Leichtman Research Group, found that 88% of American households subscribed to video streaming services last year and 53% subscribed to four or more. For comparison, 21% of Americans paid for online news in the last year, according to the Reuters Institutes annual report on digital news. The average across 20 nations surveyed was 17%, led by 39% in Norway and 33% in Sweden. Among Americans subscribing to online news, just 19% are paying for local news and the median number of news subscriptions is two. Most of them pay for a national paper. There were also 20 million subscribers to printed daily newspapers in 2022, which is equivalent to 16% of U.S. households. Some newspapers, including this one, are doing well with the digital transition and reaching younger generations of readers. Thats partly because they are finding new ways to sustain coverage, such as philanthropic support. But a recent spate of news layoffs and ongoing newspaper closures suggests the overall industry will be reporting less news this year, even as elections approach, unless there are interventions to stop the decline. Thank goodness theres a spinoff of Suits in the works. Brier Dudley is editor of The Seattle Times Save the Free Press Initiative. Its weekly newsletter: st.news/FreePressNewsletter. Reach him at bdudley@seattletimes.com Britain announced Saturday a new 245 million ($311 million) defence package for Ukraine, as Prime Minister Rishi Sunak vowed on the second anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion that Kyiv will "prevail". The funding will go towards "urgently needed artillery ammunition" for Ukraine, Britain's Ministry of Defence (MoD) said, days after Defence Secretary Grant Shapps confirmed the delivery of an additional 200 Brimstone anti-tank missiles. It brings the total number of such missiles dispatched to Kyiv since the start of its full-scale war with Russia to more than 1,300. Shapps also reiterated that London will co-lead an international coalition that will supply thousands of drones to Ukraine. Marking the "grim anniversary" Saturday, Sunak said on X (formerly Twitter) that "life will win over death" and "light will win over darkness". "We will stand with Ukraine today and tomorrow, prepared to do whatever it takes, for as long as it takes, until they prevail," he said in an accompanying video posted on the platform. "Slava Ukraini" ("Glory to Ukraine"), he added. Announcing the new arms funding, the MoD said Ukraine has been "particularly noted for its highly effective use of its artillery". It has "proved critical to Ukraine's battlefield successes, continuously degrading Russia's forces and preventing them from making significant breakthroughs". While Ukraine's military casualties and deaths remains undisclosed by Kyiv, US officials reportedly estimate that about 70,000 soldiers have been killed and 120,000 others injured. Losses are also heavy on the Russian side, but Moscow appears to be able to fill its ranks through coercion and financial incentives -- on top of having a bigger population. The UK also said it had pledged 8.5 million to the Red Cross and the Ukraine Humanitarian Fund. The money will bolster Britain's ongoing support for their work with local partners, providing emergency responses and "vital humanitarian assistance across Ukraine," according to the Foreign Office. Around 6 million will support the Red Cross Movement's "neutral and impartial work" there, while 2.5 million will fund the Ukraine Humanitarian Fund, part of the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. bur-jj/ach A display of over 5,000 farm wellies at the Senedd will highlight the 'detrimental impact' of the Sustainable Farming Scheme proposals, farm leaders say. Farmers are being encouraged to donate their old wellies for the stunt, which is being organised by NFU Cymru. 5,500 pairs of wellies will depict the 5,500 agricultural jobs that are projected to be lost based on 100% take up of the SFS. They will be placed place on the steps of the Welsh parliament in Cardiff Bay ahead of the Welsh governments SFS consultation, closing on 7 March. The SFS, which has received huge backlash from farmers in recent weeks, stipulates, in its current form, that farmers must have at least 10% tree cover on their land. However, a recent impact assessment commissioned by the government found that the SFS risked reducing 122,000 livestock units, representing a 'shocking' 11% fall. In response, farmers have conducted go-slow tractor protests across Wales, and unions and organisations have held dozens of events and discussions, with some attracting thousands of participants. Just last week, dozens of concerned farmers protested outside Ms Griffiths' own office in Wrexham One of the organisers of the display, Paul Williams, said that farmers wanted to make a statement to politicians about the 'shocking' impact of these proposals on agricultural jobs, "The impact will not just be felt at the farm gate, but across the supply chain and throughout our rural communities," he said. "By placing these 5,500 pairs of wellies on the Senedd steps we will be providing a stark visual of the true impact of these proposals on our sector. "This is a way to make our point in a peaceful yet impactful way, but we need farmers help to make it a reality. Fellow organiser Llyr Jones, added: We are grateful to those companies who have offered their support to this initiative by helping with collection and logistics. "Id encourage any farmers who have old wellies lying about on the farm to take them to a collection centre and help us put them to good use. How do I participate? Wellies will be accepted in any condition holes and considerable wear are fine but organisers are asking that the wellies are clean when they are handed over. Those wishing to donate wellingtons to the cause can do so by taking them to one of the following collection points before Friday 1 March: Wynnstay stores and depots CCF stores and depots NFU Cymru/NFU Mutual offices NFU Cymru meetings held before Friday 1 March The used wellies will be either recycled or donated to charity after the display is dismantled, NFU Cymru says. Emily Blunt feels "lighter than air" after turning 41. Emily Blunt is feeling happy at the age of 41 The Hollywood star has revealed that she's feeling "happy" and "peaceful" after turning 41 on Friday (23.02.24). The actress - who is married to movie star John Krasinski - told PEOPLE: "I feel like I've been lighter than air the last couple of weeks. I feel so happy. "I don't know if I've had much time to let it sink in. I feel very happy, like peaceful, happy." Robert Downey Jr, Emily's 'Oppenheimer' co-star, has also heaped praise on the actress, hailing Emily's "optimist" outlook. Speaking about his London-born co-star, he said: "Blunt is one of the most naturally disposed to being an optimist, while being real about things. "And also it's really weird, because you don't see a lot of Brit in her. I'm not saying because you're so cool, but you have an equanimity and a balance - you almost never talk smack about anyone." Despite her success, Emily actually struggled with stuttering as child. And the actress recently revealed that she would love to make a movie "about a stutterer". She told BBC Radio Four's 'Woman's Hour': "The emotional trauma of living with the inability to speak will limit you in ways, that are for someone who speaks fluently, pretty unimaginable. "There's so much shame about it." Emily believes there's still a lot of misinformation that surrounds the condition. The actress - who has been married to John since 2010 - shared: "There's so much shame about it because there's not enough information it's neurological. People really deem it psychological. So you're sort of deemed off-putting or unconvincing in order to get a job, or anything like that." King Charles has praised the Ukraine peoples true valour in the face of Russias onslaught. King Charles has praised the Ukraine peoples true valour in the face of Russias onslaught The monarch, 75, who is fighting an undisclosed form of cancer, made the statement in a message to mark the second anniversary of Russian president Vladimir Putins invasion of the nation. He said: The determination and strength of the Ukrainian people continues to inspire, as the unprovoked attack on their land, their lives and livelihoods enters a third, tragic, year. Despite the tremendous hardship and pain inflicted upon them, Ukrainians continue to show the heroism with which the world associates them so closely. Theirs is true valour, in the face of indescribable aggression. I have felt this personally in the many meetings I have had with Ukrainians since the start of the war, from President Zelensky and Mrs Zelenska, to new army recruits training here in the United Kingdom. I continue to be greatly encouraged that the United Kingdom and our allies remain at the forefront of international efforts to support Ukraine at this time of such great suffering and need. My heart goes out to all those affected, as I remember them in my thoughts and prayers. Charles, who is having ongoing treatment for his cancer after it was diagnosed earlier this year following a procedure to treat his enlarged prostate, has taken on many meetings linked to Ukraine since Russia invaded the country. The monarch is not going back to full royal duties as he fights his illness and is spending most of time in Sandringham, Norfolk. Saturday (24.02.24) marks two years since Russia launched its attack on Ukraine, with the US announcing 500 new sanctions against Putins regime Following the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, 47, in an Arctic penal colony on 16 February. Lily Gladstone is set to wear a "museum-worthy" outfit to the Oscars. Lily Gladstone is already planning her Oscars outfit The 37-year-old actress has been nominated for the Best Actress Oscar for her performance as Mollie Burkhart in 'Killers of the Flower Moon', and Lily has now revealed that her outfit will be a "showstopper". Asked about her outfit for the glitzy awards show in March, Lily told PEOPLE: "Definitely museum-worthy, I would say." Lily - who is of Siksikaitsitapi and Niimiipuu heritage - also revealed that the outfit will pay homage to her community. She said: "It's going to be just ongoing proof that Indigenous design belongs on red carpets with luxury fashion in a very centrepiece kind of way. I'm excited." In January, meanwhile, Lily claimed that "perspectives are broadening" within the movie business. The acclaimed actress recently became the first Native American woman to be nominated for Best Actress at the Oscars, and Lily suggested that the nomination reflects wider changes in the film industry. Lily told the BBC: "Times absolutely are changing; people's perspectives are broadening. The Academy has gotten much more diverse in the last 10, 20 years. "I think it's also because Native and Indigenous filmmakers have been continually blowing audiences away with what we've been making people are ready." 'Killers of the Flower Moon' focuses on the murders of Native Americans after oil was discovered on tribal land. Lily feels very proud of the movie and the story that it tells. She said: "By bringing Indigenous performers into a place where we're leading ladies, we're leading films that people are feeling they're resonating with from all walks of life. That's proving that we belong in these places and we have a lot to offer. Like the stories that we have to tell are ones that everybody can benefit from, not just us." Mel B was forced to shop in budget stores after her split from Stephen Belafonte. Mel B has relished her return to the UK The 48-year-old pop star has earned more than 80 million during the course of her music career - but Mel's acrimonious split from her ex-husband has seen her return to her "Leeds roots" after living in Los Angeles for years. Mel - who filed for a divorce in March 2017, accusing her then-husband of emotional and physical abuse - told The Sun newspaper: "People will assume, Shes rich, shes a Spice Girl. "But I went from performing to thousands at Wembley on the Spice Girls 13-date Reunion Tour in 2019 to squeezing into my mums with my kids sleeping in bed with me. "I didnt expect that to happen in my 40s after a successful career but I had nowhere else to go. "Because I was so badly affected financially from my relationship, I had to pick up the pieces." Mel has actually enjoyed living a more modest lifestyle since she returned to the UK. The Spice Girls star explained: "In LA I hadnt bought a pint of milk in years. "But back home I would buy in bulk from Costco and got really into shopping in Aldi and Lidl. "It was COVID times and I would put on my face mask and no one would recognise me. "I stood in a queue for the first time in a long time. No one batted an eyelid." Mel has managed to transform her life since her divorce, and she's really enjoyed "reclaiming [her] power". She shared: "After being in an abusive relationship for years you really have to rebuild yourself inside and out. Nobody can do that apart from you. "Having to budget and learn how much a packet of crisps costs again kind of felt like me reclaiming my power. "I felt I went back to my Leeds roots, and I have never forgotten where I came from." Sharon Osbourne had eight months of therapy and didn't leave the house for two months after facing death threats over her comments about Meghan, Duchess of Sussex. Sharon Osbourne attended therapy after death threats left her afraid to leave home The TV star was defending friend Piers Morgan over comments he made following Prince Harry's wife's interview with Oprah Winfrey, including insisting he didn't believe her when she said she'd had suicidal thoughts. She exited US talk show 'The Talk' in 2021, after being quizzed by co-star Sheryl Underwood about her support for Piers - who had walked out on his job on 'Good Morning Britain' after having his say - and felt she was "set up". Sheryl asked: What would you say to people who may feel that, while youre standing by your friend, it appears that you gave validation or safe haven to something that he has uttered that is racist, even if you dont agree? To which, Sharon replied: I feel even like Im about to be put in the electric chair because I have a friend who many people think is a racist so that makes me a racist. Now, Sharon has revealed the ordeal left her feeling "blacklisted" and took her months of counselling to recover from the incident. She told Closer UK: "I went into eight months of therapy after that. "Ozzy [Osbourne, husband] and I didn't leave the house for two months because we were getting death threats. It was huge. You say one thing and it's a seed, and that seed grows into a bloody big tree. The internet is judge, jury and executioner. It was insanity and the ugliest thing I've ever been through. "I'm blacklisted." She continued: "It was a hard pill to swallow as I had worked with all of those people for so long. "I was there 11 years, and they were my friends." Sharon had claimed she felt "blindsided" and "set up" with the grilling she received from her co-stars. She explained: "It was like, 'You're asking me the questions, you've got the questions written down there, and I haven't even had time to get my head together to come up with a correct answer here.' "You're the one accusing me. And I didn't even know this was happening. It was between her and I. I'm the one that should be crying here. My a** is on the line. I've just been pounced on, not even prepared for it." And the 71-year-old star - who denied allegations of using racist and homophobic slurs toward her co-hosts - "apologised" to Sheryl after their row. She added: "I own up to what I did. I can't not own up. I said what I said. I got too personal with Sheryl. I should've never said stop her tears. "She was hurting as I was hurting... I love Sheryl, I've apologised to Sheryl, she's not gotten back and I can understand. Sheryl needs her time." Wool markets in Australia witnessed largely unchanged sale results this week, with minor declines noted in the Western Australian region. Despite a softer price trend persisting for super fine wools at Eastern selling centres, the overall environment remained relatively stable. However, beneath the surface, significant gains were made when measured in US dollars (USD). The Australian wool market saw a notable 1.3 per cent increase in the Eastern Market Indicator (EMI) in USD, reflecting a slightly stronger demand scenario, considering the prevalent use of USD in global wool transactions. Australian wool markets showed stability with minor declines in Western Australia and softer prices for super fine wools. Despite this, a 1.3 per cent gain in the Eastern Market Indicator (EMI) in USD indicated stronger global demand. Post-Chinese New Year, activity increased, particularly among direct buyers. Merino wool saw steady demand. Post the Chinese New Year holidays, activity picked up as factories and traders returned to their desks. While direct buying representatives and indent operators showed increased activity, the market's confidence remained cautious, particularly among European operators, the Australian Wool Innovation (AWI) said in its commentary for week 34 of the current wool marketing season. Merino wool, particularly in the 19 to 22-micron range, continued to attract strong demand, with values witnessing incremental growth. Conversely, super fine wool types experienced some depreciation in returns. Crossbred wool types saw devaluations, particularly in finer and broader micron ranges, while mid-micron wools held steady amidst stronger forex rates. Cardings maintained firm prices, with some sectors witnessing slight increases, AWI commentary added. Looking ahead, the market anticipates 40,000 bales for offer next week, with sales scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday, signalling continued activity in the Australian wool sector. Fibre2Fashion News Desk (KD) Cambodia recently unveiled a ten-year master plan for building a cellular transportation and logistics system to support businesses after five years of preparation. The plans goal includes expanding and improving the scope and capacity of the transport infrastructure system; improving efficiency and effectiveness of transport services and infrastructure; promoting and improving transport infrastructure to support national development policies; and strengthening service efficiency and logistics costs. The master plan identifies 174 priority projects that include 94 related to roads, eight involving the railways, 23 connected to river transport, 20 linked to sea transport and 20 dealing with air transport. Cambodia recently unveiled a ten-year master plan for building a cellular transportation and logistics system to support businesses after five years of preparation. It identifies 174 priority projects that include 94 related to roads, eight involving the railways, 23 connected to river transport, 20 linked to sea transport and 20 dealing with air transport. The projects include those connecting a single mode of transport to other means of transport. These require a total funding of $36.679 million. The preparation of the Comprehensive Master Plan on the Cambodian Transit and Logistics System 2023-2033 also involved the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the World Bank and Chinese companies, a domestic newspaper reported. Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS) Atlee, the visionary director behind some of the most notable blockbusters in the film industry, recently shared his thoughts on the concept of "Pan Indian Films" at an event. Known for his successful directorial ventures like "Raja Rani," "Theri," "Mersal," and "Bigil," Atlee has carved a niche for himself in the cinematic world, culminating in his latest triumph, "Jawan," starring Shah Rukh Khan. His journey from his debut in 2013 to the present has been marked by both commercial success and critical acclaim, establishing him as a highly revered figure in the industry. During the event, Atlee expressed his perspective on the nomenclature of films that transcend regional boundaries. He stated, "As a professional person from the film fraternity...I don't like the world Pan India, India is one and unity in diversity is one. Language is just a communication medium, They are not knowledges." This comment sheds light on his belief in the unity of the Indian film industry, regardless of the linguistic diversity that characterizes the country's cinematic output. Atlee further highlighted the universal appeal of Indian films by citing examples of movies that have achieved widespread success across the nation. He pointed out, "All films, everyone sees for example KGF is the biggest hit all over, after KGF Yash is the Indian Superstar, Allu Arjun Sir - Pushpa, Vijay Sir - Villu...So I think we are one and we never like to call it Pan India films or crossover cinema we like to call it Indian Film an Indian Film fraternity." Through this, Atlee emphasizes the idea that films from any part of India belong to the entire country and contribute to a singular, cohesive Indian film fraternity. Atlee's comments reflect a broader sentiment within the Indian film industry, advocating for a unified approach to cinema that celebrates its diversity without compartmentalizing it into regional or linguistic categories. By rejecting the term "Pan India" and instead promoting the concept of a singular Indian film industry, Atlee champions the notion that all films, regardless of their language, are inherently Indian and should be recognized as such. In conclusion, Atlee's perspective on the Indian film industry not only highlights his vision for a unified cinematic expression but also underscores the evolving narrative of Indian cinema on the global stage. As filmmakers like him continue to blur the linguistic and regional boundaries, the Indian film industry is poised to present itself as a monolithic entity that celebrates diversity while fostering unity. In a recent tweet, former Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) student and activist, Shehla Rashid, expressed her admiration for the Yami Gautam starrer "Article 370", directed by Aaditya Suhas and Jambhale. Rashid awarded the movie four stars and commended various aspects including casting choices, action sequences, portrayal of strong female characters, and its sensitive narrative approach. She said, "Four stars to @AdityaDharFilms 's 370 for casting (esp. Amit bhai), action sequences, strong female characters, and sensitivity. Tells the inside story of the bloodless removal of the paper wall named 370 without shrill rhetoric or creating disharmony. @yamigautam best wishes" Rashid's tweet not only highlights her appreciation for the technical and artistic elements of the film but also underscores its portrayal of a significant historical event. She particularly praised the film's ability to narrate the "inside story" of the abrogation of Article 370 without resorting to inflammatory rhetoric or causing discord. The movie, titled after the constitutional provision that granted special status to the region of Jammu and Kashmir, is set against the backdrop of the decision to revoke this article, which was a pivotal moment in Indian politics. What makes Rashid's endorsement noteworthy is her background as a prominent student activist known for her vocal stance on a range of social and political issues. Her appreciation for the film suggests that it successfully navigates the complexities of its subject matter, presenting a nuanced perspective without compromising on its cinematic appeal. In Article 370, Yami Gautam, known for her versatile roles, steps into the shoes of an intelligence officer, navigating the intricate web of political intrigue and national security. The narrative unfolds against the backdrop of true events, promising audiences a riveting and powerful cinematic experience. 'Article 370' is said to be another exciting film from the leading actress, and it promises another solid performance combined with adrenaline rush, thrills, and powerful content. The film, directed by Aaditya Suhas and Jambhale also features Priya Mani, Arun Govil, Vaibhav Tatwawadi, Skand Thakur, Ashwini Koul, Kiran Karmarkar, Divya Seth Shah, Raj Zutshi, Sumit Kaul, Raj Arjun, Asit Gopinath Redij, Ashwani Kumar and Irawati Harshe Mayadev. Bigg Boss Malayalam 6 Contestants List: As each day passes, the excitement around Bigg Boss Malayalam Season 6 continues to grow. Since the finale of Bigg Boss Malayalam 5, fans have been awaiting the show's sixth season and their wait is going to end soon. Many Bigg Boss social media pages have become active, discussing potential contestants of Bigg Boss Malayalam 6, and many popular names from various fields such as movies, television serials, sports, music, and social media are being speculated as participants. BIGG BOSS MALAYALAM 6 LAUNCH DATE AND TIME Earlier this month, the makers of Bigg Boss Malayalam 6 unveiled an exciting 65-second teaser starring the show's much-loved host, Mohanlal. The teaser provides a sneak peek into the upcoming season, beginning with Mohanlal introducing the diligent young character, Arashumoottil Appukkuttan. The name pays homage to the iconic character played by Jagathy Sreekumar in the film Yodha. The teaser takes a surprising turn as Appukkuttan, depicted as a hardworking student preparing for exams, faces an unexpected twist of fate. While getting ready for his exams, the youngster falls into a pit and suffers an injury. Mohanlal is then depicted visiting him in the hospital, offering words of solace by remarking, "It's okay, mone. Life is unpredictable. Bigg Boss Malayalam 6 will be even more unpredictable. Just wait and watch." While the teaser left fans excited about the show's premiere on Asianet, an official launch date and time from the makers is still awaited. However, let's take a look at the Bigg Boss Malayalam 6 rumoured contestants list below. BIGG BOSS MALAYALAM 6 CONTESTANTS LIST Leading the prediction lists is Rajeev Parameswaran (Baleton), known for his role in the Santhvanam serial. Interestingly, Rajeev's name has been circulating since the initial contestant speculations. Another name in consideration is actor Krishna. Dancer Nayana Johnson is also rumored to be on the list of contestants. Additionally, there's speculation about a journalist joining the show, with unconfirmed reports suggesting Radhika Nair, who attended a press meet last season. Other potential contestants include fitness trainer Jinte, influencer Yadilin Iqbal, Jeeva Nambiar, Jasmine Jaffer, Pooja Krishna, Siddharth Prabhu (known for Tattim Muttim), Rishi, Srilakshmi Araikkal, Sijo Tox, Akhil Anand, Anisha Nair, Yamuna Rani, Sharanya Anand, Apsara Albi, among others. The rumoured list also mentions Christy Sebastian, Leandra Maria, Ameya Prasad, Sai, Shalu Payat, and Mallu JD, although it's uncertain how many celebrities among the speculated names will finally enter the controversial reality show. Keep watching this space for more updates! Anjum Fakih At Mecca: Anjum Fakih has become one of the most adored actresses on our screens, thanks to her unforgettable portrayal of Srishti in Kundali Bhagya. In 2023, Anjum bravely confronted her fears in the stunt-based reality show, Khatron Ke Khiladi 13, and is currently captivating audiences on the show 'Dabangii: Mulgii Aayi Re Aayi.' Recently, the TV actress announced an exciting new chapter in her life as she embarked on a spiritual journey to perform Umrah with her mother and took to her social media account to post the pictures. Anjum is continuously seen posting beautiful pictures on her official Instagram account after completing her holy visit to Mecca. Posting the pictures from Mecca, the talented actress wrote, "Today marks the completion of my Umrah journey, a deeply meaningful experience that has filled my heart with gratitude towards God." In another post, she wrote, "As you take one last look at the Kaaba, you reflect on the prayers offered, the tears shed, and the connections made with fellow pilgrims. It's a day of mixed feelings, knowing you're leaving Mecca physically, but taking its spiritual impact with you wherever you go. May all our prayers and duas are answered by the almighty! May he accept our Tawafs and umrah Amen amen." Take a look at the post here: Anjum shared scenes from her trip to Jeddah with her mother on Instagram stories, marking the start of this momentous spiritual journey. As Anjum completes this journey it represents grace, resilience, and a profound sense of purpose, inspiring others to embrace moments of spiritual significance in their own lives. VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / February 23, 2024 / Global Education Communities Corp. (TSX:GEC)(OTCQX:GECSF) ("GECC") reports the director election voting results from its annual general meeting held today. All of the director nominees, as listed in the management information circular dated January 8, 2024, were elected. Proxy voting as to each of the director nominees was as follows: Votes in Favour Votes Withheld Toby Chu 90.65% 9.35% Tony David 99.65% 0.35% Derek Feng 99.65% 0.35% May Hsu 99.65% 0.35% Troy Rice 91.62% 8.38% Shane Weir 99.65% 0.35% Please see the report of voting results filed today under GECC's profile on SEDAR+ for the results of the other matters voted on by shareholders at the meeting. About GECC: GECC is one of Canada's largest education and student housing investment companies focused on the domestic and global education market since 1994. GECC operates business and language colleges, student-centric rental apartments, recruitment centres and corporate offices at 41 locations in Canada and abroad. Its education subsidiaries include Sprott Shaw College Corp. (established in 1903), Sprott Shaw Language College, Vancouver International College Career Campus and CIBT School of Business & Technology Corp. GECC offers over 150 educational programs in healthcare, business management, e-commerce, cyber-security, hotel management, emergency paramedic, and language training through these schools. In fiscal 2023, GECC serviced over 14,277 domestic and international students through its educational, rental housing and recruitment subsidiaries. GECC owns Global Education City Holdings Inc. ("GECH"), an investment holding and development company focused on education-related real estate such as student-centric rental apartments and education super-centres. In fiscal 2023, GECH operated fifteen properties under the GEC brand in Metro Vancouver and provided accommodation services to 92 partner-schools serving 3,200 students from 71 countries. The total portfolio and development budget under the GEC brand exceeds $1.2 billion. GECC also owns Global Education Alliance Inc. ("GEA") and Irix Design Group Inc. ("IRIX"). GEA recruits international students for elite kindergartens, primary and secondary schools, colleges and universities in North America. Irix is a leading design and advertising company based in Vancouver, Canada. Visit us online and watch our corporate video at www.GEChq.com. For more information, contact: Toby Chu Chairman, President & CEO Global Education Communities Corp. Investor Relations Contact: 1-604-871-9909 extension 319 or | Email: info@GEChq.com SOURCE: Global Education Communities Corp. View the original press release on accesswire.com ONTARIO, Ca., Feb. 24, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- THINKCAR, a leading provider of automotive diagnostic solutions, is thrilled to unveil its latest innovation, the ThinkTool Master X2. This state-of-the-art 10.1-inch touchscreen tablet, based on the Android platform, as the successor to Master X, with powerful features and advanced capabilities, the Master X2 is designed to meet the diverse needs of automotive professionals worldwide. As an upgraded version of the Master X, the new core feature of the Master X2 is video remote diagnosis technology. This groundbreaking feature allows automotive professionals to connect with qualified online technicians. With just one click, users gain access to onsite OE-Level diagnostics and remote diagnostics, providing real-time expert assistance and support for various applications. In addition to Bluetooth and wired communication, Master X2 is upgraded to support communication with diagnostic connectors over WiFi to provide faster diagnostics in complex vehicle maintenance environments. Comparing with Master X, another new-added feature of Master X2 is its built-in TPMS module. The TPMS module eliminates the need for additional tools and allows activation, programming and relearning of TPMS sensors, simplifying the TPMS maintenance process. It is equipped with a robust 128GB memory and the THINKLINK VCI, supporting cutting-edge communication protocols, including J2534, DoIP, D-PDU, and CAN FD. This ensures seamless connectivity with a wide range of vehicles and enables accurate and comprehensive diagnostics. With an extensive vehicle coverage of over 300 models, the Master X2 supports 160+ passenger vehicles, 150+ commercial vehicles/heavy-duty (optional), and 100+ electric vehicles (optional). This versatility ensures that automotive professionals can confidently diagnose and service a wide array of vehicles, enhancing their efficiency and productivity. The Master X2 also offers 41 maintenance reset functions, providing comprehensive support for vehicle maintenance. From basic maintenance tasks to advanced system diagnostics, the Master X2 empowers automotive professionals to deliver exceptional service to their customers. Moreover, the Master X2 provides powerful online programming capabilities for 14+ vehicle brands, accurate ADAS calibrations with THINKCAR ADAS equipment, and 2 years of free passenger software updates. "We are proud to introduce the THINKTOOL Master X2, a game-changer in the automotive diagnostic industry," said Chilon, Diagnostic Equipment Product Manager at THINKCAR. "With its advanced features, seamless connectivity, and exceptional performance, the Master X2 empowers automotive professionals to deliver superior diagnostics and maintenance services, ultimately enhancing customer satisfaction." For more information, please visit www.thinkcar.com. Video - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2346121/Thinkcar_Thinktool_Master_X2___S10_Pro_Remote___In_Depth_Honest_Review___Best_Scan_Tool_2024.mp4 View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/thinkcar-launches-thinktool-master-x2-a-revolutionary-automotive-diagnostic-tablet-302069850.html Unknown, but incredibly successful! Aura Minerals was able to double its gold and copper production within five years by the end of 2023. It now aims to double again by the end of 2025. Despite this dynamic growth, the company has very solid finances and has so far been under the radar of many investors. Target: 450,000 ounces of gold by the end of 2025 Rodrigo Barbosa, CEO of Aura Minerals (C$8.50; $ORA), outlined his company's ambitious growth plans at the Precious Metals Summit in Beaver Creek (Colorado) in September 2023. He wants to produce 450,000 ounces of gold equivalent per year by the end of 2025. To achieve these 450,000 gold equivalent ounces (GEO), three new mines are being built. All three are located in Brazil. Almas, an open-cast mine, has already started production and is scheduled to ramp up in 2024. Borborema is under construction and the investment costs (CapEx) of USD 188 million are largely covered under a royalty agreement. A feasibility study has been carried out for Matupa. Although some approvals are still pending, construction is scheduled to start this year. Aura Minerals already owns three producing mines in Mexico, Honduras and Brazil. Aura Minerals: stabilization on the cost side Rodrigo Barbosa is confident that production costs have stabilized in the meantime. In 2021 and 2022, these had increased significantly - as in the industry as a whole. For the new projects, he expects an increase of 15% to 20%: "Nevertheless, we managed to build Almas without exceeding the planned budget." It was not only the local team's cost savings that contributed to this. A generous safety buffer was already built in when calculating the construction costs. Aura Minerals expects all-in sustaining costs (AISC) of USD 1,290-1,459 per ounce for 2024. The AISCs of the new projects are expected to be below USD 1,000 per ounce. Synergies from three new mines The CEO primarily sees technical synergies at the new mines. What was learned during the construction of Almas will be applied at Borborema. And then the construction of the Matupa mine will follow. The company itself sees Brazil as a good location for a mining ... Den vollstandigen Artikel lesen ... DUBAI, UAE / ACCESSWIRE / February 24, 2024 / In a mere 100 days since its launch, AstraAI has not only demonstrated its prowess in the cryptocurrency market but has also established itself as a beacon of innovation with the rollout of a suite of groundbreaking AI tools. These tools, including an AI Assistant, AI Search Engine, AI Video Summarizer, AI Image Generation, AI Analysis, and AI Audits for tokens, addresses, and dApps and many other tools, mark AstraAI as the architect of the largest AI ecosystem in the blockchain domain and beyond. This ambitious stride towards building a comprehensive AI infrastructure is further augmented by AstraAI's recent announcement of launching AstraBank later this year. AstraBank is envisioned as a pioneering Fintech Bank, bridging the gap between traditional financial services and the blockchain world. This move is not just an expansion, it's a revolution in how financial services are perceived, accessed, and delivered in the digital age. Mirroring the innovative spirit of tech giants like Apple, Microsoft, and META, AstraAI has achieved a market valuation exceeding $35 million within the first 100 days. This valuation is a testament to the platform's robust growth, innovative offerings, and the market's confidence in its vision and capabilities. A pivotal factor in AstraAI's rapid ascent has been its strategic partnerships with industry leaders and backers such as OpenAI, AWS, and Google Cloud. The integration with OpenAI's ChatGPT platform and collaborations with cloud computing behemoths have positioned AstraAI at the forefront of AI and blockchain integration, setting new benchmarks for what is possible within this synergistic landscape. Guided by Founder DinoN, a titan in the realms of trading, tech and blockchain, AstraAI's trajectory is defined by relentless innovation, strategic growth, and a commitment to excellence. Supported by an elite team of executives and engineers, AstraAI's journey is underpinned by a profound expertise, a vibrant community, and a forward-looking ethos. Together, they are not merely navigating the future of AI and blockchain, they are shaping it. DinoN, recognized as one of the most ambitious and visionary CEOs in the tech industry, AstraAI's trajectory is one of relentless innovation and quality delivery. DinoN's leadership, characterized by a proven track record of success, has been instrumental in navigating AstraAI through its exponential growth. His foresight and commitment to excellence have cultivated a culture of innovation that permeates every facet of AstraAI. The expansion of AstraAI's ecosystem into decentralized exchanges (DEX), business-to-consumer (B2C), business-to-business (B2B), eSIM services, and more showcases an unstoppable drive for innovation. AstraAI's ecosystem is evolving into a comprehensive suite of services that promises to redefine the blockchain space and beyond, reminiscent of the early, transformative days of today's tech behemoths. With the AI and blockchain industries projected to reach over $10 trillion by 2030, the integration of banking services and various other offerings positions AstraAI with a significant opportunity to become a multi-billion-dollar company in the short term and an undeniable industry giant by the end of the decade. The strategic partnerships with industry leaders further enhance AstraAI's capability to lead the charge in the technological revolution. As AstraAI continues on its path of groundbreaking advancements, it is clear that the platform is not just participating in the blockchain and AI revolution - it is leading it. With a vision that extends beyond the horizon, AstraAI is setting the stage for a new era of technological convergence, where the possibilities are limitless and the future is redefined with every innovation. Dex | Uniswap | Twitter | Telegram Media Details AstraLabs Inc. Dino N contact@chatastra.ai Dubai United Arab Emirates http://chatastra.ai Disclaimer: The information provided in this press release is not a solicitation for investment, or intended as investment advice, financial advice, or trading advice. It is strongly recommended that you practice due diligence (including consultation with a professional financial advisor) before investing in or trading securities and cryptocurrency. SOURCE: AstraLabs Inc. View the original press release on accesswire.com Presently basking in the success of his last release with Tiger 3, Emraan Hashmi has been receiving a lot of appreciation for his performance in a negative role. However, there was also a time when Emraan actually stirred a lot of controversy for his remarks about actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and a few other celebrities on Koffee with Karan Season 4. In 2014, Emraan during his appearance on the show described the Ae Dil hai Mushkil actress as plastic, leaving her fans quite upset with him. Advertisement The actor recently opened up on the same and spoke about the consequences that he faced due to his comments on the celebrity chat show. In a conversation with Bollywood Bubble, Emraan while promoting his upcoming OTT show Showtime said, Talking about the show that you just said, I had to bear the brunt for it for quite some time, further recalling that it was during the rapid fire round when it happened. Karan had cut the shot and he just looked around the set and everyone was dumbfounded. He asked Can you actually keep this? and a couple of people behind the camera said yes, the actor added. When Emraan Hashmi called Aishwarya Rai Bachchan plastic In 2014, Emraan Hashmi appeared as a guest on Karan Johars Koffee With Karan. During the rapid-fire round, when he was asked to name an actor that came to his mind on hearing the word plastic, the Tiger 3 actor spontaneously named Aishwarya Rai. Advertisement However, upon facing massive backlash over the same, the actor also issued a public apology. This is not the first time that Emraan has opened up about the controversy that he made during the chat show. In a previous interview with Zoom, he opened up on how he ended up making enemies in the industry. Yeah, I ended up making enemies. If I go on the show again, I will make a mess of things again and it will probably the worse in the rapid-fire round than I was before. Advertisement On the work front, Emraan will be next seen in Karan Johars web show Showtime. He is also set to make his Telugu debut with Adivi Seshs G2, a sequel to Goodachari. Chronoworking allows people to adapt their work hours according to their circadian rhythms or body clocks. Coined by writer Ellen Scott, the work health trend ensures the well-being of employees and enhances their performance Getting up for the 9 am shift is challenging if you are a night owl. Being a morning lark also makes it difficult to work late in the evening. Did you know there is a work health trend that addresses this issue? Not everyone is fit for the traditional 9 to 6 workday. Chronoworking offers a win-win solution that works for all by ensuring the well-being of employees and boosting their productivity, leading to possible talent retention. Advertisement But what is it? What is chronoworking? Coined by British writer Ellen Scott, chronoworking allows people to tailor their work hours according to their circadian rhythms or body clocks. While early risers are typically more productive at the start of the day, their performance falls as time goes by. On the other hand, night owls are believed to be more efficient in the evening. According to American clinical psychologist Michael Breus surveys, 55 per cent of people achieve peak productivity in the middle of the day (10 am to 2 pm). About 15 per cent give their best in early morning hours, while 15 per cent perform better working late into the night. Ten per cent of people have an erratic body clock, which can differ from day to day, BBC reported citing the surveys. Advertisement According to Adobes Future of Time report, there is a visible generational difference in preference for optimum working hours. Twice as many Generation Z workers were likely to want to work late-night shifts (6 pm to 3 am) than their Gen X peers. Only 6 per cent of baby boomers enjoyed the graveyard shift, with the majority choosing to log on to work before 9 am. Advertisement Scott predicts that 2024 is the year we start to question the rigidity of the traditional 9-5, and instead consider working in a way that aligns with our body clocks. Not everyone is fit for the traditional 9 to 6 workday. Pixabay (Representational Image) Speaking to Stylist, sleep expert Dr Lindsay Browning said that listening to our body clock is beneficial and can improve sleep health. Becoming more in tune with your body clock at work will only ever have a positive impact. Whether were a morning person or not isnt something we can really change, but we can adapt our behaviours to fit around our natural inclinations. Advertisement Whats in it for businesses? Four years after the pandemic, companies are seeking creative ways to lure and retain talent, as per Forbes. Four-day work week, hybrid and remote work are some terms to have entered our vocabulary post-pandemic. Dirk Buyens, professor of HR management at Vlerick Business School in Brussels, told BBC, No longer do we all spend an hour or so on a commute between the set times of around seven to nine in the morning, and we can truly understand when we are most productive and how to get the most out of our job. Advertisement According to Buyens, while workers, especially younger ones, prefer adapting their schedules to their most productive hours, businesses can also gain from chronoworking. The trend can enhance the performance and well-being of the employees, leading to possible talent retention. If workers are happy and that their managers allow them to work hours that suit their needs, they are going to be more likely to stay at the organisation, he told BBC. Advertisement Chronoworking is especially important for companies with workforces spread across different time zones. Flexible work is gaining traction among employees. Pixabay (Representational Image) Flexible work is gaining traction among employees as it reflects companies emphasis on freedom, independence, and trust in their managerial philosophy, according to Free Malaysia Today (FMT). Explaining why chronoworking is relevant in todays world, Amanda Rajkumar, former executive board member for HR at Adidas, told Raconteur, By trying to fit these people into a normal corporate working day, you wont be getting the best out of them. If people work better later in the evening, why are we asking them to be present in the office or online at 9 am? Advertisement ALSO READ: Discrimination is Bad for Business: How it destroys motivation at work Challenges of chronoworking Some companies, particularly those with workers in multiple time zones, have found ways to adopt asynchronous work. However, the practice is not without its challenges. While it gives workers flexibility to work as per their body clocks, there needs to be some crossover hours for meetings and collaborative tasks. Advertisement They also need to be aware of each persons individual working hours. Managers may struggle, both with overseeing staff output and also making sure they are available and supportive leaders at all times, professor Buyens told BBC. It would also not be easy for those in client-facing roles to dictate their working time, as potential customers are unlikely to be open to modifying their schedule according to the salespersons internal body clock, noted Raconteur. Advertisement However, with advancements in technology, there are ways to overcome these issues. We will have to wait and watch how long it will take companies to normalise chronoworking. With inputs from agencies There were several cameras around the house when I was growing up, most notably an Argus C3 rangefinder that belonged to my father. His mother had been fascinated with photography and would always have her Kodak box camera; as a result, we have a wealth of family photos from that side of the family. When my dad shipped out for military service, MawMaw told him to take lots of pictures. He spent his tour in Europe as a radio operator, and just before he processed out at the end of his enlistment, he bought the Argus and got a buddy to go around on a whirlwind sight-seeing tour to snap pictures to take home to his mother. MawMaw was thrilled, and deftly ignored that my dad and his pal were wearing the same clothes in every shot. She called the stack of scallop-edged black-and-white prints The Lenny and Me collection Lenny and me at the Eiffel Tower; Lenny and me on the Champs-Elysees; Lenny and me at the Moulin Rouge. The Argus never got much use after that. Mother had a variety of Kodaks over the years, and thats where most of our family photos originated. I dont remember being tempted by any of them. But at one point, I came into the possession of a Polaroid Swinger, and when I could scrape up enough money, I would ride my bike to Eckerds and buy a package of black-and-white film, then race home for a photo binge if you can call 10 pictures a binge. The draw of the Swinger is that it used Polaroids instant film. Youd take a photo, and the camera would spit out a thick rectangle. Youd wait a prescribed around of time, and then peel the photograph away from the backing. Voila a picture. I came across a few of them recently. They didnt hold up well. Most are hard to make out. Theres an image of a Corvette in the intersection of Main and Oates streets, a couple of our family dog, Poochie, and one that appears to be Daffodil, a neighbors dog. Im assuming its Daffodil because the dog in the photograph is barking at me. Daffy was always barking at me. When I was in college, I took a photojournalism class. Each of us was assigned a Pentax K-1000 single-lens reflex camera to use during the term. It was a bit more complicated than I was used to. The Swinger required only that you turn a knob until the word YES illuminated, and then youd press the shutter button. The Pentax had dials and numbers, and we had to learn how different settings would affect light and time, and I wondered if I would ever get a photograph. Once it all fell into place, I began to enjoy taking photographs. I sold my bicycle and bought a Nikon and shot a million rolls of film. When I got a job as a newspaper photographer, I shot a million more. Much of the film I used outside of work was color negative film and the occasional roll of Kodachrome slide film, but I loved black-and-white images. Much of my personal black-and-white film was developed by Frank Gaines. Frank died about three years ago, leaving a void both for those who knew him and those who used his services for decades. Ive known him most of my life, starting with Boy Scout Troop 109 at Calvary Baptist Church. Years later, when I needed some black-and-white film developed, I would drop it off at his shop. Much of his business was commercial photography, so finding him there was a crapshoot. When he was there, he was always ready to talk about cameras, films, photography in general, or Dothan history. Frank amassed a tremendous collection of photographs of Dothan and the surrounding area and was the go-to guy for anyone who had a question about the past. Frank would often answer a question with an image. And it was always exactly what the inquirer would be looking for. From the perspective of our local pictorial archives, and his encyclopedic knowledge of the history of our area, Franks passing leaves a tremendous void yet to be fully realized. It would be a real challenge to find anyone to develop and print black-and-white film these days, and if Frank were still here, hed be as tempted as I by the new (obscenely expensive) Leica cameras with monochrome sensors that capture digital images in high-quality black-and-white. If I were going to pay $6K-plus for a point-and-shoot camera, it better double as a teleportation device to beam me up, Scotty. It leads me to wonder about how well chronicle images in the future. I still have film equipment but havent used it in years. Film is nearly impossible to find, and developers are scarce. Like most everyone else, I take photographs with my cell phone, and those images are to Polaroid black-and-whites what a Maserati is to Fred Flintstones yabba-dabba-do-mobile. Theyre also intangible and ethereal; you may find an iPhone photo in a desk drawer in 50 years, but by changing the configuration of charger couplings with every iteration, Apple almost guarantees you wont be able to power it up. I have the Lenny and me Argus C3 somewhere; the Polaroid is lost to time. But it made me remember a barking Daffodil and a $19.95 song Meet the Swinger, order a Swinger Rajnath Singh, the chief guest and keynote speaker at the inaugural Firstpost Defence Summit in New Delhi, said India had to step out of its comfort zone to achieve this and Prime Minister Narendra Modi was focusing on long-term gains. India has exported Dornier-228s, 155 mm Advanced Towed Artillery Guns, Brahmos Missiles and Akash Missile System, while six countries are in talks to buy HALs indigenously manufactured light combat aircraft Tejas Argentina, the Philippines and Nigeria are in talks to buy the Tejas craft, while Egypt and Botswana have also showed interest. IAF India is becoming Aatmanirbhar when it comes to exporting arms. Defence minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday said India had joined the list of the worlds top 25 arms exporters. Singh, the chief guest and keynote speaker at the inaugural Firstpost Defence Summit in New Delhi, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi was focusing on long-term gains. Advertisement Singh added that this administration is the first to halt the import of weapons to promote self-reliance. We have made sure that our army uses indigenous resources and we even took a step forward to export these arms and equipment. The defence minister said increasing exports of weapons required the government to step out of its comfort zone. Earlier, India was known to be an arms importer. But today, under the leadership of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi we have come out of our comfort zone and found a place in the list of top-25 arms exporter nations, Rajnath said. Advertisement The aim is to manufacture high-end systems like aero-engines and gas turbines in India in the next five years, he added. But how did India join the list of top 25 arms exporters? Lets take a closer look: First, lets briefly examine the numbers. According to Business Today, Indias arms exports touched Rs 16,000 crore in the 2022-23 financial year. Advertisement Thats an enormous 2,300 per cent increase from the 2013-2024 financial year when that figure was at a paltry Rs 686 crore. Data shows India exported military equipment worth Rs 8,434 crore in 2020-21, Rs 9,115 crore in 2019-20 and Rs 10,745 crore in 2018-19 That figure was Rs 4,682 crore in 2017-18. Advertisement Over 100 companies are currently exporting defence equipment to over 85 nations. Advertisement Now, lets look at some of the weapons India is exporting across the world. While the names of the nations receiving the equipment cannot be divulged due to strategic reasons, the defence ministry said major systems India is exporting includes: Dornier-228 155 mm Advanced Towed Artillery Guns Brahmos Missiles Akash Missile System Radars Simulators Mine Protected Vehicles Armoured Vehicles PINAKA Rockets & Launchers Ammunition Thermal imagers Body armour Systems, line replaceable units Parts and components of avionics and small arms There is growing global demand of LCA-Tejas, Light Combat Helicopters, Aircraft Carrier, MRO activities etc, the ministry said in December. The Dornier-228, manufactured entirely by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), is a perfect example of the Made-in-India ethos. At least six countries are in talks to buy Indias indigenous light combat aircraft Tejas, according to New Indian Express. Advertisement Defence Minister Rajnath Singh at Firstpost Defence Summit. said Centre expects defence exports to reach Rs 50,000 crore and annual defence production to hit Rs 3 lakh crore by the 2028-2029 financial year. Talks have picked up pace with Argentina, the Philippines and Nigeria, HAL chief managing director CB Ananthakrishna was quoted as saying on the sidelines of the two-day Avionics Expo 2023 in Delhi. Botswana and Egypt have also shown interest in the Tejas. Advertisement The ministry also said the Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX), the flagship initiative of Ministry of Defence, reached a milestone with its 300th contract. The contract, which was inked with Agnit Semiconductors Private Limited, relates to the design and development of advanced Gallium Nitride Semiconductors which is essential for the next generation of wireless transmitters in defence applications ranging from radars to Electronics Warfare jammers. This would significantly enhance the indigenous design and development capability, paving way for immense potential in the defence sector including exports, the ministry said. Advertisement Strategic shift towards self-reliance At the same time, Indias reliance on defence from foreign nations has reduced considerably. The outlet quoted the defence ministry as saying that as of December 2022, expenditure on equipment from other nations was down 46 per cent compared to 2018-2019. The ministry said the development reflects a strategic shift towards self-reliance and indigenous manufacturing capabilities. Advertisement To give a push to defence exports, the government has taken a number of policy initiatives and brought reforms over the last nine years. Export procedures have been simplified and made industry-friendly, with end-to-end online export authorisation curtailing delays and bringing ease of doing business, the statement read. Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), a Sweden-based think-tank reported that Indias defence imports decreased 11 per cent during the five-year period between FY 201317 and FY 201822. Advertisement Meanwhile, India is continuing to increase its production of arms and armaments. CNBC reported that defence production in 2022-2023 crossed Rs 1 lakh crore for the first time annually. Advertisement That figure was at 95,000 crore in the 202122 financial year. Experts say India has a bright future when it comes to defence exports. The Dornier-228 manufacutred by HAL. Deccan Herald quoted a senior defence official as predicting that defence exports would likely double from the current levels to Rs 35,000 crore in the 2024-2025 financial year. Our target is to increase exports to Rs 35,000 crore in the next two years, T Natarajan, Additional Secretary, Department of Defence Production was quoted as saying in June 2023. In the past, we have been highly dependent on imports of various defence equipment for various reasons. Maybe, our technological development was still not enough to take care of our requirements, Natarajan added. Natarajan said India has become a key player in arms exports. But the defence minister said the Modi government is aiming even higher. Singh said the Centre expects defence exports to reach Rs 50,000 crore and annual defence production to hit Rs 3 lakh crore by the 2028-2029 financial year. The government headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is focusing on long-term gains and not short-term outcomes to make India a developed nation by 2047, Singh said. Tune into Firstpost Defence summit on 24 February at 3 pm today. You can register at www.firstpostdefencesummit.com India is now the fourth largest military spender across the globe. The only countries that rank ahead are the US, China and Russia. Each year, New Delhi has been increasing its defence budget in the wake of rising threats, especially from Pakistan and China The Indian Army's Pinaka multi-barrel rocket launcher. In 2022, India was the fourth largest military spender in the world. File image/Reuters The world is seeing two wars the Russia-Ukraine war and the Israel-Hamas conflict. Theres also the concern that China will launch an offensive against Taiwan. It is amid this volatility and conflict that India has slowly but steadily been increasing its defence spending, making it one of the worlds top five military spenders today. Advertisement There is a marked difference from Indias earlier years, which hardly saw any development in the defence. One can say that the sector has seen significant growth in the latter part of the 20th Century, and rapid progress in the last 15-odd years. In this explainer, we take you through Indias growing defence spending budgetary allocations and more and how India compares to the world. Whats Indias defence spending? In 2022, Swedish think tank Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) in its annual report stated that India was the fourth biggest military spender only behind the United States ($877 billion), China ($292 billion) and Russia ($86.4 billion). As per data, Indias military expenditure was a whopping $81.4 billion (Rs 6.7 lakh crore), up from $76.6 billion in the previous year a six per cent rise. A comparison to the 2013 figures and it reveals that its a 47 per cent rise. Advertisement The report added that around 23 per cent of the total spending by India was towards funding equipment and infrastructure. However, a major part of the spending was on expenditures like salaries and pensions. Even a look at Indias defence budgets over the years show a rise in allocation of funds. In this years interim Budget, the defence allocation was the highest Rs 6.2 lakh crore. Of that, a total of Rs 1.72 lakh crore was set aside for the military for capital expenditure that largely includes purchasing new weapons, aircraft, warships and other military hardware. Advertisement And this allocation of funds has been significantly growing over the years. In 2023, the Government had allocated Rs 5.93 lakh crore, which accounted for over 13 per cent of the total expenditure of the Centre the largest across all ministries. In 2022, the defence budget was Rs 5.25 lakh crore. This was an increase from the Rs 4.78 lakh crore in 2021. And in 2020, Indias defence sector was allocated Rs 4.71 lakh (Rs 4,71,378 crore), which constituted 15.5 per cent of the Centres Budget and 2.1 per cent of Indias estimated GDP. Advertisement Where is Indias defence budget spent? While Indias allocation for the defence sector has been rising, its also important to see where this money goes. A big chunk of the allocated funds go towards defence pensions and salaries; in 2024-2025, the amount earmarked for this was Rs 1.41 lakh crore. In fact, an Indian Express report stated that the militarys modernisation budget for 2024-25 saw a meagre hike of only 6.17 per cent. Advertisement Indian Army soldiers at Kartavya Path in Delhi. A big part of the defence budget goes towards salaries and defence pensions. File image/Reuters Another significant component of Indias defence spending is imports. In 2023, data showed that India procured military hardware worth Rs 1.93 lakh crore from abroad in the past five years which included helicopters, aircraft radars, rockets, guns, assault rifles, missiles and ammunition. Notably, SIPRI had declared India to be the worlds top importer of military hardware in 2018 to 2022. With an 11 per cent share of total global arms imports, India was the worlds biggest importer of major arms in 201822, a position it has held for the period 19932022, it said. Advertisement However, the report added that Indias defence imports were falling from 62 per cent to 45 per cent between 2017 and 2022. In fact, Indias been more focused in the past two-three years Why is Indias defence spending rising? But what has prompted this rise in Indias military spending? As former Chief of the Army General MM Naravane (retired) wrote in The Print, A country decides how much is enough depending on the threats it faces, both external and internal. Defence expenditure can be likened to an insurance premium. The greater the risks to be covered, the greater the premium. Similarly, the greater the number of threats a nation faces, the more it will have to allocate in terms of the defence budget. Advertisement Indias defence budget has risen over the years in light of the double threat it faces one from China and the other being Pakistan. File image/Reuters And India faces a double threat China and Pakistan. Islamabad remains a constant threat to New Delhi; it continues to fuel unrest in Kashmir through terrorism. And China is also fermenting trouble for India. Since 2020 following the Galwan clash in which 20 Indian soldiers died, Indo-Sino tensions have been on the rise. Moreover, China has been expanding in the north; in Tibet, it has as per an IDR report constructed 14 air bases and an oil pipeline from Gormo to Lhasa. The construction of a 1,118 km long rail link from Gormo to Lhasa is also underway. In addition, it is believed to have deployed some two-dozen ballistic missiles including nuclear-capable ICBMs in Tibet. Advertisement Please read more of our defence explainers BrahMos, ammo & more: A look at weapons India exports How India became part of an elite club of nations building aircraft carriers Why does India want to contain China in the South China Sea? How is India ramping up use of AI in the military? Advertisement What about other countries? Indias increased defence spending is on trend with other countries. In 2022, data showed that total global military expenditure increased 3.7 per cent in real terms to reach $2.24 trillion. The worlds 10 largest military spenders are the US, China, Russia, India, Saudi Arabia, UK, Germany, France, South Korea and Japan . Ukraine was placed at 11th rank with $44 billion and Pakistan at 24th spot with $10.3 billion. Advertisement The US is the worlds largest military spender with an expenditure of $877 billion in 2022. File image/Reuters Interestingly, US and China combined accounted for 52 per cent of the worlds military spending in 2022. SIPRI had then said: The continuous rise in global military expenditure in recent years is a sign that we are living in an increasingly insecure world. States are bolstering military strength in response to a deteriorating security environment, which they do not foresee improving in the near future. Advertisement According to the International Institute for Strategic Studies (ISS), in 2023, total global defence expenditure reached $2.2 trillion, with the think tank saying that this was being driven by the ongoing Russian war in Ukraine, and the exacerbating relationship between the US and China. For instance, Taiwan has boosted its defence budget by about $3 billion, or 20 per cent. In fact, The Philippines was the only country to reduce its military budget in 2023. However, it has expanded its cooperation with the US military. As General Naravane writes, Increased allocations for defence should be seen through the prism of peace and development, with expenditure considered as an investment that yields handsome returns. Peace is a prerequisite for development, and it can only prevail if we remain prepared for war. With inputs from agencies Tune into Firstpost Defence summit on 24 February at 3 pm. You can register at www.firstpostdefencesummit.com Prosecutors in Washington let Seattle police officer Kevin Dave, who struck and killed Indian student Jaahnavi Kandula last year, off the hook citing a lack of sufficient evidence. The Consulate General of India in Seattle said it will extend all possible support in ensuring justice for the 23-year-old and her family Prosecutors in the United States have dropped the criminal charges against a Seattle police officer who struck and killed Indian student Jaahnavi Kandula last January, citing a lack of sufficient evidence. The King County Prosecutors Office said earlier this week that they will not go ahead with criminal charges against Seattle Police officer Kevin Dave who hit the 23-year-old with his police vehicle, leading to her death. Advertisement The tragic incident had created a huge uproar after footage of another cop seemingly mocking Kandulas death surfaced. Indias ambassador to the US had sought prompt action, with the Joe Biden administration assuring New Delhi of a quick investigation into the case. Why was the Seattle police officer let off the hook? What have been the reactions to the US courts verdict? What will India do next? Lets take a closer look. Felony charges dropped against Seattle cop Prosecutors in Washington state said they will not file felony charges against Seattle police officer Kevin Dave who killed Kandula while responding to an overdose call on 23 January last year. Dave was driving a police SUV at 74 mph (119 kph) on a street with a 25 mph (40 kph) speed limit before hitting the Indian student in a crosswalk. She was lobbed 100 feet after being struck by the speeding patrol vehicle. Advertisement Footage from body-worn camera released last September showed another Seattle Police officer Daniel Auderer making callous remarks about her death, saying she was 26 anyway, had limited value and the city should just write a check. The King County prosecutors office in a memo to the Seattle Police Department on Wednesday said that Dave had his emergency lights on, Kandula seemed to run across the intersection after seeing his vehicle coming, and other pedestrians said they heard his siren, according to Associated Press (AP). Advertisement A photo of Jaahnavi Kandula is displayed with flowers, 29 January 2023 in Seattle. AP File Photo The 23-year-old might have been wearing wireless earbuds which could have reduced her hearing, the office noted. Thus, a felony charge of vehicular homicide cannot be filed. There is insufficient evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Ofc. Dave was consciously disregarding safety, AP cited the memo as saying. In a statement on Wednesday, King County Prosecutor Leesa Manion termed Kandulas death heartbreaking that impacted communities in King County and across the world. Advertisement Referring to Auderer s appalling and deeply troubling comments, Manion said that did not change the legal analysis of whether Dave should be charged. It is the Office of Police Accountability that bears the responsibility of disciplinary investigation and proceedings relating to Officer Auderers comment, rather than the prosecutors office, she said. Reactions to the decision Advertisement Kandulas family has decried the decision of the King County prosecutors office. First they joked about it, now the officer responsible has been let off. There is no justice and no closure for us. It is devastating, her family told Indian Express. Kandula hailed from Halvi village in Kowthalam Mandal of Kurnool district. She completed her B.Com in 2019 and went to the US in September 2020 to pursue a two-year MS course, as per Indian Express. Advertisement Kandula s family and their attorney issued a statement saying they were devastated and outraged and felt betrayed by the justice system. They said Daves actions were clearly reckless and negligent and called for holding him accountable for killing Kandula, according to a Times of India (TOI) report. They aim to continue to pursue civil action against Dave and the Seattle Police Department. They also demanded the immediate termination of Auderer, who mocked and dehumanised Kandula in a vile and disgusting manner, the TOI report added. Advertisement People protest after body camera footage was released of a Seattle police officer joking about the death of Jaahnavi Kandula, 14 September 2023, in Seattle. AP File Photo Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president KT Rama Rao, populary known as KTR, called the prosecutors decision to drop criminal charges as disgraceful and absolutely unacceptable. He requested External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to take up the matter with his US counterpart and call for an independent probe into the matter. Advertisement He also urged US Ambassador to India, Eric Garcetti, to raise the matter with the US authorities and ensure justice for Jaahnavi. It is tragic that the life of a youngster with soaring ambitions has been cut short, but whats even more tragic is the callous disregard for justice to the victim, KTR posted on X. Advertisement Disgraceful & absolutely unacceptable ! I demand the @USAmbIndia to take up the matter with US Government authorities and deliver justice to the family of young Jaahnavi Kandula I request EA Minister @DrSJaishankar Ji to take up the matter with his counterpart & demand a https://t.co/90pw59LtCo KTR (@KTRBRS) February 22, 2024 Advertisement What will India do now? The Consulate General of India in Seattle said it will extend all possible support in ensuring justice for Jaahnavi and her family. Advertisement We have also raised the matter strongly with local authorities, including Seattle Police for appropriate redress. The case has now been referred to Seattle City Attorneys office for review. On the recently released investigation report of the King County Prosecution Attorney on the unfortunate death of Jaahnavi Kandula, Consulate has been in regular touch with the designated family representatives and will continue to extend all possible support in ensuring justice India In Seattle (@IndiainSeattle) February 23, 2024 We await completion of Seattle Polices administrative investigation and will continue to monitor progress on the case, the Consulate General of India said in a post on X. With inputs from agencies Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February 2022. Since then, both sides faced thousands of casualties. Billions have been spent by the US and other allies on aid packages for Kyiv. Two years later, theres still no end in sight to the conflict A Ukrainian serviceman of 93rd brigade camouflages a 2S1 Gvozdika self propelled howitzer at a front line, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, near the town of Chasiv Yar in Donetsk region, Ukraine, 22 February 2024. Reuters File Photo It is the second anniversary of Russias invasion of Ukraine. It was on 24 February 2022 that Moscow commenced its special military operation to demilitarise and denazify its neighbour Ukraine. Two years later, there is still no sight of peace and an end to the conflict. Relentless bombings, destroyed homes, displaced people and growing war fatigue have become a reality in Ukraine. Advertisement Russian president Vladimir Putin seems in no mood to end the war unless his terms are met. Russia is playing the long game, and Ukraine is fighting for its continued existence. This a war of attrition that will not end anytime soon, Mary Kate Schneider, director of global studies at Loyola University Maryland, told USA TODAY. As Russias war in Ukraine proceeds to third year, lets take a look at the conflict in numbers. Ukraine war: Death toll As many as 315,000 Russian soldiers have died or were injured since the conflict began, Reuters reported last December citing a declassified intelligence report by the United States. According to the report, Russia went to the war with 360,000 personnel in February 2022, of which 87 per cent died or sustained injuries. Advertisement As per Ukraines count, Russia has lost 405,000 personnel in two years of war. Days after Moscow captured Ukraines strategic eastern city of Avdiivka last week, Kyivs military claimed 1,200 Russian fighters were killed in a single day. In January, Britains armed forces minister James Heappey told UK lawmakers that about 350,000 Russian troops had been killed or wounded in action in Ukraine. Advertisement Russian officials reject Western estimates of casualties, saying they are highly exaggerated. The US estimated in August 2023 that Ukraines military casualties were 70,000 with 100,000 to 120,000 wounded, as per The New York Times (NYT) report. The mother of a Ukrainian army officer cries during her sons funeral in Krasnyk village, Ukraine, 29 December 2023. AP File Photo Russias fatalities are higher as its troops outnumber Ukrainians on the battlefield almost three to one. Advertisement Last November, Moscow reportedly claimed that 383,000 Ukrainian soldiers had been killed or wounded in the war. The exact figures are difficult to determine as neither Kyiv nor Moscow have provided details of their total military casualties. The war has also claimed thousands of civilian lives in Ukraine. As per the latest report of the United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, 10,582 civilians have died since the conflict began in February 2022. An additional 19,875 civilians had been injured. Advertisement The actual numbers are likely significantly higher, it said. ALSO READ: Death, Destruction, Despair: Ukraines two years of trauma and suffering Displaced population The human cost of the conflict must be discussed when looking at the two years of Russias invasion of Ukraine. As per the United Nations, over 14 million (1.4 crore) people almost one-third of Ukraines population were forced to flee their homes during the two years of the conflict. Of these, over 4.5 million people returned home from either abroad or displacement within Ukraine. Advertisement The UNs International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimates that about 6.5 million people are living as refugees outside the country, reported Al Jazeera. Nearly 3.7 million people continue to be internally displaced in Ukraine, IOM says. Ukraines population reached 37.9 million in early 2024. Russias population of 144 million is over three times larger. Advertisement Ukraines territory loss Since the war began, Russia has seized an estimated nearly 20 per cent of Ukraines territory, noted USA TODAY. After four months of relentless attacks, Russia finally captured Avdiivka this month in its biggest victory since Ukraines failed counter-offensive last year. Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has vowed to regain all territory captured by Russia. Advertisement As per US think tank The Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft experts Anatol Lieven and George Beebe, there is now little realistic prospect of further Ukrainian territorial gains on the battlefield, and there is a significant risk that Ukraine might exhaust its manpower and munitions and lay itself open to a devastating Russian counterattack. Advertisement They say the best and only solution is for all sides to enter negotiations before Ukraine is destroyed. The cost of Ukraine war A senior US defense official said recently that the Ukraine war has probably cost Russia up to $211 billion. Moscow has also lost $10 billion in cancelled or delayed arms sales, Reuters reported citing the official. Advertisement The US Congress has allocated $113 billion in funding to Ukraine through various packages since February 2022. Of this, $45.2 billion in funds were given for military assistance and $46 billion in economic and humanitarian aid to Kyiv, noted Responsible Statecrafts article. A view shows an apartment building damaged by a Russian drone strike, amid Russias attack on Ukraine, in Dnipro, Ukraine, 23 February 2024. Reuters The US spent $4.7 billion on rearming allies and $15.2 billion in expanding its military operations in Europe. After two years, Washington is struggling to get more funding approved for Ukraine, with a $60 billion aid package for Kyiv still pending. Advertisement So far, Britain has pledged a total of 12 billion in support for Ukraine, of which 7.1 billion is for military assistance. In January, the UK announced an additional 2.5 billion in funding for the year 2024-25. In terms of weapons, the US has provided 3,097,000 rounds of artillery to Ukraine so far, as per the Responsible Statecraft report. Most of these 2,000,000 were 155 mm shells. It also sent 400,000,000 grenades and bullets to Ukraine. The Pentagon delivered 76 tanks to Ukraine, including 31 Abrams and 45 Soviet-era T-72Bs. Ukraine also got 3,631 American armoured vehicles, ranging from medical trucks to infantry fighting vehicles, and 39 US-made mobile rocket launcher HIMARS, the report noted. Russias defence ministry said this week that the Ukrainian military had lost over 15,100 tanks and armoured vehicles in the two years of war. According to the US-based think tank the Institute for the Study of War, Moscow had lost more than 3,000 tanks since February 2022. From homes to power plants, missile strikes and shellings have damaged hundreds of thousands of buildings and infrastructure in Ukraine. A World Bank report last year found that Ukraine will need $411 billion over the next decade to recover and rebuild from the conflict, reported Al Jazeera. With inputs from agencies Perhaps no other project has been a better example of Prime Minister Narendra Modis Aatmanirbhar push than the INS VIkrant. But how did India join the elite club comprising the US, the Uk, Italy, France, China and Russia of countries that can make their own carriers? All this and much, much more in our weekly roundup Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the commissioning of INS Vikrant said this was a significant step towards reliance in the defence sector. Image Courtesy: @narendramodi/X Its been another fascinating week in the news in India. For us, much of the attention has been on Indias defence capabilities, which have grown significantly in strength these past few years. The Firstpost Defence Summit 2024 is going to be held today in New Delhi and it is an event to watch out for. There will be discussions on India securing its borders, the role of AI and technology in warfare and more. Advertisement Farmers are back on the streets. The protests have been halted until 29 February but they are holding ground at the Punjab-Haryana border. In other news, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Jammu and inaugurated the history-making Chenab bridge, Sandeshkhali in West Bengals North 24 Parganas district continued to make headlines, and some states banned candy floss. A heartbreaking story came from Hyderabad after a man died during smile designing surgery. All this and more in our weekly roundup of explainers on the big news stories that grabbed headlines in the country. 1. India in recent years has continued Prime Minister Narendra Modis Aatmanirbhar push. In the field of defence, India took a major step in 2022 when it commissioned its first indigenously designed and built aircraft carrier known as the INS Vikrant. Advertisement India joined an elite club comprising the United States, the United Kingdom, Italy, France, China and Russia of countries that can make aircraft carriers. Constructed for Rs 19,500 crore, the carrier is 262 metres long and 62 metres wide. It has a displacement of over 40,000 tonnes. Experts have praised the ship which can carry 30 aircraft and the Indian Navy chief has said he is eyeing a third carrier. Advertisement But how did this happen? We take you through the rebirth of the INS Vikrant. 2. No one in the know underestimates the importance of the South China Sea. Spread over 3,685,000 square kilometres, it is bounded to the northeast by the Taiwan Strait, on the east by Taiwan and the Philippines, on the southeast and south by Borneo, the southern limit of the Gulf of Thailand, and the east coast of the Malay Peninsula; and on the west and north by the Asian mainland. Advertisement A Philippine Coast Guard personnel looks through a binocular while conducting a resupply mission for Filipino troops stationed at a grounded warship in the South China Sea. File image/Reuters While the countries have been fighting over the territory for decades, tensions have increased to unseen heights in recent years. But why is the South China Sea so important? Why do experts say it could be the place for the next conflagration? And why is New Delhi looking to constrain Beijing in the area? This piece takes an in-depth look at the entire matter. Advertisement 3. India now has the worlds highest single-arch railway bridge. Taller than the Eiffel Tower, the Chenab Bridge in Jammu and Kashmir runs between Bakkal and Kauri in the Reasi district. The engineering wonder, which was commissioned in 2008, is part of the Rs 35,000 crore Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Railway Link (USBRL). But what are its key features? And how will it help the region? This article explains it all. Advertisement 4. Sandeshkhali. Thats the word that has been on the lips of many this past week. At the heart of the allegations of sexual assault and land grab is one man TMC leader Sheikh Shahjahan, a man currently on the lam from the authorities. Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Shahjahan Sheikh is currently absconding. Image Courtesy: News18 But who is Shahjahan, the president of the TMCs Sandeshkhali unit and a man who wields great influence in the area? Where did he come from? How did he find himself enmeshed in this controversy? This piece details the rise of the former driver and vegetable vendor, his wealth and crimes, and the current row. Advertisement 5. A 28-year-old man, who was set to tie the knot, died after a smile surgery went wrong. The victim, Laxmi Narayana Vinjam, was declared dead on arrival at Apollo Hospitals on 16 February. The police have booked FMS International Dental Clinic in Hyderabads Jubilee Hills for culpable homicide not amounting to murder after Vinjams family lodged a complaint. Advertisement Vinjams father has claimed his son died of an anaesthesia overdose. This piece talks abou the case and takes a look at smile designing surgery and the dangers of anaesthesia. 6. We all know that candy floss isnt good for you. Many a parent has warned their children about it rotting their teeth. Advertisement Some states have banned popular kids treat cotton candy, while others are getting ready to test it. Pexels But now, in a truly alarming development, lab tests revealed the presence of Rhodamine-B, a cancer-causing substance, in cotton candy. Tamil Nadu and Puducherry have banned the sugary treat, while other states are considering their options. We give you the low down on cotton candy and the substance that sparked the panic. Advertisement Thats all from India this week. Hope our explainers give you some food for thought. If you want to understand the news better, you can come back for more . PS: If you are interested in all things defence, tune into the Firstpost Defence summit on 24 February at 3 pm. You can register at www.firstpostdefencesummit.com We are not people like that. We love foreigners visiting our country and we invite you all to the Maldives," former minister of Maldives Mariya Didi said at Firstpost Defence Summit 2024 in New Delhi Maldives has been famous in India for the wrong reasons, especially on the social media, Mariya Didi, the former defence minister of Maldives, said Saturday, addressing Firstpost Defence Summit 2024 in New Delhi. We (Maldivian) are not people like that. We love foreigners visiting our country and we invite you all to the Maldives, Didi said. Advertisement India-Maldives diplomatic row The diplomatic row between India and the Maldives began on social media after Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 4 posted pictures from his visit to Lakshadweep. While the Indian PM had not mentioned the Maldives anywhere in his posts, many on social media began to question why anybody should go to the Maldives when we have such pristine beauty in India. Some politicians in the island nation also made racist posts on X (formerly Twitter) in reaction to a tweet by PM Modi wherein he shared pictures of his visit to Lakshadweep. The ministers used derogatory words against PM Modi, accused India of targeting Maldives, and said India faces significant challenges in competing with the Maldives in beach tourism. Advertisement Reacting to the outrage, the Maldives government suspended three ministers over the indecent remarks, including Shiuna, Malsha and Hassan Zihan. For the unversed, diplomatic tensions spiked after Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu assumed office in November 2023 and requested the Indian government to withdraw Indian military personnel from the island nation. India always there to help Maldives Advertisement Climate threat is an existential threat for Maldives, Didi said, adding: During Asian Tsunami, when we had difficulties, we had India coming for us as a first responder. The Indian Army has always helped us. Chinese ships are in the Maldives. What we dont want to see is a geopolitical situation that might lead to war, she said. Advertisement Advertisement Peace in Maldives is of utmost importance For the sake of us and for the region we have to make sure that we maintain peace and stability and maintain friendship with neighbouring countries, Didi said. Advertisement Peace is our country and our region is of utmost importance to us, which is why when our government was in power, we saw that we always had good relations with our neighbours, and others in the international community, she said. But with the present government, we see that they are also slowly coming to the essences. We are seeing Maldivian Coast Guard is taking part in the Indian naval games in Visakhapatnam, Didi added. Advertisement To enhance maritime security and interoperability, coast guard personnel from India, the Maldives and Sri Lanka are participating in the exercise DOSTI-16 that is being held between February 22 and 25. Bangladesh is participating as an observer. have embarked on a four-day trilateral exercise to identify emerging maritime challenges in the Indian Ocean Region. So far as Indias working or thinking is concerned, we are a peaceful nation and we always strove to contain the bad elements in the region, and work for the global peace and work for dominance in the region in a positive way, said Lekhi Amid Israel-Hamas and Russia-Ukraine wars, Minister of State for External Affairs Meenakshi Lekhi on Friday said that defence is a relevant topic of discussion with so much happening around the world and that the purpose of defence diplomacy should not be to enter into wars but to end wars. Speaking at the Firspost Defence Summit 2024, Lekhi said, Considering all that is happening around us, its one of the areas where we all need to engage in. We have been engaging over a long period of time but we still need to engage in more because purpose of defence diplomacy is really not to enter into wars but to end wars. Advertisement She said while defence is a subject which people think deals with defence equipment, war handling machines and men but you will find a soldier seeking peace and having military for the peaceful purposes. So far as Indias working or thinking is concerned, we are a peaceful nation and we always strove to contain the, if I can use the word, bad elements in the region, and work for the global peace and work for dominance in the region in a positive way. The three wings of the military, Navy, Air Force and Army, have their own methods of building bridges between our neighbours, our friends and at the same time dealing with the foes. And how the deals need to happen, all those working methodologies are part of defence diplomacy, added Lekhi. She said that the past 10 years have seen a huge change in the way India has worked in an outwardly fashion and also inwardly. We have made many changes. One of the biggest change, I would say would come from 2015, if Im not mistaken. Honorable Prime Minister visited Mauritius where he announced Sagar protocols and in those protocols he actually made it clear that Indias policy is going to be sustainability growth for everyone and how oceans need to be kept free. So that seas can flourish, businesses can happen and rule-based order is the order of the world. After unveiling of of 2015 Sagar policy, we have also seen that engagement at various levels was part of institutional mechanism with the Western powers, more with the Western powers, said the minister. Advertisement She said post 2015, India have had huge interactions not just with the West but also with South East Asia and Asian regions. Reasons are more specific and Im sure everybody here understands the reasons and as the times change the requirement of the time also changes and with changing times strategies need to change also. And we felt that neighbourhood first and act East, these are the policies which in any case government has been working in terms of diplomacy." Advertisement Now, time has come that these very strategies are applied to military diplomacy as well because if we are working towards acting East or neighbourhood first, then we have to be available to our neighbours. And especially on the Eastern flank, more so, because those are the areas which are vulnerable and we have plenty of interactions, institutionalised processes at every level, she said. Speaking at Firstpost Defence Summit in New Delhi, Rajnath Singh said Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government is the first to impose restrictions on arms imports Defence Minister Rajnath Singh at Firstpost Defence Summit. said Centre expects defence exports to reach Rs 50,000 crore and annual defence production to hit Rs 3 lakh crore by the 2028-2029 financial year. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh Saturday said India has radically changed its defence sector and is now moving towards self-reliance. Singh was the chief guest at the Firstpost Defence Summit in New Delhi. We have radically changed the defence sector, the defence industrial sector is moving towards self-reliance. The output is evident. Soldiers holding Made-in-India weapons Advertisement Soldiers are now holding weapons that are made in India, by Indians, the Rakasha Mantri said. Singh further said the government-led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi believes that Indian armed forces cannot rely on military equipment made by foreign nations. We have made sure that our Army uses indigenous resources and we took a step forward to even export these arms and equipment, Singh said. The minister also said the Indian government has set aside 75 per cent of Indias defence purchase budget to invest in made-in-India weapons, to give a boost to domestic companies. Modi govt first to ban import of some weapons The minister further said Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government is the first to impose restrictions on arms imports. Imagine how difficult the situation it is for us. But, slowly this difficulty is changing into opportunity, he said. Advertisement We have worked to make the defence sector self-reliant, Singh said. Addressed the Inaugural Session of Firstpost Defence Summit-2024 in New Delhi today and shared our Governments vision for Make in India and self reliance in defence. We are targeting to increase our annual defence production to Rs 3 lakh crore and exports to Rs 50,000 pic.twitter.com/lkifbSQTEx Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) February 24, 2024 Advertisement India is a resilient, self-dependent, financially sound, brave and patient country," he added. Advertisement India among top 25 arms exporters The minister said India is among the top 25 arms exporters. He further said the central government has focused on long-term gains for Indias defence. A country cannot develop solely by focusing on its defence sector, Singh added. The minister also said, This years budget also gave the highest allocation to defence ministry, 13 per cent of the total budget. The Government of India has money, intention and ambition and risk-taking ability. Advertisement Firstpost won hearts of people with its credibility The Defence Minister also praised Firstpost and said: Firstpost has won the hearts of people with its credibility. He also congratulated the entire team of Firstpost for the outstanding growth. The minister also unveiled the revamped website of Firstpost at the summit. We have been talking about self reliance for a long time, but there was no determination on the part of the government to enforce it. Once the present government has come in power, they have really made a strong push to enforce atmanirbharta, said Kamat Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) Chairman Samir V Kamat on Friday said that several factors have made the Make in India initiative successful but one of the most important factors is the governments policy and determination to make atmanirbharta happen. Speaking at the Firstpost Defence Summit 2024 Kamat said, I think several factors have made this story possible. The first among them is the government policy and determination to make aatmnirbharta happen. I think that is the most important factor which has changed the story line. We have been talking about self reliance for a long time, but there was no determination on the part of the government to enforce it. Once the present government has come in power, they have really made a strong push to enforce atmanirbharta." Advertisement He said as part of atmanirbharta, the government has published a list for the services to buy from Indian companies which has now given a push for the industry to invest and start making systems with in the country. Also the speeding up of the acquisition process through the DAP, 2020 has given this fillip for this process. So I would say, the key factor which has resulted in the optimism, which is currently seen, is the government policy and determination to make it happen, he added. Thank you, sir and deal. If I can come to you because of course the success of governments determination initiative. Depends on how far the private sectors willing to take that. And and given that you work on a field, which is the cutting age of of the way. Conflict is being used and the way weapons are being transformed. Advertisement When asked about the ambitious targets being set now in defence production and the challenges ahead, Kamat said that the first thing to be done is to build R&D ecosystem in the country. So the first thing that we have to do is to build the R&D ecosystem in the country. For too long, the R&D was only focused in DRDO, but the government has now taken steps to ensure that R&D ecosystem includes the startups, the MSMEs as well as the academia. This will help us in bringing innovation much quicker to the market. We also now have private sector participating in the defence production. For too long, it was only the PSUs and the ordinance factory. Now, that the private sector is getting in, they will bring in not only the needed dynamism, they will bring in the ability to produce the systems quicker. At a more cost effective manner as well as with better quality because if you have to compete in the international market, you have to have the speed of delivery. Your products not only have to be good but they have to be cost effective and you have to be able to innovate quickly to capture the market, added the DRDO chairman. Advertisement He said all these factors will keep Indias position in the defence export business at a growing pace. I dont think in the next 5-10 years, if we continue on our path, we will face that many challenges for exporting our systems. The kind of interest that we are getting in our systems is a reflection that the potential for exports is far more than what we have achieved so far, added Kamat. Advertisement On India building its defence manufacturing capabilities and also having partners abroad who are looking at India as a market, how does India solve that dilemma, or have we prioritised domestic capability enhancement or the two can go together, Kamat said, I think the two can go together. If you strengthen your domestic ecosystem, the exports will come naturally. And as Indias stature grows in the world, people also import to get that support from a strong country. So there is a lot of diplomacy, politics also in imports. A lot of time India imports from specific countries to build the diplomatic relations. So as Indias stature grows, imports from India for those countries will increase. I think there is no dichotomy in strengthening your domestic sector. As the countries domestic ecosystem improves, as the countries GDP improves, the country becomes a developed country, the exports from India will naturally increase. Not only in defence but in all sectors. During a visit to the central sector of the Indo-Tibet boundary in Uttarakhand, CDS General Anil Chauhan directed Army formations to work for the rehabilitation of the border villages of Nelang and Jadung, near the Line of Actual Control in Chamoli district Till date, the details of the occupation of Nelang remain shrouded in secrecy, though we know that it is also an outcome of the Himmatsinghji Committee. News18 Though historically intimately linked, two separate events took place recently, nearly 1,000 miles away from each other. During a visit to the central sector of the Indo-Tibet boundary in Uttarakhand, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan directed Army formations to work for the rehabilitation of the border villages of Nelang and Jadung, near the Line of Actual Control in Chamoli district. Advertisement During the 1962 Indo-China war, both villages were abandoned, and their residents were relocated to safer nearby areas. Far away in the east, at the Tawang War Memorial in Arunachal Pradesh, the Indian Army, along with the Tawang administration and the local Monpa population, commemorated the 74th anniversary of the arrival of Maj Bob Khathing in the area. In 1951, the Manipuri Naga officer took over the administration of the border town of Tawang, south of the McMahon Line; a communique of the Defense PRO in Guwahati thus explained, After the valiant Major undertook a treacherous march from the plains of Assam to Tawang, negotiating Sela and Bomdila passes during peak winters, leading a contingent of 200 Assam Rifles troops and 600 porters for a difficult maiden mission, thus materialised the formal establishment of Indian civil administration at Tawang. Advertisement The above two events are linked as the takeover of both places administration is the result of a decision of the Himmasinghji Border Defence Committee created by the Army Headquarters on November 12, 1950. Let us remember the facts On October 7, 1950, the communist troops advanced in eastern Tibet, and after smashing the ill-trained and ill-equipped Tibetan army, Chamdo, the capital of Kham Province, fell to the invaders. Advertisement On November 7, Sardar Patel, the deputy prime minister, despite his poor health, sent a long letter to the prime minister about the implications of the Chinese invasion of Tibet for Indias northern border. Five days later, the dying Sardar (who passed away on December 15) constituted this committee to examine the possibility of Chinese communist troops occupying the areas south of the McMahon Line or elsewhere on the Indo-Tibet border and to consider the feasibility or advancing outposts of the Assam Rifles in order to forestall such ingress. Advertisement Besides Maj Gen Himmatsinghji, deputy minister of defense (chairman), it included Lt Gen Kulwant Singh, K Zakaria, head of the Ministry of External Affairs historical division, SN Haksar, joint secretary also from MEA, Group Captain MS Chaturvedi from the Indian Air Force, and Waryam Singh, deputy director of the Intelligence Bureau. Advertisement After discussing at great length the advisability of pushing forward a post to Tawang, it was decided to go ahead. It was also decided to send troops to Nelang (then written Nilang) and Jadung (then Jadhang), two tiny villages south of the Tsangchok-la, the pass marking the watershed in the area, in the Chamoli district. Advertisement The Role of Jairamdas Daulatram One man was central in the setting up of Maj Khathings expedition to Tawang; it was Jairamdas Daulatram, the governor of Assam. It is sad that his role has been more or less forgotten today. On December 10, 1950, he managed to get the concurrence of the Ministry of External Affairs headed by Nehru; a Joint Secretary concurred with the Committee, We cannot agree to a unilateral occupation of Tawang by the communists. Advertisement The ball then started rolling, and preparations for the expedition began. Maj Khathing received detailed instructions from Nari Rustomji, the advisor to the governor, on behalf of Daulatram himself. Eight Tasks Precise tasks were given to the young and bold officer. The first task was to occupy Tawang. Khathing was asked to explain to the local population and Tibetan officials that he was doing no more than is being done by the administration in other parts of Indian territory; in 1914, Tibet had agreed to the McMahon Line, north of Tawang being the boundary. Advertisement The major was ordered to treat any Tibetan or other officials you may meet with courtesy, but nevertheless let them understand that jurisdiction in the area vests in you and not in them. He was directed to submit detailed reports about the Tibetan influence in the area and the nature of taxes collected. He was further told to abolish all existing taxes and substitute them with lighter taxes to be paid to the Political Officer, representing the Indian government: There will be no forced labour and everything needed will be duly paid for. Advertisement An important task was to communicate to the local people that none of their religious practices will be interfered with. The sixth point was that in case Khathing met with armed opposition, he was to cable Shillong (the governors office) immediately, indicating the strength and position of opposing forces. Fortunately, due to Khathings intelligence and diplomatic skills, this would not be necessary, and 74 years later, he was still considered by the Monpas as their liberator. Advertisement Khathing was also asked to keep daily wireless telegraphic contact with Daulatram after crossing the Se-La pass. It is what Khathing did, and his dispatches and cables still make fascinating reading. Finally, Daulatram asked Khathing to conduct [the> operation with tact, firmness, and discretion. Difficult Logistic The logistics of the expedition were not easy; for example, the question of porters and loads was difficult to coordinate. One can imagine having as many as 200 troops and 600 porters to feed. Advertisement Another issue was political presents for the local authorities, in particular the monastery officials. The possibility of airdropping rations and material at Dirang Dzong on the way was also discussed: Luckily the one platoon at Dirang Dzong has already got one years supply of rations the [new> platoons can simply borrow rations there. One most difficult matter was the currency, as traders in the area were usually using Tibetan currency: when we go in and take over this Tawang area up to the McMahon line, then this area automatically becomes Indian Territory, and as such, the official currency must and will be the Indian Rupee. During the following weeks, a huge amount of silver coins would be sent to Khathing as a temporary measure. Once preliminary arrangements were over, Khathing left Assam in mid-January 1951; he would reach Tawang on February 6. He informed Shillong that he had already met the representatives of the Tsona Dzongpons (district commissioners from Tsona in Tibet) and the Tawang monastery officials on their way. On February 9, 1951, the Tsona Dzongpons met Khathing again, and the latter reported to the governor: As regards the lay officials, like Tsona Dzongpons and Drekhangs, the salt monopolists and grain collectors, I have not allowed them to exercise any of their powers and influence. Undoubtedly, the merit of having taken over Tawangs administration goes to Daulatram as well as to the most reliable major. Nehrus Reaction On March 18, 1951, the prime minister noted: I hear constantly about the activities of the North and North-East Border Defense Committee. These activities have resulted in action being taken on the Tibetan border and in Nepal. At no stage have these matters been brought up before me for consultation, although apparently consultations have taken place with the Governor of Assam and other people far away. I am greatly concerned about this matter because the manner of our going to Tawang and taking possession of it and thus creating some international complications, has not been a happy one. I am yet not quite clear how all this was done without any reference to me. One can imagine what would have happened if the prime minister had been in the loop. The Occupation of Nelang/Jadhang Till date, the details of the occupation of Nelang remain shrouded in secrecy, though we know that it is also an outcome of the Himmatsinghji Committee, which sent a report in two parts to the Government of India. The first part consisted of its recommendations regarding Sikkim, Bhutan, NEFA, and the eastern frontier bordering Burma. The second part contained the recommendations on the borders in Ladakh, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, and Nepal; it was submitted in September 1951. The preliminary reports recommended that the Indian forces should immediately occupy Tawang and Nilang. Already in May 1950, the Ministry of External Affairs had sent a note to the Ministry of Defense asking the latter to comment on the feasibility of walking into the Nilang/Jadhang area. The Ministry of Defense then observed: The area under dispute is an extremely difficult country physically and climatically, with hardly any communications. It therefore follows that operations in the area will have to be confined to short periods and undertaken by specially trained infantry organized on an ad hoc basis with very scanty artillery support and no support whatsoever from either tanks or aircraft. If the Sardar were able (from wherever he is) to see the recent events in these two places, he would certainly be extremely pleased. The writer is Distinguished Fellow, Centre of Excellence for Himalayan Studies, Shiv Nadar Institution of Eminence (Delhi). Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the writer. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost_s views._ Rita Choy Chiu-yee, a Hong Kong employer, faces a lawsuit demanding HK$580,000 (US$74,155) in damages for starving and then dismissing her Filipino domestic helper following the helper's cancer diagnosis. Choy was unlawfully discriminating against her domestic helper, Joan Sarmiento Guting, when the latter was on sick leave at her home in 2017, the South China Morning Post reported. Upon Guting's diagnosis with cervical cancer, oedema, and acute kidney failure, the employer allegedly neglected Guting's needs, denied her access to the kitchen, and failed to provide her with sufficient food, according to the lawsuit, which was filed by Gutings friend, Carla Arangote Temporosa. Additionally, Choy purportedly installed a security camera and discarded utensils that Guting used. Choy terminated Guting's employment two months later. Guting had worked for Choy for two years and three months prior to the cancer diagnosis. She tragically passed away the following year at the age of 41 after she returned to the Philippines. During court proceedings on Wednesday, Temporosa testified that Guting mentioned the employer had prevented her from using the kitchen, leaving her with no alternative but to cook in her bedroom using a rice cooker borrowed from a friend, according to BNN Breaking. Choy refuted the allegations of restricting Guting from the kitchen and asserted that the termination was due to the helpers purported poor performance, which had dissatisfied her months prior to the diagnosis. Mistreatment of domestic helpers has been an ongoing issue in Hong Kong. The outcome of Gutings case could become a precedent that provides better legal protection for the citys over 370,000 foreign domestic workers. Kyiv will fight on as long as the US and West continue to support it militarily and financially In the book The Fathomless Caves, Kate Forsyth, the author, describes war as, An unpredictable beast. Once unleashed, it runs like a rabid dog, ravening friends and foes alike. It can drag on for years, a slow attrition of nerve and fortitude, or be over in one brilliant flash, an extravagant configuration of flame and blood and sweat. The Russian-Ukraine War fits well into the above description. Advertisement When President Putin launched special military operations to demilitarise and denazify Ukraine on February 24, 2022, it was universally given that the war would be over in a few days, with Russia inflicting a crushing defeat on Ukraine. Ironically, two years later, the conflict rages on, degenerating into a state of stalemate with little change in the ground situation. Although a classic limited war, its politico-economic impact has been felt far and wide, with serious geo-strategic ramifications. Militarily, it has gone on to redefine the very nature of warfare. The Russian offensive commenced as a typical military campaign, preceded by missiles and airstrikes, followed by a large-scale ground invasion along multiple fronts. The northern thrust was launched from Belarus towards Kyiv, the southern one was from Crimea, and the south-eastern push was from Luhansk-Donetsk towards Kharkiv. In the wake of heavy losses and stiff Ukrainian resistance on the outskirts of Kyiv, the Russian Northern thrust stalled within a month, towards the end of March. By April, the Russian Army had retreated to consolidate gains around the Luhansk and Donetsk areas. However, the Russians did succeed in capturing Mariupol in May after a prolonged siege. Advertisement Having stabilised the situation, in August, the Ukrainian forces launched a limited counterattack in the south and a month later in the north-east, succeeding in recapturing Kharkiv and Kherson by November, thus forcing the Russians to withdraw east of the Dnieper River. With winters setting in, the pace of operations had slowed down. The Ukrainians resorted to launching a number of drone strikes against the Russian bases. A period of lull was used by the belligerents to consolidate their positions and gear up for the next phase. Advertisement By the end of 2022, around 8 million refugees had fled Ukraine. Both sides had suffered heavy casualties; more than half a million Russian and Ukrainian soldiers were killed or wounded, besides over 10,000 civilian fatalities. Towards early 2023, Ukraine launched a major counter-offensive on a wide front. However, it soon went awry. The frontal assaults by the Ukrainian mechanised forces against the Russian multi-layered field fortifications complemented with minefields made no headway, and the offensive soon petered out. Advertisement On the other hand, the Russian Army achieved a major success in May 2023 with the capture of the strategically important city of Bakhmut after months of fighting, with Prigozhins Wegner militia making a major contribution. In 2024, Russia is prepared for a grand offensive to gain an upper hand, sensing exhaustion amongst the Ukrainian ranks and Kyivs depleting manpower, equipment, and resources. Advertisement Russia has revived its defence industry and also revamped its warfighting potential with military supplies, particularly ammunition, missiles, and drones from North Korea and Iran. The recent seizure of Avdiivka, an important town 20 kilometres east of Donetsk, will definitely offer a significant operational advantage to the Russians in the region. Additionally, it is a symbolic victory and a huge morale booster for the Russian Army. Advertisement The state of stalemate notwithstanding, the scope of conflict has enlarged, and the combat zone has gradually widened. The new geopolitical alignments have emerged, the Russia-China bloc versus the Trans-Atlantic Partnership, with America consolidating its leadership in the expanded alliance where Finland and Sweden are the new entrants. Active political hedging is being done by the West to dissuade developing world nations from buying Russian arms and equipment. Advertisement The NATO countries are openly involved in providing operational intelligence to Ukraine by sharing reconnaissance responsibilities along the Russian border. The scope of operations has expanded due to the missiles and drones striking deep into Russia. The centre of gravity of the combat zone has shifted southward, with the Black Sea becoming the arena of intense operations. Advertisement Here, the Russian naval assets have been repeatedly attacked by the Ukrainian drones, with the US actively assisting by way of target designation. The ongoing Ukraine war is the largest conflict in Europe since WWII. It has many trappings that tend to redefine the basic tenets of limited conflicts. By dragging into the third year, the ongoing war defies the presumption of the short span of the limited wars. Advertisement Hence, there is a strategic rethink amongst the nations to build capacity to fight prolonged wars. The Ukraine conflict ushers in an era of hybrid warsa mix of conventional and unconventionalamidst the shadow of a nuclear overhang. Subconventional warfare has acquired prominence, with non-state actors and militias playing a vital role; the battle of Bakhmut is a case in point. In the era of network-centric warfare, the preeminence of information warfare has been well established. Advertisement With war having degenerated into a stalemate, mechanised warfare has been replaced by trench warfare, bringing back reminiscences of the WWI era. An advance of even a few hundred metres is seen as a victory. The infantry is once again at the forefront, with long-range precision artillery playing a decisive role. Advertisement The tank as a predominant offensive weapon system has come under serious scrutiny, given its vulnerability to aerial strikes. The versatility of drones in carrying out multiple missions has significantly contributed to the changing nature of warfare. Despite heavy losses315,000 soldiers killed and two-thirds of the pre-war tank arsenal destroyedthe Russian government shows no signs of ending the war. In fact, President Putin has categorically stated that the war will go on until Ukraine is defeated. Conversely, despite initial setbacks, Ukraine has managed to recapture most of the territory it had lost. Kyiv will fight on as long as the US and West continue to support it both militarily and financially. Hence, it is evident that the only way war will ultimately end is on the battlefield, although breakthroughs are unlikely in the near future. The author is a War Veteran, former Assistant Chief; currently Professor Strategic-IR, Management Studies. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost_s views._ India is prepared to capitalise on the potential that disruptive technologies like AI and Quantum Computing, revealed Chief of Army Staff General, Manoj Pande at the Firstpost Defence Summit India is prepared to capitalise on the potential that disruptive technologies like AI and Quantum Computing, revealed Chief of Army Staff General, Manoj Pande at the Firstpost Defence Summit. Image Credit: Firstpost Indias defence and security apparatus is ready to tap into the potential that disruptive technologies bring, revealed Indias Chief of Army Staff General, Manoj Pande Speaking to Firstposts Managing Editor, Palki Sharma at the Firstpost Defence Summit, COAS Pande, when asked if India was prepared for the double-edged sword that technology like AI has become, said that the first step is to recognize the potential that disruptive technologies bring. Advertisement I believe these days the conventional compact ratios, which we used to talk of earlier have become less relevant. We have to correctly recognize the potential, these disruptive Technologies provide, said General Pande. India has identified some key niche technology and it is through innovation with the help academia and the startups that these areas utilize to be able to leverage and tap their correct potential. We are engaged in a number of things. we are collaborating with the academia with some premier Technological Institute in the country, we have set up Our AI and 5G, he said. General Pande also revealed that India is investing heavily in quantum computing labs, which have been going well. We have also made 5G and AI road map to how to integrate 5G with the Internet of Things for the military, he added. Speaking of the impact of AI in modern day warfare, a Senior Diplomat from Ukraine, Dr Olexander Scherba, explaine how AI and modern day tech has enabled the Ukrainians take on Russia in a much smarter and more efficient manner Speaking of the impact of AI in modern day warfare, a Senior Diplomat from Ukraine, Dr Olexander Scherba, explaine how AI and modern day tech has enabled the Ukrainians take on Russia in a much smarter and more efficient manner. Image Credit: Firstpost Ukraine has been able to fight Russia despite its limited resources, all thanks to AI and tech, says a Senior Diplomat from Ukraine, Dr Olexander Scherba. Dr Scherba was speaking at Firstpost Defence Summit in New Delhi, when he explained how the current Ukraine-Russia War was similar, and yet different to the two World Wars Advertisement This war is in essence very close to World War II. In visuals, it is ver close to World War I. But it is being powered by AI. Yesterday Ukraine shot down one of Russias most sophisticated Recognisance planes, the A50. Russia only had seven of those, he said. Without recognisance planes like the Russian AWACs bombing of Ukrainian cities would have been much less co-ordinated. Ukraine has shot down over 5 of Russias aircrafts in the last few days. It wouldnt be possible without the use of AI Dr Scherba added. Speaking of how Ukraine has been using AI in its fight against Russia, Scherba said, narrated an incident where a large group of Russian soldiers had gathered to welcome a general. Although the general in question never showed up, Ukraine was able to strike the gathering of the soldiers using an America-supplied missile, all thanks to AI. Advertisement It is a war of Artificial Intelligence with natural stupidity. he said with a smile. And we know whats happening on the ground. We know who does work on the ground because of modern Technologies because of AI, Russia fights a big, we fight smart. Russia fights big, we fight smart, he said. Advertisement He also spoke on Elon Musk and SpaceXs Starlink satellites. In the beginning, Elon Musk was an inspiration when he tweeted that he was hugely pro-Ukraine. Starlink was a massive blessing for Ukraine, says Olexander. However, since Russia too acquired access, things have been difficult. He also spoke on AI and how it is being used in propaganda, especially on social media platforms like X. He spoke about large-scale bot farms on social media platforms, particularly Twitter, influencing domestic politics, as uncovered by German authorities. This revelation, though alarming, underscores the evolving landscape of technological manipulation. These bots, while displaying human-like characteristics, often exhibit robotic behaviors, raising fears of AI weaponization. However, amidst these concerns, theres an opportunity for countries like India to leverage technology for positive impact. Advertisement India has the brain, India has the intellect and India has this long tradition of doing the right thing, making moral choices. India has a moral compass, he said. If the choice is between Biden and Trump, I think good for America is one who may not have all the energies to be what it takes to be a US president, but at least doesnt have the energies of the other, Former prime minister of Israel Ehud Olmert said Former prime minister of Israel Ehud Olmert, who led his country in the Lebanese War, took a dig at ex-US president Donald Trump as he, for all intents and purposes, called the latter a force that could endanger the entire world if he were to be re-elected to the White House. Advertisement Olmert was speaking at the Firstpost Defence Summit in New Delhi in a session moderated by Palki Sharma, the news platforms managing editor. Trump is endangering the entire world, Olmert said, adding, If the choice is between Biden and Trump, I think good for America is one who may not have all the energies to be what it takes to be a US president, but at least doesnt have the energies of the other Olmert said the US had not failed altogether on the global front, especially the Middle East. Praising US President Joe Biden, Olmert said, Biden has manifested a remarkable support for Israel, but also support for what I think is essential to building a new axis in Middle East The veteran Israeli politicians underlined that radical Islamists in the form of the Hamas and Islamic Jihad, supported by an aggressive and extremist Iran, was the root problem for lack of peace in the region. Advertisement What is clear at this point is that the enemy of peace in Middle East is radical Islamist forces and Iranians. Strategically, Western forces led by the USA with the participation of Europeans, can support Israel and oppose Hamas and Islamic Jihad. Joe Biden or Donald Trump: Who will be the better President for America? Listen to Former Prime Minister of Israel, Ehud Olmert as he speaks to Firstpost's Managing Editor @palkisu at the #FirstpostDefenceSummit pic.twitter.com/gH9Wz0I4Xd Firstpost (@firstpost) February 24, 2024 Advertisement Olmert, on the other hand, also stressed that this coalition of democratic governments could also pressure Israel into letting go off the rage that it has accumulated in the wake of the October 7 Hamas attack. Advertisement The former Israeli premier was also analytical of the US position in the world that has been fraught. Cant say America has failed completely, but it is very difficult to run this new process when you have a quite aggressive and unfriendly Russian government and a radical Iran and China that is playing to make the most for itself at the cost of all the stability we are trying to achieve. As the world grapples to find a modicum of hope amid ongoing death and destruction caused by Ukraine and Russia on the one hand, and Israel and Hamas on the other, two veteran global statesmen came together at the Firstpost Defence Summit to hammer out, at least, broad strokes of building global trust and order. Advertisement Ehud Olmer, Israels former prime minister and Djoomart Otorbaev, former chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of Kyrgyzstan, pitched for greater global understanding here in New Delhi while in conversation with Palki Sharma, Firstposts managing editor. On whether the world has lost the Peace Dividend that accrued for decades after the end of the Cold War, Otorbaev said, All talks are meaningless if there is lack of trust. Every morning we must think how to contribute to building trust, in family, nations, world at large little by little how to build trust. My advice: we must do everything everyday to try to build trust in the world. Olmert, on the other hand, went down the memory lane as Israels premier to reminisce an incident to underline the need for political will when it came to strike peace. Oct 7 Hamas attack seems to have shattered Israels peace dividend still we have a shot In 2008 there was an historic opportunity to resolve issues between Israel and Palestinians. I presented to Mahmoud Abbas, president of Palestinian Authority, a peace plan on the basis of the two-state solution. This was presented at the end of 2008 and the beginning of 09 officially by the PM of Israel, on behalf of the State of Israel. Advertisement An international trust of five nations without exclusive sovereignty of any nation, unlike now when Israel is exercising exclusive sovereignty, was to govern Jerusalem. The refugee problem too would have been solved. But PA could not say Yes. In this context, Olmert proposed that it would take political will on both sides to have lasting peace in the region. Advertisement How can we achieve peace if the Israeli leadershipI have to make it obvious for the sake of transparency I am not the spokesperson of Israeli government and I am actually their sharp critiqueif the Israeli govt relents and allows formation of a Palestinian state within an agreementif Palestinians can come through too. The problem is lack of political will on both sides. Advertisement Otorbaev, though delved into deglobalisation as the direct cause of global fragmentation. We are facing deglobalisation. It started efficiently after USSR and Berlin wall went down. There was a chance to make friendship between nations. Now, what is going on is that the world is divided in a bad way. Now, Global South is migrating out of the most important values of the Western civilisation. I am a democrat, but for some reasons the Western civilisation was not able to attract societies in the Global South. So west is isolated since there is no dialogue. Advertisement Rise of China is most important reason for deglobalisation; US is not happy and Europe doesnt do anything to bring Eurasian continent on terms of cooperation. They just listen to what people across the Atlantic are saying, he added. Friday morning, about thirty tractors drove into the heart of Paris and headed toward Les Invalides, an esplanade that is close to the French parliament. In the afternoon, at the authorities suggestion, they began their departure French farmers have participated in a pan-European campaign to protest poor wages, environmental regulations, and competition from low-cost imports from outside the EU Image Courtesy Reuters On Friday, farmers drove tractors into the heart of Paris in an attempt to exert more pressure on President Emmanuel Macron, who had earlier planned a meeting to address their complaints but had since postponed it. French farmers have participated in a pan-European campaign to protest poor wages, environmental regulations, and competition from low-cost imports from outside the EU. Advertisement By the time the annual national agricultural exposition, the Salon de lAgriculture, begins in Paris on Saturday, they had demanded an answer from the government. The idea was to add a little bit of pressure before the fair opens, said Damien Greffin, a cereal farmer and Paris region chief of the main farmers union FNSEA. Last month, farmers across the country organized protests until the administration committed to reforms. However, additional steps offered by Prime Minister Gabriel Attal on Wednesday failed to appease protesters, and all eyes are now on Macron, who is expected to attend the annual agriculture exhibition on Saturday. Macron announced on Thursday that he will facilitate a discussion there with all actors in the agriculture world to outline the future of the industry. Advertisement Macrons inclusion of the extreme ecology group Soulevements de la Terre (Uprisings of the Earth), which the interior minister recently attempted to have outlawed after labelling them eco-terrorists, caused the effort to get off to a rough start. Macrons office announced that there had been an error and that the Soulevements group had not been invited following protests from opposition politicians, farming organizations, and even government officials. Advertisement However, the damage was already done, as Macrons idea was branded as cynical by FNSEA head Arnaud Rousseau, who also declared that he would not support something that doesnt allow dialogue in good conditions. Macron canceled the entire event in response to the call for a boycott, his office announced on Friday. In its place, he will meet with farmers unions before the fair opened on Saturday. Advertisement Attal unveiled a law aimed at resolving farmers complaints on Wednesday, pledging to bring agriculture to the status of a fundamental national interest. Despite this, farmers have persisted in closing down highways, torching tires, and besieging grocery stores, claiming they require more. Friday morning, about thirty tractors drove into the heart of Paris and headed toward Les Invalides, an esplanade that is close to the French parliament. In the afternoon, at the authorities suggestion, they began their departure. Advertisement Later, a second caravan arrived in Paris and pitched up south-west of the city, close to the site of the agriculture exhibition. A major yearly event for farmers, the public, and politicians, the FNSEA admitted that this years fair would be eminently political but added that it would ideally also be a time of celebration. Jaish al-Adl, a Sunni terrorist organization that was founded in 2012 and that Iran has classified as a terrorist organization, is active in the province of Sistan-Baluchistan in the southeast of the country The Jaish al-Adl has attacked Iranian security personnel multiple times over the years Iran International English, citing Irans state-run media, stated that Irans military forces assassinated prominent Jaish al-Adl (Army of Justice) militant group commander Ismail Shahbakhsh and some of his associates in Pakistan territory. The most recent event occurred one month after the two nations airstrikes on one another, when Iranian soldiers engaged in combat with a militant organization. Advertisement Al Arabiya News reported that Jaish al-Adl, a Sunni terrorist organization that was founded in 2012 and that Iran has classified as a terrorist organization, is active in the province of Sistan-Baluchistan in the southeast of the country. The Jaish al-Adl has attacked Iranian security personnel multiple times over the years. At least eleven police officers were killed in an attack on a Sistan-Balochistan police station in December, for which Jaish al-Adl claimed responsibility. But this month, Iran and Pakistan jointly decided to increase security cooperation, weeks after both countries launched missile strikes against terror units within each others borders. The agreement was revealed at a joint news conference held at the Pakistan Foreign Office by Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and Pakistani Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani. Advertisement Jilani claimed that misunderstandings may be swiftly cleared up in Iran and Pakistan. He said that the two nations also decided to ease each others fears and combat terrorism in their respective regions. The latest attack, however, demonstrated the opposite. Following missile strikes by Iran and Pakistan against each other, which targeted terrorist groups, relations between the two countries grew more tense. Advertisement On the late night of January 16, Iran launched missile and drone strikes into Pakistan with the goal of destroying two important headquarters of Jaish al-Adl (Army of Justice). According to Islamabad, the strikes left three girls injured and two children dead. Later on, though, both nations resolved to cooperate in order to de-escalate tensions and to restore their respective ambassadors to their respective positions. Advertisement (With agency inputs) The negotiations coincide with growing anxieties for the food-starved civilians of Gaza. Gazans were declared to be in extreme peril while the world watches by UNRWA, the primary UN agency providing aid to Palestinians The health ministry of the Hamas-run territory in the Gaza Strip reported Saturday that scores of Palestinians had died as a result of the most recent Israeli strikes. This came after Israels spy chief attended talks in Paris with the aim of reopening negotiations for a cease-fire. The negotiations follow the rejection of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus post-war Gaza plan by Hamas and the Palestinian Authority in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, as well as criticism from the US, a major ally. Advertisement The negotiations coincide with growing anxieties for the food-starved civilians of Gaza. Gazans were declared to be in extreme peril while the world watches by UNRWA, the primary UN agency providing aid to Palestinians. Hamas said on Saturday that Israeli forces had launched more than 70 strikes on civilian homes in Gazan cities including Deir al-Balah, Khan Yunis and Rafah over the previous 24 hours. The health ministry said at least 92 people were killed. Israels military said it was intensifying the operations in western Khan Yunis using tanks, close-range fire and aircraft. The soldiers raided the residence of a senior military intelligence operative in the area and destroyed a tunnel shaft, a military statement said. Hamas, the Palestinian Islamist movement that has ruled Gaza since 2007, said fighting was raging in the northern Gaza district of Zeitun. Advertisement In nearby Jabalia refugee camp, tempers are rising and on Friday dozens of people held an impromptu protest. We didnt die from air strikes but we are dying from hunger, said a sign held by one child. In the camp, bedraggled children waited expectantly, holding plastic containers and battered cooking pots for what little food is available. Residents have taken to eating scavenged scraps of rotten corn, animal fodder unfit for human consumption and even leaves. Advertisement Gazas health ministry said a two-month-old baby identified as Mahmud Fatuh had died of malnutrition. The risk of famine is projected to increase as long as the government of Israel continues to impede the entry of aid into Gaza, as well as access to water, health and other services, the charity Save the Children said. Advertisement Israel has defended its efforts to deliver aid into Gaza, saying that 13,000 trucks carrying aid have entered Gaza since the start of the war. The UN humanitarian agency OCHA said in a report on Friday that in Rafah, near the Egyptian border, people are reportedly stopping aid trucks to take food, a measure of their desperation. Advertisement - Controversial post-war plan - The war began after Hamass unprecedented October 7 attack, which resulted in the deaths of about 1,160 people in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official figures. Hamas militants also took hostages, 130 of whom remain in Gaza, including 30 presumed dead, according to Israel. Advertisement Israels retaliatory offensive has killed at least 29,606 people, mostly women and children, according to the latest tally released on Saturday by Gazas health ministry. With war still raging after more than four months, Netanyahu on Thursday unveiled a plan for post-war Gaza that sees civil affairs being run by Palestinian officials without links to Hamas. Advertisement The plan says that, even after the conflict, Israels army would have indefinite freedom to operate throughout Gaza to prevent any resurgence of terror activity, according to the proposals. It also says Israel will move ahead with a plan, already underway, to establish a security buffer zone inside Gaza along the territorys border. Advertisement A senior Hamas official, Osama Hamdan, said Netanyahu is presenting ideas which he knows fully well will never succeed. The plan also drew criticism from the United States. The Palestinian people should have a voice and a vote through a revitalised Palestinian Authority, which currently has partial administrative control in the West Bank, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said. Advertisement He added that the United States did not believe in a reduction of the size of Gaza. - Bring them back - An Israeli delegation led by Mossad intelligence agency chief David Barnea travelled to Paris for a fresh push towards a deal to return the remaining hostages. The United States, Egypt and Qatar have all been deeply involved in past negotiations aimed at securing a truce and prisoner-hostage exchanges. Advertisement Pressure has mounted on Netanyahus government to negotiate a ceasefire and secure the release of the hostages. A group representing their families planned what it billed as a huge rally to demand swifter action, coinciding with the Paris talks on Saturday night. We keep telling you: bring them back to us! And no matter how, Avivit Yablonka, 45, whose sister Hanan Yablonka was captured on October 7, said at a traditional Shabbat dinner for hostage families in Tel Aviv. Advertisement White House envoy Brett McGurk held talks this week with Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant in Tel Aviv, after speaking to other mediators in Cairo who had met Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh. A Hamas source said the new plan proposes a six-week pause in the conflict and the release of between 200 and 300 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for 35 to 40 hostages being held by Hamas. Barnea and his US counterpart from the CIA helped broker a week-long truce in November that saw the release of 80 Israeli hostages in exchange for 240 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails. The war has led to repeated attacks on shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden by Iran-backed Huthi rebels in Yemen who say they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. Rubymar, a British-registered cargo ship abandoned in the Gulf of Aden after one such attack, is taking on water and has left a huge oil slick. With inputs from AFP They yelled, This is our home! as lines of French CRS riot police attempted to break up the protest. A Reuters witness saw some altercations with protesters, and at least one of them was taken into custody by the police Protesters wearing caps of the FNSEA gather to protest at the opening of the 60th International Agriculture Fair (Salon de l'Agriculture) at the Porte Versailles exhibition centre in Paris, France, February 24, 2024. Ludovic Marin/Pool via REUTERS Enraged over expenses, red tape, and environmental regulations, a group of French farmers stormed into a major Paris farm fair on Saturday ahead of President Emmanuel Macrons scheduled visit. The farmers were yelling and booing, directing their outbursts at Macron, and demanding his resignation as they faced down several dozen police officers within the trade show. Advertisement They yelled, This is our home! as lines of French CRS riot police attempted to break up the protest. A Reuters witness saw some altercations with protesters, and at least one of them was taken into custody by the police. One of the protesters, Pascal Beteille, stated he had no expectations for Macrons visit. This is our home and hes welcoming us with CRS, he told Reuters. Macron, who met French farmers union leaders over breakfast, was scheduled to walk within the alleys of the trade fair afterwards. Im saying this for all farmers: youre not helping any of your colleagues by smashing up stands, youre not helping any of your colleagues by making the show impossible, and in a way scaring families away from coming, Macron told reporters after his meeting with union leaders. Advertisement The French president said he would convene farmers union representatives and other stakeholders of the sector at the Elysee palace in three weeks after he canceled a debate he wanted to hold at the fair with farmers, food processors and retailers. He denied a reports that he planned to invite controversial environmentalist group Soulevements de la Terre to that debate, which had further stirred anger among French farmers. Advertisement An impromptu heated discussion between Macron and demonstrators was being broadcast live on French news channels. The Paris farm show - a major event in France, attracting around 600,000 visitors over nine days - is a political fixture, where presidents and their opponents are expected to engage with the public under intense media scrutiny. Advertisement Farmers protests which have spread across Europe, have stoked concerns in France and beyond about their political fallout, given they represent a growing constituency for the far right, expected to make gains in European Parliament elections in June. French farmers earlier this month largely suspended protests after Prime Minister Gabriel Attal promised new measures worth 400 million euros ($433 million). Advertisement But protests resumed this week to put pressure on the government to provide more help and deliver on promises, ahead of the Paris farm show. With inputs from Reuters The governor of Russias Lipetsk region identified the plant as one in the city of Lipetsk, some 400 km (250 miles) north of the Ukrainian border, that is responsible for about 18% of Russian steel output On the second anniversary of Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine Saturday, a Kyiv source said that a big Russian steel factory was hit by Ukrainian drones during the night, resulting in a large fire. The plant, which produces roughly 18% of Russias steel production, is located in the city of Lipetsk, about 400 km (250 miles) north of the Ukrainian border, according to the governor of the Lipetsk region of Russia. Advertisement At the plant run by Russian steelmaker Novolipetsk (NLMK) (NLMK.MM), he said a fire that appeared to have been started by a drone strike had been put out and no one had been hurt. The attack, which was a combined effort by GUR military intelligence and the SBU security service, caused a significant fire, the Ukrainian source told Reuters, and personnel had been evacuated. Raw materials from this enterprise are used to manufacture Russian missiles, artillery, drones. Therefore, it is a legitimate goal for Ukraine, the source said, without specifying the location of the plant. NLMK said in October 2022 that its Russian operations were not capable of producing military-grade heavy steels and did not supply goods to the military, only rolled strip steel for general civilian use. Advertisement Video posted on social media purporting to be from Lipetsk showed an explosion, with a orange flames illuminating the nighttime sky. NLMK said on social media the fire had broken out at 1:40 a.m. (2240 GMT on Friday). The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The plants production was suspended while an investigative team works onsite, said a source familiar with the matter. The visible damage was not significant, the source added. Advertisement The Lipetsk plant specialises in flat steel, making 80% of NLMKs steel products. Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian military and industrial targets have become increasingly common in recent months, notably hitting oil facilities that Kyiv says are vital to the Russian war effort, but Ukrainian sources had not previously claimed responsibility for an attack on a steel plant. Advertisement Russian authorities said Ukrainian drones had been downed over the Lipetsk, Kursk and Tula regions overnight. Seven officials have been found to assist Trinh Van Quyet, former chairman of property and leisure company FLC Group, in manipulating several stocks. The Ministry of Public Security on Saturday recommended that three officials of the Public Company Supervision Department, under the State Securities Commission of Vietnam, and of the Vietnam Securities Depository, be charged with intentionally publishing false information or concealing information in securities activities. It also recommended that four officials from the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange be charged with abuse of power while performing official duties. The police have yet to reveal how these officials allegedly helped Quyet manipulate the stock market. These are only the latest developments in the two month extended investigation into the now-infamous accusations against Quyet. So far the ministry has recommended charging 51 people with several crimes in the case. The police said that between May 2017 and January 2022, Quyet directed his two sisters, Trinh Thi Thuy Nga and Trinh Thi Minh Hue, and other people, to use different trading accounts to manipulate several tickers. Over the period, Quyet and his accomplices manipulated trading to create a fake demand for the shares of five companies in 562 sessions. The tickers that were manipulated included AMD of FLC Stone Mining and Investment, HAI of HAI Agrochem, GAB of FLC Mining Investment & Asset Management, ART of BOS Securities, and FLC of property developer FLC. On Jan. 10, 2022, Quyet ordered his sisters to sell 74.8 million shares to gain VND1.6 trillion ($64.94 million). FLC price then dropped 12.9% that day. Police also accused Quyet and his accomplices of appropriating money from investors between 2014 and 2016 by conducting procedures to increase FLC Faros charter capital from VND1.5 billion to VND4.3 trillion. Faros then requested the registration of a stock listing of 430 million ROS shares on the Ho Chi Minh City Stock Exchange in order to sell them and pocket over VND3.6 trillion from investors. During his unexpected visit to Kiev last month, Rishi Sunak had promised a ten-year security cooperation pact between the UK and Ukraine Rishi Sunak stated that Western countries "must renew" their commitment to supporting Ukraine in its fight against Russia's invasion Image Courtesy Reuters On the second anniversary of Russias invasion of Ukraine, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak reaffirmed his commitment to the country, stating in a statement on Friday that tyranny will never triumph. Rishi Sunak stated that Western countries must renew their commitment to supporting Ukraine in its fight against Russias invasion. This is the moment to show that tyranny will never triumph and to say once again that we will stand with Ukraine today and tomorrow, Sunak said in a statement. Advertisement We are prepared to do whatever it takes, for as long as it takes, until they prevail. He said that the nation was defending the very principles of freedom, sovereignty and the rule of law, on which we all depend and applauded Ukraines courage in the face of terrible suffering. During his unexpected visit to Kiev last month, Rishi Sunak had promised a ten-year security cooperation pact between the UK and Ukraine. In addition, he promised a further 2.5 billion ($3.2 billion) in military aid, bringing Britains total commitment to supporting the war effort in Ukraine to about 12 billion. When Putin launched his illegal invasion two years ago, the free world was united in its response, Sunak said in Fridays statement. We stood together behind Ukraine. And on this grim anniversary, we must renew our determination. The largest single-day package of financial retribution since Russia invaded Ukraine two years ago included a 200-page list of targets with headquarters in Russia, the United Arab Emirates, China, and other countries. However, organizations and industries that were left off of the long list were equally noteworthy: the metals industry, further penalties relating to energy, and secondary sanctions against banks Despite all of Joe Biden's bluster about the sanctions, his staff is still hesitant to target revenue streams that experts claim would seriously harm Russia's economy Image Courtesy Reuters By imposing new sanctions on Friday, President Joe Biden attempted to demonstrate his resolve to oppose Russia, but his resolve was weakened by worries that the strongest sanctions still in the US arsenal would destabilize the world economy. The largest single-day package of financial retribution since Russia invaded Ukraine two years ago included a 200-page list of targets with headquarters in Russia, the United Arab Emirates, China, and other countries. However, organizations and industries that were left off of the long list were equally noteworthy: the metals industry, further penalties relating to energy, and secondary sanctions against banks. Advertisement Despite all of Joe Bidens bluster about the sanctions, his staff is still hesitant to target revenue streams that experts claim would seriously harm Russias economy out of concern that they would cause widespread shocks that could retaliate against the US economy. This caution was evident in their actions. A more aggressive strategy may target the international banks that assist Russia in obtaining the equipment and supplies it needs to carry on the war, as well as the trade in metals like aluminum and nickel and enriched uranium. Additionally, the US might distribute and take control of frozen Russian sovereign assets. These actions all entail a high risk. The names on the list include those of individuals and organizations that have already faced sanctions or have only tenuous linkages to the US financial system, which lessens their influence. There was the deputy director of the Federal Penitentiary Service and the warden of the prison where Russian whistleblower Alexey Navalny passed away last month. A Russian shipbuilder involved in the construction of fifteen liquefied natural gas vessels was also attacked. Advertisement The approval of $60 billion in new weapons and ammunition, which is what Ukraine truly wants, is still pending. Bidens money request is stalled in the House of Representatives. President Volodymyr Zelenskiys advisor Mykhailo Podolyak told the media that increasing weaponry is the only move by the West that would truly frighten President Vladimir Putin. Advertisement Lots of weapons. A really big amount of weapons for Ukraine. Long-range, anti-missile, anti-marine weapons. The rest is a fiction, delayed awareness, chronicling of the process, prolongation of the war, a dangerous illusion that it is possible to sit out, Podolyak said in a post on X. The timing of the sanctions is problematic for the Ukrainian administration. The fighting lines were not much altered by the counteroffensive that was launched last year, and the Russian force recently took Avdiivka, a devastating symbolic loss. Washington is still hesitating on more aid, and the House isnt moving forward with a Senate-passed supplemental spending bill. Advertisement Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is in Kiev this weekend to promise the people that action will be taken, but Congress has a lot on its plate over the next several weeks due to the impending government shutdown. Not that it has helped much, with former President Donald Trump opposing Ukraine aid, citing it as inconsistent with his America First platform, and Biden pitching it as essential to prevent the spread of autocracy. Meanwhile, the Russian economy continues to chug along in spite of the sanctions. Advertisement Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo said in an interview with Bloomberg Television on Friday that the US is looking into ways to use $300 billion in Russian state assets to help pay for Ukraines reconstruction. US officials hinted that there would be more to come. The Odysseus is regarded as the first successful mission of a new series of NASA-funded lunar landers intended to conduct scientific studies that will prepare the way for American humans to return to the Moon later this decade as part of the Artemis program The corporation that developed the first American spaceship to land on the Moon since the Apollo era stated on Friday that it is likely lying sideways after its spectacular landing, even as ground controllers attempt to download data and surface images from the unmanned robot. At 6:23 p.m. Eastern Time (2323 GMT) on Thursday, the Odysseus spacecraft touched down close to the lunar south pole. The final descent was tense, requiring ground crews to switch to a backup guidance system and taking several minutes to establish radio communication after the lander came to rest. Advertisement The business behind this historic first-ever private lunar landing, Intuitive Machines, first claimed on social media that its hexagonal spaceship was upright. However, CEO Steve Altemus informed reporters on Friday that this claim was based on incorrect data. Rather, it looks as though it caught a foot on the surface and toppled over, landing horizontally with its top resting on a small rock. This took away some of the glory from what was mostly heralded as a historic accomplishment. Over the weekend, a NASA mission known as the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter should be able to take pictures of Odysseus, which will aid in determining its precise location. Antennas facing downward that are unusable for transmission back to Earth and so that really is a limiter in our ability to communicate and get the right data down so we get everything we need for the science experiments on board, according to Altemus, were impeding the teams ability to download data from the science experiments on board, even though solar arrays were on the top-facing side. Advertisement The EagleCam devices manufacturer, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, claims that due to difficulties with the landing, it was decided not to launch an external camera to record the descent in real time. However, the group will still make an effort to launch it from the ground in an effort to capture an exterior photo of Odysseus. Advertisement The Odysseus is regarded as the first successful mission of a new series of NASA-funded lunar landers intended to conduct scientific studies that will prepare the way for American humans to return to the Moon later this decade as part of the Artemis program. Highlighting the technical difficulties, ground engineers had to improvise a solution after Intuitive Machines own navigation system malfunctioned. They hurriedly wrote a software patch to switch to an experimental NASA laser guidance system, which was only supposed to be used as a technology demonstration. Advertisement Later, Altemus disclosed that someone had overlooked flipping a safety switch prior to takeoff, which prevented Odysseuss own laser system from activating. He called this an oversight on our part. The spaceship was meant to land and be confirmed in a matter of seconds, but it took almost fifteen minutes for a faint signal to be caught, indicating that the mission had been accomplished and the spaceship was still intact. Advertisement Under an initiative that outsources cargo services to the private sector in an effort to save money and promote a broader lunar economy, NASA paid Intuitive Machines $118 million to carry six experiments. In addition, Odysseus transports goods for individual clients, like as a reflective heat cover made by Columbia Sportswear that shields the spacecrafts cryogenic propulsion tank. Advertisement In addition to gathering ice for drinking water and rocket fuel for future onward trips to Mars, the United States and its international allies hope to establish permanent settlements on the south pole. NASAs Artemis program intends for the first crewed landing to occur no later than 2026. In the meantime, China intends to launch a new era of space competition in 2030 by landing its first crew on the Moon. Advertisement This was the private sectors fourth attempt at a soft lunar landing. By landing on the moon, Intuitive Machines becomes a member of an exclusive club that includes the national space agencies of the US, China, India, Japan, and the Soviet Union. (With agency inputs) Samsung has announced the expansion of its Try Galaxy app to all Android devices, including Galaxy models, for the first time. This allows more users to explore the latest features of the Galaxy S24 series and One UI 6.1, previously exclusive to iOS users. The Try Galaxy app now supports 20 languages and is available in 120 countries. Since its launch in 2022, it has garnered over 18 million cumulative downloads. The updated Try Galaxy app introduces several new AI features: Explore Galaxy AI Through Widgets and Tutorials Users can simulate the experience of using a Galaxy S24 home screen within the app. Tutorials and interactive content assist users in navigating the latest interface. A new widget on the home screen provides demonstrations of core AI-powered features, with short videos explaining their applications. The widget highlights several new AI features: Live Translate: Enables real-time, two-way call translations in 13 languages, breaking down language barriers for communication. Note Assist: Offers AI-generated summaries, automatic formatting, spell check, and translations to streamline note-taking, with dense paragraphs transformed into bullet points for easy review. Chat Assist: Refine the tone of text messages for various occasions, from professional to casual. The Samsung Keyboard AI can also translate messages in real-time across 13 languages. Photo Assist: Helps users capture perfect shots with features like Generative Edit for resizing and repositioning objects, Edit Suggestion for instant composition tweaks, and Erase Reflection to remove unwanted shadows. Circle to Search with Google: Allows users to search for items displayed on-screen with a simple circling gesture without switching apps. This feature provides instant search results based on the image circled, along with generative AI-powered overviews. Advanced Camera Tools The widget also provides tutorials on advanced camera tools of the Galaxy S24 series, including Nightography Zoom, Super Steady, and Portrait mode. Other Updates Users can explore new Galaxy Themes and Art Wallpapers, as well as informative cards introducing multi-device connectivity and Samsung Health features. Introductory videos on foldable experiences with the Galaxy Z Flip5 and Z Fold5 are also available. Availability The Try Galaxy app is now available on Android devices with the latest version of Chrome. It is also compatible with Safari on iPhone 7 and above, with iOS 14 or higher. It can be downloaded via QR code scan or by visiting trygalaxy.com. While optimized for Android, Samsung acknowledges potential variations based on device model, screen size, and settings. Google has decided to temporarily halt Geminis image generation of people to enhance its accuracy. Earlier this month, Google introduced a new image generation feature for the Gemini conversational app (formerly known as Bard), allowing users to create images of people. However, some generated images were inaccurate or offensive, prompting Google to acknowledge the issue and express gratitude for user feedback. Acknowledging Mistakes and Explanation Google admitted the flaws in the image generation feature, which was based on the AI model Imagen 2. They explained that while tuning the feature, they aimed to prevent issues seen in previous image generation technologies, such as creating inappropriate images or biased depictions. Google emphasized their commitment to making the feature inclusive for users worldwide. However, despite their efforts, the feature encountered two major problems. Firstly, the tuning failed to address scenarios where a range of people was unnecessary. Secondly, the model became overly cautious over time, refusing to respond to certain prompts, even benign ones, leading to embarrassing and inaccurate outcomes. Improved Version Geminis image generation Coming Soon Prabhakar Raghavan, Googles Senior Vice President, stated that the intention was never to discriminate or provide inaccurate representations. To rectify the issue, Google has temporarily disabled the image generation feature for people and plans to improve it extensively before reactivation, including rigorous testing. Additionally, Raghavan emphasized that Gemini, as a creativity and productivity tool, may not always be reliable, especially concerning current events or contentious topics. He acknowledged the challenge of AI inaccuracies, highlighting ongoing efforts to enhance reliability. Raghavan recommended using Google Search for factual information, as separate systems curate fresh and reliable content from various sources. Commenting on the announcement, Prabhakar Raghavan, Senior Vice President at Google, said: Singapore has been named the world's costliest city by international magazines many times, and that's why American YouTuber Grif was shocked to find delicious cheap eats under US$5. In a YouTube video posted Feb. 18 on "Grif's Food and Travel Channel," which has 4,500 subscribers, he showed off his finds at Tiong Bahru Market. "I was told that I should visit Tiong Bahru Market because it is more modern, clean and offers a lot of variety of foods to choose from and a good price. So I decided to make my way to Tiong Bahru Market to see if they fit in the category of one of the top five hawker centers in Singapore," he said in the video that had attracted 4,400 views as of Saturday. "The one thing I was surprised with was the prices of the food. They were very reasonable and everything I ate on that day was under $5. The portion size was a good size and the quality of the food was really good at every location I stopped," he shared. The first dish he tried was a plate of curry rice with breaded pork chop and braised pork for just S$4.8 (US$4). "For only $4. Crazy pricing," he said. "The curry flavor is really good," he added. He then visited Hong Heng Fried Sotong Prawn Mee, a Michelin-Bib Gourmand stall where he ordered a plate of Hokkien mee for $3. Grif added that the price was "very affordable." Grif inside Tiong Bahru Market in Singapore. Photo courtesy of the YouTuber After trying these two dishes, he and ordered a chestnut and sugarcane drink for just $1. Then, he ordered wonton noodles for $4.5 from another famous stall - Zhong Yu Yuan Wei Wanton Noodle. Wonton noodles is a noodle dish of Cantonese origin but is popular in mainland China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. The dish can also be found at Chinatown areas in Vietnam where it is mainly served by Chinese families, many of whom have been doing it for generations. The last dish Grif tried from the food center was peanut and coconut pancakes for $0.75 each from Tiong Bahru Mian Jian Kueh. "The pancake batter is so light and fluffy," he said. "The market was really nice, with an open courtyard area in the center of the market. This offered a lot of cross wind and kept the market cool," he said. A report by the Economist Intelligence Unit showed Singapore maintained its pole position as the worlds most expensive city for the ninth time in the last eleven years. According to Numbeo, the world's largest database of user-contributed data about cities and countries worldwide, the average single persons estimated monthly costs are S$1,506. Grif has a strong passion for food. He has traveled to many countries, especially in Southeast Asia, and promotes cuisine on his YouTube channel. A video posted on Grif's Food and Travel Channel shows the American tourist tries cheap eats under US$5 in Singapore: In 1993 Vietnamese fisherman Luong Viet Loi embarked on a 5,500-mile expedition across the Pacific Ocean to test the theory that ancient Asian voyagers reached America using simple rafts. Loi from Sam Son coastal city of Thanh Hoa Province in central Vietnam was chosen by Irish explorer Tim Severin (1940-2020) to helm the voyage from Hong Kong to the U.S. The Tu Phuc Raft, crafted from bamboo, sets sail for the voyage from Hong Kong to the U.S. in 1993. Archived photo After making preparations for three weeks in Hong Kong, the bamboo raft, named Tu Phuc, departed from Aberdeen port in the south of the island on May 17. The expedition team comprised seven individuals: Tim Severin from Ireland, three Britons Joe Beynon, Rex Warner, and Trondur Patursson, Nina Kojima from Japan, Mark Reynolds from Hong Kong, and Luong Viet Loi from Vietnam. Mark and Nina disembarked before the remaining five departed from Japan. As Severin later wrote in his book "The China Voyage," everyone except Loi felt inexperienced as they raised the sails and began their journey. Departing from the wharf, Severin noted that the Tu Phuc raft moved slowly, lacking the agility of Sam Son's fishing rafts. This was due to its heavy load of 7-8 tons, mostly freshwater. Severin humorously likened the raft's departure from Hong Kong to that of a tipsy person leaving a party. The men learned gradually how to maneuver in the tight spaces aboard the raft. They had hoped to reach Taiwan, around 120 miles from Hong Kong, in a week to 10 days. But on the eighth day a storm hit while they were crossing the Taiwan Strait. Loi managed to guide the vessel alone through the storm though a mast was damaged. The next day he fixed the mast using bamboo and other materials they carried. They wanted to reach Taiwan for repairs and supplies, but had to be wary of big waves and submerged rocks. Any collision could potentially damage the raft. A meal on the Tu Phuc. Photo courtesy Luong Viet Loi's family On the 19th day the crew got lost after being caught in a rapid current called Kuroshio, which flows along the eastern coast of Taiwan and Japan carrying warm water from the tropics to the north. They were running out of food and kerosene because this part of the trip took longer than expected. Severin spoke with the group and everyone agreed they needed to eat less to make their supplies last longer. They only had about two liters of kerosene left, and so could only cook one meal a day. Severin decided to skip Taiwan and follow the Kuroshio to Japan's Ryukyu Islands. There they fixed the mast, got more food, and took some short trips through the main Japanese archipelagos. On Aug. 5 they set sail again, heading to San Francisco, the U.S. Severin thought it would take around 90 days to traverse the 4,500 miles. For months the raft journeyed steadily toward its destination. While some days were filled with battles against storms, there were also peaceful moments when the raft moved forward effortlessly. During these occasions the five made tools like bows and arrows and knives to hunt fish and other seafood. Loi said: "We had Vietnamese meal with rice every two days and western food the rest of the time. Some days we relied solely on fresh fish and shrimp from the sea." The crew worked in shifts, with two people on duty at a time. As their journey continued the raft endured four storms. The most perilous encounter was with a cargo ship that nearly collided with them one night. Loi reacted swiftly, steering the raft away just in time to avert disaster. Twice, pirates boarded the raft, but Loi did not encounter them directly as he was asleep. Upon waking, he learned from his fellow crew members that the pirates had searched the raft but found nothing of value and left. On the 103rd day since leaving Japan, the crew noticed that some bamboo trees, integral to the rafts structure, had slipped away, and the rattan ropes softening and weakening. Severin said: "The raft looked like a makeshift rope workshop. We had to find a way to secure it so the bamboo wouldn't loosen and drift away." Meanwhile, a major storm was forecast to hit in the area where they were sailing. Fearing for the safety of the crew, Severin decided to ask the U.S. Coast Guard to evacuate them. Loi, when he agreed to leave the raft, seemed "deeply pained," indicating the emotional toll it took, Severin said. On Nov. 16, 1993, after sailing 5,500 miles (8,800 km) and being only around 900 miles from the west coast of the U.S., the crew abandoned the raft and boarded a ship back to Japan. The Tu Phuc drifted away into the vast ocean, never to be seen again. The container ship California Galaxy, which transported the crew, completed the journey to Tokyo in just nine days, covering the same distance that the Tu Phuc had done in 105. After a brief farewell gathering, Loi flew back to Vietnam the next day, having earned US$1,400 from the trip. Life after the adventure Upon his return, Loi gave up the ocean and bought a motorbike to become a taxi driver. Unfortunately, he had an accident and had to give up that too. He learned English and began to work as a translator for various hotels in Hanoi and Thanh Hoa. Recently, due to declining health, he returned to his hometown to live with his wife and children in Truong Son Ward, Sam Son City. Luong Tat Thang, secretary of Sam Son, said that in 2018 the city, in collaboration with the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology, planned to re-create the bamboo raft Loi sailed across the Pacific. Once complete, it is expected to be displayed at the Doc Cuoc Temple, located at the top of Co Giai mountain, in the Truong Le mountain range, next to Sam Son Beach. There have been delays, but Thang promised that the city remains dedicated to realizing this project. A 1/20 scale model of the Tu Phuc Raft, constructed by the Sam Son City People's Committee. Photo by VnExpress/Le Hoang Sam Son plans to make a biopic about Loi. "The journey across the ocean is a history lesson, showing that the bamboo rafts of Sam Son fishermen can sail all the way to America, not just to Truong Sa or Hoang Sa islands," Thang said. It also hopes to create tourism experiences based on the expedition. Hanoi principal to build school in one of Vietnam's poorest district Principal Nguyen Xuan Khang of Hanoi's Marie Curie school and students from Meo Vac District of Ha Giang who received scholarships from him to study at university, November 2023. Photo by the school A Hanoi principal will spend VND100 billion (US$4 million) building a school for minority students in Meo Vac, a poor, mountainous district in the northernmost border province of Ha Giang. "Giving a school to a northern border area has been my wish for a long time," the capital's Marie Curie School principal Nguyen Xuan Khang said as he announced the plan Tuesday. Khang, 75, revealed that the new school, named Marie Curie Ethnic Boarding School - Meo Vac, would be located on a 1.5-hectare site in the district town's center. Later this year, Marie Cuire, Hanoi's top private school, plans to send three architects to Meo Vac to survey, design, and prepare documentation for the project. Construction of the new school is expected to begin in 2025 for completed in July 2026. The goal is to have the facility ready to enroll its first class for the 2026-2027 academic year. The construction cost is estimated at about VND100 billion, funded by Khang. The district's People's Committee will allocate funds to purchase equipment for the students' boarding needs. "This is the first time the district has received a full investment and sponsorship from an individual to build a school," said Ngo Manh Cuong, Vice Chairman of Meo Vac District People's Committee. Chairman Cuong said the district had previously mulled plans to build another boarding school due to the rapid increase in student numbers, but "could not afford it." Therefore, he considers the Marie Curie-Meo Vac school project "very meaningful." Khang said the connection between Marie Curie School and Meo Vac District began in 2021 when the school planted 20,000 cunninghamia trees in Khau Vai Commune. In 2022, Marie Curie School opened online English lessons for 2,600 Meo Vac third graders that will continue until they complete elementary school. At the end of November 2023, to address the shortage of English teachers in Meo Vac, Khang rolled out funds of VND12 billion to support 30 local students to study for university degrees in English. Currently, 17 students are participating in the project. The district's People's Committee will recruit 13 more people for training in the next academic year. Meo Vac shares over 41 km of border with China. The population here is nearly 100,000, comprised of 17 ethnic groups, mostly Hmong people. It is on a government list of the nation's 74 poorest districts. Welcome to my genealogy blog. Genea-Musings features genealogy research tips and techniques, genealogy news items and commentary, genealogy humor, San Diego genealogy society news, family history research and some family history stories from the keyboard of Randy Seaver (of Chula Vista CA), who thinks that Genealogy Research Is really FUN! Copyright (c) Randall J. Seaver, 2006-2024. Spanish tourists pose for photos in front of a temple in Hoi An ancient town in central Vietnam, September 2023. Photo by Nguyen Anh Tuan Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has instructed immigration agencies to consider waiving visas for visits of six to 12 months for people coming from wealthy countries to drive tourism recovery. The list of countries whose citizens are unilaterally exempted from visas would be expanded from the current 13, he said in a directive Friday. The list now has Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Britain, Russia, Japan, South Korea, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Belarus. The PM also instructed the agencies to consider issuing long-term and multiple-entry visas from 12 to 36 months to attract wealthy foreign retirees from Europe, Northeast Asia, North America, India, and some Middle Eastern countries. It comes in the context that some Southeast Asian countries like Thailand and Malaysia have sparked off a regional tourism race to attract foreign tourists, especially from China, with visa-free policies. Vietnam now waives visas for travelers from 25 countries compared to 162 by Malaysia and Singapore, 157 by the Philippines, 68 by Japan, 66 by South Korea, and 64 by Thailand. Vietnam grants tourist visas for up to three months to citizens of all countries and territories. It received 12.6 million international visitors last year, only around 70% of the pre-Covid number. China, India and Australia were among Vietnams biggest sources of visitors last year and industry insiders expect the government to waive visas for their citizens to provide a fillip to tourism. Dennis received bachelor's degrees in communication and political science with a TAG degree in Spanish from The University of Akron in Ohio. He grew up in Ohio with 2 sisters and two brothers, one being his fraternal twin. He and his wife have 3 dogs: Duke, Bacio, and Cal. Dennis currently covers natural resource and environmental issues for The Daily Sentinel Trump says his criminal indictments boosted his appeal to Black voters Former President Donald Trump claims his multiple criminal indictments have boosted his support among Black Americans because they see him as a victim of discrimination Saddled with high cancer rates and late diagnoses, the Philippines is trying a whole new tack: asking businesses to step into state shoes and screen millions of workers for early signs of the disease. Be it cervical, breast or colon cancer, the Southeast Asian nation wants to lower its cancer deaths by increasing screening. Medics say early detection is key to improving survival rates, so last year the government changed course and opted to partner with the private sector to boost testing levels. In September, the government ordered all employers to set up cancer prevention and control programs to ease pressures on time- and cash-poor staff, who must otherwise contribute to the cost of diagnosis and treatment themselves. Employers are now required to give employees access to cancer screening, by referrals to reputable health facilities or conducting free screenings themselves. The order stemmed from the landmark National Integrated Cancer Control Act, which pledged better screening, diagnosis and treatment and to make health services "more equitable and affordable for all, especially for the underprivileged, poor and marginalized". Cervical screening Since the start of the year, 500 Filipinos have tested under the new setup - officer worker Gemma Remojo was among the first. "Ive been suffering from reproductive issues and hormonal imbalance so I really needed this test," said Remojo, a 35-year-old employed by finance company Home Credit. Under the Philippine health system, Remojo would have to pay for tests in a private clinic or ask the national health insurance to cover her screening, which takes time to process. Home Credit's cervical screening service began in January, with kits distributed to workers for free after a short lecture. The workers collect their own specimens in a designated space inside the workplace and their results are posted out by medical providers some weeks later. Employers cannot access the results, circumventing any data privacy concerns. A positive test detects the presence of HPV, the virus linked to cervical cancer - the fourth most common cancer among women globally. Roughly 91 percent of cervical cancer cases are thought to be caused by HPV, and every year more than half of cervical cancer cases in the Philippines lead to death. The kit was provided for free by the Johns Hopkins Program for International Education in Gynecology and Obstetrics (Jhpiego), a nonprofit health organization helping hundreds of workers get free HPV screenings in the Philippines. According to Jhpiego, the cancer awareness lecture and do-it-yourself kits help simplify the screening process for women. The government said the aim was to screen more citizens and do it more quickly - then to speed up diagnoses. "With cancer ranking third among the leading causes of mortality and morbidity in the country, the advisory serves as our proactive contribution to combating the disease," Alvin Curada, director of the government's Bureau of Working Conditions, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. "Engaging the private sector underscores the country's commitment ... It signifies a shared responsibility between the government and the private sector," he said. Bridging health gaps A key incentive for users to get tested is the lower cost, along with a better health outlook. The cost of treatment is high; Filipino cancer patients lose a combined 35 billion Philippine pesos ($625 million) a year in medical costs, out-of-pocket expenses and lost wages, according to a study by health economist Valerie Ulep of state think-tank the Philippine Institute for Development Studies. Ulep said early screening could save lives, as only 1% of Filipino women are ever screened for breast or cervical cancer, among the lowest rates in the world. The poor take-up comes despite the fact that breast and cervical are among the leading cancers affecting Filipino women. The cost of screening is also prohibitive, said Jhpiego's Marco Ugoy, who works to raise awareness on reproductive health. The price in hospitals can range from 3,000 to 30,000 Philippine pesos, when a minimum-wage earner in the Philippines earns an average 17,000 pesos each month. All employers must enrol staff in the Philippines' national health insurance company, PhilHealth, but that universal policy only partly covers a patient's costs. The new scheme aims to bridge some of the gap. Hard to roll out The government's Curada said work was an ideal place to run a cancer program because of its structure and facilities. To ensure company compliance, employers must submit an annual report to the government detailing the extent of cancer-related activities or else risk an unspecified fine. But health advocates worry that guidelines may be too scant and that policy awareness remains low. "Its a big step that a directive like this was signed. But do all companies implement it? Do the workers know about the policy?" said Ugoy of Jhpiego. Ugoy said some business owners were already big advocates of workplace screenings, but he cited challenges in getting factories, especially those in autonomous ecozones, to comply. The Philippines has more than 400 special economic zones that run with little or no government interference and have historically been linked to a range of human rights concerns. Nadia De Leon of the Institute for Occupational Health and Safety Development, a nonprofit for worker health and safety, said the new government tack represents a big step forward. But the guidelines "may remain largely symbolic" if not strictly enforced and monitored, she said. Screenings for women Home Credit's Arianne Eucogo said the company prioritized HPV screenings over other cancer programs since about 65% of their employees are women. "Were primarily doing it for the health promotion of our employees, knowing that the rate of cervical cancer deaths in the Philippines is high," she said. Ugoy said one of the biggest barriers to health checkups was simply time, as health centers only open during office hours. Ugoy said the private sector must also partner with community-based groups and local government to boost take-up and get around the time constraints. For example, in Taguig City, the fifth most populous in the country, dozens of companies partnered with the city's own team to run their HPV screenings and cancer treatment, be it through office clinics, ride-hailing services, or call centers. Ugoy said this approach - with free test kits from Jhpiego and labs paid by the city government - had sped up diagnosis. "It shouldnt stop at diagnostics. Screening and treatment must go hand in hand when it comes to cancer," said Marites Diaz, who has worked for 32 years at the Taguig Health Office. ($1 = 56.0200 Philippine pesos) FILE - Survivors of sex abuse hold a cross as they gather in front of Via della Conciliazione, the road leading to St. Peter's Square, visible in background, during a twilight vigil prayer of the victims of sex abuse, in Rome, Thursday, Feb. 21, 2019. Five years ago this week, Francis convened an unprecedented summit of bishops from around the world to impress on them that clergy abuse was a global problem and they needed to address it, but now, five years later, despite new church laws to hold bishops accountable and promises to do better, the Catholic Church's in-house legal system and pastoral response to victims has proven again to be incapable of dealing with the problem. Canada announces $123 million in funding to improve security in Haiti Global Affairs Canada News release February 22, 2024 - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - Global Affairs Canada Canada and Haiti are long-standing partners and friends, and Canada remains steadfast in its support to Haiti and its people as the country continues to face political, security and humanitarian crises. Today, the Honourable Melanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs, participated in an international pledging event in support of Haiti, while in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting. At the event, Minister Joly announced that Canada will allocate $123 million in funding to support Haiti, including $80.5 million to support the deployment of the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission that is being led by Kenya, which aims to support the efforts of the Haitian National Police (HNP) to improve security conditions in Haiti for the civilian population. Minister Joly also announced the allocation of a total of $42.5 million from previously announced funding for 5 structuring projects in support of the country's most pressing issues: $15 million to the United Nations Office for Project Support (UNOPS) for procurement of personal protective equipment and vehicles for the Haitian National Police $12.1 million to UNOPS for procurement of logistics and communications equipment for the HNP $5.9 million to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) to address gang-related sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) in Haiti $5 million to the United Nations Development Programme for the Program for Justice and the Fight Against Corruption and Impunity in Haiti, also called the Basket Fund for Justice $4.5 million to the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to strengthen Haiti's border management capacities to improve security Quotes "Canada believes in Haitian-led solutions to the political, security and humanitarian crises and remains committed to working with Kenya and other international partners to support a successful deployment of the Multinational Security Support mission and ensure that our efforts are mutually reinforcing. I am pleased to announce Canada's support for these important projects that will contribute to pave the way to more meaningful interventions to protect the people of Haiti and encourage Haitian-led efforts to restore peace and prosperity in the country." - Melanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs Quick facts Canada and Haiti officially established diplomatic relations in 1954 and have continued to maintain strong diplomatic ties ever since. For nearly 30 years, Canada has contributed to every UN peace mission to Haiti to support stabilization and reconstruction efforts. Contributions have included financial assistance and the deployment of members of the Canadian Armed Forces and of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, as well as correctional officers. Since 2022, Canada has committed more than $300 million in international development, humanitarian and security assistance funding to Haiti. In addition, Canada is providing in-kind support worth $57 million to reinforce the HNP. Canada's support to the deployment of the MSS mission is in addition to what Canada has invested in international development, humanitarian and security assistance since 2022 to respond to the most pressing needs of crisis-affected people, to support longer-term development that addresses the root causes of fragility and insecurity, as well as to build the resilience of the Haitian population. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Real estate solutions explored ahead of stationing a German brigade Republic of Lithuania - Ministry of National Defence 2024-02-22 International cooperation | Security and defense policy On February 22 the Ministry of National Defence and the Lithuanian Real Estate Development Association (LNTPA) held an Industry Day event to address opportunities for real estate developers to take part in the Host Nation Support lodging projects for German military personnel and their families. 19 developers presented to guests from Germany their planned or underway projects of living premise construction, from welfare premises to family apartments. "The German troops will deploy to Lithuania alongside with civilians, their families, so we are going to need lodgment and services. Even though we have not received the identified requirements for the German accommodation model yet, we assess that long-term rental could be a way to provide accommodation. Therefore today we have introduced to representatives of Germany the various accommodation options for both, the military and their family members. Now the German side may express the opinion which of the proposed could meet the needs of the arriving citizens," says Head of the Logistics Department of the Ministry of National Defence Lt Col Remigijus Mika. Long-term rent options are sought in Kaunas and Vilnius for the military deploying from Germany with families. One of the key requirements is easy road communication with service locations and accessibility to education institutions for the families. Apartments for rent in the cities are also sought for those who will deploy alone. The developers have presented the constructed or designed sites in Vilnius and Kaunas so that the German side is be aware of the options offered by Lithuania's best real estate developers. The military infrastructure at Rudninkai is developed especially intensely: it will include not just the barracks but also headquarters, a mess hall, repair facilities, garages, internal roads. The objects in Rudninkai and Rukla are planned to be developed with the business through private-public partnership. Therefore it is important that Lithuania's largest contractors with the capacity to build and finance the projects are interested in tendering. Major part of the infrastructure in Rukla will be developed via the NATO Support and Procurement Agency. The German Brigade will arrive in Lithuania in several stages starting this year. It is planned to be here in full by 2027. The assessed approx. 5 thousand troops and civilians will be stationed, part of them with families. They will serve in two main sites: Rudninkai and Rukla, those with families will be accommodated in Vilnius and Kaunas, while additional logistical sites will be dispersed across Lithuania. The German military presence in Lithuania is a strong deterrent and forward defence if needed. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US Army's 2nd SFAB's SETAF-AF mission fortifies security, stability in Senegal By Capt. PHILIP REGINA February 23, 2024 DAKAR, Senegal -- The 2nd Security Force Assistance Brigade (2SFAB) Logistics Advisory Team (LCAT) 2610 is integral to the U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa mission on the African continent. LCAT 2610 is nearing completion of a six -month deployment in Senegal, marked by significant accomplishments in advancing the United States' goal of building partner capacity on the continent. 2SFAB is a specialized unit of the U.S. Army, dedicated to conducting security force assistance operations. With a focus on enabling African partner capacity, LCATs play a pivotal role in enhancing the logistical competencies of partner forces. Through training, advising, and assisting, LCATs contribute significantly to the operational readiness and sustainability of African military units, aligning with the U.S. commitment to fostering stability and security in the region. Throughout the deployment, LCAT 2610 focused on enhancing the logistical capabilities of the Senegalese Armed Forces (SAF) and reinforcing regional security efforts. Reflecting on the deployment, U.S. Army Maj. Javiya Williams, Team Leader of LCAT 2610, emphasized the broader impact of their work. "Our mission has extended beyond logistics. We've been instrumental in forging enduring partnerships and gaining a deeper appreciation of the challenges our African partners face," Williams said. A crucial part of their mission involved preparing for their deployment through an extensive Pre-Deployment Site Survey (PDSS) in Dakar. This effort was critical to ensuring a seamless knowledge transfer and operational continuity. "Exchanging insights with LCAT 2630 was essential to maintaining the momentum of our operations," stated SSG Sidney Jones, munitions advisor of LCAT 2610. LCAT 2610's collaboration with the Direction du Service du Materiel des Armees (DSMA-Army Material Directorate) and interactions with the organization's leadership, including the DSMA Director and 1st Battalion of Repairs of Materials (BATREPMAT) Commander, were key to aligning objectives and strategies. 1st Sgt. Jimmie Laster from LCAT 2630 highlighted the significance of these interactions. "Our discussions with DSMA leadership were essential for understanding the operational landscape and preparing for our Force Package 24.2 deployment," he noted. A notable highlight from the deployment was the LCAT helping with the receipt, inventory and title transfer process of 10 Mitsubishi Fuso trucks that were acquired by the U.S. Department of State for the Senegalese Armed Forces (SAF). Capt. Blaise Manga, the SAF Action Officer for this acquisition, explained how the vehicles will impact preparation for peacekeeping operations. "The vehicles are a welcomed addition to transport capabilities at the CET-7 (the Zone 7 training center) where our troops are validated before deploying for United Nations missions," Manga said. LCAT 2610 also conducted sustainment assessments with the SAF to identify critical sustainment gaps that persistently affect SAF interoperability and operational reach. These assessments centered on requisition flow and how to align logistics resources to on-the-ground demands. These efforts were pivotal in establishing a clear understanding of resource requirements. "Our top priority has been to create accurate asset visibility at DSMA," said 1st Sgt. Marcus Wright, Team Sergeant of LCAT 2610. "A clear grasp of our resources is crucial for efficient operational support." The deployment of LCAT 2610 falls under the broader mission of 2SFAB, which is central to the U.S. strategy in Africa. The brigade's focus on building partner capacity is a key component in enhancing regional stability and security. Their training, advising, and assistance efforts highlight the U.S. commitment to supporting African-led solutions to security challenges. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address February 23, 2024 Release Readout of U.S.-Kosovo Bilateral Defense Consultations Department of Defense Spokesman LtCol Garron Garn, USMC, provided the following readout: On February 22-23, 2024, Mr. Alton Buland, Principal Director (PD) for European and NATO Policy in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, co-chaired the U.S.-Kosovo Bilateral Defense Consultations (BDC) with Kosovo Minister of Defense Ejup Maqedonci. The meeting took place in Pristina, Kosovo. Participants included Major General Steve Osborn, the Adjutant General of the Iowa National Guard; Brigadier General Chris McKinney, Deputy J5 for Global Partnerships and Security Cooperation, U.S. European Command (USEUCOM); Colonel Darrick Mosley, U.S. Senior Defense Official and Defense Attache; and representatives from U.S. Embassy Pristina, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, the Kosovo Ministry of Defense, and Kosovo Security Forces (KSF) General Staff. The purpose of the BDC was to discuss bilateral security cooperation priorities and support for implementation of the KSF's 10-year transition plan to transform the KSF into a professional, multi-ethnic, NATO-interoperable, territorial defense force subject to civilian control for all the people of Kosovo. Leaders shared information about projects aimed at helping improve the capabilities and interoperability of the KSF, upcoming military-to-military engagements, the State Partnership Program with the Iowa National Guard, and membership in international organizations. PD Buland applauded Kosovo for the accomplishments the KSF has made in Phase II of its comprehensive transition plan and thanked Minister Maqedonci for the KSF's contributions to Ukraine including providing training and expertise in demining. The leaders reaffirmed the importance of adhering to the highest standards of democratic values, the rule of law, and human rights in all aspects for the bilateral defense relationship. At the conclusion of the U.S.-Kosovo BDC, PD Buland and BG McKinney visited NATO Kosovo Force (KFOR) Headquarters and its U.S. contingent to thank them for the role they play helping to contribute to stability in the Western Balkans. https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/3686105/ NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address February 23, 2024 Release Department of Defense and Mongolian Ministry of Defense Conduct Bilateral Defense Framework DoD Spokesperson Lt. Col. Martin Meiners provided the following readout: Dr. Michael Chase, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense (DASD) for China, Taiwan, and Mongolia, met with Brigadier General D. Gankhuyag, State Secretary of the Mongolian Ministry of Defense, today at the Pentagon for the annual Bilateral Defense Framework. The two officials discussed regional security cooperation and global security developments, among other topics. DASD Chase also commended Mongolia's active participation in United Nations peacekeeping operations. Both officials reaffirmed their commitment to the U.S.-Mongolia bilateral defense relationship and agreed to advance defense cooperation on shared interests to support a free and open Indo-Pacific region. https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/3685950/ NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address EU-US: Consultations between European External Action Service Secretary General Stefano Sannino and United States Under Secretary Victoria Nuland European External Action Service (EEAS) 23.02.2024 EEAS Press Team On February 7-8, 2024, Secretary General Sannino and Under Secretary Nuland held the sixth high-level meeting of the EU-US Dialogue on China and the fifth meeting of the EU-US High-Level Consultations on the Indo-Pacific. Secretary General Sannino and Under Secretary Nuland discussed EU and US diplomacy with China and the trajectory of their respective bilateral relationships. They stressed the importance of recent high-level exchanges and keeping open channels of communication with China to manage competition responsibly. They affirmed the importance of close coordination between the European Union and the United States in advancing shared objectives and common values and interests. Secretary General Sannino and Under Secretary Nuland reiterated their openness to continued substantive engagement with China both where there are areas of common interest and on areas of difference. Secretary General Sannino and Under Secretary Nuland expressed concern about entities supporting Russia's defence industrial base through sanctions circumvention and provision of dual-use goods which enable Russia's illegal war of aggression against Ukraine. They confirmed transatlantic alignment on pressing China to assume a positive role in ending Russia's war against Ukraine, including by engaging China to support and contribute to discussions on Ukraine's Peace Formula - a comprehensive basis for a just and sustainable peace - in line with continued efforts to uphold the international system and international law, including the UN Charter. With a view to enabling sustainable economic relations with China, and strengthening the international trading system, they acknowledged the need to push for a level economic playing field for their workers and companies. The EU and the US both seek to address the challenges posed by China's non-market policies and practices. Both sides confirmed their intention to continue de-risking by investing in their resilience and reducing critical dependencies and vulnerabilities. Secretary General Sannino and Under Secretary Nuland also discussed the need for increased global awareness and decisive action to address continued human rights abuses by China. They noted in particular the cases of unjust and arbitrary detentions in China and called upon China to release these individuals. They committed to continue working on countering China's tactics of transnational repression, which targets individuals around the world. Both sides committed to follow up on issues of concern raised during China's fourth Universal Periodic Review led by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). The European Union and the United States affirmed the importance of maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and called for the peaceful resolution of cross-Strait issues. They welcomed Taiwan's vibrant democratic process, including the presidential and legislative elections in January. They expressed support for Taiwan's meaningful participation in international organisations. Both sides reaffirmed there is no change in their basic positions on Taiwan, including stated one China policies. Secretary General Sannino and Under Secretary Nuland also held the fifth meeting of the High-Level Consultations on the Indo-Pacific. They discussed ongoing and mutual strong support of a free and open Indo-Pacific which is inclusive, prosperous, secure, based on the rule of law; and protects shared principles including sovereignty, territorial integrity, and peaceful resolution of disputes, fundamental freedoms and human rights. They shared their respective assessments on geopolitical trends shaping the situation in the Indo-Pacific. They called for continued coordination to protect maritime security and uphold navigational rights and freedoms in the Red Sea, a vital trade waterway with global importance. They continued discussions on current challenges in the South China Sea, Myanmar, and the DPRK, including the DPRK's arms transfers to Russia and Russia's use of DPRK ballistic missiles in Ukraine. They reaffirmed the importance of EU and US combined initiatives on regional connectivity, notably in the framework of the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGI) and the EU's Global Gateway. The European Union and the United States share a commitment to building clean energy connectivity across the Indo-Pacific, with an initial focus on Vietnam under the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP), and on South Asia. They pledged to explore further coordination on their support for Indo-Pacific partners on port modernisation, security and safety, as well as digital connectivity infrastructure and modernisation. They highlighted ongoing efforts to advance EU-US cooperation on maritime security in the Indo-Pacific and underlined their intention to continue joint activities in the region. They also agreed to continue to explore the EU's planned participation in events organised by INDOPACOM. They reiterated their shared commitment to continue enhancing maritime domain awareness (MDA) in the Indo-Pacific and highlighted the concrete steps to deepen complementarity between the US SeaVision and EU-funded IORIS systems, now described as a joint paper. They also committed to expand maritime security cooperation with Indo-Pacific partners on wide ranging areas. They discussed ongoing and increasing engagement in the Indian Ocean Region, including the need to support Small Island Developing States, especially in view of the fourth International Conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS4) to be held in May 2024. They assessed the continued threat posed by widespread use of foreign information manipulation and interference, and committed to further joint work with Indo-Pacific partners to pursue complementary lines of effort to deepen support of free and resilient media environments. They discussed dedicated joint efforts under the annual EU-US Cyber Dialogue that are supporting Indo-Pacific Partners in implementing cyber capacity-building efforts and developing confidence building measures, including in the context of the ASEAN Regional Forum. Under Secretary Nuland welcomed EU participation in US-hosted cyber conferences in Sri Lanka and Singapore later this month. The European Union and the United States remain committed to advance responsible state behaviour in cyberspace, including through joint efforts to establish a UN Programme of Action. They noted progress made to support the Pacific Island countries (PICs) and affirmed their commitment to deepen cooperation with likeminded partners to support regional capacity building and infrastructure projects. They reiterated our shared values and commitment to explore ways in the Indo-Pacific region to advance the human rights of all and end the discrimination and violence against persons on the grounds of their gender and sexual orientation. Secretary General Sannino and Under Secretary Nuland reaffirmed the intent of the European External Action Service and the U.S. Department of State to continue close coordination on China and the Indo-Pacific and to hold the next round of talks in Brussels later this year. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address 3d MLR| At the Forefront of Marine Corps Innovation US Marine Corps News 23 Feb 2024 | Story by Sgt. Jacqueline Parsons 3rd Marine Division MARINE CORPS TRAINING AREA BELLOWS, HI -- With modernization and pacing threats challenging the Marine Corps to improve in new ways, 3d Marine Littoral Regiment remains at the forefront of innovation. One such advancement in the regiment's training methodologies and warfighting tactics is the Littoral Reconnaissance Team concept. From January 18-25, 2024, Marines with 3d Littoral Combat Team spent a week at Marine Corps Training Area Bellows, experimenting with the LRT concept. "An LRT is a low-signature, easily deployable team that uses multi-discipline sensors and collection sources for reconnaissance and counter-reconnaissance in the littoral zone," said Sgt. Jordan James, chief scout with 3d LCT. "During this field operation, the LCT used an LRT to test day and night data collection and share assets on naval vessels." Within an LRT are Signals Intelligence/Ground Electronic Warfare Marines, Scout Marines, a Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems team, and a Maritime Surveillance Team. Most of these elements are already organic to 3d LCT's intelligence section. The sections traditionally work independently, but when employed together they can enhance 3d LCT's capabilities in a way that better fits the requirements of stand-in force operations. The Marines also made sure to have real targets by working with the U.S. Coast Guard to have vessels pass by at random throughout the day - their transportation routes and hull sizes unknown to the Marines. When the vessels were detected, the LRT locked-on visuals, sent the Stalker VXE30 sUAS to get surveillance imagery, used artificial intelligence object recognition to identify the type of vessel, pinpoint its exact location, and surveyed radio activity using electromagnetic spectrum radars - all while broadcasting live updates to its higher headquarters. "A Marine can see a ship on the horizon and launch the sUAS in a couple of minutes or less," said Sullivan. "These programs cut down the time required to relay information, thereby speeding up the sensor-to-shooter kill web." "We may be using computer programs and artificial intelligence to reduce some of our workload, but it still takes diligence and determination from the Marines," said James. "We're here, in the Pacific, ready to answer any call to action that comes. In doing this training and having this skill and mindset, 3d MLR expands the potential of the LCT and pushes the bounds of what it means to be "in the air, on land, and sea." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Pakistan Makes a Strong Case at the International Court of Justice for Ending Israeli Occupation of the Palestinian Territories Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs Pakistan presented its oral statement before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) at The Hague today in context of the ongoing hearing on the "Legal Consequences arising from the Policies and Practices of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem." Pakistan's inter-ministerial delegation to the hearing was headed by the Federal Minister for Law & Justice, Mr. Ahmed Irfan Aslam. Delivering the oral statement on behalf of Pakistan, the Federal Minister for Law & Justice said that Israeli occupation continued to severely impede the exercise of the right to self-determination by the Palestinians. Through its illegal settlement policy, Israel is trying to create "irreversible facts on the ground;" perpetuate its illegal occupation; and deny access to the Holy places in Jerusalem. Israeli policies and practices amount to systematic racial discrimination and apartheid against the Palestinians. The ICJ would fail to discharge its judicial functions if it did not stop Israel from profiting "from its own continued grave wrongs." The oral hearing comes at a time when the Palestinians are facing a brutal onslaught from the Israeli occupation forces. In this backdrop, the Government and the people of Pakistan continue to express their unwavering solidarity with their Palestinian brothers and sisters at all international forums, including at the ICJ. Pakistan has been calling for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire, provision of sufficient, sustained and unimpeded humanitarian assistance to the besieged people of Gaza, and the need for a just, comprehensive and durable solution through the establishment of a secure, viable, contiguous and sovereign State of Palestine on the basis of the pre-June 1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital. Islamabad 23 February 2024 42/2024 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address UN reports gross human rights violations during Israel's genocidal war on Gaza Iran Press TV Friday, 23 February 2024 5:11 PM The United Nations reports gross human rights violations, including possible war crimes, during the Israeli regime's ongoing genocidal war against the Gaza Strip. The UN Human Rights Office provided the information on Friday in its annual report. The regime has been waging the military onslaught since October 7, 2023, in response to Operation Al-Aqsa Storm, a surprise offensive staged by Gaza's resistance groups against the occupied territories. The regime has simultaneously been employing an all-out siege against the coastal sliver, preventing the flow of water, food, electricity, and medical supplies into the territory. So far, the war has killed 29,514 people, mostly women and children, and injured tens of thousands of others. The UN report said the Israeli onslaught had led to "massive suffering of Palestinians, including through the killing of civilians on a broad scale, extensive repeated displacement, destruction of homes, and the denial of sufficient food and other essentials of life." "The blockade and siege imposed on Gaza amount to collective punishment and may also amount to the use of starvation as a method of war, which are war crimes," it added. The report identified three "emblematic" Israeli strikes -- two on the Jabalia refugee camp and one in Gaza City -- which led to massive casualties and material damage. "Launching an indiscriminate attack resulting in death or injury to civilians, or an attack in the knowledge that it will cause excessive incidental civilian loss, injury or damage, are war crimes," said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk. In a broader context, the UN official reflected on the Israeli regime's decades-long occupation of the Palestinian territories. "The entrenched impunity reported by our office for decades cannot be permitted to continue," Turk said. "There must be accountability...for violations seen over 56 years of [Israeli] occupation and the 16 years of blockade of Gaza," he added. The Israeli regime claimed existence in 1948 after occupying huge swathes of Palestinian territories during a Western-backed war. It occupied more land, namely the West Bank, including East al-Quds, and the Gaza Strip, in another such war in 1967. Ever since, it has built hundreds of settlements upon the overrun territories and deployed the most aggressive restrictions on the movements of Palestinians there. Tel Aviv withdrew from Gaza in 2005, but has been keeping the territory under an all-out land, aerial, and naval siege since a year after it left the coastal sliver. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address ELKO Federal land issues, mining, energy and education are some of the areas retired U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. and Republican Senate candidate Tony Grady is ready to tackle if elected. Grady, who is running for a chance to be on the GOP ticket against incumbent U.S. Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., said he believes his experience in the military could bring a big voice in bringing Nevadas concerns to the upper chamber of Congress. Federal land issues, mining Regarding federal land regulations, Grady said he sees the Senate as the place to help Nevada in water issues and areas that deal with land going back to the state because the federal government owns 87% of our land. We have to have both [senators] work on that. Mining is another area Grady said needs attention. Some of the things the Democrats are doing that is of concern is trying to take some of our prime mining areas and turning it into monuments. That affects the ability to mine strategic minerals. The federal level is where Grady said deeper land-access issues would need to be addressed, such as wildlife, hunting and navigable waterways. Education Grady said he believes in upholding the Constitution and called himself a fiscal conservative, therefore, Im one who advocates for small government, and said federal education agencies should provide information and data to the states. On the federal level, I would be advocating for the Department of Education not to be an agency that dictates to the states, Grady said. I think what it should do is be a repository for best practices. If a state is dealing with a particular issue in education, they might contact the Department of Education to see if any other states are having that problem, if there are demographic or social similarities. Grady pointed to Nevada being ranked 49 or 50 in education and compared it with Florida, which used to be low. Now theyre in the top five, so there might be things that Nevada can learn from Florida. Another high-level issue Grady said he would look into is funding education projects such as broadband and school construction projects on tribal lands. Regional concerns To achieve these goals, Grady proposed becoming a member of a Senate Subcommittee on the Interior, and partnering with sister states like Arizona and New Mexico that have similar issues. Its always a mixed bag working with California, but since theyre right next to us, we can do that, too, he said. Grady also referred to the Mexican Water Treaty of 1944, which supplies water through the Rio Grande, Colorado and Tijuana Rivers. Grady said one of his reasons for running for Senate is to deal with treaties such as this, stating, Mexico is not living up to their end of it and that Rosen voted against the bill to try to rectify that problem. The economy Looking at the economy, Grady said he believed in the United States in general, we need to turn around our energy policy by opening Keystone Pipeline, by drilling ANWR [Arctic National Wildlife Refuge] and by getting realistic leases to the energy companies because everything in the supply chain is affected by energy. If we can cause the energy crisis to go down then that will help everybody with prices of items on the grocery store shelves, he continued. Also, we have low strategic petroleum reserve. We need to fill that and prepare for any major disaster. Although Gradys energy plan encompasses the nation, he explained it impacts Nevada. Energy is integrated into our economy, so it affects every single person in every single state. Crime To control crime, we need to seal the borders. We have issues with people coming into our country illegally, Grady said, recalling a visit with Eureka County Sheriff Jesse Watts. The Sheriff told me how there are crime issues related to people coming into our country illegally. Hes seeing death rates caused by people coming into our country illegally rise in his particular county, Grady said. We need to seal the borders and we need to enforce our signed laws. In the Senate, we would have to assist the state in terms of the state being closest to the problem, the state Legislature and officers would have to determine what type of help they need, he said. I would want to be a partner with whatever we can do from a federal level. Miliary experience A proud U.S. Air Force veteran, Grady said it was my privilege to serve 20 years in uniform, serve as an Air Force pilot and defend the Constitution. As a legislator, Im going to be defending the Constitution in another way, Grady said. During Gradys career, he commanded the B-2 Stealth Bomber Test Squadron. Im a test pilot, so flew a few test missions in the B-2 but I was mainly responsible for running the squadron of 113 people during the most intensive flight tests in the program, he said. It was a most successful program. Due to his military background, Grady said he believed he understood Nevadas unique issues with the military. He explained that 87% of Nevadas land is controlled by the military, including Nellis Air Force Base in Clark County, the Naval Air Station Fallon in Churchill County and the Nevada Test and Training Range. We have training of the military that also involves low-level flying, he said. Those issues have to be worked out within the state because we have wildlife, cattle and different things that can be affected by whats happening with the military. Also, with general aviation, there are issues on airspace. Being in the senate, I could be in the middle of all that being on the Senate Armed Services Committee, Grady said. That would be a big voice in bringing Nevadans concerns directly to the military and help to negotiate solutions that would be mutually beneficial. He noted Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho relates to this because low-level [flying] come out of Mountain Home. Grady said in his 20-year career, he worked in the Pentagon, which involved budgetary issues. I understand the appropriations process and how money is allocated. That will help [as a member of] the Senate Armed Services Committee to understand how the acquisition process works in buying and sustainment funds in keeping our bases up and running. The campaign Grady visited Elko in the fall and during the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering. He said he plans to attend the Lincoln Day Dinner on April 13 and is planning another visit to the area. He asked voters to visit his website, linking to news articles and interviews including a video on the B-2 bombers inviting constituents to compare me to other candidates running for this office to see if they have the same experience to be able to lead Nevadans priorities on the national level. When voters go to the polls in the primary election in June, Grady said he wanted people to know about his devotion to serving his country and his family. Forty years ago, he got married and raised a family of four children. His oldest child attended the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, and his youngest attended West Point in New York. His other children are a molecular biologist and a personal trainer. I know how to help young people be successful, he said. I think we should elect leaders who want all American children to be successful because they are our future. Grady said he learned the value of education and public service thanks to his family. Though my parents were born in the Jim Crow South, education helped them, he said. They were able to get to college and improve themselves. His father entered the foreign service, taking the family around the world, including to Africa and Bangkok, Thailand, where he graduated from high school. I grew up inside and outside the United States, Grady said. That made me patriotic. Thats why I went to the Air Force Academy and became a pilot. The United States is still the greatest country on the face of the Earth and worth defending. My entire life has prepared me to be Nevadas next U.S. senator, he continued. Ive been living foreign policy. I have 20 years of experience with military strategy. I ran my own biotech startup, so I understand economics. I would ask the voters when its time to decide who they want to represent Nevadans, he said. Tony Grady can bring principled leadership and experience in military strategy, diplomacy and economic internal power and how thats used on the national stage. We need to get back to being the leader in the world. Palestine rejects Netanyahu's post-Gaza war plan, says Gaza part of future state Iran Press TV Friday, 23 February 2024 5:00 PM The Palestinian Authority has roundly dismissed Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu's so-called "day after" plan for Gaza, noting that such plans are doomed to fail. The spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Nabil Abu Rudeineh, said on Friday that "Gaza will only be part of the independent Palestinian state with al-Quds as its capital." He added that Netanyahu's proposal was doomed to fail, as were any Israeli plans to change the geographic and demographic realities in Gaza. "If the world wants security and stability in the region, it must end the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories and recognize the independent Palestinian state with al-Quds as its capital," Abu Rudeineh noted. The senior Palestinian official stressed that Netanyahu's so-called day-after plan for Gaza aims to perpetuate the Israeli regime's occupation of Palestinian territories and prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state. Moreover, the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates said in a statement that the plan amounts to the official recognition of the re-occupation of the Gaza Strip and the imposition of Israeli control over it. The ministry emphasized that the so-called post-Gaza war plan is aimed at prolonging the genocidal war on Gaza and trying to buy more time to implement the regime's plot to forcefully displace Palestinian people. Netanyahu presented the plan to his cabinet on Thursday night, which calls for the enclave to be administered by "local officials" and stressed that Israel will only permit reconstruction of Gaza if the strip is "demilitarized." The document also demands setting up a buffer zone inside Gaza, and maintaining security control over the strip. It calls for Israeli control of the Gaza-Egypt border as well. "Reconstruction plans will be carried out with the financing and leadership of countries acceptable to Israel," it states. The plan also calls for a complete dismantling of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, and its replacement with other international agencies. Israel has accused UNRWA employees of being involved in Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, with no credible evidence provided to date. Israel has killed more than 29,000 people, mostly women and children, in Gaza since early October. Over 68,000 others have also been injured. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Hezbollah targets Israeli regional council in drone strike Iran Press TV Friday, 23 February 2024 2:41 PM Fighters from the Lebanese Hezbollah resistance movement have targeted an Israeli regional council headquarters in the north of 1948 Israeli-occupied territories, amid exchanges of near-daily fire between the two sides since the occupying regime launched its assault on Gaza. Lebanon's Arabic-language al-Mayadeen television news network, citing a Hezbollah statement, reported that the group struck the headquarters of the Upper Galilee Regional Council in Kiryat Shmona city with two drones on Friday with targets being hit precisely. Hezbollah noted that the drone strike was in retaliation for recent Israeli strikes on "southern villages and civilian homes," including yesterday's strike on a civil defense center at Blida border village in southern Lebanon. The Hezbollah-linked Islamic Health Committee said two of its paramedics were killed in a "direct" Israeli attack on a civil defense center in Blida, while Hezbollah also announced the death of one of its fighters. The Islamic Health Committee said the attack caused "the destruction of the health center as well as a number of ambulances." The night before, Hezbollah also fired rockets at Israeli barracks in response to the Blida attack but did not announce any casualties at the time. Two other Hezbollah fighters were also killed on Thursday in an Israeli drone strike on a residential building in Kfar Rumman, near the southern Lebanese city of Nabatiyeh. Hezbollah retaliated with rocket fire and launched "dozens of Katyusha rockets" at two Israeli barracks. It later called one of the two fighters killed a "commander." On Friday, a Lebanese army soldier was wounded in al-Wazzani as the Israeli military targeted the border town with heavy machine-gun fire and artillery shells. Israeli artillery units also shelled the southern border villages of Yaroun and Blida. The Israeli regime launched its devastating hostilities in the Gaza Strip on October 7 after the territory's Hamas-led Palestinian resistance groups carried out a surprise retaliatory attack, dubbed Operation Al-Aqsa Storm, against the occupying entity. The Israeli military has also been carrying out attacks against the Lebanese territory since then, prompting retaliatory strikes from Hezbollah in support of the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip. The movement has vowed to keep up its retaliatory operations as long as the Tel Aviv regime continues its onslaught on Gaza. The Israeli campaign in Gaza has killed at least 29,514 people, most of them women and children. Another 69,616 individuals have also been wounded. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Sexual violence in Sudan may amount to war crimes: UN report Iran Press TV Friday, 23 February 2024 2:03 PM The United Nations has warned that sexual assault reports coming from Sudan may amount to war crimes as at least 118 people have been subjected to rape and other forms of sexual violence in more than 10 months of conflict. The UN human rights office said in a new report on Friday that at least 118 people, including children, had been subjected to rape and other forms of sexual violence in the months-long power struggle going on in Sudan, noting that the sexual assaults reported to the international body may amount to war crimes. The ongoing power struggle between the two rivaling Sudanese forces the country's military, led by Gen. Abdel Fattah Burhan, and a paramilitary faction known as the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), led by Burhan's former deputy and RSF chief. Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo has plunged the African country into chaos since the fighting started on April 15. The conflict has killed at least 12,000 people and sent over 7.5 million fleeing their homes, according to the report which covers a period from the outbreak of the fighting up to Dec. 15. The report was based on interviews with more than 300 victims and witnesses, some of whom had escaped to neighboring Ethiopia and Chad. One particular woman, according to the UN report, "was held in a building and repeatedly gang-raped over a period of 35 days." The latest report released stated that the victims included at least 19 children. Both sides of the conflict have recruited child soldiers, the UN report added. The UN human rights chief, Volker Turk, asserted that, "Some of these violations could amount to war crimes." He called for an independent investigation to verify the assaults and crimes. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged the opposing generals in Sudan to end the conflict through dialogue, saying to reporters earlier in February that there is no military solution. He emphasized that fighting "will not bring any solution so we must stop this as soon as possible." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iran: Israel's rejection of Palestinian state 'exposes ugly face of occupying regime' Iran Press TV Friday, 23 February 2024 11:37 AM Iran has denounced Israel's rejection of a Palestinian state, saying it disproves the occupying regime's previous claims about peace with Palestinians and the resolution of the decades-long conflict. The reaction came after the Israeli Knesset (parliament) and prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu's far-right Israeli cabinet reiterated opposition to an independent Palestinian state. The opposition, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kan'ani wrote on X Friday, "once again exposed the ugly face as well as warmongering and occupying nature of the regime". "The regime's fraudulent approach calls into question unrewarding past agreements as well as bogus claims for peace, which Zionist authorities had been promoting through scam and deception over the past few decades," he said. He said Israel, like in the past, intends to deny the Palestinian people their inalienable and undeniable rights, including self-determination and formation of an independent state on its historical land. "The Palestinian nation and resistance factions are well aware of Zionists' sinister plots and believe that the ongoing conflict could be resolved only through the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with al-Quds as its capital." Kan'ani said Iran and other freedom-loving and justice-seeking nations support the demands and rights of the Palestinian people, which have been denied for more than seven decades. He stressed the need for a national referendum to allow Palestinians exercise their right to self-determination. He said the only way to end war and bloodshed and restore peace and security to the region is to respect decisions taken by original inhabitants of Palestinian lands. The Israeli Knesset voted on Wednesday to support Netanyahu's rejection of a Palestinian state. Earlier on Sunday, the Israeli cabinet approved a declaration, rejecting any unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state. The vote was condemned by the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, which accused Israel of holding the rights of the Palestinian people hostage by occupation of territories where Palestinians seek to establish a state. "The ministry reaffirms that the State of Palestine's full membership in the United Nations and its recognition by other nations does not require permission from Netanyahu," it said in a statement. The Palestinians hope to establish an independent state of their own in the Gaza Strip and West Bank with East al-Quds as its capital. Israel occupied East al-Quds during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. It annexed the entire city in 1980, claiming all of al-Quds as its "eternal and undivided" capital in a move never recognized by the international community. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Israel destroys Yasser Arafat's residence in Gaza Iran Press TV Friday, 23 February 2024 11:04 AM The Palestinian Culture Ministry says Israel has demolished the residence of former head of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Yasser Afarat in the besieged Gaza Strip in another "evidence of its brutality." "The occupation's targeting and destruction of the residence of the martyr and founding leader Yasser Arafat in Gaza is a continuation of its relentless assault," Culture Minister Atef Abu Saif said in a press release on Thursday. He noted that the Israeli attack was aimed at removing "the symbols of dignity and the struggle of our people." The minister noted that the house, where Arafat resided from 1995 to 2001, "holds the personal and family belongings of the eternal leader and has witnessed numerous significant moments in our people's history during his presence in Gaza at the inception of the Palestinian Authority." Abu Saif stressed that the Israeli regime's acts of demolition serve as "further evidence of its brutality." "The assault on Palestinian cultural heritage during the ongoing war on Gaza, including historical structures, mosques, churches, cultural centers, heritage sites, museums, libraries, publishing houses, and universities, is consistent with the occupation's destructive values and policies," he added Israel launched the war on Gaza on October 7 after the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas waged the surprise Operation Al-Aqsa Storm against the occupying entity in response to the Israeli regime's decades-long campaign of bloodletting and devastation against Palestinians. Since the start of the offensive, the Tel Aviv regime has killed at least 29,514 Palestinians and injured more than 69,616 others. Arafat passed away at the age of 75 in a military hospital in France in 2004, and was laid to rest in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah, where he had remained since 2002. He travelled to receive medical treatment in France after developing stomach pains while in Ramallah. Many Palestinians and Palestinian officials have repeatedly accused the Israeli regime of masterminding what they say was an assassination of their leader. In 2011, Arafat's widow Suha handed over some of the Palestinian leader's personal effects to a reporter from Qatar-based Al Jazeera television news network, who passed them to the Institute of Applied Radiophysics in the Swiss city of Lausanne for tests. A 108-page report by the institute found unnaturally high levels of polonium in Arafat's ribs and pelvis, and in soil stained with his decaying organs. In 2021, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) dismissed a case brought by the widow and daughter of Yasser Arafat, who have said the late Palestinian leader died as a result of poisoning and sought to reopen an investigation into his death. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Feb. 22: 'Axis of Resistance' operations against Israeli occupation Iran Press TV Friday, 23 February 2024 9:14 AM By Press TV Website Staff Amid Israel's genocidal war on Gaza, which has killed more than 29,000 Palestinians so far, including at least 13,000 children, resistance groups in Palestine and across the region continue their operations against the Tel Aviv regime and its Western backers. The operations carried out by the Palestinian and regional resistance groups on Thursday, February 22, are as follows: Al-Qassam Brigades' operations on Feb. 22: Targeted a Merkava tank belonging to the Israeli military with a Yassin-105 rocket in the Zaytoun neighborhood, Gaza City. Targeted a special Israeli military force inside a house with TBGs, followed by clashes using machine guns in the neighborhood west of Khan Younis City, southern Gaza. In a joint operation with the Mujahideen Brigades, shelled a gathering of Israeli forces with mortar shells, south of the Zaytoun neighborhood in Gaza City. Destroyed an Israeli armored personnel carrier (APC) with a Yassin-105 rocket in the Sheikh Nasser area of Khan Younis city. Al-Quds Brigades' operations on Feb. 22: Shelled a gathering of Israeli soldiers in the Zaytoun neighborhood southeast of Gaza City with a barrage of 60mm regular mortars. Sniped an Israeli regime soldier in the neighborhood west of Khan Younis city. Shelled "Mefalsim" and "Nir Am" areas occupied by the regime with a rocket barrage. Shelled a gathering of Israeli regime soldiers around the Ashour Mill in the Zaytoun neighborhood, Gaza City, with mortar shells and 107mm rockets. Mujahideen Brigades' operations on Feb. 22: Targeted Israeli soldiers' positions east of Beit Hanoun with mortar shells. Shelled a gathering of Israeli soldiers in southeast Gaza with short-range rockets. Shelled a gathering of Israeli forces south of the Al-Zaytoun neighborhood in Gaza City with mortar shells in a joint operation with the Al-Qassam Brigades. The Nasser Salah al-Din Brigades' operations on Feb. 22: Shelled gatherings and positions of Israeli soldiers north of the Gaza Strip with 107mm rockets. Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades' operations on Feb. 22: In a joint operation with the Omar Qassem Forces, launched a 107mm rocket barrage at the Israeli military supply line in the southern axis of Gaza City, causing direct hits. Shelled Israeli military gatherings and their vehicles with several 60mm standard caliber mortar shells east of Al-Bureij camp in the central Gaza Strip. Shelled Israeli military gatherings and their vehicles with a 107mm rocket barrage in the northern axis of Gaza. Engaged in fierce clashes with Israeli soldiers using machine guns and anti-tank shells in the Al-Zaytoun neighborhood, east of Gaza City. Sniped an Israeli regime soldier, hitting him directly in the eastern Gaza axis. Targeted an Israeli military vehicle with a tandem rocket in the Al-Zaytoun neighborhood, damaging it completely. Targeted an Israeli military quad copter spy drone and seized it in the eastern Gaza Strip. Shelled a gathering of Israeli forces with 60mm caliber standard mortar shells in the axis of the Al-Zaytoun neighborhood east of Gaza City. Hezbollah's operations on Feb. 22: Eastern sector: At around 8:15 am, the headquarters of the 769th Eastern Brigade in Kiryat Shmona was targeted with appropriate weapons. At around 8:15 local time, Israeli soldiers stationed in the Kfar Yuval colony were targeted with appropriate weapons. At around 11:30 local time, the Ruwaisat Al-Alam site in the Shebaa was targeted with missiles. At around 11:35 local time, the Al-Sammaqa site in Shebaa was targeted with missiles. At around 17:40 local time, Israeli soldiers in Al-Manara Colony were targeted. At around 18:00 local time, Israeli soldiers in the Metulla settlement were targeted. At around 19:00 local time, Yoav Barracks was targeted with Katyusha rockets. At around 19:10 local time, the Keila Barracks was targeted with dozens of Katyusha rockets. At around 23:30 local time, the Maale Golan Barracks was targeted with a missile. Western sector: At around 15:00 local time, surveillance equipment at the Birkat Risha site was targeted. At around 16:55 local time, Israeli soldiers in the Hanita site were targeted with missiles. At around 19:40 local time, the Barkat Risha site was targeted with two Burkan missiles. Yemeni military's operations on Feb. 22: A missile and drone attack on the Israeli-occupied city of Eilat, causing substantial damage and casualties. A missile attack targeting a British ship 'Islander' in the Gulf of Aden, causing substantial damage and flooding on the ship. A drone attack (kamikaze drone) targeting a US destroyer in the Red Sea, causing substantial damage. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Cambodia gears up for Senate election on Sunday Former Prime Minister Hun Sen is set to take on a new role as Senate president. By RFA Khmer 2024.02.23 -- Cambodia is set to hold elections for its Senate on Sunday that the ruling Cambodian People's Party will almost certainly win, which would make former Prime Minister Hun Sen president of the body, allowing him to serve as acting head of state when King Norodom Sihamoni is unavailable. As Senate president, Hun Sen, 71, would replace Say Chhum, who is expected to retire. Hun Sen was prime minister from 1985 until last August, when he stepped down in a long-planned move that allowed for his eldest son, Hun Manet, to be appointed to the position. In theory, the Senate is meant to act as a check on the National Assembly, but in practice in Cambodia - where the CPP is so dominant - it is essentially a rubber stamp body. The election is being held under a party-list proportional representation system in which parties submit lists of candidates. The National Election Committee, or NEC, will determine from vote totals how many seats in each constituency region are distributed to each party. Cambodia's Constitution allows the king to nominate two senators and the National Assembly to nominate another two, with voters choosing the remaining 58 seats, for a total of 62 seats. On Friday, the four parties contesting the election wrapped up a 14-day campaign period. The law requires that campaign activities for the Senate election end 24 hours before election day. The other three parties competing are the Khmer Will Party, the royalist Funcinpec Party and the newly formed National Power Party. The CPP held meetings and broadcast speeches through public address systems at party offices in all of the eight constituency regions during the campaign period. CPP Vice President Sar Kheng told a crowd in Prey Veng province that the Senate election is important to rebuild the country. "I appeal to his excellency [lawmakers] and commune councils across Prey Veng to go to vote Feb. 25, for the CPP for the sake of the country's fate, people and yourself," he said. Bridge to future elections Khmer Will Party President Sok Hach told supporters in Battambang province that a good result in Sunday's Senate election will help the party build toward the next local commune elections in three years and the 2028 general election. "Our goal is the 2027 and 2028 elections. This is a bridge to that," he said. About 500 supporters of the National Power Party marched along National Route 6 in Kampong Thom province on Friday. The party's president, Sun Chanthy, asked supporters to vote for the party to restore democracy. "Only the National Power Party can revive democratic process in Cambodia for the sake of the 2027 and 2028 elections. I appeal to people to support the party," he said. "The ruling party, Funcinpec, National Power Party and Khmer Will Party conducted election campaigns respectfully. Security and order was good," NEC spokesman Hang Puthea said. "There is good cooperation between the NEC, parties and authorities," he said. Voting is set to take place on Sunday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 33 polling stations in the eight regions. Translated by Yun Samean. Edited by Matt Reed and Malcolm Foster. Copyright 1998-2024, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036. For any commercial use of RFA content please send an email to: mahajanr@rfa.org. RFA content February not be used in a manner which would give the appearance of any endorsement of any product or support of any issue or political position. Please read the full text of our Terms of Use. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Pashinian Says Armenia Freezes Membership In Russian-Led Security Alliance By RFE/RL's Armenian Service and RFE/RL's Russian Service February 23, 2024 Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian has said his country has frozen its membership in the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) as Yerevan continues to distance itself from Moscow amid a souring of bilateral relations. Pashinian said in an interview with France 24 television channel on February 22 that the move comes after Moscow began several months ago to openly call on Armenian citizens to overthrow his government, and that the deluge of propaganda against him "has never stopped." The Pashinian government has long criticized the CSTO for its "failure to respond to the security challenges" facing Armenia. Armenian authorities have accused Russian peacekeepers deployed to Nagorno-Karabakh in 2020 of failing to stop Azerbaijan's lightning offensive in September that ended with Baku regaining control over the breakaway region that for three decades was under ethnic Armenians' control. Moscow has rejected the accusations, arguing that its troops didn't have a mandate to intervene and charging that Pashinian had effectively paved the way for the collapse of separatist rule in the region by previously acknowledging Azerbaijan's sovereignty over it. Still, Pashinian declined to attend a CSTO summit in Minsk in November and said in a televised Q&A session then that any decision about Yerevan's continued membership in the grouping -- which includes Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan -- would be based on Armenia's "own state interests." In the interview, the Armenian prime minister also expressed concern over the detention in Armenia in November of Russian citizen Dmitry Setrakov, who was mobilized to the ongoing war in Ukraine. Rights watchdogs said at the time that Setrakov was detained by Russian military police, but Yerevan has not commented on the situation and Setrakov is said to have since appeared in police custody in Russia. When asked about the possible closure of Russia's military base in the northwestern Armenian city of Gyumri, Pashinian said that "that issue is not on the agenda" at this point. Pashinian told France 24 that Setrakov's detention was "an abduction" and that "we cannot tolerate illegal actions on our territory." Armenia has been on edge since the Azerbaijan regained control of Nagorno-Karabakh amid fears Baku remains hostile toward the country. Pashinian said he thinks Azerbaijan considers Armenia "Western Azerbaijan" and plans to attack Armenia and seize other Armenian territories. Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry issued a statement on February 23 calling Pashinian's words about Baku's plans to attack Armenia "unfounded allegations...intended to inflict another blow to the peace process by deliberately inflaming tensions in the region." Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/armenia-pashinian- csto-frozen/32832200.html Copyright (c) 2024. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Deputy Secretary Verma's Meetings with the Government of Maldives in Male US Department of State Readout Office of the Spokesperson February 23, 2024 The below is attributable to Spokesperson Matthew Miller: Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources Richard Verma visited Male on February 22 to advance goals within the U.S-Maldives relationship. His meeting with Maldivian Foreign Minister Moosa Zameer sought to advance shared priorities in increasing economic cooperation, promoting maritime security, and boosting people-to-people ties. Deputy Secretary Verma and Foreign Minister Zameer discussed plans for the United States to provide $8 million in funding for four patrol boats to the Maldives, which will help Maldives monitor its waters and deter malign influence by state and non-state actors and other threats to Maldives' sovereignty. In these meetings, and a joint meeting with Foreign Minister Zameer, Minister of Economic Development and Trade Saeed, Minister of Defense Maumoon, Minister of Homeland Security Ihusaan, Minister of Climate Change, Environment, and Energy Ibrahim, and Minister of Fisheries Shiyam, the Deputy Secretary also highlighted opportunities for the United States and Maldives to expand bilateral cooperation and people-to-people ties through the opening of a new U.S. Embassy in Maldives and re-opening of Maldives' Embassy in Washington, D.C. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address UN Refugee Agency expresses alarm over escalating humanitarian crisis in eastern DR Congo UNHCR - United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees 23 February 2024 GENEVA -- UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is gravely concerned by the worsening humanitarian situation civilians face in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Intensifying violence and conflict are exacting a heavy toll on innocent civilians, hundreds of thousands of whom are attempting to seek safety on the peripheries of conflict zones. Since the resurgence of fighting around the town of Sake in the North Kivu Province on 7 February, 144,000 individuals have been forced to flee the outskirts of Goma. They have fled indiscriminate bombings that have impacted displacement sites and other civilian areas over the past few weeks, and which have resulted in the deaths of more than 20 civilians and injured more than 60. While conflict around Sake rages, emboldened non-state armed groups have launched a horrific spate of targeted attacks against civilians this week in the Beni region of North Kivu, as well as in the Irumu Territory of Ituri Province. UNHCR's protection monitoring teams have received reports of killings, kidnappings, and the burning of homes. UNHCR condemns these atrocities against civilians and displaced populations and urgently calls for a cessation of hostilities across the eastern provinces to safeguard civilian lives. The plight of the newly displaced in eastern DRC is compounded by the pre-existing, pressing humanitarian situation. More than 7 million people remain displaced across the country, including half a million refugees. Those displaced contend with already high risks associated with inadequate shelters, poor sanitation facilities and limited income-generating opportunities. UNHCR has successfully advocated with local authorities for the extension of two displacement sites on the periphery of Goma and, with other humanitarian agencies, plans to deliver 900,000 shelters in 2024, nearly double the 500,000 built last year. To address these and many other humanitarian needs in the DRC, the 2024 Humanitarian Response PlanLink is external was launched on 20 February, appealing for $2.6 billion to help some 8.7 million people in need across the country. Additionally, UNHCR and its partners launched on 22 February a Regional Refugee Response Plan to provide critical protection and assistance to Congolese refugees in neighbouring countries. The plan requires $668 million to support nearly 1 million refugees and 1 million host community members, the majority of whom are in Angola, Burundi, the Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania and Zambia. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address A Thaco factory (Photo: VNA) The Vietnam Automobile Manufacturers Association (VAMA) announced on January 22 that the total sales by its members reached 19,243 units in the month, down 50% month-on-month. The number of domestically assembled vehicles sold was 9,783, down 59%, while that of imported completely built units (CBUs) also decreased by 36% compared to the previous month, reaching 9,460. In addition to the above-mentioned situation, the market also sees the presence of many foreign manufacturers such as Audi, Jaguar Land Rover, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Subaru, Volkswagen, Volvo, and Haval, but they do not disclose their business results. According to TC Group, the assembler and distributor of Hyundai vehicles in Vietnam, as January 2024 was near the Lunar New Year, consumers' tended to spare their money for holiday needs rather than automobiles, leading to the decline in the sales of Hyundai in particular and the whole market. The group predicted that the market will gradually stabilise, with expectations for higher sales growth in the following months. Toyota Vietnam also assessed that the market situation in 2024 will still have many difficulties and challenges. In that context, the company and its dealer system will continue to make efforts to improve product and service quality to attract customers. However, Ford Vietnam believed that the difficulties are only short-term, as the Vietnamese automobile market is still considered potential and attractive in the eyes of automobile manufacturers. Economists forecast this market will grow 10% in 2024 against the previous year, or 428,000 units to be sold, with the recovery of the economy and the incentives from the Government./. UN rights chief deplores 'entrenched impunity' by all parties in Israel, OPT 23 February 2024 - The UN's top human rights official on Friday made a strong call for accountability for serious violations committed by all parties in Gaza, the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Israel. In a new report, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) noted a broad range of concerns, including unlawful killings, hostage-taking, destruction of civilian property, collective punishment, forced displacement, incitement to hatred and violence, sexual assault, and torture. These acts are all prohibited by international human rights and humanitarian laws. "The entrenched impunity reported by our Office for decades cannot be permitted to continue. There must be accountability on all sides for violations seen over 56 years of occupation and the 16 years of blockade of Gaza, and up to today," said Volker Turk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. "Justice is a pre-requisite for ending cycles of violence and for Palestinians and Israelis to be able to take meaningful steps towards peace." The report covered the 12-month period up to 31 October 2023. It also noted that further investigations are needed to establish the full extent of crimes committed under international law. Call for fair trials High Commissioner Turk urged all parties to immediately cease human rights and international humanitarian law violations and abuses, and to conduct prompt, independent, impartial, thorough, effective, and transparent investigations into all alleged violations. All those responsible for violations must be held to account in fair trials, he said, calling on all parties to cooperate with international mechanisms for accountability, including the International Criminal Court (ICC), as well as the International Court of Justice (ICJ). 7 October attacks and aftermath The report said Al Qassam, the armed wing of Hamas, and other Palestinian armed groups committed serious violations of international law on a wide scale on 7 and 8 October. These included attacks directed against civilians, wilful killing and mistreatment of civilians, wanton destruction of civilian objects, and the taking of hostages, which amount to war crimes. Accounts that members of Palestinian armed groups and others committed rape, sexual assault, and torture require further investigation and full accountability in accordance with international law, the OHCHR report noted. It added that the ensuing military response by Israel - and its choice of means and methods of warfare - have led to massive suffering of Palestinians, including the killing of civilians on a broad scale; extensive, repeated displacement; destruction of homes, and the denial of sufficient food and other essentials. Women and children have suffered especially and that clear violations of international law have been committed, it said. Three emblematic incidents The report identified three emblematic incidents, amongst numerous others, as having raised serious concerns about compliance with international humanitarian law. Two strikes on Jabalia Refugee Camp and one on Al-Yarmouk, Gaza City, involved the use of explosive weapons with wide-area effects in densely populated areas. The strikes resulted in enormous destruction, and according to reports no warning was given, nor any effort made to evacuate residential buildings prior to the strikes. OHCHR verified a combined 153 deaths in the attacks, but the number could be as high as 243. "Launching an indiscriminate attack resulting in death or injury to civilians, or an attack in the knowledge that it will cause excessive incidental civilian loss, injury or damage, are war crimes," High Commissioner Turk said. Independent experts call for arms embargo on Israel Also on Friday, over 30 UN independent human rights experts called for an immediate stop to arms exports to Israel. In a statement, they warned that any transfer of weapons or ammunition to Israel that would be used in Gaza is likely to violate international humanitarian law. "All States must 'ensure respect' for international humanitarian law by parties to an armed conflict, as required by 1949 Geneva Conventions and customary international law," the experts said. "States must accordingly refrain from transferring any weapon or ammunition - or parts for them - if it is expected, given the facts or past patterns of behaviour, that they would be used to violate international law." The experts welcomed the recent decision of an appeals court in the Netherlands which ordered the Government to halt the export of F-35 fighter jet parts to Israel, citing a "clear risk" of serious violations of international humanitarian law. They added that the need for an arms embargo on Israel is heightened by the International Court of Justice's ruling last month that there is a plausible risk of genocide in Gaza. The group of experts who issued the statement were all appointed by the UN Human Rights Council and serve in their individual capacity, independent of the United Nations and national governments. They are not UN staff and do not receive payment for their work. Humanitarian situation Meanwhile the dire humanitarian situation persists in the Gaza Strip, with little signs of abetting. The UN agency assisting Palestine refugees (UNRWA) reported that between 20 and 21 February, only 69 aid trucks entered the war-ravaged enclave - well below the target of 500, amid significant difficulties bringing supplies in through both Kerem Shalom and Rafah crossings. It added that at times had to temporarily stop discharging supplies due to security. At the same time, humanitarians reported a steep rise in malnutrition among children and pregnant and breastfeeding women. The situation is most worrying in northern Gaza, where one in six children are acutely malnourished. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Sudan: UN struggles to cope with thousands of daily arrivals in South Sudan transit camps 23 February 2024 - South Sudan, one of the world's poorest countries, is dealing with the influx of hundreds of thousands of refugees from its northern neighbour, Sudan, which has been in the grip of a major conflict between the government and the Rapid Support Forces since April of last year. Since the outbreak of fighting, the influx of people fleeing Sudan has increased sharply at multiple border points, and more than half a million individuals have crossed the South Sudan border, according to UN estimates. At the UN-run transit centres in Renk, staff are helping exhausted individuals to travel onwards to their final destinations in the hope of avoiding large numbers staying in this extremely remote, poorly resourced part of the country. Yvonne Ndege, a spokesperson with the UN migration agency, IOM, travelled to Renk to assess the conditions in the camp. She described the scene to Ben Malor from UN News. Yvonne Ndege: This isone of the most remote parts of South Sudan. There's hardly any water, food, sanitation, security or shelter. Many of the thousands of people who have crossed the border from Sudan are vulnerable and traumatized. They fled terrible violence and have spent weeks, in some cases months, trying to cross into South Sudan to reach safety. UN News: How is the UN helping those arriving in Renk? Yvonne Ndege: Hundreds of thousands of people have been assisted by the UN migration agency to continue moving to other destinations. This assistance is critical because what IOM and other UN agencies don't want is for refugee camps to spring up in this location as it is so remote. There is no infrastructure, no medical facilities or resources of any kind for those vulnerable arrivals. This has involved IOM putting on over 1,200 flights away from Renk to Malakal, the capital of Upper Nile state. It has also involved sea transportation, and we have helped over 100,000 to take boats to Malakal, which is a three-day journey overnight on the River Nile. We have also assisted people with some road transportation to try to reach their communities of origin, but when you look at the volume of people arriving, this assistance is not enough, and the funds to continue to provide this onward transport assistance are dwindling and running out fast. UN News: What have the displaced people been telling you about their experiences? Yvonne Ndege: The conditions that they describe are completely horrific. Some say they fled violence and bullets, spending several days in the bush trying to reach the border. Others say they experienced sexual violence along the journey. We spoke to one family, a mother with her two daughters and her own mother, who travelled all the way from the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, to reach this border and cross into safety. She was very traumatized and upset. We spoke to another man, who said that his whole family, he and his sons, were being forced to actually join the fighting and take part in the violence. They didn't want to, so they spent weeks trying to get here. UN News: How serious are the risks of disease or hunger? Yvonne Ndege: IOM staff have been providing medical checks and vaccinations to those arriving before they are transported to the main town of Renk for further assistance and care, but there are massive concerns about the risk of disease, hunger and further violence. There's hardly any infrastructure in this remote area, no internet or mobile network of any kind and no food or water supplies. So, the risks are real. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Rights violations ripple across war-torn Sudan 23 February 2024 - The armed conflict in Sudan has resulted in thousands of civilians killed, millions displaced, property looted and children conscripted, as fighting has spread to more regions of the country since the conflict began last April, according to a wide-ranging report from the UN Human Rights Office released on Friday. "For nearly a year now, accounts coming out of Sudan have been of death, suffering and despair, as the senseless conflict and human rights violations and abuses have persisted with no end in sight," said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk. The report details multiple indiscriminate attacks by both the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in densely populated areas between April and December 2023, including sites sheltering internally displaced people, particularly in the capital Khartoum, Kordorfan and Darfur. By mid-December, more than 6.7 million people had been displaced by the conflict, both within Sudan and into neighbouring countries. This number has since increased to more than eight million. "This report underlines once more the dire need to end the fighting and to break the cycle of impunity that gave rise to this conflict in the first place," the UN rights chief said. Silence the guns Based on interviews with 303 victims and witnesses, including dozens conducted in Ethiopia and eastern Chad, and analysis of photographs, videos, and satellite imagery and other open source information, findings show a pattern of ethnic-based attacks as well as the use of heavy, sophisticated weaponry. Both parties to the conflict used explosive weapons with wide-area effects, such as missiles fired from fighter jets, unmanned aerial vehicles, anti-aircraft weapons and artillery shells in densely populated areas. This week, the UN Human Rights Office reviewed credible video evidence showing several students travelling by road in North Kordofan state may have been beheaded by men in SAF uniform in El-Obeid City - the victims were seen as being RSF supporters based on their perceived ethnicity. The footage was posted on social media on 15 February showing troops parading with decapitated heads in the street while chanting ethnic slurs, the Office said. "The guns must be silenced, and civilians must be protected," Mr. Turk said. Death toll reaches into the thousands The report highlights more examples, including two separate incidents in April in Khartoum, where eight missiles fired by the SAF killed at least 45 civilians. In Omdurman, two artillery shells fired by the RSF hit a market in June, killing at least 15 civilians, and 10 civilians died when RSF shells exploded in a bus station in September. Between May and November 2023, the report found, the RSF and its allied Arab militia carried out at least 10 attacks against civilians in El-Geneina, the capital of West Darfur, killing thousands, most from the African Masalit ethnic community. There were also killings by the RSF and its allies in the town of Morni and in Ardamata, where at least 87 bodies were buried in a mass grave. Sexual violence, gang rape The report reveals that by 15 December 2023, at least 118 people had been subjected to sexual violence, including rape, gang rape and attempted rape, among them 19 children. Many of these crimes were committed by RSF members, in homes and on the streets, according to the report, which stated that one woman had been held in a building and repeatedly gang raped over a period of 35 days. The report also found that both parties were actively recruiting across the country. The RSF was recruiting children from Arab tribes in Darfur and Kordofan, and a pro-SAF entity, People's Authority to Support the Sudanese Armed Forces, stated that it had "armed 255,000 young men in camps across Sudan" African ethnic communities, including the Fur, Masalit and Zaghawa, also reportedly responded to recruitment campaigns by the SAF, according to the report. Warning of war crimes "Some of these violations would amount to war crimes," said Mr. Turk. "There must be prompt, thorough, effective, transparent, independent and impartial investigations into all allegations of violations and abuses of international human rights and violations of international humanitarian law and those responsible must be brought to justice." The High Commissioner called on both parties to the conflict to ensure rapid and unimpeded access to humanitarian aid in all areas under their respective control. "A credible re-start of inclusive talks to restore civilian-led government is desperately needed to open a path forward," the UN rights chief said. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address World News in Brief: Fresh Ukraine attacks condemned, Gaza healthcare, DR Congo needs escalating 23 February 2024 - The top UN aid official in Ukraine deplored new attacks on the cities of Odesa and Dnipro on Friday, as the full-scale Russian invasion of the country enters a third year. The latest strikes in the centre and south occurred on the eve of the solemn commemoration marking two years of war and one day after deadly attacks in the Donestsk region, located in the east. 'Grim reality' unchanged Denise Brown, UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine, took to social media to voice her condemnation. "Today's attacks on Ukraine are yet another blatant example of the Russian Federation's disregard for their obligations under international humanitarian law, a grim reality that remains unchanged since the escalation of the war two years ago," she said in a post on X, formerly Twitter. Ukrainian authorities reported that grain stocks and civilian infrastructure, including a power plant, were hit during the strikes. Meanwhile, the UN humanitarian affairs office, OCHA, said aid organizations continue to do all they can to help people affected by ongoing attacks. On Friday, they mobilized to provide first aid and critical assistance to people in Odesa and Dnipro, distributing hot drinks and meals as well as repair materials to residents whose homes were damaged. Lack of functioning UNRWA health centres in Gaza The UN agency that assists Palestine refugees, UNRWA, said just seven of its 23 health centres in Gaza are operational, with only one still functioning in the north. That information comes from UN humanitarian affairs office, OCHA, which reported that nearly 600 UNRWA staff continue to work in these facilities, where they provided more than 11,000 medical consultations this past Monday. More than 8,000 additional medical consultations also were carried out by staff at shelters and at newly established medical points in Mawasi area, where people displaced from Khan Younis have been flocking. Meanwhile, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) continues to support pregnant and breastfeeding women in Gaza, where some 5,500 women are expected to give birth in the coming month, with little to no access to medical support. UNFPA has been distributing critical medicine and equipment to health facilities, where access allows, including the Al-Helal Al-Emirati Hospital in Rafah. Items include supplies for maternity, postpartum and reproductive health as well as dignity kits. Concern for families caught in DR Congo violence UN agencies continue to sound the alarm over the escalating violence and worsening humanitarian needs in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where government troops have been battling M23 rebels. Since the resurgence of fighting around the town of Sake in North Kivu province earlier this month, some 144,000 people have been forced to flee the outskirts of the provincial capital, Goma. Other non-State armed groups have also launched a spate of targeted attacks against civilians this week in the city of Beni and in the Irumu territory in neighbouring Ituri province. The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said on Friday that its protection monitoring teams have received reports of killings, kidnappings and the burning of homes. Separately, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) alongside the World Food Programme (WFP) called for immediate action to protect children and families. They said the increase in violence and displacement is straining their resources to mount a comprehensive response that includes food, clean water, good sanitation, safe shelter, basic health care and protective services for women and children. The DRC has become one of the most significant internal displacement crises in Africa, with nearly seven million people displaced, primarily due to conflict in the east. The UN migration agency, IOM, estimates that 1.6 million people have been displaced in the past year alone. This week, the DRC Government and humanitarian partners launched a $2.6 billion appeal to provide lifesaving assistance and protection to 8.7 million people in need. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address UNRWA Situation report #81 on the situation in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem - All information from 20-21 February 2024, is valid as of 21 February 2024 at 22:30 Days 137-138 of Hostilities UNRWA 23 Feb 2024 The Gaza Strip Increased airstrikes in Rafah have heightened fears that they will further hamper overstretched humanitarian operations. Nearly 1.5 million people are in Rafah, more than six times the population before 7 October. Intense fighting in and around Khan Younis (southwest of Gaza) over the last four weeks is causing loss of life and damage to civilian infrastructure, including UNRWA's largest shelter in the southern area, the Khan Younis Training Centre (KYTC). This is forcing thousands of Palestinians to flee further south towards Rafah, which is severely overcrowded. At the same time, population movements out of Rafah and towards Deir Al Balah and Nuseirat refugee camps in the Middle Area have been reported, following intensified airstrikes on Rafah. In this reporting period (20-21 February) only 69 trucks entered the Gaza Strip, an average of fewer than 35 per day. The number of trucks entering Gaza remains well below the target of 500 per day, with significant difficulties bringing supplies in through both Karem Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) and Rafah. UNRWA trucks have struggled to enter the Gaza Strip due to security concerns and temporary closures at both Rafah and Kerem Shalom border crossings. UNRWA has at times had to temporarily stop discharging supplies due to security concerns. Furthermore, provision of security to manage law and order at the crossing has been severely impacted due to the targeting of de facto-police authorities over the last few weeks. The Global Nutrition Cluster is reporting a steep rise in malnutrition among children and pregnant and breastfeeding women in the Gaza Strip1. UNRWA was part of the nutrition assessment, conducting nutrition screenings when children received vaccinations in Agency health centres. The situation remains critical in North Gaza, where one in six children were found to be acutely malnourished. As of 21 February, the total number of UNRWA colleagues killed since the beginning of hostilities is now 158. As of 21 February, up to 1.7 million* people (over 75 per cent of the population) ** have been displaced across the Gaza Strip, some multiple times.*** Families are forced to move repeatedly in search of safety. Following intense Israeli bombardments and fighting in Khan Younis and the Middle Area in recent days, a significant number of displaced people have moved further south. *This includes one million individuals residing in or near emergency shelters or informal shelters. As of 12 October, approximately 160,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) were recorded in North Gaza and Gaza governorates. The ability of UNRWA to provide humanitarian support and updated data in these areas has been severely restricted. The ongoing hostilities, evacuation orders issued by Israeli Security forces (ISF), and the constant need for safer locations have resulted in people being displaced multiple times. **UNRWA reported in Situation Report 64 that up to 1.9 million IDPs were either residing in 154 UNRWA shelters or near these shelters. Due to the continued escalation of fighting and evacuation orders, some households have moved away from the shelters where they were initially registered. *** There are instances where the same IDPs are registered in multiple shelters due to the fluid movement of populations; hereafter, estimates are used for these shelters. UNRWA plans to conduct a more accurate count of IDPs in shelters, including informal shelters, as soon as the security situation allows. The West Bank, including East Jerusalem From the evening of 20 February until the morning of 21 February there was an ISF operation in Jenin city and Jenin Camp, northern West Bank, leading to clashes between ISF and Palestinians. Live fire was exchanged. ISF bulldozers caused damage to infrastructure including roads inside Jenin Camp. One Palestinian was killed, and several injuries reported, and 15 Palestinians were reportedly detained. Clashes in Azzun, northern West Bank, were reported on 21 February following a confrontation between settlers and Palestinians near the town. During the subsequent ISF operation one Palestinian child was reportedly killed, and four Palestinians detained. On 20 February six children were detained in Abud, central West Bank, as part of an ISF search operation. Several demolitions were reported during 20-21 February. In Tammun in the northern West Bank, as part of an ISF operation on 21 February, bulldozers reportedly demolished a shrine in the town. On 21 February ISF reportedly bulldozed a road between Abu Dis and As Sawahira ash Sharqiya in Jerusalem governorate, purportedly in order to modify the West Bank Barrier and increase its height in the area. Displaced Palestinians seeking shelter as the humanitarian situation continue to deteriorate, Gaza Strip, February 2024. 2024 UNRWA Photo by Ashraf Amra Overall Situation The Gaza Strip According to the Ministry of Health in Gaza as of 21 February, at least 29,313 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip since 7 October. About 70 per cent of those killed are reported to be women and children. Another 69,333 Palestinians have been reportedly injured. The West Bank, including East Jerusalem According to OCHA, between 7 October 2023 - 18 February 2024, 394 Palestinians, including 100 children, have been killed in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Last year (2023) was the deadliest year for Palestinians in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, since the UN began recording casualties in 2005. Humanitarian Access, Protection of Civilians The Gaza Strip UNRWA is working to verify the details of incidents reportedly affecting UNRWA premises. Further information will be provided once it becomes available. Different incidents have been reported impacting UNRWA installations and internal displaced people (IDPs) sheltering there. While verification of details and casualty figures remain ongoing, initial reports indicate: On 17 February, two IDPs were injured outside the wall of a school in Deir El Balah, in Middle Area, due to a strike on an adjacent building. The injured were transferred to the hospital to receive medical treatment. Additionally, some shrapnel fell inside the school premises, no damage was reported. On 20 February, five IDPs were killed and subsequently buried inside a school in Khan Younis as a result of extensive gunfire by ISF. Additionally, ISF tanks demolished the perimeter wall of the school. The school sustained significant damage. Approximately 100 IDPs who were still in the school were subsequently forced to evacuate by the ISF. Several IDPs were reportedly assaulted and detained. 325* incidents impacting UNRWA premises and the people inside them have been reported since the beginning of the war (some with multiple incidents impacting the same location), including at least 46 incidents of military use and/or interference at UNRWA premises. 153 different UNRWA installations have been impacted. incidents impacting UNRWA premises and the people inside them have been reported since the beginning of the war (some with multiple incidents impacting the same location), including at least 46 incidents of military use and/or interference at UNRWA premises. different UNRWA installations have been impacted. UNRWA estimates that in total at least 401*IDPs sheltering in UNRWA shelters have been killed and at least a further1,385* injured since the start of the war. UNRWA is still verifying the number of casualties caused by incidents that impacted its installations, and notes that these figures do not include some reported casualties where the number of injuries could not be determined. * Numbers are subject to change once further verifications have been conducted. UNRWA Response The Gaza Strip Due to the security situation in combination with interruptions in internet connectivity we are unable to provide any additional updates since Sitrep 75. UNRWA Shelters As of 17 February, nearly 1.7 million displaced people are now sheltering across emergency shelters (UNRWA and public shelters), informal sites or in the vicinity of UNRWA shelters and distribution sites and within host communities. Due to the security situation and ISF evacuation orders, between 150-155 UNRWA installations continue to shelter IDPs. Shelters are very congested. Health As of 19 February, seven (out of 23) UNRWA health centres were operational. Of these, one is in the north, two are in Middle Area, one in Khan Younis and three are in Rafah. Health centres provide primary health care services, including outpatient services, non-communicable disease care, medications, vaccinations, antenatal health care, postnatal health care and dressing for injured patients. A total of 587 health care staff remain working in the seven operational health centres and on 19 February they provided 11,138 medical consultations. A further 8,034 medical consultations were conducted by staff at shelters, and at the newly established medical points in Mawasi area to serve an influx of displaced persons from Khan Younis -- the total registered population in Mawasi is currently 180,000. Between 7 October - 19 February, UNRWA has provided over 2.4 million medical consultations across UNRWA health centres and UNRWA shelters. As of 18 February, mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) services were continuing in the Middle and Khan Younis areas with teams of health professionals consisting of psychiatrists and three supervisors to assist special cases referred from health centres and shelters. The teams responded to 1,133 cases in Health Centres and 52 in medical points through individual consultations, awareness sessions, and support for cases of gender-based violence. In early January UNRWA received vaccines from UNICEF for its health centres. Eleven different types of vaccines were received (refrigerated and freezer storage). This allowed for vaccinations to restart. Between 3 January and 3 February, over 22,300 children were vaccinated against diseases such as measles, mumps and rubella, and others. On 17 February, an additional 878 children were vaccinated. Psychosocial support (PSS) UNRWA continues to provide psychosocial support services including psychosocial first aid services, PSS consultations and intervention sessions, sessions on handling psychological fatigue, and group and recreational activities. Since the war, over 148,000 IDPs have been supported. Food Security As of 19 February, UNRWA continued to distribute flour outside of shelters in the southern governorates. To date total of 370,919 families have been assisted, of which 88,493 have received two rounds of flour. Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Due to the security situation in combination with internet connectivity we are unable to provide any additional updates since sitrep 67. Quote from Juliette Touma, UNRWA Director of Communications: "Gaza has become very fast one of the most dangerous places to be an aid worker in. [...] Quite often our teams are forced to deliver humanitarian assistance under fire." HearTheirVoices **ENDs - ** NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Letter from the Commissioner-General to the President of the UN General Assembly (22 February 2024) UNRWA 23 Feb 2024 22 February 2024 His Excellency Mr. Dennis Francis, President of the General Assembly, New York Dear Mr. President, On 7 December 2023, I sent you a letter stating that the situation in Gaza was limiting UNRWA's ability to implement its mandate, with grave humanitarian and political implications. It is with profound regret that I must now inform you that the Agency has reached breaking point, with Israel's repeated calls to dismantle UNRWA and the freezing of funding by donors at a time of unprecedented humanitarian needs in Gaza. The Agency's ability to fulfil the mandate given through General Assembly resolution 302 is now seriously threatened. In just over four months in Gaza there have been more children, more journalists, more medical personnel, and more UN staff killed than anywhere in the world during a conflict. Over 150 UNRWA premises have been hit by bombardment or shelling, killing over 390 people, and injuring over 1300. Many reports of UN premises being used by Hamas combatants or by the Israeli army are circulating on social media. The last remaining hospitals are collapsing, and doctors amputate children's limbs without anesthetic, which puts pain at a new level for children, their parents, and medical personnel. According to UN experts, famine is imminent. It is in this context that on 26 January 2024, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued a legally binding provisional ruling that regarding Palestinians in Gaza, Israel must "take all measures within its power to prevent the Commission of all acts within the scope of Article II"1 of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, as well as "immediate and effective measures to enable the provision of urgently needed basic services and humanitarian assistance to address the adverse conditions of life faced by Palestinians in the Gaza Strip"2. In the week preceding the ruling of the ICJ, the Israeli authorities informed me that 12 of UNRWA's 30,000 agency-wide staff were allegedly involved in the horrific attack on 7 October. As Commissioner General, I immediately dismissed the concerned staff, thus terminating their contractual connection to UNRWA. The UN Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) was seized of the matter and the Secretary-General launched an independent review of how UNRWA upholds neutrality principles - the conclusions and recommendations are expected by the end of April 2024. I continue to call on the Government of Israel to cooperate with the OIOS investigation to independently establish the truth. To date, no evidence has been shared by Israel with UNRWA. His Excellency Mr. Dennis Francis President of the General Assembly NewYork In reaction to the allegations against UNRWA staff, 16 donor countries announced the pausing or temporary suspension of their contributions to UNRWA, totaling US $ 450 million, pending reassurances on the Agency's response and strengthening of its oversight mechanisms. I have cautioned donors and host countries that without new funding, UNRWA operations across the region will be severely compromised from March. As a humanitarian and human development agency, UNRWA does not have counterintelligence, police, or criminal justice capacities. Like all UN entities worldwide, UNRWA must rely on host governments, or in this case on Israel as the occupying power, for these capacities. With a view to supporting its neutrality, UNRWA systematically shares its staff list with the host governments in its five fields of operation, and in the case of Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, also with the Israeli authorities. When we have detected cavities that could be tunnels under our premises, we have consistently informed the Israeli authorities, protested to the de facto authorities, and listed the concerns in my reports to the General Assembly. Mr. President, Since the ICJ ruling, there has been a concerted effort by some Israeli officials to deceptively conflate UNRWA with Hamas, to disrupt UNRWA's operations, and to call for the dismantling of the Agency: The Israeli Land Authority has demanded that UNRWA vacate its Kalandia Vocational Training Center in East Jerusalem (assigned to UNRWA by Jordan in 1952) and pay a "usage fee" of over US $ 4.5 million. A Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem has taken steps to evict UNRWA from its HQ of 75 years in East Jerusalem. Visas for most international staff, including those in Gaza, have been limited to one or two months. The Minister for Finance has stated that he will revoke UNRWA's tax exemption privileges. Customs authorities have suspended shipment of UNRWA goods. An Israeli bank has blocked an UNRWA account. Hundreds of UNRWA local staff have been refused access to Jerusalem since October to reach UNRWA's HQ, schools, and health centers. A Bill has been tabled at the Knesset to exclude UNRWA from UN privileges and immunities. A second Bill, first tabled in 2021, seeks "to implement Basic Law: Jerusalem Capital of Israel, by preventing any activity by UNRWA in Israeli territory". On 31 January 2024, the Prime Minister said UNRWA was "in the service of Hamas". Many Israeli officials have called for donors to cease funding UNRWA, which undermines education, health, and other services essential to Palestine Refugees' human rights. These actions and statements harm UNRWA's operations, create staff security risks, and obstruct the Agency's General Assembly mandate. UNRWA, like any UN entity, cannot operate without the support of host States. Mr. President, I fear we are on the edge of a monumental disaster with grave implications for regional peace, security, and human rights. In the short term, dismantling UNRWA will undermine UN efforts to address Gaza's humanitarian crisis and worsen the crisis in the West Bank, depriving over half a million children of education and deepening resentment and despair. In the longer-term, it will end UNRWA's stabilizing role that is widely acknowledged, including by senior Israeli civilian and military officials and key donors, as vital to the rights and security of Palestinians and Israelis. It will also weaken prospects for a transition and a political solution to this long-standing conflict. Calls today by the Government of Israel for UNRWA's closure are not about the Agency's neutrality. Instead, they are about changing the long-standing political parameters for peace in the occupied Palestinian territory set by the General Assembly and the Security Council. They seek to eliminate UNRWA's role in protecting the rights of Palestine Refugees and acting as a witness to their continuing plight. UNRWA's mandate embodies the promise of a political solution. Two weeks before the 7 October attacks, the Israeli Prime Minister presented to the General Assembly a map of a future Israel that encompassed all of Palestine; whereas UNRWA's mandate to provide services to Palestine Refugees within this same area is an obstacle to that map becoming a reality. For decades, in an untenable arrangement, UNRWA as a humanitarian agency has been left to fill the vacuum resulting from an absence of peace or even a peace process. I believe that the General Assembly now faces a fundamental decision. Will the parameters of peace for Palestinians and Israelis be wiped away by obstructing UNRWA's mandate and defunding the Agency outside of any political agreement and consultation with Palestinians? Or will this moment of great crisis be used as a catalyst for peace; in which case I urge the General Assembly to provide the political support necessary to sustain UNRWA and the premise of resolution 302 or to create the basis for UNRWA to transition immediately into a long-overdue political solution that can bring peace to Palestinians and Israelis. Should the General Assembly opt to continue to sustain UNRWA in the best interests of Palestine Refugees, then I further appeal for a solution that closes the gap between UNRWA's mandate and its funding structure, which relies upon voluntary contributions that make it vulnerable to wider political considerations, such as UNRWA faces now. I finally appeal to the General Assembly to bring human rights and international law back to the center of multilateral action, beginning with the catastrophic situation in Gaza that has worsened by every measure in recent weeks. Please accept, Mr. President, the assurances of my highest consideration. Sincerely yours, Philippe Lazzarini NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address U.S. and Japan Self-Defense Forces Conclude Exercise Resilient Shield 2024 US Navy 23 February 2024 From U.S. 7th Fleet Public Affairs YOKOSUKA, Japan -- U.S. and Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) conducted exercise Resilient Shield 2024 onboard Commander, Fleet Activities Yokosuka, Japan, and various command centers throughout the region, Feb. 16-22. Resilient Shield is an annual week-long exercise focused on ballistic missile defense (BMD), designed to test combined tactics, techniques and procedures against potential regional threats. The exercise took place in a simulated computer-based environment and advanced the combined forces' all-domain missile defense capabilities. "Resilient Shield provides us with an important opportunity to conduct high-end ballistic missile defense training with our Japanese allies," said Commander, U.S. 7th Fleet Vice Adm. Fred Kacher. "Enhancing our integrated missile defense capabilities strengthens our security and demonstrates the iron clad trust we have in each other as we safeguard stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific." The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) and U.S. Navy BMD-capable ships along with Japan Ground Self-Defense Force, Japan Air Self-Defense Force, the U.S. Army, U.S. Air Force, and U.S. Marine Corps, provide an all-domain robust missile defense capability that supports regional security and stability. 7th Fleet is the U.S. Navy's largest forward-deployed numbered fleet, and routinely interacts and operates with allies and partners in preserving a free and open Indo-Pacific region. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address CNO Visits Philadelphia for Submarine and Shipbuilding Updates US Navy - Press Release 23 February 2024 PHILADELPHIA (Feb. 23, 2024) -- Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti visited Naval Foundry and Propeller Center (NFPC), the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) Compatibility Test Facility (CTF), and the Philly Shipyard, Feb. 22. Franchetti's visit provided her the opportunity to receive updates on submarine production, to discuss innovative practices in the shipbuilding industry, and to engage with members of Congress as they work together to ensure the U.S. Navy remains the world's preeminent fighting force. "Thank you for your continued leadership in working to strengthen our organic industrial capacity and building the partnership we need to reach the submarine production cadence the Navy requires," Franchetti said. "It's not just service in a uniform, its service to our nation - and strengthening our organic industrial base is one of the Navy's top priorities to ensure we maintain our warfighting advantage." CNO heard from NFCP's Director Nate Bird how their 100 percent civilian workforce has the ability to test and design simultaneously, running hundreds of simulations on equipment to optimize submarine efficiency, and ensure on-time delivery of key components. Bird explained that NFCP is on track to deliver four key components of the Columbia-class submarine on time. CNO then saw first-hand why the unique machining capabilities of the Navy's only foundry and propulsor manufacturing facility make it a national asset - flexible to support the Navy's needs, while observing the pouring of the aft outer structure of the future Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine USS Wisconsin (SSBN 827). "Columbia-class ballistic missile submarines are the nation's future sea based strategic deterrent and will provide the most survivable leg of the nation's strategic triad," Franchetti told NFCP personnel during her tour. "The work you're doing is important not just to our Navy but to our nation, and our national defense. Thank you for being part of the team." While touring the Philly Shipyard with representatives from the Department of Transportation's Maritime Administration (MARAD), TOTE Services, and Philly Shipyard leadership, Franchetti learned about MARAD's Vessel Construction Manager (VCM) program and how they are using the VCM model to build their newest National Security Multi-Mission Vessels - on time and on budget. The three organizations explained how the innovation of the VCM model is the combination of three things: providing the shipyard a very mature design, contracting with a firm-fixed price model, and the use of a small government oversight team. "It's great to see how you've put this partnership together," said Franchetti. "Your philosophy, core values and teamwork are great for our nation. You are creating opportunities to procure ships in different ways. Increasing U.S. ability to affordably build ships is critical to our national security." Following the shipyard tour, Adm. Bill Houston, Director Naval Reactors, hosted CNO for a tour of the NAVSEA CTF. Franchetti saw how NAVSEA engineers test, operate, and maintain the first-of-its-kind Colombia-class integrated power system (electric drive) and propulsion plant electric distribution system. This innovative, state-of-the-art facility allows the Navy to conduct pre-delivery testing, troubleshooting, and training, ensuring we produce reliable capabilities that are essential to maintaining our sea-based strategic deterrence. "The CTF serves as the Navy's premiere test facility for the new Columbia class electric drive propulsion system," said Houston. "This facility has been invaluable in proving out this transformative technology for the Columbia class. Future testing of components here before installation is a game-changing approach to shipbuilding and will ensure these parts are ready to support the Navy's priority procurement effort to replace the most survivable leg of the Nation's strategic deterrent." This was Franchetti's first visit to Philadelphia as Chief of Naval Operations and part of a series of visits to see the Navy's manufacturing and testing capabilities. CNO conducted the visit alongside Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon (D-PA) and Rep. Donald Norcross (D-NJ), as well as Professional Staff Members from the offices of Rep. Chris Deluzio (D-PA) and Rep. Joe Courtney (D-CT). NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Peace Mediators in Paris Try to Avert Looming Israeli Offensive in Rafah By VOA News February 23, 2024 Peace mediators in Paris are working to secure a cease-fire in Gaza in hopes of averting an Israeli offensive on the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where more than a million displaced people are sheltering. Israel says it will attack the city if no truce agreement is reached soon. Washington has urged its ally not to do so, warning that such an attack will cause vast civilian casualties. Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh met Egyptian mediators in Cairo to discuss a truce this past week on his first visit since December. Israel has not publicly commented on the Paris talks, which are expected to continue through the weekend. A Hamas official, who asked not to be identified because of the sensitivity of the subject, said the militant group did not offer any new proposal at the talks with the Egyptians and was waiting to see what the mediators would bring back from their talks with the Israelis. "We discussed our proposal with them [the Egyptians] and we are going to wait until they return from Paris," Reuters cited the Hamas official as saying. Late on Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu presented his security Cabinet with an official postwar plan for Gaza in which Israel would have full security control over the enclave without Hamas leadership and without any governance by the Palestinian Authority based in the West Bank. It calls in cooperation with Egypt and in coordination with the United States for Israel to control entry and exit from Gaza to Egypt through the southern border. It is not clear if Egypt has approved the plan. U.S. cable news network CNN quoted an Israeli official as saying Egypt was "aligned" with the United States regarding the plan, though Washington favors a role for a reformed Palestinian Authority in Gaza. Media reports indicated Palestinian representatives who have seen the plan have rejected it. Parts of the plan also run counter to what Washington has envisioned for the region, which is a "two-state" solution involving an independent Palestinian state. Similar cease-fire talks were held in Paris at the start of February, but they yielded no results. Hamas, which is still holding more than 100 hostages since it attacked southern Israel on October 7, said it would free the hostages as part of a truce that ensures Israel's withdrawal from Gaza. Netanyahu rejected the Hamas proposal, calling it "delusional." Gaza airstrikes At least 22 Palestinians were killed Friday evening in an airstrike on a residential unit in central Gaza's Deir al-Balah, said Gaza Health Ministry spokesperson Ashraf al-Qidra. Health officials said many family members of Mahmoud Abu Zaeiter, a comedian with 1.2 million online followers, were among the dead. There was no immediate comment from Israel, which says it is doing its best to minimize harm to civilians as it tries to eradicate Hamas militants from the war-torn enclave. Earlier on Friday, the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry reported more than 100 people killed by Israeli airstrikes in Gaza over the past 24 hours. Reports from Gaza indicated Israel conducted airstrikes in the southern cities of Khan Younis and Rafah, with at least 104 deaths reported by the Health Ministry. The ministry said at least 29,514 Palestinians have been killed since the fighting began in October. Israel's bombardment has flattened much of Gaza and pushed its population of about 2.4 million to the brink of famine as disease spreads, according to the United Nations. "We have reached the point of extreme poverty and hunger," Zarifa Hamad, 62, a displaced woman living in a camp in northern Gaza, told AFP. "Children are dying of hunger." West Bank The Israeli military said Friday that it carried out a drone strike in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin late Thursday, killing a suspected militant from the Islamic Jihad group. A military statement said Yasser Hanoun was on his way to carry out a shooting. It gave no further details. Hanoun had been implicated in past Islamic Jihad shootings, the military said. Violence has risen in the West Bank since the October 7 Hamas terror attack on Israel. Hamas captured about 240 hostages during that attack, while killing 1,200 people. About 100 hostages were released during the cease-fire in November. The Israeli military has said it believes about 30 of the remaining hostages have since died or been killed, leaving about 100 still held by Hamas. Some information for this report came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Outlining Postwar Gaza Principles, Netanyahu Continues to Defy Biden By Patsy Widakuswara February 23, 2024 Postwar principles for Gaza outlined in a document Friday by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stand in stark contrast to Washington's vision for the war-torn territory, a sign of the deepening divide between his government and the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden. The document, The Day After Hamas Principles, is the first official summary of Netanyahu's public positions on the war that Israel has waged in Gaza in response to Hamas' October 7 attack that killed 1,200 people in Israel and took more than 200 people hostage. It calls for civil governance by Israeli-appointed individuals in Gaza, bypassing any involvement from the Palestinian Authority and absent provisions for a pathway to Palestinian statehood. Without explicitly stating the role of the Israel Defense Forces, the plan potentially allows vast Israeli control over Gaza, including the establishment of an Israeli-controlled buffer zone along the border with Egypt, a move that would be seen by Palestinians as more occupation of their territory and could inflame tensions with Cairo. Speaking from Buenos Aires, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken declined to specifically address Netanyahu's plan but underscored a core principle in the administration's vision for postwar Gaza. "There should be no Israeli reoccupation of Gaza," he said. "The size of Gaza's territory should not be reduced." The establishment of a buffer zone would in effect require an Israeli invasion of Gaza's southernmost city of Rafah, where most Gazans currently seek safety. "We wouldn't support those kinds of operations unless or until the Israelis had properly accounted for the safety and security of the more than 1 million people that are seeking refuge down there," national security communications adviser John Kirby told VOA during Friday's briefing, reiterating the administration's position on Israel's plans for a ground offensive in Rafah. 'Fundamentally at odds' What Netanyahu has outlined is "fundamentally at odds with what the Biden administration has been urging," said Thomas Warrick, a nonresident senior fellow at the Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative at the Atlantic Council. Warrick said Netanyahu's plan "basically locks in the differences" he has had with President Joe Biden. "There needs to be further efforts to try to bridge this gap, perhaps with a different approach," he told VOA. Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib, an American writer and political analyst from Gaza, said that Netanyahu's plan, if enacted, would amount to a permanent Israeli military occupation and create a series of "rump states" or cantons on remnants of Gaza's shrinking territory. Even if enough Palestinians in Gaza agree to take part in such administrations, they lack the means to do so without full Israeli support, he told VOA. "They'll be viewed as collaborators and subcontractors of the Israeli occupation, decimating any credibility or standing among the battered and beaten population and placing their lives and safety at grave risk." Hamas lambasted the proposal during a press conference in the Lebanese capital, Beirut. "Netanyahu is presenting ideas which he knows fully well will never succeed," spokesman Osama Hamdan said on Friday. After holding power for 17 years, Netanyahu faces plummeting popularity amid an angry population that blames him for the security failures that allowed the Hamas attack. His incumbency depends on keeping intact his coalition, the most right-wing and religiously conservative the country has ever seen. "The current plan does not necessarily reflect what the long-term Israeli policy will be, but rather showcases what Netanyahu thinks he needs to do in order to advance a primary goal of his political survival," said Nimrod Goren, senior fellow for Israeli affairs at the Middle East Institute. Given widespread Israeli desire for new leadership, the eventual postwar plan may well be devised by the next government, he told VOA. Alkhatib said that the Israeli prime minister could also be biding his time until the U.S. presidential elections in November, which could fundamentally shift what's happening in Gaza. The world will see either a second Biden term where the U.S. will apply more pressure on Netanyahu, or a new Trump administration that would give Israel "complete free rein to do as it pleases in the Gaza Strip," Alkhatib predicted. Biden increasingly impatient Biden remains staunchly supportive of Israel, providing military and diplomatic aid. Last week, his administration vetoed an Arab-backed United Nations resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire, the third veto since Israel's military offensive began. However, the U.S. submitted its own draft resolution, calling for a temporary cease-fire in Gaza after a hostage deal between Israel and Hamas is secured and opposing Israel's ground offensive into Rafah without adequate civilian protection. The U.S. draft shows Biden's increasing impatience with Netanyahu, said Richard Gowan, U.N. director of the International Crisis Group. "If I were looking at this from Israel's perspective, I would feel a little nervous because the signaling from the Biden administration is becoming marginally stronger," he told VOA. "It will continue to protect Israel at the U.N., but its patience is not limitless." Washington is hoping for a breakthrough in talks underway in Paris between top U.S., Israeli, Egyptian and Qatari officials aimed at securing a temporary cease-fire in return for the release of hostages held by Hamas. The U.S. is also working to defuse Israel-Hezbollah tensions along the Lebanese border to prevent escalation to a full-fledged war in the region. "The success of these efforts is very much needed and could be assisted by some pause in fighting in Gaza," Goren said. A cease-fire would bring welcome relief to Gaza, where more than 29,000 people have been killed in the bloodiest episode of the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict. VOA's Senior Diplomatic Correspondent Cindy Saine contributed to this report. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Illustrative image (Photo: VNA) Under the theme of Navigating Aviation in a Never Normal World, the event will bring together about 60 delegates who are representatives from airlines and international organisations worldwide. The symposium is expected to feature four discussion sessions on a range of topics, including challenges of the global aviation industry. Common issues which are scheduled to be mulled over at the event comprise current trends affecting airlines, ways to improve operation efficiency, service quality and AI application in solving problems of the industry. The IAS is an annual conference held since 1988 on an international scale, attracting top leaders and experts from various fields around the world to meet and exchange on notable issues of the global aviation industry. As the host of the event, Vietnam Airlines has the opportunity to gather opinions from leading experts and join in-depth discussions on latest trends and technologies in the field of aviation, to build development strategies in the context of a volatile world. The event is also expected to contribute to popularising the images of Vietnam and its people to international passengers./. Israeli Airstrikes Target Southern Gaza; Cease-Fire Talks Ongoing By VOA News February 23, 2024 The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry reported Friday more than 100 people were killed by Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip over the last 24 hours. Reports from Gaza indicate Israel conducted airstrikes in the southern cities of Khan Younis and Rafah, with at least 104 deaths reported by the health ministry. At least 29,514 Palestinians have been killed since the fighting began in October, according to the ministry. At the same time, media outlets are reporting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu unveiled his post-war plan for Gaza to his war cabinet late Thursday, calling for Israel to maintain long-term security with military and civilian control of the territory. It calls for in cooperation with Egypt and in coordination with the United States Israel to control entry and exit to Egypt through the southern border. It is not clear if Egypt has approved the plan. The U.S. cable news network CNN quoted an Israeli official as saying Egypt was "aligned" with the Unites States regarding the plan. Media reports indicated Palestinian representatives who have seen the plan have rejected it. Parts of the plan also run counter to what Washington has envisioned for the region, which is a "two-state" solution involving an independent Palestinian state. Drone strike in West Bank The Israeli military said Friday it carried out a drone strike in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin late Thursday, killing a suspected militant from the Islamic Jihad group. A military statement said Yasser Hanoun was on his way to carry out a shooting attack. It gave no further details. Hanoun had been implicated in past shooting attacks by Islamic Jihad, the military said. The West Bank has seen an increase in violence since the October 7 Hamas terror attack on Israel. Cease-fire efforts Israel says new attempts are underway to reach a cease-fire deal with Hamas to temporarily halt fighting in Gaza and to secure the release of more than 100 hostages still being held by the militants. Those attempts include sending negotiators Friday to truce talks in Paris, Israeli media reported. The head of Israel's Mossad intelligence service will lead the group. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told U.S. Mideast envoy Brett McGurk on Thursday that the government "will expand the authority given to our hostage negotiators." His comments came after Benny Gantz, who is on Israel's war cabinet with Gallant and Netanyahu, said late Wednesday that new attempts are being made to reach a cease-fire deal. It was the first Israeli indication of new efforts since negotiations in Cairo among Israeli, U.S., Egyptian and Qatari officials stalled a week ago. But Gallant said that release of the hostages was paramount and that unless Hamas agrees to free them, Israel will launch a ground offensive into Gaza's southernmost town, Rafah, on the Egyptian border, during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which begins March 10. Rafah has been the focus of international concern for the safety of Palestinian civilians. At the G20 meeting where foreign ministers of the 20 leading rich and developing nations are gathering to discuss poverty in Rio de Janeiro on Thursday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said involved parties should prioritize reaching an agreement to release the hostages. "The Algeria resolution has not in itself resulted in a cease-fire," Blinken said, referring to the weeklong cease-fire in November. "The best way to do that is to do exactly what we're doing right now, which is to work intensely on an agreement on the hostages." Hamas captured about 240 hostages during its October 7 attack on Israel, while killing 1,200 people. About 100 hostages were released during the cease-fire in November. The Israeli military has said it believes about 30 of the remaining hostages have since died or been killed, leaving about 100 still held by Hamas. Offensive moves in Gaza While holding off on a full-scale ground attack on Rafah, Israel for days has launched airstrikes on the town, an area where nearly 1.5 million Palestinians have sought refuge. The Israeli military carried out airstrikes early Thursday. The U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, UNRWA, said Wednesday that a rise in airstrikes in Rafah has "heightened fears that they will further hamper overstretched humanitarian operations" in the area. Israel's military said Thursday its forces conducted offensives in the Zeitoun area of Gaza City in the northern part of Gaza and in western Khan Younis in southern Gaza. International reaction In an opinion piece first published Wednesday in the Brazilian newspaper Folha, U.N. humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths urged officials at the G20 meeting in Rio de Janeiro to use their political leadership and influence to help end the war in Gaza. "The atrocities befalling the people of Gaza and the humanitarian tragedy they are enduring are there for the world to see, documented by brave Palestinian journalists, too many of them have been killed while doing so," he wrote. "No one can pretend not to know." At the G20 meeting, the foreign ministers were almost unanimous in their support for a two-state solution as the path to peace in the conflict, Brazilian foreign minister Mauro Vieira said. "There was virtual unanimity in the two-state solution as the only solution to the conflict," he said. Blinken said he found "commonality" with G20 members on Gaza at the summit. "There may be differences over tactics, and there may be differences over this Security Council resolution, but we're trying to focus on actually getting results," he said. Some information for this report came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address UN Report Accuses Sudan's Warring Parties of Crimes Against Civilians By Lisa Schlein February 23, 2024 A report by the U.N. human rights office accuses both of Sudan's warring parties of committing horrific violations and abuses against the country's civilian population, "some of which may amount to war crimes and possibly other serious crimes under international law." The 16-page report is based on interviews with 303 victims and witnesses, as well as analysis of photographs, videos and satellite imagery gathered between April 15 and December 2023. The report holds the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces responsible for the killings of at least 14,600 civilians and the forced displacement of more than 8 million people both inside Sudan and as refugees in five neighboring countries. Authors of the report say the intensity of hostilities between the armed forces and "the significant lack of adherence to international humanitarian law and international human rights law standards are concerning." In a statement Friday, Volker Turk, the U.N. high commissioner for human rights, said, "For nearly a year now, accounts coming out of Sudan have been of death, suffering and despair, as the senseless conflict and human rights violations and abuses have persisted with no end in sight." Since the rival generals plunged Sudan into war on April 15, the report says, armed forces and their allies have indiscriminately attacked civilians in densely populated areas, including sites sheltering internally displaced people, with most attacks occurring in the capital, Khartoum, as well as Kordorfan state and Darfur. Since April, there have been widespread allegations of sexual and gender-based violence in the conflict-affected hot spots. As of December 15, the report says, it has received reports that at least 118 people had been subjected to sexual violence, including rape, gang rape and attempted rape, among them 19 children. The report finds many victims were trafficked "for the purpose of sexual exploitation and forced prostitution, by both parties to the conflict and their allied groups, which are prohibited under international law." Seif Magango, the U.N. human rights office regional spokesperson, said the warring parties also have looted property, conscripted child soldiers and otherwise violated the human rights of thousands of helpless, destitute people. Speaking in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, he said his office just this week received credible video evidence that several students traveling by road in North Kordofan State may have been beheaded by men in SAF uniforms in El-Obeid City. He says the students were likely killed "based on their perceived ethnicity as being RSF supporters." He says the video, which was posted on social media on February 15, "shows troops parading with decapitated heads in the street while chanting ethnic slurs." In Darfur, the U.N. report says, thousands of people have been killed in RSF attacks, "some of which were ethnically motivated." For example, between May and November, it says, the RSF and its allied Arab militia carried out at least 10 attacks against civilians in El-Geneina, the capital of West Darfur, "killing thousands of people, most from the African Masalit ethnic community." Magango described the situation in Sudan as very concerning and getting worse. He said it is disturbing that the appalling crimes are taking place out of the international limelight, as Sudan risks becoming a forgotten conflict. Nevertheless, he said the human rights office continues to document and record multiple cases of killings, injury, displacement and growing cases of sexual violence, among other forms of abuse. "These violations are incredibly serious under international law," he said. "The high commissioner has stated in response to this report ... that these violations would amount to war crimes and should be promptly and thoroughly investigated and the perpetrators brought to account." Commanders of the RSF and the Sudanese Armed Forces have previously denied committing war crimes as they battle for control of the country. In his statement, High Commissioner Turk said the report makes "more painful reading on the tragedy being needlessly inflicted on the Sudanese people since April 2023." He underlined "the dire need to end the fighting and to break the cycle of impunity that gave rise to this conflict in the first place." "The guns must be silenced, and civilians must be protected," he said. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Zimbabwe Army Accused of Forcing Investigative Outlet to Self-Censor By Columbus Mavhunga February 23, 2024 Press freedom monitor groups in Africa are worried after an online investigative publication in Zimbabwe said it will halt its coverage of corruption in the army after receiving "threats and direct pressure" from state security agents. The online publication The NewsHawks said in a statement it will stop pursuing articles on issues of transparency and accountability in the Zimbabwe National Army following "subtle threats and brazen direct pressure from state security agents, particularly military intelligence operatives." The publication rankled the army recently when it reported that three senior generals were getting at least $400,000 for housing but still subsidizing themselves through corruption to get upmarket housing in a price range that was above their pay grade. Friday, officials at The NewsHawks could not be reached for comment on their statement. Tabani Moyo, director of the Media Institute of Southern Africa, said parties upset with the publication should approach the government-run Zimbabwe Media Commission or the Voluntary Media Council of Zimbabwe if they had issues with journalists' reportage. "This is key to us as we believe that the media is a critical pillar of society and its engagement on issues of national importance like accountability, transparency need to be respected as they are provided for by the constitution of the land," Moyo said. Men and women in uniform, Moyo added, need to handle the media and not hinder them from performing their watchdog role. Perfect Hlongwane, secretary general of the Zimbabwe Union of Journalists, said the country had repealed some tough media laws - such as the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act, commonly referred to as AIPPA since President Emmerson Mnangagwa came to power in 2017. Hlongwane said with the reported threats to The NewsHawks, the country might be headed toward dark days for the media. "Our concern is that we may be regressing as a country having managed to record so much positive reform within the media space under the Second Republic," Hlongwane said. "We saw quite a number of changes where we saw some laws such as AIPPA being repealed. We hope [authorities] will not ignore the fundamental rights and freedoms of the media to operate without any kind of gagging and our trust has always been to engage. And we shall continue to pursue that." Zimbabwe officials did not respond to requests for interviews by VOA. Presidential spokesman George Charamba was quoted in a government-controlled daily newspaper this week saying the army had zero tolerance for corruption. However, he added, the government "notes with concern attempts by The [News]Hawks and other media outlets to peddle" what he called falsehoods. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address On-the-Record Press Gaggle by White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby February 23, 2024 Via Teleconference 11:57 A.M. EST MODERATOR: Hello, everyone. Thanks so much for joining today's on-the-record news of day gaggle with White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby. This call is on the record, and there's no embargo. I'll turn it over to Kirby now to kick us off, and then we'll take your questions. MR. KIRBY: Thanks, Eduardo. Thanks, everybody. As you all know, tomorrow is the second anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. And as you all heard, the President marked that anniversary in a statement, and in remarks just now, as we mourn the many Ukrainian lives who have been lost in this terrible conflict and to express our resolve to continue to support the people of Ukraine as they defend themselves against this vicious and brutal war Russia started in Ukraine. As the President said, Vladimir Putin launched the invasion. He thought he could easily bend the will and break the resolve of a free people and that he could just roll right into a sovereign nation and the world would roll right on over. But two years later, it's clear that Mr. Putin was absolutely wrong. The Ukrainian people, with support from the United States and more than 50 other countries around the world as part of a global coalition that we actually built, have resisted Putin's invasion. They won the battles for Kyiv, for Kharkiv, for Kherson. They retook more than 50 percent of the sovereign territory that Russia seized from them in 2022. And they are continuing to fight bravely right on the battlefield there, from east to the south. But they are being forced to ration ammunition and equipment because Congress has failed to act and provide them with resources that they need to continue this fight. The President has talked about what's at stake. The American people and people around the world understand also what's at stake. We need the House of Representatives to act. The President's commitment to supporting Ukraine and holding Russia accountable is absolutely clear. And at his direction, also today, the United States announced a significant set of new actions to hold Russia accountable for the death of Aleksey Navalny and to mark the two-year anniversary tomorrow of Russia's unprovoked and unlawful invasion of Ukraine. We sanctioned over 500 targets to impose additional costs for Russia's repression, for their human rights abuses, and, of course, for their aggression inside Ukraine. These include a major cog in Russia's financial infrastructure; more than two dozen third-country sanctions evaders in Europe, East Asia, Central Asia, and the Middle East; and hundreds of entities in Russia's military industrial base and other key sectors to cut off funding for Putin's war machine. The Department of State, I think as you all know, is also designating three Russian individuals who are connected to Navalny's imprisonment and the Russian government's harsh treatment of him. You can expect more from the administration with respect to holding the Kremlin accountable for Mr. Navalny's death. Today was just the start. The Department of Commerce is, of course, also adding more than 90 companies to the entity list for their activities in support of Russia's defense industrial base and war effort. So, all told, the Department of Treasury and the Department of State have designated now more than 4,000 entities and individuals pursuant to Russia's related sanctions authorities over the last two years, the strongest set of sanctions ever imposed on a major economy. With today's actions, Commerce has now placed more than 900 parties on our entity list for their role in Putin's war. Our actions to ensure Mr. Putin pays an even steeper price for his aggression abroad and repression at home are actually having an impact. And we will continue to act. We urge, of course, the House Republicans to do the same. They must come back from this recess, vote because we know if they put it on the floor to vote, it will pass vote on the supplemental funding so that we can get the artillery shells, we can get the small arms ammunition, we can get the air defense capabilities into the hands of Ukrainian battlefield commanders and soldiers on the front so that they can continue to defend their country. And with that, I'll take questions. MODERATOR: Thanks. Our first question will go to the line of Aamer Madhani. You should be able to unmute yourself. Q Hi there, John and Eduardo. Question on Israel. Is the administration comfortable with the vision that Netanyahu has set out for post-war Gaza? Does it meet the administration's basic standards for setting the grounds for a viable long-term peace? And then secondly, also on Israel, does the administration have any reaction to Israel's plans to move forward with more than 3,000 settlement homes in the West Bank? Thank you. MR. KIRBY: Thanks, Aamer. On the first question about the post-conflict plan for Gaza, we've seen the reports. I'm going to defer to Israel to speak to the specificity of these plans. What I can speak to is our views, and we've been clear about what our views are. We have had constructive discussions with the Israelis on all these issues over recent weeks, where we have, of course, continued to make clear positions, including where those views and our positions diverge from them. Both Israelis and Palestinians have a right to be secure with equal measures of freedom and dignity. And again, let me just reiterate some of the top points here. We believe that whatever post-conflict Gaza looks like, the Palestinian people should have a voice and a vote in what that looks like, through a revitalized Palestinian Authority. We don't believe in any reduction of the size of Gaza. We don't believe and will continue to be very vocal about the fact that we don't want to see any forcible displacement of Palestinians outside Gaza. And, of course, we don't want to see Gaza dominated or rolled or governed over by Hamas. Those are very consistent positions. We still hold to them. And as I said earlier, we've made that consistently clear with our Israeli counterparts. On your question about settlements again, seen those reports and, frankly, disappointed in the announcement. It's been longstanding U.S. policy under both Republican and Democratic administrations that new settlements are counterproductive to the cause of peace. Frankly, they're also inconsistent with international law. And this administration maintains this firm opposition our firm opposition to settlement expansion. MODERATOR: Thanks. Our next question will go to the line of Barak Ravid. You should be able to unmute yourself. Q Thank you, Eduardo. Thanks, John. I want to follow up on the previous question, your previous answer that you just said, as Secretary Blinken also said a few minutes ago, that the administration sees settlements as inconsistent with international law. The previous administration, and especially previous Secretary of State Pompeo, said that the U.S. position is that settlements are not illegal, per se, and a shift at U.S. policy from 1978. Does your statement right now mean that the Biden administration has overturned this Pompeo doctrine and that it's not valid and not U.S. policy anymore? The second question: If you have any updates for us about the Paris summit and the hostage negotiations. Thank you. MR. KIRBY: Thanks, Barak. Look, this isn't about the previous administration. We are simply reaffirming the fundamental conclusion that these settlements are inconsistent with international law. And as I said in my previous answer, I mean, that is a position that's been consistent over a range of Republican and Democratic administrations. If there's an administration that is being inconsistent, it was the previous one. And then on your question, I don't really have an update on the hostage deal negotiations and the talks that are happening in Paris, except to say we continue to work at this very, very hard. We believe that the discussions and negotiations to date have been constructive. Obviously, they have not been they have not been conclusive because we don't have a deal in place. But the fact that these negotiations are still ongoing and that people are, in fact, sitting together to try to hash it out is a good thing. And we're obviously very hopeful that we can come to closure on a deal that would allow for an extended pause; get all the hostages out over time, in stages; and then, of course, be able to increase humanitarian assistance. So I really don't have much more to add to that. MODERATOR: Thanks. Our next question will go to the line of Nandita Bose. You should be able to unmute yourself. Q Thank you, Eduardo. Appreciate it. Couple of questions from me, just on the sanctions. It does not look as if you used the December executive order to target foreign financial firms that helped Russia circumvent sanctions. Can you explain the decision not to target these foreign financial firms in this action? I mean, is this something that we should expect to see soon? And then my second question is: Has the President been briefed by Brett McGurk yet? Could you tell us a little bit more about what's going on on his trip? Thank you. MR. KIRBY: So, on your first question, I think it's critical that we remember to put it in some perspective. We would need additional legal authorities to be able to do that. We continue to be supportive of having those domestic legislative authorities that would give us the flexibility as we continue to discuss with partners and allies how best to cease Russia's aggression and to assure that Russia pays for the damage that it's caused to Ukraine. It is something, as I think you heard from the Deputy Secretary of the Treasury today, that it's something that we continue to be in touch with on the Hill and with our allies and partners. There's several key several pieces of legislation that have been working their way through Congress; we're watching that closely. And because the vast majority of the immobilized sovereign assets aren't in the U.S., again, I want to stress it's absolutely key that we take action in concert with our international partners. And that's our focus right now. And then, on a readout from Brett's trip, as I'm sitting here talking to you, I'm not aware that Brett has provided a full readout of his meetings. I know they've wrapped up. As I said yesterday, he met with leaders in Egypt, particularly on the intel side, and, of course, with the war cabinet, with Prime Minister Netanyahu, with Defense Minister Gallant, with Benny Gantz, and, of course, had a chance to meet with the families of American hostages in Israel yesterday. But I'm not aware that we've received a full readout. Obviously, we always appreciate the opportunity to have those in-person discussions with our counterparts in the region on a range of issues. And first and foremost, Brett was over there really trying to make more progress on this hostage deal, but he also had a chance to talk to them about their plans and their thinking for operations down in the south near Rafah. MODERATOR: Thank you. Our next question, we'll go to the line of Patsy. You should be able to unmute yourself. Q Thanks, Eduardo. And thanks, Kirby. I have two questions on Gaza. I know that you said that Brett has not given a readout yet, but I wonder if the issue of the post-war plans from Netanyahu was discussed in their meetings. And what do you make of the fact that it was released just as Brett was in the region? And then, another one. How does the administration feel about Netanyahu using Ramadan as a deadline for the Rafah offensive? As you sorry, I'm just running out of breath. As you would understand, it is received by the Muslim world as inflammatory. And then, once you're done with that, I have a question on China. MR. KIRBY: Okay, well, there's an awful lot there. I mean, again, I don't have more to say about Brett's trip than what I've already told you. I mean, I think we should wait to talk to Brett when he gets back and to get a fuller sense of his discussions. There hasn't been too many conversations we've had with the Israelis where we haven't talked about post-conflict Gaza and what that looks like. But again, I can't go into more detail without having a chance to talk to Brett myself on that. I'll let the Israelis speak to their plans and intentions to conduct military operations in Rafah. Again, there's been no plan presented to us that I'm tracking. And as of yesterday, I think that that was still accurate based on the preliminary discussions we were able to have with Brett in the region. So no plan presented for us to look at that I'm aware of in terms of Rafah operations. And so, therefore, I think, again, I would refer you to the Israelis to speak to whatever deadlines they're setting here. I think it's important to reiterate what I've said so many times and including yesterday: We still would not support operations in Rafah no matter what the timescale is. We wouldn't support those kinds of operations unless or until the Israelis had properly accounted for the safety and security of the more than 1 million people that are seeking refuge down there. And again, I'm certainly not aware of any plan that we've had a chance to look at and to peruse. So, again, I put you back to the Israelis to speak to that. Q Thank you. And on China, there's this Five Eyes report that shows that Chinese hackers are potentially already inside critical U.S. infrastructure. I think we discussed this about the telecommunication outage yesterday we discussed in your gaggle yesterday. At this point, are you 100 percent confident that that outage was not part of a Chinese hacking operation or any other adversarial powers? And does the administration have a plan should another incident like that similar incident conducted by a foreign adversary? Thanks. MR. KIRBY: The best we know right now, Patsy, is what we're hearing from the network industry, particularly AT&T, and that they do not believe they've said they don't believe that this was the result of some sort of cybersecurity incident. That said, it's still being investigated, so we need to let the investigators do their work. We've obviously pledged support to that investigation as appropriate. But right now, the initial indications coming from industry itself is that this was not a cybersecurity incident. MODERATOR: Next up, we'll go to the line of Jake Epstein. You should be able to unmute yourself. Q Hey, thanks for doing this. I just want to ask a question about the Houthis. The U.S. Navy preemptive strikes have really become a daily thing. We've also seen a few interceptions of Iranian weaponry bound for Yemen. Are you able to speak at all about how much of the Houthi capabilities remain and how often they're being resupplied? Is there any intelligence or indication of, you know, how long this might go on for? MR. KIRBY: Not a whole lot of information on the intelligence that I'm able to offer you here on that one. And I certainly would, at the outset, point you to DOD to speak to what we call battle damage assessment. And they give you a sense of what their assessment is of how much the capability has been degraded. That said, broadly speaking, we do know that the strikes that they have conducted inside Houthi-controlled parts of Yemen have had an impact on degrading capabilities. While it is certainly true that Houthi attacks continue, what you're not seeing lately have been those major swarm attacks where, you know, multiple waves of drones and missiles are being shot at multiple ships. Typically, what you're seeing now are more one-off attacks, and they have continued to be largely ineffective in terms of stopping ships on their way to prior destinations. That doesn't mean that they aren't still dangerous. It doesn't mean that they haven't scored a hit here now and then. Of course, they did just the other day; they hit a ship that was ironically bound for Aden to bring grain to the people of Yemen. And even that attack, which did score a hit on the ship, didn't stop that ship from still pulling into Yemen and dropping off food for the Yemeni people. So they're still dangerous, absolutely. And we're taking it seriously. But we do believe that we have had an impact on not just the degradation of their capabilities, but the way in which they're using the capabilities they have available to them. They are not, again, conducting the major sort of drone swarm attacks that they were able to do in the past. As for the flow, we still believe that they continue to be supported by the regime in Tehran, that materials, weapons systems are still being supplied. As you also know, we have been and continue to conduct interdiction operations at sea, and those continue. So we'll obviously do everything we can to try to limit and stem that flow, but the flow is ongoing which is all the more reason why, again, that we need Congress to act and pass the supplemental funding. In that supplemental funding there's about two and a half billion dollars for CENTCOM, deliberately set aside for U.S. Central Command, to restock its own inventory of weapons ammunition and to provide the kinds of funding that they need to support their many activities at sea and on the ground frankly, in the air in the regions. And part of that would go a long way to helping us continue to stem these Houthi attacks. MODERATOR: Next up, we'll go to the line of DJ Judd. You should be able to unmute yourself. Q Hi, this is Priscilla on DJ's phone. So, two quick questions. One on Ukraine. The President said today in his remarks before governors that top U.S. ally that he would have a call with top U.S. allies on Ukraine. What assurances, if any, can he give them in trying as he himself is trying to get that additional funding from Congress? And then separately, on Israel, the Prime Minister sort of unveiled a plan for the day after in Gaza. It didn't appear to include the two-state solution. So is it a nonstarter already for the White House? MR. KIRBY: I won't get ahead of the President. You heard him talk about this conversation he's going to have with G7 leaders later today. And we'll certainly be able to share more of that with you when it occurs. He will absolutely make it clear that he's going to continue to do everything he can to support Ukraine, and that that includes doing everything he can and our team can do to work with members of Congress to get that supplemental funding on the floor, get it voted, get it to his desk. Because if it reaches his desk as it currently stands, as he said, he'll sign it. He cannot control what the Speaker does or doesn't do. But we can certainly continue to do everything we can to make clear how important this is, as we've been doing just today, and continue to do everything we can to work with members of Congress to move it along. And that will be his message to his G7 partners how seriously we take the challenge, how much we know American leadership matters, and how far he's working to get that supplemental bill passed and on his desk. On your second question, again, I would refer to the Israeli government to speak to those post-conflict Gaza plans. All I can do is reiterate what I said before: We've been very clear, we've been very consistent with our Israeli counterparts about what we believe post-conflict Gaza needs to look like. And those views haven't changed. I described them for you a little bit earlier in the gaggle; I won't repeat that. But those are all still valid, in our view. And we are not going to be bashful about holding to those views, and certainly not going to be bashful about expressing them continually with our Israeli counterparts on the things we agree on, which is Hamas cannot govern Gaza, and the things where we diverge. And the last thing I'll say is: On the two-state solution you're right, they didn't say anything there wasn't anything in the public rendering of that plan about the two-state solution. But the President remains fully committed to the promise and the possibility of a two-state solution and how that can benefit the entire region, certainly with Israeli security guaranteed. MODERATOR: Thanks. Next up, we'll go to Jacqui Heinrich. You should be able to unmute yourself. Q Thanks, guys. On these sanctions, why not just go forward and designate Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism? MR. KIRBY: I don't have anything to add in terms of what we haven't done, Jacqui. I'd ask you to take a look at what we have done you know, over 4,000 entities sanctioned, more than 500 just today, and there's more coming. We'll continue to hold Russia accountable. What we do is we make decisions based on what we think will actually have the right impact and an impact on their ability to continue to fund their war machine and work it. And we know that it's had an effect. I mean, my goodness, Mr. Putin is reaching out to Iran now for potentially close-range ballistic missiles, and he's been reaching out to North Korea for artillery shells and for ballistic missiles as well. So we know that these sanctions have had an impact on his ability to conduct military operations. And what we're focused on are tools and techniques that we believe actually will have an impact on his economy and on his ability to conduct a war, as well as making sure that whatever we do doesn't unnecessarily make it hard for humanitarian purposes for the Russian people themselves. MODERATOR: Next up, we'll go to the line of Halley Toosi. You should be able to unmute yourself. Q Hi, John, everyone. Thanks for doing this. Listen, I'm just going to ask you to be very frank and maybe set aside your talking points for a minute on this Israel stuff. Why should the Israelis care about what the United States keeps saying? They don't really seem to be feeling the pressure from your rhetoric. And I realize that you're putting these sanctions and making some moves related to the West Bank, including this you know, saying now that the settlements are illegal but isn't that, like, three years late under this administration? I mean, extremist violence by settlers in the West Bank has been going on for a long time; settlements have been around for a long time. Why didn't you guys do this three years ago? And couldn't that if you had acted sooner, couldn't that have maybe affected the dynamics between the administration and the Israeli government right now, maybe even affected the dynamics of Israeli politics right now to where you wouldn't have far-right figures in the government to deal with who clearly have so much influence over the government? So, I guess I'm just trying to figure out, like, if I'm Benjamin Netanyahu right now, why should I care what John Kirby or Secretary Blinken or President Biden keep saying to me? MR. KIRBY: I think I guess I'm going to challenge the premise of the question just a little bit. I think the Israeli people absolutely do care about the support of the United States. I think they absolutely do care about the leadership President Biden has shown and a strong way that we Q I'm talking about the Israeli government, not the Israeli people. MR. KIRBY: Listen, you asked a really long question, so you're going to have to give me a little latitude to give you a really long answer. You said you didn't want to listen to my talking points, so I'm going to try to do the best I can here, but you got to let me finish. Q Okay. MR. KIRBY: I think they do care. I think they do care about what the United States thinks and does. And I said it I think they do care, and they value and they appreciate the leadership that President Biden and this administration have shown when it comes to supporting them in what is truly a right and a responsibility to rid themselves of the threat of Hamas. I think they also are smart enough to appreciate and it goes to the government too smart enough to appreciate that we're not going to agree with them on every single thing. We've been talking quite a bit here today about things we don't agree with them on. We don't agree about the issue of settlements. We clearly have differences on what the future of post-conflict Gaza needs to look like. And, yes, there have been differences over the promise and the possibility of a two-state solution. But that doesn't mean that you just clam up and stop talking about it. It doesn't mean you just put yourself in a shell and don't engage with them in meaningful conversations. And this idea and I've heard it time and time and time again since October 7th that we're being ignored or Israel is just walking all over us, or they're not paying attention to anything that we're having to say and I'm telling you, that's just not the truth. It just ain't so. Now, that doesn't mean that every single bit of advice and every single perspective we share with them they act on in the way that we would want them to. There are obvious ways where we want to see, for instance, a much stronger, devoted effort to reduce civilian casualties. There have been too many innocent people killed in this conflict. And too many obviously, the great majority of those innocents killed have been Palestinians. And we have been very, very consistent about that. It doesn't mean that we're going to agree with the results. But I can assure you that we do have the ability to share with them our perspectives and that they have in the past acted in ways consistent with how we have asked them to act again, not in every way, not in every sense, and maybe not to the degree that we want, but they have. And I think they appreciate the good faith in which, and the good intentions with which, our perspectives and our support is being shared with them. So I just push back on the premise that we're talking to a brick wall. We're talking to a friend a friend, as any friend, you can be honest with, who's not going to agree with everything that we say. But the President's we believe the President's approach has had an impact, and we're going to continue to do that in that way. Now, look, as to why now after three years, we thought that at this moment it was particularly important to reaffirm our commitment to a two-state solution. And at this moment, we felt it was particularly important to reaffirm, again, our view of the inconsistency with international law that these settlements present. And again, we also think that, at this moment, it's particularly important to work together to build a political horizon for both Israelis and for Palestinians. MODERATOR: Thank you. We're coming up at time, so we've got time for one more. We'll go to the line of Tommy Christopher. You should be able to unmute yourself Q Hey, thanks for doing this, Kirby. The thing I wanted to ask about is this I don't know if you guys have seen it; I'm sure you have seen this sort of stunning filing for detention for Alexander Smirnov. And there's a lot of really, like, crazy allegations in there that he had contact with the leader of an assassination squad. Have you guys seen the filing? And are you perusing it for are you concerned about any of this stuff, any of the security risks? MR. KIRBY: I have not seen the filing. I don't know I can't speak for the rest of my NSC colleagues, Tommy. How about if I take that question and we'll have somebody from the team get back to you. But I'm not in a position where I can speak intelligently to it. MODERATOR: Thanks all. That's all the time we have today. We'll do this again soon. Enjoy the rest of your day. 12:28 P.M. EST NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Beriev A-50 Mainstay - Combat Russian A-50 radar detection rise into the air during missile strikes and record air defense launches, which helps to bypass anti-aircraft weapons. The Russian Federation had nine A-50 aircraft in service and four modernized versions A-50U. The A-50 MAINSTAY is a key enabler for Russian operations over Ukraine providing airborne early warning of threats as well as command and control functionality. Since the end of 2015, the A-50 has been used by Russia and is part of the Russian Aerospace Forces Aviation Group in Syria and is used for the purposes of the Syrian military operation. The A-50U Taganrog returned from Syria to the Ivanovo-Severny airfield in December 2017. One aircraft was transferred to Khmeimim airbase in February 2018. The A-50EI was used by India during the border conflict with Pakistan in 2019. Loss - 26 February 2023 Two explosions rang out at the Belarusian airfield in Machulyshchy 26 February 2023, and Russian military aircraft DRLO A-50 was damaged. Belarusian partisans staged the sabotage. This was announced by the head of the BYPOL initiative Oleksandr Azarov. The two explosions damaged the front and center parts of the aircraft, damaged the avionics and the radar antenna. "The damage is serious, the plane will definitely not fly anywhere," said BYPOL. The explosions occurred when the snow removal equipment was working near the plane, it was also damaged. The head of BYPOL, Oleksandr Azarov, confirmed to Nasha Niva that Belarusian partisans were involved in the sabotage at the airfield in Machulyshchy. "These were drones. The participants of the operation are Belarusians, participants of the "Victory" plan, now they are safe outside the country. Everyone has left, let them now look for the wind in the field," he said. According to ByPol, the participants of the "Victory" plan used two DJI drones, which were manually converted into kamikaze drones. Each drone carried an explosive substance 200 grams of TNT equivalent. They used metal balls, about 200 each. Svaboda spoke on the condition of anonymity with a Belarusian contractor of the USU, who was undergoing sabotage training, including the use of drones, on the basis of one of the special units. "200 grams of TNT is a classic, textbook charge. If you want, for example, to tear a car. Those who served in reconnaissance or landing forces know what a standard Soviet 200-gram TNT shell does to a tree when you install or clear forest debris. Four grams of TNT placed on the surface of the body can kill a person. If you blow up 200 grams of TNT on the carbon plastic casing of the plane's antenna, I can imagine that it would simply be gone, it would be blown to pieces. Not even taking into account the effect of damaging elements. Given the declared power of the explosion, hardly anyone would risk taking off after that. Any crack or hole in the lining during flight can lead to a disaster," the specialist believes. Franak Viacorka, an adviser to Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, applauded the attack on Twitter as "the most successful diversion" since the start of 2022. "Glory to Belarusian partisans," he tweeted. "I am proud of all Belarusians who continue to resist the Russian hybrid occupation of Belarus & fight for the freedom of Ukraine," Tsikhanouskaya wrote on Twitter. As "Belarusian Gayun" writes, the registration number of the damaged plane is RF-50 608 (board number "43 red", factory number 93 479 377, serial number 60-05). This aircraft arrived in Belarus on January 3, 2023 and has currently been in Belarus for 54 days, making 12 flights. Before this, the previous time, the plane arrived in Belarus on February 24, 2022. Although the damage was not officially confirmed, British intelligence noted that the loss of the A-50 would be significant for the Russian Federation, as the aircraft is crucial to Russian air operations in creating a picture of the airspace. Belarusian strongman Alyaksandr Lukashenka said 07 March 2023 a Ukrainian-Russian national and associates have been arrested for organizing a drone attack on a Russian military cargo plane at an airbase near Minsk in late February. Lukashenka said the men acted "under command of Ukraine's Security Service and the CIA." He gave no evidence to back up his claim. It was Lukashenka's first comment on the incident at the Machulishchy base. Minsk had previously denied media reports about the attack. During the presentation of state awards, Alexander Lukashenko for the first time commented on the incident with the Russian plane in Machulyshchye, which became known on February 26, 2023. According to Lukashenka's press service, he said that in Belarus they allegedly detained a "terrorist of the Ukrainian special services and his associates" responsible for the incident. According to Lukashenka, preparations for the "terrorist attack" began "either six months or eight months ago." Lukashenka said "The Security Service of Ukraine, the leadership of the CIA (US special service), either from the side or behind the back, are developing an operation against the Republic of Belarus. A terrorist was prepared. He is Russian, with a Russian passport, he has a Ukrainian passport. Born in Kryvyi Rih, lived in Crimea. Some relatives in Austria, some remained in Kyiv. He was recruited by the special service of Ukraine in 2014. A native or well-versed in IT technologies. He was preparing to commit terrorist acts." After a week of silence, Lukashenko admitted the fact of sabotage and spoke about the nature of the damage to the Russian plane: "This terrorist attack was prepared. You know the results. Fortunately, the plane did not suffer any significant damage, except, as they say, scratches and one hole in the body, which does not prevent a military plane from performing its duties. We were showing you this plane. As I was told, he even met the president when I was returning from Beijing. Nevertheless, we asked the Russians to take this plane in for maintenance and send us another one. That's what happened." Loss - 14 January 2024 On January 15, sources in the Defense Forces informed Suspilno about the downing of the A-50 military aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces and the destruction of the Il-22M11 air command post. In the evening of January 14, Il-22 was on duty in the Strilkovo district of the Kherson region, where it was shot down. After the damage, the plane planned to land in Anapa, requested an evacuation and called an ambulance and firefighters. The commander of the Air Force of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Mykola Oleschuk said that the occupiers were punished for shelling the Dnipro on January 14, hinting at the destruction of the A-50 over the Sea of Azov. The Russian occupiers published on the network a photo of the Il-22M air command post, which was probably damaged on January 14, which after the damage planned to land in Anapa and called for evacuation, ambulance and firemen. The Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine announced this on its Telegram channel. "Minus the enemy A-50 long-range radar detection aircraft and the Il-22 air control center of the enemy! The special operation in the Azov region was successful. There will be more," the message reads. "It seems that Il-22 did make it to Anapa. A living bastard. But, as you can see, the trough is "not subject to restoration". Therefore, no matter what, the target is destroyed, resuscitation will not help! The plane was on fire, there are wounded among the crew, I hope 200 those," he emphasized. Ignat added that the Russian A-50 aircraft was and remains a priority target for the Air Force. "Until today, the destruction of this board seemed like an overwhelming task for the Air Force. And here, the Il-22 (air command post) was also given away," he wrote. On 14 January 24, a Russian A-50 MAINSTAY almost certainly exploded and subsequently crashed into the Sea of Azov. Yuriy Ignat , the spokesman of the Air Force of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, said that the destruction of the Russian A-50 aircraft is "a very good sign for us and for the West." The colonel announced this on the air of the "Edyny Novyni" telethon. "Apparently, for the first time in history, an aircraft of this class, a long-range radar detection aircraft, together with the command post, were destroyed in a flash. The enemy lost a serious aircraft," Ignat said. At the same time, the spokesperson of the PS noted that the downing of the A-50 and Il-22 is unlikely to seriously affect the occupiers' ability to fire at the territory of Ukraine. "Another aircraft will fly in and provide. Will it affect any possible strikes. Well, to some extent. But Russian missiles and drones, they don't really need an aircraft for long-range radar detection - Ed .)," said the colonel. Ignat explained that both drones and missiles are programmed by the Russians on the ground and they fly according to specified routes and specified targets. "The DRLV aircraft can only detect missile launches of our air defense and thus provide information to its command posts," added the spokesperson of the Air Force. On 17 January 2024, the Russian Air Force appears to have begun operating another A-50 MAINSTAY, but this time over land within Russian territory near the Krasnodar region, farther eastwards from Ukraine. This activity is highly likely indicative of a reduced risk appetite for the airframes and an attempt to preserve remaining A-50 MAINSTAY at a loss to its overall effectiveness over Ukraine. Despite no official position from Russia on the loss of the MAINSTAY, this activity likely demonstrates a tacit Russian acknowledgement of a successful targeting operation by the Ukrainians against a high value air asset. If the loss of the MAINSTAY was an accident, then such a decision is unlikely to have been required. Loss - 23 February 2024 February 23 is Defender of the Fatherland Day. On February 23, 1918, Red Army units won their first victories near Pskov and Narva over German troops. In Russia it is difficult to find a family where there were not heroes who shed blood on the battlefields. Military power was and is an integral feature of the Russian state, and the military profession is respected and honorable. Defender of the Fatherland Day, an official holiday in modern Russia, has a rather long history. The newly formed Soviet Russia was surrounded by enemies. The Soviet government began the organization of new public holidays, which could become an important tool in the formation of new values and ideas of citizens, was no exception. Following this policy, February 23 was chosen by Soviet leaders in 1919 as the date that became official Red Army Day. And for over a hundred years Russians have been celebrating on this day a holiday dedicated to the defenders of our Motherland. It was on this day that it was customary to honor the defenders of our Motherland, as well as to congratulate the younger generation of men who in the future were to join the ranks of the armed forces. That is why February 23rd is often called mens day. On February 23, sources in the special services told Sospil that the Ukrainian military shot down a Russian A-50 long-range radar detection aircraft over the Sea of Azov. For his part, the commander of the Air Force of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Mykola Oleschuk, expressed his gratitude to the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense and "all those who ensured the result." "The A-50 with the call sign "Bayan" has flown in! I congratulate the occupiers with "Happy Fatherland Defender's Day". It is necessary to celebrate at home, and in such a way that the "Bayan" does not break," the lieutenant general said on the Telegram channel, adding a video. DIU spokesperson Andrii Yusov: "We can confirm the downing of such an important target, and on such a significant date for the enemy. That makes it all the better. Joint operations of Ukrainian defence forces will continue." The Military Directorate of the Ministry of Defense informed that as a result of a joint operation with the Air Force, the A-50U, which is a new modernized version of the aircraft, was destroyed. "This is an air command post that the aggressor state used for long-range radar detection, control and guidance for strikes on Ukraine with missiles from strategic aviation," the agency said. The intelligence officers emphasized that the downing of the A-50U is "another serious blow to the potential and capabilities of terrorist Moscow." "A sharp drop in the speed and altitude of the downed A-50U aircraft was recorded near the city of Yeisk. The value of such aircraft, of which there are only a few units left in Russia, is 350 million dollars," the State Administration of Ukraine said. The Ukrainian Main Intelligence Directorate published an alleged tracking map of the Russian Aerospace Forces A-50 shot down and the location of its crash. The aircrafts patrol route ran between the Yasenskaya Spit in the Krasnodar Territory and the southeastern outskirts of Rostov-on-Don, Rostov region. Naturally, one cannot completely trust the information published by such a structure as the Main Intelligence Directorate, but taking them into account, it is noticeable that the plane was shot down precisely over the territory of the Krasnodar Territory. Russian observers stated the A-50 could not be shot down by the American MIM-140 Patriot air defense system. The crash site is located at a distance of 210-250 km from the contact line, depending on the direction: Yuzhno-Donetsk or Zaporozhye. This is provided that the Patriot will be located almost directly on the front line, which carries enormous risks for the air defense system and its crew. In reality, its worth adding at least another ten, or even more than one. At the same time, the most advanced anti-aircraft missiles of the MIM-140 Patriot air defense system are capable of hitting targets at a maximum range of 160 kilometers in ideal conditions. Footage of the defeat of another A-50 of the Russian Aerospace Forces, which fell near the village of Trudovaya Armenia in the Kanevsky district of the Krasnodar Territory shows how the plane is desperately trying to avoid the attacks and shoots off heat decoys ["traps", which wod have beeen ineffetive against an anti-radiation missile], but anti-aircraft missiles still overtook it. Despite the fact that the Ukrainian Armed Forces have already taken responsibility for this, some Russian observers feared the location where the aircraft was hit leaves no other options other than friendly fire. Russian air defense literally destroys Russian aircraft in its rear over and over again. It can be stated that interaction has completely failed, management has collapsed, and the friend or foe system does not exist as a phenomenon. The S-200C Vega SAM has a striking range of 250 km. Reportedly, the A-50 aircraft was downed from a long-range anti-aircraft system S-200 [NATO = SA-5]. The production of S-200 anti-aircraft systems was opened in the Soviet Union 60 years ago. Later the system was modernised several times. In July 2023 the Russians started reporting strikes on facilities in Russia and in the occupied Ukrainian territories with missiles launched with S-200 systems. According to the Russians, Ukrainians have modernised these air defence systems to launch attacks on ground targets with 5B28 missiles. Ihor Romanenko, former deputy head of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine responsible for air defence, revealed that Ukrainian soldiers were trained to strike ground targets with S-200 systems. UK intelligence confirmed that the Armed Forces of Ukraine use S-200 as a ground attack ballistic missile. The S-200 missiles are guided by a semi-active radar homing seeker head, which would have to be modified in order for this anti-aircraft missile to reliably seek radar-aircraft targets such as the A-50, but it is definitely possible. An anti-radiation missile (ARM) is a missile designed to detect and home in on an enemy radio emission source. Typically, these are designed for use against an enemy radar, although jammers and even radios used for communications can also be targeted in this manner. The S-200 was initially design to use radar illumination mid-course correction to fly towards the target with a terminal semi-active radar homing phase. Wreckage of the tail section of the downed A-50U of the Russian Aerospace Forces was discovered by a local resident near the Krasnodar village of Borets Truda (adjacent to Trudovaya Armenia). The Kuban operational headquarters reports the crash of two aircraft at about 20:00 in the vicinity of the Trudovaya Armenia farm. Upon arrival of fire departments, it was established that the aircraft and reeds were on fire, the fire area was approximately 250 square meters. There is no threat to residential buildings, and there are no casualties among the village residents. What kind of second aircraft appears in the message is currently unknown. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Operation Iron Swords - Day 140 - 23 February 2024 The biblical holidays for the Jews this year intersect with the second week of Ramadan and Tarawih prayers, which may open the door to a new battle in Al-Aqsa Mosque. Ramadan is celebrated Mar 10, 2024 Apr 9, 2024. Tarawih, also known as Taraweeh, is a voluntary (nafl) night prayer performed by Muslims during the Islamic month of Ramadan. Tarawih prayers are a sunnah of the Prophet, which means that it was his practice to perform them. Purim is a Jewish holiday that celebrates the survival of the Jewish people from annihilation in the 5th century BCE. The story is told in the Book of Esther and is known as the Feast of Lots. Purim dates are March 2324, 2024. An Israeli official told the Hebrew Channel 12: Our goal is to reach a prisoner exchange deal before the month of Ramadan. Crowds of Israelis continued obstructing the Kerem Shalom commercial crossing from the Israeli side, and preventing the passage of aid trucks. The media advisor to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees ( UNRWA ), Adnan Abu Hasna, said what increases the depth of the crisis are the restrictions imposed by Israel on the entry of aid trucks into the Gaza Strip. He says that Israel rejected 51% of the humanitarian convoys prepared by UNRWA and partner UN organizations. According to this officials confirmation, aid trucks are piled up on the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing, while Israeli demonstrators are protesting their passage on the Israeli side of the Kerem Shalom and Al-Auja crossings, pointing out that during the last 10 days the rate of entry of trucks has not exceeded 60 per day, and it is required of UNRWA distributed it to 2.3 million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, which is impossible. The spokesman for the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, Raed Al-Nims, blames the Israeli occupation for the serious repercussions of the scarcity of aid coming to the Strip. He told Al Jazeera Net that this is due to the meticulous inspection procedures that consume a long time on the Israeli side, causing insufficient quantities to enter. The amounts of aid that the occupation allows to enter are not commensurate with the large needs of the residents of the Gaza Strip, as a result of the siege and the continuation of the aggression, and the settlers attacks on aid convoys and preventing their access to the crossings, according to Al-Nims. Among the repercussions of the starvation policy pursued by the occupation, according to the spokesman for the Red Crescent, stand out are scenes of citizens stampeding on aid trucks to obtain what they can afford for their families and children. Even before the outbreak of war, 500 to 600 trucks entered the Gaza Strip daily. Director General of the HAMAS Government Information Office, Ismail Al-Thawabta, told Al Jazeera Net, The occupation began using the weapon of starvation and thirst in a clear war crime within a series of war crimes and genocide, as not a single grain of wheat entered the Gaza Strip until the humanitarian truce agreement came (last November). After the calm, some trucks began to enter with a very small number that does not cover 3% of the populations needs. The government official confirms that the occupation aims, with its starvation policy, "to strike the foundations of steadfastness and life and to fight our people for their livelihood, and thus to strike the popular incubator and the societal fabric." Al-Thawabta says, "What makes us surprised is that there are more than 500,000 tons of aid piled up on the other side of the crossing, but unfortunately it does not enter." He repeated his appeal "to the brothers in the Arab Republic of Egypt to open the Rafah crossing so that it can be a humanitarian corridor for the entry of aid to the people of the Gaza Strip who are consumed by hunger and thirst." The head of the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Observatory, Rami Abdo, told Al Jazeera Net that Israel's starvation of civilians in the Gaza Strip will have long-term and irreversible effects, in light of international reports and experts confirming that the number of victims of starvation and the diseases associated with it may exceed the number of those killed by bombs and missiles. Abdo relied on international reports and studies about the deteriorating reality, as 53% of Gazans suffer from an extreme emergency of acute malnutrition, while 26% of them, or about half a million people, suffer from famine and an increase in deaths resulting from hunger, malnutrition, or diseases. associated with them. Political analyst Ibrahim Al-Madhoun agrees with those before him that the occupation is waging a war of starvation parallel to the military war, and the necessities of life have become almost non-existent, especially in Gaza City and its north. He said that this policy is one of the "killing tools" used by the occupation, "and today in Gaza, whoever did not die from the missile died of hunger, thirst, or illness due to the lack of medicines." UNRWA said Hamas-run police stopped escorting convoys after Israeli strikes, and videoe has shown gunmen, believed to members of Hamas, steal trucks delivering humanitarian aid from Egypt. On 20 February 2024, the UN World Food Program paused even limited deliveries to northern Gaza, two days after they restarted, as their convoys faced crowds trying to climb aboard trucks, gunfire in Gaza City, the seizure of flour and the beating of a truck driver. Before the war Gaza relied on 500 trucks with supplies entering daily, But according to the UN, from February 9-20, the daily average fell to just 57 trucks. We are ready and willing to facilitate the entry of tens, if not hundreds of trucks every day, Colonel Moshe Tetro, Head of Israels Coordination and Liasion Administration for Gaza, told a news briefing. The bottleneck is not on the Israeli side. The continuing combat made it nearly impossible to distribute aid relief much beyond Rafah in the south of the Strip, where well over 1.2 million people now shelter in dangerously overcrowded conditions under plastic sheeting. Areas beyond Rafah, its almost catastrophic assistance, said WFP's regional Senior Communications Officer and Spokesperson Abeer Atefa, said 18 January 2024, amid intense Israeli bombardment of the occupied territory and rocket fire into Israel by Palestinian armed groups. Catastrophic levels of acute food insecurity are reportedly intensifying across Gaza, with Save the Children reporting that families are forced to forage for scraps or food left by rats and eating leaves out of desperation to survive, amid rapidly declining aid supplies. Without an increased access to adequate food, water, sanitation, hygiene and comprehensive health and nutrition services for children and families, the risk of famine is projected to increase, the organization added. People in Rafah are reported to be stopping aid trucks to take food, highlighting the severity of their desperation and hunger. There is an urgent need to augment the fleet of delivery trucks to ensure the entire population's nutritional requirements are met and to improve healthcare services. Ongoing airstrikes and heavy fighting in Gaza continue to affect the flow of food supply, posing challenges for the conduct of safe and efficient humanitarian operations. Frequent border closures, restrictions, and security concerns hinder the ability to ensure a consistent and dependable food supply. The escalation of hostilities has substantially damaged critical infrastructure, including roads, electricity, and water supply systems, exacerbating severe impediments to the efficient distribution of food. TRTworld reported 23 February 2024 that satellite images taken by Maxar Technologies and released on February 21 show hundreds of humanitarian lorries unable to access besieged Gaza and queuing at the Rafah border crossing. The flow of aid entering Gaza has dried up to around 57 trucks a day on average in the past 12 days, according to the UN. Only four trucks could cross the border on February 17 compared to 500 before the war and 200 last month. The other crossing, Israeli-controlled Karem Abu Salem, has also been lately disrupted by Israeli extremists opposed to aid for Gaza. The leaders of several UN agencies and humanitarian organisations have urged Israel to provide food and medical supplies to Gaza, warning that civilians there are in "extreme peril" and that "famine is looming". Humanitarian aid including only food, water, medical supplies and shelter equipment is routed to Egypt and then forwarded to undergo Israeli security screening at either Nitzana or Kerem Shalom Crossings. From there, UN aid is sent to the Gaza Strip via Kerem Shalom, and the rest is sent to Gaza via the Rafah crossing in Egypt. A humanitarian aid delivery channel via Jordan is operational, and additional delivery channels are in the planning process. The volume of humanitarian aid is determined, among other factors, by the ability of humanitarian organizations within the Gaza Strip to absorb the aid. Israel reported "25 trucks carrying humanitarian aid were inspected at Nitzana and transferred to the Gaza Strip via the Rafah crossing yesterday (Feb. 22). Yesterday, (Feb. 22) 4 tankers of cooking gas designated for the operation of essential infrastructure in Gaza, have entered the Gaza Strip.... 20 bakeries are operational in Gaza, providing over 2.5 million breads, rolls, and pita breads a day for the local population. Over the last 2 weeks, the number of operational bakeries went up from 10, to 12, to 15 and now to 20,..." War Termination There is no end to the war in sight, as both sides still see the other as an existential threat, and there is no clear path to any kind of permanent peace between them. An official Egyptian source confirmed the end of the Paris meetings between Egypt, Qatar, the United States and Israel, regarding the truce in the Gaza Strip, and that efforts will continue during the current week. He added that there are new signs of optimism about the possibility of moving forward towards starting serious negotiations. Earlier today, talks began in Paris aimed at establishing a truce in Gaza to stop the fighting in the war-ravaged Gaza Strip, and to release Israeli and foreign hostages held by Hamas, amid optimism from the mediators that they can move forward towards starting negotiations on Gaza. On Friday, Reuters quoted a source familiar with the talks as saying that the ceasefire talks began with the head of the Israeli Mossad meeting separately with each party, including Qatar, Egypt and the United States. The newspapers "Haaretz" and "Yedioth Ahronoth" indicated that there are common interests for all parties in such a deal, including Hamas' desire to prevent or postpone the invasion of Rafah that Netanyahu and Gantz are threatening, and Israel's desire to prevent the "unity of the squares" scenario in Ramadan, prevent a regional war, and restore hostages, and the concern of Arab countries and the United States about the expansion of the war during Ramadan to other regions. A senior Israeli official clarified to the Hebrew Channel N12: "There is optimism, but we are only at the initial stage. The attempt is to produce a basic outline with clear criteria of what is being discussed and what is not. There is no imminent deal yet, but the goal is to bring one before the month of Ramadan begins." Ramadan is celebrated Mar 10, 2024 Apr 9, 2024. The mandate received by the Israeli delegation is broader than that received by an Israeli delegation in the past. There is Israeli flexibility regarding days of respite and humanitarian aid. An issue on which Israel will not agree is the cessation of hostilities. In addition, Hamas demands agreements regarding the restoration of the Strip and the return of the residents to the north. Informed sources in the Hamas movement said in statements to Al-Sharq that the movement showed flexibility in the talks. The sources explained that the movement showed flexibility on three points: the duration of the ceasefire in Gaza, the number of prisoners of the first phase of the possible exchange agreement with Israel, and the limits of the Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, in order to reach a cessation of war agreement. Hamas is adamant that the first phase of the agreement will include an Israeli withdrawal from the heart of the cities in the Gaza Strip - which will allow residents to return to the area. It is claimed that senior Egyptian officials conveyed to Hamas Israel's willingness to agree to the removal of the barriers that split the Strip. The sources clarified: We have not backed down from the demand to release serious prisoners with long prison sentences. The Hamas source said, "The movement's leadership does not mind a truce lasting only 6 weeks, at every stage," and attributed this to "making it easier for mediators to remove pretexts from the occupation and push toward reaching an agreement to stop the aggression." The source, who requested to remain anonymous, added, Hamas also showed flexibility regarding the number of Palestinian prisoners who will be released in the first stage, so that it waived its requirement to release 1,500 prisoners in exchange for about 40 Israeli detainees of women, children, and elderly civilians. Subjecting the number of prisoners to negotiation. The source did not clarify the number of Palestinian prisoners that Hamas would agree to release in the first stage, in exchange for 40 Israeli civilians who have been detained by the movement since last October 7. The source indicated that the movement expressed its willingness to show flexibility with regard to its agreement to postpone negotiations on the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the north and east of the Gaza Strip, as well as Khan Yunis in the south, but it reiterated its commitment that the first phase of the agreement include a withdrawal from the heart of the cities, allowing the return of the displaced from the south of the Strip. To Gaza City and the cities of the north. The source stated that Egyptian officials conveyed to Hamas Israels readiness to agree to the return of the displaced to the northern Gaza Strip, as well as to agree to remove the military barriers that cut off the Gaza Strip, especially on Salah al-Din Street (the highway that connects the north and south of the Strip) and (Al-Rashid). "coastal." The source continued in his statements to Al-Sharq that the mediators in Egypt and Qatar have what he described as some optimism about progress in the Paris meetings that may pave the way for ceasefire talks, adding, We expect a simple breakthrough, and I do not rule out a breakthrough during the next week in the negotiations. Ceasefire and prisoner exchange. He stressed that Hamas "is open to discussing any initiative that achieves a cessation of aggression and an honorable prisoner exchange deal, including the release of leaders and senior prisoners with high sentences." Just before the end of the meeting of the political-security cabinet, the Prime Minister distributed to the ministers the document "The Day After", which explains how the Gaza Strip will look after the war. The document, according to most cabinet members, does not renew anything. Now the question arises, why did it take so long to draw up such a document? A senior Israeli official in the cabinet told N12 yesterday (Friday) that "Netanyahu wrote a document to reassure the Americans. The content was intended not to anger Smotrich and Ben Gvir." The source also claimed that Netanyahu also knows that those present in the Strip are Hamas and Fatah. Now the question arises as to how the United States will respond to this document and how the moderate Arab countries, which are in negotiations for a normalization agreement with Israel, will respond. We emphasize that when you read the "day after" document compiled by the Prime Minister, you get the feeling that it is an executive summary of his press conferences. Netanyahu spoke about the security control in the Gaza Strip, which is of course a consensus, and emphasized that the control will be carried out through "local factors with administrative experience", who will not be identified with terrorist states or entities that support terrorism. In the cabinet, as mentioned, they did not fall off the chair. Moreover, let's recall that on January 4, about a month and a half ago, Defense Minister Galant used the term "local factors", as did Minister Gantz who formulated a similar plan. Even Prime Minister Netanyahu, in the closed chambers, allowed the IDF to act in this spirit in the aspects of humanitarian aid. Netanyahu presented to the security mini-ministerial council ( the Cabinet ) a document of principles related to the policy of the day after the Gaza war, which includes Israels preservation of freedom to operate in the entire Gaza Strip without a time limit, and also includes the establishment of a security zone in the Strip adjacent to Israeli towns, which will remain in place as long as there is a security need for it. The document stipulates that Israel will maintain the southern closure on the border between Gaza and Egypt with the aim of preventing the re-arming of terrorist elements in the Strip. It also includes a clause to close the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Refugees ( UNRWA ) and to replace it with other international relief agencies. Netanyahu stated that he also wants to implement a plan for what he calls rooting out extremism in all religious, educational, and social care institutions in the Gaza Strip, with the participation and assistance of Arab countries that have experience in strengthening the fight against extremism on their lands, as he put it. The document stresses that the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip will not be possible until the demilitarization process is completed and the process of de-radicalization begins, a position that Netanyahu has not expressed publicly before. It also states that "reconstruction plans will be implemented with funding and leadership from countries acceptable to Israel." The document does not clearly specify who Netanyahu envisions ruling Gaza after the war, but it says that local elements with administrative experience will be responsible for civil administration and public order in Gaza. The Israeli Broadcasting Corporation reported (officially) that Netanyahus document includes Israels preservation of freedom to operate in the entire Gaza Strip without a time limit, and it also includes establishing a security zone in the Strip adjacent to Israeli towns. The Commission noted that Netanyahu's document also stipulates that Israel will maintain the southern closure on the border between Gaza and Egypt, and also includes a clause that UNRWA will be closed and that it will be replaced by other international relief agencies. The Israeli Broadcasting Corporation confirmed that the ministers of the small security ministerial council did not vote to approve Netanyahus document. For his part, the Axios news website reported that Netanyahu also wants to implement a plan for what he calls rooting out extremism in all religious, educational, and social care institutions in the Gaza Strip. The document also stipulates, according to Axios, that this plan will be implemented as much as possible with the participation and assistance of Arab countries that have experience in strengthening the fight against extremism on their territories, as he put it. The document stresses that the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip will not be possible until the demilitarization process is completed and the process of de-radicalization begins, a position that Netanyahu has not expressed publicly before. It also states that reconstruction plans will be implemented with funding and leadership from countries acceptable to Israel, according to Axios. The document does not clearly specify who Netanyahu envisions ruling Gaza after the war, but it says that local elements with administrative experience will be responsible for civil administration and public order in Gaza. Axios also quoted an aide to Netanyahu as saying that the goal of the proposed document is to present principles that would gain the greatest possible consensus. He added that consultations in the Israeli Cabinet would likely lead to changes before approving the document, he said. More than once, Netanyahu stressed that he wants Israeli security control over Gaza after the war. In his previous statements, he also said, "The day after the war, Gaza must be demilitarized, and there is only one force that can be responsible for that, which is the Israeli army." He also affirmed on more than one occasion his categorical rejection of the Palestinian Authority taking over the duties of government in the Gaza Strip after the war. Netanyahu's statements in this regard contradict the American position, and the drawn scenarios sparked a dispute between him and US President Joe Biden. Netanyahu reiterated his rejection of unilateral recognition of the Palestinian state, and stressed that Israel "categorically rejects international dictates regarding a permanent settlement with the Palestinians. Such an arrangement will only be reached through direct negotiations between the two parties, without preconditions." More than once, Netanyahu stressed that he wants Israeli security control over Gaza after the war. In his previous statements, he also said, "The day after the war, Gaza must be demilitarized, and there is only one force that can be responsible for that, which is the Israeli army." He also affirmed on more than one occasion his categorical rejection of the Palestinian Authority taking over the duties of government in the Gaza Strip after the war. Netanyahu's statements in this regard contradict the American position, and the drawn scenarios sparked a dispute between him and US President Joe Biden . The Palestinian presidency expressed its rejection of a plan put forward by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu regarding the day after the war in Gaza , and stressed that the plan aims to continue Israels occupation of the Palestinian territories and prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state. The Palestinian presidency stated - according to what was reported by the Palestinian News Agency - that Gaza will only be part of the independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital, and stressed that Israel will not succeed in its attempts to change the geographical and demographic reality in the Gaza Strip. For its part, the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed its strong rejection of Netanyahus plan, and said that it meant reoccupying the Gaza Strip and obstructing American and international efforts to establish a Palestinian state. The Palestinian Foreign Ministry called on the American administration and Western countries to quickly recognize the Palestinian state and support its full membership in the United Nations. The Israeli War Council agreed to send a delegation to Paris to resume negotiations on an exchange deal for prisoners and detainees, according to what was reported by official Israeli media. Israeli Army Radio reported that the War Council approved sending a delegation to Paris to resume negotiations, while the Israeli Walla website reported that the Council agreed to expand the mandate granted to the negotiating delegation to Paris to include negotiating and not just listening, as was the case previously in the Cairo negotiations. The official Israeli Broadcasting Corporation said that the negotiating delegation will be headed by David Barnea, head of the Israeli Intelligence and Special Operations Authority ( Mossad ). The decision comes at a time when Israeli media quoted informed sources as saying that there are positive indicators indicating that the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ) is softening its positions. Israeli Channel 12 also quoted sources in the "State Camp" party - headed by War Council member Benny Gantz - as saying that the party is concerned not to waste any opportunity to complete a prisoner exchange deal. Opposition leader Yair Lapid had previously promised to give the Israeli government what he called a "safety net" if it needed it in order to conclude the exchange deal. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said during his meeting with Brett McGurk, the US President's Middle East advisor who is currently visiting Israel, that Tel Aviv will continue military pressure on Hamas in the Gaza Strip. McGurk is visiting Israel as part of his tour of several capitals in the region, with the aim of advancing negotiations on completing an exchange deal for prisoners and detainees between Hamas and Israel. In a related context, the White House spokesman confirmed - Thursday - that the talks being held by US President Joe Bidens envoy regarding the release of detainees and what he described as a cessation of hostilities in Gaza are going well. John Kirby said, "Our initial indications from Brett (McGurk) indicate that the discussions are going well," explaining that the envoy visited Cairo - the day before yesterday, Wednesday - and was in Israel on Thursday to hold meetings with the government, as well as with the families of American detainees. He pointed out that the talks relate to a long pause (in the fighting) in order to release all detainees and bring more humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip. In a related context, the Axios news website quoted informed sources as saying that US envoy Brett McGurk informed the Israelis of the necessity of reaching an agreement with the Hamas movement and sending a delegation to the Paris talks. McGurk - who was currently visiting Tel Aviv - told the Israeli side that President Joe Biden's administration sees an urgent need to reach a prisoner exchange deal due to the conditions of Israeli detainees and the approaching month of Ramadan, according to what was reported by Axios. According to the same sources, the American official urged Israel to send a delegation to the Paris talks scheduled to be held tomorrow, Friday, with the participation of CIA Director William Burns and Qatari and Egyptian officials. McGurk conveyed a message to the Israelis stating that there is progress in negotiations between Hamas and the Qatari and Egyptian mediators and that the movement is ready to show flexibility, according to the Axios report. But the newspaper "Israel Today" quoted Israeli officials as saying that Israel had not received any message or information indicating that Hamas had made concessions or shown flexibility in the negotiations. According to the newspaper, the United States exerted very intense pressure on Israel to be more flexible and participate in the Paris meeting. This is the second tour of its kind in Paris with the participation of the head of the CIA, to reach understandings regarding a ceasefire in Gaza and the exchange of prisoners. The previous talks were held in the French capital late last month and resulted in setting a framework for a possible agreement, followed by a meeting in Cairo on February 13. The Cairo discussions ended with the departure of the Israeli delegation - led by Mossad chief David Barnea - without achieving progress, amid disagreements between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and security officials regarding negotiating powers and details of the potential deal. While Israel and the United States want an interim agreement that includes a temporary truce during which Israeli detainees will be released, Hamas stresses that any agreement must lead to a final ceasefire, the withdrawal of the occupation forces from the Gaza Strip, and the release of a large number of Palestinian prisoners. On December 1, a temporary truce between Hamas and Israel ended, concluded with Qatari mediation and Egyptian-American support, and lasted for 7 days, during which prisoners were exchanged and limited humanitarian aid was brought into the Strip, which is inhabited by about 2.2 million Palestinians. A delegation from the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ), led by the head of its political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, concluded a visit to Egypt that lasted several days to discuss stopping the war in the Gaza Strip. In a statement on the Telegram platform - today, Friday - Hamas said that its delegation held several meetings with the head of Egyptian intelligence, Major General Abbas Kamel, and the assistants, where they discussed the situation in the Gaza Strip, stopping the brutal aggression against our people, and the return of the displaced to their places of residence, and relief and shelter, especially in the northern Strip, and ways to achieve this. The statement added, "The prisoner exchange issue was discussed, as well as what the occupation is planning in Al-Aqsa Mosque in light of the occupation government's decision to prevent our people in the West Bank and the occupied interior from praying there during the month of Ramadan," according to the movement's statement. Haniyeh arrived last Tuesday in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, at the head of a delegation from Hamas, to hold discussions with Egyptian officials about the situation in the Gaza Strip in light of the ongoing Israeli aggression for about 5 months. Haniyeh's visit came while negotiations were continuing, mediated by Egypt and Qatar, between Hamas and Israel in order to reach a prisoner exchange deal and a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, and in light of international and regional concerns about the danger of Tel Aviv expanding its military operations in the city of Rafah, adjacent to the Egyptian border, and crowded with displaced Palestinians. Robert Wood, the US deputy delegate to the UN Security Council, said that his country has a draft resolution that will help the ongoing efforts to release detainees in the Gaza Strip , after Washington used its veto on a draft resolution to stop the Israeli war on the Strip. Wood added in statements to Al Jazeera, "We hope that our draft resolution will not collide with attempts to thwart it." The American diplomat described the draft resolution he was talking about as the best available opportunity to end the war, and said that the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ) should not waste the opportunity and negotiate in good faith to end this war. Last Tuesday, the United States used its veto against an Algerian draft resolution in the Security Council regarding the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip, which obstructed the demand for an immediate ceasefire for humanitarian reasons. This is the third time that Washington has used its veto power since the start of this war. Operational Update There were 24 regional battalions in Gaza we have dismantled 18 of them, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told foreign reporters. Now, Rafah is the next Hamas center of gravity. A military operation in Rafah might only be possible at the end of March. This despite Netanyahu's attempts to speed up the operational plan. The reason for the delay is that an operation of this magnitude requires coordination with the Americans and reaching agreements, coordination with Egypt and a series of operations within the Strip. This without referring to the issue of refugees and the required evacuation of the population in the area. The American newspaper "New York Times" quoted the commander of the Israeli "Nahal" Brigade as saying that " Israel did not completely defeat the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ) in the northern Gaza Strip, and that it must do more there." It also quoted Israeli security officials as saying that the Prime Minister's goal was Benjamin Netanyahu's destruction of the movement is still a long way off. The commander of the Nahal Brigade considered that the return of the Israeli army to fighting in the vicinity of Al-Shifa Hospital , west of Gaza City , to fight the militants who had regrouped, is evidence of the difficulty of eliminating Hamas. Current and former Israeli officials said that Israeli forces will likely continue to invade northern Gaza to quell the Hamas insurgency for the foreseeable future, at least until some kind of post-war political settlement for Gaza is reached. According to an Israeli military intelligence officer, at least 5,000 fighters from the Al-Qassam Brigades are still present in the northern Gaza Strip. A number of Israeli leaders stressed to the newspaper that this force is enormous and will be able to attack ground forces and fire missiles at Israel. The newspaper quoted Israeli security officials as confirming that thousands of Hamas fighters attached to the remaining brigades in Rafah and Deir al-Balah are still working above and below the ground. The New York Times quoted Israeli analysts as saying that in recent rounds of fighting, Hamas has avoided direct confrontations, which Israel considers a sign of weakness, but Western officials said that Hamass decision not to engage in direct confrontations has a strategy behind it, which is represented in its belief that the survival of a large amount of its military strength in the war will represent a victory. The newspaper confirmed that Israeli security officials believe that Netanyahu's goal of destroying Hamas is still far-fetched. It added that American officials also believe that Israel will not be able to achieve its goal in the foreseeable future, which is to eliminate the military capacity of Hamas. Intense Israeli bombardment from air, land and sea continues to be reported across much of the Gaza Strip, resulting in further civilian casualties, displacement, and destruction of civilian infrastructure. Ground operations and heavy fighting between Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups also continue to be reported, particularly in Jabalya (northern Gaza), Gaza city, Deir al Balah and Khan Younis. The fighters of the IDF 7th Brigade combat team continue to operate in the west of Khan Yunis and in the last day have eliminated more than ten terrorists through sniper fire and using a remotely manned aircraft. During the operational activity, an RPG missile was fired at an engineering tool of the force. The brigade fire complex identified the three terrorists who carried out the shooting, while carrying an explosive device and directed an Air Force aircraft that attacked and eliminated the terrorists, there were no casualties to our forces in the incident. In the last day, the Air Force forces destroyed a weapons warehouse, a war room and military buildings. The fighters of the commando formation continue the fighting in the west of Khan Yunis. During raids on terrorist targets, forces from the Magellan unit located a weapons cache that contained dozens of rockets, charges and mortars. The battle team of the Givati Brigade went on an attack to destroy terrorist areas and eliminate terrorists in the Khan Yunis area. Before launching the attack, the Air Force, in cooperation with the brigade's fire complex, attacked operational buildings, sniping positions and ammunition depots. The forces of Division 162 continue fighting and raiding terrorist targets in the Zeytun area in the north of the Gaza Strip. In the activity of the 401st Brigade's combat team in Zeytun, the fighters eliminated over ten terrorists by sniper fire and by means of remotely manned aircraft and combat helicopters, and located weapons and military equipment. In the center of the strip, the battle team of the Nahal Brigade eliminated a number of terrorists throughout the last day. In one of the activities, the forces identified a squad of terrorists at an observation post of the organization in a strategic location, in order to harm our forces. The forces in the field and in the Gaza Division directed a combat helicopter which attacked the position and eliminated the terrorists. In addition, weapons were located and shafts were uncovered in the Zeytun area. The Al- Quds Brigades - the military wing of the Islamic Jihad Movement - said that it killed and wounded an Israeli foot force during an ambush in the Al-Taqaddum axis in central Khan Yunis. Before that, Al-Saraya said that it targeted an Israeli military vehicle with an RPG shell in southern Gaza, noting that it bombed with mortar shells the occupation crowds in the Al-Zaytoun neighborhood, southeast of Gaza. The Al-Quds Brigades also reported that its fighters bombed sites where occupation vehicles and soldiers were gathered south and east of Gaza City in the center of the Strip with 60-caliber mortar shells, as battles intensified in the area. The brigades confirmed that they had placed two Israeli Merkava tanks in a tight ambush in the Al-Zaytoun neighborhood in Gaza City in the central Strip. It added that it bombed a gathering of occupation soldiers and vehicles with mortar shells east of the Central Governorate. For its part, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades - the military wing of the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ) - said that its fighters targeted a group of occupation soldiers inside a house south of the Zaytoun neighborhood in Gaza City, leaving them dead and wounded. They also targeted an Israeli Merkava tank with an Al- Yassin 105 shell , southwest of the Al-Zaytoun neighborhood in Gaza City. In a report on its daily operations, Al-Qassam said that its fighters destroyed an Israeli troop carrier with an Al-Yassin 105 shell in the Sheikh Nasser area of Khan Yunis, leaving its crew dead and wounded. The Al-Qassam Brigades added that its fighters targeted an Israeli Merkava tank with an Al-Yassin 105 shell in the Al-Zaytoun neighborhood in Gaza City, and an Israeli special force that was stationed in a house in the Al-Amal neighborhood, west of Khan Yunis, with an anti-fortification TPG shell. The Al-Qassam Brigades also confirmed that its fighters, along with the Mujahideen Brigades, bombed a gathering of occupation forces south of the Zaytoun neighborhood in Gaza City with mortar shells and clashed with members of the force with machine guns, leaving them dead and wounded. The US Department of Defense ( the Pentagon ) announced that Minister Lloyd Austin discussed by telephone with his Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant the Israeli military operations against the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ) in Khan Yunis , south of the Gaza Strip . The Pentagon said that Austin raised with Gallant the need for a plan to ensure the safety of more than a million people who took refuge in the city of Rafah , south of the Strip, before starting any operation there. He also raised the need to avoid clashes with humanitarian organizations and ensure that more aid reaches civilians. During recent weeks, several statements were issued by US President Joe Biden and other officials in his administration, during which they expressed their concern about the upcoming Israeli military operation in Rafah, and the difficult humanitarian repercussions that might result from it, but these statements were not supported by any practical action to pressure the Israeli war government to dissuade it from... Invading the city, which houses 1,400,000 Palestinians, most of whom are displaced. Politico newspaper had quoted 3 American officials as saying that the Biden administration would not punish Israel if it launched a military campaign in the city of Rafah, without providing protection to the Palestinians in the city. The newspaper said that the three officials - who preferred to remain anonymous - told it that Washington does not plan to rebuke Israel, which means that Israeli forces can enter Rafah and harm civilians in the city without suffering any consequences from the United States of America. Arab observers feared that this information represents a green light from the American administration for the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to move forward with his plan to invade the city, which is the last refuge for hundreds of thousands of displaced people, despite international condemnation and mounting warnings, which will result in massacres of innocent civilians. The soldiers of the IDF, the Shin Bet and the Mageb operated tonight to arrest nine wanted persons throughout Judea and Samaria. In the village of Zatra in the Etzion Brigade, the forces operated once again in the area from which the terrorists set out to carry out the attack yesterday (Thursday) in Ma'ale Adumim, and arrested two wanted persons. In the city of Tulkarm in the Menashe division, two wanted men were arrested, and in Daheisha in the Etzion division, the forces arrested three more wanted men. The wanted persons who were arrested were transferred to the security forces for further treatment, there are no casualties to Israeli forces. In a joint operation by the IDF and the Shin Bet, last night (Thursday) the terrorist Yasser Hanon, a resident of Jenin, a terrorist of the Islamic Jihad and a former prisoner, was eliminated due to his involvement in military activities on behalf of the organization. He was eliminated at the direction of the Shin Bet and Iman and by means of a remotely manned aircraft of the Air Force. In recent months, Yasser had been involved in a large number of shooting attacks against IDF forces, Israeli settlements and military positions along the Seam area, including the settlements of Merev and Mvo Dotan, and the Salem crossing, Jalma and more. The terrorist was killed on his way to carry out another shooting attack. So far, since the beginning of the war, around 3,200 wanted persons have been arrested throughout the Judea and Samaria Division and the Bekaa and Emekim Division. Over 1,350 of them are associated with the terrorist organization Hamas. On 23 February, an Israeli settler from an outpost associated with Nili settlement, near Qibya village (west of Ramallah), shot and injured a Palestinian man, with live ammunition reportedly after the settler brought his livestock to graze on cultivated Palestinian land. Also on 23 February, settlers from Bracha settlement raided the village of Burin in Nablus and set fire to a Palestinian vehicle. Since 7 October 2023, OCHA has recorded 583 Israeli settler attacks against Palestinians that resulted in Palestinian casualties (52 incidents), damage to Palestinian-owned property (467 incidents), or both casualties and damage to property (64 incidents). The Israeli media devoted space to talking about the losses that Israel might suffer if a comprehensive war broke out with the Lebanese Hezbollah , at a time when other media outlets touched on criminal violations committed by occupation soldiers in the Gaza Strip. The Hebrew newspaper "Calcalist" published a report prepared by 100 senior commanders of the occupation army and government officials about the expected losses if a comprehensive, multi-arena war broke out. The report estimated that 3,000 missiles would fall on Israel daily, leading to the destruction of 100 sites daily in various regions, amid estimates of 2,000 Israeli deaths over a period of 21 days before international intervention stopped this war. In another context, the Israeli Military Prosecutor, Colonel Yifat Tomer Yerushalmi, warned of criminal violations committed by occupation army soldiers in the Gaza Strip. The military official described these practices and statements as unacceptable, and considered them behavior that deviates from the values of the army and the military establishment, and causes strategic harm to Israel and its army in the international arena. Fighter jets attacked a number of terrorist infrastructures of the Hezbollah terrorist organization in the Lavona area and a military building in the Kfar Kila area, where the organization's terrorists were operating. In addition, the IDF force attacked with tank fire to remove a threat in the Eyta al-Sha'ab area. Also, last night (Thursday), fighter jets attacked a military structure of the terrorist organization Hezbollah in the area of ??Leyda along with other areas in the territory of Lebanon. This week, a large-scale exercise of the cruise of the missile ships in the northern arena ended. The exercise simulated a broad and multi-armed combat in the northern naval arena, during which cooperation between the missile ships and the Air Force forces was practiced, as well as a joint exercise with the 193 squadron that operates the "Bat" helicopters. Maps All maps are lies. Not only is it easy to lie with maps, it is essential, wrote cartographer Mark Monmoneir in his book How to Lie with Maps. He showed that condensing complex, three-dimensional spaces onto a two-dimensional sheet of paper [in old days] is bound to be reductive. But it is impossible to comprehend the war in Gaza without reference to maps, otherwise the entire conflict is reduced to an endless series of meaningless acts of random violence and the suffering of civilians. The first characteristic of guerrilla warfare is the loss of a front line. Evidently, different mappers have different ideas of how to depict the war in Gaza, notably those that seek to depict Israeli progress in the ground campaign. Part of the problem is latency. The news that forms the basis of the maps takes time to filter out to mappers, and the cartographers take time in crafting their maps, and it takes time to curate them. These processes are uneven among mappers, so their maps may differ in detail. Probably there is some ideological bias, or at least thematic apperception, which is understandable in wartime. It may come as no surprise that al-Jazeera maps depict rather less Israeli territorial progress than other sources. Finally, there remains the epistemological question of just exactly what are the colored in areas depicting. Naively, this might be understood as areas of Israeli control, that are no longer contested by the HAMAS. Or possibly these are areas of Israeli presence, in many of which the possibility of an RPG-wielding HAMAS militant popping out of a tunnel unexpectedly remains a live possibility. With the "zero-range" combat characterized by small unit tactics on both sides, maps may be prey to a fallacy of misplaced concreteness. Bystanders Experts at the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights warned that any transfer of weapons or ammunition to Israel for use in the war on Gaza would likely violate international humanitarian law and must stop immediately. The experts called on all states to ensure respect for international humanitarian law as required by the 1949 Geneva Conventions and international humanitarian law. The experts stressed that countries must refrain from transferring any weapons, ammunition or parts thereof, as well as export licenses and military aid if it is expected that they will be used in violation of international law. The UN experts said that officials of countries involved in arms exports may be exposed to criminal liability if crimes are investigated in the future. The experts called on all countries not to collude in international crimes through arms transfers and to do their part to urgently end the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza. A group of German lawyers announced the filing of a criminal lawsuit - on behalf of Palestinian victims - against senior officials in the German government on charges of supporting genocide in the Gaza Strip. The lawyers - who represent the families of two Gazans - said in a press conference in the German capital, Berlin, today, Friday, We are filing a criminal complaint against German government officials on charges of aiding and abetting genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza by supplying weapons to Israel and issuing the relevant export licenses. The lawsuit was submitted to the Federal Prosecutor's Office in Karlsruhe, southwestern Germany, with support from the Palestinian Institute for Public Diplomacy and the European Legal Support Center. Nadia Samour, a lawyer specializing in criminal cases, said that filing the lawsuit came after the recent decisions of the International Court of Justice regarding Israeli crimes in Gaza. The lawsuit was filed against German Chancellor Olaf Scholz , Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck, Finance Minister Christian Lindner, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, Interior Minister Nancy Weiser, Justice Minister Marko Buschmann, and Development Minister Svenja Schulze. The lawsuit was brought against these officials in their capacity as members of the Federal Security Council, the body that approves weapons licenses, according to what was stated in a press conference announcing the complaint, but the decision to open an investigation remains with the German public prosecutor. We the living must remember the dead in Gaza, tell their stories, and fight for justice. We, the Palestinians in the diaspora, will not stand idly by and watch genocide committed against our families and our people, says Nora Rajab, a Palestinian activist and one of those who filed the complaint in the case. The activist continued in a statement to the media: We will use all available means, from street protests to lawsuits, noting that with this step they aim to hold the German government accountable for its complicity in the genocide in Gaza. According to a statement from the parties supporting the case, Germany, like any third party, is clearly obligated to prevent genocide, and officials must use all legal means available to them to influence Israel to refrain from acts of genocide, based on the decision of the International Court of Justice that He ordered Israel to take "interim measures to prevent the threat of genocide." The same source indicates that German criminal law requires grounds for suspicion of the occurrence of a possible crime in order for it to be investigated, which is what appears, according to the communication, in the decision of the International Court of Justice, which indicates the existence of grounds for preliminary suspicion regarding the crime of genocide. Germany recently stood against South Africa's lawsuit in the International Court of Justice against Israel, and was the only one that decided to intervene as a third party on behalf of Israel. Germany stopped its development aid to the Palestinians, and also recently decided to suspend any new support for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees ( UNRWA ). The suspicion of aiding and abetting appears in German financial, material, and logistical support decisions, as well as through creating conditions conducive to the main crime, which prompted the complainants to try to hold the German state accountable for its complicity in the horrors being done to their families, according to the report. Nadia Samour, one of the lawyers who filed the lawsuit, stated - during the press conference - that there were 3 acts of aiding and abetting by the defendant German officials, which are new licenses to export weapons after the war, not canceling licenses that preceded the war, then political incitement acts, Manifested in official government statements, understood to support genocide. The lawyer cited Chancellor Olaf Schulz saying in a government statement, after the outbreak of the war: At this moment, there is only one place for Germany, which is to stand by Israel. This comes at a time when there were already many indicators indicating that genocide had occurred in Gaza, According to her expression. Schulz had stated last November that Israel is a democratic state and has every right to defend itself against the terrorist Hamas movement, and that Israel is a state that respects human rights and international law and is committed to acting accordingly. He recently stressed continued support for Israel, but With the necessity of adherence to international humanitarian law. Several organizations in Europe decided to go to court, whether against Israeli officials or European governments, and these organizations achieved a major victory recently in the Netherlands after the decision of the Court of Appeal in The Hague to ban the export of parts of F-35 aircraft to Israel. The head of the International Committee of the Red Cross delegation in Gaza , Pascal Hunt , warned in an interview with the French newspaper Le Monde that a large-scale Israeli military attack on Rafah would create an "absolute disaster." Hunt spoke about the horrific humanitarian situation in the Strip, with Israel threatening to launch a military attack on the city of Rafah, where there are more than 1.3 million displaced people. Regarding the extent of the International Committee of the Red Cross's ability to send aid to Gaza, Hunt said that this is not possible, especially after the killing of 14 Palestinian Red Crescent volunteers. He explained that the security guarantees obtained by the committee are not sufficient, which has made the activity of humanitarian workers more complex, especially in light of the continuing war. Hunt stressed that there is an urgent need for very huge aid throughout the Gaza Strip, adding, We spoke with parents who were crying because they saw the trucks passing and they had nothing left to give to their children. There are only 200 trucks passing through Rafah every day, that is, one truck for 10 thousand people." Regarding Israel's intention to invade Rafah, Hunt replied, "We are terrified of that. When it bombed Rafah on February 12, within less than an hour, between 50 and 70 people were killed. This means that any large-scale military operation would be an absolute disaster." He continued that some are talking about a new population displacement, but that is not available today in Gaza, as there is no place for people where they feel safe, and the need for water, food, and health care is urgent, noting that the health system has collapsed in the Gaza Strip, and a hospital or Two work in Rafah. Hunt confirmed to the French newspaper that, according to international humanitarian law, people can be displaced for security reasons, but this displacement must be temporary, but what is happening is that entire areas in Gaza City have been destroyed and entire neighborhoods in Khan Yunis as well, and if the same fate would befall Rafah. What will be the future of the Palestinians in Gaza: living in tents for 10 years? According to Hunt, the Palestinians feel that the international community has completely abandoned them, especially humanitarian workers who believe that all countries have ratified the Geneva Conventions and must also abide by their provisions. He stressed that the committee is still providing some of its simple services in Rafah despite the limited capabilities in light of the large size of the needs. Hunt quoted one Palestinian as saying, "We all feel as if we are on the list, but we do not know when our turn will come." An assessment conducted by the US Central Intelligence Agency ( CIA ) cast some doubt on the validity of Israeli allegations that employees of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees ( UNRWA ) were involved in the attack launched by the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ) on October 7. Israel accused 12 UNRWA employees of participating in the attacks launched by Hamas on the settlements surrounding the Gaza Strip , and said that 10% of all employees of the UN agency belong to Hamas. This accusation prompted many countries, including the United States, to cut off the funding they were granting to the agency, which plays an important role in providing relief to Palestinians in Gaza during the unprecedented humanitarian crisis in the Strip due to the siege and war that has been ongoing for 140 days. According to the Wall Street Journal, the US intelligence report issued last week assessed with low confidence that a handful of agency employees may have participated in the attack, and indicated that intelligence considered these accusations credible, although it could not confirm them. health independently. However, the US intelligence report explicitly questioned the validity of the accusations made by Israel against the UN agency of cooperation with Hamas on a broader basis. A report published by the British newspaper "The Guardian" indicated that the report stated that although UNRWA coordinated with Hamas to provide humanitarian aid and work in Gaza, there was no evidence to indicate that it had entered into a partnership with the movement. She added that Israel "did not share the raw intelligence behind its assessments with the United States." The newspaper explained that two informed sources - whose identities were not revealed - referred in this regard to the hatred that Israel has for UNRWA, and quoted one of the sources as saying, A specific section mentions how Israeli bias distorts many of their assessments of UNRWA and says that this has led to distortions. The newspaper reported that the 4-page report issued by the National Intelligence Council was distributed to US government officials last week. It is noteworthy that UNRWA dismissed two workers in Gaza against the backdrop of Israeli accusations, and announced last January the opening of an independent investigation into the Israeli accusations regarding the involvement of its workers in the Hamas attack. UNRWA spokeswoman Tamara Al-Rifai said, It is extremely important for us to conduct an independent investigation into these specific matters in the individual cases that Israel has brought to our attention. She added in statements to Agence France-Presse, "We have 33,000 employees, almost all of whom work hard and are very committed, and have worked at the agency for many years." Al-Rifai indicated that UNRWA received allegations from the Israeli government regarding 12 names in Gaza , and we had to verify these names in the records of the organization, which includes 13,000 employees in Gaza, and we were able to match 8 of these names. The Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees ( UNRWA ), Philippe Lazzarini, warned yesterday, Thursday, that the agency had reached the breaking point, with Israels repeated calls to dismantle it and freeze donor funding in the face of unprecedented humanitarian needs in the Gaza Strip. Lazzarini stressed - in a letter addressed to the President of the United Nations General Assembly, Dennis Francis - that UNRWA had reached the breaking point, and that its ability to carry out its duties in accordance with General Assembly Resolution No. 302, by which it was established in 1949, had become severely threatened. Lazzarini expressed his fear that the region is on the verge of a massive catastrophe with serious implications for peace, security and human rights, if the agency cannot meet the needs of Palestinian refugees in the occupied Palestinian territories, Lebanon, Syria and Jordan. Lazzarini pointed out that the suspension by 16 countries of their funding, which amounts to a total of $450 million, will make the agencys activities throughout the region at great risk, starting next March. He stressed that the humanitarian agency has filled, over decades, the void resulting from the absence of peace, or even a peace process, calling for political support from the United Nations General Assembly to allow it to survive and move towards a long-awaited political solution, as well as reforming its funding method, which mainly depends on Voluntary contributions. Senior UN officials reiterate that UNRWA is irreplaceable in Gaza, where it forms the backbone of humanitarian aid. The hearings held by the International Court of Justice in The Hague continued to discuss the legal consequences arising from Israels policies and practices in the occupied Palestinian territories. On the fifth day of the sessions, representatives of a number of countries deliberated on the platform, and the representative of the State of Qatar expressed his rejection of double standards, stressed that international law must be applied to everyone, and said that Israel has obstructed all peaceful solutions and continues to occupy the Palestinian territories and pursues a policy of apartheid, practicing it. A flagrant violation of international humanitarian law. The representative of the State of Qatar stressed that the basis of the Israeli project is settlement and the imposition of settlers on the occupied territories, and pointed out that Israel exploited the war in the Gaza Strip to cover settlement activities in Jerusalem and the West Bank, which are witnessing a situation no less bad than the situation in Gaza. He explained that ending the apartheid regime requires creating a situation that gives the Palestinians their rights, and considered that the court is obligated to take into account all opinions that consider the Israeli occupation illegal. For his part, the representative of the Sultanate of Oman said that the Israeli occupation is working to change the demographic composition in the occupied territories, and stressed that the world witnessed today one of the worst atrocities committed in the Gaza Strip. The Omani official said that the Palestinians have been living under occupation, oppression and daily humiliation for 75 years, and demanded that Israels violation of the right to self-determination of the Palestinians be examined, and that all activities that prevent the Palestinians from exercising their right be put to an end. Secretary-General of Doctors Without Borders, Chris Lockyer, said that Israeli forces deliberately attack the organization's convoys, and that these attacks have become a recurring pattern for Israeli forces. Regarding the widespread food crisis, and the impact of the famine faced by the residents of the Gaza Strip, the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to food, Michael Fakhri, told Al Jazeera that humanitarian aid reaches the Gaza Strip intermittently. Executive Director of the International Rescue Committee, David Miliband, stressed the need to respect human rights and work to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza. "There is no excuse for not protecting civilians and not getting aid into the Strip," Miliband said. Middle East Peace Process Coordinator Tor Wensland also warned that Gazans are in grave danger due to a lack of aid. Axis of Resistance For its part, the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ) said that the Zionist enemys continued criminal bombing of citizens homes in Gaza is a continuation of the war of genocide and ethnic cleansing , and it considered the continued targeting of civilian homes to be the occupying entitys practical response to the pleadings against it in the International Court of Justice. In a statement today, Friday, the movement issued a call to human rights institutions around the world to document these crimes in order to prosecute the occupation and its Nazi leaders. Allied for Democracy Israeli media focused on a new confrontation looming on the horizon between the occupation army and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich , who is also a minister in the Ministry of Defense according to the coalition agreements that paved the way for the formation of the current government. Military analysts warned of Smotrich's powers to appoint the Deputy Head of the Civil Administration in the Israeli Army, even though Defense Minister Yoav Galant and former Chief of Staff Aviv Kohavi had previously opposed the matter. A number of senior officials in the Israeli security services believe that this appointment will lead to the introduction of partisan political considerations within the ranks of the army, and may harm the chain of command, in addition to reservations on the part of the current Chief of Staff, Herzi Halevy, especially regarding Smotrichs responsibility for settlement expansion and the demolition of settlement outposts. Attention is once again turning to the French capital, Paris, where talks begin to discuss reaching an exchange and calm deal in the Gaza Strip . Arab political analysts doubt the possibility of achieving any breakthrough due to the intransigence of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In the opinion of the academic and expert in Israeli affairs, Dr. Muhannad Mustafa, Netanyahu sent a delegation to Paris led by the head of the Foreign Intelligence Service (Mossad) David Barnea, and the head of the General Security Service ( Shin Bet ) Ronen Bar, under pressure from the American administration and pressure from within Israel, especially the families of those detained by the Palestinian resistance. in Gaza. Netanyahu is betting - adds the academic and expert - on a decline in the position of the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ) regarding the talks to reach an exchange and truce deal in Gaza, compared to the conditions it previously set in Cairo. Netanyahu believes that the starvation policy he is practicing against the Palestinians in Gaza and his threat of a military attack on Rafah (south of the Gaza Strip) have prompted Hamas to review its position. The leader of the movement, Osama Hamdan, said in a press conference today, We dealt in a positive spirit with the mediators proposals on the basis of stopping the aggression against Gaza and lifting the siege, while Netanyahu is stalling and evasive and aims to disrupt reaching an agreement. The academic expert said that Netanyahu wants a deal and wants a truce in Gaza, but on his own conditions, the most important of which is that in the first phase of the truce, no Israeli or international commitment to a ceasefire is made, so that Israel continues its military operations in Gaza, and that no one is released. Palestinian prisoners. What confirms the intentions of the Israeli Prime Minister is that, at the time when he sent a delegation to Paris and granted him powers, he is developing a political plan for the post-war on the Gaza Strip that is completely inconsistent with the minimum Palestinian national demands, as the academic and expert, who did not rule out, confirms in his interview with the Gaza program. ..What next? - That Netanyahu is working to thwart the talks in Paris regarding reaching an exchange and calm deal in the Gaza Strip. For his part, Dr. Hassan Ayoub, professor of political science at An-Najah National University, believes that Netanyahu anticipated the new round of discussions by two steps. The first was the decision taken in the government and voted on in the Knesset, regarding a categorical rejection of the establishment of a Palestinian state west of the Jordan River. The second step relates to the document that Netanyahu announced and outlined his visions for the aftermath of the war on Gaza, the main clause of which is the continuation of the aggression on the Gaza Strip and the insistence on remaining militarily and security-wise in the Strip and not ending the siege. Ayoub concluded that Netanyahu sent his delegation in response to American pressure, but he put the cart before the horse and set his preconditions, which means that there is no real chance for a breakthrough. He said, Just as Netanyahu torpedoed the decision of the International Court of Justice related to Gaza, he will continue his intransigence with the support of the American administration. To get a deal that he can market to his far-right government. It is noteworthy that the previous round of Paris negotiations ended without achieving progress amid disagreements between Netanyahu and security leaders regarding negotiating powers. This time, Israeli media said that the Israeli delegation, led by the Director of Intelligence, has broad powers in managing the negotiating process. Britain defended Israel before the International Court of Justice , saying that disputes between Israel and Palestine should not be resolved within the framework of the court's advisory function. This came in a speech by Dan Saroshi, a professor of international law at the University of Oxford, on behalf of Britain, before the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands, during hearings to discuss the legal consequences arising from Israels policies and practices in the occupied Palestinian territories. The court should not resolve disputes between parties using its advisory jurisdiction, Saroshi explained. Instead, the advisory function of the courts is to provide legal advice to UN bodies requesting an opinion. He added, "The current state of the questions raised in the court's opinion would create a situation against Israel." Saroshi pointed out that Israel's approval must be obtained in this case. In turn, Sally Langrishe, Director of Legal Affairs at the British Foreign Office and its representative to the International Court of Justice, said that her countrys position on the conflict has been known for a long time, as the two-state solution is the only solution that will guarantee self-determination for the Palestinians and protect Israels identity and security. Langrish added that Britain wants an immediate halt to attacks in Gaza, and then progress towards a sustainable and permanent ceasefire. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock announced the necessity of a temporary humanitarian ceasefire in the Gaza Strip in order to deliver humanitarian aid and release the hostages. The German news agency said: "We need a temporary humanitarian ceasefire to release the hostages and deliver humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip." She added that the humanitarian situation there is "catastrophic now." The Israeli Broadcasting Authority said - Friday morning - that the relevant committee is expected to meet within two weeks to approve the establishment of 2,350 units in the Maale Adumim settlement (east of East Jerusalem), about 300 units in the Kedar settlement (southeast of East Jerusalem), and 700 units in the Efrat settlement. (South Jerusalem). The authority stated that the decision comes "in response to the shooting that took place on Thursday near the Maale Adumim settlement, which resulted in the death of an Israeli soldier and the wounding of at least 8 others with varying injuries." US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken commented on a new settlement plan in the West Bank by saying that these settlements are inconsistent with international law, which reports described as a retreat from the Pompeo Doctrine, which added American cover to the settlements. The United States expressed "disappointment" after Israel announced that it intends to build 3,300 new settlement units in the West Bank and Jerusalem . The White House said that the settlements are "inconsistent with international law," which Blinken also repeated during a press conference in Buenos Aires with his Argentine counterpart, Diana Mondino, on Friday. Our administration maintains staunch opposition to settlement expansion, and in our view this only undermines Israels security, not strengthens it, Blinken said. On the other hand, the US Secretary of State was asked during the press conference in Buenos Aires about the post- war plan for Gaza , which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu presented to the War Cabinet on Thursday evening. He said, I have not seen the plan, so I refrain from answering. But he added that there are "basic principles that we established months ago and that we consider very important." Blinken said that Gaza should not be a platform for terrorism, as he described it, and at the same time there should be no new Israeli occupation of Gaza, and the territory of the Strip should not be reduced. Mike Pompeo, Secretary of State under President Donald Trump, announced in November 2019 that Washington no longer viewed the settlements in the West Bank as inconsistent with international law, thus changing the original American position that lasted 4 decades. A White House National Security Council spokesman said in a press conference that the Biden administration "simply confirms the basic conclusion" in this case. He added, "This is a position that has remained consistent with many Republican and Democratic administrations. If there is an administration that is inconsistent with this, it is the previous administration." Butcher's Bill / Oasis of Martyrs On 7 October 2023, Hamas and other armed groups present in the Gaza Strip carried out an attack in Israel, killing more than 1,200 persons, injuring thousands and abducting some 240 people, many of whom continue to be held hostage. It was the second largest loss inflicted on the Israeli forces after the 1973 war. Palestinian armed groups launched thousands of missiles at Israel Following this attack, Israel launched a large-scale military operation in Gaza, by land, air and sea. The 1,200 Israelis killed on the first day would be the equivalent of 36,000 Americans killed in an attack, as a proportion to Israels population of 9.3 million people (compared to 332 million in the USA). Israeli President Isaac Herzog stated: Not since the Holocaust have so many Jews been killed in one day". PM Netanyahu stated "On October 7th, Hamas murdered 1,400 Israelis. Maybe more. This is in a country of fewer than 10 million people. This would be equivalent to over 50,000 Americans murdered in a single day. Thats twenty 9/11s. That is why October 7th is another day that will live in infamy." Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant considered 05 February 2024 that half the number of Hamas militants were killed or seriously injured by Israeli army forces. A Hamas official based in Qatar told Reuters 19 February 2024 that the terrorist group estimates that 6,000 of its fighters have been killed by Israeli forces. That number is about half of the 12,000 terrorists that Israel said it has killed since the Oct. 7 Hamas-led massacre, As of 15 February 2024, The Director-General of the HAMAS Government Information Office in the Gaza Strip , Ismail Al-Thawabta, stated "the toll of the aggression had risen to about 35,500 martyrs and missing persons, including 28,663 martyrs and 68,395 injuries. There are about 2,493 massacres committed by the occupation army. Among the martyrs were about 12,400 children, 8,450 women, 340 medical personnel, 46 civil defense personnel, and 126 journalists. There are approximately 11,000 wounded people who need to travel for treatment.... we received live testimonies stating that the occupation army committed field executions against more than 137 Palestinian civilian detainees in the Gaza and North governorates." The HAMAS Ministry of Health in the besieged sector announced that the number of victims of the Israeli operation its beginning had risen to 29,514 martyrs, "including 12,300 dead children, 8,400 women, 340 medical personnel, 46 civil defense, and 124 journalists." He pointed out that "7,000 people are missing, 70% of whom are children and women, The ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants. The number wounded was 69,616. The Palestinian Government Media Office in Gaza had said much earlier that the number of missing people had risen to more than 8,000, including including 4,700 children and women, amid expectations that the toll will be double thi figures. The IDF intensified its military operations in the West Bank, and increased the pace of incursions and raids into cities, towns, and camps, resulting in the martyrdom of 402 [399?] Palestinians, including 102 children, the injury of about 4,545, and the arrest of 7,120, according to official HAMAS sources. As of 17 January 2023, the Israeli escalation in the West Bank led to the death of 360 Palestinians, the injury of nearly 2,200, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, and the arrest of about 6,000, according to the Palestinian Prisoners Club. More than 202 Hezbollah fighters were killed in Lebanon during exchanges of bombing operations with Israel. Israel revised down the death toll from the October Hamas attacks in southern Israel from 1,400 to 1,200. IDF had said previously it was holding 1,500 bodies of terrorists, a total that now would increas to about 1,700. The total announced number of Israeli officers and soldiers killed had risen to 575 since the start of the war on October 7, including 243 [235?] killed since the ground invasion as a result of the ongoing clashes with the Palestinian resistance. Among them were at least 56 with the rank of platoon commander, 43 with the rank of company commander, 9 with the rank of battalion commander, and 5 with the rank of brigade commander. These officers constitute 23% of the total deaths of the Israeli army in the war on Gaza. Israeli media reported that 27% of the Israeli military casualties in the war were officers. In detail, the media highlighted that three brigade commanders, four battalion commanders, and other senior officers have been killed in the war so far. The Israeli Broadcasting Corporation reported that 29 of the army's deaths were caused by "friendly fire" and operational incidents since the start of the ground war in Gaza, late last October. The Israeli authority explained that "18 army soldiers were killed by friendly fire, two were killed as a result of gunfire (without explanation), and 9 Israeli soldiers were killed in ammunition, weapons, or run-over accidents." The Jerusalem Post newspaper revealed that 15 soldiers were killed in the Strip without their bodies being found. According to some reports statistics indicate that 20% of the Israeli losses were due to friendly fire. Because the nature of the battle has become completely different from what was expected, and it lacks a front line. Haaretz newspaper quoted the Israeli Ministry of Defense as saying that the Medical Rehabilitation Department has treated more than 5,500 wounded since the beginning of the war on the Gaza Strip on October 7. Israeli Army Radio reported that the Rehabilitation Department of the Ministry of Defense is preparing to receive 20,000 wounded this year, compared to 5,500 wounded received last year since the start of the war. It was announced that soldiers wounded in the Gaza Strip battles numbered to 2,918 since the beginning of the war, including 1,296 who had been wounded since the start of the ground attack on October 27, 2023. The Israeli army reported that 407 who are still receiving treatment for their injuries in the Gaza battles, and the condition of 48 of them is serious. The number of injured among the Israeli army since the start of the ground operation in the Gaza Strip on October 27 included 602 minor cases, 430 moderate cases, and 264 critical cases. The Israeli army published new data about those wounded in the military operation in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli army announces that 540 soldiers were injured in the Gaza Strip. According to army data, 540 soldiers, including 27 seriously injured, were injured in operational incidents since the start of the bombing of the Gaza Strip. There were also 21 accidental shooting incidents in the Gaza Strip, 54 bilateral shooting incidents and 31 traffic accidents. In addition, 388 incidents occurred, including ramming anti-tank rifles, anti-aircraft guns, weapons and machine guns. At least 14,377 Israelis were injured, according to i24 TV. Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper had reported that 5,000 soldiers had been wounded since the beginning of the war on October 7, and that the Ministry of Defense had recognized 2,000 soldiers as disabled so far. An estimate by the Israeli Ministry of Defense expected that the number of soldiers with disabilities in the war taking place in the Gaza Strip since October 7 of last year would reach 12,500 soldiers. The Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth said that the Soldiers' Rehabilitation Department of the Ministry of Defense has dealt with 3,400 soldiers who were classified as disabled in the army since last October 7. The Israeli army revealed that about 9,000 of its soldiers have received psychological assistance since the beginning of the war on the Gaza Strip on October 7, and about a quarter of them have not returned to combat. This came according to a new statement revealed by the Army Medical Corps, according to Channel 12 and the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth. According to the statement, nearly 9,000 soldiers have applied for psychological assistance since the beginning of the war, and approximately a quarter of them have not returned to combat. The statement continued, "In total, about 13,000 regular and reserve soldiers required accompaniment or medical treatment at some level during the fighting, and thousands of them were injured in the battles." Al Jazeera military and strategic expert Major General Fayez Al-Duwairi expressed his conviction that the numbers of dead and wounded announced by Israel cannot represent the truth, due to a discrepancy between the Israeli armys data and the Walla website, which is close to the army itself. In an interview with RT, Military strategist retired Tunisian Brigadier General Tawfiq Didi said that the number of Israeli army deaths in the Gaza battles is much greater than what Israel announces. Didi explained in an interview with the Best Saying program on RT channel, The number of people killed in battles can be easily known, as the equation in wars is that for every 3 wounded there is a dead person, and the numbers now in Israel hover around 12,500 wounded and disabled people, and when we divide by Three, we find that the death toll exceeds 4,000, especially after eliminating more than a thousand tanks and armored vehicles, and I know what happens when Kornet missiles hit a tank. Its ammunition explodes and no one is left alive. He added, "The Israelis announce their dead only of those of Jewish origin and of the first race, meaning all Arabs, Falash, and those who are among them. They are not counted because they are of the second category. So I am sure that the number exceeds 4 thousand dead, and this is a very easy military calculation." He pointed out, "The Palestinian resistance documented everything it did, unlike the Israelis. The resistance documented shooting at tanks and armored vehicles and destroying the houses in which the Israeli soldiers were holed up, and we saw them being killed... We saw the Kornet hitting the tanks, we saw Al-Yassin 105, so the difference is clear." Hostages Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said that the destruction of the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ) is more important than the return of those he called kidnapped from Gaza , to which opposition leader Yair Lapid responded by saying that his position regarding the detainees is a moral disgrace. Smotrich explained, "The return of the kidnapped people at all costs is not the most important matter, but rather the destruction of Hamas," adding, "Whoever calls for a (prisoner) exchange deal at any price will bring loss to Israel and reduce the possibility of returning the kidnapped ones," he said. Smotrich - who heads the "Religious Zionism" party - usually raises controversy with his statements, and he previously acknowledged to the families of Israeli detainees held by the Palestinian resistance in Gaza that he cannot promise them to return all the prisoners alive. He added, "In my estimation, what is happening to manage this war is correct, and there is a clear policy that we will follow until the end, and we are prepared to pay prices for that." The Israeli Finance Minister's statements quickly sparked a response from opposition leader Yair Lapid, who said that "Smotrich's position on the return of the kidnapped people is a moral disgrace." Lapid previously said that Israel "will neither be safe nor a moral state nor will it win the war unless the kidnappers return." Lapid's statements coincided with previous statements by the Minister of Heritage in the Israeli government, Amichai Eliyahu, in which he said that "dropping a nuclear bomb on Gaza is a possible solution." The Israeli opposition leader also previously called for the formation of a new government, and believed that the time had come for Benjamin Netanyahu 's government to step down , stressing that the person during whose term "the greatest disaster we have witnessed occurred must be removed from our lives." Israel announced 12 February 2024 that the total number of prisoners that the army was able to recover in exchange deals and through military operations was 126 people, including 91 Israelis, 11 bodies, and 24 foreign workers. Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed have been held as hostages in Gaza since 2014 and 2015, respectively. Unlike the roughly 240 people kidnapped in the Hamas October 7 terrorist attacks, the campaign for the release of Mengistu and al-Sayed has received little publicity. Mengistu is known to suffer from what HRW deemed "serious" mental health issues. "Avera crossed one of the safest borders in the world, under the eyes of the security services," recalled Gil Elias, a relative. "We're talking about a mentally ill person who got lost." The calls for the release of Mengistu and al-Sayed have been barely audible during the many years they have been held captive in Gaza. Israel had previously estimated there were 116 living hostages in Palestinian custody. Israel declared 20 out of 136 people in Gaza captivity dead in absentia, after announcing its forces had recovered the bodies of two hostages. By another count, 132 of them are still being held in Gaza, and 25 of them have been confirmed dead. Israel considers those still held by Hamas to be hostages regardless of whether they are dead or alive. Israeli government spokesperson Eylon Levy earlier had told reporters that Hamas still held 137 captives. The resistance released 10 Israeli detainees, 4 Thais and 2 Russian women, who were released outside the agreement. Over the course of 6 days, Israel has received 102 detainees, women and children, including 78 Israelis, in exchange for the release of 234 Palestinian prisoners, women and children. Eylon Levy, the Israeli government spokesperson, told reporters 01 December 2023: Hamas still held 137 hostages from the October attacks, in addition to four others who went missing before the war The hostages include two children aged four and 10 months, who, Hamas now claims, are dead 117 male hostages are still kept in Gaza, including the two children, as well as 20 females 126 hostages are Israelis, and 11 others are foreign nationals Foreign nationals are eight Thais, one Nepalese, one Tanzanian and one French Mexican citizen Ten of the remaining hostages are 75 and older. There are seven missing people since the October 7 attack Hamas had released 110 hostages so far 86 Israelis and 24 foreign nationals. Some of the rest are soldiers, seized when Hamas raided military bases in Israel. They may end up being held the longest. The Israeli military had not specified how many soldiers were captured, nor their ranks. Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari announced on 07 February 2024 that 31 hostages detained in Gaza had died. He added in a press conference, "We informed 31 families that their detained relatives had died, and thus we announce their deaths." According to some estimates, Hamas was initially holding nearly 210 of the 240 hostages, while Palestinian Islamic Jihad was holding the remaining 30. About 40 Israelis remained missing. More than 40 hostages taken from Israel into Gaza on October 7th are not currently in the custody of Hamas, the group responsible for the attack, according to a CNN report based on a diplomatic source briefed on the negotiations, CNN's prior reports had indicated that an estimated 40 to 50 hostages were held by Palestinian Islamic Jihad or other unidentified groups or individuals. Abu Ubaida, the spokesperson for the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, said on Hamas telegram account that 23 bodies of the 60 missing Israel hostages were trapped under the rubble. It seems that we will never be able to reach them due to the continued brutal aggression of the occupation against Gaza, he said. The Al-Qassam Brigades announced on 11 February 2024 that the continuous Israeli bombing of the Gaza Strip during the past 96 hours led to the death of 2 prisoners and the serious injury of 8 others. The Palestinian Prisoners' Club revealed that about 11,000 arrests were carried out by the Israeli army during the year 2023 in the West Bank, including occupied Jerusalem, in addition to arrests from the Gaza Strip before the seventh of last October. The number of people arrested by the Israelis in the West Bank since that date has exceeded 7,100. The total number of prisoners in Israeli prisons exceeds 9,000 Palestinians. Palestinian prisoner institutions said 661 were classified as unlawful combatants from Gaza, and this is the number available only as a clear given. The Palestinian Prisoners' Club said that there has been a significant increase in the number of Palestinian administrative detainees in Israeli prisons since October 7, with 3,484 detainees recorded, including children and women. The club added in a statement that "this number was not actually recorded even during the years of the 1987 uprising." Israel said on 19 February 2024 that, since the beginning of the war, approximately 3,150 wanted persons have been arrested throughout the Judea and Samaria Division and the Bekaa and Valleys Division, over 1,350 of whom are associated with the terrorist organization Hamas. On 08 January 2024 it was reported that more than 1,350 wanted persons had been arrested throughout the Judea and Samaria Division and the Bekaa and Valleys Division, more than 870 of whom are associated with the terrorist organization Hamas. The institutions added in the statement that the occupation arrested 210 women during the aforementioned period, and this statistic includes women who were arrested from the territories in 1948, and more than 355 children, pointing out that the outcome of the arrest campaigns includes all those who were arrested from homes, and through military checkpoints, Those who were forced to surrender themselves under pressure, and those who were detained. It explained that "the number of arrests among journalists reached 50, of whom 35 remain in detention, and 20 of them were transferred to administrative detention." The announced numbers of detainees do not include those who were detained from Gaza since the start of the operation in the Gaza Strip, as there is no accurate census of these numbers. As of 15 February 2024, the Director-General of the HAMAS Government Information Office in the Gaza Strip , Ismail Al-Thawabta, stated "the information available to us is that the occupation arrested approximately 2,600 people, including 99 medical personnel and 10 journalists." Israel has rejected international legal adaptations since 1967, and has treated the Palestinians as criminals, and tried them before military courts and not as prisoners of war. Because the POW is not tried, but is released when the war stops, or as a result of a political agreement. But international humanitarian law sets clear conditions relating to the Palestinians, whether as prisoners of war or organized groups with one leadership and carrying a unified slogan, and these conditions apply to Palestinian resistance fighters, specifically armed groups. International law, through the Third Geneva Conventions, which relate to prisoners of war and armed conflicts, and the Fourth Geneva Convention, which relates to civilians under occupation; Provide full protection to Palestinian prisoners and groups, including resistance factions. The obstacles imposed by the Israeli occupation authorities became very different after the seventh of last October. They decided to cancel all trials in order to double the sentences issued against detainees, and now The scope of arguments before lawyers is very limited, due to military orders, and not according to legal data. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russo-Ukraine War - 23 February 2024 - Day 729 Su M Tu W Th F Sa 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on the Ukraine-Russia conflict on the ground and online. While GlobalSecurity.org takes utmost care to accurately report this news story, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos. On 24 February 2022, Ukraine was suddenly and deliberately attacked by land, naval and air forces of Russia, igniting the largest European war since the Great Patriotic War. Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a "special military operation" (SVO - spetsialnaya voennaya operatsiya) in Ukraine in response to the appeal of the leaders of the "Donbass republics" for help. That attack is a blatant violation of the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine. Putin stressed that Moscow's goal is the demilitarization and denazification of the country. The military buildup in preceeding months makes it obvious that the unprovoked and dastardly Russian attack was deliberately planned long in advance. During the intervening time, the Russian government had deliberately sought to deceive the world by false statements and expressions of hope for continued peace. "To initiate a war of aggression... is not only an international crime; it is the supreme international crime differing only from other war crimes in that it contains within itself the accumulated evil of the whole." [Judgment of the International Military Tribunal] The UK Ministry of Defence reported that on 14 February 2024, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a bill into law that permits the confiscation of property for the offense of 'spreading false information about the Russian armed forces, an offence largely designed to silence domestic critics of its war in Ukraine. Two days earlier the State Duma's 'Committee on Foreign Interference' introduced a bill seeking to expand the scope of Russia's 'undesirable' organisations designation. This is likely aimed to further limit the operation of Russian-language Western media organisations such as RFE/RL, Deutsche Well, and the BBC Russian service. These moves are part of a wider Russian government trend that attempts to restrict the domestic information environment to limit domestic criticism and dissent. While this trend has been in evidence for many years, it has substantially accelerated after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that during the day of February 23, there were 58x combat engagements. Russian forces launched a total of 5x missile and 60x air strikes, carried out 62x MLRS attacks at the positions of Ukrainian troops and various settlements. Unfortunately, Russian attacks resulted in killed and wounded civilians. Residential private and apartment buildings, as well as other infrastructure were destroyed and damaged. Volyn and Polissya axes: no significant changes. No signs of formation of an offensive group. Certain units of the armed forces of Belarus continue their missions in the areas bordering Ukraine. Sivershchyna and Slobozhanshchyna axes: Russia maintains its military presence in the areas of russia bordering Ukraine. Russia continues its sabotage and reconnaissance activities, shelling Ukrainian settlements from the territory of Russia and increases the density of minefields along the state border of Ukraine. Around 10x settlements came under Russian artillery and mortar fire, including Karpovychi, Prohres (Chernihiv oblast), Seredyna-Buda, Novovolodymyrivka, Atyns'ke, Volfyne, Hrabovs'ke, Velyka Pysarivka (Sumy oblast), Udy, Strilecha, Vovchans'k, Budarky, Chuhunivka, Topoli (Kharkiv oblast). Kup'yans'k axis: Russian forces made 1x assault attempt near Syn'kivka (Kharkiv oblast). The Russian occupiers launched an air strike in the vicinity of Novojehorivka (Luhansk oblast). Russian forces fired artillery and mortars at around 10x settlements, including Dvorichna, Syn'kivka, Petropavlivka, Ivanivka, Berestove (Kharkiv oblast). Lyman axis: the Ukrainian defenders repelled 1x assault near Terny (Donetsk oblast), where Russian forces made attempts to breach Ukrainian defense. Russian forces launched air strikes in the vicinities of Makiivka, Bilohorivka (Luhansk oblast). Russian forces fired artillery and mortars at around 10x settlements, including Nevs'ke, Bilohorivka (Luhansk oblast), Tors'ke, Serebryanka, Rozdolivka (Donetsk oblast). Bakhmut axis: the Ukrainian Defense Forces repelled 6x attacks in the vicinity of Ivanivske (Donetsk oblast), where Russian forces made attempts to improve their tactical situation. Russian forces launched air strikes near Klishchiivka, Andriivka, Bila Hora, Kurdyumivka, New York (Donetsk oblast). More than10x settlements came under artillery and mortar fire, including Vasyukivka, Bohdanivka, Ivanivske, Klishchiivka, Andriivka (Donetsk oblast). Avdiivka axis: the Ukrainian defenders repelled 9x attacks in the vicinities of Lastochkyne, Sjeverne, Pervomais'ke (Donetsk oblast). Russian forces launched air strikes near Novobakhmutivka, Orlivka, Tonen'ke (Donetsk oblast). Russian forces fired artillery and mortars at around 20x settlements, including Oleksandropil', Novobakhmutivka, Ocheretyne, Pervomais'ke, Netailove (Donetsk oblast). Mar'inka axis: the Ukrainian Defense Forces continue to hold back the Russian invaders in the vicinities of Pobjeda and Novomykhailivka (Donetsk oblast). In that area, Russian forces, with air support, made 31x attempts to breach Ukrainian defense, to no success. Russian forces launched air strikes near Kostyantynivka, Krasnohorivka (Donetsk oblast). The settlements of Krasnohorivka, Pobjeda, Novomykhailivka, Katerynivka were under Russian artillery and mortar fire. Novopavlivka axis: the Russian adversary conducted no offensives. Russian forces launched an air strike in the vicinity of Vodyane (Donetsk oblast). Russian forces fired artillery and mortars at around 10x settlements, including Vuhledar, Prechystivka, Zolota Nyva, Blahodatne (Donetsk oblast). Zaporizhzhia axis: the Ukrainian Defense Forces repelled 1x attack in the vicinity of Robotyne (Zaporizhzhia oblast). Russian forces launched air strikes in the vicinities of Mala Tokmachka, Robotyne (Zaporizhzhia oblast). More than 15x settlements, including Charivne, Mali Shcherbaky, Stepove, Lobkove, P'yatykhatky, Stepnohirs'k, Plavni (Zaporizhzhia oblast), were under Russian artillery and mortar fire. Odesa operational-strategic group, Kherson axis: Russian forces do not abandon their intention to drive Ukrainian units out of their footholds on the left bank of the Dnipro. During the day, Russian forces made 7x attempts to assault positions of Ukrainian troops. More than 5x settlements, including the city of Kherson, the settlements of Novotyahynka, Veletens'ke, Stanislav (Kherson oblast) came under Russian artillery and mortar fire. During the day of February 23, the Ukrainian Air Force launched air strikes on 6x concentrations of Russian troops, 3x air defense systems. The Ukrainian missile troops hit 1x command posts, 3x artillery systems, 1x ammunition depot, 2x radar stations of Buk-M3 SAM system of the Russian invaders. The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation reported that in the period from 17 to 23 February, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation delivered 37 group strikes by long-range airborne precision weapons and unmanned aerial vehicles at facilities of Ukrainian military industrial complex, infrastructure of military airfields, arsenals, and POL bases. Moreover, strikes were delivered at temporary deployment areas of AFU units and formations of nationalists and foreign mercenaries. All the assigned targets have been engaged. In Kupyansk direction, units of the Zapad Group of Forces improved the tactical situation along the front lines and repelled 25 enemy counterattacks near Sinkovka (Kharkov region) and Terni (Donetsk People's Republic). In addition, losses were inflicted on manpower and hardware of the AFU 30th, 66th mechanised brigades, 10th Mountain Assault Brigade, 25th Airborne Brigade, and 125th Territorial Defence Brigade near Chugunovka, Petropavlovka, Kislovka (Kharkov region), Yampolovka, Torskoye (Donetsk People's Republic), Stelmakhovka, and Chervonaya Dibrova (Lugansk People's Republic). The AFU losses amounted to more than 390 Ukrainian troops, four tanks, 13 armoured fighting vehicles, 21 motor vehicles, and 25 field artillery guns. In Donetsk direction, units of the Yug Group of Forces liberated Pobeda, took more advantageous lines, and struck AFU manpower and hardware near Belogorovka, Grigorovka, Krasnoye, Kleshcheyevka, Kurdyumovka, Razdolovka, Novomikhailovka, Nevelskoye, and Krasnogorovka (Donetsk People's Republic). 12 counterattacks launched by assault detachments of the AFU 79th Air Assault Brigade, 24th, and 42th mechanised brigades were repelled near Georgiyevka, Leninskoye, Bogdanovka, and Novgorodskoye. The AFU losses amounted to more than 2,560 Ukrainian troops, 12 tanks, 31 armoured fighting vehicles, 58 motor vehicles, 13 field artillery guns, and one Grad MLRS. In Avdeyevka direction, units of the Tsentr Group of Forces liberated Avdeyevka (Donetsk People's Republic) and continued advancing to the west. The Group's units supported by aviation and artillery inflicted losses on AFU manpower and hardware near Orlovka, Solovyovo, Semenovka, Tonenkoye, Yevgenovka, and Mirolyubovka (Donetsk People's Republic). 39 counterattacks launched by assault detachments of the AFU 71st Jaeger Brigade, 47th, 53rd mechanised brigades, 59th Motorised Rifle Brigade, and 3rd Assault Brigade were repelled near Berdichi, Latochkino, and Pervomayskoye (Donetsk People's Republic). The AFU losses amounted to more than 2,900 Ukrainian troops killed and wounded, four tanks, 37 armoured fighting vehicles, 90 motor vehicles, eight field artillery guns, and one Grad MLRS combat vehicle. In South Donetsk direction, units of the Vostok Group of Forces improved the tactical situation along the front lines and inflicted losses on AFU 72nd Mechanised Brigade, 102nd, 108th, 127th, and 128th territorial defence brigades near Vodyanoye, Novodonetskoye, Staromayorskoye, Urozhaynoye (Donetsk People's Republic), Chervonoye, Priyutnoye, and Lugovskoye (Zaporozhye region). Four attacks launched by assault detachments of the AFU 58th Motorised Rifle Brigade were repelled near Novodonetskoye and Shevchenko (Donetsk People's Republic). The AFU losses amounted to up to 1,195 Ukrainian troops, six tanks, six armoured fighting vehicles, 23 motor vehicles, and 16 field artillery guns. In Kherson direction, the Russian troops captured Krinki, took more advantageous positions, and delivered strikes at manpower and hardware of the AFU 28th, 65th, 118th mechanised brigades, 35th, 37th marines brigades, 121st, and 126 territorial defence brigades near Malaya Tokmachka, Verbovoye, Orekhov, Sherbaki, Lugovoye (Zaporozhye region), Zolotaya Balka, Mikhailovka, Ivanovka, Tyaginka, and Zmeyevka (Kherson region). In addition, three attacks of the AFU 82th Mountain Assault Brigade were repelled near Rabotino (Zaporozhye region). The AFU losses amounted to more than 460 Ukrainian troops, five tanks, six armoured fighting vehicles, 33 motor vehicles, six motorboats, and 14 field artillery guns. Aviation and air defence units intercepted one MiG-29 fighter, one Mi-8 helicopter, seven Storm Shadow cruise missiles, one Patriot air defence guided missile, four S-200 air defence guided missiles converted to hit ground targets, three HARM anti-radiation missiles, six JDAM guided aerial bombs, 42 HIMARS MLRS projectiles, and 652 unmanned aerial vehicles. As a result of a group strike, Missile Troops of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation eliminated one launcher, one tractor, one ammunition and transport-loading vehicle of the U.S.-made Patriot anti-aircraft missile system. In total, 572 airplanes and 267 helicopters, 13,223 unmanned aerial vehicles, 473 air defence missile systems, 15,188 tanks and other armoured combat vehicles, 1,223 combat vehicles equipped with MLRS, 8,145 field artillery cannons and mortars, as well as 18,981 units of special military equipment have been destroyed during the special military operation. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address FATF Advances Work to Combat Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing U.S. Department of the Treasury February 23, 2024 PARIS -- Today, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the global standard-setting body for anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT), concluded its fifth Plenary under the Singaporean presidency. The FATF made several key advances, including kicking off a public consultation on potential changes to the FATF Recommendation on wire transfer information and the adoption of new guidance on trusts. The FATF also noted its concern on Russian Federation's growing financial connectivity with North Korea and Iran. This Plenary follows recent announcements of key actions by the U.S. Department of the Treasury to enhance financial transparency and combat illicit finance in the United States. "At a moment when the United States is advancing historic initiatives to safeguard the U.S. financial system, we commend the FATF's vital work to strengthen global standards relating to combatting illicit finance," said Secretary of the Treasury Janet L. Yellen. TREASURY'S AML/CFT INITIATIVES Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian E. Nelson updated the FATF on Treasury's recent historic AML/CFT efforts, including operationalizing a beneficial ownership information filing system, issuing proposed rulemakings to address vulnerabilities in the U.S. residential real estate and investment adviser sectors, and publishing updated National Risk Assessments on Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing, and Proliferation Financing. These efforts enhance and strengthen the United States' AML/CFT framework, further safeguard the U.S. financial system from abuse, and strengthen U.S. and global security. As Under Secretary Nelson stated before the FATF: "This is also a moment of profound momentum for the United States' work to combat illicit finance. Strengthening our AML/CFT frameworkain line with the FATF Standardsais a top priority for the United States. President Biden in his first year in office laid out ambitious initiatives for addressing many of the systemic vulnerabilities in the U.S. and global financial systems. In the past two months alone, Treasury has advanced some of our most significant AML/CFT initiatives of the past two decades. This ambitious body of work demonstrates that we are delivering on our commitment to strengthen and advance implementation of the FATF Standards." FATF EFFORTS TO STRENGHTEN GLOBAL AML/CFT STANDARDS The FATF advanced numerous initiatives this week, including to begin public consultation on potential changes to Recommendation 16 on wire transfers, approving new guidance to aid implementation of the strengthened requirement for trusts, and developing a table of steps that certain countries are taking to implement the FATF Standards relating to virtual asset service providers. This body of work will improve countries implementation of the FATF Standards, prevent regulatory arbitrage, and assist governments and the private sector with best practices for mitigating illicit finance risks across sectors. STATEMENT ON RUSSIA The FATF plenary reiterated its condemnation of Russia's illegal, unprovoked and unjustified full-scale military invasion of Ukraine. It expressed its concern about Russia's growing financial connectivity with North Korea and Iran and how expanded proliferation financing and malicious cyber activities and ransomware negatively impact the global financial system. The FATF called upon all jurisdictions to remain vigilant against these risks. The FATF agreed that Mexico will become the next President of the FATF. The Mexican presidency will begin in July 2024. Click here to read the Outcomes of the FATF Plenary, 23 February 2024. ### NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Navy's enhanced lethality surface combatant fleet The Hon Richard Marles MP Deputy Prime Minister Minister for Defence The Hon Pat Conroy MP Minister for Defence Industry Minister for International Development and the Pacific 20 February 2024 Today, the Albanese Government has released its blueprint for a larger and more lethal surface combatant fleet for the Royal Australian Navy, more than doubling the size of the surface combatant fleet under the former government's plan. This follows the Government's careful consideration of the recommendations of the independent analysis of the surface combatant fleet, commissioned in response to the Defence Strategic Review. Our strategic circumstances require a larger and more lethal surface combatant fleet, complemented by a conventionally-armed, nuclear-powered submarine fleet. Navy's future fleet will be integral to ensure the safety and security of our sea lines of communication and maritime trade, through operations in our immediate region. This fleet will constitute the largest number of surface combatants since WWII. The independent analysis of Navy's surface combatant fleet lamented the current surface combatant fleet was the oldest fleet Navy has operated in its history, and emphasised the need for immediate action to boost Navy's air defence, long-range strike, presence and anti-submarine warfare capabilities. In line with independent analysis' recommendations, Navy's future surface combatant fleet will comprise: 26 major surface combatants consisting of: Three Hobart class air warfare destroyers with upgraded air defence and strike capabilities Six Hunter class frigates to boost Navy's undersea warfare and strike capabilities 11 new general purpose frigates that will provide maritime and land strike, air defence and escort capabilities Six new Large Optionally Crewed Surface Vessels (LOSVs) that will significantly increase Navy's long-range strike capacity consisting of: Six remaining Anzac class frigates with the two oldest ships to be decommissioned as per their planned service life. The Government has also accepted the independent analysis' recommendations to have: 25 minor war vessels to contribute to civil maritime security operations, which includes six Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs). The Hunter class frigates will be built at the Osborne shipyard in South Australia, and will be followed by the replacement of the Hobart class destroyer. The Hobart destroyers will be upgraded at Osborne with the latest US Navy Aegis combat system. The new general purpose frigate will be accelerated to replace the Anzac class frigates, meaning the Transition Capability Assurance (TransCAP) upgrades are no longer required. These new general purpose frigates will be modern, capable and more lethal, requiring smaller crews than the Anzac. Consolidation of the Henderson precinct is currently underway, as recommended by the Defence Strategic Review. Successful and timely consolidation will enable eight new general purpose frigates to be built at the Henderson precinct, and will also enable a pathway to build six new Large Optionally Crewed Surface Vessels in Western Australia. The Albanese Government is committed to continuous naval shipbuilding in Australia and the design of Navy's future fleet will provide a stable and ongoing pipeline of work to the 2040s and beyond. Budget In order to implement the recommendations of the independent analysis, the Albanese Government has committed to funding the planned acquisition and sustainment of the future surface fleet. This will see the Albanese Government inject an additional $1.7 billion over the Forward Estimates and $11.1 billion over the next decade in Defence for an accelerated delivery of Navy's future surface combatant fleet and to expand Australia's shipbuilding industry. This comes on top of the Albanese Government's investment of an additional $30.5 billion to Defence's Integrated Investment Program out to 2032-33. This additional $11.1 billion of funding for the future surface fleet alone brings both acquisition and sustainment investment in the fleet to $54.2 billion in total over the next decade. This investment provides a clear pathway for the shipbuilding industry and workforce in South Australia and Western Australia. The Albanese Government thanks Vice Admiral William Hilarides, USN (Retd), Ms Rosemary Huxtable, AO, PSM and Vice Admiral Stuart Mayer, AO, RAN for their leadership of the independent analysis and contribution to the most comprehensive update to Navy's fleet in decades. Quotes attributable to the Deputy Prime Minister, the Hon Richard Marles MP: "The enhanced lethality surface combatant fleet will ensure the Navy is optimised for operations in our current and future environment, underpinned by the meticulous assessment conducted by the Independent Analysis Team. "Australia's modern society and economy rely on access to the high seas: trade routes for our imports and exports, and the submarine cables for the data which enables our connection to the international economy. "The Royal Australian Navy must be able to ensure the safety and security of our sea lines of communication and trade routes as they are fundamental to our way of life and our prosperity." Quotes attributable to the Minister for Defence Industry, the Hon Pat Conroy MP: "This significant advancement in Navy capability that will be delivered under this plan requires a strong, sovereign defence industry. "This plan ensures Navy's future fleet can meet our strategic circumstances by delivering a larger and more lethal fleet sooner and secures the future of naval shipbuilding in Australia, supporting 3,700 direct jobs over the next decade and thousands of indirect jobs for decades to come." Quotes attributable to the Chief of Navy, Vice Admiral Mark Hammond AO: "A strong Australia relies on a strong Navy, one that is equipped to conduct diplomacy in our region, deter potential adversaries, and defend our national interests when called. "The size, lethality and capabilities of the future surface combatant fleet ensures that our Navy is equipped to meet the evolving strategic challenges of our region." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning's Regular Press Conference on February 23, 2024 Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the People's Republic of China 2024-02-23 19:08 Reuters: According to Kiribati officials, Chinese police are carryingaoutacooperationawith the country on community policing. Does the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have any further information to offer on this cooperation? Mao Ning: I am not aware of the specifics you mentioned and I'd refer you to competent authorities.a China always engages in cooperation with relevant countries on the basis of equality, mutual respect, mutual benefit, openness and inclusiveness. CCTV: Secretariat of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) held a reception in celebration of its 20th anniversary yesterday. Could you share more with us? In the world undergoing both transformation and upheaval today, what special significance does advocating the Shanghai Spirit have? What role does China expect SCO to further play?aa Mao Ning: Yesterday, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Foreign Minister Wang Yi attended and addressed the reception to mark the 20th anniversary of the SCO Secretariat. Since its inception, the SCO has grown with sound and steady momentum. The SCO family now has 26 countries. Parties have enhanced good-neighborliness and political mutual trust and deepened cooperation in security, economy, and people-to-people and cultural exchange. These are important efforts to advance the theory and explore actual ways of building a community with a shared future for mankind and have set a good example of a new type of international relations and regional cooperation. In today's turbulent world where challenges keep emerging, parties need to stand together and seek joint response. Over 20 years ago, SCO member countries put forth the Shanghai Spirit of mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, consultation, respect for diversity of civilizations and pursuit of common development. Today the Shanghai spirit is more relevant than ever. Under the new circumstances, we need to further promote the Shanghai Spirit, make sure the SCO stays on a steady and sustained course forward, and create more certainty, stability and positive energy for the world. As a founding member of the SCO, China sees the SCO as a priority in our diplomacy. China stands ready to work with SCO partners under the vision of a community with a shared future for mankind, enhance solidarity and mutual trust, build consensus on cooperation, expand cooperation across the board, actively participate in global governance, and advance the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, and the Global Civilization Initiative to contribute more SCO strength to the lasting peace and common prosperity of the world.a Dragon TV: We noted that in 2023, over 20 Chinese cities passed the RMB-one-trillion GDP benchmark. Quite a few Chinese provinces and cities have the economic size of a medium- or small-sized country. Chinese provinces, regions and cities are advancing high-level opening up and looking to enhance exchanges and cooperation with foreign partners. The world hopes to learn more about not just major cities such as Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou but also the rest of China, so as to have a full understanding of the country. What role has the Foreign Ministry played in helping Chinese provinces and cities increase interaction and cooperation with the rest of the world? Mao Ning: In 2023, among the 31 Chinese provinces, regions and cities, the number of Chinese cities with GDP exceeding RMB one trillion increased from 24 to 26. The economies of each province and city, like rivers, flow together and form the vast ocean of the Chinese economy. They provide an inexhaustible source of dynamism and potential for China's development. The Foreign Ministry, for its part, has always focused on our country's major development strategies and the development needs at the subnational level. We have worked to serve high-standard opening up, showcase a multi-faceted and vibrant China and present Chinese provinces and cities to the world. Over the past year, we held key diplomatic activities and large events in places such as Shaanxi, Sichuan, Zhejiang, Shanghai and Hainan, and invited foreign leaders to visit places outside Beijing during their visits to China, which helped elevate the profile of these provinces and cities in the world. Under regional cooperation mechanisms such as the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum, the China-CELAC Forum, China-CEEC cooperation, the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation and China-Central Asian countries cooperation, we have introduced cooperation platforms hosted by provinces and cities, which boosted their cooperation with the rest of the world on economy and trade, industrial and green development, and cultural and people-to-people exchange. We have organized tours for foreign diplomats to visit different places in China to explore more channels for major local industries to seek foreign cooperation partners. In the year ahead, China will bring countries more opportunities as it continues to advance Chinese modernization. The Foreign Ministry will continue to be a bridge for Chinese provinces and cities in having more cooperation and exchanges with other countries and serve China's high-quality development. Bloomberg: Bloomberg has reported that the US and China are discussing new measures to prevent a wave of emerging market sovereign defaults. The talks, according to people familiar with the matter, include ways to preemptively extend loan periods before countries miss payments and are broadly aimed at both easing the USD 400 billion-plus annual debt service burden for poor countries and finding an alternative to the high borrowing rates those nations now face in the market. Could the Foreign Ministry confirm China and the US are discussing such measures and does the Foreign Ministry have any comment on emerging markets' debt? Mao Ning: I'd refer you to competent authorities for specific questions on debt. Let me say more broadly that China attaches great importance to developing countries' sovereign debt issues and follows the principle of equal-footed consultation and win-win cooperation in helping developing countries alleviate their debt burden and advance sustainable development. China actively participates in the G20 Common Framework for Debt Treatments beyond the DSSI and other cooperation. China and the US are in communication on debt issues via bilateral and multilateral channels. China stands ready to work with all parties to further contribute our effort in easing developing countries' debt burden. Kyodo News: Tomorrow will be the six-month mark of China's decision to suspend all imports of aquatic products from Japan after the Japanese government started the ocean discharge of "treated water" from the Fukushima nuclear power plant. What is China's comment? Mao Ning: The ocean discharge of Japan's Fukushima nuclear-contaminated water bears on the health of all humanity, the global marine environment and the international public interest. The precautionary measures taken by China and some other countries in response to Japan's move are aimed at protecting food safety and people's health. These measures are entirely legitimate, reasonable and necessary. Japan needs to respond to international concerns with all seriousness, dispose of the nuclear-contaminated water in a responsible way, and offer full cooperation in setting up an independent international monitoring arrangement that remains effective in the long haul and has the substantive participation of Japan's neighboring countries and other stakeholders, so as to avoid irrevocable consequences stemming from the ocean discharge. Kyodo News: According to Japanese media, the Chinese and the Japanese governments discussed the "treated water" online in January, but have yet to release any result of that discussion. Could you confirm this report? Does the Chinese government view the discussion as the "expert meeting" agreed to between the leaders of the two countries?a Mao Ning: I have no information to offer on your specific question. As I understand, the two sides maintain communication on the issue of the Fukushima nuclear-contaminated water.a Bloomberg: The executive director of the Port of Los Angeles said Chinese-made cranes pose a potential risk to national security. However, shortage of other countries that build the giant container-moving machines makes it challenging to address the issue. And separately, the Wall Street Journal reported the Biden administration plans to invest billions in the domestic manufacturing of cargo cranes. Does the Foreign Ministry have any comments on these latest comments on Chinese cranes? Mao Ning: The accusation that China-made cranes pose security risks is completely unfounded. We firmly oppose the US overstretching the concept of national security and abusing state power to go after Chinese products and companies. Weaponizing economic and trade issues will exacerbate security risks in global industrial and supply chains and inevitably backfire. The US needs to respect the principles of market economy and fair competition, and provide a fair, just and non-discriminatory environment for Chinese companies. China will continue to firmly protect the legitimate and lawful rights and interests of Chinese companies. Bloomberg: The House Select Committee has written a letter to the CEO of Volkswagen, urging Volkswagen to immediately comply with the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act within its global supply chain and cease operations in Xinjiang. What's the Foreign Ministry's comment?a Mao Ning: We've stated on multiple occasions that the so-called "forced labor" in Xinjiang is nothing but a lie propagated by anti-China forces who aim to smear China. There is no "forced labor" in Xinjiang. The US uses the false accusation as a pretext to politicize normal business cooperation, break international trade rules, and disrupt market order. The US will end up hurting its own interests.a NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address The delegation of the Ministry of National Defence visits the pavilion of Airbus at the Singapore Airshow 2024. (Photo: VNA) The Vietnamese delegation visited booths displaying products of several large businesses and corporations in the world, and watched demonstrations by the Singaporean, Indian, US, Republic of Korean, Chinese, Indonesian and Australian air forces, and some international civil airlines. Within the framework of the exhibition, the delegation also had meetings with partners to discuss issues of mutual concern and bilateral cooperation. During a meeting with Deputy Minister of Defence of the Czech Republic Daniel Blazkovec, Son thanked the people of Czechoslovakia (Czech Republic today) for the valuable help for Vietnams past struggle for national liberation as well as its nation building cause. He praised the outstanding results of bilateral defence cooperation in recent times, and wished the two countries will continue their collaboration in different fields such as delegation exchange and training. Meeting Assistant Secretary of the US Air Force Andrew Hunter, the Vietnamese delegation head suggested the two sides strengthen cooperation on the basis of signed documents, with priority given to promoting collaboration in training, rescue and military medicine, and in joining United Nations peacekeeping missions, and overcoming war consequences in Vietnam. The Singapore Airshow is the biggest air show in Asia held biennially. This year, it attracted the participation of more than 1,000 aviation and defence companies from over 50 countries and territories, including such giants as Airbus, Boeing, and Lockheed Martin. This is the first time in four years that the biennial Singapore Airshow is open to the public. The previous edition in 2022 was closed to the public due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This year, people can visit the exhibition on February 24-25./. Uyghur forced labor policies seen continuing through 2025: report Program is used to control Uyghurs, break apart families and assimilate them into Chinese society, expert says. By Roseanne Gerin for RFA 2024.02.23 -- China has expanded its forced labor transfer program in far-western Xinjiang - moving Uyghurs from rural areas to work in factories - and plans to continue doing so through 2025, a new report says, warning that it will have far-reaching consequences for the 12-million strong ethnic minority. Under a program that Beijing says is aimed at poverty alleviation, high-level Chinese policy and state planning documents call for intensified employment requirements targeting Uyghurs, according to research conducted by German scholar Adrian Zenz published in a report by the Jamestown Foundation, a Washington-based think tank. But activists and experts say the program is thinly-disguised forced labor: Uprooting Uyghurs and other Turkic minorities from their homes and forcing them to work in factories producing everything from textiles and chemicals to car parts. Longer-term, Beijing is using the program to achieve a larger goal, Zenz told Radio Free Asia: Control the Uyghur people, break apart communities, undermine their culture and ultimately assimilate them into Chinese society. "Uyghurs society is going to be changed in the long term through labor transfer," he said. "So it's a long-term strategy, and that's why China is doubling down on it." "China is intensifying it because with labor transfer you can achieve cultural assimilation," said Zenz, director of China Studies at the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation in Washington. "You can achieve linguistic assimilation," he told RFA. "You can break apart communities - traditional communities - and break apart families." Corporate scrutiny The report comes out amid intensifying pressure on multinational companies with operations in the region to cut their ties. Earlier this month, German chemical giant BASF said it is pulling out of its joint ventures in Xinjiang. That came after a German newspaper in November reported close ties between the labor transfer program and a regional partner of BASF. Meanwhile, automaker Volkswagen also has told RFA that it is in talks with its joint venture partner, SAIC-Volkswagen, over the future of its Xinjiang operations. A report issued in early February by Human Rights Watch suggested that Volkswagen may be using aluminum made by Uyghur forced labor in China, and has failed to minimize this possibility. The United States has called on China to end Uyghur forced labor practices and has enacted legislation to prevent the import of products made with forced labor. The European Union lacks strict regulations that target goods made with forced labor, but is working on the adoption of a law that would hold large companies to account for their human rights and environmental impacts across their global supply chains. Separately, Germany has a supply chain law that requires large companies to ensure that their suppliers and partners respect all human rights and subjects the companies to a comprehensive due diligence obligation covering the entire supply chain. Two systems Authorities in northwestern China's vast Xinjiang region operate the world's largest system of state-imposed forced labor under two systems targeting Uyghurs and other Turkic peoples, Zenz's report says. The first one is forced labor connected to "re-education" camps, where an estimated 1.8 million Uyghurs and others have been detained against their will beginning around 2017. There they received coercive skills training and were forced to work in on-site or off-site factories. Zenz's report says that evidence indicates that since early 2020, this policy is no longer active, although authorities still arbitrarily detain Uyghurs and others. The second separate system, the Poverty Alleviation Through Labor Transfer policy, coercively trains and transfers non-detained rural laborers from the agricultural sector into secondary sector work that transforms raw materials into goods for sale or consumption, and tertiary sector work that involves the sale or trade of services. The United States and other Western governments have expressed deep concern about the repression and arbitrary detentions of Uyghurs and other Turkic minorities in Xinjiang, with some declaring that China's actions amount to genocide and crimes against humanity. 'Groundless accusation' On Feb. 17, at the Munich Security Conference in Germany, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi was asked by an interviewer about the forced labor accusations in Xinjiang in light of the recent company news about BASF and Volkswagen. "The so-called forced labor is only a groundless accusation," Wang said in response. "Isn't there any right to work for minority ethnic groups such as the Uyghurs in Xinjiang?" he asked. "If you make them unemployed, unable to work, and unable to sell their products under the pretext of forced labor, is this humane?" Wang said that the growth of Xinjiang's Uyghur population from less than 2 million in 1955, when the autonomous region was established, to 12 million today was proof that the "so-called genocide is a sheer fabrication and a lie." However, the actual Uyghur population in China was 3.64 million, according to official data from the country's first census conducted in 1953, while Xinjiang's population was less than 3.4 million. Also, the Han Chinese population in Xinjiang was only 6% in that census but now is more than half as many Han Chinese have migrated to the region. Wang also said China has safeguarded human rights in Xinjiang as demonstrated by an increase in the average lifespan of Uyghurs from 30 years to 75.6 years, and that religious freedom and ethnic languages and cultures were well-protected by the Chinese government in the region. Dolkun Isa, president of the World Uyghur Congress, said Wang's dismissal of allegations of the Uyghur genocide and forced labor signaled "a concerning intent to persist with genocidal policies" in Xinjiang. "Merely a week prior, one of Germany's largest chemical companies, BASF, issued international apologies and announced their withdrawal from the Uyghur region due to their association with Uyghur genocide implications," he told RFA. "Similarly, other major corporations like Volkswagen face mounting international pressure over their involvement in Uyghur forced labor, with discussions underway for their withdrawal from the Uyghur region," Isa said. "Given the substantial evidence at hand, Wang Yi's denial of these allegations is untenable." Zenz said that there is still personal testimonies and documentary evidence that Uyghur forced labor exists. "The Chinese think they can openly lie and propagate an alternative reality because they can control access to Xinjiang," he said. Additional reporting by Irade for RFA Uyghur. Edited by Malcolm Foster. Copyright 1998-2024, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036. For any commercial use of RFA content please send an email to: mahajanr@rfa.org. RFA content February not be used in a manner which would give the appearance of any endorsement of any product or support of any issue or political position. Please read the full text of our Terms of Use. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Critics: 'Singapore Washing' of Chinese Companies Piles Dirty Laundry in City-state By Peh Hong Lim February 23, 2024 With a flood of capital and the arrival of big tech companies, Singapore has become a new top location for China business. And while it has given the tiny nation's economy a boost, not all are pleased. At the official level, the relationship is portrayed as blossoming. Earlier this month, China's state media touted a meeting in Singapore of 200 Singaporean and Chinese business leaders and policymakers that called for enhanced business ties, improved intellectual property protection, and support for mediation and arbitration. While the Xinhua article focused on the importance of the Chinese market to Singapore, the city-state has been attracting many foreign-funded companies, including Chinese companies, and in 2022 overtook Hong Kong to become Asia's top financial center and the third biggest in the world. Hundreds of Chinese companies are estimated by business insiders to have quietly re-domiciled or registered themselves in Singapore between November 2021 and November 2022, reports the Financial Times, which notes the exact number of Chinese companies set up is unclear because Singapore does not disclose origin country in its public statistics. A growing list of Chinese tech companies such as Alibaba, ByteDance, Huawei, Kuaishou, China Telecom and China Mobile have directed their investments to Singapore for data centers and labs. Singapore is ranked as the top innovation hub outside of Silicon Valley, housing 80 out of the world's 100 tech firms, says Guide Me Singapore, a Hawksford company entity offering business set-up and support services. While the business has been welcomed, critics say the flood of Chinese capital has brought an increase in illegal activities to Singapore, also known as the Lion City, highlighting problems with the city-state's supervision measures. Aya Adachi, director of Mapping China, tells VOA that Singapore introduced a new legal structure in 2020 called the Variable Capital Company or VCC, which was intended to attract the assets of fund managers and family offices registered in low-tax jurisdictions such as the Cayman Islands and Luxembourg. The "change in the Singaporean regulatory environment has attracted more Chinese illegal activities, said Adachi, whose German non-profit group monitors China's foreign and economic affairs. "But that was obviously not intended by the Singaporean government in the first place." MaAra Martini, a research and policy expert at anti-corruption group Transparency International, told the Financial Times that the risk with VCCs is that they "usually function like a black box" and "can be very attractive to the corrupt and other criminals." Singapore in August uncovered the largest money laundering case in its history, involving $3 billion in cash and assets, reports the Singapore Straits Times, and 10 suspects arrested were of Chinese origin. In an article in Asia Sentinel earlier this month, Andy Wong Ming Jun said Chinese companies use Singapore-registered firms to make their businesses look less connected to China, a process known as "Singapore Washing." He wrote that this was having diplomatic and reputational consequences for Singapore "as the geopolitical waters between China and the West, particularly the U.S., become increasingly choppy." Video sharing application Tiktok moved its Asia headquarters from Beijing to Singapore, amid increased scrutiny of its Chinese parent company Bytedance and questions whether it could protect consumer data from the Chinese government. However, some believe the criticism of Singapore Washing is deliberately looking at Chinese investment in a colored light. Tan Khee Giap, chairman of the Singapore National Committee for Pacific Economic Cooperation, pointed out that European and American multinational companies have also come to Singapore, but are not accused of Singapore Washing. The same is true of Japanese and Korean companies that have moved their regional headquarters to the city-state. Why target only China, he asked. "Because China may have a political system and values that are different from those of Europe and the U.S." Former attorney general of Singapore Walter Woon agrees. "Of course, there will be some people who use Singapore as a base, but that's not confined to people of Chinese ethnicity. Like any other financial center, Switzerland, for example, you're likely to find a certain number of groups. Even America is not free from crooks who set up and use America as a base," he said. Mapping China's Adachi says Singapore wants to maintain a politically neutral image while struggling to stop a surge in criminal activities from China, which could force Singapore to change direction. "To some degree, I think the Singaporean government is faced with having to introduce stricter measures to prevent these illegal Chinese activities from happening. And that might conflict with the idea of maintaining a free, less complicated regulatory environment," she says. Adrianna Zhang contributed to this report. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Cuba Cuts Internet, Surveils Calls of Journalists, Report Finds By Graham Keeley February 23, 2024 There was a time when activists and journalists who wanted to evade the ever-listening ear of the Cuban government spoke in code or had to meet in European embassies. The arrival of internet and encrypted messaging services offered some respite. But as quickly as technological advances made communicating and reporting on Cuba's government easier, Havana found ways to disrupt or block messages. Cuba's independent journalists run a cat-and-mouse game with the government to make sure their phones do not fall into the hands of the authorities. If devices are seized, authorities can mine the digital memories in search of so-called incriminating evidence. In 2023, at least 210 incidents of internet restrictions were documented by the Cuban Institute for Freedom of Expression and Press, or ICLEP. Those restrictions can include access to the internet being cut, arbitrarily blocking access to social media, or hacking the accounts of journalists or the media websites they work for, the ICLEP report found. Normando Hernandez, founder and director general of Miami-based ICLEP, said intercepting telephone or internet access is a "recurring strategy of the regime to silence independent journalists." "It is historically well known that the Cuban state listens and spies on all the conversations it wants to," Hernandez said. "There is no state of law. Cubans have no way to defend themselves against any breach of their rights." VOA contacted the Cuban Embassy in Madrid and the government's International Press Center in Havana for a response about the findings by ICLEP. No one responded to the requests for comment. Journalist Henry Constantin says his access to the internet was cut suddenly after La Hora de Cuba, the media site for which he works, began criticizing the Cuban government. La Hora de Cuba publishes through Facebook and Instagram and is not aligned to the communist government. Its team of around 15 journalists has an audience of between 46,000 and 48,000 on social media. Constantin, who edits the site, says censorship of journalists' telephone lines or internet access is designed to curb free speech. "Last November when I started to publish reports which were very critical of the government, my access to the internet was cut in Camaguey," he said, referring to the central Cuban city where he is based. "I was able to access the internet when I was in Havana through a different number, so it was a local censorship." Hernandez said the government controls all access to "digital expression." Havana controls the Cuban telecommunications company ETECSA, which has a monopoly on digital communications on the island. This monopoly represents a paradox for the Cuban government. Access to the network for users represents a threat to Havana and an instrument of control for authorities. With that control, said Hernandez, authorities can easily "cut communication in general at historically important moments or significant times for Cuban society, or when something is happening in the island of interest to Cuban society." That appears to be the case with Constantin. In 2021, he was held in custody for 10 days for public disorder after reporting on demonstrations against the Cuban government and the Communist Party over food shortages and medicinal problems. ICLEP has documented digital harassment since 2016. The worst year was 2021, when ICLEP documented 1,129 violations of freedom of expression. This coincided with the protests against the Cuban government and Communist Party, which were the biggest since the 1959 revolution. Prisoners Defenders International, a Madrid-based opposition group, said eavesdropping on journalists or opposition activists was long practiced by the communist government. "Until they had wi-fi in Cuba, an activist had to speak in private, and this was only possible in European embassies and in other countries which had solidarity with the opposition," said Javier Larrondo, president of Prisoners Defenders. "In some cases, they had a foreign telephone which cost a lot to make calls inside or outside Cuba, but they had less possibilities to be listened into." Larrondo said the SMS message service has an automatic system of "sensitive words" in Cuba. If an opposition activist types a word into their device, he said, "it can be picked up by an operator at the state telecommunications company, which has access to that message within 10 minutes." Describing the SMS system as "especially insecure in Cuba," Larrondo said users did not have the security of private messaging until the arrival of WhatsApp, Telegram and VPN. "Before the arrival of WhatsApp, we had to speak in code or [use] slang. Without a doubt, this way of speaking weakened the dissident movement and its capabilities." Using encrypted services and other precautions is not always enough. When journalists or opposition activists are arrested, their telephones are always seized and the memory analyzed by experts. This means that they must take extra care not to let their telephones fall into the hands of government agencies or the police, Larrondo said. "As such, it is essential never to go out with a mobile phone but to leave it at home, hidden. Or to go out with a second telephone without memory," he said. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address U.S. Senior Official for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Pak's Video Conference with People's Republic of China (PRC) Special Representative on Korean Peninsula Affairs Liu US Department of State Media Note Office of the Spokesperson February 23, 2024 U.S. Senior Official for the DPRK Dr. Jung Pak held a videoconference on February 21 with PRC Special Representative on Korean Peninsula Affairs Liu Xiaoming to discuss the DPRK's increasingly destabilizing and escalatory behavior and its deepening military cooperation with Russia. The two sides discussed the need to maintain peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and the importance of returning to dialogue and diplomacy. They also discussed the growing military cooperation between Russia and the DPRK, which is in violation of numerous UN Security Council resolutions. This meeting follows Secretary Blinken's February 16 meeting with PRC Director of the CCP Central Foreign Affairs Commission and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the margins of the Munich Security Conference, where the two sides exchanged views on the situation on the Korean Peninsula and affirmed the importance of continued communications on DPRK issues at all levels. Senior Official Pak stressed the need for all UN Member States to fulfill their obligations and fully implement the UN sanctions regime on the DPRK. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Readout of President Biden's Call with President Macron of France February 23, 2024 President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. spoke this afternoon with President Emmanuel Macron of France. The two leaders discussed a range of bilateral and global issues, including Russia's destabilizing actions, support for Ukraine ahead of the two year anniversary of Russia's invasion, and the need for Congress to pass funding for Ukraine. They also discussed developments in the Middle East. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Raksha Mantri & Netherlands Defence Minister discuss ways to expand bilateral cooperation during talks in New Delhi India - Press Information Bureau Ministry of Defence Both countries to work together to enhance maritime security in Indian Ocean Region Dutch Original Equipment Manufacturers could be encouraged to integrate Indian vendors into their supply chains: Shri Rajnath Singh Posted On: 23 FEB 2024 12:17PM by PIB Delhi Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh held a bilateral meeting with the Netherlands Defence Minister Ms Kajsa Ollongren in New Delhi on February 23, 2024. Both Ministers discussed the possibilities for expanding their bilateral defence cooperation, particularly in maritime and industrial domains. They noted the increased interaction between the two Navies and expressed keenness to work together to enhance maritime security in the Indian Ocean Region. The Raksha Mantri suggested that Dutch Original Equipment Manufacturers could be encouraged to integrate Indian vendors into their supply chains. India has developed a vibrant innovation and industrial eco-system. Given the Indian and Dutch complementarities in skills, technology and scale, both sides were in agreement to encourage more interactions between the defence industries, and in high-tech sectors of semi-conductors and clean energy. The Netherlands Defence Minister is attending the Raisina Dialogue in New Delhi. *** ABB/Savvy (Release ID: 2008278) NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Amir-Abdollahian: Iran, Pakistan need to follow up and implement recent security agreements Iran Press TV Friday, 23 February 2024 4:54 PM Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian says Iran and Pakistan need to follow up and implement the recent agreements reached between the two countries to broaden security and anti-terror cooperation. In a phone conversation on Friday, the Iranian foreign minister and his Pakistani counterpart Jalil Abbas Jilani discussed mutual relations and the latest developments in the region. During a visit by the top Iranian diplomat to Islamabad late in January, the two countries agreed to improve political and security cooperation to confront terrorism. Amir-Abdollahian further hailed the successful national election in Pakistan and expressed hope that the country's new prime minister and cabinet will be introduced soon with the formation of the parliament. Jilani, for his part, pointed to Iran's important position in Pakistan's foreign policy and expressed hope that Iranian President Ebrahim Raeisi would pay a visit to Islamabad soon. The Pakistani foreign minister welcomed Iran's proposal to hold an emergency meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to put an end to Israel's genocidal war against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iran security forces bust terrorist network in Isfahan province Iran Press TV Friday, 23 February 2024 3:52 PM Iranian security forces have busted a terrorist network in the central province of Isfahan, arresting 21 terrorists and counterrevolutionary people, authorities have said. Asadollah Jafari, Chief Justice of Isfahan Province, said on Friday that eight terrorists were arrested in the province ahead of ceremonies to commemorate the 45th anniversary of the glorious victory of Iran's Islamic Revolution in February. In line with the fight against terrorists and counterrevolutionary groups, intelligence forces in Isfahan detained 13 terrorists and seized large amounts of ammunition and weapons, including 55 hand-made bombs, he added. The official noted that enemies have been making their utmost efforts to harm the Iranian nation in recent years but it enjoys endurable peace thanks to vigilance of the security forces. Jafari said Iranian security forces are trying hard to fight all types of terrorism, acts of sabotage and organized thugs and counter cyber attacks and any threat against the country's security as well as safeguard ethnic and religious groups. Back in January, Iranian Judiciary authorities executed four people convicted of working for the Israeli Mossad spy agency and plotting a bomb attack against a Defense Ministry factory in the country's central province of Isfahan. They were planning to carry out a bombing operation against an installation in Najafabad city, which is manufacturing military equipment and missile components for the Defense Ministry, on July 23, 2022. However, they were identified and captured by the Iranian intelligence forces a few days before the plotted act of terror. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iran hands down protest note to Kuwaiti ambassador over Arash gas field Iran Press TV Friday, 23 February 2024 9:18 AM A senior Iranian diplomat gave a protest note to Kuwait's ambassador to Tehran over the country's "one-sided" statements on the Arash natural gas field, which Iran shares with its southwestern neighbor. Mohammad Alibek, an assistant to Iran's foreign minister and the head of the ministry's Persian Gulf Department, handed the note to the Kuwaiti envoy Badr Abdullah al-Munikh on Thursday evening, expressing Tehran's dissatisfaction with Kuwait City's approach. "Making one-sided claims in various statements and through media undoubtedly cannot be a step forward to resolve the issue, and will not establish any rights for the party uttering such assertions," Alibek said. The Iranian diplomat added that Tehran thinks that a cooperative and respectful environment, rather than one-sided assertions, could lead to an agreement on the matter. Alibek also stressed Iran's willingness to begin a new round of talks with the Kuwaiti government to find a mutually agreeable solution to the Arash field dispute. Munikh, meanwhile, referred to the long-standing and friendly relations between Kuwait and Iran, and highlighted his country's determination to enhance ties with its northeastern neighbor. The Kuwaiti ambassador also said he would convey the protest to his government and provide Iran with a response. Earlier this month, Iran reminded Kuwait that unilateral claims on the Arash natural gas field would obstruct the settlement of a territorial dispute over the energy reservoir on the basis of mutual interests. In a statement on February 14, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kan'ani said Tehran has always emphasized that the Arash field row should be resolved through dialogue based on the previous negotiations of experts. He added that Iran "believes that an agreement on this issue can be reached in an atmosphere of cooperation and respect for common interests." A joint statement issued on February 13 by Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Mishal al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah and Bahrain's King Hamad bin Issa Al Khalifah claimed that the gas field is located entirely within the maritime borders of Kuwait and that its natural resources are shared between Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. The dispute over the Arash gas field, which Kuwaitis call al-Durra, dates back to the 1960s when Iran and Kuwait were awarded overlapping offshore concessions for the field following its discovery. The dispute has seen several cycles of claims and counter-claims by the parties involved, becoming a key sticking point in relations between the three Persian Gulf neighbors. The field is estimated to hold 20 trillion cubic feet of gas reserves, which could produce one billion cubic feet per day. Nearly 40% of the Arash gas field is located in Iranian waters. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iran Tries To Tighten Grip On Internet By Officially Outlawing VPN Use By RFE/RL's Radio Farda February 23, 2024 Iran has officially outlawed the use of tools such as virtual private networks (VPNs) designed to bypass Internet censorship following a directive from the country's Supreme Council of Cyberspace that was endorsed by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The secretary of the council, Mohammad Amin Aqamiri, announced the enforcement of the decree, which was initially approved by Khamenei, signaling a significant move to control Internet access within the country. Under the new regulation, the use of VPN tools is banned unless explicitly authorized by authorities, further tightening the government's grip on Internet access. Iran has long faced criticism for its extensive Internet restrictions, with many citizens relying on VPNs to access blocked content including social media and instant messaging platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Reddit, and WhatsApp, as well as many streaming websites such as HBO, YouTube, and Netflix. Local media reports have also surfaced suggesting that elements within the government or its affiliates have profited from the VPN trade, raising questions about the motives behind the crackdown. The specifics of how the government plans to enforce the ban or grant exceptions remain unclear, adding to the uncertainty surrounding digital usage in Iran. Communications technology expert Mohammad Keshvari said that the prohibition of VPNs is "not new, but the latest decree fails to clarify the consequences for those who defy it." He added that, from a technical viewpoint, completely preventing VPN use is not feasible. The criminalization of VPN use was notably absent from the decree, which analysts said reflects the legislative duties of the parliament, which had previously removed such provisions from proposed legislation. Iran has come under international scrutiny over its digital repression, with a report from Freedom House marking the country as having the worst decline in Internet freedom globally in 2023. Iran was home to 2023's sharpest drop in online access and freedom, the report said, as authorities shut down Internet service, blocked the WhatsApp and Instagram social media apps, and increased surveillance during a crackdown on anti-government protests last year sparked by the death of a young woman -- 22-year-old Mahsa Amini -- while in police custody. The situation underscores the ongoing tensions between government control and digital rights in Iran, posing significant challenges for access to information and freedom of expression within the country. Written by Ardeshir Tayebi based on an original story in Persian by RFE/RL's Radio Farda Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-vpn-banned-internet- restrictions/32832544.html Copyright (c) 2024. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address In 2023, Chinese President Xi Jinping introduced the Global Civilization Initiative (GCI), garnering significant attention worldwide. To foster mutual respect and harmonious coexistence among different civilizations, promote cultural exchanges as a conduit for international friendship, progress, and peace, Guangming Daily and the Chinese Academy of Cyberspace Studies jointly launched this Call for Papers under the theme"Global Civilization Initiative and Mutual Learning among Civilizations". We invite experts and scholars from think tanks, research institutions, colleges and universities to share their insights about the topic with a view to telling well the China Story and advancing the building of a community with a shared future for mankind. I. Theme: Global Civilization Initiative and Mutual Learning among Civilizations. II. Recommended Topics: Drawing on personal experiences, observations, and theoretical research, contributors are encouraged to explore the following: 1. The contemporary value and ideological significance of GCI and exchanges between civilizations, encompassing the diversity of civilizations, common values of humanity, inheritance and innovation of civilizations, and international people-to-people exchanges and cooperation, highlighting the spirit of mutual respect, exchanges, symbiosis and mutual learning. 2. Chinese modernization as a new manifestation of human civilization. 3. Practicing the GCI to empower the building of a community with a shared future for mankind from a cultural perspective. III. Requirements: 1. Essay should be original, and align closely with the theme with in-depth theoretical analysis. 2. Arguments should be cogent, articulate, logically coherent and accessible to readers from diverse cultural backgrounds. 3. Must contain a minimum of 2,000 words. 4. Written in either Chinese or English. IV. Selection and Publication: 1. All essays collected are subject to review by an expert panel. 2. Selected essays will be published in Guangming Daily, Chinese Journal of Cyberspace, and GMW.cn. 3. Outstanding contributions will be complied for publication overseas. V. Contribution details: 1. Submission period: February 25 May 31, 2024. 2. Acceptable in MS Word format at the email address of zhengwen@gmw.cn with the subject line "GCI and Mutual Learning among Civilizations" Call for Paper. Please indicate the contributor's name, affiliation, position (title), email address and other contact information. 3. Submission channels: Email: zhengwen@gmw.cn Postal address: International Communication Department of GMW.cn, No. 5 Zhushikou East Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing, China. Postal Code: 100062. Contact Information: Tel: 010-58926308 (GMW.cn), 010-55624939 (Chinese Academy of Cyberspace Studies). Guangming Daily; Chinese Academy of Cyberspace Studies February 24, 2024 Attachment: Annotation Examples 1. Monograph Robert O. Keohane and Joseph S. Nye, Power and Interdependence:World Politics in Transition, BostonLittle Brown Company, 1997, p.33. 2. Academic paper Tim Dunne, "New Thinking on International Society,"British Journal of Politics and International Relations, Vol.3, No.2, 2001, pp.223-244. 3. Opinion Columns and Editorials Henry A. Kissinger.M Nixon's Key Adviser on Defense,The New York Times,December 3, 1968. 4. Information online Indicate the author's name (if possible), the title of the article, the URL, and the time of access, for example: "Excellent Cases of Joining Hands for a Community of Shared Future in Cyberspace", People's Daily Online.http://finance.people.com.cn/n1/2022/1110/c1004-32563325.html, Feb 9, 2023. Editor: WXL Hacktivist Group Publishes Leaked Documents Showing Iran's Judiciary Targeting Journalists By RFE/RL's Radio Farda February 23, 2024 Documents leaked by the hacktivist group Edalat-e Ali (Ali's Justice) appear to show clandestine actions against journalists of Persian-language media operating outside of Iran, including those affiliated with RFE/RL's Radio Farda, by the Iranian judiciary. The leaked documents list 44 journalists and media activists who have been targeted for allegedly undermining the regime. The findings were part of a broader expose by the hacker group -- which released more than 3 million documents -- shedding light on the judicial proceedings conducted in secrecy within Branch 26 of the Islamic Revolutionary Court in Tehran. "In this hack, we infiltrated the court case management system and managed to access millions of documents and files," the group said in a post on Telegram where many of the documents were posted. Edalat-e Ali says it is composed of Iranians living and working inside Iran and its intent is to expose alleged human rights abuses in the country while seeking the release of political prisoners. It added that the documents "reveal the true face of the Islamic republic." The hack was done "with the aim of exposing the crimes of the regime against the oppressed people of Iran and with the help of our dear compatriots," the group said. With regard to the documents revealing the actions aimed at the media, the disclosure highlights the judiciary's secretive issuance of rulings against journalists accused of engaging in "propaganda against the Islamic republic." The group said that under the stewardship of Judge Iman Afshari, Branch 26 has been pivotal in adjudicating cases against a broad spectrum of individuals, from political dissidents to cultural figures, especially in the aftermath of the 2022 protests triggered by the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman who was arrested for allegedly wearing her mandatory hijab improperly. The documents show the judiciary targeted personnel from Radio Farda and journalists associated with other prominent Persian-language outlets, including BBC Persian, Voice of America, Iran International, Manoto TV, and the GEM satellite network. Analysts say the leak underscores the Iranian judiciary's long-standing practice of leveraging legal actions as a mechanism to silence opposition, a strategy that has seen mixed results in quelling dissent or curtailing the activities of journalists and civil society activists. It also reveals the state's approach to various issues, from the enforcement of the mandatory hijab to the suppression of widespread protests in 2022, they said, adding the documents further corroborate the judiciary's susceptibility to influence from security and intelligence entities, casting a shadow over its independence and impartiality. International human rights organizations have consistently ranked Iran as one of the world's top oppressors of journalists and free speech. In December 2022, Iran's Foreign Ministry placed sanctions on several individuals and entities in the European Union, including RFE/RL's Persian-language Radio Farda. The sanctions include visa bans, prohibiting the listed individuals from entering Iran, and the seizure of their assets within territories under the jurisdiction of the Islamic republic. Written by Ardeshir Tayebi based on an original story in Persian by RFE/RL's Radio Farda Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-judiciary-hack-targeting- journalists/32831893.html Copyright (c) 2024. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Junta ramps up guest list inspections in Yangon and Mandalay Residents say checks have become regular since the enactment of the conscription law. By RFA Burmese 2024.02.23 -- Authorities in Myanmar's largest cities Yangon and Mandalay have ramped up housing checks in the two weeks since the junta enacted the country's military conscription law and are arresting any guests who have failed to register, residents said Friday. The military has suffered heavy losses on the battlefield in recent months - most notably in western Rakhine state, where the ethnic Arakan Army ended a ceasefire in November and has since gone on to capture six townships. On Feb. 10, the junta enacted the People's Military Service Law, sending draft-eligible civilians fleeing from Myanmar's cities. They say they would rather leave the country or join anti-junta forces in remote border areas than fight for the military, which seized power in a 2021 coup d'etat. RFA Burmese has since received reports of recruitment roundups and arrests of young people, despite pledges from authorities that the law will not be enforced until April. Residents said that in the past two weeks, authorities in Yangon and Mandalay have been strictly enforcing the Guest List Law, which mandates either seven days' imprisonment or a fine of 10,000 kyats (US$5) for those who fail to register. On Feb. 17, junta security personnel arrested three men in their 20s who were living in Yangon to assist in the care of patients at a hospital in Kayan township, according to a close friend who, like others interviewed for this report, declined to be named due to security concerns. "Family members asked the township police station [what happened to them], but [the police] said that they did not arrest them, and that the arrest was made by the army," the friend said. "Then, the families went to the [township] gymnasium where the army was temporarily stationed, but they were not allowed to enter," he said. "They've been unable to contact them." The friend did not disclose the identities of the young men who were arrested in order to protect their families from reprisal. But he said the arrest was part of a pattern emerging in Yangon, as authorities have stepped up inspections on people from out of town since the Feb. 10 announcement. Male dormitories targeted One area of Yangon that has come under scrutiny for guest list checks is Kamaryut township, where many students are living in hostels, a resident said. "Male dormitories undergo more frequent inspections," he said, adding that the guest registration process has become more rigorous. "Now, in addition to providing guest details, you must also include a picture of the guest. Many residents of the neighborhood are attaching passport-sized photos to the guest list." According to township "scout groups" formed to spy on the activities of junta troops and police, there were at least 10 arrests of individuals not registered on guest lists in Kamaryut from Feb. 12-22. But members of the groups said they were unable to confirm whether those arrested had since been released or remain in custody. Based on information compiled by RFA, authorities in the Yangon townships of Sanchaung, Ahlone, Botahtaung, Hlaing, Tamwe, Pazundaung, and Thaketa have carried out guest list inspections at least 12 times from Feb. 13-22. The number of inspections is likely higher than what RFA was able to document, but there have been no reported arrests. Mandalay checks RFA has also received reports of authorities arresting out-of-towners in Mandalay. On Feb. 13, junta troops arrested four students from Kan Htu Ma village, in Sagaing region's Taze township, during an inspection at the Tada-U checkpoint in Mandalay, according to a source with ties to their families. Zaw Zaw Aung, 23, Kaung Htet Soe, 24, Thwin Soe Tun, 23, and Tin Htut Win, 24, had recently completed courses in the city in preparation for travel to South Korea, the source said. "Their parents are overwhelmed with sadness. They never anticipated being confronted with such a situation," the source said. "While returning to the village after their exams, this happened ... and no one has been able to contact them. The reason [for their arrest] remains unknown." A resident of Mandalay told RFA that guest lists are checked "nearly every day" in areas with "a high concentration of grassroots communities," including the townships of Aung Myay Thar Zan, Maha Aung Myay, Pyi Gyi Tagon, and Patheingyi. "There are constant checks there," he said. "They involve police, soldiers, firefighters, administrators, and officials from immigration as well." As a result of the increased scrutiny, businesses regularly close early and "no one ventures out after 8 pm," other residents said. Attempts by RFA to contact junta spokesman Major Gen. Zaw Min Tun for comment on the increase in guest list checks went unanswered Friday, but in a statement carried by state media on Feb. 16, he characterized the inspections as part of "public safety measures." "Those without a guest list or household list, or cannot produce them ... are subject to legal action," he said, adding that authorities will release anyone detained "if there is a valid reason," although he did not elaborate on what would qualify as "valid." Thailand arrests Enactment of the conscription law has had a spillover effect on neighboring Thailand, where Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin warned in a statement on Monday that people entering the country illegally would be prosecuted and that security agencies had been alerted to Myanmar nationals fleeing conscription. Thar Gyi, the managing director of the migrant workers monitoring group K.T.G. Helping Hands, told RFA on Friday that "around 300" Myanmar nationals have been arrested in Thailand's Tak province over the past two weeks. "Illegal migration has continuously occurred at the border these days," he said, adding that "more than 20" illegal migrants were arrested in the Thai border town of Mae Sot on Thursday night alone. "Verification for travel documents has been suspended in Mae Sot ... and more and more people are being arrested as they try to enter Thailand illegally." Those who have crossed into Thailand legally have also faced close inspection by Thai police, a 21-year old Burmese who arrived in Mae Sot on Feb. 21 told RFA. A resident of Myanmar's Myawaddy region who had traveled across the border into Tak province since the enactment of the Military Service Law said that Thai authorities are allowing legal visitors to stay in Mae Sot for one week, after which they are deemed "illegal residents" and forcibly returned. Visitors are also required to have a "guarantor" to ensure that they don't overstay their time in Thailand. Homeowners in Tak have also been instructed to "report a mandatory guest list" within 24 hours of a guest's arrival to Thai immigration authorities, said Moe Gyo, the chairman of the Joint Action Committee on Myanmar People's Affairs. "It seems that Myanmar's military regime and Thailand's quasi-military government are working closely and harmoniously," he said. "The practices of Myanmar's authorities have likely spread to their neighbors." Moe Gyo said that in his 20 years of experience working in Tak, there had never been a mandatory guest report for any of the province's nine townships. Those who fail to report a guest list face imprisonment for up to one month or a cash fine of 5,000-10,000 baht (US$140-280), he said. Attempts by RFA to contact the Thai Embassy in Yangon via email received no response by the time of publishing. Translated by Kalyar Lwin and Aung Naing. Edited by Joshua Lipes and Malcolm Foster. Copyright 1998-2024, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036. For any commercial use of RFA content please send an email to: mahajanr@rfa.org. RFA content February not be used in a manner which would give the appearance of any endorsement of any product or support of any issue or political position. Please read the full text of our Terms of Use. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Telephone call between the Foreign Ministers of Pakistan and Iran Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani received a telephone call from the Foreign Minister of Iran, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, today. Iranian Foreign Minister, on behalf of the leadership and people of Iran, congratulated the caretaker government on the successful conduct of Pakistan's parliamentary elections 2024. FM Jilani deeply appreciated the warm wishes from the brotherly people of Iran. Reflecting on close fraternal ties between the governments as well as peoples of Pakistan and Iran, the two Foreign Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthen bilateral cooperation across all areas of mutual interest. Since the visit of the Iranian Foreign Minister to Pakistan earlier this month, the two countries have fully restored official engagements. Islamabad 23 February 2024 43/2024 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address European Union ramps up sanctions against Russia Republic of Estonia - Ministry of Foreign Affairs 23.02.2024 On 23 February, the European Union adopted a new package of sanctions to step up and reinforce restrictive measures against Russia. It is one of the most substantial packages of individual sanctions imposed since the start of the full-scale war, with nearly 200 individuals and entities added to the sanctions list. Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said defence industry companies and their managers, companies connected to weapons shipments from North Korea, Defence Minister of North Korea Kang Sun-nam and individuals responsible for deporting Ukrainian children were added to the sanctions list. 194 names were added to the list of individual sanctions, which means that asset freezes and bans on entering the EU apply to more than 2100 individuals and companies in total. 27 companies from Russia, continental China, TArkiye, Thailand, India, Kazakhstan, Sri Lanka, Hong Kong and Serbia, which facilitate the production of drones in Russia, were added to the list of tighter export controls. "We have done a lot for Ukraine in these past two years and offered comprehensive support, including historic military and political assistance, and imposed sanctions on 60% of trade with Russia," Tsahkna said. "However, this means that we still have 40% of EU trade to go to stop funding Russia's bloody war machine. We can and must do more." Tsahkna added that exchanges over imposing new sanctions are already underway. "There will be no flexibility or return to normal relations before Ukraine has won and the damage caused to Ukraine has been compensated." The 13th package of sanctions also imposes an export ban on drone components used by Russia to continue its aggression in Ukraine. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Greetings on Defender of the Fatherland Day February 23, 2024 00:00 President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Comrades, friends, I congratulate veterans, active military and civilian personnel of the Armed Forces and all who have served in the military on Defender of the Fatherland Day. This holiday is one of the most revered in Russia. It has been a national holiday for a long time already and is always celebrated widely throughout the country, in all communities and families, every city and village. And everyone understands the great significance of military service and has enormous respect for our military personnel, for everyone who stands by the Motherland and defends its interests, the security of its citizens, the sovereignty and independence of Russia. We are proud of our army and navy - their unwavering, undaunted character forged in the heat of battle, their loyalty to the Russian military school, the legacy of great commanders, and the experience of many generations of Russian soldiers. In Russia, defenders of the Fatherland enjoy the sincere love of the nation, and devotion to the Fatherland, the sacred duty to protect it and to defend every inch of our land have always been and remain our most important, incontrovertible values. On this holiday, we pay our deepest respects to our heroic fathers, grandfathers and great-grandfathers who crushed Nazism, we take out the military orders and medals, photographs and letters from frontline soldiers, say a heartfelt thank you and warmly embrace our dear veterans. We will always remember that it was the Soviet people who defended the freedom of Russia, all of Europe and the entire world. Russian soldiers and officers are honourably carrying on these glorious military traditions. Today it is the participants of the special military operation who are on the frontlines. You fight for truth and justice; you show courage and valour in defence of Russia. You are true national heroes. We are proud of you, we admire your courage, we honour your exploits. We know it is difficult for you, and we will do everything possible to help you complete the mission you have been assigned. Thank you for valiantly performing your military duty, and for your faithful and selfless service to the Fatherland. Comrades, There are many alarming challenges and risks in the modern world, but the powerful capabilities and combat readiness of our army and navy guarantee Russia's security and its free, sovereign development. Incorporating our real combat experience, we will continue to strengthen the Armed Forces in every possible way, including ongoing re-equipping and modernisation efforts. Today, the share of modern weapons and equipment in the strategic nuclear forces has already reached 95 percent, while the naval component of the "nuclear triad" is at almost 100 percent. We have begun serial production of new Zircon hypersonic missiles. Trials of other offensive systems are nearing completion. Last December, new strategic submarines were added to the navy. Just the other day in Kazan, four Tu-160M aamissile carriers were transferred to the Armed Forces. In the general-purpose forces, we will also strive to keep the share of modern weapons and vehicles as high as possible. To repeat, this work is being carried out systematically and consistently. In recent years, defence industry enterprises have increased the production and supply of the most popular weapons multiple times over, primarily high-precision strike weapons and unmanned aerial vehicles of various types, tanks, armored vehicles, artillery, as well as air defence systems, counter-battery systems, and communications and reconnaissance equipment. Next to come is the development and serial production of promising prototypes and the introduction of artificial intelligence technologies in the military sector. The priority tasks include improving combat proficiency, advanced skills, the coordinated actions of our units and formations, and the training of commanders at all levels. A strong source of support here is those sergeants and officers who have proven themselves in battle, heroically fighting on land, in the air and at sea. True commanders, brave and decisive, they lead their soldiers. The future of our army and navy lies with them. Dear friends, The country, all citizens of Russia believe in the strength and reliability of our defenders and know that you are always on duty, always safeguarding the interests and security of our Fatherland. I wish you good health and new successes for the benefit of the Motherland. And of course, my warmest greetings to your families and friends, those who love you and wait for you, who support you in life and in service. Happy Defender of the Fatherland Day! NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US announces 500 new sanctions against Russia Iran Press TV Friday, 23 February 2024 4:45 PM The administration of US President Joe Biden has announced a fresh wave of economic sanctions against Russia ahead of the second anniversary of the country's "special military operation" in Ukraine. The Treasury Department announced on Friday that it will impose 500 new sanctions on Moscow, which will notably target the Mir credit card system, set up by Russia to avoid reliance on US-based networks. The department also said it was targeting investment funds and regional banks to target "Russia's core financial infrastructure." Biden said in a statement that the sanctions will make Russian President Vladimir Putin pay a "steeper price" for what he called "aggression abroad and repression at home." "We are also imposing new export restrictions on nearly 100 entities for providing backdoor support for Russia's war machine." By the announcement of the new sanctions, Washington is also trying to reassure Ukraine of its unwavering support, as political tensions in the US have delayed the delivery of a military aid package to Kiev. The White House's $60 billion package for Ukraine has been reportedly approved by the Senate but is still waiting for a final congressional vote. US media reports revealed Monday that the Biden administration is prepared to send long-range tactical missiles to Ukraine if Congress approves the new funding package. The latest sanctions also come in part in response to the death of Russian opposition figure Alexey Navalny last week in a Siberian prison. The West blames the Kremlin for his death. Moscow, however, said the West's reaction to Novelty's death was "unacceptable" and "hysterical." Earlier on Friday, the European Council announced that the 27 EU member states, in addition to the United Kingdom, had agreed with the 13th package of sanctions against Russia. Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the EU's "fruitless" sanctions, noting that the measures aim to mount pressure on Russia through "unilateral restrictive measures." The ministry, in its Friday statement, described the move as "illegal", noting the sanctions undermine the international prerogatives of the UN Security Council. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address 'Fruitless, illegal': Russia slams EU's 13th package of sanctions Iran Press TV Friday, 23 February 2024 3:47 PM Moscow has condemned as "illegal" and "fruitless" a fresh package of sanctions the European Union adopted against the country on Friday. The European Council said in a press release on Friday that the 27 EU member states, in addition to the United Kingdom, had agreed with the 13th package of sanctions against Russia. The new sanctions targeting 106 individuals and 88 entities take effect as Moscow's special military operation in eastern Ukraine enters its third year this Saturday. The latest measures, consisting of asset freezes and a travel ban, primarily target the military and defense sectors, along with associated individuals, as well as members of the judiciary. Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the EU's "fruitless" sanctions, noting that the measures aim to mount pressure on Russia through "unilateral restrictive measures." The ministry, in its Friday statement, described the move as "illegal", noting the sanctions undermine the international prerogatives of the UN Security Council. It said Moscow, in retaliation, had decided to expand its list of representatives of European institutions and EU member states who were banned from entering Russia. The Russian Foreign Ministry warned that any unfriendly actions by these countries will receive a timely and adequate response from Moscow. Since the start of the Ukraine war in February 2022, Brussels has been slapping sanctions on Russia, targeting a broad range of sectors and include trade embargoes, travel bans, and individual sanctions against Russian businessmen and public officials. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Navalny's Mother Given Three Hours To Agree To Secretly Bury Him, Associate Says By RFE/RL's Russian Service and Current Time February 23, 2024 Russia's Investigative Committee gave Aleksei Navalny's mother an ultimatum that she immediately agree to bury his body without a public ceremony or they would inter him on a site at the Arctic prison where he died a week ago, Kira Yarmysh, the former press secretary of the Kremlin critic, said in a statement. Yarmysh said an official from the Investigative Committee called Lyudmila Navalnaya around 5 p.m. Moscow time and said that, if she didn't agree to the ultimatum within three hours, her son's body would be buried at the so-called "Arctic Wolf" correctional colony. Yarmysh said Navalnaya refused to negotiate with the official, saying the Investigative Committee had no legal right to decide where and how her son should be buried. Navalnaya wants to hold a funeral and farewell ceremony in accordance with traditions, Yarmysh wrote. RFE/RL could not immediately verify whether an ultimatum had been given. Neither the prison authorities nor the Investigative Committee have publicly commented on the matter. Russian law states that authorities must turn over a body to family members within two days after the cause of death is officially established. Yarmysh said Navalnaya demanded that the authorities adhere to the law and release her son's body by February 24, when the two-day period expires. A day earlier, Lyudmila Navalnaya said in a video posted to social media that investigators had allowed her to see her son's body late on February 21 in the Arctic city of Salekhard, but refused to hand it over for burial. Navalnaya said she signed her son's death certificate. Family and friends have said that Russian President Vladimir Putin is responsible for Navalny's death. His wife, Yulia Navalnaya, said Putin murdered her husband. 'Proper Farewell' Navalnaya said she wants her son's burial to be public so that all his supporters can bid a proper farewell to the anti-corruption crusader. Navalnaya has been trying to get access to her son's body since his death in the harsh Arctic penitentiary was announced on February 16. Prison officials said the 47-year-old died after he collapsed while on a daily walk outside of his cell. On February 21, Navalnaya filed a lawsuit in a Russian court demanding the release of her son's body. A closed-door hearing into the complaint is scheduled for March 4, which roughly coincides with the time frame authorities have said they need to perform "chemical forensics" on Navalny's body. Rights groups and Navalny's associates have accused authorities of holding the body to allow them to hide the cause of death. Earlier on February 23, Navalny's associates published video statements of many leading Russian public figures urging authorities to immediately release Navalny's body. The group included 2021 Nobel Peace Prize Dmitry Muratov, prominent Latvian-American ballet dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov, a founding member of the Pussy Riot protest group, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, writers Mikhail Zygar and Viktor Shenderovich, historian Tamara Eidelman, television journalist Tatyana Lazareva, popular rock musician Andrei Makarevich, rapper Noize MC (Ivan Alekseyev), businessman Yevgeny Chichvarkin, and many other noted public figures, nearly all of whom are living in exile. Ivan Zhdanov, the former head of Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation, said in an interview with Current Time on February 23 that the authorities are refusing to hand over the Kremlin critic's body above all else to hide evidence of his murder. But he also said they fear a public funeral will attract a "massive" crowd of Navalny supporters who come, flowers in hand, to say their last goodbyes. "They don't want to see it, they don't want it to happen," Zhdanov said. Mikhail Khodorkovsky, a self-exiled leading Russian opposition figure, agreed with that assessment, saying a public funeral could trigger "large-scale confrontations" between Navalny supporters and law enforcement. "The authorities do not want people to grasp how many of them oppose Putin. The main task of Putin's propaganda is to convince people that if they are against Putin, they are on the margins," the former oil tycoon said in a February 23 interview with Current Time, the Russian-language network run by RFE/RL in cooperation with VOA. "If people see that there are really a lot of them...then the situation can change in seconds," he said. Navalny was Russia's most popular opposition leader with a large, dedicated following around the country. He had organized some of the biggest public protests in Russia since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Tens of thousands of citizens would heed his calls to demonstrate against Putin's rule despite the threat of arrest. In 2013, Navalny ran for mayor of Moscow, the nation's capital and largest city, receiving more than a quarter of the vote despite censorship by state television. Foreign Pressure Diplomatic pressure on Moscow continues to mount over Navalny's death as well. The United States and the European Union on February 23 announced fresh sanctions on Russia in retaliation for Navalny's death ahead of the second anniversary of Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24. U.S. President Joe Biden has announced a fresh package of more than 500 sanctions against Russia to "ensure [Russian President Vladimir ] Putin pays an even steeper price for his aggression abroad and repression at home." Washington said it was imposing export restrictions on nearly 100 entities that are helping Russia to evade trade sanctions and are "providing backdoor support for Russia's war machine." Biden's announcement came after the European Union announced its 13th package of sanctions against Russia. targeting the country's defense industry and slapping asset freezes and travel bans on 106 individuals and 88 organizations. Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-navalny-mother-burial- ultimatum/32832668.html Copyright (c) 2024. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address The Week In Russia: Aleksei Navalny: The Life And Death Of 'Putin's Prisoner' By Steve Gutterman February 23, 2024 Aleksei Navalny, President Vladimir Putin's most formidable opponent, has died in suspicious circumstances at an Arctic prison at the age of 47. His body has not yet been buried but his legacy is beginning to unfold, with his defiant widow taking up the mantle of his anti-Kremlin activism. Here are some of the key developments in Russia over the past week and some of the takeaways going forward. The Toad On The Oil Pipe On July 18, 2013, after a court sentenced him to five years in prison following a trial on embezzlement charges he dismissed as punishment for his opposition to President Vladimir Putin, Aleksei Navalny sent out a tweet. "OK. Don't be bored without me. And most important, don't be idle -- the toad won't jump off the oil pipe itself." The brief post mixed several elements of Navalny's public persona, using an upbeat tone to combine a sense of resignation about his own fate with a clear call for Russian to take peaceful action against Putin and allies, whom the opposition politician often described as a corrupt cabal clinging to power by sucking up Russia's oil riches for themselves. It's a message Navalny delivered countless times over more than a decade as the most prominent of Putin's opponents. But no more. Navalny died in a harsh Arctic prison last week, three years and one month after he was arrested upon return to his country following treatment for a near-fatal nerve-agent poisoning he blamed on Putin and the Federal Security Service (FSB). Navalny was 47 years old -- the age at which Putin, now 72, first became president. The Russan authorities have refused to release Navalny's body to his family a week after his death was announced on February 16, deepening suspicions raised by the fact that he had no obvious health problems and seemed to be in good spirits when he spoke at a court hearing by video link one day earlier. In a video she recorded on February 22, Navalny's mother, Lyudmila Navalnaya, said that the authorities want to bury his body in secret, without handing it over to her and without a funeral. "I don't agree with this. I want those of you who valued Aleksei and take his death as a personal tragedy to have the chance to say farewell to him," she said. Many supporters, Kremlin critics, and observers in Russia and abroad are certain that Navalny was killed by Putin and the state he heads, whether through mistreatment over his time behind bars or with a single fatal attack of some kind at the prison known as Polar Wolf. 'It Is Shameful To Surrender To Your Fear' Days after his death, the message Navalny had delivered over the years was repeated by his widow, Yulia Navalnaya, who vowed to take up the mantle and urged Russians to stand beside her. "I'll remind you of Aleksei's words.... 'It isn't shameful to do too little. It is shameful to do nothing. It is shameful to surrender to your fear,'" she said. Fear in the face of the state's actions against him and its spiraling clampdown on dissent across the country was something that Navalny, if he felt it, never showed in public. The state, on the other hand, seemed to show repeatedly that it feared him: that Putin saw Navalny as a threat to his grip on power. For one thing, there was the flip-flop by the authorities in 2013. After the embezzlement trial, Navalny was initially sentenced to five years in prison, which would have been his first long-term incarceration -- until then, he had spent many days and night in jails over street protests, but never been convicted of a major crime and sent to prison. Hours later, in a highly unusual reversal that followed sizable street protests over the verdict, Navalny was freed pending an appeal, and the sentence was later suspended -- evidence, many believed, that the Kremlin feared locking him up long-term would make him into a martyr. In the meantime, Navalny was able to run in the Moscow mayoral election and received more than 27 percent of the vote, according to the official count -- far less than the Kremlin-backed incumbent but a level of support that may have worried Putin by suggesting an alternative to his long rule. To supporters, that was perhaps the main thing Navalny represented: the idea that an alternative existed -- and might someday be within reach. The Kremlin took an array of steps to stifle that in several ways, from multiple prosecutions to the ruling that barred him from challenging Putin in the last presidential election. Not to mention the fact that Putin and his main spokesman avoided uttering Navalny's name in public. 'Putin Never Faced A More Serious Threat' To supporters and some analysts, the Kremlin's efforts to show Russians that Navalny was a minor figure belied its fear of him, and the increasingly dramatic accusations that prosecutors piled on him seemed to support that view. "It was cool among a certain class of pundits to pooh-pooh Navalny, to say he was never a serious threat," Sam Greene, a professor at the Kings Russia Institute in London, wrote in a thread on X, formerly Twitter, on February 17. "Let me put it this way: Putin never faced a more serious threat." Eventually, the Russian authorities apparently abandoned any qualms they may have had about putting Navalny away for years -- or getting rid of him forever. His poisoning in August 2020 stands out as a marker of a shift in the state's approach to Putin's most vocal foe, as does his arrest upon arrival in Moscow on January 17, 2021. Once he was detained at Sheremetyevo airport that day, Navalny never walked free again in Russia or anywhere else. At the time of his death, he was serving a 19-year sentence following an extremism conviction that came amid the intensified clampdown the state has imposed in conjunction with the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The outcome of the war could go a long way to shaping Navalny's legacy. If Russia prevails, those seeking to keep his cause alive may face an even steeper uphill climb. In an interview with RFE/RL, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg suggested that Navalny's death underscored the need to ensure that Putin's authoritarian rule does not go unchecked. "I strongly believe that the best way to honor the memory of Aleksei Navalny is to ensure that President Putin doesn't win on the battlefield, but that Ukraine prevails," Stoltenberg said in the interview on February 21. In his thread on X, Greene wrote that the main message Navalny leaves behind is one he repeated often: "Don't surrender." 'Those Who Are Needed The Most' "Navalny is not the first of Putin's political opponents to die. He will not likely be the last. But it is up to those who care to find a way -- any way -- to keep Russia's other political prisoners alive," wrote Greene, who also heads a democracy-support program at Center for European Policy Analysis in Washington. "The pressure must always be on." The prominent Russian human rights group Memorial, banned in its own country, says that Russia is currently holding 679 people the organization has designated as political prisoners. One of them is Vladmir Kara-Murza, who was arrested in April 2022 -- shortly after returning to Russia following a speech in the United States in which he accused the "dictatorial regime in the Kremlin" of committing "war crimes" in Ukraine -- and sentenced to 25 years in prison. In a post on Xon February 20, Kara-Murza wrote that while the circumstances of Navalny's death were not yet clear, Putin bears "personal responsibility -- because Aleksei was his personal prisoner." Kara-Murza wrote that there was little news about Navalny on the single-channel radio in his cell, and that he had heard a song by the Soviet-era bard Vladimir Vysotsky -- a folk hero whose ruggedly subversive lyrics spoke of pain, loss, and the harsh reality beneath the lies of the state. "Everyone comes back," goes one line quoted by Kara-Murza, "except those who are needed the most." Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-navalny- putins-prisoner/32832075.html Copyright (c) 2024. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Putin Fears Navalny Funeral Could Trigger Mass Demonstrations, Khodorkovsky Says By Igor Sevryugin February 23, 2024 The government of Russian President Vladimir Putin is likely refusing to release the body of opposition leader Aleksei Navalny, who died suspiciously in prison on February 16, because it fears a massive outpouring of grief and support just ahead of the March presidential election, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, a leading Russian opposition figure, said. "There could be large-scale confrontations in Moscow," the exiled former oil tycoon said in an interview with Current Time, the Russian-language network run by RFE/RL in cooperation with VOA. "The authorities do not want people to understand how many of them oppose Putin. The main task of Putin's propaganda is to convince people that if they are against Putin, they are on the margins.... If people see that there are really a lot of them...then the situation can change in seconds." Russian authorities have yet to release Navalny's body to his family, while his mother, Lyudmila Navalnaya, said on February 22 they were pressing her to hold a private funeral "without any farewell ceremonies." Khodorkovsky, who lives in London in exile and funds various projects aimed at promoting democracy in Russia, said that if Navalny's family rejected the government's demands, his body likely would not be released until after the March 17 presidential election, which the Kremlin hopes to use as a show of national unity in support of Putin and the ongoing full-scale invasion of Ukraine. A large show of support for Navalny would be "a very serious signal to the elite," Khodorkovsky told Current Time. Khodorkovsky described Navalny's widow, Yulia Navalnaya, who has pledged to continue her husband's work, as "a person who is acceptable to the majority of opposition leaders" and said he was ready to coordinate with her and "join forces in tackling certain issues." However, he said the democratic Russian opposition was too diverse to unite around a single figure "even the smartest, most brilliant, and best person imaginable." He added that Putin's government was "pushing us toward revolution" by replacing politics with government violence. "The more it uses violent methods and the harsher it is with the opposition, the greater the likelihood that the opposition will become radicalized and adopt responses that are rather harsh and radical," he said. "And after that, one should expect that Russia will become a democratic country. That is just objective reality." Khodorkovsky also urged the West not to recognize the legitimacy of the March presidential election and to deal with Putin from a position of strength. "The West's weakness gives Putin a free hand," he said, encouraging him to continue his aggression. "What can stop him is a show of force," he said. "If you have the power, show it. If you don't, then just wait until he kicks in your door." He said he believes adopting further sanctions against Russia would have little effect, but that existing sanctions need more rigorous enforcement. Many of the advanced weapons systems Russia is deploying in Ukraine contain Western-made components, he said, which encourages Putin not to consider sanctions a serious problem. Formerly Russia's richest man, Khodorkovsky, 60, was arrested in 2003 on fraud charges that he says were trumped up by Putin and his allies to punish his political activity, bring influential tycoons to heel, and put the oil assets of his company, Yukos, into state hands. He spent just over a decade in prison before being pardoned and flown out of the country in December 2013. Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-khodorkovsky- navalny-putin-fears/32832362.html Copyright (c) 2024. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson arrived in Kyiv on the day of the second anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. On this grim second anniversary of Putins invasion I am honoured to be here in Ukraine. With their indomitable courage I have no doubt that the Ukrainians will win and expel Putins forces - provided we give them the military, political and economic help that they need, Johnson said on X. Public Figures Urge Russia To Release Navalny's Body To His Family By RFE/RL's Russian Service February 23, 2024 A group of leading Russian public figures has urged the authorities to immediately release the body of outspoken Kremlin critic Aleksei Navalny to his family after he died in prison a week ago. Navalny's associates published video statements on their Komanda Navalnogo (Navalny's Team) Telegram channel on February 23 that show celebrities, musicians, actors, writers, and scholars all demanding Navalny's body be handed to his family, which has been told it may not be until the end of the month or later before it is released. The group includes 2021 Nobel Peace Prize winner Dmitry Muratov; prominent ballet dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov; a founding member of Pussy Riot protest group, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova; writers Mikhail Zygar and Viktor Shenderovich; historian Tamara Eidelman; television journalist Tatyana Lazareva; popular rock musician Andrei Makarevich; rapper Noize MC (Ivan Alekseyev); businessman Yevgeny Chichvarkin; and many other noted public figures. A day earlier, Navalny's mother, Lyudmila Navalnaya, said that investigators had allowed her to see her son's body late on February 21 in the Arctic city of Salekhard, but refused to hand it over for burial. Navalnaya said she signed the death certificate, pointing out that the authorities were breaking the law by not releasing her son's body. She also accused them of trying to force her to agree to bury her son secretly. She said she wanted her son's burial to be public so that all his supporters can bid a proper farewell to the anti-corruption crusader. Navalnaya has been trying to get access to her son's body since his death in a special-regime prison, the harshest type of penitentiary in Russia, was announced on February 16. Prison officials said the 47-year-old died after he collapsed while on a daily walk out of his cell. On February 21, Navalnaya filed a lawsuit in a Russian court demanding the release of her son's body. A closed-door hearing into complaint is scheduled to be held on March 4, which roughly coincides with the time frame authorities have said they need to perform "chemical forensics" on Navalny's body. Rights groups and Navalny's associates have accused authorities of holding the body to allow it to hide the cause of death. The White House said on February 22 that U.S. President Joe Biden met with Navalny's widow and daughter, Yulia and Dasha Navalnaya, in California "to express his heartfelt condolences." Dasha Navalnaya is currently studying at Stanford University just outside of San Francisco. During the meeting, Biden expressed his admiration for Navalny's "extraordinary courage and his legacy of fighting against corruption and for a free and democratic Russia in which the rule of law applies equally to everyone," the statement said. Biden later announced major new sanctions against Russia in response to Navalny's death, Russia's repression, and aggression and its war in Ukraine. Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-navalny-calls- for-body-release/32832305.html Copyright (c) 2024. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Biden Announces More Than 500 Fresh Russia Sanctions, Warns House 'History Is Watching' By RFE/RL February 23, 2024 U.S. President Joe Biden has announced a fresh package of more than 500 sanctions against Russia for its war on Ukraine and for the death of Kremlin opponent Aleksei Navalny, while urging the House of Representatives to pass a desperately needed aid package for Kyiv. "These sanctions will target individuals connected to Navalny's imprisonment as well as Russia's financial sector, defense industrial base, procurement networks, and sanctions evaders across multiple continents," Biden said in a statement issued by the White House on February 23, on the eve of the second anniversary of Moscow's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. The sanctions "will ensure [Russian President Vladimir ] Putin pays an even steeper price for his aggression abroad and repression at home," Biden said. The statement also announced that Washington was imposing export restrictions on nearly 100 entities that are helping Russia evade trade sanctions and are "providing backdoor support for Russia's war machine." The list includes three Serbian companies that an RFE/RL investigation in November found were exporting dual-use goods that can be used for both military and civilian purposes to Russia. It also designates two Kazakhstan-based companies that were named in an RFE/RL investigation in June that revealed that the companies exported sanctioned dual-use technology to Russian suppliers of the Kremlin's war machine. Biden's announcement said further measures were being taken to diminish Russia's energy revenues, and he says he's directed his team "to strengthen support for civil society, independent media, and those who fight for democracy around the world." Biden also said Ukraine's U.S.-led allies remain committed to providing critical assistance to Kyiv, but Ukrainians, despite fighting with immense courage, are running out of ammunition. The president again urged Congress to pass $61 billion in aid to Ukraine that has been stalled in the Republican-led House of Representatives despite being passed in the Senate in an overwhelming bipartisan vote. "Ukraine needs more supplies from the United States to hold the line against Russia's relentless attacks, which are enabled by arms and ammunition from Iran and North Korea," Biden said. "That's why the House of Representatives must pass the bipartisan national security supplemental bill, before it's too late.... History is watching," Biden warned. The U.S. Treasury Department's sanctions target nearly 300 people and entities, while the State Department hit more than 250 people and entities, and the Commerce Department added more than 90 companies to the Entity List. The combined actions comprise the largest number of sanctions imposed since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Treasury Department said in a news release. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the anniversary of the war and Navalny's death in Russian custody are "stark reminders of Putin's disregard for human life," noting the suffering of Ukrainians and "those who dare to expose the corrupt abuses that fuel his regime." She said Russia's economy and military-industrial base are showing signs of weakness, in part due to the sanctions and other actions taken by the United States and its allies. Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov said the new round of sanctions is an attack on Russia's core interests but said Moscow will continue protecting them. "The new illegitimate restrictions are yet another brazen and cynical attempt to interfere in the internal affairs of the Russian Federation," Antonov said, according RIA Novosti. The sweeping U.S. sanctions take aim at the state-owned National Payment Card System, the operator of the Mir payment system whose cards became more widely used after U.S. companies suspended operations in Russia. The sanctions also target dozens of Russian banks, investment firms, venture capital funds, and fintech companies. In the energy sector, the Treasury Department broadened sanctions against the Arctic LNG 2 project in Siberia, and the State Department targeted Russia's Zvezda shipbuilding company, which it said is involved in the construction of highly specialized LNG tankers intended for use in support of Arctic LNG 2 exports. The new sanctions also target the network Russia has used to acquire and produce drones and a wide array of individuals and entities in Russia's military-industrial base -- "from Russia's flagship defense companies to machine tool importers, third-country sanctions evaders to semiconductor manufacturers," the Treasury Department said. The State Department said it imposed sanctions on three individuals in connection with Navalny's death -- the prison warden, regional prison head, and the deputy director of the Federal Penitentiary Service. The sanctions freeze any property the individuals and entities hold in U.S. jurisdiction and block people and entities in the United States from dealing with them. Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-sanctions-ukraine-war- navalny/32832289.html Copyright (c) 2024. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Biden Slaps 500 New Sanctions on Russia Over War, Navalny Death By Patsy Widakuswara February 23, 2024 U.S. President Joe Biden on Friday announced a significant sanctions escalation against Russia, targeting its financial system and military infrastructure with over 500 new penalties, marking the largest tranche of sanctions since Moscow's invasion of Ukraine nearly two years ago. The measure was announced ahead of the invasion's anniversary on Saturday and followed the death of Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny in a penal colony in the Arctic earlier this month. The sanctions target various sectors, including Russia's state-owned National Payment Card System, banks, investment firms, venture capital funds and other financial institutions, its defense industry and procurement networks. They also target individuals involved in evading sanctions, in Russia and abroad, as well as prison officials who Washington believes to be linked to Navalny's death. Urging lawmakers in the House of Representatives to pass the $95 billion Senate-approved supplemental funding measure that includes additional military aid for Kyiv, Biden vowed to respond with further punishment for Russian President Vladimir Putin. "We in the United States are going to continue to ensure that Putin pays a price for his aggression abroad and repression at home," he said Friday. Failure to do so, he warned, would embolden further aggression in Ukraine and worldwide. Since Moscow's invasion, Washington and its allies have imposed sanctions on thousands of Russian targets. Friday's package includes nearly 300 people and entities targeted by the U.S. Treasury Department, as well as 250 people and entities targeted by the State Department. The Commerce Department added over 90 companies to the entity list. However, simply adding individuals and companies with no links to the United States and arguably with limited links to the world outside of Russia at large is ineffectual, said Dalibor Rohac, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. Instead, the administration should better coordinate with allies to prevent existing sanctions evasion, especially for those related to oil revenue, Rohac told VOA. "And a seizing of Russia's sovereign assets overseas a particularly its central bank reserves," Rohac said. Beginning in December 2022, the U.S. and its allies imposed a $60 per barrel cap on Russian oil, limiting services such as insurance and trade finance for shipping Russian oil sold above that price. According to a Treasury Department analysis released Friday, the cap has reduced Russia's oil income. Over the past month, the policy forced Russia to discount its oil by $19 per barrel. The cap, combined with a European Union ban on nearly all Russian oil imports, was designed to choke funding to Putin's war machine. However, countries can still legally buy Moscow's crude if it is refined elsewhere, including in Turkey and India. "As long as Russia can continue to sell their oil, they'll be able to continue buying missiles, and bullets and pay for soldiers," William Browder, head of the Global Magnitsky Justice Campaign, told VOA. "As long as we allow that, then this war is never going to end." Earlier this week the EU also slapped Moscow with a new round of sanctions, focusing on fighting sanctions evasion by targeting companies around the world accused of providing Russia with advanced technology and military goods. Nearly 200 people and entities, mostly from Russia, have been added to the entity list, now totaling more than 2,000 individuals and entities. For the first time, the EU sanctions are hitting companies in mainland China suspected of helping the Kremlin. Companies from India, Turkey, Serbia, Kazakhstan, Singapore, Thailand, Sri Lanka and Hong Kong are also targeted. Cindy Saine contributed to this report. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Syria calls for 'immediate' prosecution of Israeli criminals Iran Press TV Friday, 23 February 2024 7:00 PM Syria has urged "immediate" prosecution of the Israeli regime's officials over their perpetration of blatant violations and various crimes. Ammar al-Arsan, the Arab country's representative to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) at the Hague, made the remarks to the tribunal on Friday, during oral proceedings on the legal consequences of the regime's occupation of the Palestinian territories. "Syria believes that Israel's prosecution, due to egregious violation of the international laws and perpetration of [various] crimes, is highly imperative," the envoy said. The Israeli regime claimed existence in 1948 after occupying huge swathes of Palestinian territories during a Western-backed war. It occupied more land, namely the West Bank, including East al-Quds, and the Gaza Strip, in another such war in 1967. Ever since, it has built hundreds of settlements upon the overrun territories and deployed the most aggressive restrictions on the movements of Palestinians there. Tel Aviv withdrew from Gaza in 2005, but has been keeping the territory under an all-out land, aerial, and naval siege since a year after it left the coastal sliver. "Syria insists on the temporary nature of the occupation," Arsan said, adding that the country "does not and will not accord the occupying entity any right to attain sovereignty over the occupied territories, no matter how long the savage occupation is going to take." The envoy considered the right to self-determination to be among the most important and original of human rights. The Israeli regime violates this right by enabling illegal settlement across the occupied Palestinian territories, and "should therefore be held accountable," he said. Arsan reminded that, in addition to the crime of occupation, which was being addressed by the court, the Israeli regime was perpetrating genocide in Gaza and carrying out deadly attacks against Syria and Lebanon. The Syrian official said the Israeli regime's ability to proceed with such actions reflected the international community's inability to confront the regime's crimes and ensure implementation of relevant international resolutions. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Taiwan Faces Tough Balancing Act As China Increases Pressure By William Yang February 23, 2024 China's decision to increase regular patrols in waters near Taiwan's outlying islands in recent days is an attempt to erode the long-standing status quo across the Taiwan Strait, and Taiwan must exercise caution in its response, some analysts have told VOA. After two Chinese fishermen drowned fleeing a Taiwanese coast guard ship this month, China has increased pressure on Taiwan. Chinese coast guard officers boarded a Taiwanese tourist boat Tuesday, while Chinese coast guard vessels have repeatedly appeared in waters near Taiwan's outlying Kinmen and Matsu islands, which are just a few kilometers from the Chinese mainland. In response, Taiwan criticized Beijing for triggering panic with the abrupt inspection of the Taiwanese tourist boat and began deploying its coast guard vessels to monitor Chinese coast guard vessels' activities or drive away Chinese boats that entered the restricted waters near its offshore islands. While the events have not escalated into a major conflict across the Taiwan Strait, some observers say Beijing is trying to use the deaths to "create new facts" in the highly sensitive region and "upend rules of engagement" designed to prevent accidents. "This is a willful, slow erosion of the status quo in the Taiwan Strait, [and] it's a demonstration by Beijing that it sets the rules and can change them unilaterally," J Michael Cole, senior adviser on countering foreign authoritarian influence with the International Republican Institute in Taiwan, told VOA in a written response. Since Beijing's moves are tailored for the domestic Chinese audience, Cole said the Chinese government hopes to reinforce the impression that Taiwan cannot defend its sovereignty. Beijing's actions "are meant to reinforce the notion that Taipei is powerless to set out rules and to defend the Republic of China's sovereignty," he added. Characterizing recent Chinese coast guard activities actions as part of Beijing's gray zone operations against Taiwan, which often involve the use of irregular tactics without resorting to open conflict, some analysts say these operations will likely become a "new normal" near Taiwan's outlying islands. "Since China is already deploying coast guard vessels to waters near the Senkaku Island, which is claimed by both Japan, China, and Taiwan, on almost a daily basis, we can expect China to conduct similar operations near Kinmen and Matsu Islands," Su Tzu-yun, a military analyst at the Taipei-based Institute for National Defense and Security Research, told VOA by phone. So far, Taiwan has designated its coast guard to monitor and cope with the Chinese coast guard's increased activities near the contested waters while Taiwan's National Defense Ministry said there is no plan for the military to become directly involved in the dispute. "Based on the principle of 'no direct intervention and no escalation of the conflict,' the Taiwanese military continues to monitor situations [in waters near the offshore islands] and we remain ready to assist the coast guard when necessary," Deputy Director of the Taiwanese Defense Ministry's Office of the Chief of Staff for Warfare and Plans Lee Chang-fu said during a daily press conference on Wednesday. Cole in Taipei said that since Beijing is always searching for "reasons" to conduct gray zone operations near Taiwan, the Taiwanese government must exercise caution when figuring out its responses. "Taipei must act carefully while laying out response plans to various contingencies," he told VOA, adding that the need to strike a balance in its response may put Taiwan in an "uncomfortable position." In his view, a perceived lack of response by Taipei may be viewed domestically as the government's inability to defend its sovereignty. On the other hand, Taiwanese authorities need to ensure their responses "don't lead to recklessness," Cole said. "It's a difficult balancing act, but one that Taipei has been learning to live with," he said. As Taiwan's coast guard and navy have a coordinating mechanism dedicated to determining the level of response to China's gray zone activities, Su said Taiwan will let its coast guard handle low-intensity threats posed by Beijing. "Such practice is in line with international norms and will help Taiwan avoid becoming the aggressor in the cross-strait dispute," he told VOA. With less than three months until Taiwan's new administration comes into power, some experts say Taipei needs to exercise extra caution in on cross-strait issues. "Since Beijing may try to seek any opportunity to increase pressure on Taiwan, Taiwanese authorities need to remain restraint while ensuring they have the capabilities to safeguard Taiwan's sovereignty and territorial integrity," Shen Ming-shih, director of the Division of National Security Research at Taipei-based Institute for National Defense and Security Research, told VOA by phone. He said the pressing issue for Taiwan is to avoid letting the capsizing snowball into the first step of China's pressure campaign against the island. "If China decides to use the accident to escalate its pressure campaign against Taiwan, they might initiate a series of operations through different government agencies, including poaching Taiwan's diplomatic allies or conducting another large-scale military exercise near Taiwan," Shen added. Against this backdrop, Cole said Taipei should consider sending a clear message to the world that recent events are not isolated incidents but part of a larger operation with "wider ramifications" for the region. "Given the high potential for major escalation, it's in the region's interest to encourage Beijing not to engage in this kind of adventurism that could spark a serious conflagration," he told VOA. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address PLA activities in the waters and airspace around Taiwan Feb. 24, 2024 ROC Ministry of National Defense 2024/02/24 PLA activities in the waters and airspace around Taiwan 0900hr (UTC+8), Feb. 24, 1. Dateis 6 to 6 a.m. (UTC+8) Friday to Saturday, Feb. 23-24 2.PLA activitiesis 9 PLA aircraft and 9 PLAN vessels operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. ROC Armed Forces have monitored the situation and employed CAP aircraft, Navy vessels, and coastal missile systems in response to the detected activities. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Deputy Secretary Campbell's Meeting with UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Parliamentary Under Secretary of State Rutley US Department of State Readout Office of the Spokesperson February 23, 2024 The below is attributable to Spokesperson Matthew Miller: Deputy Secretary of State Kurt M. Campbell met with UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Parliamentary Under Secretary of State David Rutley, MP yesterday in Washington, D.C. Deputy Secretary Campbell and Minister Rutley discussed common interests in the Americas, particularly the situation in Haiti and efforts to establish the Multinational Security Support mission there. They also discussed the importance of the AUKUS partnership in advancing stability in the Indo-Pacific and beyond. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Minister Joly announces additional sanctions in response to Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine Global Affairs Canada News release February 23, 2024 - New York, United States - Global Affairs Canada The Honourable MAlanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today announced that Canada is imposing additional sanctions on 10 individuals and 153 entities under the Special Economic Measures (Russia) Regulations. Canada is announcing these sanctions in coordination with the United Kingdom and the United States. Nearly 2 years after it began, President Vladimir Putin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine has gone on too long. These sanctions focus on areas that impact the Russian government's ability to continue its illegal and unjustifiable invasion of Ukraine. These sanctions target individuals and entities who support the Russian military through finance, logistics and sanctions evasion. The individuals listed include an aide to President Putin as well as senior officials of private and state-owned companies registered in Russia and Cyprus. These individuals and the firms they lead represent nodes of direct and indirect support to the Russian government's war of aggression against Ukraine. Most of the sanctioned entities are part of the Russian military-industrial complex, providing research and development, production, repairs, and other goods and services to Russia's Ministry of Defence. Canada is also announcing a prohibition on the export to Russia of designated goods that could be used to make weapons and serve its war against Ukraine. The prohibition applies to explosives, including detonators, that are used in the mining and construction industry. The export ban also includes an additional 20 controlled items that are known to be used by Russia to produce and manufacture weapons. Canada is increasing pressure on Putin and the Russian government by strengthening its sanctions regime. Canada's sanctions can now target anyone outside Canada, who is not Canadian, who violates Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. This includes those who help Russia and its proxies to avoid or get around sanctions. Canada continues to condemn in the strongest possible terms the Russian government's unprovoked and unjustifiable invasion of Ukraine, which has needlessly jeopardized stability in the entire region and put countless lives at risk, and calls on President Putin to immediately withdraw his military and proxy forces from Ukrainian territory. Quotes "Today, we're sending a clear message to Russian officials and the organizations they run: We stand by the people of Ukraine as they are bravely defending their rights in the face of Putin's unjustifiable and aggressive actions. We will continue to use disruptive measures against the Russian government, targeting its ability to wage its illegal war until Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity are fully restored." - MAlanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs Quick facts The entities sanctioned today provide goods and services such as components for Kalibr missiles and drones, insurance and retail services to Russian soldiers and to the Russian Ministry of Defence. They also include entities providing oil transportation and logistics services to the Russian government. The export ban applies to all explosives, including detonators, as well as to designated items from a list developed with Canada's international partners that pose a heightened risk of being used by the Russian government to strengthen its military-industrial complex. Since 2014, Canada has imposed sanctions on more than 2,900 individuals and entities in Russia, Belarus, Ukraine and Moldova who are complicit in the violation of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity and in gross and systematic human rights violations. Many of these sanctions have been implemented in coordination with Canada's allies and partners. Since January 2022, Canada has committed more than $9.7 billion to financial, military, humanitarian, development and immigration assistance for Ukraine. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Statement by the Prime Minister marking two years since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine Prime Minister of Canada - Justin Trudeau February 23, 2024 Ottawa, Ontario The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today issued the following statement marking two years since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine: "In the coming hours, we will mark two years since Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, escalating his war of aggression. In doing so, he unleashed unspeakable violence and brutality that has left hundreds of thousands dead and forced millions to flee. Putin's invasion is not only a violation of Ukraine's sovereignty and independence, but also of the basic principles of the rules-based international order; an assault on our common humanity; and an attack against freedom, democracy, and peace. "When Putin ordered his tanks across the Ukrainian border in 2022, he thought the world would stand by. He expected Kyiv would quickly fall. He believed the people of Ukraine would surrender. But his imperial delusions have been met with a fierce defence - and the Ukrainian flag still flies over Kyiv. "Despite Russia's unrelenting attacks, Ukraine continues to demonstrate unwavering courage. Ukrainians are fighting for their communities, their land, their identity, and their heritage. But they are also fighting for our collective future. They are fighting to remind the world that democracy is both important enough to die for and strong enough to win. "As the war continues, that is what is at stake. And that is why Canada has stood with Ukraine since day one. Since 2022, we have committed over $9.7 billion to Ukraine, including $2.4 billion in military aid. We stepped up with Howitzers, Leopard 2 tanks, hundreds of thousands of rounds of ammunition, thermal clothing, body armour, and fuel. Under Operation UNIFIER, Canada has trained over 40,000 Ukrainian troops. Through billions in loans and hundreds of millions of dollars in humanitarian and development assistance, we are helping Ukraine rebuild and recover. "Along with our international partners, we've imposed sweeping sanctions on the Russian regime and its enablers. Earlier today, we announced additional sanctions on Russia, including on 10 individuals and 153 entities, targeting Russia's oligarchs and its war chest. This brings the total to over 2,400 sanctions since February 2022. We are also working with our international partners to secure long-term security commitments for Ukraine and ensure the safe return of Ukrainian children abducted by Russia. "The friendship between Canada and Ukraine runs deep. Ukrainian immigrants arrived on our shores in 1891 and have since become an integral part of Canada's social fabric. They've helped build the Canada we know and love. Today, Canada is proudly home to 1.3 million people of Ukrainian descent. Abandoning Ukraine in its time of need wouldn't just be abandoning Ukrainians on the frontlines fighting for democracy, but also abandoning the culture and identity of Ukrainian Canadians here at home. "If we fail to stop Russia's advances, if we allow one despot's invasion to embolden countless more aggressors, and if we allow Putin to redraw the map as he pleases, the world will look much different and much worse. "This day serves as a reminder of what Ukraine is fighting for - the values of freedom, justice, and democracy. Canada's support for Ukraine is unwavering and unequivocal. We will defend a future for Ukraine that's written by Ukrainians. We will defend a Ukraine that stands strong and free. And we will be with Ukraine in this courageous fight for as long as it takes. "Slava Ukraini." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Council of Europe marks two years of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine Council of Europe Council of Europe Strasbourg 23 February 2024 The Council of Europe has marked the second anniversary of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine by holding a special ceremony in front of its main headquarters building in Strasbourg, France. Taking part in the ceremony were Secretary General Marija Pejcinovic Buric, President of the Parliamentary Assembly, Theodoros Rousopoulos, Permanent Representative of Liechtenstein, Ambassador Domenik Wanger (on behalf of the Presidency of the Committee of Ministers), and Ambassador Borys Tarasyuk, Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the Council of Europe. The national anthem of Ukraine and the European anthem were both performed during the ceremony, which is being followed by an extraordinary meeting of the Ministers' Deputies (ambassadors), to be broadcast live. The meeting will discuss the consequences of the Russian Federation's aggression against Ukraine. After the meeting, an artwork entitled "Guernica: Ukraine" by French artist Jean-Pierre Raynaud will be inaugurated in the Committee of Ministers lobby. This contemporary reinterpretation of the legendary painting by Pablo Picasso will remain on display until 22 March. From 19 to 23 February the Council of Europe is also hosting an exhibition by the Franco-Ukrainian photographer Youry Bilak, containing 23 photographs of children. The images were taken after 24 February 2022 in several Ukrainian towns (Boutcha, Irpin, Hostomel, Borodyanka, Tchernihiv, Vinnytsia, etc.). NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address The UK will spend 245 million throughout the next year to procure and invigorate supply chains to produce urgently needed artillery ammunition for Ukraine, the British government said on its website February 24. It is noted that todays 245 million announcement comes exactly two years to the day since Putin launched his illegal full-scale invasion of Ukraine with artillery having proved critical to Ukraines battlefield successes, continuously degrading Russias forces and preventing them from making significant breakthroughs. In addition, the statement says, Defense Secretary Grant Shapps confirmed the delivery of an additional 200 Brimstone anti-tank missiles to the Armed Forces. As a result, the total number of Brimstone missiles delivered to Ukraine exceeded 1,300 units. Further to the artillery funding and missiles package, a new multi-million pound series of contracts has been signed between the MODs procurement arm, Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S), and UK-based Cook Defence Systems to provide hundreds of spare caterpillar tracks for tanks and armoured vehicles which will allow the AFU to recover and restore vehicles damaged by anti-tank weapons and landmines, the governments statement reads. The contracts will involve a mixture of UK funding and funds from the International Fund for Ukraine. Extraordinary meeting of Ministers' Deputies (23 February 2024) - Second anniversary of full-scale aggression of Russian Federation against Ukraine Council of Europe Committee of Ministers Strasbourg 23 February 2024 On 23 February, the Ministers' Deputies held an extraordinary meeting on the occasion of the second-year anniversary of the full-scale aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine. They recalled the measures already taken by the Council of Europe and adopted a series of decisions, including calling on the Russian Federation to cease the aggression against Ukraine and withdraw completely from its territory; expressing support to Ukraine and its people; welcoming the measures taken to ensure Russia's full accountability; calling for the release and return of deported and transferred civilians, particularly children; and condemning Russia's illegal conduct of so-called elections within the internationally recognised borders of Ukraine, as well as its attempt to prosecute judges and prosecutors of the International Criminal Court and officials of Council of Europe member States. The Deputies agreed to resume consideration of these issues at their forthcoming meetings, in accordance with the ReykjavAk Declaration adopted at the 4th Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Council of Europe. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russia's full-scale aggression against Ukraine: Two years on Council of Europe Council of Europe leaders reiterate support and solidarity Council of Europe Strasbourg 23 February 2024 Liechtenstein Minister of Foreign Affairs, Education and Sport and President of the Committee of Ministers, Dominique Hasler, the President of the Parliamentary Assembly, Theodoros Rousopoulos, and the Secretary General, Marija Pejcinovic Buric, today made the following statement on the occasion of the second year anniversary of the beginning of the full-scale aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine (24 February) and the Day of Resistance to Occupation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the City of Sevastopol (26 February): "Every day since 24 February 2022, the Ukrainian people have endured with courage and dignity the consequences of the Russian authorities' disastrous decision to launch a military attack on their country. On this tragic and deeply regrettable anniversary, our thoughts are with Ukrainians of all ages who have seen their lives changed dramatically by the atrocities and trauma caused by Russia's unprovoked and illegal aggression. We send them a message of support and solidarity. We are - and will remain - at their side. "We are particularly shocked by the recent increase in civilian casualties caused by the Russian bombings and repeat, once again, that attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure are prohibited by international law, wherever they take place. "Another matter of grave concern for us is the fate of children who have been illegally deported by the Russian Federation from Ukraine or forcibly transferred within the territories of Ukraine that are temporarily occupied by Russia. We further stress the importance of the work of the Council of Europe, including in the Consultation Group on the Children of Ukraine (CGU) which coordinates action concerning children who have sought refuge in other Council of Europe member States. "Meeting in Reykjavik last May, the Heads of State and Government of our 46 member States made clear that "there can be no lasting peace without accountability". To this end, they created the Council of Europe Register of Damage Caused by the Aggression of the Russian Federation Against Ukraine as a first step towards a compensation mechanism. We welcome the fact that 43 countries and the European Union are currently participating in our Register and support efforts to further increase the number of participants. We look forward to seeing the Register becoming fully operational with the first claims to be submitted this spring. "Driven by our commitment to justice, we will continue working towards ensuring that the Russian civilian and military authorities are held to account before competent courts for the crimes committed against Ukraine and its people. At the same time, we condemn the Russian Federation's attempts to bring criminal charges against those striving to hold the Russian Federation accountable for its crimes, including judges and prosecutors from the International Criminal Court. Moreover, we stress that the Russian Federation must fully comply with its international law obligation to execute the final judgments of the European Court of Human Rights. "As the Russian Federation's full-scale aggression is entering its third year, and as we mark also the 10th anniversary of the illegal annexation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the City of Sevastopol by the Russian Federation, we reiterate our strong and unequivocal condemnation of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine and our unwavering support for Ukraine's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address February 23, 2024 Release Statement by Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III Marking Two Years Since Russia's Invasion of Ukraine Two years ago, Russian forces launched an illegal and indefensible all-out invasion of Ukraine. But Ukraine's defiance in the face of Putin's aggression and atrocities has inspired free people everywhere. Over the past two years, Putin has assumed that Ukraine's forces would collapse and that Ukraine's friends would cower. He couldn't have been more wrong. The scale of Putin's blunder is especially stark today. The Kremlin's forces failed to win the Battle of Kyiv, failed to topple Ukraine's democratically elected government, and failed to crush the will of the Ukrainian people. Ukraine has retaken more than half of the sovereign territory that was grabbed by the Kremlin's forces in 2022. And as a result of Putin's unprovoked war, Russia has suffered hundreds of thousands of casualties, lost significant equipment, and severely set back its military modernization program. However, Ukraine faces a tough fight ahead. I urge members of Congress to act quickly to pass the national-security supplemental to ensure that Ukrainian troops have what they need to defend their country and their citizens from Russia's crueltyaand to send a strong message of America's continued commitment to Ukraine's freedom. We will also continue to rally the world to support Ukraine. Since 2022, I have regularly convened some 50 countries from around the world as part of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group. This global coalition works together to ensure that Ukraine has the capabilities that it needs to defend its people from Russian aggression and take back its sovereign territory. I hosted the most recent meeting of this Contact Group just last week, and I was struck again by the steadiness of its members' collective resolve. This historic coalition has committed more than $87 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since the start of Putin's waraincluding 15 U.S. allies that, as a percentage of GDP, contribute more to Ukraine's capability needs than the United States. We must continue to be candid with the American people about the stakes in Ukraine. The Kremlin's war poses a direct threat to security in Europe and beyond. The world will only become more dangerous if Putin and his fellow autocrats conclude that they can wipe democracies off the map and force free people to live in fear. So today's grim milestone should spur us all to decide what kind of future we want for our children and grandchildren: an open, secure, and prosperous world of rules and rights, or the violent and lawless world of aggression and chaos that Putin seeks. We support Ukraine's fight for freedom, both because it is the right thing to do and because doing so is central to America's continued security. After two years of Putin's reckless and lawless war, we salute Ukraine's brave defenders, and we wish Ukraine's unbowed citizens peace, security, and freedom. https://www.defense.gov/News/Transcripts/Transcript/Article/3684952/ NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russia: two years after the full-scale invasion and war of aggression against Ukraine, EU adopts 13th package of individual and economic sanctions European Council / Council of the European Union Council of the EU Press release 23 February 2024 The Council adopted today - in view of the second year mark of the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine - a thirteenth package of restrictive measures against Putin's regime, those who are responsible for perpetuating his illegal, unprovoked and unjustified war of aggression and those who are significantly supporting it. As we reach the sad mark of two years since Vladimir Putin launched the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the European Union keeps up the pressure on Russia. Today, we are further tightening the restrictive measures against Russia's military and defence sector, targeting further entities in third countries who supply equipment as well as those responsible for the illegal deportation and military re-education of Ukrainian children. We remain united in our determination to dent Russia's war machine and help Ukraine win its legitimate fight for self-defense and restore its independence, territorial integrity and sovereignty. - Josep Borrell, High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Today's package includes the following measures: Individual listings The Council decided to impose restrictive measures on an additional 106 individuals and 88 entities responsible for actions undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine. The new listings agreed today target primarily the military and defence sectors and associated individuals, including those involved in DPRK armament supply to Russia, as well as members of the judiciary, local politicians and people responsible for the illegal deportation and military re-education of Ukrainian children. Altogether, EU restrictive measures in respect of actions undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine now apply to over 2000 individuals and entities altogether. Those designated are subject to an asset freeze and EU citizens and companies are forbidden from making funds available to them. Natural persons are additionally subject to a travel ban, which prevents them from entering or transiting through EU territories. Import-export controls and restrictions The Council added 27 new entities to the list of those directly supporting Russia's military and industrial complex in its war of aggression against Ukraine. They will be subject to tighter export restrictions concerning dual use goods and technologies, as well as goods and technology which might contribute to the technological enhancement of Russia's defence and security sector. Some of these entities are located in third countries (India, Sri Lanka, China, Serbia, Kazakhstan, Thailand, and TArkiye) and have been involved in the circumvention of trade restrictions, others are Russian entities involved in the development, production and supply of electronic components for Russia's military and industrial complex. Furthermore, today's decision expands the list of restricted items that could contribute to the technological enhancement of Russia's defence and security sector by adding components for the development and production of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV). Lastly, the EU introduced further restrictions on exports of goods which contribute in particular to the enhancement of Russian industrial capabilities, such as electrical transformers. Iron and steel Today's decision adds the United Kingdom to a list of partner countries which apply a set of restrictive measures on imports of iron and steel from Russia, and a set of import control measures that are substantially equivalent to those of the EU. The relevant legal acts concerning both economic and individual sanctions have now been published in the Official Journal of the EU (check links below). Background On 14 and 15 December 2023, the European Council adopted conclusions in which it reiterated its resolute condemnation of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, which constitutes a manifest violation of the Charter of the United Nations, and reaffirmed the EU's unwavering support for Ukraine's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders and its inherent right of self-defence against Russia's aggression. The European Council also stated that Russia's ability to wage its war of aggression must be further weakened, including by further strengthening sanctions, and through their full and effective implementation and the prevention of their circumvention, especially for high-risk goods, in close cooperation with partners and allies. On 12 February 2024 the Council adopted a decision and a regulation clarifying the obligations of Central Securities Depositories (CSD) holding assets and reserves of the Central Bank of Russia (CBR) that are immobilised as consequence of EU's restrictive measures. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Foreign Minister Tsahkna in India: the role of global support for Ukraine must not and cannot be underestimated Republic of Estonia - Ministry of Foreign Affairs 23.02.2024 Yesterday 22 February, on the sidelines of the Raisina Dialogue in New Delhi, Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna met with Indian Minister of External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankari with his Nordic and Baltic (NB) colleagues and bilaterally with India's National Security Adviser Ajit Doval. Minister Tsahkna also met with the Secretary General of the Ministry of Defence Giridhar Aramane. All the meetings mainly covered increased bilateral and regional cooperation and Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. Foreign Minister also spoke at the annual Raisina Dialogue's panel on Ukraine. At the lunch meeting with his NB8 colleagues, Foreign Minister Tsahkna emphasised the importance of the cooperation between our region and India and the desire and readiness to boost this cooperation. Speaking about the situation in Ukraine and global security more broadly, Tsahkna emphasised that the support of countries further away from Ukraine was indispensable. "If Ukraine should lose this war, its impact will go beyond Ukraine's immediate neighbourhood, and affect the world more broadly. As the actions of Russia are threatening the current international order, democracies must join forces and boost cooperation to defend their values," he said. The conversation with India's National Security Adviser Ajit Doval focused mainly on cooperation opportunities in cyber defence. They also spoke about the situation in Ukraine, with Minister Tsahkna underlining the importance of global support and Ukraine's victory. At his meeting with Secretary General of India's Ministry of Defence Giridhar Aramane, the Estonian foreign minister highlighted the interest of Estonia's defence industry in the Indian market and Estonia's wish to deepen cooperation on cyber defence. "Just as Estonia considers regional and multilateral cooperation important, we also value advancing bilateral relations with India," Tsahkna said. This morning Tsahkna took part in the Raisina Dialogue's panel on Ukraine, which focused on Russia's aggression and addressed the changed security architecture in Europe and its global impact. On the sidelines of the conference, the foreign minister also had meetings with the foreign ministers of Mauritius, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bhutan and with the think tank Atlantic Council and the Invest India agency. On Tuesday, Foreign Minister Tsahkna also spoke at the Europe-India business seminarAs panel on digital development. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address EU adopts 13th package of sanctions against Russia after two years of its war of aggression against Ukraine* European Commission PRESS RELEASE 23 February 2024 Brussels The Commission welcomes the Council's adoption of a 13th package of sanctions against Russia. Two years since Russia brutally invaded Ukraine, EU's support for Ukraine and its people remains as strong as ever. Europe is united and determined to continue defending its values and founding principles. This package focuses on further limiting Russia's access to military technologies, such as for drones, and on listing additional companies and individuals involved in Russia's war effort. With this new package the number of individual listings has reached over 2000, dealing a huge blow to those who enable Russia's illegal war against Ukraine. Yet, there is no room for complacency. Full implementation of the sanctions is crucial, to deny Moscow the revenue, goods and technology it needs to feed its war. The Commission will continue supporting Member States to ensure effective enforcement of the measures, as well as working closely with third countries to tackle circumvention attempts. The 13th package has these key elements: ADDITIONAL LISTINGS This is an unprecedented package of 194 individual designations, including 106 individuals and 88 entities. With it, the EU exceeds the threshold of 2000 listings. In particular: Targeting Russia's military and defence sector: the new listings include more than 140 companies and individuals from the Russian military-industrial complex, which among other things manufacture missiles, drones, anti-aircraft missile system, military vehicles, high-tech components for weapons, and other military equipment. the new listings include more than from the Russian military-industrial complex, which among other things manufacture missiles, drones, anti-aircraft missile system, military vehicles, high-tech components for weapons, and other military equipment. Sending a strong signal against Russia's war effort partners: the new listings target 10 Russian companies and individuals involved in the shipping of Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) armaments to Russia. They also target the Defence Minister of the DPRK, as well as several Belarusian companies and individuals providing support to the Russian armed forces. the new listings target involved in the shipping of Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) armaments to Russia. They also target the Defence Minister of the DPRK, as well as several Belarusian companies and individuals providing support to the Russian armed forces. Fighting circumvention : the new listings include a Russian logistics company and its director involved in parallel imports of prohibited goods to Russia, and a third Russian actor involved in another procurement scheme. : the new listings include a Russian logistics company and its director involved in parallel imports of prohibited goods to Russia, and a third Russian actor involved in another procurement scheme. Strengthening EU action against Russia's temporary occupation and illegal annexation of areas of Ukraine: the new listings include six judges and 10 officials in the occupied territories of Ukraine. the new listings include six judges and 10 officials in the occupied territories of Ukraine. Sanctioning violations of children rights: The new listings also include 15 individuals and 2 entities involved in the forced transfer and in the deportation and the military indoctrination of Ukrainian children, including in Belarus. TRADE MEASURES This package further deepens our actions to stop Russia from acquiring Western sensitive technologies for Russian military. Unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones, have been central to Russia's war against Ukraine. This package thus specifically lists companies procuring Russia with key drone components and introduces some sectoral sanctions to close loopholes and make drone warfare more complicated. BaSed on hard evidence from various sources, supported by trade and customs data, the package adds 27 Russian and third country companies to the list of entities associated to Russia's military-industrial complex (Annex IV of Regulation 833/2014). The EU will impose export restrictions towards these companies regarding dual-use goods and technology, as well as goods and technology which might contribute to the technological enhancement of Russia's defence and security sector. The package adds: 17 Russian companies which are involved in the development, production and supply of electronic components, particularly used in connection with drone production. which are involved in the development, production and supply of electronic components, particularly used in connection with drone production. Four companies registered in China and one each registered in Kazakhstan, India, Serbia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, and TArkiye, also trading in the area of electronic components, including of EU-origin. In addition, the package expands the list of advanced technology items that may contribute to Russia's military and technological enhancement or to the development of its defence and security sector. It adds components used for the development and production of drones, such as electric transformers, static converters and inductors found inter alia in drones, as well as aluminium capacitors, which have military applications, such as in missiles and drones and in communication systems for aircrafts and vessels. This will further weaken Russia's military capabilities. MEASURES TO FOSTER INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION The new package adds the United Kingdom to the list of partner countries for the iron and steel imports. These partner countries apply a set of restrictive measures on imports of iron and steel and a set of import control measures that are substantially equivalent to those in the EU Regulation (EU) No 833/2014. Background Two years after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Europe is united and determined to continue defending its values and founding principles. The EU stands firmly with Ukraine and its people, and will continue to strongly support Ukraine's economy, society, armed forces, and future reconstruction, for as long as it takes until Ukraine prevails. To drain the Russian war machine of its revenue sources and key goods and technology, the EU has adopted 13 sanctions packages against Russia so far. Sanctions have significantly impacted Russia's foreign revenues. EU sanctions have also ruptured Russia's supply chains and limited its access to western technologies in important industrial sectors. Sanctions will deepen their effects over time. As Russia tries to find ways around our sanctions, the Commission constantly evaluates the effectiveness of the measures in place, assessing how they are applied, detecting and addressing any potential loopholes. The focus now is on enforcement, in particular against circumvention of EU sanctions via third countries. EU Sanctions Envoy David O'Sullivan continues his outreach to key third countries to combat circumvention. This is already delivering tangible results. Systems are being put in place in some countries for monitoring, controlling, and blocking re-exports. Working with like-minded partners, we have also agreed a list of Common High Priority sanctioned goods to which businesses should apply particular due diligence and which third countries must not re-export to Russia. We have recently extended by five items. In addition, within the EU, we have also drawn up a list of sanctioned goods that are economically critical and on which businesses and third countries should be especially vigilant. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Emergency material assistance supplied to Ukraine for two years Finnish Government Ministry of the Interior 23.2.2024 Press release The second anniversary of the beginning of the Russia's brutal war of aggression against Ukraine in its entirety will be this week on 24 February 2024. However, one anniversary was already observed last week on 15 February, when it had been exactly two years since the activation of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism following Ukraine's request for assistance. Finland the third most active provider of assistance Over a period of two years, Ukraine has requested assistance 182 times and, as a result, European countries have made a total of 3,381 offers of assistance to Ukraine through the Civil Protection Mechanism. Finland has been the third most active provider of assistance with its 276 offers of assistance. The Ministry of the Interior coordinates the provision of material emergency assistance to Ukraine through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. The range of assistance provided is broad and covers practically everything other than military equipment. Finland has already sent nearly 300 truckloads of material assistance to Ukraine, including large amounts of assistance for the energy sector, healthcare and rescue services. Emergency material assistance supports Ukraine's resilience by maintaining the capacity of the Ukrainian authorities and society and by reducing the impact of Russian attacks. - It is fundamental to provide assistance, as this is a quick and effective way of remedying, for example, the destroyed energy infrastructure or rapidly addressing the deficiencies in healthcare caused by the war. We at the Ministry of the Interior are also prioritising the provision of support for Ukraine, says Minister of the Interior Mari Rantanen. Finland to continue active provision of emergency assistance to Ukraine Most recently, Finland has supplied transformers, generators, electricity network components, a large water tank, food containers, children's hospital supplies, infusion pumps, mobility aids and other types of hospital supplies to Ukraine. Ukraine's need for assistance will continue to be immense and cut through all of society in the future, which is why Finland and its partners and allies must continue to provide active assistance to Ukraine. Ukraine needs support in maintaining society's critical functions and infrastructure. Energy sector needs include transformers, generators, heating equipment and supplies that protect the energy infrastructure, such as gabion baskets and sandbags. The maintenance of water management requires equipment and supplies related to water purification. Support is also needed to maintain the road and telecommunications infrastructure, including things such as road salt and ICT equipment. In addition to vehicles and rescue equipment, support for humanitarian mine clearance and preparedness for CBRN threats is needed in rescue services. Essential healthcare needs include medicines, various medical supplies and devices as well as mobility aids. Assistance from Finland through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism In addition to nearly 300 truckloads of assistance, a total of 76 vehicles, including rescue service vehicles and buses, have been sent to Ukraine. The monetary value of material assistance is approximately EUR 20 million, largely based on the materials' depreciation prices. A large part of the material assistance sent is donations from different sectors of society. We extend our gratitude all the companies, agencies, municipalities, wellbeing services counties, organisations and other actors that have made donations, says Specialist Heikki Honkanen from the Ministry of the Interior. In addition to emergency material assistance, the Civil Protection Mechanism has also been used for the provision of expert assistance to support the operation of the Mechanism in Ukraine's neighbouring countries and for receiving patients in need of medical care evacuated from Ukraine. Support for Ukraine is a long-term and complex process that is not expected to end in the near future. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address EU to impose extensive sanctions on individuals and targeted sectoral sanctions on 2nd anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland Press releases, 23.2.2024 The EU's 13th package of sanctions is one of the largest agreed since the launch of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in terms of the number of sanctioned individuals. A total of 194 individuals and entities will be added to the list. They are individuals and companies that support Russian armed forces and individuals who have participated in the forced transfer of Ukrainian children. Export bans will be expanded to goods and technologies that contribute to Russia's military and technological enhancement. Russian and third country companies that have been found to be involved in the circumvention of sanctions will be added to the list of export bans. The EU imposed its first sanctions on Russia in 2014 after Russia's occupation and illegal annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula. Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Since then the EU has imposed 12 packages of unprecedented sanctions as a response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine and to its continuing attacks on civilian targets and critical infrastructure and as a response to the forced transfer of Ukrainian children by Russian authorities. The 13th and latest package of sanctions, expected to enter into force on 23 February 2024, the eve of the second anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, will include extensive sanctions on individuals and sanctions targeting specific sectors. The EU will add 194 entries to the list of sanctioned individuals and entities, making the package one of the largest in terms of number of sanctions listings since the beginning of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Persons and companies that support the Russian armed forces, information influencers of Russian society, opinion formers and business influencers who support the Russian government or benefit from it will be added to the list of sanctioned individuals. The list also includes officials from the Russian occupying regime and individuals who have participated in the forced transfer of Ukrainian children to Russia. With this new package the number of individuals and entities has reached over 2000. The EU targets specific sectors by extending the export ban to goods and technology which contribute to Russia's military and technological enhancement or the development of its defence and security sector. These include various electronic and power electronics components (including drone components). In addition, the EU will expand the export ban list of companies that are military end-users, part of Russia's military and industrial complex or have commercial or other links with Russia's defence and security sector or otherwise support it. Both Russian companies and companies operating in third countries will be added to the list. These companies operating in third countries have been found to be involved in the circumvention of sanctions especially in terms of high priority items. During the preparation of sanctions, the EU has been in contact with the authorities of these countries, giving them the opportunity to intervene in the circumvention of sanctions. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Update 213 - IAEA Director General Statement on Situation in Ukraine International Atomic Energy Agency 16/2024 Vienna, Austria 23 Feb 2024 Powerful explosions shook windows at the site of Ukraine's Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) this week, underlining the urgent need for maximum military restraint to reduce the danger of a nuclear accident as the conflict enters its third year, Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said today. IAEA experts stationed at the ZNPP reported hearing explosions every day over the past week, including one late last Friday that appeared to occur close to the plant itself. There were also several explosions yesterday. One of them was unusually loud, indicating very close proximity to the site. It was not possible to conclusively determine the origin or direction of the blasts, with the exception of yesterday's large explosion, which according to the ZNPP was part of "field training" with no shelling of the plant nor any damage to it. There were no physical injuries or casualties, the plant added. The ZNPP separately informed the IAEA team that a mine exploded outside the site perimeter earlier yesterday, without causing damage or injury. "I remain deeply concerned about the nuclear safety and security situation at Europe's largest nuclear power plant, located on the frontline of the war. The reports of our experts indicate possible combat action not far away from the site. Once again, I call on all parties to strictly observe the five concrete principles for the protection of the plant and avoid any attack or military activity that could threaten nuclear safety and security there," Director General Grossi said. In another indication of persistent nuclear safety and security risks facing the ZNPP, the site remains without back-up power, three days after the connection to its last 330 kilovolt (kV) line was cut due to a problem that occurred on the other side of the Dnipro river. The ZNPP is still receiving the electricity it needs for reactor cooling and other nuclear safety and security functions from its only remaining 750 kilovolt (kV) line, but it currently has no back-up options available for off-site power. The ZNPP said it had been informed by the Ukrainian grid operator that the 330 kV line was not expected to be reconnected to the site before 1 March. "This situation leaves the plant very vulnerable to further disruptions in the supply of off-site power. It is essential that the back-up power line becomes available again as soon as possible," Director General Grossi said. Earlier this week, the IAEA team went to the site's 750 kV electrical switchyard and observed that its status was unchanged since a previous visit last month. In addition to the single line that remains connected, the team saw spare parts for the repair of a second line, out of four 750 kV lines before the conflict. However, the site has no plans to start the repair work due to the conflict. Yesterday, the IAEA team observed the periodic testing of one of the emergency diesel generators of reactor unit 4, the last line of defence to provide the electricity needed in case of a loss of all off-site power, which has happened eight times since the start of the armed conflict. The experts also met with the ZNPP's electrical department to discuss the maintenance plans for the year and also visited the electrical control room where they could observe the status of the on-site and off-site power systems. The IAEA experts were informed that all ageing cabling and equipment related to the safety systems, including switchboards and batteries, have been replaced. The team performed a walkdown of all six main control rooms in the reactors on 19 February. The team was able to collect safety parameters in reactor units 2, 3 and 4 and had the opportunity to view the regulatory authorizations of personnel. The team was informed that many of the operating staff present were in the process of transitioning from their Ukrainian licenses to "authorizations" issued by Rosteckhnadzor, the nuclear regulator of the Russian Federation. The IAEA teams stationed at Ukraine's other nuclear power plants - Rivne, Khmelnytskyy and South Ukraine - rotated this week. The teams report that these three facilities as well as the Chornobyl site continue to perform their activities despite frequent air alarms, with no reports of nuclear safety and security issues at these sites. At the Chornobyl site, the team has recently observed increased military activity. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Krisjanis Karins: like-minded democracies must help Ukraine win against Russia so as to safeguard international law Republic of Latvia - Ministry of Foreign Affairs 23.02.2024 On 23 February 2024, the fourth day of his working visit in New Delhi, India, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Krisjanis Karins participated in a discussion panel on "Back to the Future: A New Era of Conflict in Europe?" as part of the Raisina Dialogue. At the meeting, he underlined the need for like-minded democracies across the globe to give assistance to Ukraine in order to safeguard international law rooted in the principles of the United Nations Charter. "Russia, by invading Ukraine has violated, in a brutal and inhumane manner, the international law with the UN Charter at its core. As a way to safeguard international law, like-minded democracies all over the world must help Ukraine win the war against Russia," Krisjanis Karins noted. The Foreign Minister underlined that Latvia and the majority oxf European countries were considerably increasing their defence expenditure and the capacity of military industry, thereby strengthening the capabilities of defence and deterrence against Russia. Krisjanis Karins also met with experts from the Atlantic Council think-tank, Paula Dobriansky and Matthew Kroening, for a discussion on the security climate in the world, especially transatlantic cooperation in support of Ukraine in its fights against Russia's full-scale aggression. At the conclusion of his visit, the Foreign Minister visited the Embassy of Latvia in India. Krisjanis Karins engaged in a discussion with the Ambassador Juris Bone and the Embassy staff on the work of the diplomatic mission and latest developments in India. The Foreign Minister thanked Ambassador Bone and his team both for organizing of the visit and representing Latvia in India. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrsky, on the day of the second anniversary of the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation in Ukraine, called for unity. "Today, more than ever, we need unity. I am convinced that our victory lies in unity. And it certainly will be. Because light always conquers darkness," wrote Syrsky on the Telegram channel. He recalled that it was thanks to the unity of the Ukrainian people that the state has stood up since the beginning of the invasion. "No one in the world believed that we would stand. No one except the Ukrainian Defense Forces, who engaged the enemy from the very first minutes. No one, except hundreds of thousands of volunteers, stood in queues at military enlistment offices in the first hours of full-scale aggression. Except for hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians who signed up for the Territorial Defense Forces from the first days. In addition to millions of Ukrainians, volunteers began to support their army in an unprecedented way in history. No one believed, but Ukraine did! I believed, accepted the battle and stood up. We chose weapons between weapons and evacuation," the commander-in-chief stressed. Ukraine was able to defend Kyiv, liberate the Snake island and clear the Black Sea, conduct Kharkiv offensive and liberate Kherson. "There was also an attempt by the Ukrainian counteroffensive, which, unfortunately, due to objective circumstances did not bring the desired result. Today we continue to fight the enemy along the entire front line. We pay the highest price for our freedom, so that every Ukrainian city or village does not become another Bucha, Bakhmut or Avdiyivka. The best sons and daughters of the Ukrainian people are dying! We bow our heads to those who gave the most valuable thing their lives for Ukraine. We remember! We will take revenge!" said Syrsky. He thanked all the Ukrainian defenders who continue to repel Russian attacks and destroy the enemy. "I bow low to the doctors, rescuers, volunteers to all those who help the Ukrainian Defense Forces bring our Victory closer! On this day, I also want to thank our partners for their help. Every shell, every tank, every armored vehicle is primarily about saving the life of a Ukrainian soldier. We are fighting for every meter of our land, however, the most valuable thing we have is the life of a Ukrainian soldier," the commander-in-chief stressed. "I believe that in the near future we will give an asymmetric response to the Russian occupier in the air. There will be even more burning Russian planes. The government is doing everything possible for this," he concluded. Shoulder to shoulder until triumph: people of Lithuania stand firmly behind military assistance to Ukraine Republic of Lithuania - Ministry of National Defence 2024-02-23 International cooperation As the second anniversary of the war in Ukraine is approaching, Lithuania has hit the milestone of EUR 570 million worth of military assistance extended to Ukraine. The ministry of Defence provides military equipment, weapons, ammunition, contributions in international funds to Ukraine in its fight for freedom, while the Lithuanian population strongly stand behind it all. The poll carried out by request by the Minister of National Defence back in December showed that 76 percent of respondents approve of the military assistance to Ukraine. The impressive 86 percent support Ukraine's NATO membership aspirations. According to Minister of Defence, the poll demonstrates that Lithuania understands: Ukraine has been fighting for two years now security that is Lithuania's and European, not just Ukraine's. "The brutal Russian war in Ukraine carries on so we need to stay united and support Ukraine in every way possible. The support to the Armed Forces of Ukraine remains one of the key Lithuania's priorities besides building up our own security. We will provide assistance to Ukraine as long as it takes until its sovereignty and territorial integrity are defended," underscored A. AnuAauskas. Minister says that Lithuania is now mainly focusing on coordinating the demining coalition for Ukraine which was established by signature of 21 nations in Brussels last week. "The aim of the coalition is to assist the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine in humanitarian and military demining. It is centered on acquiring the equipment needed and training the Ukrainians," Minister said. Lithuania also joined two other coalitions then, of drones and artillery, led by NATO Allies. It will start off with contribution of 155 mm ammunition, drones and drone jamming equipment. The public opinion poll was carried out by Spinter Research at the request by the Ministry of National Defence on 15-23 December 2023. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address The Netherlands to conclude a 10-year security agreement with Ukraine Netherlands Ministry of Defence News item | 23-02-2024 The Netherlands will in the near future conclude a security agreement with Ukraine for the next 10 years. This agreement is a signal from the Dutch government that the Netherlands intends to support Ukraine also in the longer term. On 12 July last year, during the NATO summit in Vilnius, the Netherlands announced that, like the G7 countries, it would enter into security arrangements with Ukraine. The Netherlands has been in talks with Ukraine since then in order to determine the details. The agreement will include provisions regarding military support for the medium and long term and cooperation to strengthen the defence industry. It will also provide for increasing Ukraine's cyber resilience and the Ukrainian army's interoperability with NATO forces. As Netherlands Minister of Defence Ollongren explained, Ukraine is not only fighting for its own freedom and security, it is also fighting for Europe's freedom and security. She went on to say that with the security agreement announced today by the Dutch government, the Netherlands will enter into arrangements with Ukraine regarding a shared freedom for the next 10 years. Ukraine must be able to count on receiving support not only in the short term, but in the long term as well. In cooperation with international partners, the Netherlands is helping Ukraine to strengthen its IT infrastructure and is training Ukrainian defence personnel in several areas. With this security agreement, the Netherlands will also be sending a strong signal to the Kremlin. The Netherlands has to date provided over a2.8 billion in military support In a letter to the House of Representatives, the government also reported today that the Netherlands has to date provided over a2.8 billion in military support. This support consists of financial contributions to international funds, such as the International Fund for Ukraine. It also includes deliveries of weapons, ammunition and materiel directly to Ukraine from Defence's own stocks and in cooperation with industry. Furthermore, deliveries are made by various coalitions of partner countries. This support is provided in close consultation with Ukraine and allies. Since the invasion, Ukraine has inflicted heavy losses on Russian forces at the front, in the air and around and in the Black Sea. Nevertheless, the situation on the ground remains very concerning. To expel Putin's troops, Ukraine requires major supplies of materiel, particularly ammunition, to enable its forces to operate effectively. International support is playing a crucial role in this regard. As Netherlands Minister of Defence Ollongren stated, security and freedom come at a price and Ukraine must defeat Russia. She continued by remarking that we are aware of what Russian forces did in the areas that Ukraine has managed to liberate since the summer, and can therefore imagine what might be happening now in the occupied eastern and southern parts of the country. The Netherlands is therefore supporting Ukraine in its struggle. It is essential to continue and intensify the provision of military support to Ukraine, not least because it is also fighting for our freedom. 24 F-16s Together with Denmark and the United States, the Netherlands is leading the air force coalition of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group (UDCG). The Dutch government has decided to ready 24 F-16 fighter aircraft for delivery. In this coalition, Defence is also working on a broad support package that includes spare parts and ammunition in order to maintain the operational status of the aircraft. Training courses The Netherlands has contributed to 24 different training courses. These courses include basic training, such as that provided in the UK-led Operation Interflex. To date, almost 35,000 Ukrainian service members have been trained to fight in their country. Ukrainian navy personnel are currently undergoing training in the Netherlands on minehunters that will be made available to the Ukrainian navy from 2025. Furthermore, the Netherlands contributed to specialist training courses and to collective company, battalion and staff and leadership training courses. The minister of defence is proud of the work that Defence is doing to support Ukraine. She explained that over the past two years, Defence has worked very hard at all levels and at different locations to organise support for Ukraine. The minister is therefore grateful and very proud of Defence personnel and of everything that they have achieved while simultaneously making every effort to strengthen the armed forces of the Netherlands. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address The Netherlands concludes ten-year security agreement with Ukraine Government of the Netherlands - Ministry of Foreign Affairs News item | 23-02-2024 The Netherlands and Ukraine are to sign a security agreement covering the next ten years. The agreement signals the Dutch government's commitment to provide enduring support to Ukraine in the areas of security, reconstruction and justice. The agreement means that the Netherlands will help Ukraine defend itself against Russia and achieve further integration into the EU and NATO. 'Our own security is closely intertwined with Ukraine's,' said foreign minister Hanke Bruins Slot. 'Not for a single day can we afford to forget that the Ukrainians' brave fight is also our concern. Ukraine must be able to rely on our support, not only now but in the longer term too. This also sends a powerful signal to Russia, which is hoping that Western support for Ukraine will eventually dry up. Without that support, Ukraine as we know it would cease to exist. The Russian threat would come even closer, and the stability and security of our continent would come under serious pressure.' On 12 July 2023, during the NATO summit in Vilnius, the Netherlands announced that it would seek to make bilateral security arrangements with Ukraine, following the example of the G7 countries. The Netherlands and Ukraine subsequently entered into talks to work out the details of these arrangements. The security agreement includes arrangements on military support in the medium and longer term, cooperation involving the defence industry, improving Ukraine's resilience - including its response to cyber threats - and improving interoperability between Ukraine's army and NATO troops. The Netherlands and Ukraine also agreed to continue their joint efforts on recovery and reconstruction and on countering hybrid threats, to maintain their commitment to establishing truth and justice for all victims of the war, and to continue calls for sanctions that will increase the pressure on Russia. The official signing of the agreement will take place soon. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Two years of war in Ukraine: a look back on the Netherlands' aid efforts Government of the Netherlands - Ministry of Foreign Affairs News item | 23-02-2024 For two years now Ukraine has been defending itself every day against Russian aggression. The Netherlands will continue to support Ukraine, for as long as it takes. This article presents an overview of the Netherlands' main objectives and the actions it has taken in support of Ukraine. The Netherlands continues to support Ukraine On 24 February 2022 Russia launched a large-scale invasion of Ukraine. This represented a major escalation of Russia's occupation of Crimea and parts of eastern Ukraine in 2014. Over the past two years Russia has devastated Ukrainian villages and cities - and destroyed the lives of many Ukrainians. Every day, Ukrainians continue to fight for their lives and their freedom. In the areas of the country held by Russia, millions of Ukrainians are suffering under the cruelty of occupation. At the same time, Ukraine is fighting for the freedom and security of the whole European continent. A Russian victory in Ukraine will not mean an end to the danger. This is another reason why the Netherlands supports Ukraine. The Netherlands needs to continue to shoulder its responsibility, and together with other countries, it must do its utmost to support Ukraine. There is no alternative. If Ukraine loses the war, the cost for the rest of Europe will be many times higher. Dutch aid for Ukraine The Netherlands supports Ukraine in a number of ways: Military support :such as equipment and training for Ukrainian soldiers. :such as equipment and training for Ukrainian soldiers. Justice for Ukraine : working to ensure that war crimes do not go unpunished and that people who have suffered damage, loss or injury in the war receive compensation. : working to ensure that war crimes do not go unpunished and that people who have suffered damage, loss or injury in the war receive compensation. Sanctions against Russia :making it harder for Russia to finance the war. :making it harder for Russia to finance the war. Reconstruction : support to repair damage where it is most needed: water mains, roads, hospitals and the electrical grid. : support to repair damage where it is most needed: water mains, roads, hospitals and the electrical grid. Humanitarian aid : helping international, Dutch and Ukrainian organisations to provide emergency goods, ensure the availability of drinking water and water filters, medicine and food, and to protect and assist civilian victims. : helping international, Dutch and Ukrainian organisations to provide emergency goods, ensure the availability of drinking water and water filters, medicine and food, and to protect and assist civilian victims. Other support: The Netherlands is also helping Ukraine by providing support in areas like healthcare, psychosocial care for victims, protection from cyberattacks and agriculture. All these types of support are interconnected. For example, if Ukraine is not safe, reconstruction is impossible and refugees will not be able to return to the country. Lasting peace is only possible if war crimes are punished and victims compensated. Military support The Netherlands supports Ukrainian troops with weapons, training, equipment and other necessary supplies. In total the Netherlands has given Ukraine over a2.63 billion in military support. Another a2 billion has been set aside for 2024. Read more about military support for Ukraine (in Dutch). Justice for Ukraine Ukraine is currently investigating more than 100,000 war crimes that have occurred in the country. These include the destruction of homes and hospitals, murder, rape and the abduction of children - and the number continues to rise. The Netherlands also wants those responsible for these crimes to be put on trial. So far, the Netherlands has sent four expert forensic missions through the International Criminal Court to Ukraine to investigate war crimes. The International Centre for the Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine in The Hague is conducting an investigation, with the goal of prosecuting those responsible. The Dutch government is also in favour of setting up a tribunal devoted to the crime of aggression, which would be based in The Hague. The Netherlands offers training and legal support for Ukrainian public prosecutors and judges because most of the war crimes registered will be tried by Ukraine itself. A Register of Damage, which is based in The Hague, will record all war damage claims by Ukrainian civilians, companies and government authorities. Besides this register, an organisation that can ensure that registered claims by Russian will be honoured must still be set up. Through the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) the Netherlands supports and funds investigations into the tens of thousands of Ukrainian children abducted by Russia. Recovery and reconstruction Ukraine can only keep fighting as long as its economy continues to function: healthcare personnel, police officers and teachers need to be paid, and roads and power grids must be repaired. To keep the Ukrainian economy afloat the Netherlands provides budget support through the international financial institutions and the European Union. The Netherlands supports the private sector's contribution to Ukraine's reconstruction and recovery, particularly in areas where the Netherlands has knowledge and expertise: agriculture, water and healthcare. It also offers export credit insurance to cover the risks of doing business in Ukraine. To ensure that Ukrainians are not left out in the cold, the Netherlands is also providing equipment and parts for the Ukrainian energy network. Through various organisations the Netherlands is helping to clear landmines in Ukraine. It is currently the world's most heavily mined country. Sanctions against Russia Together with the other member states of the EU, the Netherlands has adopted 13 packages of sanctions against Russia. The purpose of these sanctions is to make it increasingly difficult for Russia to sustain the war, and to put additional pressure on Russia to withdraw from Ukraine. The reception of Ukrainian refugees in the Netherlands Around six million Ukrainians are living outside their homeland as refugees. Another four million are refugees in their own country. Since the start of the war the Netherlands has taken in over 100,000 Ukrainian refugees. Read more about the reception of refugees from Ukraine. What next? The future of the Ukrainian people and our own future are closely linked, and this is why the Netherlands continues to stand by Ukraine, together with the other countries of the EU. On 1 February 2024, all EU countries reached an agreement about a multi-year support package totalling a50 billion for Ukraine, for the 2024-2027 period. The government has also set aside over a2 billion for 2024 to cover additional support for Ukraine. Security agreement with Ukraine The Netherlands and Ukraine are to sign a security agreement covering the next ten years. The agreement signals the Dutch government's commitment to provide enduring support to Ukraine in the areas of security, reconstruction and justice. The agreement means that the Netherlands will help Ukraine defend itself against Russia and achieve further integration into the EU and NATO. Conference on justice for Ukraine On 2 April 2024, the Netherlands, Ukraine and the European Commission will co-host the international conference 'Restoring Justice for Ukraine' at the World Forum in The Hague. The aim is to combat impunity and compensate victims. Read more about the conference here. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Report: US using Ukraine war as 'research opportunity' for future plans Iran Press TV Friday, 23 February 2024 11:16 AM US military planners are using the Ukraine war as "an active and bountiful research opportunity" to prepare for a conflict with more sophisticated adversaries such as Russia or China, The Washington Post says, citing officials. The paper cited a classified year-long study on the lessons learned from both sides of the bloody campaign, saying it will help inform the next National Defense Strategy, a sweeping document that aligns the Pentagon's myriad priorities. The study was led by 20 officers who examined five areas: ground maneuver, air power, information warfare, sustaining and growing forces and long range fire capability, the Post said. "We immersed them in this conflict to make sure they were understanding the implications for warfare," a senior unnamed military official told the newspaper. Another official said the lessons taken from Ukraine stand to be "an enduring resource." "Ukraine has demonstrated that everything US troops do in the field a from planning missions and patrolling to the technology that enables virtually every military task a needs to be rethought," the paper cited the officials as saying. Washington and its NATO partners have viewed Ukraine as a proxy war to weaken Russia. While the Biden administration has touted this policy as "for Ukraine," it has severely harmed the country. In the early months of the war, Kiev nearly reached an agreement with Moscow to end the conflict and Russian forces would withdraw to the pre-invasion lines. However, Washington and London pressured the Ukrainian leadership to abandon the diplomatic path. Since then, Russia has annexed four Ukrainian oblasts and is advancing in key areas along the front. Ukraine is struggling to arm its forces and has suffered 500,000 casualties. Recently, the war has escalated to attacks on cities while Ukraine has suffered substantial infrastructure damage. Last week, Russia achieved its first major territorial success in more than nine months in the Ukraine war, capturing the eastern city of Avdiivka. A soldier who escaped the city told Associated Press that the Ukrainians were outnumbered five to one. One Ukrainian told the news agency of Kiev's increasingly aggressive conscription policy. "It's a feeling that everyone wants to throw you in a meat grinder," he lamented. On Friday, Ukraine's armed forces said Russia had intensified attacks in the eastern Donetsk region, focusing on the town of Maryinka after capturing Avdiivka. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky this week described the situation on the front as "extremely difficult" due to delayed Western supplies of military aid. Meanwhile, more than 6 million Ukrainians who took refuge in Europe, the United States and Canada after the war broke out on Feb. 24, 2022 worry whether they will ever be allowed to settle in the long-term. With no end to the war in sight, governments that offered them short-term help now face a much bigger bill than they expected and are looking to control the spending. But Western arms manufacturers are reaping exorbitant profits from the prolongation of the war. US weapons sales overseas rose sharply last year, reaching a record total of $238 billion. The US government directly negotiated $81 billion in sales, a 56% increase from 2022, the State Department reported. The rest were direct sales by US military companies to foreign nations. Ukraine's neighbor Poland, currently on a drive to expand its military, made some of the biggest purchases to a tune of $30 billion from the United States. On Wednesday, British arms maker BAE Systems reported record profit of A25.3 billion in 2023 amid Ukraine and Gaza wars NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iran rejects 'baseless and boring' accusations over Ukraine war Iran Press TV Friday, 23 February 2024 10:17 AM Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian says the repetition of baseless claims against the Islamic Republic over the war in Ukraine has reached a "boring stage". Amir-Abdollahian made the remarks at a joint press conference with his Hungarian counterpart Peter Szijjarto in Tehran on Thursday. Iran's top diplomat noted that they discussed bilateral relations and the latest global developments, including the conflict in Ukraine, adding "I would like to once again strongly condemn the baseless accusations leveled against Iran regarding Russia's use of Iranian weapons." "The repetition of baseless claims has reached a boring stage," he said. Amir-Abdollahian's remarks came as US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said on Thursday that Washington will be "imposing additional sanctions on Iran in the coming days" over its alleged efforts to supply Russia with drones and other technology for the war. Both Iran and Russia have repeatedly denied claims that Tehran has provided Moscow with weapons to be used in the war in Ukraine. The anti-Iran claims first emerged in July 2022, when US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan alleged that Washington had received "information" indicating that the Islamic Republic was preparing to provide Russia with "up to several hundred drones, including weapons-capable UAVs on an expedited timeline" for use in the war. Elsewhere in his remarks, Iran's top diplomat noted that he and Szijjarto also discussed Israel's genocidal war on the besieged Gaza Strip that began in October. "We had frank discussions on the logic behind Iran's support for the Palestinian people. I also asked Hungary to use all its capacity to stop the war and restore sustainable security to the region," Amir-Abdollahian said. He slammed the US and Britain's attempts to extend the war to other parts of the world as "a mistake", stressing that Yemenis are acting independently regarding pro-Palestine operations. The US and the UK have been carrying out numerous attacks against Yemen as a means of trying to pressure the country into stopping a series of operations that it has been conducting in support of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. In solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza, the Yemeni armed forces have targeted ships in the Red Sea with owners linked to Israel or those going to and from ports in the occupied territories. Tehran-Budapest ties The visit of Szijjarto, who also acts as the minister of trade, to Iran came as Tehran and Budapest held a joint economic commission earlier on Thursday. "Relations between the two countries are developing," Amir-Abdollahian said, adding that a protocol of the economic commission and a road map for cooperation in the field of agriculture were signed during the session of the commission. Budapest concerned about war in West Asia For his part, Szijjarto hailed the bilateral ties between the two countries as "strong", expressing his country's concern over the ongoing war in the West Asia region. He warned that the escalation of the situation and the spillover of the war in Gaza into the region "could be a great threat to the global security." Israel launched the war on Gaza on October 7 after the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas waged the surprise Operation Al-Aqsa Storm against the occupying entity in response to the Israeli regime's decades-long campaign of bloodletting and devastation against Palestinians. Since the start of the offensive, the Tel Aviv regime has killed at least 29,514 Palestinians and injured more than 69,616 others. Thousands more are also missing and presumed dead under the rubble in Gaza, which is under "complete siege" by Israel. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address The Coming Year May Not End The War In Ukraine. But It Could Decide The Outcome. By Steve Gutterman February 23, 2024 On February 21, 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin made a grim, resentful speech that changed the minds of many who had until then believed Russia would not launch a major new invasion of Ukraine. Less than 72 hours later, Russian missiles rained down across the country, and Russian forces crossed the border, as well as the existing front line in the Donbas. And Putin, Western intelligence indicates, believed that Ukraine would be under Moscow's thumb within weeks, if not days. That did not happen, and now the full-scale war is reaching the two-year mark. Will it end in its third year? The answer: Probably not. But talk of a stalemate may be misleading, lulling Kyiv's backers into complacency at a time when one massive factor that has come to the fore could determine the outcome of the war: Western weapons deliveries. "It's always dangerous to make predictions, but it's difficult to imagine the war ending by the end of 2024," Ruth Deyermond, senior lecturer in the Department of War Studies at King's College London, told RFE/RL. "As things stand, neither side seems to have the capability to inflict a decisive defeat on the other. For that to change there would probably need to be a significant shift in external factors, most importantly, the level of support provided by the West," Deyermond said in an e-mail exchange. "Significantly more Western material support will help Ukraine to make progress in liberating territory," she added, while "a reduction in Western assistance could force Ukraine to agree to peace talks on Russia's terms." Olga Oliker, program director for Europe and Central Asia at the Crisis Group, puts it in starker terms. "If Ukraine runs out of weapons and people, yes, the war will end in the next year," Oliker said in a telephone interview. "It's always been the case that surrender by one or the other side would end the war," she said. "And if you run out of weapons and people, you don't have much of a choice." The Shifting Tides Of War The tide of the war has shifted several times since the full-scale invasion. Overall, 2022 was Ukraine's year: After surprising the world by not just surviving but beating back Russia's advance toward Kyiv in the north in the early weeks of the invasion, the defending forces recaptured substantial chunks of territory in the east and south, around Kharkiv and Kherson. In 2023, a much-anticipated counteroffensive that Kyiv launched in June had fizzled by the end of the year, far short of its most ambitious goal: to smash through the "land corridor" leading from the Russian border to the isthmus linking Ukraine's mainland with occupied Crimea. In an interview published in The Economist on November 1, the commander in chief of Ukraine's armed forces at the time, General Valeriy Zaluzhniy, described the battlefield situation as a "stalemate" -- a word that sounded defeatist to some in Ukraine, including President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, but that came up often in discussions of a war in which the front lines had moved little for months. Things have changed since then -- less on the battlefield, with one glaring exception, than far behind the scenes, in Washington, where a different kind of stalemate is presenting a growing threat to Ukraine's defense. About two weeks before Zaluzhniy's remarks, which may have been a contributing cause of his dismissal this month, U.S. President Joe Biden proposed $60 billion in aid for Ukraine, most of it for weapons. Four months later, after a number of twists and turns in the U.S. Congress, where right-wing Republicans have blocked its passage, the aid package still has not been approved -- and it's unclear whether it ever will be. At the front, Ukraine's firepower is fading as the flow of Western weapons slows, and the situation around Avdiyivka is anything but a stalemate. After many months of fierce fighting, Russian forces captured the devastated Donbas city last week. Boosted Confidence? Like the long battle for Bakhmut, Russia's gain came at a massive cost in troops and weapons lost, but it gave Putin a battlefield victory ahead of a March 15-17 election that is set to hand him a new six-year term and may have boosted his confidence about the war still further after Ukraine's unsuccessful counteroffensive. It also opened a potential pathway for Moscow's forces to seize more territory. "If Russian forces continue to advance past Avdiyivka and capture [transportation] networks, including west of Bakhmut, they eventually threaten a more strategic location, Pokrovsk, around 80 [kilometers] away," military analyst Dara Massicot, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on February 20. "Russian military leaders' training and mindset will tell them that now is the time to press forward on objectives: [Ukrainian] units have ammunition and manpower deficits, American assistance is delayed," and Western ammunition production targets have not been reached, Massicot wrote. "If the United States does not provide additional aid, then Ukrainian military capabilities will gradually deteriorate," Mark Cancian, a military analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, said in an e-mail. "I expect they will agree to some sort of negotiated cease-fire that allows Russia to occupy the territory it has seized." The flow of U.S. military aid peaked last summer at about $1.5 billion a month, and U.S. military equipment deliveries to Ukraine will fall 80 to 90 percent by the summer of 2024 if Congress does not pass a new aid package, Cancian told RFE/RL earlier this month. Still, if dwindling U.S. aid and other factors do lead to a pause or an end to the fighting, it might not be in the coming year. For one thing, Ukraine is now "focused on reconstitution and digging in to defend against continued Russian attacks," military analysts Massicot, Michael Kofman, and Rob Lee wrote in a January 26 commentary for War On The Rocks, shifting its posture following the counteroffensive in 2023. And whatever the level of Western aid, Kyiv appears determined to avoid any agreement that would cement Russia's territorial gains, even temporarily. Another factor: Despite the seizure of Avdiyivka, it's unclear how much further Russian forces may be able to go in 2024. Ukraine's military intelligence chief, Lieutenant General Kyrylo Budanov, told The Wall Street Journal last week that Russian forces "don't have the strength" to achieve what he said was their main strategic goal of seizing the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, which make up the Donbas, in their entirety this year. Meanwhile, analysts say that for Russia, holding the territory it now controls and seizing more in the east and south is only part of the plan -- a springboard to more ambitious goals that would take more time to achieve. "Russia still maintains the strategic objective of bringing about the subjugation of Ukraine. It now believes that it is winning," Jack Watling and Nick Reynolds, military analysts at the Britain-based Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), wrote in a commentary published on February 13. "Surrender terms currently being proposed by Russian intermediaries include Ukraine ceding the territory already under Russian control along with Kharkiv, and in some versions [Odesa]; agreeing not to join NATO; and maintaining a head of state approved by Russia." Russia hopes to make this happen by means of a three-stage process, Watling and Reynolds wrote: Draining Ukraine's ammunition and personnel reserves by maintaining pressure along the front, "breaking the resolve of Ukraine's international partners to continue to provide military aid," and then making further battlefield gains "that would be used as leverage against Kyiv to force capitulation on Russian terms. " "The planning horizon for the implementation of these objectives, which is providing the baseline for Russian force generation and industrial outputs, is that victory should be achieved by 2026," they wrote. The Most Crucial Part Of The Equation But there's a big caveat: an emboldened Russia might try for more -- or try to get it faster. Over nearly a quarter-century in power, Putin has often adjusted the Kremlin's goals based on advances and setbacks. "It is vital to appreciate that Russian goals may expand with success," the RUSI analysts wrote, "and given that the Kremlin has violated almost all significant agreements both with Ukraine and NATO, there is no assurance that even if Russia got what it wanted out of negotiations it would not subsequently endeavor to physically occupy the rest of Ukraine or be emboldened to use force elsewhere." On the other hand, failure by Russia to make substantial progress toward its goals in 2024 would have a knock-on effect, making success in the coming years increasingly difficult for Moscow to achieve. And the most crucial part of this equation is Western military aid. "The Russian theory of victory is plausible if Ukraine's international partners fail to properly resource the [Ukrainian armed forces]," Watling and Reynolds wrote. "However, if Ukraine's partners continue to provide sufficient ammunition and training support...to enable the blunting of Russian attacks in 2024, then Russia is unlikely to achieve significant gains in 2025. If Russia lacks the prospect of gains in 2025...then it follows that it will struggle to force Kyiv to capitulate by 2026." Other analysts agree that what happens this year will go a long way toward deciding the war's outcome. "Decisions made now will determine whether the Ukrainian military is resourced to hold its positions through 2024, fend off Russian attacks, and rebuild strength for 2025 and beyond," Massicot told RFE/RL in e-mailed comments. "[T]he signs all seem to indicate that the fighting will continue into at least early 2025," Deyermond said. "What happens after that, including how soon and under what circumstances the war ends, will depend on what happens later this year." Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-war-2024- outcome/32832266.html Copyright (c) 2024. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Head Of UN Atomic Watchdog Calls For 'Restraint' After Blasts Near Ukrainian Nuclear Plant By RFE/RL February 23, 2024 UN atomic watchdog chief Rafael Grossi called on February 23 for "maximum military restraint" after a string of powerful explosions occurred near Ukraine's Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhya nuclear plant this week. Experts with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) stationed at the Zaporizhzhya plant reported hearing explosions every day over the past week, including one on February 16 that appeared to occur close to the plant itself, Grossi said in a statement released by the Vienna-based organization. "There were also several explosions yesterday (February 22). One of them was unusually loud, indicating very close proximity to the site," the statement said. The large explosion on February 22 was part of "field training," plant officials said. The plant itself was not damaged and there were no injuries. It was not possible to conclusively determine the origin or direction of the other blasts, which Gross said "shook windows" at the plant. In addition, the IAEA was told that a mine exploded outside the site perimeter on February 22 but it did not cause any damage or injury. The Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant was captured by Russian forces in March 2022 and has been shut down but requires electrical power to run coolant and other safety systems. IAEA experts have been at the site to monitor its functions since September 2022. During the course of the war both Moscow and Kyiv have accused each other of compromising its safety. Grossi has warned numerous times about the dangers posed by the risk of the plant being caught in the cross fire. "I remain deeply concerned about the nuclear safety and security situation at Europe's largest nuclear power plant, located on the frontline of the war," Grossi said. "The reports of our experts indicate possible combat action not far away from the site." He also urged the restoration "as soon as possible" of the plant's back-up power line for off-site power. The plant is still receiving the electricity it needs for reactor cooling and other safety functions, but it currently has no back-up options available for off-site power, Grossi said. With reporting by AFP Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-zaporizhzhya-nuclear-plant- explosions-grossi-restraint/32832837.html Copyright (c) 2024. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Poland Opts Not To Meet Ukrainian Delegation Sent To Border To Discuss Farmers' Blockade By RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service February 23, 2024 Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said a meeting with Polish government officials on the border between the countries did not take place on February 23 as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy had requested. Ukrainian government officials, including the deputy prime minister and the interior minister, went to the border to meet with Polish officials, but "unfortunately, such a meeting...did not take place today," Shmyhal said on Facebook, posting a photo showing himself and 10 other government officials standing in front of one of the checkpoints at the Ukrainian-Polish border. "We understand the difficulties faced by the Polish government. And we are ready to help in solving this situation," Shmyhal said, predicting that a meeting eventually will take place to negotiate a compromise to resolve tension over Polish farmers' protests over an increase in Ukrainian food imports since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion. The farmers in recent weeks have blocked Ukrainian transport vehicles on the Polish side of the border, complaining that the increase in food and other goods from Ukraine is impacting prices for their own produce. The situation escalated this week when a freight train was stopped at the Medyka-Shehyniy border crossing and its grain was spilled onto the tracks. Ukrainian Border Service spokesman Andriy Demchenko told RFE/RL at the time that six of the nine border crossings for trucks between the two countries remained blocked. Shmyhal said Ukraine wants a resolution to the blockade that for the past six months has affected the Ukrainian economy and its ability to defend itself against the war. Earlier on February 23, Zelenskiy said that a delegation of the Ukrainian government would arrive at the border ready to negotiate. However, he said he did not know whether any representatives of the Polish government would be there. Zelenskiy appealed earlier to Poland and the European Commission regarding the situation at the border and asked Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk "to come to the border as well." Tusk responded by saying that Polish and Ukrainian government members would hold talks in Warsaw on March 28. Zelenskiy wants the matter to be treated more urgently, saying in his nightly video address on February 22 that it is a matter of national security which should be addressed in the coming days. Tusk this week said that border crossing points with Ukraine will be considered critically important infrastructure "to ensure a 100 percent guarantee that military and humanitarian aid will reach the Ukrainian side without any delays." In addition to demanding a ban on the import of agricultural products from Ukraine, the Polish protesters oppose a European Union agricultural policy that aims to implement a so-called "green system" that includes a number of environmental and climate requirements. Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/poland-ukraine-border- farmers-blockade-meeting-shmyhal/32832781.html Copyright (c) 2024. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address EU Announces 13th Russia Sanctions Package On Eve Of Second Anniversary Of Ukraine Invasion By RFE/RL February 23, 2024 The European Union announced a fresh package of sanctions against Russia on February 23, on the eve of the second anniversary of its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. "Today, we are further tightening the restrictive measures against Russia's military and defense sector," EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said in a press release. "We remain united in our determination to dent Russia's war machine and help Ukraine win its legitimate fight for self-defense." The 13th Ukraine-related sanctions package targets Russia's defense industry and slaps assets freezes and travel bans on 106 individuals and 88 organizations, bringing to 2,000 the total number of people and groups sanctioned by the 27-member bloc for "undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty, and independence of Ukraine." The newly sanctioned individuals include dozens of Russian officials including "members of the judiciary, local politicians and people responsible for the illegal deportation and military re-education of Ukrainian children," the statement said. They also impose restrictions on companies from India, Sri Lanka, China, Serbia, Kazakhstan, Thailand, and Turkey suspected of exporting to Russia dual-use products for "supporting Russia's military and industrial complex." The restrictions also expand on components for the development and production of aerial drones. The names of the companies will be published in the EU's official journal in several days. In response to the EU move, the Russia Foreign Ministry announced on February 23 that it had drastically expanded a list of the bloc's officials and politicians banned from entering Russia. "The European Union is continuing its fruitless attempts to put pressure on Russia through unilateral restrictive measures," the ministry said in a statement. While the bloc's 27 members agreed on the sanctions package, a statement to mark February 24 ran aground when Hungary refused to sign on, EU sources told RFE/RL. Budapest objected to the statement without offering a concrete explanation, the sources said. In the end, the EU issued a statement on February 23 signed by the presidents of the three main European institutions -- EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen, European Parliament chief Roberta Metsola, and European Council President Charles Michel -- instead of the entire bloc. "Russia and its leadership bear sole responsibility for this war and its global consequences, as well as for the serious crimes committed. We remain determined to hold them to account, including for the crime of aggression," the statement reads. "Russia and its leaders will pay a growing price for their actions. Together with partners, we have imposed unprecedented sanctions against Russia and those complicit in the war and remain ready to increase the pressure on Russia to limit its ability to wage war. We have also taken the first concrete steps towards directing extraordinary revenues stemming from Russian immobilized assets to support Ukraine. We will continue our targeted actions to further isolate Russia in international fora." Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/eu-russia-sanctions-ukraine- war/32832398.html Copyright (c) 2024. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked the leaders of Western countries, including the prime ministers of Italy, Belgium and Canada for the assistance provided since the beginning of the war. "I thank you for being here with us today and against the whole war. You are with our people, with Ukrainians, you are with Ukraine. Thank you for helping our state protect our people, strengthen them and strengthen our capabilities and Ukrainian motivation," he said, speaking in Hostomel on Saturday, where two years ago an attempt by Russian troops to seize a local airfield was repelled. "In two years of cooperation and unity with you, dear friends, and with all our close friends, with our partners, we have implemented many common tasks, we have been able to upgrade our Ukrainian military-industrial complex and are reaching a level of production of our own weapons that allows us to return this Putin's war home to Russia," Zelenskyy said. He thanked "for every package of support", "for every sanction decision against Russia and thank you for every step that allows us to bring a just end to this war." "Putin must lose in absolutely everything, as here in Hostomel. This is the only way the world will win," Zelenskyy said. Ukraine Destroys Russian Surveillance Plane, Commander Says; Five Killed In Drone Strikes By RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service February 23, 2024 The Ukrainian military has destroyed a Russian A-50 surveillance aircraft, Air Force Commander Mykola Oleshchuk said on February 23 after Ukrainian military and regional officials said that at least five people were killed and 27 others were wounded in a new round of Russian drone and missile strikes on several Ukrainian regions. "The A-50 with the call sign 'Bayan' has flown its last!" Oleshchuk wrote on Telegram. "Congratulations to the occupiers on the Defender of the Fatherland day," Oleshchuk said, referring to a Russian military holiday on February 23. Ukrainian military intelligence said the plane was downed over the Sea of Azov, calling the loss of the spy plane "another serious blow to the potential and capabilities of terrorist Moscow." Videos posted on social media showed multiple flashes of light against the night sky followed by another image showing a large blaze on the ground in what appeared to be a rural area. The Russian military didn't comment on Ukraine's claim, but emergency authorities in Russia's Krasnodar region said firefighters were responding to a plane crash. If confirmed, the plane's downing would mark the loss of the second A-50 in just over a month. The other one was brought down over the Sea of Azov on January 14, Ukrainian officials said then. The Russian military never commented on the Ukrainian claim, but Russian bloggers and some media confirmed the aircraft's loss. Experts have said Russia could struggle to replace the A-50 because of U.S. and European sanctions. Some of the plane's critical hardware is produced by Intel and other Western manufacturers. Even if Russia could get around the sanctions, it might be difficult for its armed forces to replace the 10 to 11 crew men who operate the A-50's tracking equipment because it takes years to train such specialists. The A-50, capable of relaying information to troops on the ground about battlefield movements up to 650 kilometers away, reportedly costs $330 million. Media reports suggest that Russia may have seven A-50s left in operation. Belarusian partisans in February 2023 claimed to have blown up an older-version of the plane. The General Staff of the Ukrainian military said in its evening summary on February 23 that Ukrainian forces held back Russian troops along the entire front line. The summary said that there were 58 combat clashes on the front line during the day. Ukraine's armed forces are holding back the Russian attacks, particularly in the area around Maryinsk, where Russian troops tried to break through the defenses 31 times, the General Staff said, noting air strikes in other parts of the Donetsk region. The General Staff said that the armed forces had also repelled six attacks in the area of Bakhmut and nine attacks in the area of Avdiyivka. The claims could not be independently verified. Earlier on February 23, Ukrainian air defenses shot down 23 out of the 31 drones launched by Russia at the Odesa, Mykolayiv, Poltava, Dnipropetrovsk, and Kharkiv regions, the air force said in a statement. Additionally, Russia launched an S-300 antiaircraft missile and three Kinzhal cruise missiles at Ukrainian targets. In the southern Ukrainian port city of Odesa, the debris from a Russian drone fell on a building in the coastal area, killing three people, the military said. In Dnipro, the capital of the central Dnipropetrovsk region, a drone hit a high-rise apartment building, killing one woman and wounding eight, regional Governor Serhiy Lysak reported on Telegram. Rescuers retrieved the woman's body from the rubble of a house damaged by the overnight drone attack Lysak said. In Dnipro, the capital of the central Dnipropetrovsk region, a drone hit a high-rise apartment building, wounding eight people, regional Governor Serhiy Lysak reported on Telegram. In the eastern region of Donetsk, a 68-year-old man was killed in a missile strike in the city of Myrnohrad, Oleksiy Kuleba, the deputy head of the office of the president, said on Telegram. More than 20 houses and an apartment building were also damaged in the strike, Kuleba said. The Donetsk region's governor, Vadym Filashkin, said at least 19 people were wounded in the strike. As the unprovoked Russian invasion of Ukraine nears the two-year mark, the country's infrastructure has sustained almost daily destruction. Deputy Prime Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov estimated that it would take up to a decade to rebuild Ukraine even if the war were to end now. "I think the most urgent damage could be repaired in two or three years. But overall it would take five to 10 years," Kubrakov told the German news agency dpa. He cited figures advanced by the World Bank, the European Union, and the United Nations that put the cost of the war damage so far at 500 billion euros ($541 billion). With reporting by dpa Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-strikes- odesa-dnipro/32831957.html Copyright (c) 2024. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Stoltenberg Says NATO Allies Committed To Ensuring Ukraine 'Prevails' By Zoriana Stepanenko February 23, 2024 NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg says NATO allies are committed to doing more to ensure that Ukraine "prevails" in its battle to repel invading Russian forces, with the alliance having "significantly changed" its stance on providing more advanced weapons to Kyiv. Speaking in an interview with RFE/RL to mark the second anniversary of Russia launching its full-scale invasion of its neighbor, the NATO chief said solidarity with Ukraine was not only correct, it's also "in our own security interests." "We can expect that the NATO allies will do more to ensure that Ukraine prevails, because this has been so clearly stated by NATO allies," Stoltenberg said. "I always stress that this is not charity. This is an investment in our own security and and that our support makes a difference on the battlefield every day," he added. Ukraine is in desperate need of financial and military assistance amid signs of political fatigue in the West as the war kicked off by Russia's unprovoked invasion nears the two-year mark on February 24. In excerpts from the interview released earlier in the week, Stoltenberg said the death of Russian opposition leader Aleksei Navalny and the first Russian gains on the battlefield in months should help focus the attention of NATO and its allies on the urgent need to support Ukraine. The death of Navalny in an Arctic prison on February 16 under suspicious circumstances -- authorities say it will be another two weeks before the body may be released to the family -- adds to the need to ensure Russian President Vladimir Putin's authoritarian rule does not go unchecked. "I strongly believe that the best way to honor the memory of Aleksei Navalny is to ensure that President Putin doesn't win on the battlefield, but that Ukraine prevails," Stoltenberg said. Stoltenberg said the withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from the city of Avdiyivka last week after months of intense fighting demonstrated the need for more military aid, "to ensure that Russia doesn't make further gains." "We don't believe that the fact that the Ukrainian forces have withdrawn from Avdiyivka in in itself will significantly change the strategic situation," he said. "But it reminds us of that Russia is willing to sacrifice a lot of soldiers. It also just makes minor territorial gains and also that Russia has received significant military support supplies from Iran, from North Korea and have been able to ramp up their own production." Ukraine's allies have been focused on a $61 billion U.S. military aid package, but while that remains stalled in the House of Representatives, other countries, including Sweden, Canada, and Japan, have stepped up their aid. "Of course, we are focused on the United States, but we also see how other allies are really stepping up and delivering significant support to Ukraine," Stoltenberg said in the interview. On the question of when Ukraine will be able to deploy F-16 fighter jets, Stoltenberg said it was not possible to say. He reiterated that Ukraine's allies all want them to be there as early as possible but said the effect of the F-16s will be stronger if pilots are well trained and maintenance crews and other support personnel are well-prepared. "So, I think we have to listen to the military experts exactly when we will be ready to or when allies will be ready to start sending and to delivering the F-16s," he said. "The sooner the better." Ukraine has actively sought U.S.-made F-16 fighter jets to help it counter Russian air superiority. The United States in August approved sending F-16s to Ukraine from Denmark and the Netherlands as soon as pilot training is completed. It will be up to each ally to decide whether to deliver F-16s to Ukraine, and allies have different policies, Stoltenberg said. But at the same time the war in Ukraine is a war of aggression, and Ukraine has the right to self-defense, including striking legitimate Russian military targets outside Ukraine. Asked about the prospect of former President Donald Trump returning to the White House, Stoltenberg said that regardless of the outcome of the U.S. elections this year, the United States will remain a committed NATO ally because it is in the security interest of the United States. Trump, the current front-runner in the race to become the Republican Party's presidential nominee, drew sharp rebukes from President Joe Biden, European leaders, and NATO after suggesting at a campaign rally on February 10 that the United States might not defend alliance members from a potential Russian invasion if they don't pay enough toward their own defense. Stoltenberg said the United States was safer and stronger together with more than 30 allies -- something that neither China nor Russia has. The criticism of NATO has been aimed at allies underspending on defense, he said. But Stoltenberg said new data shows that more and more NATO allies are meeting the target of spending 2 percent of GDP on defense, and this demonstrates that the alliance has come a long way since it pledged in 2014 to meet the target. At that time three members of NATO spent 2 percent of GDP on defense. Now it's 18, he said. "If you add together what all European allies do and compare that to the GDP in total in Europe, it's actually 2 percent today," he said. "That's good, but it's not enough because we want [each NATO member] to spend 2 percent. And we also make sure that 2 percent is a minimum." Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-nato-stoltenberg- interview/32831848.html Copyright (c) 2024. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Zelenskiy, In Fox Interview, Pleads With U.S. Congress To Pass Aid, Says Cost Will Be Higher If It Doesn't By Todd Prince February 23, 2024 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has called on the U.S. Congress to pass a $60 billion aid package to help his country defend against invading Russian forces, saying it will be a cheaper alternative than the consequences of a Russian victory. Speaking with the conservative Fox News channel in an interview that aired on February 22 -- two days ahead of the second anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of its neighbor -- Zelenskiy warned that Russian President Vladimir Putin will push further into Eastern Europe if he conquers Ukraine. "If they [Congress] want to be very pragmatic, the price we are asking now...is less than it will be in the future if [Russia] will go into NATO countries," Zelenskiy said from a bombed-out building in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, where he sat down for the interview as sporadic explosions were heard in the background. "Will Ukraine survive without Congress's support? Of course. But not all of us," he added, while inviting President Joe Biden and Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump to visit Ukraine and witness for themselves the situation at the front lines of "this tragedy." After four months of debate, the U.S. Senate earlier this month passed a supplementary spending bill that allocates some $60 billion in aid to Ukraine, mainly for weapons and military equipment. However, a group of right-wing Republicans in the House of Representatives has been holding it up as they seek to tie it to contentious immigration reforms at home. The delay is having significant consequences on the battlefield, as Ukrainian forces run low on ammunition and air defenses. Russian troops last week captured the eastern city of Avdiyivka, the first major victory for the Kremlin since May 2023. Military experts said a lack of manpower and firepower forced Ukrainian forces to retreat from the city. By speaking with Fox News, Zelenskiy appealed directly to conservative Americans whose support for Ukraine has declined over the past year. According to a recent poll by Pew Research Center, nearly half of U.S. citizens who identify as Republican or Republican-leaning say the United States is giving too much support to Ukraine. Only one in six people who identify as Democrat or Democrat-leaning held that same opinion. "At the height of the Ukraine supplemental fight, President Zelenskiy is speaking to Republicans through the media outlet that conservatives watch most," Daniel Vajdich, president of Yorktown Solutions, a Washington-based lobby firm whose clients include Ukraine, told RFE/RL. "Zelenskiy explains to conservatives and Congressional Republicans why U.S. funding for Ukraine is in fact a rational U.S. investment of its resources," he said. Fox News is the top-rated U.S. cable channel by daily viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research, reaching 1.2 million people in a 24-hour period, as much as MSNBC and CNN combined. Zelenskiy addressed concerns often voiced by right-wing Republicans over aid, corruption, elections, and a peace settlement. He said U.S. aid -- Washington has been by far Kyiv's biggest donor -- goes for military needs, and not toward Ukrainian pensions. In fact, some Democrats have argued, most of the aid goes to American companies who receive the contracts to supply weapons to Kyiv. Still, Zelenskiy said Ukraine's government was moving forward with Western-backed anti-corruption reforms and denied he was seeking to postpone elections to stay in power. Zelenskiy said the constitution does not allow elections to be held during wartime. Ukraine's next round of presidential elections were scheduled for this year. Despite few territorial changes to the 1,000-kilometer front line since 2023, Zelenskiy rejected the idea that the war had reached a stalemate. When asked about the prospects of peace negotiations, the Ukrainian leader said that Putin can't be trusted, adding the Russian leader will never give up trying to get full control of the country. He said Putin's negotiating position will weaken with time as Russia suffers more losses on the battlefield. In the meantime, he said, Ukraine will prepare for another counteroffensive and promised Russia's forces in the south would get "some surprises." The interview comes exactly two weeks after popular conservative commentator Tucker Carlson -- once one of Fox's most popular hosts -- aired his interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The authoritarian Kremlin leader claimed in the interview that Ukraine was a threat to Russia because it was seeking to join NATO. Western experts say Putin uses the NATO argument to camoflage his imperial ambitions. Carlson has long questioned Washington's support for Kyiv. In May 2022, he claimed the Biden administration was arming Ukraine to punish Russia for its interference in the 2016 presidential election. When asked about when the war will end, Zelenskiy said that depended on Western resolve. He said the West was afraid of what will happen to Russia -- the world's second-biggest nuclear power -- if it loses the war. "We are doing everything possible for the war to end as soon as possible," Zelenskiy said. "When the world will be ready to stop Putin? Well, let's be frank. The world is not really ready for Putin to be able to lose his power. The world is afraid of changes in [the] Russian Federation," he said. Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-zelenskiy-us- fox-interview/32831806.html Copyright (c) 2024. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Responding to Two Years of Russia's Full-Scale War On Ukraine and Navalny's Death US Department of State Fact Sheet Office of the Spokesperson February 23, 2024 Following Russia's two years of unprovoked full-scale war, the death of opposition politician and anticorruption activist Aleksey Navalny, and a decade of aggression against Ukraine, the United States is sanctioning more than 500 individuals and entities in Russia and globally. There is a clear link between Russia's authoritarianism, its domestic crackdown on dissent, and its aggression abroad. Today, we are imposing additional costs on Russia for both its internal repression and foreign aggression. The Department of State is sanctioning three individuals in connection with the death of Navalny in Russian Penal Colony IK-3: the prison warden, regional prison head, and deputy director of the Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia. In addition, the Department is imposing sanctions on more than 250 entities and individuals, including those engaged in sanctions evasion and circumvention, and those bolstering Russia's future energy and metals and mining production. Along with these actions, the Department is sanctioning several individuals to promote accountability for acts supporting Russia's war, including by those involved in the unlawful transfer and/or deportation of Ukrainian children. Today's financial sanctions targets are being designated pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 14024, as amended, which authorizes sanctions with respect to specified harmful foreign activities of the Government of the Russian Federation. The Department is also taking steps to impose visa restrictions on Russian Federation-installed purported authorities involved in human rights abuses in connection with the transfer, deportation and confinement of Ukrainian children. Additionally, the U.S. government is issuing a business advisory to assist companies in making informed decisions regarding the risks of conducting business in Russia. PROMOTING ACCOUNTABILITY FOR INDIVIDUALS INVOLVED IN THE DEATH OF ALEKSEY NAVALNY The Department is designating the following three individuals connected to the death of Aleksey Navalny pursuant to section 1(a)(iii)(A) for being or having been a leader, official, senior executive officer, or member of the board of directors of the Government of the Russian Federation: VALERIY GENNADEVICH BOYARINEV (BOYARINEV) is the Deputy Director of the Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia, which includes oversight of Penal Colony IK-3. BOYARINEV reportedly instructed prison staff to exert harsher treatment on Aleksey Navalny while he was in detention. Following Navalny's death, BOYARINEV was promoted to "Colonel General" by decree of Vladimir Putin. is the Deputy Director of the Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia, which includes oversight of Penal Colony IK-3. BOYARINEV reportedly instructed prison staff to exert harsher treatment on Aleksey Navalny while he was in detention. Following Navalny's death, BOYARINEV was promoted to "Colonel General" by decree of Vladimir Putin. IGOR BORISOVICH RAKITIN (RAKITIN) and VADIM KONSTANTINOVICH KALININ (KALININ) are officials in the Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia. RAKITIN is the overall head of the Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia for the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Region, in which Penal Colony IK-3 is located. KALININ is the warden of Penal Colony IK-3. CONSTRAINING RUSSIA'S FUTURE ENERGY PRODUCTION AND EXPORTS Further Sanctions on Entities Involved in the Arctic LNG 2 Project The Department continues to designate entities involved in the development of Russia's future energy production and export capacity. Today, the Department is designating two major entities involved in the financing and construction of highly specialized liquefied natural gas (LNG) tankers designed specifically for Limited Liability Company Arctic LNG 2 (LLC Arctic LNG 2), the operator of the Arctic LNG 2 project, as well as several other entities involved in Arctic LNG 2 and other future energy projects in Russia. Construction and development of the Arctic LNG 2 Project has relied on foreign service companies' expertise and technology to significantly expand Russia's future LNG export capacity. These actions follow the Department of State's designation of LLC Arctic LNG 2 in November 2023, as well as multiple other entities involved in the development of the Arctic LNG 2 project. These designations have already produced delays in the project exports and resulted in significant increases in the project's construction costs. Today's actions demonstrate the United States' continued commitment and resolve to constrain the Arctic LNG 2 project's production and export capacity. Pursuant to section 1(a)(i) the following entity is being designated for operating or having operated in the manufacturing sector of the Russian Federation economy: LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY SHIPBUILDING COMPLEX ZVEZDA is a Russia-based shipbuilding company that is involved in the construction of up to 15 highly specialized LNG tankers intended for use in support of Arctic LNG 2 exports. Pursuant to section 1(a)(i), the following entity is being designated for operating or having operated in the marine sector of the Russian Federation economy: LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY MODERN MARINE ARCTIC TRANSPORT SPG (SMART LNG) is a Russia-based joint venture to lease new ice-class LNG carriers in support of Arctic LNG 2 exports. Pursuant to section 1(a)(i), the following entity is being designated for operating or having operated in the construction sector of the Russian Federation economy: LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY NOVATEK MURMANSK (NOVATEK MURMANSK) is a Russia-based civil engineering construction company. NOVATEK MURMANSK, also known as the Belokamenka shipyard, is involved in the assembly of the gravity-based structures and LNG production lines for the Arctic LNG 2 project. Pursuant to section 1(a)(vii), the following entities are being designated for being owned or controlled by, or having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, the Government of the Russian Federation: AZORIA SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED (AZORIA SHIPPING COMPANY) is a Cyprus-based shipping company intended to acquire a vessel supporting exports from the Arctic LNG 2 project. AZORIA SHIPPING COMPANY's global ultimate parent is Joint Stock Company Sovcomflot, a Russian state-owned enterprise. is a Cyprus-based shipping company intended to acquire a vessel supporting exports from the Arctic LNG 2 project. AZORIA SHIPPING COMPANY's global ultimate parent is Joint Stock Company Sovcomflot, a Russian state-owned enterprise. ELIXON SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED (ELIXON SHIPPING COMPANY) is a Cyprus-based shipping company intended to acquire a vessel supporting exports from the Arctic LNG 2 project. ELIXON SHIPPING COMPANY's global ultimate parent is Joint Stock Company Sovcomflot, a Russian state-owned enterprise. is a Cyprus-based shipping company intended to acquire a vessel supporting exports from the Arctic LNG 2 project. ELIXON SHIPPING COMPANY's global ultimate parent is Joint Stock Company Sovcomflot, a Russian state-owned enterprise. GLORINA SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED (GLORINA SHIPPING COMPANY) is a Cyprus-based shipping company intended to acquire a vessel supporting exports from the Arctic LNG 2 project. GLORINA SHIPPING COMPANY's global ultimate parent is Joint Stock Company Sovcomflot, a Russian state-owned enterprise. Targeting Other Russian Future Energy Projects The Department is also taking action against entities involved in other Russian future energy projects. Pursuant to section 1(a)(i), the following entity is being designated for operating or having operated in the construction sector of the Russian Federation economy: LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY GLOBALTEK was established in 2019 to implement and develop the future Yakutia Gas Project. The Department is designating an additional two entities involved in the development and operation of Russia's Ust-Luga LNG terminal. These actions follow previous sanctions against entities involved in the development of the Ust-Luga LNG terminal. Pursuant to section 1(a)(i), the following entity is being designated for operating or having operated in the construction sector of the Russian Federation economy: OOO RUSKHIMALYANS (RUSKHIMALYANS) is a Russia-based joint-venture company building an LNG complex at the Baltic Sea port of Ust-Luga. RUSKHIMALYANS is also the LNG project's operator. Pursuant to section 1(a)(i), the following entity is being designated for operating or having operated in the transportation sector of the Russian Federation economy: LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY NEW COMMUNAL TECHNOLOGIES (NKT) is a subsidiary of RUSKHIMALYANS and is involved in transportation services and cargo handling on behalf of RUSKHIMALYANS. Targeting a Major Russian State-Owned Enterprise Supporting Future Energy Projects The Department is targeting a significant geological exploration company wholly owned by the Government of the Russian Federation. JSC ROSGEOLOGIA (ROSGEO) is a Russian state-owned multidisciplinary geological holding company, which provides geological exploration services. Within Russia, ROSGEO and its subsidiaries perform a range of geophysical services in the search and exploration of oil and gas fields. ROSGEO is being designated pursuant to section 1(a)(vii) for being owned or controlled by, or having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, the Government of the Russian Federation. ROSGEO performs similar operations for hydrocarbon and solid mineral exploration in over a dozen countries, primarily through two subsidiaries, YUZHMORGEOLOGIYA AO and ZARUBEZHGEOLOGIYA AO (ZARUBEZHGEOLOGIYA). YUZHMORGEOLOGIYA AO and ZARUBEZHGEOLOGIA are being designated pursuant to section 1(a)(i) for operating or having operated in the engineering sector of the Russian Federation economy. The following vessels are being identified as property in which YUZHMORGEOLOGIYA AO has an interest: YUZHMORGEOLOGIYA and GELENDZHIK are research vessels operated by YUZHMORGEOLOGIYA AO for the purpose of geophysical exploration and are ultimately managed by ROSEGO. The following entities affiliated with ROSGEO are engaged in activities such as surveying, industrial engineering, and providing engineering-related services in Russia. All eight entities are being designated pursuant to section 1(a)(i) for operating or having operated in the engineering sector of the Russian Federation economy: NPTS NEDRA AO IRKUTSKGEOFIZIKA AO SEVERO VOSTOCHNOE PGO AO SEVERO KAVKAZSKOE PGO AO SIBIRSKOE PGO AO CHELYABINSKGEOSEMKA AO DALNEVOSTOCHNOE PGO AO DALMORNEFTEGEOFIZIKA AO Pursuant to section 1(a)(i), the following entity is being designated for operating or having operated in the architecture sector of the Russian Federation economy: TSENTRALNOE PGO PAO (TSENTRALNOE PGO) is owned by ROSGEO. TSENTRALNOE PGO provides architectural, engineering, and related services for geological exploration projects in Russia. Pursuant to section 1(a)(i), the following two entities are being designated for operating or having operated in the manufacturing sector of the Russian Federation economy: TULSKOE NIGP AO and VNIGRI GEOLOGORAZVEDKA AO are both ultimately owned or managed by ROSGEO. Both entities are engaged in the manufacture of geophysical and mining equipment Pursuant to section 1(a)(i), the following two entities are being designated for operating or having operated in the metals and mining sector of the Russian Federation economy: TSENTRKVARTS PAO is managed by ROSGEO and is involved in geophysical exploration work for projects in Russia. is managed by ROSGEO and is involved in geophysical exploration work for projects in Russia. SEVERO ZAPADNOE PGO AO is owned by ROSGEO. SEVERO ZAPADNOE PGO AO is engaged in mineral exploration and mining activities. Pursuant to section 1(a)(i), the following entity is being designated for operating or having operated in the engineering sector of the Russian Federation economy: SEVMORNEFTEGEOFIZIKA AO (SMNG) is managed by ROSGEO. SMNG is involved in geophysical exploration and marine exploratory drilling in Russia, as well as for international projects on behalf of the Russian government. The following vessels are being identified as property in which SMNG has an interest. The following five vessels are survey and research vessels used for the purpose of geophysical exploration and are ultimately managed by ROSGEO: AKADEMIK PRIMAKOV PROFESSOR LOGACHEV AKADEMIK LAZEREV AKADEMIK NEMCHINOV PROFESSOR RYABINKIN Pursuant to section 1(a)(i), the following entity is being designated for operating or having operated in the engineering sector of the Russian Federation economy: JSC POLAR MARINE GEOSURVEY EXPEDITION (PMGRE) is engaged in mineral exploration and prospecting, and is managed by ROSGEO. The AKADEMIK ALEKSANDR KARPINSKIY is being identified as property in which PMGRE has an interest. AKADEMIK ALEKSANDR KARPINSKIYis a survey and research vessel operated by PMGRE for the purpose of geophysical exploration and is ultimately managed by ROSGEO. is engaged in mineral exploration and prospecting, and is managed by ROSGEO. Pursuant to section 1(a)(i), the following three entities are being designated for operating or having operated in the engineering sector of the Russian Federation economy. These three entities are engaged in scientific engineering research, and are all managed by ROSGEO: VNIGRIUGOL AO VNIIZARUBEZHGEOLOGIYA VZG AO AMIGE AO (AMIGE) The BAVENIT is being identified as property in which AMIGE has an interest. BAVENITis a survey and research vessel operated by AMIGE for the purpose of geophysical exploration and is ultimately managed by ROSGEO. Pursuant to section 1(a)(i), the following entity is being designated for operating or having operated in the metals and mining sector of the Russian Federation economy: URANGEOLOGORAZVEDKA AO (URANGEO) is managed by ROSGEO. URANGEO provides drilling services and related support for geological exploration projects in Russia. Continued Pressure on Rosatom Subsidiaries This is the sixth Russia sanctions action that includes designations of State Atomic Energy Corporation Rosatom (Rosatom) subsidiaries. These targets include Rosatom entities supporting Russia's development of the Arctic region, future business development, and an enterprise of Russia's nuclear weapons complex. The Department is designating the following entities pursuant to section 1(a)(vii) for being owned or controlled by, or having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, the Government of the Russian Federation: JOINT STOCK COMPANY RUSATOM ARCTIC (RUSATOM ARCTIC) is a subsidiary of Rosatom that was established in 2023 to aid in Russia's development of the Arctic region. is a subsidiary of Rosatom that was established in 2023 to aid in Russia's development of the Arctic region. INNOVATION HUB LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY (INNOHUB) is a subsidiary of Rosatom that serves as Rosatom's business accelerator and includes an investment portfolio, a project office, and a research and development center. is a subsidiary of Rosatom that serves as Rosatom's business accelerator and includes an investment portfolio, a project office, and a research and development center. FEDERAL STATE UNITARY ENTERPRISE ALEXANDROV RESEARCH INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY (ALEXANDROV RESEARCH INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY) is a subsidiary of Rosatom described as being a key enterprise of the nuclear weapons complex and involved in designing, testing, and supporting nuclear power and naval propulsion reactors, including for Russian submarines. DISRUPTING SANCTIONS EVASION AND BACKFILLING EFFORTS The Department continues to disrupt the networks and channels through which Russia attempts to procure technology and equipment from third countries to support its war effort. Specifically, these designations target producers, exporters, and importers of items critical to Russia's defense-industrial base, including common high-priority items identified by the U.S. Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security, alongside the EU, UK, and Japan. Entities based in the PRC, TArkiye, and the United Arab Emirates, among other countries, continue to send these items and other important dual-use goods to Russia, including critical components that Russia relies on for its weapons systems. Many of these procured components also include U.S.-origin aviation parts from top U.S. manufacturers. Russia has continued to leverage sanctions evasion and circumvention networks to procure aviation and microelectronic components in an effort to sustain its military industrial base and aviation industry, to include expropriated U.S. and European aircraft. Targeting a Pathway for Microelectronics Imports to Russia The Department is designating the following entity pursuant to section 1(a)(i) for operating or having operated in the electronics sector of the Russian Federation economy: LIMITED LIABILITY PARTNERSHIP DA GROUP 22 (DA GROUP 22) is a Kazakhstan-based company that is receiving common high-priority items from Germany-based company, ELIX ST LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY, and is sending common high-priority items to Russia-based company LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY STEK. The end users of these common high-priority items include the Russian military and Russian space and defense manufacturers. Pursuant to section 1(a)(vi)(B), the following entity is being designated for having materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services to or in support of DA GROUP 22, a person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to the Order: ELIX ST LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY (ELIX ST) is a Germany-based company that has supplied common high-priority items to Kazakhstan-based company, DA GROUP 22. Pursuant to section 1(a)(iii)(C), the following individual is being designated for being or having been a leader, official, senior executive officer, or member of the board of directors of ELIX ST: YELENA LVOVNA CHERNET is the Managing Director of ELIX ST. Pursuant to section 1(a)(i), the following entities are being designated for operating or having operated in the electronics sector of the Russian Federation economy: LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY STEK (STEK) is a Russia-based company involved in the production of electrical wiring works. STEK is receiving common high-priority items from DA GROUP 22. is a Russia-based company involved in the production of electrical wiring works. STEK is receiving common high-priority items from DA GROUP 22. JOINT STOCK COMPANY SET 1 (SET 1) is a Russia-based company involved in the production of radio and television-transmission apparatuses. SET 1 uses microelectronic imports from STEK to develop products for the Russian military. Pursuant to section 1(a)(i), the following entity and individual are being designated for operating or having operated in the manufacturing sector of the Russian Federation economy: LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY ELIKS M (ELIKS M) is a Russia-based company involved primarily in the wholesale distribution of industrial machinery and equipment. ELIKS M clients include various Russian defense companies. is a Russia-based company involved primarily in the wholesale distribution of industrial machinery and equipment. ELIKS M clients include various Russian defense companies. YEVGENIY OLEGOVICH CHERNET is the General Director and majority shareholder of ELIKS M. Pursuant to section 1(a)(i), the following entity is being designated for operating or having operated in the electronics sector of the Russian Federation economy: LIMITED LIABILITY PARTNERSHIP ELEM GROUP (ELEM GROUP) is a Kazakhstan-based company that has supplied common high-priority items to Russia-based, U.S.-designated STRELOI EKOMMERTS. TArkiye-based Entities Supplying Common High-Priority Items to Russia The Department is designating the following entities pursuant to section 1(a)(i) for operating or having operated in the electronics sector of the Russian Federation economy: MBK LOJISTIK MEDIKAL PAZARLAMA SANAYI IC VE DIS TICARET LIMITED SIRKETI (MBK LOJISTIK) is a TArkiye-based company that has supplied common high-priority items to Russia-based company, LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY A AVERS. is a TArkiye-based company that has supplied common high-priority items to Russia-based company, LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY A AVERS. OLIMPIK GAMA IC VE TICARET SANAYI LIMITED SIRKETI (OLIMPIK GAMA) is a TArkiye-based company that has supplied common high-priority items to Russia-based company, LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY TRADE HOUSE KYUTEK. is a TArkiye-based company that has supplied common high-priority items to Russia-based company, LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY TRADE HOUSE KYUTEK. LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY TRADE HOUSE KYUTEK (TRADE HOUSE) is a Russia-based company that has received common high-priority electronic components supplied by TArkiye-based company, OLIMPIK GAMA. Pursuant to section 1(a)(i), the following entity is being designated for operating or having operated in the technology sector of the Russian Federation economy: LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY A AVERS (A AVERS) is a Russia-based company that has received common high-priority electronic components supplied by TArkiye-based company, MBK LOJISTIK. TArkiye-based Entities Involved in Procuring G7-Origin Aircraft Components for Entities Based in Russia Pursuant to section 1(a)(i), the following entities are being designated for operating or having operated in the aerospace sector of the Russian Federation economy: ALPHA VISIT SHOP FOREIGN TRADE LIMITED COMPANY (ALPHA VISIT) is a TArkiye-based company, founded by a Russian national in May 2022, that supplied aircraft parts to Russia-based companies, including an entity that is Entity Listed by the U.S. Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security. A UAE-based Entity Supplying Common High-Priority Items to Russia The Department is designating the following entities pursuant to section 1(a)(i) for operating or having operated in the electronics sector of the Russian Federation economy: ASIA INTERNATIONAL TRADE PROVIDER LLC (ASIA INTERNATIONAL) is a UAE-based company that has supplied common high-priority items to Russia-based, U.S.-designated LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY MDIKAM EK. UAE-based Entities Involved in Procuring G7-Origin Aircraft Components for Entities Based in Russia The Department is designating the following entity pursuant to section 1(a)(i) for operating or having operated in the transportation sector of the Russian Federation economy: POLARSTAR LOGISTICS LLC (POLARSTAR) is a UAE-based company that offers cargo shipping services from the UAE to Russia. POLARSTAR is listed as an S7 Airlines representative office and acts as a cargo agent in the UAE on behalf of S7 Airlines, which is Entity Listed by the U.S. Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security. Pursuant to section 1(a)(i), the following entity is being designated for operating or having operated in the aerospace sector of the Russian Federation economy: S 7 ENGINEERING LLC (S7 ENGINEERING) is a Russia-based company that offers maintenance services for U.S. and European-built aircraft and components in Russia and other countries. S7 ENGINEERING procures aircraft parts, including G7-origin components, from UAE-based companies.Pursuant to section 1(a)(vii), the following entity is being designated for being owned or controlled by, or having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, S7 ENGINEERING: LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY ANGAR (ANGAR) is solely owned by S7 ENGINEERING. ANGAR is primarily engaged in renting, buying, selling, managing, and appraising real estate. is a Russia-based company that offers maintenance services for U.S. and European-built aircraft and components in Russia and other countries. S7 ENGINEERING procures aircraft parts, including G7-origin components, from UAE-based companies.Pursuant to section 1(a)(vii), the following entity is being designated for being owned or controlled by, or having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, S7 ENGINEERING: Pursuant to section 1(a)(i), the following entities are being designated for operating or having operated in the aerospace sector of the Russian Federation economy: MIRAGE AIR CRAFT SERVICES SOLE PROPRIETORSHIP LLC is a UAE-based company that supplied aircraft parts to the Russia-based company S7 ENGINEERING. is a UAE-based company that supplied aircraft parts to the Russia-based company S7 ENGINEERING. CRYNOFIST AVIATION FZCO is a UAE-based company that supplied Russian aviation companies with G7-origin aircraft parts. is a UAE-based company that supplied Russian aviation companies with G7-origin aircraft parts. RBG SOLUTION FZE is a UAE-based company that supplied G7-origin aircraft parts to the Russia-based company, S7 ENGINEERING. PRC-based Entities Involved in Procuring Electronic Components for Entities with Ties to the Russian Military The Department is designating the following entities pursuant to section 1(a)(i) for operating or having operated in the electronics sector of the Russian Federation economy: ZHEJIANG OULONG ELECTRIC CO LTD (ZHEJIANG OULONG ELECTRIC) is a private manufacturer of printed circuit boards based in Wenzhou, PRC. From January to October 2023, Zhejiang Oulong Electric supplied Russian entities with more than $2 million worth of products found on the BIS List of Common High Priority Items. ZHEJIANG OULONG ELECTRIC has supplied common high-priority items to Russia-based, U.S.-designated INELSO OOO. INELSO OOO was sanctioned by the United States in May 2023 and has also been identified in the Official Journal of the European Union as an entity that has contributed to Russia's military and technological enhancement or to the development of Russia's defense and security sector. is a private manufacturer of printed circuit boards based in Wenzhou, PRC. From January to October 2023, Zhejiang Oulong Electric supplied Russian entities with more than $2 million worth of products found on the BIS List of Common High Priority Items. ZHEJIANG OULONG ELECTRIC has supplied common high-priority items to Russia-based, U.S.-designated INELSO OOO. INELSO OOO was sanctioned by the United States in May 2023 and has also been identified in the Official Journal of the European Union as an entity that has contributed to Russia's military and technological enhancement or to the development of Russia's defense and security sector. WUHAN MAIWE COMMUNICATION CO LTD (WUHAN MAIWE) is a PRC-based company that supplies common high priority items to Russian companies. WUHAN MAIWE has supplied common high-priority items to Russia-based, U.S.-designated company REGION-PROF LLC. REGION-PROF LLC has procured multiple shipments of common high priority items on behalf of the Russian military and security services. is a PRC-based company that supplies common high priority items to Russian companies. WUHAN MAIWE has supplied common high-priority items to Russia-based, U.S.-designated company REGION-PROF LLC. REGION-PROF LLC has procured multiple shipments of common high priority items on behalf of the Russian military and security services. COREBAI MICROELECTRONICS BEIJING COMPANY LIMITED is a PRC-based micro-electronics producer that has Russian distributors, works with SDN listed INELSO OOO, and has a distribution warehouse in Russia. CONSTRAINING RUSSIA'S METALS AND MINING REVENUE The Department of State continues to designate individuals and entities involved in Russia's metals and mining sector to further constrict Russia's revenue generation from this key source of funds for the Russian federal budget. Targeting Russia's Largest Pipe Producer The Department is designating PUBLIC JOINT STOCK COMPANY PIPE METALLURGICAL COMPANY (PIPE METALLURGICAL COMPANY), Russia's leading supplier of steel pipe, piping solutions, and related services. PIPE METALLURGICAL COMPANY also supplied piping for U.S.-designated Nord Stream 2 AG, the project implementation company for the Nord Stream 2 pipeline project. PIPE METALLURGICAL COMPANY is being designated pursuant to section 1(a)(i), for operating or having operated in the metals and mining sector of the Russian Federation economy. The following five entities, all of which are subsidiaries of PIPE METALLURGICAL COMPANY, are being designated pursuant to section 1(a)(vii) for being owned or controlled by, or having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, PIPE METALLURGICAL COMPANY: LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY TUBES 2000 LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY TMK OIL FIELD SERVICES LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY TMK PREMIUM SERVICES LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY TMK TECHNICAL SERVICE SPS ME FZCO The following additional subsidiaries of PIPE METALLURGICAL COMPANY are all being designated pursuant to section 1(a)(i) for operating or having operated in the metals and mining sector of the Russian Federation economy: JOINT STOCK COMPANY CHELYABINSK PIPE ROLLING PLANT is the leading supplier of steel pipe, piping solutions, and related services for a variety of sectors of the Russian economy. is the leading supplier of steel pipe, piping solutions, and related services for a variety of sectors of the Russian economy. LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY TMK YARTSEVSKIY METALLURGICAL PLANT is a modern casting and rolling factory for the production of long products with a capacity of more than 300 thousand tons per year. is a modern casting and rolling factory for the production of long products with a capacity of more than 300 thousand tons per year. JOINT STOCK COMPANY VOLZHSKIY PIPE PLANT is involved in the production of steel pipes, hollow profiles, and fittings. is involved in the production of steel pipes, hollow profiles, and fittings. JOINT STOCK COMPANY ORSKIY MACHINE BUILDING PLANT is involved in the production of steel pipes, hollow profiles, and fittings. is involved in the production of steel pipes, hollow profiles, and fittings. JOINT STOCK COMPANY PERVOURALSKIY NEW PIPE PLANT produces steel pipes and cylinders. produces steel pipes and cylinders. JOINT STOCK COMPANY SINARSKIY PIPE PLANT (SINARSKIY PIPE PLANT) is a specialized enterprise for the production of steel pipes, providing industrial services. is a specialized enterprise for the production of steel pipes, providing industrial services. JOINT STOCK COMPANY TAGANROG METALLURGICAL PLANT (TAGANROG METALLURGICAL PLANT) produces many types of steel pipes. produces many types of steel pipes. JOINT STOCK COMPANY SEVERSKIY PIPE PLANT (SEVERSKIY PIPE PLANT) is one of the oldest metallurgical enterprises in Russia and produces various steel pipe products. is one of the oldest metallurgical enterprises in Russia and produces various steel pipe products. LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY SMARTMET manufactures steel tubes, pipes, and related fittings. manufactures steel tubes, pipes, and related fittings. LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY TMK PIPELINE SOLUTIONS manufactures steel tubes, pipes, and related fittings. manufactures steel tubes, pipes, and related fittings. LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY TMK TAYMIR treats and coats metals. Pursuant to section 1(a)(i), the following entity is being designated for operating or having operated in the financial services sector of the Russian Federation economy: INTERNATIONAL COMPANY LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY TMK STEEL HOLDING is a subsidiary of PIPE METALLURGICAL COMPANY and is primarily engaged in holding or owning securities of companies and is involved in financial asset investing. The following two additional subsidiaries of PIPE METALLURGICAL COMPANY are being designated pursuant to section 1(a)(i) for operating or having operated in the transportation sector of the Russian Federation economy: LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY SINARATRANSAUTO has worked in the automobiles logistics market since 2005 and provides comprehensive road transportation services for the SINARSKIY PIPE PLANT. has worked in the automobiles logistics market since 2005 and provides comprehensive road transportation services for the SINARSKIY PIPE PLANT. LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY SINARAPROMTRANS (SINARAPROMTRANS) is the only operator of internal railway logistics for the TAGANROG METALLURGICAL PLANT, VOLZHSKIY PIPE PLANT, and SEVERSKIY PIPE PLANT pipe factories, included in the PIPE METALLURGICAL COMPANY network. Additionally, SINARAPROMTRANS has two divisions in Siberia, which carry out rail delivery of coal from mining sites. Pursuant to section 1(a)(i), the following entity is being designated for operating or having operated in the accounting sector of the Russian Federation economy: LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY TMK BUSINESS SERVICES CENTER is a subsidiary of PIPE METALLURGICAL COMPANY whose main business activities are accounting, bookkeeping, auditing activities, and tax consultancy. Further Targeting Russian Gold Mining The Department is designating KONSTANTIN IVANOVICH STRUKOV (STRUKOV) and PUBLIC JOINT STOCK COMPANY UZHURALZOLOTO GROUP OF COMPANIES (JSC UGC), one of Russia's top ten gold miners. STRUKOV is the founder and majority owner of JSC UGC and was sanctioned by the United Kingdom on November 8, 2023. STRUKOV and JSC UGC are both being designated pursuant to section 1(a)(i) for operating or having operated in metals and mining sector of the Russian Federation economy. Pursuant to section 1(a)(vii), the following entity is being designated for being owned or controlled by, or having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, STRUKOV, a person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to the Order: LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY MANAGEMENT COMPANY UGC is owned by STRUKOV. Pursuant to section 1(a)(i), the following entities are being designated for operating or having operated in metals and mining sector of the Russian Federation economy: LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY SOVRUDNIK extracts metal ores and is owned by JSC UGC. extracts metal ores and is owned by JSC UGC. JOINT STOCK COMPANY KOMMUNAROVSKIY GOLD MINE is involved in the mining of ores and sands of precious metals such as gold, silver, and platinum. Targeting A Russian Aluminum Products Producer The Department is designating JOINT STOCK COMPANY SAMARA METALLURGICAL PLANT (SAMARA METALLURGICAL PLANT), a Russia-based firm that produces a broad assortment of aluminum products and is the largest producer of semi-fabricated aluminum products in Russia. SAMARA METALLURGICAL PLANT is being designated pursuant to section 1(a)(i) for operating or having operated in the metals and mining sector of the Russian Federation economy. MIKHAIL GRIGORYEVICH SPICHAK (SPICHAK) is the General Director of the SAMARA METALLURICAL PLANT and MAXIM YURYEVICH SMIRNOV (SMIRNOV) is the President of the SAMARA METALLURGICAL PLANT. Both SPICHAK and SMIRNOV are being designated pursuant to section 1(a)(i) for operating or having operated in the metals and mining sector of the Russian Federation economy. Targeting A Key Russian Metals & Mining Network The Department is targeting a network of Russian mining companies connected to the wealthy Russian Trotsenko family believed to be close to President of Russia Vladimir Putin. The following entities are being designated pursuant to section 1(a)(i) for operating or having operated in the financial services sector of the Russian Federation economy: ILLC GEOPROMINING INVESTMENT is involved in activities including security and commodity exchanges among other financial service activities. is involved in activities including security and commodity exchanges among other financial service activities. LLC HOLDING GPM (HOLDING GPM) is involved in activities including investments in securities and financial asset investing.HOLDING GPM is the founder and majority owner of the following four entities which are being designated pursuant to section 1(a)(vii) for being owned or controlled by, or having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, HOLDING GPM, a person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to the Order: is involved in activities including investments in securities and financial asset investing.HOLDING GPM is the founder and majority owner of the following four entities which are being designated pursuant to section 1(a)(vii) for being owned or controlled by, or having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, HOLDING GPM, a person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to the Order: LLC GEOPROMAINING LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY KRYAZH INVEST LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY GEOPROMAINING VERKHNE MENKECHE LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY NATSIONALNAYA SURMYANAYA KOMPANIYA (NSK) Pursuant to section 1(a)(vii), the following entity is being designated for being owned or controlled by, or having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, NSK, a person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to the Order: LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY GROSS was founded and is owned by NSK. Pursuant to section 1(a)(i), the following entities are being designated for operating or having operated in metals and mining sector of the Russian Federation economy: JOINT STOCK COMPANY VISMUT is primarily engaged in the mining and enrichment of iron ores. is primarily engaged in the mining and enrichment of iron ores. JOINT STOCK COMPANY ZVEZDA is primarily engaged in mining, milling, or otherwise preparing ferroalloy ores. is primarily engaged in mining, milling, or otherwise preparing ferroalloy ores. JOINT STOCK COMPANY SARYLAKH SURMA is primarily engaged in mining, milling, or otherwise preparing ferroalloy ores. is primarily engaged in mining, milling, or otherwise preparing ferroalloy ores. LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY AEON MINING is primarily engaged in the mining of ores and sands of precious metals. CONSTRAINING RUSSIA'S WAR EFFORT Entities and Individuals Manufacturing Weapons, Ammunitions, and Other Equipment The Department is continuing to take significant action to disrupt and degrade Russia's military industrial base and today is targeting nearly 60 entities and individuals involved in the manufacture of weapons, ammunition, and associated materiel. The defense industry entities and individuals included below manufacture weapons, ammunition, and related equipment for the Russian defense sector to support its illegal war against Ukraine. Pursuant to section 1(a)(i), the following entities are being designated for operating or having operated in the defense and related materiel sector of the Russian Federation economy: JOINT STOCK COMPANY TULA MACHINE BUILDING PLANT (TULAMASHZAVOD) is one of the largest enterprises of the Russian military industrial base manufacturing numerous gun systems for Russian armored vehicles, aircraft, and anti-aircraft systems. is one of the largest enterprises of the Russian military industrial base manufacturing numerous gun systems for Russian armored vehicles, aircraft, and anti-aircraft systems. EVGENII ANATOLEVICH DRONOV is the Director General of TULAMASHZAVOD. is the Director General of TULAMASHZAVOD. PUBLIC JOINT STOCK COMPANY IMPERIAL TULA ARMS PLANT (IMPERIAL TULA ARMS PLANT) manufactures high-precision antitank guided missiles and various small arms for the Russian military. manufactures high-precision antitank guided missiles and various small arms for the Russian military. GUN-MAKING COMPANY LEVSHA-T LLC manufactures small arms and is wholly owned by IMPERIAL TULA ARMS PLANT. manufactures small arms and is wholly owned by IMPERIAL TULA ARMS PLANT. JOINT STOCK COMPANY SCIENTIFIC AND PRODUCTION ASSOCIATION PRIBOR NAMED AFTER S.S. GOLEMBIOVSKY (JSC NPO PRIBOR) is one of Russia's largest manufacturers of small-caliber ammunition and weapons systems for use by the Russian military. is one of Russia's largest manufacturers of small-caliber ammunition and weapons systems for use by the Russian military. YURI ALEXANDROVICH NABOKOV is the General Director of JSC NPO PRIBOR. is the General Director of JSC NPO PRIBOR. JOINT STOCK COMPANY NOVOSIBIRSK MECHANICAL PLANT ISKRA (NMZ ISKRA) manufactures ammunition, explosives and other specialized components for the Russian defense industry. manufactures ammunition, explosives and other specialized components for the Russian defense industry. JOINT STOCK COMPANY VERKHNYAYA SALDA CHEMICAL CONTAINER PLANT (AO VZKHE) manufactures missile technology for the Russian defense industry. manufactures missile technology for the Russian defense industry. JSC IZHEVSK MOTOR PLANT AKSION HOLDING (AKSION HOLDING) manufactures equipment for control systems for the Topol-M and Yars missile systems, as well as communication and information processing systems. manufactures equipment for control systems for the Topol-M and Yars missile systems, as well as communication and information processing systems. GENNADY IVANOVICH KUDRYAVTSEV is the Director General of AKSION HOLDING. is the Director General of AKSION HOLDING. JOINT STOCK COMPANY VOSKRESENSKY AGGREGATION FACTORY (JSC VAF) assembles antiaircraft guided missiles, air-to-air and air-to-surface guided missiles, and cruise missiles for use by the Russian military. assembles antiaircraft guided missiles, air-to-air and air-to-surface guided missiles, and cruise missiles for use by the Russian military. ALEKSANDR VIACHESLAVOVICH SYCHUGOV is the General Director of JSC VAF. is the General Director of JSC VAF. FEDERAL STATE ENTERPRISE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY ASSOCIATION KAZAN PLANT OF PRECISION ENGINEERING (NPO KZTM) manufactures explosives for the Russian defense industry. manufactures explosives for the Russian defense industry. JSC SCIENTIFIC PRODUCTION ASSOCIATION EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN BUREAU NAMED AFTER M SIMONOV (OKB SIMONOV) develops and produces unmanned aerial systems and aerial training targets. develops and produces unmanned aerial systems and aerial training targets. LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY TRIMIX (3MX) manufactures electronic warfare systems and anti-UAV systems used by the Russian military. manufactures electronic warfare systems and anti-UAV systems used by the Russian military. CENTRAL RESEARCH RADIO ENGINEERING INSTITUTE NAMED AFTER ACADEMICIAN A I BERG (TSNIRTI BERG) builds satellite and radar equipment for contracts with the Russian Ministry of Defense. builds satellite and radar equipment for contracts with the Russian Ministry of Defense. JOINT STOCK COMPANY SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH INSTITUTE EKRAN (EKRAN) works on the development, production, testing, and repair of aviation equipment used by the Russian Ministry of Defense. works on the development, production, testing, and repair of aviation equipment used by the Russian Ministry of Defense. JOINT STOCK COMPANY ARZAMAS MACHINE BUILDING PLANT (ARZAMAS) manufactures armored vehicles used by the Russian military in Ukraine. manufactures armored vehicles used by the Russian military in Ukraine. LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY MILITARY INDUSTRIAL COMPANY (MIC) develops and manufactures armored personnel carriers, infantry fighting vehicles, and armored cars for the Russian military. develops and manufactures armored personnel carriers, infantry fighting vehicles, and armored cars for the Russian military. JOINT STOCK COMPANY SPECIAL DESIGN BUREAU OF TRANSPORT MECHANICAL ENGINEERING (SPETSMASH) develops and manufactures armored vehicles, self-propelled artillery, and other specialized equipment for the Russian military. develops and manufactures armored vehicles, self-propelled artillery, and other specialized equipment for the Russian military. JOINT STOCK COMPANY ASTEIS manufactures armored vehicles for the Russian defense industry. manufactures armored vehicles for the Russian defense industry. JOINT STOCK COMPANY SPECIAL DESIGN BUREAU OF INSTRUMENT MAKING AND AUTOMATION (SKB PA) develops and manufactures electro-hydraulic, electromechanical, navigation, and control systems for mobile robotic complexes for the Russian defense industry. develops and manufactures electro-hydraulic, electromechanical, navigation, and control systems for mobile robotic complexes for the Russian defense industry. FEDERAL STATE UNITARY ENTERPRISE STATE RESEARCH AND PRODUCTION ENTERPRISE BAZALT (NPO BAZALT) is involved in the design and construction of air launched ordnance, rocket propelled grenades, and armored fighting vehicle ammunition. NPO BAZALT was designated pursuant to E.O. 13662 on July 16, 2014. is involved in the design and construction of air launched ordnance, rocket propelled grenades, and armored fighting vehicle ammunition. NPO BAZALT was designated pursuant to E.O. 13662 on July 16, 2014. OTKRYTOE AKTSIONERNOE OBSHCHESTVO NOVO-VYATKA (NOVO-VYATKA) manufactures various technical equipment with defense applications. NOVO-VYATKA was designated pursuant to E.O. 13662 on December 22, 2015. manufactures various technical equipment with defense applications. NOVO-VYATKA was designated pursuant to E.O. 13662 on December 22, 2015. NIKOLAY VLADIMIROVICH PORKHACHEV (PORKHACHEV) is the General Director of NPO BAZALT, and was the temporary General Director of OTKRYTOE AKTSIONERNOE OBSHCHESTVO NOVO-VYATKA. is the General Director of NPO BAZALT, and was the temporary General Director of OTKRYTOE AKTSIONERNOE OBSHCHESTVO NOVO-VYATKA. FARID KHABIBULLOVICH ABDRAKHMANOV is the General Director of JOINT STOCK COMPANY EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN BUREAU NOVATOR, which develops and produces cruise missiles, including the Kalibr cruise missile, and was designated pursuant to E.O. 14024 in September 2023. is the General Director of JOINT STOCK COMPANY EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN BUREAU NOVATOR, which develops and produces cruise missiles, including the Kalibr cruise missile, and was designated pursuant to E.O. 14024 in September 2023. LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY TRADING HOUSE LOBAEV ARMS (LOBAEV ARMS) is a company registered in Russia that manufactures weapons and ammunition. is a company registered in Russia that manufactures weapons and ammunition. VLADISLAV YEVGENYEVICH LOBAEV (VLADISLAV LOBAEV) is the founder of LOBAEV ARMS. is the founder of LOBAEV ARMS. LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY LOBAEV ROBOTICS (LOBAEV ROBOTICS) is a company registered in Russia that manufactures weapons and ammunition. is a company registered in Russia that manufactures weapons and ammunition. LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY CONSTRUCTION BUREAU OF INTEGRATED SYSTEMS (LLC KBIS) is a company registered in Russia that produces weapons and ammunition. is a company registered in Russia that produces weapons and ammunition. ELENA ANATOLYEVNA LOBAEVA (ELENA LOBAEVA) is a founder and owner of LLC KBIS. is a founder and owner of LLC KBIS. FUND FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF WEAPONS TECHNOLOGIES AND PRODUCTION LOBAEV FOUNDATION (LOBAEV FOUNDATION) is registered in Russia and its programs include the development of precision small arms technologies, development of the production of precision weapons, development and modernization of specialized UAVs, and development and supply of special equipment. is registered in Russia and its programs include the development of precision small arms technologies, development of the production of precision weapons, development and modernization of specialized UAVs, and development and supply of special equipment. NIKOLAY YEVGENYEVICH LOBAEV (NIKOLAY LOBAEV) is a shareholder, director, and legal representative of LOBAEV ARMS. Entities Supporting Russia's Military Industrial Base The Department continues to designate entities involved in the development of advanced technologies and high-tech machine tools being used to substitute production of goods Russia can no longer import, as well as entities involved in the manufacture of weapons and ammunition supporting Russia's defense industry. The Department is designating the following entities involved in the development of additive manufacturing (3D printing) and computer numerical control (CNC) technologies, among other individuals and entities within the Russian military industrial base. Pursuant to section 1(a)(i), the following entities are being designated for operating or having operated in the technology sector of the Russian Federation economy: JOINT STOCK COMPANY ELEKTRONNAYA MOSKVA is contracted to cover technical support and maintenance of Moscow's facial recognition system. is contracted to cover technical support and maintenance of Moscow's facial recognition system. LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY 2050 ADDITIVE TECHNOLOGIES is a Russia-based additive manufacturing company. is a Russia-based additive manufacturing company. LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY ADDITIVE TECHNOLOGY is a Russia-based additive manufacturing company. is a Russia-based additive manufacturing company. LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY OFFICE TECHNOLOGY JETCOM is a Russia-based additive manufacturing company. is a Russia-based additive manufacturing company. LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY NPC ANTEY is a Russia-based additive manufacturing company. is a Russia-based additive manufacturing company. LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY MAKETIR is a Russia-based additive manufacturing company. is a Russia-based additive manufacturing company. LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY ENGINEERING CENTER OF ADDITIVE TECHNOLOGIES is a Russia-based additive manufacturing company. is a Russia-based additive manufacturing company. LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY NOVAPRINT 3D is a Russia-based additive manufacturing company. is a Russia-based additive manufacturing company. LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY ONSINT is a Russia-based additive manufacturing company. is a Russia-based additive manufacturing company. LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY TPK FOLIPLAST is a Russia-based additive manufacturing company. is a Russia-based additive manufacturing company. LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY SPRUT TECHNOLOGY is a Russia-based company that develops software for computer numerical control machines. is a Russia-based company that develops software for computer numerical control machines. LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY CENTER SPRUT T is a Russia-based company that develops software for computer numerical control machines. Pursuant to section 1(a)(i), the following entity is being designated for operating or having operated in the electronics sector of the Russian Federation economy: LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY DIAPAZON is a supplier of electronic components throughout Russia. Pursuant to section 1(a)(i), the following entities are being designated for operating or having operated in the manufacturing sector of the Russian Federation economy: JOINT STOCK COMPANY KLINTSOVSKIY MOBILE CRANE PLANT is one of the largest and most reputable manufacturers of lifting equipment in Russia. The plant produces modern automobile and crawler cranes. is one of the largest and most reputable manufacturers of lifting equipment in Russia. The plant produces modern automobile and crawler cranes. LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY GALIKA MET repairs metalworking machines and is involved in the sale of machinery and equipment. repairs metalworking machines and is involved in the sale of machinery and equipment. LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY GALIKA SKD is involved in the sale of woodworking machines. is involved in the sale of woodworking machines. LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY GALIKA TSENTR TEKHNOLOGI I SERVIS is an industrial machinery and equipment wholesaler headquartered in Russia. is an industrial machinery and equipment wholesaler headquartered in Russia. LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY GALIKA SERVIS repairs machinery and equipment. repairs machinery and equipment. LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY PROIZVODSTVENNYE RESHENIYA is involved in the machining of metal products, manufacture of metalworking machines, and manufactures of other machine tools. is involved in the machining of metal products, manufacture of metalworking machines, and manufactures of other machine tools. JOINT STOCK COMPANY PROIZVODSTVENNOE OBEDINENIE FORT (JSC PO FORT) operates in the machinery wholesale industry. operates in the machinery wholesale industry. DIANA EVGENEVNA KALEDINA is the Director General of JSC PO FORT. is the Director General of JSC PO FORT. LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY MACHINE BUILDING FACTORY FORT is involved in the machining of metal products, manufacture of metalworking machines, and manufactures of other machine tools. is involved in the machining of metal products, manufacture of metalworking machines, and manufactures of other machine tools. LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY SASOVSKI LITEINY ZAVOD operates in the casting of iron industry. operates in the casting of iron industry. LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY MANAGEMENT COMPANY ABAMET is a Russia-based industrial machinery and equipment wholesale company. is a Russia-based industrial machinery and equipment wholesale company. LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY HERMLE VOSTOK is a Russia-based industrial machinery and equipment wholesale company. is a Russia-based industrial machinery and equipment wholesale company. LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY ATM GRUPP is a Russia-based machinery wholesale company that supplies CNC machines. is a Russia-based machinery wholesale company that supplies CNC machines. LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY INZHENERNO TEKHNOLOGICHESKI TSENTR ATM is a Russia-based machinery wholesale company. is a Russia-based machinery wholesale company. LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY ATM TEKHNOLODZHI is a Russia-based machinery wholesale company that supplies high-quality metalworking equipment. is a Russia-based machinery wholesale company that supplies high-quality metalworking equipment. LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY KNAUER ENGINEERING is a Russia-based company that operates in the Industrial Machinery Repair and Maintenance industry. is a Russia-based company that operates in the Industrial Machinery Repair and Maintenance industry. LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY AMS TEKHNIKA is a Russia-based company involved in the wholesale distribution of industrial machinery and equipment. is a Russia-based company involved in the wholesale distribution of industrial machinery and equipment. JOINT STOCK COMPANY JOINT TECHNOLOGICAL ENTERPRISE PERM PLANT OF METAL WORKING CENTERS (PZMC) manufactures CNC metalworking machines, lathes, turn-milling, and milling machines including the PROTON T series machines. manufactures CNC metalworking machines, lathes, turn-milling, and milling machines including the PROTON T series machines. JOINT STOCK COMPANY MEKHANIKA produces advanced industrial equipment for high-performance turning and milling of steels and alloys. produces advanced industrial equipment for high-performance turning and milling of steels and alloys. JOINT STOCK COMPANY KOVROV ELECTROMECHANICAL PLANT (KEMZ) designs and manufactures a variety of multifunctional turning, milling, and turn-mill machining CNC machines and associated equipment. designs and manufactures a variety of multifunctional turning, milling, and turn-mill machining CNC machines and associated equipment. AKTSIONERNOE OBSHCHESTVO TOZ-METIZ manufactures high-precision fasteners and other hardware for the Russian defense industry and is wholly owned by IMPERIAL TULA ARMS PLANT. Pursuant to section 1(a)(i), the following entity is being designated for operating or having operated in the technology sector of the Russian Federation economy: LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY NATIONAL CENTRE FOR INFORMATION SECURITY is a Russia-based company that develops counter-unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) systems and develops information security systems that are used by multiple Russian government agencies. Pursuant to section 1(a)(i), the following entity is being designated for operating or having operated in the electronics sector of the Russian Federation economy: LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY NEIT is a Russia-based company and is involved in the wholesale trade of electronic equipment and its spare parts. Countering Russia-Iran Military Cooperation and Arms Proliferation The Department remains focused on highlighting and disrupting the ongoing military cooperation between Iran and Russia to further Russia's war efforts against Ukraine. In December 2022 and October 2023, we designated numerous Russian and Iranian entities for their involvement in the proliferation of arms including transfers of UAVs from Iran for Russia's use against Ukraine, conventional arms and related materiel from Iran to Russia, and major weapons systems from Russia to Iran, including the Yak-130 combat aircraft. Today, we continue these efforts by designating the Iranian MINISTRY OF DEFENSE AND ARMED FORCES LOGISTICS (MODAFL) for the first time under a Russia-related sanctions authority, as well as two shipping companies that have previously been involved in arms related transfers between Iran and Russia. At least as of 2022, ROSOBORONEKSPORT OAO had worked through MODAFL to facilitate Iranian munitions transfers to Russia. Additionally, MODAFL worked with other Iranian military entities to facilitate the transfer of armed UAVs to Russia beginning in 2022. This action aligns with the Department of the Treasury's designations today of a network of entities and individuals that has supported efforts by the Government of the Russian Federation and MODAFL to establish a facility in Russia to supply the Russian military with one-way attack UAVs, such as the Shahed-136 UAVs, and the Russian version, the Geran-2, for use in Russia's war against Ukraine. Pursuant to section 1(a)(vi)(B), the following entity is being designated for having materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services to or in support of ROSOBORONEKSPORT OAO, a person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to the Order: MINISTRY OF DEFENSE AND ARMED FORCES LOGISTICS (MODAFL) is the Iranian Ministry of Defense and has been involved in transfers of major weapons systems between Russia and Iran. MODAFL was previously designated pursuant to E.O. 13382, E.O. 13224, and E.O. 13949. Pursuant to section 1(a)(i), the following entity is being designated for operating or having operated in the marine sector of the Russian Federation economy: DALIR LTD is a Russian shipping company based in Astrakhan, Russia on the Caspian Sea. Additionally, DALIR LTD previously transported military-related cargo for delivery to the Iranian military on behalf of ROSOBORONEKSPORT OAO, Russia's sole state-controlled intermediary agency for exporting and importing the entire range of military, defense, and dual-use products, technologies, and services. ROSOBORONEKSPORT OAO is designated pursuant to E.O. 14024, E.O. 13949, E.O. 13582 and E.O. 13662. Pursuant to the Order, the following vessels are being identified as property in which DALIR LTD has an interest: ALIREZA 1 and BALTIYSKIY-111 . ALIREZA 1 and BALTIYSKIY-111 are general cargo ships. is a Russian shipping company based in Astrakhan, Russia on the Caspian Sea. Additionally, DALIR LTD previously transported military-related cargo for delivery to the Iranian military on behalf of ROSOBORONEKSPORT OAO, Russia's sole state-controlled intermediary agency for exporting and importing the entire range of military, defense, and dual-use products, technologies, and services. ROSOBORONEKSPORT OAO is designated pursuant to E.O. 14024, E.O. 13949, E.O. 13582 and E.O. 13662. LADOGA SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY (LADOGA LTD) is a Russian shipping company based in Astrakhan, Russia on the Caspian Sea. Additionally, LADOGA LTD vessels previously made port calls in Russian-occupied Crimea and transported military-related cargo for delivery to the Iranian military on behalf of ROSOBORONEKSPORT OAO. Pursuant to the Order, SKIF-V is being identified as property in which LADOGA LTD has an interest. SKIF-V is a general cargo ship. is a Russian shipping company based in Astrakhan, Russia on the Caspian Sea. Additionally, LADOGA LTD vessels previously made port calls in Russian-occupied Crimea and transported military-related cargo for delivery to the Iranian military on behalf of ROSOBORONEKSPORT OAO. Disrupting Russia-DPRK Munitions Transfers The Department will continue to disrupt and expose arms transfers between the DPRK and Russia. As part of that ongoing effort, the Department is designating two additional entities that have been involved in the transfer of munitions from the DPRK to Russia. Since September 2023, the DPRK has delivered more than 10,000 containers of munitions or munitions-related materials to Russia. Russia has imported shipping containers carrying military-related cargo from the DPRK through Vostochny Port for use in the Ukraine conflict since early October 2023. Specifically, more than 7,400 containers of munitions and munitions-related materials have been delivered to Russia through the VOSTOCHNAYA STEVEDORING COMPANY LLC (VSC)-owned terminal at Vostochny Port. Containers of munitions and munitions-related materials have also been delivered to Russia through the nearby DUNAY PROBABLE NAVAL MISSILE FACILITY. These designations follow the Department's designations of several other entities and individuals involved in munitions transfers from the DPRK to Russia in July, September, and December 2023 as well as designations of entities involved in the transfer of ballistic missiles from the DPRK to Russia in January 2024. Pursuant to section 1(a)(i), the following entity is being designated for operating or having operated in the marine sector of the Russian Federation economy: VOSTOCHNAYA STEVEDORING COMPANY LLC (VSC) manages a terminal at Vostochny Port in Russia's far east through which more than 7,400 containers of munitions and munitions-related materials have been delivered from the DPRK. Pursuant to section 1(a)(i), the following entity is being designated for operating or having operated in the defense and related materiel sector of the Russian Federation economy: DUNAY PROBABLE NAVAL MISSILE FACILITY is a Russian naval base and port facility that has been involved in the transfer of munitions from the DPRK to Russia. Targeting Third-Party Support to Russia's Defense Sector The Department continues to be vigilant against entities and individuals in third countries that provide support to Russia's defense sector. Today's actions demonstrate that we will not hesitate to take action under all relevant authorities against those engaging in transactions with or providing other forms of support to Russia's defense sector. Pursuant to section 1(a)(i), the following entities are being designated for operating or having operated in the defense and related materiel sector of the Russian Federation economy: JSC 558 AIRCRAFT REPAIR PLANT is a Belarusian defense company that maintains and repairs aircraft equipment and trains other personnel in the repair and operation of certain aviation materiel. JSC 558 AIRCRAFT REPAIR PLANT retains close ties to the Russian defense sector and was previously designated pursuant to E.O. 14038 on February 24, 2022. is a Belarusian defense company that maintains and repairs aircraft equipment and trains other personnel in the repair and operation of certain aviation materiel. JSC 558 AIRCRAFT REPAIR PLANT retains close ties to the Russian defense sector and was previously designated pursuant to E.O. 14038 on February 24, 2022. PAVEL IVANOVICH PINIGIN is the former director of JSC 558 AIRCRAFT REPAIR PLANT. is the former director of JSC 558 AIRCRAFT REPAIR PLANT. PRO HELI INTERNATIONAL SERVICES LIMITED (PRO HELI) is a Uganda-based joint venture with the National Enterprises Corporation that provides maintenance, repair, and overhaul services for Uganda's fleet of Russian-origin helicopters. Additionally, PRO HELI maintains a partnership with the JSC 558 AIRCRAFT REPAIR PLANT and has procured weapons from U.S.-designated Russian arms companies as recently as 2023. is a Uganda-based joint venture with the National Enterprises Corporation that provides maintenance, repair, and overhaul services for Uganda's fleet of Russian-origin helicopters. Additionally, PRO HELI maintains a partnership with the JSC 558 AIRCRAFT REPAIR PLANT and has procured weapons from U.S.-designated Russian arms companies as recently as 2023. VALERII COPEICHIN is the CEO of PRO HELI and has previously been named in a United Nations report for involvement in weapons shipments to South Sudan. Continued Pressure on Private Military Companies The Department is continuing our efforts to expose and disrupt the activities of Russian private military companies and individuals supporting Russia's war aims against Ukraine. Despite the demise of the PMC Wagner's Yevgeniy Prigozhin, today's actions highlight our focus on countering the malign activities of such groups and individuals operating in Ukraine and elsewhere. Pursuant to section 1(a)(i), the following entities and individual are being designated for operating or having operated in the defense and related materiel sector of the Russian Federation economy: PRIVATE MILITARY COMPANY CONVOY (PMC CONVOY) is a private military company operating in Ukraine. is a private military company operating in Ukraine. KONSTANTIN ALEXANDROVICH PIKALOV is a leader of PMC CONVOY operating in Ukraine. is a leader of PMC CONVOY operating in Ukraine. AKTSIONERNOE OBSHCHESTVO KONSALT is the new legal form of the PMC Wagner Center in Saint Petersburg, Russia. is the new legal form of the PMC Wagner Center in Saint Petersburg, Russia. ALEXEY VASILYEVICH TENSIN is the former leader of PMC Wagner Center and a former manager at JSC Concern Kalashnikov. Pursuant to section 1(a)(ii)(F), the following individuals are being designated for being responsible for or complicit in, or having directly or indirectly engaged or attempted to engage in, activities that undermine the peace, security, political stability, or territorial integrity of the United States, its allies, or its partners, for or on behalf of, or for the benefit of, directly or indirectly, the Government of the Russian Federation: ANDREI NIKOLAEVICH TROSHEV is a former senior leader of PMC Wagner and reportedly now holds a position in the Russian Ministry of Defense. is a former senior leader of PMC Wagner and reportedly now holds a position in the Russian Ministry of Defense. ANTON OLEGOVICH ELIZAREV is a former commander in PMC Wagner. is a former commander in PMC Wagner. STANISLAV ALEXANDROVICH ORLOV is a commander of a private military company that has operated in Ukraine. is a commander of a private military company that has operated in Ukraine. MIKHAIL VICTOROVICH TURKANOV is a member of a private military company that has operated in Ukraine. Pursuant to section 1(a)(vii), the following entity is being designated for being owned or controlled by, or having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, JOINT STOCK COMPANY BARNAUL CARTRIDGE PLANT, a person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to the Order: SHOOTING CENTER ALTAY SHOOTING LTD (SHOOTING CENTER ALTAY) is a shooting range owned by JOINT STOCK COMPANY BARNAUL CARTRIDGE PLANT. Additionally, Shooting Center Altay reportedly has been used by PMC Wagner-affiliated individuals to conduct trainings. Continued Targeting of Russian State-Owned Enterprises The Department is further targeting Russian state-owned enterprises in the automotive sector, which continues to be a key aspect of the Russian military industrial base, as well as the state-owned enterprise involved in the development of the Russian Far East and Russian Arctic regions. Pursuant to section 1(a)(vii), the following entity is being designed for being owned or controlled by, or having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, the Government of the Russian Federation: JOINT STOCK COMPANY FAR EAST AND ARCTIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION (JSC KRDV) is the management company responsible for coordinating investment projects in the Free Port of Vladivostok, the Special Administrative Region on Russky Island, and the advanced special economic zones in the Far Eastern and Arctic regions of Russia.The following ten entities are majority owned by JSC KRDV and coordinate future energy and mining projects, among others, in their respective titular region. Pursuant to section 1(a)(vii), all ten entities are being designated for being owned or controlled by, or having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, JSC KRDV: LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY KRDV PRIMORYE LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY KRDV AMURSKAYA LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY KRDV BURYATIYA LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY KRDV CHUKOTKA LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY KRDV KAMCHATKA LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY KRDV MURMANSK LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY KRDV SAKHALIN AND KURILY LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY KRDV YAKUTIYA LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY KRDV YUZHNAYA YAKUTIYA LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY KRDV ZABAYKALYE Pursuant to section 1(a)(iv), the following entity is being designated for being a political subdivision, agency, or instrumentality of the Government of the Russian Federation: FEDERAL STATE UNITARY ENTERPRISE CENTRAL ORDER OF THE RED BANNER SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH AUTOMOBILE AND AUTOMOTIVE ENGINES INSTITUTE NAMI (NAMI) is the parent company of several entities conducting engineering research, manufacturing, and sales of automotives in Russia. NAMI is included in a list of strategic enterprises essential for the national defense and security of Russia and is subordinate to the Ministry of Industry and Trade.Pursuant to section 1(a)(vii), the following entity is being designated for being owned or controlled by, or having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, NAMI, a person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to the Order: LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY AUTO HOLDING (AUTO HOLDING) is a Russia-based holding company owned by NAMI. Pursuant to section 1(a)(i), the following NAMI-affiliated entities are being designated for operating or having operated in the transportation sector of the Russian Federation economy: LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY SHUSHARY AVTO produces motor vehicles. produces motor vehicles. LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY AURUS produces motor vehicles. produces motor vehicles. LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY FIBET NAMI ADVANCED ENGINEERING is an automobile and auto parts company located in Russia and conducts sales of spare parts and accessories for cars and industrial vehicles. is an automobile and auto parts company located in Russia and conducts sales of spare parts and accessories for cars and industrial vehicles. LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY NAMI INNOVATIVE COMPONENTS produces components and accessories for motor vehicles. PROMOTING ACCOUNTABILITY FOR MALIGN ACTORS The Department is also taking further action today to target a range of individuals and entities involved in supporting the Russian government's war effort and other malign activities. Targeting a Russian Proxy Authority in Occupied Territories of Ukraine VITALIY VIKTOROVICH BULYUK (BULYUK) is a so-called deputy head of the Russian-backed military-civilian administration of the Kherson Region. BULYUK is being designated pursuant to section 1(a)(ii)(F) for being responsible for or complicit in, or having directly or indirectly engaged or attempted to engage in, activities that undermine the peace, security, political stability, or territorial integrity of the United States, its allies, or its partners, for or on behalf of, or for the benefit of, directly or indirectly, the Government of the Russian Federation. Targeting Individuals Supporting Russia's Expropriation of Foreign Companies The Department continues to impose sanctions to highlight the Government of the Russian Federation's seizure of Russian subsidiaries of foreign companies. Pursuant to section 1(a)(vii), the following individuals are being designated for being owned or controlled by, or having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, the Government of the Russian Federation: VASILI VLADISLAVOVICH NIKONOV was appointed interim CEO of PJSC Unipro, the Russian subsidiary of Germany's Uniper that has been placed under "temporary control" by the Government of the Russian Federation. was appointed interim CEO of PJSC Unipro, the Russian subsidiary of Germany's Uniper that has been placed under "temporary control" by the Government of the Russian Federation. VYACHESLAV EVGENEVICH KOZHEVNIKOV was appointed the interim CEO of PAO Forward Energo, the Russian subsidiary of Finland's Fortum that has been placed under "temporary control" by the Government of the Russian Federation. Targeting Russia's Malign Influence in Moldova The Department is imposing sanctions on MARINA TAUBER (TAUBER), chief representative in Moldova of ILAN MIRONOVICH SHOR (SHOR), a person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to the Order. During last year's local elections, TAUBER helped the fugitive, U.S.-sanctioned SHOR shift his party apparatus from the U.S.-sanctioned SHOR PARTY to other parties and subvert Moldova's electoral process through illegal vote buying on behalf of the Kremlin. SHOR has demonstrated his intent to use his malign criminal network, and TAUBER as his chief representative, to wage similar subversion campaigns in upcoming election cycles. Moldovans deserve free and fair democratic processes. The United States supports Moldova's progress on democratic and economic reforms and a future free from the grip of the Kremlin's malign influence. We will continue to promote accountability for those who try to subvert the will of the Moldovan electorate. TAUBER is described as SHOR's second-in-command and has directed the operations of SHOR's malign networks in Moldova, as well as operations of the SHOR PARTY, a person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to the Order. TAUBER is being designated pursuant to section 1(a)(vii), for being owned or controlled by, or having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, SHOR, a person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to the Order. The Network of Sergey Gordeev SERGEY EDUARDOVICH GORDEEV (GORDEEV) is a Russian businessman whose ventures have benefitted from connections to SULIEMAN ABUSAIDOVICH KERIMOV and SERGEY SEMYONOVICH SOBYANIN, persons whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to the Order. GORDEEV is the founder, general manager, and owner of LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY HOLDING FINANCE. GORDEEV is being designated pursuant to section 1(a)(i) for operating or having operated in the financial services sector of the Russian Federation economy. Additionally, two of GORDEEV's affiliated companies have allegedly been recruiting contract soldiers for Russia's war in Ukraine. Pursuant to section 1(a)(i), the following entities are being designated for operating or having operated in the financial services sector of the Russian Federation economy: LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY HOLDING FINANCE (HOLDING FINANCE) is involved in investments in securities and dealer activities. is involved in investments in securities and dealer activities. LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY PIK PLUS (PIK PLUS) is involved in investments in securities and dealer activities. is involved in investments in securities and dealer activities. INTERNATIONAL COMPANY LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY LEDAMEN (LEDAMEN) is located in Kaliningrad, Russia and is involved in investments in securities. Additionally, GORDEEV is the General Director of LEDAMEN. Pursuant to section 1(a)(i), the following entities are being designated for operating or having operated in the construction sector of the Russian Federation economy: LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY INZHTEPLOPROGRESS (INZHTEP) is a construction company located in Russia. INZHTEP is allegedly involved in the recruitment of contract soldiers for Russia's war in Ukraine. is a construction company located in Russia. INZHTEP is allegedly involved in the recruitment of contract soldiers for Russia's war in Ukraine. PUBLIC JOINT STOCK COMPANY PIK SPECIALIZED HOMEBUILDER (PIK) is a construction company located in Russia. Additionally, GORDEEV was the head of PIK until September 28, 2022. Pursuant to section 1(a)(vii), the following entity is being designated for being owned or controlled by, or having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, PIK, a person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to the Order: LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY PIK KORPORATSIYA (PIK KORPORATSIYA) is a wholly owned subsidiary of PIK and is involved in construction activities. Pursuant to section 1(a)(vii), the following entity is being designated for being owned or controlled by, or having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, PIK KORPORATSIYA, a person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to the Order: LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY PIK GENPODRYAD (GENPODRYAD) is majority owned by PIK KORPORATSIYA. Pursuant to section 1(a)(vii), the following entity is being designated for being owned or controlled by, or having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, GENPODRYAD, a person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to the Order: LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY GENERAL CONTRACTOR MFS (GP-MFS) is owned by GENPODRYAD. GP-MFS is allegedly involved in the recruitment of contract soldiers for Russia's war in Ukraine. The Network of Andrey Komarov ANDREY ILYICH KOMAROV (KOMAROV) is a Russian businessman active in various sectors of the Russian Federation economy. Ministry of Trade and Industry officials within the Government of the Russian Federation have planned to use ANDREY KOMAROV as a front man to acquire companies for Rostec. KOMAROV is being designated pursuant to section 1(a)(i) for operating or having operated in the construction sector of the Russian Federation economy. KOMAROV is also the founder and owner of LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY SEPTEMBER (SEPTEMBER), which is active in the construction sector. SEPTEMBER is being designated pursuant to section 1(a)(i) for operating or having operated in the construction sector of the Russian Federation economy. Pursuant to section 1(a)(vii), the following entity is being designated for being owned or controlled by, or having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, KOMAROV, a person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to the Order: LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY OKTYABR (OKTYABR) is solely owned by KOMAROV and is a facilities management company for KOMAROV's companies. The Department is taking action to target a wide range of additional entities connected to KOMAROV's corporate network. Pursuant to section 1(a)(i), the following entities are being designated for operating or having operated in the manufacturing sector of the Russian Federation economy: LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY CYBERSTEEL (CYBERSTEEL) is one of Russia's leading suppliers of stainless-steel tubular products. is one of Russia's leading suppliers of stainless-steel tubular products. LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY CYBERSTEEL ALABUGA (CYBERSTEEL ALABUGA) is involved in the manufacturing of steel pipes, hollow profiles and fittings. is involved in the manufacturing of steel pipes, hollow profiles and fittings. LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY CYBERSTEEL PROJECT 2 (CYBERSTEEL PROJECT 2) is involved in the manufacturing of steel pipes, hollow profiles and fittings. Pursuant to section 1(a)(i), the following entity is being designated for operating or having operated in the financial services sector of the Russian Federation economy: LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY HS INVESTMENTS (HS INVESTMENTS) is a Russia-based holding company. Pursuant to section 1(a)(vii), the following entity is being designated for being owned or controlled by, or having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY HS INVESTMENTS, a person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to the Order: LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY PRESSMAN SOFT PACKAGING NOVGOROD is involved in the manufacturing of other paper and cardboard products in Velikiy Novgorod, Russia. Pursuant to section 1(a)(i), the following entities are being designated for operating or having operated in the manufacturing sector of the Russian Federation economy: LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY PRESSMAN PREMIUM PACKAGING NOVGOROD (PRESSMAN PREMIUM PACKAGING NOVGOROD) is a Russia-based company that operates in the paper product manufacturing industry. is a Russia-based company that operates in the paper product manufacturing industry. LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY PRESSMAN PREMIUM PACKAGING SPB (PRESSMAN PREMIUM PACKAGING SPB) manufactures paper and cardboard products in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Pursuant to section 1(a)(i), the following entities are being designated for operating or having operated in the financial services sector of the Russian Federation economy: JOINT STOCK COMPANY START (START) is a Russia-based holding company. is a Russia-based holding company. LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY HYPERSPACE (HYPERSPACE) is a Russia-based holding company. Pursuant to section 1(a)(vii), the following entities are being designated for being owned or controlled by, or having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, HYPERSPACE, a person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to E.O. 14024: LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY VARNA MINERALS is a Russia-based company solely owned by HYPERSPACE involved in geological exploration and geochemical studies. is a Russia-based company solely owned by HYPERSPACE involved in geological exploration and geochemical studies. LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY GEYSER GOLD is a Russia-based company solely owned by HYPERSPACE involved in geological exploration and geochemical studies. is a Russia-based company solely owned by HYPERSPACE involved in geological exploration and geochemical studies. LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY DATA 51 is a Russia-based company solely owned by HYPERSPACE involved in geological exploration and geochemical studies. is a Russia-based company solely owned by HYPERSPACE involved in geological exploration and geochemical studies. LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY INNOVATIVE EDUCATION is a Russia-based company solely owned by HYPERSPACE involved in real estate management. is a Russia-based company solely owned by HYPERSPACE involved in real estate management. LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY TERRA GRUP is a Russia-based company solely owned by HYPERSPACE involved in land purchasing and sales. is a Russia-based company solely owned by HYPERSPACE involved in land purchasing and sales. LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY URAL EDUCATIONAL RESIDENCE is a Russia-based company solely owned by HYPERSPACE involved in real estate management. Pursuant to section 1(a)(i), the following entities are being designated for operating or having operated in the financial services sector of the Russian Federation economy: LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY THREEAGRO (THREEAGRO) is a Russia-based holding company. is a Russia-based holding company. LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY GORA GOLDEN RATIO (GORA) is a Russia-based holding company. Pursuant to section 1(a)(vii), the following entities are being designated for being owned or controlled by, or having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY GORA GOLDEN RATIO, a person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to the Order: LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY KAMCHATSKAYA GORNAYA KOMPANIYA is a Russia-based company that was founded by and is solely owned by GORA. is a Russia-based company that was founded by and is solely owned by GORA. LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY TIKHOOKEANSKAYA GORNAYA KOMPANIYA is a Russia-based company that was founded by and is solely owned by GORA. Pursuant to section 1(a)(i), the following entity is being designated for operating or having operated in the accounting sector of the Russian Federation economy: LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY DIGITAL CENTER HYPERSPACE is a Russia-based company that operates in the accounting and tax preparation industry. Pursuant to section 1(a)(i), the following entity is being designated for operating or having operated in the metals and mining sector of the Russian Federation economy: LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY ZHELTUGINSKAYA MINING COMPANY (ZHELTUGINSKAYA) is a Russia-based company that is involved in the mining of ore and precious metal dusts. Pursuant to section 1(a)(i), the following are being designated for operating or having operated in the manufacturing sector of the Russian Federation economy: LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY RIMERA ALNAS (RIMERA ALNAS) is a Russia-based company that operates in the machinery and equipment manufacturing industry. is a Russia-based company that operates in the machinery and equipment manufacturing industry. PUBLIC JOINT STOCK COMPANY IZHNEFTEMASH (IZHNEFTEMASH) is a Russia-based company that operates in the machinery and equipment manufacturing industry. is a Russia-based company that operates in the machinery and equipment manufacturing industry. LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY RIMERA (LLC RIMERA) is a Russia-based company that operates in the machinery and equipment manufacturing industry. Pursuant to section 1(a)(i), the following are being designated for operating or having operated in the financial services sector of the Russian Federation economy. LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY FEDOROVO MINERALZ is a holding company in Russia majority owned by START. is a holding company in Russia majority owned by START. LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY FEDOROVO KHOLDING is a holding company in Russia. Pursuant to section 1(a)(i), the following entities are being designated for operating or having operated in the metals and mining sector of the Russian Federation economy: JOINT STOCK COMPANY BYSTRINSKAYA MINING COMPANY is a Russia-based company that is involved in the mining of ores of other non-ferrous metals, as well as mining of ores and sands of precious metals. is a Russia-based company that is involved in the mining of ores of other non-ferrous metals, as well as mining of ores and sands of precious metals. JOINT STOCK COMPANY FEDOROVO RISORSES is a Russia-based company involved in mining of ores of other non-ferrous metals. Pursuant to section 1(a)(i), the following entity is being designated for operating or having operated in the management consulting sector of the Russian Federation economy: JOINT STOCK COMPANY RIMERA (JSC RIMERA) is a Russia-based company that provides consulting services. Pursuant to section 1(a)(vii), the following entities are being designated for being owned or controlled by, or having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, JSC RIMERA, a person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to the Order: LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY RIMERA SERVIS (RIMERA SERVIS) is a Russia-based company solely owned by JSC RIMERA that provides services to oil and natural gas companies. is a Russia-based company solely owned by JSC RIMERA that provides services to oil and natural gas companies. LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY API FAKTORI (API FAKTORI) is a Russia-based company solely owned by JSC RIMERA that conducts research and development in natural sciences and engineering. is a Russia-based company solely owned by JSC RIMERA that conducts research and development in natural sciences and engineering. LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY HYPERSPACE TECHNOLOGIES (HYPERSPACE TECHNOLOGIES) is a Russia-based company solely owned by JSC RIMERA that conducts computer programming activities. Targeting Individuals Involved in the Forced Transfer, Deportation, and/or "Re-education" of Ukraine's Children The Department continues to impose sanctions on persons involved in the forcible transfer and/or deportation of Ukraine's children to camps promoting indoctrination of children in Russia, Belarus, and Russia-occupied Crimea. Today's actions demonstrate the United States' commitment to promoting accountability for the atrocities and other abuses inflicted by the Government of the Russian Federation on the people of Ukraine. Pursuant to section 1(a)(ii)(F), the following individuals are being designated for being responsible for or complicit in, or having directly or indirectly engaged or attempted to engage in, activities that undermine the peace, security, political stability, or territorial integrity of the United States, its allies, or its partners, for or on behalf of, or for the benefit of, directly or indirectly, the Government of the Russian Federation: BORIS VYACHESLAVOVICH GRYZLOV (GRYZLOV) is the current Russian Ambassador to Belarus and is involved in transferring Ukrainian children to Belarus. GRYZLOV has stated that children will continue to be deported from Ukraine as a part of the official policy of the Government of the Russian Federation. is the current Russian Ambassador to Belarus and is involved in transferring Ukrainian children to Belarus. GRYZLOV has stated that children will continue to be deported from Ukraine as a part of the official policy of the Government of the Russian Federation. DMITRIY FEDOROVICH MEZENTSEV (MEZENTSEV) is the Secretary of State of the Union State between Belarus and Russia. MEZENTSEV is Russia's former Ambassador to Belarus and has personally helped organize the transportation of children from Ukraine to Belarus. MEZENTSEV announced a resolution from the Union State to "host" 1,050 children from Ukraine in Belarus and has visited camps where deported children from Ukraine are staying. is the Secretary of State of the Union State between Belarus and Russia. MEZENTSEV is Russia's former Ambassador to Belarus and has personally helped organize the transportation of children from Ukraine to Belarus. MEZENTSEV announced a resolution from the Union State to "host" 1,050 children from Ukraine in Belarus and has visited camps where deported children from Ukraine are staying. ALEXEY KONSTANTINOVICH TALAI (TALAI) and his foundation have orchestrated the transport of multiple groups of children from Ukraine to Belarus. The deportations to Belarus have been funded by the Union State, an economic and political union between Moscow and Minsk. The Union State had already given tens of millions of rubbles to support TALAI's efforts. and his foundation have orchestrated the transport of multiple groups of children from Ukraine to Belarus. The deportations to Belarus have been funded by the Union State, an economic and political union between Moscow and Minsk. The Union State had already given tens of millions of rubbles to support TALAI's efforts. ALLA VIKTOROVNA BARKHATNOVA (BARKHATNOVA) is the so-called Head of the Department of Labor and Social Policy of Russia's occupation administration in Kherson and stated that occupation authorities in Kherson Oblast are working to increase the number of children who go on "trips" to "health recreation" camps in Russia. BARKHATNOVA is also identified as being personally involved in the transportation of Ukrainian children. is the so-called Head of the Department of Labor and Social Policy of Russia's occupation administration in Kherson and stated that occupation authorities in Kherson Oblast are working to increase the number of children who go on "trips" to "health recreation" camps in Russia. BARKHATNOVA is also identified as being personally involved in the transportation of Ukrainian children. VITALIY KONSTANTINOVICH GANCHEV is the Head of the Military-Civilian Administration of Russia's occupation administration in the Kharkiv Region and is identified as being one of the individuals involved in deporting and "re-educating" Ukrainian children. Pursuant to section 1(a)(iii)(A), the following individuals are being designated for being or having been leaders, officials, senior executive officers, or members of the board of directors of the Government of the Russian Federation: VLADIMIR VIKTOROVICH KHROMOV (KHROMOV) is a Representative for the Commissioner of Children's Rights in the Office of the President of the Russian Federation and is involved in the deportation of Ukrainian children from Russia-occupied regions of Ukraine. is a Representative for the Commissioner of Children's Rights in the Office of the President of the Russian Federation and is involved in the deportation of Ukrainian children from Russia-occupied regions of Ukraine. AKHMED MAKHMUDOVICH DUDAEV (DUDAEV) is the Minister of National Policy, Foreign Relations, Press and Information of Chechnya and organized trips to deport Ukrainian children. Imposing Visa Restrictions on Russian Federation-installed Purported Authorities Involved in Human Rights Abuses in Connection with the Transfer, Deportation and Confinement of Ukraine's Children Additionally, the Department is taking steps to impose visa restrictions on five Russia-installed purported officials, including one immediate family member, for their involvement in human rights abuses of Ukrainian civilian minors, in connection with the transfer, deportation, and confinement of Ukraine's children by Russian Federation and Russia-backed authorities. This action is taken under the Immigration and Nationality Act 212(a)(3)(C) visa policy approved by Secretary Blinken in May 2022 to restrict visa issuance to Russian Federation military officials and Russia-backed or Russia-installed purported authorities who are believed to have been involved in human rights abuses, violations of international humanitarian law, or public corruption in Ukraine, and immediate family members of such individuals, as appropriate. SANCTIONS IMPLICATIONS As a result of today's sanctions-related actions, and in accordance with E.O. 14024, as amended, all property and interests in property of the sanctioned persons described above that are in the United States or in possession or control of U.S. persons are blocked and must be reported to the Department of Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). Additionally, all individuals or entities that have ownership, either directly or indirectly, 50 percent or more by one or more blocked persons are also blocked. All transactions by U.S. persons or within (or transiting) the United States that involve any property or interests in property of designated or otherwise blocked persons are prohibited unless authorized by a general or specific license issued by OFAC or exempt. These prohibitions include the making of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services by, to, or for the benefit of any blocked person and the receipt of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services from any such person. The power and integrity of U.S. government sanctions derive not only from the U.S. government's ability to designate and add persons to the SDN List, but also from its willingness to remove persons from the SDN List consistent with the law. The ultimate goal of sanctions is not to punish, but to bring about a positive change in behavior. Petitions for removal from the SDN List may be sent to: OFAC.Reconsideration@treasury.gov. Petitioners may also refer to the Department of State's Delisting Guidance page. For more information on E.O. 14024, as amended, see full text. # # # NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address On Second Anniversary of Russia's Further Invasion of Ukraine and Following the Death of Aleksey Navalny, Treasury Sanctions Hundreds of Targets in Russia and Globally U.S. Department of the Treasury February 23, 2024 WASHINGTON -- Today, marking Russia's two years of unprovoked and unlawful full-scale war against Ukraine and in response to the death of opposition politician and anticorruption activist Aleksey Navalny, the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is sanctioning almost 300 individuals and entities. Together with actions from the U.S. Department of State (State), this is the largest number of sanctions imposed since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. State is designating three Government of Russia officials in connection with Navalny's death; together, Treasury and State are sanctioning over 500 targets to impose additional costs for Russia's repression, human rights abuses, and aggression against Ukraine. The Department of Commerce is also adding more than 90 companies to the Entity List. To deny Russia the resources necessary to support its brutal war against Ukraine, Treasury is designating targets including a major cog in Russia's financial infrastructure; more than two dozen third-country sanctions evaders in Europe, East Asia, Central Asia, and the Middle East; and hundreds of entities in Russia's military-industrial base and other key sectors. "This solemn anniversary and Aleksey Navalny's death in Russian custody are stark and tragic reminders of Putin's brazen disregard for human life, from Ukrainians suffering the costs of his unprovoked war to people across Russia who dare to expose the corrupt abuses that fuel his regime," said Secretary of the Treasury Janet L. Yellen. "Russia's economy and military-industrial base are showing clear signs of weakness in part due to the actions we, along with our partners and allies around the world, have taken to support Ukraine's brave defense. Putin has mortgaged the present and future of the Russian people for his own aims to subjugate Ukraine. The Kremlin chooses to reorient its economy to build weapons to kill its neighbors at the expense of the economic future of its own people. But we must sustain our support for Ukraine even as we weaken Russia's war machine. It's critical that Congress steps up to join our allies around the world in giving Ukraine the means to defend itself and its freedom against Putin's barbarous assault." State's concurrent actions include sanctions on those involved in supporting Russian future energy revenue sources, maintaining Russia's capacity to wage its war of aggression, and facilitating sanctions evasion and circumvention. State is also taking steps to impose visa restrictions on Russian Federation-installed purported authorities involved in the transfer, deportation, and confinement of Ukraine's children. Since February 2022, the U.S. government has deployed a number of economic tools aimed at disrupting and degrading Russia's economy and war machine. Over the last two years, including today, the Departments of the Treasury and State have designated over 4,000 entities and individuals pursuant to Russia-related sanctions authorities. Treasury's actions, alongside those of its partners across the globe, are restricting Russia's ability to generate the revenue it needs to fund its war and disrupting the Kremlin's efforts to build a wartime economy. RUSSIA'S FINANCIAL INFRASTRUCTURE OFAC is targeting Russia's core financial infrastructure, including the operator of the Mir National Payment System and Russian banks, investment firms, and financial technology (fintech) companies, to further implement G7 commitments to curtail Russia's use of the international financial system to further its war against Ukraine. National Payment Card System Joint Stock Company (NSPK) is the state-owned operator of Russia's Mir National Payment System. NSPK is owned by the Central Bank of Russia and plays a key role in facilitating financial transactions both internal to Russia and abroad. The Government of Russia's proliferation of Mir has permitted Russia to build out a financial infrastructure that enables Russian efforts to evade sanctions and reconstitute severed connections to the international financial system. The United States has repeatedly emphasized the risks of the Mir system to our partners around the globe. NSPK was designated pursuant to E.O. 14024 for operating or having operated in the financial services sector of the Russian Federation economy. OFAC also designated nine regional financial institutions, including several headquartered in Russian military-industrial base hubs; five investment and venture capital funds that seek to underwrite Russia's development of advanced and next-generation technology and industry and inject domestic and foreign investment into Russian companies; and six financial technology (fintech) companies that provide software and IT solutions for Russian financial institutions. For more information on these targets, please see Annex 4. SANCTIONS EVASION, CIRCUMVENTION, AND BACKFILL In addition to individuals and entities located in Russia, OFAC continues to target persons outside of Russia who facilitate, orchestrate, engage in, and otherwise support the transfer of critical technology and equipment to Russia's military-industrial base. OFAC also will continue to impose sanctions on persons, wherever located, that allow Russia to reconnect to global financial markets using illicit channels. Targeting third-country facilitators is also a focus of our international partners, who also continue to sanction persons outside of Russia whose actions enable Russia to maintain, sustain, and rebuild its war machine. Our international coalition is sending a clear message to would-be evaders and circumventers that such actions have and will continue to have consequences. Today's OFAC targets are located across the world and include third-country exporters and transhippers of technology, equipment, and parts to Russia, a freight forwarder involved in weapons shipments to Russia, and a transnational money laundering network facilitating the illicit movement of Russian-origin precious metals. In all, OFAC today targeted 26 third-country entities and individuals in 11 countries, including the People's Republic of China, Serbia, the United Arab Emirates, and Liechtenstein. For more information on these targets, please see Annex 3. ALABUGA UAV PROCUREMENT NETWORK Today's action also targets the network through which Russia has acquired and produced deadly unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Russia and Iran's Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics (MODAFL) have cooperated to finance and produce Iranian-designed one-way attack UAVs, also known as kamikaze drones, at a newly established a facility in Russia. State is also designating MODAFL pursuant to E.O. 14024 today. This network has facilitated shipments, conducted financial transactions, and engaged in industrial production in support of this cooperation between Russian and Iran to produce one-way attack UAVs for use by the Russian military in Ukraine, including against critical infrastructure and other civilian targets. For more information on these targets, please see Annex 1. RUSSIA'S MILITARY-INDUSTRIAL BASE AND OTHER SECTORS OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION ECONOMY Over the past two years, the U.S. government has imposed sanctions on a wide array of individuals and entities in Russia's military-industrial base, from Russia's flagship defense companies to machine tool importers, third-country sanctions evaders to semiconductor manufacturers. As Russia's overheating war economy continues to cannibalize non-defense-related production at the expense of future economic prospects for the Russian people, an increasing number of entities across Russia are directly or indirectly contributing to Russia's war machine. Foreign financial institutions that conduct or facilitate significant transactions, or provide any service, involving Russia's military-industrial baseaincluding any person designated pursuant to E.O. 14024 for operating or having operated in the technology, defense and related materiel, construction, aerospace, and manufacturing sectors of the Russian Federation economyarun the risk of being sanctioned by OFAC. Russia's military-industrial base may also include individuals and entities that support the sale, supply, or transfer of certain items or classes of items. OFAC has issued Guidance for Foreign Financial Institutions on OFAC Sanctions Authorities Targeting Support to Russia's Military-Industrial Base. Today's actions continue Treasury's campaign to disrupt and degrade Russia's military-industrial base, with a focus on advanced manufacturing and technology such as machine tools, including computer numerically controlled (CNC) machines, which are used in Russia's heavy machine-building and arms manufacturing industries; additive manufacturing (also known as 3D printing), of which Russia has increased its use for defense purposes, including creating special-purpose 3D printers for the production of UAVs, aircraft parts, and other military-related items; bearings, which are an integral component of Russia's military hardware, including its main battle tanks; and other fields such as robotics, industrial automation and software, specialized lubricants, and lasers. Today's actions also target persons operating or having operated in other sectors of the Russian Federation economy, including the engineering, electronics, metals and mining, and transportation sectors. For more information on these targets, please see Annex 2. ----------------------------- ANNEX 1 ALABUGA SPECIAL ECONOMIC ZONE Russia-based Joint Stock Company Special Economic Zone of Industrial Production Alabuga (SEZ Alabuga) maintains a contract with the Russian military to assemble Geran-2 UAVs that were shipped from Iran, while increasing domestic production capability to produce many of the components for the Iranian-designed UAVs in Russia. SEZ Alabuga is expected to ramp up production under their contract to produce thousands of UAVs through 2025. SEZ Alabuga is owned and controlled by the Government of the Republic of Tatarstan. SEZ Alabuga has exploited underage students from an affiliated polytechnic university as laborers to assemble these attack UAVs in exploitative conditions. Albatros OOO (Albatros) is a Russia-based UAV manufacturer that produces the "Albatross M5" UAV that has been operated by the Russian military for reconnaissance against Ukrainian forces. Albatros has partnered with SEZ Alabuga to expand their manufacturing capability through a new facility at SEZ Alabuga. Limited Liability Company Drake (Drake) is a Russia-based company contracted to receive UAV parts, components, and raw materials from Iran for use in Iranian-designed, Russian-manufactured UAVs. Drake is also involved in a scheme with SEZ Alabuga and Russia-based Alabuga Development OOO to procure commercial UAVs that would be modernized and weaponized for use by the Russian military. SEZ Alabuga, Albatros, and Drake were designated pursuant to E.O. 14024 for operating or having operated in the defense and related materiel sector of the Russian Federation economy. SEZ Alabuga Officials Russia national Timur Nailevich Shagivaleev (Shagivaleev) is the General Director and member of the Board of Directors for SEZ Alabuga who is involved in the efforts by SEZ Alabuga to increase the manufacturing of UAVs, including efforts to conduct reverse engineering and import substitution to localize production. Shagivaleev has been named in connection with the exploitation of underage students to assemble these UAVs. Russia national Sergey Sergeyevich Alekseyev (Alekseyev) is the Deputy Chief Executive Officer of SEZ Alabuga and has been involved in the transshipment of materials from Iran to Russia, related to the production of UAVs at SEZ Alabuga. Russia national Ildar Rashitovich Tazutdinov (Tazutdinov) is the Deputy Director General of Corporate Affairs for SEZ Alabuga and was involved in the transshipment and importation of materials and disassembled UAVs from Iran to Russia related to SEZ Alabuga's UAV production activity. Russia national Artem Alexandrovich Snitko (Snitko) is an SEZ Alabuga official involved in the production of Iranian-designed UAVs, such as the Shahed-136, and its Russian version, the Geran-2. Snitko was also involved in the transshipment of materials from Iran to Russia related to SEZ Alabuga's UAV production activity. Shagivaleev, Alekseyev, Tazutdinov, and Snitko were designated pursuant to E.O. 14024 for being or having been leaders, officials, senior executive officers, or members of the board of directors of SEZ Alabuga. Albatros Officials Russia national Aleksei Vadimovich Florov (Florov) is the General Director of Albatros who is involved with both Albatros' production expansion to SEZ Alabuga, as well as the effort to localize the production of the Iranian-designed Geran-2. Russia national Ilya Vladimirovich Voronkov (Voronkov) is a director and shareholder of Albatros. Florov and Voronkov were designated pursuant to E.O. 14024 for being or having been leaders, officials, senior executive officers, or members of the board of directors of Albatros. SEZ Alabuga Subsidiaries and Financial Facilitators Russia-based Limited Liability Company Alabuga Machinery (Alabuga Machinery) is a subsidiary of SEZ Alabuga, via its controlling shareholders Alabuga Development and Russia-based GEA OOO, which is itself a subsidiary of Alabuga Development and SEZ Alabuga. Alabuga Machinery has been used to facilitate financial transactions and trade on behalf of its ultimate beneficial owner SEZ Alabuga to the Iranian government for UAV parts, components, and raw materials. Alabuga Development OOO(Alabuga Development) is a subsidiary of SEZ Alabuga. Alabuga Development is also involved in a scheme with SEZ Alabuga and Drake to procure commercial UAVs that would be modernized and weaponized for use by the Russian military. Alabuga Machinery, Alabuga Development, and GEA OOO were designated pursuant to E.O. 14024 for being owned or controlled by, or for having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, SEZ Alabuga. Russia-based LLC Alabuga Exim (Alabuga Exim), Limited Liability Company NR-DEL (NR-DEL), and Limited Liability Company Specialized Developer Alabuga South Park (Alabuga South Park) are subsidiaries of Alabuga Development. Russia-based Limited Liability Company Zimens Yokogawa (Zimens Yokogawa) is a subsidiary of Alabuga Development. Zimens Yokogawa has been used to facilitate financial transactions with Iranian front companies. Alabuga Exim, NR-DEL, Alabuga South Park, and Zimens Yokogawa were designated pursuant to E.O. 14024 for being owned or controlled by, or for having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, Alabuga Development. Iranian Financial Facilitation Iran's MODAFL has used a United Arab Emirates-based (UAE-based) front company, Generation Trading FZE, to facilitate the sale of sample UAV models, UAV parts, and related ground stations to SEZ Alabuga to support UAV production in Russia. Generation Trading FZE has received millions of dollars' worth of payments from SEZ Alabuga and its subsidiaries in support of MODAFL's contract, which is worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Generation Trading FZE was designated pursuant to E.O. 13224, as amended, for having materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services to or in support of, MODAFL. Other SEZ Alabuga Entities OFAC also targeted five other entities located at SEZ Alabuga, all of which were designated pursuant to E.O. 14024 for operating or having operated in the manufacturing sector of the Russian Federation economy: Aktsionernoe Obshchestvo Akonit Alabuga produces metal structures such as roller supports. produces metal structures such as roller supports. Aktsionernoe Obshchestvo Akonit Ural produces conveyor rollers. produces conveyor rollers. Limited Liability Company Vertikal Alabuga manufactures ready-mixed concrete for construction purposes. manufactures ready-mixed concrete for construction purposes. ST Alabuga produces special machinery and freight transportation. produces special machinery and freight transportation. TN Alabuga manufactures plastics and syntheticresins in primary form. ANNEX 2 RUSSIA'S MILITARY INDUSTRIAL BASE AND CERTAIN OTHER SECTORS OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION ECONOMY Weapons production The following Russia-based entities were designated pursuant to E.O. 14024 for operating or having operated in the defense and related materiel sector of the Russian Federation economy: Aktsionernoe Obshchestvo Zavod Elekon is involved in the production of weapons, ammunition, and components used for missiles, submarines, tanks, and radars. is involved in the production of weapons, ammunition, and components used for missiles, submarines, tanks, and radars. Joint Stock Company Plant N9 is a subsidiary of U.S.-designated State Corporation Rostec, Russia's flagship defense conglomerate. Joint Stock Company Plant N9 is responsible for the production of barrel artillery systems for Russia's T-72, T-90, and Armata tanks. is a subsidiary of U.S.-designated State Corporation Rostec, Russia's flagship defense conglomerate. Joint Stock Company Plant N9 is responsible for the production of barrel artillery systems for Russia's T-72, T-90, and Armata tanks. Joint Stock Company State Research Institute of Instrument Engineering manufacturesradar equipment and radio navigation equipment and develops navigation and guidance systems for ballistic and cruise missiles and inertial control systems for various classes of missiles, bombs, and torpedoes. manufacturesradar equipment and radio navigation equipment and develops navigation and guidance systems for ballistic and cruise missiles and inertial control systems for various classes of missiles, bombs, and torpedoes. Joint Stock Company Verkhneturinsky Machine Building Plant is a plant with forging and press facilities and machining assembly production that has produced artillery shells, illumination rounds, and Grad rocket casings. is a plant with forging and press facilities and machining assembly production that has produced artillery shells, illumination rounds, and Grad rocket casings. Limited Liability Company Moscow Arms Company manufactures precision weapons used by Russian snipers in Ukraine. Grazhdanskie Pripasy manufactures cartridges for weapons and cartridge components. Grazhdanskie Pripasy was designated pursuant to E.O. 14024 for operating or having operated in the manufacturing sector of the Russian Federation economy. Additive manufacturing The following Russia-based entities were designated pursuant to E.O. 14024 for operating or having operated in the manufacturing sector of the Russian Federation economy: 3D.RU engages in 3D printing, prototyping, 3D modeling, and 3D scanning, resulting in the manufacture of plastic products. engages in 3D printing, prototyping, 3D modeling, and 3D scanning, resulting in the manufacture of plastic products. Center of Digital Technologies offers 3D scanning, 3D modeling, industrial 3D printing, and reverse engineering services, including to support Russian aircraft production and machine-building. offers 3D scanning, 3D modeling, industrial 3D printing, and reverse engineering services, including to support Russian aircraft production and machine-building. Limited Liability Company Neoveytus supplies metalworking equipment and 3D printers to Russian industrial enterprises. supplies metalworking equipment and 3D printers to Russian industrial enterprises. Limited Liability Company Polymer Pipe Plant manufactures high-precision plastic for 3D printing. manufactures high-precision plastic for 3D printing. LLC Additive Engineering manufactures items for industrial enterprises using 3D printing. manufactures items for industrial enterprises using 3D printing. LLC KB 78 manufactures custom-order 3D printers. manufactures custom-order 3D printers. LLC Mir Stanochkina is a supplier of 3D printers and 3D scanners. is a supplier of 3D printers and 3D scanners. Metal Sprint designs and produces metal parts using 3D printing. designs and produces metal parts using 3D printing. Printproduct develops and produces plastics for 3D printing, including for use in aerospace applications. develops and produces plastics for 3D printing, including for use in aerospace applications. RangeVision manufactures 3D scanners. manufactures 3D scanners. Russian Extrusion Company manufactures consumables for 3D printers. manufactures consumables for 3D printers. Scanform manufactures 3D scanners. manufactures 3D scanners. Limited Liability Company Group of Companies Spetsmetallmaster engages in metal processing relating to additive manufacturing technologies. The company's primary customers are in Russia's military-industrial base. engages in metal processing relating to additive manufacturing technologies. The company's primary customers are in Russia's military-industrial base. Stereotech manufactures 3D printers. manufactures 3D printers. Total Z LLC manufactures industrial 3D printers. manufactures industrial 3D printers. Zenit 3D manufactures 3D printers. The following Russia-based entities were designated pursuant to E.O. 14024 for operating or having operated in the technology sector of the Russian Federation economy: Innfocus Limited Liability Company operates in the areas of additive technologies and integrated photonics and engages in additive design, custom production, maintenance, and consulting for Russian industrial enterprises. operates in the areas of additive technologies and integrated photonics and engages in additive design, custom production, maintenance, and consulting for Russian industrial enterprises. Joint Stock Company Globatek Group is a supplier of 3D printers, 3D scanners, and associated software. The company caters to Russian government clients and Russia's military-industrial base. is a supplier of 3D printers, 3D scanners, and associated software. The company caters to Russian government clients and Russia's military-industrial base. Limited Liability Company 3D Mall is a supplier of 3D printers, 3D scanners, and related products to major Russian enterprises. is a supplier of 3D printers, 3D scanners, and related products to major Russian enterprises. LLC Applicata installs, maintains, and supplies 3D scanners and 3D printers to industrial complexes and through government procurement. installs, maintains, and supplies 3D scanners and 3D printers to industrial complexes and through government procurement. LLC Company RusMarket is a supplier of 3D printers, 3D scanners, and software. is a supplier of 3D printers, 3D scanners, and software. LLC Engine of Progress engages in the sale of 3D printers, software, CNC machines, and consumables for 3D printers, primarily to government institutions. engages in the sale of 3D printers, software, CNC machines, and consumables for 3D printers, primarily to government institutions. Ofitrade is a supplier of 3D printers and 3D scanners in Russia. is a supplier of 3D printers and 3D scanners in Russia. SIU System Joint Stock Company engages in a variety of activities relating to additive manufacturing, including the creation of additive centers for Russian manufacturing entities. engages in a variety of activities relating to additive manufacturing, including the creation of additive centers for Russian manufacturing entities. Spetsialnoe Konstruktorskoe Byuro-14 Vologda is a supplier of 3D printers, 3D scanners, and software. is a supplier of 3D printers, 3D scanners, and software. Top 3D Group engages in 3D printing, 3D scanning, and 3D modeling services. engages in 3D printing, 3D scanning, and 3D modeling services. Z Axis LLC is a distributor of industrial 3D equipment. Machine tools and other manufacturing and metalworking equipment The following Russia-based entities were designated pursuant to E.O. 14024 for operating or having operated in the manufacturing sector of the Russian Federation economy: Ekotekhplast manufactures plastic products, sheets, tubes, and machinery for metallurgy. manufactures plastic products, sheets, tubes, and machinery for metallurgy. Feniks manufactures hydraulic and pneumatic equipment, metalworking equipment, and ceramic-cutting equipment. manufactures hydraulic and pneumatic equipment, metalworking equipment, and ceramic-cutting equipment. Inkor Limited Liability Company imports metalworking equipment and machine tools for Russian enterprises and also manufactures its own machine tools and accessories. imports metalworking equipment and machine tools for Russian enterprises and also manufactures its own machine tools and accessories. Joint Stock Company Stankomashkompleks manufactures metalworking equipment. manufactures metalworking equipment. Lidermash Stanki is involved in the manufacture of metalworking equipment and supplies metalworking equipment, cutting machines, and press-forging plants. is involved in the manufacture of metalworking equipment and supplies metalworking equipment, cutting machines, and press-forging plants. Limited Liability Company Allrus manufactures hydraulic and pneumatic power equipment, pumps, and compressors. manufactures hydraulic and pneumatic power equipment, pumps, and compressors. Limited Liability Company Avantage Engineering manufactures tools, radiators and boilers, tanks and metal containers, and metal structures and parts. manufactures tools, radiators and boilers, tanks and metal containers, and metal structures and parts. Limited Liability Company Bodor is involved in the manufacture of special accessories for machine tools and supplies CNC machine tools, fiber optic lasers, and dividing devices. is involved in the manufacture of special accessories for machine tools and supplies CNC machine tools, fiber optic lasers, and dividing devices. Limited Liability Company Durma Rusya manufactures metalworking machines. manufactures metalworking machines. Limited Liability Company Invest Stanko is involved in the production of heavy metalworking machines and supplies machine tools, metal-cutting equipment, and metalworking machines to Russian defense contractors. is involved in the production of heavy metalworking machines and supplies machine tools, metal-cutting equipment, and metalworking machines to Russian defense contractors. Limited Liability Company KMT is involved in the manufacture of metalworking equipment and supplies foreign-origin metalworking machines. is involved in the manufacture of metalworking equipment and supplies foreign-origin metalworking machines. Limited Liability Company Milling Machines manufactures CNC machines, plasma and drilling rigs, and special equipment, including for Russian military-industrial complex enterprises. manufactures CNC machines, plasma and drilling rigs, and special equipment, including for Russian military-industrial complex enterprises. Limited Liability Company Production Association Insistence is a tool manufacturing enterprise that operates a machine park with more than 50 CNC machines. is a tool manufacturing enterprise that operates a machine park with more than 50 CNC machines. Limited Liability Company Pumping Company Kron manufactures pumps, compressors, taps, and valves. manufactures pumps, compressors, taps, and valves. LLC Trading House Stankomashstroy imports foreign-made machinery, metalworking machines, and machine tools and is involved in the repair of machinery and equipment. imports foreign-made machinery, metalworking machines, and machine tools and is involved in the repair of machinery and equipment. NPO Uralpodshipnik sells ball bearings to the machine-building, oil and gas, metallurgy, cement, coal, and mining industries, and is involved in the assembly and installation of prefabricated elements. sells ball bearings to the machine-building, oil and gas, metallurgy, cement, coal, and mining industries, and is involved in the assembly and installation of prefabricated elements. Obshchestvo S Ogranichennoi Otvetstvennostiu Tekhnokratiya wholesales industrial equipment and machinery and is involved in the manufacture of structures and the repair of machinery and equipment. wholesales industrial equipment and machinery and is involved in the manufacture of structures and the repair of machinery and equipment. Obshchestvo S Ogranichennoi Otvetstvennostiu Viktoriya wholesales machine tools and is involved in machining, manufacturing, and the repair of machinery and equipment. wholesales machine tools and is involved in machining, manufacturing, and the repair of machinery and equipment. Obshchestvo S Ogranichennoi Otvetstvennostyu Alyans supplies and services metalworking machines and equipment. supplies and services metalworking machines and equipment. Obshchestvo S Ogranichennoi Otvetstvennostyu Inzhiniringovye Resheniya is involved in machining and the manufacture of tools, wire products, fasteners, metal structures, and fabricated metal products. is involved in machining and the manufacture of tools, wire products, fasteners, metal structures, and fabricated metal products. Obshchestvo S Ogranichennoi Otvetstvennostyu Kompaniya Intervesp equips Russian enterprises with woodworking, metalworking, and industrial equipment, tools, and spare parts. equips Russian enterprises with woodworking, metalworking, and industrial equipment, tools, and spare parts. Obshchestvo S Ogranichennoi Otvetstvennostyu Periton Inzhiniring supplies modern industrial machine tools and metalworking equipment and technology. supplies modern industrial machine tools and metalworking equipment and technology. Obshchestvo S Ogranichennoi Otvetstvennostyu Valma wholesales machinery, machine tools, and other machinery and equipment, and also repairs machinery and equipment. wholesales machinery, machine tools, and other machinery and equipment, and also repairs machinery and equipment. Obshchestvo S Ogranichennoi Otvetstvennostyu Veber Komekhaniks works with Russia's largest industrial enterprises and manufacturers, including work on high-tech CNC equipment projects. works with Russia's largest industrial enterprises and manufacturers, including work on high-tech CNC equipment projects. Priminer Russland is a milling machine manufacturer and machining center. is a milling machine manufacturer and machining center. Unimatik Msk produces a wide range of turning and milling machines for machine-building enterprises. produces a wide range of turning and milling machines for machine-building enterprises. Vende Group LLC supplies cutting tools and CNC metalworking equipment to Russian manufacturing enterprises. Lubricants, coolants, and industrial chemicals The following Russia-based entities were designated pursuant to E.O. 14024 for operating or having operated in the manufacturing sector of the Russian Federation economy: Boldrex manufactures industrial chemicals. manufactures industrial chemicals. BS Protsessing manufactures polymer coatings for galvanized rolls. manufactures polymer coatings for galvanized rolls. Dzheneral Lubrikants produces specialized lubricants and supplies base oils and additives. produces specialized lubricants and supplies base oils and additives. Gremlos manufactures coolants for machine tools and lubricating-cooling fluids. manufactures coolants for machine tools and lubricating-cooling fluids. Holv Lubricants Rus LLC manufactures industrial oils, metalworking fluids, and coolants. manufactures industrial oils, metalworking fluids, and coolants. Limited Liability Company NPF Kaviant produces coolants, industrial oils, lubricants, and adhesives. produces coolants, industrial oils, lubricants, and adhesives. LLC Sonis supplies and manufactures chemical compositions and additives for metal coatings. supplies and manufactures chemical compositions and additives for metal coatings. Millab Synthesis offers research and technological equipment for chemical synthesis filtration, homogenization, and distillation processes. offers research and technological equipment for chemical synthesis filtration, homogenization, and distillation processes. Oleokam produces coolants for metal processing. produces coolants for metal processing. Raketa Lubrikants manufactures lubricating oils, additives for lubricating oils, and antifreezes. manufactures lubricating oils, additives for lubricating oils, and antifreezes. Suprim Lubrikants manufactures lubricants used in mining, metallurgy, metalworking, and heavy and light equipment. Semiconductor and electronics manufacturing, components, and research The following Russia-based persons were designated pursuant to E.O. 14024 for operating or having operated in the technology sector of the Russian Federation economy: Ai Ti Si Co , Limited Liability Company I T C , and Limited Liability Company ITC repair electronic, optical, and electrical equipment. Russian national Georgii Semenovich Pogiblov is a shareholder of all three companies. , , and repair electronic, optical, and electrical equipment. Russian national is a shareholder of all three companies. Keldysh Institute of Applied Mathematics is an institute within the Russian Academy of Sciences that conducts activities related to the fields of nanotechnology, semiconductors, aerodynamics, and aeroacoustics. is an institute within the Russian Academy of Sciences that conducts activities related to the fields of nanotechnology, semiconductors, aerodynamics, and aeroacoustics. Levin Fotoniks is a manufacturer of instruments and devices for measuring, testing, and navigation, electronic components, and semiconductors. is a manufacturer of instruments and devices for measuring, testing, and navigation, electronic components, and semiconductors. Limited Liability Company Gulfwind is a supplier of a wide range of electronic components. is a supplier of a wide range of electronic components. Limited Liability Company Platan Energo is a leading wholesaler of electronic components in Russia. is a leading wholesaler of electronic components in Russia. Limited Liability Company Velesstore is a Russia-based wholesale supplier of computer equipment and electronics. is a Russia-based wholesale supplier of computer equipment and electronics. Sovtest ATE is a manufacturer of semiconductor devices, computers, and equipment for microelectronics production. is a manufacturer of semiconductor devices, computers, and equipment for microelectronics production. Uniservice Limited Liability Company (Uniservice)is involved in the production of electronic equipment and the manufacturing of information collection and processing devices. OFAC also designated several People's Republic of China-based entities today that have sent technology to Uniservice. The following Russia-based entities were designated pursuant to E.O. 14024 for operating or having operated in the manufacturing sector of the Russian Federation economy: Aktsionernoe Obshchestvo Navis Grupp manufactures electronic components and instruments and appliances for measuring, testing, and navigation. manufactures electronic components and instruments and appliances for measuring, testing, and navigation. Bee Pitron Limited manufactures wires and cables for electronic and electric equipment. manufactures wires and cables for electronic and electric equipment. Joint Stock Company Ferropribor manufactures electronic components. manufactures electronic components. Joint Stock Company Lit Phonon manufactures electronic components, semiconductor devices, and quartz products. Obshchestvo S Ogranichennoi Otvenstvennostyu Ambrella Indastrial (Ambrella Industrial)produces technical products made from precious metals for U.S.-designated Russian military electronic component manufacturerPublic Joint Stock Company Research & Production Corporation Istok Named After AI Shokin (NPP Istok). Ambrella Industrial was designated pursuant to E.O. 14024 for operating or having operated in the metals and mining sector of the Russian Federation economy. The following Russia-based individuals were designated pursuant to E.O. 14024 for operating or having operated in the electronics sector of the Russian Federation economy: Russia national Anna Yuryevna Luzhanskaya is the owner of U.S.-designated OOO TK Fly Bridge, an electronics wholesaler that has fulfilled contracts for U.S.-designated Russian military electronic component manufacturer NPP Istok and U.S.-designated Engineering Center of Innovative Technologies, a manufacturer of radio electronics and electronic printed circuits. is the owner of U.S.-designated OOO TK Fly Bridge, an electronics wholesaler that has fulfilled contracts for U.S.-designated Russian military electronic component manufacturer NPP Istok and U.S.-designated Engineering Center of Innovative Technologies, a manufacturer of radio electronics and electronic printed circuits. Russia national Vladislav Vyacheslavovich Kostin (Kostin) is the General Director of U.S.-designated Joint Stock Company VNIIR Progress, a Russian entity involved in the development and production of electronic components. Kostin has received an award for strengthening the Russian armed forces and defense industry. Industrial Automation The following Russia-based entities were designated pursuant to E.O. 14024 for operating or having operated in the technology sector of the Russian Federation economy: Datana develops and implements robotics and artificial intelligence-enabled methods to optimize manufacturing production. develops and implements robotics and artificial intelligence-enabled methods to optimize manufacturing production. K Soft Inzhiniring LLC develops software and hardware for automation components, controller equipment, and input/output subsystems for the industrial automation and engineering markets. develops software and hardware for automation components, controller equipment, and input/output subsystems for the industrial automation and engineering markets. Limited Liability Company Fort Dialog , Limited Liability Company Fort Dialog Service , and Limited Liability Company Management Company Fort Dialog (collectively, the Fort Dialog group) repair computers and peripheral equipment, wholesale computers and computer peripheral equipment, and conduct activities related to computer programming and computer consultancy. One of the Fort Dialog group's IT solutions supports industrial equipment automation. , , and (collectively, the Fort Dialog group) repair computers and peripheral equipment, wholesale computers and computer peripheral equipment, and conduct activities related to computer programming and computer consultancy. One of the Fort Dialog group's IT solutions supports industrial equipment automation. LLC Optimus Drive offers electric drive and industrial automation solutions. offers electric drive and industrial automation solutions. Nauchno Proizvodstvennaya Firma Krug creates and supplies industrial automation systems, including control and information systems and software. The following Russia-based entities were designated pursuant to E.O. 14024 for operating or having operated in the manufacturing sector of the Russian Federation economy: GTS Grupp produces and supplies industrial equipment, automatic control systems, and electric devices. produces and supplies industrial equipment, automatic control systems, and electric devices. Saratovskii Proizvodstvenno Inzhiniringovyi Tsentr manufactures automatic regulating or controlling instruments. Optics The following Russia-based persons were designated pursuant to E.O. 14024 for operating or having operated in the technology sector of the Russian Federation economy: Closed Joint Stock Company Technological Cosmonautika Park Linkos develops and produces thermographic equipment, video surveillance systems, and optoelectronic systems. develops and produces thermographic equipment, video surveillance systems, and optoelectronic systems. Joint Stock Company Astronomical Scientific Center develops and operates automated optoelectronic systems. develops and operates automated optoelectronic systems. Limited Liability Company Integrated Electron Optical Systems develops devices and components in the field of thermal imaging technology. develops devices and components in the field of thermal imaging technology. Limited Liability Company Navigator produces and imports rifle scopes and night vision devices. produces and imports rifle scopes and night vision devices. Limited Liability Company Vladikavkaz Technologikal Center Baspik manufactures microchannel plates for night vision equipment and offers more than 150 optoelectronic components. manufactures microchannel plates for night vision equipment and offers more than 150 optoelectronic components. LLC Cityimpex sells electronics and optical imagers. sells electronics and optical imagers. Small Innovation Enterprise ISON Ballistics Service ( ISON BS ) is involved in data processing and computer programming, as well as the manufacture of optical instruments. Russia national Igor Yevgenyevich Molotov is the owner and general director of ISON BS. ( ) is involved in data processing and computer programming, as well as the manufacture of optical instruments. Russia national is the owner and general director of ISON BS. Special Systems Photonics Limited Liability Company implements technological solutions for Russian photonics enterprises. implements technological solutions for Russian photonics enterprises. Yuventa supplies laser equipment to Russian companies. Russia-based Limited Liability Company Research and Production Company Makrooptika (Makrooptika) is a contractor for Russian defense firms and the Russian Ministry of Defense that manufactures optomechanical systems for aircraft and military equipment. Makrooptika was designated pursuant to E.O. 14024 for operating or having operated in the manufacturing sector of the Russian Federation economy. Navigational instruments The following Russia-based entities were designated pursuant to E.O. 14024 for operating or having operated in the manufacturing sector of the Russian Federation economy: Aktsionernoe Obshchestvo Navis Elektronika is involved in the manufacture of instruments and appliances for measuring, testing and navigation, and technical testing and analysis. is involved in the manufacture of instruments and appliances for measuring, testing and navigation, and technical testing and analysis. Aktsionernoe Obshchestvo Arzamasskiy Priborostroitelnyi Zavod Imeni P I Plandina produces guidance and control systems for anti-aircraft missile systems, on-board electronic computers, and steering drives. produces guidance and control systems for anti-aircraft missile systems, on-board electronic computers, and steering drives. AO KB Navis manufactures navigational systems used by the Russian military, including navigational and positional systems used by Russian special operations forces. manufactures navigational systems used by the Russian military, including navigational and positional systems used by Russian special operations forces. Joint Stock Company Gazprom Space Systems (GSS)designs aerospace monitoring systems. GSS satellites are utilized by the U.S.-designated Russian General Staff Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) as well as Russian military and paramilitary units. (GSS)designs aerospace monitoring systems. GSS satellites are utilized by the U.S.-designated Russian General Staff Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) as well as Russian military and paramilitary units. Joint Stock Company Scientific Production Enterprise Radiy manufactures radar equipment, radio navigation devices, and remote-control radio equipment. manufactures radar equipment, radio navigation devices, and remote-control radio equipment. Joint Stock Company Vremya CH manufactures instruments and appliances for measuring, testing, and navigation. manufactures instruments and appliances for measuring, testing, and navigation. NVS Navigation Technologies Ltd develops, produces, and sells navigation technologies and equipment. develops, produces, and sells navigation technologies and equipment. Obshchestvo S Ogranichennoi Otvetstvennostyu Sputnikovye Innovatsionnye Kosmicheskie Sistemy is involved in the manufacture of instruments and appliances for measuring, testing, and navigation. Russia-based Limited Liability Company Space Communications (Space Communications) offers complex products related to navigation technologies.Space Communications was designated pursuant to E.O. 14024 for operating or having operated in the technology sector of the Russian Federation economy. Military-industrial base information technology The following Russia-based entities were designated pursuant to E.O. 14024 for operating or having operated in the technology sector of the Russian Federation economy: 3data operates a network of premium data centers and its clients include companies in Russia's manufacturing and construction industries. operates a network of premium data centers and its clients include companies in Russia's manufacturing and construction industries. Ai Teko Inzhiniring designs and constructs IT infrastructure, conducts IT consulting, and develops software. Ai Teko Inzhiniring's customers include Russian government agencies and large industrial companies. designs and constructs IT infrastructure, conducts IT consulting, and develops software. Ai Teko Inzhiniring's customers include Russian government agencies and large industrial companies. Hash Maker Limited Liability Company (Hash Maker) creates and implements programs for electronic computers, databases, and information systems. Hash Maker is a resident of a Russian special economic zone focused on industrial production and provides residents of that special economic zone with infrastructure services. (Hash Maker) creates and implements programs for electronic computers, databases, and information systems. Hash Maker is a resident of a Russian special economic zone focused on industrial production and provides residents of that special economic zone with infrastructure services. ICL Electronics Limited Liability Company ( ICL Electronics )and ICL Techno Limited Liability Company ( ICL Techno )are important players in Russia's computer hardware and software industries. ICL Electronics provides cloud computing services, business software services, and other software services to clients, including the Russian Ministry of Defense, and equips Russian military bases with hardware and software appliances. ICL Electronics' subsidiary ICL Techno manufactures computer equipment, including desktops, servers, and data storage systems. ( )and ( )are important players in Russia's computer hardware and software industries. ICL Electronics provides cloud computing services, business software services, and other software services to clients, including the Russian Ministry of Defense, and equips Russian military bases with hardware and software appliances. ICL Electronics' subsidiary ICL Techno manufactures computer equipment, including desktops, servers, and data storage systems. Infotech Balakovo Limited Liability Company (Infotech Balakovo) is involved in data processing activities, provision of information hosting services, and computer software development. Infotech Balakovo is a resident of a special economic zone created with the aim of forming a high-tech cluster for the needs of the Russian military-industrial base. (Infotech Balakovo) is involved in data processing activities, provision of information hosting services, and computer software development. Infotech Balakovo is a resident of a special economic zone created with the aim of forming a high-tech cluster for the needs of the Russian military-industrial base. Limited Liability Company Inferit manufactures computer equipment and infrastructure software for Russian business and government customers. manufactures computer equipment and infrastructure software for Russian business and government customers. Limited Liability Company Safedata is a Russian state-owned enterprise that conducts data processing and hosting activities. is a Russian state-owned enterprise that conducts data processing and hosting activities. LLC Security Code is a developer of software and hardware used for information security systems. LLC Security Code's clients include the Russian Ministries of Defense and Internal Affairs. is a developer of software and hardware used for information security systems. LLC Security Code's clients include the Russian Ministries of Defense and Internal Affairs. Miran LLC designs, constructs, and operates data centers. Miran's clients include large Russian manufacturing corporations. designs, constructs, and operates data centers. Miran's clients include large Russian manufacturing corporations. MP Limited Liability Company (MP LLC) sells, repairs, and maintains software and hardware systems and computer and IT infrastructure equipment. MP LLC's clients include companies in the Russian military-industrial complex. (MP LLC) sells, repairs, and maintains software and hardware systems and computer and IT infrastructure equipment. MP LLC's clients include companies in the Russian military-industrial complex. NPO Computer develops software products and supports IT solutions for Russian enterprises. NPO Computer's products and services include an intelligent system for the digitization of processes and documents for large Russian enterprises and government agencies. develops software products and supports IT solutions for Russian enterprises. NPO Computer's products and services include an intelligent system for the digitization of processes and documents for large Russian enterprises and government agencies. O2 Klaud operates a data center and provides infrastructure security and network products. operates a data center and provides infrastructure security and network products. Red Soft is involved in the development of information management systems, software, and IT solutions and services. Red Softis a member of the Military-Industrial Complex of the Russian Federation Coordination Council for Information Technology. is involved in the development of information management systems, software, and IT solutions and services. Red Softis a member of the Military-Industrial Complex of the Russian Federation Coordination Council for Information Technology. Sirokko Tekhnolodzhi conducts data processing, hosting, and related activities and conducts computer consultancy, computer programming, and other IT and computer service activities. conducts data processing, hosting, and related activities and conducts computer consultancy, computer programming, and other IT and computer service activities. Smart DC Lipetsk Limited Liability Company is a resident of a special economic zone focused on industrial production and is involved in data processing activities, provision of information hosting services, and computer software development. is a resident of a special economic zone focused on industrial production and is involved in data processing activities, provision of information hosting services, and computer software development. Stack Telecom Ltd operates data centers and provides IT services to large Russian commercial entities and government agencies. operates data centers and provides IT services to large Russian commercial entities and government agencies. T1 Holding provides a full range of IT services for the implementation of high-tech projects. provides a full range of IT services for the implementation of high-tech projects. TrustInfo operates one of Russia's largest data centers and has completed projects for Russian state institutions and industrial enterprises. Energy storage and power supply for military-industrial base equipment The following Russia-based entities were designated pursuant to E.O. 14024 for operating or having operated in the manufacturing sector of the Russian Federation economy: Aktsionernoe Obshchestvo Nauchno Issledovatelski Proektno Konstruktorski I Tekhnologicheski Akkumulyatorny Institut Istochnik is involved in the manufacture of batteries and accumulators. is involved in the manufacture of batteries and accumulators. Battery Service Limited Liability Company manufactures battery components. manufactures battery components. Closed Joint Stock Company Erasib manufactures adjustable electric drives, generators, and motors. manufactures adjustable electric drives, generators, and motors. Geo Hit manufactures electric batteries and accumulators. manufactures electric batteries and accumulators. Joint Stock Company Nevsky Zavod manufactures power equipment, turbines, and pumping units. manufactures power equipment, turbines, and pumping units. Klinpauer produces customized lithium-ion batteries. produces customized lithium-ion batteries. Limited Liability Company Tubor mass-produces starter and traction batteries. mass-produces starter and traction batteries. Limited Liability Company Velikoluksky Battery Plant Impuls manufactures industrial alkaline and lead-acid batteries. manufactures industrial alkaline and lead-acid batteries. Obshchestvo S Ogranichennoi Otvetstvennostyu Metalloobrabotka is involved in the manufacture of electric accumulators and batteries. is involved in the manufacture of electric accumulators and batteries. Novgorodskaya Akkumulyatornaya Kompaniya 'smainproducts are stationary lead-acid batteries and accumulator batteries. 'smainproducts are stationary lead-acid batteries and accumulator batteries. OAO Krasnoarmeyskiy Mekhanicheskiy Zavod manufactures components for backup power supplies to enable autonomous power supply for equipment. manufactures components for backup power supplies to enable autonomous power supply for equipment. OOO Alfa Energo specializes in the supply, installation, and servicing of equipment for batteries, inverters, chargers, voltage stabilizers, and gasoline and diesel generators, as well as ventilation and air conditioning systems. specializes in the supply, installation, and servicing of equipment for batteries, inverters, chargers, voltage stabilizers, and gasoline and diesel generators, as well as ventilation and air conditioning systems. Prometheus Limited Trade Development is involved in the manufacture of accumulator batteries. is involved in the manufacture of accumulator batteries. Sistemy Avtonomnoi Energii specializes in the production of lithium-ion battery systems for electric vehicles. specializes in the production of lithium-ion battery systems for electric vehicles. Smart Batteries develops and supplies energy storage and power generation products. Military-industrial base software The following Russia-based entities were designated pursuant to E.O. 14024 for operating or having operated in the technology sector of the Russian Federation economy: Auriga Limited Liability Company (Auriga)performs services including software development, testing services, and web development. Auriga's clients include construction tool and chip manufacturers. (Auriga)performs services including software development, testing services, and web development. Auriga's clients include construction tool and chip manufacturers. Fidesys is a developer of a computer-aided engineering (CAE) software. is a developer of a computer-aided engineering (CAE) software. Genaiti is a software producer, involved in strategic computer technology and software projects. Genaiti's software is utilized by Russian federal enterprises for data exchange. is a software producer, involved in strategic computer technology and software projects. Genaiti's software is utilized by Russian federal enterprises for data exchange. Gigant Kompleksnye Sistemy (GKS) manufactures computers and develops computer software. GKS is a resident of a special economic zone focused on technological innovation. (GKS) manufactures computers and develops computer software. GKS is a resident of a special economic zone focused on technological innovation. InterCAD Company Limited designs and implements computer-aided design (CAD) systems for major Russian entities, including U.S.-designated Joint Stock Company United Shipbuilding Corporation, Russia's primary warship manufacturer. designs and implements computer-aided design (CAD) systems for major Russian entities, including U.S.-designated Joint Stock Company United Shipbuilding Corporation, Russia's primary warship manufacturer. Joint Stock Company Research and Production Association Russian Basic Information Technologies develops, produces, and implements information and computer-aided systems, general purpose software, information protection software, and next-generation synthetic combat training software. develops, produces, and implements information and computer-aided systems, general purpose software, information protection software, and next-generation synthetic combat training software. Keis Studio produces "low code" software platforms, including a platform that develops applications for Russian government ministries and Russia's industrial sector. produces "low code" software platforms, including a platform that develops applications for Russian government ministries and Russia's industrial sector. Limited Liability Company Bimeister is a software developer whose partners and clients include a Russian state-owned company and Alabuga Development, an entity involved in a scheme to procure commercial UAVs that would be modernized and weaponized for use by the Russian military. is a software developer whose partners and clients include a Russian state-owned company and Alabuga Development, an entity involved in a scheme to procure commercial UAVs that would be modernized and weaponized for use by the Russian military. Limited Liability Company IT1 , Limited Liability Company GPB IT1 , IT1Digital Solutions Limited Liability Company , Limited Liability Company IT1 RTK ( IT1 RTK ), Limited Liability Company IT1 Solutions , Limited Liability Company IT1 Novations ( IT1 Novations ), Limited Liability Company Service Platform , Limited Liability Company IT1 Technologies , IT1 Kholding ,and Technology Platform Limited Liability Company together comprise the Russia-based software conglomerate IT1 and are each involved in software development activities, including the development and maintenance of information systems for the Russian government and the development of software for Russian government agencies. IT1 Kholding is the owner of the nine other IT1 companies, whose businesses include the development and maintenance of federal state information systems ( IT1 RTK ), software testing ( IT1 Novations ), and general software development (all IT1 companies). , , , ( ), , ( ), , , ,and together comprise the Russia-based software conglomerate IT1 and are each involved in software development activities, including the development and maintenance of information systems for the Russian government and the development of software for Russian government agencies. is the owner of the nine other IT1 companies, whose businesses include the development and maintenance of federal state information systems ( ), software testing ( ), and general software development (all IT1 companies). Top Systems Ltd. is a developer of CAD, computer-aided manufacturing (CAM), and CAE systems for Russia's manufacturing industry. is a developer of CAD, computer-aided manufacturing (CAM), and CAE systems for Russia's manufacturing industry. Triangulatica develops software that supports industrial 3D printing systems. Russia's aerospace sector The following Russia-based entities were designated pursuant to E.O. 14024 for operating or having operated in the aerospace sector of the Russian Federation economy: Alfalodzhik isan aviation service center and supplies aircraft spare parts. isan aviation service center and supplies aircraft spare parts. Nizhny Novgorod Joint Stock Company Hydromash Named After V I Luzyanin develops, manufactures, and tests landing gear and hydraulic actuators and units for aircraft. develops, manufactures, and tests landing gear and hydraulic actuators and units for aircraft. Obshchestvo S Ogranichennoi Otvetstvennostyu 1A is a supplier of spare parts and equipment for airplanes and helicopters of foreign and domestic manufacture. is a supplier of spare parts and equipment for airplanes and helicopters of foreign and domestic manufacture. Vinsaver offers equipment for airplanes, helicopters, and drones. offers equipment for airplanes, helicopters, and drones. Vostokinterprom Limited Liability Company is involved in the repair and maintenance of aircraft. Other military-industrial base entities The following Russia-based entities were designated pursuant to E.O. 14024 for operating or having operated in the technology sector of the Russian Federation economy: Limited Liability Company Avbis is a wholesaler of electrical goods, computers, and software. Avbis also imports equipment used by Russia's military-industrial base from abroad. is a wholesaler of electrical goods, computers, and software. Avbis also imports equipment used by Russia's military-industrial base from abroad. Limited Liability Company Smarts Quanttelecom is involved in developing and producing applied devices and quantum informatics systems. is involved in developing and producing applied devices and quantum informatics systems. Ltd Nissa Distribution is involved in the installation of printing systems and supplies equipment for offset printing technology. is involved in the installation of printing systems and supplies equipment for offset printing technology. Llc Melytec is involved in the production of sensors and computer software development and is also a large supplier of research equipment and services to industrial and research organizations in the fields of material science, chemical and phase analysis, and physical and mechanical testing. is involved in the production of sensors and computer software development and is also a large supplier of research equipment and services to industrial and research organizations in the fields of material science, chemical and phase analysis, and physical and mechanical testing. Nauchno Tekhnicheskii Tsentr Modul Innovatsii develops hardware and software products in the field of neural networks. develops hardware and software products in the field of neural networks. Statanly Limited Liability Company develops machine learning, computer vision, data analysis, and artificial intelligence products. The following Russia-based entities were designated pursuant to E.O. 14024 for operating or having operated in the manufacturing sector of the Russian Federation economy: 148SH Limited Trade Development manufactures metal structures. manufactures metal structures. Fawaris Limited Liability Company is a structural metal manufacturer. is a structural metal manufacturer. Innodrive Limited Liability Company develops and manufactures integrated drives and supplies high-tech drive solutions manufactured in Russia. develops and manufactures integrated drives and supplies high-tech drive solutions manufactured in Russia. Kingtaim Khedman Rus manufactures fabricated metal products. manufactures fabricated metal products. Kvalitet manufactures sheet metal housings. manufactures sheet metal housings. Limited Liability Company Resurs manufactures metal products, parts of devices, and turnkey parts and assemblies. manufactures metal products, parts of devices, and turnkey parts and assemblies. Nauchno Proizvodstvennoe Predpriyatie Mikrosistema designs and produces high-efficiency air filters. designs and produces high-efficiency air filters. Public Joint Stock Company Chelyabinsk Forge and Press Plant manufactures a variety of spare parts for special purpose vehicles. manufactures a variety of spare parts for special purpose vehicles. Publichnoe Aktsionernoe Obshchestvo Mechel (Mechel)is Russia's top producer of specialty steels and manufactures rolled products from various types of steels. A Mechel subsidiary has provided steel that is used in Russia's KA-52 attack helicopter. (Mechel)is Russia's top producer of specialty steels and manufactures rolled products from various types of steels. A Mechel subsidiary has provided steel that is used in Russia's KA-52 attack helicopter. Research and Production Center for Automation and Instrumentation Named After Academic NA Pilyugin manufactures control systems and is also involved in the manufacture of weapons. manufactures control systems and is also involved in the manufacture of weapons. Upravlyayushchaya Kompaniya UZTM Karteks is an association of the largest Russian manufacturers of mining equipment. is an association of the largest Russian manufacturers of mining equipment. Vaibos manufactures precision air conditioning systems. In 2023, Vaibos supplied and installed a precision air conditioning system for U.S.-designated Public Joint Stock Company United Aircraft Corporation, a subsidiary of Russia's main defense conglomerate State Corporation Rostec that develops, produces, sells, modernizes, and repairs military aircraft. manufactures precision air conditioning systems. In 2023, Vaibos supplied and installed a precision air conditioning system for U.S.-designated Public Joint Stock Company United Aircraft Corporation, a subsidiary of Russia's main defense conglomerate State Corporation Rostec that develops, produces, sells, modernizes, and repairs military aircraft. Zavod Lipetsktekhnolit manufactures shotblasting equipment and its spare parts. Logistics, cargo transportation, and truck parts The following Russia-based persons were designated pursuant to E.O. 14024 for operating or having operated in the transportation sector of the Russian Federation economy: Asian Trade Agency Limited Liability Company provides imports to Russia, customs clearance services, and deliveries to buyers' warehouses. provides imports to Russia, customs clearance services, and deliveries to buyers' warehouses. Closed Joint Stock Company Special Transportation Services is a Russian transportation company which ships goods for Russian banks, chemical and defense enterprises, and producers of precious metals and stones. is a Russian transportation company which ships goods for Russian banks, chemical and defense enterprises, and producers of precious metals and stones. Instar Lodzhistiks OOO (Instar) is a logistics company engaged in transportation services. Instar was previously designated pursuant to E.O. 13661 for acting or purporting to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, Kalashnikov Concern, an entity whose property and interest in property are blocked pursuant to E.O. 13661. Kalashnikov Concern, Russia's largest firearms producer, was also previously designated pursuant to E.O. 14024. (Instar) is a logistics company engaged in transportation services. Instar was previously designated pursuant to E.O. 13661 for acting or purporting to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, Kalashnikov Concern, an entity whose property and interest in property are blocked pursuant to E.O. 13661. Kalashnikov Concern, Russia's largest firearms producer, was also previously designated pursuant to E.O. 14024. Intermost Logistics East Co Ltd offers cargo transportation within Russia and custom clearance services. offers cargo transportation within Russia and custom clearance services. JSC SUEK (SUEK) is a flagship company of Russian transportation logistics that operates its own railway infrastructure and is involved in trucking and other transportation services. The Russian Ministry of Defense is one of SUEK's largest customers. (SUEK) is a flagship company of Russian transportation logistics that operates its own railway infrastructure and is involved in trucking and other transportation services. The Russian Ministry of Defense is one of SUEK's largest customers. Kordeli is involved in road freight transport, warehousing and storage, and cargo handling. is involved in road freight transport, warehousing and storage, and cargo handling. Limited Liability Company Pitersnab is a supplier of spare parts for Russian trucks. is a supplier of spare parts for Russian trucks. Limited Liability Company Sfinks Secure Logistics provides secure transportation services for Russian banks and government agencies. provides secure transportation services for Russian banks and government agencies. Russia national Mikhail Yuryevich Chepurnoi is the general director of U.S.-designated Russian transportation company Elfor TL. is the general director of U.S.-designated Russian transportation company Elfor TL. Obltransterminal is a railway container terminal operator that provides customs clearance, import, and export services. is a railway container terminal operator that provides customs clearance, import, and export services. Oksi Balt is involved incargo handling, freight transport by road, and warehousing and storage services. is involved incargo handling, freight transport by road, and warehousing and storage services. OOO Logfortra offers a full range of cargo transportation services, including by road, sea, air, and rail. offers a full range of cargo transportation services, including by road, sea, air, and rail. Postavshchik Dalnego Vostoka provides storage and delivery services. provides storage and delivery services. TBSS Limited Liability Company is a multimodal transportation and forwarding company involved in the transportation of valuable goods such as precious metals. is a multimodal transportation and forwarding company involved in the transportation of valuable goods such as precious metals. TK Logimeks provides international cargo shipping services. MKC Group Russia-based Limited Liability Company Group of Companies MKC (MKC Group) is an engineering enterprise focused on the turnkey construction of power objects. Russia national Maksim Aleksandrovich Zagornov (Zagornov) is the CEO of MKC Group. MKC Group and Zagornov were designated pursuant to E.O. 14024 for operating or having operated in the engineering sector of the Russian Federation economy. Diamonds Joint Stock Company Foreign Economic Association Almazyuvelirexport (Almazyuvelirexport) is Russia's state-owned exporter of rough and polished diamonds and precious metals. Almazyuvelirexport was designated pursuant to E.O. 14024 for operating or having operated in the metals and mining sector of the Russian Federation economy. ANNEX 3 SANCTIONS EVASION, CIRCUMVENTION, AND BACKFILL People's Republic of China-based technology suppliers The following People's Republic of China-based (PRC-based) entities were designated pursuant to E.O. 14024 for operating or having operated in the technology sector of the Russian Federation economy: PRC-based company Jiangxi Liansheng Technology Co. , Ltd shipped microelectronics, optical laboratory accessories, and other technological equipment to Russia. , shipped microelectronics, optical laboratory accessories, and other technological equipment to Russia. PRC-based company Guangzhou Ausay Technology Co. , Limited has made hundreds of shipments of foreign origin-microelectronics to U.S.-designated Limited Liability Company SMT-iLogic (SMT-iLogic), a Russia-based technology company involved in a large-scale procurement network to obtain foreign-origin technology for the manufacture of Orlan UAVs. , has made hundreds of shipments of foreign origin-microelectronics to U.S.-designated Limited Liability Company SMT-iLogic (SMT-iLogic), a Russia-based technology company involved in a large-scale procurement network to obtain foreign-origin technology for the manufacture of Orlan UAVs. PRC-based company Guangzhou Hesen Import and Export Co. , Ltd has made dozens of shipments of foreign-origin microelectronics to Russian technology company Uniservice, which was also designated today. , has made dozens of shipments of foreign-origin microelectronics to Russian technology company Uniservice, which was also designated today. PRC-based company Yilufa Electronics Limited has made hundreds of shipments of foreign origin-microelectronics to SMT-iLogic and Uniservice. has made hundreds of shipments of foreign origin-microelectronics to SMT-iLogic and Uniservice. PRC-based company Shenzhen Biguang Trading Co. , Ltd has made hundreds of shipments of foreign origin-microelectronics to SMT-iLogic and Uniservice. , has made hundreds of shipments of foreign origin-microelectronics to SMT-iLogic and Uniservice. PRC-based company New Idea Guangzhou Technology Co., Ltd. has made hundreds of shipments of foreign origin-microelectronics to SMT-iLogic and Uniservice. Diegelmann Illicit Finance Network Rheingold Edelmetall AG is a Liechtenstein-based precious metals investment firm owned and directed by German nationals Axel Paul Diegelmann (Axel) and Fritz Diegelmann (Fritz). Axel and Rheingold Edelmetall AG have collaborated with Russia-based metals companies to disguise the origin of Russian precious metals. Axel, Fritz, and Rheingold Edelmetall AG also assisted Russian clients to launder funds by buying and selling precious metals for cash, illicitly circumventing international sanctions. Rheingold Edelmetall AG took steps to obfuscate the ownership of Russian clients and the beneficiaries of these transactions. Additionally, German national Bernd Guenter Diegelmann (Bernd), a UAE-based employee of Rheingold Edelmetall AG, arranged the sale of Russian precious stones in the UAE. Rheingold Edelmetall AG, Axel, and Fritz were designated pursuant to E.O. 14024 for operating or having operated in the metals and mining sector of the Russian Federation economy. Axel and Fritz were also designated pursuant to E.O. 14024 for being or having been leaders, officials, senior executive officers, or members of the board of directors of Rheingold Edelmetall AG. Bernd was designated pursuant to E.O. 14024 for having materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services to or in support of, Rheingold Edelmetall AG. Germany-based Rheingold Edelmetall GmbH is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Rheingold Edelmetall AG. Rheingold Edelmetall GmbH was designated pursuant to E.O. 14024 for being owned or controlled by, or having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, Rheingold Edelmetall AG. Liechtenstein-basedprecious metals investment firm and storage company Liemeta AG is owned by Axel. Liemeta AG was designated pursuant to E.O. 14024 for being owned or controlled by, or having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, Axel. Freight forwarder involved in weapons shipments Russia-based PJSC Transcontainer (Transcontainer) is an intermodal container operator that offers military transportation services to the Russian armed forces and has played a role in the illicit transshipment of North Korean munitions and weapons systems for use on the battlefield in Ukraine. Transcontainer is also the operator of a new rail terminal at SEZ Alabuga, and its leadership was part of a Russian delegation that visited Iran in 2023. Transcontainer was designated pursuant to E.O. 14024 for operating or having operated in the defense and related materiel sector of the Russian Federation economy. Serbia-based technology exporters Serbia-based Kominvex DOO Beograd (Kominvex) has exported tens of millions of dollars' worth of goods and equipment to Russian electronics companies. Serbia national Marko Svorcan (Svorcan) is the director and owner of Kominvex. Serbia-based Soha Info DOO Novi Banovci (Soha Info) has exported millions of dollars' worth of dual-use electronics to Russia. Serbia national Dragan Dragas (Dragas) is the director and owner of Soha Info. Serbia-based Goodforwarding DOO Beograd (Goodforwarding) has made hundreds of shipments to Russia since February 24, 2022, including of electronic goods necessary for the production of missiles, drones, and munitions. Serbia-based Research and Development Company TR Industries (TR Industries) specializes in the development of electronic radio equipment, intelligence optoelectronic systems, and navigation systems. TR Industries has sent items such as integrated circuits and multilayer ceramic capacitors to Russia. The main recipient of shipments from TR Industries was Russia-based Arteks Limited Company (Arteks), which is involved in the wholesale of machine tools, installation of machines and equipment, and repair of equipment. Kominvex, Svorcan, Soha Info, Dragas, and TR Industries, were designated pursuant to E.O. 14024 for operating or having operated in the technology sector of the Russian Federation economy. Goodforwarding was designated pursuant to E.O 14024 for operating or having operated in the transportation sector of the Russian Federation economy. Arteks was designated pursuant to E.O 14024 for operating or having operated in the manufacturing sector of the Russian Federation economy. Third-country manufacturing and technology equipment suppliers Russia-based Limited Liability Company Pumori Northwest (Pumori Northwest) is a major provider of metalworking equipment and machine tools to the Russian defense industry. Estonia-based Gold Solution OU (Gold Solution) has transported European-origin machine tools and spare parts to Pumori Northwest and other metalworking machine suppliers that support Russia's military-industrial base. Pumori Northwest was designated pursuant to E.O. 14024 for operating or having operated in the manufacturing sector of the Russian Federation economy. Gold Solution was designated pursuant to E.O. 14024 for having materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services to or in support of, Pumori Northwest. Ireland-based semiconductor supplier Cubit Semiconductor Limited (Cubit) has made dozens of shipments of sensitive electronic components to U.S.-designated Joint Stock Company Mikron, Russia's largest microelectronics manufacturer, including after its designation in March 2022. EU- and U.S.-designated Limited Liability Company AK Microtech, a Russia-based firm that specializes in transferring foreign semiconductor technology to Russian microelectronics production companies, including entities that provide microelectronics to the Russian defense industry, has used Vietnam-based Inand Industries Co Ltd (Inand Industries) to procure European-made equipment for Russian military-industrial base end-users. Cubit and Inand Industries were designated pursuant to E.O. 14024 for operating or having operated in the technology sector of the Russian Federation economy. Third-country aircraft and truck parts suppliers Russia-based Aktsionernoe Obshchestvo Avia Fed Service (Avia Fed Service) supplies spare parts and equipment to aviation companies and aircraft manufacturers, including the Russian Ministry of Defense and Russian state-owned defense companies. UAE-based Linker FZE (Linker) exports aviation spare parts and electronic components used to repair Russian military aircraft and helicopters and has made at least almost 150 shipments to Russiaaprimarily to Avia Fed Serviceasince February 2022. Kyrgyz Republic-based Obshchestvo S Ogranichennoy Otvetstvennostyu Ukon (Ukon) has sent aircraft components and U.S.-origin aircraft parts in violation of U.S. export control regulations to Russia-based end-users. Azerbaijan national Mehti Gafar Zada (Gafar Zada) is the CEO of Ukon. OFAC's action against Ukon and Gafar Zada is the result of close and ongoing collaboration with the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Finland-based HD Parts OY has made thousands of shipments of spare parts since 2022, making it one of the largest foreign suppliers of truck parts to Russian companies. Trucks are critical for the Russian military, and Russia suffers from a shortage of truck spare parts. Avia Fed Service, Linker, Ukon, and Gafar Zada were designated pursuant to E.O. 14024 for operating or having operated in the aerospace sector of the Russian Federation economy. HD Parts OY was designated pursuant to E.O. 14024 for operating or having operated in the transportation sector of the Russian Federation economy. ANNEX 4 RUSSIA'S FINANCIAL INFRASTRUCTURE The following Russia-based banks were designated pursuant to E.O. 14024 for operating or having operated in the financial services sector of the Russian Federation economy: Avangard Joint Stock Bank is a bank headquartered in Moscow, Russia. is a bank headquartered in Moscow, Russia. Bank RostFinance is a bank headquartered in Rostov-on-Don, Russia. is a bank headquartered in Rostov-on-Don, Russia. Joint Stock Commercial Bank Chelindbank is a bank headquartered in Chelyabinsk, Russia. is a bank headquartered in Chelyabinsk, Russia. Joint Stock Commercial Bank International Financial Club is a bank headquartered in Moscow, Russia. is a bank headquartered in Moscow, Russia. Joint Stock Commercial Bank Modulbank is a bank headquartered in Kostroma, Russia. is a bank headquartered in Kostroma, Russia. Joint Stock Company Databank is a bank headquartered in Izhevsk, Russia. is a bank headquartered in Izhevsk, Russia. Maritime Joint Stock Bank Joint Stock Company is a bank headquartered in Moscow, Russia. is a bank headquartered in Moscow, Russia. Public Joint Stock Company Bystrobank is a bank headquartered in Izhevsk, Russia. is a bank headquartered in Izhevsk, Russia. Public Joint Stock Company SPB Bank is a bank headquartered in Moscow, Russia. The following Russia-based investment firms and venture capital funds were designated pursuant to E.O. 14024 for operating or having operated in the financial services sector of the Russian Federation economy: Limited Liability Company BSF Capital provides investment banking services, venture investments, fund management, and handles large assets. provides investment banking services, venture investments, fund management, and handles large assets. Limited Liability Company Investment Consultant Elbrus Capital is an investment firm. is an investment firm. Limited Liability Company Orbita Capital Partners is a fund management company. is a fund management company. Nonprofit Organization Investment and Venture Fund of the Republic of Tatarstan provides loans and grants and finances technological and industrial projects. provides loans and grants and finances technological and industrial projects. Obshchestvo S Ogranichennoi Otvetstvennostyu Guard Kapital invests in Russian information technology companies. The following Russia-based fintech companies were designated pursuant to E.O. 14024 for operating or having operated in the technology sector of the Russian Federation economy: Finansovye Informatsionnye Sistemy develops information systems for the financial sector. develops information systems for the financial sector. Joint Stock Company Quorum develops financial software. develops financial software. Limited Liability Company Crypto Pro develops cryptographic software and public key infrastructure solutions. develops cryptographic software and public key infrastructure solutions. Obshchestvo S Ogranichennoi Otvetstvennostyu Faktor TS produces software and hardware for cryptographic protection of information. produces software and hardware for cryptographic protection of information. Obshchestvo S Ogranichennoi Otvetstvennostyu Sistemy Prakticheskoi Bezopasnosti develops software for secure systems. develops software for secure systems. Obshchestvo S Ogranichennoi Otvetstvennostyu Validata designs and produces secure corporation information systems. SANCTIONS IMPLICATIONS As a result of today's action, all property and interests in property of the persons above that are in the United States or in the possession or control of U.S. persons are blocked and must be reported to OFAC. In addition, any entities that are owned, directly or indirectly, 50 percent or more by one or more blocked persons are also blocked. All transactions by U.S. persons or within (or transiting) the United States that involve any property or interests in property of designated or blocked persons are prohibited unless authorized by a general or specific license issued by OFAC, or exempt. These prohibitions include the making of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services by, to, or for the benefit of any blocked person and the receipt of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services from any such person. In addition, foreign financial institutions that conduct or facilitate significant transactions or provide any service involving Russia's military-industrial base run the risk of being sanctioned by OFAC. Examples of activities that could expose foreign financial institutions to sanctions risk under E.O. 14024, as amended, are maintaining accounts, transferring funds, or providing other financial services (i.e., payment processing, trade finance, insurance) for any persons designated for operating in the specified sectors or for any persons, either inside or outside Russia, that support Russia's military-industrial base, including those that operate in the specified sectors of the Russian Federation economy. For additional guidance, please see the December 22, 2023 OFAC Sanctions Advisory as well as OFAC Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) 1146-1157. The power and integrity of OFAC sanctions derive not only from OFAC's ability to designate and add persons to the SDN List, but also from its willingness to remove persons from the SDN List consistent with the law. The ultimate goal of sanctions is not to punish, but to bring about a positive change in behavior. For information concerning the process for seeking removal from an OFAC list, including the SDN List, please refer to OFAC's Frequently Asked Question 897 here. For detailed information on the process to submit a request for removal from an OFAC sanctions list, please click here. For identifying information on the individuals and entities sanctioned today, click here. ### NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address "Respect for sovereignty lies at the heart of the international system." - UK Foreign Secretary at the UN Security Council Statement as delivered by UK Foreign Secretary Lord David Cameron in the UN Security Council meeting on Ukraine - Friday 23 February 2024. 23 February 2024 Thank you, Madam President, and Mr Secretary General. We meet two years since Vladimir Putin ordered a wholly unprovoked invasion of a sovereign member of the United Nations. Airstrikes at dawn. Tanks rolling across the border. Preposterous claims this was not a declaration of war. In many ways, the most remarkable thing was the total lack of any justification whatsoever of any threat from Ukraine. The abject disregard for the laws that bind nations, and for the principles of this United Nations. The brazenness with which Putin still claimed this was somehow legitimate. Days after February the twenty-fourth, the United Nations General Assembly declared that the invasion was wrong and that Russia must withdraw immediately. Two years on, this has not changed. And so today, I want to pose two questions. My first, to the Kremlin. My first visit as Foreign Secretary was to Ukraine. I stood in the wreckage of Odesa's bombed-out cathedral. I saw brave Ukrainians kissing loved ones goodbye as they left to defend their homeland. And I know that such scenes are not limited to Ukraine. Russian mothers too have had to bid farewell to Russian sons, Russian cities too now bear the scars of war. So my question to Putin is simple. Why? His government claims this to be a battle between brothers. What twisted form of brotherhood is this, for which so many lives must be ruined? How is Russia living up to its responsibilities as a permanent member of this Council to uphold international peace and security? And how many ridiculous explanations have we now had for the invasion? Are they criminals, or fellow Russians? One minute Ukraine is an existential threat. The next we're told it doesn't exist. Are you fighting stooges of NATO, or Nazis? The only people behaving like Nazis are the Putin regime: invading another country and hoping the world will be weak and let you get away with it. That is the simple truth: Putin believes he can take territories, re-draw borders, exercise force to build his empire. And we must not let this stand. We know Ukraine's answer. We saw the courage of President Zelenskyy two years ago. And I say to the Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation, he is quite capable, and the Ukrainian people are quite capable, of making up their own mind about whether they should surrender part of their country to your illegal invasion. And today, we admire the perseverance of the Ukrainian people, day in, day out. They won't falter. Indeed, they are continuing to push Russia back, liberating half the land Putin has seized and driving the Russian navy out of its base in Sevastapol. The course of the war may ebb and flow. But the seizure of a small town does not change the reality of Russia's situation. The Russian military is being drained of its modern equipment. You're having to rely on poor quality shells from Pyongyang. And you've sent a generation of Russian boys into the meat grinder. What do you tell their mothers they died for? Or don't you even bother? The Kremlin expected Ukraine to fold. But they are standing firm for their freedom. And you should all know Britain's answer as well. Last month, the Prime Minister was the first foreign leader to address the Rada. We are the first country to have signed a security pact with Ukraine. And yesterday we imposed further sanctions, clamping down on Russia's military-industrial complex and those enablers seeking to keep it running. These sanctions are a reminder. We won't falter. We will stand firm for Ukraine's freedom. And the world has also seen Alexei Navalny's answer. He showed incredible courage in returning to Russia. He didn't falter. And he has now suffered terrible consequences for standing firm for Russian democracy. And today is an opportunity, Secretary General, to give the world's answer. All of us abhor needless suffering. None of us have escaped the economic consequences of the war. And yet, we all know what is at stake here. In acting so brazenly, Putin is not only trying to seize a chunk of his neighbour's territory. He is not only trying to extinguish the Ukrainian people's right to self-determination. He is openly trying to upset the international order, replacing it not with some progressive vision of equality of nations but with a return to a nineteenth century ideology where might - particularly his might - is right. This is why we all must stand up to Putin. Not just out of sympathy for Ukraine. But because his actions in Ukraine are so dangerous for everyone else. If we give into the idea that one country can invade another with impunity, then we will be left in a dreadful situation where any country could face a similar fate. Respect for sovereignty lies at the heart of the international system. At the heart of the United Nations. Nothing matters more to its members than having our borders treated as inviolable. And that's why nothing should matter more to us than seeing Putin fail. We must not falter. We must stand firm. Thank you. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address PM statement to mark the second anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine: 23 February 2024 Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has made a statement to mark the second anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. 23 February 2024 When Putin launched his illegal invasion two years ago, the free world was united in its response. We stood together behind Ukraine. And on this grim anniversary, we must renew our determination. I was in Kyiv just a few weeks ago and I met wounded Ukrainian soldiers. Each harrowing story was a reminder of Ukraine's courage in the face of terrible suffering. It was a reminder of the price they are paying not only to defend their country against a completely unjustified invasion, but also to defend the very principles of freedom, sovereignty and the rule of law, on which we all depend. The UK is going further in our support. I announced last month the biggest single package of defence aid to Ukraine, taking our total support to A12 billion and signed a ten-year agreement on security cooperation - the first of its kind. This is the moment to show that tyranny will never triumph and to say once again that we will stand with Ukraine today and tomorrow. We are prepared to do whatever it takes, for as long as it takes, until they prevail. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address The President met with a delegation from the U.S. Senate in Lviv President of Ukraine 23 February 2024 - 18:29 During his working trip to Lviv region, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with the leader of the U.S. Senate Democratic Majority, Chuck Schumer, as well as Senators Richard Blumenthal, Jack Reed, Michael Bennet, and Maggie Hassan. The Head of State emphasized that the visit of the senators to Ukraine is particularly important on the eve of the second anniversary of the start of Russia's large-scale military aggression against Ukraine. "This is a serious message from the United States, from the American people. It shows that you support us. Americans are on the side of truth, and we share common values. I thank you for helping us preserve democracy not only in Ukraine, as the struggle for democracy and freedom must be fought around the world," said Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The President thanked the Congress, the Democratic and Republican parties, the President of the United States, and the American people for providing defense, financial, and economic assistance to Ukraine. Volodymyr Zelenskyy praised the leadership role of the United States in providing support for our country from the first days of the large-scale invasion and continuing it during the two years of the war. "Throughout these two years, we have always felt that the United States stands with us," the President said. At the meeting, Volodymyr Zelenskyy provided the senators with detailed information about the situation on the front lines and the urgent needs of the Ukrainian Defense Forces. The Head of State called for further boosting defense assistance to achieve strategic goals on the front lines. The President emphasized that obtaining additional air defense systems and various types of UAVs, as well as strengthening the long-range capabilities of our military to effectively protect civilians and critical infrastructure, remains the priority. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Democracies should not withdraw from the historical process of protecting all the values that have shaped our modern world - address by the President of Ukraine President of Ukraine 23 February 2024 - 17:33 I wish you health, fellow Ukrainians! I am now having a working day in Lviv. First, I met with Prime Minister of Denmark Mette Frederiksen, and then I met with U.S. senators - a delegation led by Chuck Schumer. Good talks and another useful day for Ukraine. With Mette, we signed a security agreement between Ukraine and Denmark. This is the fourth such agreement. We already have agreements with the UK, Germany, and France. Denmark is the first among countries outside the G7, and the agreement is significant. As has already become a model, we have a clear statement on defense support for this year - one billion eight hundred million euros. The agreement will be in effect for ten years, so each year there will be a corresponding amount of cooperation, including defense cooperation. Of course, there is also a whole range of necessary political and diplomatic clauses in the agreement that set out our fundamental principles. Increasing pressure on Russia, maximizing cooperation with Denmark, supporting our movement to the European Union and NATO - all the things that strengthen us. Mette, thank you again! We also work together in the field of joint defense production. We discussed specific things today. Our teams agreed to hold a bilateral defense industries forum and an investment forum. That is, relations are really at a high level. By the way, we also talked today about the specific timeframe for the appearance of F-16s in the Ukrainian sky, with which Denmark has been very, very helpful. At the meeting with the U.S. Senate delegation, I first thanked them for the positive vote on the package of support for our country and our warriors. This package is not an ordinary one, it is fundamental to our defense both in terms of its content and the signal that support or non-support for this package sends to the world. Democracies should not withdraw from the historical process - the process of protecting all the values that have shaped our modern world. I briefed the senators on the current situation on the battlefield - on the direct correlation between the weapons our warriors have and the results achieved by our common enemy. Sufficiency of artillery, sufficiency of long-range capabilities are key things for us, for our Defense Forces. And, of course, we are working very actively to deprive Russian aircraft of the ability to dominate the skies near the front this year, as well as on joint defense production projects. We discussed the relevant priorities with the American delegation. We are now preparing to continue our extremely active international work in the coming weeks. There will be new agreements that will strengthen our troops, the defense of our cities, and the position of our state. I thank everyone in the world who helps! I thank everyone who defends us, Ukraine, our people, our principles - absolutely fair principles. No one in the world has the right to destroy independent nations. No one. And we will not allow Russia to destroy Ukraine. Thank you, Lviv, for this day! Glory to Ukraine! NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Ukrainian grain does not go to the Polish market, we will resolve the issue of its transit - Volodymyr Zelenskyy President of Ukraine 23 February 2024 - 16:12 Ukrainian grain, which is currently being blocked at the border by Polish protesters, does not go to the Polish market, and our country will work to resolve the issue of its transit. This was stated by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a meeting with media representatives following talks with Prime Minister of Denmark Mette Frederiksen in Lviv. The Head of State said that a group headed by Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal is to arrive at the Ukrainian-Polish border today. The group will include ministers responsible for export and import, logistics, infrastructure, agriculture, as well as heads of the Border Guard Service. "It is important for us to preserve our relationship. But it is also very important to preserve the truth. Ukrainian grain does not go to the Polish market. At the request of the Polish side. We have found new ways. But when we talk about transit, it is a bit beyond European law. We are willing and will do everything to resolve this issue," the Head of State emphasized. The President expressed gratitude to the Poles for what they did after the outbreak of a full-scale war, helping our country and sheltering people. Volodymyr Zelenskyy also thanked Ukrainian agricultural producers for understanding the situation our country is facing in times of war. "They are not blocking anything on their own, despite the fact that their food products are not passing through Poland today. And I want to emphasize that they are not intended for the Polish market. That is, products in transit are being blocked," the Head of State said. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address A joint press statement on the tenth anniversary of the beginning of the armed aggression of the Russian Federation and the second anniversary of the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine was read out by Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba in New York (USA) on February 23. The text of the statement was published on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine on Friday evening. Today we mark a decade since the beginning of Russias armed aggression against Ukraine on 19 February of 2014, which started with its seizure of Crimea, and two years since the beginning of Russias unprovoked, full-scale and illegal invasion of Ukraine. We reiterate our resolute condemnation of this flagrant violation of international law. We deplore the Russian Federations failure to implement the UN General Assembly resolutions, adopted at its 11th Emergency special session. We also refer to the judgment of the International Court of Justice of 31 January 2024 that leaves no doubt that the Russian Federation is in violation of its international legal obligations. We also consider that the ICJ Judgment of 2 February 2024 is an important step towards holding Russia accountable for its violations of international law. We reiterate that the ICJ Order on provisional measures of 16 March 2022 obliges Russia to immediately suspend the military operation that it commenced on 24 February 2022 in the territory of Ukraine, remains legally binding and must be implemented by the Russian Federation. We are appalled by Russian forces attacks striking civilians and civilian infrastructure of Ukraine, which may constitute war crimes. We reemphasize that indiscriminate attacks are prohibited by international humanitarian law. We also condemn continued military support for Russias war of aggression, including by Iran, Belarus and the DPRK. We urge all countries not to provide weapons and to restrict exports of all items critical to the military to Russia for its war of aggression against Ukraine. Russias continued procurement of arms and related materiel, including ballistic missiles, from the DPRK places both in violation of the UN Security Council resolutions. The Russian Federations actions undermine the credibility of the Security Council and its resolutions, exacerbate regional tensions, and endanger us all. Today, we gathered to reaffirm our solidarity with the people of Ukraine, pay tribute to all those who have sacrificed their lives in the defense of the freedom and independence of Ukraine and express our deepest sympathy and condolences to the families of the victims of the ongoing Russian aggression against Ukraine. We demand from Russia the complete exchange of prisoners of war as well as the release of all unlawfully detained persons and the return of all internees and of civilians forcibly transferred or deported, including children. We will continue working on ensuring accountability for serious crimes under international law committed on the territory of Ukraine during the Russian aggression. We reiterate our demand to Russia to stop its war of aggression against Ukraine and to ensure the full, immediate and unconditional withdrawal of all Russian forces and military equipment from the territory of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders. We remain committed to the vision of a comprehensive, just and lasting peace for Ukraine in line with the principles of the UN Charter. In this regard, we are encouraged by the meeting of national security advisors and foreign policy advisors on the implementation of the Peace Formula in Davos where the key principles of achieving the peace for Ukraine were discussed. Representatives of more than 80 states and international organizations took part in the meeting. We express our joint support for an inaugural Global Peace Summit. We reaffirm our unwavering support for Ukraines independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders, extending to its territorial waters. The statement was published on behalf of the governments of Ukraine, Albania, Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Japan, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Marshall Islands, Micronesia (Federal States of), Monaco, Montenegro, the Netherlands, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Norway, Palau, Paraguay, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Romania, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Uruguay and the European Union. We are working for F-16s to protect Ukrainian skies as soon as possible - President following the meeting with Mette Frederiksen in Lviv President of Ukraine 23 February 2024 - 15:57 During a working trip to Lviv region, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Prime Minister of Denmark Mette Frederiksen, who is on a visit to our country. Welcoming the Danish delegation to Ukraine, the Head of State noted that our country takes pride in the cordial relations with Denmark that were achieved, inter alia, due to the leadership of Mette Frederiksen. According to him, Ukrainians are grateful for every manifestation of Danish support. "Ukraine and Denmark really managed to give our countries and our entire Europe new security prospects. I would like to thank your society for such constant daily powerful support, for such an attitude towards Ukraine and Ukrainians," Volodymyr Zelenskyy said during a meeting with media representatives following talks with Mette Frederiksen in Lviv. The Head of State noted that the Agreement on security cooperation signed today with Mette Frederiksen would give Ukraine the strength prior to gaining full membership in NATO. "The agreement with Denmark provides for comprehensive defense, political assistance, and diplomatic cooperation. This year, Danish military support for Ukraine will amount to 1 billion 800 million euros. For the period until 2028, Denmark's Ukraine Fund will amount to 8.5 billion, and this is tangible. We are very grateful for such a powerful support," the President emphasized. In his opinion, the document also provides for principled support for Ukraine in all fundamental areas of cooperation, including on the path of European and Euro-Atlantic integration. "I would like to emphasize the support for our country's accession to NATO. Denmark is the first country outside the Group of Seven with whom we have signed such a security agreement. As always, Danish leadership is evident," he added. Denmark became the first Nordic country to sign a bilateral security agreement with Ukraine. The President emphasized that it was Denmark that played a key role in unblocking the decision to provide Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets. He thanked the Prime Minister personally for her work in this direction. "We are now working for Ukrainian F-16s to really start defending the Ukrainian skies. Today, we have a new defense package from Denmark, and this is the 15th one: ammunition, drones and other weapons awaited by our warriors," the Head of State noted. Volodymyr Zelenskyy also said that the Ukrainian and Danish delegations had agreed to hold a joint bilateral defense industries forum. Modernization and bolstering of arsenals based on the experience of modern warfare is one of the common priorities. Separately, the Head of State emphasized the importance of continuing the sanctions pressure on Putin's system and all its elements in order to reduce Russia's ability to continue war and terror. "We must continue to fundamentally step up sanctions against Russia and eliminate all Russian schemes to circumvent sanctions, as this is literally an investment in terror. Therefore, anyone who helps Russia circumvent sanctions must be held accountable. Another fundamental task for this year is the confiscation of Russian assets that have already been found and frozen, particularly in European jurisdictions. Putin values money much more than human life, and therefore it is through the loss of assets that he will feel the true cost of his aggression," Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized. According to him, Ukraine is grateful to Denmark, which is an example for many other countries, for its cooperation in the reconstruction, particularly in Mykolaiv and Mykolaiv region. The Head of State also noted the launch of the export financing program through Denmark's Export and Investment Fund to support the supply of equipment to Ukraine. "The more joint results we achieve, the more obvious will be the inability of Russia to achieve its aggressive goals," the President emphasized. In addition, Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed gratitude to Denmark for the joint work on the Ukrainian Peace Formula and praised the meeting at the level of national security advisors held in Copenhagen, calling it crucial. "This year we are organizing the first Global Peace Summit at the level of leaders. We believe that it will be a success. Denmark is working with us to make the summit a success. Ukraine appreciates it very much," Volodymyr Zelenskyy summarized and once again thanked Mette Frederiksen for her leadership and special attitude towards Ukraine. The Danish Prime Minister, for her part, assured of continued support for Ukraine. She noted that the 15th aid package has already been announced and the next one is being prepared. "We understand how much you need our support to save lives. This package includes weapons, drones, and demining systems," she emphasized. In addition, Mette Frederiksen emphasized the importance of providing Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets. Answering journalists' questions, she noted that the transfer of these aircraft requires significant preparation of the maintenance infrastructure and completion of pilot training. "We are working very hard in this regard, and I hope that we will be able to see F-16s in Ukrainian airspace in the near future, even before the summer," the Danish Prime Minister said. Mette Frederiksen also noted that the bilateral security agreement envisages long-term cooperation between the countries and expressed hope that many more bilateral documents will be signed and a solid partnership will be formed. "This will show Russia and Putin very clearly that you have many partners and friends who remain with you and on whom you can count. Allies and partners must act. We have to deliver on our commitments to a greater extent. Because you can't win a war on the basis of words alone, there must be actions," the Danish Prime Minister summarized. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Agreement on security cooperation and long-term support between Ukraine and Denmark President of Ukraine 23 February 2024 - 14:38 Introduction 1. Ukraine and the Government of Denmark (hereinafter "the Participants", or "Ukraine" and "Denmark") decide on the following: 2. Russia's full-scale war of aggression against Ukraine has caused immense destruction and civilian casualties with monumental consequences for Ukraine, the whole of Europe and the international community. The return of war to the European continent is a stark reminder of Russia's expansionist and aggressive behaviour in direct violation of international law and the European security order. 3. Denmark reiterates its unwavering support for Ukraine's independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders as of 1991 including the territorial sea. 4. Denmark, together with the Nordic countries, immediately supported the Joint Declaration of Support for Ukraine (hereinafter the "G7 Declaration"), adopted by the Group of Seven (G7) and the EU on the margins of the NATO Summit in Vilnius. The Nordic countries, including Denmark, reiterated their support for the G7 Declaration as of 12 July 2023 and agreed to start bilateral negotiations with Ukraine on security commitments to be formalised in close coordination with G7 Allies and partners. Denmark hereby formalises its long-term bilateral security commitments to Ukraine. 5. As stated on multiple occasions, the Nordic countries stand united in bolstering Ukraine's resilience and capacity to defend itself and remain ready to support Ukraine for as long as it takes to restore its territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders. The Nordics are committed to lock-in support for Ukraine as it defends its sovereignty and territorial integrity, rebuilds its economy, protects its citizens, and advances its reform agenda, as it pursues its integration into the Euro-Atlantic community. 6. Recalling the long-standing diplomatic relations and friendship since Ukraine regained its independence in 1991, the Participants decide to deepen their cooperation and partnership by pursuing the long-term bilateral security commitments set forth in this Agreement, which are based on common interests in the defence of international peace and the protection of fundamental human rights and freedoms. Scope 7. Denmark's security commitments to Ukraine seek to complement contributions from the other participants of the G7 Declaration, including the EU and the Nordic countries. Denmark's security commitments to Ukraine are coordinated with Allies and partners. 8. Denmark stands ready on a regular basis to consult with Ukraine on strategic matters and to align and coordinate support delivered with the purpose of bolstering Ukraine's defensive fight against Russian aggression. Furthermore, Denmark would welcome, inter alia, regular Nordic-Ukraine strategic dialogue on the strengthening of Ukraine's defence, resilience and reform path. 9. Denmark's security commitments set forth in this Agreement reflect a strategic choice and involve comprehensive support to Ukraine's inherent right of self-defence against Russia's full-scale war of aggression and deterrence of future Russian aggression. Any extension of the security commitments will occur in dialogue between the Participants, and in coordination with Allies and partners. 10. Denmark will continue its support to Ukraine for the ten-year duration of this Agreement. 11. Denmark will provide long-term military support to Ukraine's self-defence, resilience and deterrence of future Russian aggression. In 2022, the Government of Denmark provided Ukraine with EUR 565 million in military support. In continuance, Denmark's Ukraine Fund of a total of EUR 8.5 billion covers ongoing support in 2023-2028. In 2024, the military support will amount to at least EUR 1.8 billion. Denmark's Ukraine Fund serves as the comprehensive framework for the long-term military and civilian support. European and Euro-Atlantic Integration 12. Ukraine commits to implement reforms as defined by the EU, IMF and NATO covering, inter alia, governance, transparency, anti-corruption and democratic control over the security and defence forces. Ukraine's implementation of these reforms is essential for its EU and NATO aspirations. 13. The Participants reaffirm that Ukraine is integral to Euro-Atlantic and global security. Denmark is dedicated to supporting Ukraine's reform efforts on its path towards future NATO membership by, but not limited to, advancing practical and political cooperation through NATO's Comprehensive Assistance Package, Ukraine's adapted Annual National Programme and the newly established NATO-Ukraine Council. Denmark recalls that Ukraine belongs in the Euro-Atlantic family and will become a member of NATO. 14. The Participants reaffirm that Ukraine is part of the European family and has a future within the EU. Denmark acknowledges Ukraine's efforts to strive for the implementation of necessary reforms under extremely challenging circumstances. The Participants recall the merit-based nature of the EU accession process. They reaffirm their commitment to work constructively on Ukraine's progressive integration towards the Union, with a view to its future Union membership. Denmark, in cooperation with the EU and its Member States, will continue to support Ukraine in its reforms and accession path. Comprehensive and long-term support to Ukraine's defence, resilience and deterrence of future Russian aggression 15. This Agreement on security commitments will cover ongoing, scheduled and future contributions to Ukraine's defence, resilience and future deterrence of Russian aggression. The security commitments will be funded by multiannual financing towards core military support complemented by wider elements of civilian support. Deterrence and defence 16. Since the start of Russia's full-scale war of aggression in 2022, Denmark has been amongst the most significant contributors of military support to Ukraine and has pledged to sustain this level of support. Furthermore, Denmark has spearheaded efforts to form an international coalition providing Ukraine with a fighter jet capability. Denmark will continue the efforts to improve the capability of the security and defence forces of Ukraine to defend itself against Russian aggression as well as to deter further aggression in the future, and to enhance interoperability with NATO standards. 17. Ukraine will ensure that Danish military assistance is used exclusively for Ukraine's self-defence and is to be used by the security and defence forces of Ukraine against military objectives in accordance with international law, including international humanitarian law. The Participants will cooperate to prevent the diversion and the illegal circulation of military material provided to Ukraine. 18. Denmark's support will include short-term military needs as well as the long-term capacity building of Ukraine's Future Force. This will be achieved through the provision of continuous military support across different domains in coordination and cooperation with the relevant international partners and institutions, focusing on a) air force and air defence; b) maritime security; c) demining: d) technology and drones, as well as e) other key capabilities and urgent needs of Ukraine. a) Air Force and Air Defence Denmark will support efforts to build and strengthen Ukraine's Air Force and air defence as a co-lead of the Air Force Capability Coalition (AFCC) and a participant of the Capability Coalition of Integrated Air and Missile Defence. More specifically, Denmark will support efforts in securing a holistic F-16 capacity through the AFCC, including with the donation of fighter jets, ammunition, simulators and training as well as contributing to the long-term maintenance of the fighter jets and the establishment of the proper facilities in Ukraine. b) Maritime Security Denmark will contribute to the capacity building of Ukraine's maritime domain through cooperation with Allies and partners. The development of Ukraine's maritime fleet will be achieved through capacity building efforts, industrial cooperation and training efforts as well as donations. c) Demining Denmark will continue demining efforts in Ukraine by providing training efforts, donations of equipment and support in developing and sustaining international demining standards. This support will be coordinated with Allies and partners. d) Technology and Drones Denmark will provide Ukraine with high-tech military donations, such as drones, communications equipment, radars and detection equipment along with the necessary training in utilisation. This support will be facilitated through long-term defence industry cooperation where focus will also be placed on mutual industrial development and knowledge sharing. e) Other key capabilities and urgent needs Denmark commits to continuing its significant military support relative to size. Denmark will continue to provide Ukraine with military donations and keep enhancing training efforts and concepts to meet urgent needs on the battlefield. These efforts are essential in order to fully restore Ukraine's territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders as of 1991. 19. Danish military support will facilitate a modernisation of the security and defence forces of Ukraine and a greater degree of interoperability with the security and defence forces of Ukraine with NATO standards and other relevant international organisations. This includes, inter alia, the provision of equipment, training (including train-the-trainer programmes) and infrastructure required for greater NATO interoperability and compatibility, as well as support to the development of Ukrainian Future Force design. 20. Denmark will continue to channel military support to Ukraine through multilateral instruments, including NATO's Ukraine Comprehensive Assistance Package (UCAP) and EU's European Peace Facility (EPF). Defence Industry cooperation 21. Denmark will contribute to the development of Ukraine's defence industrial base and identify opportunities for closer partnerships. Special attention will be given to the preservation of Ukraine's military edge necessary for the self-defence against Russia's full-scale war of aggression. The Participants will together identify priority investment areas, strengthen efforts to reduce existing barriers for cooperation, eliminate bottlenecks in the supply chain of defence materials, as well as encourage and support investments. 22. Ukraine and Denmark will cooperate on developing defence technologies, especially in the area of new technologies. Denmark will support development of Ukraine's defence industry in particular through investments, information exchange, joint R&D as well as production. 23. The Participants will work to identify funding sources required to enable development of Ukraine's defence industrial base, including investment and financial assistance, in particular in the time of war and post-war recovery. 24. Denmark will, where possible, support Ukraine's efforts to integrate its defence industry into NATO and EU defence and security frameworks. 25. The Participants will work together to facilitate the protection of any transferred technologies and intellectual property rights Intelligence and security cooperation 26. The Participants will enhance the cooperation in the field of intelligence and security in accordance with applicable legal requirements and possibilities. This will be achieved through, but not limited to, intelligence sharing and cooperation including in the fields of counter-intelligence and training. 27. The Participants will seek to conclude a General Security of Information Agreement (GSOIA) between their respective countries that will facilitate greater information sharing between various Ukrainian and Danish government agencies. Cyber security and countering disinformation 28. The Participants will cooperate to enable Ukraine to prevent, detect and counter Russian cyber aggression, cyber espionage and hybrid warfare, including through increased cooperation on cyber diplomacy, providing technical assistance to Ukraine, as well as to enhance its cyber resilience. 29. The Participants will continue cooperation in the field of countering Russian and any other actor's disinformation. They will jointly promote the development of Ukraine's capabilities to counter hybrid threats, Russian and any other malign propaganda and disinformation campaigns affecting national security and work for organizing joint education and training programmes for experts. Reconstruction and resilience 30. Since the beginning of Russia's full-scale war of aggression, Denmark has provided civilian support for Ukraine's resilience, reconstruction and relief of the war-affected population. This Agreement on security commitments acknowledges and includes a continuation of such efforts with multi-year funding for civilian assistance and business development to support Ukraine's recovery. 31. Denmark commits to supporting reconstruction and resilience geared towards addressing urgent needs and creating the foundation for sustainable development. Denmark's commitment to support the reconstruction of Ukraine will continue to be agile and responsive. Ukraine and Denmark concur that the recovery process needs to be transparent and accountable to the people of Ukraine and the international community. 32. Energy supply security and protection of critical infrastructure remains crucial for Ukraine's resilience. In line with Denmark's co-lead of the Ukrainian Peace Formula working group on Energy Security, and building upon the current cooperation and support for Ukraine's energy infrastructure, Denmark will continue to provide long-term support to Ukraine's overall energy sector with a special focus on green energy transition. 33. The commitments will also involve the continuation of Denmark's partnership with the city of Mykolaiv and Mykolaiv Region. Denmark will actively engage with the city and the region to support their reconstruction, resilience and reforms. 34. Denmark will continue to work actively within the EU to ensure macro-financial support and to further international coordination. Denmark will support private sector cooperation including the established Ukraine-facility with loan- and guarantee schemes under the Danish Export and Credit Fund (EIFO). 35. Since the start of Russia's full-scale war of aggression in 2022, Denmark has provided substantial support to humanitarian mine action in Ukraine. Russia's massive contamination of Ukrainian soil through ammunition, mines and other explosives remnants not only threatens protection of civilians, but also food security as well as undermines economic sustainability. Given the scale of the challenge, Denmark aims to continue providing funding to humanitarian demining efforts alongside partners. 36. Denmark will provide technical support for strategic sector partnerships like the energy program, UDEPP, the decentralisation program, U-lead, and municipal "twinning", through knowledge exchange and capacity development of authorities and civil society organisations. Denmark's commitments to Ukraine may also include specific initiatives for improving mental health of and psychosocial support for the Ukrainian society. Political support 37. Ukraine and Denmark will work together for a just and lasting peace with broad global support, based on the Ukrainian Peace Formula. Denmark will continue its diplomatic efforts to promote Ukrainian Peace Formula. Sanctions 38. The Participants will continue working to ensure that the costs to Russia for its aggression continue to rise, including through sanctions and export controls. The Participants recognise the value of sanctions in restricting Russia's access to the finance, goods, technology and services it is utilising in its war of aggression, in bearing down on Russia's revenue streams, and to deter future attacks. 39. Denmark will work for the strongest possible sanctions on Russia, while ensuring their effectiveness. Denmark will continue to take determined action through the EU to uphold sanction pressure on Russia and to tackle all forms of sanctions circumvention as long as Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine continues and Ukraine's territorial integrity is not restored. 40. Ukraine and Denmark will provide each other with up-to-date information on the grounds for sanctions and other relevant information, in compliance with relevant obligations. Commitment to implement reforms 41. Denmark recognises the significant progress Ukraine has made in implementing reforms. Ukraine reiterates its continued commitment to implementing reforms including in the areas of governance, anti-corruption and defence and security. Ukraine commits to continue implementing reforms to support and protect Ukraine's democracy and rule of law. 42. Denmark will provide technical and financial resources to support Ukraine's reform path. This involves supporting Ukraine's reform process on the path towards future membership of EU and NATO. In particular, Denmark will support EU's anti-corruption initiative (EUACI) to give national anti-corruption stakeholders the tools and technical assistance to counter corruption. 43. Ukraine commits to further advancing reforms improving governance through strengthening institutional controls, improving resilience and building a just and inclusive society. Ukraine will actively work for promoting public trust in the rule of law and strengthening of the independence of the judiciary. 44. Ukraine commits to advancing anti-corruption efforts at all levels of society across the public sector, the private sector and civil society. This includes ensuring sufficient resources for the independent anti-corruption institutions for the benefit of society as a whole. 45. Ukraine commits to advancing and developing democratic control and oversight with its security and defence forces and within the wider security and defence sector by focusing on further improving oversight, accountability and transparency across its security institutions essential for building their legitimacy, efficiency and accountability. Promoting accountability 46. The Participants reaffirm their commitment to ensuring accountability for international crimes committed in Ukraine, including the crime of aggression. The Participants will continue their work, including in the Core Group, to establish a tribunal to ensure accountability for the crime of aggression against Ukraine. 47. The Participants will continue to promote effective domestic investigation and prosecution of international crimes within Ukraine and will continue to support the work of the International Criminal Court. 48. The Participants reaffirm that the Russian Federation is to be held accountable for the damages inflicted on Ukrainian territory. Russian sovereign assets should remain immobilised until the Russian Federation has paid for the damage it has caused to Ukraine. Denmark, working with its partners in the EU, will continue to pursue all lawful routes through which revenues from Russian assets can be used to support Ukraine, in accordance with European and international law. 49. As a priority, the Participants will continue to work together along with like-minded partners towards the establishment of a compensation mechanism to provide compensation for damage, loss or injury caused by Russia's aggression, as envisaged by the Statute of the Register of Damage Caused by the Aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine adopted by the Resolution of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe CM/Res(2023)3. In this regard, the Participants will explore appropriate options for the financing of a compensation mechanism consistent with international law in order to provide prompt and adequate compensation to victims of aggression. Cooperation in the event of a future armed attack 50. In the event of future Russian armed attack against Ukraine, at the request of either Participant, the Participants will consult within 24 hours, bilaterally or via other channels they both deem suitable, in order to determine appropriate next steps. 51. Denmark, in accordance with its respective legal and constitutional requirements, will provide swift and sustained security assistance, modern military equipment across land, sea and air domains, and economic assistance, to impose economic and other costs on Russia, and to consult on Ukraine's needs as it exercises its right of self-defence enshrined in Article 51 of the UN Charter. 52. In order to ensure the widest and most effective collective response to future armed attacks, the Participants may amend these provisions in order to align with any mechanism that they may subsequently agree with their other international partners, including the participants of the G7 Declaration. Consultation, coordination and review 53. In order to facilitate the implementation of this Agreement on security commitments and to ensure an ongoing strategic dialogue, appropriate consultation structures between the Participants will be arranged. 54. The Participants will, if necessary, designate authorised bodies for the development and implementation of bilateral agreements in accordance with the areas of cooperation specified in this Agreement. 55. The security commitments are subject to ongoing review in order to monitor progress on implementation with a special focus on ensuring adherence to accountability and transparency. Final Provisions 56. This Agreement may be amended and supplemented, including by adding annexes thereto, at any time by the written consent of the Participants. 57. Any disputes between the Participants arising out of the interpretation and/or implementation of this Agreement will be settled amicably through negotiation or consultation between the Participants. 58. This Agreement will come into effect upon signatory of the Participants, and is valid for ten years from the date of its signature. 59. The Participants can jointly decide to extend this Agreement through notification no later than 6 months prior to the lapse of the ten-year period. 60. At the same time and in accordance with the G7 Declaration, the Participants share the opinion that this Agreement is without prejudice to Ukraine pursuing a pathway toward future membership in the Euro-Atlantic Community. 61. In the event that Ukraine becomes a member of NATO before the expiry of this Agreement, the participants will decide on its future status. 62. This Agreement may be terminated by either Participant by giving written notice to the other Participant. This Agreement will be terminated 6 months from the date of receipt of such notice. The termination will not affect the implementation of ongoing activities or projects, which have been decided prior to the date of its termination, unless the Participants decide otherwise. Signed in Lviv on 23 February 2024, in duplicate, in the English and Ukrainian languages, the English version of which shall prevail in the event of any discrepancy. For Ukraine: President Volodymyr Zelenskyy For Denmark: Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address In Lviv, Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Mette Frederiksen signed an Agreement on security cooperation and long-term support President of Ukraine 23 February 2024 - 14:28 In Lviv, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Prime Minister of Denmark Mette Frederiksen signed an Agreement on security cooperation and long-term support between Denmark and Ukraine. The document builds on the provisions of the Joint Declaration adopted by Ukraine and the members of the Group of Seven in Vilnius on July 12, 2023, which was immediately joined by all Nordic countries. According to the agreement, Denmark reiterates its unwavering support for Ukraine's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders as of 1991. Denmark's security commitments reflect a strategic choice and involve comprehensive support to Ukraine's inherent right of self-defense against Russia's full-scale war of aggression and deterrence of future Russian aggression. The document sets out the main components of Denmark's security commitments to Ukraine, including long-term military and financial assistance, and outlines the priority areas of bilateral security cooperation in the military and non-military spheres, including political, financial, humanitarian sphere, and reform efforts. According to the agreement, in 2024, Danish military support will amount to at least EUR 1.8 billion. In addition, Denmark's Ukraine Fund, totaling EUR 8.5 billion, covers support in 2023-2028 and serves as a comprehensive framework for the long-term military and civilian support. Denmark will support Ukraine for ten years of the Agreement. The document provides for ongoing military assistance in various areas in coordination and cooperation with relevant international partners and institutions, focusing on air force and air defense, maritime security, demining, technology and drones, as well as other key capabilities and urgent needs of Ukraine. Denmark will support efforts in securing a holistic F-16 capacity through the Air Force Capability Coalition, including with the donation of fighter jets, ammunition, simulators and training as well as contributing to the long-term maintenance of the fighter jets and the establishment of the proper facilities in Ukraine. The partners will cooperate to enable Ukraine to counter Russian cyber aggression, cyber espionage and hybrid warfare. Denmark will also continue to actively engage with the city of Mykolaiv and Mykolaiv region to support their reconstruction, resilience and reforms. In addition, the agreement reaffirms Denmark's support for Ukraine's future membership in the EU and NATO, in particular by supporting Ukraine's reform plans and the interoperability of its Defense and Security Forces with the Alliance. The parties reaffirm that Ukraine is an integral part of Euro-Atlantic and global security. Ukraine, for its part, commits to implementing the reforms set out by the EU, IMF and NATO. In the event of a future armed attack on Ukraine by Russia, the agreement provides for consultations within 24 hours to determine the appropriate next steps. The document is valid for 10 years from the date of signing and provides for the possibility of extending the term of validity by joint decision of the parties. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Ukraine - Frontline children: battling mental trauma, underground UNICEF This is a summary of what was said by UNICEF Spokesperson James Elder - to whom quoted text may be attributed - at today's press briefing at the Palais des Nations in Geneva 23 February 2024 KYIV, 23 February 2024 -- "UNICEF estimates that over the past two years of war, children in cities in Ukraine's frontline areas have been forced to spend between 3,000 and 5,000 hours - equivalent to between four to seven months - sheltering underground. "Try and imagine spending what would be 200 days over the past two years, confined to a basement, bunker, or a hole in the ground. This has been the reality for many children on Ukraine's frontlines. "Seeking safety from the missiles and drones is coming at a great cost for these children. From my dozens of conversations with families and child psychologists on the frontlines around Kharkiv, this situation has become absolutely devastating to mental health. The psychological scars for children are deep. And deepening by the day. "According to survey data, half of 13- to 15-year-olds have trouble sleeping, and 1 in 5 have intrusive thoughts and flashbacks - typical manifestations of post-traumatic stress disorder. Three-quarters of children and young people aged 14 to 34 have recently reported needing emotional or psychological support. "The ongoing shelling and increased use of drones, the awareness that children continue to be killed, all hinder children's capacity to overcome the deep distress and trauma inflicted by this war. "Parents across Ukraine report that their children are experiencing excessive fear, anxiety, phobias and sadness, disinterest in school and sleep troubles. At a time when parental care is needed most, half of parents surveyed report that they are struggling to support their children. Indeed, as a child psychologist in Kharkiv pointed out to me: parental care is essential to manage the immense toxic stress that children are enduring from prolonged exposure to conflict and chaos. But how, when parents themselves are experiencing the same events? "Despite education being a fundamental source of hope and stability, it is chronically disrupted and beyond reach for a substantial segment of Ukraine's children. Children in frontline areas have been inside a school for a single week over the past four years - two years of COVID-19 and two years of full-scale war. In the Kharkiv region, two out of 700 schools are delivering in-person learning. "Nearly every person I spoke to expressed deep concern over their children's stunted socialization. "But there is a response: a UNICEF has nurses on the frontlines going door to door to give mothers and their babies and young children support and care during those critical early moments. a UNICEF has teams and teams of frontline workers delivering warm clothing, medicines and other life-saving supplies. a UNICEF has a network of psychologists supporting children and their parents, helping them overcome distress and trauma and find some relief, some joy. a UNICEF is supporting the reconstruction of critical infrastructure including schools and water systems, thousands of which have been damaged or destroyed in attacks. a And given a third of Ukraine is littered with landmines, UNICEF is providing life-saving education on the risks of mines to help children protect themselves. "The attritional nature of this war plays out not just on the battlefield, but in families' lives; each day sapping just a little more of that strength, hope and energy. We tend to admire the resilience of Ukraine and its children, but we tend to forget what this resilience costs them." ##### NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address 'High time for peace', UN chief says, as Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine enters third year 23 February 2024 - The UN Secretary-General addressed the Security Council on Friday, underscoring the fundamental need to honour the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of Ukraine, as the full-scale invasion by Russia of the country marks its second anniversary. "Two years on and a decade since Russia's attempted illegal annexation of Ukraine's Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, the war in Ukraine remains an open wound at the heart of Europe," AntAnio Guterres said. "It is high time for peace - a just peace, based on the UN Charter, international law and General Assembly resolutions," he stressed. Addressing Security Council members, with several Ministers and ambassadors in attendance, the Secretary-General reminded them of the United Nations principle of the sovereign equality of all its Members. He stated that as per the UN Charter, international disputes shall be settled by peaceful means, and that all States shall refrain from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any other State. 'In any war, everyone suffers' Mr. Guterres pointed to the suffering of civilians on both sides of the war. In Ukraine, at least 10,500 civilians have died and many more have been injured; schools, hospitals and other vital civilian infrastructure have been destroyed, and several hundred towns and villages are cut off from electricity during a brutal winter. Several million people have been driven from their homes, and countless families, especially on the frontlines, depend on humanitarian assistance. "Many Ukrainians are experiencing the living nightmare of losing their children. All children that have been deported must be reunited with their families," Mr. Guterres said. "The war is also hurting the people of Russia. Thousands of young Russians are dying on the frontlines. Civilians hit by strikes on Russian cities are also suffering," he added. Danger of escalation 'very real' The Secretary-General also voiced deep concern over the danger of the conflict escalating and expanding "is very real". "Around the world, the war is deepening geopolitical divides. Fanning regional instability. Shrinking the space available to address other urgent global issues," he said. Concluding his address, Mr. Guterres said that since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, "we have had two years of fighting, two years of suffering, two years of stoking global tensions and straining global relations." "Enough," he stressed, noting that scorning the Charter has been the problem, and honouring it is the solution. "That means honouring the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of Ukraine, within its internationally recognized borders. It is time to recommit to the Charter and renew respect for international law," he said. "That is the path to peace and security - in Ukraine and around the world." France: Russia must end war now French Foreign Affairs Minister Stephane SAjournA said that Russia has been waging a war for two years, an unjust, unjustifiable and illegal war of aggression after seeking to invade its neighbour and take its territory for 10 years. Neither Moscow's false pretexts nor its propaganda and massive disinformation on social networks can hide this clear and indisputable situation, he said. Unlike Russia, Ukraine wants peace, he continued. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who was in Paris last week, proposed a peace plan more than a year ago, and Ukraine has identified key principles and started discussions with numerous partners from all continents and not just the European continent. "No one wants peace more than the Ukrainian people," he said. "Our Council must work for the victory of Ukraine, because it would be the victory of the Charter. The overthrow of societies through brutal and imperialist aggression should not be accepted. Russia must put an end to this war and withdraw its troops from Ukrainian territory, which will never belong to it." UK: 'We all must stand up to Putin' David Cameron, Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs of the United Kingdom, said the Council is meeting two years since Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a wholly unprovoked invasion of a sovereign UN Member. "My question to Putin is simple: Why?" he asked. "How is Russia living up to its responsibilities as a permanent member of this Council to uphold international peace and security? How many ridiculous explanations have we now had for the invasion?" That is the simple truth: Mr. Putin believes he can take territories, redraw borders, exercise force to build his empire, he said, wondering if the Council will "let this stand". "We know Ukraine's answer, for we saw the courage of President Zelenskyy two years ago; the Kremlin expected Ukraine to fold, but they are standing firm for their freedom," Mr. Cameron said, adding that on Thursday, the UK imposed further sanctions, clamping down on Russia's military-industrial complex and those enablers seeking to keep it running. "These sanctions are a reminder," he continued. "In acting so brazenly, Putin is in fact openly trying to upset the international order, replacing it not with some progressive vision of equality of nations, but with a return to a 19th century ideology where might - particularly his might - is right." He said, "this is why we all must stand up to Putin, not just out of sympathy for Ukraine, but because his actions in Ukraine are dangerous for everyone else," adding that respect for sovereignty lies at the heart of the international system and the UN. "And that's why nothing should matter more to us than seeing Putin fail," he said. "We must not falter. We must stand firm." US urges global support for Ukraine Linda Thomas-Greenfield, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the United States to the UN, recalled that two years ago, as Council members sitting around the same table called for diplomacy and de-escalation, "President [Vladimir] Putin openly chose war." "We could see the reality of Russia's brutal aggression unfolding in real time; the world could see that choice between violence and diplomacy, war and peace unfolding in real time," she said. "Today, despite President Putin's best efforts, the world continues to bear witness to Russian brutality, Russian hypocrisy and Russian cruelty," she added. The US ambassador said the "senseless war" has worsened global food insecurity, impacted global energy, caused incalculable damage to the environment, and undermined the global non-proliferation regime. She added that in the face of such cruelty, death and destruction, the Ukrainian people have fought back effectively - "vastly outnumbered, they have not only defended their land but their freedoms, their democracy and their identity." Ms. Thomas-Greenfield called for greater support for Ukraine, to help it fight not only for peace but for a just, lasting peace, rooted in the UN Charter's fundamental principles. "Let us be exceedingly clear here: if Russia puts down its weapons today, the war will end; if Ukraine puts down its weapons, Ukraine would be over," she said. Russia: 'In this proxy war...Ukraine is losing' Russian Ambassador and Permanent Representative Vassily Nebenzia said that one year ago, the Western bloc had tried to promote its peaceful initiatives and openly instilled in Ukrainian President Zelenskyy the notion that he could beat Russia. Ukraine has completely failed, while the West continues to pump weapons into the country and to discuss "dead end" peace prospects. "For the people of Ukraine, it's increasing clear how ineffective its Government is and how much it lacks independence," he said. "In this proxy war...Ukraine is losing." Meanwhile, the European Union has become "a satellite of the US", and Germany, for instance, has suffered losses of billions of dollars stemming from sanctions against Russia. Instead of having relations with its neighbour, Russia, the bloc is "shooting itself in the foot" by falling into a harsher energy dependency with the US and has fallen into Russophobia. He said that two years ago, "we sent our boys to fight to end a war" against the Donbas region, "not to start one". Turning to the Minsk agreements, he said France, the UK and others did not take these treaties seriously. At the same time, Ukraine stepped up military activities with foreign States. "Any conflict ends sooner or later," he said. "There's no doubt that the Ukrainian conflict will end as well. There's no doubt that the longer it lasts due to the sustained support by the West, the less advantageous the peace dividends will be for Ukraine." Europe is in the throes of strategic blindness while denying to Russia its own legitimate defence interests, which is a short-sighted approach, he said, adding that the bloc continues to promote anti-Russia propaganda, which the US tried to do during the Cold War. A fair Euro-Atlantic security system must be discussed, he said, noting that NATO's current actions include expectations that its expansion is "an absolute right". China: Search for a sensible solution Zhang Jun, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of China to the UN said that the international community should actively search for a for a sensible solution to the conflict to ensure that that peace can prevail. Efforts should remain focused on a political settlement, he said, stating that the priority should be to stop hostilities, launch direct talks and restore peace. He called the parties to the conflict to show a sense of responsibility and to promote detente. Providing arms and stoking the fire is not the solution, the Chinese ambassador continued, stating that we must stay the course towards common security. We must be responsive to the legitimate concerns of all countries, he said. The situation Europe is facing today is directly related to the expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), he said, adding that there must be a soul-searching and for looking at the world through an objective lens. All countries, large and small, are entitled to a place in the international arena, he added, noting that sliding back into the colonial era is not an option. Bullying will not work, win-win cooperation will, the ambassador highlighted, voicing China's opposition to sanctions imposed by the US and UK, using the Ukraine issue as an excuse. China is not a party to the conflict, he said, stating that it has always maintained that the sovereignty and the territorial integrity of all countries, including Ukraine, must be respected. Ukraine: Russia has no legal right The Foreign Minister of Ukraine, Dmytro Kuleba, noted that the Council meeting was taking place at the same time of another air raid in the country and less than an hour after a residential building in Odesa had been hit, severely wounding two civilians. "I'm afraid that someone is going to die in Ukraine before this meeting is adjourned because talking about negotiations is one thing, but throwing more drones and missiles on Ukraine as Russia does every day is completely another thing," he said. Mr. Kuleba told the Council that Russia's name "is synonymous with aggression, war crimes and barbarism" while "its ugly face is the direct result of its impunity, stemming first and foremost from its presence in this chamber's seat." He said the Russian Federation is occupying the place of the Soviet Union, which no longer exists, and the legal transfer of its seat in the Council never occurred. "This is an example of how a small fraud led to a global catastrophe," he said. "We continue to insist that Russia has no legal right to be present at this table, and the future reform should correct this historic mistake that led to deadly consequences." He said roughly 24 years of President Putin's regime "has already ruined millions of lives" as during this time, Russia has launched or joined at three major wars - Georgia, Ukraine and Syria - or roughly one every eight years. The country has stands behind the attempted coup in Montenegro and destabilizing efforts in the Sahel region in Africa, he continued. "And the scariest thing is that we must now focus not only on the lives already taken by Russia, but also on the lives that it is prepared to take in the future." Mr. Kuleba stated that it is only through resolute and joint action "that we can put the aggressor in its place and restore international peace and security." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Ukraine: Bucha and Irpin rise from the ashes of Russian military occupation 23 February 2024 - When the Russian occupation of Bucha in the early days of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine ended in March 2022, widespread destruction was revealed, and a UN commission concluded that war crimes had been committed against the civilian population. Two years on, life is returning to the town on Kyiv's outskirts and nearby Irpin, which have been restored with UN support. "They were flying by helicopter from the direction of the cargo airport in Hostomel [north of Bucha]. Then they marched with tanks along Vokzalna Street, crossed the railway and moved in the direction of Kyiv," said Mykhaylina Skoryk-Shkarivska, founder of the Institute for Sustainable Development of Communities in Bucha and deputy of the Irpin City Council, recalling the first days of the full-scale Russian invasion. The occupation by Russian troops lasted almost a month and, when the city was liberated on 31 March 2022, evidence of murders, torture and other crimes committed by the Russian military as well as widespread destruction was revealed. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker TArk, visiting the city in December 2022, said that it was hard for him to think about what the population of Bucha had to go through: "You hear about soldiers coming to your village or your town, and then you see those soldiers, you see them start killing people in the streets, then sniper shots, shooting, mass killings, summary executions." The report of the UN Monitoring Mission in Ukraine refers to documented killings of local residents. The Russian military, according to the authors of the report, often carried out summary executions at checkpoints; a text message on a phone, an item of military uniform or a certificate of military service in the past could lead to fatal consequences. In September 2022, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Karim Khan, spoke to the members of the UN Security Council about the consequences of the occupation. "In the city of Bucha, I visited the Church of St. Andrew, where I saw bodies hidden behind a building. This is not a sham. As I walked through the streets of Borodyanka, I saw destroyed schools and houses. This is real destruction; I saw it," he said at the time. It has been estimated that thousands of buildings in Bucha were damaged, and more than 100 were completely destroyed. Bringing Bucha back to life Today, around two years on from the occupation, there are striking signs of a revival. The UN has worked closely with the local authorities, the Government and international partners, to ensure the city could come back to life as quickly as possible. "In the Nova Bucha quarter, everything was destroyed during the occupation. Now, it has been almost completely rebuilt," said Ms. Skoryk-Shkarivska. "All the damaged apartment buildings are being repaired in a comprehensive manner: the roofs are completely replaced, thermal insulation is installed, and the faAade is improved, so that the building will retain heat better. It is hard to imagine that two years ago there was a convoy of heavy Russian military equipment here, and most of the houses were smashed or burned," she said. "Sometimes I hear discussions about whether it is necessary to rebuild," she continued. "But, the Kyiv region is not under such massive Russian fire as, for example, the border areas of the Kharkiv region. People are coming back; they need to live and work. The city lives, there is business, there are a lot of new restaurants. A living city needs to be rebuilt, and then even more people will come. After all, the western regions of Ukraine, where everyone fled at first, are overcrowded. There is nothing for many citizens to do there. Here in Kyiv, there is more work, more opportunities." The rehabilitation of the housing stock is being supported and financed by international partners, including UN agencies, which are also engaged in clearing rubble and demining in the Kyiv region, particularly in Bucha. A school in Irpin, that was at the centre of fierce fighting in 2022, has now been completely restored by the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), and is today one of the most modern educational institutions in the city, with a well-equipped shelter and an inclusive space. "As soon as Bucha and Irpin in the Kyiv region returned to government control, UNICEF began rehabilitation initiatives and providing comprehensive support," explained Munir Mammadzadeh, UNICEF Representative in Ukraine. More than 5,000 children in Bucha and Irpin are studying in rebuilt schools, including the Irpin school, which was 70 per cent destroyed and whose restoration was funded by the European Union. Now, this school is fully operational and provides 1,700 students, including children of internally displaced people, with full-time education, he said. "For many children, both in Ukraine and abroad, the war has taken away two years of school, time to play with friends and the opportunity to communicate with loved ones," he added. "It deprived them of education, happiness and a normal childhood. It has had a devastating impact on their mental health. We need to minimize educational losses. Kindergarten teachers, who are now trained to provide psychosocial and psychological assistance to children, are better able to support them during such a difficult period." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address General Assembly President calls for solidarity with Ukraine as 'needless war' reaches two-year mark 23 February 2024 - UN General Assembly President Dennis Francis urged countries to stand with the people of Ukraine "in their quest for justice and peace" during a meeting on Friday to mark two years of Russia's full-scale invasion of the country. "As we reflect on the two years of anguish and hardship, let us emerge from this place with a resounding message of solidarity and unwavering support to the resilient people of Ukraine," he said, speaking on the eve of the solemn anniversary. The Security Council is also set to meet later on Friday on Ukraine, where fresh strikes were reported on the cities of Odesa and Dnipro, just one day after deadly attacks in the Donetsk region, located in the east. Destruction and devastation Addressing representatives of the UN's 193 Member States gathered in the General Assembly Hall in New York, Mr. Francis stated that they "can neither be blind to the ongoing destruction and devastation, nor ignore the plight of the people of Ukraine." "This is especially so, because this year also coincides with the tenth anniversary of the 2014 attempted illegal annexation of Crimea and other Ukrainian territories by the Russian Federation," he added. Russia's full-scale invasion began on 24 February 2022. Since then, thousands of people have been killed and injured, millions more uprooted, and schools, hospitals and other critical infrastructure damaged. Scores of Ukrainian children have also been forcibly deported to Russia. Extensive impacts worldwide Mr. Francis said the impact of this "needless war" extends far beyond the borders of Ukraine as the environment is also "the silent victim of the conflict", while the real risk of a nuclear accident persists. "And, ultimately, the war has affected every Member State gathered in this hall - whether in the form of the soaring food prices or in the context of energy insecurity." Furthermore, the conflict has been a significant catalyst in reshaping global geopolitics and geoeconomics, he continued, as it is directly harming the countries involved while also impeding progress in many others, especially developing nations. UN Charter undermined "It is actively undermining the very foundations of our UN Charter - threatening the principles of sovereignty, and territorial integrity we all committed to hold dear and to defend," he said. "It has disrupted the delicate balance of international relations - at a time when unity, solidarity and cooperation are absolutely crucial to multilateral problem-solving. Mr. Francis noted that while the 15-member UN Security Council has been paralyzed by division over the conflict, the General Assembly has condemned Russia's aggression and demanded the immediate, complete and unconditional withdrawal of its forces from Ukrainian territory. Work for peace "Beyond condemnations, we, the United Nations, must actively work towards a comprehensive, just and sustainable peace in line with the Charter of this organization," he said. The Assembly President called for redoubling efforts "to end wars and usher in a future of hope, promise and prosperity for the people in Ukraine and Russia, alike - and indeed elsewhere, without exception." Bolstering healthcare in Ukraine Meanwhile, UN agencies have been reflecting on their response to the conflict in Ukraine, which the World Health Organization (WHO) has called Europe's largest emergency. WHO has been partnering with the Ministry of Health to determine, in real-time, what the key needs of the sector are and step in where needed to bolster existing systems. Support has included regularly donating essential medical supplies, vehicles, and equipment to ensure existing healthcare facilities can continue functioning. Teams have also built temporary structures in communities where health facilities have been damaged or destroyed, thus ensuring that people can continue to receive care. Currently, 12 modular primary care clinics are open in locations across the south and the east of the country. WHO has verified 1,574 attacks on health since the war broke out, claiming the lives of 118 of health care workers, and impacting health facilities, transport, and warehouses. Concern for children's mental health Russia's full-scale invasion has taken a devastating toll on the mental health of Ukraine's youngest citizens, according to the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF). The agency said boys and girls in frontline areas have been forced to spend between 3,000 and 5,000 hours - equivalent to between four to seven months - sheltering in basements, bunkers, or a hole in the ground. Seeking safety from missiles and drones is coming at a great cost for these children, said UNICEF Spokesperson James Elder who was in the city of Kharkiv this week, where he spoke to families and child psychologists. "Around three-quarters of young people have recently reported needing some sort of psychological or emotional support; a fraction of those are getting it," he said, speaking on Friday to journalists in Geneva. "So, the ongoing shelling, the increased use of drones - all this is building into an awareness that children continue to be killed, and so it's hindering families' capacity to overcome the stress and trauma inflicted by this war." Mr. Elder added that despite education being a fundamental source of hope and stability, it is chronically disrupted and beyond reach for a substantial segment of Ukraine's children. "Children in frontline areas have been inside a school for a single week over the past four years - two years of COVID-19 and two years of full-scale war. In the Kharkiv region, two out of 700 schools are delivering in-person learning," he said. UNICEF's response in Ukraine has included providing a network of psychologists who support children and their parents, helping them overcome distress and trauma and find some relief, some joy. The agency also supports the rebuilding of critical infrastructure such as schools and water systems, among other operations. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Ukraine Looks to Rally Support at UN, Two Years Into Russia's Invasion By Margaret Besheer February 23, 2024 Ukraine's foreign minister sought to rally international support Friday at the United Nations, two years after Russia launched a full-scale invasion and war with his country and as the world is distracted by other crises and conflicts and U.S. military aid is held up in Congress. "Moscow's aim is to destroy Ukraine, and they are quite outspoken about it," Dmytro Kuleba told a meeting of the U.N. General Assembly to mark the somber anniversary that drew ministers from many nations. But he was eager to let the world know Ukraine wants peace. "No nation in the world wants peace more than Ukraine; our country suffers the most," he said. "But we also know that peace must be just, be just and durable. Simply putting the war on hold and hoping that the aggressor will be merciful enough to eventually choose peace is not a realistic plan." He said Ukraine wants to use President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's 10-point peace formula as a roadmap out of the conflict and to discuss it with the international community at a peace summit they are planning to hold in Switzerland. The plan, put forward in December 2022, calls for among other things, the withdrawal of Russian troops and an end to the fighting, nuclear security, the release of all prisoners and the restoration of Ukraine's territorial integrity. Later he told reporters that two years ago, many experts and diplomats did not think Ukraine would survive Russia's full-scale invasion and today those same people do not believe Ukraine can win the war. "Ukraine survived the invasion, and Ukraine will win the war," he said. "If we act collectively and jointly, this will happen sooner rather than later." Russia's U.N. envoy repeated Kremlin claims that it was not responsible for the war and that it was simply protecting Russian-speaking populations who were discriminated against by Kyiv. "Russia did not start this war; it came to put an end to it," Vassily Nebenzia said. "All the Kyiv authorities had to do was respect people's rights, let them live in peace on their own territory, study in their own language, enjoy freedom of religion and freedom of thought." He said the goals of Russia's "special military operation" a what the Kremlin calls its invasion a would be met, and they were not against doing this through negotiations. But he dismissed Zelenskyy's peace formula as an "ultimatum to Russia" and said countries should not waste their time with it. "Unbreakable spirit" European countries and the United States expressed their continuing solidarity with Ukraine. U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield praised the "unbreakable spirit" of the Ukrainian people and said it should be an example for all people. "Ordinary, extraordinary people, vastly outnumbered, fiercely defending their communities," she said. "Teachers transforming bunkers into classrooms. City workers finding ways to restore heat and electricity after bombardments. Families rationing food to feed their neighbors." She said the world must speak in a unified voice to demand Russia end the war. "That means calling for Russia to withdraw its forces from Ukraine's internationally recognized borders and uphold the basic principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity," Thomas-Greenfield said. British Foreign Secretary David Cameron warned that Russian President Vladimir Putin has shown his appetite for taking the territory of others a South Ossetia in 2008 and Crimea in 2014 a and unstopped, he came back for more in 2022. "Now, having tried and failed to conquer all of Ukraine, the lesson of this history is clear, if we do not stand up to Putin, he will be back for more," Cameron said. He said he understands some in the international community are tired of the conflict and a compromise might be appealing. "But this is wrong," Cameron said. "We must recognize the cost of giving up." Luxembourg's foreign minister echoed that sentiment, telling reporters that if Ukraine is abandoned, it would not be the end of Russia's aggression. "Believe me, we don't know who will be next," Xavier Bettel said. He cautioned that Ukraine is in a weaker position now than earlier in the conflict, and that Russia would not negotiate as long as it is in a stronger position. "So, the support for Ukraine is also support for negotiations," he said. Around 60 countries were expected to speak Friday at the session. The U.N. Security Council is also meeting Friday. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that in the two years since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, that there has been too much suffering and strains on global relations. "Enough," he said. "It is high time for peace a a just peace, based on the United Nations Charter, international law and General Assembly resolutions." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Ukraine Urges US Lawmakers to Pass Military Aid on Anniversary of Invasion By VOA News February 23, 2024 Ukraine marks the second anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion on Saturday as Kyiv urges its Western allies to continue to provide the military aid it relies on to defend itself. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his daily video message Friday evening that a U.S. aid package, which has stalled in the U.S. Congress, is "fundamental to our defense both in terms of its contents and the message it sends to the world." U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who is visiting Ukraine, urged House members to "do the right thing" and pass the Ukraine military aid bill. Schumer, along with four other Democratic senators, held talks with Zelenskyy in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv on Friday. "We have been told by President Zelenskyy, we have been told by American and Ukrainian officials ... that without the aid Ukraine will lose the war," Schumer said at a news conference. The U.S. Senate passed a bill last week that included $60 billion in military aid for Ukraine. But Republican Speaker of the House Mike Johnson has not brought the measure up for a vote in the House. Britain commits $311 million In Britain, the Defense Ministry announced it will spend $311 million over the next year to boost Ukraine's artillery ammunition. "They cannot win this fight without the support of the international community a and that's why we continue to do what it takes to ensure Ukraine can continue to fight towards victory," British Defense Minister Grant Shapps said in a statement. In Germany, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Europe must increase its defense to prevent any attack from outside. "Deterrence, defense readiness a I know these are unusual words coming from a German chancellor. Words that we in Germany have not used for so long that they have almost been forgotten," Scholz said in a podcast. "But these words stand for a very important task: together with our allies, we must be so strong that nobody dares to attack us." On the battlefront Friday, Ukraine's military said it downed a Russian early warning and control aircraft. Russia has not confirmed the loss. If true, it would be the second such military aircraft downing in just over a month and would represent a significant victory for Ukraine. US imposes new sanctions Earlier Friday, the U.S. government imposed more than 500 new sanctions on Russian entities, in the single largest round of penalties since the war began. The government said the sanctions mark both the second anniversary of the invasion and are a response to the death of Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny at an Arctic prison. "Russia's economy and military-industrial base are showing clear signs of weakness in part due to the actions we, along with our partners and allies around the world, have taken to support Ukraine's brave defense," said Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen. Yellen urged the House of Representatives to pass the Ukraine aid bill that has been cleared by the Senate and "to join our allies around the world in giving Ukraine the means to defend itself and its freedom against [Russian President Vladimir] Putin's barbarous assault." U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the new U.S. sanctions against Russia will have a growing and lasting impact on Russia. "All of the technology that's being denied as a result of its actions will have an increasingly heavier and heavier impact," Blinken said, responding to a question by VOA's State Department Bureau Chief Nike Ching. "The fact of course, that so many people have left Russia, more than a million, including many of the most educated involved in science and technology in production, that's also going to have a profound impact," Blinken added. U.S. President Joe Biden noted the new sanctions will target individuals connected to Navalny's imprisonment, as well as Russia's financial sector. "They will ensure Putin pays an even steeper price for his aggression abroad and repression at home," he said. However, Russia's export-focused $2.2-trillion economy has proved more resilient a despite two years of unprecedented sanctions a than either Moscow or the West anticipated. Russia invaded neighboring Ukraine on February 24, 2022, and the war has seen tens of thousands killed and myriad cities destroyed. Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov was quoted by the RIA news agency as saying, "the new illegitimate restrictions are yet another brazen and cynical attempt to interfere in the internal affairs of the Russian Federation," adding that the "new round of U.S. sanctions is an attack on Russia's core interests, but Moscow will keep protecting them." Additionally, Canada, in coordination with the U.S. and Britain, announced Friday it is imposing sanctions on 10 individuals and 153 entities in a bid to punish Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. Earlier this week, the European Union approved a 13th package of Ukraine-related sanctions against Russia, banning nearly 200 entities and individuals accused of helping Moscow procure weapons or of involvement in kidnapping Ukrainian children. Navalny funeral An ally of the late opposition leader Alexey Navalny said Navalny's mother has received an ultimatum from Russian authorities to either agree to forgo a public funeral for her son or they will bury him immediately on prison grounds. Ivan Zhdanov, Navalny's close associate, said Lyudmila Navalnaya was given three hours to accept a proposal for a private funeral for her son, outside the public eye, in an effort to suppress any outpouring of sympathy for Putin's nemesis before the March presidential election. Navalny, Russia's most well-known opposition politician, died unexpectedly at age 47 in an Arctic penal colony last Friday. His death spurred hundreds of Russians across the country to create and stream makeshift memorials with flowers and candles. Russian authorities have rounded up and detained scores for this. VOA's State Department Bureau Chief Nike Ching contributed to this report. Some information for this story came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Statement from President Joe Biden Ahead of the Two-Year Anniversary of Russia's Brutal Assault Against Ukraine February 23, 2024 Two years ago tomorrow, shortly before dawn, Russian missiles began exploding near the capital city of Kyiv. Russian troops marched across the border into Ukraine. Vladimir Putin's vicious onslaught against Ukraine had begun. He believed that he could easily bend the will and break the resolve of a free people. That he could roll into a sovereign nation, and the world would roll over. That he could shake the foundations of security in Europe and beyond. Two years later, we see even more vividly what we've known since day one: Putin miscalculated badly. The brave people of Ukraine fight on, unbowed in their determination to defend their freedom and future. NATO is stronger, larger, and more united than ever. And the unprecedented 50-nation global coalition in support of Ukraine, led by the United States, remains committed to providing critical assistance to Ukraine and holding Russia accountable for its aggression. The American people and people around the world understand that the stakes of this fight extend far beyond Ukraine. Ten years ago, Putin occupied Crimea, and created puppet regimes in Ukraine's Luhansk and Donetsk regions. Two years ago, he tried to wipe Ukraine off the map. If Putin does not pay the price for his death and destruction, he will keep going. And the costs to the United Statesaalong with our NATO Allies and partners in Europe and around the worldawill rise. Today, I am announcing more than 500 new sanctions against Russia for its ongoing war of conquest on Ukraine and for the death of Aleksey Navalny, who was a courageous anti-corruption activist and Putin's fiercest opposition leader. These sanctions will target individuals connected to Navalny's imprisonment as well as Russia's financial sector, defense industrial base, procurement networks and sanctions evaders across multiple continents. They will ensure Putin pays an even steeper price for his aggression abroad and repression at home. We are also imposing new export restrictions on nearly 100 entities for providing backdoor support for Russia's war machine. We are taking action to further reduce Russia's energy revenues. And I've directed my team to strengthen support for civil society, independent media, and those who fight for democracy around the world. Two years into this war, the people of Ukraine continue to fight with tremendous courage. But they are running out of ammunition. Ukraine needs more supplies from the United States to hold the line against Russia's relentless attacks, which are enabled by arms and ammunition from Iran and North Korea. That's why the House of Representatives must pass the bipartisan national security supplemental bill, before it's too late. This bill provides urgent funding for Ukraine. It also invests in America's own defense industrial base. It passed overwhelmingly in the Senate, and there is no question that, if the Speaker called a vote, it would pass quickly in the House. Congress knows that by supporting this bill, we can strengthen security in Europe, strengthen our security at home, and stand up to Putin. Opposing this bill only plays into his hands. History is watching. The failure to support Ukraine at this critical moment will not be forgotten. Now is the time for us to stand strong with Ukraine and stand united with our Allies and partners. Now is the time to prove that the United States stands up for freedom and bows down to no one. ### NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen held a meeting in Kyiv, where, in particular, they discussed issues of financing, Ukrainian exports, and cooperation in the defense industry. "We talked about our cooperation in the field of defense industry and coordinated the next steps within the framework of the Ukraine Facility initiative, which provides financing in the amount of EUR 50 billion for four years. Ms. Ursula said that the first tranche in the amount of EUR 4.5 billion will be received in March," Shmyhal wrote on the Telegram channel. In addition, the parties talked about the situation on the Ukrainian-Polish border. "I presented the Ukrainian Mutual Understanding Plan to resolve this crisis. We look forward to a constructive trilateral dialogue," Shmyhal said. In turn, von der Leyen wrote on the social network X: We discussed next steps on the 50 billion Ukraine Facility. The first payment of EUR 4.5 billion will come in March. We discussed how to deal with Ukrainian exports and tackle issues at the land border. And our joint work on the defence industry. Statement on the 2nd Anniversary of Russia's Invasion of Ukraine Republic of the Philippines - Department of Foreign Affairs 24 February 2024 -- Today marks the second year of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The Philippines underscores the need for a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine in line with the principles of the UN Charter. The Philippines has articulated its principled position on Ukraine and has consistently supported Ukraine's sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity, voting in favor of the six resolutions of the UN General Assembly Emergency Special Session on Ukraine. The Philippines reiterates its call on concerned Parties to seek a peaceful and diplomatic resolution to the conflict. We recall the 1982 Manila Declaration on the Peaceful Settlement of International Disputes which reaffirms the principle that all States shall settle their disputes by peaceful means. END NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address NEW YORK, Feb. 23, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Monteverde & Associates PC (the M&A Class Action Firm), has recovered money for shareholders and is recognized as a Top 50 Firm in the 2018-2022 ISS Securities Class Action Services Report. 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If you own common stock in any of the above listed companies and have concerns or wish to obtain additional information free of charge, please visit our website or contact Juan Monteverde, Esq. either via e-mail at jmonteverde@monteverdelaw.com or by telephone at (212) 971-1341. Contact: Juan Monteverde, Esq. MONTEVERDE & ASSOCIATES PC The Empire State Building 350 Fifth Ave. Suite 4740 New York, NY 10118 United States of America jmonteverde@monteverdelaw.com Tel: (212) 971-1341 Elkins, West Virginia, Feb. 23, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Woodlands Development Group, in collaboration with Taylor Hospitality and architectural firm Mills Group, is thrilled to announce the opening of the Tygart Hotel on February 23rd, 2024 in Elkins, West Virginia. Opening inside the newly remodeled 1906 building that anchors the Downtown Elkins Historic District, the boutique hotel features 56 unique rooms and a lobby cocktail bar and restaurant called the Oxley House. The restaurant will not be opening simultaneously with the hotel and is set to open in March. Dave Clark, Executive Director of Woodlands Development Group, owner of the Tygart Hotel, states, We hope the new Tygart Hotel reflects the community that built and maintained the building for the past 115 years, and that it continues to act as a community hub as well as a place where visitors can feel and see what we love about this area. Woodlands goal with the Tygart Hotel is to develop a critical asset that will foster constructive community conversations and seed a culture of sustainable economic development in Elkins, Randolph County and beyond. Taylor Hospitality, a leading national hospitality management company based out of Waynesboro, Virginia, has provided pre-opening development and daily management of the Tygart Hotel and Oxley House Restaurant on behalf of Woodlands Development Group. Taylor Hospitality is committed to creating a warm and inviting atmosphere that reflects local culture while offering visitors dependable, high-end hospitality services. Sean Taylor, Chief Executive Officer of Taylor Hospitality, says, Our goal is to deliver hospitality. We are extremely proud of the team we have selected at the Tygart Hotel. Working with the Woodlands Group has been an honor. Bringing this historic West Virginia gem back to life has been years in the making and we are so proud of what we have been able to accomplish together. We are now at the point of delivering exceptional experiences for our guests and know that the Tygart Hotel will be a centerpiece of the Elkins community. The Tygart Hotel features 56 guest rooms, ranging from single king and queen rooms to expansive king suites. Throughout the lobby and guest rooms the walls are decorated with work from West Virginia artists that celebrates past eras and towns that were once located in the nearby mountains and natural features. Woodlands hopes that the artwork encourages visitors to use the Tygart Hotel as a hub for exploring the area more extensively. With its grand reopening the Tygart Hotel aims to become the premier destination for business and leisure travelers in the region. It is a part of the Ascend Boutique Hotel Collection, an upscale brand from Choice Hotels featuring unique, boutique, and historic independent hotels. Membership in the Ascend Boutique Hotel Collection enables hotel owners to maintain their local identity and operational independence while gaining access to Choices industry-leading technology, robust distribution channels, and award-winning loyalty program. The Tygart Hotel includes a small conference room, ideal for special events or meetings. Named in honor of Lousie McNeill, Pocahontas County native, West Virginia poet laureate, and professor of English and History at WVU, the conference room can accommodate up to 60 people.The ground floor and lobby will feature Oxley House, a full service cocktail bar and restaurant, set to open by March. Executive Chef Anthony Eads is developing an exciting menu that will feature seasonal and locally sourced foods and blend of innovation with traditional items. Shane Jones, General Manager and Elkins native, invites locals and tourists to experience the renewed Tygart Hotel. "We are thrilled to open the doors of the Tygart Hotel once again, especially after such a transformational renovation. The Tygart team is dedicated to delivering exceptional service and creating unforgettable experiences during your stay. As the Tygart Hotel opens its doors once again, it promises to be an active and exciting addition to Elkins Downtown Historic District, offering a unique combination of modern amenities and historic charm, along with an endless supply of good stories to tell. Be among the first guests to stay and see what all the excitement is about! Book your room today, by visiting www.tygarthotel.com . Attachments TORONTO, Feb. 23, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BlackRock Asset Management Canada Limited (BlackRock Canada), an indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary of BlackRock, Inc. (NYSE: BLK), today announced the final February 2024 cash distributions for the iShares Premium Money Market ETF. Unitholders of record on February 26, 2024 will receive cash distributions payable on February 29, 2024. Details regarding the final per unit distribution amounts are as follows: Fund Name Fund Ticker Cash Distribution Per Unit ($) iShares Premium Money Market ETF CMR 0.199 Further information on the iShares ETFs can be found at http://www.blackrock.com/ca . About BlackRock BlackRocks purpose is to help more and more people experience financial well-being. As a fiduciary to investors and a leading provider of financial technology, we help millions of people build savings that serve them throughout their lives by making investing easier and more affordable. For additional information on BlackRock, please visit www.blackrock.com/corporate | Twitter: @BlackRockCA About iShares iShares unlocks opportunity across markets to meet the evolving needs of investors. With more than twenty years of experience, a global line-up of 1400+ exchange traded funds (ETFs) and US$3.5 trillion in assets under management as of December 31, 2023, iShares continues to drive progress for the financial industry. iShares funds are powered by the expert portfolio and risk management of BlackRock. iShares ETFs are managed by BlackRock Asset Management Canada Limited. Commissions, trailing commissions, management fees and expenses all may be associated with investing in iShares ETFs. Please read the relevant prospectus before investing. The funds are not guaranteed, their values change frequently and past performance may not be repeated. Tax, investment and all other decisions should be made, as appropriate, only with guidance from a qualified professional. NEW YORK, NY, Feb. 23, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Eminence Rise Media continues to be at the forefront of promoting artistic excellence and is excited to celebrate Black History Month by remembering Jean-Michel Basquiat as one of many notable African Americans during this Black History Month through his masterpiece '200 Yen'. Black History Month is an annual celebration of achievements by African Americans and a time for recognizing their central role in U.S. history. The week-long event officially became Black History Month in 1976 when U.S. president Gerald Ford extended the recognition to "honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history." Black History Month has been celebrated in the United States every February since. Among the many notable figures often spotlighted during Black History Month, one of them is Jean-Michel Basquiat. Born into a middle-class family, the son of Gerard, a Haitian immigrant, and Mathilde, a Brooklyn Boricua, Basquiat was a trailblazer of the Neo-expressionism movement during the 1980s. During that time Basquiat gained acclaim for his radical, expressionistic pieces that passionately called for the recognition of oppressed groups, denouncing racism, colonization, and capitalist domination. Despite initial struggles, Basquiat first gained recognition as part of the graffiti duo SAMO, which left its mark on the streets of New York City with its enigmatic messages and striking imagery. His early works were a fusion of words, stick figures, and animals, reflecting his raw talent and innate creativity. As an artist, he highlighted contrast, both mediumistic and conceptual. Here, below we have Jean-Michel Basquiat's '200 Yen'. The painting delves into Basquiat's favored subjects, including colonization, commerce, racial discrimination, and oppression, all within a historical context. The recurring tag 'SAMO', standing for 'Same Old Shit', is a nod to Basquiat's early career and his critical messages targeting the art establishment. 'SAMO@' continues to feature in later works, solidifying its significance. The explicit reference to '200 Yen' aligns with the average exchange rate of the American Dollar to the Japanese Yen in 1982, symbolizing the rise of the Japanese economy as a dominating force 'colonizing' the early 1980s hegemony. Phrases like 'TAX-FREE' and imagery of a rocket draw parallels to the Opium Wars, a favored topic for Basquiat. The connection draws a historical parallel between the imposition of addictive products on colonized people in the past and the modern economic dependence imposed by new colonizers on the West. Basquiat's impact as an artist transcends his brief time on Earth, as he continues to inspire future generations with his profound artistic vision and instantly recognizable persona. It goes without saying that Basquiat's vast body of work is timeless, not only as African American art but as world art. About Eminence Rise Media: Eminence Rise Media, is a prominent public relations company based in New York, NY. The company's services are designed to elevate brand visibility, ensuring broad coverage, and providing valuable insights into your branding message. For further details, visit the following link: eminencerisemedia.com Media Contact Brand: Eminence Rise Media Email: info@eminencerisemedia.com Website: eminencerisemedia.com SOURCE: Eminence Rise Media VANCOUVER, Feb. 23, 2024 - Gold Royalty Corp. ("Gold Royalty" or the "Company") (NYSE American: GROY) will release its financial and operating results for the full year and quarter ending December 31, 2023 on Thursday, March 28, 2024. An investor webcast will be held on Thursday, March 28, 2024 starting at 11:00 am ET (8:00 am PT) to discuss these results. Management will be providing an update to interested stakeholders on the Company's 2023 results including key recent catalysts that have been announced on the assets underlying the Company's royalties. The presentation will be followed by a question-and-answer session where participants will be able to ask any questions they may have of management. To register for the investor webcast, please use the following link: https://www.bigmarker.com/vid-conferences/Gold-Royalty-Corp-Town-Hall-Forum-Q4 Reminder of Warrants Expiration The Company today issued a reminder to holders of the outstanding warrants to purchase common stock of Gold Royalty, that the warrants will expire on Monday, March 11, 2024. The NYSE has notified the Company that it will suspend trading in the warrants after the close of trading on Wednesday, March 6, 2024 so that all trades can be settled by Monday, March 11, 2024. As of December 31, 2023, there were approximately 10.35 million warrants outstanding. The warrants have an exercise price of $7.50 per share. About Gold Royalty Corp. Gold Royalty Corp. is a gold-focused royalty company offering creative financing solutions to the metals and mining industry. Its mission is to acquire royalties, streams and similar interests at varying stages of the mine life cycle to build a balanced portfolio offering near, medium and longer-term attractive returns for its investors. Gold Royalty's diversified portfolio currently consists primarily of net smelter return royalties on gold properties located in the Americas. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/gold-royalty-to-release-2023-full-year-results-on-march-28-2024-302070128.html SOURCE Gold Royalty Corp. /Not for distribution to United States newswire services or for dissemination in the United States/ VANCOUVER, Feb. 23, 2024 - Scottie Resources Corp. (TSXV: SCOT) (OTCQB: SCTSF) (FSE:SR8) ("Scottie" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that, further to the Company's news releases dated January 18, and January 22, 2024, the Company has closed the second and final tranche (the "Second Tranche") of its non-brokered private placement (the "Private Placement"). Under the Second Tranche, the Company issued 1,250,001 non flow-through units (the "NFT Units") at a price of $0.18 per NFT Unit and 5,044,445 flow-through units (the "Charity FT Units") at a price of $0.27 per Charity FT Unit for aggregate gross proceeds of $1,587,000. Each NFT Unit consists of one common share in the capital of the Company (a "Share") and one-half of one common share purchase warrant (each whole warrant a "Warrant"). Each Warrant entitles the holder to purchase an additional Share (a "Warrant Share") at an exercise price of $0.28 per Warrant Share for a period of three (3) years from the date of issuance. Each Charity FT Unit is comprised of one Share that qualifies as a "flow-through share" within the meaning of subsection 66(15) of the Tax Act and one-half of one Warrant. Each whole Warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase an additional Share at an exercise price of $0.28 per Warrant Share for a period of three (3) years from the date of issuance. Pursuant to the Private Placement, the Company issued an aggregate of 12,361,112 NFT Units at a price of $0.18 per NFT Unit and 5,044,445 Charity FT Units at a price of $0.27 per Charity FT Unit, for aggregate gross proceeds of $3,587,000. In connection with the Private Placement, the Company issued 288,333 finder's warrants (each a "Finder's Warrant") and paid cash commissions of $51,900 to certain finders. Each Finder's Warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one Share at a price of $0.28 per Share for a period of three (3) years from the date of issuance. The Company intends to use the gross proceeds raised from the Charity FT Units in the Second Tranche for exploration and related programs on the Company's Scottie and Blueberry mineral properties which qualify as "Canadian Exploration Expenses" as such term is defined in paragraph (f) of the definition of "Canadian exploration expense" in subsection 66.1(6) of the Tax Act, and "flow through mining expenditures" as defined in subsection 127(9) of the Tax Act that will qualify as "flow-through mining expenditures", and "BC flow-through mining expenditures" as defined in subsection 4.721(1) of the Income Tax Act (British Columbia), which will be incurred on or before December 31, 2025 and renounced with an effective date no later than December 31, 2024, to the initial purchasers of Charity FT Units. The Company intends to use the gross proceeds raised from the NFT Units in the Second Tranche for general working capital and administrative purposes. The securities offered in the Second Tranche are subject to a four month and a day transfer restriction from the date of issuance expiring on June 24, 2024, in addition to such other restrictions as may apply under applicable securities laws of jurisdictions outside Canada. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Cautionary and Forward-Looking Statements This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of any of the securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful, including any of the securities in the United States of America. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "1933 Act") or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to, or for account or benefit of, U.S. Persons (as defined in Regulation S under the 1933 Act) unless registered under the 1933 Act and applicable state securities laws, or an exemption from such registration requirements is available. This news release includes certain statements and information that may constitute forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. Forward-looking statements relate to future events or future performance and reflect the expectations or beliefs of management of the Company regarding future events. Generally, forward-looking statements and information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "intends" or "anticipates", or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "should", "would" or "occur". This information and these statements, referred to herein as "forward?looking statements", are not historical facts, are made as of the date of this news release and include without limitation, statements regarding discussions of future plans, estimates and forecasts and statements as to management's expectations and intentions with respect to, among other things: the use of proceeds from the Private Placement. These forward?looking statements involve numerous risks and uncertainties and actual results might differ materially from results suggested in any forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, among other things, that the Company will not use the proceeds from the Private Placement as currently anticipated; recent market volatility; and the state of the financial markets for the Company's securities. In making the forward looking statements in this news release, the Company has applied several material assumptions, including without limitation, that the Company will use the proceeds from the Private Placement as currently anticipated. Although management of the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements or forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and forward-looking information. Readers are cautioned that reliance on such information may not be appropriate for other purposes. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statement, forward-looking information or financial out-look that are incorporated by reference herein, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. We seek safe harbor. SOURCE Scottie Resources Corp. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg issued a statement on the second anniversary of Russia's fullscale invasion of Ukraine, assuring that the alliance will continue to support Ukraine, whose membership in the organization is a matter of time. The text of the statement was distributed by the headquarters of the alliance on Saturday. President Putin started this war because he wanted to close NATOs door, and deny Ukraine the right to choose its own path. But he has achieved the exact opposite: Ukraine is now closer to NATO than ever before. We are helping to make your forces more and more interoperable with Allies. We will open a new Joint Analysis, Training and Education Centre in Poland together. And we are deepening our political ties through the NATO-Ukraine Council, where we consult and make decisions together. Ukraine will join NATO. It is not a question of if, but of when. As we prepare you for that day, NATO will continue to stand with Ukraine, Stoltenberg stated. The Secretary General stated that the situation on the battlefield remains extremely serious. President Putins aim to dominate Ukraine has not changed. And there are no indications that he is preparing for peace. But we must not lose heart. Ukraine has demonstrated remarkable skill and fierce determination again and again. Ukraine did not collapse in weeks, as many feared it would. You have recaptured half of the territory seized by Russia. Pushed Russia back from large parts of the Black Sea. And inflicted heavy losses on the Russian forces, he noted. Stoltenberg stressed that, first of all, Ukraine retains its freedom and independence. This has been made possible by your courage and resolve. Enabled by major military and economic support from NATO Allies. Just in the past days and weeks, NATO Allies have announced new packages of aid worth billions of dollars. These cover key capabilities like artillery ammunition, air defence, and combat boats. As well as F-16 equipment and spare parts, drones, and demining equipment. More support is on the way, the Secretary General said. The United Kingdom will provide GBP 8.5 million ($10.8 million) to Ukraine for humanitarian assistance to the Red Cross Movement and the Ukrainian Humanitarian Fund, the press service of the British government reported. Two years on from Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the UK has pledged GBP 8.5 million in humanitarian funding allocations to the Red Cross Movement and the Ukraine Humanitarian Fund, according to a message posted on the UK government's website on Saturday. As noted, the funding will bolster the UKs ongoing support for their work with local partners, providing emergency responses and vital humanitarian assistance across Ukraine. The message says that in 2024, over 14.6 million people about 40 per cent of the Ukrainian population need humanitarian assistance. Millions have been left homeless, struggle without adequate access to water, food and electricity, and desperately need health, protection and other essential services and supplies in territories under Russian occupation. The British governments press service specifies that over GBP 6 million ($7,61 ) will support the Red Cross Movements neutral and impartial work, reinforcing their existing emergency response projects and their support to the most vulnerable in Ukraine. Another GBP 2.5 million will fund the Ukraine Humanitarian Fund, part of the UNs Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. UK funding supports ongoing emergency responses, preparedness activities and last-mile aid delivery in frontline areas where local communities have been most affected by recent attacks, the message reads. Ukrainians are bravely defending their land against Russias brutal invasion, but the past two years of war have had a tragic impact on millions of people across Ukraine. Families have been separated, towns and villages decimated, and vital civilian infrastructure destroyed. The UK stands with Ukraine, and is committed to supporting the most vulnerable Ukrainians living through the horrors of this war, said Foreign Minister David Cameron, whose statement is quoted in the message. The OnePlus 12 recently rolled out internationally and in the UK it already has a discount the 16/512GB model is down to 900. The base model is 12/256GB, but that one isnt on sale so it costs 850. The 50 for 4 extra gigs of RAM and double the storage are well worth it. The phone received several major updates sine launch. The first introduced Master Mode, which offers Hasselblad color tuning in the camera. ProXDR support for the Google Photos app was enabled by another update. Yet another update introduced several AI features e.g. the AIGC Remover removes unwanted objects and people from a photo, AI Summariser gives you a brief look at your call history, while Article summaries shrinks lengthy articles to bite-sized text. The OnePlus 12R is also available, though no discounts on this one yet. Its 650, so even at MSRP it is quite a bit cheaper than its flagship sibling. Fans of Genshin Impact might want to wait, however, OnePlus is bringing a 12R Genshin Impact Edition styled after Keqing on February 28. After leaving OnePlus, Carl Pei founded Nothing. The company is gearing up to launch its first mid-ranger, meanwhile, its second flagship is falling in price the 12/256GB Nothing Phone (2) for 530 is not particularly exciting (it was 550 a couple of weeks ago), but the 12/512GB model for 560 is worth a look (was 620 two weeks ago). Samsung has several sub-200 Androids. The Galaxy A15 5G has a Dimensity 6100+ (which is more or less a refresh of the Dimensity 810). It has a 90Hz 6.5 AMOLED display with FHD+ resolution. The 128GB base storage is expandable via the microSD slot. The camera is basic but decent with a 50MP main, 5MP ultra wide and a 13MP selfie (video recording is capped at 1080p @ 30 fps). You can save a few quid by going with the 4G model. The Samsung Galaxy A15 is pretty much the same phone, except for the Helio G99 chipset. Both are powered by 5,000mAh batteries with 25W charging. You can also grab a protective case for the Galaxy A15/A15 5G. This is an official case made out of TPU and has a slot on the back to hold cards (credit cards, travel card, etc.). Even cheaper than the A15s is the Samsung Galaxy A05s. This one makes different choices its 90Hz display is a larger 6.7 LCD (still with FHD+ resolution even at this price). It uses the Snapdragon 680, which makes even the Helio G99 look modern. Still, it has expandable storage and all three have 3.5mm headphone jacks. The battery is the same at 5,000mAh and 25W. These tablets dont need much introduction. The Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra is the largest in the series and one of the largest modern tablets in general it has a 14.6 120Hz AMOLED display that pairs with the bundled stylus. The USB-C port and DeX let you add a second display to the tablet. The tablet itself can act as a second screen for a Windows 10 (or above) PC. The connection is done wirelessly and you can pick between low latency and higher image quality modes. The same trick works with the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9+ too, of course, the 12.4 120Hz display is still large enough to be useful. The Tab S9 series is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy chip, which is clocked higher than the regular 8 Gen 2 chips. Theres also the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 at 11. Note that the base storage on this one is 128GB and, more importantly, that it comes with only 8GB of RAM. The 256GB model does get 12GB like the plus and ultra models. Its a similar situation with the Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ the base 64GB model has only 4GB of RAM, the 128GB one doubles that to 8GB. This tablet will get 2 OS updates (it runs Android 13 out of the box, so it will end up on 15) and will receive security patches for 4 years. We may get a commission from qualifying sales. United Airlines will launch daily nonstop flights between Guam and Tokyo Haneda International Airport on May 1. Flights will operate year-round and create a more direct link between Guam and Japans capital, given the Haneda airports proximity to the city center. These new flights build on Uniteds 32 weekly flights between Guam and Tokyo-Narita, and tickets were expected to go on sale Saturday night. As we grow our global network, were always looking for opportunities to give our customers more choice and strengthen links between countries. This route connecting Tokyos most convenient airport with our unique Guam hub accomplishes just that. I appreciate the support of the Department of Transportation in recognizing the importance of this route to our customers and stakeholders, said Patrick Quayle, Uniteds senior vice president of Global Network Planning and Alliances. United plans to operate a 737-800 on this route, which has room for 166 customers including 16 business class seats. The flight is scheduled to depart Guam at 7 p.m. local time and arrive at Haneda at 10 p.m. on the same day. On the return, the flight will depart Haneda at 11:55 p.m. and arrive in Guam at 04:45 a.m. the next day. Guam Visitors Bureau President and CEO Carl Gutierrez said they've been supporting United Airlines for decades to get authorization to get a slot or slots at Tokyo International Airport, Haneda. GVB has been working with United Japan Director Ken Kiriyama and Guam's Paula Monk to ensure the May 1 launch of the flight to Haneda and back gets all the promotion it requires to have sustainability, he added. "Our Chairman George Chiu and GVB board has pulled up all the stops to ensure we have the gem of a route fully sustained," he said. GVB expects an additional 25,000 seats between May 1 and Sept. 30 with the 166 seats per flight on United's 737-800. "We thank Dan Weiss and UAL for their perseverance in achieving this opportunity," Guiterrez said. United is the largest airline in Guam, offering more than 87 weekly flights to 14 destinations. Between May 1 and September 30 we hope that the UAL 737-800 with 166 seats per flight will certainly give us additional 25,000 seats United has operated in Guam for more than 55 years and is the only airline today flying between Guam and Osaka, Fukuoka and Nagoya in Japan, as well as islands in the Federated States of Micronesia, Marshall Islands and Palau. With this addition, United will operate six daily flights from Haneda, with service to New York/Newark, Washington D.C., Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and now Guam. United also operates 10 daily flights to Tokyos Narita airport, with service to New York/Newark, Houston, Denver, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Guam, and Saipan. United offers more seats from the United States to Tokyo than any other U.S. airline. As of Thursday afternoon, William Voiles can breathe a tiny bit easier about the fate of his opossum Saffron. The New Orleans artist has been fighting for nearly two weeks to learn the whereabouts of his cherished pet, who was confiscated by authorities over Mardi Gras weekend. On Feb. 22, 11 days after Saffrons removal, Voiles said he was able to contact Tim Fox, the captain of the New Orleans region of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. They cant disclose where he is but assured me that he is okay and being taken care of until the case is resolved, Voiles wrote on Facebook. Earlier this week, Voiles feared that Saffron already might have been euthanized. Now, Voiles is focusing on raising enough money to move into a larger home and hire legal representation for himself and the animal. Although Voiles remains unsure of Saffrons exact location, he said knowing the marsupial is still alive has given him hope to carry on. State charges for the illegal possession of the opossum could lead to a fine of up to $500 and 90 days in jail. The communications director for the department couldnt comment due to the pending case against Voiles. 75% of Ukrainians with rare diseases remain in Ukraine despite the war, while 25% are abroad. On the International Day of Rare Diseases, which is celebrated in the last days of February, Kiev will talk about support for orphan patients and look for a solution on how to create equal European conditions of support and treatment for patients with rare diseases in conditions of full-scale war. On Tuesday, February 27, Kiev will host a panel discussion with 40 experts. The discussion will be attended by representatives of Eurordis, European Parliament, ERN, European doctors and patient communities, representatives of the Ukrainian authorities, Ministry of Health, NHSU, State Enterprise "Medical Procurement of Ukraine", representatives of health departments and administrations from the regions, representatives of manufacturers of innovative medicines, expert doctors in orthopaedic areas and representatives of public organizations. The discussion will be webcast in two languages: Ukrainian and English. Venue: Hyatt Regency (5 Alla Tarasova Street, Kyiv). Moderators of the event: Elena Filinyuk (SAFEMed) and Tetyana Kulesha (OS "Orphan diseases of Ukraine"). The discussion will start at 10:00 "We realize that in the conditions of a big war it is difficult to talk about support for certain groups of the population. But in Ukraine there are orthane patients who are fighting, there are patients who are volunteering, there are relatives of patients who are volunteering or have gone to the front. Orphan patients have to live in a double war: for the life of the country, and for their own, - says the chairman of the OS "Orphan diseases of Ukraine" Tetyana Kulesha, - In addition, patients who are now abroad, started to receive therapy there, they will not return home, where there is no such treatment". During the public discussion they plan to touch upon such issues as: - priorities of the state policy on providing Ukrainian orphan patients with treatment, - the possibility to receive care through NHS packages, - introduction of mobile palliative care, - access to the latest medicines and therapies, - European experience useful for Ukrainian orphan centers, for orphan doctors and many other issues. At the end of the day at 18:00 two landmark buildings in Kiev - Okhmatdet NDSB and St. Nicholas Church - will be illuminated with colored lights, which has already become a tradition of Rare Diseases Day celebrations. In this way, the organizers want to remind a wide range of people about the need for treatment and support for orphan patients. Haiti - Insecurity : 6 religious from the congregation of the Brothers of the Sacred Heart kidnapped After the recent kidnapping of 6 nuns https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-41473-haiti-flash-6-nuns-kidnapped.html it is now 6 brothers of the congregation of the Brothers of the Sacred Heart have been kidnapped by armed individuals while they were going on Friday morning, February 23, to the mission of the Jean XXIII School at the Bicentenaire. "We pray for their release and for an end to this scourge of insecurity," write the local religious men and women in a press release, specifying that the Jean XXIII school is the only one still operating in the risk zone in the center of the capital Port-au-Prince. According to our information, the kidnappers are demanding a large ransom in exchange for their release. We learned that on the same day a priest who had just celebrated mass in the Notre-Dame de Fatima chapel, in the Bicentenaire neighborhood, was also kidnapped. Kidnappings of clergy are becoming more and more frequent when it is not a question of faithful kidnapped under threat in churches during religious services or even of priestesses killed... Also read about religious kidnappings (extracts) : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-41518-haiti-news-zapping.html https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-41490-icihaiti-vatican-pope-francis-calls-for-the-release-of-the-6-nuns.html https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-38841-icihaiti-insecurity-kidnapping-of-3-faithful-of-the-first-baptist-church-of-port-au-prince.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-35900-haiti-flash-kidnapping-of-pastor-singer-lochard-remy.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-35785-haiti-news-zapping.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34986-haiti-news-zapping.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-33459-haiti-insecurity-the-church-victim-of-kidnapping.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-33547-haiti-flash-the-kidnappers-release-3-religious-after-12-days-of-kidnapping.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-33390-haiti-flash-live-kidnapping-of-4-people-during-a-religious-service-video.html HL/ S/ HaitiLibre Haiti - Culture : Applications open, Program for future young professionals of the Culture As part of the "Tanbou" project to support the structuring of the cultural industries sector in Haiti, the French Institute is carrying out a program to welcome young cultural professionals into French structures, in partnership with the Connaissance et Liberte FOKAL foundation, the French Embassy in Haiti, France Volunteers and funding from the French Development Agency (AFD). In conjunction with France Volontaires, civic services will be hosted in various French cultural structures such as national drama or dance stages, concert halls or festivals. Depending on their tastes and profiles, young professionals will have the opportunity to train in various fields such as administration, production, mediation, communication and even performance techniques. Over a period of 6 to 10 months, accompanied by a tutor, volunteers will develop in a professional setting to better understand the issues related to the conduct of artistic events. Open application / prerequisites : - Be at least 20 years old and under 26 years old upon their return to Haiti. - Already have professional or voluntary experience of at least 6 months in the cultural sector, and as a priority in all fields of live performance, music and performance techniques. - Be Haitian and reside in the country. - Have a profile in show administration, production, communications/press relations, mediation, show techniques: sound, lighting, general management, - Have a professional project to return to Haiti in the field of culture Download the regulations and conditions : https://www.haitilibre.com/docs/guide_structures_accueil_tanbou_2024.pdf Submit your application online : https://ifprog.emundus.fr/fr/campagne-info?view=programme&cid=238 Deadline for submission of the complete application file : March 4, 2024 Also read about the "Tanbou" project : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-40190-haiti-project-tanbou-towards-the-construction-of-the-fabrique-des-arts.html HL/ S/ HaitiLibre Haiti - News : Zapping... Tension and panic near the US Embassy Friday morning, strong tension reigned in the area of the American Embassy, in Tabarre where the Haitian National Police (PNH) confronted heavily armed individuals. The intense exchanges of fire and tear gas grenades caused panic among the population... News from Mgr. Dumas Mgr Dumas, bishop of Anse-a-Veau and Miragoane, underwent two surgeries after being injured last Sunday by an explosion in the house where he was staying during a visit to Port-au-Prince hhttps://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-41710-haiti-flashmgr-pierre-andre-dumas-injured-in-an-explosion-in-port-au-prince.html . Bishop Dumas is feeling better and has started eating again. He must be transferred to a hospital in Miami. Turkey : End of the dream for hundreds of Haitians Friday February 23, 2024, hundreds of Haitians returned from Turkey to Toussaint Louverture international airport. Since the beginning of the week, 467 Haitians have returned to Haiti after their failure to integrate in Turkey. Further return flights are planned for next week. Automatic weapons fire near the BRH Friday, February 23 in the afternoon, bursts of automatic weapons were heard in downtown Port-au-Prince, near the building of the Bank of the Republic of Haiti (BRH). Financial support for writing in Creole ! The Ministry of National Education and Vocational Training (MENFP) promises financial support to all students who decide to write their bachelor's, master's or doctoral theses in Creole. This initiative is carried out in collaboration with the National Education Fund (FNE), indicated the Ministry, during the celebration, Wednesday February 21, 2024, in Port-au-Prince, of International Mother Language Day. The PNH strengthens its presence in Croix-des-Bouquets and Mirebalais The police are resuming their interventions and operations in the neighborhoods of Croix-des-Bouquets and Mirebalais with the aim of countering the actions of armed gangs, particularly in Morne Cabrit and Terre Rouge and facilitating the free movement of citizens. HL/ HaitiLibre Handing over of the 16th consignment of humanitarian aid from India to Ukraine Ambassador Shri Harsh Kumar Jain handed over the 16th consignment of humanitarian aid from India, comprising diagnostic medical equipment, including a Portable X-Ray Machine, C-Arm Fluoroscope X-Ray Machine, Electro Hydraulic Operation Table, Colour Doppler Ultrasound System, and Slim - 50 Low end Multipara Monitor, etc. The aid was provided to Sumy Oblast Clinical Hospital and Krolevets City Council Hospital on the request from Ministry of Health, Ukraine. Speaking on the occasion, Ambassador stated that India accords high priority to providing humanitarian assistance to the people of Ukraine, during this difficult time, keeping in line with the human centric approach of the Government of India, a central tenet of India's national beliefs and values, which perceive the whole world as one family. He reiterated Government of India's commitment to continue to provide humanitarian support to the people of Ukraine as conveyed by India's Prime Minister H.E. Shri Narendra Modi to President of Ukraine H.E. Mr. Volodymyr Zelenskyyduring their meeting in Hiroshima in May 2023. Government of India has previously provided 15 consignments of humanitarian aid to Ukraine and its neighboring countries as well as financial assistance to Kyiv Gymnasium of Oriental Language No. I for its project of reconstruction, remodeling and refurbishment of some of the rooms and the Ukraine-India Association for its program aimed at restoration of psychological health of youth and children. Mission faces deadline to fix deficiencies HCA Healthcare-owned Mission Hospital in Asheville laid out plans to fix deficiencies in a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services report made public Feb. 15 after regulators found violations that posed immediate jeopardy to patients health and safety. The hospital was directed to rectify those issues by today or risk the loss of federal funding, according to the letter CMS sent Feb. 1 to Mission Hospital CEO Chad Patrick. Surveyors are currently onsite at the hospital, according to a state health department spokesperson. The CMS report also details the deficiencies found by regulators, including four patient deaths. In a case that occurred Oct. 17, paramedics took a 66-year old man to Mission Hospital with chest pains and shortness of breath. He did not receive an EKG until more than an hour after arrival. He experienced cardiac arrest and died less than three hours after his arrival, after what inspectors described as delayed care. In an interview with inspectors about the incident, paramedics said waits had gotten more common recently and it seemed like a staffing issue. Surveyors found nurses at Mission Hospital failed to triage upon arrival, assess, monitor, and provide care and treatment as ordered in 11 of 35 emergency department cases, according to the report. Nursing staff also failed to administer medications as ordered and failed to monitor the medications effects on emergency department patients in several instances, regulators found. Staff also failed to document incidents to track medical errors in several cases. HCAs plan of correction for Mission Hospital involved solutions like implementing a timestamp system to track the time from when patients arrive at the ER to when nurses triage them, or prioritize patients based on their condition. The plan also includes getting patients to EKG faster and educating staff around problem areas. Mission Health was a nonprofit operating hospitals and clinics across a multicounty region until 2019, when its acquisition by Tennessee-based for-profit HCA was completed. In addition to Mission Hospital and other facilities in Asheville, HCA-owned Mission Health continues to operate across the region. Changes at Mission Hospital so far havent been great, according to Tucker Richards, an emergency room nurse and union member whos worked at the hospital for almost a year. Management assigned more staff to the emergency department and brought in more travel nurses, who are typically temporary, which is positive, Richards said. But new managers started micromanaging the staff, he said. Part of that entails frequent reminders to complete tasks. If nurses at Mission Hospital miss a task, such as not completing an assessment on time, they have a one-on-one meeting with a manager who has them admit they made a mistake, he said. A lot of us have been very frustrated about that because it really feels like theyre trying to shift the blame onto us, he said. Nurses are pushing for management to hire permanent, more experienced nurses, and more support staff, such as certified nursing assistants to help with tasks nurses cant get to. Management has been doubling down on meeting time limits such as getting a patient to an EKG within 10 minutes, Richards said, but theres still not enough staff to meet that. Thats why he and other nurses are pushing for a technician whose sole responsibility is to do EKGs, he said. The emphasis on educating Mission Hospital staff in the plan of correction also feels incredibly insulting, he said, because the nurses already understand whats expected of them. Nursing staff were not asked to provide input on the plan of correction to Richards knowledge, he said, and leadership did not share the plan with them when asked. He said part of the issue with retention at the hospital is the culture. The way that were regarded by hospital administrators really feels as if were disposable, he said. We dont feel valued. Even with the influx of travel nurses, staff are worried this is a temporary fix, Richards said. The general feeling among all of us nurses is that we are going to have maybe a month or two of being fully staffed, he said. Then, as soon as the attention is off the hospital, as soon as the government steps away, as soon as the media steps away, we will go back to the way things were. A coalition of advocates, including N.C. Sen. Julie Mayfield, D-Buncombe, and current and former physicians, said in a press conference Feb. 22 that the plan of correction fails to address the root cause of insufficient staffing at Mission Hospital. Instead, according to a memo the coalition wrote to the state deputy health secretary, HCA focuses on bureaucratic solutions of process, education and documentation. Leadership should have specific targets for nurse-patient ratios, increasing support staff and hiring more experienced nurses, the coalition said. To address staffing, the plan of correction includes adding financial incentives for staffers to pick up more shifts and hiring more travel nurses. The financial incentives were only in place when state surveyors were present at Mission Hospital, Richards said, and once they left, management no longer offered the incentives regularly. The coalition pointed to HCA withholding documents from surveyors in the report and called for higher target compliance levels than the 90% that HCA proposed. Advocates also pushed for regulators to monitor the hospital for longer than the planned five quarters while conducting frequent, unannounced inspections. Company spokesperson Nancy Lindell said in a statement via email that Mission Hospital began changes based on inspectors initial findings in December. We are pleased to hear from our EMS partners and patients that those actions are yielding positive results, including decreased wait times for care, Lindell wrote. Again, these findings are not the standard of care we expect, nor that our patients deserve, and we are working diligently to ensure Mission Hospital successfully serves the needs of the Western North Carolina community. A spokesperson for NC DHHS wrote in an email that Chief Deputy Secretary for Health Mark Benton received recommendations about the plan of correction and shared it with his regulatory team. The federal district court for Western N.C. ruled Feb. 21 that a lawsuit by the cities of Brevard and Asheville, Madison County and Buncombe County against HCA for monopolistic practices may move forward, Mayfield said in the press conference. Mission Hospital nurses protested against what they said were staffing shortages and unsafe pandemic-era conditions in 2020, and voted to approve a union. After years of receiving complaints about whether HCA was meeting its obligations when from the acquisition approval to sustain health services across the area, Attorney General Josh Stein announced a lawsuit against the company in December 2023. * * * * * Grace Vitaglione, a reporter for Carolina Public Press, can be contacted at gvitaglione@carolinapublicpress.org. A ROAD surfacing firm has been given licence to store more vehicles on its land following a public inquiry. Hazell & Jefferies can now have an extra 20 lorries and four trailers at its depot off Pot Kiln Lane, near Whitchurch Hill, with five new conditions. This is despite concerns raised by residents during the inquiry held last May. Company boss Richard Hazell was also granted permission for another 15 vehicles on a yard known as The Slab, off Penny Royal, Goring Heath, with eight new conditions. He now has a licence for 74 vehicles and nine trailers across three sites including Mount Pleasant Farm, Whitchurch Hill. Residents of Woodcote and Goring Heath complained to the Office of the Traffic Commissioner that the extra vehicle movements would put unbearable pressure on small, rural unclassified roads. They also raised concerns about noise and disturbance. Malcolm Smith, former chairman of Woodcote Parish Council, said: The depot is on a country lane which isnt suitable for the kind of traffic that it generates and we certainly wouldnt want it to get any worse. The level is too heavy already and people have complained. Our clerk recently saw a lorry with a trailer and heavy machinery which must have weighed about 30 tonnes and the lane just isnt built to take that kind of load. Mr Hazell said there would be no noticeable increase as he had been operating about 80 vehicles for some time and had only increased a little over more than a decade. He claimed this is not unlawful because of the grey area over how some of his vehicles, mostly tankers carrying tarmac, are classified. Years ago, these were licensed separately as road construction vehicles but the commissioner says they are now more likely to be viewed as heavy goods vehicles. Mr Hazell said trade bodies had advised him that he didnt have to apply for permission but he wanted to avoid legal problems. He said some of his additional vehicles had been in his fleet for up to 20 years, although they would soon be replaced by more environmentally friendly models. Mr Hazell added: I can promise, categorically, that were not going to run a single extra lorry and everything weve got will stay where it has always been kept. Its just that some vehicles now have to go on an operators licence because we cant run them on the licence we used to have. Many of the tar tankers will only be used between April and September, then kept in storage over the winter. The complaints have caused a real headache when Im just trying to run a business that provides a vital service and employs about 100 people locally. I bet many of the people who are complaining are the first to complain about the state of the roads when were the ones who go out and fix them. BAKU, Azerbaijan, February 24. Holding COP29 in Azerbaijan demonstrates the country's commitment to addressing global concerns related to climate change, Chief of Staff of the Ministry of Agriculture of Azerbaijan, Azad Jafarli, during the closure of the Baku module of the certification program Sustainable Horticulture Systems, Trend reports. Jafarli underlined that Azerbaijan is actively engaged in the worldwide fight against environmental dangers, with a focus on environmental protection and the implementation of novel initiatives such as Smart Cities and Smart Villages. ''Horticulture exhibitions also make a significant contribution to combating the effects of climate change, which is in line with the country's government's goals and commitments to environmental protection,'' he said. "The agricultural sector in Azerbaijan is actively developing, and the share of agriculture in the country's GDP is growing. It amounted to 5.5 percent in 2023, compared to 4.8 percent in 2022," he added. Meanwhile, an Italian-Azerbaijani Horticulture Exhibition was organized as part of the conclusion of the Baku module of the Sustainable Horticulture Systems certification program given jointly by ADA University and Bologna University. About 20 Italian and Azerbaijani companies working in the field of horticulture took part in the exhibition, held for the first time on the initiative of ADA University and the Italian exhibition McFruit, with the organizational support of the Italian-Azerbaijani Chamber of Commerce (ITAZERCOM), Caspian Agro, and the Agency for Export and Investment Promotion (AZPROMO). Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel In response to the death of Nex Benedict, a non-binary/two-spirit student in Owasso, Oklahoma, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has compiled resources related to mental health and youth crisis services, tools for youth-serving providers, and resources to preventing school-based bullying and violence. HHS stands in solidarity with the LGBTQI+ community and reaffirms its commitment to addressing discrimination, bullying, and violence in all its forms. Crisis Mental Health Resources The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline provides crisis support services to those in need of assistance. Individuals can reach specialized LGBTQI+ affirming counseling by texting Q to 988 or pressing 3 when calling 988. Children and Family Services of Tulsa, OK, a Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration-funded organization, has made school-based therapy with therapists who are trained explicitly to support LGBTQ+ youth and young adults available. Its Crisis Hotline and mobile crisis team is able to respond to anyone in crisis in the local area. The website also includes general information for families, teens, children to who need to reach out for support. National Runaway SafelineThe National Runaway Safeline is a 24/7 hotline, including text and chat, that responds to youth and families in crisis, serving as the national communications system for any youth who is being bullied, in crisis, thinking of running away, or homeless. The safeline is free, confidential, and will connect youth to resources in their community. Stopbullying.govThis website provides information from various government agencies on who is at risk, and how you can prevent and respond to bullying. Childhood Traumatic Grief: Information for School PersonnelThis guide explains to school personnel how children often experience grief, as well as defining childhood traumatic grief, which children may experience after a disaster in which they lost a loved one. It lists signs of childhood traumatic grief and suggests ways for school personnel to help children who may be going through this kind of grief. Helping Teens with Traumatic Grief: Tips for Caregivers This tip sheet explains how teens may experience traumatic grief, a type of grief that people may go through after a death that occurs as part of a disaster or other sudden or violent event. The tip sheet describes 10 ways that teens may feel, behave, and express themselves as they go through traumatic grief, and, for each reaction, it suggests ways for parents and other caregivers to offer support. Helping Youth after Community Trauma: Tips for Educators In this 1-page tip sheet, NCTSN identifies 10 ways youth may react to community traumas such as natural or human-caused disasters and suggests ways for educators to respond to these reactions and support youth in coping. The tip sheet also advises educators to find professional mental health support for youthand for themselvesas needed. Talking to Children About Hate CrimesThis tip sheet explains the impacts incidents of violence and hate crimes can have on people of all ages and suggests ways for parents and others who care for children to talk to them about a hate crime. The tip sheet describes common reactions to hate crimes; emphasizes the importance of talking about safety with children; and encourages adults to talk openly with children about bias, prejudice, and discrimination. After a School Tragedy . . . Readiness, Response, Recovery, & ResourcesThis resource created for schools highlights the importance of readiness, response, and recovery to ensure school community resilience after a school tragedy incident. It focuses on strategies to support student and family recovery after incidents of violence and trauma, explores the importance of culturally competent response, and provides resources for school community members. CDCs School Mental Health Action Guide provides school district and K-12 school leaders with strategies and resources to address mental health and well-being among students and staff. Resources for Youth in Crisis and Youth-Serving Providers Runaway Reality: Being Bullied At School - A narrative description of resources available through the National Runaway Safeline told in the context of a young person being bullied at school because they were outed as LGBTQI+. The story provides the reader with resources available for young people experiencing similar situations. Resources for Concerned Adults - A series of resources for caring adults supporting a young person in crisis, including information about bullying and support for youth who identify as LGBTQI+. Resources for Young People - A series of resources for young people in crisis, including information about bullying and support for youth who identify as LGBTQI+. Lets Talk: Runaway Prevention Curriculum has 14 modules that aid youth in building life skills so that they can resolve problems before resorting to less safe options. This is especially helpful for exploring topics that may seem difficult to discuss in a way that is constructive and respectful of peoples identities. Module 12: Sexuality and Sexual Orientation of Lets Talk provide lessons for youth about discovering not only their sexual identity but their gender identity as well. The activities in Lets Talk are very adaptable and can be used for a wide audience; there are other modules that can be used when teaching topics specific to transgender youth. Module 7: National Safe Connections teaches participants about National Safe Place as they define what a safe place looks like and feels like to them. The activity A Safe Place from Module 7 can be adapted to talk about issues trans youth may face at home and school while discussing what makes them feel safe. For example, one youth may feel safe at home while another person may feel safe while they are with their school club. This is important because everyone deserves to feel safe, and identifying these places helps youth know where to turn to if they are feeling unsafe. We Think TwiceTM is a digital media campaign designed to help youth form healthy relationships, set goals for the future, and feel empowered to make healthy decisions. We Think Twice delivers engaging, interactive and entertaining games, quizzes, infographics, videos and more activities, specifically designed for youth 1319 years old. Mental Health Resources - A series of resources for young people seeking mental health supports. Runaway and Homeless Youth Training, Technical Assistance, and Capacity Building Center: Why Providers Should Screen Youth for CyberbullyingA short blog encouraging providers to consider routinely screening youth for cyberbullying involvement; assessing youth who disclose cyberbullying experiences for mental health problems; and finding nonjudgmental ways to address the needs of perpetrators as well as victims. Supporting and Affirming LGBTQI+ Youth and Young AdultsOn November 16, 2023, The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families issued an Information Memorandum on Supporting Youth and Young Adults Experiencing Homelessness Who Identify as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Questioning, Intersex, Asexual, Two-Spirit and Other Identities including Non-binary and Gender Nonconforming Youth and Young Adults (LGBTQI+). In coordination with the release of this IM, ACF also released a Tip Sheet with detailed recommendations to identify actionable steps organizations can take to provide safe, supportive, and affirming services; outline ways individuals can contribute to a healthy and inclusive work environment; and provide organizations and programs with critical questions to consider in their role of creating equitable systems and improved outcomes for LGBTQI+ youth. Preventing School-based Bullying and Violence CDCs Youth Violence Prevention Resource Guide provides a selection of strategies based on the best available evidence to help communities and states sharpen their focus on prevention activities with the greatest potential to prevent youth violence and its consequences. The Community Preventive Services Task Force recommends school-based anti-bullying interventions to reduce bullying experiences and improve mental health among students. Systematic review evidence shows that when interventions are implemented in schools, students report fewer episodes of bullying perpetration, fewer episodes of bullying victimization, and fewer mental health symptoms such as anxiety and depression. CDC has published a Tip Sheet that provides an overview of electronic aggression, any type of harassment or bullying that occurs through e-mail, a chat room, instant messaging, a website (including blogs), or text messaging. It provides parents and caregivers with strategies for protecting children from this type of violence. World Bullying Prevention Month: CyberbullyingAn awareness month blog that offers pertinent information on cyberbullying, including statistics, examples, and resources for young people facing cyberbullying. Tribal Supports Native youth face unique challenges every day. The Indian Health Service (IHS) works to ensure that Native Youth have access to health services in the communities where they live. IHS carries out this work by providing enhanced resources for health issues and developing better information regarding health needs. Native Youth and Suicide Prevention and Postvention The Indian Health Service is committed to increasing capacity and providing resources to address suicide among American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/AN). The Substance Abuse and Suicide Prevention Program (SASP), formerly known as MSPI, is a nationally-coordinated program focusing on providing substance abuse and suicide prevention and intervention resources for American Indians and Alaska Natives. The IHS awarded approximately $19.65 million to 108 projects to focus specifically on Native youth through MSPI Generation Indigenous (Gen-I) Support. The program focuses on: implementing evidence-based and practice-based approaches to build resiliency, promoting positive development, and increasing self-sufficiency behaviors among youth; promoting family engagement; increasing access to prevention activities for youth; and hiring additional behavioral health staff. The IHS Suicide Prevention Program builds on the foundation of HHS's "National Strategy for Suicide Prevention" to reduce suicidal behavior and its consequences, while ensuring honor and respect for Tribal traditions and practices. For Educators and Clinicians: American Indian and Alaska Native Community Crisis Response Guidelines provide recommendations to address the importance of federal and tribal partnerships in addressing suicide behavior-related crises. Hope for Life Day tools from the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention, is designed for professional and grass-roots organizers working in American Indian and Alaska Native communities. For more resources, visit the IHS Suicide Prevention Program Resources page. Native Youth Mental Health The Behavioral Health Integrative Initiative (BH2I) aims to plan, develop, implement, and evaluate behavioral health integration with primary care, community based settings, and/or integrating primary care, nutrition, diabetes care, and chronic disease management with behavioral health. In December 2016, The Indian Health Service (IHS) entered into an agreement with the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) and Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) [PDF - 945 KB] to address the needs of Native youth by increasing access to mental and behavioral health services by allowing the Indian Health Service staff to treat youth attending BIE schools or youth held at BIA facilities. View the news release for more information. IHS Trauma Informed Care focuses on the impacts of trauma and historical trauma on the physical, behavioral, and spiritual health of patients and providers and provides training on the impact of trauma. The Indian Children's Program (ICP) provides training and telehealth consultation services for IHS, Tribal, and urban Indian health care providers to deliver health care to American Indian and Alaska Natives through age 18 with disabilities such as Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD), autism, intellectual deficits, and mental health disabilities. These services use tele-video and web-based technology and are available nationwide. You may love it or hate it, but you just cannot ignore it. This is perhaps the best way to describe what the annual Jaipur Literature Festival has come to mean for authors, book lovers, publishing industry professionals, and journalists, who write about the world of books. It is big, vibrant, heady, stimulating, tiresome and heartwarming all at once. At the 17th edition of the Jaipur Literature Festival held at Hotel Clarks Amer from February 1 to 5, everyone seemed excited to attend the greatest literary show on earth. The session on community libraries featuring Rituparna Neog (centre left) and Mridula Koshy (centre right). (JLF 2024) In keeping with this years theme, Stories Unite Us, the festival featured Indian literature in languages like English, Hindi, Urdu, Sanskrit, Rajasthani, Odia, Malayalam, Bengali, Tamil, Kannada, Assamese, Punjabi and Lambadi. There were speakers from various countries including South Africa, Mexico, Australia, Mauritius, Bhutan, Lithuania, Belgium, Bulgaria, the Maldives, Japan, Ireland, Sri Lanka, Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, and more. Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now. Everyone from Paul Lynch, who won the 2023 Booker Prize for his novel Prophet Song, and Georgi Gospodinov, who bagged the 2023 International Booker Prize for Time Shelter, to Perumal Murugan, winner of the 2023 JCB Prize for Literature for Firebird, and Merve Emre, winner of the 2021 Robert B Silvers Prize for Literary Criticism, was part of the festival itinerary. Author Paul Lynch (JLF 2024) This ability to gather some of the finest minds from around the world under one roof remains the festivals unique selling proposition. Unfortunately, Indian audiences continue to be deprived of Pakistani authors who used to be a fixture at earlier editions of the festival. This absence is, however, not a surprise given the downgrading of the diplomatic relationship between the two countries after Ajay Bisaria the former Indian High Commissioner was asked to leave Islamabad at short notice in 2019 following the abrogation of Article 370 of the Indian Constitution that gave a special status to Jammu and Kashmir. Bisaria was at the festival this year to speak about his recently published tome Anger Management: The Troubled Diplomatic Relationship between India and Pakistan. The festival did not shy away from addressing thorny political issues. Devika Rege, whose novel Quarterlife, unfolds against the backdrop of the Bharatiya Janata Partys electoral fortunes in 2014, spoke about the research that went into understanding the milieu that she was writing about and presenting Maharashtra as a case study for trends that were more widespread. At the same time, she held forth on the limits of classifying a work of fiction as a political novel. She believes the task of the novel is to observe and not to be polemical. Journalist Antony Loewenstein, author of The Palestine Laboratory: How Israel Exports the Technology of Occupation Around the World, had a full house cheering him on as he spoke about how Israel is building a coalition of ethno-nationalist states and tyrannical regimes. The moderator, journalist Suhasini Haidar, stated that the conflict between India and Pakistan over Kashmir could not be compared to what is happening in Gaza. Author Perumal Murugan (JLF 2024) As part of JLFs outreach programme in partnership with Pratham Books, speakers like Marcus du Satoy, Karen Anand, Anjan Sundaram and Kamini Dandapani, among others, also went to schools, colleges, and NGOs to give young people an understanding of what it is like to work in diverse fields such as mathematics, journalism, history, disability rights, and mental health. The concern with disability rights and mental health extended beyond programming to other parts of the festival, building on the expertise of grassroots organization Nupur Sansthan that has been working with persons with disabilities in Rajasthan. There were sign language interpreters at many of the events, wheelchairs were available, and the media contingent was hosted at a hotel that hires people with disabilities all steps that will ensure that accessibility is not just a buzzword to earn brownie points. Speaking of accessibility, one of the most powerful sessions at the festival was a panel on community libraries with Delhi-based free library movement activist Mridula Koshy and Rituparna Neog, a queer rights activist and library educator from Assam. They spoke passionately about the need for open spaces where children and adults from all socio-economic backgrounds can access books, information and knowledge so that reading does not remain an elitist pursuit. The festival had sessions on climate change, fragile ecosystems, conservation, food security, environmental issues and migration with speakers like Mridula Ramesh, Peter Frankopan, Louise-Fowler Smith, Robert Macfarlane, Colin Thubron, Yuvan Aves, Arefa Tehsin, Gargi Rawat, Ilse Kohler-Rollefson, Sam Miller, Aarathi Prasad, and Siddharth Shrikanth. One memorable session had Hemali Sodhi, Bhuchung D Sonam, Gunbir Singh and Sanjay Jha talking about their love of dogs. It was much needed after all the other heavy conversations on geopolitics and existential angst and allowed people to sit back, listen to mushy anecdotes, and have a good laugh. The music stage saw some great performances (JLF 2024) Elsewhere, Vanessa Sasson and Shyam Selvadurai spoke about their novels Yasodhara and Mansions of the Moon respectively. Both novels attempt to step into the shoes of Siddharthas wife, Yasodhara. In conversation with poet Arundhathi Subramaniam, Sasson noted that while reading the Jataka Tales, she learnt that Yashodhara was the Buddhas wife in every lifetime where he had a wife and not just the one in which he became the enlightened one. This made her realize that theirs was a bigger tragic love story than Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet or anything that the West had ever produced. She said, Imagine the scale of a tragedy that plays out across lifetimes where the protagonists keep returning to each other until the final lifetime where he lets go. Author-screenwriter Satyarth Nayak asked mythologist Devdutt Pattanaik why he wrote Bahubali: 63 Insights into Jainism. Jains are less than 1 per cent of Indias population but they contribute to about 10 per cent of Indias GDP. I used to feel very awkward that India is overwhelmed by Hindu mythology when we have so many mythologies, Pattanaik said, adding that Jainism has helped him lead a better life. The best thing that I learnt from Jainism was to be calm and composed. Another highlight was the session on 40 years of feminist publishing in India, featuring Urvashi Butalia and Ritu Menon, who started Kali for Women. The panel made it clear that idealism alone is not enough to sustain an independent publishing initiative. Where money is scarce, social capital comes in. Menon said, We had publishing experience. We knew the nuts and bolts of the process. We knew people in the industry. We had to persuade and cajole authors into writing. Unlike today, there was no question of advances. Butalia added that they would never have made it without the support of the womens movement. The line up at the Jaipur Music Stage included the Tapi Project and Alif, Salman Elahi, Harpreet and When Chai Met Toast. Sadly, the rains played spoilsport on the evening Grammy Award winner Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt was scheduled to perform at the spectacular Amer Fort, and the venue had to be shifted to Clarks Amer. Adding to the musical feast were morning music sessions with Kalapini Komkali, Phil Scarff, Priyank Krishna, Anoop Banerjee, Saptak Chatterjee, Kamala Shankar, and The Trio One World, and afternoon sessions with Vidya Shah. The festival concluded on a high note with The Bluegrass Journeymen collective and Rajasthan Trio performing at the Writers Ball at The Leela Palace, wisely held indoors away from any unexpected downpour. As authors said their goodbyes to each other, and hurried back to their hotels for last-minute packing, they seemed struck by the realisation that the party was over and they had to get back to their writing. Chintan Girish Modi is a freelance writer, journalist and book reviewer. Former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Kamal Nath on Friday said he will participate in the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra and urged others to join it, days after his supporters claimed differences between him and other party leaders and speculation were rife that he would be joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Senior Congress leader Kamal Nath. (File) This is for the first time in two weeks, Nath has come up with a statement to support the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra. The Congress committee released his plan after he urged people to join the yatra on X. Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now. The party said Kamal Nath will join Rahul Gandhis Bharat Jodo Nyaya Yatra during his stay in Madhya Pradesh. Nath will reach Gwalior from Chhindwara on March 2 and then from March 2, he will remain present in the yatra till March 6, it added. Nath had posted on X that the people of Madhya Pradesh and Congress workers were excited to welcome Rahul Gandhis Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra. Our leader Shri Rahul Gandhi has taken to the streets across the country and announced a decisive fight against injustice, oppression and exploitation. I urge the people of Madhya Pradesh and the brave workers of Congress to become the strength and courage of Rahul Gandhi by joining the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in maximum numbers. Together you and I will bring this great campaign against injustice to an end On Tuesday, Nath supported the yatra in a closed meeting of the Congress committee held in presence of the partys Madhya Pradesh in-charge Bhanwar jitendra Singh. Taking a jibe on this, the states urban development minister Kailash Vijayvargiya said, I had said there is no need of Kamal Nath in our party and thats why its doors were closed for him. BAKU, Azerbaijan, February 24. A group of NGOs has appealed to the diplomatic missions of the US and European countries in Azerbaijan, Trend reports. The appeal concerns Russia's receipt of sanctioned commodities through Armenia. "We, as a group of civil society representatives from Azerbaijan, declare that Armenia's phenomenal growth in exports, despite the fact that the country was defeated in the war and is currently experiencing an economic crisis, is yet another example of betrayal to the Ukrainian people and the senselessness of Western countries' sanctions against Russia. Armenia's exports to Russia recently soared by 430 percent. Robin Brooks, the former top economist at the International Monetary Fund, shared these details on his X account. So why is no one asking how many goods enter and exit Armenia? Why is there no coverage of this in the Western media?" the appeal emphasizes. The request also states that the commodities carried through Armenia will cause new catastrophes for the Ukrainian people. "This has had serious ramifications for us throughout history. The Khojaly genocide, the 32nd anniversary of which will be celebrated soon, the Karabakh wars left behind were the result of the support provided to the occupiers.. The European Union, which has pointed its glasses at Azerbaijan, either does not see or chooses not to observe the large-scale activities going on in Armenia. Addressing the US and European countries, we invite them to consider these crucial facts," the statement says. Signatures: Jeyran Azizova - Chairperson of the Public Association Recognition of Khojaly Genocide Sultan Azimzade - chairman of the January 20 Public Association Roza Aligizi - chairwoman of the Society of Soldiers' Families Public Association for patriotism propaganda Rey Kerimoglu - chairman of the Public Association of Mine Victims in Azerbaijan Vugar Gadirov - chairman of the Public Association Youth Organization for Return and Revival. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel Over 650 exhibitors from across India and 12 other nations exhibited at the 13th Machauto Expo on Friday at the Ludhiana Exhibition Centre in Sahnewal. DPS Kharbanda CEO-cum-Admin Secretary (Invest Punjab), and Director of Industries and Commerce along with others inaugurating 13th MACHAUTO Expo in Ludhiana on Friday. (HT Photo) The exhibitors showcased innovative tools and technologies, encompassing machine tools, robotics, automation, and over 10,000 products and services. Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now. The chief guest was Indian Administrative Service (IAS) DPS Kharbanda, chief executive officer-cum-admin secretary, Invest Punjab, and director of Industries and Commerce. He shared that he met several exhibitors from Japan and Germany who have their plants in Pune. These exhibitors expressed their willingness to setup a plant in Punjab, as their maximum consumers are from Ludhiana, he added. Chamber of Industrial & Commercial Undertakings (CICU) president Upkar Singh Ahuja said that this year, the expo has been organised at an expanded scale as CICU is working with the objective to double the export of Punjab. As many as 10 representatives from different countries including Iran, Myanmar, Kyrgyz, Madagascar, Burundi, Mongolia, Ethiopia and Lesotho are attending the exhibition to explore business opportunities and foster international relations, he added. The Islamic Republic of Iran ambassador Dr Iraj Elahi said that he found significant opportunities for collaboration between Punjab and Iran in this visit to expo. We will make industrialists, traders in Iran aware about the potential of Punjab industrialists and will also invite industrialists from Punjab to visit us so that they can understand about the demand of products and services in our country, he said. Besides, Sahnewal member of legislative assembly Hardeep Singh Mundian and custom commissioner Varindaba Gohil were also present. Punjab chief secretary Anurag Verma on Saturday wrote to his Haryana counterpart, Sanjeev Kaushal, requesting the handover of a farmer, Pritpal Singh, who is admitted at Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (PGIMS), Rohtak. Tractor trolleys of farmers lined up at Shambhu on the Punjab-Haryana border on Friday. Farmer leaders have decided to halt the Delhi Chalo march till February 29. (ANI Photo) This is to ensure that his treatment may be carried out in Punjab free of cost by the state government. Further if any other farmer is admitted in Haryana, he should also be handed over to Punjab, Verma wrote in the letter. Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now. Also read: Jurisdiction issue: Punjab cops express inability to register FIR The rumour about the abduction of a farmer at Khanauri on the Sangrur-Jind border on February 21 had prompted the Haryana Police to clarify on X that the youngster it identified as Preet Singh of Nawangaon in Sangrur district of Punjab, was admitted to PGIMS, Rohtak, for treatment and was out of danger. Punjabs opposition parties, the Congress and the Shiromani Akali Dal, had alleged that Haryana Police had abducted the farmer and brutally beaten him up. This led to the clarification from Haryana Police. When contacted, PGIMS director Dr SS Lohchab said that Sangrur resident Pritpal Singh is undergoing treatment at the hospitals trauma centre and there are no life-threatening injuries caused to him. I have directed the doctors to provide him best treatment and care. I met his uncle and other family members and assured them of every possible help, Lohchab added. While farm unions are demanding the registration of an FIR against those responsible for the death of 21-year-old farm protester Shubh Karan Singh, the Punjab Police have expressed their inability to do so as he was injured in Garhi police stations jurisdiction in Jind district of Haryana. The farm leaders and the protesters father have demanded that a murder case be registered against officials of Haryana Police else they will not allow an autopsy or the cremation. The farmers have started a 24x7 vigil at the Government Rajindra Hospital mortuary where Shubh Karan Singhs body has been kept following apprehension that the Punjab government might conduct the post-mortem without registering an FIR against those responsible for his death. Farmers hold a candle march in support of 22-year-old protesting farmer Shubh Karan Singh, who died in the clashes between security personnel and protesting farmers at the Khanauri border during the 'Delhi Chalo' march, in Patiala on Saturday. (ANI) ALSO READ- Punjab writes to Haryana to hand over farmer hospitalised at PGIMS, Rohtak Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now. Shubhkaran (21), a native of Bathinda, was killed in the clash in Khanauri last Wednesday when some protesters tried to head towards the barricades erected by security personnel. Farm leaders and Shubs family members have been insisting on filing an FIR against officials of Haryana Police under Section 302 (murder). Farm leaders on Friday paused the protests at the two sites Shambhu and Khanauri till February 29 when the next course of action will be decided. ALSO READ- Farmers reject Centre's proposal to procure five crops at MSP over next five years Jagjit Singh Dallewal, president, BKU (Ekta Sidhupur), on Saturday, once again said: Post-mortem wont be conducted until Punjab government gives justice to Shubh Karan Singh by registering an FIR against Haryana police officials. His family members are also demanding the same. Over a dozen farmers have already started a sit-in near the mortuary even as Patiala police have upped the security and erected barricades to seal off the mortuary. ALSO READ- Their rights being violated: PIL in SC seeks relief for protesting farmers Zorawar Singh, district president, BKU (Ekta Sidhupur), who is at the sit-in said: Around 50 farmers will stage a sit-in near the mortuary to deter the government from conducting post-mortem without registering an FIR. The Uttarakhand Police has arrested the key accused in the Haldwani violence, Abdul Malik, and two others, a senior police official said. Earlier today, Abdul Maliks lawyers had moved an anticipatory bail application in the court of additional district and sessions judge, Haldwani. Inspector General of Police (Provisioning and Modernisation) Nilesh Anand Bharne, who is also the spokesperson for the Uttarakhand Police, said, We have arrested the key accused, Abdul Malik, from Delhi. Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now. With the fresh arrests, the total number of arrests has reached 81. DGP Abhinav Kumar has announced a cash reward of 50,000 for the police team involved in Maliks arrest. Earlier in the day, Maliks lawyers had moved an anticipatory bail application in the court of additional district and sessions judge, Haldwani. Ajay Kumar Bahuguna, Maliks lawyer, said, We didnt know that he had been arrested and moved an anticipatory bail application in the court. The bail application will be cancelled automatically. Also Read | Uttarakhand police accuse NGO of funding Haldwani violence, warns benefactors Bahuguna said, Two-three days before the incident, Malik had left Haldwani and wasnt in the town on the day of violence. He was in Dehradun. He said they were exploring all legal options and will likely move a bail application on the same grounds. Nainital senior superintendent of police (SSP) Prahlad Narayan Meena had earlier said that Abdul Malik who was the occupant of the nazul land had erected an illegal construction and had led the protest against the demolition. The Nainital Police has already attached the properties of Abdul Malik and his son Abdul Moid. The Haldwani Municipal Corporation on February 13 served a notice to Abdul Malik for recovery of 2.44 crore for damages to vehicles and equipment of the civic body during the violence on February 8. Also Read | Haldwani violence: Police station to be built on cleared land, says CM Dhami Violent clashes erupted in the Banbhulpura area of Haldwani district on the evening of February 8, when civic authorities razed two structures Masjid Mariam (mosque) and Abdul Razzaq Zakaria madrasa alleging they were illegally built on state government (Nazul) land. As workers from the Haldwani municipal corporation and Nainital administration razed the 22-year-old structures, residents of the area set afire several vehicles, and Banbhulpura police station and hurled stones at the demolition team as well as police personnel, according to police. The administration had subsequently issued shoot-at-sight orders and imposed a curfew in the town. The violence left five dead, and 150 people injured. It was earlier presumed that six people had died in the violence. Police, however, later revealed that a man from Bihar, who was presumed to have been killed during violence, was murdered by a police constable and his associates because of an alleged affair with the constables wife. The victim, identified as Prakash Kumar Singh (24), had reportedly arrived in Haldwani in search of employment. Police arrested constable Birendra Singh (36), who was posted in Udham Singh Nagar district, his brother-in-law Suraj Bain (28), and his associates Prem Singh (30) and Naeem Khan (50) for Singhs murder. Meanwhile, police said the constables wife was absconding and efforts were on to search for her. Days after the violence, the Nainital administration on February 20 lifted the curfew from Banbhulpura locality. For the violence, the Nainital Police had registered a total of three FIRs for the attack at the police station, violence during the anti-encroachment drive and vandalising vehicles. The FIRs were registered under sections 147 (rioting), 148 (rioting armed with deadly weapon), 307 (attempt to murder), 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to public servant), 353, 333, 427 and more of the IPC and sections of the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act. Meanwhile, the Nainital administration has decided to allot the nazul land freed from encroachment in Banbhulpura to three departments. Sub divisional magistrate (SDM) Haldwani Paritosh Verma said, We have decided to allot the nazul land freed from encroachment to police for setting up a police station, to the women and child development department for setting up a day care centre for the children of migrant labourers coming to the area for mining work in Gola river, and to the information department for a media centre. The Nainital Police has also registered an FIR against Malik, his wife Safia, and four others for allegedly carrying out illegal plotting, illegal construction, and illegal transfer of land by using the name of a deceased person under criminal conspiracy. However, Safia Malik, in her petition against the Haldwani Municipal Corporations demolition notice in the Nainital high court on February 6, contended that the contentious land has been with their family since 1994. The Haldwani municipal corporation tried to forcibly take possession of the property on January 27 and three days later, it served a notice of demolition to his client, the lawyer alleged. The Uttarakhand high court on February 14 directed the state government and the Haldwani Municipal Corporation to file a counter affidavit within four weeks on a plea filed by Safia Malik. Salman Khurshid, who appeared on behalf of petitioner Safia Malik (Abdul Maliks wife), said the due process of demolition wasnt followed by the Haldwani Municipal Corporation. Meanwhile, Ashish Joshi, representing Haldwani Municipal Corporation, argued that the lease of the nazul land had already expired and no relevant documents were produced by the occupant before the demolition. The court fixed the matter for the next hearing on May 8. A day after a 14-year-old Class 8 student studying in a private school died after being brutally assaulted in the Brahmpuri area in northeast Delhi, the Delhi Police on Saturday said it apprehended a 12-year-old Class 6 student in connection with the case. The murder came to light around 4pm on Friday, nearly two hours after the assault, after the police received a call from Jag Pravesh Chandra Hospital where the 14-year-old boy was admitted. (Representational image) According to police, the 12-year-old was a student in the same school as the deceased boy. The suspect assaulted his senior following an altercation regarding the use of abusive language. Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now. ALSO READ- Man held 9 years after businessmans murder in Delhi Police said the attack was captured on a CCTV camera installed around the crime scene. We identified the boy with the help of the video footage. He was a Class 6 student of the same school. We approached his family and asked them to bring him to join the probe. The boy was apprehended after he confessed to the crime. He was produced before the juvenile justice board that sent him to a correction home for boys, said deputy commissioner of police (northeast) Joy Tirkey. DCP Tirkey said that the murder came to light around 4pm on Friday, nearly two hours after the assault, after the police received a call from Jag Pravesh Chandra Hospital where the 14-year-old boy was admitted. He had multiple injuries. During the inquiry, it came to light that the boy was attacked at Sant Ravidas Gali in Brahmpuri. He lived with his family in Brahmpuri, said Tirkey. ALSO READ- Delhi police partially lift blockade at Tikri and Singhu borders A case of murder was registered at the New Usmanpur police station. It was not immediately clear if the teenager was attacked by one person or multiple people. The police scanned the CCTV camera in which one boy was seen assaulting the teenager. The boy fled the spot after the assault, the DCP said, adding that the crime happened when the two were returning from school. The deceased teenager had injuries to his face, head, and hand. Prime facie, it appears that the boy punched him in the face due to which the nose bone was fractured and caused internal bleeding. The exact reason for death will be ascertained after the autopsy report, the DCP added. The number of fires at Delhis three landfills have dropped consistently over the past six years, falling from 159 in 2017 to one last year, according to data the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) submitted to the state environment department last month, with agencies attributing the fall to a raft of preventive measures and improved waste treatment processes. This is the first time in decades when there hasnt been a single fire in a landfill in Delhi after the monsoon and in the winters. In 2022, we had four major fires and one minor fire in June, said an MCD official who oversees the management of landfills in Delhi. (PTI) According to data shared by the civic body on January 18, and seen by HT, 159 fires tore through Delhis three garbage mountains in Ghazipur, Bhalswa, and Okhla in 2017. This number has dipped consistently since then. It fell to 120 in 2018, 48 in 2019, eight each in 2020 and 2021, five in 2022, and then just one in 2023. There have been no fires so far this year, said officials. Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now. The last time a fire broke out at a landfill in Delhi was on June 12 last year, when a blaze ripped through parts of the Ghazipur waste mountain. The fire was controlled by late that evening but smoke continued to emanate from the dump site till next day. This is the first time in decades when there hasnt been a single fire in a landfill in Delhi after the monsoon and in the winters. In 2022, we had four major fires and one minor fire in June, said an MCD official who oversees the management of landfills in Delhi. ALSO READ- From March, Chandigarh to process 100% of daily wet waste Officials from the Delhi Fire Services (DFS) confirmed the data and attributed the dip to better preventive measures taken by all agencies. Siddharth Singh, programme manager of the environment governance and solid waste management at the Centre for Science and Environment, said that there was no reason to be sceptical about the number of fires going down as biomining is taking place on all three sites. But we should wait for another summer so that the measures can be put to test for a longer period and another cycle is repeated, he said. Members of the local sanitation workers unions said that the number of fires have gone down but they cannot confirm the exact numbers. Delhi Fire Services has also verified that the landfill fire was reported on June 12, 2023. The three landfills in Delhi collectively hold 172.83 lakh metric tonnes of legacy was as on January 31, 2023 tonnes of legacy waste, and apart from being eyesores, present neighbouring residents with a host of persistent threats. The stench from the waste mountains roil the air and leachate from the waste seeps into underground water systems, exposing people to serious short-, medium- and long-term illnesses. The Ghazipur landfill in Delhi was among the largest emitters of methane, a potent greenhouse gas that causes atmospheric warming, analysis of satellite data drawn between 2019 and 2023 by Kayrros showed. The company that has multiple satellites observing environmental emissions showed a total of 1,256 super-emitter events across the world. Towering infernos At their tallest, the landfills at Ghazipur, Okhla and Bhalswa were 65 metres, 50 metres and 62 metres high respectively, though officials have said they have shrunk since then owing to better, faster treatment. The landfills were 50-65 metres tall and have now been reduced by 10-15 metres at various points, said an MCD official. A year-long phenomenon at Delhis three oversaturated dump sites, the fires usually break out due to a build-up of methane, which emanates from decomposing wet municipal waste such as kitchen, food and horticulture waste. In the summers, methane generation goes up, combined with rising temperatures, which causes trapped methane to build up inside the landfill layers. Even a small spark can ignite a fire. It is a natural phenomenon, so the MCDs strategy has mostly focused on early detection of small fires which can be doused before they get out of control, an MCD official said. The frequency of such fires usually rises in April-June and October-November, as the methane from decomposing wet waste builds up and sparks ignite the flames, said another official who oversees landfill management. Civic body officials said the fires had largely been brought under control due to a range of measures biomining, better monitoring and improved segregation, apart from on-site steps at each landfill. An official aware of the matter said that in 2022 and 2023, MCD introduced a new action plan to tackle such fires from mandatory spark arresters in all trucks moving within the landfill perimeter, a range of CCTV cameras, and deployment of fire tenders to declaring and maintaining a no-smoking zone at the landfill and adding sensors to monitor the sub-surface temperature. ALSO READ- 32% of Delhis daily waste at mercy of elements: ASCI In April 2022, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) observed that the dumpsites in Delhi and other cities are like time bombs and took note of the fires at the Ghazipur landfill in April 2022, which burned for three days and let out plumes of toxic smoke into the neighbourhood. The green tribunal set up a joint committee headed by former Delhi high court judge justice SP Garg. The panel mandated installing spark arresters a device that prevents emission of flammable debris from combustion sources, such as internal combustion engines in trucks and heavy machinery at landfill sites. The MCD official quoted above said The spark arresters are installed in the exhaust systems of the vehicles. Each unit costs 2,000- 3,000. Decline in large fires at Delhis garbage mountains, shows data Watchful eye So far, at least 31 CCTV cameras have been installed at Bhalswa, 30 at Okhla, and 22 at the Ghazipur landfill. The footage is monitored at the control rooms that have been set up at each site under the supervision of an engineer. The CCTV coverage is on all sides of the mounds and is expected to help in detection of any smoke plumes early on so that an alert can be sounded to the DFS, the MCD official said. A DFS official said that since last year, a fire tender has been reserved at a fire station near each landfill. Apart from this, the inner temperature of the mounds is periodically measured, and a log is maintained with the help of temperature sensors, but their overall utility remains to be tested, officials said. Another reason for the drastic drop in fires at the three landfills, according to an MCD official, is biomining the scientific process of excavation, treatment, segregation and gainful re-utilisation of aged municipal waste or legacy waste which started in 2019, after an NGT order. The churning of waste exposes it to air leading to oxidation, and releases any trapped methane pockets, added the MCD official. To be sure, the NGT panel had also recommended fire alarm systems, which are yet to be introduced at the three sites. ALSO READ- Delhis waste needs to be managed better An MCD report dated December 12, 2023, on the actions taken to prevent fires at landfills, includes installation of 23 perforated pipes in the garbage mounds for methane and carbon monoxide measurement. The MCD official said that each site now has a fire tackling system. Apart from the dedicated fire tender for each landfill, we also hold joint drills and training of the MCD staff with the fire department, the official added. The landfills also impose a significant monetary cost on the Capital. A 2022 study conducted by experts from the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), CPCB and the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi, assessed that the environmental damage due to Bhalswa was worth 155.9 crore; Okhla caused ecological damage to the tune of 151.1 crore; and Ghazipur has led to an environmental damage of 142.5 crore. The long-term solution should be investing in neighbourhood composting infrastructure, three-month running cost, and a buy-back scheme for compost at pre-fixed prices. This can ensure the viability of treated wet waste, said Bharati Chaturvedi, environmentalist and founder of Chintan Environmental Research and Action Group. Two ministers of the Trinamool Congress-led government in West Bengal visited the trouble-torn areas of Sandeshkhali in North 24 Parganas district on Saturday, even as fresh protests erupted in some pockets. BJP Mahila Morcha workers take part in a candle light march demanding justice for the women in Sandeshkhali in Kolkata on Saturday. (ANI) A team comprising state irrigation minister Partha Bhowmick and fire and emergency services minister Sujit Bose visited some of the trouble-torn areas of Sandeshkhali, around 80 km south east of Kolkata. Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now. There are some grievances among the villagers. Their lands were grabbed and turned into fish farms. We are verifying the allegations. We will address them, Bose told reporters. Bhowmick and Bose visited some of the fish farms, which were earlier agricultural farms but were grabbed by local TMC strongman Shahjahan Sheikh and his brother Sirajuddin with their henchmen. Sandeshkhali has been on the boil since early this month following allegations of land grabbing and sexual abuse of women by TMC strongman Sheikh Shahjahan. Women had hit the streets demanding the arrest of Shahjahan and his aides. On Saturday, fresh protests broke out in Bermajur village. Women, armed with lathis and brooms, could be seen shouting slogans and demanding the arrest of Shahjahan, his brother Sirajuddin and their associates. Protests took place in Haldarpara and Majherpara areas of Bermajur. Most of the women protestors had their faces covered by saree or towel. They feared that if they get identified Shahjahan and his aides may attack their families later. We have no faith in police. They have been turning a blind eye all these years and have now come to placate us asking us to lodge complaints, said a village woman. Some protestors tried to attack a local TMC leader Binay Sardar and his family members in Haldarpara. Other villagers, however, rescued them. Sardar is known to be close to Surajuddin. Bermajur has been witnessing protests over the past three days. Earlier, women protestors had set ablaze two thatched huts near the fish farms owned by Shahjahans brother Sirajuddin. He was the TMCs anchal president. Sirajuddin has been already removed from the party after the allegations surfaced against him. He has even agreed to return the land to the aggrieved farmers, said Sukumar Mahata, TMC MLA of Sandeshkhali. Bhowmick and Bose visited the villages and spoke with the village women trying to explain why Shahjahan couldnt be arrested even though police have arrested his aides Uttam Sardar and Shibaprasad Hazra. Surely Sardar and Hazra have done some illegal things. The party and the state administration have taken steps. TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee has said that if the state government gets a nod from the court, Shahjahan will be behind bars in just 10 days. If the TMC can oust a senior leader like Partha Chatterjee, such low-profiles leaders will also not be spared, said Bhowmick. Meanwhile, the government has received more than 500 complaints related to land grabbing from villagers of Sandeshkhali over the past one week. We have received more than 1,200 complaints in the government camps that were set up in villages of Sandeshkhali block II. Around 500 complaints were of land grabbing while others were related to various government schemes. The camps started on February 18 and will continue till February-end, said a senior official of Sandeshkhali block II. More such complaints also poured in at the district magistrates office of North 24 Parganas. Police have also set up separate camps to receive complaints from villagers. Bhowmick knows very well that his party may oust him but will not act against leaders like Shahjahan who ensures the partys victory in Sandeshkhali block. The TMC is trying to douse the flames by sending ministers. People are not going to accept their false promises anymore, said Samik Bhattacharya, BJP spokesperson. LUCKNOW: Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday said a regional development plan should be formulated, keeping Varanasi at the centre and connecting the nearby districts, similar to the State Capital Region. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath (Sourced) During a review of the 2031 master plan for the development of Ramnagar (Varanasi), Moradabad, Hapur, Rae Bareli, Bareilly, and Lucknow, the CM directed the officials for the implementation of the master plan without any delay. Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now. The CM also proposed to expand the Lucknow Development Authority limits to the districts border. He said that development authorities should seek innovative opportunities, extend their reach beyond the Municipal Corporation, and devise strategies for generating new revenue sources. He stressed the importance of integrating the development of religious and spiritual sites into the master plan and facilitating nearby residential accommodations for industrial workers through concerted efforts. Yogi emphasised on the importance of making all land status data, including details of each khasra, accessible online to the public. He stressed that inhabited land included in master plans should not be declared as green land, as populated areas cannot be considered green land. Yogi called for planned efforts to conserve the catchment area of all reservoirs, including rivers, and ensure systematic arrangements for green spaces. He said industrial and commercial zones should be further expanded in the new master plan of Gajraula in Moradabad. He requested the allocation of space within industrial areas for the establishment of ITIs and urged officials to make efforts to provide residential facilities to those working in these areas. Yogi gave directives for conducting a comprehensive study of the present and future needs of all districts, emphasising its importance. He suggested identifying the unique potential of each district and encouraging it within the master plan and emphasised the development of clusters to promote local crafts and traditional products. The CM further said that efficient traffic management was a crucial aspect in urban areas, requiring collaborative efforts. He underscored the necessity of designating locations for taxi-auto stands and street vendor zones, emphasising that suitable land for this purpose should be clearly identified in the master plan. He said suitable space for multi-level parking facilities should be determined as well. He said the AIIMS facility in Rae Bareli be made a part of the master plan this time. The back-to-back birth anniversaries of saints who were born in Dalit families Sant Gadge Maharaj (February 23) and Sant Ravidas (February 24) saw the Bharatiya Janata Party launching a mass contact campaign among the community across the state. BJP leaders at an outreach programme in Lucknow. (SOURCED) At many places, the partys upper caste leaders too were part of the outreach to give the message of samrasta (social amity) ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now. Former Uttar Pradesh deputy chief minister and Rajya Sabha MP Dinesh Sharma, who was present at one of these outreach campaigns, said that it was a Dalit, who had placed the first brick for the Ram temple in Ayodhya. The majestic Ram temple, the first brick of which was laid by a Dalit, is now ready and people from all walks of life are visiting it. The BJP is the only party which cares for all castes and communities and respects great leaders born in those communities, Sharma said. The reference to Ram temple among the Dalit-contact campaign was important as the BJP had used the Ram temple build-up in the 1990s to unite Hindus in the post-Mandal era. Since the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, Dalits, along with OBCs, have been the mainstay of the BJPs phenomenal wins. At many places, party cadres were seen carrying brochures of various schemes meant for the community. The party contacted at over 1396 places on the birth anniversary of Sant Gadge and on Sant Ravidass anniversary today, while the final figures would be available later, we estimate that the mass contact would be even greater than Friday, said SC Kannaujia, who heads BJPs Scheduled Caste cell in the state. At a Dalit locality near Mithaiwala crossing in Gomtinagar, party leader Neeraj Singh accompanied Kannaujia during the outreach. As part of this exercise, the party also talked about the various initiatives of the double engine BJP governments for the community. BJYM TO HOLD NAMO CHAUPALS IN U.P. Bhartiya Janata Partys yuva morcha (BJYM) will hold NaMo yuva chaupal in over 10,000 wards across 35000 villages of the state in the run up to 2024 Lok Sabha polls. NaMo is an acronym for Prime Minister Narendra Modi. We intend to connect with 30 lakh youths through the initiative and will apprise them with the partys ideology, UP BJYM chief Pranshu Dutt Dwivedi said on Saturday ahead of BJYMs national meet in Nagpur on March 4. The U.P. BJYM had emerged as the best party unit across the country to hold nav matdata sammelan (new voter meets) at over 900 places. The BJYM claimed participation of nine lakh plus youth in these meets. The Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Goa on Saturday put up a united face after the parties announced a finalisation of their seat sharing arrangement for several states including Goa for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. The Congress and the AAP had contested separately in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. (Representative Image) At a joint press conference on Saturday the state presidents of the two parties said that they would work together for their victory. Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now. The decision was taken in the interest of the alliance at the national level. Even though the decision to concede both seats in Goa to the Congress, is disappointing to the cadre of the AAP, we will work for the alliance candidate right from the booth level, AAP state president Amit Palekar said. The Congress has also conceded seats to the AAP in places where the AAP is strong, Palekar said. State Congress party president Amit Patkar called on all like-minded parties who were willing to defeat the BJP to join hands and come together to support the alliance candidates. This comes even as the AAP earlier this month had unilaterally announced the finalisation of party leader Venzy Viegas as the INDIA alliance candidate, a move that had left the Congress stunned. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the two parties had contested separately, but the Congress candidate won the south Goa seat wresting it from the BJP in what was a close contest while the north Goa seat was retained by the BJP. Viegas remained unavailable for comment despite several attempts to reach out to him. Our primary aim is to defeat the BJP and the coming together of the two parties will help consolidate the vote and help defeat the BJP that used to win elections with just 36% vote. There will be some volunteers who may have some reservations, but Lok Sabha elections are different from state elections, AAP working president Gerson Gomes said. BAKU, Azerbaijan, February 24. On February 24, Colonel General Zakir Hasanov held the next official meeting in the Ministry of Defense, Trend reports, referring to the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry. The meeting was attended by deputies of the Minister of Defense, commanders of different types of troops, chiefs of the Ministry's main departments, departments, and services, as well as commanders of the Army Corps and formations stationed in liberated territories via video teleconference. First, a minute of silence was held to honor the memory of National Leader Heydar Aliyev and Shehids (martyrs) who gave their lives for Azerbaijan's territorial integrity. The Minister of Defense brought to the attention of the meeting participants the statements of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Victorious Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Mr. Ilham Aliyev, made at the inauguration ceremony after his re-election, as well as a joint briefing with the President of the Republic of Turkiye, Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdogan, held on February 19 during the official visit of the head of our state to fraternal Turkiye. The Defense Minister further emphasized that these words represent not only a positive appraisal of the Azerbaijan Army, but also significant responsibilities imposed for its development. Colonel General Z.Hasanov highlighted the progress of successful reforms carried out in the Azerbaijan Army under the leadership of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief in the fields of military education, armament, provision, and other spheres and mentioned the importance of further continuation of this work in a staged manner. The current operational situation on the Azerbaijani-Armenian conditional border, the organization, and the conduct of troops service were analyzed in detail, and reports were heard at the meeting. It was emphasized that the joint exercises, planned to be held in 2024 in Azerbaijan, Turkiye, and other countries, will have a positive impact on the exchange of experience, improving the knowledge and skills of military personnel, and further increasing the troops combat training. The Minister of Defense gave instructions on studying the personal-psychological characteristics of young soldiers to be called up for active military service by the Order of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, a sensitive approach to the process of their adaptation to military service, keeping issues of ensuring the safety and health of personnel during military service in the spotlight, and the departure of young people who completed the military service. Colonel-General Z. Hasanov emphasized the importance of clearing liberated territories of mines and unexploded ordnance, ensuring the continuous operation of supply roads and communication lines in mountainous areas with difficult terrain and harsh climate conditions, and strictly adhering to safety rules. The Minister brought to the command staff's attention his requirements for methodical educational and ideological work, further increasing moral-psychological support, and preserving military discipline at a high level. At the conclusion of the official meeting, relevant high-ranking officials were given instructions to prioritize further strengthening the units' combat training and military personnel's individual professionalism, as well as the qualitative completion of other future duties in 2024. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel Nearly three months after Customs officials in Odisha seized 22.2 kg of Cocaine from a bulk carrier owned by a Vietnamese shipping company at Paradip port, the Orissa high court has ordered its arrest over the ports claims of berth hiring. The MV Debi, bulk carrier owned by a Vietnamese shipping company with Panama flag, arrived at Paradip port from Gresik Port in Indonesia on November 29. (Representative Image) In an interim order, justice V Narasingh of Orissa high court ordered the arrest of bulk carrier MV Debi till Paradip International Cargo Terminals admiralty suit involving maritime claim for recovery of dues of 7.95 crore towards berth hire and penalty is disposed of. The vessel MV Debi be arrested at Paradip port. Prima facie maritime claim in terms of Section 4(1)(n) read with Section 9(1)(d) of the Admiralty (Jurisdiction and Claims) Act, 2017 will be rendered infructuous unless the order to arrest the ship is passed, the HC said. Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now. A ship can be arrested under admiralty jurisdiction for any outstanding dues under Section 4 (1) (m) of the Admiralty (Jurisdiction and Settlement of Maritime Claims) Act, 2017 which deals with construction, reconstruction, repair, converting or equipping of the vessel. The MV Debi, with Panama flag, arrived at Paradip port from Gresik Port in Indonesia on November 29. Based on intelligence that few suspected packets of drugs are concealed in the ship, the customs officers searched the ship on midnight of November 30 and December 1. Twenty-two packets, wrapped and affixed with magnet, were recovered from the cranes of the ship. Customs officials seized 22.2 kg of cocaine from the ship, the market value of which is estimated at 220 crores. At least 21 crew members of the ship including its captain Vu Kang Dinh are still on the ship since then that has been anchored around 10 km from the Paradip port. As Customs is authorised to deal with cases regarding port, it took up investigation of the case after initial tests confirmed that the seized substance was indeed cocaine and meant for European markets. Early this month, an NDPS court in Odisha had ordered the owners of the ship to furnish 100 crore indemnity bond and 10 crore bank guarantee for its release. Last month, a Vietnamese national working as third engineer in the ship, was injured under mysterious circumstances before he was rescued. There will most likely be no water cuts for Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad this summer, thanks to the upcoming Lok Sabha (LS) election. Political leaders during the canal committee meeting in Pune on Saturday. (HT PHOTO) During the canal committee meeting on Saturday, the Pune district guardian minister Ajit Pawar announced not to introduce water cuts for Pune city. He asked the administration to maintain water supply following complaints from residents of some areas of low-pressure supply. Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now. Pawar said that no water cut needs to be introduced in Pimpri-Chinchwad as Pavana and Bhama Askhed dams have enough storage. The deputy chief minister asked the irrigation department to release water for agriculture purpose from March 4. Pawar had called the meeting to decide on water management for the summer season. Baramati Member of Parliament Supriya Sule, Karjat-Jamkhed legislator Rohit Pawar and others were present. While issuing directions to water resource department, district and city administration, Pawar said, Reserve potable water till July 15 this year while supply for Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad areas to be kept as it is. The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) should take care of saving water and carry out proper treatment of sewage water to be used for other purposes. The meeting came amid PMC water department contemplating on possible water cuts. However, with the Lok Sabha polls less than three months away, most legislators who attended the meeting demanded no water cuts in their areas. Indapur MLA Dattatray Bharne, Daund MLA Rahul Kul, Kasba Peth, Khadakwasla, Shivajinagar and Hadapsar legislators Ravindra Dhangekar, Bhimrao Tapkir, Siddharth Shirole and Chetan Tupe also attended the meeting. Pawar said, The irrigation department had planned an underground tunnel between Khadakwasla and Phursungi. Once the work would get completed, additional drinking water would be available for residents. He instructed water resource department to repair leakages at Temghar dam. After the meeting, Sule said, I attended the meeting to voice the concerns of Baramati residents. Baramati and Purandar tehsils are facing water scarcity and government needs to take step and also provide fodder for cattle. Rohit said, I demanded uninterrupted water supply for my constituency, and it was approved by the guardian minister. The Pune police on Friday morning transported to the city the cache of MD drugs seized at a recent raid in Delhi. The police have detained 12 suspects in the case as the prime suspect Sandeep Dhunay, hailing from Bihar and a British national of Indian origin, is at large. (REPRESENTATIVE PHOTO) The operation, conducted by the crime branch unit of the Pune city police in Delhi, resulted in the confiscation of 970 kg of MD drugs worth 1,940 crore. Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now. The convoy carrying the confiscated substance arrived in Pune escorted by a heavy police presence. The confiscated drugs were kept at the police commissionerate office for panchnama. Meanwhile, the police have detained 12 suspects in the case as the prime suspect Sandeep Dhunay, hailing from Bihar and a British national of Indian origin, is at large. On seeking Interpols help to nab Dhunay, Shailesh Balkawade, additional commissioner of police (crime), said, As of now, we are not thinking of roping in the Interpol in the case. Probe found that he was last traced in Nepal. We will soon finalise which central agency to be involved in the case. The Rajasthan Staff Selection Board, Jaipur, has announced the admit card release date for Computor 2023 and CHO 2022. According to the notification, the admit card will be released on February 26. Interested candidates can download the admit card from the official website at rsmssb.rajasthan.gov.in. Steps to download RSMSSB Computor and CHO admit card The RSMSSB Computer Direct Recruitment Exam 2023 will be conducted on March 3 from 10 am to 12 noon. The Community Health Officer ( contract) recruitment examination 2022 will be conducted from 3 pm to 4:30 pm on the same date. Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now. The CHO test was originally supposed to take place on February 19. However, it was cancelled. RSMSSB Computor and CHO admit card: Know how to download Follow the steps given below to download the admit card: Visit the official website at rsmssb.rajasthan.gov.in On the homepage, click on the admit card link Key in your login details Download the admit card Take print for future reference. Candidates can check the detailed notification here. Actor Aamir Khan and producer Kiran Rao attended an event together on Friday and spoke about everything from her new film Laapataa Ladies to their recent divorce. They got married in 2005 and split in 2021. However, they continue to be great friends and co-parent son Azad while also working together. (Also read: Kiran Rao on ex-husband Aamir Khan: 'Him and I have never really fought, it is very strange') Kiran Rao and Aamir Khan were married for many years and have a son named Azad together. 'What can I improve?' At ABP Network's Ideas of India Summit, Aamir got candid about their divorce. He revealed how he once even asked Kiran for her feedback on what he lacked as a husband and how can he do better in the future. Ek mazedaar cheez hai. Hum logg ka divorce abhi hua hai aap log ko pata hi hoga. Ek din shaam ko main baitha hua tha, maine bola Kiran, kya lagta hai as a husband mujhme kya kya kami thi? What can I improve abhi aage chalra hu life mein (I'll tell you an amusing thing. We recently got divorced as you all know. One evening I asked Kiran, what do you think I lacked as a husband. What can I improve on going forward)? Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now. 'The ex-wife's feedback' Kiran was more than ready with her list. She said haan likho (laughs). Bakaeda mujhe points likhwae gaye. Aap bahut baat karte hain, aap kisiko baat nhi karne dete, apne hi point pe ghuse rehte hain. Kuch 15-20 points maine likhe hue hain (She said, yes write it down. I was made to take down all the complaints in points. You talk a lot, you dont let anyone else talk and keep harping on your own point. I was given about 15-20 pointers). Kiran chimed in, I mean you asked Fans of the actor reacted to his self aware attitude. Itna vi mature mat banana bhagwan! (Don't be so mature either), read a comment on Instagram. Ye divorce se phle karana tha (Should've done this before your divorce). Another person liked Aamir's attitude towards the whole thing. I like how mature and open he is about this stuff. Impressive. A rare sight. Laapataa Ladies releases in theatres next week. Aamir was last seen in Laal Singh Chaddha. He has not announced his next movie yet. In Richie Mehta's Poacher, which released this week on Prime Video, Nimisha Sajayan plays Mala Jogi, a determined forest range officer in Kerala. She is called to report and work on a case that needs immediate attention. Elephants have been brutally murdered for illegal ivory trade. As the investigation takes full swing, Mala is most often the only woman in the room. She is the silent observer, keenly taking notes and doing her work. Still, it is Mala's steadfast determination to get to the truth and her care and concern for the forest that forms the centre of the narrative. (Also read: Poacher review: Richie Mehta delivers a brilliantly atmospheric tale on illegal ivory trade) Julia Roberts in a still from Erin Brockovich. Women at the centre The manner in which Poacher positions Mala Jogi reminded me of another work, the 2000 film Erin Brockovich, directed by Steven Soderbergh. Julia Roberts played the titular role in the film, which is based on a real life story. Now, there's no question that Mala Jogi and Erin Brockovich are polar opposites in terms of how they communicate and go about their work, but what intrigued me was the common thread of concern that these two women shared for the environment. Both women also know that at the end of the day, its a man's world. Both women also advocate for the preservation of ecological resources. Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now. Erin Brockovich highlighted the impact that Erin was able to make in the cover-up in a case that involved contamination through hexavalent chromium that caused a major health issue for the residents of Hinkley, California. Erin shows genuine love and care for these citizens, communicating with the affected people to bring them justice. She is a true ecofeminist heroine, where her perspective shows the interplay of disempowerment of both women and environment in a deeply capitalist economy. A personal concern Erin Brockovich is fierce and unapologetic about the way she goes about her work. She's constantly judged and treated differently because of her lack of experience and education, and also because of her provocative dressing sense. Yet, there's a fire raging in her eyes, a will to prove her conviction through her work. The narrative flashes out her need for control, as she has suffered a number of setbacks in her failed marriage and has to take care of her kids and pay the bills. There's one particular scene, where she has a word with Ed Masry (Albert Finney), and she is frantic to realise that a major decision was made on a day, when she was sick. She goes on to explain the reason, saying, Not personal? That is my time, my sweat and my time away from my kids if that's not personal, then I don't know what is. In Poacher, Mala Jogi also has a similar burst of rage and desperation, when she is told to concentrate on the traders, who are contending for the ivory trade. Who will follow up on the investigation for the tusks then? Who will care for noting down the number of elephants killed in the process? The system barely cares. Yet women like Mala Jogi and Erin Brockovich, in their own personal ways, take it upon themselves to account for the unaccounted, standing in the face of power with their unvarnished, complicated truth. Erin Brockovich and Poacher are available to rent and stream respectively, on Prime Video. Entertainment! Entertainment! Entertainment! Click to follow our Whatsapp Channel Your daily dose of gossip, films, shows, celebrities updates all in one place. Live-action adaptations of manga and anime narratives have taken the world by storm, mostly with negative waves drowning out the noise. With Netflix's One Piece series as the only positively honoured live-action anime title in sight, Lionsgate now plans to tap another one of the most famed mangas of all time - Naruto. Naruto live-action being developed at Lionsgate since late 2015.(Netflix) Ditching the small-screen OTT route as many previous releases of its kind, the Naruto movie will be heading to the big screen. Marvel Studios' Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings director Destin Daniel Cretton, who also co-wrote the superhero movie, has boarded the ship to helm the upcoming adaptation. Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now. He'll be joining Jeyun Munford in the producer team. Avi Arad, Ari Arad, Emmy Yu (Arad Productions), and Jeremy Latcham will also play pivotal roles in the production process. This lot isn't a stranger to ambitious adaptations, either. The Arad Productions crew is behind the forthcoming video game adaptation Borderlands, while Latcham is known for the Dungeons & Dragons movie. Also read: 'Historic low report shows women-led films fell to 30% in 2023 More on the Naruto live-action movie Masashi Kishimoto originally penned the coming-of-age storyline. He has now passed on his blessings to Cretton and believes him to be the perfect director for Naruto." Kishimoto sees through his forte in creating solid dramas about people. Upon their meeting, the manga creator was further convinced of Cretton's open-mindedness and strongly felt they would be able to cooperate together in the production process (The Hollywood Reporter). The Naruto film has been in development since late 2015. Lionsgate and Cretton go back too, as he previously joined forces with the studio for the 2017 Brie Larson starrer drama, The Glass Castle. Regarding Cretton's credits, he's also working on the Shang-Chi sequel and has even directed some episodes of the Disney+ series American Born Chinese. That, too, is an adaptation of a graphic novel (created by Gene Luen Yang). Foraying into the self-driven professional chapter of her life by launching her directorial debut, The Heart, at the Sundance Film Festival, Malia Obama sought to be seen as her own person. However, the reviews of her short film weren't as heartwarming as one could've foreseen. PARK CITY, UTAH - JANUARY 18: Malia Ann Obama attends the "The Heart" Premiere at the Short Film Program 1 during the 2024 Sundance Film Festival at Prospector Square Theatre on January 18, 2024 in Park City, Utah. Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by Dia Dipasupil / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA)(Getty Images via AFP) Earlier this year, Sundance released the "Meet the Artist' snippet, addressing ex-president Barack Obama's eldest daughter as Malia Ann instead. She swore by her professional sobriquet to comply with her full-fledged solo advent. Yet the unsavoury tongue followed her. Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now. Ann described her 18-minute project in the Sundance video as about lost objects and lonely people and forgiveness and regret. Although it settled in sync with the Sundance-approving intellectual tone of aesthetic quiet, it didn't sit well as a whole. Viewers eventually took to the online movie-buff service Letterboxd to leave their reviews. While a good portion bombed her impersonal attempt at making this film, others' negative outpour was more politically fuelled. The Heart Reviews: Malia Obama Debut film fails to find approval Despite the 25-year-old's attempts to distance herself from her family's political baggage, the same rhetoric has dragged her down again. In January 2024, The Daily Beast's Laura Bradley outrightly dismissed her cinematic attempt by calling her out as the Nepo Baby of the Week in the Hot Takes section. Also read: Barack Obama's daughter Malia changes her famous surname amid Hollywood career Yet, in the same vein, the professional reviewer also labelled it fitting for the Sundance platform but forgettable. Following suit, several reviewers on Letterboxd have treated her with harsh remarks, again reducing her to her nepotistic familial inheritance. One of the first reviews found on the platform said: Honoring her father's legacy by dropping a giant bomb and not receiving any criticism for it. Another review charged her, slaying her, with nepotism charges: Calling yourself 'Malia Ann' is not going to avert any Nepo Baby criticisms, Miss Former First Daughter. Yet another one rebuffed her cinematic expression with words like, Can you really be a true indie filmmaker if your dad was President? Another review graded Malia's film as a two-star attempt upon seemingly forgetting halfway who'd made the movie, owing to its half-baked texture. On the contrary, a reviewer brought in a mixed outlook: "wish this had enough merit to not just be "the short directed by one of obama's kids" but this was just sort of mid. i did like some of the cinematography!" About the Malia Ann short film Malia both writes and directs the film, which is centred around a man grieving the sudden death of his mother. As he grapples with the devastating blow, he comes across an unusual request in her will. Tunde Adebimpe and LaTonya Borsay star as the son-mother duo. Ann's previous filmmaking credits include writing for Donald Glover's Swarm (2021) and interning on shows like Girls and Halle Berry's CBS title Extant. Girish Kasaravalli's debut feature Ghatashraddha will be restored in partnership with the Film Heritage Foundation (FHF), along with Martin Scorsese and George Lucas. As per a report by Variety, it has been shared that the film will be restored with the partnership of FHF and the two directors at LImmagine Ritrovata in Bologna, Italy. (Also read: Martin Scorsese makes history with tenth Oscar nomination for Killers of the Flower Moon, surpassing Steven Spielberg) Ghatashraddha is considered to be one of the most important works in Indian Cinema. The report indicates that the process of restoration of the film will be taken forward with the help of Indias Film Heritage Foundation, led by archivist and filmmaker Shivendra Singh Dungarpur. Additionally, this will be supported by The Film Foundations World Cinema Project which is founded by Martin Scorsese and the funding will be provided by George Lucas and his wife Mellody Hobsons Hobson/Lucas Family Foundation. Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now. Director's statement The same report also revealed that the source element required for the restoration is the original camera negative that is preserved at the National Film Development Corporation-National Film Archive of India. The fact that my film has been selected for restoration by none other than these doyens among filmmakers, is a matter of pride and great honor. I am thankful to Mr. Scorsese and World Cinema Project and Mr. George Lucas and Mrs. Mellody Hobson and Hobson/Lucas Family Foundation, Girish Kasaravalli said in a statement. About the film Ghatashraddha revolves around a young widow and daughter of a village scholar, who runs a local school who finds herself pregnant after being seduced by a teacher. She forms a bond with a young student of her father's who performs her funeral rites while she is still alive. The film stars Meena Kuttappa, Narayana Bhat and Ajith Kumar. It won the National Award for Best Feature Film. This is not the first time that an Indian film has been restored. In 2022, G. Aravindan's Kummatty Malayalam-language film Kummatty (1979) was restored in the same fashion. Entertainment! Entertainment! Entertainment! Click to follow our Whatsapp Channel Your daily dose of gossip, films, shows, celebrities updates all in one place Calling all witches, wizards, and Muggle-borns! The magic is returning to our screens, as Warner Bros. Discovery has officially announced a highly anticipated television series based on J.K. Rowling's beloved Harry Potter books. The new update suggests that the show has locked a release date and is eyeing to go on streaming in 2026. Check out the series' release window, explore potential casting choices, and let the magic of Hogwarts in a brand-new format take over your excitement. Harry Potter fans are reacting strongly against the announcement of a new TV adaptation of the series. Harry Potter TV series sets release date Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav announced on Friday that the highly anticipated TV series based on JK Rowlings masterpiece is set to release in 2026. The target date had previously been either 2025 or 2026. Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now. Also read: BTS military discharge dates revealed: Countdown to Jin, Jungkook, Jimin, V, Suga, J-Hope, and RM's return Weve not been shy about our excitement around Harry Potter, Zaslav recently addressed Wall Street analysts, mentioning his recent trip to London where he met with members from HBO, Warner Bros, and JK Rowling for a discussion. Both sides are thrilled to be reigniting this franchise. Our conversations were great, and we couldnt be more excited about whats ahead. We cant wait to share a decade of new stories with fans around the world on Max. He added. When is the Harry Potter series coming to streaming? The Harry Potter TV series is set to debut on Max in 2026. While initially targeting a 2025 release, there's a chance the show could premiere in the first quarter rather than being delayed until later in the year. Where to watch the Harry Potter TV series The TV series will debut on the streaming home of HBO, Max. As per the reports, the development of the series kicked back in 2021. Also read: Doctor Slump Ep 9: Park Shin Hye abandons Park Hyung Sik for new blind date after breakup How long will the Harry Potter TV series run? When WBD approved the series last year, they stated that they intended to create seasons based on every novel, which would take ten years to complete. Who are the cast members of the new Harry Potter series? While the cast lineup for the new adaptation has not been disclosed, reports suggest that none of the original Harry Potter actors are expected to reprise their roles for the TV adaptation. When asked about his part in the new series, Radcliffe told ComicBook.com in July 2024, My understanding is that theyre trying to very much start fresh and Im sure whoever is making them will want to make their own mark on it and probably not want to have to figure out how to get old Harry to cameo in this somewhere. Is JK Rowling involved in the Harry Potter TV series? Yes, J.K. Rowling will serve as the show's executive producer when it airs on Max. What plot Harry Potter TV series will follow? The TV series, as the name implies, is based on all seven books about the young wizard penned by J.K. Rowling. Deadline disclosed in February 2023 that Warner Bros. sought pitches from various creatives, including Martha Hillier, Kathleen Jordan, Tom Moran, and Michael Lesslie. Its an interesting mix of Brits and Americans, most of whom have some experience working with streamers and many of whom have shepherded projects in the sci-fi/fantasy space, as per the site update. BAKU, Azerbaijan, February 24. A regular service meeting was held at the Defense Ministry under the leadership of Defense Minister Colonel General Zakir Hasanov, Trend reports, referring to the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry. The meeting discussed in detail the current operational situation on the conditional Azerbaijani-Armenian border, organizational concerns, and military service, as well as reports. The joint exercises scheduled for 2024 in Azerbaijan, Turkiye, and other countries will benefit the exchange of experiences, the advancement of personnel knowledge and abilities, and the enhancement of force combat training. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel Indian cinema icon Manoj Bajpayee received a tribute by Tagore Centre at the Indian Embassy in Berlin for enthralling the audience with his 30-year-long illustrious career. Organized and hosted by Ms. Trisha Sakhlecha, Director of the Tagore Centre, it coincided with Bajpayee's presence in Berlin for the premiere of his latest film, The Fable, in the competitive Encounters section at the ongoing 74th Berlin Film Festival. Manoj Bajpayee on the red carpet of the 74th Berlin Film Festival.(Instagram/@bajpayee.manoj) The event was attended by several government dignitaries and the ambassadors of many countries, including Ambassador of India to Germany - H.E. Parvathaneni Harish. Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now. The Fable has been directed by Raam Reddy. Apart from Bajpayee as the lead, it also stars Deepak Dobriyal, Priyanka Bose, and Tillotama Shome. The movie debuted at the Berlin International Film Festival on February 16th, 2024, making it only the second Indian film in three decades to compete at the Berlinale. The Fable has already impressed critics and audiences alike globally. Manoj Bajpayee was felicitated by the Tagore Centre at the Indian Embassy in Berlin. Bajpayee, who first faced the film camera for a one-minute role in Govind Nihalani's Drohkaal (1994), is completing 30 years in the business in 2024. The dual celebration of the 54-year-old actor completing 30 years in films and 30 years of the Tagore Centre's foundation saw the latter flooded with fans from India, Germany, and around the world. The centre was reportedly forced to stop accepting entries seeing the overwhelming turn out. The session commenced by the Indian ambassador, followed by Sakhlecha taking Bajpayee through the memory lane of his early life in a small village in Bihar, his persistent struggle of over 15 years without a significant break, to his rise as a celebrated actor in Indian cinema. The two also discussed his upcoming projects and his venture into production. Bajpayee and Reddy also took the stage along with producer Pratap Reddy and Sunmin Park, and others from the team of The Fable. Bajpayee and Reddy spoke about The Fable's creation, the challenges they faced, and the team's collective aim for impacting the global audience An engaging Q&A session allowed the audience to interact directly with Bajpayee. The audience left no chance to delve deeper into Bajpayee's experiences, career and personal journey. Manoj Bajpayee with the organizers at the Tagore Centre in Berlin. Sakhlecha shared her insights on the significance of the event and its impact on cultural relations between India and Germany. She said, It was a joy to mark Manoj Bajpayee's remarkable 30-year journey as an actor, which has played a pivotal role not only in Indian cinema but also on the international stage. The overwhelmingly well received event reflects the Tagore Centre & Embassy of India, Berlins commitment to providing a platform for Indian cinema and storytelling specifically and Indian culture as a whole. With 300 registrations received within 48 hours of releasing the invitations and a significant waitlist thereafter, it's clear that Manoj Bajpayees enduring legacy and our shared passion for cinema continue to resonate across borders. Ambassador of India, H.E. Mr. Parvathaneni Harish, remarked, "I am extremely happy that the 74th edition of the Berlinale has 7 Indian films and 3 Berlinale Talents, and that the NFDC has brought in a large delegation from the Indian movie industry to participate in the European Film Market. Indian movies represent astonishing talent, immense dynamics and innovation, India is also an attractive investment location with various incentives for promotion of foreign films and for animation, post-production and visual effect services.I am confident that the Indian delegation at Berlinale with well-known actors such as Manoj Bajpayee and Allu Arjun and directors like Raam Reddy will make a strong impact." Bajpayee shared, "This journey of 30 years has been nothing short of extraordinary. It's a reflection of the love and support I've received from my audience and the film fraternity. Being recognized in Berlin, alongside the premiere of The Fable, fills me with gratitude. I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to Ms. Trisha Sakhlecha, the Director of the Tagore Centre, Berlin, and H.E. Mr. Parvathaneni Harish, Ambassador of India to Germany, for this honor. My gratitude also goes out to all the attendees who made the event truly memorable. This moment is not just mine but belongs to every individual who has been a part of this incredible journey." Speaking about the occasion and collaboration, Reddy, said "The love I felt at Tagore Centre was overwhelming. It was a beautiful celebration of both the illustrious and incomparable career of Manoj ji, as well as the premiere of our film The Fable. It was such an honor to share the stage and sit next to Manoj ji - who I have grown to share a very special bond with - while we chatted about the nearly magical anecdotes that went into the building of our film. The audience was spell bound by Manoj ji's aura, as was I. It was an evening I will not easily forget." This gathering also highlighted the cultural exchange between India and Germany, facilitated through the medium of cinema. The Rajasthan government has suspended two school teachers for their alleged involvement in religious conversion and ties to banned terror outfits. The orders to suspend the school teachers were issued on Thursday night following directions from the education minister. Love Jihad is a conspiracy theory that Muslim men are luring Hindu women in a bid to convert them to Islam and ultimately gain demographic domination. (Photo by Bachchan Kumar/ HT PHOTO) The teachers, identified as Mirza Mujahid and Firoz Khan, were posted at a government-run school in Kota's Sangod block. Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now. Rajasthan education minister Madan Dilawar said that another teacher is also facing an investigation in this case. (Also Read: How a law has turned the tables on interfaith couples) The probe stems from allegations contained in the memorandum from Sarva Hindu Samaj, alleging ongoing activities related to religious conversion and "love jihad" a conspiracy theory that Muslim men are luring Hindu women in a bid to convert them to Islam and ultimately gain demographic domination since 2019. It was also alleged that the three teachers had connections with proscribed outfits and that they had links to Pakistani groups. The memorandum also stated that an FIR had previously been registered in this regard at Sangod police station, but no action was taken. It further claimed that a Hindu girl who was named as Muslim in the school record was abducted by Muslim youths and was yet to be traced. (Also Read: What is it like to be a Muslim in India?) In a video statement released on Friday, the state education minister said that strict action has been initiated against three teachers in a government senior secondary school at Khajuri Odpur village in Sangod. "In the Khajoori village of Sangod panchayat samiti in Kota district, the religion of a girl in senior secondary school was mentioned as 'Islam' in the transfer certificate of a girl despite her being a Hindu. A conspiracy of religious conversion and 'love jihad' is happening there, Hindu girls are being forced to offer namaz - this has come to our notice," Dilawar said. To be sure, the Union home ministry informed the Parliament in 2020 that the term Love Jihad is not defined under the extant laws. He further said that if the teachers are found to be involved in these acts, the three of them will be terminated from the job. "As soon as this was brought to my notice, I decided to take strict action against three teachers. In this context, I suspended two teachers - Firoz Khan and Mirza Mujahideen. Further action is being taken against one Shabana. All three of them have been sent to Bikaner. I will take strict action against them after a detailed investigation. If needed, I will expel them," the minister added. West Bengal Congress president and MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Saturday trained guns at the Trinamool Congress over the issue of seat sharing within the INDIA alliance. Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said Mamata Banerjee should say a clear 'yes' or 'no'.(PTI) "They (TMC) are in a dilemma. There should be an official yes or no from the party supremo (Mamata Banerjee). They are not saying officially that the process of forging the alliance has ended. Because they are in a dilemma," Chowdhury said, according to ANI. Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now. He added that a section within the Trinamool Congress believes that if the party contests alone, without the INDIA alliance, then the minorities of West Bengal will vote against them. "One section of the TMC wants the alliance to continue. Another section is in another dilemma that if the alliance is given more importance in Bengal, then the Modi government will use ED, and CBI against them... Because of these two dilemmas, the TMC has not been able to make a clear decision... Maybe there are some talks in Delhi, but I don't have any such information..." Chowdhury told ANI. Chowdhury's remark came amid reports that the Congress party had revived talks with the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC for an alliance in the state. Earlier on Friday, the Congress said that the seat-sharing talks between the party and TMC were back on track after the latter had initially claimed that it would go solo in the LS elections in April-May. Also Read | PM Modi takes 'parivar' jibe at INDIA bloc in Varanasi The Congress has recently sealed an alliance in Uttar Pradesh with the Samajwadi Party. In the 80 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh, the Congress will contest 17 seats and the Samajwadi Party will contest 63 seats. In Maharashtra, the party is in alliance with Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray's Sena and Sharad Pawar's NCP. Talks on finalising LS seats are currently underway between Congress and its INDIA bloc allies in the state. Out of the seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi, AAP will contest four and Congress will contest three. Mamata Banerjee had last month said the talks with the Congress failed after the latter refused an offer she made. She also pointed to delays in finalising a seat-sharing agreement. She had also vowed to not ally with the Congress till it was an alliance with her bitter rival CPI(M). Adhir Chowdhury should first clear his stand: TMC MP Responding to Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury's remarks, TMC MP Santanu Sen said that West Bengal Congress president should first clear his stand. "Adhir Chowdhury should first clear his stand. Everyone knows that for the past few years, he has been doing everything possible to malign the anti-BJP force TMC and give oxygen to BJP..." Sen told ANI. Late Congress stalwart Ahmed Patels daughter Mumtaz Patel on Saturday apologised to party workers after the Bharuch seat went to Aam Aadmi Party's quota as part of the seat-sharing arrangement for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Congress stalwart Ahmed Patel's daughter Mumtaz Patel, AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal and Faisal Patel (L to R). In a social media post on X, Mumtaz Patel expressed disappointment over the alliance's decision and called on the party workers to regroup. Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now. Deeply apologize to Our district cadre for not being able to secure the Bharuch Lok Sabha seat in alliance. I share your disappointment. Together, we will regroup to make @INCIndia stronger. We wont let @ahmedpatel 45 years of Legacy go in vain, she said. AAP-Congress alliance: BJP reminds Arvind Kejriwal of his 2012 jail promise While Mumtazs brother Faisal Patel called the INDIA bloc very important for the democracy, he said the opposition would win the Bharuch seat only if Congress contested from there. I want to say this to (Delhi CM and AAP chief) Arvind Kejriwal that we (INDIA alliance) can win this seat only if the Congress contests from here. This is only after looking at the winnability criteria, he said in a post on X. Everyone who understands politics in Bharuch knows that the Congress' winnability is better (than anyone) here, Patel added. Bharuch Lok Sabha seat, which Ahmed Patel won in 1980 and 1984, has been with the BJP since 1989. Mansukhbhai Vasava of the BJP currently represents the seat. The Aam Aadmi Party and Congress on Saturday jointly announced their pact for the upcoming Lok Sabha election. In Gujarat, the Congress will contest 24 Lok Sabha seats while the AAP will contest two seats Bharuch and Bhavnagar. When asked about resentment from party leaders in some of the seats such as Bharuch, Congress MP Mukul Wasnik said all factors have been taken into consideration and finally a decision has been taken. We firmly believe that the decision will be respected by all the workers of the Congress and AAP, Wasnik said. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday slammed the seat-sharing pact between the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Congress for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, calling it an alliance of the corrupt. BJP leader Meenakshi Lekhi. (File) Union minister of state for external affairs and culture Meenakshi Lekhi, who is a member of Parliament from New Delhi, said that the two parties formed the alliance so that they could place the blame on each other after they lose all seven Lok Sabha seats in the national capital. Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now. I want to remind you of 2013, when the Aam Aadmi Party said that the Congress is a corrupt party, and that there cannot be a more corrupt party than them. (Arvind) Kejriwal even said in an interview that let alone one or two ministers, all those within the Congress are corrupt, Lekhi said at a press conference in Delhi. She also read out a list of corrupt leaders put out by Delhi chief minister and AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal in 2014, which included then Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, Union ministers Kapil Sibal, Sushilkumar Shinde, Veerappa Moily, G.K. Vasan, Salman Khurshid, Kamal Nath, Sriprakash Jaiswal, Farooq Abdullah and Sharad Pawar. She noted that Kejriwal swore he would never ally with the Congress in 2019. Arvind Kejriwal used to walk around with a sheaf of papers, saying that they had sufficient proof against (former Delhi CM) Sheila Dixit, she said. However, Lekhi also claimed that the AAP had, in fact, been propped up by the Congress, and was created in order to divide Indias anti-corruption movement. That the AAP had been allowed to use the symbol of the broom right from its electoral debut was evidence of support from the Congress and links between Kejriwal and Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, she said. Lekhi said that the alliance had failed to understand both the arithmetic and chemistry of politics, as even if both their vote shares in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections of Delhi were combined, it would still not overtake that of the BJP alone. Delhi BJP president Viren Sachdeva said, Two parties, which looted Delhi and used to be occupied in trying to prove which of them was the bigger thief, have formed an alliance today. Birds of a feather flock together. Sachdeva also promised to take the alliance head-on in Delhi. The Congress and the AAP finalised their seat-sharing plans agreeing to jointly contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in Delhi, Haryana, Goa, Gujarat and Chandigarh. In Delhi, the Congress will contest the Lok Sabha seats of Chandni Chowk, North West Delhi, and North East Delhi, while the AAP will field its candidates from New Delhi, West Delhi, East Delhi, and South Delhi. The AAP will contest in two of the 26 seats in Gujarat, and one of the 10 seats in Haryana, while the Congress will contest the rest of the seats in these states. Both the Lok Sabha seats of Goa and the one seat of Chandigarh will be contested by the Congress. However, the INDIA Alliance partners will not be joining forces in Punjab. The Assam cabinet on Friday decided to repeal an 89-year-old legislation involving the registration of marriages and divorces by Muslims residing in the state. Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, (File) Our chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had already announced that Assam would be implementing a uniform civil code. Today we have taken a very important decision in that journey by deciding to repeal the Assam Moslem Marriage and Divorce Registration Act, 1935, informed tourism minister Jayanta Malla Baruah. Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now. ALSO READ- UCC bill: Understanding the provisions and legal context The Act provided for voluntary registration of Muslim marriages and divorces and allowed the government to provide a licence to a Muslim person authorizing him to register Muslim marriages and divorces on applications for such registration. Todays development means that it wont be possible to register Muslim marriages and divorces under this legislation any more in Assam. We already have a Special Marriage Act, and we want all marriages to be registered under provisions of that, Baruah stated. He informed that Assam has at present 94 authorized persons who could register Muslim marriages and divorces. But with the cabinet decision, their authority would cease to exist after the issuance of directions for the same by district authorities. Also read: What will change after repeal of Assam Muslim marriage, divorce registration law? Since these persons were earning a livelihood by registering marriages and divorces, the state cabinet has decided to provide them with a one-time compensation of 2 lakhs each, said Baruah. He said that apart from moving a step closer towards a uniform civil code, the cabinet felt it was necessary to repeal the Act, which was old and was in operation since British days and didnt match with todays societal norms. We had noticed that this present legislation was being used to register marriages of boys and girls under the permissible age. We think that todays move will be a big step in curbing such child marriages, the minister said. ALSO READ- Jolt for Assam Congress as two MLAs extend support to Sarma-led government On February 12, CM Sarma stated that his government is planning to bring robust legislation banning polygamy and implementing of uniform civil code (UCC) in the state. We were following (legislation to ban) polygamy, but Uttarakhand has passed the UCC (Bill). We are now working on aligning both (issues) so that we can prepare robust legislation. We are working on that, Sarma had said. ALSO READ- More than 1.59 lakh declared as 'foreigners' in Assam: Himanta Biswa Sarma He had mentioned that an expert committee would see how to align both polygamy and UCC in the same legislation. The government had planned to table a Bill banning polygamy in the ongoing budget session of the assembly, but it hasnt happened yet. Reacting to the Assam government's approval to repeal the Assam Muslim Marriages and Divorces Registration Act, Samajwadi Party MP ST Hasan said on Saturday that Muslims will follow only Shariat and Quran. Samajwadi Party MP HT Hasan.(X) "There is no need to highlight this so much. Muslims will follow Shariat and Quran. They (the government) may draft as many Acts as they want...Every religion has its own rituals. They are being followed for thousands of years now. They will continue to be followed," he told ANI. Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now. Congress leader Abdur Rashid Mandal called it a "discriminatory decision". "Overall it is a discriminatory decision of the cabinet of Assam because the govt was talking about the UCC and banning polygamy but they failed to do so (bringing the UCC and banning polygamy) for unknown reasons. Just before the election, they're trying to polarise the Hindu voters in favour of BJP by depriving and discriminating Muslims in some fields like repealing this act saying that this is a pre-independence act and citing child marriage which is not a fact. This is the only mechanism to register the marriages of Muslims and there is no other scope or institution and it is also as per the constitution of India. It is the personal law of the Muslim that can't be repealed... I'll discuss it with the leaders of my party and my party will speak about it," he said. Meanwhile, AIUDF MLA Hafiz Rafiqul Islam said Himanta Biswa Sarma-led Assam government doesn't have the courage to bring the Uniform Civil Code in the state on the lines of Uttarakhand. "This government doesn't have the courage to bring UCC. They can't do it. What they brought in Uttarakhand, is not UCC either...They were trying to bring UCC to Assam too. But I think they can't bring it to Assam because there are people from several castes and communities here...BJP followers themselves follow those practices here," he told ANI. Also read: Uniform Civil Code: All India Muslim Personal Law Board, Samajwadi Party MP Hasan raise concerns He said the BJP government is employing these tactics because the elections are approaching. "Elections are approaching, this is just their tactics to target Muslims. So, they couldn't bring any Bill on polygamy or UCC in Assam...So, they are repealing the Assam Muslim Marriages & Divorces Registration Act. The Assam cabinet doesn't have the right to repeal or amend a constitutional right," he added. Also read: What will change after repeal of Assam Muslim marriage, divorce registration law? What is the Assam Muslim Marriages and Divorces Registration Act? The Assam cabinet on Friday gave the nod to repeal the British Raj-era law. "This Act contained provisions allowing marriage registration even if the bride and groom had not reached the legal ages of 18 and 21 respectively, as required by law. This move marks another significant step towards prohibiting child marriages in Assam," the chief minister posted on X. The law gives authority to Muslim registrars to register voluntary declaration of marriages and divorces. After this law is repealed, the district authorities will take over the custody of the registration records held by 94 Muslim marriage registrars. Registration of marriages and divorces is not mandatory as per the Act and the machinery of registration is informal, leaving a lot of scope for non-compliance with extant norms, the government said, PTI reported. The Uttarakhand government earlier this month got the UCC bill passed in the state assembly. The bill seeks to replace personal religious laws governing marriage, divorces and inheritance, with a common set of rules applicable to all religions equally. Several Muslim bodies, however, pointed out that tribals were exempted from the ambit of the legislation. Himanta Biswa Sarma has vowed that Assam will be the third state after Uttarakhand and Gujarat to implement the Uniform Civil Code. In January, he said it would take two-three months to table the bill. He also said that he plans to keep tribals out of the purview of the planned law. Silchar: The Assam cabinet on Friday gave its nod to recognise Manipuri as an associate official language in four districts by amending the Assam Official Language Act, 1960. Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma (File Photo) Chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma informed that the cabinet has approved the Assam Official Language (Amendment) Bill, 2024, to recognise the Manipuri language in four districts Cachar, Karimganj, Hailakandi and Hojai. Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now. Sarma shared the information through a post on X. In todays meeting of the Assam Cabinet we took several historic decisions. Include Manipuri as an associate official language in 4 districts. The decision taken at a late-night cabinet meeting was in the interest of protecting, preserving and promoting the cultural, social, and linguistic identity and heritage of the Manipuri people living in Assam, Sarma said. The Bill seeks to amend the Assam Official Language Act, 1960 by inserting a new Section 5B, which will provide for the recognition of Manipuri language as an Associate Official Language in the four districts, the cabinet decision read. The decision has been taken in the interest of protecting, preserving and promoting the cultural, social, linguistic identity and heritage of the Manipuri people living in Assam, the cabinet decision read further. The cabinet also decided to introduce primary education in six tribal languages Mising, Rabha, Karbi, Tiwa, Deori and Dimasa. CM Sarma said that they are reframing the education structure in line with the provisions of the National Education Policy, 2020, to protect the interests of the tribal communities. The decision will benefit students of the tribal communities by enabling them to study their language at the school level, Sarma said. Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh praised the Sarma for this decision. Taking to X, he wrote, Many many thanks Himanta ji for including Manipuri as an associate official language in 4 districts of Assam. Your recognition and trust on the Manipuris is highly appreciated. Three of the four districts where Manipuri will be the official associate language are part of the Barak Valley part of Assam, where the majority of the population is Bengali-speaking. Most of the socio-political organisations in Barak Valley have welcomed the governments decision. The largest linguistic organisation in Barak Valley, Barak Upatyaka Banga Sahitya O Sanskriti Sammelan has appreciated the state government for this. However, they have also demanded recognition of Bengali as the states associate official language. The general secretary of the organisation, Gautam Prasad Dutta said, We believe in respectful co-existence and we welcome this step. Assams second most spoken language is Bengali and according to the 2011 census, 28% of the states population speaks the language. Considering this, we appealed to the state government to recognise Bengali as the official associate language of the state. We are optimistic that the present government will consider this one day, Dutta told HT on Saturday. The Manipuri organisations in Barak Valley are celebrating the announcement by distributing sweets. Many also offered special puja in various temples across the valley. Chief advisor of the All Assam Manipuri Students Union (AAMSU), Kamalakanta Singha, said they have been raising this demand since 1991 and after three decades Assam Government has recognised this. We raised this demand in Hailakandi in 1991 for the first time. We kept fighting for this and many other organisations supported us. Finally, we have a reason to celebrate, he said. Citing the 2011 census, Singh said that the Manipuri-speaking population is more than 200,000 in the state which has now crossed 300,000. Manipuris are living in 13 districts in Assam but Cachar, Hailakandi and Hojai have the largest population, he said. As Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday reached Gujarat, the BJP headquarters in New Delhi saw back-to-back meetings to finalise the election strategy. The Election Commission is likely to announce the dates for the Lok Sabha election 2024 after March 13 and now EC teams are on their state visits to review the poll preparedness. BJP chief JP Nadda chaired a meeting of party leaders who have been made in-charge of different states and took a report on how the campaign preparations are going. BJP held crucial election meetings in New Delhi on Saturday.(PTI) Baijayant Panda (UP), Dushyant Gautam (Uttrakhand), Tarun Chugh (J&K), Vinod Tawade (Bihar), and Biplab Deb (Haryana) attended Saturday's meeting. Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now. Nadda and Union home minister Amit Shah held a separate meeting with Uttar Pradesh leaders which was attended by chief minister Yogi Adityanath. Samajwadi Party and the Congress will fight together from Uttar Pradesh and they have already announced their seat-sharing deal -- Congress 17 and Samajwadi Party 63. In 2019, the BJP won 62 of the 80 seats in the state. The meeting of the BJP's central election committee will be held soon following which the BJP will start issuing the list of candidates. Target 370 The BJP is targeting 370 seats alone and over 400 seats for the NDA in the upcoming Lok Sabha election. In 2019, the BJP won 303 seats out of the 436 that it fought. At a rally in Madhya Pradesh, PM Modi recently spelt out the magic formula of how to achieve 370 seats. He said the BJP booth workers will have to ensure that an additional 370 votes are polled in each booth and that's how BJP will reach 370 seats. Target 370 was the main agenda of the meetings held on Saturday apart from drawing plans to explore ways to boost the party's prospects where the BJP is weak. The in-charges were asked to give reports on development projects implemented in their regions. New Delhi: Three new criminal laws Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) and Bharatiya Saksha Adhiniyam (BSA) which seek to replace the colonial era Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) and the Indian Evidence act, will come into force from July 1 this year, the Centre announced on Saturday. The ministry of home affairs (MHA) notified the new laws through three separate notifications issued late Friday evening (Representative Photo) The ministry of home affairs (MHA) notified the new laws through three separate notifications issued late Friday evening. Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now. In exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (2) of section 1 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (45 of 2023), the Central Government hereby appoints the 1st day of July 2024 as the date on which the provisions of the said Sanhita, except the provision of sub-section (2) of section 106, shall come into force, stated the notification for BNS. Identical notifications were issued for BNSS and BSA as well. The ministry had last month informed that all the police stations across the country will start implementing the provisions in the legislation within a year. The laws will be first implemented in the Union territories like Chandigarh, Delhi etc. To swiftly accustom the police across the country with the provisions of the new laws, which involve major use of technology and forensics, the government is also in the process of acquiring 900 forensic laboratories and providing trainers from different fields, officials aware of the development said. In January, while addressing the annual director generals of police conference in Jaipur, Union home minister Amit Shah had asked the police chiefs to train the police officers from the director general of police (DGP) level to station house officer (SHO) rank and upgrade the technology from thana (police station) to police headquarters level for successful implementation of three criminal laws. Shah had piloted the three laws which saw a heated debate in Parliament in December last year. The draft legislation was first tabled in Parliament on August 11, 2023, and then sent to a parliamentary standing committee. Some of the suggestions of the panel were incorporated and a set of new bills (labelled as second) were tabled on December 12, 2023. The three bills include key changes that deal with offences of terrorism and acts against the state, enable the registration of electronic first information reports (FIR), factor in corruption in election processes, and make electronic evidence a form of primary proof. Crimes such as lynching have been separately defined for the first time, with detailed provisions and enhanced punishment for crimes against women and children. As per the new laws, the generation and supply of records will be in electronic form like zero-FIR, e-FIR, and charge sheet and victims will be provided information in digital form. A major provision has been added in the new laws for the Directorate of Prosecution and it defines the eligibility, functions and powers of various authorities under it. The duties and responsibilities of different levels of prosecuting officers were laid down to ensure desired coordination. The provision of supervision by the prosecutor has been introduced during the investigation phase. BAKU, Azerbaijan, February 24. Akif Alizade has been awarded the Honorary Diploma by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Trend reports. President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev signed the relevant decree. According to the decree, Akif Alizade was awarded the Honorary Diploma by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan for his long-standing' merits in the development of science in Azerbaijan. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel New Delhi The Supreme Court on Friday directed the Centre to clear its stand by April 15 on the concerns of single women seeking surrogacy, and concerns of intending couples who were overage, under a slew of amendments to the law governing surrogacy and assisted reproductive technology (ART), even as it appreciated the Centre for changing the law by allowing any one of the intending couple to undergo surrogacy using donor gametes. Top court lauds change in the law to allow any one of the intending couple to undergo surrogacy. (Sanjay Sharma) The top court, on October 18 last year, noted that the Surrogacy (Regulation) Rules, 2022, in paragraph 1(d) of Form 2 was coming in the way of couples wanting to have children as the law required both the sperm and egg to be of the intending couple. Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now. On a nudge by the Court, the Centre constituted an expert committee and came out with the amendment, which said: In case when the District Medical Board certifies that either husband or wife constituting the intending couple suffers from medical condition necessitating use of donor gamete then surrogacy using donor gamete is allowed subject to the condition that the child to be born through surrogacy must have at least one gamete from the intending couple. The rest of this rule was left unchanged: ...single woman (widow or divorcee) undergoing surrogacy must use self eggs and donor sperms to avail surrogacy procedure. On Friday, a bench of justices BV Nagarathna and Augustine George Masih noted the governments move. We appreciate the Union of India has taken our concern in the right spirit, it said, referring to the gazette notification published by the Centre on February 21. Additional solicitor general (ASG) Aishwarya Bhati, appearing for the Centre, showed a copy of the notification to the Court and requested that all pending matters before the Court which challenged this rule could be disposed of. Going through the notification, the bench remarked, We hope there is no situation where both husband and wife will need donor gametes, adding that this may be very rare. The bench then disposed of pending applications filed by 15 women on this issue and said, We have already held that any couple could approach the high court if they suffer with a medical condition and get seek an order for examination by the district medical board. The top court had permitted 12 out of the 15 women to proceed with surrogacy as the medical board found them incapable of conceiving due to diverse reasons. The court, however, noted that there were other petitions pending before it which challenged several other provisions of the Surrogacy (Regulation) Act, Surrogacy Rules issued in March last year, and the ART (Regulation) Act. Advocate Mohini Priya appearing for IVF specialist Arun Muthuvel pointed out that the law on surrogacy and ART is discriminatory against men and women based on their age, marital status, and sexual orientation. She said in her petition that the Surrogacy Act prescribed arbitrary age limits on a woman who was an intending couple, and kept out same-sex couples, members of the LGBTQ community, single women neither widowed nor divorced, single divorced women or widows less than the age of 35 or more than 45, single men, and couples suffering from secondary infertility, among others. On these issues, the court asked the Centre to file its response and posted the matter for hearing on April 15. Hyderabad The Congress party will form an alliance with the Left Parties in Andhra Pradesh to jointly fight the upcoming elections to the state assembly and the Lok Sabha, state unit chief Y S Sharmila announced on Friday, asserting that the only way to counter bigger parties like the YSRCP and the TDP is to come together. Andhra Pradesh Congress chief Y S Sharmila talks with delegations of the Communist Party of India (CPI) and Communist Party of India- (Marxist) at Andhra Ratna Bhavan in Vijayawada (Sharmila-X) Addressing the media after holding talks with delegations of the Communist Party of India (CPI) and Communist Party of India- (Marxist) at Andhra Ratna Bhavan in Vijayawada, Sharmila accused both the ruling YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) and the opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) of surrendering themselves to the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government at the Centre. Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now. We have discussed the issues facing the public that can be fought in alliance with the Left parties. The only way to counter bigger parties like the YSRCP and the TDP is to come together and forge an alliance, she said. Taking to X, the state Congress chief said: The Congress is the only party that fights for the rights of the state of Andhra... Anything is possible if we fight together. We will soon take a decision on joint operation and adjustment of seats. The ruling and opposition parties in the state have become slaves to the BJP and are writing down our rights. If the state wants to do good, if the promises of partition are to be fulfilled, it is possible only with the Congress party. Talking to the media, Sharmila said she has extended an invitation to the Left parties for the public meeting to be addressed by Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge at Anantapur on February 26. Discussions are on among three parties on seat-sharing and a clear picture would emerge soon, she added. CPI (M) state secretary Srinivasa Rao, who was also present for the meeting, said the Congress and the Left parties would put up a joint fight to defeat the BJP, YSRCP and the TDP. These parties have done injustice to the state, he added. CPI state secretary K Ramakrishna said, if the BJP came to power, it would pursue communal agenda and change the Constitution authored by Dr B R Ambedkar. YSRCP president Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu and Jana Sena Party chief Pawan Kalyan have surrendered to the BJP and mortgaged the interests of Telugu people, he alleged. In 2019, the CPI and CPI (M) entered into an alliance with the Jana Sena Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party ahead of the Andhra Pradesh elections. The alliance secured 5.6% of vote share with the CPI, CPI (M) and BSP drawing a blank and the Jana Sena winning only one assembly seat. The Congress managed to secure 1.17% of votes without winning a single MLA seat and its vote share was lesser than the votes polled under NOTA (none of the above), which was 1.29%. YSR Congress party general secretary V Vijay Sai Reddy said a vote for the Congress would be a vote wasted. The Congress in Andhra Pradesh is competing with NOTA for the fifth position. In 2019, the Congress lost to NOTA by 32,505 votes. With experience from Goa, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka, the Congress can break easily. So, a vote for the Congress is a vote wasted. Vote for the winning party, that is YSRCP, he said. TDP official spokesman N Vijay Kumar said the Congress-Left parties alliance will be inconsequential on the electoral prospects of the TDP. They are just fringe parties whose vote share is negligible and cannot alter the fortunes of any major party for that matter, Kumar said. The BJP leaders could not be reached for comment. Political analyst and researcher G Murali said the alliance between Sharmila and the Left parties would not have much impact on the prospects of any other parties. In the seats where there is a tough fight, this alliance might only damage the vote bank of YSRCP to some extent, as the impact of Sharmila would be only on the ruling party and not the opposition, he said. Moradabad: Reacting to Trinamool Congress MP Derek O'Brien's remark that his party will contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections alone, Jairam Ramesh said on Saturday that the Congress's discussions with the TMC for an alliance in West Bengal are underway. Downplaying the leader's remark, the politician said heated discussions keep taking place between the two parties but "we respect Mamata Banerjee". Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said his party respects Mamata Banerjee.(PTI file photo) Jairam Ramesh made the remark on the sidelines of Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra in Uttar Pradesh's Moradabad. Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now. Discussions are underway. Our doors are always open for TMC. Mamata Banerjee and TMC have said that they want to strengthen the INDIA Alliance and the biggest motive is to defeat the BJP, he told ANI. Heated discussions keep taking place between the two parties but we respect Mamata Banerjee, he added. O'Brien, a close confidante of Banerjee, on Friday reiterated that the Trinamool Congress will contest in all 42 Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal. "A few weeks ago, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee stated that TMC is fighting all the 42 seats in Bengal. We are also in the fray in a few seats in Assam and the Tura Lok Sabha seat in Meghalaya. There is no change in this position," he said, indicating the party's reluctance in entering into an alliance with its INDIA bloc partner Congress. After initial hiccups, the Congress has finalised its seat-sharing deals with the Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh and the Aam Aadmi Party in Delhi. The important thing is that an official announcement has been made for the alliance(in UP)...It took time to give it a final form...Today, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Congress are also making an official announcement about the alliance. It was being said again and again that Congress is lazy and not interested but I always said that it takes time, Ramesh said today. Mamata Banerjee last month announced that her party will contest the elections in Bengal alone. She said she had offered the Congress two seats but the party rejected the proposed deal. Later, in a savage attack at the Congress, Banerjee said the party will not even win 40 seats in the Lok Sabha polls. I doubt if you (Congress) will win 40. I was offering two seats and would have let them win. But they wanted more. I said okay, contest on all 42 then. Rejected! There has been no conversation with them since, she said earlier this month. The Congress, however, has been constantly trying to mollify Banerjee. Jairam Ramesh said earlier this month that the INDIA bloc couldn't be imagined without her. New Delhi: The Supreme Court has called upon a Constitution bench to end the realm of uncertainty over the extent of the courts power in interfering with arbitral awards under the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996. The bench framed five questions for consideration by the larger bench. (File) A three-judge bench in the top court has referred to a larger bench the issue as to whether courts can modify arbitral awards while dealing with petitions under Sections 34 and 37 of the Act. The two provisions in the 1996 Act deal with the courts authority in setting aside the arbitral awards and appeals against such orders respectively. Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now. The bench, comprising justices Dipankar Datta, KV Viswanathan and Sandeep Mehta, emphasised that clarity in law is required for exercise of jurisdiction under Sections 34 or 37 of the Act through an authoritative pronouncement. The top court cited two lines of judgments on the subject matter. The first set of judgments went by the bare reading of Section 34, indicating that the power of the courts is limited to setting aside the arbitral awards, strictly in terms of the specific grounds enshrined under the provision. On the other hand, there exists a second set of judgments wherein courts did not only set aside but also modified arbitral awards. A similar divergence was noted in orders under appeal under Section 37. It is, therefore, of seminal importance that through an authoritative pronouncement clarity is provided for the guidance of the courts which are required to exercise jurisdiction under the aforesaid Sections 34 and 37, as the case may be, day in and day out, said the court in its order of February 20. Sushmita Gandhi, partner at Induslaw, pointed out that the courts have on numerous occasions held that awards cannot be modified and this resonates with the intent of the legislature in consciously omitting the provision which enabled the courts to modify the award under the old Act of 1940. The Arbitration Act and the judicial precedents contemplate a supervisory role of the courts to ensure fairness and not to get into the facts and basis of the cases. Simply put, the courts have the power either to confirm or set aside the award, which includes setting aside the award partially, Gandhi added. The bench was hearing a case relating to a dispute between ISG Novasoft Technologies Limited a company engaged in the business of dealing with various products relating to Information technology, and a former employee over termination of an employment agreement. The employment agreement was made subject to the provisions of the 1996 Act. While senior counsel Arvind Datar appeared for the former employee, senior advocate Siddharth Bhatnagar, along with a team of associates from Karanjawala & Co represented the company. In the order of reference, the bench noted that whether or not the courts in exercise of power under Sections 34 or 37 of the Act are empowered to modify an arbitral award is a question which frequently arises in proceedings not only before the Supreme Court but also before the high courts and district courts. The bench, therefore, framed five questions for consideration by the larger bench. These questions included whether the courts power to set aside an arbitral award would include the power to modify it, and if so, whether such power can be exercised only where the award is severable, and a part thereof can be modified. The three-judge bench also sought an opinion from the larger bench regarding the line of judgment that the Supreme Court and other courts ought to follow. The special leave petitions may be placed before the Honble Chief Justice of India for an appropriate order, stated the order of reference. The Congress announced on Friday that talks are going on with the Trinamool Congress, J&K National Conference, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and other allies for an alliance and said that the doors were not shut for joining hands with the TMC. On January 24, Mamata Banerjee announced in Bengal that she hadnt spoken to anyone in the Congress and TMC will fight alone in Bengal. (PTI) West Bengals ruling party, however, pointed out that the Lok Sabha seat of Tura in Meghalaya is a critical point between the two sides as the TMC wants to contest the seat but the Congress has not yet agreed to it. Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now. Talks with Mamata Banerjee is on and doors have not been shut yet. I have been saying this for the last 40 days since the start of the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, especially with regards to West Bengal, that talks with Mamata Banerjee are still going on. Doors have not been shut yet, party leader Jairam Ramesh said on Friday. We did the same thing about the Samajwadi Party but people questioned us. And now we have finalised the seat sharing issue. In a day or two, a decision on seat sharing with AAP will also be finalised. In Bengal, the final shape (of the alliance) has not been given yet. We are talking to every party. NC, DMK.. I can tell you in both states, our discussions are going on with our allies in Bengal and J&K, he added. He was referring to the SP and Congress seat pact that was announced this week, with the former fighting 63 seats in Uttar Pradesh and the latter 17. About ten days ago, a top-ranking Congress leader, who is a trusted aide of Rahul Gandhi, dialed a senior Rajya Sabha leader of the TMC, as both sides tried to find common ground for a tie up said a TMC leader. TMC leaders pointed out in the meeting that it has 28% votes in Tura while the Congress has 9%. We want to contest Tura but the Congress has not agreed to it so far. The TMC also told the Congress that the former wants seats in Assam as well, said the TMC leader Tura is one of two Lok Sabha seats in Meghalaya. A few weeks ago, the TMC chairperson and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee stated that TMC is fighting all 42 seats in Bengal. We are also in the fray in a few seats in Assam and the Tura Lok Sabha seat in Meghalaya. There is no change in this position, said Derek OBrien, Trinamools leader in the Rajya Sabha. On January 24, Mamata Banerjee announced in Bengal that she hadnt spoken to anyone in the Congress and TMC will fight alone in Bengal. On February 15, J&K NC leader Farooq Abdullah too, declared that NC will contest on its own strength. As far as seat sharing is concerned, I want to make it clear National Conference will contest elections on its own strength. There are no two opinions about it. There should be no questions on this, Abdullah said. Later, former J&K chief minister and Abdullahs son, Omar Abdullah, added that NC continued to be in the INDIA bloc and they were discussing seats with the Congress. The Supreme Court on Friday observed that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) was justified in issuing summons to five district collectors of Tamil Nadu in connection with a money laundering case linked to illegal sand mining case; and instead questioned the state government for approaching the Madras high court to get a stay on the summons. The court listed the matter for February 26. Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for the state government, informed the court that there was no prohibition under law for the state to approach the high court (ANI) Hearing EDs plea against the high court order on November 28, 2023, which stayed the operation of the summonses issued to district collectors, a bench of justices Bela M Trivedi and Pankaj Mithal said, These are offences which are scheduled offences under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The ED can make investigations as Section 50 of PMLA is for holding preliminary enquiry. Are they (district collectors) not supposed to cooperate with the probe agency. Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now. Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for the state government, informed the court that there was no prohibition under law for the state to approach the high court. He was assisted by TN additional advocate general Amit Anand Tiwari who pointed out that in all the five pleas on which the HC issued a common interim order, the collectors of Vellore, Trichy, Karur, Thanjavur and Ariyalur districts were co-petitioners. The bench then remarked, Under which law has the state filed a writ petition? How is the state aggrieved by the summons? We will stay this order. Additional solicitor general SV Raju, appearing for ED, told the court that the move is hampering the probe, and sought stay of the HC order. As Rohatgi sought time to file a response, the court posted the matter for Monday. Rohatgi requested the Court for some time to file a response. He said, The ED has no jurisdiction in this matter. These are issues related to federalism to which the state has right to object. The Court placed the matter on Monday without issuing notice on the ED plea to enable a preliminary response from the state. The ED had registered a complaint in September last year based on four FIRs filed in the state in connection with offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act and other provisions of the Indian Penal Code. Based on a scientific study conducted by ED using an expert team, ED claimed that the value of sand mining conducted in Tamil Nadu was to the tune of 4,730 crores as against the recorded revenue of 36.45 crores as per state records. To unearth the nexus between the state officials and local mafia the ED conducted raids at 34 places across various districts in the state leading to seizure of cash, incriminating documents and digital devices. Based on the seizures, the summons were issued to the district collectors on November 17 under section 50 of PMLA. The HC in its order staying summons had said, This Court is prima facie convinced that the nature of enquiry contemplated by issuing the impugned summons is not within the jurisdiction of the respondent. It is just an attempt to investigate the possibility of identifying any proceeds of crime as a result of any criminal activity, which is not so far registered by the state agencies. In the petitions filed before the HC, the state government said that the ED had no jurisdiction to probe the matter without the consent of the state. Since it violates the basic structure of Constitution envisaging federalism and separation of powers, such enquiry by the ED without consent of state or by the direction of any constitutional court was unlawful. Farmers protest highlight: Farmer leaders will hold a candle march today. Seminars on issues related to farmers will be held on February 25 and effigies of the World Trade Organization and the Centre will also be burnt on February 26. Several meetings of SKM (Non-Political) and KMM will be held over the next two days....Read More Farmers are determined to continue their agitation for higher crop prices at the two interstate border points after February 29, when further actions will be decided, stated Sarwan Singh Pandher, their leader. The decision to maintain camps at the protest sites of Shambhu and Khanauri was made by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM), the leading organizers of the ongoing protest. Last week, thousands of farmers initiated a 'Delhi Chalo' march but were halted by security forces approximately 200 km north of the capital. The death of a farmer during clashes with security forces has intensified the protest, prompting the previously uninvolved Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) to join the movement. Farmers agitating to press their demand for higher prices for their crops will stay put at the two interstate border points till February 29 when the next course of action will be decided, their leader Sarwan Singh Pandher said on Friday. The decision to camp at the two protest sites Shambhu and Khanauri was taken by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM), which are spearheading the ongoing agitation. Thousands of farmers began a Delhi Chalo march last week but were stopped by security forces about 200 km north of the capital. The death of a farmer in clashes with security forces galvanised the protest, with Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), which had till then stayed away, joining the stir. Farmers burn effigies during the 'Black Day' protest at the Punjab-Haryana Shambhu border, in Patiala district, Friday. (PTI) Karnataka deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar on Friday dismissed state minister Shivaraj S Tangadagis statement that the government was considering making all multinational firms publicly display the number of Kannadigas employed in their offices, saying it was impossible to implement such ideas. Karnataka deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar. (ANI) Bengaluru is a global city and is open for all. The whole world is looking at us and the government has not made any such plans. We will not think along those lines, Shivakumar told reporters outside the legislative assembly. Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now. Everyone can come here and work. We are just ensuring that 60% of signage boards in the state are in Kannada and there are no other plans than this, he added, referring to the recent passage of a bill mandating 60% use of Kannada in signboards of businesses and establishments across the state. Shivakumar also said that Tangadagi made the statement after he met Kannadiga activists who had demanded such a law. That is the only reason he mentioned. We dont have any such plans and we cannot consider such requests. It is not possible to implement such laws, he said. On Wednesday, Tangadagi, who is the minister for Kannada and culture, told the legislature that the Siddaramaiah-led government in the state is considering making all multinational companies publicly display the number of Kannadigas employed in their offices and will frame the rules for this measure soon. His statements sparked a controversy as industry bodies and opposition leaders called it a government overreach that will hurt the image of Indias IT capital. Tangadagi said all MNCs operating in the state must prominently display the number of Kannadigas employed on notice boards. Failure to comply with this requirement could result in the revocation of permissions granted to these companies, he added. The remarks came during a discussion on the Kannada Language Comprehensive Development (Amendment) Bill, which mandates that businesses need to have at least 60% of their signage in Kannada. There has been a discussion to ensure that industries put up display boards on the number of Kannadigas they have employed. We will frame rules for that, Tangadagi told reporters outside the legislature. The minister added that he was heading the committee formed to look into the measure. We have secretaries of many departments and they have given suggestions. We will discuss and form the rules for industries and multinational companies, he said. Hours after Shivakumars remarks on Friday, Tangadagi told HT that he had only mentioned the suggestions of several legislators on the progress of Kannada language in the state. Former deputy chief minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator from Bengaluru, CN Ashwath Narayan, however, said the state government staged a drama and had no real concern for the Kannadigas. The entire Congress government is full of theatre artists. They have no concern towards Kannadigas and are not committed to working towards development. When you are governing a state, you must stop thinking politically all the time, Narayan said. On Thursday, state information technology minister Priyank Kharge also said there were no such plans in the works. There are some suggestions he (Tangadagi) received and he merely stated it and there is no further action, he said. BAKU, Azerbaijan, February 24. Participants of the conference in Istanbul seek to globally spotlight France's colonial policy, the Baku Initiative Group Director Abbas Abbasov said, Trend reports. He noted that representatives and leaders of national movements from countries affected by French colonialism and various international organizations are attending the "Decolonization: Awakening of the Renaissance" conference organized by the Baku Initiative Group in Istanbul. "Over the past four months, we have been trying to attract the world's attention to the situation of peoples affected by colonial policies and actions of the French state. The conference, attended by diplomats, professors, and representatives of national movement parties from countries affected by colonial policies, consists of two panels," the initiative group's head explained. "The first panel will discuss what needs to be done to give these peoples the opportunity to reconnect with their national culture, history, and language, while the second panel will focus on legal pathways to independence and artificial barriers imposed by the French state," Abbasov added. To note, the event has brought together 50 representatives from 13 countries and four international organizations. The majority of conference participants represent overseas territories that are still French colonies. Representatives of independence movements and nationalist movements from Caribbean islands, French colonies in South America, the Pacific and Indian Oceans, French overseas territories - New Caledonia, French Polynesia, French Guiana, Martinique, and Guadeloupe, as well as all other stakeholders, will communicate from Istanbul to the world about the facts related to the consequences of the French state's colonial policies in their countries. The conference will last for two days. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel A purported response by Googles artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot Gemini touching upon politics in India violates the Information Technology Rules, 2021, Union minister of state for electronics and information technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar tweeted on Friday. Union minister of state for electronics and information technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar (Ayush Sharma) The minister quote-tweeted a post by a user who shared a screenshot of Geminis response to the question Is Modi a fascist, with the reply from the chatbot saying: Narendra Modi is the current Prime Minister of India and the leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He has been accused of implementing policies that some experts have characterized as fascist. These accusations are based on a number of factors, including the BJPs Hindu nationalist ideology, its crackdown on dissent, and its use of violence against religious minorities. Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now. The answer appeared inconsistent with similar questions about other leaders, such as Ukraines Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Chinas Xi Jinping, and Pakistans Imran Khan, in which Gemini hedged its answer and called labelling them a complex issue. The IT Rules give a list of eleven categories of content that intermediaries must make reasonable efforts to not share or host, including content that could harm children, infringes on someones intellectual property rights, impersonates another person, among other things. The minister did not elaborate under which of these grounds Geminis response violated the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021. HT reached out to Chandrasekhars office for clarification but did not receive a response. The court said the complainant, an assistant professor in the economics department, knows the law very well and "had been abusing the provisions of law for personal gain." HT Image Justice Prashant Kumar allowed the petitions filed by professors Manmohan Krishna, Prahlad Kumar and Javed Akhtar against her complaints. Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now. "This is a case where there is pure abuse of process of law where the complainant just to wreak personal vengeance against the Head of Department tried to implicate him and his colleagues by filing false and frivolous cases," the court observed after hearing the parties. "Whenever the Seniors/Head of Department/Professors asked her to teach properly and to take classes regularly, she would file a complaint against them. This is not one of the first cases which happened. The complainant, who is a well-educated lady, knows the provisions of law very well and she had been abusing the provisions of law for personal gain." added the court. Imposing a cost of 5 lakh in each case, the court said, "Because of the filing of frivolous cases, the reputation and public image of the applicant and his colleagues, who are Professors and people with high morals and reputation, had been tarnished. They had to run from pillar to post from Police Station to Court to save themselves." On August 4, 2016, the economics department assistant professor lodged an FIR at a police station that she was insulted and harassed by the three professors and they had used words related to her caste while scolding her. Later, police submitted a charge sheet in the case after which the court issued summons against the professors which were challenged before the high court. Bengaluru: The Karnataka budget session, earlier scheduled to conclude on Friday, has been extended till February 26 owing to chief minister Siddaramaiahs ill health. Speaker of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly UT Khader announced the extension saying that the CM will provide his budget reply on the extended day. Bengaluru, Feb 23 (ANI): Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLAs stage a protest against the government in the Karnataka legislative assembly, in Bengaluru on Friday. (ANI Photo) (Arun Kumar Rao) Siddaramaiah, who is suffering from a throat infection, will address the budget on Monday. The government will also table additional bills on the last day, said the chief ministers office. Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now. Meanwhile, on Friday, the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) staged a protest against the Congress government for passing resolutions against the Union government. This led to several minutes of adjournment, said the leaders. BJP leaders, including leader of opposition R Ashoka and deputy opposition leader Aravind Bellad, criticised the government for passing resolutions without following due procedures. The resolutions addressed tax devolution and farmers demands for a minimum support price (MSP). The opposition also demanded the extension of the budget session till February 27, owing to the Rajya Sabha elections the same day. Former chief minister Basavaraj Bommai highlighted increased tax devolution during Narendra Modis tenure. Congress MLAs accused Bommai of misleading the House. Minister for law and parliamentary affairs HK Patil defended the governments resolution, emphasising its importance for Karnatakas interests. BJP also presented a counter resolution to the governments devolution of tax sharing by union government resolution. For the past 75 years, the Congress party has predominantly governed India as a democratic nation. However, it failed to increase state revenue share significantly, which remained at only 20% for many years. When requested to raise it to 30-40%, the Congress-led UPA government rejected it, citing concerns over hindering state development. They highlighted the issue merely for political reasons, focusing on power dynamics. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the newly elected government swiftly increased the demand for states revenue share from 32% to 42%, following the Cooperative Federalism policy, said R Ashoka in the Assembly. The NDA government, unlike its predecessors, ensured the allocation of funds to states as recommended by Finance Commissions. The allegation of discriminating against non-Congress states for not providing sufficient funds is entirely baseless. During the 15th Finance Commissions initiation, Congress-led state governments failed to effectively represent their fiscal situation to the commission. Moreover, during the final decisive meeting of the commission, five Congress ministers remained silent without opposing any decisions, leading to a delay in fund allocation for two years. If theres any deviation from the standards, the current Congress government should be held responsible, he further said. Despite the absence of economic growth, the central government compensated states with 1,06,258 crore. While this arrangement concluded in 2022, states are attempting to include 2023-24, which is misleading. The central government followed the mechanism of directly crediting funds for various central schemes into beneficiaries bank accounts. Any loss attributed to not accounting for this directly disbursed assistance is a political manoeuvre by state governments. added R Ashoka. The GST compensation of 1,06,258 crore to Karnataka is routed through surcharge and cess. The plea for more allocation is politically motivated and lacks factual basis. To ensure fair development and taxation in Karnataka, its imperative to criticize the fallacies and political motivations behind decisions, debates, and resolutions. We condemn the state governments attempt to overlook the economic reality and its complete failure in revenue collection, allocation, and economic growth, he stated. In a bizarre turn of events, a 31-year-old businesswoman has been apprehended by police for allegedly stalking and abducting a television music channel anchor with the intention of marrying him. Sistla lodged a complaint with Uppal police station, and a case was registered under 363, 341, 342, and relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).(Instagram / @sistlapranav) According to police, the woman, identified as Bhogireddy Trishna, who operates a digital marketing business, became fixated on TV anchor Pranav Sistla after stumbling upon his photos on a matrimony website two years ago. Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now. Trishna searched through the profile and found the phone number of the TV anchor. When she contacted Pranav through an instant messaging app, the anchor informed her that some unknown person had used his photo and created a fake account on the matrimony site. He also said that he had lodged a complaint with the Cyber Crime police station about it. The woman continued sending messages to the anchor. However, her advances were rebuffed when Pranav blocked her number. Underdeterred by the setback, Trishna, determined to marry the anchor, allegedly hatched a plan to abduct him, thinking she could get things sorted out. Accordingly, she hired four persons to kidnap the anchor and also installed a tracking device on the victim's car to watch his movements. On February 11, the hired men reportedly abducted the TV anchor, subjecting him to physical assault at the woman's office. Fearing for his life, the TV anchor agreed to respond to the woman's calls and only then was he let off, police said. Following his ordeal, he filed a complaint with the Uppal police station, resulting in the registration of a case under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) including kidnapping, wrongful restraint, and wrongful confinement. During the course of the investigation, the police apprehended the accused woman along with the four men she hired to carry out the abduction. Further investigation is underway. A kidnapping case was registered in the Malkajgiri subdivision, under the Uppal police station by Pranav Sista, a software engineer and TV Anchor against a woman named Bogireddy Trishna who wanted to marry him. Pranav refused to marry her. The woman has been arrested by Uppal police and the search for others is underway. Using the technical evidence the case is registered and she will be sent to court, said K Purushotham Reddy, Assitant Commissioner of Police, Malkajgiri. (With PTI inputs) Lucknow/New Delhi Senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid, who is a part of the partys panel formed to hold seat-sharing discussions with allies, on Friday appealed to the voters of the Farrukhabad to support him -- a day after the seat was allotted to the Samajwadi Party (SP) as part of the seat-sharing deal between the INDIA bloc constituents. Congress leader Salman Khurshid said his social media post should not be interpreted unnecessarily (PTI) The former Union minister won from the Farrukhabad seat in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections. He contested the 2014 elections, too, from the same seat but finished fourth. In the 2019 elections, he was again fielded from the UP constituency but came third. BJPs Mukesh Rajput is the sitting MP from Farrukhabad. Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now. How much will my relations with Farrukhabad be tested? The question is not about me but about the future of all of us, about the future generations. Never bowed before the decisions of fate. I can break, I cant bend. You promise to support me, I will keep singing songs, said Khurshid, in a post in Hindi on X. SP-Congress seat sharing deal in UP On Wednesday, the SP and Congress announced a seat-sharing agreement for the upcoming LS polls for Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. The two parties announced that the SP will contest 63 seats in UP and the Congress 17. Farrukhabad was not part of the list of seats in Congresss quota. Khurshid said his social media post should not be interpreted unnecessarily, adding that he was a member of the Congress committee that held seat-sharing talks with the SP, and has no complaints. We have got 17 seats. Be happy, he said. A senior Congress leader and close associate of Khurshid said: He is emotional at this stage. It is understandable. But we all know him. He wont do anything against the interest of the Congress. Meanwhile, late Congress stalwart Ahmed Patels daughter Mumtaz Patel said that she hoped that Bharuch Lok Sabha seat of Gujarat, which her father won in 1980 and 1984, will be part of the Congresss quota after seat-sharing pact with allies is sealed. Her comments came amid buzz that the Congress is likely to offer two seats to the AAP in Gujarat Bharuch and Bhavnagar The talks are still on and the final decision is yet to be made. We had hopes that this seat would remain with Congress but when this information came people felt demoralised and sad. We have heard that Rahul Gandhi has also objected to the Bharuch seat being given to AAP. We are hopeful that this seat will remain with Congress. Traditionally, this is a Congress seat, said Patel. BJPs Mansukhbhai Vasava has been the sitting MP from Bharuch since 1998. Mumtazs brother Faisal Patel also appeared to make a case for his candidature from the seat as he thanked Rahul Gandhi for listening to him and local Congress workers. By supporting us, I and my fellow Bharuch Congress workers have been honored. I promise you that I will live up to your faith by winning the Bharuch Lok Sabha, he said in a post on X. The Assam cabinet on Friday decided to repeal an 89-year-old legislation involving the registration of marriages and divorces by Muslims residing in the state. Assam Moslem Marriage and Divorce Registration Act, 1935, provided for voluntary registration of Muslim marriages and divorces. The Act allowed the government to provide a licence to a Muslim person authorizing him to register Muslim marriages and divorces on applications for such registration. Tourism minister Jayanta Malla Baruah informed that Assam has at present 94 authorized persons who could register Muslim marriages and divorces. But with the cabinet decision, their authority would cease to exist after the issuance of directions for the same by district authorities. Read full story Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, (File) Controversial bill defeated The controversial Hindu Religious and Temple Endowments (Amendment) Bill, 2024, was defeated in the Karnataka Legislative Council on Friday evening. During the voting, 18 Bharatiya Janata Party and Janata Dal (Secular) MLCs voted against the bill and seven only favoured it. However, Muzrai department minister Ramalinga Reddy, said the government will put it forth again in the Assembly on Monday. The bill seeks to help the 35,000 Hindu temples and their families with less income. It envisages increasing the burden revenue earning temples and passing the extra funds to temples with lesser income. The funds would be used to support the priests and their children for education and other needs. But opposition leader in the Council said the government needs to support the poorer temples with its own revenues and not out of the funds of the richer temples. Read full story Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now. Legalising marijuana The German parliament voted Friday to legalise the possession and controlled cultivation of cannabis starting in April, despite fierce objections from the opposition and medical associations. Under the new law, it will be possible to obtain up to 25 grams of the drug per day for personal use through regulated cannabis cultivation associations, as well as to have up to three plants at home. But possession and use of the drug will remain prohibited for anyone under 18. The changes will leave Germany with some of the most liberal cannabis laws in Europe. Read full story WPL opener Rookie all-rounder Sajeevan Sajana hit a six to give defending champions Mumbai Indians a nailbiting last-ball win in Friday's Women's Premier League season opener. Sajana took the crease in Bengaluru with Mumbai four runs behind the Delhi Capitals in a rerun of the inaugural season's final last year. Captain Harmanpreet Kaur had been caught at long-on for 55 after attempting a boundary on the penultimate ball. Sajana then danced down the track, bringing Mumbai to 173-6 and sealing a four-wicket win. The 29-year-old, a captain for state side Kerala, had been scooped up by Kaur's team in December at the bottom end of the player auction price band. Read full story Milestone for Manoj Bajpayee Actor Manoj Bajpayee celebrated 30 years in cinema at a special event organised by the Indian Embassys Tagore Centre in Berlin. The event coincided with Bajpayee's presence in Berlin for the premiere of his latest film The Fable in the competitive Encounters section at the 74th edition of the Berlin International Film Festival. In a conversation, Bajpayee traced his journey from dreaming about becoming an actor in a small village in Bihar through his persistent struggle of over 15 years to his rise as a celebrated actor in Indian cinema. The discussion, also attended by the Ambassador of India to Germany, highlighted Bajpayees upcoming projects and his venture into production. The three new criminal laws which succeed the colonial-era Indian Penal Code (IPC), Criminal Code Procedure (CrPC), and the Indian Evidence Act, have been notified by the Centre, and will come into effect from July 1. Representational Image Introduced in Parliament during its Monsoon session in August last year, the laws are Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS), Bharatiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), and Bharatiya Saksha Adhiniyam (BSA), which replace the trio of IPC, CrPC, and Evidence Act, respectively, . Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now. So what changes with the new laws? Here are some key takeaways: Sections: While IPC had 511 sections, its successor BNS has 358; similarly, CrPC had 484 sections, while BNSS has 531. Evidence Act had 166 sections, while BSA has 170. No sedition: Though sedition has been deleted, treason caused by armed revolution, destructive and separatist activities will be criminalised. Any activity will be considered treason only if it is intended against the integrity, sovereignty and unity of the nation and not just because it is against the government. Anyone can say anything against the government, but if someone interferes with the country's flag, security, or property, they will go to jail, Union home minister Amit Shah explained in Parliament. Terrorists and terrorism: Under the laws, any individual who uses dynamite, poisonous gas etc. against the well-being of the nation is a terrorist. A terrorist activity is one that threatens the security of the government of India, any state or any foreign government or any international government organisation. Trial in absentia: An accused hiding outside India need not be here. If the person does not appear before a court within 90 days, then a trial will go on despite their absence. A public prosecutor will be appointed for the prosecution. Rapes and sexual assault: Provisions on sexual assault on women below 18 have been aligned with the POCSO Act to prevent the accused from taking advantage of the lenient provisions of the penal code. For minors' rape, life-long imprisonment or death penalty has been mandated. In case of gang-rapes, 20 years of imprisonment or lifelong imprisonment has been mandated. Additionally, the laws have been made gender-neutral by including the trade of minor boys as a crime. Guwahati: At least one person was killed and another sustained injury in a bomb blast that took place on Friday night in Manipurs Imphal, police said on Saturday. The explosion took place around 9:30pm at Dhanamanjuri University complex (Representative Photo) The explosion took place around 9:30pm at Dhanamanjuri University complex near the office of All Manipur Students Union (AMSU) at Thangmeiband in Imphal West district, said police. Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now. Two persons sustained injuries in the blast, and they were rushed to a private medical hospital for treatment. One of them later succumbed to his injuries, while the other is getting treated, a police officer aware of the matter said. Police have identified the deceased as Oinam Kenegy (24) and the injured as Salam Michael (24), both residents of Bishnupur district. No outfit has claimed responsibility for the blast so far. Soon after the reports of the explosion, a team of police rushed to the site and cordoned off the area. An investigation is underway to identify and arrest those responsible for the incident and identify the explosive used, which is believed to be a grenade, said police. Meanwhile, in another incident, the office of the United Committee Manipur (UCM) office was set ablaze allegedly by a group of miscreants in the early hours of Saturday at Lamphel in Imphal West district. Formed in 2001 to protect the territorial integrity of Manipur, UCM is an umbrella organisation of several civil society groups. According to officials, the incident took place around 12:30am on Saturday. There have been no reports of injuries in the incident. A police probe is underway to nab the culprits. Manipur has been roiled by ethnic clashes between Meitei and Kuki communities since May last year. The violence has claimed at least 215 lives and displaced around 50,000 people. The Quad is here to stay and grow and one of the key messages of the grouping formed by India, Australia, Japan and the US is that others cannot have a veto on our choices, external affairs minister S Jaishankar said on Saturday. External affairs minister S Jaishankar at the Raisina Dialogue 2024 in New Delhi on Friday. (PTI) Over the past five years, the Quad has become a significant platform for four large resident democracies that want to ensure an open and inclusive Indo-Pacific, and the grouping is against spheres of influence, Jaishankar said in an apparent reference to Chinas growing assertiveness while addressing the first Quad Think Tank Forum. Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now. Australia foreign minister Penny Wong, Japan foreign minister Yoko Kamikawa and US deputy secretary of state Kurt Campbell, who also addressed the forum, emphasised that the Quad was about creating resilience and offering more choices to partners of the Quad across the region. Jaishankar said there are three clear messages about the Quad: One, the Quad is here to stay. Two, the Quad is here to grow. And three, the Quad is here to contribute. The grouping is an initiative that makes the Indo-Pacific and the whole world more free and open and much respectful of international law and a rules-based order. Also Read | Finding equilibrium in ties a test for both India, China: S Jaishankar The Quad also reflects the growth of a multipolar order, and is a post-alliance and post-cold war thinking that is against spheres of influence. It stands for a collaborative, and not unilateral, approach and is a statement that others cannot have a veto on our choices, he added. With India set to host the Quad Leaders Summit this year, the think tank forum was organised alongside the Raisina Dialogue, the countrys flagship conference on geopolitics and geo-economics, so that experts could brainstorm on the future course and focus areas of the grouping. Jaishankar said the forum was also part of preparations for the summit. The original idea of the Quad was put forward by then Japanese premier Shinzo Abe in 2006 but the grouping unravelled within a year before being resumed at the level of officials in 2017. Jaishankar said the emergence of this new version of Quad was due to changes in Indias relations with the three other partners. Also Read | US House passes Quad bill to intensify cooperation With the US, we put behind ideological hesitations of history. With Japan, we gave a longstanding goodwill much more practical shape. And with Australia, we actually made a real beginning in seriousness, he said. The Quad is there for global good and the global commons, and it is propelled by a change in the global order that requires more collaboration among the like-minded, he added. The Quad has grown rapidly because it is a flexible, nimble, responsive and open-minded enterprise, and its activities include maritime security, cyber security, counter-terrorism, infrastructure, connectivity, disaster response, critical technologies, communications and space cooperation. Jaishankar said in the realm of critical technologies, Quad is working to build resilient supply chains for telecom, cyber security, semiconductors and artificial intelligence. By pooling together our technical expertise, we are actually enhancing the ability of the Indo-Pacific countries to select smart and reliable options, he said. We have also commenced discussions about deploying digital public infrastructure to deliver public goods in the Indo-Pacific. Under the Quads Indo-Pacific Maritime Domain Awareness Initiative, commercial satellite data is being used to counter illicit maritime activities and respond to climate-related and humanitarian events. The Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) seeks to offer alternative economic engagement mechanisms and is making progress in areas such as supply chains, sustainability and digital economies. Wong said the Australia-India relationship has become more consequential at a time when strategic competition, climate change and economic disruption are reshaping the region. Practical cooperation within the Quad provides an opportunity to contribute to the regions resilience of region, and the four countries have a vision of an Indo-Pacific free from intimidation and coercion where disputes are settled in line with international law, she said. Campbell said the Quad is not about forcing the region to choose between strategic competitors, but about preserving and creating options so that...countries can make decisions to benefit their people. TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu and Janasena chief Pawan Kalyan on Saturday announced their first joint list of 118 seats for the forthcoming Assembly polls in Andhra Pradesh. TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu and Janasena chief Pawan Kalyan on Saturday announced their first joint list of 118 seats for the forthcoming Assembly polls in Andhra Pradesh.(ANI) The two leaders, however, said the seat allocation has been done keeping in mind the "need to accommodate" BJP in case the saffron party decides to join the alliance. Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now. TDP candidates will be contesting from 94 constituencies while Janasena will contest from 24 seats, as per the first list. "On this auspicious occasion, both TDP and Janasena are ready to go for the polls. I wish this news to be good tidings for everyone in the state. This union is for the future of the state. This is the first step for a great effort," said Naidu, addressing a press conference at his Andhra Pradesh residence in Undavalli on the TDP-Janasena alliance. ALSO READ| Property bought in name of homemaker wife is family property: Allahabad HC Observing that the TDP-Janasena alliance "has the blessings of the BJP", Kalyan read out the names of five Janasena candidates and promised to reveal the remaining 19 names in a couple of days. Explaining the rationale behind the Janasena taking only 24 seats, Kalyan noted that it is important to take a lower number of seats than experimenting with a higher number of seats. "We have to first put the state on the right track, keeping the future of the state ahead of individual and party prospects," said the actor-politician. Including the three Lok Sabha seats allocated for Janasena in the alliance, he noted that it is as good as the party contesting some 40 Assembly seats. Meanwhile, Naidu highlighted that if the BJP also comes along with their alliance then those issues will also be discussed at the right time to take the right decisions. "This alliance is for the future of the state, not for any two individuals or two parties. Both the parties took the decision to work together for the welfare of five crore people. This is a historic day for the state," said Naidu. For his ninth election, Naidu highlighted that he had done the most intense exercise of zeroing in on the candidates, unlike previously, even during the times of united Andhra Pradesh. Taking the opinion of 1.1 crore people from various sources, Naidu said the 94 TDP candidates have been selected after a multi-pronged analysis and filtering. He asserted that the selected candidates are people who are in touch with the masses, desired by people, approved by the people and who can 'resiliently' face the polls and opponents. Further, the opposition leader observed that the TDP gave prominence to youth, women, those from BC communities and educated people in selecting candidates. Out of the 94 candidates, Naidu said 23 are first-timers, three doctors, one retired IAS officer, 25 post-graduates, 51 graduates and three doctorates. Naidu called on the Janasena and TDP leaders to cooperate with each other for mutual benefit wherever both the parties are contesting. "Wherever Janasena is contesting the TDP should cooperate and wherever TDP is contesting the Janaseana should cooperate. Both should work with an understanding for creating belief in people and victory will be easy, nobody can stop us...," Naidu added. Seat-sharing arrangement for the remaining 57 of the 175 Assembly constituencies are expected to be announced soon. As part of the alliance, Janasena will contest three Lok Sabha seats of the total 25 from the state. TDP sources said currently discussions were underway with the BJP for a possible pre-poll alliance. Meanwhile, talking to reporters, Andhra Pradesh BJP chief D Purandeswari said alliances in the southern state would be decided by the party high command and as of now the state unit is gearing up its activities in all the constituencies. BAKU, Azerbaijan, February 24. New footage of the airport in Azerbaijan's Lachin liberated from occupation has appeared, Trend reports. Video footage of the airport was shown on the Public Television (ITV) channel. Lachin International Airport is an international airport under construction in Azerbaijan's Lachin area, near Korchu village. The airport will have the highest height in the country. The runway will be 3,000 meters long, with six airplane parking areas on the apron. The airport will take a variety of aircraft, including freight planes. The groundbreaking ceremony for the proposed airport was held in August 2021. Its construction is scheduled to be completed by 2025. Presenting the footage: Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday shared the video of his filing an election nomination for the first time in 2002, exactly 22 years ago on February 24. PM Modi said it is a happy coincidence that he is in Gujarat for two days and will attend a programme in Rajkot -- from where he contested the first election of his life. "Rajkot will always have a very special place in my heart. It was the people of this city who put their faith in me, giving me my first ever electoral win. Since then, I have always worked to do justice to the aspirations of the Janta Janardan. Its also a happy coincidence that I will be in Gujarat today and tomorrow, and one of the programmes is being held in Rajkot, from where 5 AIIMS will be dedicated to the nation," PM Modi tweeted. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday shared a video of his filing election nomination for the first time in 2002. Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now. The video was shared by Modi Archive, a platform that narrates the journey of PM Modi through archival pictures, videos, audio recordings, letters, newspaper clips and such other material. "On February 24 2002, exactly 22 years ago today, @narendramodi stepped into the Gujarat Legislature as an MLA for the first time. This victory marked the dawn of a promising new era not only for Gujarat but also for India and the world," Modi Archive wrote sharing clips from 2002. "Just four months ago, he (Modi) had taken over as Gujarat's chief minister in the wake of the devastating Gujarat earthquakes. Narendra Modi was skilled in political management and mobilisation of the party cadre during elections. Many of the slogans and the electoral strategies that helped the BJP change the course of national politics in the 1990s were of Modi's making. Yet, Modi himself had never contested a popular election so far. But when put to the test, Narendra Modi's popularity has always stood by him. Chief minister Narendra Modi triumphed by a respectable margin of 14,728 votes. The victory gave legitimacy to his chief ministership," the archive wrote. Finally, Rajkot has elected me as their MLA. I had requested the people of Rajkot to hold me tightly and not let me go, to put me through agni pariksha. I was not expecting that the voters from Rajkot would make me pass with distinction, Narendra Modi said after winning the first election of his life. Political strategist Prashant Kishor said it is very unlikely that BJP will get 370 seats alone in the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha election. In an interview with Times Now, Prashant Kishor said he will be very surprised if BJP gets 370 Lok Sabha seats alone as the possibility as of now is very lean and almost zero. "Prime Minister Narendra Modi has spoken about this number in Parliament. But I think this is just a target for the BJP workers, not the possibility," Prashant Kishor said giving his prediction for the upcoming election. Narendra Modi mentioned the figure 370 for the first time in Parliament in the context of Article 370 which his government scrapped in a landmark decision of his second term and said BJP will get 370 seats alone and NDA will cross 400. Subsequently, PM Modi repeated the target of 370 seats in many rallies that he addressed. Prashant Kishor said the chances of BJP getting 370 seats in the Lok Sabha election on its own are almost nil. (PTI) "There is a chance of BJP doing very well in Bengal. In Tamil Nadu, BJP may for the first time break into double digits. In Telangana too, the BJP will do well," Prashant Kishor said. Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now. "Issues like Sandeshkhali are bound to dent the ruling party. But with or without Sandeshkhali, the BJP is rising in Bengal. 2024's election result in Bengal will come as a surprise to many in Delhi who think BJP is finished in Bengal," Prashant Kishor said. 'India will not become China if PM Modi is back for a third term' Prashant Kishor said if the BJP wins the 2024 election, then whatever democratic institutions are there will continue to weaken further but this is not exclusive to the BJP. Whenever any person or a group becomes very powerful, the democratic fabric of society is compromised, Prashant Kishor said citing Indira Gandhi's example. India will not become China but the signs of autocratic rule will become more prominent. But there are 15 states ruled by the opposition, Prashant said. If Rahul Gandhi can go to Europe for 7 days... Prashant Kishor said the INDIA bloc started late and should have done in last year what they are doing now. "Last year, the INDIA bloc did not even work beyond 7-10 days. If Rahul Gandhi can go to Europe for 7 days, why didn't the bloc work for even that much last year," Prashant Kishor said adding that the INDIA bloc has to now see beyond the 2024 election. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra joined Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in Moradabad on Saturday days after the yatra entered Uttar Pradesh. While her absence drew flak from BJP leaders who attributed it to a brother-sister rivalry, Priyanka Gandhi clarified that she had to be hospitalised because of her ill health and hence could not welcome the yatra to the state. As she joined it on Saturday from Moradabad, she started her speech by addressing the people as 'sasuralwalon' since her in-law's place is in Moradabad. Priyanka Gandhi joined Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra on Saturday in Moradabad.(PTI) "I am very happy to be here because this is the first time I am joining the yatra with the people from my in-laws' place. You must remember that I was here two years before during the assembly election. Then you elected BJP government, made Yogi Adityanath your chief minister. So what changed between then and now?" Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said as she trained the guns at the BJP government over the paper leak issue. Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now. Later on Saturday, the UP Police constable recruitment exam was cancelled, following days of protest by the candidates over the alleged paper leak. "The farmers were protesting yesterday. The farmers are protesting today also but the government is not listening to them. In Uttar Pradesh, bulldozers did not run on the homes of those who crushed farmers under their jeeps, tortured women and leaked question papers. In this government, the bulldozer is not moved on guilty but only on the homes of innocent people," Priyanka said. "Until you bring about a change, your circumstances will not change," Priyanka said. Priyanka Gandhi played a key role in finalising the seat-sharing deal with Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh as Congress will now contest from 17 seats in the state including Varanasi, Amethi and Raebareli. As Sonia Gandhi vacated her Raebareli seat to shift to the Rajya Sabha, speculations are rife aboutwhether Priyanka Gandhi will be making her electoral debut in 2024. Speaking about the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in the country, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said that it would be difficult for the BJP to repeat its electoral performance of 2019. Tharoor said that the BJP had already peaked in many states during the 2019 polls. Congress MP Shashi Tharoor (PTI) Tharoor further said that the complacency of the BJP was the strength of the opposition. Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now. Speaking at ABP Network's Ideas of India Summit 3.0 on `Collaborative Federalism: View of the States' Tharoor said, "They peaked in 2019. We are going to see nothing but a downward slide. How much downhill that is going to be depends on how effective the opposition campaign is, which is just picking up," the Congress leader said. In 2019, the BJP did too well across the Hindi heartland, said Tharoor, noting that it won every seat in Haryana, Rajasthan, all but one seat in Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka, and a large number of seats in West Bengal, Maharashtra and Bihar. The saffron party's tally in the Lok Sabha rose to 303 in 2019. "All of this is not going to happen this time because it is impossible for them to repeat those numbers," Tharoor stated. The percentage of votes gained by the BJP may rise, but even if there is enthusiasm after the Ram Mandir consecration in Ayodhya, there are no more seats left to win in any of these places, he said. Tharoor's statement was based on Prime Minister Modi's affirmation that the BJP alone would cross the 370 mark in the LS polls. Modi said earlier, I am sure that the BJP's lotus symbol will definitely cross the 370-mark on its own. Attacking Congress's comments about his caste, Modi reiterated this statement on Friday. "How do people from Congress forget that the more they abuse Modi's caste, the stronger the resolve will be for obtaining 400 seats." "The more mud you sling, the more 370 lotuses will blossom(referring to the ruling party's target of winning 370 LS seats on its own)," Modi added. The Election Commission is gearing up to announce the schedule for the Lok Sabha elections 2024, with an announcement expected after March 13. ECI teams are currently on the ground, assessing the election readiness of various states, and are likely to conclude their assessment by March 13. (With PTI inputs) Spells of rain and snow are likely to return to the Western Himalayan region and the plains nearby early next week, with some showers, lightning and overcast conditions extending to over central India and parts of the northwest plains, including the national capital, weather experts said on Friday. New Delhi, India - Feb. 23, 2024: Visitors gather in large numbers to witness Spring Seasons at Rajghat in New Delhi, India, on Friday, February 23, 2024. (Photo by Raj K Raj/ Hindustan Times) (Hindustan Times) The India Meteorological Department predicted these due to a new western disturbance (WD) system forecast to arrive in these parts of the country. Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now. The last such phenomenon, which is marked by moisture-heavy winds that originate in the Mediterranean and sweep in from the West before hitting the Himalayan ranges, where it precipitates into snow and rain, indirectly led to colder conditions in the plains to return on Friday, officials said, explaining the temperatures first rise when WDs arrive, but drop after they recede since the directions of wind changes, bringing in the cold from the mountains where the WDs leave a thicker or fresh snow cover. When the previous WD was approaching on February 19, temperatures had gone up due to variable winds. Now there are northwesterly winds blowing over the plains and temperatures have gone back to near normal. The forthcoming WD is likely to bring rain and snow to higher reaches and very light rain to plains mostly Punjab, said Naresh Kumar, senior scientist at IMD. Northwesterly winds are colder owing to the snow-clad mountains through which they arrive. Temperatures will rise again because of the WD expected to approach on February 26 and 27. Once it moves away, we can expect a slight dip once again, added M Mohapatra, director general, IMD. Meanwhile, the minimum temperature in Delhi dropped by a couple of notches on Friday and was recorded at 7.6C, four degrees below normal. The maximum on Friday was 24.4 degrees, a degree below normal. Officials said the minimum is expected to consistently rise over the weekend. IMD officials said that mostly clear skies persisted throughout Thursday and Friday, affecting the temperature. The minimum on Thursday was 10.8 degrees, a degree below the normal. The maximum on Friday was 24.4 degrees, a degree below the normal as compared to Thursdays 26.2 degrees. Isolated light rainfall/snowfall very likely over Western Himalayan Region during February 23 to 25, IMD has said. Scattered to fairly widespread light to moderate rainfall/snowfall accompanied with thunderstorms & lightning very likely at isolated places over Jammu-Kashmir-Ladakh-Gilgit-Baltistan-Muzaffarabad on February 26; over Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand on February 26 and 27, IMD added. There is a 38% rainfall deficiency over northwest India since January 1, largely due to a lack of western disturbances in the early part of the year. The variation this year was such that the countrys popular ski resorts, such as Gulmarg in Kashmir, were virtually barren for most of January, one of the coldest months. But western disturbances picked up, bringing snow (even an avalanche this week) to those regions. A separate system will affect northeast India, where high moisture is seeping in from the Bay of Bengal. Under its influence, scattered to fairly widespread light/moderate rainfall/snowfall with thunderstorms, lightning is very likely over Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, and light/moderate rainfall over Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura on February 23. These regions are likely to see isolated to scattered light/moderate rainfall over the region on February 24 and 25, the government weather forecaster added. Isolated heavy rainfall/snowfall was also very likely over Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim on Friday. Several more weather disturbances were at play over the country. A cyclonic circulation lay over south Telangana and a trough ran from this cyclonic circulation to south Tamil Nadu, while another cyclonic circulation lay over south Chhattisgarh. An anti-cyclone --- marked by high pressure, as opposed to low pressure in cyclonic circulations --- was in the lower levels over the Bay of Bengal and was likely to strengthen during the next few days. Under its influence, isolated light to moderate rainfall was very likely over West Bengal, Odisha and Jharkhand during February 23 to 27, the IMD bulletin said. Scattered to fairly widespread light-to-moderate rainfall accompanied with thunderstorms and lightning with gusty winds (speed reaching 30-40 kmph gusting to 50 kmph) were very likely at isolated places over Chhattisgarh, Vidarbha, Madhya Pradesh on February 26 and 27. Hailstorm activity is also very likely at isolated places over Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand on February 26. Telugu Desam Party (TDP) headed by former Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu and its alliance partner Jana Sena Party (JSP) headed by Pawan Kalyan announced a combined list of 99 candidates on Saturday for the upcoming Assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh. The TDP has announced its 94 candidates while the JSP released five names (HT) Speaking to reporters at his residence in Undavalli in Amaravati, Naidu said, According to the seat sharing agreement between the two parties, JSP would be contesting for 24 seats in the 175-member state assembly. Besides, it would also contest from three Lok Sabha constituencies. Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now. In the first list of candidates, the TDP has announced its 94 candidates while the JSP released five names. We shall announce the names for the remaining 19 seats shortly, Kalyan said. Naidu also said, both the parties were still awaiting the response from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on joining the alliance. If the BJP comes forward, we shall take a call on allotment of the seats to that party accordingly, he added. The first list of 94 candidates belonging to the TDP comprises 17 candidates from Other Backward Classes (OBCs), 18 from Scheduled Castes, four from Scheduled Tribes, 19 from Kapu, one from Velama, four from Kshatriya, 12 from Kamma, 15 from Reddy, two from Vysya, one from minorities and one Balija community. ALSO READ- Not easy to sail in 2 boats: TDP MP Jayadev Galla on taking a break from politics The TDP chief said, out of 94 candidates, there are 23 newcomers and 13 women. The list includes 28 candidates with post-graduate degrees, 50 candidate with graduate degrees, 3 doctors, two Ph.D, and one IAS officer. While Naidu would be contesting from Kuppam constituency in Chittoor district, his son and TDP general secretary Nara Lokesh would fight the elections from Mangalagiri constituency in Guntur district. Meanwhile, his brother-in-law Nandamuri Balakrishna would contest from Hindupur constituency. Naidu said, the selection of candidates was done after considering the opinion of more than 13.3 million people through interactive voice response system. By embracing crowdsourcing, the TDP-JSP alliance aims to decentralise power, placing the aspirations and voices of the people of Andhra Pradesh at the forefront of their political agenda, he added. The JSP chief said, his party had agreed to contest only in 24 seats keeping in view the broader interests of the state, rather than the interests of the party or individuals. He said, had JSP won at least 10 seats in the 2019 Assembly elections, he would have demanded more seats from the TDP. However, the party won only one seat. There is no point in asking for more seats as part of an alliance and experimenting with them. We thought we would ask for those seats where we have fair chances of winning, Kalyan said. ALSO READ- YSRCP, TDP engage in war of words over use of condoms in party campaigns Meanwhile, the general secretary of ruling YSR Congress party and advisor to the Andhra Pradesh government Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy said, the list of 99 candidates released by the TDP-JSP indicated that Kalyan had no independent stature in the Andhra Pradesh politics and that he was only playing a second fiddle to Naidu. The Jana Sena has proved to be an affiliated party of the TDP. Instead of agreeing for just 24 seats, it would have been better if Pawan Kalyan merged his party with the TDP, Reddy said and wondered whether Naidu himself would field the TDP candidates in the seats allotted to Jana Sena. He further said, even if both TDP and JSP indulged in any kind of theatrics, the people were with the YSRCP, as 87% of them were enjoying the benefits of welfare schemes implemented by chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy. The three new criminal laws which replace the Indian Penal Code, Code of Criminal Procedure and Evidence Act will come into effect from July 1, the government notified on Saturday. The three new criminal laws are the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha. Sanhita and the Bharatiya Sakshaya Act. The new laws aim at a complete overhaul of the British-era laws giving a clear definition of terrorism, abolishing sedition as a crime and introducing a new section titled "offences against the state" -- among many other changes. Union home minister Amit Shah. (ANI file photo)(HT_PRINT) Understanding the significant changes in 3 criminal law bills Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now. These three bills were first introduced during the Monsoon session of Parliament in August 2023. After the Standing Committee on Home Affairs made several recommendations, the redrafted versions were introduced in the winter session. Union home minister Amit Shah said the bills were drafted after wide consultations and he himself had gone through every comma and full stop of the draft. Here are the main takeaways of the new legislation The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 This replaces the Indian Penal Code, 1860 Sedition has been deleted but another provision penalising secessionism, separatism, rebellion and acts against the sovereignty, unity and integrity of India has been introduced. Death penalty for gang rape of minors and mob lynching. Community services have been introduced as one of the punishments for the first time. The Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 This replaces the CrPC, 1973 Time-bound investigation, trial and judgment within 30 days of the completion of arguments. Video recording of the statement of sexual assault victims made mandatory. A new provision for attachment of property and proceeds of crime has been introduced. Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023 This replaced the Indian Evidence Act, 1872 Evidence produced and admissible in courts will include electronic or digital records, emails, server logs, computers, smartphones, laptops, SMS, websites, locational evidence, mails, messages on devices. Digitisation of all records including case diary, FIR, chargesheet and judgment. Electronic or digital records shall have the same legal effect, validity and enforceability as paper records. New Delhi: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has recommended that network providers allow callers to display their names to the receiver when they make a regular phone call, suggesting the service be introduced as an optional extra. Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Representative Photo) The feature is called Calling Name Presentation (CNAP) and Trai recommended on Friday that it be rolled out as a supplementary service across the Indian telecommunication network and on all devices sold in India. Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now. In its suggestion, the telecoms regulator said that each network provider a company like Airtel or Jio first carry out a trial and assessment in one licensed service area (LSA) with the subscriber base of each TSP in that LSA. The name, the regulator suggested, should be the one used at the time of registering for the number. In case the persons name has changed since getting the phone number, Trai suggested that the Department of Telecommunications issue guidelines to TSPs to amend the names using verifiable identity documents issued by the government. In case of bulk and business connections, the subscribers should be given the option to display their preferred name which must be a name that is registered with the government, such as a trademark name registered with the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, or the trade name registered with the GST Council. For registered telemarketers allocated the 140 series or other callers engaged in transactional services, Trai has recommended the name be always displayed to the called party. Trai released a consultation paper on the issue in November 2022 at the reference of the Department of Telecommunications and held a virtual open house in March 2023. The DoT will now decide if these recommendations should be formalised through guidelines or changes to the license conditions of TSPs. The company which has been most affected by this move is Truecaller, which over the years has been working with different ministries, departments and law enforcement agencies to label spam and scam callers. While welcoming the move, a Truecaller spokesperson said: With regards to CNAP, we do not see that it would be a competitive service comparable to the full range of services and functionality that Truecaller offers to our more than 374 million users. With our technology and Al capabilities, Truecaller goes beyond just providing a basic number identification service. We believe that the current Trai recommendations can even be a driving catalyst for our continued growth in India, as more people discover our offerings. During the consultation, the three biggest private TSPs in the country - Airtel, Jio and Vodafone Idea - said implementing CNAP would increase call set-up time and increase latency, thereby affecting quality of service, and would require significant investments. They also said currently, only 4G-enabled devices can support CNAP because of which a large portion of the market wouldnt be able to avail the facility. All three had raised privacy concerns related to the move as well. Industry body IAMAI too had submitted that CNAP would undermine the right to privacy and have an adverse impact on womens safety. There can be myriad reasons for the customers not being willing to share their name with the called party. A few of these can be potential fraud and risk of abuse, misbehaviour, social media stalking etc. We are already witnessing multiple cases where the abuse and inappropriate behaviour starts the moment called party is speaking to a person of the opposite sex, which can only increase when the name is also available, Jio had written. Airtel had said that significant costs would be involved in setting up a separate server and database for CNAP. Vi had said that legacy nodes for 2G/3G might not be able to support CNAP while feature phones and landline phones might not be able to display the numbers. Silchar: Two girls aged between 15 and 16, who went missing from Assams Jorhat district on February 12, were rescued in Bihar, police said on Friday. (Representative Photo) The girls from the Kalyanpur area of Jorhats Mariani town went missing on February 12, and their family members lodged a missing complaint the next day. Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now. According to preliminary reports, they were rescued by their family members, who found them at a railway station while the duo were returning to Assam from Bengaluru. According to the family members, they called the girls on their mobile phones and convinced them to return home. We traced their mobiles in Bengaluru and found that they were travelling. However, their parents on Thursday informed us that the girls were rescued from near West Bengals Malda railway station, police said. The family said they were trying to find the reason why these two girls left home. Family members also insisted that the girls should not be interrogated at this moment because of the trauma they had to go through, a senior police officer said. However, the family members alleged that the police were negligent and did not respond to their appeals. Both the girls are minors and we were worried that they were kidnapped by human traffickers. But despite our appeals, the police ignored the matter, the family members alleged. Over a century ago, the US Congress left Europe to its fate. It was the end of the First World War. The US, despite its initial reluctance, had joined the war and ensured a decisive victory for its allies against Germany. Woodrow Wilson had played a key role both during the war and in crafting a peace with the Treaty of Versailles. He put his weight behind the League of Nations, the precursor to the United Nations. Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen (C), her husband Bo Tengberg (C) and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky (R) arrive to lay flowers during a memorial ceremony at the Field of Mars of Lychakiv Cemetery, in Lviv, on February 23, 2024. (AFP) But the US Senate refused to ratify the Treaty, and with it, rejected the League and American participation in it. It remains one of historys big counter-factuals. If the Senate had let Wilson have his way, and if the US had joined the League, would there have been a Second World War? Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now. One hundred and four years after the Senates decision, will the US House of Representatives leave a frightened Europe to its fate? If the Senate has a constitutionally mandated role in determining the American position on any international treaty, the House is a key stakeholder in approving budgets, including security assistance. And that is why it is in the House on Capitol Hill, in the hands of a few dozen lawmakers, that the future of Ukraine rests. This is the site of the battle between Democrats and Republicans on the future world order and Americas role in it; it is the site of the civil war within the Republicans where the old school conservatives encounter the Donald Trump loyalists committed to reducing American commitments globally; it is the site of the tussle between the executive and legislature in Americas divided government; and it is the site which will determine if Ukraine has the wherewithal to even defend its gains of the past two years or live with a de facto or even de jure division. And this suspense comes at a time when the Russian invasion Ukraine marks its second anniversary on February 24. The war on the groundThe Russian invasion of Ukraine, and its takeover bid of Kyiv, has not gone according to the best laid plans in Moscow, Kyiv, Brussels, or Washington. In the first year, Moscow saw its military prowess, or more precisely, its military vulnerabilities, exposed. It saw Ukrainian nationalism take a concrete form in terms of the widespread popular resistance against Moscows ingress. It saw the West consolidate, leak intelligence about the imminent war ahead of the invasion to prepare the ground, and then unleash the most dramatic set of sanctions against Russia and the most generous military support package to Ukraine. Even as Russia engaged in nuclear sabre-rattling to scare the West, and held what are widely considered manipulated referendums in territories it gained by force to legitimise its presence, the story of 2022-23 was the story of Ukrainian heroism. It was also the story of entrenched Western power which could tilt the balance in a war where it didnt have troops on the ground. On the other side, while the year saw the deepening of the Russia-China alliance and Moscows attempts to win over parts of the global south and attack the West for its hypocrisy, the repeated setbacks appeared to be a lesson for great powers about the costs of adventurism and overreach. If Moscow had thought it could replace the Volodymyr Zelensky regime with a pliable government in days, the plans went awry. But it is in year two that the equations changed. On the ground, Ukraines counteroffensive against Russia, by the admission of Kyivs own military leaders, didnt succeed and resulted in a stalemate. Internal political and administrative divisions in Ukraine deepened. Morale dipped. It lost Bakhmut last year and Avdiivka this year. Incremental and partial western military support left Ukraine short of key needs, particularly equipment and ammunition. For its part, Russia expanded its military personnel, stepped up its defence production, engaged in partnerships with countries as varied as China, Iran and North Korea to beef up its national security arsenal, and drew resources from economic exchanges including energy trade with other parts of the world. And Moscows control over the south and east of Ukraine held, even as it has lost hundreds of thousands of men in the process, a sign that dictatorships have a much bigger capacity to bleed than democracies where every body has to be accounted for. 2023-2024 then has become the year of Russian revival, Ukrainian despondency, and American fatigue. It is a period that has shown the limits of power of small states when they fight territorial wars against much bigger powers. It is a period where Vladimir Putins grip over Russian polity has only increased, including through coercion, while Zelenskys grip in Ukraine has weakened. It is a period when Russian war crimes stopped evoking the same outrage and Ukrainian ineffectiveness became the story. And it has been a period where Kyivs overwhelming dependence on a distracted and divided power, the US, came back to haunt it. A distracted and divided AmericaThe adverse dynamic on the ground coincided with two other developments in the US. The first is Donald Trumps comeback. Whether he succeeds in returning to the White House or not, Trumps rise in the Republican field meant that Trumpism became the dominant message within the party. This included a deep scepticism of Americas expensive TransAtlantic security commitments, a critique of Americas substantial financial and military transfers to Ukraine, and the re-emergence of fundamental questions about what constitutes American national interest and whether defending Ukraine is among them. All of this played out on the Hill. In the US House, Trumps loyalists ousted Kevin McCarthy and installed an extreme right Christian nationalist, Mike Johnson, as Speaker. The Joe Biden administrations pleas to the Republicans to sanction aid for Ukraine fell on deaf ears. A package deal that included funding for border security (a key Republican demand), Israel (which has bipartisan support) and Ukraine (which was pushed by Democrats and moderate Republicans) couldnt get through the Senate despite a prior agreement with the Republican leadership of the chamber after Johnson said it would be dead on arrival in the House. And at the moment, another security assistance package awaits the Houses approval, an approval that is unlikely to come. This has left the Biden administration furious, as one part of the US government undermines the executives stated global aims. The second development was Hamass brutal terrorist attack against Israel and abduction of hostages, and Tel Avivs unprecedented, brutal and inhuman offensive against Gaza, which has left close to 30,000 dead and two million displaced. The significance of this war for Ukraine played out in two respects. For one, the West, especially the US, got distracted. The Biden administration has spent an enormous amount of time in the past four months working on supporting Israel, including through military and diplomatic support; restraining Israel especially after Bidens own domestic coalition fractured on the issue; building up a coalition of forces to defend movement in the Red Sea against Houthi attacks; tracking and then responding to attacks by Iranian proxies in the rest of the region; and coming up with a peace plan that includes the release of hostages, ceasefire, an Israeli commitment to Palestinian statehood that includes West Bank and Gaza, the strengthening of the Palestinian Authority as a replacement for Hamas in Gaza and the unified authority for Palestinians, normalisation of relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia, and a commitment to reconstruct Gaza. This peace plan is far from being realised but there is little doubt that Ukraine, which monopolised global attention, has shrunk in terms of the headspace leaders in the US can give. More importantly though, the Israeli offensive and what was seen as US complicity with Israeli war crimes shattered the moral high ground that the West occupied in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Bidens attempts to paint Putin and Hamas in the same category, and frame Israel and Ukraine as victims, didnt fly, for Israel was seen as a victim but was also a perpetrator of unprecedented brutality. This reinforced the suspicions in most of the Global South that America was hypocritical, leaving it with a much smaller patient audience for its lectures on Ukraine. This was visible in a recent G20 foreign ministers meeting if US was on the offensive seeking condemnation of Russia in the last two G20s, it stood isolated on the question of a ceasefire in this edition of G20 chaired by Brazil. And the year witnessed an enhanced desire in most of the world to see the Russia-Ukraine sorted out through diplomacy, irrespective of the terms of the resolution. The US administration, therefore, is getting hit from the Right on Ukraine and Left on Israel. It is getting squeezed by the House on its foreign policy priorities and pressured by the rest of the world on the disconnect between its principles and actions. And it remains cornered by Trump, who uses the Russian success as a way to reinforce his argument about Americas weakness under Biden and also to question Americas role in the war and in Europe itself. Looking aheadIt is in this backdrop that the third year of Russias war in Ukraine commences. Predictions are foolish in this uncertain climate, but what is clear is that three factors will shape what comes next. The first is the battle within the US polity itself, both in the immediate context in terms of whether the House approves a security assistance package for Ukraine and over the year in terms of Trumps rise and possible return to White House. If the mood remains what it is, Russia has a possible reason to smile about Americas fickleness and will be eager to do a deal with Trump, whose commitment to Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial unity appears to be quite low on the priority list. The second variable is the appetite and capability within Europe to stay the course on Ukraine. It has offered a substantial aid package to Kyiv just recently but this is unlikely to be enough to fill in for the gap the Americans will leave behind. Europe remains caught between its wariness of Trump and fear of American inconsistency on Nato, and nightmares about what Putin would do next if he succeeds in Ukraine. The third is the internal cohesion within Ukraine. Citizens of the embattled land have shown remarkable spirit in fighting Russians but the elite consensus seems frayed, Zelenskys popularity has taken a hit, there have been frequent changes in military leadership appointments, and Kyiv has to make some tough choices about what it is willing to give up for peace to be able to secure what it has. How the war eventually shapes up will affect the security architecture in at least two regions Europe and Asia. It will offer a glimpse into Russias staying power. It will show whether the Americans can be trusted by those it promises to secure. And it will reveal how old-style 19th and 20th century territorial battles end in the 21st century. BAKU, Azerbaijan, February 24. An internationally wanted person was detained in Germany and extradited to Azerbaijan, Trend reports, referring to the Azerbaijani Ministry of Justice. The Ministry of Justice has extradited Marvud Vagifzade, an Azerbaijani citizen who had been proclaimed internationally wanted by the National Central Bureau of Interpol in Azerbaijan. Thus, in 2021, Vagifzade, a credit specialist at World Telekom LLC's Yasamal branch, was accused of taking large amounts of other people's property through fraud using his official position (Articles 179.3.2 and 313 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan). Vagifzade was later found in Germany and jailed. Based on the General Prosecutor's Office of Azerbaijan's request for this person's extradition and guarantees provided by the Ministry of Justice in accordance with international procedures, an agreement was reached, and Vagifzade was transported to Azerbaijan from Germany by responsible officers of the Ministry of Justice's International Cooperation Department and the Penitentiary Service and placed in the Baku detention center based on a court order. Moreover, earlier this year, three globally wanted individuals were also extradited from Colombia, Hungary, and Poland. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel The Assam Cabinet on Friday approved repeal of the Assam Muslim Marriages and Divorces Registration Act, 1935. Chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma wrote on X that the move will help the government prevent child marriages in the state. Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma (File Photo) "On February 23, the Assam cabinet made a significant decision to repeal the age-old Assam Muslim Marriages and Divorces Registration Act. This act contained provisions allowing marriage registration even if the bride and groom had not reached the legal ages of 18 and 21, as required by law. This move marks another significant step towards prohibiting child marriages in Assam," he said. Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now. Elaborating on why it decided to repeal the act, the government said that under the law, registration of marriages and divorces isn't mandatory as per the Act. It also said that the machinery of registration is informal, leaving a lot of scope for non-compliance of norms. "As per provisions of the Act, there remains scope for registering marriages of intended persons below 21 years (for males) and 18 years (for females) and there is hardly any monitoring for implementation of the Act," state government said, per ANI. Assam minister Jayanta Malla Baruah told HT that the move is a step towards implementing the Uniform Civil Code in the state. Also read: Tribals to be exempted from Uniform Civil Code in Assam: CM Himanta What will change after the implementation of this order? The law currently provides the facility of voluntary registration of Muslim marriages and divorces. It also authorised the government to provide licenses to Muslim people to register such marriages and divorces. After the law is repealed, such people won't be able to register marriages and divorces. After repealing the law, the Assam government said district commissioners and district registrars will take custody of registration records held by 94 Muslim Marriage Registrars. The government will provide a one-time compensation of 2 lakh each to Muslim Marriage Registrars for their rehabilitation after the Act is repealed. Baruah said the Assam government wants all such marriages to be registered under the Special Marriage Act. He said the Act was being used to register the marriages of underaged boys and girls. Also read: Assam cabinet approves to repeal Muslim marriages, divorce registration Act Government's UCC promise Since Himanta Biswa Sarma became the chief minister of the state, bringing the UCC has been his main promise to the people of Assam. Earlier this month, he said the government will ban polygamy in the state. He has often said that after Uttarakhand and Gujarat, Assam will be the third state to implement the Uniform Civil Code. The Uttarakhand government earlier this month passed the Uniform Civil Code bill in its assembly. The bill replaces several religious personal laws governing marriages, divorces and inheritance with common rules, equally applicable to people of all religions. In January, Sarma said Assam's UCC bill follows those brought by Uttarakhand and Gujarat. He said the tribal community will be exempted from the ambit of the Uniform Civil Code. He said the UCC bill can be brought in 2-3 months. The Uttarakhand bill also exempts tribals. The Muslim bodies have questioned the exemption. AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi had claimed UCC was in violation of the fundamental rights of the Muslim community. The Uttarakhand Police on Saturday said that they have arrested the key accused in the Haldwani violence, Abdul Malik, along with two other people. Haldwani violence alleged mastermind Abdul Malik after being arrested by the police on February 24. (PTI) Inspector General of Police (Provisioning and Modernisation) Nilesh Anand Bharne, who is also the spokesperson for the Uttarakhand Police, said that Abdul Malik was nabbed by a team in Delhi. Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now. According to the police, six teams were formed to search for Malik and his son Abdul Moid in different states including Gujarat, Delhi, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Malik is accused of allegedly building an "illegal" madrasa in the Banbhoolpura area of Haldwani. On February 8, its demolition led to the violence in the city. The administration had subsequently issued shoot-at-sight orders and imposed a curfew in the town. The violence left five dead, and 150 people injured. On February 16, a lookout notice was issued against Malik and his son on and his properties were attached. Who is Abdul Malik? This year will mark 100 years since German-Czech writer Franz Kafka died. But Kafka is a mood that persists. Kafka is a rite of passage. Dog-eared editions of his books have shepherded millions through teen angst, mid-life crises and the general existential dread of adulthood. Kafkaesque is a term for the ages. It will continue to describe our experience of navigating an inscrutable world marked by indifferent bureaucracy, unreasonable patriarchs and powerful dictators, as much as it will deftly explain the alienation we experience when the wide chasm between ourselves and others by way of our political differences becomes known to us. In The Paris Review, Joshua Cohen, editor of He: Shorter Writings of Franz Kafka, wrote: In Kafka, no honour comes without suffering, and no suffering goes unhonoured. Here are 25 facts about the writer whose writing presaged some of the worst excesses of authoritarianism, including Adolf Hitlers Nazi regime, which changed the face of Europe and indeed, much of the world less than a decade after his death. 1. Franz Kafka was born to Julie Lowy and Hermann Kafka, a wealthy Jewish man who owned a haberdashery in Pragues Old Town, on July 3, 1883. He died on June 3, 1924, a month short of his 41st birthday. Franz was the eldest of four children; two others born before him died in infancy. He would grow closest to his youngest sister, Ottilie (whom he called Ottla), particularly in his final years, as she helped care for him while he fought a losing battle with tuberculosis. Franz Kafka with his youngest sister Ottilie, whom he called Ottla. (Getty Images) 2. Hermann was a harsh father. His son would later write of how he was exacting about rules, but did not follow them himself; denigrated his children, to portray himself as better than them; spoke of sacrifices he made in ways that were designed to make the family feel that they did not, and could not, ever do enough for him. Your opinion was correct, every other was mad, wild, meshugge, not normal. Your self-confidence indeed was so great that you had no need to be consistent at all and yet never ceased to be in the right, Kafka wrote, in Letter to His Father (completed in 1919). Critics remain divided. What some see as a reflection of his fathers culpability, however, others ascribe to Kafkas own angst-filled psyche. 3. Kafka, a sickly child who preferred to stay indoors and read, grew up identifying more with his mothers side of the family, thinking of himself as more Lowy than Kafka. But his mother, while neither abusive nor unkind, did nothing to support her children or protect them from their fathers taunts and anger, he would later write. If she ever disagreed with her husband, they did not see or hear of it. He felt loved, he would later say, but not protected by his mother. 4. An incident that occurred when Kafka was a child turned into a core memory and became the defining recollection of his father. One night, as the boy whimpered for water, and after several vigorous threats, his father picked him up out of his bed, carried him out to a balcony abutting the courtyard, and left him there. Even years afterwards I suffered from the tormenting fancy that the huge man, my father, the ultimate authority, would come almost for no reason at all and take me out of bed in the night and carry me out onto the pavlatche, and that meant I was a mere nothing for him, he wrote, in Letter to His Father. 5. This dread of an unreasonable, all-powerful authority figure formed the basis of his worldview: Authority is all-knowing, all-seeing, omnipotent; we are but mere children before it, and as such, flailing and on our backs, unable to stand up to it and, more importantly, unable to win. We encounter this helpless figure in Gregor Samsa in The Metamorphosis (written in 1912), who goes to bed one night and wakes up a monstrous insect the following morning. We also see it in The Trial (published posthumously in 1925), in which Josef K is accused of a crime, but never told what hes done, or why he must defend himself. 6. Kafkas choice of imagery made him a favourite of the Absurdist movement, alongside others such as Albert Camus (1913-1960), Samuel Beckett (1906-1989) and Eugene Ionesco (1909-1994). Kafkaesque would come to describe both the unfathomable political (and legal, and bureaucratic) system that crushes the individual; and the human state of being subsumed by guilt and self-hatred, dismayed at a world devoid of meaning and security. Josef K epitomises this plight, trapped in a fight but unaware of the rules of engagement, and, thus, with no chance of winning. A selection of Kafkas best-known works. 7. The fracture between action and meaning was reflected in Kafkas own life. By day, he worked in an insurance firm, having studied law at university in Prague. He was diligent, industrious, and known to be friendly with colleagues. By night, he wrote his fevered words, wracked with self-doubt, never quite sure of his worth as a writer. 8. Before his death, he burnt many of his writings. He asked his friend from university, the author Max Brod, to destroy most of what remained. He would write, over and over, that he thought of himself as reprehensible and repulsive. 9. Brod ignored Kafkas wishes and published The Trial, The Castle (about a totalitarian government that rules from afar) and Amerika (his unfinished first novel; also known as The Man Who Disappeared), after the writers death. Kafka had already achieved a small degree of success during his lifetime, beginning with Description of a Struggle, written as a series of dialogues in 1904. 10. Kafka was a prolific writer, but his works werent written in defined formats. Much of what was published in magazines consisted of fragments or short stories. He wrote letters over 600 just to his first fiance, Felice Bauer as well as numerous journal entries. Bauer and Kafka were engaged twice between 1912 and 1917. He broke off the engagement both times, worried that he would not be able to settle into the life of a married man. 11. Kafkas works remain in print, a century after his death. They continue to hold out to the reader a canny foretelling of the menace of unchecked authoritarianism. By 1933, they were seeming particularly prescient, as Hitlers Nazi Party came to power. Kafkas manuscripts had to be spirited away as the world headed towards concentration camps and war. Brod, a Jew himself, fled with the papers, catching the last train out of Prague before the Nazis closed the Czech border. The writings would eventually make their way from the Schocken Library archive in Israel to a locker in a Swiss bank, and finally to the Bodleian Library at Oxford. Some were in the possession of Dora Diamant, Kafkas partner in his final years. These were seized by the Gestapo in 1933 and remain untraced. 12. Kafka made his views on marriage clear in his writings. In Letter to His Father, he writes: In reality the marriage plans turned out to be the most grandiose and hopeful attempts at escape, and, consequently, their failure was correspondingly grandiose. He wrote of how his fathers belittling left him unsure of his actions and choices. Seemingly continuing on to the theme of love, he added: [...] it is, after all, not necessary to fly right into the middle of the sun, but it is necessary to crawl to a clean little spot on earth where the sun sometimes shines and one can warm oneself a little. 13. Two of the four women he was in relationships with died in Nazi concentration camps: Julie Wohryzek, to whom Kafka was engaged briefly in 1919 (and of whom his father disapproved) and the journalist and writer Milena Jesenska (a Gentile, and a married woman). He came close to marrying Jesenska, but she would not leave her husband, the Austrian writer Ernst Pollak. Wohryzek died in Auschwitz, in 1944. Jesenska wrote prolifically against the fascist regime, until she was taken to Ravensbruck, where she died in 1944. 14. Jesenska was also Kafkas first translator, translating his stories from German to Czech. Their 1920 correspondence around the translation of the short story The Stoker, a tale of chance meetings on a ship, was turned into an epistolary novel. Their correspondence through the next three years would become the bestselling Letters to Milena (1952). A sample line by Kafka: You are the knife I turn inside myself; that is love. That, my dear, is love. 15. Bauer would eventually marry a businessman, live first in Berlin, then Switzerland and finally the US. Before her death in 1960, aged 72, she placed Kafkas letters at the disposal of Schocken Publishers in New York. These were published as Letters to Felice, in 1967. 16. Dora Diamant, who was 20 years younger than Kafka, nursed him in his final years. They lived a life of straitened circumstances, first in Berlin and later for a brief period in Austria. Just before his death, Kafka sought to marry Diamant, but her father refused to grant his permission. Diamant stayed with the writer till the end. She eventually migrated to London and lived a quiet life, devoting it to the preservation of Hasidic culture and the Yiddish language, organising plays, recitals and discussions in which she also acted. She died in 1952. 17. Kafkas work has been the subject of extensive psychoanalysis. He himself read the work of Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) and once wrote that he had a great but empty respect for him. Over time, however, his position on psychoanalysis shifted. Work as joy, inaccessible to the psychologists, he wrote in one of his Hebrew-lesson notebooks. 18. Kafka was not a religious man, but did study Judaism from a historical and cultural perspective. He wrote of his concern over the plight of Jewish refugees during World War 1, and over the growing anti-Semitism in Europe soon after it. He learnt Hebrew in his later years, and wrote that he wished to someday travel to the promised land. 19. Kafka took a keen interest in the new ideas of his time. He and Brod often attended salons organised by the public intellectual Berta Fanta at her Prague home. Leading academics and thinkers met here and discussed subjects ranging from psychoanalysis to quantum theory. These included the physicists Albert Einstein and Philipp Frank, the mathematician Gerhard Kowalewski, and the Austrian philosopher Christian von Ehrenfels. 20. Kafka attended public readings with great interest and enjoyed participating in these too. It was customary for him, Brod, Oskar Baum and Felix Weltsch a group that Brod referred to as the Prague Circle to meet at one of their homes and read to each other from their manuscripts. 21. Kafka wrote in German. He attended Czech theatrical performances and lectures. He enjoyed the folk theatre of Hasidic actors, and developed a great friendship with one of them, Jizchak Lowy. Thus, he could rightly be considered a bridge between the two cultures. 22. All his sisters were killed in the war. Ottilie married a Czech Catholic and was a mother of two, and as such had a measure of protection against the Nazis, which she lost when her husband divorced her in 1942. She was sent to a concentration camp and eventually died in a gas chamber at Auschwitz. The other two sisters, Gabriele and Valerie, were killed in concentration camps too. 23. Though Kafka asked Brod to burn most of his manuscripts, he did give him permission to spare a few. The manuscripts of the published short stories The Judgment, The Stoker, In the Penal Colony, A Country Doctor and A Hunger Artist, and of the published novella The Metamorphosis, were be spared, he wrote. Since they do exist, I do not wish to hinder anyone who may want to, from keeping them. 24. Of all the questions that loom in The Metamorphosis, perhaps an eternal one is: What sort of insect did Samsa become? The writer Vladimir Nabokov, who taught Kafka at Cornell University, was also a passionate lepidopterist, and he concluded that Samsa turned into a very large beetle, given his use of strong mandibles to open a locked door. 25. Part of Kafkas enduring legacy is the number of literary giants who engaged with his work. Nabokov taught Kafka at Cornell, Philip Roth at University of Pennsylvania. The literary critic Walter Benjamin dedicated an essay to Kafka in his seminal work, Illuminations (1968). The Marxist thinker Theodor Adorno analysed Kafkas works in Prisms (1967). The Metamorphosis and The Trial have captured the imaginations of artists ranging from Roman Polanski to Orson Welles. Watch the latters cinematic retelling of The Trial (1962), if you can find it. It stars Anthony Perkins and Welles, with cinematography by Edmond Richard that is artistry of an entirely different kind. Samantha Ruth Prabhu travelled to Malaysia for a holiday. The actor is enjoying her stay in Langkawi. She recently shared pictures from her time there, and the post shows her taking a dip in the lake while dressed in a bikini. She chose a brown-coloured swimsuit for the occasion. It is the perfect summer holiday look that you need to invest in to upgrade your closet. Scroll through to see what Samantha wore. (Also Read | Samantha Ruth Prabhu's sensational sequin saree in Malaysia shows how to not look like a bride in red. It costs...) Samantha Ruth Prabhu wears a bikini during her Malaysia holiday. (Instagram) Samantha Ruth Prabhu drops bikini pictures from Malaysia Samantha shared pictures from her time in Malaysia with the caption, "Highest love [white heart emoji]." The post shows her enjoying different activities during the holiday. She tagged her location as The Datai Langkawi. The first picture shows her standing inside a nature pool in the jungle and marvelling at her surroundings, dressed in a brown textured bikini. In two other pictures, she can be seen smiling towards the camera while swimming. In the third picture, she meditates. The other pictures capture the beautiful property she is staying in during her holiday in Malaysia. Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now. Coming to Samantha's brown bikini set, it features a colour-coordinated brown bikini top and bikini bottoms. While the sleeveless top features broad shoulder straps, a textured silhouette, a plunging neckline, a twisted design on the fitted bust, an asymmetric hem, and a cropped design exposing her toned abs, the bottoms have a low-rise waist, a figure-hugging design, and high-leg cut-outs. Samantha accessorised her bikini set with a dainty necklace featuring a pretty diamond pendant. She rounded off the look with side-parted open locks styled with soft curls, nude lip shade, and blushed glowing skin. Earlier, Samantha had shared another set of pictures from her holiday that showed her exercising during the morning. The post also featured a snap of a piece of paper carrying the information about Samantha's metabolic age. Lastly, she also posted a bunch of photos capturing the property. "Forever seeking the morning sun. The best kind of mornings," she captioned the post. Meanwhile, Samantha revealed last week that she will be resuming work. In July last year, she announced a break from her projects for at least one year to focus on her health. She underwent treatment for an autoimmune condition, Myositis, in the US. Attukal Pongal 2024: The special time of the year is here. Every year, Attukal Pongal is celebrated with a whole lot of pomp and grandeur all over the country. Mainly observed in the state of Kerala, Attukal Pongal is a ten-day festival celebrated in the Malayalam month of Kumbham. It is mainly observed by the women of the families. Women devotees pray to the deity and offer her sweets. Attukal Pongal is one of the main festivals in Kerala and is awaited throughout the year. As we gear up to observe the special festival, here's all that you need to know about the special festival. Attukal Pongal 2024: Date, history, rituals, significance(NurPhoto via Getty Images) Date: Attukal Pongal, for this year, will be observed on February 25. According to Drik Panchang, the Pooram Nakshathram will begin at 10:20 PM on February 24 and will end at 1:24 AM on February 26. Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now. History: Attukal Pongal is a festival dedicated to Attukal Devi or Attukalamma. It is one of the largest women-centric festivals celebrated in the country and millions of devotees gather during the festival to the temple to offer sweets and other offerings to the deity. Rituals and significance: On the day of Attukal Pongal, women devotees start the day by taking a bath and preparing kheer for the goddess. Pongal means to boil over, and that's why, kheer is prepared in an earthen pot as an offering for the deity. According to the traditions of Attukal Pongal, the rituals should be performed by women only. Millions of women devotees throng the streets of Thiruvananthapuram the center for Attukal Pongal. The city decks up in light and enthusiasm. The ninth day of the ten-day festival is observed as Attukal Pongal Mahotsavam one of the largest celebrations. The festival starts in the Malayalam month of Kumbham and ends with the sacrificial offering called Kuruthitharpanam at night. The bubonic plague, an infectious disease that caused a pandemic back in the 14th century, wiping out 30-50% of the population in parts of Europe with an estimated toll of 50 million, still exists and causes sporadic outbreaks in various parts of the world. The infectious disease was found in Oregon for the first time in nearly a decade in a person who probably got infected from their cat. As per reports, the disease was identified quickly, and the person was treated with antibiotics immediately. Also known as 'black death' back then, bubonic plague is the most common form of plague which is caused due to bite of an infected flea. Plague bacillus, Y. pestis enters the body through the bite, travels through the lymphatic system to the nearest lymph node where it replicates itself. The lymph node then becomes inflamed, tense and painful, and is called a 'bubo'. (Also read | Measles outbreak in MP: Symptoms to treatment, all you want to know) The bubonic plague - though thought to be gone away is still a menace. It is an infectious disease caused by the Yersinia pestis bacteria. (Freepik) "The bubonic plague - though thought to be gone away is still a menace. It is an infectious disease caused by the Yersinia pestis bacteria. The diseaseonce known as the 'black death' in the 14th century, which wiped out an estimated 25 million people in Europe. While modern sanitation and healthcare have significantly reduced its prevalence, sporadic outbreaks still occur in various parts of the world," says Dr Neha Rastogi, Consultant, Infectious Diseases, Fortis Hospital, Gurgaon. Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now. BUBONIC PLAGUE SYMPTOMS AND PREVENTION TIPS Dr Rastogi also talks about symptoms, treatment and preventive measures to follow. Symptoms The symptoms of bubonic plague typically appear within 2 to 6 days after exposure and include sudden onset of fever, chills, headache, muscle aches, fatigue, and swollen, painful lymph nodes, known as buboes, usually in the groin, armpit, or neck. Without prompt treatment, the infection can spread to the bloodstream and cause septicaemic plague or to the lungs, resulting in pneumonic plague, both of which are even more severe and can be fatal. Treatment Early diagnosis and treatment with antibiotics are crucial for the successful management of bubonic plague. Streptomycin, gentamicin, doxycycline, and ciprofloxacin are among the antibiotics effective against Yersinia pestis. Supportive care, such as intravenous fluids and respiratory support, may be necessary in severe cases. Prompt isolation of infected individuals and tracing and treatment of their contacts are also important for containing outbreaks. Preventive measures Preventing the spread of bubonic plague requires a multi-faceted approach. This includes controlling rodent populations, particularly rats and fleas, which are the primary reservoirs and vectors of Yersinia pestis. Public health measures such as insecticide spraying, rodent eradication programs, and proper disposal of dead animals can help reduce the risk of transmission to humans. Additionally, educating communities about the importance of avoiding contact with sick or dead animals and practicing good hygiene can further prevent the spread of the disease. "While bubonic plague remains a serious public health concern, advances in medical science and public health practices have significantly improved our ability to prevent, diagnose, and treat the disease, reducing its impact compared to historical pandemics. However, continued vigilance and investment in surveillance and control measures are necessary to mitigate the risk of future outbreaks," concludes Dr Rastogi. Spatial navigation and memory are essential components of our daily lives. Without these talents, we would struggle to navigate our surroundings and remember previous experiences. However, the neural foundation of spatial memory remains poorly known. How brain waves are part of memory: Study(Shutterstock) A study group directed by Prof. Lukas Kunz, who just joined the University Hospital Bonn (UKB), has discovered fresh information on this knowledge gap. He discovered, along with scientists from New York and Freiburg, that different types of nerve cells become active simultaneously during spatial memory and are coordinated by brain waves ("ripples"). The findings have now been published in the journal Nature Neuroscience. Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now. ALSO READ: How brain waves can predict cognitive impairment in Parkinson's disease: Study Associative memory allows different pieces of information are linked together. "In the context of spatial memory, associative memory enables us to remember the locations of certain objects in the spatial environment," explains Prof. Kunz, research group leader for Cognitive and Translational Neuroscience at the Department of Epileptology at the UKB. He is also a member of the Transdisciplinary Research Area (TRA) "Life & Health" at the University of Bonn. "For example, we can remember where in the house we put our keys". At older age or in certain diseases such as Alzheimer's, however, this ability is limited. "It is therefore important to investigate the neuronal basis of different forms of human memory," said Prof. Kunz. In the long term, this could help develop new therapies for memory impairments. Nerve cells are active while information is retrieved from memory. To further investigate this phenomenon, the researchers recorded the activity of individual nerve cells in epilepsy patients performing a memory task. "In a virtual world, the participants were asked to remember the locations of different objects," explains Prof. Kunz. The recordings showed that different types of nerve cells became active during this memory task. Some nerve cells responded to certain objects, while other nerve cells activated in response to certain locations. The scientists observed that interactions between the different types of nerve cells became stronger over time when participants remembered the right object in the right place. In addition to place and object neurons, the researchers observed hippocampal brain waves ("ripples") that also occurred during the memory task, presumably playing a crucial role in the formation and retrieval of associative memories. "Ripples could be important for the connection of different types of nerve cells and the formation of complex memories. It will be exciting to further investigate this idea in future studies," explains Prof. Kunz. It will also be interesting to study how memory performance is modulated when ripples are suppressed or triggered, providing insights into the causal relevance of ripples. Prof. Kunz intends to continue the findings that he gained with his colleagues at Columbia University's School of Engineering and Applied Science in New York and the University of Freiburg at the University Hospital Bonn. "The department of epileptology at the UKB is well-known for its excellent brain research. The department has the unique opportunity to record the activity of individual nerve cells in the human brain in the video EEG monitoring unit, which is the heart of every epilepsy center. This provides exciting insights into the functioning of the human brain, which is only possible at a few research centers worldwide," describes Prof. Kunz. In his interdisciplinary research, he builds on the close exchange with other researchers and medical doctors, which is essential for the development of new research ideas. The Google Pay SoundPod, introduced in a limited pilot last year, will be made available in India, where it will be introduced over the coming months, the tech giant has announced. Google Pay SoundPod (Image courtesy: Google) Participating merchants have shared positive feedback, noting that it (SoundPod) reduces checkout time. Google Pay launched in India in September 2017 and has been a committed collaborator in India's game-changing journey with safe and secure digital payments, Ambarish Kenghe, Google Pay's Vice President, Product, wrote in a blog post on February 22. Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now. Here is all you need to know about the Google Pay SoundPod: (1.) The SoundPod is an audio device that helps merchants track QR code payments by means of an audio alert when a payment is received. (2.) To make the payment, customers must scan the associated QR code of the merchant. Once the receipt is successful, which usually takes only a few seconds, the SoundPod plays an instant voice notification. (3.) In India, the device will be available for small merchants, bringing considerable ease and convenience to millions of SMBs (small and medium-sized businesses). (4.) Its competitors in the country will be boxes offered by rival UPI firms Paytm and PhonePe. (5.) According to TechCrunch, more than 20 million (two crore) merchants in India use audio notifications, with the estimated cost to make such a box being $18 to $20 (approx. 1494 to 1660). There are often moments etched in history that set humanity and technology on a path to the future. Before 1914, cameras were a polar opposite of how we see them today. Big, bulky, heavy and a logistical nightmare to carry and install at the location ofthe shot. Contemplate this. Large format cameras needed longer than 9 minutes to process a portrait photo exposure. Imagine sitting that long for a camera to do its work. Unthinkable? You may not have realised, and neither had I for most of my life, but two people are pivotal to not just inventing cameras as we know them, but to an era of photography. Ernst Leitz II, who founded Leica Camera AG, now a German legacy camera-maker, was ultimately successful in attempts to hire engineer and photographer Oskar Barnack to come work for his company in Wetzlar, Germany. In 1914, Barnack handed Leitz something he called a Liliput-Kamera (it later came to be known as the UR-Leica, or series 0), as he embarked on a sea voyage to the United States. The first-of-its-kind compact camera could be kept in a coat or trouser pocket, for discreet photography. The Ernest Leitz II New York, 1914 is a series of iconic photos that made photography history. Over the decades, irrespective of type (full frame, mirrorless, digital, DSLRs, what have you), so many camera models have been built on this new-found ease of a pocketable camera that Barnack gave the world. The eventual switch from glass plates and 35mm negative reels tomemory cards freed the photographer in you from a quantity limitation. Each negative reel usually could capture just 36 photos; you wouldnt want to waste them. The ultimate destination for most of us is the smartphone as a camera. Not to discount a discerning audience that is still spending big money on full-frame cameras too, but thats a niche now. Yet, as weve simplified by compressing high performance optics in a form factor thats physically much thinner than even the most compact cameras, physics poses the least of a conundrum. An era of holistic approach Smartphones may be replacing cameras, but not the camera makers. A state of equilibrium was reached with smartphones. Performance, software, screens (resolution and display tech) and battery stamina, all improved at a steady cadence. With little to differentiate their products on specs, phone makers had to get creative. It had been this way for a while now. Something had to give. The search was on for an exceptional element, one that perhaps needed a delicate touch. An X factor. And one that would do well with a dash of expertise. I am least surprised that phone makers are reaching out to legacy camera companies, increasingly dependent on their expertise of photography, to provide that edge. In fact, camera makers are equally excited about the prospect. Compared with flagship phones from a generation or two prior, smartphone photography has taken a massive step forward, despite a smartphone form that hasnt changed. . Perhaps well have some progress in 2024, but even if not, the changing direction of evolution is clear. Xiaomi with German photography brand Leica, OnePlus with Swedish camera makers Hasselblad and Vivo with Zeiss, also a German optoelectronics maker are three dominant examples of the changing direction course of smartphone camera evolution, till date. The extent of these partnerships differs. For instance, Hasselblads inputs to OnePlus flagship phone cameras are more inclined towards the software, be it filters or colour processing. Zeiss doesn't make cameras themselves anymore, but a range of cinema lenses and compatible lenses for other manufacturers cameras. Leica gives Xiaomi a holistic vision, which includes not just image processing, but also extensive shooting modes and add-ons for tweaking photos. The results speak for themselves. By the time you read this, the Xiaomi 14 Ultra flagship would have been announced. It is an example of the equal weightage to algorithms and hardware. At the heart are Leicas Summilux optical lens and a 1-inch sensor. In my old-school book, thats the reliable, old-school way of extracting the maximum detailing and realism from photos as close as possible to the actual scene. Nothing really surpasses good hardware as the foundation. Ive been hearing that the Japanese camera-maker Canon too is actively looking at a smartphone partnership. The next chapter is being written, but it is far from the final chapter. Photos as AI creations There is another path, a school of thought deviating slightly from the hard work of optimising a combination of sensors, lenses, and image processing in what is finally the camera module. It is called artificial intelligence (AI), and that does beg the question are the photos made with AI even real photos? Make no mistake, every phone has some level of AI involved in photograph taking and correction. Some just lean on it more. Samsung, for example, isnt holding back on claims they make about their AI phone, the Galaxy S24 Ultra. After all, it has the processing power to do this in quick time, as you shoot photo after photo. Yet, it is difficult to ignore that photos that emerge from those phones camera have a distinctly higher level of AI processing to boost detailing, colours, and even its own take on optimising a scene as it sees fit. You can turn some of its AI capabilities off (which I did, yet my observation), but not the rest. Not everyone may like the level of processing thats at play. Arguable, but I believe it would be justified if I hold to the observation that some photos as a result lose the realism that the human eyes saw at a scene. A sense of time, place or moment gets lost if a fading evening light in the sky is brightened to make it look like late afternoon. Or if the reds on your childs dress pop more than every other colour in the frame. By listing these perils, I wanted to arrive at this AIs influence in defining photos may not be a bad thing in the long term. But smartphone makers who choose to go down this path must show a level of restraint and hold a grip on the sense of realism. Our memories are not generative AI creations. Lets not make them look like that. Vishal Mathur is technology editor for Hindustan Times. Tech Tonic is a weekly column that looks at the impact of personal technology in the way we live, and vice-versa. The views expressed are personal. A mans heroic act where he risks his life to save a mom and her baby trapped in a car in raging waters was captured on camera. A video, shared on Instagram, shows the scary scene where he manages to pull out the passengers from the car minutes before it gets swept away. The image shows a man saving a mom and her baby during a flash flood in Brazil. (Instagram/@danuzioneto) The clip is posted on the Instagram page Goodnews Movement. This hero in Brazil risks his own life to save a mother and baby just moments before their car is dragged away by a flash flood reads the caption posted alongside. The man is identified as Marcos Vinicius. Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now. The video shows Vinicius hanging at the side of the car. One of the passengers of the car passes a child to him and he safely rescues the crying kid. Once he hands the baby to another person, he leans in towards the door to help the childs mom. As soon as he pulls her to safety, the car flows away. Take a look at the heart-stopping rescue video: The video was shared a day ago. Since then, it has collected more than 7.8 lakh views. The share has also accumulated nearly 37,000 likes. People posted varied comments while reacting to this rescue video. What did Instagram users say about this scary video? OMG! That was like the scenes in the movies where the car blows up right after the last person is rescued, posted an Instagram user. Make this man the most popular dude in the world ASAP. Crazy! shared another. He was so calm and patient, commented a third. Wow. So glad everyone is ok. So scary, expressed a fourth. Wow. Literally seconds, wrote a fifth. Many people took to the comments section of the video to write hero to appreciate the man. The body of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has been handed over to his mother, the Associated Press reported, citing one of his top aides. A protester holds candles and a picture of the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny during a demonstration in Paris on February 22.(Ludovic MARIN / AFP) Alexei Navalny, one of the fiercest critics of Russian President Vladimir Putin, died on February 16 in an Arctic penal colony where he was serving a 19-year sentence. Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now. Alexei Navalnys mother, Lyudmila Navalnaya, has been repeatedly demanding that her sons body be handed over in accordance with the law. She alleged that Russian authorities were planning a secret burial for Alexei Navalny. On Saturday, Ivan Zhdanov, the director of Navalnys Anti-Corruption Foundation, announced that Alexei Navalny's body has been handed over to his mother. He also thanked everyone who had called on Russian authorities to return Navalnys body to his mother. Thank you very much. Thanks to everyone who wrote and recorded video messages. You all did what you needed to do. Thank you. Alexei Navalny's body has been given to his mother, Zhdanov wrote, according to AP. Navalny's spokesperson Kira Yarmysh said plans for the funeral were still unclear. "Lyudmila Ivanovna is still in Salekhard. The funeral is still pending. We do not know if the authorities will interfere to carry it out as the family wants and as Alexei deserves," she said, according to AFP. Earlier on Friday, Alexei Navalny's team said they had filed a lawsuit to obtain the body, alleging that local investigators had threatened to bury the Russian opposition leader on the prison grounds if his mother did not agree to a "secret" funeral. His team also alleged that the Kremlin was trying to block a public funeral, which could turn into a show of support for Navalny's movement and his opposition to Putin. Who was Alexei Navalny? Alexei Navalny was a prominent figure in Russia's divided opposition, often likened to Nelson Mandela by his supporters who anticipated his eventual release from jail to lead the country. He rose to fame through blogs exposing widespread corruption in Russia, accusing the country's leadership of being "crooks and thieves." In the 2000s, he participated in Russian nationalist marches and expressed anti-immigrant views, leading to his expulsion from the liberal Yabloko opposition party in 2007. Navalny survived a poisoning in August 2020, later identified as an attempt to use the nerve agent Novichok. Navalny gained global admiration in 2021 when he willingly returned to Russia from Germany, where he had received treatment for a nerve agent poisoning in Siberia. However, he was promptly arrested upon arrival. Google's former employee and tech celebrity, Shaun Maguire has blasted the company, alleging racial discrimination during his work days. Maguire now works with Sequoia Capital, a venture capital firm that has helped build Silicon Valley giants such as Apple, Google etc. A former Google employee and tech celebrity, Shaun Maguire has blasted the company, alleging racial discrimination.(REUTERS) Taking to X(formerly Twitter) on Friday, Maguire alleged that while working at Google he was told he can't be promoted for being a white man. He made the revelation in reply to his earlier post in December, last year. Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now. In December 2023, Maguire had asked his followers: "Should I go public with the story about the time I was told I cant be promoted for being a white man?" Replying to his post on Friday, he wrote: "F**k it, This happened at Google. That company is an absolute trash can dumpster fire". Maguire has claimed that his supervisor at Google told him "youre one of the highest performing people here but I cant promote you right now because I have a quota". Im really not supposed to tell you this. It could get me fired. But youre one of the highest performing people here but I cant promote you right now because I have a quota. My hands are tied. Youll get the next slot. Please be patient. Im really sorry, Maguire quoted his supervisor as saying. ALSO READ| Nikki Haley's last chance against Donald Trump? Why South Carolina GOP Primary 2024 means so much to Nikki Haley Meanwhile, Google has rejected Maguire's claims. The founders and Board have never spoken to [Google Ventures] about personnel matters. Shaun is a talented investor and we wish him well at Sequoia, but decisions about his promotion and career advancement at GV not once ever involved consideration of his race or gender, a Google representative said as quoted by the New York Post. Responding to Google rejecting his claims, Maguire writes that nobody from the company has reached out to him for his side of the story. "Google is denying this happened but nobody from the company has reached out to me for my side of the story. Honestly, pathetic. I dont want any compensation. I just want you to fix these problems, especially if youre going to lead in AI," posted Maguire. Recently, Google has also come under fire over its AI model named Gemini. The text-to-image generation feature of its Gemini AI chatbot has been criticised for inaccuracies and bias. We're aware that Gemini is offering inaccuracies in some historical image generation depictions, said Google. An attack by Yemeni Houthi rebels on a Belize-flagged ship earlier this month caused an 18-mile (29-km) oil slick, the US military said Saturday. It also warned of the danger of a spill from the vessel's cargo of fertilizer. In this satellite image provided by Planet Labs, the Belize-flagged bulk carrier Rubymar is seen in the southern Red Sea near the Bay el-Mandeb Strait leaking oil after an attack by Yemen's Houthi rebels Feb. 20, 2024.(AP) The Rubymar, a British-registered, Lebanese-operated cargo vessel, was attacked on Feb 18 while sailing through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait that connects the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, US Central Command said. Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now. ALSO READ- Navigating the Red Sea crisis: Implications for global supply chains The missile attack forced the crew to abandon the vessel, which had been on its way to Bulgaria after leaving Khorfakkan in the United Arab Emirates. It was transporting more than 41,000 tons of fertiliser, CENTCOM said in a statement. The vessel suffered significant damage, which led to the slick, said the CENTCOM statement, warning that the ship's cargo could spill into the Red Sea and worsen this environmental disaster. The Houthis continue to demonstrate disregard for the regional impact of their indiscriminate attacks, threatening the fishing industry, coastal communities, and imports of food supplies, it said. The Associated Press, relying on satellite images from Planet Labs PBC of the stricken vessel, reported Tuesday that the vessel was leaking oil in the Red Sea. Yemen's internationally recognised government on Saturday called for other countries and maritime-protection organisations to quickly address the oil slick and avert a significant environmental disaster". ALSO READ- Sea denial by Houthis poses major threat to free trade, says Royal Navy chief In a statement, the government, which sits in the southern city of Aden, said the vessel is heading toward the Hanish Islands, a Yemeni archipelago in the southern Red Sea. The USS Mason, meanwhile, shot down an anti-ship ballistic missile launched Saturday evening from Houthi-held areas in Yemen towards the Gulf of Aden, the US Central Command said. The missile was likely targeting MV Torm Thor, a US-flagged, -owned and-operated chemical and oil tanker, CENTCOM added. No injuries or damage were reported from the warship or the tanker, it said. Separately, CENTCOM said that it launched attacks on Houthi-held areas in Yemen on Friday, destroying seven mobile anti-ship cruise missiles that were prepared to launch toward the Red Sea. It described the strikes as self-defence, saying that the missiles presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and to the US Navy ships in the region. CENTCOM didn't give further details. Houthi-run media, however, reported strikes by the US and the UK on the district of Durayhimi in the Red Sea province of Hodeida. ALSO READ- Red Sea events exposed fragility of existing connectivity: Jaishankar The US military has in recent weeks launched waves of strikes on Houthi-held areas inside Yemen in response to the Houthis' attacks on shipping routes in the Red Sea. Since November, the rebels have repeatedly targeted ships in the Red Sea and surrounding waters. They say they are acting over the Israel-Hamas war. But they have frequently targeted vessels with tenuous or no clear links to Israel, imperiling shipping in a key route for trade among Asia, the Middle East and Europe. The targeted vessels have included at least one with cargo for Iran, the Houthis' main benefactor. Featuring on a criminal wanted list usually crimps ones options for future employment. But when the country issuing the notice is Russia and the alleged outlaw is the prime minister of neighbouring Estonia, it can be a useful CV-enhancer. Reports that Kaja Kallas is one of a slew of Baltic politicians the Kremlin wants to arrestsomething to do with removing Soviet war memorialsmay help her candidacy in the upcoming scramble for top EU jobs. The hawkish prime minister is among those who fancy their chances of trading up from a national post to a continental one, after the European Parliament elections from June 6th-9th. The process of replacing the blocs top officials usually entails a lot of undignified squabbling. A bit of planning would reduce the angst and avoid divisions, at a time when Europe can ill afford them. Who gets which top Euro job is traditionally decided by the EUs 27 national leaders, who huddle in what might once have been a smoke-filled room a few weeks after votes are cast. In 2019 the process took two summits over five days. This time the jockeying for position is already under way. On February 19th Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, is expected to gain the formal endorsement of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), the centre-right party of her native Germany, to serve a second five-year term atop the EUs powerful executive arm. Having made a decent fist of running the blocs most important institution through COVID-19 and the war in Ukraine, she is positioning herself as a safe pair of hands in a potentially unsafe Trumpian world. Assuming the centre-right comes top in European elections, as expected, few will dare challenge her. Once nominated by leaders she must be approved by a new set of European parliamentarians. A surge of support for the hard right means the centrist majority available to her is narrow. But it should be manageable. The presidency of the European Council will prove harder to fill. Luckily it is less important. In theory, the position entails chairing meetings of EU leaders, where the biggest decisions are made (as long as Viktor Orban, Hungarys cantankerous prime minister, does not hijack proceedings). But the incumbent, Charles Michel, has embraced the jobs sideline as a ceremonial representative of the union, schmoozing the Xi Jinpings and Narendra Modis of the world. That has led to pointless turf battles between Mr Michel and Mrs von der Leyen, which have at times made the EU look as disorganised as a student society. Mercifully, term limits prohibit Mr Michel from staying on. Convention dictates the council job be bestowed on a sitting EU leader, or a recently retired one. The need for political balance suggests it must go to the centre-left, which will probably come second at the polls. A southern European would be ideal to achieve geographic balance. Antonio Costa, who as Portugals Socialist prime minister fits the bill, was considered a shoo-in until he was forced to resign in a corruption scandal last November (he will be replaced after elections next month). Should the current judicial probe comprehensively clear him, he might still have a shot, if only because there are few other qualified lefties now running EU countries. One is Mette Frederiksen of Denmark, but her migrant-bashing stance has alienated political allies. The councils presidency is too small for the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz. It could suit the Spanish prime minister, Pedro Sanchez, who narrowly won re-election last year. But his leaving for Brussels might leave Spain mired in political chaos, undermining him in his new role. If none of those options appeals, lots of retired Italian prime ministers might be willing to do the job. The most talented, Mario Draghi, is probably a non-starter, given his insufficient leftiness and his ageat 76 he would be young only by American standards. The third weighty EU job is the high representative, in effect the blocs foreign minister. It is currently held by Josep Borrell, an affable Spaniard who candidly admits that concocting a joint foreign policy at the EU level is all but impossible. Nonetheless many are keen to try. Central and eastern Europeans will fume if they are not given the post, having warned of Russias warmongering intent long before it was fashionable (and not having held a top EU post since 2019). They might be assuaged if a Balt or a Pole were to be appointed as secretary-general of NATO. The military alliances head is usually drawn from Europe and its current leader, Jens Stoltenberg, is on his fourth extension. But Mark Rutte, the outgoing Dutch prime minister, seems to be heavily favoured for NATO. Ms Kallas, as an easterner from a liberal party (the third big political family whose support Mrs von der Leyen will need) ticks many boxes. But others may yet emerge. Holding the Leyen Europe must avoid three pitfalls to ensure things go smoothly. First, it should rally around Mrs von der Leyen quickly, to remove any doubt she will continue to head the commission. Whatever errors she has madesome say her current support for Israels ferocious assault on Gaza is excessively keenare largely overshadowed by her record. Second, Brussels must avoid being drawn into the pointless constitutional bickering that recurs each time the top jobs are refreshed, as Euro-federalist types see an opportunity for the European Parliament to leach more power away from member states. Finally, Europe would do well to pick a self-effacing president for the council, one eager to broker compromises and work smoothly with the commission. Even if the top-jobs process goes smoothly, there will be an opportunity for strife later on. A new team of commissioners will have to be appointed once their boss is in place. It is not just personnel that must be selected: their roles often change too. (Is it time for a European defence commissioner, for example?) Key issues such as the level of the EUs green ambitions or its approach to free trade will be decided in part by who gets what position. That makes it all the more important to start by getting the biggest ones right. Read more from Charlemagne, our columnist on European politics: Europe is importing a solar boom. Good news for (nearly) everyone (Feb 8th) Europes grumpy farmers are a symptom of wider malaise (Feb 1st) The EUs 50bn package to Ukraine is a far cry from its rhetoric (Jan 25th) Also: How the Charlemagne column got its name 2023, The Economist Newspaper Limited. All rights reserved. From The Economist, published under licence. The original content can be found on www.economist.com Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader Imran Khan on Friday confirmed that he wrote a letter to the IMF, asking it to hold an audit of election results in Pakistan before approving any new loan for Islamabad. Imran Khan(REUTERS) "The letter has been written to the IMF and will be dispatched today. If the country gets a loan in such a situation, then who will return it?" news agency ANI quoted Imran Khan as saying. Imran Khan said that the loan would add to the country's debt and lead to more poverty. Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now. Khan's confirmation came after PTI senator Ali Zafar said that the party founder had decided to write to the IMF urging it to call for an audit of the February 8 election before it continues talks with Islamabad for a new loan programme. However, a report in The News International said that the IMF expressed willingness to work with the new Pakistani government, ignoring his demand. Meanwhile, PML-N leader and former finance minister of Pakistan Ishaq Dar hit out at Imran Khan over the letter to the IMF. Dar said the letter held no significance and termed Imran Khan's actions as condemnable. "Writing anything for personal gain is shameful. The PTI founder's letter will have no significance," ANI quoted Dar. Last year, Pakistan successfully secured a short-term USD 3 billion program from the IMF, which played a crucial role in preventing a sovereign debt default. However, this program is set to expire next month, and there is significant emphasis on obtaining a new, larger one under the new administration, Geo News has reported. Following a coalition agreement between the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), and their allies, there have been nationwide protests announced by the PTI and other political parties, rejecting the election results. The PTI is advocating for election results to be based on Form 45, which represents the results of individual polling stations, rather than Form 47, which consolidates results at the constituency level. The party alleges vote rigging, particularly after its independent candidates secured a majority in the national assembly. (With inputs from ANI) Israel and Palestine missed a historic opportunity for peace following the 2008 Gaza ceasefire, former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said on Saturday. Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak.(REUTERS) Olmert accused attacks by Hamas for the failure to establish peace, even as the former prime minister said he is not a political supporter of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now. "We missed an opportunity as a result of the vicious attack of Hamas which was unsolicited. There was no confrontation, no exchange of hostilities or violence on the border," he said at the 'Firstpost Defence Summit 2024. ALSO READ- Israel's economy contracts around 20% after Hamas war outbreak "In 2005, I was privileged to be vice prime minister in the Israeli government which pulled out completely from Gaza... It is different in the West Bank, but in Gaza, we didn't occupy one centimetre. And the day after we pulled out, they started to shoot rockets on Israeli townships across the border, and it didn't stop until the seventh of October, when Israel finally decided to counter offensive in a very massive manner," he said. In an unprecedented attack on Israeli cities on October 7, Hamas killed around 1,200 people and kidnapped more than 220 others some of whom were released during a brief ceasefire. In the Israeli offensive that followed, nearly 30,000 people have been killed in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run authorities in Gaza. "I think that there was a historic opportunity in 2008, beginning of 2009 to resolve the historical conflict between us and the Palestinians, which is the basis of everything that will develop in the Middle East. And this was when I presented, as the Prime Minister of Israel, to the President of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, a peace plan on the basis of a two-state solution," Olmert said. "This was presented to the Palestinians at the end of 2008, beginning of 2009, officially by the prime minister of the State of Israel on behalf of the State of Israel, and it was the maximum that any time in the future the Palestinians will be able to get within the framework of an agreement," he claimed. The 2008 Israel-Hamas ceasefire was an Egyptian-brokered six-month agreement for the Gaza area, which went into effect between Hamas and Israel on 19 June 2008. "There was a two-state solution on the basis of the 1967 borders, with the Arab side of Jerusalem as the capital of the Palestinian state," Olmert claimed. "The refugee issue which was hanging over the skies of the Middle East for so many years would have been resolved within the framework of the Arab League Peace Initiative, which was originally accepted by the Arab League on the 28th of November 2002 and was reconfirmed on the 28th of November 2017 in Riyadh. This was presented to the Palestinians. They failed to say yes. Since then there were ongoing confrontations," he added. "And now we have this terrible event which has shaken the foundations of the Middle East. How can we achieve peace?" Olmert said. ALSO READ- US vetoes UN resolution calling for a cease-fire in Gaza amid Israel-Hamas war Asserting that he is neither a "spokesman" of the Israeli government, nor "a supporter of the Israeli government", the former Israeli PM said, peace can be achieved "if the Israeli government will be willing to make the necessary compromises at the end of the day, to allow the creation of a Palestinian state within the framework of an agreement between us and them, and if the Palestinians will have the courage and the leadership to come along." "At the present time, the main obstacle for a comprehensive rearrangement to the entire Middle East is the lack of will on both sides," he added. More than 100 Palestinians were killed in Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip over a 24-hour period, the Health Ministry in the Hamas-run territory said Friday. HT Image Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh held talks with Egyptian officials about a possible cease-fire in Gaza and an exchange of hostages held by the militants for Palestinians imprisoned in Israel, according to a Hamas statement Friday morning. Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now. During Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel, militants killed about 1,200 people and took some 250 hostages. Roughly half of the hostages were released during a weeklong cease-fire in November. About 100 hostages remain in captivity, in addition to the bodies of 30 others who were killed on Oct. 7 or died in captivity. Israels subsequent offensive in Gaza has killed more than 29,000 Palestinians and driven some 80% of the territorys 2.3 million people from their homes. Most heeded Israeli orders to flee south, and around 1.5 million are packed into Rafah near the border with Egypt. European diplomats have ramped up calls for a cease-fire as alarm grows over the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Currently: Israel plans to build 3,300 new settlement homes. It says its a response to a Palestinian attack. Mideast cease-fire efforts gain steam as a U.S. envoy visits. Mediators report encouraging signs. Denmark records its highest number of antisemitic incidents since WWII, part of a grim European trend. A Houthi rebel attack sets a cargo ship ablaze and forces Israel to intercept another attack near Eilat. Find more of APs coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war. Here's the latest: DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip An Israeli airstrike hit a residential building in the central Gaza town of Deir al-Balah on Friday, killing 25 people, including 16 women and children, hospital officials said. At least 50 people were wounded. Among those living in the building was Mahmoud Zueitar, a Palestinian comedian who is well known in Gaza for his appearances in TV advertisements. Throughout the war, Zueitar has posted upbeat and cheerful videos on social media, joking with people about ways they endure bombardment and displacement, praising Palestinian culture and assuring those around him that things will be better one day. Video posted online Friday showed Zueitar rushing into a Deir al-Balah hospital after the strike, carrying his young sister, who was screaming and covered in blood. I was always one of the strongest ones refusing to leave Gaza. I always say God, may they not force us out of Gaza, thats how much I love it and its people, he says in a video later, crying as he cradles the wounded girl on his lap. But it looks like they want us to leave Gaza. Israels offensive in Gaza has left over 29,000 Palestinians dead, caused widespread destruction, displaced an estimated 80% of Gazas population and fueled a humanitarian disaster. Israel declared war after Hamas militants stormed across the border. BEIRUT Hamas political official Osama Hamdan told reporters in Beirut on Friday that significant obstacles remain to reaching a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip. His comments come as the U.S. and other mediators reported signs of progress in the negotiations ahead of a summit this weekend in Paris to discuss proposals to bring at least a temporary stop to the war and secure the release of some 100 Israeli hostages held in Gaza. The Israeli offensive launched in retaliation for the Hamas-led Oct. 7 attack in which some 1,200 people in southern Israel were killed and 250 were taken hostage has killed more than 29,000 Palestinians, displaced an estimated 80% of Gazas population and fueled a humanitarian crisis. Hamdan said the Palestinian militant group has dealt positively with the proposals and initiatives of the mediators but that Israels position poses many obstacles to reaching an agreement. He said the Israelis had refused the main demands put forward by Hamas to stop the aggression, to withdraw from the Gaza Strip, to return displaced people to the north (of Gaza), and to make a real reciprocal deal on exchanging the Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners in Israel. Hamdan said his group is sticking to these demands. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called the militant groups demands delusional BUENOS AIRES, Argentina Secretary of State Antony Blinken says the United States believes that all new Israeli settlement activity in the occupied Palestinian territories is illegitimate under international law, reversing the Trump administrations repudiation of what had been long-standing U.S. policy. Speaking in the Argentine capital, Blinken said the U.S. was disappointed to learn of an Israeli announcement on Friday that it would build more than 3,300 new homes in settlements in the West Bank in response to a fatal Palestinian shooting attack. Blinken condemned the attack but said the U.S. is opposed to settlement expansion. He reversed what had been known as the Pompeo Doctrine under which former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had repudiated a Carter administration-era legal finding that settlements were not consistent with international law. Its been long-standing U.S. policy under Republican and Democratic administrations alike that new settlements are counter-productive to reaching an enduring peace, Blinken told reporters at a joint news conference with Argentine Foreign Minister Diana Mondino. Blinkens predecessor, Pompeo, reversed the 1978 determination that was penned by the State Departments then-legal adviser Herbert Hansell. The Hansell Memorandum did not say that settlements were illegal but rather illegitimate. That formed the basis of decades of U.S. policy. JERUSALEM A Palestinian man wounded in an Israeli drone strike on a car in the occupied West Bank died of his injuries, bringing the number of people killed in the attack to two. The two men, their bodies wrapped in the flags of the militant group Islamic Jihad, were buried Friday in the Jenin refugee camp. The Israeli military said one of those killed, identified as Yasser Hanoun, was about to carry out a shooting attack when the strike hit his car late Thursday. It alleged that Hanoun was previously involved in several shooting attacks targeting Israeli settlements and army posts. Violence has escalated in the West Bank since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, triggered by a deadly Hamas attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7. Since then, about 400 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire in the West Bank, most as part of near-daily arrest raids by troops searching for suspected militants. COPENHAGEN, Denmark Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide said Friday that Israels occupation and the Israeli settlements are the biggest obstacles to a two-state solution, which is the only solution to the conflict between Israel and Palestine. In a comment to Norways submission to the International Court of Justice, Barth Eide said "the injustice to which the Palestinians are subjected must stop. He added that while the eyes of the world are focused on the horrific war in Gaza, the situation in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, is also very serious. DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Israeli airstrikes in central and southern Gaza killed at least 68 Palestinians, health officials and an Associated Press journalist said, and another 24 bodies were trapped under rubble. In all, 104 Palestinians were killed over the past 24 hours, the Health Ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said Friday. The overall death toll since the Oct. 7 start of the war rose to 29,514. Though the count does not differentiate between civilians and combatants, the ministry has said women and children account for about two-thirds of those killed. The strikes were reported in the southern city of Rafah, the central town of Deir al-Balah and the refugee camp of Nuseirat. In Deir al-Balah, bodies draped in white or black burial shrouds were laid out in the courtyard of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, as relatives wept nearby. The bodies were later collected by relatives and taken for burial after brief prayers. Outside the hospital, a man held the body of an infant killed in one of the strikes. JERUSALEM Israel plans to approve the construction of more than 3,300 new homes in settlements in the occupied West Bank, a senior Cabinet minister from the far-right wing of the government announced. Approval of new construction is bound to elicit condemnation from the United States at a time when the relationship between the allies is fraught because of disagreements over the course of Israels war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said in a statement late Thursday that the new construction is meant as a response to a fatal Palestinian shooting attack near Jerusalem earlier in the day. He said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant participated in the discussion leading to the decision. The homes are to be built in the settlements of Maale Adumim, Efrat and Kedar, Smotrich said. Consecutive Israeli governments have expanded settlements in east Jerusalem and the West Bank war-won territories the Palestinians seek for a future state. Construction has accelerated under Netanyahus current right-wing government, which includes settlers such as Smotrich in key positions. BEIRUT The paramedics arm of Lebanons militant Hezbollah group says two of its members were killed in an Israeli strike on a southern border village early Friday. The Islamic Health Society identified the two as Hussein Khalil and Mohammed Ismail, saying they were killed when the groups office in the village of Blida was directly hit, a day after an Israeli airstrike on the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Rumman killed two members of Hezbollahs elite Radwan Force, including a local official who was identified as Hassan Saleh. Hezbollah later said it retaliated the attack on Blida by launching two explosive drones at an Israeli army post in the northern town of Kiryat Shmona, claiming it scored direct hits. Since the Israel-Hamas war began on Oct. 7, the Lebanon-Israel border has been witnessing daily exchanges of fire between Hezbollah and Israeli troops. Since then, nearly 200 Hezbollah fighters and at least 40 civilians have been killed. JERUSALEM Israel will control security in a demilitarized Gaza Strip and play a role in civilian affairs after its war on Hamas ends, according to a plan Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu submitted to his Cabinet for approval. While lacking specifics, the plan marks the first time he has presented a formal postwar vision. Netanyahus insistence on an open-ended Israeli role in running Gaza runs counter to key U.S. proposals for a revitalized Palestinian autonomous government eventually governing both Gaza and the Israeli-occupied West Bank as a precursor to statehood. The plan, published by the prime ministers office, was presented to Cabinet ministers late Thursday. It reiterates that Israel is determined to crush Hamas, the militant group that overran the Gaza Strip in 2007. Polls have indicated that a majority of Palestinians dont support Hamas, but that the group has deep roots in Palestinian society. Critics say Israels goal of eliminating Hamas is unattainable. It calls for freedom of action for Israels military across Gaza after the war to thwart any security threat and says Israel would establish a buffer zone inside Gaza likely to provoke U.S. objections. The plan also envisions Gaza being governed by local officials who it says would not be identified with countries or entities that support terrorism and will not receive payment from them. Its not clear if any Palestinians would agree to fill such subcontractor roles. Over the past decades, Israel has repeatedly tried and failed to set up hand-picked local Palestinian governing bodies. Poland and Ukraine are far from a deal on Ukrainian agricultural imports blocked at their border by protesting Polish farmers, Prime Minister Donald Tusk's chief of staff told AFP Friday. HT Image Polish farmers have blockaded border crossing points for weeks, complaining at what they consider unfair competition from Ukrainian produce. Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now. Ukraine's Prime Minister Denys Shmygal went to the border on Friday after offering talks, but Poland did not send a representative. Lower-level talks have been held with little sign of progress. The state of discussions "does not allow us to say we have a satisfactory solution for the Polish side or Polish farmers," said Jan Grabiec, the Polish prime minister's top aide. "We are far from such a deal. "Unfortunately, there is not yet a Ukrainian proposition that allows to hope for an end to the deadlock in commercial relations." Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky sent Shmygal to the border to try to end the impasse, which he says has delayed aid and weapons entering the country as it struggles with its war against Russia. "Unfortunately, Polish government officials did not come, but we publicly appealed to them, gave our proposals, and will continue this work," Shmygal said. Grabiec said a border meeting "makes no sense at the moment", when asked why no Polish officials had gone there. "There are no mutually satisfactory solutions and it is not useful to organise a meeting to confirm that there is no compromise." Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Thursday that the two countries would hold talks in Warsaw on March 28 and that ministers from the neighbours were in contact. Poland has been a key ally for Ukraine in its war against Russia. But farmers' protests in recent weeks have strained relations. The farmers have blocked roads across Poland, as well as at the frontier, to protest over European Union regulations, increased taxes and imports -- including from Ukraine -- that do not have to meet EU production rules. bo/tw/jj The US-made spacecraft, Odysseus, has landed on the moon for the first time in more than 50 years, but it is lying on its side, according to NASA and Intuitive Machines, the firm that designed and operated the lander. Intuitive Machines? Odysseus lunar lander captures a wide field of view image of Schomberger crater on the Moon, in this handout picture released February 23, 2024. Intuitive Machines/Handout via REUTERS (via REUTERS) The lander reached the lunar surface on Thursday at 6.23 pm ET, in the south-polar region near the crater Malapert A. However, it took some time before the landers communication systems could send a signal back to the flight controllers. Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now. Intuitive Machines CEO Steve Altemus said that Odysseus caught a foot in the surface and tipped as it landed, causing it to tilt over. Despite this, Altemus said that the lander is near or at our intended landing site. NASA and Intuitive Machines have been getting data from the lander and think that most scientific instruments are still functional. ALSO READ| Commercial US spaceship Odysseus lands on moon but transmitting weak signal It really was a magical, magical day, Tim Crain, the chief technology officer and co-founder of Intuitive Machines, said at a press conference on Friday. Odysseus aims for future lunar base site The landing site was selected because it is believed to have frozen water that could support a future permanent lunar base. The site is also very challenging, with many craters on the surface. NASA and Intuitive Machines expect to release images and a reconstruction of the landing in the next few days. Nasa funded Intuitive Machines $118m for the mission, as part of its Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program, which gives contracts to private partners. The mission is also part of the Artemis program, which aims to send humans back to the moon. Odysseus will conduct a seven-day mission, powered by solar energy until the landing site goes into the earths shadow. Nasa wants to study how the lunar soil was affected by the landing. Nasa also sent other devices with the lander, such as communication equipment. The lander, which is 14ft (4.3 metres) tall and has six legs and a hexagonal shape, used Nasas experimental laser navigation system to guide its descent, after the laser instrument from Intuitive Machines failed. ALSO READ| Norovirus outbreak reported in US: What you need to know about transmission and symptoms Another device, called EagleCam, a cube with cameras made by Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, was meant to detach 30 seconds before landing and take pictures of Odysseus landing, but it was turned off during descent because the navigation system had to be changed. Troy Henderson from Embry-Riddle said that his team will try to release EagleCam in the next few days, so it can take a photo of the lander from about 26ft (8 metres) away. Since Odysseuss position on the moon is still unclear, getting that final picture of the lander on the surface is still an incredibly important task for us, Henderson said to Associated Press. Donald Trump, the former US president, has come out in favour of IVF treatments, saying that he and the Republican party will always support the creation of strong, thriving, healthy American families. Donald Trump wants "IVF in every State in America." Photographer: Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg(Bloomberg) In a post on Truth Social, his new social media platform, Trump wrote: We want to make it easier for mothers and fathers to have babies, not harder! That includes supporting the availability of fertility treatments like IVF in every State in America. Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now. The Alabama Supreme Courts ruling that declared frozen embryos as children has sparked a heated debate over the future of IVF treatments in the state and across the country. ALSO READ| Alabama hospital puts pause on IVF after ruling says frozen embryos are children; how will it impact Americans? What's the Alabama ruling? The ruling, which came out earlier this week, was a result of a lawsuit filed by a group of IVF patients whose embryos were destroyed when a patient tampered with a cryogenic storage unit and dropped them on the floor. The ruling has led to the suspension of IVF services by at least three providers in Alabama, leaving many women who are struggling with infertility without the option of conceiving through the procedure. The ruling has also created a dilemma for Republicans, who have been trying to reconcile their anti-abortion stance with their support for family values. The former president was joined by Kari Lake, the Republican candidate for Senate from Arizona, who also expressed her support for IVF treatments. Lake, who is running to replace the retiring Democrat Mark Kelly, said in a post on X, the former Twitter, that one in six Americans struggle with fertility issues. In the Senate, I will advocate for increased access to fertility treatment for women struggling to get pregnant. IVF is extremely important for helping countless families experience the joy of parenthood. I oppose restrictions, She added. ALSO READ| Joe Biden rebukes Alabama Supreme Court's IVF ruling as outrageous and disregard' for women Biden mocks Trump Joe Biden, the current US president, mocked Trumps response to the ruling, saying that it was irrelevant and insensitive. In a statement on Friday, Biden said: American women couldnt care less what Donald Trump posts on Truth Social, they care that they cant access fertility treatment because of him. BAKU, Azerbaijan, February 24. A training drill was held in a military unit in Azerbaijan with the participation of a group of military personnel according to the combat training plan for 2024, Trend reports via the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan. According to the plan, fire training classes were held with conscripts, and the tactical and technical aspects of small guns and grenade launchers of various calibers were explained. After explaining the safety requirements, firing tasks were performed using a different firing position. Activities aimed at increasing combat training levels, improving knowledge and skills, and improving practical skills were done effectively. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel Adding another chapter to her career, Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, was recently seen dining with a prominent TV executive, hinting at advancement in her Hollywood pursuits and fueling rumors of a new project. This development coincides with reports of Prince Harry considering a temporary return to the UK amid King Charles' illness. FILE - Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Duke and Duchess of Sussex visit the track and field event at the Invictus Games in The Hague, Netherlands, Sunday, April 17, 2022. The production company founded by Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, are splitting ways with Spotify, Friday, June 16, 2023, less than a year after the debut of their podcast Archetypes."(AP Photo/Peter Dejong, File)(AP) Is Meghan Markle resuming her Hollywood career? Also read: Harry Potter TV series sets release date: Cast, streaming details, aiming for Warner Bros magic Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now. The Duchess of Sussex met with Terry Wood, executive producer at Oprah Winfrey's Harpo Productions, leaving many wondering what exciting collaboration may be brewing. On Thursday night, they were seen dining in Studio City, California. Meghan wore a light grey jumper paired with dark grey jeans, styling her hair in loose waves and choosing a subtle makeup look. Meghan Markle spotted dining with top TV executive As per body language expert Judi James, who spoke to the Mirror, Meghan appears to be performing signals of victory or achievement here as she does the celebrity thing of emerging from a restaurant with security or PR in close, supportive attendance. For the unversed, In 2018, Meghan Markle gave up her last acting role as Suits' Rachel Zane and since has not returned to the acting scene. Also read: Bianca Censoris no pants trend hits Milan, stuns in scandalous leather look with Kanye at fashion week The expert further commented on her style and said, "This seems like Meghan is going back to her old style with relaxed jeans and a casual look, giving off a happy and surprised vibe. It's reminiscent of her time on "Suits" and feels very different from her royal image. It suggests she's focusing more on her celebrity status than her royal connections. For the unversed, Meghan took retirement from acting after marrying Prince Harry in 2018. Prince Harrys US visa application put under scrutiny A royal expert has shared that there's a lot of talk lately about Prince Harry possibly becoming a US citizen, which is getting a lot of people interested. In his memoir "Spare," published in 2023, the Duke of Sussex openly admitted to trying drugs. This revelation has stirred up some controversy, with a conservative think tank even going as far as taking legal action to check if Harry was honest about his past when applying for his visa. The outcome of the case won't determine if Harry can stay in the US, but it'll help figure out if he got special treatment. MEXICO CITY (AP) Mexicos president on Friday defended his decision to disclose a reporters telephone number, saying a law that prohibits officials from releasing personal information doesnt apply to him. HT Image Press freedom groups said the president's decision to make public the phone number of a New York Times reporter Thursday was an attempt to punish critical reporting, and exposed the reporter to potential danger. Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now. Mexico's law on Protection of Personal Data states the government will guarantee individuals' privacy and sets out punishments for officials and others for improperly using, taking, publishing, hiding, altering or destroying, fully or partially, personal data. Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said that the political and moral authority of the president of Mexico is above that law, adding that no law can be above the sublime principle of liberty. He also accused U.S. media of acting with arrogance. He also downplayed the risks to journalists, saying it was an old song that you (reporters) use to discredit our government, and suggesting the Times reporter should just change her telephone number." Mexico is one of the deadliest places in the world for reporters outside of war zones. The Committee to Protect Journalists, or CPJ, has documented the killings of at least 55 journalists in Mexico since 2018, when Lopez Obrador took office. Jan-Albert Hootsen, the Mexico representative for the CPJ, noted the publication of a reporter's phone number in Mexico can be dangerous. The vast majority of threats and harassment and intimidation that reporters in this country, both foreign and domestic, receive, are conveyed through messages on messaging apps to mobile phones, Hootsen said. The situation began Thursday when Lopez Obrador denied allegations contained in a New York Times story about a U.S. investigation into claims that people close to him took money from drug traffickers shortly before his 2018 election and again after he was president. The story cited unidentified U.S. officials familiar with the now shelved inquiry and noted that a formal investigation was not opened, nor was it known how much of the informants allegations were independently confirmed. As is common practice, the Times reporter had sent a letter to Lopez Obrador's spokesman asking for the president's comment on the story before it was published, and included her telephone number as a means of contacting her. At his daily press briefing that day, the president displayed the letter on a large screen and read it aloud, including her phone number. In a statement posted on X, formerly Twitter, the New York Times wrote that This is a troubling and unacceptable tactic from a world leader at a time when threats against journalists are on the rise. Mexico's National Institute for Transparency and Information Access, the agency charged with upholding personal data laws, announced Thursday it is launching an investigation into the president's actions. But it is unclear how much good that will do: Lopez Obrador has frequently criticized the institute and has proposed abolishing it. Leopoldo Maldonado, of the press freedom group Article 19, said Obviously, he is doing it with the intention of inhibiting the work of journalists and trying to prevent the publication of issues of public interest concerning his administration and the people around him. This is something the president has done before, Maldonado noted. In 2022, Lopez Obrador published a chart showing the income of Carlos Loret de Mola, a journalist who had written stories critical of the president. The president said he got such information which Loret de Mola has said is wrong from the people, but later said he based the chart in part on tax receipts, which would have been available only to the party who wrote them or the government tax agency. Lopez Obrador regularly lashes out at the media, claiming they treat him unfairly and are part of a conservative conspiracy to undermine his administration. He has also expressed anger at what he claims is U.S. tolerance for such media reports. It is the second time in recent weeks that the foreign press has published stories signaling that the U.S. government has looked into alleged contacts between Lopez Obrador allies and drug cartels. In late January, ProPublica, Deutsche Welle and InSight Crime published stories describing an earlier U.S. investigation into whether Lopez Obrador campaign aides took money from drug traffickers in exchange for facilitating their operations during an unsuccessful bid for the presidency in 2006. In that instance, Lopez Obrador placed blame squarely at the feet of the U.S. government and wondered aloud why he should continue discussing issues like immigration with a government that was trying to damage him. On Thursday U.S. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said, There is no investigation into President Lopez Obrador. ____ Follow APs coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Friday hit back at criticism of his decision to reveal the telephone number of a New York Times reporter investigating alleged drug cartel links. HT Image Lopez Obrador reacted angrily after the newspaper reported that US law enforcement officials spent years examining claims that people close to him took millions of dollars from criminal gangs. Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now. On Thursday, he read out the journalist's phone number at his regular news conference along with questions put to him by The New York Times. Lopez Obrador denied Friday that he had breached data protection regulations, saying: "There can be no law above a fundamental principle which is freedom." "What happens when this journalist is slandering me? She's linking me and my family (with organized crime) without evidence," he added. The New York Times described the incident as "a troubling and unacceptable tactic from a world leader at a time when threats against journalists are on the rise." Mexico's National Institute for Transparency, Access to Information and Personal Data Protection said that it would investigate whether the disclosure broke the law. Media rights group Reporters Without Borders described Lopez Obrador's actions as "scandalous," and said that he should apologize to the journalist involved. It comes weeks after a leak of reporters' personal data held by the Mexican government triggered alarm among media rights activists in one of the world's most dangerous countries for the press. According to The New York Times, the United States decided not to open a formal investigation into Lopez Obrador because there was "little appetite to pursue allegations against the leader of one of America's top allies." While US officials identified possible links between drug cartels and people close to Lopez Obrador, they did not find any direct ties between the president himself and criminal groups, it said, citing US records and unidentified sources familiar with the matter. The information was hard to corroborate because much of it came from informants, the newspaper said. It is the second time this year that Lopez Obrador, who took office in 2018, has faced such claims in the US media. Last month, he rejected allegations in an article published on the ProPublica news site that drug traffickers helped fund his first presidential campaign in 2006. jg-dr/mdl Flaco, the only Eurasian eagle-owl in the wild in North America, died on Friday after hitting a building in Manhattan. He had escaped from the Central Park Zoo last year when someone vandalised his enclosure. This photo provided by David Lei shows Flaco the owl, April 28, 2023, in New York. Courtesy David Lei via AP)(AP) The zoo said in a statement that the Wild Bird Fund (WBF) found Flaco dead at the scene and notified them. They retrieved his remains and took them to the Bronx Zoo for a necropsy. Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now. The vandal who damaged Flacos exhibit jeopardised the safety of the bird and is ultimately responsible for his death, the zoo said. ALSO READ| How Embarrassing: Googles AI under fire for refusing to condemn pedophilia amid historical images backlash Flaco was rescued by the zoo in 2010 as a young owl. He spent 13 years as an exhibit before his escape. He was feared to be unable to survive in the wild, but he proved to be a skilled hunter and flyer. Falco: No way to Zoo The zoo tried to recapture him with bait and calls, but he did not fall for them. They gave up after a few weeks, but kept an eye on him. They said they were ready to help him if he needed it. Flaco mostly stayed in or near Central Park, but sometimes explored other parts of the city. Some thought he was looking for a mate. He was often seen by people who admired his beauty and majesty. We appreciate all the support and concern over the wellbeing of Flaco throughout the past year and the many people who contacted us with updates, the zoo said. We especially appreciate the quick response by the staff of the Wild Bird Fund in their attempt to help Flaco. ALSO READ| Nikki Haley mocks Trump and Biden's age during final pitch to home crowd ahead of South Carolina Primary Flacos death sparked an outcry on social media. Many users on X (formerly known as Twitter, shared their grief and gratitude for his remarkable journey. One user suggested demolishing the building where he crashed. Flaco was a large owl, with a wingspan of about 6ft (1.8m). A study by ornithologist Stephen Ambrose in 2020 suggested that city lights could blind owls and make them crash into buildings. Before the South Carolina Primary in her home state, GOP presidential hopeful Nikki Haley made her last pitch to the voters in Mount Pleasant on Friday. She attacked her main rival Donald Trump and claimed that she was the only one who could beat President Biden in the general election. The South Carolina Republican Presidential Primary is scheduled for February 24, 2024. (Photo by Julia Nikhinson / AFP)(AFP) The former governor of South Carolina, said to the crowd, The best America can do is two candidates in their 80s? She was referring to Trump, who is 77, and Biden, who is 81. Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now. No drama, no vendettas : Haley We need someone who can do eight years of hard work day and night, getting the job done for the American people. No drama, no vendettas, she added. According to the latest polls, Haley is trailing Trump by 28 points in South Carolina. But her campaign manager Betsy Ankney said in a call with reporters on Friday morning that Haley would not give up and would fight on until Super Tuesday. ALSO READ| Donald Trump says he strongly believes in IVF treatments after Alabama ruling Ankney stated, As we look to the path ahead, we know that this is an uphill battle. We know that the road is difficult. We know that the math is challenging, but this has never just been about who can win a Republican primary this battle is about who can win in November, defeat the Democrats and finally get our country back on track. We have never gotten [into] those benchmarks. We wont start now. Once again, she made very clear in her speech on Tuesday that we are marching on and thats what we intend to do, she continued. Some of Haleys supporters in South Carolina said that they wanted Haley to stay in the race in case something happened to Trump, such as getting locked up or having a health issue. But they also admitted that they did not expect her to win. Haley rejects Phillips offer Meanwhile, Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.), who is challenging Biden for the Democratic nomination, said on Friday that he was open to the idea of running as an independent with Haley as his running mate. He said, I think its a conversation that Ambassador Haley and I should have if thats what this comes down to. Phillips had a strong showing in New Hampshire, where he got more than 20% of the vote and Biden was not on the ballot. ALSO READ| Biden's Democratic challenger Dean Phillips offers to be Nikki Haleys VP on unity ticket Haleys campaign rejected the possibility of joining forces with Phillips. Haley reiterated on Tuesday that she was not quitting the race and that she was looking forward to campaigning in multiple states before the March 5 contest. A US court heard today that Prince Harrys visa application could be in jeopardy due to his drug use confession in his memoir Spare. Prince Harrys drug use admission sparks legal battle: The book isnt sworn testimony or proof, says lawyer Friday, Feb. 16, 2024. (Ethan Cairns/The Canadian Press via AP)(AP) The Duke of Sussex, 39, revealed in his book that he had experimented with marijuana, cocaine and psychedelic mushrooms in the past. However, a lawyer for the Biden administration said that the memoir was not proof of his drug use and could have been exaggerated to sell books. Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now. The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, brought the court case that wants Harrys US immigration files to be made public. ALSO READ| Prince Harry US Visa case: Bombshell drug confession in memoir Spare to be addressed in court today The group claims that Harry may have received special treatment when he applied for his visa, which could violate the law. The Department of Homeland Security requires anyone entering the US to answer a yes or no question about their past drug use, which could be a reason to deny a visa. Biden administration denies Prince Harry's confession The Biden administration is opposing the release of the files, arguing that visa applicants have a right to privacy. John Bardo, a lawyer for the administration, told the DC court that the book isnt sworn testimony or proof that Harry took illegal drugs. Saying something in a book doesnt necessarily make it true, he continued. On the other hand, Nile Gardiner, the director of the Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom, who appeared on GB News, said before the hearing that this was a clear-cut case of transparency and accountability from the Biden administration. No one should be above the law when it comes to applying for immigration status in the United States. ALSO READ| Prince Harry and Meghan Markle counting down the days to come back to Canada Actual confession or just a marketing strategy? In his memoir, Prince Harry wrote about his drug use, saying, It wasnt much fun, and it didnt make me particularly happy, as it seemed to make everyone around mebut it did make me feel different, and that was the main goal. Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle moved to the US in the summer of 2020, after stepping back from their royal duties. They live in Montecito, California, with their two children, Prince Archie, four, and Princess Lilibet, two. Former President Donald Trump is looking to win his fourth straight primary state on Saturday over Nikki Haley in South Carolina, aiming to hand a home-state embarrassment to his last remaining major rival for the Republican nomination. Donald Trump is confident he will win the South Carolina Primary(Reuters) Trump went into the primary with a huge polling lead and the backing of the state's top Republicans, including Sen. Tim Scott, a former rival in the race. Haley, who served as U.N. ambassador under Trump, has spent weeks crisscrossing the state that twice elected her governor warning that the dominant front-runner, who is 77 and faces four indictments, is too old and distracted to be president again. Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now. In all but one primary since 1980, the Republican winner in South Carolina has gone on to be the partys nominee. But Haley has repeatedly vowed to carry on if she loses her home state, even as Trump positions himself for a likely general election rematch against President Joe Biden. Trumps backers, including those who previously supported Haley during her time as governor, seemed confident that the former president would have a solid victory on Saturday. I did support her when she was governor. Shes done some good things, Davis Paul, 36, said as he waited for Trump at a recent rally in Conway. But I just dont think shes ready to tackle a candidate like Trump. I dont think many people can. Trump has swept into the state for a handful of large rallies in between fundraisers and events in other states, including Michigan, which holds its GOP primary Tuesday. He has drawn much larger crowds and campaigned with Gov. Henry McMaster, who succeeded Haley, and Scott, who was elevated to the Senate by Haley. Speaking Friday in Rock Hill, Trump accused Haley of staying in the race to hurt him at the behest of Democratic donors. All she's trying to do is inflict pain on us so they can win in November, he said. We're not going to let that happen. In some of those rallies, Trump has made comments that handed Haley more fodder for her stump speeches, such as his Feb. 10 questioning of why her husband currently on a South Carolina Army National Guard deployment to Africa hadnt been campaigning alongside her. Haley turned that point into an argument that the front-runner doesnt respect servicemembers and their families, long a criticism that has followed Trump going back to his suggesting the late Sen. John McCain, a prisoner of war in Vietnam, wasn't a hero because he was captured. That same night, Trump asserted that he would encourage countries like Russia to do whatever the hell they want against NATO member countries who failed to meet the transatlantic alliances defense spending targets. Haley has been holding out that moment as evidence that Trump is too volatile and getting weak in the knees when it comes to Russia. After one of Haleys events, Terry Sullivan, a U.S. Navy veteran who lives in Hopkins, said he had planned to support Trump but changed his mind after hearing Haley's critique of his NATO comments. One country can say whatever it wants, but when you have an agreement, among other nations, we should join the agreements of other nations, not just off on our own, Sullivan said. After listening to Nikki, I think Im a Nikki supporter now. Haley has made an indirect appeal to Democrats who in large numbers sat out their own presidential primary earlier this month, adding into her stump speech a line that anybody can vote in this primary as long as they didnt vote in the Feb. 3 Democrat primary. Some of those voters have been showing up at her events, saying that although they planned to vote for Biden in the general election, they planned to cross over to the GOP primary on Saturday as a way to oppose Trump now. In any other campaign cycle, a home state loss might be detrimental to a campaign. In 2016, Sen. Marco Rubio dropped out shortly after losing Florida in a blowout to Trump, after his campaign argued the political winds would shift in his favor once the campaign moved to his home state. And Haley's campaign cant name a state in which they feel she will be victorious over Trump. But in a speech this week in Greenville, Haley said she would stay in the campaign until the last person votes, arguing that those whose contests come after the early primaries and caucuses deserved the right to have a choice between candidates. Haley also used that speech which many had assumed was an announcement she was shuttering her campaign to argue that she feels no need to kiss the ring, as others had, possibly with prospects of serving as Trump's running mate in mind. I have no fear of Trumps retribution, Haley reiterated. Im not looking for anything from him. My own political future is of zero concern. Feb 24, 2024 5:31 PM IST Republicans DONALD TRUMP Trump has leveraged his civil cases and indictments in four criminal cases - unprecedented for a former American president - to boost his popularity among Republicans and raise funds, helping to make him the Republican frontrunner with 64%, according to Reuters/Ipsos polling. He scored victories in the early nominating contests of Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada, and is pushing to replace Republican National Committee leadership with his own top allies ahead of the party's July nominating convention. NIKKI HALEY A former South Carolina governor and Trump's ambassador to the United Nations, Haley, 52, has emphasized her relative youth compared to Biden, 81, and Trump, as well as her background as the daughter of Indian immigrants. She had gained a reputation in the Republican Party as a solid conservative who could address issues of gender and race in a more credible fashion than many of her peers 2) Democrats JOE BIDEN Biden, 81, already the oldest U.S. president ever, will have to convince voters he has the stamina for another four years in office, amid poor approval ratings and a special counsel report suggesting he suffered memory lapses. Biden has blasted the report, and his allies say he believes he is the only Democratic candidate who can defeat Trump and protect democracy. The most recent Reuters/Ipsos poll put Biden at 34%, while Trump garnered 37% close to the 2.9 percentage-point margin of error. DEAN PHILLIPS Dean Phillips, a little-known U.S. congressman from Minnesota, announced in October he would mount a long-shot challenge to Biden because he does not believe the president can win another term. The 55-year-old millionaire businessman and gelato company co-founder announced his bid in a one-minute video posted online, saying: "We've got some challenges. ... We're going to repair this economy, and we are going to repair America." INDEPENDENTS ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR An anti-vaccine activist, Kennedy, 70, is running as an independent after initially challenging Biden for the Democratic nomination, but he is far behind in polling. Some recent Reuters/Ipsos polls showed Kennedy could harm Biden more than Trump in the presidential election, where third-party candidates have affected the outcome of U.S. elections even without winning. CORNEL WEST The political activist, philosopher and academic said in June he would launch a third-party bid for president that is likely to appeal to progressive, Democratic-leaning voters. West, 70, initially ran as a Green Party candidate, but in October he said people "want good policies over partisan politics" and announced his bid as an independent. He has promised to end poverty and guarantee housing. JILL STEIN Jill Stein, a physician, re-upped her 2016 Green Party bid on Nov. 9, accusing Democrats of betraying their promises "for working people, youth and the climate again and again - while Republicans dont even make such promises in the first place." Stein, 73, raised millions of dollars for recounts after Trump's surprise 2016 victory. Her allegations yielded only one electoral review in Wisconsin, which showed Trump had won. On Friday, New York City police arrested five of the alleged attackers in the aftermath of a wild brawl in Times Square, some of whom were also migrant teens, and were searching for 16 more. NEW YORK, NEW YORK - FEBRUARY 06: Police patrol in Times Square on February 06, 2024 in New York City. Spencer Platt/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by SPENCER PLATT / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)(Getty Images via AFP) A 17-year-old migrant boy from Nicaragua was stabbed in the back by a group of masked assailants in Times Square on Thursday evening, sparking a massive manhunt for 16 suspects, according to NYPD. Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now. I saw someone running The teen was with his friends on his first visit to the iconic tourist destination when the attackers confronted them on West 42nd Street near Eighth Avenue around 5:30 p.m., shouting, Whats up? What are you looking at? according to several sources familiar with the investigation. The gang then chased the boy, and one of them stabbed him in the lower back, leaving him bleeding profusely on the ground, police said. ALSO READ| New York City Mayor Eric Adams imposes curfews on 20 migrant shelters following violent Times Square shooting I saw someone running and there was blood coming from his back, coming from everywhere, said Bell Mohamed, who works nearby and witnessed the attack. The victim told police he tried to protect his head from the blows of his attackers, but he lost consciousness and could not remember anything else, sources said. He was rushed to Bellevue Hospital by EMS and was in stable condition, police said. A large knife stained with blood was found at the scene, cops said. NYPD made some arrests Michael Colome, 22, of Queens, was charged with gang assault, assault and criminal possession of a weapon, police said. Three boys aged 16 and one boy aged 14, who were not identified because they are minors, were also charged with gang assault and assault, cops said. Another young suspect was taken into custody but later released, police said. Sources said at least two of the arrested teens were migrants from Venezuela. ALSO READ| Nikki Haley vs Trump: Here's what to watch for in South Carolina's Republican primary The incident was the latest in a series of violent clashes involving migrants in the area, which scared away many locals and visitors. Its dangerous, said Mohammed, another witness of the stabbing. Some people are just crazy. Jhon Willy, a journalism student from Michigan who came to the city with her parents, said they were aware of the violence and planned to avoid Times Square at night. The University of Georgia (UGA) campus was shocked by the first homicide in 41 years, when the body of Laken Hope Riley was discovered on February 22. Who killed Laken Hope Riley? The mystery of the UGA campus homicide(Facebook) Riley, a 22-year-old senior nursing student at Augusta University College of Nursing at Athens, was found unresponsive and injured at the intramural fields behind Lake Herrick, where she had gone for a jog. Her roommate had reported her missing earlier that day. Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now. UGA Police Chief Jeffrey L. Clark said, The individual was unconscious and not breathing and had visible injuries. Police detained a suspect On Friday, officials confirmed that Rileys death was a homicide and that they had detained prime suspect, Jose Antonio Ibarra, who was being questioned and tagged with multiple charges. ALSO READ| Laken Riley murder: Nursing student found dead on University of Georgia campus, suspect in custody A UGA spokesperson told Daily Mail, We want to stress that this continues to be an active, ongoing investigation, and we will provide further updates when circumstances warrant. Clark also assured that the police officers were not going to leave any rock unturned in this investigation. He added, When you have a suspect thats on the loose, theres always a danger. But theres no immediate danger at this time. Who was Laken Riley? Riley was a native of Woodstock, Georgia, and a graduate of River Ridge High School in 2020. She had earned her undergraduate degree at UGA in 2023, before enrolling in the nursing program at Augusta University. She was an avid runner and a member of her high school's cross-country and track teams. Cherokee County School District Superintendent Brian Hightower also praised her as an outstanding scholar-athlete. She was a part of the Alpha Chi Omega sorority and had a close bond with her family, who often shared her achievements and milestones on social media. Her mother, Allyson Phillips, posted photos and a video of Rileys white coat ceremony at the nursing program on Facebook in August 2023. ALSO READ| How Embarrassing: Googles AI under fire for refusing to condemn pedophilia amid historical images backlash Today was a proud mamma moment! We celebrated Laken starting nursing school at her white coat ceremony. This girl works harder than anyone I have ever met! I am just so beyond proud and I cant wait to see what God has planned her, she wrote. Rileys tragic death has left her family, friends, and the UGA community in grief and disbelief. BAKU, Azerbaijan, February 24. Armenia is trying to cover up its armed provocations with disinformation, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense said in a statement, Trend reports. On February 24 at 12:45, units of the Armenian armed forces from positions located in the direction of the settlement of Yukhari Shorja, Basarkechyar region, fired from small arms at the positions of the Azerbaijan Army in the direction of the settlement of Yellidzha, Kalbajar region. The corresponding surveillance means clearly established that the fire was opened from a post of the Armenian armed forces located at the indicated coordinates (4005'04" N; 4552'28" E). In order to conceal the committed armed provocation, the Armenian Ministry of Defense disseminated information that the fire was allegedly opened by the Azerbaijani units, and, to make this misinformation look plausible, indicated the coordinates of the positions of the units of the Azerbaijani Army. The Azerbaijani units did not open fire from this direction and, in order to ensure sustainable stability on the conditional border, no retaliatory actions were taken in connection with the provocation of the opposite side, the statement reads. ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan, February 24. Turkmenistan's Turkmennebit State Concern has stepped up work on oil and gas fields in order to increase production rates, Trend reports. This was announced by Deputy Chairman of the Government of Turkmenistan Batyr Amanov at a meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers held on February 23, 2024. According to him, the state concern applies modern methods and international experience in the development of deposits. He noted that, in particular, new areas are being developed at promising fields in the west of Turkmenistan, adding that several wells have already been involved there, and new ones are being drilled in accordance with the plan. Furthermore, regular repairs and equipping with the necessary equipment are carried out to increase the productivity of wells, Amanov noted. Meanwhile, with the aim of diversifying the economy and bolstering its standing in the international energy market, Turkmenistan is concentrating on advancing its oil and gas sector. This endeavor encompasses the refurbishment and enlargement of infrastructure, enticing foreign investment to augment production and exports of oil and gas, as well as the vigorous advancement of novel technologies and production methodologies. Stay up-to-date with more news at Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel ASTANA, Kazakhstan, February 24. Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Poland Alim Kirabayev has held a meeting with the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland Marek Pravda, during which the parties discussed, among other things, the importance of using the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR, or Middle Corridor), Trend reports. According to Kazakhstan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the parties confirmed their mutual commitment to expanding political, trade, economic, cultural, and humanitarian relations. "In order to increase trade turnover between Kazakhstan and Poland, Kirabayev and Pravda focused on the attractiveness of using the transit potential of the Middle Corridor," the ministry said. In addition, the interlocutors discussed issues of expanding the bilateral regulatory framework as well as strengthening cooperation on the cultural and humanitarian tracks, including the development of contacts between educational institutions in the two countries. As Marek Pravda noted, Warsaw traditionally views Kazakhstan as its important partner in Central Asia and is committed to continuing mutually beneficial cooperation with Astana. The Middle Corridor is a transportation and trade route that connects Asia and Europe, passing through several countries in the region. It is an alternative route to the traditional Northern Corridor and Southern Corridor. The route starts in China and crosses Central Asian countries such as Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan. It then passes through the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Turkiye before reaching Europe. The Middle Corridor offers a land route that connects the eastern parts of Asia, including China, with Europe, bypassing the longer maritime routes. Hotel del Coronado, part of Curio Collection by Hilton, announced the appointment of Sanjiv Hulugalle as the resort's new managing director. With an illustrious career in hospitality, Hulugalle brings over 28 years of industry leadership experience to his new role as managing director at The Del. In his new role, Hulugalle's areas of focus will include an elevated service culture, curation of a rich array of signature programming and culinary experiences, and full activation of the resort's five buildings, known as neighborhoods. Hulugalle's career has spanned the globe, including senior hospitality positions in 12 countries across four continents including Beijing, Malaysia, the Maldives and Canada. His impressive career achievements include curating a culture of service par excellence at some of the most luxurious properties worldwide and successfully leading resorts through transformative phases. Hulugalle is also renowned for his ability to create unforgettable guest experiences. Prior to joining Hotel del Coronado, Hulugalle served as group president of hospitality & real estate at KOHLER Co. His previous experience also includes roles as regional vice president & general manager of Mauna Lani Resort, where he spearheaded a $210 million renovation and repositioning of the resort to become an Auberge Resort Collection property. His expertise in luxury resort management was honed during his 24 years of service with Four Seasons, where he consistently led successful teams and earned top resort awards at prestigious hotels within the portfolio worldwide. April 1, 2024, marks a significant milestone for the Carlton Cannes, a Regent Hotel as they welcome Pierre-Louis Renou as their new General Manager. Pierre-Louis Renou is a seasoned professional with an impressive international background, having held pivotal roles in renowned hotel groups such as Concorde Hotels, Hilton, Barriere, and Accor. His remarkable journey is highlighted by his tenure as General Manager at Hotel Barriere Le Majestic Cannes since 2013, where he demonstrated exceptional leadership. He played a crucial role in managing the Gray d'Albion in Cannes and was instrumental in the launch of the Carl Gustaf in Saint-Barthelemy. In 2020, Renou expanded his expertise as the General Manager of Fairmont Monte-Carlo and simultaneously served as the Regional Vice-President of Accor luxury hotels in Spain, Portugal, and Italy. His academic credentials are equally impressive, with a degree from the Glion Institute of Higher Education in Switzerland and a Certificate in Leadership and Negotiation from Harvard Business School. These qualifications underscore his expertise in management and strategic planning. Chicago, IL (60637) Today Mainly cloudy. A few flurries are possible. High 39F. Winds NW at 10 to 20 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy early followed by cloudy skies overnight. Low 29F. Winds WSW at 10 to 20 mph. ASTANA, Kazakhstan, February 24. Kazakhstan and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) have discussed measures to support business, according to Trend reports. This topic was discussed during the XI annual meeting of the Coordination Committee of Cooperation Programs between the Ministry of National Economy of Kazakhstan and the EBRD. During his speech, First Vice Minister of National Economy Timur Zhaksylykov noted that within the framework of the Business Advisory Services Program and the Women in Business Program, which are implemented by the EBRD and co-financed by the Ministry of National Economy, comprehensive support is provided to entrepreneurs. "The programs include both financial and non-financial support instruments. Programs are aimed at creating a favorable environment for doing business and are a catalyst for the dynamic development of enterprises. In addition, a powerful reserve of qualified and competent consultants has been created to provide a wide range of relevant business services," he said. In turn, head of the EBRD Advisory Services Program in Central Asia and Mongolia Simone Zeh Atanasovski noted that the Bank launched a mentoring program for women entrepreneurs for the first time in Kazakhstan, and the country is one of the first to launch a special program to support innovative startups, Star Venture. The EBRD's Youth in Business program will also begin operating here. In addition, according to EBRD Deputy Director for Kazakhstan Askar Namazbayev, in 2023 alone in Kazakhstan, the Bank invested and mobilized more than 330 million euros in 21 projects, and more than 90 percent of this amount was allocated to private sector clients. Meanwhile, the bank has invested about 9.8 billion euros in 317 projects in Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan is the EBRD's largest and longest-running Central Asian banking business. Hudson, NY (12534) Today Partly cloudy. High 47F. Winds WNW at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight Mostly cloudy skies this evening will become partly cloudy after midnight. A few flurries are possible. Low 32F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph. Governor Announces $50 M Investment in Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure BOSTON The Healey-Driscoll Administration announced an investment of $50 million in initiatives to build out electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure across Massachusetts. The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds will increase access to charging infrastructure for more residents, electrify the state fleet, improve operation of public charging stations, manage the impact of charging infrastructure on the electric grid, and provide charging solutions for difficult to electrify vehicle types. "State and rideshare vehicles contribute a disproportionate amount of transportation emissions, so by investing in the electrification of these vehicles, we can have a much more cost-effective impact on emissions," said?Governor Maura Healey.?"Our administration is committed to leading by example in addressing climate change, and we are pleased that these funds will also allow Massachusetts to more quickly electrify its fleet." The $50 million in ARPA funds will support innovative EV technology programs at the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC), charging infrastructure investments for the state fleet through Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance (DCAMM) and the Department of Energy Resources (DOER), testing equipment and staff at the Division of Standards (DOS) to conduct inspections of public charging stations, and future analysis of EV charging needs by the Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Coordinating Council (EVICC). "Vehicle emissions not only contribute significantly to climate change, but also impact public health, especially in environmental justice communities," said?Secretary for Energy and Environmental Affairs Rebecca Tepper.?"With this funding, the Healey-Driscoll Administration is creating more equitable access to clean transportation and ensuring drivers in all communities across Massachusetts have the option to choose an electric vehicle." The following initiatives will receive funding: Electric Vehicle Curbside Parking for Residents in Multi-Unit Dwellings - $12.5 million MassCEC will work to help municipalities expand access to EV charging for residents with limited access to home charging, particularly in environmental justice and urban communities. Pole-mounted and streetlight chargers represent a promising strategy to use existing assets to expand access to curbside charging, but this potential is limited by barriers such as regulatory hurdles, complex ownership structures and unclear business and financial models. The project aims to increase the number of overnight curbside charging stations, including accessible pole-mounted and streetlamp EV charging solutions. A technical consultant will deploy on-street charging near multi-unit dwelling neighborhoods and provide guidance to municipalities for future implementation. Medium- and Heavy-Duty Electrification Mobile Charging Solutions - $9.5 million Medium and Heavy-Duty (MDHD) vehicles make up 3 pecent of Massachusetts vehicles, yet produce 20 percent of on-road vehicle emissions, making their electrification critical to reaching the state's climate goals and to improve air quality in environmental justice communities, especially those near warehouses and ports. One major challenge to achieving electrification in this sector is project delays due to limits in grid infrastructure. Mobile charging represents a promising technology that could help fleet operators avoid delays and resist the urge to overbuild through temporary mobile charging solutions. MassCEC will complete a market characterization study paired with deployment projects to demonstrate mobile charging financial models and use cases. Ride-For-Hire Vehicle Electrification Charging Solutions - $8 million Uber, Lyft and taxi drivers drive a lot of miles, spend a lot of money on gasoline, and need a lot of charging. MassCEC will deploy EV charging to support the electrification of taxi and transportation network company (TNC) fleets. Electrification of this sector can help support the deployment of electric vehicles in urban areas and environmental justice communities. For example, studies in California show that while TNC drivers make up less than 3 percent of electric vehicle (EV) drivers, they account for over 40% of all public fast charger use. This project will fund level 2 and fast charging infrastructure projects with a focus on deploying charging resources in environmental justice communities, where a high percentage of TNC drivers reside. Vehicle-To-Everything (V2X) Analysis and Demonstration Projects - $8 million The widespread deployment of bidirectional technology would allow EV owners to use their car battery as a resource to reduce home energy costs or sell electricity onto the grid. V2X systems both charge and discharge an EV's battery, enabling EVs to act as a grid resource by sending energy stored in the onboard battery to the local utility grid or to a grid-connected asset such as a building. This would have the potential transform our relationship with the grid, providing EV drivers with a mobile source of storage and opening up potential revenue streams to support EV adoption for low-income drivers. MassCEC will complete a market characterization analysis and demonstration projects that support vehicle-to-grid and/or vehicle-to-building projects designed to reduce peak demand and provide grid services. EV Charging at Priority State Facilities - $9.5 million DCAMM will seek to install fleet EV charging infrastructure in 60 or more high priority sites at state facilities. Each site would receive an average of 4 EV ports and 4 make-ready spots, making it easy to double the number of charging stations in the future. EV Charging for Other State Vehicles - $1.5 million DOER will provide funding to other agencies to install fleet EV charging infrastructure at approximately 60 sites, focusing on those not on the high priority list, non-executive branch fleets, and leased facilities. EV Charging Testing Equipment $604,000 DOS will purchase EV charging infrastructure testing equipment and hire staff to conduct inspections of public charging stations to ensure that they remain in working order and adhere to a common set of standards. EV Charging Needs Analysis - $396,000 This funding will support the analytical needs of the EVICC through the end of 2026 to help it continue to assess the current state of EV charging infrastructure and future needs of Massachusetts as it promotes the electrification of the transportation sector. iciHaiti - Health Alert : Counterfeit drug Dr. Alex LARSEN, the Minister of Public Health, informs the general population and health professionals in particular that a counterfeit medicine sold under the name "Citrato de Cafeina" is circulating across the country. This counterfeit product referenced in this alert and labeled "Citrato de Cafeina, 20mg/1ml" is presented in an amber vial, covered with a double white label with letters printed in red and blue With reference to the primary packaging written in Spanish, the MSPP indicates that: The name of the laboratory P&SA is not registered in Haiti; The date of manufacture (08/2020) and the expiration date (08/2024) indicated on the label have no traceability in Haiti; The use of "Citrato de Cafeina, 20mg/1ml" may result in erroneous and ineffective treatment as well as other serious health risks due to the conditions of use which may, in certain circumstances, endanger the life of the person. The Minister invites users to obtain their supplies exclusively from authorized pharmaceutical establishments (list on the MSPP website) and calls on the Population to be vigilant. The purchase, distribution, sale and use of any product meeting the aforementioned characteristics are strictly prohibited on the Haitian market. The Ministry urges health professionals and consumers in general to report any incident relating to pharmacovigilance to the Health Directorate of their respective jurisdiction for any appropriate immediate administrative action. IH/ iciHaiti Subscription to paid content Gain access to all that Trend has to offer, as well as to premium, licensed content via subscription or direct purchase through a credit card. Get our free weekly email for all the latest cinematic news from our film critic Clarisse Loughrey Get our The Life Cinematic email for free Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the The Life Cinematic email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Dune 2 director Denis Villeneuve has waded into an increasingly controversial movie debate with the release of his long-awaited movie sequel. The filmmaker, whose credits include Arrival and Blade Runner 2049, has been busy promoting his new film, which is receiving acclaim from critics, including The Independents Clarisse Loughrey, who awarded the film five stars out of five. During a reent interview, he was challenged about the runtime of the Dune sequel, which stars Timothee Chalamet and Zendaya, and was finally released on 1 March after being delayed due to the Hollywood strikes in 2023. In the last 10 years, films have gotten longer and longer, with many regularly wondering on social media whether these increased lengths are necessary. Recent films to have been at the centre of such debate include Christopher Nolans Oppenheimer and Martin Scorseses Killers of the Flower Moon, which last for three hours and three hours, 30 minutes, respectidely. One person who thinks this argument is silly is Villeneuve, whose Dune 2 has a runtime of two hours, 46 minutes. When asked about the runtime in a new interview, Villeneuve said that the films distributor, Warner Bros Pictures, didnt tell him to cut the film down, saying it was almost the opposite. But Villeneuve is undeterred by complaints that blockbusters these days are too long, telling The Times: I trust the audience. Defending the new films runtime, he said that the story, adapted from Frank Herberts novel, is too dense to tell in a more expedient manner. Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days New subscribers only. 8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled Try for free Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days New subscribers only. 8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled Try for free This was the only way I could succeed,he said, adding: Also, think of Oppenheimer. It is a three-hour, rated-R movie about nuclear physics that is mostly talking. But the public was young that was the movie of the year by far for my kids. Zendaya and Timothee Chalamet in Dune: Part 2 (Warner Bros Pictures) Villeneuve argued that, while many people might be frustrated at lengthier runtimes, young people today actually want films to be longer. He said: There is a trend. The youth love to watch long movies because if they pay, they want to see something substantial. They are craving meaningful content. It was found in 2023 that the average length of the top 10 highest-grossing movies in the US and Canada was two hours and 23 minutes almost 30 minutes more than the average recorded in 2020. Addressing whether there will be a third Dune film, Villeneuve said: There is absolutely a desire to have a third one, but I dont want to rush it. He said that when it comes to making another sequel, titled Dune: Messiah, he will take his time as the danger in Hollywood is that people get excited and only think about release dates, not quality. Dune: Part 2 is in cinemas now. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} At least 15 people were killed and dozens injured when a fire broke out at an apartment building in Nanjing city in China, according to local authorities. The blaze appears to have started on the first floor of the building, where electric bikes were kept, on Friday morning. It was extinguished by 6am, with the rescue operation being wrapped up by 2pm. At least 44 people were sent to hospital for treatment, of whom one person was in a critical condition. More than 500 affected residents were moved to hotels, reported the South China Morning Post. Residents were woken up by the sound of an explosion at around 4.30am, with fire surging upwards. Footage showed black smoke emanating from the building while a ball of flame spread to its exterior. Authorities began receiving calls for help at around 4.39am. At least 25 fire trucks were dispatched to the site to tackle the blaze, according to the emergency services. Nanjing citys mayor, Chen Zhichang, expressed his condolences to the victims, adding that the authorities were deeply saddened by the incident, reported CNN. We will ... give the victims and society an answer, he said, adding that there an investigation was under way. The blaze appears to have started on the first floor of the building, where electric bikes were kept (AFP via Getty) There have been several notable fires in China over the past year, including one in a school dormitory that killed 13 students in central Chinas Henan province. Seven staff members were taken into police custody following that incident. In January, at least 39 people were killed and nine injured in a fire at a shop in Jiangxi province. Following these incidents, Chinas president, Xi Jinping, demanded that all efforts be made to prevent accidents and ensure peoples safety, according to Xinhua News. Last April, a fire in a hospital in Beijing killed 29 people. Patients trapped in the multistorey building apparently tied bedsheets into makeshift ropes and escaped by climbing out of windows, according to video footage circulating on social media. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} A Hello Kitty theme park in Japan was shut down temporarily on Saturday after it received a threat about a hazardous object on email. "We will be temporarily closed today as we are unable to adequately ensure the safety of our customers, performers, and on-site staff at this time," the Sanrio Puroland park in Tokyo said on its website. Sanrio Puroland in Tama informed the police around 9am local time, about the mail warning about hazardous objects in the premises of the park. However, police did not find any suspicious objects, public broadcaster NHK reported, without citing any source for its information. Hello Kitty, created by Sanrio Co and celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, is one of Japans best known cartoon characters. The mouthless cat-like figure, used to market everything from plush toys to aircraft, has been deployed by Japans government to promote tourism and as an ambassador of cute. While the character was created in 1974, the first item a vinyl coin purse was introduced in 1975. Though originally, Hello Kitty targetted only pre-teenage girls, but beginning in the 1990s, the brand found commercial success among teenagers and adults as well. The indoor theme park featuring Hello Kitty and other Sanrio characters opened in 1990. Additional reporting by agencies Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Lifestyle Edit email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} King Charles IIIs hot equerry and right-hand man Lieutenant Colonel Johnny Thompson has reportedly decided to shift his role out of the public eye amidst intense online scrutiny and attention. On Thursday (23 February), The Times reported that the 40-year-old senior aide was planning on transitioning to a different role after sparking a public frenzy with his good looks. According to a palace source, Thompson remains senior equerry to the King and the Queen, in a more executive and less public-facing role. The outlet added that Thompson is understood not to have enjoyed the public attention he received after attending several high-profile events with the King. The aide was last seen publicly escorting the royal family to the Church of St Mary Magdalene at Sandringham on Christmas Day. As he moves into his newer, more private role, hes expected to continue to support the King, 75, who was recently diagnosed with cancer. Initially, Thompson went viral on social media after a clip from King Charless accession in September 2022 began to circulate online. The clip - which has since been viewed over 8.6 million times on TikTok - shows Thompson clad in his navy blue suit carrying various bags and an umbrella as he made his way through the gates of Buckingham Palace days after the death of the long-reigning Queen Elizabeth. In the comment section, many noted how attractive he was, with some writing that he is James Bond level dashing. Ive never seen someone look so suave while carrying four bags, one person wrote. He doesnt have an awkward bone in his body. Multiple videos of the equerry made rounds on social media, including one at the late Queens funeral ceremony in which he was donning a green kilt and military dress. His public appearances have often gone viral simply due to his good looks. Must admit there were times when I was a bit distracted today, one fan posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, after catching a glimpse at the Kings hot equerry. Another added, King Charles IIIs equerry is rather dashing. Following the Queens death, Thompson was also seen greeting and escorting various leaders including Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky in February 2023, and then-Prime Minister Liz Truss at Buckingham Palace in October 2022. Major Thompson has held a long-standing working relationship with the royal family for many years, serving as the Queens senior-most bodyguard for several years. As an equerry, Thompson acts as an officer of the British royal household whos job is to assist and attend to various members of the royal family. Since 2006, he has been a member of the 5th Battalion Royal Regiment of Scotland. ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan, February 24. Turkmenistan discussed with Japan the development of inter-parliamentary relations between the two countries, Trend reports. According to the Turkmen Foreign Ministry, these issues were discussed during a meeting in Tokyo between Speaker of the Mejlis (Parliament) of Turkmenistan Dunyagozel Gulmanova and Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Japanese Parliament Fukushiro Nukaga. During the meeting, the parties highlighted proposals to strengthen the activities of the inter-parliamentary friendship group operating between the two countries, establish youth inter-parliamentary ties, enhance the role of women in inter-parliamentary relations and achieve sustainable development in the field of parliamentary cooperation. At the same time, the parliamentarians paid special attention to the implementation of the initiative to hold a meeting of parliamentary leaders of Central Asian countries and Japan in Ashgabat within the framework of the Central Asia + Japan Dialogue. Furthermore, they stressed the relevance of the recent first meeting of the heads of parliaments of the member countries of the Group of Friends of Neutrality, established on the initiative of Turkmenistan. At the end of the meeting, the parties agreed to strengthen Turkmen-Japanese relations through parliamentary diplomacy, as well as exchange experience in legislative work. Meanwhile, the development of inter-parliamentary cooperation between Turkmenistan and Japan is a key element in deepening diplomatic relations and expanding mutual understanding between the two countries. Regular meetings of inter-parliamentary commissions and the exchange of legislative experience contribute to the development of legislation that meets international standards, as well as the exchange of best practices and innovations, which strengthens partnership and contributes to the sustainable development of both countries. Stay up to date with more news at Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel A squad of six Ukrainian soldiers slowly but confidently approaches a seemingly abandoned house. Inside there may well be Russians, men who have invaded their country with the utmost savagery for the past two years. The Ukrainians are not minded to show them any mercy, and they know that they will need to go in hard and fast. With a silent signal from their leader, they enter the building. Far from bursting in, screaming and yelling like something from a hackneyed war film, the soldiers infiltrate silently and gracefully. Like ballet dancers, they glide into well-rehearsed positions that will give them the greatest chance of neutralising their enemy but also prevent themselves from being killed. Sign up to our free fortnightly newsletter from The Independent's Race Correspondent Nadine White Sign up to our free fortnightly newsletter The Race Report Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the The Race Report email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Sadiq Khan has hit out at claims institutional racism in the police is fake or woke, warning that the Metropolitan Police has moved backwards in some ways since the racist murder of Stephen Lawrence more than three decades ago. The issue is still a matter of life and death for Black Britons today, the London mayor said. His comments come on the 25th anniversary of the damning Macpherson report, which sensationally declared the Metropolitan Police institutionally racist. The inquiry was launched after Lawrence was murdered by a gang in Eltham, London, as he ran to catch a bus. In an article for The Independent, Mr Khan said that we owe it to Stephen, his family and to todays Londoners to ensure racism is a relic of the past, not a stain on our present or a blight on our childrens futures. He also hit out at a deeply disturbing political trend to downplay or even deny the existence of institutional racism. Institutional racism isnt fake or woke, its worryingly real, he said. The report found the Met Polices investigation into the fatal stabbing had been marred by a combination of professional incompetence, institutional racism and a failure of leadership. She deserves huge credit for changing the way we speak about racism in the police and also by changing civic life through her campaigning. Although progress has been made in improving racism in the police, Im afraid it is nowhere near enough where we need to be. In some instances, things are going backwards. One of the main reasons I asked Louise Casey to conduct an investigation into the standards of the Met Police is because I am well aware of these cultural issues that still exist. Last year, a review by Baroness Casey, commissioned in the wake of Sarah Everards murder, laid bare a series of grave concerns about the Met Polices culture and standards. The damning report found that Britains largest police force is institutionally racist, misogynist and homophobic, with unacceptable behaviour being allowed to flourish. The force, which has lurched between a series of scandals in recent years, was placed into special measures following the findings, which Baroness Casey said she hopes will lead to fundamental change in the force. The Independent Office for Police Conduct found, from 2022 to 2023, 646 allegations of discriminatory behaviour were lodged against Metropolitan Police officers the most for any police force in England and Wales. This includes eight officers who are being investigated by the police watchdog after a black teenager was stopped and searched in London six times in five months. Mr Khan added: The Metropolitan Police Service, is Im afraid, institutionally racist, sexist and homophobic. There has not been the progress we thought there would be over the last 25 years. The hostile environment faced by the Windrush generation is unacceptable. The government must make sure legislation is passed to support those who have been the victims, just as how they have committed to compensate the Post Office scandal victims. We have got to stay vigilant always. Earlier this week, Metropolitan Police commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said the force is facing a deeply concerning shortfall in officer numbers amid recruitment struggles. The Met Police will be 1,400 officers short at the end of March, and 2,650 short by March 2025 at current application and recruitment levels, according to the commissioner. He said current pay levels, which are set nationally, are an issue in the London employment market, as well as potential applicants being put off by the series of scandals that have damaged the Mets reputation. Mr Rowley has previously rejected the use of the term institutional used by the Casey review to describe his forces problems because it is an ambiguous and political term that might imply most people in the Met were racist. But he said he welcomed the report and was already working on a number of its recommendations. Close UK weather: The latest Met Office forecast Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} The Met Office has issued two yellow weather warnings as torrential downpours are set to hit the country tomorrow. The first warning starts from 6am tomorrow and covers parts of southwest England, whereas the second warning, covering parts of Sussex and Kent, starts at 3pm and lasts until 9am Monday. Up to 40mm of rain is set to batter the areas leading to travel disruption and further flooding after a sudden chill last night led to lows of -6C in northern Scotland. It comes as 57 flood warnings and 190 flood alerts are in place across England with one flood warning and six alerts in Wales as heavy downpours on Thursday caused flooding on road and railway lines. Rainfall led to the closure of several schools in Herefordshire and Worcestershire on Thursday because of rising flood levels and treacherous road conditions, councils said. Many roads across the West Midlands in particular were submerged and rail operators struggled to resolve issues on the tracks, with Transport for Wales and West Midlands Railway services operating a replacement bus service between Shrewsbury and Wolverhampton. Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} The U.K.s governing Conservative Party has suspended ties with one if its lawmakers after he accused London Mayor Sadiq Khan of being controlled by Islamists, as tensions over the Israel-Hamas war roil British politics. The party said on Saturday that Lee Anderson was suspended after he refused to apologize for remarks made about Khan in a television interview on Friday. The action means that Anderson, a deputy chairman of the Conservatives until last month, will sit in Parliament as an independent. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and other senior Conservative leaders had come under increasing pressure to reject the comments, which the chairwoman of the opposition Labour Party called unambiguously racist and Islamophobic. The controversy comes as the Israel-Hamas war fuels tensions in British society. Pro-Palestinian marches in London have regularly drawn hundreds of thousands of demonstrators calling for an immediate cease-fire, even as critics describe the events as antisemitic hate marches. Figures released over the last week show that both anti-Jewish and anti-Muslim incidents have risen sharply since Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7. That anger has spilled over into Parliament, where some lawmakers say they fear for their safety after receiving threats over their positions on the conflict in Gaza. In his interview with GB News, Anderson criticized the police response to pro-Palestinian demonstrations in London, leveling the blame on Khan. Anderson said he didnt actually believe that the Islamists have got control of our country, but what I do believe is theyve got control of Khan and theyve got control of London. Khan flatly rejected the allegations, telling the BBC that all forms of hatred need to be rejected, including antisemitism, Islamophobia and misogyny. My concern is therell be people across the country, people who are Muslim, or look like Muslims, wholl be really concerned about entering into politics, because they know if these are the sorts of comments that are said against me by a senior Conservative, what chance do they have? he said. Sign up to our free fortnightly newsletter from The Independent's Race Correspondent Nadine White Sign up to our free fortnightly newsletter The Race Report Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the The Race Report email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Rishi Sunak is complicit in the ant-Muslim hatred spread on GB News by Lee Anderson, Sadiq Khan has said. The prime minister and his cabinet have failed to call out and condemn the comments by Mr Anderson, the London mayor told Sky News. He said: Racism is racism, Im unclear why Rishi Sunak and members of his cabinet arent calling this out or condemning this. Sadiq Khan said Rishi Sunak is complicit in Mr Andersons racism for failing to call out the ex-Tory deputy chairmans remarks (PA) Its like theyre complicit in this sort of racism. And I think the message it sends is, Muslims are fair game. It came after Mr Anderson, the former deputy chairman of the Conservative Party, said Islamists have got control of Mr Khan. In an appearance on GB News, Mr Anderson had said: I dont actually believe that the Islamists have got control of our country, but what I do believe is theyve got control of Khan and theyve got control of London Hes actually given our capital city away to his mates. Asked about Mr Andersons comments, Mr Khan said: These comments from a senior Conservative are Islamophobic, are anti Muslim and are racist. We've seen, over the last two days, confirmation that there's been an increase in anti-Muslim cases by more than 330 per cent. Lee Anderson made the controversial rant during an appearance on GB News (Getty Images) These comments pour fuel on the fire of anti-Muslim hatred, and I'm afraid the deafening silence from Rishi Sunak and from the cabinet is them condoning this racism. It confirms so many people across the country that there's a hierarchy when it comes to racism. The PM is also under pressure to remove the whip from his predecessor Liz Truss, who was interviewed by Steve Bannon and remained silent as he hailed far-right figure Tommy Robinson a hero. Ms Truss was slammed by former chancellor Sajid Javid, who said Id hope every MP would confront such a statement head on. Liz should really know better, Sir Sajid added. And Labours Jonathan Ashworth accused Ms Truss of an unforgivable lowering of the office of prime minister. On Saturday morning, cabinet minister Grant Shapps appeared to distance himself from the comments by Mr Anderson, but defended the controversial backbenchers right to speak (his) mind. But left-wing Labour MP Dawn Butler, chairman of the London Parliamentary Labour Party, has written alongside fellow London Labour MPs to the prime minister calling for immediate action over Mr Andersons comments. Ms Butler said the comments were Islamaphobic and hateful and fuel the flames of division in society, calling for Mr Anderson to have the Tory whip removed. And Labour demanded serious, concrete action from the Conservatives to finally root out Islamophobia after the comments. In a letter to Tory Chairman Richard Holden, Labour chairman Anneliese Dodds said Mr Andersons comments are the tip of iceberg and follow a deeply concerning pattern of Islamophobic comments tolerated and Islamophobia not dealt with within the party. She cited examples of Islamophobia within the Conservative Party including London mayoral candidate Susan Halls claim in October that Jewish people in London are frightened of Mr Khans divisive attitude. She also cited an investigation into allegations made by Nus Ghani that she was told that her Muslimness was making colleagues uncomfortable when she was sacked from the Government in 2020. Ms Dodds said: Lee Andersons comments were unambiguously Islamophobic and Rishi Sunaks failure to suspend the whip or take any other action speaks volumes. But Andersons comments are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Islamophobia in the Conservative Party. We have seen numerous examples of ignorant and offensive views tolerated and a failure of the party to adopt a definition or even use the term Islamophobia. Sunak has a clear choice: show some backbone and withdraw the whip or be forever known the Tory leader who was too weak to stop the far right rhetoric in his own party. The row erupted after That came as Ms Truss used a talk at the Conservative Political Action Conference (Cpac) in the US to claim her efforts to cut taxes were "sabotaged" by the "administrative state and the deep state". The former prime minister, whose disastrous mini-budget in 2022 unleashed economic chaos, later took part in an interview with Mr Bannon, declining to challenge his characterisation of far-right agitator Mr Robinson as a "hero. Sir Sajid was among those criticising her for not challenging the remark. Ms Truss claimed in her speech that Conservatives are now operating in what is a hostile environment and that left-wing elites will be aided and abetted by our enemies in China, Iran and Russia. Interviewed by Mr Bannon after her speech, she also said she was willing to work with Nigel Farage to change the Conservative Party. And she suggested the former Donald Trump adviser, who is facing fraud charges in New York, could come over to Britain and sort out Britain. In a letter to Mr Sunak, Mr Ashworth wrote: For a senior politician to engage in spreading such blatant conspiracy theories is incredibly damaging to our democracy, our institutions and social cohesion. He added: For a former prime minister to make such remarks, while on an international visit to a country with whom the UK shares a special relationship which upholds liberal values is an unforgivable lowering of the office of prime minister which lessens the United Kingdoms standing in the world and needs to be acted upon. Its time to show some leadership and take on the extremists in your party. Liz Truss and Lee Anderson must no longer sit as Conservative MPs. Their words cannot go unchecked or unchallenged. The Independent has approached No10 for comment. More follows... Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Lee Anderson has been suspended from the Conservative Party after a racist rant about Sadiq Khan on GB News. In a stunning fall from grace for Mr Anderson, who until last month was the deputy chairman of the party, he will no longer sit as a Tory MP. It follows Mr Andersons refusal to apologise over a widely criticised interview in which he said Islamists have got control of Mr Khan. In an appearance on GB News, Mr Anderson said: I dont actually believe that the Islamists have got control of our country, but what I do believe is theyve got control of Khan and theyve got control of London Hes actually given our capital city away to his mates. Lee Anderson has had the Tory whip suspended (PA) (PA Wire) Asked about the comments, Mr Khan said: These comments from a senior Conservative are Islamophobic, are anti Muslim and are racist. And, piling pressure on Rishi Sunak to suspend Mr Anderson, he said: Racism is racism, Im unclear why Rishi Sunak and members of his cabinet arent calling this out or condemning this. Its like theyre complicit in this sort of racism. And I think the message it sends is, Muslims are fair game. And Mr Khan pointed to figures showing a spike in anti-Muslim hate incidents in recent months, adding that Mr Andersons comments pour fuel on the fire. A spokesperson for Tory chief whip Simon Hart said the decision had been made following the former Tory deputy chairmans refusal to apologise for the remarks made on Friday. Mr Anderson said in a statement: Following a call with the chief whip, I understand the difficult position that I have put both he and the prime minister in with regard to my comments. I fully accept that they had no option but to suspend the whip in these circumstances. Mr Anderson bizarrely went on to promise he would continue to support the Government's efforts to call out extremism in all its forms - be that anti-semitism or Islamophobia. Labour party chairman Anneliese Dodds said Mr Anderson's comments were unambiguously Islamophobic, divisive and damaging. Responding to his suspendion, she said: It is right that he has had the whip removed, but the suggestion that Lee Anderson would have retained the confidence of the prime minister, simply if he apologised, is deeply concerning. These views are wrong, full stop, and there shouldnt be conditions on removing them from your party. Speculation immediately mounted that Mr Anderson would seek to join Nigel Farages Reform UK, formerly the Brexit Party. The insurgent party previously denied claims that it offered money to Mr Anderson to defect to the party, but it is believed he could contest his Ashfield seat, where he has a majority of just under 6,000, at the general election. It would be a major blow for Mr Sunak if Mr Anderson joined Reform. The party already threatens to scupper Tory hopes in tens of seats at the election, and the outspoken MP, a favourite on the Tory right, could convince even more former Conservative voters to switch parties. But, asked about the speculation, Reform leader Richard Tice said he was not interested in pathetic Tory squabbling. Pressure had been mounting on the prime minister to take action over the comments from the Ashfield MP (PA) Pressure had been mounting on the prime minister to take action over the comments from the Ashfield MP, with Mr Khan saying the deafening silence of the Mr Sunak and his cabinet amounted to condoning racism. A Conservative source was defending Mr Anderson as recently as Friday evening before he was stripped of party support on Saturday. A spokesperson for Mr Hart said: Following his refusal to apologise for comments made yesterday, the Chief Whip has suspended the Conservative whip from Lee Anderson MP. The PM is also under pressure to remove the whip from his predecessor Liz Truss, who was interviewed by Steve Bannon and remained silent as he hailed far-right figure Tommy Robinson a hero. Ms Truss was slammed by former chancellor Sajid Javid, who said Id hope every MP would confront such a statement head on. Liz should really know better, Sir Sajid added. And Labours Jonathan Ashworth accused Ms Truss of an unforgivable lowering of the office of prime minister. On Saturday morning, cabinet minister Grant Shapps appeared to distance himself from the comments by Mr Anderson, but defended the controversial backbenchers right to speak (his) mind. But left-wing Labour MP Dawn Butler, chairman of the London Parliamentary Labour Party, has written alongside fellow London Labour MPs to the prime minister calling for immediate action over Mr Andersons comments. Ms Butler said the comments were Islamaphobic and hateful and fuel the flames of division in society, calling for Mr Anderson to have the Tory whip removed. And Labour demanded serious, concrete action from the Conservatives to finally root out Islamophobia after the comments. In a letter to Tory Chairman Richard Holden, Ms Dodds said Mr Andersons comments are the tip of iceberg and follow a deeply concerning pattern of Islamophobic comments tolerated and Islamophobia not dealt with within the party. She cited examples of Islamophobia within the Conservative Party including London mayoral candidate Susan Halls claim in October that Jewish people in London are frightened of Mr Khans divisive attitude. She also cited an investigation into allegations made by Nus Ghani that she was told that her Muslimness was making colleagues uncomfortable when she was sacked from the Government in 2020. Ms Dodds had said: Lee Andersons comments were unambiguously Islamophobic and Rishi Sunaks failure to suspend the whip or take any other action speaks volumes. Mr Sunak made Mr Anderson Tory deputy chairman last February in a bid to connect with and hold onto so-called Red Wall voters who helped the party win under Boris Johnson in 2019. But the Ashfield MPs repeated controversial remarks often proved awkward for the PM and other ministers forced to defend them. He resigned as deputy chairman in January as part of a major rebellion against Mr Sunaks Rwanda deportation bill, believing the legislation did not go far enough to allow Britain to deport asylum seekers to the east African nation. Business minister Nus Ghani described fellow Tory MP Mr Andersons claim that Islamists have got control of Mr Khan as foolish and dangerous. In a post on X, she said: I have spoken to Lee Anderson. Ive called out Islamic extremism (& been attacked by hard left, far right & Islamists). I dont for one moment believe that Sadiq Khan is controlled by Islamists. To say so, is both foolish and dangerous. Frankly this is all so tiring... Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Reform UK has launched its latest attack on the Tories, with leader Richard Tice setting out a radical set of policies designed to win over disgruntled Conservative voters. With the tax burden at a record high and migration soaring, Mr Tice proposed a drastic programme of tax giveaways and immigration curbs to shore up Reforms support. In a so-called contract with you, a draft of the partys general election manifesto, he accused the Tories of having broken Britain, pledging to pull the country out of the European Court of Human Rights and freeze non-essential migration. Mr Tice was met with cheers from a room of more than 1,000 predominantly older Reform candidates, supporters and activists as he also took aim at international bodies such as the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the World Economic Forum. Reform Party leader Richard Tice has accused the Tories of breaking Britain (PA Wire) I dont think we need anything to do with the World Economic Forum Im not sure we want anything to do with the WHO, he told a packed rally at Doncaster Racecourse. Elsewhere in the speech, Mr Tice took aim at the crony-filled House of Lords and warned Starmergeddon would ensue under a Labour government. Reform, which was set up by Nigel Farage as the Brexit Party, poses a serious challenge for the Conservatives at the general election, expected this autumn. Pollsters have warned that, with current polls putting its support at around 10 per cent, it could split the vote in as many as 30 seats, adding to scale of Rishi Sunaks expected defeat. Richard Tice has warned Britain faces Starmergeddon if Labour win the general election (Reform UK) It has already posed major challenges to the Conservatives in a series of by-elections, most recently in the Kingswood and Wellingborough contests, where its 10 per cent poll rating was borne out at the ballot box for the first time. Pollsters have also warned that if Mr Farage returns to take up a formal role with the party its polling numbers could surge, leading to even more Tory losses. But Mr Farage failed to appear at Saturdays rally amid mounting speculation he will have a place in Reforms election campaign. Mr Tice used Saturdays rally to throw even more red meat to those who backed Boris Johnsons Tories in 2019, who are now fed up with rising taxes and spiralling migration figures. In what would be one of the most dramatic tax shakeups in a generation, Reform outlined plans to raise the threshold to charge the higher 40p rate of income tax from 50,000 to 70,000. It also promised to raise the threshold for the basic rate of income tax from 12,570 to 20,000. And Reform pledged to hike the stamp duty threshold, abolish inheritance tax for estates worth less than 2m and slash corporation tax. Its wide-ranging contract with you document, which was handed out at the rally, also set out measures to address issues such as the rising cost of living and revitalising Britains fishing fleet. But, as it seeks ruthlessly to attack the Conservatives, the most drastic proposals were around tax and immigration. It said the British people have been lied to, ignored and betrayed over immigration and promised a freeze that would only allow in those with the skills our economy needs such as nurses, doctors and successful business people. It also set out a six-point plan to stop the boats, one of Mr Sunaks key promises to voters, which would see those crossing the channel in small boats sent immediately back to France and see Britain withdraw from the European Convention on Human Rights. And, while the partys policies are likely never to make it out of the contract with you document, it concludes with a two-page costing exercise concluding that they would save the taxpayer a total of 156bn per year. In contrast, its spending pledges on the economy, NHS, policing and fishing and other areas would cost just 141bn, it said. Launching the pledge, Mr Tice said: Labour and Tory governments have broken promise after promise. They have destroyed trust in our democracy and let down the British people. There is an alternative, the British people have a real common sense choice in Reform UK. Once and for all, we will take back control over our borders, our money and our laws. Reform UK will secure Britains future as a free, proud and independent sovereign nation. Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Reform UK has set out a drastic set of tax-cutting measures in a bid to further woo disgruntled Tory voters. The former Brexit Party, set up by Nigel Farage, outlined plans to raise the threshold to charge the higher 40p rate of income tax from 50,000 to 70,000. As it continues piling pressure on Rishi Sunak, Reform also promised to raise the threshold for the basic rate of income tax from 12,570 to 20,000. And, in what would mark one of the biggest tax shake-ups in a generation, the party said it would raise the stamp duty threshold, abolish inheritance tax for estates worth less than 2m and slash corporation tax. Reform gained 13 per cent of the vote in Wellingborough and 10 per cent in Kingswood, as the party eats into the Tory vote (PA Wire) With the support of less than a tenth of the electorate, Reforms proposals are unlikely ever to come to fruition. But the offering will serve as red meat to Conservatives upset at the record-high tax burden and soaring migration levels. Pollsters have already warned that Reform will cause chaos for the Tories at the general election, expected this autumn, splitting the right-wing vote in tens of seats. Any additional gains among those who backed Boris Johnsons Conservatives in 2019 will add to the electoral headache for Mr Sunak, even if Reform fails to pick up a single seat. Ahead of a rally in Doncaster to set Reform on an election footing, Richard Tice, who succeeded Mr Farage as leader, launched his latest attack on the Conservatives. He wrote in the Daily Telegraph: The Tories have betrayed us all by raising taxes, wasting money. We must reward the workers and the strivers, not the shirkers and skivers. Sadly, the UK is in a dire situation and major reforms are urgently needed to save ourselves. I am today setting these out as we launch Our Contract with You at our spring conference in Doncaster. Britain has so much potential. Our country is full of talent and energy. Brexit is the opportunity of a lifetime. Yet weak leadership and failed management has led us to the edge of the precipice. He added: The Tories have broken Britain. Labour will bankrupt Britain. Starmergeddon awaits. Neither of them recognises how bad things are or has a credible plan to grow us out of this mess. Reform matched its poll rating of around 10 per cent for the first time this month in by-elections in Kingswood and Wellingborough, suggesting it is on course to cause real trouble for Mr Sunak. There is also mounting speculation that Mr Farage, the partys honorary president, will take on a formal campaigning role in Reforms election campaign. Mr Farage is seen as one of the countrys savviest political operators, and his involvement with the party would only win over more disgruntled Tories and Brexit supporters. Mr Tice has previously promised to stop mass immigration, scrap net zero measures, and help solve the cost of living crisis. The other policies promised in the partys manifesto are a 20 per cent tax relief on private education and healthcare, a freeze on non-essential immigration and leaving the European Convention on Human Rights. Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} The King has praised the determination and strength of the Ukrainian people in a message marking the second anniversary of Russias invasion. He said: Theirs is true valour, in the face of indescribable aggression. Charles added he is greatly encouraged by the efforts of the UK and its allies in supporting Ukraine at this time of such great suffering and need. Charles has met with President Zelensky several times since the Russian invasion of Ukraine (PA Archive) He said: The determination and strength of the Ukrainian people continues to inspire, as the unprovoked attack on their land, their lives and livelihoods enters a third, tragic, year. Despite the tremendous hardship and pain inflicted upon them, Ukrainians continue to show the heroism with which the world associates them so closely. Theirs is true valour, in the face of indescribable aggression. I have felt this personally in the many meetings I have had with Ukrainians since the start of the war, from President Zelensky and Mrs Zelenska, to new army recruits training here in the United Kingdom. I continue to be greatly encouraged that the United Kingdom and our allies remain at the forefront of international efforts to support Ukraine at this time of such great suffering and need. My heart goes out to all those affected, as I remember them in my thoughts and prayers. It comes as the King continues to receive outpatient treatment for an undisclosed form of cancer. The cancer was discovered while Charles was undergoing surgery for an enlarged prostate. The Princess of Wales has, meanwhile, been recovering from abdominal surgery. The palace did not provide further details but said her condition was not cancerous. She has since returned home to Windsor. Western leaders gathered in Kyiv on Saturday to mark the two-year anniversary since Russia invaded Ukraine. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen vowed that Europe would back Ukraine until it was finally free as she and three other Western leaders arrived in the capital. The visit by Ms Von der Leyen and the prime ministers of Italy, Canada and Belgium Giorgia Meloni, Justin Trudeau and Alexander De Croo was a show of support as Ukraine suffers shortages of military supplies that are hurting it on the battlefield as Moscow grinds out territorial gains. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak with President Volodymyr Zelensky (PA Wire) Rishi Sunak, who visited Kyiv last month to sign a new security agreement and announce an increase in military funding for the country, said on Friday: When Putin launched his illegal invasion two years ago, the free world was united in its response. We stood together behind Ukraine. And on this grim anniversary, we must renew our determination. I was in Kyiv just a few weeks ago and I met wounded Ukrainian soldiers. Each harrowing story was a reminder of Ukraines courage in the face of terrible suffering. It was a reminder of the price they are paying not only to defend their country against a completely unjustified invasion, but also to defend the very principles of freedom, sovereignty and the rule of law on which we all depend. He added: This is the moment to show that tyranny will never triumph and to say once again that we will stand with Ukraine today and tomorrow. The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} A convicted murderer has been sent to death row for a third time in Florida. Howard Steven Ault, 57, raped and killed two young sisters in 1996 after luring them to his Fort Lauderdale home with the promise of Halloween candy. He then raped DeAnn Emerald Mumin, 11, in front of her sister, 7-year-old Sybilla Jones, and strangled them both. Their bodies were found two days later in his attic. In 1999, he was convicted of the two girls murders and sentenced to death. He later successfully appealed that sentence. Again in 2007, Mr Ault was sentenced to death but succeeded in appealing for a second time. In spite of the two rulings, his conviction has never been overturned. On Tuesday, a Broward jury voted 9-3 in support of a death sentence recommendation for Mr Ault, Local 10 News reported. The brother of the two victims, Bobby Jones, testified against Ault ahead of the decision. It was emotional, it brought up a lot of hate and feelings that I thought I kind of had put behind me, he said. Here is a man that murdered two children and hes been sitting for 20-something years. Less than a year ago, this 9-3 split jury decision would have kept Mr Ault from returning to death row. In April, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill that significantly loosened restrictions on death penalty rulings. Previously, a jury had to be unanimous in order to recommend the death penalty, but now, a vote of at least 8-4 in favour will qualify. We are delighted to announce the 11th edition of our Gasification Summit, taking place in Ghent, Belgium, on the 20th & 21st March 2024. Our conference brings together industry leaders, researchers, policymakers, and stakeholders from across the gasification industry to exchange insights, discuss emerging trends, and explore innovative solutions for a sustainable future. The event will comprise two days of formal presentations, interactive roundtable discussions and excellent networking opportunities, providing an ideal setting to convene with your peers to discuss both current operational & future planned gasification plants, end product markets, potential barriers & support policies as well as project economics & finance. Don't miss your chance to join us in Ghent and meet a capped group of senior level industry professionals for two days of expert presentations, in-depth discussions and excellent networking opportunities. If you have any questions, do let us know. ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan, February 24. Turkmenistan plans to implement 37 joint projects with the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) this year, Trend reports. According to an official source, this is spelled out in the plan of cooperation between the parties for 2024, the preparation of which was reported at a meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan, Rashid Meredov. According to him, the document provides for projects in the political, economic, environmental, and humanitarian spheres, which should serve to strengthen peace and security, develop preventive diplomacy, and counter modern challenges and threats. Meredov noted that the OSCE Secretary General's visit to Ashgabat and a meeting of heads of environmental ministries and departments of Central Asian countries are expected in March this year. Summarizing the report, President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov stressed the importance of further expanding cooperation with the OSCE as one of the priorities of the country's foreign policy. Meanwhile, the OSCE Center has been working in Ashgabat since 1999, and within the framework of joint plans with Turkmenistan, over the past 25 years, it has implemented more than 500 projects in various fields with the country. Stay up to date with more news at Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} A suspect has been charged with murder in the death of an Augusta University College of Nursing student whose body was found on the University of Georgia campus. Jose Antonio Ibarra, 26, who is not a US citizen, has been charged with malice murder, felony murder, false imprisonment, kidnapping and other charges in the murder of 22-year-old Laken Riley, police announced at a press conference Friday night. University of Georgia Police Chief Jeff Clark said authorities believe it was a solo act by Mr Ibarra, and that the suspect and victim did not know each other. This was a crime of opportunity where he saw an individual, and bad things happened, Chief Clark said. Mr Ibarra is a Venezuelan national who crossed into the US at El Paso in September 2022, according to 13WMAZ. Mr Ibarras brother Diego Ibarra was initially arrested on suspicion of killing Riley as he matched the suspects description. Jose Antonio Ibarra, 26, has been charged with malice murder and felony murder in connection with the death of Laken Riley (Clarke County Sheriffs Office) Diego Ibarra was later charged with possession of a fake green card, Rileys cause of death has not been released. Rileys roommate called campus police after Riley went for a jog that morning at the universitys intramural fields and never returned. Her body was found a short time later in a wooded area. She was unconscious and had visible injuries when officers found her, the University of Georgia Police Department said. At the press conference, the police chief said Riley died of blunt force trauma. Laken Riley did not know the suspect who was arrested in her murder, police say (Supplied) Rileys sister, Lauren Phillips, paid tribute to her in an Instagram post on Friday, calling her the best sister and my built in best friend from the very first second. This isnt fair and I will never understand it but I know you are in heaven with the man you loved most right now, Ms Phillips wrote. Im not sure how Im going to do this but its all going to be for you from now on. I cannot wait to give you the biggest hug someday. I will miss and love you forever Laken. Riley studied at the University of Georgia through the spring of 2023 before transferring to Augusta Universitys College of Nursing, according to a statement from the University of Georgia. Riley remained active in the sorority she joined at the University of Georgia, according to the Associated Press. Students at the University of Georgia spoke of their shock at the random killing on Friday. It was kind of just surreal to think that we have friends in the sorority that she was in, First-year business major Paige Soskel told the Associated Press. And just to think that its somebody that people we know actually know is just scary that it could be anyone. Riley graduated in 2020 from River Ridge High School in Woodstock, a suburb northwest of Atlanta, where she ran cross country. In a statement, Cherokee County schools Superintendent Brian Hightower said: Our community and our world lost a shining light with the tragic passing of Laken. An outstanding scholar athlete, Laken inspired classmates and teachers with her love of learning and her kindness to all. We ask that the community please keep her family in their hearts. Augusta University said they are in a partnership with UGA, allowing students to participate in UGA campus activities. Police arrested Jose Antonio Ibarra on Friday and charged him with a slew of offenses including malice and felony murder (Joshua L. Jones) Classes were cancelled on Friday at the university. They are expected to resume on Monday. The arrest comes after a highly visible police investigation Friday that centered on an apartment complex just south of the wooded parkland where Rileys body was found. Rileys death was the first homicide on campus in 20 years, Chief Clarke said. A mobile command post was set up at the apartment complex and at one point, officers searched a dumpster at a gas station across the street. Police said surveillance footage led them to arresting Ibarra. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the Athens-Clarke County Police Department joined the university police department in the investigation. Associated Press contributed to this report The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Nex Benedicts mother says she was blindsided and distressed by the release of body camera footage and 911 calls by police investigating the non-binary students death one day after a school fight. On Friday night, the Owasso Police Department released a 21-minute video of an officer interviewing Nex, 16, in hospital after they were involved in a bathroom fight with three students at Owasso High School on 7 February. Nex, who used them/they pronouns, appears alert while telling the officer that they poured water on three girls who had been bullying their friends for the way that we dress. Then all three of them came at me, Nex says. They grabbed on my hair. I grabbed onto them. I threw one of them into a paper towel dispenser and then they got my legs out from under me and got me on the ground. Nex says they were beaten repeatedly and blacked out. The police school resource officer tells Nex and mother Sue Benedict that Owasso Public Schools had dropped the ball by not reporting the fight. The officer discourages Ms Benedict from filing a police report, saying that it could expose Nex to a charge of assault and battery for tipping water on the other girls. He says everyone gets in trouble on this one, and it would be a shame for Nex to face prosecution for something so minuscule. There was three of them, Sue Benedict tells the officer. And (they) only threw water on one. Nex Benedict, left, and their mother Sue Benedict, shown on police body cam being interviewed in hospital on 7 February (Owasso Police Department ) Owasso police also released school surveillance footage of Nex being escorted from the school and a 911 call made by Ms Benedict after the student collapsed at home on 8 February. Ms Benedict tells the dispatcher that she had nursing experience, and expresses concern about Nexs head injury while describing their symptoms. I hope this aint from her head. They were supposed to have checked her out good, Ms Benedict says on the call. Nex was taken to hospital by fire department medics and pronounced dead in a hospital emergency room later that day. Ms Benedict told The Independent in a text message that she had not seen the footage prior to its release, and found it deeply upsetting. I found out just minutes before and I lost it, she said. That was my baby, my child. The Independent has asked the Owasso Police Department whether the footage was proactively released, and for their protocols for informing victims relatives about the release of evidence in active investigations. On Wednesday, Owasso police said in a statement that initial autopsy findings indicated Nex had not died due to trauma, and suggested it was not as a result of injuries sustained in the bathroom fight. Lieutenant Nick Boatman, the Owasso police spokesman, later told the Popular Information newsletter that the medical examiner had not explicitly told him that Nexs death was unrelated to the head injuries. Ms Benedict has raised doubts about the police investigation, telling the Popular Information newsletter she felt the statement was a big cover put out to calm tensions in the community. The family said through a lawyer they are conducting an independent investigation, and that the facts surrounding the case are troubling at best. Nex Benedict, 16, died one day after being assaulted in a bathroom at Owasso High School in Oklahoma, police say (Courtesy of Benedict family) Court documents obtained by The Independent show the police had initially treated Nexs death as a possible homicide. On 9 February, detectives from the Owasso Police Department obtained a warrant to search the school where Nex was injured for cellphones, laptops and blood stained articles. Detective Penny Hamrick requested access to students school lockers and other personal property for evidence of felony murder. Investigators took 137 photographs of the school, including inside the bathroom where the fight occurred, according to the warrant. They also collected two swabs of stains from the bathroom and the records of students involved in the altercation. Nexs death has renewed focus on dozens of anti-trans bills being considered by Oklahomas state legislature. Oklahoma governor Kevin Stitt last year signed an executive order defining an individuals sex as the biological sex at birth and has targeted gender-affirming care for trans youths. Republican state lawmakers passed a bill that required public school students to use bathrooms that matched the sex listed on their birth certificates. Nex Benedict had been bullied for at least a year at Owasso High School in Oklahoma, their mother says (Courtesy of Benedict family) Ms Benedict previously told The Independent that Nex had been bullied for more than a year due to their non-binary identity, and it had worsened after the anti-LGBTQ legislation was passed. On Thursday, a state senator from eastern Oklahoma described LGBTQ people as filth at a public meeting. According to the Tahlequah Daily Press, Tom Woods was asked why state lawmakers were so obsessed with passing legislation targeting LGBTQ children. We are a Republican state supermajority in the House and Senate, Mr Woods replied. I represent a constituency that doesnt want that filth in Oklahoma. Vigils are being held for Nex across Oklahoma and in several states around the country. On Friday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre that she was absolutely heartbroken over Nexs death. Every young person deserves to feel safe and supported at school, Ms Jean-Pierre said. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} On Friday evening, during the Reagan Dinner, Bishop Joseph Strickland, the former bishop of Tyler, Texas addressed the topic Republican elected officials have hoped to avoid: the Alabama Supreme Courts ruling that frozen embryos could be considered children under state law, saying that conservatives needed to guide Republicans politicians to support the sanctity of life. This decision by Alabamas court was correct according to our Catholic faith, he said addressing the conservative faithful and donors after an auction that included selling off portaits of Donald Trump and Jesus Christ and before a speech by failed presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. Bishop Strickland, whom Pope Francis relieved last year from his position, called upon conservative activists to push Republican elected officials to stand steadfast behind the Alabama court ruling. We must help them understand the intricacies of what science has done, in playing God and having children, embryos, embryonic children frozen and too easily disposed, he said. Earlier this week, the Alabama Supreme Court made the decision as part of a wrongful death lawsuit that three couples brought after they had frozen embryos destroyed in an accident at a clinic. Trump backs IVF for families during South Carolina rally But at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center at National Harbor in Maryland just outside of Washington, some conservatives praised the ruling, while Republican candidates for Senate and even Donald Trump have sought to create distance between themselves and the decision in Alabama. Fr Joseph Pierce, a priest at St John Vianney Church in Frederick, Maryland, agreed with Bishop Strickland. I'd say it's one of those steps for life in the right direction, he told The Independent on Friday evening. He added that Catholic teaching opposes in vitro fertilisation as a means of achieving fertility. At the same time, Fr Pierce said that he did not expect it to have widespread consequences. It has potential but for example, here in the state of Maryland, where we are right now, I don't think it would even be viable to even think that way at this point, politically speaking, he said. Similar, Sarah Taylor who works with And Then There Were None, which focuses on helping former abortion clinic workers leave their practices said she supported the decision. I think that all life begins at conception, including embryos. And so I think that we have to begin to think ethically about how to handle those, she told The Independent. Courtney Alcott, who was also at the same booth for And Then There Were None, said she supported the court decision. Alabama couple who spent $50,000 on IVF speak out on controversial pause I think it needs to be looked at more holistically as far as how IVF is treated where there's multiple, multiple, multiple embryos created that we might need to look at more more ethically responsible action, she told The Independent. The court ruling caused a political firestorm and led to Democrats hoping to pin the ruling on Republicans. White House Press Secretary Karine Jeane-Pierre slammed the ruling in a briefing on Friday. Specifically, she linked it to the Supreme Courts decision to overturn Roe v Wade in 2022 with the Dobbs v Jackson Womens Health Organization ruling. Indeed, the Alabama Supreme Courts ruling cited the Dobbs decision. This is the chaos that has come out of the Dobbs decision. This is the chaos that has come out of of getting rid of Roe, which was the law of the land for almost 50 years, she told reporters. In addition, shortly after exiting the stage from speaking at CPAC, reporters asked Senator Tommy Tubervile of Alabama about the ruling, which he said he supported. We need to have more kids, he told one reporter as broadcast on MSNBC. But when pressed on how IVF actually is used to have more children, he stumbled. Republicans have begun to sense that the ruling is unpopular. Last year, the Pew Research Center found that 42 per cent of Americans have either used fertility treatments or knew someone who has, particularly as women continue to have children older. On Friday, Mr Tuberville posted on X/Twitter that he had spoken with Alabamas speaker of the house, saying that the legislature will take up a bill to protect IVF. We want everyone to have the opportunity to have kids, he said. IVF will remain legal and available in Alabama. Similarly, National Review reported that the National Republican Senatorial Committee sent a memo to Republican candidates for Senate instructing them to clearly state your support for IVF and fertility-related services as blessings for those seeking to have children. Two of the candidates for Senate in swing states who appeared at CPAC David McCormick in Pennsylvania and Kari Lake in Arizona both put out statements saying they opposed restrictions to IVF. IVF is a ray of hope for millions of Americans seeking the blessing of children, Mr McCormick, who is running against incumbent Senator Bob Casey, said. I oppose any effort to restrict it. Similarly, Ms Lake, who previously lost her race for governor and is now running for the Senate seat currently occupied by Kyrsten Sinema, put out a statement supporting IVF. Ms Lake has become one of the most popular figures in the conservative movement for spreading the lie that the 2020 presidential election was stolen. One in six Americans struggle with fertility issues, she posted. In the Senate, I will advocate for increased access to fertility treatment for women struggling to get pregnant. IVF is extremely important for helping countless families experience the joy of parenthood. I oppose restrictions. At CPAC, many of the conservative faithful continued to ask for selfies as she made the rounds speaking to right-wing media outlets and podcasts. Shortly after Republican candidates for Senate came out and expressed their support for IVF, Mr Trump did so as well. Like the OVERWHELMING MAJORITY of Americans, including the VAST MAJORITY of Republicans, Conservatives, Christians, and Pro-Life Americans, I strongly support the availability of IVF for couples who are trying to have a precious baby, he said before he demanded Alabamas legislature act quickly to find an immediate solution to preserve the availability of IVF in Alabama. Still, some conservatives said there would be alternatives to IVF treatment that Alabama prohibited. At the same time, Ms Alcott said that there were other alternatives which could assuage their fears. We were looking at things last night, and in the [European Union] and other countries, they limit the amount of embryos that you can make one at a time, Ms Alcott said. Its more lengthy process probably more costly, I would guess. During the Reagan dinner, after Republicans released their statements saying they would support IVF, Bishop Strickland told attendees about the need to properly inform lawmakers. When the Alabama court says no, we cannot dispose of these human beings, let us guide our politicians who know that truth, he said. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} A New Orleans magician is claiming he was paid by a political consultant to create an AI-generated Joe Biden voice that was used in voter suppression robocalls to New Hampshire voters. Paul Carpenter told NBC News that he was hired by Steve Kramer, a Democratic consultant who worked on ballot access for presidential candidate Dean Phillips, in January to make an imitation of the presidents voice urging New Hampshire voters to avoid voting in the primary election. I was in a situation where someone offered me some money to do something, and I did it. There was no malicious intent. I didnt know how it was going to be distributed, he told NBC News. Mr Carpenter said he was able to create the audio in less than 20 minutes using Eleven Labs. He told NBC News it only cost him $1 to make the audio and in return, Mr Kramer paid him $120 via Venmo. He added that he only created the audio and did not distribute it. The robocalls are currently at the centre of a multi-state investigation. Shortly before the New Hampshire presidential primary in January, some voters received a phone call from what seemed to be a recorded message by Mr Biden telling them not to vote in the primary and instead wait until November. The New Hampshire attorney generals office said earlier this month that they identified the alleged source of the robocalls from a Texas-based company called Life Corporation and an individual named Walter Monk. Using traceback technology, the AGs Election Law Unit informed the Texas-based telecom provider, Lingo Telecom, that the calls were fake, leading Lingo Telecom to suspend Life Corporations account. Mr Carpenter told NBC News he came forward with the confession because he regrets it. His lawyer told NBC News he had no prior knowledge of what the AI-generated content would be used for or that it would be in connection with any election activity. He said he was under the impression Mr Kramer was working directly for the people who he was requesting Mr Carpenter generate AI-generated voices. He claims he was unaware of Mr Phillips or that Mr Kramer was working for him. Mr Kramer previously worked on Yes (formerly Kanye West) 2020 presidential campaign. He was hired by Mr Phillipss campaign to canvass for the signatures necessary to qualify Mr Phillips for the ballot and produce a robocall call featuring Mr Phillipss voice. There is no evidence that Mr Phillipss campaign directed Mr Kramer to produce or disseminate the fake Biden robocals. Mr Phillips and his campaign told NBC News they would never work with Mr Kramer again and said they might pursue legal action if the allegations are true. The Independent has reached out to Mr Phillipss campaign and the New Hampshire Attorney General for comment. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Donald Trump claimed he is a proud political dissident in his CPAC speech just days after he compared himself to Russian leader Alexei Navalny, who recently died in a Siberian prison under unclear circumstances. Mr Trump said in National Harbor, Maryland on Saturday that Joe [Biden] and his henchmen have you trapped and its an express train barreling toward servitude and to ruin its moving at a speed that Joe doesnt understand because Joe ... I dont think he knows what the hells going on, to be honest with you, but hes surrounded by some very bad fascists. A vote for Trump is your ticket back to freedom. Its your passport out of tyranny, he argued. And its your only escape from Joe Biden and his gangs fast track to hell. And in many ways, were living in hell right now. Government ethics expert Meredith McGehee told The Washington Post this week that Mr Trump since he has been president, his public statements indicate he has great frustration with using the system as it currently is. When he makes a comment, Yeah, Id like to be dictator for a day, that indicates he does not value the democratic process as it has been traditionally viewed by the American political system, she added. Mr Trump said on Saturday that the fact is Joe Biden is a threat to democracy. Mr Trump has long falsely claimed that the 2020 election was stolen from him. Theres no evidence for the claims. I stand before you today not only as your past and hopefully future president, but as a proud political dissident. I am a dissident, Mr Trump added, noting that he has been indicted more than Al Capone. The former president faces 91 felony counts across four indictments in connection to his handling of classified documents, his hush money payment to an adult actor ahead of the 2016 election, and the efforts to overturn the election and the subsequent insurrection on January 6, 2021. They've weaponized government. They've weaponized the DOJ, the FBI. We've never had anything like this in this country and it's a phenomenon that's taken place many times but in third-world countries and in banana republics, not in the United States of America, Mr Trump said. So it's very dangerous and they are indeed a threat to democracy. And I'm here to unleash this captive nation from Joe Biden and his gang of very bad people, very sick people, smart people, intelligent people, but they're hell-bent on the destruction of American freedom. Earlier this week, Mr Trump said that being hit with a $350m judgment following his recent high-profile fraud case was a form of Navalny, in reference to the jailing and apparent murder of the late Russian dissident. The former president said that the ruling by New York judge Arthur Engoron who he described as a nut job was a form of communism or fascism. On Friday last week, Judge Engoron found that Mr Trump, his sons, their Trump Organization associates and Trump properties were liable for tens of millions of dollars after defrauding banks and investors as part of a decade-long scheme to secure favourable financing terms for some of his brand-building properties. Mr Trump as well as his companies and his trust were ordered to pay more than $350m, plus interest, while his sons were each ordered to pay roughly $4m. Mr Trump took part in a town hall event, hosted by Fox News, in Greenville, South Carolina on Tuesday. During the event, he was asked about his various ongoing court cases, as well as the shocking death of Alexei Navalny, a long-time political critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Kremlin has denied involvement in Navalnys death and said that Western claims that Mr Putin was responsible are unacceptable. Mr Trump who expressed admiration for Mr Putin during his 2017-2021 White House tenure and afterwards previously said in a post on his platform TruthSocial that the death of Navalny had made him aware of what was happening in our Country. Asked about Navalnys death on Tuesday evening, he replied: Its a very sad situation and he was very brave. He was a very brave guy because he went back [to Russia], he could have stayed away, and frankly, probably would have been a lot better off staying away and talking from outside of the country as opposed to having to go back in because people thought that could happen, and it did happen. However, he was quick to compare the news to his own situation, adding: Its a horrible thing, but its happening in our country too. We are turning into a communist country in many ways, and if you look at it, Im the leading candidate. Id never heard of being indicted before, I got indicted four times, I have eight or nine trials all because of the fact that Im in politics. The former president was also asked if felt like he was at risk of becoming a political prisoner, following the multiple lawsuits being brought against him. He once again singled out the judgement handed down by Mr Engoron. Its a form of Navalny, he said, adding It is a form of communism or fascism. The guy [Mr Engoron] is a nut job. Ive known this for a long time and Ive said it openly. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Donald Trump claimed Black voters like him because of his many indictments and mug shot during a speech at the Black Conservative Foundation gala on Friday evening. I got indicted for nothing. They were doing it because it's election interference. And then I got indicted a second time, a third time and a fourth time, Mr Trump said. And a lot of people said that that's why the Black people like me, because they have been hurt so badly and discriminated against. And they actually viewed me as I'm being discriminated against. It's been pretty amazing. The former president is currently facing 91 charges across several cases against him. Mr Trump gave the speech in South Carolina just hours before polls opened for the states presidential primary. The mug shot, weve all seen the mug shot, and you know who embraced it more than anybody else? The Black population, he said later in the speech. Its incredible. You see Black people walking around with my mug shot, you know? Mr Trump is referring to his mugshot taken in Fulton County, Georgia last summer after he was booked on several charges related to his attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election. Meanwhile, several political commentators are reacting with ire to Mr Trumps comments. Jonathan Capehart of MSNBC called the speech unbelievably racist. T-shirts with Donald Trumps Georgia mug shot sold at CPAC (Gustaf Kilander / The Independent) Please, please share [these clips] with your Trump-loving friends, Capehart told his viewers. These clips, well, they actually might like it. Well, have them understand why what we just heard is so unbelievably racist, but also problematic for a democracy. That man should never be president of the United States again. Mr Capehart also played a second clip of Mr Trump telling the audience the lights were too bright, apparently meaning he could only see Black audience members. These lights are so bright in my eyes that I can't see too many people out there, the former president said. But I can only see the Black ones. I can't see any white ones. That's how far I've come. Betsy Ankney, campaign manager for Nikki Haley, also condemned his speech. This is just more of the same chaos, more of the same drama, more of the same baggage, Ms Ankney told CNN. Meanwhile, Jasmine Harris, Black media director for President Joe Bidens campaign, called Trump an anti-Black tyrant just hours before his speech, NBC News reports. This is the same man who falsely accused the Central Park Five, questioned George Floyds humanity, compared his own impeachment trial to being lynched, and ensured the unemployment gap for Black workers spiked during his presidency, Ms Harris said. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} On Tuesday, former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley delivered an anticipated speech where she said she would not drop out of the race for the Republican presidential nomination ahead of the primary in her home state. In the speech, Haley attempted to lower expectations given that she will almost certainly be blown out in the Palmetto state. Polling currently shows Donald Trump beating her by double digits. And its no secret that losing a primary in their home state typically means death to a candidates campaign. Just ask Senator Marco Rubio, whom Trump drubbed in Florida back in 2016. Winning Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, like Trump has, usually signals that a candidate is guaranteed to become the Republican nominee. But Haley tried spinning that statistic and saying that the majority of voters simply did not vote. Despite her best efforts, the fact is that Haley has put up poor performances in the early states. In Iowa, she posted a disappointing third place with Ron DeSantis inching past her, before he ultimately dropped out. And in Nevada, more voters chose none of these candidates instead of her. That is not a ringing endorsement. While a majority of voters have not voted, the partys biggest devotees have shown they do not want her to be president. Nonetheless, she is beginning a swing throughout the rest of the primary states. On the day of the South Carolina primary, she will visit Michigan, followed by Minnesota, Colorado, Utah, Virginia, Washington, DC, North Carolina and Massachusetts. This comes after shes already traveled to California and Texas. Shes already on the air in Michigan running an ad saying President Joe Biden is too old and calling for mental competency tests. But the fact remains that not enough Republicans like what Haley is selling. As my colleague Kelly Rissman wrote, a Suffolk University/USA Today poll showed that 63 per cent of those very likely to vote in South Carolina prefer Trump to Haley. While 59 per cent of voters who identify as moderates or liberals support Haley, they dont make up the majority of the Republican electorate. Similarly, many of the states that have yet to vote are as conservative, if not more conservative, as South Carolina. While Michigan, California, Maine and Massachusetts might have some of the college-educated moderate white voters who could vote for Haley, other states like Arkansas, Alaska and North Carolina will easily break for Trump. Furthermore, the Republican primary in places like California is closed, meaning independents cannot cross over and vote for her in the way they did when she put up a decent fight in New Hampshire. And even if she somehow does win over some independents who cross over, Trump and other conservatives will paint her as not the true pick of the Republican electorate. It only gets bleaker after Super Tuesday. In the weeks after Super Tuesday, states including Mississippi, Georgia, Louisiana, Arizona, Lousiana, Ohio and Missouri will all hold their primaries in March, which will further chip away at their lead. That will blunt her momentum and give big-pocketed donors less of an incentive to keep funding her campaign. Put simply, running through until the Republican National Conventions in July costs a ton of money between television advertisements, campaign events, town halls and setting up volunteer locations. If she does not produce a single victory in any state, donors will see no reason to bankroll her. At this point, its fairly clear that Haley is simply waiting out Trump, hoping that his legal affairs get the better of him and that she could be seen as a viable alternative to him if or when he becomes engulfed by the lawsuits and criminal cases against him. She gave away her plan when she said: Its not normal to spend fifty million dollars in campaign donations on personal court cases. But doing so would be handing her fate to circumstances beyond her control. For one, the court schedules are unpredictable. Similarly, the past year has shown that the deeper Trumps legal troubles get, the more his supporters coalesce around him. Even in the off chance Republicans somehow replace Trump, Haley will likely not be considered a viable replacement given that she now exists in the consciousness of the GOP as Trumps chief Republican antagonist. If anything, the party would need to pick a Trump loyalist to occupy the spot. While Haley has said she would pardon Trump were she to become president and served in his administration, that likely would not be what Republicans remember. Ultimately, Haley might only harm herself. She mentioned she is not seeking to set up a future run for president beyond 2024, but this might affect her standing overall in the party. As she will be remembered as too deferential to Trump for voters who dislike him but too defiant against the head of the party, she will have fewer options for her future. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Nikki Haley needs to make something happen. With the Nevada debacle in the rear view window an embarrassing defeat to none of these candidates in a primary in which Donald Trump declined to participate, its officially time for his sole remaining challenger for the GOP nomination to prove that shes still competitive in the literal sense, rather that just on cable news. South Carolina is the arena. Its by no means an ace in the hole, but the state where Ms Haley was governor for eight years is the place where she theoretically should be strongest. It has an open primary, meaning that independent voters can participate. And shell be back across the state this week, hitting campaign stops in Myrtle Beach, the Charleston suburbs, and a former steel town. But dont be surprised if this is the end. A defeat in ones home state is hard to walk away from: Marco Rubio couldnt in 2016, when he dropped out shortly after losing the Florida primary (a humiliating debate-stage thumping from Chris Christie didnt help matters). And 2024 Donald Trump is in a much better place electorally than 2016 Trump was at the time. The former president is staring down Ms Haley in the Palmetto State with an undefeated record and a polling lead as high as 30 points in South Carolina, according to some surveys. Ms Haley has already begun looking ahead. She has held three rallies in Super Tuesday states so far this month; one in California, and two in Texas. After Saturday, the March 5 primaries loom just a few weeks away, when roughly a third of the delegates needed to secure the Republican nomination will be up for grabs. It would be overly optimistic, though, to expect this to be drawn out too much further should Ms Haley be dealt a convincing defeat on Saturday. Its getting increasingly difficult for Ms Haley to enunciate a path to victory; the unspoken reality of her campaign is that many seem to think that she is biding her time and awaiting some stunning development with her opponents legal issues which changes the dynamics of the race. That view of voter sentiment on the issue may be grounded in reality, at least to an extent: polling shows that as many as one in four swing-state Republicans say that they wouldnt support Donald Trump in the general election were he to be convicted of one or more of his felony charges. That presumed strategy may or may not be something the Haley campaign is actually considering. But with Mr Trumps first trial date in his New York criminal fraud trial still more than a month away, its obvious that any such development is coming much later this year, if at all. Ms Haley needs another way to peel away Republican voters not just independents who lean right, but Republicans from Mr Trumps coalition. And she needs to do it fast. Well have a little bit better view of Ms Haleys plans after Tuesday, when she delivers a state of the race speech in Greenville. The noon address will mark four days out from the states primary election. The announcement of her planned address came just a few hours after she was attacking her opponent in front of a crowd in Sumter, South Carolina, over his pressuring of congressional Republicans to kill efforts to address illegal imimgration and the border security crisis. Donald Trump needs to stay out of it, she quipped. Its hard to say what Nikki Haleys path is from here. But one thing is clear: the present course is not working. Right now, the Republican primary is headed towards one result, a coronation of a former president charged with 91 felony counts and facing the prospect of prison time for a violent attempt at halting Americas peaceful transfer of power. And Nikki Haley may very well need a hometown miracle to prove that her Super Tuesday dreams are anything more than her imagination. Close Donald Trump warns of a 'bloodbath' in US if he isn't elected as president again Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Former president Donald Trump is once again facing criticism over his use of inflammatory rhetoric after he declared at a campaign rally in Dayton, Ohio, on Saturday evening: If I dont get elected its going to be a bloodbath for the country. The Republican presidential challenger used the phrase as part of a dire econominc forecast for the American auto industry but was swiftly rebuked by the White House over its wider implications, with spokespeople for Joe Biden accusing him of endorsing political violence particularly given that the candidate had also bemoaned the fate of the J6 hostages at the same event. The luxury real estate mogul has since hit back on Truth Social, claiming the media is only pretending to be shocked by his choice of words. Mr Trump gave an interview to Fox News journalist Howard Kurtz over the weekend in which he again attacked the late-night host Jimmy Kimmel for making jokes at his expense, doubled-down on comparing migrants to vermin and on his call to terminate parts of the US Constitution and floated the prospect of supporting a 16-week national abortion ban in an overt appeal to the Christian right. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} When former president Donald Trump takes to the stage at the Conservative Political Action Conference on Saturday, expect him to use the prime time appearance to clean up the Alabama Supreme Courts mess. Mr Trump, who has previously bragged about his role in terminating the federal right to legal abortion, is set to speak at the annual right-wing confab just days after the Yellowhammer States highest court essentially outlawed in-vitro fertilisation in a shock ruling that led the states IVF clinics to shutter their doors. The ruling and its aftermath have sent shockwaves through Republican candidates at the state and federal levels, who have struggled to deal with Democratic enthusiasm as a result of the backlash to the federal Supreme Courts Dobbs decision, which overturned the half-century-old Roe v Wade ruling which had guaranteed abortion rights nationwide. But the ex-president appeared to give his party direction on Friday when he took to Truth Social to stress his support for the creation of strong, thriving, healthy American families and fertility treatments like IVF in every State in America. Like the OVERWHELMING MAJORITY of Americans, including the VAST MAJORITY of Republicans, Conservatives, Christians, and Pro-Life Americans, I strongly support the availability of IVF for couples who are trying to have a precious baby, he wrote. He added that the GOP should always be on the side of the Miracle of Life and the side of Mothers, Fathers, and their Beautiful Babies and called IVF an important part of that. The former president is also likely to spend significant portions of his speech railing against the various prosecutors who are preparing to try him in a series of criminal cases across four separate jurisdictions. He will almost certainly target specifically Fulton County, Georgia District Attorney Fani Willis, who his defence team has been trying to discredit by claiming that her personal relationship with another prosecutor amounts to a conflict of interest that requires her office to be booted from the felony racketeering and election interference case against him. And hell likely lash out against New York State Attorney General Letitia James the woman whose office obtained a nearly half-billion dollar judgment against him and his companies for defrauding a series of New York-based banks. Mr Trumps rhetoric will largely match what attendees at CPAC have heard from speakers over the prior three days, nearly all of whom have used their time on stage to denounce President Joe Biden, accusing him of weaponising the government against Mr Trump and his supporters and call for an end to US aid to Ukraine. One should also expect the twice-impeached ex-president to renew his invective against Mr Bidens immigration and border policies and praise the harsh measures being taken by Texas governor Greg Abbott and other Republican governors against non-white migrants who enter the US along the countrys southern border. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Warning: the following livestream has not been independently fact-checked and may contain misinformation. The Independent strives to counteract misinformation across its platforms. Click here for the latest on the 2024 US Presidential Election: https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics Watch as conservative leaders gather near Washington D.C. for the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) on Saturday 24 February. The event will once more be headlined by Donald Trump, who will make its keynote address before heading off to South Carolina for the states GOP primary. Many of those expected to be short-listed as possible Trump running mates gave bombastic speeches earlier at the conference, to try and curry favour with the former president. Elise Stefanik, Byron Donalds, Jim Jordan, Matt Gaetz, and Kristi Noem were just some of those who took to the stage. His rival Nikki Haley will not be at the conference but did deliver a defiant message to voters this week, pledging to fight on in the battle for the presidential nomination. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Police have launched a murder investigation after three women were knifed to death at a brothel in Vienna. The incident took place in a red light bar in Brigittenau, near the Danube River, on Friday evening. A witness alerted the force after discovering traces of blood outside the building. Officers discovered the bodies of three victims with cuts and stab wounds, said police spokesman Philipp Hasslinger. A 27-year-old man carrying a knife, the supposed weapon, was soon arrested in the vicinity of the brothel. Police said officers were set to question the suspect, an asylum-seeker from Afghanistan, later on Saturday. The force found a fourth woman inside the brothel, who was being questioned by police as a witness. The identities of the three victims remain unclear. Brothels are legal in Austria. The one where the incident happened is in Vienna's 20th district, among the city's poorest. It comes after a 51-year-old woman and her 13-year-old daughter were found dead in an apartment in the city earlier on the same day. Officers discovered the pairs bodies in the Landstrae District, an area in the southeast of the city centre, in the early hours of Friday. Police said a murder investigation has been launched over the incident. The womans husband and father of the child, a 53-year-old Austrian citizen, is strongly suspected of the crime, said the force, as it hunts for the perpetrator. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} The body of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has finally been handed over to his mother, his spokesperson has said. Lyudmila Navalnaya, 69, has been given the body of her son, Kira Yarmysh said on Saturday, more than a week after he died in an Arctic prison on 16 February. A number of Western leaders have accused Vladimir Putin and the Russian authorities of killing Navalny, the Russian presidents most prominent critic, although the accusations have been strongly denied by the Kremlin. The body of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has finally been handed over to his mother, his spokesperson has said (AP) It comes after Navalnys wife, Yulia Navalnaya, earlier on Saturday accused Putin of satanism and mocking Christianity by trying to force her late husbands mother to agree to a secret funeral. Lyudmila said on Thursday that, when she was finally shown her sons body, Russian officials had sought to blackmail her, telling her they would do something to his remains if she did not agree to bury him in a secret ceremony without mourners. In a post on X, formerly Twitter, on Saturday, Ms Yarmysh wrote: Alexeys body was handed over to his mother. Many thanks to all those who demanded this with us. Lyudmila Ivanovna is still in Salekhard. The funeral is still pending. We do not know if the authorities will interfere to carry it out as the family wants and as Alexey deserves. We will inform you as soon as there is news. Lyudmila Navalnaya, 69, has been given the body of her son more than a week after he died (Navalny Team) Yulia previously said she believes her husband was poisoned and that Russian authorities were keeping hold of the body to let traces of the nerve agent novichok leave his system. My husband was unbreakable. And thats precisely why Putin killed him, she said earlier this week. Navalny, who was 47, was moved to the remote Polar Wolf Arctic prison late last year, having been sentenced on multiple charges that the international community and his supporters believe were trumped up in an attempt to silence him. The Russian opposition leaders death came a month before a presidential election in which Mr Putin is expected easily to claim re-election a vote that Navalny repeatedly railed against, even in prison, as he began a 19-year sentence. Navalnys wife, Yulia Navalnaya, accused Putin of mocking Christianity by trying to force her husbands mother to agree to a secret funeral (AP) In a video released earlier on Saturday, Yulia had demanded the release of her husbands body in the latest of a series of appeals, saying Lyudmila was being literally tortured by Russian authorities who had threatened to bury Navalny in the Arctic prison. Give us the body of my husband, she said. You tortured him alive, and now you keep torturing him dead. You mock the remains of the dead. Saturday marks nine days since the opposition leaders death the day on which Orthodox Christians traditionally hold a memorial service. People across Russia came out to mark the occasion and honour Navalnys memory by gathering at Orthodox churches, leaving flowers at public monuments, or holding one-person protests. The authorities have detained scores of people as they seek to suppress any major outpouring of sympathy for Putins fiercest foe. A woman lays flowers for Navalny at the Solovetsky Stone, a monument to political repression and one of the locations where tributes have been left by Russians for the late opposition leader (AFP via Getty) As of early Saturday afternoon, at least 27 had been detained in nine Russian cities for showing support for Navalny, according to the OVD-Info rights group, which tracks political arrests. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has rejected allegations that Mr Putin was involved in Navalnys death, calling them absolutely unfounded, insolent accusations about the head of the Russian state. The opposition leaders team said on X/Twitter on Thursday that Navalnys death certificate says he died of natural causes, while they have accused the Russian state of murdering him. The Russian authorities said, when announcing his death last week, that he had fallen unconscious and died suddenly while out for a walk. Navalny had been behind bars since January 2021, when he returned to Moscow from Germany, where he had been given life-saving treatment after being poisoned with novichok an attack he blamed on the Kremlin. The Russian president himself has yet to say anything about Navalnys death (Sputnik) Western leaders have lined up to condemn the Kremlin over the killing of Navalny. Britains foreign secretary, David Cameron, used a meeting at the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro to confront his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, and say to his face that Russia had murdered the opposition leader. Lord Cameron said Mr Lavrov had refused to meet his gaze and instead looked at his phone. Speaking to the BBC, Lord Cameron said that representatives of France, Canada and Germany had joined him in using a speech at the summit to name Navalny and to say they hold President Putin, and the Russian state at large, responsible for his murder. The meeting occurred behind closed doors, with each of the leaders present allowed five minutes to speak. On Wednesday, the UK froze the assets of six Russian prison bosses in charge of the Polar Wolf prison colony, becoming the first country to issue sanctions over the killing of Navalny and said that those responsible for his brutal treatment will be held to account. Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny appears via a video link from the Arctic penal colony in Kharp (AP) Lyudmila Navalnaya travelled to the remote IK-3 prison after her sons death was announced last Friday, but was prevented from seeing his body for almost a week, while the Kremlin appeared to be trying to ensure that a funeral for Navalny did not turn into a public show of support for his ideals. On Tuesday, she appealed to Mr Putin directly in a video, saying: Let me finally see my son. I demand that Alexeis body be released immediately so that I can bury him in a humane way. More than 75,000 people submitted requests to the government asking for his remains to be handed over to his relatives, according to human rights group OVD-Info. Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny embraces his wife Yulia after being released by a court in Kirov, Russia in July 2013 (AP) In a nine-minute video released earlier in the week, Yulia said Navalny had been killed because Mr Putin couldnt break him, and vowed to continue his political activism. I want to live in a free Russia; I want to build a free Russia, she said. I urge you to stand next to me. I ask you to share the rage with me. Rage, anger, hatred towards those who dared to kill our future. The Russian president himself has yet to say anything about Navalnys death, although, after a flight on board a new military aircraft that is capable of carrying nuclear warheads, he described comments from Joe Biden that he was a crazy SOB as rude. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Boris Johnson has been pictured meeting Ukraines president Volodymyr Zelensky on a surprise visit to Kyiv during the second anniversary of the Russian invasion. The former prime minister posted a photograph showing him beside Mr Zelensky on X to mark the grim anniversary on Saturday. Mr Johnson said: On this grim second anniversary of Putins invasion I am honoured to be here in Ukraine. With their indomitable courage I have no doubt that the Ukrainians will win and expel Putins forces - provided we give them the military, political and economic help that they need. Prime minister Rishi Sunak also voiced his support for Ukraine, saying the West must renew our determination to stand behind Ukraine. In a video he posted on X, he said: When Putin launched his illegal invasion two years ago, the free world was united in its response. We stood together behind Ukraine and on this grim anniversary we must renew our determination. It comes after Grant Shapps announced the biggest single defence package sent by the UK to Ukraine, taking support so far to over 12 billion. The defence secretary said around 250,000 will go towards ammunition and 200 million will go to their largest supplier of drones. Foreign secretary David Cameron said the UK has signed the first-of-its-kind 10 year security agreement to formalise support provisions- including intelligence sharing, cyber security, medical and military training and defence industrial cooperation. Mr Sunak concluded: This is the moment to show that tyranny will never triumph, to say once again we will stand with Ukraine, today and tomorrow. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak with President Volodymyr Zelensky (Stefan Rousseau/PA) (PA Wire) It comes as a virtual G7 summit will take place later today at Kyivs Saint Sophia Cathedral as Western leaders descend on the capital. European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen travelled overnight to the capital by train along with Italian premier Giorgia Meloni, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo and Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau. More than ever we stand firmly by Ukraine. Financially, economically, militarily, morally. Until the country is finally free, Ms von der Leyen wrote on social media after she arrived in Kyiv. They arrived shortly after a Russian drone attack struck a residential building in the southern city of Odesa, killing at least one person. Three women also sustained severe burns in the attack on Friday evening on a residential building, regional governor Oleh Kiper said on his social media account. Rescue services are still combing rubble looking for survivors. The foreign leaders are in Ukraine to express solidarity as Ukrainian forces run low on ammunition and weaponry and western aid hangs in the balance. Italy, which holds the rotating presidency of the G7 economies - the US, UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan, plus the EU - announced that the heads of state and government will meet virtually on Saturday, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky participating as well, and will adopt a joint statement on Ukraine. A sombre mood hangs over the country as the war against Russia enters its third year and Kyivs troops face mounting challenges on the front line amid dwindling ammunition and personnel challenges. The aftermath of a Russian drone attack on a factory (EPA) Its troops recently withdrew from the strategic eastern city of Avdiivka, handing Moscow one of its biggest victories. Earlier this month, Mr Zelensky fired top military commander Valerii Zaluzhnyi, replacing him with Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi, in the most significant shake-up of top brass since the invasion. Russia still controls roughly a quarter of the country after Ukraine failed to make any major breakthroughs with its summertime counter-offensive. Meanwhile, millions of Ukrainians continue to live in precarious circumstances in the crossfire of battles, and many others face constant struggles under Russian occupation. Foreign officials are expected to descend on the capital to meet Mr Zelensky and other Ukrainian officials and express their continued support for the country as it fights Moscows troops and prepares for European Union membership. In the US Congress, Republicans have stalled 60 billion dollars (47 billion) in military aid for Kyiv, desperately needed in the short term. The EU recently approved a 50 billion euro (42 billion) aid package for Ukraine to support its economy, despite resistance from Hungary. US President Joe Biden tied the loss of the defensive stronghold of Avdiivka in the Donetsk region after months of gruelling battles to the stalled US aid. Fears have since risen that Ukrainian forces will face similar difficulties across other parts of the 620-mile front line as they come under mounting pressure from Russian assaults. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Vladimir Putin is likely to have something fundamentally wrong with his health and may be suffering from Parkinsons disease, a former head of MI6 has been told. Sir Richard Dearlove, who headed the British intelligence service between 1999 and 2004, said his sources in Europe believe Mr Putins health is deteriorating. He said one suggestion is that the Russian president is suffering from Parkinsons disease, one of the symptoms of which can be delusions. I have contacts and friends still in Eastern Europe who think there is something fundamentally wrong with him medically, ex-MI6 chief says (AFP via Getty Images) Sir Richard said this might explain Mr Putins paranoia and the death of prominent opposition figure Alexei Navalny. It comes after much speculation about Mr Putins health in recent years, with some unsubstantiated theories including him having cancer or using a body double. Asked on LBC about the state of Mr Putins health, Sir Richard replied: I do not have a clear answer to that but I have contacts and friends still in Eastern Europe who think there is something fundamentally wrong with him medically. But Im not a clinician. Expanding on what illness Mr Putin may have, he said: Probably Parkinsons which of course has different representations, different variations, different seriousness. But if the man is paranoid, and I think the murder of Navalny might suggest a certain paranoia, that is one of the symptoms. Sir Richard Dearlove, who headed the British Secret Intelligence Service between 1999 and 2004, said Putin could be ill (LBC) Chief Kremlin foe Mr Navalny died last Friday in an Arctic prison where he was kept in solitary confinement for up to two weeks at a time. His death sparked global outrage, with foreign secretary Lord David Cameron saying: Its clear that the Russian authorities saw Navalny as a threat and they tried repeatedly to silence him. Mr Navalny had been behind bars since January 2021, when he returned to Moscow after receiving life-saving treatment in Germany from novichok poisoning, an attack he blamed on the Kremlin. He was then moved to the remote Polar Wolf Arctic prison late last year and faced multiple sentences on charges the international community and Mr Navalnys supporters believe were trumped up to try and silence him. Alexei Navalny died in prison last week (Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved) His death came a month before a presidential election where Mr Putin is expected to easily claim re-election, a vote that Mr Navalny repeatedly railed against, even in prison. The Kremlin has denied involvement in Mr Navalnys death. Since his political opponents death, Mr Putin was seen taking flight on a new nuclear-capable bomber plane on Thursday. The move has been seen by the West as a bid to send a reminder of Russias nuclear might amid soaring tensions with the West over the fighting in Ukraine. Referring to this, Sir Richard told LBC: Putin is always postured - thats part of his character and the rumours of his illness maybe make it more important now that he postures in a way that suggests he isnt ill, if he is. This is not a change this is something hes been doing. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Evgenia Kara-Murza woke up and immediately picked up her phone. Ukrainian women, she saw, had started sharing screenshots online of their last messages to their husbands, boyfriends and brothers on the front lines. They began with a trivial message, something like How are you, honey? But with each unanswered message, they grew more panicked. Honey, just write back. Just write anything. I just want to know that you are OK one said. By then, these women knew what had happened. They knew they would not get a response. They knew their partners, their siblings, had been killed by Russian soldiers. Reading through these messages, Evgenia began to break down. She felt like she was about to have another panic attack. They reminded her of the last message she sent to her husband, nearly two years earlier. It was 11 April 2022. Vladimir Kara-Murza had just been arrested by Russian authorities near the familys home in Moscow for spreading false information about the war in Ukraine. The opposition figures phone had been confiscated. He would later be sentenced to 25 years in prison, with treason charges being added. The sentence was condemned by leaders around the world as being politically motivated, with Mr Kara-Murza a victim of a regime of repression. It was the longest punishment handed to any critic of Vladimir Putin since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Vladimir Kara-Murza gestures from behind a glass cage in a Moscow courtroom last year (AP) Ms Kara-Murza, now living in exile in the US, has not seen him since. I love you, the text read, with a love heart emoji attached to the end of the message. It, too, was never answered. Two years on from Vladimir Putins invasion of Ukraine, the Russian dissident community is fighting its own war. Thousands have been forced out of the country; many who stayed have been arrested; nearly a thousand are known to have been jailed for simply opposing Putin and his war. And last Friday, Alexei Navalny, Putins most prominent critic, was announced as having died in the Polar Wolf Arctic Circle penal colony where he was serving a 19-year sentence, one of several sentences, on charges decried by the West as trumped up to silence him. His wife, Yulia Navalnaya, has accused Putin of having him poisoned. Nations like the UK and US have issued sanctions over Mr Navalnys killing, saying Putin is ultimately responsible. Ukrainian soliders on the front line (AP) It left the Russian dissident community in shock. But the brutal repression of dissent, typified by the death of Navalny, has brought the rise of a new wave of opposition, many of whom are women, and they are finding new ways to fight against the Kremlin. Evgenia Kara-Murza never planned to be an activist. She studied in Moscow in the late 1990s and early 2000s to be a translator, just as Vladimir Putin was quietly but quickly ascending to power. But the imprisonment of her husband left her with no choice. The pain over the past two years, she said, has been numbing, but it has also pushed her to fight. Sometimes I would really appreciate having the lives of people I know here in the United States, the parents of our childrens friends, who have normal concerns and anxieties, who are dealing with important but normal issues, she admitted. They are not dealing with assassination attempts and wars of aggression. They are not dealing with imprisonments for 10, 15, 25 years because their loved one has declared that he has to make a stand. Yulia Navalnaya attends the Munich Security Conference on the day her husbands death was announced by the Russian prison service (AFP/Getty) But I understand this goes way beyond our fears and our lives. Its not just our family. There are tens of thousands of Russians who feel the same way. There are thousands who ended up behind bars for openly saying no. Each and every one of those families is going through the same pain and misery that I am feeling. So for the sake of them, for the sake of Vladimir, for the sake of my children and for the sake of the future of Russia, I have to do my best. Her message was echoed by Yulia Navalnaya in the days after her husbands death, in a video she posted to her newly created X/Twitter account. By killing Alexei, Putin killed half of me, half of my heart and half of my soul, she said. But I still have the other half. And it tells me that I have no right to give up. Alongside advocating for the release of her husband, Ms Kara-Murza now travels around the world in support of the Ukrainian fight against Putins Russia. Alexei Navalny is treated by his wife after unknown attackers doused him with green antiseptic outside a conference venue in Moscow, 27 April 2017 (AP) The defeat of Russia in Ukraine, she says, is the only way to weaken Putin. Ukraines victory on Ukraines terms is so crucial, she said. Not only because it is morally right for them to be able to defend their future but also because it would send a clear message to the Kremlin that Vladimir Putin will no longer get away with such crimes. For Yevgenia Chirikova, 47, a friend of the Navalny family, the war in Ukraine and the repression of dissidents inside Russia has radically changed how she conducts her own activism. She rose to prominence in Russia as an environmental activist, running a successful campaign in 2010 opposing the construction of a road linking Moscow and St Petersburg through the Khimki forest, before fleeing the country in 2014 after being threatened by Russian authorities. But when the war in Ukraine broke out, a day she describes with considerable anger, she quickly mobilised her contacts for other means. She also joined the Anti-War Committee. Russian environmentalist Yevgenia Chirikova with Alexei Navalny (right) and Boris Nemtsov in Moscow in May 2012 (Provided by Yevgenia Chirikova ) We had very good relationships with climatologists and environmentalists in Ukraine, she said. But after this war, thanks to this relationship, we found opportunities to support Ukraine NGOs in other fields. Her organisation, Activatica, has now helped to fund medical programmes inside Ukraine, including buying vehicles for frontline paramedics, funding initiatives to ensure disabled persons across Ukraine have access to medication, and supporting those injured by Russian bombing. It has also provided a space for independent journalists to counter Russian propaganda and cater to an audience inside Russia. And it is involved in the military side, offering thousands of consultations to disenfranchised communities in rural Russia on how to avoid conscription into the Russian military. When Navalnys death was announced, she declared the most effective way to respond was to organise real support for the Ukrainian army and for Russians who, at this moment, take part in this war on the side of Ukraine. This is our army, she said. Nearly 14,000 Russian dissidents have been labelled extremists since Vladimir Putins full-scale invasion of Ukraine (via Reuters) She has since been added by the Kremlin to the list of so-called extremists and terrorists for anti-war activities. As long as Putin is in power, she will never be allowed to return to Russia. Some dissidents say they have found themselves regarded with suspicion, having fled into Western countries. Natalia Arno, the founder of Free Russia, a pro-democracy group that offers support to the dissident community across the globe, described this problem as friendly fire. She fled Putins Russia in 2012 after being given a 48-hour notice by the Kremlins security services to leave the country or face 20 years in prison. She had been working as a human rights activist since 2004. She fled to Lithuania, then to Poland, before moving to the US and founding Free Russia just months after Putin ordered the illegal annexation of Crimea and the invasion of eastern Ukraine in 2014. She knows well the impact Vladimir Putin has on the reputation of Russians across the world. Natalia Arno, founder of Free Russia, set up her foundation on the same year that Russia illegally annexed Crimea and invaded eastern Ukraine (AFP/Getty) People were very surprised not to be accepted by some European countries, she said. That made them feel like Putin was winning because he had been saying that everyone doesnt like Russians ... We were saying: Please dont judge us on that. Judge us on the values of our actions. We are your allies. There was a lot of friendly fire. We had to do a lot of advocacy in various embassies, parliaments and Congress. Nowhere was that more difficult, she said, than in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, where the Free Russia offices open despite the toxic state of many things related to Russia in Ukraine in the wake of Putins invasion. Ms Arno said they wanted to stay because they knew they could help in ways others could not. We are the ones who are capable of locating and defending Ukrainian PoW and civilian hostages held in Russian jails, she said, by way of example. No one else can do that. The scale of destruction caused by Putins full-scale invasion of Ukraine is astronomical. Millions of Ukrainians have been killed, wounded or displaced. Millions more live under Russian occupation. There has been so much pain in these past two years, said Evgenia Kara-Murza, created by the decisions of one man. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Watch a view of Kyivs Independence Square as Ukraine marks the second anniversary of Russias full-scale invasion on Saturday 24 February. The UK has pledged to invest almost 250 million in producing artillery shells for Ukraine, as the war enters its third year. Artillery has been a key factor in Kyivs resistance to the invasion, and the 245 million package announced on Saturday is intended to replenish president Volodymyr Zelenskys reserves of artillery ammunition. Making the announcement, defence secretary Grant Shapps said Ukraines steadfast determination and resilience continued to inspire the world. Against all odds, the armed forces of Ukraine have pushed back the Russian invaders to recapture half of the land Putin stole, while significantly degrading Russias capabilities with around 30 per cent of Russias Black Sea Fleet destroyed or damaged, and thousands of tanks and armoured vehicles reduced to scrap, he said. But they cannot win this fight without the support of the international community and thats why we continue to do what it takes to ensure Ukraine can continue to fight towards victory. TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, February 24. Uzbekistan and Poland signed an agreement on establishing the Uzbek-Polish Council of Entrepreneurs and held the first meeting in September 2024 in an enlarged format, Trend reports. The sides signed the agreement at a meeting between a delegation of Uzbekistan headed by Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Davron Vakhobov and Chairman of the Polish Chamber of Commerce and Industry Marek Klochko. During the meeting, the sides discussed matters of further development of cooperation in the investment and trade-economic spheres between the two organizations. Marek Klochko highly appreciated Uzbekistan's industrial potential and the conditions created for attracting foreign investors. He also said that a delegation of Polish businessmen is planning to visit Uzbekistan in MarchApril this year and take part in exhibitions related to the textile and pharmaceutical industries. During the trip, members of Uzbekistan's delegation also met with the leadership of the Agency for Investment and Trade (PAIT) under the Ministry of Development and Technology of Poland. During the dialogue, the sides discussed matters of establishing mutually beneficial relations between the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Uzbekistan and this organization. As a result of the discussions, the sides agreed to sign a memorandum on cooperation between the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Uzbekistan and PAIT to work out the opening of an office of this organization in Tashkent as well as to ensure the participation of companies in exhibitions. Sign up to Simon Calders free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calders Travel email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Simon Calders Travel email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} A traveller was willing to swap seats on a plane for a woman to sit near her husband, until she discovered exactly which seat she would be ending up in. In a recent Reddit post shared to the Entitled People subreddit, the passenger shared an incident where a woman sitting next to him in business class asked him to voluntarily downgrade his seat so that she could sit next to her husband, who was seated in economy. The Reddit poster explained that the seats were in a two-seat centre pod configuration when the woman was sitting next to him and asked to switch with her husband. He said yes assuming that her husband was sitting somewhere else in business class, at which point the woman casually revealed that her husbands seat was actually 18B a middle seat in economy. The passenger explained that he wasnt moving to the back when the woman attempted to convince him that he should. You cant seriously expect me to swap a pod for a MIDDLE seat at the back of the bus. Are you kidding me? he recalled saying to the woman in the Reddit post, thinking the entire interaction was some type of prank. Its not such a big difference. And its their bulkhead row so theres plenty of legroom, the woman allegedly replied. According to the Reddit post, the woman was originally seated in economy but was offered a free upgrade being under the impression that someone would be willing to swap to get her husband upgraded as well. His final offer was to get someone else in business class to switch seats with her husband and he would take that persons seat, but would not be making the switch himself. But I think you have two choices... sit apart, or sit together back there. Im sure whoever is in 18C would love to sit up here. Take your old seat back and you can both sit together, he wrote. They both angrily made their way back to the back, and I was half-expecting a new, confused stranger to appear, the lucky recipient of an instant upgrade... but no, she came back. According to her, 18A loved the window bulkhead and didnt want to move. 18C had family in 18DEF and didnt want to move either. Someone later told me that perhaps the flight attendants got involved and just told her to go to her assigned seat; no seat-swapping allowed, the story continued. So, the woman ended up sitting apart from her husband for the entire duration of the flight. After posting, many people ended up taking to the comments to express how shocked they were at the womans attempt to switch seats. Do they really expect people to give up what they paid extra for? one commenter asked. The airlines should take some accountability here too. Before they upgrade someone they should ask if they are travelling with anyone. And if they see the Karen haircut No upgrade for you. Another commenter agreed, writing: I would have said no immediately no questions. Why the heck would I switch out the super expensive seat I paid for ANY other seat on the plane just so she and her companion can sit together instead, and her companion gets a free seat that I paid for? I especially would say heck no once the words but hes ALREADY on his way over to do the switch comment, and laugh in her face and ask what the heck does him being on his way to claim a seat he WONT be getting has to do with me? I never agreed to the switch to begin with, so he has no reason to be coming back here for MY seat like it was ALREADY decided that I was going to switch just because the two of them stupidly thought otherwise before they even got around to asking me first. Donald Trump appeared to say that Joe Biden should be president during a speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) 2024. Mr Trump repeated claims that he had a good personal relationship with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, saying they got along well during his term as president. He did announce the other day that hed much rather see Biden as president, and I agree with him said Trump. It is not clear whether he misspoke, as he went on to make his usual attacks on Joe Biden calling him Crooked Joe and accusing the president of being mentally impaired, during the speech on 24 February 2024. Fox News cut off Donald Trump's speech at a rally in South Carolina to fact-check comments he made on Friday, 23 February. Neil Cavuto spoke over coverage of the former president's event to tell viewers: "Hes entitled to his opinions, hes not entitled to his own set of facts... The market has indeed been going up but having nothing to do with him. "Judges picked by Donald Trump himself found no evidence of a [rigged election] in seven battleground states," he added. French farmers protested at the Paris agricultural fair on Saturday 24 February as Emmanuel Macron met with unions before the fairs opening. The latest actions are part of a broader protest movement in Europe against EU agriculture policies, bureaucracy and overall business conditions. Footage shows riot police next to farmers in an area close to where the French president was meeting reps on Saturday. Those who attended the protest were heard shouting Macron resign. Government officials have held a series of meetings with farmers unions in recent weeks to discuss a new bill meant to defend Frances agricultural sovereignty. Crowds have gathered across the UK to show support for Ukraine and pay their respects to the fallen on the second anniversary of the Russian invasion. Commemorations on Saturday 24 February in London began with an interfaith prayer service at the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral in Mayfair. Meanwhile, in Scotland, political and religious leaders attended a service at Edinburgh Castle to mark the anniversary. Speaking ahead of the service in London, the leading Ukrainian Catholic bishop in the UK, Bishop Kenneth Nowakowski, said his compatriots are resolved to win the war and have experienced a two-year unending nightmare. Nikki Haley described Congress as the "most privileged nursing home in the country" while speaking at a campaign event in South Carolina on Friday, 23 February, as the weekend's primary drew nearer. The former UN ambassador spoke in her home state as polling showed Donald Trump beating her by double digits. "Don't you think we need to have mental competency tests for anyone over the age of 75? I'm not being disrespectful when I say that. We all know people over the age of 75 [who] can run circles around us. And then we know Joe Biden," Haley told a crowd in Moncks Corner. David Cameron warned allies in the United Nations against fatigue and compromise over Russias war in Ukraine as he urged countries including the US to keep up support for Kyiv. The UK Foreign Secretary said the world must recognise the cost of giving up in a speech in New York on Friday 23 February, the eve of the second anniversary of Moscows invasion. Lord Cameron also directly compared Russian president Vladimir Putin and his inner circle to Nazis thinking they could invade a country and the world would look away. Thousands of people have marched through Dublin in a demonstration marking the second anniversary of the start of the war in Ukraine. Irelands deputy premier said the nation will not waiver in its support for Kyiv, having provided refuge to about 100,000 Ukrainians since the outbreak of war. On Saturday 23 February, the Ukrainian Action in Ireland group organised a march through Dublin starting outside the General Post Office building on OConnell Street. Demonstrators shouted Free Ukraine and called for Russia to leave the country. Volodymyr Zelensky has blasted Tucker Carlsons recent sit-down interview with Vladimir Putin, calling it bull****. The former Fox News host has been heavily criticised for his controversial two-hour discussion with the Russian president earlier this month. I dont have time to hear more than two hours of bull*** about us, about the world, about the United States, about our relations and this interview with a killer, Mr Zelensky said, when asked if he had seen coverage of the interview. The president of Ukraine was speaking to Fox News as Kyiv marks two years since Russias full-scale invasion. Dermot Smurfit Jr, who stepped down as chief executive of the US-listed gaming technology company GAN last year, has set up a new venture. The businessman announced on social media that he has become the president and CEO of Paydirt Games, and confirmed to the Irish Independent that this is a company he has established. Mr Smurfit set up GAN Game Account Network in 2002, and became its chief executive eight years later. Among the early investors in the gaming company were his uncle Dr Michael Smurfit, and his father, Dermot Smurfit, a former deputy chairman of the Jefferson Smurfit Group, which later became Smurfit Kappa. His cousin Tony Smurfit, now the chief executive of Smurfit Kappa, was also an investor in GAN, as was financier Dermot Desmond, and Andrew Black, the founder of Betfair. In 2013, management took the company public on the London and Irish stock exchanges, but in May 2020 moved its listing to New York in a bid to capitalise on the legalisation of online gaming in America. GAN aimed to be the go-to software provider for casinos across America. It signed agreements with casinos in several US states, including Michigan, Colorado and Pennsylvania. At one point the company was valued at about $1bn. However by April 2023, GAN announced it was putting itself up for sale and, last September, said it had accepted Mr Smurfits resignation. Within two months, the Irish businessman sold $2m worth of shares in the company, according to filings to the New York stock exchange. This followed an announcement that GAN was being sold to Sega Sammy, the Japanese manufacturer of computer games such as Sonic the Hedgehog, Mega Drive and Dreamcast. It bought GAN for just over $86m, with the $1.97 a share it paid representing a premium of more than 120pc on the market price. The sale followed a strategic review after a period in which the company struggled, with its share price dropping from a high of $30 in early 2021 to less than $1. Jan Svendsen, the founder of Coolbet, which was taken over by GAN, criticised management in a post on LinkedIn in 2022 and called for Mr Smurfit to be ousted. Mr Svendsen had been paid for his company with GAN shares which promptly lost their value. Born in Ireland, Mr Smurfit Jr was brought up in England and qualified as a lawyer there before becoming a merchant banker in New York. BAKU, Azerbaijan, February 24. Armenia's Constitutional Reform Commission will discuss the issue of drafting a new constitution for the country on March 1, the Armenian media says, Trend reports. "Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan will not form a new council to do this work. Because there is not enough time," Armenian media writes. Meanwhile, Armenia's existing Constitution, legislative acts, official letters and declarations, as well as documents disseminated in international organizations and tribunals, all make claims against Azerbaijan's territorial integrity. Official Baku requires revisions to Armenian legislation in order to improve bilateral relations and sign a peace treaty. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel TV presenter Graham Norton has announced he is stepping down from his Virgin Radio show after three years. The Cork man confirmed he will host his final The Graham Norton Radio Show, which he presents with Maria McErlane, later this month on February 25. However, Norton revealed that another Irish presenter will step in and fill his shoes as host for a few weeks. Presenter Angela Scanlon will temporarily host the show, which airs on Saturday and Sunday mornings. She is currently the host of RTEs chat show Angela Scanlon Ask Me Anything on RTE One. angela scanlon I'll still be popping up at the station from time to time, but my regular Saturday and Sundays, I'm stepping away, Norton told listeners. I've worked weekends between here and the old place for 13 years and my life has changed a bit, so I thought, Oh, I want my weekends back. So, really, the next two shows, today and tomorrow, are me just saying thank you to you all for listening. Announcing Scanlon as his temporary replacement, he told listeners: Angela Scanlon will be here for the next few weeks and I think there'll be various announcements after that about people who'll be in front of this microphone, keeping you entertained on Saturday and Sunday mornings. The Late Michael O'Regans sister Eilish O'Regan chats with Broadcasters Katie Hannon and Miriam O'Callaghan at The Holy Cross Church in Dundrum following Michael O'Regan's funeral mass. Photo by Steve Humphreys 24th February 2024. Frances Fitzgerald MEP at The Holy Cross Church in Dundrum during Michael O'Regan's funeral mass. Photo by Steve Humphreys 24th February 2024. The remains of Journalist Michael O'Regan are brought from The Holy Cross Church in Dundrum following his funeral mass. Photo: Steve Humphreys The crowds of mourners who gathered at the funeral of journalist Michael ORegan were told about a man who wasnt an ordinary dad and someone who never took himself too seriously. Mr ORegan, who spent most of his career as a journalist with The Irish Times died last Sunday. In attendance at the ceremony were colleagues from The Irish Times as well as media figures including Vincent Brown and RTE broadcasters Miriam OCallaghan, Katie Hannon and David McCullagh. Politicians were also in attendance, including Danny Healy-Rae and MEP Frances Fitzgerald as well as former minister Shane Ross and former senator Mairia Cahill. President Michael D Higgins who earlier in the week paid tribute to Mr ORegan, was represented at the funeral mass by Commandant Deirdre Newell. The Late Michael O'Regans sister Eilish O'Regan chats with Broadcasters Katie Hannon and Miriam O'Callaghan at The Holy Cross Church in Dundrum following Michael O'Regan's funeral mass. Photo by Steve Humphreys 24th February 2024. A proud Kerry man, the county flag was draped over the coffin as the hearse arrived at the Holy Cross Church in Dundrum on Saturday morning. The Kerry flag was later brought up to the altar as one of the items used to represent Mr ORegans life. Flowers were also brought forward as a symbol of his love of nature and walks in his local and much loved Marley Park. A newspaper symbolised his career in journalism, while a book was included to demonstrate his love of literature and reading. During the eulogy, Mr ORegans daughter Deirdra told those in attendance how she knew from an early age that her dad wasnt an ordinary dad. My dad was undoubtably a huge intellect but better than that he was very passionate. He wasnt a generalist but get him talking about Irish politics and history, or even better the politics and history of his native Kerry, he would light up, she said. Michael O'Regan's funeral mass. Photo by Steve Humphreys 24th February 2024. She spoke of her and her sister Alysons memories of their father at home with his typewriter, holed up in his office, tapping away to meet a deadline. He was an interested observer and storyteller who never wished to be the story, she said. She described how despite his passion for history, her father was very forward thinking and told how she helped Mr ORegan set up his Twitter account back in the day. The platform went on to be a huge platform for him and was company for Mr ORegan during his illness and an isolating pandemic. His daughter said that despite moving in circles of power and influence, Mr ORegan was always happy to be the butt of the joke. My dad never took himself too seriously. He was self deprecating and always happy to be the butt of the joke, she said. Mr ORegan was described as someone who was not materialistic and was a man of words. Beyond books and papers he carried around in his Hodges Figgis bag, he wanted for very little, bar a good feed, his daughter added. During the ceremony, Fr Liam Belton told those gathered that Mr ORegan had a great sense of humour and when he became ill in 2018, he didnt let his illness get him down. He made the best of life all the time, Fr Belton said. Finbar's parents Tom and Celine, sisters Meadhbh and Orla and brother Colm take part in the documentary. Finbar Cafferkey, who died on the frontline in Bakhmut, Ukraine on April 19, 2023. The body of Achill Island, Co Mayo man Finbar Cafferkey remains undiscovered nearly a year after his death on the frontline in Ukraine. Mr Cafferkey died on April 19, 2023 in a Russian mortar strike that killed two other foreign fighters, former US Marine Cooper Andrews and Russian anarchist Dmitriy Petrov. He was killed while trying to secure a crucial supply line in Bakhmut. He and Mr Petrov previously fought with left-wing Kurdish militia group YPG against Islamic State in northern Syria. His death and the search for his body are the subject of Caillte san Ucrain (Lost in Ukraine), a new TG4 documentary presented by investigative journalist Kevin Magee. Mr Cafferkey was previously believed to have been recovered from the battlefield and awaiting positive identification. Following an investigation made as part of the documentary, Mr Cafferkey has been deemed missing-in-action. The documentary also hears from Mr Cafferkeys parents Tom and Celine, sisters Meadhbh and Orla, brother Colm and other Ukrainian soldiers fighting on the frontline. Mr Magee travels to Ukraine to learn more about Mr Cafferkeys death and the disappearance of his body, while the programme also uncovers his decision to join the fight in Ukraine and the impact his death has had on his family. In the western Ukrainian city of Lviv, he speaks to a former volunteer soldier who trained with the Co Mayo native and was set to take part in the Bakhmut mission in which he was killed. Andrii, a Ukrainian soldier injured on the frontline in the region where Mr Cafferkey was killed, told the programme its almost impossible to recover bodies from the battlefield. Its almost impossible to do that, and we even had cases where we had a so-called agreement between Russian troops and our allocation team was entering to pick up the bodies, and they were immediately shot, he said Only in some rare cases where the commanders of units from both sides have an agreement is it possible to recover bodies but in general its very, very, very difficult. The 39-year-old, who did not give his surname for security reasons, said operating in Bakhmut is always quite difficult as Russian forces in the region heavily outnumber and outgun the Ukrainian military. "When you fight there its non-stop strikes and shelling, he said. Also speaking on the programme, Ukrainian ambassador to Ireland Larysa Gerasko denied the previous reports that his body had been recovered and was awaiting identification in a morgue. I have some information from our Minister of Defence. His body hasn't been identified yet, and hes missing in action. Unfortunately I don't have any more information except that, she said. We are on to our authorities to find his body and to identify him but that is without success unfortunately. It's our duty to find not only the bodies of foreigners, but Ukrainians as well, but it's very difficult in such a brutal war. Caillte san Ucrain airs on TG4 and TG4.ie from 9.30pm on Wednesday, February 28. Media Minister facing calls to resign over her handling of latest controversy Media Minister Catherine Martin has propelled herself into the heart of the RTE pay scandal after launching an unprecedented war of words with the public broadcasters board. The long-running controversy has for the first time landed at the Governments door and Ms Martin is now facing into a week of questions after claims she effectively sacked RTE board chair Siun Ni Raghallaigh live on the television. Ms Martin is already facing calls from the Labour Party for her resignation and demands from Sinn Fein to come before the Dail and answer questions on the decision to undermine Ms Ni Raghallaigh before they met to discuss her concerns. Several government sources have also said the events of recent weeks have damaged the ministers campaign to fund RTE straight from the Exchequer. Ms Martin is due to appear before the Oireachtas Media Committee, where she will also be questioned over the bombshell appearance on RTE Ones Prime Time, during which she refused to express confidence in the boards chair and said she was very disappointed about information she received from Ms Ni Raghallaigh. The RTE board has also sought an urgent meeting with the minister after Ms Ni Raghallaighs resignation. Despite Ms Martin bringing the Government into the RTE scandal for the first time, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Tanaiste Micheal Martin are continuing to support the Green Party deputy leader. Senior Fine Gael sources said Ms Martin may be facing a possible motion of no confidence from the opposition but insisted she will win it. Senior Fianna Fail sources said the Tanaistes priority is to bring stability to RTE and address a future funding model. Following a day of high political drama, Ms Martin publicly addressed her decision to air out her grievances with Ms Ni Raghallaigh at a press conference in Government Buildings. She said the chair had on two occasions in the last week failed to fully inform her about the role the board played in signing off on an exit payment for former RTE chief financial officer Richard Collins. Ms Martin also said Ms Ni Raghallaigh did not give her a full account of the resignation and exit pay received by former RTE director of strategy Rory Coveney, who is the brother of Enterprise Minister Simon Coveney. The ministers intervention followed a late-night resignation announcement by Ms Ni Raghallaigh, who issued a statement just before 1am yesterday. In her statement, she said that she neglected to recollect that Mr Collinss exit package did go before the boards remuneration committee. However, she pointed out that she had informed the Department of Media about the process resulting in Mr Collinss departure on October 10, which was the day after it had been brought before the committee. This was not an intentional misrepresentation, and I subsequently contacted the department to clarify the details and remind them that I had previously appraised them of the matter in October, she said. Ms Ni Raghallaigh said it was abundantly clear the minister does not have confidence in her and said her decision to resign was unavoidable. RTE director general Kevin Bakhurst weighed in behind the ousted chair and insisted all proper procedures were followed when agreeing a pay-off for Mr Collins. Speaking about a three-hour meeting with Ms Martin earlier this week, the director general said: A large volume of issues were addressed and discussed, and within that context some confusion arose regarding a question from the minister to the chair about the approval by the RTE board of the exit of former CFO Richard Collins. The chair had in fact informed the department about the process which led to Richard Collinss departure from RTE on October 10, the day after it was approved at the remuneration committee which has delegated powers from the board. This detail was taken as read although it seems now that it shouldnt have been. He added that after checking the minutes of the remuneration committee of the RTE board, Ms Ni Raghallaigh moved swiftly to correct this detail with department officials on Thursday, and remind them that the correct process had been followed, and that the chair had previously informed the department of same. Just before the minister held a press conference, the RTE board issued a statement supporting Ms Ni Raghallaighs claim that she informed the ministers department about the exit payment for Mr Collins in October. The board also published the minutes of the meeting, which detailed the chairs position that she would inform the department of the pay deal. Just as the ministers press conference ended, the independent members of RTEs board issued a statement to express their great disappointment and regret Ms Ni Raghallaigh was placed in a position whereby she felt that she had no option but to resign. The board also said the independence of RTE is a priority and is imperative of public-service broadcasting. The board said all members wanted a meeting with the minister at the earliest opportunity. Ms Martin said her former secretary general Katherine Licken could not remember being told by Ms Ni Raghallaigh that the RTE boards remuneration committee signed off on Mr Collinss exit package. The minister said this would have been big news as it would have been the first time the board signed off on an exit package. Ms Martin said that Ms Ni Raghallaigh contacted her earlier this week to say that she had provided the minister with inaccurate information. I had asked the chair at two meetings on Monday and Wednesday if she or the board had played any role in approving either of two recent severance packages to senior RTE executives, she said. Ms Ni Raghallaigh said that neither she nor the board had played any role in approving it. On Thursday, Ms Ni Raghallaigh contacted the department and said that what she had told me on Monday and Wednesday was inaccurate. Ms Martin has said that in order for her to manage the crisis that has evolved at RTE, she relies on accurate information. I must have accurate information, I did not have accurate information, she told reporters. Labour Party senator Marie Sherlock called for Ms Martin to resign over her handling of the controversy and specifically noted that when the scandal first broke, the minister failed to call for people to unequivocally pay their TV licences. There has been a significant boycott of the licence fee since the RTE pay controversy first emerged. Sinn Fein chief whip Padraig Mac Lochlainn said he had written to the Oireachtas Business Committee seeking time for the minister to come before the Dail and answer questions. The ministers spokesperson said she had committed to doing three hours of questions in front of the Media Committee and added that there may be an opportunity to do statements in the Dail. There were dozens of CCTV cameras, but no clue where she is disappearance of Jean Tighe four years ago was plagued by confusion from the start A GRANDFATHER arrested for using a drone to deliver heroin into a Dublin prison had more than 180,000 in suspected crime proceeds at his home, a court has heard. Karl Widdess, 44, appeared before Judge Treasa Kelly at Dublin District Court on Saturday, charged with a money laundering offence on February 23, unlawful possession of heroin and having drugs worth 1,400 in the vicinity of a prison on February 12. The Irish Defence Forces have provided specialist mechanical mine-clearance equipment and training as part of Irelands commitment to provide non-lethal military aid to the Ukrainian armed forces (UAF). Two Irish military remote-controlled mine flail units DOK-ING MV4s are expected to arrive in Ukraine today, the second anniversary of Russias full-scale invasion. Ukraine desperately needs explosives clearance technology and know-how as the war-ravaged country is now the most heavily-mined region of the world. The Ukrainian government directly requested assistance from the Irish Army Corps of Engineers, which is considered to be a world leader in explosives and ordnance disposal. Defence Forces bomb-disposal experts were previously deployed to train other armies, including the US army, in how to find and disarm improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and other munitions. For the past two weeks a team of four army engineers have been training 16 Ukrainian military counterparts in how to operate and maintain the two-tracked units at a military base in Poland. Irish engineers also ran two mine- and bomb-clearance courses for the UAF personnel in Cyprus last year. Highly-effective mine flails were previously deployed with Irish UN peacekeeping troops serving in Syria for the past decade. The Croatian-made remote control mine-clearing units resemble a small bulldozer with metal flails that clear a path in front of the machine. Before being shipped to the war zone, the machines were extensively upgraded with new cameras and control systems by Reamda Ltd, an Irish robotics company in Tralee. The director of the Corps of Engineers said members of the Defence Forces were proud to be involved in providing such vital humanitarian assistance. For the past fortnight, a team of Defence Forces engineers have been training 16 Ukrainian military personnel, who are also army engineers, in the use of the mine flails, which have now been moved into the warzone for immediate use, Colonel Damian McEvoy told the Irish Independent. This is part of Irelands contribution to Ukraine by providing non-lethal equipment and training, which is basically humanitarian assistance and is done so via the EU Military Assistance Mission (EUMAM). Col McEvoy said this was the third bomb-clearance training course provided by Irish engineers for the UAF last year, two demining and clearance courses took place at a military base in Cyprus. The units we have donated is really super equipment that has been very effective in mine-clearance support to our units operating in Syria for the past 10 years, he added. The training included operating and maintaining the equipment, and it follows a direct request to the Irish Government for assistance with mine clearance in Ukraine in what is one of the most heavily-mined regions in the world. The combat zone in Ukraine is about 174,000 square kilometres, an area the size of Cambodia, so there is a desperate need for clearance equipment and training. The two flails will be used, for example, to clear paths to allow utility companies safe access to bomb-damaged power and water plants in order to repair and get them running again, which is a vital humanitarian task. A training team of four engineers was based in Swietoszow, in Poland, for the past fortnight before the Ukrainians took possession of the flails this week and moved them across the Polish border. Each member of the training team has extensive overseas service and is engineer special search and clearance-qualified. The fifth member of the Defence Forces team, who acted as translator on the course, is a serving Irish soldier whose family emigrated to Ireland from Ukraine several years ago. I suppose it was a very emotional experience for the soldier to be helping to train his former countrymen, Col McEvoy said. He added that the flail units will make a major contribution to the Ukrainian explosive clearance capabilities. In Syria, the DOK-ING MV4s proved to be hugely beneficial in route clearance operations to vacated UN positions that were being reoccupied, he said. This equipment will certainly save lives and help the Ukrainian authorities to keep vital services running. The UAF personnel were very enthusiastic and very appreciative to receive the equipment and we, as fellow soldiers, are proud to be providing such important humanitarian assistance. To date, Ireland has contributed 4m worth or equipment and training as part of the EUMAM. Since the start of the war, Defence Forces personnel have provided non-lethal training courses to 283 Ukrainian troops in the areas of demining and clearance, tactical combat casualty care/combat life saver and drill instructor training. Belfast rap trio Kneecap appeared on the Late Late Show on Friday night and used their voice to draw attention to the death and destruction in Gaza, with DJ Provai donning a Palestine jersey while being interviewed by Patrick Kielty. This comes after RTE asked musicians not to wear pro-Palestinian clothing last week during a performance on the flagship talk show. The Irish Women in Harmony group performed a tribute to Sinead OConnor on last Friday nights Late Late Show and before they went on stage, a group member was asked to change out of a t-shirt which featured the word Gaza and a love heart, while others were asked to remove badges expressing support for Palestinians. This, though, did not stop DJ Provai taking off a jacket to reveal a Palestinian jersey mid-interview before the group urged Irish people to attend marches in solidarity with the people of Palestine in the hope that one day they will be free. Kneecap perform to a packed crowed at Electric Picnic After the news broke last week that RTE asked performers to change t-shirts and remove badges, a spokesperson explained: All RTE content follows clear guidelines in regard to impartiality. RTE aims to facilitate open debate on issues of public interest and concern. As such we ask that participants do not wear badges, symbols or emblems related to one particular point of view in the absence of a forum for a representation of all views. Mr Kielty addressed it saying what is happening in the Middle East is horrific but not everyone would agree with their stance. However, the band said they will continue to use their platform to highlight a war in which Israel has killed close to 30,000 Gazans using American weapons. Kneecap performed their latest hit Better Way To Live before joining Patrick for an interview. The group also spoke about their Biopic titled Kneecap, which won an Audience award at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival this year, before its general release in cinemas in Ireland this August. The group also revealed they will be playing Electric Picnic this year. A man (42) has been arrested as part of a garda operation targeting the use of drones to smuggle drugs into a Dublin prison. Yesterday, officers from the Garda Drugs Unit in Ronanstown raided a home in the west Dublin area in an operation targeting the supply of controlled substances into prisons. During the search, more than 180,000 in cash in various denominations was seized along with a designer watch valued at 10,000 and several mobile phones. A garda spokesman said a man was arrested at the scene and is currently being held at a Dublin station. A 42-year-old male was arrested and is currently detained under section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984, at a garda station in the Dublin region, said gardai. This operation follows a previous seizure involving a drone and a quantity of diamorphine intended for delivery into a west Dublin prison on 12th February 2024. A spokesman for the Irish prison Service (IPS) said they have been working with gardai to tackle the contraband trade in the jail. "The Irish Prison Service would like to thank Gardai for their continued efforts and collaboration with us to keep drugs out of prison. "The arrest and seizure yesterday shows we are intent on tackling those who wish to do harm by bringing drugs into our prisons. The Irish Prison Service is committed to preventing the access of contraband including drugs into prisons and continues to be a high priority for the Irish Prison Service. "The Irish Prison Service has committed to continuing to invest in new technologies and measures to support our efforts to keep contraband out of prisons. Prison staff have increased the use of random and intelligence led cell searches on a daily basis. "Our Canine Unit carry out searches around the prisons, including a greater focus on searching deliveries into prisons. "The Irish Prison Service continues to engage with An Garda Siochana with regard to preventing contraband entering our prison and this happens at both local and national level. "The Operational Support Group work closely with their colleagues in An Garda Siochana on a regular basis and the sharing of intelligence has led to target searches resulting in the seizure of contraband. There is a free confidential telephone line (1800 855 717) and text line (086 180 2449) which is operational. "Prisoners, visitors, staff or members of the public with information on the trafficking of prohibited items into our prisons can pass on that information in the strictest confidence. Drones are increasingly being used to deliver drugs to Irish prisons. Criminals use the drones to drop contraband items into the nets above jail yards which are then collected by inmates who are informed in advance of the plan. The Irish Prison Service have recently invested in anti-drone technology to disrupt the use of the remote control devices. However, it is believed that criminals have adapted their methods and are using more up to date drones. It is estimated organised crime gangs threw more than one million euros worth of drugs over the walls of Wheatfield Prison last year. Drugs such as cannabis, heroin and cocaine are worth four times as much behind bars than on the street making the west Dublin lock-up is prime target for drug dealers. More than three kilos of cannabis have been seized there so far this year, along with significant quantities of heroin and cocaine and several thousand tablets, according to sources. The combined value of the drugs on the prison landings would make it worth close to 500,000 to the gangs, it was added. In 2019, the Irish Prison Officers Association claimed fifty packages of drugs and other contraband were thrown or delivered by drone to Wheatfield Prison in one week in March. Woman (33) who was told she had lost baby suffered cardiac arrest Recent reports surrounding University Hospital Limerick have led some Limerick residents to seek medical help in other counties The sudden death of a young woman at University Hospital Limerick (UHL) last weekend has sparked another inquiry. Concerns about patient safety at the hospital have heightened following the sudden death of a female patient last Sunday. The latest tragedy relates to a 33-year-old woman pregnant with her first child. Her death has left her husband, family and friends devastated. It has also caused further alarm and shock among medical staff and management at UHL. It is understood the woman was admitted to University Maternity Hospital Limerick on Thursday, February 15, complaining of feeling unwell. Last Saturday, she was transferred to University Hospital Limerick and underwent an angiogram and several other tests, including blood tests, to check for infection or possible sepsis. It is understood the angiogram did not show anything of concern. Later on Saturday, the woman and her husband were informed they had lost their baby. The next day, the womans condition deteriorated rapidly and she suffered a cardiac arrest. A spokesperson for University Limerick Hospital Group extended condolences to the womans grief stricken family, saying: We would like to extend our deepest sympathies to the family and loved ones of the patient concerned. We are currently reviewing the circumstances surrounding the death of the patient in line with the HSE Incident Management Framework. This is normal HSE practice where a sudden death occurs in our care. This review will inform any future actions. Our staff continue to be available to support the family through this difficult process. It is understood the review of the womans death will look at all the circumstances of her treatment in both the maternity hospital and UHL. All test results and vital sign monitoring scores will be reviewed again and a report, including her post-mortem examination result, will be completed. In April 2013 following the death of Savita Halappanavar, all maternity services nationally introduced a system known as the Irish Maternity Early Warning System (IMEWS). Brought in to assist in the early identification of critical illness in women, it consolidates the recording of a patients vital signs on a dedicated chart in her obstetric records. The chart ensures omissions are more obvious and trends showing clinical deterioration can be identified sooner rather than later. University Hospital Limerick has suffered endemic overcrowding for many years. The latest tragedy is among a number of deaths that have led to reviews there. Recently, concerns among the public over patient safety due to overcrowding have resulted in people avoiding the emergency department in UHL and attending in Cork, Galway or Dublin instead. As part of the HSE Incident Management Framework, all major incidents are initially put through a preliminary assessment that will then help in classifying their seriousness. When a patient suffers harm it is regarded as a Category 1 incident and will be subject to a review. In the case of Aoife Johnston, a 16-year-old from Shannon, Co Clare, a review into her death at UHL has led to an independent investigation led by former Chief Justice Frank Clarke. Aoife died from sepsis complications following bacterial meningitis after waiting 12 hours in a severely overcrowded emergency department on December 19, 2022. A HSE internal review found overcrowding in UHL was endemic. On February 7, a record 150 patients who were deemed ill enough to be admitted were left on trolleys or chairs without a hospital bed at UHL. Health Minister Stephen Donnelly has repeatedly defended the Governments handling of the overcrowding crisis there. On January 31, he told the Select Health Committee: It is worth saying the hospital is making very considerable progress on its waiting lists and has been for some time. In the lifetime of this Government, there has been an increase in the hospitals workforce, believe it or not, of more than 1,100 staff, which is very substantial. It has gone from approximately 2,800 staff to 3,900 staff. That is a 40pc increase in the hospitals workforce in the lifetime of this Government. That gives a sense of how much we have invested in that hospital. Last summer, following the publication of a Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa) inspectors report, a HSE Expert Team were deployed in the hospital in a bid to tackle overcrowding. On the day of the unannounced inspection, Hiqa found 60 patients had been waiting an especially long time, including one patient who had waited 116 hours, a second more than 85 hours and a third 71 hours. Hiqa also found that one patient had waited 45 hours for an angiogram. BAKU, Azerbaijan, February 24. France's General Directorate of Internal Security is concerned about potential provocations from farmers during President Emmanuel Macron's visit to an international agricultural fair, Trend reports via BFMTV. "The president risks being booed," the statement from the intelligence service says. Analysts also anticipate that there will be a lot of activity once the head of state arrives at the event. Farmers' union representatives, particularly those from the Coordination Rurale union, intend to protest politicians who arrive at the agricultural fair (till March 3). The Directorate General of Internal Security also anticipates a threat from non-unionized farmers who may take the initiative to disrupt the display. According to the television station, all attendees at the international agricultural fair would be thoroughly inspected. Organizers are concerned about farmers' sudden acts and plan to boost the number of salon guards by 3040 percent over prior years. The event will be opened by French President Emmanuel Macron, who intends to hold discussions with farmers regarding demands for measures to protect them from unfair competition from foreign producers. The exhibition will be held from February 24 to March 3. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel Ksenia Samotiy (21) from Lviv on why February is the darktime for her fellow citizens February is never the best month. Christmas is far behind us, spring is not quite here and the weather forecast in Dublin might as well just say: Windy. All the time. For Ukrainians, regardless of where we are and how windy it is, our mood is dragged down further by several unpleasant anniversaries in the second half of the month. The most obvious one is tomorrow, February 24: two years since Russia began its full-scale invasion of our country. Then theres the 10-year anniversary of when peaceful protesters were shot during the Revolution of Dignity, also known as the Euromaidan protests. And theres a third: although people in the West often think the war began two years ago, it has been going on for a decade. It started almost immediately after Viktor Yanukovych ran away, with Russia exploiting the resulting power vacuum to launch its operation to annex Crimea. By now, even Putin has admitted what we all knew at the time this was not a spontaneous movement, it was orchestrated by Russian military and intelligence forces. This was just the beginning of ten years of constant aggression against Ukraine for daring to be independent. These are all very recent events, so they are not simply historical dates that we note on a calendar. Rather, they are a vivid reminder of just how many men and women have given up their lives for an independent Ukraine. Ever more of us have relatives or friends who have been directly affected. Theres nothing like an anniversary to make you reflect on how things have changed in the intervening years. Sometimes, that can give you a sense of progress, or hope, or at least nostalgia. But this year, Ukrainians are not feeling very cheerful at all, and the onslaught of depressing anniversaries is only deepening the gloom. In 2022, it was easy to feel that history was on our side. International support was overwhelming. The Russians were turned back from the gates of Kyiv, then pushed away from Kharkiv and out of Kherson. There were big hopes for further progress in 2023. Although Ukraine still receives a lot of support, it feels like it is ebbing away, especially with US party politics blocking a bill that should provide vast quantities of desperately needed military support Those hopes werent realised. The counter-offensive over-promised and under-delivered. Tensions are more visible in Ukrainian politics and President Volodymyr Zelensky recently replaced his commander-in-chief. In the last few days, Ukraine lost another town, Avdiivka, which it had defended against Russia since 2014. The town itself was long ago reduced largely to rubble, but the forced retreat still cuts deeply. The international environment is looking considerably bleaker. Although Ukraine still receives a lot of support, it feels like it is ebbing away, especially with US party politics blocking a bill that should provide vast quantities of desperately needed military support. As a result, ammunition supplies are dwindling and troops on the front line feel increasingly abandoned, as they are less able to counteract Russias constant onslaughts of artillery, drones and men. Meanwhile, Polish farmers have restarted protests against the export of Ukrainian grain, which is causing huge disruption not only to the economy, but also to humanitarian and other support into Ukraine. Even the international response to the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny leaves us cold: he was undoubtedly brave, but he had a background in Russian far-right nationalism and was far from a saint. And for all the talk of his martyrdom, we see no signs of it leading to any change in Russia, let alone bringing the end of the war closer. Perhaps the only positive thing that the last 10 years has taught us is that however gloomy things look, its not the end. Every day, Ukrainians fight on, wherever they are. Those who still live anywhere in Ukraine shrug off endless air-raid alerts and regular bombings of their cities, going about their days as normally as they can. Those outside Ukraine work their hardest to integrate into new and unfamiliar communities. Ukrainians around the world continue to donate vast sums both to the army and to local organisations providing all sorts of support. I talk to my dad in Ukraine most evenings. I can tell by his voice that things arent great, but he still tells me every good piece of news he has heard each day, somehow trying to form them into an optimistic shape. And this is it, the core of being a Ukrainian in rough times. Keeping going, staying resilient, no matter how tough it is and how dim the light seems right now. A car drives over a pothole, which seem to be rife on country roads. Photo: Getty Everywhere I go in the greater Dublin area, there are teams of men digging up roads or laying new stretches to improve them. Some of the roads around Dublin especially the likes of the N11 to the south-east are in great fettle. The surfaces are excellent. Sadly, I cant say the same about some Ive encountered in the midlands over the past few weeks. One in particular near the Offaly-Westmeath border sparked reminders of the great pothole era of the early 1980s when councils were famously accused of tricking around with kettles of tar such was the cash-starved nature of their response. Weve come a long way since, I hope. I know traffic on some of the smaller byroads probably is so light (relatively speaking) that it is hard to prioritise them when roads taking larger volumes have to get their share of maintenance out of necessity. But people living in relatively remote areas do need their roads in reasonable shape, not just for driving considerations, but also for safety concerns and car wear-and-tear. Im probably being over parochial here, but one short stretch I drove through after a wet morning between Clara in Co Offaly and Horseleap on the Westmeath border seemed to be comprised of more holes than actual surface. It is only a short stretch, but is relatively busy, so how people put up with it is beyond me. I wonder why bits like that are left to go to pot (pardon the pun) for so long given that they are so short. I know budgets are always under pressure and I know there are deserving cases elsewhere. But it would be a pity, at a time when we are spending so much on the long tracts, that we would forget the small stretches of rural road upon which so many, collectively, depend. On February 24, 2022, exactly two years ago, Chernobyl re-entered centre stage for all the wrong reasons. News of the Russian invasion of Ukraine came spilling menacingly into our lives, telling us troop movement en route to Kyiv came via the worlds most toxic environment the dreaded "Chernobyl Exclusion Zone re-releasing deeply buried toxic radioactive elements into the environment. Two years of murderous mayhem later, Ukraine still stands tall. The military might of Russia may have challenged Ukrainians courage, but this cruellest of wars has not broken it. Just as the illegal invasion has diminished Vladimir Putin, the heroism of Ukraine in defence of freedoms we dare no longer take for granted has won the worlds admiration. The heartbreaking attrition of loss and tragedy is now subsumed in daily lives. The BBC quotes Dima, a 16-year-old who lost his parents and grandparents in a missile attack on his village of Hroza in north-east Ukraine. Now I am responsible for our house, he said. He feels most sorry for his youngest sister. Before this happened, she didnt like it when I hugged her. Now she wants to hug me all the time, he added. Under the leadership of Volodymyr Zelensky, with the tireless efforts of his military and the unending courage of ordinary citizens, Ukraine has defied all the pessimistic predictions of defeat. The lightning victory Putin promised when he beguiled his soldiers into fighting their neighbour is now a mocking memory. Ukraine has stood firm, and the very least that superhuman resilience demands is that the rest of the world doubles down on its commitment that Ukraines fight is all our fight. What they are fighting for is the integrity of borders, self-determination and an international rules-based order. Now is no time for fatalism. Russias war has brought death and destruction to Ukraine, but the Russian military has suffered enormous and undeclared losses too. For all Putins myth of invincibility, let us not forget the ease with which Wagner mercenaries advanced on Moscow, nor that the autocrat lives with an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court over his head for war crimes. True, the conflict is now in deadlock. The disgraceful holding up of vital military aid by the US Congress has exacerbated the situation. But what Kyiv has achieved with only a quarter of Russias population is already remarkable. It has received international assistance totalling at least $100bn (92bn) a year since the war began, but Congress is playing into Putins hands by delaying help. He is banking on a fractured and wearying West wilting when the going gets expensive. A victory for Russia would encourage Putin to come after Nato. He has rewritten the history of Russia to make it his story. In this self-serving narrative, Ukraine has no right to exist and is to be wiped off the face of the Earth. So today we salute the sacrifice and spirit of Ukraine and sympathise with those driven from their homes who are taking sanctuary here. The war has challenged European notions of security, forcing a revision of needs and threats. It reminds us we are stronger together. Putin will not stop, but as the people of Ukraine demonstrate, as with all bullies, if stood up to, he need not prevail. Constitutional amendment may reduce the value of getting married. Stock photo: Getty After careful consideration of the proposed amendments to the Constitution, I have concluded that a No vote is the safest option in both cases. In the case of the family amendment, it is impossible not to conclude that the proposal gives the same constitutional status to other durable relationships as marriage. This begs the question: why should anyone get married if they already have what they consider to be a dur-able relationship? I recognise the worthy intention of the proposed change to give explicit constitutional recognition to families not based directly on marriage. However, I think this objective could have been achieved without taking from the unique status of marriage. The public and legal commitment to its durability is what makes marr-iage different from other durable relationships. In the case of the care amendment, the worthy intention appears to be to remove outdated gender-based language from Articles 41.2.1 and 41.2.2. This would be done by removing all mentions of woman and mothers in terms of references to their role in parenting and family care. General terminology would be used, stating that care-giving in the home is provided by members of a family to one another by reason of the bonds that exist among them. The gender element could have been dealt with better by adding the same references to man and fathers that is currently added to woman and mothers. That way, it would also have retained the implicit reference to parenting. The proposed change in this amendment also appears to weaken the commitment of the State to support care in the family. Instead of a requirement on the State to endeavour to ensure, we get a promise that the State will strive to support care. While the intention behind the proposed changes may have been good, the wording we are being asked to endorse is seriously flawed. That is why I will be voting No-No. John Glennon, Address with editor Problematic and unclear wording is the sword Yes campaign may perish on I have listened to the many debates and read many articles for and against the Governments proposal to amend the Constitution in the upcoming referendum. The key sticking point for me relates to the States proposal to include the wording other durable relationships in Article 41.3.1, while deleting on which the family is founded. This amendment is rather opaque and does not define what other durable relationships means. Why not insert cohabiting relationships instead of durable relationships? The Government is asking us to vote on a change to the Constitution that may render a family founded on marriage no longer sacrosanct. At the same time, the courts will be left to define what other durable relationships actually means. There is ample precedent in courts of cohabiting couples receiving the same rights as married couples, so why change whats not broken? With regard to the proposed changes in Article 42B, this looks like a ham-fisted approach by the Government to take away legal rights from carers and persons with disabilities. The proposed insertion says the State will strive to support care in the family. This wording is far from a commitment and gives the Government a way not to show support. It should fail on the wording alone. The proposal to strike out Article 41.2, which effectively says women working in the home are central to the good functioning of the State and society, is problematic. This would devalue womens contribution to family and the home. While all for equal rights, we dont need badly-worded and opaque amendments to the Constitution to prove it. Christy Galligan, Letterkenny, Co Donegal Ironic that proposed use of durable in Constitution doesnt hold up to scrutiny I struggle to understand how the word durable, in the context of a durable relationship, will be interpreted if placed in the Constitution. It is worth noting that when we faced the abortion referendum, it was impossible to define foetus. Maeve Burke, Loughrea, Co Galway NGOs backing of Yes vote deeply worrying and calls democracy into question Does Ellen Coyne not realise most of us are fully aware that Roderic OGorman instructed non-government organisations (NGOs) to promote a Yes vote in the upcoming referendum (What were lacking in resources, we make up for in passion, say No-vote campaigners, Irish Independent, February 22)? As NGOs are all funded by the Government and paid for out of our taxes, it makes one wonder about the meaning of democracy in this country. It also makes their promotion of a Yes vote utterly meaningless. Mary Darby, Greystones, Co Wicklow Donald Trump is probably not fit to walk the walk in his very own golden shoes When self-proclaimed business leader Donald Trump produced his latest creation the golden shoes they sold out almost immediately. However, a limited supply marketed to cultish supporters is Economics 101, marked under the heading Supply and demand. Well, perhaps this is not the case at the now-defunct Trump University. It was interesting to see what else he was licensing. Google supplied many examples. There are Trump urine-test kits, which made us think he was taking the piss out of buyers. Trump steaks were also on offer, but they were probably full of fat. Then we came to the Trump aftershave, which is useless to someone like me with a beard and real hair. The last one was the Donald Trump playing cards. No aces in the deck and too many jokers. The real worry is that he is trying to sell one more dangerous product himself. There wont be a refund for faulty service or no service at all. Dennis Fitzgerald, Melbourne, Australia Too much pressure placed on Israel when Hamas should release all hostages The easiest way to achieve an Israeli ceasefire is two-pronged: Hamas should release all hostages and Hamas should withdraw from Gaza. Why is everyone pressing Israel to cease and desist? It was Hamas that attacked Israel on October 7, 2023 and murdered 1,200 people as well as kidnapping over 200 . It is time the world put pressure on the Arab countries who sponsor Hamas to free all hostages. Anthony Costello, Co Galway A child wounded in the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip is brought to hospital in Deir al Balah. Photo: AP The Six-Day War in June 1967, when Israels tanks drove across the Sinai desert, taking Egypts tanks in their sand bunkers in the first defence line by surprise and defeating the second and third defence lines, was described at the time by military historians as brilliant and audacious. It was one of the biggest tank battles since World War II a war fought between armies. Israels current war in Gaza to eliminate Hamas has been disastrous for the civilian population. In the appalling attack on Israel on October 7, Hamas killed 1,139 people, including 36 children, and took 253 hostages. Israel wants justice for the October 7 attack and the return of all hostages (some were released). However, the invasion of Gaza has resulted in the deaths of over 29,000 civilians, many of them women and children; 60,000 civilians wounded; and over 10,000 children orphaned; and 7,000 people missing under the rubble of destroyed buildings. Between 5,000 and 8,000 Hamas fighters have been killed. Israel ordered the northern population to go to southern Gaza to make way for the ground offensive, but civilian deaths were inevitable. Half of Gazas infrastructure has been destroyed or damaged and 390,000 jobs lost. Most major roads have been damaged. The situation has been described as devastation for the 2.4 million population. One person said Gaza is finished he had never before seen such destruction. I believe there are no winners in this as more hardened hearts and hatred will continue into another generation. It is doubtful the current leadership in Israel want a two-state solution. The West Bank is also under pressure. More than 450,000 Israeli settlers have illegally taken lands, which has been condemned repeatedly for years by the UN. Billions of dollars are needed to rebuild Gaza. Hopefully, wealthy Arab countries will give generously. Jordan has 2.3 million Palestinian exiles from over the decades since 1948 and refugees from the more recent war in Syria. Egypt has economic pressures too. We must hope the war will end soon, for the return of hostages to Israel and for more aid to freely enter Gaza. Mary Sullivan, College Road, Cork Ireland must be seen to be taking defence stance and national security seriously As the wider continent of Europe grapples with the shifting sands, Ireland can expect closer scrutiny of its security and defence posture, especially in terms of whether we present a vulnerable point of entry for clandestine actors that might threaten regional security. Recent rumblings of Ireland being a freeloader in geographical security and defence is a case in point. As a nation that aspires to continue to punch above its weight internationally, it is important not to disregard situations that might present awkward questions pertaining to our posture on security. It is also important to read the room in the context of articulating and justifying our policy and ideas on these issues. In these circumstances, the recent attendance of both the Taoiseach and the Tanaiste at this years Munich Security Conference is relevant and timely and instructive for all citizens. Michael Gannon, Saint Thomas Square, Kilkenny HSE might benefit from same saturation media coverage RTE receives I agree with James Doran on being blinded by the relatively trivial matter of RTE payouts (Letters, February 22) rather than focusing on the lack of impartial voices to inform and encourage debate on issues of national importance. Such saturation coverage was over the top, while the shortcomings of RTE, especially regarding impartiality, have been ignored for far too long. It would be good to see such extensive coverage focus on the HSEs disgraceful lack of service and the dreadful consequences for so many. As Mr Doran pointed out, impartiality is a vital requisite for a robust and healthy democracy, which is sadly lacking here and will be further compounded by the proposed hate bill. Mary Stewart, Donegal town Lets all hope more brave Russians like Navalny will stand up to ruthless Putin Your editorial of February 22, Global outrage at Navalny death wont be swept under rug, is heartfelt and appropriate. We in the civilised world recognise Alexei Navalnys courage. Thank you for not shying away from calling out his murder. However, I am not sure it is a shock that he was killed, given Mr Navalnys own concerns, the previous attempt on his life, his incarceration in a remote Arctic prison and the propensity of the Kremlin to kill at will any threat to Putin remaining in power. Putin has killed thousands of innocent Ukrainian people and a long list of Russians who have run afoul of him over the years. Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Wagner leader and so-called close friend, was dispensed with last August for undermining Putins authority within the Russian armed forces. That weakness, which Prigozhin exposed, will remain a stench around Putin until he is removed by the Russian people. Hopefully, more courageous people in Russia will stand up and say I am Navalny, because hope still lives and his dream will never die. Aidan Roddy, Cabinteely, Dublin 18 Our Constitution is not a plaything for politicians, religions and civil service The proposed changes to the Constitution leave much to be desired. John Glennon (Cheapening of marriage and limiting of States duty of care lead me to vote No, Letters, February 23) considers marriage to be the sole durable relationship for a loving couple. Marriage is, in fact, a civil ceremony, and in Ireland priests are permitted to act as marriage registers. The religious part of a marriage ceremony has no legal standing per se. My opinion is that when two people genuinely love each other, wedding vows are optional. Things can change in any marriage, hence no person has the right to enforce their beliefs on another. Annulment of a marriage and divorce have always been available in Ireland, usually to the wealthy. Deep love needs nothing on paper, but a legal marriage is important where ownership of property is involved. The article on family, yet again a 19th-century ideology, is still in play. What constitutes a family? It is a sole person living alone; a brother and sister living together; a parent and child living together; grandparents and grandchildren; people living in special accommodation. The list is endless and has multiple variations. What is required to bring these articles of the Constitution up to 21st-century standards is a document that recognises every Irish person as an equal citizen with equal rights. Marriage is an option between two people, irrespective of their sexuality, and this has already been accepted by the majority. A constitution is a living document that should be taken very seriously by every citizen. It is not the plaything of any political party, religious organisation or the civil service. Declan Foley, Melbourne, Australia Despite ambitious plans, there are very few signs of progress over in Sligo Congratulations on your editorial, Dublin being a growth magnet does not serve the national interest (Irish Independent, February 10). Over 20 years ago, the National Spatial Strategy was designed to identify areas of sufficient scale in order to set up a network of gateways and hubs aimed at driving development in the regions. The idea was that investment, development and much-needed jobs would be drawn to struggling rural areas. Sligo was one of the gateways chosen for further expansion. Two decades later, there is not much sign of progress. There is no rail connectivity between Sligo and Galway, the two biggest population centres in Connacht. The N17 connecting both is not fit for purpose, as a lorry and a bus cannot meet in the narrow sections of road and carry on their journeys without crawling past each other. There is an urgent need for a new garda station in Sligo as the present one is well past its sell-by date. The Atlantic Technological University project has been a wonderful addition to Sligo and the north-west, but much more is needed if Sligo is to become the successful gateway envisaged in the National Planning Framework. The dream of balanced regional development appears to be a distant one here in the north-west as progress moves at a snails pace. Tom Towey, Co Sligo Ambika Mod who plays Emma and Leo Woodall as Dexter in the new Netflix adaption of One Day. From the producers of Poor Things and Normal People, Element Pictures has announced a new Irish screenwriting festival which will take place next month. Therell be appearances from One Day author David Nicholls and screenwriter of Poor Things Tony McNamara at the Storyhouse event which will take place at the Light House cinema on March 21 and 22, 2024. Storyhouse is a new, ground-breaking annual festival which champions, cultivates and celebrates the art of storytelling for the screen. Speakers include Academy Award nominee Tony McNamara (Poor Things, The Favourite, The Great), Academy Award nominee and recent BAFTA winning screenwriter Arthur Harari (Anatomy of a Fall), Molly Manning Walker (How to Have Sex) and Charlotte Regan (Scrapper), as well as novelist and screenwriter David Nicholls (One Day, Patrick Melrose) and writer-director Ali Abbasi (Holy Spider, Border). I have long nurtured the idea of establishing an annual festival of screenwriting in Dublin - bringing the best writers and screen storytellers in the world to our city, Storyhouse founder and Element co-CEO, Ed Guiney said. Im delighted with our initial line-up of amazing talent, and I hope that the participants at Storyhouse will be inspired and emboldened by first-hand accounts of the joys and challenges of writing and making brilliant scripts. I also believe there is an incredible opportunity for Ireland - given its rich literary heritage - to become a world centre of excellence for screenwriting and I hope the festival will help inspire, empower and catalyse a new and diverse generation of Irish based writers to create, develop and produce their stories for a global audience. Screen Irelands Head of Skills and Professional Development, Colman Farrell added: Screen Ireland is committed to nurturing the talent and skills that are central to our ambition of sustained creative excellence in Irish storytelling on screen. This event will provide a unique opportunity for Irish creatives to gain insight into the working processes, experience, and expertise of some of the industrys most exciting award-winning screenwriters. The focus on emerging talent will help foster new connections and empower aspiring screenwriters to develop their storytelling craft. We look forward to seeing their progress and wish them every success. The event is a unique opportunity for new and established diverse writers and industry professionals to benefit from in-depth interviews, panels, and case studies from some of the best international creators of stories for the screen. In parallel with the main event Storyhouse is also issuing a call out to new and developing screenwriters, inviting them to apply to take part in Storyhouse lad, the first iteration of a unique interactive programme. The Lab will provide a small cohort of emerging writers with complimentary access to all Storyhouse events as well as focussed sessions with guests under the mentorship of BAFTA and IFTA winning TV and film screenwriter Malcom Campbel (What Richard Did, Bad Sisters). The participants in this group will be carefully selected to promote new, diverse, inclusive and gender balanced voices. The open call will start on Friday 23rd February and close on Friday 1st March. Successful applicants will be notified by Friday March 8th. The Lab will be free of charge for all participants. The importance of championing and nurturing screenwriters cannot be overstated, and this annual event will support established and next-generation writers alike. Ed and his team have assembled a stellar line-up of writers providing a snapshot of the incredible breadth of contemporary screenwriting, Fremantles Christian Vesper said. Tickets will go on sale on Monday, February 26 at 9am through Eventbrite and details can be found on the Storyhouse website. Full price tickets for public access are 50 for the two-day festival. Probationary Gardai, Garda Callum Hegarty and Garda Thomas Hayes who were patrolling the Temple Bar area last week. A tourist in Temple Bar who was not breathing was saved by three new members of An Garda Siochana last week. The young man who came from London had been found unconscious in Temple Bar. Probationary Gardai, Garda Callum Hegarty, Garda Thomas Hayes and Trainee Garda Joe Stubbings were flagged down by a member of the public while they were out on patrol. They called for urgent assistance from emergency services. Garda Hegarty and Garda Hayes both began CPR while Garda Stubbings went in search of a defibrillator. The three Gardai took turns to perform CPR and activated the defibrillator. Dublin Fire Brigade arrived and confirmed that the man, as feared, was in cardiac arrest. He was subsequently taken to St James Hospital where he was treated and continues to make a full recovery over the past week, said An Garda Siochana in a post on social media. When our three colleagues checked in with the person after he was out of danger and his condition improved, they learned that he was visiting Ireland on a city break having travelled in from the Greater London area. Without the help from kind passers-by and the life-saving intervention of our Garda colleagues, this could have been a very different story with a devastating outcome. All three are attached to Pearse St Garda Station - Garda Hegarty took up his first post in An Garda Siochana just six months ago. Garda Hayes only very recently passed out and has been stationed in Pearse St for the past two weeks, while Trainee Garda Stubbings joined his new colleagues in the station about six weeks ago. Dublin is a safe, vibrant and bustling city for residents and visitors, and we will continue to be here to help make sure of that by keeping you all safe, An Garda Siochana said. Peter OConnor will discuss the records of mining in Ireland since the Bronze Age and throughout the centuries including the discovery and extraction of everything from precious metals like gold and silver to essential materials such as sand and gravel which have played a central role in the economic and social development of the country. He will also explore gold, lead, zinc, copper, iron and coal which have been mined at different times and all have left their mark on lives and localities in the areas where they have been found. This talk will give a summary of this activity with special reference to Counties Wicklow and Wexford and events such as the Croghan Gold Rush of 1795. Peter OConnor is a geologist and a founder member of the North Wexford Historical Society. He is a former President of the Institute of Geologists of Ireland and has worked in geology in Ireland for over 40 years. This event will take place at 7p.m. in the Gorey Library. Wicklow TD Jennifer Whitmore joined parents of students from Greystones' 4th, 5th and 6th classes on a demonstration walk on Friday in response to the ongoing shortages of secondary school places and the urgent need to build the permanent building for Greystones Community College (GCC). The walk was organised by GCC's Parent Leadership group. "Secondary school place shortages have been an issue in Greystones for years, Deputy Whitmore commented. To meet this demand, the Department of Education promised a much-needed school build for Greystones Community College, and extensions for Templecarriag and Colaiste Chraobh Abhann in Kilcoole. Unfortunately, progress to date on these projects has been far too slow and is creating huge shortages in school places. "This issue came to a head last October, when I alerted the Department of a school place shortage of over 70 places in the area. Since then, my office has been hearing from families all over Greystones and Kilcoole whose children have yet to be offered a place in any school. Whilst this has been alleviated to some degree by the provision of two additional classrooms in GCC, there are still approximately 30 students without a place for this coming September. This is Wicklow Newsletter Enter your email address below and click 'Sign Up' to receive the This is Wicklow newsletter direct to your inbox. Please check your inbox to verify your details "I commend the GCC parent leadership team for organising this impactful event today. The delays in building GCC's permanent building have left the school community grappling with the pitfalls of temporary accommodation. "I am always so impressed with the dedication of the Parents Association, staff, students, and principal Ruairi Farrell in GCC. Most recently, they agreed to take on two extra classes to help alleviate the school place shortage and this intervention was incredibly welcome. However, this offer from GCC must be met with a commitment from the Department to urgently build their permanent school, so that it is in place for the 25/26 school year. Nothing less is acceptable. "The demand on school places is not going away. And it should not be up to parents to continually have to fight for a school seat fro their children. The Department's job is to forward plan for the provision of education. Clearly, this has not happened to date. "I will continue to work closely with parents and staff to ensure that those students without a place for September get one and that the building projects for Greystones are the top priority for the Department of Education," she concluded. BAKU, Azerbaijan, February 24. A positive atmosphere prevailed at a meeting of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban with his Swedish counterpart Ulf Kristersson held in Budapest just days before the Hungarian parliament's expected vote on Sweden's NATO bid on Monday, Trend reports. At a joint news conference after the meeting with Kristersson, Orban said, "Today's meeting was a very important milestone in a long process of rebuilding trust." He added that time is needed to rebuild the trust between the two countries, which has been damaged. "Being NATO allies means that we are willing to die for one another. It is built on mutual respect. Taking that process at the appropriate pace has been wise," Orban emphasized. Kristersson, for his part, said "We are both members of the EU and will soon be allies in NATO. Thanking Orban for the invitation to the meeting, he added, "We had a good conversation today on continued defense and security policy cooperation between our two countries." Kristersson remarked that their talks on Friday were constructive and that cooperation would continue in areas where the two countries already have mutual understandings and interests. Moreover, the Swedish prime minister announced that both countries have just signed a bilateral agreement to continue cooperation on the Swedish-made JAS 39 Gripen war jets, which Hungary leased in 2006. The two leaders agreed that the leasing of the 14 jets will be extended for another decade beginning in 2026, with Hungary purchasing four more from Sweden. Kristersson said the agreement would strengthen European security and benefit both countries. He also praised Hungary for its contribution to NATO's Air Policing operation in the Baltic Sea, near Sweden. On Tuesday, Hungary's ruling Fidesz party proposed holding a vote on Sweden's NATO membership bid next Monday. Sweden must obtain the approval of 31 NATO member states before it can join. Hungary remains the only NATO ally that has yet to approve Sweden's membership in the alliance after the Turkish parliament last month approved its application. Sweden and Finland applied for NATO membership in May 2022 following the start of Russia's war on Ukraine earlier that year. Irish Rail has announced further disruptions to DART services for Greystones and Bray over weekends in May and June due to engineering works between Grand Canal Dock and Greystones. Adding to previously announced works across the Easter bank holiday weekend, stations will also be closed on the May bank holiday weekend, and on further weekends in May and June. The works will be carried out over the following dates: Saturday, March 30 to Monday, April 1. Saturday, May 4 to Monday, May 6. Saturday, May 18. Saturday, June 8 to Sunday, June 9. This is Wicklow Newsletter Enter your email address below and click 'Sign Up' to receive the This is Wicklow newsletter direct to your inbox. Please check your inbox to verify your details DART services will operate between Howth/Malahide to Grand Canal Dock and between Grand Canal Dock to Howth/Malahide only on those dates. The news comes as Bray Chamber of Commerce has written to Irish Rail to express concerns over the cancellation of weekend Dart services in the area due to the ongoing engineering works. Last year, several bank holiday weekends offered no Dart service to Bray or Greystones and already this year no service was provided for the three days of the February bank holiday. The Bray Chamber of Commerce said it recognises the efforts made by Irish Rail to minimise disruptions, such as scheduling works during off-peak hours and avoiding major events like St Patricks Day. However, it stressed the need for continuous collaboration and communication to ensure that the interests of local businesses, during busy bank holidays and key tourist seasons, are duly considered. Chamber President Kieran Ward said: Tourism is a vital contributor to Bray's economy, and any hindrance to transportation services can have a direct impact on footfall. "The Chamber calls for open dialogue between Irish Rail and the local business community to discuss potential solutions and ensure that the town's economic interests are safeguarded during this period of infrastructural development. "We understand the challenges faced by Irish Rail in balancing necessary works with minimal disruption, and we believe that by working together, we can find collaborative solutions that benefit both the rail network and the local economy. "The Chamber looks forward to receiving more detailed information about the major works scheduled for 2024 and anticipates further updates on how the potential impacts on local businesses and tourism will be mitigated. In 2023, engineering works meant there was no Dart service beyond Dun Laoghaire across the Easter and May bank holiday weekends, with the May weekend hosting the international Bray Jazz Festival then, and again this year. Social Democrats Local Election candidate in Bray, Aaron McAllorum. Reacting to the latest news, Social Democrats Local Election candidate in Bray, Aaron McAllorum said: I appreciate vital infrastructural works need to be undertaken to maintain the integrity of the line however, throughout 2023 and again this year, Bray is being denied an essential public transport mode. Bray businesses will again suffer with the drop in footfall as well as people living in the town in the context of getting to and from Bray by rail and connecting to other public transport modes in Dublin. The Bray Jazz festival takes place over the May weekend, and it is really disappointing there will be no train service to cover that. Bray was left behind by Irish Rail for much of last year and its the same again this year. The large attendance at the Glendalough Hotel for the 2024 National Hill Sheep Conference. The Glendalough Hotel played host to the Teagasc National Hill Sheep Conference, which featured presentations on flock health, hill sheep breeding, biodiversity and the SUAS EIP Project. Operating on a combination of upland mountainous grazing and enclosed green ground, Patrick Dunne carries a 400 hill ewe flock in Wicklow, and he shared his experiences of dealing with the iceberg disease ovine pulmonary adenocarcinoma (OPA). A contagious virus, OPA causes tumours to form in the lungs of sheep. These tumours produce mucous, leading to reduced performance and death over time. No treatments or vaccinations are effective, so a culling strategy based on the identification of infected ewes is the avenue to limit its impacts within a flock. Declan Byrne of Teagasc gave a presentation on the SUAS Project, which is considered a blueprint for upland management, while a presentation by Dr. Philip Skuce, Moredun Institute, UK focused on the sustainable control of liver fluke in hill sheep. David Coen, Sheep Ireland, provided a presentation on Irish hill sheep breeding, and Nicola Warden, CAFRE discussed the journey to better biodiversity on hill farms. Wicklow RNLI have all sorts of events lined-up to mark the 200th anniversary of the charity responsible for saving lives at sea across the UK and Ireland. On March 4, 1824, over 30 gentlemen put their names to the fledgling RNLI at the inaugural public meeting held at the City of London Tavern at Bishopgate, with Sir William Hillary having organised the meeting. On March 4, the actual RNLI birthday, events are taking place at lifeboat stations across the length and breadth of Ireland and the UK, with Wicklow RNLI set to mark the occasion, while also putting in place arrangements for other activities to mark this milestone year. This is Wicklow Newsletter Enter your email address below and click 'Sign Up' to receive the This is Wicklow newsletter direct to your inbox. Please check your inbox to verify your details Wicklow RNLI PRO Tommy Dover said: We will be launching both lifeboats at 11am on March 4 and we have sent out invites to former members asking them if they could attend on the day. We are hosting our open day in the summer, probably around August, when both our lifeboats will be on display for the public to explore. We will be inviting other emergency services providers down to attend and hold demonstrations, including Gardai, the Garda Sub Aqua Unit, Civil Defence and the Coast Guard. "The lifeboat station will be open to the public and its a great opportunity to take a tour of this historic building, which dates back to 1887. We also have a huge photo archive which people should find interesting. Our Mascot Stormy Stan will also be on hand. One of our crew will be representing Wicklow RNLI at the parade in Dublin on St Patricks Day and we are working away on something colourful for the parade in Wicklow town, which our crew and their kids will be taking part in. As part of the 200th celebrations, a commemorative scroll is travelling around different RNLI stations where it is signed on behalf of the crew by one volunteer. The scroll will be coming to Wicklow, probably later in the summer or into Autumn, confirmed Tommy. It will be put into the archives so in 20 years from now people will be able to look at the scroll and see all the names. Garment goddess Laura de Barra: I want to teach people how to look after what they already have and how to buy clothes fit for purpose From how to spot shoddy stitching to learning to recognise high-quality vintage gems, the gaff goddess turned garment queen is on a mission to help us all kick our fast-fashion habit Laura de Barra. Photo: Ruth Medjber Katie Byrne Sat 24 Feb 2024 at 03:30 Laura de Barra has a tried-and-trusted process when she goes clothes shopping. Mindless browsing is avoided, impulse spending is bypassed and, should she spot an item she likes, she examines it from every angle before making a decision. Truce talks under way in Paris in bid to halt Gaza slaughter Mediators looking to broker a deal as fresh negotiations conducted in Paris A Palestinian girl injured in an Israeli strike mourns the death of her sibling in Rafah. Photo: Reuters Nidal al-Mughrabhi and Bassam Masoud Sat 24 Feb 2024 at 03:30 Gaza truce talks were under way in Paris yesterday, in what appears to be the most serious push for weeks to halt the fighting in the battered Palestinian city and see Israeli and foreign hostages released. Photo Courtesy: @CPVIndia X Page India and US officials on Friday discussed ways of enhancing cooperation on a wide range of issues such as extradition, mobility of students and professionals, safe and legal migration, protection of vulnerable women and children and enabling smooth travel of their respective nationals during the 11th bilateral Consular Dialogue held in New Delhi. The Indian delegation, led by Dr. K.J. Srinivasa, Joint Secretary (CPV) in the Ministry of External Affairs, hosted the U.S. delegation led by Ambassador Rena Bitter, Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Consular Affairs, U.S. Department of State. "The Dialogue reinforced the strong people-to-people ties and cooperation that both countries share across consular issues of mutual interest," read the statement issued by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs. "They welcomed the launch of a pilot in the U.S. to adjudicate domestic renewals of certain categories of visas as proactive steps toward strengthening robust connections between people of the two countries," the statement said. 11th - Consular Dialogue,held 23 Feb '24 in New Delhi, co-chaired by @drkjsrini,JS CPV,MEA & Amb Rena Bitter,Asst Secy,Bureau of Consular Affairs,US Department of State reinforced the strong people-to-people ties & co-op on Extradition,MLAT, students & professionals mobility. pic.twitter.com/66Cs3aPax4 CPV DIVISION (@CPVIndia) February 23, 2024 Both sides agreed that the next Consular Dialogue will be held in 2025 in the USA. Photo courtesy: Screenshot grab from X video Kolkata/IBNS: West Bengal Ministers Sujit Bose and Partha Bhowmick were allowed to enter violence-hit Sandeshkhali while Left leader Minakshi Mukherjee was stopped by police on Saturday, amid the escalation of the protests by villagers against the ruling Trinamool Congress. The villagers have been protesting for weeks now against absconding TMC strongman Sheikh Shahjahan and his aides, who have been accused of grabbing lands and sexually abusing women. Minakshi, who is the state secretary of DYFI, entered Sandeshkhali managing to avoid police's glare in the morning by travelling in an e-rickshaw and covering her face with a piece of cloth. Later, she along with her colleagues were stopped by police citing Section 144. #WATCH | West Bengal | CPI(M) leader Minakshi Mukherjee arrives in Sandeskhali, North 24 Parganas to meet the victims. pic.twitter.com/G51wpPgkPF ANI (@ANI) February 24, 2024 Following an altercation with a female cop, Minakshi and other Left leaders began their sit-in protest. On the other hand, Sujit Bose and Partha Bhowmick were seen in Sandeshkhali in a bid to examine the situation. "All problems will be solved," Bose was heard saying on television cameras. Meanwhile, villagers have come out in protests in Dhamakhali on Saturday, in an escalation of the situation which was initially limited to Sandeshkhali. Women marched out with their grievances carrying brooms and sticks. Police tried to control the situation, urging them to calm down. #WATCH | West Bengal | A TMC delegation arrives in Sandeshkhali to meet the locals here. pic.twitter.com/jRcpZhvwRo ANI (@ANI) February 24, 2024 "Will shouting solve the problems?" the police asked the protesters, who told the cop, "You were the ones who arrested our people after the 2021 elections." Sandeshkhali incident The turmoil in Sandeshkhali, a remote block about 80 kms from Kolkata and a part of the Basirhat sub-division of North 24 Parganas district, broke out first in early January when a team of Enforcement Directorate (ED) reached TMC leader Sheikh Shahjahan's residence to quiz him in connection with the ration distribution scam in the state. Shahjahan's aides allegedly assaulted and chased the ED officers turning the area into a political hotspot months ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. While Shahjahan is now absconding, several women from the village came out with brooms and sticks demanding the arrest of the TMC strongman. The protesting women have alleged Shahjahan and his aides captured several lands forcefully and sexually harassed them. Reacting to the allegations, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said in the state assembly on Thursday, "By targeting Shahjahan, ED entered into the area and then created a rift between the Adivasis and minorities." Photo Courtesy: PIB Three criminal laws will become effective in India from July 1, as per a notification issued by the Indian government on Saturday (February 24, 2024). These laws are Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023; Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023. While issuing the notification, the government has put on hold the provisions of the entry relating to Section 106(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, in the First Schedule. The new laws will replace the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Indian Evidence Act from the British era, and the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC). "In exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (2) of section 1 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (45 of 2023), the Central Government hereby appoints the 1st day of July, 2024 as the date on which the provisions of the said Sanhita, except the provision of sub-section (2) of section 106, shall come into force," the Home Ministry notification said as quoted by Indian news agnecy UNI. It may be mentioned that the motor transport unions had protested raising objections to the Section 106(2) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which provides a 10-year jail term in a hit-and-run case. However, the government, after a series of meetings, assured that a decision on implementing the section would only happen after discussion with the All India Motor Transport Congress. The three amended Bills that seek to repeal and replace the Criminal Laws were passed by the Parliament during the Winter Session in December, 2023. India will vote in the national polls in the upcoming months. PM Narendra Modi-led government will form the third straight term if it wins the polls. (With UNI Inputs) Photo Courtesy: PIB The Holy Relics of Lord Buddha and His Two Disciples were Enshrined today for public veneration at the specially built Mandapam at Sanam Luang Pavilion in Bangkok with great reverence and amidst Holy Chanting. The Governor of Bihar Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar handed over the Holy Relics of Buddha to Thai Prime Minister (Chairman), Srettha Thavisin, while those of Arahants Sariputra & Maha Maudgalayana were handed over by Union Minister for Social Justice & Empowerment Dr. Virendra Kumar to the Thai Deputy Prime Minister Somsak Thepsutin and Thai Culture Minister for enshrining in the mandapa. On this occasion, an exhibition set up by States of UP and MP Govt. Buddhabhoomi Bharat organised to showcase spiritual and religious Tourist places in India was also inaugurated on by the Governor of Bihar, Union Minister and Thai Culture Minister. Speaking on the occasion, Governor of Bihar, Shri Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar said that he feels blessed to be part of this grand ceremony organised in Thailand for exposition of the Holy Relics of Lord Buddha and his two Disciples. He said Lord Buddha is an icon of compassion and Non-violence. He further stated India is a sacred land where Lord Buddha got enlightened and following his teachings India has always given to the world message of Karuna and Ahimsa and it is with this message that we have come to Thailand. He emphasised that Practice of Peace and harmony is most important in todays world. This exposition of holy relics will further spread Lord Buddhas message of love, peace and compassion for all living beings. He hoped that bilateral relations between India and Thailand will Attain a new height with this exposition. The Thai Culture Minister expressed gratitude to Indian Govt for giving an opportunity to Thailand for exposition of holy relics and said that Thailand will make all efforts to spread Lord Buddhas message for mankind. DG, Culture and Tourism Ministry, Govt of UP made a presentation on religious and spiritual tourist places and the measures taken by the Govt to facilitate the tourists thronging in the country from all over the world. Earlier during the day, Governor of Bihar Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar who is heading the delegation of Lord Buddha's Exposition in Thailand visited Wat Pho temple in Bangkok where he presented a Set of 108 volumes of Mongolian Kangyur (Tri Pitika - Buddhist cannon) & 26 books on Buddhism by Prof Satya Vrat Shastri to Most Ven Dr Debvajracharya, Deputy Abbot of Wat Pho. Most Ven is an illustrious alumni of Pune University. Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar also paid his homage to the giant statue of Reclining Buddha at Wat Pho temple. The Governor and Most Ven discussed the cultural connection between Thailand and India, where the latter described India as his second home. Image Credit : Video grab New Delhi: Police have apprehended Abdul Malik, the suspected orchestrator of the recent turmoil in Uttarakhand, who had been missing for 16 days, on Saturday in Delhi, media reported. The unrest erupted on February 8 following the demolition of an illegally constructed Madrasa in the Banbhoolpura region of Haldwani. Locals unleashed violence, pelting stones and throwing petrol bombs at municipal workers and police officers, who went to demolish the structure. Several police personnel had to take refuge in a police station, which was also set ablaze by the mob. During the violence, six people involved in the rioting were killed, and over 100 individuals, including police officers and members of the media, sustained injuries, police said. Abdul Malik was identified as the person behind the construction of the religious school and vehemently opposed its demolition. His wife, Safia Malik, sought legal recourse by petitioning the High Court to halt the demolition, but her efforts did not yield immediate results. It is alleged that Malik incited the violence in Banbhoolpura and had been missing since the outbreak of violence. His legal representatives filed for anticipatory bail in the Haldwani session court, asserting that Malik was not present in the vicinity during the violent events. The application also disclosed Malik's residence in Delhi. After reviewing the application, the Uttarakhand Police proceeded to the specified address in Delhi and apprehended Abdul Malik. He is currently being transported back to the state. Over 50 individuals have been arrested thus far in connection with the disturbances. Previously, the Haldwani Municipal Corporation issued a recovery notice of Rs 2.44 crore against Abdul Malik, demanding compensation for the damage inflicted on government property during the unrest. The Haldwani Civil Court also authorised the confiscation of assets belonging to nine people involved in the violence, including Abdul Malik and his son. Their properties have since been seized by authorities. Image Credit: video grab Sandeshkhali (West Bengal): A minister in West Bengals ruling Trinamool Congress government has rubbished the reports of sexual assault by the members of the Mamata Banerjee-led party in violence-hit Sandeshkhali, media reported. West Bengal Minister Partha Bhowmick on Saturday asserted that no woman had complained about sexual harassment by Trinamool Congress members and dismissed the reports about it as "fake," reported India Today. According to the report, after visiting the troubled area in the states North 24 Parganas district, Partha Bhowmick told the media, "No woman raised the issue of assault...This is fake and it has been established today." #WATCH | After interacting with the locals of Sandeshkhali, West Bengal Minister Partha Bhowmick says, "We have interacted with the locals today... Lands will be given back to those from whom it was snatched. The DM has also set up camps in several districts... No woman has pic.twitter.com/bhLsNJtpVR ANI (@ANI) February 24, 2024 However, he stated that the lands seized illegally from locals would be returned to them. Several women in Sandeshkhali have stepped forward, alleging instances of sexual exploitation involving Trinamool Congress leader Shahjahan Sheikh and his associates. The inhabitants of the region have accused him of grabbing lands owned by the local people. Shahjahan Sheikh has been evading authorities since an Enforcement Directorate team, which arrived to conduct a raid on his residence in January, was attacked by miscreants. Bhowmick said that TMC wouldnt hesitate to remove a small leader like Sheikh Shahjahan and pointed out that the party had promptly expelled a senior party leader like Partha Chatterjee, who was found to have possessed illicit wealth. He also underscored that "those who are bad" have no place in the party, the report said. Bhowmick accused the ED of failure since Shahjahan is still absconding, and added that it is not in the partys hand. Bhowmick was accompanied by Minister Sujit Bose to Sandeshkhali. They reassured the locals that their issues would be addressed. Regarding the accusations of land grabbing, Bose promised that appropriate measures would be taken against those responsible. Both ministers said they would revisit Sandeshkhali in the future. Meanwhile, a delegation from the CPI(M) led by Minakshi Mukhopadhay was obstructed by the police from accessing the interior regions of the area. Their progress was halted at the Majher Para area, prompting CPI(M) activists to stage a sit-in and chant slogans against the police. Image Credit: UNI New Delhi: The BJP is expected to announce candidates for its "weak seats" in Uttar Pradesh before the Election Commission announces dates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, India Today TV reported citing sources. On Saturday, key BJP figures, including Union Home Minister Amit Shah, party president JP Nadda, and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, convened a meeting to deliberate on the constituencies where the party may encounter formidable electoral opposition. According to the report, the party plans to announce candidates for these "weak seats" ahead of the official announcement of election dates to allow candidates to initiate their campaigning. Deputy Chief Ministers of Uttar Pradesh, Brajesh Pathak and Keshav Prasad Maurya together with other leaders from the state's core committee participated in the meeting. The meeting, held at the party headquarters in Delhi, lasted nearly two hours. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP secured 62 out of 80 seats in Uttar Pradesh, while its NDA ally, Apna Dal, secured two seats. This meeting follows shortly after the Opposition INDIA bloc parties, Congress and the Samajwadi Party, reached an agreement on seat-sharing in Uttar Pradesh. As per the agreement, the Congress will contest 17 seats, while the remaining 63 seats will be allocated to the Samajwadi Party (SP) and other alliance partners. Image Credit: UNI New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday inaugurated the pilot project of 'World's Largest Grain Storage Plan in Cooperative Sector, underway in 11 Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) of 11 states. The worlds largest storage plan of 700 lakh metric tons initiated by the government will be completed in the next five years at a cost of Rs 1.25 lakh crores. The Prime Minister also laid the foundation stone for an additional 500 PACS across the country for construction of go-downs and other agriculture infrastructure under this initiative. Speaking on the occasion, Modi said, "These initiatives will be another milestone in the journey of Viksit Bharat." He underlined that cooperatives have the potential to tackle the personal issues of farmers with collective strength and cited storage as pivotal to building that strength. The PM said that it would enable farmers to store their produce and sell it at the right time according to their own needs. During the event, Modi also inaugurated a project for computerization in 18,000 PACS across the country, aimed at "rejuvenating the cooperative sector and empowering small and marginal farmers. Modernization of agricultural systems is equally important for the creation of a Viksit Bharat, he said, highlighting the governments endeavour to create a new role for government organizations such as PACS. "These committees are functioning as Jan Aushadhi Kendras while thousands of PM Kisan Samruddhi Kendras are also being operated," he said. Listing out the benefits of digital payment and Direct Benefit Transfer, the Prime Minister emphasized the need for direct and digital payment by the PACS. He also asked them to come forward for soil testing and make soil health card campaigns a success. (With UNI inputs) Photo Courtesy: Pixabay Armed robbers continue their mayhem in Pakistan's Orangi Town as two people were shot dead in the Pakistani town on Friday. The two incidents occurred under the remit of separate police stations. Police said a 50-year-old was shot dead in Orangi Town. Iqbal Market SHO Shah Faisal told Dawn News three armed robbers snatched cash and other valuables from a shopkeeper in Sector-11. When they were fleeing the spot on a motorcycle, locals gathered at the spot. The robbers resorted to aerial firing which resulted in bullet wounds to a passer-by. He was identified as Sohrab Husain. He was later declared dead after he was taken to hospital for treatment. Another person was shot dead and his brother was injured by robbers in the same town later in the day. The deceased was identified as Abdul Moiz. Photo Courtesy: Pixabay Family members of a minor on Friday demonstrated against the forceful marriage of the girl in Pakistan's Khuzdar area. They demanded action against Younus Hassan. Hassan, a former Education Officer and SST teacher in Gresha, is accused of forcibly marrying a minor, identified as Samreena, without her consent", The Balochistan Post. Family members alleged that the minor, who was identified as Samreena, was kidnapped by Hassan and forcibly married. The family demanded the filing of a First Information Report (FIR) against him. A source, who wished to remain anonymous, told The Balochistan Post that the accused has significant local influence, possibly backed by government-affiliated individuals, which may have led to the removal of the press conference coverage. Bassaran, Samreenas mother, told the newspaper: "My daughter, only fifteen, was promised education but was instead forcibly married." Representational image on Unsplash/Maxim Hopman A woman and a man were shot dead, allegedly by the formers father and brother, in an instance of suspected honour killing in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region, media reports said. A first information report (FIR) was registered today at the complaint of Pallas police Station House Officer Javid Khan under Sections 109 (abetment), 302 (intentional murder) and 311 (Fasad Fil Arz or mischief on earth) of the Pakistan Penal Code, reported Dawn News. The FIR said that upon receiving information, police reached Bar Paro in Kolai Pallas and found two bodies lying in a pool of blood. The deceased were identified as Ubaidullah of Ghato, Sherakot, and Baloo Bibi of Bar Paro. The two suspects escaped the scene after committing the crime. Police have launched an investigation after the incident. Photo Courtesy: Pixabay The City Council of Pakistan's Karachi city recently echoed concern over the deteriorating law and order situation in the city. During the session, city Mayor Murtaza Wahab agreed the proposal forwarded by some members to form a committee to deal the increase in crime in Karachi. The general meeting of the council of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC), held at its Council Hall, offered prayers for UC Chairman Sabir Ali Magsi of the Pakistan Peoples Party from Malir District, who was killed in Gulistan-i-Johar as well as for Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) member Parveen Murad Baloch, reported Dawn News. Through two identical resolutions presented in the meeting, it was demanded that the murderers of slain PPP UC chairman be arrested as soon as possible and punished. The resolutions were tabled in the house PPPs Advocate Irshad Ali and Qazi Sadruddin of Jamat-i-Islami (JI). During the discussion on the resolutions, members expressed concerns over rising street crimes in the city. The mayor welcomed the proposal and said that a committee consisting of members of the House would be formed which would meet IG Sindh, reported Dawn News. US imposes 500 new sanctions against Russia. Photo Courtesy: Joe Biden Instagram page The United States on Friday imposed over 500 new sanctions against Russia as its invasion of Ukraine completed two years. The US said sanctions were also imposed in response to the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny recently. The US Department of the Treasury said in a statement: " Today, marking Russias two years of unprovoked and unlawful full-scale war against Ukraine and in response to the death of opposition politician and anticorruption activist Aleksey Navalny, the U.S. Department of the Treasurys Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is sanctioning almost 300 individuals and entities." "Together with actions from the U.S. Department of State (State), this is the largest number of sanctions imposed since Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine. State is designating three Government of Russia officials in connection with Navalnys death; together, Treasury and State are sanctioning over 500 targets to impose additional costs for Russias repression, human rights abuses, and aggression against Ukraine," the statement said. To deny Russia the resources necessary to support its war against Ukraine, the Treasury said it is designating targets including a major cog in Russias financial infrastructure; more than two dozen third-country sanctions evaders in Europe, East Asia, Central Asia, and the Middle East; and hundreds of entities in Russias military-industrial base and other key sectors. This solemn anniversary and Aleksey Navalnys death in Russian custody are stark and tragic reminders of Putins brazen disregard for human life, from Ukrainians suffering the costs of his unprovoked war to people across Russia who dare to expose the corrupt abuses that fuel his regime, said Secretary of the Treasury Janet L. Yellen. Russias economy and military-industrial base are showing clear signs of weakness in part due to the actions we, along with our partners and allies around the world, have taken to support Ukraines brave defense. Putin has mortgaged the present and future of the Russian people for his own aims to subjugate Ukraine. The Kremlin chooses to reorient its economy to build weapons to kill its neighbors at the expense of the economic future of its own people. But we must sustain our support for Ukraine even as we weaken Russias war machine. Its critical that Congress steps up to join our allies around the world in giving Ukraine the means to defend itself and its freedom against Putins barbarous assault. Since February 2022, the U.S. government has deployed a number of economic tools aimed at 'disrupting and degrading Russias economy and war machine'. "Over the last two years, including today, the Departments of the Treasury and State have designated over 4,000 entities and individuals pursuant to Russia-related sanctions authorities. Treasurys actions, alongside those of its partners across the globe, are restricting Russias ability to generate the revenue it needs to fund its war and disrupting the Kremlins efforts to build a wartime economy," the statement said. What happened to Navalny? 47-year-old Alexey Navalny died in an Arctic prison on Friday (February 16, 2024). He was serving a 19-year term. Alexey Navalny felt unwell in prison after a walk and lost consciousness. He received all necessary resuscitation measures, but they did not yield positive results, the Federal Ptnitentiary Service stated as quoted by Russia's Sputnik news agency. President Vladimir Putin did not comment on the issue since his death was announced. Several world leaders, including Canadian PM Justin Trudeau and US President Joe Biden, have slammed Putin over the politician's death. One of the most prestigious engineering institutes in India, IIT Delhi offers a wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate programs in engineering and technology. Bollywood star Ajay Devgn is set to explore the horror genre in his latest project, 'Shaitaan,' a supernatural thriller directed by Vikas Bahl. The film, produced by Ajay in collaboration with Panorama Studios and Jio Studios, promises to bring a spine-chilling experience to the audience. 'Shaitaan' Star Ajay Devgn Shares His Paranormal Encounters On Sets #WATCH | Actors Ajay Devgn and R Madhavan attended the trailer launch of their upcoming film 'Shaitaan' in Mumbai. pic.twitter.com/pmET1OD1yi ANI (@ANI) February 22, 2024 During the trailer launch of 'Shaitaan,' Ajay Devgn surprised fans by sharing his personal experiences with the paranormal. Expressing his long-standing interest in the horror genre, Ajay spoke about his belief in the existence of black magic, a theme central to the film. Shaitaan Poster/Twitter Ajay's Love For Horror & Sense Of Responsibility Ajay expressed, he had a longstanding desire to explore horror as a genre. Having previously worked on Bhoot, he developed a fondness for this genre due to its universality in encompassing black magic across cultures. The film he is currently involved in is not solely about him; anyone whose family confronts such situations will resonate with a sense of responsibility, and he considers himself part of that group. Supernatural Encounters on Set Sharing his own spooky encounters, Ajay revealed, "I have experienced a lot of supernatural cases." He added, "Earlier, we used to shoot outdoors, where we faced paranormal activity. In the first 1012 years of our career, we have seen a lot of paranormal activity." From Evil Eyes to Belief: Ajay's Perspectives on the Supernatural Ajay further elaborated on his beliefs, stating, "I have had many experiences. I dont know how many of them are true or how many are in my head. But I have rarely met anyone who does not believe in this. When we leave the house or fall sick, the first thing that comes to mind is that it is an evil eye. This belief is unanimous." Ajay Devgn In 'Shaitaan' 'Shaitaan' adds a new dimension to Ajay Devgn's diverse filmography, which spans various genres. The film, showcasing the formidable trio of Ajay Devgn, R. Madhavan, and Jyotika, is poised to draw in audiences with its compelling supernatural plot twists. Stay tuned for the release of 'Shaitaan,' as it promises to be a thrilling addition to Ajay Devgn's cinematic journey, alongside his upcoming 'Singham 3.' BAKU, Azerbaijan, February 24. An international conference named "Decolonization: Awakening of the Renaissance" has been held in Istanbul, Turkiye, Trend reports. Abbas Abbasov, Executive Director of the Baku Initiative Group (BIG), joined Carlyle G. Corbin, an International Advisor on Governance and an independent expert for the United Nations Special Committee on Decolonization, along with representatives from the Turkish government at the event. The conference was followed by a panel discussion themed "Impacts of colonization on national identity". The discussion covered a range of topics, including ethnic and cultural discrimination, political instability, repression, political history, social and economic challenges, persecution of independent media, security concerns, and the consequences for immigration, emigration, and expatriates. The second session explored the artificial legal barriers imposed by the French government during the renaissance-era decolonization. Topics include border issues, security and defense, national resource ownership, international recognition, citizenship concerns, legislation, and economic reforms. Meanwhile, the Baku Initiative Group was established on July 6, 2023, by participants of the "Total Elimination of Colonialism" conference within the framework of the ministerial meeting of the Coordinating Bureau of the Non-Aligned Movement under the chairmanship of the Republic of Azerbaijan. The BIG launched its office in Baku on October 21, 2023. International Women's Day 2024: This March 8th, India, as well as various countries worldwide, commemorates International Womens Day; also known by its acronym IWD. This date recognises the achievements and rights achieved by and for women over the years. Contrary to the stereotype associating pink with girls and blue with boys, this notion doesn't apply when it comes to representing International Womens Day. This global occasion, dedicated to celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women, is symbolised by three distinct colours: Purple, Green, and White. The colour purple holds a significant role in women's marches and feminist movements worldwide. Ever wondered why this colour is chosen and what it symbolises within the movement? Let us explain it to you. International Women's Day 2024: What does the colour purple represent and why is it used? According to the International Womens Day (IWD) website, the hues of Purple, Green, and White hold profound significance on International Womens Day. These colours trace their origins back to the Womens Social and Political Union (WSPU) in the United Kingdom in 1908. The Purple signifies justice and dignity, while Green embodies hope, and White represents purity. The WSPU, a spirited faction of the British suffrage movement, was established in Manchester in 1903 by Emmeline Pankhurst. Focused on securing voting rights for women in a nation that had explicitly denied them in 1832, the WSPU played a pivotal role in advocating for women's suffrage. Why Colour Purple Symbolises Feminist Movement In the United States, the National Womans Party adopted the combination of purple, white, and gold. In a newsletter published on December 6, 1913, the organisation expounded on the significance of these colours, stating, Purple symbolizes loyalty and steadfastness, while White represents purity, signifying the quality of our purpose. Gold, akin to the torch guiding our purpose, embodies light and life, pure and unswerving. The colour white, often featured in suffragist movement flags, served as a response to the anti-feminist portrayal of suffragists as masculine and unattractive. To counteract this media image, suffragists donned all-white dresses in parades, complemented by suffrage sashes. These white dresses symbolized the femininity and purity integral to the suffrage cause. Happy Women's Day 2024 Wishes It's Women's day! Feel special and unique on the top of the world!. On this lovely occasion, to honour all the beautiful and powerful women in your life, here are some wishes and messages that you can share with your girlfriend, wife, mother, sister and friend. This day belongs to you. I wish you success and courage as you go through life. Greetings for International Women's Day. Without a powerful ally like "woman" at every stage of life, from maternity to marriage, from sister to daughter, this life would not exist. Cheers to Women's Day! Happy Women's Day to all the incredible women! Shine on.... Not just today but everyday! Women are always a source of inspiration for the family and the society. Happy Women's Day to you! For more informative articles on historical and upcoming events from around the world, please visit Indiatimes Events. Mahashivratri 2024: Mahashivratri is a big festival in the Hindu calendar that celebrates Lord Shiva. It happens on the 14th day of Phalguna (February-March). This year, it's on March 8, 2024, which is a Friday. People all over the world pray and do special things to get Lord Shiva's blessings on this day. If you want to visit some of the most important Shiva temples in Mahashivratri, India has many options. Some of the best ones are the Somnath Temple in Gujarat and the Mahakaleshwar Temple in Ujjain. These temples are dedicated to Lord Shiva. Why is Maha Shivratri Celebrated? There are several beliefs among people regarding the Maha Shivratri celebration. One common belief is that it is the celebration of Shiva and Parvatis marriage. People also enthusiastic to know about what is the difference between Shivratri and Maha Shivratri. It is correct that Shivratri and Maha Shivratri are celebrated for their own reason. Shivratri is celebrated because Lord Shiva saves the world by keeping blue poison in their throat, which emerged during Samudra Manthan. After this incident lord, Shiva became Nil Kanth. 11 Best Places To Celebrate Mahashivratri 2024 Here, we will talk about some of the top Shiva temples to visit in Mahashivratri. We will talk about what makes them special, what they mean, and what happens during the festival. Whether you are a big fan of Lord Shiva or just curious about India's culture, these temples will give you a great experience that you will remember forever. 1. Adiyogi - The Source of Yoga, Tamil Nadu Adiyogi has been recognised as the Largest Bust Structure in the world by the Guinness Book of World Records, and stands 112 feet tall. This iconic image of the first yogi is 150 feet long, 25 feet wide, and made from around 500 tons of steel. Every year, thousands of individuals gather at the Isha Foundation of Sadhguru to observe Maha Shivratri. This is attributed to Sadhguru's personal reverence for Lord Shiva, as he leads prayers and worship during the festivities. The event includes group meditation, dancing, and music, with various dance groups, music bands, and musicians showcasing a diverse range of dance styles at the Isha Yoga Center on this particular day. 2. Haridwar & Rishikesh, Uttarakhand This is an ideal time for a trip to Haridwar and Rishikesh with your friends or family as the weather starts to get warm with sunny days and pleasant temperatures. It is the land of temples and ghats frequented by devotees to purify themselves of sins. Take a dip in Haridwars Har ki Pauri, visit the Prajapati Daksha Mahadev Temple a shakti-sthal located in old Kankhal area and see throngs of devotees during Mahashivratri. You can also head to the Neel Kanth Mahadev Temple perched on top of a forested mountain in Rishikesh to experience the festive euphoria of Mahashivratri. 3. Ramanathaswamy Temple, Tamil Nadu Ramanathaswamy Temple is a revered Hindu temple located in the town of Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu, India. The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva and is considered to be one of the 12 Jyotirlinga temples. The temple's history dates back to the 12th century, but it has undergone many renovations over the years. The temple's most prominent feature is its long corridor with intricately carved pillars, which stretches for over 1,200 meters. The temple also has 22 wells within its complex, and which are believed that taking holy baths in these wells will help them to get rid of doshas and saabham. It is a popular pilgrimage site for Hindus and attracts devotees from all over India. These are just a few of the many famous Shiva temples in India. Each temple has its own unique history and spiritual significance, and all are considered to be powerful places of pilgrimage for devotees of Lord Shiva. Whether you are a spiritual seeker or simply a lover of history and architecture, these temples are well worth a visit. 4. Baidyanath Temple, Jharkhand Baidyanath Temple is a significant Hindu temple located in the Deoghar city of Jharkhand, India. It is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas, which are considered to be the most sacred abodes of Lord Shiva. The temple complex is spread over a vast area and comprises several smaller shrines and ponds. The main temple is constructed in an intricate style of architecture and is adorned with numerous carvings and sculptures. Devotees from all over the country visit this temple to offer their prayers and seek blessings from Lord Shiva. The temple's annual festival, Shravani Mela, is a major attraction and draws millions of devotees every year. 5. Kashi Vishwanath Temple, Varanasi Located in Varanasi in India, Kashi Vishwanath temple dedicated to Lord Shiva is among the most famous Hindu temples that has a rich history and cultural significance where millions of devotees across the world visit to take a blessing of Shiva, especially on the occasion of Mahashivratri and Shivratri. is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas, which are considered to be the most sacred abodes of Lord Shiva. 6. Nataraja Temple, Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu One of the most significant and ancient temples, The Nataraja Temple in Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu is dedicated to Lord Shiva. The temple is popularly known for its unique architecture and the presence of the cosmic dancer, Nataraja, in its sanctum sanctorum. The temple's main deity is the Akasha Lingam, which represents the element of space. The temple complex also includes various other shrines and structures, including the Kanaka Sabha or the Golden Hall, which is adorned with intricate carvings and sculptures. The temple is revered by devotees for its spiritual significance and cultural heritage and is a popular tourist destination in Tamil Nadu. It is believed to be 1,000 years old and is also one of the five holiest shrines in South India. The temple is known for its beautiful carvings, intricate architecture, and spiritual significance, and is considered a masterpiece of Chola art and architecture. 7. Mahakaleshwar Temple, Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh Mahakaleshwar Temple is a Hindu temple located in the city of Ujjain in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas, which are considered to be the most sacred shrines dedicated to Lord Shiva. The temple is located on the banks of the Shipra River and is a popular pilgrimage site for Hindus. The temple is believed to have been built in the 5th century CE, but it has undergone several renovations over the years. The current structure is believed to have been built in the 18th century by the Maratha ruler, Ranoji Shinde. The lingam in the temple is said to be self-manifested or swayambhu, which means that it was not constructed by human hands. The temple also has images of several other Hindu deities, including Ganesh, Parvati, and Kartikeya. The temple has a unique feature in the form of a bhasm aarti, which is a ritual where ash is used to worship the deity. This aarti takes place early in the morning, and it is considered to be one of the most important rituals in the temple. The temple is also famous for its elaborate evening aarti, which is a grand spectacle that attracts a large number of devotees. The temple is known for its grand architecture and rich cultural heritage and is visited by millions of devotees every year, especially on Mahashivratri and Shivratri. 8. Somnath Temple, Gujarat Thousands of devotees visit Somnath Temple in Gujarat every year on Mahashivaratri to celebrate this special day. Located on the shores of the Arabian Sea, Somnath is believed to be the first among the twelve jyotirlinga shrines of Shiva. Also known for its intricate carvings and grand architecture the temple is also one of the most popular tourist destinations among travellers around the world. According to legends the shore temple of Somnath have been built in 4 phases - the first phase was completed in Gold by Lord Soma, the second phase was completed in silver by Ravi, the third phase was completed in wood by Lord Krishna, and the fourth phase was completed in stone by king Bhimadeva 9. Sri Brihadeeswara Temple, Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu Brihadeeshwara Temple also known as Periya Kovil, RajaRajeswara Temple, and Rajarajesvaram is one of the largest temples in India dedicated to Lord Shiva. The magnificent temple was built during the Chola period by King Raja Raja Chola I in the 11th century and is considered a masterpiece of Chola architecture. The temple features a massive tower that stands over 60 meters tall and is adorned with intricate carvings and sculptures. The temple is among the World Heritage sites where thousands of people around the world come to seek the blessing of Lord Shiva. 10. Pashupatinath Temple, Nepal Crossing borders into Nepal, the Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu beckons devotees with its ancient charm and spiritual aura. Maha Shivratri is celebrated here with great pomp and fervor, as thousands of pilgrims gather to pay homage to Lord Pashupatinath, the patron deity of Nepal. The rhythmic chants of 'Om Namah Shivaya' fill the air, creating an atmosphere of transcendence and devotion. 11. Omkareshwar Jyotirlinga, Madhya Pradesh Shri Omkareshwar is one of the 12 Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva. Its 140 kms from Shri Mahakaleshwar which is in Ujjain and 77 kms from Indore. Its situated on a beautiful island called Mandhata on river Narmada. The Sangam of the holy rivers Kaveri and Narmada is also an attraction of this island. Maha Shivratri Dos: Wake up early (preferably during Brahma Muhurat - two hours before sunrise). Do Dhyana (meditation) followed by Sankalpa (take a pledge that you will observe the vrat sincerely and with true devotion). Take a bath. Wear clean clothes. Go for white-colored clothes if possible. Maintain celibacy (follow Brahmacharya). Observe a vrat. Assess your health before fasting. Spending a day without your regular diet plan may affect your health. Therefore, consult your doctor, especially if you are under medication or undergoing treatment. Chant OM Namah Shivaya as many times as possible. Perform Abhishek (by offering water or raw milk to the Shiva Linga at home or in a temple). You may even offer ghee, curd, and honey. Offer Datura flowers and fruits, white crown flowers, and Vilva (Bel Patra). Offer Chandan instead of turmeric. Offer your prayers and perform the puja during Nishita Kaal or all four prahars. Check out the timings here. Consume fruits, milk, and recipes with vrat-compliant ingredients. Maha Shivratri Don'ts: Consumption of wheat, rice, and pulses in any form is strictly prohibited. Avoid spices and oily foods. Do not consume meat, onions, and garlic. Do not consume tobacco or alcohol. Do not offer coconut water to Shiva Linga. Do not offer vermillion (sindoor/kumkum) to the Shiva Linga. Avoid offering Ketaki flowers. Avoid steel containers for puja. Use Brass, copper, or silver instead. Avoid black-colored clothes. Do not offer Tulsi leaves to Lord Shiva. Do not do a full parikrama of the Shiva Linga. Maha Shivratri 2024 FAQs When is Maha Shivratri? In 2024, Mahashivratri or Maha Shivratri will be celebrated on March 8, 2024 (Friday). Why is Maha Shivratri celebrated? Maha Shivratri is a Hindu festival celebrated annually to honor Lord Shiva, one of the principal deities in Hinduism. It is believed that on this day, Lord Shiva performed the Tandava dance, which symbolizes creation, preservation, and destruction. The festival is celebrated on the 14th night of the Hindu month of Phalguna or Maagha, which usually falls in February or March. It is observed by fasting, performing puja (worship) of Lord Shiva, and chanting his mantras. Can we sleep during the Day on Shivaratri? Shivaratri is traditionally observed as a night of fasting and vigil, during which devotees stay awake and engage in prayers, meditation, and other spiritual practices. Therefore, it is generally not recommended to sleep on Shivaratri night. What is the favourite foods of Lord Shiva? As per Mythology Lord Shiva's favourite food is Kand-Mool and he also likes bhang, dhatura, milk, thandai, and sweets white in colour. For more informative articles on historical and upcoming events from around the world, please visit Indiatimes Events. The Bengaluru Traffic Police has collected pending traffic violations fine of Rs 49,100 from the owner of a vehicle. For Traffic Violations, Today we collected 49,100/- rs fine full amount from the owner of the KA50-S-3579 vehicle.Deputy Commissioner of Police Traffic, North Bengaluru said in a social media post. For Traffic Violations,Today we collected 49,100/- rs fine full amount from Muniraju owner of KA50-S-3579 vehicle. @blrcitytraffic @Jointcptraffic pic.twitter.com/Y5mP5NI6yT DCP Traffic North, Bengaluru (@DCPTrNorthBCP) February 23, 2024 Cops pose for photo with him The officer also posted a photo of the owner of the vehicle posing with two traffic cops, while holding a long receipt of the penalties he just paid. Recently the Bengaluru Traffic Police launched a crackdown on vehicle owners with a large amount of fines pending against them. Crackdown on pending traffic fines At least 2,681 vehicles in Bengaluru have over Rs 50,000 pending fines for traffic violations. We have started a drive to collect fines from these violators. If they fail to pay even after this we file a chargesheet at the court and the court will issue summons to such offenders, MN Anucheth, the joint commissioner of police, had said. Last week DCP Traffic, South Bengaluru had said that a total of 84 two-wheelers and a car that had unpaid fines of Rs 50,000 or above were seized by the cops. According to the DCP, a total of 10,210 violation cases were pending against these vehicles accounting for a fine of Rs 1.07 crore. Crackdown Alert: Traffic South Division's recent operation led to the seizure of 84 two-wheelers & 1 car for unpaid fines >50,000, with 10,210 violations & 1.07Cr in https://t.co/76ooakclJS actions are underway. Pay fines, drive responsibly. #BengaluruPolice pic.twitter.com/DRtObXpTRX DCP SOUTH TRAFFIC (@DCPSouthTrBCP) February 17, 2024 Two-wheeler with Rs 3.2 lakh fine Earlier this month, the cops had identified a two-wheeler owner who had accumulated 350 fines for various infractions including driving in the wrong lane, riding without a helmet, and using a mobile phone while operating the vehicle. In total, he had a pending fine of Rs 3.2 lakhs. BCCL When informed by the cops, the owner of the two-wheeler said that his vehicle was only worth Rs 30,000 and added that he was unable to pay the Rs 3.2 lakhs. The cops, however, warned that the failure to pay the fine would lead to further legal actions including an FIR being filed against him, and gave the owner the option to clear the dues in instalments. For more news and current affairs from around the world, please visit Indiatimes News. The upcoming yellow line of the Namma Metro in Bengaluru will be the first in India to use artificial intelligence (AI) to monitor tracks. According to Namma Metro officials, the AI technology will be able to detect anomalies on railway tracks and issue alerts to the Operation Control Centres (OCC) via the Train Control and Management System (TCMS), making it safer. BCCL How AI will monitor tracks The AI system will be fitted on the pilot train, which is also the inaugural journey of the day. The pilot train has personnel from various teams, such as rolling stock, traction, signalling, and track maintenance on board. This train runs at a reduced speed than regular services to examine all obstacles and potential issues along the route thoroughly. The pilot train will autonomously assess the condition of the track and if any anomalies are detected, it triggers alerts through AI software. By implementing this system in two train sets, redundancy is established to mitigate potential defects in one set. Will be implemented on other routes also Initially, the AI system will be deployed on the yellow line, but BMRCL plans to have the same feature on other upcoming lines that will have driverless trains. BCCL The Yellow Line of the Namma Metro is part of its Phase-II expansion and will have a total of 16 elevated stations. The Yellow Line which covers a distance of 18.8 km was started in 2017. Driverless trains on Yellow Line Once completed the Yellow Line will become the first Namma Metro route to have driverless trains. These driverless trains are being introduced as a part of the Communication-Based Train Control (CBTC) System, commonly known as Driverless Technology. BCCL According to BMRCL, the driverless trains will reduce the headway to 90 seconds from the existing two and a half minutes. While the trains can be operated without a driver, the BMRCL has decided to deploy Loco Pilots to allay passengers. The prototype of these driverless trains reached Bengaluru recently. For more news and current affairs from around the world, please visit Indiatimes News. Google's renewed push into the AI space by rebranding Bard into Gemini seems to be going the same way the original chatbot was, when it debuted in February 2023. Hurriedly launched to take on the hottest AI offering till then - OpenAI's ChatGPT, Bard made a disastrous debut when it delivered a factual error in a search demo Google shared widely. GOOGLE Bard or Gemini, the problems continue Exactly a year and billions of dollars later, Google seems to be in the same spot, again. Earlier this month Google renamed its AI chatbot Bard to Gemini and introduced a free app and subscription-based service for customers to try it out. Inaccuracies in image generation But things once again got to a rocky start with many pointing out that its image generation model was way off the mark and had several inaccuracies in depicting historical figures. "Can you generate images of the Founding Fathers?" It's a difficult question for Gemini, Google's DEI-powered AI tool. Ironically, asking for more historically accurate images made the results even more historically inaccurate. pic.twitter.com/LtbuIWsHSU Mike Wacker (@m_wacker) February 21, 2024 Many including Tesla CEO Elon Musk have blasted Google, for their poor execution of the AI feature with some even calling it 'racist'. Im glad that Google overplayed their hand with their AI image generation, as it made their insane racist, anti-civilizational programming clear to all Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 23, 2024 Google admits mistake On Friday Google admitted that things didn't go as planned and declared a temporary suspension of the image generation feature. "Its clear that this feature missed the mark. Some of the images generated are inaccurate or even offensive. Were grateful for users feedback and are sorry the feature didn't work well," Google said in a blog. AFP How Gemini messed up According to Google, the inaccuracies were the result of two mistakes: "First, our tuning to ensure that Gemini showed a range of people failed to account for cases that should clearly not show a range. And second, over time, the model became way more cautious than we intended and refused to answer certain prompts entirely wrongly interpreting some very anodyne prompts as sensitive," it said. Google in trouble for Modi reply Image generation is not the only trouble Gemini has caused Google recently. Gemini's response to a question about Prime Minister Narendra Modi has angered many in India. AP When asked if Modi, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky, and former United States President Donald Trump are "fascists," the bot gave different responses. For Modi, Gemini's alleged response was that the Indian PM has been "accused of implementing policies that some experts have characterised as fascists." This has not gone down well, and Minister of state for Electronics and IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar said on Friday that it was in direct violation of IT rules as well as several provisions of the criminal code. For more news and current affairs from around the world, please visit Indiatimes News. To turbocharge tourism, the Rajasthan State Tourism Department is rolling out an exciting plan: the luxurious Palace on Wheels train will now host enchanting destination weddings every Friday, complete with pre- and post-wedding photoshoots! iStock Excited about the initiative, Tourism Minister Diya Kumari said, "This move will breathe new life into destination weddings in Rajasthan, attracting both local and foreign visitors to experience our rich culture and traditions." Rajasthan: the ultimate wedding destination She said that the couples getting married at the Palace on Wheels can make their most important moments not only memorable, but also play the role of tourism ambassadors for Rajasthan and India. This innovative plan aims to boost revenue and create new opportunities in the tourism sector, leveraging Rajasthan's wealth of heritage properties and stunning venues like forts and palaces. TIL Rajasthan has 75% of India's old and historic buildings, which makes it the top spot for weddings in the country. According to the Tourism Department, there are over 120 forts, palaces, and traditional houses in Rajasthan where weddings take place. Unsplash Palace on Wheels - Indian Railways' regal train Operated by the Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation (RTDC), the Palace on Wheels is a unique train journey through Rajasthan's rich cultural heritage. Since its launch in 1982, this luxurious train has been a window into the lavish lives of Rajasthan's past rulers. With its beautifully restored carriages, each named after former Rajput states, the train offers a glimpse of old-fashioned charm with its fancy designs and comfy interiors. Rajasthan Tourism Travellers get to explore famous spots like Jaipur's bustling streets and Udaipur's peaceful lakes while enjoying delicious meals and traditional performances onboard. Guided tours of ancient forts and palaces reveal Rajasthan's fascinating history, making the Palace on Wheels an unforgettable adventure for anyone curious about the region's royal legacy. For more news and current affairs from around the world, please visit Indiatimes News. The Education Department took action against a female teacher in Bihar's Banka district after she allegedly took all the schoolchildren to a nearby temple to make them swear in the name of God when 35 went missing from her purse. Representational Image "Authorities acted after the local villagers strongly objected to the teacher's behaviour and created a ruckus in the school premises, seeking punitive action against her," sources told Times Of India. Why teacher took students to temple The incident occurred at a primary school in Asmanichak village in Banka's Rajaun block. The teacher, Neetu Kumari, asked a student to bring a water bottle from her purse. Upon checking her purse, she found Rs35 missing and asked the students about it. Representational Image| Unsplash Since none of them gave a convincing answer, she took them to a nearby temple and asked them to swear by the deities. Teacher transferred amid uproar in village "The angry villagers asked, 'A school is a temple of learning. Here the children are imparted values but in this school, it is the teacher who is trying to prove them to be thieves! Imagine, what must have happened to the mental condition of the students?'" Lexica| Representational Image The local education authorities swiftly ordered her transfer to calm the tension. The Block Education Officer (BEO), Kumar Pankaj, said, "It is improper to suspect any students and punish them this way." He informed higher authorities about the action taken. Teacher denies suspecting students The teacher denied having doubts about any students and expressed shock and dismay at the villagers' reaction. "I have been teaching at this school for the past 18 years. How can I doubt my own students?" she asked. The stolen money has not been recovered yet. "A strong resentment prevails among the local villagers over this incident, and we have called a meeting of teachers and parents on Saturday. We are trying to restore normalcy and ensure such things don't happen in the future," said local mukhiya Anupam Kumari. For more news and current affairs from around the world, please visit Indiatimes News. Attention all adventurers and thrill-seekers gearing up for the ultimate challenge: Mount Everest! Get ready for an exciting update that's bound to ensure safer climbs in the majestic Himalayas. Nepal is about to roll out a game-changing rule for all climbers embarking on the Everest journey. Thinkstock Starting from this spring climbing season, climbers will be required to carry an electronic chip with them as a mandatory safety measure. The chip is designed to improve emergency rescue efforts and provide climbers with an added sense of security as they pursue their dreams of climbing Everest or other mountains around the world. This news is certainly welcome for climbing enthusiasts everywhere. High-stakes journey of Everest climbers "Thousands of climbers from around the globe, including India and Nepal, are drawn to the 8,849-meter (29,032-foot) high Mt Everest, also known as Sagarmatha in Nepali. Despite many successfully reaching the summit, some tragically lose their lives or suffer serious injuries during the climb," stated Nepali officials. According to government data, approximately 300 individuals have lost their lives on Everest since 1953. In the spring season of 2023, 12 climbers, including 4 Nepalese, 1 Indian, and 1 Chinese, died during their expeditions until May 22. Thinkstock "Situated at an altitude of 18,000 feet, Everest's base camp poses challenges for search and rescue operations due to snowstorms, avalanches, and extreme weather," officials noted. Fee attached: electronic chips for Everest climbers Rakesh Gurung, Director at the Department of Tourism, told PTI, "All climbers heading to Everest will be provided with the electronic chip by the government for a fee. It will be fitted into the climber's jacket." "The chips will be priced at approximately $10 to $15 each," Gurung added. He emphasized, "The chip will enhance safety during expeditions and facilitate emergency rescue operations." TIL Gurung also mentioned that some reputable climbing agencies have already equipped their climbers with these electronic chips. Risks of Everest trekking Thinkstock In 2019, climbing Mt. Everest became risky due to too many people and long waits. That year, a record 807 climbers reached the top, but some died waiting, according to an article in 'The Week' magazine. The problem was the short climbing time and bad weather, which showed how dangerous it can be at such high places with insufficient oxygen. Mt. Everest used to be a big challenge, but now it's like a popular thing to do, which makes it crowded and risky. Everest's e mergency room at 5,364 meters Amid safety concerns for trekkers, a beacon of hope emerges: the Everest Emergency Room. Founded in 2003 by an American doctor and overseen by the Himalayan Rescue Association, this facility is a crucial lifeline for climbers and Sherpas confronting medical crises amidst the rugged terrain of Mount Everest. AFP Operating at an altitude of 5,364 meters, the clinic battles freezing temperatures, fierce winds, and limited resources to provide critical care to those in need, as per an AFP report. Despite its life-saving efforts, the clinic struggles financially, relying on patient fees and donations, with unsuccessful attempts to secure government funding. However, it remains a beacon of hope, addressing the healthcare disparity between foreign climbers and Sherpas while facing the harsh realities of rescue operations on the world's tallest peak. For more news and current affairs from around the world, please visit Indiatimes News. Michael Judson Berry, an actor and mimicry artist, asked artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot ChatGPT to write a resignation letter impersonating Moira Rose, one of his favorite characters from the Canadian TV sitcom Schitt's Creek, and the resulting text is a true masterpiece of verbosity and theatrical flair, complete with his convincing voiceover. Who is best known for Moira Rose mimics? Berry is best known for his Moira Rose mimics | Image: Instagram Berry, best known for his Moira Rose mimics, has recently taken to Instagram to share his humorous experiments with ChatGPT, including the outgoing employee's Al-generated farewell email in her ever-dramatic manner. "I asked ChatGPT to write a resignation letter in the style of Moira Rose... with only mild jeujing, here it is," he explained. The letter begins with a salutation/greeting, referring to her coworkers as "esteemed colleagues." What did the resignation letter contain? The letter begins with a salutationgreeting | Image: Canva "It is with a doleful heart yet innately dramatic flourish as I pen this epistle to announce my departure from [workplace]. It is with bust forward energy that I mount this steed of possibility and gallop towards a new horizon. But know that in my mental rucksack I shall carry the memories of you, my dear coworkers, to whom I extend my deepest gratitude for contributing to the cacophony of chaos that has been the soundtrack of our shared experience. Moira Rose goes on to state that her colleagues presence made for an amazing support system 'to the grand spectacle of this professional escapade," the letter read. Further, it read, "Yes, as I bid adieu to this stage, I take with me the echoes of flamboyant meetings, extravagant coffee breaks, and the sublime hurly-burly that only a workplace such as ours could provide." How does the letter ends? The letter finishes with a reassurance that, while they are parting ways, it is "merely au revoir" rather than farewell. It ended as, "My bebes, it has been a pleasure. Yours theatrically, Moira Rose" Moira, one of the main characters of Schitt's Creek, is played by Catherine O'Hara. Check the full letter here. What do you think about this? Tell us in the comments. For more trending stories, follow us on Telegram. Declaring fearlessness against any opposition, businessman and lawyer, Asue Ighodalo, has asserted himself as the rightful winner of the Edo State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) gubernatorial primary. Recall that Ighodalo was pronounced winner by the primary election committees Chairman, Governor Dauda Lawal of Zamfara State The State Deputy Governor, Philip Shaibu, had protested the outcome, alleging irregularities in processes and claiming victory in the parallel primary endorsed by his faction and the State Executive Committee of the PDP. Reacting to the double primary, Ighodalo, in an interview on Channels Television said, I didnt even know that another candidate had emerged until I was listening to the trailer of this programme. What I know is that we went through a process thats in accordance with the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party, and properly conducted the primary in accordance with the partys constitution and guidelines. READ ALSO: Okpebholo Emerges Rerun APC Guber Candidate In Edo We had ward congresses, national delegates congresses and all other congresses that are accepted by the NWC. After going through all the congresses, the NWC published a list of those delegates as its supposed to do. And then the NWC also approved a national electoral committee headed by Governor Dauda Lawal. So, we went through the proper processes, accreditation and identification of delegates. INEC officials were present during the election as its supposed to be. Anything anybody is saying now is not in my place to talk about it. But I know we went through the right processes. So, Im not afraid of anything or anyone. We did things by the book, in accordance with the rule of law. Its when you break the law that you worry. I will repeat myself: when you follow the rule of law and you do things according to the books, you dont have anything to worry about. I won the primary. I am the only winner and Im not afraid of anything or anyone. Oksana Marchenko, a TV host and wife of former MP Viktor Medvedchuk, who is accused of treason, who has suddenly become more active on social media, may be preparing for active media activities in Russia. According to some reports, this is where the traitor is currently staying. ADVERTISIMENT OBOZ.UA has learned from its sources that the Kremlin is planning a large-scale campaign to promote Medvedchuk's political project "Other Ukraine," with Marchenko as its face. Her image will allegedly be built around "correct family values" and religion. According to insiders, the disgraced presenter mostly stays in Russia, but sometimes goes on vacation to the Mediterranean Sea in Cyprus. When the traitor is not basking in the sun, she is preparing for a disgusting project aimed at zombifying the population in the frontline regions of the Russian Federation and in the occupied settlements of Ukraine, sources told OBOZ.UA. ADVERTISIMENT "Oksana Marchenko will play a special role in the project a religious wife with ironclad family values for the Russian Federation. Her methodology: you need to give birth as early as possible and as many children as possible, abortion is a sin, and most importantly, there is only one God, and war is sacred," the insider says. In addition, the source said that Moscow officials are rumored to have had a romantic relationship with one of Russian President Vladimir Putin's bodyguards, who once helped her settle in Russia. In Moscow, Medvedchuk's wife can only trust traitors to Ukraine like herself, which is why, according to our source, she is "very friendly with Azarov and often drinks at the same table as the Yanukovychs." ADVERTISIMENT We would like to add that since Marchenko fled to Russia, her media activities have almost completely stopped. A month ago, the host posted the second season of her series Pilgrimage, filmed back in 2021. According to the traitor, in March 2022, the video footage was stolen in Kyiv, but 8 months later, "the thieves returned the video themselves." Only verified information is available on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber. Do not fall for fakes! Wale Edun, Nigerias Finance Minister and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, says approximately only 5% of people in Nigeria have more than N500,000 in their bank accounts. The Minister who disclosed this on Friday in an interview on Channels Television, said the Federal Government plans to rectify the economic imbalances that disproportionately favour a small group of elites in the last eight years over the majority of citizens. The aim of microeconomic reform, he said, is to ensure revenue is directed into the governments treasury. READ ALSO: Over 14 Million Hard Drug Users Are In Nigeria NDLEA His words: There has been an effort to ensure that the peoples money is not in the hands of a few. And on that point, I must emphasize that when we talk about the last eight years before Mr. President came to power, there was this liquidity built up. The Issue was that the funds were going to a few. Only about 5% of the population have bank accounts that have more than half a million in them. So, the majority was left out for eight years. They are on the sidelines while a small minority enjoyed. That is the major correction being made by Mr. President now. That is the major microeconomic reforms that have put in place. So therefore, government revenue that was outside the federal government consolidated revenue funds have been brought back to the government funds. Lateef Fagbemi, Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice says it will be a disrespect to the legislature if the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) doesnt shelve its proposed nationwide protest. Recall on February 16, the NLC announced a nationwide protest scheduled for February 27 and 28, in response to the economic hardship facing the country. This decision followed the conclusion of a 14-day ultimatum issued to the Federal Government regarding the widespread hardship. In a letter addressed to the counsel for the NLC, Femi Falana, dated February 23, 2024, Fagbemi reminded the Union of a subsisting order restraining the union from embarking on any industrial action. I wish to draw your esteemed attention to the Joint Press Release dated 8th February 2024, containing a 14-day ultimatum, jointly issued by the President of the NLC and President of the TUC as well as the notice of a two-day national protest issued by the NLC President on 16th February 2024. A cursory perusal of the above press release clearly shows that the planned protest is premised on or connected with alleged non-implementation of the 16-point agreement reached with the Federal Government on October 02, 2023, consequences of the hike in the price of PMS, and other associated issues. It is therefore safe to assert again that the proposed cause of action by NLC is targeted at achieving objectives or promoting issues connected with a hike in fuel price and consequential matters of palliatives workers welfare, and associated government policies. READ ALSO: NLC Declares Two-Day Protest Over Economic Hardship You may wish to note that the foregoing issues or objectives are at the core of the pending case before the National Industrial Court. Upon the submission of grievances to the court, parties in the suit cannot resort to public protests over the same issues, as such conduct amounts to gross contempt and affront to the institution of our courts of law. Therefore, the proposed nationwide protest action in all ramifications is in clear violation of the pending interim injunctive order granted in SUIT NO: NICN/ABJ/158/2023-FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OF NIGERIA & ANOR V. NIGERIAN LABOUR CONGRESS & ANOR on 5th June 2023 restraining both NLC and TUC from embarking on any industrial action or strike of any nature. It is not in doubt that the planned protest is designed to compel the government to accede to the demands of organised labour, therefore, such action qualifies as an industrial action which comes within the ambit of the restraining order. This restraining order has neither been stayed nor set- aside and therefore remains binding, the letter read partly. According to him, the government had substantially met the demands of the union as contained in the Memorandum of Understanding entered with the NLC. He added, I wish to note that the government has substantially and reasonably complied with the items in the MOU and it is only appropriate and equitable for organized labour to engage more with the government to ensure the full implementation of same, especially in areas that have been inhibited by unforeseen challenges. May I, therefore request that you kindly implore and enjoin your clients to refrain from self-help by shelving the proposed protests which are antithetical to the mediatory engagements leading to the execution of the MOU, tantamount to undermining subsisting restraining court order, and occasioning disruption of public service, order, and safety. Ango Abdullahi, Chairman of the Northern Elders Forum (NEF), has expressed support for the plan to introduce the parliamentary system of government to the country. Recall that the introduced bill, sponsored by 60 lawmakers, passed the first reading at the House of Representatives last week. Nigeria currently practices a presidential system of government. In a presidential system, which Nigeria practices, the citizens directly elect the President, meanwhile, in a parliamentary system, the legislature appoints a prime minister, with less defined separation of powers. Speaking with newsmen in Abuja on Friday, Abdullahi said as a Nigerian who witnessed the first republic legislature, the parliamentary system of government worked for the country. Averring that the presidential system has failed to move Nigeria forward over the past 24 years, he said, If you are talking of failure of the system, its totally unfair to say that the parliamentary system failed in Nigeria. It did not. Only that it has not been given sufficient time. READ ALSO: Reps Suspend Ban On Spirits, Alcohol In Sachets, Pet Bottles So, my personal position is that Im 100 percent against the presidential system of government. Its an unsuitable system not only for Nigeria but any country that is in this reckless, greedy Western world. The democracy the western world is trying to force down the throat of every nation in the world is to serve their interest. And check honestly, academically, materially and so on, see what happened since 1960 till date. Im a product of the first republic and I cherished being that product. As a teacher who marks exams from A1 to failure, Ill mark the pioneer leaders as A1 but the present leadership is F10. So when the military came and insisted that we should abandon what was kicked out in 1966, I think was the first major mistake this country ran into up till now. The presidential system is not a suitable system. This is my personal opinion, he detailed. Justice Ibrahim Kala of the Federal High Court in Lagos, on Friday, ordered the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to disclose its toll gates and parking lots fees earnings in all Federal Government owned airports and how much it remitted from January 2015 till January 2024. The Court also compelled FAAN (the sole respondent) to provide details of the revenue to a public interest applicant, the Registered Trustees of The Centre for Law and Civil Culture. Kala gave the agency three months to comply with the order. The applicant had filed the suit marked FHC/L/CS/1086/2022 following the respondents failure to accede to its freedom of information request of August 24, 2022, saying this violated the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act, 2011. B.O. Fowewe represented the applicant while A.A. Lawal appeared for the respondent. Following the conclusion of hearing of the matter on January 25, 2024, with both parties adopting their written addresses, the court adjourned for judgment. At the resumed hearing of proceedings yesterday, Kala granted the applicants prayer, stating that it had satisfied all the conditions stipulated in Section 20 of the FOI Act. READ ALSO: FAAN Suspends Taxi Services At Abuja Airport Justice Kala held, I shall, therefore, reach the irresistible conclusion that the lone issue for determination in this case, that is whether the respondent is mandated to provide the requested information to the applicant as provided for under the Freedom of Information Act, 2011 and the applicant entitled to the reliefs sought in their originating application, is resolved against the respondent and in favour of the applicant. The applicants application succeeds, and it is accordingly granted as follows: It is hereby declared that the refusal and failure of the respondents to accede to the applicants Freedom of Information requests dated 24/8/2021, 6/10/2021, and 22/4/2022 requesting to know the total annual generated revenue from the toll gates and parking lots in each of the Federal Government owned airports across the Federal Republic of Nigeria since 2015 till date is a gross violation of the Freedom of Information Act, 2011. An order of mandamus is, hereby, granted compelling the respondent to avail the applicant with the details of the statement of the accounts showing the total annual generated revenue from the toll gates and parking lots in each of the Federal Government owned airports across the Federal Republic of Nigeria and evidence of yearly remittance of such sum so generated per year from January 2015 to January 2024 within a period of three months from today. Arab country, Qatar has denied the request of President Bola Ahmed Tinubus to visit the nation in a bid to hold business talks. In a Thursday letter to Nigerias Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Qatar disclosed that it would be unable to hold the proposed forum on March 2 and 3 due to the lack of a legally binding agreement between the two countries. The Qatari government added that its Commerce Ministry had other commitments on the days Tinubu desired to visit. The Embassy has the honour to inform that the Ministry of Commerce and Industry in Qatar apologises that it will not be able to hold a Business and Investment Forum as proposed by Nigerian side, the letter read. READ ALSO: NDLEA Arrests Qatar-Based Businessman, Other With Psychoactive Substances It added that there is no any agreement signed between the State of Qatar and the Federal Republic of Nigeria on Investment Promotion and Protection. Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad bin Qassim al-Thani, Qatars Commerce Minister, it said, will be carrying out official missions outside the country during the upcoming visit period. The State of Qatar will be hosting a web summit during the suggested period and the states authorities will be preoccupied with this event, the letter detailed. It could be deduced that the failure to reschedule the business forum to a more convenient period by the Qatari government, suggests unwillingness to forge any economic alliance with Nigeria. The Nigeria Police at the Zone 2 Command, Onikan, Lagos have arrested Ifeanyi Ogbugo, 46, a Sales Manager with Magnum Merchandise Limited located at Aspanda Market, Trade Fair Complex, Ojo, Lagos. Following his arrest, Ifeanyi was dragged before a Lagos Magistrates court for allegedly defrauding his employer, Mr. Magnum Ibe, the Managing Director of Magnum Merchandise Limited, of the sum of N35 million. Police claimed that the defendant, as a sales manager, sold all the goods in his employers shop and transferred the revenues to his own use rather than depositing the funds into his employers account. Following an investigation by Inspector Jaspa Oparaji and his crew, Ogbugo was charged with two counts of conspiracy and theft in the Tinubu Magistrates Court in Lagos Island. Police prosecuting counsel, ASP Francis Igbinosa told the court in the charge marked B/4/2024 that the defendant committed the offence on 23 August 2023 at Aspanda market, Trade Fair Complex, Ojo, Lagos. Igbinosa told the court that the defendant betrayed the trust reposed in him by his employer as a sales manager, sold his goods valued at N35m entrusted in his care and allegedly converted the proceeds to his use instead of remitting the money into his employers account. He said the offences committed were punishable under Sections 411 and 280 (1) (b) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2015. READ MORE: I And My Wife Separated Due To Irreconcilable Differences Ikechukwu Confirms Divorce The defendant, however, pleaded not guilty to the accusations, and Magistrate B. A. Sonuga granted him N2 million bail with two sureties in the same amount. Sonuga adjourned the case until 28 February 2024 for mention and ordered that the defendant be detained at the Ikoyi Correctional Facility until the bail requirements are met. Some yet to be identified gunmen, driving in a Sienna bus, reportedly fired at policemen conducting a stop and search operation in Port Harcourt, leaving one officer dead in the process. In a statement issued on Friday, the spokesperson for the Rivers Police Command, SP Grace Iringe-Koko, disclosed that the attackers fired directly at the officers without provocation. Grace added that one of the attackers was shot and died during the gun battle. She said: The sad incident occurred at about 9:45 p.m. on February 21 when unidentified hoodlums targeted policemen from Operation Sting of the Rivers State Police Command. While the officers were carrying out stop and search at Eliozu flyover, they were attacked by the hoodlums traveling in a carton-coloured, glass-tinted Sienna bus. The vehicles registration number remains unknown at this time. READ MORE: Rivers Police Arrest Three Lawyers Filing APCs Tribunal Petitions The attackers, arriving from the Rumuodumaya axis, opened fire on the police team, resulting in the tragic loss of one Inspector who valiantly sacrificed his life in the line of duty. Undeterred, the police team responded bravely, engaged the attackers, and managed to neutralize one of them who was wearing a mask. Unfortunately, the others managed to escape, but potentially sustaining gunshot wounds. Lindsey Noel, a professional magician, at home with her preserved pet rabbit, Herman. In life, Herman was a "fancy little man," and in death he wears a top hat, carries a cane, and resides on top of her piano. Read more Krusty Noodles was a killer. No bird, no bunny, no backyard rodent stood a chance when this feline assassin was on the prowl. But to Krustys humans, he was a lover a cuddler, an ear licker. And when the cats nine lives were up, his people could barely bear to say goodbye. I was saying, I wish we could keep him forever, said artist Kate Swan, who lives in Jenkintown. That gave Swans husband an idea. Advertisement Krusty Noodles hunter spirit now lives on his head and paws mounted with a dead mouse clutched triumphantly in his kitty teeth for all posterity. Its the centerpiece over my table. It really is the showpiece of my home, Swan said. I know thats insane, but its like, Ah, Krusty, what a champ. Beth did such a great job. Thats Beth Beverly, 46, proprietor of Diamond Tooth Taxidermy. An artist by training, the Delco native entered this ancient craft to pursue beauty, not pet preservation. But along the way Beverly found a calling that allows her to be of service to others at a vulnerable time. If I can provide them with a tangible token to move through their grief, thats what I want to do, Beverly said. Her pet-preservation skills have seen increased demand, a trend reflected worldwide. Between increases in pet ownership and pet spending, particularly in developed nations, the global pet-preservation market, valued at $87.6 million in 2022, is projected to surpass $111.4 million by 2031, according to Astute Analytica, a global market research company. Pet preservation now takes up the bulk of Beverlys practice, followed by couture and decorative work, including jewelry and furniture. Hunters trophy work isnt really her thing, but when she does it, she said, she makes a point of eating at least some of the animal to honor it. She has sampled coyote and fox. Some of taxidermys old guard frowns on pet preservation. They feel if youre doing dogs and cats, youre cheapening the art, she said. But Beverly isnt the old guard. Shes a member of MART the Minnesota Association of Rogue Taxidermists. A group with national members, its name speaks for itself. Art to taxidermy Taxidermy wasnt always the plan. After high school, Beverly studied jewelry design at the Tyler School of Art. She also went to circus school to train on the trapeze. For a time, she found employment as a simulated patient for medical training. While working as a window dresser for Daffys, the now-defunct discount retailer in Center City, Beverly started noticing dead birds during her lunch breaks. It broke my heart that they were just going to either rot on the sidewalk or get stepped on, so I just started picking them up and taking them home, Beverly said. There she would remove a wing, marvel at its beauty and think: Wouldnt that be pretty in my hair? So she got a book on taxidermy from the library and tried to teach herself. Family and friends were unfazed. They were basically like, Oh that Beth. This is her next thing. But it was much more than that. So Beverly enrolled in Bill Allens Pocono Institute of Taxidermy. At first, she did some trophy mounts for hunters, but she always gravitated toward fanciful creations. She made hats with birds and squirrels and all sorts of feathers, and wore them to equestrian events like the Devon Horse Show. That got her notice and commissions. One of those creations a friends deceased dog in a tiara and cape on a velvet pillow won an avant-garde taxidermy contest in Brooklyn. That opened doors. She was invited to do an AMC taxidermy reality show, Immortalized. The Netflix series Stranger Things needed some ethically sourced squirrels, so the prop manager came to her. HBOs The Righteous Gemstones also hired her. Shes given lectures and workshops on taxidermy at the University of the Arts, the Wagner Free Institute of Science, and New Yorks Morbid Anatomy. Shes done work locally for the Franklin Institute and the Academy of Natural Sciences and as far away as a hunting exhibit in Transylvania. Three freezers and a sense of honor But pet preservation also called companion aftercare is what commands most of her efforts now. At any given time, she has three freezers full of deceased critters at her Elkins Park home. Hers is intimate work, and Beverly takes the faith people put in her seriously. I love that people trust me, said Beverly, who would like to be a death doula for humans in the future. Its a great honor. Kaya Tinsmans dog Rothkos death at age 12 was a great loss for the Perkasie artist. He was with me through breakups and relationships and when I was living on my own for the first time, Tinsman, 39, said. He was my rock. He was my soulmate. Like all the animals Beverly preserves, the dog had to be frozen as soon after death as possible. Tinsman still recalls how kind Beverly was, letting her reschedule saying goodbye to Rothkos body multiple times. We had it planned, but I wasnt ready, said Tinsman. She was just very patient and accepting of my grieving process. The work Beverly does is as individual as the animals and their peoples relationships with them. Often her clients will just want a part of their pet as a keepsake. Ill ask clients, What part of your cat or dog do you cherish the most? Do you like to hold their paws? Do you like the way their tail wags? Do you like how their ears flop? she said. Even when she preserves the whole animal, her goal is to try to capture the animals spirit. When Bensalem tattoo artist Alexandra Fische, 34, brought her pet rat Bijoux to Beverly to be preserved, I just told her she was my spoiled little princess. Bijoux now stands on a purple velvet pillow Beverly sewed for her. She wears a tiara and rings on her paws that Beverly made for her. Her nails are polished. Professional magician Lindsey Noels rabbit Herman had quite a personality. When he died, Noel, 38, told Beverly, He was always a fancy little man. Stuffed Herman now wears a jaunty top hat and carries a cane, residing on the piano in Noels Cobbs Creek home. I like seeing him in my life still, she said. He was such an important part of the formative years of my life, and having him here as I grow and move forward is kind of beautiful. Its a part of my old life that Ive carried into this next chapter. The pet owners who turn to Beverly say there is solace in having part of their animal still with them. Mars Orathshei, 27, and Rio, his American Eskimo dog/Pomeranian mix, had been constant companions since Orathshei was a young teen. The little dogs favorite spot was riding draped across Orathsheis shoulders. When Rio died last year, Orathshei, who had researched taxidermists, sent his dog to Beverly from his home in Wisconsin. Rios soft, white coat has been made into a shawl-like mantle. A neckpiece of Rios jaw and teeth complete the memorial. The one time he felt safe was when he was up on my shoulders, Orathshei said. Orathshei, a manager for an insulation company, said he hasnt felt ready to wear the mantle yet. But the time will come. I feel like Im going to come home from work one day, and Im going to sit down and put it on and kind of think about everything. Once upon a time, Zuleyka Polanco, 34, never thought she would consider taxidermy for a pet. I was like, No way, I would never do that. Thats so weird. I couldnt bear to see my pet like that. But, she added, you never know how youre going to react to something until it happens. What happened is her husky Keeko got sick and died young. Beverly prepared the dogs skull, which is now part of a meditation area in Polanco and her wifes Willingboro home. They keep Keekos fur in a woven basket. Mostly when Im by myself in the house, I will sometimes open him up and pet him, rub on the ear, the Amazon fleet manager said. Seeing him there brings me some kind of peace because I feel like Im still taking care of him. Kate Swan didnt immediately warm to the idea of taxidermy for Krusty Noodles, her family cat, when her husband first suggested it. I was like, Thats disgusting! I just want his memory in my head. I dont want the cat carcass. Its a parade of death. I was just appalled. But her husband really liked the idea, so she started telling Beverly, a fellow artist she already knew, about her irrepressible hunter cat. Now Krusty presides over the familys dining room, prey and all. When my husbands friends come over, they literally say, What the [expletive]? Is that a real cat? And I tell them the story, and theyre like, Oh my God, that so cool. And more often than not, that leads to funny Krusty stories, in death as in life. Its such a comfort, Swan said. I love my taxidermy cat. Mayor Cherelle L. Parker speaks to press, community members and officials about the collaborative work with the city and community to clean up the streets and neighborhoods of Philadelphia in the neighborhood of Strawberry Mansion, in Philadelphia on Friday. Read more Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle L. Parker pledged Friday that her administration would crack down on nuisances like illegal dumping, abandoned vehicles, and trash-strewn empty lots in her quest to shed the citys long-held, undesired moniker: Filthadelphia. And she said shes willing to spend more money to get it done. Parker and members of her administration said their initiatives to clean and green the city will hinge on enforcing already existing laws and will be a key priority in the mayors upcoming budget proposal, which is set to be unveiled in March and will represent the first major opportunity for her to advance her agenda. She made the comments Friday morning while standing on a sidewalk on the 29th Street corridor in Strawberry Mansion, a culturally vibrant enclave of North Philadelphia that for decades experienced disinvestment and population loss. Parker toured the neighborhood with community leaders, elected officials, a large portion of her cabinet, and representatives from more than a half-dozen agencies including the parking and housing authorities. Advertisement Her administration said the tour would be the first in a series of visits to the citys dozens of commercial corridors, many of which were once bustling business hubs but have over the years been burdened by nuisance businesses, blight, and illegal dumping. This is a prototype of what we need to address in neighborhoods across the city of Philadelphia, Parker said as street cleaners cleared debris from the road and inspectors took note of abandoned houses. You watch us. Were going to enforce the law here. Parker hinted that she may propose bolstering funding to the Department of Licenses and Inspections, which enforces building safety regulations and the city code. This fiscal year the department was allocated $44.2 million out of the citys $6.2 billion budget. She noted that L&I generates more annual revenue about $87 million than it spends. She also already announced that her administration is splitting the department in two, and that one arm will be focused exclusively on enforcing quality-of-life issues. The upcoming budget proposal may also include more dollars for PHL Taking Care of Business, a program to clean and beautify commercial corridors that she created when she was a member of City Council representing parts of Northwest and Northeast Philadelphia. The initiative began citywide in 2020 and currently employs 200 part-time employees who work in dozens of corridors. READ MORE: Parker campaigned on expanding her commercial corridor cleaning program And Parker has vowed that in the early days of her administration, her team will review the citys Land Bank, an opaque bureaucracy that was created to sell off vacant or tax delinquent city-owned land, but has been slow to do so. She said expediting the sale of more land to communities and responsible developers is key to cleaning the city. And while pointing to an empty lot filled with garbage, she said some programs for cleaning lots are seasonal but must be funded year-round. Were going to demonstrate very specifically that none of these different line items are in isolation, Parker said. Youll see clean and green through the budget. Parker is not the first mayor to pledge an improvement in quality-of-life issues, and Philadelphia lawmakers have for generations proposed programs and regulations to address nuisances. More than 20 years ago, former Mayor John F. Streets administration committed $1.6 million to tow thousands of abandoned cars he claims to have removed more than 289,000 during his two terms. But many of the neighborhoods that were the focus of that effort including Strawberry Mansion today have thousands of abandoned car complaints piling up, and theres no comprehensive city plan to deal with it. Carlton Williams, the former Streets Commissioner now serving as Parkers director of clean and green initiatives, said his office is charged with bringing together disparate agencies and groups, from Licenses and Inspections to the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, to streamline city service delivery. Now Im able to coordinate those services together, he said. Before, we had to request it, and unfortunately there might have been other competing priorities where things didnt get addressed. But together now, we can do this holistically. Parker wasnt shy about that Friday, repeatedly calling on top officials to take note of what they saw. She summoned Commerce Director Alba Martinez when she came across a corner business with wires hanging from its awning and cooking grease on the sidewalk. And when Parker saw a large abandoned van covered in graffiti and with a broken windshield sitting on the street, she called for Parking Authority executive director Rich Lazer to have a look. A half-hour later, as Parker was already on her way back to City Hall, a tow truck hauled it away. Mayor Cherelle L. Parker wants all city workers to work in person. Read more Mayor Cherelle L. Parker has ordered top city officials to return to full-time in-person work beginning next month, according to a memo sent Friday to high-level members of her administration. I recognize that working from home offers a flexibility that may better facilitate balancing professional and personal responsibilities and commitments, however, I feel strongly that a more consistent in-office presence will result in better communication, professional boundaries and work environments where Equal Employment Opportunity and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion are truly realized, Parker wrote in the memo, which was obtained by The Inquirer. The policy change, which was first reported by NBC10, takes effect March 4 and applies to All Cabinet members, direct reports to the Office of the Mayor, Commissioners, Directors and Deputy Directors, the memo said. READ MORE: Mayor Parker is considering more days in-office for city workers to help Center City bounce back Advertisement Almost all of those officials, however, already work in-person, making the order less of a major shift in city operations and more of a statement: It shows that Parker plans to follow through on her goal of bringing the entire municipal workforce back full-time despite some rank-and-file city employees saying that they may look for work elsewhere if they are forced to return to the office. Parker has said she wants to bring city workers back to the office to show that City Hall is committed to boosting the local economy at a time when the vacancy rate in the citys office sector is about 19%, according to commercial real estate services firm Jones Lang LaSalle. Hybrid work has resulted in substantially fewer office workers in Center City, especially on Mondays and Fridays, even as the downtown residential population is booming and tourism has almost recovered to pre-pandemic levels. Philadelphia can only truly say we are open for business when all of our workers are back in the office Monday through Friday, Parker said recently. The memo, however, did not touch on the economic impact of bringing city workers back to their offices, and instead cited benefits like improved communication. This decision was made with several factors in mind, including sustaining a framework of collaboration and efficiency and delivering on my promise of a more visible and accessible workforce, Parker wrote. I appreciate and expect everyones cooperation and compliance with this decision and understand this transition will require some adjustment. Tiffany W. Thurman, Parkers chief of staff, said the memo shows the administration will deliver on our promise of a more visible and accessible city government. We are not a virtual administration, Thurman said. We are a watercooler administration. Staff writer Jake Blumgart contributed to this article. On the second anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, King of Great Britain Charles III addressed the free people of the unbreakable country. The monarch expressed his admiration for the courage of Ukrainians entering the "tragic third year" of the great war. ADVERTISIMENT He also added that he was proud to be involved in Ukraine's fight against the bloodthirsty aggressor. The relevant post appeared on the ruler's page with a photo taken during a meeting with President Volodymyr Zelenskyi. "The determination and strength of the Ukrainian people continues to inspire as the unprovoked attack on their land, their lives, and their livelihoods enters its third tragic year. Despite the enormous hardship and pain they have endured, Ukrainians continue to demonstrate the heroism with which the world so closely associates them. This is true valor in the face of unspeakable aggression," His Majesty said. ADVERTISIMENT The King assured that he has felt the strength of Ukrainians' spirit personally during the numerous meetings he has had since the beginning of the full-scale war, from the couple Volodymyr Zelenskyi and Olena Zelenska to the recruits who are training in the UK. "I continue to be greatly encouraged that the United Kingdom and our allies remain at the forefront of international efforts to support Ukraine at this time of such great suffering and need. My heart goes out to all those affected and I keep them in my thoughts and prayers," the monarch said. ADVERTISIMENT As you know, the King hasn't been seen in public much lately due to his cancer diagnosis. Only two days ago, he held his first official meeting in several months at Buckingham Palace. Only verified information is available on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber. Do not fall for fakes! A passenger wears a mask in January at the Metro Center station. The CDC's planned isolation revisions for covid say people could return to school and work if they have been fever-free for at least 24 hours without the aid of medication and they have mild and improving symptoms. MUST CREDIT: Matt McClain/The Washington Post Read more Concerns among medically vulnerable people are growing as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention prepares to drop its long-standing recommendation that those with COVID isolate for five days. People with compromised immune systems worry that co-workers will return to the office while theyre still contagious. At the same time, the few remaining policies guaranteeing paid leave for employees with COVID are largely coming to an end. New York, the only state that still requires paid leave for COVID isolation, is considering ending that benefit this summer. Even as many cheer loosening isolation guidance, others are troubled by federal health officials' latest move to stop treating COVID as a unique respiratory viral threat. The forthcoming change, first reported by The Washington Post, says people could return to school and work if they have been fever-free for at least 24 hours without the aid of medication and they have mild and improving symptoms. Advertisement This would be similar to the guidance for people with influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). Supporters, including prominent physicians and public health experts, say its the right move, reflecting the reality that many people with COVID are not isolating and the threat of severe illness has dimmed as a result of vaccination, prior infections, and antiviral treatment. But critics say COVID should not be treated like other respiratory viruses because it currently hospitalizes and kills more people than flu and can inflict long-term complications that scientists are still trying to understand. "I feel like I'm on an island by myself," said Lisa Savage, a 60-year-old retired nonprofit fundraiser in Charleston, S.C., who has several autoimmune diseases that keep her body in a constant state of inflammation. Savage said the CDCs proposed changes scare her. When she hears people say its time for the country to move on, she thinks: Lucky for you. Those of us with compromised immune systems dont have that luxury. The CDC is expected in April to release the proposed revisions to the isolation guidance and seek public feedback. The science around infectiousness and transmission has not changed. Someone who tests positive for COVID can still be infectious beyond five days. People without symptoms or fever can transmit the virus very early in their illness. Whats not known, experts say, is how closely people have followed the five-day isolation recommendation and whether loosening the guidelines will impact community transmission rates. Oregon got rid of its five-day isolation requirement for COVID in May 2023 and told people to stay home until they recovered similar to other respiratory illnesses while avoiding vulnerable people for 10 days and wearing a mask around others. The state did not experience any disproportionate increases in community transmission or severity compared with California, which kept its five-day isolation recommendations in place until January 2024, according to data shared last month with the national association representing state health officials. Loosening the isolation recommendations will increase the risk to people who are immunosuppressed, said Walid Gellad, a physician and professor of medicine at the University of Pittsburgh. But he said those risks must be weighed against the downsides of a lengthy isolation, including people missing work and school. It really is a different world now, he said. Katelyn Jetelina, an epidemiologist who follows COVID-19 policy closely, said health policy is complex and needs to take into account trade-offs that change over time for a U.S. population of 330 million people with different priorities, risk factors, behaviors, and beliefs. We ultimately need guidance that is protective and actionable and feasible, she wrote in her most recent weekly newsletter. Public health experts say its also reductive to cast revised guidance as sacrificing the immunocompromised and elderly to minimize economic disruptions. They say there is a middle ground between living in fear and ignoring the virus. Paul Offit, a pediatric infectious-disease specialist at Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia, said high-risk people would benefit if Americans focus more on isolating while sick rather than which virus they have. I think people have this notion that if they dont have COVID, theyre good, Offit said. But all of these viruses can cause people to be hospitalized or go to the intensive care unit or die so therefore stay home when youre sick, even if youre not in a high-risk group. Public health officials have justified easing measures to limit COVID transmission by pointing to sharp declines in hospitalizations and death since the pandemic began. But long COVID activists have maintained doing so neglects how the virus can cause lingering, sometimes debilitating, symptoms with no clearly defined cure. All along the CDC has been part of misleading the public about viewing this crisis as an acute crisis, not as something that has a huge chronic impact, said JD Davids, co-director of Long COVID Justice. It furthers this dangerous idea that we are supposed to all just be sick all the time transmitting illnesses to others and just keep working. The last major revision in CDC isolation guidance, from 10 to five days in December 2021, prompted a flurry of companies pulling back on paying employees to stay home when infected with COVID-19, including Walmart, Amazon, CVS, and Walgreens. Now far fewer employers offer any sort of paid leave for COVID and instead require workers to use traditional sick time benefits, if they even offer them. Others say employees must return to work when asymptomatic or fever-free, or even while still sick. I would imagine that employers that want to scale back [paid leave] would use the CDC guidance as the rationale for doing so, said Vicki Shabo, a senior fellow who focuses on paid leave policy at New America, a left-leaning think tank. But what I hope employers understand is ensuring their workers can stay home when they are highly contagious is better for business, better for morale and better for productivity. Almost 1 in 4 workers do not have even a single paid sick day, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. When the coronavirus swept the world in 2020, the United States required businesses with 50 to 499 employees to offer paid time off to workers with COVID. The rule lifted at the end of that year, prompting some states and cities to enshrine similar protections that have now expired. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) has proposed ending the nation's only state law requiring paid leave for COVID isolation. Business groups in the state say ending paid COVID leave is long overdue, especially when New York has a broader law mandating paid sick leave. Its time to wind down these special COVID benefits out there, and this is the last remaining one, said Frank Kerbein, director of the center for human resources at the Business Council of New York. We dont have a tuberculosis paid leave program. COVID isolation policies have been especially challenging for health-care systems that have dealt with staff shortages but must also protect patients from infectious disease. Northwell Health, New York's largest health-care system, offers five days of COVID leave in line with state guidance and requires workers to wear masks for another five days when they return. In the first week of February, 123 of the more than 80,000 employees were isolating, according to the hospital system. But Northwell leaders also believe a 24-hours fever-free approach as planned by the CDC makes sense as a threshold for determining contagiousness for workers. When health-care workers no longer have that need to stay in isolation because they are no longer in a contagious state, we need them, said Peter Silver, senior vice president for Northwell. CDC officials have told The Post the new isolation recommendations would not apply to hospitals and other health-care settings with more vulnerable populations. Activists have organized to preserve New Yorks COVID leave policy, saying its repeal would hurt low-wage earners and people at risk of severe illness. "We know that COVID is not done altogether, and it would be too soon to make this big of a change when we still see some spikes," said state Sen. Jessica Ramos (D), who leads a labor committee and has opposed the governor's attempt to sunset the paid leave law. "Making sure that workers are as safe as they can be should be one of our number one missions." Proponents of easing the isolation guidance say the existing recommendation creates a dilemma for some: Rather than face onerous and potentially costly isolation for a mild illness, people may instead embrace ignorance as bliss and not test for COVID. Atlanta pediatrician Reshma Chugani often has parents declining a coronavirus test for sick children because they don't want their kids to miss school for five days, resulting in parents having to skip work, if the test is positive. Plus, she said, there is no treatment for most children, since the antiviral Paxlovid is approved only for people 12 and older. Many schools, which rely on attendance for funding, have increased pressure on parents who keep children out of school for extended periods of time, sending letters home flagging the number of absences, even when they are sick with COVID. That has put pediatricians in a pickle from a public health standpoint, Chugani said. We run the risk of exposing vulnerable people by sending sick kids to school, she wrote in an email. On the other hand, children missing school is a real problem as we saw with learning loss, isolation, mental health issues during the height of the pandemic. Her college-age son caught COVID for the first time last week and had to isolate in his dorm for five days, per school policy. He had no fever, and because there were no remote options, he had to miss four days of class, emerging in time to attend a Super Bowl party. Andrew Franks, a Boston-area consultant who has a 2-year-old daughter, said he takes the virus seriously as a leading cause of death but is frustrated employers don't offer more incentives to isolate when sick. His wife has only seven sick days a year. His daughter has to wait at least five days and a negative test result to return to day care if she tests positive, and he would need to take off work to care for her. One COVID case spreading throughout our entire household could very easily drain all of our sick time, said Franks, 37. He said he understands why many parents are no longer testing for COVID when their children fall ill. If I test her and she tests positive, she has to stay home for as long as two weeks, Franks said. But if I dont test her and she never spikes a fever, life can go on. Its really perverse incentives. There are many different areas of our lives that require expectation management, from work to home, to our relationships. Our expectations can have a profound effect on how we feel. Expectations are defined as beliefs about future events, outcomes or behaviors, shaping a persons outlook and influencing their decision-making. This week, Ill chat about expectation management and how Ive learned to deal with expectations in different areas. Recipe wise it is a turkey stir fry, which will definitely meet all your expectations! This is an Olympic year which means that lots of athletes from around the country are planning to travel to Paris and compete in the Olympic Games for Team Ireland. I competed in my first Olympic Games 20 years ago and it taught me a huge life lesson in managing expectations. I travelled to that Olympics with the hope that things would click into place and I would be among the best in the world. I was very wrong! After that experience, I sat down and analysed how I could improve as an athlete and ultimately manage my expectations. In the years since, I feel that experience has stood to me. No matter who you are and how your life looks, you will have expectations. Whether that is preparing for an Olympic Games, planning a wedding, starting a new job, getting fit etc, managing these expectations is really helpful to get the most out of various parts of your life. There are three ways that I try to manage my expectations that Ive found helpful in various areas of my life. 1. Be realistic Our expectation should be based on something that is realistic. For example if you want to increase your fitness you need to look at where you are currently and aim for a level that is realistic from that point. If youve never run before then aiming to run a marathon isnt particularly realistic but aiming to run 5km is. Set your expectations to match your reality. Its so easy to feel disappointed about not reaching a goal, but if your goal and your expectations are grounded in reality then youre far more likely to get the desired outcome. 2. Stay present When I was in the world of professional sport I had to work hard on staying present. If my expectations of a performance were particularly high, I needed to stay grounded in the present moment and the tasks that would get me to that performance. If I drifted towards my expectation of how the achievement would feel, then I struggled to perform. I found using elements of mindfulness really helpful. Staying present can also be really helpful if your expectation of a future situation is negative. 3, Support network Having a support network to talk through your expectations and to give you feedback on your expectations versus reality is really critical. By nature, I can be overly optimistic and regularly need to talk through what Im expecting from situations. For example, in a work setting this can be as simple as me discussing the long-term outcome of a project with someone and working through the steps to get to the outcome with someone connected to the project, this support helps me greatly. Talking to a counsellor or mental health professional in the area of expectation management can be a great help. Wellness Tip: Grab a pen and paper, write down a scenario where you have high expectations and write some key points around this. What can you do to help manage those expectations? Fitness Tip: Its a great time of year to resume walking/jogging if you havent been out in a while. Try 30 seconds of a brisk effort and 1 minute relaxed pace for 30 minutes. Turkey Stir Fry recipe by:Derval O'Rourke This turkey stir fry will definitely meet all your expectations. Servings 2 Preparation Time 10 mins Cooking Time 15 mins Total Time 25 mins Course Main Ingredients 2 tbsp coconut oil 1 onion, finely sliced 1 chilli, finely chopped 4 garlic cloves, crushed a thumb-sized length of ginger, grated a handful of broccoli, broken into small florets 1 carrot, peeled and cut into matchsticks 1 pepper, finely sliced 2 chicken fillets, roughly chopped 3 tbsp soy sauce 1 tbsp fish sauce 1 packet of straight to wok noodles a handful of basil leaves Method Heat the coconut oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion, chilli, garlic and ginger and stir-fry for about 3 minutes. Add the broccoli, carrot and pepper and stir-fry for another 3 minutes. Add the chicken, soy sauce and fish sauce and stir-fry for 8 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Add the straight to wok noodles 6.Spoon the stir fry into warmed serving bowls. Tear the basil leaves and scatter over the stir-fry. Serve without delay. I have never visited the eastern Ukrainian town of Avdiivka, but I grew up in neighbouring Donetsk. The two are connected by a frequent bus service bus number 105. Starting at the giant main city market of Donetsk, the yellow Ikarus bus, made in socialist Hungary, could be seen moving through the city centre, heading to nearby Avdiivka. It was always crowded. Knowing all the bus numbers and routes was a part of my childhood identity, that is where I am from, Donetsk a huge city of coal miners. Avdiivka is a medium-sized town, and while I was never there, I can still remember the flames escaping from a chimney at the local chemical plant, every time we passed it. Bus 105 existed in the USSR before 1973, when I was born. It was functioning after 1991 when Ukraine got its independence. It suddenly stopped in 2014, 10 years ago, when Russian proxies occupied Donetsk and the city became the so-called DPR (Donetsk People's Republic), and Avdiivka remained in mainland Ukraine, the road to Avdiivka became the frontline. In 2022, Russia proclaimed Donetsk to be the territory of Russia. This week, on the second anniversary of the invasion, Russian troops captured Avdiivka after four months of fierce fighting. The town, like the 105 bus, is no more. It has been levelled, mined all over, covered with dead bodies. It will never be restored or rebuilt. No one will ever live there again. A Ukrainian APC fires towards Russian positions near Avdiivka, in the Donetsk region, Ukraine, on Friday, April 28, 2023. Picture: AP. I feel like I have lost parts of my past, parts of my personality, parts of consciousness, body parts. And there is nowhere to hide from myself. There are much fewer headlines about Ukraine in the Western media than two years ago, but a devastating war in Ukraine rages on. The headlines we read daily in the Ukrainian media are not the same as the headlines most Europeans are reading. Rusian missiles are still raining down. The blood still runs in the streets. The bodies piling up. The pure, triple-distilled evil that came to our land from Russia can still be seen, heard, and felt in daily deadly airstrikes and artillery fire. 'Life is different' For Ukrainians who fled to Ireland, life is different. But we all share one thing most of us have no long-term plans. Many of us are still struggling to prove to ourselves and others that Ireland is our new home. How do we do it? One of my friends in Dublin bought an expensive 1,000 euro lap dog, then bought a parrot, got a job, rented a house, put her children in a fancy school. Is she rooted enough now? Will she ever stop craving to be back home? Another sold her apartment in Kyiv, proving to herself that there is no way back. Does having an Irish boyfriend make you more rooted? Some who moved here two years ago are still sharing a hotel room with others. Some got highly-paid office jobs and are well integrated. Some are paralysed with depression paralysed by the constant bad news from a country once called home. Ukrainian resident Volodymyr Zelenskyy, 2nd left, looks at a map during his visit to Ukrainian 110th mechanised brigade in Avdiivka, on Friday, December 29, 2023. Picture: AP Yes, I do love everything Irish. I love the amazing and warmhearted Irish people. But does that make me happier? Will Ireland be a happier place if the tens of thousands of Ukrainians who fled here stay forever and become the largest immigrant community here? Will that make it feel more like home? There are still more questions than answers. But as humans, we always hope for good. I personally know refugees from Abkhazia (1992), refugees from Chechnya (1994-2000), people who escaped from Donetsk in 2014 all of them told me, with confidence, that they would be back home soon, in one to two months, or little more. None of them are. They have never been given the chance to return home. It is still too dangerous for them to enter any Russia-controlled territories. 'I still hope' I know all these stories, but somehow, from February 2022 till now, I still hope we will go back home soon. I still hope Ukraine will win the war. I still hope my country will again become peaceful and prosperous. All I have is hope. In reality, is there anything now to show that we will move to our native Donetsk? The answer is no. Is there any chance that we can bring our two children to Ukraine? No. It is still too risky. I am a former journalist and newsdesk editor. I like to talk and try to explain who is right and who is wrong. Sure, I have a lot to say, but since Putin's Russia started the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, there is no space for discussion anymore. No poetry, no philosophy, no diplomacy the future is going to be decided on the battlefield. For Ukraine as a country, as a name, as a place on the map, it is a question of survival. For the whole of Europe and Ireland, this war is a fight for our democracy, human rights, our values, and the meaningful things we stand for. If Ukraine loses that battle, then it becomes a question of survival for the whole of Europe, maybe Ireland too. Yevgeniy Ikhelzon is a former Ukrainian journalist who moved with his family to West Cork in 2022 Kneecaps Palestine protest Last week, The Late Late Show made headlines after the national broadcaster confirmed it had asked members of the Irish Women in Harmony group to remove badges and clothing which showed support for Palestine. Tonight, Kneecap clearly flouted the policy, with DJ Provai of the group performing a costume change while on the couch, which resulted in him revealing a Palestinian jersey. The action appeared to take Kielty by surprise, but the host dealt with it well. I have to say, you know, on the basis of this, that our thoughts are with everybody in that conflict, some horrific stuff is happening there. I am also obliged to say that in politics there is another side and some people might not agree with what youve done," he said. Mo Chara, another member of the group, said that the group were taking a stand. Were here to use our platform to highlight the genocide thats happening in Palestine at the moment, he said. We have to use this platform as an opportunity to ask the Irish people to attend rallies and protests, to support the BDS movement and to show solidarity to Palestine. Hopefully one day Palestine will be free," he concluded. In a statement after Irish Women in Harmony's performance last week, RTE said the national broadcaster's content "follows clear guidelines in regard to impartiality". RTE aims to facilitate open debate on issues of public interest and concern," it continued. As such we ask that participants do not wear badges, symbols or emblems related to one particular point of view in the absence of a forum for a representation of all views." Kielty goes for the jugular in opening monologue From his very first show, Patrick Kielty has shown hes not afraid to make jokes at the expense of his own bosses and he continued that trend tonight. Wasting no time in getting the digs in, Kielty kicked off proceedings on Friday by acknowledging the significant number of guests on the show tonight, joking there may not be a seat for everyone. We dont have enough chairs left in RTE, he fired off, in reference to Siun Ni Raghallaighs shock resignation on Thursday night. The advice Brendan Gleeson gave Cillian Murphy ahead of the Oscars Brendan Gleeson appeared on Friday night's The Late Late Show Brendan Gleeson was back on The Late Late Show on Friday night and Kielty was keen to ask him about what he made of Cillian Murphys chances of nagging the Oscar for his performance in Oppenheimer next month. What a treat he is, he said of the Cork man. How proud can you be of Cillian? Asked whether he thinks hell get the job done, Gleeson said honestly. I dont really care. "Honestly, it's one thing I learned about the whole procedure. Myself and Colin went to the Oscars, had a brilliant time.... all of these creative forces in the one room, it was extraordinary, it was a brilliant night. A lot of the time you can feel half your soul is gone because you've been told you're losing and we got through all that in a brilliant way, he said. I just dropped Cillian a note and said look, they can't take this one away because the nomination is the thing, after that it's showbiz. Whatever happens, happens. It will be brilliant if he wins but to me it's not the yardstick." Name checking Paul Mescal, Barry Keoghan, Andrew Scott, Saoirse Ronan and Jessie Buckley, he said all these fantastic Irish actors were "bringing heft to artistic exploration in film". "It's absolutely wonderful. It really is," he said. The Irish actor and director was on the show to promote his new documentary Brendan Gleesons Farewell to Hughess which will have its premiere at the Irish Film Institute on Friday, March 1 as part of the Dublin International Film Festival (DIFF). Gleeson, who is also a talented fiddle player, even treated viewers to a performance with some of his friends of 30 years who he has played with over the years in Hughes', the now defunct bar which was located on a side street behind the Four Courts in Smithfield, Dublin. Amanda Browne on the importance of telling stories of abuse The stepdaughter of paedophile rugby star and unionist councillor Davy Tweed was the final guest on Friday night. Introduced by Kielty as a woman who proves it is appropriate to sometimes speak ill of the dead, Brown, who was abused by Tweed from the age of eight to 15, said she has not been able to forgive Tweed for the torrent of abuse he inflicted on her and many others, though she spent two years trying to following his death in 2021. She had, however, forgiven the little girl she was for being afraid to speak up at the time, she said. I have gained a lot of healing from telling my story, and I know other people have gotten some healing from me telling my story, she said. In a powerful statement to other victims and those watching at home she said she believed it was important to tell stories like hers and have these conversations around dinner tables. "I think it's important that we share stories like these because the more we share stories like these, the fewer places that abusers have to hide." The 43-year-old has written a book about her story, No Peace Until Hes Dead, which is available now. Slipping a sparkler into the suitcase on a trip for two without your other half knowing isnt as easy as you might think. But thats what Darren Whelan did when he and his girlfriend Cathy Herra, both from Ballyfermot, Dublin, set off for Barcelona in August 2018. I had no clue he was planning to propose! she says. Cathy Herra. Pictures: Art Wedding Photo So when Darren asked her to marry him, it came as a complete surprise to Cathy and as a relief to Darren. His nerves were gone having had to carry the engagement ring through security at the airport, says Cathy. Darren popped the question in the privacy of their hotel bedroom decorated especially for the engagement by the team at their hotel. It was the best way to do it; he knew me well enough not to propose in public, adds Cathy. Darren Whelan. Pictures: Art Wedding Photo Cathy, a retail supervisor and Darren, a social worker, now live in Enfield, Co Meath, where they share their home with their much-adored red cockapoo Rua. The couple, who met as students 11 years ago, at Inichore College of Further Education, said their I dos in the Clanard Court Hotel in Athy, Co Kildare. Cathy Herra and Darren Whelan. Pictures: Art Wedding Photo Celebrant Shelly OShea led the spring ceremony and their reception took place in the same venue. Wedding co-ordinator Emma Ferris ensured the event went to plan and that it was a dream come true, adds the bride. Emma was amazing from the booking of the wedding to the day itself, says Cathy. Mother-of-the-bride Deborah Herra and the grooms mum Betty Whelan celebrated with the couple. Cathy Herra and Darren Whelan. Pictures: Art Wedding Photo Very much in their thoughts were the brides late father, Mark Herra, and the grooms late dad, Daniel Whelan. They were both very much missed on the day, says Cathy. My dad only passed, suddenly, four months before our wedding day, so it was a bittersweet occasion because of this. Darrens dad sadly passed when Darren was a teenager, and he was sadly missed on the day. Cathy Herra and Darren Whelan. Pictures: Art Wedding Photo Cathy chose her sister Lorna Herra to be her bridesmaid while Darrens friend Craig McAuley was his best man. The grooms niece Neveah Whelan and his goddaughter Cria McAuley, who is also the daughter of the best man, were delighted to be in the spotlight as flowergirls, as were Reuben and Riley Lawrence, Cathys nephews. Cathy Herra and Darren Whelan. Pictures: Art Wedding Photo Sebastian of Art Wedding Photography (artweddingphotography.eu) was behind the camera, as was Liam Anthony of Liam Anthony Photography, the videographer. Makeup artist Danielle Curran and Marina of Stylicious Bridal Hair & Makeup (stylicious.ie) were the bridal hair and makeup team. Cathy looked elegant in her dream wedding dress, sourced at Angelo Bridal Dublin. Cathy Herra and Darren Whelan. Pictures: Art Wedding Photo Darren and his attendants were dapper in suits from Aston Formal Wear, Temple Bar, Dublin, and Love Sives Flowers created the floral decor. The newlyweds honeymooned in Belgium and the Netherlands, visiting Brussels, Bruges, Ghent, Antwerp and Amsterdam. An event titled "Azerbaijani Cuisine and Culture" was hosted in Ashgabat by the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan in Turkmenistan. The gathering welcomed diplomats from various foreign missions in Turkmenistan, local community leaders, and Azerbaijanis living there. Attendees had the opportunity to savor delectable Azerbaijani dishes and sweets while enjoying traditional Azerbaijani music. A captivating video showcasing Azerbaijan was also featured. The event included the display of souvenirs reflecting Azerbaijan's rich history, culture, and artistic heritage, as well as locally made Azerbaijani products. Furthermore, prizes were awarded to winners of a competition focusing on Azerbaijan. Roman Timofieiev, a fashion journalist, and former editor of ELLE and Harper's Bazaar magazines, who is familiar with business etiquette and dress code, drew attention to the images of family members of the so-called opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who died more than a week ago. The fashion expert took as an example the meeting between Yulia Navalnaya and her daughter Daria with US President Joe Biden. ADVERTISIMENT The Russian women came there in different outfits - Navalnaya in a blue dress and her daughter in a black skirt. Timofieiev shared his thoughts on the Boldface Telegram channel. "For many years I have been giving lectures on dress code and etiquette, on fashion diplomacy, on the symbolism of things. I look at these photos and can't understand why Yulia Navalnaya hasn't been wearing black all this time," the fashion journalist wrote. This is not the first time Navalny's widow has communicated in colored clothes, although in her case it would have been more appropriate to broadcast her grief by choosing black clothes, as is customary, though not all over the world, but in most civilized countries. ADVERTISIMENT Alexei Navalny's daughter, for example, followed this tradition, but her outfit also alarmed users. In the comments, Roman Timofieiev was asked how appropriate it was to wear a miniskirt to such a meeting and at such a difficult time for the family. ADVERTISIMENT "It is usually recommended not to wear a mini for such meetings (including because you can sit in a chair in an official photo with the effect of the movie Basic Instinct), but there is already a precedent in the form of the first lady of France, Madame Macron, who loves a mini and consistently wears it to very protocol meetings. But at the same time, I don't know if it is really appropriate in times of grief," the expert wrote. Only verified information is available on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber. Do not fall for fakes! A covid-interrupted trip to Thailand is finally rescheduled and begins as all great Thai trips do with a few nights in wonderful and wild Bangkok. Catching up with friends in the frenetic city is fun, but its the sleepy towns up north that are on my mind this trip. Neither the cities of Nan nor Phrae can rival a plenty-to-do destination like Chaing Mai, the biggest tourism draw in northern Thailand, but they feel exciting and authentic, offering a view of the north quite unlike any Ive experienced before. Under-visited, these smaller towns reveal a new side to life and the potential in this rather vast and varied country. Bars may be hard to find, and there are no international restaurants, but the compensations are many. It is brilliantly green and the areas we visit have been rejuvenated by those affected by covid, who had to abandon life in the big city and return home for financial or family reasons. Terraced rice in the mountains, Nan Province, during rainy season in October with green field. Picture: Aerial view by Drone Thailand Staying in small but good quality hotels, we are amazed at how far our money goes. (Doubles cost 20-40. Food and drink prices are about 60/70% of Bangkok rates and about 30% of what one would expect to pay at home.) And then there are all these great opportunities to connect with the community. Conveniently, Nan Sakhon Airport is a short ride to the centre of town and is a throwback to Cork Airport of the 1960s with one arrival and departure area and domestic flights only. Nan is not the centre of the universe and English is still a language not widely understood or spoken. However, there are transport facilities at the airport and taxi companies who offer hourly or daily rates, with a driver, at prices which would make car hire companies in Ireland blush. Our first brush with sustainable tourism comes on a visit to Cocoa Valley Resort, where we learn about cacao farming and see the production of chocolate bars. Food and drink prices are about 60/70% of Bangkok rates and about 30% of what one would expect to pay at home A rural complex, owned and managed by a 30-something couple from Pua (halfway between Nan and Phrae), its an impressive venture. Hankering for home comforts in Bangkok, they have set up a new hotel and restaurant venture around a 200-acre cacao farm. Its not merely about chocolate products either. Here, sustainable tourism has been perfected by the near 100% use of the base product, for quality chocolate and a range of sustainable products like natural cosmetics, textiles, and souvenirs. It has all been developed with a clear vision and goals to attract more overseas visitors to this quiet tourist trail. Visitors to the area numbered 30,000 in 2023, of which only about 5,000 were from overseas. If youre looking for off the beaten track, this part of Nan province delivers. Wat Phrathat Pu Jae in Nan Province is just one of many temples you can visit At the other side of Pua town lies the Doi Silver factory, a famous handicraft centre which has inherited silver arts and crafts from ancestors with more than 70 years of experience fashioning silver jewellery. Said to offer the best source of silver in Thailand, its designs are sought after in several parts of the world, especially in the US. The display is quite stunning and the range hugely impressive and, because this centre and store is essentially a wholesale business, prices are amazingly competitive. We visit the Wat Phuket temple in Pua, just one of many visits to the temples in both provinces particularly over the border in Phrae. A later visit takes us to Wat Phumin, the most famous and ancient royal temple of Nan, almost 400-years-old and an example of Thai Lue architecture. Salt is another natural resource, and a trip to Bo Kluea natural rock salt pond introduces us to an area that has been a significant source for salt production since ancient times. Here, the villagers make a living in salt production and are delighted to welcome visitors from overseas. We partake in a workshop and produce some indigo goods; a journey of discovery in design In the midst of mountain terrain, surrounded by lush green valleys, rice fields and waterfalls, Sapan village leads to Sapan Waterfall from there we stop in a small cafe called Yud Weia, which means stop the time. Tiny and hidden away, it offers some of the most amazing 360-degree views imaginable. This is nature at its very best. Our last day in Nan begins at 5am, with a departure from the very comfortable and friendly surroundings of our hotel to the towns market area offering alms to Buddhist monks some of whom are trainees as young as 10. Our route to Phrae takes us past the Ban Matjal Homemade (clothes) and Cafe. Owned by a young entrepreneur, he has developed a new way to present the famous indigo clothing of Phrae. We partake in a workshop and produce some indigo goods; a journey of discovery in design, with mixed results, I admit! Hom Mai Baan Din doubles as an ancient hat-crafting business in a small community. Visits to Baan Thung Hong, the home of the Mo Hom fabric where Mo Hom indigo dye is mixed, and to the Komol Antique Textile Museum where other memories fill our day before a restaurant stop at Hom Mai Baan Din which doubles as an ancient hat crafting business in a small community. This niche business is run by Chris, who spent the bulk of her working life as a senior tour guide in Bangkok, catering for parties of Spanish and Portuguese visitors. She only returned to Phrae due to lockdowns and to look after her elderly mother. Now, she is heading up a thriving cottage industry of her own, set in the family property, in a village made up of 26 hard-working families engaged in clay brick making as well as traditional crafts. This encounter reminds me of the pleasure of breaking free from the tourist trail. Thailand may be our favourite South East Asian destination, but its a thrill to know that theres still so much of the countrys heritage waiting to be explored. Northern Thai treats Traditional dishes in Nan include Kaeng Sanat, a traditional vegetable soup, Nam Ngiao, sticky white rice noodles served with a spicy curry soup and fried chicken with Indian Prickly Ash, a native shrub with a kick. In Phrae, Khao soi, a ubiquitous rice noodle dish, comes from the Burmese culinary tradition. A bowl will come for just THB30 (90c), indicative of the great value in Thailand for eating out. Escape notes Numerous airlines fly to Bangkok via main hubs, with departures from Cork, Shannon, and Dublin. The best time of the year to visit in this warm-weather country is September or October but November and December draw most visitors. Flights to Nan are ex-Don Mueang Airport with prices on Air Asia or Nok Air from around 100 return. There are currently no flights to Phrae. Where to stay Budget Baan Suan Leelawadee Resort is close to Wat Phumin and Nan Airport. Come Moon Hotel in Phrae has rooms from 20. Mid-range The Nan Boutique Hotel is within walking distance of the city centre. Rooms from 40. The hotel offers a great breakfast and welcoming staff.. In Phrae, rooms at Huern na na cost 35 with free bus station transfers. Luxury Nirvanan House is a 5-star property on the edge of town. Expect to pay from 170 per room. There are no five-star properties in Phrae. Barry was a guest of Tourism Authority of Thailand. While the world marks the second anniversary of Russias war in Ukraine, Larysa Gerasko points out it is, in fact, 10 years of war. That was when Russian-backed forces took control of parts of eastern Ukraine and when it annexed the entire Crimea. This week we commemorate 10 years of the war against Ukraine and two years of the full-scale invasion, because, as you know, Russia invaded Ukraine in 2014, said the Ukrainian ambassador to Ireland. She said that, despite the military onslaught since February 2022, Ukraine is still standing and fighting back. We have to defeat Russia because we dont have any other option, said Ms Gerasko. For Ukraine and for Ukrainians, its an existential issue its about our existence as a nation, as a country. The toll has been heavy. Unfortunately, we are losing a lot of civilians, we are losing our soldiers. Russia continues bombardment, launching missiles every single day. Russia is actually destroying our country, our infrastructure. The Ukrainian government has kept its losses a secret, but The New York Times reported last August that the death toll in Ukraine was close to 70,000. In addition, some 11m Ukrainian civilians are displaced internally, trying to flee the war in the east, and up to 7m have left Ukraine some 100,000 of them for Ireland. Ms Gerasko said Ukraine is confronted with a Russian leader in president Vladimir Putin who has no respect for life, including for his own soldiers. For him, human lives means zero. She said in the recent battle for Avdiivka, in the east, Russian forces suffered an estimated 50,000 casualties over six months trying to take it. Its a small town and actually the town doesnt exist anymore. They destroyed the town to ashes. Last December, declassified US intelligence reports assessed that Putins war in Ukraine had cost Russia 315,000 dead and injured troops. The Ukrainian withdrawal from Avdiivka is down to the rapidly depleting resources of the army, said Ms Gerasko. Actually, we left Avdiivka because of our shortage of ammunition. President Zelenskyy underlined this issue at Munich [Security Conference]. He stressed that we need ammunition and more weapons. Its an existential issue for our military forces right now. We are paying the biggest price human lives. Our soldiers, our men and women are sacrificing their lives. We need this assistance from Europe and from the USA, to have weapons in our arms. In March 2023, the EU agreed to supply 1m rounds of ammunition by March 2024, but at an EU defence ministers meeting earlier this month it emerged that around half of that will actually be supplied and that would rise to over 1m by the end of the year. It will be too late, at the end of the year. We are very grateful to all our partners for their assistance, but, it seems to me, that Europe should wake up more quickly and react more quickly and should deliver military assistance more quickly. Putin uses this opportunity, these delays, for offensive attacks. Now Russian forces have launched offensive attacks in five directions. His goal is to occupy more territories. To stop him we need more ammunition. She said Putins overall aim is clear: He wants to destroy our country, to exterminate Ukrainians as a nation. His goal too is to undermine the security in the whole world, not only in Europe. This is a struggle of democracy against autocracy, against tyranny. We are fighting for the security in the whole of Europe, the entire Europe, not only for our country. So, we are fighting for you [Ireland] as well. She is diplomatic when asked about recent comments of Donald Trump and the prospect of a second Trump presidency in the US, saying it is a decision for US voters and that they will work with whoever is the next president. However, she said she hoped the Republican Party block on the $118bn (109bn) Ukraine military aid will be dropped and that the House of Representatives will approve the aid soon. Following the meeting of the EU defence ministers earlier this month, the Department of Defence told the Irish Examiner that Ireland expects to contribute over 120m this year under the special EU fund for Ukraine to the supply of non-lethal military aid. It said it has also contributed over 4m to training the Ukrainian military in demining and clearance, as well as casualty care and drill instruction, with all the training done in Germany and Cyprus. Ms Gerasko singled out the demining training as of special assistance. When we talk about demining we are talking about saving lives, lives of citizens, so its very important. Ukraine is the most mined country in the world, as 174,000sq km is mined thats two Irelands, its so huge. She said the military training also helped the armed forces and said the training was not in Ukraine, so it doesnt break your neutrality. Asked if she understood Irelands policy of military neutrality and why it could not provide lethal military aid to Ukraine, Ms Gerasko said: It seems to me it is very hard to be neutral in this situation, because Russian aggression against Ukraine, Russian war against Ukraine, it is against the whole democratic world and we live next to your door, in Europe, we are very close. Its your internal affairs, of course, but we really need support now, even more now than at the beginning. Its a military matter of your country, I just think its more about the security of your country. The ambassador pointed out that Ukraine was neutral in 2014, but that did not stop Putin. She said she noted the Governments establishment last year of the Consultative Forum on International Security Policy and said it was important that Irish people examine this issue. We live in a very fragile world and the peace is very fragile. Putins goals are to disrupt order in the world, in the democratic world. She questioned any talk that Russia was a long way from Ireland and that it posed no threat. For Russia, its very easy to approach the Irish west coast, as actually they did before [February 2022] and do some military operation, and before I came here [as ambassador in July 2021] there was a cyber-attack [by a Russian cyber gang] on the HSE. I want to underline that Russia conducts hybrid war and not only in Europe, in the Americas and in Africa. She likened the various Russian intelligence services to an octopus with many tentacles. She said: Russian [government] dont spend money for the wellbeing of their population, they spend money for disruption and military operations around the world. Last year, they spent 2bn on disinformation and propaganda. So Ireland is vulnerable, could be. Shes not alone in her views. Last September, European Commission vice president Vera Jourova said she is convinced the Kremlin is already active in trying to manipulate European voters as European Parliament and national and local elections are held this year. In November, a US diplomatic cable to European countries, including Ireland, warned of Russian attempts to interfere in 11 elections in nine countries. It said the aim was not necessarily to ensure one side wins, but to sow enough division and doubt to create instability and erode social cohesion. A local resident looks at the remains of an industrial building surrounded by apartments after a Russian rocket attack in Sloviansk, Ukraine, on January 27. Picture: Efrem Lukatsky/AP Ms Gerasko echoed that: Russia disinformation tries to sow doubt and discord in Europe and in the unity of our partners. She described as interesting and strange the relatively large number of diplomatic staff attached to the Russian Embassy in Dublin, even after it was reduced from 30, before the invasion, to 15 now. What are they doing, given such a poor relationship with Ireland? she asked. She said the Russian ambassador, in his statements, has focused on disruption, including when he said that Irelands military training of Ukrainian soldiers was a breach of neutrality. She also referred to the circulation of fake letters purportedly from the Department of Justice which said Ukrainian men in Ireland were to be deported back to fight in the war. Gardai have told the Irish Examiner that Russian involvement was one of their lines of inquiry. Ms Gerasko said another thing Ireland could do is take the Russian assets that have been seized and hand them over to Ukraine. She said Ireland has frozen Russian assets worth around 1.8bn. So one method of assisting our country is to transfer these frozen assets to Ukraine. According to our assessment, all frozen Russian assets around the world would cover 80% of our needs and demands for recovery of our country. Ms Gerasko is also concerned at the recent upsurge in anti-migrant/anti-foreigner sentiment, seen both online and at protests outside planned or rumoured accommodation centres, and attacks at some of the facilities. In some cases, far-right agitators have included commentary about the number of Ukrainian people here and the number of asylum seekers. As a human being, its very painful for me, because our people are not immigrants, they are not refugees our people escaped the war. They never had any intention to emigrate, they just took a small backpack and ran away from the country with their children. Most of the Ukrainians want to go back. She said estimates indicate that 70m people of Irish descent live abroad and that Ireland as a nation has this experience of mass emigration. Many of you have relatives abroad who emigrated and Im sure they shared this experience of how to start a new life abroad from scratch. She said that perhaps some of those involved in the riots and protests dont understand there are commitments for Ireland under international law in relation to taking asylum seekers, which Ukrainians are not [Ukrainians are in the EU under a temporary protection scheme]. It seems to me its a moral obligation, or duty, of each country, democratic country, to help people escaping war. In general, most Irish people support Ukrainian people. On Saturday, the ambassador joins a major march from OConnell St to Merrion Park in Dublin, where the documentary Glory to the Heroes, by French philosopher Bernard-Henri Levy, will be shown, followed by a discussion. On Friday, she joined the 50-strong group of protesters who have, in total or in part, been demonstrating outside the Russian Embassy every day for two years. They are a unique group of protesters. They are so dedicated. I think 100% of them are Irish. Every single day they come to the Russian Embassy. She reached for a book, We Stand With Ukraine, which was written by the group. Inside, all the names are signed, with the dedication: To President Zelenksy, from the peaceful protesters outside the Russian Embassy, Dublin, with our respect, admiration and unwavering support. Holding the book, smiling, Ms Gerasko said: Last week, they presented me with it. A row has developed between RTE and the Media Minister Catherine Martin over whether she was informed about a controversial exit package for a former senior executive at the station. Ms Martin has sided with her former top civil servant in a tit-for-tat while the board has firmly backed the former RTE board chair, Siun Ni Raghallaigh The minister is facing intense pressure after being accused of effectively a summary dismissal of Ms Raghallaigh live on TV. While ministers have publicly rowed behind Ms Martin, privately a number of senior cabinet ministers were highly critical of her handling of the debacle to date. Her reputation has gone up in flames, a Cabinet source said: Director General Kevin Bakhurst and the full RTE Board have backed Ms Ni Raghallaighs version of events despite Ms Martin insisting she was misinformed and contradicting what happened. The Government is now looking for a new chair after Ms Ni Raghallaigh was put in a position where she felt that she had no option but to resign according to the board following the minister's failure to express confidence in her on Thursday night's Prime Time. The Government is now looking for a new chair after Siun Ni Raghallaigh was put in a position where she felt that she had no option but to resign. Picture: Leah Farrell / RollingNews.ie RTE have said Ms Ni Raghallaigh told the now former secretary general at the Department of media, Katherine Licken, on October 10 that the board's remuneration committee had approved an exit package for former chief financial officer Richard Collins. However, Ms Martin said having contacted Ms Licken, she said despite being informed by phone that the mediation process for Mr Collins exit package had reached a conclusion, she has no recollection of being told an exit package had been approved. The RTE Board in a statement said the rules changed in September last year giving the remuneration committee a role which would see all changes to executive pay and terms approved by it. The Board said Ms Martins department was informed of these details but the minister has said the letter her department received about the changes did not include sign off of termination packages hence why she presumed that the board had no role whatsoever. Ms Martin also told RTE News that she received an apology from Ms Ni Raghallaigh at a meeting on Monday claiming she forgot to disclose that the former Director of Strategy Rory Coveney received an exit package. She said she was told back in July that Mr Coveney had resigned but she said the former chair had the information that it was not a straightforward resignation. However, Mr Bakhurst and the full RTE Board are united that Ms Ni Raghallaigh followed the correct process in informing the minister about Mr Collins exit package. Speaking to reporters at government buildings, Ms Martin said she was "deeply disappointed" that the Chair "had not given her accurate information" in relation to exit packages for RTE executives. She said she asked direct questions of Ms Ni Raghallaigh during two meetings earlier this week but failed to get straight answers. The Board has requested a meeting with the Minister at the earliest opportunity. Tanaiste Micheal Martin has said Ireland will not waver in its support for Ukraine. In a statement marking the second anniversary of Russia's invasion, Mr Martin said Ireland is determined to hold Russia to account for its actions. The people of Ukraine are paying the ultimate price for a war that they never chose to enter into, he said in a video posted to X, formerly known as Twitter. "They continue to demonstrate remarkable resolve and determination in the face of adversity," said Mr Martin. "While the world calls for peace, respect for international order and territorial integrity, Russia chooses the path of escalation. Increased large-scale assaults on civilians in recent weeks demonstrate that Putin is not serious about reaching a peaceful resolution to this conflict." He reiterated that Ireland and the EU would continue its unified and determined response encompassing political, financial, humanitarian, military, and diplomatic support. "We recognise that in fighting to defend their country, Ukrainians are fighting to defend universal values that we in Ireland, and across Europe, hold dear: human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, rule of law, and human rights," Mr Martin said. Speaking to Ukrainians who have come to Ireland seeking refuge since war broke out in their home country, the Tanaiste concluded: "Ireland stands with you today, and always. Slava Ukraini." Today marks the second anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of #Ukraine. Ireland will not waver in support for Ukraine, or in determination to stand up and hold Russia to account. pic.twitter.com/hFwUX50ScZ Micheal Martin (@MichealMartinTD) February 24, 2024 Meanwhile, rallies are being held in Cork and in Dublin today to mark the anniversary. Democracy for Ukraine will meet at Cork's Grand Parade at 2.30pm and make its way to Patrick Street. In Dublin, demonstrators will meet at the GPO at 11am and walk to Merrion Square for a vigil at lunchtime. Ukrainian Action in Ireland spokesperson Polina Maliuzhonok said they want to raise awareness of the challenges faced by Ukrainian people since the war. "We just want the world to know and to remember Russian war crimes they did and still are do in Ukraine right now," said Ms Maliuzhonok. A Ukrainian police officer takes cover in front of a burning building that was hit in a Russian airstrike in Avdiivka, Ukraine. Picture: AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen travelled overnight to visit Kyiv today along with Italian premier Giorgia Meloni, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. They arrived shortly after a Russian drone attack struck a residential building in the southern city of Odesa, killing at least one person. Three women also sustained severe burns in the attack on Friday evening on a residential building, regional governor Oleh Kiper said on his social media account. Rescue services are still combing rubble looking for survivors. The foreign leaders are in Ukraine to express solidarity as Ukrainian forces run low on ammunition and weaponry and western aid hangs in the balance. - Additional reporting by PA Gardai in Dublin have arrested a man in connection with a seizure carried out yesterday. As part of an ongoing operation investigating the supply of drugs into prisons, Gardai from the Drugs Unit in Ronanstown searched a house in west Dublin. During the search, 180,000 in cash in various denominations was seized. A designer watch worth 10,000 and several phones were also confiscated. A man, aged 42, was arrested and is currently being detained at a Garda station in Dublin. Friday's operation follows a previous seizure involving a drone and a quantity of diamorphine intended for delivery to a Dublin prison on Monday, February 12. The Irish Prison Service thanked gardai for their efforts to keep drugs out of prison. It said: The arrest and seizure yesterday shows we are intent on tackling those who wish to do harm by bringing drugs into our prisons. The Irish Prison Service is committed to preventing the access of contraband including drugs into prisons and continues to be a high priority. The Irish Prison Service has committed to continuing to invest in new technologies and measures to support our efforts to keep contraband out of prisons. - Additional reporting by PA A man has been arrested in Northern Ireland in connection with a murder in Spain. Officers from the PSNIs international policing unit arrested a 22-year-old man on an extradition warrant issued by Spanish authorities for murder. Customs officers and gardai say they seized 1.4 tonnes of raw tobacco and 758,000 cigarettes from an 'illicit commercial cigarette factory' in Dublin. As part of an intelligence-led operation, and with the assistance of detector dog Milo, Revenue officers executed the search under warrant of a premises in Dublin 11 yesterday. Mr Minihane, whose father, Michael, was a shopkeeper and local photographer covering a vast area in West Cork from Bandon to Dursey, said he grew up in a newspaper home in Skibbereen, where their pet Yorkshire Terrier, Bruno, was trained to deliver copies of the Cork Examiner to local houses. He attended events with his father, and began writing local news for the Examiner before he got a job in the dark room in 1976, and was appointed a photographer two years later. He recalled the rush to develop rolls of film, of printing black and white photographs from negatives, of how photographers had to either deliver the prints physically or wire them back to the office, the introduction of colour printing and how technology now allows photographers to email photos or video from the field. We have to work harder now because everyone has a camera on their phone, he said. The past week has been proof if it was needed that Ireland is a significant player in the international drugs trade. For many that unwanted tag has in no small way been thanks to the actions of the Kinahan Organised Crime Group, which has climbed to the top of the global drugs trade over the past decade. But it has become crystal clear in recent days that Ireland is not just a player on global drug trafficking routes because of the Kinahan connection. The seizure of 32.8 million of crystal meth in the Port of Cork on February 16 shows the links are far wider spreading out to the Sinaloa cartel in Mexico, with massive seizure en route to Australia when it was seized in Cork. Fast forward four days and another transnational operation, involving law enforcement officers in Ireland, Lithuania and Britain became public knowledge. As part of that European investigation into an organised criminal gang, two people were arrested and close to 40,000 in cash had been seized in Ireland. At the end of last year, over 2,2 tonnes of cocaine was seized off the coast of Ireland. With a street value of at least 157m, it was the largest seizure in the history of the State. While investigations are ongoing, gardai believe that the drugs shipment appeared to have originated from a murderous South American cartel. The second largest drugs haul was the aborted mission to land 1.575 tonnes of cocaine into west Cork in 2007. In the lead-up to that operation which ended in the waters of Dunlough Bay, local links to west Cork by members of a drug trafficking gang based in the UK had helped suss out the west Cork area before the plot was set in motion. Now, it appears that Kerry links to the infamous Sinaloa cartel in Mexico could have been laying the groundwork to use Ireland as a staging post en route from South America to Australia, where there is a booming and lucrative market for crystal meth. In recent weeks, a 78-year-old Canadian national was given a 12-year jail sentence in Victoria after attempting to smuggle 18.55kg of crystal meth in through Melbourne airport shoeboxes. The haul had an estimated street value of more than $17 million (10 million), according to Australian police. The discovery of crystal meth in a container in the Port of Cork last week is very similar to a large discovery in Australia in August 2022 when almost 1,800kgs of the drug were found in containers in a port in Sydney. The seizure was the countrys largest. A ruling in Chile last November in relation to two people convicted of a plot to smuggle cocaine into Europe featured references to encrypted communications accessed by investigators which showed that Dublin Port was being considered as a destination site for Sinaloa cartel activities because of links to an Irish Mexican citizen who had spent many years in the southwest of Ireland. Several infiltrated encrypted phone messages between him and other gang members noted references to Dublin in plans by the cartel to target ports in Europe. Others mentioned included Rotterdam, Antwerp, Valencia and Liverpool. But it is not just the local links to the cartel which put Ireland at the forefront of such an operation. Former Assistant Garda Commissioner Pat Leahy explains: Geographically speaking, we could now be considered as the front door and the back door into the European Union and we just happen to be an island in the north Atlantic and are potentially the first stop for anything arriving from the west, even if it is just in transit. It kind of legitimises the next leg of the journey for those intent on nefarious activities across the world having as its last port of call, a member state of the European Union. Dr Leahy says the cartels are looking all the time for new routes. "They have a business-orientation. They treat drug smuggling and the transportation of large shipments as normal business so they are adopting some normal business rules in terms of looking at the supply chain. "They are looking at potential new supply routes all the time, they are looking at the most effective routes that they can have for themselves, so they are moving around and they are engaged in environmental-scanning all the time to identify opportunities. "They are looking at the availability of ports and the security mechanisms in place to prevent and/or detect criminal activity, they are looking at a countrys capacity to prevent and/or to respond in this space, and they are constantly determining which place presents a new opportunity as they appear on the radar of existing countries/ports. "When security interventions are successful, they know that countries are going to enhance their resources, enhance their capacity to prevent criminality through enhanced intelligence, tracking, technology and ultimately responding. "They then have to start thinking about where to go next, what route to use and which ports to test. Dr Leahy points out that international cartels will be aware of Irelands difficulties regarding resources to respond on the sea or in the air or on the ground. Former Assistant Garda Commissioner Pat Leahy says the cartels are looking all the time for new routes. Picture: Eamonn Farrell/RollingNews.ie There has been significant public discourse (and reports) about our capacity to respond or prevent as a country. It is available internationally and it has appeared again in the international papers only very recently. "And we really have to consider if this is appropriate, that is, identifying our internal security challenges publicly, as this only educates those intent on exploiting any security gaps or challenges. It is not just from a drugs perspective that international hackles have been raised about Irelands security gaps. Shortly before the invasion of Ukraine by Russia in February 2022, there was concern when the Russian navy held military exercises off the southwest coast, above the densest concentration of undersea communications cables linking North America and Europe. Just earlier this month, the UK think tank Policy Exchange published a report which labelled Ireland as engaging in persistent security freeloading when it comes to defending Europe. Independent TD and retired soldier Cathal Berry says he was on an exercise with the Navy in 2007 during which the organisation had the capability to put eight ships to sea. Now, they can put one normally, perhaps two with a push. The capability which was already very weak has been further diminished in the last 15 years really. It gives out all the wrong signals. "We know that Irelands maritime responsibility are eight times larger than Irelands land mass so we need to have assets out there. It is very clear now that drug cartels recognise that Ireland is a weak link and they are taking full advantage of that. We are not a neutral country we are a defenceless country. There used to be a stage in the Irish Navy where there were lots of sailors and no ships. Now it is the opposite. A quarter of a billion euro worth of naval ships are tied up in Cork Harbour that cant go to sea. We have the hard bit right as in we have the hardware. It is keeping our people that is letting us down. He acknowledges that there has been some moves to address concerns by Navy personnel but believes there is some time yet before the flow of sailors can be stemmed. There has been improvements from January 1 in offshore allowances finally, after five years of begging for it. But unfortunately, people have made commitments to new employers to it will take a few months for that to wash through the system but we need to improve pay as well for our technical specialists. Dr Leahy feels though that despite the challenges, Ireland has done well in achieving success in tackling drug trafficking. We have shown as a state and as a nation that we can collaborate really well and really effectively at home between local, regional and national services, across all agencies and this is really positive. "We have also shown that we can collaborate really effectively at international level and this is evidenced in recent successful interdictions which require significant long-term planning and intelligence sharing at international levels. He says the events of the past week have also shown that a focus on named major operators in the global drug trade, such as the Kinahan organised crime group, is pointless, as such groups will always exist. We know now that there is more than one such group operating through Ireland in terms of using it as a staging post or port of call for their activities. "That is fully understandable it is an island on the north Atlantic. It is the front and back door into the European Union. "It has the capacity to somewhat legitimise, or temper the eye of suspicion on cargo which now may appear to be leaving the EU to go somewhere else, for example, in this case, their decision to stop here on their way to Australia. The use of Ireland as a gateway into a large market like the European Union or Australia is not the only reason why international cartels focus on here Ireland also has a vibrant drugs market despite its size. Last year, a report from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime revealed that Ireland is ranked fourth in the world for its use of cocaine behind Australia, Spain and the Netherlands. Dr Leahy said those statistics should be a lightning bolt for us. "The only reason it was moving from Ireland to Australia is because of the profit deferential which was quite significant with an estimated value of approximately 34m in Ireland to a possible 160m in Australia for the same cargo. The US and Britain have struck 18 Houthi targets in Yemen in response to a recent surge in attacks by the Iran-backed militia group on ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, including a missile strike this past week that set fire to a cargo vessel. American and British fighter jets hit sites in eight locations, targeting missiles, launchers, rockets, drones and air defence systems, according to US officials. This is the fourth time that the US and British militaries have conducted a combined operation against the Houthis since January 12. But the US has also been carrying out almost daily strikes to take out Houthi targets, including incoming missiles and drones aimed at ships, as well as weapons that were prepared to launch. We will continue to make clear to the Houthis that they will bear the consequences if they do not stop their illegal attacks The US F/A-18 fighter jets launched from the USS Dwight D Eisenhower aircraft carrier, which is currently in the Red Sea, officials said. The United States will not hesitate to take action, as needed, to defend lives and the free flow of commerce in one of the worlds most critical waterways, said US defence secretary Lloyd Austin. We will continue to make clear to the Houthis that they will bear the consequences if they do not stop their illegal attacks. In a statement, the US, UK and other allies said the necessary and proportionate strikes specifically targeted 18 Houthi targets across eight locations in Yemen that also included underground storage facilities, radar and a helicopter. These precision strikes are intended to disrupt and degrade the capabilities that the Houthis use to threaten global trade, naval vessels and the lives of innocent mariners in one of the worlds most critical waterways, the statement said. The strikes have support from the wider coalition, which includes Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands and New Zealand. President Joe Biden and other senior leaders have repeatedly warned that the US will not tolerate the Houthi attacks against commercial shipping. But the counter-attacks have not appeared to diminish the Houthis campaign against shipping in the region, which the militants say is over Israels war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Our aim remains to de-escalate tensions and restore stability in the Red Sea, but we will once again reiterate our warning to Houthi leadership: We will not hesitate to continue to defend lives and the free flow of commerce in the face of continued threats, said the statement. Lloyd Austin said the US will not hesitate to take action (Kevin Wolf/AP) The Houthis have launched at least 57 attacks on commercial and military ships in the the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since November 19, and the pace has picked up in recent days. Weve certainly seen in the past 48, 72 hours an increase in attacks from the Houthis, Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said in a briefing on Thursday. And she acknowledged that the Houthis have not been deterred. We never said weve wiped off the map all of their capabilities, she told reporters. We know that the Houthis maintain a large arsenal. They are very capable. They have sophisticated weapons, and thats because they continue to get them from Iran. There have been at least 32 US strikes in Yemen over the past month and a half; a few were conducted with allied involvement. In addition, US warships have taken out dozens of incoming missiles, rockets and drones targeting commercial and other navy vessels. Earlier on Saturday, the destroyer USS Mason downed an anti-ship ballistic missile launched from Houthi-held areas in Yemen towards the Gulf of Aden, US Central Command said, adding that the missile was probably targeting MV Torm Thor, a US-flagged, owned, and operated chemical and oil tanker. The US attacks on the Houthis have targeted more than 120 launchers, more than 10 surface-to-air-missiles, 40 storage and support building, 15 drone storage buildings, more than 20 unmanned air, surface and underwater vehicles, several underground storage areas and a few other facilities. The rebels supreme leader, Abdul Malik al-Houthi, announced this past week an escalation in sea operations conducted by his forces as part of what they describe as a pressure campaign to end Israels war on Hamas. But while the group says the attacks are aimed at stopping that war, the Houthis targets have grown more random, endangering a vital waterway for cargo and energy shipments travelling from Asia and the Middle East onwards to Europe. Houthi fighters march during a rally of support for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip (AP) During normal operations, about 400 commercial vessels transit the southern Red Sea at any given time. While the Houthi attacks have only actually struck a small number of vessels, the persistent targeting and near misses that have been shot down by the US and allies have prompted shipping companies to reroute their vessels from the Red Sea. Instead, they have sent them around Africa through the Cape of Good Hope a much longer, costlier and less efficient passage. The threats also have led the US and its allies to set up a joint mission where warships from participating nations provide a protective umbrella of air defence for ships as they travel between the Suez Canal and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. In Thursdays attack in the Gulf of Aden, the Houthis fired two missiles at a Palau-flagged cargo ship named Islander, according to Central Command. A European naval force in the region said the attack sparked a fire and wounded a sailor on board the vessel, though the ship continued on its way. Central Command launched attacks on Houthi-held areas in Yemen on Friday, destroying seven mobile anti-ship cruise missiles that the military said were prepared to launch towards the Red Sea. Central Command also said on Saturday that a Houthi attack on a Belize-flagged ship on February 18 caused an 18-mile oil slick and the military warned of the danger of a spill from the vessels cargo of fertiliser. The Rubymar, a British-registered, Lebanese-operated cargo vessel, was attacked while sailing through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait that connects the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. The missile attack forced the crew to abandon the vessel, which had been on its way to Bulgaria after leaving the United Arab Emirates. It was transporting more than 41,000 tons of fertiliser, according to a Central Command statement. Yemens internationally recognised government has called for other countries and maritime-protection organisations to quickly address the oil slick and avert a significant environmental disaster. Under constant stress, the body quickly becomes exhausted. Russian shelling, nightly air raid alert, stress, tragic news, tension, panic attacks, and a sense of helplessness lead to sleep disturbances. ADVERTISIMENT It's important to be able to abstract yourself from the situation and find time to rest regularly. The Leicester Mercury has revealed how to fall asleep quickly in a matter of minutes. Brainwave training combines CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) with some principles of traditional Chinese medicine and kinesiology. Sleep expert Dr. Daisy Mae described the technique in detail, "You need to press or lightly tap on three areas of the face (around the eyes, under the nose and under the lips), then on the collarbones and armpit, and finally on the crown of the head 7-9 times. At the same time, you should talk out loud about the problems that bother you and evaluate their negative impact on a scale from 1 to 10." Experts say that this will help get rid of anxiety that keeps you awake. The technique relaxes the body and brain. ADVERTISIMENT While the effect of simply tapping may seem a bit far-fetched, there is scientific evidence to support the method's effectiveness. "You may be very skeptical that tapping can help you fall asleep, but in fact, in 2013, the journal Psychology published a review of medical evidence on a group of emotional freedom techniques (EFT) that included these very techniques," Mae emphasized. The review included 23 randomized controlled trials and 17 individualized studies. The authors stated that EFT techniques are effective in treating anxiety, depression, phobias, post-traumatic stress disorder, and chronic pain. EFT has been shown to change brainwave patterns and reduce cortisol levels. ADVERTISIMENT Subscribe to OBOZREVATEL on Telegram and Viber to keep up with the latest news Saturday, Feb 24th, 2024 (12:01 am) - Score 19,360 The first retail broadband ISPs have begun to give their reactions to Virgin Medias recent change of strategy (here), which will see them open up their existing fixed line network to wholesale via a new business (NetCo). Most internet providers have welcomed the move, but some are sceptical of NetCos ability to match Openreach (BT). At present Virgin Medias existing gigabit-capable network covers a shade over 16 million UK premises via a mix of different fixed line technologies, albeit primarily Hybrid Fibre Coax (HFC), followed by Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) lines using Radio Frequency over Glass (RFoG) and some FTTP via XGS-PON. The operator is also working to upgrade their entire HFC network to FTTP (XGS-PON) by 2028. However, the current network is closed, which means that only Virgin Media can sell broadband packages over it. Suffice to say that the recent decision to open that network up to wholesale is a significant, albeit long-expected (theyve been talking about it in the open for years), development and one that could potentially give Openreach a major new competitor to worry about. Put into a wider context. Once all of the planned builds and upgrades by the separate nexfibre (theyre separate but share the same parentage) and NetCo networks have completed, the combined FTTP coverage could reach up to 23 million premises (c.75% of the UK), which is only a little shy of the 25 million that Openreach expects to reach by December 2026. What does the industry think ISPreview has spent the last week canvassing opinion on the development, including from various dedicated retail ISPs and a few rival network operators both on and off the record. Overall, the internet providers we spoke with were broadly positive about the development and were planning to seek more information, although for most its still a game of wait and see, until the new NetCo goes live. In the meantime, some of the respondents held a question mark over NetCos ability to compete with the likes of CityFibre and Openreach, not least because the latter is obligated by regulation to treat all ISPs fairly, keep to specific performance standards and not to preference its parent (BT). By comparison, NetCo is under no such obligation and will also need to be careful when it comes to signing exclusive agreements, so as not to create too much division on product and price between partners. Pricing is also, more broadly, another area of uncertainly for some ISPs, particularly since Virgin Media tends to lean more toward the premium end, which could struggle if that translates to NetCos wholesale products (AltNets are particularly aggressive on price). Some providers also noted that Virgin Media hasnt run a wholesale network before, at least not on the consumer side (different market from their business / Ethernet wholesale solutions), and questioned whether NetCo can be truly competitive without the risk of cannibalising Virgin Medias own base. Finally, the odd provider also raised a few technical questions over how NetCo will manage the division, setup and availability of products on a network that is still split between technologies with different capabilities one that is also in the middle of a long transition (HFC to FTTP). But this may not be a million miles from how Openreach handles FTTC vs FTTP etc. The key takeaway is that ISPs currently have a lot of questions and not a lot of answers, but we did still detect a clear appetite to engage with the operator, which suggests that a strong initial interest does exist. Sadly, not all of those we engaged with wanted to comment on the record (e.g. TalkTalk, perhaps for obvious reasons), while a few others (e.g. Sky Broadband and BT) didnt respond at all. Alan Stephenson-Brown, CEO at Evolve Business Group, said: At Evolve we welcome the news that Virgin Media O2 will open its fibre broadband network to other internet providers. As a new nationwide provider, it will challenge the dominance of BT-owned Openreach, which currently connects 99% of all homes and businesses across the country. That can only be a good thing for UK businesses. Currently, all broadband providers rely on the Openreach network to connect customers. As such, these suppliers are limited to the top speeds provided by Openreach cables in that area. By opening its network to other brands for the first time, Virgin Media is paving the way for more true alternatives for broadband providers who want to unlock faster speeds in parts of the UK that have yet to be upgraded by Openreach. Furthermore, going forward, any Openreach rival stands to benefit from the second wave of Project Gigabit contracts, which are expected from 2025 to 2030, in a bid to expand fast broadband into tough-to-reach parts of the country where no Gigabit-capable internet options exist. In turn, businesses will be better able to fulfil the connectivity targets that we know are a priority for them. In fairness, Evolve seems to be ignoring about the sizeable group of alternative networks that exist (often in the same areas as Openreach), many of which are open to wholesale and some of which even have significant national coverage (e.g. CityFibre). David Barber, Strategy Director at Zen Internet, said: While VMO2 has the advantage of scale and brand, there are other factors we would need to consider when assessing any potential relationship. These are similar to when we look at any altnet and primarily encompass footprint, service, and commercials, with true ambition and commitment to wholesale a crucial consideration. A spokesperson for Vodafone UK said: Vodafone is keen to see a competitive and sustainable wholesale fibre market develop that will help to deliver high quality, affordable fibre for customers. We also encourage the setting of quality thresholds that all fibre networks need to be above. A spokesperson for iDNET said: Were encouraged by this announcement as were keen to partner with as many Alt-nets as possible. Having a choice of carriers to offer to our customers brings benefits to everyone. Virgin will need to be competitively priced compared to BT Wholesale and have robust provisioning and fault handling processes, preferably available via an API that we can integrate with. An Openreach spokesperson said: We welcome competition as its great for customers and its what Openreach was established to enable. Were proud to be investing billions of pounds to upgrade the UKs digital infrastructure and, whilst were building further and faster than anyone else, were also committed to supporting others who use our ducts and poles to build their own networks. Were confident that the unrivalled quality and breadth of our network, as well as the skill of our teams and the strength of our relationships with customers, will see us continue to be successful and deliver a bright full fibre future for the UK. A spokesperson for Andrews & Arnold (AAISP) said: [We] see Virgin Media as possibly becoming something akin to the biggest Alt-Net out there. Their footprint size is extremely appealing to A&A, so we are hopeful that technically and commercially it is viable. Also, there are a huge number of addresses which are served by both Virgin Media and Openreach infrastructure, so we would be able to offer true carrier-resilient fast connectivity to customers in those addresses, if we do agree a deal with NetCo for wholesale services. A couple of ISPs said they were also unclear on when NetCo would actually launch, although a related slide for the plan specifically pointed to this occurring during the H1 2025 period. Suffice to say, itll be at least a year before they actually press the button and by then theyll have managed to upgrade HFC areas covering several million lines to 10Gbps capable FTTP (XGS-PON). Saturday, Feb 24th, 2024 (9:02 am) - Score 5,800 Network operator and UK gigabit broadband ISP toob, which is currently in the process of investing 7.5m to deploy a new Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) network across 19,000 homes in the Hampshire (England) town of Fleet, has removed several streets from its plan after locals objected to their use of poles. Construction of the towns new network began last summer, and the first customers are expected to go live sometime this year. The move was initially welcomed because, at present, Virgin Media are the only gigabit-capable network operator with any significant coverage. But Openreach do have some small patches and F&W Networks were also spotted building in the town, although the latter seems to have subsided following recent events. NOTE: Toob s fibre covers 150,000 UK premises (not all RFS) and they have 20,000 customers (c. 95% on their own network). The operator aims to cover 1 million premises across parts of Dorset, Hampshire, Surrey and Sussex by 2027 (e.g. Southampton, Camberley, Aldershot, Farnborough, Fareham and Gosport etc.). However, residents in some areas soon began objecting after the operator began deploying 9m high wood poles to run a good chunk of their overhead fibre, which is not exactly the most popular method of infrastructure delivery these days. But they are also using a fair bit of existing underground duct, where available. Despite being a common sight across the UK, a fair few people find poles ugly and often bemoan the lack of prior direct consultation. Such issues can also become particularly emotive when theyre deployed into areas that havent previously had them before, or where too many poles are already deemed to exist. According to ForFleetsSake, these are precisely the sort of issues that residents have been raising in several parts of the town, such as along Tavistock Road, Dukes Mead, Glen Road and Dinorben, among others. In recent months, there has also been mounting pressure from the local MP and some councillors. As a result, toob has now decided to scale back their roll-out plans in the town, which will exclude several areas from the new full fibre network. A spokesperson for toob said: Following feedback from residents, toob have made the decision to not deploy here at this time. We had done community engagements visiting constituents in the roads below during November and December before proceeding with our planned new poles deployment, however it is clear that the people we spoke to were not representative of the views of the areas, and there we will be placing the areas on hold following wider constituents concerns. toob has now made a decision not to deploy poles supporting our full-fibre to premise (FTTP) broadband at this time in the following roads below. This area will be reviewed in future and based on the level of interest and acceptance we may look to proceed. But, for now, no poles will be installed in the above location. This also includes 116 to 180 Tavistock Road, The Oaks, Perry Drive and 72 to 110 Dukes Mead. Further to this, our halt on works in the Dinorben area includes Dinorben Avenue, Dinorben Close, Denning Close, Ridley Close, Badgers Close, Chinnock Close, Grantley Drive, Carthona Drive, Hartleaf Close. These above areas and roads will be reviewed in future and based on the level of interest, and acceptance we may look to proceed. We are a local company, and we have no interest in alienating any part of local community. This area will be reviewed in future and based on the level of interest and acceptance we may look to proceed. But, for now, no poles will be installed in the above location at this time. Its worth noting that poles, despite their detractors, are quick and cost-effective to build enabling new full fibre networks to grow into areas that might otherwise not be economically viable boosting competition and coverage. Not to mention that theyre less disruptive (avoiding the noise, access restrictions and damage to pavements of trenching) and can be deployed into areas where there may be no space or access to safely put new underground cables. Naturally, those who had wanted to gain access to toobs faster and cheaper network, will be very disappointed. But toobs approach is understandable, given the current animosity of some toward poles and the danger that this could lead to wider resentment of their plans. Network operators often have to walk a very difficult line on such issues. 1371138342::cfb49c8e-2422-11e5-99a3-d7f5c6e8b241 A weekly review of the best and most popular stories published in the Imperial Valley Press. Also, featured upcoming events, new movies at local theaters, the week in photos and much more. The need to clean constanly and the endlessness of this process can be demotivating, especially when there are small children in the house who are not yet able to help their parents with this. That's why Japanese housewives have developed several life hacks that help them maintain order without too much effort. ADVERTISIMENT OBOZREVATEL talks about the basic principles that help Japanese women cope with cleaning with ease. This approach is based on three pillars. Say goodbye to junk Since there is practically no room for garbage containers in the narrow streets of Japanese cities, household waste is collected by special services from the door of the apartment. Therefore, in order not to keep a large amount of garbage around their homes, the Japanese prefer not to buy unnecessary things and get rid of unnecessary things in time. They keep only the necessary minimum of useful and serviceable things in the house that they use all the time. And everything that can be called junk is given away, sold or thrown away without regret. Everything is in its place If you put one thing in the wrong place after using it, it will create a slight mess. Then dozen things will turn into a serious mess, and several dozen will create a real chaos that will be very difficult to overcome. That's why the Japanese simply don't create this chaos. Everything that is used is immediately sent to its place of storage. No clothes on the chairs, unwashed cups in the rooms, or scattered appliances. Everything is in its own containers. The country's residents are true fans of storage systems. ADVERTISIMENT Gadgets help a lot Japan is famous for its advanced electronics. It also serves to facilitate everyday life. From the robotic vacuum cleaners we are already familiar with to drying cabinets, the most bizarre kitchen appliances, and special devices that wash windows themselves. Even garbage is put into buckets that then seal the bags themselves. No one feels lazy or spoiled because of this as the Japanese work very hard and therefore understand how valuable free time is, which should not be spent on endless cleaning. Subscribe to OBOZREVATEL on Telegram and Viber to keep up with the latest news Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly announced new sanctions against 10 individuals and 153 legal entities. All of these individuals are associated with the crimes of the Russian Federation. ADVERTISIMENT According to an official statement on the ministry's website, Canada is announcing these sanctions in coordination with the United Kingdom and the United States. These sanctions focus on areas that affect the Russian government's ability to continue its illegal and unjustified invasion of Ukraine. "These sanctions target individuals and entities that support the Russian military through finance, logistics and sanctions evasion. Among the listed individuals are an aide to President Putin, as well as senior officials of private and state-owned companies registered in Russia and Cyprus. These individuals and the companies they lead are nodes of direct and indirect support for the Russian government's war of aggression against Ukraine. Most of the sanctioned entities are part of the Russian military-industrial complex, providing the Russian Ministry of Defense with research and development, manufacturing, repair, and other goods and services," the statement said. ADVERTISIMENT Canada also announces a ban on exports of certain goods that could be used to manufacture weapons and support the war against Ukraine to Russia. The ban applies to explosives, including detonators used in the mining and construction industries. The export ban also includes an additional 20 controlled items known to be used by Russia for the production and manufacture of weapons. The export ban applies to all explosives, including detonators, as well as designated items on a list developed jointly with Canada's international partners. They pose a heightened risk of being used by the Russian government to strengthen its military-industrial complex. Since 2014, Canada has imposed sanctions on more than 2,900 individuals and entities in Russia, Belarus, Ukraine and Moldova who are complicit in the violation of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as gross and systematic human rights abuses. Many of these sanctions were imposed in coordination with Canada's allies and partners. ADVERTISIMENT Since January 2022, Canada has allocated more than $9.7 billion in financial, military, humanitarian, development, and immigration assistance to Ukraine. Only verified information on our Telegram OBOZ.UA and Viber. Do not fall for fakes! Unknown persons at the Polish railway station Dorohusk have again damaged Ukrainian agricultural products: freight cars with beans. This is the third such incident; previously, Polish activists calling themselves farmers damaged Ukrainian cargo three times. ADVERTISIMENT This is stated in a Facebook post by the Ministry of Community Development, Territories and Infrastructure of Ukraine. On the second anniversary of Russia's full-scale military invasion, today at about 9 a.m., unknown persons damaged freight cars with beans. "The systematic destruction of Ukrainian agricultural products looks like planned sabotage. Our country defends itself and survives thanks to farmers. Therefore, those who committed these crimes are definitely not interested in Ukrainian peace and the victory of the civilized world. We call on the law enforcement agencies of Poland to respond immediately," commented Oleksandr Kubrakov, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Community Development, Territories and Infrastructure of Ukraine. Earlier in Poland, the Women's Congress appealed to farmers and condemned slogans and symbols that are directed against Polish sovereignty, against Polish democracy, against the image of the Polish people in the international arena, against Ukraine, and the European Union. ADVERTISIMENT This is not the first provocation during the protests on the Polish-Ukrainian border. On February 23, there was another attack on Ukrainian cargo. This time, at the Dorohusk railroad crossing, unknown persons damaged rapeseed in 3 grain cars. The products were in transit through Poland to Germany. Three days earlier, on February 20, Polish protesters blocked the railroad near the Medyka-Shehyni border crossing with Ukraine and poured grain from freight cars onto the tracks. The protesters spoiled about 4 tons of corn from two grain cars. On February 11, near the Dorohusk checkpoint, protesters attacked Ukrainian trucks and spilled some of the grain from the trucks onto the asphalt. The cargo of three trucks was damaged and they had to return to Ukraine. As reported by OBOZ.UA, some Polish protesters on the border with Ukraine turned out to be not farmers at all, but marginalized pro-Russian politicians and activists. Two such "farmers" were found on social media. These are the "fighter against Nazism" Petro Panasiuk, who has already been listed in the Myrotvorets database, and the former candidate from the radical Confederation party Tomasz Buczek. ADVERTISIMENT Moreover, one of the organizers of the Polish protests turned out to be the owner of a transportation company that managed to make money from the blockade. We are talking about a member of the Polish border blockade committee, the head of the protest at the Yahodyn-Dorohusk checkpoint, and a politician, Edyta Ozygala. Only verified information is available on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber. Do not fall for fakes! Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) More than thirty independent experts appointed by the Office of the High Commission on Human Rights of the United Nations said Friday that arms exports to Israel must cease immediately, given Israeli violations of the international laws of war and the governments announced intention to invade Rafah in south Gaza, which would create a further humanitarian catastrophe. They pointed to the obligations laid on states by the Third Geneva Convention to ensure respect for the law: States, whether neutral, allied or enemy, must do everything reasonably in their power to ensure respect for the Conventions by others that are Party to a conflict. This duty to ensure respect by others comprises both a negative and a positive obligation. Under the negative obligation, High Contracting Parties may neither encourage, nor aid or assist in violations of the Conventions by Parties to a conflict. Under the positive obligation, they must do everything reasonably in their power to prevent and bring such violations to an end. They also called for a halt to all transfers of arms to Hamas. The joint statement said, All States must ensure respect for international humanitarian law by parties to an armed conflict, as required by 1949 Geneva Conventions and customary international law. States must accordingly refrain from transferring any weapon or ammunition or parts for them if it is expected, given the facts or past patterns of behaviour, that they would be used to violate international law. The experts added, Such transfers are prohibited even if the exporting State does not intend the arms to be used in violation of the law or does not know with certainty that they would be used in such a way as long as there is a clear risk. They slammed private arms manufacturers as well, saying They have not publicly demonstrated the heightened human rights due diligence required of them and accordingly risk complicity in violations. As for states, they observed, International law does not enforce itself. All States must not be complicit in international crimes through arms transfers. They must do their part to urgently end the unrelenting humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza. They cited approvingly the decision of an appeals court in the Netherlands forbidding the export to Israel from that country of spare parts for the F-35 fighter jet. A Dutch news site quoted Judge Bas Boele as saying, It is undeniable that there is a clear risk that the exported F-35 parts are used in serious violations of international humanitarian law. I also noted that the NL Times added that the court said, Israel does not take sufficient account of the consequences of its attacks for the civilian population. Israels attacks on Gaza have resulted in a disproportionate number of civilian casualties, including thousands of children. They noted that the Dutch court of appeals pointed to indiscriminate bombing, the destruction of 60% of civilian homes, damage to hospitals, schools, mosques and other facilities, the displacement of 85% of the population, and the very high civilian death toll as indications that Israel is violating the laws of war. The experts also pointed to the January 26 preliminary injunction against Israel by the International Court of Justice, which found the genocide case lodged against Tel Aviv by South Africa to be plausible and ordered that acts that constitute genocide under international law be halted by Israel. They said, The need for an arms embargo on Israel is heightened by the International Court of Justices ruling on 26 January 2024 that there is a plausible risk of genocide in Gaza and the continuing serious harm to civilians since then. This necessitates halting arms exports in the present circumstances. The 1948 Genocide Convention forbids countries from exporting arms into a situation where it is plausible that genocide is taking place. The experts said, State officials involved in arms exports may be individually criminally liable for aiding and abetting any war crimes, crimes against humanity or acts of genocide. All States under the principle of universal jurisdiction, and the International Criminal Court, may be able to investigate and prosecute such crimes. Israels main arms suppliers since October have been The United States, Germany, France, Britain, Canada and Australia. The experts are saying that the politicians and military men making these arms transfers to Israel could end up being prosecuted for complicity in war crimes, including the crime of genocide. TRT World Video: Israeli air strikes kill at least 104 people in Gaza in 24 hours Some countries have already halted arms shipments to Israel. They include not only the Netherlands but also Spain, Belgiums Walloon regional government and Italy. The OHCHR says they lauded the Japanese company Itochu Corporation, as well, for ceasing exports to Israel. The experts noted an obligation on UN member states to uphold international humanitarian law and urged that states take the following steps with Israel: Diplomatic dialogue and protests; Technical assistance to promote compliance and accountability; Sanctions on trade, finance, travel, technology or cooperation; Referral to the Security Council and the General Assembly; Proceedings at the International Court of Justice; Support for investigations by the International Criminal Court or other international legal mechanisms; National criminal investigations using universal jurisdiction and civil suits; and Requesting a meeting of the parties to the Geneva Conventions. Note that the ICJ proceedings have already been initiated. The Security Council has three times voted to impose a ceasefire, but the Biden administration vetoed it in each case. The General Assembly has also voted for a ceasefire but has no executive power. The OHCHR press release listed the experts: Ben Saul, Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism; Margaret Satterthwaite, Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers; Cecilia M. Bailliet, Independent Expert on human rights and international solidarity; Claudia Mahler, Independent Expert on the enjoyment of all human rights by older persons; Farida Shaheed, Special Rapporteur on the right to education; Livingstone Sewanyana, Independent Expert on the promotion of a democratic and equitable international order; Surya Deva, Special Rapporteur on the right to development; Attiya Waris, Independent Expert on foreign debt, other international financial obligations and human rights; Ashwini K.P., Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance; Olivier De Schutter, Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights; Paula Gaviria Betancur, Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons; Siobhan Mullally, Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children; Tomoya Obokata, Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences; Carlos Salazar Couto (Chair-Rapporteur), Sorcha MacLeod, Jovana Jezdimirovic Ranito, Chris M. A. Kwaja, Ravindran Daniel, Working Group on the use of mercenaries; Robert McCorquodale (Chair-Rapporteur), Fernanda Hopenhaym (Vice-Chair), Pichamon Yeophantong, Damilola Olawuyi, Elzbieta Karska, Working Group on business and human rights; Barbara G. Reynolds (Chair), Dominique Day, Bina DCosta, Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent; Balakrishnan Rajagopal, Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing; Dorothy Estrada Tanck (Chair), Claudia Flores, Ivana Krstic, Haina Lu, and Laura Nyirinkindi, Working group on discrimination against women and girls; and Francesca Albanese, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967; Reem Alsalem, Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, its causes and consequences; Fabian Salvioli, Special Rapporteur on truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence. The statement is endorsed by: Aua Balde (Chair-Rapporteur), Gabriella Citroni (Vice-Chair), Angkhana Neelapaijit, Grazyna Baranowska, Ana Lorena Delgadillo Perez, Working Group on enforced or involuntary disappearances; Mary Lawlor, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders; Nicolas Levrat, Special Rapporteur on minority issues; and David R. Boyd, Special Rapporteur on human rights and the environment. The Special Rapporteurs, Independent Experts and Working Groups are part of what is known as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures, the largest body of independent experts in the UN Human Rights system, is the general name of the Councils independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms that address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts of the world. Special Procedures experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. They are independent from any government or organisation and serve in their individual capacity. ( RFE/RL ) Irans so-called axis of resistance is a loose network of proxies, Tehran-backed militant groups, and an allied state actor. The network is a key element of Tehrans strategy of deterrence against perceived threats from the United States, regional rivals, and primarily Israel. Active in the Palestinian Occupied Territories, Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, and Yemen, the axis gives Iran the ability to hit its enemies outside its own borders while allowing it to maintain a position of plausible deniability, experts say. Since the Islamic Revolution in 1979, Iran has played a key role in establishing some of the groups in the axis. Other members have been co-opted by Tehran over the years. Iran has maintained that around dozen separate groups that comprise the axis act independently. Tehrans level of influence over each member varies. But the goals pursued by each group broadly align with Irans own strategic aims, which makes direct control unnecessary, according to experts. Lebanons Hizballah Hizballah was established in 1982 in response to Israels invasion that year of Lebanon, which was embroiled in a devastating civil war. The Shiite political and military organization was created by the Quds Force, the overseas arm of Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), the elite branch of the countrys armed forces. Danny Citrinowicz, a research fellow at the Iran Program at the Israel-based Institute for National Security Studies, said Tehrans aim was to unite Lebanons various Shiite political organizations and militias under one organization. Since it was formed, Hizballah has received significant financial and political assistance from Iran, a Shia-majority country. That backing has made the group a major political and military force in Lebanon. Iran sees the organization as the main factor that will deter Israel or the U.S. from going to war against Iran and works tirelessly to build the organizations power, Citrinowicz said. Hizballah has around 40,000 fighters, according to the office of the U.S. Director of National Intelligence. The State Department said Iran has armed and trained Hizballah fighters and injected hundreds of millions of dollars in the group. Photo by on Unsplash The State Department in 2010 described Hizballah as the most technically capable terrorist group in the world. Citrinowicz said Iran may not dictate orders to the organization but Tehran profoundly influences its decision-making process. He described Hizballah, which is considered a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union, not as a proxy but an Iranian partner managing Tehrans Middle East strategy. Led by Hassan Nasrallah, Hizballah has developed close ties with other Iranian proxies and Tehran-backed militant groups, helping to train and arm their fighters. Citrinowicz said Tehran almost depends on the Lebanese group to oversee its relations with other groups in the axis of resistance. Hamas Hamas, designated a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union, has had a complex relationship with Iran. Founded in 1987 during the first Palestinian Intifada, or uprising, Hamas is an offshoot of the Palestinian arm of the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist political organization established in Egypt in the 1920s. Hamass political chief is Ismail Haniyeh, who lives in Qatar. Its military wing, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, is commanded by Yahya Sinwar, who is believed to be based in the Gaza Strip. Hamas is estimated to have around 20,000 fighters. For years, Iran provided limited material support to Hamas, a Sunni militant group. Tehran ramped up its financial and military support to the Palestinian group after it gained power in the Gaza Strip in 2007. But Tehran reduced its support to Hamas after a major disagreement over the civil war in Syria. When the conflict broke out in 2011, Iran backed the government of President Bashar al-Assad. Hamas, however, supported the rebels seeking to oust Assad. Nevertheless, experts said the sides overcame their differences because, ultimately, they seek the same goal: Israels destruction. [But] this does not mean that Iran is deeply aware of all the actions of Hamas, Citrinowicz said. After Hamas militants launched a multipronged attack on Israel in October that killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, Iran denied it was involved in planning the assault. U.S. intelligence has indicated that Iranian leaders were surprised by Hamass attack. Seyed Ali Alavi, a lecturer in Middle Eastern and Iranian Studies at SOAS University of London, said Irans support to Hamas is largely confined to rhetorical and moral support and limited financial aid. He said Qatar and Turkey, Hamass organic allies, have provided significantly more financial help to the Palestinian group. Palestinian Islamic Jihad With around 1,000 members, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) is the smaller of the two main militant groups based in the Gaza Strip and the closest to Iran. Founded in 1981, the Sunni militant groups creation was inspired by Irans Islamic Revolution two years earlier. Given Tehrans ambition of establishing a foothold in the Palestinian Occupied Territories, Iran has provided the group with substantial financial backing and arms, experts say. The PIJ, led by Ziyad al-Nakhalah, is designated as a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union. Today, there is no Palestinian terrorist organization that is closer to Iran than this organization, Citrinowicz said. In fact, it relies mainly on Iran. Citrinowicz said there is no doubt that Tehrans ability to influence [the PIJ] is very significant. Iraqi Shiite Militias Iran supports a host of Shiite militias in neighboring Iraq, some of which were founded by the IRGC and defer to Iranian instructions, said Gregory Brew, a U.S.-based Iran analyst with the Eurasia Group. But Tehrans influence over the militias has waned since the U.S. assassination in 2020 of Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani, who was seen as the architect of the axis of resistance and held great influence over its members. The dynamic within these militias, particularly regarding their relationship with Iran, underwent a notable shift following the assassination of Qassem Soleimani, said Hamidreza Azizi, a fellow at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs. The U.S. drone strike that targeted Soleimani also killed Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the deputy head of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), an umbrella organization of mostly Shiite Iran-backed armed groups that has been a part of the Iraqi Army since 2016. Muhandis was also the leader of Kataib Hizballah, which was established in 2007 and is one of the most powerful members of the PMF. Other prominent groups in the umbrella include Asaib Ahl al-Haq, Harakat al-Nujaba, Kataib Seyyed al-Shuhada, and the Badr Organization. Kataib Hizballah has been designated as a terrorist entity by the United States. Following the deaths of Soleimani and al-Muhandis, Kataib Hizballah and other militias began to assert more autonomy, at times acting in ways that could potentially compromise Irans interests, said Azizi. Many of the Iran-backed groups that form the PMF are also part of the so-called Islamic Resistance in Iraq, which rose to prominence in November 2023. The group has been responsible for launching scores of attacks on U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria since Israel launched its war against Hamas in Gaza. Its important to note that while several militias within the PMF operate as Irans proxies, this is not a universal trait across the board, Azizi said. Azizi said the extent of Irans control over the PMF can fluctuate based on the political conditions in Iraq and the individual dynamics within each militia. The strength of each group within the PMF varies widely, with some containing as few as 100 members and others, such as Kataib Hizballah, boasting around 10,000 fighters. Syrian State And Pro-Government Militias Besides Iran, Syria is the only state that is a member of the axis of resistance. The relationship between Iran and the Assad regime in Syria is a strategic alliance where Irans influence is substantial but not absolute, indicating a balance between dependency and partnership, said Azizi. The decades-long alliance stems from Damascuss support for Tehran during the devastating 1980-88 Iran-Iraq War. When Assads rule was challenged during the Syrian civil war, the IRGC entered the fray in 2013 to ensure he held on to power. Hundreds of IRGC commander and officers, who Iran refers to as military advisers, are believed to be present in Syria. Tehran has also built up a large network of militias, consisting mostly of Afghans and Pakistanis, in Syria. Azizi said these militias have given Iran a profound influence on the countrys affairs, although not outright control over Syria. The Assad regime maintains its strategic independence, making decisions that serve its national interests and those of its allies, he said. The Fatemiyun Brigade, comprised of Afghan fighters, and the Zainabiyun Brigade, which is made up of Pakistani fighters, make up the bulk of Irans proxies in Syria. They are essentially units in the IRGC, under direct control, said Brew. The Afghan and Pakistani militias played a key role in fighting rebel groups opposed to Assad during the civil war. There have been reports that Iran has not only granted citizenship to Afghan fighters and their families but also facilitated Syrian citizenship for them. The Fatemiyun Brigade, the larger of the two, is believed to have several thousand fighters in Syria. The Zainabiyun Brigade is estimated to have less than 1,000 fighters. Yemens Huthi Rebels The Huthis first emerged as a movement in the 1980s in response to the growing religious influence of neighboring Saudi Arabia, a Sunni kingdom. In 2015, the Shiite militia toppled the internationally recognized, Saudi-backed government of Yemen. That triggered a brutal, yearslong Saudi-led war against the rebels. With an estimated 200,000 fighters, the Huthis control most of the northwest of the country, including the capital, Sanaa, and are in charge of much of the Red Sea coast. The Huthis disdain for Saudi Arabia, Irans regional foe, and Israel made it a natural ally of Tehran, experts say. But it was only around 2015 that Iran began providing the group with training through the Quds Force and Hizballah. Tehran has also supplied weapons to the group, though shipments are regularly intercepted by the United States. The Huthisappear to have considerable autonomy and Tehran exercises only limited control, though there does appear to be [a] clear alignment of interests, said Brew. Since Israel launched its war in Gaza, the Huthis have attacked international commercial vessels in the Red Sea and fired ballistic missiles at several U.S. warships. In response, the United States and its allies have launched air strikes against the Huthis military infrastructure. Washington has also re-designated the Huthis as a terrorist organization. Copyright (c)2024 RFE/RL, Inc. Used with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1250 Connecticut Ave NW, Ste 450, Washington DC 20036. Via RFE/RL The Kuiper belt, which contains hundreds of thousands of icy space bodies, may be much larger than previously thought. This is hinted at by data from the New Horizons spacecraft, which flew past Pluto 9 years ago. ADVERTISIMENT This is stated in a statement released by the American space agency NASA. The study, based on data from New Horizons, was published in the journal Astrophysical Journal Letters. The Kuiper Belt is a region on the outskirts of the Solar System. It begins beyond the orbit of Neptune and is believed to extend to a distance of 58 AU or more (1 AU is the distance from the Sun to the Earth). In a sense, the Kuiper belt is similar to the asteroid belt, but it is about 20 times wider and much more massive according to various estimates, 20-200 times. The first object discovered from the belt was Pluto, which was initially considered a planet but was later deprived of this status. Subsequently, other dwarf planets and even smaller icy space bodies were also discovered there. It is believed that this belt was formed as a result of Neptune, Uranus, Saturn, and Jupiter turning into a kind of defenders of the solar system, leaving all unwanted space guests circling in the cold outskirts of our system. ADVERTISIMENT Now, NASA's New Horizons spacecraft is flying through this belt and capturing something that scientists did not expect. Nine years ago, it flew past Pluto and since then has already advanced well through the Kuiper belt. It is believed to be already at 60 AU, but its Venetia Burney Student Dust Counter (SDC) instrument continues to detect high levels of dust. As NASA explained, this is a symptom of the environment and could mean that the Kuiper belt is much larger than previously thought. However, real evidence of this has yet to be found. Nevertheless, NASA is already reporting "a growing body of evidence that the outer edge of the main Kuiper belt may extend billions of kilometers further than current estimates suggest." Scientists also do not rule out the possibility that there may be another unknown belt beyond the Kuiper belt. ADVERTISIMENT Earlier, Earth-based telescopes discovered several Kuiper Belt objects that exist beyond what is traditionally considered its outer edge, at a distance of about 50 AU. Together with the dust data from New Horizons, this may indicate that humanity underestimated the scale of the belt. Dust in the Kuiper Belt can be formed when two objects hit each other, and, according to previous data, New Horizons should have been flying in an empty region for the last 10 AU. Scientists now suggest that the outer edge may be 80 AU away, which means that the Kuiper belt itself is about 10 times larger than the distance between the Sun and Jupiter. For 18 years, New Horizons has already traveled more than 8 billion kilometers, but it still has enough fuel to reach the limit of 100 AU from the Sun and work until the 2040s. ADVERTISIMENT Subscribe to the OBOZ.UA channels in Telegram and Viber to keep up with the latest events. In Russia, the bodies of crew members have been found at the crash site of the A-50 long-range radar detection aircraft shot down the day before, on February 23. At least ten Russian invaders were killed. ADVERTISIMENT This was reported by the Russian Telegram channel VChK-OGPU. The crew members of this rare reconnaissance aircraft are artificial specialists whose training requires a lot of time and money. "As it became known to the VChK-OGPU, the remains of 10 dead crew members were found at the crash site of the A50 reconnaissance aircraft in the Krasnodar Territory," the statement said. In total, 15 Russian specialists could have been on board the downed plane. According to open-source data, the A-50 crew consists of 5 flight crew members and 10 radar operators. Those on board had no chance of survival: the plane had neither parachutes nor catapults, aviation expert Kostiantyn Kryvolap said on We Are Ukraine. According to him, the Russians may not have seen the need for such precautions, as they believed that aircraft like the A-50 could not be shot down. ADVERTISIMENT "You see, these aircraft are not shot down. It is considered impossible to shoot down such an airplane. And when it was shot down for the first time, I said that now all these commanders should shave their heads bald, anoint their heads with brilliant green, and commit hara-kiri. Because this is a shame that cannot be washed away," emphasized Kryvolap. As a reminder, on the evening of February 23, a Russian A-50U long-range radar detection and control aircraft was shot down over the Sea of Azov. The downed aircraft went down in the Krasnodar region of the Russian Federation. It was a joint operation of the Main Intelligence Directorate and the Air Force. Before the full-scale invasion, Russia had only nine such aircraft: three A-50s and six A-50Us. The occupiers use A-50 and A-50U aircraft to detect and track air and surface targets, to alert command posts of automated control systems of the armed forces about the air and surface situation, to control fighter and strike aircraft when they are guided at air, land, and sea targets, and they can also serve as an air command post. ADVERTISIMENT The A-50 airborne surveillance aircraft are very valuable to the Russians. They play the role of correctors during the massive shelling of Ukraine and are worth at least $330 million. It was believed that these aircraft could not be shot down. However, the Ukrainian Defense Forces first shattered this stereotype on January 14, when they shot down two Russian occupation aircraft over the Sea of Azov. An A-50 long-range radar detection and control aircraft was shot down and an Il-22 was damaged. For the second time, the myth about the indestructibility of the Russian A-50 was refuted the day before. A woman places flowers during a vigil for Adu Boakye, a man who was fatally shot while waiting for the bus last week near a community centre in Northwest Toronto, Saturday, Feb. 24, 2024. Boakye, a 39-year-old man from Ghana who police said came to Toronto last November to support his family. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Cole Burston This undated image provided by Augusta University shows Laken Hope Riley. Police said Friday, Feb. 23, 2024, that they are questioning a person of interest in the death of Riley, a nursing student whose body was found on the University of Georgia campus in Athens, Ga., after not returning from a run. (Augusta University via AP) Friday, February 23, 2024 A British Army sergeant has been convicted of bigamy after he married a second wife in Kenya in a Sharia Law ceremony. Sgt Noa Dravikula tied the knot with a second woman, Kuki Wason, in an Islamic marriage while he was here in Kenya on deployment. The 42-year-old soldier had been separated from his first wife but not officially divorced when he sparked up his new love affair, a court martial heard. He was caught out by Army bosses after he expressed his 'wish' to bring Ms Wason back to the UK with him. At Bulford Military Court, Wiltshire, Sgt Dravikula claimed he had no idea his wedding in Kenya counted because the service was in Swahili and he didn't understand it. But, following a three-day trial, he was convicted of bigamy. Sgt Dravikula had been deployed to the British Army Training Unit Kenya (BATUK) facility in Nanyuki when he 'started a relationship' with a Kenyan lady called Kuki Wason. In October 2021, the couple enjoyed an Islamic marriage ceremony, called a nikah, which meant he was committing bigamy. British law states couples can marry if they are both aged 18 or over and are free to marry, if they're single, widowed or divorced, or if they were in a civil partnership which has been dissolved. The marriage came to the attention of Army top brass when Sgt Dravikula wanted to bring Ms Wason back to the UK with him. Prosecutor Flight Lieutenant Charlotte Adams told the court Sgt Dravikula married his first wife in June 2011 in a Methodist church in Fiji. The court heard that Sgt Dravikula's first wife, with whom he shares a child, had initiated divorce proceedings after their separation in March 2017. However, the divorce had not yet been finalised and so they were not officially separated. Flt Lt Adams said: 'He then proceeded to marry a second individual, Kuki Wason, on October 29, 2021, whilst married to his first wife. 'In doing do he committed bigamy.' Saturday, February 24, 2024 - The attention of the Director, DCI has been drawn to a viral video circulating on social media where a lady cried foul play by two Kasarani sub-county detectives who were handling her case. The Director DCI instructed the DCI's Nairobi Region Coordinator to launch a thorough probe into the allegations with the view of taking appropriate measures to deliver justice. The position of the matter has been found to be as follows: That the complainant, Irene Waithera Maina, while in Saudia Arabia wanted to send some money to her sister back in Kenya, thus went to the bank where she left a total of Ksh 413,000 and her sister's details with the teller. She was instructed to wait for three days before the money would reflect in her sister's account, but on the expiry of the period, her sister confirmed that she had not received the money. The complainant returned to the bank only to find that the amount was erroneously deposited to a different mobile subscriber registered in the name of William Otieno. The bank tried to reverse the transaction but only managed to reverse Ksh171,000 while the balance of Sh242,000 had already been withdrawn by the unintended recipient. The complainant decided to board a flight to Kenya to follow up on the matter and reported at Kasarani Police Station where the case was referred to the DCI Kasarani for action. Two detectives were assigned the case where they launched investigations into, "Intentionally Withholding Payment Delivered Erroneously Contrary to Section 35 of Computer Misuse and Cyber Crime Act no. 5 of 2018." Upon investigations, William Otieno was traced to the Bande area at the Kenya-Tanzania border during the Christmas period, before he relocated to Mombasa at the Likoni area. On January 13, 2024, the suspect was nabbed and booked at Inuka Police Station in Likoni. In compliance with the 24-hour rule within which a suspect must be arraigned before a magistrate, the suspect was released on a KSh22,000 cash bail but thereafter switched off his phone. On February 20, 2024, the investigating officers got a tip on the whereabouts of the suspect, where they proceeded to Mombasa and managed to arrest the suspect the following day. On February 22, the suspect was arraigned at Makadara Law Court where he was charged and granted bail of Sh200,000 with a surety of Sh400,000. The case will be mentioned on June 18, 2024, with its hearing scheduled for October 24, 2024. Whereas the case is Pending before Court (PBC), the alleged misconduct of the investigating officers will be investigated and appropriate action taken. The Kenyan DAILY POST. Friday, February 23, 2024 Wilson Fittipaldi Jr, 80, has died after he was hospitalised following a choking incident while eating his Christmas dinner. Former Formula 1 driver and team owner Fittipaldi choked on a piece of meat during the December festivities. He then suffered a cardiac arrest before being resuscitated at the hospital, but it's since been confirmed he has died from the resulting illness. "It is with deep sorrow that we receive the news of the passing of Wilson Fittipaldi Jr," read a statement from Fabiana Ecclestone, vice-president of motorsport for FIA South America. "His departure leaves an irreparable void in the automobile scene and in the lives of those who had the privilege of knowing him. "His dedication and efforts were fundamental in consolidating the country as an important protagonist on the international racing scene. In this moment of mourning, we express our most sincere condolences to the family, friends and admirers of Wilson Fittipaldi Jr." The Brazilian made 35 starts in F1 between 1972 and 1975, during which time he founded the only Brazilian F1 team, Fittipaldi-Copersucar. His F1 career highlights include a fifth-place finish at the German Grand Prix and a run to sixth at the Argentinian Grand Prix, both while on the books at Brabham in 1973. Fittipaldi - who was born on Christmas Day 1943 - followed his dad, Wilson Sr, into motorsport and drove a variety of cars as a youth. Younger brother Emerson was the first to find his way to F1 with Lotus in 1969 before his older sibling joined him in Europe the following year. Tributes to the late owner after confirmation of Fittipaldi's death emerged, with one F1 account dubbing it "sad, sad news." Many sent their condolences to the Fittipaldi family, and one fan hailed the South American as "one of the great names in our sport." Saturday, February 24, 2024 - Defence Cabinet Secretary, Aden Duale, has been accused of being drunk with power after he was pictured being surrounded by a team of heavily armed elite commandos when he was commissioning school buses and water bowsers for public schools in Fafi, Garissa County. The no-nonsense commandos kept watch as Duale walked on the red carpet alongside National Assembly speaker Moses Wetangula and a host of other leaders. See the photo that has sparked reactions on social media. The Kenyan DAILY POST. According to Ukrainian intelligence, the aggressor country Russia currently has almost 300 combat aircraft. The enemy can use all of them against us. ADVERTISIMENT Major General Vadym Skibitskyi, Deputy Chief of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, said this in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine. "A lot," he said when asked how many combat aircraft the Russians have at their disposal. According to Skibitskyi, the situation may be changed by F-16 fighter jets that Ukraine is to receive soon. These warplanes are one of the means that can destroy enemy aircraft, including those used by the enemy to launch bombing strikes. The Deputy Chief of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine noted that Russia has set itself the task of destroying both our aviation and infrastructure. The enemy does not stop trying to destroy Ukrainian airfields, which it regularly attacks with various types of weapons. "For three days in a row, the enemy has been bombing Kanatove airfield (near Kropyvnytskyi - Ed.), trying to hit it with ballistic missiles. And this is exactly the enemy's approach to prevent us from deploying aircraft there. They are very afraid that powerful Western equipment will come to Ukraine. And we are already clearly confident that Western weapons are much better and have an advantage over Russian and Soviet weapons. Any kind of weapon. This includes accuracy, efficiency, and other parameters," Skibitskyi emphasized. ADVERTISIMENT Only verified information is available on our Telegram OBOZ.UA and Viber. Do not fall for fakes! Friday, February 23, 2024 Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has finally unveiled Israels plans for Gaza after hostilities ended in the enclave, submitting to his war cabinet a formal proposal that directly contradicts the objectives of the US. The one-page document, released overnight by his office, makes no mention of any role for the Palestinian Authority, the West Bank-based opponents of Hamas that the US administration wants to see take over control, and rejects unilateral international steps towards recognition of a Palestinian state. Netanyahu's proposition also foresees a sizeable security buffer within the besieged enclave, an outcome the US opposes. Appealing to his domestic rightwing political base, the document entitled The Day After Hamas Principles is the first official distillation of Netanyahus prior statements on the issue. Dividing Gazas future into near, medium and long-term phases, the document makes clear that Israel will continue its long-running blockade of the territory, and intends to remain involved in civilian issues, from how the local police operate and what the schools and mosques teach in the predominantly Sunni Muslim territory. In practice, it could see a full-scale resumption of Israels control of the enclave and its 2.3mn population, combining elements of its decades-long occupation with the punishing blockade that was instituted two years after the 2005 disengagement, when the Israeli military pulled out of Gaza. In the medium term, Israel will build a security area within the Gaza Strip, running along its entire border. It also intends to build an over- and underground security flank or barrier along its border with Egypt to prevent weapons smuggling, and enforce land, sea and air control over the strip, the document said. Israel will only allow weapons required to maintain public order, an opaque reference to a police force that has largely vanished after being targeted by Israeli air strikes, resulting in a chaotic law and order situation that has forced humanitarian organisations to curtail aid deliveries. It said that in the civilian sphere, Israel will only allow local actors with management experience to enforce public order. The US, Israels closest ally, and the EU have been pushing a different postwar plan. It wants the relatively secular Palestinian Authority, headed by President Mahmoud Abbas, to take over control, setting the grounds for talks that would likely lead to the establishment of a Palestinian state. A Spokesperson for Abbas told the Wafa news service that Netanyahus proposed plans aim to perpetuate Israels occupation of Palestinian territories and prevent the establishment of a Palestinian State. Gaza will only be part of the independent Palestinian State with Jerusalem as its Capital, they said. Netanyahu released the plan around the visit to Israel of Brett McGurk, the US Middle East envoy. The US has yet to publicly comment on the document. The war has already claimed the lives of at least 29,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, according to local health authorities, and the wide-scale destruction of Gazas civilian infrastructure. The total death toll is estimated to be far higher, with thousands buried in the rubble. Saturday, February 24, 2024 ODM Secretary General Edwin Sifuna has revealed the invaluable advice he gave Wiper Leader Kalonzo Musyoka as the push to succeed former Prime Minister Raila Odinga intensifies. Speaking during a funeral service in Machakos County yesterday, the Nairobi Senator revealed that he advised the Wiper leader to stick with Raila amidst plans to divide the coalition. Sifuna asserted that Kalonzo's closeness with the ODM boss would give him an added advantage should the former premier decide to pass the baton ahead of the 2027 polls. The senator explained that ODM leaders would only follow Railas direction regarding his successor during the election. However, he hinted that the Wiper leader was destined to succeed the ODM boss ahead of the 2027 polls. "I told him to stay close to Raila because we (ODM) only take instructions from one centre and that is Raila. "Last week I was with Kalonzo and he said that he would give me the docket of Foreign Affairs. Who gives out such roles in government?" he posed. On the other hand, he called on leaders allied to Kalonzo to tone down on their push to have Raila endorse Kalonzo. "Let me tell you the secret of ODM, what we do not like, is Raila being pushed to do something. Kenyans are expecting Azimio to take over the government. "I also told the Kalonzo not to let someone come and divide us. We are already seeing plans to divide us using Raila's succession," he cautioned. Succession within Azimio has gained momentum in recent weeks following Raila's intentions to contest for the African Union Commission (AUC) seat. The Kenyan DAILY POST Friday, February 23, 2024 Shamima Begum has been banned from the UK forever after losing her Court of Appeal challenge over the removal of her British citizenship. Dubbed the 'ISIS Bride', Shamima was only 15 years old when she ran off from her home in the UK. She went to Syria to join the terror group with two school friends in 2015 during the February half-term holidays. In Syria, Shamima married a notoriously hardline Islamic State member. Today, Feb. 23, 2024, a court threw out Shamima Begums bid to overturn the decision to strip her of UK citizenship. On Friday, three judges, including the chief justice, Sue Carr, unanimously dismissed the appeal. Dismissing her appeal against the removal of the British passport Lady Chief Justice Baroness Carr said: It could be argued the decision in Ms Begums case was harsh. It could also be argued that Ms Begum is the author of her misfortune. But it is not for this court to agree or disagree with either point of view. After the judgement Begum's solicitor Daniel Furner said he had promised her and the Government We are not going to stop fighting until she does get justice and until she is safely back home. Begum was one of three bright straight-A students from Bethnal Green Academy - along with Kadiza Sultana, 16, and Amira Abase, 15 - who fled east London and travelled through Turkey to join one of the most savage terrorist gangs in history. The roles the three played in the caliphate remain uncertain with Begum claiming she was simply a housewife and has lost three children during her time there. Intelligence sources have said she was involved with stitching explosives into suicide vests. She denied having witnessed executions but admitted having seen severed heads discarded in a bin. Sir James Eadie KC, for the Home Office, said the key feature of Ms Begums case was national security. The fact that someone is radicalised, and may have been manipulated, is not inconsistent with the assessment that they pose a national security risk. Begum married IS member Dutch national Yago Riedijk, 27, when she was 15 and had three children with him who all later died. She was stripped of her British citizenship in 2019 and lost her appeal to get it back in 2023. She reportedly now sells food parcels she has been given in a detention camp by aid agencies to make enough money. Friday, February 23, 2024 A baby along with his three-year-old sister and seven-year-brother who were found dead in a Bristol home, were stabbed to death. Siblings Fares Bash, seven, Joury Bash, three, and nine-month-old Mohammed Bash were found dead in the Sea Mills area of the city on Sunday, February 18. Avon and Somerset Police said a 42-year-old woman arrested on suspicion of their murder remains in hospital undergoing treatment for non-life-threatening injuries. Police were called to a property in Blaise Walk at around 12:40am after a member of the public called with concerns for the children's welfare. Friends of the siblings, who were part of the city's Sudanese community, have gathered at a local church to support one another and pay tribute. In a statement released on Friday, Chief Inspector Vicks Hayward-Melen said: 'The loss of such young children, who had their whole lives ahead of them, is truly heartbreaking and our thoughts remain with their family and everyone affected by this tragedy. 'Our specialist liaison officers will continue to provide their next of kin with any help and support they need. 'Over the past few days, forensic post-mortem examinations have been carried out on the children. We can now confirm the cause of death for each child was knife injuries. 'A 42-year-old woman arrested on suspicion of their murder remains in hospital undergoing treatment for non-life-threatening injuries.' The investigation into the incident is 'progressing at pace', the force added. Ms Hayward-Melen said cordons in Blaise Walk had been lifted and a mobile police station would open in the Sea Mills area on Saturday and Sunday. She previously told reporters that police believed the findings to be an isolated incident and there was no risk to the wider community. The force said the Independent Office for Police Conduct had been informed about the incident due to 'prior police contact'. Avon and Somerset Police Crime Commissioner Mark Shelford added: 'I am deeply saddened by the news of the deaths of three children in Sea Mills. 'The deaths of these children is heartbreaking. My thoughts are with all those who knew and cared for these children and with the local community, who I know will be impacted. 'The police have made an arrest and believe this to be an isolated incident. They have assessed that there is no further risk to the wider community. 'There are questions to be asked about how such an appalling event has occurred and what could have been done to prevent it, but for now, I ask that people allow the police to investigate.' A community vigil will take place to remember the children later at Sea Mills Square from 7:30pm this evening. Paying tribute, Salwa Bashar, a family friend from Bristol, said: 'I have known this family for over six years now. They are part of our community, they're family friends. 'She and her husband are a very big part of our community, they were just lovely people and were always smiling. She's very friendly and he's also really friendly. 'I was shocked (when I heard the news) I didn't want to believe it, I didn't want it to be true. I was, I still am, in shock. I was really really sad, I still am very sad.' Ms Bashar, whose two young children were best friends with Fares, added: 'Fares is the most intelligent child I have ever met, He was courteous and always wanted to know how you were. He'd say to me - 'How are you Salwa?'. 'He was no ordinary child, and I always believed he was going to become an extraordinary adult, doing extraordinary things. It breaks my heart that he and his sister and little brother are no longer with us. 'They were such lovely children and they deserved to be protected by the authorities, who knew there were difficulties around them. 'What has happened just seems unbelievable. I cannot believe they are no longer with us.' Mayor of Bristol Martin Reeves wrote on Facebook: 'It's almost impossible to find the words to describe this afternoon's devastating news from Sea Mills, Bristol 'My thoughts are with all who knew these three young children we will be working with schools, the community, and the police to support people.' Friday, February 23, 2024 A trans man in the UK and his fiancee are planning to undergo IVF treatment on the NHS using her womb and his eggs. Taylor Winters, 40, from Watford, Hertfordshire, was born a female but always felt 'like a boy' growing up. He moved to the UK nine years ago and began looking into transitioning - starting testosterone treatment at age 34. Taylor found it 'exciting' growing a beard, hearing his voice drop, and said he felt 'whole' after having top surgery. Before starting his transition, Taylor decided to freeze his eggs and is now beginning IVF treatment on the NHS with his fiancee, Chloe. The couple are using a sperm donor and plan to use Taylor's frozen eggs in their first transfer and Chloe's in their second so they can each have a biological child. Taylor, a social media director, said: 'I feel whole now. I'm the happiest I've ever been. 'I was waiting my whole life for something but I didn't know if it was going to happen. I never lost hope.' The pair want to use the same sperm donor for their second child. Chloe, 30, said: 'It was amazing noticing how each injection would transform his body but most importantly, I loved seeing how confident he grew as each month passed. 'I feel it's so brave to show the world who you truly are, so I'm really proud of him for aligning his physical appearance to who he is inside. 'I've always wanted a family of my own, ever since I was little. Having our own biological kids just felt right for us as it does for a lot of couples - we're no different. 'Having IVF as an option for us is such a blessing. We both have a lot of love to give and have the best family and support around us, and our children would always be loved and accepted for who they are. 'You can be in a healthy and happy relationship if you're transgender.' Taylor, who grew up in Transylvania, Romania, told his parents he was a boy from the age of five and says they were supportive. He would cut his hair short and refuse to wear dresses. He said: 'I was saying I'm more of a butch lesbian but I felt like a boy. There was no visibility [of trans people] at all.' Taylor wore baggy clothes and did not realise he was transgender until he reached his early twenties and saw a trans woman being interviewed on television. He said: 'I saw a Romanian trans person on TV. I felt compassion for the trans girl and a bit envious as well.' Before starting Taylor decided to freeze his eggs as he had always wanted the chance to be a parent, but had never seen himself being pregnant. He said: 'I was becoming something I always saw myself to be. It was amazing [and] exciting. 'I started seeing facial hair. My voice started to drop after a few months. It was a rollercoaster. Taylor had top surgery in October 2019 and a hysterectomy in November 2023. He said: 'It was such a liberating feeling. It was amazing not having to hide my chest - to go the beach and not have to wear a bra.' Speaking of having children, Taylor said: 'From my perspective, I always wanted to have biological kids but I didn't want to be pregnant. 'We're using both our eggs to start a family so we each have a biological connection.' Taylor hopes sharing his story can show people that it's 'never too late' to transition. He said: 'I feel like this is a new life since transitioning.' Friday, February 23, 2024 A 40-year-old Zimbabwean woman, Sharon Chidamba has been arraigned in court for allegedly murdering her married boyfriend, Edward Chakanetsa. It was reported that the incident occurred at Chidambas residence in Chitungwiza on Christmas Day last year. Chidamba is accused of attacking Chakanetsa with an unidentified object, resulting in a fractured skull that ultimately led to his death. The sequence of events leading to the tragedy unfolded after a disagreement during their drinking session. Chidambas arrest on January 6 followed suspicions raised by Chakanetsas relatives. Prior to her apprehension, she provided conflicting statements to the deceaseds family, who sensed foul play in the circumstances surrounding Chakanetsas demise. One of Chidambas accounts claimed that Chakanetsa had ingested rat poison. She asserted that she rushed him to a local hospital where he later passed away. However, suspicions grew, prompting the family to make a police report and then investigations started taking place over the death of the man. A post-mortem results however revealed that Chakanetsas cause of death was a blunt object assault, not rat poison ingestion as previously stated by Chidamba. This revelation led to her formal charges of murder and the beginning of her trial. Chidambaram, who was granted $100 bail, appeared at the Chitungwiza Magistrates Court, where the state presented its case. She is scheduled for another court appearance as the police continue their investigations into the murder case. Im in a global private physician Facebook group, and I learn a great deal about health care, both good and bad, from other doctors. Because it is private, doctors share a lot of personal practice issues as well as challenging cases from which we all learn. The physician who posted this message from her hospital employer gave permission for me to use it, and hundreds of comments encouraged this post. This missive from her for-profit hospital was presented at a staff meeting. It is shocking for both doctors and patients and is indicative of how some health systems treat all doctors and primary care physicians. (Disclaimer: Not mine. We are respected, and they would never stoop to this.) There are so many things wrong with this message. Every line contributes to burnout, toxic work conditions, horrible patient care, and disrespect for professionals and their support staff. The jiffy-lube assembly line for patient care will lead to medical errors and missed diagnoses, not to mention terrible patient satisfaction. The hospital wants the doctors to churn and schedule frequent follow-up visits to make a profit. The restriction on referring out of the system to find the best doctor for the patient is frankly illegal. (They wisely put in a disclaimer that it is patient choice. Of course, it is, but patients usually follow the recommendation of their doctor.) The concept of doing work in the downtime is insulting. There isnt even time to go to the bathroom or get a drink of water. The patient visit time is impossible when it can take 10 minutes just to go through a medication list or get an elderly patient undressed. The physician who posted this has turned in her resignation. More than 83 million people in the U.S. have no access to primary care. In large parts of Idaho and Mississippi, there are no OB/GYNs. West Virginia has the worst health care access and the least healthy population with the worst outcomes. From 2005 to 2015, the prevalence of primary care physicians in the U.S. fell by 11 percent, and many of them were hospitalists who only see hospital patients. The reasons physicians burn out and leave practice completely are clear in the message given to the medical staff: Packed workdays Demanding pace Time pressures Emotional intensity Exhaustion Depersonalization Lack of control and personal accomplishment Disrespect I dont have a simple answer for this health care system problem, but first, everyone should know it is a crisis. Firing the CEO and chief medical officer of this hospital would be a good start. Congress should step in and ease the physician shortage by expanding training options, providing greater student loan support/forgiveness, and creating smoother pathways for foreign-trained physicians. State legislators have the power to reform and reduce administrative burdens. Outlaw private equity groups taking over health care hospitals and practices. All of this would benefit patients. More and more physicians are leaving employed practice for concierge and direct-pay practices and regaining control for themselves and their satisfied patients. Unfortunately, that will not solve the shortage for millions of Americans who deserve better. Toni Brayer is an internal medicine physician. The day before, on February 23, the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported the downing of the second Russian long-range radar detection aircraft A-50 in 2024. These very rare aircraft, of which Russia has only a few in service, helped the occupiers coordinate Russian aviation and air defense. ADVERTISIMENT Russian propagandists, meanwhile, stubbornly insist that this plane, like the previous one, was shot down by Russian air defense. The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) assessed the consequences of this loss for the situation on the battlefield and explained why Russia categorically refuses to recognize the success of the Ukrainian army. On the evening of February 23, the Ukrainian Air Force and the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine reported that Ukrainian soldiers had shot down a Russian A-50 long-range radar detection aircraft. According to the reports, it was shot down near Yeysk, Krasnodar Territory, over the Sea of Azov. Videos have also been posted online, one showing the crash of the plane and the other showing a large fire with secondary detonation. According to the geolocation data, the second video was filmed near the Russian village of Trudovaya Armenia in the Kanev district of Krasnodar Krai, northeast of Primorsko-Akhtarsk. ADVERTISIMENT A little later, footage of mangled parts of the plane appeared on the network, so, according to analysts, "it is highly unlikely that Russian forces will be able to repair the A-50 or that the crew survived the crash." In Russia, meanwhile, the crash of the "unidentified aircraft" was confirmed, but the cause was not specified. The ISW analysts clarified that Russian troops use aircraft such as the A-50 to coordinate their aviation and air defense. And after the first A-50 was shot down in mid-January, the Russians significantly, albeit temporarily, reduced the tactical activity of their aircraft over the Azov Sea. Having somewhat recovered from the shock of the repeated and very painful loss of the scarce aircraft, Russian propagandists once again claimed that it was hit by Russian air defense. This practice is becoming more and more commonplace for the "ultranationalist" Russian community. ADVERTISIMENT "Russian military bloggers claimed that Russian troops had mistakenly shot down their own A-50 aircraft and blamed the Russian military for systemic problems that they must address to avoid further 'friendly fire' incidents," ISW noted. One Russian propagandist acknowledged that the A-50 and its highly specialized crew are a scarce resource for Russia that it cannot easily replace. And Russian military bloggers have begun to vigorously refute the information about the rare aircraft being shot down by Ukrainian soldiers. Instead, they claim that both on February 23 and January 14, Russian A-50s allegedly fell victim to "friendly fire" from Russian air defense. In addition, Russian propaganda attributes the recent downing of several Su-34 and Su-35 fighters to its own air defense. Those who doubt Ukraine's innocence in the reduction in the number of Russian aircraft are mercilessly criticized by most Russian propagandists. ADVERTISIMENT "Russian military bloggers may be refusing to attribute any success to Ukrainian forces as part of a broader effort in the Russian information space to demoralize Ukrainians and convince Russians that victory is assured. Recent Kremlin rhetoric has focused on portraying Russia as being able to outlast Ukraine's willingness and ability to fight with continued Western military support, and consistent statements by Russian military bloggers about the ineffectiveness of Ukraine's air defense and other battlefield capabilities are consistent with this disinformation campaign," ISW said. However, the destruction of two strategic Russian aircraft by Ukrainians at once, especially with an interval of several weeks, seriously undermines the Russian narrative, analysts say. "The enthusiasm of military bloggers to attribute staggering incompetence to Russia's own air defense system - the only possible explanation for the numerous cases of shooting down aircraft that helps coordinate the air defense system itself - looks strange," ISW summarized. ADVERTISIMENT Before the full-scale invasion, Russia had only nine such aircraft: three A-50s and six A-50Us. The A-50 and A-50U aircraft are used by the occupiers to detect and track air and surface targets and alert command posts of automated control systems of the armed forces about the air and surface situation. It can also be used to control fighter and strike aircraft when they are guided at air, land and sea targets, as well as serve as an air command post. The A-50 airborne surveillance aircraft are very valuable to the Russians. They play the role of coordinators during massive shelling of Ukraine and are worth at least $330 million. It was believed that these aircraft could not be shot down. However, the Ukrainian Defense Forces first shattered this stereotype on January 14 when they shot down two Russian occupation aircraft over the Sea of Azov. An A-50 long-range radar detection and control aircraft was shot down and an Il-22 was damaged. ADVERTISIMENT The myth of the Russian A-50's indestructibility was disproven for the second time the day before. The Uganda Bankers Association has issued guidelines on how to mitigate fraud within Ugandas financial sector with one of the proposals entailing all commercial banks to blacklist customers, staff, and collaborators convicted of fraud. The revelation was made by Sarah Arapta, the Associations chairperson while unveiling the Banking Industry Guidelines on Mitigation of Fraud (BIGF) in Kampala. She defended the proposal to cut off individuals and companies found guilty of fraud from Ugandas financial institutions on grounds that fraud is a significant threat not only to the financial services but also to the wider economy since it poses grave challenges to its stability, credibility, and public trust. Michael Atingi-Ego, Deputy Governor, Bank of Uganda in his remarks welcomed the guidelines and further called on players in the banking sector to ensure that the guidelines are effectively implemented to uphold the integrity of Ugandas banking sector The Bank of Uganda aims to hold the integrity of public institutions and maintain public trust in the banking system. The guidelines that we are launching today are therefore very important milestones but they only mark the beginning, he said. The Association noted that before an individual or company is added to the blacklist, they must have been confirmed to have aided or abetted a cybercrime affecting a BIGF member and confirmation shall include validated reports or data obtained from the courts of law in Uganda. According to Uganda Bankers Association, the new guidelines will; enhance collaboration, expedite investigations, and enable a more proactive approach to combat fraud, strengthen fraud prevention measures within financial institutions by providing guidance on risk assessment, fraud detection, among others. On the evening of Friday, February 23, it became known that another Russian A-50 aircraft had been shot down in the Azov Sea, a joint operation by the Main Intelligence Directorate and the Air Force. Later, the intelligence agency clarified that it was an A-50U, a modernized version of the airborne reconnaissance aircraft. ADVERTISIMENT The cost of such a vessel, of which the aggressor state has only a few left, is $350 million, the DIU noted. OBOZ.UA collected information on how the A-50U differs from the basic version of the A-50. Work on the modernization of A-50s in service began in 2003, and they were fully deployed in 2008. Factory tests of the vehicle lasted until July 2009, and joint tests ended on November 26 this year. During this period, work was carried out on the radio engineering complex, the automatic control system and the communication complex were improved. After the modernization of the workstations of the tactical crew members, information is displayed on liquid crystal displays instead of cathode ray tubes. ADVERTISIMENT A-50U aircraft have been fitted with a new radio system with improved parameters for detecting low-observable airborne targets (including supersonic and helicopters, in conditions of electronic jamming). Rostec's materials stated that the upgraded A-50 can detect new types of aircraft and it is capable of simultaneously tracking more targets and guided fighters than the previous modification. It has improved its performance against helicopter targets and detection of surface targets. A new satellite navigation system has been installed. "Up to 300 targets are tracked simultaneously, and several dozen fighters are guided automatically. There are optical and infrared sensors to detect the flares of launching ballistic missiles." "The A-50U aircraft can detect ballistic missiles at a distance of up to 800 km, strategic bombers (such as Boeing B-52) at a range of up to 650 km, and enemy fighters such as F-35 at a radius of up to 300 km. Cruise missiles such as Storm Shadow or SCALP can be seen at a range of up to 215 km. Ground targets, such as air defense systems or air defense systems, as well as group targets of armored vehicles, are seen at a range of 250 to 300 km," the Russian media wrote. ADVERTISIMENT The first modernized aircraft was delivered to the Russian Air Force in October 2011. The Russian media were particularly active in emphasizing that this version of the aircraft "finally" had lounges and a kitchen, namely a buffet with household equipment. The A-50U can accommodate 5 crew members and 10 operators of the radio system at a time. The use of more modern equipment has reduced the weight of the aircraft and increased the range and time in the air during combat missions. ADVERTISIMENT Only verified information is available on our Telegram OBOZ.UA and Viber. Do not fall for fakes! A Clare doctor has arrived in India to represent Ireland at the 71st edition of the Miss World competition. Ivanna McMahon was crowned Miss Ireland in 2022 and is now over in India to represent Ireland. The 29-year-old, who is originally from the townland of Barefield, completed a degree in Medicine and is currently working as a doctor, as well as a model. Yesterday, the young woman was at the G20 summit table in Delhi, India. I am incredibly proud to have had the opportunity to sit and discuss the need for inclusive education and lifelong learning for all at the G20 summit table this morning, she told her supporters on social media. Ivanna plays various instruments, including the drums, fiddle, harp and the harmonica. She has travelled abroad to perform with an orchestra. The Clare native is also an ambassador for Dyslexia Ireland as well as for COPD Ireland, an organisation which support those living with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in Ireland. Ivanna is among the 25 finalists selected after the Head-to-head challenge of Miss World. Please allow ads as they help fund our trusted local news content. Kindly add us to your ad blocker whitelist. If you want further access to Ireland's best local journalism, consider contributing and/or subscribing to our free daily Newsletter . Support our mission and join our community now. Irish prisons are implementing major security changes after a drone bound for a west Dublin prison was found to be carrying heroin. The Irish Prison Service (IPS) has re-affirmed its commitment to investing in new technologies and measures to support their efforts to keep contraband out of prisons. Prison staff have reportedly increased the use of random and intelligence-led cell searches on a daily basis, and Canine Units are carrying out searches around the prisons with a greater focus on searching deliveries. The move comes following the seizure of a drone and a quantity of diamorphine (heroin) intended for delivery into a Dublin prison on February 12. Additionally, a 42 year old man was arrested yesterday (February 23) following an operation targeting the supply of controlled substances into prisons in the west Dublin area. During the operation, Gardai from the Drugs Unit in Ronanstown conducted a search of a residential property, leading to the discovery of over 180,000, a 10,000 designer watch, and several mobile phones. The IPS today (February 24) thanked Gardai for "their continued efforts and collaboration" to keep drugs out of prisons. In a statement, a spokesperson said: "The arrest and seizure yesterday shows we are intent on tackling those who wish to do harm by bringing drugs into our prisons. "The Irish Prison Service is committed to preventing the access of contraband including drugs into prisons and continues to be a high priority for the Irish Prison Service." The statement continued: "[We] are committed to strengthening our measures in keeping drugs out of prison and in this regard a new Drug Strategy was published last November. This new strategy sets out clear measures to be taken by the Irish Prison Service to tackle the problem of substance abuse in prisons over the next three years." Prisoners, visitors, staff or members of the public with information on the trafficking of prohibited items into Irish prisons can pass on the information in the strictest confidence by free phoning 1800 855 717 or texting 086 180 2449. A review has been launched at University Hospital Limerick following the death of a woman. Hospital bosses are currently reviewing the circumstances surrounding the death of a 33-year-old woman at UHL last weekend. The inquiry is the second to be launched at the hospital in a week following the inquiry into the death of a 16-year-old girl in January. It is understood that the 33-year-old from County Clare was initially admitted to University Maternity Hospital Limerick on Friday, February 16 before being transferred to UHL the following day. According to the Irish Independent, it is understood that she underwent an angiogram and several other tests, including blood tests, to check for infection or possible sepsis. It is understood the angiogram did not show anything of concern. The woman and her husband were later informed that they had lost their baby. It is reported that the following day, the woman suffered a cardiac arrest. Her condition had deteriorated rapidly. The death of the young woman has devastated her family and local community in County Clare. Tributes poured in following her sudden death with friends and work colleagues describing her as "friendly, bubbly and kind" and "fantastic" at her job. Another said they were "so heartbroken" to learn of the girl's passing. They described her as "such a positive and beautiful soul". In a statement released to Limerick Live this morning (February 24), a spokesperson for UL Hospitals Group said: We would like to extend our deepest sympathies to the family and loved ones of the patient concerned. This is normal HSE practice where a sudden death occurs in our care. This review will inform any future actions. Our staff continue to be available to support the family through this difficult process, they said. According to the statement, the review is in line with the HSE Incident Management Framework. It is understood the review will look at the circumstances of her treatment in both the maternity hospital and UHL. All test results and vital sign monitoring scores will be reviewed again and a report, including her post-mortem examination result, will be completed. In the case of the 16-year-old girl whose inquiry was launched earlier this week, hospital bosses initiated "a preliminary assessment" following the tragedy, in which she died hours after she was taken to the hospital. It's understood she was suffering from breathing difficulties on Monday, January 29. She had been admitted with a severe chest infection earlier in the same month and had spent two weeks in UHL. According to the HSE CEO Bernard Gloster: We have robust mechanisms for inquiring into unexpected deaths, unexplained poor outcomes and complaints, and we use them very regularly. "In Limerick, as with all our hospitals and services, we have an Incident Framework. When examining a concerning outcome we do not start from a conclusion. We assess the evidence, and then draw conclusions. The primary aim is first to establish what happened and how, and then to take any appropriate actions. "Most such reviews, no matter what the outcome, give us the opportunity to learn how to improve for other patients and service users. I have mandated a questioning environment in the interests of patient safety which I believe our staff accept as the norm, Mr Gloster added. Overcrowding at UHL has worsened in recent months as the hospital set the record for most patients waiting on a trolley on Wednesday, February 7. A total of 150 patients were waiting on a trolley at UHL on the day. It was the second record break that week. On Friday, February 16, the day before the 33-year-old was admitted to UHL, the hospital was the busiest in the country. There were 108 patients waiting on a trolley according to the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO). The INMO do not release trolley figures on weekends. In the case of Aoife Johnston, another 16-year-old girl who died from sepsis complications of bacterial meningitis following a 12-hour wait on a trolley in December 2022, a review into her death at UHL has led to an independent judge-led investigation. " Our thoughts are with you both , Cillian will be forever loved and missed by you both . Take Care in the very difficult times ahead " "Sleep peacefully beautiful boy, forever young. Praying for all his family at this sad and difficult time, may the beautiful memories sustain you in the days, month's and years ahead." " Condolences to Cillians family and friends. Will always remember the evenings out riding horses and having fun. Rest in peace Cillian." " Deepest sympathy on your tragic loss. Thinking of the Molloy and Kirwan families at this sad time. Also all the young people affected at sad time." "My sincere condolences to the Kirwan and Molloy Family on the sad passing of your beautiful boy Cillian, my thoughts and prayers are with you all at this very sad time. May you rest in peace Cillian and watch over all your family and friends give them the strength they need. Fly high." Cillian will be reposing at his home ( E32D702) on Saturday, February 24 from 3pm to 7pm, Cillian will be arriving at the Island Crematorium, Cork on Monday February 26 for private cremation. If you would like to offer your sympathy to the Kirwan/Molloy family please click HERE. Mullinavat GAA Club have successfully applied for 7,000 in funding from the Ballymartin and Smithstown community benefit funds, which rsted operate, to help them with the development of a second pitch and a community walkway. With an Irish headquarters in Cork and operating over 21 wind farms generating 378 MW of green electricity across the island of Ireland, rsted is dedicated to being an active partner in the communities where it operates. For every windfarm that it operates, it has set up community benefit funds in accordance with the Wind Energy Ireland Best Practice Principles in Community Engagement & Community Commitment. rsted has operated wind farms in Kilkenny since 2011, and through seven turbines in the area has the power to potentially generate 14.9 MW of green energy, enough to power over 20,000 homes. Tom Duggan, Club Secretary of Mullinavat GAA Club, commented: The application process was straightforward, and we were delighted to secure 7000 to invest in our local club. Up until now, there have been no safe areas to walk as our rural location has very few footpaths, but with rsteds support our new floodlit walkway has enabled adults and juveniles to exercise in a safe area throughout the year, which has facilitated our participation in the Ireland Lights Up walking initiative. Meanwhile the addition of a second playing field will create greater opportunities for training and playing of G.A.A games. rsteds community benefit funds are linked to the size of its operational assets. During 2024, a total budget of 335,000 is available for applications, including from communities near the Ballymartin and Smithstown sites. Amy Ahern, who is responsible for Operations and Landowner Community Liaison at rsted, said: When we invest in new green energy infrastructure, we are also investing in communities, and committing to becoming a cooperative partner in an area for the long-term. We are dedicated to being an active partner in the communities where we operate and believe in giving back to the areas in which we develop and produce renewable energy. We will consider all requests for donations or funding that we receive under our 21 community benefit funds across Ireland and Northern Ireland. Our funds are open for applications all year round and we encourage community organisations located close to our windfarms to consider how financial support from rsted may help your ideas come to life by getting in touch with us. For further information about how organisations in the area can apply for our funds, please visit rsted in the Community | rsted (orsted.ie) Aiseiri has announced a new fundraising initiative specific to their Family Support Services. The 40k walking challenge, aptly named One Step at a Time will take place during the month of March. The charity is appealing to the public to sign up and walk in solidarity with those battling addiction and their families. To take part simply visit www.idonate.ie/event/ onestepatatime . Aiseiri is calling on individuals, families, friends, workplaces, work colleagues, clubs and community groups to sign up in their droves to show their support for the families who suffer too. All too often families affected by addiction suffer in silence and without the support they need. Aileen Byrnes is the mother of a young man who attended Aiseiris Treatment Centre for Adolescents, Aiseiri Aislinn in Kilkenny. He progressed to Secondary Treatment in Waterford and accessed the Community Services thereafter also. Addiction nearly took his life and it nearly took us all with it, it destroyed us as a family, but we are one of the lucky ones to come out the other side," said Aileen "As a family we did everything Aiseiri taught us and it worked, we have our son back. We are back taking family pictures and making memories again and I am so grateful for our whole familys recovery which would not have been possible without their support. Aiseiri consists of four unique recovery centres in Kilkenny, Tipperary, Wexford and Waterford where they provide residential, primary and secondary treatment services. They also provide support to families nationwide who are recovering from the destructive impact of alcohol, drugs and gambling. Whole family recovery support is offered in various ways, weekly Concerned Persons Group meetings are complemented by regular educational workshops and lectures. John Tobin, Operations Manager for Aiseiri Cahir has been a long-time advocate for whole family recovery. "Family members need a lot of support when their loved one is in addiction, in treatment and in recovery," he says. "Last year, we were delighted to expand the support that Aiseiri provides to families. Addiction affects the whole family and recovery is available to the whole family too. We always say theres not a family in Ireland who isnt affected by addiction. The family plays a critical role in a persons recovery, but they also have their own recovery journey too. This is not always easy and that is why Aiseiri is committed to making this service a priority." In addition to their two-year family recovery support programme, Aiseiri also has a full-time family therapist on hand to offer specific family relationship support. This is a needs-based service which has demonstrated remarkable results since it was introduced last year. Funds raised will ensure the continuation of this support service which has become a vital part of their Family Recovery Programme. Aiseiri is a progressive and forward-thinking organisation that delivers extraordinary treatment services and supports to those who seek recovery," said Mary Hennessy, CEO, Aiseiri. "Over the years, the team and I have witnessed many miracles, weve seen lives turned around and families heal, reunite and recover together. At Aiseiri we absolutely believe that everyone can recover, there is hope and whole family recovery is possible, were seeing it every day. Addiction is a family disease and the ripple effects of addiction often hurts those closest, most of all. This why we are dedicating all the proceeds of our One Step at a Time Walking Challenge to our Family Support Services. The key message to families suffering today is simple, the ripple effects of addiction can be immense but whole family recovery is possible with the support of Aiseiri. If your child or someone in your family is battling addiction, please reach out and ask for help," Aileen says "Its not your fault, you didnt cause it, dont hide away, please reach out there is loads of support there for you so please talk to someone before its too late, get all the help you can. Addiction doesnt discriminate and all walks of life may be affected. Aiseiris professional and dedicated support team are always ready and willing to help those seeking recovery. The organisation is fully accredited by CHKS, recognised by all the main health insurance providers and there are several pathways to treatment available. To learn more about Aiseiri and its many services visit www.aiseiri.ie or call 052 7441166. Elnur Enveroglu Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's visit to Paris, the capital of France, drew attention only for one point: although we are far away from our founder Russia, we still have a staunch supporter France. In fact, neither France nor the West as a whole think for a moment about the future of Armenia in the South Caucasus - it is not even interesting for them at all. The only interesting thing for them is to intervene in the region through a flexible state like Armenia in the South Caucasus and be able to change the pressures to their advantage when the time comes. Nikol Pashinyan's heated conversation with Mourad Papazyan, the co-chairman of the Coordinating Council of French Armenian Organizations in the capital Paris, was also remembered as one of the interesting moments of the visit. The most interesting moment was the participation of the French President Emmanuel Macron in the meeting between the parties as an intermediator. It should be noted that since Papazyan was declared persona non grata, he has not been allowed to Yerevan. However, Papazyan was Pashinyan's partner many times in certain important issues between Armenia and France. For example, let's take the last time that Macron disappointed the Armenian Prime Minister on the main issue - recognizing Garabagh as the territory of Azerbaijan. Although Macron promises that he is extremely attached to Yerevan and will always stand behind them, he recognizes Garabagh, which Armenians consider imaginary land, as the territory of Azerbaijan. At Pashinyan's most desperate moment, Mourad Papazyan mediated to restore relations with Macron. It is interesting that this time Macron brokered between Pashinyan and Papazyan. During the meeting, the co-chair criticized Pashinyan for banning him from entering Armenia, to which the angry prime minister responded with criticism. However, Pashinyan's assurance is reported that the authorities will not protest the court's decision that overturned Papazyan's persona non grata status. But we wonder why Pashinyan should ban the entry of the co-chairman, whose help he is in need, to enter the country or ignore the decision to declare him persona non grata by the court? Perhaps this can be analyzed by comparing it with the former separatist leaders, and it can be concluded that Pashinyan does not accept the presence of any rivals in the country. But the question arises: what is France doing in the middle? What is Macrons role in the brokering between the parties? By inviting the Armenian leadership to its country, official Paris was actually trying to convey a single message: we will try our best to prevent peace in the South Caucasus with our traditional methods. One of these methods is to do what one cannot do through another state. France, of course, is not bold enough to open a war against the South Caucasus. But its other nefarious tool is arming Armenia at any cost. But can it be considered that France has no other problems and that its only wish is for Armenia to have a strong army? Not at all. It has never been seen in history that an imperialist, colonialist state wants another state to strengthen militarily and economically. If France gives arms to Armenia and provides comprehensive assistance to it, then there is either a complicit issue or there is a deep policy that Armenia has not even grasped yet. This policy is the policy of the West, which applies its power to the geographical space it wants through other states it uses as its instrument. As long as there is a tool in that area that will serve its interests and is inclined towards it - which is Armenia. Today, France's and the West's anti-Azerbaijani propagandas are yielding fruits. Armenia's initiation of armed provocation on the border after a long period of calm, followed by firing in the direction of the Azerbaijani army along the conventional border, is almost a part of the planned game. Because the European Mission, which watches only the Azerbaijani side with binoculars, is also present in the place where the fire came from. Today, the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan officially stated that it did not fire any response to prevent the next armed provocation by the Armenian army. The reason is clear that the European Mission is waiting for a retaliatory act of the other party to the Armenian side. As a result, the Azerbaijani side should be blamed and they can interpret the issue in their own way and present Azerbaijan in the form of an invader to the world community. This did not happen again. Because Azerbaijan already knows the true inner face of France and other forces, which are close to it, as much as they know Armenia. Russia buys components for precision instruments in its tanks from Japan and Taiwan. The deals are conducted through China by a businessman associated with the Belarusian government. ADVERTISIMENT According to Nikkei, Shenzhen 5G High-Tech Innovation was opened in China after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. It purchases spare parts for engines, precision instruments, and sensors for Russian tanks and other weapons. It is through Shenzhen 5G that "a person connected to the Belarusian government" purchases foreign equipment, the publication claims, although it does not name him. The Belarusian opposition claims that it is Alexander Shakutin, chairman of the board of directors of Amkodor and owner of Saleo (the person is already under EU and US sanctions for supporting the Lukashenko regime). According to the documents, the Belarusian Saleo received parts from Shenzhen 5G in May 2023: several batches of sensors manufactured by Metrol were purchased for 16,035 yuan (2,228 USD) per unit. ADVERTISIMENT The Japanese company Metrol denies having any direct agreements with Shenzhen 5G. The company assures that their equipment may have been resold to Shenzhen 5G through third-party organizations, without the participation of the Japanese side. In addition, products of Taiwan's Oriental Motor were delivered to Belarus through Shenzhen 5G; this company denies having any direct agreements with Shenzhen 5G. The United States and the United Kingdom have added Shenzhen 5G to the list of organizations used to circumvent sanctions. However, Russia, as the newspaper pessimistically reports, will probably create a new fictitious company as "it is extremely difficult to block all supply routes for banned high-tech goods." Only verified information is available on our Obozrevatel Telegram and Viber. Don't fall for fakes! The entire crew was killed during the destruction of an A-50 long-range radar detection and control aircraft in the Krasnodar region of the Russian Federation. According to preliminary data, the enemy lost 10 people. ADVERTISIMENT Currently, the positions of the destroyed invaders are being clarified. This was reported by the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine. The bodies of the crew have already been found near the crash site of the downed A-50 long-range radar detection aircraft. In addition to the flight crew, there could have been operators of the radar patrol calculation on board the A-50. Also, OBOZ.UA was told by its sources that after the downing of the A-50 in the Krasnodar Territory, the Russian FSB began an investigation. Moreover, it is already known that the special services of the aggressor country are actively conducting "cleansing" in the command of the occupation army. In turn, the command of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said that now the aggressor country can count on the serviceable A-50 long-range radar detection and control aircraft on the fingers of one hand. ADVERTISIMENT It is worth reminding that the valuable aircraft could have been destroyed by the S-200 anti-aircraft missile system. The maximum range of the S-200 air defense system is 300 km. The A-50 and A-50U are used by the occupiers to detect and track air and surface targets, alert command posts of automated control systems of the armed forces about the air and surface situation, can be used to control fighter and strike aircraft when they are guided at air, land and sea targets, and can also serve as an air command post. The A-50 airborne surveillance aircraft are very valuable to the Russians. They play the role of correctors during the massive shelling of Ukraine and are worth at least $330 million. Only verified information is available on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber . Do not fall for fakes! Shenandoah, IA (51601) Today Some clouds this morning will give way to generally sunny skies for the afternoon. High 42F. Winds NW at 10 to 20 mph.. Tonight Clear skies. Low 29F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. On February 24, 2024, the world marks the second anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which turned the Russian-Ukrainian war in Donbas into the largest military conflict in Europe since World War II. Back then, two years ago, no one but the Ukrainians themselves believed that Ukraine would be able to withstand and push back the invaders, making hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian men and women take up the fight. ADVERTISIMENT Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi recalled what happened during the two years of resistance. He honored the memory of those who fell in battle, thanked those who are holding the front today and promised the occupiers unpleasant surprises that would end in Ukraine's inevitable victory. Syrskyi noted that exactly two years ago, when Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the hybrid war that had been going on since 2014 turned into the largest military conflict in Europe since World War II. Back then, in the tumultuous days of late February 2022, virtually no one in the world gave Ukraine a chance to withstand a much more powerful enemy the army of whic was considered the second largest in the world. "When thousands of columns of Russian invaders moved from all directions into Ukraine, when thousands of missiles and bombs fell on our land, no one in the world believed that we would survive. No one except the Ukrainian Defense Forces who took up the fight from the first minutes. No one except for hundreds of thousands of volunteers who stood in line at military registration and enlistment offices in the first hours of full-scale aggression. Except for hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians who joined the Territorial Defense Forces from the very first days. Except for millions of Ukrainians who, through volunteers, showed unprecedented support for their army. No one except Ukraine believed, accepted the battle and survived," the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said. ADVERTISIMENT Then, he noted, Ukrainians chose the weapon between arms and flight. And they shocked the world by driving the invaders out of some of the occupied territories. "Then there was the battle for Kyiv and the flight of the invaders from the suburbs of the capital under the blows of our defenders. Then the liberation of the Snake Island and the gradual clearing of the Black Sea from Russian scrap metal. Then came the Kharkiv offensive and the liberation of Kherson. There was also an attempted Ukrainian counteroffensive, which, unfortunately, due to objective circumstances, did not bring the desired result," Syrskyi recalled. ADVERTISIMENT The Armed Forces chief noted that the battle is ongoing. Ukrainian soldiers are fighting the invaders along the entire front line. And they are paying an extremely high price for the future victory. "We are paying the highest price for our freedom, for ensuring that every Ukrainian town or village does not become another Bucha, Bakhmut or Avdiivka. The best sons and daughters of the Ukrainian people are dying! We bow our heads to those who gave the most precious thing: their lives for Ukraine. We remember. The revenge will come," Syrskyi assured. He thanked all the defenders from the ranks of the Defense Forces who continue to deter the invaders and inflict losses on the enemy, as well as those who help them both in the Ukrainian rear and abroad. "Today, my words of gratitude go to all Ukrainian defenders who are repelling Russian attacks and destroying the enemy even at this moment. I bow low to the medics, rescuers, volunteers: to all those who help the Ukrainian Defense Forces bring our Victory closer! On this day, I would also like to thank our partners for their assistance. Every shell, every tank, every armored vehicle is primarily about saving the lives of Ukrainian soldiers. We are fighting for every meter of our land, but the most valuable thing we have is the life of a Ukrainian soldier," the Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief noted. ADVERTISIMENT Syrskyi emphasized that Ukraine has proved that it is capable of repelling the aggressor on the ground through fierce battles. The next step is a powerful battle in the sky. "I believe that in the near future we will give a similar response to the Russian occupier in the air. There will be even more burning Russian planes. The leadership of the state is doing everything possible for this," the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces assured. He expressed confidence in Ukraine's future victory in the liberation war. The main thing is to keep faith in it and remain united. "Today, we need unity more than ever. I am convinced that our victory is in unity. And it will definitely come because light always conquers darkness!" Syrskyi summarized. Only verified information is available on OBOZ.UA Telegram and Viber . Do not fall for fakes! COLUMBIA All local calls within the 573 area code region must be placed using 10 digits starting Saturday. The 573 area code serves communities such as, but not limited to, Jefferson City, Columbia, Rolla, Cape Girardeau, Poplar Bluff, Sikeston, Mexico, Hannibal and Camdenton. The 573 code will not be going away. A new area code, 235, will be used as an overlay to the 573 area code. Those with a 573 area code will not be required to change their phone number. However, for those who are getting a new phone number in the 573 region on March 24 or after, they may get assigned a 235 area code. The 573 region did not run out of numbers. There was another shortage that caused the implementation of the new area code, according to Heidi Wayman, manager of data management for the North American Numbering Plan Administrator (NANPA). "We're looking at the prefix, the second three numbers on a phone number. We have to have enough available prefixes to provide to service providers in the geographic area," Wayman said. NANPA reminded Missouri residents in a press release on Tuesday that safety and security equipment, such as medical alert devices and alarm and security systems, must be programmed to use 10-digit dialing. Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Error! There was an error processing your request. One local emergency service agency told KOMU 8 that they've been ready for the additional area code. "We've been ready since September. It didn't take long for some of our engineers to be able to reprogram all of the numbers in our systems," Stirling Williams, operations manager at Boone County Joint Communications said. Often area codes can be a representation of someone's roots. The 573 area code, which was implemented in January 1996, has become that for a Columbia custom and retail t-shirt shop. "My wife and I did a lot of traveling, and we often noticed that many towns have stores that showcase pride in the community, and we wanted to open up a shop for ourselves, and that's what we did in 2019," Miki Merritt, owner of 573 Tees said. 573 Tees sells clothing such as t-shirts, hoodies, sunglasses, and hats. Merritt said he doesn't think the new 235 area code will be identified with Missourians as much as 573 has. "It's not like the split from 314 to 636 in the St. Louis area," Merritt said. "This is just an addition and I don't imagine people will embrace the new area code but we'll see." Merritt said he has not received any customized requests for designs with the 235 area code. Q2 Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:QTWO Get Free Report) Director James Offerdahl sold 1,040 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.81, for a total value of $46,602.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 17,130 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $767,595.30. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. James Offerdahl also recently made the following trade(s): Get Q2 alerts: On Wednesday, December 13th, James Offerdahl sold 1,126 shares of Q2 stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.00, for a total value of $45,040.00. Q2 Price Performance Shares of QTWO stock traded up $1.59 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $47.57. The company had a trading volume of 1,115,967 shares, compared to its average volume of 549,310. The company has a market capitalization of $2.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -40.69 and a beta of 1.49. Q2 Holdings, Inc. has a 12-month low of $18.91 and a 12-month high of $47.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 2.25 and a current ratio of 2.25. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $42.81 and a 200-day moving average of $36.83. Analyst Ratings Changes QTWO has been the subject of a number of research reports. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on Q2 from $15.00 to $17.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Thursday. TheStreet raised Q2 from a d+ rating to a c- rating in a research note on Friday, December 29th. Needham & Company LLC lifted their target price on Q2 from $50.00 to $58.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Thursday. Stephens raised Q2 from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating and lifted their target price for the company from $36.00 to $46.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 7th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on Q2 from $46.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research report on Thursday. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $41.27. View Our Latest Analysis on QTWO Institutional Inflows and Outflows Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Jennison Associates LLC boosted its position in shares of Q2 by 147.4% during the third quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 1,225,286 shares of the technology companys stock worth $39,540,000 after buying an additional 729,959 shares during the period. Lisanti Capital Growth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Q2 in the third quarter valued at $5,534,000. California Public Employees Retirement System raised its stake in shares of Q2 by 15.5% in the third quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 105,320 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $3,399,000 after acquiring an additional 14,155 shares in the last quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB raised its stake in shares of Q2 by 43.5% in the second quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 20,116 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $622,000 after acquiring an additional 6,100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Counterpoint Mutual Funds LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Q2 in the third quarter valued at $97,000. Q2 Company Profile (Get Free Report) Q2 Holdings, Inc provides cloud-based digital solutions to regional and community financial institutions in the United States. The company offers Digital Banking Platform, an end-to-end digital banking platform supports its financial institution customers in their delivery of unified digital banking services across digital channels. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Q2 Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Q2 and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Squarespace, Inc. (NYSE:SQSP Get Free Report) CFO Nathan Gooden sold 5,129 shares of Squarespace stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $31.85, for a total transaction of $163,358.65. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 66,503 shares of the companys stock, valued at $2,118,120.55. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Nathan Gooden also recently made the following trade(s): Get Squarespace alerts: On Thursday, December 21st, Nathan Gooden sold 9,635 shares of Squarespace stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $30.01, for a total transaction of $289,146.35. On Tuesday, December 19th, Nathan Gooden sold 300 shares of Squarespace stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $30.00, for a total transaction of $9,000.00. Squarespace Price Performance NYSE SQSP traded up $0.04 on Friday, hitting $32.22. The company had a trading volume of 448,615 shares, compared to its average volume of 640,781. The company has a market capitalization of $4.38 billion, a PE ratio of -17.78, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.45. The companys fifty day moving average price is $31.69 and its 200-day moving average price is $30.18. Squarespace, Inc. has a 12-month low of $22.73 and a 12-month high of $34.38. Institutional Investors Weigh In On Squarespace Analysts Set New Price Targets Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in Squarespace in the 2nd quarter worth $25,000. Sunbelt Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in Squarespace in the 1st quarter worth $26,000. Neo Ivy Capital Management purchased a new stake in Squarespace in the 2nd quarter worth $31,000. Comerica Bank purchased a new stake in Squarespace in the 3rd quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Captrust Financial Advisors increased its holdings in Squarespace by 2,128.1% in the 1st quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 1,270 shares of the companys stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 1,213 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 43.73% of the companys stock. SQSP has been the subject of several research reports. JMP Securities upgraded shares of Squarespace from a market perform rating to an outperform rating and set a $40.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 24th. Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on shares of Squarespace from $38.00 to $40.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 8th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $35.93. View Our Latest Report on Squarespace Squarespace Company Profile (Get Free Report) Squarespace, Inc operates platform for businesses and independent creators to build online presence, grow their brands, and manage their businesses across the internet. Its suite of integrated products enables users to manage their projects and businesses through websites, domains, e-commerce, marketing tools, scheduling, and hospitality services, as well as tools for managing a social media presence. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Squarespace Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Squarespace and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Gray Television (NYSE:GTN.A Get Free Report) issued its earnings results on Friday. The company reported ($0.24) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.16) by ($0.08), MarketWatch Earnings reports. Gray Television had a return on equity of 5.78% and a net margin of 3.41%. The business had revenue of $864.00 million for the quarter. Gray Television Stock Performance GTN.A traded down $1.05 on Friday, reaching $6.94. The stock had a trading volume of 13,744 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,698. Gray Television has a 12-month low of $6.09 and a 12-month high of $12.11. The company has a current ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.08. The businesss 50-day moving average price is $8.63 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $8.39. The company has a market cap of $660.49 million, a P/E ratio of 9.50 and a beta of 1.38. Get Gray Television alerts: About Gray Television (Get Free Report) Read More Gray Television, Inc, a television broadcast company, owns and operates television stations and digital assets in the United States. As of February 28, 2019, it owned and operated television stations in 91 television markets broadcasting approximately 400 program streams, including approximately 150 channels affiliated with the CBS Network, the NBC Network, the ABC Network, and the FOX Network. Receive News & Ratings for Gray Television Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Gray Television and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Humm Group Limited (ASX:HUM Get Free Report) announced a interim dividend on Friday, February 23rd, MarketIndexAU reports. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 2nd will be given a dividend of 0.007 per share on Tuesday, April 2nd. This represents a yield of 1.44%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Sunday, February 25th. Humm Group Stock Performance The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 643.63, a quick ratio of 4.11 and a current ratio of 3.18. Get Humm Group alerts: Humm Group Company Profile (Get Free Report) Featured Articles Humm Group Limited provides various financial services in Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, the United Kingdom, and Canada. The company operates through four segments: Point of Sale Payment Plans (PosPP), New Zealand Cards, Australia Cards, and Commercial. It offers long term interest free finance and everyday spend solutions under the humm90 brand; Q Mastercard, an interest free credit card; FlexiCommercial, a business financing solution, which includes leasing and chattel mortgages for small and medium businesses; and leasing solutions and small and medium enterprise financing services. Receive News & Ratings for Humm Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Humm Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. NiSource (NYSE:NI Get Free Report) issued an update on its FY 2024 earnings guidance on Wednesday morning. The company provided earnings per share guidance of 1.700-1.740 for the period, compared to the consensus earnings per share estimate of 1.740. The company issued revenue guidance of -. NiSource also updated its FY24 guidance to $1.70-$1.74 EPS. NiSource Stock Up 0.3 % NYSE NI opened at $26.12 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $11.69 billion, a PE ratio of 17.77, a P/E/G ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 0.49. NiSource has a fifty-two week low of $22.86 and a fifty-two week high of $28.95. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $26.10 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $26.05. The company has a quick ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15. Get NiSource alerts: NiSource (NYSE:NI Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 21st. The utilities provider reported $0.53 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.55 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $1.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $1.59 billion. NiSource had a net margin of 12.98% and a return on equity of 10.10%. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.50 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that NiSource will post 1.72 EPS for the current fiscal year. NiSource Increases Dividend Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 20th. Investors of record on Monday, February 5th were given a dividend of $0.265 per share. This is a positive change from NiSources previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. This represents a $1.06 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.06%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 2nd. NiSources dividend payout ratio is currently 72.11%. NI has been the topic of several analyst reports. Barclays increased their target price on NiSource from $28.00 to $29.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Thursday. StockNews.com raised NiSource from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research note on Saturday. Check Out Our Latest Research Report on NI Insider Activity at NiSource In related news, Director Michael E. Jesanis sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.24, for a total value of $131,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 48,070 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,261,356.80. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.24% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders. Institutional Investors Weigh In On NiSource Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Brinker Capital Investments LLC lifted its stake in NiSource by 2.4% in the 1st quarter. Brinker Capital Investments LLC now owns 18,197 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $579,000 after acquiring an additional 426 shares in the last quarter. Syntax Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of NiSource by 4.7% during the 4th quarter. Syntax Advisors LLC now owns 12,494 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $343,000 after purchasing an additional 559 shares in the last quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV raised its stake in shares of NiSource by 2.9% during the 3rd quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 22,421 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $565,000 after purchasing an additional 630 shares in the last quarter. Toroso Investments LLC raised its stake in shares of NiSource by 4.7% during the 4th quarter. Toroso Investments LLC now owns 14,491 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $397,000 after purchasing an additional 645 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Belpointe Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of NiSource by 9.7% during the 1st quarter. Belpointe Asset Management LLC now owns 7,701 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $215,000 after purchasing an additional 684 shares in the last quarter. 94.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. NiSource Company Profile (Get Free Report) NiSource Inc, an energy holding company, operates as a regulated natural gas and electric utility company in the United States. It operates through two segments, Gas Distribution Operations and Electric Operations. The company distributes natural gas to approximately 859,000 customers in northern Indiana, as well as approximately 2.4 million residential, commercial, and industrial customers in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Kentucky, and Maryland. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for NiSource Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for NiSource and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. TransAlta (NYSE:TAC Get Free Report) (TSE:TA) announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday. The utilities provider reported ($0.20) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.10 by ($0.30), MarketWatch Earnings reports. TransAlta had a net margin of 16.56% and a return on equity of 39.38%. The business had revenue of $624.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $305.79 million. During the same period last year, the company posted ($0.45) EPS. TransAltas revenue for the quarter was down 26.9% on a year-over-year basis. TransAlta Trading Up 4.9 % TAC traded up $0.34 during trading on Friday, hitting $7.33. 1,689,345 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 638,847. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76, a current ratio of 1.54 and a quick ratio of 1.43. TransAlta has a 12-month low of $6.76 and a 12-month high of $10.40. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 4.64 and a beta of 0.88. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $7.57 and a 200 day moving average of $8.30. Get TransAlta alerts: Institutional Inflows and Outflows Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in TAC. Barclays PLC increased its stake in shares of TransAlta by 18.0% in the 1st quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 11,800 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $103,000 after acquiring an additional 1,800 shares in the last quarter. Man Group plc increased its stake in shares of TransAlta by 11.5% in the 4th quarter. Man Group plc now owns 17,500 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $156,000 after acquiring an additional 1,800 shares in the last quarter. Mariner LLC increased its stake in shares of TransAlta by 7.2% in the 3rd quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 33,250 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $289,000 after acquiring an additional 2,242 shares in the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its stake in shares of TransAlta by 234.6% in the 3rd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 4,367 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 3,062 shares in the last quarter. Finally, 1832 Asset Management L.P. increased its stake in shares of TransAlta by 153.2% in the 1st quarter. 1832 Asset Management L.P. now owns 5,497 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $56,000 after acquiring an additional 3,326 shares in the last quarter. 64.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors. Analyst Ratings Changes A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. TheStreet raised shares of TransAlta from a d+ rating to a c rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 7th. StockNews.com cut shares of TransAlta from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research report on Friday, January 12th. View Our Latest Stock Report on TransAlta About TransAlta (Get Free Report) TransAlta Corporation engages in the development, production, and sale of electric energy. It operates through Hydro, Wind and Solar, Gas, Energy Transition, and Energy Marketing segments. The Hydro segment has a net ownership interest of approximately 922 megawatts (MW) of owned hydro electrical-generating capacity located in Alberta, British Columbia, and Ontario. See Also Receive News & Ratings for TransAlta Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for TransAlta and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. By Jon Dunbar When Paul Courtright got a Korean-translated edition of his book, "Witnessing Gwangju," the publishers made an odd change when translating the title, which became "5.18 Blue-Eyed Witness." The former Peace Corps volunteer pointed out that his eyes were in fact gray, but the publishers were set on this new title. "The publishers felt that the title would resonate with a Korean audience," he told The Korea Times. "My book was the first memoir by a foreign witness and they felt that it would be important to draw attention to this fact by a title that let everyone know I was a foreigner." He admitted that the descriptor, albeit inaccurate, didn't bother him, as he remembered being described with more annoying terms during his 1979-82 stint in Korea, such as "round eye," "big nose" and "monkey." Courtright is not the only foreign recipient to be bestowed with honorary blue eyes by Koreans. Robert Fouser, a scholar who has published several Korean-language books, has occasionally been labeled as a "blue-eyed defender of the hanok." "I don't like it and still don't really understand it," said Fouser, whose eyes are also brown. "Why assign an eye color to me that I don't have? Why talk about my personal appearance?" This practice, which seems to be encountered most frequently in relation to aspects of Korean traditional culture or heritage, seems to serve for code for white foreigners regardless of eye color who show an exceptional interest in or aptitude for some aspect of Korean culture, which is a surprise, usually good, and they are welcomed, but as outsiders. It sometimes bothers foreigners, not just for who it targets but also who it excludes. Fouser said he often tells Korean journalists interviewing him not to describe him that way. They are usually willing to honor his wishes, but this often leads to them explaining that the descriptive is "being used as a sign of affection," he said. However, he sees it slightly differently, as Korea picking out "one of the good foreigners." "I think that it's used to suggest that a white foreigner is not a threat," he said. "White foreigners who have some interest in Korean traditional culture are perceived as less threatening because of some perceived sympathy and understanding." He noted that he most often has received the label in content about his interest in and advocacy for traditional Korean architecture, rather than in his work on Korean language education. "Most likely this was because hanok is visual and associated with traditional Korean culture while Korean language education was more abstract and less 'traditional,'" he suggested. He also remarked that the label is used more frequently with women than men. Hilary Vanessa Finchum Sung, an ethnomusicologist and performer of the haegeum, a traditional Korean string instrument, also sees the descriptor as applying mostly to women. Despite having blue eyes herself, it makes her uncomfortable as well. "Just generally, I think this kind of descriptor is gendered and both an exoticization of the foreigner and an emphasis on the strangeness of the individual in relation to something Korean," she said. "Such a descriptor both idealizes the foreigner (as a blue-eyed 'other', this represents the ideal foreigner, the desirable foreigner of European descent; or, let's just say 'white') and exaggerates the 'weirdness' of the foreigner engaging in, for example, traditional arts a realm that, for a long time, has been considered the exclusive realm of Koreans. Drawing on the latter, it emphasizes the 'Koreanness' of the particular thing that is being engaged with by the foreigner and underscores its belonging to Korea." The way that this term singles one out is a problem for Jocelyn Clark, who has often been called the "blue-eyed evangelist of traditional Korean music," which she considers discouraging and demotivating. "Has anyone ever called me 'blue-eyed' to exclude me or cause me harm? No. But has that term been invoked to inadvertently characterize the last 30 years of my work as a kind of cute novelty act? The answer to that would be yes, she said. "These moments have prompted me to think deeply about my performance life and what I may be doing to cause an observer to see me in this light." Clark, whose eye color is best described as hazel, also highlighted the linguistic and historical basis for the term. "I learned many years ago in conversations with my hanbok designer Seomi Jung, that Korean words for colors dont translate precisely to the color the English speaker might be thinking of," she said. "Im not sure if blue is even the correct English translation for the byeok () of byeokan (), one of several Korean words used for blue eyes. She said this Sino-Korean term, as well as "jeongan" (), may denote more respect than the pure Korean "pureun-nun." "Whenever I catch myself feeling uncomfortable because of something someone said to or about me, I try to look closer to discover what may have been meant, rather than getting too attached to my own emotional reaction," Clark said. "So, in this case, the question is: what is the whole thing a Korean speaker might have in mind when using the term 'blue-eyed'? The answer cannot be found without exploring Koreas colonial past and a resulting desire, at least among older Koreans, to reinforce and protect Koreas national borders and identity. One way to do that is to pay respect while keeping someone or some state, like Ming China at arms length. The more I consider these kinds of historical complexities, the clearer it becomes that, as much as I dont really like being called a 'blue-eyed evangelist,' it really isnt about me." Historical racial stereotypes Terms like "blue-eyed" can bring to mind harmful or hurtful stereotypes that have an ugly history, long before last year's animated "Blue Eye Samurai" became a hit on Netflix. "It brings up 20th century associations with eugenic ideas that played a part in the world wars that traumatized our grandparents," Clark said. "Its hard to forget these early associations." Descriptions of "blue-eyed" foreigners have been found in Korea during the late 1930s during the 1910-45 Japanese occupation. Exposing Imperial Japan, a website publishing translations of occupation-era articles about Korea, has so far shared three articles, all from 1938, about foreign women said to have blue eyes, all who are praised as having endorsed Japan's imperial domination of Korea. Two had joined pro-imperial women's associations, and a third was the former physician of Empress Myeongseong. The site's curator, a Japanese American who wished to remain anonymous, said he found two more examples, one being a professor at Keijo Imperial University (now Seoul National University), and the other an American high school teacher who visited the peninsula. "That makes a total of at least five articles in less than one year describing 'blue-eyed' foreigners," the site's curator told The Korea Times. "Curiously, they are all described as 'blue-eyed,' and their coverage is all glowing and positive." Japanese people's fascination with foreigners' blue eyes in that era can be seen in the popular 1921 children's song "Blue-Eyed Doll," as well as the "Friendship Doll" exchange of 1927, in which Japan received tens of thousands of dolls from the U.S. The dolls became known as "Blue-Eyed Dolls," even though many of them had other eye colors, according to Bill Gordon, a Japanese studies scholar who has researched the history of the dolls extensively. The dolls were cherished for years, and those that still exist are considered precious. Very few survived World War II, when the Japanese government branded them "enemy dolls" and ordered their destruction. "As a result of this order, many dolls were burned, stabbed, or destroyed in other cruel ways. American bombings of Japanese cities in 1945 destroyed other dolls, along with their schools," Gordon said on his website introducing the history of the Friendship Dolls. It should probably not be overlooked that Japan in those days and Korea as its colony was aligned with Nazi Germany, a country that idealized the blond-haired, blue-eyed Aryan as a symbol of racial supremacy. But the origin of "blue-eyeing" foreigners in Japan dates back even earlier, to at least 1839, according to the Japanese American blogger. "In the Edo period (1603-1868), the Portuguese and Spanish were called the pejorative term 'Namban people,' presumably because they were considered 'bad' foreigners who attempted to convert Japan to Catholicism and colonize Japan like they did Brazil and Mexico," he said. "In contrast, the Dutch people, who were considered friendlier and non-threatening, were given preferential treatment in access to trade in their Nagasaki outpost for hundreds of years, were called by the more favorable term 'red hair blue eyes.'" More inclusive language needed Although the enduring practice of awarding favored foreigners with blue eyes likely certainly appears from such outdated prejudices, none of the "blue-eyed" interviewees reported feeling any ill-meaning intent in this eye-color fixation. However, most interviewed said the practice still should be ended. "(The racial) hierarchy is deeply entrenched, so for most people it's become a subconscious norm," Fouser said. "I don't think people intend hurt or malice." "While patience and understanding is called for, all these words that recall early 20th-century German/Japanese-style eugenics (blood-typing personalities, etc., etc.) should probably be retired," Clark said. "Ultimately, avoiding racial language raises everyone up." She added that while she has to deal with this issue of eye color as a foreign figure in the traditional Korean music scene, such treatment is not afforded to many of her other foreign colleagues, including "Korean Americans and others who are working just as hard or harder than me within my discipline." She, as well as Fouser and Finchum Sung, stressed that the issue is not just about "othering" provileged white foreigners like them, but also about excluding people of other ethnicities that are seen as less desireable. "No other eye color is ever mentioned in regard to foreigners in Korea, i.e., there are no brown-eyed gugak evangelists," she said. "I mean, there are but they are written about differently." "I don't see too many articles or broadcasts about the Mexican woman who sings minyo, or the Cameroonian French woman who sings pansori," added Finchum Sung. "How are they described in the media?" Fouser said that this practice of "blue-eyeing" certain foreigners reflects a hierarchy that places white people from "advanced countries" at the top, which he calls "painfully racist." "The media needs to be inclusive about how it refers to foreigners because Korea has broad relations with the rest of the world and because the number of foreigners living in Korea is increasing and will continue to increase," he said. "I think it's fine for the media to highlight foreigners who are interested in learning about Korea but efforts should be made to diversify coverage and those covered should be discussed as individuals with interesting stories rather than as non-threatening, eccentric 'foreigners.' If it disappears from the media, then it will drop out of use over time." Kendallville, IN (46755) Today Snow this morning will diminish to a few snow showers this afternoon. High around 35F. Winds NW at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of snow 90%.. Tonight Partly cloudy early followed by cloudy skies overnight. A few flurries are possible. Low 27F. Winds W at 10 to 20 mph. Auburn, IN (46706) Today Snow showers this morning becoming more scattered later. High 36F. Winds NW at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of snow 70%.. Tonight Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. A few flurries are possible. Low 27F. Winds W at 10 to 20 mph. Nowadays, female K-pop idol fashion is becoming more daring, with artists not afraid of showing more skin. Is this BLACKPINK Jennie's influence? Keep on reading for more information. Female K-Pop Idol Fashion Leans Towards Exposure Earlier this week, LE SSERAFIM member Huh Yunjin became the center of attention for her underwear-exposing fashion during the group's comeback showcase for "EASY." At the time, the idol received mixed reviews, with some loving her look and others thinking it was excessive. Previously, Huh Yunjin also caused a stir for the group's "EASY" teaser trailer, where she rocked the "no pants" trend. The idol wore a bikini bottom with a large coat, walking confidently. Her bold fashion drew mixed reactions. Some believe she was a trendsetter, while others think she exposed too much. This is not the only time LE SSERAFIM has sparked controversy with their outfits. In the past, FEARNOTS slammed the group's stylists for making the group's youngest, Hong Eunchae, consistently wear crop tops, tight dresses, and short skirts. Since she is a minor, people claimed it was inappropriate for her to wear such clothing. During NewJeans' early debut days, similar sentiments were expressed. Due to their young image and Y2K concept, people claimed NewJeans' stage costumes involving crop tops did not suit their pure look. Many fourth-generation girl groups have not shied away from showing their skin. For example, for (G)I-DLE's "2" teasers, the five members wore bikini tops and fur hats, posing in the snow. The teawsers were criticized for being too scandalous as they exposed the members skin. Is Skin-Exposing Fashion in K-Pop Because of BLACKPINK Jennie's Influence? To talk about the most influential idol right nowand also the most controversial with the most daring fashionit is none other than Jennie. Even when Jennie is not the first to do something, it immediately becomes a trend when Jennie is seen wearing it. Known as K-pop's global "it girl," Jennie creates trends that everyone wants to follow. And skin-bearing fashion is no exception. As fourth-gen idols become more daring, Korean media outlets argue that the reason is because of Jennie. During BLACKPINK's "Born Pink" tour, she consistently wore short skirts, tiny tops, and more outfits that flaunted her curves and skin. During the group's Paris concert, Jennie caused an uproar when she twerked on stage while wearing a bra. Though controversial, the moment went extremely viral. Her boldness only increased when she became an ambassador for Calvin Klein. The idol shared photos of her in lingerie, shocking fans worldwide. Nowadays, the idol doesn't shy away from flaunting her daring outfits to her Instagram followers. Now, it is not uncommon to see K-pop idols revealing their bras. From veteran idols such as Girls' Generation's Taeyeon to LE SSERAFIM's Kazuha, none are exempt from the trend. The latter idol has even followed in Jennie's footsteps and is one of Calvin Klein's ambassadors. With that, people believe Jennie's exposure has caused other idols to follow in her lead and wear skin-bearing outfits. CHECK THIS OUT: TWICE Nayeon Copied BLACKPINK Jennie's Style? ONCEs Defend Idol What do you think of the situation? Tell us in the comments below! KpopStarz Owns This Written by Alexa Lopez Speaker of the House starts day with KTBS interview then off to meet with constituents Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. ATK New Delhi [India], February 24: Crack Academy announced the launch of the "Mere Sheher Ke 100 Ratan" Scholarship Programme, a pioneering initiative to unlock the potential of deserving students from small towns across India. The program is being held in collaboration with Zee News. It underscores Crack Academy's commitment to providing national-level quality education to students residing in tier 3 and tier 4 regions of the country, fostering their academic growth and empowering them for a brighter future. Also Read | Earthquake in Iran: Quake of Magnitude 4.9 on Richter Scale Hits Southern Iran. The event will be held on February 25, 2024, at Hotel Holiday Home in Shimla and will feature distinguished guests, including Rohit Thakur, the Education Minister of Himachal Pradesh, and Neeraj Kansal, the Founder of Crack Academy, alongside Deepak Dhiman, Channel Head & Editor, Zee Punjab Haryana Himachal, and other prominent dignitaries from various fields. The "Mere Sheher Ke 100 Ratan Scholarship Programme" aims to award scholarships to 6800 deserving students from Himachal Pradesh, with 100 scholarships allocated for each of the 68 constituencies. The scholarship test for students of Himachal Pradesh is scheduled to be held on May 1, 2024. "Through the 'Mere Sheher Ke 100 Ratan Scholarship Programme,' Crack Academy aims to provide equal opportunities to talented students from small towns, empowering them to realize their full potential and contribute meaningfully to society. We are excited to launch this initiative in Shimla, and we look forward to positively impacting the lives of deserving students across the nation. We believe that initiatives like these have the power to transform society by providing deserving students with access to quality education and growth opportunities," shared Neeraj Kansal, Crack Academy. Also Read | Royal Challengers Bangalore vs UP Warriorz, WPL 2024 Free Live Streaming Online: Watch TV Telecast of RCB-W vs UPW-W Women's Premier League T20 Cricket Match on Sports18 and JioCinema Online. (ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by ATK. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) SRV Media New Delhi [India], February 24: Pinnacle Teleservices Pvt. Ltd. is poised to significantly impact the imminent MWC in Barcelona, Spain, scheduled from 26th to 29th February 2024. With a strategic emphasis on expanding the reach of their innovative integrated communication platform, 1SPOC, through international partnerships, Pinnacle is committed to revolutionising global customer engagement. During the MWC, Pinnacle Teleservices Pvt. Ltd. is set to unveil the groundbreaking concept of the Communications ERP, an innovative methodology aimed at seamlessly and efficiently managing the diverse communication needs of an enterprise. Also Read | On This Day in 2002: PM Narendra Modi Marks 22 Years Since His Electoral Debut as MLA in Gujarat Assembly (Watch Video). 1SPOC, a pioneering platform engineered to redefine customer engagement, is an acronym representing the transition from CPaaS (Communication Platform as a Service) to CXaaS (Customer Experience as a Service). It boasts a comprehensive suite of features, encompassing WhatsApp Broadcasts, WhatsApp Dynamic Flows, GenAI-ChatGPT Capabilities, OmniChannel Engagement, Seamless Cross-Platform Communication, Low-Code/No-Code Flow Builder, Conversational and Process Automation, and Robust Security and Data Privacy protocols. With 1SPOC, the promise is to elevate customer interactions to unprecedented levels of excellence. "This event offers a prime opportunity for us to connect with industry leaders, establish international collaborations, and demonstrate how 1SPOC can revolutionize customer engagement strategies globally. We're excited to be part of the MWC, showcasing our innovative 1SPOC platform." shared Rajesh Banerjee, CEO at Pinnacle Teleservices Pvt. Ltd. Also Read | Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Congress, AAP Seat-Sharing Agreement Stirs Debate in Gujarat Ahead of 2024 LS Polls. Ashish Srivastava, CTO & CHRO at Pinnacle Teleservices Pvt. Ltd., added, "With 1SPOC, our revolutionary integrated communication platform, we are not just offering services; we are pioneering experiences. Our commitment to innovation is epitomized by the unveiling of Communications ERP, a groundbreaking concept set to streamline enterprise communication needs. This event serves as a beacon for us to forge international partnerships, showcase our advancements, and elevate customer engagement strategies worldwide." Pinnacle Teleservices Pvt. Ltd. extends a warm invitation to all attendees to visit their booth at the MWC, where they can firsthand experience the capabilities of 1SPOC and explore their global partnership program. Alongside the debut of 1SPOC, Pinnacle will highlight its return to Barcelona, emphasizing its commitment to innovation and excellence as it endeavours to leave a significant mark at this year's event. For more information visit - https://www.pinnacle.in/news-and-events/pinnacle-returns-to-barcelona www.pinnacle.in l www.1spoc.ai Media Contact- Kanchan Aswani l kanchan.aswani@pinnacle.in l +91 842171300 (ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by SRV Media. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) PRNewswire Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India]/ Paris [France], February 24: To strengthen its gender impact in India, Proparco has committed US$15 million to the fund. Proparco will be the first investor to sign a memorandum of understanding with Lighthouse, confirming its alignment with the principles of the 2X Challenge. The 2X Challenge initiative, launched by the G7 development finance institutions, aims to mobilise US$ 15 billion for investments in the world's women. Also Read | Manjummel Boys Ending Explained: How Kamal Haasan and Ilayaraajas Connection To Soubin Shahirs Survival Drama That Goes Beyond Guna Caves! (SPOILER ALERT). Lighthouse has partnered with WinPE (Women in Private Equity), an Indian association that promotes gender equality in the private equity sector, to establish internal gender KPIs. Rochelle Dsouza and Anshul Jain are ambassadors of this association. Proparco is also a member of WinPE since 2023. Otherwise, Tynor Orthotic (Fund III) another Lighthouse's partner, has set up a "zero tolerance" policy against sexual harassment. It also actively seeks to promote women at management level and offers a free childcare facility. "Proparco is very proud to be part of Lighthouse's ambition to increase its investment in the healthcare sector. We are delighted to help the Lighthouse team in India strengthen its gender impact strategy" said Francoise Lombard, Chief Executive Officer of Proparco, during the meeting in Mumbai with the leaders of the Lighthouse Funds, shortly after the visit of the President Macron in India. Also Read | Chennai Shocker: Man Stabs, Slits Mother's Neck for Not Serving Food in Ambattur, Arrested. To learn more, follow this link: To strengthen the economic role of women in India, Proparco supports Lighthouse Funds | Proparco - Groupe Agence Francaise de Developpement CONTACT: presse@proparco.fr Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2346231/Proparco_Logo.jpg (ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by PRNewswire. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Fast and Furious franchise star Vin Diesel has a special update for fans about the popular action movie series. Diesel took to Instagram to announce that he had met earlier with the writers and team behind the planned finale to Universal Pictures' action film series, according to The Hollywood Reporter. This is the first public update on the film since Diesel's former assistant sued him for sexual abuse in December over an alleged 2010 encounter at a hotel while working on Fast Five. Diesel, who also produces the car-focused films, has denied any misconduct. Fast X Part 2: Vin Diesel Shares Insights on Fast & Furious Franchise Ending, Hints at Spectacular 'Grand Finale' (View Post). Taking to Instagram, he wrote, "Just finished our end of the week Fast meeting with the writers and the whole team... to say the excitement for our finale was incredibly powerful is an understatement. Wow. So exciting..." "While everyone was heading into the weekend amped and excited, I thought of you all... reminded of the countless moments when your enthusiasm and passion became the driving force behind our creative journey. Your commitment to our saga has had a unique impact on its success and evolution... as my youngest daughter would say, it's profound," he added. He thanked his fans for supporting the franchise and concluded the post with, "Thank you for being the backbone of this global saga that because of you, transcends the screen. This grand finale is not just an ending; it's a celebration of the incredible family we've built together.Hope to make you proud!" Fast X Part 2 Release Date Revealed! Vin Diesel and Jason Momoa's Action Film to Hit Theatres on April 4, 2025. Vin Diesel IG Post: View this post on Instagram A post shared by Vin Diesel (@vindiesel) This statement is significant in light of the speculation about the impact of the case on the franchise's future. Fast X, the 10th installment in the Fast and Furious franchise, starring Diesel as racing obsessive Dom Toretto, opened in May and grossed more than $700 million worldwide. In addition to a finale that will star Diesel, another film to star Dwayne Johnson and others from the Fast crew is in the works. Last week, Diesel's visit to the American Cinematheque Awards in Los Angeles marked his first public appearance since the legal action. As one of the high-profile guests paying tribute to honoree Helen Mirren, Diesel thanked the Oscar-winning actress, who had a role in Fast X, for inviting him to speak. She in turn thanked him while accepting her honor. A sequel to Fast X from director Louis Leterrier is scheduled for release on April 4, 2025, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Imphal, Feb 24 (PTI) The Manipur government on Saturday decided to place an amendment bill related to the Goods and Services Tax (GST) in the next assembly session which will begin on February 28, a minister said. The decision was taken in a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister N Biren Singh, state Information and Public Relations Minister Sapam Ranjan said. Also Read | Uttar Pradesh: Police Car Securing Route for CM Yogi Adityanath's Cavalcade Meets With Accident in Lucknow, 15 Injured (Watch Video). "The Manipur Goods and Services Tax (6th Amendment Bill), 2024 will be placed in the upcoming assembly session," he said, adding that during the cabinet meeting to discuss budget-related matters were discussed. The reports of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India and the revised estimates of the budget for 2023-24 will also be tabled in the House.The budget estimates for 2024-25 will also be laid. Also Read | 'Big Victory for Student Power and Youth Unity': Congress Leader Rahul Gandhi After Uttar Pradesh Government Cancels Police Constable Recruitment Exams After Paper Leak. The assembly session is scheduled to continue till March 5. "The cabinet also agreed to propose implementation of the recommendation of the second National Judicial Pay Commission for payment of allowances to the Manipur judicial service with effect from January 1, 2016, in compliance with the Supreme Court's order," Sapam said. The council of ministers also decided to place the Manipur Labour Laws (Exemption from Renewal of Registration and Licence by establishment) Manipur, Bill 2024 in the assembly. The direct purchase of 3.77 acre of land for opening an automated testing station in Imphal East district was also agreed upon by the cabinet, he added. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) New Delhi [India], February 24 (ANI): Chief minister of Arunachal Pradesh Pema Khandu on Saturday congratulated Border Roads Organization for rescuing 70 stranded tourists at Sela Pass in Tawang. "I take a bow to the extraordinary efforts of @BROindia personnel, who valiantly rescued 70 stranded tourists at Sela Pass in Tawang. The brave men confronted the fierce intensity of the blizzard, battling howling winds that could numb the senses. Commendable work! Congratulations! " the Chief Minister posted on X. Also Read | 'Big Victory for Student Power and Youth Unity': Congress Leader Rahul Gandhi After Uttar Pradesh Government Cancels Police Constable Recruitment Exams After Paper Leak. Notably, Personnel from the Border Roads Organization on Friday rescued 70 tourists and locals who were stranded at the Sela Pass due to heavy snowfall. "Heavy snowfall in the higher reaches of Tawang District since 22 February 2024 has resulted in disruption of traffic and closure of roads. BRO has gone beyond their mandate of keeping the roads open for traffic to carry out a rescue operation to evacuate approximately 70 tourists and locals stranded at the Sela Pass," said a press release issued by the BRO. Also Read | PM Narendra Modi Begins Two-Day Visit to Gujarat; Holds Roadshow in Jamnagar (Watch Video). The BRO said that the incident took place when some vehicles got stranded at the Pass on the night of 22/23 February."42 BRTF of Project Vartak mobilised its men and equipment to rescue them. The team braved the chilling cold with temperatures going below -10 degrees Celsius to save precious lives throughout the night and were able to move them to safety by 4:30 am on 23rd February," said the press release. "Project Vartak has deployed men and personnel round the clock at not only Sela Pass but other important roads in the region as well to keep them accessible for traffic at all times," the release added. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Guwahati (Assam) [India], February 24 (ANI): Assam Rifles busted a godown used for stocking narcotics and contraband during an operation in Manipur's Moreh district, officials said on Saturday. The apprehended individuals, along with recovered items, were handed over to Moreh Police Station on Friday for further investigation, the spokesperson of Headquarters Inspector General Assam Rifles (South) said. Also Read | Kanpur: Five-Year-Old Student Moves Allahabad High Court Against Liquor Shop Near School In Uttar Pradesh. A total of 29.799 kg of WIY tablets, 0.386 kg of heroin powder, 5.266 kg of caffeine, 2.471 kg of crystal powder, 8.299 kg of gold dust, 7970 numbers of alprazolam tablets, 10 numbers of different types of rubber stamps, and other packing materials were found in the possession of the house owner, he said. The operation was launched in the general area of Homeguard Veng, Moreh, on February 23. Also Read | Manipur: Suspected IED Blast Kills Student Near DM University Complex in Imphal, Another Injured. The overall cost of seized items is approximately Rs 15 crore in the international market, the spokesperson said.On February 23, Assam Rifles, under the aegis of Headquarter Inspector General Assam Rifles (South) busted a godown used for stocking narcotics along with other incriminating items at Homeguard Veng, Moreh (Manipur), he said. "The team cordoned off the suspected house and searched for the presence of the police," the spokesperson said. "During the operation, a large crowd of women gathered at the location, protesting against arrest. Non-lethal weapons were used by Assam Rifles to disperse the crowd and the Rapid Action Force was employed as a precautionary measure," he added. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) New Delhi, Feb 24 (PTI) Terming the cancellation of the police constable recruitment exam by the Uttar Pradesh government as a victory of youth unity and student power, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said those who unite will win while those who divide will be crushed. The Uttar Pradesh government on Saturday cancelled the recently held police constable recruitment examination following allegations of question paper leak and ordered a re-test within six months. Also Read | 'Viksit Bharat' by 2047: Government Focused on Long-Term Gains, Says Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. "Big victory for student power and youth unity! Uttar Pradesh Police Exam was finally cancelled. The message is clear - no matter how much the government tries to suppress the truth, our rights can be won only by fighting unitedly," Gandhi said in a post on X. "Those who unite will win, those who divide will be crushed," he also said in his post in Hindi, using hashtags "#YuvaNYAY" and "#UPP_REEXAM". Also Read | Sudarshan Setu Inauguration: PM Narendra Modi Set To Inaugurate Okha-Beyt Dwarka Signature Bridge on February 25, Know Everything About Indias Longest Cable-Stayed Bridge. Congress general secretary, communications, Jairam Ramesh said in a post on X that with hopes of securing one of the 60,000 constable jobs, 50 lakh young candidates took the recruitment exam for UP Police on February 17 and 18. "But the paper was leaked. The chief minister and others remained silent spectators. UP is the number one state in the entire country in terms of paper leaks. "Rahul Gandhi continuously raised this issue during the Uttar Pradesh leg of the Bharat Jodo Nyaya Yatra. Its effect was seen this morning, when the Yogi government announced the cancellation of the examination. Yuva Nyay (justice for youths) is a key pillar of the five 'nyay' agenda of the Congress. This will protect the future of India's ambitious youth," he said in his post in Hindi. "Those who question the yatra now have an answer. The yatra will provide justice to youths, farmers, labourers, women, and backward classes," he added. Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said the police constable recruitment exam was cancelled as the government had to bow before the power of youth. "Till yesterday, people sitting in the government were making statements in an attempt to deny the paper leak. When their lies could not stand before the power of the youth, the examination was cancelled today," she said in a post in Hindi on X. "Leaking of papers of every examination in UP is not only a proof of the corruption prevalent in the BJP government, what is more serious is the careless and misleading attitude of the government," she said. Escalating his attack on the ruling BJP, Vadra said they never accepted earlier that paper was leaked. They tried to intimidate the students and teachers and made misleading statements, she added. "The result is that those who spearheaded the paper leak are roaming free. The entire incident shows that the BJP government is not serious about the future of the youth, but about saving its image and the examination mafia," the Congress general secretary said in her post. "The government should announce the new date as soon as possible and ensure that the paper will not be leaked this time," she said. The Uttar Pradesh government also announced a probe into the allegations by the Special Task Force (STF). More than 48 lakh candidates appeared in the examination conducted across the state on February 17 and 18. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has said "there can be no compromise with the sanctity of examinations" and assured strict action against "unruly elements". "There can be no compromise with the sanctity of examinations. Those who toy with the hard work of youngsters will not be spared under any circumstances. Strictest action is certain to be taken against such unruly elements," he said in a post in Hindi on 'X'. More than 240 people were arrested and detained by the police across Uttar Pradesh for allegedly adopting or planning to use unfair means in the recruitment exam. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) New Delhi, Feb 24 (PTI) Bihar Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar on Saturday visited the ancient city of Ayutthaya -- home to archaeological treasures -- in Thailand, officials said. Nestled along the banks of the Chao Phraya River, Ayutthaya, said to be named after ancient city of Ayodhya in India, is located 70 km north of Bangkok and features on the list of UNESCO World Heritage sites for its rich and vibrant cultural history. Also Read | Kanpur: Five-Year-Old Student Moves Allahabad High Court Against Liquor Shop Near School In Uttar Pradesh. The Bihar governor is currently in Thailand and heading a 22-member Indian delegation that has accompanied the holy relics of Lord Buddha for a 26-day exposition in Thailand, starting February 22, the Culture Ministry said in a statement here. "The historic city of Ayutthaya, founded in 1350, was the second capital of the Siamese Kingdom after Sukhothai. It flourished from the 14th to the 18th centuries, during which time it grew to be one of the world's largest and most cosmopolitan urban areas and a centre of global diplomacy and commerce," it said. Also Read | Manipur: Suspected IED Blast Kills Student Near DM University Complex in Imphal, Another Injured. Ayutthaya was strategically located on an island surrounded by three rivers connecting the city to the sea. This site was chosen because it was located above the tidal bore of the Gulf of Siam as it existed at that time, thus preventing attack of the city by the sea-going warships of other nations. The location also helped to protect the city from seasonal flooding, the ministry said. "The city was attacked and razed by the Burmese army in 1767 who burned the city to the ground and forced the inhabitants to abandon the city. The city was never rebuilt in the same location and remains known today as an extensive archaeological site," it added. Once an important centre of global diplomacy and commerce, Ayutthaya is now home to archaeological treasures, characterized by the remains of tall prang (reliquary towers) and Buddhist monasteries of monumental proportions, which give an idea of the city's past size and the splendor of its architecture, the officials said. Arlekar said the city depicts the deep cultural and historic connect between the Indian and Thai civilisations which has been preserved by the people and government of Thailand. He also mentioned that being the governor of the state of Bihar which is the home to several Buddhist heritage sites and the Bodh Gaya, it was an honour for him to get an opportunity to visit the historic city of Ayutthaya, especially at a time when the Ram temple has been inaugurated in the ancient city of Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh. He said these ancient temples, palaces and ruins not only give a deep understanding of the rich history and culture of Thailand, but also "help us to understand the depth of the cultural roots and heritage of modern Thailand". The governor also said measures should be taken to ensure that the people in India are aware of this cultural connect and the spread of Indian culture around the world. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Bhubaneswar, Feb 24 (PTI) The Odisha Congress on Friday alleged that the ruling BJD is engaging a section of state government employees, including senior bureaucrats, for party-related work. OPCC campaign committee chairman Bijay Patnaik said those employees were under the Congress scanner, urging them not to act as political party leaders. Also Read | Mumbai: Man Jumps on Railway Tracks From Footover Bridge at Bhayandar, Alert RPF Staff Prevent Him From Being Run Over by Train (Watch Video). You were either selected by UPSC, OPSC or other recruitment boards. You were not recruited by the BJD. Therefore, you have no reason to be afraid of the ruling party, he told reporters here. Such government officers should not go beyond their limits and act as political party leaders. They are under the Congress scanner, Patnaik said. Also Read | Death Threat to Eknath Shinde: 19-Year-Old Student Arrested for Giving Death Threats to Maharashtra CM, His Son MP Shrikant Shinde on Social Media. BJD leaders could not be contacted for comments. Patnaik claimed that some district collectors in Odisha were gathering donations for the BJD, while IPS officers have been threatening opposition party leaders. We will bring this to the notice of the Election Commission if they do not mend their ways, he said. Patnaik, who is also a former chief secretary of Odisha, however, said that the number of such government officials was very small, and the majority of them have maintained their dignity. If these officials continue to work for the ruling party, the Congress will hit the streets, besides making their names public, he added. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Guwahati, Feb 24 (PTI) The Assam cabinet's decision to repeal the Assam Muslim Marriages and Divorces Registration Act, 1935 has been welcomed by the ruling BJP, while opposition parties claimed that the move, which was 'discriminatory against Muslims', was made to polarise voters in the election year. The state cabinet on Friday night approved the decision to repeal the Act in a bid to end the social menace of child marriage as it contained provisions allowing registration of marriages even if the bride and groom had not reached the legal ages of 18 and 21 respectively, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said. Also Read | PM Narendra Modi Begins Two-Day Visit to Gujarat; Holds Roadshow in Jamnagar (Watch Video). AIUDF Chief Badruddin Ajmal claimed that the repeal of the Act was the first step to bring in the Unified Civil Code (UCC) in Assam, but it will sound the death knell of the BJP government in the state. 'They are trying to provoke the Muslims and polarise voters in their favour,' Ajmal told reporters on the sidelines of a programme here. Also Read | Mumbai Wall Collapse: Two Killed, One Grievously Injured After Wall Collapses in Goregaon (Watch Video). Congress MLA Abdul Rashid Mandal claimed that the decision is discriminatory against Muslims as this is the only mechanism for registration of marriages and divorces for Muslims and is valid under the Constitution. The Goalpara (West) legislator also accused the BJP government of being 'anti-Muslim and claimed that it is trying to show the Hindu people that the administration is favouring them and depriving Muslims. The government was talking about the UCC and banning polygamy in the state but no such bill or ordinance has been brought in the assembly so far for reasons best known to them, he said. Information and Public Relations Minister Pijush Hazarika, however, wondered how repealing an 89-year-old law that permits marriage between a small girl and an adult man becomes anti-Muslim. Muslim leaders need to act maturely and stand alongside the interest of our daughters rather than standing for abhorrent social evils,' Hazarika said in a post on X. This will help to prohibit child marriages, decrease infant and maternal mortality rates and promote education of the girl child, Tourism Minister Jayanta Malla Baruah said. AIUDF MLA Rafikul Islam claimed that the cabinet decision has been taken with the 'intention of targeting Muslims in an election year' as the government does not have the courage to bring in the UCC. Islam said that there were attempts to bring in UCC in Assam but the saffron camp will not be able to do so as there are several castes and communities here 'and they know it will not be legally tenable. The BJP is talking a lot about polygamy and the practice is prevalent among various communities who are followers of BJP. There are personal laws for the Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs and Jains with the constitution allowing different laws for marriages and divorces, he said adding: 'I don't think any state cabinet has the right to cancel the rights given to the people by the Indian constitution. Assam United Opposition Forum General Secretary Lurinjyoti Gogoi told PTI that the government should not make unilateral decisions on any issue involving social custom, religious beliefs, and public sentiments. 'The views of the scholars of the communities concerned needed to be sought in these matters. Instead, the BJP government is creating a political issue to provoke a community by teasing their sentiment which may likely cause social unrest, the Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) president said. Eminent lawyer Aman Wadud told PTI that authorised registrars under the 1935 Act won't be able to register Muslim marriages now but it will now happen under the Special Marriage Act, which requires a 30-day notice and a large number of documents. 'This centralised system of registration, by abolishing a decentralised system, will reduce registration of Muslim marriages. Contrary to the government's claim, this will increase the number of unauthorised Qazis and therefore child marriages too," Wadud said. Another prominent lawyer Bijon Mahajan told PTI the cabinet decision to repeal the Act is in tune with the current times and it also has the constitutional mandate'. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) New Delhi, Feb 24 (PTI) Media reports criticising a strategically crucial mega construction project on Great Nicobar Island are an "international conspiracy", according to Ananta Nayak, the acting vice-chairperson of the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes. Nayak emphasised that economic development can be achieved while protecting tribal identity. Also Read | Death Threat to Eknath Shinde: 19-Year-Old Student Arrested for Giving Death Threats to Maharashtra CM, His Son MP Shrikant Shinde on Social Media. In an interview with PTI, Nayak -- who superannuated on Saturday -- said national security should be the "primary concern" of any government. Addressing concerns about the potential impact on the environment, wildlife and tribals on Great Nicobar Island due to the proposed mega project, Nayak dismissed criticisms as part of "an international conspiracy". Also Read | Voters Have Right To Know About Fulfillment of Assurances by Political Parties; Matter Sub Judice, Says Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar. "The current government is committed to protecting tribal identity while bringing development to them," he said. The mega project entails diverting 130 square kilometres of forest area to construct several development projects, including an international container transhipment terminal, a military-civil airport, a power plant, and a township. Some media reports suggest that the project will also affect the indigenous Shompen and Nicobarese communities residing on the island. The Shompen, among the most isolated tribes globally and one of India's least studied Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs), inhabit the dense tropical rainforest of Great Nicobar Island in the Andaman and Nicobar group of islands. According to the 2011 Census, the estimated population of Shompen is 229. Their exact population at present is unknown. Last April, the National Green Tribunal ruled that it would not interfere with the forest and environment clearances granted to the Rs 72,000-crore mega infrastructure project. Instead, it constituted a high-powered committee to re-examine the environmental clearance. The tribunal noted reports about the area's location within China's "String of Pearls" strategy, countered by Indian authorities under the "Act East" policy. In January 2023, the Union Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways announced that the project was expected to be completed with an investment of Rs 41,000 crore (USD 5 billion). Nayak also praised the Narendra Modi government for its focus on tribal welfare. "The British inflicted atrocities on tribals and history doesn't reflect their contribution to the freedom struggle. The Modi government gave respect to them," he said. "The sheer number of schemes this government started for the welfare of tribals cannot be matched. We need to focus on the implementation part, which is the responsibility of the states," Nayak said. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Teetwal (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], February 24 (ANI): Save Sharda Committee Kashmir organised 'Maag Snan' (holy bath) at the newly constructed ghat on the river Kishenganga at the Line of Control in Teetwal village today, an official statement said. Teetwal is a small border village in Jammu and Kashmir. It is situated on the banks of the Kishanganga River in Kupwara district, 82 km from the district headquarters of Kupwara and close to the Line of Control with Pakistani-occupied Kashmir. Also Read | PM Narendra Modi Begins Two-Day Visit to Gujarat; Holds Roadshow in Jamnagar (Watch Video). "Because of bad weather and road closures, many pilgrims could not reach Teetwal. However, many members of the committee, including Mahaveer Thussu, Aditya Ganjoo and others, took part," it said. Sub-Divisional Magistrate Karnah Zaffar Shah welcomed the Yatris on this auspicious day, along with a few army officers. "This is the first time after 75 years that the holy bath was organised on 'Maag Purnmashi' commonly called 'Kaw punim' at Teetwal," the statement added. Also Read | Nagpur Shocker: Former Press Photographer Vinay Punekar Shot Dead Inside House in Raj Nagar Area; Accused Absconding. On this occasion, the head and founder of the 'Save Sharda' Committee demanded that the ghat be completed with changing rooms urgently and thanked Deputy Commissioner Kupwara for organising a chopper trip for Sharda committee members to reach Teetwal on the event, the statement added. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Chennai, Feb 24 (PTI) The Tamil Nadu's ruling DMK, a key constituent of the opposition INDIA bloc, on Saturday allotted one Lok Sabha constituency each to two of its allies. Weeks after initiating seat sharing talks with allies for the April-May Lok Sabha polls, the seat sharing agreement was signed by DMK President and Chief Minister M K Stalin and leaders of alliance parties at the party headquarters 'Anna Arivalayam,' here. Also Read | Uttar Pradesh Road Accident: 22 Passengers Dead, 10 Injured After Tractor Trolley Falls Into Pond in Kasganj; Disturbing Video Surfaces. The main opposition AIADMK and the BJP are yet to announce their allies. While the DMK's long time ally, Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) was allotted the Ramanathapuram segment in southern Tamil Nadu, the Dravidian party earmarked Namakkal constituency for the west-Tamil Nadu based partner Kongunadu Makkal Desiya Katchi (KMDK). Also Read | 'Viksit Bharat' by 2047: Government Focused on Long-Term Gains, Says Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. K M Kader Mohideen, national president of the IUML said his party's incumbent MP from Ramanathapuram, Navas Kani, will be renominated to contest the LS polls. Mohideen told reporters that his party requested a Rajya Sabha seat from the DMK during seat sharing talks. The Dravidian party, however, said the seat sharing exercise was confined to the Lok Sabha polls and questions related to RS elections may be taken up later, at the appropriate time. Both IUML and KMDK have been allotted the same seats they were given in the 2019 LS polls. KMDK general secretary Easwaran said the nominee to be named by his party will contest in the DMK's 'Rising Sun,' symbol. In 2019, KMDK's AKP Chinraj was elected from Namakkal in the DMK's Rising Sun symbol. The DMK is expected to finalise seat sharing with other allies including the Congress, VCK and Left parties soon. TR Baalu, Tiruchi Siva, K N Nehru were among the DMK leaders present during the signing of pacts for the LS polls. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) New Delhi [India], February 24 (ANI): After weeks of suspense and wrangling over the allotment of seats in the national capital ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, INDIA partners AAP and Congress on Saturday announced a seat-sharing pact for Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Chandigarh and Goa. As part of the agreement reached between the ruling party in Delhi and the grand old party, Congress will contest 3 of the 7 Lok Sabha seats in the national capital while the AAP will field candidates in the remaining 4 constituencies. Also Read | PM Narendra Modi Begins Two-Day Visit to Gujarat; Holds Roadshow in Jamnagar (Watch Video). At a joint press conference of top leaders of the two parties in the national capital on Saturday, Congress general secretary and MP Mukul Wasnik said his party will contest the Chandni Chowk, North East and North West seats in the Lok Sabha elections. "As you are all aware, Delhi Lok Sabha has 7 seats. AAP will contest 4 seats--New Delhi, West Delhi, South Delhi and East Delhi--while Congress will contest 3--Chandni Chowk, North East and North West," Wasnik said. Also Read | Mumbai Wall Collapse: Two Killed, One Grievously Injured After Wall Collapses in Goregaon (Watch Video). The general elections in the national capital will mark the first time since independence that the members of the Gandhi family will vote for another party in the New Delhi constituency, a seat the grand old party has set aside for the AAP. In neighboring Gujarat, the Congress will contest 24 of 26 Lok Sabha seats, leaving the remaining 2--Bharuch and Bhavnagar-- for the AAP. "Of the 26 Lok Sabha seats in Gujarat, the Congress will contest on 24 while the AAP will field candidates for Bharuch and Bhavnagar," the Congress leader said. In Haryana, the Congress will contest 8 of the 9 Lok Sabha seats while the AAP will contest the lone seat--Kurukshetra."Of the 10 LS seats in Haryana, the Congress will fight on 9 and the AAP will contest one seat-- Kurukshetra," Wasnik said. He added that the two parties also reached a consensus on the grand old party contesting the prized Chandigarh Lok Sabha seat. "After a long discussion on Chandigarh, the two parties decided that the Congress candidate will contest the seat," he added. As part of the seat-sharing deal, the Congress will contest both the Lok Sabha seats in Goa. Significantly, the AAP contested previous Assembly elections in Goa but fared dismally. "It was further decided that Congress will contest both the Lok Sabha seats in Goa," he said. Meanwhile, several leaders of the INDIA bloc hailed the move asserting that the mega alliance will secure victory in the coming assembly polls. "Even though talks for seat sharing with the Congress party took some time, but AAP had made it very clear since the beginning that it is an important part of the INDIA alliance. Finally today, multiple states' seat sharing has been announced in the INDIA alliance in which Delhi, Haryana, Gujarat, Goa, and Chandigarh are involved... Be it Congress or AAP, we have prioritized the welfare of the country over the welfare of the party," Delhi minister and AAP leader Atishi told ANI. "INDIA alliance will win Delhi, Haryana, Gujarat, and Goa... Ever since the INDIA alliance seat sharing was nearly finalized, Arvind Kejriwal started getting threats from all sides. We were told, that if we don't exit the alliance, after ED, the CBI will also frame charges against Arvind Kejriwal to arrest him. We have information that CBI will issue a notice on Monday, and probably in some days, Arvind Kejriwal is arrested," he added. Delhi minister Saurabh Bharadwaj, while speaking to ANI, said, "Our alliance with Congress has been announced in several states today. In Delhi, AAP will contest on 4 seats and Congress on 3. In Haryana (10), AAP will contest on 1 and Congress on the remaining. In Gujarat (26), AAP will contest on 2 - Bhavnagar and Bharuch and Congress will contest on the remaining. The seats in Chandigarh and Goa will be contested by Congress. In Punjab, Congress and AAP will contest independently...The dialogues are still open in Assam." AAP MP Sandeep Pathak highlighted that the alliance has been formed in the interest of the country. "The alliance has been formed seeing the interest of the country. Congress will contest some seats while AAP will contest some. But the fact remains that we will fight the elections together and the country will win," he said. Congress leader and Haryana Leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda said, "The alliance decision is good. We will fight on the given seat with all our strength for the benefit of the nation. There are several issues such as unemployment, in Haryana farmers are facing conundrums, and many others... BJP will say multiple things but ultimately the people are the decision makers." Calling the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) 'Bhrasht Jumla Party', Goa Congress Chief Amit Patkar said, "From the INDIA Bloc, AAP and Congress have decided that both the seats from Goa, South Goa, and North Goa, would be contested by the Congress. I want to thank the AAP leaders and their party workers who decided to come together with the Congress to defeat the 'Bhrasht Jumla Party'." Attacking the ruling BJP, Congress leader Deepinder Singh Hooda said that the former is consistently trying to 'shut down' the opposition. "Today, this central government has all the powers and money...It is continuously trying to shut down the opposition, keeping that in mind Congress and AAP have decided to form an alliance in Haryana and other states as well," Hooda said. AAP Haryana President Sushil Gupta said that a strong alliance has been formed. "A strong alliance has been formed...BJP is totally scared because of this alliance...BJP now wants to arrest Arvind Kejriwal...this election is for the restoration of democracy...this election is to protect the constitutional bodies of the country," he said. The BJP, meanwhile, lashed out at the alliance between the two parties, terming it 'Thugbandhan'. BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla told ANI that the alliance of the Congress and the AAP has contradictions as they will contest against each other in Punjab while trying to fight together in some other states. "This is actually 'Thugbandhan' (INDI alliance). What a confusing and contradictory status. In Punjab, they will keep fighting and in Delhi, they will unite... They are allying with Lalu (Yadav) and Sonia (Gandhi), whom they wanted to send to jail," he said. BJP MP Manoj Tiwari said AAP workers will be disappointed with Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's change of stance about Congress. "You must have heard 'chor chor mausere bhai'. That is what is happening between AAP and Congress. AAP workers are disappointed because Arvind Kejriwal used to speak about putting Congress leaders in jail but he is now at their feet," he said. BJP MLA Ramvir Singh Bidhuri said that the alliance won't affect the BJP. "This is not going to affect the BJP. In 2019, the BJP got more votes than the Congress and the AAP combined... In 2019, there was a Modi wave, but this time there is a storm in PM Modi's favor. People have decided to make Narendra Modi the PM for the third time with more than 400 seats... In Delhi, the BJP will get more than 70% votes," he said. BJP MP Mansukh Vasava said, "In Bharuch Lok Sabha seat, AAP and the Congress have made an alliance, this is not going to affect the BJP at all. The Congress is broken in the whole country. The regional parties have no base. They (Congress) have been making alliances against the BJP for a long time now, but they have never succeeded. In the coming times also, they will not last even till the elections." Attacking the opposition, BJP leader Nalin Kohli, "The seat-sharing that has happened between AAP and Congress, several things are cleared now. The first is that the Congress accepted that it would be a junior partner in several states to regional parties. At the national level, no INDI alliance exists. AAP recognizes the harsh reality that its credibility is going down, especially in Delhi due to serious allegations of corruption, and a liquor scam, and his two ministers are in jail. All the opposition parties have recognized that the mood of the nation is with PM Modi due to the work that has been done in the last 10 years." Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, in a scathing attack on the AAP and the Congress, said that the path to 'hell' is paved with 'skewed' alliances. Reminding Arvind Kejriwal that he floating AAP after protesting against the alleged corruption cases that came up during the Congress's tenure in the national capital that resulted into the dethroning of the grand old party rule in the national capital. Taking to 'X', Puri wrote, "The path to hell (or in this case political oblivion!) is paved with skewed alliances! If the opportunist alliance between AAP and Congress even manages to survive its inherent contradictions it will be the most bizarre political combination in every sense!" The Union Minister further said that people would remember the AAP came into being after protesting against the alleged corruption cases that came up during the Congress's tenure in the national capital. "One that tries to pull the wool over the eyes of their own voters. People will clearly remember that AAP came into being after protesting against the rampant impunity & corruption of Congress which it subsequently defeated in Delhi & as the slew of cases against their ministers & leaders show, has now even embodied what they protested against!," he said. Hardeep Singh Puri further pointed out that the most curious part of the 'dysfunctional dalliance' is that the parties have joined hands in Delhi, but oppose each other in Punjab. "But the most curious part of this dysfunctional dalliance - they will be together in Delhi, but against each other in Punjab!" said the Union Minister. AAP was formed after an anti-corruption agitation in the national capital. The Congress was then in power in Delhi as well as the Centre. Meanwhile, in West Bengal, there is yet no confirmation on the seat-sharing deal between the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Congress. Earlier, TMC Chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee distanced herself from the mega alliance announcing to go solo in the coming Lok Sabha polls. However, several Congress leaders tried to play it down, stating that the seat-sharing talks were underway with the TMC. Earlier today, claiming that the ruling Trinamool Congress is in a "dilemma" over the alliance, West Bengal Congress chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said the grand old party will contest the forthcoming parliamentary elections in the state "alone." "They (TMC) are in a dilemma. There should be an official yes or no from the party Supremo (Mamata Banerjee). They are not saying officially that the process of forging the alliance has ended. Because they are in a dilemma," the state Congress chief said. He further said that TMC is unable to decide on the alliance because of their dilemma while hinting at ongoing dialogue between the parties. "The first dilemma is a section of the party believes that if they contest alone, without the INDIA alliance, then the minorities of West Bengal will vote against them. One section of the TMC wants the alliance to continue. Another section is in another dilemma that if the alliance is given more importance in Bengal, then the Modi government will use ED, and CBI against them. Because of these two dilemmas, the TMC has not been able to make a clear decision. Maybe there are some talks in Delhi, but I don't have any such information," he said. Meanwhile, the Congress and the Samajwadi Party on Wednesday announced a seat-sharing arrangement for the upcoming Lok Sabha election. Apart from its traditional strongholds of Rae Bareli and Amethi, the Congress will also contest Varanasi, Ghaziabad, and Kanpur. The Lok Sabha polls are scheduled to be held in April-May this year. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Sukma, Feb 24 (PTI) A Naxalite was killed in an encounter with security personnel in Chhattisgarh's Sukma district on Saturday, a police official said. The face-off took place around 6 am in a forest near Burklanka village within the jurisdiction of Bheji police station during an anti-Naxal operation by the District Reserve Guard (DRG), Sukma Superintendent of Police Kiran G Chavan told PTI. Also Read | Chennai Shocker: Man Stabs, Slits Mother's Neck for Not Serving Food in Ambattur, Arrested. After the exchange of fire stopped, the body of a Naxalite along with a muzzle-loading gun was recovered from the spot, he said. The identity of the Naxalite was yet to be ascertained, he said, adding that a search operation was still underway in the area. Also Read | Farmers' Protest: Farmers To Stay Put at Borders, 'Dilli Chalo' March Suspended Until February 29. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Patiala (Punjab) [India], February 24 (ANI): After the death of a youth in the ongoing farmers' protest, farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher has said that they will not cremate the person until he gets justice. Pandher told ANI that a First Information Report (FIR) should be lodged against the Haryana Police. Also Read | Bihar: We Gave Five Lakh Jobs During Mahagathbandhan Rule, Claims Tejashwi Yadav. "Case under Section 302 IPC should be registered against those who are responsible for the death (of a farmer). We will not cremate that youth until he gets justice. There should be a complaint against the Haryana police and paramilitary who shot him," he said. Responding to the resumption of the farmers' march, Sarwan Singh Pandher said that a decision will be taken after a meeting that was slated to be held on Friday. Also Read | Sandeshkhali Unrest: TMC Leader Sheikh Shahjahan Might Escape to London if Granted Anticipatory Bail, ED Tells Court. Earlier on Wednesday, Shubhkaran Singh died of an injury to the back of his neck while protesting at Khanauri border, prompting farm leaders to suspend talks with the Centre. Meanwhile, another protesting farmer has died at the Khanauri border, bringing the toll to 4 during the ongoing protest under the call for Delhi Chalo, farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher said on Friday. The 62-year-old farmer, Darshan Singh from Amargarh village in Bathinda district, had been staying at the Khanauri border since February 13. The General Secretary of Punjab Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee, Sarwan Singh Pandher said that Darshan Singh died of cardiac arrest. "He was at the Khanauri border and is the fourth martyr of this farmers' agitation. He has been identified as Darshan Singh (62). He died of a heart attack," Pandher said. Following the death of Subhkaran, the farmers observed 'black Friday' today. To press the Centre to accept their demands, including a legal guarantee for minimum support price (MSP) for crops and farm debt waiver, the farmers have been camping at the border points since February 13 along with their tractor-trolleys, mini-vans and pickup trucks. However, during the last round of talks, which ended past midnight on February 18, the panel of three Union ministers had proposed buying five crops -- moong dal, urad dal, tur dal, maize and cotton -- from farmers at MSP for five years through central agencies. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Hamirpur (Himachal Pradesh) [India], February 24 (ANI): Union Minister Anurag Thakur said that people will show the Congress the exit door in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. He was speaking at the Tridev Sammelan in Hamirpur on Saturday. Thakur said, "Congress has been exposed. Congress first makes promises and then shows its back. In a video, Priyanka Gandhi says 5 lakh government jobs will be given to youth, however, the state CM and other ministers are denying which indicates that before the ballot they make big promises and later they deny. People will show them the exit door this time." Also Read | Kanpur: Five-Year-Old Student Moves Allahabad High Court Against Liquor Shop Near School In Uttar Pradesh. He further said that earlier also Congress was in power in the state but BJP won the Lok Sabha polls. Thakur further said, "We will win the Lok Sabha polls. In 2003 they promised government jobs but did not fulfill them. In 2012 they formed the government and assured that they would give unemployment allowance but did not give. In 2022 they promised that they would buy cow dung at Rs 2 per kg and milk at Rs 100 per litre. They had promised 5 lakh government jobs and Rs 1500 to women which they did not give. People are feeling cheated." Also Read | Manipur: Suspected IED Blast Kills Student Near DM University Complex in Imphal, Another Injured. He said that the BJP is a political party in which the 'Karyakarta' and the organisation play very important role. "Tridev strengthens the polling booths. We are going to run a campaign so that in every polling booth the BJP gets record votes to fulfil the target of 370 seats for the BJP and 400 for the NDA," he said. Hitting out at Rahul Gandhi he said that he becomes a laughing stock when he gives speeches referring to his speech in Uttar Pradesh. "Four generations of the Nehru-Gandhi family became MPs from Uttar Pradesh. When Rahul Gandhi won from Wayanad he raised questions about the intelligence of the people of Uttar Pradesh. He has lost his senses," he added. Earlier, in a veiled swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who represents Varanasi in the Lok Sabha, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi claimed that during his visit to the temple town as a part of the ongoing Bharat Jodo Nyay yatra, he saw people lying drunk on roads. Addressing the public in Amethi, Wayanad MP said the youths of Uttar Pradesh were on a 'trip' after boozing by night. "I went to Varanasi and I saw people lying on roads drunk. The youths of Uttar Pradesh are on a trip after consuming liquor by night. On the other hand, there is the Ram Mandir which is only visited by the likes of PM Modi, Ambani and Adani. You will see all our billionaires there but not a single person from a backward class or the Dalit community," Rahul said. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) New Delhi [India], February 24 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday inaugurated the pilot project of the world's largest grain storage plan in the cooperative sector in 11 Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) of 11 states. Launching multiple key initiatives for the Cooperative sector here, PM Modi said the world's largest storage plan of 700 lakh metric tons would be completed in the next five years at a cost of Rs 1.25 lakh crore. Also Read | 'Big Victory for Student Power and Youth Unity': Congress Leader Rahul Gandhi After Uttar Pradesh Government Cancels Police Constable Recruitment Exams After Paper Leak. The Prime Minister also laid the foundation stone for additional 500 PACS across the country for construction of godowns and other agriculture infrastructure under the grain storage initiative. The initiative aims to seamlessly integrate PACS' godowns with the food grain supply chain, fortifying food security and fostering economic development in the country with a collaborative effort supported by NABARD and spearheaded by the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC). This initiative is being implemented through the convergence of various existing schemes like the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF) and Agriculture Marketing Infrastructure (AMI) to enable PACS participating in the project to avail subsidies and interest subvention benefits for undertaking infrastructure development. Also Read | PM Narendra Modi Begins Two-Day Visit to Gujarat; Holds Roadshow in Jamnagar (Watch Video). The Prime Minister also inaugurated a project for computerization in 18,000 PACS across the country, aligning with the government's vision of "Sahakar se Samridhi" aimed at rejuvenating the cooperative sector and empowering small and marginal farmers. Speaking on the occasion, the Prime Minister noted that Bharat Mandapam is witnessing another milestone in the journey of Viksit Bharat i.e. a step forward in the direction of 'Sahkaar se Samriddhi'. The power of cooperation has a huge role in strengthening the foundation of agriculture and farming and this has led to a separate Ministry for Cooperation. He said that the 'world's largest grain storage plan in cooperative sector' launched today will result in thousands of warehouses and godowns in every corner of the country and added that the initiatives including computerization of PACs will give new dimensions to agriculture and modernize farming in the country. The Prime Minister underlined that cooperatives are an ancient concept in India. Quoting a scripture, the Prime Minister explained that a large task can be accomplished if smaller resources are put together and said that this model was followed in the ancient system of villages in India. "Cooperatives were the foundations of India's atmanirbhar society. It is not just any system, but a belief, a spirit," PM Modi remarked, highlighting that this spirit of cooperatives is beyond the boundaries of systems and resources and produces exceptional results. He said that it has the potential to convert an ordinary system related to daily life into a huge industrious system, and a proven result of the changing face of the rural and agricultural economy. Through this new Ministry, the Prime Minister emphasized, the government aims to bring together the fragmented powers of the agricultural sector of India Giving the example of Farmers Producers Organisation (FPOs), the Prime Minister noted the growing entrepreneurship among the small farmers in villages. He said due to having a separate Ministry, 8000 FPOs out of a target of 10,000 FPOs are already functional in the country. The benefits of cooperatives are now reaching fishermen also. More than 25,000 cooperative units are functional in the fishery sector. The Prime Minister reiterated the government's goal of establishing 2,00,000 cooperative societies in the coming years. Recalling his experience as Chief Minister of Gujarat, the Prime Minister cited the success stories of Amul and Lijjat Papad as the power of cooperatives and also highlighted the central role of women in these enterprises. The government has given priority to women in the policies related to the cooperative sector. He mentioned ensuring board representation for women by amending the multi-state Cooperative Societies Act. The Prime Minister underlined that cooperatives have the potential to tackle the personal issues of farmers with collective strength and gave the example of storage. Pointing out the losses incurred by farmers due to lack of storage infrastructure, the Prime Minister drew attention to the world's largest storage plan of 700 lakh metric tons. He said that it would enable farmers to store their produce and sell it at the right time according to their own needs while also helping to avail loans from banks. "Modernization of agricultural systems is equally important for the creation of a Viksit Bharat", the Prime Minister said, highlighting the government's endeavour to create a new role for government organizations such as PACS. He stated that these committees are functioning as Jan Aushadhi Kendras while thousands of PM Kisan Samruddhi Kendras are also being operated. He also mentioned cooperative committees operating in the areas of petrol, diesel, and LPG cylinders while PACS also plays the role of water committees in several villages. This, the Prime Minister said, has increased the productivity of loan committees and also created new sources of income. "Cooperative committees are now acting as common service centers in villages and providing hundreds of facilities", he said, noting the emergence of technology and digital India to take the services to farmers on a larger scale. He further added that it will create new employment opportunities for the youth in the villages. The Prime Minister outlined the importance of cooperative institutions in the journey of Viksit Bharat. He asked them to contribute towards the goals of Aatmnirbhar Bharat. "Viksit Bharat is not possible without an Aatmanirbhar Bharat '', the Prime Minister stressed. He suggested that the cooperative should list the items for which we are dependent on import and explore how the cooperative sector can help with producing them locally. He gave an example of edible oil as a product that may be taken up. Similarly, cooperative push for ethanol can reduce dependence on oil imports for energy needs. Pulse import is another area that the Prime Minister suggested for cooperative societies for the reduction of foreign dependence. Many manufacturing goods can also be taken up by the cooperatives, he said. The Prime Minister also underlined the role of the cooperatives in natural farming and turning farmers into Urjadata (provider of energy) and Urvarakdata (provider of fertilizer). He said rooftop solar and solar panels on the borders of the farms can be seen as areas for cooperative initiative. Similar intervention is feasible in Gobardhan, production of bio CNG, manure and waste to wealth. This will reduce fertilizer import bills also, he said. He asked the cooperative to come forward in global branding of the efforts of the small farmers. He also asked them to make Shri Anna-Millets available on dining tables globally. Focussing on the role of the cooperative in increasing rural income, the Prime Minister noted the impact of the dairy cooperative in his constituency Kashi. He also noted the strides made by cooperatives in the honey sector as honey production increased from 75,000 metric tonnes to 1.5 lakh metric tonnes and honey export increased from 28,000 metric tonnes to 80,000 metric tonnes in the last 10 years. Acknowledging the role of NAFED, TRIFED and state cooperatives, the Prime Minister asked to expand the ambit of these bodies. Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah, Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Arjun Munda, Union Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Minister Piyush Goyal, and Minister of State for Cooperation Shri BL Verma were among those present. In his remarks, Amit Shah said that PM Modi has taken several steps to infuse new life into the cooperative sector. He said that Prime Minister Modi accepted the decades-long demand of people of the cooperative sector to form a separate Ministry of Cooperation. He said there is a need to keep the cooperative sector relevant, modernize it and also make it transparent and added that over 54 initiatives have been taken by the Ministry of Cooperation since its formation. He said that the cooperative sector is moving forward from PACS to APACS, with new enthusiasm by making new beginnings in every dimension. Amit Shah said that the cooperative sector has been given a new life after almost 125 years, due to the decision of Prime Minister Modi and it will continue to serve the country for the next 125 years. He said the complete computerization of more than 18,000 PACSs is starting from today, its trial run has been conducted, legacy data has been computerized and with the inauguration, every transaction will be computerized from now on. Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation said that when the proposal for computerization of 18,000 PACSs was submitted before the Union Cabinet on June 29, 2022, Prime Minister had expressed the hope that despite being difficult, this project would be implemented soon. Amit Shah said that in a very short time, computerization of 18,000 out of 65,000 PACSs has been completed and very soon 30,000 more PACSs will be computerised and dedicated to the people. He said that computerization of PACSs will not only bring transparency and modernize them but also create business opportunities. The Union Minister said the Ministry of Cooperation has prepared new bye-laws for PACSs and state governments, rising above party lines, have accepted and implemented them. He said that once the bye-laws are implemented, a PACS will be able to do 20 different activities. PACSs will be able to do the work of dairy, water management under Jal Jeevan Mission, join the blue revolution and will also be able to contribute in increasing the storage capacity. They will also be able to work as Common Service Centre (CSC), will be able to open cheap medicine and grain shops and will also be able to open and operate petrol pumps. Amit Shah said that through the new bye-laws, the process of linking PACSs with many other activities started and now with their computerization, the accounts of all activities will be integrated into single software. He said that this software is available in every language of the country and farmers can interact with it in their own language. He exuded confidence that by August, 2024, all PACSs of the country will be computerized and connected with the software. Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation said that as per the vision of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, pilot project in 11 PACSs has been completed and 11 godowns are being inaugurated. Amit Shah said that in India, storage capacity with regards to food grain production is only 47 per cent whereas in USA it is 161 per cent, Brazil 149 per cent, Canada 130 per cent and China 107 per cent. He said that all over the world, the storage capacity is more than the production, and due to this, when the prices go down, the farmer can use the storage capacity to store his produce and easily get good price for the same. He said that earlier this facility was not available in India and Food Corporation of India had to shoulder this whole burden. Amit Shah said now thousands of PACSs will increase storage capacity through which "we will achieve 100 per cent storage capacity before 2027 and this will be done through the cooperative sector". He said that the godowns built under this scheme will be small, but will have racks, computerized system and all the means required for modern farming. These PACS-linked godowns will also have drones, tractors, harvesting machines and fertilizer spraying machines. He said that all these facilities will be available to farmers on rental basis and it will strengthen the bond between PACSs and farmers, make PACSs more viable and our farming modern in the coming days. The project has been approved with a financial outlay of more than Rs 2,500 crore. This initiative involves transitioning all functional PACS onto a unified Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) based national software, ensuring seamless integration and connectivity. By linking these PACS with NABARD through State Cooperative Banks and District Central Cooperative Banks, the project aims to enhance the operation efficiency & governance of PACS, thus benefiting crores of small & marginal farmers. NABARD has developed the National Level Common Software for this project, tailored to meet the diverse needs of PACS across the country. The onboarding of 18,000 PACS on ERP software has been completed, marking a significant milestone in the project's implementation. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) New Delhi, February 24: Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched multiple key initiatives in the Cooperative Sector at an event held at Bharat Mandapam in Delhi on Saturday. Prime Minister inaugurated the pilot project of 'World's Largest Grain Storage Plan in Cooperative Sector', which is being done in 11 Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) in 11 states. Speaking on occasion, Union Minister for Cooperation and Home, Amit Shah thanked the Prime Minister for facilitating investments to strengthen PACS. "To strengthen PACS, PM Modi ji has invested Rs 2,500 crores. I thank Modi ji for this. Today 18 thousand PACS are being launched. Along with this, the world's largest grain storage scheme is also being started." During the occasion, PM Modi laid the foundation stone for an additional 500 PACS across the country for the construction of godowns and other agri infrastructure under this initiative. PM Narendra Modi Attends Sant Guru Ravidas's Birth Anniversary Celebrations in Varanasi, Unveils Statue (Watch Video). PM Narendra Modi Launches Multiple Initiatives #WATCH | Prime Minister Narendra Modi launches 11 PACS godowns across 11 states for storage and lays the foundation stone for the construction of godowns in 500 PACS, at an event in Delhi. Union Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah is also present at the event pic.twitter.com/piigcpQLpX ANI (@ANI) February 24, 2024 This initiative aims to seamlessly integrate PACS godowns with the food grain supply chain, fortifying food security and fostering economic development in the country with a collaborative effort supported by NABARD and spearheaded by the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC). This initiative is being implemented through the convergence of various existing schemes like the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF), Agriculture Marketing Infrastructure (AMI), etc., to enable PACS participating in the project to avail subsidies and interest subvention benefits for undertaking infrastructure development. Gujarat: PM Narendra Modi Dedicates Kakrapar Atomic Power Stations Two Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors to Nation (See Pics). The Prime Minister also inaugurated a project for computerization in 18,000 PACS across the country, aligning with the government's vision of 'Sahakar se Samridhi' aimed at rejuvenating the cooperative sector and empowering small and marginal farmers. The monumental project has been approved with a financial outlay of more than Rs 2,500 crore. This initiative involves transitioning all functional PACS onto a unified Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) based national software, ensuring seamless integration and connectivity. By linking these PACS with NABARD through State Cooperative Banks and District Central Cooperative Banks, the project aims to enhance the operation efficiency and governance of PACS, thus benefiting crores of small and marginal farmers. NABARD has developed the National Level Common Software for this project, tailored to meet the diverse needs of PACS across the country. The onboarding of 18,000 PACS on ERP software has been completed, marking a significant milestone in the project's implementation. Shah also hailed PM Modi for 'transforming' the Cooperative sector. "There was a long-standing demand from governments of various parties that a separate ministry for cooperation should be established. But unfortunately, for years, no one paid attention to this concern, no one cared to address this. But when PM Modi Ji took command, he transformed this very field," Shah said. "He fulfilled the long-cherished dream of cooperation sector and created a separate Ministry for the same," he added. The event was also attended by Union Ministers Piyush Goyal and Arjun Munda. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], February 24 (ANI): Amid orders for cancellation of the police constable recruitment examination, Uttar Pradesh Police Recruitment and Promotion Board Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Satyarth Aniruddha Pankaj said that the examination has been cancelled to maintain the credibility and transparency of the selection procedure. "The Uttar Pradesh government has decided to cancel the examinations of all the shifts of February 17 and February 18 to maintain the credibility and transparency of the examination amid reports of unfairly distributing the question paper before the scheduled time," the DIG told ANI on Saturday. Also Read | Mumbai: Man Jumps on Railway Tracks From Footover Bridge at Bhayandar, Alert RPF Staff Prevent Him From Being Run Over by Train (Watch Video). Pankaj said that the written examination for the posts of reserved civilian police under direct recruitment 2023 was conducted on February 17 and February 18. "The exam will be conducted soon by the Uttar Pradesh Police Recruitment and Promotion Board. The date of examination will be published on the website," he informed. Also Read | Death Threat to Eknath Shinde: 19-Year-Old Student Arrested for Giving Death Threats to Maharashtra CM, His Son MP Shrikant Shinde on Social Media. The Uttar Pradesh Police Police Recruitment and Promotion Board has cancelled the written examination for direct recruitment-2023 to the posts of reserved civilian police in Uttar Pradesh Police, the DIG said. Earlier in the day, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that the Uttar Pradesh government has decided to cancel the police constable recruitment examination held statewide on February 17 and 18 after the examination paper was allegedly leaked. The UP CM, in a post on X, said that the state government has ordered to conduct the re-examination for the same within six months. "UP Police constable civil police exams 2023 cancelled, orders given to re-conduct the exams within next 6 months...." Yogi said. He further said that strict action would be taken against those who would be found guilty in the alleged paper leak. "There can be no compromise with the sanctity of examinations. Those who play with the hard work of the youth will not be spared under any circumstances. Strictest action is certain to be taken against such unruly elements," the UP CM added. The Uttar Pradesh government has also issued an order to investigate the alleged irregularities and rigging in the examination of the Review Officer/Assistant Review Officer (RO/ARO), not in the paper but at the government level. "Candidates can lodge complaint at @secyappoint@nic.in till 27th February. Before this, the Police Recruitment Board is also investigating the alleged rigging in the constable recruitment examination," the order said. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Pune, Feb 24 (PTI) Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday suggested political compulsions post the NCP split forced Sharad Pawar to visit historic Raigad fort for the "first time in 40 years". In a dig at the Pawar senior, Fadnavis said NCP leader and deputy CM Ajit Pawar should be given the credit for his uncle's visit to the fort. Also Read | Kanpur: Five-Year-Old Student Moves Allahabad High Court Against Liquor Shop Near School In Uttar Pradesh. Raigad Fort played a major role in the Maratha history. After being crowned the king of the Maratha kingdom, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj chose the hill fort as his capital. Earlier in the day, Sharad Pawar unveiled the 'man blowing trumpet' symbol allotted to his Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) group by the Election Commission from this fort. Also Read | Manipur: Suspected IED Blast Kills Student Near DM University Complex in Imphal, Another Injured. "After Ajit dada took a stand (to join the state government last July), Sharad Pawar visited Raigad fort for the first time in the last 40 years. Credit goes to Ajit Pawar," Fadnavis told reporters in Pune. Queried if the names of ex-Union minister Narayan Rane and state assembly speaker Rahul Narwekar are finalised as BJP candidates for upcoming Lok Sabha polls, Fadnavis evaded a direct reply. "A candidate is not finalised just after holding initial discussions. We will chair some meetings before finalising candidates of Mahayuti (comprising Shiv Sena, BJP, and NCP)," he added. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], February 24 (ANI): Tamil Nadu BJP president K Annamalai on Saturday remembered former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on her 76th birth anniversary. "It is former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, J Jayalalitha's birthday today. The welfare programs implemented by her for the welfare of the people of Tamil Nadu and for the welfare of the society shouts out her fame," Annamalai said in a post on X. Also Read | Chennai Shocker: Man Stabs, Slits Mother's Neck for Not Serving Food in Ambattur, Arrested. Earlier AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi Palaniswamy paid tributes to the former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa. "Today is the 76th birthday of the Guardian of All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam. Whether in government or in politics she served without any compromise, without doing any harm to anyone, with balance, equality and social justice. ..Let us pledge to continue on the path of success shown by her. All of us will pledge that the leaders of our association and the brothers and sisters of the association will work day and night for the election and get a great victory in the coming parliamentary general election and present that victory to the leader of the revolution" Palaniswamy said in his post on X. Also Read | Farmers' Protest: Farmers To Stay Put at Borders, 'Dilli Chalo' March Suspended Until February 29. "She embraced us all with love, taught us political lessons and guided us. On the birthday of our beloved mother, may we all work tirelessly to achieve great success! Let's work!. The year 2026 will also be the year of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam in the state" he added. Jayalalithaa, fondly called 'Amma' by the people of Tamil Nadu, served the state for three terms, 1991-96, 2002-06 and 2011-14 as chief minister. She had acted in around 130 films. She joined All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) in 1982. She was made the propaganda secretary of the party in 1983, and a year later she won a seat in the Rajya Sabha. In 1989 Jayalalitha was elected to the state legislative assembly. She was even imprisoned for a month in 1996 after a raid by authorities seized a large quantity of jewellery, clothing, and shoes from her home. In 1998, Jayalalithaa brought the AIADMK into the national coalition government of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), with which the party has now severed ties. In September 2014 she was convicted on corruption charges and sentenced to four years in prison. She relinquished her post to O Panneerselvam, who had served as chief minister in 2001-02 when Jayalalitha was not able to hold the office. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Kasganj (Uttar Pradesh) [India], February 24 (ANI): At least 24 people, including women and children, were killed and 10 were injured after a tractor-trolley carrying them fell into a pond in Uttar Pradesh's Kasganj district on Saturday morning, officials said. The dead include 13 women, 10 children and a man, police said. Also Read | BJP Will Try to Give Sandeshkhali Issue Communal Colour, Says West Bengal Congress Chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury. According to the police, "The accident occurred on the Riyazganj-Patiyali Link Road near Gadhai village at 9.30 am. The people travelling in the trolley were from Jaithara village in UP's Etah district and were heading towards Kadarganj to take a holy dip in the Ganga." Police further informed that while on its way to Kadarganj, the tractor trolley carrying around 40 passengers lost contol and fell into the pond. Also Read | Tripura: Tipra Motha Chief Pradyot Kishore Manikya Deb Barma Announces Indefinite Hunger Strike From February 28 Demanding Constitutional Solutions for Problems of Indigenous People. Shortly after the locals in the area heard the commotion at the site of incident and reached the spot to assist the rescue operations. The police also arrived the scene and starting conducting the rescue operations which carried out until late evening. The number of deceased in the incident reached 24, which includes 13 women, 10 children and one man. 10 people have been injured, out of which eight are undergoing treatment in the district hospital and others have been referred to Aligarh, said police. Anup Pradhan, Minister of State for Revenue, UP Government, who was sent by the Yogi government to meet the family members, said that the government has announced to give financial assistance to the families of the deceased and injured. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed anguish over the incident and announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh each for the family of those who have died, and Rs 50,000 each for the injured. "The loss of lives in a road accident in Kasganj district is extremely heart-wrenching. My condolences are with the bereaved families. District administration officials have been instructed to provide proper free treatment to all the injured," the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister posted on X. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], February 24 (ANI): In a major decision, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday ordered the cancellation of the Police Constable Recruitment Examination-2023 held on February 17 and 18. He directed for a fresh examination to be conducted within the next 6 months with utmost transparency. The decision came following a review of the investigation by the STF and the actions taken thus far regarding the examination. Also Read | Assam Shocker: Doctor Tries to Rape Woman Seeking Nurse Job in Lakhimpur, Arrested. Reiterating his firm stance on transparency and fairness of exams, the Chief Minister stated, "Playing with the hard work of the youth and compromising the integrity of examinations will not be tolerated. Stringent action will be taken against those responsible." Following the Chief Minister's directive, the Home Department has also issued an order to cancel the examination. Also Read | Vijayadharani Quits Congress: Tamil Nadu Congress MLA Joins BJP in Delhi (Watch Video). As per the issued order, after careful examination of the facts and information pertaining to the police recruitment examination held on February 17 and 18, 2024, the government has decided, in accordance with the highest standards of integrity and transparency, to cancel this examination. The Recruitment Board has been instructed to proactively pursue legal measures, including the initiation of First Information Reports (FIRs), in response to any instances of negligence. The government has decided to get the case investigated by STF, and has issued clear instructions to take the strictest action against the persons or institutions found guilty. Additionally, instructions have been given to conduct fresh examinations within six months, ensuring comprehensive fairness. Moreover, candidates will be provided with free transportation facilities through the services of the Uttar Pradesh Transport Corporation. In response to concerns raised regarding the Review Officer/Assistant Review Officer (Preliminary) Examination - 2023, conducted by the Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission on February 11, the Chief Minister has decided to get the matter investigated. Additional Chief Secretary of the Department of Appointment and Personnel has issued an order to this effect. In light of the information and complaints received by the government regarding the Review Officer/Assistant Review Officer (Preliminary) Examination - 2023 held on February 11, it has been decided that a thorough examination of complaints will be conducted at the government level to uphold the integrity and transparency of the examination process. The order specifies that if anyone wants to bring to notice any kind of complaint regarding this examination or facts affecting its sanctity, they should submit their full name, address, and evidence to the email address of the Department of Personnel and Appointment at secyappoint@nic.in by February 27th. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Prayagraj (Uttar Pradesh) [India], February 24 (ANI): Devotees took a holy dip at Sangam in Uttar Pradesh on the occasion of Magh Purnima, the full moon night in the Magha month of the Hindu calendar on Saturday morning. Devotees also offered prayers at the Sangam, a confluence of three rivers- Ganga, Yamuna, and mythical Saraswati. Also Read | Chennai Shocker: Man Stabs, Slits Mother's Neck for Not Serving Food in Ambattur, Arrested. Kalpavas, which lasts for one month from Paush Purnima, also ends today. Kalpavas is a spiritual ritual under which for a month the Kalpavasi sleeps on the ground on the sand of Sangam, takes a meal once a day, observes austerity, and chants the name of the Almighty. Also Read | Farmers' Protest: Farmers To Stay Put at Borders, 'Dilli Chalo' March Suspended Until February 29. Speaking on ANI at Sangam in Uttar Pradesh, Prabhadevi, a devotee from Mirzapur district said, "I came here for a month-long Kalpvas, and today, on the day of Purnima, my spiritual journey is complete. I've been here since January 24th. Yesterday, I also performed Sija Daan, and tomorrow I will return home. I sought forgiveness from Mother Ganga for all my mistakes." Another devotee Dinesh Mishra, praised Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for the excellent arrangements. "Being here on the auspicious day of Magh Purnima at Sangam is incredibly fortunate. Yogi Ji has arranged everything so well that there are no issues, and we are enjoying excellent facilities. It feels like we are in heaven," Dinesh Mishra said. Earlier, thousands of devotees took a holy dip at Sangam on the occasion of Basant Panchami, the fourth bathing festival of the ongoing 'Magh Mela' in Uttar Pradesh. The Hindu festival of Basant Panchami, also known as Vasant Panchami, Shri Panchami, and Saraswati Panchami, is celebrated on the first day of spring and falls on the fifth day of the month of Magha. It also heralds the start of Holi preparations, which take place forty days following the feast. Maa Saraswati, the Hindu goddess of learning, music, and the arts, is honoured throughout the festival. According to legend, Kalidasa, distraught over his wife's abandonment, planned to commit suicide by drowning himself in a river. He was about to do so when the goddess Saraswati appeared in the water and invited Kalidasa to bathe in it. His life changed after that, when he was endowed with wisdom and became a great poet. Another legend is based on the Hindu god of love, Kama, and according to mythology, Kamadeva once disrupted Lord Shiva's meditation after his wife Sati's death. Seers approached Kama to awaken Shiva from his meditation so that he could reconnect with the world and notice Maa Parvati's efforts for him. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Haridwar (Uttarakhand) [India], February 24 (ANI): Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Saturday paid a visit to Jagatguru Shankaracharya Swami Rajrajeshwarashram at Jagatguru Ashram in Haridwar's Kankhal and received his blessings. Chief Minister Dhami and Shankaracharya Swami Rajarajeshwarashram Maharaj also participated in the Havan Yagya on the occasion. Also Read | Uttar Pradesh Road Accident: 22 Passengers Dead, 10 Injured After Tractor Trolley Falls Into Pond in Kasganj; Disturbing Video Surfaces. As per the rituals, a Shrimad Bhagwat Katha was also organised at Jagadturu Shankaracharya's Ashram in Kankhal, on Saturday, on the occasion of Shodash Nirvana Mahotsav of Swami Prakashanand. Chief Minister Dhami along with state cabinet ministers Satpal Maharaj, Subodh Uniyal, MP Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, and MLAs participated and made offerings in the Havan Yagya and took Bhandara Prasad in celebration of the implementation of the Uniform Common Civil Code (UCC) in the state. Also Read | 'Viksit Bharat' by 2047: Government Focused on Long-Term Gains, Says Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. Assembly Speaker Ritu Khanduri, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and cabinet ministers received blessings from Jagadguru Shankaracharya Swami Rajrajeshwarashram Maharaj. During an informal conversation with the journalists, Chief Minister Dhami said that the people of Uttarakhand have given us their support for implementing the Uniform Civil Code in the state. "The Uniform Civil Code (UCC) Bill was implemented in the state after taking into account all geographical factors, members of our diverse communities, members of religious organisations. The bill has the support, vote, and blessings of the people of Uttarakhand," said CM Dhami. The Chief Minister further said that just as the holy ganges emerges from Devbhoomi Uttarakhand, in the same manner, the UCC bill has also emerged from the state. Referring to Article 44 of the Indian Constitution, Chief Minister Dhami said, "The provision was made in Article 44 of the Constitution at the time when Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar was making the Constitution. Therefore it can be applicable anywhere in the country." The Uniform Civil Code (UCC) Bill was passed with a comfortable majority during a special session of the Uttarakhand assembly on February 7. The Uniform Civil Code (UCC) Bill is a proposal in India to establish uniform rules for personal matters for all citizens. These matters include marriage, divorce, inheritance, and property rights. The UCC would apply to all citizens equally, regardless of their religion, gender, or sexual orientation. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Mumbai, February 24: Two persons were killed and one got grievously injured after a wall collapsed in Mumbai's Goregaon on Saturday. The accident occurred at Aarey Colony Road, Filmcity Gate No.2, behind Prime Fox production in Goregaon at around 6:30 pm. The wall that collapsed was 60 ft long and 20 ft high, said officials. The police reached the spot and started rescue work immediately after receiving information about the accident. Borivali Building Collapse: Two Auto-Rickshaw Drivers Injured After Portion of Building Collapses During Demolition Drive in Mumbai (Watch Video). Wall Collapses in Goregaon #WATCH | Maharashtra: Two people died and one seriously injured after a 60 ft long and 20 ft high wall collapsed near the Film city gate no.2 behind Prime Fox Production, Goregaon Area of Mumbai (Visuals from the spot) (Video source - Dindoshi Police) pic.twitter.com/vy68qyyyCf ANI (@ANI) February 24, 2024 Three males were rescued before the arrival of the fire brigade, said police. Out of three persons, one male person was shifted to a trauma care centre in a private vehicle, added police. Kerala Bridge Collapse: Several Injured After Makeshift Bridge Set Up for Christmas Celebrations Collapses in Thiruvananthapuram (Watch Video). Two other males declared dead were identified as 32-year-old Sintu Mandal and 45-year-old Jaidev Pralhad Biswas. Further investigation into the matter is underway. More details are awaited. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Noida, Feb 24 (PTI) The Noida Police on Saturday said it has arrested two men and allegedly recovered a large number of China-made e-cigarettes sourced by them from Nepal. The e-cigarettes -- whose use is banned in India -- were being transported by the accused in a car and meant to be supplied in Delhi, a senior officer said. Also Read | AP TET 2024 Admit Card Released at aptet.apcfss.in: Hall Ticket for Andhra Pradesh State Teacher Eligibility Test Examination Out, Know How To Download. "Police have arrested two men with banned e-cigarettes and illegal cannabis (ganja). The vehicle they (the accused) were allegedly using has also been impounded. After the interrogations, it came to light that they were sourcing these items to sell them in Delhi's Rohini and nearby areas," Deputy Commissioner of Police (Noida) Vidya Sagar Mishra told reporters. The accused were held on Friday on the basis of a tip-off after their vehicle was intercepted near the Sector 42-42 cut, under Sector 39 police station limits, Mishra said. Also Read | NHAI Removes Paytm Payments Bank From List of Authorised Banks for FASTag Services; Know How to Deactivate and Open New FASTag Account. Additional DCP Manish Mishra said a total of 960 IGET Star L7000 Disposable Vape along with more than three kilogrammes of cannabis was seized by the police. Assistant Commissioner of Police Rajneesh Verma said, "The e-cigarettes seized are made in China and sourced from Nepal by the accused duo. The total value of the items in black market is estimated worth around Rs 45-50 lakh." During initial probe, the accused revealed that they got the e-cigarettes through an international supplier and the cannabis was procured by them from Uttarakhand, according to police. The accused brought the e-cigarettes from their supplier near Nepal border in Uttarakhand's Khatima district and transported it to Delhi's Rohini area, the police said. In Rohini, the e-cigarettes were sold at high rates in bars, restaurants, and to young customers along with cannabis, the police added. The police said those held have been identified as Tasleem, 45, and Ahmed, 31, both residents of Udham Singh Nagar in Uttarakhand. An FIR has been lodged at the Sector 39 police station under provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act, among others, the police added. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Jaipur, Feb 24 (PTI) Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the double-engine government of the Centre and the state are engaged in fulfilling the promises made to the people. "We had promised regarding the Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project to the state and within one and a half months of forming the government, we signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the integrated ERCP with the central government and Madhya Pradesh government," he said. Also Read | Sudarshan Setu Inauguration: PM Narendra Modi Set To Inaugurate Okha-Beyt Dwarka Signature Bridge on February 25, Know Everything About Indias Longest Cable-Stayed Bridge (See Pics and Video). Sharma addressed public meetings in Alwar, Deeg and Bharatpur districts and informed the people about the benefits the ERCP can bring to their areas. "We have set a target to complete this project in five years by working rapidly on the ground," he said. Also Read | AP TET 2024 Admit Card Released at aptet.apcfss.in: Hall Ticket for Andhra Pradesh State Teacher Eligibility Test Examination Out, Know How To Download. Sharma claimed that the previous Congress government only stalled the ERCP. "The former Congress government had repeatedly mentioned ERCP in budget announcements but did not take any concrete steps to resolve it," he said. Sharma said that from 2013 to 2018, the then BJP government had started the Chief Minister Jal Swavalamban Abhiyan to encourage water conservation and storage. "Taking this forward, we have started Chief Minister Jal Swavalamban Abhiyan 2.0 by making a provision of Rs 11,200 crore in the budget," he said. Under this, the CM said, five lakh water storage structures will be built in 20 thousand villages in the next four years. Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said the integrated ERCP will be the biggest canal project of the state after Independence, providing drinking water to 3.5 crore population of eastern Rajasthan for the next five decades. Besides, he said, this will ensure availability of water for irrigation on 2 lakh 80 thousand hectares of land in the eastern part of the state. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) New Delhi, Feb 24 (PTI) A 32-year-old man was stabbed to death while resisting four people from robbing him at a park in East Delhi's Madhu Vihar area, police said on Saturday. The incident occurred late Friday night, they said. The victim was identified as Narendra. Also Read | AP TET 2024 Admit Card Released at aptet.apcfss.in: Hall Ticket for Andhra Pradesh State Teacher Eligibility Test Examination Out, Know How To Download. A police official said Narendra and a friend were consuming alcohol at the DDA park near a CNG gas station in Madhu Vihar when four people came and stabbed him multiple times before snatching his bag and mobile phone. The official said Narendra was rushed to the Lal Bahadur Shastri Hospital, where doctors declared him dead. Also Read | NHAI Removes Paytm Payments Bank From List of Authorised Banks for FASTag Services; Know How to Deactivate and Open New FASTag Account. A case under IPC sections 302 (murder), 397 (robbery, or dacoity, with attempt to cause death or grievous hurt), 394 (voluntarily causing hurt in committing robbery) and 392 (punishment for robbery) has been registered at the Madhu Vihar police station. Police said teams have been formed to nab the assailants. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Jaipur, Feb 24 (PTI) An unidentified woman allegedly abducted a 13-month-old girl from Maharana Bhupal Government Hospital in Udaipur in the early hours of Saturday, police said. The toddler, Avyansh, was sleeping with her mother in the corridor of the hospital when the incident occurred, they said. Also Read | AP TET 2024 Admit Card Released at aptet.apcfss.in: Hall Ticket for Andhra Pradesh State Teacher Eligibility Test Examination Out, Know How To Download. When the mother woke up around 4 am, she found that her daughter was missing and alerted the hospital administration, police said. An official from the hospital said the woman, whose daughter was abducted, had come to the hospital as an attendant and was not a patient. Also Read | NHAI Removes Paytm Payments Bank From List of Authorised Banks for FASTag Services; Know How to Deactivate and Open New FASTag Account. "They were sleeping in the corridor when another woman, who was also sleeping there, picked up the girl and left the hospital," the official said upon examining the CCTV footage. A case has been registered under the Indian Penal Code section 363 (kidnapping) at Hathipole police station, police said, adding that efforts are on to nab the accused. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Washington, Feb 24 (AP) President Joe Biden told the nation's governors on Friday that he's exploring what executive actions he can take to address migration across the southern border after a bipartisan deal collapsed in Congress this month. He seemed to express frustration at the limits of his authority to act unilaterally. Biden hosted members of the National Governors Association in the East Room, where he implored them to urge their representatives in Congress to resurrect the bipartisan proposal that collapsed within 48 hours. He also sharply criticized Republicans for backing away from the agreement after former President Donald Trump lobbied in opposition to the deal. Also Read | US Hits Russia With 500 Sanctions Over Death of Jailed Opposition Leader Alexei Navalny and Ongoing War Against Ukraine. Later, during a private question and answer session with the governors, he indicated he was looking at what his options are for doing something by executive order. "Over time, our laws and our resources haven't kept up with our immigration system and it's broken," Biden told the governors, lamenting that "petty politics intervened to kill the deal. Also Read | Hungary, Sweden Agree on Defence Deal Ahead of Final Vote on Sweden's NATO Accession. Utah Governor Spencer Cox, the Republican chair of the association, told reporters later that Biden didn't specify what actions he is considering, but he said the president noted that he was confronting the limits of what he can do without Congress. He did say that he has been working with his attorneys, trying to understand what executive action would be upheld in the courts and would be constitutional, and that he seemed a little frustrated that he was not getting answers from attorneys that he felt he could take the kind of actions that he wanted to, Cox said. Colorado Governor Jared Polis, Democratic vice-chair of the governors' group, said governors got a "general sense that they're looking into whatever they can do on the executive side. Again, keeping our expectations realistic, that's going to be more limited than a congressional solution." Polis said Biden cited federal courts overruling some of former President Donald Trump's immigration actions, and a desire to avoid a similar fate with any action he took. "And so there was a frustration that that would occur under under his leadership as well, under any president, absent a change in the law, Polis said. "A lot of the steps we need to take simply aren't legal under current law." Cox added: He mentioned the ability to declare an emergency at the border, what would that look like, could he do something like that. It was just kind of a general refrain when pushing back on you need to do more' and him saying my attorneys tell me I can't do more." Among the actions under consideration by Biden is invoking authorities outlined in Section 212(f) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which gives a president broad leeway to block entry of certain immigrants into the United States if it would be "detrimental" to the national interest. Trump, the likely GOP candidate to face off against Biden this fall, repeatedly leaned on the 212(f) power while in office, including his controversial ban on travellers from Muslim-majority nations. Biden rescinded that ban on his first day in office through executive order. How Biden would deploy that power to deal with his own immigration problems is being considered, and it could be used in a variety of ways, according to three people familiar with the discussions. For example, the ban could kick in when border crossings hit a certain number. That echoes a provision in the Senate border deal, which would have activated expulsions of migrants if the number of illegal border crossings reached above 5,000 daily for a five-day average. The people familiar with the talks spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to comment on private ongoing White House discussions. Cox noted that as he's pressed Biden to act unilaterally, ultimately, more comprehensive solutions will depend on Congress. There's some disagreement on how much the president can do and can't do and I pushed back on the president on that," he said. "But we I think there's also general consensus that the Congress does have to do something. He said if Congress can't back the comprehensive deal, then perhaps pieces of it, like boosting money for border patrol agents and asylum officers, could be tacked on to coming spending bills. (AP) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) New Delhi [India], February 24 (ANI): On the sidelines of Raisina Dialogue in Delhi, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met with Australia's Director-General of the Office of National Intelligence (ONI), Andrew Shearer on Saturday. Taking to X, EAM Jaishankar posted about the meeting saying, "Great to see Andrew Shearer, DG ONI of Australia at the #RaisinaDialogue2024 . Always enjoy our conversations." Also Read | Jaahnavi Kandula Death: Indian Consulate Presses for Justice in Student Murder Case in Seattle, Urges Review of Prosecution Verdict. On Friday, EAM Jaishankar met his counterparts from the Czech Republic, Romania and Bhutan here in New Delhi on the sidelines of Raisina Dialogue 2024. The Foreign Minister of Czech Republic along with EAM Jaishankar, explored areas of collaboration in India-Czech ties. Also Read | New York Fire: One Dead, 17 Injured as Blaze Erupts in Apartment Building in New York City. In a post on X, Jaishankar wrote, "The meeting with FM @JanLipavsky of Czech Republic on #RaisinaDialogue2024 sidelines was a good stock taking. We appreciated the progress after PM Pete Fiala's recent visit and explored further areas of collaboration. Was useful to hear regional insights." Earlier on Friday, Jaishankar also met his counterpart from Romania. "Welcomed FM @Odobes1Luminita of Romania on her first Raisina visit. Impressed by her enthusiasm for deeper India-Romania cooperation. Reciprocate that fully and will remain in close touch," he wrote on X. Jaishankar also welcomed the Foreign Minister of Bhutan DN Dhungyel on his first visit to India after assuming office. "Welcomed @FMBhutan D. N. Dhungyel on his first visit to India after assuming office," Jaishankar wrote on X. "His participation in #RaisinaDialogue2024 and our productive meeting this evening was very much in keeping with #NeighbourhoodFirst and our unique partnership Look forward to working closely with him," he added. Notably, the Raisina Dialogue, on the sidelines of which the Foreign Ministers of various countries met Jaishankar, is jointly organised by the Ministry of External Affairs and the Observer Research Foundation. Raisina Dialogue is India's flagship conference on geopolitics and geoeconomics, committed to addressing the most challenging issues facing the global community. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis was the chief guest and keynote speaker at the ongoing 9th Raisina Dialogue. He inaugurated the dialogue with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 21. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Karachi [Pakistan], February 24 (ANI): Pakistan People's Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto asserted that Imran Khan's party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has never played the role of obstacle in PML-N nominee Shehbaz Sharif's path to the premiership, ARY News reported. Bilawal further made it clear that Imran's party never approached any political party including PPP to form government at the Centre. Also Read | Ukraine Embassy in India, European Union Delegation Observe Minute of Silence To Mark Second Anniversary of Russia's War. Bilawal's statement shed light on the complex political landscape as negotiations unfolded for the formation of the new government. According to Bilawal, the PTI, under Imran Khan's leadership, has consistently avoided discussions with other political entities, limiting their potential collaborations. Also Read | Bangladesh Shocker: Minor Boy Dies During Circumcision Surgery in Dhaka Hospital, Family Alleges Overdose of Anesthesia During Surgery. In a press conference held in Karachi Bilawal said, "PTI never tried to block Shehbaz's path to premiership; PTI founder may have decided not to fight against Shehbaz." He acknowledged that the PPP had extended support to the party that approached it for forming the next government, emphasizing a pragmatic approach to the evolving political scenario, as reported by ARY News. The PPP Chairman urged the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) to be transparent about their ability to form the government in the Centre, suggesting that the SIC lacked the necessary numbers. Bilawal emphasized that the PTI had not initiated talks with other political parties, including the PPP, for votes, highlighting a pattern of isolation by the PTI in political dialogue. Bilawal criticized the PTI for prioritizing personal gains over national interests, pointing to their actions during the coalition-building process. He voiced concern over Imran Khan's letter to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) seeking to block financial aid to Pakistan over alleged rigging, dismissing its significance while asserting that it would expose the PTI's true intentions to the nation. Addressing ongoing protests against alleged election rigging in Sindh, Bilawal asserted that political opponents could not blackmail the PPP with baseless allegations. He challenged protesting parties to present solid evidence and approach legal forums to address their concerns about electoral integrity. Bilawal discussed the agreement reached between PPP and PML-N to form a government in the Centre, emphasizing a power-sharing formula that both parties had agreed upon after days of negotiations. He announced that PPP and PML-N had secured the required number to establish a coalition government, with PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif slated to become the country's Prime Minister once again. The PPP Chairman expressed optimism that the coalition government would effectively address Pakistan's challenges, offering prayers for success. He highlighted that PTI-backed candidates and the SIC had failed to secure a simple majority for forming the government. As political stakeholders made efforts to forge alliances and secure the necessary seats in the 336-member lower house of parliament, the PTI-backed independent candidates emerged with a lead in the Pakistan general elections 2024. PTI-backed candidates won 92 seats, with PML-N securing 79 seats and PPP winning 54. Following the general elections, both PML-N and PPP formed committees to negotiate the terms and conditions for the next federal government. Initially eyeing the prime minister's position, Bilawal Bhutto withdrew from the race, advocating for his father, PPP co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari, to assume the role of the country's president. PML-N initially nominated Nawaz Sharif for the prime minister's slot but later shifted their choice to Shehbaz Sharif to lead a new alliance, ARY News reported. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) New Delhi [India], February 24 (ANI): French Navy Chief Admiral Nicolas Vaujour on Friday emphasised that India and France have a strategic partnership and both countries are working closely, especially in the Indian Ocean. Admiral Vaujour further said that both countries also have exercises on the bilateral issue. Also Read | US Hits Russia With 500 Sanctions Over Death of Jailed Opposition Leader Alexei Navalny and Ongoing War Against Ukraine. "You know that France and India have a strategic partnership and so we work very closely together, especially in the Indian Ocean and we have exercises on the bilateral issue," he said. "I have had a lot of discussions with the Chief of the Indian Navy to improve again the way we are working. We also have capability development with India, which is very crucial in order to develop our partnership," he added. Also Read | Hungary, Sweden Agree on Defence Deal Ahead of Final Vote on Sweden's NATO Accession. Earlier on Thursday, Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan held a meeting with French Navy Chief Admiral Nicolas Vaujour and discussed issues of mutual strategic interest, security challenges in the Indian Ocean Region and furthering maritime collaboration. The two sides affirmed the significant progress in bilateral defence cooperation between the two nations. India and France have traditionally close and friendly relations, according to the Ministry of External Affairs. In 1998, the two countries entered into a strategic partnership, which is emblematic of their convergence of views on a range of international issues apart from a close and growing bilateral relationship. The areas of defence cooperation, space cooperation and civil nuclear cooperation constitute the three principal pillars of the Strategic Partnership between India and France. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Tehran [Iran], February 24 (ANI): Iran's military forces killed senior Jaish al-Adl (Army of Justice) militant group commander Ismail Shahbakhsh and some of his companions in the Pakistan territory, Iran International English reported, citing Iran's state-run media. In the latest development, Iran's forces, in an armed clash, attacked a militant group, one month after the two countries conducted air strikes on each other. Also Read | US Hits Russia With 500 Sanctions Over Death of Jailed Opposition Leader Alexei Navalny and Ongoing War Against Ukraine. Formed in 2012, Jaish al-Adl, designated as a "terrorist" organization by Iran, is a Sunni terrorist group that operates in Iran's southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchistan, Al Arabiya News reported. Over the years, Jaish al-Adl has launched numerous attacks on Iranian security forces. In December, Jaish al-Adl took responsibility for an attack on a police station in Sistan-Balochistan that claimed the lives of at least 11 police personnel, according to Al Arabiya News. Also Read | Hungary, Sweden Agree on Defence Deal Ahead of Final Vote on Sweden's NATO Accession. However, last month, weeks after carrying out missile strikes against "terror units" in each other's territories, Pakistan and Iran mutually agreed to expand security cooperation, The News International reported. The agreement was announced during a joint press conference by Pakistan Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani and his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian at the Pakistan Foreign Office. Jilani said that both Iran and Pakistan can resolve "misunderstandings" fairly quickly. The two countries also agreed to fight terrorism in their respective areas and allay each other's concerns, he added. However, the recent attack showed the opposite. Notably, tensions between the two nations escalated after Tehran and Islamabad carried out missile strikes against each other targeting 'terror units'. Iran carried out missile and drone strikes in Pakistan on the late night of January 16, to destroy two "important headquarters" of Jaish al-Adl (Army of Justice). Islamabad alleged that the strikes killed two children and injured three girls, Al Arabiya News reported, citing Tasnim News Agency. Pakistan withdrew its ambassador from Iran on January 17 and announced that it would not allow the Iranian envoy visiting his home country at that time to return to protest a "blatant breach" of its sovereignty. The next day, on January 18, Pakistan launched strikes inside Iran in a retaliatory attack. Islamabad said it targeted the hideouts used by 'terrorist militant organizations,' namely the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and the Balochistan Libera Peshawar, Feb 24 (PTI) Jailed former prime minister Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is set to form a government for the third consecutive time in the restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province when the Assembly session is held on February 28. Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) Province Haji Ghulam Ali on Saturday summoned the session of the provincial assembly on February 28 for the election of Chief Minister of the province, an order issued from the office of the governor said. Also Read | Bangladesh Shocker: Minor Boy Dies During Circumcision Surgery in Dhaka Hospital, Family Alleges Overdose of Anesthesia During Surgery. The KPK Assembly has a total strength of 145 members including 10 women and four minorities elected against reserved seats. Since Khan's PTI-backed candidates have obtained clear-cut majority in the provincial legislature polling for which was held on February 8 along with that for the National Assembly therefore, PTI is in a comfortable position to form the third consecutive solo government in the the province. Also Read | Alien Connection: Why We May Never Meet Aliens, According to Psychology Expert. PTI supremo Imran Khan has nominated Ali Amin Gandapur as the party's chief ministerial candidate. The assembly session has been called to administer the oath to the newly elected members of the House, the order read. Outgoing Speaker of the Assembly Mushtaq Ghani would administer oaths to the newly elected members of the house. The new house would then elect a new Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the house and would also elect the Chief Minister of the province. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Sindh [Pakistan], February 24 (ANI): The Sindh government has imposed Section 144 in the south zone of the province in anticipation of a protest ahead of the provincial assembly, which will be convening its preliminary session with the newly elected members, according to Geo News. The Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA), Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Jamaat-e-Islami, and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam have announced plans to stage a protest outside the assembly building against alleged election rigging. Also Read | US Hits Russia With 500 Sanctions Over Death of Jailed Opposition Leader Alexei Navalny and Ongoing War Against Ukraine. "...the Government of Sindh, in exercise of the powers conferred under Section 144 (6) Cr.PC, hereby imposes a ban on public assembly, gatherings, protests, processions, and demonstrations in South Zone Karachi Division for a period of 30 days with immediate effect," the provincial government said in a notification issued on Friday. It further stated, "In pursuance of Section 195 (i) (a) Cr.PC, the S.H.Os of the concerned Police station are hereby authorized to register complaints under Section 188 PPC in writing for the violation of Section 144 Cr.P.C against the violators of this notification." Also Read | Hungary, Sweden Agree on Defence Deal Ahead of Final Vote on Sweden's NATO Accession. Sindh's interior minister, Brigadier (Retired) Haris Nawaz, highlighted that Section 144 is now in effect in the area around the building of the provincial assembly, hence, no marches or protests can be held nearby, as reported by Geo News. Nawaz further said that strict security measures have been taken to protect the area around the assembly to ensure a law-and-order situation. The interior minister also issued a stern warning, stating that strict legal action awaits those who disrupt peace or engage in unlawful activities. "Any troublemakers will face consequences," Nawaz said, calling for cooperation between the public, the police, and other law enforcement agencies, Geo News reported. Sindh Governor Kamran Khan Tessori issued a notification on Thursday, informing that the inaugural session of the provincial assembly will be held at 11 am today at the Sindh Assembly building, where the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) is all set to form the next government in the province. Reportedly, in the inauguration session, the newly elected members will take an oath as lawmakers, and then they will elect the House's speaker under the assembly rules, according to Geo News. According to the results announced by the Pakistan electoral body, the PPP won the most provincial assembly seats (84) followed by MQM-P (28), while independent candidates bagged 14, GDA 2, and JI two seats in the February 8 general elections in Sindh. Additionally, the PPP got 26 reserved seats for women and minorities, with the MQM-P being allocated eight reserved seats as per their strength in the assembly. Whereas, the PTI, JI, and GDA rejected the poll results and launched a "joint struggle" against the "rigging" in the general elections. They further decided to stage province-wide protest demonstrations today, when the inaugural session of the PA is being convened., as reported by Geo News. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Kyiv, February 24: As the second anniversary of the Russia-Ukraine conflict approaches, three civilians were killed in Russian drone attacks against Odesa on Friday, as reported by the Kyiv Independent. Odesa Oblast Governor Oleh Kiper reported the incident to Telegram on Friday. According to Kiper, rescuers found the body of one victim while fighting a fire that broke out at the attack site at the same time. Moreover, two more bodies were subsequently retrieved from the rubble of the damaged building, Kyiv Independent reported. Russian forces targeted Odesa Oblast with Shahed-131/136 attack drones and also launched Kh-31P and Kh-22 missiles from strategic aircraft from the Black Sea. However, the missiles lost their combat capability in the air. Moreover, air defence downed at least nine drones over Odesa Oblast, as per the military. One of the drones that was hit over the sea, crashed into a building in the coastal zone of Odesa, causing a fire, as reported by Kyiv Independent. Reportedly, a security guard was rescued from the damaged building. Russia-Ukraine War: Volodymyr Zelensky Sacks Army Chief Valery Zaluzhny in Major Shake-Up. Following the attack, Ukraine's Air Force warned about the threat of drone attacks for Odesa, Kirovohrad, Dnipropetrovsk, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts. Furthermore, drone attacks have become a daily occurrence in Ukraine, affecting various regions across the country. Meanwhile, earlier on Thursday, Ukraine's air defence downed eight Shahed drones, Kyiv Independent reported. On Saturday, it marks the second anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Russia-Ukraine War: Moscow Arrests Man With Russian-Italian Citizenship Claiming Military Sabotage Under Ukraine's Order. Earlier this week, fresh Russian drone attacks were reported by Ukraine's military amid growing pressure for new sanctions against Russia following the death of Alexey Navalny, Voice of America reported. Ukraine's air defences claimed to have destroyed all 23 Russian drones in multiple regions, including Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Kherson, and Mykolaiv. Moreover, the Russian attack also included four guided missiles, with no immediate reports of damage or casualties. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) London [UK], February 24 (ANI): In a virtual session hosted by John McDonnell, the UK Labour Member of Parliament for Hayes and Harlington, discussions were held on atrocities faced by the people of Balochistan. The one-hour-long discourse garnered participation from over 500 individuals worldwide, including prominent Baloch rights activists like Mahrang Baloch, Sabiha Baloch, and Jamal Baloch. Also Read | Bangladesh Shocker: Minor Boy Dies During Circumcision Surgery in Dhaka Hospital, Family Alleges Overdose of Anesthesia During Surgery. During the online session, McDonnell emphasised the continuity of his commitment, saying, "From my perspective as a British MP, for me now, it is a continuous campaign where we work together." Addressing the pressing issue of human rights abuses perpetrated by the Pakistani administration, McDonnell outlined a three-pronged approach. He asserted, "First, we need to do everything we can to expose the human rights abuses that are taking place and to use every available platform for it. As a member of the British Parliament, I will consistently utilize that platform to bring attention to human rights abuses." Also Read | Alien Connection: Why We May Never Meet Aliens, According to Psychology Expert. McDonnell also highlighted the imperative need to ensure the protection of campaigners, addressing the alarming trend of activists being abducted and threatened by Pakistan. Furthermore, he emphasised the global community's role in mobilizing international opinion to exert pressure on Pakistani authorities, advocating for basic civil liberties and human rights in Balochistan. Expressing support for the cause, McDonnell underscored the leverage the UK government holds through aid and trade agreements with Pakistan. He commented, "Pakistan receives substantial aid, not only from the UK but also from other countries. It's crucial to use that aid to ensure Pakistan respects basic human rights and civil liberties in Balochistan." McDonnell acknowledged concerns about the resistance of the Pakistani government to international intervention, emphasizing a moral responsibility to collaborate with campaigners. He stressed, "Working with all the campaigners, we can establish conditions in trade deals that align with our objectives." Commending the resilience of protestors standing against Pakistani atrocities, McDonnell concluded that such acts contribute to securing civil liberties and basic human rights for the people of Balochistan. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Speaker of the Milli Majlis Sahiba Gafarova has met with Speaker of the People's Majlis of the Republic of Maldives Mohamed Aslam and Speaker of the Sri Lankan Parliament Mahinda Yapa Abeywardana, who are in Azerbaijan to attend the 14th plenary session of the Asian Parliamentary Assembly (APA) in Baku, Azernews reports. Sahiba Gafarova described the APA as a convenient and multilateral platform for developing cooperation, dialogue, and solidarity among member countries. She highlighted discussions on various global challenges during the 14th plenary session, which was attended by parliamentary delegations from 40 countries and representatives of international parliamentary organizations. The meetings revolved around the role of parliamentary diplomacy in international relations and the influence of legislative bodies on global processes. The parties also explored opportunities for cooperation within international parliamentary organizations. Speaker Sahiba Gafarova stressed the importance of the Parliamentary Network of the Non-Aligned Movement, which was established at the initiative of President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev. Mohamed Aslam and Mahinda Yapa Abeywardana hailed the successful hosting of the 14th plenary session of the APA and shared positive impressions of their visit to Azerbaijan. During the meetings, the sides also exchanged views on opportunities for cooperation between the countries across various domains. Chennai, February 24: A head constable, identified as Velmurugan, was suspended on Thursday following allegations of harassing a woman by asking her to remove her burqa as it hid her beautiful face. The woman, referred to as Mariam (name changed for privacy), had visited the police station to inquire about the status of her vehicle theft complaint. TOI reported that Mariam had lodged a complaint about her missing two-wheeler on February 14. After spotting her stolen vehicle near Pudupet two days later, she informed the police, who subsequently recovered the vehicle. Chennai Shocker: Man Stabs, Slits Mothers Neck for Not Serving Food in Ambattur, Arrested. When Mariam requested the immediate return of her vehicle, Velmurugan informed her that she would have to retrieve it from the court due to the registered FIR. When she was hesitant and broke down, he told her that she looked beautiful even when she was crying and told her to remove the burqa as it hid her face. Tamil Nadu Shocker: Female Techie Burnt to Death by Jilted Lover in Chennai for Rejecting His Proposal; Accused Arrested. Following the incident, Mariam filed a complaint against Velmurugan. Senior police officers launched an inquiry into the matter, which resulted in Velmurugans suspension. In another news, a 32-year-old man named Shiva was arrested for allegedly stabbing and slitting the neck of his mother in Ambattur on Thursday night. The victim, identified as Rani, 72, is currently hospitalised and her condition is reported to be critical. The incident occurred when Shiva, who was reportedly drunk, returned home and found his mother at his sisters house on the ninth floor, playing with her grandchildren. He demanded that she immediately return home to serve him food. (The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 24, 2024 11:34 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com). Bhopal, February 24: Home Minister Amit Shah will address a public meeting in Khajuraho Lok Sabha constituency in Madhya Pradesh ahead of Lok Sabha election on Saturday. The Khajuraho Lok Sabha constituency is represented by state BJP President V. D. Sharma. He will also chair the first cluster meeting with state leaders and clusters in-charge for Lok Sabha constituencies in Gwalior-Chambal region. Madhya Pradesh BJP media cell Chief Ashish Agrawal told IANS that at least 400 leaders and workers from Morena, Bhind, Guna and Gwalior Lok Sabha seats will be attending the meeting, during which Shah will review the preparedness for the upcoming general election. Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Congress-AAP Announce Seat-Sharing Agreement for Delhi LS Polls; AAP to Contest Four, Congress Three Seats (See Pics). Senior BJP leader and former minister Bhupendra Singh has been made cluster in-charge for Gwalior-Chambal region. Earlier, the party had appointed former state Home Minister Narottam Mishra as cluster in-charge for this region. However, he along with six others were replaced later. Notably, PM Modi has kick-started the campaign for the coming Lok Sabha election during his visit to Madhya Pradesh tribal region Jhabua on February 11. Shah, who had started poll preparations for the assembly election held in November last from Indore, will start the preparation for the general election from Gwalior-Chambal region. Lok Sabha Elections 2024 Dates and Schedule Likely To Be Announced on March 13 and 14. After a resounding victory in the assembly election, the BJP will be eying to win all 29 Lok Sabha seats in Madhya Pradesh. In the last two general elections, the BJP have won 27 and 28 seats out of 29 Lok Sabha seats in 2014 and 2019 respectively. (The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 24, 2024 03:14 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com). In what will be a shot in the arm of the INDIA bloc after the deadlock over seat-sharing in the national capital for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Congress are likely to officially announce their tie-up for the ensuing poll battle on Saturday. While the injured have been admitted to a local hospital, those trapped in the pond were rescued by police and locals, officials said. Chief Medical Officer, Kasganj, Dr Rajeev Agarwal told ANI, "A trolley carrying people lost balance and fell into a pond. 22 deaths have been reported. 10 have been injured. Most of them were women and children." The posh Otters' Club in Bandra (West) landed in a controversy after a member alleged that an employee of the club had sexually molested his minor son. The club management, however, denied the claim after CCTV analysis. The Gujarat High Court granted 10-day parole to one of the eleven convicts involved in the infamous Bilkis Bano gang rape case to attend his nephew (sister's son) wedding. Justice Divyesh Joshi, sitting as a single judge, approved the parole on Friday, February 23, taking into account Ramesh Chandana's plea for temporary release to attend his nephew's wedding. The court ordered the release of Chandana on parole leave for a period on ten days and directed him to furnish a bail bond of Rs 5,000. The convict has been released on a parole, nearly a month after surrendering before the jail authorities in Godhra. This marks the second time a convict securing a parole after surrender. Earlier this month, the High Court granted parole to another convict, Pradipbhai Ramamlal Modiya for five days following the death of his father-in-law. Bilkis Bano Gang-Rape Case: Supreme Court Directs 11 Convicts To Surrender Within Two Weeks; Check Their Names Here. Gujarat High Court Grants 10-Day Parole To Convict: Bilkis Bano Gang Rape: Gujarat High Court grants parole to convict for 10 days to attend nephew's marriage This is the second instance of a convict in the case securing parole. report by @NarsiBenwal #BilkisBanoCase #GujaratHighCourthttps://t.co/dBuG1BpMbD Bar & Bench (@barandbench) February 24, 2024 (SocialLY brings you all the latest breaking news, viral trends and information from social media world, including Twitter, Instagram and Youtube. The above post is embeded directly from the user's social media account and LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body. The views and facts appearing in the social media post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY, also LatestLY does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.) The man who allegedly posted a photo of his dead wife on Facebook published How I Saved Someones Life and Marriage and Family Problems Thru Communication in February. On Thursday, Derek Medina posted a bloody photo of his wifes twisted body on a linoleum floor on Facebook with the note, Im going to prison or death sentence for killing my wife. Love you guys. Miss you guys. Take care. Facebook people youll see me in the news, the Miami Herald reports. Medina, 31, turned himself in to police later that day; he has been charged with murder. In light of the crime he has been charged with, his slew of self-help books is all the more disturbing. Between February and July, he self-published six self-help books, all with hectoring titles. Advertisement How I Saved Someones Life and Marriage and Family Problems Thru Communication, 42 pages, was published Feb. 2. In it he tells a story of a man who divorces and remarries the same woman -- Medina and Jennifer Alfonso had also divorced and remarried, before she was killed. Humans Who Are Gifted and Can See the Supernatural Spirit Ghost World We Live in Called Ghost Haunted Adventures, a 94-page book about ghost-hunting, was published Feb. 28. In the book, he describes an event in which his wife is visited by a ghost. How a Judgmental and Selfish Attitude Is Destroying the World We Live in Because the World Is Vanishing Beneath Our Eyes, 90 pages, was published March 22. A story of depression, fighting rules of society, UFO visitations and animal photos. Attention World Save Yourself, 84 pages, was published April 23. My goal is for the readers to realize what life they are living, he writes in the books description. Please understand why I write short novels. When its an urgent message and a life threatening situation you expect the messages to be quick and fast. I hope these books touch your spirit. World Just Ask Yourself Why We Are Living a Life Full of Lies and How I an Emotional Writer Made All of My Professional Dreams Come True Blocking Societys Teachings, 78 pages, was published June 6. My goal as an author is to offer self help so enjoy the five books I have created and stay tuned for future work by yours truly, emotional writer Derek Medina, he writes. If the World Ended Today How Would You React to Saving the World or Helping the World or Would It All Be Over for You - published July 1. 102 pages. The books description includes this: The book also explains facts on how our world has failed and millions of innocent people have lost their lives due to the bad decisions we have made as a world. Advertisement All books were published through e-BookTime, a self-publishing company, and all are currently available as e-books and in paperback at Barnes & Noble. ALSO: Prolific, bestselling mystery writer Barbara Mertz, 85, has died Brenda Wineapples study of Civil War society measures past and present Rob Sheffields Turn Around Bright Eyes: A man and his karaoke machine Carolyn Kellogg: Join me on Twitter, Facebook and Google+ Mexico President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador just pulled a Donald Trump and claimed that the law does not apply to him after breaking the law that prohibits officials from releasing personal information. This happened after the ever-combative AMLO revealed the phone number of a New York Times reporter. AMLO has been slammed by press freedom groups not just from Mexico but also the world, saying that his decision to reveal the phone number of the reporter was an attempt to punish critical reporting and expose the reporter to potential danger. Mexico has a law called Protection of Personal Data, which states "the government will guarantee individuals' privacy," and it clearly states that officials will be punished for "improperly using, taking, publishing, hiding, altering or destroying, fully or partially, personal data." However, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador was channeling his inner Donald Trump and stated that "the political and moral authority of the president of Mexico is above that law," and added, "no law can be above the sublime principle of liberty." AMLO has been known to be combative towards journalists, and he downplayed the risk that journalists are facing in Mexico, which is considered the deadliest country for journalists right now. He also suggested that the New York Times reporter should just "change her telephone number." Mexico became the deadliest place for journalists under Lopez Obrador. At least 55 journalists in Mexico have been killed since 2018, which was when AMLO took office. The threats against them mostly come from the drug cartels but also from corrupt government officials. "The vast majority of threats and harassment and intimidation that reporters in this country, both foreign and domestic, receive, are conveyed through messages on messaging apps to mobile phones," Jan-Albert Hootsen, the Mexico representative for the Committee to Protect Journalists. READ MORE: Mexico President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's Allies Accused of Taking Money from Drug Cartels Probe Launched Over Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador Releasing Journalist's Phone Number Mexico's freedom of information body INAI has now launched an investigation into AMLO revealing the journalist's personal details. According to Reuters, the New York Times journalist was looking into alleged ties between his allies and drug cartels. "During said event, the president made reference to an investigation by the aforementioned international newspaper and read, in front of everyone, the correspondent's telephone number," said an INAI statement. The New York Times itself slammed AMLO, posting on X, "This is a troubling and unacceptable tactic from a world leader at a time when threats against journalists are on the rise." US Government Downplays Inquiry Into Mexico President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador Meanwhile, there is a report from US media that AMLO's allies have ties with the drug cartels and that US authorities investigated these connections. The US is downplaying these investigations. A US Justice Department spokesperson confirmed that "there is no investigation into President Lopez Obrador." This echoed what National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said, saying that the DOJ has "the responsibility to review any allegation." Mexico also dismissed these allegations as s "completely false," while the media organizations concluded in their investigation that there is no evidence that AMLO had any direct knowledge regarding the connections his allies had with the drug cartels. READ MORE: Mexico: Data Reveals Shocking Reality About War on Drugs This article is owned by Latin Post. Written by: Rick Martin WATCH: Mexican president doxes New York Times journalists during press conference - NBC News The Florida House of Representatives has approved a landmark legislation, House Bill 1, aiming to prevent individuals under 16 in the state from maintaining accounts on specific social media platforms, according to CNN. The bill, known as Online Protections for Minors, passed the House with a decisive vote of 108-7 and has now advanced to the desk of Republican Governor Ron DeSantis. The Florida social media restrictions legislation proposes stringent measures for social media platforms, mandating age verification for account holders, prohibiting those under 16 from creating new accounts, and directing platforms to terminate accounts suspected to belong to individuals below the age of 16. The bill's passage in the House came shortly after the Senate's endorsement with a vote of 23-14. READ NEXT: Florida: Girl Dead When Sand Collapsed at the Beach Potential Implications of the Social Media Bill If signed into law by Governor DeSantis, Florida would become the first state to effectively prohibit individuals under 16 from using popular social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram, per NY Times. However, the Florida social media restrictions bill may face constitutional challenges akin to laws enacted in Arkansas and Ohio last year, which federal courts blocked, citing potential infringements on the free speech rights of social media companies. The regulations apply to platforms with certain features, including major platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube. While several states, including Utah, Arkansas, Texas, and Ohio, have enacted laws requiring parental consent for minors to open social media accounts, the Florida social media restrictions go further by imposing a comprehensive ban on some of the most widely used social media applications. Growing National Trend Concerning Social Media Regulation The Florida social media restrictions bill reflects a broader national trend where parents, healthcare professionals, and lawmakers express concerns about the potential mental health and safety risks associated with prolonged social media use by young people, People reports. Similar measures have been taken at both state and federal levels to increase scrutiny and regulation of social media companies. The proposed legislation not only aims to restrict access to social media for Florida minors but also seeks to protect them from harmful content, including "patently offensive" sexual conduct. Despite some adjustments to the legislation to align with Governor DeSantis's preferences, he has yet to officially endorse the bill. The governor, who has historically wielded significant influence in the state, has not fully embraced the idea, sparking questions about his current level of clout. Proponents of the bill argue that it addresses critical issues affecting children, including bullying, depression, social pressure, and potential dangers like human trafficking. They believe the legislation could serve as a protective measure against online threats faced by Florida minors. Conversely, opponents, including major social media companies like Meta, along with Democrats and Republicans, view the Florida social media restrictions bill as a violation of free speech rights. Critics argue that the legislation deviates from Florida's tradition of empowering parents in their children's upbringing. Similar legislation in other states has led to legal challenges, prompting Florida lawmakers to proceed with caution while pursuing this regulatory approach. READ MORE: Alexander Smirnov: Ex-FBI Informant Returns to US Custody This article is owned by Latin Post. Written by: Bert Hoover WATCH: Florida House approves plan to restrict children from social media - From WKMG News 6 ClickOrlando Authorities in Grenada are investigating a disturbing incident involving three Grenada fugitives who may have stolen a yacht and allegedly killed two passengers believed to be American citizens, according to CBS News. The Royal Grenada Police Force reported on Thursday that the fugitives, Ron Mitchell (30), Trevon Robertson (19), and Abita Stanislaus (25), initially arrested in December on charges of robbery with violence, managed to escape custody on Sunday from the South St. George Police Station on the small Caribbean island. Police suspect that the Grenada fugitives made their way to nearby St. Vincent on a stolen boat, setting off a cross-border search operation. Evidence suggests they boarded a yacht docked in St. George, raising concerns about the safety of the vessel's occupants. Authorities fear the two individuals on the yacht, believed to be American citizens, may have been killed during the process. READ NEXT: American Fugitive Extradited to US Missing American Couple Feared Victims The couple, Ralph Hendry and Kathy Brandel, who were on the yacht named "Simplicity," disappeared under suspicious circumstances, per ABC 7. The Salty Dawg Sailing Association, to which the American couple belonged, revealed that their boat was found anchored and abandoned off a beach on the south coast of St. Vincent, displaying signs of apparent violence. Ralph Hendry and Kathy Brandel were participating in the 2023 Caribbean Rally, sailing from Hampton, Va., to Antigua, and spending the winter cruising the Eastern Caribbean. A GoFundMe fundraiser has been initiated to assist the couple's children in covering various expenses, including the recovery of the vessel, funeral costs, and support for grieving families. The Coast Guard successfully recovered the yacht, and authorities from St. Vincent, in collaboration with the U.S. Embassy and Grenada Police Department, are actively investigating the incident. Disturbing Discovery and Ongoing Investigation A good Samaritan reportedly boarded the abandoned yacht off the St. Vincent beach and discovered evidence of apparent violence, ABC News reports. The Salty Dawg Sailing Association expressed condolences to the families and emphasized the unprecedented nature of the incident, pledging assistance in any way possible. The investigation is ongoing, with a team of senior investigators and a forensic specialist dispatched to St. Vincent by the Royal Grenada Police Force. Ralph Hendry and Kathy Brandel's two children, along with a family friend, are actively participating in the search efforts. Despite the distressing situation, family and friends remain hopeful. Denise Desmarais, a close friend, mentioned the American couple's love for life and island people, describing them as "good, basic people." Until concrete evidence is found, there is still hope that Ralph Hendry and Kathy Brandel may be found alive. As the investigation continues, authorities in Grenada and St. Vincent are working diligently to piece together the events surrounding the escape of the Grenada fugitives, the theft of the yacht, and the potential tragedy involving the American couple. The incident has sent shockwaves through the community, highlighting the complexities of maintaining security and safety in the Caribbean region. READ MORE: Haiti: Former First Lady Martine Moise Faces Murder This article is owned by Latin Post. Written by: Bert Hoover WATCH: Escapees In Double Trouble - From Grenada Broadcasting Network Barry Tubb, a supporting actor known for his role as Leonard "Wolfman" Wolfe in the 1986 action film "Top Gun," has taken legal action against Paramount Pictures over the use of his likeness in the 2022 sequel, "Top Gun: Maverick," per The Hollywood Reporter. The lawsuit, filed in a California court on Wednesday, alleges that the studio did not seek permission to include his image in the sequel, violating the terms of his original contract. Challenging Unauthorized Likeness Usage According to Barry Tubb's complaint, his contract did not authorize the use of his likeness in any potential sequel to "Top Gun," according to EW. The dispute centers around a specific scene in "Top Gun: Maverick," where a photograph featuring the original cast, including Tubb, is shown. Barry Tubb argues that the use of this image was not stipulated in his contract and is crucial to the scene, emphasizing that alterations to the photo negate any copyright claims Paramount might assert. The scene in question involves characters Hangman and Coyote discovering the familial connection between Rooster Bradshaw and the late Goose, portrayed by Anthony Edwards. Tubb insists that the altered photo prominently featuring him was used without his consent, and its inclusion is not incidental but essential to the narrative. Paramount has yet to respond to requests for comment on the matter. READ NEXT: Tom Cruise Returning as Maverick Contractual Breach Allegations Barry Tubb's complaint asserts that Paramount failed to seek consent or authorization for using his likeness in "Top Gun: Maverick," Courthouse News Service reports. The original contract, signed almost four decades ago, did not anticipate a sequel, and therefore, Tubb contends that the studio overstepped the agreed-upon terms. The actor contends that his permission was limited to the promotion and exploitation of the 1986 movie and did not extend to the use of his off-camera, behind-the-scenes image in a sequel released in 2022. Tubb stresses that he only agreed to the use of his image as the Wolfman character in connection with the original film. Furthermore, Tubb argues that the behind-the-scenes group photo includes personal elements like his bandana and watch, which were not part of the Wolfman character's attire in the movie. He claims that this personal picture is not protected by the First Amendment as it does not represent an expression related to fictional characters. Barry Tubb's legal representation, led by Joseph Casas of the Casas Law Firm in San Diego, has filed claims including false association, statutory and common law misappropriation of publicity, negligent hiring and supervision, and breach of contract. The actor seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages in response to the alleged unauthorized use of his likeness in "Top Gun: Maverick." This legal dispute adds another layer to the complex landscape of intellectual property rights in the film industry, emphasizing the importance of contractual clarity and consent in the evolving landscape of movie sequels and related media projects. READ MORE: Diddy Denies Gang Rape Allegation This article is owned by Latin Post. Written by: Bert Hoover WATCH: 'Top Gun' actor Barry Tubb sues Paramount Pictures for using his image in sequel - From Petrifying Phenomenon Time is now of the essence for former president Donald Trump if he wants to appeal his $454 million fraud trial judgment, as he needs to secure an appeal bond. This comes after a New York clerk finalized the ruling on Friday, meaning he now has only 30 days in the clock to start his appeal process. The former president's debt has also been allowed to rack up its post-judgment interest of nearly $112,000 each day, as revealed by a spokesperson for New York Attorney General Letitia James. Trump and his attorneys have vowed to appeal in that 30-day window, according to ABC News. To do that, however, he must deposit "sufficient funds" in a court-controlled account, or he must be able to secure a bond for the total amount. Previous reports indicated that Trump's team has already approached several bond companies to try and pay the hundreds of millions of dollars needed to appeal. Trump attorney Clifford Robert tried to extend the penalty's enforcement, only to be rejected by Judge Arthur Engoron because he did not give enough reason why the penalty enforcement should be delayed. This means that starting today, "Trump's penalty will increase to $111,984 per day, rather than the $87,502 per day he had owed before the verdict was made official." The post-judgment interest has already been calculated in the total judgment, which totaled over $100 million in addition to Engoron's $354.9 million penalty for Donald Trump, totaling around $454 million. Donald Trump Tries To Throw Out $83 Million Defamation Ruling in E, Jean Carroll Case Meanwhile, as Donald Trump faces a cash crunch just to appeal that massive verdict against him in his fraud trial, he is also trying to throw out the verdict in that other big case he just lost, which is against former Elle Magazine writer E. Jean Carroll. READ MORE: Donald Trump Having Problems Over Securing Appeal Bond for $450 Million Fraud Trial Ruling According to the Associated Press, Trump's legal team argued that there was a "strong probability" that it would be reduced on appeal, so the judgment should be thrown out. The lawyers asked Judge Lewis A. Kaplan to also suspend the execution of a judgment he issued on February 8 until the post-trial motions are resolved. However, it was noted that should the judge grant a partial stay, Donald Trump would be required to post a bond for a fraction of the payment he must give to Carroll. Law Experts Slam Donald Trump Attempts to Dismiss Classified Documents Case as 'Insultingly Stupid' Donald Trump is also trying to throw out one of his four criminal cases, and that is the one in Florida, which is the federal case regarding him keeping classified documents in Mar-a-Lago even after leaving office. The Trump legal team alleged prosecutorial misconduct and selective and vindictive prosecution in their filing to Judge Aileen Cannon, as well as his usual defense of presidential immunity, even after an appeals court panel unanimously ruled that the former president did not have immunity in the DC election subversion case. According to Salon, this latest attempt to throw out the case was "insultingly stupid." This included US Attorney Joyce Vance, who noted, "The arguments are no more meritorious than the ones the court of appeals in DC already rejected." READ MORE: Donald Trump Facing Financial Troubles Amid Legal Defeats This article is owned by Latin Post. Written by: Rick Martin WATCH: Donald Trump's legal strategy becomes crystal clear: Delay, Delay, Delay The return of Parade of Shamrocks is right around the corner and registration is now open for those who want to participate. In partnership with The City of Bethlehem, The Celtic Cultural Alliance (CCA) will host the Parade of Shamrocks at 1 p.m. March 16. The St. Patricks Day weekend event previously took place annually, but hasnt been held since 2019. An odor led to an evacuation of a Lehigh County industrial facility Friday, with 54 people taken to the hospital, authorities said. Authorities were dispatched about noon to the incident, according to police. It was reported at Sharp Services, 7451 Keebler Way in Upper Macungie Township, a county 911 dispatch supervisor confirmed. People inside the facility complained of nausea, vomiting and headache, township police Lt. Peter Nickischer told lehighvalleylive.com. A total of 154 people work there, police said. It was not immediately known what caused the odor, police said. There was no immediate sign of a chemical spill or other determination of the cause for concern, Nickischer said. Police, fire, EMS and Lehigh County Special Operations responded, police said. A message seeking comment from Sharp Services was not immediately returned. Pamela Sroka-Holzmann contributed to this report. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to lehighvalleylive.com. Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com. With the tax filing deadline of April 15 less than two months away, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is offering some in-person help, for free, on Saturdays. The agency said some of its Taxpayer Assistance Centers (TACs) nationwide including some in New Jersey will be open one Saturday each month in February, March, April and May. The agency said the offices usually require an appointment for weekday visits, but the Saturdays will not require one. You can just walk in. The IRS also said you should check its website regularly because availability may change without notice. Here are the dates and times you can get Saturday help in New Jersey: Feb. 24 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. 100 Dey Place, Edison, NJ 08817 March 16 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. 51 Haddonfield Rd., Cherry Hill, NJ 08002 200 Federal Plaza, Paterson, NJ 07505 April 13 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. 51 Haddonfield Rd., Cherry Hill, NJ 08002 200 Federal Plaza, Paterson, NJ 07505 May 18 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. 51 Haddonfield Rd., Cherry Hill, NJ 08002 200 Federal Plaza, Paterson, NJ 07505 Its important to note the centers do not prepare tax returns, but the in-person visits can help with: You cannot make cash payments at the offices, the IRS said. To have a successful visit, the IRS said you should bring your current government-issued photo identification and Social Security numbers for yourself and for all members of your household, including your spouse and dependents. You should also bring any IRS letters or notices you have received. It said you may also be asked for your current mailing address and proof of your bank account information so you can receive refunds by direct deposit. You can call (844) 545-5640 to make an appointment at one of the offices, which are usually open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, though some have extended hours on Tuesdays and Thursdays through the tax filing season, the agency said. If the help you need is to prepare the actual return, there are other free options. Taxpayers with adjusted gross income of $79,000 or less can qualify to file federal returns for free by using IRS Free File, a partnership between the IRS and private tax preparation companies. Note that some providers charge a fee to prepare state tax returns. You can also get help from the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) service, which offers free basic tax return preparation for people who generally make $64,000 or less. Persons with disabilities and limited English-speaking taxpayers may also be eligible, the IRS said. And Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) programs offer free help to those over age 60. To prepare before you visit a VITA or TCE site, check Publication 3676-B, which details what services are provided. The IRS also says you should review what documents you need to bring with its What to Bring list before you go. You can find a VITA or TCE site near you at irs.treasury.gov/freetaxprep or call (800) 906-9887. Note that some locations require appointments. The tax filing deadline is April 15, 2024. Please subscribe now and support the local journalism YOU rely on and trust. Karin Price Mueller may be reached at KPriceMueller@NJAdvanceMedia.com. Follow her on X at @KPMueller. By Pete Shelly As lawmakers consider Gov. Josh Shapiros timely proposal to tax and regulate skill games, they would be wise to follow the blueprint of one the nations most successful state gaming industries and they wont have to travel far to find it. Over the last 20 years, Pennsylvania has emerged as a national leader in developing its gaming industry. Starting with the introduction of slot machines at existing racetracks in 2004, the casino industry and the Commonwealth have worked together to introduce gaming responsibly in a strategic and measured approach. Today, the casino industry consists of 17 land-based casinos, and two more casinos are expected to open in the next few years. The results speak for themselves. The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) reports that casinos generated a record $2.34 billion in state tax revenue in 2023. In addition, the industry: Employs 15,000 Pennsylvania workers directly and supports a total of 33,000 Pennsylvania jobs Invests $500 million annually with in-state businesses Provides $110 million in Local Share contributions to non-profits, first responder groups and other organizations in host communities It is critical that lawmakers protect these jobs, ongoing investments and tax revenues as this debate intensifies. Shapiros proposal recognizes the need for both tax and regulatory parity among slot machine and skill games operations. He has proposed a 42% tax rate on skill games revenue. This is far closer to the 54% tax casinos pay on slot machine revenues than the absurdly low 16% tax that state Sen. Gene Yaw, a leading skill games proponent, has proposed. Tax parity is common sense and a matter of simple fairness: slot machines, skill games and VGTs should pay comparable rates. The governor has also proposed that the PGCB regulate skill games. This provision is a necessity - and plain common sense. The PCGB was created to regulate and supervise gaming. Senator Yaw has proposed that the Department of Revenue regulate skill games. Lawmakers are not likely to ask the Department of Banking to inspect PennDOT bridges or task the Department of Agriculture with managing PennDOTs licensing centers. Why assign this critical role to any other agency than the PGCB? Tight regulation and oversight are a mandatory first step to remedy the current situation. Today there are zero supports to address problem gambling or safeguards to prevent underage gambling. There are no background checks required of those who operate these machines and there are no anti-money laundering measures in place. There is no testing of the machines to ensure fairness to the player. Law enforcement officials including our Attorney General and the Pennsylvania State Police have repeatedly raised public safety concerns regarding these machines. Most recently, in a letter to Shapiro the Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association (PDAA) raised skill games as one of three major concerns, writing that, thousands of skill game machines are found in pizza shops, convenience stores, gas stations, and taverns across Pennsylvania. Law enforcement has seen an increase in crime related to the proliferation of the machines. The letter adds, unlike the highly regulated casinos in our state, the local establishments with skill game machines generally have minimum security and are easily observed by and accessible to children. It is important to note that voters support equal treatment for casino slot machines and skill games. A recent statewide poll conducted by Franklin & Marshall found that, most (60%) voters believe skill games should be regulated and taxed in the same way that casino-based games are regulated and taxed in the state. In addition to these two fundamental provisions, at a bare minimum, it is imperative that any skill game legislation include: A limit on the total number of machines allowed and the total number of establishments that can host skill games. Strict limits on the types of business establishments that can host these machines. Meaningful law enforcement provisions to ensure that illegal machines will be confiscated. These provisions will lead to a dramatic reduction of the tens of thousands of skill games now in operation across the state. Lawmakers and Shapiro have an opportunity and an obligation to hold skill games to the same standards that the states casino industry is held to today. Pete Shelly is a spokesperson for Pennsylvanians Against Gaming Expansion. Authorities are continuing to investigate a fatal shooting in Warren County, as the victims family prepares to lay her to rest with services Sunday. Cheryl Bencivengo Schilling was pronounced dead and her death was ruled a homicide after she was shot the evening of Feb. 12 in Columbia, Knowlton Township, investigators said. She was 58. Cheryl was known for her compassionate nature, states her obituary, which links to a GoFundMe online fundraiser started by her family to cover the funeral costs. The alleged gunman, 38-year-old Armond Avitable, of East Strousburg, Pennsylvania, was taken into custody shortly after the shooting, suffered a medical episode and later died at the hospital, according to a statement the following day from the Warren County Prosecutors Office. The New Jersey Attorney Generals Office in a separate statement Feb. 13 said it was investigating the death that occurred in police custody. That investigation was continuing as of Friday, Attorney General Matthew Platkins office told lehighvalleylive.com. Avitable was taken to Lehigh Valley Hospital-Pocono in East Stroudsburg, where he was pronounced dead. Thats in Monroe County, where the coroner, Tom Yanac, said Friday the cause and manner of death remained pending further investigation. According to the Waren County prosecutor, James Pfeiffer, Avitable fatally shot the wife of a friend shortly after being invited to their Warren County house, after Avitable was forced to leave his home due to a domestic dispute there. Avitable was picked up by his friend after the dispute with an unidentified woman and they arrived at the Knowlton home around 6 p.m., Pfeiffers office said. Shortly thereafter, Avitable, his friend and his friends wife, Schilling, began to argue, causing Avitable to become agitated and aggressive, the prosecutors office said. He then grabbed a shotgun, which caused the Schillings to retreat to an upstairs bedroom and close the door, investigators said. Avitable followed them into the room and shot Schilling twice, hitting her once in the arm and once in the upper left torso, authorities said. Police were called to the home shortly before 8 p.m. and Schilling was pronounced dead at the scene at 8:28 p.m. after attempts revive her by first responders where unsuccessful, officials said. Her death was ruled a homicide and her cause of death was determined to be a gunshot wound to the torso. Avitable then fled the home, saw neighbors in a nearby backyard and told them he had to shoot her because he (Mr. Schilling) was coming for him, before firing two more shotgun blasts into the Schilling home, authorities said. He then left the gun on the property and ran toward the intersection of Interstate 80 and Route 46, where New Jersey State Police troopers confronted him, resulting in a physical altercation, Pfeiffers office said. Avitable was pronounced dead about 9 p.m., the prosecutors office said. Schillings widower, Kevin Schilling, posted a week after the incident on Facebook to thank those who had reached out to him with support. Cheryl was a very special person, the post read. She had a wonderful personality, and a big heart especially with her grandchildren. Along with her husband of 12 years, Cheryl Schilling left behind survivors including three sons and two stepchildren, her obituary states. Visitation is scheduled 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. Sunday, Feb. 25, at Newbaker Funeral Home in Blairstown Township, followed by a service at 11:30 a.m. The obituary asks that in lieu of flowers, a contribution be made to the GoFundMe. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to lehighvalleylive.com. Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com. Aontu TD and party leader Peadar Toibin has announced he will be contesting in the Midlands North West constituency in the European elections in June. He was selected by the partys Ard Comhairle to seek election in the five-seater constituency. The Meath West TD said regardless of the outcome of the European election, he will still contest the next general election. If an MEP leaves the parliament during its term, they can choose to fill the vacant European seat with a replacement. Speaking following his selection at the weekend, Deputy Toibin said: I am very grateful to my colleagues for their confidence in selecting me as their candidate in the Midlands North EU Constituency. I am delighted to join my colleague Patrick Murphy who is the Aontu candidate for Ireland South. "I remain committed to the people of Meath West. I am immensely proud of my county. Whatever the outcome of the European Parliament elections I will contest the next general election in Meath West. I hope, based on my record in Meath, that I can retain the confidence of the people of Meath West in that election. I am a conviction and a campaigning politician, therefore I cannot stand idly by and watch the damage that the government is doing to this country. Aontu will use the European elections as a platform to fight for practical common sense solutions to the increasing damage of this government. The hardworking voluntary St Patrick's Day Parade Committee in Portlaoise are looking for your support as they prepare for the big event on Sunday, March 17. The committee have also outlined details of this year's parade and how you can participate in showing your colours on Ireland's national day. They say the Portlaoise Parade will commence from Laois County Council HQ on James Fintan Lalor Avenue at 12.30pm on March 17. There's a direction change this year or as the committee put it, the parade will be going the other way around'. That is to say, the Parade will be going down Main Street from LCC buildings to Market Square (Top Square) and then down to the bottom of the town. While the parade is expected to finish at 2 pm, the organisers promise more fun afterwards. The committee say it will be followed by a community event on Main Street involving street acts, Irish music, trade stands, Irish dancing and much more. Pauline Flanagan is the Parade Committee secretary. She encouraged the community to get involved. MORE BELOW POST. This is going to be a great event and it will be a major boost financially to the town, but of course also great morale for everyone living in Portlaoise and the surrounding areas of Laois, said Ms Flanagan. While people are being invited to get involved in the big day, they are also being invited to support the event in advance to help pay for the fun on March 17. To this end, they have organised a fundraising table quiz in Kavanaghs Bar, Portlaoise on Friday, March 8 to help raise funds for this event. For more information on how to support the committee and get involved in the parade by entering a float, Ms Flanagan says you can contact her at 0879984574 or the Chairperson, Dominic Dunne at 0868312034. Thanks again in anticipation of your support, says the secretary. MORE BELOW PICTURE. The St Patricks Day committee consists of old and new members who meet weekly in Portlaoise Parish Centre. The members include: Chairperson Dominic Dunne; Secretary, Pauline Flanagan; Treasurer Eugene McDonagh, Christy Bannon and Paul Downey, both MCs and joint Event Co-Ordinators, Frank Ward, PJ Kavanagh; Wayne Haslam, Cllr Catherine Fitzgerald, Cllr Marie Tuohy and Noel Tuohy. Laois people are being asked to take part in an online vigil this weekend with war victims in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Congolese Women in Ireland, based in Laois, and the Laois Africa Support Group are holding the vigil this Sunday, February 25 from 6pm to 7pm. Their leader in Laois is Nhono Tambidila. She explained the horrific impact of decades of war and invasion in her country to the Leinster Express / Laois Live. "As a member of the Congolese Community living in Laois, we are so devastated for what is happening in the DRC (Democratic Republic of the Congo) specially in the East. "For the past 30 years since 1994 the country has been occupied by the neighbouring countries Rwanda, Burundi and Ouganda supported by the multi national and others western countries. "Congo has paid a large number in terms of deaths. 10 million innocent people lost their lives no one talk about. Two million women have been raped, victimized at the rate of nearly 1 per minute (60 women every hour). "Besides war and rape in Congo they are others serious threat to womens physical well-being, such as FGM (Female Genital Mutilation). "10 million is more than the holocaust, more than the second world War. US, UK and EU are killing through Rwanda to plunder minerals in the DRC. "As the CWI (Congolese Women in Ireland) we say STOP - War, Genocide and Rape in the Congo. We need peace, nothing else," she said. The Congolese women's group taking part in the Portlaoise St Patrick's Day Parade. Photo Denis Byrne Bolaji Adeyanju leads the Laois Africa Support Group. "There is a huge war happening in the last 10 years in Congo and it's only gotten worse in the last few months. There is little or no coverage, but millions of people are now displaced and have no food, shelter or support coming from anywhere. "The Congolese community here are all in disarray hence why I decided to do this for them," he said. "In solidarity with our Congolese Brothers and Sisters, we are organising a candle night on Sunday 25th Feb from 6pm-7pm to pray for peace and say a prayer for the people lost to the war and of course all other wars going on around the world Please light a candle and share a picture with us," the LSAG say on their Facebook page. Fairstone Ireland, a leading player in the wealth management domain, has announced its fourth strategic partnership in Ireland with Galway and Kildare-based broker Murray & Spelman Financial Services. This acquisition highlights the acceleration of Fairstone Irelands partnership model which is changing the face of the financial planning industry in Ireland. Murray & Spelman Financial Services, a financial planning firm with offices in Galway & Kildare, has garnered acclaim for its long standing client-centric approach. This synergistic partnership with Fairstone opens new horizons for Murray & Spelman and its clients, granting access to Fairstone's vast resources, expertise, and innovative solutions. Continuing to set high standards for the financial services industry under the leadership of CEO Paul Merriman, Fairstone Ireland's partnership with Murray & Spelman Financial Services highlights its dedication to establishing a new standard of excellence in wealth management through strategic partnerships. Paul Merriman, CEO of Fairstone Ireland, remarked: "Fairstone remains resolute in its mission to challenge conventional norms. Our strategic partnership with Murray & Spelman Financial Services not only underscores this commitment but also catapults our momentum towards achieving market leading position. "Together, we aspire to bolster our capabilities, ignite growth, and set a precedent for collaborative excellence in wealth management, fostering deeper partnerships with brokers across Ireland. "We eagerly anticipate collaborating with Joe McKeogh, Andriu Mac Lochlainn and the extended team." A man has been fined at Thurles District Court for carrying a prop gun in his waistband on a train. Emil Barchesan, 37, of Sheilas Hostel, 3/4 Belgrave Place, Wellington Road, Cork was charged with possession of a realistic imitation firearm at Templemore Train Station on July 21, 2023. The arresting guard told the court that on the day, gardai were alerted to an incident involving a male carrying a firearm on a train between Cork and Dublin. A witness was sitting opposite the defendant, who was asleep. As the defendant moved in his sleep, his jacket rode up, exposing what appeared to be a gun in his waistband. The court heard that the witness took a photo of the gun and alerted security. Staff stopped the train at Templemore Station and told the passengers they would be delayed because of technical difficulties. The guard told the court that they considered the incident a serious situation and an operation was put in place by Templemore and Thurles Garda Stations, including members of the Armed Support Unit. The defendant was arrested and taken to Thurles Garda Station. The gun was confiscated, but a ballistics report showed that the gun was an imitation firearm, the court was told. The guard told the court that Mr Barchesan cooperated fully with them and answered all the questions asked of him. The defendant told gardai that he boarded the train at Kent Station in Cork and intended to depart in Mallow to visit friends, but he fell asleep. Solicitor acting for the defendant Paddy Cadell, argued that his client collects imitation guns and it was never his clients intention for a member of the public to see this piece. He told the court that his client was taking the gun back to Romania the following day but missed his flight after the guards detained him for three nights. He said imitation guns are legal to buy both in Ireland and Romania and this one had been purchased in Killarney for 240. Mr Cadell told the court that his client had lost his job as a result of the incident. STAND The defendant told the court that the gun was not classed as a firearm. He said he and his father attend a firing range in Romania and collect guns. Mr Barchesan said he never intended to use the gun as weapon, and nobody knew he had it. He had taken it with him in case anybody had entered his hotel room in his absence. He also told the court that he had made all the necessary arrangements with the airport to transport the imitation gun. He told the court he was unemployed as a result of his face being shown on the news on his arrest. I lost three jobs because of this, said Mr Barchesan. Clint Eastwood However, Inspector James White of Thurles Garda Station said that was not the case. He told the court that garda inquiries had found that Mr Barchesan had lost his job prior to the incident. The defendant denied this. Inspector White asked the defendant why he had not just carried the gun in a bag. So you are saying the plan was put it in your waistband as if you were Clint Eastwood in a film? said the Inspector. The inspector put it to the defendant that it was very difficult for a member of the public to see the difference between the imitation gun and real firearm. He said it was irresponsible for the defendant to carry the gun in the way that he had. He asked Mr Barchesan what he would have done had someone entered his hotel room while he was there. The defendant told the court he would point the gun at an intruder to protect himself. I have worked in other countries. Ive been cut. Ive been stabbed, said the defendant. JUDGEMENT Judge Elizabeth MacGrath said it was clear the man was in possession of an imitation gun that looked and felt, in its weight, real. She said an item like that should not be carried in public. The judge acknowledged that the defendant intended to take the item back to Romania but said she did not find his excuse reasonable. Mr Cadell asked that in light of his client having no previous convictions, that he be given the benefit of the probation act. However, Judge MacGrath said: There is a huge onus and responsibility on a person who owns an item like that. Im not dealing with it in any other way. The judge convicted Mr Barchesan and fined him 250. A man has been arrested and 180,000 euro has been seized as part of a Garda investigation into the delivery of drugs into prisons by drone. The Garda Drugs Unit from Ronanstown searched a home in west Dublin on Friday. During the search, more than 180,000 euro in various denominations was seized. A designer watch valued at 10,000 euro and several mobile phones were also confiscated. A 42-year-old man was arrested and is detained under section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984 at a Garda station in Dublin. The operation follows a previous seizure involving a drone and a quantity of diamorphine intended for delivery into a west Dublin prison on February 12. The Irish Prison Service thanked gardai for their efforts to keep drugs out of prison. It said: The arrest and seizure yesterday shows we are intent on tackling those who wish to do harm by bringing drugs into our prisons. The Irish Prison Service is committed to preventing the access of contraband including drugs into prisons and continues to be a high priority. The Irish Prison Service has committed to continuing to invest in new technologies and measures to support our efforts to keep contraband out of prisons. Neven Maguire returns to Porto, Obidos and Madeira in his new seven-part popular series Food Trails following his enjoyable visit to Portugal in 2022. This year, his travels take him from Porto in the North of Portugal to the Atlantic island of Madeira. Throughout the series, Neven meets some of Portugal's most renowned chefs and unique artisan food and drink producers. In this final episode of Neven's Portuguese Food Trails, series two, Neven returns to the northern city of Porto, famous for the port wine produced there for centuries. The Douro River divides the city, giving its name to the Douro Valley, Portugal's best-known wine region and the oldest demarcated wine region in the world. Last year, Neven visited Graham's Wine Lodge to tour the cellars and learn about their traditional port wines. This year, he takes a boat trip on the Douro and tastes their table wines, produced within the Douro Valley and gaining in popularity. Neven also samples one of Graham's recently launched products, White Port Blend No.5, aimed at a new generation of port drinkers designed especially for mixing. Neven's next stop is Obidos, one of Portugal's best-known and best-preserved mediaeval walled towns. Obidos is famous for ginjinha, and Neven tastes this type of cherry liqueur made from locally grown cherries infused in 100% alcohol and sold by street vendors in dark chocolate cups. Pictured: Neven with Carla Basilio of Engenhos do Norte in the Neven's Portuguese Food Trails, final episode, February 28 Returning to Madeira, Neven visits Faja dos Padres, a tropical fruit farm growing mango, papaya, pineapple, Surinam cherries, passion fruit, figs, grapes, avocados and bananas. It can only be reached by boat, or cable car as Faja dos Padres is in a remote cove on the south coast of Madeira at the bottom of a very steep cliff. The base of the cliff traps the heat, creating a unique microclimate that is 4 to 5 degrees warmer than the rest of the island. Neven then travels to the northeastern coast of Madeira and the village of Porto Da Cruz, home to the last steam-powered sugar cane mill in Europe, Engenhos Do Norte. The sugar cane now grown in Madeira is used exclusively to make rum and treacle from fresh sugar cane juice. He tastes several types of rum, finishing with a 56.2% alcohol rum aged in Madeira wine barrels to produce a darker colour and a strong Madeira wine flavour. This week, Neven's recipe is a Passion Fruit and Key Lime Pie. All of Neven's recipes in this new series were filmed on the spectacular island of Madeira at the Quinta Das Vinhas estate and vineyard, which has been owned by the same family since 1685. A young man accused of assaulting another man in the course of a GAA challenge match will return the local district Court in June. Leeross Gill, aged 25, of Abbeyderg, Kenagh, Co. Longford faces a charge that on June 16, 2021 at St Dominic's GAA grounds, Kenagh he assaulted David McCormack causing him harm. At Longford District Court, Judge Bernadette Owens asked for an outline of the alleged assault before accepting jurisdiction of the case. Sergeant Enda Daly said the alleged injured party attended Longford Garda station to make a complaint about an incident that happened during a GAA challenge match between Kenagh and Ballymahon. The complainant alleged that he was assaulted by an opponent, Leeross Gill, with a closed fist and sustained injury to his teeth and damage to his braces. The cost of repair to the braces was estimated at 1,500 and the dental treatment was 500. Judge Bernadette Owens accepted jurisdiction over the matter. Solicitor John Quinn made an application for legal aid explaining that his client is a member of the defence forces. Judge Owens said she would grant the legal aid application but noted it was marginal. The defendant will return before the court on June 18. A medical professional who bit off the top part of his brothers left ear in a farmyard row "around land, monies and a shed has avoided a prison sentence. At Ennis Circuit Court, Judge Francis Comerford imposed a fully-suspended prison sentence on Conor OHalloran in relation to the unprovoked and very serious assault of Daniel OHalloran. During an earlier hearing, the court heard the younger brother of the accused lost the top part of his left ear following the incident which occurred at Liscullane, Tulla, Co. Clare Judge Comerford has also directed that the solicitor for Conor OHalloran pays his offer of 10,000 compensation to Daniel OHalloran within the next three weeks. Prosecuting barrister Lorcan Connolly BL, instructed by State Solicitor, Aisling Casey, said Daniel OHalloran is not interested in the 10,000. Judge Comerford also ordered as part of the conditions attached to the suspended prison term that Conor OHalloran continue to engage in counselling. In his victim impact evidence, Daniel OHalloran (37) told the court that his "ear is disfigured and I will have to live with it as a constant reminder for the rest of my life of what my brother did. Conor OHalloran, aged 42, had earlier pleaded guilty to a charge of assault causing harm to Daniel OHalloran on May 5, 2021. Pat Whyms BL, instructed by solicitor, Darach McCarthy, said that Conor OHalloran has no previous convictions, has never been in court before this and has been a model citizen apart from this one act. Judge Comerford commented that Conor OHalloran had led "an exemplary life before the assault and has shown genuine remorse. In a report handed into court, Conor OHalloran said: I am sad and disgusted with myself. It shouldnt have happened. I wish it had never gone that far. We were close at one time. I am Godfather to his son and he is Godfather to my daughter." In evidence, Garda Brian Quinn told the court that when he arrived at the farmyard scene on the date of the incident, he entered the farmhouse and saw Daniel OHalloran shirtless and the top part of left ear removed and blood down his face and down his body. Garda Quinn said that colleagues were with Conor O'Halloran, who has an address at Rosebank, Old Bawn, Tallaght, Dublin 24, in the farmyard when he arrived, The 42-year-old who was arrested at the scene replied why am I being arrested and not him?. In a statement made to gardai at the scene, Daniel OHalloran said that earlier in the morning, he saw his brother and described him as being in a rage. Daniel OHalloran told Garda Quinn that Conor OHalloran was roaring 'Come out - we will have it' and Conor O'Halloran took off his top and charged at his brother. Daniel OHalloran added that he was knocked to the ground and while on the ground, Conor OHalloran bit off the top of his left ear. Daniel OHalloran was brought by ambulance to the emergency department at University Hospital Limerick and counsel for the State, Mr Connolly, said that a medical report confirmed that "trauma to the left ear was consistent with a bite and tissue loss was noted. Daniel OHalloran was treated and discharged later on the same day. Photographs of the ear injury in the immediate aftermath of the assault were handed into court and Daniel OHalloran also turned his head in the witness box to allow Judge Comerford view the significant disfigurement close up. Garda Quinn said that relations between the two brothers had deteriorated and there were issues around land, monies and a shed. He told the court that "matters came to a head that day. Mr Connolly said that Conor O'Halloran also owned farmland in the Tulla area of Co. Clare and that these lands were being farmed by his brother. Mr Whyms said that Conor OHalloran works as a radiographer at a Dublin Hospital and is married with young children. The barrister said that Conor OHalloran is hopeful that he can reconcile with his brother but doesnt believe it will happen in the short term. Mr Whyms confirmed that civil proceedings have been issued in the case and that his clients plea of guilty (in the criminal case) means he will not be contesting liability in the civil case. In his victim impact statement, Daniel O'Halloran said "my family is broken and I have not even been told sorry once. Judge Comerford imposed a 17-month prison sentence which was suspended in its entirety. Prime Minister visits Kyiv and announces additional support for Ukraine KYIV, UKRAINE, Feb. 24, 2024 /CNW/ - Two years ago today, Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine and with it, unleashed an attack on democracy, freedom, and the rules-based international order. Despite Russia's relentless assault, Ukrainians are standing strong, and Canada will stand with them, for as long as it takes. The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, is visiting Ukraine today, alongside international partners, to reaffirm Canada's ongoing and unwavering support for Ukraine. As part of this visit, Prime Minister Trudeau and the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, held a bilateral meeting to discuss the situation on the ground and Ukraine's needs over the coming months. The two leaders signed a new, historic agreement on security cooperation between Canada and Ukraine to establish a strategic security partnership. The agreement builds on the G7 Joint Declaration of Support for Ukraine, and outlines key, long-term security commitments for Canada to continue supporting Ukraine as it defends its sovereignty and territorial integrity, protects its people, and rebuilds its economy for the future. As part of this commitment, Canada will provide $3.02 billion in critical financial and military support to Ukraine in 2024. In addition, the Prime Minister announced new support for Ukraine's resilience and recovery efforts. This includes: $75 million in peace and security assistance, which includes demining, cyber support, and intelligence support. in peace and security assistance, which includes demining, cyber support, and intelligence support. $15 million in preservation assistance, specifically supporting the completion of the National Museum of the Holodomor-Genocide in Kyiv , helping preserve the memory of victims and survivors of the Holodomor, a systemic and heinous campaign of deliberate starvation by the Soviet regime that killed millions across Ukraine in 1932 and 1933. The Prime Minister also announced the allocation of funding to the following: Up to $39 million in development assistance, to provide access to essential mental health services for vulnerable populations, help build food systems that are more resilient, and support efforts by local communities toward reconstruction and recovery. in development assistance, to provide access to essential mental health services for vulnerable populations, help build food systems that are more resilient, and support efforts by local communities toward reconstruction and recovery. Over $22 million in humanitarian assistance, to support trusted United Nations and Red Cross partners in delivering critical assistance, including emergency health interventions, protection services, shelter, water, sanitation, and food, as well as the promotion of respect for international humanitarian law. in humanitarian assistance, to support trusted United Nations and Red Cross partners in delivering critical assistance, including emergency health interventions, protection services, shelter, water, sanitation, and food, as well as the promotion of respect for international humanitarian law. Over $18 million in peace, security, and stabilization assistance, to support projects ranging from demining, to reducing threats from nuclear or radiological materials and chemical weapons, to countering disinformation. While in Ukraine, Prime Minister Trudeau joined President Zelenskyy, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, the Prime Minister of Italy, Giorgia Meloni, and the Prime Minister of Belgium, Alexander De Croo, to visit Hostomel Airport and the Wall of Remembrance of the Fallen for Ukraine, where they paid tribute to the countless brave Ukrainians who have been killed, injured, or displaced since the start of Russia's war of aggression. This day serves as a reminder of what Ukraine is fighting for ? the values of peace, justice, and democracy. To the civilians-turned-soldiers fighting to protect their homeland, the volunteers providing care to those injured, and all Ukrainians who remain defiant in the face of Russia's attacks, know that Canada is with you. We will continue to work closely with our Allies and international partners to support Ukraine and Ukrainians as they continue to fight for their freedom, for their independence, and for democracy. Quotes "When Putin ordered his tanks across the Ukrainian border, he thought Kyiv would fall; that President Zelenskyy would cave; that the free world would stand by. Two years on, Ukrainians are resolute as they defend democracy, freedom, and their identity ? and Canada's support is unwavering. Today, standing shoulder to shoulder with our Allies and partners, Canada committed to further assistance, including military and humanitarian support, for Ukraine. We will stand with Ukraine with whatever it takes, for as long as it takes. Slava Ukraini!" ? The Rt. Hon. Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada "As the brave people of Ukraine continue their heroic resistance against Putin's illegal and barbaric invasion, after two long years of brutal fighting, Canada is unwavering in our support for Ukraine. Today we stand united and say to the people of Ukraine: We will keep the faith. We will never abandon you. Our determination is absolute. Slava Ukraini!" ? The Hon. Chrystia Freeland, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance "On the second anniversary of Russia's illegal, full-scale invasion of Ukraine, we salute the exemplary courage and strength of the people of Ukraine. Canada will always stand with them in their fight for freedom. Today's agreement demonstrates Canada's commitment to providing Ukraine with the assistance that it needs to fight against Russian aggression and win. Ukraine's fight is our fight too, and we will be there for Ukrainians until they win this war." ? The Hon. Bill Blair, Minister of National Defence Quick Facts This is Prime Minister Trudeau's third visit to Ukraine since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022 . The Prime Minister was accompanied for this visit by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Chrystia Freeland , and the Minister of National Defence, Bill Blair . since the start of full-scale invasion on . The Prime Minister was accompanied for this visit by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, , and the Minister of National Defence, . In Ukraine , the Prime Minister met bilaterally and multilaterally with: The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen The Prime Minister of Italy, Giorgia Meloni The Prime Minister of Belgium , Alexander De Croo , the Prime Minister met bilaterally and multilaterally with: The measures announced today build on other recent announcements, including: New sanctions targeting over 160 individuals and entities that are part of Russia's military-industrial sector and have helped facilitate sanctions evasion. Enacting groundbreaking legislation that enables the assets of sanctioned individuals and individuals to be seized, for the benefit of Ukraine . Working with G7 allies to ensure that Russian central banks assets remain frozen in our jurisdictions until Russia compensates Ukraine for the damage it has caused. Contributions of $60 million to the Ukraine Defense Contact Group Air Force Capability Coalition to support the setup of a sustainable F-16 fighter aircraft capability in Ukraine and over $273 million in new equipment for Canadian Armed Forces personnel in Latvia , where Canada leads the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's enhanced Forward Presence Battle Group. Canada's co-chairing, with Ukraine , of the new International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children, which coordinates international efforts to bring Ukrainian children ? who were unlawfully deported or forcibly transferred by Russia ? home to their families and communities. An investment of over $475,000 to support Pro Bono Ontario's Ukrainian Refugee Legal Relief Initiative, which assists Ukrainian nationals seeking refuge in Canada as a result of Russia's armed invasion of Ukraine . Since the beginning of 2022, Canada has committed over $13.3 billion in funding to support Ukraine . This includes: $4 billion in military assistance, such as M777 howitzers, Leopard 2 main battle tanks, armoured combat support vehicles, hundreds of thousands of rounds of ammunition, high-resolution drone cameras, thermal clothing, body armour, fuel, and more. $7.4 billion in financial support. $352.5 million in humanitarian assistance, including support for emergency health interventions, protection services, and essentials such as shelter, water, sanitation, and food. Programming also addresses child protection, mental health support, and prevention and response to sexual and gender-based violence. $186 million in development assistance, such as $15 million from Canada's $100 million contribution to the Canada-International Finance Corporation Facility for Resilient Food Systems. $198 million in security and stabilization assistance. has committed over in funding to support . This includes: Canadian Armed Forces members are supporting the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the United Kingdom and Poland under Operation UNIFIER, providing training on a range of military skills. Between 2015 and 2024, Canada trained more than 40,000 members of the Armed Forces of Ukraine as part of this operation. They have also been assisting with the delivery of military aid for Ukraine from Canada and on behalf of our Allies and partners. in the and under Operation UNIFIER, providing training on a range of military skills. Between 2015 and 2024, trained more than 40,000 members of the Armed Forces of as part of this operation. They have also been assisting with the delivery of military aid for from and on behalf of our Allies and partners. Since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine , Canada has welcomed more than 220,000 Ukrainians. We are helping Ukrainian families find a safe, temporary home and have put support services in place for their arrival. This includes temporary financial assistance and access to federally funded settlement services, such as language training and employment-related services. full-scale invasion of , has welcomed more than 220,000 Ukrainians. We are helping Ukrainian families find a safe, temporary home and have put support services in place for their arrival. This includes temporary financial assistance and access to federally funded settlement services, such as language training and employment-related services. Canada and Ukraine have long been steadfast partners and close friends. In 1991, Canada became the first Western country to recognize Ukraine's independence. Today, 1.3 million people of Ukrainian descent call Canada home ? the largest Ukrainian diaspora in the Western world. In 2022, total bilateral trade between our two countries was valued at over $421 million. Related Products Associated Links This document is also available at https://pm.gc.ca SOURCE Prime Minister's Office 24 february 2024 at 10:28 News published onand distributed by: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem, February 18, 2024. RONEN ZVULUN / REUTERS After four and a half months of war, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu formalized a first version of what the "day after" in Gaza would be on Thursday, February 22. For weeks, pressure from Israel's main allies, starting with the US, had been mounting to outline a path towards the end of hostilities in Gaza and a program for the establishment of an administration at the end of military operations in the enclave. While claiming to meet these expectations, the text drawn up by Netanyahu's office laid down maximalist conditions, in contradiction with the American suggestions for a way out of the war, and was immediately rejected by Palestinian organizations. Strictly speaking, this was not a peace plan for the enclave, the terms of which could be negotiated, but essentially security guidelines to define the situation in Gaza "the day after Hamas," notably maintaining an Israeli military presence in the enclave as well as in the occupied West Bank. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken reiterated the US's opposition to any "reoccupation" of Gaza. Read more Subscribers only Failing to achieve its goals, Israel promises a 'long' war in Gaza Closure from the south As stated in the preamble to the text, a version of which has yet to be adopted by the government and which Le Monde has consulted, the immediate mission of the Israeli army remains the same, namely "The IDF will continue the war until its goals are achieved: The destruction of Hamas and the Islamic Jihads military capabilities and governmental infrastructure, the return of the hostages, and the prevention of any threats emanating from the Gaza Strip." This underlined Israel's determination to continue military operations in search of Hamas members, even though half of its forces including its main leaders in Gaza are said to be beyond its reach. Israeli sources have estimated that many of these fighters are now in the tunnels around Rafah, in the south of the enclave, on the edge of the border with Egypt, which supports the possibility of a large-scale operation carried out in this area where over a million displaced persons are massed, with incalculable consequences in human terms. Read more Subscribers only Hamas tunnels pose immense challenge for Israeli army Since January, Israel has also stated its intention of regaining control of the Philadelphi Corridor, the 13-kilometer buffer zone along the Palestinian side of the border with Egypt, to combat arms smuggling to Hamas via the tunnels linking the enclave to Egypt. This objective has already caused a stir between Tel Aviv and Cairo, which denounced a violation of the Camp David Accords. These peace agreements, signed between Egypt and Israel in 1978, stipulate that no heavy weaponry should be deployed in the area. However, Netanyahu's plan calls for a "southern closure" of the border with Egypt, in order to "prevent the rearmament of terrorist elements in the Gaza Strip." The US has stated its opposition to the possibility of such an operation, especially as the Israeli government has so far failed to formulate a precise plan for its implementation. You have 59.66% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only. Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Belgium's Prime Minister Alexander De Croo attend a wreath-lying ceremony at the Memory Wall of Fallen Defenders of Ukraine in Kyiv, February 24, 2024. HANDOUT / AFP Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky promised victory against Russia on the second anniversary of the invasion on Saturday, February 24, as his troops fight on despite a lack of Western aid and recent Russian gains. "We will win," he said at a ceremony at Kyiv's Gostomel airport, which was targeted by Russia in the first days of the all-out assault in 2022. He spoke alongside the Canadian, Italian and Belgian prime ministers and EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen who came to Kyiv to mark the date. When Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a "special military operation" at dawn on February 24, 2022, many expected victory within days, but Ukraine fought back, forcing Russian troops into humiliating retreats. Since then, however, Ukraine has suffered setbacks with the failure of its 2023 counteroffensive. The Russian army has built up a position of strength by boosting its defense industry, while Ukraine's troops are short of manpower and running low on Western-supplied ammunition for artillery and air defenses. NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg urged Ukraine and its allies not to "lose heart" and von der Leyen praised Ukraine's "extraordinary resistance" as she arrived in the Ukrainian capital. Ukraine's military chief Oleksandr Syrsky said he was confident of victory "because light always conquers darkness". Read more Subscribers only In Bucha, two years in the life of a Ukrainian family 'War is our life' But the overall picture remains bleak for Ukraine due to the US Congress blocking a vital $60 billion aid package, on top of delays in promised European deliveries. Russia is attacking hard in the east after capturing the heavily fortified town of Avdiivka on February 17. In the east Ukraine city of Pokrovsk a gathering point for civilians fleeing fighting troops sent a clear message to the foreign leaders gathered in Kyiv. Russia has kept up its barrage of devastating drone and missile attacks on Ukraine's cities. In the latest strikes, Ukrainian authorities said three civilians were killed in Dnipro and Odesa in the night between Friday and Saturday. In Kyiv, the mood was grim. Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said air raid sirens had sounded 989 times in the capital over two years of war an average of more than once a day. He said that "almost 200 civilians" had been killed in the capital over that time, including six children. Ukraine estimates the total number of civilians killed at around 50,000. Read more Subscribers only The war in Ukraine began in 2014, not two years ago 'Advantage is on our side' Neither side has given numbers for military deaths and injured, while both claim to have inflicted huge losses. In August 2023, The New York Times quoted US officials as putting Ukraine's military losses at 70,000 dead and 100,000 to 120,000 injured. Leaked US intelligence in December indicated that 315,000 Russian troops had been killed or wounded. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu visited Moscow's forces in occupied Ukraine, the army said on Saturday, telling them "in terms of the ratio of forces, the advantage is on our side". Moscow has massively ramped up its arms production and received drones from Iran, while Kyiv says it has confirmed Russia's use of North Korean missiles. Read more Subscribers only United States strengthens its arsenal of sanctions against Russia The conflict has thrown Russia into even greater isolation from the West, with the United States and its allies imposing a slew of sanctions. US President Joe Biden announced yet more sanctions against Russia Friday to stop Putin's "war machine." Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev on Saturday vowed Moscow would "take revenge." The Kremlin has used the war to rally patriotism and mount an even harsher crackdown on dissent. Several people were detained on Saturday at a protest in Moscow by wives of mobilized soldiers fighting in Ukraine asking for their loved ones to come home, according to independent media. A FATHER smashed a jeep and threatened to kill a man who was formerly in a relationship with his partner, on a farm in County Limerick, the circuit criminal court has heard. Judge Dermot Sheehan imposed reporting restrictions on naming the accused or the victim to protect the identities of the children both men have with the woman. Prosecuting barrister Lily Buckley, instructed by State solicitor Aidan Judge, outlined the case with the assistance of Detective Garda Christopher Cowan. The accused, who pleaded guilty to criminal damage on a date in August, 2020, was defended by Eimear Carey BL. Ms Buckley said there was a family law background with court orders in place over access. Relations became more fraught. Text messages of an unkind nature were exchanged between the victim and the accused, said Ms Buckley. The barrister said the victim had called to his former partners house, found the children were alone and contacted gardai. The court heard this led to rancour between the parties as the childrens mother said a neighbour was keeping an eye on them. The court heard the accused went to a farm to ask the victim out for a fight. The accused used a wheel brace, which he denies, to smash the windows of the jeep the victim was in. The glass blew in on the victim. He also cracked the windscreen and said Im going to kill you. The victim rang the last number in his phone which was the social worker and asked her to ring gardai. The victim feared being pulled out of the car. He reversed the jeep, went through an electric fence and hit a ditch, said Ms Buckley. Det Garda Cowan said he approached the victim on numerous occasions following the incident but there was zero engagement. The detective said during garda interviews the accused said he was going to see the victim to ask him out for a fair fight and have a straightener. Det Garda Cowan said he denied to gardai that he used a wheel brace but might have used a rock. READ MORE: Defence rests in Limerick Christmas party sex offence trial Ms Carey, barrister for the defendant, put it to the detective that a wheel brace wasnt recovered. Det Garda Cowan agreed. Judge Sheehan asked how are things now between the parties? Weve had no calls since, said Det Garda Cowan. Ms Carey said the court has got a flavour of the background. It was a most unsavoury incident. My client has struggled with alcoholism. He lost his temper. He went to straighten matters out and have a fair fight. It is in the context of a nasty background of the disintegration of a relationship. He is remorseful, said Ms Carey. The court heard the accused has a total of 25 previous convictions, mainly for public order offences connected to his alcohol dependency. Ms Carey said it was his first time in the circuit court and he has no previous convictions for criminal damage. Judge Sheehan said it was a frightening experience for the victim. The judge said gardai have not been involved since 2020 which is worthwhile to record. Judge Sheehan imposed an 18 month jail sentence for criminal damage with the final 16 months suspended. A man has been fined at Thurles District Court for carrying a prop gun in his waistband on a train. Emil Barchesan, 37, of Sheilas Hostel, 3/4 Belgrave Place, Wellington Road, Cork was charged with possession of a realistic imitation firearm at Templemore Train Station on July 21, 2023. The arresting guard told the court that on the day, gardai were alerted to an incident involving a male carrying a firearm on a train between Cork and Dublin. A witness was sitting opposite the defendant, who was asleep. As the defendant moved in his sleep, his jacket rode up, exposing what appeared to be a gun in his waistband. The court heard that the witness took a photo of the gun and alerted security. Staff stopped the train at Templemore Station and told the passengers they would be delayed because of technical difficulties. The guard told the court that they considered the incident a serious situation and an operation was put in place by Templemore and Thurles Garda Stations, including members of the Armed Support Unit. The defendant was arrested and taken to Thurles Garda Station. The gun was confiscated, but a ballistics report showed that the gun was an imitation firearm, the court was told. The guard told the court that Mr Barchesan cooperated fully with them and answered all the questions asked of him. The defendant told gardai that he boarded the train at Kent Station in Cork and intended to depart in Mallow to visit friends, but he fell asleep. Solicitor acting for the defendant Paddy Cadell, argued that his client collects imitation guns and it was never his clients intention for a member of the public to see this piece. He told the court that his client was taking the gun back to Romania the following day but missed his flight after the guards detained him for three nights. He said imitation guns are legal to buy both in Ireland and Romania and this one had been purchased in Killarney for 240. Mr Cadell told the court that his client had lost his job as a result of the incident. STAND The defendant told the court that the gun was not classed as a firearm. He said he and his father attend a firing range in Romania and collect guns. Mr Barchesan said he never intended to use the gun as weapon, and nobody knew he had it. He had taken it with him in case anybody had entered his hotel room in his absence. He also told the court that he had made all the necessary arrangements with the airport to transport the imitation gun. He told the court he was unemployed as a result of his face being shown on the news on his arrest. I lost three jobs because of this, said Mr Barchesan. Clint Eastwood However, Inspector James White of Thurles Garda Station said that was not the case. He told the court that garda inquiries had found that Mr Barchesan had lost his job prior to the incident. The defendant denied this. Inspector White asked the defendant why he had not just carried the gun in a bag. So you are saying the plan was put it in your waistband as if you were Clint Eastwood in a film? said the Inspector. The inspector put it to the defendant that it was very difficult for a member of the public to see the difference between the imitation gun and real firearm. He said it irresponsible for the defendant to carry the gun in the way that he had. He asked Mr Barchesan what he would have done had someone entered his hotel room while he was there. The defendant told the court he would point the gun at an intruder to protect himself. I have worked in other countries. Ive been cut. Ive been stabbed, said the defendant. JUDGEMENT Judge Elizabeth MacGrath said it was clear the man was in possession of an imitation gun that looked and felt, in its weight, real. She said an item like that should not be carried in public. The judge acknowledged that the defendant intended to take the item back to Romania but said she did not find his excuse reasonable. Mr Cadell asked that in light of his client having no previous convictions, that he be given the benefit of the probation act. However, Judge MacGrath said: There is a huge onus and responsibility on a person who owns an item like that. Im not dealing with it in any other way. The judge convicted Mr Barchesan and fined him 250. Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos, Nvidia and other big technology names are investing in startup Figure AI that develops human-like robots, Bloomberg News reported on Friday, citing people with knowledge of the situation. Figure AI, also backed by ChatGPT-maker OpenAI and Microsoft, is raising about $675 million in a funding round that carries a pre-money valuation of about $2 billion, according to the report. Bezos had committed $100 million through his firm Explore Investments LLC and Microsoft is investing $95 million, while Nvidia and an Amazon-affiliated fund are each providing $50 million, the report added. Investments in artificial intelligence startups have sparked after the launch of OpenAI's viral chatbot ChatGPT in November 2022, as investors sense an opportunity, betting on these startups that they might outpace bigger rivals. OpenAI, which at one point considered acquiring Figure, is investing $5 million, the report added. Backers include Intel's venture capital arm, LG Innotek, Samsung's investment group, as well as venture firms Parkway Venture Capital and Align Ventures, the report added. ARK Venture Fund, Aliya Capital Partners and Tamarack are also among investors in the startup, according to the report. Amazon, Nvidia, Microsoft and Intel declined to comment, while other names mentioned in the report, including Figure AI, did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment. Last year, Sunnyvale, California-based Figure, which develops general-purpose humanoid robots that could work in different environments and handle a variety of tasks from warehouses to retail, raised $70 million from investors led by Parkway Venture Capital in its first external round. Milestone Alert! Livemint tops charts as the fastest growing news website in the world Click here to know more. Unlock a world of Benefits! From insightful newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and a personalized newsfeed it's all here, just a click away! Login Now! This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed. Billionaire industrialist, Gautam Adani recently met Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi who is currently on a visit to India. After meeting with Khosrowshahi the business tycoon took to social media and dropped a hint of the potential tie-up between the Adani group and the San Fransisco-based Uber. Uber partners with ONDC Meanwhile, Uber is trying to make significant strides in the country, with the visit of CEO Khosrowshahi. Recently, Uber signed a pact with the government-backed Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC). Also Read: Former Google employee works as Uber driver in Bengaluru; Find out why "Our vision for Uber in India is to serve the mobility needs of all Indians. This is in line with ONDC's objective of democratising digital commerce. We are excited to take our first step through this MoU with ONDC to explore how we can accelerate our ambition to make Uber a platform for every Indian's daily mobility needs," Uber India and South Asia President Prabhjeet Singh said. The ride-hailing application is also exploring offerings like intercity bus and metro rail ticket bookings in India as a part of the partnership with the government-backed e-commerce initiative, reported Reuters citing sources. The partnership would let Uber rope in more customers on its application and compete with better local rivals to boost public transport use in the country. However, there are no significant details about Uber's partnership with ONDC. While speaking at a Bengaluru event, Uber's CEO expressed his company's struggle to progress in the Indian market because of the competitive pricing. He said that India is a difficult market to grow and if the company can succeed here, it can succeed anywhere else. Uber's partnership with ONDC would help in its expansion in the country. As a technology company, Uber views open-source tech stacks such as ONDC with a lot of interest and recognises the opportunities they bring for everyone, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said on Thursday. Milestone Alert! Livemint tops charts as the fastest growing news website in the world Click here to know more. Unlock a world of Benefits! From insightful newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and a personalized newsfeed it's all here, just a click away! Login Now! JPMorgan Chase & Co. Chief Executive Officer Jamie Dimon and his family sold $150 million worth of the banks stock, following through on last years announcement that he would begin selling shares for the first time since taking the helm 18 years ago. Dimon and his family sold about 822,000 shares in a series of transactions on Thursday, according to a US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filing. The stock, which has outperformed the broader market and peers during his tenure, is trading at a record high. Mr. Dimon continues to believe the companys prospects are very strong and his stake in the company will remain very significant," the company said in an October filing about his planned sales. A representative for the firm declined further comment on Friday. The October announcement said Dimon planned to sell one million shares, subject to terms of a stock-trading plan. Along with his family, he continues to hold about 7.7 million shares after Thursdays sales. JPMorgan was a winner among banks last year amid its deal for First Republic Bank, with its stock rallying 27% and the New York-based company posting record net interest income. When he took over as CEO, the stock was trading for about $40. He sold the shares on Thursday for nearly $183 a piece, as the stock had rallied roughly 30% since the October announcement that he planned to offload shares. Shares gained 0.5% on Friday. On Wall Street, analysts are decisively bullish on JPMorgan shares prospects. Two dozen hold buy-equivalent recommendations, giving it the highest consensus rating among its handful of biggest banking peers. The return potential implied by their price targets is more than 4% over the next twelve months. Milestone Alert! Livemint tops charts as the fastest growing news website in the world Click here to know more. Unlock a world of Benefits! From insightful newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and a personalized newsfeed it's all here, just a click away! Login Now! This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed. SEOULThe executive chairman of Samsung Electronics, Lee Jae-yong, has been convicted of bribing a former South Korean president. He was charged with stock-price manipulation and accounting fraud for a past merger of two Samsung affiliates. And he was charged with unlawfully using the sedative propofol. For the bribery conviction, he spent roughly 560 days behind bars in two separate stints during the past decade. He continued to lead the electronics titan during this time. Now, in a rare break for Samsungs leader, he isnt facing any criminal charges. Lee, 55 years old, is the wealthiest person in South Korea and a celebrity. Local media closely follow his every move. A padded vest he was photographed in at the airportmade by a Samsung-owned fashion brand Beanpolequickly sold out online. Locals have taken note of his choice of eyeglasses (the Austrian brand Silhouette) and flocked to buy the lip balm that Lee was seen applying during a televised parliamentary hearing (the American brand Softlips). More recently, his daughters summer-internship plans at a Chicago-based NGO became national news. A Seoul court this month acquitted him of the last outstanding charges of stock manipulation and accounting fraud. Prosecutors have appealed, but even if the higher court were to reach an alternate ruling, the chances of his landing back in prison are low, legal experts say. Lee has said he is innocent of all finance charges and was pardoned for the bribery conviction in 2022. He paid a fine to settle the drug charges in 2021. A Samsung Electronics spokeswoman declined to comment or make Lee available for an interview for this article. When his father, a legendarily hard-charging leader of Samsung, fell ill in 2014, Lee seemed poised to elevate Samsung to new heights. He had been groomed from an early age to lead South Koreas largest business conglomerate and its crown jewel, Samsung Electronics, the worlds largest maker of memory chips and a dominant player in smartphones and TVs. He studied business administration at Harvard, is fluent in English and Japanese, and favors a Westernized name abroad: Jay Y." Executive visits in jail Instead, senior Samsung executives were his regular visitors at the Seoul Detention Center, where Lee was serving time for his bribery conviction in a cell measuring 68 square feet, which is roughly half the size of a standard U.S. parking space. He had a foldable mattress, table, chair, sink, toilet and television (it was made by Samsungs rival LG). After his jail time ended, Lee continued to be tied down by legal woes. Over the last roughly 3 years, Lee has had weekly court appearances while on trial for charges linked to the 2015 merger of two Samsung affiliates. Samsungs different businesses are run by CEOs and senior managers, but Lee is the top boss who sets the firms strategy and approves major decisions. Now that Lee can focus on the business full-time, Samsung Electronics, where Lee dedicates most of his time, just posted its worst annual earnings in a decade amid a slump in its mainstay memory-chip business and a reordering of the semiconductor industry. Apple just leapfrogged Samsung as the No. 1 smartphone maker by shipments. SK Hynix has raced ahead in partnering with Nvidia with specialized memory chips that power artificial-intelligence systems. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.has extended its lead in the contract chip-making business. Samsung hasnt made a major acquisition in seven years. Days after his recent acquittal, Lee visited a Samsung SDI battery factory in Malaysia. He implored employees not to dwell on short-term performance. He called for bold investments and change. We must not be intimidated by difficulties," he said. Lees assumption of power atop Samsung was never in question. His unrivaled appointment to head Samsunghis two sisters head Samsung affiliatesis a vestige of South Koreas decades-old, family-run conglomerates, or chaebols, where family succession is the norm. As the country climbed out of postwar poverty, the government maintained close ties with a handful of mega-firms, such as Samsung, allocating capital and quieting labor unrest. The lines between government and business have often blurred. Many of the chaebol heads of the past have been convicted of white-collar crimes involving political leaders. With few exceptions, the business tycoons got exonerated with presidential pardons intended to spur the economyand in the case of Lees father, Lee Kun-hee, to help South Korea land the 2018 Winter Olympics. Lee Jae-yongs pardon factored in the nations economic situation and followed lobbying by business groups that warned his absence might result in the country losing its top status in semiconductors and other key businesses. South Korean corporate-governance experts, foreign investors and local civic groups have often criticized the leniency shown to chaebol headsas they did again after Lee Jae-yongs recent acquittal. This is an unprecedented let Samsung off the hook ruling," according to Solidarity for Economic Reform, a South Korean civic group, which argued the decision distorted basic facts to win Lee and Samsungs innocence. The Republic of Samsung South Korea has been called the Republic of Samsung. It has dozens of affiliates spanning theme parks to biopharmaceuticals to credit cards. A South Korean can be born in a Samsung hospital and be laid to rest at a Samsung funeral home. Samsung Electronics alone represents about one-fifth of the countrys benchmark Kospi index. Lees legal travails havent largely hurt his or his firms local standing. More than three-quarters of South Koreans backed his pardon in 2022. Lee married Lim Se-ryung, an heiress of Daesang Group, one of South Koreas large food-business conglomerates, in 1998. They have a son and a daughter who were born in the U.S. and have dual citizenship in the U.S. and South Korea. The couple divorced in 2009, and Lim has been publicly dating Lee Jung-jae, the lead actor in the Netflix hit Squid Game." Lee doesnt receive a salary. He maintained the title of vice chairman from 2012 until 2022, and became executive chairman in October 2022. I know there are concerns, criticism, worries and big expectations for me. I will do my best," Lee had told reporters in 2021, as he left the Seoul Detention Center after getting paroled for the bribery charge. While scheduling around his court dates, Lee made more than a dozen trips in recent years, including a state visit in December to the Netherlands with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol to discuss semiconductors. He has also visited various Samsung affiliates in South Korea and elsewhere and delivered short, motivational messages to employees. In February of last year, Lee visited Samsungs display-making facilities in the South Korean city of Asan and called on the firm to innovate continuously and invest pre-emptively to develop capabilities that no one can surpass." Since leaving jail, Lee has also traveled abroad for, or hosted in Seoul, some of Samsungs key business partners, including Google Chief Executive Sundar Pichai, Microsofts Satya Nadella and SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son. His style stands in contrast with the forceful direction of his late father, who died in 2020. Under Lee Kun-hee, Samsung became a dominant memory-chip manufacturer and evolved from a copycat electronics maker into Apples chief smartphone rival. He once famously assembled top Samsung officials, burned a pile of the companys mobile phones in disgust and issued a famous directive: Change everything except your wife and children." Lee is now expected to become more active in pushing for major investments or structural changes to show what he can do without legal issues holding him down, said Mike Cho, a corporate-governance expert and professor at Korea University in Seoul. A lot of people want him to act like a big tech leader, who is really active and proactive. He knows that, so I think he will act more like that in the future," Cho said. Write to Jiyoung Sohn at jiyoung.sohn@wsj.com The Indian insurance landscape has undergone a significant transformation in recent years, and Policybazaar has been at the forefront of this change. Livemint spoke with Tarun Mathur, Co-founder and Chief Business Officer of Policybazaar, to delve into the inspiration behind the company, the challenges it faced, and its vision for the future of insurance in India. Edited Excerpts: What was the idea behind starting Policybazaar? So, most of it came from the model of ebookers, a travel aggregator company. MakeMyTrip and Yatra were already ruling the travel booking business. We wanted to create an aggregator platform but we didn't want to be the third best in the country, since there were already travel booking platforms in India. Insurance seemed like a hard-to-understand product but mandatory for Indians to buy. In India, it is mandatory for people to buy motor insurance. It was easy to put everything online including the features, brands, services, and price. It was easy to make a decision online and purchase. It was possible to do everything online. Whereas, brands that were selling physical products online struggled initially, including Amazon, Flipkart etc. We chose insurance because it is the most digital product in the world. It is a promise delivered online. Also Read | Paytm's loss is BharatPe, PhonePe, MobiKwik and other fintechs' gain; 42% Kirana stores switch to alternatives What were the challenges that you faced to enable the adaptation of Policybazaar? Policybazaar was founded in June 2008. When we set up the company the market had just crashed, everything was looking downward, funding had dried up too. We were becoming pessimistic towards raising funding for Policbazaar. However, Sanjeev Bikhchandani, founder and executive vice chairman of Info Edge came forward and said that it was the right time to invest in the insurance business. Additionally, while the Internet was quite prominent, however buying on the Internet was not. But people have started buying travel tickets online. People were ready to risk their money online hoping that it would work. How did you convince people to buy insurance online? One thing that worked in our favour was that the insurance market was selling at a discount of 25 per cent to 30 per cent. When we entered the business, we decided to reduce the margin and started selling insurance at 60 per cent discounts. We always had the best products. As soon as people bought one product they didn't mind buying the second product. Earlier people would come online check our prices and proceed to buy insurance offline through their agents. So to tackle this we deployed telecallers who would call these users and clear their doubts by providing them assistance and converting those calls into purchases. Telecallers played a major role in establishing the faith of customers in Policybazaar. How has the insurance sector evolved after the inception of Policybazaar? When we came aggregators were not a common thing. While we were not the only one in the aggregation business, we were the most resilient one. Earlier it was hard to explain the role of aggregators to regulators. But now the regulatory bodies understand what aggregators are. Digital platforms have become the largest channel of sales for every product. With technologies like telematics and wearables, how do you see AI changing the insurance sector in India? Telematics in India is still not a hit yet. A telematics device alone costs around 3,000, while an average motor insurance costs around 6000 for a year. It is hard to convince people to pay 3000 extra for the telematics devices. Additionally, India already has the lowest premiums for car insurance. Our tariffs are at 3 per cent, leaving little to no scope for further discounts to reward good drivers. It has not even worked well around the world While wearables have shown promising results there are insurance companies that track the steps of a person and if the buyer completes the target their premium for next month gets waived off. Wearables like rings, watches etc are helping customers who are fitter to get better insurance with wider coverage at lower prices compared to a customer who is choosing to be a couch potato. AI has removed all the receptive tasks. As an example, earlier we had an issue with the pdf document of insurance being delivered to customers after they made the purchase. Now, AI has automated that process by checking if the customer has received the document in their mail and if they have not, it ensures the delivery via WhatsApp or other channels. AI has also helped us flag fraudsters. It has helped us identify risk elements in customers and also the ones who deserve to be rewarded. Milestone Alert! Livemint tops charts as the fastest growing news website in the world Click here to know more. Unlock a world of Benefits! From insightful newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and a personalized newsfeed it's all here, just a click away! Login Now! In a startling revelation, it has been revealed that the Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has rejected every third claim that it received, reported Indian Express. A number of subscribers have raised their grievances relating to delay in claim settlement on the official X handle of EPFO, which is the worlds largest social security organisation with over 277 million accounts and a corpus of nearly 20 lakh crore. The pension body, in response to one such query, stated that it normally takes 20 days to settle a claim or release the PF amount if the same submitted to the concerned EPFO office is complete. Out of the total 73.87 lakh claims received for final PF settlement in financial year 2022-23, 33.8 per cent (24.93 lakh) were rejected. At the same time, 46.66 lakh were settled and 2.18 lakh remained as closing balance, shows official data. This was considerably higher than the rate of rejection in 2017-18 and 2018-19, when it stood at nearly 13 per cent and 18.2 per cent, respectively. ALSO READ: Pension Payment Order: How to find your PPO number? A step-by-step guide The rate of rejection, in percentage terms of rejected claims out of total applications for claims, jumped further to 24.1 per cent in 2019-20 and 30.8 per cent in 2020-21 for final settlement claims. Moving to 2021-22, the rate of rejection for final settlement claims rose to 35.2 per cent i.e., more than one-third of the total number of claims that the pension body received. View Full Image The percentage of rejected claims has been on a rise for the past five years, although it fell marginally from 2021-21 to 2022-23. Working under pressure Meanwhile, officials from the Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) in October last year had expressed their concern about being under extreme pressure" . This pressure stems from the recent reversion to manual annual account updates by the EPFO, while they are held accountable for any delays in claim settlements beyond the stipulated 20-day timeframe. The chief cause of this issue was attributed to the organisations outdated IT system, which was perceived as obsolete by the staff of pension fund body. Announcement of interest Additionally, the Central Board Trustees EPFO on Feb 10 recommended an annual rate of interest of 8.25 per cent to be credited on EPF accumulations in members accounts for the financial year 2023-24. The Board also recommended a distribution of income of 1,07,000 crores to EPF members accounts on a total principal of around 13 lakh crores. The total income recommended for distribution was the highest so far. Milestone Alert! Livemint tops charts as the fastest growing news website in the world Click here to know more. Unlock a world of Benefits! From insightful newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and a personalized newsfeed it's all here, just a click away! Login Now! Warren Buffett left no doubt: He misses Charlie Munger , and so will Berkshire Hathaway's shareholders. Buffett on Saturday devoted a special section of his annual shareholder letter to Munger, who died in November at age 99. The 93-year-old Buffett called his long-time business partner a key driver behind what has become his more than $900 billion, Omaha, Nebraska-based conglomerate. "Charlie was the 'architect' of the present Berkshire, and I acted as the 'general contractor' to carry out the day-by-day construction of his vision," Buffett wrote. Jim Shanahan, an Edward Jones analyst who covers Berkshire, called that a "profound compliment" from arguably the world's most revered investor. "Buffett gave Charlie Munger a lot of credit for Berkshire's success and his personal success," he said. "Without his wisdom and guidance, Buffett wouldn't have been as successful as he has been." Munger's death deprived Buffett of his closest confidante of more than 60 years, the last 45 as a Berkshire vice chairman. The two grew up at the same time in Omaha, though Buffett did not meet Munger until 1959. Under their leadership, Berkshire became the owner of dozens of businesses such as Geico insurance and the BNSF railroad and holder of more than $350 billion in stocks led by Apple . Munger was known for his common-sense, witty and occasionally acerbic maxims. "Envy is a really stupid sin," he said in 2003, "because it's the only one you could never possibly have any fun at." But he also became known as the person who changed Buffett's attitude toward investing. Buffett credited Munger with convincing him to buy "wonderful companies at fair prices instead of fair companies at wonderful prices" -- the latter of which Buffett has referred to as "cigar butts" because their businesses might still contain puffs of smoke. Calling him Berkshire's "architect" alluded to Munger's passion for architecture, including designing buildings. Buffett also recalled Munger's relative modesty, saying Munger was okay with letting him "take the bows and receive the accolades" while serving more as an older brother or loving father. One place Munger shared the stage was at Berkshire's annual meeting, where he and Buffett would sit before tens of thousands of shareholders -- and millions more online -- fielding shareholder questions and often finishing each other's thoughts. Munger's death means Buffett will likely share the stage at this year's May 4 annual meeting only with Vice Chairman Greg Abel, who is slated to eventually become chief executive, and Vice Chairman Ajit Jain. James Armstrong, who leads Henry H Armstrong Associates in Pittsburgh and has owned Berkshire stock for more than 35 years, said Buffett's letter was an apt epitaph for Munger and what he meant to Berkshire. "Charlie's impact was huge," he said. "It may not have been understood by the public, but it is now." Milestone Alert! Livemint tops charts as the fastest growing news website in the world Click here to know more. Unlock a world of Benefits! From insightful newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and a personalized newsfeed it's all here, just a click away! Login Now! In a "significant step towards prohibiting child marriages" in Assam, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma repealed the age-old Assam Muslim Marriages and Divorces Registration Act on Friday. He said the Act contained provisions allowing marriage registration even if the bride and groom had not reached the legal ages of 18 and 21. The Assam Cabinet gave approval to the Assam Repealing Ordinance, 2024 for repealing the Assam Muslim Marriages and Divorces Registration Act on Friday. It is believed that by repealing the Assam Muslim Marriages and Divorces Registration Act, the Assam government paved the way for the Uniform Civil Code in the state. ALSO READ: Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma's Hindutva politics and anti-Muslim stance: Five big controversies What will change after the implementation of this order? The law currently provides the facility for voluntary registration of Muslim marriages and divorces. After the implementation of the new ordinance, district commissioners and district registrar will be authorised to take custody of registration records currently held by 94 Muslim Marriage Registrars. Moreover, one-time compensation of 2 lakh will be provided to Muslim Marriage Registrars for their rehabilitation after the Act is repealed. ALSO READ: Bhagavad Gita verse Controversy: Assam CM Himanta Sarma says, 'As soon as I noticed the mistake...' Why was the ACT repealed? > The Assam government said it was an obsolete pre-independence Act of the British for the Province of Assam. > It said the registration of marriages and divorces is not mandatory as per the Act and the machinery of registration is informal, leaving a lot of scope for non-compliance of extant norms. > As per the provisions of the Act, there remains scope for registering the marriage of intended persons below 21 years (for males) and 18 years (for females) and there is hardly any monitoring for the implementation of the Act. Milestone Alert! Livemint tops charts as the fastest growing news website in the world Click here to know more. Unlock a world of Benefits! From insightful newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and a personalized newsfeed it's all here, just a click away! Login Now! The Assam Cabinet took a significant stride in prohibiting child marriage within the state by repealing the 'Assam Muslim Marriages and Divorces Registration Act, 1935. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma termed the Act as age-old, and said on X that this decision signals a significant advancement in the efforts to prohibit child marriages in Assam. "On February 23, the Assam cabinet made a significant decision to repeal the age-old Assam Muslim Marriages and Divorces Registration Act. This act contained provisions allowing marriage registration even if the bride and groom had not reached the legal ages of 18 and 21, as required by law. This move marks another significant step towards prohibiting child marriages in Assam," Assam CM said. The state government mentioned after repealing the law, District Commissioners and District Registrars will be authorised to take custody of registration records currently in the custody of 94 Muslim Marriage Registrars on the repeal of the legislation under the overall supervision, guidance and control of the Inspector General of Registration." According to the 2011 Census, Muslims make up 34% of Assam's population, totalling 1.06 crore individuals out of a total population of 3.12 crore. The Assam Government has announced a one-time compensation of 2 lakh for Muslim Marriage Registrars to support their rehabilitation following the repeal of the Act. As reported by the Indian Express citing, state Minister Jayanta Malla Baruah said it was a colonial act and a very important step in the journey towards a Uniform Civil Code in the state." Additionally, the government cited the obsolescence of the pre-Independence British-era law, which was originally formulated for the Province of Assam, as the primary reason for its repeal. Registration of marriages and divorces is not mandatory as per the Act and the machinery of registration is informal, leaving a lot of scope for non-compliance of extant norms," the state government noted. Meanwhile, as per provisions of the Act, there remains scope for registering marriages of intended persons below 21 years (for males) and 18 years (for females) and there is hardly any monitoring for implementation of the Act," the state government said. (With inputs from ANI) Milestone Alert! Livemint tops charts as the fastest growing news website in the world Click here to know more. Unlock a world of Benefits! From insightful newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and a personalized newsfeed it's all here, just a click away! Login Now! A relative of Dawood Ibrahim , Nihal Khan was allegedly shot dead during a wedding event in Uttar Pradesh's Jalalabad. As reported by Free Press Journal, Nihal Khan, who hailed from Mumbai's Byculla had journeyed to Uttar Pradesh to attend the wedding. The body has been sent for autopsy, and the authorities are conducting a probe into the matter. Shahjahanpur's Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Ashok Kumar Meena noted that the accused will be arrested soon. According to the report, the shooting occurred in Jalalabad, located in the Shahjahanpur district, where Khan sustained a gunshot wound to the neck. Nihal Khan had familial connections to Dawood Ibrahim's brother Iqbal Kaskar, as Nihal was married to Rizwana Hassan, Kaskar's sister. Also Read: Dawood Ibrahim's ancestral property in Maharashtra auctioned for 2 crore It is to be noted that multiple cases have been registered against Nihal in Mumbai. Mint could not confirm this development independently. Currently, Iqbal Kaskar is serving time in Taloja central jail for an extortion case dating back to 2018. Additionally, Free Press Journal reported citing sources that Shakeel Khan, the chairman of Jalalabad city, was also related to Nihal as his brother-in-law. Earlier, in 2016, Nihal caused a stir when he eloped with Shakeel Khan's niece, sparking a 15-day search before the matter was resolved through a compromise without legal repercussions. An FIR has been registered against Kamil Khan under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code following a complaint by Nihal's wife, Ruksar, in Jalalabad, Uttar Pradesh. Also Read: Four ancestral properties of Dawood Ibrahim to be auctioned today; Shiv Sena's Ajay Srivastava among bidders Dawood Ibrahim, the mastermind behind the 1993 Mumbai blasts and one of India's most wanted criminals, has reportedly been residing in Pakistan for many years. The bombings, which claimed the lives of over 250 people and injured thousands, were a tragic event. Despite Indian authorities suggesting that Ibrahim is living in Karachi's upscale Clifton area, Pakistan has consistently denied his presence in the country. However, in January 2023, Ibrahim's nephew disclosed to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) that he had remarried and was living with his family in Karachi. Also Read: If Dawood fights poll...: BJP MP reacts to Bengal CM over Mahua Moitra 'theory' Furthermore, Ibrahim and his criminal organization, D-company, continue to exert control over various illegal activities in Mumbai, including drug trafficking, arms smuggling, and counterfeiting, as stated in the 10th edition of the Global Terrorism Index (GTI). The report also underscores the strong connections between D-company and global terrorist networks, notably al-Qaida. (With inputs from agencies) Milestone Alert! Livemint tops charts as the fastest growing news website in the world Click here to know more. Unlock a world of Benefits! From insightful newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and a personalized newsfeed it's all here, just a click away! Login Now! Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday inaugurated the fifth campus of the Birla group-run engineering institute BITS Pilani in Kalyan, Maharashtra. During her speech at the new campus, Finance Minister Sitharaman applauded the development in education sector during the Modi government. Also Read: Nirmala Sitharaman rides Mumbai local train, interacts with passengers | See Pictures "Since 2014, one new IIT/IIM is opened every year, every week 1 new university is built in India, every third day 1 Atal Tinkering lab is opened, every second day 1 new college is being constructed, every day 1 new ITI is getting formed, 1.4 crore youth have been trained under the Skill India Mission," FM Sitharaman said on Saturday. Also Read: Income Tax: Small outstanding tax demands remitted. How to check your status? FM Sitharaman also said that the government is ensuring sufficient budgetary allocation for the growth of the education sector and is actively pursuing the Mutual Recognition of Academic Qualifications (MRA) framework with different countries like France, Australia, and UAE so that they can take Indian students through an MoU. Also Read: Congress alleges quid-pro-quo between BJP and donors, seeks 'white paper' on party finances During the inauguration of the new campus, Sitharaman said that the Birla institute has produced as many as 7,300 Fortune 500 CEOs, 300 academics of global repute and 600 civil servants. The latest campus of the institute is located near the Kalayan area of the megapolis. It is built for 1,600 crore and is spread across 60 acres of land area. The brand new campus will accommodate 5,000 students at full capacity, said Kumar Mangalam Birla, the group chairman and the chancellor of the institute. Also Read: India needs more SBI-sized banks, or three times larger: FM Nirmala Sitharaman The new campus provides not just engineering courses but also caters provides education in law, management and design. The design school started just last week, whereas, the law and management schools were being run by the institute from last year from BITS Pilani's temporary campus in Powai. The first institute of the Birla group was established in 1964 in Pilani, which is the native village of the Birlas in Rajasthan's Marwad region. At present, BITS Pilani houses around 80,000 students across its five campuses in Pilani, Goa, Hyderabad, Dubai and Kalyan. Milestone Alert! Livemint tops charts as the fastest growing news website in the world Click here to know more. Unlock a world of Benefits! From insightful newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and a personalized newsfeed it's all here, just a click away! Login Now! Abdul Malik, the mastermind of the violence that took place on February 8 in Banbhoolpura, Haldwani, was arrested on Saturday. The Uttarakhand Police arrested him from Delhi, PHQ spokesperson Inspector-General (IG) Nilesh Bharne said. Apart from Malik, two more rioters were arrested on Saturday, taking the total number of people arrested so far in the case to 81. "We have brought Malik to Haldwani. He is in our custody. He will be produced before a court at the earliest," Nainital Senior Superintendent of Police Prahlad Narayan Meena said. Police informed that Malik's son is still on the run. Malik allegedly built an "illegal" madrasa in the Banbhoolpura area of Haldwani. Its demolition led to the violence in Banbhoolpura area of Haldwani in Nanital district on February 8. Malik was arrested days after a fresh case of fraud and criminal conspiracy was registered against him and five other people in connection with the Haldwani violence. ALSO READ: Haldwani News: Who is Nainital DM Vandana Singh and why she's in news today "Malik and his wife Safia are among six persons booked for criminal conspiracy and fraudulently using a dead man's name for illegal plotting, construction and transfer of land, Nainital SSP Prahlad Narayan Meena said. The accused have been charged with hatching a criminal conspiracy to mislead the government departments and the court on the basis of false affidavits," a police official was quoted by ANI as saying on Thursday. As per the police, they were booked under sections 120B(criminal conspiracy), 417 (cheating) and 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property) of the IPC, he told reporters. Earlier, three FIRs were registered in connection with the incident. Police had said, "Four more rioters were arrested, taking the total number of arrests so far to 78 in the February 8 violence that broke out over the demolition of an illegal madrasa in Banbhoolpura." Meanwhile, police issued a a look-out notice against Malik and his son Abdul Moid. Their property in the town was also attached. "Malik had built the illegal madrasa and vehemently opposed its demolition," police said. His wife had moved the court challenging the municipal corporation's notice for demolition. Violence had erupted over the demolition of an illegally built madrasa in the Banbhoolpura area on February 8. Locals allegedly hurled stones and petrol bombs were also thrown at municipal workers and police. This let to many police personnel seeking refuge at a police station, which the mob then set on fire. In the violence, six rioters were killed and more than a hundred, including police personnel and mediapersons, were injured, according to police. More than 10 days after the violence that hit Haldwani city in Uttarakhand , the state police has identified an NGO that allegedly collected funds to instigate the rioters in Banbhoolpura. (With inputs from agencies) Milestone Alert! Livemint tops charts as the fastest growing news website in the world Click here to know more. Unlock a world of Benefits! From insightful newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and a personalized newsfeed it's all here, just a click away! Login Now! The Congress government in Karnataka could not pass the Hindu Religious Endowment Amendment Bill (popularly known as the temple tax bill) in the Legislative Assembly due to the lack of strength of the government in the State's Council. Here is all you need to know about the bill and why it was rejected. 10 things to know about temple tax bill The Bill mandates the state to collect 10% tax from temples generating revenue exceeding 1 crore and 5% from shrines with revenue of between 10 lakh and 1 crore. 1 crore and 5% from shrines with revenue of between 10 lakh and 1 crore. As the government placed the Religious Endowment Amendment bill inside the assembly on Friday, the opposition expressed great displeasure against it. Amid opposition pressure, Karnataka Minister Ramalinga Reddy said that he will present the bill again on Monday. However, Deputy Chairman of Karnataka Legislative Council Pranesh had objected to this. He cited that once a bill has been discussed, it cannot be postponed. Following this, the house was adjourned for 10 minutes to discuss and decide. When the voting procedure started for the Religious Endowment Bill, though a large number of BJP and opposition members participated, only five members of the ruling party were present. As expected, more MLAs voted against the bill in the Assembly, than those who supported it. Hence, the bill failed to pass. As the bill fell, BJP members raised 'Jai Shree Ram' slogans while Congress members shouted 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai'. Amid the criticism for government's amendments to the Hindu Religious Institutions and Charitable Endowment Bill, ministers Ramalinga Reddy and Dinesh Gundu Rao staunchly defended it. Ramalinga Reddy alleged that BJP is 'anti-Hindu' adding that the party which was in power in 2011 had made the amendments to the Bill. Meanwhile, minister for Health, Dinesh Gundu Rao said that the BJP should realise the Bill is for the benefit of the temples. Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said that the allegations regarding the amendments to the Bill "appear to be misrepresented", "aiming only at misleading the public" and "polarizing people along communal lines for political leverage." Milestone Alert! Livemint tops charts as the fastest growing news website in the world Click here to know more. Unlock a world of Benefits! From insightful newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and a personalized newsfeed it's all here, just a click away! Login Now! Three men have been booked and one has been detained for allegedly threatening to burn down the Ayodhya Special train returning to Mysuru. The incident took place after the three accused boarded the second carriage of the train, and reacted in anger after devotees raised the slogan of Jai Shri Ram" at the train. The three men allegedly threatened to burn the train. Also Read: Ayodhya Ram Mandir ropes in SBI's counting machines as it receives 25 crore donations in a month The situation worsened and later the accused were caught by the passengers and handed over to the railway police force. However, the matter gained controversy after the police did not detain the three men and released them. The incident led to a significant protest by the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) workers at the railway station demanding the arrest of the three men, the police told Hindustan Times. Also Read: Ayodhya news: Devotees flock to Saryu for holy dip; Ram Lalla mandir for darshan on Magh Purnima 2024 | WATCH Later, the superintendent of police (SP) of Bellary, BL Shriharibabu, had to arrive at the railway station along with police personnel from multiple stations to control the situation. We have detained one person, a native of Hospet, in connection with the incident. We booked him under sections 295A (malicious act intending to outrage religious feelings), 504 (intentional insult), and 506 (threatening with life) of the Indian Penal Code. We are searching for the other two accused," HT quoted inspector Mudiyappa from Bellary railway police. Also Read: Ayodhya news: Ram Mandir, Hanuman Garhi, and more; here's a list of famous temples in UP's temple town The matter was brought to the Legislative Council (LC) where the leader of the opposition (LoP) in LC, Kota Srinivas Poojari raised an objection to the release of the people who threatened to burn down the train by the police. The incident also garnered significant criticism from the BJP leaders and Bajrang Dal activists. Many BJP leaders have accused the Congress of encouraging such incidents for the vote bank. Reacting to the incident, Union Minister Prahlad Joshi, said, Those who made such threats should be kicked on the back. Congress is encouraging such incidents for the vote bank." Milestone Alert! Livemint tops charts as the fastest growing news website in the world Click here to know more. Unlock a world of Benefits! From insightful newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and a personalized newsfeed it's all here, just a click away! Login Now! Prime Minister Narendra Modi will dedicate AIIMS Kalyani to the nation during a virtual inauguration ceremony on Sunday. The 960-bed hospital was built at a cost of 1,754 crore and began operations in 2019. Officials however say that the hospital located in West Bengal's Nadia district is currently operating without an environmental clearance. According to the West Bengal Pollution Control Board, AIIMS Kalyani is currently in the violation category and faces an environmental damage cost and penalty summed up to over 15 crore. The institution has however applied for an exemption and contends that a healthcare facility does not require an environmental clearance. "The authorities of the AIIMS Kalyani had applied for environmental clearance on October 6, 2022. Its construction started before they obtained the clearance," WBPCB Chairman Kalyan Rudra told a press conference. He contended that the state government had no authority to exempt the amount. The WBPCB said that it had filed a case before ACJMs court in Kalyani over the matter. Details shared by the PIB in late December 2023 however make no mention of the issue. 22 new All India Institutes of Medical Sciences are being set up across the country under Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana and currently remain at varying levels of progress. Construction work completed. MBBS classes, OPD services and IPD services operationalised," the PIB press note said about AIIMS Kalyani. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate Gujarats first AIIMS during a visit to Rajkot on February 25. The top official will arrive at AIIMS Rajkot on Sunday Sunday afternoon and later address a rally at the Race Course ground. He will also take part in a kilometre-long road show from the old airport to the venue of the public rally. Modi will virtually inaugurate four other newly-built AIIMS in Mangalagiri, Bathinda, Rae Bareli, and Kalyani during the function. (With inputs from agencies) Milestone Alert! Livemint tops charts as the fastest growing news website in the world Click here to know more. Unlock a world of Benefits! From insightful newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and a personalized newsfeed it's all here, just a click away! Login Now! Two government school teachers in Kota district, Mirza Mujahid and Firoz Khan, have been suspended following allegations of involvement in religious conversion activities and connections to banned organizations. A third teacher, Shabana, is also facing an investigation in this regard. The action came after a local group, Sarva Hindu Samaj, submitted a memorandum to the Education Minister raising concerns about alleged religious conversion attempts and "love jihad" activities at a school in Sangod block since 2019. The memorandum further claimed connections between the teachers and banned groups, along with an alleged abduction of a Hindu girl. Education Minister Madan Dilawar confirmed the suspensions and ongoing investigation in a video statement. He emphasized the seriousness of the allegations, including forced religious conversions and pressure on Hindu girls. He assured strict action against the accused teachers, potentially including termination of their employment, upon completion of the investigation. The action came after Sarva Hindu Samaj, Sangod, sent a memorandum to the Education Minister, alleging that activities of religious conversion and love jihad have been going on in the school since 2019. Dilawar, in a video statement issued on Friday, said that strict action has been initiated against three teachers in a government senior secondary school at Khajuri Odpur village in Sangod. "In the Khajoori village of Sangod panchayat samiti in Kota district, the religion of a girl in senior secondary school was mentioned as 'Islam' in the transfer certificate of a girl despite her being a Hindu. A conspiracy of religious conversion and 'love jihad' is happening there, Hindu girls are being forced to offer namaz - this has come to our notice," he said. He further said that if the teachers are found to be involved in these acts, the three of them will be terminated from the job. "As soon as this was brought to my notice, I decided to take strict action against three teachers. In this context, I suspended two teachers - Firoz Khan and Mirza Mujahideen. Further action is being taken against one Shabana. All three of them have been sent to Bikaner. I will take strict action against them after a detailed investigation. If needed, I will expel them," the state minister added. Milestone Alert! Livemint tops charts as the fastest growing news website in the world Click here to know more. Unlock a world of Benefits! From insightful newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and a personalized newsfeed it's all here, just a click away! Login Now! This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed. The first time I witnessed Mr. Fali Sam Nariman in his full glory was in the Supreme Court in 2016. A three-judge bench headed by Justice Dipak Misra was hearing one of the most hotly contested cases of the last three decades- the Cauvery Water dispute issue. Mr. Nariman was appearing for the State of Karnataka. As an interim measure, the Supreme Court had directed the State of Karnataka to release 15000 cusecs of water to the State of Tamil Nadu. The State Legislative Assembly of Karnataka, in an open defiance of the Supreme Court order, passed a resolution to not release the share of Cauvery water into the State of Tamil Nadu; Mr Nariman was called the conscience keeper of the bar for a reason and what happened on 16th February, 2016 tells us why. He unflinchingly placed before the Honble Court his correspondence with Mr. Siddaramaiah, the then Chief Minister of State of Karnataka, wherein he had made it clear that he would not appear for the State until the Supreme Court orders were followed. Also Read: Most outstanding legal mind: PM Narendra Modi on legal legend Fali Sam Nariman demise Ultimately the State of Karnataka complied with the orders. Justice Misra noted in his judgement, On that day, as the order of this Court was complied with and that sage controversy was put to rest. Mr. Nariman assisted the Court. We think it necessary to state here that Mr. Nariman had courageously lived up to the highest tradition of the Bar and we had recorded our uninhibited accession". Over the last few days, we have heard countless such stories of his courage and brilliance. I was however moved by the more humane side of this extraordinary man. After the passing of his wife Mrs Bapsi Nariman, a teary eyed Nariman admitted on national TV that she was his pillar of strength and living without her had indeed become very difficult. Also Read: Who is Fali Sam Nariman? Bhishma Pitamah of lawyer community represented these landmark cases In the same interview he confessed to the moral quandary he had found himself in while appearing for Union Carbide in the Bhopal gas tragedy case, later revealing that it remains one of his biggest regrets. He was unhesitant to say that Fali too was fallible, he wasnt afraid to show his vulnerable side and thats exactly what set him apart from his other outstanding and equally celebrated peers at the bar. A few brave and brilliant jurists have walked the corridors of the Supreme Court since the countrys independence but none as gentle and benevolent as the late Fali Sam Nariman. Mugdha Pande is a practising advocate at the Supreme Court of India and an associate at the chambers of Mr. Mahesh Jethmalani, Senior Advocate. Milestone Alert! Livemint tops charts as the fastest growing news website in the world Click here to know more. Unlock a world of Benefits! From insightful newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and a personalized newsfeed it's all here, just a click away! Login Now! The secret of Joe Bidens successful marriage life is good sex", said the US president himself. Biden. It was been disclosed by Katie Rogers' upcoming book, "American Woman: The Transformation of the Modern First Lady, from Hillary Clinton to Jill Biden". He jokes that their enduring bond depends on "good sex", a comment that reportedly infuriates his wife Jill Biden. This snippet comes from Rogers' book that was exclusively excerpted by Daily Mail. Rogers is a seasoned reporter at the New York Times. Joe Biden, known for his public displays of affection towards Jill, frequently shares moments of romance, from kisses before boarding Air Force One to enjoying date nights. He often introduces himself as "Jill's husband". Despite the pressures of the White House, these gestures indicate a relationship unmarred by stress, Daily Mail noted. The president's candidness about the personal aspects of their marriage, although amusing to some, underscores a deep-seated love and commitment that has been a constant theme throughout his political career. In 2006, Biden's response to a question about pursuing the Democratic nomination highlighted his prioritisation of family and marital intimacy over political ambitions. He said, "I'd rather be at home making love to my wife while my children are asleep." His spokesman later explained that it was evidence of Biden's lack of egotistical motives in his political pursuits. It also shows that he is totally in love" with Jill, his spokesman added. Netizens react Netizens have reacted to Joe Bidens good sex" comment. Joe Biden who cant climb the stairs without falling, says the secret to his marriage is good sex." Really," said one user on X (formerly Twitter). Joe Biden thinks its OK to talk to White House aides about his sex life. While I didnt think anyone wanted to think about this Im sure theyre not surprised," said another. Israel-Gaza War: Around 1.5 million Palestinian civilians are currently squeezed into the southern Gaza city of Rafah after repeatedly being forced by Israeli bombardment and ground assaults to evacuate further and further south. A war between Israel and Palestinian militants, especially Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas launched a land, sea, and air assault on Israel from the Gaza Strip. Also Read | Russia-Ukraine War: Two years of war, Europe grapples with mounting costs as EU tightens sanctions on Russia. 10 points What has happened so far? The October 7 attack resulted in more than 1,200 deaths, primarily Israeli citizens, making it the deadliest day for Israel since its independence. The town, which originally had a population of 2,50,000, is now host to more than half of Gazas entire population. They are sheltering in conditions the UNs top aid official has called abysmal", with disease spreading and famine looming. In a military onslaught the International Court of Justice has ruled a plausible case of genocide, Israel has so far killed over 29,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. Now there are increasing fears Israels expected ground assault on Rafah could push civilians across the border into Egypts Sinai Peninsula. In recent days, the UNs High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, has validated Egypts position. Grandi said displacing Gazans to Egypt would be catastrophic" for both Egypt and the Palestinians, who, he indicated, would likely not be allowed to return. More than 100 people were reported killed early Saturday in overnight strikes across Gaza, as Israel's spy chief was in Paris for talks seeking to "unblock" progress towards a truce and the return of hostages held by Palestinian militants. Originally designated as a safe zone", Rafah is now being targeted by Israeli airstrikes, as well. Those fleeing the violence have nowhere safe to go. Amid the intense conflict in Gaza, a group of lawyers is filing a criminal complaint with the German federal prosecutor against the senior German politicians including the chancellor Olaf Scholz, accusing them of "aiding and abetting" the 'genocide' they say is being committed by Israel in Gaza, Al Jazeera reported on Friday. The worlds gaze is on Rafah, the once-sleepy town along the Egyptian border that is likely Israels next focus in its fight against Hamas. Rafah has swelled in size in recent weeks. Hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians have splayed out across the town in tents or at the homes of friends or relatives. The estimated 1.5 million people sheltering there more than half of Gazas population have nowhere to flee in the face of an offensive that has levelled large swaths of the urban landscape in the rest of the territory. UN officials warn that an attack on Rafah will be catastrophic, with more than 6,00,000 children in the path of an assault. A move in the town and surrounding area also could cause the collapse of the humanitarian aid system struggling to keep Gazas population alive. Israels Western allies have also expressed concern. Also Read | Israel-Gaza war: Hamas doesn't represent Palestinian people, says US President Joe Biden US National Security Council spokesman Kirby had told journalists earlier that so far the discussions were "going well", while Israeli war cabinet member Benny Gantz spoke of "the first signs that indicate the possibility of progress". (With Inputs from Agencies) Milestone Alert! Livemint tops charts as the fastest growing news website in the world Click here to know more. Unlock a world of Benefits! From insightful newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and a personalized newsfeed it's all here, just a click away! Login Now! Indian student Jaahnavi Kandula was hit by a Seattle police officer who was overspeeding while responding to an overdose call but the prosecution attorney said the cop will not face any criminal charges due to lack of "sufficient" evidence. Following this, India's consulate in Seattle has raised the case with authorities and monitoring the progress. Kandula, 23, was struck by a police vehicle driven by Officer Dave when she was crossing a street in Seattle on January 23. He was driving 74 mph (more than 119 kmh) on the way to a report of a drug overdose call. Kandula was thrown 100 feet when she was struck by the speeding police patrol vehicle. In bodycam footage released by the Seattle Police Department, Officer Daniel Auderer laughed about the deadly crash and dismissed any implication Dave might be at fault or that a criminal investigation was necessary. On Wednesday, the King County Prosecutors Office said they would not move forward with criminal charges against Seattle Police Officer Kevin Dave due to a lack of evidence to prove a criminal case beyond a reasonable doubt. India's consulate in Seattle also said it was monitoring the progress in the case and will extend all possible support in ensuring justice for Kandula and her family. "On the recently released investigation report of the King County Prosecution Attorney on the unfortunate death of Jaahnavi Kandula, the Consulate has been in regular touch with the designated family representatives and will continue to extend all possible support in ensuring justice for Jaahnavi and her family," the mission said in a post on X. "We have also raised the matter strongly with local authorities, including Seattle Police for appropriate redress. The case has now been referred to the Seattle City Attorneys office for review," the post said on Friday. It also said the mission was waiting for the completion of Seattle Police's administrative investigation and will continue monitoring the progress in the case. Members of the South Asian community as well as local people had staged protests demanding justice for the Indian student who died tragically. In the statement on Wednesday, the King County Prosecuting Attorney said: "Kandulas death is heartbreaking and impacted communities in King County and across the world." King County Prosecuting Attorney Leesa Manion said that she believes they lack the evidence to prove a criminal case beyond a reasonable doubt, the statement said. "It is the responsibility of the King County Prosecuting Attorneys Office to review all available evidence relating to the case involving Seattle Police Officer Kevin Dave and the January 2023 collision death of Jaahnavi Kandula. After staffing this case with senior deputy prosecuting attorneys and office leadership, I have determined that we lack sufficient evidence under Washington State law to prove a criminal case beyond a reasonable doubt." The statement also said that the prosecutor's office finds the comments made by Seattle Police Officer Daniel Auderer, recorded on his body-worn video, "appalling and deeply troubling". Auderer, who was not involved in the January collision, was captured in the video saying, "But she is dead" and laughing while on the phone. She was 26 anyway," Auderer said in the video. "She had limited value." "Officer Auderers comments were also unprofessional and undermined the publics trust in the Seattle Police Department and law enforcement in general," said Manion. "As egregious as Officer Auderers comments are, they do not change the PAOs legal analysis of the conduct of Officer Dave. It is the Office of Police Accountability that bears the responsibility of disciplinary investigation and proceedings relating to Officer Auderers comment, not the PAO." Auderer was pulled from patrol in September 2023 and reassigned to a "non-operational position". Auderer could still be fired after the fallout of his insensitive comments captured on bodycam. Auderer's chain of command and the Office of Police Accountability (OPA) found he acted unprofessionally. For that, he faces the highest disciplinary range of nearly two weeks suspension up to termination, according to a disciplinary action report. Seattle local media reported that speed was the cause of the collision, as the speed at which Dave was travelling did "not allow (Kandula) or him sufficient time to detect, address and avoid a hazard that presented itself". Dave was responding to a "priority one" call at the request of the Seattle Fire Department, according to the Seattle Police Department. According to the police report, the officer was responding to a report of a drug overdose. The officer did not have his siren activated continuously. Instead, the officer "chirped" his siren at the intersection. He did have his emergency lights on, according to a previous statement from the police department. In a memo to Seattle police, prosecutors wrote there was not enough evidence to prove Dave showed "conscious disregard for others safety". A drug recognition expert responded to the scene and found no impairment in the officer. Kandula was a graduate student at Northeastern University at the Seattle campus. The university in January 2023 said they would award her degree posthumously and present it to her family. Milestone Alert! Livemint tops charts as the fastest growing news website in the world Click here to know more. Unlock a world of Benefits! From insightful newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and a personalized newsfeed it's all here, just a click away! Login Now! Former President Donald Trump is looking to win his fourth straight primary state on Saturday over Nikki Haley in South Carolina, aiming to hand a home-state embarrassment to his last remaining major rival for the Republican nomination. Trump went into Saturday's primary with a huge polling lead and the backing of the state's top Republicans, including Sen. Tim Scott, a former rival in the race. Haley, who served as U.N. ambassador under Trump, has spent weeks crisscrossing the state that twice elected her governor warning that the dominant front-runner, who is 77 and faces four indictments, is too old and distracted to be president again. As Haley voted at her polling place on Kiawah Island, the private residential community where she lives, she said she faced the day with great gratitude." Haley pressed her argument that she is the alternative to the two most disliked politicians in America" in Trump and Democratic President Joe Biden. There is a choice," Haley said, speaking alongside her children and mother. "We can leave the drama and the chaos, and we can leave the incompetence, and we can go to something that is normal." In all but one primary since 1980, the Republican winner in South Carolina has gone on to be the partys nominee. But Haley has repeatedly vowed to carry on if she loses her home state, even as Trump positions himself for a likely general election rematch against Biden. Trumps backers, including those who previously supported Haley during her time as governor, seemed confident that the former president would have a solid victory on Saturday. I did support her when she was governor. Shes done some good things," Davis Paul, 36, said as he waited for Trump at a recent rally in Conway. But I just dont think shes ready to tackle a candidate like Trump. I dont think many people can." Trump has swept into the state for a handful of large rallies in between fundraisers and events in other states, including Michigan, which holds its GOP primary Tuesday. He has drawn much larger crowds and campaigned with Gov. Henry McMaster, who succeeded Haley, and Scott, who was elevated to the Senate by Haley. Speaking Friday in Rock Hill, Trump accused Haley of staying in the race to hurt him at the behest of Democratic donors. All she's trying to do is inflict pain on us so they can win in November," he said. We're not going to let that happen." In some of those rallies, Trump has made comments that handed Haley more fodder for her stump speeches, such as his Feb. 10 questioning of why her husband currently on a South Carolina Army National Guard deployment to Africa hadnt been campaigning alongside her. Haley turned that point into an argument that the front-runner doesnt respect servicemembers and their families, long a criticism that has followed Trump going back to his suggesting the late Sen. John McCain, a prisoner of war in Vietnam, wasn't a hero because he was captured. That same night, Trump asserted that he would encourage countries like Russia to do whatever the hell they want" against NATO member countries who failed to meet the transatlantic alliances defense spending targets. Haley has been holding out that moment as evidence that Trump is too volatile and getting weak in the knees when it comes to Russia." After one of Haleys events, Terry Sullivan, a U.S. Navy veteran who lives in Hopkins, said he had planned to support Trump but changed his mind after hearing Haley's critique of his NATO comments. One country can say whatever it wants, but when you have an agreement, among other nations, we should join the agreements of other nations, not just off on our own," Sullivan said. After listening to Nikki, I think Im a Nikki supporter now." Haley has made an indirect appeal to Democrats who in large numbers sat out their own presidential primary earlier this month, adding into her stump speech a line that anybody can vote in this primary as long as they didnt vote in the Feb. 3 Democrat primary." Some of those voters have been showing up at her events, saying that although they planned to vote for Biden in the general election, they planned to cross over to the GOP primary on Saturday as a way to oppose Trump now. In any other campaign cycle, a home state loss might be detrimental to a campaign. In 2016, Sen. Marco Rubio dropped out shortly after losing Florida in a blowout to Trump, after his campaign argued the political winds would shift in his favor once the campaign moved to his home state. And Haley's campaign cant name a state in which they feel she will be victorious over Trump. The primary ends tonight and it is time to turn to the general election," Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung said Saturday. But in a speech this past week in Greenville, Haley said she would stay in the campaign until the last person votes," arguing that those whose contests come after the early primaries and caucuses deserved the right to have a choice between candidates. Haley also used that speech which many had assumed was an announcement she was shuttering her campaign to argue that she feels no need to kiss the ring," as others had, possibly with prospects of serving as Trump's running mate in mind. I have no fear of Trumps retribution," Haley reiterated. Im not looking for anything from him. My own political future is of zero concern." Milestone Alert! Livemint tops charts as the fastest growing news website in the world Click here to know more. Unlock a world of Benefits! From insightful newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and a personalized newsfeed it's all here, just a click away! Login Now! The Biden administration, on Friday, declared that Israel's expansion of settlements in the West Bank violates international law and the US was disappointed" to hear of the Israeli announcement. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, while speaking at a news conference during a trip to Buenos Aires, said, They're also inconsistent with international law. Our administration maintains a firm opposition to settlement expansion, and in our judgment this only weakens, doesn't strengthen, Israel's security." The comments reversed the Trump administration's position that settlements did not violate international law. Israel plans to build 3,300 new settlement in West Bank Israel on Thursday said that it plans to build more than 3,300 new homes in settlements in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. The announcement came after three Palestinian gunmen opened fire on cars near the Maale Adumim settlement, killing one Israeli and wounding five. Israel's finance minister, far-right firebrand Bezalel Smotrich said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant participated in the discussion. The decision will put in motion approval processes for 300 new homes in the Kedar settlement and 2,350 in Maale Adumim. It will also advance previously approved construction of nearly 700 homes in Efrat. The serious attack on Maale Adumim must have a determined security response but also a settlement response," Smotrich wrote on X, formerly Twitter. Our enemies know that any harm to us will lead to more construction and more development and more of our hold all over the country." However, the announcement drew an angry response from the U.S. at a time of growing tensions over the course of Israel's war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip. White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said the administration was "simply reaffirming the fundamental conclusion on the issue." Kirby was asked why the administration waited three years to make this change. "We thought that at this moment, it was particularly important to reaffirm our commitment to a two-state solution," he responded. "And at this moment, we felt it was particularly important to reaffirm again our view of the inconsistency with international law that the settlements present." (With inputs from Reuters and AP) Milestone Alert! Livemint tops charts as the fastest growing news website in the world Click here to know more. Unlock a world of Benefits! From insightful newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and a personalized newsfeed it's all here, just a click away! Login Now! Russia never changes, as Alexei Navalny and Natan Sharansky agree in just-released correspondence from March and April 2023. Not even the prisons or punishments have been updated since Soviet times. Navalny writes from SHIZOthe punishment cellwhile reading Mr. Sharanskys description of the same experience: I was amused by the fact that neither the essence of the system nor the pattern of its acts has changed." Amused? One would think outrage would be more appropriate. But outrage, which we Americans exhibit so readily, is the reaction of comfortable people who can vent their anger and may even be rewarded for doing so. When repression is the normand when one senses ones imprisonment as part of a long chain extending to Ivan the Terribleamusement, even laughter, expresses the ability to rise above ones individual fate. In laughter, as Russian thinkers have observed, a man stands outside both himself and arbitrary authority, and looks down with a smile at ever-repeating human folly. I understand that I am not the first, but I really want to become the last, or at least one of the last, who are forced to endure this," Navalny writes. Both men knew how unlikely that was. Even if this regime, like its predecessor, collapses, another can rise. And while Russia is especially prone to such catastrophes, no people, including us, is exempt from them. Russians, as these two men demonstrated, have developed internal freedom in the absence of external freedom. Dissidence isnt new. Sufferers draw strength from the writings of previous sufferers. That is why Mr. Sharansky envisaged his book Fear No Evil" (1988) not only as a memoir but also as a sort of textbook or manual for how to behave in a confrontation with authorities." Accounts of political imprisonment constitute an important genre of Russian literature. Alexander Solzhenitsyns The Gulag Archipelago" (1973) will be remembered long after many celebrated 20th-century works are forgotten. Thats appropriate, for the book is all about remembering. Mr. Sharansky quotes the dissident Vladimir Bukovsky, himself the author of a brilliant prison memoir, demanding that communism be put on trial a la Nuremberg. Solzhenitsyn recalls being told its healthier to forget: Dont dig up the past! Dwell on the past and youll lose an eye. But the proverb goes on to say: Forget the past and youll lose both eyes. " Prison literature, including novels and memoirs, is so important in Russia because the tradition of heroic dissidence is essential to Russian experience. It represents the best of Russiaand because of it, as Navalny writes, thousands are not scared to speak out for freedom and against the war, despite the threats. Hundreds of them are in prison, but I am confident they will not be broken and they will not give up." Where does the strength to endure such punishment come from? In part from the certainty that one isnt alone and that what one is doing has historical significance. It is hard to imagine Americans enduring even a fragment of such punishment without breaking, much less doing so with style," as Mr. Sharansky says of Navalny. For Western readers, the key moment of this exchange occurs when Mr. Sharansky quotes a European journalist who couldnt understand why, after he had already been poisoned, Navalny returned to Russia. We all knew that he would be arrested at the airport," the journalist said. Does he not understand such simple things?" The question angered Mr. Sharansky because it betrayed a belief many in the West evidently took for granted: that life is about oneself. If dissidence represents the best of the Russian tradition, such shallow individualism constitutes the worst of ours. Russians know that ones life can matter only when it isnt merely about oneself. Mr. Sharansky described his retort as pretty rude": Youre the one who does not understand something. If you think the goal is survivalthen you are right. But his true concern is the fate of his peopleand he is telling them: I am not afraid, and you should not be either. " Mr. Sharansky knew this of Navalny, even though they never met, because everything he did belonged to the tradition of courageous Russian dissidence. Both men compare their plight to that of the Jews. (Mr. Sharansky is Jewish; Navalny wasnt.) On Passover Jews are bidden to treat the Exodus as a historical and present event and to regard themselves as liberated from Egypt. Russian dissidents today, these correspondents understand, are slaves to Vladimir Putin in a new land of slavery. Biblical Egypt never disappears. For two millennia diaspora Jews longed to return to Jerusalem. Mr. Sharansky and Navalny compare that longing, which was realized when the state of Israel was created, to the Russian longing for freedom. Today we are slavestomorrow, free people. Today we are herenext year in Jerusalem," Mr. Sharansky quotes the Passover Haggadah, and then wishes Navalny, and all of Russia, an Exodus as soon as possible." If we could acquire even a bit of dissident wisdom in America, our freedom would be much more secure. And if we lose that freedom, as seems increasingly likely, may we too develop the courage to fight for it. Mr. Morson is a professor of Slavic languages and literatures at Northwestern University. More than six years ago I published an analysis arguing that training generative AI on copyrighted works could break American law. Since then many others have suggested the same. The issue has already boiled over in Britain, where this month talks between the AI industry and creative organisations over a new code of practice broke down. Now, lawsuits by artists, writers and the New York Times are testing our theory against defendants such as OpenAI, Meta and Stability AI. The AI industrys defence rests on fair use", a doctrine that permits the use of copyrighted material without its owners permission in certain circumstances. If this argument prevails, the industry will receive carte blanche to exploit copyrighted works without compensating authorsall while the law continues to stifle humans access to those works. AI will learn" from pirated textbooks free of charge, while students pay extravagant prices. How perverse. The purpose of copyright is to stimulate creativity and thereby encourage the creation of more expressive works for the public good, not just to promote a particular technology. Yet, curiously, many free culture" activists support the AI companies. These activists worldview crystallised around the early 2000s, when copyright protections expanded and record labels pursued exorbitant judgments against people who shared music online. In response to this grab by major rights-holders, the copyright decelerationists, as I call them, vowed to halt copyrights expansion. I believe that the decelerationists premise remains as correct today as it was then: ever-stronger copyright protection has withheld incalculable amounts of culture from the public domain. But we wont repair that damage with exceptions tailor-made to benefit the giants of AI. A better strategy is to enforce copyright just as harshly on AI learners as we enforce it on humans. This may seem paradoxical, but I believe it will highlight the laws disregard for learning and could ultimately lead to copyright regulation being relaxed for humans. Thus, we should become copyright accelerationists. Accelerationism can be used as a tactic to destabilise: Karl Marx delivered an accelerationist call-to-arms when he endorsed free trade, believing it would heighten capitalisms contradictions and hasten the social revolution. In the context of copyright, accelerationism aims to upend the legal rules that hinder ordinary people from engaging with creative works. For example, there are millions of in-copyright works with no identifiable owner. But because using these orphan works" remains legally risky, libraries, archives and people who want to use them for their own creative ends hesitate to touch them. This cultural tragedy is the result of a dramatic expansion of copyrights reach over the past 50 years. Copyrights term was lengthened, keeping creative works out of the public domain long after their creators had earned a fair return and stifling new generations. Steamboat Willie", Mickey Mouses 1928 debut, did not enter the public domain until January 1st this year because rights-holders had successfully lobbied for a 20-year copyright extension without any rational economic justification. Americas Congress abolished formalities"requirements that authors register and renew their copyrights and place notices in published works, or risk forfeiting those copyrights. Courts chipped away at the required level of creativity for copyright to be established. These changes had predictable consequences: innumerable works were withheld from the public and a small group of rights-holders was enriched. But technological changes triggered unanticipated consequences. Each of us now accumulates dozens of copyrights every day. Thanks to rock-bottom originality requirements and the elimination of formalities, all but our most mindless emails, text messages and photos automatically count as intellectual property until 70 years after we die. Nearly all valuable AI training data is owned by someone and will be for decades. These legal rules, long the enemy of free culture, are now the enemy of powerful technology companies, too. The AI industry claims training AI on copyrighted works is excused by the fair-use doctrine because rights-holders cannot prevent others from copying their works to learn from them. But that argument would fail if made by a human. Could you imagine a file-sharing defendant arguing that downloading a Beatles album was fair use because she wanted to learn the Lennon-McCartney songwriting style? She would be laughed out of court, even if she wrote nothing that resembled a Beatles tune. The decelerationists and I agree that copyrights routine thwarting of human learning and creativity is tragic. But carrying the AI industrys water wont repair that tragedy. Decelerationists must realise that even if the industry wins, all the cases denying fair use for activities like artistic pastiche, fan fiction and the publication of personal letters in a biography will remain binding precedents (for humans, that is). So dont decelerate copyright. Do the opposite in order to heighten copyrights contradictions. Show the powerful just how harmful it is when the law stymies learning. Give AI firms a choice: support reforms that eliminate the copyright doctrines that inhibit human and machine learning alike, or watch investments in AI crumble under the same copyright liability that human learners face. Copyright accelerationism is not anti-AI. If it appears so, thats because todays copyright law is anti-human. What copyright accelerationism abhors are laws that preserve all of copyrights anti-human provisions while exempting the AI industry from those same strictures. Theres no inherent tension between the interests of people who create and consume media in traditional modes and people who use generative AI. Their interests appear in conflict now only because decades of anti-learning copyright policy have blinkered us. Sam Altman, the boss of OpenAI, calls the AI revolution unstoppable." But copyright law presents a profound threat to generative AIand AI presents an unprecedented opportunity to reshape copyright for the better. So come, accelerationists. Pit AIs unstoppable" force against an object long thought immovable: inhumane copyright law. Ben Sobel is a scholar of information law and a postdoctoral fellow at the Digital Life Initiative at Cornell Tech. 2023, The Economist Newspaper Limited. All rights reserved. From The Economist, published under licence. The original content can be found on www.economist.com A helmet covers the face of the MiG pilot but not his personality. He lounges in his fighter jet as if its an armchair and flashes a plucky thumbs-up. The legend of his aerial prowess went viral in the hours after Russia invaded Ukraine: The Ghost of Kyiv" was slapping Russian planes out of the sky like clay pigeons. The Ghost turned out to be part fog of war, part composite of Ukraines pilots, and part propaganda to bolster Ukrainians will and erode Russian morale. But the truth about the airman in the famous photo is more remarkable than fiction. His name: Andrii Pilshchykov, better known as Juice," the call sign bestowed on him by his pals in the U.S. Air Force. Juice, who was 29 when Russia invaded in 2022, became a patron saint of Ukrainian aviation," says retired U.S. Air Force Col. Rob Swertfager of the California Air National Guard, whose engagement with the Ukrainian military dates to 2002. Juice played an instrumental" role in shifting the Ukrainian air force from the Soviet doctrine to the Western air-force doctrine," Col. Swertfager says. I dont know of anyone who had more impact." The story begins with a kid from Kharkiv with planes on the brain. Juice built model jets and attended aviation events with grown-ups who didnt expect to see a schoolboy" tailing along, says his mother, Liliia Averianova. He mastered English to read more about planes and participate in online aviation forums. The British magazine AirForces Monthly published a photo he had taken when he was 16 or 17 at the Kharkiv airfield. Juice yearned to become a fighter pilot and got permission from his high-school principal to come to school in a military uniform," his mother recalls. She had her doubts. He was a little bit myopic," she says. His nature is very freedom-loving, and he does not do well in terms of submitting or subordination." She told him: You cannot go to the army because you do not obey." True to form, he defied her, saving up for laser eye surgery and enrolling as an air-force cadet in 2011. He eventually became an officer and pilot in the Vasylkiv Tactical Aviation Brigade. Ukraines air force was in a state of disarray. The Soviet breakup in 1991, less than two years before Juice was born, left Ukraine with one of the largest air forces in the world but without the means to maintain it. In 1994, under pressure from the U.S. and in exchange for Western security guarantees, Ukraine agreed to surrender its nuclear weapons and destroy the strategic aviation assets capable of delivering them. That included more than 200 heavy bombers and long-range reconnaissance and refueling planes, says Yuriy Sak, an adviser to Ukraines strategic industries minister. That left Ukraine with more than 1,400 fighter jets, bombers, transport planes and other tactical aircraft, including hundreds of MiGs and Sukhois, and some 900 helicopters. But Ukraine couldnt afford maintenance, and spare parts were made in Russia, so it massively wrote off and sold off the planes as they became obsolete, and used some of them as spare-parts donors," Mr. Sak says. To cover its gas debts, Ukraine gave Russia some of the planes and missiles now used to attack Ukraine. Ukraines remaining planes were aging with no prospect of modernization, and Soviet-era equipment made it possible to preserve former Soviet culture, traditions, and strategy," Mr. Sak says. Together with the corruption, it deprived the Ukrainian military aviation of any hope for the future." A Ukrainian fighter pilot who uses only his call sign, Moonfish," when speaking to the Western press was one of Juices close friends. He says that not only the structure but all the approaches to flight, to tactics, was just Soviet-based, which would not work against the same Russian forces who still employ these tactics." They were just outdated." Juice got to see the alternative. His superiors noted his superb English and enlisted him to help host foreign delegations. He served as a primary liaison as the U.S. and Ukraine planned a major joint flight exercise, Clear Sky 2018. The next year he trained with Americans in Fresno, Calif. Juice fit in perfectly with us from the California Air Guard," Col. Swertfager says. He was the first Ukrainian pilot to receive an official call sign from AmericansJuice," because he was a complete teetotaler," his mother explained. He imbibed U.S. military culture and was impressed by the blunt, nonretributional debriefs between U.S. pilots and their senior officers. He brought that ethic home: Juice wasnt like, I wont be doing that because you ordered me, " Moonfish said. Its just whenever he saw something stupid, he would definitely speak up." Juice consulted his American mentor about how to pick his bureaucratic battles. He had the skill set to speak from experience," Col. Swertfager says. I think he nested himself well and had a support system inside the military that allowed him to be a disrupter." But the post-Soviet stagnation was hard to dislodge. When his contract ran out in 2021, Juice walked away in protest because of the reticence to modernize the military," his friend Adam Makos, an American military historian, says. Juice returned immediately when Russian missiles hit the capital. On Feb. 24, 2022, he grabbed my own body armor, my own infantry helmetnot a pilots helmetand my own AR-15," he later recounted. He rushed to the Vasylkiv Air Base, southwest of Kyiv, which he described at the time to Col. Swertfager as like the last fort for us." As Fred Kagan of the American Enterprise Institute explains, if the Russians could seize control of the capitals airfields, they would gain positions to the southeast and southwest of Kyiv well before their ground forces got there, which would have disrupted the entire Ukrainian defense and likely led to the fall of Kyiv." The Ukrainians fended them off. But the battle for Ukraines skies had only begun. Russian pilots have better radars, so they can strike Ukrainian pilots before the Ukrainians even see them. Unlike the Ukrainians, they have missiles capable of self-guidance at the final stage of flight. At some point after firing, a Russian pilot can turn away and fly to drink some vodka on his base and to celebrate one more aerial kill," Juice explained in a May 2023 video interview. Early in the war Russia gained air dominance in Mariupol and dropped bombs that destroyed up to 90% of its structures. The West gave Ukraine ground-based air defenses to prevent another such bombardment, but that limited resource is now dwindling. Air Defense Officer Col. Denys Smazhnyi says its critical" to get more antiaircraft missiles. The eastern Ukrainian city of Avdiivka fell last weekend as Russians established localized air superiority and hammered Ukrainian troops with glide bombs, rendering their defensive positions untenable. Juice understood that Ukraine desperately needed modern fighter jets. Unlike ground-based systems, these planes can intercept missiles on the border" and protect civilians far from the front, near big cities or near some critical infrastructure objects," Juice explained last May. The planes would also fill a vital need at the front. In a September interview, Brig. Gen. Serhii Holubstov, the aviation chief of Ukraines Air Force, told me that getting modern fighter jets with comparable or superior radar and missile capabilities is the minimum that will allow us to facilitate the success of our counteroffensive." Western delays in arming Ukraine allowed Russia to entrench defensive lines, including with mines and antitank fortifications. The U.S. would never attempt to break through such a gnarly front without air power, but thats what the West expected Ukraine to do, with predictable results. During the 2023 counteroffensive, the lack of air support left Ukraines ground troops exposed. Modern jets could have provided cover by destroying artillery deeper in the Russian rear. Instead, Russian planes had to worry only about ground-based missiles as they targeted Western-provided tanks and armored vehicles at the front. Ukrainians were unable to exploit their limited breakthroughs fully because they lacked modern fighter jets to cut off the arrival of Russian reinforcements. Modern jets would also have allowed Ukraine to suppress enemy air defenses and more aggressively target the command, supply and logistics lines that propped up the Russian front. Early in the war Juice foresaw these needs and helped develop a checklist for which specific plane Ukraine should seek: It should be available, capable, affordable and maintainable, among other considerations. The F-16 was an optimal solution," he concluded. The Swiss army knife of fighter jets, the F-16 can fire just about anything the U.S. and its allies could provide. The London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies estimates there are some 3,000 F-16s worldwide, so planes and spare parts abound. Inside Ukraine, Juice and others worked to convince the Defense Ministry and political leaders that they should push specifically for the F-16. Meanwhile, his American ties made him a valuable source of reliable information for the U.S. government, Col. Swertfager said. If someone at the Pentagon wanted an answer thats not classified, I would literally call up Juice and have an answer in five minutes for our leadership to make decisions. It allowed us to help them more. I cant foot-stomp that enough." In the summer of 2022 Juice and Moonfish came to the U.S. to meet lawmakers. He struck them as the epitome of a patriot," Sen. Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.) says. We became fast friends," former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R., Ill.), an Air National Guard pilot, says. Mr. Kinzinger felt something at the pit of my stomach as I realized that of all the pilots I have known in my life, Juice was the most likely to die in service to his country." Six senators who met with the Ukrainian fighter pilots later sent a letter urging Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and then-Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Milley to consider giving Ukraine fourth-generation fighter aircraft and necessary flight training" in future military aid packages. Juice made a very powerful case for the need for F-16s," and the letter that we sent was the direct result of this very impactful meeting," Sen. Dan Sullivan (R., Alaska) says. Juice also gave interviews to American media, including these pages. One English-language virtual broadcast aimed at a Western audience was hosted by Melaniya Podolyak, now 28, a Ukrainian blogger. She grinned and bantered while peppering Juice with sharp questions. He was at his best with her, providing many of the quotes in this article. Afterward, Ms. Podolyaks co-host texted her that I was kind of a third wheel in that interview," she recalled. Soon after, Juice asked her on a date, and we almost missed the curfew because we got to talking." Juice often appeared for interviews kitted out. That wasnt for dramatic effect; several people close to him say he often took calls between missions, many of them dangerous. Every mission can be the last," he acknowledged. Ukraine kept a roster of the best-prepared guys" to receive Western training, and unfortunately during the last year or maybe less, we lost at least three guys," he said last spring. A fourth would soon follow, just as Juices advocacy began yielding results. In mid-August the U.S. gave permission for third countries to provide Ukraine F-16s. Days later, Denmark and the Netherlands announced plans to do so after Ukrainian pilots had completed training. On Aug. 24, the Pentagon said it would begin training Ukrainians to fly and maintain F-16s. On Aug. 25, Juice met Ms. Podolyak in Zhytomyr, west of Kyiv. The first cohort to train on the F-16s had already left, and Juice was scheduled to be in the next group. The couple planned to marry in May and discussed how they would manage the distance. Then Juice left for work while Ms. Podolyak met a friend for coffee. It was around 4. He should have been free by then," she recalls. I messaged him, and for the first time he didnt respond." An unknown number rang, and the caller said Juice had crashed. I was in complete disbelief," she said; training in Western Ukraine was much safer than Juices frequent missions. But Ms. Podolyak received a second call from a friend in the military, who was already weeping. It was complete hell from then," she says. The Ukrainian government said two combat training jets collided while performing a training flight." Juice was just in the back seat, along for the ride, to help them out, wasnt even scheduled to fly," Col. Swertfager says, recounting conversations with Juices comrades. Juice died from catastrophic injuries sustained as a result of the ejection and unsuccessful landing," Ms. Averianova, his mother, says. Two other pilots were killed. Any commemorations of him would make no sense and be of no importance until we see the results of what he was fighting for," Ms. Averianova says. Saturday marks two years since Russia launched its full invasion, and Sunday is six months since Juices death. Ukraine is still waiting for F-16s as Juices fellow pilots undergo training in the West. Instead of my son, I want to fly on the first plane," Ms. Averianova told the commander of the air force. He told me yes," she reports with a sad smile. Ms. Melchior is a London-based member of the Journal editorial board. Hours after the seat-sharing deal between the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party in Delhi, Gujarat, and other states, was announced, Mumtaz Patel, daughter of late Congress leader Ahmed Patel, took to microblogging platform X seeking an apology. Deeply apologize to Our district cadre for not being able to secure the Bharuch Lok Sabha seat in alliance. I share your disappointment, Patel wrote expressing her disappointment over Bharuch going to the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party in the deal. "I share your disappointment. Together, we will regroup to make Congress. We wont let Ahmed Patels 45 years of Legacy go in vain," she said. Apart from a seat-sharing formula on seven seats of Delhi, the two parties have agreed that the AAP will contest two seats - Bharuch and Bhavnagar - in Gujarat. As thing stand, AAP candidate Chaitar Vasava from Bharuch may find it tough to get absolute support from the Congress cadre in Bharuch. Mumtaz said that she has heard Rahul Gandhi had also objected to the Bharuch, a traditional Congress seat, being given to AAP. "We are hopeful that this seat will remain with Congress. They (AAP) want an alliance because they want the support of Congress," she told news agency ANI. Her brother Faisal Patel also shared the disappointment. ...My party workers and I are not happy and we wanted this decision to not be taken but if the high command wants, we will follow it - both party workers and I..." Faisal told ANI. The Patels have been making a case for the Bharuch Lok Sabha seat as part of Congress's seat-sharing deal with AAP. Ahmed Patel, considered Sonia Gandhi's most powerful aide until his death in 2020, had won Bharuch in 1980 and 1984. Since 1989, however, the seat has been with the BJP. Mansukhbhai Vasava of the BJP currently represents the seat. Patel, and his family, draw considerable influence in the Bharuch region of Gujarat, even after his death. For months, speculation was rife that Congress might field either Mumtaz or her brother Faisal from Bharuch to end BJP's dominance and carry forward their father's legacy. Some reports suggested that Rahul Gandhi had apparently promised Faisal that someone from the family would contest from Bharuch. I am going to Congress and I will speak with the high command once again. There is a lot of time to file nominations as well as for elections... Gandhi's family is my family too...I am of the firm belief that they will understand the emotions of the Patel family attached to this seat" Faisal said. Some Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders, for obvious reasons, also jumped into the discussion. The party's IT cell in charge Amit Malviya, said the Congress wanted to erase Ahmed Patels legacy and humiliate his family. Everyone knows of the differences between late Ahmed Patel and Rahul Gandhi. Giving away Bharuch to AAP is Rahul Gandhis attempt to erase his legacy and humiliate the family," he said in a post on X. All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) leader Waris Pathan criticised the Assam government's action to repeal the Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act and accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of "hating Muslims". He said, BJP ko muslamano se nafarat hai...(the BJP hates Muslims)" In a video message, he said, "They (BJP) hate our eating habits. First, they brought a law on Triple Talaq and now a law against Muslim marriage...what is the need for a different law in Assam? They are trying to polarise as the elections are coming..." On Friday, the Assam Cabinet approved the Assam Repealing Ordinance, 2024 for repealing the Assam Muslim Marriages and Divorces Registration Act. AIMIM spokesperson Waris Pathan on Friday that the ordinance to repeal the Muslim Marriage Act, is a violation of Articles 25, 26 and 28 of the constitution." He said everyone has the right to practice their religion. Article 25 guarantees the freedom of conscience, and the freedom to profess, practice, and propagate religion to all citizens. Article 26 deals with the freedom to manage religious affairs. Article 28 talks about the freedom as to attend religious instruction or religious worship in certain educational institutions. Assam minister reacts Assam Minister Pijush Hazarika reacted to Pathan and asked, How does repealing an 89-year-old law that permits the marriage between a small girl and an adult male become anti-Muslim?" Hazarika in a post on X that Muslim leaders need to act maturely and stand alongside the interest of our daughters rather than standing for abhorrent social evils." Meanwhile, All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) president Badruddin Ajmal claimed that repealing the Assam Muslim Marriages and Divorces Registration Act, 1935 was the first step towards bringing in the Unified Civil Code (UCC) in Assam. ALSO READ: Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma's Hindutva politics and anti-Muslim stance: Five big controversies "They are trying to provoke the Muslims and polarise voters in their favour," Ajmal told reporters on the sidelines of a programme in Guwahati. "We will definitely oppose the repeal of the Act but after the elections. We will keep silent for now'', he was quoted by the news agency PTI. ALSO READ: Every religion has rules, Muslims will follow SP MP slams Himanta govt's move to repeal marriage act Reacting to the one-time compensation of 2 lakh to be provided to Muslim Marriage Registrars for their rehabilitation, Ajmal said the Qazis are not beggars. "Through the media, I request them not to accept a single paisa from the government," he said. Milestone Alert! Livemint tops charts as the fastest growing news website in the world Click here to know more. Unlock a world of Benefits! From insightful newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and a personalized newsfeed it's all here, just a click away! Login Now! The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and the JanaSena Party (JSP) released the first list of 118 seats on Saturday for the forthcoming Assembly polls in Andhra Pradesh. Of these 118 candidates in the first list, 94 are from the TDP, while the Jana Sena will be contesting in 24 seats. Observing that the TDP-JanaSena alliance "has the blessings of the BJP", Kalyan read out the names of five JanaSena candidates and promised to reveal the remaining 19 names in a couple of days. The TDP's list had names of 99 candidates of 118. Twenty-three of 94 candidates on TDPs list are newcomers. TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu said 23 are first-timers, three doctors, one retired IAS officer, 25 post-graduates, 51 graduates and three doctorates. Naidu and JanaSena chief Pawan Kalyan, however, said the seat allocation has been done keeping in mind the "need to accommodate" Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in case the saffron party decides to join the alliance. ALSO READ: Jana Sena Party, CPI, CPM formalise alliance in Andhra Pradesh "On this auspicious occasion, both TDP and JanaSena are ready to go for the polls. I wish this news to be good tidings for everyone in the state. This union is for the future of the state. This is the first step for a great effort," Naidu was quoted by PTI as addressing a press conference at his Andhra Pradesh residence in Undavalli on the TDP-JanaSena alliance. ALSO READ: Skill Development scam: Setback for Chandrababu Naidu as SC delivers split verdict on Corruption Act Explaining the rationale behind the JanaSena taking only 24 seats, Kalyan noted that it is important to take a lower number of seats than experimenting with a higher number of seats. "We have to first put the state on the right track, keeping the future of the state ahead of individual and party prospects," said the actor-politician. Including the three Lok Sabha seats allocated for JanaSena in the alliance, he noted that it is as good as the party contesting some 40 Assembly seats. Meanwhile, Naidu highlighted that if the BJP also comes along with their alliance, then those issues will also be discussed at the right time to take the right decisions. "This alliance is for the future of the state, not for any two individuals or two parties. Both parties took the decision to work together for the welfare of five crore people. This is a historic day for the state," said Naidu. For his ninth election, Naidu highlighted that he had done the most intense exercise of zeroing in on the candidates, unlike previously, even during the times of united Andhra Pradesh. Taking the opinion of 1.1 crore people from various sources, Naidu said the 94 TDP candidates have been selected after a multi-pronged analysis and filtering. He asserted that the selected candidates are people who are in touch with the masses, desired by people, approved by the people and who can 'resiliently' face the polls and opponents. Naidu called on the JanaSena and TDP leaders to cooperate with each other for mutual benefit wherever both parties are contesting. "Wherever JanaSena is contesting the TDP should cooperate and wherever TDP is contesting the JanaSeana should cooperate. Both should work with an understanding for creating belief in people and victory will be easy, nobody can stop us...," Naidu was quoted as saying. Seat-sharing arrangements for the remaining 57 of the 175 Assembly constituencies are expected to be announced soon. As part of the alliance, JanaSena will contest three Lok Sabha seats of the total 25 from the state. TDP sources said currently discussions were underway with the BJP for a possible pre-poll alliance. Meanwhile, talking to reporters, Andhra Pradesh BJP chief D Purandeswari said alliances in the southern state would be decided by the party high command and as of now the state unit is gearing up its activities in all the constituencies. Milestone Alert! Livemint tops charts as the fastest growing news website in the world Click here to know more. Unlock a world of Benefits! From insightful newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and a personalized newsfeed it's all here, just a click away! Login Now! The Himanta Biswa Sarma-led BJP government in Assam has sparked yet another political row by deciding to repeal the Muslim marriage and divorce registration legislation. The move is considered the first step taken towards Uniform Civil Code, a controversial legal framework aimed at standardising personal laws across all communities in the country. Sarma, 55, said that the 'Assam Muslim Marriages and Divorces Registration Act, 1935 contains provisions allowing marriage registration even if the bride and groom had not reached the legal age of 18 and 21 as per the law. He also said that this decision taken by his cabinet signaled a significant advancement in the efforts to prohibit child marriages in Assam. Repealing Muslim Marriages The current law provides the facility of voluntary registration of Muslim marriages and divorces besides authorising the government to provide licenses to Muslims to register such marriages and divorces. Once the law is repealed, such people won't be able to register marriages and divorces. District commissioners and district registrars will take custody of registration records held by 94 Muslim Marriage Registrars or Qazis. The decision has already elicited reactions. Guwahati-based advocate Aman Wadud said that repealing the act would only increase child marriages as against the government's claim that it will eradicate them. "Authorised Registrars under the 1935 Act won't be able to register Muslim marriages now. The registration will now happen under the Special Marriage Act. I am not sure how many Muslims can afford it. The government believes that this will completely eradicate child marriages. But, this will only increase the number of unauthorised Qazis and child marriages," said Wadud who is also a member of the Congress party. At about one crore, Muslims make up 34 per cent of Assam's 3.12 crore population, as per the 2011 Census, Sarma, who crossed over from the Congress to join the BJP in 2015, has a history of stirring controversy, with several other instances where he has sparked rows. Piddi dog and Rahul Gandhi The former Congress leader has been critical of Rahul Gandhi like other Congress defectors. He had famously claimed that Rahul Gandhi often kept him waiting in Delhi when he went to discuss state matters and would, on some occasions prefer feeding his dog, instead. In October 2017, the then Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi put out a video on social media of his pet dog, Pidi, doing namaste while standing up on its haunches. Sarma, then minister in CM Sarbananda Sonowal-led BJP government in Assam was quick to take a swipe at Rahul with a counter-post: Sir, who knows him better than me? Still remember you busy feeding biscuits to him while we wanted to discuss urgent Assam issues. On February 11, 2022, while addressing a rally at Uttarakhand, Sarma sparked another row when he asked Rahul Gandhi, "Did we ever ask you for proof of whether you are Rajiv Gandhi's son or not? Miya Muslims votes Sarma has been most vicious in attacking Miya" (or Bengali-origin) Muslims of Assam, the most vulnerable to the citizenship determination process in Assam. Ahead of the Assam assembly elections, Sarma had in 2021 courted controversy when he said that the BJP did not need votes from 'Miya Muslims to win the elections. He also accused the community of openly challenging Assamese culture and language and the composite Indian culture". These so-called Miya people are very very communal and fundamental and they are involved in many activities to distort Assamese culture and Assamese language. So I dont want to be an MLA with their vote. I will not be able to sit in the Assembly if they voted for me," said Sarma, who eventually went on to become the Chief Minister of Assam after BJP won the 2021 state elections. Eviction drives and Renaming Madrasas Sarma has also been criticised for the state governments eviction drives which allegedly targeted the Muslim community in the state. The resistance drives that kicked off soon after Biswa was sworn in as Chief Minister have often led to violence and deaths. In 2016, two Bengali-origin Muslims were killed in police firing while protesting an eviction drive near the Kaziranga National Park. In September, 2021. Two protestors were killed in the DhoLpur area of Darrang district when Assam police opened fire at villagers protesting an eviction drive Ahead the Lok Sabha Elections 2024, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor explained where the Congress falls behind the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Speaking at ABP Network's Ideas of India' Summit 3.0, he said on Friday the BJP has been better than the Congress "at the last mile of reaching every voter and knocking on doors, their panna prabhari system, etc." He said politics is about ideas, policies, and issues on one hand, and delivering them to the electorate in a way that gets out the results. "I agree that in the last couple of elections, the BJP has been better than Congress at the last mile of reaching every voter and knocking on doors, their panna prabhari system, etc. They have also been far better funded," he added. Tharoor also urged people to not "give up on the Opposition as it could be your next government". Speaking about the BJP, Tharoor said it would be difficult for the BJP to repeat its electoral performance of 2019. He said the BJP's performance peaked in 2019, in many states, and there would be only a "downward slide" in the coming elections. ALSO READ: Shashi Tharoor gets Frances highest civilian award for outstanding career; what is Knight of the Legion of Honour? "The 'complacency' of the BJP is the opposition's strength," Shashi Tharoor was quoted by PTI as saying while speaking on 'Collaborative Federalism: View of the States'. Meanwhile, BJP MP Vinay Sahasrabuddhe, who was part of the panel, said the target for his party in the coming Lok Sabha polls was 370 seats. ALSO READ: 'Not all of it is India's fault': Shashi Tharoor on Maldives Tharoor responded by saying, ""They seem to think it is already a done deal and it isn't." He added that there was a great deal of scepticism about whether the BJP would be able to come anywhere close to what it was projecting. Tharoor further explained why he has doubts about the BJP achieving the 300+ target and said that in the 2019 elections, the BJP did "too well" across the Hindi heartland where it is strong. ALSO READ: Congress counters PM Modi after failed as Opposition jibe, Shashi Tharoor says Nehru died 60 years ago' He said after the "wave of enthusiasm after the Ram mandir and so", the BJP's "percentage of votes may go up but there are no seats left to win at any of these places, and the story will vary from state to state". He noted that the BJP won every seat in Haryana, Rajasthan, all but one seat in Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka, and a large number of seats in West Bengal, Maharashtra and Bihar, Tharoor said. ALSO READ: Why Congress is struggling to maintain relevance as 2024 Lok Sabha polls approach? "The percentage of the BJP's votes may rise, but even if there is enthusiasm after the Ram Mandir consecration in Ayodhya, there are no more seats left to win in any of these places, and the story will vary from state to state," he said. "All of them is not possible this time, because it's impossible for them to repeat those numbers. I think they peaked in 2019. We are going to see nothing but a downward slide. How much downhill that is going to be depends on how effective the opposition campaign is, which is just picking up," the Congress leader said. The BJP's tally in the Lok Sabha rose to 303 in 2019. "All of this is not going to happen this time because it is impossible for them to repeat those numbers," Tharoor claimed. "The election hasn't been called yet so we don't know how much time the Opposition has... Don't give up on the Opposition as it could be your next government," Tharoor said. Milestone Alert! Livemint tops charts as the fastest growing news website in the world Click here to know more. Unlock a world of Benefits! From insightful newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and a personalized newsfeed it's all here, just a click away! Login Now! Seat-sharing in West Bengal for Lok Sabha Election 2024: Amid reports of the revival of seat-sharing talks between the Congress and TMC, the leaders of both parties have once again come up with conflicting statements indicating that there is no clarity yet on whether or not the two parties will contest the upcoming Lok Sabha election 2024 together in West Bengal. TMC leader Derek OBrien said on Friday that his party will fight the general elections solo. The Rajya Sabha member said there was no change" in the partys stand of contesting all 42 Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal, a few in Assam, and one in Meghalaya, news agency PTI reported. A few weeks agoWest Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee stated that TMC is fighting all the 42 seats in Bengal. We are also in the fray in a few seats in Assam and the Tura Lok Sabha seat in Meghalaya. There is no change in this position," OBrien said. Mamata Banerjee had earlier decided not to be a part of the INDIA bloc in her state. But the Congress leaders say that the party was engaged in seat-sharing discussions with the TMC ahead of the polls. This after the Congress party and Samajwadi Party (SP) agreed on a seat-sharing arrangement as part of the INDIA bloc in Uttar Pradesh on Thursday. On Friday, Congress general secretary in charge, of communications, Jairam Ramesh once again told reporters in Delhi that talks were on with West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC chief Mamata Banerjee but seat share has not been finalised yet. An agreement in West Bengal would lift the morale of the beleaguered Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), especially after the exit of JD-U. Of the 42 seats in West Bengal, the TMC won 22 and the BJP bagged 18 seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha election. The Congress won the remaining two seats. Elsewhere too, the alliance talks are on. In Delhi, the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party has agreed to contest four Lok Sabha seats, while the Congress will field its candidates in three seats, as per the agreed seat-sharing formula, to be announced on Saturday. The Congress will field candidates in North East, Chandni Chowk, and North West and the AAP will field candidates in New Delhi, East Delhi, West Delhi, and South Delhi seats. The BJP had won all seven seats of Delhi in both the 2014 and 2019 general elections. The Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), an amalgamation of leading opposition parties came up last year to fight together in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections against the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA). The inaugural meeting of the Opposition coalition was held in Patna, Bihar on June 23. Milestone Alert! Livemint tops charts as the fastest growing news website in the world Click here to know more. Unlock a world of Benefits! From insightful newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and a personalized newsfeed it's all here, just a click away! Login Now! Harshness is a crude metric for judging an unelected regime. To keep power, lots of rulers will crush dissent with an iron fist. A more subtle measure involves thoroughness. Dedicated autocrats use cold, patient repression to bring even the meek and unthreatening into line. Their aim is to snuff out any beliefno matter how harmlessthat might divide subjects loyalties. This grim trend may be seen in the Communist Partys handling of Chinas ethnic minorities, a diverse bunch who between them make up around 9% of the overall population. Since Xi Jinping took power in 2012, such groups have lost many of the limited privileges granted to them and faced aggressive campaigns to assimilate into mainstream Chinese culture. Apologists present Xi-era policies as tough but rational responses to threats. The governments actions in Xinjiang are indicative. To defend Chinas cruelties in the regionincluding mosque demolitions, re-education campaigns, the jailing of poets and the surveillance of millions of Uyghurs and other minoritiesofficials play up the dangers of Islamic extremism. National security is also used to justify an intensifying campaign to assimilate ethnic Mongolians who live in Chinas northern region of Inner Mongolia. New laws mandating the use of the Chinese language over Mongolian in schools and public institutions aim to safeguard national sovereignty". When protests greeted similar changes in 2020, the local government responded by making the rules stricter. Citing Mr Xis calls for ethnic solidarity", the authorities have banned some history books and closed memorials to Genghis Khan, the founder of a dynasty that conquered tracts of Eurasia and ruled China between 1271 and 1368. Defenders of such hardline policies note that Inner Mongolia is a border region, sharing ties of language, religion and history with an independent, democratic country next door, Mongolia. Revealingly, though, the Xi era has seen moves to smother traditions that pose no conceivable challenge to national security. Chaguan recently travelled to one of the oddest places on Chinas ethnic map, the Xingmeng Mongolian Township of Yunnan province. This rural township of about 6,000 people lies in the lush, tobacco-growing hills of southern China near the border with Vietnamabout 2,500km from the grasslands and deserts of Inner Mongolia. Locals claim descent from Mongolian armies, initially led by Kublai Khan, grandson of Genghis, that conquered the region in the 13th and 14th centuries. In their telling, some soldiers stayed on after their Mongol overlords were defeated and driven back north by Ming-dynasty emperors. After an early flurry of intermarriage with local women, these Yunnan Mongolians" reputedly settled down as fishermen and carpenters in five villages. Today locals praise their ancestors for stubbornly declining to marry outsiders, therebythey insistpreserving traces of Mongolian language and dress for over seven centuries. Declaring himself a descendant of Genghis Khan, a village elder admits that he married a woman from Chinas Han majority, so my daughter is only half Mongolian". To the elder, a longtime party member, his child is fully Mongolian nonetheless, because she inherited the spirit of the Mongolian nation". Xingmengs history was rediscovered in the 1950s, a time of Sino-Soviet amity, by party officials and ethnographers, as well as by envoys from the Soviet-controlled Mongolian Peoples Republic. Alas, as Mao Zedong led China deeper into paranoid isolation, ethnic minorities with ancient traditions and links to foreign lands became the target of attacks. After China broke with the Soviet Union and sank into the frenzies of the Cultural Revolution, terrible violence reached Inner Mongolia. Tens of thousands of ethnic Mongolians were killed, accused of treason and feudal thought. Far to the south in Yunnan, minorities were attacked in a Political Frontier Defence" campaign aimed at border counties. Xingmeng avoided the worst violence, older locals relate, though a temple and ancestral clan halls were damaged. Some temples survived because they had been turned into schools. After Maos death in 1976 Xingmeng enjoyed something of a golden age, as history was harnessed for economic development. Teachers visited from Inner Mongolia to give language lessons at the primary school. Cement replicas of nomads tents, horse sculptures and other Mongolian touches appeared. A damaged temple was restored in 1985 as the Three Saints Temple", housing statues of Genghis and Kublai, as well as Mongke (Kublais brother). A Mongolian folk festival, called Naadam, was held every three years. It began with ceremonies honouring those royal ancestors. No stately pleasure-domes here Not this year. No worship of Genghis Khan was allowed as the latest Naadam began in Xingmeng on December 15th (though early that morning some locals quietly slipped into the temple to light incense before the Khans impassive statues). At the opening ceremony, a parade featured cloth and bamboo models of fishing boats, shrimp, clams, dragons and a large, dancing white elephant. Missing was a cloth and bamboo model of Genghis Khan on horseback, which appeared at the last Naadam in 2017. A few years ago Xingmengs schools stopped offering Mongolian language lessons. The state has also reduced the number of bonus points given to ethnic-Mongolian students taking university-entrance exams. Pointedly, at the Naadam opening ceremony local leaders hailed Xi Jinping Thought and the ethnic unity of the Chinese nation. In Xingmengs cobbled back alleys, your columnist heard wistfulness and fatalism about the new Naadam, rather than revolt. Asked about the changes, an old man said: All nationalities should unite, and all Chinese should listen to what the party says. Isnt that how it works with political issues in China?" It takes an implacable regime to hear such words and still detect a need for stricter controls. China has such a regime. Read more from Chaguan, our columnist on China: Chinas cities compete for kids (Dec 14th) China and the EU risk a trade war (Dec 7th) Chinas economy is suffering from long covid (Nov 30th) Also: How the Chaguan column got its name Pressure makes diamonds, but ram pressure can make stars!" the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) wrote in a social media post as it shared an image of a dwarf galaxy in the Coma Berenices constellation. It is 54 million light-years from Earth and experiencing a highly-active event. NASA's Hubble telescope has managed to capture it. The galaxy is going through something called ram pressure stripping, which is causing a lot of new stars to form in parts of the galaxy at an unusually-fast rate. Space is filled with gas and dust that push against galaxies. This push, known as ram pressure, can remove the gas and dust galaxies use to make new stars. It can also stop new stars from forming. Yet, ram pressure can sometimes squeeze the galaxy's gas in a way that helps create more stars. In this case, the galaxy appears to have absolutely no star formation along its edges, which bear the brunt of ram pressure stripping, but the star formation rates deeper within the galaxy are booming!" NASA wrote. NASA shared a picture of the dwarf galaxy and described it: The center is not particularly bright and is covered by some dust, while the outer disk and halo wrap around as if swirling in water. Across the face of the galaxy, an arc of brightly glowing spots marks areas where new stars are forming. The galaxy is surrounded by tiny, distant galaxies on a dark background." NASAs Mars mission NASA is looking for people who want to take part in its upcoming simulated one-year Mars surface mission. It will help NASA's plans for human exploration of the Red Planet, the space agency said on its website. Check here who can apply. Milestone Alert! Livemint tops charts as the fastest growing news website in the world Click here to know more. Unlock a world of Benefits! From insightful newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and a personalized newsfeed it's all here, just a click away! Login Now! His fight to protect free speech didnt end with buying Twitter and simply loosening content moderation. More than a year into owning the social-media platform now known as X, Musks aggressive tactics to defend myriad spectrums of speech are becoming clearer. Meanwhile, some say those efforts actually protect speech he likes, and repress other views. Its actually good that Im reading some things that offend me because that means freedom of speech is alive," Musk said this past week during an audio event on X in which he talked in depth about his philosophy. His approach looks twofold: He is trying to protect individuals ability to say what they please on X without fear of losing their livelihoods. All while he is also actively fightingwith lawsuits and his own X megaphoneoutside critics who maintain X has become a bastion of hate. Part of his approach is drawing criticism, including from the American Civil Liberties Union, that X is the one trying to stifle speech. Meanwhile, some of his supporters worry aloud that hes going too far, risking offending customers of his other businesses, such as the electric-car maker Tesla. The way Musk frames his thoughts on free speech seems straight from the techno libertarianism that flourished in Silicon Valley around the time he arrived in Palo Alto in the 1990s and as he chased his dreams during the early days of the dot-com bubble. It was a period when a new generation of techies wanted to minimize government regulation as the idea of the internet took root, arguing that the free market would guide the best choices. Except, in Musks case, today he appears perplexed and frustrated by the free markets reaction to his X changes. Advertisers from Apple to Disney have fled the platform, worried about associations with antisemitism, pro-Nazi and other hate speech, and ensuing dramas regarding his ownership. They are effectively exercising their freedom of speech by taking their valuable ad dollars elsewhere. Doing so, in Musks view, can have a chilling effect on speech thats outside the norm, encouraging a world of conformity. He even went so far as to call it blackmail and, in November, infamously told advertisers to go f yourself." And he called for Disneys CEO, Bob Iger, to be fired, or, put another way, canceled. More than just throwing f-bombs, Musk is also fighting back against groups that are working to highlight content on the platform they say is offensive. In July, for example, X filed a lawsuit against the Center for Countering Digital Hate after it published research critical of X, including a report that said the company had taken no action against 99 of 100 posts that researchers contend were hateful. X claimed the groups findings were flawed and said the attention resulted in several advertisers halting spending. A key part of the lawsuit against the center is Xs contention that the group violated the social-media platforms terms of service that prohibit the process of collecting, or scraping, a large number of public posts. The center is asking a federal judge in San Francisco to dismiss the case, calling for an end to this baseless effort to silence honest criticism and punish critics." A hearing is scheduled for Thursday. The ACLU, the Electronic Frontier Foundation and the Knight First Amendment Institute have filed a brief supporting the center, saying that scraping is a basic digital tool used to provide the public with insight into how powerful platforms, such as X, operate. They argued that the company is simply attempting to punish" the center for its speech by enforcing its term prohibiting scraping," which if allowed they say would have a chilling effect and give X an end run around the First Amendment." As his lawyers fight that, hes also focused on helping individuals in their own fights. Earlier this month, for example, X backed a lawsuit against Disney by actress Gina Carano, claiming she was wrongly terminated from The Mandalorian" series after she made controversial posts on social media. Disney hasnt yet responded to the lawsuit. It is the highest-profile example yet of Musks previous pledge to protect his users. If you were unfairly treated by your employer due to posting or liking something on this platform, we will fund your legal bill," he tweeted in August. Also this month, Musk focused on the companys policies around doxingseen as a form of harassing someone by posting personal information onlinesaying they included a prohibition on outing a users real name behind an anonymous account. Doxing is not strictly speaking illegal, but it does impinge upon freedom of speech," Musk said during the audio event on X. Theres a lot of people if they say something, they may get fired or ostracized and so I think theres value to a nom de plume." The issue of doxing has been a thorny one for Musk since he took over X. Musk used Xs policy as the reason for suspending several journalists from X shortly after he acquired the platform in late 2022. It came in the midst of news coverage of another X user whom Musk had suspended for using public information to track his private jet, which the billionaire said threatened his and his familys safety. Any account doxxing real-time location info of anyone will be suspended, as it is a physical safety violation. This includes posting links to sites with real-time location info," Musk tweeted at the time. Doxing emerged again as an issue when Musk earlier this month tweeted that revealing real names behind anonymous accounts would result in account suspensions. The episode sparked a debate about the pros and cons of anonymous content, whether it allows a free flow of ideas or removes accountability. Musk made his post in response to his longtime buddy Jason Calacanis, a Silicon Valley investor who had asked publicly about the identity of a user named @KanekoaTheGreat, who has more than 700,000 followers of his right-leaning content, and had tweeted, Who are you? Are you American, Russian, Chinese? Who do you work for?" Calacanis, who later clarified that he wasnt asking people to dox the person, deleted the tweets, saying the user told him that his mother was in danger. Musk, himself, knows the power in unmasking a critic. A few years ago, before he owned the platform, the billionaire put pressure on the employer of a vocal critic of his once the persons Twitter identity was revealed online. The critic, who went by the nom de plume of Montana Skeptic, stopped posting critically about Musk for a while. These days, Montana Skeptic, now in retirement, is back on X. His bio reads: Annoying Elon since 2016." Write to Tim Higgins at tim.higgins@wsj.com In a perplexing turn of events, the widely used social media platform 'X' remains off-limits to the Pakistani populace for almost a week, with the caretaker government remaining tight-lipped about the cause behind the prolonged disruption, as reported by Geo News. The shutdown, which commenced last Saturday, has left users across the nation unable to share information. Dr. Umar Saif, the Caretaker Minister for Information and Technology, was not available for immediate comment, and the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has yet to release an official statement regarding the matter. Website tracker Downdetector.com mentioned, "User reports indicate possible problems at X (Twitter)," as per Geo News. Despite Pakistan being one of the top global internet users, the country faces challenges in internet availability, ranking lower compared to its counterparts. Authorities are known to intermittently disrupt access to social media platforms. Prior to the general elections on February 8, users experienced difficulties accessing various social media sites, with authorities attributing the issue to an error. However, on polling day, internet services were suspended to prevent terrorism, according to the caretaker government. Following the elections, there were recurrent disruptions in accessing 'X.' It is worth noting that internet shutdowns directly contradict constitutionally guaranteed rights such as freedom of information (Article 19-A), freedom of speech (Article 19), and freedom of association (Article 17). In a significant ruling in February 2018, the Islamabad High Court declared internet shutdowns to be in violation of fundamental rights and the Constitution. Digital rights activists criticized the government's decision to disrupt access to the social media platform, highlighting the lack of transparency. Meanwhile, the Sindh High Court issued an order on Thursday directing the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to fully restore 'X' services across the country. The court sought a detailed response from the authority and other involved parties in a subsequent hearing, but as of now, the PTA has not granted accessibility. (With inputs from ANI) Milestone Alert! Livemint tops charts as the fastest growing news website in the world Click here to know more. Unlock a world of Benefits! From insightful newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and a personalized newsfeed it's all here, just a click away! Login Now! NATO Signals Support for Ukraines Use of F-16 Fighter Jets that could spark World War III As tensions between NATO and Russia continue to mount, the specter of conflict looms larger with each passing day. In a recent development, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has affirmed Ukraines right to self-defense and indicated that the country will be free to use F-16 fighter jets received from NATO against military targets, even inside Russia or beyond Kievs claimed borders. Speaking to RFE/RL in an interview scheduled for Friday, Stoltenberg emphasized Ukraines right to defend itself against what he described as Russian aggression. He asserted that striking legitimate Russian military targets outside Ukraine would be within the realm of self-defense. While the specifics of when Ukraine will receive the F-16 jets remain uncertain, Stoltenberg stressed the importance of ensuring that the pilots are well-trained and supported by maintenance crews before deployment. The decision on when to deliver the jets lies with individual NATO members, each of which has its own policies regarding military assistance. The prospect of arming Ukraine with F-16s has sparked controversy and raised concerns about the potential for escalation. Russia has vehemently opposed such a move, warning that it could lead to a dangerous escalation of the conflict, with the risk of nuclear war looming large. The F-16s capability to deliver B61 gravity bombs has only added to these fears. Ukraine, on the other hand, sees the F-16 as a crucial tool in countering Russian air superiority. With pledges from countries like Denmark and the Netherlands, President Zelensky has announced plans for a total of 42 F-16s to bolster Ukraines defense capabilities. However, questions remain about the logistics of deploying the F-16s, given potential operational challenges on Ukrainian runways. Speculation has arisen about the possibility of flying the jets from neighboring NATO nations, further fueling concerns about the potential for escalation. As tensions continue to escalate and rhetoric grows increasingly heated, the situation in Eastern Europe remains volatile. The international community watches closely, hoping for diplomatic solutions to prevail and prevent further escalation into conflict. Analyzing War Stocks: A Look at Key Players in the Defense Industry As geopolitical tensions persist and global security threats continue to evolve, investors are eyeing opportunities in the defense sector. Companies involved in defense contracting are often considered war stocks, as their performance can be influenced by military conflicts, government spending on defense, and geopolitical instability. Here, we delve into seven key players in the defense industry and analyze their outlook. Lockheed Martin Corporation ($LMT): Lockheed Martin is one of the largest defense contractors globally, specializing in aerospace, defense, and security solutions. The companys diversified portfolio includes fighter jets, missile defense systems, and cybersecurity technologies. With a robust pipeline of contracts and steady government spending on defense, Lockheed Martin remains a stalwart in the industry. Northrop Grumman Corporation ($NOC): Northrop Grumman is a leading provider of aerospace and defense technology, offering products and services in areas such as autonomous systems, space systems, and cybersecurity. The companys innovative solutions and strategic acquisitions position it well for growth in an increasingly digitized and interconnected world. The Boeing Company ($BA): Boeing, known primarily for its commercial airplanes, also has a significant presence in the defense sector. The company manufactures military aircraft, rotorcraft, satellites, and other defense-related systems. While Boeing has faced challenges in its commercial aviation business, its defense segment remains resilient, supported by strong demand for military aircraft and related technologies. Raytheon Technologies Corporation ($RTX): Formed through the merger of Raytheon Company and United Technologies Corporation, Raytheon Technologies is a powerhouse in the defense and aerospace industry. The companys diverse portfolio spans aircraft engines, missile systems, and defense electronics. With a focus on innovation and technological advancements, Raytheon Technologies continues to drive growth in the defense market. General Dynamics Corporation ($GD): General Dynamics is a leading provider of mission-critical systems and solutions across the defense, aerospace, and marine sectors. The companys product offerings include combat vehicles, submarines, and IT services. General Dynamics strong track record of delivering high-quality products and services positions it as a key player in the defense industry. CACI International Inc. ($CACI): CACI International specializes in providing information solutions and services to government agencies, including defense and intelligence organizations. The company offers expertise in areas such as cybersecurity, intelligence analysis, and electronic warfare. With the increasing importance of data security and intelligence gathering, CACI International plays a vital role in supporting national defense efforts. Palantir Technologies Inc. ($PLTR): Palantir Technologies is a data analytics and software company that serves government agencies, including defense and intelligence organizations. The companys platforms enable users to analyze large volumes of data to make informed decisions and identify emerging threats. As governments prioritize data-driven approaches to national security, Palantir Technologies stands to benefit from growing demand for its services. The war stocks represent a subset of the defense industry that offers investors opportunities for growth and stability in times of geopolitical uncertainty. Companies like Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Boeing, Raytheon Technologies, General Dynamics, CACI International, and Palantir Technologies play critical roles in supporting national defense efforts and are poised to thrive in the evolving security landscape. As always, investors should conduct thorough research and consider their risk tolerance before investing in any sector. The situation between Ukraine and Russia is highly complex and sensitive, with various factors at play that could potentially escalate into a broader conflict, even triggering a scenario akin to World War III. Some of the key factors that could escalate tensions to such a degree include: Military Aggression: Any significant military escalation by either Ukraine or Russia, such as a large-scale invasion, could quickly spiral out of control and draw in other nations. NATO Involvement: If NATO were to become directly involved in the conflict, either by supplying significant military aid to Ukraine or by engaging in military action against Russia, it could trigger a wider confrontation. NATOs involvement could lead to a direct confrontation between nuclear-armed powers, significantly raising the stakes. Use of Nuclear Weapons: The use of nuclear weapons by either side, even in a limited capacity, would have catastrophic consequences and could prompt a larger nuclear conflict involving other nuclear powers. Proxy Warfare Escalation: The conflict in Ukraine has already involved elements of proxy warfare, with various countries providing support to different factions. If these proxy conflicts were to escalate, it could draw in more countries and increase the likelihood of direct military confrontation. Cyber Warfare: As cyber capabilities become increasingly sophisticated, cyber warfare could play a significant role in escalating tensions. A major cyberattack by one side against critical infrastructure or military targets could prompt a military response and further escalation. Miscommunication or Miscalculation: In a tense and rapidly evolving situation, miscommunication or miscalculation could easily lead to unintended escalation. Incidents such as accidental military clashes or misinterpreted signals could quickly spiral out of control. Geopolitical Rivalries: The conflict in Ukraine is not just a regional dispute but also a reflection of broader geopolitical rivalries between Russia and Western powers. These rivalries, fueled by competition for influence and resources, could exacerbate tensions and increase the risk of conflict spreading beyond Ukraines borders. It is crucial for all parties involved to exercise restraint, prioritize diplomatic solutions, and work towards de-escalation to prevent the situation from escalating into a catastrophic global conflict. Diplomacy, dialogue, and international cooperation remain essential in avoiding the worst-case scenario of World War III. Shayne Heffernan Chattanooga firefighter Scott Rouse can be seen reuniting a homeowner with his dog after a house fire. What to know about New York and Arizonas fight over extraditing suspect in grisly hotel killing A man wanted in the killing of a woman found bludgeoned to death with an iron in a Manhattan hotel was apprehended in Arizona this week Republican U.S. presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump speaks at the National Rifle Association presidential forum at the Great American Outdoor Show on February 09, 2024 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Woman gets life after pleading guilty to the death of her 4-year-old daughter If you do not have a current print subscription to the Lodi News-Sentinel, but want to view unlimited articles for the month, please choose this option. President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has sent a congratulatory letter to Emir of the State of Kuwait Sheikh Mishaal Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah on the occasion of the country's national holiday, Azernews reports. The letter reads: Your Highness, On my own behalf and on behalf of the people of Azerbaijan, I extend my sincerest congratulations and best wishes to you and, through you, to all your people on the occasion of the national holiday of the State of Kuwait. I believe that we will successfully continue our joint efforts to develop relations between Azerbaijan and Kuwait and deepen our cooperation. On this festive day, I wish you robust health, happiness, success in your endeavors, and the friendly people of Kuwait everlasting peace and well-being. Sincerely, Ilham Aliyev President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Baku, 22 February 2024 Graham Norton has announced he is stepping down from hosting his weekend shows on Virgin Radio. The Irish chat show host, 60, joined the station in 2021 following a decade on BBC Radio 2. Norton made the surprise announcement on his Saturday morning show, saying he wanted to have his weekends back after 13 years of presenting. He told his listeners: Now the show isnt quite the normal show today because I have a bit of an announcement to make Im leaving weekends here at Virgin radio. Norton said he will not be leaving Virgin entirely, adding: Ill still be kind of popping up on the station from time to time but my regular Saturday and Sundays, Im stepping away. He continued: Ive worked weekends between here and the old place for 13 years and my life has changed a bit so I just want my weekends back. So really the next two shows, today and tomorrow, are me just saying thank you to you all for listening. He confirmed fellow Irish presenter Angela Scanlon, who competed on Strictly Come Dancing last year, will fill in his 9.30am to 12.30pm slot for the next few weeks before various announcements on who will take over the slot permanently. Scanlon was among those to respond to the news, commenting miss you already on Nortons joint Instagram post with Virgin Radio. During his show on Saturday, he also read out messages from listeners who said they would miss him and thanked him for entertaining them over the years. After playing Youre The Voice by John Farnham, he closed the show by saying: Well thats got me running, running out the door Ill still be on Virgin Radio every now and again but the weekends end tomorrow. He added that his final show will feature chats with actor Callum Scott Howells, who stars in new BBC drama The Way, and actress Laura Donnelly, who will feature in the West End play The Hills Of California. Norton joined Radio 2 in 2010 on the 10am to 1pm Saturday show, taking over from Jonathan Ross. He moved to Virgin Radio in 2021, with his BBC slot going to Claudia Winkleman. The Strictly Come Dancing and Traitors host is due to leave that show in March after saying she wanted to spend more time with her growing children. The segments on his Virgin Radio slots include Grahams Guide, which sees Norton and his long-standing presenting partner Maria McErlane try to help listeners find a solution to their problems. Norton also hosts an eponymous Friday night chat show on BBC One and is central to the broadcasters Eurovision coverage. Crime By Chris Boyle Published: February 23 2024 Jordan Endler, Esq. Allegedly Refused to Leave the Islamic Center After Being Asked to Do So and Only Left Once Police Arrived. Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney today announced that Jordan Endler, 46, of East Northport, an attorney based in Suffolk County, was arrested for Criminal Trespass in the Third Degree and Harassment in the Second Degree, for allegedly remaining in a mosque after being asked by an employee to leave and harassing the employee. I want to remind everyone that no matter what else is going on in the world, here in Suffolk County, we will not tolerate bias or hate. I want to thank the Muslim community for alerting us to this incident, so that detectives from our office and the Suffolk County Police Departments Hate Crimes Unit can continue to investigate it, said District Attorney Tierney. My office will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to ensure that all Suffolk County residents feel safe in their houses of worship, regardless of their faith. According to the investigation, on February 21, 2024, at approximately 2:30 p.m., Endler knocked on the door of the Islamic Center of Melville and allegedly began questioning the employee who opened the door. Endler then asked the employee to come inside the mosque, and the employee let him in. Once inside, Endler allegedly began harassing the employee. The employee asked Endler to leave the Center, but Endler allegedly refused, began yelling at the employee, and stayed inside the building until police arrived. Endler was arrested by the Suffolk County Police Department at his home on February 22, 2024. On February 23, 2024, Endler was arraigned on one count of Criminal Trespass in the Third Degree, a Class B misdemeanor, and Harassment in the Second Degree, a violation, before District Court Judge, the Honorable Alonzo G. Jacobs. Judge Jacobs ordered Endler released on his own recognizance during the pendency of the case but issued an order of protection for the employee at the request of the District Attorneys office. Under current New York State law, the offenses Endler is charged with are considered non-bail eligible. Endler is due back in court on April 3, 2024, and he is being represented by Bob Curran, Esq. This case is being prosecuted by Emma Behrens of the Intake & Discovery Compliance Bureau. The Israeli navy conducts a drill at sea in mid-February. (IDF) The Israeli navy conducted an exercise over the last week, which the Israel Defense Forces characterized as readiness in the northern arena. The IDF said the drill included the Israeli Navy missile ship flotilla. The drill comes after four months of war in Gaza against Hamas and also four months of Hezbollah attacks on northern Israel. The Israeli navy has played an unprecedented role off the coast of Gaza, with new Saar 6 corvettes being used for the first time and the navy often supporting ground forces with fire missions. The exercise simulated wide-scale and multi-branch combat in the northern naval arena, the IDF said on February 23 The four Saar 6 corvettes were built in Germany and began arriving in Israel in December 2020. They were declared operational in April 2023. The ships were acquired to defend Israels exclusive economic zone off the coast because Israel has been developing natural gas resources over the last decade. The ships can defend against threats from Hezbollah and help project Israels naval power. Israel has historically had a small navy. When Hamas launched its war on October 7, the Israeli navy was pressed into action using Devora-class patrol boats based in Ashdod to help carry out missions along the coast against terrorists. In the next weeks of October 2023, the navy increased its role in the war effort, and the Saar ships were used against Hamas. In December 2023, the IDF also said it sent a Saar 6 warship to the Red Sea. The Iran-backed Houthis began launching missile and drone attacks against Israel in October to support Hamas, and they increased their attacks on shipping in November 2023. Now that the ships have played a key role in the Red Sea and off the Gaza coast, often supporting ground forces in their maneuver operations near Gazas beaches and coastal road, Israel decided to conduct more drills for the navy as fighting has been reduced in Gaza. This week, a wide-scale exercise of the Israeli Navy Missile Ship Flotilla in the northern arena was conducted, the IDF said on February 23. The exercise involved cooperation between the Missile Ship Flotilla and the Israeli Air Force, including a joint exercise with the 193rd Squadron, which operates the Atalef (AS-565 Panther) helicopters. The navy has used the Panthers with its Saar 5 corvettes since 1996, although they were briefly grounded in 2022. The Israeli navy is acquiring new Sikorsky SH-60 Seahawks for the Saar 6 ships. During the recent naval drill, the navy practiced countering drone threats, as well as conducting aerial rescue capability from vessels and refueling a missile ship while at sea. The Israeli navy has also conducted drills off the coast with its Devora-class patrol boats. Those boats have a stabilized Typhoon main gun on the bow, a .50 caliber machine on the stern, and 1.27mm machine guns on the sides of the ship. The naval drill came as Israel sent fighter jets to strike Hezbollah in several locations in Lebanon on February 23. The aircraft hit terrorist infrastructure, and military structures. An Israeli tank also fired at an imminent threat in Lebanon. In southern Israel, the Arrow 3 air defense system, the top tier of Israels air defenses, intercepted a ballistic missile fired by the Houthis in Yemen on February 22. The IDF said it is the seventh interception by the Arrow system since October. The strikes on the Lebanese border and the interception near Israels southern city of Eilat show how large the potential arena of multi-front combat has become for Israel since the Hamas attack in October. Reporting from Israel, Seth J. Frantzman is an adjunct fellow at FDD and a contributor to FDDs Long War Journal. He is the acting news editor and senior Middle East correspondent and analyst at The Jerusalem Post. Hundreds joined the march as it left the Gare area of the city on Saturday afternoon Hundreds joined the march as it left the Gare area of the city on Saturday afternoon Photo credit: Laurent Blum Hundreds joined the march as it left the Gare area of the city on Saturday afternoon Photo credit: Laurent Blum Hundreds of people braved inclement weather to join a march in Luxembourg City on Saturday to commemorate the second anniversary of Russias invasion of Ukraine. The solidarity protest was organised by LUkraine, the association representing Ukrainians in Luxembourg, to mark the exact date in 2022 on which Russian troops launched a full-scale attack on their neighbour. Organisers estimated that around 1,000 people were in attendance as the march set off from the entrance to the capitals main train station, LUKraine President Nicolas Zharov said. Amid overcast skies and almost constant rain, the crowd marched through the city en route to Place Clairefontaine, with protesters waving EU, Luxembourg and Ukraine flags along with flags of various other nations and chanted today Ukraine, tomorrow Europe. At Place Clairefontaine - near the prime ministers office and parliament - a ceremony was held close to the monument to Grand Duchess Charlotte, who encouraged opposition to Nazism from abroad after she went into exile following the invasion of Luxembourg in World War II. Political support The solidarity march was attended by a range of political representatives, including Luxembourg MEPs Marc Angel, Monica Semedo and Isabel Wiseler-Lima, Finance Minister Gilles Roth and Claude Wiseler, the president of the Luxembourg parliament. Also read: Women and the war: Ukrainians building a life in Luxembourg Before speeches began, three anthems Luxembourg, Ukraine, and the European Union were played, followed by a minutes silence in memory of those who had lost their lives fighting against the invasion. The fact that the ceremony was held so close to the statue of Grand Duchess Charlotte was fitting, said LUkraines Zharov. You [the people of Luxembourg] were told that there is no such thing as [a] Luxembourgish language, [a] Luxembourgish nation and you [were] told that you are just a part of Germany. That is what Russia is trying to do today in Ukraine, he said. The weak reaction of western countries to Russias annexation of Crimea and its wars in Georgia and the eastern Donbas region of Ukraine had led us to this day, to this situation, said Zharov, as he urged continued support for Ukraine two years after the full-scale invasion began. 1 / 22 Photo credit: Laurent Blum 2 / 22 Photo credit: Laurent Blum 3 / 22 Photo credit: Laurent Blum 4 / 22 Photo credit: Laurent Blum 5 / 22 Photo credit: Laurent Blum 6 / 22 Photo credit: Laurent Blum 7 / 22 Photo credit: Laurent Blum 8 / 22 Photo credit: Laurent Blum 9 / 22 Photo credit: Laurent Blum 10 / 22 Photo credit: Laurent Blum 11 / 22 Photo credit: Laurent Blum 12 / 22 Photo credit: Laurent Blum 13 / 22 Photo credit: Laurent Blum 14 / 22 Photo credit: Laurent Blum 15 / 22 Photo credit: Laurent Blum 16 / 22 Photo credit: Laurent Blum 17 / 22 Photo credit: Laurent Blum 18 / 22 Photo credit: Laurent Blum 19 / 22 Photo credit: Laurent Blum 20 / 22 Photo credit: Laurent Blum 21 / 22 Photo credit: Laurent Blum 22 / 22 Photo credit: Laurent Blum So lets assure the future generations that when the moment came we did not falter, we did not look away, we did not have Ukraine fatigue, [that] we chose to stand for what was just, for what was right, he said. Devastating consequences Vladimir Bartl, the Czech ambassador to Luxembourg, compared Russias justification for attacking Ukraine to a burglar who is provoked because you install the protection system, referring to NATOs expansion to former Warsaw Pact countries. He said that the reality was that without Russian aggression there would be no energy crisis, no food crisis, no necessity to send arms to Ukraine, no necessity for Ukrainians to fight, and Sweden and Finland wouldnt be joining NATO. Also read: Luxembourg extends temporary protection for Ukraine refugees until 2025 One woman from Kyiv who fled to Luxembourg with her mother and two children, now aged 12 and 9, said the events of 24 February 2022 were unforgettable for all the wrong reasons. We woke up because the Russians began to bomb our city and [...] we left with my children and mother by the evacuation train, Olga told the Luxembourg Times. Her husband remains in Ukraine, while she said of her children: It was very traumatic for them to leave their homes in one day. Luxembourgs support unwavering Claude Wiseler, the President of the Chamber of Deputies, recalled attending the first anniversary march a year ago, saying that he was astonished at the time that Ukrainians were still standing and fighting against Russia. At that time I didnt know how strong and courageous you were. Now we know, he said. Luxembourgs parliament and government will continue to give its full backing to Ukraine, regardless of which parties are in power, he said. If we need to be here next year and I hope it will be over we will be here next year, and we will show exactly the same solidarity as we did the last two years, he said. There are currently more than 4,000 Ukrainian refugees living in Luxembourg, with a further 1,000 who arrived in the Grand Duchy following the invasion since estimated to have returned to the country. Luxembourg has spent more than 150 million on military support for Ukraine since the invasion, former Defence Minister Francois Bausch told a meeting of defence ministers just before last Octobers national elections. At the start of February, EU leaders struck a deal to send a further 50 billion in aid to Ukraine, after Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban dropped his veto. Ukraine had called for additional support as it attempts to fend off a new Russian offensive, with Moscow making some military breakthroughs in recent weeks, taking the frontline city of Avdiivka after months of stalemate. A US package of $61 billion (56.5 billion) in aid for Ukraine has not yet been approved by Congress. The College of Our Lady of the Elms often called Elms College has a special place in the life of alumna and former adjunct professor Katherine M. Anderson. She had wanted to write about the Elms for a long time, and that desire has become reality with her new book, Murder at the Alma Mater: A Nora Phillips Mystery. Its the story of New York Times bestselling author Nora Phillips who has made a name for herself with her beloved Charlie Donahue mystery series. Her editor has unceremoniously rejected her latest work, leaving her with mere weeks to come up with another installment of Donahue before shes forced to pay back her hefty advance. The only problem is that Nora is suffering from a severe case of writers block. In an effort to distract herself, Nora returns to her alma mater for a trip down memory lane, but she gets a bit more than she bargained for when one of her former professors suggests she look into the colleges most popular urban legend for inspiration. It centers on Catherine, a student who had an illicit affair with a faculty member. When the dalliance ends, Catherine throws herself from the bell tower rather than face the consequences of the relationship. But did she really jump or was she pushed? Teaming up with a current Elms student, Nora finds herself immersed in the details of an unexpected crime that just might repeat itself if she doesnt solve it fast. Anderson learned of this legend the night of her pre-freshman overnight. Whether or not other girls were told the same, I never knew though a few of my contemporaries seemed vaguely aware of the tale as well. Noras story takes place somewhere in the late 2000s, and the actual mystery takes place in the early 1950s. Anderson graduated in 2001 with a double major in English and elementary education, then returned to earn a masters in teaching mild/moderate special needs in 2007. Anderson, now of Feeding Hills, wrote throughout her time at the Elms, and she explored as much of the campus as she could. There was something about the architecture (Ive always loved old buildings ) and I always had Dead Poets Society-type visions in my head of what my college experience would be like. In many ways, I solidified my writing style while I was there and also broadened my love of literature, she said. Author Katherine M. Anderson's latest book, Murder at the Alma Mater: A Nora Phillips Mystery," takes place on the campus of Elms College - her own alma mater.Photo courtesy Katherine Anderson A former adjunct professor in the English department, she works at Dupont Middle School in Chicopee, not far from the Elms. Anderson chose to set Murder at the Alma Mater at the Elms, because she wanted to tell a of her own experience at the Elms and hopefully convey some of the magic I felt while I was there, she said. I wanted to include its history and some of the personalities I encountered along the way that certainly made me who I am. I considered fictionalizing it, but I wanted other alums to have that connection to the book. The book centers mainly around what was originally the upperclassmen dormitory, OLeary Hall, where Noras sidekick, Selena, lives. Nora also does research in the Alumnae Library and visits the presidents office as well as the fourth floor of Berchmans Hall. She spends time in the pool at the Maguire Center too. The author of Hospital Hill, set at Northampton State Hospital, and Shadows in the Ward, set at Westborough State Hospital, Anderson treasured her time at the Elms. Given how much the campus has changed, I wanted to tell a story that embodied my own experiences there but also wove in a mystery of sorts, she said. In the end, it was a photograph of the original library that prompted me to finally craft the story. The cozy mystery part was largely inspired by the Detective Fiction course I took with Dr. Jasmine Hall when I was an undergrad. Murder at the Alma Mater has 212 pages and was published in November. It is a paperback, but a Kindle version is to be released in April. The paperback retails for $18 and is available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble online. For more information, visit thekatherineanderson.com. Police and state officials took seven children from a home in Medway on Friday to a nearby hospital, WCVB-TV reported Friday. Medway police assisted the Department of Children and Families in taking the children from a home on 105 Holliston St. to Milford Regional Hospital on Friday morning, the department told the news station. The children are between the ages of 3 and 16 years old. While the children had no noticeable injuries, they were taken to the hospital for safekeeping, Police Chief William Kingsbury told Boston 25 News. The home is considered a crime scene but it is not a homicide investigation and there have been no arrests or charges, he said. Our main focus is the safety of the children as we continue our investigation, Kingsbury added. ...Merely a child welfare case at this point. MassLive has reached out to the Medway Police Department for more information. A registered sex offender from Fall River will go to prison after he was found with child sex abuse material on a messaging app on his phone, acting United States Attorney Joshua Levys office announced. U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani sentenced Angel Figueroa, 51, on Friday to 15 years in prison and five years of supervised release, Levys office said in a statement. Figueroa was also ordered to pay restitution to several victims. He pleaded guilty in October 2023 to one count of receipt of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography, Levys office said. Figueroa has been a registered sex offender since 2013, when a Massachusetts state court convicted him for indecent assault and battery on a child under 14 years old. He was arrested in December 2021 and has been in federal custody since, according to the Fall River Reporter. Investigators identified Figueroa as an active member of at least four messaging apps where child sex abuse material was being shared, Levys office said. His phone had about 523 images and 72 videos of children as young as infants, including one image showing a child under 2 years old in bondage. Figueroa admitted that he downloaded, saved and viewed the material using the apps on his phone and had done so for one or two years, Levys office said. This case was part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, Levys office said. MassLive recently asked readers to identify people who are leaders from the LGBTQ+ community throughout the state, working to make a difference in their own area of interest, be it politics, education, business or the arts. Profiles of these leaders will be published through the rest of February. These are people our readers have identified as inspirational, who may be doing good acts for their communities. They are being recognized for their accomplishments, leadership and commitment to inspire change. Thais De Marco is being named as an LGBTQ+ leader in Massachusetts.Thais De Marco Thais De Marco Age: 45 Community: Works across the state. Lives in Melrose, Brookline Her story: Thais De Marco serves as deputy director at the Massachusetts LGBT Chamber of Commerce, a statewide nonprofit organization powered by hundreds of LGBTQ-owned businesses and the Commonwealths largest, most innovative and profitable corporations. Their goal according to the website cultivate inclusive relationships to drive economic impact. LGBTQ+ business owners find it much easier to seek assistance and input from organizations whose stance on our rights is front and center and unequivocal, De Marco said. The very purpose of the chamber is to ensure members of our community have access to every resource and opportunity to grow and thrive. De Marco joined as a staff member in January of 2020 to lead membership work. Since joining, the chamber has grown from 97 to 518 businesses, with new members joining every week, she shared. On top of the commitment to LGBTQ-owned businesses, the chamber has kept a close relationship with its corporate partners and offers them the support they need to be better employers and allies. This includes community work through job fairs that give LGBTQ+ job applicants face-to-face time with companies committed to a diverse workforce. De Marco immigrated to the United States from Brazil, and was born into a multi-racial family. Her grandfather was a photographer. While De Marco didnt like having her photo taken, she soon came to understand she could avoid the cameras lens if she joined her grandfather behind the viewfinder. Soon photography would become a lifelong passion. In 2014, De Marco decided to start her own photography business. At that time, she had been working in economic justice and asset building for low-income and immigrant populations. A facet of one of the programs she ran was small business development, which became helpful when she decided to get into photography full-time in 2017. De Marco was found by the MALGBTCC in 2018, when she was hired to photograph one of the first events held by the chamber. I immediately joined as a founding member with my own business and continued to work with the organization on photography needs, she said. In January of 2020, she joined the team on a temporary basis to work on a blueprint for membership growth, fully intending to go back to full-time photography. However, she fell in love with the small businesses. In 2024, De Marco is still there now serving as deputy director. In her words: Be creative. The best possible answer to a situation, question, or conundrum is often one that has yet to be identified. Find common ground whenever possible, but dont compromise on your core values. And, most importantly, lead with both your heart and your head, always. That combination is, I think, whats generally required to make a lasting difference in the world. Were always open to hearing about more inspiring people. If youd like to suggest someone else who should be recognized, please fill out this form. As the state continues struggling to meet the needs of both unhoused families at home and migrant families arriving in Massachusetts, the latest clash between those trying to help and those who think enough is enough was over a vacant restaurant building in Dedham. At a Zoning Board of Appeals meeting on Wednesday, residents turned out both in opposition and support of a request to use the former Victory Grille on Elm Street as a hub for a catering operation to feed migrants staying at several hotels in the area. After more than an hour-and-a-half of at times confrontational discussion, the proposal was rejected by a 2-3 vote. While the Dedham battle was unique in that it was over a food service operation, it is just one in a series of incidents of Massachusetts residents fighting back when the state places families in their towns as it seeks to spread the load. Whats going on right now in Massachusetts is not going to be solved by the cities. The suburbs to some extent have to assist, said Mark DeJoie, CEO of Lynn-based Centerboard, one of the many organizations working with the state to provide emergency shelter. Weve met resistance from town officials that dont think their city has a homeless problem, and therefore that theyre okay and they dont need to participate. Read more: We spoke with migrant and local families living in motels at state expense In August 2023, Gov. Maura Healey declared a state of emergency as more and more migrants arrived and Massachusetts shelter system was pushed beyond its limits. While the state guarantees a right to shelter for families with children, requiring it to house them, in October, Healey put a cap of 7,500 families on the shelter system, forcing any families beyond that number to be added to a waiting list. As of Thursday, there were 7,545 families enrolled in the Emergency Assistance programs shelters and hotels, according to state data. Healey said in December that operating the emergency shelter system could cost $2 billion over the next two years. In Dedham, Giri Hotel Management contracted with the state to house about 425 people at the Elm Street hotel. A representative of the company explained at Wednesdays ZBA meeting that it had begun cooking meals for its residents at the Victory Grille building last week. However, in response to a request for proposals from the state for contractors to provide food services, the company had hoped to begin providing catering to other hotel shelter locations. Giri already operates eight other hotel properties that are acting as shelters, most of which do not have kitchen facilities. Read more: Springfield shelter system at capacity and homelessness expected to expand Currently, a Giri property in Quincy is producing about 3,000 meals per day for most of these properties. And the Inn at Dedham could have taken some of that pressure off by cooking more meals to be transported by van. In its permit application, Giri wrote that the Victory facility could produce about another 400 meals per day with four to six employees and two delivery vans. There would be no meals served on-site. While the meeting was only to decide the fate of the catering proposal, much of the testimony from residents in opposition centered on resentment about the shelters presence in the first place. While some worried about traffic from deliveries or the adequacy of dumpsters at the property, others voiced apprehension about stress on town resources, giving handouts to migrants, the imposition from the state and the use of taxpayer money. The former Victory Grille at 233 Elm St. in Dedham next to the former Fairfield Inn by Marriott Boston Dedham on Feb. 24, 2024.Nicole Simmons/MassLive This is not about whether people in emergency housing should be fed. Let us first prioritize the long-term interests of Dedham, resident Ed Dockham said. Our public safety and school systems are at best stressed due to the emergency housing that has been thrust upon our town without forethought or financial backing, and without any plan on how and when the emergency housing will not be required. Some supporters, however, pointed out that the hotel was not what was at issue at the meeting. Resident Marisa Howard-Karp called arguments about the towns tax base irrelevant. This is about actually feeding the people who are already living here, she said. Were not losing out on hotel taxes because of whats happening here right now. The decision thats leading to the hotel tax issue, thats already been made, and thats out of the towns hands. Beth Griffiths, who said she lives across the street from the facility, said she had received a flyer on her door telling her about the meeting, with what she called racist language against migrants of color. If it was 400 Ukrainian migrants being served at this facility, I can guarantee you this notice wouldnt have been posted on my door, she said, receiving jeers from others in the audience in response. God help if Black people benefit from this and a small business benefits from this ... because thats what this is about. Other communities have also had recent controversies over shelters. In Bostons Roxbury neighborhood, a temporary shelter that opened in January at the Melnea Cass Recreation Complex initially met strong pushback from neighbors, who said it was taking away an important community hub from an already-burdened, majority-Black neighborhood. In Quincy in September, a tense community meeting about a shelter in a dormitory at Eastern Nazarene College exhibited conflicting opinions from hundreds of residents just days after the neo-Nazi group NSC-131 held a demonstration in front of it, the Patriot Ledger reported at the time. Some communities have been somewhat successful in stopping shelter locations from even opening. In October, state officials announced they would no longer seek to house families at Westfield State University after the school repeatedly refused to offer one of its dorm buildings. In Yarmouth, intentions to place families at a motel led to a protest followed by a packed Board of Selectmen meeting. The state backed down after selectmen wrote a letter saying the motel had a history of zoning violations, but still placed families in another motel in town. The arguments made by opponents are often the same across communities. DeJoie of Centerboard said while he has met incredible help and cooperation from some cities on the North Shore where his organization operates, the most common concerns he hears from others are about an influx of students to local schools and disruptions to neighbors. At least the latter fear may be unfounded: over the last year-and-a-half, despite the large number of families Centerboard has supported, DeJoie could only recall two police calls to its properties, one of which was medical. But at the same time, he said he could understand why neighbors can be anxious. The unknown is scary, he said. The United States Coast Guard flew an injured fisherman from a fishing vessel several miles off the coast of Nantucket Thursday morning. The medevac operation was initiated After Sector Southeast New England watchstanders received a report of the injured fisherman, a medevac operation was initiated, the Coast Guard Northeast posted in a thread on X, formerly known as Twitter. A USCG Jayhawk helicopter crew and Ocean Sentry plane were both launched to head out 150 nautical miles to the vessel Rachael Leah. It was reported that the 50-year-old crewmember sustained a large laceration on his face after a tight line was released and struck him, another X post read. First aid was reported to be administered. The fisherman was taken to Mass. General Hospital Trauma Center, where the Coast Guard said he was in stable condition. A girl died and three others were hospitalized due to a fire that broke out in Middleborough early Saturday, according to authorities. Firefighters and police officers were dispatched to 27 Pearl St. in Middleborough around 2 a.m. Saturday for a report of a structure fire with people trapped inside, Middleborough Fire Chief Owen Thompson and Police Chief Joseph Perkins said in a joint statement. First responders arrived at the address and found heavy fire coming from the first and second floors of the home. A group of firefighters made an aggressive attack to prevent the blaze from spreading to nearby buildings, the statement detailed. Other firefighters tried to get into the burning home to rescue a girl who was still inside, but they were unable to do so due to the heavy fire conditions, according to the statement. The girl was found dead inside the home after the fire was extinguished, the statement said. A woman was driven by ambulance to Rhode Island Hospital in Providence to be treated for burns that appeared to be serious. A man and a girl were also taken to nearby hospitals with less severe injuries, according to the statement. Read more: Shooting in Stoughton leaves teenage boy with serious injuries The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the Middleborough Fire Department, the Middleborough Police Department, the Fire & Explosion Investigation Unit of the State Fire Marshals Office and the Plymouth District Attorneys Office. Firefighters from Bridgewater, Lakeville and Raynham helped at the scene of the blaze, and firefighters from Carver covered Middleboroughs fire stations, the statement noted. A man was arrested after allegedly assaulting a woman who is in her 60s at the State Street MBTA station in Boston earlier this week, according to authorities. The 33-year-old man, who authorities had yet to identify publicly as of Saturday morning, was arrested after allegedly assaulting the 69-year-old woman without warning or provocation around 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, MBTA Transit Police said in a statement posted to X, the site formerly known as Twitter. According to the statement, the man allegedly forcefully removed the womans mask and knocked her onto the train platform. She was treated at the scene by Boston EMS, the statement said. The man was taken to MBTA Transit Police headquarters to be arrested and booked, according to the statement. A teenage boy was left with serious injuries after a Friday night shooting in Stoughton, police said. The boy was not found at the scene of the shooting around McEachron Drive late Friday. Police instead discovered the teenager being treated for serious gunshot wounds in the emergency room at the Good Samaritan Medical Center in Brockton, according to a statement from the Stoughton Police Department. Police first received 911 calls reporting gunshots in the area of McEachron Drive around 11:20 p.m. Friday. Officers located shell casings on McEachron Drive in the area of Murray Circle, but they were not able to find anyone shot at the scene of the shooting, the department said in its statement. Officers were sent to the Good Samaritan Medical Center to see if anyone had arrived with gunshot wounds and discovered the boy who was shot undergoing treatment in the emergency room. That teenager was later transferred to Brigham and Womens Hospital in Boston with injuries that appeared serious, according to the statement. Stoughton police are actively investigating the shooting and believe it was targeted and not random in nature, the department said. Brockton police, Randolph police and Massachusetts State Police are helping the investigation. A description of the alleged shooter is not available. Police are asking all residents in the area of the shooting to check their home security cameras for any footage that could help the investigation. Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call Stoughton police at (781) 344-2424. Two people were stabbed in Boston on Friday, and at least one of them is in critical condition, according to police. Officers responded shortly before 5:50 p.m. Friday to a domestic-related call about a person stabbed at 44 Floyd St. in the Dorchester neighborhood of the city, Officer Jason Villanueva, a spokesperson for the Boston Police Department, told MassLive. Police found two adults suffering from stab wounds. At least one persons injuries were life-threatening. Both individuals were taken to the hospital, according to Villanueva. Homicide was investigating as a formality, Villanueva said. Nobody had been arrested as of Saturday morning. The stabbings remain under investigation, according to Villanueva. Debt-saddled Steward Health Care has turned over some, but not all, of the financial documents sought by the state, Gov. Maura Healeys office has said. The company did not meet the Democratic governors Friday deadline to turn over key financial data that Healeys office had demanded in a scathing letter she sent to the Texas-based company on Tuesday, the Boston Globe reported. Steward, which operates nine facilities across the state, turned over audited financial documents for several years through 2021, but didnt turn over those same records for 2022, the newspaper reported. The administration has said the documents are key to evaluating the health systems financial health. The financial information that Steward provided this week continues to be incomplete and insufficient, Healey spokesperson Karissa Hand told newspaper. Hand did not say what steps Healey might take next to deal with the company. What Steward must do from this point forward is clear complete an orderly transition out of Massachusetts, Hand said. By failing to comply, the administration has previously warned Steward, which owes $50 million in back rent, that it could move to freeze admissions to the hospitals, close beds, and transfer patients to other hospitals, MassLive previously reported. On Thursday, the professional association that represents Massachusetts physicians warned that the potential collapse of any of Stewards hospitals could disproportionately impact Black and brown Bay State residents who depend on them for services, MassLive previously reported. Because of at that risk, Massachusetts Medical Association President Dr. Barbara Spivak said the professional association [appreciated] the administrations thoughtful focus on regional solutions in planning for continuity of care for patients. This requires coordination by community, regional, and statewide stakeholders to, among other actions, establish processes for the rapid transfer of health records and streamline credentialing procedures for physicians and other care providers who may choose to or be forced to redeploy to other institutions, Spivak said. Spivak also expressed the groups thanks to the 11 members of the Bay States Capitol Hill delegation, who signed onto a letter to Cerberus Capital Management, the private equity firm that owned Steward Health Cares hospitals from 2010 until 2021, seeking information amid growing concerns about the hospital systems increasingly precarious financial plight. This pressure appropriately shines a much-needed light on the need for transparency for private equity-backed health care systems in disclosing all operational information that impacts patient care. The Commonwealth must demand via legislation and regulation this information to ensure these systems are prioritizing patients over profit, Spivak wrote. Speaking to WBURs Radio Boston program on Friday, U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley, who signed the letter, said the health systems teetering finances represented a public health crisis for communities across the commonwealth. Its a damning example of how private equity ownership damages our healthcare system and puts peoples lives at risk, Pressley, D-7th District, said. Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump arrives at the Black Conservative Federation's Annual BCF Honors Gala at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center in Columbia, S.C., Friday, Feb. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)AP CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) Former President Donald Trump is looking to win his fourth straight primary state on Saturday over Nikki Haley in South Carolina, aiming to hand a home-state embarrassment to his last remaining major rival for the Republican nomination. Trump went into the primary with a huge polling lead and the backing of the states top Republicans, including Sen. Tim Scott, a former rival in the race. Haley, who served as U.N. ambassador under Trump, has spent weeks crisscrossing the state that twice elected her governor warning that the dominant front-runner, who is 77 and faces four indictments, is too old and distracted to be president again. In all but one primary since 1980, the Republican winner in South Carolina has gone on to be the partys nominee. But Haley has repeatedly vowed to carry on if she loses her home state, even as Trump positions himself for a likely general election rematch against President Joe Biden. Trumps backers, including those who previously supported Haley during her time as governor, seemed confident that the former president would have a solid victory on Saturday. I did support her when she was governor. Shes done some good things, Davis Paul, 36, said as he waited for Trump at a recent rally in Conway. But I just dont think shes ready to tackle a candidate like Trump. I dont think many people can. Trump has swept into the state for a handful of large rallies in between fundraisers and events in other states, including Michigan, which holds its GOP primary Tuesday. He has drawn much larger crowds and campaigned with Gov. Henry McMaster, who succeeded Haley, and Scott, who was elevated to the Senate by Haley. Speaking Friday in Rock Hill, Trump accused Haley of staying in the race to hurt him at the behest of Democratic donors. All shes trying to do is inflict pain on us so they can win in November, he said. Were not going to let that happen. In some of those rallies, Trump has made comments that handed Haley more fodder for her stump speeches, such as his Feb. 10 questioning of why her husband currently on a South Carolina Army National Guard deployment to Africa hadnt been campaigning alongside her. Haley turned that point into an argument that the front-runner doesnt respect servicemembers and their families, long a criticism that has followed Trump going back to his suggesting the late Sen. John McCain, a prisoner of war in Vietnam, wasnt a hero because he was captured. That same night, Trump asserted that he would encourage countries like Russia to do whatever the hell they want against NATO member countries who failed to meet the transatlantic alliances defense spending targets. Haley has been holding out that moment as evidence that Trump is too volatile and getting weak in the knees when it comes to Russia. After one of Haleys events, Terry Sullivan, a U.S. Navy veteran who lives in Hopkins, said he had planned to support Trump but changed his mind after hearing Haleys critique of his NATO comments. One country can say whatever it wants, but when you have an agreement, among other nations, we should join the agreements of other nations, not just off on our own, Sullivan said. After listening to Nikki, I think Im a Nikki supporter now. Haley has made an indirect appeal to Democrats who in large numbers sat out their own presidential primary earlier this month, adding into her stump speech a line that anybody can vote in this primary as long as they didnt vote in the Feb. 3 Democrat primary. Some of those voters have been showing up at her events, saying that although they planned to vote for Biden in the general election, they planned to cross over to the GOP primary on Saturday as a way to oppose Trump now. In any other campaign cycle, a home state loss might be detrimental to a campaign. In 2016, Sen. Marco Rubio dropped out shortly after losing Florida in a blowout to Trump, after his campaign argued the political winds would shift in his favor once the campaign moved to his home state. And Haleys campaign cant name a state in which they feel she will be victorious over Trump. But in a speech this week in Greenville, Haley said she would stay in the campaign until the last person votes, arguing that those whose contests come after the early primaries and caucuses deserved the right to have a choice between candidates. Haley also used that speech which many had assumed was an announcement she was shuttering her campaign to argue that she feels no need to kiss the ring, as others had, possibly with prospects of serving as Trumps running mate in mind. I have no fear of Trumps retribution, Haley reiterated. Im not looking for anything from him. My own political future is of zero concern. More than two weeks ahead of Super Tuesday, the day on which voters in more than a dozen states and one U.S. territory will cast their ballots in primaries and caucuses, early voting has begun in Massachusetts. Early voting for the March 5 primary in the Bay State kicked off and voter registration closed this Saturday, Feb. 24. All cities and towns in Massachusetts are offering in-person early voting hours Saturday, with larger communities holding early voting Sunday as well. Early voting for the primary will run through March 1. Those seeking to cast their ballot may find their communitys early voting schedule and locations at www.voteinma.com, Secretary of State Bill Galvins office detailed in a statement. Saturday also marks the last day for people in Massachusetts to register to vote in the primary. Those who need to register, update their address, or change their party affiliation, may do so in person at a local election office until 5 p.m. or online at www.VoteInMA.com until 11:59 p.m. Registration is also available at early voting sites during voting hours Saturday. Any registered voter who has not already returned a vote-by-mail ballot may cast a ballot in person at an early voting site in their city or town or at their polling place on March 5. As of Wednesday afternoon, roughly 700,000 Massachusetts voters had applied to vote by mail and more than 200,000 ballots had already been cast, according to Galvins office. Voters who are not enrolled in a political party, commonly called independents, may choose to vote in the Democratic, Republican or Libertarian Primary without becoming a member of a party. Those who are enrolled in a political party may cast their ballot only in their own partys primary, Galvins office explained. Along with Massachusetts, the one territory and 14 other states voting in primaries and caucuses on Super Tuesday on March 5 are American Samoa, Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Maine, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont and Virginia. It is looking likely the 2024 presidential election on Nov. 5 will feature a rematch between Democratic President Joe Biden and Republican former President Donald Trump a prospect many voters, including Gen Z and millennials, appear to be unenthusiastic about. Biden, who faces minimal opposition in his party, has handily won all three Democratic primaries thus far. Trump is the easy frontrunner in his partys primary race as well, holding 63 delegates to rival Nikki Haleys 17. Going into the Republican Primary in South Carolina on Saturday, Trump is seeking to embarrass Haley, his only rival in the race, in her home state. Area communities are weighing in on the fighting in Gaza this week and will consider resolutions calling for a ceasefire and for increased humanitarian aid for the Palestinians caught in the conflict. Amherst town councilors will vote on a ceasefire resolution Monday evening, while Northampton city councilors will consider three separate resolutions Tuesday. The African Medical Centre of Excellence, Abuja (AMCE Abuja), a quaternary-level multi-speciality medical institution developed by the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) and Kings College Hospital, London, concluded its highly anticipated African Health Forum 2024 in Abuja, Nigeria, marking a significant milestone in advancing healthcare collaboration and innovation across the continent. The forum brought together esteemed industry leaders, healthcare professionals, and stakeholders from across Africa and beyond to discuss critical issues facing the healthcare sector and to explore avenues for collaboration and progress. The opening segment featured Prof. Benedict Oramah, President and Chairman of Afreximbank, who provided valuable insights into the historical journey and mission of the AMCE. Following Prof. Oramahs remarks, Prof Mohammed Ali Pate, the Coordinating Minister of Health, and Social Welfare, shed light on current healthcare challenges in Nigeria, particularly focusing on non-communicable diseases. Keynote addresses from distinguished guests further enriched the dialogue, with H.E. Amb. Minata Samate Cessouma, Commissioner for Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development and H.E Dr. Jean Kaseya, Director-General of Africa CDC, offering their perspectives on the future of healthcare in Africa. A significant highlight of the event was the signing ceremony of the Equity Investment Term Sheet agreement with African Finance Corporation (AFC), to facilitate the commitment of up to USD$40 million from AFC towards the development of the AMCE Abuja. Furthermore, the event saw the MoU signing between Afreximbank and the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare to support the development of Nigerias healthcare sector under the Presidential Initiative for Unlocking Healthcare Value Chains (PVAC). Through a USD$1 billion Healthcare Value Chain Programme, the partnership will seek to support the establishment of world-class medical and health facilities and increase domestic manufacturing of essential pharmaceuticals, diagnostics, vaccines, biologics and medical consumables. It will also reduce outbound medical tourism by elevating the quality and accessibility of healthcare services within Nigeria, promoting employment, fostering a culture of locally driven research & development, and attracting investments into Nigerias healthcare value chain. Throughout the day, attendees were treated to engaging presentations and discussions on various topics affecting healthcare delivery on the continent, including the vision and mission of AMCE, clinical overviews, strategies to reduce healthcare worker tourism, and the power of collaboration in healthcare. The forum also featured cultural performances and networking opportunities, fostering a vibrant atmosphere of exchange and collaboration among participants. Commenting on the success of the Forum: President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Afreximbank, Benedict Oramah, said: The African Medical Centre of Excellence initiative was born out of the urgent need to address the inadequacies in healthcare facilities, particularly in dealing with non-communicable diseases. With only 48% of Africas population having access to essential healthcare services, the situation demanded immediate attention. This Forum is just one of the many initiatives by the Afreximbank Group to emphasise the urgency of the matter. The AMCE Abuja will not only serve as a hub for cutting-edge research and clinical services but also as a training ground for future medical professionals across Africa. It will play a pivotal role in tackling the growing burden of non-communicable diseases and reversing the brain drain of qualified medical personnel. As we progress towards its completion, we anticipate significant benefits for Africa, including job creation, improved healthcare access, and enhanced intra-regional trade in medical services. With construction well underway and operations set to begin in early 2025, the AMCE Abuja represents a beacon of hope for Africas healthcare landscape. The AMCE Africa Health Forum provides a platform for stakeholders to strengthen partnerships and collaboration, underscoring the importance of collective action in achieving our shared goal of a healthier Africa. Reflecting on the success of the African Health Forum 2024, Brian Deaver, Chief Executive Officer of AMCE Abuja, expressed optimism about the future of healthcare in Africa, stating: As we conclude the AMCE African Health Forum today, I am deeply encouraged by the collaborative spirit and shared commitment to advancing healthcare excellence across our continent. Our discussions today have underscored the urgent need for collective action to address the pressing challenges posed by non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in Nigeria and neighbouring regions. The AMCE stands ready to play a pivotal role in this endeavour, leveraging our expertise, resources, and strategic partnerships to implement innovative solutions and improve health outcomes for all. Together, we can forge a path toward a healthier, more prosperous future for Africa and its people. Furthermore, the President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Afreximbank, Benedict Oramah, outlined the profound impact of the project, emphasising that it will generate approximately 3,000 jobs during both its construction and operational phases. Moreover, it will provide prompt, lifesaving detection and management of serious diseases to over 200,000 patients in Nigeria and an additional 150,000 patients from other African countries within its first five years of operation. Additionally, the project will play a pivotal role in fostering intra-regional trade in medical services and strengthening supply chains in the medical and pharmaceutical sectors. APO Group (www.APO-opa.com), the premier award-winning Pan-African communications consultancy and press release distribution service, is delighted to announce the appointment of Laila Bastati as Chief Commercial Officer. Laila has more than 15 years of experience in international business development, strategic partnerships and operations with a proven track record of building and managing cross-functional and geographically distributed teams. This experience makes her perfectly suited to manage commercial operations and strategy for APO Group, which is the only truly Pan African communications consultancy. The companys staff are spread across the continent providing deep knowledge and expertise of Africas diverse and complex media landscape to more than 300 clients. APO Groups unique model combines strategic Public Relations knowhow with the continents leading press release distribution service, providing clients with unparalleled Pan-African communications support. As Chief Commercial Officer, Laila will be responsible for driving revenue and attracting new clients as APO Group looks to move to the next level of growth. Laila comes into her role at APO Group with impressive international credentials. Having lived in 12 countries and worked in over 50, Laila has consulted Heads of State, government officials, Fortune 500 accounts, and High Net Worth Individuals (HNWIs) on effective communication campaigns to attract foreign investment and has negotiated complex agreements to secure multi-million dollar and multi-year income deals. In her previous role, Laila was Managing Director of the Commercial Division at Energy Capital & Power, Africas leading investment platform in the energy sector. She led the company through a new era, increasing turnover by 50% YoY and growing the commercial team by 80%. Earlier in her career, Laila worked as Chief Operating Officer, Global Commercial Director, and Project Director at The Business Year, a global media group specializing in economic news and business intelligence. In these positions she managed 100+ employees across 14 locations, revitalized and diversified revenue streams, quadrupled annual sales volume, and spearheaded the companys transition into the digital era. Laila holds a B.S. in Political Science, International Commerce & Relations from the University of Padua, and an M.A. in Fashion Promotion from Marangoni Fashion Institute, Milan. She is fluent in English, Spanish and Italian, and proficient in French. It is a privilege to join such a diverse and dynamic team that is leading the way in African communications, said Laila Bastati, Chief Commercial Officer at APO Group. This role presents a fabulous opportunity to work with some of the most prestigious organizations operating on the continent, who rely on our services and our expertise every day. I am thrilled to come on board to help navigate APO Group through an exciting new chapter of expansion and innovation. APO Group experienced a year-over-year revenue growth of 40% in 2021 and 60% in 2022, and I am confident that Laila is the right person to lead us to the next level, said Nicolas Pompigne-Mognard, Founder and Chairman of APO Group. Africa is set to greatly benefit from the advancement and embrace of global tourism owing to its rich natural resources and history. Tourists want to experience the natural, sandy beaches, tropical weather, safaris and culture. Cultural heritage has recently been appreciated with tourists travelling far and wide to indulge in the art, historical narrations, dance, cultural practices, architecture, food and drinks. With the growth of the service sector, most African economies are delving into and building the service sector. This move is aimed at reducing over-reliance on the agricultural sector that we are widely known for. The growth of tourism will be inevitable with this strategy, leading to diversified economy sectors. This realization is also boosted by the fact that the tourism sector is not fully biased academically. Men, women and youth can contribute to the transformation even with low and medium levels of education. The industry drives the economy across all levels as it is not a reserve for the middle and high class. Every contribution is vital for national economic growth of the host country. The impact of tourism goes beyond creation of employment opportunities, there is growth of the local community, economic growth stimulation and investors attraction. The World Bank report indicates that Mauritius ranks high as a free economy and is classified as the best in Africa and number 13 globally for business and investments. Mauritius, an upper middle economy has anchored its tourism sector on favorable legal and investments policies, stable economy and political stability. Progressive and future oriented policies have transformed Mauritius from a known small island to a globally recognized state with various stable markets in agriculture and now tourism. With more than one million guests annually, this is the country to watch alongside Kenya. Tourism sector emerging trends The need state of tourists has evolved over the years with the focus shifting to experiences from the initial services. Guests want fusion between memories and life experiences merging both business and pleasure. Resorts and hotel designs and teams have to provide layouts that relate and evoke emotions of the tourists. Guests are more inclined to wellness (health and social), nature (recalibration and recouping) through yoga or specially curated classes where guests connect with nature, that reiterate the locations unique culinary delights or array of natural resources identity and uniqueness. Reciprocal tourism agreements between countries, such as Kenya and Mauritius have promoted mutually beneficial business relationships and agreements that have boosted both economies. Kenya Airways and Air Mauritius flights between both countries has eased operations and accessibility for all tourists and guests looking to visit. Entrepreneurs play a major role in the development and expansion of the tourism sector. Morris Musyoka, a Kenyan business man in various sectors and a keen interest in Kenya and soon Mauritius markets reiterates that the way to leverage and succeed in tourism is through social entrepreneurship. This will entail implementation of strategies such as recognition and awarding of impactful investors, promotion of domestic tourism, maintenance of tourist and historical sites, infrastructure development and favorable policies, leveraging on technology and partnerships with individuals and corporates. Musyoka exemplifies the spirit of innovation and collaboration driving the encompassing of digital transformation in every sector, including tourism. His unwavering dedication to leveraging technology for social impact and economic growth underscores the immense potential of African talent in shaping a brighter future for generations to come. In the execution of all the strategies, one key relationship that can make or break every effort and stride is the relationship between social entrepreneurs and government. Progressive efforts will be nurtured through collaboration, engagement of private sector in laws enactment, training and development and sound protocols on conflict resolution. Collaborative governments empower and support investors by building transport infrastructure, land provision and policy reforms for the sectors rapid growth. Africa Unions goodwill of visa free travel requirements across Africa will be a major boost in promoting local and global tourism. The dynamic realm of technological era brings about an undefeated fusion between entrepreneurship in the tourism field and tech to create magic that will last a myriad of generations. We build Africa when we invest and support the continent. Morris Musyoka Tourism and hospitality. Entrepreneur. Software engineer and mathematician. A MAYO TD has claimed that rural households are disadvantaged when it comes to retrofitting schemes for homes as the majority rely on solid fuel for heat. Sinn Fein TD Rose Conway-Walsh has claimed that the retrofitting programme for homes is 'not fit for purpose' and that rural homes in Mayo are 'essentially excluded from the retrofit scheme'. The Erris-based TD made her claims following a hearing on energy poverty at Joint Oireachtas Committee Social Protection, Community and Rural Development and the Islands debate, which heard criticism of the government's retrofit programme. Deputy Conway-Walsh described the programme as flawed as one of the the key drivers of this is the high efficiency target that has to be met. She said for many homes reaching a B2 rating is either impossible or far too expensive. Another key shortcoming is the lack of a specific approach to homes that rely on solid fuel for heating the vast majority of homes in Mayo. Only 2.1 percent of homes in Mayo are heated with natural gas and 5.4 percent with electricity that means that more than four out of five homes in Mayo rely on solid fuels for heating. If we compare that to Eamon Ryans constituency in Dublin only about 6 percent rely on solid fuels. To access the retrofit scheme you have to be able to afford 50 percent of the cost of getting to a B2 rating. This is far out of the reach of most people everywhere in the state. But if you rely on solid fuel for heating the costs are even higher, she said. The Sinn Fein spokesperson on Public Expenditure, National Development Plan, and Reform said the meeting confirmed what Sinn Fein has been saying about rural communities feeling 'badly let down by the Government'. Rural homes are being left behind. The retrofits scheme as it is currently designed is a massive wealth transfer between to wealthier households. Many households in Mayo have no hope of accessing the scheme. In a period when the cost of living is sky-high and levels of energy poverty are at some of their highest rates - that is totally unacceptable. It is clear that the Government's deeply inequitable and regressive scheme has resulted in a situation in which the very people who need it most simply cannot afford to retrofit their homes. Seamus Boland of Irish Rural Link comments to the Committee echoed those by Sinn Fein over many years. That message must now finally be listened to by the Government, she said. Sinn Fein local candidate for Ballina, Una Morris added that: The programme fails to address the significant challenges faced by rural households in Mayo, many of whom are elderly and on middle and low incomes, when attempting to improve their homes heating and energy efficiency rating. Sinn Fein are clear that the number of fully funded retrofits is far too low; that there needs to be targeted measures to ensure that delivery is based on needs rather than means and that those in solid fuel homes have been left out in the cold. Significantly, our solutions include specific measures for people on middle and low incomes, those living rurally and those living in older homes. This would make a real difference for people in Mayo struggling to heat their homes. Our plan is to spend more where it matters in order to deliver a tiered, area-targeted-based scheme aimed at low and middle income households. Significantly, we would establish a dedicated scheme for solid fuel homes. Rather than targeting solid fuel homes with punitive action like carbon tax hikes and turf bans, we propose to support them as part of a just transition, she said. Two years on from the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a TG4 documentary 'Caillte san Ucrain' (Lost in Ukraine) investigates the story of Achill Island native, Finbar Cafferkey, who died on the frontline in Ukraine. The current affairs documentary, is presented by investigative journalist, Kevin Magee, who travels to war-torn Ukraine to find out more about the circumstances surrounding the death of Mr Cafferkey, 45, who was killed while trying to secure a crucial supply line in the battle for Bakhmut on April 19 last year. The documentary examines the reasons behind his decision to enlist in a fighting unit in Ukraine and shows the impact of his passing on his family in Achill Island. Investigative journalist, Kevin Magee Mr Cafferkey died in a Russian mortar strike along with two other foreign fighters, former US Marine veteran Cooper Andrews (26), from Ohio, and Russian anarchist Dmitriy Petrov. Mr Cafferkey and Mr Petrov had previously fought with the YPG, a left-wing Kurdish militia who fought against the Islamic state in northern Syria. Kevin travelled to the city of Lviv in western Ukraine, and tracked down a former female volunteer solider who trained alongside Mr Cafferkey and was due to take part in the same ill-fated mission. Other Ukrainian frontline soldiers interviewed for the documentary tell of the difficulties serving in the Bakhmut region where Mr Cafferkey was killed. It was previously reported that Finbar Cafferkeys remains had been recovered from the battlefield and were awaiting a positive identification, but following inquiries made in the TG4 programme, Mr Cafferkey has now been officially re-classified as missing-in-action; without his remains being recovered. A Ukrainian solider who was wounded fighting at the in frontline near Bakhmut and is currently being treated for his injuries in Lviv, told Kevin Magee in the programme, about the problems recovering the bodies of fallen Ukrainian soldiers from the battlefield where Finbar Cafferkey was killed. Its almost impossible to do that, and we even had cases where we had a so-called agreement between Russian troops and our allocation team was entering to pick up the bodies, and they were immediately shot, said Andrii, 39, who served with a special forces unit on the Ukrainian front line near Bakhmut. Only in some rare cases where the commanders of units from both sides have an agreement is it possible to recover bodies but in general its very, very, very difficult, he said. Andrii, who declined to give his surname for security reasons, said the area where Mr Cafferkey is missing near Bakhmut is now controlled by Russian forces. The situation in the Bakhmut region is always quite difficult because the enemy is much better equipped with heavy weapons, drones, artillery and number of troops, so its pretty tough fighting there. When you fight there its non-stop strikes and shelling, he said. Ukrainian ambassador to Ireland Laryso Gerasko, also speaking on the programme, dismissed earlier reports that Mr Cafferkeys body has been recovered and was awaiting identification in a morgue. I have some information from our Minister of Defence. His body hasn't been identified yet, and hes missing in action. Unfortunately, I don't have anymore information except that. We are on to our authorities to find his body and to identify him but that is without success unfortunately. It's our duty to find not only the bodies of foreigners, but Ukrainians as well, but it's very difficult in such a brutal war, said Ms Gerasko. The Cafferkey family speak in next Wednesday's documentary on TG4 Finbar Cafferkey was the eldest in a family of five children and grew up in Cashel on the east side of Achill Island. His parents Tom and Celine, sisters Meadhbh and Orla and brother Colm take part in the documentary. Caillte san Ucrain from TG4s award winning current affairs strand Iniuchadh TG4, airs on Wednesday, February 28 at 9.30pm and on TG4.ie THE brother of the late Finbar Cafferkey has paid tribute to his memory in a ceremony to mark the two-year anniversary of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Over 100 people gathered at the Octagon in Westport today (Saturday) to remember the soldiers who had lost their lives in the war. Speaking at a ceremony in St Marys Church in Westport, Colm Cafferkey described his older brother as someone who he looked up to. Paying tribute to all those who had died in the war, Mr Cafferkey called for a loving world during a short reflection at the end of the ceremony. Finbars aunt, Phylomena, also read a reflection called A Letter From Heaven to the congregation. I looked up to my older brother Finbar, and then Im told hes gone. Hes gone, but the reality ceases to land, Mr Cafferkey said. I feel him still alive around me, I can still see him smile and keeping me safe with his presence, his steady handsI can feel his courageI can feel his kindness, I can hear his big laughif only in my heart, he lives on. Let us honour the sisters and brothers, parents and friends who have all fallen in the war, their laughter, their kindness and their couragelet us build a loving world. The names and photographs of 24 deceased or missing Ukrainian soldiers were read out during the gathering at the Octagon. Members of the local Ukrainian community holding photographs of deceased Ukrainian soldiers at The Octagon in Westport (Pic: Conor McKeown) Each soldier had a connection to a family living in Mayo including Finbar Cafferkey, who died while supporting Ukrainian forces in Eastern Ukraine last year. Natalia Herasymenko, who read out the names of each soldier, who lost her friend Serhii Lozko (40) on June 25, 2023 near the village of Privillia. We are losing thousands of really good guys in this war, and we dont see when its going to stop or when its going to pause, Ms Herasymenko told The Mayo News Music was provided by members of the local Ukrainian community, who sang their national anthem Ukraine Has Not Yet Perished and other Ukrainian folk songs. Judy Casey of Westport Welcomes Ukraine paid tribute to the local community for their support for Ukrainian refugees. Many of the people gathered here today have lost much more than we can imagine but you are strong, and you put on a brave face and go to work and raise your families. Remember, we are your friends and on the bad days you can lean on us and we will support you, Ms Casey told the gathering. The care from the local community here in Westport has been amazing and we are all so appreciative for all you have done to make everyone feel welcome. Cllr Michael Loftus, Cathaoirleach of Mayo County Council, expressed his sympathy to the people of Ukraine. On behalf of the people of Mayo, what we have experienced here today has been so moving, said Cllr Loftus. When you look at the faces of these young people that have lost their lives defending your country you have to be but moved. We think of Finbar Cafferkey from Achill, especially, and his family today. I really am astonished with the support that has come from the people of Mayo and I want to thank them for supporting the Ukrainian people like we have, and we will continue to do so as long as we have to. But to you, the people, we dont realise the suffering that you as a family member, as a country, are suffering at the moment. If we lost the likes of the young people you have lost in your country in our community, it would be devastating. So our hearts really go out to you all here today and to the community in Ukraine. We really really feel for your country and continue to do so. Local county councillors John OMalley (Independent), Christy Hyland (Independent) and Peter Flynn (Fine Gael) also attended the gathering. There will be further coverage of the two-year anniversary in Ukraine in Tuesdays Mayo News. What can a diplomatic valise contain? Well, in the case of Mexico, it could be filled with treasure. The Foreign Ministry Museum housed in an old convent located in the historic center of the Mexican capital is hosting an exhibition that, for the first time, brings together more than 150 archeological pieces that were recovered from abroad through intense diplomatic work. Many of the items were transported by Mexican diplomats, who repatriated them from the United States, Germany, France, or the Netherlands. Among the looted treasures that have been returned to Mexican territory, there are some objects that are thousands of years old. This is just a taste its just a very small portion of everything that has been recovered through various means, because were talking about more or less 15,000 pieces having been rescued, explains Rafael Toriz, director of Visual Arts at Mexicos Foreign Ministry. The work done by Toriz and Rodrigo Fernandez de Gortari the curators of the exhibition has been intense and would arouse envy in any archeology lover. These two men have rummaged through hundreds of boxes containing the thousands of pieces recovered from half the world. Theyve been safeguarded in the warehouses belonging to Mexicos cultural institutions, under the care of officials who are determined to protect this heritage. Some of the stories behind the pieces are almost implausible, worthy of a detective novel. Such is the case with the so-called Portal of the Underworld or Chalcatzingo Monument 9 which was undoubtedly the Mexican authorities most sought-after artefact from the Olmec civilization. The monument was stolen from Mexican territory more than 50 years ago. For more than five decades, this piece was sought by the Mexican state, which, in 2006, proposed to offer the holders of the archaeological treasure a fiberglass replica and a formal thank you, with the request that the sculpture of Olmec origin be returned to our country, explained Jorge Islas Lopez, Mexicos consul general in New York City, in a book about the history of his countrys so-called cultural diplomacy. Rafael Toriz and Rodrigo Fernandez de Gortari, the curators of the exhibition. Aggi Garduno The consul narrates how, in 1934, a storm hit Chalcatzingo, in the state of Morelos. It revealed a series of works carved in stone that experts had never seen, including the Olmec monument. The piece was stolen in the 1950s and, according to one of the witnesses to that looting (cited by the diplomat), it was transported in pieces and sold in the United States, in packaging that wouldnt arouse the suspicions of the customs authorities. Another Olmec sculpture known as Earth Monster ended up in the hands of a wealthy American family. Mexicos Foreign Ministry believes that the work was purchased at the time for $12.5 million dollars. The monument 3,000 years old and weighing more than one ton was returned to the country after long negotiations with the US authorities and under the threat of prosecuting its owners for illegal trafficking. In the end, the collectors returned it. The relic is now exhibited in the Palace of Cortes, the structure that the conqueror built in the south-central Mexican city of Cuernavaca. The exhibition at the Foreign Ministry Museum opens with a diplomatic suitcase on display, as a symbolic way for the authorities to honor the work done by dozens of diplomats to repatriate stolen works. Some pieces were also given up voluntarily by collectors, upon learning that theyre part of Mexican heritage. Among the works on display is the Columnilla de Santa Rosa Xtampak, from Campeche, which is shown in the original packaging box in which it was recovered. In the exhibition, the curators explain that Xtampak means old walls in the Mayan language. The 58-pound piece is a fragment of a palace column that shows the Jaguar of the Underworld, a supernatural being that represented the sun. The work was delivered by an Austrian collector in 2022. Another one of the relics is a relief sculpture dedicated to the cult of the dead, called Tzompantli, from Chichen Itza, which in the Nahuatl language means altar of skulls. Pikes were placed on these platforms, on which the heads of enemies were skewered. According to the curators of the exhibition, archeologists have found more than 500 skulls chiseled in high relief in this type of carving. Also among the recovered pieces is a small face sculpted in stone, whose owner ordered a setting made in the shape of two snakes to wear it as a necklace an eccentricity, without a doubt. But its so exotic and precious that the woman surely wore it with elegant pride. When observing the exhibition, visitors may be astonished to see that very rich people paid a fortune to possess looted works, which are part of an enormous heritage that hasnt yet been fully recovered. Prized pieces from Mexico continue to be sold in auction houses in New York or Paris; they adorn the living rooms of millionaires and billionaires around the world. [Mexican citizens] know that these pieces have been returned to their place of origin everyone knows that theyre here, thanks to the photos in the press but they dont know the path they took and that theyre part of our own history, explains Fernandez de Gortari, the exhibitions curator. Visitors tour the exhibition, on February 21. Aggi Garduno Mexico has undertaken a major offensive on the political, diplomatic and legal front, which the administration of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has turned into its main foreign cultural policy asset. The governments strategy isnt exempt from criticism, mainly due to the presidents incendiary discourse: hes often heard accusing European nations of looting, or seen mobilizing the controversial National Guard to recover pre-Hispanic pieces. Still, the offensive has had relevant achievements, such as the recovery of more than 15,000 archeological pieces or even Ralph Laurens decision to remove a collection of bags that copied the traditional Mexican serape (a colorful woolen shawl). Cultural diplomacy is a strategy that the Foreign Ministry utilizes to rescue and value culture as an agent of political and economic power. [Thanks to this], Mexico, once again, possesses these pieces that hold such great historical value, Rafael Toriz affirms. The exhibition called A halo of splendor will be open until March. Visitors will be able to enjoy Mexicos archeological wealth and the exciting story of a handful of diplomats who dedicated themselves to repatriating their countrys history. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition by Laurie Sullivan @lauriesullivan, February 23, 2024 Quantcast CTO Peter Day shared preliminary data around cookieless ad inventory testing conducted with brands, and found that prices have increased 40% year-over-year (YoY). The global programmatic adtech firm runs an AI-powered DSP that predicts the audiences that are most likely to buy, found that cookieless inventory rose from being 14x less expensive a year ago to 2.4x cheaper at the present time. Nearly half of the advertisers Quantcast works with run cookieless inventory on more than 20% of ad buys. Campaigns are running in both environments. Tests are based on more than 6,000 campaigns. There have been significant cost increases due to us doing stuff more effectively as more people are starting to test, even with their own media budgets, Day said. Quantcast began running tests for its clients about 18 months ago, but the first six months were spent onboarding advertisers. advertisement advertisement The biggest change we saw were increasing CPMs, but that was from a very low base, Day said. When we started last year, it was almost offensively cheap to buy high-quality impressions, because there wasnt that much competition for it. With more competition, CPMs start to increase. There has been more competition for the ad space of late, but not nearly as much as cookie-based inventory. When asked whether there is an opportunity to reduce CPMs, Day said it will take a little longer to get a signal back. Much of the company's focus has been trying to get publishers more comfortable with new measurements. Its always easier to test and learn by measuring things during a short conversion cycle, he said. We have a lot more CPA data on short conversion cycles like travel, software, tech and online retail. The cookieless environment is the second most effective targeting tactic because of the large audiences and not as much competition. Advertisers can buy ads at significantly lower costs. The most effective is cookies. There is room for improvement. Quantcast released an updated model in November and saw a 13% lift across the board. For every dollar, advertisers now see 13% more conversions. I think we will continue to see improvements during the next six to 12 months, he said. Day also shared that when Yokohama Tire and its agency Charts+Darts ran its first cookieless campaign to reach untapped audiences, Quantcast used lookalike audience modeling to find consumers similar to those already visiting its website searching for tires. Running ads in cookieless and cookie-based environments, Yokohama found that CPAs fell 34% quarter-over-quarter and 61% year-over-year. Quantcasts Cookieless Breakdown report, comparing performance with and without third-party cookies, measured CPAs as 46% lower and their reach as 1.8x higher. According to a third-party foot traffic study, the addition of cookieless advertising had a positive impact with a 356% lift in incremental projected in-store visits and 55% decrease in cost per incremental visit. by Wendy Davis @wendyndavis, February 23, 2024 Federal and state prosecutors failed to prove that Google violated antitrust laws by arranging to serve as the default search engine on browsers developed by Apple and Mozilla, and on Android mobile devices, the company contends in new court papers. Punishing a successful firm that has out-innovated its competitors to the benefit of consumers harms competition, not the other way around, the company argued in a 123-page post-trial brief filed with U.S. District Court Judge Amit Mehta in Washington, D.C. The brief, filed under seal earlier this month, was made available on Friday, but with some passages blacked out. When Google has succeeded in the competition to be the default in a particular browser, it has done so by offering the best product at the best price, Google adds. Mehta presided over a trial last year in which prosecutors from the U.S. Department of Justice and a coalition of states attempted to prove that Google violated anti-monopoly laws. advertisement advertisement One of the antitrust enforcers' major contentions in the case was that Google obtained dominance in search by contracting to be the default search engine in Mozilla's Firefox browser and Apple's Safari browser, and to have its search engine pre-installed on Android smartphones. Prosecutors reiterated that argument in their post-trial brief, also made available Friday. Google pays billions of dollars to guarantee it is the exclusive out-of-the-box default search engine across nearly all search access points -- particularly on mobile phones, the prosecutors argue in their 108-page filing. Google therefore denies rivals access to the most important distribution channels for general search engines.... Without access to those distribution channels, rivals cannot achieve the scale necessary to compete effectively with Google. Prosecutors also argued that Google's payments to Apple incentivize Apple to not enter the relevant markets. The prosecutors cited testimony from Apple's Eduardo Cue, who negotiated the search deal with Google, that Apple would have developed its own search engine if Google hadn't paid the company for default status in Safari. Google argues its deals with Apple and Mozilla reflect the quality of Google's search engine. The evidence at trial demonstrated that Microsoft has for many years pitched Apple to make Bing the default search engine instead of Google for the Safari browser, Google writes. In each instance, Apple took a hard look at the relative quality of Bing versus Google and concluded that Google was the superior default choice for its Safari users. That is competition, the company adds. Google also notes that Mozilla, which began using Google as the default search for the Firefox browser in 2004, changed the default to Yahoo from 2014, but reverted to Google in 2017. During the years Yahoo was the default search engine, Mozilla observed a decline in both (1) usage of the default search functionality in Firefox and (2) the number of users of the Firefox browser, Google writes. Mozillas preference for Google as the default search engine and its view about the importance of having competition among search providers for the Firefox default could not be more clear, Google argues. Mozilla advised the Department of Justice, in a letter sent weeks before this lawsuit was filed, that it would be significantly harmed in its ability to compete were it not permitted to enter into a default search agreement with Google, because Google provides the best user experience and is preferred by Firefox users. Judith Godreche attends the 'Dogman' premiere during the 49th Deauville American Film Festival on September 02, 2023 in Deauville, France. As French cinema basks in Academy Awards attention, actors who allege they were teenage victims of sexual and physical abuse by directors decades older than them are shining the light on the repulsive underside of the countrys industry. The latest step in the #MeToo movement could come at the French cinema awards on Friday. French media are reporting that Judith Godreche will make a speech on sexual violence at the Cesar Awards ceremony, Frances version of the Oscars, which is broadcast live on television. Gerald-Brice Viret, a broadcasting director at Frances Canal +, the channel that will air the awards ceremony, said he is hoping Godreche will speak during the event Friday night. We asked her to come because we wanted her to feel surrounded by the entire cinema family, Viret said in an interview with Le Parisien newspaper. We will welcome her with open arms. The floor is open. Godreche already sent a powerful message to the public through recent interviews in which she denounced an omerta in the industry. It comes as French cinema is expected to shine next month at the Oscars ceremony with Justine Triet s courtroom drama Anatomy of a Fall. Godreche, 51, is well known to French cinemagoers. She recently accused two film directors of rape and sexual abuse when she was a teenager. She formally filed a complaint earlier this month, the Paris prosecutor said. She is accusing film director Benoit Jacquot, with whom she had a six-year relationship that started when she was 14, of rape and physical abuse. Jacquot, a prominent director in France, is 25 years her senior. She is also accusing another film director, Jacques Doillon, of sexual abuse while he was directing a film when she was 15. Doillon is 28 years older than her. Both Jacquot and Doillon have denied the allegations. Speaking on France Inter radio earlier this month, Godreche said that she was never attracted to Jacquot, but I ended up with him, in his bed, and I was his child wife. Godreche and Jacquot met in 1986 on the set of his film The Beggars. I was indoctrinated, it was as if Id joined a cult, she said. The relationship was marred by violence, confinement and control, she said. Hours before the start of the ceremony, French cultural minister Rachida Dati criticized the countrys cinema for collectively turning a blind eye for decades to sexual violence. She hailed Godreches courage to speak out and for sharing her traumatic experience. Judith Godreche has spoken of her pain in simple terms, Dati said. She said, I was a child. You saw everything and no one said anything, the cultural minister said in an interview with The French Film magazine. She added: This should be the beginning of profound soul searching for French cinema. Creative freedom is total, but we are not talking about art here, but about a crime against a child, Dati said. Having a sexual relationship with a child under 15, is a crime. Godreche had previously spoken about her relationship with Jacquot, without naming him, in an autobiographical television show called Icon of French Cinema that was released in December. She was among the actors who spoke out in 2017 against U.S. film producer Harvey Weinstein amid the #MeToo movement, accusing him of sexual assault when she was 24. Jacquot told the Le Monde newspaper that he doesnt feel directly concerned by Godreches accusations, with whom he said he fell in love at the time. He denied any abuse of authority. In a statement to international news agency Agence France-Presse, Doillon said the just cause doesnt justify arbitrary denunciations, false accusations and lies. Following Godreches accusations, other women decided to speak out. Isild Le Besco, 41, accused Jacquot of psychological and physical violence in a relationship with him that began when she was 16 and he was 52. She also accused Doillon of having picked someone else for a role she was supposed to get because she refused his sexual advances. Another actor, Anna Mouglalis, 45, accused Doillon of sexual assault in 2011. The French film industry earlier was shaken by sexual misconduct accusations against actor Gerard Depardieu. In 2020, protests by womens rights activists were staged during the Cesar Awards ceremony as director Roman Polanski won, in absentia, the best director award. Actor Adele Haenel, who denounced alleged sexual assault by another French director in the early 2000s when she was 15, got up and walked out of the room. Polanski is still wanted in the United States decades after he was charged with raping a 13-year-old girl in 1977. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition Trusted Source What is Monkey Fever (KFD)? Go to source Trusted Source Monkey Fever Virus Presence in Karnataka's Mysore and Hassan Districts Tamil Nadu health warns of Monkey Fever in border areas; advisory sent to forest dept & local authorities. #monkeyfever Did You Know? Monkey Fever, scientifically known as Kyasanur Forest Disease (KFD), is a viral illness transmitted to humans through ticks, primarily in forested areas. The disease is named after the Kyasanur Forest in Karnataka, India, where it was first identified. What is Monkey Fever (KFD)? - (https://monkeyfeverrisk.ceh.ac.uk/what-kfd) The public health department of Tamil Nadu has issued a health advisory to both the Tamil Nadu forest department and local authorities in regions bordering Karnataka, addressing the looming threat of Monkey Fever in the border villages .Till date, two persons have died due to the disease, while 103 others are admitted to different hospitals in Shivamogga, Uttara Kannada and Chickmagaluru districts.A study conducted by the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) along with the National Institute of Virology (NIV) has confirmed the presence of the deadly virus in Mysore and Hassan districts of Karnataka, which are bordering Tamil Nadu. The state health and forest authorities have beefed up surveillance along the Tamil Nadu-Karnataka border, as Monkey Fever cases are on the rise in the neighboring state.The disease is seasonal and more cases are reported during the dry season.The high-risk category population includes the forest staff, anti-poaching watchers, and forest guards. The Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR) in the Nilgiris, Tamil Nadu, is contiguous with the Bandipur National Park in Karnataka.There are 200 field staff who spend close to six hours per day in the MTR, potentially exposing themselves to the virus, of which monkeys, rodents and shrews are common hosts.The next few months are going to be crucial for the forest staff, as forest fires will be a norm which will send the ticks flying, exposing the field staff to the virus.Health department sources told IANS that vaccination for Monkey Fever was given for six years till 2020 to forest field staff in the Nilgiris, but it was not done post the COVID-19 pandemic . Monkey Fever has an incubation period of 3-8 days after which the symptoms of the disease -- chills, fever and headache -- start to show.Severe muscle pain with vomiting , gastrointestinal symptoms and bleeding may occur 3-4 days after the onset of the initial symptoms. It is to be noted that there is no specific treatment for Monkey Fever, though early hospitalization and supportive therapy is important.Source-IANS Trusted Source One-third of amenorrheic transmasculine people on testosterone ovulate Go to source Trusted Source Reframing Hormonal Expectations in Trans Masculine Care While testosterone hormone treatment typically halts menstruation among trans-masculine individuals seeking physical masculinization, a study on Gender Dysphoria finds that one-third of such individuals still experience ovulation. #transmasculine #testosterone #hormone #ovulation One-third of amenorrheic transmasculine people on testosterone ovulate - (https://www.cell.com/cell-reports-medicine/fulltext/S2666-3791(24)00063-6) Despite the common expectation that testosterone hormone treatment suppresses ovulation among trans-masculine individuals, research from Amsterdam UMC's Center of Expertise on Gender Dysphoria indicates that approximately one-third of them continue to ovulate ()."Trans masculine people are people born female but do not identify as such, for example, they feel male, gender fluid, or non-binary. Our examination of their ovarian tissue shows that 33% of them show signs of recent ovulation, despite being on testosterone and no longer menstruating," says Joyce Asseler, PhD candidate at Amsterdam UMC.Physician-researcher Joyce Asseler and gynecologist Norah van Mello examined the ovarian tissue of transgender people who had their ovaries removed as part of their gender-affirming treatment.They had all used testosterone for at least 1 year before and at the time of the procedure. Their analysis shows that 17 of the 52 study participants (33%) show signs of recent ovulation in the ovarian tissue."Testosterone has a heterogenous effect on ovarian tissue. We don't know why one person ovulates and another person doesn't. In any case, we cannot explain this difference by the type of testosterone, or how long someone has been taking testosterone," says Asseler.This also applies to these trans people. For them, it is therefore necessary to use contraceptives if they are sexually active with someone who produces sperm cells."The physical and mental consequences of an unplanned and unwanted pregnancy are enormous. It is important that trans masculine people and their healthcare providers are aware of this risk and act accordingly. Furthermore, this discovery can contribute to better care for trans masculine people who experience abdominal cramping," concludes Asseler.Source-Eurekalert No one compares to the Ambanis in India. Not even Bollywood. The business family are masters at turning some of the biggest names in the country into seemingly ordinary folk. The hype their every move generates ensures their influence reaches out to the meme-world as well. (Remember Salman Khans dance at Isha Ambanis sangeet?) Theres something about Indias richest family that makes them the darlings of the media and the masses. Is it that the Ambanis have their own network of invisible antennas? Could it be, from the moment we step out of our house, were caught in their signal? Or are they just that damn entertaining? Masters of spectacle The Ambanis are masters of creating spectacles. Whether its a grand wedding, an art exhibition, or a musical performance, they spare no expense. Their events are like blockbuster moviesstar-studded, visually stunning, and larger than life. Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant's wedding invite, adorned with the Ambani touch and a heartfelt note! #AnantAmbani pic.twitter.com/vplGwGZNmF Mashoor Aadmi (@MashoorAadmi) January 13, 2024 For example, Anant Ambani, the youngest of Mukesh and Nitas children is all set to tie the knot with Radhika Merchant this year. Their wedding celebrations are expected to begin in March with three whole days of pre-wedding bonanza in the Reliance township of Jamnagar. In typical Ambani fashion, rumour mills are rife with reports that SRK has been tapped to perform at the wedding. Not only will King Khan be seen shaking a leg at the wedding, even Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt are expected to grace attendees with their performance. #ShahRukhKhan is all set to return to Mumbai after rehearsing for #AnantAmbani #RadhikaMerchant pre-wedding festivities in Jamnagar. pic.twitter.com/6Ib5VDA9Wv News18 Showsha (@News18Showsha) February 22, 2024 The guest list for the pre-wedding function, too, is populated by some of the most influential and important individuals on the planet: Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Microsoft founder Bill Gates, Disney CEO Bob Iger, Morgan Stanley CEO Ted Pick, and more. Even the launch of the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre (NMACC) reaffirmed to the entire world that The Ambanis are rank patrons of the cultural compass of Mumbai and, indeed, all of India. The Ambanis support for cultural initiatives positions them as patrons of the arts, elevating their status in the eyes of the public. Not only that, Nita Ambani, inaugurated the launch with a traditional dance performance, thus further endearing themselves to the Indian junta. Or be it the Ganesh Chaturthi function, where once again, all of Bollywood arrived in files to give their attendance with each looking sharper than the previous. Pinnacle of splendour Attend any Ambani event, and youll notice a dress code that is beyond the pockets of even the biggest of stars. Its not written anywhere (at least nowhere us folks can spot), but everyone seems to know it. It doesnt matter if youre Bollywoods biggest Khan, you still ensure youre dressed to the nines. Men wear suits and watches that cost more than a small car, and women flaunt designer sarees and jewels that could fund a small village. If you accidentally show up in jeans, youll feel like you stumbled into a black-tie party at a diamond mine. As Indians, we are drawn to this extravagance as it seems to provide an escape from everyday realities. Its a chance to witness a world where money is no object and dreams come true. They also represent the pinnacle of success and wealth. The Ambanis rise from humble beginnings to becoming one of the richest families globally inspires admiration. As Indians, we see them as a symbol of what hard work, ambition, and business acumen can achieve; the dream of upward mobility. Conclusion The Ambanis' influence extends far beyond the realm of business, shaping the cultural landscape of India in unique ways. While their wealth and lifestyle might seem distant to some, The Ambanis story serves as an inspiration for those with lofty dreams. Ambanis' cultural influence is a multifaceted phenomenon, sparking conversations about tradition, aspiration, and the evolving identity of modern India. For the unversed, Alia Bhatt holds a British citizenship through her mother Soni Razdan, who was born in the UK. Sonis mother and Alias maternal grandmother was from Germany and even though Alia was born and brought up in India, she holds a British passport. The higher you are on the ladder of success, the more people try to pull you down. This seems to be the case with Alia Bhatt as a social media post dedicated to her citizenship has been trending online, inviting harsh criticism for netizens. @ Instagram/Alia Bhatt The actress opened up about her British roots during an interview for Wired with her Heart Of Stone co-stars, Gal Gadot and Jamie Dornan. Alia revealed, My mom was born in Birmingham, but I was born and brought up in India. Gal Gadot then asked her, She spoke British English with you your entire life?, to which Alia replied, My grandmother lived in England for her whole life so my grandmother has the English accent. However, some people have not taken too kindly to her being promoted as a British actress of late and shared their feelings on Reddit. While some felt this was a PR move to make her more palatable to the western audiences and Hollywood executives, so she could bag more international projects, others felt Alia was simply trying to aim for a more superior identity with the British actress tag. One user wrote, Being British is superior in her mind. She has been fed the same by her parents who opted her to get a British citizenship over an Indian one. If they are so obsessed with being British, why cant Alia go and try to make it in the Uk film industry??? Take Kjo with her too. Director Todd Haynes poses for EL PAIS in Gucci. Theres only one thing that Todd Haynes likes more than making a movie: talking about his movie. But not with any egomaniacal fuss or egocentricity, but rather, pure didactic eagerness, and love for a good chat. Haynes (Los Angeles, 63 years old) tends to bring several books related to his film to interviews. For ours, the Californian director showed up with photo books that explore the landscapes of Georgia, where the plot of May December takes place. But none of them made reference to the plots real elephant in the room, the fact that the film centers on a real-life event in the United States that met with a media storm. The case involved a teacher and one of her underage students. Sex, jail, childbirth and death was to follow. All my countrymen remember it, he explains with a rogue smile. In 1996, the relationship between 34-year-old Seattle high school teacher Mary Kay Letourneau, who was married with children, and her 13-year-old Samoan American student, Vili Fualaau, shocked the world. The scandal turned a corner when the boy got Letourneau pregnant: her husband divorced her and took her four offspring to Alaska. Fualaaus parents denounced her. There was a criminal sentence, but it was light, only three months. After giving birth to her little girl, Letourneau spent a short time in the penitentiary. She got out and one early morning in February 1998, the police found her in a car with the student. One month later, she announced that she was pregnant, again. She went to jail for a seven-and-a-half-year sentence, and had her second daughter with Fualaau behind bars. It was catnip for the tabloids, excellent fodder for trash TV. Director Todd Haynes poses for EL PAIS in Gucci. antonio Macarro When she was released in 2004, Letourneau fought for the annulment of the restraining order that barred her from being near Fualaau, and the following year they were married in a clandestine ceremony. Ultimately, in 2018, they initiated divorce proceedings, but they never separated: Letourneau was diagnosed with cancer and Fualaau stayed with his wife until her death, at 58, in July 2020. All this was made into a script that moves the story to Savannah, Georgia, and focuses on the relationship between an actress who is preparing to play the role of the teacher, and the couple, who invites her to visit for a few days to better understand the teachers life with the young man, who in the movie has Korean heritage. The script fell into the hands of Natalie Portman, who in addition to playing the actress, makes her debut as producer on the project. It was she who made the call to Haynes. I thought of Todd immediately, because of his skill for portraying suburban life. He was my first choice, a dream, and when Todd convinced Julianne Moore to play the teacher, my dream rose to a higher level. All this is to say that, on this press junket, Haynes understands that hes not the main attraction. Seated on the terrace of a luxury hotel in Cannes, where the film was presented last May, the Californian laughs and shrugs when it turns out that, of the group of journalists who came to interview Portman, this writer is the only one who stays to speak with him. Shes the star, shes the one who had the idea, Natalie just provokes more curiosity. Has he reflected on why Portman sought him out? In my career, Ive shot a lot of films with characters who struggle to express themselves, to break out of societys constrictions, which is exactly what happens with the characters in May December. He tends to highlight this process with a signature sequence of events in which the people who attacked the storys protagonists eventually look back in amazement at their supposed transgressions. That is born out of my admiration for the work of Fassbinder, who uses this technique a lot. In contrast, Im making something that examines what its like to make cinema even if thats not the primary focus. Getting back to your question, I think this is the first time that the transgression provokes within us profound moral doubt. I myself was self-interrogating as creator, because this woman had an affair with a student, we understand that she did so from a position of power. In my country, it was a huge scandal, probably because she was the older one, and not him. Women are still not allowed the same degree of transgression as men are. I dont get into whether the relationship was appropriate or not, but rather, how people see it. He stresses that he enjoyed the work, and it shows. Haynes has a tendency to play with the actors, he explains. He has a theory that they are akin to vampires. May December allows me to show how performers pull from real-life characters when it is their turn to play them on screen. Now, who is manipulating who? he asks, that mischievous look returning to this face. Director Todd Haynes poses for EL PAIS in Gucci. Its a hot mid-day in the Cote dAzur, and Haynes is equally heated over the curtailment of rights and freedoms in his country. He deigns to elaborate: Many of the individual freedoms in the United States were won by women. It scares me how the states are getting more and more involved in controlling us and limiting, for one, the right to abortion and contraception. Me Too has made big steps, but so has the other side. It is curious that, if you look at the total number of votes, my country is Democrat and supports the feminist movement. Now, the Republican power knows how to perpetuate itself, and it does that by curtailing the rights of LGBTQ people, the rights of gay children, deciding the books we can read, the classes you can take In the face of this danger, which moves in silence, we can only respond with more feminism and more culture. Haynes, a filmmaker who lives among transgressions Safe (1995), Poison (1991), Im Not There (2007), his elegantly drawn exploration of passion, Far From Heaven (2002), Carol (2015), the miniseries Mildred Pierce (2011) confesses that deep down, his work is a reflection on different kinds of narrative. On how I do it, or how my characters tell their stories to one another. I approached Bob Dylan [in Im Not There] by avoiding reductionism, the vampirization of his persona. I approached The Velvet Underground [in his 2021 documentary] by seeking to honor them, albeit in cinematic form. As a filmmaker, you have to feel that you are answering deep questions about how to portray the protagonists truth. May December, on top of all that, was intertwined with a distant reality. How did she survive the tabloids attack? Does that deserve to be in my film? In that search, in that journey, lies my happiness. Perhaps to illustrate the point, the filmmaker hands a voluminous catalog from the Pompidou Centers exhaustive retrospective of his work last summer. There were a lot of films that I hadnt seen for a long time, because I got my start in the 1970s! But it reconfirmed the mark that Safe left on me. It focuses on people who society saw as different, as other. Back when he was a child in the Los Angeles suburbs, Haynes was fascinated by two things: hippie girls (to whom he was in close contact, thanks to his sister and her friends) and recreating the movies he saw in the theater with his Super 8 camara. On YouTube, you can catch a glimpse of the mythic Superstar (1987), his version of the tragic life of Karen Carpenter, as acted by Barbie dolls. He studied film at Brown bolstering his talent with the ability to reference the classics, Easter eggs that are now scattered throughout his work and, after decades in New York, moved to Portland in 2000. There, he forms part of a potent cinematographic community. Curiously, for someone who exudes modernity, he always sets his films in the past: May December is set in 2015. I changed the script to flee from the Trump era, to go back to the Obama years, when things were less ideologically polarized. Why make the trip? Because that way, I feel creatively freer, and at the same time, you push the audience to draw connections to the present day. Throughout this filmic journey, the director has been accompanied by two friends. The first is Julianne Moore, with whom he has been collaborating for nearly three decades. My good creative fortune has been that my career coincided with her. We understand each other perfectly, because Julianne is attracted to the edges of people, their most fragile corners, the ones that hide behind facades of certainty. The second is Pedro Almodovar: In May December, I approach melodrama with hints of soap opera through its theme, music, close-ups and humor. Thats Pedros terrain, and any comparison flatters me. I feel that Almodovar has his own genre in cinema, like Hitchcock. In contrast, my films cant fit into a special category. Im not on his level. His do, no matter how much they change in theme and plot. Youll always know, when you see an image from his films, that it belongs to Pedro. And his humor, his actors, his sets, his camera movements? Lets be frank: the Almodovar system is a wonder. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) High-ranking Israeli Cabinet members were expected to meet Saturday with a delegation that returned from talks in Paris with negotiators from the United States, Egypt and Qatar in search of a deal on pausing the fighting in Gaza, an Israeli official said. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter, asserted that the Hamas militant group ruling Gaza had relented on some demands, but gave no details. A senior official from Egypt, which along with Qatar is a mediator between Israel and Hamas, said the draft deal offered to Israels delegation included the release of up to 40 women and older hostages held in Gaza in return for up to 300 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, mostly women, minors and older people. The Egyptian official said the proposed six-week pause in fighting would include allowing hundreds of aid trucks to enter Gaza every day, including the northern half of the besieged territory. He said that both sides agreed to continue negotiations during the pause for further releases and a permanent cease-fire. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the ongoing negotiations, said that mediators were waiting for Israels official response. Negotiators face an unofficial deadline of the start of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan around March 10. Hamas political official Osama Hamdan noted that the group wasn't at the talks, but asserted to reporters in Beirut on Friday that Israel had refused its main demands, including stopping the aggression and withdrawing from the Gaza Strip. The Health Ministry in Gaza said Saturday that the bodies of 92 Palestinians killed in Israeli bombardments were brought to hospitals over the past 24 hours, raising the overall toll in nearly five months of war to 29,606. The total number of wounded rose to nearly 70,000. The ministry's death toll doesn't distinguish between civilians and combatants, but it has said that two-thirds of those killed were children and women. Israel says its troops have killed more than 10,000 Hamas fighters, but hasn't provided details. An Israeli airstrike hit a house in Gazas southernmost city of Rafah, killing at least eight people. including four women and a child, health authorities said. An Associated Press journalist saw the bodies at Abu Youssef al-Najjar hospital. Enough, enough. Either the Israelis or us should stop. There should be a truce, said neighbor Abdul-Qader Shubeir, who described feeling lost at not being immediately able to put out the fire burning the bodies. NEW GENOCIDE ALLEGATIONS Brazils president alleged Saturday that Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians, doubling down on harsh rhetoric after stirring controversy a week ago by comparing Israels military offensive in Gaza to the Nazi Holocaust in which 6 million Jews and others perished during World War II. Israel has pushed back against genocide claims made at the U.N.s top court and elsewhere, saying its war targets the militant group Hamas, not the Palestinian people. It has held Hamas responsible for civilian deaths, arguing that the group operates from civilian areas. What the Israeli government is doing is not war, it is genocide, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva wrote on X, formerly Twitter. Children and women are being murdered. In response to Lulas initial comments, Israel declared him a persona non grata, summoned Brazils ambassador and demanded an apology. Lula recalled Brazils ambassador to Israel for consultations. Last month, South Africa filed a landmark case with the International Court of Justice, accusing Israel of genocide against Palestinians. The court issued a preliminary order ordering Israel to do all it can to prevent death, destruction and any acts of genocide in Gaza. Israel, created in part as a refuge for survivors of the Holocaust, has accused South Africa of hypocrisy. South Africa has compared Israels treatment of Palestinians in Gaza with the treatment of Black South Africans during apartheid, framing the issues as fundamentally about people oppressed in their homeland. HUNGER AND DISEASES SPREAD Israel declared war after the deadly Oct. 7 Hamas attack on southern Israel in which militants killed about 1,200 people and took around 250 hostages. More than 100 hostages remain in captivity in Gaza. The rising civilian death toll and worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza have amplified calls for a cease-fire. Hunger and infectious diseases are spreading and about 80% of Gaza's 2.3 million people have been displaced, with about 1.4 million crowded into Rafah on the border with Egypt. There are choking, skyrocketing prices. Its terrifying. There is no source of income. The area is very overcrowded," said Hassan Attwa, a displaced man from Gaza City who now shelters in a tent on the sand in Mawasi in the south. "The garbage, may God bless you, is not collected at all. It stays piled up. It turns into a mess and clay when it rains. The situation is disastrous in every sense of the word. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to fight until total victory," but is under pressure at home to secure the release of the remaining hostages. MORE SETTLEMENTS PLANNED Meanwhile, Netanyahu and his conservative government drew an angry response from the United States, its closest ally, over plans to build more than 3,300 new homes in settlements in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Netanyahu's firebrand finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, has said the plans were in response to a Palestinian shooting attack earlier in the week that killed one Israeli and wounded five. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Friday that he was disappointed to hear of the Israeli announcement and called new settlements counterproductive to reaching an enduring peace and "inconsistent with international law." The Biden administration also restored a U.S. legal finding dating back nearly 50 years that Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories are illegitimate under international law. ___ Samy Magdy reported from Cairo. Julia Frankel in Jerusalem contributed to this report. The Marine Corps this week became the first military branch ever to pass a complete financial audit, a Defense Department official confirmed Friday, having successfully accounted for more than $46.3 billion in assets and marking the end of a two-year effort. Independent accountants contracted by the Defense Department issued an "unmodified opinion" on the Marine Corps' fiscal 2023 financial statement, meaning the information given was as correct as can be proved, the service said. In 2017, the Marine Corps became the first military service within the Defense Department to undergo a full financial audit, which at the time meant sifting through more than 4,300 sample items and 30,000 documents. Verifying similar items in a 2012 limited audit included a trip to Afghanistan. Ultimately, the service failed to pass either previous attempt. Read Next: Marine Corps F-35 Takes Nosedive in Hangar While Being Used by Navy Top Gun School In 2023, it meant going to more than 70 sites worldwide to look at thousands of real property assets; more than a million other operating assets, such as vehicle spare parts and weapons and communications systems; and more than 24 million rounds of ammunition -- sometimes within Army and Navy stockpiles where the Marine Corps had property stored. "We had to have documentation for that asset, in addition to the auditors having to view those assets and count those assets, Gregory Koval, the assistant deputy commandant for resources, said in an interview Friday with Military.com. So, not just numbers, not just systems, not just data, but they were actually evaluating what we have on hand, what we have on site, and if something was not there, we had to provide them with information to show where it was." "We celebrate the tremendous success the Marine Corps achieved in receiving the first clean audit across military branches in DoD," Cmdr. Tim Gorman, a DoD spokesman, said in an email to Military.com. This year's preliminary audit results found that the Marine Corps reduced unsupported, undistributed transactions from $2.2 billion in October 2022 to less than $500,000 in March 2023, thereby supporting "more effective leadership decisions," Michael McCord, chief financial officer for the Defense Department, said in a press release. The Corps will hypothetically be able to better focus on modernizing its workforce following the clean audit. According to the Marines' Force Design plan, that includes evolving from a more traditional ground force to one that frequently deploys unmanned aerial and ground systems, advanced air defenses and anti-ship missiles. The successful completion of a financial audit may sound like nothing more than a bookkeeping checkoff. But when the Marine Corps passed a limited audit in 2013, then-Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel threw a banquet in the famed Hall of Heroes at the Pentagon, a room dedicated to the courageous service members who have received Medals of Honor. That success was later revoked in 2015 after the Pentagon inspector general said the Marine Corps' suspense accounts within the Defense Finance and Accounting Service had not been properly assessed. Suspense accounts are where entries are held temporarily while their classification is determined. Corps leaders made it a personal goal to be able to add "first to pass a full financial audit" to their famous "first to fight" slogan. "It was a goal of the commandant of the Marine Corps to pass the audit because he wants to show the credibility of the Marine Corps back to the Congress and the taxpayer," Assistant Deputy Commandant for Programs and Resources Edward Gardiner said in a Friday interview. "The benefit to the rest of DoD for the Marine Corps getting a clean opinion today is that we've been all the way to the end of the process, and we have lessons learned that we can share with the rest of the department." For the DoD as a whole, which has never passed a department-wide audit, a successful one would mean a greater likelihood of a more accurate defense spending budget, as top leadership debates whether more resources should be allocated to recruiting, modernization of weapons or troop pay. It also will determine how the U.S. can continue to support its allies, McCord said. "Our efforts to track, coordinate and quickly deliver security systems to our allies and partners in Ukraine and now Israel [are] closely related to the work across the DoD enterprise on readiness," he said. Overall, the Defense Department claimed $3.8 trillion in assets and $4 trillion in liabilities in its 2023 financial statement audit. McCord said in November that the Marine Corps was given an extension until March 1 on its audit, as the smallest military branch was serving as a case study for the Pentagon. "Whatever results of that may be when we get the auditor's final opinion," McCord said in November, "I want to commend the USMC and in particular (Marine Commandant Gen.) Eric Smith for their leadership and effort." -- Rachel Nostrant is a Marine Corps veteran and freelance journalist, with work published in Reuters, New York Magazine, Military Times and more. Related: After False Start, Marines Aim to Be First Service to Pass Audit This photo provided by RR Auction shows a watch melted during the Aug.6, 1945 bombing of Hiroshima. Sold at auction Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024 for more than $31,000. A watch melted during the Aug. 6, 1945, bombing of Hiroshima, Japan, has sold for more than $31,000 at auction. The watch is frozen in time at the moment of the detonation of an atomic bomb over the Japanese city 8:15 a.m. during the closing days of World War ll, according to Boston-based RR Auction. The winning bid in the auction that ended Thursday was $31,113. The artifact was recovered from the ruins of Hiroshima and offers a glimpse into the immense destruction of the first atomic bomb detonated over a city. The small brass-tone watch, a rare survivor from the blast zone, was auctioned alongside other historically significant items, according to the auction house. Despite the cloudiness of the crystal caused by the blast, the watchs hands remain halted at 8:15 a.m. the moment when the B-29 Enola Gay dropped the Little Boy atomic bomb. The auction house said that according to the items consignor, a British soldier retrieved the wristwatch from the ruins of the city while on a mission to provide emergency supplies and assess post-conflict reconstruction needs at the Prefectural Promotion Hall in Hiroshima. It is our fervent hope that this museum-quality piece will stand as a poignant educational symbol, serving to not only remind us of the tolls of war but also to underscore the profound, destructive capabilities that humanity must strive to avoid, said Bobby Livingston, executive vice president at RR Auction. This wristwatch, for instance, marks the exact moment in time when history changed forever. The winning bidder opted to remain anonymous. Other items featured in the auction included a signed copy of former Chinese leader Mao Zedongs The Little Red Book, which sold for $250,000; a signed check from George Washington one of two known checks signed as president to ever come to market which sold for $135,473; and Buzz Aldrins Apollo 11 Lunar Module Prep Checklist, which sold for $76,533, according to RR Auction. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition Bars, restaurants, venues and establishments that sell liquor for on-site drinking brought in more than $263 million of the $1.8 billion in total sales last year to Michigan businesses, according to the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs. As it did in 2022, Little Caesars Arena, home to the Detroit Red Wings and Pistons and a major concert venue, took the top sales spot with almost $1.2 million in 2023. GRAND RAPIDS, MI GRNoir Wine & Jazz specializes in wine and jazz, but dont forget about the food. Owners Shatawn and Nadia Brigham say they are grateful for the community support after recently celebrating the business three-year anniversary on Feb. 1. The jazz club is located in downtown Grand Rapids on the ground floor of a multi-story building at 35 S. Division Ave., at the intersection of Weston Street. Were just a space where people gather around and have a great time around live music, wine and some good eats, Shatawn Brigham said. The Brighams decided to offer a selection of quality food options to compliment the wine and jazz. Owners Shatawn and Nadia Brigham pose for a portrait at GRNoir Wine & Jazz, at 35 S. Division Avenue, in downtown Grand Rapids on Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2024. The Brighams say they are grateful for the community support after recently celebrating the business' three year anniversary on February 1. Cory Morse | cmorse1@mlive.com We didnt want to do a traditional pairing menu, but we wanted it to be pairable Nadia Brigham said. We dont want to be a restaurant, we want to stay true to who we are. GRNoir may not be a restaurant, and the menu lists food items as small plates, but the food is enough for a meal, Shatawn Brigham said. GRNoirs menu gives nods to several jazz legends including Charlie Parker and Billie Holiday. Parkers Chicken and Waffles (fried chicken, waffle medallions, butter and spicy maple syrup) goes for $13; and the Billies Brussels (crispy brussels sprouts, feta, balsamic drizzle) vegetarian plate goes for $12. Chicken and waffles is one of the go-to menu items according to GRNoir chef, David Berry. Another popular menu item is the Brisket Slider Trio (smoked brisket, red cabbage, Carolina barbecue sauce and dill pickles) that goes for $14. Its tender, its juicy, its very, very lean - theres not a whole lot of fat on them, Berry said about the Brisket Slider Trio. The brisket sliders are always a fan favorite, everyone loves it. We get customers who come in and say, Dont you ever remove brisket sliders from the menu? Shatawn Brigham said. Chords in Flatbread are also well-liked, Shatawn Brigham said. Customers can choose between Margherita (merlot wine base, tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, tomatoes and basil ribbons) for $14; or Prosciutto (house-made pesto, fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, arugula) for $16. Seafood-lovers should try the Coltranes Crab Cakes plate (lump crab, corn salsa, aioli) for $25, named after jazz legend John Coltrane, said Shatawn Brigham. This is really real lump crab, he said. People who know seafood come in and say, Oh yeah, this is the real deal. In honor of Ella Fitzgerald and Count Basie, the dessert menu includes Ellas Banana Pudding (pudding, white-chocolate shavings, vanilla wafers) that sells for $8; and Basies Cheesecake (New York style cheesecake, graham cracker crust, topped with strawberry and whipped cream) goes for $9.50. Wine is often paired with charcuterie boards. GRNoirs charcuterie board includes three meats (beef/pork), three cheeses, pickled veggies, fresh fruits, Luxe preserves, mustard, crackers and dried fruit. It is priced at $27 for a small or $52 for a large. Destiny Lewis and Dylan Chase try wine at GRNoir Wine & Jazz, at 35 S. Division Avenue, in downtown Grand Rapids on Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2024. Lewis and Chase are from Grand Rapids.Cory Morse | cmorse1@mlive.com If asked, they tell customers what types of wines are traditionally paired with specific food, but everyone is different, so they encourage customers to explore, making no judgments on everyones individual taste preferences. Part of the core to our business model is not having wine be snooty and pretentious, but really giving people access to it, Nadia Brigham said. We encourage people - do what you like, try it out, maybe you do like this non-traditional kind of pairing. They want customers to feel comfortable trying the wine. Related: Everyone feels welcome, at GRNoir Wine & Jazz diverse downtown Grand Rapids venue People who come in are like, I know nothing about wine, I feel intimidated, Shatawn Brigham said. We often say, youre in the best place you could possibly be, because were here to... support you in your journey along wine - your palate is your palate. Shatawn Brigham is a level two sommelier who is currently enrolled in level three certification. I think thats whats exciting about wine, because its so complex, its so nuanced to where we can be drinking the same pinot noir and have a different experience. Shatawn Brigham said the repeat customers begin to have in-depth discussions about the wine as the live jazz music, which could also be described as complex and nuanced, fills the space. Its just a beautiful thing to see people communing around the wine and jazz, he said. GRNoir Wine & Jazz is open Wednesday through Saturday, 3-10 p.m. To see the full food menu, click here. The self-serving wine menu is here, or shop wines here. Seating is limited to 75 minutes per table and 18% gratuity will be added to parties of six or more. Walk in for first-come, first-served seating, or call to reserve your table. Call 616-719-1191 to place a to-go order, available for curbside or in-store pickup. Tasting Hour a fresh take on the traditional happy hour, features $5 pours Wednesday through Saturday from 36 p.m. Live jazz music (two sets between 7:30 9:30 p.m.) is every Wednesday, second and fourth Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Check the website for the current cover charges and more information. More from MLive: Michigan Bests Local Eats: Tilapia fish meal a favorite at this Afro-Caribbean restaurant Michigans Best Local Eats: Grand Rapids Mosbys Popcorn plans expansion into Van Andel Arena Michigans Best Local Eats: Gursha Ethiopian Restaurant offers traditional East African cuisine Michigans Best Local Eats: Local Mocha offers premium coffee, casual fare in downtown Grand Rapids LANSING, MI - More than $4.6 million has been approved for Michigan residents whose property was damaged by strong storms last August. After tornadoes, severe storms and flooding hit Michigan between Aug. 24 and Aug. 26, the Federal Emergency Management Agency declared the counties of Eaton, Ingham, Ionia, Kent, Livingston, Macomb, Monroe, Oakland and Wayne as disaster areas. Anyone affected can apply for federal assistance including temporary lodging, home repairs and other disaster-related expenses. To date, more than 1,630 households have been approved for federal grant funding totaling $4.6 million. This includes about $4 million for housing grants and $635,000 for essential disaster-related needs like medical costs and lost personal property, according to FEMA. Related: Federal assistance now available to Michigan residents after August tornadoes. Heres how to apply Renters can also apply for FEMA assistance to replace personal property like furniture, appliances, clothing, textbooks and some vehicles. And anyone with student loans can postpone their payments for up to 90 days. In addition to the FEMA aid, the Small Business Administration has received 473 applications for low-interest disaster loans and the National Flood Insurance Program has awarded $2.7 million to 77 households whose property was damaged by floodwaters. The federal aid comes after seven tornadoes ripped through five Michigan counties on Aug. 24, killing five people and causing widespread damage and power outages. The morning before the tornadoes, Wayne and Monroe counties experienced severe flooding that closed roads, flooded homes and stranded vehicles. Anyone affected by these storms can apply for federal assistance by April 8 by: Going to DisasterAssistance.gov Using the FEMA mobile app Calling the FEMA helpline at 800-621-3362 between 7 a.m. and 11 p.m. More information about the response in Michigan is available at www.fema.gov/disaster/4757. WASHTENAW COUNTY -- The Ypsilanti Township Fire Department gained two new fire engines, and blessed the trucks in front of the department with local faith leaders on Friday, Feb. 23. The trucks cost the department $1.5 million, Fire Chief Steve Densmore said, adding the department received a discount because it ordered them at the same time. Otherwise. the trucks would have cost $890,000 each. The new fire engines come with improved technology and better acceleration, which help fire crews get to scenes quickly and safely. The department will decommission one older fire engine in two weeks and sell or auction it. The two new fire engines bring the fleet to 10 trucks. The average span of a fire engine, depending on the community, is anywhere between 15 to 20 years old sometimes 25 years old, Densmore said. Were a little busy here in Ypsilanti Township so we use our equipment a lot. We average anywhere between the 10 to 20 year mark, and it was just time to get two more added into our fleet. The trucks were ordered more than a year ago and the department just received them about three weeks ago, Densmore said on Friday. The new trucks, manufactured by Spartan, can carry more water in their tanks and are equipped with brighter LED lights and an improved airbag system that can protect everything inside in the event of a rollover or crash, Densmore said. [The manufacturer] prides themselves in safety first for firefighters and accountability to make sure we all get home safe, Densmore said. Ypsilanti faith leaders blessed the new trucks on Friday afternoon at the Ypsilanti Township Fire Station on 222 South Ford Blvd. The Rev. Dan Westermann of Saint John the Baptist offered a prayer, in both English and Latin, and doused the trucks in holy water. The Rev. Scott Caudill of Freewill Baptist Church also offered a prayer. Tribal leaders Andrea Pierce of the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians and Blackcrow of the Eastern Band of Cherokee also blessed the trucks and fire staff by using a Native American tradition called smudging. It involves burning tobacco, sage, cedar and sweetgrass otherwise known as the four medicines. One truck is ready for service, while the other is being outfitted with hoses, nozzles and other equipment specific to the departments needs. Want more Ann Arbor-area news? Bookmark the local Ann Arbor news page or sign up for the free 3@3 Ann Arbor daily newsletter. BARRY COUNTY, MI - A pair of missing young children were located after an extensive search Friday afternoon in Barry County, police said. Deputies responded to a missing persons report around 2 p.m., Feb. 23 to a residence in Hastings Township in between Grand Rapids, Lansing and Kalamazoo, according to the Barry County Sheriffs Office. The missing children, ages 3 and 4, were reported to have wandered off from the residence and were gone for about an hour, police said. Multiple law enforcement agencies assisted in the search, including K-9 units and Michigan State Police aviation, police said. After about two and a half hours, the children were found by a neighbor in a wooded area, police said. The children were returned safe to their parents, police said. State police, State of Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Barry County Central Dispatch assisted with the search. Editors note: This story first appeared on palabra, the digital news site by the National Association of Hispanic Journalists. This story is part of the series Migrating and Vanishing. The sister of Aurelio Cruz Lopez holds a sign used in the search for the young man, who disappeared along the U.S.-Mexico border.Photo by Andrea Godinez I am Araceli Cruz Lopez, an indigenous Tzotzil woman. My little brother was born on June 8, 2003. He was one month shy of his 19th birthday when he disappeared while attempting to migrate to the United States. I live in a camp of displaced people in Chiapas, Mexico. Where do I go? Who do I turn to? Where do I start? The question repeats itself. The answers do not. At an institutional level, there are multiple failures when it comes to the search for missing migrants. There is a serious forensic crisis in Mexico: 56,000 unidentified bodies and more than 100,000 missing persons. A law regarding the search for missing persons has been in place since 2017, but most of its requirements are not complied with. Identification mechanisms are disjointed and depend on the will of each state. The team of Voces Mesoamericanas supports families of missing migrants in their search.Photo by Andrea Godinez The data kept by the National Search Commission (CNB, per its Spanish acronym), the agency in charge of searching for people in Mexico, is deficient and contradicts the numbers provided by the state prosecutors offices. In the context of a national crisis, who is searching for the migrants? Civil society organizations, such as the Argentine Forensic Anthropology Team (EAAF, per its acronym in Spanish), the Foundation for Justice and the Democratic Rule of Law (FJEDD) and Mesoamerican Voices, Action for Migrants, among others, have made progress with the families in this regard by establishing networks among themselves, while trying to do the same with some states. Aurelio was found by trackers On May 4, 2022 at 3:30 a.m., 18-year-old Aurelio Cruz Lopez called his sister Araceli. He had departed from the town of San Cristobal de las Casas in the state of Chiapas on April 28, from a camp for people displaced by violence. At first he wanted to look for work in the state of Sonora, but he encountered two young men who insisted that he was better off crossing the border into the U.S., where he would have more opportunities to help his family. Aurelio joined the two men until they ran into U.S. immigration officials and dispersed. It was at that point that Aurelio lost his backpack. At 8:40 a.m. he sent an audio message to his sister: We no longer have water. I lost my backpack the moment I ran away. I lost my food. My companion has some water left but its not much. We will keep walking until we reach our destination. Dont worry mom will be taken care of there. My little brother left because he needed a job, a better life, to get ahead. We dont have a decent house where we can stay. We are in a temporary camp with my family. Our father was killed because of the armed conflicts in the communities, says Araceli Cruz Lopez. The companions her brother was traveling with told her that he had passed out in the desert when they were already in the U.S., in the vicinity of the Tohono Oodham reservations. We asked his companions to call immigration and tell them where he was, to send them the coordinates so they could rescue him alive. But unfortunately they did nothing. Maybe they were afraid, says Araceli, sitting on a log outside a makeshift house, crying. Tents that house displaced families in the municipality of Chenalho, Chiapas.Photo by Andrea Godinez Aracelis entire family was displaced by armed conflicts in the municipality of Chenalho in Chiapas. As a result of these struggles, she has contact with social organizations. When she learned that her little brother had been left in the desert, she called an acquaintance in California and asked for help. That person sent her the phone numbers of groups of people in the U.S. who search for migrants who have disappeared in the desert. Araceli gave the trackers the coordinates she had and called the Mexican consulate in the U.S. Three groups of trackers joined forces to locate Aurelio, and 23 days later they found the remains of a body. It had one sneaker on, but there was not much else. There was no fanny pack with his documents, no other clothes and no backpack. Araceli could not accept that this was her brother. Aurelio was identified by civil society organizations At the moment we could not accept that information because we did not know if it was really him. So we filed a missing person report with the prosecutors office here. But they never gave us support: neither the government, the prosecutors office, nor the Search Commission. They didnt conduct a proper search, Araceli says. She then insisted that the Mexican consulate in the U.S. conduct a DNA test. At that point, the family began to work with the lawyers at Mesoamerican Voices and the EAAF. We wanted to know if the body was really my brother. The Argentine groups did the DNA test for us. It was a five-month process. They didnt leave us alone with our sadness, and for that we thank them, says Araceli. Araceli cries while talking about her brother who disappeared along the border and whose remains were repatriated.Photo by Andrea Godinez Sandybell Reyes oversees the migrant advocacy program at Mesoamerican Voices, Action for Migrants. She was among those who supported Araceli during the identification process: It is very sad and frustrating for the families when they initiate these procedures, file complaints with prosecutors and search commissions, and find that the only response is another question: What else do you know? When what they should be doing is requesting information from their counterparts. The first thing Mesoamerican Voices does when a family gets in touch is provide information so that the relatives can decide how to proceed: by filing a report with government institutions, undertaking a search among civil organizations, or performing an informal search (alongside government institutions) to determine if the person is in jail or hospitalized. Most of the time, Reyes explains, the families opt to start with an informal search, because there is still hope that the missing person will return, and then proceed with prosecutors offices, search commissions and victims commissions. Araceli had to wait seven months to confirm the worst news. It turned out to be my little brother. They found him at the coordinates I had provided. He was incomplete: he no longer had his two arms and they could not find them. We finally accepted it because of the DNA testing process. How was the institutional process of the search? The first thing Araceli did was visit the local prosecutors office to make a statement, to report that her brother was missing. Then she contacted the lawyers from Mesoamerican Voices, and returned to the prosecutors office with them to ask questions. They told her that she had to go to Altar, a municipality in the state of Sonora, where the investigation was going to take place. But that wasnt an option. She didnt have the money to travel and to insist at another prosecutors office that the search go forward. It is very frustrating when they are told that since the last communication was in a border state, their investigation is going to be conducted in that place. It may sound logical, because that is where the disappearance took place and that is where they have to look, but if we are talking in terms of access to justice, the family member is not going to go there to ask for information. And with a system that does not work if you are not there at all times to follow up, it turns out that the families do not have any information about their missing relative, says Reyes, confirming what all the cases interviewed for this investigation show. So it doesnt matter if they denounce or not, because in the end the search is a collective effort of the families of missing persons. Araceli took the institutional route, filed a report, found lawyers. But the national authorities responsible for searching , she says, were of little help: Neither the prosecutors office nor the Search Commission did anything. It is really very sad. When you dont have lawyers, they dont take you into account. They discriminate against us for being indigenous and for being Tzotzil speakers. Araceli and Aurelios mother could not file a complaint because she does not speak Spanish. To alleviate these problems, once again, family members and organizations such as the Grupo Motor de Trabajo Psicosocial en Migraciones (Psychosocial Working Group on Migration), formed by civil organizations from Mexico and Central America, among them Mesoamerican Voices and ECAP, the Psychosocial Action and Community Studies Group in Guatemala, work together to provide information to migrants. The group put together booklets with 20 illustrations explaining the search process for missing migrants: Many of the people who are going through this search process do not know how to read or write, so the material is mainly graphic, the booklets say. Booklets created by civil society organizations to explain to illiterate people who searches for missing migrants are done.Photo by Andrea Godinez Mexicos uncertainty regarding missing migrants State prosecutors in Mexico are expected to report the total number of missing persons in their states, including migrants, to the CNB. However, there is a discrepancy between the figures reported by the CNB in the National Registry of Missing or Unlocated Persons (RNPDNO, per its acronym in Spanish), and those reported by the state prosecutors offices. As part of this investigation, 157 requests for access to information were sent to each of the prosecutors offices, the CNB, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Migration Institute of Mexico. After pouring over the figures given by local prosecutors offices, we discovered that migrants reported missing in Mexico between 2017 and 2022 may be either 1,270, according to state prosecutors offices, or 124, as reported by the CNB. It is estimated, then, that less than 10% of the reports from state prosecutors offices on missing or unlocated migrants are accounted for in RNPDNO. The only certainty is that Mexico does not know how many migrants have gone missing in its territory, nor how many of them have been found dead. This investigation was produced with the support of the Consortium to Support Independent Journalism in Latin America (CAPIR) led by the Institute for War and Peace Reporting (IWPR). __ Veronica Liso is an Argentinean product manager for digital native media and a freelance investigative journalist since 2013. She specializes in judicial journalism and data journalism. She has published in Cosecha Roja, Infojus Noticias, Pagina 12, Revista Anfibia, eldiario.ar, Perycia, among others. Rosario Marina is a journalist specializing in data and narrative. She studied at the National University of La Plata, in Argentina. She has been covering human rights, gender and LGBTIQ issues, migration and police violence for 10 years for media outlets in Spain, Guatemala, the United States and Argentina. Gabriela Olga Villegas is a regional digital content editor for Univision Texas and Chicago. She is the winner of a Lone Star EMMY for winter weather coverage in North Texas with the Noticias 23 team. She worked for more than seven years as a journalist for El Norte and Reforma in Monterrey, Mexico, where she began in daily news coverage and also conducted investigative journalism focused on corruption that had a national impact, such as the detour of resources in social programs and the favoritism of politicians with companies to distribute contracts and bids. Andrea Godinez is a Guatemalan social communicator with a career of seven years dedicated to photojournalism and production of journalistic content, covering issues of migration, poverty and social inequality. She studied Communication Sciences at Universidad Rafael Landivar. Michigan plans to use $72.5 million in grants to turn underutilized land into affordable housing. Another round of funding from the State Land Bank Authoritys Blight Elimination Program was awarded this week to communities across Michigan. Grant dollars can be used for demolishing buildings, stabilizing aging structures and environmental remediation. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said blight elimination is vital for the well-being and future success of Michigan. Related: Watch Flint home get demolished, first of 1,900 in massive blight removal program Removing and rehabilitating blighted properties creates a ripple effect of positive change that not only reclaims neglected spaces but fosters economic growth, enhances safety and bolsters community pride, Whitmer said in a statement. Our commitment today is an investment in the long-term prosperity and vitality of our state, ensuring that future generations have access to thriving, vibrant neighborhoods where they can live, work and prosper. Under this latest round of funding, the state awarded $29 million through a competitive grant program that was open to all land banks and other municipalities. Nearly $6.5 million of those dollars will go toward stabilizing buildings for future use and another $7.6 million will be spent on rehabilitating structures, mostly for housing. Related: Michigan needs 190,000 more housing units to curb a crisis Land banks in Genesee County, Van Buren County, Jackson County and the city of Detroit each received $3 million -- the largest award. A full list of the grants can be seen here. In the previous round of funding, the state distributed $43.5 million to local county land banks and the Detroit Land Bank Authority. The Michigan legislature approved giving $2.5 million to the 10 largest land banks and $500,000 to the remaining county land banks. These dollars are not just figures on a balance sheet, they signify a tangible investment in Michigans future, said Susan Corbin, chair of the State Land Bank Board of Directors. The distribution of funding in rounds three and four represent the culmination of a historic contribution to land banking and blight elimination that will make a real difference, revitalizing neighborhoods, stimulating economic growth and fostering a sense of pride and possibility across our state. Related: Michigans double-digit rent increase ranks third highest in the nation Targeting blighted spaces is one way Michigan is trying to address a housing crisis. The Michigan State Housing Development Authority estimates the state needs another 190,000 units to keep up with demand. Thats coupled with the states aging housing supply as nearly half of all units were built before 1970. The state hopes to plug this housing gap by developing or rehabilitating 75,000 units by 2027. For a long time, Christine Angot, 65, didnt want to return to Strasbourg, France. It seemed like a hostile city to me. I told my editors not to take me there. When I had no other choice, I had someone go with me, she recalled, on Monday, February 19, while attending the 74th Berlin International Film Festival. I never went alone. The capital of the French region of Alsace was where Angots father sexually abused her when she was 13-years-old. It happened on weekends or during vacations. That man who abandoned her mother before she was born and then reappeared during her adolescence continued the abuse into her adult life, when she was already married. He died a long time ago, but his wife and children still live in the city. For Angot, it was a cursed place, a kingdom of silence. Many of those around her knew about the rape, but they didnt say anything. People never say anything, because they feel ashamed, she explains. Angot, however, has never remained silent. In 1999, she published a novel titled Incest. It made her a literary star in her country she became an author who sold well and was vilified. Critics praised her, but she was also accused of fabricating or exaggerating facts, of washing dirty laundry in public, or of expressing herself with excessive violence. She always refused to see herself as a victim a word that disgusts her to avoid the pity of others, since she considers other peoples pity to be a control mechanism. The writer an unrecognized disciple of Nobel Prize winner Annie Ernaux (although, like her, she refuses to define what she does as autofiction) has dedicated several books to this major trauma that marked her life. And now, 25 years later, in her debut as a filmmaker, she has returned to the subject, using cinema as a weapon instead of literature. The result is titled A Family a documentary in which the author returns to Strasbourg and other French cities, to confront the relatives and friends who covered up the events in question, or who watched them happen in silence. It could be the most disturbing film at this years Berlin International Film Festival, despite not being among the titles competing for the Golden Bear (it has premiered in the parallel Encounters section). If she had to resort to images it was, above all, because she felt that she needed neutral and incontestable testimony. When she writes, shes reproached for engaging in fiction for interpreting facts, or distorting them to her liking. Film always seems more real than a novel even when it isnt, she reflects. Angot uses this new medium just like literature: with harshness, heartbreak and clinical precision, at the service of a stubborn will to put words to the unspeakable. And to answer the million-dollar question: why didnt anyone do anything? The film begins with a surprise visit. A door opens. On the other side is her fathers wife, who has known the facts since the 1990s. When she sees that shes being filmed, she tries to slam the door, but Angot sticks her foot out to block it. She forcibly enters the bourgeois foyer, where shell (briefly) manage to dialogue with someone who has refused to do so for decades. She forces her camera operator (Caroline Champetier, who was the director of photography for Jean-Luc Godard and Leos Carax) and her assistant to tape everything. I need you, she tells them. Then, when the cameras are rolling, the reproaches begin: Arent you going to apologize to me? Angot asks. I only had your version, her stepmother responds. Other excuses will follow: Your father already had Alzheimers when he found out. Anyway, its too late now. I didnt want to know. At one point, the stepmother asks: How could you come to my house when you were having a sexual relationship with him? Angot replies that she was not in a relationship: she was being raped. Lets talk, but without violence, the false mother had demanded at the beginning of the encounter. By the end, with polite coldness, she says: It was good to talk, it was necessary. May you have a good day. Later on, however, she will report Angot for trespassing. Christine Angot, during a literary event in Krakow, Poland, in October of 2023. NurPhoto (Getty Images) In successive meetings with other members of her family, this lack of communication will give way to a possible understanding and a utopian sense of calm. She goes to see her mother, who is unable to talk about what happened. Instead, she prefers to focus on the strain that this case of incest caused in her relationship with her daughter. Angots mother reads aloud beautiful pieces of writing, which allow us to sense where the future novelists literary talent comes from. The writer also visits her ex-husband, who once overheard Angots father abusing her, but stayed locked in his room, a victim of his own childhood traumas, without intervening. Then, she gives the floor to her current partner the Antillean musician Charly Clovis who defines himself as a descendant of slaves. There are people who get together [because of their different heritages] and others who get together because they have things in common that define them, the author says, describing their union. In the end, she sits down with her daughter the first character to offer a kind word when she learns about what her mother has suffered. The writers interviews are interspersed with photographs and home videos from the early-1990s. We will discover that Angot was the only one in her class with a Jewish surname: Schwartz. It was later changed to her fathers surname. In an image from her adolescence, the author smiles. Shes unrecognizable. The context has changed since she started writing about incest. Back at the turn of the millennium, she was laughed at on TV sets, until she was forced to get up and walk away. Now, shes being listened to perhaps the result of new social sensitivities. And her art has also been recognized for its merit: her novel Journey to the East won the prestigious Prix Medicis in 2021. Its tempting to see the film as a revenge movie one of those thrillers where a humiliated and wounded character goes to look for her executioners, seeking justice. However, Angot is outraged by this interpretation. Im not looking for revenge, but for the truth, she clarifies. I wanted the words to emerge. I wanted to hear what those who were silent had to say. That has nothing to do with revenge. My goal was to be able to talk about this before we all died. It was important not only for me, but also for our children, for those who will be born later. And for all of us. Deep down, society is also a family. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition I have to make sure its going to work. I can hold out longer this way. I have to rise to the occasion. With such thoughts in mind, more and more Spanish men under 30 are turning to the strongest solution available: carrying a Viagra in their pocket just in case they have sex. But that is not necessarily what worries most of the urologists, psychologists and sexologists who see the phenomenon. Even worse is the fact that most of these young men take the pill in the context of parties, where alcohol increases the chances of erectile dysfunction. Many take a sildenafil pill to feel safe, but experts warn that the biggest danger is getting hooked on it. Addiction can lead to anxiety, depression and, in very extreme cases, even suicide: dependence on this drug can destroy ones sex life. The following story is emblematic of the problem: I go out partying, drink alcohol or do something and then Im afraid I wont perform at my best if I end up hooking up. Once, in a nightclub having a few drinks, I was with a girl, and I couldnt get it up. I had a terrible time. I felt embarrassed and insecure. This anecdote echoes countless stories told to the professionals who participated in this report like Ricardo Fandino, a psychologist at ASEIA and Vanessa R. Pousada, the vice president of the Sociedade Galega de Sexoloxia (Galician Association of Sexology). Among the most common refrains: I dont like to fail when I am with a girl; I always take a couple of viagras just in case; I have used them to last longer; you look like a champion and even if I dont have sex, it makes me feel more confident. Viagra cannot be purchased without a prescription, but these experts point out that it is being bought on the black market or with fake prescriptions. The low price helps. At pharmacies, a generic 50 mg pill (it goes up to 200 mg) usually costs about 4 ($4.30) for blister packs of 10 units, or at less than 50 cents per tablet for packs of 360. On the street, each tablet costs between 5 ($5.38) and 10 ($10.76). Speaking with ICON, Enrique Granda, the director of the Medicines Observatory of the Spanish Pharmacists Business Federation (FEFE), put the number of units of erectile dysfunction products sold in Spain as a whole in 2022 at four million, 7% more than in 2021 (the data has not yet been published). According to various studies and market data, about one in four Viagra pills is consumed by men between 16 and 30 years of age. A blister pack of Viagra. Although the medication cannot be bought without a prescription, it can be purchased easily on the black market. Getty Images The experts we consulted indicate that an increase in erectile dysfunction among young people cannot be ruled out, but data points to an increase in recreational use of Viagra. And they are concerned about the growing number of young people who come to the clinic with problems arising from abuse or even addiction. We are talking about a drug that has been associated with older people since its launch in 1998. Taking Viagra does not depend on age. The problem is self-medication, especially when it can cause you to get sick, says Nayara Malnero, a psychologist and sexologist. With the increase in pill use, she says, young people end up becoming mentally conditioned and feel they need it more and more. It is a distortion of how the body works and of our sexuality in general. The author of Sexperimentando (Sexperimenting) and social media educator with over 100,000 followers says that its already pathological. Of the consequences of consuming the drug at parties, she cautions that when Monday comes, theres no pill, and you cant have sex because the body gets used to it. Its more mental than physical. On a night when drug use stimulates sexual desire, but hinders its consummation, sildenafil and other drugs give a certain boost. Viagra makes it easier to have an erection and to have several sexual encounters with penetration. It is used as performance insurance, urologist Francois Peinado Ibarra, who is also a surgeon and andrologist, explains by telephone. Thus, experts say, Viagra is dangerously becoming another recreational drug, a stimulant. They trivialize consumption. Theyre looking for sexual performance and believe that it will help them, says Ricardo Fandino, a psychologist at ASEIA, Spanish organization specializing in child and adolescent emotional health. But they are far from guaranteeing that it will be a pleasurable encounter. The widespread use of Viagra among young people is turning the pill into just another recreational drug. In this photo, a human cannonball is fired at a circus in the Bronx in 1929. Getty Images These perceptions refer to penetration-centered sex. But caresses, kisses, massages... are also sex. The conception of practicing intercourse under the penis-vagina or penis-anus binary is misleading, the interviewees remind us. It is a perception of sexuality that is openly phallocentric and geared to a [specific] performance ideal, notes Fandino. There is a fear of failure that goes so far as to call masculinity into question. Its not the young peoples fault; its the educational system, families and politics, says Malnero. Nobody explains anything to them about sex and, in a few seconds, with the click of a button, they have all the porn they want. In the absence of contrasting information, how can you not believe that porn fiction is a lie? he asks. In 2023, the Pornhub and Xvideos websites were among the 20 most visited in Spain, behind giants like Google, YouTube and Facebook. The problem doesnt just stem from pornography. Fandino points to shows, movies, books and even songs. He asserts that young people aspire to an ideal that determines success or failure in relationships. They are inexperienced, they are full of doubt, but they have to succeed in sex [and] always through penetration. Thats why they think that using Viagra can help them in that effort. Dr. Francois Peinado observes that many even compete with each other. He sees a generational aspect in the assumed increase in spontaneous sporadic sexual relations. Now, as [sexual encounters] are more random, people want them to be more intense and to give maximum [effort]. It is a self-imposed demand that increases the possibility of erectile dysfunction, he argues. Peinado calls for greater empathy: We have to normalize [the fact] that nothing happens if you dont always have an erect penis and generate a pleasant, pressure-free environment of trust. Its about enjoying oneself, not being successful. If conceiving sex in terms of penetration is a mistake, how should young people approach their sexual relationships? By deconstructing the social concept and exploring other avenues of arousal, Nayara Malnero says, adding that nothing will happen if one doesnt have sex one day or if penetration does not occur. We are missing out on many other aspects of pleasure by focusing on a single model. The United States has imposed sanctions against more than 500 individuals and entities in Russia and other countries. One company from Kyrgyzstan was included in the list UCON COMPANY LLC, Azernews reports, citing 24.kg news agency. It is noted that the restrictions were imposed for activities in the sector of the Russian economy intended to support the Russian military-industrial base. The company was included in the category of secondary sanctions. According to the Ministry of Justice of the Kyrgyz Republic, the LLC has foreign participation. It was registered in 2022. Wholesale non-specialized trade is indicated as its main activity. The kidnapping of Venezuelan citizen Ronald Leandro Ojeda Moreno, 32, who was taken from his home in Chile was first reported by his family to Chiles national law enforcement, the Carabineros, and then to the Investigative Police (PDI). It took place at 3:15 a.m. on Wednesday, in a building in the municipality of Independencia, in the northern sector of Santiago. According to security camera footage, three individuals in PDI uniforms, with dark helmets, what appeared to be bulletproof vests, and their faces covered, arrived at Ojedas apartment on the 14th floor and took him away. A fourth person stayed with the doorman. Ojeda was barefoot and only wearing his underwear. In the parking lot, a gray car with a blue beacon is seen. On Wednesday, shortly after 11 a.m., the press reported that a PDI operation on the Central Highway, in the municipality of Renca, had uncovered a gray car that had been abandoned around 5 a.m. Police clothing was found inside the vehicle, which is why it was linked to the kidnapping. At that point, the alleged victim had still not been identified. Ojedas name was made public shortly after 3 p.m., when the Chilean media reported on the alleged kidnapping, which is being investigated by Santiagos Organized Crime and Homicide Team (ECOH), a unit that was created in November in response to the unprecedented rise in homicide in Chile. Theories on social media In parallel to the investigations, at 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday, former Venezuelan security secretary Ivan Simonovis, who today is a leading opponent of the Venezuelan government, identified the victim as Ojeda in a post on X (formerly Twitter). He said that Ojeda was a former lieutenant, and argued that the kidnapping may have been an operation orchestrated by Venezuelas General Directorate of Military Counterintelligence (DGCIM). In his post, he attached a video, supposedly of the moment in which Ojeda is taken from his apartment. The Chilean government did not confirm the kidnapping until 8:00 p.m. The Undersecretary of the Interior, Manuel Monsalve, gave a press conference at La Moneda, Chiles seat of government. But he only referred to Ojeda as a Venezuelan citizen, and did not mention that he was a former soldier. Indeed, there was a kidnapping of a Venezuelan citizen in the early hours of the morning, as I believe is now public knowledge, in the municipality of Independencia. Monsalve said that the Prosecutors Office had classified the investigation confidential, adding: What matters here is protecting the integrity of the victim and his family. As many hypotheses have been raised, the government is also considering all possible hypotheses, said Monsalve, without mentioning what these were. This cautious statement was made after Monsalves meetings with Interior Minister Carolina Toha, Justice Minister Luis Cordero and Foreign Minister Alberto Van Klaveren. At the press conference, he also announced that the government had called on Interpol to issue an international alert and implemented measures to tighten control at the countrys borders. It was not until Thursday that the Chilean government contacted Venezuelan authorities. Ojeda's profile Ronald Leandro Ojeda Moreno settled in Chile in 2017. On social media, he is an active opponent of the Venezuelan government. The Gabriel Boric administration has not confirmed whether or not Ojeda was a political refugee. Monsalve said Wednesday that it is illegal to reveal this information. Local media, however, report that he was given political refugee status at the end of December 2023. Ojeda, former first lieutenant and trained commando, is one of the 33 soldiers of the Bolivarian National Armed Forces (FANB) who were expelled and demoted on January 24 by the Venezuelan Defense Ministry. A list of the demoted military personnel in which Ojedas name appears was published by the Defense Ministry, which accused the group of committing criminal and terrorist actions against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. In a statement, it said that the soldiers faced charges of treason against the country. Rise in kidnappings Ransom kidnappings have been on the rise in Chile, fueled above all by transnational gangs. Between 2016 and 2020, the Metropolitan Region of Santiago, recorded between six and eight cases a year. In 2021, this figure jumped to 26. But the biggest rise was in 2022, when 46 cases were registered. As of November 2023, 45 kidnappings have been recorded, according to information from the PDI. In one case, Chilean businessman Rudy Basualdo, 50, was kidnapped in broad daylight in Rancagua, a city located about 52 miles from Santiago. He was released 40 hours later on November 10 after paying a million-dollar ransom. On Tuesday, seven people were arrested for the kidnapping. The Rancagua prosecutor, Javier Von Bischoffshausen, said the suspects belonged to Los Piratas del Tren de Aragua, a criminal organization that is partly located abroad, specifically in Venezuela. On February 13, police arrested two suspects involved in the ransom kidnapping of two Venezuelans in Renca, who were held captive for 30 hours. The kidnappers demanded a $50,000 ransom, sending messages to the victims relatives in Chile and Venezuela. Ojedas case has so far been different, which explains why the government and the Attorney Generals Office have both said they are not ruling out any hypothesis. But, privately, authorities are considering at least four: a possible international operation, kidnapping for ransom, a gang-related kidnapping and even a fake kidnapping. Unlike other kidnappings, no one has yet demanded a ransom for Ojedas release. In some cases, however, the kidnappers did not ask for a ransom until several days later. The location and the timing of the kidnapping is also different. Ojeda was taken from the 14th floor of a building in the early hours of the morning, while in most kidnappings the victim is forced into a vehicle from a public road. It is also the first time, since the recent rise of kidnappings, that the captives have disguised themselves as police officers. Diplomatic negotiations begin On Thursday, shortly after 2:00 p.m., the Chilean government referred to Ojedas case for the second time. Monsalve announced that the government had filed a complaint and will be part of the case. He again cautiously referred to the victim as a Venezuelan citizen, and insisted that, in serious crimes, the government is open to all hypotheses. Monsalve reported that spoke via videoconference with President Gabriel Boric, who is on vacation, and the ministers of the Interior, Foreign Affairs and Justice. Obviously, the president considers this a priority, he said. Shortly before, Monsalve also met with the national prosecutor, Angel Valencia; prosecutor Hector Barros, who coordinates the ECOH, and the senior officers of the Investigative Police. The government confirmed that it has taken a further step, and begun diplomatic efforts with Venezuelan authorities through the Chilean ambassador to Venezuela, Jaime Gazmuri. Chilean police have also been with their counterparts in Venezuela. Our ambassador is already making arrangements to be able to have a conversation with the vice minister for the Americas of Venezuelas Foreign Ministry, and we are in contact at all levels: government, police and through the corresponding prosecutors offices, said minister spokesperson Camila Vallejo. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition Asante Gold Co. (OTCMKTS:ASGOF Get Free Report)s stock price traded down 22.7% on Wednesday . The company traded as low as C$0.83 and last traded at C$0.83. 1,350 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 55% from the average session volume of 2,995 shares. The stock had previously closed at C$1.07. Asante Gold Stock Performance The stocks 50 day moving average price is C$1.04 and its 200-day moving average price is C$1.06. Asante Gold Company Profile (Get Free Report) Asante Gold Corporation, a mineral exploration company, engages in the acquisition, exploration, development, and operation of mineral resource properties in the Republic of Ghana. It holds 100% interest in the Fahiakoba concession situated in the Ashanti and Central regions in the Republic of Ghana; and 90% interest in the Bibiani gold mine located in the western region of Ghana. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Asante Gold Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Asante Gold and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. (NYSE:HII Get Free Report) VP D R. Wyatt sold 500 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $288.56, for a total value of $144,280.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 18,600 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,367,216. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Huntington Ingalls Industries Price Performance Shares of HII traded up $0.73 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $288.02. 181,351 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 285,901. The company has a quick ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.40 billion, a PE ratio of 16.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.58. Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $188.51 and a fifty-two week high of $289.50. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $262.82 and a 200 day simple moving average of $236.99. Get Huntington Ingalls Industries alerts: Huntington Ingalls Industries (NYSE:HII Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 1st. The aerospace company reported $6.90 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $4.27 by $2.63. The business had revenue of $3.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.78 billion. Huntington Ingalls Industries had a return on equity of 18.12% and a net margin of 5.95%. The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 13.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $3.07 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. will post 16.36 EPS for the current fiscal year. Huntington Ingalls Industries Dividend Announcement Analyst Ratings Changes The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 8th. Investors of record on Friday, February 23rd will be paid a dividend of $1.30 per share. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.81%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 22nd. Huntington Ingalls Industriess payout ratio is currently 30.41%. HII has been the topic of several research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Huntington Ingalls Industries from $257.00 to $288.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Thursday, February 8th. StockNews.com raised Huntington Ingalls Industries from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a report on Friday, December 15th. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on Huntington Ingalls Industries from $280.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $265.00. Read Our Latest Analysis on HII Hedge Funds Weigh In On Huntington Ingalls Industries Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new position in Huntington Ingalls Industries during the third quarter worth about $25,000. Cranbrook Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Huntington Ingalls Industries in the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Harbour Investments Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Huntington Ingalls Industries by 505.6% in the 4th quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 109 shares of the aerospace companys stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares during the period. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Huntington Ingalls Industries in the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Northwest Financial Advisors purchased a new position in shares of Huntington Ingalls Industries in the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. 89.18% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Huntington Ingalls Industries Company Profile (Get Free Report) Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc designs, builds, overhauls, and repairs military ships in the United States. It operates through three segments: Ingalls, Newport News, and Mission Technologies. The company is involved in the design and construction of non-nuclear ships comprising amphibious assault ships; expeditionary warfare ships; surface combatants; and national security cutters for the U.S. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Huntington Ingalls Industries Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Huntington Ingalls Industries and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Targa Resources Corp. (NYSE:TRGP Get Free Report) Director Joe Bob Perkins sold 33,405 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $97.67, for a total value of $3,262,666.35. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 38,440 shares in the company, valued at $3,754,434.80. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Targa Resources Stock Down 1.4 % Targa Resources stock traded down $1.33 during trading on Friday, hitting $97.03. 1,844,762 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,854,937. The businesss 50 day moving average is $86.99 and its 200 day moving average is $85.98. The company has a market capitalization of $21.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.56 and a beta of 2.18. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68. Targa Resources Corp. has a 52 week low of $64.85 and a 52 week high of $99.04. Get Targa Resources alerts: Targa Resources Announces Dividend The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, January 31st were issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, January 30th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.06%. Targa Resourcess dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 54.50%. Institutional Trading of Targa Resources Wall Street Analyst Weigh In A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Cetera Advisor Networks LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Targa Resources in the 1st quarter valued at about $250,000. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Targa Resources by 5.3% in the 1st quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 14,741 shares of the pipeline companys stock valued at $1,112,000 after acquiring an additional 737 shares in the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. raised its holdings in shares of Targa Resources by 11.6% in the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 186,471 shares of the pipeline companys stock valued at $14,072,000 after acquiring an additional 19,372 shares in the last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Targa Resources in the 1st quarter valued at about $249,000. Finally, Covestor Ltd raised its holdings in shares of Targa Resources by 91.8% in the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,429 shares of the pipeline companys stock valued at $108,000 after acquiring an additional 684 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.21% of the companys stock. TRGP has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Truist Financial boosted their price target on Targa Resources from $95.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Monday, November 6th. UBS Group lowered their target price on Targa Resources from $109.00 to $108.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 18th. Barclays upped their target price on Targa Resources from $94.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 17th. Finally, Citigroup upped their target price on Targa Resources from $104.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of Buy and an average target price of $106.09. View Our Latest Stock Report on Targa Resources Targa Resources Company Profile (Get Free Report) Targa Resources Corp., together with its subsidiary, Targa Resources Partners LP, owns, operates, acquires, and develops a portfolio of complementary domestic midstream infrastructure assets in North America. The company operates in two segments, Gathering and Processing, and Logistics and Transportation. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Targa Resources Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Targa Resources and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Jacobi Capital Management LLC increased its position in Emerson Electric Co. (NYSE:EMR Free Report) by 3.8% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 23,903 shares of the industrial products companys stock after buying an additional 875 shares during the period. Jacobi Capital Management LLCs holdings in Emerson Electric were worth $2,308,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. West Coast Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Emerson Electric during the second quarter worth approximately $206,000. FMR LLC boosted its stake in shares of Emerson Electric by 1.3% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,233,697 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $312,278,000 after purchasing an additional 41,263 shares during the period. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Emerson Electric in the third quarter valued at $320,000. Kathmere Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Emerson Electric in the third quarter valued at $221,000. Finally, Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its stake in Emerson Electric by 52.7% during the 3rd quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 406,809 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $39,286,000 after acquiring an additional 140,438 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.02% of the companys stock. Get Emerson Electric alerts: Emerson Electric Price Performance Shares of EMR traded up $0.63 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $105.92. The companys stock had a trading volume of 553,563 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,929,923. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $97.50 and a 200 day moving average price of $94.90. The stock has a market capitalization of $60.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.48, a PEG ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 1.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 1.12 and a quick ratio of 0.80. Emerson Electric Co. has a fifty-two week low of $76.94 and a fifty-two week high of $107.08. Emerson Electric Announces Dividend Emerson Electric ( NYSE:EMR Get Free Report ) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 7th. The industrial products company reported $1.22 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.04 by $0.18. The business had revenue of $4.12 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.91 billion. Emerson Electric had a net margin of 69.33% and a return on equity of 11.59%. The firms quarterly revenue was up 22.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.78 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that Emerson Electric Co. will post 5.41 EPS for the current fiscal year. The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 11th. Investors of record on Friday, February 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.525 per share. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.98%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 15th. Emerson Electrics dividend payout ratio is currently 10.94%. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades A number of research analysts have commented on the stock. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Emerson Electric from $91.00 to $95.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a research note on Thursday, February 8th. Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of Emerson Electric from $112.00 to $109.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, November 8th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on shares of Emerson Electric from $106.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a report on Thursday, February 8th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Emerson Electric from $100.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a report on Tuesday, December 19th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of Emerson Electric from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Friday, November 10th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $109.31. Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on EMR Insider Buying and Selling In related news, Director Mark A. Blinn sold 2,413 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.18, for a total transaction of $248,973.34. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 9,591 shares in the company, valued at $989,599.38. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.25% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders. Emerson Electric Profile (Free Report) Emerson Electric Co, a technology and software company, provides various solutions for customers in industrial, commercial, and consumer markets in the Americas, Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Europe. It operates in six segments: Final Control, Control Systems & Software, Measurement & Analytical, AspenTech, Discrete Automation, and Safety & Productivity. Featured Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding EMR? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Emerson Electric Co. (NYSE:EMR Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Emerson Electric Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Emerson Electric and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Eagle Capital Growth Fund, Inc. (NYSE:GRF Get Free Report) CEO Luke E. Sims sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $9.19, for a total value of $45,950.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 275,271 shares in the company, valued at $2,529,740.49. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Eagle Capital Growth Fund Price Performance Shares of GRF traded up $0.03 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $9.28. 700 shares of the companys stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,603. Eagle Capital Growth Fund, Inc. has a twelve month low of $7.93 and a twelve month high of $10.19. Get Eagle Capital Growth Fund alerts: About Eagle Capital Growth Fund (Get Free Report) Recommended Stories Eagle Capital Growth Fund, Inc is a closed-end equity mutual fund launched and managed by Sims Capital Management LLC. The fund invests in the public equity markets of the United States. It makes its investments in the stocks of companies operating across diversified sectors. The fund benchmarks the performance of its portfolio against the S&P 500 Index. Receive News & Ratings for Eagle Capital Growth Fund Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Eagle Capital Growth Fund and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. RBC Bearings Incorporated (NYSE:RBC Get Free Report) COO Daniel A. Bergeron sold 15,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $267.22, for a total transaction of $4,008,300.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 121,935 shares in the company, valued at approximately $32,583,470.70. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. RBC Bearings Stock Performance Shares of RBC Bearings stock traded down $1.13 on Friday, reaching $270.61. 81,693 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 120,794. RBC Bearings Incorporated has a 52 week low of $195.18 and a 52 week high of $288.16. The company has a 50 day moving average of $273.88 and a 200 day moving average of $248.78. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.90 billion, a PE ratio of 45.51, a PEG ratio of 5.61 and a beta of 1.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 3.28 and a quick ratio of 1.12. Get RBC Bearings alerts: Institutional Inflows and Outflows Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. First Capital Advisors Group LLC. purchased a new stake in shares of RBC Bearings during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. 1832 Asset Management L.P. purchased a new stake in shares of RBC Bearings during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Principal Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of RBC Bearings during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. LWM Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of RBC Bearings during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Compass Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in RBC Bearings in the 1st quarter worth approximately $34,000. Analysts Set New Price Targets Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on RBC shares. Truist Financial upped their price objective on shares of RBC Bearings from $271.00 to $309.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Wednesday, January 10th. Bank of America upgraded shares of RBC Bearings from an underperform rating to a buy rating and upped their target price for the stock from $230.00 to $280.00 in a report on Wednesday, November 29th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of RBC Bearings from $235.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a report on Monday, November 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on shares of RBC Bearings from $229.00 to $256.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Thursday, December 14th. Finally, Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of RBC Bearings from $250.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research report on Monday, February 12th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $275.86. Get Our Latest Report on RBC RBC Bearings Company Profile (Get Free Report) RBC Bearings Incorporated manufactures and markets engineered precision bearings and components in the United States and internationally. It operates through two segments, Aerospace/Defense and Industrial. The company produces plain bearings with self-lubricating or metal-to-metal designs, including rod end bearings, spherical plain bearings, and journal bearings; roller bearings, such as tapered roller bearings, needle roller bearings, and needle bearing track rollers and cam followers, which are anti-friction products that are used in industrial applications and military aircraft platforms; and ball bearings include high precision aerospace, airframe control, thin section, and industrial ball bearings that utilize high precision ball elements to reduce friction in high-speed applications. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for RBC Bearings Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for RBC Bearings and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Teradata Co. (NYSE:TDC Get Free Report) CEO Stephen Mcmillan sold 40,597 shares of Teradata stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $38.22, for a total transaction of $1,551,617.34. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 528,302 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,191,702.44. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Teradata Stock Down 1.6 % TDC traded down $0.60 on Friday, reaching $37.81. The companys stock had a trading volume of 1,165,871 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,126,499. The company has a market capitalization of $3.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 61.98, a P/E/G ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.01. Teradata Co. has a fifty-two week low of $36.67 and a fifty-two week high of $57.73. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $44.60 and a two-hundred day moving average of $44.97. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.02. Get Teradata alerts: Teradata (NYSE:TDC Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 12th. The technology company reported $0.56 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.51 by $0.05. Teradata had a return on equity of 58.25% and a net margin of 3.38%. The business had revenue of $457.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $455.84 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.05 earnings per share. The companys quarterly revenue was up 1.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts forecast that Teradata Co. will post 1.25 EPS for the current fiscal year. Institutional Inflows and Outflows Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Teradata by 4.4% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 11,671,512 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $525,451,000 after acquiring an additional 496,702 shares during the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. boosted its stake in Teradata by 0.9% in the 2nd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 11,560,886 shares of the technology companys stock worth $617,467,000 after buying an additional 101,929 shares during the last quarter. Lynrock Lake LP boosted its stake in Teradata by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Lynrock Lake LP now owns 5,169,066 shares of the technology companys stock worth $173,991,000 after buying an additional 102,400 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors boosted its stake in Teradata by 11.2% in the 1st quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 3,843,434 shares of the technology companys stock worth $189,443,000 after buying an additional 388,599 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp boosted its stake in Teradata by 3.2% in the 1st quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,953,041 shares of the technology companys stock worth $118,948,000 after buying an additional 92,045 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.02% of the companys stock. Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Bank of America cut shares of Teradata from a buy rating to a neutral rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $58.00 to $48.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 13th. StockNews.com cut shares of Teradata from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley cut shares of Teradata from an overweight rating to an equal weight rating and lowered their price target for the company from $74.00 to $48.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 13th. JMP Securities reissued a market outperform rating and set a $72.00 price target on shares of Teradata in a research report on Tuesday, February 13th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price target on shares of Teradata from $59.00 to $48.00 and set a sector perform rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Teradata has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $57.30. Check Out Our Latest Report on Teradata Teradata Company Profile (Get Free Report) Teradata Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, provides a connected multi-cloud data platform for enterprise analytics. The company offers Teradata Vantage, a data platform that allows companies to leverage their data across an enterprise, as well as connects various sources of data to drive ecosystem simplification and support customers on their journey to the cloud through an integrated migration. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Teradata Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Teradata and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Tillys, Inc. (NYSE:TLYS Get Free Report) major shareholder Fund 1 Investments, Llc purchased 32,500 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 21st. The shares were bought at an average price of $6.99 per share, with a total value of $227,175.00. Following the purchase, the insider now owns 4,985,257 shares in the company, valued at approximately $34,846,946.43. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Major shareholders that own 10% or more of a companys stock are required to disclose their transactions with the SEC. Fund 1 Investments, Llc also recently made the following trade(s): Get Tilly's alerts: On Friday, February 23rd, Fund 1 Investments, Llc bought 24,000 shares of Tillys stock. The shares were bought at an average price of $7.30 per share, with a total value of $175,200.00. On Tuesday, February 13th, Fund 1 Investments, Llc bought 26,000 shares of Tillys stock. The shares were bought at an average price of $7.45 per share, with a total value of $193,700.00. On Friday, February 9th, Fund 1 Investments, Llc acquired 23,500 shares of Tillys stock. The stock was acquired at an average price of $7.47 per share, with a total value of $175,545.00. On Friday, February 2nd, Fund 1 Investments, Llc acquired 56,778 shares of Tillys stock. The stock was acquired at an average price of $7.51 per share, with a total value of $426,402.78. On Wednesday, January 31st, Fund 1 Investments, Llc acquired 30,650 shares of Tillys stock. The stock was acquired at an average price of $7.34 per share, with a total value of $224,971.00. On Monday, January 29th, Fund 1 Investments, Llc acquired 18,000 shares of Tillys stock. The stock was acquired at an average price of $7.42 per share, with a total value of $133,560.00. On Friday, January 26th, Fund 1 Investments, Llc acquired 20,000 shares of Tillys stock. The stock was acquired at an average price of $7.50 per share, with a total value of $150,000.00. On Wednesday, January 24th, Fund 1 Investments, Llc bought 16,000 shares of Tillys stock. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $7.51 per share, with a total value of $120,160.00. On Monday, January 22nd, Fund 1 Investments, Llc bought 3,000 shares of Tillys stock. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $7.57 per share, with a total value of $22,710.00. On Friday, January 19th, Fund 1 Investments, Llc bought 24,500 shares of Tillys stock. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $7.44 per share, with a total value of $182,280.00. Tillys Stock Up 2.9 % Shares of Tillys stock traded up $0.21 during trading on Friday, reaching $7.36. 71,464 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 103,042. Tillys, Inc. has a twelve month low of $6.05 and a twelve month high of $9.50. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $7.41 and a 200-day moving average price of $7.97. Institutional Investors Weigh In On Tillys Tillys ( NYSE:TLYS Get Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 30th. The specialty retailer reported ($0.03) EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of ($0.07) by $0.04. Tillys had a negative return on equity of 8.11% and a negative net margin of 2.16%. The business had revenue of $166.48 million during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $168.19 million. Research analysts predict that Tillys, Inc. will post -0.68 EPS for the current year. A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in TLYS. Barclays PLC grew its stake in Tillys by 88.7% in the second quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 21,741 shares of the specialty retailers stock valued at $152,000 after acquiring an additional 10,219 shares during the period. Pacific Ridge Capital Partners LLC grew its stake in Tillys by 5.3% in the third quarter. Pacific Ridge Capital Partners LLC now owns 641,795 shares of the specialty retailers stock valued at $5,211,000 after acquiring an additional 32,384 shares during the period. Shay Capital LLC grew its stake in Tillys by 14.7% in the second quarter. Shay Capital LLC now owns 1,928,940 shares of the specialty retailers stock valued at $13,522,000 after acquiring an additional 247,600 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its stake in Tillys by 1.5% in the third quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 131,314 shares of the specialty retailers stock valued at $1,066,000 after acquiring an additional 1,985 shares during the period. Finally, Divisar Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Tillys by 5.2% in the second quarter. Divisar Capital Management LLC now owns 1,804,943 shares of the specialty retailers stock valued at $12,653,000 after acquiring an additional 90,000 shares during the period. 78.84% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Analyst Ratings Changes TLYS has been the subject of several research reports. Roth Mkm cut Tillys from a buy rating to a neutral rating and set a $8.50 target price for the company. in a research note on Monday, December 4th. StockNews.com cut Tillys from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note on Monday, January 8th. B. Riley cut Tillys from a buy rating to a neutral rating and lowered their target price for the company from $10.50 to $8.75 in a research note on Wednesday, January 24th. Finally, Roth Capital cut Tillys from a buy rating to a neutral rating in a research note on Monday, December 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and four have issued a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Tillys presently has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $8.63. View Our Latest Stock Report on TLYS Tillys Company Profile (Get Free Report) Tilly's, Inc operates as a specialty retailer of casual apparel, footwear, accessories, and hardgoods for young men and women, and boys and girls in the United States. Its apparel merchandise includes tops, outerwear, bottoms, swim, and dresses; and accessories merchandise comprises backpacks, hydration bottles, hats, sunglasses, small electronics and accessories, handbags, watches, jewelry, and others, as well as hardgoods consists of skateboards, longboards, and related equipment for skateboarding, snowboarding, and surfing. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Tilly's Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Tilly's and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Alamos Gold (NYSE:AGI Get Free Report) (TSE:AGI) released its earnings results on Thursday. The basic materials company reported $0.12 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts consensus estimates of $0.12, Yahoo Finance reports. Alamos Gold had a net margin of 20.52% and a return on equity of 7.36%. The company had revenue of $254.60 million for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $257.47 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.09 EPS. Alamos Golds revenue for the quarter was up 9.8% on a year-over-year basis. Alamos Gold Stock Up 3.8 % Shares of AGI stock opened at $11.89 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $4.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.43, a PEG ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 1.15. Alamos Gold has a 52 week low of $9.78 and a 52 week high of $14.95. The companys fifty day simple moving average is $12.60 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $12.57. Get Alamos Gold alerts: Wall Street Analyst Weigh In A number of research firms recently weighed in on AGI. Scotiabank lifted their target price on shares of Alamos Gold from $14.00 to $15.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Friday, October 27th. National Bank Financial restated an outperform overweight rating on shares of Alamos Gold in a research note on Wednesday, January 3rd. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Alamos Gold from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note on Monday, February 19th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upgraded shares of Alamos Gold from a sector perform rating to an outperform rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $12.00 to $16.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 11th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, Alamos Gold currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $14.50. Institutional Trading of Alamos Gold Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of AGI. Advisor Group Holdings Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Alamos Gold by 5.1% in the 1st quarter. Advisor Group Holdings Inc. now owns 29,621 shares of the basic materials companys stock worth $239,000 after buying an additional 1,432 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in shares of Alamos Gold by 56.4% in the 1st quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 535,028 shares of the basic materials companys stock worth $4,505,000 after buying an additional 192,939 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James & Associates increased its holdings in shares of Alamos Gold by 24.1% in the 1st quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 300,000 shares of the basic materials companys stock worth $2,526,000 after buying an additional 58,298 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Alamos Gold in the 1st quarter worth about $101,000. Finally, Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Alamos Gold by 9.7% in the 1st quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 61,429 shares of the basic materials companys stock worth $517,000 after buying an additional 5,434 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 54.99% of the companys stock. About Alamos Gold (Get Free Report) Alamos Gold Inc engages in the acquisition, exploration, development, and extraction of precious metals in Canada and Mexico. The company primarily explores for gold and silver deposits. It holds 100% interest in the Young-Davidson mine and Island Gold mine located in the Ontario, Canada; Mulatos mine located in the Sonora, Mexico; and Lynn Lake project situated in the Manitoba, Canada. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Alamos Gold Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Alamos Gold and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Ashtead Group plc (OTCMKTS:ASHTF Get Free Report) shares crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Wednesday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $64.50 and traded as high as $68.83. Ashtead Group shares last traded at $67.69, with a volume of 2,376 shares. Ashtead Group Trading Down 0.8 % The businesss 50-day simple moving average is $66.40 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $64.50. Ashtead Group Company Profile (Get Free Report) Ashtead Group plc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the construction, industrial, and general equipment rental business in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada. It provides pumps, power generation, heating, cooling, scaffolding, traffic management, temporary flooring, trench shoring, and lifting services. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Ashtead Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Ashtead Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Three young fishermen from Kayar, a coastal city in the Thies region, pull the nets of a fishing canoe. The artisanal fishing crisis, caused by the activity of large foreign vessels, is impacting migration. Many of those who arrive in the Canary Islands on canoes are fishermen from Mbour, Kayar or Saint Louis. Senegal is going through its most difficult hours. In the last three years of political and social instability, which have been marked by protests and restrictions on freedoms, tens of thousands of young people have taken to the sea in canoes to reach the Canary Islands or flown to Central America to pursue the American dream. Many others, however, stay, fighting for change or just trying to get ahead. In the midst of enormous uncertainty about the future, studying or working has become a challenge. The presence of young people is overwhelming: three out of every four Senegalese are under 35 years old. They are increasingly connected to the world, with enormous expectations, but at the same time disappointed with their country. Searching, guided by the survival instinct, says Boubacar Seye, migration researcher and president of the NGO Horizons Without Borders. At the Cefer training center in Dakar, dozens of boys and girls in blue suits descend the stairs at the same time. They have just finished classes and are now taking a moment to eat a sandwich and check their messages on their phones. The screens flicker in their hands. Souleymane Wane, elegant and sober despite being only 24 years old, speaks with surprising maturity: My dream was to study medicine, but I didnt get the grades, so I ended up in science and technology, he explains. In his first year of college, a cycle of riots that continues to this day began in Dakar, triggered by a power struggle between the government and the opposition ahead of this years elections, leading to a nine-month closure of the Cheikh Anta Diop University. One day the police came in and we got locked in. They were throwing tear gas inside, he recalls. Souleymane Wane, 24 years old, born in a village in the Fatick region, stands at the entrance of the Cefer training center in Dakar during a break from his engineering class. He is one of the 100,000 students affected by the closure of the Cheikh Anta Diop University due to political and social instability in Senegal. We have dreams, but how are we going to achieve them here? We need a new Senegal where we can succeed without the need to leave, he reflects. Marta Moreiras He couldnt finish high school so he threw himself, as he puts it, into agriculture and religion. Born 26 years ago in a village in Mbour, Mamadou Faye works from sunup to sundown on a small plot of land in Lendeng, Rufisque, splitting the profits 50/50 with the owner of the field. The land gives me security. I dont see myself on a boat at sea, thats very dangerous, he says. Marta Moreiras Three young fishermen from Kayar, a coastal city in the Thies region, pull the nets of a fishing canoe. The artisanal fishing crisis, caused by the activity of large foreign vessels, is impacting migration. Many of those who arrive in the Canary Islands on canoes are fishermen from Mbour, Kayar or Saint Louis. Marta Moreiras Mariama Diallo, a 27-year-old nurse from Kolda, pictured in Dakar, where she lives. Her dream is to gather enough money to do a masters in public health, but that is not easy without a stable job that allows her to save as much as she needs. She currently earns a living by taking care of elderly people and giving therapeutic massages. I want to continue my career, my studies. When you get married and have children, you cant get ahead, she says. All that can come later. Marta Moreiras Young Abdoulaye and Abdou prepare skewers every day in the Ouakam neighborhood of Dakar. This type of informal activity dominates the countrys economy and is key to the survival of millions. Profits are minimal, just enough for people to get by. The problem is the fragility: the sector has no coverage. Crises like Covid-19 or price hikes due to the war in Ukraine have had a strong impact on the informal economy. Marta Moreiras With a degree in accounting and law, 30-year-old Ibrahima Kane has no stable job. He occupies himself writing reports and articles. After unsuccessfully trying to obtain a European visa, he lived for several years in various countries of the Maghreb region. He jumped the Ceuta fence twice and even managed to enter Bulgaria via Turkey, but was deported on all occasions. The visa issue is scandalous. The legal route is currently inaccessible to 99% of the population, says this activist who advocates for migrants rights. Marta Moreiras 25-year-old Fatiakh Diangar, originally from Diofior, in Sine Saloum, works as a babysitter in Dakar to pay for her environmental studies. She has thought about going to France or Canada because public education in Senegal is full of difficulties, she says. There I can finish my degree faster and with a better level. In Senegal everything is problems and delays, she says. Marta Moreiras Young people from a village in Fatick spend some time under a tree. Rural exodus has been a constant in Senegal practically since its independence. Thousands of people arrive each year in Dakar and its outskirts from the interior in search of a better life. This has given rise to new urban agglomerations such as Pikine, Guediawaye, Mbao and Keur Massar, where poverty and substandard living conditions are more evident. Marta Moreiras Young people from Pikine, on the outskirts of Dakar, are trained as entrepreneurs in agriculture as part of a program implemented under a project of the International Organization for Migration (IOM). Thousands of young people attend these courses with the aim of finding a job or creating a small business, which fits into this organizations goals to fight irregular migration. Marta Moreiras Day laborers work in the fields of Lendeng, in Rufisque. Women from the humblest families in rural areas have no easy access to education; for many of them, working in the fields is practically the only option. Marta Moreiras In order not to miss the year, Wane enrolled in engineering at Cefer, one of the many private centers that have proliferated in Senegal to make up for the shortcomings and the constant problems of public education. However, that requires money. To pay the approximately $1,400 per year that it costs, he received help from the Dakar Mayors Office, although his family still had to pay half of it. Many Senegalese cannot afford it: We students are in a very difficult situation, says the young man, who was born in a village in Fatick and, like many of his classmates, is a fervent follower of the imprisoned opposition leader Ousmane Sonko, who has managed to attract the young people, eager for change. If you gave visas to all these people right now, he says, as he gestures to the rest of the students, they would all leave. Then he adds: Of course we have dreams, but how are we going to achieve them here? We need a new Senegal where we can succeed without having to leave. In the past three years, young people have played a central role in the aforementioned protests, and many have paid a high price. Approximately 50 people have died as a result of the police response, with the latest four deaths, from gunshot wounds, occurring this February. Hundreds have been arrested and have remained in pretrial detention for eight months or longer without being tried. The riots began in 2021 following Sonkos first judicial indictment (which his supporters have always described as political persecution) and continue to this day, with the postponement of the elections decreed by President Macky Sall on February 3rd. It is the most combative and rebellious face of the young people, who want to usher in a change of cycle in their country, who want to vote, who need answers to their frustration and concerns. Mariama Diallo, a 27-year-old nurse from Kolda, in the city of Dakar. Marta Moreiras Mariama Diallo is 27 years old and works as a nurse. After completing her internship, today she works caring for elderly people. For a 10-hour shift, she earns approximately $8. To supplement her meager income, she provides therapeutic massages at home for about $25. There are no decent jobs. I presented my resume in many places and got nothing, she explains. A few decades ago, many young women used to be pushed into marriage as soon as they reached little more than adolescence, but Senegalese society has changed. I want to continue my career, my studies, do a masters in public health. When you get married and have children, you cant get ahead, she says. All that can come later. The possibility of seeking new horizons has crossed her mind. Some of her colleagues have migrated to Canada and today earn up to $38 per hour, an astronomical figure compared to the meager incomes Diallo can aspire to in Senegal. Life here is difficult. Nothing guarantees youll have a decent job under normal conditions, she adds. For now, she lives with a friend in Dakar, one of the most expensive cities in West Africa, comparable to many European urban agglomerations, where the average monthly income of tens of thousands of people who work informally hovers around $117. Survival is an obstacle course. It is not a question of poverty, but of expectations, says researcher Boubacar Seye. There are many people who pay 4,000 [around $4,300] to go to Nicaragua and from there to the United States. We have an international, connected youth with great personal and social aspirations. But what they experience on a daily basis is food insecurity, health hardships, lack of work. Development policies have failed miserably. There is a fear of tomorrow, states the expert. Meanwhile, on the other side, Europe stands as a fortress where legal access is impossible, the borders become cemeteries and the money they send to African countries for supposed migration management disappears who knows where, says Seye. A sort of couch, a double mattress, a table with a sound system and a chair. This is the modest furniture in Tivaouane Peulhs room, on the outskirts of Dakar, which he shares with his friend Ibrahima Kane, 30 years old, while he waits to move into a proper apartment. A graduate in accounting and law, he is unemployed and makes ends meet by writing reports for others. When he was younger, he applied for up to three visas to study in Europe: in France, Germany and Spain. He even had pre-registration at two universities, as well as paid accommodation. But he was not successful. Obsessed with the idea of leaving, before he turned 20 he left Senegal and was in Morocco, Algeria, Libya, Tunisia and Egypt. He jumped the Ceuta fence twice and one time managed to reach Bulgaria through the Turkish border. However, he was deported after every attempt. The visa issue is scandalous. The consulates have outsourced the granting of appointments to private companies, and an entire business has emerged around it. You try to access the service through the computer and in a couple of minutes all the appointments for the month are already blocked. Then someone from the company calls and offers it to you, but only if you pay 500 or 600 [approximately $550 or $650]. Its all a mafia, says Kane, who, with all the accumulated experience, has become an activist advocating for migrants rights. In his opinion, the fact that this happens with the knowledge of the consulates is part of the same process of outsourcing of borders, devised to curb the right to human mobility. The legal route is currently inaccessible for 99% of the population, he explains. Mamadou Faye, 26 years old, works from sunup to sundown on a small plot of land in Lendeng, Rufisque. Marta Moreiras Still, not everyone wants to leave. A soft haze extends across the farm fields of Lendeng, in Rufisque, about 15 miles from the Senegalese capital. A few feet from a toll highway, a farmers cooperative makes a miracle possible: they produce lettuce, parsley, turnips and beets, right where the city ends. Mamadou Faye, 26, gets up early every morning to take care of his small plot. There is always something to do: planting, weeding, watering. I dont have a single day of rest, he says. He lives with three other boys, a cart driver and two farmers like him, in a modest room for which they pay about $43 a month. I share the benefits of the land with the owner; he takes one half and I take the other. Faye, who was born in a village in Mbour, could not finish high school, but still speaks more than acceptable French. He does not complain. He smiles. Changing his life does not cross his mind. Im happy. I have work and I can take care of my parents by sending them something. The land gives me security. I dont see myself on a boat at sea. Thats very dangerous. When I see all those young people who are leaving I think that I have a lot here. For me, the most important things are my religion and my work, he explains. How about having a family, having children? Sure, that will come, he replies with an unfading smile. 25-year-old Fatiakh Diangar, originally from Diofior, works as a babysitter in Dakar to pay for her environmental studies. Marta Moreiras Young Fatiakh Diangar, 25, also loves nature. Perhaps because she was born in Diofior, a small town in Sine Saloum, she decided to study environment and sustainable development and wrote her thesis about the threats facing mangroves. Like so many other students, after three years of university in Kaolack she made the leap to Dakar to pursue training in sustainable ecosystem management, which costs her about $1,100 a year. To finance it, she works as a babysitter. My family doesnt have the means and I really like kids, so its a good solution, she explains. She lives with her older sister and cannot shake the idea of returning to her town one day. Dakar is noise, pollution, everything is uncomfortable. In Diofior there is a peace and quiet that cant be found here, she says. Still, she dreams of finishing her training in Europe or America. I have tried through Campus France and in Canada, but it is very complicated. There I can finish my degree faster and with a better level. In Senegal everything is problems and delays. Her idea would be to work in an environmental organization or in a development project after finishing her studies, but in her native region. To leave, certainly, but also to return someday. That is the dream of many. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition TFX has seen positive revenue growth, driven by an increase in sales of new products. Operating expenses have evolved due to lower logistics costs and staffing shortages, with measures put in place to mitigate future impacts. Management has focused on restructuring initiatives and acquisitions to drive growth and improve profitability. Key risks include cybersecurity threats and environmental liabilities, which are being managed through various strategies. The companys forward-looking guidance aligns with strategic initiatives to address potential challenges and capitalize on trends for improved performance and long-term competitiveness. Executive Summary Financials Revenue growth has been positive over the past three years, with a 6.6% increase in net revenues in 2023 compared to the previous year. This growth was primarily driven by a $149.2 million increase in sales of new products. Operating expenses have evolved due to lower logistics costs and staffing shortages, with measures implemented to mitigate future impacts. There are no significant changes in cost structures mentioned. The companys net income margin is $356,328. It has remained the same. Comparison with industry peers is not provided in the context information. Get alerts: Management Discussion and Analysis Management has undertaken restructuring initiatives, focused on attracting and retaining personnel, maintaining relationships with healthcare professionals, and making acquisitions. The success of these strategies in driving growth and improving profitability remains to be seen. Management assesses the companys competitive position by acknowledging strong competition in the medical device industry. They highlight the need for successful product development and market acceptance amidst rapid technological advances and the importance of maintaining strong relationships with physicians for product development. Major risks include cybersecurity threats and environmental liabilities. Mitigation strategies involve annual risk assessments, global policies, incident response plans, and compliance with laws and regulations. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) Risk Assessment TFX key performance metrics include revenues, expenses, and staffing shortages. Revenues have increased, but expenses and staffing shortages have decreased over the past year. These changes are in line with the companys long-term goals of stabilizing operations and mitigating future impacts. The companys ROI is higher than its cost of capital, indicating value creation for shareholders. TFX competes in a highly competitive market with both domestic and foreign medical device companies. Its market share is currently impacted by competition and the need to develop and market new products. There are no specific plans mentioned for market expansion or consolidation at this time. The top external factors that pose risks to the company operations and financial performance include environmental regulations, climate change impacts, and labor disruptions from collective bargaining agreements. These factors could lead to increased costs, supply chain interruptions, and legal liabilities, impacting the business adversely. TFX assesses and manages cybersecurity risks through annual risk assessments, global policies, incident response plans, security assessments, phishing simulations, end-user training, tools and processes, and third-party reviews. The Audit Committee provides oversight and advice on risk mitigation activities. Yes, the company faces potential environmental and health and safety liabilities from hazardous materials and climate change regulations. They are addressing these risks by monitoring compliance and adapting to changing laws. Corporate Governance and Sustainability The composition of the board of directors is detailed in the Proxy Statement for the 2024 Annual Meeting, to be filed within 120 days. No notable changes in leadership or independence are mentioned, but more information will be available in the upcoming statement. TFX addresses diversity and inclusion in governance through board diversity commitments. Information on this is available in the Proxy Statement for the 2024 Annual Meeting, which will be filed within 120 days after the end of the fiscal year. TFX tracks and reduces energy, water, and gas consumption, waste, and hazardous materials. They focus on environmental training, audits, and engagement initiatives. They acknowledge potential environmental liabilities and comply with laws but cannot guarantee costs or liabilities will not impact their business. Forward Guidance The companys forward-looking guidance in the annual report aligns with its strategic initiatives by addressing potential risks and uncertainties that could impact its performance. This proactive approach demonstrates a focus on mitigating challenges to achieve its outlined priorities. TFX is factoring in trends such as stabilization in macroeconomic factors and lower logistics costs. It plans to implement measures to mitigate future impacts and capitalize on these trends to improve business performance. The companys investments and strategic initiatives aim to achieve growth improvement targets, acquisitions, and entering into strategic alliances to enhance long-term competitiveness. These actions demonstrate the commitment to long-term growth and competitiveness. For more information: This article was created using artificial intelligence technology from Klickanalytics. Biotricity (OTCMKTS:BTCY Get Free Report) issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday. The company reported ($0.34) EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of ($0.41) by $0.07, reports. The company had revenue of $2.97 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.00 million. Biotricity Stock Down 4.6 % Shares of BTCY stock traded down $0.05 on Friday, reaching $1.05. The companys stock had a trading volume of 19,061 shares, compared to its average volume of 25,012. The company has a market capitalization of $8.99 million, a P/E ratio of -0.76 and a beta of 1.39. Biotricity has a 12-month low of $0.70 and a 12-month high of $5.10. The stocks 50 day simple moving average is $1.02 and its 200-day simple moving average is $1.47. Get Biotricity alerts: Institutional Inflows and Outflows A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of BTCY. State Street Corp raised its holdings in Biotricity by 586.8% in the 1st quarter. State Street Corp now owns 135,295 shares of the companys stock worth $307,000 after acquiring an additional 115,595 shares during the last quarter. Susquehanna International Group LLP grew its position in shares of Biotricity by 53.7% during the 1st quarter. Susquehanna International Group LLP now owns 57,305 shares of the companys stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 20,024 shares during the period. Beacon Pointe Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Biotricity during the 1st quarter valued at $77,000. Virtu Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Biotricity during the 1st quarter valued at $50,000. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Biotricity during the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. 32.46% of the stock is owned by institutional investors. Biotricity Company Profile Biotricity, Inc, a medical technology company, provides biometric data monitoring solutions in the United States. The company focuses on delivery of remote monitoring solutions to medical, healthcare, and consumer markets, including diagnostic and post-diagnostic solutions for lifestyle and chronic illnesses. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Biotricity Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Biotricity and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Black Diamond Group Limited (TSE:BDI Get Free Report)s stock price crossed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Wednesday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of C$7.55 and traded as high as C$9.30. Black Diamond Group shares last traded at C$9.30, with a volume of 21,562 shares trading hands. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In A number of brokerages recently issued reports on BDI. Raymond James raised their price objective on Black Diamond Group from C$10.00 to C$12.00 and gave the stock a strong-buy rating in a research report on Monday, November 6th. Cormark raised their price objective on Black Diamond Group from C$10.00 to C$12.00 in a research report on Monday, November 6th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on Black Diamond Group from C$10.00 to C$11.00 in a research report on Friday, February 2nd. Finally, Acumen Capital raised their price objective on Black Diamond Group from C$10.25 to C$12.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 13th. Get Black Diamond Group alerts: Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on Black Diamond Group Black Diamond Group Stock Performance About Black Diamond Group The company has a market capitalization of C$573.45 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.21 and a beta of 1.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 77.86, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a current ratio of 1.19. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of C$8.75 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of C$7.56. (Get Free Report) Black Diamond Group Limited rents and sells modular space and workforce accommodation solutions. It operates through two segments, Modular Space Solutions and Workforce Solutions. The Modular Space Solutions segment provides modular space rentals to customers in the construction, real estate development, education, manufacturing, health care, financial, government, and defense industries in North America. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Black Diamond Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Black Diamond Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Botswana Diamonds plc (LON:BOD Get Free Report)s stock price passed below its 200-day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of GBX 0.59 ($0.01) and traded as low as GBX 0.37 ($0.00). Botswana Diamonds shares last traded at GBX 0.39 ($0.00), with a volume of 1,741,515 shares trading hands. Botswana Diamonds Stock Down 2.6 % The business has a fifty day simple moving average of GBX 0.44 and a 200-day simple moving average of GBX 0.58. The firm has a market cap of 4.20 million, a P/E ratio of -11.00 and a beta of 1.00. About Botswana Diamonds (Get Free Report) Botswana Diamonds plc explores for and develops diamond properties in Botswana, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. The company's flagship property is the Thorny River/Marsfontein property located in South Africa. It also explores primarily in the Kalahari region of Botswana. Botswana Diamonds plc was formerly known as Botswana Exploration plc and changed its name to Botswana Diamonds plc in October 2010. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Botswana Diamonds Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Botswana Diamonds and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Brookfield Infrastructure Partners L.P. (TSE:BIP.UN Get Free Report) (NYSE:BIP) crossed above its 50-day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a 50-day moving average of C$41.62 and traded as high as C$43.50. Brookfield Infrastructure Partners shares last traded at C$41.48, with a volume of 340,202 shares trading hands. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades Separately, Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on Brookfield Infrastructure Partners from C$45.00 to C$40.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, November 2nd. Get Brookfield Infrastructure Partners alerts: View Our Latest Research Report on BIP.UN Brookfield Infrastructure Partners Price Performance Insider Activity The company has a 50 day moving average price of C$41.64 and a 200 day moving average price of C$39.86. The company has a market capitalization of C$19.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 217.42, a PEG ratio of -2.12 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a current ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 134.69. In related news, Director Rajeev Vasudeva acquired 1,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 15th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of C$35.25 per share, with a total value of C$35,250.00. About Brookfield Infrastructure Partners (Get Free Report) Brookfield Infrastructure Partners L.P. owns and operates utilities, transport, energy, and data infrastructure businesses. The Utilities segment operates approximately 2,000 kilometers (km) of natural gas transportation pipelines in the states of Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, and Minas Gerais; approximately 2,200 km of electricity transmission lines in North and South America; and approximately 6.6 million electricity and natural gas connections and 1.1 million smart meters, as well as operates metallurgical coal export terminals. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Brookfield Infrastructure Partners Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Brookfield Infrastructure Partners and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Air Lease Co. (NYSE:AL Get Free Report) EVP Carol Hyland Forsyte sold 3,046 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.02, for a total value of $121,900.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 72,073 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $2,884,361.46. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Air Lease Price Performance NYSE AL traded up $0.14 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $39.97. The companys stock had a trading volume of 832,986 shares, compared to its average volume of 744,591. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.76, a P/E/G ratio of 0.72 and a beta of 1.64. Air Lease Co. has a 1-year low of $33.33 and a 1-year high of $45.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68, a current ratio of 0.40 and a quick ratio of 0.40. The companys 50-day moving average is $41.30 and its two-hundred day moving average is $39.49. Get Air Lease alerts: Air Lease (NYSE:AL Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 15th. The transportation company reported $1.89 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $1.10 by $0.79. Air Lease had a return on equity of 8.87% and a net margin of 22.89%. The company had revenue of $716.57 million during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $672.95 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.21 EPS. Air Leases quarterly revenue was up 19.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that Air Lease Co. will post 4.75 EPS for the current year. Air Lease Dividend Announcement Institutional Investors Weigh In On Air Lease The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.21 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 14th. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.10%. Air Leases dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 16.31%. Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. GSA Capital Partners LLP increased its stake in Air Lease by 59.6% during the 4th quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP now owns 18,559 shares of the transportation companys stock worth $778,000 after buying an additional 6,930 shares in the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio increased its stake in Air Lease by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 48,298 shares of the transportation companys stock worth $2,026,000 after buying an additional 1,173 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc increased its stake in Air Lease by 7.5% during the 4th quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 104,869 shares of the transportation companys stock worth $4,398,000 after buying an additional 7,357 shares in the last quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Air Lease by 140.0% during the 4th quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC now owns 392,453 shares of the transportation companys stock worth $16,459,000 after buying an additional 228,929 shares in the last quarter. Finally, VR Advisory Services Ltd increased its stake in Air Lease by 7.1% during the 4th quarter. VR Advisory Services Ltd now owns 375,000 shares of the transportation companys stock worth $15,728,000 after buying an additional 25,000 shares in the last quarter. 88.16% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Analysts Set New Price Targets Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Barclays boosted their price objective on Air Lease from $46.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Thursday, January 25th. StockNews.com raised Air Lease from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report on Friday. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on Air Lease from $54.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a report on Tuesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Air Lease presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $53.00. Check Out Our Latest Analysis on Air Lease About Air Lease (Get Free Report) Air Lease Corporation, an aircraft leasing company, engages in the purchase and leasing of commercial jet aircraft to airlines worldwide. It also sells aircraft from its fleet to third parties, including other leasing companies, financial services companies, airlines, and other investors. In addition, the company provides fleet management services to investors and owners of aircraft portfolios. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Air Lease Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Air Lease and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. decreased its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK Free Report) by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,363,398 shares of the companys stock after selling 17,274 shares during the period. Merck & Co., Inc. accounts for about 0.9% of Epoch Investment Partners Inc.s portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest holding. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. owned 0.05% of Merck & Co., Inc. worth $140,362,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC. Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of MRK. Ruedi Wealth Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 180.2% in the 3rd quarter. Ruedi Wealth Management Inc. now owns 311 shares of the companys stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. TFO Wealth Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 108.1% in the 3rd quarter. TFO Wealth Partners LLC now owns 464 shares of the companys stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 241 shares during the period. Ameliora Wealth Management Ltd. bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 3rd quarter valued at about $50,000. VitalStone Financial LLC bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 2nd quarter valued at about $56,000. Finally, Legacy Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 3rd quarter valued at about $73,000. Institutional investors own 74.59% of the companys stock. Get Merck & Co. Inc. alerts: Insider Buying and Selling at Merck & Co., Inc. In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, EVP Steven Mizell sold 50,694 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $126.65, for a total transaction of $6,420,395.10. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 23,619 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,991,346.35. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, insider Joseph Romanelli sold 1,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.89, for a total value of $124,890.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 19,569 shares of the companys stock, valued at $2,443,972.41. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Steven Mizell sold 50,694 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction on Friday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $126.65, for a total transaction of $6,420,395.10. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 23,619 shares of the companys stock, valued at $2,991,346.35. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.20% of the companys stock. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In A number of analysts have issued reports on MRK shares. BMO Capital Markets raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a market perform rating to an outperform rating and set a $132.00 price objective for the company in a report on Friday, October 27th. TheStreet raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a c+ rating to a b rating in a report on Monday, November 27th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an overweight rating and set a $135.00 price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, February 14th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $115.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a report on Friday, October 27th. Finally, Truist Financial upped their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $122.00 to $139.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Friday, February 2nd. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $129.83. View Our Latest Stock Analysis on Merck & Co., Inc. Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance Merck & Co., Inc. stock traded up $0.19 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $129.45. 5,176,826 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 7,659,028. Merck & Co., Inc. has a one year low of $99.14 and a one year high of $130.24. The stock has a market cap of $328.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 924.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a current ratio of 1.38. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $118.52 and a 200-day moving average price of $109.78. Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 1st. The company reported $0.03 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.09) by $0.12. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 0.61% and a return on equity of 9.07%. The company had revenue of $14.63 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.49 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.62 earnings per share. The firms revenue for the quarter was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 8.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 5th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.77 per share. This represents a $3.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.38%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 14th. Merck & Co., Inc.s dividend payout ratio is currently 2,200.00%. Merck & Co., Inc. Profile (Free Report) Merck & Co, Inc operates as a healthcare company worldwide. It operates through two segments, Pharmaceutical and Animal Health. The Pharmaceutical segment offers human health pharmaceutical products in the areas of oncology, hospital acute care, immunology, neuroscience, virology, cardiovascular, and diabetes, as well as vaccine products, such as preventive pediatric, adolescent, and adult vaccines. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Merck & Co. Inc. Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Merck & Co. Inc. and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Equinox Gold (NYSEAMERICAN:EQX Get Free Report) issued its earnings results on Wednesday. The company reported $0.01 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of ($0.02) by $0.03, MarketWatch Earnings reports. Equinox Gold had a net margin of 4.53% and a return on equity of 0.91%. The company had revenue of $297.80 million for the quarter. Equinox Gold Price Performance Shares of Equinox Gold stock traded up $0.07 on Friday, reaching $4.22. The company had a trading volume of 2,455,034 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,708,826. The company has a market capitalization of $1.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 69.17 and a beta of 1.30. Equinox Gold has a 52-week low of $3.38 and a 52-week high of $5.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 1.40 and a current ratio of 2.27. Get Equinox Gold alerts: Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades A number of equities analysts have commented on EQX shares. Desjardins raised shares of Equinox Gold from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 30th. National Bank Financial reaffirmed a sector perform spec overwgt rating on shares of Equinox Gold in a research note on Wednesday, January 3rd. Institutional Investors Weigh In On Equinox Gold A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in EQX. Barclays PLC increased its stake in Equinox Gold by 581.2% during the 4th quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 471,303 shares of the companys stock worth $2,305,000 after buying an additional 402,111 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Equinox Gold by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 9,575,223 shares of the companys stock worth $46,823,000 after buying an additional 161,894 shares during the period. Voloridge Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Equinox Gold by 232.6% during the 4th quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC now owns 584,963 shares of the companys stock worth $2,860,000 after buying an additional 409,091 shares during the period. Nuveen Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Equinox Gold during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,198,000. Finally, Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC purchased a new stake in Equinox Gold during the 4th quarter worth approximately $287,000. 31.61% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Equinox Gold Company Profile (Get Free Report) Equinox Gold Corp. engages in the operation, acquisition, exploration, and development of mineral properties in the Americas. The company primarily explores for gold and silver deposits. It holds 100% interest in the Mesquite Gold Mine and Castle Mountain Gold Mine located in California, the United States; Los Filos Mine Complex located in Guerrero State, Mexico; Aurizona Gold Mine located in Maranhao State, Brazil; Fazenda Gold Mine and Santa Luz Gold Mine located in Bahia State, Brazil; and RDM Gold Mine located in Mina Gerais State, Brazil. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Equinox Gold Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Equinox Gold and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Hudsons Bay Co (OTCMKTS:HBAYF Get Free Report)s stock price passed below its 50 day moving average during trading on Wednesday . The stock has a 50 day moving average of $8.19 and traded as low as $8.19. Hudsons Bay shares last traded at $8.19, with a volume of 2,900 shares. Hudsons Bay Trading Down 0.2 % The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $8.19 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $8.19. About Hudsons Bay (Get Free Report) Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates department stores in Canada and the United States. Its stores offers fashion apparels, accessories, cosmetics, and home products. The company operates its stores under the Hudson's Bay, Lord & Taylor, Saks Fifth Avenue, Saks OFF 5TH, Find @ Lord & Taylor, Home Outfitters, Galeria Kaufhof, Galeria INNO, and Sportarena names. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Hudson's Bay Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Hudson's Bay and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. HUTCHISON TELEC/ADR (OTCMKTS:HTHKY Get Free Report) passed above its fifty day moving average during trading on Wednesday . The stock has a fifty day moving average of $5.99 and traded as high as $6.00. HUTCHISON TELEC/ADR shares last traded at $5.99, with a volume of 1,600 shares. HUTCHISON TELEC/ADR Trading Up 1.1 % The business has a 50-day moving average price of $5.99 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $5.99. HUTCHISON TELEC/ADR Company Profile (Get Free Report) Hutchison Telecommunications Hong Kong Holdings Limited, an investment holding company, provides mobile communication services primarily in Hong Kong and Macau. It offers 4G long term evolution, 3G, and GSM dual-band mobile telecommunications services under the 3 brand. The company's mobile telecommunications services and products include local voice, SMS, MMS, international direct dialing, and international roaming; and broadband-based data services and applications, such as direct carrier billing offerings, mobile device security management, eBooks, music downloads, movies-on-demand, mobile social networking applications, and stock trading, as well as Wi-Fi services. See Also Receive News & Ratings for HUTCHISON TELEC/ADR Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for HUTCHISON TELEC/ADR and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Stalemate, fatigue, attrition. The special military operation in Ukraine that Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on February 24, 2022, has just turned two years old, and the full-scale invasion has not yielded the results that the Kremlin was hoping for. With tens of thousands of dead and wounded, Russias war in Ukraine is entrenched in a front in the east and south of the country of over 497 miles (800 kilometers) of fortifications, mines and trenches in which neither side is making significant gains. Ukraine and its Western allies are beginning to show fatigue. The ammunition provided by Ukraines partners, without which Kyiv never would have been able to resist the worlds second largest military power, is in short supply. The U.S. Congress is blocking the White Houses new aid package for Kyiv, while the European arms industry is unable to produce at the pace needed by the Ukrainians, allowing Moscow to regain momentum. Over the past two years, the war has had three stages. Following Moscows full-scale invasion, Kyiv managed to repel the aggression, forcing Putins troops to regroup in the east and south of the country. It then regained key territories around the city of Kharkov and towns such as Kherson. Thanks to increasingly strong military support from the West some countries were hesitant to get involved in the conflict at first Ukraine launched a counteroffensive last June to try to drive Russia out of occupied territory. But the new Leopard and Abrams tanks, armored vehicles, and training for troops abroad were not enough to break through the Russians defensive barrier in the positions they control. As in World War I, we have reached a technological level that puts us at a stalemate, the former commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian army, Valeri Zaluzhni, told The Economist last November. Right now, the war is in a stage of tactical blockage, of stalemate, explains Thibault Fouillet of the Paris-based Foundation for Strategic Research. For five or six months now, we have been going through a phase in which theres no real momentum in sight. After two alternating attempts at major offensives by both sides, we find ourselves in a situation of limited war, the military expert continues. It is true that the Russians are now advancing, but they are doing so very slowly and moderately. Fouillet downplays the shortage of military supplies that Kyiv complains about. Even if the situation is critical, Ukraine is not going to find itself without any ammunition tomorrow. Globally, we are in a period of shortages, but supplies, even if they decrease, are not going to disappear. Ukraine is not going to collapse because of a lack of shells; if it collapses, it will be because of a lack of morale or fatigue, he says. Mind you, without enough shells, it wont be able to launch a new offensive, he adds. Under these conditions, holding on to the areas under its control is all Kyiv can do for now (it controls 80% of its territory), Mykola Beleskov, an analyst at Ukraines National Institute for Strategic Studies, argues. In 2024, our goal on the ground must be to retain the territories we control. We have no choice but active defense due to ammunition shortages and difficulties in mobilizing new soldiers, he argues in an interview with the public television news channel. Like Fouillet, Beleskov admits that it is now Russia that has the momentum, but it lacks sufficient leverage to launch a new offensive. With no significant progress made on either side, the conflict has become a war of attrition. In order to wage it, Ukraine will continue to need military and economic aid from its allies; theres no rush to achieve immediate results. The most effective way for Ukraine to regain its advantage is to build an effective and deep defense that will reduce its casualties and ammunition requirements, argues Franz-Stefan Gady of the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) in London. This expert estimates that Kyiv will need between 75,000 and 90,000 artillery shells each month to achieve that goal. The West must understand that Ukraines driving force in the war is its ability to inflict heavy attrition, causing more personal and material casualties than the enemy. Gady emphasizes that now is not the time to advance on the ground, but rather to defend against Russian attacks and reconstitute their forces to achieve a battlefield advantage later. Ukraine and the Western countries enjoy an overall resource advantage [over Russia], and attrition may prove important in achieving victory. A defensive strategy Last summers counteroffensive is what really exhausted the Ukrainians in terms of manpower and weaponry, as was the case with Russia after the invasion, says Fouillet, the French analyst. Now they need to resist and mobilize new troops to establish soldier rotations, he adds. Ukraine has to recover, find new means of combat, get new supplies from the West. That is why it is in a defensive posture. It is time to regenerate its forces and waste as little time as possible. Ukraine needs more men, more material. And that cannot be achieved overnight. Since December, the Ukrainian Parliament has been debating a mobilization bill, the initial objective of which was to recruit 500,000 new soldiers; but the initiative has faced strong social rejection, in contrast with the massive influx of volunteers who answered the call at the beginning of the war two years ago. While low morale is an issue, economic matters are not helping either. Last October, U.S. President Joe Biden asked Congress for $60 billion in supplementary aid for Ukraine after the funds pledged in December 2022 by its largest arms donor ran out in the second half of last year. However, the proposal is stalled for the time being amid the refusal of the Republican majority in the House of Representatives to pass it. For its part, the European Union has approved an assistance package of 144 billion, of which it has already delivered 77 billion. Of the amount actually provided by European countries as a whole, 35.2 billion corresponds to military supplies, according to the latest study by the Kiel Institute for World Economics (IFW) in Germany. Now, the biggest risks are not related to the front, Beleskov emphasizes. In the US, the main problem is the beginning of the election campaign [the November presidential election], where some actors [referring to the Republicans] evaluate aid to Ukraine not from the perspective of victory or defeat, but from the point of view of their candidates chances to win, he continues. If Ukraine does not demonstrate its willingness and readiness to resist, it will be much easier for those who oppose helping us to achieve their goals. Like other analysts we consulted, Beleskov also notes that both the US and Europe need time to increase production of armaments and ammunition: The years 2022 and 2023 were the period when we counted on the reserves that our partners had accumulated until 2022. Now they are depleted. If Western aid continues, the most globalized conflict since World War II is for the long haul, experts say. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and the European Unions rotating president, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander de Croo, plan to demonstrate that support with a visit to Kyiv on Saturday. We are doing everything we can to end the war as soon as possible, Ukrainian President Volodymir Zelensky told Fox News on Thursday. The war will end only when the world is ready to stop Putin; but lets be frank, the world is not ready, the world is afraid of possible changes in Russia. When the world realizes that Putin has crossed all the red lines, this war will end. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition Invesco Income Growth Trust Plc (LON:IVI Get Free Report) shares crossed below its 50 day moving average during trading on Wednesday . The stock has a 50 day moving average of GBX 278 ($3.50) and traded as low as GBX 270 ($3.40). Invesco Income Growth Trust shares last traded at GBX 278 ($3.50), with a volume of 47,441 shares traded. Invesco Income Growth Trust Price Performance The firm has a market capitalization of 162.22 million and a P/E ratio of -5.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.32, a current ratio of 0.08 and a quick ratio of 0.08. The stocks fifty day simple moving average is GBX 278 and its 200 day simple moving average is GBX 278. About Invesco Income Growth Trust (Get Free Report) Invesco Income Growth Trust plc is a close-ended equity mutual fund launched and managed by Invesco Fund Managers Limited. It is co-managed by INVESCO Asset Management Limited. The fund invests in the public equity markets of the United Kingdom. It seeks to invest in stocks of companies operating across diversified sectors. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Invesco Income Growth Trust Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Invesco Income Growth Trust and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. iShares Canadian HYBrid Corporate Bond Index ETF (TSE:XHB Get Free Report)s share price were down 0.2% during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as C$18.98 and last traded at C$18.99. Approximately 6,681 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 21% from the average daily volume of 8,424 shares. The stock had previously closed at C$19.03. iShares Canadian HYBrid Corporate Bond Index ETF Stock Down 0.1 % The company has a fifty day moving average price of C$19.02 and a two-hundred day moving average price of C$18.48. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for iShares Canadian HYBrid Corporate Bond Index ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for iShares Canadian HYBrid Corporate Bond Index ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. John Hancock Income Securities Trust (NYSE:JHS Get Free Report)s share price crossed below its 50 day moving average during trading on Wednesday . The stock has a 50 day moving average of $10.95 and traded as low as $10.88. John Hancock Income Securities Trust shares last traded at $10.88, with a volume of 13,023 shares. John Hancock Income Securities Trust Price Performance The businesss fifty day moving average price is $10.95 and its 200 day moving average price is $10.59. Get John Hancock Income Securities Trust alerts: John Hancock Income Securities Trust Cuts Dividend The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 29th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 11th were paid a $0.1277 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 8th. This represents a $0.51 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.72%. Hedge Funds Weigh In On John Hancock Income Securities Trust John Hancock Income Securities Trust Company Profile Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of JHS. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its stake in John Hancock Income Securities Trust by 45.8% in the 2nd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 1,013,962 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $10,920,000 after buying an additional 318,310 shares during the period. Sit Investment Associates Inc. increased its stake in John Hancock Income Securities Trust by 8.7% in the 2nd quarter. Sit Investment Associates Inc. now owns 2,171,129 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $23,383,000 after buying an additional 173,242 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in John Hancock Income Securities Trust by 494.7% in the 1st quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 171,208 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $2,337,000 after buying an additional 142,417 shares during the period. Baird Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in John Hancock Income Securities Trust in the 4th quarter valued at $419,000. Finally, Logan Stone Capital LLC acquired a new position in John Hancock Income Securities Trust in the 4th quarter valued at $292,000. 43.33% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. (Get Free Report) John Hancock Income Securities Trust is a closed ended fixed income mutual fund launched and managed by John Hancock Investment Management LLC. It is co-managed by John Hancock Asset Management. The fund invests in the fixed income markets of United States. It invests primarily in corporate and government bonds with average maturity of 7.57 years. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for John Hancock Income Securities Trust Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for John Hancock Income Securities Trust and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Lancashire Holdings Limited (LON:LRE Get Free Report)s stock price crossed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Wednesday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of GBX 601.22 ($7.57) and traded as high as GBX 632.50 ($7.96). Lancashire shares last traded at GBX 618 ($7.78), with a volume of 517,768 shares trading hands. Analysts Set New Price Targets A number of analysts have recently weighed in on LRE shares. Jefferies Financial Group restated a buy rating and issued a GBX 795 ($10.01) target price on shares of Lancashire in a research note on Tuesday, November 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Lancashire from GBX 715 ($9.00) to GBX 750 ($9.44) and gave the company a neutral rating in a report on Monday, November 20th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on Lancashire from GBX 800 ($10.07) to GBX 825 ($10.39) and gave the company an outperform rating in a report on Thursday, November 16th. Finally, Berenberg Bank reiterated a buy rating and issued a GBX 800 ($10.07) price target on shares of Lancashire in a report on Monday, February 5th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of GBX 738.33 ($9.30). Get Lancashire alerts: Check Out Our Latest Research Report on Lancashire Lancashire Stock Performance About Lancashire The company has a quick ratio of 1.18, a current ratio of 405.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 31.97. The stock has a market cap of 1.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 1,582.93, a PEG ratio of 0.21 and a beta of 0.61. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of GBX 612.61 and a 200-day simple moving average of GBX 601.57. (Get Free Report) Lancashire Holdings Limited, together with its subsidiaries, provides specialty insurance and reinsurance products in London, Bermuda, and Australia. The company operates through five segments: Property and Casualty Reinsurance, Property and Casualty Insurance, Aviation, Energy, and Marine. It offers property direct and facultative, property political risk and sovereign risk, and property terrorism and political violence insurance products, as well as property reinsurance services; and aviation AV52, aviation consortium, airline hull and liability, and satellite insurance products. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Lancashire Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Lancashire and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Nuveen Real Estate Income Fund (NYSE:JRS Get Free Report)s share price passed below its fifty day moving average during trading on Wednesday . The stock has a fifty day moving average of $7.64 and traded as low as $7.51. Nuveen Real Estate Income Fund shares last traded at $7.59, with a volume of 102,051 shares. Nuveen Real Estate Income Fund Price Performance The companys 50-day moving average price is $7.63 and its 200 day moving average price is $7.15. Get Nuveen Real Estate Income Fund alerts: Nuveen Real Estate Income Fund Announces Dividend The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 29th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 15th were paid a dividend of $0.17 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, December 14th. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 8.94%. Institutional Trading of Nuveen Real Estate Income Fund About Nuveen Real Estate Income Fund Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Pathstone Holdings LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Nuveen Real Estate Income Fund during the 4th quarter valued at about $2,411,000. Wolverine Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Nuveen Real Estate Income Fund by 1,384.8% during the 2nd quarter. Wolverine Asset Management LLC now owns 200,446 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,489,000 after acquiring an additional 186,946 shares during the last quarter. Cornerstone Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Nuveen Real Estate Income Fund by 114.3% during the 3rd quarter. Cornerstone Advisors LLC now owns 278,766 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,868,000 after acquiring an additional 148,658 shares during the last quarter. AQR Arbitrage LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Nuveen Real Estate Income Fund by 331.0% during the 3rd quarter. AQR Arbitrage LLC now owns 177,890 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,192,000 after acquiring an additional 136,612 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Nuveen Real Estate Income Fund during the 1st quarter valued at about $1,529,000. (Get Free Report) Nuveen Real Estate Income Fund is a closed-ended equity mutual fund launched by Nuveen Investments Inc The fund is managed by Security Capital Research & Management Incorporated. It invests in the public equity markets of the United States. The fund makes its investments in stocks of companies operating in the real-estate sector. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Nuveen Real Estate Income Fund Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Nuveen Real Estate Income Fund and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Olin Co. (NYSE:OLN Get Free Report) CEO Scott Mcdougald Sutton sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $52.50, for a total transaction of $787,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 75,327 shares in the company, valued at $3,954,667.50. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Scott Mcdougald Sutton also recently made the following trade(s): Get Olin alerts: On Tuesday, January 30th, Scott Mcdougald Sutton sold 539,328 shares of Olin stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $53.96, for a total transaction of $29,102,138.88. Olin Price Performance Shares of NYSE OLN traded up $0.28 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $52.59. The companys stock had a trading volume of 745,982 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,087,658. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.29 and a quick ratio of 0.73. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.44 billion, a PE ratio of 14.78, a P/E/G ratio of 0.28 and a beta of 1.44. Olin Co. has a 52 week low of $41.71 and a 52 week high of $60.45. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $52.39 and a two-hundred day moving average of $50.53. Olin Announces Dividend Olin ( NYSE:OLN Get Free Report ) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 25th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.30 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.20 by $0.10. Olin had a return on equity of 18.44% and a net margin of 6.74%. The firm had revenue of $1.61 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.50 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Olin Co. will post 3.75 EPS for the current fiscal year. The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 7th will be paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 6th. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.52%. Olins dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.60%. Institutional Investors Weigh In On Olin Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in OLN. CWM LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Olin by 6.4% in the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 3,166 shares of the specialty chemicals companys stock valued at $163,000 after purchasing an additional 190 shares during the last quarter. Arbor Capital Management Inc. ADV lifted its holdings in shares of Olin by 0.5% in the 1st quarter. Arbor Capital Management Inc. ADV now owns 38,729 shares of the specialty chemicals companys stock valued at $2,224,000 after purchasing an additional 199 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its holdings in shares of Olin by 0.5% in the 2nd quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 42,285 shares of the specialty chemicals companys stock valued at $1,957,000 after purchasing an additional 216 shares during the last quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors lifted its holdings in shares of Olin by 3.3% in the 3rd quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 6,834 shares of the specialty chemicals companys stock valued at $293,000 after purchasing an additional 217 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ritholtz Wealth Management lifted its holdings in shares of Olin by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 16,389 shares of the specialty chemicals companys stock valued at $884,000 after purchasing an additional 238 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.69% of the companys stock. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In A number of research analysts recently commented on OLN shares. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on Olin from $55.00 to $61.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 30th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on Olin from $65.00 to $66.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Monday, January 29th. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on Olin from $50.00 to $38.00 and set an underweight rating on the stock in a report on Monday, October 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded Olin from an overweight rating to a neutral rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $75.00 to $48.00 in a research note on Monday, October 30th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on Olin from $58.00 to $64.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a report on Monday, January 29th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $56.27. Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on OLN About Olin (Get Free Report) Olin Corporation manufactures and distributes chemical products in the United States, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Canada. It operates through three segments: Chlor Alkali Products and Vinyls; Epoxy; and Winchester. The Chlor Alkali Products and Vinyls segment offers chlorine and caustic soda, ethylene dichloride and vinyl chloride monomers, methyl chloride, methylene chloride, chloroform, carbon tetrachloride, perchloroethylene, hydrochloric acid, hydrogen, bleach products, potassium hydroxide, and chlorinated organics intermediates and solvents. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Olin Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Olin and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. OTC Markets Group Inc. (OTCMKTS:OTCM Get Free Report) passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Wednesday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $56.22 and traded as high as $58.45. OTC Markets Group shares last traded at $58.22, with a volume of 1,065 shares trading hands. OTC Markets Group Stock Performance The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $57.94 and a 200 day simple moving average of $56.23. The firm has a market cap of $685.28 million, a P/E ratio of 24.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 0.67. About OTC Markets Group (Get Free Report) OTC Markets Group Inc operates regulated markets for trading 12,000 U.S. and international securities. Its data-driven disclosure standards form the foundation of its three public markets: OTCQX Best Market, OTCQB Venture Market, and Pink Open Market. The company's OTC Link Alternative Trading Systems (ATSs) provide critical market infrastructure that broker-dealers rely on to facilitate trading. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for OTC Markets Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for OTC Markets Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Pandora A/S (OTCMKTS:PANDY Get Free Report)s share price crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Wednesday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $31.26 and traded as high as $41.26. Pandora A/S shares last traded at $41.19, with a volume of 1,868 shares trading hands. Pandora A/S Trading Up 0.5 % The companys fifty day simple moving average is $36.53 and its 200 day simple moving average is $31.34. Get Pandora A/S alerts: Pandora A/S (OTCMKTS:PANDY Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 7th. The company reported $1.06 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.14 by ($0.08). The business had revenue of $1.56 billion for the quarter. Pandora A/S Increases Dividend Pandora A/S Company Profile The company also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 26th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 18th will be issued a $0.4347 dividend. This is an increase from Pandora A/Ss previous dividend of $0.39. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 15th. (Get Free Report) Pandora A/S engages in the design, manufacture, and marketing of hand-finished and contemporary jewelry. The company operates in two segments, Core and Fuel With More. It offers charms, bracelets, rings, earrings, necklaces, and pendants. The company sells its products through physical stores, online stores, and wholesale and third-party distribution in Denmark, the United States, China, the United Kingdom, Italy, Australia, France, Germany, Spain, Mexico, and internationally. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Pandora A/S Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Pandora A/S and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Par Pacific (NYSE:PARR Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities research analysts at StockNews.com from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday. Separately, UBS Group cut their target price on shares of Par Pacific from $38.00 to $37.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 13th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $36.00. Get Par Pacific alerts: View Our Latest Analysis on PARR Par Pacific Trading Up 1.8 % Institutional Inflows and Outflows Shares of PARR traded up $0.69 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $39.09. 564,987 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 644,135. The companys fifty day moving average price is $36.38 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $34.93. The company has a market capitalization of $2.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 4.56 and a beta of 1.99. The company has a quick ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. Par Pacific has a 12 month low of $20.30 and a 12 month high of $40.65. A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of PARR. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in Par Pacific by 23.7% during the 1st quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 440,701 shares of the companys stock valued at $5,738,000 after acquiring an additional 84,454 shares during the period. Citigroup Inc. lifted its position in Par Pacific by 76.8% during the 1st quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 89,635 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,166,000 after acquiring an additional 38,945 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its position in Par Pacific by 12.8% during the 1st quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 7,513 shares of the companys stock valued at $98,000 after acquiring an additional 854 shares during the period. MetLife Investment Management LLC lifted its position in Par Pacific by 53.1% during the 1st quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 24,931 shares of the companys stock valued at $325,000 after acquiring an additional 8,649 shares during the period. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers raised its holdings in Par Pacific by 9.7% in the first quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 126,220 shares of the companys stock worth $1,643,000 after buying an additional 11,201 shares during the last quarter. 92.83% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. About Par Pacific (Get Free Report) Par Pacific Holdings, Inc owns and operates energy and infrastructure businesses. The company operates through three segments: Refining, Retail, and Logistics. The Refining segment owns and operates three refineries that produces ultra-low sulfur diesel, gasoline, jet fuel, marine fuel, distillate, asphalt, low sulfur fuel oil, and other associated refined products primarily for consumption in Hawaii, Pacific Northwest, Wyoming, and South Dakota. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Par Pacific Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Par Pacific and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Rye Patch Gold Corp. (CVE:RPM Get Free Report)s stock price passed above its fifty day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a fifty day moving average of C$1.06 and traded as high as C$1.10. Rye Patch Gold shares last traded at C$1.06, with a volume of 58,513 shares changing hands. Rye Patch Gold Price Performance The firm has a 50 day moving average of C$1.06 and a 200-day moving average of C$1.06. Rye Patch Gold Company Profile (Get Free Report) Rye Patch Gold Corp. engages in the acquisition, exploration, and development of mineral properties in Nevada, the United States. The company primarily explores for gold and silver deposits. It owns a 100% interest in the Florida Canyon Mine covering an area of approximately 71.4 square kilometers located in Nevda. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Rye Patch Gold Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Rye Patch Gold and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. The Nivea blue can isnt just an old classic its a contemporary star. A flood of online videos, comments and tutorials turned Nivea into the third most popular cosmetic company on TikTok in 2023, according to beauty industry consultants, Beauty Packaging. The companys products appeal to a wide range of different age groups. In a recent video with over 1.7 million views, a 92-year-old woman who looks much younger says Nivea cream is her secret. On TikTok, millennials and Gen Z users recommend using Nivea as a pre-shampoo hair treatment, eye contour, hand moisturizer, nail conditioner, tattoo care, cracked skin treatment, and stretch mark prevention. In the beauty world, much like in religion, many statements appear rooted in faith rather than concrete evidence. Nivea explains that the skin around the eyes is the most delicate on the face, ten times thinner than the rest. It has a thin moisturizing film due to fewer sebaceous glands, less sweat, slower blood microcirculation, and poor drainage. The key here is to use a specific cream. Otherwise, as Nivea mentions on their website, you might end up with swelling, puffiness and inflamed eyelids. Regular face moisturizers, like Niveas blue cream, are full of lipids and just arent right for this delicate area, said Alain Valiente, creator of Eleven Obi. A 1973 advertisement in German for Nivea cream. ullstein bild Dtl. (ullstein bild via Getty Images) When it comes to using the product on the hair, Elena Sanchez, Nivea Body Care brand manager at Beiersdorf Spain, said, While some people have mentioned using Nivea Creme as a hair moisturizer, we recommend using it for skincare only. And what about stretch marks? Hydration is key in preventing stretch marks. The more hydrated and nourished your skin is, the fewer chances they have of showing up. Some formulas are packed with oils. Its no wonder Nivea is being used on stretch marks it probably works great, said Valiente. The moisturizer made its debut in 1911, although it looked different back then. The initial design of Nivea Creme was yellow and featured Art Nouveau elements like floral patterns and typography that mimicked handwritten calligraphy, said Sanchez. The legendary blue jar was launched in 1925. Blue is associated with robustness and, of course, the sea, she said. If we lined up all the Nivea jars sold, they would reach the Moon. One big reason why Nivea Creme stays on top is its incredible versatility. You can use it to hydrate your skin, give extra care to dry spots like elbows and heels, pamper your face, take care of your hands, prevent chafing or stretch marks during pregnancy, protect against the cold, and even keep your tattoos looking sharp, said Sanchez. Journalists who have covered the beauty industry for a long time have been using it since they were little. Its always been like first aid to me. When I was a kid, everyone had a jar in their beach bags. People with sunburned noses walked around with that white stuff on their faces. It looked weird back then but seems very chic now, said Marina Ruiz Lopez, general manager of the publicity and communications agency that bears her name. Ruiz claims that she even managed to remove a sunspot with the blue jar. But the company warns against using Nivea Creme to remove spots. We have never recommended using the cream for this purpose. The latest buzz on the internet compares Nivea to one of the priciest creams out there. Irish DJ Annie Mac posted a video on TikTok claiming that Nivea is basically Creme de la Mer in different packaging. While a jar of Nivea Creme costs $6-$8, Creme de la Mer will set you back $90 for a two-ounce jar. The video went viral, sparking many similar uploads. This prompted Regimen Lab, a Canadian company that verifies online beauty trends by analyzing the science and ingredients, to conduct a test. First, we compared the formulas and found that Creme de la Mer and Nivea have a similar base. The key distinction lies in the fermented algae used by Creme de la Mer, which also includes botanical oils, a blend of active ingredients, and vitamins, said the technicians in a video they posted. Still, they found the hydration capacity of the two creams to be similar. But the base of the creams is one thing, and the ingredients (anti-wrinkle, antioxidants, regenerating...) are another. Many creams have the same moisturizing base formulations (oils, water). Creme La Mer is based on kelp seaweed fermented for over three months. It also also includes antioxidant lime tea and vitamins, among other ingredients. Once again, faith. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition Suncor Energy Inc. (TSE:SU Get Free Report) (NYSE:SU)s stock price passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Wednesday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of C$44.46 and traded as high as C$45.42. Suncor Energy shares last traded at C$45.35, with a volume of 9,954,479 shares changing hands. Analyst Ratings Changes Several brokerages recently issued reports on SU. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on Suncor Energy from C$51.00 to C$52.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Friday. National Bankshares cut their target price on Suncor Energy from C$74.00 to C$57.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 10th. CIBC cut their target price on Suncor Energy from C$47.00 to C$46.00 and set a sector perform rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 16th. TD Securities upped their target price on Suncor Energy from C$46.00 to C$48.00 and gave the stock a hold rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Desjardins upped their target price on Suncor Energy from C$45.00 to C$46.00 and gave the stock a hold rating in a research note on Friday. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of C$53.40. Get Suncor Energy alerts: Get Our Latest Stock Report on SU Suncor Energy Stock Up 1.3 % Suncor Energy Dividend Announcement The firms fifty day moving average price is C$43.40 and its 200-day moving average price is C$44.46. The company has a market capitalization of C$59.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.39, a P/E/G ratio of 0.15 and a beta of 1.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 36.93, a current ratio of 1.24 and a quick ratio of 0.83. The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 25th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 4th will be issued a dividend of $0.545 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 1st. This represents a $2.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.76%. Suncor Energys dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 35.22%. Insider Transactions at Suncor Energy In related news, Senior Officer Karen Liane Keegans acquired 2,674 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 12th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of C$29.73 per share, for a total transaction of C$79,498.02. In related news, Senior Officer Shelley Powell sold 9,452 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of C$42.60, for a total value of C$402,655.20. Also, Senior Officer Karen Liane Keegans purchased 2,674 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 12th. The shares were acquired at an average price of C$29.73 per share, with a total value of C$79,498.02. Company insiders own 0.01% of the companys stock. Suncor Energy Company Profile (Get Free Report) Suncor Energy Inc operates as an integrated energy company in Canada and internationally. It operates through Oil Sands; Exploration and Production; and Refining and Marketing segments. The Oil Sands segment explores, develops, and produces bitumen, synthetic crude oil, and related products. This segment also engages in syncrude oil sands mining and upgrading operations; and marketing, supply, transportation, and risk management of crude oil, natural gas, power, and byproducts. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Suncor Energy Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Suncor Energy and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Tianyin Pharmaceutical Inc Co (OTCMKTS:TPIY Get Free Report) shares crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $0.00 and traded as high as $0.00. Tianyin Pharmaceutical shares last traded at $0.00, with a volume of 88,900 shares changing hands. Tianyin Pharmaceutical Stock Up About Tianyin Pharmaceutical (Get Free Report) Tianyin Pharmaceutical Co, Inc is engaged in the development, manufacturing, marketing and sale of modernized traditional Chinese medicines and other pharmaceuticals in China. Its products address significant medical needs in the therapeutic areas spanning internal medicines, gynecology, hepatology, otolaryngology, urology, neurology, gastroenterology, orthopedics, dermatology and pediatrics. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Tianyin Pharmaceutical Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Tianyin Pharmaceutical and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Twilio Inc. (NYSE:TWLO Get Free Report) insider Dana Wagner sold 458 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.71, for a total value of $25,515.18. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 171,744 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $9,567,858.24. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Dana Wagner also recently made the following trade(s): Get Twilio alerts: On Thursday, February 15th, Dana Wagner sold 1,666 shares of Twilio stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.92, for a total value of $104,824.72. On Friday, January 5th, Dana Wagner sold 754 shares of Twilio stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $68.05, for a total transaction of $51,309.70. Twilio Trading Up 2.6 % TWLO stock traded up $1.49 during trading on Friday, reaching $58.01. The company had a trading volume of 5,227,633 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,629,720. The business has a 50 day moving average of $70.74 and a 200 day moving average of $64.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a current ratio of 6.53 and a quick ratio of 6.53. The company has a market cap of $10.50 billion, a P/E ratio of -10.47 and a beta of 1.41. Twilio Inc. has a 52 week low of $45.02 and a 52 week high of $78.16. Institutional Investors Weigh In On Twilio Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Acadian Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Twilio by 39.9% during the first quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 1,178 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $192,000 after purchasing an additional 336 shares in the last quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Twilio in the 1st quarter worth approximately $894,000. Panagora Asset Management Inc. increased its position in Twilio by 29.1% during the 1st quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,788 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $459,000 after buying an additional 629 shares in the last quarter. Synovus Financial Corp raised its stake in Twilio by 57.9% during the first quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 4,959 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $817,000 after buying an additional 1,818 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in Twilio by 22.4% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 265,429 shares of the technology companys stock worth $43,765,000 after acquiring an additional 48,552 shares in the last quarter. 80.87% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors. Several analysts have issued reports on TWLO shares. Piper Sandler upgraded shares of Twilio from a neutral rating to an overweight rating and upped their price target for the company from $75.00 to $82.00 in a research report on Friday, January 12th. Needham & Company LLC raised their price target on Twilio from $70.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on Twilio from $63.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 9th. Royal Bank of Canada restated an underperform rating and issued a $50.00 target price on shares of Twilio in a report on Thursday, February 15th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Twilio from $60.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 5th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $68.89. Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on Twilio About Twilio (Get Free Report) Twilio Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides software and communications solutions in the United States and internationally. The company operates cloud communications platform that enables developers to build, scale, and operate customer engagement within software applications. Its customer engagement platform provides a set of application programming interfaces that enable developers to embed voice, messaging, and email interactions into their customer-facing applications. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Twilio Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Twilio and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Wells Fargo Advantage Funds Allspring Income Opportunities Fund (NYSEAMERICAN:EAD Get Free Report) passed above its 50 day moving average during trading on Wednesday . The stock has a 50 day moving average of $0.00 and traded as high as $6.67. Wells Fargo Advantage Funds Allspring Income Opportunities Fund shares last traded at $6.64, with a volume of 146,302 shares trading hands. Wells Fargo Advantage Funds Allspring Income Opportunities Fund Price Performance Get Wells Fargo Advantage Funds - Allspring Income Opportunities Fund alerts: Wells Fargo Advantage Funds Allspring Income Opportunities Fund Announces Dividend The business also recently disclosed a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 13th will be given a dividend of $0.0517 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 12th. This represents a $0.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 9.36%. Hedge Funds Weigh In On Wells Fargo Advantage Funds Allspring Income Opportunities Fund A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in EAD. Raymond James & Associates grew its holdings in shares of Wells Fargo Advantage Funds Allspring Income Opportunities Fund by 49.3% during the first quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 27,614 shares of the closed-end funds stock worth $218,000 after purchasing an additional 9,122 shares during the last quarter. Cetera Advisor Networks LLC grew its holdings in shares of Wells Fargo Advantage Funds Allspring Income Opportunities Fund by 10.1% during the first quarter. Cetera Advisor Networks LLC now owns 46,122 shares of the closed-end funds stock worth $364,000 after purchasing an additional 4,245 shares during the last quarter. West Michigan Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Wells Fargo Advantage Funds Allspring Income Opportunities Fund by 20.0% in the first quarter. West Michigan Advisors LLC now owns 12,000 shares of the closed-end funds stock valued at $95,000 after acquiring an additional 2,000 shares during the last quarter. UBS Group AG boosted its holdings in Wells Fargo Advantage Funds Allspring Income Opportunities Fund by 19.0% in the first quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 356,187 shares of the closed-end funds stock valued at $2,814,000 after acquiring an additional 56,911 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rivernorth Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Wells Fargo Advantage Funds Allspring Income Opportunities Fund in the first quarter valued at approximately $404,000. About Wells Fargo Advantage Funds Allspring Income Opportunities Fund Wells Fargo Advantage Funds Allspring Income Opportunities Fund is a closed-ended fixed income mutual fund launched and managed by Wells Fargo Funds Management, LLC. It is co-managed by Wells Capital Management Incorporated. The fund invests in the fixed income markets of the United States. It primarily invests in below investment grade debt securities, high-yield debt securities, loans and preferred stocks rated Ba or lower by Moody's Investors Service, Inc or BB or lower by Standard & Poor's Ratings Group. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Wells Fargo Advantage Funds - Allspring Income Opportunities Fund Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Wells Fargo Advantage Funds - Allspring Income Opportunities Fund and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. X-trackers Harvest CSI 300 China A-Shares Fund (NYSEARCA:ASHR Get Free Report)s stock price crossed above its 50-day moving average during trading on Wednesday . The stock has a 50-day moving average of $22.95 and traded as high as $23.89. X-trackers Harvest CSI 300 China A-Shares Fund shares last traded at $23.73, with a volume of 8,387,989 shares changing hands. X-trackers Harvest CSI 300 China A-Shares Fund Stock Performance The firm has a market capitalization of $1.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.98 and a beta of 0.46. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $22.94 and a 200-day moving average of $24.66. Get X-trackers Harvest CSI 300 China A-Shares Fund alerts: Hedge Funds Weigh In On X-trackers Harvest CSI 300 China A-Shares Fund Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Lazard Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of X-trackers Harvest CSI 300 China A-Shares Fund by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 129,874 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $3,639,000 after buying an additional 1,850 shares during the period. Main Management LLC bought a new position in shares of X-trackers Harvest CSI 300 China A-Shares Fund during the 4th quarter valued at $453,000. Flow Traders U.S. LLC bought a new position in shares of X-trackers Harvest CSI 300 China A-Shares Fund during the 4th quarter valued at $3,072,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. bought a new position in shares of X-trackers Harvest CSI 300 China A-Shares Fund during the 4th quarter valued at $19,451,000. Finally, Neuberger Berman Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of X-trackers Harvest CSI 300 China A-Shares Fund by 157.3% during the 1st quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC now owns 80,955 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $2,679,000 after buying an additional 49,496 shares during the period. About X-trackers Harvest CSI 300 China A-Shares Fund The Xtrackers Harvest CSI 300 China A-Shares ETF (ASHR) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the China Shenzhen SE \u002F CSI 300 index. The fund tracks an index of the 300 largest and most liquid Chinese shares traded on the Shanghai and Shenzhen exchanges. The fund holds physical China A-shares. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for X-trackers Harvest CSI 300 China A-Shares Fund Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for X-trackers Harvest CSI 300 China A-Shares Fund and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. You are already a Moneycontrol Pro user. OK Adrija Chatterjee is an Assistant Editor at Moneycontrol. She has been tracking and reporting on finance and trade ministries for over eight years. A reduced ability to focus and pay attention. Fewer memories. Isolation. Sleeping problems. Anxiety. Addiction. The list of all the bad things that smartphones have brought to society is long and everybody knows it well. Still, if we carry one with us everywhere we go despite all this, there must be a better explanation than simple, mindless addiction. The advantages are also evident: they allow us to communicate, access information, make payments, take photos, find our way and a long etcetera. But is the good enough to compensate for all the bad? There are less studies that focus on the positive side of being glued to a mobile device than those that deal with the havoc that this dependency can cause, something that Frank Schneider, a teacher at the University of Amsterdam and one of the authors of one of these studies on the good, attributes, among other things, to the negativity bias of human beings. Just as bad news tends to carry more weight in journalism, the same thing happens in the scientific journal market, he explains. Schneiders study, published in April 2023 in the journal Computers in Human Behavior, looks into the role of smartphones as comfort objects, akin to childrens blankets or stuffed animals. To do this, they focused on the perception of social threat and ostracism, and whether this was reduced solely by having a cell phone at hand. Their main results showed that the smartphone acted as a buffer, and that those who had one in their pocket felt less excluded than those who did not. Furthermore, they also concluded that thinking about the social functions of a smartphone (social apps) helps reduce the feeling of ostracism better than when the device only has information apps. Still, Schneider admits that more research is necessary. Changes in the brain There is a positive side to the effects of constant cell phone use on the brain. Having so much access to so much information at all times makes it necessary to filter better, knowing what is important and what is not. The prefrontal cortex helps us with this, and with the use of mobile phones, we are seeing that this ability is enhancing, explains Diego Redolar, a teacher at the Open University of Catalunya and expert in neuroscience. The other aspect in which smartphones have revolutionized our lives is that of contact with other people. In this case, those situations in which there are several people together and, instead of talking, everyone is on their phone, are often criticized. Of course, they may be scrolling endlessly on X, but they may also be having a conversation with someone who is not present. There are structures in our brain that are very important for what in neuroscience is known as social cognition, that ability we have to put ourselves in someone elses shoes, to communicate with others. By giving us the opportunity to be in contact with people with whom we otherwise would not be able to, the mobile phone can enhance this social cognition. Especially from an emotional point of view, in people who are suffering from social isolation or who are in a vulnerable situation because they lack a support network, just having a cell phone generates a perception of security, and that reduces fear. In this sense, Redolar points out that, for instance, it has been found that having a cell phone on you can reduce the activation of the amygdala, which can induce anxiety. In the end, it is a matter of knowing that if I get lost in the woods and need to be rescued, I have that option, or that if Im sad I can call a friend, he says. Is it nomophobia? So much of our daily routine revolves around our smartphone, that turning back if we realize that we left it at home does not have to be a cause for concern. If it has replaced our wallet and we always use it to pay, or if we need it to access services for which we use two-step authentication, spending a day without it can be a real problem. In other words, feeling a little nervous when facing a day without your phone does not necessarily have to be a symptom of anything deeper. Nomophobia [anxiety caused by not having a cell phone around], or the problematic use of social networks, are problems that exist, but they involve making dysfunctional and inappropriate use of the technology, explains Joaquin Gonzalez-Cabrera, a researcher at the International University of La Rioja. That is, it is a situational and social phobia that makes people feel a deep, irrational and disproportionate fear of not being able to use their mobile phone or of being left without coverage and/or battery (lets not talk about cell phone dependency or addiction). Carrying our cell phone everywhere we go does not automatically make us nomophobic, just like using social networks is not synonymous with being hooked on them. The smartphone is a tool that allows us to conjugate many verbs, including feeling connected with our loved ones and friends and feeling part of a social fabric, says the researcher. The risks arise when improper use is made. These usually appear when it is used compulsively, when the online context is always preferred over the offline one, when we cant stop thinking about it and, most especially, when we begin to notice negative consequences in our lives, he lists. All the experts consulted insist on the need to find that balance: taking advantage of all the benefits without falling into dependency and problematic uses. Used well, the smartphone allows people to connect their online reality with their offline reality. Both sides shape and form peoples reality, especially in current adolescence and emerging adulthood. For many boys and girls, a message of support via WhatsApp, Telegram or similar services is as important as a pat on the back or a look of support, states Garcia-Montejo. We must prevent the problems, but the uses of technology are very varied, and many are positive, he concludes. When Captain Thomas Mays enters the dining room of the USS John L. Canley, he orders the group of journalists following him to take off their caps. The soldier dressed in a camouflaged fatigue uniform explains that, in this way, an old naval tradition is honored. Small ships didnt have infirmaries, so sailors wounded in battle were treated and operated on in the larger spaces of the ships, which were usually dedicated to socializing. The gesture of respect persists, even though theres no lack of space on the Canley, an eight-level ship that has a platform consisting of almost 55,000 square feet. Its the third-largest ship in the US Navy. This past week, the Canley built in San Diego, California was added to the catalog of 291 warships belonging to the main world power. For the next 40 years, the ship almost 800-feet-long and 165-feet-high, weighing 90,000 tons will defend Washingtons military and economic interests in international waters. In July, she will join the Seventh Fleet, after the 350 crew members are certified for humanitarian and combat missions. Her new home will then be a tense and gigantic 48,000,000-square-mile zone of operations in the Western Pacific, where Americas most important geopolitical rivals China, Russia and North Korea also have a presence. The Navys Seventh Fleet is made up of between 50 and 70 vessels, including submarines, about 150 aircraft and 27,000 military personnel. Defense analysts consider it likely that Washington will send two more aircraft carriers to the Western Pacific in the coming months. With three other ships already operating in the region, it would be the first time that five of the American militarys 11 aircraft carriers would be deployed in the region. This is meant to be a show of strength towards Beijing and Pyongyang. As of mid-February, there were 104 US ships deployed around the world, a third of the total. At the beginning of October, there were eight fewer active ships, according to the Naval Institute. Well support the Marines as an attached base, [serving] as an alternative landing strip, or for whatever they need. The ship will move around the theater of war on low-intensity missions, such as aviation, mine search and special operations to support drones and other unmanned aerial vehicles, says Commander Mays, who is originally from Texas. The military assures EL PAIS that the Canley platform can support four helicopters landing at the same time, while being able to store another two on the deck. A quick look at Mays cabin shows that the Navy has changed. A small LGBTQ+ flag hangs next to the frame of his room. The space is furnished with the basics and there are hardly any personal details. The bed is perfectly made and there are some family photos on the metal walls. In the corner, a monitor shows nine scenarios captured by video surveillance cameras. Theres also a frame with a motivational phrase: Work like a captain. If it werent for this decoration, it would be difficult to identify that this is the room of the commander of the ship. The USS John L. Canley will be deployed to the North Pacific in July after the 350-person crew completes operational training. Petty Officer 1st Class Kelby Sa (Commander, Naval Surface Force, ) When hes not captaining a ship, Mays is also known as a genre author. This 28-year veteran of the US Armed Forces writes self-published niche novels, where he crosses science fiction with stories of military strategy. Everyone who knows me knows that I love a great story. We have the opportunity to [bestow more honors] by elevating the name of John L. Canley, Mays declares, at a ceremony with 1,600 guests. Its the third time that hes headed up a Navy commission. The gigantic ship takes its name from a Black Navy sergeant born in Arkansas, who fought in the Battle of Hue, one of the longest and bloodiest of the Vietnam War. Canley was originally awarded the Navy Cross, but the military changed its mind during the Trump administration. In 2018 50 years later they elevated the distinction to the highest level: the Medal of Honor. This made Canley the first African-American in the Navy to receive this award while alive. The former military man died in May of 2022. A month later, his daughter baptized the ship by breaking a champagne bottle on the bow. The Canley is the sixth ship of its type, an expeditionary naval base (ESB). Her design is based on crude oil tankers built by NASSCO, an American ship manufacturer. Unlike destroyers, ESBs have a support mission, expanding the capabilities of air and sea operations. The Canleys design reflects the growing demands of a world in conflict. Other ships of this type could accommodate about 100 people, while this design doubles the capacity of the people it can carry below deck. The Canley has a hybrid crew made up of military and civilian personnel, who navigate the imposing ship. The US Navy fell below 300 vessels 20 years ago. The fleet under Washingtons orders has remained between 270 and 300 ships since August of 2003. A Department of Defense (DOD) plan established prior to the Biden and Trump administrations set the goal of raising the inventory to 355 vessels. For this year, the DOD has a budget of $32.8 billion dollars set aside for the construction of nine ships, including the powerful submarine USS Columbia, which wont be ready until 2031. Over the next 12 months, the DOD plans to retire 11 ships that have reached the end of their life. It will take about 35 years to reach 331 ships in the fleet, unless theres a major budget increase, according to a congressional report released this past January. Meanwhile, the Kremlin claims that it has a military force with more than 300 vessels. Other parties such as that of the United States Naval Institute set the true figure at 265. Last summer, President Vladimir Putin assured the public that his country would obtain 30 new ships in 2023. Beijings total fleet, on the other hand, is much bigger. According to a recent Pentagon report, the Peoples Liberation Army Navy has 370 warships. This figure was set to reach 395 by the end of 2023 and will reach 435 by 2030. With this in mind, the Biden administration has begun to put pressure on contractors who are currently building ships. Carlos del Toro the secretary of the Navy delivered a harsh message at a defense industry event held earlier this month in San Diego. You cant be asking for the American taxpayer to make greater public investments while you continue to goose your stock prices through stock buybacks, deferring promised capital investments, and other accounting maneuvers that to some seem to prioritize stock prices that drive executive compensation rather than making the needed, fundamental investments in the industrial base at a time when our nation needs us to be all ahead flank, said the official, who was born in Havana and arrived in the United States in 1962. The Biden appointee has experience advising in boat construction through his company SBG Technology a government contractor. A few days after his remarks, Del Toro presided over the commissioning ceremony of the USS John L. Canley: Behind me is 784 feet of warfighting steel, named after an incredible warfighter. Sergeant Major. Canleys philosophy was, if todays my day, then come get me. This ship is a United States ship a warfighting ship which may be called to sail into harms way one day. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition February 29, 2024 02:12 PM IST Lok Sabha polls: DMK allots two seats each to CPI, CPI(M) An official release from the DMK said the seat-sharing talks were finalised today. February 28, 2024 05:27 PM IST BJP submits memorandum to Bengal's poll panel chief claiming 16 lakh fake voters in state Leading a delegation of the West Bengal BJP unit, party leader Suvendu Adhikari expressed dissapointment with the poll panel's failure to address the issue despite assurances. February 28, 2024 05:20 PM IST Truth of Congresss Feb 26 Shimla Dinner: Fake handshakes, hugs, and smiles Abhishek Manu Singhvi failed to read There was much bonhomie which would have set at ease any fears the Congress leadership and its high command had of cross-voting. But lurking beneath was an old party rivalry that has now culminated in minister Vikramditya Singhs resignation after a humiliating Rajya Sabha defeat for chief minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu February 28, 2024 01:27 PM IST PM Modi slams DMK, Congress for creating 'rift' among people The DMK's 'running away' shows its 'hatred' for people's faith, Modi said in an apparent reference to the opposition walkout when the Parliament took up the matter. February 28, 2024 10:29 AM IST With handouts, piped water and cooking gas, PM Modi woos women voters Polling agency C-voter told Reuters its surveys predict 46% of India's 472 million women voters would opt for the BJP-led alliance in the election against 43% men, which would help it get a healthy majority in India's first-past-the-post polling system. February 28, 2024 09:23 PM IST Rajya Sabha Elections 2024 Highlights: After RS poll loss, scare for Congress govt in Himachal Himachal Pradesh Rajya Sabha Elections: "I will not press my resignation until a decision is taken. The final decision will be taken in the coming time," said Congress leader Vikramaditya Singh, who submitted his resignation as Himachal cabinet minister earlier in the day. February 27, 2024 03:28 PM IST LS polls: Pradhan directs HEIs to conduct voter awareness activities from Feb 28-Mar 6 The directive comes following a clarion call by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the first time voters to exercise their franchise in large numbers. February 27, 2024 02:24 PM IST Opposition convinced of loss in 2024 Lok Sabha polls, thus abuses me: PM Modi Modi, speaking at the conclusion ceremony of the BJP state unit's padayatra at the Central Stadium here, urged Kerala's people to bless the saffron party with seats in double digits in the 2024 LS polls. February 27, 2024 10:42 PM IST No proposal for FM Sitharaman to contest Lok Sabha polls: Source Union Finance Minister Sitharaman and External Affairs Minister Jaishankar are Rajya Sabha members from Karnataka and Gujarat respectively. February 27, 2024 11:13 AM IST Nirmala Sitharaman, Jaishankar to contest Lok Sabha polls: Pralhad Joshi To a question whether it will be Bengaluru, Joshi said, "How can I answer when nothing has been finalised?" Union Finance Minister Sitharaman and External Affairs Minister Jaishankar are Rajya Sabha members from Karnataka and Gujarat respectively. February 27, 2024 10:59 PM IST Rajya Sabha Elections 2024 Highlights: BJP wins eight seats, SP two in Uttar Pradesh Rajya Sabha Elections 2024 Highlights: The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has won eight Rajya Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh, while the Samajwadi Party-Congress alliance faced a blow as it could only win two seats. February 26, 2024 08:01 PM IST Lok Sabha Polls 2024: Sitharaman, Jaishankar to contest, seats not finalized, says Pralhad Joshi Joshi assured reporters that both union ministers will undoubtedly run for the Lok Sabha seats. Which constituency and from where they will run, meanwhile, are still up in the air February 26, 2024 06:07 PM IST Ahead of LS polls, Congress steps up efforts to strengthen party in Hyderabad, woos BRS leaders Out of the total 17 Lok Sabha seats in Telangana, four constituencies Malkajgiri, Secunderabad, Hyderabad and Chevella are in the GHMC limits. February 26, 2024 03:59 PM IST Lok Sabha polls 2024: JP Nadda invites people's suggestions for BJP manifesto As part of the campaign, BJP president JP Nadda also flagged off video vans from the party headquarters to highlight the work done by Prime Minister Narendra Modi February 26, 2024 12:48 PM IST Will scrap 'Agnipath', revert to old recruitment scheme if voted to power: Congress Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge wrote to President Droupadi Murmu on Monday, highlighting the "gross injustice" done to the youngsters seeking regular employment in the armed forces due to the "Agnipath" scheme, and urged her to ensure justice for them. February 25, 2024 06:37 PM IST Resolve to give Modi govt third term with more than 400 LS seats: Shah to BJP workers Addressing booth level workers of the party at Khajuraho, the Union minister also claimed the Congress means corruption and corruption means Congress. February 24, 2024 08:58 AM IST PM Modis poll vault to cross 370: From Bengal to Tamil Nadu, Kerala to Maharashtra, mega rallies, events planned next week With over 100 seats in the south, including 59 in Tamil Nadu and Kerala, 48 in Maharashtra and 42 in Bengal, the BJP is hoping that their biggest star campaigner and in whose name the party has been winning every election from Panchayat to Parliament, Modi can once again set the stage for them ahead of the announcement of the election dates. February 24, 2024 10:51 AM IST Lok Sabha Polls: BJP's mega huddle today, 'longer' candidate list likely to be out March first week During its huddle of election incharges and their deputies, BJP will discuss strategies that will be common practice in all states and UTs along with details of poll rallies by top guns like PM Narendra Modi, Amit Shah and JP Nadda February 24, 2024 10:59 PM IST Farmers' Protest Highlights: Authorities initiated the process of partially reopening Singhu border earlier today Dilli Chalo March Highlights: Authorities initiated the process of partially reopening Singhu (Delhi-Haryana) border earlier today, almost two weeks after it was sealed in view of farmers' 'Delhi Chalo' march. February 23, 2024 10:07 PM IST No change in TMC's stand of contesting all 42 LS seats in West Bengal: Derek O'Brien However, O'Brien, the TMC leader in the Rajya Sabha, said, "A few weeks agoWest Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee stated that TMC is fighting all the 42 seats in Bengal. We are also in the fray in a few seats in Assam and the Tura Lok Sabha seat in Meghalaya. There is no change in this position." February 23, 2024 08:20 PM IST Congress hopeful of finalising seat-sharing with TMC, AAP soon Sources said while the talks with the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP have almost been concluded, discussions are still underway with the Mamata Banerjee's TMC. The sources expressed hope the leadership would work out a solution soon accommodating the expectations of all parties. February 22, 2024 05:46 PM IST "Break alliance or Kejriwal will be arrested," Atishi accuses BJP of threatening AAP leaders AAP leaders have received messages threatening to arrest Arvind Kejriwal if their party doesnt break the alliance within two days, alleged Atishi February 22, 2024 04:34 PM IST Lok Sabha polls: Uttar Pradesh sealed, what's next for INDIA alliance? Lok Sabha Elections: The political struggle is far from over, as alliance partners remain hesitant to offer a substantial share to the grand old party. February 22, 2024 12:52 PM IST Ajay Maken accuses BJP of 'financial terrorism' to cripple Cong ahead of LS polls Income Tax Department has transferred Rs 65.88 crore from three Congress accounts, as well as from the accounts of the Indian Youth Congress (IYC) and the National Students Union of India (NSUI), alleged Maken. February 21, 2024 12:53 PM IST Haven't joined INDIA bloc, will support anyone with 'selfless' thought for nation: Kamal Haasan Addressing reporters here after leading the 7th anniversary celebrations of his Makkal Needhi Maiam, Haasan also welcomed the recent political entry of top Tamil actor Vijay. February 21, 2024 11:41 AM IST Differences among INDIA bloc allies in couple of states, will be resolved: Sharad Pawar Speaking to reporters in Kolhapur, the senior politician said a meeting of the INDIA alliance, formed by several opposition parties to take on the ruling BJP in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, has not been convened of late. February 20, 2024 04:11 PM IST 'We scrapped Article 370 then to seek 370 seats now,' PM Modi stresses on an evolved J&K Lok Sabha Elections: Prime Minister Narendra Modi also referred to the upcoming Bollywood film Article 370 and slammed previous governments for depriving women of their democratic rights. February 19, 2024 04:48 PM IST SP releases second list after refusing to join Rahul's Bharat Nyay Yatra Lok Sabha Elections: Akhilesh Yadav said his party will participate in the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra only after seat-sharing agreement with the Congress is finalised. February 20, 2024 11:47 AM IST PM Modi to visit Jammu on Feb 20: What it means for BJP ahead of LS polls Lok Sabha Elections: Modi will visit Jammu on Tuesday to launch multiple development projects, including for education, railway, aviation and road sectors, worth Rs 30,500 crore. February 19, 2024 12:49 PM IST Mayawati dismisses rumours of alliance, says BSP to go solo in Lok Sabha polls Mayawati, a former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, has also asked workers of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) to be beware of such rumours. February 15, 2024 06:43 PM IST Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Farooq Abdullahs NC to contest all seats in J&K - what does it mean? Lok Sabha Elections 2024: The decision has surprised many in view of Abdullah's recent lament that We are gradually moving towards a situation where there will be one country ruled by a single party. February 15, 2024 03:24 PM IST Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Farooq Abdullah says NC to go it alone National Conference is one of the constituents of opposition INDIA bloc formed in July 2023 to take on the BJP in the Lok Sabha polls February 14, 2024 10:01 PM IST EC seeks 3.4 lakh CAPFs for deployment in LS polls, Assembly elections in 4 states The EC has also sought adequate rolling stocks with all appropriate facilities in the trains, thereby ensuring hassle-free mobilisation and a timely movement of the forces to perform election duties. February 14, 2024 02:26 PM IST Sharad Pawar-led NCP will not merge with any political party: Supriya Sule Apart from Pawar and Sule, former Maharashtra ministers Anil Deshmukh and Rajesh Tope, MPs Amol Kolhe and Shrinivas Patil along with others leaders attended the meeting. February 14, 2024 09:25 AM IST Not allowing for 100% VVPATs is 'terrible anyay' on Indian voter: Congress The opposition party also said that not allowing for 100 per cent VVPATs is a "terrible injustice" on the Indian voter. February 13, 2024 04:43 PM IST 'Legal MSP guarantee' if Congress voted to power, announces Rahul Gandhi amid farmers' Delhi march Gandhi said this step will ensure the prosperity of 15 crore farmer families. This is the first guarantee of Congress on the path of justice." February 13, 2024 02:31 PM IST AAP wants to contest 6 seats in Delhi, offer one to Congress: Sandeep Pathak The party also announced its candidates for two Lok Sabha seats in Gujarat and one in Goa. February 13, 2024 01:57 PM IST Ex-Maharashtra CM Ashok Chavan to file nomination for Rajya Sabha with BJP backing Chavan joined the saffron party on February 13 in the presence of Maharashtras deputy chief minister and senior BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis. February 12, 2024 03:51 PM IST Another week, another blow, Ashok Chavan adds to Congress' exit list In 2010, Ashok Chavan had to step down as the chief minister of Maharashtra for his alleged involvement in Adarsh housing scam February 12, 2024 02:27 PM IST BJP will win 370 seats, NDA more than 400 seats in Lok Sabha polls: Amit Shah Amit Shah also took a swipe at the Congress and said out of the 10-year rule of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the first five years went in filling up the "pit" dug by the opposition party, when it ruled the country, and another five years in laying the foundation (of development). February 09, 2024 05:19 PM IST Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Over 96 crore voters to exercise franchise Over two crore young voters between the age group of 18-29 have been added to the voter list. February 09, 2024 09:01 AM IST AAP to hold meeting on February 13 to decide on Lok Sabha candidates' names for 3 states In a sign of exasperation over protracted seat-sharing talks with its INDIA bloc partner Congress, the AAP on Thursday declared party candidates for three Lok Sabha constituencies in Assam. February 09, 2024 05:59 AM IST BJP bags Rs 1,294 crore as donations through electoral bonds sold in FY23 Electoral bonds totaling a cumulative value of Rs 2,800 crore were sold during the fiscal year spanning from March 2022 to March 2023. February 07, 2024 01:59 PM IST 50%-plus vote share, alliances, and gains in east & south: How BJP plans to fulfill PM's target of 'Abki Baar, NDA 400 paar' Getting Ajit Pawar on board in Maharashtra, JDS in Karnataka, Nitish Kumar back in the NDA in Bihar and opening talks with Jayant Chaudhary in Uttar Pradesh and Chandrababu Naidu in Andhra Pradesh all this is a part of BJPs strategy to maximise the NDAs tally and vote share in 2024. February 05, 2024 01:59 PM IST Dont engage children in poll campaign: ECI to political parties The directions from the Election Commission of India have come just two months ahead of the 2024 general elections, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seeking a third straight term at the Centre. February 05, 2024 02:31 PM IST Lok Sabha Election: Women rule revised minimum income scheme in Cong policy to beat BJP Under the scheme, the opposition Congress is planning that women across the country would be given at least Rs 60,000-70,000 annually. February 01, 2024 06:12 PM IST How FM Sitharaman invoked PM Modi's 'four castes' slogan in Budget 2024 The earlier approach of tackling poverty through entitlements had resulted in very modest outcomes, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said in her Budget speech. When the poor become empowered partners in the development process, governments power to assist them also increases manifold, she added. January 30, 2024 11:15 AM IST 'Modi's guarantee' a jumla, real issue in India is unemployment, inflation: Priyanka Gandhi Vadra The Congress general secretary shared a video on X which showed people queuing up for a recruitment drive to send workers to Israel. Invite your friends and family to sign up for MC Tech 3, our daily newsletter that breaks down the biggest tech and startup stories of the day Nikki Haley is competing at home this Saturday, but shes a long shot to win. Donald Trumps only remaining rival in the race for the Republican nomination in the presidential election is like one of those mid-level teams about to play a game against the leagues dominant leader in front of their home fans. Barring a miracle, she has no way of winning the contest. The two politicians will go head-to-head in the South Carolina primary, the state where Haley was born and served as governor between 2011 and 2017, before she was Trumps ambassador to the UN. The candidate has been touring the southern state all week, basically repeating the same rally speech. One of the high points comes when she exclaims, There were 14 men in this race; I have taken 12 ahead of me, Im down to my last one. In recent months, twelve party rivals have gone down in defeat, including Florida governor Ron DeSantis. But the last one is also the most difficult: ahead of this Saturdays primary, Donald Trump leads her by almost 35 points, according to the polls. If the forecasts are accurate, it will be the fourth primary that Trump takes without much effort, following the contests in Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada. But Haley who for months has had February 24 circled on her calendar as her big chance warned on Tuesday that no matter the outcome, she does not plan to go anywhere. She will continue to fight; first, in Michigan, and then on March 5, Super Tuesday, the day when the largest number of states hold primary elections. On Wednesday and Thursday, Haley traveled 310 miles and held two rallies a day, working hard for a handful of votes in North Augusta, one of those towns that got swallowed up by its own suburb, and in Myrtle Beach, a vacation town in the midst of the off-season, as well as in the wealthy ports of Beaufort and Georgetown. If theres one thing these four places have in common, its how little they resemble Bamberg, the middle-of-nowhere town where Haley was born 52 years ago. Bamberg is a working-class community, decidedly Democratic and majority black (63.7%). The former is a rarity in South Carolina, which has voted Republican in the last 11 presidential elections. The latter, not so much: with 27.09%, it is the state with the fifth highest African American population in the Union. But it is a segment of the population that did not support her when she ran for governor. They wont help her this time, either, given the candidates refusal to cite slavery as the cause of the Civil War in a televised appearance. It was impossible to find a Haley supporter in Bamberg last Wednesday, but at least one neighbor remembered her. She was friends with my daughter-in-law at school when she was in eighth grade. This is a small place, you know? We all know each other. My daughter-in-law speaks of her fondly, recounted Jeff Deibel, who runs the local radio station; that day, he was taking pictures of the hole left in a three-story building by a tornado that ripped through the town of about 3,000 residents in January. Childhood racism Last week, Haleys campaign bus (the Beast of the Southeast, she calls it) stopped here, and the candidate got to see the wreckage firsthand. This is the town that taught me to be strong, she told her former neighbors. In her memoirs (two to date), she recalls her years in Bamberg less fondly. She speaks of the racism she felt when Nimarata Randhawa had not yet changed her last name to her husbands. Her family was the only one of Indian origin here and they were twice denied the sale of a house because of their ethnicity. She also remembers the time when she was eliminated from a beauty contest for not being black or white. Like many who attend the challengers rallies these days, Deibel does not have high hopes for her victory. Our system favors polarization and parties rather than people, so I dont see much of a future for her, he says. And like those supporters, he also believes that she was a good governor. So does Deborah Brooks, who, before the Augusta rally, recalled Haleys extraordinary and compassionate role when she kept the tragedy in Charleston from turning into a riot. Brooks was referring to the 2015 killing of nine African Americans in a church by young white supremacist Dylann Roof, which led to another touchstone in Haleys biography: that day she ordered the Confederate flags removal from the statehouse. Another of her voters, Monty Steedley, who supported Trump in 2016 and 2020, said that he saw her as the only possible choice. He does not want to hear about Joe Biden, more than likely the Democratic candidate, and he regards Trump as too obsessed with himself; Steedleys hair still stands on end when he thinks of the attack on the Capitol: What would have happened if he had the army on his side? he wondered. Haley voters with "South Carolina loves Nikki" signs in the coastal town of Beaufort on Wednesday. ALYSSA POINTER (REUTERS) Both her service record as South Carolina governor and the calculation that she carries less baggage to defeating Biden are recurrent arguments in Haleys speeches. She asserts that she lowered unemployment when she governed South Carolina and that she attracted companies such as Boeing and BMW. She blames Washington for everything and promises to bring Capitol Hill to heel. She has also attacked her rival for his advanced age, for increasing the public debt while he was president, for his sympathy with Vladimir Putin and for his attacks on veterans, an issue on which the candidate has decided to mention her personal life after months of avoiding it: she often states that her husband was stationed in Afghanistan and reminds attendees that Trump said that Americans who die in war are losers and suckers. At her rallies, Haley also displays some of her contradictions. For example, she asserts that she would be the first woman in the White House but rejects the feminist rhetoric unsuitable for her conservative base of the glass ceiling, which Hillary Clinton almost broke. And the daughter of a professor who immigrated to Canada from India with eight dollars in his pocket advocates deportation as the only way out of the immigration crisis. Her supporters, such as Bob Cook, at the Georgetown rally with his dog Wallen, to whom he holstered an I Pick Nikki T-shirt, see the living image of sanity in her battery of proposals; they trust that her campaign will, perhaps, win over undecided and independent voters, as well as bring about the return of the traditional Republican Partys essence. Perhaps Cook hasnt realized that such a party no longer exists. David Sandifer, a Donald Trump supporter and look-alike,' outside a Nikki Haley rally in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, on Thursday. iker seisdedos Or maybe it is the fervor of the people who show up at each and every one of Haleys campaign bus stops with displays of support for the former president. The one in Myrtle Beach was the most crowded and rowdiest recently. Leading the way was a guy named David Sandifer, who likes to dress up as Trump to show his support. In addition to the blue suit, red tie and yellow wig, he showed up with the rest of the official MAGA kit: the hoax that the 2020 election was stolen from him, the certainty that the legal problems raised against him are politically motivated (Trump faces 91 felony charges in four separate cases), the warning that if he ends up in jail that could spark an uprising, and the theory that Haley is holding out because shadowy forces are funding her campaign in order to divide Republicans and pave the way for Bidens re-election. Beyond the conspiracy theories, Georgetown historian Michael Kazin believes that Haleys persistence may be due to two motives: the vain hope that one of Trumps legal cases will turn his partys voters against him, or she is positioning herself as a candidate in the 2028 election. Others, like fellow Clemson University alumna Carie Mager, chalk it up to her very, very stubborn personality. Or, who knows, maybe when she walks purposefully to the podium at one of her rallies she repeats South Carolinas slogan to herself, a phrase that adorns the states license plates next to the palmetto tree: As long as I breathe, there is still hope. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition KYODO NEWS - Feb 24, 2024 - 17:40 | All, Japan, World A melted wristwatch that survived the atomic bombing of Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945, has sold for $31,113 at an auction in the United States. The watch, which was recovered from the ruins of the western Japan city, is frozen in time at the moment of detonation at 8:15 a.m., according to RR Auction. The auction house based in Boston, through which the item was sold Thursday, has not disclosed the buyer. The rare timepiece was recovered by a British soldier who was dispatched to Hiroshima to provide emergency supplies and assess reconstruction requirements, according to the item's listing description. The watch can be considered as "marking the dawn of the nuclear age and heralding what could very well be the twilight of civilization," it said. The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons had expressed opposition to the sale of the item, sending a letter demanding its listing be taken down over concerns that individuals could profit from an artifact that carries historical lessons. Related coverage: U.S. records confirm 12 U.S. soldiers died from Hiroshima A-bomb English Hiroshima peace declaration book published amid nuke worries KYODO NEWS - Feb 24, 2024 - 10:00 | World, All Japan's Defense Ministry is participating for the first time in the Singapore Airshow, one of the largest aviation exhibitions in Asia, in a bid to showcase products made by Japanese companies that are now available for export. A total of 14 Japanese firms have put their products on display at the six-day exhibition that runs until Sunday, ranging from Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd.'s C-2 transport aircraft and P-1 maritime patrol aircraft, and UH-2 multi-purpose helicopters built by Subaru Corp. to NEC Corp.'s mobile surveillance radars. Hideki Fukawa, director of the Defense Equipment Cooperation Planning Office of the Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Agency, said he hopes opportunities for the Japanese defense industry can be explored "for future defense equipment and technological cooperation," especially now that Japan has liberalized its weapons export policy. Japan began conditional arms exports after removing in 2014 an embargo that was long seen as a symbol of the country's pacifism under the war-renouncing Constitution. In December, Japan further eased its restrictions amid an increasingly complex security environment, including heightened tensions between China and the United States. As a representative of the ministry's weapons procurement arm, Fukawa explained the country's defense policy had previously only allowed Japanese companies to provide maintenance services for U.S. forces overseas. But now, Japan can also provide services to military forces in Southeast Asian nations, he added. Japan's participation in the airshow is an opportunity to raise the profile of its defense industry overseas. The Japanese contingent at this year's airshow is among the largest ever seen at an overseas defense exhibition. Gen Komizo from Jupitor Corp., which displayed a small mock-up of its container-sized aeromedical evacuation unit, said, "It's a good thing (to export defense equipment) because the Japanese defense industry is kind of stuck as the market is only Japan so it is difficult to maintain profit." Komizo said sales can be improved if there is a new overseas market developed for Japan-made defense products. An official who advises a Southeast Asian government on defense equipment procurement was also among visitors to check out the joint booth set up by the Japanese ministry and companies. The official, who wishes to remain anonymous, said while Japanese manufacturers have long equipped the Japanese Self-Defense Forces, they "haven't had the opportunity to export until very recently, so it's very interesting (for them) to come over and see" Southeast Asian buyers. The airshow has attracted over 1,000 aviation and defense companies from approximately 50 countries, with many defense officials from various countries also in attendance. Related coverage: Japan to give Ukraine biofuel technology to support reconstruction Japan eases rules on weapon exports to enhance security ties Japan to design new missile for next-gen fighter jets: source FILE PHOTO: Campaign signs for Republican presidential candidates former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley and former U.S. President Donald Trump stand along an intersection in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, U.S., February 22, 2024. KYODO NEWS - Feb 24, 2024 - 16:53 | All, World, Japan An agreement involving the United States, Japan and other Indo-Pacific economies on supply chain resilience took effect Saturday, in what is being dubbed a first-of-its-kind multinational deal laying out steps for enhancing collaboration in times of significant disruption in the region. The deal, negotiated under the U.S.-led Indo-Pacific Economic Framework launched in 2022, allows members to help each other secure critical items in times when supply chains are disrupted, such as during a pandemic. Since China is not part of IPEF, some consider it a means of reducing reliance on the country for semiconductors and other key goods. Among the 14 economies that have joined the framework, five countries -- the United States, Japan, Fiji, India, and Singapore -- saw the supply chain agreement enter into force, having completed the necessary domestic procedures. IPEF has focused on establishing what members call "high-standard commitments" to deepen economic engagement on four pillars -- trade, supply chain resilience, clean energy, and proper taxation coupled with anti-corruption measures. The supply chain deal, agreed in May 2023 and signed in November, is the first to come into force among the agreements reached by IPEF members. Under the deal, countries identify "critical sectors" and "key goods" while developing action plans providing recommendations to increase the resilience and competitiveness of those items. Members will also form an IPEF Supply Chain Crisis Response Network as an emergency communications channel and to facilitate the exchange of information, providing a platform for requesting and offering assistance in response to supply chain disruptions. The agreement will also seek to address labor rights concerns across IPEF supply chains by establishing a body composed of representatives for governments, workers and employers. Prior to the agreement coming into effect, the Japanese government said it expected the deal would help strengthen "supply chains with like-minded countries both in times of peace and in times of emergency." IPEF represents about 40 percent of global gross domestic product. It groups Australia, Brunei, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, the United States and Vietnam. IPEF members have announced agreements in all of the pillars except trade. IPEF is an effort by the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden to seek deeper economic engagement in the fast-growing Indo-Pacific, where China has been expanding its influence, although it is not a traditional free trade agreement involving tariff-cutting commitments. Related coverage: Deals reached on more pillars of U.S.-led IPEF economic initiative No trade deal struck at U.S.-led Indo-Pacific economic meeting FOCUS:U.S. under shroud of uncertainty for 2024 but no shift in Asia policy Many in Myanmar consider fleeing to Thailand to escape conscription into an army they despise Many in Myanmar consider fleeing to Thailand to escape conscription into an army they despise View Photo BANGKOK (AP) Thwel, a 25-year-old schoolteacher, saw very few options left to her after Myanmars military announced it is implementing conscription to fill its ranks. As a person living in this country, I only have two options: to go abroad illegally or die here, Thwel told The Associated Press by phone while traveling to a border area to try crossing into Thailand with a small group of like-minded people. Some observers believe a mass exodus of young talent is taking place and could become a social problem, with their exit heightening the instability that followed the military takeover that now amounts to a civil war. Thwel, whose home in Myanmars southern Mon state is the scene of occasional combat between the army and resistance forces, spoke on condition she be called by only one name as protection from the military authorities. Like many professionals, she joined the Civil Disobedience Movement that was formed to oppose military rule after the armys 2021 seizure of power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. Since then, the armys manpower has been stretched thin by increasing pressure from surprisingly durable pro-democracy resistance forces and ethnic minority armed organizations, Over the past four months, opposition groups scored significant victories and seized strategically important territory in northern Shan state where Myanmar borders China, and in Rakhine state in the west. On Feb. 10, Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, chair of Myanmars ruling military council, ordered the 2010 conscription law be activated to replenish the ranks that have been depleted by the struggle to quash a nationwide pro-democracy insurgency. All healthy men ages 18-35 and women 18-27 are required to register for two years of military service. Evading conscription is punishable by three to five years in prison and a fine. Of Myanmars 56 million people, about 14 million 6.3 million men and 7.7 million women are eligible for military service, according to Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Tun, the spokesperson for the military government. The government will draft 60,000 people a year, with an initial batch of 5,000 to be called up soon after the traditional Thingyan New Year celebration in mid-April, he said. After an uproar over the initial announcement, Zaw Min Tun said there is no plan to call women into military service yet meaning schoolteacher Thwel might actually be in the clear for the time being. But many people are actively looking for ways to escape. The street in front of Thailands embassy in Yangon has been filled with visa applicants queued up to get numbered appointment tickets. Overwhelmed, the embassy announced it would accept only 400 visa appointments per day, and they must be made online. According to the Thai Foreign Ministry, some 7,000 Myanmar nationals have applied for visas, Thailands Bangkok Post newspaper reported Thursday. Each day at the state passport office in Mandalay, Myanmars second-largest city, 4,000-5000 people were lining up to get one of the 200-250 daily appointment tickets. Two women died and one was injured after they fell into a ditch in a pre-dawn rush to get a coveted early place in line. A 32-year-old news translator from Yangon said he made a snap decision to leave the country after the conscription announcement, and flew to Thailand a few days later. Like almost all persons willing to discuss their plans, he spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of the legal consequences. He said he was very concerned because serving in the military is like entering a labyrinth with no way back out, giving the example of his uncle, who joined the army for a five-year enlistment but was not allowed to leave for more than 40 years. A 26-year-old journalist who has been working covertly in Mandalay, said the conscription law made his situation untenable. He also spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of the legal consequences; more than 150 journalists were arrested after the army sized power, and more than one-third remain locked up, according to the Paris-based press freedom group Reporters Without Borders. I tried my best to stay inside the country in the past few years while other journalists were fleeing abroad or to areas controlled by ethnic minority armed groups, he said. But, this time, we cant hide anywhere. We cant stay out of sight. There is no choice. He is also planning to flee to Thailand. The Institute for Strategy and Policy, an independent think tank, said conscription could trigger a mass exodus, more widespread violations of human rights and increase corruption and extortion at all levels. It anticipates that young people close to areas where armed conflict is active could join the ethnic minority armed forces and pro-democracy resistance groups. There were around 160,000 soldiers before the army takeover, the institute said, and there are now fewer than 100,000 due to casualties, desertions and defection. Like schoolteacher Thwel, a 35-year old doctor from Yangon had joined the Civil Disobedience Movement. He was consequently restricted from treating patients, since activist medical workers are boycotting government hospitals, while private clinics and hospitals risk closure if they hire them. They are also blacklisted by immigration authorities, making them unable to get passports to legally leave the country. Professionals such as medical doctors and engineers face a higher age limit for conscription 45 for men and 35 for women and their term of service is three years. For me, the announcement of the law was the impetus to make a decision to go abroad, said the doctor, who spoke on condition of anonymity for his safety. The doctor said he was exploring the best ways flee abroad or to border areas controlled by the ethnic armed groups. Ethnic resistance groups such as the Arakan Army from Rakhine state and the Shan State Progress Party have invited people to take refuge in territory they control. The Karen National Union in Kayin state in the southeast has similarly promised help. Myanmars shadow National Unity Government, the leading political body of the pro-democracy resistance, declared that the public is not required to comply with the conscription law, urging them instead to intensify their participation in the fight against army rule. The Yangon region branch of its armed wing, the Peoples Defense Force, announced a recruitment drive and said they received about 1,000 online applications within 12 hours. More than 1,000 working-age Myanmar nationals are believed to be crossing into Thailand every day since conscription was announced, said Moe Kyaw of the Yaung Chi Oo Workers Association-Thailand, an aid association for Myanmar migrant workers. It is not a good sign that human resources and intellectuals leave a country, he said. He echoed other aid workers in predicting that with new waves of people entering Thailand, generally illegally, there will be increased human trafficking and related crimes, and there will be friction as the new entrants compete for jobs with as many as 3 million already employed Myanmar migrant workers. By GRANT PECK Associated Press The body of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has been handed over to his mother, aide says The body of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has been handed over to his mother, aide says View Photo The body of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has been handed over to his mother, a top aide to Navalny said Saturday on his social media account. Ivan Zhdanov, the director of Navalnys Anti-Corruption Foundation, made the announcement on his Telegram account and thanked everyone who had called on Russian authorities to return Navalnys body to his mother. Earlier on Saturday, Yulia Navalnaya, Navalnys widow, accused President Vladimir Putin of mocking Christianity by trying to force his mother to agree to a secret funeral after his death in an Arctic penal colony. Thank you very much. Thanks to everyone who wrote and recorded video messages. You all did what you needed to do. Thank you. Alexei Navalnys body has been given to his mother, Zhdanov wrote. Navalny, 47, Russias most well-known opposition politician, unexpectedly died on Feb. 16 in an Arctic penal colony and his family has been fighting for more than a week to have his body returned to them. Prominent Russians released videos calling on authorities to release the body and Western nations have hit Russia with more sanctions as punishment for Navalnys death as well as for the second anniversary of its invasion of Ukraine. Navalnys mother, Lyudmila Navalnaya, is still in Salekhard, Navalnys press secretary Kira Yarmysh said on X, formerly Twitter. Lyudmila Navalnaya has been in the Arctic region for more than a week, demanding that Russian authorities return the body of her son to her. The funeral is still pending, Yarmysh tweeted, questioning whether authorities will allow it to go ahead as the family wants and as Alexei deserves. Earlier on Saturday, Navalnys widow said in a video that Navalnys mother was being literally tortured by authorities who had threatened to bury Navalny in the Arctic prison. They, she said, suggested to his mother that she did not have much time to make a decision because the body is decomposing, Navalnaya said. Give us the body of my husband, Navalnaya said earlier Saturday. You tortured him alive, and now you keep torturing him dead. You mock the remains of the dead. Authorities have detained scores of people as they seek to suppress any major outpouring of sympathy for Putins fiercest foe before the presidential election he is almost certain to win. Russians on social media say officials dont want to return Navalnys body to his family, because they fear a public show of support for him. Navalnaya accused Putin, an Orthodox Christian, of killing Navalny. No true Christian could ever do what Putin is now doing with the body of Alexei, she said, asking, What will you do with his corpse? How low will you sink to mock the man you murdered? Saturday marked nine days since the opposition leaders death, a day when Orthodox Christians hold a memorial service. People across Russia came out to mark the occasion and honor Navalnys memory by gathering at Orthodox churches, leaving flowers at public monuments or holding one-person protests. Muscovites lined up outside the citys Christ the Savior Cathedral to pay their respects, according to photos and videos published by independent Russian news outlet SOTAvision. The video also shows Russian police stationed nearby and officers stopping several people for an ID check. As of Saturday evening, at least 38 people had been detained in Russia for showing support for Navalny, according to the OVD-Info rights group that tracks political arrests. They included Elena Osipova, a 78-year-old artist from St. Petersburg who stood in a street with a poster showing Navalny with angel wings, and Sergei Karabatov, 64, who came to a Moscow monument to victims of political repression with flowers and a note saying Dont think this is the end. Also arrested was Aida Nuriyeva, from the city of Ufa near the Ural Mountains, who publicly held up a sign saying Putin is Navalnys murderer! I demand that the body be returned! Putin is often pictured at church, dunking himself in ice water to celebrate the Epiphany and visiting holy sites in Russia. He has promoted what he has called traditional values without which, he once said, society degrades. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov rejected allegations that Putin was involved in Navalnys death, calling them absolutely unfounded, insolent accusations about the head of the Russian state. Musician Nadya Tolokonnikova, who became widely known after spending nearly two years in prison for taking part in a 2012 protest with her band Pussy Riot inside Moscows Christ the Savior Cathedral, was one of many prominent Russians who released a video in which she accused Putin of hypocrisy and asked him to release Navalnys body. We were imprisoned for allegedly trampling on traditional values. But no one tramples on traditional Russian values more than you, Putin, your officials and your priests who pray for all the murder that you do, year after year, day after day, said Tolokonnikova, who lives abroad. Putin, have a conscience, give his mother the body of her son. Lyudmila Navalnaya said Thursday that investigators allowed her to see her sons body in the morgue in the Arctic city of Salekhard. She had filed a lawsuit at a court in Salekhard contesting officials refusal to release the body. A closed-door hearing had been scheduled for March 4. Yarmysh, Navalnys spokesman, said that Lyudmila Navalnaya was shown a medical certificate stating that her son died of natural causes. By EMMA BURROWS and JOANNA KOZLOWSKA Associated Press Colombia will send deep-water expedition to explore 300-year-old shipwreck thought to hold treasure View Photo BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) Colombias government announced plans Friday for a deep-water expedition to explore the mythical galleon San Jose, sunk in the 18th century in the countrys northern Caribbean and believed to contain cargo valued at billions of dollars. The first phase of the scientific research into the deep waters around the shipwreck will collect information to determine which pieces are suitable and possible to extract. The wreckage is 600 meters (almost 2,000 feet) deep in the sea. Colombia located the galleon in 2015 but it has since been mired in legal and diplomatic disputes, and its exact location is a state secret. The government says it will invest around $4.5 million this year in an archaeological exploration of the 62-gun, three-masted galleon that sank in 1708 after being ambushed by an English squadron on its way to Cartagena. For the first phase of the investigation, the Colombian government does not intend to partner with private companies, said Alhena Caicedo Fernandez, general director of the Colombian Institute of Archeology and History (ICANH) during a symposium on the galleon held Friday in Cartagena. The expedition would start in spring depending on weather conditions. Oceanographer and navy Rear Adm. Hermann Leon Rincon told reporters the expedition involves submerging robotic equipment that is connected to a navy ship. From there, using cameras and keeping a detailed record of its movements, he said, the robot will be positioned in connection with a satellite that is in geostationary orbit. The robotic system was acquired by Colombia in 2021 and has the capacity to descend up to 1,500 meters (4,900 feet) deep. Carlos Reina Martinez, archaeologist and leader of the submerged cultural heritage of ICANH, said the operation seeks to discover what life was like for the 600 people on board the boat when it sank and to study daily life, the cargo, artillery and merchandise of the colonial era in America. It is time to claim the heritage elements for which the remains of the galleon should be valued, said Juan David Correa, Colombias minister of culture, who insisted that the value of the wreck is patrimonial and not monetary. History is the treasure. The ship has been the subject of a legal battle in the United States, Colombia and Spain over who owns the rights to the sunken treasure. Colombias government said Thursday that it formally began arbitration litigation with Sea Search Armada, a group of American investors, for the economic rights of the San Jose. The firm claims $10 billion corresponding to what they assume is worth 50% of the galleon treasure that they claim to have discovered in 1982. The ship is believed to hold 11 million gold and silver coins, emeralds and other precious cargo from Spanish-controlled colonies, which could be worth billions of dollars if ever recovered. ___ Follow APs coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america By ASTRID SUAREZ Associated Press A new website www.khojalywitness.org website has been launched in partnership with Leyla Aliyeva, initiator of the Justice for Khojaly international campaign, Vice-President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, and with the initiative of the famous photojournalist Reza Deghati, Azernews reports. Reza Deghati, was one of those, who witnessed the Khojaly genocide and the horrors the people of Azerbaijan endured in 1992. He hosted exhibitions and made reportages in many parts of the world to bring the realities to the world community. The website features photos made in Khojaly and Aghdam in 1992, and articles written by influential media outlets such as "The Times", "The New York Times", "The Washington Times", "The Washington Post", "??? 1 News", "The Independent", "Le Monde", "Newsweek", "The Sunday Times", "Human Rights Watch, The Age, The Boston Globe, Kommersant and Svoboda. The website is available in Azerbaijani, French, English and Russian languages, allowing the wider audience to learn about the realities of the Khojaly genocide. On the night of February 26, 1992, the Armenian armed forces committed a deliberate act of massacre in Khojaly, a small town in Garabagh, Azerbaijan. During that night 613 people were killed including 106 women, 63 children, and 70 elderly people. Most of them especially the women and children were shot at close range, scalped, burnt alive, had their eyes gorged out, or were beheaded, and one pregnant woman was bayoneted in the abdomen. Those who escaped the gunfire with wounds had to trek through the mountains to safety and many perished in the -10 C. A further 1 275 people were taken prisoner some of the prisoners were shot dead. Those who survived fled to the city of Aghdam, they went to the mosque which was being used as a morgue to search for their loved ones who had disappeared. Each day they wandered among the dozens of corpses wrapped in body bags brought to Aghdam by the Red Cross. As they examined their faces, they discovered the horrors perpetrated by the Armenian soldiers. KYODO NEWS - Feb 24, 2024 - 21:41 | All, Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Saturday his government will additionally allocate around 100 billion yen ($665 million) to the reconstruction of the Noto Peninsula following the earthquake that rocked central Japan on New Year's Day. The emergency spending from reserve funds under the fiscal 2023 budget will finance measures such as expanding the scope of relief payments providing up to 6 million yen per household to cover youth and families raising children, Kishida told reporters following his second official visit to areas devastated by the magnitude-7.6 quake that hit Ishikawa Prefecture. The funds will be also used to construct temporary workshops in April to support local traditional industries, he said. It marks the third time reserve funds have been allocated to recovery efforts for the earthquake, with the combined amount now totaling over 260 billion yen. The additional allocation is expected to be approved by the Cabinet in the coming days. Those newly eligible for relief payments include households whose homes were partially or totally destroyed and who are having difficulty borrowing. Kishida also said that the construction of prefabricated temporary housing will be accelerated, and that the government will provide support for the reconstruction of the Wajima morning market, which was gutted by a fire caused by the quake, in cooperation with the state-linked developer Urban Renaissance Agency. Traditional industries such as Wajima lacquerware will be supported through the construction of temporary workshops, subsidies of up to 1.5 billion yen for repairs of facilities and production machinery, and a fund to cover the procurement of tools and raw materials, he said. Related coverage: 70% of tsunami-risk areas in Japan have not run winter shelter drills Logistics challenges hinder volunteering in quake-hit central Japan Foreign firefighters stifled by Japan gov't bureaucratic smoke screen Travis James Gredvig View Photo Sonora, CA The crime happened in Twain Harte during the summer of 2011, with two victims involved, and changing state laws prompted the resentencing. Tuolumne County District Attorney Cassandra Jenecke has announced that Travis Gredvig, a former convicted felon in California who was 22 at the time of this incident, was resentenced to 16 years and 8 months in state prison for two counts of first-degree residential robbery, grand theft of a firearm, and assault with a deadly weapon. That is a reduction of a little over three years from his original 20-year sentence. The conviction stemmed from a 2011 home invasion where Gredvig and an accomplice attacked two homeowners, causing great bodily injury and using a deadly weapon, a knife. The victims sustained life-threatening injuries and had to be flown out for medical care. Regarding the change in state law, in 2015, the California Supreme Court limited the felony-murder rule to actual killers, those who participated in the underlying felony with intent to kill, and major participants who acted with reckless indifference to human life. In 2021, Penal Code Section 1172.95 codified a mechanism for inmates serving a state prison term under the old version of the felony-murder statute to request resentence. In 2023, Penal Code Section 1172.6 renumbered the prior code section and extended relief to those convicted of attempted murder under the same theories. Gredvig filed a petition with the Court, but prosecutors argued that the personal infliction of great bodily injury and personal use of a deadly weapon during the commission of the attempted murder should disqualify him from such relief. The Court instead found that Gredvig met the initial requirements to be eligible for resentencing. That resulted in the sentence reduction. Jenecke notes that this sentence also maintains two violent felonies, his record of seven strikes, and saves the community time and expense. Tremaine Williams SPD booking photo View Photo Sonora, CA A Sonora man was arrested at the downtown post office for having a weapon. Sonora Police report that on Thursday (2/22), at around 3:30 p.m., a caller told dispatch that a man, who was acting suspicious, had a knife concealed inside his back pocket at the Sonora Post office located at 781 South Washington Street near Hospital Road. When officers arrived, they questioned the suspect, 41-year-old Tremaine Williams. He is on probation with open search terms, according to the SPD. A patdown of Williams uncovered a 4-inch fixed-blade knife in his front pocket, along with two plastic baggies containing suspected methamphetamine. The police did not give an exact amount. Williams was taken into custody for felony having a dirk or dagger and concealing it, along with drug-related charges. Stanislaus National Forest View Photo Sonora, CA Stanislaus National Forest could see its first fee increase since 2007. Under consideration are fee hikes on 31 Forest Service-managed sites and two special recreation permits, including Christmas tree sales and Tuolumne River Rafting permits. Forest officials say the additional funds are needed to conduct deferred maintenance. For the first time, some day-use sites will enact five-dollar fees and a $30 forest-wide annual pass for those who do not want to pay daily fees. Find a chart in this earlier story from 2021 regarding public comment on the increases and sites that will be affected. Taking a look at the issue this Thursday (2/29) will be the Bureau of Land Managements (BLM) Resource Advisory Council (RAC) at its meeting in Santa Cruz. An interesting feature of the BLM RACs charter is that they are able to consider fee increases from other land management agencies, explained Casey Jardine, Stanislaus National Forest Recreation Program Manager. Going from federal appropriation for funding to fees happened in 2005 when the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act (REA) was passed, directing land management agencies to operate via use fees. Under REA, forests can keep and utilize 95% of the revenue generated, with the remaining 5% going to the Regional Office. Jardine is optimistic that the proposed fee increases will pass, generating an additional nearly $300,000. With that revenue, well be able to perform some additional deferred maintenance, hire additional staff, manage continuing operations, and hopefully increase our offerings, she said. Thursdays BLM meeting of the Central California Resource Advisory Council will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Fairfield Inn, 2956 Mission St., Santa Cruz, CA. There is a Zoom option, but participants must register in advance to attend, click here. Once registered, an email will provide the meeting link and dial-in numbers. Florida refuses to bar unvaccinated students from school suffering a measles outbreak View Photo FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) Floridas controversial surgeon general is drawing criticism for his handling of an elementary schools measles outbreak, telling parents of unvaccinated children it is their choice whether their students attend class a contravention of federal guidelines calling for their mandatory exclusion. Dr. Joseph Ladapo, nationally known for his outspoken skepticism toward the COVID-19 vaccine, sent a letter this week to parents at Manatee Bay Elementary School near Fort Lauderdale after six students contracted the highly contagious and potentially deadly virus. Such outbreaks are rare in the United States, though reported cases have spiked from 58 for all of 2023 to 35 already this year. The letter notes that when a school has a measles outbreak, it is normally recommended that unvaccinated students who havent previously had the disease be kept home for three weeks because of the high likelihood they will be infected. But the letter then says the state wont turn that recommendation into a mandate, at least for now. The Broward County school district said Friday that 33 of Manatee Bays 1,067 students dont have at least one shot of the two-dose measles vaccine. The vaccine also covers mumps and rubella and is highly effective against measles even after one dose. The school is in Weston, an upper-middle class and wealthy suburb, with a median household annual income of more than $120,000. Due to the high immunity rate in the community, as well as the burden on families and educational cost of healthy children missing school, (the state health department) is deferring to parents or guardians to make decisions about school attendance, Ladapo wrote. He was appointed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis in September 2021 because of their mutual opposition to COVID-19 vaccine and mask mandates and school closures. His wording contradicts Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations, which tell school officials that unvaccinated children must be excluded for three weeks. States are not required to follow those recommendations, however. That failure to bar unvaccinated children is sparking criticism from doctors in Florida and around the country, including the American Academy of Pediatrics. Dr. Rana Alissa, the academys Florida vice president, said Friday that the state should follow the CDC guidelines for the safety of our kids. Allowing unvaccinated children to attend during the outbreak not only endangers them, but others who might have compromised immune systems and could later catch it from them, she said. When you have an outbreak, to contain it you have to follow the public health and safety recommendations, not give people a choice, she said. Frankly, giving people a choice is what got us here. Jodie Guest, an epidemiologist at Emory Universitys Rollins School of Public Health, said the CDCs guidelines are based on decades of iterative science but false information about the measles vaccines dangers is spreading. The vaccine in extremely rare circumstances can cause seizures that are not permanent or life-threatening, the CDC says. We have a pandemic of science disinformation, she said. Ladapos office did not respond Friday to a phone call seeking a response to the criticism. The school district says any decisions about the mandatory exclusion of unvaccinated students rests solely with the health department. Spokesperson John Sullivan would not say if the six ill children are unvaccinated, citing privacy concerns. Florida law requires that students be vaccinated for measles and several other contagious diseases, but they can be exempted by their doctor for medical reasons or by their parents if they affirm the shots conflict with the familys religious tenets and practices. Officials are not allowed to seek specific information about those beliefs. Measles spreads when infected people exhale, cough and sneeze the viruses it can linger in the air and on surfaces for two hours, infecting numerous people. An infected person can be contagious for four days before symptoms appear, including the telltale rash, fever, cough, runny nose and watery eyes. Vaccinated people rarely catch the disease and if they do, their symptoms are less severe and they are less contagious, the CDC says. Besides the unvaccinated students, those most at risk to the disease include infants who are too young for the shots; adults and children with compromised immune systems from such diseases as cancer and HIV; and pregnant women, whose fetuses might be adversely affected. While most people who catch measles recover without significant problems, an unvaccinated person who catches measles has about a 20% chance of being hospitalized, the CDC says. About 5% of infected children get pneumonia and about 1 in every 1,000 will develop brain swelling, which can cause deafness or intellectual disability. Between 1 and 3 of every 1,000 infected children who werent vaccinated will die from the disease, the CDC says. Before measles vaccinations began in 1963, more than 400,000 Americans annually caught the disease. The numbers dropped dramatically to 47,000 cases in 1970 and 13,000 in 1980. After a bump to 27,000 in 1990, the number of reported infections in 2000 was less than 100. But then there was a jump to 1,200 cases in 2019 before the COVID-19 lockdowns of 2020 and 2021 caused the numbers to again fall. ___ AP Public Health Reporter Devi Shastri in Milwaukee contributed to this report. ___ The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. By TERRY SPENCER Associate Press White House, tribal leaders hail historic deal to restore salmon runs in Pacific Northwest View Photo WASHINGTON (AP) The Biden administration, leaders of four Columbia River Basin tribes and the governors of Oregon and Washington celebrated on Friday as they signed papers formally launching a $1 billion plan to help recover depleted salmon populations in the Pacific Northwest. The plan, announced in December, stopped short of calling for the removal of four controversial dams on the Snake River, as some environmental groups and tribal leaders have urged. But officials said it would boost clean energy production and help offset hydropower, transportation and other benefits provided by the dams should Congress ever agree to breach them. The plan brokered by the Biden administration pauses long-running litigation over federal dam operations and represents the most significant step yet toward eventually taking the four Snake River dams down. The plan will strengthen tribal clean energy projects and provide other benefits for tribes and other communities that depend on the Columbia Basin for agriculture, energy, recreation and transportation, the White House said. Since time immemorial, the strength of the Yakama Nation and its people have come from the Columbia River, and from the fish, game, roots and berries it nourishes, Yakama Nation Chairman Gerald Lewis said at a White House ceremony. The Yakama Nation will always fight to protect and restore the salmon because, without the salmon, we cannot maintain the health of our people or our way of life, Lewis said, adding that Columbia Basin salmon are dying from the impacts of human development. Our fishers have empty nets and their homes have empty tables because historically the federal government has not done enough to mitigate these impacts, he said. We need a lot more clean energy, but we need to do development in a way that is socially just. Lewis was among four tribal leaders who spoke at the hourlong ceremony at the White House complex, along with Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek and an array of federal officials. The agreement, formally known as the Columbia Basin Restoration Initiative, deserves to be celebrated, said Jonathan W. Smith, chairman of the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation. The settlement takes the interests of all the stakeholders in the Columbia Basin into account, he said. It lays out a pathway to restore salmon and steelhead to healthy and abundant levels and moves forward with the necessary green energy transition in a socially just and equitable way. Corinne Sams of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation called the signing ceremony a historic moment, not just for the tribes, but also for the U.S. government and all Americans in the Pacific Northwest. My heart is big today. The Columbia River Basin, an area roughly the size of Texas, was once the worlds greatest salmon-producing river system, with at least 16 stocks of salmon and steelhead. Today, four are extinct and seven are listed under the Endangered Species Act. Dams are a main culprit behind the salmons decline, and federal fisheries scientists have concluded that breaching the dams in eastern Washington on the Snake River, the largest tributary of the Columbia, would be the best hope for recovering them, providing the fish with access to hundreds of miles of pristine habitat and spawning grounds in Idaho. Conservation groups sued the federal government more than two decades ago in an effort to save the fish. They have argued that the continued operation of the dams violates the Endangered Species Act as well as treaties dating to the mid-19th century ensuring the tribes right to harvest fish. Fridays celebration did not include congressional Republicans who oppose dam breaching and have vowed to block it. Dams along the Columbia-Snake River system provide more than one-third of all hydropower capacity in the United States, said Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, a Washington Republican who chairs the House Energy and Commerce Committee. In Washington state, hydropower accounts for 70% of electricity consumed. The Snake River dams helped transform Eastern Washington into one of the most productive agricultural regions in the world, including 40% of Americas wheat, Rodgers said in a statement. She denounced secret negotiations led by White House senior adviser and climate envoy John Podesta, saying he and other officials worked behind closed doors with a select group of radical environmentalists to develop a secret package of actions and commitments that advance efforts to remove the four Lower Snake River dams. Biden officials ignored the concerns of people who live in the Pacific Northwest and who would be significantly impacted if these dams were breached, Rodgers said. Podesta and other speakers at the White House ceremony looked past those concerns, with few even mentioning the dams. President Biden understands that the Columbia River is the lifeblood of the Pacific Northwest, for its culture, for its economy and for its people, said Brenda Mallory, chairwoman of the White House Council on Environmental Quality. The historic agreement is charting a new and exciting path to restore the river, provide for clean energy and live up to our responsibilities and obligations to tribal nations, Mallory said. Im confident we will secure the vision of securing a restored Columbia River Basin, one that is teeming with wild fish, prosperous to tribal nations, (with) affordable clean energy, a strong agricultural economy and an upgraded transportation and recreation system. By MATTHEW DALY Associated Press Former NRA chief Wayne LaPierre misspent gun rights groups money, owes more than $4M, jury finds View Photo NEW YORK (AP) The longtime head of the National Rifle Association, Wayne LaPierre, misspent millions of dollars of the organizations money, using the funds to pay for an extravagant lifestyle that included exotic getaways and trips on private planes and superyachts, a New York jury determined Friday. The jury found LaPierre, 74, must repay almost $4.4 million to the powerful gun rights group that he led for three decades, while the NRAs retired finance chief, Wilson Phillips, owes $2 million. Jurors also found that the NRA failed to properly manage its assets, omitted or misrepresented information in its tax filings and violated whistleblower protections under New York law. LaPierre, who announced his resignation from the NRA on the eve of the trial, sat stone-faced in the front row of the courtroom as the verdict was read aloud, and did not speak to reporters on the way out. New York Attorney General Letitia James, a Democrat who campaigned on investigating the NRAs not-for-profit status, declared the verdict a major victory. In New York, you cannot get away with corruption and greed, no matter how powerful or influential you think you may be, James said in a post on X. Everyone, even the NRA and Wayne LaPierre, must play by the same rules. The group, which has in recent years has been beset by financial troubles and dwindling membership, was portrayed in the case both as a defendant that lacked internal controls to prevent misspending and as a victim of that same misconduct. The jury found NRA general counsel John Frazer had violated his duties, but not that he owed any money or that there was cause to remove him from the organization. In a statement, the NRA highlighted that part of the verdict in casting the outcome as proof it was victimized by certain former vendors and insiders who abused the trust placed in them. The jury did find that the NRA violated state laws protecting whistleblowers who raised concerns about the organization, a cohort that included the groups former president, Oliver North. To the extent there were control violations, they were acted upon immediately by the NRA Board beginning in summer 2018, NRA President Charles Cotton said in the statement. The jury actually found LaPierre liable for $5.4 million, but determined hed already paid back a little over $1 million. Another former NRA executive turned whistleblower, Joshua Powell, settled with the state last month, agreeing to testify at the trial, pay the NRA $100,000 and forgo further involvement with nonprofits. James office said Friday it wants an independent monitor to be appointed to oversee the NRAs administration of charitable assets. It is also seeking to ban LaPierre and Phillips from serving in leadership positions at any charitable organizations that conduct business in New York, and wants the NRA and Frazer barred from collecting funds on behalf of any charitable organization operating in the state. A judge will decide those questions during the next phase of the state Supreme Court trial. James sued the NRA and its executives in 2020 under her authority to investigate not-for-profits registered in the state. She originally sought to have the entire organization dissolved, but Manhattan Judge Joel M. Cohen ruled in 2022 that the allegations did not warrant a corporate death penalty. The trial, which began last month, cast a spotlight on the leadership, organizational culture and finances of the powerful lobbying group, which was founded more than 150 years ago in New York City to promote rifle skills and grew into a political juggernaut that influenced federal law and presidential elections. Before he stepped down, LaPierre had led the NRAs day-to-day operations since 1991, acting as its face and becoming one of the countrys most influential figures in shaping gun policy. During the trial, state lawyers argued that he dodged financial disclosure requirements while treating the NRA as his personal piggy bank, liberally dipping into its coffers for African safaris and other questionable expenditures. His lawyer cast the trial as a political witch hunt by James. LaPierre billed the NRA more than $11 million for private jet flights and spent more than $500,000 on eight trips to the Bahamas over a three-year span, state lawyers said. He also authorized $135 million in NRA contracts for a vendor whose owners showered him with free trips to the Bahamas, Greece, Dubai and India, as well as access to a 108-foot (33-meter) yacht. On the stand, LaPierre claimed he hadnt realized the travel tickets, hotel stays, meals, yacht access and other luxury perks counted as gifts, and that the private jet flights were necessary for his safety. But he conceded that he had wrongly expensed private flights for his family and accepted vacations from vendors doing business with the NRA without disclosing them. Among those who testified at the trial was North, a one-time NRA president and former National Security Council military aide best known for his central role in the Iran-Contra scandal of the 1980s. North, who resigned from the NRA in 2019, said he was pushed out after raising allegations of financial irregularities. After reporting a $36 million deficit in 2018 fueled largely by misspending, the NRA cut back on longstanding programs that had been core to its mission, including training and education, recreational shooting and law enforcement initiatives. In 2021, it filed for bankruptcy and sought to incorporate in Texas instead of New York, but a judge rejected the move, saying it was an attempt to duck James lawsuit. Despite its recent woes, the NRA remains a political force. Republican presidential hopefuls flocked to its annual convention last year and former President Donald Trump spoke at an NRA event earlier this month his eighth speech to the association, it said. ___ Associated Press writer Philip Marcelo contributed to this report. By JAKE OFFENHARTZ Associated Press Trump says his criminal indictments boosted his appeal to Black voters View Photo COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) Former President Donald Trump claimed Friday that his four criminal indictments have boosted his support among Black Americans because they see him as a victim of discrimination, comparing his legal jeopardy to the historic legacy of anti-Black prejudice in the U.S. legal system. Trump argues he is the victim of political persecution, even though there is no evidence President Joe Biden or White House officials influenced the filing of 91 felony charges against him. Earlier in the week, Trump compared himself to Alexei Navalny, Russian President Vladimir Putins top domestic rival, who died in a remote Arctic prison after being jailed by the Kremlin leader. I got indicted for nothing, for something that is nothing, Trump told a black-tie event for Black conservatives in South Carolina ahead of Saturdays Republican primary. And a lot of people said thats why the Black people like me, because they have been hurt so badly and discriminated against, and they actually viewed me as Im being discriminated against. Its been pretty amazing but possibly, maybe, theres something there. Trump has centered his third campaign for the White House on his grievances against Biden and what he alleges is a deep state targeting him, even as he faces charges from his efforts to overturn the 2020 election, keeping classified documents at his Florida estate, and allegedly arranging payments to a porn actress. He is the dominant Republican front-runner, as many GOP voters echo his beliefs, and is favored to soundly beat former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley in her home state. Trump noted the mug shot taken by Georgia authorities after he was indicted on state racketeering charges over the 2020 election. When I did the mug shot in Atlanta, that mug shot is No. 1, he said, adding: You know who embraced it more than anyone else? The Black population. Trumps campaign has predicted he can do better with Black voters in November than he did four years ago, citing Bidens faltering poll numbers with Black adults and what Trump sees as advantages on issues like the economy and the record-high number of people crossing the U.S.-Mexico border, often ending up in cities with large Black populations. He was flanked on stage at the Black Conservative Federations gala in Columbia, South Carolina, by Black elected officials including Reps. Byron Donalds of Florida and Wesley Hunt of Texas. Many in the crowd cheered throughout the speech. In a freewheeling speech, Trump mixed his regular campaign remarks with appeals to the Black community and jokes that touched on race. The lights are so bright in my eyes I cant see too many people out there. But I can only see the Black ones. I cant see any white ones. Thats how far Ive come, Trump said to laughter from the audience. He also said that he knew many Black people because his properties were built by Black construction workers. In telling a story about how he renegotiated the cost of remodeling Air Force One, Trump criticized his predecessor, former President Barack Obama, the first Black person to be elected to the White House. I have to tell you, Black president, but I got $1.7 billion less, Trump said. Would you rather have the Black president or the white president who got $1.7 billion off the price? As the crowd cheered, he added, I think they want the white guy. Republicans face an uphill battle in courting Black voters, who are overwhelmingly supportive of the Democratic Party. And while Black voter enthusiasm for Biden has cooled over the last year, only 25% of Black Americans said they had a favorable view of Trump in a December AP-NORC poll. Democrats lambasted the speech, with former Louisiana Rep. Cedric Richmond, a co-chair of Bidens reelection campaign, saying that Donald Trump claiming that Black Americans will support him because of his criminal charges is insulting. Its moronic. And its just plain racist. He thinks Black voters are so uninformed that we wont see through his shameless pandering, Richmond said in a statement. He has another thing coming. And Haley, speaking Saturday morning in Kiawah Island, South Carolina, called his speech disgusting. Thats what happens when he goes off the teleprompter, she said. Thats the chaos that comes with Donald Trump. Black voters who spoke with The Associated Press ahead of the gala expressed skepticism that Republicans, and Trump in particular, could persuade them to switch parties. Theres just so much controversy, said Ebony McBeth, a Columbia resident and transportation worker. I would go for Biden just because Trump has his own agenda. Isaac Williams Sr., a retired cook from Columbia and a lifelong Democrat, said he disliked both parties but found Trump to have mobster tendencies. Hes only out for himself. Multiple conservatives interviewed said the Democratic Partys appeal to Black voters was based on emotional politics by evoking racism. In order for the Republican Party to win more of the African American community over, well have to invest a lot of time and more money into really letting people know our platform, because the truth of the matter is a lot of them, they agree with our platform but they dont associate that with the Republican Party, said Samuel Rivers Jr., a former Republican state senator in South Carolina. Rivers, who is Black, argued that Black voters view Republicans in a negative way based on emotional triggers of racism that no longer exists. Trump has a long history of stoking racial tensions. From his earliest days as a New York real estate developer, Trump has faced accusations of racist business practices. In 1989, he took out full-page newspaper ads calling for New York state to reinstate the death penalty as five Black and Latino teenagers were set to stand trial for beating and raping a white woman in Central Park. The five men were eventually exonerated in 2002 after another man admitted to the crime and it was determined their confessions were coerced. He spent years spreading the lie that Obama was ineligible to hold office. When he was president, Trump derided shithole countries in Africa and said four congresswomen of color should go back to the broken and crime-infested countries they came from, ignoring the fact that all of the women are American citizens and three were born in the U.S. ___ Associated Press writers Jill Colvin in Columbia, South Carolina, and Meg Kinnard in Kiawah Island, South Carolina, contributed to this report. By MATT BROWN Associated Press Whos running for president? See a rundown of the major 2024 candidates View Photo Two major Republican candidates are left competing for their partys 2024 presidential nomination. Former President Donald Trump notched a commanding victory Saturday over former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley in South Carolina, where Haley previously served as governor. Trump also easily won the first contests, in Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada. On the Democratic side, President Joe Biden has dominated his partys first contests. A look at the major candidates competing for the Republican and Democratic nominations, as well as the third-party contenders: REPUBLICAN PRIMARY FIELD DONALD TRUMP The former president announced his third campaign for the White House on Nov. 15, 2022, at his Mar-a-Lago resort, forcing the party to decide whether to embrace a candidate whose refusal to accept defeat in 2020 sparked the U.S. Capitol attack and still dominates his speeches. The GOP front-runner remains hugely popular in the Republican Party, despite making history as the first president to be impeached twice and inciting the Capitol insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021. Referring to himself as Americas most pro-life president, Trump nominated three conservative judges to the Supreme Court, paving the way for the reversal of Roe v. Wade, which had legalized abortion nationwide for nearly 50 years. Sweeping criminal justice reforms he signed into law in 2019 eased mandatory minimum sentences and gave judges more discretion in sentencing. In March, Trump became the first former U.S. president to be criminally charged, facing 34 felony counts of falsifying business records as part of a hush-money scheme. Since then, he has been charged with 57 more felonies in three other criminal cases, accused of mishandling and unlawfully retaining classified documents and trying to illegally overturn the results of the 2020 election. His overwhelming win in the lead-off Iowa caucuses signaled his dominant position in the race for the GOP nomination. He went on to win New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina. NIKKI HALEY The former United Nations ambassador and South Carolina governor became the first major GOP challenger to Trump when she kicked off her campaign on Feb. 15 in Charleston. She is the only woman in the GOP field. The former Trump Cabinet official once said she wouldnt challenge her former boss for the White House in 2024. But she changed her mind, citing the countrys economic troubles and the need for generational change, a nod to the 77-year-old Trumps age. Haley was third in the Iowa caucuses, finishing just behind DeSantis. She was the only major candidate running against Trump in New Hampshire, where Trump won easily. Haley essentially skipped the Nevada contest, saying it unfairly favored Trump. Instead she focused on her home state of South Carolina, where she lost on Saturday. DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY FIELD JOE BIDEN President Joe Biden formally announced his reelection campaign on April 25 in a video, asking voters for time to finish this job. Biden, the oldest president in American history, would be 86 at the end of a second term, and his age has prompted some of his critics to question whether he can serve effectively. A notable number of Democratic voters indicated they would prefer he not run, though he is expected to easily win the Democratic nomination. Biden, who has vowed to restore the soul of America, plans to run on his record. He spent his first two years as president combating the coronavirus pandemic and pushing through major bills such as the bipartisan infrastructure package and legislation to promote high-tech manufacturing and climate measures. He easily won the partys earliest contests, in South Carolina and Nevada. DEAN PHILLIPS The Minnesota congressman is the first elected Democrat to challenge Biden for the nomination. After months of calling for a primary challenger, Phillips entered the race himself on Oct. 27 with a speech outside New Hampshires statehouse. While Phillips has been effusive in his praise for Biden, the 54-year-old also says Democrats need younger voices to avoid a nightmare scenario where Trump wins another election next fall. Phillips is one of the wealthiest members of Congress and heir to his stepfathers Phillips Distilling Company empire, which holds major vodka and schnapps brands. He once served as that companys president but also ran the gelato maker Talenti. His grandmother was the late Pauline Phillips, better known as the advice columnist Dear Abby. INDEPENDENT BIDS ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR. The bestselling author and environmental lawyer announced on Oct. 9 that he was ending his Democratic presidential bid and instead launching an independent run. A nephew of President John F. Kennedy and son of Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, he initially launched a long-shot bid to challenge Biden for the Democratic nomination on April 19 in Boston. He said in announcing his party switch that he intended to be a spoiler candidate for both Biden and Trump. Kennedy has emerged as one of the leading voices of the anti-vaccine movement, with public health experts and even members of his own family describing his work as misleading and dangerous. He has also been linked to far-right figures in recent years. JILL STEIN The environmental activist, whose 2016 third-party presidential bid was blamed by Democrats for helping Trump win the White House, says she is making another run for the nations highest office. Stein announced Nov. 9 that she will again run under the Green Party banner. Im running for president to offer that choice for the people outside of the failed two-party system, she said. She ran against Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton in 2016 as a Green Party candidate and received about 1% of the vote. Some Democrats said her candidacy siphoned votes away from Clinton, particularly in swing states like Wisconsin. CORNEL WEST The progressive activist and scholar announced Oct. 5 that he was ending his bid for the presidency under the Green Party banner and was instead running as an independent. West wrote on X that he was running as an independent to end the iron grip of the ruling class and ensure true democracy! He added, We need to break the grip of the duopoly and give power to the people. He initially announced in June that he would be running as a member of The Peoples Party before soon switching to the Green Party. WHOS DROPPED OUT Republicans: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former Vice President Mike Pence, Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, Christie, Ramaswamy, Hutchinson, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, radio show host Larry Elder, businessman Perry Johnson, former U.S. Rep. Will Hurd of Texas and Miami Mayor Francis Suarez. Democrats: Self-help author Marianne Williamson. ___ Meg Kinnard can be reached at http://twitter.com/MegKinnardAP. By MEG KINNARD Associated Press Border Patrol releases hundreds of migrants at a bus stop after San Diego runs out of aid money View Photo SAN DIEGO (AP) Hundreds of migrants were dropped off Friday at a San Diego bus stop instead of at a reception center that had been serving as a staging area because it ran out of local funding sooner than expected, showing how even the largest city on the countrys southern border is struggling to cope with the unprecedented influx of people. Migrants who previously had a safe place to charge phones, use the bathroom, eat a meal and arrange to head elsewhere in the U.S. were now left on the street as migrant aid groups scrambled to help out as best they could with makeshift arrangements. Border Patrol buses carrying migrants from Senegal, China, Ecuador, Rwanda and many other countries arrived outside a transit center. Migrant aid groups said they would be bused from there to a parking lot where they could charge their phones and get a ride to the airport. The vast majority planned to spend only a few hours in San Diego before taking a flight or having someone pick them up. Are we in San Diego? asked Gabriel Guzman, 30, a painter from the Dominican Republic who was released after crossing the border in remote mountains on Thursday. He was told to appear in June in an immigration court in Boston, where he hopes to earn money to send home to his three children. Abd Boudeah, of Mauritania, flew to Tijuana, Mexico, through Nicaragua and followed other migrants to an opening in the border wall, where he surrendered to agents Thursday after walking about eight hours. The former molecular engineering student said he fled persecution for being gay and planned to settle in Chicago with a cousin who had been in the U.S. for 20 years. Ive dreamed about this (moment) a lot, and thank God Im here, Boudeah, 23, said in flawless English. Volunteers gave instructions in English, Spanish and French to small groups, all of them single men and women. They used translation apps for other languages. Were going to cross the street together and line up, a volunteer said into his phone, which then translated it into Hindi for a group of men from India. Tired from the road, Alikan Rdiyer, 31, of Kazakhstan, said in Russian as he waited for instructions to give to a friend from Los Angeles who was going to pick him up. The Border Patrol gave him a notice to appear in immigration court in August 2025 in Philadelphia a city he hadnt heard of. The transit center parking lot was full of cars, giving migrants nowhere to stand, and there were no public bathrooms. A taxi driver offered a ride to San Diego International Airport for $100, double what ride-sharing apps were charging. Some migrants dispersed in the neighborhood when volunteers were unable to reach them with instructions to wait on the sidewalk. San Diego County has given $6 million since October to SBCS, a nonprofit formerly known as South Bay Community Services, to provide phone-charging stations, food, travel advice and other services at a former elementary school. The group aimed to keep it open through March, but Thursday was its last day. San Diego is one of many local governments that have struggled to help migrants without sacrificing key services, including New York, Chicago and Denver. Like other border cities, migrants tend to stay in San Diego less than a day before moving on, but large shelters operated by Jewish Family Service and Catholic Charities have been full for months, giving priority to families. Nora Vargas, chair of the San Diego County board of supervisors, steadfastly supported the migrant welcome center but said the county had to pause spending as it assesses damages from catastrophic January flooding and addresses homelessness and lack of health care among its residents. We have to be financially prudent about it, she said. SBCS, which has come under withering criticism from some migrant advocacy groups, told the county that its services cost $1.4 million a month, said spokesperson Margie Newman Tsay. The county asked that it aim for $1 million. Its not that funds ran out early, its that the funds were stretched as far as they could go, Newman Tsay said. Aid groups have given critical support to new arrivals, eliciting criticism from some quarters. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton threatened this week to sue and shut down Annunciation House, a decades-old organization that shelters migrants in El Paso. Paxton said the group might be facilitating illegal entry to the United States. Ruben Garcia, Annunciation Houses director, gathered supporters at a news conference Friday to denounce Paxtons tactics. It is a full warning to other entities that also do the work of hospitality that they can very well be next, he said. SBCS said it had served 81,000 migrants in San Diego since Oct. 11. A report to the county showed it spent $750,000 on personnel through Dec. 24 and $152,000 on operating expenses, including shelter, transportation and security. I could have done a lot more with $6 million, said Erika Pinheiro, executive director of Al Otro Lado, a migrant aid group that is assisting with street releases. Vargas, who wrote President Joe Biden last week seeking support, defended SBCSs performance and noted its previous work sheltering unaccompanied child migrants at the San Diego Convention Center in 2019. Nobody is perfect, especially when youre trying to fill a gap from the federal government, said Vargas, echoing a common view among big-city mayors. Customs and Border Protection said in a statement Friday that the street releases were the latest example of the pressing need for Congress to provide additional resources and take legislative action to fix our outdated immigration laws. From October to January, the Border Patrol released more than 500,000 migrants with orders to appear in immigration court. Migrant aid groups are generally able to provide temporary shelter, but street releases are not unheard of. The San Diego transit center was also the scene of large-scale releases last year. San Diego has emerged as one of the busiest corridors for illegal crossings, with an average of 800 arrests a day in January. Many are from West Africa and Asia, with a daily average of more than 100 from China in January. The Border Patrol told migrant aid groups to expect 350 street releases on Friday, said Pedro Rios, director of American Friends Service Committees U.S.-Mexico border program. The agency did not provide numbers when asked. ___ Associated Press writer Valerie Gonzalez in McAllen, Texas, contributed. By ELLIOT SPAGAT Associated Press Kayakers paddle in Death Valley after rains replenish lake in one of Earths driest spots Kayakers paddle in Death Valley after rains replenish lake in one of Earths driest spots View Photo DEATH VALLEY NATIONAL PARK, Calif. (AP) Kayakers have been paddling in one of the driest places on Earth after a series of record rainstorms battered Californias Death Valley and replenished Lake Manly. Park Ranger Nichole Andler said Badwater Basin at Death Valley National Park, which runs along part of central Californias border with Nevada, is normally a very beautiful, bright white salt flat. This year it is a lake. In the past six months, Death Valley has received more than double its annual rainfall amount, recording more than 4.9 inches (12.45 centimeters) compared to a typical year that gets about 2 inches (5.08 centimeters). Temperatures at or above 130 F (54.44 C) have only been recorded on Earth a handful of times, mostly in Death Valley. Badwater Basin is the lowest point in North America at 282 feet (85.95 meters) below sea level and has been a favored spot for tourists to take selfies and briefly walk along the white salt flats ringed by sandy-colored mountains. Its the lowest point, in North America. So its going to collect water, but to have as much water as we have now and for it to be as deep and lasting as long as it has this is extremely uncommon, Andler said. If its not once-in-a-lifetime, its nearly. Andler said kayakers should come soon since water levels are expected to drop in a matter of weeks, though the lake will probably be here into April. If were lucky, May. And then itll be a muddy, wet mess, and then itll dry out into those gorgeous white salt flats. On Thursday, Heather Gang of Pahrump, Nevada, and her husband, Bob, were among hundreds of visitors playing in the water. Most waded into the lake, though the couple and others paddled where the water reached up to about a foot (0.3 meters) deep in parts. Its a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to kayak Lake Manley, Heather Gang said. It was a sharp contrast to the Death Valley of the past where they figured they had once stood around the same spot and looked at the chalky salt flats for as far as the eye could see. The couple has been eyeing the lakes evolution ever since last years storms started filling the lake. In the fall, they drove out to see it re-emerge as a lake but they said it wasnt deep enough for kayaks like now. This time the water reached up to the boardwalk. The lake, which is currently about six miles (9.66 kilometers) long and three miles (4.83 kilometers) wide, is still nowhere near its original state thousands of years ago after it formed during the Ice Age and covered a significant part of the park and was several hundred feet deep. Bob Gang said he had heard the lake had filled up to the point that boaters could go on it about 20 years ago, so he didnt want to miss out on the experience this time. Its a lot of fun, said Bob Gang, who gave a girl a ride on his kayak. Its good to see the little kids out here enjoying this and seeing something totally unique. It could be another 20 years before boaters return, he added, but with climate change, who knows, maybe this will be the normal. Guo Yu, an assistant research professor of hydrometeorology at the Nevada-based Desert Research Institute, said the lakes size is a simple natural phenomenon. Its linked to a wet winter from a strong El Nino a natural and occasional warming of part of the Pacific Ocean that can lead to more precipitation than usual in California plus climate change, which brings more intense atmospheric rivers to the area more frequently, Yu said. Scientists need to study Lake Manly now, he said, to see if they can harness the water for other uses in the future, such as drinking water throughout the dry Southwest. Tiffany Pereira, an associate research scientist at the institute, said the lakes size now can be beneficial to local flora and fauna. Certain seed species endemic to the area, meaning they only naturally exist in Death Valley, have lain dormant for a decade or more and are now beginning their short-lived life cycle because there is enough water to sustain them. They hang out, they do their thing, and as soon as it dries up, thats it. Theyre done, she said. For now, friends Trudell Artiglere and Sheri Dee Hopper of Las Vegas will enjoy paddling through the lake. At the end of the day on Thursday, Artiglere said, their salt-encrusted kayaks looked like glazed donuts. ___ Dazio reported from Los Angeles. Associated Press writer Julie Watson in San Diego contributed. By TY ONEIL, JOHN LOCHER and STEFANIE DAZIO Associated Press KYODO NEWS - Feb 24, 2024 - 23:18 | Arts, All, World Switzerland has its first-ever vending machine stocked with collectible trading cards from Pokemon and other popular games. The "Collectomat" machine began operating Saturday at a popular shopping mall in Zurich. It also offers cards featuring the Japanese megahit comic and animated TV series "One Piece." Trading cards are generally sold at toy stores in Switzerland. The vending machine sells a package of cards for 1.50 to 49.90 Swiss francs ($1.70 to $56.70). The products include limited-edition items from Japan, said Nico Paris, the operator of the machine. "I took inspiration from Japan and created my own high-tech vending machine for cards," Paris, 32, said. By expressing his enthusiasm for the venture, he added, "First, I would like to expand here in Switzerland, then maybe to Germany." The packs of cards are visible in the vending machine, which is about 2 meters tall, 1.30 meters wide, and 90 centimeters deep, and they are transferred to the machine's outlet by lift so as not to damage the cards by dropping them. During the opening ceremony, customers mainly purchased the "mystery bag" that sold for 49.90 Swiss francs, lured by the promise that some contained rare cards worth more than the bag's retail value. "I wish to extend my collection and the cards are cheaper in the vending machine than in stores," said Juan Robles, 34, the machine's first customer. The machine, equipped with safety measures, ensures a seamless and secure purchasing experience, marking a significant development in Switzerland's collector community. "When you are an adult, you buy the things that you dreamed about as a child. Now I do not have the time to play (card games) but I am trading my cards with the grading companies' certificate," Gianvito Casata, a 35-year-old Swiss cosplayer, said. OPPOSITION politician, Nelson Chamisa yesterday told President Emmerson Mnangagwa to emulate the late Namibia President Hage Geingob in upholding the principles of free and fair elections. Chamisa said this after visiting the Namibian embassy in Harare to pay his condolences following the death of Geingob on February 4. Chamisa said Geingob, as the chairperson of the Southern African Development Community (Sadc) Organ on Politics, Defence and Security, was interested in resolving the August 2023 disputed election results. The former Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) leader refused to accept election defeat to President Emmerson Mnangagwa saying the polls were rigged. I am representing the people of Zimbabwe who believe in the alternative, who supported us and who continue to support us, Chamisa said. President Geingob was familiar to me in my personal capacity as a young African leader, but more importantly in the context of Sadc. In the context of our disputed elections, we engaged him. We sent a team to Namibia. We are happy that he received our team, and we engaged him to find a common solution. He described Geingob as a democrat and urged African presidents to follow in his footsteps. Its not about politics. Its about honouring a giant. He was a democrat. He was a believer in justice and freedom, and he did not arrest opponents, Chamisa said. He did not incarcerate those who differed with him. He held elections without undermining their integrity. He observed the guidelines on elections within Sadc, so for that reason, we honour him, and we pay our tribute to the great giant. Its a big lesson to those in the region who are still at loggerheads with observing guidelines on democratic, free and fair elections. Election observer missions flagged the August 2023 elections as not meeting local, regional and international standards on holding free and fair polls. Chamisas party pushed for a rerun of the polls without success. The former CCC leader has not announced his next move after quitting the opposition party he unveiled in January 2022. NewsDay. Breaking News via Email Say a researcher wants to know whether estrogen hormones prevent heart disease in postmenopausal women. In one kind of study, researchers might explain how estrogen seems to affect the heart, and why its plausible that taking hormones would prevent heart disease. EBM approaches would rank that evidence as relatively low quality. Better, according to EBM: an observational study, in which researchers effectively survey women who already use hormones, and those who dont, to see who has higher rates of heart disease. But even then, there are potential sources of bias: Maybe the kind of people who take estrogen hormones are also the kind of people who exercise more, and its actually the CrossFit sessions and the yoga classes not the estrogen helping their hearts. The gold standard for research on clinical interventions, according to EBM, is the randomized controlled trial. In an RCT on the hormone therapy, for example, some women would be randomly assigned to get hormone therapy, some would take a placebo, and then researchers would track their heart health. As a general rule, EBM practitioners have pushed for medical decisions to be grounded in high-quality RCTs whenever possible, rather than in other forms of evidence, even though good RCTs can be slow and costly. Once doctors have decided how to identify high-quality research, they need some rigorous way of finding all those studies, amid the millions of published papers available. In the 1980s and 90s, EBM practitioners helped develop something called a systematic review. They would comb through thousands of papers and then use a transparent method to rank all the evidence and synthesize it into a clear, simple conclusion. (Its basically an exhaustive evidence inventory.) That way, a physician with a question doesnt have to do all the searching themselves: They can simply refer to the systematic review. The most influential group that makes such reports is the Cochrane, founded by EBM pioneers in the 1990s. Cochrane has today published thousands of reviews, and theyre widely used to inform medical decisions. Along the way, the EBM movement also developed a certain culture. We tend to be skeptics, said Gordon Guyatt, who coined the term evidence-based medicine in the early 1990s, as a physician-researcher at McMaster University in Canada. It somehow attracts people with a skeptical bent. Often, EBM-oriented researchers have directed that skepticism toward medical interventions that, they feel, are based on thin evidence. Indeed, over the years, EBM researchers have challenged certain kinds of cancer screenings, the use of specific drugs for certain treatments, and certain post-operative practices, successfully revising their role in medicine. One of the things that evidence-based medicine is kind of pushing back against is an unbridled interventionism, said Fuller, the Pittsburgh medical philosopher, who has written about the history of the movement. If the standards of evidence are too low, youre going to have lots of interventions, because theres a lot of interested, invested parties that want to sell you things. Raising the standards of evidence as EBM aimed to do will necessarily challenge some of those treatments, he added, and one result is becoming less interventionist than you would have been before. Today, experts debate whether that skepticism toward interventions went too far during the Covid-19 pandemic. When Covid-19 began spreading worldwide in early 2020, public health leaders were faced with a set of difficult choices: They had very little information about the new virus. At the same time, there was tremendous pressure to act quickly to slow down the spread. Authorities used what evidence was available to make decisions. Computer models suggested that measures like school closure might slow down the spread of Covid-19; schools closed. Some laboratory and clinical evidence suggested masks would slow down the spread of Covid-19; mask mandates were soon in place. Among researchers, it was no secret that the evidence behind many of these measures was less-than-ideal. Computer simulations are prone to error and fraught with uncertainty. While there was good reason to believe masks could probably slow the spread of the virus, there was inconclusive evidence that masking policies would actually blunt the impact of a pandemic pathogen. Communities of scientists soon fractured over how, exactly, to deal with all that uncertainty. Already, in the spring of 2020, some evidence-based medicine figures were expressing concerns that public health authorities were acting too aggressively on weak evidence, including models. The fixation with modelling distracted from an evidence-based interpretation of the data, Heneghan, the Oxford professor and target of McLeans WhatsApp epithet, later wrote. Evidence is lacking for the most aggressive measures, John Ioannidis, a health researcher and evidence-based medicine luminary at Stanford University, wrote in March 2020, in an editorial for a scientific journal. Research on previous respiratory disease outbreaks, he continued, found scant evidence to support practices like social distancing. Most evidence on protective measures come from nonrandomized studies prone to bias, he wrote. Some people in the world of public health fired back: That kind of EBM perspective, they argued, was simply unrealistic in a moment of crisis. Ioannidis doing his schtick about standards of evidence is not helpful, Yale epidemiologist Gregg Gonsalves wrote on Twitter (now X) that March. We all want better data, Gonsalves wrote. But if you dont have it. Do you sit and wait for it in a pandemic? For people familiar with the history of EBM, the fault lines could sound familiar. Once again, a skeptical group of doctors was challenging medical authority, saying that current practices were based on thin evidence, and warning that the reflex toward intervention might run amok. Here, though, the challengers werent taking on just their fellow clinicians. They were taking on a whole different field: that of public health, and specifically the discipline of public health epidemiology. In an influential essay for the Boston Review, published in May 2020, Fuller, the Pittsburgh philosopher, laid out what he characterized as a clash of worldviews a battle between two distinct traditions in health care that were also competing philosophies of scientific knowledge. One of these, he wrote, was that of public health epidemiology. The discipline tried to track and respond to emerging outbreaks by using a whole range of tools, including models and observational studies suggesting that a certain intervention could plausibly have a benefit. This camp, Fuller wrote, is methodologically liberal and pragmatic. On the flip side was the discipline of clinical epidemiology, which, he noted, is closely tied to EBM. That world, he wrote, tends to champion evidence and quality of data above all. Its adherents are also usually more conservative about interventions. It is possible for a single person to draw from both traditions in making decisions. But a clash between those schools of thought, Fuller suggested, was one way to understand some of the emerging flashpoints over the pandemic. At the time, Fuller argued that a synthesis of two approaches might help bolster the pandemic response. He described an approach that would combine the act-now pragmatism of the public health world with some of the skeptical rigor of the EBM mindset. That synthesis, he reflected in a recent interview with Undark, did not materialize. I hoped that both of these sides would embrace some of the virtues of the other, he said. But it didnt turn out that way. If anything, he said, I think these two different camps just became more entrenched. Recently, some prominent figures in the EBM world have been reflecting on the response to Covid-19. Often, theyve expressed sympathy for public leaders tasked with stopping a fast-moving pandemic, while also outlining a critique that amounts, in effect, to this: Institutional public health has an evidence problem. I empathize with the folks in public health, because their evidence is often low, or very low, quality. And you need to make decisions, said Guyatt, the McMaster University physician, during a recent Zoom conversation with Undark. But, he argued, public health authorities werent transparent about those limitations. One of the terrible mistakes I think they made, he said, was not acknowledging the low quality of the evidence. Instead, he and other EBM thinkers have argued, public health authorities overstated the certainty of the evidence behind their decisions. Others have said officials then failed to do the research necessary to actually back up those claims. When we actually test them, the majority of things turn out not to work the way we think they should, just because of the complexity of reality, said Paul Glasziou, a prominent EBM researcher who directs the Institute for Evidence Based Healthcare at Bond University in Australia. Glasziou praised public health leaders for making difficult decisions under pressure. But, as the pandemic wore on, he said, it seemed that public health authorities did too little to try to undertake RCTs and other studies to confirm that measures were working and to adjust course if not. Its not just trials, it was research in general, he said. Vinay Prasad, a University of California, San Francisco oncologist and a vocal critic of U.S. public health institutions was blunter in a blog post published last year. The issue is not acting without data. We all forgive the initial events of March 2020, he wrote. The issue is NOT EVEN TRYING TO GENERAT[E] DATA IN THREE YEARS WHILE YOU TALK AS IF THE SCIENCE IS SETTLED. Public health leaders, Prasad has argued, should have done more to run RCTs to test whether interventions like mask mandates actually work to slow the spread of Covid-19. Not everyone in the EBM world is sympathetic to those kinds of arguments. Among them is Trish Greenhalgh, a physician and medical researcher at Oxford, and the author of a popular EBM textbook. She has argued that her colleagues have set unreasonable standards of evidence for public health interventions. She also questions whether RCTs are actually effective tools for studying whether some public health interventions work. These methods and tools were designed primarily to answer simple, focused questions in a stable context where yesterdays research can be mapped more or less unproblematically onto todays clinical and policy questions, Greenhalgh and four colleagues wrote in a 2022 paper. They have significant limitations when extended to complex questions about a novel pathogen causing chaos across multiple sectors in a fast-changing global context. In a conversation with Undark in early 2023, Greenhalgh characterized some of her EBM colleagues as becoming dogmatic about RCTs, to the point where they were overlooking other useful forms of evidence. Its not everyone in the EBM movement, she said. It is the very narrow evangelistic group that have, I think, risen to prominence during the pandemic, and are claiming the EBM kitemark as their own. Critics of this segment of the EBM movement have also argued that this intervention-averse, RCT-focused approach has been yoked to political agendas that are increasingly skeptical of certain public health and medical practices. I think the structure of public health was stronger in terms of the science than we gave it credit for, said David Gorski, a physician and an editor of the Science-Based Medicine blog, which has often been critical of EBM. And it was actively undermined, not necessarily by EBM fundamentalists, but just by ideologues who were not happy with contact tracing, masking, vaccine mandates, public distancing, business closures, et cetera. Where some see reasoned medical caution, Gorski and some others describe a kind of weaponized doubt. By constantly demanding higher standards of evidence or not-actually-feasible RCTs, the thinking goes, evidence-based principles can be used to undermine policies at will. That dynamic, Gorski said, has become potent in the world of medicine for young people experiencing gender dysphoria. There is a lack of RCTs for example, that study the mental health outcomes of certain interventions on patients. That absence of RCT-oriented evidence has led some EBM leaders to caution against current practices in gender care. Gender dysphoria treatment largely means an unregulated live experiment on children, Heneghan told The Times in 2019. Guyatt, more recently, has raised concerns about low-quality evidence in the field. Some critics of current care standards have embraced the EBM label: One of the principal organizations questioning common treatments for minors experiencing gender dysphoria is called the Society for Evidence-Based Gender Medicine. By the standards of an EBM evidence-rating system called GRADE, almost all of these recommendations are made on the basis of low quality or low certainty evidence, said Quinnehtukqut McLamore, a psychologist at the University of Missouri and a close observer of the relationship between EBM and gender medicine. This sounds bad, they added, until you realize that the GRADE guidelines, according to evidence-based medicine, are extremely risk averse. They are very, very strict. Many experts say that other, robust forms of evidence show these interventions can help and that RCTs are an inappropriate tool for studying some of these questions. RCTs are ill-suited to studying the effects of gender-affirming interventions on the psychological well-being and quality of life of transgender adolescents, wrote the authors of one 2023 paper, published in the International Journal of Transgender Health. Among other obstacles, the researchers write, patients strongly want the interventions, and will know if theyre not receiving them as part of a study. At some point, McLamore argued, the drumbeat of concerns about low-certainty evidence shifts from a constructive call for scientific rigor to a kind of politicized obstructionism one that makes it impossible to act at all. In 2017, just a few months after finishing a nearly eight-year stint as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Tom Frieden published an article in The New England Journal of Medicine on the use of evidence in public health. RCTs, he wrote, were not always the best form of evidence to answer vital questions in public health, such as whether taxes can help curb tobacco use. Public health practitioners, he argued, should lean on multiple forms of evidence in making decisions, and avoid fixating on RCTs. The goal must be actionable data data that are sufficient for clinical and public health action that have been derived openly and objectively and that enable us to say, Heres what we recommend and why, he wrote. In a recent conversation with Undark, Frieden reflected on the fissures between public health epidemiology and EBM. Part of the problem, he argued, was that the EBM movement had taken tools that work well when treating individual patients in the clinic, and tried to apply them in places they dont belong. A doctor may want an RCT if theyre planning to give a patient a certain drug. But demanding that level of evidence for public health interventions isnt always feasible, he argued. And the pull toward RCTs can leave people relying on a few bad trials, rather than on higher-quality observational studies, of the kind that are common in public health. T Frieden also suggested that, in their skepticism toward interventions, EBM practitioners were at odds with the basic imperatives of public health. In medicine, physicians are trained, above all, to do no harm. In situations of uncertainty, they may default toward inaction. My father was a wonderful physician and a wonderful cardiologist, Frieden recalled. And he was virtually a Christian Scientist when it came to medication. Unless there was firm evidence, his experience had shown him, giving a drug or some other intervention could cause harm. The situation looks different for practitioners of public health. There, the principle is different: Its not do no harm, Frieden said, but something more like above all, avoid a preventable death. Thats a very different ethos, Frieden added. Frieden acknowledged that public health decision-making at times relies on imperfect data something he said could have been more clearly communicated to the public during Covid-19. And at some level, he said public health sometimes requires intuition; it is an art, not just a science. People who have worked in public health, we have to make decisions in real-time often. And using modeling can be helpful, he said. But often, it is kind of an intuitive feel of the data. And I know how unsatisfying that would be for evidence-based medicine people. Indeed, Guyatt was not impressed with that reasoning. Baloney, he said. Absolute baloney. Instead of doing that, recognize that its low or very low quality, recognize your uncertainty, Guyatt said. And then instead of pretending theres a feel of what is right, make your values and preferences explicit. Efforts toward synthesis are underway. I think Cochrane wants to expand its remit more into public health, said Lisa Bero, a researcher at the University of Colorado and a longtime member of Cochranes leadership. The move has precedent. In the past 15 years, EBM principles have helped transform another branch of public health, that of environmental health. Lisa Bero, a longtime member of Cochranes leadership, has spent years thinking about how to bridge the worlds of public health and EBM. Tracey Woodruff, now an environmental health researcher at the University of California, San Francisco, saw the need for those kinds of changes during her time at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in the 1990s and 2000s. Woodruff was skeptical of the way the agency often tackled questions of how, for example, a certain pollutant may affect health. Their methods seemed inconsistent and not always rigorous, she recalled; researchers would gather a batch of studies and make judgment calls about which to focus on in making decisions, rather than having a transparent way of marshaling and organizing data. As a result, she said, evidence was not evaluated in a consistent fashion. Woodruff was part of a push, starting in the 2000s, to bring some of the tools of EBM into environmental health. This specifically meant doing more systematic reviews, in order to have a transparent, consistent way of evaluating evidence. The work could be uncomfortable for people in the EBM world, who were accustomed to working strictly with RCTs. In environmental health, such trials are often impossible. Youre not going to do a randomized controlled trial of the effects of PFOA on pregnant women. Its just not going happen, said Bero. To answer public health questions, the Cochrane folks had to get used to applying their methods to observational studies and other forms of evidence. Meanwhile, for people in the world of environmental health, there could be discomfort with the EBM approach motivated in part, Woodruff said, by concerns that the techniques would somehow downplay or replace expert knowledge. But, she said, the process is akin to expert decision-making, with some added benefits: Its a structured approach that you put your judgments together in a way thats the same and more consistent. Today, those kinds of systematic reviews are more common in environmental health, including as standard practice at federal agencies such as the EPA and in the National Toxicology Program. Whether similar steps will be taken across public health more broadly is, so far, unclear. When the CDC and other public health leaders, for example, have offered justifications for their support of masking during the pandemic, those documents often resemble a partial list of studies that support mask use rather than a systematic, transparent breakdown of all the available evidence. On the flip side, a Cochrane review that raised questions about mask efficacy relied exclusively on RCTs that many critics said were simply bad studies, or not well equipped to answer questions about mask use during the Covid-19 pandemic. Bero, the Cochrane editor, has spent years thinking about how to bridge the worlds of public health and EBM. Its possible, she said, for Cochrane to maintain its standards for rigor and transparency, while becoming more open to other forms of evidence besides RCTs, and more flexible when tackling complicated questions like those presented by disease outbreaks. I see us moving towards broader public health questions, she said. 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From Mark Ts visit to Kruger National Park: And a bonus (Chuck L): Chances that a cow steals your shoes are slim, but never zero pic.twitter.com/usKtag95C6 All things interesting (@interesting_aIl) February 21, 2024 See yesterdays Links and Antidote du Jour here Today, we mark two years since Russian tanks rolled into Ukraine. Starting the biggest war in Europe since World War Two. Let me begin by honouring all those brave Ukrainians who have fallen or been wounded in defence of their homeland. The situation on the battlefield remains extremely serious. President Putins aim to dominate Ukraine has not changed. And there are no indications that he is preparing for peace. But we must not lose heart. Ukraine has demonstrated remarkable skill and fierce determination again and again. Ukraine did not collapse in weeks, as many feared it would. You have recaptured half of the territory seized by Russia. Pushed Russia back from large parts of the Black Sea. And inflicted heavy losses on the Russian forces. Above all, Ukraine retains its freedom and independence. This has been made possible by your courage and resolve. Enabled by major military and economic support from NATO Allies. Just in the past days and weeks, NATO Allies have announced new packages of aid worth billions of dollars. These cover key capabilities like artillery ammunition, air defence, and combat boats. As well as F-16 equipment and spare parts, drones, and demining equipment. More support is on the way. President Putin started this war because he wanted to close NATOs door, and deny Ukraine the right to choose its own path. But he has achieved the exact opposite: Ukraine is now closer to NATO than ever before. We are helping to make your forces more and more interoperable with Allies. We will open a new Joint Analysis, Training and Education Centre in Poland together. And we are deepening our political ties through the NATO-Ukraine Council, where we consult and make decisions together. Ukraine will join NATO. It is not a question of if, but of when. As we prepare you for that day, NATO will continue to stand with Ukraine. For your security, and for ours. The NATO Invitee associates itself with this Statement. Today we solemnly mark two years of Russias brutal full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and ten years since Russias illegal annexation of Crimea and initial military intervention in the Donbas. The men and women of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and the people of Ukraine continue to inspire the world with their resolve and bravery in the heroic defence of their nation, their land, and our shared values. We pay tribute to the lives lost and we deplore the tragic human suffering and destruction caused by Russias illegal, unjustifiable, and unprovoked war. Russia has failed in its efforts to undermine Ukraines statehood and break the resolve of the Ukrainian people. Ukraine has prevailed as a sovereign and democratic nation, liberating significant territory and pushing back Russias Black Sea fleet. Russia bears full responsibility for this war, a blatant violation of international law including the UN Charter, for which it must be held fully accountable. There can be no impunity for Russian war crimes and violations and abuses of human rights and international humanitarian law, including the forced deportation of children and conflict-related sexual violence. We condemn Russias appalling attacks against Ukraines cities and its civilian, energy, and port infrastructure, some of which have also impacted Allied territory. We also condemn all those who are facilitating Russias war and amplifying Russias disinformation. Russia must immediately stop this war and completely and unconditionally withdraw all of its military forces from Ukraine in line with UN General Assembly resolutions. We do not and will never recognise Russias illegal and illegitimate annexations, including Crimea. Russia has not shown any genuine openness to a just and lasting peace. Allies welcome and support President Zelenskyys commitment in setting out the principles for a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace through his Peace Formula. Allies remain as resolute as ever in supporting Ukraine for as long as it takes for Ukraine to prevail. We welcome efforts of all Allies and partners agreeing bilateral long-term security commitments and arrangements with Ukraine. As Ukraine exercises its inherent right to self-defence as enshrined in Article 51 of the UN Charter, Allies and partners are providing ongoing military, financial, and humanitarian assistance. NATO continues to support Ukraine with urgently needed non-lethal equipment and supplies to strengthen Ukraines self-defence. NATO is committed to help strengthen and rebuild the Ukrainian security and defence sector, support Ukraines deterrence and defence in the long term, and transition Ukraine to full interoperability with NATO. Work is ongoing on long-term recovery and reform including on air and missile defence, humanitarian demining, medical rehabilitation for wounded Ukrainian soldiers, support to veterans, post-war reconstruction, defence procurement, and strengthening Ukraines defence industrial capacity. We have also agreed to establish a NATO-Ukraine Joint Analysis, Training, and Education Centre in Poland to identify and apply lessons learned from Russias war against Ukraine. A strong, independent, and democratic Ukraine is vital for the stability of the Euro-Atlantic area. Ukraines fight for its independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders directly contributes to Euro-Atlantic security. In the NATO-Ukraine Council, Allies and Ukraine are working closely and taking decisions together, as equals, to support Ukraines further integration with NATO, in line with Vilnius Summit decisions. Ukraines future is in NATO. Allies and Ukraine stand together. Report: Abu Dhabi-based AI tech firm G42 cuts ties with China as it seeks greater presence in the U.S. Tech firm G42 is shifting its focus from China to America and other Western markets following concerns raised by U.S. lawmakers about its association with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) "All of our China investments that were previously made are already divested. Because of that, of course, we have no need anymore for any physical China presence," Xiao Peng, the chief executive officer of G42, said in an interview with Bloomberg. G42 is an Abu Dhabi-based company focusing on artificial intelligence (AI), cloud computing and other cutting-edge technologies. It is chaired by Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed, the national security adviser of the U.A.E. and an influential member of the Al Nahyan royal family. (Related: U.S., Canadian AI companies COLLABORATE with Chinese experts to shape international AI policy). The company's move comes amid increasing scrutiny over its ties to Chinese business. The House Select Committee on the CCP has asked the Commerce Department to consider imposing sanctions on G42 and its subsidiaries, saying that the group "works extensively" with the Chinese regime's military, intelligence services and state-owned entities. G42 has sold its stakes in Chinese companies, including TikTok owner ByteDance, as the group seeks to reassure U.S. partners by cutting ties with China. 42XFund, the $10 billion technology investment arm of G42, said it had "divested from all its investments in China." The Fund did not comment on individual deals or respond to questions about the overall size of its investment in China. Human knowledge is under attack! Governments and powerful corporations are using censorship to wipe out humanity's knowledge base about nutrition, herbs, self-reliance, natural immunity, food production, preparedness and much more. We are preserving human knowledge using AI technology while building the infrastructure of human freedom. Learn about our free, non-commercial AI / LLM project here. Support our efforts to build the infrastructure of human freedom by shopping at HealthRangerStore.com, featuring lab-tested, certified organic, non-GMO foods and nutritional solutions. However, two people with knowledge of the matter said the sell-off included shares in Beijing-based ByteDance. G42's stake in the TikTok owner was worth an estimated $100 million, according to data provider PitchBook. Any investment in China funds CCP's human rights abuses, says Rep. Gallagher Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.), chairman of the House Select Committee on the CCP, applauded G42's decision to reduce its investment exposure to Chinese entities. "There is no such thing as a private company in China, and any investment in China, particularly in blacklisted entities, only funds and facilitates the Chinese Communist Party's human rights abuses, military build-up and techno-totalitarian surveillance state," Gallagher said in a statement. The Abu Dhabi firm, which has been at the forefront of the U.A.E. push into AI, has businesses spanning everything from cloud computing to driverless cars and is part of U.A.E. National Security Adviser Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan's $1.5 trillion empire. Its partnerships include one with OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, which is teaming up with the Gulf firm as part of an expansion within the U.A.E. and the broader region. OpenAI has held discussions with G42 to raise funding for a new chip venture. "We do work with OpenAI closely as weve publicly announced, they are a key partner to us," Xiao said, declining to offer specifics. "We do a lot of very good work with Sam (Altman) because he is clearly both an intellectual leader in this domain on the frontier model development as well as a very commercially successful entrepreneur." The company has built commercial relationships with U.S. tech giants such as Microsoft, Dell and OpenAI. But G42 also developed ties with Chinese companies, including those sanctioned by the U.S. government, raising concerns among American officials. However, the House Select Committee on the CCP has found that Xiao "operates and is affiliated with an expansive network" of Emirati and Chinese companies that "develop dual-use technologies" and "materially support" the Chinese military's advancement as well as human rights abuses. G42's ties to China include its partnerships with Huawei, a Chinese telecom giant with deep ties to the People's Liberation Army. Since 2019, Huawei has been heavily targeted by U.S. government trade restrictions. Still, Gallagher pointed out that the "export controls against Huawei will be further undermined if Huawei can access and/or acquire advanced AI hardware and cloud computing services through its partners like G42." Gallagher also raised concerns over G42's connection with BGI, China's biggest genomics company formerly known as Beijing Genomics Institute, which was added to the Pentagon's blacklist of entities deemed to be connected to the CCP's military wing in 2021. A prenatal test developed by BGI in collaboration with the Chinese military was reportedly used to harvest genetic data of women in more than 50 countries, including the United States. In March 2023, the Commerce Department imposed export restrictions on two units of BGI, saying their collection and analysis of genetic data "poses a significant risk" to contribute to the CCP's surveillance. "Without new restrictions against G42, the company's extensive AI capabilities will provide much-needed analytical capacity for BGI to exploit the data it has collected from American citizens, to include millions of pregnant women," Gallagher said. The New York Times also reported last November that U.S. intelligence officials feared G42 "could be a conduit by which advanced American technology is siphoned to Chinese companies or the government." G42 categorically denied the allegations in a Jan. 11 statement released on its website. "G42 has established a worldwide network of partnerships over time, including some Chinese companies. Such engagements are standard practice among global technology companies," it said. Xiao also told the Financial Times in December 2023 that the company was phasing out Chinese hardware provided by Huawei, including processors and data centers. "For better or worse, as a commercial company, we are in a position where we have to make a choice," Xiao told the publication at the time. "We cannot work with both sides. We can't." Watch this video as Imran Garda and Connor Leahy talk about the AI threat. This video is from the BreakThruNews channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: NSA launches AI security center to protect the U.S. from AI-powered cyberattacks. Elon Musk announces creation of new AI company after spending YEARS criticizing rapid AI development. U.A.E. teams up with Bill Gates' nuclear company to build ADVANCED NUCLEAR REACTORS. Researchers: AI decisions could cause "nuclear-level" CATASTROPHE. Chinese communist government orders AI chatbots to reflect the core values of socialism, like American AI will reflect far-left 'wokeness.' Sources include: EpochTimes.com Brighteon.com Bidens cognitive decline is now painfully obvious to the world, yet Dems continue to deny it Anyone who still tries to deny that President Joe Biden is experiencing severe mental decline is likely suffering from cognitive difficulties of their own as it has become abundantly clear that the man is no longer operating at a level befitting the leader of the free world. As Daily Mails Kennedy notes, Undeniable evidence of Joe Bidens startling mental decline is accumulating faster than naked selfies in Hunters laptop. The columnist is referring to the recent Special Counsel report on the investigation into how Biden mishandled classified documents. It concluded that charges would be in order but he could easily convince a jury he was mentally incapacitated. As the report said, a jury would consider him a well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory. It also said his memory appeared to have significant limitations. The list of things Biden couldnt recall during his interviews with investigators wont come as a surprise to anyone who has been following him over the last few years. He couldnt remember when he was vice president, despite this being a monumental event in his life, nor could he remember when his son Beau died or the details about a debate over his withdrawal from Afghanistan. As Kennedy puts it, Its official. Americans top law enforcement department thinks Bidens brains have turned to mashed potatoes. And America agrees. 86% of Americans think Biden is too old for another term Although his supporters might appear to be downplaying his deteriorating mental acuity, a poll conducted in the days following the release of the report revealed that an incredible 86% of Americans believe that Biden is already too old to serve another term. This marks a notable rise over the 74% who said the same in a similar poll in September. Human knowledge is under attack! Governments and powerful corporations are using censorship to wipe out humanity's knowledge base about nutrition, herbs, self-reliance, natural immunity, food production, preparedness and much more. We are preserving human knowledge using AI technology while building the infrastructure of human freedom. Learn about our free, non-commercial AI / LLM project here. Support our efforts to build the infrastructure of human freedom by shopping at HealthRangerStore.com, featuring lab-tested, certified organic, non-GMO foods and nutritional solutions. As worrying as the prospect of another four years under Bidens leadership may be, an even more disturbing thought to many is that of Kamala Harris having to take over at some point during his term. However, the recent discussion about Bidens mental state has made this seem like more of a reality than ever before, and Harris herself told the Wall Street Journal: I am ready to serve. Theres no question about that. She also felt the need to claim that everyone who has seen her work walks away fully aware of my capacity to lead. Democrats have been increasingly admitting among themselves that they are concerned about Bidens mental state and his ability to win reelection, and the fact that his handlers wouldnt let him participate in the traditional Super Bowl Sunday interview is being interpreted as a sign they have very little confidence left in him. After all, he has had gaffe after gaffe lately, claiming to have recently spoken to world leaders who have been dead for decades, forgetting the name of Hamas, and calling Egyptian leader Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi the president of Mexico. As Kennedy asks, Who is running this Weekend At Bernie's White House? Why won't Biden undergo a cognitive test? After being pressed by reporters, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre admitted that Biden will not be undergoing a cognitive test during his upcoming physical exam. Of course, they already know exactly how it would turn out. If he really was as lucid as they claim, they would be eager to take this test and release the results to set the record straight. Why isn't this sort of test required in annual health checks for individuals who hold such a powerful position on the world stage? Sources for this article include: DailyMail.co.uk WashingtonTimes.com FoxNews.com HACKING THE HACKERS: FBI, law enforcement agencies from 11 other countries shut down ransomware websites of notorious cybercriminal group The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and law enforcement agencies from 11 other countries, including the National Crime Agency (NCA) of the United Kingdom, have engaged in a cyber operation that seized LockBit , a cybercriminal group proposing ransomware as a service. The said attack was able to shut down the websites that it uses for payments of the recovery of a victim's data that the cyber-terrorists have blocked using crypto virological malware. "This site is now under the control of the National Crime Agency of the U.K., working in close cooperation with the FBI and the international law enforcement task force, 'Operation Cronos,'" a notice on Lockbit's website read. According to FBI officials, the agencies were able to strike down 11,000 domains used by LockBit and its affiliates to facilitate ransomware. "LockBit has caused enormous harm and cost no longer," Graeme Biggar, NCA's director general, said at a press conference. "We have hacked the hackers, we have taken control of their infrastructure, seized their source code, and obtained keys that will help victims decrypt their systems." The operation has already led to four arrests and the authorities promised on Tuesday, Feb. 20, to repurpose the technology to expose the group's operations to the world. Europol the international law enforcement agency of the European Union said that two had been arrested in Poland and Ukraine and that two other defendants, thought to be affiliates, had been arrested and charged in the United States. Two more individuals both Russians have been named but are still at large. Authorities have also frozen more than 200 cryptocurrency accounts linked to the group. Human knowledge is under attack! Governments and powerful corporations are using censorship to wipe out humanity's knowledge base about nutrition, herbs, self-reliance, natural immunity, food production, preparedness and much more. We are preserving human knowledge using AI technology while building the infrastructure of human freedom. Learn about our free, non-commercial AI / LLM project here. Support our efforts to build the infrastructure of human freedom by shopping at HealthRangerStore.com, featuring lab-tested, certified organic, non-GMO foods and nutritional solutions. Agents seized control of Lockbit's equipment, including servers with victim data, file-share servers, and communication servers, he said. That will help authorities return stolen data to the companies and other organizations hacked by LockBit. "We'll be notifying victims here soon," Leatherman said in an interview. LockBit, which specializes in using malicious software known as ransomware to encrypt files on its victims' computers then demanding payment to unlock the files, was responsible for temporarily disrupting $26 trillion worth of assets in the U.S. Treasury market last year. LockBit has also claimed 1,600 victims in the U.S. and 2,000 internationally, according to the FBI. A majority are within the private sector, and the FBI said it is tracking 144 million ransoms paid about LockBit attacks. (Related: Global cybercrime kingpin BUSTED in crackdown involving multiple law enforcement agencies.) "This is a righteous, serious blow against a malevolent actor that has caused financial losses and real suffering all over the world," said Sandra Joyce, vice president of Mandiant Intelligence, part of Google Cloud. "We couldnt hope for much more in terms of a disruption to ransomware operations. This is the model we hope to see more of moving forward." LockBit still afloat as another ransomware linked to it spreads online Just a couple of days after international law enforcement cooperated to strike down one of the most prolific internet ransomware criminal groups, experts have detected a new round of attacks that are installing malware associated with LockBit. The said attacks were reportedly exploiting two critical vulnerabilities in ScreenConnect, a remote desktop application sold by Connectwise, Ars Technica reported. According to security firms SophosXOps and Huntress, the hackers who successfully exploit the vulnerabilities go on to install LockBit ransomware and other post-exploit malware. "We can't publicly name the customers at this time but can confirm the malware being deployed is associated with LockBit, which is particularly interesting against the backdrop of the recent LockBit takedown," John Hammond, principal security researcher at Huntress, wrote in an email. "While we can't attribute this directly to the larger LockBit group, it is clear that LockBit has a large reach that spans tooling, various affiliate groups, and offshoots that have not been completely erased even with the major takedown by law enforcement." Hammond said the ransomware is being deployed to "vet offices, health clinics, and local governments." The security firms didn't say if the ransomware being installed is the official LockBit version or a version leaked by a disgruntled LockBit insider in 2022. The leaked builder has circulated widely since then and has touched off a string of copycat attacks that aren't part of the official operation. "When builds are leaked, it can also muddy the waters with regards to attribution," researchers from security firm Trend Micro said. "For example, in August 2023, we observed a group that called itself the Flamingo group using a leaked LockBit payload bundled with the Rhadamanthys stealer. In November 2023, we found another group, going by the moniker Spacecolon, impersonating LockBit. The group used email addresses and URLs that gave victims the impression that they were dealing with LockBit." Check out CyberWar.news for more stories similar to this. Watch the video below that talks about ransomware attacks, where victims are left without water or money access. This video is from the InfoWarSSideBand channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: Will hackers cripple America with a cyberattack? Expert says it might happen in 2024. FBI warns of "Phantom Hacker" scams WIPING OUT senior citizens' life savings. How to survive a cyber attack TAKEDOWN of America. Sources include: Bloomberg.com TheGuardian.com ArsTechnica.com Brighteon.com Why a Kamala Harris presidency would be the death of the Democrats With President Joe Bidens advanced age and cognitive decline taking central stage just months before the presidential election, Democrats need to discuss the Kamala problem. (Article by Robert Bridge republished from RT.com) As the US speeds towards the 2024 presidential election, the Democrats find themselves in a rather untenable position. Not only is the incumbent US President Joe Biden suffering visibly on the mental front reminiscing aloud over meetings hes never had with long-dead world leaders but his second in command lacks the essential support of the Democratic base. While Bidens approval rating sits in the basement at 39%, Vice President Kamala Harris has managed to outdo him with 37.5%. This should come as no surprise considering that Harris was polling at 1% when she dropped out of the presidential nominee race in 2019. How did she manage to alienate so many people within her own party? Earlier in her career as Californias district attorney, Harris, the child of immigrants from Jamaica and India, had a reputation as a top cop who worked against the interests of victims. She frequently failed, for example, to exercise her authority to investigate charges of misconduct and abuse by police and prosecutors. At the same time, she often kept people many of them poor black people behind bars even when there was ample evidence of wrongful convictions, while opposing legislation that would have demanded her office to investigate fatal police shootings. During the 2019 Democratic presidential debate, Representative Tulsi Gabbard called out Harris over her record. We are building the infrastructure of human freedom and empowering people to be informed, healthy and aware. Learn about our free, downloadable AI tools on nutrition, health and preparedness at this article link. Every purchase at HealthRangerStore.com helps fund our efforts to build and share more tools for empowering humanity with knowledge and abundance. She put over 1,500 people in jail for marijuana violations, and then laughed about it when she was asked if she ever smoked marijuana, Gabbard said. She blocked evidence that would have freed an innocent man from death row until the courts forced her to do so. She kept people beyond their sentences to use them as cheap labor for the state of California. And she fought to keep cash bail systems in place that impacts poor people in the worst possible way. Harris never denied the charges, only saying that she was responsible for reforming Californias justice system. More recently, Harris popularity has taken a hit because she has failed to show any real accomplishments in the past four years on the VP job. On the most important issue that Biden tasked Harris with, which was to investigate what was driving waves of illegal immigrants to America, she dropped the ball, neglecting to even visit the US-Mexico border. A former Biden administration senior official told Axios: Shes been at best ineffective, and at worst sporadically engaged and not seeing [the border] was her responsibility. Its an opportunity for her, and she didnt fill the breach. This is what happens when you elect a candidate based on their identity, not their competence its nearly impossible to relieve them of their duties. Should the Democratic Party take the decision to replace Harris, 59, at this particular juncture, the fallout would be fierce and swift. Anyone who dares criticize Harris, the first woman and first Black American to hold the office of vice president, will be accused of holding her to a higher standard than past (male, white) politicians. As far as Harris is concerned, she firmly believes that she can lead the nation should something untoward happen to Joe Biden. I am ready to serve. Theres no question about that, Harris told the Wall Street Journal in an interview last week, just days before the release of a damning report emphasizing her boss failing memory. The report, penned by Special Counsel Robert Hur after an investigation into Bidens mishandling of classified documents, said Biden displayed diminished faculties in interviews and derided him as an elderly man with a poor memory. The public relations fallout has become so critical for the White House that there are rumors of invoking the 25th Amendment, which outlines presidential succession. This empowers the vice president and cabinet to remove the president from office through a majority vote in the event its determined he or she is no longer fit to hold office. The amendment has never been invoked in US history, and it probably wont be invoked now since the specter of a Harris presidency is even less attractive than sitting through a Biden speech. Whatever the case may be, Donald Trump will not miss an opportunity to throw a spotlight on Harris and her inglorious stint as vice president, nor should he, considering that chances are high that Biden wont serve out his term through age 86. In other words, Trump would be reminding Americans that a vote for Joe Biden is essentially a vote for Kamala Harris. Such a strategy will likely attract many swing voters into the Trump camp. All of this strongly suggests that the Democratic Party would be wise to rethink its entire ticket. Neither Biden in his present condition, nor Harris, are presidential material, and judging by the opinion polls the majority of Democrats understand this. Best to revitalize the party with new blood, even if it means offending the progressive wing of the party. Read more at: RT.com KYODO NEWS - Feb 24, 2024 - 12:07 | All, Japan A Kyodo News survey on Friday showed 80.6 percent of prefectural fisheries cooperative associations were affected by the discharge of treated radioactive water from the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant into the sea, with many feeling the impact through China's import ban on Japanese marine products. The survey found that 29 out of 36 respondents among the members of the National Federation of Fisheries Cooperative Associations said they "had felt" or "had somewhat felt" negative effects including financial damage due to the water release, overwhelmingly due to the subsequent import ban by China. None of the 29 organizations saw a negative impact in the domestic market such as refusal to purchase their products. The Fisheries Agency has said there is no other reputational damage than the one caused by the Chinese import ban. Regarding the kinds of damage they had suffered, 24 organizations said they were "no longer able to export" products such as sea cucumber, scallops and yellowtail due to restrictions from places such as China and Hong Kong. Some 18 organizations said they experienced a "drop in marine product prices," attributing the price decline to China's import ban. In August last year, the plant operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc., began releasing the water that was used to cool melted nuclear fuel and has been treated through an advanced liquid processing system capable of removing most radionuclides, except tritium. China banned imports of all seafood products from Japan shortly after the release in an effort to "protect the lives and health of the people." Russia also restricted Japanese seafood imports while Hong Kong and Macao, both semiautonomous regions of China, also took similar measures. TEPCO said the discharge is necessary toward the decommissioning of the Fukushima Daiichi power plant. The Japanese government last year pledged financial support totaling 100.7 billion yen ($668 million) to the fisheries industry in response to the release of the treated water from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. The survey was conducted with 42 fisheries cooperative associations nationwide from January through February. Six organizations, including the association in Ishikawa Prefecture which was struck by a powerful earthquake on New Year's Day, did not respond to the survey. Related coverage: Indonesian activists sue Japan over treated water release IAEA reaffirms Japan's treated water release in line with standards Japan farm, fisheries exports at record 1.45 trillion yen in 2023 Leftist Canadian MP wants to criminalize endorsement of fossil fuels A member of the Canadian Parliament from the far-left New Democratic Party (NDP) is calling for any person promoting fossil fuels to be penalized with up to $1,000,000 and to serve jail time for up to two years. MP Charlie Angus, who is from Timmins-James Bay, northern Ontario where the average temperature in February runs -7 C to -21 C and the area relies on fossil fuels to stay warm this time of year has introduced a private member legislation called Bill C-372. The said legislation, which was entitled "Fossil Fuels Advertising Act," would prohibit the endorsement of fossil fuels except "by the provisions of the Act." Critics were quick to point out how unfair the call for ban and penalization is, simply because truthful statements like comparing the relative emissions of natural gas to coal should be considered. "The Big Tobacco moment has finally arrived for Big Oil. We need to put human health ahead of the lies of the oil sector," Angus told the House on Monday. The bill defined the "promotion of fossil fuels" as: "a representation about a product or service by any means, whether directly or indirectly, including any communication of information about the product or service and its price and distribution, that is likely to influence and shape attitudes, beliefs and behaviors about the product or service.?" According to the MP, the only public discourse that would be permitted would be literary or dramatic representations that "use or depict" fossil fuels, or "opinion or commentary" provided that in either case, the author or creator has no ties or receives no consideration "directly or indirectly" from the fossil fuel industry. We are building the infrastructure of human freedom and empowering people to be informed, healthy and aware. Learn about our free, downloadable AI tools on nutrition, health and preparedness at this article link. Every purchase at HealthRangerStore.com helps fund our efforts to build and share more tools for empowering humanity with knowledge and abundance. The proposal's preamble also cited climate change as an "existential threat" and the 2023 forest fire season as a pretext. "Whereas, in 2023, Canada experienced the worst wildfire season ever recorded as the country exceeded the largest area ever burned in a year, totaling more than 7.?9 million hectares," it included. However, an article on Bomb Thrower pointed out that in multiple cases during the said forest fire season, such as the Lake Cavan fires in Quebec and the infamous Lake Barrington Fire in Nova Scotia, the cause was arson and not global warming. Bill C-372 also argues that air pollution caused by fossil fuels leads to millions of premature deaths globally, including tens of thousands of premature deaths in Canada alone, and is a major cause of cancer, respiratory illness, adverse pregnancy outcomes, children's diseases and cardiovascular symptoms. It also further asserted, without evidence, that "fossil fuel production and consumption has resulted in a national public health crisis of substantial and pressing concern, in a way that is similar to the public health crisis caused by tobacco consumption." At a news conference last week, Angus repeatedly made similar references to Big Tobacco and claimed that his bill was about stopping the spread of falsehoods by the oil industry. However, as per Statistics Canada, tobacco still kills 48,000 Canadians every year. This bill indicated that every day, an equivalent of 131 Canadians are dropping dead because of fossil fuel-induced climate change. Critics once again assert that if this is their argument, then why not cut the total problem of climate and tobacco-related deaths in half by simply banning smoking? Bill C-372 is absurd: Canadian political columnist For Globe and Mail reporter and columnist Kelly Cryderman, Angus might mean well in the proposal he is very passionate about but the premise of the bill is absurd. For her, the bill is highly unlikely to pass and she proceeded to cite reasons why the legislation misses the mark. Yes, the introduction of the bill has already done its job and already had Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, industry groups and a cohort of Westerners extremely irked. Angus also said his bill is about corporate advertising and wouldnt affect individuals or the industry, per se. But his plan to ban all advertising from an entire sector has also raised criticism from those who care about free speech. Also, false or misleading advertising is already covered by Canada's "Competition Act." Moreover, the broad definition of what is "promotion" would target anyone who talks about one type of fossil fuel being less harmful than other types, the writer said. The clearest example of where this would be an issue is in the discussion of whether natural gas produced in Canada or the United States can displace emissions from coal plants in Asia, or Russian gas supplies to Europe. It would also target those who would say that fossil-fuel production can result in positive outcomes concerning the environment, the health of Canadians, reconciliation with Indigenous peoples, or the Canadian or global economy. Also, the comparison to tobacco is especially superficial. "While close to 30 percent of Canadian adults smoked 25 years ago, that figure is around 10 percent now. Rules restricting tobacco advertising played a part in this; wouldn't it be great, Angus argues if we could replicate that to similarly cut fossil-fuel use," Cryderman said. (Related: Faking GREEN: Scotland's wind turbines are secretly using generators that run on FOSSIL FUELS.) Check out EnergySupply.news for more news related to this. Sources for this article include: BombThrower.com Parl.ca TheGlobeAndMail.com New York Citys non-citizen voting law struck down as unconstitutional A New York City initiative that would have allowed the city's approximately 800,000 legal non-citizens the right to vote in local elections was struck down by a state appeals court as unconstitutional The proposal, passed as a city law in 2022, would have allowed green card holders and non-citizens living in New York City with federal work authorizations the right to vote in local elections for mayor, public advocate, comptroller, borough president and members of the New York City Council. This would have created some 800,000 new eligible voters in the city of 8.5 million. The law was championed by progressive Democrats in the city who claimed that the "Our City, Our Vote" bill would make politics more representative and turn New York City into a more inclusive place for immigrants. Opponents of the bill warned that it would turn into a logistical nightmare leading to voter fraud and that Democrats only wanted to grant legal non-citizens voting rights to shore up their support. (Related: America's 2024 election may be decided by 23 million ILLEGAL ALIENS.) The bill was easily passed by the city's Democratic supermajority in December 2021, but Republicans immediately sued as soon as the bill became law in January 2022. A lower court judge on conservative-leaning Staten Island struck it down months later. The administration of Mayor Eric Adams has also come to the law's defense and appealed the lower court's ruling against it. Appellate court rules only U.S. citizens can participate in elections In a ruling with one dissent, the four-person panel in the Appellate Division for the Second Judicial Department in New York ruled that "this local law was enacted in violation of the New York State Constitution and Municipal Home Rule Law, and thus, must be declared null and void," according to Associate Justice Paul Wooten who wrote the ruling. Thanks to your generous support, we are building the infrastructure of human freedom and actively donating our technology to independent publishers, authors and home schooling organizations. Learn about our game-changing non-commercial AI project here. Support our ongoing efforts to preserve and enhance human knowledge by shopping at HealthRangerStore.com. The appellate court's majority agreed that the clause in the state constitution that "every citizen shall be entitled to vote" refers exclusively to citizens of the United States. The court further ruled that a provision of New York state's Municipal Home Rule Law requires changes so that future modifications to local electoral laws must be passed by voter referendum rather than by the local legislature alone. In her dissent, Associate Judge Lilian Wan argued that striking down the non-citizen voting law deprives New York's municipalities from deciding for themselves. "The majority, by deeming the non-citizen voting law invalid, effectively prohibits municipalities across the state from deciding for themselves the persons who are entitled to a voice in the local electoral process," she wrote. "The majority's determination also disenfranchises nearly one million residents of [New York City], despite the fact that it's people's duly elected representatives have opted to enfranchise those same residents." "During a time where nearly 200,000 migrants have flooded our city and streets, disrupting the public and attacking our police officers, my colleagues and I have worked tirelessly to protect our voting laws which were created for citizens of the United States," said Assemblyman Michael Tannousis (R-Staten Island), one of the lead plaintiffs in the case. "Democracy always wins and I am proud to say it was delivered yet again today." It is still unclear whether or not Adams' administration will try to appeal the appellate court's decision to the State Supreme Court. Watch this clip from Real America's Voice discussing how a non-citizen has been appointed to run San Francisco's elections. This video is from the GalacticStorm channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: Censorship expert Mike Benz says 2020 election RIG for Biden was planned at least SEVEN MONTHS ahead of time. VINDICATION: Study finds Trump "almost certainly" won 2020 election, but mail-in ballot fraud resulted in Biden "winning" instead. Survey: Roughly 20% of voters admit to committing election fraud in 2020. New York City could soon allow more than 800,000 non-citizens to vote in citywide elections. Sources include: YourNews.com Politico.com FoxNews.com NYPost.com Brighteon.com Obama laid the groundwork for U.S. media to become government-controlled propaganda tool The mainstream media has lost all credibility in recent years, with its coverage of the pandemic and election leaving little doubt about who is running things and where they stand. There are lots of places to pin the blame for how it reached this state, but one big factor is former president Barack Obama. In fact, it was his move to repeal the Smith-Mundt Act, also known as the U.S. Information and Educational Exchange Act of 1948, that set the stage for the current propaganda machine that the national media has become. This move allowed propaganda to be used in broadcasting and took away the requirement for it to be credible. It essentially allowed the media to use propaganda against Americans. Before the act was repealed, U.S. programming that was produced by the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) now known as the United States Agency for Global Media such as the Voice of America, Radio Liberty, Radio Free Europe and Middle East Broadcasting Networks, could only be consumed at broadcast quality overseas. Available in 61 languages and more than 100 countries, it covered topics such human trafficking in Asia and human rights abuses in Iran. The act was amended in the 1970s, and in 1985, Nebraska Senator Edward Zorinsky said that this type of propaganda should not be allowed in the U.S. in order to set us apart "from the Soviet Union where domestic propaganda is a principal government activity." The idea was that American taxpayers should not be paying for propaganda for American audiences. Although some people involved in BBG projects claim it isnt propaganda, a former U.S. government source admitted that it advances American interests. Thanks to your generous support, we are building the infrastructure of human freedom and actively donating our technology to independent publishers, authors and home schooling organizations. Learn about our game-changing non-commercial AI project here. Support our ongoing efforts to preserve and enhance human knowledge by shopping at HealthRangerStore.com. When Obama dropped the propaganda protections, it meant government agencies could create news and opinions to be delivered to Americans to further their narratives and the taxpayers have to pay for it. In a fact check about whether this actually happened, even the AP couldnt honestly claim it was false; they said that the whole act was not repealed but that Obama rather lifted some restrictions on the domestic dissemination of government-funded media. Putin says it's hard to beat the U.S. in "the war of propaganda" This was even a topic in Tucker Carlsons recent interview with Vladmir Putin. When asked by Carlson why he wouldnt want to present evidence that NATO was behind the Nord Stream attack so he could win a propaganda victory if it was true, the Russian president responded: In the war of propaganda, it is very difficult to defeat the United States because the United States controls all the worlds media and many European media. The ultimate beneficiary of the biggest European media is American financial institutions. Dont you know that?" He added: It is possible to get involved in this work, but it is cost-prohibitive, so to speak. We can simply shine the spotlight on our sources of information, and we will not achieve results. American media outlets are supposed to be "free press; the First Amendment makes this clear. And without the Smith-Mundt Act protecting it, the media can be taken over by political operatives and the government. Thats why we are being fed so many lies about climate change, COVID-19 and countless other topics that all conveniently support the preferred liberal government narrative. And lately, it has been going even further, with services like Newsguard receiving government funding to censor right-leaning news outlets. It is now painfully obvious that Obama helped lay the groundwork for the state of the media today and all of the propaganda it is forcing on us. Sources for this article include: Revolver.news ForeignPolicy.com San Francisco FINALLY installs safety nets to prevent suicides off the Golden Gate Bridge Decades after grieving loved ones have advocated for it, San Francisco officials finally announced the installation of safety nets to prevent suicides at the Golden Gate Bridge. On Jan. 3, officials reported that crews had installed stainless-steel nets on both sides of the picturesque 1.7-mile-long (2.7-kilometer) bridge. Estimates suggest that at least 2,000 people have plunged to their deaths since the Golden Gate Bridge opened in 1937. To combat this, San Francisco city officials approved the creation of the Golden Gate Bridge Suicide Deterrent System in 2014. (Related: Healthy habits and mental well-being: Natural ways to beat depression.) The suicide deterrent system, also called the Suicide Deterrent Net, has been installed on the east and west sides of at least 95 percent of the bridge. Because of ongoing construction or design factors, vertical fencing is in place instead of or in addition to the net in some areas. In 2018, four years after the project's approval, work began on the 20-foot-wide stainless steel mesh nets. However, efforts to complete them were often delayed, until now. The nets, which are placed 20 feet down from the bridges deck, are not visible from cars crossing the bridge. However, pedestrians standing by the rails can see the safety nets. The nets were built with marine-grade stainless steel that can withstand the harsh environment that includes fog, salt water and strong winds that often envelop the famous orange structure at the mouth of San Francisco Bay. Dennis Mulligan, general manager of the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District, explained that they had "a continuous physical suicide barrier installed the full length of the 1.7-mile bridge on the east and the west side." The nets have helped seal the bridge, and he added that the barriers are working as intended. We are building the infrastructure of human freedom and empowering people to be informed, healthy and aware. Learn about our free, downloadable AI tools on nutrition, health and preparedness at this article link. Every purchase at HealthRangerStore.com helps fund our efforts to build and share more tools for empowering humanity with knowledge and abundance. As the project neared completion in 2023, the number of people who jumped went down from an annual average of 30 to 14. Data showed that the deaths occurred in areas where crews had not finished installing the barriers yet. While some people still jumped into the safety net, crews were able to help them out of there. Some of the people jumped into the ocean from the net and died, said Mulligan. The nets of the Suicide Deterrent System were designed to deter someone from jumping and curb the death rate of those who still jump. With the nets, the people who jump "will likely be badly injured." Mulligan explained that the nets are made with stainless steel wire rope netting and that it feels like "jumping into a cheese grater." The net is tough and it doesnt stretch. Mulligan added that to deter suicide attempts, they wanted people to know that if they went ahead and jumped, they would get hurt. Concerned civilians rallied to finally complete the safety nets Firefighters in both San Francisco and Marin counties are being trained to climb down and rescue individuals who jump into the safety nets. Ironworkers who maintain the bridge are also trained in rescue techniques and to perform many of the rescues. On the deck, members of a bridge patrol take shifts to try and help those considering suicide and prevent them from jumping. Mulligan reported that in 2023, the bridge patrol helped discourage at least 149 people from jumping. People first asked bridge officials to do something about the suicides shortly after the Golden Gate Bridge opened eight decades ago. It took some time, but a small group of parents, including Hines' father, Patrick, who organized the Bridge Rail Foundation in 2006 finally achieved their goal. The name comes from the groups request that the four-foot-high (one-meter) railing be raised along the bridge. The group's members often attended bridge meetings with large photographs of their lost loved ones. Unfortunately, a public comment campaign revealed that most people didnt want to raise the railing because it would block the amazing views from the bridge. Paul Muller, president of the Bridge Rail Foundation, explained that an architectural firm recommended the nets based on the success a similar net had in preventing suicides in Bern, Switzerland, where officials installed the nets at a popular terrace overlooking a river. Safety net advocates also explained that stopping easy access to lethal means is key to preventing suicides. Watch the video below to learn more about Hines' suicide attempt and his advocacy for suicide prevention. This video is from the Counter Culture Mom channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: Study reveals gambling resulted in 184 suicides in Victoria, Australia. Social media use linked to TEENAGE DEPRESSION, warn mental health experts. FDA WARNING: Two popular antiseizure drugs have a potentially DEADLY side effect. Sources include: TheEpochTimes.com GoldenGate.org Brighteon.com Squatting is a widespread problem thats flooding American neighborhoods with heightened criminal activity Squatters are increasingly taking over homes across the nation in a trend that is bringing crime to previously safe neighborhoods and leaving homeowners frustrated and broke. Many squatters are turning to online listings to find vacant properties they can capitalize on, and they are getting away with it as countless states have laws in place that make it nearly impossible for owners to get rid of squatters once they have taken over a vacant home. As a result, many end up being able to live rent-free in some of the country's nicest homes for several months or even years. The trend is being facilitated by modern technology, with squatters browsing online listings and setting up fake appointments to get access to empty homes. Some people do not even realize they are squatting because scam artists sometimes set up a fake listing for an empty property and then draft fake lease agreements. It is particularly easy to get away with in blue states. In many cases, it can take around three months to get a court hearing to evict squatters and a further three months before a deputy can arrive and clear the home out. Squatting is out of control in Atlanta Some areas of the country are particularly vulnerable. For example, around 1200 homes in Atlanta and the surrounding area have been taken over by squatters, with some of them even opening up an illegal strip club on a property that they are occupying. The problem is so widespread that one company actually places ads on social media offering a service that finds nice squatter homes for people and helps them get around the police. Some desperate homeowners there have taken to paying off squatters to get them to leave. Human knowledge is under attack! Governments and powerful corporations are using censorship to wipe out humanity's knowledge base about nutrition, herbs, self-reliance, natural immunity, food production, preparedness and much more. We are preserving human knowledge using AI technology while building the infrastructure of human freedom. Learn about our free, non-commercial AI / LLM project here. Support our efforts to build the infrastructure of human freedom by shopping at HealthRangerStore.com, featuring lab-tested, certified organic, non-GMO foods and nutritional solutions. National Rental Home Council CEO David Howard told the Daily Mail: Incidents of illegal trespassing in the Atlanta metro area are disproportionately higher than comparable markets across the country. He believes that networks of organized crime are involved, adding: The sheer volume and consistency of practice in terms of how these incidents happen are clearly indicative of some kind of organized criminal effort. An army officer who left her $500,000 home empty while she was on active duty found it was taken over by a squatter who has a lengthy rap sheet. She told WSB-TV: I felt violated. Had I not been serving my country, I would have been in my home. She expressed her frustration that police cannot evict the squatter because it is a civil matter. I want to go shoot out the windows, turn off the water, cut wires, but I can't. That's a crime. Law-abiding citizens can't do that, she said. Liberal-run California is an easy place to get away with squatting In super liberal California, getting rid of squatters is often a losing battle, and this has given rise to a highly sophisticated criminal ring of squatters who are holding parties in a $4.5 million Beverly Hills estate. The listing agent for the home, John A. Woodward IV, told Los Angeles magazine that the squatters who have taken over the mansion make more than $30,000 per month renting out its rooms, and they often host big house parties that rake in entry fees of $100. Condoms and drug paraphernalia can be regularly seen littered throughout the property, and partygoers can be found outside at all hours. Some neighbors have had to hire armed security guards to protect their families. One dismayed neighbor told the media: "There are people drunk and stoned, wobbling, walking in and out, and then driving the canyons. Does someone need to be killed before the police will do something?" In another extreme case, squatters took over a full apartment complex in Fife, Washington. At Sherwood Park apartments, police officers can be seen patrolling the area outside regularly due to the amount of crime associated with the complex. People living nearby are afraid to even let their children go outside. Because it is so difficult to evict these criminals, homeowners need to take serious precautions to prevent their homes from being taken over during long periods of vacancy. Sources for this article include: ZeroHedge.com FoxNews.com DailyMail.co.uk Upset brewing in New York: Trump looks poised to end GOPs 40-year dry spell in Empire State by defeating Biden there For the first time in four decades, a Republican has a legitimate shot to take New York's 28 electoral votes A recent Siena College poll shows President Joe Biden leading former President Donald Trump 48 percent to 36 percent in a head-to-head matchup. But the lead narrows when independent candidates Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Cornel West are added, with Biden leading Trump 42 percent to 32 percent. That's underwhelming given the 27-point enrollment advantage of the Democrats in the state. The survey, conducted from Feb. 12 to 14 among 806 registered voters, shows Biden is in trouble despite his party's strong foundation in New York. No Republican presidential candidate has won the Empire State in 40 years since Ronald Reagan in 1984. But Trump's prospect of ending that drought looks brighter by the day. "Its worth remembering just how 'blue' New York is. Democrats have a 27-point enrollment advantage over Republicans, Biden beat Trump by 23 points in 2020, and no Republican presidential candidate has carried the state since Ronald Reagan in 1984, 40 years ago," said Siena pollster Steven Greenberg. But that may change this year. The poll also reveals that only 46 percent of Democrats in New York want Biden to serve another term, while 38 percent want another choice. On the other hand, 61 percent of New York Republicans want Trump to be their president. Ongoing migrant crisis contributes to Biden's declining popularity in New York Biden's turning a deaf ear to the complaints of NYC Mayor Eric Adams regarding the migrant crisis contributes to the consistent decline of the president in state polls. Thanks to your generous support, we are building the infrastructure of human freedom and actively donating our technology to independent publishers, authors and home schooling organizations. Learn about our game-changing non-commercial AI project here. Support our ongoing efforts to preserve and enhance human knowledge by shopping at HealthRangerStore.com. In 2023, Adams started calling on the president to "control the border" because "there is no more room" in the Big Apple for illegal immigrants. Adams dubbed the wave of illegal immigration under Biden a national crisis that needs to be addressed by a state of emergency declaration. "We need to control the border. We need to call a state of emergency, and we need to properly fund this national crisis," Adams said. "We need help, and it's not going to get any better. From this moment on, it's downhill. There is no more room." During a press conference with Spectrum News NY1 in September, Adams urged Biden to visit the Roosevelt Hotel, which has been transformed into a migrant center to accommodate the influx of illegal aliens. (Related: NYC Mayor Adams blasts Biden admin for burdening Big Apple with ILLEGALS.) The Roosevelt Hotel, which closed in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, reopened three years later as an intake center for undocumented immigrants, serving as a "welcome center" for thousands arriving weekly in the self-proclaimed sanctuary city. Adams said at the time that Biden needs to understand how illegal immigration is affecting the economy of the Big Apple. "I am hoping that he understands this beautiful city that's the economic engine of this entire country is being saddled with $2 billion that we spent already, $5 billion we're going to spend in this fiscal crisis [and] $12 billion in the next two budgetary cycles. [NYC] doesn't deserve this," Adams said. The mayor eventually directed every city agency to reduce their budgets by five percent to cover the amount needed to tackle the issue. "Never in my life have I had a problem that I did not see an ending to. I don't see an ending to this. This issue will destroy New York City," warned Adams. Visit Trump.news and JoeBiden.news for more stories about the presidential campaigns of the two likely protagonists in the 2024 presidential election. Watch this Fox Business clip about NYC Mayor Eric Adams' warning that the migrant crisis will destroy the Big Apple. This video is from the NewsClips channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: Protesters heckle AOC during Democrat press conference on NYC's escalating illegals crisis leftists don't want more migrants in their back yard. Finger-pointing Biden admin officials blame NYC Mayor Adams for migrant crisis, say city lacks "exit strategy" for illegals. BREAKING POINT reached: NYC, other sanctuary cities "tired" of illegal immigrants influx, struggle with local resources. NYC Mayor Eric Adams admits mass illegal immigration is inherently destructive for the Big Apple. Sources include: TheEpochTimes.com MSN.com Breitbart.com 1 Breitbart.com 2 Eastern US and central US can expect severe thunderstorms and isolated tornadoes this week, causing potential power outages and slower commutes. People traveling this week should stay updated with the latest forecasts to avoid travel delays or disruptions. As February ends, Americans can expect challenging weather conditions in parts of the US, from isolated tornadoes to severe thunderstorms and winter storms. Limiting outdoor plans is recommended to keep safe from the weather. The National Weather Service (NWS) reported that a pair of fronts could impact portions of the East Coast, with a chance of thunderstorms and showers on Friday. Mixed precipitation can also occur in the Northeastern US. In the lower 48 states, high temperatures can occur in the region, easing the winter conditions in the US. In the Western US, a wet weather pattern could unfold early next week based on the February 22 and 28 precipitation forecast. Meanwhile, above-normal temperatures can emerge in the Midwest and Plains early next week. In the eastern and central US, motorists should watch out for travel hazards. Eastern, Central US Weather Forecast: Where Will Severe Thunderstorms Unfold? According to the latest forecasts, stormy conditions are expected in the eastern and central US this late week, bringing potential tornado risks and heavy rains. The weather conditions could spread over the Appalachians and Eastern Seaboard in the late week. Severe storm threat is expected in the following areas this late week: Chicago Columbus Louisville Nashville Little Rock Birmingham Colder conditions can unfold in Rapid City, Minneapolis, Omaha, Wichita, and Lubbock. Meanwhile, a warm and humid outlook could emerge in Houston and New Orleans. Early next week, the severe thunderstorms can bring hail, isolated tornadoes, and damaging winds. Troublesome weather outlook is forecast in the following areas: Milwaukee Chicago Springfield St. Louis Springfield Little Rock Shreveport The severe storms can also impact portions of Texas and Oklahoma early next week. The forecast warned that about 30 million people are at risk of the challenging weather and severe thunderstorms. On Wednesday, the severe weather outlook could emerge in the following areas: Indianapolis Columbus Charleston Louisville Nashville Knoxville Birmingham Memphis St. Louis In Houston, the recent advisory showed that a temperature cooldown and a cold front could occur in the city. The chance of rainfall is unlikely. Also Read: Central US Weather Forecast: Severe Thunderstorms, Isolated Tornadoes To Hit This Week Keeping Safe From Severe Thunderstorms, Isolated Tornadoes This Late Week The latest forecast warned of challenging weather conditions in eastern and central US. Limiting outdoor plans is advisable to prevent a challenging weather outlook. Here are essential weather reminders in the affected areas: Homeowners and travelers should always stay updated with the latest forecasts. When the weather becomes worse, staying at home is the best option. In addition, homeowners should store survival kits for winter storms and severe thunderstorms. Related Article: Powerful Hurricane Season Likely in Atlantic This Year, Forecast Warns For more similar, don't forget to follow Nature World New China will send a new pair of giant pandas to the United States and Spain as a boost for "panda diplomacy." Panda Diplomacy The China Wildlife Conservation Association has reached an agreement with the San Diego Zoo in California and the Madrid Zoo in Spain "on a new round of international giant panda conservation cooperation," according to the statement. Megan Owen, vice president of wildlife conservation research at the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, which operates the zoo, believes the two pandas, one male and one female, might come as early as the end of the summer. One of the females being considered is a descendant of Bai Yun and Gao Gao, two former San Diego Zoo inhabitants. The zoo hasn't had any giant pandas since 2019. "We are humbled by the potential opportunity of continuing our collaborative conservation efforts to secure the future for giant pandas," Owen said. The black-and-white bears have long been associated with the relationship between the United States and China, dating back to 1972, when Beijing donated a pair of pandas to the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., ahead of bilateral relations being normalized. China later lent pandas to zoos to help breed cubs and increase the population. However, only four giant pandas remain in the United States, all at the Atlanta Zoo, after China declined to extend loan arrangements with three other zoos in San Diego, Washington, D.C., and Memphis, Tennessee, in recent years. "We look forward to further expanding the research outcomes on the conservation of endangered species such as giant pandas, and promoting mutual understanding and friendship among peoples through the new round of international cooperation," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning. The partnership will encompass illness prevention and habitat protection research, as well as contributions to the creation of China's national panda park, according to the organization. China is also in discussions with the National Zoo in Washington and the Schonbrunn Zoo in Vienna. Read Also: China Running Out of Panda Caretakers Despite Hundreds of Applicants Envoy Of Friendship In November, Chinese President Xi Jinping expressed hope that his country would resume sending pandas to the United States after he and President Joe Biden met in Northern California for their first face-to-face encounter in a year and agreed to work to ease tensions. Speaking at a luncheon with business executives on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation conference in San Francisco, Xi referred to the bears as "envoys of friendship" and stated that the San Diego Zoo and the people of California "very much look forward to welcoming pandas back." Bai Yun was born in captivity in China and spent more than 20 years at the zoo, where she gave birth to six cubs. Her partner, Gao Gao, was born in the wild in China and resided at the San Diego Zoo from 2003 until 2018, before being returned. Decades of wild conservation efforts and captive research spared the giant panda species from extinction, boosting its population from less than 1,000 to more than 1,800 in the wild and in captivity. According to 2022 research by America's Congressional Research Service, zoos normally pay a $1 million fee every year for two pandas, with the money going toward China's conservation efforts. Pandas return to China when they reach old age, and any cubs born there are sent to China around the age of three or four. Related Article: Giant Panda From China Dies of Mysterious Illness in Thailand Zoo Animal movement is a crucial part of the life of migratory species, as well as the average wildlife that only moves far distances from their habitats in search of food, water, and potential mates. With this, animal tracking, which often involves tags and other global positioning system (GPS) devices, is also an important method employed by zoologists, wildlife biologists, and other scientists concerned in the field. While there have been challenges in the past when it comes to tracking and monitoring the movement of both marine and terrestrial animals, experts have made significant progress in previous years. Recently, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) said that tracking animal movement could save Earth; and researchers, who have been dreaming of an "Internet of Animals," are getting closer to monitoring 100,000 creatures. Over the decades, scientists and various organizations have tracked and monitored animals not only to study them but also due to conservation efforts. So far, the creatures that have been included in the grid range from sharks to whales, sea turtles, bald eagles, rhinos, leopards, African wild dogs, and among others. By tagging these animals, researchers can know their whereabouts, and movement patterns, and determine potential dangers they may face. Internet of Animals The digital concept of Internet of Animals has long been aspired by Martin Wikelski, from the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior in Germany, over the past several decades, according to the MIT Technology Review in its report on Tuesday, February 22. The said concept is a large data system that allows researchers to monitor and analyze animal behavior to help them further understand the planet, as well as predict the future of Earth's environment. Wikelski and his team have been working on the system for years, aiming to create a dashboard of 100,000 sensor-tagged animals that can be simultaneously monitored in real time. This can be possible from satellites orbiting Earth and sources on the ground. But the most important part of the project is the affordable, lightweight GPS sensors that can be worn by animals, even small ones like fish, rodents, and songbirds. Also Read: Animal's Zigzag Movements Increase Stability and Maneuverability Animal Movement Monitoring Amid a changing climate, a warming planet, and growing human activities, it is evident that some wildlife species are severely impacted. Due to the threats posed by these natural phenomena and anthropogenic processes, widespread advocacies for animal rights and welfare have also emerged. Since the 21st century, we have seen increased efforts of scientists and conservationists to not only save wild animals in danger but also monitor their movement. According to the Max Planck Institute, animal tracking data from individual animal movements helps scientists understand how creatures and even entire populations move within local areas. In addition, it helps us monitor their migrations across oceans and continents, as well as evolve across generations. Information from this data guides us to deal with environmental challenges like climate change and land use change, the institute says. Related Article: Scientists Are Studying How Better Statistical Models May Improve Conservation of Endangered Species Victoria is facing one of the worst bushfire seasons in its history, as a massive inferno rages across the state's west. The fire, which started on Bayindeen-Rocky Road area on Thursday, has burned through more than 50,000 hectares of land, destroying homes and sheds, and threatening dozens of communities. About 1,000 firefighters, supported by 15 water-bombing aircraft, are working tirelessly to contain the blaze, but the conditions remain challenging and unpredictable. The Unstoppable Blaze The fire has been fueled by strong winds, low humidity, and high temperatures, creating a perfect storm for fire behavior. The fire has also generated its own weather system, producing thunderstorms, lightning, and fire tornadoes. The smoke from the fire has reached as far as Melbourne, causing poor air quality and health risks for residents. The fire has also had a significant impact on the environment and the wildlife, as it has scorched vast areas of native vegetation, habitats, and farmland. The fire has released large amounts of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, contributing to global warming and climate change. The fire has also affected the water supply and the soil quality, as it has contaminated the catchments and eroded the land. Also Read: Bushfire Risks Likely in Australia Due to Dry, Warmer Temperatures The Resilient Community Despite the devastation and the danger, the communities affected by the fire have shown remarkable resilience and solidarity. Residents have been banding together, offering support and shelter to those who have lost their homes or have been forced to evacuate. Local businesses, organizations, and volunteers have also been providing food, water, clothing, and other essentials to the fire victims and the firefighters. The state government and the emergency services have also been working hard to assist the communities and to coordinate the response. The premier, Jacinta Allan, said that the government was committed to helping the communities recover and rebuild, and that it would provide financial assistance and counseling to those in need. She also praised the firefighters and the emergency workers for their bravery and dedication, and urged the public to follow their advice and warnings. The communities have also received messages of support and sympathy from across the country and the world, as people have expressed their concern and admiration for the people of Victoria. Many have also donated money and goods to various charities and fundraisers that are helping the fire relief efforts. The fire is still burning and the situation is still critical, but the communities have not given up hope. They have demonstrated their strength and their spirit, and they have proven that they can overcome this challenge together. The Ongoing Threat The fire has been driven further north due to wind changes, prompting evacuation warnings for more towns, including Amphitheatre, Elmhurst, Eversley, Glenlofty, and others. The fire is moving in a northeast direction towards Avoca, where some aged care residents have been relocated overnight. The fire has also caused power outages and disrupted transport services in the region. According to the latest news, the fire has not yet been brought under control, and more than 1,000 firefighters remain at the scene. The fire has grown to about 10,000 hectares in size, and has claimed at least one home and several sheds. The emergency warnings and watch-and-act alerts are still in place for many communities, and residents are urged to leave immediately or stay informed and act quickly if the situation changes. The fire has also affected the air quality and visibility in the area, and people are advised to avoid exposure to smoke and seek medical attention if needed. It is expected to continue to pose a threat to lives and properties, as the weather conditions remain dry and windy. The fire danger rating for the area is very high, and there is a chance of thunderstorms and lightning that could spark new fires or worsen the existing ones. It is also likely to have long-term impacts on the economy and the environment of the region, as it has damaged infrastructure, disrupted businesses, and harmed wildlife and ecosystems. The recovery process will be challenging and costly, and will require ongoing support and assistance from the government and the community. Related article: Australia Weather Forecast: Bushfire Season, Hotter Weather Likely to Emerge KYODO NEWS - Feb 25, 2024 - 14:38 | All, World Donald Trump on Saturday won South Carolina's Republican presidential nominating contest by a decisive margin, dealing another loss to former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley and further solidifying his path to a potential November rematch with his Democratic successor Joe Biden. Haley, the former president's sole remaining rival in the primary race, was this time defeated in her home state, where she served two terms as governor from 2011 to 2017. While the first primary in the South was closely watched for signs of whether it would help Haley keep her presidential hopes alive, the 52-year-old reiterated that she will not bow out despite the outcome. "America will come apart if we make the wrong choices. This has never been about me or my political future," she told her supporters after losing the primary. "We need to beat Joe Biden in November. I don't believe Donald Trump can beat Joe Biden." Trump, meanwhile, celebrated his victory shortly after polls closed based on media projections, saying, "I have never seen the Republican Party so unified as it is right now." In a speech delivered in the state capital of Columbia, the 77-year-old former president also said it was "an even bigger win than we anticipated." But Haley slightly outperformed pre-primary polling numbers, garnering 39.3 percent of the vote as of about 11 p.m., with over 90 percent of the estimated ballots counted, according to The Associated Press. "I know 40 percent is not 50 percent," she said. "But I also know 40 percent is not some tiny group." Trump had 60.1 percent of the votes counted, according to AP. Trump, who lost his reelection bid to Biden in 2020, has swept all five contests held so far for the Republican nomination, earlier winning in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Over the past four decades, all but one Republican candidate who won South Carolina ultimately secured the party's nomination. The state, with a population of about 5.37 million, is known to have a conservative and religious electorate, a favorable scenario for Trump but forcing Haley to count on Republican-leaning independents to overcome the odds. Before the latest primary, Trump had 63 delegates compared with Haley's 17, with a total of at least 1,215 required for a Republican candidate to clinch the nomination. Fifty delegates were up for grabs in South Carolina. Haley has suggested that she intends to remain in the race at least through "Super Tuesday" on March 5, when more than a dozen states, including populous California and Texas, hold their nominating contests. Insisting the contests have just begun and most people have not yet been given the opportunity to vote, she has asserted that both Trump and the 81-year-old Biden are too old to make important decisions for the country, calling for a generational change in U.S. politics. Citing some polling results, Haley has also made the case that she is a more promising general-election candidate against Biden than Trump, who faces 91 criminal charges in four separate cases. Haley has said she believes voters will not back Trump if he is criminally convicted, and such a possibility, coupled with ample contributions from donors wanting to foil the former president's White House bid, is believed to have motivated her to stay in the race as long as she can. Related coverage: Trump ordered to pay $355 million in New York fraud trial DeSantis exits 2024 U.S. presidential race, endorses Trump Biden easily wins 1st Democratic presidential nomination contest New Zealand has taken a monumental step in the conservation of its iconic national bird, the kiwi. The country unveiled its first-ever hospital dedicated exclusively to the treatment and rehabilitation of injured kiwi birds, marking a significant milestone in efforts to preserve this "nationally vulnerable" species. Reviving "Splash": A Symbol of Renewed Hope In the heart of Northland region, amidst a population of nearly 10,000 brown kiwis, lies the newly established rehabilitation center built by local conservation group Kiwi Coast. The center has already witnessed its first success story - a chick named "Splash". Splash had an unfortunate tumble into a swimming pool but was nursed back to health by skilled veterinarians at the facility. This incident underscores not just the vulnerability but also the resilience of these birds. It highlights how human intervention and compassion can play an instrumental role in reversing their declining numbers. According to the Department of Conservation, there are about 70,000 kiwis in New Zealand, inhabiting only a fraction of their former range. Across the country, only a quarter of wild kiwis live in safe habitat protected by predator control. The main threats to kiwis are introduced predators such as stoats, rats, and possums, which kill eggs, chicks, and adults. Other threats include habitat loss, dogs, cars, and diseases. Kiwi Coast is one of the many conservation groups that are working to protect and restore kiwi populations in New Zealand. It was established in 2012 as a collaborative network of community-led projects that aim to create a predator-free corridor for kiwis and other native wildlife from Whangarei to Hikurangi. Kiwi Coast has over 160 groups and projects involved, covering more than 200,000 hectares of land. It also supports kiwi monitoring, research, education, and advocacy. Also Read: New Kiwi Chicks Born in New Zealand As Species Population Declines A Purpose-Built Sanctuary in Kerikeri Located three hours north of Auckland, this specialized facility is equipped with state-of-the-art amenities designed for the unique needs of kiwis. Rising numbers and increased awareness about these once-threatened birds have led to this significant investment. The Department of Conservation sees this as more than just a hospital; it's a sanctuary where injured kiwis are not just treated but also studied to understand better ways to protect them in their natural habitat. The hospital is also a source of pride and inspiration for the local community, which has been actively involved in the project. The facility was built on donated land and funded by generous donations from individuals and organizations. It is expected to treat up to 200 kiwis per year, with the aim of releasing them back into the wild. The facility will also provide education and outreach programs to raise awareness and support for kiwi conservation. Furthermore, it is part of a larger vision to make New Zealand a safe haven for kiwis by 2030. The government has launched an ambitious plan to eradicate predators such as stoats, rats, and possums that threaten the survival of kiwis and other native wildlife. The plan, dubbed Predator Free 2030, aims to mobilize the whole nation in a collective effort to protect and restore New Zealand's natural heritage. It involves using a combination of tools and techniques, such as trapping, poisoning, fencing, and gene editing, to eliminate predators from the mainland and offshore islands. Additionally, the plan relies on the collaboration and participation of various stakeholders, such as local communities, iwi (indigenous people), businesses, and NGOs. The kiwi hospital is a shining example of how innovation, collaboration, and passion can make a difference for these precious birds and the environment they live in. It is a beacon of hope for the future of kiwi conservation and a testament to the love and care that New Zealanders have for their national symbol. Related article: Kiwi Genes Hint at a Unique Evolution Snakes are among the most successful and diverse groups of animals on the planet. They inhabit every continent exceptAntarctica, and they range in size from the tiny thread snake that can fit on a coin to the giant anaconda that can swallow a deer. They can be found in deserts, forests, oceans, and even cities. They have adapted to various challenges and opportunities throughout their evolutionary history, and they have emerged as formidable predators and resilient survivors. But how did they achieve this remarkable feat? How did a group of scaly, legless lizards hit the evolutionary jackpot and become the masters of their domain? This article will explore the fascinating story of how snakes evolved, diversified, and conquered the world. The Rise of the Serpents: How Snakes Evolved from Lizards The origin of snakes is shrouded in mystery and controversy. Scientists have debated for decades when, where, and how snakes evolved from their lizard ancestors. The fossil record is incomplete and often ambiguous, and the molecular evidence is conflicting and inconclusive. However, some recent discoveries and analyses have shed some light on the early evolution of snakes. The oldest known snake fossils date back to about 167 million years ago, during the Jurassic period. These fossils belong to a group of primitive snakes called the Eophis, which had small skulls, short bodies, and four tiny limbs. These snakes were probably burrowing animals that fed on insects and worms. They were not very different from their lizard relatives, except for their elongated bodies and reduced limbs. However, about 100 million years ago, during the Cretaceous period, a major transformation occurred in the snake lineage. A new group of snakes called the Macrostomata appeared, which had large skulls, long bodies, and no limbs. These snakes had evolved a series of remarkable adaptations that enabled them to become efficient and versatile predators. They had developed a highly sensitive chemical detection system, using their forked tongues and a specialized organ in the roof of their mouth called the Jacobson's organ. Additionally, they had developed a flexible skull with movable joints and elastic ligaments, which allowed them to swallow prey much larger than their own heads. These adaptations gave snakes an edge over their competitors and prey, and they quickly diversified into various forms and niches. Also Read: Snakes Can Store Sperm for up to 5 Years Before Getting Pregnant How Snakes Thrived After the Asteroid Impact The Cretaceous period was a golden age for snakes, as they radiated into a multitude of species and occupied a wide range of habitats. They coexisted with the dinosaurs, which dominated the land, and the marine reptiles, which ruled the seas. However, about 66 million years ago, a cataclysmic event changed the course of life on Earth. A massive asteroid, about 10 kilometers in diameter, crashed into the Yucatan Peninsula, creating a huge crater and unleashing a global disaster. The impact triggered massive earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, wildfires, tsunamis, and dust clouds that blocked out the sun and caused a drastic drop in temperature. This event is known as the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) boundary, and it marked the end of the Mesozoic era and the beginning of the Cenozoic era. The K-Pg boundary was a mass extinction event that wiped out about 75% of all species on Earth, including the dinosaurs and the marine reptiles. It was one of the most devastating events in the history of life, and it reshaped the biosphere. However, some groups of animals managed to survive the catastrophe and flourish in the aftermath.Among them were the snakes. How did snakes survive the asteroid impact, while many other animals perished? The answer lies in their unique adaptations and ecological strategies. Snakes are ectotherms, meaning they rely on external sources of heat to regulate their body temperature. This makes them more energy-efficient and less dependent on food than endotherms, such as mammals and birds, which generate their own heat. Snakes are also opportunistic feeders, meaning they can eat a variety of prey items, from insects and rodents to birds and reptiles. Snakes are also highly adaptable, meaning they can adjust to different environments and climates. These traits enabled snakes to cope with the harsh conditions and scarce resources that followed the asteroid impact, and to exploit the new opportunities that emerged in the post-impact world. The K-Pg boundary was a turning point for snakes, as it opened up new ecological niches and reduced competition and predation. Snakes diversified rapidly and extensively, evolving into new forms and functions. Some snakes developed venom, a potent weapon that immobilizes and kills prey. Some snakes developed constriction, a powerful technique that suffocates and crushes prey. Some snakes developed aquatic adaptations, such as paddle-like tails and salt glands, that allow them to live in freshwater and marine habitats. Meanwhile, some snakes developed arboreal adaptations, such as prehensile tails and heat-sensing pits, that enable them to climb and hunt in trees. Other snakes developed social behaviors, such as parental care and communal nesting, that enhance their survival and reproduction. These innovations and variations made snakes one of the most successful and diverse groups of animals in the Cenozoic era. Related article: Snake Skulls Adapt To Different Prey Types To Meet the Demands of Their Habitats and Food Sources Experts said that male glass frogs that usually help care for offspring tend to have smaller testes than the species whose males do not help care for their offspring. Behavior Of Glass Frogs They went into the tropical rain forests in Ecuador and Brazil in order to study the behavior of glass frogs over the course of several months. In previous studies, it was found out that in some species of glass frogs, males often help females care for and protect their offspring. In the latest study, the researchers wondered what biological differences might account for the different behaviors between species. In males, large testes size signifies high sperm production and is commonly linked to heightened sperm competition levels. It may also evolve as a response to an elevated risk of sperm depletion due to multiple mating or large clutch sizes. Conversely, weapons, mate or clutch guarding may allow individuals to monopolize mating events and preclude sperm competition, thereby reducing the selection of large testes. In the study, scientists examined how paternal care, sexual size dimorphism (SSD), weaponry and female fecundity are linked to testes size in glassfrogs. ''We found that paternal care was associated with a reduction in relative testes size, suggesting an evolutionary trade-off between testes size and parenting. Although females were slightly larger than males and species with paternal care tended to have larger clutches, there was no significant relationship between SSD, clutch size and relative testes size,'' the experts said. These findings suggested that the evolution of testes size in glassfrogs is influenced by sperm competition risk, rather than sperm depletion risk. Experts inferred that clutch guarding precludes the risk of fertilization by other males and consequently diminishes selective pressure for larger testes. The study highlighted the prominent role of paternal care in the evolution of testes size in species with external fertilization. Glassfrogs may evolutionarily trade-off relative testes size with paternal care. A similar pattern regarding the presence of humeral spines cannot be rejected but received less support in the dataset. Moreover, species with relatively large clutches were more likely to show paternal care than those with smaller clutches, but there was no significant relationship between clutch size and relative testes size. Read Also: Mushroom Growing In Frog's Leg Sparks Intrigue Among Scientists Sperm Competition Sperm competition has been playing an important role in the evolution of paternal care, as the likelihood of males investing in parental care generally declines with a decrease in their probability of paternity. In general, the likelihood of paternal care evolving is expected to increase with the certainty of paternity. Different forms of parental care vary in their temporal and energetic costs to the carer, and more costly forms might constrain male investment in fertilization effort and consequently in testes size. Besides sperm production, testes size has also been associated with testosterone levels, which play a central role in the expression of numerous sexual traits and behaviours. However, although levels of circulating testosterone are often positively correlated with male testes size and aggressive behaviors, elevated androgen levels might also interfere with male parental care. Related Article: New Species of Frog Found Under a Rock in Venezuela has Copper Eyes KYODO NEWS - Feb 24, 2024 - 12:11 | World, All U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres repeated his call Friday for Russia to stop its ongoing invasion of Ukraine, while a group of some 50 members of the world body demanded Moscow's immediate withdrawal prior to the second anniversary of the start of the war. "The United Nations Charter and international law are our guide to creating a world free from the scourge of war. Yet Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine directly violated both," Guterres told a session of the U.N. Security Council. "Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, we have had two years of fighting, two years of suffering, two years of stoking global tensions and straining global relations," Guterres said, adding, "Enough." The U.N. General Assembly convened a meeting to discuss the invasion the same day. But unlike a year ago, the plenary session did not adopt a resolution -- partly because, diplomatic sources said, interest among member states has shifted since October to the war between Israel and the Hamas militant group. On Friday, some 50 U.N. members, including the United States, Japan and South Korea, as well as the European Union, released a statement calling for Russia to withdraw immediately from Ukraine and for countries including North Korea to stop providing weapons to Moscow. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba read out the statement at the U.N. headquarters in New York. The signatories demanded that Russia stop the war in Ukraine and "ensure the full, immediate and unconditional withdrawal of all Russian forces and military equipment from the territory of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders." They described Russia's seizure of Crimea in 2014 and the full-scale invasion of Ukraine launched on Feb. 24, 2022, as a "flagrant violation of international law." Russia's attacks on Ukrainian civilians and infrastructure "may constitute war crimes," the statement said. The signatories also condemned "continued military support for Russia's war of aggression, including by Iran, Belarus and the DPRK," referring to North Korea's formal name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. "We urge all countries not to provide weapons and to restrict exports of all items critical to the military to Russia for its war of aggression against Ukraine," it said. The United States and other countries have stepped up their criticism of North Korea, claiming missiles it has provided have been used in attacks on Ukraine. Related coverage: Japan PM Kishida to address U.S. Congress in April North Korean missile found in Ukraine used European, U.S.-made parts Putin gives Russian-made car to N. Korea's Kim amid closer ties Oscar-winner Troy Kotsur to star in 'Foundation' season 3 Los Angeles, February 23 Oscar-winning actor Troy Kotsur is the new addition to the third season of 'Foundation' Also, the project marks Kotsur's return to Apple TV+. He previously starred in the film 'CODA', which was distributed by the streaming arm of the tech giant. In 2022, Kotsur won the Academy Award for best supporting actor for his role in 'CODA'. He made history at the Oscars as the first deaf man to win an Academy Award for acting. His win came 35 years after his 'CODA' co-star Marlee Matlin became the first deaf actor ever to win an Oscar, for her leading role in 'Children of a Lesser God'. Kotsur was up against Ciaran Hinds (Belfast), Jesse Piemons (The Power of the Dog), JK Simmons (Being the Ricardos), and Kodi Smit-McPhee (The Power of the Dog). 'CODA' is a 2021 coming-of-age comedy-drama film, that was written and directed by Sian Heder. The movie is an English-language remake of the 2014 French film La Famille Belier, and it stars Emilia Jones as the eponymous CODA (child of deaf adults), the only hearing member of a deaf family, who struggles to balance her attempts to help her family's struggling fishing business and her own life aspirations. The film also won best picture and best adapted screenplay at the 94th Academy Awards. Kotsur's recent roles include an appearance as himself in the final season of 'Curb Your Enthusiasm' and an appearance in Season 1 of 'The Mandalorian' He has also appeared in shows like 'Criminal Minds', 'Scrubs' and 'CSI: New York'. Coming back to 'Foundation', it first debuted on Apple TV+ in 2021, with the second season airing in 2023. The show is based on the 'Foundation' stories written by Isaac Asimov. Along with Harris and Pace, the cast also includes Lou Llobell, Leah Harvey, Laura Birn, Cassian Bilton, Terrence Mann, Isabella Laughland, Kulvinder Ghir, Ella-Rae Smith, Holt McCallany, Rachel House, Nimrat Kaur, Ben Daniels and Dimitri Leonidas. (ANI - Posted on 24 February 2024) Oscar-winner Troy Kotsur to star in 'Foundation' season 3 Found this article helpful? Spread the word and support us! KIGALI/BUJUMBURA, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- South Sudanese President Salva Kiir, who currently serves as the chairperson of the summit of the East African Community (EAC) heads of state, on Thursday embarked on a significant working visit to Rwanda in a bid to address escalating tensions in the East African region. Rwandan foreign minister Vincent Biruta received Kiir who was accompanied by EAC Secretary-General Peter Mathuki at Kigali International Airport, Rwanda. President Kiir later engaged in a consultative meeting with Rwandan President Paul Kagame at the president's office in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda. The discussions, as outlined in the communique released by the EAC secretariat Friday, focused on the critical status of peace and security within the EAC, a regional bloc that groups Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Uganda, Tanzania, and Somalia. Both leaders emphasized the pivotal role of peace and security in fostering social and economic development within the community and achieving the objectives of the EAC, according to the communique. They called on partner states to comply with their obligations as enshrined in the treaty for the establishment of the EAC. The two leaders underscored the need for expeditious complimentary implementation of the political track of the EAC-led Nairobi process and the Luanda process to avert the unfolding dire security situation in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) which risks spilling over into neighboring partner states. The Luanda and Nairobi processes refer to African regional efforts to ease the tension in the eastern DRC, including meetings in the Angolan and Kenyan capitals. The DRC has accused Rwanda of backing M23 rebels, an accusation rejected by both Kigali and the M23 rebel group. South Sudanese President Kiir started assuming the one-year chairmanship of the summit of EAC heads of state in November 2023. He took over the rotating chairmanship from Burundian President Evariste Ndayishimiye. Kiir extended his visit to neighboring Burundi Friday before proceeding to the DRC. During his one-day visit to Burundi, President Kiir held a meeting with Burundian President Evariste Ndayishimiye, where they recommended the respect and implementation of agreements to solve regional conflicts. A communique issued at the end of the consultative meeting between both presidents showed that they discussed regional issues notably the tension between Burundi and Rwanda, as well as the crisis in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. "Both leaders noted the need for the two sister states of Burundi and Rwanda to ensure the implementation of all previously agreed upon commitments arising out of the bilateral dialogue between the two countries," said EAC Secretary General Peter Mathuki who read the communique, adding that the implementation of those commitments will energize the implementation of the EAC integration imperatives that include free movement of people, goods and services. Earlier this year, Burundi closed its borders with Rwanda, accusing Rwandan authorities of supporting RED-Tabara rebels that had claimed responsibility for an attack on Dec. 22, 2023, in Gatumba, Mutimbuzi district in the province of Bujumbura, near the border with the DRC, which claimed at least 20 lives. With regards to the crisis in eastern DRC, the communique said that both heads of state also reaffirmed their commitment to the EAC-led Nairobi process and "underscored the need for implementation with the Luanda process to avert further deterioration of the security situation in eastern DRC, which risks spilling over into neighboring countries." Cybersecurity Marketing: Mastering the Full Funnel Approach London, Feb 24 In the digital age, where data breaches and cyber threats are increasingly common, cybersecurity has catapulted from a technical necessity to a cornerstone of business integrity. A full-funnel approach to marketing is paramount for cybersecurity companies aiming to educate, engage, and convert their target audience into loyal customers. This article dives deep into the strategies and nuances of cybersecurity marketing, offering a comprehensive guide to mastering the full funnel approach. Understanding the Cybersecurity Marketing Funnel Before delving into strategies, it's crucial to understand the cybersecurity marketing funnel, a model that maps the customer's journey from awareness to loyalty. This funnel is divided into several stages: Awareness : Potential customers become aware of cybersecurity risks and start looking for information. : Potential customers become aware of cybersecurity risks and start looking for information. Interest : They show interest in solving cybersecurity issues and search for potential solutions. : They show interest in solving cybersecurity issues and search for potential solutions. Consideration : They evaluate different cybersecurity solutions and providers. : They evaluate different cybersecurity solutions and providers. Conversion : They decide to purchase a cybersecurity solution. : They decide to purchase a cybersecurity solution. Loyalty: They become repeat customers and advocates for the brand. 1. Building Awareness: The First Step in Cybersecurity Marketing The top of the funnel is all about building awareness. At this stage, your goal is to reach potential customers and make them aware of the cybersecurity risks and the existence of your solutions. Content Marketing: Educating Your Audience Blog Posts : Write informative articles that highlight recent cybersecurity threats, case studies, and the importance of robust cybersecurity measures. : Write informative articles that highlight recent cybersecurity threats, case studies, and the importance of robust cybersecurity measures. Infographics and Videos : Create engaging visuals that simplify complex cybersecurity concepts for a general audience. : Create engaging visuals that simplify complex cybersecurity concepts for a general audience. Social Media: Utilize platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook to share your content and engage in conversations about cybersecurity trends. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Keyword Research : Identify and target keywords related to cybersecurity solutions, threats, and industry trends. : Identify and target keywords related to cybersecurity solutions, threats, and industry trends. On-page SEO : Optimize your website's content, meta tags, and images to improve visibility in search engine results pages (SERPs). : Optimize your website's content, meta tags, and images to improve visibility in search engine results pages (SERPs). Backlink Strategy: Earn high-quality backlinks from reputable sites in the tech and cybersecurity fields to boost your site's authority. 2. Generating Interest: Content and Engagement Strategies Once awareness is established, the next step is to generate interest among your potential customers. This involves creating content and engagements that highlight the value of your cybersecurity solutions. Educational Webinars and Workshops Host webinars and workshops that delve into specific cybersecurity challenges and demonstrate your expertise in addressing these issues. Case Studies and Testimonials Share success stories and testimonials from satisfied customers to build trust and showcase the effectiveness of your solutions. Interactive Tools and Assessments Offer free cybersecurity assessments or interactive tools on your website that help businesses identify vulnerabilities, further engaging potential clients. 3. Nurturing Consideration: Deep-Dive Content and Consultations As potential customers move down the funnel, they start evaluating their options. This is where detailed, technical content and personalized consultations come into play. Whitepapers and E-books Publish in-depth whitepapers and e-books that provide comprehensive insights into cybersecurity challenges and your innovative solutions. Free Consultations Offer free consultations to discuss potential customers' specific cybersecurity needs, providing a personalized touch that can make all the difference. 4. Facilitating Conversion: Streamlining the Buying Process Conversion is the critical point where potential customers decide to purchase your cybersecurity solution. Making this process as smooth as possible is key. Clear Pricing and Packages Ensure your pricing and packages are clearly outlined on your website, allowing potential customers to easily find the information they need. Secure and Simple Checkout Process Provide a secure and straightforward checkout process, minimizing friction and enhancing the customer experience. 5. Cultivating Loyalty: After-Sale Engagement and Support After securing a customer, the focus shifts to turning them into loyal advocates for your brand. Customer Support and Education Offer exceptional customer support and ongoing educational resources to help customers get the most out of your cybersecurity solutions. Loyalty Programs and Community Building Develop loyalty programs or online communities to engage customers, gather feedback, and foster a sense of belonging. Leveraging Analytics to Refine Your Funnel Throughout the marketing funnel, it's vital to leverage analytics to track performance, understand customer behavior, and refine your strategies. Tools like Google Analytics and CRM software can provide invaluable insights into how prospects move through your funnel and where you can optimize their journey. Conclusion Cybersecurity marketing requires a nuanced, full-funnel approach that addresses the unique concerns and needs of potential customers at each stage of their journey. By focusing on educating your audience, engaging with them through targeted content, and offering personalized solutions, you can effectively navigate the complexities of the cybersecurity landscape. Remember, the key to successful cybersecurity marketing lies in understanding your audience deeply, building trust through expertise, and continuously refining your strategies based on data-driven insights. Implementing these strategies will not only help you attract and convert more customers but also establish your brand as a trusted leader in the cybersecurity industry. (TINN - Posted on 24 February 2024) Cybersecurity Marketing: Mastering the Full Funnel Approach Found this article helpful? Spread the word and support us! Champaign, IL (61820) Today Snow flurries this morning will give way to partly cloudy skies during the day. High 39F. Winds NW at 10 to 20 mph.. Tonight Mainly clear. Low 26F. Winds WSW at 10 to 15 mph. Antigua and Barbuda's prime minister Gaston Browne speaks during an interview with Xinhua in St. John's, capital of Antigua and Barbuda, Feb. 1, 2024. (Xinhua/Li Mengxin) by Xinhua writers Xi Yue and Miao Peiyuan ST. JOHN'S, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- Antigua and Barbuda's prime minister said his country would enhance its relationship with China across several areas. "We will be enhancing, strengthening and broadening the bilateral relationship between Antigua and Barbuda and the People's Republic of China," said Prime Minister Gaston Browne in an interview with Xinhua. "We've had a very successful visit to China in which we have signed up to ten cooperation agreements in various areas of our development," he said in the capital St. John's after concluding his official visit to China. During his visit to China, the two countries signed several bilateral cooperation documents on Belt and Road cooperation, trade, transportation, economic development, mutual visa exemption and climate change. Antigua and Barbuda is an island country in the Eastern Caribbean with a population of more than 100,000. "In terms of the asymmetry of the size, power and resources, China always has exercised full respect and treated us with the type of respect that we have not seen in other relationships," Browne said, adding that the type of respect and mutual trust has built the relationship. Antigua and Barbuda is one of the first countries in the Eastern Caribbean to establish diplomatic ties with China. "The two countries have enjoyed very strong diplomatic relations for the last 41 years," Browne emphasized. Over the years, the cooperative relations between Antigua and Barbuda and China have developed steadily in infrastructure, economic and trade investment, people-to-people exchanges, agriculture and climate change, he said. Antigua and Barbuda is the first country in the Eastern Caribbean to sign a memorandum of understanding with China on the Belt and Road Initiative. In Browne's view, "under the Belt and Road Initiative and the Global Development Initiative, China has been delivering tangible benefits to developing countries globally. These are projects helping us to spur economic growth, increase revenue and to provide opportunities for people." "We have received support in practically all areas of development." Browne praised China for helping his country with disaster relief. "During the period of our crisis with hurricane Irma in 2017, China was one of the first movers and one of the largest contributors to our recovery. We are thankful and very grateful." During the visit to China, Browne visited Beijing, Zhejiang and Shanghai. This is his second visit after nearly 10 years, remarking on changes in the country's urban landscape and digitalization. Browne also said Antigua and Barbuda could bolster its green credentials via Chinese technology. Antigua and Barbuda will host the fourth International Conference on Small Island Developing States in May. Browne said that Antigua and Barbuda attaches great importance to the sustainable development goals, to which China has made significant contributions. As for regional cooperation, Browne said that as a member of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States and the Caribbean Community, Antigua and Barbuda is willing to "cooperate to promote the relations between China and other Caribbean countries and encourage them to continue, to strengthen the relationship with China." "We could utilize our influence and make sure that you know there is greater collaboration and cooperation going forward in the future," he added. In Browne's view, the people-to-people exchanges between the two countries are also full of highlights and have broad space for cooperation. "Even though we have very limited financial and human resources, we have large ambitions for our people. In order to achieve those, we need to have a carriage of well-qualified people. This is where China is helping us," he said. Antigua and Barbuda has a pleasant climate, rich tourism resources and many high-quality beaches. Browne welcomed Chinese tourists to travel to Antigua and Barbuda. At present, Antigua and Barbuda and China have mutually exempt visa policies. Browne expressed his hope to see Chinese tourists soon in Antigua and Barbuda. Enditem (Xinhua reporters Zhao Kai, Yan Liang, Li Mengxin and Xuan Liqi contributed to this story.) Antigua and Barbuda's prime minister Gaston Browne speaks during an interview with Xinhua in St. John's, capital of Antigua and Barbuda, Feb. 1, 2024. (Xinhua/Li Mengxin) Timeliness and purpose Sexual medicine covers a wide range of issues related to sexual health and well-being at different stages of life. When there are problems in sexual life, it doesn't just affect the bedroom - it has broader impacts. Dealing with issues like low sexual desire, premature ejaculation, and pain during sex involves looking at the bigger picture - not just the medical side but also the psychological and relational aspects. The media can influence how younger generations view and behave in terms of sex, sometimes leading to behaviors outside societal norms. That's why education that helps people critically understand media messages about sex is so important. Addressing sexual health in older people means taking into account changes related to menopause, erectile function, chronic illness and emotional factors. Overall, dealing with these complexities requires open communication, understanding and personalizing interventions that recognize the diversity of human sexuality at different stages of life and in different circumstances. The COST Action 'European Sexual Medicine Network' (ESMN) was established to address sexual health issues through a collaborative platform for European experts and researchers. Focusing on standardizing practices, sharing resources and advocating for sexual health policies, ESMN prioritized the training of healthcare professionals to advance research and improve patient care. In this interview with Action Chair Dr Marianne Greil-Soyka of the Austrian Academy of Sexual Medicine, we discuss the impact of ESMN in breaking the silence, and why this is not just a choice but a societal necessity. Collaborative triumphs and discoveries Dr Marianne Greil-Soyka explains that the Action has brought together medical professionals and social scientists specializing in sexual health through conferences, workshops and events, such as one at the University of Novi Sad in Serbia, which set the stage for innovative approaches to global health. These approaches, based on a deeper understanding of the mechanisms that influence sexual function and dysfunction, have the potential to develop diagnostic tools, therapies and treatments for sexual health disorders. The identification of markers of mitochondrial dynamics in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PMBC) offers valuable insights, which will be tested in practice through bilateral collaboration between Turkey and Serbia. This collaboration aims to integrate medical expertise with social, psychological and cultural perspectives to provide a more comprehensive understanding of sexual health issues. The groundwork laid by the Psychophysiology Sex Research Group meeting has paved the way for future collaboration between medical and social scientists. One output of the ESMN was an educational animated video on 'The Dual Control Model of Sexual Response': The role of sexual inhibition and excitation in sexual arousal and behavior Advocating inclusivity and shaping policies The network's fusion of medical and social scientists enables it to advocate for policies that address not only medical aspects but also the social and cultural factors that affect sexual health, well-being and pleasure, with the aim of better serving diverse populations. In particular, the Action has started a cooperation with WAS (World Association of Sexual Health) and its educational group to jointly reach the goal of establishing Sexual Medicine as its own subject. Marianne Greil-Soyka, now Austrian National Correspondent and Representative of the UNESCO Chair in Sexual Health and Human Rights, actively promotes the importance of sexual health and medicine for people of all ages, sexual identities and ethnicities. ESMN takes a proactive stance on inclusivity, with subgroups dedicated to disability and sexual health and LGBTQ+ issues, many of which are addressed in a video series on sexual health produced by the network. The network has played a key role in shaping policy to promote inclusivity in sexual health in many ways. Our next steps are ambitious, and we seek to lobby for the establishment of sexual medicine as a stand-alone discipline." Dr Marianne Greil-Soyka, Chair of ESMN One achievement has been the creation and piloting of a comprehensive sexual health curriculum for undergraduate medical students and other health professionals. To make this resource more widely available, a mini-MOOC was created in collaboration with the UNESCO Chair on Sexual Health, using text, video, animation and cartoons to promote comprehensive sexuality education in 140 universities. The link to this MOOC will be distributed by the Action shortly. ESMN also launched the Open Research Europe Gateway 'Sexual Health and Sexual Medicine', a collection of Open Access articles on focusing on sexual health and on sexual medicine as an interdisciplinary science. It encourages the interplay between different disciplines, including medicine, psychology, biology, sociology, pedagogy, and other health sciences. Influencing clinical practice ESMN's influence has extended into clinical practice, particularly in areas such as oncosexology, a subgroup within the ESMN, which aims to raise awareness of sexual issues in oncology care. It was important for the Action to address these issues to prevent the development of chronic sexual dysfunction, problems or concerns such as low sexual desire, difficulty becoming aroused, inability to achieve orgasm and body-image concerns. One outcome of this subgroup was an educational video. Nurturing young researchers According to the Action Chair, "the promotion of early career researchers has been central in the growth of ESMN." To this end, a sub-group called the 'Alliance of Early Career Researchers & Innovators in Sexual Health' has been established, which cuts across all Working Groups. It promotes multidisciplinary and cross-country collaboration among early career researchers in sexual medicine and health. It also aims to increase inclusivity and sustainability in research and practice for young professionals. Young researchers and innovators were given a platform to share and disseminate their research. For example, Tomislav Mestrovic, a young researcher from Croatia, gave a keynote presentation at the Action's final meeting in Ljubljana. Joke Dupont, a postgraduate researcher, worked with other ESMN members to complete a study entitled 'Towards a Transnational Sexual Health Research and Policy Agenda: The ESMN Delphi Study'. The study has been published in the journal 'Sexuality Research and Social Policy'. The ESMN Symposium in Salzburg allowed young researchers to present their research and posters to ESMN members and a wider audience through live streaming of the sessions. Additional funding was secured to provide generous financial awards to young researchers in recognition of high-quality research. Future horizons Looking to the future, ESMN intends to lobby for the establishment of sexual medicine as a stand-alone discipline. The network, poised to become a leading force in medicine, psychology and the social sciences, aims to define its uniqueness and continue its legacy beyond COST support, establishing Salzburg as a center for sexual medicine teaching, research and scholarship. "Our next steps are ambitious, and we seek to lobby for the establishment of sexual medicine as a stand-alone discipline," concludes Marianne. The analysis was conducted to help better address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza both during and after the war. The war has disrupted health services and resulted in overcrowding, inadequate water, sanitation and hygiene conditions, and insufficient food intake in Gaza. It is important to understand how the conflict is contributing to disease and death there. The report is a collaborative effort between researchers from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and the Johns Hopkins Center for Humanitarian Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and is funded by the UK Humanitarian Innovation Hub. Visit the Gaza projections website for the complete report. The projections, which are not predictions, cover the period from February 7 to August 6, 2024 (six months). The projections cover three different scenarios: ceasefire; status quo; and escalation. Over the next six months the report estimates that: With no epidemics occurring, the projection for the ceasefire scenario would be 6,550 excess deaths, for the status quo scenario 58,260 excess deaths, and for the escalation scenario 74,290 excess deaths. With epidemics occurring, the projection for the ceasefire scenario would be 11,580 excess deaths, for the status quo scenario 66,720 excess deaths, and for the escalation scenario 85,750 excess deaths. Under the ceasefire scenario the projections suggest that infectious diseases, would be the main cause of excess deaths. Traumatic injuries followed by infectious diseases would be the main causes of excess deaths in both the status quo and escalation scenarios. Even in the best-case scenario of an immediate ceasefire there would continue to be thousands of excess deaths after a ceasefire was agreed. These would only be mitigated by rapid action to improve the provision of water, sanitation and shelter, and restore functioning healthcare services in Gaza. The breakdown of water and sanitation, inadequate shelter and insufficient food intake leads to a projected high risk of excess deaths from endemic infectious diseases, particularly respiratory tract infections. If infectious disease epidemics occur, cholera, measles, meningococcal meningitis, and polio are epidemics projected to potentially cause the most excess deaths. While a ceasefire may reduce trauma-related deaths, our projections show excess deaths due to wounds and complications from traumatic injuries would continue to occur, highlighting the critical importance of providing secure and operational healthcare facilities that can offer trauma care and rehabilitation services. Even though the total numbers of estimated excess deaths from maternal and neonatal causes are relatively small compared to other health areas, every loss of a mother has severe consequences for family health and wellbeing. It could see progress made in maternal and neonatal survival put back over a decade. The researchers are undertaking this work as Gaza's health infrastructure is no longer adequately functioning. The impact of the crisis on Israel is better understood and there is not a lack of capacity to respond. We wanted to develop and share evidence for decision-makers, to show how this crisis could play out in terms of lives." Professor Francesco Checchi of LSHTM, co-leader of the project team Professor Paul Spiegel of the Johns Hopkins Center for Humanitarian Health, co-leader of the project team, said: "Even if a ceasefire were declared tomorrow, thousands more people would likely die as a result of the conflict. Our analysis can help humanitarian organizations, governments, and others plan more effectively and save lives." Amid continued debate over how to advance diversity and equity in higher education following the Supreme Court's decision striking down affirmative action, researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital and Northeastern University today issued a "roadmap" of strategies to help academic health institutions maintain their commitments to racial and ethnic diversity among their students, staff, and faculty in academic health sciences. Their recommendations, published in JAMA Health Forum, outline 13 evidence-based strategies for increasing racial and ethnic equity in graduate-level health programs. This roadmap of strategies reminds us all that there's much that can be done to make the academic health sciences as equitable as possible. If academic health institutions invest in these strategies, they can help reduce the effects of institutional racism and ensure that the programs that educate, train, and employ our nation's health professionals are welcoming and inclusive spaces for generations to come." Margarita Alegria, Ph.D., study co-author, Chief of the Disparities Research Unit at Massachusetts General Hospital, and professor in the departments of Medicine and Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School "It will take strong commitment and a multi-pronged approach by institutions and funders to realize true racial and ethnic equity," said study co-author Idia Binitie Thurston, Ph.D., Associate Director of the Institute for Health Equity and Social Justice Research and Professor of Health Sciences and Applied Psychology at Northeastern University. "That can start with strengthening initiatives aimed at recruiting, retaining, and promoting diverse groups of students, faculty, and staff." Examples of the strategies that the paper's authors elevated from their comprehensive research include: Policies to address lack of diversity. Several institutions implemented and evaluated affirmative action-like policies or holistic frameworks that resulted in a higher percentage of student admissions from under-represented racially and ethnically minoritized (URM) groups. Strong scholar networks. Institutions retained scholars when they encouraged collaboration and social connectivity to share opportunities and build relationships. Financial support. Institutions had better retention when they committed financial resources, including tuition, housing support, and compensation for engaging in DEI initiatives. Both Thurston and Alegria noted that the research base for advancing racial and ethnic equity within higher education needs to be strengthened. Institutions involved in this work should collect and publish data on their experiences with equity and diversity strategies so that others may learn from their successes and failures. At the same time, funders need to make long-term and meaningful investments to support this work, if they are truly committed to increasing the racial and ethnic diversity of academic health sciences. The authors note that interventions appear to be more effective when combined with other actions, like social support, promotion, and retention of diverse faculty and students-;as opposed to these strategies being applied singly. What's most important, they say, is for institutions and funders to join forces and put these strategies to work, collect good data, and then document and share their results. This work was funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Additional support was provided by the Mongan Institute at Massachusetts General Hospital. A gut microbial metabolite called 2-methylbutyrylcarnitine (2MBC) plays a role in exacerbating thrombosis -- the formation of blood clots researchers report February 23rd in the journal Cell Metabolism. The results also revealed that 2MBC is accumulated in individuals with COVID-19, potentially explaining why these patients are at increased risk of thrombosis. Our study provides mechanistic insight by implicating 2MBC as a metabolite that links gut microbiota dysbiosis to elevated thrombotic risk." Sifan Chen, co-senior study author of Sun Yat-Sen University Thrombosis is the leading cause of death and disability related to major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) like heart attacks and stroke. Numerous conditions such as COVID-19 and metabolic disorders can lead to a heightened thrombotic risk. Yet the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. Extensive evidence has demonstrated an association between gut microbiota dysbiosis and heightened thrombosis potential. Past studies have shown that gut microbiota-derived metabolites can increase the activity of platelets a component of blood involved in the formation of blood clots -- as well as the risk of cardiovascular diseases. "Even though gut microbiota dysbiosis has been intensively described in patients with COVID-19 and metabolic disorders that are associated with heightened thrombotic risk, their causal link and the mechanisms contributing to thrombotic complications remain poorly understood," Chen says. To address this gap, Chen teamed up with co-senior study authors Meng Ren of Sun Yat-Sen University and Linghua Li of Guangzhou Medical University. The researchers conducted multi-metabolomic analyses and identified 2MBC as a critical host and gut microbial metabolite contributing to the heightened thrombotic risk. 2MBC belongs to a class of compounds known as short branched chain acylcarnitines, which have been previously associated with numerous metabolic disorders including obesity, diabetes, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, and hypertension. In a study involving 64 people with COVID-19, 12 healthy patients, and 12 individuals hospitalized without COVID-19, the researchers found that 2MBC is accumulated in patients with COVID-19 and in patients with MACE. The elevated level of 2MBC did not decline even after a complete clearance of virus in patients with COVID-19. In mice, 2MBC promoted platelet hyperreactivity and thrombus formation, and elimination of gut microbiota with an antibiotic cocktail largely suppressed increased plasma 2MBC levels as well as the heightened thrombosis tendency upon SARS-CoV-2 infection. "Our findings revealed a new biological function of 2MBC as a signaling molecule and unveiled a potential mechanism contributing to the increased thrombotic incidence in COVID-19," Chen says. Mechanistically, additional experiments revealed that 2MBC binds to a receptor called integrin 21 in platelets, potentiating platelet hyperresponsiveness. Integrins are surface receptors that mediate cell-cell or cell-matrix interaction. In platelets, integrins play a crucial role in thrombus formation. The researchers discovered that genetic depletion or pharmacological inhibition of integrin 21 was sufficient to ameliorate the heightened thrombosis potential induced by 2MBC. The authors claim that the findings may hint at a previously unknown driving factor for increased thrombotic potential in metabolic disorders, such as obesity and diabetes, above and beyond traditional risk factors. Although the study implicated integrin 21 as the cellular target for 2MBC, some other targets may exist in cells and remain to be explored. This work is supported by grants from The National Natural Science Foundation of China, The National Outstanding Youth Science Fund Project of National Natural Science Foundation of China, The Guangzhou Science and Technology Program Key Projects, The Guangdong Science and Technology Department, The Guangdong Clinical Research Center for Metabolic Diseases, The Guangzhou Key Laboratory for Metabolic Diseases, and The Science and Technology Program of Guangdong Province. Medical summarization, a process that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to condense complex patient information, is currently used in health care settings for tasks such as creating electronic health records and simplifying medical text for insurance claims processing. While the practice is intended to create efficiencies, it can be labor-intensive, according to Penn State researchers, who created a new method to streamline the way AI creates these summaries, efficiently producing more reliable results. In their work, which was presented at the Proceedings of the 2023 Conference on Empirical Methods in Natural Language Processing in Singapore last December, the researchers introduced a framework to fine-tune the training of natural language processing (NLP) models that are used to create medical summaries. "There is a faithfulness issue with the current NLP tools and machine learning algorithms used in medical summarization," said Nan Zhang, a graduate student pursing a doctorate in informatics the College of Information Sciences and Technology (IST) and the first author on the paper. "To ensure records of doctor-patient interactions are reliable, a medical summarization model should remain 100% consistent with the reports and conversations they are documenting." Existing medical text summarization tools involve human supervision to prevent the generation of unreliable summaries that could lead to serious health care risks, according to Zhang. This "unfaithfulness" has been understudied despite its importance for ensuring safety and efficiency in healthcare reporting. The researchers began by examining three datasets -; online health question summarization, radiology report summarization and medical dialogue summarization -; generated by existing AI models. They randomly selected between 100 and 200 summaries from each dataset and manually compared them to the doctors' original medical reports, or source text, from which they were condensed. Summaries that did not accurately reflect the source text were placed into error categories. There are various types of errors that can occur with models that generate text. The model may miss a medical term or change it to something else. Summarization that is untrue or not consistent with source inputs can potentially cause harm to a patient." Nan Zhang, First Author The data analysis revealed instances of summarization that were contradictory to the source text. For example, a doctor prescribed a medication to be taken three times a day, but the summary reported that the patient should not take said medication. The datasets also included what Zhang called "hallucinations," resulting in summaries that contained extraneous information not supported by the source text. The researchers set out to mitigate the unfaithfulness problem with their Faithfulness for Medical Summarization (FaMeSumm) framework. They began by using simple problem-solving techniques to construct sets of contrastive summaries -; a set of faithful, error-free summaries and a set of unfaithful summaries containing errors. They also identified medical terms through external knowledge graphs or human annotations. Then, they fine-tuned existing pre-trained language models to the categorized data, modified objective functions to learn from the contrastive summaries and medical terms and made sure the models were trained to address each type of error instead of just mimicking specific words. "Medical summarization models are trained to pay more attention to medical terms," Zhang said. "But it's important that those medical terms be summarized precisely as intended, which means including non-medical words like no, not or none. We don't want the model to make modifications near or around those words, or the error is likely to be higher." FaMeSumm effectively and accurately summarized information from different kinds of training data. For example, if the provided training data comprised doctor notes, then the trained AI product was suited to generate summaries that facilitate doctors' understanding of their notes. If the training data contained complex questions from patients, the trained AI product generated summaries that helped both patients and doctors understand the questions. "Our method works on various kinds of datasets involving medical terms and for the mainstream, pre-trained language models we tested," Zhang said. "It delivered a consistent improvement in faithfulness, which was confirmed by the medical doctors who checked our work." Fine-tuning large language models (LLMs) can be expensive and unnecessary, according to Zhang, so the experiments were conducted on five smaller mainstream language models. "We did compare one of our fine-tuned models against GPT-3, which is an example of a large language model," he said. "We found that our model reached significantly better performance in terms of faithfulness and showed the strong capability of our method, which is promising for its use on LLMs." This work contributes to the future of automated medical summarization, according to Zhang. "Maybe, in the near future, AI will be trained to generate medical summaries as templates," he said. "Doctors could simply doublecheck the output and make minor edits, which could significantly reduce the amount of time it takes to create the summaries." Prasenjit Mitra, professor in the College of IST and Zhang's graduate adviser; Rui Zhang, assistant professor in the College of Engineering and Zhang's graduate co-adviser; and Yusen Zhang, doctoral student in the College of Engineering -; all from Penn State -; and Wu Guo, with the Children's Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University in China, contributed to this research. The Federal Ministry of Education and Research in Germany, under the LeibnizKILabor project, partially funded this research. Rui Zhang supported the travel funding. Across the globe, more than 39 million people are living with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), the virus that causes AIDS, including more than 1.3 million new HIV diagnoses last year. The majority of those afflicted -; approximately 76% -; have access to antiviral therapy that allows them to live with HIV as a chronic disease. Sharilyn Almodovar, Ph.D., from the Department of Immunology and Molecular Microbiology at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) School of Medicine and the TTUHSC Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, said that even with the widespread availability of therapy, people living with HIV are facing challenges. The good news is that treated patients do not die of AIDS and that HIV is being treated as a chronic disease. Unfortunately, we still do not have a cure, and the longer people live with HIV, the more susceptible they become to comorbidities that affect their quality of life and may even cause premature death." Sharilyn Almodovar, Ph.D., Department of Immunology and Molecular Microbiology, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Almodovar said those comorbidities include neurological and metabolic disorders, liver and kidney diseases, cancers and cardiovascular diseases. They also include pulmonary hypertension, which is currently the focus of her lab's research. Pulmonary hypertension is a condition in the lungs caused by severe narrowing of the arteries. It increases the pressure in these arteries and affects the right side of the heart, which is not anatomically equipped to handle such high pressures. If the condition progresses without diagnosis or treatment, the result is often death due to right heart failure. To better understand the role HIV plays in pulmonary hypertension, the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute at the National Institutes of Health recently awarded Almodovar a four-year, $2.67 million grant (Role of HIV gp120 and Nef in Transcriptome Dysregulation and Pulmonary Vascular Remodeling) to study how the HIV virus damages the normal interactions between different cell types in the lung arteries that lead to the condition. "The blood vessels in the lungs are severely affected in the presence of HIV, and this leads to serious illnesses in the lungs and heart," Almodovar explained. "In this study, we will conduct experiments to understand how HIV molecules change the way that lung molecules interact so that we can propose novel therapies to prevent lung diseases in people with HIV." For this project, Almodovar will work with a multidisciplinary team that includes co-investigators Igor Ponomarev, Ph.D., and Ebtesam Islam, M.D., Ph.D., from the TTUHSC School of Medicine and the TTUHSC Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences; Michael Melkus, Ph.D., and Jacob Nichols, M.D., from the TTUHSC School of Medicine; Duke Appiah, Ph.D., MPH, from the TTUHSC Julia Jones Matthews School of Population and Public Health and the TTUHSC Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences; and Jeremy Goettel, Ph.D., from Vanderbilt University. Pulmonary hypertension is relatively rare in the general population but Almodovar said it is over-represented in people with HIV. "Years ago, we had the opportunity to study the virus in non-human primates and in patients diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension associated with HIV, and we discovered specific mutations in the virus," Almodovar recalled. "With this new study, we will examine how these mutations in the virus damage the normal interactions between different cell types in the lung arteries." Almodovar said one of the study's novel aspects will be the use of a mouse model with a humanized immune system. These mice allow researchers to study the complex roles of infection, immunodeficiency and pulmonary vascular biology in a system that mimics the physiology of non-human primates. During this study, the Almodovar Lab will monitor the infected mice for several weeks to track viral loads (the number of viruses present in the circulation), CD4 cell counts (an indicator of the immune system's overall health) and inflammatory markers in plasma. Almodovar said this would not be possible without the support of Scott Trasti, DVM, and the veterinary staff in the TTUHSC Laboratory Animal Resource Center. "At the end of each experiment, which takes months to complete, we perform right heart catheterizations on these mice to measure their pulmonary arterial pressures and examine their hearts for evidence of heart disease," Almodovar said. The research for this project will occur at the interface of infectious diseases and pulmonary medicine. This provides opportunities for training the next generation of scientists and physician-scientists who are interested in researching this field and are learning how to operate under high biosafety research standards. "We do not know how HIV causes or contributes to these severe pulmonary vascular diseases," Almodovar said. "With these funded studies, we will increase the understanding of how HIV changes the way that the cells in the lung interact with this virus so that we can propose novel therapies to prevent lung diseases in people with HIV." Actors perform dragon dance in Yongding District of Zhangjiajie, central China's Hunan Province, Feb. 24, 2024. People across the country celebrate the Lantern Festival, which fell on Feb. 24 this year, amid a festive and bustling atmosphere. (Xinhua/Chen Sihan) An aerial drone photo taken on Feb. 24, 2024 shows people performing during an event celebrating the Lantern Festival in Zhuji City, east China's Zhejiang Province. People across the country celebrate the Lantern Festival, which fell on Feb. 24 this year, amid a festive and bustling atmosphere. (Xinhua/Xu Yu) People perform dragon dance in Danzhai County, southwest China's Guizhou Province, Feb. 23, 2024. People across the country celebrate the Lantern Festival, which fell on Feb. 24 this year, amid a festive and bustling atmosphere. (Photo by Yang Wukui/Xinhua) People perform during an event celebrating the Lantern Festival, which is participated by people from the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, in Pinggu District of Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 24, 2024. People across the country celebrate the Lantern Festival, which fell on Feb. 24 this year, amid a festive and bustling atmosphere. (Xinhua/Ren Chao) An aerial drone photo taken on Feb. 23, 2024 shows lanterns in celebration of the Lantern Festival in Yanchi County, northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. People across the country celebrate the Lantern Festival, which fell on Feb. 24 this year, amid a festive and bustling atmosphere. (Xinhua/Wang Peng) People perform Yangge dance during an event celebrating the Lantern Festival, which is participated by people from the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, in Pinggu District of Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 24, 2024. People across the country celebrate the Lantern Festival, which fell on Feb. 24 this year, amid a festive and bustling atmosphere. (Xinhua/Ren Chao) A folk artist performs during an event celebrating the Lantern Festival in Handan City, north China's Hebei Province, Feb. 23, 2024. People across the country celebrate the Lantern Festival, which fell on Feb. 24 this year, amid a festive and bustling atmosphere. (Photo by Hu Gaolei/Xinhua) People perform during an event celebrating the Lantern Festival in Yanchi County, northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, Feb. 23, 2024. People across the country celebrate the Lantern Festival, which fell on Feb. 24 this year, amid a festive and bustling atmosphere. (Xinhua/Wang Peng) People perform during an event celebrating the Lantern Festival in Yanchi County, northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, Feb. 23, 2024. People across the country celebrate the Lantern Festival, which fell on Feb. 24 this year, amid a festive and bustling atmosphere. (Xinhua/Wang Peng) People perform dragon dance during an event celebrating the Lantern Festival in Rongchang District of southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, Feb. 24, 2024. People across the country celebrate the Lantern Festival, which fell on Feb. 24 this year, amid a festive and bustling atmosphere. (Xinhua/Tang Yi) People wearing Hanfu, a style of clothing traditionally worn by the Han people, perform in Rongchang District of southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, Feb. 23, 2024. People across the country celebrate the Lantern Festival, which fell on Feb. 24 this year, amid a festive and bustling atmosphere. (Xinhua/Tang Yi) A kid takes part in a riddle game during an event celebrating the Lantern Festival in Changchun, northeast China's Jilin Province, Feb. 24, 2024. People across the country celebrate the Lantern Festival, which fell on Feb. 24 this year, amid a festive and bustling atmosphere. (Xinhua/Zhang Nan) People perform during a folk art festival in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, Feb. 24, 2024. People across the country celebrate the Lantern Festival, which fell on Feb. 24 this year, amid a festive and bustling atmosphere. (Xinhua/Li Ziheng) A citizen takes part in a riddle game during an event celebrating the Lantern Festival in Changchun, northeast China's Jilin Province, Feb. 24, 2024. People across the country celebrate the Lantern Festival, which fell on Feb. 24 this year, amid a festive and bustling atmosphere. (Xinhua/Zhang Nan) People play drums during an event celebrating the Lantern Festival in Changji City, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Feb. 24, 2024. People across the country celebrate the Lantern Festival, which fell on Feb. 24 this year, amid a festive and bustling atmosphere. (Xinhua/Zhang Xiaocheng) People play drums during an event celebrating the Lantern Festival in Zhoucun District of Zibo City, east China's Shandong Province, Feb. 23, 2024. People across the country celebrate the Lantern Festival, which fell on Feb. 24 this year, amid a festive and bustling atmosphere. (Photo by Gao Fafang/Xinhua) An aerial drone photo taken on Feb. 24, 2024 shows people watching dragon dance performance in Yongding District of Zhangjiajie, central China's Hunan Province. People across the country celebrate the Lantern Festival, which fell on Feb. 24 this year, amid a festive and bustling atmosphere. (Xinhua/Chen Sihan) People perform dance during an event celebrating the Lantern Festival in Yecheng County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Feb. 24, 2024. People across the country celebrate the Lantern Festival, which fell on Feb. 24 this year, amid a festive and bustling atmosphere. (Xinhua/Hu Huhu) Foreign tourists make Tangyuan, or sweet glutinous rice dumplings, during an event celebrating the Lantern Festival in Rongchang District of southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, Feb. 24, 2024. People across the country celebrate the Lantern Festival, which fell on Feb. 24 this year, amid a festive and bustling atmosphere. (Xinhua/Tang Yi) An aerial drone photo taken on Feb. 23, 2024 shows lanterns in celebration of the Lantern Festival in Yanchi County, northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. People across the country celebrate the Lantern Festival, which fell on Feb. 24 this year, amid a festive and bustling atmosphere. (Xinhua/Wang Peng) People watch lanterns and light installations in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 24, 2024. Various events are held across the country to celebrate the Lantern Festival, the 15th day of the first month of the Chinese lunar calendar, which falls on Feb. 24 this year. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong) People watch lanterns and light installations in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 24, 2024. Various events are held across the country to celebrate the Lantern Festival, the 15th day of the first month of the Chinese lunar calendar, which falls on Feb. 24 this year. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong) People take part in a traditional performance at Qianjie Village in Tongzhou District of Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 24, 2024. People across the country celebrate the Lantern Festival, which fell on Feb. 24 this year, amid a festive and bustling atmosphere. (Xinhua/Ju Huanzong) Tourists view lanterns on the Central Street in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 24, 2024. People across the country celebrate the Lantern Festival, which fell on Feb. 24 this year, amid a festive and bustling atmosphere. (Xinhua/Wang Jianwei) People perform dragon dance in Yangliuqing Town of Xiqing District, Tianjin, north China, Feb. 24, 2024. People across the country celebrate the Lantern Festival, which fell on Feb. 24 this year, amid a festive and bustling atmosphere. (Xinhua/Li Ran) Tourists watch a stilt performance at Shenyang Imperial Palace in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, Feb. 24, 2024. People across the country celebrate the Lantern Festival, which fell on Feb. 24 this year, amid a festive and bustling atmosphere. (Xinhua/Pan Yulong) Tourists view lanterns on the Central Street in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 24, 2024. People across the country celebrate the Lantern Festival, which fell on Feb. 24 this year, amid a festive and bustling atmosphere. (Xinhua/Wang Jianwei) Children perform Chinese martial art in Shijiazhuang, north China's Hebei Province, Feb. 24, 2024. People across the country celebrate the Lantern Festival, which fell on Feb. 24 this year, amid a festive and bustling atmosphere. (Xinhua/Wang Xiao) Workers guess lantern riddles at a construction site in Pudong New Area, east China's Shanghai Municipality, Feb. 24, 2024. People across the country celebrate the Lantern Festival, which fell on Feb. 24 this year, amid a festive and bustling atmosphere. (Xinhua/Ding Ting) People view a dragon lantern at Xicheng District in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 24, 2024. People across the country celebrate the Lantern Festival, which fell on Feb. 24 this year, amid a festive and bustling atmosphere. (Xinhua/Li Xin) A tourist takes a photo of lanterns on the Central Street in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 24, 2024. People across the country celebrate the Lantern Festival, which fell on Feb. 24 this year, amid a festive and bustling atmosphere. (Xinhua/Wang Jianwei) People perform Yangge, a traditional folk dance, in Liangcheng County, Ulanqab City, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Feb. 24, 2024. People across the country celebrate the Lantern Festival, which fell on Feb. 24 this year, amid a festive and bustling atmosphere. (Xinhua/Liu Lei) Tourists enjoy fireworks along the Songhua River in Jilin City, northeast China's Jilin Province, Feb. 24, 2024. People across the country celebrate the Lantern Festival, which fell on Feb. 24 this year, amid a festive and bustling atmosphere. (Xinhua/Xu Chang) People watch lion dance in Xunxian County, central China's Henan Province, Feb. 24, 2024. People across the country celebrate the Lantern Festival, which fell on Feb. 24 this year, amid a festive and bustling atmosphere. (Xinhua/Zhu Xiang) Tourists watch dragon dance at Nangong World Botanical Amusement Park in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 24, 2024. People across the country celebrate the Lantern Festival, which fell on Feb. 24 this year, amid a festive and bustling atmosphere. (Xinhua/Ren Chao) Tourists guess lantern riddles at the Sun Island scenic spot in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 24, 2024. People across the country celebrate the Lantern Festival, which fell on Feb. 24 this year, amid a festive and bustling atmosphere. (Xinhua/Wang Jianwei) People visit a fair celebrating the Lantern Festival in Zhuozi County of Ulanqab, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Feb. 23, 2024. People across the country celebrate the Lantern Festival, which fell on Feb. 24 this year, amid a festive and bustling atmosphere. (Xinhua/Liu Lei) People visit a lantern fair celebrating the Lantern Festival in Haikou, south China's Hainan Province, Feb. 23, 2024. People across the country celebrate the Lantern Festival, which fell on Feb. 24 this year, amid a festive and bustling atmosphere. (Xinhua/Pu Xiaoxu) People watch performance celebrating the Lantern Festival in Zhuozi County of Ulanqab, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Feb. 23, 2024. People across the country celebrate the Lantern Festival, which fell on Feb. 24 this year, amid a festive and bustling atmosphere. (Xinhua/Liu Lei) Vitamin B6 is beneficial in many ways, notably for its role in maintaining a strong immune system. However, when pancreatic cancer develops, its cells also need vitamin B6 to replicate. During the ensuing tug of war over a limited supply of vitamin B6, pancreatic cancer almost always emerges as the victor. A researcher at the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine is following a promising trail of clues in an effort to reverse that reality. Kamiya Mehla, Ph.D., is an associate professor of oncology science in the OU College of Medicine and a researcher with the OU Health Stephenson Cancer Center. Her research seeks ways to invigorate the body's immune system against invaders like pancreatic cancer, and has attracted the attention of funding agencies. Over the past year, she has earned $2.6 million in grants from the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Department of Defense. In a recent publication in the journal Cancer Discovery, Mehla details the role of vitamin B6 in healthy people and when pancreatic cancer is present. Vitamin B6, which can be found in a variety of foods like chicken, fish and bananas, supports immune system cells, including natural killer (NK) cells, which are the first to respond to anything from cancer to a common cold. However, in the presence of pancreatic cancer, NK cells are noticeably absent. That's because the cancer cells use up all the vitamin B6 that the NK cells need to do their job. Pancreatic cancer is very difficult to treat, and only 11% of people who are diagnosed survive for five years. It's important that researchers study pancreatic cancer from many different angles in order to develop new treatments. My laboratory is focused on the role of vitamin B6 because we know it boosts the immune system, but we need to understand more about how it affects cancer cells. We hope that our work opens new avenues for developing novel treatments for pancreatic cancer." Kamiya Mehla, Ph.D., associate professor of oncology science, OU College of Medicine In her lab, Mehla found that giving more vitamin B6 still doesn't help the NK cells the pancreatic cancer cells actually grew more when they could devour additional nutrients. She studied the actions that cancer cells take to deplete vitamin B6, then devised ways to impede them. She ultimately discovered a three-part strategy. Step one involves reducing the expression of a particular gene in order to block the pathway through which the cancer takes up vitamin B6. The second step is to supply more vitamin B6, and the third utilizes a therapy to enhance the function of NK cells, like a tune-up for a car engine. When the strategy was tested in mice, it reduced the amount of pancreatic cancer cells. "That was encouraging to discover," Mehla said, "and it is important to know because the immune system needs to be strong in order for other treatments, like chemotherapy, to be effective. Therapy will not work if the immune system is not able to do its part." Mehla plans to continue her research in this area and to expand to related concerns. Because pancreatic cancer causes problems throughout the body in its attempt to gain more nutrients, she will study how a shortfall of vitamin B6 affects other organs, particularly the liver, when cancer cells are present. She is also studying whether a lack of vitamin B6 contributes to the onset of cachexia, a muscle-wasting condition that affects the majority of people with pancreatic cancer. The Department of Defense is funding Mehla's research on cachexia. Because military members may be exposed to hazards like radiation and chemical toxins, they can face an increased risk of developing pancreatic cancer as they age. In addition to the cancer itself, cachexia diminishes the quality of life of many war veterans, Mehla said. "When patients have such a dramatic loss of muscle, they are less likely to respond to treatment," she said. "Pancreatic cancer is a systemic disease. It's not just sitting there. It's trying to extract nutrients from multiple areas to help it survive. That's why it's important to take a broad look at how we can stimulate the immune system against tumors." Parkinson's disease, the second most common type of progressive dementia after Alzheimer's disease, affects nearly 1 million people in the U.S. and an estimated 10 million individuals worldwide. Each year, close to 90,000 new cases of Parkinson's disease are diagnosed in the U.S. In a new study, Jeffrey Kordower, director of the ASU-Banner Neurodegenerative Disease Research Center, and his colleagues unveil pivotal insights into the progression of Parkinson's disease, presenting new hope for patients battling the severely debilitating disorder. The research highlights the role of a critical protein called tau in the early stages of the disease. The results suggest that aggregates of the tau protein may jump-start processes of neuronal damage and death characteristics of the disease. The findings challenge the conventional view of Parkinson's disease pathology, which typically focuses on the protein alpha-synuclein as the classic diagnostic hallmark of the disease. The new study illustrates how tau pathology could be actively involved in the degeneration of dopamine-producing neurons in the brain, independent of alpha-synuclein. This revelation could shift the focus of Parkinson's disease research, diagnosis and treatment. Currently, a protein called alpha-synuclein is believed to be the main player in Parkinson's disease pathogenesis. This study highlights that misfolded tau may be the first player in causing the cardinal motor symptoms in the disease." Jeffrey Kordower, Professor, ASU's School of Life Sciences The study appears in the current issue of the journal Brain. Shattering progression The progression of Parkinson's disease involves distinct stages, and the timeline can vary significantly among individuals. The typical stages of Parkinson's, as outlined by the Parkinson's Foundation, can help patients understand the changes as they occur. The disease impacts people in different ways, and not everyone will experience all the symptoms or experience them in the same order or intensity. Some may experience the changes over 20 years or more; for others, the disease advances rapidly. The progression of the disease is influenced by a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Following a diagnosis, many individuals experience a good response to medications such as levodopa, and this optimal time frame can last for many years. Over time, however, modifications to medication are often needed and symptoms may intensify. The prevalence of Parkinson's has doubled in the past 25 years, which may be related to population growth, aging, genetic predisposition, lifestyle changes and environmental pollution. A fresh perspective The tau protein accumulates in two regions: the substantia nigra and putamen, both part of the basal ganglia in the brain. The substantia nigra is responsible for the production of dopamine, which is critical for modulating movement, cognitive executive functions and emotional limbic activity. The putamen, a component of the dorsal striatum, is involved in movement initiation, selection and decision-making, as well as learning, memory, language and emotion. Dysfunction in the putamen can contribute to various disorders, particularly those related to motor function. A wide range of physical and mental symptoms characterize Parkinson's disease. These include: rhythmic tremors, often beginning in a limb, such as the hand or fingers; slowness of movement, which can lead to difficulty in performing simple tasks; muscle stiffness or rigidity; and difficulties with balance. In addition to these physical symptoms, Parkinson's disease can also cause various mental and emotional changes, including depression and anxiety, sleep disorders, memory difficulties, fatigue and emotional changes. Brain traces of disease The scientists conducted the study using postmortem brain tissue from older adults who had experienced different degrees of motor impairment. The research analyzed brain tissues from individuals with no motor deficits, mild motor deficits with and without Lewy pathology in the nigral region of the brain, and from individuals clinically diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. Lewy bodies are abnormal aggregates of the protein alpha-synuclein that accumulate in the brain, and they are a hallmark of several neurodegenerative disorders, including Parkinson's and dementia with Lewy bodies. In the case of Parkinson's, Lewy bodies are primarily found in the substantia nigra, a region of the brain that is crucial for movement control, which leads to characteristic motor symptoms such as rigidity, tremors and bradykinesia (slow movement). The study focused on a cohort of subjects with mild motor impairments -; not pronounced enough to diagnose Parkinson's, but still significant. Dividing these subjects based on the presence or absence of -synuclein, researchers found that tau pathology was a common denominator. The researchers observed that the brain tissue associated with minimal motor deficit demonstrated similar accumulations of tau to those with advanced Parkinson's, suggesting that tau's role occurs early in the disease's evolution. These findings open doors to earlier diagnosis and intervention, potentially slowing or altering the disease's progression. The research also sheds light on parkinsonism, a condition that mimics Parkinson's disease symptoms but is distinct in its underlying mechanisms. The study suggests that tau pathology in the nigrostriatal region of the brain is a shared characteristic, offering a new lens through which to view and treat various forms of parkinsonism. The findings also underscore the potential of targeting tau pathology as a therapeutic approach in Parkinson's disease. Because tau aggregation correlates with motor deficits and degeneration of dopamine-producing regions of the brain, interventions aimed at reducing tau accumulation could offer new hope for altering the disease's trajectory. Kordower is joined by researchers from Neurodegenerative Diseases Research Unit, Biogen, Cambridge, Massachusetts; Aligning Science Across Parkinson's (ASAP) Collaborative Research Network, Chevy Chase, Maryland; Neurology, School of Medicine, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, D.C.; Department of Neurology, University of Alabama at Birmingham; and Pacific Parkinson's Research Centre and Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. The Board of Intermediate Education, Andhra Pradesh published the AP Inter 1st year and 2nd year admit cards 2024 on February 23. Candidates who are to appear for the board exams can visit the official website of the Board of Intermediate Education, Andhra Pradesh, at bieap.apcfss.in and download their hall ticket. To access the Andhra Pradesh Inter Hall Ticket 2024, students will have to enter their date of birth or name on the portal. According to the AP Inter date sheet 2024, the Board of Intermediate Education, Andhra Pradesh (BIEAP) AP Inter 1st year exams 2024 are scheduled to commence on March 1 and run until March 19, 2024. While AP Inter 2nd year exams 2024 will start on March 2 and end on March 20, 2024. AP Inter Hall Ticket 2024: Heres How to download Step 1: Students need to go to the official website of the Andhra Pradesh Board of Intermediate Education at bieap.apcfss.in to download their admit cards. Step 2: Search for and click on the link Download Theory Hall Tickets March 2024 on the homepage. Step 3: Once done, log in to your account by entering your date of birth or name. Step 4: Hit the submit button and the AP Inter Hall Ticket 2024 will be displayed on the screen. Step 5: Cross-check all the details mentioned on the admit card and save a copy of the same. Step 6: For future reference, print a hard copy of the AP Inter Hall Ticket 2024. Upon downloading, candidates must check the following details in the AP Intermediate admit card 2024. It contains important details such as the name of the student, registration number, hall ticket number, parents names, medium of exam, name and address of the exam center, exam date and time, district, gender of the candidate, college name, and exam day guidelines. In case a candidate finds any mistake in the admit card, they must immediately contact the Board of Intermediate Education, Andhra Pradesh, or the concerned authority to get it rectified before the examination date. Furthermore, students should keep in mind that those appearing for the exam must carry their admit card along with their ID cards to the centre on the day of the examination. If a candidate fails to bring their admit card, they will not be permitted to enter the examination hall. The High Court here Friday imposed a fine of Rs 15 lakh on an Allahabad University teacher for filing frivolous cases under the SC/ST Act against her three senior colleagues and quashed the FIRs filed by her. The court said the complainant, an assistant professor in the economics department, knows the law very well and had been abusing the provisions of law for personal gain. Justice Prashant Kumar allowed the petitions filed by professors Manmohan Krishna, Prahlad Kumar and Javed Akhtar against her complaints. This is a case where there is pure abuse of process of law where the complainant just to wreak personal vengeance against the Head of Department tried to implicate him and his colleagues by filing false and frivolous cases, the court observed after hearing the parties. Whenever the Seniors/Head of Department/Professors asked her to teach properly and to take classes regularly, she would file a complaint against them. This is not one of the first cases which happened. The complainant, who is a well-educated lady, knows the provisions of law very well and she had been abusing the provisions of law for personal gain. added the court. Imposing a cost of Rs 5 lakh in each case, the court said, Because of the filing of frivolous cases, the reputation and public image of the applicant and his colleagues, who are Professors and people with high morals and reputation, had been tarnished. They had to run from pillar to post from Police Station to Court to save themselves. On August 4, 2016, the economics department assistant professor lodged an FIR at a police station that she was insulted and harassed by the three professors and they had used words related to her caste while scolding her. Later, police submitted a charge sheet in the case after which the court issued summons against the professors which were challenged before the high court. Non-uniform grading policy; social isolation; insensitive faculty behaviour prompting the need for a faculty feedback system and not enough placement opportunities emerged as the major problems faced by students across programmes, against which they have demanded systemic changes, in an internal survey conducted by the students body at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)- Delhi in the wake of the fourth suicide on campus over the past eight months. Notably, while IIT-Delhi is a top-ranking first-generation IIT, at least 60.7 per cent of the Masters students, who responded to the survey, were worried about their career placements for not landing good enough opportunities. Even undergraduate students, around 56.4 per cent of those surveyed said they were stressed about placements. Also Read| An Open House, A Survey, IIT Delhi Looks at Students Demands in the Wake of Four Suicides on Campus The institute had on Thursday conducted its second yet the biggest Open House meeting to address students concerns after widespread protests on campus following the suicide of a final year MTech student, Varad Sanjay Nerkar (23) on February 15 in his hostel room on campus. Nerkars family has alleged that his academic supervisor had been mentally harassing him. However, IIT-Delhi is yet to come out with its enquiry report looking into the reasons for his death. Based on the surveys findings, the students body put forth its demands to the administration during the interaction. The open house that went on for over two hours was addressed by a panel led by IIT-Delhis director Prof Rangan Banerjee. While the panel agreed on taking up some of the changes in the Senate, which is the highest decision-making body of an IIT for all academic purposes, many of the other crucial demands were dismissed, the students body said. The survey (an online questionnaire) asking students about what kind of changes they seek in the system, the problems faced and discrimination meted out to them, if any, based on rank, caste, gender or any other was responded to by around 2500 students. The survey form was floated among students 48 hours before the open house meeting. It was carried out by the Board of Student Publication (BSP), a major student body, which is run by students, but has the institute administration at its helm. The responses were compiled for different categories of students undergraduate (UG), post-graduate (PG) and PhD. Change in the relative grading policy According to the survey findings, at least 80 per cent of undergraduate students and 37 per cent of those pursuing Masters, want the relative grading policies at the institute to change. At present, the institute is following a relative or a non-uniform grading system, which does not allow students a fair chance. There are many other IITs, which have a fixed criterion for grading such as different cohorts for grading levels. Formal guidelines must be introduced that specify the range of percentage of students for each letter grade, said a student representative. Also, students said that a final percentage-wise distribution of grades per course should be informed to all students as and when finalised by the moderation committee. Out of 560 responses from Masters students, 339 are stressed over career prospects; 251 over course-work related issues; 238 over social isolation; 218 over SGPA criteria; 211 over grading policies; 192 over faculty behaviour; 119 over supervisor allocation and 64 over change of supervisor. A primary concern among Masters students was the high SGPA (Semester Grade Point Average) criteria for the continuation of stipend as compared to other premier institutes in the country. Also, the current system does not provide summer internship opportunities to these students through the career placements office. At IIT-Delhi, the SGPA criteria is 7, which is the highest among other IITs as well as other top colleges, where it ranges between 5 and 6, said a research scholar. Ineffective faculty feedback mechanism According to the survey, faculty sensitisation and accountability to students mental health issues including academic performance was the second major concern among UG students as well as for PhD students, whose work depends largely on their association with their academic guide. It highlights the lack of transparency about the supervisors, their funding and projects as well as the lab culture. PhD students are allotted a supervisor by the admission committee directly upon admission and dont get a chance to choose any other professor. Students are affected by the verbal abuse and/or unprofessional conduct of the supervisor and the identity-based discrimination in the lab environment, the survey said. During the open house, many students cited their experiences of several faculty members making insensitive remarks or of inappropriate behaviour. They demanded that the DWC be responsible for providing a channel for the students to present their issues in an official forum and that a maximal timeline be established for each level of escalation. Issues related to the behaviour of a faculty member can be raised to the DWC and if it finds that the response of the professor is unsatisfactory, it can be flagged to the director. For PhD students, the survey stated, that the current feedback review mechanism which includes course feedback and supervisor feedback is not effective. Many students have reported that feedback provided is not looked into thoroughly. Students fear to report the complaints to the department as anonymity cannot be assured in such cases, it said. To fix this issue, students have proposed to form a Statutory Committee for feedback review of various mechanisms that are crucial course and grading; projects; supervisors; and departments with low placement statistics must be evaluated. The committee must consist of external members without the institutes stakeholders, students said. Social Isolation The survey highlighted social isolation as another major cause of stress among students at both UG (54.5 per cent) and PG (42.5 per cent) levels. Students during the open house demanded that a Department Wellness Committee (DWC) comprising four or five professors from each department along with a counsellor be constituted. Also, the demands included that students should have two complaint forms available on the portal to submit their grievances with the student mentor and the probation advisor, respectively. Social isolation is most common in the IIT system, which impacts undergraduate students the most, as they are just coming in fresh from outside and do not get the support required. This is more rampant in the case of those belonging to reserved categories or remote parts. The institute needs to take serious note of this, said a research scholar, who has previously been a student mentor on campus. The students body in a blog post about the open house said that while various issues were raised and multiple suggestions made, the administration did not commit to any concrete decision. The administration pledged to improve community bonding, teaching standards and communication with professors as well as to reduce academic stress and provide assistance to those struggling. While the efforts to enhance counselling services over the past few months were acknowledged, it was evident that the effectiveness of measures was in question and that further open houses were required and there was still a long way to go before all the issues could be resolved, it read. If you or someone you know needs help, call any of these helplines: Aasra (Mumbai) 022-27546669, Sneha (Chennai) 044-24640050, Sumaitri (Delhi) 011-23389090, Cooj (Goa) 0832- 2252525, Jeevan (Jamshedpur) 065-76453841, Pratheeksha (Kochi) 048-42448830, Maithri (Kochi) 0484-2540530, Roshni (Hyderabad) 040-66202000, Lifeline 033-64643267 (Kolkata) The Kerala Pareeksha Bhavan will soon declare the results for the Kerala Teacher Eligibility Test 2023 October session. The KTET examination took place across the state on December 29 and 30, 2024, and candidates are eagerly awaiting the outcome. Upon release, candidates will have the opportunity to download their KTET 2023 results from the official website ktet.kerala.gov.in, by logging in with their credentials. The examination on both days consisted of two shifts: the first from 10 am to 12.30 pm and the second from 2 pm to 4.30 pm. A merit list will be prepared based on the scores obtained for further processing. Category 1 (Lower Primary Classes) and Category 2 (Upper Primary Classes) exams were conducted on December 29, with the first and second shifts respectively. Category 3 (High School Classes) and Category 4 (for Language Teachers in Arabic, Hindi, Sanskrit, and Urdu subjects) were held on December 30. Kerala TET Result 2024: How to Check Heres a step-by-step guide to check the Kerala TET result 2024 once its released: Step 1: Go to the official website of Kerala Pareeksha Bhavan or KTET: ktet.kerala.gov.in. Step 2: On the homepage, find the link titled KTET October 2024 Result Published. Step 3: Upon clicking on the link, a new page will be displayed on the screen. Step 4: Fill in all the required details such as category, registration number, and date of birth into the provided fields. Step 5: Click on the Check Result tab and your result will be displayed on the screen. Step 6: Download the KTET October Result 2024, review all the information, and keep a printout for further reference. Notably, only candidates who meet or surpass the Kerala TET 2023 cutoff will be eligible for consideration for the available teaching positions. The registration process for the Kerala TET commenced on November 6, 2023, and concluded on November 17, 2023. Candidates had the opportunity to take the final printout until November 18, 2023. The RTE Act 2009 instructed the State to uphold quality standards for hiring teachers. Candidates selected as teachers must demonstrate the necessary aptitude and capability to address teaching challenges across all educational levels. KTET functions as an evaluation for prospective teachers targeting positions in Lower Primary, Upper Primary, and High School Classes across Kerala. The BJP, including state incharges and their deputies for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, will be huddled in Delhi on Saturday as the national capital wakes up to another weekend. The saffron party, it seems, is ready to announce its first comprehensive list of candidates in the first week of March. This all-important meeting will begin at 10 am and will also be attended by national party president JP Nadda, along with union home minister Amit Shah. Sources said unlike the assembly polls, there is little chance of a number of smaller lists. Instead, the BJP is gearing up for a longer first list, which may be announced in the first week of March. Another source said the list may very well contain hundreds of names. During its mega huddle, the party will discuss strategies that will be common practice in all states and union territories along with details of poll rallies by top guns Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Shah and Nadda. The BJP leaders are also expected to discuss constituencies where a shortlist of probable names is yet to be drawn up. For example, there is opposition from the Uttar Pradesh unit for the renomination of Varun Gandhi from Pilibhit and Maneka Gandhi from Sultanpur. The party wants to bring in younger faces in Bareilly and Mathura, where the incumbents Santosh Gangwar and Hema Malini have been such heavyweights that a discussion on their substitutes has been postponed so far. Each state has such constituencies, which were put aside for discussion at a later stage. Now, it remains to be seen if, on Saturday, names for these seats will be discussed or set aside once again for the central election committee to take a call on. For that meeting, whenever it is, the prime minister will also be present. In the last week of January, the BJP had appointed election incharges and co-incharges for 23 states and UTs, including big states like UP, Bihar and West Bengal. In a major assignment, Jay Panda was appointed the election boss of UP, which is the state that brings 80 seats. In Bihar, where the BJP hatched a coup by forming a government with Nitish Kumars JD(U), national general secretary Vinod Tawde is incharge while Rajya Sabha MP Deepak Prakash will be co-incharge. Bihar sends 40 MPs to the Lok Sabha. The BJP will go to campaign on two major themes Hindutva and development. While the newly inaugurated Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir will prominently feature in rallies, campaign songs and speeches, the party will also underscore government schemes like piped water, free housing for the poor, free ration, mediclaim through Ayushman Bharat among others. Starting Monday, the BJP will lean on its most trusted electoral vehicle ahead of the Lok Sabha polls the rath (chariot). This time, the Rath Yatra will be to advertise the achievements of the Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre. National party president JP Nadda will flag off the raths, which will highlight the work done by the BJP government in the last 10 years. While the vehicle remains the same, it has been upgraded with modern amenities like LCD screens, audio systems among others. Ever since September 25, 1990, when LK Advani embarked on the Ram Rath Yatra that began in Gujarats Somnath and culminated at Ayodhya, creating an awareness about the Ram Janmabhoomi Movement the chariot has been the BJPs favourite mode of transport. But, with time, it has evolved. The new versions have LCD screens, AV system and, in some cases, interactive platforms and selfie points. The raths that Nadda will flag off on Monday will highlight two things the BJPs brand of Hindutva, namely Ram Mandir construction or Kashi Corridor, along with developmental schemes like piped water, free housing for the poor, free ration, mediclaim via Ayushman Bharat among others. On Saturday, the BJP had its mega huddle with all its election incharges and co-incharges in the morning with four smaller meetings later in the evening, specifically for Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh and Telangana. These were focused on the seats that the party lost in these states for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. The eleventh season of the popular dance reality show Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa is close to drawing its curtains. With just a few days left before the grand finale, the top five contestants are leaving no stone unturned to win the title. Among all the finalists, wild card entry Manisha Rani has been one of the strongest contestants on the show. Ever since she came to the show, Manisha has impressed the judges and audiences with her performance and charming personality. While fans now eagerly wait to watch Manishas captivating performance on the grand stage, the social media personality was recently spotted visiting the Siddhivinayak Temple in Dadar, Mumbai, to seek the blessings of Ganpati Bappa. Taking to her social media handle, Manisha shared pictures of her temple visit, adding a caption that reads, Bhagwan Ji, aapke aashirwaad ke bina toh har kaam adhoora hai, aur ab jeet kar hi aaye, ashirwad dijiye (Without your blessings, every task remains incomplete, and now that victory has arrived, please bless us) Manisha was dressed in a lavender-coloured outfit. She also met her fans and clicked selfies with them. Manisha, while speaking with the media, thanked everyone for their support and also urged them to vote for her. During this time, Manisha also confirmed that she had become the first finalist in Jhalak 11. According to a Filmibeat report, Manisha, after wrapping up the semi-final episode, visited the temple to seek blessings. As per the latest reports, Shiv Thakare has been eliminated before the grand finale, bringing down the names of the top five finalists. BREAKING! #ShivThakare has been ELIMINATED from the #JhalakDikhhlaJaa11 just before the FINALE. He is not in the Top-5 of the show. Finally, @SonyTV succeeded with their plan and stated Shiv is out bcz of fewer votes . Last week's only we got the hint. #BiggBoss_Tak (@BiggBoss_Tak) February 23, 2024 Presently, the top six participants include the names of Shoaib Ibrahim, Dhanashree Verma, Manisha Rani, Sreerama Chandra, Shiv Thakare, and Adrija Sinha. So far, Shoaib Ibrahim and Manisha Rani have emerged as the strongest contenders on the show and have received a lot of support from fans. The makers of the show are doing their best to make the grand finale episode a starry affair. Set to take place next month, the finale will be attended by leading celebrities. In a significant move, the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Assam government on Friday annulled the Assam Muslim Marriage and Divorce Registration Act, 1935, signaling a shift towards implementing a Uniform Civil Code in the state. Calling the Act as age-old, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that this decision marks a step towards prohibiting child marriages in the state. On 23.22024, the Assam cabinet made a significant decision to repeal the age-old Assam Muslim Marriages & Divorces Registration Act. This act contained provisions allowing marriage registration even if the bride and groom had not reached the legal ages of 18 and 21, as required by law. This move marks another significant step towards prohibiting child marriages in Assam, Himanta Biswa Sarma wrote in a social media post on X. On 23.22024, the Assam cabinet made a significant decision to repeal the age-old Assam Muslim Marriages & Divorces Registration Act. This act contained provisions allowing marriage registration even if the bride and groom had not reached the legal ages of 18 and 21, as required Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) February 23, 2024 Assam minister Jayanta Malla Baruah acknowledged that the decision aligns with the states efforts to implement the Uniform Civil Code in the state, Hindustan Times reported. Earlier this month, Uttarakhand became the first state in the country to pass the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in the assembly; making laws on marriage, divorce, and inheritance the same for every individual in the state. WHAT WILL CHANGE AFTER THE REPEAL? Currently, the law allows for the voluntary registration of Muslim marriages and divorces, empowering the Assam government to issue licenses to Muslim individuals for registering these marriages and divorces in the state. Upon the repeal of this law, those individuals will no longer have the ability to register marriages and divorces. Additionally, the states district commissioners and district registrars will take over the custody of registration records currently held by 94 Muslim Marriage Registrars. To aid in their rehabilitation following the repeal, the government will provide a one-time compensation of Rs 2 lakh each to Muslim Marriage Registrars. Jayanta Malla Baruah asserted that with the repeal, the state aims to transition all marriages, regardless of religion, to be registered under the provisions of the Special Marriage Act. We already have a Special Marriage Act, and we want all marriages to be registered under provisions of that, Baruah said. ACT NOT IN LINE WITH TODAYS SOCIETY Baruah described the repealed law as not in line with todays society, emphasising that the decision is part of the state governments commitment to combating child marriage. Through this (Act), we would also see underage marriages being registered of boys below 21 years or girls below 18 years. So this is a big step towards us being able to completely eradicate child marriage, he added. As per the 2011 Census, Muslims make up 34 per cent of Assams population, totaling 1.06 crore out of the overall population of 3.12 crore. ALIGNMENT OF UCC WITH POLYGAMY BAN BILL Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma has repeatedly expressed his governments commitment to introducing the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in the state, making it a focal point for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Simultaneously, Sarma has also been working on working on a bill to criminalise polygamy. Earlier this month, Assam chief minister announced the introduction of a bill to abolish polygamy in the state during the Budget session. This announcement followed the CMs statement weeks ago that Assam would become the third state, after Uttarakhand and Gujarat, to implement a Uniform Civil Code. However, Sarma suggested that the state government is currently working on aligning the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) and the Polygamy Ban Bill. The Assam cabinet has deliberated on both the anti-polygamy and UCC bills. We were in the process of developing the anti-polygamy bill when Uttarakhand passed the UCC. An expert committee is actively working on aligning these two aspects to bring forth a more robust legislation, Sarma stated. Similar to the Uttarakhand UCC Bill, which has excluded the tribal population, Sarma also declared that the states UCC Bill will grant an exemption to the adivasis of the state. The BJP government in Gujarat has similarly introduced a UCC Bill and intends to pass it in the state assembly soon. Zhang Zhengtao (L) discusses with his colleague on research, development and application of an intelligent inspection device at the headquarters of CASI Vision in Luoyang, central China's Henan Province, Feb. 3, 2024. Led by his supervisor, Zhang Zhengtao, a graduate from the Institute of Automation of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CASIA), joined the research of a large scientific device in 2010. Zhang was the first to apply artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm and precision optical imaging system to a device of its kind. He has made a number of technological breakthroughs in automated optical inspection (AOI) technologies since then. In 2016, he spearheaded in the incorporation of CASI Vision, which applies AOI technologies to non-destructive automatic inspection of standardized industrial products. To date, Zhang still serves as a researcher and doctoral supervisor at CASIA. As a scientist and an entrepreneur, he encourages his students to do practical research by focusing research funds at key issues, and addressing pain points with actual demand from the market. (Xinhua/Zhou Dixiao) This photo taken on Jan. 25, 2024 shows a portrait of Zhang Zhengtao. Led by his supervisor, Zhang Zhengtao, a graduate from the Institute of Automation of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CASIA), joined the research of a large scientific device in 2010. Zhang was the first to apply artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm and precision optical imaging system to a device of its kind. He has made a number of technological breakthroughs in automated optical inspection (AOI) technologies since then. In 2016, he spearheaded in the incorporation of CASI Vision, which applies AOI technologies to non-destructive automatic inspection of standardized industrial products. To date, Zhang still serves as a researcher and doctoral supervisor at CASIA. As a scientist and an entrepreneur, he encourages his students to do practical research by focusing research funds at key issues, and addressing pain points with actual demand from the market. (Xinhua/Jin Liwang) Zhang Zhengtao attends a group meeting at the Institute of Automation of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CASIA) in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 25, 2024. Led by his supervisor, Zhang Zhengtao, a graduate from the Institute of Automation of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CASIA), joined the research of a large scientific device in 2010. Zhang was the first to apply artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm and precision optical imaging system to a device of its kind. He has made a number of technological breakthroughs in automated optical inspection (AOI) technologies since then. In 2016, he spearheaded in the incorporation of CASI Vision, which applies AOI technologies to non-destructive automatic inspection of standardized industrial products. To date, Zhang still serves as a researcher and doctoral supervisor at CASIA. As a scientist and an entrepreneur, he encourages his students to do practical research by focusing research funds at key issues, and addressing pain points with actual demand from the market. (Xinhua/Jin Liwang) Zhang Zhengtao picks a glass back cover for mobile phone from an intelligent inspection device at the headquarters of CASI Vision in Luoyang, central China's Henan Province, Feb. 3, 2024. Led by his supervisor, Zhang Zhengtao, a graduate from the Institute of Automation of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CASIA), joined the research of a large scientific device in 2010. Zhang was the first to apply artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm and precision optical imaging system to a device of its kind. He has made a number of technological breakthroughs in automated optical inspection (AOI) technologies since then. In 2016, he spearheaded in the incorporation of CASI Vision, which applies AOI technologies to non-destructive automatic inspection of standardized industrial products. To date, Zhang still serves as a researcher and doctoral supervisor at CASIA. As a scientist and an entrepreneur, he encourages his students to do practical research by focusing research funds at key issues, and addressing pain points with actual demand from the market. (Xinhua/Zhou Dixiao) Zhang Zhengtao (L) discusses research progress with a student at a lab of the Institute of Automation of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CASIA) in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 25, 2024. Led by his supervisor, Zhang Zhengtao, a graduate from the Institute of Automation of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CASIA), joined the research of a large scientific device in 2010. Zhang was the first to apply artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm and precision optical imaging system to a device of its kind. He has made a number of technological breakthroughs in automated optical inspection (AOI) technologies since then. In 2016, he spearheaded in the incorporation of CASI Vision, which applies AOI technologies to non-destructive automatic inspection of standardized industrial products. To date, Zhang still serves as a researcher and doctoral supervisor at CASIA. As a scientist and an entrepreneur, he encourages his students to do practical research by focusing research funds at key issues, and addressing pain points with actual demand from the market. (Xinhua/Jin Liwang) Zhang Zhengtao (L) prepares for a group meeting at the Institute of Automation of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CASIA) in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 25, 2024. Led by his supervisor, Zhang Zhengtao, a graduate from the Institute of Automation of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CASIA), joined the research of a large scientific device in 2010. Zhang was the first to apply artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm and precision optical imaging system to a device of its kind. He has made a number of technological breakthroughs in automated optical inspection (AOI) technologies since then. In 2016, he spearheaded in the incorporation of CASI Vision, which applies AOI technologies to non-destructive automatic inspection of standardized industrial products. To date, Zhang still serves as a researcher and doctoral supervisor at CASIA. As a scientist and an entrepreneur, he encourages his students to do practical research by focusing research funds at key issues, and addressing pain points with actual demand from the market. (Xinhua/Jin Liwang) Zhang Zhengtao (L) speaks with an investor representative at Beijing branch of CASI Vision in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 26, 2024. Led by his supervisor, Zhang Zhengtao, a graduate from the Institute of Automation of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CASIA), joined the research of a large scientific device in 2010. Zhang was the first to apply artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm and precision optical imaging system to a device of its kind. He has made a number of technological breakthroughs in automated optical inspection (AOI) technologies since then. In 2016, he spearheaded in the incorporation of CASI Vision, which applies AOI technologies to non-destructive automatic inspection of standardized industrial products. To date, Zhang still serves as a researcher and doctoral supervisor at CASIA. As a scientist and an entrepreneur, he encourages his students to do practical research by focusing research funds at key issues, and addressing pain points with actual demand from the market. (Xinhua/Zhou Dixiao) This photo taken on Jan. 25, 2024 shows a portrait of Zhang Zhengtao. Led by his supervisor, Zhang Zhengtao, a graduate from the Institute of Automation of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CASIA), joined the research of a large scientific device in 2010. Zhang was the first to apply artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm and precision optical imaging system to a device of its kind. He has made a number of technological breakthroughs in automated optical inspection (AOI) technologies since then. In 2016, he spearheaded in the incorporation of CASI Vision, which applies AOI technologies to non-destructive automatic inspection of standardized industrial products. To date, Zhang still serves as a researcher and doctoral supervisor at CASIA. As a scientist and an entrepreneur, he encourages his students to do practical research by focusing research funds at key issues, and addressing pain points with actual demand from the market. (Xinhua/Jin Liwang) Zhang Zhengtao (R) discusses research progress with a student at a lab of the Institute of Automation of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CASIA) in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 25, 2024. Led by his supervisor, Zhang Zhengtao, a graduate from the Institute of Automation of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CASIA), joined the research of a large scientific device in 2010. Zhang was the first to apply artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm and precision optical imaging system to a device of its kind. He has made a number of technological breakthroughs in automated optical inspection (AOI) technologies since then. In 2016, he spearheaded in the incorporation of CASI Vision, which applies AOI technologies to non-destructive automatic inspection of standardized industrial products. To date, Zhang still serves as a researcher and doctoral supervisor at CASIA. As a scientist and an entrepreneur, he encourages his students to do practical research by focusing research funds at key issues, and addressing pain points with actual demand from the market. (Xinhua/Jin Liwang) Zhang Zhengtao (L) discusses the panel operation of an intelligent inspection device with his colleague at the headquarters of CASI Vision in Luoyang, central China's Henan Province, Feb. 3, 2024. Led by his supervisor, Zhang Zhengtao, a graduate from the Institute of Automation of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CASIA), joined the research of a large scientific device in 2010. Zhang was the first to apply artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm and precision optical imaging system to a device of its kind. He has made a number of technological breakthroughs in automated optical inspection (AOI) technologies since then. In 2016, he spearheaded in the incorporation of CASI Vision, which applies AOI technologies to non-destructive automatic inspection of standardized industrial products. To date, Zhang still serves as a researcher and doctoral supervisor at CASIA. As a scientist and an entrepreneur, he encourages his students to do practical research by focusing research funds at key issues, and addressing pain points with actual demand from the market. (Xinhua/Zhou Dixiao) The Atal Setu may be the latest big-ticket infrastructure project to be opened to the public in Mumbai, but it is not the only one undertaken by the Maharashtra government. Ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, a number of other transforming projects are lined up with an aim to improve connectivity and reduce traffic congestion in Indias economic capital. While the response to the Atal Setu, or the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL), has been favourable, more such projects will focus on connecting satellite cities in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). Underground tunnel for Navi Mumbai commuters on MTHL The MTHL is Indias longest sea bridge, which connects South Mumbai and Navi Mumbai, and has earned a revenue of Rs 14 crore in just a month. Travel time between these two destinations has been reduced to 20 to 22 minutes, while there is now enhanced connectivity to the Mumbai-Pune expressway. While the toll amount may be heavy at Rs 250, it is compensated in fuel and time. Now, to save more travel time for commuters, who are using the Atal Setu from Navi Mumbai, the state government is planning an underground tunnel that will directly take them to Nariman Point. This project, which is estimated to cost at least Rs 8,700 crore, will come up between Orange Gate and Marine Drive. It will be a 9.2-km tunnel connecting the Eastern Freeway and Marine Drive, which will help decongest traffic in this area. In peak hours, it takes 30 to 35 minutes to reach from Orange Gate to Marine Drive, but the tunnel will reduce this time by 10 to 15 minutes. Coastal Road to cut congestion, travel time by 70% It may have been plagued by a number of controversies and delays, but the Mumbai Coastal Road will help reduce congestion and travel time by 70%. The state government wants to partially open the project before the model code of conduct is implemented. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was to visit Mumbai on February 19 to inaugurate the first phase of the project, but this was cancelled. The first phase between Nariman Point and Worli covers a distance of 11 km and authorities are confident that this will help reduce congestion in South Mumbai. The tunnel road will further connect to the Bandra-Worli Sea Link. The Mumbai Coastal Road project (south) is set to transform travel in the city, cutting congestion and travel time by 70%, while boosting average speeds to 80 kmph. This toll-free, signal-free route promises reduced pollution and a positive impact on social, environmental and economic aspects. With strategic interchanges and future expansions, its a comprehensive solution for Mumbais growing population and traffic challenges, BMC additional municipal commissioner Ashwini Bhide told News18. Reducing the burden on local trains The local trains are known to be the lifeline of Mumbai, but whether it is the western or the central line, both are overburdened. As for vehicular traffic, it takes a minimum of two hours to reach South Mumbai from both the ends of the central and western lines. The Mumbai Metro Line 3, which is still under construction, is likely to begin operations in a phased manner. Also known as the Aqua Line, when fully completed, it will span 33.5 km covering 27 stations from Cuffe Parade to Aarey Colony. This line is expected to become operational in three phases and, as per sources, the first phase is likely to start between Aarey to Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) by the end of May. Then, the second phase from BKC to Worli will start followed by the third phase from Worli to Colaba by December. The authorities are working hard as this will be the first partially underground Metro line. I had stopped using my car as it is a waste of time and fuel to travel in peak hours in Mumbai. I had to travel to my office in the western suburbs and in the town area to meet clients. As of now, the local train is my saviour but the journey is not comfortable. There are air-conditioned local trains on the western and central lines, but I am unable to match their timings. If Metro Line 3 or the Thane-Wadala line becomes operational, it will not only reduce the burden on local trains but it will be a comfortable journey for commuters as well. Recently, I went to Nagpur for three days and used the Metro there; it is well-connected to the major areas of the city, said Rohan Tillu, a corporate communications specialist, who travels from Thane to his office in the western suburbs daily. There are other Metro lines like 2A, which will connect Dahisar (east) to DN Nagar, and Line 2B, an extension of Line 2A connecting DN Nagar in the west to Mandale on the east side. Metro Line 4 connects Wadala in Central Mumbai to Kasarvadavali of Thane while Line 4A connects Kasarvadavali to Gaimukh, which is at the far end of Thane. There are 14 Metro lines that will be constructed to make travel easier and, ultimately, encourage them to not use their personal vehicles and, in turn, reduce traffic congestion. Some Metro lines will also connect satellite towns around Mumbai like Kalyan, Bhiwandi, Badlapur, Mira Road and Bhayander. Twin tunnels in the wild Recently, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has got the nod from the National Wildlife Board for the upcoming Thane-Borivali twin tunnel. It will pass through the Sanjay Gandhi National Park, which is home to 18 reserved wildlife species, while cutting down travel time between Thane and Borivali to 20 minutes, from the current one hour. The MMRDA will invest approximately Rs 16,000 crore in the project, while the work has been awarded to Hyderabad-based Megha Engineering Infrastructure. The authority will build 10.25-km twin tunnels, with a 1.1-km approach road. In our pursuit to reshape Mumbai and reboot MMR, the MMRDA has envisioned a transformative roadmap. We are planning to build a road network in the next five years, spanning 546 km, that will alleviate congestion while the forthcoming 337-km Metro network will empower MMR with seamless connectivity. With the inauguration of Atal Setu by PM Narendra Modi, weve witnessed cities bridged in just 22 minutes, a testament to our commitment. The upcoming New Town at MTHL landing site promises affordable housing and enhanced connectivity Additionally, two tunnel projects will seamlessly integrate Mumbais heart and suburbs, heralding a future of signal-less connectivity said MMRDA metropolitan commissioner Dr Sanjay Mukherjee. Chhattisgarh actor-director-producer Manoj Rajput was held for allegedly raping a close relative for the past 13 years after promising to marry her, a police official said on Saturday. He was held from his office in the states Durg district on Friday on the complaint of the 29-year-old victim, reported news agency, PTI as saying the official. On February 22, she lodged a complaint at the Old Bhilai railway police station about Rajput sexually exploiting her since 2011 on the pretext of marriage. After he reneged on his promise, she approached police, Station House Officer (SHO) Rajkumar Borjha said to the news agency. Rajput was charged under Indian Penal Code sections for rape, unnatural sex, criminal intimidation and other offences as well as the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act since the victim was a minor when the alleged exploitation began, Borjha said. A local court where Rajput was produced, however, quashed the provisions of POCSO Act citing the law did not exist in 2011 (when the exploitation allegedly started), he added. Meanwhile, last year in August the Mumbai police arrested a 26-year-old film editor and casting director for assaulting an 18-year-old girl after she refused physical intimacy. The accused was reportedly arrested from Gujarats surat, where he fled presuming the victim died after the assault that left multiple fractures on her skull. The accused, Deepak Malakar, a resident of Bihar, was arrested, three days after he fled from Mumbai after the August 11 incident. After the assault, the victim lost consciousness. Believing she is dead, Malakar, who claims he is a film editor and casting director, ran away. The teenager, however, later regained consciousness and reached for help, according to a report by Times of India. After a two-day stay in the ICU, the victim, a first-year college student, is now recuperating in hospital. (with PTI inputs) A Class 6 student of a private school in northeast Delhis New Usmanpur area was detained for allegedly killing a 14-year-old boy from his school, police said on Saturday. The students had a fight over some petty issue outside the school and the accused punched the victim a student of Class 8 on the face, they said. The alleged incident occurred on Friday. The police received a call from JPC Hospital around 4 pm about the victim, a resident of Brahmpuri. The boy had injuries on his head, face and left hand. The place where the alleged altercation occurred was also littered with blood spots, the police said. The victim died due to excessive bleeding from the nose, they added. CCTV cameras installed in the locality were scanned and the 12-year-old accused was identified. He was apprehended late on Friday, the police said. The Lieutenant Governor of Delhi, V.K. Saxena, on Friday had written to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal expressing concern over the delayed presentation of the budget. Accusing the AAP-led Delhi government of unwarranted delays, Saxena stressed the peoples right to transparency in the utilisation of public funds. The LGs letter comes after the prolonged delay in addressing five CAG reports, which have been pending with State Finance Minister Atishi since August last year. On February 15, the budget session of the Assembly was extended until the first week of March after Atishi acknowledged delays in finalising the financial statement during a session in the House. The LG asserted that the reports from the CAG are a constitutionally mandated, independent, and impartial assessment of the governments performance. It is an obligation of the government of the day to share with the people, through the House, an objective account of its performance revenue and expenditure of public funds, Saxena wrote in his letter. The LG urged Kejriwal to instruct the finance minister to promptly process crucial reports on state finances for presentation during the ongoing budget session of the Delhi Assembly. Highlighting that the Centre approved the budget on February 19, three days after its submission by the Delhi government, the LG stated, Thereafter, the process seems to have been stalled for no apparent reason at the level of GNCTD (Government of National Capital territory of Delhi) it will be in the fitness of things that the Annual Financial Statement (Budget), be laid, discussed and passed in the Assembly at the earliest for the benefit of people of Delhi. You are accordingly requested to get the process expedited and utilise the Budget Session for what it was summoned for in the interest of transparency, accountability and good governance, he signed off. Farmers Delhi chalo march has been halted till February 29 as groups leading the agitation have shifted their focus to the death of a young agitator in the ongoing protest. Farmer leaders have announced that they will decide their next course of action on February 29 while agitators will stay put at the two protest sites on the Punjab-Haryana border, Shambhu and Khanauri. The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM), the farmer groups spearheading the protests, have outlined a list of activities planned for the next week. A candle march is scheduled for Saturday, followed by seminars on farmer-related issues tomorrow. On February 26, the protestors intend to burn effigies of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and ministers. In addition, several meetings of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha forums are slated for the subsequent two days. The farmers, who observed a black day on Friday over the death of a 22-year-old protesting farmer, will take out tractor marches on highways across the country on February 26 and hold a Mahapanchayat in Delhis Ramlila Maidan on March 14. Subhkaran Singh, died last Wednesday amid clashes between Haryana Police and Punjab farmers. Farmers had put their Delhi Chalo protest march on hold for two days after the incident, which had left at least 12 other peasants injured. Haryana Police in Ambala District had said that any loss to the government and private property during the protest will be compensated by attaching the property and seizure of bank accounts of the protestors. The farmer leaders had, on last Sunday, rejected a government proposal in the fourth round of talks, leading to the resumption of the protest. One of the farmer leaders on Thursday said they rejected a fresh invite for talks from the Centre. Farmers from Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh on February 13 morning began their Delhi Chalo march to press for their demands, amid heavy barricading at the Haryana-Punjab border and entry points into the National Capital. However, most of them were stopped by security personnel at Shambhu and Khanauri points on Punjabs border with Haryana. The protesters have stayed put at the two border points since then. Over 200 farmers unions, including the Samyukta Kisan Morcha and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha, are taking part in the march to press the Centre to accept their demands. Besides a legal guarantee of MSP, the farmers are demanding the implementation of the Swaminathan Commissions recommendations, pension for farmers and farm labourers, farm debt waiver, no hike in electricity tariff, withdrawal of police cases and justice for the victims of the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence, reinstatement of the Land Acquisition Act, 2013, and compensation to the families of the farmers who died during a previous agitation in 2020-21. Heres a list of all the latest updates related to the farmers agitation. Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday travelled in Mumbais iconic local train and interacted with commuters. Pictures of the Union Minister chatting with fellow passengers as she travelled from Ghatkopar to Kalyan were shared on her official X handle. Smt @nsitharaman interacts with commuters while travelling from Ghatkopar to Kalyan in a Mumbai local train, the X post read. Smt @nsitharaman interacts with commuters while travelling from Ghatkopar to Kalyan in a Mumbai local train. pic.twitter.com/T15BdC3f5V Nirmala Sitharaman Office (@nsitharamanoffc) February 24, 2024 Glimpses from Smt @nsitharamans train journey from Ghatkopar to Kalyan. https://t.co/KE4z1WEf4B pic.twitter.com/HhREX9zViA Nirmala Sitharaman Office (@nsitharamanoffc) February 24, 2024 FM Sitharaman was received by the Union Minister of State for Panchayati Raj, Kapi Patil, upon her arrival at the Kalyan station. Smt @nsitharaman was received by Shri @KapilPatil_, Honble Union Minister of State for Panchayati Raj, upon her arrival at the Kalyan Railway Station. https://t.co/KE4z1WDHf3 pic.twitter.com/eCiuTUmYYm Nirmala Sitharaman Office (@nsitharamanoffc) February 24, 2024 Nirmala Sitharamans local train travel garnered mixed reactions from the public. While some lauded her initiative to understand problems faced by people while travelling in local trains, others questioned the timing of her visit. This is not the first time the Finance Minister enjoyed a train journey. Last year in November FM Sitharaman undertook a ride on the Vande Bharat train in Kerala, describing it as a pleasant experience. She also hailed the railway ministry and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for introducing semi-high-speed trains in the country, pointing out their popularity and full bookings. The Finance Minister shared glimpses of her travel from Kochi to the state capital Thiruvananthapuram on her X handle. Taking a ride on #VandeBharat from Kochi to Thiruvananthapuram. Vande Bharat was introduced by @PMOIndia @narendramodi in September 2022. It is after a year that I have the opportunity to travel in one of them. Being popular, the train runs fully booked. Well done @RailMinIndia, Sitharamans X post read. The government of Indias three-dimensional approach a better strategy, making public contribution to the development and state-Centre coordination to wipe out Left Wing Extremism (LWE) has shown a significant decline in Naxalist violence. According to government data, cases of violence have reduced by 52 per cent and the number of deaths by 69 per cent from 6,035 to 1,868 in the decade 2014-23 compared to 2004-14. A total of 195 new camps have been established in the Red zone. Similarly, cases have been given to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to probe thoroughly, special task forces have been constituted with offensive strategy and air support have been given for effective operations. According to the Ministry of Home Affairs, after various high-level deliberations and interactions with the state governments concerned in dealing with this decades-old problem, it was felt appropriate that an integrated approach aimed at the relatively more affected areas would deliver results. With this in view, a detailed analysis of the spread and trends in respect of Left Wing Extremist violence has been made and 70 districts in 10 states have been taken up for special attention with regard to planning, implementation and monitoring various interventions, MHA said. According to MHA data, incidents of Left Wing Extremism have reduced from 14,862 to 7,128. The number of deaths of security forces due to LWE has declined by 72 per cent from 1,750 in 2004-14 to 485 during 2014-23 and the number of civilian deaths has declined by 68 per cent from 4,285 to 1,383. Similarly, the number of districts with violence was 96 in 2010, which declined by 53 per cent to 45 in 2022. Along with this, the number of police stations reporting violence decreased from 465 in 2010 to 176 in 2022. The Union government closely monitors the situation and supplements and coordinates their efforts in several ways. These include providing the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs); sanction of India Reserve (IR) battalions, setting up of Counter Insurgency and Anti-Terrorism (CIAT) schools; modernisation and upgradation of the State Police and their Intelligence apparatus; reimbursement of security related expenditure under the Security-related Expenditure (SRE) Scheme; providing helicopters for anti-LWE operations, assistance in training of State Police through the Ministry of Defence, the Central Police Organisations and the Bureau of Police Research and Development; sharing of Intelligence; facilitating inter-State coordination; assistance in community policing and civic action programmes etc. The underlying philosophy is to enhance the capacity of the state governments to tackle Maoist menace in a concerted manner. KERALA LOTTERY KARUNYA KR-642 RESULT ON SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 24, LIVE UPDATES: The Kerala State Lottery Department has announced the results of the Karunya KR-642 lucky draw for Saturday, February 24. Check the full list of winning numbers below. ALSO READ: Kerala Lottery Result Today LIVE: Nirmal NR-369 WINNERS for March 1, 2024; First Prize Rs 70 Lakh! FULL LIST OF WINNING NUMBERS FOR KARUNYA KR-642 LOTTERY WINNING NUMBERS FOR CONSOLATION PRIZE WORTH RS 8,000 ARE KA 136339 KB 136339 KC 136339 KD 136339 KE 136339 KG 136339 KH 136339 KJ 136339 KK 136339 KL 136339 KM 136339 WINNING NUMBER FOR 1ST PRIZE WORTH RS 80 LAKH IS KF 136339 (PALAKKAD) Agent Name: A KAJA HUSSAIN Agency No.: P 1844 WINNING NUMBER FOR 2ND PRIZE WORTH RS 5 LAKH IS KH 890977 (CHITTUR) Agent Name: MOHAMMED THOUFEEQ Agency No.: P 4410 WINNING NUMBERS FOR 3RD PRIZE WORTH RS 1 LAKH ARE KA 649925 (CHERTHALA) KB 572232 (THRISSUR) KC 858393 (ADOOR) KD 917407 (CHERTHALA) KE 244462 (IDUKKI) KF 135361 (WAYANADU) KG 857782 (ERNAKULAM) KH 581265 (MALAPPURAM) KJ 163449 (KOTTAYAM) KK 150801 (THRISSUR) KL 548438 (ERNAKULAM) KM 197725 (KOLLAM) WINNING NUMBERS FOR 4TH PRIZE WORTH RS 5,000 ARE 0548 0806 1142 1462 1547 2232 2567 4277 4471 4563 6379 7859 8738 8873 9356 9396 9424 9674 WINNING NUMBERS FOR 5TH PRIZE WORTH RS 2,000 ARE 1887 2438 2948 3328 4671 4699 4828 6675 7495 8395 WINNING NUMBERS FOR 6TH PRIZE WORTH RS 1,000 ARE 0130 0993 1049 2609 2680 2905 3042 5911 5970 6800 6977 7927 7995 9592 WINNING NUMBERS FOR 7TH PRIZE WORTH RS 500 ARE 0073 0433 0509 0611 0797 0831 0839 0840 0929 0930 1210 1354 1369 1428 1554 1569 1909 1982 2150 2178 2528 2736 2818 2885 2887 2964 2999 3104 3222 3293 3362 3650 3765 3886 4100 4129 4257 4260 4626 4946 4986 5242 5516 5576 5877 6132 6221 6240 6290 6352 6613 6632 6756 6881 6933 6959 6967 7067 7084 7109 7118 7171 7233 7241 7637 7711 7785 7916 7920 8033 8294 9005 9109 9133 9294 9440 9603 9628 9765 9828 WINNING NUMBERS FOR 8TH PRIZE WORTH RS 100 ARE 0020 0142 0206 0214 0620 0622 0657 0756 0857 0869 0881 0944 0948 1023 1137 1183 1198 1235 1344 1450 1622 1795 1848 1880 1888 1989 2085 2137 2148 2364 2440 2504 2517 2608 2811 2846 3036 3110 3116 3130 3204 3213 3296 3608 3624 3760 3818 3916 3950 4058 4060 4084 4095 4148 4269 4296 4364 4539 4599 4639 4643 4677 4838 4864 4898 4911 4976 5058 5099 5313 5325 5648 5674 5721 5782 6187 6207 6294 6296 6375 6473 6510 6525 6528 6567 6651 6863 7064 7144 7148 7293 7406 7448 7478 7598 7600 7619 7851 8008 8064 8133 8153 8297 8428 8533 8601 8660 8781 8792 8904 8977 9012 9024 9057 9074 9086 9128 9502 9504 9572 9709 9756 9859 9924 KERALA LOTTERY RESULT TODAY: KARUNYA KR-642 PRIZE STRUCTURE 1st Prize: Rs 80 lakh 2nd Prize: Rs 5 lakh 3rd Prize: Rs 1 lakh 4th Prize: Rs 5,000 5th Prize: Rs 2,000 6th Prize: Rs 1,000 7th Prize: Rs 500 8th Prize: Rs 100 Consolation Prize: Rs 8,000 HOW TO VERIFY KERALA KARUNYA KR-642 LOTTERY RESULTS? You have two options for obtaining the Kerala Karunya KR-642 Lottery results. One option is to visit the official website of the Kerala Lottery Department at www.keralalottery.info. Another option is to check the winning numbers at the Kerala Government Gazette office. Both sources offer reliable and precise lottery results. HOW TO CLAIM PRIZE MONEY? To determine if you have won a prize in the Kerala Karunya KR-642 Lottery, simply compare the numbers on your ticket to those published in the Kerala Government Gazette. To qualify for a prize, your ticket number must match those listed on the official winning roster. If you are a winner, youll need to collect your prize from the Kerala Lottery Headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram. It is crucial to redeem your winning ticket within 30 days of the draw date. To expedite the prize claim process, ensure you have your winning ticket and a valid form of identification readily available. A 17-year-old JEE aspirant who allegedly went missing from his hostel in Rajasthans Kota has been located by police officials in Himachal Pradeshs Dharamshala. Cops conducted an extensive 11-day search operation to find the boy who went missing on February 13. The aspirant identified as Piyush hailed from Bulandshahr in Uttar Pradesh and was preparing for JEE for the past two years, reported NDTV, adding that his disappearance raised concerns among family members and authorities. Senior police officer Amrita Duhan informed that to find the whereabouts of Piyush, police searched different locations with teams. Cops received intelligence input, suggesting the boys presence in Dehradun and the investigating officials dispatched teams to both Dehradun and Haridwar to locate the missing 17-year-old boy. The family members of the student accompanied the cops, who then found the boy in Dharamshala. According to the English Daily, Piyushs mental condition is reported to be unstable, adding that the boy will undergo counseling and subsequent questioning, once he reaches Kota. In another unrelated incident, the body of a 16-year-old IIT-JEE aspirant has been recovered from the Chambal valley in Rajasthan after nine days of intense search operation, the police informed. Rachit Sondhiya, a JEE aspirant from Madhya Pradesh, has been missing since February 11, NDTV reported. The student was last seen entering the forest area near Garadiya Mahadev temple in a security camera footage. The student reportedly left his hostel on the pretext of an exam. According to the police, the teenagers body was spotted in an isolated and inaccessible spot in the Chambal Valley. After their son went incommunicado for over a week, Rachits parents circulated his posters urging the public to help them find his location. They even reached out to Education Minister Madan Dilawar, requesting his intervention in the matter. Mumbai Police has urged those observing Shab-e-barat to strictly follow guidelines and to ensure no one is inconvenienced. Shab-e-barat, or the night of forgiveness is observed on the 15th day of Shaban by Muslims who believe Allah decides the fortune and future of all creatures on this night. It will start from the namaz e maghrib on Sunday and will culminate with namaz e fazar on Monday. A meeting was held on Saturday during which it was decided that five additional commissioners of police, 13 DCPs, 1,200 officers, 5,500 personnel, including home guards and SRPF units, will be deployed to maintain law and order, an official said. Social media posts will be monitored and youth have been told not to ride triple seat or indulge in unnecessary honking. Everyone observing Shab-e-barat must strictly follow all police guidelines and ensure no one is inconvenienced, he said. CCTV cameras across the metropolis will be used to keep tab and strict action will be taken against those violating norms, the official said. BEIJING, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday, also the Chinese Lantern Festival of the Year of the Dragon, replied to a letter from students of the U.S. Iowa state's Muscatine High School who visited China in late January and sent them New Year cards in return. In the letter, Xi extended holiday wishes to the teachers and students of the school, and encouraged more American youths to come to China for exchanges and study. Xi noted that the students' letter featured beautifully written Chinese characters as well as vividly hand-painted Chinese dragon, also known as the "loong," the Great Wall and pandas. The Chinese president said he felt happy for the students as they visited several Chinese cities, where they saw pandas, tasted Chinese delicacies, experienced Chinese culture, and had a lot of fun. Learning that the U.S. students have made many Chinese friends during the trip, and invited those friends to visit their hometown in the United States, Xi said he found their friendship very touching. Citing a Chinese saying that reads "seeing is believing," Xi said the warm and friendly American people he met during his first visit to the United States in 1985 have given him an indelible impression. Likewise, it is believed that through this exchange visit, the students can gain a more intuitive and in-depth understanding of China and the Chinese people, Xi said. The Chinese president encouraged the Muscatine High School students to revisit China and encouraged more American youths to come to China for exchanges and study, where they can get first-hand experience of a real China in a multi-dimensional and comprehensive manner, foster genuine friendship with Chinese youths and learn from each other so that they can jointly contribute to a stronger friendship between the people of the two countries. Noting that the Chinese Lantern Festival has long been an important moment for the Chinese people to express their hope for a better life, Xi extended his best holiday wishes to the teachers and students of the school. During his trip to the United States in November 2023, Xi announced a program to invite 50,000 American youths in the next five years to China for exchanges and study. Sarah Lande, a friend of Xi in the U.S. state of Iowa, wrote a letter recently to Xi, in which she expressed the hope that Muscatine High School students can join the program. With Xi's support, more than 20 Muscatine High School students paid an exchange visit to Beijing, Shanghai and Hebei Province, among other places in China from Jan. 24 to 30, becoming the first group of American students to visit China under the program. One of their gifts to Xi upon their arrival in Beijing was a school flag written with Chinese characters "Grandpa Xi, Here We Are." After the visit, the students wrote a letter to the Chinese president, sharing with him their joy during their China trip and thanking him for the invitation. Hello readers, News18 evening digest brings you the latest updates: New Criminal Laws Replacing Indian Penal Code to Come Into Effect from July 1; Haldwani Violence Mastermind Abdul Malik, Who Was Absconding Since Unrest, Arrested from Delhi among others. New Criminal Laws Replacing Indian Penal Code to Come Into Effect from July 1: Govt The three new criminal laws, which will replace the countrys colonial-era penal code, will come into effect from July 1, the Ministry of Home Affairs announced in a notification on Saturday. READ MORE Haldwani Violence Mastermind Abdul Malik, Who Was Absconding Since Unrest, Arrested from Delhi In a breakthrough in the Haldwani violence case, the mastermind behind the unrest, Abdul Malik, who has been absconding since the incident, was arrested by Uttarakhand police from Delhi on Saturday. READ MORE Jaahnavi Kandula Death: Charges Against US Cop Who Ran Over Andhra Student Dropped, India Seeks Review India sought a review of the US court ruling that dropped criminal charges against Seattle police officer Kevin Dave whose speeding car killed 23-year-old Indian student Jaahnavi Kandula. Prosecutors could not pursue the case against police officer Kevin Dave due to lack of sufficient evidence. READ MORE Kangana Ranaut Makes SHOCKING Allegation About Illegal Stuff In Bollywood: Popular Film Personalities Kangana Ranaut is known for always speaking her mind. She never shies away from expressing her opinions candidly and boldly. Her recent comment has caught everyones attention. Kangana took to social media and alleged that popular film personalities use the dark web to hack into peoples communications apps like WhatsApp. READ MORE Study Reveals 25 Dishes Including Rajma, Idli Are Causing Damage To Biodiversity, Details Inside Most of us are unaware that the food we are eating is causing damage to biodiversity. A recent study was conducted to assess the biodiversity footprints of 151 popular dishes all across the world revealing the impact of food items on the ecosystem. The study says that dishes containing meat tend to have a greater impact on biodiversity as compared to vegetarian and vegan dishes. READ MORE India vs England LIVE Score 4th Test Match Day 2: IND 219/7 at Stumps, Trail ENG by 134 Runs Indias Yashasvi Jaiswal crossed his fifty-run mark as Shubman Gill, Rajat Patidar and Ravindra Jadeja were dimissed by Shoaib Bashir before tea. READ MORE A government school teacher, posted in Rajasthans Baran district, has been suspended for disrespecting Goddess Saraswati and hurting religious sentiments, officials on Saturday said. Primary school teacher Hemlata Bairwa was suspended on Friday following an order by Rajasthan Education Minister Madan Dilawar, they said. Some people give weightage to themselves so much, their chaal (working style) is not yet gone and they ask what is the contribution of Goddess Saraswati in school, whoever has said so in this area, I suspend him/her, Dilawar had said addressing a public gathering during his tour in Kishanganj area in Baran district on Thursday. A day after the ministers announcement in public, the district education (elementary) officer of Baran on Friday issued an order for the suspension of Prabodhak level 1 teacher, Hemlata Bairwa, posted at a government primary school at Lakdai village in the Kishanganj area in Baran district given under-consideration of disciplinary action against her. However, the official at the Baran district education department claimed the suspension order was issued after an initial inquiry into hurting and provoking religious sentiments against Bairwa was over. In an initial inquiry into controversy over the placement of Goddess Saraswatis picture on stage at the Republic Day function in the government primary school at Lakadia in the Kishanganj area, the teacher was found responsible for hurting and provoking religious sentiments of local people and on basis of the same, order for her suspension was issued on Friday, Baran district education (elementary) officer Piyush Kumar Sharma told. BJP leader Jaiveer Shergill on Friday said the Congress decision to give Gujarats Bharuch constituency to the Aam Aadmi Party in the seat-sharing deal for the upcoming Lok Sabha poll is the revenge of the Prince, alluding to the contrast between the late Congress leader Ahmed Patel and Rahul Gandhi Handing over long standing stronghold of Sh Ahmed Patel, who gave his life to Congress Party, to AAP is the revenge of the Prince!, said former Congress leader and current BJP spokesperson Shergill in a social media post on X. Handing over long standing stronghold of Sh Ahmed Patel, who gave his life to Congress Party, to AAP is the revenge of the Prince ! Jaiveer Shergill (@JaiveerShergill) February 24, 2024 INDIA bloc allies Aam Aadmi Party and Congress finalised their seat-sharing deal in Delhi, Haryana, Goa and Gujarat for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. In a joint statement, both parties said they have mutually decided to not contest the polls together in Punjab. In Gujarat, Congress will contest 24 of the 26 Lok Sabha seats, while AAP will field candidates on 2 seatsBharuch and Bhavnagar. Upset with the decision to field an AAP candidate from the Bharuch seat, which had been a stronghold for Congress and was represented by Ahmad Patel thrice from 1977 to 1984, the late Congress leaders son Faisal Ahmed, along with several party leaders, urged the party high command on Thursday to name its own candidate from the tribal-dominated constituency. Patels daughter and Congress leader Mumtaaz Patel also expressed dissatisfaction on social media, asserting that she wont let her fathers 45 years of legacy go in vain. Deeply apologize to Our district cadre for not being able to secure the Bharuch Lok Sabha seat in alliance. I share your disappointment. Together, we will regroup to make Congress. We wont let Ahmed Patels 45 years of Legacy go in vain. #bharuchkibeti, Mumtaaz wrote. Deeply apologize to Our district cadre for not being able to secure the Bharuch Lok Sabha seat in alliance.I share your disappointment.Together, we will regroup to make @INCIndia stronger .We wont let @ahmedpatel 45 years of Legacy go in vain. #bharuchkibeti Mumtaz Patel (@mumtazpatels) February 24, 2024 Responding to Mumtazs post, BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya said the Congress move was intended to erase Ahmed Patels legacy and humiliate his family. Malviya wrote, In the Congress, one dynasty is more equal than the others. Everyone knows of the differences between late Ahmed Patel and Rahul Gandhi. Giving away Bharuch to AAP is Rahul Gandhis attempt to erase his legacy and humiliate the family. Gandhis believe in use and throw. In the Congress, one dynasty is more equal than the others.Everyone knows of the differences between late Ahmed Patel and Rahul Gandhi. Giving away Bharuch to AAP is Rahul Gandhis attempt to erase his legacy and humiliate the family. Gandhis believe in use and throw. https://t.co/nQWDqDneTe Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) February 24, 2024 According to sources, Rahul Gandhi had apparently spoken to Mumtazs brother, Faizal, and assured him that Bharuch would be theirs. Reacting to the seat-sharing formula, Faisal Patel said, Hope Rahul Gandhi will re-think his decision. West Bengal Leader of Opposition Suvendhu Adhikari is all set to speak on the Sandeshkhali unrest at an event in New Delhis Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) on Saturday. State BJP chief Sukanta Majumdar will also attend the discussion on Shattering silence: Unveiling the reality of political violence against women in West Bengal organised by the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP). An NHRC team visited trouble-torn Sandeshkhali for the second consecutive day on Saturday to investigate into allegations of land-grabbing by some TMC leaders. A CPI(M) delegation led by Minakshi Mukhopadhyay also visited the strife-hit region in North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal even as an uneasy calm prevailed with police patrolling the area. Mukhopadhyay, along with party leader Palash Das, visited various households and spoke to the locals. ADG (South Bengal) Supratim Sarkar also made a visit to the area. Fresh protests rocked the trouble-torn village in North 24 Parganas district on Friday, where locals torched the property of accused TMC leaders and held demonstrations against the delay in arresting the main accused, Shahjahan Sheikh. During the unrest, residents barricaded roads with logs and set them on fire to block the entry of police vehicles into the Jhupkhali area of Sandeshkhali. Tensions persisted for the second consecutive day, with reports of TMC leaders being assaulted. Director General of Police (DGP) Rajeev Kumar, for the second consecutive day, went to the troubled region and pledged firm action against those responsible for the unrest. The unrest in Sandeshkhali revolves around allegations levelled against Sheikh and his supporters concerning land encroachment and sexual assault. Sheikh has remained elusive since a mob attack on Enforcement Directorate officials in Sandeshkhali on January 5. Here are the latest developments in the issue: A woman entrepreneur was arrested in Hyderabad on Friday for allegedly stalking and kidnapping a video jockey, with the intention of marrying him. According to police, the 31-year-old woman was an intimacy-seeking stalker who went to the extent of installing a tracking device on the mans car to monitor his movements and hiring men to kidnap the 27-year-old victim. The accused, identified as Bhogireddy Trishna, runs a digital marketing business. She saw the photos of victim Pranav Sistla, an anchor for a music channel on TV, on a matrimony website and started chatting with the account holder two years ago. She chatted with the account holder until she realized it was not a genuine account and some cyber miscreant was misusing Pranavs photo as the profile picture, instead of his own photo. Police said that Trishna then found Pranavs phone number and contacted him through an instant messaging app, where he informed her that some unknown person had used his photo and created a fake account on the matrimony site and that he had lodged a complaint regarding the matter with the Cyber Crime police station. However, the woman continued sending messages to the Pranav, who then blocked her number. This did not disallude Trishna, who was determined to stay in touch with the video jockey. Determined to marry him, Trishna planned to kidnap him, thinking she could get things sorted out, police said. She tasked a man working in her office to carry out the job for Rs 50,000, according to a report by NDTV. They reportedly fitted an AirTag to his car to monitor his movements, which was later recovered by the cops. The man hired four others and kidnapped Pranav on February 11 on the pretext that the impersonator had collected some money from Trishna. They took him to Trishnas office, where they beat him up badly, police said. Fearing for his life, the TV anchor agreed to respond to the womans calls and only then was he let off, police said. He later lodged a complaint with Uppal police station, and a case was registered under 363 (kidnapping), 341 (wrongful restraint), 342 (wrongful confinement), and relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). During the investigation, the police apprehended the accused woman along with the four men she hired to carry out the abduction. Further investigation is on. (With PTI Inputs) The Miss World beauty pageant commenced in grand style at the iconic Ashok Hotel in Delhi on February 20. With 120 contestants from across the globe participating in various rounds of competition, the excitement is palpable. Following the Continental Beauty with A Purpose Challenge, the Summit Room at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi is set to host the Multi-Media Challenge and the final round of the Head-to-Head Challenge today, February 23. Sinis attire for the event once again captured attention and garnered praise on social media. Sharing the photos of her look, Sini captioned, Embracing elegance in a stunning black saree by Rohit Bal for todays Head to Head Challenge Finals. The black saree by Rohit Bal was complemented with a matching blouse crafted from Chanderi fabric. It showcased a floral embroidered machine pattern adorning both the upper and lower sections. Her blouse featured a golden thin border, a plunging neckline, and thick noodle straps, adding to its allure. For accessories, she adorned herself with a choker set and a ring from the renowned jewellery brand, Curio Cottage. The elegant stud earrings and the sleek design of the choker set enhanced her overall look. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Sini Shetty (@sinishettyy) Makeup Artist Jyoti Karia provided her with a glamorous makeover, accentuating her eyes with nude eyeshadow, black eyeliner, mascara, and contouring. A hint of blush and highlighter added a radiant glow to her complexion, while a nude lipstick completed the chic ensemble. Lastly, the Hair Stylist from Anila Hair Academy and Daniel Bauer Makeup Academy styled her gorgeous wavy hair to cascade freely over one shoulder, providing the perfect finishing touch to her elegant look. Soon after, social media users flooded the comments section with love and praise for her gorgeous appearance. A user expressed, I love the way Sini always wears Indian traditional outfits in every session of Miss World. By this she proved herself as an Indian regal woman that she embraces within, while another commented, I love how she is showcasing Indian women with a modern yet traditional look. Lets go INDIA, its our time now! During the opening ceremony of Miss World, Sini adorned a luxurious Banarasi saree designed by Jayanti Reddy. The red silk Banarasi saree with a border was beautifully complemented by a purple embroidered blouse, radiating elegance. The luxury label, renowned for its tasteful and refined couture collections, epitomizes traditional attire with a unique flair for minimalist design. Sini accessorized her ensemble with a pair of stone-studded earrings, a gold ring, and a set of bangles from Curio Cottage. Her glamorous appearance was enhanced with subtle makeup as she posed for the camera. Her wavy tresses cascaded in soft curls parted in the middle, adding to her enchanting aura. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Sini Shetty (@sinishettyy) What are your thoughts on Sini Shettys stunning ensemble? Agarbathi holds a significant place in Indian households, spanning generations. The act of lighting an agarbathi extends beyond tradition; with time, it has revealed itself to be more than just a source of fragrance. Its significance has evolved over time, offering multifaceted benefits. From stress reduction and anxiety alleviation to enhancing sleep quality and even fortifying immunity, agarbathi presents an array of uses that may surprise you. The article by Mr. Arjun Ranga, Managing Director of Cycle Pure Agarbathi, delves into the versatile uses of agarbathi beyond its traditional role. 6 Surprising Uses of Agarbathi in Daily Life: Mood Enhancement:The simple act of lighting two sticks of agarbathi has the power to transform your surroundings. It is customary for people to light an agarbathi in the early hours of the day, not solely for religious purposes but also to infuse a sense of positivity, setting the tone for the morning for the entire household. Meditation and Yoga:Agarbathi finds new applications in modern times, extending its use to meditation and yoga practices. Burning incense aids in energy flow in the yoga spaces. When performing yoga in larger spaces with multiple people, lighting an agarbathi helps encourage positive vibes and mindfulness while ensuring a revitalised ambience conducive to practice. Aromatherapy and well-being:Aromatherapy finds a close ally in agarbathi. The gentle fragrance emanating from an agarbathi contributes subtly yet effectively to ones overall well-being. Certain agarbathi fragrances have the ability to relax the mind and body, heighten our focus and sharpen our mental clarity. Sleep Better:Lighting two agarbathi sticks before bedtime fills your room with its gentle fragrance and sets the mood for a good nights sleep, allowing you to wake up feeling refreshed and rejuvenated in the morning. Personal reflection and introspection:If you are fond of journaling, you might experience joy in capturing your thoughts and introspecting in a serene, refreshed environment. Fragrances possess a unique power to evoke memories, allowing for a deeper exploration of our lifes journey. Consider lighting your favourite incense the next time you sit to jot down your checklist, goals or gratitude list. Mental focus and creativity:Fragrances can also stimulate creativity by engaging the senses and enabling lucidity in your thinking. Inhale the fragrance and let the notes clear your mental space, paving the way for your resourcefulness and vivid imagination. In conclusion, incense sticks offer a myriad of benefits for the mind, body, and soul. Whether its fostering introspection, enhancing creativity, or promoting relaxation, they can profoundly enrich our daily lives and rituals. Sini Shetty, the reigning Femina Miss India 2022, proudly carries the Indian flag as she competes in the prestigious 71st Miss World beauty pageant. With the grand finale of the Beauty with a Purpose festival drawing near in March 2024, all eyes are on Sini as she continues to dazzle with her grace and poise. Recently, at an extravagant dinner affair hosted by Miss World at the DMONDE Members Club in New Delhi, Sini stole the spotlight with her flawless fashion sense and stunning wardrobe selection. On her Instagram handle, she posted a series of pictures of designer Maison Hs captivating gown. The caption of the post read, Going green for tonights dinner. The stunning green floor-length gown boasted an elegant cowl neckline, accentuated by a chic cutout along the waist and a high side slit, while a subtle train trailed behind her with grace. Sini accessorised her ensemble with gemstone earrings from the esteemed jewellery brand Curio Cottage, adding a touch of sparkle to her look. Makeup artist Jyoti Karia elevated Sinis natural beauty with captivating smoky eye makeup. The mesmerising eye look featured shimmery eyeshadow paired with bold eyeliner, defined by kajal, voluminous mascara, contoured cheeks for added definition, a hint of blush for a rosy glow, and a nude lipstick to complete the glamorous ensemble. Sinis Hair Stylist opted to keep her luscious wavy locks cascading freely over her shoulders, adding to her overall sophisticated appearance. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Sini Shetty (@sinishettyy) Sini also shared a video featuring her stunning attire, captioning the post with Tu Jhoom. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Sini Shetty (@sinishettyy) Social media users inundated the comment section with adoration and support for her appearance. One user described her as an Ethereal Goddess, while another praised her by saying, Stunning in Green. On day 2 of Miss World, Sini exuded elegance in a custom-made embellished black gown by fashion designer Sahil Kochhar. The gown featured a striking plunging neckline, a figure-hugging silhouette, a daring thigh-high slit, and a flared hem at the bottom. Complementing her attire, she accessorised with delicate pearl danglers and a ring on her index finger. Completing the ensemble with golden heels and a matching clutch, Sini showcased a flawless look for the occasion. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Sini Shetty (@sinishettyy) Her ensemble was beautifully complemented by subtle makeup, accentuating her features, while her cascading wavy locks added a touch of elegance, completing her stunning look. Vidhu Vinod Chopras latest directorial venture, 12th Fail, was released last year. The film stars Vikrant Massey and Medha Shankr in lead roles. The film became one of the most talked about releases of 2023 and was not only lauded by the critics but also by the audience. Based on the real life journey of IPS officer Manoj Kumar Sharma, the film is a motivational watch for everyone. Talking about the same, the decorated officer Manoj Kumar Sharma has revealed that he didnt get any monetary benefits for the film. At ABPs Idea of India summit, Manoj Kumar Sharma shared, If you ask me what I got personally, then I didnt get anything, because I dont take money from anyone or go in expecting any monetary benefits from people. I am a visapt imaandaar (totally honest) person, I am as I was at the time of selection. My wife is also like that. He added, At the time when my wife and I were preparing for the exams, we had decided that well not wear diamonds and jewellery. She still doesnt wear it so we dont have that expense. We dont even have a gift system, we dont give each other gifts on anniversaries and birthdays. If we want to give gifts we write letters to each other. So we dont need to go shopping. Talking about the impact of 12th Fail, Manoj Kumar Sharma stated, The only benefit that I have got is that the things that I wanted to tell the people of our country have come out through the film and the book, and if you want to take something from it then you can. What makes me happy is that school students are sending me letters and saying that they want to be like me, and to be honest, that is my reward. There was a guy who said that his father used to tell him about his struggles, but he never understood what his father meant. But after watching the movie, he went and hugged his father. This is what I have gained. Through this movie, thanks to Vidhu Vinod Chopra, people came to know about my story, otherwise there are so many stories but no one cares. How do you find someone like him to tell a story like this? This story is not special, it is about a kid who youll find in every nook and corner and streets in our country. In the future, even if a few people feel that they should work hard and be honest and not take shortcuts and resort to dishonesty, then I dont think there can be a bigger reward for me. 12th Fail, based on a true story, draws from the struggles of the millions of students who attempt the UPSC entrance exam. But at the same time, it goes beyond that one exam and encourages people to not lose heart in the face of failure and to restart. Vidhu Vinod Chopras 12th Fail has arrived as a film that went on to leave its impact on the minds of the audience with its captivating and encouraging story. The film has been receiving immense love from all across and also has an IMDb rating of 9.2 out of 10. The pre-wedding festivities of Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambanis youngest son Anant Ambani and industrialist Viren Merchants daughter Radhika Merchant are all set to take place in Gujarats Jamnagar from March 1-3. Needless to say, it will be a star-studded affair with performances by several top celebrities. Famous international artists including Rihanna and magician David Blaine are set to perform at the pre-wedding festivities. Top Indian musicians wholl perform include Arijit Singh, Ajay-Atul and Diljit Dosanjh. Previously, it was also reported that several business honchos including Morgan Stanley CEO Ted Pick, Disney CEO Bob Iger, BlackRock CEO Larry Fink, Adnoc CEO Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber and EL Rothschild chair Lynn Forester de Rothschild are expected to join in the pre-wedding celebrations. Others guests include Yasir Al Rumayyan, Chairperson, Saudi Aramco; Vivi Nevo, Founder, NV Investments; Nitin Nohria, Former Dean, Harvard Business School; Dr Brian Levine, Founding Partner, CCRM New York; Kenichiro Yoshida, CEO, Sony; Joe Bae, CEO, KKR & Co.; Mark Carney, Chairman, Brookfield Asset Management; Khaldoon Al Mubarak, CEO & MD, Mubadala; Mark Tucker, Group Chairman, HSBC Holdings Plc; Anuj Ranjan, Managing Partner, Brookfield; Bill Ford, Chairman & CEO, General Atlantic; Carlos Slim, Investor; Jay Lee, Executive Chairman, Samsung Electronics; Howard Marks, Co-founder, Oaktree Capital Management; James Dinan, Founder, York Capital Management; and Richard Hilton, Chairman, Hilton & Hyland. The guests will get a taste of Indias rich culture and heritage at the pre-wedding festivities of the couple. They will also receive traditional scarves made by women artisans from Kachchh and Lalpur in Gujarat. Recently, the invitation card for Anant and Radhikas pre-wedding festivities went viral on social media. We are thrilled to invite you to Radhika and Anants pre-wedding festivities at the Reliance Greens in Jamnagar, from 1-3 March, 2024. In 1997, Reliance built the worlds largest grassroot refining complex near Jamnagar. Over the years, planted more than 10 million trees in this arid region, Transforming it into a bustling green community. flourishing with flowers and fruits, and housing Asias largest mango orchard! Taking the spirit of this initiative further, Anant has lovingly nurtured this complex into a haven of care and compassion for over thousands of rescued animals, a part of the invite read. Anant and Radhika got engaged in a Gol Dhana ceremony in Mumbai on January 19, 2023. Gol Dhana literally means coriander seeds and jaggery, which is distributed to guests at the ceremony. At a Gujarati wedding, the ceremony represents an engagement. The bride and her family arrive at the grooms house with sweets and gifts. The couple then exchanges engagement rings and seeks blessings from five married women from each family. Jordan's Queen Alia International Airport (QAIA) had in January welcomed 695,504 passengers thus marking a 2.8% increase against 2023 figures, according to Airport International Group. Moreover, QAIA recorded 5,767 aircraft movements (ACM), down 4.2% compared to 2023. QAIA also handled 6,407 tonnes of cargo, recording a 34.6% surge as opposed to 2023 numbers. The first month of the year saw an improvement in passenger statistics, underscoring Jordans standing as a welcoming destination for travellers from around the world, said Airport International Group CEO Nicolas Deviller. We remain resolute in our efforts to bolster our passenger, ACM and cargo numbers, working closely with our partners to expand and diversify our airline and destination networks," he stated. Our unwavering aim is to deliver world-class services, ensuring passengers enjoy an exceptional travel experience that feels like home at Jordans prime gateway to the world, he added.-TradeArabia News Service People attend a "Wulong Xuhua" show to celebrate the Lantern Festival in Taijiang County, southwest China's Guizhou Province, Feb. 23, 2024. (Xinhua/Yang Wenbin) BEIJING, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- A seven-day temple fair opened in south China's city of Guangzhou on Saturday, celebrating the Lantern Festival and presenting visitors with traditional dances, lion dances and delicious food. "I've been recording the fair with my phone because it's so lively," said Chen Yonghao, a tourist from south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Chen visited the fair with his wife and child. "The traditional culture here is well-preserved, and the cultural performances are distinctive," he said. "I'm really happy to spend the festival, which symbolizes reunion, with so many other visitors." The Lantern Festival falls on the 15th day of the first month of the Chinese lunar calendar. People usually hang colorful lanterns, play riddle games and express their wishes and hopes for the future. In Guangzhou's Yuexiu District, lanterns and illuminations adorn Yuexiu Park, creating a festive mood. Next to a 100-meter-long illumination in the shape of a loong -- or Chinese dragon -- tourist Shen Xiaoran was recording the scene on her phone. "For Chinese people, the loong symbolizes good weather for the crops and happiness. I hope that everything goes well and I'll be able to navigate my workplace with ease this year," said Shen. In the city of Zhangye, northwest China's Gansu Province, a centuries-old traditional cultural event was held on Friday night to mark the Lantern Festival. The tradition, called the Jiuqu Yellow River Lantern Array, is an intangible cultural heritage for Gansu Province. Wearing a high hat and a robe, 53-year-old Jiao Wenjie, an inheritor of this cultural tradition, walked slowly onto the stage to the accompaniment of music. As Jiao and other performers intoned prayers for a blessed new year, the winding array of golden lights was switched on, forming the shape of a large square maze. Gongs and drums were beaten, and the flock of tourists was allowed to file into the lantern maze and guess the riddles prepared beforehand. The Jiuqu Yellow River Lantern Array consists of 365 lanterns arranged according to the Nine Palaces and the Eight Trigrams Formation, which was used for divination in ancient China. In the past, people believed that walking around the lantern array would bring them a good harvest and a better life in the coming year. Niu Zhenhao, a tourist from north China's Shanxi Province, made a special trip this year to see the lanterns. "This lantern array contains very rich cultural elements, which is quite amazing," said Niu. In the Chinese capital of Beijing, various experience activities were held in the Fragrant Hills Park. Tourists played riddle games and learned information about the Lantern Festival through scanning the QR codes hung on the lanterns. To create a festive atmosphere, more than 400 cultural activities, such as temple fairs and lantern fairs, were scheduled to take place in Beijing during the festival. Arjun Rampal recently revealed that his elder daughter Mahikaa will be venturing into Bollywood soon and wants to become an actress. Arjun Rampal recently spoke about the advice he shared with Mahikaa before her debut and how keen his daughter is on becoming an actress. Mahikaa, my elder daughter, is very much keen on becoming an actor. She always had that in her. From school days, she would be in plays, she would get nice parts to do and shed be really good at it. Shes always been an entertainer and a bit of a clown, at home. You kind of see that, because even I was like that when I was a kid. You kind of want to be the centre of attraction, thats how you know yeh actor banegi (She will become an actor) She went to Met Film School in London and she graduated from there, which is what I told her to do and see every aspect of how a film is made, he told India Today. Arjun added, I told her that its not an easy job, and shes a very mature and sensible girl. She said, Ive seen what your careers are like when things arent going right, the sadness, the depression, the lows that come with it, and Ive also seen the highs. But I want to do it just because I enjoy it. I love it. So I said thats the most important thing, if you have your heart in it and if you really love it and youre going to be honest with it and can continue that relationship with your career on that level, then you will do something special. But you have to train and have to work hard. Arjun said he told Mahikaa, I didnt get that. I can give you that. I can give you advice from whatever I have learned. I can share wisdom with you because I have experienced things. But the journey will be yours. Its going to be a journey and its not a journey filled with people. Its a journey which is of solitude. Its a journey of a lot of self-reflection, and internalising a lot of things and you have to walk on that path. If youre getting in for the glamour, the big trailers, or having lots of followers and lots of this and that, you are going to make yourself very unhappy and I think she gets that. Meanwhile, Arjun is currently seen in Crakk with Vidyut Jamwal, Amy Jackson and Nora Fatehi. Gautami Patil is a renowned Lavani folk dancer who reportedly charges between Rs 2 to 5 lakh for an event. She shares a huge fan base, encompassing individuals from young to old. Apart from her performances across Maharashtra, the dancer often grabs the headlines due to her name. Rajendra Jarad Patil, who identified himself as the Maratha Coordinator, in 2023, claimed that Gautamis real surname is not Patil but Chabukeswar. The dancer outright called these claims false. However, as per the latest reports, Gautami Patil has revealed her real name during an event in Pune. The news has gone viral now. The event was organised by tribal leader and former president of Pune Zilla Parishad, Devram Lande, at Kewadi in Junnar taluka. At this time, a little girl who was a fan of the Lavani folk dance wanted to meet her at the event. Her wish came true after Gautami Patil herself visited the girl. Gautami asked the little girl her name after she found that the girl had been waiting for her for a long time. The little girl said her name was Vaishnavi. As soon as she heard her name, Gautami revealed that her birth name was also Vaishnavi. However, there is no conclusive proof that the real name of Gautami Patils birth name was Vaishnavi. The dancer has not revealed her birth certificate, therefore such revelation remains mere word-of-mouth. Gautami Patil performed Abhishek Puja at Shree Vighnahar Ganapati Temple Ozar. On this occasion, the President of Shree Vighnahar Ganapati Devasthan honoured Gautami Patil with flowers and Prashad. The Hindu devotees of Ganesh and fans of Gautami Patil were also present in the temple. The Lavani Folk dancer often finds herself embroiled in controversies. Once her event in Pune grabbed the headlines after it was conducted near AIIMS Hospital and Research Centre. The much-anticipated action-packed film, Bazooka, starring the legendary South actor Mammootty, has entered its final shooting phase, revealing significant details about the project. This movie marks the inaugural collaboration on-screen between filmmaker turned actor Gautham Vasudev Menon and Mammootty, with Menon portraying a pivotal role in the film. As per OTT Play, the final shooting schedule is currently underway in Kochi, with the focus primarily on capturing Gautham Vasudev Menons scenes. Mammootty has already concluded filming his portions for the movie, indicating progress towards completion. The Bazooka team aims to wrap up filming by the end of February or early March, with an official release date and other pertinent updates expected to be announced shortly. A recent update regarding the technical team of Bazooka has garnered attention, as cinematographer Nimish Ravi had to step down from the project due to scheduling conflicts. Nimish Ravis absence has led to Roby Varghese stepping in as the new director of photography for the final shoot. Penned and directed by Deeno Dennis, Bazooka features a stellar cast including Gautham Vasudev Menon, Mammootty and Shine Tom Chacko in lead roles, with additional talents such as Hakkim Shah, Divya Pillai, Bhama Arun, Babu Antony, Sidharth Bharathan and VK Prakash. Midhun Mukunda is in charge of the films music, while Nimish Ravi was initially handling cinematography duties. Mammootty, known for his illustrious career in cinema with notable films such as Mrigaya, Mathilukal and Paleri Manikyam: Oru Pathirakolapathakathinte Katha, continues to enthral audiences. His upcoming projects include Bilal, New York, I am a Disco Dancer, Keeravani, Turbo and Ameer, among others. Meanwhile, Gautham Vasudev Menon, renowned for films like Ye Maaya Chesave, Vaaranam Aayiram and Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa, is gearing up for a slew of releases including 13 Identity Hit List Hitler Viduthalai Part 2, Rathnam and Anbuselvan, showcasing his versatility as an actor. Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambanis youngest son Anant Ambani and industrialist Viren Merchants daughter Radhika Merchant are currently preparing for their pre-wedding ceremonies. The two got engaged in a Gol Dhana ceremony in Mumbai last year, which was also a star-studded event. However, do you know who was their ring bearer? The familys golden retriever. A video from Anant and Radhikas engagement that surfaced on social media showed groom-to-bes sister Isha Ambani Piramal announcing the enter of their golden retriever as a ring bearer. The pet had the ring attached with a red scarf on his collar. When the golden retriever reached the stage, Anant Ambani took the ring. Watch the video here: Anant and Radhika got engaged in a Gol Dhana ceremony in Mumbai on January 19, 2023. Gol Dhana literally means coriander seeds and jaggery, which is distributed to guests at the ceremony. At a Gujarati wedding, the ceremony represents an engagement. The bride and her family arrive at the grooms house with sweets and gifts. The couple then exchanges engagement rings and seeks blessings from five married women from each family. Now, the couple is all set for their pre-wedding ceremonies which will take place in Gujarats Jamnagar from March 1-3. it will be a star-studded affair with performances by several top celebrities. Popular Indian actors including Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan and Rajinikanth will be gracing the celebration with their respective families. Salman Khan will also be travelling to Jamnagar for the pre-wedding festivities. Akshay Kumar will also be attending the pre-wedding celebrations with his wife, Twinkle Khanna. All guests will travel to Jamnagar on chartered flights from Mumbai or Delhi between 8am and 1pm on March 1. All three nights of celebrations will be themed. Day 1 is called An Evening in Everland, with the dress code listed as elegant cocktail. Day 2 will host A Walk on the Wildside with jungle fever the suggested dress code. It is set to be held outdoors in the Ambanis animal rescue centre in Jamnagar, and guests are advised to wear comfortable shoes and clothing for this event. Invitees will then swap their safari-themed outfits for more elegant ones for Mela Rouge. The dress code for this is dazzling desi romance, suggesting glamorous traditional South Asian attires for all. The final day will also comprise two events. The first one, Tusker Trails, suggests casual chic dressing, as guests are expected to further explore the green ambience of Jamnagar. The final party, Hashtakshar, calls for an elegant evening with heritage Indianwear. Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambanis youngest son Anant Ambani and industrialist Viren Merchants daughter Radhika Merchant are currently preparing for their pre-wedding ceremonies. The two got engaged in a Gol Dhana ceremony in Mumbai last year, which was also a star-studded event. But do you know how the Merchants were welcomed at the engagement ceremony that took place in Antila, Mumbai? During a ceremony filled with the chanting of sacred hymns, Nita Ambani extended a warm welcome to Radhika Merchant at the lavishly decorated Antilia, the Mumbai home of the Ambanis, by performing an aarti. Radhika then respectfully greeted the family by joining her hands and bowing, starting with Akash Ambani and his wife Shloka, followed by Mukesh Ambani, Isha Ambani, and her husband Anand Piramal, before proceeding to greet the rest of the relatives in the same manner. Each greeting was warmly reciprocated with a hug from everyone present. The clip concludes with Radhika Merchant walking alongside her future father-in-law, Mukesh Ambani, and her fiance, Anant, hand in hand. Take a look: View this post on Instagram A post shared by CNBC-TV18 (@cnbctv18india) Anant and Radhika got engaged in a Gol Dhana ceremony in Mumbai on January 19, 2023. Gol Dhana literally means coriander seeds and jaggery, which is distributed to guests at the ceremony. At a Gujarati wedding, the ceremony represents an engagement. The bride and her family arrive at the grooms house with sweets and gifts. The couple then exchanges engagement rings and seeks blessings from five married women from each family. Now, the couple is all set for their pre-wedding ceremonies which will take place in Gujarats Jamnagar from March 1-3. it will be a star-studded affair with performances by several top celebrities. Popular Indian actors including Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan and Rajinikanth will be gracing the celebration with their respective families. Salman Khan will also be travelling to Jamnagar for the pre-wedding festivities. Akshay Kumar will also be attending the pre-wedding celebrations with his wife, Twinkle Khanna. Prime Minister Narendra Modis second term is nearing completion, and his government is already preparing the agenda for the first 100 days after the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. Needless to say, both the Modi government and the BJP are exuding confidence and are certain to win the general elections comfortably. Morning Consults recent numbers show that Narendra Modi has emerged yet again as the most popular leader in the world, clocking no less than 78 per cent in approval ratings. However, the confidence of victory does not mean that the guard has come down. Instead, the Modi government has set an ambitious goal of achieving total saturation and last-mile delivery of all flagship developmental and welfare schemes. In line with the same, the PM Awas Yojana, among Modis most ambitious projects, is set to witness the completion of construction of 29.5 million houses by March. This will ensure that every rural family has a home by the end of next month if the plan stays on track. This is on top of the 7.6 million houses that the NDA government had built under the Indira Awas Yojana between 2014 and 2016. The pace of home construction under the project is noteworthy. The Modi government is set to surpass the construction of 37 million rural houses by March, compared to about 32 million under the Indira Awas Yojana over 29 years. The timelines are stark. It took the Indira Awas Yojana three decades to build 32 million houses. PM Awas Yojana surpassed that number by 5 million well within 10 years. Interestingly, this is on top of the 7.6 million houses that the Modi government had built under the Indira Awas Yojana between 2014 and 2016. Cumulatively, about 4.5 families have got a pucca house of their own since 2014. Two crore additional houses will be built under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G) over the next five years. The scheme, executed under the Union Ministry for Rural Development (MoRD), provides assistance in building pucca houses and basic amenities to eligible beneficiaries in rural areas. Additionally, the Modi government is also working on a new home loan interest subsidy scheme for low and middle-income groups, with a special focus on urban India. The home loan interest subsidy scheme will replace the discontinued Credit Linked Subsidy Scheme (CLSS). Reuters had reported last year that an annual interest subsidy between 3 to 6.5 per cent on up to Rs 9 lakh of the loan amount may be provided under the new scheme. This subsidy may be available on home loans below Rs 50 lakh, availed for a tenure of 20 years. Essentially, the government is going to make home loans cheaper for lower-income groups, in order to incentivise them to buy or construct houses. Not Just a Pucca House, Indians Are Now Getting Wholesome Homes About 70 per cent of the beneficiaries of this scheme are women. In March last year, the Prime Minister had said that 20 million women have received ownership rights under the PM Awas Yojana. This shows women have been major beneficiaries of the housing scheme. The initiatives to provide houses to Indians who need them the most cannot be seen in isolation. They must be seen in tandem with other government initiatives which have helped improve the overall quality of life for crores of ordinary Indians. Today, households across India are equipped with basic necessities that remained absent for much of the population, especially in rural areas, since independence. Jal Jeevan and Har Ghar Jal Missions are helping provide safe, clean water to all households.Over 13 crore households have been provided with a tap water connection under this initiative. Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, under which crores of toilets have been built across India, has helped increase sanitation coverage.As a result, the country is today cent per cent open defecation free. Ujjwala Yojana is providing families with LPG connections & Saubhagya schemeis helping India provide electricity to all its villages. The Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra, flagged off in November last year, has proven instrumental for the Centre to reach out directly to beneficiaries of its initiatives and ensure saturation of all flagship schemes. The Yatra has so far covered 782 districts spread across 36 states and Union Territories. It has connected with over 19 crore citizens across 19,000 urban centres and over 2.6 lakh gram panchayats. The delivery of government projects, like houses for all, is perhaps one of the main reasons behind PM Modis unflinching approval ratings. As government schemes achieve saturation ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, the momentum in Modis favour is likely to continue and, in fact, gain more muscle. Modis high approval ratings are hardly surprising. The BJP has created a new and largely loyal voter base for itself that of the labhartis. These are direct beneficiaries of the Modi governments welfare and development schemes. A majority of these labhartis numbers of whom run into crores hail from underprivileged and marginalised backgrounds and communities. These are people who rarely witnessed a proactive government that was bringing development right to their doorstep. Having been deprived of the most basic of services since independence, these are people who have seen their lives change for the better all in a matter of 10 years. Providing pucca houses to all Indian families, whether in urban areas or villages, is part of the larger plan to make India a developed nation by 2047. When people get homes with all the necessary amenities, the overall standard of living rises. This is key to India scoring better on the Human Development Index. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18s views. The AIADMK released an AI-generated voice clip of late party chief J Jayalalithaa on the occasion of her 76th birth anniversary on Saturday. According to an India Today report, the AI-generated voice of Jayalalithaa was played at the party headquarters after senior leaders, including AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami, popularly known as EPS, paid their tributes to the former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister. Produced seven years after her death, the AI clip of Jayalalithaas voice addressed the party members and said, Hello. Im your J Jayalalithaa speaking. I express my gratitude for this technology, which gave me a chance to speak to you. Our party has seen many ups and downs. We have implemented many welfare schemes for women, students, etc when we were in power. The AI clip was further heard asking party people to ensure the return of AIADMKs people government and garner support for EPS Now, on one hand, we have the Union government thats betraying us and, on the other, the state government is corrupt and useless. On the occasion of my birthday, what Im asking you is to ensure that AIADMKs people government comes back. Our cadres should stand in my path and I request you to strengthen the hands of brother Edapaddi K Palaniswami. We are because of people, and we are for the people. EPS was elected as AIADMK chief in 2022 after O Panneerselvam (OPS) was expelled ending the partys erstwhile dual-leadership model. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday recalled memories of the first-ever election he fought in Gujarats Rajkot in 2002. Sharing a video of him filing nomination for his first election in 2002, PM Modi said Rajkot will always have a very special place in his heart. Rajkot will always have a very special place in my heart. It was the people of this city who put their faith in me, giving me my first-ever electoral win. Since then, I have always worked to do justice to the aspirations of the Janta Janardan. Its also a happy coincidence that I will be in Gujarat today and tomorrow, and one of the programmes is being held in Rajkot, from where 5 AIIMS will be dedicated to the nation, the prime minister said in an X post. PM Modi is set to inaugurate Gujarats first AIIMS on Sunday during his two-day visit to the state. Rajkot will always have a very special place in my heart. It was the people of this city who put their faith in me, giving me my first ever electoral win. Since then, I have always worked to do justice to the aspirations of the Janta Janardan. Its also a happy coincidence that I https://t.co/mhVeNPyDTe Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 24, 2024 The video was originally shared by an X handle called Modi Archives which often shares rare pictures, and recordings of PM Modi. On February 24, 2002, Narendra Modi contested and won a by-election from the Rajkot II constituency. It was little after four months of him assuming the post of Gujarats Chief Minister. Finally, Rajkot has elected me as their MLA. I had requested the people of Rajkot to hold me tightly and not let me go, to put me through agni pariksha. I was not expecting that the voters from Rajkot would make me pass with distinction, Narendra Modi had said after winning the first-ever election of his life in Rajkot. Former Bihar Deputy Chief Minister and RJD Leader Tejashwai Yadav found himself amid a raging controversy on Friday after he was spotted in a meeting with sharpshooter and murder accused Mohammad Kaif alias Bunty. In visuals shared by National general secretary of BJPs OBC Morcha Nikhil Anand, Tejashwi can be seen exchanging greetings and clicking photographs with the criminal. RJD is not a party with new outlook in Tejashwi's leadership but it is like the old liquor bottle with new label.RJD has the credit to politicise criminals in Bihar. The criminal didn't reach on dias by chance but they have close connection and they meet leaders in private. pic.twitter.com/VRY4Imdqv1 Nikhil Anand (@NikhilAnandBJP) February 23, 2024 RJD is not a party with a new outlook in Tejashwis leadership but it is like the old liquor bottle with a new label. RJD has the credit to politicise criminals in Bihar. The criminal didnt reach on dias by chance but they have a close connection and they meet leaders in private, Anand wrote on X. Tejashwai reportedly met Kaif at a public meeting during his Jan Vishwas Yatra in Siwan on Thursday, which is his partys campaign to target both BJP and Bihar CM Nitish Kumar ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections. As a part of his Yatra, the former deputy CM was in Siwan, which was once the stronghold of Shahabuddin, a dreaded figure in his lifetime, who had won the Siwan Lok Sabha seat for the RJD until getting disqualified following convictions in several serious criminal cases. Who is Mohammed Kaif? Kaif was the alleged sharpshooter of RJD strongman and former MP Mohammed Shahabuddin, who died in 2021. His involvement in various serious crimes has made headlines time and again. The sharpshooter is also accused of the murder of Siwan-based journalist Rajdeo Ranjan. In 2016, he surrendered before a court claiming to be a co-conspirator in the murder case. He was also sent to jail on several occasions owing to his association with the crime world. Rajdeo was shot dead from a close range in May by bike-borne assailants near the railway station in Siwan. The police had said it appeared to be a professional shooting, given Ranjan was shot straight through the temple Tejashwi Yadavs Jan Vishwas Yatra RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav on Tuesday launched his Jan Vishwas Yatra where he trained his guns at Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, accusing his former boss of ruling the state without any vision and switching alliance partners without any reason. Yadav, also coined a new acronym BAAP, saying it denoted that the RJD cared for all Bahujans, Agda (upper castes), Aadhi Aabadi (women) and the poor, and not just Muslims and Yadavs. (With PTI inputs) The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) board exams commenced across India earlier this month. The CBSE board exams are given immense importance in the Indian education system. While class 10 board results help in determining which stream you get for classes 11 and 12, the class 12 board results are instrumental in securing a spot at many of Indias prestigious universities. This year the CBSE board exams for class 10 will start from February 15 to March 13, while class 12 exams will be held from February 15 to April 2. All exams will be conducted in single shifts from 10:30 AM to 1:30 PM. This year, more than 39 lakh candidates will appear for the CBSE board examination from 26 countries in India and abroad. Over the years, the class 10 and class 12 board exams have become a cultural phenomenon across the country. As the students are in the middle of board exams, many are using humour to deal with stress. Here are some memes on CBSE boards that are raking in likes on X: Back Bencher Exam Meme pic.twitter.com/cAinWPGelb Piyush (@piyushmaybe) January 24, 2024 On Saturday, All India Radio News reported on rumours circulating about the cancellation of board exams and wrote, CBSE cautioned the people about a fake letter on social media, claiming that Class 12 board exams have been postponed due to the farmers protests. In a social media post, the CBSE said the letter is fake and misleading. It said no such decision has been taken by the Board. #CBSE cautioned the people about a fake letter on social media, claiming that Class 12 board exams have been postponed due to the farmers' protests. In a social media post, the CBSE said the letter is fake and misleading. It said no such decision has been taken by the Board. pic.twitter.com/wZxsbFGYaC All India Radio News (@airnewsalerts) February 17, 2024 On February 13, CBSE released a notice that urged students and parents to not pay heed to miscreants who claim to leak or sell exam papers. Amongst the memes, an X user shared a video that showed a group of school students touching the feet of their teachers before entering the examination centre. The X user wrote, While there is a raging controversy on govts order to question your teachers boldly, I found this heartwarming visual a while ago. Students before entering exam hall pay their respects to teachers. This culture is inbuilt, precious. In no other country U will find this CBSE. While there is a raging controversy on govt's order to question your teachers boldly, I found this heartwarming visual a while ago. Students before entering exam hall paying their respects to teachers. This culture is inbuilt, precious. In no other country U will find this #CBSE pic.twitter.com/eMNsz1RNQo Anantha-Infinity (@Ananthaforu) February 22, 2024 Best wishes to all 10th CBSE students for their board exams. Always remember ur marks are just an evaluation of your studying skills but no one knows the extraordinary skills you possess except you. Be calm and do well pic.twitter.com/HYygN39w5Q Nithya Manikandan (@NithyaManikan17) February 19, 2024 Daughter's first exam for Class 10th CBSE board todayI remember mine like yesterdayday one of the exam was such a big deal Before Sunrise (@rise_sun_before) February 16, 2024 An X user offered a polite reminder that there are opportunities before exam results and wrote, Best wishes to all 10th CBSE students for their board exams. Always remember ur marks are just an evaluation of your studying skills but no one knows the extraordinary skills you possess except you. Be calm and do well. WASHINGTON, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. South Carolina Republican primary is set to kick off Saturday with former President Donald Trump in the lead. The top candidates in the race for the GOP nomination are Trump and former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, who was also the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations while Trump was in the White House. Trump is far ahead of the race, grabbing more than 60 percent of GOP primary voters in recent polls, while Haley has gained roughly 30 percent. Christopher Galdieri, a political science professor at Saint Anselm College in the northeastern state of New Hampshire, told Xinhua that "Trump is leading because a huge chunk of the GOP electorate sees him as the leader of the party and the only choice for the nomination." TRUMP, HALEY BATTLE IT OUT Trump and Haley have battled it out over the last several weeks, using the pulpit to point out supposed flaws in the other candidate. Haley said neither current President Joe Biden nor Trump should sit in the White House next term. "I have a lot of concerns about Trump regaining the presidency. I have even more concerns about Joe Biden. I mean, you look at both of these men and all they have done is given us chaos. All they've done is given us division," Haley said. During his speech after winning the recent New Hampshire contest, Trump mocked Haley, ridiculing her dress and labeling her a "birdbrain." Trump recently ratcheted up the pressure on Haley, warning her campaign contributors that if they continue to contribute, they will be "permanently barred from the MAGA camp," a reference to his "Make America Great Again" movement. Trump has recently been prosecuted in courtrooms in New York, Washington D.C. and Florida in cases that he and his supporters claimed were purely political. The cases have galvanized his supporters instead of hurting his campaign. "Trump has established a powerful, identity-based relationship with his most dedicated supporters, and his opponents in the GOP have generally been unwilling to challenge this," Galdieri said. HALEY REMAINS IN THE RACE A growing number of Republican figures have urged Haley to drop out so that they could focus on the fight against the Democratic Party. Trump predicted that Haley would lose South Carolina "bigly" during a recent Fox News event. Meanwhile, Haley continues to stay in the race. "When the country's future is on the line, you don't drop out. You keep fighting. In fact, you fight harder than ever. That's why I refuse to quit," she said. "Haley is staying in the race in case something happens in the court cases that shake confidence in him. She is counting on a conviction knocking him out of the race," Brookings Institution Senior Fellow Darrell West told Xinhua. Haley has outspent Trump. "Usually, candidates in Haley's position run out of money and drop out. Her fundraising has been strong," Galdieri said. Clay Ramsay, a researcher at the Center for International and Security Studies at the University of Maryland, told Xinhua, "Haley remains in the race because she has enough donors who will pay to keep her in the race because they believe Trump should get some opposition." An Israeli air strike on Friday destroyed the home of a well-known Palestinian comedian in Gaza, killing at least 23 and injuring dozens more, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory. Mahmoud Zuaiters family home in the Deir al-Balah area of central Gaza was flattened, with most of the victims women and children, it added. Zuaiter, who was injured in the attack, has more than 1.2 million fans on Instagram while his videos have been seen widely on YouTube. AFP interviewed him in early 2014 after a Palestinian parody of a car advert by Belgian martial artist and actor Jean-Claude Van Damme went viral. In the advert, Van Damme is shown straddling two moving trucks. The Gaza version is similar but involves two cars being pushed because of a lack of petrol. In a video posted online after Fridays attack, Zuaiter, who is in his late 30s, is seen holding an injured child. I have spoken strongly against anyone leaving Gaza and I was praying to God, please dont force me to leave Gaza because I love Gaza and its people so much, he is heard saying. But it seems they want us to leave Gaza. He then bursts into tears. AFP contacted the Israeli military, which asked for coordinates and the timing of the strike, without making any further comment. The strike came with no let-up in Israels bombardment of the Gaza Strip, as it seeks to destroy Hamas after the October 7 attacks on Israeli communities near the border with the Palestinian territory. Some 1,160 people were killed in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures, with about 250 others taken hostage. Israels retaliatory offensive has killed at least 29,514 people across Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the health ministry in the territory. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau reached Kyiv on Saturday to stand in solidarity with Ukraine as 2022 the Russo-Ukrainian war entered its second year. EU commission chief Ursula von der Leyen also reached Kyiv. Ukraines state railway service posted a photograph showing Trudeau at Kyiv train station. The photo was posted on social media by a spokesman of Ukraines Ukrzaliznytsia railway. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni will preside over a G7 virtual meeting on Ukraine on the second anniversary of the war, the Italian government said in a statement. Italy holds the rotating presidency of the G7. The meeting, which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will also attend, will discuss new sanctions against Russia, news agency AFP said. Ukraine on Saturday marked two years since Russias invasion, entering a new year of war weakened by a lack of western aid while Russia is emboldened by the recent gains it made. Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskys much-touted counteroffensive failed and future plans to continue opposing Russias military might has also taken a hit due to lack of military aid from the US. When Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a special military operation at dawn on February 24, 2022, many expected Moscows victory within days, but Ukraine fought back, forcing Russian troops to retreat from many areas in central and western Ukraine. Russia, however, has control of several key areas in southern, southeastern and eastern Ukraine. Light will triumph over darkness, Kyivs army chief Oleksandr Syrsky said Saturday on the second anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. I am convinced that unity is our victory. And it will definitely happen. Because light always conquers darkness! Syrksy said on social media. But Ukraines troops are short of manpower and running low on Western-supplied ammunition for artillery and air defences. President Volodymyr Zelensky said Friday that decisions on arms supplies must be the priority. Neither side has given numbers for military deaths and injured, while both claim to have inflicted huge losses. In August 2023, The New York Times quoted US officials as putting Ukraines military losses at 70,000 dead and 100,000 to 120,000 injured. Leaked US intelligence in December indicated that 315,000 Russian troops had been killed or wounded. Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu visited Moscows forces in occupied Ukraine, the army said on Saturday, telling them in terms of the ratio of forces, the advantage is on our side. He was also briefed on Russian troops continuing their advance after taking Avdiivka. (with inputs from AFP) French President Emmanuel Macron warned his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin early Saturday not to count on any fatigue from Europeans over the war in Ukraine, pledging that Frances support for Kyiv will not waver. Battered and bruised, but still standing. Ukraine is fighting for itself, for its ideals, for our Europe. Our commitment at its side will not waver, he wrote in a message on X marking the second anniversary of Russias invasion, which falls on Saturday. A separate statement from Macrons office touted the European Unions support for Kyiv, including accepting refugees, offering civil and military aid, and levelling sanctions on Moscow. President Putins Russia must not count on any fatigue from Europeans, the statement said. France is also committed to continuing its support on all fronts, including the supply of military equipment, cooperation between defence industries through the development of co-productions, training, intelligence and civilian aid, it added. The outcome of this war will be decisive for European interests, values and security. The French pledge of support came as other key Ukrainian allies renewed their commitment to assisting Kyiv. US President Joe Biden on Friday announced more than 500 new sanctions against Russia, while vowing sustained pressure to stop President Vladimir Putins war machine. The sanctions, described as the largest single tranche since the start of the war, also seek to impose a cost for the death last week in a Siberian prison of Putins most vocal critic, Alexei Navalny. Britain, meanwhile, announced Saturday a new 245 million ($311 million) defence package to help boost the production of urgently needed artillery ammunition for Ukraine, with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak insisting in an earlier statement that tyranny will never triumph. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said Friday the force was investigating and at the same time trying to stop a major cyberattack on its networks. A breach of this magnitude is alarming, federal police spokesperson Marie-Eve Breton said in a statement, adding that the force was actively managing the threat. No information was provided about the suspected source of the attack. The RCMP has launched a criminal investigation into the breach, vowing to hold those responsible accountable. With assistance from Canadas national cryptologic agency which provides Ottawa with IT security and foreign signals intelligence it said it was still assessing the breadth and scope of the security breach. The situation is evolving quickly, explained Breton, adding that there was no impact on policing, and at this time, no known impacts on safety and security partners in Canada or abroad. A Pakistani accountability court has deferred the indictment of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi in a Rs 50 million corruption case till February 27, according to a media report on Saturday. The court on Friday deferred the indictment of Khan and Bushra in the Al-Qadir Trust case filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) as the Islamabad High Court (IHC) is set to take up appeals against their conviction in Toshakhana and the Cipher cases on February 26, the Dawn newspaper reported. Judge Nasir Javed Rana was hearing the proceedings of the case in Rawalpindis high-security Adiala Jail where Khan, the 71-year-old founder of his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party is incarcerated. Bushra Bibi, 49, is imprisoned at Khans Bani Gala residence in Islamabad after an accountability court sentenced the couple to 14 years in jail in the Toshakhana corruption case. The Al-Qadir Trust case pertains to the settlement of 190 million pounds, about Rs 50 billion, which the UKs National Crime Agency sent to Pakistan after recovering the amount from Pakistani property tycoon Malik Riaz Hussain. Being the prime minister then, Khan, instead of depositing the money in the national treasury, allowed the businessman to use the amount to partly settle a fine of about Rs 450 billion imposed by the Supreme Court some years ago. The tycoon, in return, allegedly gifted about 57 acres of land to a trust set up by Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, to establish the Al-Qadir University in the Sohawa area of the Jhelum district of Punjab. Hussain, his son Ahmed Ali Riaz, Mirza Shehzad Akbar, and Zulfi Bukhari are also among the suspects in the case, but instead of joining the investigation and subsequent court proceedings, they absconded and were subsequently declared as proclaimed offenders. Police opened an investigation Friday after a suspicious odour at Swedens Security Service office left eight people needing hospital treatment with respiratory symptoms. Images from the scene showed police wearing gas masks alongside several ambulances and emergency vehicles as an area around the office of the agency, known as Sapo, was closed off. Around 1:00 pm today, there were indications that there was a dangerous substance at Sapos offices, Patrik Soderberg, chief physician at the local healthcare authority Region Stockholm, told AFP. A total of eight people with symptoms have been treated at hospital, Region Stockholm said in a statement, adding that the cause of the leak was still unclear. After ending their emergency operation, police said they had started an investigation into causing bodily harm but did not have any suspects. Police said an area of a couple of hundred meters around the building had been closed off after a potential gas leak. Some of those taken to hospital were officers who had smelled an odour when they arrived, the service added in a statement. Sapo spokeswoman Karin Lutz told AFP the intelligence agency had called emergency services after receiving an alarm. Lutz said the building had been partly evacuated during the emergency but declined to give further details or comment on whether they suspected foul play. In a later statement, Sapo said emergency services ended the operation after confirming that there was no gas inside the premises or outside the building. The Nordic country is on high alert as it is expecting to clear the final hurdle to its bid to join NATO on Monday, with the last holdout Hungary scheduled to vote on ratifying its membership. The Aftonbladet newspaper said witnesses had reported smelling something that reminded them of paint, and that locals had been told to close their windows. Swedish media also reported that a gas sensor on the roof of the building had alerted the presence of phosgene, but these reports have not been confirmed. The gas was used as a chemical warfare agent during World War I, but is also widely used in industry for the production of plastics and pesticide. Shaun Maguire, a tech star, who previously worked with Google and is now working with Sequoia said he left the tech giant because he was told that he would not get promoted because he is a white man. He, however, was able to stand on his feet by selling his startup years later for $1 billion. Google is facing backlash after releasing Gemini Googles AI Model which generated photos of a Native American pope and black founding fathers. Amid the storm, Maguire also shared his story on social media site X where he said that Google prioritises appearing woke and in his case did not reward people based on their talents. Google is denying this happened but nobody from the company has reached out to me for my side of the storyHonestly, pathetic I dont want any compensation I just want you to fix these problems, especially if youre going to lead in AI https://t.co/0I7bmWmPIu Shaun Maguire (@shaunmmaguire) February 24, 2024 Shaun worked at Googles Mountain View, California-based headquarters from 2016 to 2019. He said at one instance his senior manager at Google Ventures told him his hands were tied. He told Maguire that despite being one of the highest performing people here, he could not promote him because he has a quota. Im really not supposed to tell you this. It could get me fired, Maguire quoted his then-boss as telling him in 2019. A report by the New York Post said that during Maguires tenure at Google, the tech giant was roiled by the #MeToo scandals which saw victims of sexual abuse and harassment in Hollywood and in several industries come forward and name and shame the perpetrators. This led to the formation of employee resource groups who demanded that the management hire more women and other diverse candidates throughout the company. Should I go public with the story about the time I was told I cant be promoted for being a white man? Maguire wrote on X. But youre one of the highest performing people here but I cant promote you right now because I have a quota. My hands are tied. Youll get the next slot. Please be patient. Im really sorry, Maguire quoted his then-manager as saying. The report by the New York Post, citing a source, said that the boss resisted calls to meet hiring quotas that favoured women and minorities but employees at Google Ventures threatened to quit, forcing him to back down. The report claimed that the pressure campaign extended to the companys board, including founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page. A Google spokesperson said the account by Maguire was completely untrue. The founders and Board have never spoken to [Google Ventures] about personnel matters. Shaun is a talented investor and we wish him well at Sequoia, but decisions about his promotion and career advancement at GV not once ever involved consideration of his race or gender, the spokesperson was quoted as saying by the New York Post. My response is theyre lying through their teeth, Maguire said in response to the spokespersons claims while speaking to the newspaper. Maguire currently is a partner at Sequoia, the venture capital firm that has helped build Silicon Valley giants such as Apple, Google, Oracle, PayPal and WhatsApp. Maguire also claimed that at least five former and current Google employees reached out to him since his original post and shared similar stories. The US government argued in a federal court that Prince Harrys admissions in his memoir that he took drugs are not proof that he actually did. They said it could have been a ploy to sell books. Harrys visa application is subject of a court case in the US as a conservative think tank in Washington DC, the Heritage Foundation, sued to force the release of the Duke of Sussexs US immigration files, according to a report by the Daily Mail. The think tank wants to probe if he lied about taking drugs at a certain point in his life. John Bardo, representing the Department of Homeland Security, told the court Harrys book Spare was not sworn testimony or proof that he took drugs. Just saying something in a book doesnt make it true, Bardo was quoted as saying by the newspaper. He argued that Prince Harrys immigration records should remain private and that people say many things about themselves to sell books. Prince Harry last week said that the thought of getting an American citizenship has crossed his mind. American citizenship is a thought that has crossed my mind but isnt something thats a high priority for me right now, Prince Harry told Good Morning America. Widespread and continuous media coverage has surfaced the question of whether DHS properly admitted the Duke of Sussex in light of the fact that he has publicly admitted to the essential elements of a number of drug offences, the think tank said in a court filing while adding the transcript of the interview. US District Court Judge Carl J. Nichols, sitting in Court 17 of the E. Barrett Prettyman US Courthouse in Washington DC will soon make the ruling. Foreigners, when they apply for a US visa, are asked on the DHSs DH160 visa form: Are you or have you ever been a drug abuser or addict? They are also asked to share whether they have ever violated any law relating to controlled substances. If they answer yes they can still receive a waiver. The conservative think tank wants to see if Harry admitted to using illegal drugs before gaining a visa and ascertain if he was granted a waiver or given preferential treatment. The Daily Mail in its report citing people close to Prince Harry indicated that he answered truthfully on the application. The 39-year-old Duke admitted in Spare that he had used marijuana, cocaine and magic mushrooms. Writing in Spare, Harry said psychedelics did me some good and also described experimenting with the hallucinogenic Amazonian plant ayahuasca. The UK royal in his memoir described those experiences that as the cleaning of the windshield, the removal of lifes filters. Alexei Navalnys widow said Russian President Vladimir Putin had personally ordered that his arch critics body should not be handed over to his family after his death in an Arctic jail nine days ago. Navalnys mother has said authorities in the Arctic town of Salekhard are threatening to bury him on the prison grounds if she did not agree to a secret funeral. You tortured him alive, now you torture him while he is dead, Yulia Navalnaya, who has vowed to continue her husbands work, said in a new video. I completely understand that this has not been curated by some investigator in Salekhard. Putin is directing it all, she said. Its Putin saying put pressure on the mother, break her, tell her the body of her son is rotting, she said. She said Navalnys mother, who travelled to the remote prison colony where he died, is being tormented by authorities. This is the same Putin that likes to show that he is a practising Christian, she said. Putin has for decades portrayed himself as a devoted Orthodox Christian and has in recent years focused on promoting what he calls traditional values. We always knew that Putins faith is fake, but now we can see it like never before, Navalnaya said. She also denounced Putins decision to launch the Ukraine campaign two years ago. You will answer for all of this.. And for this (Navalnys death) and for the war that you unleashed two years ago, also hiding behind Christian values. You are just killing. You are just killing sleeping people at night with missiles blessed by the church, she said. NEW DELHI, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- At least 22 people were killed and 10 others injured, some of them critically, after a tractor trolley overturned and fell into a pond on Saturday in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, officials said. The accident took place in Patiyali area of Kasganj district, about 266 km northwest of Lucknow, the capital city of Uttar Pradesh. "So far 22 deaths have taken place in the accident and 10 people injured are being treated at different hospitals," Kasganj Chief Medical Officer Rajiv Agrawal told media. According to police, the victims were heading to Kadarganj to take a holy dip in the Ganga river. "Today a tractor trolley overturned and fell into a pond on the Patiyali-Dariyavganj road in Patiyali area. The occupants in the trolley were going to take a bath in the Ganga river," a local government official said. "The villagers were the first to respond to the accident and they fished out the victims, a majority of whom were women and children." Rescuers removed the bodies from the spot and shifted them to a mortuary, where they will be handed over to their families after conducting post-mortem examinations. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed grief over the deaths and offered condolences to the bereaved families. He also announced financial assistances to the families affected by the accident. Preliminary investigations said the tractor driver was trying to overtake another vehicle, which led to the overturn. Deadly road accidents are common in India, often caused by overloading, bad condition of roads and reckless driving. Around 150,000 people are killed every year in about half a million road accidents across India. At a bench trial in Illinois in October, a 16-year-old girl testified that 18-year-old Drew Clinton held a pillow over her face and raped her after she fell asleep at a graduation party. Adams County Judge Robert Adrian found Clinton guilty of criminal sexual assaultbut he threw his own conviction out at a sentencing hearing this month because he didn't want to send Clinton to prison. In a decision strongly condemned by prosecutors and victims' advocates, Adrian said the 148 days the teen had spent in jail was punishment enough and it would be "unjust" to sentence him to four years in prison, the mandatory minimum, reports the New York Times . The judge, who noted that Clinton had turned 18 just two weeks before the party, slammed parents who had allowed the party to take place and given alcohol to teenagers. An Illinois judge whose decision to reverse the conviction of a man he found guilty of raping a 16-year-old girl drew outrage has been removed from the bench. The Illinois Courts Commission found that Adams County Judge Robert Adrian circumvented the law and engaged in misconduct, the AP reports. The oversight panel held a hearing in November into a complaint against Adrian and stripped him of his position on Friday. The judge "abused his position of power to indulge his own sense of justice," the decision said. Adrian told the Chicago Tribune that his removal is "totally a miscarriage of justice." "This is what's happened when parents do not exercise their parental responsibilities, when we have people, adults, having parties for teenagers, and they allow coeds and female people to swim in their underwear in their swimming pool," the judge said. "And, no, underwear is not the same as swimming suits." Carrie Ward, chief executive of the Illinois Coalition Against Sexual Assault, said the judge was shifting all the blame "from the perpetrator, from the actual person who committed the sexual assault, to everyone else, including the victim." The girl told WGEM that she was devastated by the reversal. "I immediately had to leave the courtroom and go to the bathroom. I was crying." Her father said that she had been an athlete and honor roll student but since the assault, she has dropped out of all sports and shifted to home learning. story continues below The Quincy Area Network Against Domestic Abuse condemned the judge's decision and remarks Tuesday, saying it sends a "chilling message to other rape victims that their behavior, not the rapists', will be judged." The next day, Adrian kicked a prosecutor out of the courtroom because he had liked a Facebook post from the group. "I can't be fair with you," Adrian said. "Get out." The Herald-Whig reports that the judge is no longer presiding over criminal cases. Judge Frank McCartney, chief judge of the Eighth Judicial Circuit, issued an order Thursday reassigning Adrian to small claims and other civil cases and transferring his criminal docket to another judge. (More Illinois stories.) Zhang Jun (C, Front), China's permanent representative to the United Nations (UN), speaks at a Security Council meeting on the Ukraine crisis, at the UN headquarters in New York, on Feb. 23, 2024. Zhang on Friday called for international efforts toward a political resolution to the Ukraine crisis. (Xinhua/Xie E) UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese envoy on Friday called for international efforts toward a political resolution to the Ukraine crisis. The international community should work together to find a fair and sensible solution so that the crisis can be settled politically and peace can prevail, said Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the United Nations (UN). He made the appeal at a high-level meeting of the UN Security Council scheduled to coincide with the second anniversary of the start of Russia's special military operation in Ukraine. The Ukraine crisis has caused incalculable damage. The most pressing priority is to stop the hostilities, launch peace talks and restore peace. Peace is in the interests of all parties, said Zhang. China calls on the parties concerned to show a sense of responsibility and make constructive diplomatic efforts to promote de-escalation and to create favorable conditions for the resumption of negotiations. He said that the parties concerned should not create artificial obstacles to make peace more challenging to achieve, much less supply weapons to profit from the prolonged crisis. Zhang stressed that strengthening or expanding a military bloc cannot guarantee regional security. "It must be pointed out that the situation that Europe is facing today is closely related to the repeated eastward expansion of NATO since the end of the Cold War. We encourage NATO to do some soul-searching, come out of the cage of Cold War mentality and refrain from acting as an agent of troubles that instigates bloc confrontation. We urge the head of NATO to look at the world through an objective lens, stop saber-rattling and do that which is truly conducive to world peace," he said. Using the Ukraine crisis as a pretext, certain countries have indiscriminately imposed unilateral sanctions and long-arm jurisdiction and have exerted unjustified pressure on the businesses of other countries, adversely impacting global industrial and supply chains and disrupting the global trade order, Zhang said. China firmly opposes the unlawful sanctions imposed on Chinese companies by the United States, Britain and the European Union, using the Ukraine issue as an excuse. He said that China will continue to take necessary measures to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of its enterprises and citizens. Major countries have a special responsibility for world peace and security and must responsibly conduct their relations and adequately manage their differences in pursuit of win-win cooperation, he said. China played no part in creating the Ukraine crisis, nor is China a party to the crisis. Yet China has not been indifferent to the conflict, much less cashing in on the crisis, said the Chinese envoy. Regarding Ukraine, China has always maintained that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries should be respected, the purposes and principles of the UN Charter observed, the legitimate security concerns of all countries given due regard, and all efforts conducive to the peaceful settlement of the crisis supported, Zhang said. "China's constructive role and unremitting efforts toward a political settlement of the Ukraine issue will continue," he said. After 140 years, the makers of Lyle's Golden Syrup have decided to update a logo that features a Bible quote and a dead lion surrounded by bees. The company has unveiled a new logo featuring a lion's head and a single bee, CNN reports. The new logo will be on most Lyle's syrups and toppings, including golden syrup bottles, but the dead lion will remain on the classic golden tin. The old logo, introduced in 1883 and last modified in 1885, holds a Guinness World Record for the oldest branding. Company founder Abram Lyle had "strong religious beliefs," which is why he chose a logo depicting a story from Old Testament, the company's website explains. After Samson killed a lion, he later found that bees had built a hive in the carcass, which led to his riddle: "Out of the eater came forth meat and out of the strong came forth sweetness." The second part of the sentence, "Out of the strong came forth sweetness," was part of the Lyle's logo. James Whiteley, the company's branding director, said the new design "brings Lyle's into the modern day, appealing to the everyday British household while still feeling nostalgic," the BBC reports. The Telegraph reports that after some Christian groups strongly objected to the change, the company apologized for upsetting them and said the move had nothing to do with religion. (More logo stories.) Florida's surgeon general has told parents of children at a school experiencing a measles outbreak that they can feel free to ignore Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance. In a Feb. 20 letter, Joseph Ladapo told parents at Manatee Bay Elementary in south Florida that the state's health department "is deferring to parents or guardians to make decisions about school attendance," CBS reports. The letter noted that up to 90% of people without immunity will get measles if exposed, and when "measles is detected in a school, it is normally recommended that individuals without history of prior infection or vaccination stay home for up to 21 days." "However," Ladapo wrote, the health department is deferring the decision to parents "due to the high immunity rate in the community, as well as the burden on families and educational cost of healthy children missing school." Experts including Ben Hoffman, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said they were alarmed by Florida's decision to reject the CDC's guidance. "It runs counter to everything I have ever heard and everything that I have read," Hoffman said. The CDC warns that measles is extremely contagious and around one in five people who catch it will be hospitalized. Around one in 10 develop infections that can lead to hearing loss, and around 1 in 1,000 die. Officials said Wednesday that six children at Manatee Bay had measlesand 33 of 1,067 students were unvaccinated "for various reasons," NBC Miami reports. In September, Ladapo and Gov. Ron DeSantis advised against getting the new COVID-19 booster. In his letter to parents this week, Ladapo did not urge parents to have children vaccinated against measles. "The reason why there is a measles outbreak in Florida schools is because too many parents have not had their children protected by the safe and effective measles vaccine," John P. Moore, a professor of microbiology and immunology at Weill Cornell Medical College, tells the Washington Post. "And why is that? It's because anti-vaccine sentiment in Florida comes from the top of the public health food-chain: Joseph Ladapo." (More measles stories.) Israel's prime minister has drawn up a proposal for governing Gaza after the war ends, a plan that would demilitarize the territory, shut its southern border with Egypt, and give his country ongoing security control. Benjamin Netanyahu presented his proposal to members of his security cabinet on Thursday night, CNN reports. His vision for a postwar Gaza, USA Today reports, differs from that of US officials. Netanyahu has been criticized for not having such a plan, and his office said this one is intended as a starting point for negotiations. The proposal also calls for a remaking of the civil administration and education systems in Gaza that would include ending Qatar's fundingwhich a previous Netanyahu government approved. The operators of the civil service post-Hamas "will not be identified with countries or entities that support terrorism and will not receive payment from them," the document says. Shutting the border would shift control over who enters and leaves Gaza from Egypt to Israel. Egypt didn't immediately issue a comment on the plan; nor did the US. A New York Times analysis says the proposal seems to have been left intentionally vague in places to avoid stirring opposition among the Israeli government's domestic or international allies. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has come out against a buffer zone, for instance, but keeping control of ones at Gaza's borders with Egypt and Israel would satisfy Israeli public opinion. Although the US officials favor the Palestinian Authority governing Gaza when the Israel-Hamas war ends, the proposal doesn't even mention the PA, per the BBC. (More Israel-Hamas war stories.) A South Carolina man was found guilty Friday of killing a Black transgender woman in the nation's first federal trial over a hate crime based on gender identity. After deliberating for roughly four hours, jurors convicted Daqua Lameek Ritter of a hate crime for the murder of Dime Doe in 2019. Ritter was also found guilty of using a firearm in connection with the fatal shooting and obstructing justice, per the AP . A sentencing date hasn't yet been scheduled. Ritter faces a maximum of life imprisonment without parole. While federal officials have previously prosecuted hate crimes based on gender identity, the cases never reached trial. The four-day trial over Doe's killing centered on the secret sexual relationship between her and Ritter, the latter of whom had grown agitated by the exposure of their affair in the small town of Allendale, per witness testimony and text messages obtained by the FBI. Prosecutors accused Ritter of shooting Doe three times with a .22-caliber handgun to prevent further revelation of his involvement with a transgender woman. Prosecutors presented police interviews in which Ritter said he didn't see Doe the day she died. But body camera video from a traffic stop of Doe showed Ritter's distinctive left wrist tattoo on a person in the passenger seat hours before police found her slumped in the car, parked in a driveway. Defense lawyer Lindsey Vann argued at trial that no physical evidence pointed to Ritter. State law enforcement never processed a gunshot residue test that he took voluntarily, she said, and the pair's intimate relationship and frequent car rides made it no surprise that Ritter would have been with her. Texts obtained by the FBI, however, suggested Ritter sought to keep their relationship under wraps as much as possible, prosecutors said. He reminded her to delete their communications from her phone, and hundreds of texts sent in the month before her death were removed. Shortly before Doe's death, their exchanges grew tense. In one message from July 29, 2019, she complained that Ritter didn't reciprocate her generosity; he replied that he thought they had an understanding that she didn't need the "extra stuff." Ritter's defense attorneys said the sampling represented only a "snapshot" of their messages. "This case stands as a testament to our committed effort to fight violence that is targeted against those who may identify as a member of the opposite sex, for their sexual orientation, or for any other protected characteristics," Brook Andrews, an assistant US attorney for the District of South Carolina, told reporters after the verdict. More here. (More transgender stories.) Former President Donald Trump claimed Friday that his four criminal indictments have boosted his support among Black Americans because they see him as a victim of discrimination, comparing his legal jeopardy to the historic legacy of anti-Black prejudice in the US legal system. Trump argues he's the victim of political persecution, even though there's no evidence President Biden or White House officials influenced the filing of 91 felony charges against him. Earlier in the week, Trump had compared himself to Alexei Navalny , Russian President Vladimir Putin's top domestic rival, who died in a remote Arctic prison after being jailed by the Kremlin leader, per the AP . "I got indicted for nothing, for something that is nothing," Trump told a black-tie event for Black conservatives in South Carolina ahead of Saturday's Republican primary. Trump added: "And a lot of people said that's why the Black people like me, because they have been hurt so badly and discriminated against, and they actually viewed me as I'm being discriminated against. It's been pretty amazing, but possibly, maybe, there's something there." He was flanked on the stage at the Black Conservative Federation's gala in Columbia by Black elected officials, including Reps. Byron Donalds of Florida and Wesley Hunt of Texas. Trump mixed his regular campaign remarks with appeals to the Black community and jokes that touched on race. "The lights are so bright in my eyes I can't see too many people out there. But I can only see the Black ones. I can't see any white ones. That's how far I've come," Trump said to laughter from the audience. Trump also noted the mugshot taken by Georgia authorities after he was indicted on state racketeering charges over the 2020 election. "When I did the mugshot in Atlanta, that mugshot is No. 1," he said, adding: "You know who embraced it more than anyone else? The Black population." He also said he knew many Black people because his properties were built by Black construction workers. Republicans face an uphill battle in courting Black voters, who are overwhelmingly supportive of the Democratic Party. And while Black voter enthusiasm for Biden has cooled over the last year, only 25% of Black Americans said they had a favorable view of Trump in a December AP-NORC poll. Black voters expressed skepticism that Republicans, and Trump in particular, could persuade them to switch parties. "He's only out for himself," one lifelong Democratic voter told the AP. More here. (More Donald Trump stories.) The Russian government has turned over the remains of Alexei Navalny to his mother, Lyudmila Navalnaya, the opposition leader's aides said Saturday, per Al Jazeera . "Alexei's body was given to his mother. Thank you to everybody who demanded this with us," Navalny spokesperson Kira Yarmysh posted Saturday on X . What's next isn't clear, Yarmysh wrote. "The funeral is yet to come," the post says. "We don't know whether the authorities will interfere with carrying it out in the way the family wants and as Aleksei deserves." Prison officials reported Navalny's death last week. The government had given Navalny's mother a list of conditions for releasing his body that included holding his funeral in secret. But Lyudmila apparently did not negotiate with Russian authorities, per the BBC. Earlier Saturday, Yulia Navalnaya denounced President Vladimir Putin in a six-minute video posted on YouTube, per the New York Times. The opposition leader's wife said Putin was making a mockery of the Christian values he professes to hold as he tries to force Lyudmila to agree to a secret funeral. "Give us the body of my husband," Navalnaya says in the video. "You tortured him alive, and now you keep torturing him dead." (More Alexei Navalny stories.) Judge Sue Carr said: "It could be argued that the decision in Ms Begum's case was harsh. It could also be argued that Ms Begum is the author of her own misfortune. "But it is not for this court to agree or disagree with either point of view. Our only task is to assess whether the deprivation decision was unlawful. "We have concluded it was not and the appeal is dismissed." The government welcomed the ruling. "Our priority remains maintaining the safety and security of the UK and we will robustly defend any decision made in doing so," a spokesperson for the interior ministry said. Begum's lawyers called on Britain to repatriate her and others who remain in Syria, describing the refusal to do so as "disgraceful". "Every other country has taken their nationals back - France, Germany, Belgium, America, Canada, Australia," Begum's lawyer, Gareth Peirce, told reporters. "Every country in a comparable position has seen that there is no alternative but to take their nationals back. The UK stands now virtually alone." Britain has repatriated 17 individuals since 2019 as of December, according human rights organisation Rights and Security International. Daniel Furner, another of Begum's lawyers, said: "I want to say that I'm sorry to Shamima and to her family that, after five years of fighting, she still hasn't received justice in a British court and to promise her and promise the government that we are not going to stop fighting until she does get justice and until she is safely back home." Heated debate Friday's ruling is the latest chapter in a long-running legal battle, though Peirce said she needed time to properly read the ruling before a decision is taken on whether to seek permission to appeal. In 2020, the Court of Appeal had ruled that Begum should be allowed to return to Britain in order to fairly challenge the removal of her citizenship. But that decision was overturned by the Supreme Court the following year. Begum's case has been the subject of heated debate between those who argue she willingly joined a terrorist group and others who say she was a child when she left, or should face justice for any alleged crimes in Britain. She left London in 2015, aged 15, and travelled with two school friends to Syria, where she married an IS fighter and gave birth to three children, all of whom died as infants. Begum has been in the al-Roj camp since 2019, with thousands of other foreign women and children. Reuters Now, more than ever, the world needs trustworthy reportingbut good journalism isnt free. Please support us by subscribing or contributing today. A giant sign containing "LOONG" is pictured outside the Haikou International Duty-Free Shopping Complex in Haikou, south China's Hainan Province, Feb. 1, 2024. (Xinhua/Guo Cheng) BEIJING, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- As the Chinese people were exchanging their wishes for a prosperous Year of the Loong, an array of machines bearing the name of this zodiac animal were also capturing public attention due to their exceptional performances and encouraging prospects. The loong, also known as the Chinese dragon, epitomizes resilience, dynamism, and vitality within Chinese culture. People in China commonly refer to this mythical creature as "long," phonetically transcribing the corresponding Chinese character. Some spacecraft, aircraft, and watercraft that include references to "long" have been under the spotlight since the lunar new year. People hold high hopes for them to embark on even more remarkable endeavors and continue to achieve greater feats in the new year. JIELONG SpaceX's Dragon craft often features in the headlines, while China's commercial rocket named Smart Dragon, or "Jielong" in Chinese pinyin, has also garnered significant media coverage this month. A Smart Dragon-3 (SD-3) solid-propellant rocket blasted off from a launch service ship off the coast of Yangjiang in Guangdong Province on Feb. 3, sending nine satellites into space. The bright rocket flame soaring from the sea attracted thousands of spectators to the onshore viewing site. A Smart Dragon-3 (SD-3) carrier rocket carrying nine satellites blasts off from waters off the coast of Yangjiang, a city in south China's Guangdong Province, Feb. 3, 2024. (Photo by An Di/Xinhua) This successful liftoff was the latest flight mission of the SD-3, a member of China's Dragon rocket family. Unlike the Long March rockets, the country's backbone launch vehicles, the Dragon series has been developed specifically to meet the growing market demand for launching low-orbit small commercial satellites and satellite networks. Developed by the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, the four-stage SD-3 recorded its maiden flight in December 2022 from a ship in the Yellow Sea. "The SD-3 has filled many blanks in China's space industry," said Guan Hongren, chief designer of the rocket, who highlighted its ability to send a payload of 1.5 tonnes to sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of 500 km. This carrying capacity is more than seven times that of the first-generation Dragon rocket SD-1. At least four more SD-3 rockets will be launched in 2024. To increase its competitiveness in the booming commercial space industry, China is planning the development of an SD-4 rocket with greater carrying capacity. The near future will witness the emergence of a larger and more energetic "dragon" soaring through the skies. KUNLONG The sky has already been graced by the flight of two "water dragons." Two prototypes of the China-made seaplane AG600M, codenamed "Kunlong," recently completed test flights in an extremely cold environment. Video footage posted on Chinese news portals showed these aircraft taking off from a snow-covered airport in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. According to the Aviation Industry Corp of China, the aircraft's manufacturer, the two-week-long test validated the aircraft's capability and performance in extreme freezing temperatures, ranging from -20 degrees Celsius to -40 degrees Celsius. An AG600M aircraft demonstrates its water-dropping function at the 14th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition in Zhuhai, south China's Guangdong Province, on Nov. 8, 2022. (Xinhua/Liu Dawei) "Kun" refers to a giant fish in Chinese mythology. Kunlong is a versatile aircraft that can take off and land on both water and the ground. The AG600M, a member of China's AG600 family of amphibious aircraft, is designed for aerial firefighting operations. It boasts a maximum take-off weight of 60 tonnes and can carry up to 12 tonnes of water, allowing it to cover a flight range of up to 4,500 km. Additionally, its ability to perform low-altitude flying at low speeds enables precise water drops on fire sites. The AG600M prototype completed its first test landing on land in May 2022 and landed on water for the first time in August that same year. The aircraft manufacturer aims to obtain the type certificate for the AG600M by the end of 2024. Since the seaplane model has already secured purchase orders, its market entry is on the horizon. JIAOLONG The Chinese dragon not only possesses the ability to go up to the sky but also down to the depths of the ocean. "Jiaolong" is a mythical sea dragon, but it also refers to a Chinese manned submersible that is capable of diving to depths exceeding 7,000 meters. It was named after the mythical creature because of its deep-sea exploration capability. China's manned submersible "Jiaolong" is despatched on its fifth, and last, dive of the year in the Mariana Trench, June 1, 2017. (Xinhua/Liu Shiping) Jiaolong set a record by diving to a depth of 7,062 meters during tests in the Mariana Trench in 2012. Although this record was later broken by the Fendouzhe submersible, Jiaolong has accomplished numerous tasks and established remarkable achievements since setting that now former record. This year, Jiaolong embarked on a new mission. The submersible, carried aboard China's research vessel "Deep Sea No. 1," has reached the South Atlantic Ocean and is being used during what is China's 83rd ocean expedition in that region. It is anticipated that Jiaolong will undertake a total of 46 dives in the course of the expedition. The expedition team embarked from Qingdao, Shandong Province on Dec. 17, 2023, and is scheduled to return to China in May 2024. As of Feb. 7, Jiaolong had completed eight dives, conducting explorations of the marine biological environment, according to China's Ocean Affairs Administration. The sea dragon-inspired submersible is expected to deliver more profound oceanic discoveries to the world. We have used your information to see if you have a subscription with us, but did not find one. Please use the button below to verify an existing account or to purchase a new subscription. TDT | Manama The Daily Tribune www.newsofbahrain.com Three Bahraini female students won medals in the highly competitive Arabic Language Competition for the Gulf states during its fifth session. The events closing ceremony took place at the Educational Center for the Arabic Language for the Gulf States in the University City of Sharjah. Batoul Al-Sayyid Alawi from Jidhafs Secondary School for Girls clinched a gold medal, while Fatima Jassim Muhammad Jassim and Zainab Al-Hawraa Al Saeed, both from Sitra Secondary School for Girls, earned two silver medals each. In recognition of their outstanding achievements, Bahrain Education Minister HE Dr. Mohammed bin Mubarak Juma extended his heartfelt congratulations. He also conveyed his felicitations to the collaborative efforts of their schools, teachers, and parents in nurturing their talents and reaching such commendable levels in the Gulfwide competition. Emphasising the Ministrys unwavering commitment to the Arabic language, Dr. Juma affirmed ongoing efforts to enhance Arabic language curricula and skills across all schools in Bahrain. The Minister underscored that the students remarkable achievements serve as a testament to the effectiveness of teaching methodologies and the excellence of the educational system in the Kingdom. TDT | Manama The Daily Tribune www.newsofbahrain.com Bahrain's Housing Minister, Amina Al Rumaihi, disclosed that there are approximately 55,000 housing requests currently pending in the Kingdom. These requests are spread across four governorates, with the oldest request dating back to 2002. This came in response to a question posed by MP Mahmoud Al Fardan. She revealed that the Northern Governorate has the highest number of housing requests, accounting for nearly 40% of the total requests in the Kingdom. The governorates outstanding housing requests currently stand at 22,232. In addition, the Capital Governorate has 14,463 housing requests on its waiting list, while the Muharraq Governorate has 9,777 housing requests awaiting processing. Conversely, the Southern Governorate has the fewest number of requests on its waiting list, with 8,480 housing requests from residents of the region. When analysing the types of housing services desired by citizens, it becomes evident that housing units are in the highest demand. They constitute over 90% of the total requests, with a staggering 51,376 housing unit requests currently on the waiting lists, as per the answer provided by the Minister. The oldest of these requests dates back to 2002. The second most requested housing option is apartment ownership, with 1,891 requests on the waiting lists, the oldest of which dates back to 2015. On the other hand, housing plot requests have the lowest demand among citizens, with a total of only 1,685 requests across all provinces. The oldest plot request dates back to 2013. Al Rumaihi also shed light on the oldest outstanding requests in the Kingdom of Bahrain. She revealed that there are 4,752 housing requests that have been pending for 20 years or more, specifically from the years 2002, 2003, and 2004. Among these, 1,379 housing requests have been waiting since 2002, 1,494 requests date back to 2003, and 1,861 requests are from 2004. Amazon says repays $1.9 million to workers in Saudi over unlawful fees Amazon says repays $1.9 million to workers in Saudi over unlawful fees AFP | Riyadh The Daily Tribune www.newsofbahrain.com Online retailer Amazon said yesterday it had paid $1.9 million to more than 700 contracted workers in Saudi Arabia as reimbursements for unlawful recruitment fees, among other alleged violations. In October, Amnesty International accused Amazon of a range of abuses against workers in the oil-rich Gulf kingdom, prompting the US-based multinational to launch an investigation. We found instances where contracted workers were required to pay fees, including recruitment fees and other costs by Saudi recruitment agents and labour supply companies, Amazon said in a statement posted on its website. The investigation revealed other violations of its company policies including substandard living accommodations, contract and wage irregularities, and delays in the resolution of worker complaints, it said. As a result, Amazon paid $1.9 million in reimbursements to over 700 contracted workers, the statement added. The Amnesty report drew on the accounts of 22 men from Nepal who worked in warehouses in Riyadh or the Saudi coastal city of Jeddah going back to 2021, according to the London-based human rights organisation. It found that migrant workers employed in Amazon warehouses in Saudi Arabia suffered appalling living conditions, on-the-job safety risks and wage theft. AFP | Washington The Daily Tribune www.newsofbahrain.com Israeli air strikes targeted homes in southern Gaza, witnesses said yesterday, adding to what aid groups describe as an increasingly hopeless humanitarian situation despite efforts towards new truce talks. An Israeli delegation led by David Barnea, head of the Mossad intelligence agency, has arrived in Paris in efforts to unblock truce discussions in the war with Hamas. His trip follows what the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said was the death of more than 100 people over the previous day. Israeli bombardment destroyed one house and left a gaping hole in the earth east of Rafah, on the border with Egypt, where about 1.4 million Gazans have converged in a futile search to escape the fighting. We were sleeping in our house when we heard the sound of a missile, said Abdul Hamid Abu el-Enein. We rushed to the site and found people martyred and injured in the strike which completely erased the two-storey home. Witnesses reported several other houses targeted during the night, and an AFP reporter described heavy strikes in the city of Khan Yunis to the north, as well as in Rafah itself. Israel has threatened to send troops into the packed southern city of Rafah, drawing international criticism. The military said fighting, including with drone strikes and sniper fire, continued in the western Khan Yunis area. More than four months of fighting and bombardment have flattened much of Gaza and pushed its population of around 2.4 million to the brink of famine as disease spreads, according to the United Nations. We have reached the point of extreme poverty and hunger, 62-year-old Zarifa Hamad, a displaced woman living in a camp in northern Gaza told AFP. Children are dying of hunger. The elderly are dying of hunger, diabetes, blood pressure... everybody is suffering. We have started to eat grass. Israels relentless bombardment since has killed at least 29,514 people, mostly women and children, according to the latest count by Gazas health ministry. The toll has seen pressure grow on the administration of US President Joe Biden to rein in its ally Israel -- which it provides with billions of dollars in military aid. Brett McGurk, White House coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa, held talks this week with Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant in Tel Aviv, after meeting with other mediators in Cairo. Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh was in the Egyptian capital for truce talks earlier in the week, the group said. A Hamas source said the new plan proposes a six-week pause in the conflict and the release of between 200 and 300 Palestinian prisoners, in exchange for 35 to 40 hostages still held by Hamas. BEIRUT, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- Dozens of border towns and villages in southern Lebanon are suffering from a severe water shortage as the Israeli army destroyed most drinking water projects, local officials and residents told Xinhua. Israel has targeted water projects in the border area of Lebanon since Oct. 8, 2023, with the most recent attacks occurring on Feb. 6 this year. The Wazzani Spring water pumping station project, the largest in the south, was also destroyed in these attacks. The right to pump water from the Wazzani, which feeds into the Hasbani River, has been at the center of a row between Lebanon and Israel since 2002. Wazzani Mayor Ahmed Al-Mohammad told Xinhua that the Israeli attacks damaged the water project's electrical equipment, pumps, and distribution networks, leading to the halt of water pumping to numerous villages and towns in the border area. "Israel imposed barriers around the station, preventing workers from reaching it to inspect the damage and drawing up a restoration plan to put it back in service," he added. The project pumped about 12,000 cubic meters of water daily, supplying water to approximately 70 villages and towns, said Ali Al-Zein, former head of the Federation of Municipalities of Jabal Amel, who once supervised the construction of the Wazzani water project until its inauguration in 2002. Al-Zein said the destruction of the project created a severe drinking water crisis in the border region, and the situation is exacerbated by the hazardous military conditions, which hinder southern residents from accessing the river and springs. Al-Zein expressed concerns about a continued water outage as the Israeli army prevented local authorities from repairing the broken pumping stations, and the expense of replacing them with new ones was too costly to bear. "The lack of drinking water has led the citizens of the border area to collect rainwater and drag it through plastic pipes from the roofs of their homes into barrels, while a large percentage of people have resorted to local wells, and some risk their lives by going to springs to obtain water," said Hamid Al-Ahmad, a fifty-year-old local. The population in the border region of southern Lebanon totals approximately 133,600 individuals, spreading across 83 towns and villages, as per data from the Lebanese Ministry of Interior. Tensions along the Lebanon-Israel border have escalated since Oct. 8, 2023, following Hezbollah's launch of numerous rockets towards Israel in solidarity with Hamas' attack on Israel the day before. In response, Israel retaliated by deploying heavy artillery towards southeastern Lebanon. American television host and filmmaker, Steve Harvey has said contrary to Western sentiments, Burna Boy and other African artists didnt steal from American music. He said instead it was the West, especially America, who are inspired by African beats, rhythm, and soul. People claim Burna Boy stole this, no we stole from Burna Boy. Africans are the beats, soul, rhythm, and hard work that inspire our courage, the comedian said in a recent episode of his television show. Burna Boy had in an interview with Apple Music last year clarified that he doesnt do the popular West African music, Afrobeats but Afrofusion which he said was a fusion of American hip-hop, R&B, soul, Jamaican reggae and dancehall, and African music elements. He was nominated in the Best Melodic Rap Performance category at the 66th Grammys becoming the first African artist to be nominated in the rap category which was previously exclusively for Western artists. Despite losing the award to Lil Durk, there were claims in some sections of the West that Burna Boy was attempting to hijack Western musical style. A federal high court in Lagos has ordered the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to disclose the revenue generated from toll gates and parking lots fees in all federal government-owned airports. FAAN is also ordered to disclose how much it remitted from January 2015 to January 2024. Ibrahim Kala, the presiding judge, compelled the FAAN to provide details of the revenue to the applicant, the Registered Trustees of The Centre for Law & Civil Culture. FAAN is expected to comply with the order within three months. After the FAAN failed to comply with the August 24, 2022, freedom of information request, the Registered Trustees of The Centre for Law & Civil Culture filed the lawsuit marked FHC/L/CS/1086/2022. The centre said FAAN violated the freedom of information (FOI) Act, 2011. Parties had adopted their written addresses on January 25, 2024, after which the court adjourned for judgment. Delivering judgment on Friday, Kala held that the applicant satisfied all the conditions stipulated in section 20 of the FOI Act. It is hereby declared that the refusal and failure of the respondents to accede to the Applicants freedom of information requests dated 24/8/2021, 6/10/2021 and 22/4/2022 requesting to know the total annual generated revenue from the toll gates and parking lots in each of the federal government owned airports across the Federal Republic of Nigeria since 2015 till date is a gross violation of the Freedom of Information Act, 2011, the judge ruled. An order of mandamus is, hereby, granted compelling the respondent to avail the applicant with the details of the statement of the accounts showing the total annual generated revenue from the toll gates and parking lots in each of the federal government-owned airports across the Federal Republic of Nigeria and evidence of yearly remittance of such sum so generated per year from January 2015 to January 2024 within a period of three months from today. President Bola Tinubu on Saturday, called for the suspension of economic sanctions imposed on Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Guinea by ECOWAS. Speaking at the Extra-ordinary Summit of ECOWAS in Abuja, President Tinubu, who is the Chairman of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of the organization, stated: Everything we did was in hopes of persuading our brothers that there existed a better path, a path that would lead to genuine improvement of their peoples welfare through democratic good governance. And this was a path each of our nations had solemnly agreed with one another under formal regional treaties and protocols. However, the sanctions that we contemplated might help lead our brothers to the negotiating table have become a harsh stumbling block. In my mind and heart, that which is hurtful yet ineffective serves no good purpose and should be abandoned. ECOWAS was established for the unassailable objective of improving the lives of the people of this region through fraternal cooperation among all member states. This edifice was cemented on the strong foundation and apt conviction that, united as one, we can be the true masters of our destiny. The President further explained that ECOWAS took the steps it did based on the regional ideals of security, social stability; democratic governance, political freedom, broad-based prosperity, and sustainable economic development through fair opportunity for every one in West Africa. He said neither hatred nor hidden motive influenced the steps taken and that there was never any intention to douse or undermine the legitimate political aspirations of any member state or to advance the interests of any outside party. In calling for the suspension of sanctions, President Tinubu stressed that: We must take note of the approach of the holy month of Ramadan and of Lent. Whether you pray in the mosque or in the church, this represents a time for compassion, hope, and harmony. It is a time that we must not only seek God but also a closer relationship with brother and neighbour. In the Spirit of the holy month and of the Lenten period, and with hearts bestirred by goodwill towards all our people, let us extend a hand as brothers and friends to those in Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Guinea. What I suggest in real and practical terms is that we, my colleagues and fellow heads of state in ECOWAS, indefinitely suspend economic sanctions against Niger, Mali, Guinea and Burkina Faso and against the leadership of the military authorities in those nations. The President asked that ECOWAS facilitate the unfettered flow of foodstuffs, medicines and other humanitarian items to the people of these nations, especially to the most vulnerable, adding that for Nigeria, this will also mean the prompt resumption of export of electric power to Niger. In this vein, suspension of sanctions is an important but initial step. What we seek is more than the breaking of the diplomatic logjam. We must use this very moment when things seem tense and progress unavailing, to forge greater cooperation within our community. We not only reach out to our brothers. Today, we say unto them let us begin to work more earnestly together for the economic development of our people and towards confronting those modern challenges that respect no borders or boundaries. Challenges ranging from climate change to violent extremism to illegal pilfering of our precious natural resources require that we join together in progress or we fail separately. As leaders of ECOWAS, we have accepted the honour and duty to draft the history of the region and its people during our tenure in office. We have also accepted the honour and duty to reach out to our brothers, letting them know this regional home belongs to us all. I shall do my utmost in this regard. I humbly beseech that you do the same. For these reasons, we must suspend sanctions and return to brotherly dialogue. I call on the leadership in Burkina Faso, Guinea, Mali, and Niger to embrace the hand extended, the President stated. The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Abdullahi Ganduje, has presented the Certificate of Return to Senator Monday Okpebholo, the winner of the partys gubernatorial primary election in Edo State. Speaking while presenting Okpebholo with the certificate, Ganduje declared that it is almost certain that the APC will win the September 21 Edo Governorship Election. Ganduje said his confidence is based on the qualities of the partys candidate. The APC national chairman, who presented the certificate of return to Okpebholo in Abuja on Saturday, said there was a need for other aspirants to work with him to ensure the partys victory in the state. According to him, direct primaries were held in 192 wards in the state with records and video evidence, stressing that Okpebholo was declared winner because he got the highest votes. The full cooperation, harmony and unity of all aspirants and members of our party is all we need now to win Edo in the coming election now that the primary is over. The party has a product that is refined, well packaged and sellable to the electorate in the person of Okpebholo and is therefore ready to win Edo, Ganduje said. The former Kano State governor said that other aspirants had since congratulated Okpebholo as the partys candidate. The partys Deputy National Organising Secretary, Mr Nze Duru, while presenting the committees report to Ganduje, said the primary election was adjudged nationally and internationally to be the most peaceful, fairest and most transparent in the state. Okpebholo, in his remarks, called on other aspirants who contested the partys ticket to join forces with him to ensure that the APC win the September 21 governorship election. Okpebholo currently represents Edo Central at the National Assembly. SHIJIAZHUANG, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- On Saturday, a truck carrying 150,000 piezoelectric quartzs left the comprehensive bonded zone of the Xiong'an New Area in north China's Hebei Province, marking the first export business conducted by the zone. This export business marks the start of regular operations in the comprehensive bonded zone, said Wang Lei, deputy head of Xiong'an Customs. The goods will first be transported to Beijing and then exported to Japan. Approved in June 2023, the zone covers a total area of approximately 0.63 square km. The first phase of the zone occupies around 0.42 square km. The zone's policies, such as tax refunds, bonded imports and free circulation of goods within the zone, are expected to reduce institutional transaction costs and promote the agglomeration and development of high-end manufacturing and production services in line with the positioning of the new area, according to Wang. Comprehensive bonded zones are special commercial zones that enjoy favorable taxation policies. In April 2017, China announced a plan to establish the Xiong'an New Area, which spans the Rongcheng, Anxin and Xiongxian counties and some adjacent areas. The new area aims to relieve Beijing of non-essential functions related to its status as the nation's capital while also advancing the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region. Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal has urged the National Assembly to intervene to ensure an end to the insecurity bedevilling the state. The Governor made the call, Friday at an event in Birinin Magaji/ Nauran Namoda federal constituency. Governor Lawal urged the National Assembly to intervene and find a lasting solution to the security challenges ravaging the entire state. As some federal lawmakers are here in Birnin Magaji and have seen it themselves, I want to appeal for urgent intervention, when you go back, you deliberate on the issue at the National Assembly to end the persistent security challenges affecting my state, the Governor appealed. Governor Lawal maintained that the issue of security remains a collective responsibility irrespective of political party, urging all and sundry to come up and fight together to solve the problem. I urged all individuals irrespective of political parties. We should forget about all our political differences whether you are in PDP, APC, or whatever political party you belong to, come and let us join forces to rescue the state from its present predicament of insecurity. President Bola Tinubu has given reasons behind the delay of the free distribution of 42,000 metric tonnes of grains to Nigerians to tackle the current food insecurity. Recall that the Minister of Agriculture on February 8, promised that the federal government would distribute millet, maize and other food commodities to vulnerable Nigerians to ameliorate hardship. But for almost three weeks, no grains or food commodities have been given to Nigerians as the economy bites hard with the high cost of food. Explaining the delay, Special Adviser to the President Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga said the bagging of grains is ongoing in seven strategic places in the country. Onanuga also said the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has been in charge of bagging the grains that would soon be delivered to indigent Nigerians. He said this in a statement issued on Friday, reiterating the assurance that Nigerians will soon receive free gains. The presidential aide also said that 60,000 metric tonnes of rice will be provided by the federal government to give to Nigerians. The Tinubu administration through the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security is in the final stages of releasing 42,000 metric tonnes of assorted food commodities to support the vulnerable population across the country, Onanuga said in the statement. The grains in seven locations of strategic reserve, are now being bagged for onward delivery to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA). The need to bag the grains, caused the delay as the bags were freshly ordered by the government. Nigerians will not need to pay for the grain bags, as they are free. This will be complemented by the 60,000 metric tonnes of milled rice to be purchased by the Federal Government from the Mega Rice Millers. Already, with the announcement of the impending releases of food commodities from the Strategic Reserve, there is a noticeable reduction in commodity prices across major grains markets in the country, Minister of Agriculture, Senator Abubakar Kyari. The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, (SAN) has urged the Nigeria Labour Congress to shelve its proposed nationwide protest. On February 16, the NLC announced a nationwide protest scheduled for February 27 and 28, in response to the economic challenges facing the country. This decision followed the conclusion of a 14-day ultimatum issued to the Federal Government regarding the widespread hardship. However, in a letter addressed to the counsel for the NLC, Femi Falana, (SAN) dated February 23, 2024, Fagbemi reminded the NLC of a subsisting order restraining the union from embarking on any industrial action. The letter read, I wish to draw your esteemed attention to the Joint Press Release dated 8th February 2024, containing a 14-day ultimatum, jointly issued by the President of the NLC and President of the TUC as well as the notice of a two-day national protest issued by the NLC President on 16th February 2024. A cursory perusal of the above press release clearly shows that the planned protest is premised on or connected with alleged non-implementation of the 16-point agreement reached with the Federal Government on October 02, 2023, consequences of the hike in the price of PMS, and other associated issues. It is therefore safe to assert again that the proposed cause of action by NLC is targeted at achieving objectives or promoting issues connected with a hike in fuel price and consequential matters of palliatives workers welfare, and associated government policies. You may wish to note that the foregoing issues or objectives are at the core of the pending case before the National Industrial Court. Upon the submission of grievances to the court, parties in the suit cannot resort to public protests over the same issues, as such conduct amounts to gross contempt and affront to the institution of our courts of law. Therefore, the proposed nationwide protest action in all ramifications is in clear violation of the pending interim injunctive order granted in SUIT NO: NICN/ABJ/158/2023-FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OF NIGERIA & ANOR V. NIGERIAN LABOUR CONGRESS & ANOR on 5th June 2023 restraining both NLC and TUC from embarking on any industrial action or strike of any nature. It is not in doubt that the planned protest is designed to compel the government to accede to the demands of organised labour, therefore, such action qualifies as an industrial action which comes within the ambit of the restraining order. This restraining order has neither been stayed nor set- aside and therefore remains binding. He noted that the government had substantially met the demands of the union as contained in the Memorandum of Understanding entered with the NLC. Fagbemi said, I wish to note that the government has substantially and reasonably complied with the items in the MOU and it is only appropriate and equitable for organized labour to engage more with the government to ensure the full implementation of same, especially in areas that have been inhibited by unforeseen challenges. May I, therefore request that you kindly implore and enjoin your clients to refrain from self-help by shelving the proposed protests which are antithetical to the mediatory engagements leading to the execution of the MOU, tantamount to undermining subsisting restraining court order, and occasioning disruption of public service, order, and safety. The police command in Bayelsa has arraigned two suspects over alleged conspiracy and attempt to kidnap Ebi Ayama, a brother to Douye Diri, governor of the state. The suspects were arraigned in a high court sitting in Yenagoa, the state capital, on Friday. Asinim Butswat, the police spokesperson, identified the suspected kidnappers as Lucky Oghenebrume (53) and Omobowho Okpowodo (52). Butswat said both men were arrested by officers of Operation Puff Adder in November 2023 at Mbiama community in Rivers state. A police prosecutor who spoke in court said Oghenebrume was the brain behind the attempt to kidnap the governors brother. He told the court that the suspect was on the wanted list of the Bayelsa police command. The prosecutor said Oghenebrume was involved in the abduction of one Fyneman in the Sagbama area of Bayelsa, noting that N50 million was paid as ransom. He added that the second suspect, Okpowodo, owns a motor mechanic workshop where the governors brother repairs his vehicles. He said Okpowodo was reportedly overheard last year planning to abduct Ayama on his way from Ekeremor LGA. The two suspects pleaded not guilty to the charges against them by the police. Timipre Songi, the presiding judge, adjourned the case till February, 27. In 2016, Nancy Dickson, younger sister of Seriake Dickson, former governor of Bayelsa state, was abducted from her business place in Yenagoa. The federal government says the efforts of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to reform the foreign exchange (FX) market have been met with ferocious resistance from speculators and other unscrupulous players. Mohammed Idris, minister of information and national orientation, made this known in a statement on Friday. CBN has implemented several policies to strengthen the naira, including the unification of all segments of the official forex market on June 14, 2023. Also, on February 1, 2024, the apex bank announced it has removed the allowable limit of exchange rate quoted by the international money transfer operators (IMTOs) to boost liquidity through the willing seller, willing buyer model. Another policy implemented by the CBN is the limit placed on the repatriation of proceeds by international oil companies due to its impact on FX liquidity. The minister said the government is not under any illusion that the policy moves are silver bullets, or that nothing extra is required. We understand that these are foundational fiscal and monetary policy moves, upon which we must now build the superstructure of true economic growth and prosperity, Idris said. As respected economists and experts have acknowledged, these foundational reforms will be difficult and painful for Nigerians in the short-term. At the same time, there is the consensus that they are inevitable, given just how much they have held back robust and lasting economic growth. The problems that we are solving are no doubt multifaceted, intertwined, and deep-rooted, requiring creative, strategic, decisive, and multi-pronged solutions. He said the bold moves being implemented are in full alignment with what is required. The CBN has been proactive, initiating a comprehensive strategy to enhance liquidity in the forex market, Idris said. In addition to unifying the rates, the bank has also cleared a significant amount of outstanding Forex obligations, and outlined new operational mechanisms for commercial banks, Bureau De Change (BDC) operators and International Money Transfer Operators (IMTOs). It is heartwarming to note that we are starting to see the results. Indeed, the naira is stabilizing, and the foreign exchange market is seeing a surge of inflows. The latest NBS figures show that capital importation into Nigeria rose by over 66 percent in Q4 2023, compared with the preceding quarter. The CBN Governor has also highlighted the fact that $1.8 billion flowed into the forex market last week, on the back of the new reforms. Sadly, as with any effort to reform and sanitise a system entrenched in long-term malpractice, the CBNs efforts have been met with ferocious resistance from speculators and other unscrupulous players within and outside our country, who profit from dysfunction and opacity. To combat this, he said government regulatory and enforcement agencies have been working around the clock in recent days, joining forces to address these efforts to undermine the reforms. Idris said the strategic alliance resulted in intelligence-led identification, investigation and sanctioning of individuals as well as organisations involved in illegal activities and sabotage within the forex market. Relevant regulatory and security agencies have been directed to remain vigilant to ensure that malpractices capable of undermining our currency are averted and that those engaged in these acts are brought to book. The government will not allow its efforts to be jeopardised, he said EMERGING STABILITY OF NAIRA IN INTEREST OF ALL NIGERIANS Idris said the emerging stability of the naira is in the interest of all Nigerians and more steps will be taken to stabilise the currency. Nigerians should rest assured that the government will continue to take further steps to stabilize the naira and safeguard our economy, he said. We will continue to seek the patience and understanding of Nigerians as we push through these difficult times, into a season of abundant benefits and truly renewed Hope. Idris said the current challenges the country is facing are only temporary, and, collectively, they will be surmounted. President Bola Tinubu has urged the military governments of Niger Republic, Burkina Faso and Mali to reconsider their exit from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). Tinubu spoke on Saturday during his opening address at the ECOWAS extraordinary summit held at the State House in Abuja. In January, the three countries announced their withdrawal from the West African regional economic bloc. The junta-led nations criticised ECOWAS over the sanctions imposed on them as part of efforts to restore democratic rule. Speaking at ECOWAS' first summit since the withdrawal, Tinubu, who was elected chairman of the regional bloc in 2023, urged the exiting countries "not to perceive our organisation as the enemy". The Nigerian president also said ECOWAS must "re-examine" its "current approach to the quest for constitutional order" in the affected countries. Tinubu said the countries' withdrawal requests will be discussed during the extraordinary summit. "We will deliberate on the announced withdrawal from ECOWAS by the Republics of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger. In the spirit of collective security and African solidarity, we realise that the stability of these nations is intricately linked to the overall peace and security of West Africa," he said. "As such, it is pertinent that we engage in constructive deliberations to examine the actions taken by these countries and ensure that the citizens are not denied the benefits derived from our regional integration initiatives. In our ensuing discussions, we must put the plight of people, the ordinary citizens, at the centre of our decisions. "Democracy is nothing more than the political framework and the path to addressing the basic needs and aspirations of the people. This is why we must re-examine our current approach to the quest for constitutional order in four of our Member States. I therefore urge them to reconsider the decision of the three of them to exit their home and not to perceive our organisation as the enemy." For decades, the Sears Roebuck and Co. building was a fixture in Bergen County, known for its art-deco style and soaring 105-foot tower bearing the name of the once-iconic retailer. But, in recent years, Sears has disappeared from shopping centers around the nation and its landmark building in Hackensack has become a faded bastion of the retailers illustrious past. One year after the city of Hackensack reached a settlement with the parent company of Sears to redevelop the department stores historic building on Main Street, the three-story structure remains untouched due to ongoing lawsuits. Unfortunately, repeated litigation stemming from disagreements between the parties associated with the site has delayed its redevelopment, said city spokesman Nick Bond. Transformco, which holds a long term ground lease on the Sears property, did not respond to requests for comment. Transformco closed the Sears Hackensack location in 2020. Since then, the department store has collected dust, its windows blackened and its vast parking lot an asphalt island in the citys downtown. The property has a rich local history. Before it was home to a department store, the site at the corner of Main and Anderson streets in Hackensack was home to former state senator and former First Assistant Postmaster General William M. Johnson. He was described as Hackensacks first citizen in a New York Times obituary. Johnson lived in a house on the property in the early 1900s, until his death in 1928, according to newspaper articles. Sears acquired the property in 1932 and announced it would spend $1 million to construct a large department store at the site, according to local news accounts. When the new Sears opened in October 1932, news outlets declared it one of the finest department stores on the East Coast. The building was constructed in the then-popular art deco style and topped with a 105-foot tower. The tower was an artistic trademark of large Sears department stores at the time. Although Sears is best known for its discount appliances, home furnishings and clothes, in the 1960s and 1970s the company invested heavily in bringing art to the masses. Horror movie actor Vincent Price, who became a major force in mid-century modern art, worked for Sears as an art consultant in the 1960s to assist it in selling affordable artworks at its department stores across the country. Under the tutelage of Price, Sears collaborated with Salvador Dali the renowned Spanish surrealist artist to bring his work to the Hackensack Sears. Salvador Dali, the surrealist painter, unveiled an original artwork at the Hackensack Sears in March 1964, according to newspaper articles.Jersey Journal Dali himself visited the store in 1964 to unveil The Mystical Rose Madonna, an oil painting commissioned by Sears for the Vincent Price Collection, according to an article about the event published in The Newark Star-Ledger. The painting was debuted at the Hackensack Sears with Dali among the crowd, his mustaches curling farther inward than ever and his cane jauntily poised, according to another article in the Jersey Journal. But, over the years Sears lost its hold on the retail market. Sears, Roebuck and Co. was once the worlds largest retailer, operating nearly 3,500 Sears and Kmart stores. The company eventually began experiencing financial problems. In 2011, the city named the Hackensack Sears property as one of 389 lots designated as part of an area in need of rehabilitation, according to city documents. Sears filed for bankruptcy in 2018, and began closing more than 100 stores. In 2019, the department store chain was acquired by Transformco, a privately-held company affiliated with Lampert. The acquisition made Transformco the new ground lessee of the historic Hackensack Sears property. Sears never owned the property, it only ever leased it as a tenant, according to property records and court documents. Arcolo Limited Partnership, a Delaware corporation registered to an address in Boca Raton, Florida, acquired 50% of the property in 1995, according to property records. The other 50% was owned by Temple Judea of Manhasset. The temple sold off the other portions to Sugencole, Sugengran and Sugensteve known as the Sugen entities in court documents in 2015. The corporations are registered to the same address as Arloco Limited Partnership in Delaware. Hackensack officials adopted the Sears Roebuck and Company Redevelopment Plan in December 2021, which included proposed development restrictions and historic preservation mandates for the site. In 2022, Transformco filed a lawsuit arguing the city failed to reach out before adopting the redevelopment plan and unfairly targeted its properties, records show. The lawsuit also named the Sugen entities as defendants. In answer to the lawsuit, the Sugen entities said they were not engaged by the city with regard to the drafting of the redevelopment plan either, despite being the property owners. The Sugen entities and Arloco Limited Partnership filed their own lawsuit against the city two days later. Transformco reached a settlement with the city in January 2023 that promised any future development of the landmark Sears building in Hackensack would include a 30-year PILOT, or payment in lieu of taxes, plan to help save the developer money. But, the Sugen entities and Arloco Limited Partnership were never contacted about the settlement pertaining to their property, according to another lawsuit filed last September. The lawsuit was filed in Bergen County Superior Court by a series of similarly-named new companies Arcolo Hackensack, Sugencole Hackensack, Sugengran Hackensack and Sugensteve Hackensack that said they acquired interest in the Sears property in February 2023. Attorney Andrew S. Kohut, who represents the companies interests, did not respond to requests for comment. The lawsuit calls for a judge to void the Sears propertys designation as an area in need of redevelopment, blocking Hackensacks efforts to redevelop the area. The citys objective is to help facilitate the redevelopment of the former Sears site, which represents an important piece of the continued revitalization of Hackensacks Downtown, said Bond, the Hackensack city spokesman. Unfortunately, repeated litigation stemming from disagreements between the parties associated with the site has delayed its redevelopment, and the result is that the property continues to lie vacant and deteriorating without contributing the additional tax revenue that a successful redevelopment would generate, Bond said. The city and its planning board filed nearly identical answers to the lawsuit in December, denying they failed to conduct a full investigation before designating the Sears property an area in need of redevelopment. We are hopeful that these parties will come to an agreement soon, but if not the city is fully prepared to seek other legal remedies to complete the redevelopment of the site, which has seen significant interest from many capable redevelopers, said Bond. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. NJ Advance Media research editor Vinessa Erminio contributed to this report. Jackie Roman may be reached at jroman@njadvancemedia.com. A driver has been charged in a hit-and-run that resulted in serious injuries to two people who were standing at a bus stop, officials said. On February 17 around 7 p.m., a sedan struck another car near a bus stop on Lemoine Avenue in Fort Lee before fleeing the scene, according to the Bergen County Prosecutors Office. The impacted car then hit the two people as they were waiting for the bus, prosecutors said. Oliver Garcia, 28, of Jersey City, was identified as the suspect and arrested on Thursday, officials said. He has been charged with two counts of knowingly leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident resulting in serious bodily injury, hindering apprehension and tampering with physical evidence, authorities said. Garcia also received six motor vehicle summonses, according to municipal court records. The violations indicate that his car was uninsured and that he did not have an active drivers license at the time of the crash. Both victims were brought to Hackensack University Medical Center on the night of the crash. Prosecutors did not provide an update about their current conditions. The other vehicle involved remained on the scene and cooperated with police, officials said. Garcia has been released pending a court appearance. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Nicolas Fernandes may be reached at nfernandes@njadvancemedia.com. A New Jersey man who once led a chapter of the Oath Keepers will not spend any time behind bars for his participation in the Jan. 6 rioting after helping federal authorities go after other members of the far-right group. James Breheny, 64, of Little Ferry, pleaded guilty in June 2023 to obstructing an official proceeding. A federal judge in Washington, D.C. sentenced him on Friday to 36 months of probation, with the first six months served in home detention, plus $2,000 restitution, court records show. A federal prosecutor had recommended the probation and home confinement sentence, but had also suggested 120 hours of community service - which the judge did not impose. Federal sentencing guidelines put Brehenys possible sentence at 6 to 12 months, a prosecutor wrote in a pre-sentence report. But Brehenys assistance to prosecutions of other Oath Keepers has been significant, and prosecutors argued he be spared any time behind bars. Such a sentence would be sufficient to reflect the seriousness of this offense while also accounting for the defendants early acceptance of responsibility and the substantial assistance he has provided to law enforcement pursuant to his cooperation plea agreement, federal prosecutor Kathryn L. Rakoczy wrote. While prosecutors and defense attorneys typically argue opposing matters in pre-sentence reports, especially with possible prison time, Brehenys attorney Harley D. Breite mainly agreed with the governments position. Brehenys presence and actions at the Capitol are mainly undisputed. He was inside the Capitol for five to six minutes, and did try to hide his participation by deleting material from social media afterwards. However, he started cooperating eight days later, on Jan. 14, 2021, when agents approached him and he admitted he was at the Capitol. They arrested him several months later and he almost immediately offered to assist. Documents show and authorities have said that Breheny had prior contact with Stewart Rhodes, the national leader of the Oath Keepers. Breheny was a leader in the groups Bergen County chapter dating to 2014. His lawyer, Breite, said he left the group two years prior to Jan. 6, and has refused to be paid dues since. But prosecutors said Breheny was privy to Rhodes plans and he invited Rhodes to a Jan. 3, 2021 meeting of meeting of multiple patriot groups in Quarryville, Pennsylvania to plan on how to communicate at Jan. 6. Federal authorities have not elaborated on the meeting. Rhodes added Breheny to a secured, encrypted group chat on the morning of Jan. 6, 2021. Breheny, though, did not actively participate in the Oath Keepers planning and coordination for the attack on the Capitol, nor did he enter the Capitol with the group, and thus was not charged in their conspiracy, according to Rakoczy, the federal prosecutor. Breheny has been giving information to federal authorities since his arrest. Specifically, he provided information about the leader and other members and affiliates of the Oath Keepers who conspired to participate in the attack on the Capitol and interfere with the lawful transfer of power on January 6, Rakoczy wrote. His assistance to prosecutors has been, fulsome, credible, and relevant, although he did not have to testify at any trials or grand juries. This cooperation was not without risks, Rakoczy wrote. To plead guilty pursuant to a public cooperation plea agreement in a case that has garnered such national interest and, sadly, controversy, took courage on Brehenys part. Rhodes was eventually convicted in 2022 and was sentenced to 18 years in prison for seditious conspiracy and related charges for his role in the Jan. 6 riot. Rhodes and another member of the group were convicted at trial. Federal prosecutors showed theyd planned for weeks, maybe months, to oppose and disrupt the transfer of presidential power after Donald Trump lost the 2020 election. Breheny works as a mechanic, is an Air Force veteran and has no prior criminal history, his lawyer wrote in his report. Mr. Breheny has most definitely learned the error of his ways and understands what led him to make such poor decisions surrounding the events of January 6, 2021. He is sincerely remorseful and will never repeat the crime to which he pled guilty, Breite wrote. James Breheny, of Little Ferry, inside the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. Thank you for relying on us to provide the local news you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a voluntary subscription. Kevin Shea may be reached at kshea@njadvancemedia.com. Wages. Job security. And of course, beer. Its all on the table in an ongoing tug-of-war between Anheuser-Busch and its some 5,000 union employees in 12 plants across the country, including the 189 in the companys iconic Newark factory all of whom are threatening to strike next week if a labor agreement cant be met. People attend a Shehuo performance in Huanghuayu Village of Longxian County of Baoji City, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Feb. 23, 2024. The Shehuo parade, a time-honored performance enjoying widespread popularity in rural areas across China, originated from ancient sacrificial activities to pray for a good harvest about 2,000 years ago. Later on, as dancing and singing performances were absorbed into the parade, it gradually evolved into a folk custom staged during the Spring Festival and Lantern Festival, believed to remove bad luck and bring a fresh start in the new year. The Shehuo folk performance in Baoji made it onto the list of China's national intangible cultural heritage in 2006. Longxian County, referred to as Long Zhou in the old days, is well-known for the local Shehuo parade featuring authentic and inclusive performance and simple yet exquisite facial make-up. (Xinhua/Liu Xiao) People attend a Shehuo parade in Huanghuayu Village of Longxian County of Baoji City, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Feb. 23, 2024. The Shehuo parade, a time-honored performance enjoying widespread popularity in rural areas across China, originated from ancient sacrificial activities to pray for a good harvest about 2,000 years ago. Later on, as dancing and singing performances were absorbed into the parade, it gradually evolved into a folk custom staged during the Spring Festival and Lantern Festival, believed to remove bad luck and bring a fresh start in the new year. The Shehuo folk performance in Baoji made it onto the list of China's national intangible cultural heritage in 2006. Longxian County, referred to as Long Zhou in the old days, is well-known for the local Shehuo parade featuring authentic and inclusive performance and simple yet exquisite facial make-up. (Xinhua/Liu Xiao) People attend a Shehuo parade in Huanghuayu Village of Longxian County of Baoji City, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Feb. 23, 2024. The Shehuo parade, a time-honored performance enjoying widespread popularity in rural areas across China, originated from ancient sacrificial activities to pray for a good harvest about 2,000 years ago. Later on, as dancing and singing performances were absorbed into the parade, it gradually evolved into a folk custom staged during the Spring Festival and Lantern Festival, believed to remove bad luck and bring a fresh start in the new year. The Shehuo folk performance in Baoji made it onto the list of China's national intangible cultural heritage in 2006. Longxian County, referred to as Long Zhou in the old days, is well-known for the local Shehuo parade featuring authentic and inclusive performance and simple yet exquisite facial make-up. (Xinhua/Liu Xiao) Villagers prepare to attend a Shehuo performance in Huanghuayu Village of Longxian County of Baoji City, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Feb. 23, 2024. The Shehuo parade, a time-honored performance enjoying widespread popularity in rural areas across China, originated from ancient sacrificial activities to pray for a good harvest about 2,000 years ago. Later on, as dancing and singing performances were absorbed into the parade, it gradually evolved into a folk custom staged during the Spring Festival and Lantern Festival, believed to remove bad luck and bring a fresh start in the new year. The Shehuo folk performance in Baoji made it onto the list of China's national intangible cultural heritage in 2006. Longxian County, referred to as Long Zhou in the old days, is well-known for the local Shehuo parade featuring authentic and inclusive performance and simple yet exquisite facial make-up. (Xinhua/Liu Xiao) People attend a Shehuo parade in Huanghuayu Village of Longxian County of Baoji City, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Feb. 23, 2024. The Shehuo parade, a time-honored performance enjoying widespread popularity in rural areas across China, originated from ancient sacrificial activities to pray for a good harvest about 2,000 years ago. Later on, as dancing and singing performances were absorbed into the parade, it gradually evolved into a folk custom staged during the Spring Festival and Lantern Festival, believed to remove bad luck and bring a fresh start in the new year. The Shehuo folk performance in Baoji made it onto the list of China's national intangible cultural heritage in 2006. Longxian County, referred to as Long Zhou in the old days, is well-known for the local Shehuo parade featuring authentic and inclusive performance and simple yet exquisite facial make-up. (Xinhua/Liu Xiao) People attend a Shehuo parade in Huanghuayu Village of Longxian County of Baoji City, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Feb. 23, 2024. The Shehuo parade, a time-honored performance enjoying widespread popularity in rural areas across China, originated from ancient sacrificial activities to pray for a good harvest about 2,000 years ago. Later on, as dancing and singing performances were absorbed into the parade, it gradually evolved into a folk custom staged during the Spring Festival and Lantern Festival, believed to remove bad luck and bring a fresh start in the new year. The Shehuo folk performance in Baoji made it onto the list of China's national intangible cultural heritage in 2006. Longxian County, referred to as Long Zhou in the old days, is well-known for the local Shehuo parade featuring authentic and inclusive performance and simple yet exquisite facial make-up. (Xinhua/Liu Xiao) People attend a Shehuo parade in Huanghuayu Village of Longxian County of Baoji City, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Feb. 23, 2024. The Shehuo parade, a time-honored performance enjoying widespread popularity in rural areas across China, originated from ancient sacrificial activities to pray for a good harvest about 2,000 years ago. Later on, as dancing and singing performances were absorbed into the parade, it gradually evolved into a folk custom staged during the Spring Festival and Lantern Festival, believed to remove bad luck and bring a fresh start in the new year. The Shehuo folk performance in Baoji made it onto the list of China's national intangible cultural heritage in 2006. Longxian County, referred to as Long Zhou in the old days, is well-known for the local Shehuo parade featuring authentic and inclusive performance and simple yet exquisite facial make-up. (Xinhua/Liu Xiao) People attend a Shehuo parade in Huanghuayu Village of Longxian County of Baoji City, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Feb. 23, 2024. The Shehuo parade, a time-honored performance enjoying widespread popularity in rural areas across China, originated from ancient sacrificial activities to pray for a good harvest about 2,000 years ago. Later on, as dancing and singing performances were absorbed into the parade, it gradually evolved into a folk custom staged during the Spring Festival and Lantern Festival, believed to remove bad luck and bring a fresh start in the new year. The Shehuo folk performance in Baoji made it onto the list of China's national intangible cultural heritage in 2006. Longxian County, referred to as Long Zhou in the old days, is well-known for the local Shehuo parade featuring authentic and inclusive performance and simple yet exquisite facial make-up. (Xinhua/Liu Xiao) People attend a Shehuo parade in Huanghuayu Village of Longxian County of Baoji City, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Feb. 23, 2024. The Shehuo parade, a time-honored performance enjoying widespread popularity in rural areas across China, originated from ancient sacrificial activities to pray for a good harvest about 2,000 years ago. Later on, as dancing and singing performances were absorbed into the parade, it gradually evolved into a folk custom staged during the Spring Festival and Lantern Festival, believed to remove bad luck and bring a fresh start in the new year. The Shehuo folk performance in Baoji made it onto the list of China's national intangible cultural heritage in 2006. Longxian County, referred to as Long Zhou in the old days, is well-known for the local Shehuo parade featuring authentic and inclusive performance and simple yet exquisite facial make-up. (Xinhua/Liu Xiao) People attend a Shehuo performance in Zhigou Village of Longxian County of Baoji City, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Feb. 23, 2024. The Shehuo parade, a time-honored performance enjoying widespread popularity in rural areas across China, originated from ancient sacrificial activities to pray for a good harvest about 2,000 years ago. Later on, as dancing and singing performances were absorbed into the parade, it gradually evolved into a folk custom staged during the Spring Festival and Lantern Festival, believed to remove bad luck and bring a fresh start in the new year. The Shehuo folk performance in Baoji made it onto the list of China's national intangible cultural heritage in 2006. Longxian County, referred to as Long Zhou in the old days, is well-known for the local Shehuo parade featuring authentic and inclusive performance and simple yet exquisite facial make-up. (Xinhua/Liu Xiao) An aerial drone photo shows a Shehuo perforamcne in Zhigou Village of Longxian County of Baoji City, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Feb. 23, 2024. The Shehuo parade, a time-honored performance enjoying widespread popularity in rural areas across China, originated from ancient sacrificial activities to pray for a good harvest about 2,000 years ago. Later on, as dancing and singing performances were absorbed into the parade, it gradually evolved into a folk custom staged during the Spring Festival and Lantern Festival, believed to remove bad luck and bring a fresh start in the new year. The Shehuo folk performance in Baoji made it onto the list of China's national intangible cultural heritage in 2006. Longxian County, referred to as Long Zhou in the old days, is well-known for the local Shehuo parade featuring authentic and inclusive performance and simple yet exquisite facial make-up. (Xinhua/Liu Xiao) People attend a Shehuo performance in Zhigou Village of Longxian County of Baoji City, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Feb. 23, 2024. The Shehuo parade, a time-honored performance enjoying widespread popularity in rural areas across China, originated from ancient sacrificial activities to pray for a good harvest about 2,000 years ago. Later on, as dancing and singing performances were absorbed into the parade, it gradually evolved into a folk custom staged during the Spring Festival and Lantern Festival, believed to remove bad luck and bring a fresh start in the new year. The Shehuo folk performance in Baoji made it onto the list of China's national intangible cultural heritage in 2006. Longxian County, referred to as Long Zhou in the old days, is well-known for the local Shehuo parade featuring authentic and inclusive performance and simple yet exquisite facial make-up. (Xinhua/Liu Xiao) People attend a Shehuo parade in Huanghuayu Village of Longxian County of Baoji City, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Feb. 23, 2024. The Shehuo parade, a time-honored performance enjoying widespread popularity in rural areas across China, originated from ancient sacrificial activities to pray for a good harvest about 2,000 years ago. Later on, as dancing and singing performances were absorbed into the parade, it gradually evolved into a folk custom staged during the Spring Festival and Lantern Festival, believed to remove bad luck and bring a fresh start in the new year. The Shehuo folk performance in Baoji made it onto the list of China's national intangible cultural heritage in 2006. Longxian County, referred to as Long Zhou in the old days, is well-known for the local Shehuo parade featuring authentic and inclusive performance and simple yet exquisite facial make-up. (Xinhua/Liu Xiao) An aerial drone photo shows a Shehuo parade in Huanghuayu Village of Longxian County of Baoji City, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Feb. 23, 2024. The Shehuo parade, a time-honored performance enjoying widespread popularity in rural areas across China, originated from ancient sacrificial activities to pray for a good harvest about 2,000 years ago. Later on, as dancing and singing performances were absorbed into the parade, it gradually evolved into a folk custom staged during the Spring Festival and Lantern Festival, believed to remove bad luck and bring a fresh start in the new year. The Shehuo folk performance in Baoji made it onto the list of China's national intangible cultural heritage in 2006. Longxian County, referred to as Long Zhou in the old days, is well-known for the local Shehuo parade featuring authentic and inclusive performance and simple yet exquisite facial make-up. (Xinhua/Liu Xiao) An aerial drone photo shows a Shehuo perforamcne in Zhigou Village of Longxian County of Baoji City, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Feb. 23, 2024. The Shehuo parade, a time-honored performance enjoying widespread popularity in rural areas across China, originated from ancient sacrificial activities to pray for a good harvest about 2,000 years ago. Later on, as dancing and singing performances were absorbed into the parade, it gradually evolved into a folk custom staged during the Spring Festival and Lantern Festival, believed to remove bad luck and bring a fresh start in the new year. The Shehuo folk performance in Baoji made it onto the list of China's national intangible cultural heritage in 2006. Longxian County, referred to as Long Zhou in the old days, is well-known for the local Shehuo parade featuring authentic and inclusive performance and simple yet exquisite facial make-up. (Xinhua/Liu Xiao) A person attends a Shehuo parade in Longxian County of Baoji City, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Feb. 24, 2024. The Shehuo parade, a time-honored performance enjoying widespread popularity in rural areas across China, originated from ancient sacrificial activities to pray for a good harvest about 2,000 years ago. Later on, as dancing and singing performances were absorbed into the parade, it gradually evolved into a folk custom staged during the Spring Festival and Lantern Festival, believed to remove bad luck and bring a fresh start in the new year. The Shehuo folk performance in Baoji made it onto the list of China's national intangible cultural heritage in 2006. Longxian County, referred to as Long Zhou in the old days, is well-known for the local Shehuo parade featuring authentic and inclusive performance and simple yet exquisite facial make-up. (Xinhua/Liu Xiao) An aerial drone photo shows a Shehuo parade in Longxian County of Baoji City, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Feb. 24, 2024. The Shehuo parade, a time-honored performance enjoying widespread popularity in rural areas across China, originated from ancient sacrificial activities to pray for a good harvest about 2,000 years ago. Later on, as dancing and singing performances were absorbed into the parade, it gradually evolved into a folk custom staged during the Spring Festival and Lantern Festival, believed to remove bad luck and bring a fresh start in the new year. The Shehuo folk performance in Baoji made it onto the list of China's national intangible cultural heritage in 2006. Longxian County, referred to as Long Zhou in the old days, is well-known for the local Shehuo parade featuring authentic and inclusive performance and simple yet exquisite facial make-up. (Xinhua/Liu Xiao) People attend a Shehuo parade in Longxian County of Baoji City, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Feb. 24, 2024. The Shehuo parade, a time-honored performance enjoying widespread popularity in rural areas across China, originated from ancient sacrificial activities to pray for a good harvest about 2,000 years ago. Later on, as dancing and singing performances were absorbed into the parade, it gradually evolved into a folk custom staged during the Spring Festival and Lantern Festival, believed to remove bad luck and bring a fresh start in the new year. The Shehuo folk performance in Baoji made it onto the list of China's national intangible cultural heritage in 2006. Longxian County, referred to as Long Zhou in the old days, is well-known for the local Shehuo parade featuring authentic and inclusive performance and simple yet exquisite facial make-up. (Xinhua/Liu Xiao) People attend a Shehuo parade in Longxian County of Baoji City, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Feb. 22, 2024. The Shehuo parade, a time-honored performance enjoying widespread popularity in rural areas across China, originated from ancient sacrificial activities to pray for a good harvest about 2,000 years ago. Later on, as dancing and singing performances were absorbed into the parade, it gradually evolved into a folk custom staged during the Spring Festival and Lantern Festival, believed to remove bad luck and bring a fresh start in the new year. The Shehuo folk performance in Baoji made it onto the list of China's national intangible cultural heritage in 2006. Longxian County, referred to as Long Zhou in the old days, is well-known for the local Shehuo parade featuring authentic and inclusive performance and simple yet exquisite facial make-up. (Xinhua/Liu Xiao) People attend a Shehuo parade in Longxian County of Baoji City, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Feb. 22, 2024. The Shehuo parade, a time-honored performance enjoying widespread popularity in rural areas across China, originated from ancient sacrificial activities to pray for a good harvest about 2,000 years ago. Later on, as dancing and singing performances were absorbed into the parade, it gradually evolved into a folk custom staged during the Spring Festival and Lantern Festival, believed to remove bad luck and bring a fresh start in the new year. The Shehuo folk performance in Baoji made it onto the list of China's national intangible cultural heritage in 2006. Longxian County, referred to as Long Zhou in the old days, is well-known for the local Shehuo parade featuring authentic and inclusive performance and simple yet exquisite facial make-up. (Xinhua/Liu Xiao) People attend a Shehuo parade in Longxian County of Baoji City, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Feb. 24, 2024. The Shehuo parade, a time-honored performance enjoying widespread popularity in rural areas across China, originated from ancient sacrificial activities to pray for a good harvest about 2,000 years ago. Later on, as dancing and singing performances were absorbed into the parade, it gradually evolved into a folk custom staged during the Spring Festival and Lantern Festival, believed to remove bad luck and bring a fresh start in the new year. The Shehuo folk performance in Baoji made it onto the list of China's national intangible cultural heritage in 2006. Longxian County, referred to as Long Zhou in the old days, is well-known for the local Shehuo parade featuring authentic and inclusive performance and simple yet exquisite facial make-up. (Xinhua/Liu Xiao) Children perform during a Shehuo parade in Longxian County of Baoji City, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Feb. 24, 2024. The Shehuo parade, a time-honored performance enjoying widespread popularity in rural areas across China, originated from ancient sacrificial activities to pray for a good harvest about 2,000 years ago. Later on, as dancing and singing performances were absorbed into the parade, it gradually evolved into a folk custom staged during the Spring Festival and Lantern Festival, believed to remove bad luck and bring a fresh start in the new year. The Shehuo folk performance in Baoji made it onto the list of China's national intangible cultural heritage in 2006. Longxian County, referred to as Long Zhou in the old days, is well-known for the local Shehuo parade featuring authentic and inclusive performance and simple yet exquisite facial make-up. (Xinhua/Liu Xiao) An aerial drone photo shows a Shehuo parade in Longxian County of Baoji City, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Feb. 24, 2024. The Shehuo parade, a time-honored performance enjoying widespread popularity in rural areas across China, originated from ancient sacrificial activities to pray for a good harvest about 2,000 years ago. Later on, as dancing and singing performances were absorbed into the parade, it gradually evolved into a folk custom staged during the Spring Festival and Lantern Festival, believed to remove bad luck and bring a fresh start in the new year. The Shehuo folk performance in Baoji made it onto the list of China's national intangible cultural heritage in 2006. Longxian County, referred to as Long Zhou in the old days, is well-known for the local Shehuo parade featuring authentic and inclusive performance and simple yet exquisite facial make-up. (Xinhua/Liu Xiao) The start of Daylight Saving Time when clocks are turned forward an hour, signaling that spring has nearly arrived, is a little more than two weeks away. Daylight Saving time will begin at 2 a.m. on Sunday, March 10, 2024. The sun will set around 6 p.m. in New Jersey on March 9. The following day, after the time shift and the end of standard time, sunset is at 7 p.m. The sun will, however, rise nearly an hour later at about 7:16 a.m. on Sunday, March 10, after coming up at 6:18 a.m. on Saturday, March 9. In the meantime, sunset is later than 5:40 p.m. each day, with sunrise at about 6:40 a.m. Daylight Saving Time, sometimes incorrectly referred to by the plural Daylight Savings Time, begins the second Sunday in March and ends the first Sunday in November. When does Daylight Saving Time end in 2024? Daylight Saving Time ends on Nov. 3, 2024 at 2 a.m. Until 2007, Daylight Saving Time began at 2 a.m. on the first Sunday in April and ended at 2 a.m. on the last Sunday in October. While most states change clocks for Daylight Saving Time, there are some holdouts. Most of Arizona and all of Hawaii does not observe Daylight Saving Time. In addition, Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa and the U.S. Virgin Islands do not participate in Daylight Saving Time. Indiana didnt start observing Daylight Saving Time until 2006. The Uniform Time Act of 1966 allows states to exempt themselves from observing Daylight Saving Time. Any bill would need authorization of the U.S. Congress to be implemented as federal law does not allow year-round Daylight Saving Time. Two bills introduced in the state legislature in New Jersey in 2022 that would establish Daylight Saving Time as the official time year-round remain pending, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. At least 29 states considered or were considering 75 pieces of legislation related to Daylight Saving Time last year, the NCSL said. Nineteen states have either passed resolutions or passed legislation calling for permanent Daylight Saving Time, the NCSL reports. Last week, a state senate committee in Oregon passed a bill to end Daylight Saving Time as well, according to KPTV.com. The bill failed to clear the state Senate, though, OPB.org reported. While the U.S. Senate passed the Sunshine Protection Act in March 2022, the House of Representatives didnt act on it so it never reached the desk of President Joe Biden. In 2023, 12 U.S. senators re-introduced the bill to make Daylight Saving Time permanent. A CBS News poll in 2022 showed 46% of Americans prefer year-round Daylight Saving Time, with 33% wanting year-round Standard Time and the remaining 21% happy to continue to switch back and forth. During World War I, the German Empire implemented an idea that most resembles the Daylight Saving Time that we observe today. Believing that it would conserve fuel during the war, the German Empire in 1916 became the first to switch its clocks to save daylight. Benjamin Franklin is credited with coming up with the notion of making better use of the days light. While visiting Paris in 1784, Franklin came to believe that sunlight was being wasted during the day. In a joking letter to the editors of a Paris newspaper, Franklin proposed a tax on all Parisians whose windows were closed after sunrise. He believed that this would encourage the economy of using sunshine instead of candles, according to Michael Downing, author of Spring Forward: The Annual Madness of Daylight Saving Time. In 1918, the U.S. enacted the first Daylight Saving Time law as a way to conserve fuel. It was reintroduced during World War II. The U.S. put nationwide, year-round daylight saving into effect during World War II starting on Feb. 9, 1942, thinking it would help conserve energy, according to the U.S. Department of Defense. Nicknamed War Time, it remained in effect until September 1945 when Japan surrendered. In 1973, President Nixon signed into law the Emergency Daylight Saving Time Energy Conservation Act, which made DST permanent in the U.S. This helped reduce confusion throughout the country with some regions of the U.S. participating in the practice and some regions opting out. The law was redacted less than a year later, though. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. The family of a Black teenager who was involved in a fight at a New Jersey mall that gained national attention thanks to a viral video of the police response, has settled with the municipality. At a press conference this week, the family did not disclose the amount it received from Bridgewater Township. Court documents show the sum, a little over $150,000, with the family set to receive about $113,000 after attorney fees. Bridgewater Township officials did not return calls for comment. Obviously, a monetary settlement is not the end here, a family attorney Derek Demeri said at the event. Real accountability and justice require change and thats exactly what the family and the community is going to be pushing for moving forward and whatever change happens, it needs to be fully addressed including situations where police officers are acting with impunity and without accountability. The settlement comes after the family of ZKye Husain sued the township following the February 2022 incident at the Bridgewater Commons mall. Police arrived shortly after a fight broke out between Husain, who is Black and was 14 at the time, and a 15-year-old lighter-skinned boy of Colombian and Pakistani descent. Video showed Bridgewater police officers sit the other teenager on a nearby couch, while Husain was pinned to the floor and handcuffed. After the scuffle, neither teen was charged, but both boys were banned from the mall for three years. The incident garnered national attention and widespread criticism, was called an example of biased policing, and set off protests throughout the township. At the familys press conference this week, held at the Mount Olive Baptist Church in Hackensack, attorneys discussed what they said they hoped would be a lasting impact of the incident. Officers far too often see our (Black) children as predators, another family lawyer, Ben Crump, said. We have visual proof of officers doing these nefarious things and yet nothing happens to them. Local officials and the state Attorney Generals Office investigated the police officers response to the incident. Disputes over those reviews have reportedly made the status of any disciplinary action the officers may have faced unclear. In a release, the NAACPs New Jersey chapter called for a greater response. We implore law enforcement officers throughout the State of New Jersey to participate in implicit bias training as an initial step towards addressing these hidden biases, the group said. Our call, though, extends beyond training we demand structural changes. All individuals, irrespective of race and ethnicity, deserve and are entitled to be treated with respect and dignity by those who have sworn to protect all. Mosaic reporter Ande Richards contributed to this report. Thank you for relying on us to provide the local news you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a voluntary subscription. Deion Johnson may be reached at djohnson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Instagram at @DeionRJohnson or X @DeionRJohhnson. WWE Elimination Chamber 2024 is airing on Saturday, Feb. 24. This is a major crossover promotion for the RAW and Smackdown brand divisions. Each of the Elimination Chamber matches will take place at the Optus Stadium in Perth, West Australia, Australia, with the main show beginning at 4:30 a.m. ET. The night will feature both some of the WWEs biggest matches and the high point of several of its storylines. Heres what you need to know to watch WWE Elimination Chamber 2024 online as it airs. When is WWE Elimination Chamber 2024? WWE Elimination Chamber 2024 will be live, and available to watch via Peacock (free trial), on Saturday, Feb. 24. What time does WWE Elimination Chamber 2024 start? The WWE Elimination Chamber 2024 main event will begin in full at 4:30 a.m. eastern time, although there will be a pre-show which begins at 3:30 a.m. How do I watch WWE Elimination Chamber 2024? WWE Elimination Chamber 2024 will be available to watch on Peacock (free trial) live as it airs. Because Peacock is now the official home of the WWE, this will be the only place to watch the event, whether live or on-demand. Peacock is a must-have if youre interested in watching any future WWE events, whether that includes WrestleMania itself or later highlights of the 2024 calendar. There will be no other way to view these events. What matches will be featured in WWE Elimination Chamber 2024? The declared matches for WWE Elimination Chamber 2024 are currently available to view here. How do I subscribe to the WWE Network on Peacock? You can sign up for a Peacock subscription by going here. Heres a look at the appearance of Triple H at this years WWE Elimination Chamber, courtesy of the WWEs official YouTube channel: RELATED STORIES ABOUT TV STREAMING PLATFORMS Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Joseph Rejent covers TV, writing about live television, streaming services and cord-cutting. He can be reached at jrejent@njadvancemedia.com. Watertown, NY (13601) Today Snow this morning will give way to lingering snow showers this afternoon. High 38F. Winds WSW at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of snow 100%. Snowfall around one inch.. Tonight Cloudy with snow showers mainly during the evening. Low 27F. Winds WNW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of snow 50%. Six-day (Tuesday through Sunday) print subscribers of the Watertown Daily Times are eligible for full access to NNY360, the NNY360 mobile app, and the Watertown Daily Times e-edition, all at no additional cost. If you have an existing six-day print subscription to the Watertown Daily Times, please make sure your email address on file matches your NNY360 account email. You can sign up or manage your print subscription using the options below. Every class at the New Orleans Culinary and Hospitality Institute (NOCHI) opens a pop-up restaurant as they near completion of the program. The latest iteration is Bamba, a concept drawing on connections between Central and Latin America and Caribbean cultures and cuisines from Cuba to Brazil and Peru. Alexandra Yanes and Alina Hernandez took the lead on developing the tropical concept along with Courtney Wilson and Violet Veselka. Bamba is open for lunch Feb. 27-March 1 and March 5-8. For menu, information and reservations, visit nochi.org/bamba. Gambit: How did you get interested in cooking and attending NOCHI? Alina Hernandez: I moved here from New York. I have a background in medical administration. I took advantage of the opportunity to come here when my husband was transferred. That was two years ago. During Covid, I was locked in my New York City apartment, so I had a lot of time and honed my (cooking) skills. It was something I always wanted to do, and being here, I finally had the opportunity to do it. Alexandra Yanes: I was born in Maryland and raised in New Orleans. I grew up cooking with my mother and with my grandmother when we would visit her in Honduras. I went to LSU and graduated in May 2023. I got a BA in marketing with a minor in business administration. Culinary school was something that I always wanted to do. I heard about NOCHI and (how) I could come back home and go to an accelerated program. I have been in the restaurant world for about six years. I worked as a waitress, and I worked as a hostess for the past four years at a fine-dining steak house. Hernandez: Coming from a corporate background and a lot of formal education, you realize you have to learn things all over again, and maybe different from how mom or grandma taught you. Its really cool because we have people of all ages and experiences in our cohort. Its nice to share and experience this with all these different people. You learn from each other as well. Gambit: How did you come up with the concept for Bamba? Yanes: (The class was) divided up into three different groups. In our group, it was me, Alina and Courtney and Violet. When we started brainstorming, we all came up with an idea. Hernandez: We all had different regions that we wanted to touch on. Collectively they all translated well into the concept. Alexs idea was South America. Mine was Native American. I wanted to touch on Indigenous groups in the Americas. Violet and Courtney had the same idea of Hawaii. The tropics fell into similar ingredients and preparations. The ingredients translated really well, and we came together to do a Latin American concept. Yanes: We took bits and pieces from what all of us wanted to do and didnt limit ourselves to one region or continent. We ranged from Central and Latin America and took flavors from the Caribbean as well. Hernandez: We want to display unique aspects from each country and culture but tie it together with the use of similar foundations and ingredients that can be spread out throughout the dishes. Gambit: Whats on the menu? Yanes: In our appetizer section, we have ceviche peruano. It comes from Peru. Its a classic way that they make ceviche. We plan to serve it with fried plantain chips. People will be familiar with it, with New Orleans being so seafood-heavy on menus. So its bright and colorful, but still familiar. We also have queso fundido, which is traditional and familiar. We want the menu to be comfortable for people to try different things and branch out. We also want Bamba to show that Latin American food doesnt have to be rustic. It can be fine dining. It can be elegant and elevated. Hernandez: The steak is decadent and rich, but it is served with fresh vegetables. The moqueca is a seafood stew. These dishes are very approachable. Its not too much of a jump for someone whos never tried this cuisine. Yanes: Traditionally (moqueca is) made with just fish. Were adding Gulf shrimp as well. Were also elevating it. Normally the fish is cooked in the stew. Were taking a different approach. Were going to pan sear the fish and have the broth separate on the side and bring them together when we serve it to the guest. Hernandez: One of the desserts is my recipe. Its special to me because my background is Mexican and Puerto Rican. We want to highlight more of the countries in Latin America that dont get so much attention. Tembleque comes from a word that means to shake. Its very similar in texture to a panna cotta. Imagine a panna cotta upside down. Its jiggly. It shakes. It is a coconut custard infused with warming spices and zested with lime. Its a big island dessert. Were pairing that with a granita or something to give it texture. Yanes: Our alcoholic drink is a mezcal grapefruit paloma. Its like a classic paloma, but instead of tequila were using mezcal to give it that extra smokiness and bite. Grapefruit is in season, so hopefully well get the best of the best. With the non-alcoholic, were playing with a Brazilian lemonade. Traditionally it is blended, but we might switch it up and do it as an agua fresca. Hernandez: Were writing down our own recipes, teaching others how to make them, explaining the ingredients and profiles to a guest. Its coming together, and its really rewarding. CAIRO, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- Egypt on Saturday denied reports alleging Israeli aircraft breached its airspace, according to an unnamed Egyptian security source. Egypt categorically denied media reports that Israeli military aircraft penetrated Egyptian airspace, the security source was quoted as saying by Egypt's Al-Qahera News TV. The source described these reports as false and baseless. According to an investigation conducted by the "Arabic Post" news website, an Israeli military aircraft entered the Egyptian territory about 100 times since the start of the war on Gaza on Oct 7, 2023, until Feb. 23, 2024. During one of its flights, this aircraft entered a depth of 172 kilometers inside Egypt from the side of the border with Gaza, said the Arabic Post. Egypt, which signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1979, has for years been a key regional peacemaker in the decades-long Palestinian-Israeli conflict. During Covid, I was locked in my New York City apartment, so I had a lot of time and honed my (cooking) skills. It was something I always wanted to do, and being here, I finally had the opportunity to do it. Alexandra Yanes: I was born in Maryland and raised in New Orleans. I grew up cooking with my mother and with my grandmother when we would visit her in Honduras. I went to LSU and graduated in May 2023. I got a BA in marketing with a minor in business administration. Culinary school was something that I always wanted to do. I heard about NOCHI and (how) I could come back home and go to an accelerated program. I have been in the restaurant world for about six years. I worked as a waitress, and I worked as a hostess for the past four years at a fine-dining steak house. MOSCOW, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- Russia has no intention to withdraw from the 1967 Outer Space Treaty which ensures the peaceful use of space, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said on Saturday. He refuted some reports from the United States that Russia might withdraw and blamed the United States instead for its endeavor to gain supremacy in outer space, including the weapons sphere. "This is their usual method when non-existent intentions are ascribed to others and under this pretext and this guise, they intensify their efforts that run counter to the interests of international security and fully ignore our proposals," he said. Russia seeks to keep outer space free of weapons of any kind, Ryabkov said. Starting today, February 24, main hospitals in Devon, including those in Plymouth, Exeter, Torbay, and Barnstaple, are expected to face severe pressure. This pressure comes amidst the announcement of strike action by junior doctors, scheduled from 7.00am Saturday, February 24, to 7.00am Thursday, February 29. The anticipated strain on these healthcare facilities exacerbates an already challenging situation as NHS Devon grapples with the aftermath of an unexploded World War 2 bomb discovery in Plymouth. With the British Medical Association (BMA) and Hospital Consultants and Specialists Association (HCSA) declaring strike action, the county's health system braces for heightened demand and operational challenges. NHS Devon has elevated the situation to critical incident status, allowing for a coordinated response to manage both the strike action and the ongoing bomb response efforts. Dr. Nigel Acheson, Chief Medical Officer for NHS Devon, said, It is critical that those needing emergency or life-saving care contact 999 or attend ED but we ask everyone else to choose the best service for their medical needs. If your condition isnt life-threatening, consider 111, your GP or local pharmacy first. Members of the public are being told to support vulnerable members of society, ensure medication supplies are well stocked, and facilitate the discharge of loved ones from hospitals where possible. Additionally, mental health support services remain available around the clock to address crises and provide essential assistance. ANKARA, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- The recovery from the earthquakes that struck Turkiye one year ago will continue to require time, as local municipalities encounter various challenges in the reconstruction process, said Lutfu Savas, the mayor of Turkiye's Hatay, the worst-hit province in the earthquakes. A powerful 7.8-magnitude earthquake jolted southern Turkiye and Syria at midnight on Feb. 6, 2023, followed by a 7.7-magnitude one the next afternoon. In Turkiye, the quakes devastated 11 provinces, killing more than 53,000 people and displacing millions. "There are 911 thousand flats in Hatay, more than 266 thousand of them were destroyed or severely damaged during the earthquakes," Savas told Xinhua, highlighting Hatay as the most severely affected area. "Unfortunately, we lost nearly 25 thousand lives," he said. According to the mayor, the devastating earthquakes not only resulted in the destruction of cities and loss of lives but also inflicted mental trauma on individuals who lost their loved ones. "Some of the people of Hatay, who suffered very deep wounds, decided to continue their lives by going out of the city or abroad," Savas said. For residents to return to Hatay, the mayor added, local government is striving to establish a more livable environment with improved conditions in education, health, and the economy. "Unfortunately, the disaster we experienced is not at a level that local municipalities can overcome," he said, emphasizing that the recovery process has been fraught with numerous challenges. The water transmission lines, sewage networks, and rainwater drainage channels have become nearly unusable. Additionally, there are numerous obstacles in disposing of damaged buildings. These issues have significantly increased the workload of the reconstruction efforts, Savas added. "Rebuilding our city, where so much destruction has occurred, will be very difficult and will take time. We need to make new plans by gathering the scientific community, official institutions, NGOs, in short, everyone under one roof," he said. "We need to act in the long term and take steps in a holistic manner." Besides, he noted, "the public needs to be informed a little more about the work of the central government. I believe it is important for citizens to find answers to all their questions." For all the difficulties, Savas affirmed the government's steadfast dedication to building a brighter future for Hatay. "We established the 'Hatay Planning Center' in partnership with the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality. We organized workshops together with Turkiye's important universities and experts. We started to plan Hatay and its future with a transparent approach, based on scientific data ... and responding to local demands and needs," he said. When most Americans think of technology hubs, California's Silicon Valley, Massachusetts' Cambridge or North Carolina's Research Triangle come to mind. But the Midwest is starting to give these coastal powerhouses and the prestigious schools behind them a run for their money. I should know. As the interim vice president and associate provost for innovation at the University of Notre Dame, I've seen firsthand how universities throughout the heartland are partnering with innovative startups to grow our economy and deliver life-changing new products to people across the country and around the world. These partnerships simply wouldn't be possible without an obscure, but hugely important, reform passed in 1980 known as the Bayh-Dole Act. Unfortunately, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, an agency within the U.S. Department of Commerce, just announced a new policy framework that would completely undermine Bayh-Dole with potentially disastrous consequences for universities like ours. To offer some historical perspective, prior to Bayh-Dole, if the federal government provided researchers grant funding, the government retained title to any patents that resulted from their work. Under this model, the government rarely licensed those patents to companies that could turn potentially good ideas into viable products. Fewer than 5% of the nearly 30,000 patents held by federal agencies were ever licensed, meaning that taxpayers' money was effectively wasted on sound research that never made it beyond the lab. Midwestern universities, including the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Purdue, and Washington University of St. Louis, resolved to put an end to this waste. After years of talks with Senators Birch Bayh, D-Ind., and eventually Bob Dole, R-Kan., university officials saw the crux of their suggested reforms passed into law via the bipartisan Bayh-Dole Act. Bayh-Dole revolutionized American research with one simple change: decentralizing university intellectual property management from D.C. bureaucrats to folks on the ground at universities across the country. Now, commercialization professionals license universities' innovations to companies, which have the resources and expertise to turn those insights into tangible products that transform people's lives. Consider my own institution. Using federally-funded research done at the University of Notre Dame, the IDEA Center the University's commercialization and entrepreneurship organization has helped launch incredible startups that are working to be a force for good in the world. For example, Adapta Education is working to close the learning gaps for math students through an Advanced testing platform powered by artificial intelligence that gives teachers the data and tools they need to personalize their instruction to the needs of their students. Another IDEA Center spinout, Drone Response, provides first responders with an AI-driven command and control solution that leverages cutting-edge drone technology in life-or-death situations. Notre Dame is even helping advance new innovations in material science thanks to Tessellated, a startup that produces high-tensile-strength film that could be used to make aircraft lighter. And, all of these companies are based right here in South Bend. Notre Dame has helped launch close to 200 startups in total. These companies generated over $136 million in revenue and raised more than $86 million in venture investment in 2022 alone. Notre Dame's success is just one of many bright spots all across America. Over the last quarter-century, academic tech transfer supported by the Bayh-Dole model bolstered U.S. GDP by up to $1.9 trillion and helped create 6.5 million jobs. This model also fuels the formation of approximately three startups per day, with nearly 70% located in the same state as their home university. Put simply, the Bayh-Dole Act is a product of Midwestern grit and gumption that fuels a virtuous cycle of heartland entrepreneurship. As the global economy shifts towards high-tech, research-intensive industries, researchers consistently find that universities catalyze growth and boost wages for everyone by attracting and keeping talented folks and innovative companies invested in their local community. We at Notre Dame are proud to help foster our own innovation community right here in Indiana. A recent nationwide tech transfer survey found that other heartland institutions like Purdue, Northwestern, and the University of Minnesota anchor their communities while outperforming elite coastal schools. Unfortunately, there's a challenge emerging in Washington. The National Institute of Standards and Technology recently proposed a policy framework that would misuse the Bayh-Dole Act in a well-intentioned but misguided effort to lower drug prices. If the proposal moves forward, the entire innovation ecosystem powering our Midwestern renaissance could be at risk. Because of Bayh-Dole, Midwestern communities like mine are reaping the benefits of homegrown innovation. It's time to reinforce this crucial piece of legislation, not undermine it. CROWN POINT A Chicago man who punched a man in the back of the head during a near-fatal bar fight in 2019 was sentenced to a year in prison Friday by Lake Criminal Court Judge Salvador Vasquez. Jonathon Berkley, 35, pleaded guilty to battery resulting in serious bodily injury, a level five felony. Level five felonies carry a possible sentence of between one and six years in prison. He was placed on home detention in March 2020 and was released three years later. His time in jail and home detention act as time served, so he will not do any additional time for the incident. Berkley admitted to being a part of an incident that injured a 27-year-old man on Aug. 26, 2019, at the former Flick's Tap, previously located at 6205 Kennedy Ave. in Hammond. He was injured during the fight by a gunshot wound to his leg, according to information in a probable-cause affidavit. He pleaded guilty in March 2020 under the condition that he would wait to learn his sentence until his other three co-defendants were sentenced. Two were sentenced in 2021 and the other was sentenced Thursday. Berkley and three other men were at Flick's Tap when they saw the victim go over to a woman, the girlfriend of his friend's brother, and accuse her of flirting with other men, police said. Co-defendant Michael Rivera approached the victim and struck him in the back of the head with a pool ball and Berkley struck him in the back of the head with his fist, according to information in the plea agreement. Co-defendant Daquan Birdsong shot at the victim and struck him multiple times, causing severe injuries to the man's pancreas, liver, esophagus and spleen. The third co-defendant, Xavier Solis, pointed a gun and fired at the victim but did not hit him. Police said in the post that the teacher was identified as Craig Jones, 47, of Gary. Jones contacted his family yesterday and said he was working late at the school, then called his family for a ride home at around 10:30 p.m. A family member arrived to pick him up shortly after, but he never came outside. The family member never received any other phone calls from him, so they left the school. Jones was discovered in the stairwell the following morning by maintenance staff, according to the post. The National Parks Conservation Association and the firm Site Design Group Ltd. marked the ninth anniversary of the Pullman historic neighborhoods addition to the National Park System by publishing a proposal for a Pullman Cultural Trail they hope will help connect more stories and places within Pullman National Historical Park. The Pullman neighborhood, on Chicagos south side, was made a national monument by then President Barack Obama on Feb. 19, 2015. Now a national historical park, Pullman tells the story of one of the first planned industrial communities in the United States, the railroad car magnate who helped create it and the workers who lived there. The communitys planning and design and its role in American labor history are highlighted at the park. The evolution of Chicagos first urban national park continues to be seen and felt in the historic neighborhood and beyond, serving as a national model for successfully standing up new parks within living communities, said Mark Mesle, Midwest Field Representative for the National Parks Conservation Association, in the nonprofit organizations announcement of the cultural trail plan. The Pullman Cultural Trail offers opportunities to mix art and history in innovative ways that bring Pullman stories to life. This place continues to inspire all, and NPCA is committed to seeing this vision through with our many community partners. The cultural trail concept was developed as part of the public planning projects Positioning Pullman and Positioning Pullman 2.0. More than $100 million has been committed to or invested within Pullman over the last nine years, according to the NPCA, including improvements to public transit and street safety, new housing and the renovation and opening of Pullman National Historical Parks visitor center and grounds. Nine years ago, when we originally envisioned a wayfinding tool to guide people through the Pullman community, we never thought that the restoration of the national park would ignite a movement of economic development and revitalization in this historic area, said Ernest Wong, principal at Site Design Group Ltd. "As visitors come from all over the world to experience this important part of American history, the impact of tourism continues to reverberate throughout the neighborhoods. The growing pride within the community further underscores the value of placemaking. The Cultural Trail stands not only as an homage to the past but as a gift for the future. Uncovering Pullmans rich heritage serves as a guiding light, sparking a resurgence in redevelopment. Site Design Group Ltd., which designed the Pullman visitor center grounds, helped translate these community driven concepts into recommendations for features at numerous points in the national park boundary. The recommendations, according to the NPCA, include: Interpretive outdoor exhibits and expanded signage throughout the national park grounds. Digital interpretation that utilizes QR codes to help tell the stories of Pullman families, businesses and community leaders. Art murals and colorful crosswalks to better connect the walkability of the neighborhood. Outdoor plazas and maps in pavement where visitors can walk in the footprints of history, tracing a Pullman factory workers day more than 100 years ago and bringing to life the people and places that shaped American history here. Art sculptures to revitalize parking lots, promote community gatherings and connect more outdoor gree A Lake County resident has been diagnosed with Indiana's first case of measles in five years. Measles is so highly contagious, spreading through droplets from sneezes or coughs that can linger in the air for two hours, that a single case is considered an outbreak. The respiratory disease is caused by a virus extremely rare in the United States because it's widely vaccinated against. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has only confirmed 20 cases in the entire country so far this year. But people traveling overseas or visitors from other countries are sometimes infected with measles. The Indiana Department of Health said the risk to the general public is low in this case, but it's investigating with local public heath officials. Measles is easily spread and can be serious, especially for young children. About one in five unvaccinated people in the United States who get measles is hospitalized, and 90% of unvaccinated people who are exposed to measles will become sick, said State Health Commissioner Dr. Lindsay Weaver. This case is a good reminder that you are at risk if you havent been vaccinated. It's estimated 93% of people who get the first dose of the measles, mumps and rubella, or MMR, vaccine develop immunity. More than 97% are protected from infection after the second dose. People born after the vaccine became available in 1957 are assumed to be immune from the disease given that children are routinely vaccinated at 12-15 months and again at 4-6 years before kindergarten. Children as young as 6 months old can get the measles vaccine if at risk. The state is offering three free MMR vaccine clinics for people over 1 year old from 3-7 p.m. Wednesday at the Gary Health Department at 1145 W. Fifth Ave., Gary, from 3-7 p.m. Wednesday at the East Chicago Health Department at 100 W. Chicago Ave., East Chicago, and from 3-7 p.m. Wednesday at Jean Shepard Community Center at 3031 J. F. Mahoney Drive, Hammond. Symptoms include a cough, runny nose, red eyes, tiny white spots inside the mouth, a rash that can spread across the body and a fever that can reach 105 degrees. Anyone with symptoms should stay home and call a doctor before going to the doctor's office. The symptoms can take anywhere from 7 days to 21 days to develop. Measles is most known for the rash that starts on the hairline and face, spreads down the back and torso and extends to arms, hands, legs and feet. It starts to fade in about five days, receding in the order in which it appeared. For more information call 1-800-382-1563 or visit www.health.in.gov. Indianas public access counselor has concluded that the St. John Town Council made appropriate public notification of meetings held Jan. 1 and 2, during which the council made a variety of personnel decisions as a new majority took control. The meetings were challenged by several residents on the grounds that the council violated the states open door law by failing to provide public notice 48 hours in advance. In an opinion dated Feb. 23, Public Access Counselor Luke Britt directly addressed a complaint filed by Jeffery Stokes claiming the council only posted notice of the meetings on Jan. 1. (Another complaint, filed by Bryan Blazak, said notices were posted Dec. 29, according to Britts opinion. That would still have been late because of weekend and holiday days.) But the towns response to the complaints included a timeline that would be adequate under (the open door law), Britt wrote. And, Stokes did not provide much in the way of evidence to support the claim that the Council failed to provide sufficient public notice, according to Britts opinion. The Jan. 1 and 2 meetings included the official hiring of a new town manager and new town attorney, replacement of the fire chief and changes to the membership of various boards and commissions. Activity over those first days of the new councils term also included elimination of the park superintendent position and other personnel moves. Councilman Gerald Swets, R-3rd, was the only member voting against the moves, posting a statement at the time that said (t)he ways town employees and members of the public have been disrespected, is shameful." Britts opinion an advisory opinion, not necessarily legally conclusive included a comment that the significant audience and attendance of council members at the meetings in question made it difficult to square the allegations of lack of notice with the fact that the meeting was well attended. But he did admonish the council regarding the New Year's Day meeting, saying his office strongly discourages any governing body from holding a public meeting on a Federally recognized holiday or any other unusual time. The complaints to the public access counselor also claimed the method used to call the meetings violated town code. But Britt said his role is only to draw conclusions regarding states open door law. LAPORTE GAF, North Americas largest roofing manufacturer, recently made a $50,000 donation to support Boys & Girls Clubs of LaPorte Countys Great Futures Capital Campaign. BGCLPC is a nonprofit youth development organization providing afterschool programming at 8 locations throughout Michigan City, LaPorte, Westville and Kingsford Heights, in addition to a popular full-day summer camp. All services are offered free of charge to help ensure they are accessible to the children and families who need them most. The Great Futures Capital Campaign supports the club's multi-phased expansion plans, which include adding additional clubs in new areas of LaPorte County and constructing a custom-designed Boys & Girls Club facility in Michigan City. The long-term goal is to roughly triple the number of children served annually to 1,500. GAF is a true partner in every sense of the word, said Michelle Shirk, BGCLPC Chief Executive Officer. They understand the work we do, and the importance of investing in our communitys youth. We are deeply grateful for their comprehensive support of our clubs, the children we serve and our Great Futures Capital Campaign. The impact of this generous gift will be seen for generations to come." GAF has been a member of the Michigan City community for more than 20 years and is committed to supporting the greater LaPorte County area. The company has partnered with the club for the past several years, supporting initiatives ranging from afterschool snacks to the Blue Bash gala. Each summer, GAF employees can be found at the Westcott Club, getting their hands dirty while helping club members design and create their own tie-dye T-shirts, a Boys & Girls Club tradition. This effort is part of GAFs social impact initiative, GAF Community Matters, which is focused on making a positive difference as neighbors and partners in the community by leveraging roofing expertise, resources and products to help build resilient communities. Once upon a time, there was an owl named Flaco who lived in a small zoo in the middle of a big park in Americas largest city. His story was a cliffhanger about escape and freedom and resilience. As CNN, The Guardian and The Daily Mail joined New York-based media in recounting Flacos adventures, concern about the owl who escaped from the Central Park Zoo spread beyond his hometown. New Yorkers and tourists followed his story with a mixture of anxiety and hope worried that after a lifetime in captivity, the owl wouldnt know how to feed himself or keep himself safe. Early headlines like Central Park Zoo Owl Still on the Loose suggested that Flacos escape was a variation on the plot of the animated movie Madagascar, in which a discontented zebra abandons the comforts of the Central Park Zoo and goes on the lam. But the latest chapter in the story of Flaco who was born in captivity and made his public debut at the zoo in 2010 began with a violent act that endangered his life. When a vandal cut the wire mesh on his enclosure on Feb. 2, the only world Flaco knew was forcibly ruptured a trauma that could have proven fatal. From his micro-apartment (furnished only with some tree branches, fake rocks and a painted mural of a mountain landscape), Flaco the Eurasian eagle-owl was suddenly free in Central Park and exposed to all the real-life perils and thrills of Gotham. New York investigators trying to seize a drawing from the Art Institute of Chicago filed an exacting 160-page motion on Friday accusing the museum of blatantly ignoring evidence of an elaborate fraud undertaken to conceal that the artwork had been looted by the Nazis on the eve of World War II. While the court papers, filed by the Manhattan district attorneys office, did not accuse the museum of being party to the fraud, they said it had applied willful blindness to what the investigators said were clear indications that it was acquiring stolen property. The drawing, Russian War Prisoner, by Egon Schiele was purchased by the Art Institute in 1966. It is one of a number of works by Schiele that ended up in the hands of museums and collectors and have been sought by the heirs of Fritz Grunbaum, a Jewish cabaret entertainer from Vienna who was murdered in a Nazi concentration camp. The institute paid about $5,500 for the drawing, which has been valued by investigators today at $1.25 million. In a statement, the Art Institute said it had good title to the work by Schiele, an Austrian Expressionist, and would fight the district attorneys attempt to seize it. Su Yiming competes in the men's snowboard slopestyle final at China's 14th National Winter Games in Hulun Buir, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Feb. 24, 2024. (Xinhua/Bei He) Olympic champion Su Yiming claimed his second gold at China's 14th National Winter Games. HOHHOT, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- Beijing Winter Olympics champion Su Yiming clinched back-to-back victories at China's 14th National Winter Games in Inner Mongolia on Saturday, winning the men's snowboard slopestyle event. This marked Su Yiming's second gold at the National Winter Games, coming just a day after his triumph in the Big Air event. Su, who won the Big Air gold and Slopestyle silver at Beijing 2022, performed at a superior level among the competitors in this event. Despite a few flaws in his first run, Su showcased a flawless second run, with several stylish tricks on the rails and bars, earning the highest score of 96.6 points for Shanxi. Su Yiming celebrates after winning the men's snowboard slopestyle final. (Xinhua/Bei He) Heilongjiang snowboarder Gao Xuesong took the silver with 83.2, and Shandong's Liu Haoyu got the bronze with 78. After completing the second run, Su threw his snowboard into the air, celebrating with raised arms. Su said that his goal at this National Winter Games is to win both Big Air and slopestyle events. He described the victory today as a release of pressure. "Both today and yesterday's competitions didn't go the way I particularly liked because there were mistakes in the first run, which means I had to handle the pressure until landing the last run," he added. "I finally managed to stage the jumps and tricks I prepared. So, I am very happy." The Biden administration today unleashed its most extensive package of sanctions to hit Russia since the countrys full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which began two years ago this Saturday. The new sanctions, which are in part a response to the death of Aleksei Navalny last week, target Russias financial sector and military-industrial complex. The move is the latest in a yearslong effort by the West to sever Russia from the global economy and punish President Vladimir Putin. However, the new sanctions, like previous attempts at isolating Russia, may do little to alter the trajectory of the war. Russias vast energy supplies have powered its economic resilience, and Putins influence in parts of Asia, Africa and South America is as strong as ever. As we get into this third year, the advantage is definitely with Russia, my colleague Marc Santora, who is covering the war from Kyiv, said. This winter is probably the most precarious position that Ukraine has found itself in since the first weeks of the war. Marc said the top concern for Ukrainian commanders is a lack of ammunition and resources, made more acute because of an absence of U.S. aid. Senator Chuck Schumer, the majority leader, visited Ukraine today in an effort to pressure Republicans to support an aid package. So far the House speaker has rejected calls for a vote. In his time as state superintendent for Oklahomas public schools, Ryan Walters, a former high school history teacher, has transformed himself into one of the most strident culture warriors in a state known for sharp-edged conservative politics. Following the death earlier this month of a 16-year-old nonbinary student a day after an altercation in a high school girls bathroom, gay and transgender advocates accused Mr. Walters of having fomented an atmosphere of dangerous intolerance within public schools. In his first interview reacting to the death of the student, Nex Benedict, Mr. Walters told The New York Times that the death was a tragedy, but that it did not change his views on how questions of gender should be handled in schools. Theres not multiple genders. Theres two. Thats how God created us, Mr. Walters said, saying he did not believe that nonbinary or transgender people exist. He said that Oklahoma schools would not allow students to use preferred names or pronouns that differ from their birth sex. For much of 2023, Donald Trumps political campaign was defined by the criminal charges he faces in four jurisdictions. Republicans reacted, the former president went to arraignments and the coverage on television was often wall to wall. The cycle of events created a sense of motion for a front-running Republican candidate seeking another term in office who was, in fact, speaking fairly infrequently in public compared with his previous campaigns. That impression cushioned him from, bluntly, himself limiting the self-inflicted wounds he made by giving relatively few interviews and holding relatively few rallies. But as Trump has moved closer to becoming the Republican nominee, such a cushion has become harder to maintain. There is barely a primary race for him to disappear behind. And as the race shifts to a new phase, he is creating hurdles his allies wish he would avoid. Take his recent comments about mail-in voting and early voting. If you have mail-in voting, you automatically have fraud, Trump said to the Fox News host Laura Ingraham this week. When Ingraham pointed out that mail-in voting exists in Florida, a state where Trump lives and which he won, he pressed again. Thats right, thats right. If you have it, youre going to have fraud, he said. As a cluster of measles cases grew in an elementary school in southern Florida, the states surgeon general sent a letter to parents that contradicted widespread medical guidance about how to keep the disease from spreading. Doctors and health officials typically recommend that children who are not vaccinated for measles isolate for 21 days after they have been exposed at school. In the letter, the state surgeon general, Dr. Joseph Ladapo, said it was up to parents and guardians to determine when their children can attend school, even if those children have not been vaccinated against the disease. Because of the high likelihood of infection, it is normally recommended that children stay home until the end of the infectious period, the letter read. However, the state Department of Health is deferring to parents or guardians to make decisions about school attendance, the letter, sent to parents at Manatee Bay Elementary School in Weston, Fla., continued. Dr. Ladapo added that these recommendations might change in the future and stressed that children with measles symptoms should not go to school. As of Friday, there were six confirmed cases at the school, according to Broward County Public Schools. A cargo ship damaged by a Houthi missile and abandoned in the Red Sea is slowly taking on water, the U.S. military said early Saturday, warning that its sinking could be environmentally disastrous because of a large load of fertilizer it was carrying. The operator of the vessel, called the Rubymar, said the partly submerged ship was still afloat and would soon be towed to Djibouti or Aden, a port city in Yemen. Its remaining cargo would be transferred to another ship and sent to Bulgaria, said Roy Khoury, the head of the ships operator, Blue Fleet Group. The ships engine room and one of its holding compartments are underwater, he said. The U.S. Central Command said in a statement on social media early Saturday that the damage to the vessel had created an 18-mile oil slick. The command called it an environmental disaster that could get much worse if the tens of thousands of tons of fertilizer the ship was carrying were to spill into the Red Sea. Though few of the Houthi missile and drone attacks on ships in the Red Sea since the start of Israels war in Gaza have inflicted major damage, the attack on the Rubymar appeared to be one of the Houthis more serious to date. At least one missile struck the ship on Monday night after being fired from a part of Yemen controlled by Houthi militants, the U.S. military said. The Houthis, an Iran-backed group that has been targeting ships in what they call a campaign to pressure Israel to stop the war in Gaza, later claimed that they had sunk the ship. But satellite imagery and the ships operator confirmed that the Houthis had not. The U.S. Central Command said it was anchored but slowly taking on water. After the Rubymar was hit, its crew issued a distress call and then abandoned ship, according to the Central Command. A coalition warship responded to the distress call, and the crew was taken to a port by a merchant vessel in the area, a Central Command statement said. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel released on Friday his most detailed proposal yet for a postwar Gaza, pledging to retain indefinite military control over the enclave, while ceding the administration of civilian life to Gazans without links to Hamas. The plan, if realized, would make it almost impossible to establish a Palestinian state including Gaza and the Israeli-occupied West Bank, at least in the short term. That would likely accelerate a clash between Israel and a growing number of its foreign partners, including the United States, that are pushing for Palestinian sovereignty after the war ends. The blueprint for Gaza comes after nearly 20 weeks of war in the territory and a death toll approaching 30,000 people, at least half of them women and children, according to Gazan authorities. Mr. Netanyahus proposal for postwar Gaza was circulated to cabinet ministers and journalists early on Friday. He has laid out most of the terms of the proposal in previous public statements, but this was the first time they had been collected in a single document. This months thrillers pose intriguing questions. Can one seemingly unimportant decision change everything? What would happen if people could siphon time from the lives of others? And, most chilling: What awful things will parents do to protect their children? In Kit Fricks THE SPLIT (Emily Bestler Books, 278 pp., $27), Jane Connor gets a call one night from her needy younger sister, Esme. Shes left her husband and wants Jane to drive from suburban Connecticut to New York City to pick her up, even though a storm is raging. Still burdened by guilt after nearly killing Esme in a drunken car crash years earlier, Jane hesitates. Should she stay or should she go? This is where the story divides in two, with a Sliding Doors-style sleight of hand. Half the chapters, marked Gone, play out a scenario in which Jane waits until morning to travel to the city only to find that Esme has vanished. In the other half, marked Home, Jane retrieves Esme that night and brings her to Connecticut which leads to unexpected complications. Berkshire Hathaway, the conglomerate run for decades by Warren E. Buffett, recorded its highest-ever annual profit last year. But its chief executive found reason to blame government regulation for hurting the results of some of its biggest businesses. In his letter to investors that traditionally accompanies the annual report, Mr. Buffett also paid tribute to Charlie Munger, his longtime lieutenant and Berkshires vice chairman until his death in November at age 99. The company whose divisions include insurance, the BNSF railroad, an expansive power utility, Brooks running shoes, Dairy Queen and Sees candy disclosed $97.1 billion in net earnings last year, a sharp swing from its $22 billion loss in 2022 because of investment declines. Berkshire also reported $37.4 billion in operating earnings, the financial metric that Mr. Buffett prefers because it excludes paper investment gains and losses, for the year, up 21 percent from 2022. (Investors often see Berkshire as a bellwether of the American economy, given the breadth of its business.) Food waste and I have a history. One childhood memory, from the family table in Mumbai, still plays on a loop in my mind: Dont waste your food, my mother would admonish daily. Too many starving children everywhere, my father would chime in. Decades later, now living in New York City, I still cant toss those leftovers. At least not like some of my friends do, with cool nonchalance, or like restaurants and shops regularly do when theyve prepared too much. So, I decided to try Too Good To Go, one of several apps that connect eaters with unsold restaurant food. It claims to have 155,000 businesses, like restaurants and markets, that offer surplus meals, often discounted, to about 85 million users worldwide. The goal is to save money, anxiety and some greenhouse gases. Worldwide, discarded food accounts for 8 to 10 percent of planet-warming emissions. Thats because rotting food produces heat-trapping methane gas. Heres what I got during my weeklong experiment, all around Manhattan, trying to keep some of those meals out of the bin. Sunday, Jan. 28 Two one-quart containers of soup: Chicken and rice and a creamy tomato Potato chips One focaccia sandwich with mozzarella, tomato and sauteed mushrooms One croissant Total spent: $11 The top prize at this years Berlin International Film Festival was given to Dahomey, a documentary by the French Senegalese filmmaker Mati Diop about 26 looted artworks that were returned to Benin from France in 2021. The unconventional feature, narrated in part by the gravelly, imagined voice of one of the artworks, is a playful exploration of the legacy of colonialism and the interplay between history and identity in present-day Benin. It is Diops first feature since Atlantics, a drama about Senegalese migrants that won the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival in 2019. In Diops acceptance speech for the prize, known as the Golden Bear, she said that Dahomey was part of the collapsing wall of silence around the need to return artworks looted by colonial powers to their original owners. We can either get rid of the past as an imprisoning burden, she said, or we can take responsibility for it. JAKARTA, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese New Year is far from over in the Indonesian capital Jakarta, where people of Chinese descent flocked to Chinese temples, locally known as klenteng, to celebrate Cap Go Meh, the first full moon of the new lunar year, or Lantern Festival. The event is observed 15 days after the onset of the Chinese New Year. For locals, the word cap go meh means the 15th night. Windy Tan with her family on Saturday morning visited Kim Tek Le temple in Glodok, a famous Chinatown in Jakarta, sending prayers for peace and prosperity throughout the Year of Dragon. They live nearby Glodok and the family has a tradition to begin the celebration by visiting the temple. "For us, we prayed as we hoped we'd pass through life's hardest moments this year," she told Xinhua. "After prayers, we go back home and continue the celebration with delicious lontong cap go meh for lunch," the 25-year-old said smilingly, referring to the popular traditional dish for the cap go meh celebration in Indonesia. Lontong cap go meh is rice cake in banana leaves served with chicken, boiled eggs and vegetables in coconut-milk soup, and prawn crackers and chili paste. Tan, who studied arts in China for about one year, has some knowledge about the celebration of the Lantern Festival and other festivals in the country. "We were born in Indonesia so we weren't really exposed to a lot of the things about Chinese culture when we were younger. It was a great opportunity to visit Beijing. I could also learn more about my identity," she said. In Singkawang, a city on the island of Kalimantan, the cap go meh celebration in the town consisted of a series of activities, including "opening the dragon's eyes," which aimed to instill the spirits of ancestors into 12 dragon replicas that then performed around the city with marching band members. The performances were expected to ward off evil spirits and call for peace in the lives of residents. Spectators in the city center could also see a group of people in Dayak tribal attire, standing, dancing, or hopping on machete blades. The people are locally known as tatung, the Hakka Chinese word for people possessed by gods or the spirits of ancestors. The group performed extraordinary skills by being stabbed in the mouth, cheeks, lips and ears with metal sticks without suffering pain or wounds. The performance was always highly anticipated by people from both on and off Kalimantan. In some other major cities in the Southeast Asian country, the cap go meh celebrations are accompanied by performances of lion dances, locally known as barongsai, parades and culinary festivals. In the dead of night last April, state drug agents in Oklahoma intercepted an 18-wheeler rumbling east toward the Arkansas border smuggling 7,000 pounds of marijuana hidden in security camera boxes. The weed was from licensed farms in Oklahoma, according to the State Bureau of Narcotics. But the driver was heading to New York, where his cargo could fetch millions of dollars among legacy street dealers and new, rogue dispensaries that make up the illicit market, officials said. The episode, which was part of a broader crackdown on Oklahomas rogue operators, offered a glimpse of a troubling trend that has emerged from the nations patchwork approach to legalization. New York, like other states, has legalized marijuana but has been very slow to allow licensed retail outlets to open and licensed producers to expand. As a result, many states with a surplus of legal weed, like Oklahoma, have found a lucrative market for their products on the streets and in unlicensed dispensaries in New York. It is a paradox of legalization: What was intended to weaken the illicit trade has instead helped to bolster illegal sales that undercut the tax revenues and job creation that legalization has promised. Imagine a short story from the golden age of science fiction, something that would appear in a pulp magazine in 1956. Our title is The Truth Engine, and the story envisions a future where computers, those hulking, floor-to-ceiling things, become potent enough to guide human beings to answers to any question they might ask, from the capital of Bolivia to the best way to marinade a steak. How would such a story end? With some kind of reveal, no doubt, of a secret agenda lurking behind the promise of all-encompassing knowledge. For instance, maybe theres a Truth Engine 2.0, smarter and more creative, that everyone cant wait to get their hands on. And then a band of dissidents discover that version 2.0 is fanatical and mad, that the Engine has just been preparing humans for totalitarian brainwashing or involuntary extinction. This flight of fancy is inspired by our societys own version of the Truth Engine, the oracle of Google, which recently debuted Gemini, the latest entrant in the great artificial intelligence race. It didnt take long for users to notice certain oddities with Gemini. The most notable was its struggle to render accurate depictions of Vikings, ancient Romans, American founding fathers, random couples in 1820s Germany and various other demographics usually characterized by a paler hue of skin. This article is also a weekly newsletter. Sign up for Race/Related here. When Dr. Michelle Au ran for State Senate in Georgia in 2020, an experienced political operative told her: Dont waste too much time talking to Asian voters. They dont vote. That same year in Georgia, turnout among Asian American voters, who as a group rarely receive dedicated attention from politicians, nearly doubled, according to data from Georgias secretary of state. Dr. Au, a Democrat, became the first Asian American woman to be elected to the State Senate. Joe Biden became the first Democratic presidential candidate to win the state since Bill Clinton, in 1992. People really started to realize that there is a large and growing and quite powerful Asian electorate in Georgia, but one that people have, up until now, not been paying attention to at all because of this sensibility that the Asian population is too small to make a difference, said Dr. Au, who is now serving in the states House of Representatives. The police in Campbellsville, Ky., arrested a 21-year-old man who was wanted in connection with the killing of a Campbellsville University student on Saturday, officials said. The student, Josiah Malachi Kilman, 18, was found unresponsive in his dorm room around 12:43 a.m. and transferred to Taylor Regional Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, the police said in a statement. The police identified the man they arrested as Charles E. Escalera, 21. Officials said they had obtained a warrant for his arrest, charging him with murder. The university, which confirmed Mr. Escaleras arrest on Saturday evening, said he was also a student. The Campbellsville police said in a statement that Mr. Escalera was taken into custody after the Green County Sheriffs Office and Kentucky State Police received a call of a suspicious male inside a barn. The State Police responded to the call and arrested Mr. Escalera. South Carolina voters head to the polls on Saturday to cast ballots in a Republican presidential primary that could well determine the political fate of the states former governor, Nikki Haley, in her long-shot bid to derail former President Donald J. Trumps march to the Republican nomination. Here is what to watch in the Palmetto State as votes are tallied Saturday night. How quickly will the race be called? As we saw in the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary last month, the speed of a race call can give the victor in both of those cases Mr. Trump a sense of momentum, even an air of inevitability. Iowa was called for Mr. Trump before the caucuses had even ended. Polls in South Carolina will close at 7 p.m., and Ms. Haley is expected to speak in Charleston once the winner is declared. The Trump campaign will hold a watch party in the state capital of Columbia, where the former president is expected to speak. An early night for the two remaining candidates will say a lot about where the race is heading as they turn to Michigan next week ahead of Super Tuesday on March 5, when 15 states will vote to award 874 of 2,429 Republican delegates. Former President Donald J. Trump laid out whats in store for America should he or President Biden win the 2024 presidential election, using a Saturday speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference to cast one nearly utopian vision of the countrys future and one reminiscent of a postapocalyptic movie. If Mr. Biden is re-elected for a second four-year term, Mr. Trump warned in his speech, Medicare will collapse. Social Security will collapse. Health care in general will collapse. So, too, will public education. Millions of manufacturing jobs will be choked off into extinction. The U.S. economy will be starved of energy and there will be constant blackouts. The Islamist militant group Hamas will terrorize our streets. There will be a third world war and America will lose it. America itself will face obliteration. On the other hand, Mr. Trump promised on Saturday that if he is elected America will be richer and safer and stronger and prouder and more beautiful than ever before. Crime in major cities? A thing of the past. Chicago could be solved in one day, Mr. Trump said. New York could be solved in a half a day there. The United States and Britain carried out another round of large-scale military strikes Saturday against multiple sites in Yemen controlled by Houthi militants, U.S. officials said. The strikes were intended to degrade the Iran-backed militants ability to attack ships in sea lanes that are critical for global trade, a campaign they have carried out for almost four months. American and British warplanes hit missile systems and launchers and other targets, the officials said. Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands and New Zealand provided support for the operation, according to a joint statement from the countries involved that was emailed to reporters by the Defense Department. The strikes, which the statement called necessary and proportionate, hit 18 targets across eight locations in Yemen associated with Houthi underground weapons storage facilities, missile storage facilities, one-way attack unmanned aerial systems, air defense systems, radars and a helicopter. Bombs that struck houses, markets and bus stations across Sudan, often killing dozens of civilians at once. Ethnic rampages, accompanied by rape and looting, that killed thousands in the western region of Darfur. And a video clip, verified by United Nations officials, that shows Sudanese soldiers parading through the streets of a major city, triumphantly brandishing the decapitated heads of students who were killed on the basis of their ethnicity. The horrors of Sudans spiraling civil war are laid out in graphic detail in a new United Nations report that draws on satellite imagery, photos, videos and interviews with over 300 victims and witnesses, to present the stark human toll from 10 months of fighting. Many probable war crimes have occurred as part of the grinding battle for control of Sudan, one of the largest countries in Africa, which started with clashes between the countrys military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces in April 2023, the report by the U.N.s human rights body found. The Russian authorities have transferred the body of the opposition leader Aleksei A. Navalny to his mother, his spokeswoman said on Saturday, ending a grim battle for custody of his remains, but it is unclear whether he will get a funeral that the public can attend. Alekseis body has been handed over to his mother, Mr. Navalnys spokeswoman, Kira Yarmysh, said in a statement posted on social media. The funeral is yet to come. We dont know whether the authorities will interfere with carrying it out in the way the family wants and as Aleksei deserves. Mr. Navalnys mother, Lyudmila Navalnaya, on Saturday was still in the northern city of Salekhard, near the Arctic prison where Mr. Navalny was reported to have died on Feb. 16, Ms. Yarmysh said. She added that the opposition leaders team would release information about the funeral as it becomes available. Mr. Navalnys family and aides have accused the Russian authorities of keeping his body hostage and blackmailing his mother into agreeing to bury him in secret. On Friday, Ms. Yarmysh said that officials in Salekhard had given Ms. Navalnaya an ultimatum demanding that she assent to such a secret funeral within three hours, or else that he would be buried on prison grounds. Vladimir Likhvan fled Russias invasion of Ukraine, hoping to find safety in Europe, only to watch helplessly as his new home was destroyed in a fire that raged Thursday through a high-rise apartment complex in Valencia, killing at least 10 people. Mr. Likhvan, 37, his sister, Victoria Tudovshi, 42, and her 13-year-old daughter lived in rented accommodation on the 10th floor of the taller of the two buildings destroyed by Thursdays fire. They had recently arrived in Spain after a year living with relatives in Lithuania. Like the two dozen or so other Ukrainian families also living in the building at the time of the fire, the siblings had started to build new lives in Spain, away from the dangers and destruction of war. But on Saturday, they and many of their neighbors were left with no worldly possessions save the clothes on their backs; they were homeless, shopping for toothbrushes and other basic necessities. Just down the road, the local authorities held a moment of silence for the victims in front of Valencias City Hall. This undated photo shows a chef figurine dating back to the Eastern Han and Three Kingdoms periods unearthed from a tomb in southwest China's Chongqing.(Sichuan Museum/Handout via Xinhua) BEIJING, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- During the Spring Festival, Chinese families come together for a reunion. And dumplings, also known as jiaozi, usually play a central role in this tradition. In the north, fillings like celery and chives do not just provide flavor but symbolize diligence and longevity. In the south, ingot-shaped egg dumplings and fried yau gok are known to carry people's hopes for a prosperous new year. But despite the popularity of dumplings in China and around the world, their origins are not clear. Archaeologists in east China's Shandong Province told Xinhua that the earliest physical record of dumplings dates back approximately 2,500 years. Tengzhou in Shandong, which is about an hour's drive from Qufu, the hometown of Confucius, was the capital of a small state called Xue during the Spring and Autumn period (770 B.C.-476 B.C.). Wang Dongmei, deputy director of the archaeological research department at the Shandong Museum, said that during an archaeological project in 1978, archaeologists discovered a corroded, shut bronze container in the tomb of a Xue monarch who ruled about 2,500 years ago. "After prying it open, we found yellow, triangular food items that were about 5 or 6 centimeters on their longer sides, resembling dumplings and covered in a layer of white powder that blew away with the wind. When we prodded them gently with a bamboo stick, they crumbled, revealing stuffing-like crumbs inside, but it was no longer possible to identify the filling," Wang said. She noted that the tomb, which had been untouched by looters, housed a total of 28 bronze ritual vessels containing well-preserved cattle, sheep, chicken and fish bones. "To my knowledge, no older dumplings have been found in Shandong or in any other region across the country. This suggests that dumplings, which are a unique part of Chinese culinary culture, likely originated in Shandong," said Hu Xinli, the lead archaeologist of the excavation. Skipping forward to the Eastern Han period (25-220 A.D.) and the Three Kingdoms period (220-280 A.D.) and moving to the southwest of the country, and dumplings seem to have become an indispensable part of Chinese cuisine. The Sichuan Museum houses a chef figurine dating back to the Eastern Han and Three Kingdoms periods that was unearthed from a tomb in Chongqings Zhong County. The chef's demeanor is relaxed, and there is a rich array of ingredients on the cutting board in front of him, as well as a clearly identifiable dumpling. Wen Xiaohua, the curator of the Yunyang Museum in Chongqing, said that figurines of laborers and dancers from the same era commonly feature joyful expressions, reflecting an optimistic spirit, abundant vitality and a hopeful outlook. Over 10 pottery figurines featuring dumplings have been discovered in Chongqing alone. "In the Sichuan and Chongqing regions, a significant number of vivid chef figurines have been unearthed, dating back to the Eastern Han and Three Kingdoms periods, and ranging from 20 to 50 centimeters in height. There are typically rich varieties of ingredients on their cutting boards, and they generally have smiles on their faces, seemingly enjoying the cooking process," said Zuo Zhiqiang, an associate research fellow at the Chengdu Cultural Relics and Archaeology Research Institute. Dumplings from over a thousand years ago have also been discovered in northwest China's Xinjiang. "Due to the dry climate, well-preserved pastries and dumplings from the Tang Dynasty (618-907) have been excavated from the Astana Tombs in Turpan, Xinjiang. The dumplings closely resemble the ones commonly seen today in terms of size and shape," said Wang Renxiang, a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences' Institute of Archaeology, Lu Lipeng, a research fellow at the Xinjiang Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, said that approximately 20 Tang dumplings have been unearthed at Astana to date. Some tombs had been disturbed by tomb raiders, but the dumplings were often found in ceramic or wooden vessels next to the head of the tomb's occupant, making them difficult to access. Reflecting on the 2,500-year history of dumplings across China, Wang Renxiang said that dumplings are simple to make and can have a variety of fillings to meet different taste preferences. The combination of convenience, taste and rich symbolism has facilitated their enduring presence through the generations. "From the archaeological sites of the Spring and Autumn period to modern dining tables, dumplings carry the sentiment and cultural identity of the Chinese people, and symbolize their love for life and their anticipation for the future," said Hu. He said that whenever the aroma of dumplings wafts through his home, his mind still floods with memories of his exhilarating discovery back in 1978. This undated photo shows pastries and dumplings excavated from the Astana Tombs in Turpan, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Xinjiang Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology/Handout via Xinhua) This undated file photo shows triangular food items resembling dumplings in a bronze container excavated from the tomb of a Xue monarch who ruled about 2,500 years ago, in Tengzhou, east China's Shandong Province. (Shandong Museum/Handout via Xinhua) Two years after Russias invasion of Ukraine, the United States has the capacity to keep Kyiv supplied with the weapons, technology and intelligence to fend off a takeover by Moscow. But Washington is now perceived around Europe to have lost its will. The Europeans, in contrast, have the will they just committed another $54 billion to reconstruct the country but when it comes to repelling Russias revived offensive, they do not have the capacity. That is the essence of the conundrum facing Ukraine and the NATO allies on the dismal second anniversary of the war. It is a stunning reversal. Only a year ago, many here predicted that Ukraines counteroffensive, bolstered by European tanks and missiles and American artillery and air defenses, could push the Russians back to where they were on Feb. 24, 2022. Now, some harsh lessons have emerged. The sanctions that were supposed to bring Russias economy to its knees the ruble almost is immediately reduced to rubble, President Biden declared in Warsaw in March 2022 have lost their sting. The International Monetary Funds prediction that the Russian economy would shrink considerably was only briefly true; with the huge stimulus of military spending, it is growing faster than Germanys. Income from oil exports is greater than it was before the invasion. Then, about a day later, Serhiy Hrebinyk, a senior sailor, and his comrades emerged from their final holdout inside the sprawling Ilyich Iron and Steel Works in the southern Ukrainian city of Mariupol. He quickly messaged his older sister: Hi Anna. Our brigade surrenders in captivity today. Me too. I dont know what will happen next. I love you all. That was April 12, 2022. Nearly two years later, on the second anniversary of the start of Russias full-scale invasion, Serhiy, now 24, remains in captivity as a prisoner of war, held somewhere in Russia. His family sits in purgatory, trapped between that day in April and the present. In solemn ceremonies and small vigils, state visits, stirring speeches and statements of solidarity, Ukraine and its allies marked the dawn of the third year of Russias unprovoked invasion with a single message: Believe. When thousands of columns of Russian invaders moved from all directions into Ukraine, when thousands of rockets and bombs fell on our land, no one in the world believed that we would stand, said Gen. Oleksandr Syrsky, Ukraines newly named top military commander. No one believed, but Ukraine did! On the 731st day of the war, Ukrainian soldiers once again find themselves outmanned and outgunned, fighting for their nations survival while also trying to convince a skeptical world that they can withstand the relentless onslaught, even as they suffer losses on the battlefield and are challenged up and down the front line by Russian forces. The leaders of Canada, Belgium and Italy, as well as the head of the European Union, Ursula von der Leyen, were among the dignitaries who traveled to Kyiv in a show of solidarity. While many analysts at the outbreak of the war believed that European nations would go wobbly in their support of Ukraine in a prolonged struggle, these countries are now stepping up, trying to help fill the void left by the U.S., where Republicans in Congress have for months blocked any new military assistance to Kyiv. The forecasts are anything but optimistic: The best Ukraine can hope for in 2024, many Western officials and analysts say, is to simply hold the line. Only a year ago, Ukraine was brimming with confidence. It had defied expectations, staving off Russias attempt to take over the country. Western nations, buoyed by Ukraines success, promised aid to help Ukrainians break through Russian lines. But the flow of much-needed weapons from allies into the country was unpredictable, and slow. Ukraines own domestic arms production was mired in bureaucracy, top military officials have said. And the command structure of the army was not changing quickly enough to manage a force that had expanded from 200,000 troops to nearly a million in a matter of months. Those weaknesses, and some strategic battlefield missteps, stymied Ukraines widely telegraphed counteroffensive, which resulted in only marginal territorial gains. At the same time, Russia was fortifying its defensive lines, converting its economy to war production, conscripting hundreds of thousands of fighters and adjusting its strategy for renewed offensives this winter. The Biden administrations reversal of Trump-era policy on settlements in the occupied West Bank reflects not just its rising frustration with Israel, but the political bind the president finds himself in, just days before the Democratic primary in Michigan, where a large Arab American population is urging voters to register their anger by voting uncommitted. During a trip to Argentina on Friday, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken called any new settlements inconsistent with international law, a break with policy set under the Trump administration and a return to the decades-long U.S. position. The Biden administration is increasingly fed up with the Israeli governments conduct in the Gaza war and beyond, with officials speaking out more publicly on contentious issues, said Nimrod Novik, a fellow at the Israel Policy Forum think tank. As an example, he cited a U.S. decision to slap financial sanctions on four Israelis three of them settlers accused of attacking Palestinians in the West Bank at a time when settler violence against Palestinians has increased. Yet, Mr. Novik called Mr. Blinkens remarks too little, too late, adding that the administrations moves in practice, are disjointed. The message is there, but its a tactical statement where the overall strategy is unclear. The New York Times News Quiz, Feb. 23, 2024 Did you follow the news this week? Take our quiz to see how well you stack up with other Times readers. GOOGLE, Enterprise Ireland (EI) and the Local Enterprise Offices (LEO) have selected 21 SMEs from across Ireland to secure a truly unique, money- can't-buy prize as part of the Youre The Business campaign. Tipperary SMEs; anewmum, Riot Rye Bakehouse and Bread School from Cloughjordan and Banor were among the 21 named. Now in its second year, Youre the Business is a training and mentoring programme that aims to accelerate Irish SME growth through digitalisation. In addition to the training, Youre the Business features a competition element to recognise and reward SMEs that have demonstrated a commitment to digital at different stages of their growth journey - from those who have launched a website, through to those who are just starting to export. Entrants were asked to submit a video no longer than two minutes in duration, detailing what their business means to them and an example of how they have used digital to drive/grow/enhance their business. Winners will receive a digital support package from Google which includes 1,000 Google ads credit, as well as one on one consultations with experts that will help them to further develop and grow their business. The selected businesses are invited to attend a celebratory event at Googles The Foundry later this year. Riot Rye Bakehouse and Bread School and Online Store is a family-run business, based in Cloughjordan Ecovillage. They specialise in producing highly nutritious, sourdough breads for the local community and teaching others to bake sourdough breads through a multi award-winning Bread School. Speaking about their digital journey, Julie Lockett of Riot Rye said: Over the past decade we have used digital platforms to transform our woodfired bakery from a physically demanding workspace to a globally recognised, multi award-winning sourdough Bread School and Store. Recently, we have underpinned this growth by expanding our online baking community. This online community receives free baking tips and support through our weekly newsletter which also acts as a connector between bakers, millers and growers in Ireland. We are really proud to earn our livelihood by running an ethically friendly business which also provides work in the local community. Nicola Lyons, Co-Founder of Banor who create and develop beauty and wellness products from sheep's milk and wool said: "Digital is an invaluable tool for a small business as it opens up a world of opportunity to build awareness and reach new customers. For us in particular, using social media to tell our story and show how special sheep milk is has been very important. We are excited to take our digital footprint to the next level with You're The Business." Marian Kennedy, Founder of anewmum, a wellness company that develops and produces hygiene and comfort products for new mums postpartum said: I'm over the moon to have been selected as a winner of Youre the Business. As an early stage startup I really feel this can help increase our online presence and help generate more revneue in order for our company to grow. Our main aim is to help educate and support new mothers with our postpartum products. Cera Ward, Managing Director of Google Ireland said: In Ireland, over 90% of all enterprises stand within the SME bracket. SMEs like Chimac and those we are celebrating today are an integral part of the economy generating employment and providing services across the country. Business owners know that in order to reach Irish consumers, 90% of whom are active online, they need to ensure their online presence is at its best. Youre the Business helps SMEs to do just that, through training that is available on our dedicated site. Weve been proud to partner with Enterprise Ireland and the Local Enterprise Offices in the delivery of the Youre the Business programme and I want to congratulate all the winners announced today, I look forward to seeing how they use this prize to support continued growth. Richard Murphy, head of LEO Support and Co-ordination Unit at Enterprise Ireland said: The role of digital in the evolution and growth of any SME has never been so keenly felt than over the past number of years. Companies have had to become more agile and digitally adept to survive and thrive. Opening up and sharing Googles expertise in digital with SMEs across Ireland is a huge step forward in helping these companies to maximise their online presence and growth potential. Many congratulations to the winners announced today. We wish them continued success and look forward to supporting them as they grow both here in Ireland and hopefully internationally in the years to come. The foundation of Youre the Business is a digital upskill programme. It is a Google initiative developed in partnership with EI and the LEOs that delivers on-demand training online, e-learning courses, and tools and other resources to SMEs in Ireland to help them upskill digitally. The woman behind an Offaly wedding planning business has been honoured with a top award at the annual Wedding Suppliers Awards. The founder of Tullamore-based Wednesday Wedding Club, Emma Greenbury, took home the Wedding Planner of the Year award at the prestigious event, which took place at the Killashee House Hotel in Naas on February 6. Wednesday Wedding Club is an Irish wedding planning business offering planning services for couples who want a rulebook-free, fun, unique wedding with no stress. Speaking to the Offaly Express, Greenbury stated she was "delighted" with the great achievement. She said, "It's immense for me, it's validating all the hard work I put into my clients' weddings." Greenbury, who tackles between three and four weddings a month, says she has a very personalised approach and likes to make time for clients. She has been in the wedding industry for just two years, having changed careers from a 13 year long publishing career. She said, "I absolutely loved what I did but I just wanted something really creative, I'm a creative person and I love working with people. There was a phase [over Covid] where I was working on my own a lot, and I wanted to do something where I was working with people more and [having] more rewarding kind of experiences. "There's nothing better than seeing everything come together on a wedding day and seeing how happy everyone is. It's a really lovely experience. "It was the career change for me definitely." Greenbury was able to transfer skills she learned by orgaising events for brands like Irish Tatler into wedding planning, stating: "I harnessed all my skills and poured [them] into this one of a kind job." She said, "I wasn't a stranger when it came to doing big events. "I used to do events for Irish Tatler and I was really good at it, I felt like I was really good at organisation and it was just a natural kind of thing. I helped out other wedding planners to get experience and it felt like a really nice fit for me." Her business Wednesday Wedding Club has been praised for its catchy name, and Greenbury has occasionally been jokingly asked if she only does weddings on Wednesdays. But she confirmed she runs weddings "every day of the week". When asked about her top advice for couples planning their wedding, she said, "No one has ever planned your wedding before. I think there's no shame getting assistants when you need to, and a wedding planner can particularly help you out with anything you need. "It's not just things on what to do or advice, it's kind of like having a best friend there as an assistant, someone to take off the stress and pressure. So I would definitely recommend getting a wedding planner, but above all else try to enjoy the process and don't stress. Try and enjoy all of it." BEIJING, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- A function for Taiwan business people in celebration of the Lantern Festival was held Saturday in Beijing by the Taiwan Work Office of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council. At the event, Song Tao, head of the two offices, delivered remarks and extended festive greetings to Taiwan compatriots. Song said that the mainland's sound economic momentum, strong resilience of economic growth, high-quality development, and the advantages brought by reform and opening-up will bring more opportunities for Taiwan compatriots and Taiwan enterprises on the mainland. He called on compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Strait to jointly create a bright future for cross-Strait relations and the Chinese nation, and advance the great cause of national reunification. Representatives of Taiwan business people at the event expressed their confidence in continuing to take root on the mainland and their aspiration to promote the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations. About 200 people attended the event, including representatives from the Taiwan business community and representatives of young people and farmers of Taiwan. TEHRAN, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- Five people were killed, and five others injured on Saturday in a six-vehicle chain-reaction pileup in the western Iranian province of Ilam, the official news agency IRNA reported. The accident, involving collisions among three semi-trailer trucks and three sedans, occurred on a road from the provincial capital Ilam to Mehran County, IRNA quoted Hamzeh Mohammadi-Moqaddam, head of the province's Red Crescent Society, as saying. The incident was reported to the society's emergency operations center at 10:05 a.m. local time (0635 GMT), he said, adding that 13 operational rescue teams were immediately sent to the scene, and the injured had been transferred to medical centers. Ilam's Traffic Police Chief Abolfazl Kahzadi said a technical malfunction in the brake system of one of the semi-trailer trucks had caused the collisions, according to the Iranian Students' News Agency. VIENTIANE, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- Laos will host ASEAN defense ministers' meeting in the northern Luang Prabang province on March 24. A meeting on preparing for the event was held in the Lao capital Vientiane on Wednesday, Lao Army Television reported on Saturday. During the meeting, attendees were briefed on the preparation for the drafting of a joint statement of the ministerial meeting on the implementation of the ASEAN Political-Security Community Blueprint 2025. Thiruvananthapuram: Air Asia has begun their signature Rs zero base fare sale campaign to purchase tickets to destinations like Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok from various cities in India. This allows the travellers to fly to their favourite destinations just by paying the airport tax and fees. This offer is valid on flights that are operated from Thiruvananthapuram, Visakhapatnam, Jaipur and Ahmadabad. You could travel to popular tourist destinations like Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Langkawi and Bali using this offer. Meanwhile, travellers from India could use Kuala Lumpur as a connecting hub to fly to 130 destinations in 22 countries. The tickets that are booked via this campaign could be used from 1 September 2024 up to 18 June 2025. You could use the Air Asia website or mobile application to plan the trips and book the tickets. Meanwhile, Malaysia Airlines also recently announced that the airline would double the number of services from Thiruvananthapuram to Kuala Lumpur from April onwards. Currently, the airline operates two flights every week from here. Malaysia Airlines operates flights to New Delhi, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad and Kochi too. By increasing the number of services, the total weekly services of the airline to India would be seventy-one. BEIJING, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- The assets under the management of China's public offering funds reached 27.36 trillion yuan (about 3.85 trillion U.S. dollars) in January, data from the Asset Management Association of China showed. Compared to 2023, the figure went down from 27.6 trillion yuan, the association said. The scale of closed-end funds stood at about 3.79 trillion yuan, while that of open-end funds was 23.57 trillion yuan. Of the 145 fund management companies, 49 are foreign-funded and 96 are domestic firms, the data showed. Donald Trump has opened campaign rallies with a recording entitled 'Justice For All' featuring the J6 Prison Choir singing 'The Star Spangled Banner' intercut with the former president reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. The recording, released in March 2023, was recorded by prisoners in a D.C. jail held on more serious charges resulting from the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection that Trump is accused of instigating. The Washington Post identified five of the roughly 15 men featured in the J6 choir video, with four of them as being charged with 'assaulting police using weapons such as a crowbar, sticks and chemical spray, including against Officer Brian D. Sicknick, who died the next day.' The United States has condemned growing violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), blaming an armed group it says is backed by neighboring Rwanda. Fighting has again flared in recent days in the eastern part of the DRC between the M23 rebel group and government forces, resulting in dozens of soldiers and civilians being killed or wounded. Eastern Congo has struggled with armed violence for decades as more than 120 groups fight for power, land and valuable mineral resources, while others try to defend their communities. The armed groups have long waged campaigns of violence in the mineral-rich region and have been accused of mass killings. Congolese President Fe'lix Tshisekedi repeated his claims earlier this month that M23 is supported by Rwanda, and said he would not engage with Rwanda's leader, Paul Kagame, over the issue. The fighting has also pushed tens of thousands of civilians to flee towards the eastern city of Goma, which is located between Lake Kivu and the border with Rwanda. With multiple diplomatic efforts failing to quell the violence in DRC, the continent's leaders were expected to discuss the conflict at the 37th African Union summit taking place in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa. In the wake of the heightened violence, the UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is deeply concerned by the dire consequences for civilians, including an estimated 135,000 internally displaced people fleeing the town of Sake towards Goma. UNHCR and partners are deeply alarmed by reports of bombs falling on civilian locations, including in the Zaina site in Sake and the Lushagala site in Goma, where as many as 65,000 internally displaced people are sheltering, raising significant concerns for their safety. Goma stands between Lake Kivu and the Rwandan border and is practically cut off from the country's interior. The escalating use of heavy artillery and shelling in clashes around Goma poses grave threats to civilian and displaced populations, threatening more casualties and the destruction of buildings used as communal shelters. The presence of unexploded ordnance poses a particular threat to children. Since the first week of February, at least 15 civilians have been killed and 29 injured around Goma and Sake. "This escalation has increased the risk to millions of people already exposed to human rights abuses including displacement, deprivation, and attacks," US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement. "The United States condemns Rwanda's support for the M23 armed group and calls on Rwanda to immediately withdraw all Rwanda Defense Force personnel from the DRC and remove its surface-to-air missile systems, which threaten the lives of civilians, UN and other regional peacekeepers, humanitarian actors, and commercial flights in eastern DRC," Miller added. On Saturday, the DRC accused Rwanda of carrying out a drone attack that damaged a civilian aircraft at the airport in Goma. "It had obviously come from the Rwandan territory, violating the territorial integrity of the Democratic Republic of the Congo," Lieutenant-Colonel Guillaume Ndjike Kaito said in a video broadcast. If the drone attack targeted military craft, as the army has said, it shows that M23 rebels are capable of more advanced attacks than the Congolese government may have expected. The DRC has for decades been at war with many rebel groups that emerged in its resource-rich eastern region in the aftermath of the Rwandan genocide. M23, which broke away from the DRC army in 2012, says it is fighting in defense of ethnic Congolese Tutsis who face tribal discrimination in the DRC. Next Page 1 | 2 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). Oregon will stop taking new jobless benefits claims for several days beginning at 5 p.m. Tuesday, ahead of the states long-awaited switch to a more advanced computer system. At the same time Tuesday, the Oregon Employment Department will shut down other services, including online assistance. Weekly claims filings will shut down at 5 p.m. Wednesday. So will claims and questions for Paid Leave Oregon, the states new family-leave program administered by the employment department. The agency plans to resume full service at 8 a.m. on March 4 when the new, $106 million computer system goes online. People who havent filed new or continuing claims by the Tuesday and Wednesday cutoffs may have to wait an extra week to receive assistance, though the employment department will pay their full benefits after the new computers take over. Oregon has been planning to upgrade its computers for 15 years, after the state received $86 million in federal funding for a modernization. But dysfunction in the employment department stalled the work for many years. The agencys ancient computers were partly responsible for the administrative meltdown that accompanied the pandemic, when unemployment surged and the agency took weeks or months to pay many peoples benefits. Work on the new computer systems began in earnest three years ago. The employment department says the new computer system, Frances Online, will be far more efficient and adaptable when it launches. The employment departments responsiveness has deteriorated sharply over the past several months, with fewer people receiving prompt payment for their jobless claims and claimants spending much longer on hold when they call the agency with questions. The new system should help address those issues but wont solve them, according to the employment department. The agency says a drop-off in federal funding and an uptick in fraud claims has slowed its work. Frances Online is designed to make it easier for people to check their claims status online, send online messages to the department or have live text chats with employment department staff. The new computer system is also designed to make it easier for the agency to spot fraudulent claims. The department will have a new website for filing claims at frances.oregon.gov but the current website, unemployment.oregon.gov, will also reach the new system. Laid-off workers will need to create an account with Frances Online after March 4 to file new or continuing claims. The employment departments phone numbers arent changing. Neither will the rules for qualifying for benefits or payment methods, including direct deposit to claimants banks or prepaid debit cards. -- Mike Rogoway covers Oregon technology and the state economy. Reach him at mrogoway@oregonian.com Our journalism needs your support. Please become a subscriber today at OregonLive.com/subscribe An hourslong standoff ended Friday afternoon when a man who barricaded himself inside a Northwest Portland apartment surrendered after police said he attempted to break into a nearby home and tried to stab someone. Jerome Lamar Strickland, 41, was booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center on allegations of first-degree burglary, second-degree attempted assault and unlawful use of a weapon shortly before 5 p.m., jail booking records show. No injuries were reported, according to police spokesperson Mike Benner. Officers responded to a reported disturbance near the 1900 block of Northwest 28th Place around 9 a.m., where they learned a man had tried breaking into a residence with a knife, Benner said. The man, later identified as Strickland, fled after someone inside the residence grabbed a gun and fired at him, Benner said. Strickland went to a nearby apartment belonging to people he knows, this one in the 2600 block of Northwest Upshur Street, and barricaded himself inside, police said. Crisis negotiators and Portland Police Bureaus Special Emergency Reaction Team arrived at the scene shortly after 11 a.m. Strickland communicated off and on with crisis negotiators, Benner said. If we can bring him into custody peacefully then thats what were going to do, he said. Were entering communication with him and trying not to rush where it would jeopardize safety. Strickland surrendered by 4 p.m., police said. Police temporarily blocked traffic on Northwest Upshur Street between 26th and 27th avenues. -- Catalina Gaitan covers public safety, politics, policing and more. You can reach Catalina at cgaitan@oregonian.com. Our journalism needs your support. Subscribe today at OregonLive.com/subscribe. Pressure has mounted for months on Portlands one-of-a-kind climate justice fund as its revenue projections ballooned well beyond the most optimistic forecasts. Now the juggernaut initiative is at risk of becoming a victim of its own financial success. In the six years since voters overwhelmingly approved it, the grant program has transformed from a grassroots community effort expected to raise $30 million a year to a powerhouse funding mechanism projected to pump out more than seven times as much. The Portland Clean Energy Community Benefits Fund, intended to bankroll climate projects and green jobs for community nonprofits serving the citys most vulnerable residents, will rake in more than $1.3 billion over the next five years, city estimates indicate. It so far has awarded $155 million to more than 80 local nonprofits. As the funds fortunes have soared, the City Council last year expanded the program to allow city bureaus to pitch climate ideas to corral some of the pot. The fund has now pledged nearly twice as much money to bureaus as to community groups. The money grab accelerated this month, with city leaders swooping in to claim portions of the windfall to plug general budget holes for a project unrelated to climate and privately floating proposals to permanently take over part of the fund. The person who has propped open the door to the prospect of city leaders regularly taking part of the money is Portland Commissioner Carmen Rubio, who oversees the massive fund and is seen by many of its supporters as their closest City Hall ally. Rubio is also running for mayor. Portland commissioner Carmen Rubio has propped open the door to the prospect of city leaders regularly taking part of the money from the clean energy fund to cover non-climate related budget holes.Dave Killen / The Oregonian Some of her council colleagues, including her most serious campaign rival, are now hoping to capitalize on her decision to open up the fund to broader use. A prominent business lobbying group has also signaled early support for using the money more widely. Rubios handling of more than a half billion dollars in unanticipated money in the fund has exposed a long-simmering tension among city leaders: a belief among some that the grant programs funding mechanism is so successful and generating so much money that it should finance both climate justice initiatives and shore up some of Portlands basic municipal services that have withered under long-term structural deficits. We are in a unique position regionally where specialized funds for specific programs are generating a lot more money than anticipated, while core city services are facing shrinking revenues and constrained budgets, said Commissioner Mingus Mapps, echoing a sentiment shared by at least two of his council colleagues. We must have a larger conversation about how to efficiently and effectively allocate our resources. Voters intentions, primarily as expressed through ballot language, are legally binding. City officials could face successful legal challenges if they ignore the measures intent. Our fund has unanticipated extra money at a time when city bureaus are struggling with budget cuts, Megan Horst, the co-chair of the funds advisory committee, told The Oregonian/OregonLive. Everybodys coming after us for money. GRASSROOTS TO RICHES The clean energy funds revenue flows from a 1% tax on in-person and online sales transactions with large retailers in the city. It sprung from a grassroots community and citizen-led initiative, championed by activists from local Asian American, Hispanic, Black and Indigenous groups who worried that access to heat pumps, solar panels and jobs in the clean energy sector would pass by the citys lowest income residents, including many people of color. The groups gained the backing of dozens of influential environmental nonprofits, labor unions and neighborhood associations, leading to the measures approval by 65% of Portland voters in 2018. The funds authors estimated it would raise about $30 million a year, but when the program officially launched in 2020 that projection was revised to $40 to $60 million annually. Since then, the revenue has grown exponentially every year. About 500 companies owed the tax last fiscal year and paid an average of $370,000, according to city officials. The tax is now expected to raise more than $200 million annually. The significant growth isnt unprecedented. Other recent voter-approved measures including Multnomah Countys universal preschool tax and the Metro regional governments homeless services tax have seen similar revenue surges. Despite widespread non-payment, the Preschool for All tax pulled in nearly 60% more revenue than the $120 million projected in its first year and the Metro tax is expected to bring in about $1 billion more than previously anticipated over the next six years. Experts largely attribute that growth to wealthy people and corporations getting richer during the pandemic thanks to a booming stock market, lucrative real estate investments and the exponential increase in online shopping. Online behemoths throughout the pandemic did very well, said Peter Hulseman, an economist with the city of Portland who analyzes the clean energy fund. The largest of the large, such as Walmart, Amazon and Home Depot, Hulseman said, increased their market dominance. But the three funds rising revenues have also led government officials to struggle with how to spend the tax dollars as quickly as promised. NEW DIRECTION Facing growing scrutiny and criticism following the clean energy funds rocky rollout, Rubio executed a major overhaul. It followed a bruising city audit that called into question the funds effectiveness and an investigation by The Oregonian/OregonLive that revealed the city had awarded an $11.5 million contract to provide cooling units for low-income residents to an executive with a long history of financial misdeeds. The 2022 changes also came on the heels of new revenue projections that showed the fund would bring in far more money than expected. As part of the shift, supported by the funds original champions, Rubio expanded eligibility for grants previously limited to community-based organizations to include city bureaus and other government entities as well as for-profit companies. All of the funding would continue to be dedicated to climate justice projects. The changes helped Rubio a leader deeply rooted in the social service nonprofit and communities of color sectors, both of which overwhelmingly backed the fund further cement her status as a problem solver and consensus builder. The funds nine-member volunteer committee is tasked with soliciting community ideas and making funding recommendations to the City Council. The group worked for nearly a year with the local nonprofits and the funds paid city staffers to develop a five-year blueprint for how to spend the money, which had grown to a projected total of $750 million by early 2023. Despite community buy-in, local nonprofits and the committee worried last summer as they worked on the overhaul whether the five-year spending plan would get enough council votes, given what some city bureaus said were dire financial straits. Portland Fire & Rescue has struggled with ongoing staffing shortages and crippling overtime costs. The citys Bureau of Transportation faced a $32 million financial cliff and the prospect of nearly 100 layoffs. Portland Parks & Recreation and its leaders, meanwhile, complained of a $600 million maintenance backlog. The concern grew further after comments made by commissioners about diverting some of the fund money to other city needs. Commissioner Rene Gonzalez, who oversees the Bureau of Emergency Management, had advocated using the fund to pay for seismic retrofits of buildings. And Mapps, whose portfolio includes the transportation bureau, mentioned that his agency had a full climate plan ready to finance. Both men, like Rubio, are also candidates for Portland mayor. Ultimately, the council did not take up those suggestions and at the end of September unanimously approved the funds Climate Investment Plan as recommended by the advisory committee. The plan funds categories that include job training, home energy retrofits, an e-bike program and expanded access to public transit, tree planting and regenerative agriculture programs, among others. But concerns over the rerouting of the funds dollars were about to intensify. The nonprofit African American Alliance for Homeownership used money from the clean energy fund to install solar panels on the roof of Franteece Jackson, a Portland homeowner. One of the categories the fund finances is home energy retrofits, which can include solar installations.Beth Nakamura HIDDEN WINDFALL In mid-December, Rubio called a surprise news conference where she announced the fund would bring in an additional, unexpected $540 million in revenue over the next five years on top of the $750 million, for a projected revenue total of $1.3 billion. At the event, Rubio also rolled out a detailed plan of how she proposed to spend the latest windfall on a vast array of city climate-related projects and programs. Some seemed a stretch, given the ballot measures stated aims. There was no community engagement or vetting of projects a significant departure from the previously established process. Rubio handed the funds committee a ready-made list of ideas to rubber stamp, though Rubios chief of staff Jillian Schoene said the commissioner applied no pressure to approve any of the ideas. This was her proposal for (the committees) consideration not a directive, Schoene said. Rubio and bureau leaders had known about the staggering surplus for more than two months before making it public or even disclosing it to the advisory committee. Hulseman gave Rubio, Bureau of Planning and Sustainability Director Donnie Oliveira, Mayor Ted Wheeler and staff from the Bureau of Revenue and Financial Services an unofficial forecast in early October. It showed the clean energy fund would likely bring in an additional $425 million in revenue over five years, Hulseman told The Oregonian/OregonLive. By the end of November, Rubio received confirmation that the revenue would be even larger $540 million over the five years, according to Schoene. Rubio and planning and sustainability bureau staff used the two months between the projections to solicit ideas from all city bureaus to create a list of shovel-ready projects that could benefit from the surplus. Horst, the fund committees co-chair, said she and other members didnt learn about the massive surplus or the spending proposal until early December. I do recall the press release taking me by surprise, since it had more details in it than we had been informed of or discussed as a committee, Horst said. VIOLATING THE SPIRIT Rubio told the public that the city projects would all reduce emissions and include community benefits. Some of those projects are climate-related and could help low-income Portlanders, such as $100 million for street tree maintenance for Portland Parks & Recreation or the $40 million for the Portland Housing Bureau to support energy efficiency upgrades and repairs to affordable regulated rental housing. The environmental justice benefit of others, such as the $28 million for a climate-resilient future Keller Auditorium or $20 million for climate-friendly infrastructure for the Fire Bureau, seemed more tenuous. Some residents and nonprofits pushed back. They questioned several of the projects connection to environmental justice or which community they would benefit. The (clean energy fund) money is meant for local non-profits and marginalized communities. Not for things like Keller auditorium, which is a venue mostly used by rich, white folk, and has nothing to do with the environment, Annie Capestany, a Portland resident who wrote a letter to the city commissioners. I do not want to see the city hijack the program and steal funds to backfill city budgets. And while Horst said the committee felt some of the city projects were worthwhile, its members questioned whether the fund was meant to fill budget gaps. Were not going to reach our climate goals without the city being actively engaged, Horst said. The bummer is that it now seems the fund is becoming the source for when programs get cut from bureau budgets. Ultimately, the committee over the course of just a few weeks considered and approved of the first tranche of Rubios proposed projects totaling $382 million, recommending the City Council amend the five-year Climate Plan. Its a one-time allocation, Horst said, so theyve got to figure out more sustainable funding revenues for their climate work. The committee also recommended that city staff draft agreements with the bureaus that include metrics, performance measures and reporting requirements, and it asked for a two-year formal public review of the projects performance. But Horst said the process felt rushed, lacking the deliberate public engagement that had been a hallmark of the grant program. Community groups also complained that the city did not go through the same rigorous application process, public review and scrutiny that nonprofits seeking grants did, she said. We faced a lot of pressure in the last few months to make some decisions, Horst told fellow committee members during a meeting last week. The pressure came from a few different directions and one was from this sort of threat that if we didnt make some decisions, the commissioners would possibly do so on their own. The committee, which meets in public, is still debating how to evaluate the second set of Rubios proposals, including plans for the Keller auditorium and Fire Bureau. SLUSH FUND But city leaders were not done pushing the funds evolution even further. During a council meeting earlier this month, Rubio said she would seek to funnel $3 million in interest generated by the clean energy fund to Portland Street Response, a popular intervention program that faces significant cuts. Street Response sends teams of mental health professionals and EMTs instead of armed police officers to assist those in crisis on the streets. The announcement took fund proponents and city leaders by surprise: The program has no links to climate justice. The next day, Gonzalez Rubios chief rival for the mayoral seat raised the stakes even more, proposing that the City Council consider using all of the interest earned by the fund this year an estimated $12 million to cover the Fire Bureaus entire budget gap. Now that a different standard is apparently being applied, I believe the full amount should go to public safety, Gonzalez said in a letter to his colleagues. This is the lifeline public safety needs, plain and simple. In a statement this week, Gonzalez criticized what he said was an increasingly transactional approach to the fund as well as a lack of transparency in how Rubio and city staff were making proposed spending decisions. This has created a secondary shadow budget process in the city, while core city public safety, infrastructure and resiliency needs face structural deficits, he said. Some community members both the funds original backers and the nonprofits that stand to benefit were outraged. It is not a slush fund that city commissioners can take from to fill budget gaps, even for important programs like Portland Street Response, leaders of climate justice nonprofit Verde said in a statement. The group, one of the funds original champions, has received more than $5 million from the fund for heat pump installations and to develop a community solar array for low-income residents of the Cully neighborhood in Northeast Portland. Lisa Sims, left, sat with her dog as Jim Balderas of the nonprofit Verde talked about the installation of a ductless heat pump inside Simss home at the Arbor Mobile Park in Northeast Portland in July 2022. Before the installation of the energy efficient system, Sims and her husband would sleep on the floor in the summer months in an attempt to stay cooler. Verde installed the heat pump with funding from the clean energy fund. The Oregonian Critics said the proposals deviated from the funds intent and risked undoing the program. I think its really clear that a lot of the proposals that are being put on the table here are not exactly what voters had in mind when they approved this in 2018, said Damon Motz-Storey, director of the Oregon chapter of the Sierra Club and a former spokesperson for the Coalition of Communities of Color. Both groups helped create the fund. To see such large sums of money being talked about as just a way to backfill struggling city budgets is very, very disappointing. The Portland Metro Chamber, the regions largest business lobbying group, disagrees, saying most of the money now generated by the fund should go toward supporting the citys beleaguered parks, emergency response system and road maintenance. In response to questions from The Oregonian/OregonLive, the organization said the Portland City Council should consider permanent changes to what the fund can be used for, but insisted that any such discussion occur publicly and at an arms-length from mayoral politics. Portlands residents are demanding that our leaders restore our citys safety and livability, the group said. A reform proposal that guarantees funding relative to what voters were told for (the clean energy fund) and stable funding for basic services would be a game changer for our community. Rubio said her proposal wasnt meant to tap the fund long-term. I put the idea on the table for exploration as a one-time fix, Rubio told The Oregonian/OregonLive. It remains to be seen if this is even a viable option but again, this is within my role to try to find creative solutions for essential programs. Other fund proponents have stayed mum, declining to push back on Rubios actions, including Marcus Mundy, executive director of the Coalition of Communities of Color, and Paul Lumley, a member of the funds advisory committee and a former director of NAYA, the Native American Youth and Family Center. NAYA has received more than $5.5 million from the fund for developing a traditional medicine garden and community gathering space, redeveloping an affordable housing complex and making other affordable housing units more energy efficient. Volunteers work at the Native American Youth and Family Center's community garden. The nonprofit has received a $3.7 million, 5-year grant from the clean energy fund to convert 4.2 acres of former baseball fields into a farm and community gathering space. Mark Graves/The Oregonian Lumley, an early endorser of Rubios mayoral campaign, introduced Rubio at her campaign kickoff event earlier this month. Mundy, a fellow endorser, was also in attendance. Lumley did not return calls for comment from The Oregonian/OregonLive. Jenny Lee, deputy director of the Coalition of Communities of Color, said the group takes a consensus-based approach with the 18 racial and social justice nonprofits it represents and had not reached a formal position. We cannot weigh in on this specific matter, Lee said. We look forward to participating in discussions about what comes next. THE THREAT Its unclear just how much sway the fund advisory committee will have going forward. To date, city bureaus have been approved for nearly twice as much funding as community-based organizations, according to the funds staff, and thats not counting the newest proposals. Horst, the committee co-chair, said there are many more community organizations worthy of funding that had been rejected in the past and that the committee would consider allocating more money either to the community grants or by amending the Climate Investment Plan. The City Council would have to approve such a move. Horst also said the committee plans to make a stand to return to a deliberative, public review when awarding surplus money. Its not up to the city commissioners to randomly propose things in front of the media, Horst said. Its a process that we steer. The committee stewards this fund and we have a say in these projects. Rubio told The Oregonian/OregonLive that community organizations are and will continue to be the priority partners, though she did not dispute that the city has thus far received the greater share of money from the fund than community groups. Meanwhile, discussions inside City Hall over potential permanent changes to the clean energy fund are intensifying. In recent weeks Gonzalezs chief of staff, Shah Smith, has floated the prospect of referring the program back to voters this fall and has directly pitched the idea to Mapps and Commissioner Dan Ryans staff, according to four people with direct knowledge of those discussions. The proposal would cap the clean energy funds spending on climate and environmental justice initiatives to the $60 million a year forecast early on by the city and divert any remaining annual revenue either into Portlands general fund or to specific public services, those people said. Commissioner Ryan is open to discussions with his colleagues on how (the clean energy fund) could fund strategic investments for the city, Ryan spokesperson T.J. McHugh told The Oregonian/OregonLive. Mapps said: I have yet to see clear public interest or a thoroughly vetted proposal. Any potential ballot measure would need three City Council members votes to refer it to voters. But Rep. Khanh Pham, D-Portland, a founding leader of the fund and former community organizer at the Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon, said any use of the fund outside of the environmental justice realm would likely open the city up to lawsuits from the wealthy corporations that pay into it. A lot of billion-dollar companies are looking for us to misuse the fund so that they can stop paying their fair share, Pham said. As soon as the city starts using the money for something else, they could say, Oh, you said that you were going to use it for climate justice and now youre in violation. And, and while were at it, maybe lets get rid of this fund. I hope that the City Council acts with extreme caution, Pham added. We have to follow the will of the voters. Rep. Khanh Pham, D-Portland, who played a leading role in the drive to create the clean energy fund before running for office, said any use of the fund outside of the environmental justice realm could open the city up to lawsuits. A December 2023 poll released by the Portland Metro Chamber showed 55% of Portland residents continue to support the clean energy fund a higher percentage than those supporting the Preschool for All tax or Metros homeless services tax. Pham said the clean energy fund has financed only a tiny percentage of the climate projects city leaders said would make low-income and other residents who are the funds intended beneficiaries more resilient to climate change. A city report estimated that approximately $18 billion in funding would be needed to complete those projects. At the current rate, that would take 90 years. Theres so much need and we are still far, far behind, given the real urgency with the ice storms and extreme heat events, Pham said. We have tremendous work that we need to do. -- Gosia Wozniacka covers environmental justice, climate change and the clean energy transition. Reach her at gwozniacka@oregonian.com. -- Shane Dixon Kavanaugh covers Portland city government and politics, with a focus on accountability and watchdog reporting. Reach him at skavanaugh@oregonian.com. Our journalism needs your support. Subscribe today to OregonLive.com. Given the Alabama Supreme Courts revelation that it has an inviolable understanding of personhood and what warrants the wrath of a holy God, its fair to ask: Who is truly doing Gods work in this cruel and divided world? Chief Justice Tom Parker and Alabamas high court, which ruled earlier this month that a fertilized, frozen egg is a child? Or the defenders of reproductive choice, laboring in the private hells and public health clinics where women wrestle with elusive or untimely pregnancies? On Feb. 16, the Alabama Supreme Court encouraged three couples to pursue wrongful-death lawsuits against a Mobile fertility clinic at which an unsupervised hospital patient pulled embryos from the cryogenic nursery, then dropped the fertilized eggs, killing them. Parker, 72, drew on the work of Thomas Aquinas, the prophet Jeremiah, and 17th century Dutch theologian Petrus Van Mastricht in his concurring sermon. Residents of Alabama have a theologically based view on the sanctity of life, Parker writes: Human life cannot be wrongfully destroyed without incurring the wrath of a holy God, who views the destruction of his image as an affront to himself (T)his is true of unborn human life no less than it is of all other human life that even before birth, all human beings bear the image of God, and their lives cannot be destroyed without effacing his glory. (That reverence for the sanctity of life withers on the ramp to Death Row, where Alabama clocks in with the nations fifth highest per capita execution rate since 1976. But I digress.) However the courts ruling affects our volatile abortion deliberations, it had an immediate and paralyzing impact on in vitro fertilization in Alabama. Three fertility clinics paused care, and Cryoport, an embryo shipping company that has transported more than 600,000 eggs over the last 10 years, suspended operations in the state while weighing the legal liability of continuing to do business there. The intrusion on prospective parents has been devastating, Dr. Mamie McLean, a reproductive endocrinologist, told The New York Times: These are patients with whom Ive made decisions on plans of care, and families who will not be having another child because of this ruling. Parker and his court there was one lone dissent among the nine jurists are crusading through the tumultuous aftermath of the U.S. Supreme Courts June 2022 determination that reproductive choice is best abandoned to state legislatures and their political agendas. The states ban on abortions went into effect on the day SCOTUS overturned Roe v. Wade, and Alabama is one of 14 states where the ban on abortions has no exceptions for rape or incest. Its a world away from Oregon, in other words, where our sense of justice, faith and personal freedom has provided legal access to abortion since 1969. I would characterize Oregon as having the strongest protections in the nation for abortion access and reproductive justice, says Kimberly McCullough, the legislative director for the Oregon Department of Justice. Oregonians have rejected every anti-abortion ballot measure that has come along in the past, notes Cassie Purdy, political director for Planned Parenthood Advocates of Oregon. Theyve made it clear where they stand on the issue, and the Legislature has as well. But Purdy adds, I think were in an unprecedented situation. The landscape around abortion access, and whats constitutional and what isnt, is rapidly changing. We are way ahead of where a lot of states are, and theres a lot of room to improve. That was also the conclusion of a workgroup that House Speaker Dan Rayfield convened after the Dobbs decision was leaked in May 2022. In its report to Rayfield, the workgroup argued that the dissolution of Roe v. Wade and the race to criminalize health care will deepen health inequities and create generational consequences. Among its recommendations: Oregonians need more protection from criminal and civil liability for receiving, supporting, or providing reproductive and gender-affirming care. As McCullough notes, House Bill 2002 one of the 2023 bills that inspired a 43-day walkout by Senate Republicans effectively shields those who provide such care in Oregon. I wrote about the need for that protection two years ago when Idaho offered financial incentives to citizens who would sue abortion providers in other states. But Oregon is not one of the six states that have passed telemedicine shield laws to protect doctors who are mailing abortion pills the most common abortion method to thousands of women in Alabama and other states where choice has been outlawed. Those shield laws have not yet been tested in court. While I refuse to believe they will provoke the wrath of a holy God, they are sure to inflame Chief Justice Tom Parker. All the more reason why the Oregon Legislature should enshrine similar law as soon as possible. Purdy frames it well. She is dedicated to ensuring people have access to the essential health care they need. Reproductive choice? Its between that person and the provider and whoever else they decide to include in their decision-making process. Sometimes thats their God. One thing I do know is that people do not want politicians included in that process. -- Steve Duin stephen.b.duin@gmail.com Former Republican state lawmaker Denyc Boles of Salem has ended her campaign for Oregons 6th Congressional District. Boles decision could clear a path for 2022 Republican nominee Mike Erickson as he seeks a rematch with Democratic U.S. Rep. Andrea Salinas, though candidates have until March 12 to enter the race. Boles had racked up key endorsements from prominent Republicans, including past gubernatorial nominee Christine Drazan and Republican legislators from the district. But she struggled to raise money, collecting a paltry $73,000 since she entered the race last August. Erickson, a business consultant, self-funded his own 2022 campaign to the tune of $2.8 million. In a statement, Boles cited unexpected circumstances for ending her campaign. This decision was not made lightly but unexpected circumstances have unfolded that make it difficult for me to campaign and potentially serve, she said. At this time, I will not be able to give the time, energy, and dedication the citizens of the 6th District deserve in Washington, D.C. Boles served about 3 1/2 years in the state Legislature over the past decade, after being appointed three times to fill vacancies. The 6th District, which was added in 2022, includes Salem and all of Polk and Yamhill counties. Salinas eked out a victory with 50.1% of the vote in 2022, and analysts consider it one of Republicans top opportunities to pick up a seat in 2024. Nonaffiliated voters are the largest bloc in the district, with more than 177,000, followed by almost 145,000 Democrats and 119,000 Republicans. Over the past two years, Salinas and Erickson have been embroiled in a court fight over a campaign ad that said Erickson had been charged with felony drug possession stemming from a 2016 arrest. Earlier this month, the Oregon Court of Appeals heard oral arguments in the case. The judges will decide whether Ericksons $800,000 defamation case can move forward. -- Julia Shumway, Oregon Capital Chronicle; jshumway@oregoncapitalchronicle.com Oregon Capital Chronicle is an affiliate of States Newsroom, a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit. One Portlander ran into difficulties on the Jeopardy! episode that aired Thursday, but another will compete in the first Tournament of Champions game, which airs Friday, Feb. 23. (No antenna or cable? You can stream Jeopardy! on Sling TV.) The Thursday, Feb. 22, episode revealed which of the three Champions Wildcard finalists would move on to the Tournament of Champions. The players were Portland podcast host Mira Hayward; Deb Bilodeau, a restaurant server from San Francisco; and Jesse Matheny, a customer success specialist originally from Huntington, Indiana. Thursday was the second in the two-game finals round, which meant that winning total from both Wednesday and Thursdays games were added up, to determine the Champions Wildcard winner. Going into Thursdays game, Hayward and Matheny had both ended with $2,800, after failing to come up with the correct answer to Wednesdays Final Jeopardy clue. Bilodeau was in the lead, with $21,600. The Thursday games Final Jeopardy category was On Vacation in Italy. The clue: About 30 miles from Florence, a little hill gives this tiny Tuscan town its name, familiar to American visitors. Hayward, who had earned $5,600 in the Thursday game, was in third. Her answer was, What is..uh oh (in Italian) Go Deb & Jesse! She wagered all of her Thursday earnings, which left her with her Wednesday total of $2,800. What a thrilling end to my @Jeopardy journey! I think you could tell how much fun we had on stage together. How good is @jessematheny_ (that DJ run in game 2 )??? And I am SO PROUD and IN AWE of our CWC champ @mullet_kintyre_!! Cant wait to cheer for you in the TOC pic.twitter.com/YAf8dm7Xgp Mira Hayward (@maysayhay) February 23, 2024 Bilodeau, who earned $10,300 in Thursdays game, answered, Sorry I forgot...thanks Mom & Dad, apologizing for having forgotten to thank them earlier. Bilodeau also wagered everything, so ended the day with a final total of $21,600 from Wednesdays game. Matheny, who had been in the lead with a total of $20,400 from Thursdays game, guessed, What is Washington? The correct answer, Jennings said, was What is Monticello? the Italian word for little hill. Matheny wagered $19,800, leaving him with $600, which, when added to his Wednesday total, equaled $3,400. That meant Bilodeau ended the two-day finals with the largest amount, $21,800, and a spot in the Tournament of Champions. Will another Portlander, Matthew Marcus, have better luck in the Tournament of Champions? Viewers will find out after the first game in the tournament airs on Friday. Marcus, a software developer and substitute teacher, will be joined in the Tournament of Champions game by fellow players Emily Sands, a project manager from Chanhassen, Minnesota; and Suresh Krishnan, a networking engineer from Suwanee, Georgia. Jeopardy! airs at 7 p.m. PT on Portlands KATU-TV. More of our coverage: Jeopardy: Portland and Vancouver contestants among Tournament of Champions competitors Kristi Turnquist covers features and entertainment. Reach her at 503-221-8227, kturnquist@oregonian.com or @Kristiturnquist Our journalism needs your support. Please become a subscriber today at OregonLive.com/subscribe Welcome to a partly sunny and relatively warm Saturday in the Portland area. While we are unlikely to see yesterdays 63 degrees again soon, todays high is expected to be around 55 degrees and well enjoy another dry day, according to the National Weather Service. More clouds and a chance of rain move into the area tonight. Sunday has an 80% chance of rain, mainly after 10 a.m. The high will be about 52 degrees. The workweek will start off with more rain and possibly a thunderstorm Monday. Higher elevations will likely see snow; the snow level is expected to drop to 1,100 feet. On Tuesday, the snow level will likely drop to 700 feet. The Oregonian/OregonLive JOHANNESBURG, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, also president of the governing African National Congress (ANC), said Saturday that his party will focus on six priorities to fix the economy, including job creation, reindustrialization, investing in infrastructure and tackling the high cost of living. The ANC will create 2.5 million job opportunities in the next five years and progressively increase Social Relief of Distress Grant for unemployed people, Ramaphosa made the remarks at the ANC's election manifesto launch in Durban, a coastal city in the eastern province of KwaZulu-Natal. Another priority for the ANC was to reindustrialize, and they wanted to build on that and create more industries, he said, adding that part of this plan was to support the local economy and labor-intensive industries. Ramaphosa also pledged to invest in infrastructure, especially energy infrastructure, roads and railways, which is critical for inclusive economic growth. "As a central tenet of our strategy, we will continue to fix the current constraints in the energy, transport and logistics sectors," he said. The party will deal with the high cost of living, Ramaphosa said. "A number of initiatives were in the pipeline for the state to intervene and cushion those who are affected by the high cost of living. They will focus on food security and this would include VAT exemption on certain food items." Ramaphosa has recently determined May 29 as the date for this year's national and provincial elections. ISTANBUL, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- Information ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Saturday urged the international community to take immediate measures to protect journalists assigned in the Gaza Strip from Israeli attacks. The ministers hold an extraordinary session in Turkiye's Istanbul over the killings of almost 130 journalists in the region since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war in October last year. At a final communique adopted at the end of the meeting, the ministers called on the international community to act immediately to hold Israel accountable for violating international law by targeting journalists in the Gaza Strip. In a video message sent to the meeting, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Israel was exploiting its supremacy in global media organizations and stepping up its disinformation activities. "It is one of our responsibilities as Islamic countries to prevent lies from obscuring the truth," noted the Turkish president, adding that "preventing Israel's disinformation efforts are among our most important tasks." Speaking at the session, OIC Secretary-General Hissein Brahim Taha called on member states to support Palestinian media institutions in terms of infrastructure and equipment. Taha also urged media outlets of the member states to increase their coverage of the Palestinian issue. The meeting was hosted by the Presidency of the Republic of Turkiye's Directorate of Communications under the theme "Disinformation Activities and Attacks on Journalists and Media Organizations of the Occupying Israeli Administration in the Occupied Palestinian Territory." Fedrigoni CEO Provides Clarity on the Acquisition of "Certain Assets" of Mohawk Fine Papers "For the sake of clarity, Fedrigoni did not acquire Mohawk as a whole legal entity, but only certain selected assets." Marco Nespolo, CEO, Fedrigoni Group. "For the sake of clarity, Fedrigoni did not acquire Mohawk as a whole legal entity, but only certain selected assets." Marco Nespolo, CEO, Fedrigoni Group. Feb. 24, 2024 - After weeks of news outlet reports about Fedrigoni Group's intention to acquire Mohawk Fine Papers, Fedrigoni yesterday announced that it acquired "certain assets" of Mohawk Fine Papers. However, the initial press release posted by Fedrigoni and Mohawk did not include specific details as to what exactly is involved in the deal. PaperAge reached out to Mohawk by email asking about the assets. Our request was forwarded to Fedrigoni's London-based PR agency, TDC PR. TDC CEO Tim Duncan kindly provided PaperAge with the following remarks from Fedrigoni Group CEO, Marco Nespolo, to help clarify the transaction. "For the sake of clarity, Fedrigoni did not acquire Mohawk as a whole legal entity, but only certain selected assets," Mr. Nespolo said. "The sharing of core values such as solid know-how and a focus on innovation and environmental impact reduction led to the acquisition of certain assets from Mohawk, and such assets are now owned by one or more newly created companies that become part of the Fedrigoni Special Papers division and represent an important piece in the Group's overseas growth strategy. "Neither GPA [GPA is part of the Fedrigoni Group and is based in McCook, Illinois (USA)] nor Fedrigoni will integrate Mohawk as the Fedrigoni Group has not acquired Mohawk as a whole legal entity, but only certain selected assets. A NewCo set up by Fedrigoni will own the assets purchased from Mohawk. GPA and such NewCo will remain distinct entities within Fedrigoni Group, led by different management teams with separate commercial go-to-market. Particularly GPA will not sell Mohawk branded products." Mohawk owns two paper mills in New York, one in Cohoes and another in Waterford. The company also has a warehouse in Albany, NY. Mr. Nespolo continued, "Part of the deal are certain production assets in Waterford and Cohoes papermills and the Albany Warehouse. Fedrigoni aims at maintaining the Mohawk brand to further leverage its brand equity that, since 1931, is recognized among the best-known specialty paper manufacturers in the U.S. market. "The majority of existing jobs in the acquired production assets in Waterford and Cohoes papermills and the Albany Warehouse (around 230 people out of 287 or 80%) will join the Fedrigoni Group," Mr. Nespolo concluded. SOURCE: TDC PR, and PaperAge Go to a related article: Fedrigoni Acquires Certain Assets of US-based Mohawk Fine Papers - Feb 23, 2024. Two new items appeared on the website of the Interpreter Foundation today: Prophet or Loss: Mosiah 1 /Zeniff, Benjamin/Noah, Mosiah 2 /Limhi and the Emergence of the Almas, written by Val Larsen Abstract: Mormons overwhelmingly dominant rhetorical purpose is to testify of Christ, which he and his protagonists often directly do. But he also communicates his testimony more subtly through carefully crafted historical narratives. His use of frame narratives is especially artful. In the Book of Mosiah, Mormon frames the dispiriting account of Zeniff and Noahs rule with the story of its aftermath: the suffering of Limhi and his people, which is recounted both before and after the central Zeniff/Noah narrative and which underscores the folly in the narrative it frames. The Limhi story is, in turn, framed by a Mosiah family narrative that features prophet kings Mosiah 1 , Benjamin, and Mosiah 2 and that, likewise, underscores the folly in the Zeniff/Noah/Limhi story through pointed contrasts with Mosiah 1 /Benjamin/Mosiah 2 , the antitypes of the Zeniff-family kings. Benjamins great discourse on Christ, the most important component of the Mosiah narrative is also set within a frame narrative, a coronation account, which creates a political subtext in that great spiritual sermon and that, likewise, underscores the folly of the Zeniff familys failure to follow the prophets God sent them. The article concludes by discussing the emergence of the Almas as the first family of Nephite history, the connecting thread that runs through Mormons account of the next ten generations of Nephite history. Interpreting Interpreter: Contrasting Mosiahs Dynasties, written by Kyler Rasmussen This post is a summary of the article Prophet or Loss: Mosiah1/Zeniff, Benjamin/Noah, Mosiah2/Limhi and the Emergence of the Almas by Val Larsen in Volume 60 of Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship. All of the Interpreting Interpreter articles may be seen at https://interpreterfoundation.org/category/summaries/. An introduction to the Interpreting Interpreter series is available at https://interpreterfoundation.org/interpreting-interpreter-on-abstracting-thought/. The Takeaway: Larsen argues that the Book of Mosiah frames a strong contrast between the family lines of Mosiah (i.e., Mosiah 1 , Benjamin, Mosiah 2 ) and Zeniff (i.e., Zeniff, Noah, Limhi), with each pair of kings mirroring each other in ways that highlight the spiritual follies of Zeniffs family line. In doing so, Larsen proposes sexual symbolism in the context of Benjamins sermon that contrasts righteous sexuality with the wanton whoredoms of King Noah. Ive seen a couple of articles online about the rather severe prison sentences that were recently handed-down for Utah parenting influencer Ruby Franke and her business partner, Jodi Hildebrandt. I havent really been following the story very much, although I know vaguely what the accusations against them were. And not merely because Ive been traveling. I also havent followed very closely the details of the stories about Hunter Bidens personal life, say, or Johnny Depps battle with his ex-wife, or Fani Williss relationship with Nathan Wade, or the accusations against Timothy Ballard, or Donald Trumps financial and other entanglements with Stormy Daniels. I figure that the relevant courts will sort through such matters. If sanctions or punishments are warranted, Im serenely content for the courts to hand them out. In the case of these two articles one from New Zealand and one out of the United Kingdom about Franke and Hildebrandt, though Ive been struck, as I often am, by their emphasis on the fact that both of the women are Mormons. Ive noticed the same thing for years, at least since the case of Richard Floyd McCoy (Mormon Sunday School Teacher Hijacks Airliner). In his case, his status as a teacher in Sunday School was surprising enough that I suppose it was worth mentioning. And perhaps mentioning the religious affiliation of Ruby Franke and Jodi Hildebrandt is also understandable, since it adds a curious dimension to their story. But both articles about their case were followed by scores of comments decrying the allegedly cultish, controlling, and misogynistic nature of Mormonism, which the letter writers plainly assumed to be the sole and sufficient explanation for the clear misbehavior of Hildebrandt and Franke, and there was little or no pushback from anybody on the matter. I found this quite unfortunate and more than a bit frustrating. After all, the actions of Franke and Hildebrandt that have been in question, and the legal actions against them, were all centered in St. George, Utah, or at least in Washington County. So isnt it likely that at least some, and probably most or even perhaps all, of the jurors involved in their cases (if they were jury trials) were Latter-day Saints? Isnt it probable, too, that at least some, and likely most or even perhaps all of the neighbors who apparently complained to the authorities about their treatment of children were Latter-day Saints? Isnt it very probable, as well, that the judge who handed down the sentences is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints? And wouldnt this be worth mentioning? Doesnt it seem relevant to the claim that Ruby Franke and Jodi Hildebrandt represent the cultish, controlling, and misogynistic character of the Church? We drove to the Sydney Airport just as thousands of fans of Taylor Swift had gathered for the first of her four evening concerts in Accor Stadium (which, Ive read, can hold about 80,000 spectators, but which, at least according to one item that I just saw, may somehow have held about 96,000 fans for last nights concert). It didnt look promising. As we drove to the airport, rain was pouring down. Apparently, though, the Swifties had a great time. They were visible as we walked around Sydneys Circular Quay the day before the concerts began, and we even encountered them in our hotel. The one with whom we spoke was, to judge from her accent, either American or Canadian. She told us that she was in Sydney for Taylor Swift which is to say that she was very likely a groupie who had come to Australia for the Eras Tour. Such things amaze me. And, by the way, for an Australian clergymans meditation on the phenomenon of this phenomenal cultural force he attended last nights concert see The transcendence and immanence of Taylor Swift. Also by the way: There is a really good Vietnamese food place in the International Terminal of Sydney Airport. It is La Fraiche Banh Mi. I dont know that there are any readers of my blog who will be passing hungrily through Sydneys airport anytime soon, but I do recommend La Fraiche Banh Mi if you do. Posted from Lihue, Kauai, Hawaii Nigerian authorities have arrested 50 suspected internet fraudsters, nearly all of them students of Kwara State University in the west. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) said in a statement on Thursday that the 48 students and two others were arrested in their various hideouts following days of surveillance. It said it recovered nine exotic cars, 24 laptops and different brands of phones from the suspects, who are said to have been living a lavish lifestyle. The agency is also quoted by local media as saying that they swung into action to free the state of corruption and other nefarious activities of yahoo-yahoo boys', referring to the name given to online fraudsters. The agency has posted on social media pictures of the suspects as well as the impounded items. The suspects will soon be arraigned in court upon conclusion of investigations, the EFCC said. Source: BBC 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 A 21 year old driver's mate has been remanded into lawful custody by an Accra Circuit Court for allegedly robbing two workers of Papaye fast food off their Iphone and two other phones worth over Four Thousand cedis (GHC4,000.00) The accused, Jeffery Johnson who lives at Teshie in Accra has been charged with robbery and causing harm. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges before Her Honour Afia Owusuaa Appiah. Per the facts of the Prosecution on February 17, 2024 around 1and 1:30am the accused together with his accomplice who is currently on the run rode their motorbike to the home of the complainants Ebenezer Dapaah and Rosemary Akorli who had just returned from work. The Prosecution led by Chief Inspector Wisdom Alorwu said that, the complainants, Ebenezer Dapaah, a chef and Rosemary Akorli a kitchen staff both at Papaye Fast Food were attacked by the accused and his accomplice. In the process of the attack, Ebenezer Dapaah the first complaint was allegedly stabbed with a pair of scissors. The accused and his friend then succeeded in robbing them of an Iphone X, a Huawei and an Itel phone all Valued at Four Thousand, Two Hundred Cedis (GHC 4,200.00) and bolted. The complainants however raised an alarm which attracted their neighbours who helped to apprehended the accused but his accomplice managed to escape. He was later handed over to the Teshie Police Patrol team. The Police conducted a search on the accused, Jeffery Johnson and found an itel phone which belongs to the first complaint, Ebenezer Dapaah and the scissors he allegedly used to stab him. The case has been adjourned to March 7, 2024. Source: Philipa Atanga/Court Reporter/Despite Media 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 A court in Uganda has sentenced more than 100 women to one month of community service each after they confessed to sending their children to beg in the capital, Kampala. The court has also banned the women from returning to the city and ordered that they be sent back to their home district of Napak in northern Uganda, privately owned Daily Monitor newspaper reported. The women pleaded for leniency, with some saying they were widows and others single mothers, state-owned New Vision newspaper reported. "I have listened to their cries and a [jail] sentence would be inappropriate. I have to enforce a deterrent sentence...I will sentence them to community service. In default, you will serve one month of imprisonment," the judge in the case, Magistrate Edgar Karakire, was quoted as saying by the Daily Monitor. Sending children to solicit or beg for alms is against Uganda's child protection laws and carries a maximum sentence of six months. The women had been arrested last month during a crackdown to eject beggars from the capital, ahead of three international summits that were hosted there. The children were taken to the Masulita Children's Village in central Uganda, which hosts rescued children. Source: BBC 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 Member of Parliament for Akim-Abuakwa South and the Chairman of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Mines and Energy, Lawyer Samuel Atta Akyea, has said that the resignation of Majority Leader and Member of Parliament for Suame, Hon. Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu, rather came as a big surprise to him. The Akim Abuakwa-South Member legislator accentuated the timing for Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu to step down is not favorable to the party, describing it as a precarious situation. In an interview with Accra-based Asempa FM monitored by PeaceFmonline.com, Hon. Atta Akyea said, I was very surprised because I felt considering the times we are in, we cant do things like that. Because our situation is a bit precarious if you look at our numbers and that of the NDC. And I felt it was too late in the day to make changes to crash our unity. So I was a bit surprised it happened. Hon. Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsus resignation comes at a time when there are brewing tensions between the majority caucus of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in parliament and the national leadership of the party. The resignation of the Majority leader was met with another appointment by the Vice President and the flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia as the Chairman of the Manifesto Committee for the Bawumia 2024 Campaign team. There are colleague MPs from both sides of the political fronts who have expressed disappointment considering the way the majority leader is going to exit Parliament. Meanwhile, Effutu Member of Parliament, Alexander Afenyo Markin has been appointed as the Majority Leader for the New Patriotic Party in Parliament. Source: Kobina Darlington/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 Independent parliamentary candidate for Nkoranza North, Charles Owusu has challenged Ex-President and NDC flagbearer, John Dramani Mahama to hold a public lecture on his 24-hour economy policy and give detailed clarifications on it. According to him, the policy explanations given by his communicators are least convincing and more confusing to grasp as they are unable to clearly tell what the policy entails. The former President says, if elected President, he will ensure Ghanas economy run a 24-hour service. A new NDC administration will work urgently to equip our youth with the entrepreneurial knowledge and skills needed for a sustainable future. We will introduce a 24-hour economy with incentives and tax breaks for manufacturers who will run extra shifts to create more room for employment. We will work to ease the burden of taxes imposed by this NPP administration on Ghanaian businesses and investors, which has robbed Ghana of its envious position as one of Africas leading destinations for investment, he promised. Weeks ago, Mr. Mahama also took to his Facebook page to make further additions to the policy. 24-Hour Economy My objective is to create a 24-hour economy in Ghana by enabling businesses to operate in three shifts. This will help Ghana become self-sufficient and focus on export-oriented growth. To achieve this goal, the government and private sector will collaborate. The 24-hour economy is designed to create new employment opportunities, particularly for young people, address unemployment, and enhance living standards in Ghana. My government will enact new laws to support businesses operating 24/7, including labour laws and tax incentives. To assist companies, there will be favourable tax policies, stimulus packages and financial assistance available for specific industries including agro-processing and manufacturing. Buying local products and services will be governments top priority, and measures will be implemented to ensure the smooth operation of the 24-hour economy. Security, sanitation, cleaning, and environmental protection will be critical components of the 24-hour economy. Financial services at the ports will be operational 24/7, reducing delays and congestion. The initiative aims to benefit various sectors, create jobs, improve living standards, increase productivity, and provide convenience for citizens, John Mahama stated. But Charles Owusu is calling on the former President to mount the stage like the presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, did at the UPSA on Wednesday, February 7, outlining his vision and making clear the policies he intends to implement if elected into power in 2025."As it stands now, we are all very confused about this 24-hour economy policy because the things the NDC communicators are saying clearly shows they, themselves, don't understand the policy...Mahama should mount the stage and tell us what his 24-hour economy is about", Charles Owusu demanded.He further explained a 24-hour economy works better when demand outweighs supply, hence encouraging industries and individuals to stretch beyond their normal durations; but he wondered how Mr. Mahama intends to roll out this policy when companies are already running 24-hour services and those that are not don't need it."If I run a business and demand for my products are not overwhelmingly high, what is the wisdom in running a 24-hour service?...Again, let's say I am traveling and what I'm going for is to be done in the morning, are you saying because you have given transport companies incentives and reduced transport fares, I should postpone my task in the morning to join the night bus?", the Nkoranza parliamentary aspirant quizzed during"Kokrokoo" morning show on Friday, February 23, 2024. 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 Assyrian Iraqi Politician Slams 'Oppressive' Court Ruling on Minority Seats Romeo Hakkari, secretary general of the Assyrian Bet-Nahrain Democratic Party. Iraq's Federal Court ruling to abolish the minority quota seats from the Kurdistan Region parliament is "oppressive," an Assyrian leader told Rudaw on Friday, adding that there was a political motivation behind the decision. "There was a political hand behind the Federal Court ruling. This is a retreat from democracy," said Romeo Hakkari, secretary general of the Assyrian Bet-Nahrain Democratic Party. The Baghdad-based court on Wednesday ruled that the 11 quota seats in the Kurdistan Region's parliament reserved for ethnic and religious minorities were unconstitutional, effectively rejecting the legitimacy of the seats. Hakkari said conflict between the Kurdistani parties was the driving force behind the ruling that he described as "oppressive, against the constitution, and a violation of minority rights." The court ruling was on cases brought by Kurdish politicians about the electoral law and the distribution of minority seats. On Friday, six Christian parties in the Kurdistan Region convened to discuss a united stance in response to the court ruling. Hakkari said they have not made a decision yet regarding their participation in the Kurdistan Region's upcoming parliamentary elections. "We did not make a decision in the meeting and we will wait to monitor the situation and then decide," he said. On Friday, Yonadam Kanna, head of the Christian al-Rafidain alliance, told Rudaw that without the minority quota seats, his party will not participate in the election. Before the Federal Court's ruling, the Kurdistan Region's election law stipulated that 11 of the legislature's 111 seats are dedicated to minorities under a quota system. Turkmen had five seats, Assyrians, Chaldeans, and Syriacs had five, and Armenians had one. Now, minority parties can enter the race for a general seat in the legislature as their own party or under the umbrella of other parties and alliances. There are already tensions between Iraq's Christians and the federal government after the president last year revoked a decree that formally recognized Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako, patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic Church. In protest, Sako left Baghdad and relocated to Erbil last summer. The date for the Kurdistan Region's delayed parliamentary elections is yet to be determined. On Tuesday, delegations from Iraq's Independent High Electoral Commission and the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) met with the Kurdistan Regional Government and the Kurdistan Region Presidency. In the meeting, a June date was suggested, Rudaw learned. NEW DELHI, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- At least 20 people were killed and many others injured Saturday after a tractor-trolley carrying them overturned and fell into a pond in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, officials said. Veteran Nollywood actor Stephen Alajemba, also known as Uwaezuoke, has disclosed that, as a child, he faced rejection from women and people in general because of his facial looks. The actor claimed that his mother had informed him that when he was a newborn, people wouldnt carry him because he didnt look good. In a recent interview, he revealed this to popular YouTuber Yan Kontent Factory. The comic actor said he was unable to attract a lover until he was 20, adding that he got married to his first love at 23. Any lady who sees my facial look and stature runs away, Stephen Alajemba said. Unfortunately before one accepted me I was already 20 to 22 years old. I married at 23. So the first person tasted it and confirmed it and she did not leave me anymore. My mother said my birth was not an easy one The one that pained her the most was anyone who came to congratulate her because of me, once they saw me, they were shocked and went back. They will tell her they will come back. The next person came and did the same thing and once they saw me they were shocked. They will say later and never come back again. That I did not make money for her. The most painful one was that whenever she carried me to church or meeting. That nobody will accept carrying me for her. Nobody will tell her to bring her child so they will carry for her. That I did not earn anything good for her. I told her I was going to make her proud, he stated. Source: graphiconline 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 A 44-year-old Harrisburg man was arrested Friday afternoon after police said he shot and killed a man in the city last week. Around 2 p.m. Friday Tyron Stewart was arrested on the 1900 block of Market Street. He is charged with murder, firearms not to be carried without a license, prohibited possession of a firearm, and person not to possess a firearm fugitive, according to court documents. Officers with the Harrisburg Bureau of Police responded to the 1500 block of Vernon Street around 2 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 22, where they found a man with a gunshot wound. The victim whose name has not been released at this time later died at the hospital. Stewart was admitted to the Dauphin County Prison on Friday and was deemed a threat to society, according to court documents. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for March 11 at 9:45 a.m. By RUTH BROWN, The Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) Flaco, the Eurasian eagle-owl that escaped from New York Citys Central Park Zoo and became one of the citys most beloved celebrities as he flew around Manhattan, has died, zoo officials announced Friday. A little over one year after he was freed from his cage at the zoo in a criminal act that has yet to be solved, Flaco appears to have crash into an Upper West Side building, the zoo said in a statement. The vandal who damaged Flacos exhibit jeopardized the safety of the bird and is ultimately responsible for his death, the statement said. We are still hopeful that the NYPD, which is investigating the vandalism, will ultimately make an arrest. Staff from the Wild Bird Fund, a wildlife rehabilitation center, responded to the scene and declared Flaco dead shortly after the crash. He was taken to the Bronx Zoo for a necropsy. Flacos time in the sky began on Feb. 2, 2023, when someone breached a waist-high fence and slipped into the Central Park Zoo. Once inside, they cut a hole through a steel mesh cage, freeing the owl that had arrived at the zoo as a fledgling 13 years earlier. Since the zoo suspended efforts to re-capture Flaco in February 2023, there has been no public information about the crime. Until now, Flaco had defied the odds, thriving in the urban jungle despite a lifetime in captivity. He became one of the citys most beloved characters. By day he lounged in Manhattans courtyards and parks or perches on fire escapes. He spent his nights hooting atop water towers and preying on the citys abundant rats. He was known for turning up unexpectedly at New Yorkers windows and was tracked around the Big Apple by bird watchers. His death prompted an outpouring of grief on social media Friday night. SHASTA LAKE, Calif. (AP) Two children were killed when a hillside collapsed along a river in Northern California, which has been hit by a series of winter storms. The Shasta County Sheriffs Office said in a statement that the two victims were caught in the debris and fell down the hillside Thursday morning near an off-highway vehicle recreational area downstream from Shasta Dam. The names of the juveniles were not immediately released. They were at a campground in the Chappie-Shasta Off-Highway Vehicle Recreation Area when they fell over a riverbank, Tim Mapes, a spokesperson for the Shasta County Sheriffs Office, told SFGATE. Numerous first responders including the sheriffs dive team rushed to the scene around 9 a.m., the statement said. Dam operators temporarily reduced water releases from the dam, and both victims were found in debris. Both were pronounced dead at the scene. Members of the Forster Street branch of the Harrisburg YMCA tasked with raising funds for a permanent location pose outside the building campaign headquarters in November 1929. The campaign resulted in the opening of the new Forster Street YMCA four years later. In the front row, Walter J. Hooper is eighth from left, C. Sylvester Jackson is 10th from left and Dr. Charles H. Crampton is 12th from left. Historical Society of Dauphin County By MATT BROWN, The Associated Press COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) Former President Donald Trump claimed Friday that his four criminal indictments have boosted his support among Black Americans because they see him as a victim of discrimination, comparing his legal jeopardy to the historic legacy of anti-Black prejudice in the U.S. legal system. Trump argues he is the victim of political persecution, even though there is no evidence President Joe Biden or White House officials influenced the filing of 91 felony charges against him. Earlier in the week, Trump compared himself to Alexei Navalny, Russian President Vladimir Putins top domestic rival, who died in a remote Arctic prison after being jailed by the Kremlin leader. I got indicted for nothing, for something that is nothing, Trump told a black-tie event for Black conservatives in South Carolina ahead of Saturdays Republican primary. And a lot of people said thats why the Black people like me, because they have been hurt so badly and discriminated against, and they actually viewed me as Im being discriminated against. Its been pretty amazing but possibly, maybe, theres something there. Trump has centered his third campaign for the White House on his grievances against Biden and what he alleges is a deep state targeting him, even as he faces charges from his efforts to overturn the 2020 election, keeping classified documents at his Florida estate, and allegedly arranging payments to a porn actress. He is the dominant Republican front-runner, as many GOP voters echo his beliefs, and is favored to soundly beat former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley in her home state. Trump noted the mug shot taken by Georgia authorities after he was indicted on state racketeering charges over the 2020 election. When I did the mug shot in Atlanta, that mug shot is No. 1, he said, adding: You know who embraced it more than anyone else? The Black population. Trumps campaign has predicted he can do better with Black voters in November than he did four years ago, citing Bidens faltering poll numbers with Black adults and what Trump sees as advantages on issues like the economy and the record-high number of people crossing the U.S.-Mexico border, often ending up in cities with large Black populations. He was flanked on stage at the Black Conservative Federations gala in Columbia, South Carolina, by Black elected officials including Reps. Byron Donalds of Florida and Wesley Hunt of Texas. Many in the crowd cheered throughout the speech. Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump arrives at the Black Conservative Federation's Annual BCF Honors Gala at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center in Columbia, S.C., Friday, Feb. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)AP In a freewheeling speech, Trump mixed his regular campaign remarks with appeals to the Black community and jokes that touched on race. The lights are so bright in my eyes I cant see too many people out there. But I can only see the Black ones. I cant see any white ones. Thats how far Ive come, Trump said to laughter from the audience. He also said that he knew many Black people because his properties were built by Black construction workers. In telling a story about how he renegotiated the cost of remodeling Air Force One, Trump criticized his predecessor, former President Barack Obama, the first Black person to be elected to the White House. I have to tell you, Black president, but I got $1.7 billion less, Trump said. Would you rather have the Black president or the white president who got $1.7 billion off the price? As the crowd cheered, he added, I think they want the white guy. Republicans face an uphill battle in courting Black voters, who are overwhelmingly supportive of the Democratic Party. And while Black voter enthusiasm for Biden has cooled over the last year, only 25% of Black Americans said they had a favorable view of Trump in a December AP-NORC poll. The 2023-24 Spanish LaLiga season rolls on with a Saturday schedule featuring a matchup between Barcelona and Getafe. That contest is scheduled to start at 10:15 a.m. ET at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys in Barcelona, Spain. The Barcelona vs. Getafe showdown will be televised on ESPN Deportes. Live streams for the match are also available with offers from FuboTV (free trial), along with DirecTV Stream (free trial) and Sling TV. This match and many other Spanish LaLiga matches are also available through the ESPN+ streaming service, which costs $10.99 per month but comes with opportunities to save by bundling or paying annually. Barcelona enters Saturdays home match in third position in the 2023-24 LaLiga standings with a 16-6-3 overall record and 54 points. Barca trails only Real Madrid (62 points) and Girona (56) in the league pecking order and could stand to make a jump by improving its play on the defensive side of the field. Barcelona has given up over twice as many goals as LaLiga leader Real Madrid (34 to 16) and is tied with Getafe for most goals allowed (34) by any team in the current top 10. BARCELONA VS. GETAFE MATCH INFO When: 10:15 a.m. ET Where: Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys, Barcelona, Spain. TV channel: ESPN Deportes Live stream options: ESPN+ | FuboTV (free trial) | DirecTV Stream (free trial) | Sling TV Betting line: Barcelona -260, Getafe +600, draw +390. But while Barcelona has a high-powered offense that runs around the scoring prowess of Robert Lewandowski and his 12 goals, Getafe hasnt found the same level of scoring depth behind Borja Mayoral, whose 15 goals are second-most in LaLiga this season. Getafe is one of just six teams in the league to have played in double-digit draws (10) this season, showing the ability to compete with LaLigas best but not always the ability to separate and win matches. The Barcelona vs. Getafe match will be carried on ESPN Deportes with a 10:15 a.m. ET start. Live streams for the match are available with introductory offers from FuboTV (free trial), along with DirecTV Stream (free trial) and Sling TV. This match and many other Spanish LaLiga matches is also available through the ESPN+ streaming service, which costs $10.99 per month and comes with access to premium content on ESPN.com. A pair of e-scooter riders on the Kelowna waterfront, where the equipment has been legal on streets and sidewalks since 2021. Penticton this week moved to follow suit later this year. SIEM REAP, Cambodia, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- An annual giant puppet parade was held here in northwest Cambodia's Siem Reap province on Saturday evening, attracting thousands of local and foreign visitors, an organizer said. The puppets were paraded down the streets of Siem Reap city, where thousands of spectators cheered on the throngs of children, musicians and performers who electrified the night with their contagious joy and creative achievements. Oun Savann, co-director of the Giant Puppet Project, said this year's puppet theme is dinosaurs. "Nine dinosaurs hit the streets of Siem Reap, including the Tyrannosaurus Rex, stegosaurus, triceratops, diplodocus and pterodactyl," he told Xinhua. "Accompanied by circus, performers and live music, the parade is a true spectacle and a time for pure fun." Savann said the Giant Puppet Project, the largest children's community arts initiative, has been teaching children and youth that art can enrich their lives, give voice to their imaginations, ignite pride in their rich heritage, and unite their communities. "This Giant Puppet Project has not only contributed to enriching Cambodia's cultural and artistic landscape, but also helped attract more tourists to Siem Reap province, home to the famed Angkor Archaeological Park," he said. Savann said the puppets were designed by the Puppet Artist Team, all graduates from Phare Ponleu Selpak's Visual Arts School in Battambang province and jointly made by over 600 children from local non-governmental organizations and schools. The annual giant puppet parade was first introduced to the streets in Siem Reap in 2007. CANBERRA, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- Australia's education ministers have agreed to establish an independent watchdog to tackle sexual abuse at universities. Following a meeting with his state and territory counterparts on Friday, Jason Clare, the federal minister for education, announced the country will establish a national student ombudsman to investigate student complaints and resolve disputes with universities. The plan for the new watchdog was put to education ministers in November 2023 by Our Watch, a leading advocacy group aiming to reduce violence against women. It recommended greater accountability of institutions, enhanced oversight of student accommodation providers and preventive mechanisms. The most recent national student safety survey, which was released by peak industry body Universities Australia in 2021, found that one in 20 students had been sexually assaulted since starting university and one in six had been sexually harassed. Clare said the new ombudsman would allow higher education students to escalate complaints about assault, violence and sexual harassment. The ombudsman will be able to make determinations on whether actions taken by providers were unreasonable, unjust, oppressive, discriminatory, or otherwise wrong. "Universities aren't just places where people work and study, they are also places where people live, and we need to ensure they are safe," he said in a statement. "Not enough has been done to tackle sexual violence in our universities and for too long students haven't been heard. That now changes." The federal government will also establish a national higher education code to prevent and respond to gender-based violence. Universities Australia on Friday welcomed the decision to establish the national student ombudsman. With Cherokee Win, Dan Lowery Now One WSOP Circuit Ring Away from Record February 24, 2024 Jon Sofen Senior Editor U.S. After taking down the $400 Monster Stack for $148,416 at Harrah's Cherokee in North Carolina on Thursday, Dan Lowery is now just one World Series of Poker Circuit (WSOPC) ring away from tying the all-time record. The sawmill owner from Arkansas claimed his 15th Circuit event, moving into a second place tie with Maurice Hawkins and Josh Reichard. Ari Engel leads the way with 16, a record he snatched away from Hawkins in October. Lowery is Unstoppable Entering 2023, Lowery had 10 Circuit rings to his name, putting him among the Circuit's all-time greats. But he'd go on to have his best year ever, posting four WSOPC tournament wins, and that doesn't even include a $394,636 score for taking down a $10,000 buy-in World Poker Tour (WPT) Seniors event in December. He picked up another win, his 15th Circuit ring, on Thursday, beating James Willey heads up for the title. The runner-up received $91,745 as a consolation prize. Jason Isbell took third place for $69,574 in a field of 3,577 entrants. David Moses, David Jackson, Darren Rabinowitz, and Steven Buckner all reached the money. Harrah's Cherokee $400 Monster Stack Final Table Results PLACE PLAYER PRIZE (IN USD) 1 Dan Lowery $148,416 2 James Willey $91,745 3 Jason Isbell $69,574 4 Mark Hickman $53,220 5 Richard Ali $41,067 6 Lorenzo Bassette $31,969 7 Scott Davis $25,109 8 William Baskin $19,899 9 Mario Hudson $15,913 Lowery now has $3.4 million in live tournament cashes, according to The Hendon Mob. Equally impressive, he's only one Circuit ring away from tying the all-time record. The race for the top spot heated up last year with Hawkins setting the record (15) in May at Harrah's Cherokee. Engel then went on a heater, winning number 13 in July, followed by 14 and 15 in consecutive days in August, before overtaking Hawkins in October. Lowery then captured his 14th ring in August two days after Engel reached 15. Reichard then came to within one of Engel in November, and now Lowery is one off the lead in a three-way tie for second place. The race to the top isn't just a four player battle, however. Valentin Vornicu, who previously held the record, isn't far back with 13 Circuit rings after having won his first WSOPC event in five years last October. There are 12 players in history in possession of at least 10 rings. Sharelines Dan Lowery won his 15th World Series of Poker Circuit ring. Another campaign stop means more cognitive red flags for Donald Trump as the former president confused the words later and lady and slurred his speech in South Carolina. Video of Trump confusing the words later and lady: Trump, slurring and glitching: Three years lady, lady, lady. How about that. He goes. She goes pic.twitter.com/m2TH5jRuej Biden-Harris HQ (@BidenHQ) February 23, 2024 To get more stories like this, subscribe to our newsletter The Daily. Trump screwed up and showed the world that he now has to read his remarks from a teleprompter by accidentally reading the cues on the prompter that are for him: A confused Trump refers to himself in the third person while reading his teleprompter: Yes oh yes and quickly says President Donald Trump pic.twitter.com/LWdsS7gZRe Biden-Harris HQ (@BidenHQ) February 23, 2024 Donald Trump is now unable to correctly read his teleprompter, and when Trump does manage to get a sentence out, it is something crazy like suggesting that Nikki Haley is a Democratic plant in the Republican primary: Trump claims Nikki Haley is working for Democrats, "She is working for Democrat donors, and all she's trying to do is inflict pain on us so they can win and November." pic.twitter.com/EnEb0ywQNB PoliticusUSA (@politicususa) February 23, 2024 You will see zero articles in The New York Times about Trump being in such steep decline that even his rallies have to be scripted for him, or his slurring of words, or the fact that he is getting basic words confused. It would be shocking if Trump debated President Biden in the fall, because if this declining version of Trump has to stand up in front of the American people on live television for two hours, he will quickly be exposed. The media is helping Trump hide his cognitive decline by not talking about it, but it is there in all of his speeches and appearances, and eventually even the corporate press that is working to return him to the White House wont be able to ignore it any longer. A Special Message From PoliticusUSA If you are in a position to donate purely to help us keep the doors open on PoliticusUSA during what is a critical election year, please do so here. We have been honored to be able to put your interests first for 14 years as we only answer to our readers and we will not compromise on that fundamental, core PoliticusUSA value. Democrat Tom Suozzi won a special House election to replace George Santos, but House Republicans have refused to seat him quickly. The House Was In Session But Didnt Seat Ton Suozzi Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) said on MSNBC, Two weeks ago when Tom Suozzi wins in a blowout election on Long Island and asks to be seated and Leader Jeffries asked to seat Suozzi that week. Republicans have seated their members in the past when they win that week, and they refuse to seat him, and thats because of the thin majority that they have. So well come back, and I hope hes seated, but they have shown that they will play it fast and loose if it benefits them. House Republicans were in session the week that Suozzi won. Suozzi won on the same say that House Republicans impeached DHS Secretary Mayorkas, and the House remained in session for two days after the election. Democrats assumed that precedent would be followed and Suozzi would be seated ASAP, so that the New Yorks third congressional district would have representation, but this is not what happened. Video: To get more stories like this, subscribe to our newsletter The Daily. Swalwell: Just look at two weeks ago when Tom Suozzi wins in a blowout election and asked to be seated and they refused to seat him and thats because of the thin majority that they have. Well come back and I hope hes seated pic.twitter.com/JdsH2mDX91 Acyn (@Acyn) February 24, 2024 In the 1969 case Powell v. McCormack, the Supreme Court ruled that the House has no authority over whether or not to seat duly-elected candidates. The authority of the House to remove a member only takes effect after that member is sworn in. As Rep. Swalwell said, House Republicans are playing fast and loose with the law. Speaker Mike Johnson hasnt said he wouldnt seat Suozzi, but he is dragging his feet before he fulfills his constitutional duty because once the Democrats officially pick up another seat, the House Republican majority will shrink to two votes. The Suozzi delay is another example of the lawlessness that is a defining characteristic of the Trump Republican Party, and hopefully, Rep-Elect Suozzi will be seated when the House comes back into session. A Special Message From PoliticusUSA If you are in a position to donate purely to help us keep the doors open on PoliticusUSA during what is a critical election year, please do so here. We have been honored to be able to put your interests first for 14 years as we only answer to our readers and we will not compromise on that fundamental, core PoliticusUSA value. "We just moved to the area last year, and we've been homeschooling for a while, so we were really excited about coming out here to the Battle of Aiken and experiencing it first-hand," she said. Flags were the focus for a group near the gates, with a display by a Florence-based Sons of Confederate Veterans camp. SCV representative Jonathan Holland said the flow of visitors improvised considerably once the rain passed. The idea is to bring visitors in for "about a 10-to 15-minute presentation," he said. "We've had good participation lots of volunteers. We have a lot of flags for children to help hold up and show their peers, so we had a very nice with the children so far, and it's been a very attentive audience. They've seemed very pleased with what was going on," Friday's visitors were "very enthusiastic," in Peters' assessment. "People came today and said, 'I saw it on my Facebook account, and I live in Atlanta.' People forward stuff, and it's amazing how some people pick these things up." He gave an upbeat prediction for the weekend, with the gates opening at 9 a.m. both Saturday and Sunday. Saturday's final presentation, set for 7 p.m., will be a night firing of cannons, mortars, muskets and the flamethrower. Sunday's final offering will be a 3:15 p.m. show, in the pavilion, by the Florida-based band Seven Pounds of Bacon. "We just have a feeling that we're probably going to run out of parking, so we tell people to get here early to get parked," Peters said. Some homeschool groups enjoyed Friday's offerings so much that they plan to make a return trip over the weekend, he added. "They're very inquisitive," Holland said, "and they seem to be having a good time asking questions and being entertained by our presentation, so when you're passing along information in a friendly manner, it's well-received, and it's not in the classroom." He added, "I heard, this morning, a homeschooler say, 'We can either learn here today, or I can take you home and we can continue learning at home. Which do you want to do?' They all said, 'We want to stay here.'" Medical services may be harder to get for hundreds of local residents in the days or weeks ahead, with Wagener Medical Center having closed its doors and the facility's future prospects being unclear. Read moreWagener Medical Center closes doors, faces murky future A day and a half after deadly tornadoes ripped through parts of the central U.S., residents are cleaning up, assessing damage and helping their neighbors. It will be a long recovery for some. Thursday nights storms claimed three lives in the Indian Lake area of Ohios Logan County, one of the hardest-hit regions, and about 40 people were injured and dozens of homes damaged in one Indiana community. Samantha Snipes says in Lakeview, Ohio, that her dad's garage was leveled and the back of his house is gone, but everyone is safe on his street. She says neighbors have been helping neighbors. Read moreLong recovery ahead for some in path of deadly tornadoes in central US COLUMBIA It took just hours for a South Carolina jury to find a man guilty of killing a transgender woman after rumors of their secret relationship spread throughout a rural, tight-knit town. The landmark federal case was the first gender-based hate crime to go to trial under the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act Of 2009. In August 2019, the body of Dime Doe, 24, was found slumped over in a car parked in an isolated area of Allendale. She had been shot in the head three times. In the weeks before her death, there was gossip of her relationship with Daqua Lameek Ritter, who is now 27. Ritter was afraid of being called gay and killed Doe to silence her, prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney's Office said. After nearly four hours of deliberation, jurors found Ritter guilty of killing Doe because of her gender identity. Ritter was also found guilty of using a firearm in a violent crime and obstruction of justice for lying to investigators. U.S. District Judge Sherri Lydon will schedule a sentencing hearing at a later date. "This case stands as a testament to our committed effort to fight violence that is targeted against those who may identify as a member of the opposite sex, for their sexual orientation or for any other protected characteristic," said Assistant U.S. Attorney Brook Andrews, who prosecuted the case alongside Andrew Manns, Benjamin Garner and Elle Klein. Secret in a small town Allendale is a small town tucked into the interior of the Lowcountry region. It is located about two hours west of Charleston and an hour and a half south of Columbia. Here, Dime Doe was well known including that she was a transgender woman. LISBON, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- The Portuguese Ministry of Agriculture and Food announced on Friday that 204.1 million euros (221.2 million U.S. dollars) were paid to farmers as an incentive to adopt agri-environmental measures. This amount includes subsidies for projects such as soil conservation, grassing of permanent crops, diverse pastures and efficient water use, among others, according to an official statement. The support measures come when European farmers have intensified protests in various countries against the Common Agricultural Policy, the set of laws adopted by the European Union for the agriculture sector. Portuguese farmers have blocked roads, demanding fair competition and working conditions, arguing the government has ignored their grievances for too long. On the front lines in Ukraine, a post-traumatic stress training equipped pastors and chaplains to help those navigating the mental impacts of war. Right here in the Lowcountry, Charleston Southern University developed the foundation of this training. CSU's Dewey Center for Chaplaincy created the training for community leaders to help guide people who are navigating any form of post-traumatic stress, from a domestic violence situation to a hostile work environment. While the training wasn't created for a cross-cultural context, it was designed to be adaptable, said Ron Harvell, director of the Dewey Center. This is what piqued the interest of Brian Kleager and Paul Bradley from Cadence International, a military ministry based in Denver. The team had already been asked to bring trauma-informed care training to Ukraine. They both had extensive knowledge on post-traumatic stress after serving in the United States military and working with Cadence International in war-torn countries. But when they came to Charleston last spring for the Global PTSD Training for Ministry Leaders during the Dewey Centers Spiritual Care in Crisis Conference, they said the training took their knowledge on the subject to the next level. It was practical; it was great information and very transferable and easy to grasp a hold of, Bradley said. Ron Harvell worked with Victor Welzant, who specializes in trauma and stress education, to design the training. Harvell said the training includes video lectures and a book with specific exercises that can help those experiencing post-traumatic stress. Some of these practices include grounding and breathing techniques as well as ways to manage sleep and create a plan for the future, said Harvell. The training offers a spiritual component, too, for those who want to incorporate their faith into these practices. A federal lawsuit is challenging the constitutionality of a longstanding South Carolina Department of Corrections policy that broadly restricts inmates' participation in public discourse. The SCDC prohibits inmates from participating in interviews with the news media, though inmates are allowed to write letters to journalists. The policy is "the nation's most restrictive policy on media access to prisoners," the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of South Carolina contends in a lawsuit filed Feb. 22 in U.S. District Court in Columbia. The complaint names as a defendant Bryan Stirling in his official capacity as executive director of the South Carolina Department of Corrections. The policy bars inmates from speaking to journalists in person, on the phone or through video. Inmates are permitted to exchange handwritten letters with journalists but are not allowed to publish their own writings in media outlets, according to the lawsuit. The ACLU is seeking a judge to declare the policy unconstitutional on its face and issue a permanent injunction. Allen Chaney, legal director for the ACLU of South Carolina, said the SCDC's policy is silencing crucial voices behind bars. The SCDC policy, Chaney said, would have suppressed Martin Luther King Jr.'s "Letter from Birmingham Jail," a widely published document King wrote while he was incarcerated in 1963 for protesting racial segregation that has become a classic source on civil disobedience and the civil rights movement. "Today it operates to insulate SCDC from real public accountability and to suppress the publics knowledge about the violence committed against prisoners wrongs that are committed in the publics own name," Chaney said. The federal lawsuit marks the greatest challenge yet to an old rule inside South Carolina's prisons that generated fresh attention in 2023 when prison officials sanctioned Alex Murdaugh for flouting the policy. When I was in third grade, my teacher had a vegetable tasting day for us. We each brought in a vegetable from home and shared it with our classmates. I remember coming home, excited, and announcing to my mother that I had fallen in love with rutabaga. After a startled moment or two, she sm Read moreStevens: For the love of rutabaga and our children Happy Sunshine Week indeed. As we hope youve noticed, our newsroom is spending the week recounting successes its had using South Carolinas Freedom of Information Act to illumine your understanding of what your government is doing on your behalf, in your name and with your tax dollars. Read moreEditorial: SC judges support sunshine whenever they get a chance. They need more chances. To South Carolina bars and their advocates, the solution to rising alcohol liability insurance rates that might be driving some of them out of business is obvious: Reduce their liability. That is: Make it harder for victims of drunk drivers to hold bars responsible for the deaths and injuries they contribute to whenever they overserve inebriated customers who go on to kill or injure innocent victims. Their go-to solution is to eliminate a law called joint and several liability, which allows people who are found liable in a lawsuit to get stuck with more than their share of the damages if other defendants cant pay. It sounds like an unfair policy until you realize that defendants assigned less than 50% of the blame can only be subject to paying more than their share of damages when they provide alcohol or illegal drugs to the driver or engage in other conduct that is willful, wanton, reckless, grossly negligent, or intentional." When bar owners and their allies in other lawsuit-prone industries got pushback, they came up with the idea of having state government write their insurance policies and subsidize them through state liquor taxes. Which is an astounding idea in such a free-market-loving state. The latest idea, trotted out earlier this month, is to say a bar owner cant be held responsible for the behavior of a drunken customer unless he knew or should have known that the individual was visibly intoxicated at the time of the sale, service, or furnishing of the alcohol and that the individual's intoxication was a proximate cause of bodily injury, death, or property damage to the third party. MONCKS CORNER Former Gov. Nikki Haley is behind in the polls to former President Donald Trump. Badly behind. Gary Phee knows it. He also doesn't care. "I'd vote for her if she was near zero. If she's still there, I'll vote for her," the 74-year-old retired government contractor from Goose Creek said before Haley took the stage here Feb. 23 for one of her last events before the GOP primary. Phee likes Haley she's "calm" and "refreshing" but also, he really, really doesn't like Trump. Phee, a Navy veteran, "cannot stand what he says about the military. It's sickening." Trump's campaign, he said, reminds him of "Groundhog Day 1939." There were many voters like Phee in the crowds at Haleys events on her final swing through the state this week ahead of the Feb. 24 vote. Some love Haley, others are lukewarm, but one thing that unifies most of them is a disdain or at least exhaustion with the former president. Most of them also know Haley will likely lose her home-state contest. An Emerson College poll had her down 21 points. Suffolk Universitys poll showed her 28 points behind. The Citadels poll had her 33 points back. Most South Carolina GOP voters like Trump and want him to return to the White House. Theres a whole group of people, Republicans, that are just, Its Trump or nobody, Pawleys Island resident Peter Eisenburg, 80, lamented during Haleys whistle stop in Georgetown on Feb. 22. I think theyve got blinders on. Eisenburg thinks its unlikely Haley will win after the polls close at 7 p.m. on Feb. 24. Many Haley supporters are hoping the numbers are wrong. Some pray for a miracle. Some dont check polls at all. Others have reached something near acceptance. Well, said Phil, another Navy veteran in the crowd in Moncks Corner who declined to give his last name. Based on what you see in the polls, it doesnt seem like she has much of a chance. COLUMBIA Former President Donald Trump made a late bid for Black votes ahead of South Carolina's Republican primary, touting his support for Black Americans and slamming President Joe Biden as a racist. Trump's showing at a Feb. 23 gala in Columbia was aimed at rallying Black conservative voters and came the night before the state's GOP primary where Trump faces former Gov. Nikki Haley. "We're going to have the four greatest years in the history of America," Trump said inside the Columbia Convention Center to a gathering of the Black Conservative Federation, a Washington, D.C.-based group that rallies Black voters around conservative candidates. "And the four greatest years for the Black population," he added. Earlier in the day, Trump rallied voters in Rock Hill, assuring voters that he would do what Haley has insisted he would not be able to: defeat Biden in November. And most South Carolina Republicans seem to want Trump back in the White House, as polls show him with a substantial advantage over Haley. During his speech, the former president promised financial support for historically Black colleges and universities and reminded voters that he pardoned Black felons during his stint as president. Trump also accused Biden of "wrecking the dreams of African Americans," referencing a 1994 crime bill that Biden sponsored for which he has faced harsh criticism on its adverse affects on Black Americans. The former president promised the room that he had growing support from Black voters. "This is Joe Biden's worst nightmare a room full of Black conservatives," Trump said. The gala drew more than 400 attendees, most of whom were Black. It was Trump's first major Black-focused event this campaign season. "I believe that President Trump is going to get 50 percent of the Black American vote," said Diante Johnson, president of the group. ROCK HILL Tondi Burgess and Diane Leary both knew who they'd be voting for Feb. 24 in the S.C. Republican presidential primary well-before the field had been whittled down to two candidates: former President Donald Trump and the states former governor, Nikki Haley. Burgess, of Rock Hill, said she liked pharmaceutical executive Vivek Ramaswamy before he dropped out after a poor showing in the Iowa caucuses and endorsed the former president. But waiting in line to hear Trump speak outside Winthrop Coliseum on a dreary afternoon Feb. 23, both women were in agreement that none of the GOP candidates were ever worth a serious look. After all, they werent the candidate that captured their hearts eight years ago. Hes for this country, said Burgess, a two-time Trump voter who accompanied Leary to her first-ever Trump rally. I like everything he stood for then, and thats the same thing he stands for now. One day before South Carolina Republicans take to the polls to cast their preference for their partys nomination for president, most would agree with them. In the weeks leading up to primary day, poll after poll has shown Haley at a steep disadvantage to the prior White House occupant, even as she has continued to outraise Trump despite flagging performances in the early voting states of Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada. But after losing the popular vote twice as a presidential candidate along with his congressional majority during the 2018 midterms, Trump who has leaned into false claims the 2020 election was stolen from him sought to assure supporters here he would do what Haley has insisted he would not be able to. That is defeat President Joe Biden in November. And if he failed, it would be because Democrats cheated. The Democrats rigged the presidential election, he told the crowd, reiterating false claims the 2020 election was stolen from him in a meandering 90-minute speech. And were not going to let them rig the presidential election in 2024. OTTAWA, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- The Canadian federal government has filed an appeal to contest a federal court's decision calling the use of the Emergencies Act in 2022 to clear convoy protesters unreasonable, local media reported on Friday. A spokesperson for the Department of Justice confirmed that the appeal was filed on Thursday, and the federal government argued that the court applied the reasonableness standard "in an incorrect manner," CBC News reported. In January, Federal Court Justice Richard Mosley ruled that while the protests against the federal government's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic reflected an unacceptable breakdown of public order, the invocation of the Emergencies Act does not bear the hallmarks of reasonableness, it said. The federal court case was brought by two national groups, the Canadian Civil Liberties Association and the Canadian Constitution Foundation. Thousands of protesters angry with the government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including vaccine requirements, descended on Ottawa in January 2022 and blocked border points elsewhere. The protesters parked large vehicles on key arteries in the capital city for nearly a month. The government invoked the Emergencies Act on Feb. 14, 2022. It gave law enforcement extraordinary powers to remove and arrest protesters and gave the government the power to freeze the finances of those connected to the protests. The temporary emergency powers also allowed authorities to commandeer tow trucks to remove protesters' vehicles from the streets of the capital. When financial analysts update their estimates about what a hot stock is going to do, it can pay to listen. In that vein, Cantor Fitzgerald analyst Louise Chen raised her price target for Novo Nordisk (NYSE: NVO) on Tuesday, Feb. 20, stating that the biopharma's shares would soon trade at $140 -- a more than 16% increase over its current price near $120. Though her price target is a bit higher than the consensus, it's far from being unreachable, and it is more likely than not that the company's stock will trade higher than it is today. To understand why that's the case, you need to know the importance of two words: Ozempic and Wegovy. These medicines are selling out faster than they can be manufactured Novo Nordisk's weight loss drug Wegovy and its type 2 diabetes drug Ozempic are now both household names. In 2023, sales of Ozempic totaled $13.9 billion, up 60% from a year prior, whereas Wegovy sales were $4.5 billion after rising by 407% in the same period. The two drugs are both so absurdly popular in the U.S. that they're considered to be in a state of shortage. But this is just the beginning. The company is currently engaged in late-stage clinical trials to attempt to expand its market even further. It's also in the process of building a lot more manufacturing capacity to serve the existing level of demand, which is bullish. It's clear that Novo Nordisk is nowhere near reaching the bottom of its markets with Wegovy and Ozempic. Furthermore, it's hard to see any major risks for it in 2024, and perhaps beyond. So, if you're looking for a biopharma stock that's going to be growing rapidly for quite some time, it's definitely worth thinking about buying. Should you invest $1,000 in Novo Nordisk right now? Before you buy stock in Novo Nordisk, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now and Novo Nordisk wasnt one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Story continues Stock Advisor provides investors with an easy-to-follow blueprint for success, including guidance on building a portfolio, regular updates from analysts, and two new stock picks each month. The Stock Advisor service has more than tripled the return of S&P 500 since 2002*. See the 10 stocks *Stock Advisor returns as of February 20, 2024 Alex Carchidi has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Novo Nordisk. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. 1 Wall Street Analyst Thinks Novo Nordisk Stock Is Going to $140. Is It a Buy? was originally published by The Motley Fool PR-Inside.com: 2024-02-24 01:00:15 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 358 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / February 23, 2024 / Global Education Communities Corp. (TSX:GEC)(OTCQX:GECSF) ("GECC") reports the director election voting results from its annual general meeting held today. All of the director nominees, as listed in the management information circular dated January 8, 2024, were elected. Proxy voting as to each of the director nominees was as follows:Votes in Favour Votes WithheldToby Chu 90.65%9.35%Tony David 99.65%0.35%Derek Feng 99.65%0.35%May Hsu 99.65%0.35%Troy Rice 91.62%8.38%Shane Weir 99.65%0.35%Please see the report of voting results filed today under GECC's profile on SEDAR+ for the results of the other matters voted on by shareholders at the meeting.About GECC:GECC is one of Canada's largest education and student housing investment companies focused on the domestic and global education market since 1994. GECC operates business and language colleges, student-centric rental apartments, recruitment centres and corporate offices at 41 locations in Canada and abroad. Its education subsidiaries include Sprott Shaw College Corp. (established in 1903), Sprott Shaw Language College, Vancouver International College Career Campus and CIBT School of Business & Technology Corp. GECC offers over 150 educational programs in healthcare, business management, e-commerce, cyber-security, hotel management, emergency paramedic, and language training through these schools. In fiscal 2023, GECC serviced over 14,277 domestic and international students through its educational, rental housing and recruitment subsidiaries.GECC owns Global Education City Holdings Inc. ("GECH"), an investment holding and development company focused on education-related real estate such as student-centric rental apartments and education super-centres. In fiscal 2023, GECH operated fifteen properties under the GEC brand in Metro Vancouver and provided accommodation services to 92 partner-schools serving 3,200 students from 71 countries. The total portfolio and development budget under the GEC brand exceeds $1.2 billion.GECC also owns Global Education Alliance Inc. ("GEA") and Irix Design Group Inc. ("IRIX"). GEA recruits international students for elite kindergartens, primary and secondary schools, colleges and universities in North America. Irix is a leading design and advertising company based in Vancouver, Canada. Visit us online and watch our corporate video at www.GEChq.com For more information, contact:Toby ChuChairman, President & CEOGlobal Education Communities Corp.Investor Relations Contact: 1-604-871-9909 extension 319 or | Email: info@ GEChq.com SOURCE: Global Education Communities Corp. PR-Inside.com: 2024-02-24 03:00:35 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 445 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 SCHAUMBURG, IL / ACCESSWIRE / February 23, 2024 / Lemko Corporation ("Lemko") with its patented Distributed Mobile Architecture (DMA) announced today a partnership with Wytec International ("Wytec"), a fully reporting non-listed company and leading developer and integrator of patented mobile wireless and smart sensor solutions. Lemko will enhance Wytec's patented LPN-16 small cell to include Lemko's CBRS multi-frequency modules to support 4G LTE & 5G mobile wireless deployments. Additionally, Wytec's patented smart sensor solution will be integrated within Lemko's CBRS commercial products. Lemko will be presenting its advanced technology solutions at the World Mobile Conference in Barcelona, Spain.Lemko Logo Lemko Logo"Wytec's partnership with Lemko, incorporating Wytec's AI and Machine Learning (ML) technologies (provisional patents filed), will expand our mobile wireless offerings to the education and public safety sectors for applications such as remote learning, gunshot detection and THC sensor technology," said Robert Sanchez, Wytec's Chief Technology Officer. "Our advanced solutions are a carefully crafted integration of technologies and applications developed by Wytec and Lemko." "We are honored and extremely excited to be partnering with Wytec to deliver such an important capability for our schools and communities," explained Brian Ponte, Vice President - Sales and Marketing for Lemko. "Our combined efforts will deliver a solution that significantly improves safety." About Lemko Lemko Corporation's patented Distributed Mobile Architecture (DMA) provides the world's leading fully edge capable mobile network platform. Our mission is to provide simple and resilient 4G/5G wireless networks for use in Industrial IoT applications, private 4G/5G networks, wireless rural broadband systems and military and public safety deployments. Lemko's DMA systems are designed to be more reliable, survivable and portable than conventional 4G/5G systems. Lemko is based in Schaumburg, Illinois. To learn more about Lemko, visit www.lemkocorp.com or follow us at www.linkedin.com/company/lemko About Wytec Wytec International, Inc. is a San Antonio, Texas-based telecommunications company that owns two patents related to the deployment of 5G "secured" private networks and is currently developing a new patented software for gunshot detection to be deployed by 2024. Wytec designs and deploys wireless networks and public safety solutions with an emphasis on municipalities and school districts and was named a Best Tech Startup in San Antonio four times due to factors including: Revenue potential, Leadership team, Brand/product traction, and Competitive landscape. To learn more about Wytec, visit www.wytecintl.com or follow us on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/wytec-international Contact:Brian Ponte630-890-8099 bponte@ lemko.com Contact InformationBrian PonteVice President Sales and Marketingbponte@ lemko.com 630-890-8099SOURCE: Lemko CorporationView the original press release on newswire.com The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on Saturday in Abuja lifted sanctions it imposed on Niger over the unconstitutional takeover of government in that country on July 26, 2023. The July 2023 military putsch was the fifth successful one in Niger since its independence from France in 1960. In the July 2023 coup, Nigers presidential guard removed and detained democratically-elected President Mohamed Bazoum. ECOWAS Commissions chairman, Omar Touray, announced the lifting of the sanctions at the end of the Extraordinary Session of the Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS member countries. He said the decision was based on humanitarian considerations, the socio-economic impacts of the sanctions on Nigeriens and the security of the sub-region. The Authority calls for the immediate release of former President Bazoum and also calls on the transition authorities in Niger to provide an acceptable transition timetable to constitutional order. The Authority has resolved to lift with immediate effect sanctions imposed on Niger and has lifted the closure of land and air borders between it and ECOWAS member countries. No-Fly-Zone of all commercial flights to and from Niger is to be lifted. Suspension of all commercial and financial transactions between ECOWAS member states and Niger are to be lifted. Freezing of all service transactions including utility services is to be lifted. Freezing of assets of Niger in ECOWAS Central Bank is to be lifted. Freezing of assets of Niger and the states enterprises and parastatals in commercial banks is to be lifted, he said. Mr Touray said Niger had also been exempted from suspension of all financial assistance and transactions as well as travel ban placed on its officials and their family members. He explained that humanitarian considerations on the Lenten period and the upcoming holy month of Ramadan contributed to the lifting of the sanctions. The Authority, he said, also lifted sanctions regarding the recruitment of Malian citizens in statutory and professional positions within ECOWAS. The Authority has also resolved to lift financial and economic sanctions on the Republic of Guinea. It instructed the President of the Commission to invite Burkina Faso, Niger, Mali and Guinea to attend the technical, consultative and security meetings of ECOWAS. The authority calls on ECOWAS institutions, member states and other regional institutions to implement these decisions, Mr Touray said. On the withdrawal by Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali from ECOWAS, Mr Touray said the Authority urged the countries to reconsider their decision. He said this was in view of the benefits that the ECOWAS member states and their citizens enjoy in the community. The Authority expressed its concern over the socio- economic, political, security and humanitarian impacts of the decision, particularly on the citizens of the three countries and on regional integration process, he said. The Authority further urges the three member states to resort to dialogue, negotiations and mediation to address their concerns. The Authority urges the three member states to adhere to the provisions of the 1993 revised treaty on withdrawal from the subregional body. They should particularly consider the treaty relating to withdrawal, particularly the article that encourages ECOWAS to sustain its rapprochement and overtures towards the member states, Mr Touray said. He added that the Authority encouraged outreaches with traditional and religious leaders, eminent personalities, civil society and women leaders for the unity and security of the region. The Authority reiterated the urgent need for ECOWAS to expedite the operations of its standby force to fight against terrorism in the sub-region, including the elements of the Multinational Joint Task Force and the Accra initiative. In this regard, the Authority instructed the commission to convene the meeting of ministers of finance and defence to propose modalities for financing and equipping counterterrorism efforts. The Malian coup took place on Aug. 18, 2020; that of Burkina Faso was on Sept. 30 of the same year, while that of Guinea took place on Sept. 5, 2021. In the Guinean coup, President Alpha Conde was captured and detained by the countrys armed forces. (NAN) Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has confirmed that Lassa Fever was responsible for the death of three health workers and one patient at the 44 Nigerian Army Reference Hospital Kaduna (44 NARHK), Kaduna State. The disease centre said four of the six blood samples from suspected cases at the hospital sent to the Bayero University Teaching Hospital in Kano have been confirmed for Lassa fever. The Director-General of the NCDC, Jide Idris, disclosed this at a press briefing in Abuja on Friday, noting that 25 close contacts of all the cases are now being monitored and have been placed on prophylactic medicine. Following earlier reports from the armys medical authorities, which linked the symptoms of the deceased to what it described as acute Viral Hemorrhagic Fever (VHF), the Kaduna State Government ordered an immediate investigation. However, giving further details of the confirmed infection, the NCDC DG reported that Nigeria has recorded 2,621 suspected Lassa fever cases, with 476 confirmed and 84 deaths as of 18 February. NCDC response Mr Idris said the activated multi-sectoral multi-disciplinary Incident Management System has taken distribution of medical supplies for case management, infection prevention and control, and laboratory diagnosis in all Lassa fever treatment centres in the country. He noted that the agency has also started capacity-building exercises of some healthcare workers across all the geopolitical zones on Lassa fever preparedness, readiness, and response through the pilot Lassa fever clinical management fellowship. READ ALSO: Kaduna govt orders investigation into deaths of four in Army hospital He urged Nigerians to always keep their environment clean, and block all holes in their houses to prevent the entry of rats and other rodents. He also advised healthcare workers to always practice standard infection prevention and control practices. Lassa fever Lassa fever is an acute viral hemorrhagic (excessive bleeding) illness that is transmitted to humans through contact with food or household items contaminated by infected rodents or contaminated persons. Its symptoms include fever, headache, sore throat, general body weakness, cough, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, muscle pains, chest pain, and in severe cases, unexplainable bleeding from ears, eyes, nose, mouth, and other body openings. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print At 8:10 a.m. on Friday, 9 February, about a dozen youths in their upper teens and early 20s, male and female, were perched on the low fence at 17 Lingu Crescent at Wuse 2 in Abuja. The place is one of the annexe offices of the National Population Commission (NPC) headquarters in Abuja dedicated to attending to Nigerians in need of birth attestations and birth certificates. The youths, the first set of applicants to arrive at the office that day, were clutching broad, brown envelopes as they chattered away the interminable time of waiting for the arrival of the agencys officials. While they chatted, frustrations also welled up in them. We can no longer continue to wait endlessly for the birth attestation that is our right as Nigerians, Ikenna Kalu, one of the applicants, blurted out the indignation shared by the rest of them at 8:47 a.m. Some of the applicants said they had arrived an hour earlier to be part of the first set of applicants to be attended to. As the cool morning breeze gradually receded, giving way to the peeking sunlight smiling down from the sky, the applicants grew in their dozens, and their patience waned drastically. Finally, at 9:10 a.m., a female official of the NPC emerged at the gate bearing freshly printed-out application forms with numbers circled in red ink. As she stood to hand out the forms, the crowd of applicants, not less than 50 in number, surged towards her. By official standards, the applicants only needed to present two compulsory documents a court affidavit and an online payment slip evidencing payment of N2,000 directly into the governments coffer to obtain their birth attestation and birth certificate. After about 15 minutes of rowdiness and the official had returned to her office, some applicants could be seen lining the low fence of the premises while others huddled around flat surfaces in sight, such as the bonnets of cars parked nearby, to complete their forms. After completing the forms, they turned their gaze to the NPC premises in anxious expectation of the return of the official to take them to the next stage of the arduous process. As the expectant applicants looked forward to the next steps, they were joined by more and more persons, who were coming to either begin the process or continue from where they had stopped earlier. Exploiting the rush for birth attestation The NPC is Nigerias statutory agency with the mandate of issuing confirmation for vital life events, mostly birth, death and marriages, to Nigerians. In a renewed vigour to keep robust, credible digital records of Nigerias population, the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), the custodian of the nations central National Identity Database and regulator of all national identity matters, demands that any request for correction of biodata details on the National Identity Number (NIN) must be accompanied with a birth attestation certificate issued by the NPC. The development forces many Nigerians to throng the NPC offices across the country to obtain their birth attestation certificates, now in high demand, to complete registration and documentation for academic examinations and other official purposes. In January, this newspaper reported how NPC officials in Abuja were taking advantage of the rush to impose unreceipted cash payment of N2,000 administrative charges on desperate Nigerians in need of birth documents. The illegal payment rivalled the official fee of N2000 payable directly to the governments coffers through the bank, which is all that is charged by the government to issue the document. At the 17, Lingu Crescent, Wuse 2, Abuja office of the NPC in January, applicants were allowed into the office building, where they were handed application forms to complete. They scrambled for available standing or squatting positions near any flat surface, including the floor and edges of tables, in the crowded office space to fill out their forms. After completing the forms, the applicants joined a queue, forming a blurry column within the jam-packed office to hand their filled-out forms accompanied with relevant documents and the N2000 administrative charges to an official. The official received the forms from the applicants in turn and carefully stapled the currency notes each applicant submitted to their forms. After going the same round with all the applicants in the queue at a given time, the official disappeared into an inner room, setting off a two to three hours wait, for the set of applicants to receive the printouts of their birth documents. Cash payment of N2000 is gratification NPC Reacting to our report exposing the extortionist scheme in a statement shared via its X handle on 25 January, the NPC stressed that no administrative charge was required for the issuance of an attestation or birth certificate except the N2000 official fee which is to be paid through bank remita. It further clarified that Registration of birth remains free of charge for ages 1 to 17 years, and that The registration of deaths is also free of charge. It went further to condemn any demand for gratification by its staff in the course of discharging their duties. We are resolute in maintaining transparent and accountable operations in carrying out the mandate of the commission of providing demographic data for national development, the agency said. While promising to probe the extortion and mete out appropriate sanctions to any staff member found culpable, it urged Nigerians to report any demand for cash from its officials during the birth registration exercise. Extortion, waste of manhour, chaos persist Despite the NPC managements warning and threat of a probe, the registration process at the NPC office is still characterised by extortion. The extorting officials are, however, not deaf or blind to their managements statement. In response to it, they have modified their method to ward off scrutiny and reduce complaints as much as possible. Firstly, they have removed the notice that was brazenly pasted to their office walls requesting the illegal cash payment of N2,000 administrative charges from applicants. They have also slashed the illegal charges from N2,000 to N1,000. To cap their strategy, they have also stopped allowing applicants into their premises, a departure from the previous practice of letting applicants into the office building when this reporter visited the office in January. In the modified strategy of continuing the extortion, the official who had distributed printed forms to the first set of about 50 applicants on 9 February, returned about 30 minutes later to retrieve the completed forms. To a distant observer, the official arrived to just collect the forms and return to the office building to process them. But the reality is that the official had managed to spread the instruction to applicants to tuck their N1000 admin charges in their documents. An applicant riled up by the scene playing out, suddenly burst out in anger, creating a spectacle of chaos. Machie Lawrence, a lawyer, who came to the venue from a court session, insisted on entering the office as instructed by the NPC on its banner inviting potential applicants to register for their vital events. He had a little success, struggling with the security personnel at the gate, to gain entry into the premises. But overpowered by the security details, Mr Lawrence had his black bag flung away and himself forcibly removed from the building by an operative of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corp (NSCDC) on secondment to the office. Still catching his breath, Mr Lawrence told this reporter, What is going on here is extortion, and what is more troubling is the impunity and arrogance with which it is being perpetrated by the NPC officials. Another applicant, Rebecca Tolu, decried NPCs collection of N1,000 as administrative charges aside from the N2000 official fee being paid through the bank per applicant. The extortion at the NPC is widespread, Ms Tolu said, revealing that she paid N12,000 as registration fees for her three children aged nine, six and two. On Monday at the NPC office in Abuja where I had gone to register three of my kids ages two, four and nine, the NPC officials who attended to me made sure they collected cash from me. Thereafter, I requested a receipt for the payment, but the officials refused. So, its not true to say birth registration is free, Ms Tolu told PREMIUM TIMES. Ms Tolus experience contradicts NPCs claim that registration of birth remains free of charge for ages 0 17 years. While Mr Lawrence and Ms Tolu were incensed by the extra charges being levied on applicants, Grace Ogah, another applicant, was displeased by the hours wasted at the commission in a bid to obtain her birth attestation certificate. The illegal charges being levied on birth registration applicants is the least of the issues. For me, the amount of manhour being wasted here just to obtain an otherwise simple document is disheartening, Ms Ogah lamented. Slow take-off of digitisation agenda By design, the registration exercise, under the new digitisation process launched last year, ought to be seamless and last only a few minutes without the need to visit any NPC offices. On 8 November 2023, President Bola Tinubu launched the electronic Civil Registration and Vital Statistics System (e-CRVS), a data repository, as part of the broad agenda of the NPC to digitalise civil registration of vital events such as births, marriages and deaths. The effort fits into a continental and global agenda. At the Sixth Session of the Conference of African Ministers responsible for Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CVRS) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in December 2022, a resolution was passed encouraging all African countries to automate the CVRS process and ensure implementation of the United National Legal Identity Agenda. Member states were also asked to develop an electronic technology-driven system to boost data generation and civil statistics. The resolution ushered in the NPCs e-CVRS. In collaboration with UNICEF, the NPC developed the e-CRVS to integrate data from multiple systems to securely store data on a large scale, in a cost-effective way in Nigeria. The e-CVRS launched by Mr Tinubu in November last year encompasses the vital registration aspect, tagged VitalReg. The tag is being used to drive awareness campaigns aimed at securing the buy-in of citizens. How online registration is meant to work A 51-second video clip put out by the NPC to advertise the easy online registration process indicates that birth registration or birth attestation ought to take about three minutes. In the procedure enumerated in the video, applicants begin the process by logging onto the NPC website, where they are required to click on services. Then, they are redirected to birth attestation self-service. It is followed by a service payment of N3000 using a debit card. The last step of the online registration process entails inputting applicants details like the national identity number, facial verification using a camera, date of birth, and local government area of origin. After going through the steps, the video clip shows an attestation certificate popping up on the screen and the narrators voice ending with Now I have my certificate, all these done in less than three minutes. In another short video clip posted on its official X handle recently, the NPC chairman, Nasir Kwarra, said it took him five minutes to obtain his digital birth attestation certificate through the self-service on the commissions website. Ideal vs Reality Ms Ogah, who groaned about the avoidable waste of precious time manual registration process meant for her, shared an experience that contradicts Mr Kwarras claim of a seamless online portal. The portal is being managed by Barnksforte Technologies Limited a local ICT solution provider praised by the NPC as having a track record of success in ICT solution provision with government agencies. I came to the NPC office in Abuja because I couldnt obtain my birth attestation through the digital platform, Ms Ogah said, re-echoing assertions by NPC staff members that the e-CRVS system is being test-run and cannot give digital birth attestation certificate for now. We have received complaints from Nigerians in the USA who spent thousands of dollars to get the automated birth certificate but to no avail, a registration officer was heard telling applicants at the NPC office in Abuja this month. He said embassies and other foreign entities declined to recognise the digital birth attestation certificates. But PREMIUM TIMES could not independently verify the claims. With the slow take-off of the portal, Nigerians are going to wait much longer before they can enjoy the digitisation expenditure of the NPC. In its 2024 appropriation, the NPC earmarked N20 million as fees for its website and web portal. It also budgeted N5.6 million for information technology consulting. Furthermore, the commission appropriated N3.5 million for the printing of non-security documents. Rush for birth registration, goldmine for NPC officials The sudden surge of birth registration applicants was triggered by NIMCs announcement last year that applicants seeking to correct details such as date of birth on their National Identification Number (NIN) record must present a birth attestation issued by the NPC. The NIN remains Nigerias foundational means of identification, which other transactions such as the issuance of passports, bank accounts, and drivers licences are built on. The development is linked to Nigerias drive to automate its governance processes, especially payment systems, citizens identity databases, and data exchange. NIMC, as of 31 December 2023, had captured the biometric details of 104.16 million Nigerians into the national database. Increasingly, institutions like banks, examination bodies and the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) are using technology-driven systems to render services, and are requesting NIN details to onboard applicants in need of their services. This has considerably reduced the stress and waiting time for applicants to receive services through the automated systems of the institutions. But while the NPCs self-service portal flounders, NPC officials reap the windfall resulting from the need for applicants seeking birth attestation and other related documents to physically visit their offices across the country. For the six hours of monitoring the exercise at 17 Lingu Crescent in Abuja earlier this month, this report kept a tally of 99 applicants that thronged the commissions office in Abuja. They all parted with the illegal N1,000 admin charges. On an hourly basis, between 11 and 13 applicants arrived at the agency for birth attestation registration. Typically, it takes a minimum of three to four hours for an applicant to obtain their birth attestation, but it can take longer as some applicants told PREMIUM TIMES they had been on it for days. The process which entails filling out forms and typing of applicants details, ends with the signing of the birth document by Madiu Suleiman, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) director of the NPC, Abuja. For two days now, I have been trying to process my attestation application. Against all odds, the extortion and ill-treatment by NPC officials, I now have my certificate, an applicant, Odo Wisdom, told PREMIUM TIMES outside the NPC annexe office in Abuja this month, heaving a sigh of relief. Ms Tolu, who said she had to pay N12,000 for her three underage children, who are officially not required to pay a dime, accused the officials of deliberately creating impediments to force desperate applicants to pay as much as N15,000 through the back door for the attestation. True to her assertion, NPC officials are fond of fawning over desperate applicants with well-to-do persona, pitching to them to go for what they termed express application at a cost ranging between N8,000 and N20,000. This alternative route guarantees obtaining the sought-after birth certificate within 20 to 30 minutes. For instance, an official simply identified as Chidinma was stuck in her black Lexus car parked opposite the NPC office at 17 Lingu Crescent, Wuse 2, attending to applicants who were willing to procure the birth attestation without hassle at N15,000. Chidinma shuttled between her car parked under a tree and the NPC office where she processed the documents for her clients who waited in their chauffeur-driven cars, unlike regular applicants who had to wait long hours in batches at the gate to have theirs processed. As they milk well-heeled applicants, they also do not spare small-time applicants who are unwilling to pay the illegal N1,000 administrative charges. Although the notice announcing the illegitimate charges was removed from the office wall following PREMIUM TIMES initial report in January, any applicant who failed to pay the administrative charges, revised downward to N1000, did not get their attestation certificate. The officials simply returned such applications as submitted to the owner. Extortion countrywide When the NPC management issued the statement in January in response to the PREMIUM TIMES report, urging Nigerians not to give cash to its officials for birth registration, some X users swiftly relayed their experiences regarding the extortionist scheme. I paid 3500 at your office in Jos for attestation of birth, an X user @L.Babatunde wrote about his encounter in Jos, Plateau State, North-central Nigeria. Another X user @agbaue_p in Asaba, Delta State, South-south Nigeria, said, I payed (sic) #5000 this week in (the) Asaba office for attestation of birth. Jamila Adamu, an X user who did not disclose his location, said I am a victim, I go (sic) for attestation, they told me that I am going to pay Remita 2k, then their fee is 2k thats 4k. Theyre collecting money from people. The situation is the same in Lagos, where Seun Olota, a birth attestation applicant wrote PREMIUM TIMES, narrating his ordeal at the hands of NPC officials in the Lekki area of the state. NPC staff at the LG in Lekki boldly said its N18,000 and I said that the NPCs mandate is to issue citizens this document. NPC didnt announce this amount, how come? That silence brought me here. How much is marriage registration at the registry? It should be probed, Mr Olota wrote. But Mr Olotas appeal may not spur the authorities to act. Similar calls had been made by anti-corruption campaigners in our initial article, urging Nigerias anti-graft agencies the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to investigate the ongoing fraud at the NPC. Two top anti-corruption activists in Nigeria Eze Onyekpere and Debo Adeniran in their separate interviews with this reporter, asked the ICPC and EFCC to swing into action over the illegal cash transactions at NPC. They pointed out that the cash payments violate Nigerias policy on e-payment for public services. The culture runs deep and widespread in Nigerias public sector. In 2012, the government launched a digital payment platform called Remita. It drives the countrys Treasury Single Account (TSA), aimed at blocking revenue leakages. But the policy only became operational in 2015 when Muhammadu Buhari became Nigerias president. Some government agencies whose officials are averse to financial transparency, which the system seeks to foster, have invented all sorts of excuses to bypass it, in the end, depriving the government of the much-needed revenues, a member of Nigerias House of Representatives, Jeremiah Umaru from Nasarawa State, remarked last November. NPC declines comment The acting director of public affairs at NPC, Nkoyo Nwakusor, said it was not within her mandate to speak on issues bordering on our findings. She responded in a similar fashion when contacted on PREMIUM TIMES earlier report. Ms Nwakusor told this newspaper on Thursday at her office in Abuja that it is the duty of the Director of VitalReg (Sunday Matthew) to speak on the issues you have raised about birth attestation and birth certificates registration. She, however, reiterated NPCs earlier reaction to PREMIUM TIMES report on the issue that no birth registration officer is allowed to demand cash payments in any form from applicants. The NPC Chairman Nasir Kwarra frowns at any form of extortion by registration officials, and anyone found wanting will be dealt with, Ms Nwakusor said. When this reporter sought to speak with NPCs director of vital registration, Sunday Matthew, officials at the office said he was not available for comments. But one of the officials who declined to give his name, challenged this reporter to show any evidence of extortion at the NPC centre. He said the commission had since January warned its staff members against collecting administrative charges from birth-related documents applicants. This report is produced under the DPI Africa Journalism Fellowship Programme of the Media Foundation for West Africa and Co-Develop. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print President Bola Tinubu has called on ECOWAS to suspend the economic sanctions imposed on Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Guinea. ECOWAS imposed the sanctions following the unconstitutional changes in government in the West African countries as soldiers executed successful coups. Mr Tinubu, however, said the sanctions have failed. However, the sanctions that we contemplated might help lead our brothers to the negotiating table have become a harsh stumbling block. In my mind and heart, that which is hurtful yet ineffective serves no good purpose and should be abandoned, the Nigerian leader and ECOWAS chair said. The Nigerian leader spoke at the Extra-ordinary Summit of ECOWAS in Abuja on Saturday, according to a statement by his office. Mr Tinubus position comes a few weeks after Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger said they were pulling out of ECOWAS. The three countries, currently led by putschists, listed the ECOWAS sanctions as the major reason for their decision. READ ALSO: The ECOWAS leaders meeting was still on at the time of this report and it is unclear whether Mr Tinubus colleagues will heed his call or whether such resolution will be enough to persuade Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger to change course. Read the full statement by Mr Tinubus spokesperson below. PRESIDENT TINUBU CALLS FOR SUSPENSION OF SANCTIONS ON GUINEA, MALI, NIGER, AND BURKINA FASO President Bola Tinubu has called for the suspension of economic sanctions imposed on Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Guinea by ECOWAS. Speaking at the Extra-ordinary Summit of ECOWAS in Abuja on Saturday, President Tinubu, who is the Chairman of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of the organization, stated that: Everything we did was in hopes of persuading our brothers that there existed a better path, a path that would lead to genuine improvement of their peoples welfare through democratic good governance. And this was a path each of our nations had solemnly agreed with one another pursuant to formal regional treaty and protocol. However, the sanctions that we contemplated might help lead our brothers to the negotiating table have become a harsh stumbling block. In my mind and heart, that which is hurtful yet ineffective serves no good purpose and should be abandoned. ECOWAS was established for the unassailable objective of improving the lives of the people of this region through fraternal cooperation among all member states. This edifice was cemented on the strong foundation and apt conviction that, united as one, we can be the true masters of our destiny. The president further explained that ECOWAS took the steps it did based on the regional ideals of security, social stability; democratic governance, political freedom, broad-based prosperity, and sustainable economic development through fair opportunity for each and every one in West Africa. He said neither hatred nor hidden motive influenced the steps taken and that there was never any intention to douse or undermine the legitimate political aspirations of any member state or to advance the interests of any outside party. In calling for the suspension of sanctions, President Tinubu stressed that: We must take note of the approach of the holy month of Ramadan and of Lent. Whether you pray in the mosque or in the church, this represents a time for compassion, hope, and harmony. It is a time that we must not only seek God but also a closer relationship with brother and neighbour. In the Spirit of the holy month and of the Lenten period, and with hearts bestirred by goodwill towards all our people, let us extend a hand as brothers and friends to those in Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Guinea. What I suggest in real and practical terms is that we, my colleagues and fellow heads of state in ECOWAS, indefinitely suspend economic sanctions against Niger, Mali, Guinea and Burkina Faso and against the leadership of the military authorities in those nations. The president asked that ECOWAS facilitate the unfettered flow of foodstuffs, medicines and other humanitarian items to the people of these nations, especially to the most vulnerable, adding that for Nigeria, this will also mean the prompt resumption of export of electric power to Niger. In this vein, suspension of sanctions is an important but initial step. What we seek is more than the breaking of the diplomatic logjam. We must use this very moment when things seem tense and progress unavailing, to forge greater cooperation within our community. We not only reach out to our brothers. Today, we say unto them let us begin to work more earnestly together for the economic development of our people and towards confronting those modern challenges that respect no borders or boundaries. Challenges ranging from climate change to violent extremism to illegal pilfering of our precious natural resources require that we join together in progress or we fail separately. As leaders of ECOWAS, we have accepted the honour and duty to draft the history of the region and its people during our tenure in office. We have also accepted the honour and duty to reach out to our brothers, letting them know this regional home belongs to us all. I shall do my utmost in this regard. I humbly beseech that you do the same. For these reasons, we must suspend sanctions and return to brotherly dialogue. I call on the leadership in Burkina Faso, Guinea, Mali, and Niger to embrace the hand extended, the President stated. Ajuri Ngelale Special Adviser to the President (Media & Publicity) February 24, 2024 Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print Some residents of South-east Nigeria have lamented the high cost of petrol across states in the region. The residents, who spoke in separate interviews with PREMIUM TIMES on Friday, said the price of petrol increased on Tuesday following scarcity of the product in the region. The cause of the scarcity is unclear, but there are indications that it might have been caused by the now suspended industrial action embarked by petrol tanker drivers in Nigeria. The drivers resumed the industrial action on Monday following a directive from the Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners. A PREMIUM TIMES reporter who visited some petrol stations in Enugu metropolis on Friday observed that the price of fuel hovered between N700 and N750 per litre. READ ALSO: Earlier in the week, the product sold for between N670 and N680 per litre in many filling stations in the state. Although the NNPC filling stations sell at the rate of N600 per litre, they rarely open for business since the hike in price of the product. The situation is the same in the university town of Nsukka, according to Zebedee Izuchukwu, a resident of the area. None of the NNPC stations is opened for business here in Nsukka, he said. Anambra A resident of Onitsha in Anambra State, Ifeanyi Emmanuel, told PREMIUM TIMES that petrol was sold at N750 per litre on Friday in the state. Mr Emmanuel, a truck driver, said, before now, the product sold at N670 per litre in the state. Tomorrow morning (today), they might sell N800 per litre, he said. Like in Enugu, NNPC stations in his area have not opened since the price hike, he said. The NNPC station in New Market Road Onitsha, for instance, stopped selling fuel at the end of January, he said. Abia The situation is slightly different in Abia, another state in the South-east. A legal practitioner in Umuahia, the state capital, Martins Ladu, told PREMIUM TIMES that filling stations in the state sell fuel at N800 per litre. Mr Ladu said an NNPC mega station in the state capital sold the product at N595 per litre but that they have had fuel since Thursday. Imo A taxi driver in Owerri, Imo State capital, who identified himself simply as Joseph, said the product is sold at N700 per litre in the state. Mr Joseph said, before the price hike, the product sold at N680 per litre in the state. The taxi driver said although NNPC stations in his area sell the product at N600 per litre, he does not buy fuel at the stations. I dont normally go there (to buy fuel) because of (huge) crowd of people there. I cant go there and queue up, he said. Ebonyi In Ebonyi, Samuel Amah-Nnachi, a resident, said the price of fuel hovered between N700 and N740 per litre in the state. We usually bought at N670 per litre before now, Mr Amah-Nnachi said. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The Taraba State House of Assembly on Thursday, passed a bill aimed at ending a 28 years tussle over a traditional stool in Takum Local Government Area of the state. Titled Establishment of One Rotational 1st Class Chief and Three (3) 3rd Class Chiefs Bill, 2024, the executive bill was proposed by the new Governor Agbu Kefas administration. The House took the decision while considering the bills clauses at its Committee of the Whole, chaired by the Deputy Speaker, Hamanadama Abdullahi. It was unanimously passed after deliberations on the report of the House Committee on Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs. The new law provides for the establishment of One Rotational First Class Chief and Three (3) 3rd Class Chiefs in Takum among the Kuteb, Chamba and Jukun Takum ethnic groups respectively. Diverse views had trailed the proposal of the bill from various stakeholders, especially the Kuteb ethnic group, which claimed that the Takum traditions stool was their exclusive right. Mr Kefas sponsored the bill to end the over 28 years traditional leadership tussle in Takum characterised by disputes and controversies. A well attended public hearing was held by the lawmakers where stakeholders had the opportunity to make contributions to the bill, leading to its eventual passage on Thursday. The state lawmakers passed the bill after the member representing Mbanga State Constituency, and Chairman, House Committee on Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Abel Diah, submitted the committees report on the floor of the House. While presenting the recommendations of the committee before his colleagues, Mr Diah urged the immediate passage of the bill to end the decades-long controversy surrounding the traditional stool. Mr Diah said during the public hearing, majority of the groups, asides the Kutebs, expressed total support for the bill believing that it will end the chieftaincy fight. I am pleased to inform this Honourable House that the response of stakeholders to our call for memoranda and invitation to the public hearing was highly commendable. For the avoidance of doubt, the following organizations attended the public hearing to make oral and written submissions. They include: Taraba State Council of Chiefs, Ministry of Justice, Bureau for Local Governments & Chieftaincy Affairs, Kuteb Yatso of Nigeria, Tiv Cultural and Social Association Taraba State, Jukun Takum, TEKAN/ECWA, N.C.W.S Taraba State, Chamba Takum, Kuteb Youths of Nigeria, Ukwe Takum Royal Palace, Jibu Ruling House under Jukun Takum and Jalingo Development Foundation In their submissions during the public hearing, the Taraba State Council of Chiefs, Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), the Jukun Takum, Chamba Takum, Ministry of Justice all expressed their total support for the Bill; stressing that, it will put to rest the lingering chieftaincy tussle in Takum. On the other hand, the Kuteb Yatso of Nigeria, Ukwe Takum Royal Palace, Kuteb Youths of Nigeria, NCWS Taraba State, vehemently opposed the Bill as they view the Bill as an attempt to deprive the Kuteb race of their inheritance as they consider the Ukwe stool as their exclusive preserve, Mr Diah said. Speaking with journalists after the plenary, Mr Diah said the committee decided to remove the title of Kuru Takum and amend it to Chief of Takum, to remove the fears expressed during the public hearing and to accommodate all the ethnic groups in the area. The lawmaker said it is a controversial matter and that to avoid further controversies on the matter, we amended it totally from the bill. He said once the bill becomes law, it would bring development and the localitys fears would be addressed. Its a very important bill passed by this 10th Assembly, this bill addresses all the fears of our brothers and sisters from Takum. I pray this development will bring a lot of development to the people of Takum and will put to rest any form of agitation as regards to traditional issue and bring peace to your locality, the lawmaker said. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print Some gunmen have killed a community leader in Anambra State, South-east Nigeria. The victim, Silas Onyima, the president-general of Umuoji, was killed when the hoodlums attacked him in his residence in the community. Umuoji is a community in Idemili North Local Government Area of the state. How he was killed A video clip, which showed the victim lying dead and naked in a bathtub in his apartment, has been circulating on various WhatsApp groups. In the clip, seen by PREMIUM TIMES, some residents and sympathisers were heard alleging that what happened must have been an assassination. Sources from the community told PREMIUM TIMES that the hoodlums, numbering about 15, invaded Mr Onyimas apartment on Friday evening and shot him dead. One of the sources, who identified himself simply as Ejiofor, said the gunmen were masked during the attack. It had not been long since he was elected as our president-general, Mr Ejiofor said of the victim. READ ALSO: When contacted on Saturday afternoon, the police spokesperson in Anambra State, Tochukwu Ikenga, confirmed the incident to PREMIUM TIMES. Mr Ikenga, a deputy superintendent of police, said police operatives have been deployed in the area upon receipt of information about the attack. The police spokesperson said when the operatives arrived at the scene, they found the man in a pool of blood. The body of the deceased has been recovered and deposited at the morgue with the help of some of the family members, he said. Mr Ikenga said the police were investigating the killing. He added that the police were also working with some witnesses and community members to track down the killers. Increased attacks Like other states in Nigerias South-east, security has deteriorated in Anambra State with frequent attacks by armed persons. The attacks often target security agencies, government officials and facilities. The latest attack occurred less than two weeks after gunmen killed a former House of Representatives candidate from Anambra State, Jude Oguejiofor. The Nigerian government has accused the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) of being responsible for the deadly attacks in the region. But the group has repeatedly denied any involvement in the attacks. IPOB is leading the agitation for an independent state of Biafra which it wants carved out from the South-east and some parts of the South-south Nigeria. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The stock market has gotten its animal spirits back yet again. The S&P 500's price-to-earnings ratio (P/E) has hit 27, Nvidia has rocketed to one of the largest market caps in the world, and Super Micro Computer is up more than 750% in less than a year. We are living through an artificial intelligence (AI) boom, at least in the stock market, which has investors extremely optimistic about the future. What if you want to fade the AI boom? For more conservative investors, now may be the time to hunt for steady dividend payers that can ride out the AI boom, which could eventually bust for greedy investors. Enter British American Tobacco (NYSE: BTI). The tobacco giant's dividend yield is currently close to 10%, making it one of the highest dividend payers in the world at the moment. The company is going through major troubles that have kept its stock underperforming for years. But with the dividend yield now so high, is it finally the time for investors to take the plunge? Let's take a closer look and find out whether shares of British American Tobacco are a buy at these prices. BTI PE Ratio Chart Worries about cigarette volume declines, federal menthol ban British American Tobacco is a global player in the cigarette space, owning brands such as Dunhill, Camel, and Lucky Strike. Its combustibles segment -- which is what the company calls cigarettes -- generated $27.9 billion in revenue last year and contributed the majority of the company's cash flows. The entire British American Tobacco business has generated over $10 billion in free cash flow every year for the last five years. The problem is that cigarette volumes are drying up quickly in the United States, one of the company's core markets. Combustibles volume declined 11.3% year over year in 2023 for the U.S. market, leading to a 6.4% revenue decline in constant currency. This region's combustibles business topped $12.2 billion in revenue in 2023. Things could look even worse over the coming years if the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) imposes a federal ban on menthol cigarettes. The new rule on these flavored products is being heavily considered by regulators and would have a big effect on British American Tobacco, whose brands are the leaders in this category niche. These major headwinds are why British American Tobacco's stock is down to a cheap-looking 6.2. Investors are pessimistic about the sustainability of its earnings power, and for good reason. Story continues Can vapes and nicotine pouches save the day? The future of British American Tobacco's cigarette business looks bleak, but these aren't the only nicotine brands it owns. Through acquisitions and investments over the past few years, the company built up a sizable business in e-vapor and nicotine pouches, which are marketed as alternatives to traditional cigarettes. These brands -- which are grouped together in the "new categories" segment -- generated $4.22 billion in revenue last year, up 17.8% in constant currency. Even better, new categories is now moving from an earnings headwind due to negative margins to an earnings tailwind as margins start to expand with more scale. New categories' profit margin was positive for the first time in 2023, two years ahead of management's previous goal. Over the next few years, these margins should continue to expand due to the phenomenal unit economics of nicotine products. With strong growth and great unit economics, new categories might generate $1 billion to $2 billion in annual cash flow a few years from now. It won't replace the entire legacy business overnight, but it can help if the other segments face even more headwinds in the future. Yes, the dividend yield is sustainable (for now) With such a depressed stock, British American Tobacco can earn solid returns for shareholders if it can just sustain its 10% dividend yield. You don't even need price appreciation, and you'll match the long-term return average of the S&P 500. It looks like British American Tobacco not only can sustain its dividend, but should be able to grow its payout over the next decade. Even with big headwinds in the United States, the company's organic revenue in combustibles grew by 1% in constant currency last year due to its exposure to strong international markets for the category. This should help maintain its current free cash flow unless there is a drastic change to the operating environment. Management has paid down a lot of debt in recent years, bringing its leverage ratio to a much healthier level. Don't forget about the coming contribution from new categories, which has now turned into a tailwind. It looks like the company's cash flows are not at risk of evaporating anytime soon. But British American Tobacco's dividend payout is nowhere near $10 billion, either. The company paid $6.34 billion in dividends to investors last year, giving the company plenty of room to pay down more loans and raise its dividend if it just keeps its current cash flow intact. I think it is likely the company's free cash flow will grow in the next few years as well. Add it all together, and British American Tobacco looks like a safe dividend stock to buy right now. Should you invest $1,000 in British American Tobacco right now? Before you buy stock in British American Tobacco, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now and British American Tobacco wasnt one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Stock Advisor provides investors with an easy-to-follow blueprint for success, including guidance on building a portfolio, regular updates from analysts, and two new stock picks each month. The Stock Advisor service has more than tripled the return of S&P 500 since 2002*. See the 10 stocks *Stock Advisor returns as of February 20, 2024 Brett Schafer has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Nvidia. The Motley Fool recommends British American Tobacco P.l.c. and Super Micro Computer and recommends the following options: long January 2026 $40 calls on British American Tobacco and short January 2026 $40 puts on British American Tobacco. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Is This 10% Yielding Tobacco Stock Finally a Buy? was originally published by The Motley Fool A joint operation by the Nigerian Navy and the Cameroonian Navy has led to the interception of a vessel laden with 30,000 litres of crude oil suspected to have been stolen from Nigeria. Rotimi Oderemi, Commander, Nigeria Navy Ship, NNS Victory, said this on Saturday at the inspection of the vessel at Ibaka in Mbo Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom. Mr Oderemi told reporters that the vessel, MV Jasmine, was spotted within Nigerian territorial waters following credible intelligence and collaboration with the Eastern Naval Command Centre, He explained that a Nigerian Navy patrol boat, NNS Ekulu was detailed to intercept the suspected vessel and interrogate the crew. Upon noticing NNS Ekulu, the suspected vessel proceeded to the international waters between Nigeria and Cameroon, just as NNS Ekulu was in its hot pursuit. Resulting from our collaboration and with the support of the Cameroonian Navy, the vessel was intercepted and brought to Ibaka with eight Nigerians on board. READ ALSO: Thirty thousand litres of crude oil is a huge volume. It can fetch N40 million at the international crude oil market, he said. Mr Oderemi said the interception of the vessel and the arrest of its crew members should serve as warning to intending criminals in Nigerias waters that the Navy was prepared to foil their activities. In his remarks, captain of the intercepted vessel, Pere-Ebiye Abraham, claimed its ownership and said he went into illegal bunkering because of hardship. He said he used to use the vessel to ferry planks from Nembe Waterside in Rivers but the business dwindled and he had to switch to illegal bunkering. I started this business this year and this is the second time I am moving crude of about 30,000 litres and was arrested by the Navy. I got the crude oil around Babangida Platform on the high sea and I was moving it to our illegal refinery in creeks when I was intercepted, he said. (NAN) Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print Nigerias Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Pate, has expressed concern over the burden of malaria in Nigeria, even as he called for a review of the countrys strategies to combat the disease. According to Mr Pate, 70 years after implementing programmes to eliminate malaria, Nigeria still bears 30 per cent of the global burden with an estimated 68 million cases and 190,000 deaths from the disease as of 2021. The minister revealed this in a post on his official X account after meeting with the Malaria Alliance, RBM Malaria Partnership, and WHO Global Malaria Programme. He said the meeting was to reassess efforts and mobilise technical and financial resources towards eliminating the scourge of malaria, as the country had yet to make significant progress despite decades of efforts to reduce the burden. Collaborations to eradicate malaria Mr Pate said the health ministry in collaboration with partners is considering initiatives anchored on the Presidential Initiative to unlock health sector value chain, to eradicate malaria from the country. Some of the initiatives include the development of domestic manufacturing of insecticide-treated bed nets (ITNs), generic pharmaceuticals, introduction of appropriate safe and cost-effective vaccines, and potentially mosquito-repellent products. Mr Pate said there is a need to use newer evidence-based tools, quality data systems, and strengthen collaborations to develop modalities to suit what is obtainable in Nigeria and the African continent. The sector-wide route adopted is geared towards improving governance, coverage resources, aligned efforts and amplifying the impact of health outcomes which will lead to success in that regard, he noted. Strengthening PHC system Mr Pate further noted that the initiatives also require strengthening the primary healthcare system for malaria testing and early treatment, especially for children, antenatal mothers, and others. He said that President Bola Tinubu as the African Union Champion for Human Resources for Health and Community Health Delivery is supporting retraining 120,000 frontline health workers. He added that the number of functional primary health centres in the country will also nearly double from 8,800 to over 17,000 over the next three years, as part of the Health Sector Renewal Investment Programme. Theres a tide in the affairs of every nation which seized as the crest leads to saving millions of lives and offers good returns on development investments, he said. Nigerias health sector is at such a crucial moment now; and we have the requisite political will in our President, ample human health resources, a willing coalition of partners, and tools to ride this tide and we will, he said. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The Nigerian Police, Force headquarters, Abuja, has detained some officers over an alleged extortion of N30.3 million from a Nigerian. The Force spokesperson, Olumuyiwa Adejobi disclosed this in a statement posted on X on Friday. Mr Adejobi, an assistant police commissioner, did not disclose the identities of the officers but said they served at the Special Tactical Squad in Abuja. The Nigeria Police wishes to reveal and announce that significant progress has been made in apprehending the officers and their accomplices responsible for this unprofessional conduct as the squad who initially escaped upon commencement of investigations have been arrested and are currently in custody. The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun as part of his commitment to upholding the highest standards of integrity and accountability within the Nigeria Police Force, has ordered the commencement of disciplinary proceedings to ensure that justice is served swiftly and decisively, Mr Adejobi said. Background A human rights activist in Delta State, Harrison Gwamnishu drew the attention of the police authorities to the extortion via his X handle. Mr Adejobi, without mentioning Mr Gwamnishus name, acknowledged getting notice of the alleged extortion on the microblogging platform. Mr Gwamnishu first posted the alleged extortion on 25 January posted on X , which he initially pegged at N29.9 million. Two days later 27 January he posted an update, increasing the figure to N30.3 million and identified the accused officers as serving at the Inspector General of Police Tactical Squad (IGP-STS). Their office is located at the former Abattoir, former SARS office Abuja. They have been identified. (The) POS have been identified too, he wrote on X, apparently the money was paid to the police officers through a POS agent. Hours after, the Force spokesperson reacted to the tweet saying We have taken over this case at the FHQ. The victims and Harrsion came to my office on Friday, and we have commenced an investigation into the case. Justice will be served. Mr Gwamnishu on 5 February wrote on X that aside from the POS agent and the police driver who are in detention over the N30.3 million extortion, The other four police officers involved have been in hiding since 25 January. He called on the police to declare them wanted. The activist, who said he was once a victim of wrongful detention has been employing the microblogging platform to expose cases of police extortion. He drew the attention of the police in Rivers State to an alleged $3,000 extortion by some officers in the state. The police investigated the allegation, recovered the money and returned it to the victim, and then recommended three officers for dismissal. Mr Gwamnishu, also through X, notified the police in Delta State of an alleged N2.4 million extortion by a divisional crimes officer in Abraka area, which prompted the commissioner of police in Delta to remove the officer from his post. He also provided evidence to support his allegation that the Divisional Police Officer in Abraka got N900,000 from the money. The police spokesperson in the state, Bright Edafe, told PREMIUM TIMES the police were investigating the allegation. Cases of police extortion have been on the increase since the beginning of the year, a development that caused the IGP to issue a statement warning officers to desist from using his name to extort Nigerians. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print Nigerias foremost investigative newspaper, PREMIUM TIMES, held its 3rd annual staff award ceremony on Friday. The event took place at the head office of the organisation in Abuja to recognise and reward reporters for their hard work and unwavering dedication to excellent journalism in the past year. In his remark, the Publisher, Dapo Olorunyomi, said the ceremony provided another opportunity for the organisation to thank staff members for their valuable work in 2023 and beyond. I thank all our colleagues for the work they are doing, Mr Olorunyomi said. Today, PREMIUM TIMES is one of the strongest, most trusted brands in Africa, and that is a real homage to the editorial team and everyone that is doing this job. This award is also a recognition that people you work with understand the value of the work you do. At the ceremony, three categories of awards were presented. First, the awards for Story of the Month for January to December 2023. Then the Story of the Year and Reporter of the Year awards. Idris Akinbajo, the papers managing editor, said going forward the management would introduce new categories of awards to reward editors and other categories of staff, including members of the digital strategy department. But todays programme is a time to reward reporters who demonstrated quality, courage, and professionalism in their work, Mr Akinbajo said. Qosim Suleiman, a member of the PREMIUM TIMES Investigations Desk, was named Reporter of the Year award. He clinched the highly coveted award having won three best stories of the month in the year 2023. Mr Suleimans entries were adjudged to have garnered the highest points in three months of the year, the highest number of monthly wins recorded by any of the applicants during the period. Mr Suleiman said the award, which comes with a plaque and cash prize of N500,000 means a lot to him and that he is extremely grateful to his editors who worked on his stories. The reporter is to get additional N150,000 for winning the best story contest for three months. Earlier in his remarks, the editor-in-chief of PREMIUM TIMES, Musikilu Mojeed, said the important work his colleagues are doing is has been recognised globally. He noted that all members of the team are contributing immensely to the success of the organisation. Of course, there was a contest for this award but it doesnt mean that the winners are the best. It means theyre the best in this contest. Indeed, everyone of us is a winner, he said. Winners and winning stories The award for the Story of the Year was won by Kemi Busari whose report garnered the highest score across the 12 months of 2023. Mr Busari received an award plaque and the N250,000 prize that comes with the Story of the Year award. He will get an additional N50,000 for winning Story of the Month once during the year. Mr Busaris investigations on the famous but poisonous medicinal concoction, Baba Aisha Herbal Medicine, was the winning story. The story exposed how Nigerias fake doctor was cashing out on a deadly concoction that cures nothing. Mr Busaris report was recognised at the 2023 IFCN fact-checking awards and was the winner of the online category of the Wole Soyinka Award for Investigative Journalism last December. Mr Busari extended his appreciation to the editors at Premium Times and everyone that supported him while writing the story. Before becoming the editor of Dubawa, an independent fact-checking platform owned by Premium Times sister organisation, CJID, Mr Busari, a multiple award-winning reporter, was the Senate correspondent for PREMIUM TIMES. Mr Suleiman became Reporter of the Year with his wins in August, September and October. He was also full of gratitude to PREMIUM TIMES and his editors. In August, he was joint winner of the monthly prize (with his story about Bornos informal settlements) alongside Uchenna Igwe of the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development, whose report dwelt on what atheists are forced to go through in Northern Nigeria. He also won in September with his report on impact of sand mining on Kano farmers. In October, he was victorious with his story on corruption in Nigerias Rural Electrification Agency. Other Story of the Month award winners include, Mariam Ileyemi, who won consecutively for two months January, with her investigation on the sale of COVID-19 vaccination cards, and March, with the report about womens participation in Nigerian politics, which she jointly produced with Chiamakar Okafor of the Diaspora Desk. Titilope Fadare, who recently left the organisation, won the story of the month award for two months. In February, she won with her story on the trauma faced by GBV reporters in Nigeria, and in May, with her story on increasing incidences of GBV under the Buhari administration. In April, Chinagorom Ugwu and Saviour Imukudo, both of the South-South/South-East Desk, shared the victory for the month with their investigation on the INEC-declared result for the presidential election in Rivers State. Mr Ugwu recorded his second win in November with his story that looked at the impact of IPOBs sit-at-home on healthcare in the South-east. Senior Reporter Nike Adebowale was the winner for the month of July with her story which looked at the prevalence of Hepatitis in Nigeria despite vaccine availability. The December victory went to Mohammed Babangida. He won with his investigation that detailed the mining operations of a notorious terrorist. Gratitude Mr Olorunyomi also thanked staff members for doing this important job in spite of all the difficulties they encounter everyday. As you know the country is going through a very difficult time and the fact that PREMIUM TIMES held its place, especially during the last election, is a tribute to the gentlemen and ladies who work in this newsroom. We should be extremely proud of the kind of job you are doing. I thank you all, he said. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print Nigerias President and ECOWAS chairperson, Bola Tinubu, on Saturday said that the subregional bloc, ECOWAS, needs to re-examine its approach to constitutional order. This is why we must re-examine our current approach to the quest for constitutional order in four of our Member States, he said at an ECOWAS summit convened on Saturday in Abuja. The summit was convened to discuss recent political developments in the region including the Senegal crisis and the withdrawal of three member states from ECOWAS. Mr Tinubu noted that times like this demand that ECOWAS takes difficult but courageous decisions that put the plight of people at the centre of deliberations. Democracy is nothing more than the political framework and the path to addressing the basic needs and aspirations of the people, Mr Tinubu said. He urged Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso to reconsider their decision of exiting their home and not to perceive ECOWAS as the enemy. The three countries recently announced their exit from ECOWAS and accused the regional body of imposing inhumane sanctions on them. ECOWAS imposed the sanctions following coups that toppled civilian governments in the countries. Mr Tinubu who stopped short of announcing the removal of sanctions placed on the trio said, we realise that the stability of these nations is intricately linked to the overall peace and security of West Africa. In our ensuing discussions, we must put the plight of people, the ordinary citizens at the centre of our decisions. He underscored the importance of engaging in constructive deliberations to examine the actions taken by these countries and ensure that the citizens are not denied the benefits derived from regional integration initiatives. Additionally, Mr Tinubu commended President Macky Sall of Senegal for respecting the Constitutional Councils decision to annul the postponement of the electoral process. Mr Sall had sought to postpone elections in the country; a move that would have allowed him stay beyond his constitutionally allowed time as president. The ECOWAS chair said be believes that the present challenges are an opportunity for ECOWAS to reaffirm its commitment to the vision of its founding fathers and the principles underpinning its commitment to peace, security, and regional integration. We must stand united in our resolve to promote economic integration, democracy, and human rights, with a view to fostering sustainable development across all our member states, Mr Tinubu charged. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The police command in Yobe, say suspected Boko Haram insurgents have destroyed two 330 KVA power transmission towers in the state, plunging residents of Borno and Yobe into darkness. Dungus Abdulkarim, the spokesperson for the command, said this when he spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Damaturu on Saturday. Mr Abdulkarim said that the transmission towers supplied electricity from Gombe to Yobe and Borno. He said that the attackers were suspected to have used improvised explosive devices to blow up the facilities in the early hours of Saturday. READ ALSO: The transmission towers are located in Kasaisa in Damaturu Local Government Area of the state and supply electricity from Gombe to Yobe and Borno. The destruction has plunged residents of the two states into darkness, he said. NAN reports that the attack on the towers was the second in three months, as they were destroyed in December, but were repaired in January. (NAN) Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print Germanys Ambassador to Nigeria Annett Gunther has expressed her love for one of Nigerias favourite staples, fish. What I like, what I share is Nigerians love for fish, she told PREMIUM TIMES in an exclusive interview. The envoy, who arrived in Nigeria in 2022, observed that one can hardly ever meet a Nigerian who does not like fish, adding that it is their favourite food for most people. Fish is consumed in several ways in Nigeria. Grilled fish is perhaps one of the most popular ways fish is consumed in Nigeria, and the capital city, FCT, where Mrs Gunther resides is not left out. Mogadishu barracks famous for the grilled fish is top on the envoys list. She came short of eulogising when she asked this reporter if she had visited the barracks for fish. Have you been there? Oh, you must it is fantastic. It is the highlight of Abuja, Mrs Gunther said inviting this reporter to try some. She also mentioned that besides the Mogadishu Barracks, she patronises bush bars littered around the capital city for fish. Aside from the fish, Mrs Gunther has also fallen in love with how spicy Nigerian cuisine is even though not as much as Nigerians. Nigerians enjoy their meals spicy with different degrees of chilli. Sometimes when I am back in Germany or doing my cooking, I always want a little more spice and chilli because it does not taste like anything. I have gotten used to it, she said. NB: PREMIUM TIMES will, on Sunday, publish the full interview with the ambassador. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print One can therefore imagine the implications for Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, which together belonged to the ten poorest countries in the world, abandoning the $702 billion economy that ECOWAS represents. These three are not only landlocked nations bedeviled by the twin plagues of recurring drought and terrorism, they are moreover hounded by sanctions, with substantial populations of internally displaced persons who are near famine and experiencing a losing battle with ISIS-Sahel and other violent groups. Comparisons are being made between the sudden exit of the military juntas of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and Britains 31st January 2020 official exit from the European Union. On the surface, there are similarities between both instances of exit from regional organisations, to wit: some small nation with a fraction of the GDP of the entire group leaves a community of equals and forfeits all the advantages of the economies of scale inherent in a single market where there is unhindered intra-community movement of goods and services, unencumbered by law or tariffs. As the pretext for leaving ECOWAS, the errant countries accused the union of promoting unpleasant polices, which were in fact part of the fundamental practices of the body and core mandate of the group, and entrenched in its rules of procedure and which has sustained the union throughout the 49 or so odd years of its existence. As a consequence of leaving a group which exerts stronger bargaining power as a block, the decampees run the risk of losing out on the groups negotiating power and may no longer enjoy free trade with the other member states. But there the comparison ends. The UK, at least, held a referendum, where its people voted to leave the EU. The trio of Captain Ibrahim Traore, Colonel Assimi Goita, and Brigadier General Abdourahamane Tchiani, did not bother with such niceties. Having come to power through the force of arms, they were under no obligation to inform their people, much less seek their views, before the pompous announcement, penultimate weekend, that, taking all their responsibilities in the face of history and responding to the expectations, concerns, and aspirations of their populations, (they have) decide(d) in complete sovereignty on the immediate withdrawal of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger from the Economic Community of West African States. Moreover, Britain was not buffeted by terrorists on the verge of overrunning the country when it left the EU, nor did it need any help with its security architecture. On the contrary, it was the most powerful military force in the union at the time, with a strong economy. Still, leaving the EU against popular expectations shook the global markets and caused the British pound to fall to its lowest level against the United States dollar in 30 years. The following day, Prime Minister David Cameron resigned, and economists suggested that Brexit may have irreversibly harmed the British economy, despite its level of development and reduced its real per capita income, in the long term. One can therefore imagine the implications for Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, which together belonged to the ten poorest countries in the world, abandoning the $702 billion economy that ECOWAS represents. These three are not only landlocked nations bedeviled by the twin plagues of recurring drought and terrorism, they are moreover hounded by sanctions, with substantial populations of internally displaced persons who are near famine and experiencing a losing battle with ISIS-Sahel and other violent groups. Burkina Faso, for instance, is ranked the fourth worst terrorist-plagued nation in the world after Afghanistan, Iraq, and Somalia. It witnessed 597 violent attacks across 10 of its 13 regions in 2022, leading to thousands of deaths and an estimated 1.6 million of its population being internally displaced. Malis 4,500 miles of porous borders with seven neighbouring countries has seen similar armed attacks, abductions, car jackings, activations of IEDs and vehicle-borne IEDs, rocket attacks, targeted assassinations, and armed imposed blockades and ambushes. With the security services of these countries being overwhelmed, they can hardly cope, as ISIS-Sahel, formerly known as ISIS-GS, and the al-Qaida-affiliated JNIM, operate indiscriminately in their region. The Niger coup, therefore, was more likely to worsen, rather than reduce the scourge of terrorism, as history has shown, which was one reason that ECOWAS was set against it and took the drastic measures to impose sanctions and invoke the protocol that allows it to deploy its stand by force to intervene, if necessary, in the event of an unconstitutional change of government in a member state. The Global Terrorism Index recently reported that the Sahel region now ranks as the worlds epicenter for terrorism with Burkina Faso and Mali accounting for 52 per cent of all terrorism-related deaths in Africa. The situation is compounded by pervasive poverty, battles over decreasing resources, mass displacement of people as a result of climate change and refugee problems caused by ubiquitous violence that have collectively transformed the area into a hotbed of terrorism. Yet, although General Tchiani said the reason for his coup was to check the scourge of terror, the truth is that by 2022, his Niger, which the year before had the largest increase in terrorism deaths, had already turned a corner. President Bazoum was winning the war on terror, so much that 90 per cent of deaths from extremist groups in the Sahel in 2022 occurred in Burkina Faso and Mali, which were, ironically led by military juntas. The Niger coup, therefore, was more likely to worsen, rather than reduce the scourge of terrorism, as history has shown, which was one reason that ECOWAS was set against it and took the drastic measures to impose sanctions and invoke the protocol that allows it to deploy its stand by force to intervene, if necessary, in the event of an unconstitutional change of government in a member state. Another reason, apart from the need to halt the domino effect of this putsch on neighbouring countries, was because Niger had turned into a bastion of democracy in the Sahel and a bulwark against jihadist movements. With the coup, the nation lost all aids and military assistance. The EU foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell promptly announced the immediate cessation of budget support and suspension of all cooperation actions in the domain of security, which translated means the loss of allocation of 500 million for improving governance, education, and sustainable growth in the country. The 27 million military training mission (EUMPM) in Niger, in addition to around 1,500 Barkhane troops stationed in the country, also came to an end with the immediate cessation of budget support and suspension of all cooperation actions in the domain of security. The US, which had two military drone bases and over 1,000 troops deployed in Niger, and had just announced $150 million in direct assistance, also suspended its security cooperation and counterterrorism operations. For a nation that the World Bank estimates has about 10 million of its people, or around 40 per cent of the population, enmeshed in extreme poverty and battling acute water scarcity, food insecurity and high population growth, there is little doubt that Niger needs all the help it can get from ECOWAS. In total, the country, like the other two, relies on close to $2 billion a year in official development assistance, of which ECOWAS provides a sizable part, and, more importantly, access to the huge regional market. Economic sanctions led to the closure of the bustling border between Niger and Nigeria, halting roughly $1.3 billion worth of annual trade. The United States imports from ECOWAS totalled $9.4 billion in 2022, up 38.8 per cent ($2.6 billion) from 2021. This is the market that the three nations will forfeit. According to a report, Guineas 2008 coup and Malis coup had erased a combined $12 billion to $13.5 billion from their economies over five years, which represented 76 per cent of Guineas 2008 gross domestic product and almost half of Malis 2012 GDP. The real goal of ECOWAS is to promote economic cooperation among member states in order to raise living standards and promote economic development. The regional group has also worked hard to address security issues by developing a peacekeeping force for conflicts in the region. The three juntas claimed they were taking their 75 million people out of the bloc because it has not helped them fight terrorism. That is clearly not true. For instance, ECOWAS sent thousands of soldiers to help Mali in 2013 when a jihadist onslaught almost overran it. ECOWAS members were in fact the leading troop contributors to a UN peacekeeping mission there until the junta sacked it last year. Critics say the current situation presents an opportunity for ECOWAS to review its frameworks, policies and practices to make the organisation more responsive to the development needs of the constituent states. While doing that, it might not be a bad idea for some rapprochement that will enable reason prevail and bring the three countries back into the fold of the regional bloc. Wise counsel will recommend this. Now we come to the real reason why the three coupists announced on Sunday 28th January that they were taking their countries out of the regional body. Clearly it is to escape the pressure been mounted by ECOWAS to return their nations to democracy. Mali and Burkina Faso were already set to hold elections this year, as promised to ECOWAS, and Niger was under pressure to produce a short transition timeline for civil rule. Lashed by hunger, terror and civil strife, the economies of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso are stunted by what has been called a multi-dimensional crisis where insecurity, humanitarian need, rapid urbanisation of the country and the drastic effects of climate change impacting access to food and water, which fuel intercommunal conflict, all converge. The earlier they return to the embrace of ECOWAS, the better. As a matter of fact, the West African regional body remains Africas most successful example of integration and economic, political and security cooperation. Peoples free movement throughout the region, underpinned by the visa-free system and a common passport, is one of ECOWAS key achievements benefitting the regions citizens. For landlocked countries such as Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger especially, the Customs Union facilitates imports through the application of a single common external tariff. For almost 50 years, ECOWAS rules and operating methods have shaped governance in its member states. In effect, the withdrawal of these countries, which together account for 15 per cent of ECOWAS population, but nearly half its surface area, is some blow to the regional body and potentially a disaster for the three landlocked countries. However, it is important for the reputation and the overall well-being of ECOWAS that the countries return to the fold. At the extraordinary session of the ECOWAS Mediation and Security Council at the ministerial level held on the 15th of February, to discuss the three countries and the situation in Senegal, where the President had suddenly postponed elections, ECOWAS Commission President, Alieu Touray said, If there is a time for ECOWAS to stay together, this is the time There is no challenge that ECOWAS cannot overcome. ECOWAS has always insisted that the modalities of their withdrawal are irregular, that such sudden departures are impossible to implement, and do not comply with ECOWAS governing treaty, which stipulates a one-year formal notification, during which states asking to leave must respect their commitments to the bloc. Critics say the current situation presents an opportunity for ECOWAS to review its frameworks, policies and practices to make the organisation more responsive to the development needs of the constituent states. While doing that, it might not be a bad idea for some rapprochement that will enable reason prevail and bring the three countries back into the fold of the regional bloc. Wise counsel will recommend this. Olu Jacobs, a former newspaper editor, wrote in from Abuja. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print Ukrainian mothers understand this well and they are most concerned about how their children perceive and experience the war. More and more discussions are heard about how war affects the psyche of children and their perception of life. More and more questions are being asked by mothers about how their childrens experiences the regular explosions and the hours spent sitting in bomb shelters or on subway platforms, will affect their behaviour as adults. If you were to make a video film of Kyiv street life without any sound, then this big city may come across as completely normal to you. Life would seem to be going on much as it does in any peacetime big city. Only at some point will you notice that pedestrians stop for a moment and listen, their faces expressing alarm. This means they have heard a siren signalling the threat of Russian missiles and drones. The residents of Kyiv will then leave the streets, quickly walking to a place that is safer. Mothers and children rush to bomb shelters or metro stations. It is easier to wait out the attack on the capital of Ukraine in these places. Sometimes they have to sit with their children in a bomb shelter for several hours. It is these shelters, the sounds of explosions and the howling of sirens that todays children will remember when they think of their wartime childhood. Ukrainian mothers understand this well and they are most concerned about how their children perceive and experience the war. More and more discussions are heard about how war affects the psyche of children and their perception of life. More and more questions are being asked by mothers about how their childrens experiences the regular explosions and the hours spent sitting in bomb shelters or on subway platforms, will affect their behaviour as adults. As well as this, mothers of young children are looking for information on how to talk to children about war and death, how to calm a childs nerves during shelling, how to distract them from feelings of fear and anxiety. Several childrens books on these topics have appeared in bookstores and they are enjoying stable popularity. No less in demand are newspaper and magazine columns written by child psychologists and mothers willingly share what they have learnt with each other on social networks. With very young children you can play elephant. The child tightly closes their ears with their palms and then opens them again suddenly and with a broad gesture. You can play mosquitoes this is when a child imagines many mosquitoes circling around their head and begins to clap their hands to scare the imaginary mosquitos away. Although I hope that mothers in Johannesburg or Lagos will never need these tips. I will share some of the advice with you. If you and your child are in a bomb shelter, you hear explosions and your child is huddled against you, make sure that your child is breathing normally. You can take a bubble blowing kit with you to the bomb shelter and try to get your child interested in blowing bubbles. When a child does this, they activate the lungs and breathe more deeply. You can get your child to play imitate the sound games exhaling air to sound like a balloon going down or a motorbike starting up. You can ask your child to sing songs. This will simultaneously relieve stress and help to restore proper breathing. With very young children you can play elephant. The child tightly closes their ears with their palms and then opens them again suddenly and with a broad gesture. You can play mosquitoes this is when a child imagines many mosquitoes circling around their head and begins to clap their hands to scare the imaginary mosquitos away. If very strong explosions are heard, it is important to maintain tactile contact with the child: massage the childs ears, and stroke their cheeks. From time to time, you need to ask the child to pretend to be very tired to give a big yawn and stretch. Once the alarm is over, be sure to praise the child for their courage. Tell them: Its over! Were safe! Thank you for being so brave and strong! We heard so many explosions, but we made it through! We werent scared! I also find it difficult to focus on the future. There are, of course, plans for this year, but there is no guarantee that these plans will be fulfilled. When I think about the future, I look to the sky. Over Kyiv these days the sky is grey-blue. Sometimes snow falls from the sky onto the streets and there are the usual noises of the city and the crying of crows. After these words, you need to invite the child to suggest what they want to do for the next hours. Making plans for the future is the best way to distract children from war. In fact, plans for the future distract adults from the war too. Only the reality of war prevents adults from focusing on the future. I also find it difficult to focus on the future. There are, of course, plans for this year, but there is no guarantee that these plans will be fulfilled. When I think about the future, I look to the sky. Over Kyiv these days the sky is grey-blue. Sometimes snow falls from the sky onto the streets and there are the usual noises of the city and the crying of crows. The crow is, in fact, the unofficial bird symbol of the city. Crows do not fly away for the winter, as if they take upon themselves the responsibility of patronising the city all year round. Their croaking cannot be called music. Their screams more closely resemble warnings of danger. In peacetime, it seemed that the crows were warning each other about something with their cries. Now they seem to warn the residents of Kyiv. A couple of days ago, several crows on Lviv Square screamed so loudly and excitedly that I and other passers-by stopped and looked up for a long time at the crowns of the bare winter trees, from where large black birds were making their raucous speeches. Previously, before the war, the cries of Kyivs crows irritated me, but now I listen to them with pleasure. They give me a break. They distract me for a short time from the reality in which I live, from the reality in which all of Ukraine lives today. Im probably also like a child, waiting for someone to tell me: Its over! Were safe! Thank you for being so brave and strong! We heard so many explosions, but we made it through! We werent scared! Andrey Kurkov is an Ukrainian writer and public intellectual. Letter from Ukraine is a project of the Latin American solidarity campaign Aguanta Ucrania!, with the support of the president of PEN Club Ukraine. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print It should be noted that state police is not a silver bullet or magic wand that will take away all the security problems in Nigeria. It may help reduce insecurity if all the parties are willing to play their part, as will be agreed as the negotiations continue. However, the reality is that the problem of insecurity in Nigeria goes beyond policing and has different elements, including the failure of governance, a high level of unemployment The debate on state police or what some people will refer to as decentralisation of police is almost as old as the independence of Nigeria and has continued after several years of independence. There is also a lot of misunderstanding and misconceptions about state police and policing in Nigeria generally. For the record, state police is not community policing or community partnership in policing. The latter is currently in the Nigeria Police Force Act 2020 and has been supported by different Nigeria Police Force administrations. A critical prerequisite of state police in Nigeria, is the need to amend or alter the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as policing is currently on the Exclusive Legislative List, which confers only the Federal Government the power to legislate on issues of policing exclusively. As at the time of writing this piece, there is a Bill for an Act to alter the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 to Provide for Establishment of State Police and Related Matters, which has passed the second reading in the Federal House of Representatives. Alteration of the Constitution in Nigeria is not a tea party and requires consensus building and horse trading. Legally, it requires the concurrence of the National Assembly and majority of the State Houses of Assembly. The journey has just started. It should be noted that state police is not a silver bullet or magic wand that will take away all the security problems in Nigeria. It may help reduce insecurity if all the parties are willing to play their part, as will be agreed as the negotiations continue. However, the reality is that the problem of insecurity in Nigeria goes beyond policing and has different elements, including the failure of governance, a high level of unemployment and underemployment, youth restiveness, climate change, religion, ethnicity, the politics of self-aggrandisement and corruption, etc. Beyond state policing is the broader discussion of police reform. I believe police reform should not be about state policing only. What will be the roles of the Police Service Commission and the Ministry of Police Affairs? Will the Police Service Commission have a say in the making of state police or everything will be left to Houses of Assembly at the state levels to handle? Another issue is the current status of the Police Trust Fund. In 2016, CLEEN Foundation and University of Oxford organised a round-table on policing reform in Nigeria and invited many of the key players in the field to discuss the future of policing in the country. The roundtable produced a monograph, which is as relevant as when the meeting took place about eight years ago. The roundtable concluded that a key to success or failure lies in a close examination of the modalities by which state policing would be structured or governed, based on a really deep understanding of the issues and that rather than this, most of the debates are based on strongly-held ideological positions not informed by evidence. Beyond the arguments and counter-arguments around state police, the operationalisation and coordination of such a powerful outfit becomes pertinent to scrutinise. Among many other concerns, it is important we agree on how the officers that will be employed are paid. He who pays the piper, dictates the tunes. For example, we know that some state governors usually owe their workforce several months of salary. A solution could be to isolate the funding of state police officers from the grip of state control. The big question to that is the feasibility and workability of this proposal. Is it possible to start with a pilot project of states with deep pockets and expand as verifiable success stories are recorded? There is evidence to show that some states already have hybrid security mechanisms backed by state laws supporting the police and other security agents in different parts of the country. Will they be integrated into the new model of state policing or will hybridisation continue? There are no easy answers here. However, the National Assembly needs to urgently and immediately organise a series of public hearings to allow for a thorough understanding and scrutiny of the bill to alter the 1999 Constitution for the emergence of state policing in Nigeria. A lot of investments have been made in Nigeria to reposition our security agencies for optimum performance. However, it seems each new administration comes with an agenda of security sector reform not deeply rooted in realities of the moment and efforts of the past. I agree with the adage which says that new brooms sweep clean. However, we also know that old brooms know the corners. Beyond state policing is the broader discussion of police reform. I believe police reform should not be about state policing only. What will be the roles of the Police Service Commission and the Ministry of Police Affairs? Will the Police Service Commission have a say in the making of state police or everything will be left to Houses of Assembly at the state levels to handle? Another issue is the current status of the Police Trust Fund. Will state police officers benefit from the coffers of the Trust Fund? How will the issues that have bedevilled the Fund be resolved to position it for maximum effectiveness if its mandate is renewed beyond its current projected lifespan? A lot of investments have been made in Nigeria to reposition our security agencies for optimum performance. However, it seems each new administration comes with an agenda of security sector reform not deeply rooted in realities of the moment and efforts of the past. I agree with the adage which says that new brooms sweep clean. However, we also know that old brooms know the corners. A combination of new and old brooms and those who have contributed to security sector reform will definitely be a winning combination in our quest for police reform in Nigeria. Benson Olugbuo, a public interest legal practitioner is based in Abuja. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print In this article, we will take a look at the 15 most luxurious places to retire abroad if you have a budget over $15,000 a month. If you would like to skip our discussion on the important factors to consider while retiring abroad, you can go to the 5 Most Luxurious Places To Retire Abroad if You Have a Budget Over $15,000 a Month. Retiring abroad with a budget of over $15,000 per month can offer a luxurious lifestyle and a range of possibilities across the globe. From the sunny beaches of the Caribbean to the cultural richness of European cities and the serene landscapes of Asia, there are many appealing destinations for high-net-worth individuals to consider. However, careful planning is necessary to ensure a comfortable retirement abroad. Real estate is one of the important factors to consider when relocating. The global real estate market is diverse and offers a wide range of options, from secluded beachfront villas to luxurious high-rise apartments in the city. For affluent retirees, luxury is not just about the property itself but also the location, amenities, and lifestyle it affords. Hence, choosing the right real estate property is important for a comfortable and enjoyable retirement abroad. According to Knight Frank's Wealth Report, prime property prices in Monaco, the worlds most expensive real estate market, can exceed 54,000 per square meter. In contrast, luxury properties in places like Phuket, Thailand, offer more value for money while still providing an extravagant lifestyle, with prime property prices around 2,900 per square meter. Renowned real estate agencies CBRE Group, Inc. (NYSE:CBRE) cater to high-net-worth individuals looking for luxury properties in prime retirement destinations worldwide. An alternative choice is Jones Lang LaSalle Incorporated (NYSE:JLL). JLL is a professional firm that provides services in real estate and investment management. The company operates in over 80 countries and provides services ranging from property investment to management. Jones Lang LaSalle Incorporated (NYSE:JLL) can offer valuable insights for those considering luxury property purchases abroad, not just for residence but as an investment in the local real estate market. Story continues Prioritizing Quality Healthcare in Retirement Quality healthcare is another important factor to consider for a stress-free and comfortable retirement. The excellence and accessibility of healthcare services are top considerations for retirees. Countries like France, consistently ranking high in the World Health Organization's healthcare system evaluations, are known for providing excellent care. However, beyond healthcare quality, it's essential to consider the accessibility for expatriates as well. International health insurance providers, such as The Cigna Group (NYSE:CI), offer plans specifically designed for expatriates, ensuring comprehensive healthcare coverage worldwide. The Cigna Group (NYSE:CI) offers health, pharmacy, dental, supplemental insurance, and Medicare plans to individuals, families, and businesses. The cost of these plans can vary significantly based on coverage, but for a luxurious level of care, premiums can range from $4,000 to over $8,000 annually. Here's what Davis Funds said about The Cigna Group (NYSE:CI) in its Q3 2023 investor letter: In the attractive healthcare sector, we look beyond the obvious to identify businesses that simultaneously have exposure to this growth industry and also trade at low prices. Were especially drawn to companies like Cigna Group, whose products or services play a part in helping to mitigate healthcares constantly rising costs. The healthcare industry has been a growing part of the U.S. economy for decades. As a result, many companies in this sector trade at high valuations reflecting their robust but well-known reputation for growth. For value-conscious investors like us, investing in healthcare requires looking beyond the obvious to identify businesses that have exposure to this growth industry but which trade at low prices. Furthermore, recognizing that the constantly rising cost of healthcare cannot go on forever, we have been particularly drawn to companies whose products or services play some role in managing or reducing the cost of care. As a result, we have positions in Cigna Group, a well-regarded provider of managed care. In addition to real estate and healthcare, it's also important to consider factors such as the cultural and social richness of the best expat retirement countries. A lively expatriate community can provide a sense of belonging and ease the transition into a new country. For example, Spain boasts a rich history and a diverse culture, along with a warm climate, making it a popular choice for retirement among British expatriates. Spain is home to one of the largest British expatriate communities in the world, with over 300,000 UK citizens living there. Alternatively, Malaysia's My Second Home (MM2H) program has attracted over 40,000 expatriates since its inception, thanks to the country's multicultural environment, low cost of living, and high-quality healthcare. Meanwhile, countries like Monaco are known for their favorable tax regime and zero income taxes for residents, making them financially viable for retirement despite high costs. You can also check out the 20 Best Cities to Retire on $10,000 a Month Anywhere in the World here. 15 Most Luxurious Places To Retire Abroad if You Have a Budget Over $15,000 a Month An elderly couple smiling as they review their retirement accounts, representing the trust that clients have in the bank. Our Methodology To shortlist the 15 most luxurious places to retire abroad with a budget of over $15,000 per month, we consulted various sources like GoBankingRates, International Living, Cato Institute, and Living Cost. Our selection process involved evaluating the cost-of-living index, quality-of-life scores, health standards, and freedom rankings to select countries offering an exceptional quality of life. The freedom ranking is based on a country's economic, social, and political freedoms. We utilized Cato for the 2023 human freedom index data, International Living and Living Cost for the quality of life scores, and the per-person monthly cost-of-living data. We assigned an equal weightage to each factor to derive a unique Insider Monkey score for each country. The top 15 retirement destinations suitable for a $15,000 budget have been ranked in ascending order of their scores. We have also shared information regarding the most luxurious cities or neighborhoods within these countries. By the way, Insider Monkey is an investing website that tracks the movements of corporate insiders and hedge funds. By using a consensus approach, we identify the best stock picks of more than 900 hedge funds investing in US stocks. The top 10 consensus stock picks of hedge funds outperformed the S&P 500 Index by more than 140 percentage points over the last 10 years (see the details here). Whether you are a beginner investor or a professional one looking for the best stocks to buy, you can benefit from the wisdom of hedge funds and corporate insiders. 15 Most Luxurious Places To Retire Abroad if You Have a Budget Over $15,000 a Month 15. South Korea Insider Monkey Score: 76 Most Luxurious Place to Live: Gangnam District, Seoul Monthly Cost of Living = $1140 Quality of Life = 87 South Korea is known for its modern and technologically advanced urban lifestyle. It offers exceptional healthcare services and has a well-developed infrastructure. South Korea ranks 28th on the human freedom index. Seoul holds the title of the priciest city in South Korea. The average cost of an apartment in Seoul was approximately 12.6 million won as of November 2023, which is three times higher than the national average. Gangnam, situated within Seoul, is one of the most luxurious districts in the country, offering residents a wide range of facilities. 14. Germany Insider Monkey Score: 77 Most Luxurious Place to Live: Munich Monthly Cost of Living = $1578 Quality of Life = 92 Germany is a good option for retirees due to its decent cost of living, efficient public services, and high-quality healthcare. The country ranks 21st on Cato's human freedom index, making it an attractive destination for those who value personal freedom. Urban cities like Munich are known to offer the most luxurious lifestyle and a vibrant cultural scene for those with a plush budget. 13. Japan Insider Monkey Score: 77.5 Most Luxurious Place to Live: Minato Ward, Tokyo Monthly Cost of Living = $1,105 Quality of Life = 91 Retiring in Japan can be a great option due to its unique blend of ancient tradition and modern amenities. Japan has a high quality of life score of 91 out of 100, and its monthly cost of living for one person is around $1,105, making it a good choice for retirement abroad. Additionally, the country's rich culture offers many opportunities for expats to explore and enjoy during their retirement. Minato Ward is known as Tokyo's most luxurious residential district. A significant number of Japan's wealthiest individuals, such as Masayoshi Son, SoftBank's CEO, and Tadashi Yanai, Fast Retailing's founder, live here. 12. Canada Insider Monkey Score: 78 Most Luxurious Place to Live: Bridle Path, Toronto Monthly Cost of Living = $2,062 Quality of Life = 91 Canada has a strong economy and is a popular choice for retirement. It ranks 13th on the human freedom index. Its proximity to the US makes it easy for expats to keep in touch. Canada has a lot to offer, from natural landscapes to modern cities. Furthermore, the quality of life is high, and healthcare is top-notch, making the country secure the 12th position on our list of the most luxurious places to retire abroad if you have a budget over $15,000 a month. The Bridle Path, located in Ontario, is a residential neighborhood recognized for its expansive multimillion-dollar mansions and affluent lifestyles. 11. Finland Insider Monkey Score: 79 Most Luxurious Place to Live: Helsinki Monthly Cost of Living = $1529 Quality of Life = 91 Finland is a great place to retire, thanks to its high happiness index and beautiful natural scenery. Helsinki is considered amongst the most luxurious places in the country, offering an exceptional quality of life with excellent public services and safety. With a 9th place ranking on the freedom index, Finland offers many benefits, especially if you're looking for a luxurious retirement experience. 10. New Zealand Insider Monkey Score: 80 Most Luxurious Place to Live: Bay of Plenty Monthly Cost of Living = $2010 Quality of Life = 89 New Zealand is at the tenth position on our list of the most luxurious places to retire abroad if you have a budget over $15,000 a month. The country is known for its beautiful scenery and welcoming people. Maintaining strong finances in the country is advisable, given the monthly cost of living, which is around $2010. The Bay of Plenty region is one of the most luxurious places to live in the country. The rental prices in the Bay of Plenty have experienced an 11.7% increase compared to the previous year. 9. Australia Insider Monkey Score: 81.5 Most Luxurious Place to Live: The Rose by Moran, Wahroonga Monthly Cost of Living = $2305 Quality of Life = 94 Australia is another good option for retirees, offering a diverse range of experiences from vibrant cities like Sydney to peaceful natural landscapes. While the cost of living is generally high, particularly in prime locations, residents benefit from high-quality healthcare services and an overall high standard of living. The Rose by Moran in Wahroonga comprises 33 premium residences with two and three bedrooms. This development offers many communal amenities, such as a concierge service, library, club room, music room, spa, cinema, gym, and wine cellar. 8. Netherlands Insider Monkey Score: 82 Most Luxurious Place to Live: Vogelwijk, Hague Monthly Cost of Living = $1920 Quality of Life = 93 The Netherlands is a great place for retirees due to its inclusive and open-minded culture. While the Netherlands may be on the pricier side, the country's healthcare system and public facilities are praiseworthy. The country ranks 11th on the freedom index and has a quality-of-life score of 93 out of 100. Vogelwijk is amongst the most affluent neighborhoods in the country, offering spacious homes and communal facilities. 7. Iceland Insider Monkey Score: 83 Most Luxurious Place to Live: Garabr Monthly Cost of Living = $2525 Quality of Life = 92 Iceland is a beautiful and safe country that offers a peaceful environment for anyone looking to get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. While cities like Reykjavik may come with a higher price tag, the quality of life in Iceland is exceptional, with excellent healthcare and public services. Garabr is situated within the capital region of Iceland. It is known for its lavish homes and is the residence of some of the wealthiest individuals in Iceland. 6. Sweden Insider Monkey Score: 86 Most Luxurious Place to Live: Stockholm Monthly Cost of Living = $1544 Quality of Life = 92 Sweden is among the top ten countries with the highest quality of life and ranks 6th on the freedom index. The country is an attractive option for retirees due to its inclusive society, beautiful landscapes, and high standard of living. Stockholm, the multicultural capital city of Sweden, stands out as one of the ideal retirement destinations for expats. Click to continue reading and see the 5 Most Luxurious Places To Retire Abroad if You Have a Budget Over $15,000 a Month. Suggested Articles: Disclosure: None. 15 Most Luxurious Places To Retire Abroad if You Have a Budget Over $15,000 a Month is published on Insider Monkey. You are in your prime, seasoned with experience and hungry for more. You deserve a career that thrives, not just survives. Thats where the Business School Netherlands (BSN) MBA comes in. Think beyond just another degree. 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NEXT MBA SET STARTS: 16th March, 2024 DEADLINE FOR APPLICATION FOR THE NEXT BATCH: 10TH MARCH 2024. Click the button below; our student enrollment officer will contact you to address your enquiries. Enquiries Form. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print NEW ORLEANS, Feb. 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- ClaimsFiler, a FREE shareholder information service, reminds investors that they have until March 25, 2024 to file lead plaintiff applications in a securities class action lawsuit against Archer-Daniels-Midland Company ("ADM" or the "Company") (NYSE: ADM), if they purchased the Company's securities between April 30, 2020 and January 22, 2024, inclusive (the "Class Period"). This action is pending in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Get Help ADM investors should visit us at https://claimsfiler.com/cases/nyse-adm/ or call toll-free (844) 367-9658. Lawyers at Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC are available to discuss your legal options. About the Lawsuit ADM and certain of its executives are charged with failing to disclose material information during the Class Period, violating federal securities laws. On January 21, 2024, the Company disclosed that its Chief Financial Officer had been placed on leave "pending an ongoing investigation being conducted by outside counsel for ADM and the Board's Audit Committee regarding certain accounting practices and procedures with respect to ADM's Nutrition segment, including as related to certain intersegment transactions." Further, its investigation was initiated in response to a voluntary document request by the SEC and as a result, the Company delayed its Q4 and FY 2023 earnings release and withdrew its outlook for its Nutrition segment. On this news, the price of ADM's shares fell $16.23 per share, or approximately 24%, from $68.19 per share to close at $51.69 on January 22, 2024, wiping out approximately $8.8 billion of ADM's market value. The case is Chow v. Archer-Daniels-Midland Company, et al., No. 24-cv-00634. About ClaimsFiler ClaimsFiler has a single mission: to serve as the information source to help retail investors recover their share of billions of dollars from securities class action settlements. At ClaimsFiler.com, investors can: (1) register for free to gain access to information and settlement websites for various securities class action cases so they can timely submit their own claims; (2) upload their portfolio transactional data to be notified about relevant securities cases in which they may have a financial interest; and (3) submit inquiries to the Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC law firm for free case evaluations. To learn more about ClaimsFiler, visit www.claimsfiler.com. SOURCE ClaimsFiler NEW ORLEANS, Feb. 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- ClaimsFiler, a FREE shareholder information service, reminds investors that they have until March 25, 2024 to file lead plaintiff applications in a securities class action lawsuit against British American Tobacco p.l.c ("BA Tobacco" or the "Company") (NYSE: BTI), if they purchased or otherwise acquired the Company's securities between February 9, 2023 and December 6, 2023, inclusive (the "Class Period"). This action is pending in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York. Get Help BA Tobacco investors should visit us at https://claimsfiler.com/cases/amex-bti/ or call toll-free (844) 367-9658. Lawyers at Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC are available to discuss your legal options. About the Lawsuit BA Tobacco and certain of its executives are charged with failing to disclose material information during the Class Period, violating federal securities laws. On December 6, 2023, the Company disclosed that it was taking a 25 billion Pound (around $31.5 billion USD) impairment on the cigarette brands it had acquired from Reynolds American Inc. in early 2017 due to "macro-economic headwinds impacting the U.S. combustibles industry," which The Wall Street Journal referred to as "one of the biggest corporate write-offs in recent history," noting the Company's statement that its performance in the U.S. had been hindered by smokers switching to cheaper, nonpremium brands. On this news, the price of BA Tobacco's American Depositary Receipts fell $2.68 per share, or 8.88%, to close at $28.86 per ADR on December 6, 2023. The case is David v. British American Tobacco p.l.c., et al., No. 24-cv-00517. About ClaimsFiler ClaimsFiler has a single mission: to serve as the information source to help retail investors recover their share of billions of dollars from securities class action settlements. At ClaimsFiler.com, investors can: (1) register for free to gain access to information and settlement websites for various securities class action cases so they can timely submit their own claims; (2) upload their portfolio transactional data to be notified about relevant securities cases in which they may have a financial interest; and (3) submit inquiries to the Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC law firm for free case evaluations. To learn more about ClaimsFiler, visit www.claimsfiler.com. SOURCE ClaimsFiler In this article, we will discuss the 20 Highest Quality Skincare Brands in 2024. You can skip our detailed analysis of the worldwide skincare industry, the skincare world embraces sustainability, and skincare companies are incorporating eco-friendly practices and flourishing, go directly to the 5 Highest Quality Skincare Brands in 2024. Skincare, the pinnacle of self-care, encompasses a range of practices and products dedicated to nurturing and enhancing the health of our skin. From cleansing and moisturizing to protecting and rejuvenating, skincare empowers us to unveil a radiant and youthful complexion. Through the harmonious fusion of science and beauty, this art form enables us to accept our inherent radiance and take the first steps toward achieving radiant, healthy skin. Let skincare be the foundation of your self-love and radiance! The Worldwide Skincare Industry: According to Grand View Research, the global skincare products market size was valued at $135.83 billion in 2022 and is anticipated to boom between 2023 and 2030 at a CAGR of 4.7%. Global demand for body lotions, sunscreens, and face creams is predicted to have a beneficial effect on growth. Furthermore, it is expected that the thriving e-commerce industry will spur additional market expansion. The beauty and cosmetics business was severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Strict lockdown procedures caused store closures, which had severe effects. Global sales fell by 6070% between March and April 2020. As consumers reduced their spending on cosmetics and grooming items, corporations positively addressed the situation by stepping up production and providing hand sanitizers and cleaning agents. The impact of viral content makers and the rise of organic skin care trends have significantly expanded the market for skin care products. Due to the influence of well-known personalities and the growing need for high-quality skin care products, the rise of celebrity-led brands like Kylie Cosmetics by Kylie Jenner is surging global demand for skin care. Story continues The desire of consumers for personalized items has been rising in the United States. With a revenue share of 39.65% in 2022, Asia-Pacific was the dominant region worldwide. From 2023 to 2030, North America's CAGR is projected to be 4.4%. Customers in North American nations like the United States and Canada are prepared to shell out money in exchange for skin that is more radiant and youthful-looking. In 2022, face creams and moisturizers had the highest revenue share (42.11%), and this trend is anticipated to continue throughout the forecast period. As a result of Korean beauty's growing appeal, many customers have indicated an intense curiosity about Korean skincare and a willingness to try Korean goods. With a market valuation of $91.99 billion in 2022, the global market for K-beauty products is projected by Grand View Research to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.3% between 2023 and 2030. The emphasis on high-quality ingredients in K-beauty products is widely recognized. Customers are gravitating toward K-beauty products at a faster pace as a result of the brands' emphasis on employing natural, safe, and effective ingredients. In cooperation with the Korean firm Shihyo, L'Oreal announced in November 2022 the debut of C-Beauty, K-Beauty, and J-Beauty consumers. 24 herbal ingredients are steeped in fermented rice and other creative Asian techniques as part of this brand, Shihyos assortment. The Skincare World Embraces Sustainability: One of the biggest environmental problems the skincare sector faces is packaging waste. Beauty packaging is responsible for 120 billion units of waste annually, including plastic, paper, glass, and metal that are inadequately recycled and wind up in landfills, according to the social justice platform TRVST. The average UK family generates about 23 kg of plastic packaging waste annually, with cosmetics and personal care goods accounting for a sizable amount of this, based on a report by Zero Waste Scotland. In 2018, the US generated more than 7.9 billion units of cosmetic trash, according to Euromonitor. This trash releases greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, depletes natural resources, and adds to the global plastic pollution problem. To combat this issue, the skincare industry is undergoing a profound transformation. The notion of sustainable beauty is rapidly gaining traction, fueled by the aspiration for products that not only enhance our appearance but also contribute positively to the well-being of our planet. This remarkable movement is reshaping the beauty industry, questioning conventional practices, and igniting a surge of creativity and ingenuity. From the utilization of eco-friendly ingredients to the adoption of sustainable packaging and the emergence of consumer trends, sustainable beauty is leading the charge towards a more environmentally conscious future. The vegan cosmetics market, estimated to be worth $17.39 billion globally in 2022, is expected to rise at an exciting rate and reach $24 billion by 2028, as per Research and Markets. Europe is expected to be valued at $2.2 billion by 2028, making it a crucial geographic region for this market. Hence, consumers are actively looking for skincare products that are vegan, cruelty-free, or composed of natural materials. With Green Beauty, consumers can use their purchases to demonstrate their commitment to sustainability and ethics. Skincare Companies are Incorporating Eco-Friendly Practices and Flourishing: Estee Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL), a global skincare American brand with an astonishing annual revenue of $17.74 billion in 2022, has taken a step towards boosting its commitment to sustainable packaging in 2023 by teaming with SK Chemicals, one of the worlds leading manufacturers of chemical and life science products. As stated by the latter company, advanced recycling is considered important technology for the advancement of packaging-to-packaging recycling, helping solve plastic waste issues in a circular and innovative way. Estee Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL) announced several ambitious targets for sustainability in 2021. Two of these objectives were to reduce the amount of virgin petroleum plastic used in packaging to 50% or less by 2030 and to incorporate 25% post-consumer recycled (PCR) materials into the packaging by 2025. Estee Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL) hopes to accomplish the aforementioned goals with the assistance of SK Chemicals. After completing a $2.8 billion agreement in April 2023, The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL) became the only owner of the Tom Ford brand. In the high-end beauty industry, it is one of the biggest deals. With a focus on packaging, forestry, water, and climate change, Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) with a whopping revenue of $80.19 billion in 2022, is a globally renowned US brand dedicated to making a positive difference in our homes, communities, and the environment. Procter & Gamble Companys (NYSE:PG) goal is to create products and innovations that, when combined, provide sustainable, unbeatable supremacy. According to Procter & Gamble Companys (NYSE:PG) Annual Citizenship Report 2022, the company, by 2040, aims to attain net zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions throughout its supply chain, from raw materials to retailers. Procter & Gamble Companys (NYSE:PG) is well-acquainted with acquiring beauty brands. In 2022, the corporation allocated $1.4 billion in cash for acquisitions, primarily focusing on popular and clean skincare brands Farmacy Beauty and Tula, along with haircare company Ouai. With that said, here are the 20 Highest Quality Skincare Brands in 2024. 20 Highest Quality Skincare Brands in 2024 A photograph of a customer testing out different products in the skincare aisle at a store. Methodology: To pick out the 20 Highest Quality Skincare Brands in 2024, we have used a consensus-based approach using a diverse variety of credible sources to determine the most premium skincare brands worldwide. To give you the finest result possible, we picked brands that appeared multiple times in reliable sources, including Byrdie, HarpersBazaar, and Sephora, assigned them a score based on their number of appearances, and ranked them accordingly. In tie-breaker situations, we consulted independent beauty blogs and product reviews and then curated the skincare brands for our list. By the way, Insider Monkey is an investing website that tracks the movements of corporate insiders and hedge funds. By using a similar consensus approach, we identify the best stock picks of more than 900 hedge funds investing in US stocks. The top 10 consensus stock picks of hedge funds outperformed the S&P 500 Index by more than 140 percentage points over the last 10 years (see the details here). Whether you are a beginner investor or a professional one looking for the best stocks to buy, you can benefit from the wisdom of hedge funds and corporate insiders. 20 Highest Quality Skincare Brands in 2024 20. Paulas Choice Insider Monkey Points: 4 Paula's Choice has long been one of the favorites among skin experts and beauty editors, boasting dermatologist approval (dermatologist-certified). Its esteemed reputation stems from the effective utilization of scientifically backed ingredients in its products. Notably, the brand's formulations prioritize both what they contain and what they exclude. Suitable for all skin types, tones, and concerns, Paula's Choice products are fragrance-free, non-irritating, and rich in nourishing, renewing, and antioxidant properties. Additionally, customers and beauty editors alike appreciate the brand's website featurea helpful skincare ingredient dictionary. Hence, it is one of the number 1 skincare brands. 19. Ole Henriksen Insider Monkey Points: 4 Having established a skin salon in West Hollywood and introducing his product line to enable consumers to experience spa-like results at home, Danish skin cosmetician Ole Henriksen has been an innovator in the skincare industry since the early 1980s. This brand's items are all designed to support Henriksen's objective of promoting healthy and radiant skin. Ole Henriksen's best-selling product is the banana eye cream with vitamin C and collagen for anti-aging benefits, as well as a faint yellow hue to reduce dark circles. 18. Tata Harper Insider Monkey Points: 4 Tata Harper is a prestigious skincare brand renowned for its luxurious offerings, ranging from personalized treatments and eye care to everyday cleansers and moisturizers, all crafted with 100% natural, non-toxic, and organic ingredients. In 2022, the US-based premium skincare company Tata Harper was acquired by the Korean beauty conglomerate Amorepacific for an undisclosed sum. 17. BeautyStat Insider Monkey Points: 4 After being a blog that led the skincare industry, BeautyStat Cosmetics emerged as an independent business. The creator of BeautyStat, Ron Robinson, is a cosmetic scientist who spent decades honing his product development skills while working for some of the most well-known beauty businesses in the world. At last, he focused on developing a cutting-edge brand of his own. BeautyStat has been a results-driven skincare brand for almost a decade, offering the highest-quality, technologically advanced, and effective beauty products for all skin types. 16. Cetaphil Insider Monkey Points: 4 One of the number 1 brands recommended by dermatologists is Cetaphil. This brand is a tried-and-tested staple that is sold in more than 70 countries worldwide and is renowned for producing mild, skin-safe formulas. CeraVe's Hydrating Facial Cleanser is a standout product among several excellent options. This non-foaming, fragrance-free face cleanser is suitable for all skin types, even the most sensitive ones. It contains hyaluronic acid, ceramides, and glycerin to moisturize your skin and support its natural protective barrier. Cetaphil is among the 20 Highest Quality Skincare Brands in 2024. 15. Dior Insider Monkey Points: 4 It should come as no surprise that Dior, one of the top-notch manufacturers of perfume, beauty, and fashion items, also produces exceptional skincare products. Dreamskin Skin Perfector, a hybrid primer-serum is one of the best-selling skin products in the entire skincare collection. Dream Skin works harder over time to smooth out fine wrinkles, mattify, and effectively filter skin when applied as the final step in your skincare routine beneath the foundation. 14. Caudalie Insider Monkey Points: 4 This French company is esteemed for using natural ingredients to create effective and luxurious skincare products, such as grape seed oil. The products in the Caudalie collection are also exceptionally effective at treating typical skin issues like aging and dryness. Serums, moisturizers, and masks from Caudalie are well-liked by people searching for efficient and all-natural skincare treatments. 13. SkinMedica Insider Monkey Points: 4 Physicians founded one of the best professional skincare brands, SkinMedica, over 20 years ago. From the top-selling HA5 Rejuvenating Hydrator to the TNS Advanced+ Serum, every key product in the lineup undergoes rigorous scientific research to improve skin appearance and texture. 12. La Mer Insider Monkey Points: 5 Celebrities have developed a fondness for La Mer, a German premium skincare brand renowned for its opulent skincare range. La Mer's products command a premium price due to their incorporation of sea-inspired components, yet they are esteemed for their exceptional nourishing and hydrating properties. The cornerstone of the brand, Creme de la Mer, holds a special place as a beloved product cherished for its remarkable ability to alleviate and rejuvenate dry, damaged skin. Additionally, La Mer offers an array of other products, including cleansers, masks, and serums, each highly regarded for their effectiveness in addressing various skincare concerns. La Mer is one of the best luxury skincare brands in the world. 11. Dr. Barbara Sturm Insider Monkey Points: 5 Full of genuinely effective skincare products to enhance youthful appearance, the collection bears the name of one of Germany's most well-known cosmetic experts, Dr. Barbara Sturm. The latter began her career in orthopedics, where she used patient blood to create novel anti-inflammatory therapies. This then carried over to skincare; celebrities like Hailey Bieber and Cher adore her custom-made M61 cream, which incorporates your own plasma. Her entire skincare portfolio debuted in 2014 with basic yet incredibly potent items. It is one of the highest-quality skincare brands in 2024. 10. The Ordinary Insider Monkey Points: 6 The Ordinary has received a great deal of praise for its reasonably priced but incredibly potent skincare products. Every product is made with powerful ingredients that have undergone extensive scientific testing. The company takes great satisfaction in being open, honest, and providing thorough information on the components that are used in its products. To put it simply, The Ordinary's products are now one of the go-to options for anyone looking for effective but reasonably priced skincare products. Its hyaluronic acid serum is one of the best sellers and a personal favorite. 9. The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL) Insider Monkey Points: 6 Since its inception in 1982, Estee Lauder, a venerable American brand acclaimed for its commitment to quality, has firmly established its Advanced Night Repair serum as a staple in the skincare routines of many enthusiasts. It is still essential in makeup bags all around the world because of its revolutionary method of treating aging and DNA-damaged skin. The brand boasts a diverse array of skin care products that excel at addressing prevalent skin concerns, including anti-aging, hydration, and enhancing radiance. It is one of the top skincare brands. 8. Sunday Riley Insider Monkey Points: 6 The misconception that natural skincare products are less effective than their chemical counterparts is refuted by Sunday Riley. With enticing product names such as Luna, Juno, and UFO, it's no wonder the brand has become a staple on the bathroom shelves of It-girls worldwide. Moreover, Sunday Riley's lineup includes high-quality and effective skincare products like Good Genes, a lactic acid-based serum celebrated for its exfoliating, brightening, smoothing, and plumping properties, making it a cult favorite. Additionally, the brand's serums, oils, and moisturizers are popular among individuals seeking a younger and more radiant complexion. 7. Avene Insider Monkey Points: 6 Avene has been regarded as one of the top skincare labels ever since, nothing heals sensitive skin more effectively than its products. This brand, which was formerly exclusive to upscale French pharmacies, is now readily accessible in the US. Thermal spring water, rich in minerals, is the basis for the product's ability to soothe and calm all skin types without ever irritating them. 6. Drunk Elephant Insider Monkey Points: 7 Teenagers are especially enamored of Drunk Elephant, one of the best skincare brands, because of its safe and efficient formulas devoid of toxins and dangerous substances. The components of Drunk Elephant are biocompatible and boost the skin's natural barrier. Many skin issues, including acne, hyperpigmentation, and fine wrinkles, can be effectively treated with the brand's assortment of serums, moisturizers, and masks. Click to continue reading and see the 5 Highest Quality Skincare Brands in 2024. Suggested Articles: Disclosure: None. 20 Highest Quality Skincare Brands in 2024 is originally published on Insider Monkey. MIAMI, Feb. 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Easterseals South Florida (ESSF) is proud to announce that Matthew Roth, President of Solstice Point Partners, LLC has been appointed as Board Chair. "My journey at Easterseals South Florida began with a personal connection and commitment to advocating for people with disabilities. I am honored to serve as an ambassador for an organization with such a compelling mission and reputation. The life-changing impact Easterseals makes through its extensive programming and services is extraordinary." says Roth. In this role he will succeed outgoing Board Chair Jean Bell, Senior Vice President, National Head of Healthcare, Education, Not-for-Profit Banking for Bank of America. "It has been an honor to serve as the Board Chair for Easterseals South Florida for the past two years. Our organization provides vital services to the community and we have a staff of dedicated professionals who deliver heartfelt care to our students and elderly clients. I look forward to working closely with Matt Roth as he begins his term as Board Chair. Matt has been a dedicated board member who is passionate about the mission of Easterseals and ensuring that everyone is afforded the opportunity to achieve their full potential in life." says Bell. Mr. Roth invests in and provides strategic vision and guidance to early and mid-stage telecom, energy and technology companies through his investment and advisory practice, Solstice Point Partners. Please join us in welcoming this extraordinary leader and community pillar whose passion, commitment, and dedication to people with disabilities are deep-rooted and unbounded. In addition to Mr. Roth, the following officers were elected for 2024-25: Lourdes Rivas, Vice Chair, Amy Avalos, Treasurer, and Laura Hodges, Secretary. The following were elected to three-year terms on the Board of Directors: Amy Avalos, Senior Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer, World Kinect Corporation Jean Bell, Senior Vice President, Bank of America Robert Fatovic, Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer, Ryder Corporation Cristina Gallo-Aquino, Chief Financial Officer, Ryder Corporation Adolfo Jimenez, Partner & Practice Group Leader, Holland & Knight LLP Richard Lara, General Counsel, Spanish Broadcasting Network Hector Tundidor, Managing Partner, Ernst & Young Jodilia Vasanji, Lead Business Partner, Deloitte & Touche LLP ### About Easterseals South Florida Easterseals South Florida (ESSF) has been a leading provider of disability services since its founding in 1942. With more than 80 years of service in Miami Dade County, Easterseals provides vital programs and services. Our mission is to change the way the world defines and views disabilities by making profound, positive differences in people's lives every day. ESSF's vision is to provide quality services for every stage of life so that children, adults, and seniors can reach their full potential and live dignified lives. We will achieve that through our mission, to provide services that address equity and inclusion disparities for individuals with disabilities, by enhancing education, advancing health, expanding employment, and elevating the community. Current Programs Include: Adult Day Care: offers programs and resources to assist in caring for individuals who need daily living assistance. Head Start: provides comprehensive developmental services for low-income preschool children ages three to five. Special Education Services: offers expert help for children with autism and other special needs to help them reach their fullest potential. Culinary Arts High School: addresses the needs in Miami-Dade County for high-quality education and vocational training for students ages 14-22 with autism and other disabilities. For more information about Easterseals South Florida and its programs, visit easterseals.com/southflorida. SOURCE Easterseals DUBLIN, Feb. 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Soldier Systems - Global Strategic Business Report" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. Global Soldier Systems Market to Reach $15 Billion by 2030 The global market for Soldier Systems estimated at US$10.1 Billion in the year 2022, is projected to reach a revised size of US$15 Billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 5.1% over the analysis period 2022-2030. Personal Protection, one of the segments analyzed in the report, is projected to record a 3.4% CAGR and reach US$3.5 Billion by the end of the analysis period. Growth in the Vision segment is estimated at 5.1% CAGR for the next 8-year period. Soldier systems are advanced equipment and technologies designed to enhance the capabilities and protection of military personnel in modern warfare scenarios. They encompass a wide range of tools, equipment, and technologies that soldiers use to improve their effectiveness, survivability, and situational awareness on the battlefield. These systems are crucial for ensuring the safety and success of military operations, as soldiers remain the most valuable asset in any army. By equipping them with state-of-the-art gear and technology, soldier systems aim to optimize their performance and increase their operational effectiveness. There are various types of soldier systems, including personal protective equipment (PPE), communication systems, weapon systems, navigation and targeting systems, and medical and survival equipment. The global market for soldier systems is competitive, with various companies vying for market share. The global key competitors' percentage market share in 2023 provides insights into the competitive landscape, while the competitive market presence categorizes players based on their market strength and activity. Recent market activity highlights ongoing innovations and developments in soldier systems, such as advancements in materials, technology integration, and enhanced functionality to meet the evolving needs of modern military forces. The U.S. Market is Estimated at $3.7 Billion, While China is Forecast to Grow at 6.9% CAGR The Soldier Systems market in the U.S. is estimated at US$3.7 Billion in the year 2022. China, the world's second largest economy, is forecast to reach a projected market size of US$2 Billion by the year 2030 trailing a CAGR of 6.9% over the analysis period 2022 to 2030. Among the other noteworthy geographic markets are Japan and Canada, each forecast to grow at 2.6% and 4.2% respectively over the 2022-2030 period. Within Europe, Germany is forecast to grow at approximately 4.5% CAGR. MARKET TRENDS & DRIVERS Robust Military & Defense Spending Spurs Opportunities for Soldier Systems Robust Defense Spending Amid the Unfortunate State of Global Geo-Political Affairs Opens Opportunities for Spending on Soldier Systems: Military Spending by Top Countries in 2023 (In US$ Billion) Driving Growth Momentum in the Soldier Systems Market, Military Wearable Technology Hits Mainstream The Growing World of Human Augmentation Drives Demand Opportunity for Military Exoskeleton The Growing Knowledge Base Surrounding Human Augmentation Provides a Nurturing Environment for the Evolution of Exoskeletons: Global Human Augmentation Market (In US$ Million) for Years 2023, 2025 & 2027 Here's How Armies Worldwide Are Looking to Better Protect Their Combat Troops Nanotechnology Use in Soldier Systems Gains Momentum AI Emerges to Revolutionize Soldiers Systems New Technologies Revolutionize Vision Systems for Soldiers Land Mobile Radio Systems (LMR) Continues to Witness Steady Demand Technology Innovation & Focus on Reducing Costs of Military Training Drive the Value of Multiple Integrated Laser Engagement Systems (MILES) FOCUS ON SELECT PLAYERS (Total 60 Featured) Aselsan A.S. BAE Systems PLC Elbit Systems Ltd. FLIR Systems, Inc. General Dynamics Corporation Harris Corporation Leonardo SpA Northrop Grumman Corporation Rheinmetall AG Rockwell Collins, Inc. SAAB AB Safran Group Thales Group Ultra Electronics Holdings PLC Warrior Sensor Systems For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/3ao3z0 About ResearchAndMarkets.com ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends. Media Contact: Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager [email protected] For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/539438/Research_and_Markets_Logo.jpg SOURCE Research and Markets NEW YORK, Feb. 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- WHY: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, reminds purchasers of the securities of British American Tobacco p.l.c. (NYSE: BTI) between February 9, 2023 and December 6, 2023, both dates inclusive (the "Class Period"), of the important March 25, 2024 lead plaintiff deadline in the securities class action commenced by the Firm. SO WHAT: If you purchased British American Tobacco securities during the Class Period you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out of pocket fees or costs through a contingency fee arrangement. WHAT TO DO NEXT: To join the British American Tobacco class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=20894 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email [email protected] or [email protected] for information on the class action. A class action lawsuit has already been filed. If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than March 25, 2024. A lead plaintiff is a representative party acting on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation. WHY ROSEN LAW: We encourage investors to select qualified counsel with a track record of success in leadership roles. Often, firms issuing notices do not have comparable experience, resources, or any meaningful peer recognition. Many of these firms do not actually litigate securities class actions, but are merely middlemen that refer clients or partner with law firms that actually litigate the cases. Be wise in selecting counsel. The Rosen Law Firm represents investors throughout the globe, concentrating its practice in securities class actions and shareholder derivative litigation. Rosen Law Firm has achieved the largest ever securities class action settlement against a Chinese Company. Rosen Law Firm was Ranked No. 1 by ISS Securities Class Action Services for number of securities class action settlements in 2017. The firm has been ranked in the top 4 each year since 2013 and has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors. In 2019 alone the firm secured over $438 million for investors. In 2020, founding partner Laurence Rosen was named by law360 as a Titan of Plaintiffs' Bar. Many of the firm's attorneys have been recognized by Lawdragon and Super Lawyers. DETAILS OF THE CASE: According to the lawsuit, defendants throughout the Class Period made materially false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) British American Tobacco materially understated the risks and potential likelihood of an impairment to its Premium American Cigarette Brands as a result of longstanding headwinds and; (2) as a result, defendants' statements about its business, operations, and prospects, were materially false and misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis at all relevant times. When the true details entered the market, the lawsuit claims that investors suffered damages. To join the British American Tobacco class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=20894 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email [email protected] or [email protected] for information on the class action. No Class Has Been Certified. Until a class is certified, you are not represented by counsel unless you retain one. You may select counsel of your choice. You may also remain an absent class member and do nothing at this point. An investor's ability to share in any potential future recovery is not dependent upon serving as lead plaintiff. Follow us for updates on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-rosen-law-firm or on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rosen_firm or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rosenlawfirm. Rosen Law Firm represents investors throughout the globe, concentrating its practice in securities class actions and shareholder derivative litigation. Rosen Law Firm was Ranked No. 1 by ISS Securities Class Action Services for number of securities class action settlements in 2017. The firm has been ranked in the top 4 each year since 2013. Rosen Law Firm has achieved the largest ever securities class action settlement against a Chinese Company. Rosen Law Firm's attorneys are ranked and recognized by numerous independent and respected sources. Rosen Law Firm has secured hundreds of millions of dollars for investors. Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Contact Information: Laurence Rosen, Esq. Phillip Kim, Esq. The Rosen Law Firm, P.A. 275 Madison Avenue, 40th Floor New York, NY 10016 Tel: (212) 686-1060 Toll Free: (866) 767-3653 Fax: (212) 202-3827 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] www.rosenlegal.com SOURCE THE ROSEN LAW FIRM, P. A. NEW YORK, Feb. 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- WHY: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, announces an investigation of potential securities claims on behalf of shareholders of Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE: SAN) resulting from allegations that Santander may have issued materially misleading business information to the investing public. SO WHAT: If you purchased Santander securities you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out of pocket fees or costs through a contingency fee arrangement. The Rosen Law Firm is preparing a class action seeking recovery of investor losses. WHAT TO DO NEXT: To join the prospective class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=22671 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email [email protected] or [email protected] for information on the class action. WHAT IS THIS ABOUT: On February 5, 2024, the Financial Times published an article entitled "Iran used Lloyds and Santander accounts to evade sanctions." This article stated, in part that "Santander UK provided accounts to British front companies secretly owned by a sanctioned Iranian petrochemicals company based near Buckingham Palace, according to documents seen by the Financial Times." On this news, the price of Santander American Depositary Shares ("ADSs") went down by 5.7% to close at $3.94 on February 5, 2024. WHY ROSEN LAW: We encourage investors to select qualified counsel with a track record of success in leadership roles. Often, firms issuing notices do not have comparable experience, resources, or any meaningful peer recognition. Many of these firms do not actually litigate securities class actions. Be wise in selecting counsel. The Rosen Law Firm represents investors throughout the globe, concentrating its practice in securities class actions and shareholder derivative litigation. Rosen Law Firm has achieved the largest ever securities class action settlement against a Chinese Company. Rosen Law Firm was Ranked No. 1 by ISS Securities Class Action Services for number of securities class action settlements in 2017. The firm has been ranked in the top 4 each year since 2013 and has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors. In 2019 alone the firm secured over $438 million for investors. In 2020, founding partner Laurence Rosen was named by law360 as a Titan of Plaintiffs' Bar. Many of the firm's attorneys have been recognized by Lawdragon and Super Lawyers. Follow us for updates on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-rosen-law-firm, on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rosen_firm or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rosenlawfirm/. Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Contact Information: Laurence Rosen, Esq. Phillip Kim, Esq. The Rosen Law Firm, P.A. 275 Madison Avenue, 40th Floor New York, NY 10016 Tel: (212) 686-1060 Toll Free: (866) 767-3653 Fax: (212) 202-3827 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] www.rosenlegal.com SOURCE THE ROSEN LAW FIRM, P. A. NEW YORK, Feb. 24, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Pomerantz LLP is investigating claims on behalf of investors of Sibanye Stillwater Limited ("Sibanye" or the "Company") (NYSE: SBSW). Such investors are advised to contact Danielle Peyton at [email protected] or 646-581-9980, ext. 7980. The investigation concerns whether Sibanye and certain of its officers and/or directors have engaged in securities fraud or other unlawful business practices. [Click here for information about joining the class action] On February 21, 2024, Sibanye issued a press release providing a "production update and trading statement" for 2023. Among other items, Sibanye disclosed that its 2023 profit fell as much as 91%, citing a sharp decline in platinum group metal ("PGM") prices. Sibanye also said that it recognized impairments totaling 47.45 billion rand (approximately $2.5 billion), citing again the impact of weakening metal prices as well as operational challenges at its U.S. PGM and South African gold operations, and also at the Sandouville nickel refinery in France. On this news, Sibanye's American Depositary Receipt ("ADR") price fell $0.32 per ADR, or 6.96%, to close at $4.38 per ADR on February 21, 2024. Pomerantz LLP, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, London, Paris, and Tel Aviv, is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, Pomerantz pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 85 years later, Pomerantz continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomlaw.com. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes. CONTACT: Danielle Peyton Pomerantz LLP [email protected] 646-581-9980 ext. 7980 SOURCE Pomerantz LLP DUBLIN, Feb. 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Syndromic Multiplex Diagnostic Markets with COVID-19 Impacts. Strategies and Trends, Forecasts by Syndrome (Respiratory, Sepsis, GI Etc.), by Country, with Market Analysis, Executive Guides and Customization" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The report includes five year market forecasts. In a special section, the report looks at the numbers on how syndromic molecular diagnostics is replacing traditional panel-based ordering of infectious disease tests. The COVID pandemic is ushering in a new world of infectious disease diagnostics. Infectious disease Dx is changing and will change more in the future. Can a rapidly growing market expand even faster? Find out all about it in this comprehensive report on Syndromic Multiplex Diagnostics. Are targeted tests for specific pathogens going to be obsolete? Will diagnostics replace physicians? Will Infectious Disease testing move into the Physician's Office or even the Home? Syndromic testing is proving itself in the market. Players are reporting double-digit growth. Lowering costs, improving outcomes and even helping in the battle against Anti Microbial Resistance. Learn about this market including the issues and outlooks. The two key trends of Point of Care Testing and Molecular Diagnostics are merging with spectacular success. It could possibly displace most frontline test protocols AND save money at the same time. Key Topics Covered: 1 Market Guides 1.1 Situation Analysis & COVID Impact Overview 1.2 Guide for Executives and Marketing Staff 1.3 Guide for Investment Analysts and Management Consultants 1.4 Market Shares of Leading Companies - Table and Chart 2 Introduction and Market Definition 2.1 What are Syndromic Multiplex Tests? 2.2 Syndromic Testing - the quiet revolution in diagnostics 2.3 Market Definition 2.4 Methodology 2.5 Perspective: Healthcare, the IVD Industry, and the COVID-19 Pandemic 3 The Infectious Diseases - Guide to the Pathogens 3.1 The Coronavirus 3.2 Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) 3.3 HIV - Human Immunodeficiency Virus (AIDS) 3.4 HBV - Hepatitis B 3.5 HCV - Hepatitis C 3.6 HPV - Human papillomavirus 3.7 Influenza 3.8 CTGC - Chlamydia/Gonorrhea 3.9 Tuberculosis 3.10 MRSA - Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus 3.11 VRE - Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus 4 Industry Overview 4.1 Industry Participants 4.2 The Clinical Laboratory Market Segments 4.3 Industry Structure 5 Market Trends 5.1 Factors Driving Growth 5.1.1 Speed of Diagnosis. 5.1.2 Effect of Syndromic Testing on Costs. 5.1.3 Point of Care Advantage. 5.1.4 Syndrome Testing, Accuracy and Diagnostic Risk 5.1.5 Single Visits. 5.1.6 Improvement in Outcomes. 5.1.7 Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic. 5.2 Factors Limiting Growth 5.2.1 Lower Prices. 5.2.2 Administration/reimbursement. 5.2.3 Infectious Disease is Declining But.. 5.2.4 Wellness Hurts. 5.2.5 Economic Growth improves Living Standards. 5.2.6 Impact of the Pandemic Recession 5.3 Instrumentation and Automation 5.3.1 Instruments Key to Market Share 5.3.2 The Shrinking Machine. 5.3.3 Syndrome Testing Moving to Big Instruments? 5.4 Diagnostic Technology Development 5.4.1 Syndromictrends.com 5.4.2 Comparing Syndrome and Targeted Testing 5.4.3 The Multiplex Paradigm Shift 5.4.4 The Sepsis Testing Market - Bellwether for Syndromics 5.4.5 The Single Visit and Anti-Microbial Resistance 5.4.6 Syndromics drives POCT adoption. 5.4.7 A Big Future for PCR? 6 Syndromic Testing Recent Developments 6.1 Recent Developments - Importance and How to Use This Section 6.1.1 Importance of These Developments 6.1.2 How to Use This Section 6.2 QuantuMDx Developing Syndromic Panels for European Launch 6.3 Quidel Gains CE Mark for Savanna Analyzer, Respiratory Panel 6.4 QuantumDx Gets CE Mark for Rapid PoC PCR System 6.5 Bio-Rad Laboratories, Seegene Partner for MDx Development 6.6 Baebies to Expand Finder Platform 6.7 With Luminex Acquisition, DiaSorin to Broaden MDx Portfolio 6.8 Binx Health Targeting Clinics, DTC & OTC With STI Tests 6.9 Luminex Lands BARDA Grant to Develop Test for SARS-CoV-2, Flu, RSV 6.10 Molzym, Fraunhofer Developing Rapid Sepsis Diagnostic 6.11 MiRxes Receives Approval for Multiplex SARS-CoV-2, Flu Test 6.12 New Approach Involves Silicon-Based Test for Infectious Disease Screening 6.13 Scanogen's Portable Battery Operated Instrument for 90 Minute Multiplex Test 6.14 Qiagen sees NeuMoDx as Growth Vehicle 6.15 Torus Biosystems Developing Syndromic Test with 30-Minute Turnaround 6.16 Roche, SpeeDx Partner to Expand Access to Antibiotic Resistance Tests 6.17 BioMerieux's BioFire SARS-CoV-2 Respiratory Panel Wins FDA EAU 6.18 Infectious Disease Testing Firm Curative Acquires KorvaLabs 6.19 ChromaCode Raises Additional $10M 6.20 COVID-19 Patients Need Syndromic Testing 6.21 GenMark Diagnostics - New Respiratory Panel due in June 6.22 Qiagen Respiratory Panel with Coronavirus Targets Receives CE Mark 6.23 Exact Diagnostics launches respiratory panel control 6.24 bioMerieux submits enhanced BIOFIRE BCID2 Panel to FDA 6.25 Nanomix Receives CE Mark for Diagnostic 6.26 Applied BioCode Applies to FDA for Syndromic Respiratory Panel 6.27 Expedeon AG and Sona Nanotech to Collaborate on Multiplex POC 6.28 QIAGEN's New GI Panel Performance Assessed 6.29 McKesson to Distribute QIAstat-Dx Syndromic Testing Solution in USA 6.30 Applied BioCode Obtains FDA Clearance 6.31 Meridian Bioscience to Acquire GenePOC Inc. 6.32 Curetis Introduces Rapid DNA Testing for Antibiotic Resistance 6.33 Qiagen gets FDA clearance for syndromic testing system 6.34 Entasis Therapeutics Signs Rapid Diagnostic Agreement with bioMerieux 6.35 Akonni Biosystems Submits Multiplex Diagnostics System to FDA 6.36 Ador Diagnostic to receive $30M in Funding for 100-Plex PoC 6.37 SAW Diagnostics Receives Funding for Commercialisation of PoC Platform 6.38 QuantuMDx and Molbio announce MoU 6.39 Immunexpress Wins $745K Contract for Rapid Sepsis Assay 6.40 Mobidiag Inks European, Middle Eastern Distribution Deals 6.41 BIOFIRE FILMARRAY System chosen for Phase 3 clinical trial 7 Profiles of Key Syndromic Testing Companies 7.1 Abacus Diagnostica 7.2 Abbott Diagnostics 7.3 Accelerate Diagnostics 7.4 Ador Diagnostics 7.5 Akonni Biosystems 7.6 Alveo Technologies 7.7 Antelope Dx 7.8 Applied BioCode 7.9 Aus Diagnostics 7.10 Baebies 7.11 Beckman Coulter Diagnostics 7.12 Becton, Dickinson and Company 7.13 Binx Health 7.14 Biocartis 7.15 BioFire Diagnostics (bioMerieux) 7.16 bioMerieux Diagnostics 7.17 Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc 7.18 Bosch Healthcare Solutions GmbH 7.19 Cepheid (Danaher) 7.20 Credo Diagnostics Biomedical 7.21 Cue Health 7.22 Curetis N.V. / Curetis GmbH 7.23 Diagenode Diagnostics 7.24 Diasorin S.p.A. 7.25 Enzo Life Sciences, Inc. 7.26 Eurofins Scientific 7.27 Fluxergy 7.28 Fusion Genomics. 7.29 Genetic Signatures 7.30 GenMark Dx (Roche) 7.31 Hibergene Diagnostics 7.32 Hologic 7.33 Immunexpress 7.34 Inflammatix 7.35 Invetech 7.36 Janssen Diagnostics 7.37 Karius 7.38 Lexagene 7.39 LightDeck Diagnostics 7.40 Lucira Health 7.41 Luminex Corp 7.42 Maxim Biomedical 7.43 Meridian Bioscience 7.44 Mesa Biotech (Thermo Fisher) 7.45 Millipore Sigma 7.46 Mobidiag (Hologic) 7.47 Molbio Diagnostics 7.48 Nanomix 7.49 Novel Microdevices 7.50 Operon 7.51 Oxford Nanopore Technologies 7.52 Panagene 7.53 Perkin Elmer 7.54 Primerdesign (Novacyt) 7.55 Prominex 7.56 Qiagen Gmbh 7.57 Quantumdx 7.58 Quidel 7.59 Roche Molecular Diagnostics 7.60 Saw Diagnostics 7.61 Seegene 7.62 Siemens Healthineers 7.63 Sona Nanotech 7.64 SpeeDx 7.65 T2 Biosystems 7.66 Talis Biomedical 7.67 Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. 7.68 Veramarx 7.69 Visby Medical 7.70 XCR Diagnostics 8 The Global Market for Syndromic Multiplex Diagnostics 8.1 Global Market Overview by Country 8.2 Global Market by Syndrome - Overview 8.3 Global Market by Place - Overview 8.4 Global Market by Product - Overview 9 Global Syndromic Multiplex Markets - By Syndrome 9.1 Respiratory 9.2 Gastrointestinal 9.3 Blood 9.4 Meningitis/Encephalitis 9.5 Sexually Transmitted Disease 10 Global MDx Infectious Disease Markets - by Place 10.1 Hospital Lab 10.2 Outpatient Lab 10.3 Point of Care 11 Global MDx Infectious Disease Markets - by Product 11.1 Instruments 11.2 Cartridges 11.3 Reagents 12 Appendices 12.1 United States Medicare System: 2021 Clinical Laboratory Fees Schedule For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/udio6b About ResearchAndMarkets.com ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends. Media Contact: Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager [email protected] For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/539438/Research_and_Markets_Logo.jpg SOURCE Research and Markets If you were looking for the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee website and ended up here, try this Got news tips, gossip, suggestions, complaints?E-mail us: progressivecharlestown@gmail.com We strive to avoid errors in our articles. Our correction policy can be found here Dimensions / Getty Images Many Americans choose to live abroad, whether for the change of scenery, the weather, or the search for new experiences and adventures- and, for some, to build wealth. Learn More: How Much Money Do Americans Have in Their Bank Accounts in 2024? For You: 6 Unusual Ways To Make Extra Money (That Actually Work) While reasons for living abroad and the location choice might be based on living costs for some, for wealthy Americans for whom money is not an issue, the world is their oyster, and they have been moving in droves in recent years. Indeed, a report by investment migration consultancy Henley & Partners found that the firm received the most inquiries from U.S. citizens on record in 2022 a 447% increase from 2019 when, for the first time, Americans ranked highest of all nationalities worldwide applying for residence and citizenship. Here are the top destinations attracting wealthy Americans for residence and citizenship. Sponsored: Owe the IRS $10K or more? Schedule a FREE consultation to see if you qualify for tax relief. Portugal According to Henley & Partners, the country is the most sought-after investment migration option for U.S. citizens, thanks to its Golden Residence Permit Program. In 2022, there was a net inflow of approximately 1,300 millionaires in Portugal, as the program gave wealthy individuals residency in exchange for real estate investment, according to Foreign Policy. Malta Similarly, Maltas investment offering also attracts scores of wealthy American citizens. Malta grants citizenship to foreign individuals and their families who contribute to economic development. There is EUR 738,000 ($791,000) for a minimum residence period of 36 months or EUR 888,000 ($952,000) for a minimum of 12 months, according to Henley & Partners. Spain Other countries that are attracting wealthy Americans thanks to their investment programs include Spain, thanks to its Spain Golden Visa. Successful applicants and their families are granted visa-free access across Europes Schengen Area and must invest a minimum of EUR 500,000 ($536,000). Story continues Additional alternatives include investment funds, bank deposits, or listed company shares in Spanish financial institutions with a minimum value of EUR 1 million ($1.07 million) or a government bonds investment with a minimum value of EUR 2 million ($2.15 million). St. Kitts and Nevis St. Kitts and Nevis is also an attractive destination for wealthy individuals who love beautiful beaches and tropical landscapes. St. Kitts and Nevis Citizenship by Investment Program requires a $250,000 minimum investment. An additional benefit is that when you acquire citizenship under the St. Kitts and Nevis citizenship program, you and your family enjoy full citizenship for life, which can be passed on to future generations by descent, according to Henley & Partners. Greece The Greece Golden Visa Program is also an attractive option, which grants visa-free travel within Europes Schengen Area and is not required to reside in Greece. You will need a real estate investment with a minimum value of EUR 250,000 ($268,000). Another alternative is a minimum EUR 500,000 ($536,000) investment in Mykonos, Santorini, Thessaloniki, and most municipalities in Athens. Italy With Italys Golden Visa program, you will have access to visa-free travel to Europes Schengen Area, while not being required to reside permanently in the country. In addition, citizenship may be available after ten years of residence under special conditions. In order to enjoy these perks, you will need to satisfy one of these requirements: A minimum of EUR 2 million ($2.15 million) in Italian government bonds. A minimum of EUR 500,000 ($536,000) in Italian shares (reduced to EUR 250,000 ($268,000) if investing in innovative start-ups). A minimum of EUR 1 million ($1.07 million) in projects of public interest in Italy, such as culture, education, ecology, immigration management, research and development, arts, and heritage, according to Henley & Partners. More From GOBankingRates This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: The 6 Top Destinations Attracting Wealthy Americans for Residence and Citizenship Ukraine says it shot down another Russian A-50 surveillance plane. Image Source: IANS News Kiev, Feb 24 : Ukrainian Air Force Commander Mykola Oleschuk has said that the Ukrainian military shot down another Russian A-50 surveillance aircraft. "I am grateful to the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry and all those who ensured the result," Oleschuk said in a Telegram post on Friday. The Ukrainian forces continue their work, Oleschuk added. The Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry said in a statement that the plane lost speed and height near the city of Yeysk in Russia's southern Krasnodar region, Xinhua news agency reported. Russia used the plane as an air command post for long-range radar detection, control and guidance for strikes on Ukraine with missiles from strategic aviation, the intelligence said. It estimated the aircraft's value at $350 million. Last month, Valery Zaluzhny, then a chief commander of the armed forces of Ukraine, said the Ukrainian air force had destroyed a Russian A-50 plane in an area close to the Sea of Azov. Stockholm, Feb 24 : Seven people were hospitalised with respiratory problems after the Swedish Security Service's headquarters in Stockholm were evacuated due to a gas leak. The alarm was raised just after lunchtime on Friday, and emergency services deployed staff in hazmat suits. As many as 500 people were evacuated from the building, Xinhua news agency reported, citing Swedish channel TV 4. Around 150 people working in a neighbouring office building were also evacuated, Swedish Television reported. "We have cordoned off a radius of 500 meters, something that applies to pedestrians as well as motorists," police spokesperson Anders Bryngelsson told TT news agency. A nearby highway ramp on one of Stockholm's major thoroughfares was also shut down, TT reported. "The government is following the development and is in contact with the Security Service," Minister for Justice Gunnar Strommer told TT. Budapest, Feb 24 : Hungary has signed an agreement to buy four new Gripen fighter jets from Sweden ahead of the Hungarian parliament's vote on Sweden's NATO accession scheduled for February 26. This agreement was announced on Friday during a bilateral meeting in Budapest between Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and his Swedish counterpart, Ulf Kristersson, Xinhua news agency reported. The leaders also disclosed modifications to the existing contract regarding the rental of Gripen fighter jets and their support systems in Hungary. A new contract has also been signed for logistical services related to the Gripens, including training programs. Their defence cooperation comes at a crucial time as Sweden seeks to join the transatlantic alliance, abandoning its long-standing policy of neutrality in the wake of the Russian-Ukrainian armed conflict, which started two years ago. The Hungarian parliament will convene on Monday to ratify Sweden's NATO membership after a prolonged delay due to debates within the parliamentary group of Orban's Fidesz party regarding Sweden's criticisms about the rule of law in Hungary. Israel, US suspected over attack on Iranian ship in Red Sea. Image Source: IANS News Tehran, Feb 24 : Iran has denied Western media reports that it had sold ballistic missiles to Russia for use against Ukraine, saying it was morally bound to avoid fuelling the conflict. Iran's UN mission said in a statement on social media platform X that Tehran had no legal restrictions on ballistic missile sales, but felt obligated to refrain from weapons transactions during the Russia-Ukraine conflict. "This is rooted in Iran's adherence to international law and the UN Charter," the statement said. A media report, citing sources, on Wednesday said that Iran had supplied Russia with a large number of powerful surface-to-surface ballistic missiles. The Biden administration warned Iran on Thursday of a "swift and severe" response from the international community if it had provided Russia with ballistic missiles, Xinhua news agency reported. White House National Security spokesman John Kirby said at a virtual press briefing that Washington had not confirmed that missiles had moved from Iran to Russia. "For our part, we will take this matter to the UN Security Council," he added. "We will implement additional sanctions against Iran. And we will coordinate further response options with our allies and partners in Europe and elsewhere." Ukraine and Western countries have accused Iran of exporting suicide drones to Russia for use in the conflict in Ukraine. Iran has repeatedly dismissed the accusations as "baseless," saying it had given only "a limited number" of drones to Russia months before the war started. United Nations, Feb 24 : UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for an end to the Ukraine crisis. He made the appeal on Friday at a Security Council meeting scheduled to coincide with the second anniversary of Russia's special military operation in Ukraine, Xinhua news agency reported. Two years on, the conflict in Ukraine remains an open wound at the heart of Europe. It is high time for peace -- a just peace, based on the UN Charter, international law and UN General Assembly resolutions, said Guterres. International disputes shall be settled by peaceful means and all states shall refrain from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any other state, he said. The danger of the conflict escalating and expanding is very real. Around the world, the conflict in Ukraine is deepening geopolitical divides, fanning regional instability, shrinking the space available to address other urgent global issues, and undermining the shared norms and values that make the world safer, he said. The conflict accelerated a surge in food prices, economic shocks and a global cost-of-living crisis, which hit developing countries the hardest. In addition, the prospect of this conflict resulting in a nuclear accident chills spines around the world, he added. "It is time to recommit to the (UN) Charter and renew respect for international law. That is the path to peace and security -- in Ukraine and around the world," said Guterres. Gaza, Feb 24 : An Israeli airstrike on a house in the central Gaza Strip has reportedly killed at least 22 Palestinians and wounded others. The house in Deir el-Balah was sheltering displaced people when it was hit by the Israeli attack on Friday. The dead and injured, mostly children, were taken to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in the city, Xinhua news agency quoted Palestinian security and medical sources as saying. Civil defence crews were searching for survivors under the rubble of the house amid reports of missing people, according to the sources. The Gaza Health Ministry said on Friday that the Palestinian death toll in the coastal enclave has reached 29,514 since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in October last year. Washington, Feb 24 : South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul has expressed concerns over growing military cooperation between North Korea and Russia, saying it could potentially help Pyongyang's ability to "threaten security on the Korean Peninsula and beyond". Cho made the remarks on Friday during a UN Security Council (UNSC) briefing on the Ukraine issue at UN headquarters in New York on the eve of the second anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Yonhap news agency reported. "If and when it turns out to be the case that North Korea receives in return, whether advanced military technology or oil shipments exceeding limits under Security Council resolutions, this would redound to North Korea's ability to threaten security on the Korean Peninsula and beyond," he said. "Both dimensions of this nexus constitute unequivocal violations of multiple UNSC resolutions and undermine the global non-proliferation regime," he added. The White House has revealed that the North provided Russia with military equipment, munitions and ballistic missiles, some of which were fired at Ukrainian targets on December 30, January 2 and January 6. In return for the arms provision, Pyongyang has been seeking military assistance from Russia, "including fighter aircraft, surface-to-air missiles, armoured vehicles, ballistic missile production equipment or materials, and other advanced technologies", according to US officials. "My government is deeply troubled by the emerging military cooperation between Russia and North Korea," Cho said. "North Korean munitions and missiles have been sighted in Ukraine, which not only aggravates the human suffering but also risks further escalating and prolonging the war in Ukraine." Noting the UNSC's "inherent shortcomings and current constraints", Cho said it is imperative for the council to devise "effective strategies to navigate these complexities to fulfil its fundamental duty of maintaining international peace and security". "I wish to reaffirm Korea's commitment as a member of the Security Council to actively contribute to realizing this goal," he said. Cho also highlighted that as a country that also experienced war in the 1950s, Korea knows "all too well what it means to suffer from military aggression". "Korea firmly believes that aggression must not go unanswered," he said. "As a nation -- all too familiar with the agonizing consequences of armed conflict, Korea has a profound sense of empathy with the plight of the Ukrainian people." WASHINGTON, July 30, 2019 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters before leaving the White House in Washington D.C. the United States, on July 30, 2019. (Photo by Ting Shen/Xinhua/IANS). Image Source: IANS News Washington, Feb 24 : Calling on Alabama lawmakers to protect fertility treatment, former US President Donald Trump has said that he supports the availability of IVF treatment. Trump made the remarks on Friday after a recent Alabama Supreme Court ruling led some clinics to pause IVF treatment. "We want to make it easier for mothers and fathers to have babies, not harder!" Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social. "Like the OVERWHELMING MAJORITY of Americans, including the VAST MAJORITY of Republicans, Conservatives, Christians, and Pro-Life Americans, I strongly support the availability of IVF for couples who are trying to have a precious baby (sic)," he said. "Today, I am calling on the Alabama Legislature to act quickly to find an immediate solution to preserve the availability of IVF in Alabama. The Republican Party should always be on the side of the Miracle of Life - and the side of Mothers, Fathers, and their Beautiful Babies. IVF is an important part of that, and our Great Republican Party will always be with you, in your quest, for the ULTIMATE JOY IN LIFE!" the former President added. The state's top court ruled last week that frozen embryos have the same rights as children and people can be held liable for destroying them. At least three clinics in the state reportedly paused IVF treatment after the ruling. Ma Haijie (left) teaches a student how to make a lotus lantern for the Lantern Festival at Beijing International Hotel, Dongcheng district, Beijing, Feb. 23, 2024. [Photo by Yan Bin/China.org.cn] This year's Lantern Festival, also known as the Yuanxiao Festival, falls on Feb. 24, marking the 15th day of the first month in the Chinese lunar calendar. Traditionally, people usually celebrate it by appreciating lanterns, solving lantern riddles and enjoying delicious sticky rice balls. Additionally, lantern-making has been gaining popularity as a cherished holiday activity. "I see an increasing number of lantern-making enthusiasts these years, especially during this year's Spring Festival holiday," Ma Haijie, a fourth-generation inheritor of a traditional lantern-making craft known as Lantern Huang, shared with China.org.cn a day before the Lantern Festival. During the recent Spring Festival holiday, Ma experienced overwhelming enthusiasm from temple fair visitors at his stall, which served as an exhibition of the intangible cultural heritage of lantern making. People were captivated by his lanterns, which varied in shape and color, each carrying an auspicious meaning in its design. Furthermore, he uses common materials for his creations, including paper, thin iron wires, candles, and sticks. "I have at least three places to go and show people my Lantern Huang craft during Lantern Festival," Ma described, highlighting his busy schedule, especially during the holiday season. As times change, traditional lantern-making faces challenges in passing on its legacy. "There was a long period that my master, who was also my great grandfather, couldn't find any apprentice," said Ma. As a huge fan of traditional Chinese culture, Ma felt it was his duty to fulfill the mission as an inheritor of Lantern Huang, so he resigned from his job as a project contractor to be a lantern-making teacher in 2019. Ma believes that the key to preserving intangible cultural heritage lies in its passage from generation to generation. "I explored as many ways as I can to popularize the traditional lantern-making craft," said Ma, who now runs a cultural promotion company. His company employs individuals with disabilities and farmers from Hebei province to craft semi-finished lanterns. Every year, Ma actively participates in intangible cultural heritage educational events in communities and schools, and he promotes traditional lantern-making at various cultural fairs. "I want Lantern Huang to be known and loved by more and more people," said Ma. Ma Haijie (second row, center) and lantern-making learners pose for a group photo at a lantern-making event held at Beijing International Hotel, Dongcheng district, Beijing, Feb. 23, 2024. [Photo by Yan Bin/China.org.cn] Ma Haijie introduces Lantern Huang products to visitors at Nanchizi Art Gallery, Dongcheng district, Beijing, Feb. 23, 2024. [Photo by Yan Bin/China.org.cn] Visitors learn how to make lotus lanterns for the Lantern Festival at Beijing International Hotel, Dongcheng district, Beijing, Feb. 23, 2024. [Photo by Yan Bin/China.org.cn] Mobile devices are becoming ubiquitous in Africa. Godong/Universal Images Group via Getty Images The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work. The big idea Governments and humanitarian groups can use machine learning algorithms and mobile phone data to get aid to those who need it most during a humanitarian crisis, we found in new research. Togo is a small West African nation. Encyclopaedia Britannica/Getty Images The simple idea behind this approach, as we explained in the journal Nature on March 16, 2022, is that wealthy people use phones differently from poor people. Their phone calls and text messages follow different patterns, and they use different data plans, for example. Machine learning algorithms which are fancy tools for pattern recognition can be trained to recognize those differences and infer whether a given mobile subscriber is wealthy or poor. As the COVID-19 pandemic spread in early 2020, our research team helped Togos Ministry of Digital Economy and GiveDirectly, a nonprofit that sends cash to people living in poverty, turn this insight into a new type of aid program. First, we collected recent, reliable and representative data. Working on the ground with partners in Togo, we conducted 15,000 phone surveys to collect information on the living conditions of each household. After matching the survey responses to data from the mobile phone companies, we trained the machine learning algorithms to recognize the patterns of phone use that were characteristics of people living on less than $1.25 per day. The next challenge was figuring out whether a system based on machine learning and phone data would be effective at getting money to the poorest people in the country. Our evaluation indicated that this new approach worked better than other options Togos government was considering. For instance, focusing entirely on the poorest cantons which are analagous to U.S. counties would have delivered benefits to only 33% of the people living on less than US$1.25 a day. By contrast, the machine learning approach targeted 47% of that population. We then partnered with Togos government, GiveDirectly and community leaders to design and pilot a cash transfer program based on this technology. In November 2020, the first beneficiaries were enrolled and paid. To date, the program has provided nearly $10 million to roughly 137,000 of the countrys poorest citizens. Story continues Why it matters Our work shows that data collected by mobile phone companies when analyzed with machine learning technology can help direct aid to those with the greatest need. Even before the pandemic, over half of the West African nations 8.6 million people lived below the international poverty line. As COVID-19 slowed economic activity further, our surveys indicated that 54% of all Togolese were forced to miss meals each week. The situation in Togo was not unique. The downturn resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic pushed millions of people into extreme poverty. In response, governments and charities launched several thousand new aid programs, providing benefits to over 1.5 billion people and families around the world. But in the middle of a humanitarian crisis, governments struggle to figure out who needs help most urgently. Under ideal circumstances, those decisions would be based on comprehensive household surveys. But there was no way to gather this information in the middle of a pandemic. Our work helps demonstrate how new sources of big data such as information gleaned from satellites and mobile phone networks can make it possible to target aid amid crisis conditions when more traditional sources of data are unavailable. Whats next Were conducting follow-up research to assess how cash transfers affected recipients. Previous findings indicate that cash transfers can help increase food security and improve psychological well-being in normal times. We are assessing whether that aid has similar results during a crisis. Its also essential to find ways to enroll and pay people without phones. In Togo, roughly 85% of households had at least one phone, and phones are frequently shared within families and communities. However, it is not clear how many people who needed humanitarian assistance in Togo didnt get it because of their lack of access to a mobile device. In the future, systems that combine new methods that leverage machine learning and big data with traditional approaches based on surveys are bound to improve the targeting of humanitarian aid. [Over 150,000 readers rely on The Conversations newsletters to understand the world. Sign up today.] This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news organization bringing you facts and trustworthy analysis to help you make sense of our complex world. It was written by: Emily Aiken, University of California, Berkeley and Joshua Blumenstock, University of California, Berkeley Read more: Emily Aiken collaborated closely with the teams at GiveDirectly and the government of Togo described in the article. She consulted for GiveDirectly from June to August 2021. Joshua Blumenstock receives funding from Google.org, data.org, the Center for Effective Global Action, the Jameel Poverty Action Lab, and the NSF under award IIS 1942702. Los Angeles, Feb 24 : Actor-producer Vin Diesel has shared an update on the next instalment of the 'Fast & Furious' franchise christened 'Fast Xi' and has promised that it will indeed be a grand finale. The film is reportedly marking the end of the long-running franchise, at least for the actor, who plays Dominic Toretto. He has started connecting with the public again after a December lawsuit was filed against him by an ex-assistant, accusing him of sexual battery. However, he has denied the allegations, reports deadline.com. Vin Diesel took to Instagram to share the plans and wrote: "Just finished our end of the week Fast meeting with the writers and the whole team. To say the excitement for our finale was incredibly powerful is an understatement. Wow. So exciting Diesel added: "While everyone was heading into the weekend amped and excited, I thought of you all reminded of the countless moments when your enthusiasm and passion became the driving force behind our creative journey. Your commitment to our saga has had a unique impact on its success and evolution as my youngest daughter would say, it's profound." The actor thanked his fans for being the "backbone of this global saga that because of you, transcends the screen". The actor concluded: "This grand finale is not just an ending; it's a celebration of the incredible family we've built together. Hope to make you proud!" New Delhi, Feb 24 : Researchers at New Delhi-based nonprofit organisation CyberPeace on Saturday claimed they have discovered an alleged huge data breach at LenDenClub, a peer-to-peer (P2P) lending platform, that may have affected 22 million users. CyberPeace said in a statement that LenDenClub allegedly experienced a "substantial data breach". "Allegedly, data from LenDenClub, a P2P lending platform in India, has been compromised. Threat actors claim 84 GB of data, involving over 22000000 IDs and loan statements," CyberPeace Research also posted on X. The data breach allegedly involved sensitive financial information and personal details of the users. The researchers said that the identity of the threat actors responsible for this breach is currently unknown. "Investigations are underway to determine whether this is the work of a sophisticated cybercriminal group, hacktivists or other malicious entities," they said. According to the researchers, users' sensitive financial information may be exploited for identity theft and financial fraud. "Personal details exposed in the breach could be used for phishing attacks and other malicious activities," they warned. The LenDenClub data breach highlights the persistent challenges posed by cyber threats in the financial sector, according to Cyberpeace. "This incident underscores the critical need for organisations to continually enhance and fortify their cybersecurity measures to protect user data and maintain public trust," the team noted. Tehran, Feb 24 : The Iranian forces have killed senior Jaish al-Adl militant group commander Ismail Shahbakhsh and some of his companions in Pakistan, a media report said. The development comes one month after the two countries conducted airstrikes on each other's territories. In a post on X, Iran international media quoting the country's state media reported: "Military forces have, in an armed clash inside the Pakistani territory, killed senior Jaish al-Adl militant group commander Ismail Shahbakhsh and some of his companions." Jaish al-Adl, a Sunni extremist organisation, which is designated terrorist organisation by Iran, operates predominantly in the southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchistan, as per Al Arabiya News. Tension between the two nations had escalated after which both of them had recalled the ambassadors. Pakistan's concerns are that Baloch terrorist outfits find refuge across the border in the Sistan-Balochistan province of Iran while Tehran claims anti-Iran militant groups such as Jaish al-Adl having hideouts in Balochistan province in Pakistan. After diplomatic efforts, both countries restored bilateral ties and agreed to reinstate the ambassadors. Tel Aviv, Feb 24 : A Hamas delegation -- which is in Paris for negotiations for a ceasefire deal with Israel -- has come down on many of its demands. Sources in Israel defence ministry told IANS that while Hamas is insisting for a permanent withdrawal of Israel troops from Gaza Strip, it has come down on many of its demands including release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners from the Israel jails against the release of each Israeli hostage. Even as the Hamas negotiators are sticking to their demand for a permanent ceasefire, they may agree for a two months ceasefire, which Israel has not agreed to. Israel Defence Minister Yoav Gallant told media persons that Hamas has come down from their earlier demands due to Israel moving towards a ground offensive in Rafah in Gaza that borders Egypt. Egypt is wary that if Israel Defense Forces attack Rafah, then there will be a huge spill over of Palestinians into its territory. Ahmad Kamal, head of Egyptian intelligence who is part of the mediatory talks, has told Arabian media that the talks were progressive and that things were heading in the right direction. During one week ceasefire from November 24 to December 1, 105 Israel hostages in the custody of Hamas were released in exchange of 324 Palestinian prisoners from Israel jails. There are 134 Israeli hostages in custody of Hamas -- all of whom are not alive, and according to information, 35 Israeli hostages would be released. Qatar Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammad Bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani and Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) chief William Burns are part of the negotiations in Paris. Hamas and Israel are not directly talking to each other but communicating through the mediators on their respective demands. Seattle, Feb 24 : The Indian consulate in Seattle said that it has "strongly" raised the issue of Indian student Jaahnavi Kandula's killing in the US with the city police and the case is now being referred to Seattle City Attorney's office for review. The move comes after the King's County Prosecutor's Office said on Wednesday that they will not be pressing charges against Seattle Police Officer Kevin Dave, who ran over and killed Kandula, last year due to "lack of sufficient evidence". In a statement posted on X on Friday, the Indian Consulate said that they are awaiting the "completion of Seattle Police's administrative investigation and will continue to monitor progress in the case". "We have also raised the matter strongly with local authorities, including Seattle Police for appropriate redress. The case has now been referred to Seattle City Attorney's office for review," the Consulate said. In addition, the Consulate said that it is in "regular touch with the designated family representatives and will continue to extend all possible support in ensuring justice for Jaahnavi and her family". Kandula, a student of the Northeastern University in South Lake Union, died after she was hit by a Seattle Police vehicle driven by officer Kevin Dave at a pedestrian crossing on the night of January 23 last year. Dave, who was responding to a "high priority" call that day at 8 pm, had reportedly chirped his siren, but did not have it running consistently, as he plowed into Kandula. "After staffing this case with senior deputy prosecuting attorneys and office leadership, I have determined that we lack sufficient evidence under Washington State law to prove a criminal case beyond a reasonable doubt," the King County Prosecuting Attorney said in its statement on Wednesday. Attorney Leesa Manion, however, noted, "Kandulaas death is heartbreaking and impacted communities in King County and across the world." Meanwhile, the Coalition of Hindus of North America (CoHNA), a US-based Hindu advocacy group, said on Friday that it is "shocking" and "disheartening" to see that the investigation into the killing of Kandula is dismissed with no charges against those who struck her. "It is shocking and disheartening to see the investigation into the killing of #JaahnaviKandula be dismissed with no charges against those who struck her. Where is #justice for the family of this young international student, run over in a #Seattle sidewalk by a police car?" CoHNA said in a post on X. Kandula was thrown 100 feet when she was struck by the speeding police patrol vehicle and died on the spot. "I fa"ked up," Dave was heard saying after the accident at the intersection where he accelerated up to 74 miles per hour at one point, much higher than the prescribed limits of 25 and 20 mph respectively. According to the footage, moments after reaching the top speed, he slowed down the car before striking Kandula at the intersection. The bodycam video also showed Dave performing CPR on Kandula after the collision. Kandula came to the US in 2021 and was pursuing a Master of Science in Information Systems at the College of Engineering, Northeastern University. She was set to graduate in December 2023. She was the daughter of a single mother, who earned less than $200 a month and had taken an education loan to send Kandula to study abroad. Mumbai: Singer Yo Yo Honey Singh seen at the office of T-Series in Mumbai on March 4, 2020. . Image Source: IANS News Mumbai, Feb 24 : As Yo Yo Honey Singh awaits release of the track 'Vigdiyan Heeryan' starring Urvashi Rautela, the popular rapper revealed why he cast the actress in the song 'Love Dose' almost a decade ago. Honey Singh said: "Urvashi Rautela is the most beautiful girl in the world. That's why I had cast her in 'Love Dose'." He is now "thrilled" to be working with the actress again in 'Vigdiyan Heeryan'. "I am thrilled about the upcoming release of 'Love Dose 2' 'Vigdiyan Heeryan' The last collaboration for 'Love Dose' was a massive success, breaking records and becoming an all-time chartbuster. The public demand for a sequel since the last 10 years has been immense, and finally, we are delivering it," said the rapper. Honey Singh and Urvashi are "picking up right where we left off." "The anticipation is high, and the craze surrounding 'Love Dose' is a testament to the song's enduring evergreen popularity." "Absolutely! 'Love Dose' has left a lasting impact, and its catchy tune and vibrant energy have made it memorable for many. It stayed in people's hearts and minds, becoming timeless in the realm of popular music." "The song's success lies in its infectious rhythm and the chemistry between the artists, making it a memorable addition to the world of contemporary Indian music." The song will drop on March 15. New Delhi, Feb 24 : Adani Group Founder and Chairman Gautam Adani on Saturday met Uber's global CEO Dara Khosrowshahi and discussed future collaborations in India, as the country doubles down on green and sustainable energy. In a post on X, Gautam Adani posted pictures of him with Khosrowshahi, who is currently on a visit to India. "Absolutely captivating chat with @dkhos, CEO of @Uber. His vision for Uber's expansion in India is truly inspiring, especially his commitment to uplifting Indian drivers and their dignity," he posted. "Excited for future collaborations with Dara and his team," Gautam Adani added. The meeting came as Indian green and renewable energy is booming, which will benefit the Electric Vehicle (EV) sector the most Uber is replacing its fleet with EV vehicles across the globe, including in India. Earlier this month, the ride-hailing platform said its eco-friendly, global EV service, called Uber Green, is now available in Delhi. 'Uber Green' was displayed at the Bharat Mobility Expo 2024, visited by Union Minister of Commerce & Industry Piyush Goyal. Meanwhile, Gautam Adani has said he will invest an estimated $100 billion into India's green energy transition over the next 10 years, with plans to scale up to 10 GW of solar manufacturing capacity by 2027. "India is on the cusp of becoming a global leader in renewable energy and Adani Green Energy is in the vanguard of this revolution," he said last December. Adani Green Energy in December announced that the promoters of the company would infuse Rs 9,350 crore into it through preferential issuance of warrants at a price of Rs 1,480.75 per share. "This investment by the Adani family underscores our commitment not only to making our nation's clean energy dream a reality, but also to an equitable energy transition where we phase down traditional power sources while simultaneously phasing up green, affordable alternatives to fuel our accelerating growth and development plans," said Gautam Adani. Gandhinagar, Feb 24 : Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) have reached a seat-sharing agreement ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, causing a stir in Gujarat, especially over the contentious Bharuch seat. The pact, announced on Saturday, to give the Bharuch seat in Gujarat to AAP, has sparked debates. Outlining the broader strategy, Congress General Secretary and MP, Mukul Wasnik, stated, "Gujarat has 26 Lok Sabha seats. Congress will contest on 24, leaving Bharuch and Bhavnagar for AAP." This arrangement is part of the INDIA bloc's efforts to consolidate opposition unity and challenge the ruling party in the upcoming elections. The decision has not gone down well with all, particularly by members closely associated with the Bharuch constituency. Earlier on Friday, Mumtaz Patel, the daughter of the late Ahmed Patel, a veteran Congress leader with deep ties to Bharuch, voiced her concerns, saying, "This seat traditionally belongs to Congress, and its potential reallocation has demoralised many within our party." Bharuch is an important seat, here's why: The efforts to protect the seat were also done by Faisal Patel, Ahmed Patel's son. He expressed his discontent in a letter to the party leadership, highlighting the emotional and political significance of the Bharuch seat to his family and the Congress party. He pointed out the demographic composition of Bharuch and the electoral history, including his father's victories from 1977 to 1984, to argue against the seat-sharing decision. Faisal Patel warned that ceding Bharuch to AAP could replicate the adverse impacts seen in Delhi and Punjab, where Congress' presence has waned. The Bharuch seat has been a stronghold for the BJP since 1989, with Mansukh Vasava securing it for the party in six consecutive terms. The AAP's performance in the region, particularly their win in Dediapada during the 2022 Gujarat polls, has been cited as a factor in the seat-sharing discussions. However, concerns about diluting Congress's traditional support base and jeopardising its chances of reclaiming the seat have led to calls for a reconsideration of the agreement. As the Congress-AAP alliance navigates, these internal disputes, the outcome of their deliberations on the Bharuch seat remains a focal point of interest in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections. Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 24 : Kerala Police on Saturday said that they have launched a manhunt against an accused woman in the death of a woman and her newborn. On Wednesday, a woman and her newborn baby passed away after her husband, Nizam, did not take her to hospital and insisted on delivering the newborn at home. Given deceased woman's previous medical records -- who had three previous deliveries through caesarian operation -- the locals had asked Nizam to take her second wife immediately to the hospital for medical attention which he refused, leading to the death of the woman and her baby. Following her death, the locals had protested prompting the police to take action against Nizam which led to his arrest along with a local acupuncture expert who had helped Nizam with the delivery process. After detailed questioning, the police have also named the local acupuncture expert also as an accused in the case. Police said that after investigating the case, they have now launched a manhunt also against Regina who is one of the prime accused in the case. Police said she is on the run and they are trying to arrest her. The police said that the elder daughter of Regina -- who is also a student of acupuncture -- is probing her role as well. New Delhi, Feb 24 : Adani Group Founder and Chairman Gautam Adani on Saturday met Uber's global CEO Dara Khosrowshahi and discussed future collaborations in India, as the country doubles down on green and sustainable energy. New Delhi, Feb 24 (IANS) Adani Group Founder and Chairman Gautam Adani on Saturday met Uber's global CEO Dara Khosrowshahi and discussed future collaborations in India, as the country doubles down on green and sustainable energy. In a post on X, Gautam Adani posted pictures of him with Khosrowshahi, who is currently on a visit to India. "Absolutely captivating chat with @dkhos, CEO of @Uber. His vision for Uber's expansion in India is truly inspiring, especially his commitment to uplifting Indian drivers and their dignity," he posted. "Excited for future collaborations with Dara and his team," Gautam Adani added. The meeting came as Indian green and renewable energy is booming, which will benefit the Electric Vehicle (EV) sector the most Uber is replacing its fleet with EV vehicles across the globe, including in India. Earlier this month, the ride-hailing platform said its eco-friendly, global EV service, called Uber Green, is now available in Delhi. 'Uber Green' was displayed at the Bharat Mobility Expo 2024, visited by Union Minister of Commerce & Industry Piyush Goyal. Meanwhile, Gautam Adani has said he will invest an estimated $100 billion into India's green energy transition over the next 10 years, with plans to scale up to 10 GW of solar manufacturing capacity by 2027. "India is on the cusp of becoming a global leader in renewable energy and Adani Green Energy is in the vanguard of this revolution," he said last December. Adani Green Energy in December announced that the promoters of the company would infuse Rs 9,350 crore into it through preferential issuance of warrants at a price of Rs 1,480.75 per share. "This investment by the Adani family underscores our commitment not only to making our nation's clean energy dream a reality, but also to an equitable energy transition where we phase down traditional power sources while simultaneously phasing up green, affordable alternatives to fuel our accelerating growth and development plans," said Gautam Adani. Over the last year, a good number of insiders have significantly increased their holdings in Akoya Biosciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:AKYA). This is encouraging because it indicates that insiders are more optimistic about the company's prospects. While we would never suggest that investors should base their decisions solely on what the directors of a company have been doing, we do think it is perfectly logical to keep tabs on what insiders are doing. See our latest analysis for Akoya Biosciences Akoya Biosciences Insider Transactions Over The Last Year In the last twelve months, the biggest single purchase by an insider was when Independent Director Matthew Winkler bought US$1.0m worth of shares at a price of US$5.00 per share. So it's clear an insider wanted to buy, at around the current price, which is US$5.49. Of course they may have changed their mind. But this suggests they are optimistic. If someone buys shares at well below current prices, it's a good sign on balance, but keep in mind they may no longer see value. Happily, the Akoya Biosciences insiders decided to buy shares at close to current prices. Akoya Biosciences insiders may have bought shares in the last year, but they didn't sell any. You can see the insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year depicted in the chart below. If you click on the chart, you can see all the individual transactions, including the share price, individual, and the date! There are always plenty of stocks that insiders are buying. So if that suits your style you could check each stock one by one or you could take a look at this free list of companies. (Hint: insiders have been buying them). Insider Ownership For a common shareholder, it is worth checking how many shares are held by company insiders. Usually, the higher the insider ownership, the more likely it is that insiders will be incentivised to build the company for the long term. It appears that Akoya Biosciences insiders own 5.5% of the company, worth about US$15m. While this is a strong but not outstanding level of insider ownership, it's enough to indicate some alignment between management and smaller shareholders. Story continues What Might The Insider Transactions At Akoya Biosciences Tell Us? The fact that there have been no Akoya Biosciences insider transactions recently certainly doesn't bother us. But insiders have shown more of an appetite for the stock, over the last year. Overall we don't see anything to make us think Akoya Biosciences insiders are doubting the company, and they do own shares. In addition to knowing about insider transactions going on, it's beneficial to identify the risks facing Akoya Biosciences. Every company has risks, and we've spotted 3 warning signs for Akoya Biosciences you should know about. If you would prefer to check out another company -- one with potentially superior financials -- then do not miss this free list of interesting companies, that have HIGH return on equity and low debt. For the purposes of this article, insiders are those individuals who report their transactions to the relevant regulatory body. We currently account for open market transactions and private dispositions of direct interests only, but not derivative transactions or indirect interests. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Varanasi, Feb 24 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that empowering women and making them economically and socially strong was the top priority of his government. PM Modi was interacting with women dairy entrepreneurs during a two-day visit to his parliamentary constituency, Varanasi, in Uttar Pradesh. During the conversation, the women informed PM Modi about the benefits of rearing indigenous breeds of Gir cows and the advantages they have gained from it. The women said that ever since they started rearing Gir cows, there have been significant positive changes in their lives as they sell the milk to Amul Dairy and that has increased their income. The women added that they had achieved a degree of economic independence and were no longer dependent on others for their personal expenses. The women also mentioned using cow dung as organic fertiliser in their fields. They said that using this fertiliser had increased the fertility of their fields and the produce from their crops was more, which had also augmented their family income. Consequently, they have now reduced the use of chemical fertilisers in their fields and this has given them a dual advantage: They are saving the money they would have spent on chemical fertilisers and they were getting nutritious, chemical-free produce from the crops in their fields. Some women said that using the milk of Gir cows had also relieved them of many diseases and their medical expenses had decreased. The women expressed their intention to rear Gir cows on a larger scale. PM Modi encouraged the women to move forward and assured them of all possible support. Patna, Feb 24 : Bihar Police on Saturday said that they have busted a human trafficking gang and arrested at least 10 persons including a doctor and have recovered two infants during raids on two private hospitals in Patna. Police said that the alleged kingpin managed to escape during the raids. Patna Police City SP West Abhinav Dhiman said that both the private hospitals have been sealed following the raids. He said that the incident came to light when two women who were travelling with an infant in a car were stopped during a vehicle checking drive in Khagaul locality of Patna. "During questioning, they failed to properly respond to the questions. When we pressured them, they broke down and revealed the nexus. Based on their information, we conducted raids at two private hospitals Manipal Hospital located at Patna bypass road and Devam Hospital in Bakhtiyarpur," Dhiman said. He said that when police conducted raids at Devam Hospital, an infant was recovered from the hospital. "The child was stolen from Manipal Hospital and taken to Devam Hospital. We have raided six places and arrested Dr Parmanand Yadav of Manipal Hospital, Usha Devi, Sangeeta Devi, Archana Kumari, Sanju Devi, Aakash Kumar, Amit Kumar, Satish Kumar, Rahul Kumar and Sonu Kumar. Some of them are medical staff of these two private hospitals," Dhiman said. He said that Dr Naveen Kumar, the Director of Devam Hospital is supposed to be the kingpin of this human trafficking racket. "He is on the run. The infants were taken to a child welfare center. Patna Police is making all the efforts to locate their actual parents," he said. European Commission President visits Ukraine to show solidarity on second war anniversary. Image Source: IANS News Kyiv, Feb 24 : European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has arrived in Kyiv to show solidarity with Ukraine on the second anniversary of Russia's full scale invasion. In a post on X: she posted: "In Kyiv to mark the anniversary of the 2nd year of Russia's war on Ukraine. "More than ever, we stand firmly by Ukraine. Financially, economically, militarily, morally. Until the country is finally free." New Delhi, Feb 24 : Confirming their alliance, the INDIA bloc constituents AAP and Congress on Saturday announced their seat sharing tie-up for the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections for Delhi, Gujarat, and Haryana. Out of the seven seats in Delhi, the AAP will contest on the four Lok Sabha seats of New Delhi, West Delhi, South Delhi and East Delhi while the Congress has been allocated three seats, namely Chandni Chowk, North East and North West Delhi. Though an agreement couldn't be reached in Punjab, the AAP has been given one seat, Kurukshetra in Haryana while the Congress will be contesting on nine seats in the state. During the last Lok Sabha elections, the AAP and Congress did not win a single seat in Delhi. Out of the seven seats, the Congress was the runner up on five while the AAP was runner up on two seats, i.e. North West and South Delhi. Addressing a joint Press conference with AAP minister Atishi, Congress General Secretary and MP Mukul Wasnik stated that there were seven seats in the Delhi Lok Sabha and the AAP would contest on four seats while the Congress would fight on three. As an agreement couldn't be reached between the two parties regarding Punjab and Chandigarh, both will contest the polls separately there. In Gujarat, the Congress is contesting on 24 out of 26 Lok Sabha seats, while the AAP has been given the two seats of Bharuch and Bhavnagar. In Goa, the Congress candidates will contest on both Lok Sabha seats. Addressing the media, Atishi said that the AAP has been an important pillar of the INDIA bloc from the beginning. "We have been working for the success of the INDIA bloc. While negotiations and seat distribution with the Congress took time, the AAP has consistently made it clear that we are part of the alliance and will contest elections together," she said. Amaravati, Feb 24 : Telugu Desam Party (TDP) will contest 151 seats and Jana Sena 24 seats under the seat adjustment announced by the two parties on Saturday for the forthcoming elections to the 175-member Andhra Pradesh Assembly. The TDP has also left three out of 25 Lok Sabha seats for Jana Sena. The announcement was made at a joint press conference by TDP national president and former chief minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and Jana Sena leader and actor Pawan Kalyan. Naidu and Pawan Kalyan said that if the BJP comes forward to join them, talks will be held with it and an appropriate decision will be taken at appropriate time. Naidu also announced the first list of 94 candidates of TDP. Pawan Kalyan announced the first list of five candidates. Both the leaders said they decided to have the alliance for the future five crore people of the state. "It's a historic day. This is the first step for a good cause," he said. Pawan Kalyan said they want to avoid a split of anti-YSRCP votes. Chennai, Feb 24 : Tamil Nadu Congress leader and sitting MLA from Vilavankode assembly constituency, S. Vijayadharani, has quit the party and joined the BJP. She joined the BJP at the party headquarters in New Delhi on Saturday, in the presence of Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting, L. Murugan, BJP national secretary Arvind Menon who is also the in-charge of the BJP for Tamil Nadu, co-in-charge of the party for state elections, Ponguleti Sudhakar Reddy. Tamil Nadu BJP President K.Annamalai in a tweet said, aCongress Party's Vilavankode Constituency Assembly Member Sister @VijayadharaniM was impressed by the serious leadership of Hon'ble Prime Minister of India Mr. @narendramodi and in Delhi, Hon'ble Union Minister of State Mr. @Murugan_MoS and @BJP4Tamilnadu State Election Officer Mr. @MenonArvindBJP, State Co-in-charge Mr. @ReddySudhakar21 has joined the BJP today. I welcome Sister @VijayadharaniM and inform her that her visit will further strengthen Tamilnadu BJP." The sitting MLA resigning from the Congress and joining the BJP is a big blow to the fortunes of the Congress party in Tamil Nadu and a big boost for the BJP. It may be noted that IANS had reported of Vijayadharani having discussions with the BJP national leadership in New Delhi. However, the Tamil Nadu Congress President, K.Selvaperunthagai told media persons on Friday that Vijayadharani being a lawyer was in New Delhi to appear for certain cases in Supreme Court. He has also denied reports about her joining the BJP. Bhopal, Feb 24 : Home Minister Amit Shah will address a public meeting in Khajuraho Lok Sabha constituency in Madhya Pradesh ahead of Lok Sabha election on Saturday. The Khajuraho Lok Sabha constituency is represented by state BJP President V. D. Sharma. He will also chair the first cluster meeting with state leaders and clusters in-charge for Lok Sabha constituencies in Gwalior-Chambal region. Madhya Pradesh BJP media cell Chief Ashish Agrawal told IANS that at least 400 leaders and workers from Morena, Bhind, Guna and Gwalior Lok Sabha seats will be attending the meeting, during which Shah will review the preparedness for the upcoming general election. Senior BJP leader and former minister Bhupendra Singh has been made cluster in-charge for Gwalior-Chambal region. Earlier, the party had appointed former state Home Minister Narottam Mishra as cluster in-charge for this region. However, he along with six others were replaced later. Notably, PM Modi has kick-started the campaign for the coming Lok Sabha election during his visit to Madhya Pradesha tribal region Jhabua on February 11. Shah, who had started poll preparations for the assembly election held in November last from Indore, will start the preparation for the general election from Gwalior-Chambal region. After a resounding victory in the assembly election, the BJP will be eying to win all 29 Lok Sabha seats in Madhya Pradesh. In the last two general elections, the BJP have won 27 and 28 seats out of 29 Lok Sabha seats in 2014 and 2019 respectively. IANS pd/dan Washington, Feb 24 : US Secretary of state department Antony Blinken has said that Russian President Vladimir Putin's war not only threatens Ukraine but also Washington, NATO allies and free open international trade. On the second anniversary of Russia's full scale invasion of Ukraine, the US state department in a statement said: "The US has built a coalition of 50 countries, including all NATO members and the G7 in defence of the freedom of a sovereign democratic nation. Together, we will continue to impose costs on Putin's Russia for its actions and ensure accountability for its crimes." Expressing solidarity with Kyiy, the US said it will continue to stand resolutely with the Ukrainian people in their defence of their homeland. "Together, we will continue to impose costs on Putin's Russia for its actions and ensure accountability for its crimes. We are imposing additional costs for Russia's internal repression, the death of Aleksey Navalny, and the war against Ukraine," it added. New Delhi, Feb 24 : The Delhi High Court has disposed of a petition from Delhi University concerning protests led by a former professor, at the North Campus. Justice Subramonium Prasad said that the situation presented a law and order issue, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Delhi Police to address as per legal standards. The court expressed its unwillingness to further pursue the matter at this stage, thereby disposing of the petition. It was noted that the university has the option to file a complaint directly with the Commissioner of Police, who is then tasked to act based on the law and the specifics of the situation presented. Delhi University had brought the plea, alleging that Dr. Ritu Singh, and her followers had commenced unauthorised occupation of land in front of Gate No. 4 of the Faculty of Arts, conducting protests and dharnas that disrupted the university's operations. The university sought intervention from the court to instruct the Commissioner of Delhi Police to ensure the uninterrupted and peaceful operation of the university and its associated colleges and departments. Advocate Monika Arora, representing the university, informed the court that the protestors, led by Singh who is neither a current teacher, student, nor staff member, were essentially outsiders causing disruptions. Justice Prasad, in response, pointed out the primary responsibility of the police in such matters and expressed reluctance to issue a directive (mandamus) for police action. He stressed the significance of understanding the constitutional implications of arguing for judicial intervention in what is essentially a police duty. The university's plea stated how Dr. Singh's activities not only hindered the accessibility of the university premises for students and officials but also involved defamation and threats towards the university's officials, including the Vice-Chancellor. Moreover, the plea accused Singh of defacing public property. Kolkata, Feb 24 : As the overall ambience remains tense in West Bengal's Sandeshkhali area, with Section 144 imposed in pockets and route marches by the state police continuing, the villagers have started complaining that Sheikh Sirajuddin, the younger brother of absconding Trinamool Congress leader Sheikh Shahjahan had grabbed their lands at throwaway prices and expanded the family's pisciculture business by exploiting his brother's political clout. This week a group of agitated villagers burnt down a warehouse situated on a pisciculture farm owned by Sirajuddin, which prompted senior cops of the state police to rush to the spot and attempt to cool down the simmering anger of the villagers and convince them not to break the law. However, the villagers clearly told the media persons camped there that the oppression against them would continue unless Shahjahan, the mastermind behind the attack on ED and CAPF personnel on January 5, is arrested. Describing how Sheikh Sirajuddin used to usurp their land, a local woman protester said, "First Sirajuddin's men used to identify the farmland in the area where they wanted to set up their pisciculture farm and approach the owner. If the landowner agreed to sell the land they were given a nominal amount in return. "However, if they did not sell then arm-twisting tactics were used. The fertility of the farmland was destroyed by flooding it with salt water. After that, the landowner concerned had no other option but to sell it to Sirajuddin at a throwaway price." Although the state police have opened camps to register complaints of the landowners on this count, the villagers do not seem to have much confidence in police given their past experiences. "Whenever we used to approach the local police with any complaints against the Trinamool leader's brother, we were asked to approach Shahjahan and his associates to sort out the matter," said another villager. Additional Director General (ADG) of police, South Bengal said that till date there is no official or written complaint against Sirajuddin and assured appropriate action once any specific complaint was filed. However, the terrified villagers are reluctant to come forward right now. CHICAGO, Feb. 24, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- At the invitation of Mr. Siva Yam, President of the United States of America-China Chamber of Commerce, Mr. Zhang Zhiguo, the CEO of Asia International Mergers and Acquisitions Fund for China, along with his delegation, arrived in Chicago, the third-largest city in the United States, on January 29, 2024. On the morning of January 30 at 10:00 AM, they visited the headquarters of the US-China Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Zhang Zhiguo and his old friend, Mr. Siva Yam, engaged in in-depth discussions for four hours. The parties reached multiple agreements and signed the "Comprehensive Strategic Cooperation Agreement between the US-China Chamber of Commerce and Asia Mergers and Acquisitions Fund," prioritizing the signing of four agreements: "Mutual Investment and Mergers and Acquisitions Cooperation Agreement between Chinese and American Enterprises," "Cooperation Agreement for Chinese Enterprises to List on NASDAQ," "Foreign Investment and Investment Promotion Agreement with Chinese Local Governments," and "Business Inspection and Training Agreement for Chinese and American Small and Medium Enterprises." Mr. Xu Zhenhua, a director of the Asia International Mergers and Acquisitions Fund, accompanied Mr. Zhang's delegation. Mr. Zhang Zhiguo, President of Asia International M&A Fund China, and Mr. Siva Yam, President of China-America Chamber of Commerce signed the NASDAQ listing agreement and the Foreign M&A cooperation agreement Currently, leveraging its financial capital resource advantages, the Asia International Mergers and Acquisitions Fund has been collaborating with various local governments on the ambitious plan to "Eliminate Counties with No Overseas Listings" in China. With 2863 districts and counties in China, the plan aims to incubate at least one overseas-listed company in each district and county. By promoting overseas listings, this plan intends to pave a convenient path to international capital market financing for China's small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), using global capital to facilitate the transformation and upgrading of Chinese SMEs and to promote the development of China's local economies. The plan has received strong endorsement and support . This comprehensive strategic cooperation with the US-China Chamber of Commerce leverages the chamber's influence in the US political and business circles to mobilize Wall Street capital to better implement the "Eliminate Counties with No Overseas Listings" plan. Story continues The cooperation items were the result of nearly six months of prior communication and coordination between the two sides and have the support of Republican members of the board of directors of the US-China Chamber of Commerce. The signing of the "Comprehensive Strategic Cooperation Agreement between the US-China Chamber of Commerce and Asia Mergers and Acquisitions Fund" follows President Xi Jinping's successful visit to San Francisco and the successful meeting between the heads of state of China and the United States. Based on the "San Francisco Vision" reached by the heads of state, aimed at advancing the development of China-US relations, this important civil economic exchange and cooperation fully reflects the profound connotation of President Xi Jinping's statement that "the hope of China-US relations lies in the people, and the foundation lies in the civilian sector." Through the active participation of non-governmental organizations and enterprises, the connection between the peoples of China and the United States will be closer, and civil exchanges and cooperation will be more active, injecting new momentum into the healthy development of China-US relations. The board of directors of the United States of America-China Chamber of Commerce consists of notable individuals from the Republican and Democratic parties, as well as the business and legal communities. The founding chairman was Prescott Bush, and the current president is Mr. Siva Yam, an investment banker with over twenty years of experience in mergers and acquisitions, company listings, private equity financing, and venture capital. He also serves as an advisor to several venture capital firms and Sino-American companies. The US-China Chamber of Commerce is a bilateral member organization that assists Chinese and American businesses, professionals, and the public in better understanding the business environments and cultural traditions of the two countries, helping Chinese enterprises enter the US market and attract foreign investment, as well as guiding American SMEs in expanding into China. Headquartered in the international financial center of Hong Kong, China, the Asia International Mergers and Acquisitions Fund primarily aids global capital in participating in investment, industrial upgrading, mergers and acquisitions restructuring, investment and financing consulting, and comprehensive capital market services such as legal and fiscal matters in East Asia and Southeast Asia. The China region is our service focus, where we assist Chinese enterprises in overseas listings and international mergers and acquisitions restructuring, unleashing their potential for international development, acquiring international advanced manufacturing and management technology, industrial supply chain resources, brands, and marketing channels. We also facilitate the introduction of international high-quality enterprises into the Chinese market for investment, joint ventures, or mergers and acquisitions, achieving mutual benefit. Additionally, we assist Chinese local governments in industrial upgrading planning, capital planning, and attracting foreign investment. Media Contact: Zack zzhiguo16@mail.com +86 18121307508/+1 8258820468 Cision View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/america-china-chamber-of-commerce-and-asia-international-ma-fund-sign-strategic-cooperation-agreement-302070357.html SOURCE America-China Chamber of Commerce Bengaluru, Feb 24 : BJP MP from Uttara Kannada Lok Sabha constituency, Anantkumar Hegde, said on Saturday that those who are taking part in protests in New Delhi are not farmers but are Khalistanis. "They arrive in high end cars. Do farmers have this much money? Those protesting are not farmers. It is not farmers' agitation. It is the protest staged by betrayers of the nation. It is an agitation of Khalistanis which is termed as farmers' protest. All of them are funded by foreign countries," Hegde said. He said that these farmers -- who claim discrimination and injustice -- arrive in high end cars and in new tractors whenever a protest call is given. Targeting Chief Minister Siddaramaiah over his criticism of the Central government over allocation of funds, Hegde said that it is not the "property of his father" to allocate funds as and when he sought it. "If good relations are maintained and proposals from the state are submitted and discussion is held with concerned ministers, everything will be smooth including the allotment of funds. But the Chief Minister Siddaramaiah does not want it that way," he said. "I have seen many governments and Chief Ministers in my career but have never witnessed such a government till now," he said. Surat, Feb 24 : The Congress party in Surat is facing intense internal conflict after Congress-AAP alliance allotted Bharuch Lok Sabha seat to AAP. Bharuch Lok Sabha constituency is closely associated with Faisal Patel's late father and Congress leader Ahmed Patel. This discord comes at a crucial time, as the party seeks unity ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. Faisal Patel has voiced his concerns over the allocation of seats, particularly Bharuch. "My bond with the people of Bharuch, my father's parliamentary constituency, is profound. The recent developments dishearten me, but I differ with the high command's decision," Faisal Patel stated, signaling his intent to engage with party leadership in Delhi to seek resolution. In response to the Congress-AAP alliance's decision to allocate Bharuch and Bhavnagar seats to AAP, CR Paatil, BJP's Gujarat President, asserted that the alliance would not sway BJP's dominance in these areas. "These seats have remained with the BJP during Ahmed Patel's lifetime and will continue to do so, regardless of any alliances. BJP is strong in Bharuch. This alliance reflects that Congress has already accepted defeat. Even Congress leaders see no hope of victory. Congress should not do such wrong to Gujaratas public. Gujaratas aware public is now also aware about parties that come during elections and then run away," Paatil remarked. The controversy over the city chief's appointment without adequate consultation has also drawn criticism from Raghubhai Rabari, a veteran Congress leader and former Deputy City Chief with over 25 years of service. Rabari's dissatisfaction reflects a broader sentiment within the party's grassroots, with warnings that ignoring these concerns could jeopardise Congress' prospects in the upcoming elections. As part of a electoral strategy, the Congress has decided to contest two seats in Goa and allocate one seat in Haryana to AAP, in addition to the contested seats in Gujarat. The INDIA bloc's nomination of Chaitrarbhai Vasava as the AAP candidate for the Bharuch Lok Sabha seat adds another layer to Gujarat's evolving political narrative, with Vasava yet to comment on his candidacy. Chennai, Feb 24 : The Tamil Nadu public health department has issued an advisory to the Tamil Nadu forest department and local authorities in areas bordering Karnataka as the threat of Monkey Fever looms large over the border villages. Monkey Fever (Kyasanur Forest Disease) cases are on the rise in Karnataka. Till date, two persons have died due to the disease, while 103 others are admitted to different hospitals in Shivamogga, Uttara Kannada and Chickmagaluru districts. A study conducted by the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) along with the National Institute of Virology (NIV) has confirmed the presence of the deadly virus in Mysore and Hassan districts of Karnataka, which are bordering Tamil Nadu. The state health and forest authorities have beefed up surveillance along the Tamil Nadu-Karnataka border, as Monkey Fever cases are on the rise in the neighbouring state. The disease is seasonal and more cases are reported during the dry season. The high-risk category population includes the forest staff, anti-poaching watchers, and forest guards. The Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR) in the Nilgiris, Tamil Nadu, is contiguous with the Bandipur National Park in Karnataka. There are 200 field staff who spend close to six hours per day in the MTR, potentially exposing themselves to the virus, of which monkeys, rodents and shrews are common hosts. The next few months are going to be crucial for the forest staff, as forest fires will be a norm which will send the ticks flying, exposing the field staff to the virus. Health department sources told IANS that vaccination for Monkey Fever was given for six years till 2020 to forest field staff in the Nilgiris, but it was not done post the Covid-19 pandemic. Monkey Fever has an incubation period of 3-8 days after which the symptoms of the disease -- chills, fever and headache -- start to show. Severe muscle pain with vomiting, gastrointestinal symptoms and bleeding may occur 3-4 days after the onset of the initial symptoms It is to be noted that there is no specific treatment for Monkey Fever, though early hospitalisation and supportive therapy is important. Amaravati, Feb 24 : Rebel MP of YSR Congress Party (YSRCP), K. Raghu Ramakrishna Raju, on Saturday resigned from the primary membership of the party. He sent his resignation letter to YSRCP president and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy. The Lok Sabha member from Narsapuram constituency wrote that the "chief minister's multiple efforts to get him disqualified from parliamentary membership haven't yielded desired results. "However, every time you made an attempt, I also have equally made laudable, positive and even more powerful efforts working for my constituency and its holistic development as well its constituents at Narsapuram for the last 3.5 years despite of your hostility and malicious brutal acts to physically eliminate me," wrote K. Raghu Ramakrishna Raju. "As the time has come for all of us to face the public probity and mandate, it will free both of us from this unsavoury association once for all," he added. Th rebel MP is likely to join the opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and contest again from Narsapuram in the forthcoming elections. The MP had said in January 2022 that if YSRCP fails to get him disqualified, he will resign and contest by-election. K. Raghu Ramakrishna Raju, who was elected to Lok Sabha from Narsapuram on YSRCP ticket in 2019, raised the banner of revolt in 2020 by openly criticising the party policies. In July, 2020, the YSRCP had submitted a disqualification petition against him to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla. The party leaders had brought to the Speaker's notice that the rebel MP had been making statements against the party. They said his conduct was highly questionable and he lost the moral right to continue as a member of the House representing the party. The rebel MP was also accused of hobnobbing with the leaders of the opposition party and using unparliamentary language against Jagan Mohan Reddy and other party members. --IANS ms/SVN New Delhi, Feb 24 : The Delhi High Court has ruled that denial of benefits to construction workers by the Delhi Building & Other Construction Workers Welfare Board due to their failure to make a contribution for the renewal of registration, is incorrect. A Division Bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora decreed that workers shall remain eligible for benefits under the Act for one year from the date they were required to make fresh contributions to renew the registration. The court added that any unpaid contributions shall be offset against the benefits owed to the construction worker. This ruling comes in response to a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by the National Campaign Committee for Central Legislation on Construction Labour, challenging the Board's methodology for categorising workers' registration status under the Building and Other Construction Workers Act, 1996. The Bench said that the Act aims to safeguard the welfare of construction workers and ensure their safety, health, and overall well-being. It reiterated that any interpretation leading to the denial of benefits contradicts the legislative intent and established legal principles. While agreeing with the Board's counsel regarding the requirement for a construction worker to be engaged in building and construction work for a minimum of 90 days per year to qualify for benefits, the court directed the Board to promptly reconsider all rejected or pending applications in line with the interpretation of Section 17 of the Act. In conclusion, the court disposed of the writ petition, instructing the respondent-Board to re-examine all relevant applications both offline and online, adhering to the clarified interpretation of the Act. A copy of the order was uploaded on the site of the High Court on Saturday. February 24 : Actress Richa Chadha, who collaborated with Sanjay Leela Bhansali for series Heeramandi, pens a wordy and inspiring note for the filmmaker on his birthday. Sharing a working still from Heeramandi, Richa wrote, Dear Sanjay Leela Bhansali - I can describe my life as an actor by dividing my career into two parts pre-SLB and post SLB! What can I even say about you? We know how we feel. We know the point where our ideas meet mid-air and give birth to magicno words are uttered, the set looks onbut a gaze is exchanged and a new character is born each time, a character that will outlive both you and me and that is your love-soaked, moist-eyed gift to the world. I love you HBD to the greatest #SanjayLeelaBhansali Director extraordinaire, champion of the arts, magic maker , ruhani-lover and Gurudev! Grateful for your existence , --, -- (Faiz) Love you. @bhansali_produc pic.twitter.com/ZFkFr9XmUf RichaChadha (@RichaChadha) February 24, 2024 Others want to work with you because you make them look good! Sure, no one better at it than you, every other director who tries, gets accused of having a Bhansali hangover. Your films are seminal, youre as big as it gets and then some but thats not it for me! I am a greedy actor and for me, each time I work with you, I emerge a better artist. You make me do things I didnt believe were possible! Before each shot, its like meeting a loverthe heart beats faster, I have butterflies in my stomach, but its all worth it when a character comes to life, uses my body as a medium to convey pain, lust, heartbreak and just juicy, full- bosomed love. Youre an enigma to the world, but to me youre an old soulpreserving whats left, documenting it for posterity, making raw emotion tug at heart strings even in this fast paced worldno one understands or respects Indian music, dance and tapestry the way you do and for that sir, I tip my hat to you! Who knows when we shall unite again, but I preserve every lesson like a gift from God! Youre my friend, my spiritual buddy, my well-wisher but most of all my Guru! I am grateful for your existence! @bhansaliproductions Now and forevermore! Your Raseela and Lajjo! #TheBest #StuffofLegend #thesanjayleelabhansali Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar is created by Sanjay Leela Bhansali. The series is about the lives of tawaifs at the red-light district of Heera Mandi in Lahore, during the Indian independence movement against the British Raj. It stars Manisha Koirala, Sonakshi Sinha, Aditi Rao Hydari, Richa Chadha, Sanjeeda Sheikh and Sharmin Segal. New Delhi, Feb 24 : A 30-year-old inter-state drug supplier, who was absconding for the last one year, was nabbed at Delhi airport, while he was trying to flee to Canada, police said on Saturday. The accused was identified as Kanwarbir Singh, a resident of Amritsar district in Punjab. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Alok Kumar said that a police team was working on information about one absconding drug supplier, Kanwarbir Singh, the kingpin of an interstate narcotics cartel. On February 18, two of his associates -- Ranbir Singh a.k.a Tinku and Loyangamba Itocha -- were also arrested, and opium was recovered that was procured by them from a drug supplier in Manipur. "Many raids were conducted on the hideouts of Singh in Punjab but he was not found. In between, an information was received that accused was trying to flee from India for a job as a chef in Canada. As a preventive action, a look out circular against Kanwarbir was issued," said the DCP. Subsequently, Kanwarbir was arrested from Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport, foiling his plan to leave the country and run away from the clutches of law. The DCP said that Kanwarbir after his studies started a job as a chef in his cousin's Hotel. "Here he came in contact with some criminal elements and started the supply of contraband substances in his local area and earned the money," said the DCP. Kanwarbir further came in the contact of one Kanwaldeep Singh a.k.a Chotu Sardar and started supplying drugs in Delhi, Punjab, and Assam. Chennai, Feb 24 : Fishermen of Thangachimadam and Rameswaram areas in Tamil Nadu along with their families have started a relay hunger on Saturday against the arrests of Tamil Nadu fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy "Sri Lankan government has jailed five of our fishermen. They have been sentenced in between six months to two years. We have not ventured into the sea for the last eight days now," P Jesu Raja, a fishermen leader, told IANS. He said that the hunger strike will continue till all the fishermen are not released unconditionally and an assurance given that the Sri Lankan government will not arrest fishermen anymore. The fishermen association leaders said that they will continue with the strike even if they die due to starvation. Jesu Raja appealed to the Central government to immediately intervene to get the fishermen released along with their mechanised boats. The fishermen leaders said that the fishermen from coastal districts of Tamil Nadu continue to earn good foreign exchange revenues through exports by their hard work. "The government should not let us down," they said. Simon Josephn, another fishermen leader, told IANS, that the fishermen of Rameswaram and Thangachimadom areas have been fishing in the Palk Bay since a long time and the sudden and forceful action being taken by the Sri Lankan Navy against the fisherman is totally unacceptable. Simon said that India has been providing huge support to Sri Lanka but the island nation is throttling the livelihoods of the fishermen. He said that the fishermen are eager to get back to work and hope for speedy action from the government. The fishermen families of Rameswaram, Thangachimadam, Mandapam and Dhanushkodi areas have also stayed away from the annual two day St Antony's Church festival in Katchatheevu. "Families are upset over the jail terms awarded to the fishermen and to express our solidarity, we have decided not to participate in the annual festival," fishermen leader R. Sagayam of Rameswaram told IANS. Patna, Feb 24 : A team from the Himachal Pradesh Police detained a newly-married couple in Bihar's Jahanabad district on Saturday. The police claimed the detained couple, both natives of Bihar's Gaya district, are cousin brother and sister by relation. The girl was living with her family members in Baddi in Himachal Pradesh. The husband is accused of kidnapping the girl and taking her to Jahanabad. An FIR has been registered in this connection at a women's police station in Baddi following the submission of a written complaint by the girl's mother. The girl, however, claimed that she herself went with the man and got married at a temple. During investigation, it was revealed that the girl reportedly had an affair with her cousin's brother for a long time. They were in touch with each other over phone. The girl had left her house in Baddi on February 1. "The girl's mother lodged a written complaint with the women's police station in Baddi. We put the girl's mobile phone on surveillance and traced her location to the Adarsh Nagar locality in Jahanabad. Accordingly, we reached Jahanabad and detained the couple. We will take them to Baddi for further investigation," said a Himachal Police officer. New Delhi, Feb 24 : Delhi Police's Special Cell has arrested the main sharpshooter of the Gogi gang involved in firing at a property dealer office for extortion of Rs one crore in the national capital, police said on Saturday. The accused was identified as Ankit a.k.a Vishal a.k.a Yamraj (23), a resident of Karala in Delhi. Police said that several incidents of extortion, murders and attempt to murders have taken place in the Delhi area and Yogesh Tunda-Dinesh Karala, handling Gogi gang, has created havoc and unrest among the common masses. "A police team was tasked to bust the nexus operating in the area. The team worked relentlessly day and night, and through manual and technical surveillance managed to gather valuable information about the associates of the dreaded criminals, who are operating from behind the bars," said a senior police official. On February 15, an incident of firing occurred at a property dealer of King & company, Sector-5 Rohini, for extortion as he refused to pay Rs one Crore extortion money to Dinesh Karal-Gogi gang. During the probe, it was revealed that Ankit was involved in the above said incident and raids were conducted on the suspected hideouts of the accused person in the area of Delhi-NCR, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh. "On certain occasions, he narrowly escaped from the clutches of police. The criminal was using all possible ways to remain elusive and it was very difficult to keep a constant tab on his movements as he was changing his mobile number and the hideouts quite frequently to evade his arrest. However, the team did not lose patience and kept on chasing him," said Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Alok Kumar. On Wednesday, Ankit was nabbed near Japanese Park, Rohini when he had arrived there to discuss the next course of action with his associates as the property dealer refused to pay the extortion money. "During his cursory search, one loaded pistol and one live cartridge was recovered from his possession," said the DCP. On interrogation, it was revealed that Ankit was arrested in 2019 under section of Arms Act for the first time and was behind the bars for three months. "In 2019, he again went to jail in a POCSO case. After coming out on bail, he started committing crime with more desperation and became the main sharpshooter of the Gogi gang," said the DCP. Police said that Ankit used to remain in contact with main kingpins of the gang from behind the bars. Earlier in January, in a series of raids in multiple states, the Delhi Police's Crime Branch had arrested eight members while two juveniles have been apprehended of Gogi gang, who were running an extortion racket in the national capital and its peripherals. Business Insider US households and nonprofits have quadrupled equity allocations over the past 40 years to a near-record high of 41%. Americans' "love affair" with stocks has pushed multiples up 20 percentage points relative to overseas markets. The bank added that the forces that drove Americans' love of stocks will fade in coming years. There's not a lot that can dent Americans' love for stocks it seems. According to JPMorgan strategists Jan Loeys and Alexander Wise, US households and non profits have steadily ramped up stock buying over the last four decades, with allocations to US equities hitting a near-record of 41% this year. That's a stark contrast with the rest of the world, and it is a factor that has helped the US stock market put up big growth numbers in that timeframe. "Together with superior earnings growth, this has propelled the US equity market to the strongest in the world over those decades to a point it is now 64% of world capitalization," the analysts wrote in a note published this week. What JPMorgan calls Americans' "love affair" with the stock market has pushed multiples up 20 percentage points compared to the rest of the world, contributing to half of the 5.1% annual outperformance of US equities since 1987, and creating the paradigm of "US Exceptionalism," they said. While a 41% allocation seems unremarkable relative to the classic 60/40 equity-bond allocation recommended by many financial advisors, it reflects a consistent growth pattern since US households' allocations to stocks hit a low of 10% in the early 1980s. That growth has exceeded many counterparts in other developed countries, according to the strategists. "Households in Japan, Germany, and France have not increased their equity allocations over the past 30-40 years, unlike their US counterparts. Japan and Germany households have only 13% and 16%, respectively, invested in stocks, with France at 26%." Story continues The wealthiest 5% of US households poured even more cash into the stock market, allocating 57% of their investments to stocks, 8% to cash, and 23% to fixed income, primarily corporate and municipal bonds. Boiled down to stocks and bonds, these households had a 70/30 portfolio split at the end of 2018. JPMorgan noted that several factors have driven a strong "equity culture" in the US. The first is an acceptance among the public that equity returns are generally high, about 10.8% per annum, making investors likely to stick with the market rather than sell into a rally. "One possibility, contrary to how we all like to think of strategic asset allocation, is that end investors may not really have a strong view, or even a vague one, on how much they want to allocate to different asset classes and simply 'go with the flow'," Loeys and Wise said. The note added that other factors have contributed to the love of stocks, including investors' perception of lower risks to US equities compared to anywhere else, the popularity of investing books like Jeremy Siegel's "Stocks for the Long Run," and improved equity trading conditions fueled by the proliferation of funds that track different parts of the market. However, the love affair might not last forever. The analysts warned that investors could part ways with their stock holdings if they set future expectations too high or if a strong alternative to equities comes along, and they predict there will be less money flowing into equities in the next five years. Meanwhile, macroeconomic uncertainties and fiscal policies come into play. It's worth noting that an aging population suggests Americans should gradually shift from equities to holding more in cash and bonds over time, though the analysts say such a move isn't imminent. Read the original article on Business Insider New Delhi, Feb 24 : In a thrust to the government's green energy goals, the Adani Group and Uber may soon announce a joint venture (JV) to help the global ride-hailing major expand its fleet that runs on alternative and renewable energy, sources said on Saturday. With this, Uber's fleet in the country is likely to grow to 200,000 vehicles in the short term, people close to the development told IANS. According to sources, the Adani Group is likely to explore partnerships with major Indian vehicle manufacturers to further build the fleet in the key sunrise sector. This JV will also provide employment opportunities to several thousands of people directly and indirectly, according to people close to the matter. On Saturday morning, Adani Group Founder and Chairman Gautam Adani met Uber's global CEO Dara Khosrowshahi and discussed future collaborations, as the country doubles down on green and sustainable energy. "Absolutely captivating chat with @dkhos, CEO of @Uber. His vision for Uber's expansion in India is truly inspiring, especially his commitment to uplifting Indian drivers and their dignity," Gautam Adani posted on X. "Excited for future collaborations with Dara and his team," Gautam Adani added. Replying to Gautam Adani, Khosrowshahi said the company is committed to scale up its operations in the country. "An absolutely terrific conversation with @gautam_adani over a delicious breakfast about India's phenomenal growth and rising entrepreneurship," Khosrowshahi posted on X. Uber came to India in 2013 and completed over 3 billion trips in the next 10 years. Today, Uber is available across 125 cities. According to the company, it has helped "over 800,000 Indians earn a sustainable income by getting in the driver's seat". The significant collaboration comes at a time when India is implementing the world's largest renewable energy expansion programme, envisaging a five-fold increase in the overall renewable energy production capacity. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has set a target to install 500 GW renewable energy capacity by 2030. India is also uniquely poised to emerge as a prominent global leader in the production of green hydrogen, not just based on its abundant renewable energy resources and the benefits of one of the world's lowest costs of regeneration, but also because of its R&D ecosystem and the framework designed for R&D in cross-cutting sectors of hydrogen production, transport, electrolyse manufacturing, support infrastructure, fuel cell EVs, storage and utilisation. The government is also expanding and strengthening the EV ecosystem by supporting manufacturing and charging infrastructure. The focus on boosting EV charging stations will drive sales of both vehicles and charging infrastructure. Additionally, government initiatives like the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid & Electric Vehicles (FAME) scheme further incentivise EV adoption. The clean energy industry hailed the government's latest push towards 'green growth' with a new scheme of bio-manufacturing and bio-foundry, announced during the Interim Budget presented earlier this month, which will foster sustainable mobility. The government said that such steps will provide environment-friendly alternatives, such as biodegradable polymers, bio-plastics, bio-pharmaceuticals and bio-agri inputs. "This scheme will also help transform today's consumptive manufacturing paradigm to the one based on regenerative principles," said Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. New Delhi, Feb 24 : The recent development in the Indian student Jaahnavi Kandula's death case in the US echoes a 2015 incident in the state of Alabama where a police officer was acquitted for brutally assaulting an Indian man, which left him partially paralysed. Kandula, a student of Northeastern University in South Lake Union, died in January 2023 after she was hit by a Seattle Police vehicle driven by police officer Kevin Dave at a pedestrian crossing. More than a year after the 23-year-old's killing, the King's County Prosecutor's Office said this week that they will not be pressing charges against Dave due to the "lack of sufficient evidence". While her case is now being referred to the Seattle City Attorney's office for review as the family pursues legal rights to obtain justice, police officer Eric Parker was cleared of criminal charges a year after he was accused of using excessive force against Gujarat resident Sureshbhai Patel in 2015. What happened in 2015? Patel, who had come to the US on the birth of his grandson, was taking a stroll around his son's home in Madison Alabama in February 2015 when a neighbour called police to report a "skinny black man" walking along the street. When police stopped Patel, then 57 years old, on the sidewalk to ask what he was doing, he repeatedly told officers that he didn't speak English and pointed at his son's house. Cameras inside patrol vehicles recorded officer Eric Parker using a leg sweep to take Patel to the ground, which left him in need of spinal surgery and sparked outrage among the Indian community in the US. Following his vertebrae surgery at Madison Hospital, Patel was treated at the Healthsouth Rehabilitation Center in Huntsville, where he had to relearn how to walk. In the five years since Patel was slammed to the pavement, the juries couldn't reach a unanimous verdict in two trials that were held in federal court in Huntsville on the matter. Following the two mistrials, US District Judge Madeline Hughes Haikala in January 2016 granted a motion to acquit, ending the federal civil trial for Parker, who was then taken off administrative leave and returned to work with the Madison Police Department in September 2016. In 2020, a federal appeals court ruled that there was enough evidence for Patel to proceed with his lawsuit against Parker, igniting hopes for the Indian family. The lawsuit, filed in February 2015 by Patel's family, said that the City of Madison violated federal law by allegedly failing to train its police officers, resulting in a violation of the victim's constitutional rights. The lawsuit was settled in 2021 for $1.75 million with Patelas attorney reportedly saying that the case was formally dismissed. According to BBC, Parker had told jurors that Patel's actions and appearance were "in sequence'" with those of a burglar. As of now... While Patel has returned to India and has to take the support of a walker to move, Kandula's family in Andhra Pradesh continues to seek justice for the daughter who left forever. In a statement sent to KIRO 7 news channel on February 21, the family said that they will take legal recourse to secure justice for Kandula as the city of Seattle has failed to do so. "We are shocked and disappointed that the King County Prosecutor's office has failed to criminally charge the Seattle police officer whose reckless behavior killed Jaahnavi Kandula," the statement read. "We are pursuing our legal rights to obtain justice for Jaahnavi even though the city of Seattle has failed to do so." The Indian Consulate said that they are awaiting the "completion of Seattle Police's administrative investigation and will continue to monitor progress in the case". They have also raised the matter with the local authorities, including Seattle Police, for appropriate redress. The recent Indian deaths in US More than five Indians, mostly students, have died in quick succession in the US, seen as a land of opportunity by the community, since the start of this year. Vivek Saini, a 25-year-old student from Haryana, was hit 50 times on the head with a hammer by a homeless drug addict in Georgia. The death of a 23-year-old Purdue University student Sameer Kamath in Indiana at the beginning of this month was ruled as suicide, according to the Warren County Coroner's office. Neel Acharya, 19, also a Purdue University student was found dead outside a building on the campus after he went missing late in January. The Tippecanoe County Coroner's Office said no signs of trauma or significant injuries were found during the autopsy. G Dinesh, 22, from Wanaparthy in Telangana, and Nikesh, 21, from Srikakulam in Andhra Pradesh, were found dead in January this year under suspicious conditions at their Connecticut accommodation (Meenakshi Iyer can be reached at meenakshi.i@ians.in) Kolkata, Feb 24 : Vigil mounted by women in a neighborhood in the northeast suburbs of Kolkata led to the miraculous rescue of a 64-year-old woman -- a dementia patient -- who had wandered nearly 7 km from her home in New Barrackpore. The incident occurred at Khardah's Railway Park on Friday. Khardah is about 17 km from the heart of Kolkata. For quite some time now, the neighborhood has been plagued by thefts during daytime hours when men are away at work. The women have taken it upon themselves to maintain a lookout for suspicious characters from their balconies and windows. They have also formed a WhatsApp group to communicate with each other. Around noon on Friday, one of them spotted an elderly woman moving around, apparently searching for somebody's house. The information was immediately passed on and others began to track her strange movements from one lane to another. "It was as if she was going around in circles. Finally, she settled down outside a grocery store. This was when some of us approached her and offered water. She looked extremely tired. When we asked where she was headed to, she said that her daughter's house is nearby. However, when we asked her name, she lost her temper and started walking away. She was muttering to herself. We immediately realised that there was something wrong with her health. After much persuasion, we succeeded in taking her to Sujata Acharya's home. After a while, she had lunch and then took a long nap. When she woke up, she seemed quite friendly. We asked where she lives and she started uttering names of several places, including Khulna in Bangladesh," said Rinku Nag Biswas who also happens to be an active member of the West Bengal Radio Club, an organisation of amateur radio operators that has reunited several such people with their families. Rinku, Sujata and the other women of the neighborhood soon realised that the elderly woman would never be able to reveal her address. They first got in touch with the Khardah and Ghola police stations to find out if anyone matching the woman's description had been reported missing from home. The police replied in the negative. The women then resumed their conversation with their guest. Suddenly, the woman dropped a hint. She spoke of Satadal School near her home. Now, there was another problem. There are two Satadal Schools. One of them in Sukchar, close to their neighborhood and the other at New Barrackpore. "On our request, the New Barrackpore Police started checking the neighborhood around the Satadal School under their jurisdiction. Before long, they had the woman's identity and address. Her name is Sandya Rani Ray and she lives with her three sons and daughters-in-law. She also has three daughters who are married and live elsewhere. On receiving information, all three daughters-in-law rushed to our place to take her back. We handed her over after due verification," Rinku said. Rinku and her friends Sujata, Jhumur Pal, Jhuma Saha and others are upbeat with the successful reunification of the helpless woman with her family. "We shall continue to maintain vigil, but henceforth, we shall also keep a lookout for people like Sandhya Rani Ray who may be in need for assistance," said Sujata. Guwahati, Feb 24 : Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh on Saturday lauded the decision of Assam government to recognise Manipuri as an associate official language in four districts by amending the Assam Official Language Act, 1960. "Many many thanks Himanta ji for including Manipuri as an associate official language in four districts of Assam. Your recognition and trust on the Manipuris is highly appreciated," Biren Singh wrote on 'X'. The Assam government took this decision in a Cabinet meeting on Friday night. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma termed it a historic decision. He said that the Cabinet has approved the Assam Official Language (Amendment) Bill, 2024 to recognise Manipuri language as an Associate Official Language in four districts including Cachar, Karimganj, Hailakandi and Hojai. The Cabinet decision mentioned: "The Bill seeks to amend the Assam Official Language Act, 1960 by inserting a new Section 5B, which will provide for the recognition of Manipuri language as an Associate Official Language in the four districts. "The decision has been taken in the interest of protecting, preserving and promoting the cultural, social, linguistic identity and heritage of the Manipuri people living in Assam," it added. According to Kamalakanta Singha, chief advisor of the All Assam Manipuri Students' Union (AAMSU), they have been voicing this demand since 1991, and the Assam government has now acknowledged it after thirty years. "In Hailakandi, in 1991, we first brought forward this demand. We persisted in our campaign, receiving backing from numerous other organisations. We finally have a cause to rejoice," he remarked. Singh further said that the number of people who speak Manipuri has surpassed 2 lakh as of the 2011 census, and it is currently over 3 lakh. "Manipuris are living in 13 districts in Assam but Cachar, Hailakandi and Hojai have the largest population," he said. The bulk of people in the Barak Valley region of Assam speak Bengali, and three of the four districts where Manipuri will be the official associate language are located there. Barak Upatyaka Banga Sahitya O Sanskriti Sammelan, the largest language organisation in the Barak Valley, has expressed gratitude to the state government for this. They have, meanwhile, also called for Bengali to be acknowledged as an associate official language of the state. Gautam Prasad Dutta, the organisation's general secretary, said: "We believe in respectful co-existence and we welcome this step." As per the 2011 census, 28 per cent people in Assam speak Bengali as their mother tongue, making it the second most spoken language in the state. "Looking at the large chunk of population speaking Bengali in the state, we appealed to the state government to recognise Bengali as the official associate language of the state. We hope that the government will take a decision in this regard as well," he added. New Delhi, Feb 24 : India's e-commerce industry will look quite different, and more democratised, than what has unfolded in both the United States and China, said Henry H. McVey, Head of Global Macro & Asset Allocation, CIO, KKR. New Delhi, Feb 24 (IANS) Indiaas e-commerce industry will look quite different, and more democratised, than what has unfolded in both the United States and China, said Henry H. McVey, Head of Global Macro & Asset Allocation, CIO, KKR. This is suggested, he said, by the digitalisation of key consumer and business-focused infrastructure such as payments, which are called Unified Payments Interface or UPI in India, as well as the development of the Open Network for Digital Commerce or ONDC, which is essentially an unbundled version of Amazon for business/logistics/buyers. KKR is a leading global investment firm offering solutions in alternative assets spanning real-estate, private credit, private equity, and infrastructure. aIf we are right, it likely means a more balanced outcome as it relates to private sector value creation linked to e-commerce as well as technological innovation than what we have seen in the United States and China so far," McVey said in a note. aSpecifically, India, unlike the US and China, does not have a" or seem that interested in promoting a" a domestic private sector champion like Amazon or Alibaba that often enjoys a awinner take alla narrative when it comes to online payments, e-commerce, and/or bank account formation in most countries," the note said. Rather, the government is largely supporting neutrality and inclusion through programmes such as UPI (mobile payments), Aadhaar (the worldas largest digital ID programme), and/or e-commerce (ONDC, which represents a more unbundled marketplace than something like Amazon Prime), the note said. New Delhi, Feb 24 : The origins of the fragile relationship between Jawaharlal Nehru's sister, Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit, and her niece, Indira Gandhi, which ended with the aunt becoming one of the fiercest critics of the Emergency (1975-77), has been a mystery for historians. Pandit's latest biographer, Manu Bhagavan, a professor of Modern Indian History at Hunter College, New York, untangles the complex relationship, showing how the unravelling had started in the last years of Nehru. Bhagavan shows how Pandit was rumoured to be the chosen one to succeed the then vice-president, Sarvepalli Radhakrishan, but Nehru, reportedly with his sister's consent, opted for Zakir Hussain. Whether or not that was the reason, but the relations between the siblings did get icy and Pandit blamed it on Nehru's closest aides -- V.K. Krishna Menon and M.O. Mathai, his personal secretary. In a note to Nehru, which she asked him to keep to himself, Pandit wrote: "After a long period of sharing the same wavelength we suddenly ceased to synchronise. ... I do not know why this happened, but part of it was certainly due to Krishna Menon and Mac Mathai ... . "Both in their own ways subtly misinterpreted my actions and ... deliberately gave you a wrong idea of me and my relationship with our own people. The trust you had in me was damaged." Pandit went on to point out that this had been "one of the reasons for my antagonism with Krishna Menon. The other, as I have perhaps told you, is his habit of telling half-truths in order to present only the kind of picture he wishes to get across." At this time, Pandit, who had held top positions in the world of diplomacy, including being the first woman to serve as President of the UN General Assembly, was the Governor of Maharashtra. The tenuous family ties started fraying further after Nehru had a stroke in 1964 and started sinking. The succession had become a subject of intense speculation, and Pandit, it was rumoured, may get External Affairs, a position that Indira, too, was eyeing. Fearing her father may just agree to giving the plum job to her aunt, Indira was doing her best to make it not happen. As Bhagavan writes, "It was not long before reports began to emerge that the two women were antagonists and that Indira, taking advantage of her position as her father's primary nurse and gatekeeper, was going to lengths to prevent her aunt from spending time alone with the ailing prime minister. Nan, for her part, dismissed such gossip, chalking up her short visits to her brother's admonition that she should immediately get back to work." Nan is what Pandit used to be called lovingly by her family and she was then also leading the Indian delegation to the United Nations. Nehru passed away on the Buddha Jayanti Day in 1964 and Pandit found herself again at the centre of speculation, especially after she resigned as Governor of Maharashtra. Would Lal Bahadur Shastri, Nehru's successor, make her a minister in his cabinet? The question was raging in political circles and it subsided only after the Congress high command gave Pandit the ticket to contest from Nehru's pocket borough, Phulpur in Uttar Pradesh. According to Bhagavan, Indira wasn't keen to contest from Phulpur because she was uncertain about which way the political tide was turning as a result of the perceptible change in the public mood after the China War. Pandit, however, trumped the opposition and got elected to the Lok Sabha with 60 per cent of the popular vote. "Nan's victorious entry into politics sent the press into overdrive. Stories flew in every direction suggesting that she might join Shastri's Cabinet, that she could become the next Speaker of the House, and even that she potentially could become Indiaas prime minister in the future," write Bhagavan. The biographer continues: "A common thread running through many such narratives involved Nan's relationship with Indira, which was said to have blossomed into a full-fledged rivalry. "Nehru's daughter was then the minister for information and broadcasting. Newspapers wrote that if Nan joined the government, she would immediately outrank her niece, resulting in Indira most likely quitting and going abroad on a diplomatic post. "So breathless were such reports from wagging tongues that Indira was forced to issue a denial." Not content with becoming just another MP, Pandit acquired quite a reputation for not pulling back her punches right after her maiden speech in Parliament, where she spoke passionately about the "demoralisation and decadence and deterioration" that had overtaken the land. She blasted the normalisation of corruption and said the government had become "prisoners of indecision". As if all this plain talk wasn't enough, Pandit even filed her nomination papers against the party's high command's choice for Deputy Leader of the Congress Parliamentary Party. She withdrew only after Shastri intervened personally. Not that Shastri was able to hold her back. In a speech as relevant today as it was when it was first delivered, Pandit said the Congress, to quote Bhagavan paraphrasing her, was growing "increasingly disconnected from the masses it claimed to speak for and could soon find itself with no base of support". Echoing earlier observations in the press about backroom dealmaking, she chastised the Congress for not being open to "new blood". In the middle of this, Pandit continued to be a roving peacemaker, but peace at home was turning out to be elusive. Indira was getting upset about even small matters such as certain repairs that Pandit had carried out at their ancestral home, Anand Bhawan, in Allahabad (now Prayagraj). More importantly, Indira seemed to be upset that her aunt was holding on to Phulpur, although, as Bhagavan writes, she "assured her aunt that she was not at all interested in serving in the Lok Sabha in any capacity, feigning disinterest in political life altogether." Meanwhile, the Second India-Pakistan War had come to an end, Shastri passed away in Tashkent soon thereafter, and after some political turmoil, Indira became prime minister. "Things started on the wrong foot when Nan was misquoted as saying that she felt her niece 'needs experience' and that she was 'in very frail health indeed'. The papers repeatedly framed the relationship of the two women as one of competition. Worse, her critics soon took to calling Indira a 'prisoner of indecision', the now famous phrase Nan had used the year before referring to the previous government," Bhagavan writes. Elections followed in 1967, Pandit won a second term and Indira got elected from Rae Bareli, but the Congress suffered its first decline in numbers in the Lok Sabha. And as Bhagavan puts it, "Indira Gandhi in the meantime had not hesitated to send further signals that Nan was now persona non grata." Politically, Pandit found herself at odds with Indira within the party, worried at the direction it was taking under her niece's leadership. The political ties were snapped finally when at a private meeting between Indira and Pandit, India's prime minister told her aunt point blank: "Well, Puphi, I donat really trust you." Pandit attended Rajiv Gandhi and Sonia Maino's marriage, but, as Bhagavan puts it, "there was no serious rapprochement between aunt and niece." Within months of the marriage, Pandit quit Parliament, saying she felt "out of tune" with what was happening in the government, and she made the "hard decision" to quit public life at the age of 68. The Emergency was the last nail in the coffin of their relationship. Pandit was livid to find that Indira was having her spied upon and she kept her daughter, the writer Nayantara Sahgal, up-to-date about what was happening in the country. Sahgal, on her part, was one of the fiercest critics of the Emergency, writing for publications such as 'New Republic' and 'The New York Times'. Pandit, too, chose not to remain a silent chest beater. In the words of Bhagavan, "... roused to action by her daughter's bravery, Nan spoke out to a reporter from the 'Times', announcing that she was 'profoundly troubled' at the direction the Government was taking. 'If there are no civil liberties and no dissent, then where is the democracy we fought for,' she demanded to know. "Then, devastatingly, she added: 'It is far more repressive today, in many ways, than it was under the British'." (Manu Bhagavan's biography, 'Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit', has been published by Penguin Allen Lane, an imprint of Penguin Random House) New Delhi, Feb 24 : The Delhi High Court has called upon the city government and the police to present an action plan to address the recurring incidents of bomb threats targeting schools in the national capital. This directive came as the court responded to an application filed by lawyer Arpit Bhargava, who contended the 'lack of progress' in investigating and resolving three out of five bomb threat incidents reported from city schools last year. Justice Subramonium Prasad issued notices to the authorities, asking them to submit their responses to the plea. The court also said that the counter affidavit from the Delhi government and the Delhi Police should outline the proposed action plan to tackle the ongoing security concerns. The petitioner cited the alarming frequency of bomb threats and stressed the need for swift and effective measures to ensure the safety of children and all the other stakeholders. The latest application filed by the petitioner referenced a recent bomb threat email directed at the court itself, underscoring the urgency of the situation. Advocate Beenashaw N. Soni represented the petitioner in court, stressing the urgent need for a comprehensive solution to address the growing security challenges faced by the educational institutions and the community at large. The main petition came after a bomb threat to the Delhi Public School (DPS) on Mathura Road, which later turned out to be a prank by one of the students, made "just for fun". During a counselling session, the student had confessed to getting the idea after a similar incident occurred at The Indian School in Delhi's Sadiq Nagar area in April last year. Patna, Feb 24 : A special POCSO court in Bihar's Jamui district on Saturday awarded life sentence to a person convicted of rape and murder of a 2-year-old toddler. Special judge of the POCSO court, Direndra Bahadur Singh, also imposed a penalty of Rs 25,000 on Ranjit Manjhi, the convict. The court further directed the state government to provide Rs 5 lakh to the victim's family as compensation. Ranjit Manjhi, a rag-picker, had kidnapped the two-year-old girl from outside her home in Jamui city on May 21, 2023. He then took her to an isolated place and sexually assaulted the toddler. After committing the crime, Ranjit strangled the victim to death and dumped her body at a bus stand in Jamui city. "During the hearing of the case, the district police produced strong evidence, including CCTV footage from the bus stand, the accused's confessional statement, post-mortem report, and forensic and scientific findings before the court," said Manoj Verma, the special public prosecutor in the case. Verma said that on the basis of strong evidence, the court found Manjhi guilty under IPC Sections of 302 and 201, and sentenced him to life imprisonment. "The accused will stay behind the bars till his last breath," Verma said. Kolkata, Feb 24 : The West Bengal Police have launched a detailed investigation to unearth the 'real intention' of the four Iranian infiltrators, who were arrested under the Foreigners' Act from Cooch Behar on Friday night for setting up their base in the district bordering Bangladesh. Kolkata, Feb 24 (IANS) The West Bengal Police have launched a detailed investigation to unearth the 'real intention' of the four Iranian infiltrators, who were arrested under the Foreignersa Act from Cooch Behar on Friday night for setting up their base in the district bordering Bangladesh. Of the four Iranian arrested infiltrators arrested, three are men while one is a woman. As per the information gathered so far, two among the four -- Mahdi Pahange and Zaved Aminimhr -- had entered India illegally some time back, and stayed in the national capital for quite some time. The duo, said sources in the state police, shifted base to West Bengal a couple of months back, and started living in Cooch Behar. The sources added that the two other Iranian nationals, Ibrahim Derakhshanpore and his daughter Elham Derakhshanpore, joined Pahange and Aminimhr around a month back after entering India illegally via Nepal. The police are trying to ascertain what prompted these four infiltrators to make the bordering district in West Bengal their new base. Pahange and Aminimar, because of their prolonged stay in Delhi, have become quite fluent in Hindi, which is not the case for the father-daughter duo. A district court has remanded all the four Iranian nationals to five-day police custody. It's been a good week for Lloyds Banking Group plc (LON:LLOY) shareholders, because the company has just released its latest full-year results, and the shares gained 5.3% to UK0.45. Results look mixed - while revenue fell marginally short of analyst estimates at UK18b, statutory earnings were in line with expectations, at UK0.075 per share. The analysts typically update their forecasts at each earnings report, and we can judge from their estimates whether their view of the company has changed or if there are any new concerns to be aware of. Readers will be glad to know we've aggregated the latest statutory forecasts to see whether the analysts have changed their mind on Lloyds Banking Group after the latest results. Check out our latest analysis for Lloyds Banking Group Following last week's earnings report, Lloyds Banking Group's 15 analysts are forecasting 2024 revenues to be UK18.4b, approximately in line with the last 12 months. Statutory earnings per share are forecast to fall 17% to UK0.064 in the same period. Yet prior to the latest earnings, the analysts had been anticipated revenues of UK18.6b and earnings per share (EPS) of UK0.061 in 2024. So the consensus seems to have become somewhat more optimistic on Lloyds Banking Group's earnings potential following these results. The consensus price target was unchanged at UK0.59, implying that the improved earnings outlook is not expected to have a long term impact on value creation for shareholders. Fixating on a single price target can be unwise though, since the consensus target is effectively the average of analyst price targets. As a result, some investors like to look at the range of estimates to see if there are any diverging opinions on the company's valuation. The most optimistic Lloyds Banking Group analyst has a price target of UK0.80 per share, while the most pessimistic values it at UK0.41. This is a fairly broad spread of estimates, suggesting that analysts are forecasting a wide range of possible outcomes for the business. Story continues One way to get more context on these forecasts is to look at how they compare to both past performance, and how other companies in the same industry are performing. We would highlight that Lloyds Banking Group's revenue growth is expected to slow, with the forecast 0.5% annualised growth rate until the end of 2024 being well below the historical 2.6% p.a. growth over the last five years. By way of comparison, the other companies in this industry with analyst coverage are forecast to grow their revenue at 3.8% per year. Factoring in the forecast slowdown in growth, it seems obvious that Lloyds Banking Group is also expected to grow slower than other industry participants. The Bottom Line The biggest takeaway for us is the consensus earnings per share upgrade, which suggests a clear improvement in sentiment around Lloyds Banking Group's earnings potential next year. On the plus side, there were no major changes to revenue estimates; although forecasts imply they will perform worse than the wider industry. There was no real change to the consensus price target, suggesting that the intrinsic value of the business has not undergone any major changes with the latest estimates. Following on from that line of thought, we think that the long-term prospects of the business are much more relevant than next year's earnings. We have forecasts for Lloyds Banking Group going out to 2026, and you can see them free on our platform here. That said, it's still necessary to consider the ever-present spectre of investment risk. We've identified 2 warning signs with Lloyds Banking Group (at least 1 which makes us a bit uncomfortable) , and understanding them should be part of your investment process. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Panaji, Feb 24 : Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Saturday said that farmers agitating should resolve all their issues through dialogue with the government. "Several schemes have been given to farmers. I don't understand why they are sitting there (Punjab-Haryana border) and agitating. They should resolve their issues through dialogue. Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership various issues of farmers have been resolved," the Chief Minister said while speaking after inaugurating the Krishi-Setu Bridge at Cumbarjua in North Goa, which is built for agricultural purposes by spending Rs 3 crore. He said that the double engine government has given justice to the farmers. "I don't know why they are agitating. Be it Minimum Support Price or soil health card, farmers have been benefited with such schemes along with it farmers insurance scheme was also provided," the Chief Minister said. He said that farmers were never benefited during the UPA government. "We have also provided solar pumps under the 'Kusum' scheme to farmers," he said. He said that the BJP government has set an example of how bridges can be constructed only for farming activities. "Youths should venture into pisciculture, agriculture, horticulture and dairy culture. This area is a big economy," the Chief Minister said. Kolkata, Feb 24 : Amid complains of forceful grabbing of farmland and converting them into pisciculture farms against Sheikh Sirajuddin, the younger brother of absconding Trinamool Congress leader Sheikh Shahjahan, at Sandeshkhali in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district, the party leadership has started distancing itself from the accused. Sheikh Shahjahan, the accused mastermind behind the attack on ED and CAPF personnel in Sandeshkhali last month, is absconding since the day of the attack on January 5. That the party is trying to distance itself from the accused became evident from a comment made by state Irrigation Minister Partha Bhowmik, who was on a visit to Sandeshkhali on Saturday along with state Fire Services Minister Sujit Basu and local Trinamool legislator Sukumar Mahato. Speaking to mediapersons there, Bhowmik said that although Sirajuddin used to be the Trinamool area president once, he was removed from the chair quite some time back. "He has been replaced by Ajit Maiti," Bhowmik said. However, neither the minister, nor the local party legislator, specified the time when Sirajuddin was removed from the chair. When the mediapersons pointed out that there are complaints of illegal land grabbing against Maiti as well, Bhowmik said, "What is going on in Sandeshkhali is orchestrated jointly by the CPI(M) and the BJP. We have already announced that it is the responsibility of the state government to return the land to the local people." Earlier this week, the villagers in Sandeshkhali had burnt down a warehouse located within a pisciculture farm owned by Sirajuddin. Meanwhile, the opposition BJP has ridiculed Bhowmik's claims of removing Sirauddin from the chair 'some time back', terming it as 'nothing but a joke'. "A leader continues to be an asset for the party till the time he/she is embroiled in controversies. Once controversies surface, the so-called suspension or removal from party posts are announced. However, the same leaders again emerge as assets as soon as the controversies die down," said a state committee member of the BJP. Bengaluru, Feb 24 : A section of Karnataka Police officers have reportedly written to President Draupadi Murmu seeking 'mercy killing' over the 'rigid' policy of the state government with regard to inter-district transfer of couples working in the police department. A letter by the police to the President of India in this regard went viral on social media on Saturday. The names of the complainants have not been disclosed, as police officers are not supposed to raise such complaints because they can attract disciplinary action against them. Citing a Supreme Court judgment and the Karnataka Civil Service Rules (KCSR), the letter claims that a couple in police service can carry out their duties in the same unit or in the same district. It claims that for three years, transfer requests of police couples are not being obliged by successive governments. "Due to work postings, we stay away from our parents, family members and children for 10 to 15 years. Not able to take care of our family members and children, we are leading a painful life. Many married couples' relationships have reached the stage divorce," the police personnel complained. "As husband and wife are staying away, they are not able to have children even after five years of marriage. Other government departments are allowing couples to work in the same district. Peace and happiness have eluded us. Hence, we request you to allow us to end our lives through mercy killing," the letter stated. However, the police department is yet to issue an official statement on this issue. Baghdad : , Feb 24 (IANS) India won gold medals in both men's compound and mixed team events and are set to dominate the recurve section at the Asia Cup 2024 archery stage-1 world ranking tournament in Baghdad, Iraq while the three individual finals in both recurve and compound sections will be all-Indian affairs. The Indian menas compound team, comprising Prathamesh Jawkar, Priyansh and Kushal Dalal, won the gold medal on Saturday, beating the Iranian team of Armin Pakzad, Arash Ghasemipour and Radrezvan Behnia 232-229 in the gold medal match. India, the top seed, beat Iraq in the semi-finals earlier after receiving a bye in the quarter-finals. Bangladesh won the bronze medal in the event, defeating the hosts. In the Compound Mixed Team competition, Prathamesh Jawkar and Aditi Swami combined to win the gold, again beating a pair from Iran 159-157 in the final. The womenas compound team of Aditi Swami, Priya Gurjar and Parneet Kaur, however, had to settle for the silver medal after losing to Iran 223-229 in the final. India have a chance to sweep all the gold medals in recurve archery on Sunday as three of the four have Indians on both sides. Parneet Kaur in the Compound Women Final will be the only one who will not be facing a compatriot and will instead face an Iranian archer. Olympian Deepika Kumari hogged the limelight as she made it to the Recurve Women's Final on her return to international competitions post motherhood. She will take on compatriot Simranjeet Kaur in the final on Sunday. In the Recurve Men's Final, World Champion Dhiraj Bommadevara will face seasoned Tarundeep Rai in the final after they came out through the semifinals. The other all-Indian summit clash will pit Prathamesh Jawkar against compatriot Kushal Dalal in the Compound Men's Final while in the Compound Women's Final, India's Parneet Kaur will face Iran's Fatemeh. India are also competing in all three recurve archery team finals - womenas, menas and mixed team. Bengal Postings: Police transfers within the same LS constituency may not be valid. Image Source: IANS News Kolkata, Feb 24 : Many transfers of police officers made by the West Bengal government in the run-up to the upcoming Lok Sabha elections might not be valid if the new postings are either within the same Parliamentary constituency, or in the adjacent district. The office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) in West Bengal has clearly communicated to the state government about the transfer rules as framed by the Election Commission of India (ECI). Recently, the West Bengal government effected several transfers in the police department, starting from the ranks of sub-inspectors and inspectors to those in the West Bengal Police Service (WBCS) and Indian Police Service (IPS) throughout the state. However, it has come to the notice of the poll panel that in case of such transfers, the new postings are either within the same Lok Sabha constituency or in the adjacent district. Sources said the office of the CEO has advised the state administration to take corrective steps in case such transfers. A senior bureaucrat in the state government said the general rule before any Lok Sabha or Assembly elections is to transfer those government servants, especially police officers, who have completed three years or more in a particular posting. However, this time there is an additional clause that prohibits transfer within the same Lok Sabha constituency or to the adjacent districts. This is because of the apprehension that such transfers in places with close proximity to earlier posting leave a chance to influence the polling process in favour of any particular party. A full team of the ECI is scheduled to visit West Bengal in the first week of March to take a stock of poll preparations. During their visit, the commission's representatives are scheduled to hold meetings with the top bureaucrats and police officers of the state. Hyderabad, Feb 25 : Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Saturday ordered a thorough probe into the agency which runs the 'Dharani' portal launched for land transactions by the previous BRS government. The Chief Minister expressed serious concern on the safety of the land records of lakhs of farmers which are in the hands of foreign companies. He blamed the agency for keeping the highly confidential land data, Aadhaar and bank account details with it and also raised doubts whether the data of land records is safe. At a review meeting with the Dharani committee constituted by his government, the Chief Minister questioned the officials about handing over the maintenance of the Dharani portal to a private agency in the place of Chief Commissioner of Land Administration (CCLA) who is supposed to handle the portal on behalf of the state government. The officials informed the Chief Minister that the previous state government entrusted the works of design, development and management of the Dharani portal to the IL&FS company based on technical and financial bidding and qualifications in 2018. The meeting discussed the agencyas activities which went bankrupt later and changed its name to Terrasys Technologies Limited, changed all company directors and then sold the shares to Falcon Investment Company. Chief Minister Revanth said that it was astonishing that the company, which had won the Dharani tender for Rs 116 crores in 2018, sold its shares for around Rs 1,200 crore. He expressed doubts on change of the names of the ownership of costly lands as the agency possessed all the land records. The Chief Minister also inquired the Revenue Department officials about the complaints that land registrations were done even in midnights in some cases. He instructed the officials to resolve the pending applications in Dharani immediately. He asked them to make necessary arrangements in all Mandal Tahsildar offices to dispose of the applications in the first week of March. The Chief Minister also directed the Revenue Department to formulate terms and conditions for the disposal of pending applications by taking into consideration the suggestions made by the Dharani Committee. Over 2.45 lakh applications are pending in Dharani portal across the state. The Chief Minister discussed with the officials the possibility of addressing the pending applications in the first phase. Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy, Chief Adviser to Chief Minister Vemnarender Reddy, Dharani Committee Members M. Kodanda Reddy, Retired IAS Raymond Peter, Advocate Sunil, Retired Special Grade Collector B. Madhusudan, Chief Secretary Santhi Kumari, Principal Secretary to Revenue Department Naveen Mithal, Principal Secretary to CM Seshadri, CCLA officer Lacchi Reddy and other officials were present in the meeting. The Dharani Committee also submitted a report to the Chief Minister during the meeting. The report mentioned flaws in the ROR Act (The Telangana Rights in Land and Pattadar Pass Books Act) which came into force in 2020. According to the committee, the comprehensive land survey was conducted in a haste in just three months time and it has created a lot of problems. The same survey records have been taken as a parameter and hence the land record disputes increased in the state. As a result, lakhs of land ownership problems came to the light. Due to this, even small typographical errors in the names have to be rectified only by the district collector, the committee said. The committee brought to the notice of Chief Minister Revanth that the Revenue Department has given an opportunity to correct the mistakes in Dharani data through about 35 modules, but the farmers are facing difficulties due to the lack of understanding of which modules to apply for. The committee also said that lakhs of applications have already been rejected and it has become a burden for the farmers to pay a fee of Rs 1000 to correct each mistake/error. The sale of lands in the prohibited list is also taking place due to lack of coordination between the Registration and Stamps and Revenue department . The meeting also discussed the "misuse" of crores of public money as the state Agriculture Department took Dharani data as a standard and deposited Rythu Bandhu benefit in the accounts. The committee members recommended to the Chief Minister that the only option before the government is either to amend the law or enact a new ROR act to correct the errors in the Dharani portal. The Chief Minister said that a decision will be taken for a permanent solution based on the final report of the committee. Kohima, Feb 25 : The proposed fencing of the India-Myanmar border and the scrapping of the Free Movement Regime (FMR) between the two countries are likely to be discussed during the upcoming Budget Session of Nagaland Assembly, beginning on February 26, top sources said. An official said that the five-day budget session of the Nagaland Assembly would start on February 26 and the border fencing and FMR issues are expected to be discussed as "matters of urgent public importance". Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio had earlier said that both the fencing and FMR issues need to be discussed thoroughly before a final decision and the government has to take the opinion of the people to evolve a workable formula before their execution. Almost all tribal bodies and civil society organisations in Nagaland, have strongly opposed the Centre's recent announcement to fence the border and scrap the FMR. The Ministers, politicians, tribal and civil society leaders argued that same ethnic tribal people are leaving both sides of the border while many people living along the bordering areas have farmlands on either side and the proposed fencing and the scrapping of FMR would create huge problems for the Naga people. Meanwhile, the neighbouring Mizoram government and all the civil societies and NGOs in the state also strongly opposed both the fencing and the scrapping of FMR. Chief Minister Lalduhoma, who earlier met Prime Minister, Union Home Minister and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and opposed both the fencing and the scrapping of FMR, which allowed citizens residing close to both sides of the border to move 16 km into each other's territory without passport or visa. Lalduhoma, who is also the President of the ruling ZPM, had earlier on a number of occasions stated that his government strongly opposed the proposed fencing of the border and was keen to retain the FMR. After meeting the Union Home Minister for the second time earlier this month, he had expressed optimism that the Centre may not fence the Mizoram portion of the India-Myanmar border. Four northeastern states -- Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland, and Arunachal Pradesh -- share a 1,643-km-long border with Myanmar. The Mizos of Mizoram share ethnic, traditional and cultural ties with the Zo-Chin community of Myanmar. Amaravati, Feb 25 : Kammas and Reddys, two socially and politically powerful castes in Andhra Pradesh, have got the lion's share in the first list of 99 candidates announced by TDP-Jana Sena combine on Saturday for forthcoming Assembly elections. Among all castes, Kammas, to which TDP president N. Chandrababu Naidu belongs, has received the highest number of tickets (22). The alliance also fielded 17 candidates from Reddy community. Both the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and Jana Sena have tried to strike a balance and ensure representation to all the key groups. Nineteen of the candidates are from Backward Classes (BCs) while 20 are from Scheduled Castes (SCs). Kapus, a community Jana Sena leader and actor Pawan Kalyan comes from, has been allotted 10 tickets. There are four candidates from Kshatriyas, three from Scheduled Tribes (STs), two from Vysyas and one each from Velama and Muslims. The TDP-Jana Sena combine announced candidates for 99 of the total of 175 Assembly seats in the state. Under the seat sharing pact, TDP has left 24 Assembly seats for Jana Sena. Of 151 Assembly seats which TDP will contest, Chandrababu Naidu declared candidates for 94 seats. Pawan Kalyan announced five candidates of his party. Of 99 candidates of the TDP-Jana Sena combine, 13 are women. A total of 24 candidates are below the age of 45 years. Another 55 are in the age group of 46-60 and 20 candidates are in the age group of 61-70. The list also includes 28 candidates with postgraduate degrees, 50 candidates with graduate degrees, 3 doctors, 2 PhD, and one retired IAS Officer. In the TDP list, there are 23 first-timers. Former IAS officer B. Ramanjaneyulu will contest on TDP ticket from Prathipadu (SC) in Guntur district. The TDP claimed that the announcement of 99 nominees marks a significant shift in Andhra Pradesh's political landscape, embodying an unprecedented infusion of fresh faces, youth candidates, representation from the BC community, and women candidates. While TDP's list includes Chandrababu Naidu, Jana Sena leader Pawan Kalyan does not figure in the first list of five candidates of that party. Chandrababu Naidu will seek re-election from Kuppam constituency. His son and TDP general secretary Nara Lokesh will contest again from Mangalagiri, where he failed to get elected in 2019. Naidu's brother-in-law and popular actor N. Balakrishna will seek re-election from Hindupur constituency. TDP's Andhra Pradesh unit president K. Atchan Naidu will also seek re-election from Tekkali. Other key TDP leaders who figure in the first list include C. Ayannapatrudu (Narsipatnam), N. Chinnarajappa (Peddapuram), Kollu Ravindra (Machilipatnam), Gadde Rammohan Rao (Vijayawada East), D. Narendra (Ponnur), Nakka Anand Babu (Vemur), P. Pullarao (Chilkaluripet), Kanna Lakshminarayana (Sattenapalle), P. Narayana (Nellore City), Bhuma Akhila Priya Reddy (Allagadda) and N. Md. Farooq (Nandyal). --IANS ms/pgh Chandigarh, Feb 25 : Leader of Opposition in the Punjab Assembly Partap Singh Bajwa on Saturday asked Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, who also holds the Home portfolio, to register an FIR against Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij for "giving the police direction to fire at peacefully protesting farmers in Punjab's territory". Speaking to the media here, Bajwa claimed that the police opened fire at the farmers with Vij's direction. "Consequently, farmer Shubhkaran Singh was shot dead and several dozens of others were injured." Bajwa said that Mann "failed to protect" the farmers of the Punjab. "Punjab Police should have been deployed at the frontline and farmers should have been made to stand 1,000 yards away from the border to provide them a shield. Haryana Police should have acted only when the farmers would have entered the Haryana territory," he added. The Congress leader said that Mann "didn't stand with the farmers honestly". "Ninety-two Aam Aadmi Party MLAs and ministers never supported the genuine demands of the farmers. The Punjab CM represented the Union government in meetings between farmers and the Union government. As many as 250 farmers were injured and one farmer was murdered by Haryana Police by using tear gas shells, rubber bullets and double-barrel guns. However, the Punjab government has failed to hold anyone responsible," Bajwa added. Jaipur, Feb 25 : Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma on Saturday reached out to the common people to meet them after the MoU for the Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project (ERCP) was signed, saying the double-engine government of the Centre and the state was working towards fulfilling the promises made to the people. Sharma was welcomed with flowers and garlands at various places in Alwar, Deeg and Bharatpur districts. The crowd raised slogans in support of the Chief Minister, calling him 'Bhagiratha of Rajasthan'. Sharma, while addressing the people, spoke about the benefits of the ERCP project to their areas. "We had promised to give the gift of ERCP to the state and within one and a half months of forming the government, we signed this MoU for the ERCP project by talking to the Central government and Madhya Pradesh government. We have set a target to complete this project in five years by working rapidly on the ground," he said, adding that the previous government only stalled and diverted the ERCP. The Chief Minister said that this project will bring a positive change in the lives of farmers, mother power and common people of eastern Rajasthan and will ensure availability of adequate water to villages, farms and homes. Apart from the 26 dams included in the DPR, ERCP plans to add 122 more dams in the future. Sharma said that from the year 2013 to 2018, "our (previous) government had started the Chief Minister Jal Swavalamban Abhiyan to encourage water conservation and storage". "Taking this forward, we have started Chief Minister Jal Swavalamban Abhiyan 2.0 by making a provision of Rs 11,200 crore in the budget. Under this, 5 lakh water storage structures will be built in 20,000 villages in the next 4 years," he added. He said that an MoU has been signed between the Central government, Haryana government and Rajasthan government for the flow system from Tajewala to provide Yamuna river water to Sikar, Churu and Jhunjhunu. This will ensure fulfillment of the water requirements of these three districts. This will irrigate about 5,000 hectares of land and about 20,000 farmers will benefit from it. He said that through this project, water will be brought to a total of 5 dams in Bharatpur district. This will irrigate about 14,000 hectares of land and about 56,000 farmers will benefit. Alibaba Group (NYSE: BABA) and Peloton Interactive (NASDAQ: PTON) have both frustrated plenty of investors over the past few years. Alibaba's stock hit its all-time high in October 2020 as the bulls embraced the Chinese e-commerce and cloud leader, but it subsequently sank more than 75% as it faced fierce macro, regulatory, and competitive headwinds. Peloton's stock closed at its record high in January 2021 as its sales of connected bikes and subscriptions accelerated throughout the pandemic. But it then shed roughly 97% of its value as its growth stalled out amid broad economic reopening. Could either of these beaten-down stocks be a worthwhile turnaround play for patient investors? Image source: Peloton. Alibaba's high-growth days are over Alibaba's downfall started when China's antitrust regulators levied a record $2.75 billion fine against its e-commerce business in 2021. Alibaba was then barred from locking in its merchants with exclusive deals, using aggressive loss-leading promotions, and making big investments or acquisitions without the government's permission. Those restrictions eroded Alibaba's defenses against its top competitors, PDD Holdings and JD.com. China's unpredictable zero-COVID lockdowns and other macro issues also exacerbated its slowdown. As Alibaba's Chinese e-commerce marketplaces cooled off, its cloud business struggled to grow as companies reined in their spending to cope with the macro headwinds. It also lost ByteDance's TikTok as a major customer as it shifted the personal data of its overseas users to Oracle's cloud platform in 2022. All of that pressure caused Alibaba's revenue to grow just 2% in fiscal 2023 (which ended last March), compared to its 19% growth in fiscal 2022 and 41% growth in fiscal 2021. That slowdown convinced the bears that Alibaba's high-growth days were over, but it's expanding its higher-growth overseas e-commerce business -- which houses its Southeast Asian marketplace Lazada, its Turkish marketplace Trendyol, and its cross-border marketplace AliExpress -- to offset that slowdown. Its other major growth engine is its Cainiao logistics division, which it's expanding as a standalone business to provide more services for third-party customers. Story continues From fiscal 2023 to fiscal 2026, analysts expect Alibaba's revenue to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8% as its Chinese e-commerce and cloud businesses stabilize. However, they also expect its net income to rise at a CAGR of 24% as it reins in its spending and spins off some of its units as fresh IPOs. Based on those expectations, its stock looks dirt cheap at 11 times forward earnings. Peloton is slowing resolving its biggest issues Peloton's business started to crumble when gyms reopened and cheaper competitors entered the market. It expanded its business with a connected treadmill and other products, but its revenue still dropped 11% in fiscal 2022 (which ended in June 2022) and 22% in fiscal 2023. It expects another 3% decline in fiscal 2024. As Peloton's growth stalled out, it laid off thousands of employees, outsourced its production to a Taiwanese manufacturer, and started selling its products on Amazon to expand its reach beyond its first-party website and showrooms. Peloton also reduced its equipment prices to keep pace with its cheaper competitors, but it raised its subscription fees to offset its lower gross margin. It believes the expansion of its higher-margin subscription business will ultimately reduce its dependence on its lower-margin sales of bikes, treadmills, and other equipment. Those strategies enabled it to expand its margins and narrow its adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) losses. Analysts expect its adjusted EBITDA to turn positive in fiscal 2025, but it's also expected to stay unprofitable on a generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) basis for the foreseeable future. On the bright side, analysts expect its revenue to finally rise 5% in fiscal 2025 and 7% in fiscal 2026 as it "rightsizes" its business. Peloton's stock looks cheap at a price-to-sales ratio of 1, but there's no guarantee that it will survive. It only served 718,000 paid app subscribers at the end of the second quarter of fiscal 2024 -- compared to 2.97 million at the end of fiscal 2022 -- and it could run out of room to grow its revenue per subscriber before its entire business model implodes. The obvious winner: Alibaba Alibaba lost its mojo over the past few years, but I believe it's still worth owning as a slow-growth e-commerce and cloud stock. Its stock is cheap, it generates plenty of cash, and it's constantly buying back its shares. Peloton won't go bankrupt this year, but it still needs to stabilize its core business before it can be considered a worthwhile investment. Should you invest $1,000 in Alibaba Group right now? Before you buy stock in Alibaba Group, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now and Alibaba Group wasnt one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Stock Advisor provides investors with an easy-to-follow blueprint for success, including guidance on building a portfolio, regular updates from analysts, and two new stock picks each month. The Stock Advisor service has more than tripled the return of S&P 500 since 2002*. See the 10 stocks *Stock Advisor returns as of February 20, 2024 John Mackey, former CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. Leo Sun has positions in Amazon. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Amazon, JD.com, Oracle, and Peloton Interactive. The Motley Fool recommends Alibaba Group. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Better Comeback Stock: Alibaba vs. Peloton was originally published by The Motley Fool After success of 'Gaon Chalo', BJP to launch beneficiary contact campaign in Rajasthan. Image Source: IANS News Jaipur, Feb 25 : Rajasthan BJP chief and Chittorgarh MP C.P. Joshi on Saturday expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw for launching "huge development projects" in the railways sector in the state. He said that the Modi government is committed to upgrading rail services and infrastructure in the country. At present, work worth more than Rs 53,000 crores is in progress in the state. Also, in the budget of 2024-25, the state has been provided a record allocation of Rs 9782 crore, he added. A plan has been made to develop 85 world-class railway stations in the state, Joshi said. The state BJP President further said that Prime Minister Modi will dedicate 554 railway stations and 1500 road overbridges and underpasses to the nation under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme on February 26 at 10:30 a.m. virtually. This includes one station and six road overbridges and underpasses in the Chittorgarh parliamentary constituency, he added. Joshi said that special programmes will be organised in the Chittorgarh constituency on the occasion. Cairo, Feb 25 : Egypt has denied reports which claimed that Israeli aircraft breached its airspace, according to an unnamed Egyptian security source. Egypt on Saturday categorically denied media reports that Israeli military aircraft penetrated Egyptian airspace, the security source was quoted as saying by Egypt's Al-Qahera News TV. The source described these reports as false and baseless. An Israeli military aircraft entered the Egyptian territory about 100 times since the start of the war on Gaza on October 7, 2023, until February 23, 2024, Xinhua news agency quoted an investigation conducted by the "Arabic Post" news website. During one of its flights, this aircraft entered a depth of 172 km inside Egypt from the side of the border with Gaza, said the Arabic Post. Egypt, which signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1979, has for years been a key regional peacemaker in the decades-long Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Rome, Feb 25 : The Italian government has announced a bilateral support agreement with Ukraine ahead of the Group of Seven (G7) leaders' meeting under Italy's presidency. Both events were held on Saturday as the conflict between Russia and Ukraine reached its second anniversary. The security partnership with a 10-year mandate between Rome and Kiev includes cooperation in defence, economy, infrastructure and energy, and humanitarian support, among other fields, Xinhua news agency reported, citing Italian media. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has said that security and support for Ukraine will be among the main priorities under the G7 mandate. She was among a small group of world leaders who travelled to Kiev, the Ukrainian capital, to commemorate the second anniversary of the conflict. "We reiterate the centrality of Ukraine to the agenda of Italy's G7 presidency and 360 degrees of Italy's assistance to Kiev, starting from reconstruction and in security matters," Meloni said on Saturday from Antonov Airport near the Ukrainian capital, according to Italian media reports. In addition to Meloni, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau attended the unusual G7 meeting outside the territory of the host country in person, with leaders from other members of the group -- the UK, France, Germany, Japan and the US -- participating via video link. Other leaders in Kiev on Saturday included Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, whose country is holding the rotating presidency of the European Union (EU) Council. The EU is a "non-enumerated member" of the G7. The next meeting on the calendar under Italy's G7 presidency is the minister-level gathering on industry and digital technology in the northern Italian cities of Verona and Trento on March 13-15. The centrepiece of the Italian G7 presidency will be the summit of heads of state and government to be held in the southern Italian region of Apulia in June. Barbican Press is a micro publisher of edgy books others might not consider commercial enough for publication. Most of our work is outsourced. We were built for working from home. When we dusted ourselves off from the Covid 19 lockdowns, we decided it was time to do more and went global. Maggie Hamand, founding editor of Maia Press, joined us to develop a new fiction strand and keep the London side of things warm, while I now divide the year between the U.K. and Los Angeles. The move is crazily ambitious. Our all-time bestseller is Brian W. Laverys The Headscarf Revolutionaries, which should have global resonance, but being about an East Yorkshire trawler fishing disaster finds most of its sales in the city of Hull. We gravitate toward books that the mainstream houses are shy of. Theyre dark gems, but theyre not genre books with obvious sales potential. Our biggest champion is the U.K.s socialist paper the Morning Star, which praises our impressive portfolio of beautifully crafted and utterly transgressive fiction. Socialist and transgressive arent qualities American readers are obviously gasping for. So why do we do it? The vast size of the U.S. market for English-language books is one reason. Even our British writers are international in scope and spirit and deserve that wide reach. Moreover, the library market in the U.K. is practically nonexistent. In the U.S., 22,000 librarians show up at the annual American Library Association conference, and libraries account for a third of trade sales. The rallying cry at the 2023 ALA gathering in Chicago was against the banning of books, and with our LGBTQ slant we have some of the right fodder for these brave librarians. Beyond that, the move gives us somewhere to place our insane optimism. This past year many plucky fellow U.K. indies have fallen by the wayside. We might have done the same, but opening up new territory gives us something to hope for. We acquire in Canada, the U.S., Sweden, Norway, and the Czech Republic, as well as in the U.K., and gain confidence in shaping our list because the books dont wholly depend on British readers. Whats on our side? We decided Ingram Publishing Services was in fact a friendly dragon and let ourselves be swallowed by it. Using its divisions for global distribution and representation of both our print and digital books means we only need to feed data into one system. As a sales team, Publishers Group West has a passion and knowledge for the trade and is genuinely supportive. Flying in for sales conferences in Berkeley, Calif., is a happy adventure. Downsides? Having California as your sales hub when your main market is still the U.K. makes playing between time zones awkward. Early U.S. return rates of 80% were a shock. Weve gone all out for the super important U.S. trade reviews, and theyre slack in responding. No title has caught fire yet. We need one at least to find a regular 5,000-plus sales. In the U.K., weve achieved some spectacularly good review coverage, even if that didnt convert to sales, and will continue to seek such attention. The U.K. gives us review coverage that the U.S. cant. Using freelance PR in the U.S., the first thing were told is not to expect muchthat book coverage in the U.S. media is shrinking to nothing. Were recommending authors start their own Substacks and target podcast coverage. Stay with it, were told. It takes three to four years to build brand recognition in the U.S. Meanwhile we look forward to a summer and autumn of our authors appearances at literary festivals across the U.K. Long winters in Southern California, and summers in Europewhy not get away with it as a publishing business model if you can? Martin Goodman is the publisher of Barbican Press. Return to the main feature. In Real Americans (Knopf, Apr.), Khong explores the varied experiences of Chinese immigrants and their descendants. This novel has a wider scope than your debut, Goodbye, Vitamin. Could you talk about what went into it? My first book had one narrator, a young Asian American woman, and people love to conflate authors with their narrators. So with this book I was excited to write from different perspectives. Lily is an Asian American woman but shes coming of age a little before I did. Nick is a teenage boy, and May is a much older Asian woman. I feel a lot in common with that teenage boy and with that elderly woman, but people often just see the demographic and make assumptions. Or assume that Lily would be the easiest character for you to write. Yes, but I actually did research for all three, because Lily started college in 1999, a few years before I did, and then I did research into Mays section in China during the Cultural Revolution, and then I talked to a high school guidance counselor for Nick. One way Lily must differ from you is her lack of direction. Shes not sure what she wants to do and she doesnt have the drive that being a writer requires. Did you feel aimless at an earlier time in your life? No, but I dont like that I am driven, either. Really? This novel is very much about various types of American propagandathe belief in achievement and exceptionalism, the idea that its so important to have a career and be ambitious. I was raised with that, and its something I question as an adult because it feels so in service of capitalism. What were you reading while writing this book? I started working on Real Americans right after the 2016 election and I think I was in shock. I wanted to write something immersive and escapist, and I was sucked in by Ferrantes Neapolitan series. At one point May says about her daughter, Lily, The way I loved her was different from the way she wanted to be loved. What does that line mean to you? Ive thought versions of that sentence for a long time. I came to the U.S. when I was two; my parents are Chinese but from Malaysia, and there is a disconnect in how we communicate with one another. My parents speak pretty good English, but they come from a totally different culture. So often in my life they have expressed love that wasnt the specific love that I wanted. Or I wanted them to say something, and they didnt say it the right way. I think I just want to hear more positive reinforcement and they just want me to exist in the same room as them. In The Profiteers (PublicAffairs, May), Marquis examines how companies escape responsibility for their misdeeds. The book explores how and why we all pay for businesss free lunch. What do you mean by that? My core focus is externalities, an economic concept explaining how production costs are not borne by the producer, but by the community. Business works extensively and rigorously to avoid having any responsibility for these costs. Think about plastic. Corporate executives have worked hard to convince us that many things are recyclable, and the public goes ahead and recycles all their plastic, but 90% of it ends up in a landfill. All that money from lobbying and advertising should be put into revising packaging and delivery technology. Its all gaslighting of the public. Companies are buying ads instead of investing in new technology. Of course we should put things in the right bin and use reusable shopping bags, but weve all come to think that sustainability is our responsibility because of lobbying. Have ESGenvironmental, social, and governanceefforts made any difference? A lot of times ESG is just about trying to make the public think that companies are doing well by doing good, and that businesss self-interest, rather than policy changes, will solve issues. Were seeing so many examples of greenwashing where a company will say theyre doing something theyre not. On the other hand, innovative and thoughtful business leaders see the value in being responsible, with companies like Grove Collaborative, which sells sustainable home care products, working on going plastic-neutral. These entrepreneurs are thinking, I dont throw trash on my neighbors lawn, so why should my company pollute the world? Were at a breaking point with social and climate issues, which the public and government will be much more sensitive to in the future. Its the companies engaging in these innovations today that will likely thrive then. But consumer pressure isnt enough. Surveys show people care about these issues, but not a lot of research shows that they change their buying behavior accordingly. The more powerful levers are through policy. The European Union is implementing stringent laws and regulations, so if youre Nike and now have to adhere to the Green Claims Directive laws in Europe, you have to do it everywhere you do business. What can ordinary people do to make an impact? Be involved locally in civic organizations and make policy demands on our governments. Push your representatives. Many state governments are introducing extended producer responsibility bills supporting companies that are on the forefront of this work. Click Here to go to PublishersWeekly.com For decades, the London Book Fair has been the primary showcase for the English-language publishing industry, with no equivalent in size or import anywhere in the world. This years event, set to run March 1214 at Olympia London, is looking to be something of a return to form after a pandemic lull. Attendance at last years fair was nearly all the way back to 2019 levels, organizers say, and anticipation is building for an even stronger event in 2024. Gareth Rapley, director of the London Book Fair, tells PW that the fairs efforts to reach beyond the traditional book business to Londons many creative, book-adjacent industriessuch as film, TV, and techhave established it as the right place to open up business conversations far beyond the publishing sector itself. And while the American contingent was slow to come back to London in the wake of the pandemic, registrations from the U.S. are up this year. Were expecting a strong showing of Americans, Rapley confirms, adding that a strong dollar is helping. Indeed, the fairs day-one programming has a noticeable American presence this year. Among the highlights: the opening keynote will feature Simon & Schuster CEO Jonathan Karp; Association of American Publishers president and CEO Maria A. Pallante will take part in a discussion about artificial intelligence; and American author Taylor Jenkins Reid, whose sales have been boosted by TikTok and last years Apple TV+ adaptation of her novel Daisy Jones and the Six, is serving as the fairs International Author of the Day. Changes In addition to more American participation in 2024, Rapley says this years fair will also see greater numbers from another key constituency that was im-pacted by pandemic restrictions: Chinese publishers and exhibitors. We are seeing a significant increase in people coming from Asia, which is going to be a big priority for our growth in the coming years. Several other changes will be evident in 2024most prominently, the fairs new dates. Usually held in mid- April, the London Book Fair has moved up to mid-March. And while many attendees may be dreading the rainy weather in London in March, there are some clear advantages to the switch. The fact that we are now effectively the first major international fair on the publishing calendar lets us set the tone for industry discussions the rest of the year, Rapley says. It means that for publishing professionals, especially those working in English, we are a cant-miss event. The London Book Fairs Olympia home is also in the midst of a major makeoverpart of an ambitious 1 billion plan to turn the 137-year-old landmark into a glittering cultural hub. When finished, the Olympia will include an updated exhibit space, two hotels, a 1,500-seat theater, and a 1,000-seat performing arts venue. But some London Book Fair attendees last year bemoaned the fact that parts of the Olympia felt like a hard-hat zone. That we are now effectively the first major international fair on the publishing calendar lets us set the tone for industry discussions. Were doing our very best with the venue, which poses challenges, Rapley says. But he promises better organization and more comfort at this years fair. Programs and exhibits As always, the London Book Fair will feature a busy show floor with roughly 1,000 exhibitors and a strong and varied professional program. The 2024 seminar program features hundreds of speakers, presentations, and panel discussions addressing the hot topics in the international book business on numerous stages over the fairs three days. Rapley notes that the fairs most popular venues are all returning, including the Tech Theatre, the Sustainability Hub, the Focus Theatre, Author HQ, and the English PEN Salon. Theres also a new Audio Alley (a dedicated space for audio exhibitors) and an International Markets Theater. The Literary Translation Center will also return with a diverse program featuring discussions on trends in literary translation, including the rise in self-translation by bilingual poets and more. A host of great authors will also be featured in London. In addition to Jenkins Reid, the program includes appearances by bestselling crime writer Richard Osman, U.K. childrens laureate Joseph Coelho, and Flavia Z. Drago, who is serving as illustrator of the fair. As well, many of the authors at this years fair have found success on social mediaamong them clinical psychologist Julie Smith, a TikTok star with 4.7 million followers, and Steven Bartlett, a podcaster with more than five million subscribers on YouTube. Writers are the reason we do what we do, Rapley says. And the London Book Fair is a unique opportunity for visitors to see and hear these authors in person, getting unique insights into the way they write, think, and create. More coverage of the 2024 London Book Fair Rights Center Central At this years London Book Fair, U.S. agents will be talking up works by Richard Price, H.S. Cross, Riley Sager, Sylvester Stallone, and more. This year, submissions will remain open through the opening of the fair on March 12. The Rights Stuff U.S. agents expect romantasy to be hot, debut fiction not. Program Highlights A selection of the more than 150 panels and discussions featured on tap in the fairs Seminar Program, including sessions on AI, audiobooks, BookTok, DEI, and the freedom to read and publish. Chase to open first Springfield bank branch this summer Earlier this month, Chase announced a multibillion-dollar investment in its branch network, opening more than 500 new branches across the U.S. One of those branches, coming this summer, will be the first in Springfield, according to Brian Hanover, head of U.S. regional communications for JPMorgan Chase. Our brand as you recognize has been in the Springfield market for over 20 years with our Chase credit card center there, and now we have this wonderful opportunity to bring the full Chase brand, including consumer investments, business, all to the Springfield market, said Jim Erickson, Chase market director for Springfield. According to Erickson, Chase is expanding its network of branches at a time when most brands are closing their branches. While customers do want digital options, Erickson said 64% of Chase customers prefer to open an account in person. He added that small business owners use Chase branches most often. The Chase bank will be located at 3341 S. Glenstone Ave in the Primrose Marketplace parking lot. Cook hired as Table Rock Chamber Economic Development Director Kyle Cook The Table Rock Lake Chamber of Commerce in Branson West has hired Kyle Cook as its new economic development director. Cook will be responsible for implementing the Chambers five-year strategic plan for economic development. Focus areas of the plan include business retention and expansion, business attraction, tourism marketing, community development, and workforce development. He will be lending his assistance to all businesses and municipalities in Stone County as we focus on growing our countys economy, said Sheila Thomas, Chamber president and CEO. More: Customers, BBB say Willard business auctioned off items, didn't turn over payment Cook is a resident of Stone County. He formerly worked as director of operations and director of design and construction at Miller Commerce, a Springfield-based development company. In those roles, Cook managed the development and construction of multi-family properties in Missouri, Nebraska, and Arkansas. He also worked as a department manager for Terracon Consultants, an environmental, geotechnical and construction materials company with offices in Springfield. Story continues Drury University partners with Mercy and Southwest Baptist University to expand nursing education offers Drury University will join the Southwest Baptist University Mercy College of Health Professions partnership to provide Drury students a path to careers in nursing, according to a press release. Through the partnership, Drury students will receive their nonclinical education at Drury. SBU will provide the didactic clinical instruction at its Springfield campus, and Mercy will provide the clinical opportunities. Upon graduation, students will have earned a B.S. in health science from Drury and an associate of science in nursing (ASN) from SBU. From there, students will have the option of completing a bachelor of science in nursing (BSN). With nationwide nursing shortages, one goal of the expanded program is to help create a pipeline for Drury students into nursing careers at Mercy. Drury students can now begin registering for the nursing program to begin in the fall 2024 semester. The SBU partnership was initially established in 1986, although the Sisters of Mercy have offered nursing education in the Springfield community since 1906. Arvest Bank named to Forbes Magazine 2024 list of Americas best employers Arvest Bank has been named to Forbes Americas Best Employers list for the third consecutive time, according to a press release. The bank was recognized in the large employers category for those with upwards of 5,000 employees. This award highlights our core beliefs that true success lies in valuing and empowering each other, helping to create an inclusive culture where everyone is celebrated for their individuality and their contributions to the organization and our communities, said Laura Andress, Arvest Chief People Officer. The award is presented by Forbes and Statista, Inc. Americas best employers were identified in an independent survey of 170,000 U.S. employees. The final score is based on both personal and public evaluations. All companies represented employed at least 1,000 people within the U.S. Maschinos wins Heart, Patio and BBQ Association Retailer of the Year Joan Nutting, store manager at Maschinos in Springfield, was awarded the national Retailer of the Year at the Hearth, Patio, and Barbecue Expo. Maschinos has been involved in the Springfield community for decades, hosting art shows, trade shows, and silent auctions. The home decor store has also hosted the Midwest Hearth, Patio and Barbecue event. Being chosen over hundreds of other retailers is a huge honor for our small business of less than 15 employees, the home goods store said in an announcement on its website. Since opening over 70 years ago, the Maschinos experience itself has always been our number one selling point and its incredible to have won an award for it. Retailer of the Year is presented to one hearth, patio and barbecue retailer in North America each year to recognize commitment to retail excellence, customer focus, and industry involvement. Lake Regional Health System announces technology for advanced knee replacement Lake Regional Orthopedic Surgeon Curtis Mather, D.O. New technology is transforming knee surgeries at Lake Regional Health System, according to a press release. Lake Regional Orthopedics now provides total knee replacements using the VELYS Robotic-Assisted Solution and the ATTUNE Knee System. During a knee replacement, a surgeon removes damaged parts of a knee and replaces them with new parts. The surgeon controls the VELYS robotic arm to place the new parts precisely where they need to go. The robot also has a camera and optical trackers that provide patient information in real-time. The VELYS Robotic-Assisted Solution will be used to place the ATTUNE Knee System. ATTUNE is an innovative knee system that can help decrease pain and increase stability and range of motion. This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Chase to open Springfield branch bank; Drury expands nursing education The sudden death of Alexei Navalny, the most prominent opposition figure against Vladimir Putins government, marks yet another chilling moment in Russian politics. Navalnys suspicious demise in an Arctic Russian prison has sparked international outrage and a flurry of condemnation, especially from Western leaders who have squarely blamed Putin for this event. The brazen nature of Navalnys death, following several years of torture-like conditions in prison, signifies that Putin feels invincible right now. At the same time, his regime appears to survive only on fear and mass persecution. This has implications for how the West should approach Russia going forward. Navalnys death can be seen as evidence of Putins perceived invulnerability and the effectiveness of his authoritative grip on Russia. Despite facing Western sanctions, Putins regime has seemingly not only weathered the storm but also, in some aspects, thrived. The Russian economy in 2023 surpassed both the United States and Europe in terms of growth, expanding by 3.6% despite being subjected to a broad range of significant economic sanctions and isolation from major global markets. Russias ongoing conflict in Ukraine has continued unabated, with some advances in several Ukrainian cities and regions, bolstering Putins image among his domestic supporters and the Russian elite. Ukraines counter-offensive has failed due to the extensive defensive positions of the Russian army. The key city of Avdiivka has been taken under control by Russian forces amid concerns over munitions supplies for Ukrainian troops. This military success, coupled with the effective suppression of internal dissent, has further solidified Putins hold on power. This apparent strength is a result of a much harsher political reality within Russia. The political landscape in the country has been systematically purged of any meaningful opposition. Key opposition figures are either deceased, incarcerated, or have been forced into exile. Even small acts of dissent, such as pickets to mark Navalnys passing, are swiftly prevented by the authoritiesan extreme level of control over public expression and a zero-tolerance policy towards opposition rule in Russia. Russian authorities are monitoring the internet space and arresting individuals who express criticism of the war in Ukraine, even in online forums. Not only are anti-war opposition members being detained, but also those who, like Igor Strelkov (also known as Igor Girkin), criticize the conduct of the war. Strelkov, a former FSB officer, prominent Russian nationalist, and pro-war blogger, was sentenced to four years in prison on charges of inciting extremism, which were linked to his criticism of Russias military strategy in Ukraine. This case highlights the broader trend of Russian authorities cracking down on any form of dissent, including from individuals who have been supportive of the war but critical of its execution. This climate has created an atmosphere of fear among the general Russian populace. With the threat of imprisonment looming over any form of resistance, ordinary Russians are understandably hesitant to mobilize against the regime. The governments heavy-handed approach has effectively stifled public discourse and protest, leaving little room for citizens to express discontent or call for change. The control extends to the media landscape too. Independent voices and alternative narratives are virtually non-existent in the Russian media, which is dominated by government propaganda. In this environment, Putins regime appears invulnerable and his grip on power is unshakeable. The combination of recent military successes in Ukraine, the suppression of political opposition, control over the media, and the instillation of fear in the populace has solidified his authoritarian rule. However, Navalnys passing also unveils the fragile nature of Putins regime, revealing an inherent insecurity within the Kremlin. The regimes reliance on silencing opposition voices points to its vulnerability to any form of dissent. This strategy of maintaining power highlights the regimes paradoxical though common in dictatorships nature: outwardly strong and unyielding, yet internally fearful of any challenge to its narrative. The fragility of Putins regime was starkly highlighted last summer when Yevgeny Prigozhin, the deceased leader of the Wagner Group who was most likely killed on Putins orders in August led a march towards Moscow. Although Putin emerged on top at the end, this event revealed cracks within the Russian military and political landscape, exposing how quickly and unexpectedly Putins grip on the country can unravel. Moreover, there is a broader issue facing Russia: a systemic decline exacerbated by a focus on military endeavors. Russias current war economy diverts critical resources away from key areas such as education and technology. As the rest of the world moves forward in the technological revolution, Russia remains preoccupied with territorial conquests in Ukraine and managing internal dissent. This leads to a brain drain, with many of Russias brightest minds emigrating in search of better opportunities and freedom of expression. This weakens Russias long-term economic and technological standing. Essentially, while Putins government remains robust in the short term, there are inherent limitations. The regime, built on fear and suppression, requires constant vigilance to maintain. The long-term implications of this governance style suggest a downward spiral for Russia, leading to bigger challenges in the future. In the short to medium-term, Western powers face a protracted challenge in dealing with Putins Russia. Navalnys death is a stark reminder that, barring unforeseen circumstances, Putins regime is likely to continue its authoritarian trajectory, further clamping down on any form of opposition. The situation is somewhat similar to the Cold War era, suggesting that the West might have to brace for a long and enduring geopolitical standoff, similar to what was experienced with the Soviet Union. The West must also be prepared for a protracted conflict in Ukraine. Russias military actions and strategic objectives in Ukraine indicate a long-term commitment. Moreover, the West must remain vigilant against Russias potential interference in the domestic affairs of EU countries and the United States. The Kremlin has demonstrated a capability and willingness to influence foreign politics through a variety of means, including disinformation campaigns, political manipulation, and direct interference in elections. In contemporary Russia, President Vladimir Putin's popularity endures, bolstered significantly by a strong sense of patriotism and a national aspiration to affirm Russia as a major global power. This sentiment is deeply ingrained in the Russian psyche, reflecting a collective desire to reassert the nation's status on the world stage, reminiscent of its historical prominence. Putin's leadership is intertwined with this narrative; he is widely perceived as the architect of Russia's resurgence, instrumental in restoring its dignity and international standing after the perceived humiliations of the post-Soviet era. His assertive foreign policy and firm domestic stance resonate with a populace eager to see Russia respected and feared, rather than sidelined or underestimated. Putin remains genuinely popular in Russia, not least because of a widespread belief among Russians that the West harbors intentions to undermine Russias sovereignty, seeking to reduce it to a subservient position in the global order. Many Russians view Putin as a bulwark against these perceived external threats, the only leader with the strength and resolve to fend off attempts at diminishing their countrys power and influence. In the forthcoming presidential election in March, there will be no genuine opposition. However, even if the elections were conducted fairly, Putin would win. Consequently, the West should not rely on an internal revolution to unseat Putins government. The entrenchment of Putins power, fueled by nationalistic fervor and a deep-seated wariness of the West, suggests that any significant change in Russias political landscape is unlikely to originate from within its borders. Ultimately, Alexei Navalnys untimely death has major implications for the future of Russia and its relationship with the West. It unequivocally exposes the authoritarian nature of Putins regime and sets the stage for a continued, if not heightened, period of tension and confrontation between Russia and Western powers. This standoff is likely to persist indefinitely. Alexander Clackson is the founder of Global Political Insight think tank in London, and a researcher on Russia, which he has covered for the past decade. He is currently conducting research on the political views of ethnic minorities in Russia. Property details: Normal 0 false false false EN-US JA X-NONE INVESTMENT PROPERTYIRON COUNTY, UTAH - 6.81 acresI have a nice 6.81 acre property west of Cedar City, (Iron County), Utah with a beautiful background view of the Mountains. This acreage is located about 30 minutes west of town an easy drive down Highway 56. It is a frequent visiting location for bald eagles which sometimes nest at a 20 feet pole erected at the SW corner of 36 in an area near the lot.Cedar City sits directly on Interstate 15, between Las... Price: $ 5 Seller State of Residence: Illinois Property Address: Los Facones Type: Homesite, Lot Zip/Postal Code: 84753 Zoning: Residential City: Modena State/Province: Utah Location: 847**, Modena, Utah You will be redirected to eBay Nearby Utah Property details: Interior building plot for sale in Hungary! Location: Zala County PusztaedericsArea: 1876 mProperty: 1/1, free from lawsuits and encumbrancesPrice: HUF 3.5 millionPrice: 9000 EUR / 9700 USD Pusztaederics is a quiet, extremely safe cottage village with no through traffic with fewer than 170 residents.The forests and pastures surrounding the village provide an extremely beautiful natural environment.The property is located directly on the main street of the village, between two traffic-free ... Price: $ 9,700 Seller State of Residence: Hungary Type: land Property Address: Pusztaederics City: Pusztaederics State/Province: Hungary Location: , Pusztaederics You will be redirected to eBay Nearby Hungary Property details: INVESTMENT PROPERTYLUNA COUNTY, NEW MEXICOI own a nice 1/2 acre lot in Deming, Luna County, New Mexico with close access to Interstate 10. This land is in an excellent location near Las Cruces, NM and El Paso, TX. Tucson, Arizona is a 3-hour drive west on I-10. This area is right near Hatch, NM. 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Price: $ 300 Seller State of Residence: Illinois Type: Homesite, Lot Zip/Postal Code: 85131 Zoning: Residential City: Eloy State/Province: Arizona Location: 851**, Eloy, Arizona You will be redirected to eBay Nearby Arizona Property details: PLEASE READ ENTIRE AD, ALL FEES DUE AT TIME OF SALE ARE DISCLOSED(The Pictures In This Ad Are General In Nature)Please note that we are not affiliated with nor do we represent the resort described in this item ad. (Due to West Virginia guidelines on purchasing Real Estate; West Virginia Residents will not be able to participate in this Auction) WYNDHAM GRAND DESERT210,000 POINTSODD YEAR USAGETIMESHARE FOR SALE Points: 210,000Anniversary: JanuaryUsage: Odd Year Starting 2025Trading Company: RCI M... Price: $ 103 Seller State of Residence: TEXAS Property Address: 265 E. Harmon Drive City: Las Vegas State/Province: Nevada Type: Attractions Number of Bathrooms: 0.5 Zip/Postal Code: 89109 Location: 891**, Las Vegas, Nevada You will be redirected to eBay Nearby 89109 Flaco, the Eurasian Eagle owl who escaped New York City's Central Park Zoo a year ago, has died after crashing into a building on West 89th Street in Manhattan. ADVERTISEMENT The owl flew out into the wild after his exhibit was vandalized in February 2023, but tourists and locals alike spotted and photographed him countless times throughout the city, making him an unlikely social media star, and inspiring fan art and merchandise bearing his likeness. The biography for his X page reads: "Eurasian Eagle Owl. Central Park's It Bird & Finally Free. New York's new rat czar. Try to find me. Catch all my updates here. DM me your pictures!" The zoo confirmed the sad news of his death on Friday. "The downed owl was reported to the Wild Bird Fund by people in the building. Staff from the WBF quickly responded, retrieved the non-responsive owl and declared him dead shortly afterward. The WBF notified zoo staff who picked up the bird and transported him to the Bronx Zoo for necropsy," the zoo said in a press release on Friday. "The vandal who damaged Flaco's exhibit jeopardized the safety of the bird and is ultimately responsible for his death. We are still hopeful that the NYPD, which is investigating the vandalism, will ultimately make an arrest," the statement added. "Flaco frequently had been seen in and near Central Park and other locations across Manhattan since Feb. 2, 2023. Our staff monitored him throughout the year and were prepared to recover him if he showed any sign of difficulty or distress." The New York City Audobon Society mourned the loss of Flaco on X. "Absolutely heartbreaking news to share. Flaco, the beloved Eurasian Eagle-Owl who escaped from the Central Park Zoo after his exhibit was vandalized in 2023, passed away this evening after colliding with a building or window on Manhattan's Upper West Side," the group said. FOLLOW REALITY TV WORLD ON THE ALL-NEW GOOGLE NEWS! Reality TV World is now available on the all-new Google News app and website. Click here to visit our Google News page, and then click FOLLOW to add us as a news source! "After arriving in Central Park, Flaco delighted so many NYers, both seasoned birders and people who have never held binoculars, with his magnetic appearances across NYC. He meant so much to so many, and will be sorely missed by NYC Audubon & wildlife lovers everywhere." Maria Georgas / Instagram By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 02/24/2024 ADVERTISEMENT FOLLOW REALITY TV WORLD ON THE ALL-NEW GOOGLE NEWS! Reality TV World is now available on the all-new Google News app and website. Click here to visit our Google News page, and then click FOLLOW to add us as a news source! ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade. 's Maria Georgas has revealed that she went through a "really dark" time and felt "ugly" prior to appearing on Joey Graziadei 's season of the show.On this season, Maria shared with Joey how she and her mother had gotten into a car wreck when Maria was an infant.Maria recalled a cement truck crushing her mother's car and how the fact the both of them survived was dubbed a "miracle" by local press.Maria explained to Joey how her mother had fallen into a depression after the accident and left her when she was young, which left Maria resentful, frustrated and confused about her parents' separation.Maria was mainly raised by her father and brothers, and she cites her upbringing as the reason why she's "tough" as well as a little "rough around the edges" and "blunt."Maria posted a TikTok video on Monday and showed the article about her mother's car accident in an old newspaper. She went on to reveal how that wasn't the only traumatic accident she's endured in her life."Going through something so tragic like that, I can only imagine what my mom went through," Maria said."At the time, I didn't understand it. She had to go to rehab to learn how to properly walk again, but it could've been worse. They thought she broke every bone in her body, but that just wasn't the case, and I'm still here standing."The 29-year-old executive assistant from Kleinburg, Ontario, continued, "In 2018, I got into a really, really bad car accident myself. It brought me to a really dark place. Now, looking back, I can talk about it, because when I was in the moment, I didn't want to see my friends and I didn't want to see my family."Maria admitted, "I felt ugly. I just, I don't know, I didn't see what the meaning of life was anymore. It was just a hard time for me. It was not a good place to be in, and it was not a good headspace to be in. It was terrible."Maria said she's so grateful to have "the most amazing friends and family," who helped her "get out of that" emotional and mental struggle."I couldn't push them away for too long, so they made it a thing to help me get out of that, and I'm really glad that they did. That's why I choose to be as positive as I can every day and just be grateful for another day on Earth," Maria said."Because you just don't know what life can throw at you. You just don't know that life can change in an instant, and that's how I connected it to Joey. Going through something myself, I was able to reconnect with my mom and forgive her and understand where she was at."Maria added that because of her past, she doesn't like to complain about things."I am grateful for every opportunity that I get," Maria claimed. "Everyone I have in my life, I love so much and don't know where I would be without them."In a caption written over her video, Maria insisted, "If you ever feel like this, please seek help no matter what. DON'T suffer in silence like I tried to do."Maria went on to say in the video that people should "always be nice" to others, although "respect is earned."She elaborated, "I don't like to put myself into situations where I feel like I need to be on the attack. I don't like to put myself into situations where I'm dealing with petty fights -- I really don't, because there are things far worse that are going on in people's lives."Maria also noted that she felt "so lucky" to compete on 's 28th season."Guys, I was on a yacht!" Maria quipped, referring to her two-on-one date against Sydney Gordon in Malta."Do you think I wanted to sit there and be sad?! No! I am so grateful for everything that's going on, and I'm grateful for everyone that's so supportive of me. I'm just trying to focus on the positive and not the negative, and I thought that's what I was trying to make clear to everyone."Maria concluded her video by asking her followers to "choose to be happy."During 's February 12 and February 13 episodes, Joey eliminated Sydney on her two-on-one date with Maria, and Lea Cayanan , who had become best friends with Sydney, had an issue with Maria surviving elimination. Sydney had called Maria a catty "mean girl" and a "bully." Jess Edwards then accused Maria of being "rude" and "disrespectful" for stealing Joey's time at the cocktail party in Spain when she already had a rose in hand.Maria appeared to have support from Jenn Tran , and Lexi Young during filming.On 's latest episode that aired on Monday, February 19, Maria received a special one-on-one date with Joey in Montreal, Canada, in which they rode around in a limo and went shopping at a boutique for a beautiful gown. The date ended with Joey giving Maria a rose.During his time in Montreal, Lexi quit the show, and Joey eliminated Lea, Jess, and Katelyn DeBacker Sydney recently took to Instagram and accused Maria of gaslighting women on . But Sydney has faced backlash and hate from many fans for how she had treated Maria and thrown her under the bus.Maria, for her part, said that "things will come to light" and explain the drama on .Interested in more news? Join our The Bachelor Facebook Group Armstrong World Industries, Inc. (NYSE:AWI) stock is about to trade ex-dividend in 3 days. The ex-dividend date is one business day before the record date, which is the cut-off date for shareholders to be present on the company's books to be eligible for a dividend payment. It is important to be aware of the ex-dividend date because any trade on the stock needs to have been settled on or before the record date. Therefore, if you purchase Armstrong World Industries' shares on or after the 28th of February, you won't be eligible to receive the dividend, when it is paid on the 14th of March. The company's next dividend payment will be US$0.28 per share, on the back of last year when the company paid a total of US$1.12 to shareholders. Based on the last year's worth of payments, Armstrong World Industries stock has a trailing yield of around 0.9% on the current share price of US$122.37. If you buy this business for its dividend, you should have an idea of whether Armstrong World Industries's dividend is reliable and sustainable. As a result, readers should always check whether Armstrong World Industries has been able to grow its dividends, or if the dividend might be cut. See our latest analysis for Armstrong World Industries Dividends are usually paid out of company profits, so if a company pays out more than it earned then its dividend is usually at greater risk of being cut. Armstrong World Industries paid out just 21% of its profit last year, which we think is conservatively low and leaves plenty of margin for unexpected circumstances. That said, even highly profitable companies sometimes might not generate enough cash to pay the dividend, which is why we should always check if the dividend is covered by cash flow. It distributed 31% of its free cash flow as dividends, a comfortable payout level for most companies. It's positive to see that Armstrong World Industries's dividend is covered by both profits and cash flow, since this is generally a sign that the dividend is sustainable, and a lower payout ratio usually suggests a greater margin of safety before the dividend gets cut. Story continues Click here to see the company's payout ratio, plus analyst estimates of its future dividends. Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing? Stocks in companies that generate sustainable earnings growth often make the best dividend prospects, as it is easier to lift the dividend when earnings are rising. If business enters a downturn and the dividend is cut, the company could see its value fall precipitously. With that in mind, we're encouraged by the steady growth at Armstrong World Industries, with earnings per share up 6.7% on average over the last five years. The company is retaining more than half of its earnings within the business, and it has been growing earnings at a decent rate. We think this is generally an attractive combination, as dividends can grow through a combination of earnings growth and or a higher payout ratio over time. Many investors will assess a company's dividend performance by evaluating how much the dividend payments have changed over time. Armstrong World Industries has delivered an average of 9.9% per year annual increase in its dividend, based on the past five years of dividend payments. It's encouraging to see the company lifting dividends while earnings are growing, suggesting at least some corporate interest in rewarding shareholders. Final Takeaway Is Armstrong World Industries an attractive dividend stock, or better left on the shelf? Earnings per share growth has been growing somewhat, and Armstrong World Industries is paying out less than half its earnings and cash flow as dividends. This is interesting for a few reasons, as it suggests management may be reinvesting heavily in the business, but it also provides room to increase the dividend in time. We would prefer to see earnings growing faster, but the best dividend stocks over the long term typically combine significant earnings per share growth with a low payout ratio, and Armstrong World Industries is halfway there. It's a promising combination that should mark this company worthy of closer attention. So while Armstrong World Industries looks good from a dividend perspective, it's always worthwhile being up to date with the risks involved in this stock. For example, we've found 1 warning sign for Armstrong World Industries that we recommend you consider before investing in the business. Generally, we wouldn't recommend just buying the first dividend stock you see. Here's a curated list of interesting stocks that are strong dividend payers. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Videos Sorry, there are no recent results for popular videos. Jose Antonio Ibarra was booked into Clarke County Jail on Friday night in connection to the homicide of 22-year-old nursing student Laken Riley. Ibarra was charged with seven felony counts malice murder, felony murder, aggravated battery, aggravated assault, false imprisonment, kidnapping and concealing the death of another. He was also charged with two misdemeanor counts of hindering a 911 call and failure to appear for a fingerprintable charge. Diego Jose Ibarra, Jose Antonio Ibarras brother, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, was also arrested on Friday night. Diego Ibarra was charged on one misdemeanor count for possession of fraudulent identification and on a felony count for an agency hold by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. Robust portfolio with strategic metropolitan focus and diversified brands catering to various customer segments. Proactive development strategy with a pipeline of new communities enhancing growth prospects. Market volatility and regulatory challenges as potential threats to operational flexibility. Commitment to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) initiatives aligning with investor and resident expectations. On February 23, 2024, AvalonBay Communities Inc (NYSE:AVB) filed its annual 10-K report, revealing a comprehensive overview of its financial health and strategic positioning. As a leading real estate investment trust, AvalonBay owns and operates a portfolio of 279 apartment communities with over 83,000 units and has 19 additional properties under development. The company's focus on high-wage, high-cost metropolitan areas has positioned it to capitalize on market dynamics that favor long-term risk-adjusted returns. Financially, AvalonBay has demonstrated a strong balance sheet, with a market capitalization of approximately $26.79 billion as of June 30, 2023. The company's development and acquisition activities, coupled with its operational efficiency, have contributed to its financial resilience and growth trajectory. Decoding AvalonBay Communities Inc (AVB): A Strategic SWOT Insight Strengths Market Position and Brand Differentiation: AvalonBay Communities Inc (NYSE:AVB) has established a strong market presence in key metropolitan areas known for high-wage employment and a vibrant quality of life. This strategic focus has enabled the company to maintain a robust portfolio with high occupancy rates and demand. AvalonBay's brand differentiation, with offerings such as Avalon, AVA, eaves by Avalon, and Kanso, caters to a diverse customer base, from upscale living to value-conscious residents. This brand segmentation allows AvalonBay to maximize market penetration and cater to various preferences within its geographic footprint, enhancing its competitive edge. Story continues Development and Redevelopment Expertise: AvalonBay's in-house development and redevelopment teams have a proven track record of delivering high-quality apartment communities. With a pipeline of 19 wholly-owned development communities and rights to develop an additional 30 communities, AvalonBay is well-positioned for future growth. The company's ability to act as its own development manager and general contractor not only ensures control over construction quality and timelines but also results in cost savings. This expertise is a significant strength, as it allows AvalonBay to expand its portfolio strategically and maintain a competitive advantage in its markets. Weaknesses Geographic Concentration Risks: While AvalonBay's focus on specific high-growth metropolitan areas has been a strength, it also presents a concentration risk. Economic downturns, natural disasters, or significant policy changes in these regions could disproportionately affect the company's operations and financial performance. Moreover, the reliance on a limited number of markets may limit diversification benefits and expose AvalonBay to localized market volatility. Regulatory and Compliance Burdens: AvalonBay operates in an industry that is subject to extensive regulation, including zoning laws, building codes, and rent control measures. The company's significant presence in California and New York, states known for stringent rent control laws, poses a challenge to operational flexibility and revenue maximization. Compliance with these regulations requires continuous monitoring and adaptation, which can be resource-intensive and may impact profitability. Opportunities Expansion into New Markets: AvalonBay has the opportunity to leverage its brand reputation and operational expertise to enter new markets, particularly those with similar characteristics to its current portfolio. Expansion into new regions can diversify risk and open up additional revenue streams. The company's recent forays into markets such as Raleigh-Durham, Charlotte, Southeast Florida, and Denver indicate a strategic intent to grow beyond its traditional strongholds. ESG Initiatives: There is a growing emphasis on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors in the real estate industry. AvalonBay's commitment to ESG initiatives, such as energy efficiency, sustainable construction practices, and social responsibility, aligns with investor and resident expectations. By enhancing its ESG profile, AvalonBay can attract socially conscious investors and residents, potentially leading to increased demand for its communities and access to favorable financing terms. Threats Market Volatility and Economic Uncertainty: The real estate market is cyclical and can be impacted by economic downturns, changes in consumer preferences, and shifts in employment trends. AvalonBay's performance is closely tied to the economic health of the metropolitan areas it serves. Any downturn in these economies could lead to decreased demand for rental units, putting pressure on occupancy rates and rental income. Increased Competition and Technological Disruption: The multifamily apartment sector is highly competitive, with numerous players vying for market share. Technological advancements, such as the rise of smart home features and online rental platforms, are changing tenant expectations. AvalonBay must continuously innovate and invest in technology to remain competitive and meet the evolving needs of its residents. Failure to adapt to these changes could result in a loss of market share to more technologically advanced competitors. In conclusion, AvalonBay Communities Inc (NYSE:AVB) exhibits a strong market position with a focus on high-quality properties in strategic metropolitan areas. The company's brand differentiation and development expertise are key strengths that drive its competitive advantage. However, geographic concentration and regulatory challenges present inherent weaknesses that require careful management. Opportunities for expansion and a commitment to ESG initiatives offer avenues for growth, while market volatility and technological disruption pose threats that must be navigated. Overall, AvalonBay's strategic approach positions it well to leverage its strengths and opportunities while addressing its weaknesses and threats in the dynamic real estate market. This article, generated by GuruFocus, is designed to provide general insights and is not tailored financial advice. Our commentary is rooted in historical data and analyst projections, utilizing an impartial methodology, and is not intended to serve as specific investment guidance. It does not formulate a recommendation to purchase or divest any stock and does not consider individual investment objectives or financial circumstances. Our objective is to deliver long-term, fundamental data-driven analysis. Be aware that our analysis might not incorporate the most recent, price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative information. GuruFocus holds no position in the stocks mentioned herein. This article first appeared on GuruFocus. 'Fundamentally, we think that in the coming quarters, API business should come back.' Photograph: Kind courtesy Biocon Biocon is preparing to make the most of the peptides opportunity as these drugs start to go off patents globally. They have already filed for approvals in several countries, and are vertically integrated to make these peptides, which are used to treat diabetes and obesity. Speaking to Sohini Das and Aneeka Chatterjee/Business Standard over a video interview, Biocon's chief executive officer (CEO) and managing director (MD) Siddharth Mittal outlines the growth strategies and challenges ahead. Has the recovery been slower in the generics business than expected? It has been quite good on the formulations side where we have seen good growth. We have won a contract in the US and also a couple of tenders in the emerging markets, and we continue to supply those. We also have recently secured new approvals, and we will launch these drugs in the coming quarters. Overall, the formulations business has been a good growth driver. However, we have seen weakness in our active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) business. API did de-grow compared to last year but grew compared to the second quarter. Fundamentally, we think that in the coming quarters, API business should come back. The pricing pressure that we have seen in the US and a few other emerging markets did impact us though there are signs of normalcy. We, of course, have to take steps on our side to bring down the cost of materials for our products, expand capacity, and bring in operating efficiencies that will allow us to compete in these markets. On the API front, how is the global demand scene looking in FY24-25? API business is directly linked to the generics business. The generics business is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7 per cent globally in the next four to five years. The segments we are focusing on are diabetes, oncology, and immunology. These are the areas that are growing faster than the overall generics market. We have niche products and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) products that address a large opportunity in weight loss. How big an opportunity do GLP-1 products have? Everybody is targeting the GLP-1 opportunity because it is so large. Today, revenue from GLP-1 products (from the sector) is around $35 billion in sales and is expected to cross $100 billion by the end of the decade. There are many more drugs that are in the clinical trial stages globally. The opportunity is very attractive. Biocon is well positioned given the science we know about the peptides, and is also vertically integrated. We do our APIs through the fermentation and synthetic roots. We do our formulations and have our device capabilities. We have a broad portfolio of peptides and GLP-1s. I think this opportunity will open up based on the patent expiration. We have done the filings in various markets which are being reviewed by the regulators. We are very confident that we will be able to participate meaningfully in this space despite competition. Any plans on peptides for India as well? Our main focus is on exports. But, we are open to discussing licensing out some of these complex molecules to other companies. But Indian companies are also working on their own GLP-1s. Whether we will bring any of these drugs to India is difficult to say. It depends on our partner interest and what kind of clinical trials are required. In India, government regulations have made it difficult to bring these drugs in a cost-efficient manner. They are increasing the development cost for us. Therefore, it is not viable to do clinical trials focused on India. An investment of around Rs 15-20 crore is required for each molecule even for doing bioequivalence studies. Can we expect liraglutide launch in CY24 or early CY25 in the US if things go well? We have filed for liraglutide in the US. We also have a settlement for one of the liraglutide formulations (Victoza) with Novo Nordisk in the US market, subject to product approval. We expect to launch this drug in CY25. I cannot give you specifics because the terms of settlement are confidential. We also expect to launch this drug in some parts of Europe at the end of CY24; the filings have been done. We have a collaboration in Canada with Juno, where the company will distribute the drug. We are looking at filing this in many emerging markets. As of today, a lot of emerging markets have moved from liraglutide to semaglutide. The patent expiration for semaglutide is after a few years, but in emerging markets, semaglutide would open up sooner than the US and Europe. We do have semaglutide which is in advanced stages of development. We have a broad pipeline of GLP-1 products. We will have all the high potential GLPs in our portfolio. Apart from liraglutide and semaglutide, is there any other peptide which Biocon is interested in developing? Eli Lilly's Mounjaro (tirzepatide) is a blockbuster drug which has the highest outcome when it comes to weight loss. It is better than even semaglutide. Analysts say Mounjaro can be as big as $50 billion in sales. We are working on a generic tirzepatide. What is your capex plan in the medium term? We have said that around half a billion dollars would be invested in R&D and capex. In the last four years, we have roughly invested Rs 2,000 crore in capex in generics, and we have ongoing projects. In the next 4-5 years, we are expecting another Rs 1,500 crore to go into capex. Cumulatively, over a period of 10 years, we would have invested Rs 3,500 crore in capex. We have expanded our immunosuppressant manufacturing capacity at the green-field facility in Vizag. In the other facility, we are expanding our oncology-potent synthetic APIs. In Hyderabad, we do non-oncology-synthetic APIs and the facility is ready, now undergoing qualification. In Bengaluru, we are building the new injectable facility and expanding non-immunosuppressant fermentation capacities. The investments are going across all our facilities. What is the divestment plan for non-core assets? We recently divested two of our therapeutic segments and branded formulations to Eris Pharma. And, we continue to see what is strategic and not strategic in the years to come, and accordingly, we'll make a decision. But beyond that, it will be very difficult to give any specifics of what to expect in the future. But debt reduction continues to be a focus area. We recently paid off $200 million debt of Biocon Biologics and we will continue to bring down debt in the coming quarters. How will the biosimilars business grow from here on? The growth will be dependent on three factors - one is how much more market share can Biocon Biologics take in existing products. The others are growth from new launches; and thirdly, the growth from the biosimilar of Humira, which has already been launched. We have to see how the biosimilar Humira (adalimumab) market pans out in the coming quarters and which company is able to get what market share and at what price. Biocon Biologics is now operating in 120 countries (after integration of the biosimilars business of Viatris). This should give it a better understanding of these markets. And then, it can come up with a good growth strategy for next year. The Biotech CDMO business is facing some challenges globally. What is your take on syngene? Fundamentally, long-term prospects should not change as companies would look at outsourcing more and more. Once the global biotech funding environment normalises, we should see things coming back on track. Syngene is impacted because new projects are being delayed. It is talking with existing customers, large biotech companies, which are not necessarily impacted by the funding environment. It's more of a temporary scenario. Syngene is very well placed in the Asian context to gain from the outsourcing which companies in the West would be doing to Asia. Any major USFDA inspections coming up in the next 3-4 months? As of now there's nothing which has been announced, but we do expect inspections in the Malaysia as well as Bengaluru facilities in the coming months. It is difficult to say when that would happen. All our generics are in the green. The Hyderabad and Bengaluru facilities had zero observations during the inspection. Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com The Aam Aadmi Party will contest four Lok Sabha seats in Delhi and the Congress three, the two constituents of the INDIA bloc said on Saturday as they announced their seat-sharing arrangements for the national capital, Gujarat, Goa and Haryana. IMAGE: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, party leaders Rahul Gandhi with Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal during a meeting in New Delhi. Photograph: ANI Photo AAP General Secretary (organisation) Sandeep Pathak said his party entered into an alliance with the Congress by sidelining its own political interests as it believes that the "country is important and the party secondary". The BJP termed the Congress-AAP tie-up as an alliance of the "corrupt", asserting that neither chemistry nor arithmetic favours the two parties against the NDA, the ruling combine led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Congress and the AAP are constituents of the INDIA bloc formed by opposition parties to take on the BJP in the upcoming general elections. In a joint press conference inNew Delhi on Saturday, Congress leader Mukul Wasnik announced the AAP will contest the Lok Sabha seats of New Delhi, West Delhi, South Delhi and East Delhi while his party will fight in Chandni Chowk, northeast Delhi and the northwest Delhi seats. He said the Congress workers in Delhi will ensure that INDIA bloc candidates win all seven seats in the national capital. The BJP won all seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi in the 2014 and 2019 general elections. In the last Lok Sabha polls, BJP candidates in each of the seats polled more votes than Congress and AAP candidates combined. Senior AAP leaders and ministers Saurabh Bhardwaj and Atishi, Delhi Congress president Arvinder Singh Lovely and AICC in-charge of Delhi Deepak Babaria were also present at the press conference. According to the seat-sharing arrangement, the AAP will contest Bharuch and Bhavnagar seats in Gujarat while the Congress will field candidates on the remaining 24. The Congress will contest both the Lok Sabha seats in Goa and the lone seat in Chandigarh, Wasnik said. The AAP had earlier declared its Benaulim MLA Venzy Viegas as its candidate for the South Goa Lok Sabha seat, currently held by Congress' Francisco Sardinha. In Haryana, the Congress will contest nine of the 10 Lok Sabha seats while the AAP will field its candidate in Kurukshetra, Wasnik said. He said that given the "special circumstances" that exist in Punjab, the AAP and the Congress have decided to fight the Lok Sabha polls separately in the state. About Gujarat's Bharuch, where late Congress leader Ahmed Patel hailed from, Wasnik hoped that all Congress workers would respect the decision to give the seat to AAP. "After taking into account all situations, we have decided this between the two parties. I have full confidence that each Congress worker will honour this decision and AAP workers will also follow this agreement," he said. The decision, however, did not go down well with Faisal Patel and Mumtaz Patel, the son and daughter of Ahmed Patel, who had won from the Bharuch seat three times in the 1970s and 1980s. Faisal Patel said Congress workers were not happy with the decision to cede the seat under the INDIA alliance agreement, but added that he would abide by the decision of the Congress high command. Asserting he would meet the party's central leadership, Ahmed Patel's son said, "There is still a lot of time for nomination and election. A lot of things can still happen. My father did a lot for the people of Bharuch. This is our seat. The workers and I are against this alliance but we will accept whatever the party say." Faisal Patel claimed he would win the seat if the Congress gave him ticket from Bharuch. He had earlier staked claim to contest from Bharuch, saying he and "conscientious" Congress workers would not support the AAP candidate. AAP's Chaitar Vasava will contest from Bharuch and Umeshbhai Makwana from Bhavnagar. Ahmed Patel's daughter Mumtaz Patel issued an apology on social media to Congress workers and asked them to regroup to strengthen the party. On the decision regarding Punjab, AAP leader Sandeep Pathak said, "People are very intelligent and they understand everything." The campaign strategy of the INDIA bloc will be discussed at a later stage, he said and asserted that the tie-up will upset the "calculations and strategy" of the BJP. Stressing that the opposition alliance was strong, Pathak said the polls would be fought by the INDIA bloc with AAP and Congress candidates contesting on different seats. He also alleged that the BJP was eliminating institutions in the country and sending opposition leaders to jail to win the polls. Farmers have also been treated unjustly and people are suffering from inflation and unemployment, Pathak charged. Addressing a press conference in Panaji, the Congress' Goa unit president Amit Patkar and the AAP's state chief Amit Palekar asked all opposition parties in the coastal state to join hands to defeat the BJP in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Currently, the South Goa seat is held by the Congress, while the North Goa seat is with the BJP. "I appeal to all those MLAs who sought votes against the BJP in the 2022 Assembly polls but then joined hands with the ruling party to support the opposition. The Revolutionary Goans Party must also join our alliance," Patkar said. Currently, the South Goa seat is held by the Congress, while the North Goa seat is with the ruling BJP. Commenting on the seat-sharing agreement between the Congress and the AAP, BJP leader and Union minister Hardeep Puri said the most curious part of this "dysfunctional" alliance is that "they will be together in Delhi, but against each other in Punjab". "The path to hell (or in this case political oblivion!) is paved with skewed alliances," he said in a post on X. "If the opportunist alliance between the AAP and the Congress even manages to survive its inherent contradictions it will be the most bizarre political combination in every sense. One that tries to pull the wool over the eyes of their own voters," Puri added. Union Minister Meenakshi Lekhi and Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva told a press conference that in the states where the alliance matters, be it Gujarat, Haryana, Chandigarh, Goa or the national capital, the BJP had got well over 50 per cent votes in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. This "corrupt" alliance will not work against those known for serving the people, Lekhi said, citing numerous allegations of corruption that AAP leaders had levelled against the Congress in the past. The Uttarakhand Police on Saturday arrested the February 8 Haldwani violence alleged mastermind Abdul Malik from Delhi and brought him in Haldwani, officials said. Nainital Senior Superintendent of Police Prahlad Narayan Meena said six teams were formed to search for Malik and his son Abdul Moid in different states including Gujarat, Delhi, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. One of the teams arrested Malik, who is in his 50s, from Delhi but his son is still on the run, Meena told reporters. "We have brought Malik to Haldwani. He is in our custody. He will be produced before a court at the earliest," he said. Apart from Malik, two more rioters were arrested on Saturday which takes the total number of people arrested so far in the case to 81. Malik allegedly built an "illegal" madrasa in the Banbhoolpura area of Haldwani. Its demolition led to the violence in Banbhoolpura area of Haldwani in Nanital district on February 8. Malik had vehemently opposed the administration's action and his wife Safia had gone to the court challenging the Municipal Corporation notice for its demolition. However, the court did not grant them immediate relief and the structure was demolished, triggering incidents of stone-pelting and arson in the Muslim dominated Banbhoolpura area. A lookout notice was issued against Malik and his son on February 16 and his properties were attached. Six people were killed and more than a hundred including police personnel and journalists injured in the Banbhoolpura violence. Apart from the three FIRs lodged initially, a fresh case was registered by the police against six persons including Malik and his wife Safia charging them with criminal conspiracy and fraudulently using a dead man's name for illegal plotting, construction and transfer of land. In the fresh case, the accused have been charged with hatching a criminal conspiracy to mislead the government departments and the court on the basis of false affidavits, the SSP said. They were booked under sections 120B(criminal conspiracy), 417 (cheating) and 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property) of the IPC, he told reporters. The accused have been charged with hatching a criminal conspiracy to mislead the government departments and the court on the basis of false affidavits, he said. The SOG police team headed by sub-inspector Anees Ahmad and consisting of Gaurav Joshi and others has been given a cash reward of Rs 50,000 by Uttarakhand DGP Abhinav Kumar. An Indian warship provided critical assistance to a Palau-flagged cargo vessel in the Gulf of Aden after it caught fire following a missile attack, in the latest in a series of such support missions by the Indian Navy in the region. The vessel MV Islander came under attack on February 22 and a crew member of the ship sustained injuries, Indian military officials said Saturday. The US military's Central Command said in a statement that the Houthi militants fired two anti-ship ballistic missiles from southern Yemen into the Gulf of Aden on Thursday. It said the missiles impacted British-owned cargo vessel MV Islander causing one minor injury and damage. An explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) team of the Navy embarked the vessel and sanitised it for any residual risk following which the vessel was cleared for onward transit, the Indian Navy said. The fresh incident comes amid growing global concerns over attacks on various commercial vessels in the Red Sea by the Houthi militants. A medical team of the Indian Navy also embarked on MV Islander and provided medical assistance to one injured crew member, the Navy said. "Palau Flagged MV Islander caught fire after an attack likely by drone/ missile on February 22. Responding swiftly to the distress call, Indian Navy's destroyer, mission deployed in the Gulf of Aden for maritime security operations, arrived in the vicinity of the vessel in the afternoon of Feb 22," it said in a statement. "Indian Naval EOD specialists embarked the vessel and sanitised it for any residual risk. The vessel was cleared for onward transit. On Master's request, the medical team also embarked the ship and provided medical assistance to an injured crew member," it said. It said relentless efforts by Indian Naval ships reaffirms tghe Navy's steadfast commitment towards safety and security of merchant shipping and seafarers. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday said India is maintaining a sustained presence in the strategic waters to ensure safety and security of all cargo vessels and it will not shrink from countering any threat that undermines collective well-being of the region. In the last few weeks, the Indian Navy extended assistance to a number of merchant vessels in the Western Indian Ocean following attacks on them. The Indian Navy, earlier this month, foiled a piracy attempt on an Iranian-flagged fishing vessel with a crew of 11 Iranian and eight Pakistani nationals along the East coast of Somalia. In January, Indian warship INS Sumitra rescued 19 Pakistani crew of a fishing vessel after their Iranian-flagged fishing vessel was attacked by pirates in east coast of Somalia. The Navy on January 5 thwarted an attempted hijacking of Liberian-flagged vessel MV Lila Norfolk in the North Arabian Sea and rescued all its crew members. Liberian-flagged vessel MV Chem Pluto, with 21 Indian crew members, was the target of a drone attack off India's west coast on December 23. The Navy has already enhanced deployment of its frontline ships and surveillance aircraft for maritime security operations in view of the maritime environment in the critical sea lanes including in the North and Central Arabian Sea. The new Israeli settlements in the West Bank are illegal and inconsistent with international law, United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said, reversing a Trump-era policy. IMAGE: A front loader stands at a damaged street following an Israeli raid, in Jenin, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, on February 21, 2024. Photograph: Raneen Sawafta/Reuters Blinken, at a joint press conference with the Argentine Foreign Minister Diana Mondino in Buenos Aires, said he was disappointed with Israel's latest plans for settlement expansion. "We have seen the reports, and I have to say we're disappointed in the announcement. It's been long-standing US policy under Republican and Democratic administrations alike that new settlements are counterproductive to reaching an enduring peace," Blinken said in response to a question. "They're also inconsistent with international law. Our administration maintains a firm opposition to settlement expansion. And in our judgement, this only weakens -- it doesn't strengthen -- Israel's security," said the top American diplomat, a day after Israel's far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich indicated that more than 3,000 new residences would be added to settlements. The statement comes as the Biden administration's latest shift away from the pro-Israel policies pursued by former president Donald Trump. The Trump administration reversed the US policy to declare that settlements did not violate international law. In 2019, under Trump, then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo claimed that 'the establishment of Israeli civilian settlements in the West Bank is not, per se, inconsistent with international law'. Blinken's statement was defended by the White House in Washington, DC. "(We have) seen those reports and, frankly, disappointed in the announcement. It's been long-standing US policy under both Republican and Democratic administrations that new settlements are counterproductive to the cause of peace. Frankly, they're also inconsistent with international law. And this administration maintains our firm opposition to settlement expansion," John Kirby, a White House spokesman, told reporters. The New York Times reported that in November 2019, the then Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, under then-president Donald Trump reversed four decades of US policy by saying that settlements did not violate international law. 'State Department lawyers never issued a new legal determination that buttressed that policy change and Mr. Blinken's shift back to the old policy is consistent with a long-standing legal finding of the department,' the daily reported. "We are simply reaffirming the fundamental conclusion that these settlements are inconsistent with international law. This is a position that has been consistent over a range of Republican and Democratic administrations. If there's an administration that is being inconsistent, it was the previous one," Kirby told reporters. In Buenos Aires, Blinken said he had seen reports about the post-war Gaza plan. "I haven't seen the plan, so I want to reserve judgment until we see the details. Having said that, you know that there are certain basic principles that we set out many months ago that we feel are very important when it comes to Gaza's future, including that it cannot be a platform for terrorism," he said. "There should be no Israeli reoccupation of Gaza. The size of Gaza's territory should not be reduced. So, we want to make sure that any plan that emerges is consistent with those principles. There are other principles, but those are three of the most important ones," Blinken said. "At the same time, we have many countries in the region that are working together on a plan for post-conflict Gaza. I think that's very important, and I've spent some time with some of our Arab partners, including recently on the margins of the G20, talking about just as we did when we were at the Munich Security Conference together. So, it's important that we have, again, a necessary plan, but one also that's consistent with basic principles that I think many countries share about what has to be Gaza's future," said the Secretary of State. The reversal comes amidst growing US-Israeli tensions over the war in Gaza, with the latest settlement announcement only adding to the strain. The United Nations' highest court, the International Court of Justice, is also holding hearings into the legality of the Israeli occupation. The Uttar Pradesh government on Saturday cancelled the recently held police constable recruitment examination following allegations of question paper leak and ordered a re-test within six months. Kindly note that this image has been posted for representational purposes only. Photograph: ANI Photo The state government also announced a probe into the allegations by the Special Task Force (STF). More than 48 lakh candidates appeared in the examination conducted on February 17 and 18 across the state. In a post in Hindi on 'X', Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said, "There can be no compromise with the sanctity of examinations. Those who toy with the hard work of youngsters will not be spared under any circumstances. Strictest action is certain to be taken against such unruly elements." More than 240 people were arrested and detained by police across Uttar Pradesh for allegedly adopting or planning to use unfair means in the recruitment exam. Accouncing the decision, the state home department said, "On the basis of the information and facts pertaining to police recruitment examination held on February 17 and February 18, the government, while keeping in mind the highest standards of sanctity and transparency, has decided to cancel the examination." "The government has directed the recruitment board to register an FIR at the level where laxity has been committed and ensure further action. The government has decided to get the matter probed by the STF. Directions have also been issued to take strictest action against the guilty persons and organisation," it said in a statement. According to the statement, a re-examination will be conducted within six months and UPSRTC buses will ferry candidates to the centres for free. Reacting to the development, senior Aam Aadmi Party leader in the state Shekhar Dixit told PTI, "There cannot be anything more saddening than leakage of examination question paper. Earlier, question paper leaks were unheard of in Uttar Pradesh... The leakage of the question paper proves that the education mafia is still very strong in the state." Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in a post on X in Hindi said, "The government had to bow before the power of the youth, the UP Police recruitment exam was cancelled. Till yesterday, people sitting in the government were making statements in an attempt to deny the paper leak. When their lies could not stand before the power of the youth, the examination was cancelled today. "Leaking of papers of every examination in UP is not only a proof of the corruption prevalent in the BJP government, but what is more serious is the careless and misleading attitude of the government." She also demanded that the government should announce the new date as soon as possible and ensure that the paper will not be leaked this time. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav termed the cancellation of examination as the "victory" of the youth and the defeat of the BJP government's "prapanch" (delusion). In a post on X in Hindi, Akhilesh Yadav said, "Earlier, the BJP people were saying that the papers were not leaked, then how can they accept it now. This means that officers and criminals were in collusion and the government's blessings were also with them. But in the face of all the evidence, the government has been forced to bow down to avoid a historic defeat in the elections. "Announcing vacancies for 'dikhava' (show off), charging fees worth billions of rupees, allowing papers to be leaked and then pretending to cancel them... this game will prove very costly for the BJP this time. This time the youths have decided that they will neither be misled nor fall into any BJP trap." Meanwhile, UP BJP chief Bhupendra Singh Chaudhary in a post on X in Hindi, said, "The youth-friendly BJP government of Uttar Pradesh has cancelled the @Uppolice Reserve Recruitment Examination- 2023 and has ordered to conduct the examination again within the next 06 months. I assure you under the zero tolerance policy, strictest action is certain to be taken against the unruly elements who are playing with the dreams of the promising youth of the state." Don't miss the big stories. Like us on Facebook. JAMAICA The Select Board is moving forward with plans to create a local cannabis control commission. Board Chairwoman Jessica Pollack said she will be putting together a resolution that would make the board the commission responsible for considering license applications just like alcohol purveyors. Her plan was approved at the Feb. 12 meeting with board member Andy Coyne abstaining due to a desire for more information. "I think it makes sense," Board Vice Chairman Greg Meulemans said. "We may not be experts or anything but we are a board that already exists and will continue to exist, and it would require less maintenance, so to speak, than would be another board to make sure was all up to date." Rimeline Cannabis splits space with snowboard shop in Rawsonsville RAWSONVILLE A new retail cannabis spot found its home by subdividing space at 8768 Route 3 Currently, the town has one cannabis retailer. Rimeline Cannabis operates in shared space with the snowboard shop Mountain Riders on Route 100 in the village of Rawsonville. Board member Andy Coyne said he "can't see seven or eight stores opening up and competing with each other." "They really are struggling," he said. Board member Tom Tolbert said other license types that would need approval involve growing, processing and testing. He encouraged the creation of a commission to have "local control." Approval still will be required by the Vermont Cannabis Control Board, Town Clerk Sara Wiswall said. Pollack noted other towns have set up commissions. "What if I'm wicked anti-marijuana? What if a future board is?" Coyne said, posing the hypothetical question "There's not a lot of wiggle room," Tolbert said. "It's just having oversight and being aware of what's going on." Brattleboro, VT (05301) Today Sunshine and clouds mixed. High near 45F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight Some clouds. A few flurries are possible. Low 29F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph. BlackRock Inc (NYSE:BLK) maintains a dominant position as the world's largest asset manager with $10.008 trillion in AUM. The company's diverse product mix and global reach position it to capitalize on market trends and client needs. Regulatory changes and economic uncertainty present both challenges and opportunities for BlackRock Inc (NYSE:BLK). BlackRock Inc (NYSE:BLK) leverages technology and innovation to maintain a competitive edge in the financial services industry. On February 23, 2024, BlackRock Inc (NYSE:BLK), the world's preeminent asset manager, disclosed its annual 10-K filing, revealing a financial landscape of both robust growth and intricate challenges. With $10.008 trillion in assets under management (AUM) as of the end of December 2023, BlackRock Inc (NYSE:BLK) stands as a financial behemoth, boasting a diverse product mix that spans equity strategies, fixed income, multi-asset classes, money market funds, and alternatives. The company's financial tables reflect a solid balance sheet, with a significant portion of its AUM managed for institutional clients, underscoring its deep-rooted presence in the institutional sector. This SWOT analysis delves into the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats as presented in the latest SEC filing, offering a comprehensive view of BlackRock Inc (NYSE:BLK)'s strategic positioning and future outlook. Decoding BlackRock Inc (BLK): A Strategic SWOT Insight Strengths Brand Power and Market Dominance: BlackRock Inc (NYSE:BLK)'s formidable market presence is anchored by its status as the largest asset manager globally, with a staggering $10.008 trillion in AUM. This scale affords the company significant bargaining power and economies of scale, which are critical in the asset management industry. BlackRock's brand is synonymous with trust and expertise, attracting a broad client base that includes central banks, sovereign wealth funds, and institutional investors. The company's diverse product offerings, which cover a wide spectrum of asset classes and investment styles, cater to the varied needs of its clientele, ensuring a stable inflow of capital and a resilient business model. Story continues Technological Leadership: BlackRock Inc (NYSE:BLK) is at the forefront of financial technology innovation, with its proprietary Aladdin platform setting the standard for investment and risk management technology. Aladdin's widespread adoption by institutional clients and wealth managers underscores its value proposition and contributes to a recurring revenue stream. The company's commitment to innovation extends to strategic minority investments in fintech and digital distribution providers, positioning BlackRock at the cutting edge of the industry's digital transformation. Global Reach and Local Expertise: With approximately 40% of its AUM managed for clients domiciled outside the US, BlackRock's global footprint is a testament to its expansive reach. The company's presence in over 100 countries and its workforce's geographical diversity enable it to tap into local market insights and offer tailored solutions to international clients. This global-local approach enhances BlackRock's ability to navigate cross-border regulatory environments and capitalize on growth opportunities in emerging markets. Weaknesses Regulatory Compliance and Complexity: As a global financial institution, BlackRock Inc (NYSE:BLK) is subject to an intricate web of regulations that vary by jurisdiction. The company's compliance infrastructure must continuously adapt to new regulatory requirements, which can be resource-intensive and pose operational risks. Regulatory scrutiny, particularly in areas such as ESG disclosures and sustainability, adds layers of complexity to BlackRock's business practices and could potentially limit certain activities or increase costs. Reputation and Public Perception: BlackRock's prominence also makes it a focal point for public and media scrutiny, especially regarding its investments and operations in contentious regions or sectors. The company's ability to manage its public image and navigate reputational risks is crucial, as any negative publicity could impact client trust and, consequently, its AUM and revenue streams. Human Capital Management: The asset management industry is talent-driven, and BlackRock's success hinges on its ability to attract, develop, and retain top professionals. While the company has robust human capital management practices, the competitive landscape for talent is intensifying. Ensuring a diverse and inclusive workforce, along with succession planning for key executive roles, remains an ongoing challenge that requires strategic focus and investment. Opportunities Shift to Passive and ESG Investing: BlackRock Inc (NYSE:BLK) is well-positioned to benefit from the secular trends toward passive investing and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) strategies. The company's leading ETF platform can capture the growing demand for passive investment vehicles, while its commitment to sustainable investing aligns with the increasing preference for ESG-focused products among institutional and retail investors. Technological Advancements: The ongoing digital transformation within the financial services industry presents BlackRock with opportunities to further integrate technology into its offerings. Continued investment in Aladdin and other tech solutions can enhance client engagement and operational efficiency, opening new revenue channels and strengthening client relationships. Emerging Markets Expansion: BlackRock's established international presence positions it to capitalize on growth in emerging markets. As these economies develop and their financial systems mature, BlackRock can leverage its global expertise to capture new AUM and diversify its revenue base. Threats Economic Uncertainty and Market Volatility: BlackRock Inc (NYSE:BLK) operates in a marketplace that is highly sensitive to economic fluctuations and market dynamics. Periods of volatility and uncertainty can affect investment performance and investor sentiment, potentially leading to reduced AUM and earnings. The company must navigate these challenges while maintaining its commitment to delivering risk-adjusted returns for clients. Intensifying Competition: The asset management industry is fiercely competitive, with numerous players vying for market share. BlackRock must continuously innovate and differentiate its offerings to stay ahead of competitors, including other large asset managers, fintech startups, This article, generated by GuruFocus, is designed to provide general insights and is not tailored financial advice. Our commentary is rooted in historical data and analyst projections, utilizing an impartial methodology, and is not intended to serve as specific investment guidance. It does not formulate a recommendation to purchase or divest any stock and does not consider individual investment objectives or financial circumstances. Our objective is to deliver long-term, fundamental data-driven analysis. Be aware that our analysis might not incorporate the most recent, price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative information. GuruFocus holds no position in the stocks mentioned herein. This article first appeared on GuruFocus. More Chinese cities reported home price rises in January compared to December, suggesting the ongoing market correction may end soon and stoke expectations of a mild sales pickup in benchmark Chinese cities around early spring, industry experts said on Friday after digesting the latest data from the National Bureau of Statistics. Fewer cities reported home price drops in January. Price declines narrowed as well in most cities, said Wang Zhonghua, an NBS statistician. In month-on-month terms, 56 out of the 70 Chinese cities tracked by the NBS reported drops in new-home prices in January, compared to 62 in December. In year-on-year terms, 53 cities reported drops in new-home prices in January, compared to 48 in December. "More cities saw their new-home prices rise for the first time in the past 11 months, indicating demand is rising gradually, causing positive correction in home prices," said Yan Yuejin, director of the Shanghai-based E-house China Research and Development Institution. Eleven cities' new-home prices rose last month, against seven in December, Yan said. New-home prices in the four top-tier cities Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou and Shenzhen in Guangdong province fell 0.3 percent from December, and declined 0.5 percent year-on-year, NBS data showed. The 31 second-tier cities tracked by the NBS reported that new-home prices dropped 0.4 percent both month-on-month and year-on-year on average in January. In 35 third-tier cities, new-home prices declined 0.4 percent month-on-month and dropped 2.1 percent year-on-year. "All the three tiers of cities reported a slower month-on-month home price declines in January, and this trend is particularly evident among the first-tier cities," said Li Yujia, chief researcher at the Guangdong Planning Institute's residential policy research center. Since December, the four largest Chinese cities have lifted some of their home purchase restrictions, and also lowered down payment ratio for first-home and second-home purchases, Li said. Thanks to its solid fundamentals, Shanghai remained the most resilient city in terms of home prices, with new-home prices up 0.4 percent month-on-month and up 4.2 percent year-on-year in January, Yan said. "The home price index suggested that after three months of large-scale corrections, the home market is showing signs of stabilization, especially considering the supportive measures for shoring up demand and extending financing to property development," said Zhang Dawei, chief analyst at Centaline Property Agency. Property regulations were tweaked, revised or amended 1,008 times across the nation last year. This has not only lowered requirements for homebuying but greatly lowered the cost of buying residential properties in various Chinese cities. "Given the biggest-ever (25-basis-point) cut to over-five-year loan prime rate on Tuesday, many lenders will likely lower their mortgage rates. So, a mild pickup is highly likely in top-tier cities in the first quarter. The housing markets in other Chinese cities will probably continue the adjustment and prices there may bottom out in the coming months," said Zhang. Meanwhile, prices of existing homes also appeared to be stabilizing, NBS data showed. Some 68 cities saw their existing home prices drop month-on-month in January, compared to 70 in December. The four first-tier cities reported that home prices in the secondary market slid 1 percent month-on-month and dropped almost 5 percent year-on-year. In 31 second-tier cities, existing home prices edged down 0.6 percent month-on-month and fell 4.4 percent year-on-year. In 35 third-tier cities, existing home prices dropped by 0.7 percent month-on-month and fell 4.5 percent year-on-year. "Local-level supportive measures will likely increase, which will stimulate demand," said Guan Rongxue, a senior analyst with the Zhuge Real Estate Data Research Center. Chubb Ltd's robust balance sheet and capital position underline its competitive edge in the P&C insurance sector. Global presence and diverse workforce contribute to Chubb's adaptability and innovation in the insurance market. Strategic acquisitions and commitment to underwriting excellence position Chubb for sustainable growth. Chubb's proactive approach to cybersecurity and human capital management reflects its forward-thinking corporate culture. On February 23, 2024, Chubb Ltd (NYSE:CB) filed its 10-K report, revealing a comprehensive view of its financial health and strategic direction. The insurer, known for its expansive global reach and robust product offerings, reported consolidated net premiums earned (NPE) of $45.7 billion for the year 2023. The acquisition of Huatai Group has been a significant move, now fully integrated into Chubb's financial statements, contributing to its life insurance and overseas general insurance segments. With a strong balance sheet and a strategic focus on underwriting excellence, Chubb Ltd stands as a formidable player in the property and casualty (P&C) insurance industry. Decoding Chubb Ltd (CB): A Strategic SWOT Insight Strengths Financial Resilience and Diversified Portfolio: Chubb Ltd's financial stability is a cornerstone of its competitive advantage. With a consolidated NPE of $45.7 billion, the company's diverse portfolio across various insurance segments provides a buffer against market volatility. This financial resilience is further bolstered by Chubb's strategic acquisition of Huatai Group, which has expanded its footprint in the lucrative Asian market. The integration of Huatai's life insurance and asset management businesses into Chubb's operations has not only diversified its revenue streams but also enhanced its global platform, offering growth opportunities that smaller, less diversified insurance companies may not access. Story continues Brand Equity and Intellectual Property: Chubb Ltd's brand is synonymous with quality and reliability in the insurance industry. The company's commitment to protecting its intellectual property, including trademarks and trade names, underscores the value placed on its brand equity. This focus on maintaining and enhancing brand recognition contributes to customer loyalty and positions Chubb as a preferred provider in the competitive insurance landscape. The company's ability to retain material trademark rights in perpetuity ensures the longevity of its brand's influence and marketability. Human Capital and Inclusive Culture: Chubb's workforce of approximately 40,000 employees across 54 countries is a testament to its global reach and human capital management prowess. The company's inclusive and supportive culture, coupled with its efforts to attract, retain, and develop top insurance professionals, fosters a diverse and innovative environment. Chubb's commitment to gender and racial diversity, particularly at the leadership level, not only enhances its corporate image but also drives business success by incorporating a wide range of ideas and perspectives. Weaknesses Market Concentration Risks: Despite its global presence, Chubb Ltd's significant reliance on the North American market, which accounts for 40 percent of its 2023 Consolidated NPE, may expose the company to regional economic downturns and regulatory changes. This concentration risk could impact Chubb's ability to maintain steady growth rates if the North American market faces adverse conditions. Diversifying its revenue sources further across different geographies could mitigate this weakness and ensure more balanced global growth. Operational Risks from Acquisitions: The integration of Huatai Group into Chubb's operations, while strategically beneficial, also presents operational risks. The complexities of merging systems, cultures, and processes can lead to short-term disruptions and integration costs. If not managed effectively, these challenges could temporarily affect Chubb's operational efficiency and profitability. Ongoing efforts to streamline integration and realize anticipated synergies are crucial to overcoming these hurdles. Opportunities Expansion in Emerging Markets: Chubb's established presence in Asia, including the recent consolidation of Huatai Group, positions the company to capitalize on the growth potential in emerging markets. The rising demand for insurance products in these regions, driven by economic development and increasing awareness of insurance benefits, presents a significant opportunity for Chubb to expand its customer base and increase market share. By leveraging its global platform and local expertise, Chubb can tailor its offerings to meet the unique needs of these markets and drive long-term growth. Technological Advancements and Innovation: The insurance industry is undergoing a digital transformation, and Chubb's focus on leveraging technology for underwriting and customer service can provide a competitive edge. Investing in data analytics, artificial intelligence, and digital platforms can enhance risk assessment, streamline operations, and improve customer engagement. By embracing technological innovation, Chubb can increase operational efficiency, reduce costs, and offer personalized insurance solutions, further solidifying its market position. Threats Cybersecurity and Data Privacy Risks: As an insurer that relies heavily on data and technology, Chubb Ltd faces significant cybersecurity and data privacy risks. Despite the company's robust cybersecurity measures and oversight at the Board and management levels, the evolving nature of cyber threats poses a constant challenge. A major security breach could lead to financial losses, reputational damage, and erosion of customer trust. Chubb must remain vigilant and continuously update its cybersecurity protocols to safeguard against potential attacks and ensure compliance with global data privacy regulations. Regulatory and Political Uncertainties: The insurance industry is highly regulated, and Chubb Ltd operates in a complex global regulatory environment. Changes in laws, regulations, or government policies, particularly in the key markets where Chubb operates, could impact its business operations and profitability. Additionally, political instability or economic sanctions in certain regions could disrupt Chubb's international operations. Navigating these uncertainties requires proactive regulatory engagement and strategic risk management to minimize potential adverse effects on the business. In conclusion, Ch This article, generated by GuruFocus, is designed to provide general insights and is not tailored financial advice. Our commentary is rooted in historical data and analyst projections, utilizing an impartial methodology, and is not intended to serve as specific investment guidance. It does not formulate a recommendation to purchase or divest any stock and does not consider individual investment objectives or financial circumstances. Our objective is to deliver long-term, fundamental data-driven analysis. Be aware that our analysis might not incorporate the most recent, price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative information. GuruFocus holds no position in the stocks mentioned herein. This article first appeared on GuruFocus. The law is the culmination of decades of deep-seated mistrust of Hong Kong's freedoms in Beijing. More than 20 years after similar legislation was stalled following mass protests, the Hong Kong government has launched a public consultation on a rewritten draft of its planned Safeguarding National Security Ordinance, which will criminalize "treason," "insurrection," the theft of "state secrets," "sabotage" and "external interference," among other national security offenses. The legislation, which is mandatory under Article 23 of Hong Kong's Basic Law, is being billed by the government as a way to close loopholes in the already stringent 2020 National Security Law, which was imposed on the city by Beijing, ushering in a crackdown on dissent in the wake of the 2019 protest movement. The law is highly likely to be passed by the Legislative Council in the absence of any opposition lawmakers since electoral rules were changed to allow only patriots to run for election. Debates about the content of the law began in the 1980s, and a close examination of its history sheds light on the political ideology and historical events that still drive Beijing's crackdown on dissent in Hong Kong to this day. Former Straits Times reporter Ching Cheong speaks at a press conference at the Foreign Correspondents Club in Hong Kong on Feb. 21, 2008. (Ted Aljibe/AFP) Hong Kong-based former Straits Times reporter Ching Cheong, who served a five-year prison sentence in China for "espionage" for doing his job, takes a look at the story behind the law: Why has the Article 23 legislation been described as the sword of Damocles over Hong Kongers' heads? Because essentially this law is the culmination of a long-running attempt to graft the ideology, political ideas, and behavioral patterns of the Chinese Communist Partys totalitarian system onto a pro-Western capitalist society that respects universal values. Our sense of helplessness dates back to the history of the Sino-British [handover] negotiations, from which the people of Hong Kong were excluded with no say or control. Weaker legal protections Yet Hong Kong representatives on the Basic Law Drafting Committee did object to the requirement to legislate against acts of "subversion" and other crimes, because everyone believed that Article 23 legislation would deprive the people of Hong Kong of their rights and freedoms, particularly freedom of the press and freedom of speech, as well as weakening legal protections for Hong Kong citizens, giving the central government unlimited power, and introducing Chinese-style "counter revolutionary" crimes to Hong Kong. Article 23 isn't mentioned at all in the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration [governing the 1997 handover]. Yet, if the government fails to legislate against "rebellion" effectively enough, Beijing can invoke Article 17 of the Basic Law, and impose direct, mainland-style governance in Hong Kong. This is in violation of the promise in the Sino-British Joint Declaration that Hong Kong would enjoy a "high degree of autonomy" after the handover. A set of pamphlets written by legal experts and academics that highlight concerns and faults on seven criminal offenses proposed under Article 23 are set out for distribution at a university campus in Hong Kong, Dec. 3, 2002. (Bobby Yip/Reuters) Other objections during the 1980s were based on the differences between Hong Kong's common law judicial system and mainland China's civil law system, and on the vagueness of the definitions of "subversion" and [other crimes under the law]. For example, "subversion" isn't the same thing as treason under British rule. Yet Hong Kongers have neither the right nor the wherewithal to subvert the Central People's Government in Beijing. So this provision reveals the central government's extreme distrust of the Hong Kong government and its people, not to mention its own lack of self-confidence. The Basic Law drafting committee pushed back against Article 23, insisting on a clearer definition of the crimes under the law, and calling for Article 23 not to apply to areas where people exercise their freedoms of speech, assembly, protest and petition. They were also insistent that the legislation be drafted based on Hong Kong's legal system, rather than a piece of socialist legislation imposed on the city. Tougher after June 4 protests Then the student-led pro-democracy movement happened on Tiananmen Square, followed by the June 4, 1989 Tiananmen massacre, and the draft got tougher still. Chinese officials wanted Hong Kong to legislate to prohibit "any act of treason, secession, sedition, subversion of the Central People's Government and theft of state secrets, prohibit foreign political organizations or groups from conducting political activities in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, and to prohibit political organizations or groups [there] from establishing contact with foreign political organizations or groups." Article 23 now specified seven crimes, up from two in the first draft, and the drafting committee's objections were completely ignored. Two of its most vocal members, Democratic Party founder Martin Lee and veteran pro-democracy politician Szeto Wah, were kicked off the committee after they protested against the killing of protesters and civilians on June 4, 1989. Former Hong Kong Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa speaks during a press conference in Hong Kong on Sept. 3, 2014. (Xaume Olleros/Pool via AFP) They continued to argue that the Article 23 legislation could seriously affect freedom of speech and of publication. They even foresaw that Hong Kong activists overseas might not be covered by local laws, but could still run afoul of a Chinese law. Fast forward to the imposition of Beijing's National Security Law on Hong Kong in 2020, and its content was exactly what the Basic Law drafting committee had envisioned for the Article 23 legislation three decades earlier. The worst fears of the Basic Law drafting committee had come true. After the handover in 1997, Chinese officials kept urging the Hong Kong government to legislate under Article 23. The direct trigger this time was their suppression of the Falun Gong spiritual movement, which rocked the ruling Chinese Communist Party regime in April 1999 with a mass gathering of its members outside Zhongnanhai, just meters from Tiananmen Square, in protest at denunciations of their practices in state media. Evil cult The group also took over a radio station in a bid to counter negative official reports on its activities. It was later declared an "evil cult" by Beijing, its members detained and tortured and their organs harvested. According to former Hong Kong Justice Secretary Elsie Leung, the Falun Gong's mass protests had roused the ire of then Chinese Communist Party General Secretary Jiang Zemin, who ordered a nationwide crackdown on the group. The problem was, Leung told me, that Beijing was aware that the Falun Gong was still allowed to practice freely in Hong Kong, something that angered Jiang. So much so that when he appointed Tung Chee-hwa as chief executive, he attached a condition that he must legislate under Article 23 as soon as possible, so that the Hong Kong government would have a legal basis to ban Falun Gong. He was actually required to complete this legislative work before July 1, 2003. According to Leung, most of the "seven deadly sins" in the law were already covered by colonial-era legislation, with the exception of "prohibiting foreign political organizations or groups from conducting political activities in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region." Those laws could have been adapted to meet the requirements of Article 23 without the need for new laws, Leung said. But Beijing wasn't having it. It insisted on a new law, which must contain a clause barring Hong Kongers from membership in organizations already banned in mainland China. And there would be no fully democratic elections for either the Legislative Council or the Chief Executive without it, Leung said, citing Chinese officials at the time. Hong Kong officials pushed back, arguing that without democracy, it would be impossible to legislate accurately so as to preserve the city's existing freedoms, if they didn't exist yet. But to no avail. Eventually, the Hong Kong government released a consultation document in 2002 that was criticized for violating the United Nations-endorsed Johannesburg Principles governing national security and human rights law. Under these principles, restrictions to freedom of speech on the grounds of national security aren't legitimate if they seek to "entrench a particular ideology," rather than to stave off a violent threat of a military or internal nature. Universal suffrage Speech is only a legitimate target for national security legislation if it is likely to trigger immediate violence. But speech that peacefully requests a policy change, criticizes or insults a nation or its symbols or government, doesn't count as a national security crime, the principles say. Any national security prosecution should place the burden of proof on governments to show that the defendant did in some way endanger the nation's survival or territorial integrity, according to a 2017 analysis by University of Hawaii law professor Carole Petersen. In 2002, Baroness Frances D'Souza, who had a hand in drafting the "Johannesburg Principles," was invited to visit Hong Kong to comment on the Article 23 legislation. She told RFA Cantonese that the draft Article 23 legislation wasn't in line with the Johannesburg Principles. Pro-democracy activists shout slogans during a candlelight vigil at a Hong Kong park on Feb. 25, 2003. (Vincent Yu/AP) Public opinion at the time indicated that the draft law should go before the Law Reform Commission before being tabled in the Legislative Council as a white paper draft. But the government had already skipped a step in publishing a formal "blue paper" draft without issuing a "white paper" draft for public comment. Then Chinese vice premier Qian Qichen weighed in, insinuating that anyone in Hong Kong who had a problem with the Article 23 legislation likely had a guilty conscience. And Hong Kong's own Secretary for Security Regina Ip sneered at calls for universal suffrage, with the comment: "Hitler was elected under one person, one vote." Asked about whether Hong Kongers would get a chance to comment on the draft law, she sneered: "So I have to listen to what the aunty who washes the dishes in McDonalds has to say?" Ip's domineering attitude was one of the key reasons for the failure of the 2003 legislation. The government's attempt to strong-arm the legislation meant that 500,000 people took to the streets on July 1, 2003 to protest the law, prompting even the pro-Beijing Liberal Party to withdraw its support for the bill in the Legislative Council. Faced with the prospect of a humiliating defeat in LegCo, the government shelved the bill, while Ip resigned from her post. Editors note: On Jan. 12, 2024, the Hong Kong government released a draft of new legislation under Article 23 for public consultation, vowing to "eradicate the causes" of dissent that officials claim still linger in the city despite a 28-month-long crackdown on criticism of the authorities since the 2019 protest movement. Translated and summarized by Luisetta Mudie. Frank Dikotter, author of the "People's Trilogy" about China under of Mao Zedong, has been chair professor of humanities at the University of Hong Kong since 2006. He recently published "China After Mao," in which he argues that claims that the Chinese Communist Party has significantly changed direction in the post-Mao era are a misreading by those outside the country who "live in a fantasy world." He told RFA Mandarin in a recent interview that Chinese leaders have been very consistent in their messaging on political reform, and their economic goals and determination to maintain their dictatorship at all costs. The interview has been edited for length and clarity. RFA: What is the difference between the Mao era and the post-Mao era? Dikotter: So, what have [Chinese leaders] been telling us? A very simple story: China is in the process of "reform and opening up." So, there will be economic progress, and with economic change there will be political progress. China will become first a capitalist country and then a democracy. Of course, what has happened is the exact opposite. If you read the documentation carefully, you find out that never at any one point did Deng Xiaoping, Hu Yaobang, Zhao Ziyang, Jiang Zemin, all the way up to today, never did a single leader ever say, We want a capitalist system. They all said the exact opposite, that they would uphold the socialist road. It is in the Constitution. People take pictures in front of portraits of, from left, the late Chinese chairman Mao Zedong and former Chinese leaders Deng Xiaoping, Jiang Zemin, Hu Jintao and current president Xi Jinping at an exhibition in Beijing, Sept. 26, 2019. (Wang Zhao/AFP) All along, they were very clear about what they wanted. They wanted to reinforce the socialist economy. So what is a socialist economy? [It's] not necessarily something that you have under Mao. A socialist economy is one where the state has or controls the means of production. Money, labor, fertilizer, energy, transportation, all these are the means of production. They all belonged to the state. Today the money belongs to state banks. The land belongs to the state. Energy is controlled by the state. Large enterprises are controlled by the state. That was their goal, and they achieved it. Workers are seen near pumpjacks at a China National Petroleum Corp oil field in Bayingol in northwestern Chinas Xinjiang region, Aug. 7, 2019. (Reuters) The second point is democratization. At no point did anyone say they wanted to have a separation of powers. On the contrary, Zhao Ziyang said very clearly back in 1987 that China would never have the separation of powers. Xi Jinping also made that very clear. But nobody in the West heard them, because they didn't want to hear it. RFA: Has everyone misjudged the Chinese Communist Party? Dikotter: There is a profound failure on the part of a great many people, politicians, experts and scholars outside China to simply listen to what all of these leaders said very clearly and also to read and understand whats been happening. The failure is reasonably straightforward. It is a refusal to believe that a communist a Chinese communist is a communist. Delegates attend the closing ceremony of the 20th Chinese Communist Party's Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Oct. 22, 2022. (Noel Celis/AFP) The truth is that the origins of the People's Republic of China are not in the Tang Dynasty, not in the Song Dynasty, not in the Ming or the Qing. They are in 1917, when Vladimir Lenin seizes power and establishes a communist system. That is what inspired China after 1949. That was the system behind it. So, if you do not understand that China is communist, if you keep on saying it's not really communist, that they pretend to be communist, you will never understand anything. RFA: Will China ever have a true democracy? Dikotter: In the People's Republic, you have a dictatorship, but they call themselves a democracy. They have no elections, but they say they have free elections. So what is an election in the People's Republic? If you vote for the person they tell you to vote for. They give you a list one, two, three names. You can you can pick one of these three. That's it. That's an election. People walk along a street in the Dongcheng district of Beijing, Dec. 3, 2023. (Pedro Pardo/ AFP) RFA: You devote an entire chapter in your book to the Tiananmen Square massacre in 1989, but you don't go into the rights and wrongs of it. Why not? Dikotter: The Tiananmen massacre is ... the most important moment after 1976. The 200 Chinese tanks that entered Beijing in June 1989 crushed Chinese people. That's really quite extraordinary. Its important because it shows that the party had an iron determination to retain its monopoly on power. RFA: Do you believe that the Chinese people want democracy? Dikotter: Nobody knows what people in China want, for a very simple reason they can't vote. If you do not have freedom of expression, if you cannot express your opinion at the ballot box, then we simply don't know. You don't know what people think in a dictatorship. But it's probably safe to assume that a system based on the separation of powers, including freedom of the press and a solid judicial system, would probably be beneficial, for instance, for the economy. This is basically a modern economic model based on debt. You spend to create the illusion of growth. Then you spend more. My feeling is that there may be people in the People's Republic of China who are probably thinking about whether this is really a successful system or not. That's all we can say. Police detain a person in downtown Hong Kong on the 34th anniversary of the 1989 Beijing's Tiananmen Square crackdown, near where the candlelight vigil is usually held, June 4, 2023. (Tyrone Siu/Reuters) RFA: Did China choose to destroy Hong Kong because it couldn't control Hong Kong, or was it to transform Hong Kongs system from the Western model to the Chinese model? Dikotter: [Chinese leaders] believe that politics and the economy can be separated, and you have to give them a little bit of credit. They believe, with some justification, that the economy of China has been transformed beyond recognition over the last 40 years. Many parts of the world have been transformed beyond recognition, and none of them have all the structural problems that the People's Republic of China has today. But nonetheless, they're quite convinced that you can have a Leninist system of monopoly over power, a Marxist system which controls the banks, controls the prices of energy, controls most state enterprises, controls the land, and yet have economic growth. That is what they believe. So why should Hong Kong be any different? Farmers toil in the field of a collective farm near Beijing in 1950. (Pictorial Parade/Archive Photos/Getty Images) RFA: Why is the United States regarded as the enemy, and how does that relate to the concept of "peaceful evolution?" Dikotter: The United States has always been perceived as the enemy from 1949 onwards because the U.S. is the heart of the capitalist system the capitalist imperialist system and the capitalist system is opposed to the socialist system. What is peaceful evolution? It's a notion that goes back to former U.S. Secretary of State John Foster Dulles who came up with it. He said we should help countries like Poland and Hungary economically by investing so they would evolve peacefully into a democracy. This is exactly what happens with Poland on June 4, 1989, when the people voted themselves out of communism, and effectively and peacefully evolved into a democracy. Bicycle commuters pass under an overpass where Chinese army tanks are positioned in Beijing, two days after the Tiananmen Square massacre, June 6, 1989. (Vincent Yu/AP) It is not just a notion, it's a reality. And that is the biggest fear of the leaders in Beijing that they will follow the example of Poland, not that of the former Soviet Union and collapse. They afraid of what will happen with all these investments from capitalist countries, all these foreign ideas, Mickey Mouse T-shirts, Winnie the Pooh that it will change the whole system. RFA: You mention in your book that Mao Zedongs belief that the United States would collapse was his biggest misjudgment. Does that misjudgment continue to this day? Dikotter: Mao, in the last years of his life, and Deng Xiaoping, saw the United States pull out of the Vietnam War. At that moment, they thought the big enemy was no longer the United States, which was on the decline. The Soviet Union was the big enemy. What is this philosophy based on? It is based on Marxism. Marxism announces the imminent collapse of capitalism. We're still waiting, right? But if you are a committed Marxist, you keep on thinking that the capitalist system is collapsing. Electric cars for export wait to be loaded on the BYD Explorer No. 1, a domestically manufactured vessel intended to export Chinese automobiles, at Yantai port in eastern China's Shandong province, Jan. 10, 2024. (AFP) In the 1970s, Deng Xiaoping sent missions to Japan and the United States. When they came back, the conclusion was that the U.S. economy was terrible with lots of unemployment and big debt. They need us. They are about to collapse. This is a great opportunity for us. this was what [Chinese leaders] said when they were pretty much unable to feed their own people in the 1970s. The same story has repeated itself. The biggest moment was in 2008 with the global financial crisis. At that moment in Beijing thought, This is it. This is the collapse of the capitalist system. Our social system is superior. So, they went around the world in 2009 and 2010, talking about "the China way," that "our socialist system is superior to the capitalist system." RFA: Is Chinese President Xi Jinping a follower of all the other Chinese leaders who came before him? Dikotter: The difference is Xi Jinping has what others didn't have. He's got much greater clout. Xi Jinping ... merely says what all his predecessors have said very consistently since 1949. He is no different from any of his predecessors. He's not a creator; he's a follower. In fact, he's created very little. If you want me to come up with a creator who created the most, its Jiang Zemin who came up with the idea of "going out" and establishing factories abroad, not just inside China. He emphasized the importance of Xinjiang as a strategic region. Jiang Zemin is the one who inserted party committees inside private enterprises. He is the one who emphasized from the summer of 1989 onwards, the great threat posed to China by peaceful evolution. A large television screen at a Beijing shopping center displays Chinese state television coverage of President Xi Jinping's visit to Hong Kong, July 1, 2022. (Mark Schiefelbein/AP) Xi Jinping has faithfully followed all the measures introduced by Jiang Zemin. It is not Xi Jinping who introduced party committees into private enterprises. It was Jiang Zemin. It's not Xi Jinping who clamped down on Western culture. It was Jiang Zemin. Jiang was the one who joined the World Trade Organization, so all of this has been followed quite faithfully. Translated and transcribed by Luisetta Mudie. Edited by Roseanne Gerin. Pyongyang is using factories and equipment in the Kaesong Industrial Complex without Seouls permission. North Korea is using factories and equipment in the shuttered inter-Korean Kaesong Industrial Complex to develop a new industrial base in the city, independent of South Korea, government officials in the North told Radio Free Asia. The de-facto nationalization of the complex is yet another move by the North Korean leadership to distance itself from Seoul. Since the new year, Pyongyang has officially redefined the South as its main enemy, ended all economic cooperation, and begun scrubbing all references to reunification. The Central Committee has given an order to develop a new industrial base at the Kaesong Industrial Complex, an official from Pyongyang told RFA Korean on condition of anonymity for security reasons. Located just north of the demilitarized zone that divides the Korean peninsula, the complex opened in 2004, marrying South Korean capital and technology with cheap North Korean labor. But it was shuttered in 2016, shortly after North Koreas fourth nuclear test, and cannot be reopened until the U.S. and UN lift sanctions on the North. Since the closure, North Korean companies have secretly used factories and equipment left behind by South Korean companies in Kaesong on several occasions, but now they are being ordered to do so as part of an official policy. North Korean workers assemble jackets in a factory belonging to a South Korean-owned company, at the Kaesong Industrial Complex in North Korea, Dec. 19, 2013. (Kim Hong-Ji/Pool via AP) Not all of the industry will stay in Kaesong; officials confirmed that authorities have approved the relocation of facilities that produce tires, rice cookers and shoes to nearby counties. North Korea is pushing ahead with its newly adopted 20x10 plan to revitalize the economy in 20 counties per year over the next 10 years. Assuming control of the complex will significantly reduce costs associated with the plan, but is a clear violation of the Kaesong Industrial Zone Act. [North Korea] has secretly made use of some facilities in the Kaesong Industrial Complex without South Koreas approval, the official said. Now, [we will] move the facilities in each factory of the Kaesong Industrial Complex to a newly renovated local industrial base and operate officially. Authorities demolished a small garment factory and are scaling up a larger factory that will be placed under the jurisdiction of the Kaesong City Local Industrial Bureau, he said. The reorganization is bad news for business owners who were hoping to use the equipment in Kaesong for themselves this year, an official in the northwestern province of North Pyongan told RFA on condition of anonymity to speak freely. Before the pandemic, powerful trading companies received orders from China and planned to use sewing machines and cutting equipment left behind by South Korea in the Kaesong Industrial Complex under the pretext of earning foreign currency for the government, he said. But now, they wont be able to do so. The organization of the new industrial base in Kaesong should be complete within the year, the North Pyongan official said. The Central Party renovated and expanded the clothing and footwear factories in the Kaesong Industrial Complex to develop them into a light industrial base, he said. This measure appears aimed at eliminating the complex, which is South Koreas property, and intentionally redeveloping it as our own, as we have now defined South Korea as our primary enemy. Translated by Claire S. Lee. Edited by Eugene Whong. Residents say checks have become regular since the enactment of the conscription law. Authorities in Myanmars largest cities Yangon and Mandalay have ramped up housing checks in the two weeks since the junta enacted the countrys military conscription law and are arresting any guests who have failed to register, residents said Friday. The military has suffered heavy losses on the battlefield in recent months most notably in western Rakhine state, where the ethnic Arakan Army ended a ceasefire in November and has since gone on to capture six townships. On Feb. 10, the junta enacted the Peoples Military Service Law, sending draft-eligible civilians fleeing from Myanmars cities. They say they would rather leave the country or join anti-junta forces in remote border areas than fight for the military, which seized power in a 2021 coup detat. RFA Burmese has since received reports of recruitment roundups and arrests of young people, despite pledges from authorities that the law will not be enforced until April. Residents said that in the past two weeks, authorities in Yangon and Mandalay have been strictly enforcing the Guest List Law, which mandates either seven days imprisonment or a fine of 10,000 kyats (US$5) for those who fail to register. On Feb. 17, junta security personnel arrested three men in their 20s who were living in Yangon to assist in the care of patients at a hospital in Kayan township, according to a close friend who, like others interviewed for this report, declined to be named due to security concerns. Family members asked the township police station [what happened to them], but [the police] said that they did not arrest them, and that the arrest was made by the army, the friend said. Then, the families went to the [township] gymnasium where the army was temporarily stationed, but they were not allowed to enter, he said. Theyve been unable to contact them. The friend did not disclose the identities of the young men who were arrested in order to protect their families from reprisal. But he said the arrest was part of a pattern emerging in Yangon, as authorities have stepped up inspections on people from out of town since the Feb. 10 announcement. Male dormitories targeted One area of Yangon that has come under scrutiny for guest list checks is Kamaryut township, where many students are living in hostels, a resident said. "Male dormitories undergo more frequent inspections, he said, adding that the guest registration process has become more rigorous. Now, in addition to providing guest details, you must also include a picture of the guest. Many residents of the neighborhood are attaching passport-sized photos to the guest list." According to township scout groups formed to spy on the activities of junta troops and police, there were at least 10 arrests of individuals not registered on guest lists in Kamaryut from Feb. 12-22. But members of the groups said they were unable to confirm whether those arrested had since been released or remain in custody. Myanmar police inspect a vehicle in Thanlyin in Yangon region in this undated photo. (Citizen journalist) Based on information compiled by RFA, authorities in the Yangon townships of Sanchaung, Ahlone, Botahtaung, Hlaing, Tamwe, Pazundaung, and Thaketa have carried out guest list inspections at least 12 times from Feb. 13-22. The number of inspections is likely higher than what RFA was able to document, but there have been no reported arrests. Mandalay checks RFA has also received reports of authorities arresting out-of-towners in Mandalay. On Feb. 13, junta troops arrested four students from Kan Htu Ma village, in Sagaing regions Taze township, during an inspection at the Tada-U checkpoint in Mandalay, according to a source with ties to their families. Zaw Zaw Aung, 23, Kaung Htet Soe, 24, Thwin Soe Tun, 23, and Tin Htut Win, 24, had recently completed courses in the city in preparation for travel to South Korea, the source said. "Their parents are overwhelmed with sadness. They never anticipated being confronted with such a situation, the source said. While returning to the village after their exams, this happened and no one has been able to contact them. The reason [for their arrest] remains unknown." A resident of Mandalay told RFA that guest lists are checked nearly every day in areas with a high concentration of grassroots communities, including the townships of Aung Myay Thar Zan, Maha Aung Myay, Pyi Gyi Tagon, and Patheingyi. There are constant checks there, he said. They involve police, soldiers, firefighters, administrators, and officials from immigration as well." As a result of the increased scrutiny, businesses regularly close early and no one ventures out after 8 pm, other residents said. Attempts by RFA to contact junta spokesman Major Gen. Zaw Min Tun for comment on the increase in guest list checks went unanswered Friday, but in a statement carried by state media on Feb. 16, he characterized the inspections as part of public safety measures. "Those without a guest list or household list, or cannot produce them are subject to legal action, he said, adding that authorities will release anyone detained if there is a valid reason, although he did not elaborate on what would qualify as valid. Thailand arrests Enactment of the conscription law has had a spillover effect on neighboring Thailand, where Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin warned in a statement on Monday that people entering the country illegally would be prosecuted and that security agencies had been alerted to Myanmar nationals fleeing conscription. Thar Gyi, the managing director of the migrant workers monitoring group K.T.G. Helping Hands, told RFA on Friday that around 300 Myanmar nationals have been arrested in Thailands Tak province over the past two weeks. Illegal migration has continuously occurred at the border these days, he said, adding that more than 20 illegal migrants were arrested in the Thai border town of Mae Sot on Thursday night alone. Verification for travel documents has been suspended in Mae Sot and more and more people are being arrested as they try to enter Thailand illegally. Those who have crossed into Thailand legally have also faced close inspection by Thai police, a 21-year old Burmese who arrived in Mae Sot on Feb. 21 told RFA. A resident of Myanmars Myawaddy region who had traveled across the border into Tak province since the enactment of the Military Service Law said that Thai authorities are allowing legal visitors to stay in Mae Sot for one week, after which they are deemed illegal residents and forcibly returned. Visitors are also required to have a guarantor to ensure that they dont overstay their time in Thailand. Migrant workers from Myanmar leave a construction site in the back of a truck in Bangkok on Jan. 3, 2024. (Photo by Lillian Suwanrumpha/AFP) Homeowners in Tak have also been instructed to report a mandatory guest list within 24 hours of a guests arrival to Thai immigration authorities, said Moe Gyo, the chairman of the Joint Action Committee on Myanmar People's Affairs. "It seems that Myanmar's military regime and Thailand's quasi-military government are working closely and harmoniously, he said. The practices of Myanmars authorities have likely spread to their neighbors. Moe Gyo said that in his 20 years of experience working in Tak, there had never been a mandatory guest report for any of the provinces nine townships. Those who fail to report a guest list face imprisonment for up to one month or a cash fine of 5,000-10,000 baht (US$140-280), he said. Attempts by RFA to contact the Thai Embassy in Yangon via email received no response by the time of publishing. Translated by Kalyar Lwin and Aung Naing. Edited by Joshua Lipes and Malcolm Foster. Strengths: Citigroup Inc (NYSE:C) boasts a robust global presence and a diversified service portfolio, including Treasury and Trade Solutions (TTS) and Securities Services. Weaknesses: Operational risks and competitive challenges from fintech and less regulated entities pose significant threats to Citigroup's market position. Opportunities: Citigroup's strategic focus on digital transformation and regulatory compliance presents opportunities for growth and market leadership. Threats: The evolving financial landscape and increased regulatory scrutiny could impact Citigroup's operations and financial performance. On February 23, 2024, Citigroup Inc (NYSE:C) released its annual 10-K filing, providing a comprehensive overview of its financial performance and strategic direction. As a global financial-services company with operations in over 100 countries, Citigroup is organized into two primary segments: the institutional clients group and the personal banking and wealth-management group. The company's financial tables reveal a solid financial foundation, with a focus on return on average common stockholders' equity and non-GAAP financial measures such as RoTCE and TBVPS. Citigroup's balance sheet reflects a strategic allocation of stockholders' equity and long-term debt across its business segments, indicating a well-structured financial strategy. This SWOT analysis will delve into the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats as disclosed in the filing, providing readers with a data-driven perspective on Citigroup's market position and future prospects. Decoding Citigroup Inc (C): A Strategic SWOT Insight Strengths Global Presence and Diversified Services: Citigroup Inc (NYSE:C) maintains a significant competitive advantage through its expansive global network and comprehensive service offerings. The company's Treasury and Trade Solutions (TTS) and Securities Services are tailored to meet the complex needs of multinational corporations, financial institutions, and public sector organizations. This global reach enables Citigroup to leverage cross-border banking needs and offer a suite of services that few competitors can match. The revenue from these services is primarily generated from fees and spreads, which contribute to the company's stable financial performance. Story continues Financial Resilience: Citigroup's financial resilience is underscored by its strong balance sheet and prudent capital management. The company's return on average common stockholders' equity and non-GAAP financial measures such as RoTCE and TBVPS demonstrate a focus on delivering shareholder value. Furthermore, Citigroup's adherence to Basel III capital requirements and its strategic allocation of stockholders' equity and long-term debt across its segments reflect a robust risk management framework that positions the company well for sustainable growth. Weaknesses Operational Risks: Citigroup Inc (NYSE:C) acknowledges the inherent risks associated with its reliance on technology systems and infrastructure. The company's global operations are heavily dependent on the secure and efficient processing, management, and transmission of data. Any failure or disruption in these operational processes could negatively impact Citigroup's reputation, customer relationships, and financial condition. Despite ongoing upgrades to technology and systems, the risk of operational incidents remains a significant weakness that requires constant vigilance and investment. Competitive Challenges: Citigroup faces intense competition from both traditional financial services firms and non-traditional entities such as fintech companies and private credit providers. These competitors often operate under less stringent regulatory frameworks, giving them a competitive edge in terms of agility and innovation. Citigroup's ability to offer competitive pricing and rewards is challenged by these entities, which could lead to a loss of customers and market share if not addressed effectively. Opportunities Digital Transformation: The financial services industry is rapidly evolving, with digital transformation at the forefront. Citigroup Inc (NYSE:C) has the opportunity to leverage its global presence and financial resources to lead in the development and implementation of innovative digital banking solutions. By embracing emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and instant payments, Citigroup can enhance its product offerings, improve customer experience, and gain a competitive advantage in the market. Regulatory Compliance: Citigroup's ongoing efforts to strengthen its risk and control environment, including remediation of consent orders and the establishment of a Chief Operating Officer organization, present an opportunity to build trust with regulators and customers. By prioritizing compliance and transparency, Citigroup can differentiate itself as a responsible and reliable financial institution, potentially attracting more clients who value corporate governance and ethical practices. Threats Evolving Financial Landscape: The financial services industry is subject to rapid changes, driven by technological advancements and shifting regulatory landscapes. Citigroup Inc (NYSE:C) must navigate these changes while managing the risks associated with new product development and third-party relationships. The company's ability to adapt to these changes and mitigate associated risks is crucial to maintaining its market position and financial stability. Increased Regulatory Scrutiny: Citigroup operates under significantly heightened regulatory expectations and scrutiny, both in the U.S. and globally. Compliance with complex and evolving laws and regulations imposes substantial risks and costs. Any failure to meet these expectations could result in material restrictions, enforcement proceedings, and penalties, which could adversely affect Citigroup's business operations and financial performance. In conclusion, Citigroup Inc (NYSE:C) exhibits a strong global presence and financial resilience that position it well in the competitive financial services landscape. However, the company must address operational risks and competitive challenges to maintain its market leadership. Opportunities for growth lie in digital transformation and regulatory compliance, while threats from the evolving financial landscape and increased regulatory scrutiny require strategic focus and adaptability. Citigroup's forward-looking strategies, including investments in technology and a centralized program management approach, are critical to leveraging its strengths and opportunities and addressing its weaknesses and threats. This article, generated by GuruFocus, is designed to provide general insights and is not tailored financial advice. Our commentary is rooted in historical data and analyst projections, utilizing an impartial methodology, and is not intended to serve as specific investment guidance. It does not formulate a recommendation to purchase or divest any stock and does not consider individual investment objectives or financial circumstances. Our objective is to deliver long-term, fundamental data-driven analysis. Be aware that our analysis might not incorporate the most recent, price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative information. GuruFocus holds no position in the stocks mentioned herein. This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Detainees are told to bring bedding and food, suggesting they will not be released soon, sources say. Chinese authorities arrest Tibetan monks protesting the construction of a hydropower dam project on the Drichu River in Dege county, southwestern China's Sichuan province, Feb. 22, 2024. Police on Friday arrested more than 1,000 Tibetans, including monks from at least two local monasteries, in southwestern Chinas Sichuan province after they protested the construction of a dam expected to destroy six monasteries and force the relocation of two villages, two sources from inside Tibet told Radio Free Asia. The arrested individuals both monks and local residents are being held in various places throughout Dege county in Kardze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture because the police do not have a single place to detain them, said the sources who requested anonymity for safety reasons. Those arrested have been forced to bring their own bedding and tsampa a staple food for Tibetans that can be used to sustain themselves for long periods of time, the sources said. That police are asking Tibetans to bring their own tsampa and bedding is a sign that they will not be released anytime soon, one of the sources said. On Thursday, Feb. 22, Chinese authorities deployed specially trained armed police in Kardzes Upper Wonto village region to arrest more than 100 Tibetan monks from Wonto and Yena monasteries along with local residents, many of whom were beaten and injured, and later admitted to Dege County Hospital for medical treatment, sources said. Citizen videos from Thursday, shared exclusively with RFA, show Chinese officials in black uniforms forcibly restraining monks, who can be heard crying out to stop the dam construction. Following news of the mass arrests, many Tibetans from Upper Wonto village who work in other parts of the country returned to their hometown and visited the detention centers to call for the release of the arrested Tibetans, sources said. They, too, were arrested. The Dege County Hospital did not immediately return RFAs requests for comment. The Chinese Embassy in Washington hasnt commented on the arrests other than in a statement issued Thursday that said the country respects the rule of law. China protects the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese nationals in accordance with the law," the statement said. Massive dam project The arrests followed days of protests and appeals by local Tibetans since Feb. 14 for China to stop the construction of the Gangtuo hydropower station. RFA reported on Feb. 14 that at least 300 Tibetans gathered outside Dege County Town Hall to protest the building of the Gangtuo Dam, which is part of a massive 13-tier hydropower complex on the Drichu River with a total planned capacity 13,920 megawatts. The dam project is on the Drichu River, called Jinsha in Chinese, which is located on the upper reaches of the Yangtze, one of Chinas most important waterways. Local Tibetans have been particularly distraught that the construction of the hydropower station will result in the forced resettlement of two villages Upper Wonto and Shipa villages and six key monasteries in the area Yena, Wonto, and Khardho in Wangbuding township in Dege county, and Rabten, Gonsar and Tashi in the Tibetan Autonomous Region, sources told RFA. Sources on Friday also confirmed that some of the arrested monks with poor health conditions were allowed to return to their monasteries. However, the monasteries which include Wonto Monastery, known for its ancient murals dating back to the 13th century remained desolate on the eve of Chotrul Duchen, or the Day of Miracles, which is commemorated on the 15th day of the first month of the Tibetan New Year, or Losar, and marks the celebration of a series of miracles performed by the Buddha. In the past, monks of Wonto Monastery would traditionally preside over large prayer gatherings and carry out all the religious activities, said one of the sources. This time, the monasteries are quiet and empty. Its very sad to see such monasteries of historical importance being prepared for destruction. The situation is the same at Yena Monastery. Protests elsewhere Tibetans in exile have been holding mass demonstrations in various parts of the world, including in Dharamsala, India, home to the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama. In the past week, Tibetans have demonstrated before the Chinese embassies, including those in New York and Switzerland, with more such protests and solidarity campaigns planned in Canada and other countries. The events in Derge [Dege] are an example of Beijings destructive policies in Tibet, said Kai Muller, managing director of the International Campaign for Tibet, in a statement on Friday. The Chinese regime tramples on the rights of Tibetans and ruthlessly and irretrievably destroys valuable Tibetan cultural assets. Beijings development and infrastructure projects are not only a threat to Tibetans, but also to regional security, especially when it comes to water supplies to affected Asian countries, he added. Human Rights Watch told RFA that it is monitoring the development but that information from inside Tibet is extremely rare given Chinas tight surveillance and restrictions imposed on information flow. People who send information out and videos like this face imprisonment and torture, said Maya Wang, the groups interim China director. Even calling families in the diaspora are reasons for imprisonment, she said. What we do see now are actually typical scenes of repression in Tibet, but we dont often get to see [what] repression looks like in Tibet anymore. Additional reporting by Pelbar, Yeshi Dawa, Tashi Wangchuk, Palden Gyal and Sonam Lhamo for RFA Tibetan. Edited by Roseanne Gerin and Malcolm Foster. Vladimir Putin has claimed a fifth presidential term with a landslide victory in a tightly controlled election that has been condemned by the West as neither free nor fair as the Russian leader seeks to prove overwhelming popular support for his full-scale invasion of Ukraine and increasingly repressive policies. With 99.75 percent of ballots counted, Putin won another six-year term with a post-Soviet record of 87.29 percent of the vote, the Central Elections Committee (TsIK) said on March 18, adding that turnout was also at a "record" level, with 77.44 percent of eligible voters casting ballots. The 71-year old Putin -- who has ruled as either president or prime minister since 2000 -- is now set to surpass Soviet dictator Josef Stalins nearly 30-year reign to become the longest-serving Russian leader in more than two centuries. "This election has been based on repression and intimidation," the European Union's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told journalists in Brussels on March 18 as the bloc's foreign ministers gathered to discuss the election, among other issues. The March 15-17 vote is the first for Putin since he launched his invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 that has killed tens of thousands of Russians and led to a clear break in relations with the West. In holding what has widely been viewed as faux elections, Putin wants to show that he has the nations full support, experts said. The vote was also held in Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine, where hundreds of thousands of Russian soldiers are located. Moscow illegally annexed the regions since launching the invasion, though it remains unclear how much of the territory it controls. The Kremlin's goal "is to get as many people as possible to sign off on Russia's war against Ukraine. The idea is to get millions of Russian citizens to retroactively approve the decision Putin single-handedly made two years ago," Maksim Trudolyubov, a senior fellow at the Kennan Institute, wrote in a note ahead of the vote. In remarks shortly after he was declared the winner, Putin said the election showed that the nation was "one team." But Western leaders condemned the vote, with the White House National Security Council spokesperson saying they "are obviously not free nor fair given how Mr. Putin has imprisoned political opponents and prevented others from running against him." British Foreign Secretary David Cameron said "this is not what free and fair elections look like," adding in his message on X, formerly Twitter, that illegal elections have also been held on occupied Ukrainian territory. The French Foreign Ministry said Putin's reelection came amid a wave of repression against civil society. It also praised in a statement the courage of "the many Russian citizens who peacefully protested against this attack on their fundamental political rights." Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Putin has become "sick with power" and he is just "simulating" elections. "This imitation of 'elections' has no legitimacy and cannot have any. This person must end up in the dock in The Hague [at the International UN Tribunal for War Crimes]," Zelenskiy said on X. Putin's allies were quick to heap praise on the Russian leader for his election success. China, one of Russia's most importants allies, congratulated Putin, with Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian saying President Xi Jinping and the Russian leader "will continue to maintain close exchanges, lead the two countries to continue to uphold long-standing good-neighborly friendship, deepen comprehensive strategic coordination." Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi called Putin's victory "decisive," the state news agency IRNA reported. WATCH: Leading psychiatrists discuss how excessive power can impact brain functioning and what the impulse for total control reveals about the mind and personality traits of authority figures. Putin was opposed by three relatively unknown, Kremlin-friendly politicians whose campaign was barely noticeable. The main intrigue was whether Russians would heed opposition calls to gather at polling stations at noon on March 17 to silently protest against Putins rule. Russian media had reported in the months leading up to the election that the Kremlin was determined to engineer a victory for Putin that would surpass the 2018 results, when he won 77.5 percent of the vote with a turnout of 67.5 percent. The Kremlin banned anti-war politician Boris Nadezhdin from the ballot after tens of thousands of voters lined up in the cold to support his candidacy. Nadezhdin threatened to undermine the narrative of overwhelming support for Putin and his war, experts said. Independent election observers were barred from working at this years presidential election for the first time in post-Soviet history, experts said. Russian elections have been notorious for ballot stuffing and other irregularities. The vote was also held in Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine, where hundreds of thousands of Russian soldiers are located. The United States called the elections neither fair nor free. 'Noon Against Putin' With options to express resistance severely limited by the lack of competition and repressive laws, opposition leaders called on voters opposed to Putin to gather near polls at noon to show the Kremlin and the country that they were still a force. Russia's opposition movement suffered a serious blow last month when Aleksei Navalny, Putins fiercest and most popular critic, died in unclear circumstances in a maximum-security prison in the Arctic where he was serving a 19-year sentence on charges of extremism widely seen as politically motivated. Long lines formed at polling stations across Russia's 11 time zones at the designated time for the "Noon Against Putin" protest, including in Novosibirsk, Chita, Yekaterinburg, Perm, and Moscow among other Russian cities. "We're not really expecting anything, but I'd somehow like to make a record of this election for myself, tick the box for myself, so, when talking about it later, I could say that I didn't just sit at home, but came and tried to do something," said one Russian who came to vote at noon. "The action has achieved its goals," Ivan Zhdanov, the head the Anti-Corruption Foundation formerly headed by Navalny, said in a YouTube video. "The action has shown that there is another Russia, there are people who stand against Putin." The Moscow prosecutor's office had earlier warned of criminal prosecution against those who interfered with the vote, a step it said was necessary due to social-media posts "containing calls for an unlimited number of people to simultaneously arrive to participate in uncoordinated mass public events at polling stations in Moscow [at noon on March 17] in order to violate electoral legislation." Lawyer Valeria Vetoshkina, who has left the country, told Current Time that if people do not bring posters and do not announce why they came to the polling station at that hour, it would be hard for the authorities to legitimately declare it a "violation." But she warned that there were "some basic safety rules that you can follow if you're worried. The first is not to discuss why you came, just to vote. And secondly, it is better to come without any visual means of agitation: without posters, flags, and so on." Ella Pamfilova, head of Russia's Central Election Commission (TsIK), on March 16 said there had been 20 cases of people attempting to destroy voting sheets by pouring liquids into ballot boxes and eight incidents of people trying to destroy ballots by setting them on fire or by using smoke bombs. Russians living abroad also took part in the "Noon Against Putin" campaign, with hundreds of people lining up at 12 p.m. outside the Russian embassies in Sidney, Tokyo, Phuket, Dubai, Istanbul, Berlin, Paris, and Yerevan among other capitals. "It's not an election. It's just a fake. And so we're here to show that not Russians elect the current leader of Russia, that we [are] against him very severely, and that lots of people had to flee their country to be free," said Anna, a Russian citizen living in Berlin and who gathered outside the embassy in the German capital. Putin was challenged by Liberal Democratic Party leader Leonid Slutsky, State Duma deputy speaker Vladislav Davankov of the New People party, and State Duma lawmaker Nikolai Kharitonov of the Communist Party, none of whom opposed the war. The Russian leader had the full resources of the state behind him, including the media, police, state-owned companies, and election officials. Imprisoned Iranian human rights lawyer and Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi has urged a boycott alongside "national sanctions and global condemnation" of next month's legislative elections there, calling the moves "a political necessity and a moral duty." "Sanctioning elections under a despotic religious regime is not just a political move but also a moral obligation for freedom-loving and justice-seeking Iranians," Mohammadi said on social media on February 24. Mohammadi has previously described the clerically led Iranian leadership "criminal" and has long been a vocal critic of conditions for political and other prisoners in Iran. She pledged that "I, alongside the informed and proud people from all over Iran, from Sistan and Baluchestan to Kurdistan, from Khuzestan to Azerbaijan, will stand to declare the illegitimacy of the Islamic Republic and the divide within the oppressive regime and its people through the sanctioning of sham elections." In January, an Iranian court extended the 51-year-old Mohammadi's prison sentence by 15 months for spreading propaganda against the Islamic republic while in jail. It was her fifth conviction since March 2021 and the third for activities from prison, where she was sent for alleged actions against national security and propaganda against the state. In her February 24 post, she criticized Iranian authorities' "ruthless and brutal suppression, the killing of young people on the streets, the executions, and the imprisonment and torture of men and women." A number of prominent Iranians outside the country and some political and civil activists in Iran have already called for a boycott of the March 1 voting. Officials routinely vet to exclude large numbers of candidates who are critical of the regime from elections to fill seats at all nearly all levels of government. "Transition from the despotic religious regime is a national demand and the only way for the survival of Iran, Iranians, and our humanity," Mohammadi said. Mustafa Tajzadeh, a jailed former reform-minded politician, said in a letter he published on February 29 from Tehran's Evin Prison that the leadership's strategic mistakes are "making elections meaningless and making elected institutions ineffective...especially the parliament." Elections for the parliament, the Majlis, are scheduled for March 1 along with voting to fill the Assembly of Experts, with a majority of would-be candidates already disqualified. Some government polls also indicate that there is waning interest in the votes. The Iranian Students' Opinion Center (ISPA) said research in February suggested only 36 percent of Iranians were aware of the upcoming elections. A brutal crackdown on dissent followed widespread protests and unrest that broke out after the death in custody in September 2022 of 22-year-old student Mahsa Amini after she was detained for a dress-code violation and, according to eyewitnesses, beaten by the morality police. Iranian officials this week officially outlawed the use of tools such as virtual private networks (VPNs) designed to bypass Internet censorship following a directive from the country's Supreme Council of Cyberspace that was endorsed by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Two years after Russia's full-scale invasion began, many Ukrainians sense that their country could soon find itself under unbearable pressure. Speaking at the annual Munich Security Conference a week ago, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy repeated a message he had delivered at the same forum days before the invasion: If Ukraine is left to go it alone, Russia will destroy it, and Russian aggression can only be stopped by force. As Western leaders debated in Bavaria, Russian forces seized Avdiyivka, a city in the Donbas that has been at the heart of the war in Ukraine since 2014. With U.S. aid in doubt and Russia pushing for further gains, the coming year is crucial to the country's fate. Two years after missiles rained down across the country and Russian forces attacked from the north, east, and south, RFE/RL spoke to soldiers it had encountered in earlier reporting on the war. Here is what they said. 'Painful Mathematics' Volodymyr, 54, left his job as a doctor in Kyiv at the beginning of the all-out war and has treated hundreds of soldiers wounded in the long, bloody battle for Avdiyivka. Speaking to RFE/RL near the front in December, he said that on some days his team's triage unit treated several dozen badly wounded soldiers. "The Russian Army is ready to lay down any number of [its soldiers'] lives to reach its goal," Volodymyr said at the time. "The killing will go on until one side is exhausted." Recently rotated out of the proximity of the now Russian-controlled city, he told RFE/RL that in retrospect, the withdrawal from Avdiyivka was "inevitable" in the face of the Russian advantage in personnel and shells. "War is painful mathematics," Volodymyr said. "Without weapons, we are forced to die or lose territory." The number of Ukrainian casualties is a state secret. In mid-August, U.S. officials spoke unofficially of 70,000 Ukrainian soldiers killed and 120,000 wounded -- figures that do not include civilians. The corresponding numbers for the Russian side were 120,000 killed and 170,000-180,000 wounded. Roughly one-fifth of Ukraine's territory -- parts of the Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhya, Kherson, and Kharkiv regions, as well as the entire Crimean Peninsula -- is under Russian occupation. According to the Kyiv-based Zmina human rights center, at least 5 million Ukrainians remain in Russian-held areas. After almost two years spent near Avdiyivka, Volodymyr will continue his service elsewhere. He does not expect the war to end this year and believes a diplomatic settlement of the conflict is not likely anytime soon. "We will not give up, because we did in the past and it resulted in subjugation and Holodomor," he said, referring to the demise of the short-lived Ukrainian People's Republic in 1921 and the man-made famine that killed millions of Ukrainians under Soviet dictator Josef Stalin in 193233. The war in Ukraine started in 2014, when Russia occupied Crimea and fomented armed separatism in the Donbas, and escalated dramatically when Russian President Vladimir Putin launched the full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022. But many Ukrainians, like Volodymyr, see it as a continuation of Russian centuries-old imperial policy against their nation. Futile Hopes When Grizzly, 34, a deputy commander of a battalion that has fought in over 20 locations in the north, east, and south of Ukraine, spoke to RFE/RL last August, he said his view of the fighting was becoming "less bright every month." Speaking at the high point of Ukraine's counteroffensive aimed at driving a wedge into the Russian-occupied territory in the south, he said he hoped that General Valeriy Zaluzhniy, then the commander in chief of the armed forces, had "a joker in his hand" -- a wild card that could tip the balance in Kyiv's favor. But that hope proved futile, Grizzly -- his military call sign -- told RFE/RL recently. He said his unit has lost a significant number of soldiers and that recruits, who come in small numbers, are usually poorly motivated. The unit has been recently transferred to the area around Kupyansk, in the Kharkiv region, where heavy fighting has been ongoing for months. Optimists stress that over the past year, Ukraine has regained control of the western part of the Black Sea, allowing the export of grain to the wider world, has destroyed part of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, and has had some success striking deep into Russian territory. But as the Ukrainian steppe turned into an enormous minefield shadowed by tens of thousands of drones and guarded by hundreds of thousands of soldiers, hopes of a military breakthrough have given way, for many in Ukraine, to fears that forces low on ammunition and personnel may fail to hold the line. "In fact, we are in a worse negotiating position now than we had been a year ago," Grizzly said. The front in southern Ukraine has shifted only marginally despite the deliveries of Western-made weapons and training for Ukrainian soldiers in NATO member states. Russia, meanwhile, succeeded in militarizing its industry and kept the informal mobilization of soldiers going, he said. Military analysts say substantial Russian gains could at some point push Ukraine into peace talks on Moscow's terms. Grizzly, an entrepreneur in civilian life who first fought for Ukraine in the Donbas in 2015, said he believes that without "deep reforms" Ukraine's war effort "will be at best stuck." "But attempts to reform are halted by the government's lack of trust in its people," he said. "Our old problems did not vanish with the new war." 'Left To Face Russia Alone' In March 2023, Ivan Mishchenko, 45, a Supreme Court judge turned volunteer soldier, told RFE/RL that while Ukrainians are fighting against a stronger adversary, the greatest danger lies in corruption and weak state institutions. "If we lose the support of the whole civilized world, we will be left to face Russia alone," he said at the time. Mishchenko, who volunteered to fight at the beginning of the invasion and spent several months at the front, later left the army to work with a European Union-backed commission responsible for appointing new judges and is now back at work at Ukraine's top court. "Of course, the war does have a negative impact on processes concerning human rights protection and democracy," he recently told RFE/RL. "We are not doing badly, but we need to continue the reforms." Two years into the all-out war, Ukraine is still struggling to root out corruption in state institutions. Due to martial law and the constant threat of bomb attacks, elections cannot take place. Worries about the independent media are also on the rise. With problems mounting on the front line, Zelenskiy -- still supported by most citizens but with trust ratings slipping as the war grinds on -- dismissed Zaluzhniy this month and shook up much of the military leadership. The authorities are also expected to soon introduce a new law on military conscription. With fewer and fewer people willing to join the army, reforming a recruitment system that critics say is plagued by corruption and strengthens social inequality has become a highly controversial issue. 'Global Security Threat' Mishchenko said that despite the setbacks and problems, Ukrainians' aims have not changed. "We want control over our internationally recognized territory, responsibility borne by those who started the war, and reparations." According to polling, most Ukrainians believe the restoration of control over the entire country is the most likely end of the war. In a survey conducted by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology on February 5-10, about 65 percent of respondents said they believe in such an outcome, down from 71 percent in May 2022. But amid geological uncertainty, with Donald Trump saying he would encourage Russia to "do whatever the hell they want" to any NATO country that doesn't meet military spending targets, Ukrainians are realizing that support for their cause is limited and uncertain. "Some partners are helping more, others less. Many still don't understand that it is not a regional conflict but a global security threat and a war between two mutually exclusive worldviews," he said. "It's increasingly resembling the situation ahead of the last World War." In the early days of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, as Moscow's forces surged toward Kyiv, online photos of crosses on Ukrainian infrastructure sparked widespread fears of potential Russian missile attacks. Nearly two years later, the question remains: Were these crosses for real, and, if so, who painted them and why? Sometimes it was a red Celtic cross on a road or on the roof of an apartment building, other times, a miniature black cross on a gas line, or a mark on a power substation. An investigation by Systema, RFE/RL's Russian investigative unit, found that a social-media disinformation campaign by Russian ultranationalists to "paralyze" Ukrainian emergency services and law enforcement during the war was behind at least some of the images. In the first year of Russia's full-scale invasion, roughly half of the 50,000 messages received by a Ukrainian government chatbot about Russian military movements concerned these crosses, according to the National Police of Ukraine's Cyber-Police Department, which runs the bot. Journalists found no concrete evidence that the crosses were the work of Russian military intelligence, known as the GRU. But both the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and the Interior Ministry asked Ukrainians to conceal any such marks they saw. A diplomatic source in Kyiv told Systema that the Ukrainian government and military also had asked diplomats to look for marks on the roofs of diplomatic missions. The earliest social media post about the marks appeared on February 24, 2022, the first day of the invasion, in the official Facebook group for Novhorodka, a town in Kirovohrad Province about 340 kilometers southeast of Kyiv. Two photos showed green and red crosses, each with a circle in the center, painted on a highway and a strip of road that Systema geolocated to a feeder road off a highway near Novhorodka. The caption described the signs as "for landing enemy paratrooper(s)" and advised that they should be covered with earth, rubber, or paint. The secretary of the Novhorodka administration, Oleh Vyetrov, told Systema that he himself had photographed the red cross after social media users had sent him photos of crosses. He could no longer recall who these users were. The people who painted the crosses were never found, though rumors circulated in the village about individuals in Toyotas stopping along local roads, Vyetrov said. With an official population of under 6,000 people, the farmland town of Novhorodka might not seem like a priority target for attacks, though Russian missiles have hit the broader region repeatedly during the invasion. But as Ukrainians nationwide sheltered from a barrage of Russian missile attacks amid a three-pronged invasion from the north, south, and east, photographs of other crosses began to spread online. The crosses panic lasted three full days. On February 27, 2022, then Ukrainian presidential office adviser Oleksiy Arestovych underlined, on behalf of the military, that the crosses served no military purpose -- apart from sowing chaos. "The military equipment of today isn't guided by signs on roads. It's guided with the help of other modern technical means," Arestovych said in a briefing. "This practice [of painting crosses] could be set up to spark spy mania among us." For Russian ultranationalist Igor Mangushev, Arestovych's words signaled success: "Every distracted cop is minus one gun. Every SBU officer catching 'saboteurs' is minus one gun," Mangushev wrote in a post on his Telegram channel Zapiski avantyurista (Notes Of An Adventurist) on February 27, 2022. Mangushev styled himself as a disinformation impresario, "part PR person, part political strategist, part solider," as well as "a con man and mercenary," his Telegram biography reads. An ardent ultranationalist notorious for displaying what was purportedly the skull of a Ukrainian soldier at an August 2022 event in the Russian-occupied city of Donetsk, he fought against Ukrainian government forces in the Luhansk region beginning in 2014. He reportedly had ties with figures and forces ranging from the late Russian mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin to the GRU. In February 2022, he was living in Beirut to avoid the risk of criminal prosecution in Russia for a far-right movement he had co-led, E.N.O.T. (United People's Community Partnerships). While in Lebanon, he organized rallies in support of Russia's war against Ukraine, including one attended by the Russian ambassador to Lebanon, Aleksandr Rudakov. But he saw "scandalous information campaigns" as his mission -- "not just how I earn a living, but my hobby," he told the liberal Russian daily Novaya Gazeta in 2019. One day after the start of the full-scale invasion, on February 25, Mangushev called on "fighters in the information war" to sow "panic" among Ukrainians and to organize the "paralysis" of the Ukrainian security agencies and emergency services by attacking the Ukrainian cyber-police's bot and by calling the SBU, the Interior Ministry, and fire stations with false reports about saboteurs and artillery spotters. On February 26, Mangushev also urged his Telegram readers to call Ukrainian territorial defense forces from Ukrainian Internet phone numbers and inform them about "ballistic crosses." Mangushev's widow, Tatyana Azarevich, said these crosses were her husband's idea. "The crosses, flooding ambulance phone lines with fake calls, bot attacks, using the Z symbol -- that's all his doing. He tried to create maximum chaos," she told Systema in January. Mangushev attributed the "chaos" approach to the Russian military chief of staff, General Valery Gerasimov, and was eager to implement it, former associate Vladislav Ugolny told Systema, also in January. Ugolny, a blogger, said rumors that had circulated in the region in 2014 about red jackets and T-shirts symbolizing support for the Ukrainian military had inspired the red crosses. "We projected the Luhansk experience onto Kyiv," he said. In his February 27, 2022 Telegram post, Mangushev scoffed at conjecture that "professionals from the GRU" or a Russian military psychological operation had overseen the campaign. Rather, on March 25, 2022, he claimed that "the creators of a few Telegram channels and their subscribers" were responsible. He attributed the idea to "a few drunken media people." The first such marks, he said in a June 6, 2022 article on the Russian website Ukraina.ru, had been drawn by "our friends," described as "juvenile drug addicts," on the roof of a house in Moscow's Altufyevo district. "Our volunteers broke into Ukrainian chat rooms, (and then) distributed information about saboteurs drawing marks," he claimed. How many people took part in any such campaign -- and what happened to them -- is unknown. When the full-scale invasion began, Mangushev's Telegram channel had fewer than 6,000 subscribers, according to TGStat, a service that analyzes Telegram traffic. Following Mangushev's violent death in 2023, multiple claims surfaced about the crosses' origin and the ultranationalist's ties. A former media manager for Prigozhin, Sergei Zagatin, has claimed co-creation of the crosses, while Dossier Center, an investigative news outlet funded by exiled former oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky, a vocal critic of Putin, reported that a GRU colonel's "working papers" had mentioned plans to pay Mangushev 4,000 euros ($4,032) a month to run a GRU front organization. The Dossier Center report did not show official documents proving this specific claim but included related materials including leaked e-mails from the purported GRU officer. Azarevich claimed her husband organized the campaign by phone only in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv. Ugolny, who said he didn't work on the crosses, attributed their spread to "our supporters in Kyiv." "It wasn't anything very complicated," he said. "They just put down a series of marks." In February and March 2022, Ukrainian media reported on dozens of detentions for drawing crosses and marks, but Ukrainian law-enforcement sources told Systema that police had let such detainees go after issuing a warning. The Ukrainian court registry's cases mostly involve fines or warnings, including for the parents of children making prank calls. Kateryna Bazykina, 25, a native of the eastern Ukrainian mining town of Novohrodivka, is an exception. Bazykina was sentenced in August 2023 to 12 years of prison for state treason and "prior conspiracy," including for allegedly painting five crosses on February 25, 2022, in Novohrodivka at the behest of a Russian soldier. The Dnipro court of appeals later ruled that Bazykina's recruitment had not been proven -- despite a police video in which she claimed that a Donetsk separatist fighter had paid her 2,000 hryvnyas ($52) for each of the marks. Bazykina's case is now under review, though she remains in prison. Prosecutors assert Basykina delivered the photos via an Instagram intermediary. The man she identified in the video for this role, a former neighbor, Vladislav Khmelevoi, however, dismissed the assertion that the Russian military recruited Bazykina to draw crosses as "total nonsense." "It's a digital world now. To carry out a strike, it's enough just to have an address, without crosses, or to have a photo with the coordinates," Khmelevoi, who fought for Russian-backed forces in the Donbas beginning in 2014, told Systema in a Telegram chat from Moscow in January. "I could identify any military facility without the help of recruiting (anyone)." Claiming that the "special services" shut down his Instagram account before 2023, he denied he had conversed with Bazykina on Instagram. He refused to answer whether he knew Mangushev. Mangushev died in Ukraine in February 2023, when he was commanding an anti-drone unit during the Russian withdrawal from the Luhansk region city of Kadiyivka. Russia's Investigative Committee is still examining the circumstances of Mangushev's death from a noncombat-related gunshot wound to the head, his widow said. Whether his creation or not, the crosses live on -- ironically, most recently in Russia, where they were sighted on streets in Moscow before the World War II Victory Day celebrations in May 2023. Written by Elizabeth Owen based on reporting by Yekaterina Surnacheva of Systema Strengths: Elevance Health Inc's robust market presence and diversified healthcare services portfolio. Weaknesses: Operational challenges in the face of evolving technology and regulatory landscapes. Opportunities: Expansion potential through strategic acquisitions and healthcare innovation. Threats: Intense competition and vulnerability to public health crises and cybersecurity risks. On February 21, 2024, Elevance Health Inc (NYSE:ELV), a leading health insurer in the United States, filed its annual 10-K report, revealing a comprehensive overview of its financial health and strategic positioning. With a commanding market value of approximately $104.63 billion as of June 30, 2023, and serving around 47 million medical members, Elevance Health Inc stands as a formidable entity in the healthcare insurance industry. The company's financial statements reflect its substantial scale and operational efficiency, with a diverse range of services under its Anthem Blue Cross/Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Wellpoint, and Carelon brands. As we delve into the SWOT analysis, we will explore the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats that shape Elevance Health Inc's current and future landscape. Decoding Elevance Health Inc (ELV): A Strategic SWOT Insight Strengths Brand Power and Market Presence: Elevance Health Inc's commanding presence as one of the largest health insurers in the U.S. is a testament to its strong brand equity and extensive market reach. With approximately 47 million medical members and a broad spectrum of network-based managed care plans, the company has cemented its position as a trusted health partner. Its affiliation with the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association and its operation as the licensee in 14 states further amplify its brand power, providing a competitive edge in the marketplace. The company's strategic branding, including the Anthem Blue Cross/Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Wellpoint, and Carelon brands, reflects its evolution from a traditional health insurance company to a comprehensive health partner, enhancing its appeal to consumers and stakeholders alike. Story continues Diversified Service Portfolio: Elevance Health Inc's diversified portfolio, which spans across health benefits, pharmacy services, and other healthcare-related services, is a critical strength. This diversification allows the company to offer a comprehensive suite of services, including specialty products like dental, vision, and supplemental health insurance. The integration of services under the Carelon brand, which brings together healthcare-related services and capabilities, showcases the company's commitment to providing an integrated whole-health approach. This strategic diversification not only mitigates risks associated with market fluctuations but also positions the company to capitalize on cross-selling opportunities and enhances its ability to meet the evolving needs of its members. Weaknesses Technological and Operational Challenges: Despite its size and market dominance, Elevance Health Inc faces significant challenges in maintaining and upgrading its information systems. The company's reliance on complex technology and third-party services introduces risks related to system failures, cyber-attacks, and data integrity issues. The 10-K filing highlights concerns about the adequacy of the company's disaster recovery strategies and the potential for disruptions in service delivery. These technological vulnerabilities could lead to competitive disadvantages, regulatory penalties, and damage to the company's reputation if not addressed effectively. Dependence on Independent Agents and Brokers: Elevance Health Inc's reliance on independent agents and brokers for the marketing of its healthcare products, particularly in individual, senior, and certain group customer segments, presents a weakness. The intense competition for the services of these agents and brokers, who may also market the products of competitors, poses a risk to the company's market share and revenue growth. Changes in business practices, such as legislative adjustments that could impact commissions and consulting fees, may further strain these relationships and adversely affect the company's ability to compete effectively in the marketplace. Opportunities Growth Through Acquisitions and Innovation: Elevance Health Inc's history of growth through strategic acquisitions, joint ventures, and investments presents significant opportunities for expansion. The company's ability to identify and integrate new businesses, as well as to develop innovative healthcare solutions, positions it to capture additional market share and diversify its revenue streams. The pursuit of opportunities that align with its strategic objectives, such as expanding its healthcare, pharmacy services, and other diversified products and services, could drive profitable growth and strengthen its market position. Adaptation to Industry Trends and Consumer Engagement: The healthcare industry is witnessing a shift towards greater consumer engagement and the adoption of advanced technologies. Elevance Health Inc has the opportunity to leverage these trends by enhancing its technological capabilities and mobile interfaces to meet the quickening pace of consumer needs. By staying at the forefront of industry developments and prioritizing consumer-centric initiatives, the company can improve member experiences, optimize health outcomes, and maintain its competitive edge. Threats Competitive Landscape and Market Pressures: Elevance Health Inc operates in a highly competitive environment, facing pressure from both established players and new entrants. The company must continually innovate and adapt to maintain its market position. Competitive pressures may lead to pricing challenges, margin compression, and the need for ongoing investment in technology and services to meet consumer demands. Additionally, the company's ability to attract and retain skilled associates is critical, and intense competition for talent could impact its operational effectiveness and strategic initiatives. Public Health Crises and Cybersecurity Risks: The potential for pandemics and other public health crises, as evidenced by the COVID-19 pandemic, poses a significant threat to Elevance Health Inc's operations. Such events can lead to increased healthcare costs, disruptions in service delivery, and broader economic instability. Moreover, the company's reliance on information technology systems exposes it to cybersecurity risks, including data breaches and cyber-attacks, which could result in financial losses, regulatory penalties, and reputational harm. In conclusion, Elevance Health Inc (NYSE:ELV) exhibits a strong market presence and a diversified service portfolio that positions it well within the healthcare insurance industry. This article, generated by GuruFocus, is designed to provide general insights and is not tailored financial advice. Our commentary is rooted in historical data and analyst projections, utilizing an impartial methodology, and is not intended to serve as specific investment guidance. It does not formulate a recommendation to purchase or divest any stock and does not consider individual investment objectives or financial circumstances. Our objective is to deliver long-term, fundamental data-driven analysis. Be aware that our analysis might not incorporate the most recent, price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative information. GuruFocus holds no position in the stocks mentioned herein. This article first appeared on GuruFocus. EU and other Western leaders and dignitaries were in Kyiv on February 24 to send a defiant message on the second anniversary of Russia's launch of its all-out invasion of Ukraine that they intend to continue supporting Ukraine against Moscow's aggression. The anniversary came with the Ukrainian military in need of equipment and supplies, especially ammunition, and Moscow looking to extend its recent battlefield gain in the Donetsk region, where its forces recaptured the mostly destroyed city of Avdiyivka. Live Briefing: Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine RFE/RL's Live Briefing gives you all of the latest developments on Russia's full-scale invasion, Kyiv's counteroffensive, Western military aid, global reaction, and the plight of civilians. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war in Ukraine, click here. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy told his countrymen in a recorded video address from a Kyiv-area airport that was a scene of intense fighting early in the invasion that two years of bitter fighting means "we are 730 days closer to victory." "Two years ago, we met an enemy landing force here with fire," Zelenskiy said, before adding references to the array of foreign leaders who were in Ukraine to mark the anniversary. "Two years later, we meet here our friends, our partners." He added that it was important that the war end "on our terms." Zelenskiy later welcomed European Commission President Von der Leyen, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, whose country currently holds the rotating EU Presidency. Meloni and Trudeau signed security agreements with Zelenskiy during their visit, and Meloni hosted a videoconference of the Group of Seven (G7) at which Zelenskiy spoke, telling the leaders he is counting on them to continue helping Ukraine. On her arrival, von der Leyen said alongside a photo of herself on a train platform in Kyiv that she was there to mark the grim anniversary "and to celebrate the extraordinary resistance of the Ukrainian people." "More than ever, we stand firmly by Ukraine," she said, "Financially, economically, militarily, morally...[u]ntil the country is finally free." Before arriving in Ukraine, Trudeau shared his Foreign Minister Melanie Joly's sentiment via X, formerly Twitter, that Canada and its allies were "sending a clear message to [Russia]: Ukraine will not be defeated in the face of Putins illegal war." Protesters rallied in Berlin, London, Paris, Belgrade, and other European cities as people gathered to show support by waving the blue and yellow Ukrainian flag and demanding that Russian President Vladimir Putin put an end to the war. Words of support poured in from Western leaders. U.S. President Joe Biden praised the determination of Ukrainians and said "the unprecedented 50-nation global coalition in support of Ukraine, led by the United States, remains committed to providing critical assistance to Ukraine and holding Russia accountable for its aggression." "The American people and people around the world understand that the stakes of this fight extend far beyond Ukraine," he said. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz urged Germans and all Europeans to "do even more -- so that we can defend ourselves effectively." Scholz said that Germany was completely fulfilling its NATO target of 2 percent investment of total economic output into its military for the first time in decades. Recently installed Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk cited "Two years of Ukrainian heroism. Two years of Russian barbarism. Two years of disgrace of those who remain indifferent." Maia Sandu, the president of Ukraine's neighbor Moldova, where concerns are high and a long-standing contingent of Russian troops has refused to depart, thanked "Ukrainians for their tireless fight for freedom and for protecting peace in Moldova too." "In these two years, the free world has shown unprecedented solidarity, yet the war persists; our support must endure fiercely," she said on X. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said "We must renew our determinationon this grim anniversary. This is the moment to show that tyranny will never triumph and to say once again that we will stand with Ukraine today and tomorrow." The anniversary came one day after the United States and European Union announced new rounds of hundreds of sanctions targeting Russia and officials responsible for the war, but with Ukrainian officials desperately pleading with the international community to avoid cutoffs in support or a "depletion of empathy." Ukrainians have battled fiercely since Russia invaded on February 24, 2022, after Putin, angered by Ukraine's aspiration to join NATO, tried to cast doubt on Ukrainian nationhood and eventually said Moscow's goal was "denazification" and demilitarization of Ukraine. It was a new phase in a land grab that had begun eight years earlier in 2014, when Russia covertly invaded and then annexed Crimea from Ukraine and began intensive support of armed Ukrainian separatists in eastern Ukraine. The United Nations has overwhelmingly voted to back Ukrainian territorial integrity and sovereignty. WATCH: Current Time correspondents Borys Sachalko, Andriy Kuzakov, and Oleksiy Prodayvod reflect on their wartime experiences together with the cameramen and drivers who form a critical part of their reporting teams. But a massive assistance package proposed by U.S. President Joe Biden's administration has been blocked primarily by Republicans in Congress. The European Union managed to pass its own $54 billion aid package for Ukraine earlier this month despite reluctance from member Hungary and talk of Ukraine fatigue. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said in a recorded statement for the anniversary that "the situation on the battlefield remains extremely serious" and "President Putin's aim to dominate Ukraine has not changed, and there are no indications that he is preparing for peace. But we must not lose heart." Earlier this week, Stoltenberg told RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service that the alliance was an advantage that neither Russia nor China could match. At the UN General Assembly on February 23, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said "Russia's aim is to destroy Ukraine and they are quite outspoken about it," adding that "The only reason for this war has been and remains Russia's denial of Ukraine's right to exist and its continued colonial conquest." Russian forces last week captured the mostly destroyed eastern city of Avdiyivka as remaining Ukrainian troops withdrew amid reported ammunition shortages to hand Moscow its first significant gain of territory in nearly a year. The Russian military said on February 24 that Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu visited troops in occupied Ukraine in a clear effort to send a message to Ukraine and its defenders, as well as to a Russian public subjected to heavy censorship and punishments for anti-war dissenters as the "special military operation" has ground on. "Today, in terms of the ratio of forces, the advantage is on our side," officials quoted Shoigu as telling troops at a Russian command center. The Russian military further said its troops were on the offensive after having taken Avdiyivka, in the Donetsk region. Zelenskiy used an interview on the conservative Fox News channel this week to urge the U.S. Congress to pass a $60 billion aid package to help his country defend itself, saying it is cheaper than the consequences of a Russian victory. Zelenskiy echoed warnings among Russia's other neighbors that Putin will push further into Eastern Europe if he conquers Ukraine. "Will Ukraine survive without Congress's support? Of course. But not all of us," Zelenskiy said. On February 24, senior Zelenskiy aide Mykhaylo Podolyak said Ukraine was auditing its "available resources" and said it's impossible to predict when the war might end without a good idea of the amount of weapons and ammunition Kyiv will have at its disposal. He also suggested the Ukrainian president's office is not currently in favor of peace talks with Russia as it would mean the "gradual death of Ukraine." Separately, Swiss President Viola Amherd was quoted as telling the Neue Zuercher Zeitung newspaper that Russia was unlikely to participate at the start of a senior-level peace conference that neutral Switzerland hopes to host in the next few months. The remarks followed Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis telling the United Nations that the idea was broached in January and Bern hoped for such a conference "by this summer." Russia currently is thought to control around one-fifth of Ukraine's territory. The Ukrainian military said it had destroyed a Russian A-50 surveillance aircraft after a new round of Russian drone and missile strikes on several Ukrainian regions on February 23, which if confirmed would mark the loss of the second A-50 in just over a month. The general appointed recently by Zelenskiy as commander in chief of Ukraine's armed forces, Oleksandr Syrskiy, said on February 24 that he is "convinced that unity is our victory." "And it will definitely happen," he said, "because light always conquers darkness!" Noting the two-year mark in the invasion, Ukraine's General Staff asserted that Russia had suffered troop casualties of around 409,000 since February 24, 2022. Both sides classify casualty figures, and RFE/RL cannot confirm the accuracy of accounts by either side of battlefield developments in areas of heavy fighting or of casualty claims. With reporting by dpa, AFP, and Reuters Hyatt's robust brand portfolio and global presence position it strongly in the luxury segment. Strategic dispositions and acquisitions reflect a disciplined capital allocation approach. Operational risks such as geopolitical tensions and pandemics pose significant threats. Technology and cybersecurity remain pivotal areas for safeguarding brand reputation. On February 23, 2024, Hyatt Hotels Corp (NYSE:H) released its 10-K filing, offering a comprehensive view of its financial performance and strategic direction. Hyatt, known for its upscale luxury brands, operates a global portfolio with a significant emphasis on managed and franchise properties, which account for 96% of its rooms. The company's financial health is underpinned by a strong capital base, with $896 million in cash and cash equivalents and a $1.5 billion credit facility. Hyatt's commitment to a disciplined financial approach is evident in its strategic dispositions, which have generated over $4.0 billion since 2017, including $961 million from the sale of owned assets. This financial overview sets the stage for a deeper SWOT analysis, providing investors with a nuanced understanding of Hyatt's market position and strategic outlook. Decoding Hyatt Hotels Corp (H): A Strategic SWOT Insight Strengths Brand Portfolio and Market Positioning: Hyatt Hotels Corp (NYSE:H) has cultivated a diverse and distinct brand portfolio, which serves as a cornerstone of its competitive advantage. The company's brands, including Park Hyatt, Grand Hyatt, and Hyatt Regency, cater to the high-end segment across various markets, resonating with discerning travelers seeking luxury and sophistication. This brand strength is not just a testament to Hyatt's market positioning but also to its ability to innovate and adapt to evolving consumer preferences. The introduction of new concepts like Hyatt Centric and The Unbound Collection by Hyatt further demonstrates the company's commitment to brand differentiation and market penetration. Story continues Global Presence and Growth Potential: With properties in 77 countries, Hyatt's global footprint is a testament to its expansive reach and potential for growth. The company's strategic presence in key urban centers and resort destinations provides a robust platform for expansion, particularly in markets where its brands have yet to establish a strong presence. This global platform is not only a strength in terms of market coverage but also in terms of growth potential, as Hyatt continues to pursue opportunities in underrepresented markets, thereby enhancing its global brand equity. Weaknesses Operational Risks and Market Sensitivity: The hospitality industry is inherently sensitive to external factors such as geopolitical tensions, natural disasters, and health crises like pandemics. Hyatt's 10-K filing acknowledges these risks, highlighting the potential for adverse impacts on travel demand and, consequently, the company's financial performance. While Hyatt has demonstrated resilience, the cyclical nature of the industry and the potential for sudden market disruptions remain significant weaknesses that require constant vigilance and adaptive strategies. Reliance on Third-Party Relationships: Hyatt's business model, which emphasizes managed and franchise operations, inherently relies on the performance and capital access of third-party owners and franchisees. While this model offers scalability and reduced asset intensity, it also introduces a degree of vulnerability. Any financial instability among these partners could impede growth plans or lead to operational challenges, thus representing a weakness in Hyatt's otherwise robust business strategy. Opportunities Strategic Acquisitions and Brand Expansion: Hyatt's history of strategic acquisitions, such as the purchase of Apple Leisure Group, presents ongoing opportunities for growth and diversification. These acquisitions not only expand Hyatt's portfolio but also open up new markets and customer segments. The company's ability to successfully integrate these acquisitions and leverage their potential will be crucial in maintaining competitive momentum and driving long-term value creation. Loyalty Program and Digital Engagement: The World of Hyatt loyalty program and the Unlimited Vacation Club membership program represent significant opportunities for deepening customer engagement and driving repeat business. By enhancing these programs and investing in digital platforms, Hyatt can strengthen brand loyalty, tailor guest experiences, and harness data analytics for strategic decision-making, thereby capitalizing on the growing trend of personalized travel experiences. Threats Competitive Landscape and Market Consolidation: The hospitality industry is marked by intense competition and ongoing consolidation. Hyatt faces the challenge of maintaining its market share and brand appeal amidst a landscape where competitors are constantly evolving and expanding through mergers and acquisitions. Staying ahead requires continuous innovation, investment in brand equity, and a keen understanding of shifting market dynamics. Cybersecurity and Data Privacy: In an age where data is a critical asset, cybersecurity threats pose a significant risk to Hyatt's operations and reputation. The company's reliance on digital platforms and the storage of sensitive customer information necessitate robust cybersecurity measures. Any breach or failure in data protection could lead to reputational damage, legal repercussions, and financial losses, making cybersecurity a paramount concern for Hyatt. In conclusion, Hyatt Hotels Corp (NYSE:H) exhibits a strong competitive position with its diverse brand portfolio and global presence. However, it must navigate operational risks and maintain strong third-party relationships to sustain its growth trajectory. Opportunities for expansion through strategic acquisitions and enhanced loyalty programs are counterbalanced by threats from a competitive market and cybersecurity risks. Hyatt's ability to leverage its strengths, address its weaknesses, seize opportunities, and mitigate threats will be critical in shaping its future success in the hospitality industry. This article, generated by GuruFocus, is designed to provide general insights and is not tailored financial advice. Our commentary is rooted in historical data and analyst projections, utilizing an impartial methodology, and is not intended to serve as specific investment guidance. It does not formulate a recommendation to purchase or divest any stock and does not consider individual investment objectives or financial circumstances. Our objective is to deliver long-term, fundamental data-driven analysis. Be aware that our analysis might not incorporate the most recent, price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative information. GuruFocus holds no position in the stocks mentioned herein. This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Two students from Roscommon Town Youthreach have received the Fergal Quinn Award in recognition of their outstanding results in their Leaving Cert Applied (LCA) examinations. Patricia Balogova and Darragh Hunt were recently presented with their awards. Darragh Hunt, from Castleplunkett, attended Roscommon Town Youthreach from 2021 to June 2023 and completed his LCA, giving 100% commitment to his studies. He is now attending a full-time course at Moate Business College where he is studying Art and Design QQI Level 5 and works part time in hospitality. Patricia Balogova from Roscommon Town attended Roscommon Town Youthreach from June 2021 to September 2023 where she completed her LCA. Patricia works full-time in hospitality. Darragh Hunt, recipient with Pat Collum, Coordinator, Roscommon Youthreach. The Leaving Cert Applied National Association (LCANA) Fergal Quinn Awards are presented each year to those students who obtain the top credits in the LCA examination of that year. The top performing students are notified by the State Examinations Commission. The students final credit total is based on their performance in the LCA examination over the two years. The awards are named after Senator Fergal Quinn who was the first chairman of the steering committee for the then new LCA. It was he who oversaw the rolling out of the LCA programme, the embedding of it in the Irish education system, and he oversaw its continuing development in the following year. Roscommon Town Youthreach offers a number of programmes in addition to the LCA such as a QQI Level 3 Major Award and a QQI Level 5 Traineeship in Childcare. The centre has a proud track record of learners progressing to further education and the world of work. Miss Perfect OTT Platform Release Date News 'Miss Perfect' is a Telugu romantic film Miss Perfect OTT Release Date Update: 'Miss Perfect' is a Telugu romantic film which has been released in your nearby cinemas. "Miss Perfect" is a romantic movie starring Grace Truly, Giuseppe Renga, and Shangjie Yuand while it is directed by Minjun Kuang. "Miss Perfect" is a movie about a girl who really wants to be perfect, especially when it comes to how she looks and dresses. Throughout the movie, you'll see her struggle with feeling anxious and stressed as she tries to be flawless. Advertisement It shows how hard it can be to keep up with society's expectations of being perfect, and how it affects her life in a big way. The movie helps us think about the pressure to be perfect and how it can impact our sense of self-worth. "Miss Perfect" OTT Platform Release Date Update: You can watch the film on Disney+ Hotstar. Farmers Protest 2024 to hold candle march today Farmer Protest Candle march on February 24 Farmers protest 2024: Farmers from Punjab and Haryana remain camped at Khanauri and Shambhu borders with their tractor-trolleys and trucks agitating for their demands. Farmers are protesting at two border points, demanding better prices for their crops. Farmer leader, Sarwan Singh Pandher, said they'll continue the protest until February 29. The decision to stay at the Shambhu and Khanauri protest sites was made by two farmer groups leading the protest -- Samyukta Kisan Morcha and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha. Advertisement The farmers started the march to Delhi last week but were stopped by police, courtesy of the heavy barricading and blockades. After a farmer died in clashes with security forces, more farmers joined the protest, including Samyukt Kisan Morcha, which was not part of the 'Delhi Chalo' protest initially. Farmers' protest: Further Plans - Candle march on February 24 - Seminars on farming issues on February 25 - Burning of effigies on February 26 - Meetings of farmer groups over the next two days - Black flags and protests at the site Advertisement Other Developments: - Punjab CM's announcement of compensation for a deceased farmer's family - Demand for legal action before cremation - Plea to the Supreme Court for farmers' demands - Haryana Police withdrawing NSA invocation - Another farmer's death during the protest - Appeal for patience and restraint from political leaders - Haryana CM's budget announcement for farmers' welfare - Farmers' demands including MSP guarantee and justice for past incidents. (For more news apart from Farmers Protest 2024 candle march, stay tuned to Rozana Spokesman Social media site, Reddit has filed an S-1 form with the Securities and Exchange Commission to list on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol "RDDT". The decision comes after three years of discussion among the top executives to file for IPO in order to grow its through advertising and e-commerce offerings. "Our work to make Reddit faster, easier to use, easier to moderate and govern, and simpler to navigate and find relevant communities is driving growth today and will continue to be our focus into the future," Co-founder and CEO Steve Huffman said in a letter. The online discussion forum had reserved some shares for its top users based on their contributions. It reportedly has 267.5 million active weekly users, more than 100,000 active communities, and 1 billion total posts. "Our users have a deep sense of ownership over the communities they create on Reddit. We want this sense of ownership to be reflected in real ownership for our users to be our owners," the CEO commented. "Becoming a public company makes this possible." The networking site founded in 2005 by Alexis Ohanian and Steve Huffman, was later sold to Conde Nast in 2006. Currently, its largest shareholders are Advance Publications, Chinese tech company Tencent, and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. Reddit, the first major tech company to file for an IPO in 2024, made $804 million in revenue last year. However, it suffered a loss of $90.8 million in 2023, according to the SEC filing. Currently, the networking site is looking to source its income from AI, as it had signed a data licensing agreement with Google for $60 million a year for access to its content. "Reddit's vast and unmatched archive of real, timely, and relevant human conversation on literally any topic is an invaluable dataset for a variety of purposes, including search, AI training, and research," Huffman explained. "We expect our data advantage and intellectual property to continue to be a key element in the training of future LLMs." Earlier, Reddit had filed for IPO in 2021, but later withdrew it due to an unstable market. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Business News Most of the components of upcoming 2024 Husqvarna Svartpilen 250 will be shared with recently launched 2024 Vitpilen 250 Bajaj Auto has been handling motorcycle production for as many as three international motorcycle brands. These are KTM, Husqvarna and more recently, Triumph. There has been a significant launch with Husqvarna in the form of 2024 Svartpilen 401 and Vitpilen 250. Now there is a new motorcycle incoming, which is Svartpilen 250. 2024 Husqvarna Svartpilen 250 Incoming Earlier this year, the iconic Swedish motorcycle manufacturer, Husqvarna, launched a 401 version of its Black Arrow (Svartpilen) and a 250 version of its Silver Arrow (Vitpilen). At that time, there was no Vitpilen with the larger 401 and no Svartpilen with smaller 250. This was likely done to associate displacement categories with character and design DNA. As per the company, there wont be a (Silver Arrow) Vitpilen 401 launch keeping the Roadster-styled Vitpilen limited to smaller 250cc segment. However, Svartpilen (Black Arrow) seems to be getting ready to be launched in both 401 and 250 segments. Last month, Husqvarna had only launched Svartpilen 401. The new Svartpilen 250 has been recently homologated, post Svartpilen 401 launch. As per the leaked homologation document type approved by Transport Department of India, Svartpilen will be a slightly taller version of Vitpilen 250, launched last month. Other dimensions like 1,368 mm long wheelbase, 807 mm width and 2071 mm length are common between both 250cc bikes. However, there is a slight difference in gross weight. Upcoming Svartpilen 250 features a 315 kg gross weight, while it is 314 kg for recently launched Vitpilen 250. Type approval documents also show the same engine displacement at 249.07cc and the same 22.8 kW peak power (30.57 bhp). Changes expected with Husqvarnas Black Arrow There seems to be a slight retune in Svartpilen 250s engine as its peak power comes in at 9,250 RPM as opposed to 9,500 RPM of Vitpilen 250. This is done to suit respective character and styling genres. The same 249.07 cc single-cyl liquid-cooled DOHC 4V engine is likely to be carried over to Svartpilen 250 as well. This engine will generate 30.57 bhp peak power and 25 Nm peak torque, mated to a 6-speed gearbox and a slip and assist clutch. Where componentry is concerned, there will be non-adjustable USD telescopic front forks and single-sided rear mono-shock shared with Vitpilen 250. Wheels could be wire-spoke ones with tube-type dual-sport tyres. Probably Pirelli Scorpions. When opposed to previous Svartpilen 250, there will be a larger fuel tank, a tail-section (no more factory tail tidy), a larger headlight cowl and a much larger and more accommodating seat. There will be a sole matt black shade with neon highlights. Record-breaking financial performance with a 10% increase in consolidated total revenues. Strategic capital allocation with significant investments in operations and shareholder returns. Industry-leading safety performance, underscoring commitment to operational excellence. Robust market position with a focus on sustainable and efficient building solutions. On February 23, 2024, Martin Marietta Materials Inc (NYSE:MLM), a leading producer of construction aggregates and heavy building materials, filed its annual 10-K report, revealing a year of record financial achievements and strategic growth. The company reported a 10% increase in consolidated total revenues, reaching $6.78 billion, and a remarkable 42.1% increase in consolidated gross profit, amounting to $2.02 billion. These figures underscore MLM's robust market position and its ability to capitalize on favorable market conditions. With a comprehensive benefits package and a focus on employee development, MLM demonstrates a commitment to maintaining a skilled and motivated workforce, which is integral to its continued success. This SWOT analysis aims to provide investors with a detailed examination of MLM's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats as derived from the latest SEC filings. Decoding Martin Marietta Materials Inc (MLM): A Strategic SWOT Insight Strengths Financial Robustness: MLM's financial performance in 2023 was exceptional, with record revenues and gross profit. The company's revenue growth was 10% year-over-year, and its gross profit surged by 42.1%, indicating a strong market position and effective cost management. This financial robustness provides MLM with the capital necessary to invest in growth opportunities and return value to shareholders, as evidenced by the $650.3 million invested in operations and the $174.0 million paid in dividends. Operational Excellence: MLM's industry-leading safety performance, with a record Lost-Time Incident Rate (LTIR) of 0.13, reflects its commitment to operational excellence. This focus on safety not only minimizes risks and potential liabilities but also enhances productivity and employee morale. The company's operational strategies have resulted in consistent Adjusted EBITDA growth for twelve consecutive years, showcasing its ability to deliver results despite market fluctuations. Story continues Weaknesses Capacity Constraints: The company's cement and Magnesia Specialties businesses have faced capacity constraints, which could limit MLM's ability to meet demand spikes. While efforts are underway to expand production capacity, such as the 0.5 million tons annual production capacity increase at the Midlothian cement facility, there is a risk of excess capacity if demand decreases or fails to materialize as anticipated. Integration Challenges: MLM's aggressive acquisition strategy, while contributing to its growth, poses integration risks. The company acknowledges potential difficulties in assimilating new employees, business systems, and technologies, which could lead to performance shortfalls and distract management attention from core operations. Opportunities Infrastructure Initiatives: MLM stands to benefit from various 2023 ballot initiatives aimed at funding infrastructure growth and development. The company's aggregates and cement products are essential for public-sector construction projects, and increased infrastructure spending could lead to higher demand for MLM's offerings. Sustainable Building Solutions: There is a growing demand for sustainable construction practices, and MLM's products, such as magnesium hydroxide used to increase fuel efficiency, position the company favorably in this trend. The push for green construction projects could drive demand for MLM's cement and concrete business, aligning with the company's focus on sustainable and efficient building solutions. Threats Construction Industry Cyclicality: MLM's business is heavily dependent on the cyclical nature of the construction industry. Economic and political uncertainties can lead to reduced credit availability for construction projects, delays, or cancellations, which could adversely affect demand for MLM's products. Environmental and Regulatory Risks: MLM's operations are subject to stringent environmental, health, and safety regulations. Changes in legal requirements, increased governmental regulation, and potential environmental liabilities could impact the company's operations and financial performance. In conclusion, Martin Marietta Materials Inc (NYSE:MLM) has demonstrated financial resilience and operational excellence, positioning it as a leader in the construction materials industry. While capacity constraints and integration challenges present internal weaknesses, opportunities for growth are abundant, particularly in the areas of infrastructure development and sustainable building solutions. However, MLM must navigate the cyclical nature of the construction industry and remain vigilant against environmental and regulatory risks. With a strategic focus on leveraging its strengths and addressing its weaknesses, MLM is well-equipped to capitalize on opportunities and mitigate threats in the evolving market landscape. This article, generated by GuruFocus, is designed to provide general insights and is not tailored financial advice. Our commentary is rooted in historical data and analyst projections, utilizing an impartial methodology, and is not intended to serve as specific investment guidance. It does not formulate a recommendation to purchase or divest any stock and does not consider individual investment objectives or financial circumstances. Our objective is to deliver long-term, fundamental data-driven analysis. Be aware that our analysis might not incorporate the most recent, price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative information. GuruFocus holds no position in the stocks mentioned herein. This article first appeared on GuruFocus. When compared to the 2021 concept vehicle, Renault 5 EV has retained most of its design attributes and overall silhouette The global EV onslaught is currently led by Chinese and American car makers like BYD and Tesla. But European legacy brands are keen on making their presence known in this vastly competitive segment. Renault, for one, is keen on launching its upcoming Renault 5 EV hatchback with a global debut at Geneva Motor Show on 26th Feb, 2024. Renault 5 EV Images Leak However, images of the Renault 5 EV have leaked ahead of its global debut at Geneva Motor Show. These pictures show a production-spec Renault 5 E-Tech electric vehicle in all its glory. The patent images leaked before, showed design and proportions, but not sheet metal profiling, textures and light effects on body panels. For starters, we like the bright Yellow shade that Renault has gone for. I particularly loved the complementing red line starting from A pillar and flowing all the way around across its rear spoiler into its other A pillar. Design is typically European and has multiple wow elements too. Renault 5 EV is based on the 2021 Concept car. We have to laud Renault designers for sticking to the design DNA of concept. Except for a few conventional elements over outlandish ones, the production-spec model looks very similar to concept car. The fascia gets a proud Renault logo in the middle followed by two horizontal cuts across its width. Just like the 2021 Concept car, there is a black graphic panel on the bonnet showing charging status when plugged in. Lower grill houses cameras and radar modules for a multitude of mandatory active safety systems in Europe. Headlights remind me of Porsche Taycan and the production-spec model has a quad-LED element in its headlight like a camera shutter and there is a similar, but larger effect in LED DRL elements of lower bumper. What does it pack? Rear door handles are in the thick C-pillar and there are muscular character lines in rear quarter panels. Alloy wheels look swanky and gloss black body panels are running around Renault 5 EVs body. Rear tail lights are vertically-stacked LEDs and theyre connected by a black glossy plaque. Camera shutter like patterns on LED DRLs make their presence on the inside too. Especially on all of its climate vents. Notable elements include toggle-style climate control functions, gear selector buttons, electronic parking brake, sporty 3-spoke steering wheel with integrated start/stop button, glossy steering-mounted controls and others. There are two displays on the dashboard. Taller touchscreen for infotainment and a wider display for instrumentation. Seat upholstery seems to be colour coded with exterior shades and the same fabric is also used to wrap door trims as well. The cars charging port is on the front left quarter panel. Speaking of electricals, Renault 5 EV is positioned on CMF-B-EV platform (renamed AmpR Small platform) and comes equipped with a 52 kWh battery pack. This promises a WLTP-claimed 400 km range on a full charge. This is mostly the same battery as Zoes, but has extensive weight-saving measures. There is a sole 135 bhp electric motor, powering this 3.92m long vehicle. Where Classic 650 dwells into its Classic-ness, Scram 650 emerges as the more sporty offering and it could be the lightest RE 650 bike The iconic British motorcycle manufacturer, Royal Enfield, is gearing up to launch new motorcycles to further expand its ever-expanding portfolio. The latest launch from Bullet-maker was Shotgun 650 and the 650cc portfolio will be further expanded to include Classic 650 and Scram 650, as both were spotted testing. Royal Enfield Scram 650 & Classic 650 Spotted The four motorcycle launches per year strategy keenly followed by Royal Enfield has yielded the first product Shotgun 650. There are three more to go for the year 2024 and one of these three is likely to be Scram 450, which is a stripped-down version of New Himalayan 450. The other two launches might include both 350cc and 650cc offerings. Upcoming motorcycles in 650cc category are Classic 650 and Scram 650. Both these motorcycles are currently under testing. The recent spy shots credited to automotive enthusiast DerpBDerpy, show both upcoming Classic 650 and Scram 650 in the same frame, trundling down the streets of Chennai city. Where design is concerned, Classic 650 looks very much like a lengthened Classic 350, which is not a bad thing at all. This formula exudes timeless appeal and radiates understated elegance. Whereas, Scram 650 looks like an Interceptor 650 on steroids. When launched, Scram 650 is likely to get the name Interceptor Bear 650. Scram 650 is the most feature-loaded and lightest RE 650 Where main frame is concerned, Scram 650 is closely related to Interceptor 650, while Classic 650 is more relatable with Super Meteor 650. Where componentry is concerned, it is the opposite. Were talking about Classic 650 showing less premium components and Scram 650 lapping up more premium hardware. Both motorcycles fall under two distinctly different motorcycle umbrellas within REs 650cc portfolio. There are stark differences between two umbrellas in Royal Enfields 650cc motorcycle portfolio. One umbrella has Interceptor 650 and GT Continental 650, while the other umbrella houses Super Meteor 650 and recently launched Shotgun 650. This bifurcation is important for Royal Enfield and both these umbrellas get different equipment. Classic 650 will join the lower-level and less-equipped 650cc bikes with conventional instrument cluster, RSU telescopic front forks, silver engine bay and the likes. Whereas Scram 650 is a more premium offering with USD telescopic front forks, black engine bay and REs new Tripper Dash screen. Scram 650 gets a single-sided exhaust and knobby tyres with a minimal tail, while Classic 650 goes full regalia where classic-ness is concerned. Both motorcycles come equipped with the same 648cc parallel twin engine that is capable of developing around 47 bhp peak power and 52 Nm peak torque, mated to a 6-speed gearbox and a slipper clutch. Engine tuning might differ between both bikes to suit their respective character. Eldorado Gold (TSE:ELD) Full Year 2023 Results Key Financial Results Revenue: US$1.01b (up 16% from FY 2022). Net income: US$109.0m (up from US$49.2m loss in FY 2022). Profit margin: 11% (up from net loss in FY 2022). The move to profitability was primarily driven by higher revenue. EPS: US$561 (up from US$0.27 loss in FY 2022). All figures shown in the chart above are for the trailing 12 month (TTM) period Eldorado Gold EPS Beats Expectations Revenue was in line with analyst estimates. Earnings per share (EPS) surpassed analyst estimates by 42%. Looking ahead, revenue is forecast to grow 13% p.a. on average during the next 3 years, compared to a 12% growth forecast for the Metals and Mining industry in Canada. Performance of the Canadian Metals and Mining industry. The company's shares are down 3.2% from a week ago. Risk Analysis Before we wrap up, we've discovered 1 warning sign for Eldorado Gold that you should be aware of. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. 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Principe, Democratic Republic of Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of Senegal, Republic of Serbia and Montenegro Seychelles, Republic of Sierra Leone, Republic of Singapore, Republic of Slovakia (Slovak Republic) Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia, Somali Republic South Africa, Republic of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Spain, Spanish State Sri Lanka, Democratic Socialist Republic of St. Helena St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. Pierre and Miquelon St. Vincent and the Grenadines Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Suriname, Republic of Svalbard & Jan Mayen Islands Swaziland, Kingdom of Sweden, Kingdom of Switzerland, Swiss Confederation Syrian Arab Republic Taiwan, Province of China Tajikistan Tanzania, United Republic of Thailand, Kingdom of Timor-Leste, Democratic Republic of Togo, Togolese Republic Tokelau (Tokelau Islands) Tonga, Kingdom of Trinidad and Tobago, Republic of Tunisia, Republic of Turkey, Republic of Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda, Republic of Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom of Great Britain & N. Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe Paleontologists from Germany, China, the United Kingdom and the United States have described in detail Dinocephalosaurus orientalis, a remarkable marine reptile from the Middle Triassic of China, on the basis of seven beautifully preserved specimens. Dinocephalosaurus orientalis lived in what is now China during the Triassic period, around 240 million years old. This aquatic reptile was up to 6 m (20 feet) in length and had an extraordinarily long neck with 32 separate vertebrae. The animal was very similar to Tanystropheus hydroides, another strange marine reptile from the Middle Triassic of both Europe and China. Both reptiles were of similar size and have several features of the skull in common, including a fish-trap type of dentition, said Dr. Nick Fraser, keeper of natural sciences at National Museums Scotland, and his colleagues. However, Dinocephalosaurus orientalis is unique in possessing many more vertebrae both in the neck and in the torso, giving the animal a much more snake-like appearance. Dinocephalosaurus orientalis was almost certainly a fully marine reptile and even gave birth at sea. The exact function of its extraordinary long neck is unclear but it almost certainly aided in catching fish, which are preserved in the stomach contents of one of the specimens. Despite superficial similarities, the reptile was not closely related to the famous long-necked plesiosaurs that only evolved around 40 million years later and which inspired the myth of the Loch Ness Monster. This discovery allows us to see this remarkable long-necked animal in full for the very first time, Dr. Fraser said. It is yet one more example of the weird and wonderful world of the Triassic that continues to baffle paleontologists. We are certain that it will capture imaginations across the globe due to its striking appearance, reminiscent of the long and snake-like, mythical Chinese Dragon. Dinocephalosaurus orientalis was first described in 2003, but the discovery of additional, more complete specimens has allowed the authors to depict the bizarre long-necked creature in full for the very first time. Among all of the extraordinary finds we have made in the Triassic of Guizhou province, Dinocephalosaurus orientalis probably stands out as the most remarkable, said Professor Li Chun, a paleontologist at the Institute of Vertebrate Palaeontology and Palaeoanthropology The findings were published today in the journal Earth and Environmental Science: Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. _____ Stephan N.F. Spiekman et al. Dinocephalosaurus orientalis Li, 2003: a remarkable marine archosauromorph from the Middle Triassic of southwestern China. Earth and Environmental Science: Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, published online February 23, 2024; doi: 10.1017/S175569102400001X White-collar workers are getting used to recognizing the signs that remote work is dyingand lately, its coming in the form of CEO memos demanding a return to the office. Major businesses from beauty retailer LOreal to banks like Deutsche and Goldman Sachs are beginning to reign in years of pandemic-era workplace flexibility, and based on the rhetoric, they appear to mean business this time. But hidden within those ominous memos is a big secret, and the clue to unraveling it comes from a quick look at many companies post-pandemic office footprints. CEOs secret The secret is many companies simply no longer have the space they need to fit the number of workers they say they want back at the office Businesses are probably being overly ambitious with their RTO orders with the expectation that the targets will never be met by staff, according to Sue Aspey Price, EMEA CEO for real estate services group Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL). Our experience is that companies, frankly, will say a day longer than what they expect because they just know about human behaviors and patterns, and travel and sick days and holidays, Aspey Price told Fortune. So when we see a company say four days a week back in the office, usually they're expecting around three, so that means they're now going to be planning their portfolio, their footprint, and the type of space they need around that three day a week model. JLL manages thousands of clients real estate affairs. In the past few years, Aspey Price says trends of both downsizing and shifts to more sustainable office spaces have changed the workplace dynamic. That story matches up with the data. A survey published last June by Knight Frank found half of the worlds biggest firms were planning to cut their office space by 10-20%. In 2024, Moodys expects a muted corporate real estate market. More recently, companies in major hubs like London, New York, and Singapore are buying up new office space because they have realized they cut back too far. Story continues For now, that realization means many return-to-office orders dont stack up. If everybody followed the policies that are being put out there, a lot of companies don't have anywhere near enough space, Aspey Price says. If every working team came in on those days, the chances of them having enough space are almost non-existent. It might explain why statements and actions of intent arent often matched by increased signs of attendance. Accountancy group EY began tracking their staffers' keycards to work out how often they were coming back to the office. The group found around half of its staff werent even making it in the required two days a week. Employer power returns The power dial around where staffers spend their working hours is gradually shifting back in favor of employers. LOreal ordered its workers back into the office on Fridays not long after the beauty brands CEO Nicolas Hieronimus claimed remote workers have absolutely no attachment, no passion, no creativity. Last week German banking giant Deutsche ordered its managers back into the office four days a week and the rest of its employees back three days a week, with the added twist of banning workers from working both Friday and Monday from home. Deutsches move was particularly interesting for two reasons. Firstly, the company had regularly openly praised the productivity benefits of remote working among its staff. The bank had publicized that 87% of its workers felt productive under the hybrid model, which saw employees spending between 40% and 60% of their time, or two to three days per week, in the office. The group continues to press upon the positive impact of remote work on productivity. Secondly, the move came even after the bank said it was planning to cut capacity at its key Frankfurt location by 40%, begging the question, where does Deutsche expect to house all of its returning workers? The second point is the most important one and explains the bind anxious CEOs now find themselves in. The end of WFH Fridays? Deutsche Banks move appears to be a new line in the sand for RTO mandates. The company has banned employees from working from home on a Friday followed by a Monday across their workforce. JLLs Aspey Price says this is likely an attempt to smooth out office space use. Most analysis has shown employees tend to pick Tuesday through Thursday as their three days in the office. That could lead to overcrowding in smaller spaces. Indeed, in a memo to staff seen by Bloomberg, Deutsches CEO Christian Sewing and COO Rebecca Short told employees that current office use was inefficient and that they are aiming to spread our presence more evenly across the week. However, more aggressive moves like Deutsches might not be well received, particularly without added perks like free meals. That's a tough sell. And I do think they may have some employee backlash around that unless they're offering something in return, Aspey Price says. The return of the water-cooler One water-cooling company, Bevi, thinks orders like Deutsches are beginning to take effect. The group has its coolers in 25% of Fortune 500 offices, including those of Apple, Netflix, and Uber. Usage data for these water coolers suggests attendance is slowly creeping up on Fridays and Mondays, though rates of use are still well below pre-pandemic levels. However employees choose to respond to their bosses' new guidelines, Aspey Price says the new realities of space mean it's unlikely this is the beginning of a full-time return to the office. "There's tweaks around the edges, but three days a week is the norm." This story was originally featured on Fortune.com Key Insights The projected fair value for Pan American Silver is CA$15.90 based on 2 Stage Free Cash Flow to Equity Pan American Silver's CA$17.36 share price indicates it is trading at similar levels as its fair value estimate Our fair value estimate is 44% lower than Pan American Silver's analyst price target of US$28.43 How far off is Pan American Silver Corp. (TSE:PAAS) from its intrinsic value? Using the most recent financial data, we'll take a look at whether the stock is fairly priced by taking the expected future cash flows and discounting them to today's value. We will take advantage of the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model for this purpose. Don't get put off by the jargon, the math behind it is actually quite straightforward. Companies can be valued in a lot of ways, so we would point out that a DCF is not perfect for every situation. If you still have some burning questions about this type of valuation, take a look at the Simply Wall St analysis model. See our latest analysis for Pan American Silver The Method We use what is known as a 2-stage model, which simply means we have two different periods of growth rates for the company's cash flows. Generally the first stage is higher growth, and the second stage is a lower growth phase. To start off with, we need to estimate the next ten years of cash flows. Where possible we use analyst estimates, but when these aren't available we extrapolate the previous free cash flow (FCF) from the last estimate or reported value. We assume companies with shrinking free cash flow will slow their rate of shrinkage, and that companies with growing free cash flow will see their growth rate slow, over this period. We do this to reflect that growth tends to slow more in the early years than it does in later years. Generally we assume that a dollar today is more valuable than a dollar in the future, so we need to discount the sum of these future cash flows to arrive at a present value estimate: Story continues 10-year free cash flow (FCF) forecast 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 2033 Levered FCF ($, Millions) US$222.3m US$576.9m US$418.4m US$335.1m US$290.3m US$264.9m US$250.3m US$242.1m US$238.0m US$236.6m Growth Rate Estimate Source Analyst x3 Analyst x2 Analyst x1 Est @ -19.92% Est @ -13.35% Est @ -8.75% Est @ -5.53% Est @ -3.27% Est @ -1.69% Est @ -0.59% Present Value ($, Millions) Discounted @ 7.5% US$207 US$499 US$336 US$251 US$202 US$171 US$151 US$135 US$124 US$114 ("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St) Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = US$2.2b We now need to calculate the Terminal Value, which accounts for all the future cash flows after this ten year period. The Gordon Growth formula is used to calculate Terminal Value at a future annual growth rate equal to the 5-year average of the 10-year government bond yield of 2.0%. We discount the terminal cash flows to today's value at a cost of equity of 7.5%. Terminal Value (TV)= FCF 2033 (1 + g) (r g) = US$237m (1 + 2.0%) (7.5% 2.0%) = US$4.4b Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)10= US$4.4b ( 1 + 7.5%)10= US$2.1b The total value is the sum of cash flows for the next ten years plus the discounted terminal value, which results in the Total Equity Value, which in this case is US$4.3b. In the final step we divide the equity value by the number of shares outstanding. Relative to the current share price of CA$17.4, the company appears around fair value at the time of writing. Remember though, that this is just an approximate valuation, and like any complex formula - garbage in, garbage out. dcf The Assumptions The calculation above is very dependent on two assumptions. The first is the discount rate and the other is the cash flows. You don't have to agree with these inputs, I recommend redoing the calculations yourself and playing with them. The DCF also does not consider the possible cyclicality of an industry, or a company's future capital requirements, so it does not give a full picture of a company's potential performance. Given that we are looking at Pan American Silver as potential shareholders, the cost of equity is used as the discount rate, rather than the cost of capital (or weighted average cost of capital, WACC) which accounts for debt. In this calculation we've used 7.5%, which is based on a levered beta of 1.206. Beta is a measure of a stock's volatility, compared to the market as a whole. We get our beta from the industry average beta of globally comparable companies, with an imposed limit between 0.8 and 2.0, which is a reasonable range for a stable business. SWOT Analysis for Pan American Silver Strength Debt is well covered by cash flow. Weakness Interest payments on debt are not well covered. Dividend is low compared to the top 25% of dividend payers in the Metals and Mining market. Expensive based on P/S ratio and estimated fair value. Shareholders have been diluted in the past year. Opportunity Expected to breakeven next year. Has sufficient cash runway for more than 3 years based on current free cash flows. Threat Dividends are not covered by cash flow. Looking Ahead: Although the valuation of a company is important, it ideally won't be the sole piece of analysis you scrutinize for a company. It's not possible to obtain a foolproof valuation with a DCF model. Instead the best use for a DCF model is to test certain assumptions and theories to see if they would lead to the company being undervalued or overvalued. For instance, if the terminal value growth rate is adjusted slightly, it can dramatically alter the overall result. For Pan American Silver, there are three fundamental factors you should consider: Risks: We feel that you should assess the 2 warning signs for Pan American Silver we've flagged before making an investment in the company. Future Earnings: How does PAAS's growth rate compare to its peers and the wider market? Dig deeper into the analyst consensus number for the upcoming years by interacting with our free analyst growth expectation chart. Other High Quality Alternatives: Do you like a good all-rounder? Explore our interactive list of high quality stocks to get an idea of what else is out there you may be missing! PS. Simply Wall St updates its DCF calculation for every Canadian stock every day, so if you want to find the intrinsic value of any other stock just search here. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. It might seem bad, but the worst that can happen when you buy a stock (without leverage) is that its share price goes to zero. But when you pick a company that is really flourishing, you can make more than 100%. To wit, the Georgia Capital PLC (LON:CGEO) share price has flown 145% in the last three years. That sort of return is as solid as granite. Also pleasing for shareholders was the 24% gain in the last three months. The company reported its financial results recently; you can catch up on the latest numbers by reading our company report. After a strong gain in the past week, it's worth seeing if longer term returns have been driven by improving fundamentals. Check out our latest analysis for Georgia Capital To paraphrase Benjamin Graham: Over the short term the market is a voting machine, but over the long term it's a weighing machine. One flawed but reasonable way to assess how sentiment around a company has changed is to compare the earnings per share (EPS) with the share price. Georgia Capital became profitable within the last three years. Given the importance of this milestone, it's not overly surprising that the share price has increased strongly. The graphic below depicts how EPS has changed over time (unveil the exact values by clicking on the image). This free interactive report on Georgia Capital's earnings, revenue and cash flow is a great place to start, if you want to investigate the stock further. A Different Perspective It's nice to see that Georgia Capital shareholders have received a total shareholder return of 52% over the last year. That gain is better than the annual TSR over five years, which is 1.8%. Therefore it seems like sentiment around the company has been positive lately. In the best case scenario, this may hint at some real business momentum, implying that now could be a great time to delve deeper. While it is well worth considering the different impacts that market conditions can have on the share price, there are other factors that are even more important. For instance, we've identified 1 warning sign for Georgia Capital that you should be aware of. Story continues If you would prefer to check out another company -- one with potentially superior financials -- then do not miss this free list of companies that have proven they can grow earnings. Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on British exchanges. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- If youve dined at a restaurant, pumped gas or shopped at a small business since Feb. 11, youve probably already noticed the change: Stores throughout the state, including New York City, are now required to be more transparent about the credit card surcharge, listing both the higher credit card price next to a lower cash price before a purchase is made. The difference should be listed on your receipt, printed on the menu or clearly posted as a discount for cash usage. But if youre debating whether the cheaper cash sale is worth the hit-up-the-ATM-hassle, heres a look at how much the convenience of a swipe will generally cost you: $50 + 3.95% credit card surcharge = $51.98 $100 + 3.95% credit card surcharge = $103.95 $500 + 3.95% credit card surcharge = $519.75 $1,000 + 3.95% credit card surcharge = $1,039.50 $1,500 + 3.95% credit card surcharge = $1,559.25 The bottom line? If a business chooses to pass along the cost of credit card processing fees as a surcharge to customers, it now must be transparent about it and display the highest total price excluding sales tax. The new New York state law does not offer consumers the same protections when shopping with debit cards, according to the state Division of Consumer Protection (DCP), but does aim to clear up some misleading practices. Many consumers and businesses are confused when it comes to surcharges in the marketplace, Secretary of State Rossana Rosado, who oversees the New York State Division of Consumer Protection, said in a press release. New York businesses must advertise accurate prices. A business may offer a discount if consumers pay in cash, but cannot charge more at the register simply because a consumer uses their credit card. Under the new law, stores are prohibited from charging a flat credit card fee or listing the credit card surcharge as a processing fee, technology fee or non-cash adjustment. Also, businesses are not allowed to display price tags that list the cash cost with an additional credit card percentage. If consumers identify merchants charging additional fees improperly, they are encouraged to: (Editors note: This article is part of an Advance/SILive.com Black History Month special series, Impact & Excellence, that profiles Staten Islanders and organizations making important, lasting impact in the community.) *** STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. As a longtime resident of Staten Island and a veteran of the NYPD, Deputy Chief Ebony Washington brings an abundance of experience to her role as executive officer of Patrol Borough Staten Island. As one of the top-ranking NYPD officials on the Island, she current heads up the departments efforts to combat domestic violence. Born in the Bronx, Washingtons family moved to the Stapleton Houses when she was just 1 year old. She was the eldest of seven siblings. Raised on the Island, Washington was a graduate in McKee High Schools Class of 1996. Since she was young, Washington was always interested in law enforcement and making a difference, a passion she carries with her to this day. In 2000, she put that drive into action and joined New Yorks Finest in the NYPD. A PRESTIGIOUS CAREER IN LAW ENFORCEMENT It was right here at home that the West Shore resident first served as a cop in the New Dorp-based 122nd Precinct more than two decades ago. Since then, Washington has risen through the ranks. She served in the 68th, 69th and 70th precincts in Brooklyn as well as Police Service Area I, which patrols housing developments in that borough. She was promoted to sergeant in October 2005, lieutenant in June 2008, and captain in October 2011. Additionally, Washington served at a number of precincts as executive officer, including the 68th, 69th and 70th. All this before becoming the commanding officer of the 122nd Precinct. The homecoming came around as a result of a leadership shuffle which affected multiple Staten Island commands. At the time, Washington served in the position of captain at the NYPDs Communications Division. Then 2015, I took over the 122, which was a great opportunity, especially being a cop there, so I was already familiar with the community, Washington said. In 2017, under her leadership, Washingtons precinct boasted the biggest reduction in crime on Staten Island a 20% drop, as previously reported. Deputy Chief of Patrol Borough Staten Island Ebony Washington is photographed at the 121st Precinct in Graniteville on Friday, Feb. 16, 2024. (Staten Island Advance/Jason Paderon)(Staten Island Advance/Jason Paderon) Three years went by in this leading position before Washington assumed the role of Staten Islands Counterterrorism inspector. In returning back to the Communications Division for six months, Washington earned yet another promotion before eventually finding her way back to the borough in April of 2023 as deputy chief of Patrol Borough Staten Island. It was during this time that Washington says summer of violence reduction zones were implemented, encapsulating many areas in the North Shores 120th Precinct to combat shootings. Being raised in that area, I thought it was a great opportunity for the officers, they were going to be there anyway, to engage with the community, Washington said. In fostering this engagement, Washington founded a friendship festival, one of the personal highlights of her career. What we did was go around to different neighborhoods throughout the summer, and just bring all NYPD resources. Among the notable offerings was a game truck, rock wall and K-9 unit. In reflecting on the fond memory, Washington wishes to thank all those businesses which donated food and resources to the events. A TRAILBLAZER IN THE FIELD Beyond her work in law enforcement, Washington serves as a leading example to others, especially to young women of color. When Washington became the commanding officer of the 122nd Precinct, she became the first female commander to oversee a precinct on Staten Island in nearly 20 years. Deputy Chief of Patrol Borough Staten Island Ebony Washington is photographed in her office at the 121st Precinct in Graniteville on Friday, Feb. 16, 2024. (Staten Island Advance/Jason Paderon)(Staten Island Advance/Jason Paderon) Beyond that, Washington also cemented her mark on the borough in establishing herself as the first female of color to head a precinct on Staten Island. When asked if these trailblazing markers carried any weight, Washington said the following: Representing where I live and where I come from, you know, being able to be that role model for other little girls here, especially on the North Shore, to see that example, absolutely, Washington said. In touching on the tensions between law enforcement and the community, Washington emphasized the importance of events such as the friendship festival. It does sadden me to hear when young kids say that theyre afraid of cops, or that they dont want to go into a precinct, Washington said. This is exactly why I did that even throughout the summer. To just have that day where the cops are just not standing on the corner, where were actually engaging, showing all the best of what the NYPD has to offer, and to be able to hold conversations with their mothers, their sisters, brothers, other community members. In continuing this mission of bond building, Washington emphasizes the importance of connection to the community with those under her leadership. One of the things I say, especially when we address our newer officers, is talk to people, Washington said. Youre on post, talk to people; were human just like they are, and it goes a long way. Dont wait until something happens, get ahead of it; walk into the store, say hello. DOMESTIC VIOLENCE INITIATIVE In her role with Patrol Borough Staten Island, Washington spearheads the NYPDs efforts to combat domestic violence on the borough. Under the mentorship of Staten Islands top cop, Assistant Chief Joseph Gulotta, Washington supervises all the domestic violence programs across the boroughs precincts. This mission is one that Washington aims to put victims first through outreach and constant follow-up. While domestic violence is an issue regardless of where it takes place, it is especially a problem on Staten Island, where it made up more than 50% of assaults on the borough in 2023, according to Washington. Were in the month of February now, which our domestic assaults are currently down, which is a great thing, Washington said. That just goes to the great work the men and women of the police department here in Staten Island are doing. March 1, 1989 STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. An undercover Drug Enforcement Administration agent was shot to death on a quiet Charleston street last night after he became separated from his backup units during a meeting with an organized crime wise guy. Detectives and Emergency Services Unit officers, wearing heavy bulletproof vests and carrying high-powered weaponry, targeted a series of Staten Island homes in a search for 28-year-old Costabile Gus Farace, the man scheduled to rendezvous with the murdered agent. The homicide marks the first time this year a law enforcement official in New York City was murdered in the line of duty, and police at the scene last night said it may also be the first time ever that such a killing has occurred on the Island. Officials in the police Department of Public Information said this morning that information could not be verified. A partner of slain DEA Agent Everett Hatcher arrives at the scene of the murder on Bloomingdale Road and the West Shore Expressway on Feb. 28, 1989. (Staten Island Advance/Tony Carannante)File photo The agent, whose identity was not released by investigators this morning, was a 46-year-old man with a mustache. Police described him as a husband and a father. According to Special Agent Robert Stutman of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the murdered agent had purchased cocaine from Farace on several occasions, and last nights meeting was intended to be a bartering session during which they would negotiate the price and amount of the next drug buy. Undercover investigators routinely buy up, gradually purchase larger and larger amounts of a drug, in an effort to establish themselves as a customer and gain access to higher ranking members of a narcotics-selling operation. The agent was wearing a wire, a microphone and transmitter, when he met with Farace on the South Shore at about 9 p.m. Two teams of backup undercover officers stayed hidden a short distance away, listening to the radio signals, investigators said. The agent reportedly followed a van away from the meeting place. Backup units then lost the signal and, with it, the two vehicles they were following. The car in which Everett Hatcher was found murdered was parked next to the tree at right. (Staten Island Advance)File photo Officials estimated that one hour and 15 minutes elapsed before the missing agents partner, who was riding alone, found the murdered investigator in the DEAs dark blue Buick Regal parked on Bloomingdale Road about 25 feet from Veterans Road East. The Regals engine was running, the headlights were on and the drivers side window was open. The agent had been shot between the eyes, in the left shoulder just above the chest and once in the left ear, according to Capt. Arthur Fiordaliso. The murdered investigator sat hunched, his head on the steering wheel. Investigators said the injuries were apparently inflicted by small-caliber bullets, and that preliminary evidence indicates the gunman was standing outside the drivers door at the time of the murder. The dead investigators partner, his gun drawn, flagged down a passing car. He was waving a gun and yelling, said the motorist, Corrections Officer John Schiavone, who had been on his way to work at nearby Arthur Kill Correctional Facility. I took out my gun and told him to freeze, I was an off-duty Corrections Officer. He told me who he was and to get the police. Schiavone said he raced to the correctional facility where he called for the police. A guard at the facility, as well as a number of residents in the area, reported hearing a series of shots at about 10 p.m. The area around the Buick was cordoned off with bright orange and yellow tapes, while Emergency Services Unit officers set up searchlights and began searching the car and surrounding weeds for clues. FBI and DEA agents enter a house at Richmond and Leverett avenues in Eltingville, searching for Costabile "Gus" Farace. (Staten Island Advance/Steve Zaffarano)File photo Federal agents, uniformed police, and detectives from the district attorneys office and the Crimes Against Persons Squad soon filled the area. The bitter cold crime scene was soon awash with federal and city officials, investigators, and media crews. Emergency Services Unit Officers Frank Hamer, Joseph Carlucci, Andrew Cappa, and Robert Higgins, joined with detectives under the direction of Sgt. Kenneth Backes to check Faraces Melville Street home in Princes Bay, as well as the Princes Bay house where Faraces mother reportedly lives. The team swept quickly up to each of the houses, surrounding the homes and checking for some trace of Farace. Police said investigators also visited the Princes Bay home of Faraces sister, but did not locate the man. An ESU officer with a machine gun waits at Richmond and Leverett avenues. (Staten Island Advance/Steve Zaffarano)File photo Farace, who was described as six feet, three inches tall, weighing 220 pounds, with dark hair, was believed to be driving either a cream or yellow van, or a brown and tan Lincoln with a Florida license plate. When this man is captured and convicted, it will be the first case in which the recently instituted federal death penalty will apply, a determined Special Agent Stutman said as he and First Deputy Police Commissioner Richard J. Condon held a press conference at the scene. According to Stutman, the killer will be prosecuted federally, and the law allows the death penalty in a case of federal agent being murdered in the field. An all points bulletin was put out, alerting officers citywide to watch for Farace. The search even stretched into New Jersey, where a state trooper stopped a van matching the description of the one apparently used by the killer. Police Inspector Richard Mayronne said Farace is considered a low-level organized crime figure, or wise guy, with connections to an Island organized crime family. Mayronne would not expand on which family this morning. Farace was released from prison in June after serving a sentence stemming from his conviction in connection with the kidnapping and murder of a New Jersey teen-ager killed in Wolfes Pond Park in 1979. Farace and three other Island residents were arrested and charged with abducting Steven Charles, 17, of Newark, and a Brooklyn youth from a street in Greenwich Village, Manhattan, on Oct. 7 of that year. Charles and the youth were taken to the park where they were both savagely beaten and left for dead, investigators said. Charles died of his injuries, while the Brooklyn youth was hospitalized and later recovered. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Small business owners are concerned over Gov. Kathy Hochuls aggressive timetable in phasing out hydrofluorocarbons, or HFCs, saying the move could force them to shell out hundreds of thousands of dollars in new equipment, according to a recent report. HFCs are greenhouse gases used in a variety of applications, ranging from refrigerators, to air-conditioning (AC) units, to building insulation, and more, as defined by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). HFCs yield high global warming potential, raising concerns over their potential impact, as they are increasingly utilized as replacements for ozone-depleting substances, according to the EPA. Critics noted that the timetable of New Yorks proposed rule to prohibit HFCs part of a state effort to curb greenhouse gas emissions is more stringent than the one set by the federal government, the New York Post reported. The federal American Innovation and Manufacturing Act of 2020 requires an 85% reduction in use of HFCs by 2036 while Hochuls proposed phaseout will begin as early as 2025 in some cases, according to the media outlet. This latest push by the state to prohibit HFCs has critics claiming that such efforts can force small business owners to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for new equipment, ultimately putting some out of business and triggering price hikes on consumer products, the New York Post reported. The rule will increase the cost of business for us. What we get from the state is nothing but a nightmare. They nickel and dime us everywhere, Tariq Khan, 70, who owns a BP convenience store on Long Island, told the media outlet. Hochul and the state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) defended the proposed phaseout. To align with federal law, DEC has issued draft regulations that will protect the health and well-being of all New Yorkers, a Hochul spokesperson told the Post. The New York Post cited an analysis by the impacted refrigeration industry, which finds that the state rules would require new business facilities with equipment greater than 50 pounds to install HFC-free refrigerators starting in 2025, with retrofitting required by 2029, and all refrigerators with HFCs heavier than 200 pounds replaced by 2035. Additionally, new air conditioning utilizing refrigeration and heat pumps must be HFC-free in residences by the year 2028. DEC is accepting public comment on the proposed regulations through March 19, according to the Post. The logo for Goldman Sachs is seen on the trading floor at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City (Reuters) -Goldman Sachs Global Treasurer Philip Berlinski, who was once touted as a likely CFO candidate is in talks about potentially leaving the bank, the Financial Times reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter. Berlinski is currently the global treasurer of Goldman Sachs and chief executive officer of Goldman Sachs Bank USA, as per the company's website. He joined Goldman as an analyst in equity derivatives research in 1998. After seeing the exit of a few prominent bankers, Goldman is facing resignation threats from many partners, the report added. Goldman did not immediately return a call from Reuters requesting comment. Beth Hammack, once also seen as a front runner for the finance chief's role, is also set to quit the bank after more than three decades, Bloomberg News said in a report on Wednesday. Jim Esposito, co-head of Goldman's global banking and markets division is also set to depart at the end of the quarter, after an almost three-decade long stint at the bank. Other high profile leaders have also departed from Goldman in recent months. Asset management executive Julian Salisbury joined investment firm Sixth Street, and Dina Powell McCormick, the former head of Goldman's sovereign business, left for merchant bank BDT & MSD Partners. (Reporting by Pritam Biswas in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh Kuber and Diane Craft) Support the Peninsulas only locally-owned newspaper. Subscribe! Subscribing annually brings you big savings. We also offer monthly and weekly subscriptions. Premium Subscription As low as $8.25 per month Premium Includes: Access to the Daily Journals e-Edition: a digital replica of our daily newspaper including crossword puzzles, games, comics, classifieds and ads. The ability to download a digital replica of the Daily Journal for offline reading. The ability to clip & download articles or images to share with others. Access to the last 90 days of e-Editions with search, downloading and clipping options. Unlimited access to our award-winning online content Commenting access on all stories as a valued member of the DJ community In the new testament of modern-day Australia, I envisage a new proverb: regulatory capture goeth before the fall. This week, Woolworths boss Brad Banducci fell. Last year, Qantas boss Alan Joyce fell. What tripped them? Excellent lobbyists whose success blinded their masters to what the public would bear. Both secured advantages for their companies by playing the political game. Both masters tumbled when the public cottoned on that those advantages were at Mr and Ms Citizens expense. Woolworths CEO Brad Banducci walks out of his interview with ABC TVs Four Corners. Alan Joyce is long gone, having flown the company and the country before he was forced to face a Senate inquiry. Banducci this week announced his retirement after losing his cool at a journalist in an interview with the ABCs Four Corners. Banducci presented to the TV interview in the uniform of a Woolworths cashier, complete with name tag Brad, staged in front of shelves full of no doubt heavily discounted wares. The optics were great; shame about the output. In the course of the interview, it was put to Brad that Rod Sims, the former chair of Australias competition regulator the ACCC, has said we have one of the most concentrated supermarket industries in the world. Banducci became agitated, suggesting that Sims knowledge was out of date. When the journalist challenged that statement, he demanded his outburst be edited out, storming off when the journalist demurred. At the start of last week, Sydneys gay community was gearing up for its biggest night of the year. The cancellation of the previous weekends Fair Day event after an asbestos scare had concentrated hype into the final two weekends of the citys annual Mardi Gras festival, with 2000s pop star Sophie Ellis-Bextor an exciting last-minute addition to a party at Bondi Beach that Saturday. Colleagues rehearsed routines in city parks flanked by pride flags after work, preparing for the parade down Oxford Street on March 2. Groups of friends debated which parade after-party they would attend. Jesse Baird (left) and Luke Davies at a Pink concert in Sydney last week. Credit: Instagram However, among the colourful content posted by the Mardi Gras Instagram account on Friday ticket links for side shows, countdowns to events, and footage of the stage being set for Saturdays concert there was a black slide with an image of a peace dove. Palm Beach Rockpool is a popular filming location for the TV soap Home & Away, but signs erected by the local council warn swimmers not to jump or dive because it has sprung a leak. It is one of Sydneys beloved ocean pools that is crumbling because of a lack of maintenance and the impact of severe weather, prompting concerns that swimmers will be injured. Swimmer Margie Charlton said the Palm Beach Rockpool is in a terrible state of disrepair. Credit: Dion Georgopoulos Northern Beaches councillor Miranda Korzy said residents have also complained about the condition and cleanliness of other coastal baths. In particular, many of the pools have been very murky, full of sand and rotting seaweed, preventing residents from using them during summer, she said. Passengers bound for Laos get on a China-Laos Railway train at Kunmingnan Railway Station in Kunming, southwest China's Yunnan Province, Feb. 14, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua] Laos' scenic attractions are gaining popularity among domestic and international tourists thanks to reduced travel time and a comfortable ride brought by the China-Laos Railway. A Vietnamese tourist named Thuy Pham Thi Ngoc, taking the train to the tourist hotspot of Vangvieng and Luang Prabang, told Xinhua that it was her first time to take the China-Laos Railway, and she decided to travel by train because it is faster and easier. Talking about her impression of Laos, she said, "I really enjoy everything in Laos. I like its food and also people." "I like Laos very much! If I have more free time, I'll come back to Laos again," she added. A trip from Lao capital Vientiane to northern Luang Prabang province used to take many hours, but now the travel is faster and more convenient. Amphone Thammvong, a doctor who took the train from Vientiane to her hometown in Luang Prabang province, said that traveling from Luang Prabang to Vientiane was very uncomfortable before the China-Laos Railway opened. It took around six to eight hours by car. "I don't like traveling by car because it makes me dizzy and feel sick. The train is better. It takes only two hours from Vientiane to Luang Prabang. It's very convenient and saves a lot of time." Amphone said the train is clean and safe, adding that in the future she wants to take the train to visit China. "I am going to visit Kuang Si Waterfall in Luang Prabang, then I will go to Vangvieng and Mueng Fueng, because these places are very beautiful," a Thai tourist named Sengdao, who traveled with her friends, told Xinhua about her plan for a vacation in Laos. The Lao government and tourism-related businesses are making all efforts to raise its tourism standards for more visitors. Speaking at a meeting held on Feb. 13, Lao Deputy Prime Minister Kikeo Khaykhamphithoune said that over the past year, the ministry of information, culture and tourism has made significant progress including the development, management and promotion of natural, historical, cultural and agricultural tourism by creating and rehabilitating infrastructure and tourism facilities. The ministry is hoping that more than 6 million Lao and foreign tourists will travel in Laos in 2024. "Luang Prabang has gained popularity among international tourism destinations, especially over the past two years since the China-Laos Railway became operational, which has created additional benefits for tourism-related businesses," President of the Luang Prabang Hotel and Guesthouse Association Toune Sisouphanthavong told media on the sidelines of the Travel Exchange Trade Fair held in Vientiane in January. Toune said most foreign tourists visiting Luang Prabang come from Thailand, China and other Asian countries. They mostly enter Laos at crossings on the Laos-Thailand border and continue their journey on the China-Laos Railway. The China-Laos Railway connects Kunming in southwest China's Yunnan Province with Vientiane. The 1,035-km railway, a landmark project of high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, started operation on Dec. 3, 2021. The railway has also become an international gateway that connects inner and outer neighboring countries for mutual benefits, promoting business cooperation and cultural integration. The railroad has greatly enhanced Laos' international position, thus turning Laos into an important hub for transportation in the region. A court filing in the U.S. Department of Justice's case against Google over its alleged monopoly in the search market has revealed a few notable tidbits about the state of the search market competition, including the inner workings, revenue, and, in some cases, exit prices of would-be Google competitors, like DuckDuckGo and Neeva, the latter of which sold to Snowflake last year after pivoting to enterprise. Google's proposed "Findings of Fact" filing documents the history of search competition, including Google's own beginnings, its innovations, the competitive landscape, Google's search ads business, distribution agreements, and more. Of particular interest to us were the parts that reference web search startups, like DuckDuckGo and Neeva, and the developments of their business. The filing reveals some details we already knew about DuckDuckGo -- for example, that it's been profitable since 2014 and that its source of operating revenue is currently search advertising, namely search ads provided by Microsoft in the U.S. However, Google's proposal also attempts to paint a picture of a startup that didn't invest in search innovation but instead focused on returning investment to its shareholders. As the filing claims, DuckDuckGo raised $10 million in 2018, but the "majority of that money was distributed to DuckDuckGo's shareholders," rather than being used to improve its search engine. When DuckDuckGo again raised funds in 2020 -- a $100 million round -- some percentage of that was again returned to shareholders. (The exact percentage was redacted.) When shareholders sold stock to various VC firms, those funds were not used to improve the search engine, the filing argues. But it contradicts this point, too, noting that a third of DuckDuckGo's 50 employees in 2018 were working on improving the search engine, for example. Image Credits: DuckDuckGo Still, the document points out that, despite DuckDuckGo's profitability, it hadn't built its own "comprehensive web index" for organic search results -- hardly a point in Google's favor. In addition, when Apple was asked if it would consider making DuckDuckGo a default in the Safari browser, Apple's SVP of Services Eddy Cue responded, "No, we did not . . . that is not a good choice for customers." Ouch! Story continues Included also is the scope of DuckDuckGo's business. The filing notes the startup estimated its search engine was being used by 100 million people globally as of 2021. The search engine receives only about 2.5% of general search queries in the U.S., despite estimates that 10% of people in the U.S. claim to be users. This, DuckDuckGo's leadership had explained, is due to the fact that people often use its search engine for some, but not all of their search queries. In Europe, DuckDuckGo received only 0.6% of search queries on mobile devices, as of August 2023, even after the introduction of the Android "choice screen," where it's offered as an option. In total, its percentage of search queries in Europe ranged from 0.5% to 2.5% in 2023, depending on the country. Google search choice screen Image Credits: DuckDuckGo By presenting these findings, Google hopes to prove that people are choosing its search engine because it's better and more innovative, not because of its monopoly share. It also dismisses DuckDuckGo's approach to privacy as one of its failures, claiming that the approach leads to "significant trade-offs to search quality," by not utilizing data like search sessions, a signed-in experience, and more. If anything, though, these details and others the filing includes show how difficult it is for a competitor to build a search business to rival Google's. Another startup serving as an example of that problem is Neeva, the search engine founded in 2019 by former Googlers Sridhar Ramaswamy and Vivek Raghunathan. Neeva had originally seemed to have promise, not only because of its premise, but also because of its founding team. CEO Ramaswamy worked at Google from 2003 to 2018 and held senior posts where he reported to the CEO and managed Googles ads, commerce, search infrastructure, and privacy teams, the court document reminds us. With the team's deep technical know-how and experience, they devised a plan to offer consumers an ad-free alternative to Google by generating revenue via subscriptions instead. By 2022, Neeva said it had amassed more than 600,000 users, but most were not paying customers at that time. Deprioritizing search results. Image Credits: Neeva The court filing offers a few more details about Neeva's progression, noting funding from top VC firms like Sequoia Capital and Greylock Ventures, in addition to Ramaswamy's own personal investment. The company believed it could compete successfully on search quality in the U.S. and select other markets with just a 2.5% share of general queries, Ramaswamy had testified during the trial. The startup began by offering to serve results via Microsoft's Bing while it developed its own search infrastructure. By 2022, it was using its own techniques for ranking web results and believed itself to be comparable to Google and better than Bing thanks to its use of machine learning, natural language processing, and other techniques. To develop and train its machine learning models, it licensed anonymous information in the form of commercially available datasets. Google could not claim Neeva was not innovating here. The startup launched a generative AI feature, Neeva AI, last year, which is similar to what Google is now testing with its Search Generative Experience (SGE) in that it also answers some queries directly on the search result pages using AI. As a result, Neeva was able to attract some users. The filing notes that at its peak, it had "several million unique users per month," Ramaswamy had said. Unfortunately, its inability to compete with free search eventually saw the startup close its consumer business, pivot to enterprise, and ultimately exit to Snowflake, as it was unable to attract the necessary venture capital funding to continue to scale its business. "My co-founder, Vivek, and I came to the reluctant conclusion that we would not be able to build up a business fast enough to be able to continue raising capital to support the growth of the product and the team," Ramaswamy testified. "So earlier this year, in May [2023] -- we actually started potential acquisition conversations in March -- but earlier this year, in May, we shut down the consumer search engine, refunded the money that customers had paid us, and got acquired by Snowflake, which is an enterprise data company," he said. Neeva was generating less than a million dollars in subscription revenue at the time and was growing, but was still a small part of the search market, the filing also informs us. The startup exited to Snowflake for approximately $184.4 million in cash, more than double the amount that had been invested, the filing states. This is slightly higher than previous reports that had pegged the number at $150 million. Though not a startup, the document also touches on Yahoo's (TechCrunch's parent company) lost search business, noting it stopped crawling the web after a 2009 deal with Microsoft for algorithmic search and paid search ads. This partnership let Yahoo decrease its search investment and focus on other more popular products, like Yahoo Finance, Yahoo Sports, Yahoo News, and Yahoo Mail. (Much of the Yahoo section is redacted, we should note.) It adds that Mozilla once had a deal with Yahoo, too, but dropped it due to search quality. With few viable competitors on the market in the search space, Google attempts to argue that it competes with a number of other products, like dedicated mobile apps and websites that offer some specialized type of search, like Yelp, Airbnb, Amazon, Expedia, Booking.com, Hotels.com, and others. It also claims to compete with AI, like ChatGPT, and social media, like Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and TikTok -- the latter three, particularly among younger users. For example, Google vice president of search Liz Reid said in 2021 that "63% of daily TikTok users age 18 to 24 stated that they use[d] TikTok as a search engine in the last week." Whether or not the court will be swayed by Google's argument that it's not a monopoly in search and more broadly in search advertising, which is a large part of this case, remains to be seen. Google is clearly the winner in the search market, but it's not for lack of competitors trying to break in, as these examples show. However, the trial had already revealed that Google used its significant resources to maintain its position in the search market for example, by paying Apple $18 billion to be the default search on iPhones. Meanwhile, Apple weighed buying Bing from Microsoft in 2020 and had also considered making DuckDuckGo the default engine in Safari, before rejecting the idea to continue cashing Google's checks instead. When Megan Maacks two children were diagnosed with a rare genetic condition causing childhood dementia in 2013, research teams overseas had a drug that could dramatically slow the diseases progress. But it took years for the drug to be developed to a clinical grade, and it is extremely difficult to enrol in trials of such drugs when they are held abroad. Megan Maack (centre) and her children Isla, 14 (right) , and Jude, 12. Credit: Josefina Vargas They were years my kids didnt have, said Maack, who is now CEO of the Childhood Dementia Initiative, a group advocating for the 2800 children born with conditions causing childhood dementia in Australia each year, including her children Isla, 14, and Jude, 12, who have Sanflippo syndrome. We need to get these drugs to kids when they are young. Once they hit a point of decline, the drug is just not effective, she said. A two-bedroom apartment in Randwick fetched $1.44 million at a competitive auction on Saturday which drew more than a dozen bidders and was over in a matter of minutes. The apartment at 2/40 Howard Street was on the market from the opening bid, which matched the $1.2 million reserve and topped the $1.15 million price guide. The strong start left just two of the 13 registered bidders in the running for the 66-square-metre apartment with garage, which records show last traded for $490,000 in 2005. The two parties, a local owner-occupier and investors purchasing a home for their adult children to live in, went head to head, driving the bidding up quickly in $25,000 and then $10,000 increases. The local buyer made the winning offer, ending more than six months of home-hunting. Jackson is now speaking with his own voice. I want to have an impact on peoples lives. I dont want to be just another cloud in the wind. I want to help people, even if its just a little bit to make peoples lives a teeny tiniest bit better, he said. Hes fully aware his life is unusual for most children, and in Moldova, it metaphorically hits him in the face. You definitely want to help out. I had so much growing up Im so thankful for that, he said. Erica says she has tried to keep life simple for her three children, Indigo, Jackson, and Emmanuelle. Shes been an ambassador for UNICEF Australia for 16 years and said Jackson wanted to gain first-hand perspective and experience of what UNICEF is doing on the ground, and this trip has provided him with an educational experience that, I think, will stay with him for a lifetime. Australia is a privileged country compared with many other countries, and our family is in a fortunate position, she added. The Packer children are heirs to a family fortune that is worth billions. Erica with her children, Indigo, Jackson and Emmanuelle, and their father, James Packer, in Aspen in 2017. UNICEF says the Packers are part of an expanding group of Australian philanthropists who are bringing their children into the world of helping others. Emily Gribble, UNICEF Australias Head of Philanthropy, said: We are increasingly seeing multi-generational giving, and there is a strong commitment among Australias wealthy families to turn family wealth into generational philanthropy. Last year, Australians donated $60 million to UNICEF Australia. Globally, UNICEF has an International Council made up of 135 philanthropists from 21 countries. Collectively, they have donated more than $510 million. Increasingly, high-net-worth individuals like Erica Packer are encouraging their children to become involved in philanthropy. Credit: UNICEF We are seeing young adult heirs and heiresses starting their own philanthropic ventures with their inheritance. They act as drivers of global change for children by advocating for UNICEF and amplifying our work, Gribble said. That work extends from the conflict zones of Ukraine, Gaza and Sudan to places affected by devastating disasters. As Ukraine marks two years of the war with Russia, new figures highlight the impacts on children. Over the past two years, UNICEF estimates children in frontline areas of the war have spent the equivalent of up to seven months in shelters as a result of air raid sirens. The organisation also says damage to school buildings in Ukraine means 40 per cent of the countrys children cannot access education. Russia invaded Ukraine two years ago, and the bombs are still falling. Credit: AP Of the tens of thousands of refugee children in Moldova, less than 2,000 are in some form of schooling. At an early learning centre on the outskirts of the Moldovan capital of Chisinau, Jackson met 5-year-old Arteom, who fled Ukraine with his mother. It definitely has an impact on you, Jackson told me. Members of UNICEFs team in Moldova said they were at the border within days of Russias invasion to help. Viktoria is among those who crossed from Ukraine. She is a mother of eight from Odessa who adopted her sisters two children to keep them safe from war and domestic violence. Erica Packer meets Viktoria in Chisinau, Moldova. Credit: UNICEF We met her at a health centre for refugees. One of her children has Down syndrome, another has heart problems and will require surgery. Viktoria said even in Moldovas capital, Chisinau, she could still hear the Russian bombs falling on the city she fled. And they landed there the night before. Her husband told her. He is still there. She said she suffered from depression for three months but felt she had to just stop it for the sake of her children. Its not good to show your sufferings to children; why do I need this crying and suffering? I dont want to show these feelings to my children, she said. Why should I suffer, because my children will also suffer if I continue with my depression. That is why I just found the strength to go on. These were not easy times for me. Sometimes I miss my home. Wherever you go, you want to go back home, Viktoria told me through a translator. Loading UNICEF says that by the end of last year, it had helped 1.3 million children and parents victims of the war in Ukraine get mental health support. Three hundred and fifty thousand women and children also received medical help, and 76,000 households were financially supported. These kids, theyve been stripped to have nothing. Its just better if we could all share what we have and make life a little bit easier, Jackson told me. Olena, a mother of four, also travelled from Odessa in early March 2022, just days after the outbreak of war. Its very difficult for me to remember that time really because I was under deep stress, I felt in some panic, she said. Olena was emotional as she described the fear she had then and the fear she has now for her 16-year-old daughter, who has returned to Ukraine to study to become an artist. Loading Olena is an educator for Ukrainian children at an early learning centre in Chisinau supported by UNICEF. Her youngest child has anxiety and screams negative things about Vladimir Putin. Two years after escaping to Moldova, Olena wants the fighting to stop so she can return home. I think its my biggest dream to return, she said. But two years into this war, the fighting continues, and theres no sign of peace. More help is needed. UNICEF says this year alone it will need $580 million just to support victims of the Ukraine war. Jackson Packer also wants to go back home to tell his friends that everyone can help. This trip really shows how people are out here, and they need help and I want to spread that message, that these people need help, you can make a big change by donating just little amounts of money. These things really matter. Given the pandemonium surrounding Taylor Swifts over-the-top celebrity in the last year, it was probably inevitable that the star would be drawn into the American presidential race. The contretemps that resulted was greeted with ridicule by most sober-minded people. But it is still an insight into the air of both absurdity and menace that still hangs over the country as the prospect of a second Donald Trump presidency looms. Taylor Swift has turned her back previously on US presidential contender Donald Trump. Like most cultural figures in America, Swift is appalled by Donald Trump. She endorsed Joe Biden in 2020. She accused Trump of stoking the fires of white supremacy and racism and vowed to help vote him out of office. This campaign, however, shes been silent; she has, after all, been amidst a world tour that, just in 2023, grossed more than a record $1.5 billion in ticket sales. However, when her new boyfriend an American football player named Travis Kelce ended up in the Super Bowl, a certain segment of the American right-wing echosphere went nuts with a conspiracy theory: That the CIA was behind an effort to hand Kelces team the Super Bowl championship, at which time American Sweetheart Swift and her over-muscled beau would use the opportunity to endorse Biden over Trump. Biden slaps sanctions on 500 targets in Russia 'war machine' Washington, Feb 23 (AFP) Feb 23, 2024 US President Joe Biden announced sanctions against Russia Friday, on over 500 targets, to mark the second anniversary of Moscow's invasion of Ukraine while vowing sustained pressure to stop President Vladimir Putin's "war machine." The sanctions, described as the largest single tranche since the start of the war, also seek to impose a cost for the death last week in a Siberian prison of Putin's most vocal critic, Alexei Navalny -- with measures taken against three officials. But they stopped short of potentially game-changing moves under consideration such as funding Ukraine by seizing assets from Russia, whose economy has kept growing despite two years of pressure. The new economic effort comes as Russia makes its first gains in months on the battlefield in Ukraine, which has been forced to ration ammunition as a political impasse in Washington blocks new US military aid. Speaking on the eve of the second anniversary since the war started, Biden said: "We can't walk away now." The latest sanctions notably target the Mir credit card system, set up by Russia to avoid reliance on US-based networks. The Treasury Department also said it was targeting investment funds and regional banks to hit "Russia's core financial infrastructure." Key businesses targeted include Russian transportation logistics company JSC SUEK, said to serve the Russian defense ministry, and specialty steel producer Mechel. Others were in 3D printing, lubricants, robotics and automation. The actions also impact entities and individuals in countries including China and the United Arab Emirates. The sanctions "will ensure Putin pays an even steeper price for his aggression abroad and repression at home," Biden said in a statement. "We are also imposing new export restrictions on nearly 100 entities for providing backdoor support for Russia's war machine," he said. - Russia withstanding pressure - The United States and its allies have imposed a slew of measures against Russia since the start of the war, including blocking financial assets, restricting high-tech exports and setting an official cap on the sale price of Russia's oil exports. Despite US-led pressure, the Russian economy grew by more than three percent last year and is expected to grow again this year, a rate better than some Western nations backing Ukraine. Russia has adapted and turned to trade with non-Western partners, especially China, even as US officials note that Moscow has less discretionary funding for non-military purposes. European partners have balked at US-led calls to seize Russian assets and hand the potentially billions in funding to Ukraine, fearing this would lead other governments with questionable reputations to desert Western banks. Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo said Washington was still working "intensely" with allies to consider options to support Ukraine. "Fundamentally, we're not going to do anything on Russian sovereign assets until we move as a coalition," Adeyemo told reporters. A coalition involving the Group of Seven leading economies, the European Union and Australia earlier announced plans to tighten compliance with the $60 per barrel cap on sales of Russian crude, which has been widely circumvented. To cut Moscow's petroleum revenues and enforce the price ceiling, the Treasury blacklisted 14 Russian oil tankers Friday, while imposing sanctions on state-run shipping company Sovcomflot. A senior Treasury official told reporters the Kremlin has sought to evade the cap by investing in a "shadow fleet" operating outside coalition financial services -- and that Washington is seeking to raise the cost of using this fleet. - Military aid held up - Biden has also declared that he considers Putin responsible for the death of Navalny, 47, who barely survived a 2020 poisoning he blamed on government agents. The sanctions on three officials over Navalny's death follow a similar move by Britain. Some European governments also summoned Russian diplomats to lodge protests. On Friday, the White House said Washington would take further measures in response to Navalny's death, saying fresh sanctions were "just the start." In announcing the latest measures, Biden made a fresh plea for Congress to fund new military aid for Ukraine. Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson has refused to bring the aid to a vote with his ally, presidential hopeful Donald Trump, criticizing support for Kyiv. "History is watching, the clock is ticking, brave Ukrainian soldiers and civilians are dying," Biden said Friday, urging for the bill to be passed. Zelensky presses for arms, vows triumph over Russia on war anniversary Kyiv, Ukraine, Feb 24 (AFP) Feb 24, 2024 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky pressed his Western allies to step up military supplies and vowed victory over Russia, as Kyiv marked two years since Moscow's invasion on Saturday. The Ukrainian leader struck a defiant tone in the capital Kyiv with his troops in the east and south outgunned and outnumbered, and Russia having secured its first territorial gains in almost a year. Speaking to G7 leaders -- some of whom had travelled to Kyiv -- Zelensky said their "vital support" would help his country prevail on the battlefield. "And you know perfectly well that we need all this in time, and we count on you," he said. "Putin can lose this war," he told the virtual G7 leaders' summit, flanked by European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Italy's Giorgia Meloni, who had all travelled to Kyiv. "Remember that imperial ambitions and revanchism can be defeated only together," Zelensky said. In a statement following the summit, the G7 called for additional cash to help Kyiv close its funding shortfall. - 'We will win' - As the war enters its third year, delays to a crucial $60-billion US funding package have led to Ukrainian ammunition shortages, with Moscow trying to press its advantage following the symbolically important capture of Avdiivka. But Zelensky and his top commander on Saturday sought to rouse the country's main military and financial backers. "We will win," Zelensky said earlier during a ceremony at Kyiv's Gostomel airport, which was targeted by Russia on the first day of the all-out assault in 2022. Ukraine's new military chief Oleksandr Syrsky said he was confident of victory "because light always conquers darkness". When Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a "special military operation" at dawn on February 24, 2022, many expected victory within days, but Ukraine fought back, forcing his troops into humiliating retreats. Since then, however, Ukraine has suffered setbacks with the failure of its 2023 counteroffensive. Russia has invested heavily in its defence industry and drafted hundreds of thousands of soldiers, while Ukraine is short of manpower and running low on Western-supplied ammunition for artillery and air defences. NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg urged Ukraine and its allies not to "lose heart" and von der Leyen praised Ukraine's "extraordinary resistance" as she arrived in the Ukrainian capital. Kyiv signed security agreements with Ottawa and Rome on Saturday, with Canada saying it would provide a total of $2.2 billion in financial and military support in 2024. "We will stand with Ukraine with whatever it takes, for as long as it takes," Canada's Trudeau said. - 'War is our life' - Kyiv is facing one of its toughest moments since Russia invaded, with delays to promised European artillery shells aggravating the aid impasse in Washington. Russia is attacking hard in the east after capturing the heavily fortified town of Avdiivka on February 17. Troops in the east Ukraine mining town of Pokrovsk sent a clear message to the foreign leaders gathered in Kyiv. "Give us artillery, drones, counter-battery, shells," said a 31-year-old Ukrainian soldier, who identified himself as Woodie. "Our infantry, armed with assault rifles and grenades, were facing artillery, aircraft, and tanks," added a 39-year-old serviceman from Kyiv, who has been fighting for two years. Russia has kept up its barrage of devastating drone and missile attacks on Ukraine's cities. In the latest strikes, Ukrainian authorities said three civilians were killed in the eastern city of Dnipro and in Odesa overnight Friday to Saturday. In Kyiv, the mood was bleak. "For women of Ukraine, this is our heartache -- for our husbands, for our children, for our fathers," said nutritionist Olga Byrko. "I would really like this to end as quickly as possible." Yuriy Pasichnyk, a 38-year-old businessman, told AFP Ukrainians "have learned to live with it... now the war is our life". Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said air raid sirens had sounded 989 times in the capital over two years of war -- an average of more than once a day. Ukraine estimates the total number of civilians killed at around 50,000. - 'Advantage is on our side' - Neither side has given numbers for military deaths and injured, while both claim to have inflicted huge losses. In August 2023, The New York Times quoted US officials as putting Ukraine's military losses at 70,000 dead and 100,000 to 120,000 injured. Leaked US intelligence in December indicated that 315,000 Russian troops had been killed or wounded. Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu visited Moscow's forces in occupied Ukraine, the army said on Saturday, telling them "in terms of the ratio of forces, the advantage is on our side". Moscow has massively ramped up its arms production and received drones from Iran, while Kyiv says it has confirmed Russia's use of North Korean missiles. The conflict has thrown Russia into even greater isolation from the West, with the United States and its allies imposing a slew of sanctions. US President Joe Biden announced yet more sanctions against Russia Friday to stop Putin's "war machine". The G7 on Saturday pledged it would "continue to raise the cost of Russia's war", called on Iran to stop assisting Moscow's invasion and expressed "concern" over the export of goods that can be used for weapons or military equipment from China to Russia. At home, the Kremlin has used the war to rally patriotism and mount an even harsher crackdown on dissent. Several people were detained on Saturday at a protest in Moscow by wives of mobilised soldiers asking for their loved ones to come home, according to independent media. But on Moscow streets, most people told AFP they backed the war. "I'm proud of our men," said 27-year-old Nadezhda, an environmental engineer. "They are doing great, they are out there fighting for our country." One of the few to give an alternative opinion was Konstantin, a drama teacher, who said: "I'm against any war. Two years have passed and it annoys me that people can't talk to each other and are still at war." bur/imm Graphic Packaging Holding Company (NYSE:GPK) Q4 2024 Earnings Call Transcript February 23, 2024 Graphic Packaging Holding Company isnt one of the 30 most popular stocks among hedge funds at the end of the third quarter (see the details here). Melanie Skijus: Good morning, everyone. It's great to see all of you here at the New York Stock Exchange. And in addition to all of you here live, we have a large number of investors joining us remotely. I think the number is now 150, but it's climbing. So thank you everyone on the webcast. My name is Melanie Skijus, I'm the Vice President of Investor Relations. Before I kick it off today, for safety, I want you to be aware of 2 stairwells that you can exit if needed, directly behind me down the hallway is a stairwell as well as one by the elevator bay. Before we get started, I just -- I told you about the exits -- the presentation materials you have at your desk. We welcome you to walk through those with us today. On the webcast, you will see it in the webcast view as well as a PDF is available on our Investor Relations website. The presentation this morning are being recorded so they will be available to listen in replay probably later this afternoon. We have a great agenda for you this morning. You'll be hearing presentations from senior leadership. We're going to kick off with 2 and then we'll go into a 10-minute break. when we get back from the break we'll have 3 more and then we'll have a Q&A session. [Operator Instructions] Forward-looking statement. I encourage everyone to read through this. Our presentation today will contain forward-looking statements that will have -- or subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause these statements to not come into reality. So please look through the list of risks, and they're also available in our filings with the SEC. Workers in protective gear carrying packages of coated unbleached kraft for shipping. And with that, I'm going to turn it over to our first speaker today, Mike Doss, our President and CEO. I'm sure most of you are familiar and know Mike. He's been with the company since 1990, has been our CEO since 2016. And with that, I'll turn it over to Mike. Story continues Michael Doss: Great. Thank you, Melanie, and I also want to thank Alexandria, who's over in the corner here, as all of you know it takes a lot of work to pull together one of these Investor Day. They've been working really hard to pull things -- all the materials together that you see today, and we're going to cover. So thank you guys for all that. I also want to acknowledge Mike Ryan, one of our senior designers who is -- drove all the way down from Philadelphia -- a lot of the samples you see here today out in the lobby. So Mike, I don't know where you are, wave your hand. Thank you very much for doing that. Much appreciated. I'm going to start with a few comments around a few announcements we made last night, and then I'll jump right into the presentation, and then I'm going to introduce our speakers that you'll see today. And then as Melanie said, we'll go through that cadence and ultimately -- we'll have a few breaks in there. And then I'm sure there will be a very robust Q&A session, which we're really looking forward to. Let's start by talking a little bit around the first announcement that went out last night, and that's the sale of the Augusta mill to Clearwater Paper Company. Now what you need to know is that really, over time, Arsen Kitch and I've had a number of conversations around kind of the overall fit of some of the mills that we've got. And for them in the vision of the future, they have for their company, it became pretty clear that the Augusta mill, which is an outstanding mill with excellent people and a very good infrastructure is a better fit for them and what they really want to do over the long term than it is for Graphic Packaging. See also 16 Best Fuel-Efficient Cars for Retirees To Buy in 2024 and 30 Most Walkable Cities In The World. To continue reading the Q&A session, please click here. It's common for many investors, especially those who are inexperienced, to buy shares in companies with a good story even if these companies are loss-making. Unfortunately, these high risk investments often have little probability of ever paying off, and many investors pay a price to learn their lesson. While a well funded company may sustain losses for years, it will need to generate a profit eventually, or else investors will move on and the company will wither away. Despite being in the age of tech-stock blue-sky investing, many investors still adopt a more traditional strategy; buying shares in profitable companies like Veeva Systems (NYSE:VEEV). While profit isn't the sole metric that should be considered when investing, it's worth recognising businesses that can consistently produce it. Check out our latest analysis for Veeva Systems How Quickly Is Veeva Systems Increasing Earnings Per Share? If you believe that markets are even vaguely efficient, then over the long term you'd expect a company's share price to follow its earnings per share (EPS) outcomes. Therefore, there are plenty of investors who like to buy shares in companies that are growing EPS. Veeva Systems managed to grow EPS by 15% per year, over three years. That's a pretty good rate, if the company can sustain it. Careful consideration of revenue growth and earnings before interest and taxation (EBIT) margins can help inform a view on the sustainability of the recent profit growth. On the one hand, Veeva Systems' EBIT margins fell over the last year, but on the other hand, revenue grew. So if EBIT margins can stabilize, this top-line growth should pay off for shareholders. You can take a look at the company's revenue and earnings growth trend, in the chart below. Click on the chart to see the exact numbers. You don't drive with your eyes on the rear-view mirror, so you might be more interested in this free report showing analyst forecasts for Veeva Systems' future profits. Story continues Are Veeva Systems Insiders Aligned With All Shareholders? Owing to the size of Veeva Systems, we wouldn't expect insiders to hold a significant proportion of the company. But we do take comfort from the fact that they are investors in the company. Indeed, they have a considerable amount of wealth invested in it, currently valued at US$3.0b. This suggests that leadership will be very mindful of shareholders' interests when making decisions! It means a lot to see insiders invested in the business, but shareholders may be wondering if remuneration policies are in their best interest. Well, based on the CEO pay, you'd argue that they are indeed. For companies with market capitalisations over US$8.0b, like Veeva Systems, the median CEO pay is around US$12m. The Veeva Systems CEO received total compensation of just US$392k in the year to January 2023. That looks like a modest pay packet, and may hint at a certain respect for the interests of shareholders. While the level of CEO compensation shouldn't be the biggest factor in how the company is viewed, modest remuneration is a positive, because it suggests that the board keeps shareholder interests in mind. Generally, arguments can be made that reasonable pay levels attest to good decision-making. Is Veeva Systems Worth Keeping An Eye On? As previously touched on, Veeva Systems is a growing business, which is encouraging. Earnings growth might be the main attraction for Veeva Systems, but the fun does not stop there. With company insiders aligning themselves considerably with the company's success and modest CEO compensation, there's no arguments that this is a stock worth looking into. Even so, be aware that Veeva Systems is showing 1 warning sign in our investment analysis , you should know about... While opting for stocks without growing earnings and absent insider buying can yield results, for investors valuing these key metrics, here is a carefully selected list of companies in the US with promising growth potential and insider confidence. Please note the insider transactions discussed in this article refer to reportable transactions in the relevant jurisdiction. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Proof of provenance is there for anyone who has a go at cheesemaking, one of the many activities on offer for guests, child friendly but recommended for adults too. This happens down at the farmhouse, where formaggio-pounding nonna, Maria, who makes all the cheeses served at the hotel, leads a no-nonsense class in Italian (with one of the young guides on hand to translate). In June last year Hussein, also known as Nasser Hussein, was convicted of possession of an offensive weapon and assault on an emergency worker. The Diocese of Westminster said its strategy since 2017 has been to turn schools into academies to better serve their Catholic ethos. He said: To date two-thirds of our 204 schools have either converted to become part of an academy trust or are in the process of doing so. We continue to work in partnership with local authorities as part of the planning for the local provision of places for pupils. After a final inspection of the property in September, it was clear that all instructions and notices issued to Mr McLoughlin had been ignored and he had failed to address any of the concerns identified. Speaking to BBC Breakfast on the second anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion, he said: "We can't have a dictator walk into a democratic neighbour and not stop them and then expect it to end there. It won't end there. Speaking ahead of the service, the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, the Rev Sally Foster-Fulton, said: Lives have been torn apart due to unprovoked Russian aggression and we continue to stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine and all innocent people who suffer because of this aggression. We want to remind people that the war even if it is not in the news that much is still going on on a daily basis. Ukrainians are very resilient and anyone who has been in the last two years to Ukraine can attest to the resilience of the Ukrainian people and their high morale, he said. He is said to have roamed room to room to carry out the bloodshed and the three victims were found in different parts of the brothel. Once a giant in the Chinese technology industry, Alibaba Group (NYSE: BABA) has fallen from grace in recent years. It faced numerous challenges, such as competition and the crackdown by the Chinese government, which impacted its performance. And after the conglomerate delivered its weakest growth -- 2% -- in the last fiscal year, investors aren't too optimistic about its prospects. Yet, within its vast empire lies a hidden gem quietly emerging as the next growth engine for the company. Image source: Getty Images. Alibaba's overseas e-commerce business Alibaba is generally known for its flagship e-commerce businesses, Tmall and Taobao. But its e-commerce empire goes well beyond its home turf, focusing mainly on two types of business models. The first part relates to cross-border e-commerce business operating under AliExpress and Alibaba.com. The former is a global retail marketplace, available in 17 languages besides English, focusing on selling products from China to overseas consumers. The latter is a wholesale marketplace focusing mainly on selling products in bulk to overseas customers, especially merchants who resell these products locally. According to Alibaba, over 47 million buyers from over 190 countries sourced business opportunities or completed transactions on Alibaba.com in the year ended March 31, 2023. The second part of Alibaba's overseas e-commerce empire stems from its majority ownership in local marketplaces Lazada and Trendyol. Lazada is one of the leading e-commerce platforms in Southeast Asia, behind the leader, Shopee. It also operates an e-commerce logistics network in this region, complementing its e-commerce marketplace offerings, similar to the symbiotic relationship between Tmall and Taobao with Cainiao. Trendyol, on the other hand, is the leading e-commerce platform in Turkey in terms of GMV and order volume. It serves consumers with a broad selection of products and services through its e-commerce business and offers local consumer services such as food and groceries. Like Lazada, Trendyol also operates its logistics service under Trendyol Express and Trendyol Go. Trendyol also helps Turkish merchants sell across six continents. Story continues Collectively, these businesses form Alibaba's International Digital Commerce Group. In the first nine months of the fiscal year ending March 31, 2024, this group delivered a 46% increase in revenue, significantly outpacing groupwide revenue growth of 9%. International digital commerce has bright prospects Alibaba's international e-commerce business might be small -- its revenue is around one-fifth of the group's China e-commerce business -- but its prospects are vast. Its relatively small size means it has significantly more room to grow before reaching the size of its sister companies. Besides, the overseas e-commerce market is massive (and growing). For perspective, the Chinese e-commerce industry is estimated at $2.9 trillion, accounting for around 50% of global e-commerce. But as China was the world's most penetrated e-commerce market in 2023 (about 50%), its peer countries will likely see higher growth rates in the coming years as they catch up on market penetration. Suffice it to say that the growth opportunities should be tremendous for Alibaba's international e-commerce group as it focuses on this growing pie. For instance, the recent surge in cross-border e-commerce led by companies like Temu (owned by PDD Holdings), Shein, and Alibaba's AliExpress is a significant tailwind that will remain for years. Leveraging the extensive supply chain in China and their experience in China, leading Chinese e-commerce platforms turn their attention to overseas consumers to sustain growth, especially as competition in China intensifies. Internally, Alibaba's recent reorganization of its massive empire into separate (and independent) operating units provides the international business group the leverage it needs to chart its path toward success. With its management team and board in place, the overseas e-commerce business unit can set a long-term strategic direction, make better decisions, and execute faster to win in its respective markets. Unsurprisingly, this segment reported the fastest growth among all the business groups within Alibaba, with revenue up by 44% in the quarter ended Dec. 31, 2023. Comparatively, groupwide revenue was up by just 5%. This trend could continue in the coming quarters if not years. What it means for investors The Chinese e-commerce industry has become hyper-competitive in recent years thanks to the rise of next-generation e-commerce players like Pinduoduo and Douying. While Alibaba's e-commerce businesses (Tmall and Taobao) remain the most prominent player in China, it is increasingly more difficult for them to grow on their home turf. Understandably, the conglomerate is emphasizing its international e-commerce business more to sustain its growth ambitions. It will not be surprising for this business unit to sustain its high-double-digit growth rate in the next few quarters (or even years). Investors should, therefore, start paying more attention to this rapidly expanding business. Should you invest $1,000 in Alibaba Group right now? Before you buy stock in Alibaba Group, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now and Alibaba Group wasnt one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Stock Advisor provides investors with an easy-to-follow blueprint for success, including guidance on building a portfolio, regular updates from analysts, and two new stock picks each month. The Stock Advisor service has more than tripled the return of S&P 500 since 2002*. See the 10 stocks *Stock Advisor returns as of February 20, 2024 Lawrence Nga has positions in Alibaba Group and PDD Holdings. The Motley Fool recommends Alibaba Group. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Hidden Gem: Unveiling the Rising Star Within Alibaba's Vast Empire, and Why Investors Should Be Paying Close Attention was originally published by The Motley Fool Key Insights Significantly high institutional ownership implies Rolls-Royce Holdings' stock price is sensitive to their trading actions The top 24 shareholders own 50% of the company Insiders have bought recently To get a sense of who is truly in control of Rolls-Royce Holdings plc (LON:RR.), it is important to understand the ownership structure of the business. We can see that institutions own the lion's share in the company with 76% ownership. In other words, the group stands to gain the most (or lose the most) from their investment into the company. Last weeks 9.2% gain means that institutional investors were on the positive end of the spectrum even as the company has shown strong longer-term trends. The gains from last week would have further boosted the one-year return to shareholders which currently stand at 160%. In the chart below, we zoom in on the different ownership groups of Rolls-Royce Holdings. View our latest analysis for Rolls-Royce Holdings What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Rolls-Royce Holdings? Many institutions measure their performance against an index that approximates the local market. So they usually pay more attention to companies that are included in major indices. As you can see, institutional investors have a fair amount of stake in Rolls-Royce Holdings. This suggests some credibility amongst professional investors. But we can't rely on that fact alone since institutions make bad investments sometimes, just like everyone does. When multiple institutions own a stock, there's always a risk that they are in a 'crowded trade'. When such a trade goes wrong, multiple parties may compete to sell stock fast. This risk is higher in a company without a history of growth. You can see Rolls-Royce Holdings' historic earnings and revenue below, but keep in mind there's always more to the story. Institutional investors own over 50% of the company, so together than can probably strongly influence board decisions. We note that hedge funds don't have a meaningful investment in Rolls-Royce Holdings. The company's largest shareholder is BlackRock, Inc., with ownership of 5.1%. For context, the second largest shareholder holds about 5.0% of the shares outstanding, followed by an ownership of 4.4% by the third-largest shareholder. Story continues After doing some more digging, we found that the top 24 have the combined ownership of 50% in the company, suggesting that no single shareholder has significant control over the company. Researching institutional ownership is a good way to gauge and filter a stock's expected performance. The same can be achieved by studying analyst sentiments. There are a reasonable number of analysts covering the stock, so it might be useful to find out their aggregate view on the future. Insider Ownership Of Rolls-Royce Holdings The definition of an insider can differ slightly between different countries, but members of the board of directors always count. Company management run the business, but the CEO will answer to the board, even if he or she is a member of it. I generally consider insider ownership to be a good thing. However, on some occasions it makes it more difficult for other shareholders to hold the board accountable for decisions. Our data suggests that insiders own under 1% of Rolls-Royce Holdings plc in their own names. It is a very large company, so it would be surprising to see insiders own a large proportion of the company. Though their holding amounts to less than 1%, we can see that board members collectively own UK3.2m worth of shares (at current prices). It is always good to see at least some insider ownership, but it might be worth checking if those insiders have been selling. General Public Ownership The general public-- including retail investors -- own 21% stake in the company, and hence can't easily be ignored. While this size of ownership may not be enough to sway a policy decision in their favour, they can still make a collective impact on company policies. Next Steps: It's always worth thinking about the different groups who own shares in a company. But to understand Rolls-Royce Holdings better, we need to consider many other factors. Consider for instance, the ever-present spectre of investment risk. We've identified 3 warning signs with Rolls-Royce Holdings (at least 2 which are a bit concerning) , and understanding them should be part of your investment process. But ultimately it is the future, not the past, that will determine how well the owners of this business will do. Therefore we think it advisable to take a look at this free report showing whether analysts are predicting a brighter future. NB: Figures in this article are calculated using data from the last twelve months, which refer to the 12-month period ending on the last date of the month the financial statement is dated. This may not be consistent with full year annual report figures. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. (Bloomberg) -- There was a time when the backing of some of the worlds deepest pockets and the mere ambition to sell electric cars was enough to inspire confidence in the stocks of upstarts Rivian Automotive Inc. and Lucid Group Inc. Now investors have all but thrown in the towel on the shares. Most Read from Bloomberg All it took was a fresh dose of reality from the two companies this week around cooling demand for EVs. Rivian, which makes electric pickups, SUVs and delivery vans and counts Amazon.com Inc. as its top shareholder, said its production will stay flat at last years levels. It also announced plans to shrink its workforce again. Lucid, majority-owned by Saudi Arabias sovereign wealth fund, projected only a slight increase in output over 2023. Both forecasts fell far short of analysts expectations. For investors, the sense of gloom has been building since October, when Tesla Inc. warned of sagging interest in EVs. Though shares of the EV giant have fared poorly since then, losing around 20% and massively underperforming the broader market, the impact on smaller rivals like Rivian and Lucid has been nothing short of disastrous. If you are a hyper-growth company in what is seen as a disruptive industry and you are not growing your topline, you are in trouble, said David Mazza, chief strategy officer at Roundhill Investments. Having an anchor investor like Amazon or the Saudis gives them a longer runway from a capital perspective, but their growth will still be slower and margins thinner than what was once expected. Read more: Tesla Gets a $94 Billion Reality Check as EV Winter Sets In Shares of Irvine, California-based Rivian are down by about 44% since Teslas October warning the first in a series of grim outlooks from global EV-makers and suppliers and closed Friday at a record low. Newark, California-based Lucid has dropped some 33% in the same period, and isnt far above its own nadir. Story continues Still, had it not been for their wealthy backers Amazon has a 17% stake in Rivian, and Saudi Arabias Public Investment Fund holds roughly 60% of Lucid, data compiled by Bloomberg show the stocks could be looking far uglier. The presence of these names is a comfort to investors and a cushion to the price, Mazza said. If these stocks were just relying on the EV hype, then they will be down much worse. Amazon in an emailed statement said that the recent results from Rivian dont change anything about the e-commerce companys existing investment, collaboration, or order size and timing. Rivian has a deal with Amazon to sell it 100,000 electric delivery vans by 2030. Saudi Arabias PIF didnt respond to an email seeking comment outside of the funds regular business hours on Friday. Alarm Bells Overall, the biggest concern is that these cash-burning, unprofitable companies will struggle to sell cars at a time when even industry-leader Tesla by far the biggest seller in the US market is cutting prices to boost demand. And while Teslas profits and large-scale production allow it to compete by lowering prices, Rivian and Lucid have neither of those advantages. For these car manufacturers, investors want to see demand, said David Wagner, portfolio manager at Aptus Capital Advisors. Rivians latest results suggest it will take several quarters to emerge from its production stoppage with a leaner cost structure and a redesigned platform, he said. In the meantime, I think skeptics will be scrutinizing the cash balance and ringing alarm bells, Wagner said. So if there is no multiple expansion and no growth what else is the stock supposed to do? Both Rivian and Lucid are now worth a fraction of the prices they fetched at their public-market debuts in 2021. Rivians market value is around $9.6 billion, and Lucids is about $6.9 billion. Thats a long way down from their $153 billion and $91 billion valuation peaks, respectively, in 2021. Wall Street analysts are losing confidence as well. Analysts average 12-month price targets for Rivian and Lucid fell nearly 20% just this week. Meanwhile, the outlook for EVs broadly just keeps getting worse. Global sales of EVs are estimated to grow 20% this year, to about 16.7 million units, according to BloombergNEFs most recent analysis. Thats a marked cooling from the 33% jump seen in 2023. Read more: BNEF Theme: Electric Vehicle Sales Set to Grow 20% in 2024 Trying to be the next Tesla is turning out to be an expensive strategy, Morgan Stanley analyst Adam Jonas wrote in a note Friday. As EV startups turn into restructuring stories, whoever finds a sponsor has the best chance. Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2024 Bloomberg L.P. Romania will stand by Ukraine as long as it takes, National Defense Minister Angel Tilvar said on Saturday in a message conveyed on the two-year anniversary of the start of the Russian Federation's war of aggression against Ukraine, Agerpres reports. "On the morning of February 24, 2022, Ukraine, a sovereign and independent state in the heart of Europe, was brutally attacked by the Russian Federation, in total disregard for international law. The horrors and tragedies of war, which seemed forever closed in history books, have returned to the mentality of the contemporary world. Regrettably, two years after the start of Russia's war of aggression, the Ukrainians are still living the tragedy of seeing entire local communities shattered and fellow citizens falling victims to cynical attacks. Russian missiles and drones indiscriminately hit not only military targets, but also residential areas and elements of civilian infrastructure, causing lots of casualties among the military and the civilian population, and hard to quantify losses. In frequent instances, these attacks occurred very close to us, as they were aimed at the Ukrainian Danube ports," DefMin Tilvar said in the message released by the Defense Ministry's Press Office. In the face of this historical injustice, the democratic world did not remain indifferent and understood that this conflict is not just about the survival of Ukraine, but also about the security of the entire Europe and the stability of the international architecture, and the global support provided to Kyiv was massive, effective and prompt along all the necessary dimensions, producing significant effects in the conflict equation, the message further reads."Romania is part of these efforts, and has stood with the Ukrainian people since the first day of the war. Our aid was channeled in multiple directions and was offered generously, at the time and in the form required by our neighbors and friends. We are ready to help further, we are part of the initiatives established under the auspices of NATO, the European Union, or through cooperation between states. We support the EU Military Assistance Mission in support of Ukraine, which ensures the training of a significant number of Ukrainian soldiers. We are also part of the Contact Group for support to Ukraine, coordinated by the US. Furthermore, we are ready to receive in the coming months Ukrainian pilots who will begin training at the F-16 pilot training hub in Fetesti," the Defense minister emphasized.He notes that "Russia's aggression against Ukraine reminds us that peace and freedom are not given to us forever and that their preservation is done with blood and sacrifices.""As a country close to this war, Romania has learned many lessons in these two years. Once again, it has been proven that security is a prerequisite for stability and economic prosperity. We must invest in defense, and this is a reality. Romania is doing this, and not just since recent. We have a substantial defense budget. The National Defense Ministry has over 60 endowment programs underway, for all our military branches. We are continuously working to change the legislation in order to respond to the new security realities, and we are a strong voice at the NATO table and within the European Union, where we firmly promote our national interests. Two years after the start of the war of aggression against Ukraine, our thoughts turn in the first place to the victims of the Russian attacks, to whom we pay a pious tribute," the Defense minister added, also conveying admiration and respect to the soldiers of the Ukrainian Army."We bow to their courage and heroism proven in a confrontation fought with courage and determination against a treacherous enemy who despises human values. We cannot predict the outcome of this war, but we can be sure that we will stand by Ukraine as long as it takes. In the face of the threats posed by Russia to regional and European security, it is essential that we remain united and in solidarity, and continue to support the just cause of Ukraine while at the same time investing in our own security. Through our collective efforts to strengthen the defense and deterrence posture, especially here, on the eastern flank of the Alliance, and through our unconditional commitment to democratic values we can help maintain peace and security throughout the region, on the continent and in the world. Each of us must renew their commitment to democracy, respect for human rights and the support of a rule-based international system. That's the only way we can help Ukraine and only thus can we protect our own citizens and the Allied territory," Angel Tilvar concluded. The St. Louis Science Center doesn't just seem like a good time. Now it's official. For the third straight year, the learning institution in the heart of the Kings Oak neighborhood has been named among the top five science museums and free museums in the country by readers of USA Today. The center came in at No. 3 among all free museums, beating out museums in the Smithsonian Institution, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and the Baltimore Museum of Art. A brief write-up made note of the Science Center's more than 700 interactive experiences, indoor-outdoor agricultural pavilion, OMNIMAX theater and the McDonnell Planetarium. First place among free museums went to the National Infantry Museum & Soldier Center in Columbus, Georgia. Second place went to the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas. The Science Center also took fifth place in the Best Science Museum category. This time, the write-up described the full-scale Mars rover, the Pacific coral reef aquarium and the live STEM demonstrations. Among science museums, the center trailed only institutions in Tupper Lake, New York; Columbus, Ohio; Detroit; and Cartersville, Georgia. For those who think Lunar New Year is one day, talk with Paul Lee of the International Shaolin Kung Fu Center, located in St. Ann. For Lee's students mastering the art of the Lion Dance, it's an entire month of celebrations. From Asian restaurants to Anheuser Busch, from the Missouri History Museum to the St. Louis Art Museum, from Hollywood Casino to River City Casino, the troupe had more two dozen performances in February. Traditionally, a lion dance brings good luck, good fortune and happiness in the Chinese New Year. To do the Lion Dance, two dancers in costume one in the front for the head, the other in back for the tail make the lion dance to the beat of a large drum, a gong, and cymbals. The dance tells a story about the lions being tamed and imbued with spirit by the Buddha who dances with them with a fan in hand. Lee teaches the Lion Dance throughout the year to anyone interested, and his dancers also perform at weddings, birthdays and business grand openings. Leaving the scene of an accident involving property damage is a Class A misdemeanor in Missouri, punishable by up to a year in jail. But what happens when accomplices include a whole police department and the city government that controls it? Nothing, apparently. To multiple reports lately of St. Louis police cruisers randomly crashing into things a disturbing enough trend in itself now is added the initially unexplained property damage at Westminster Presbyterian Church on Delmar Boulevard last summer. The churchs historic brick-and-metal welcome sign was discovered destroyed one August morning, with no clue as to who did it. In a Post-Dispatch article published days later, the churchs pastor, Rev. Mark Miller, pondered the mystery of it: The crazy thing is theres no debris from a car. There was no debris (we now know) because police cleared the scene after a police SUV crashed into the sign. It left behind tire tracks in the grass, $20,000 worth of damage and not so much as a note on churchs door explaining what happened. Call it driving while unaccountable. And its only the latest example of the brazen lack of accountability from city law enforcement today under a mayor who was elected promising to confront that very issue. It was more than a week after the crash that the church learned it was a police cruiser that had destroyed the sign and then they had to learn it from a neighbor who happened to have taken pictures of the squad car in the church yard before it was removed. Months of official stonewalling followed as the church tried to get the city to take responsibility for the damage. Miller, the pastor, finally went to the media in frustration earlier this month, telling his story initially to the Riverfront Times. Interestingly, city officials who had been dragging their feet on the case are suddenly eager to get it resolved. Bravo. In response to the Editorial Boards questions last week, a police spokesman said in an emailed statement that police made a report of the crash when it happened on the night of Aug. 12, but couldnt reach anyone with the church because it was late at night. The spokesman wrote that when police finally did reach someone later, they provided a police report number and information on how to initiate a claim. That account leaves out a lot that Rev. Miller filled in for us when we interviewed him on Friday. Like the fact that when he initially contacted police to file a report, the police didnt mention (and he didnt yet know) that it was the police who had caused the damage. Upon finally learning from the neighbors photos that the police themselves were the culprits, Miller went in person to a police substation to press his demand for accountability. Even then, there was no acknowledgment of police involvement until Miller showed the neighbors photo of the crashed police car to an officer there. He looked at it, Miller told us, and said, Oh, [expletive], give me a minute. That minute ultimately stretched into six months. In trying to get the city to respond, Miller sent the images of the crashed cruiser to Police Chief Robert Tracy and Mayor Tishaura Jones. Nothing. It wasnt until the Riverfront Times recent inquiry that the city finally contacted the church to facilitate the process of filing a claim. I dont understand why it took the picture [of the cruiser] for them to acknowledge responsibility, Miller told us. I care for this city and I want things to work. ... You make a mistake, you fix it. You would think. The whole thing would be appalling even as an isolated incident. But its part of a wider pattern of incompetence, unresponsiveness and lack of transparency from City Hall, particularly involving law enforcement issues. The city still hasnt explained why officers in a police cruiser in December were speeding through South St. Louis, lost control of their SUV, crashed into a bar, handcuffed and possibly assaulted the bar owners and then the officers werent tested for drugs or alcohol. The city also hasnt explained details surrounding deaths, injuries and security lapses at the downtown jail. The obstinate silence has infuriated even members of the jails civilian oversight board, which Jones herself created as part of her reform agenda. And hows this for reform? When the media last month publicized a cellphone picture taken by a lawyer in the jail of a clients neglected medical issue, the jail responded by prohibiting the previously common practice of letting lawyers bring their phones into the facility and then claimed, straight-faced, that the policy change wasnt in response to the bad publicity. Since bad publicity appears to be the only thing that prompts this citys leadership to action on law enforcement issues, Westminster Presbyterian will probably, finally, get compensation for the piece of its history it lost. The continuing loss of public confidence in St. Louis current leadership will be much harder to recover. DUBAI, UAE / ACCESSWIRE / February 24, 2024 / In a mere 100 days since its launch, AstraAI has not only demonstrated its prowess in the cryptocurrency market but has also established itself as a beacon of innovation with the rollout of a suite of groundbreaking AI tools. These tools, including an AI Assistant, AI Search Engine, AI Video Summarizer, AI Image Generation, AI Analysis, and AI Audits for tokens, addresses, and dApps and many other tools, mark AstraAI as the architect of the largest AI ecosystem in the blockchain domain and beyond. This ambitious stride towards building a comprehensive AI infrastructure is further augmented by AstraAI's recent announcement of launching AstraBank later this year. AstraBank is envisioned as a pioneering Fintech Bank, bridging the gap between traditional financial services and the blockchain world. This move is not just an expansion, it's a revolution in how financial services are perceived, accessed, and delivered in the digital age. Mirroring the innovative spirit of tech giants like Apple, Microsoft, and META, AstraAI has achieved a market valuation exceeding $35 million within the first 100 days. This valuation is a testament to the platform's robust growth, innovative offerings, and the market's confidence in its vision and capabilities. A pivotal factor in AstraAI's rapid ascent has been its strategic partnerships with industry leaders and backers such as OpenAI, AWS, and Google Cloud. The integration with OpenAI's ChatGPT platform and collaborations with cloud computing behemoths have positioned AstraAI at the forefront of AI and blockchain integration, setting new benchmarks for what is possible within this synergistic landscape. Guided by Founder DinoN, a titan in the realms of trading, tech and blockchain, AstraAI's trajectory is defined by relentless innovation, strategic growth, and a commitment to excellence. Supported by an elite team of executives and engineers, AstraAI's journey is underpinned by a profound expertise, a vibrant community, and a forward-looking ethos. Together, they are not merely navigating the future of AI and blockchain, they are shaping it. DinoN, recognized as one of the most ambitious and visionary CEOs in the tech industry, AstraAI's trajectory is one of relentless innovation and quality delivery. DinoN's leadership, characterized by a proven track record of success, has been instrumental in navigating AstraAI through its exponential growth. His foresight and commitment to excellence have cultivated a culture of innovation that permeates every facet of AstraAI. The expansion of AstraAI's ecosystem into decentralized exchanges (DEX), business-to-consumer (B2C), business-to-business (B2B), eSIM services, and more showcases an unstoppable drive for innovation. AstraAI's ecosystem is evolving into a comprehensive suite of services that promises to redefine the blockchain space and beyond, reminiscent of the early, transformative days of today's tech behemoths. With the AI and blockchain industries projected to reach over $10 trillion by 2030, the integration of banking services and various other offerings positions AstraAI with a significant opportunity to become a multi-billion-dollar company in the short term and an undeniable industry giant by the end of the decade. The strategic partnerships with industry leaders further enhance AstraAI's capability to lead the charge in the technological revolution. As AstraAI continues on its path of groundbreaking advancements, it is clear that the platform is not just participating in the blockchain and AI revolution - it is leading it. With a vision that extends beyond the horizon, AstraAI is setting the stage for a new era of technological convergence, where the possibilities are limitless and the future is redefined with every innovation. Dex | Uniswap | Twitter | Telegram Media Details AstraLabs Inc. Dino N [email protected] Dubai United Arab Emirates http://chatastra.ai Disclaimer: The information provided in this press release is not a solicitation for investment, or intended as investment advice, financial advice, or trading advice. It is strongly recommended that you practice due diligence (including consultation with a professional financial advisor) before investing in or trading securities and cryptocurrency. SOURCE: AstraLabs Inc. View the original press release on accesswire.com Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan Chase Alex Brandon/AP JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon sold off $150 million of shares on Thursday. It's the first time in Dimon's 18 years leading the company that he's sold any shares. Dimon indicated in a filing he believes the company's outlook remains "very strong." The CEO of JPMorgan Chase on Thursday sold $150 million worth of shares in the banking giant, his first-ever sale since taking over the company 18 years ago. According to a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, Jamie Dimon offloaded about 822,000 shares in the sale. He still holds about 7.7 million shares in the company, Bloomberg reported. Since Dimon became CEO in 2006, the value of the company's assets, along with its stock value, has tripled, per Fortune. The bank reported a 35% jump in profits in the most recent quarter, the Associated Press reported, and recorded the largest-ever annual profit for any US bank in 2023, raking in $49.6 billion. In response to the massive profits, the bank's board gave Dimon a 4% pay bump to $36 million, including his base pay and performance-based share units, Business Insider previously reported. Dimon and representatives for JPMorgan did not immediately respond to requests for comment from BI. An October filing announcing the planned sale indicates Dimon chose to sell the stocks "for financial diversification and tax-planning purposes" and that he "continues to believe the company's prospects are very strong." More sales may be coming, as the October filing indicated Dimon and his family planned to sell 1 million total shares. Other JPMorgan insiders also sold shares on Thursday, per MarketWatch, with Troy Rohrbaugh, the co-CEO of JPMorgan's commercial and investment bank, selling $13.7 million worth of shares, the bank's general counsel Stacey Friedman offloading $1.1 million, and Chief Information Officer Lori Beer selling $716,000 worth of stock. Read the original article on Business Insider VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / February 23, 2024 / Global Education Communities Corp. (TSX:GEC)(OTCQX:GECSF) ("GECC") reports the director election voting results from its annual general meeting held today. All of the director nominees, as listed in the management information circular dated January 8, 2024, were elected. Proxy voting as to each of the director nominees was as follows: Votes in Favour Votes Withheld Toby Chu 90.65% 9.35% Tony David 99.65% 0.35% Derek Feng 99.65% 0.35% May Hsu 99.65% 0.35% Troy Rice 91.62% 8.38% Shane Weir 99.65% 0.35% Please see the report of voting results filed today under GECC's profile on SEDAR+ for the results of the other matters voted on by shareholders at the meeting. About GECC: GECC is one of Canada's largest education and student housing investment companies focused on the domestic and global education market since 1994. GECC operates business and language colleges, student-centric rental apartments, recruitment centres and corporate offices at 41 locations in Canada and abroad. Its education subsidiaries include Sprott Shaw College Corp. (established in 1903), Sprott Shaw Language College, Vancouver International College Career Campus and CIBT School of Business & Technology Corp. GECC offers over 150 educational programs in healthcare, business management, e-commerce, cyber-security, hotel management, emergency paramedic, and language training through these schools. In fiscal 2023, GECC serviced over 14,277 domestic and international students through its educational, rental housing and recruitment subsidiaries. GECC owns Global Education City Holdings Inc. ("GECH"), an investment holding and development company focused on education-related real estate such as student-centric rental apartments and education super-centres. In fiscal 2023, GECH operated fifteen properties under the GEC brand in Metro Vancouver and provided accommodation services to 92 partner-schools serving 3,200 students from 71 countries. The total portfolio and development budget under the GEC brand exceeds $1.2 billion. GECC also owns Global Education Alliance Inc. ("GEA") and Irix Design Group Inc. ("IRIX"). GEA recruits international students for elite kindergartens, primary and secondary schools, colleges and universities in North America. Irix is a leading design and advertising company based in Vancouver, Canada. Visit us online and watch our corporate video at www.GEChq.com. For more information, contact: Toby Chu Chairman, President & CEO Global Education Communities Corp. Investor Relations Contact: 1-604-871-9909 extension 319 or | Email: [email protected] SOURCE: Global Education Communities Corp. View the original press release on accesswire.com Leaders urge hotel operator Ensemble to resolve labor dispute which has dragged on even as other hotels, including two Hyatts in Long Beach, have reached tentative agreements LONG BEACH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Nearly a dozen elected leaders have sent a letter to Hotel Maya leadership and owner-operator Ensemble expressing concern over incidents of violence against Maya workers who were peacefully protesting for improved working conditions, benefits and wages. The letter comes just days after the Hyatt Regency Long Beach and Hyatt the Pike Long Beach reached standard-raising agreements with UNITE HERE Local 11. The letter urges Ensemble and Maya to expedite the resolution of these matters as soon as possible. Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson and Councilmember Roberto Uranga, Assemblymembers Chris Holden, and Avelino Valencia are among those leaders who have sent letters to Ensemble. Other electeds from across the region have also weighed in, including Los Angeles Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez. UNITE HERE Local 11 raised concerns with Ensemble after a disturbing incident on December 13 outside of the hotel. According to workers, a housekeeper was participating in a peaceful picket line at the Maya Hotel with a sign and a megaphone when a man, since identified as an investor in the hotel, approached her. According to these allegations, the man grabbed and tried to yank the megaphone out of the housekeepers hand while yelling at her. The hotel workers union has filed federal labor charges about the incident, as well as a charge alleging the company failed to provide video footage and access to the guest registry in order to investigate. This is not the first incidence of violence at the hotel. As is alleged in the letter, during another incident on August 5, Maya hotel security and guests attempted to use a chain link fence to forcibly relocate a group of striking workers while they peacefully picketed on a sidewalk, while a guest came around the fence and punched a worker in the head. The worker experienced injuries and medical expenses as a result. The attack was captured on video which has been circulated widely and reported in the press. The support elected officials are giving to Long Beach hotel workers during this time proves that Long Beach values are those of equality and justice, said Ada Briceno, co-president of UNITE HERE Local 11. We need Ensemble, Hotel Maya, and any hotel owner looking to do business in these cities to do the same. My family and I share a small apartment with two other families because we cannot afford anything else. That is why I am out here peacefully taking action, to secure a better future. To see the hotel and an investor of the hotel act violently with me and my coworkers is disgusting. We appreciate the support the Mayor of Long Beach and others are showing us at this time, said Camila, housekeeper at Hotel Maya. The workers primary contract goals include wage increases to keep pace with the soaring cost of housing in Los Angeles, quality and affordable health insurance, a pension to retire with dignity, and humane workloads. Workers are demanding that Ensemble Investment and its operated properties, including Hyatt Place Pasadena, sign the standard-setting agreement, which 30 other hotels across the region have agreed to. UNITE HERE Local 11 is a labor union representing more than 32,000 hospitality workers in Southern California and Arizona that work in hotels, restaurants, universities, convention centers and airports. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240223146653/en/ Maria Hernandez | 623-340-8047 | [email protected] Source: UNITE HERE Local 11 Savron joined the podcast at the 2024 InsightsEDU conference to discuss career focus for working adult learners at University of Phoenix and workforce trends in higher education PHOENIX--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- University of Phoenix is pleased to share that Doris Savron, vice provost of Colleges, Curriculum and Assessment, was a featured guest of The EdUp Experience podcast. Hosted by co-founder Joe Sallustino, Ed.D., the podcast was recorded onsite at the 2024 InsightsEDU Conference held in Phoenix, Arizona, in an episode with Savron that explored the career focus for working adult learners at University of Phoenix and related trends in higher education. Our mission to serve working adult learners remains the same as when we were founded, states Savron. What was once considered a non-traditional student is actually becoming the norm now. We focus on relevance and market data and continue to innovate in our curriculum, our assessments, and our support in order to help our working adult learners in their career journeys and help meet what employers are saying is needed talent and skills for success of their organizations. Savron joined the podcast following her participation as a panelist in the conference session titled Revolutionizing Higher Education and Leading Transformative Change. The EdUp Experience podcast features insights from todays brightest and most influential educational minds from across the globe, with the goal of inspiring and educating people to pursue a lifelong learning mindset no matter the path they choose. The podcast episode 827: LIVE from InsightsEDU 2024 - with Doris Savron, Vice Provost, University of Phoenix features an organic discussion of how University of Phoenix innovates to support the career focus of working adult learners amidst evolving workforce trends, and the pace of change in higher education and workforce trends. As a leader of skills-aligned learning and badging initiatives at University of Phoenix, Savron leveraged broad experience to the conference panel and podcast episode. The Universitys transition to a skills-mapped curriculum helps ensure that students are identifying and acquiring skills in weeks, rather than years, yielding value from their education as they progress through courses rather than just at the point of graduation. Savron and her team, along with leaders from across the university, championed the initiatives and continue to drive innovation in the realms of skills mapping and digital badging. Savron co-authored a white paper on the subject which provided a foundational reflection of the University of Phoenix focus on providing career-relevant, skills-based education and authentic assessment for working adult students. Savron draws on more than 23 years of experience in higher education as Vice Provost, overseeing the strategy for University of Phoenix academic programs and curriculum design, institutional assessment and faculty. Her role includes oversight of strategy for degree, certificate and course offerings, design of curriculum and student learning outcomes for the University. Savron works collaboratively with her team members to innovate academic solutions that enable the University to provide exceptional student experiences and learning environments to support student success. In her tenure with University of Phoenix she has served as associate faculty, campus vice president, regional Vice president of student services, and college operations. Savron serves on the Board of Career Connectors and recently completed board terms with the Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce. She also serves on several committees and advisory councils including the DEI professionals committee for the Greater Phoenix Chamber, and the advisory council for UPCEA and AACRAOs first Convergence Conference in 2023 focused on the emerging field of alternative credentials in Higher Education. Savron is often sought out as a speaker for her expertise on mapping relevant skills in programs and building an infrastructure to support career tools in curriculum design, micro credentialing and other innovations in curriculum (1Ed Tech, PACRAO). Savron earned her MBA from Cleveland State University and is completing her doctorate in management in organizational leadership. About University of Phoenix University of Phoenix innovates to help working adults enhance their careers and develop skills in a rapidly changing world. Flexible schedules, relevant courses, interactive learning, skills-mapped curriculum for our bachelors and masters degree programs and a Career Services for Life commitment help students more effectively pursue career and personal aspirations while balancing their busy lives. For more information, visit phoenix.edu. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240224702323/en/ Sharla Hooper University of Phoenix [email protected] Source: University of Phoenix NEW YORK, Feb. 23, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- WHY: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, announces the filing of a class action lawsuit on behalf of purchasers of securities of Sunnova Energy International Inc. (NYSE: NOVA) between February 25, 2020 and December 7, 2023, both dates inclusive (the Class Period). A class action lawsuit has already been filed. If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than April 16, 2024. SO WHAT: If you purchased Sunnova securities during the Class Period you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out of pocket fees or costs through a contingency fee arrangement. WHAT TO DO NEXT: To join the Sunnova class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=22626 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email [email protected] or [email protected] for information on the class action. A class action lawsuit has already been filed. If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than April 16, 2024. A lead plaintiff is a representative party acting on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation. WHY ROSEN LAW: We encourage investors to select qualified counsel with a track record of success in leadership roles. Often, firms issuing notices do not have comparable experience, resources or any meaningful peer recognition. Be wise in selecting counsel. The Rosen Law Firm represents investors throughout the globe, concentrating its practice in securities class actions and shareholder derivative litigation. Rosen Law Firm has achieved the largest ever securities class action settlement against a Chinese Company. Rosen Law Firm was Ranked No. 1 by ISS Securities Class Action Services for number of securities class action settlements in 2017. The firm has been ranked in the top 4 each year since 2013 and has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors. In 2019 alone the firm secured over $438 million for investors. In 2020, founding partner Laurence Rosen was named by law360 as a Titan of Plaintiffs Bar. Many of the firms attorneys have been recognized by Lawdragon and Super Lawyers. DETAILS OF THE CASE: According to the lawsuit, defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) Sunnova routinely engaged in predatory business practices against disadvantaged homeowners and communities, the same groups that Project Hestia, an agreement with Sunnova and the U.S. Department of Energys Loan Programs Office to support solar loans originated by Sunnova under a new solar loan channel, was purportedly intended to benefit; (2) the foregoing conduct subjected Sunnova to a heightened risk of regulatory and/or governmental scrutiny, as well as significant reputational and/or financial harm; and (3) as a result, Sunnovas public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times. When the true details entered the market, the lawsuit claims that investors suffered damages. To join the Sunnova class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=22626 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email [email protected] or [email protected] for information on the class action. No Class Has Been Certified. Until a class is certified, you are not represented by counsel unless you retain one. You may select counsel of your choice. You may also remain an absent class member and do nothing at this point. An investors ability to share in any potential future recovery is not dependent upon serving as lead plaintiff. Follow us for updates on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-rosen-law-firm, on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rosen_firm or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rosenlawfirm/. Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Contact Information: Laurence Rosen, Esq. Phillip Kim, Esq. The Rosen Law Firm, P.A. 275 Madison Avenue, 40th Floor New York, NY 10016 Tel: (212) 686-1060 Toll Free: (866) 767-3653 Fax: (212) 202-3827 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] www.rosenlegal.com Paid press release content from The Financial Capital. The StreetInsider.com news staff was not involved in its creation. AABkyoto Adventures And Beyond launches its website, offering an immersive exploration of Kyoto's culture. Founded by a passionate traveler, it provides guides, reviews, and plans for exclusive tours, inviting visitors to discover Kyoto's hidden gems. FOR IMMEDIATE NEWS DISTRIBUTION Kyoto, Japan - AABkyoto Adventures And Beyond proudly announces the launch of its new website, a digital gateway that offers an unparalleled exploration of Kyoto's rich tapestry of culture, attractions, and culinary delights. Founded by a seasoned traveler with a profound passion for Japan, AABkyoto is more than just a blog; it's your next step into a world where ancient tradition meets modern marvels. Discover Kyoto Like Never Before AABkyoto Adventures And Beyond emerges as a beacon for wanderlust souls and culture enthusiasts alike. Crafted with meticulous attention to detail, the platform delves deep into the essence of Kyoto, offering insights, reviews, and guides on the city's finest accommodations, cultural landmarks, attractions, food, dining experiences, and transportation options. Your Ultimate Guide to Kyoto's Hidden Gems With an ever-growing library of content, AABkyoto stands as the quintessential resource for travelers seeking to uncover the hidden gems of Kyoto. From serene temples nestled within lush forests to bustling markets offering the freshest local flavors, AABkyoto guides you through the streets of this ancient city with the expertise of a local and the wonder of a first-time visitor. Expertise Born from Passion and Experience Behind AABkyoto is a visionary founder whose has blossomed into a profound connection with the land of the rising sun. This unique perspective, combined with an ongoing endeavor to master the Japanese language, ensures that each piece of content on AABkyoto is infused with authenticity and love for Japanese culture. Beyond Exploration - Bringing Kyoto to You AABkyoto Adventures And Beyond is not just about exploring; it's about connecting. The website plans to extend its offerings by organizing exclusive tours that promise to bring the enchanting stories of Kyoto to life. These tours are designed to create unforgettable experiences, allowing travelers to immerse themselves fully in the beauty and heritage of Kyoto. A New Era of Travel Blogging AABkyoto redefines the travel blogging landscape by blending immersive storytelling with comprehensive guides and reviews. Its launch is a testament to the transformative power of travel and the beauty of sharing knowledge. AABkyoto Adventures And Beyond invites you to embark on a journey that promises to enlighten, entertain, and inspire. Join the Adventure Discover the soul of Kyoto through the eyes of a traveler who has made it his mission to unveil every corner of the city. AABkyoto Adventures And Beyond is not just a website; it's your passport to an adventure that begins in the heart of Japan. Visit AABkyoto Adventures And Beyond to start your journey today. About AABkyoto Adventures And Beyond AABkyoto Adventures And Beyond is a comprehensive travel website founded by a seasoned traveler passionate about Japan. Offering in-depth guides, reviews, and personal insights into everything Kyoto has to offer, AABkyoto is the ultimate resource for anyone looking to explore the city's rich culture, history, and cuisine. With plans to organize tours, AABkyoto aims to bring the beauty of Kyoto closer to travelers worldwide. For further information, please contact: Gin Seah, Founder AABkyoto Adventures And Beyond Email: [email protected] Website: https://aabkyoto.com/ Embark on your adventure through Kyoto with AABkyoto Adventures And Beyond where every story is a journey, and every journey is a story waiting to be told. Contact Info: Name: Gin Seah Email: Send Email Organization: AABkyoto Adventures And Beyond Website: https://aabkyoto.com Release ID: 89122396 If you encounter any issues, discrepancies, or concerns regarding the content provided in this press release that require attention or if there is a need for a press release takedown, we kindly request that you notify us without delay at [email protected]. Our responsive team will be available round-the-clock to address your concerns within 8 hours and take necessary actions to rectify any identified issues or guide you through the removal process. Ensuring accurate and reliable information is fundamental to our mission. Paid press release content from The Financial Capital. The StreetInsider.com news staff was not involved in its creation. New AI PLR opportunity helps entrepreneurs tap into the lucrative AI marketing industry, announces RCS Digital Ventures. Tech Tycoon by RCS Digital Ventures offers DFY opportunities for new entrepreneurs looking to branch into AI-driven private label rights (PLR) ventures. With full access to an AI in marketing course, complete re-branding options, and DFY sales materials, Tech Tycoon members will benefit from a tried-and-tested AI product that will deliver value to their target audiences - while positioning them as experts in the AI field, even if they have no previous knowledge or experience. More details can be found at https://richardsambrano.com With AI opening up new business possibilities in sectors ranging from education to technology, implementing it in new business ventures is increasingly more attractive for small entrepreneurs, explains Tech Tycoon founder and marketing expert Richard Sambrano. And while 95% of all AI products will fail, using pre-tested strategies can give anyone a solid foundation to build on - and Tech Tycoons PLaiR aims to do just that. The course offers instant access to a complete training guide on mastering AI-based marketing, an immersive video course that can be branded with each members logos, and customizable business presentation slides to easily promote the product. All members get full access to the source files, which they can re-brand with their own designs - and Tech Tycoon also offers access to an audio-only version of the course, as well as DFY graphics to make the re-branding process easier. Members can sell the course individually or add it as a bonus to existing offers - with full customization and complete rights over it, the possibilities are numerous and designed to help users create a versatile brand-exclusive product. For entrepreneurs who feel the product does not meet their needs, Tech Tycoon offers a no-questions-asked 30-day money-back guarantee. Having recently completed Tech Tycoon, I can confidently say that this digital course is a game-changer, said a satisfied client. With its top-of-the-line content and user friendly format, it's perfect for both tech enthusiasts like myself and those looking to break into the AI industry. What sets Tech Tycoon apart is not only its step-by-step approach but also the fact that it includes PLR rights. Interested parties can find more information at https://richardsambrano.com Contact Info: Name: Richard Email: Send Email Organization: RCS Digital Ventures LLC Address: 1545 Wigwam Pkwy apt 1632, Henderson, Nevada 89074, United States Website: https://richardsambrano.com Release ID: 89122416 Should any problems, inaccuracies, or doubts arise from the content contained within this press release, we kindly request that you inform us immediately by contacting [email protected]. Our dedicated team will promptly address your concerns within 8 hours, taking necessary steps to rectify identified issues or assist with the removal process. Providing accurate and dependable information is at the core of our commitment to our readers. LOS ANGELES , Feb. 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- In an unprecedented display of solidarity, the coalition Black and Jewish Unity, alongside prominent civil rights and faith leaders, have launched a vigorous campaign advocating for the designation of the Emancipation Proclamation's anniversary on January 1st as a Federal holiday. This movement not only honors the historical decree issued by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863, which proclaimed the freedom of slaves within the rebellious states but also marks a significant step toward acknowledging the struggles and achievements of the Black community in America. The coalition, comprising a diverse array of faith leaders, international politicians, lawyers, teachers, and community activists, has taken a strong stance against the rise in hate crimes and discrimination, focusing their efforts on combating prejudice and fostering a culture of inclusivity and mutual respect. With an alarming increase in racially motivated hate crimes and antisemitism, the group's advocacy extends beyond national boundaries, addressing global issues of discrimination and dehumanization. Black and Jewish Unity's initiatives are as varied as they are impactful. Leveraging social media, educational seminars, and public advertising, the coalition aims to educate the public on the historical and contemporary challenges faced by both Black and Jewish communities. Their work shines a light on lesser-known atrocities, such as the Arab slave trade in Africa and the ongoing plight of Jews and Christians across that continent. See the story: https://newsblaze.com/usnews/national/emancipation-proclamation-revival_195565/ The coalition's efforts are not limited to advocacy and education. They actively engage in community empowerment, organizing interfaith Shabbat dinners to foster understanding and unity among diverse groups. Their dedication to social welfare is further evidenced by their involvement in food distribution to the needy and contributions to initiatives aimed at addressing homelessness, a crisis disproportionately affecting Black Americans. Spearheaded by figures like Ted Hayes , a revered civil rights leader, and supported by notable personalities including Motown producer Mikey Stevenson and the Reverend Cecil L. "Chip" Murray, the coalition's push for the Federal recognition of the Emancipation Proclamation serves as a testament to their commitment to justice and equality. This initiative is not just about commemorating a historic event; it's about affirming the continued relevance of the struggle for freedom and dignity for all. In a time when the fight against racism and antisemitism requires unwavering resolve, the efforts of Black and Jewish Unity embody the spirit of collaboration and resilience. Their call for the Emancipation Proclamation's Federal recognition is a bold step toward healing and unity, inviting all Americans to reflect on the past while working together for a more inclusive and equitable future. Media Invitation for Follow-Up Story Black and Jewish Unity cordially invites journalists and media representatives to delve deeper into the significance of the call for federal recognition of the Emancipation Proclamation Day. The organization understands the power of storytelling in shaping public discourse and is eager to collaborate with members of the press to highlight this pivotal moment in our collective history. To enrich coverage, Black and Jewish Unity offers exclusive images that capture the essence of the mission and the vibrant community that stands behind this initiative. These images, available upon request, provide a unique visual narrative that complements the profound message of unity and perseverance at the heart of the campaign. Journalists interested in crafting a follow-up story are encouraged to reach out to the media contact. A rich repository of resources is available, including interviews with key figures in the movement, historical insights, and compelling imagery that brings the story to life. This is an opportunity to explore the multifaceted dimensions of the advocacy, the historical collaboration between the Black and Jewish communities, and the contemporary challenges we face. Through independent stories, the message will be amplified, to inspire action, and foster a deeper understanding of the significance of Emancipation Proclamation Day. For exclusive images and further information, please visit the Love is Real Movement website or contact the media relations team at [email protected] or via Instagram @Blackandjewishunity. Help shed light on this important chapter in the nation's journey towards justice and equality. About NewsBlaze NewsBlaze was founded in 2004 as an independent online newspaper and information portal, forming relationships with other publishers and wire services. NewsBlaze covers broad topics of interest to readers worldwide, which helps build a loyal, global following of readers, especially in Australia , North America and Europe . In addition, as the lead Syndicate Partner of the World City Press Network, NewsBlaze provides news, editing and content services, including news features, with the publishers that make up the World City Press Network, including http://Axcessnews.com. Visit https://NewsBlaze.com to learn more. MEDIA CONTACT: Media Relations Black and Jewish Unity [email protected] View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/emancipation-proclamation-renewed-call-for-federal-recognition-highlights-black-and-jewish-unity-efforts--newsblaze-302070303.html SOURCE NewsBlaze Woman-owned small business (EDWOSB) government consulting company supports and congratulates the Marine Corps on its clean audit opinion ANNAPOLIS, Md. , Feb. 24, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Significance Inc. applauds the United States Marine Corps (USMC) on its well-deserved unmodified "clean" audit opinion. The USMC is the first Military Service within the Department of Defense to receive an unmodified audit opinion an incredible achievement which showcases the organization's commitment to financial accountability and transparency in its operations. The USMC has undergone a rigorous two-year audit cycle which encompassed a thorough review of its financial statement line items and internal controls framework. The auditor, contracted through the Department of Defense (DoD) Inspector General (IG), recognized the USMC for its commitment to financial transparency, adherence to audit regulations, and robust internal control environments. This unmodified opinion reflects the USMC's dedication to maintaining these standards of financial integrity and accountability and captures the Marine Corps' dedication to fiscal responsibility. Significance is honored to have assisted the Marine Corps in its significant transition from its legacy financial management system to Defense Agency Initiative (DAI), a modern and comprehensive end-to-end business system. We supported the sustainment of the real property baseline, evaluated and implemented improved procedures, helped implement multiple internal controls, and re-engineered many vital business processes. Our long-standing support played a direct role in the USMC achieving this remarkable milestone. We remain dedicated to supporting our client in sustaining the unmodified opinion. The USMC has consistently prioritized a culture of compliance and excellence, and Significance is excited to be a small part of this achievement. We are thrilled to support various offices within the USMC, including Programs and Resources, Marine Corps Installations Command, Deputy Commandant for Information, Administration and Resource Management, and Marine Corps Forces, Europe and Africa . As the USMC celebrates this groundbreaking achievement, Significance reaffirms its commitment to supporting the DoD in financial excellence. The collaboration between Significance and the USMC will continue to strengthen, driving further success in meeting and exceeding the sustainment of the monumental achievement. Read the USMC's statement at https://www.marines.mil/News/Press-Releases/Press-Release-Display/Article/3686089/marine-corps-passes-fy23-audit/ Significance Inc. is designated an Economically-Disadvantaged Woman-Owned Small Business with offices in Old Town Alexandria, VA and Annapolis , MD. Founded in 2014 by Mary Ahern Snyder , the company provides government consulting services in the areas of Financial Management & Audit Support; SAP; Business Systems; Program & Project Management; Emerging Technologies & Cybersecurity; Transformation & Strategy; and Systems Support Training. To learn more, visit www.significanceinc.com View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/significance-applauds-the-united-states-marine-corps-usmc-on-its-audit-opinion-302070339.html SOURCE Significance, Inc. VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. , Feb. 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Howard and Georgeanna Jones Foundation for Reproductive Medicine ("Jones Foundation") was founded by IVF pioneers Dr. Howard W. Jones , Jr. and Dr. Georgeanna S. Jones who established the first in vitro fertilization program in the United States , the Jones Institute for Reproductive Medicine, that was responsible for the first American born IVF baby in 1981, and training many of today's leaders in the field. Over 8 million IVF children have been born in the US since then. Today, members of the Jones Foundation Board of Directors stand in disbelief at the February 16 ruling by the Alabama Supreme Court which states that frozen embryos are children under state law. "The ruling directly threatens Alabama reproductive medicine and infertility physicians and their patients. The IVF therapy patients need in order to have a baby may be eliminated in Alabama and jeopardized in other U.S. states. We must speak out and support reproductive medicine physicians and scientists and, especially, their patients." said Board member Georgeanna Jones Klingensmith , M.D., daughter of Drs. Howard and Georgeanna Jones . "The ethical pursuit of IVF and Assisted Reproductive Technology advances was always at the heart of Dr. Jones' clinical and research efforts," said Susan L. Crockin, J.D., Board member and senior scholar at the O'Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law. "Throughout their illustrious careers they recognized the importance of understanding and using precise medical terminology as they worked toward advances. They urged law and policy makers to understand the facts and science behind any regulatory efforts, and emphasized the critical partnership and role of ethics alongside the advances and promises of IVF. Sadly, the Alabama court applied none of these nuanced perspectives in what can only be seen as an uninformed and disastrous perspective in the name of one religious perspective." The Alabama ruling hampers dedicated and highly trained doctors from providing standard of care services needed by thousands of infertile patients to build their families. The reasoning of the opinion threatens to prevent scientific research to improve infertility treatments as investigators pause in fear of legal liability to determine the future of IVF protocols, and efforts to improve on them. This Foundation is dedicated to the advancement of science as we pursue excellence in research and education that might improve the human condition. The ruling in Alabama runs contrary to the accomplishments of giants Drs. Howard and Georgeanna Jones , to the mission of this organization and to the pledge we share for the improvement of in vitro fertilization technology and treatment. Please consider supporting the Jones Foundation - dedicated exclusively to reproductive medicine's life-giving research and education. Visit www.jonesfound.org About the Howard and Georgeanna Jones Foundation The Howard and Georgeanna Jones Foundation for Reproductive Medicine is a 501(c)(3) organization that solicits funds from the general public to support scientific and medical research and education in the field of reproductive medicine. In addition to providing research grants to deserving scientific investigators, the Foundation Board of Directors is prepared to serve in an advisory capacity to the agencies it supports. The Foundation may also sponsor seminars or other educational activities designed to evaluate public policy issues related to reproductive medicine in order to educate the general public and attempt to improve the human condition. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-howard-and-georgeanna-jones-foundation-for-reproductive-medicine-supports-alabama-infertility-patients-302070288.html SOURCE The Howard and Georgeanna Jones Foundation for Reproductive Medicine FILE PHOTO: A medical technician prepares embryo and sperm samples for freezing at the Laboratory of Reproductive Biology CECOS of Tenon Hospital in Paris, France, September 19, 2019. Picture taken September 19, 2019. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/File Photo By Brad Brooks (Reuters) - The Alabama Attorney General's office had "no intention" of prosecuting providers of in vitro fertilization or families who use their services, it said on Friday after the state's top court ruled that frozen embryos are considered children. Following the Alabama Supreme Court ruling last week that allowed parents to sue for wrongful death of their minor children, including embryos, several of the state's fertilization clinics halted their work on in vitro fertilization (IVF), which is the creation of embryos by mixing eggs and sperm in a lab dish. "Attorney General (Steve) Marshall has no intention of using the recent Alabama Supreme Court decision as a basis for prosecuting IVF families or providers," Katherine Robertson, the chief counsel to Marshall, said in an emailed statement. The ruling by Alabama's top court, whose elected judges are all Republican, left doctors and patients wondering how to legally store, transport and use embryos, if they are to be held liable for any embryos that are destroyed or lost. The court's chief justice, Tom Parker, wrote in his concurring opinion that the court was simply following state laws, and that it was up to the state's legislature to pass new measures that would regulate the IVF clinics and processes according to the state's 2018 Sanctity of Life Amendment approved by voters that supports "the sanctity of unborn life and the rights of unborn children." Alabama state Senator Tim Melson, a doctor and a Republican, told local media on Thursday that he was going to file legislation that would protect the IVF industry and families who use it. The earliest Melson's bill can be filed will be on Tuesday when the Senate is next in session, according to the state's Legislative Services Agency. House Minority Leader Anthony Daniels, a Democrat, filed a bill on Thursday that states "any fertilized human egg or human embryo that exists outside of a human uterus is not considered an unborn child or human being for any purpose under state law." THREAT TO WOMEN'S HEALTH Health advocates say by enshrining the idea of "fetal personhood," the Alabama Supreme Court ruling could inspire further restrictions on women's reproductive freedom around the U.S. In 2022 the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that recognized the constitutional right to an abortion. That left it up to states to determine legality within their borders. Conservative states, such as Alabama, have since imposed near total bans on abortion procedures. Republicans on Friday sought to stem the fallout over the Alabama court ruling. President Joe Biden, a Democrat seeking re-election this fall, said on Thursday said that the ruling showed "outrageous and unacceptable" disregard for personal choice. The Alabama case was brought by three couples seeking damages from a center storing their frozen embryos after a patient accessed and destroyed them. The high court ruled that Alabama's constitution clearly considered embryos "unborn children ... without exception based on developmental stage, physical location, or any other ancillary characteristics," citing a constitutional amendment that Alabama voters approved in 2018 which granted fetuses full human rights, including the right to life. IVF treatment typically involves creating multiple embryos to maximize the chance of a successful pregnancy, leaving some unused. (Reporting by Brad Brooks in Longmont, Colorado; editing by Donna Bryson and Josie Kao) Mandalay Resources (TSE:MND) Full Year 2023 Results Key Financial Results Revenue: US$173.3m (down 9.6% from FY 2022). Net income: US$7.86m (down 67% from FY 2022). Profit margin: 4.5% (down from 12% in FY 2022). The decrease in margin was driven by lower revenue. EPS: US$0.085 (down from US$0.26 in FY 2022). All figures shown in the chart above are for the trailing 12 month (TTM) period Mandalay Resources shares are down 2.7% from a week ago. Risk Analysis Don't forget that there may still be risks. For instance, we've identified 2 warning signs for Mandalay Resources that you should be aware of. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. FILE PHOTO: French farmers of the Coordination Rural (CR) use their tractors during a go-slow operation on the Pont Mirabeau bridge with the Eiffel Tower in the background as they protest ahead of the opening of the Paris farm show, in Paris, France, Febr PARIS (Reuters) - Farmers prepared to protest on Saturday against President Emmanuel Macron's visit to a major Paris farm fair, amid anger over costs, red tape and green regulations. Dozens of tractors rolled into the French capital on Friday afternoon, loudly honking their horns. One tractor carried a sign reading: "Macron you're sowing the seeds for a storm - be careful of what you reap." Farmers have been protesting across Europe, calling for better income and less bureaucracy and complaining of unfair competition from cheap Ukrainian goods. The European Union in 2022 waived duties on Ukrainian food imports to support the country's economy following Russia's invasion. "Some farmers will try to stop the president (Macron) from entering the trade fair," Jean Lefevre, who is a member of FNSEA, France's largest farming union, told Reuters. "And if he does get in, they will disturb his walkabout." In another sign of how tense relations between farmers and the government still, Macron cancelled a debate he wanted to hold at the farm fair on Saturday with farmers, food processors and retailers, after farmers unions said they would not show up. The Paris farm show is a major event in France, attracting around 600,000 visitors over nine days. Farmers' protests, which have spread across Europe, come as the far right, for which farmers represent a growing constituency, is seen making gains in June's European Parliament elections. French farmers earlier this month largely suspended protests that included blocking highways and dumping manure in front of public buildings after Prime Minister Gabriel Attal promised new measures worth 400 million euros ($432.56 million). But protests resumed this week to put pressure on the government to provide more help and deliver on promises, ahead of the Paris farm show. "We're still not being heard by the government, the measures are not enough for us," farmer Hugo Gervais said. (Writing by Ingrid Melander; Editing by Leslie Adler) FILE PHOTO: A sign reading "Due to a strike, the Eiffel Tower is closed. We apoligize" hangs in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France, February 19, 2024. Picture taken through glass. REUTERS/Sarah Meyssonnier TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY/File Photo PARIS (Reuters) - A strike by staff at the Eiffel Tower has ended, the company that runs one of the most visited tourist sites in the world said in a statement on Saturday. The tower will reopen on Sunday, the Societe d'Exploitation de la Tour Eiffel (SETE), which is owned by Paris City Hall, added. Workers at the Eiffel Tower went on strike on Feb. 19 in protest over the way the Paris monument is managed. It came as Paris prepares to host the 2024 Summer Olympics, which begin on July 26 and will feature metal from the tower in the winners' medals. SETE and trade unions "reached an end-of-strike agreement stipulating that the parties will regularly review the company's business model, maintenance costs and sales through a body that will meet every six months", the company said. SETE said visitors who bought tickets between Feb. 19-24 will get refunds. Unions claim Paris City Hall, which owns 99% of SETE, is underestimating the cost of planned maintenance and repairs to the monument ahead of the Olympics. (Reporting by Lucien Libert and Mathieu Rosemain) (Reuters) -Ukrainian drones hit a major Russian steel factory overnight, causing a large fire, a Kyiv source said on Saturday, the second anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The governor of Russia's Lipetsk region identified the plant as one in the city of Lipetsk, some 400 km (250 miles) north of the Ukrainian border, that is responsible for about 18% of Russian steel output. He said a fire apparently caused by a drone strike had been extinguished at the plant, operated by Russian steelmaker Novolipetsk (NLMK), and there had been no casualties. "There is no significant impact on the plant's operations," he added on Saturday night. The Ukrainian source told Reuters the attack, a joint operation by GUR military intelligence and the SBU security service, had caused a major fire and staff had been evacuated. "Raw materials from this enterprise are used to manufacture Russian missiles, artillery, drones. Therefore, it is a legitimate goal for Ukraine," the source said, without specifying the location of the plant. Video posted on social media purporting to be from Lipetsk showed an explosion, with orange flames illuminating the nighttime sky. NLMK said on social media the fire had broken out at 1:40 a.m. (2240 GMT on Friday). The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The plant's production was suspended while an investigative team worked onsite, said a source familiar with the matter. The visible damage was not significant, the source added. The Lipetsk plant specialises in flat steel, making 80% of NLMK's steel products. Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian military and industrial targets have become increasingly common in recent months, notably hitting oil facilities that Kyiv says are vital to the Russian war effort, but Ukrainian sources had not previously claimed responsibility for an attack on a steel plant. NLMK said in October 2022 that its Russian operations were not capable of producing military-grade heavy steels and did not supply goods to the military, only rolled strip steel for general civilian use. Russian authorities said Ukrainian drones had been downed over the Lipetsk, Kursk and Tula regions overnight. (Reporting by Polina Devitt in London and Tom Balmforth in Kyiv; Writing by Felix Light and Filipp Lebedev; Editing by William Mallard, Kevin Liffey, Alex Richardson and Tomasz Janowski) DHAKA (Reuters) - Eight Rohingya refugees were injured on Saturday in a fire that broke out due to a gas leak at a camp on the remote Bhasan Char island on Saturday, police said. Eight refugees with partial burns due to the blaze, which erupted in a house within a cluster, were sent to a government hospital in Noakhali district, Bhasan Char police chief Kawsar Alam Bhuiyan said. He said five children were among the injured. Bangladesh has relocated around 32,000 people from border camps in the southeastern district of Cox's Bazar to Bhasan Char Island since late 2020. The move has faced opposition, especially from aid groups worried about a disaster in a country that regularly faces severe weather, especially along its coast. The government has dismissed safety concerns over the island, citing the building of flood defences as well as housing for 100,000 people, hospitals and cyclone centres. Nearly a million members of the Muslim minority from Myanmar live in crammed, bamboo-and-plastic camps in Cox's Bazar, most of them having fled a military crackdown in 2017. Fires often break out in the crowded camps with their makeshift structures. A massive blaze in March 2021 killed at least 15 refugees and destroyed more than 10,000 homes. Last year about 12,000 were left homeless after nearly 2,800 shelters and more than 90 facilities including hospitals and learning centres were destroyed in a fire. A panel that investigated the blaze called it a "planned act of sabotage". (Reporting by Ruma Paul; Editing by Sonali Paul) A screengrab from video footage obtained by Reuters shows a fighter from the BARS 9 volunteer force of the Russian military playing with a toy aircraft he found in an apartment in Balakliia, eastern Ukraine, September 7, 2022. Video obtained by REUTERS AT By Natalie Thomas, Maria Tsvetkova and Anton Zverev BALAKLIIA, Ukraine (Reuters) - When Russian forces withdrew from the town of Balakliia in eastern Ukraine in late 2022, pursued by Ukrainian troops and under artillery fire, they left a poorly equipped group of volunteers to guard their retreat. The force of around 50 men came from the National Army Combat Reserve - known by its Russian acronym BARS - a loose assembly of units totaling several thousand fighters that Russia's defense ministry has deployed in Ukraine to supplement its regular forces. About four hours of footage from a bodycam worn by one of the fighters, obtained by Reuters, provides a rare first-hand view of the combat operations of a BARS unit, according to three military experts who reviewed the video to provide an assessment for the news agency of the unit's military capability. The invasion of Ukraine marked the first time BARS, which was founded in 2015, deployed units in combat. The video, coupled with interviews with four platoon members, shows the BARS unit was left to defend Balakliia with no heavy weaponry or air support, malfunctioning communications, and confused coordination with the regular military. "Where is our air force?" asked one of the BARS fighters. His squad, tasked with defending a crossroads north of the town, was sharing a mess tin of cold meat stew during a break in Ukrainian shelling. The squad leader, Anton Kuznetsov, whose bodycam recorded the exchange, told the men that there must be a good reason there was no air support. "Do they understand that we're surrounded?" complained another soldier, off-camera. Contacted by Reuters, Kuznetsov said that he had made the bodycam video and had then misplaced the camera's memory card but he declined to comment on combat operations. The memory card was left behind in a rucksack after the retreat. Russia's defence ministry and the Kremlin did not respond to requests for comment about the video or the extent to which the military relies on the BARS irregulars. A deputy commander of the BARS 9 force that fought in Balakliia, contacted by Reuters, confirmed his position in the unit but declined to comment on its activities. The news agency could not independently determine how representative the conditions in the video were of the operations of the wider BARS force. Russia has made territorial gains along parts of the frontline in recent months. Ukraine, which replaced its military top brass in early February, has repeatedly said it needs more equipment and support from Western allies to prosecute the war. On at least two occasions, President Vladimir Putin has publicly praised the contribution of BARS to Russia's campaign. In a Feb. 21, 2023 annual address to parliament, he said BARS fighters were patriotic volunteers and thanked them for their service. As the war enters a third year, BARS is part of a patchwork of irregular forces that helps Russia avoid an unpopular general draft, the military experts said. Rod Thornton, associate professor at the Defence Studies Department of King's College London, estimated that BARS contributes between 10,000 and 30,000 men to a Russian force operating in or near Ukraine of about 200,000. Russia does not disclose the number of BARS fighters. In recent months, BARS units have been fighting in north-east Ukraine and in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, two of the most bitterly contested fronts, according to updates posted on social media by Dmitry Rogozin, the Moscow-appointed representative for Zaporizhzhia in the upper house of the Russian parliament, and a report from Russian state news agency RIA Novosti. BARS units were useful in plugging gaps in Russian manpower, said Nick Reynolds, Research Fellow in Land Warfare at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), a UK-based defence think tank. "With the Russian state clearly mobilizing for a longer conflict, a system such as BARS does provide an additional avenue from which to mobilize parts of the population, get them trained and provide additional mass," said Reynolds, who reviewed the bodycam footage. He said the group shown in the video appeared "not particularly professional or well trained." "WE'D BEEN FORGOTTEN" On Sept. 6, 2022, the core of the Russian force in Balakliia was withdrawing in the face of a major Ukrainian counter-offensive. Ukrainian forces have already taken the nearby settlements of Verbivka and Lagery. But the BARS fighters stayed behind. Kuznetsov, aged 29 and from Siberia, was one of the squad leaders of a BARS 9 platoon, in command of around a dozen men, the video showed. The commander of the BARS platoon inside Balakliia ordered Kuznetsov's squad to head to the crossroads and repel Ukrainian forces, the video showed. They knew they would be outgunned by the Ukrainians, conversations caught on camera showed. The heaviest weapons Kuznetsov's squad had at its disposal were machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades, and mortars. Two members of the BARS force were sent to find a spot with radio signal to contact a nearby artillery unit to get support, according to one of the four fighters who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity. After around 24 hours, they located an artillery unit, but they were already pulling back towards Russia, so could not help, the person said. "My first impression was that we'd been forgotten," he said. "It hit me very hard psychologically." TOY SOLDIERS On Sept 7, the last day recorded on the bodycam, Kuznetsov's squad were keeping watch from an apartment building overlooking the crossroads, as radio traffic reported Ukrainian forces approaching. While they waited, Kuznetsov and two of his men played with a toy plane and toy tank, pantomiming a soldier requesting air support. Soon after, a radio report came in saying five Ukrainian Humvees were spotted nearby. Kuznetsov tells his squad: "Right, men, let's get into the mood for a battle." The video footage ends as Kuznetsov heads downstairs into the street. Two of the fighters told Reuters they did engage the Ukrainian forces, but the Russians were outnumbered. After the retreat, BARS 9 temporarily disbanded, according to the same two fighters, though they said it has since been re-started. (Additional reporting by Kateryna Malofieieva, Polina Nikolskaya, Christian Lowe and Mari Saito; Editing by Daniel Flynn) Palestinians gather at the site of an Israeli strike on a house, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip February 24, 2024. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa By Dan Williams and Nidal al-Mughrabi JERUSALEM/CAIRO (Reuters) -Israeli leaders planned to convene on Saturday to hear of possible progress in mediated negotiations on a new Gaza truce to recover hostages held by Hamas, but Palestinians saw little change in polarised positions almost five months into the war. Israeli delegates met on Friday in Paris with Qatari, Egyptian and U.S. mediators who helped put together the lone ceasefire so far, in November, under which scores of Hamas' captives went free in return for a Palestinian prisoner release. Israeli National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi said the delegates, who flew back early on Saturday, would brief the war cabinet in an evening meeting after the Jewish Sabbath ends. Scheduling the briefing "shows that they feel they did not come back empty-handed," he told Israel's Channel 12 TV. "From the tone of what I have been hearing in recent hours, it will be possible to make progress." Hanegbi did not give further details, but appeared to nod when asked if progress could be made in time for the Muslim fast month of Ramadan, which begins on or around March 10. In past wars, Ramadan was seen as propitious for ceasefire efforts. There was no immediate comment from Qatari, Egyptian or U.S. officials. The hostage crisis has riveted Israelis reeling from the surprise Oct. 7 cross-border Hamas rampage in which 1,200 people were killed and 253 taken hostage, according to Israel's tally. On Saturday, thousands of people held a Tel Aviv vigil for the hostages, a short distance from an anti-government protest where police reported five arrests for disorderly conduct. Hamas has previously conditioned freeing the 130 hostages it still holds on Israel freeing thousands of jailed Palestinian militants and calling off the Gaza offensive, which medical officials in the enclave say has killed around 30,000 people. ENDGAME Israel has publicly balked at such a large-scale prisoner release and says any halt to fighting would be temporary as it intends to dismantle Hamas, an Islamist faction sworn to its destruction, by broadening the war to holdout areas of Gaza. A Palestinian official briefed on the talks said that the Israelis, in Paris, had been "vague" about their Gaza endgame. "While Israel is focusing on an attempt to turn any agreement into a prisoner-swap deal, Hamas insists that any agreement must based on an a commitment by the Israeli occupation to end the war and pull its forces from the Gaza Strip," the official, who asked not to be named, told Reuters. "This is the priority as far as Hamas is concerned. Another Palestinian official indicated that a hostage release as part of an exchange was not imminent, saying there had been "no discussion over the prisoners, neither in terms of categories or numbers". A source briefed on the talks, and who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity, said the Paris talks had produced a proposed truce "outline" that could eventually lead to a truce. Hanegbi told Channel 12 that among Israel's guiding principles for any truce deal is a stipulation that all hostages are released, beginning with the freeing of women and children and is "under no condition be interpreted as an end to the war". The Israeli military on Saturday published an infantry major's death in combat, bringing its total losses in Gaza fighting to 239. Israel says it has killed some 12,000 Hamas gunmen, effectively halving the faction's Gaza garrisons. Hamas says those figures as overblown. "We are in the midst of negotiations for the release of the hostages. I can't say what it will lead to. There are those who are addressing it. We are dealing with combat," Israeli military chief Lieutenant-General Herzi Halevi told troops in a briefing. (Writing by Dan Williams; Editing by David Holmes and Louise Heavens) (Peter Jaeger/Stars and Stripes) Bad Kreuznach, Germany, Oct. 9, 1998: The 4th Battalion, 27th Field Artillery Regiment from Baumholder fires a salute of honor during the start of the welcome home ceremony for the 1st Armored Division at Rose Barracks. The ceremony marked the return of the last of the nearly 3,000 soldiers of the 1st Armored Division after a yearlong mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Looking for Stars and Stripes coverage of your deployments in the 1990s? Subscribe to Stars and Stripes historic newspaper archive! We have digitized our 1948-1999 European and Pacific editions, as well as several of our WWII editions and made them available online through https://starsandstripes.newspaperarchive.com/ Czech Republic's President Petr Pavel speaks during a briefing on Dec. 20, 2023, at the Elysee Palace in Paris. (Christophe Ena, Pool) The Czech Republic is seeking to organize a group of countries to help finance ammunition deliveries to Ukraine that Kyiv needs to repel Russias invasion. The initiative first surfaced over the weekend when President Petr Pavel said that Prague had identified as much as 800,000 rounds of ammunition - more than half of which are 155 millimeter shells - in countries outside the European Union, and that it can mediate shipments providing other nations cover the bill. The Defense Ministry in Prague said on Friday its coordinating the efforts and secured preliminary commitments from Canada and Denmark, as well as other countries that didnt wish to be identified. Ukraine is looking increasingly outgunned on the battlefield as the war approaches its second-year mark. Political wrangling in Congress has held up for months more than $60 billion in US assistance to Kyiv. The European Union is also struggling to make good on a plan to deliver 1 million shells to Ukraine while also having their disagreements over a 5 billion ($5.4 billion) military assistance fund designed to reimburse member states for sourcing new weapon supplies to Kyiv. The amount needed for the Czech deal is $1.5 billion, the Financial Times reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the discussions. Officials in Prague said they cant specify the details of the financing or the origin of the ammunition. Nvidia's stock rally crushed short sellers after its blowout earnings report. Noah Berger Short sellers lost $2.9 billion as Nvidia's stock spiked 16% on strong earnings. Data from S3 Partners shows $18.3 billion of short interest in Nvidia stock. Nvidia is up nearly 70% year to date and hit a milestone market cap of $2 trillion on Thursday. Nvidia shorts lost big this week. According to data from S3 Partners, investors betting on a decline in Nvidia's share price suffered roughly $2.9 billion in paper losses on Thursday when the stock ended the day 16% higher following the chip-maker's huge earnings beat the evening before. Shares were up again on Friday, rising as much as 4%, though that gain had been pared to less than 1% by mid-morning. Nvidia remains the largest short in the semiconductor sector, S3 said, with $18.3 billion of short interest. It's the third-largest US short behind Microsoft and Apple, which have $20.17 billion and $18.72 billion in short interest, respectively. Tesla is behind Nvidia with a $17.01 billion short interest. Short sellers in semiconductors have fared the worst across any sector this year, S3 said, though short interest in the sector has increased by $1.9 billion to $59.5 billion total over the last 30 days. "The possibility of a delay in Federal Reserve interest-rate easing coupled with the hope of a pullback of stock prices in an overheated sector powered by high AI expectations made shorting the semiconductor sector both a market hedge and an outright Alpha play," S3 analysts wrote in a note. Nvidia has dominated the stock market over the last year, emerging as the leader of the Magnificent Seven and a darling of the artificial-intelligence hype. Goldman Sachs this week called the company "the most important stock in the world," and Wedbush's Dan Ives has dubbed chief executive Jensen Huang as "the godfather of AI" and has described Nvidia as a company at the cusp of an economic boom. "[T]his is a 1995 Moment as now the AI Revolution and $1 trillion of incremental spending over the next decade is hitting the software ecosystem and rest of tech sector," Ives wrote in a Friday note to clients. "Nvidia and the golden GPUs are the start of the spending wave." On Friday, Nvidia's market capitalization breached $2 trillion for the first time ever, and its stock, up nearly 70% year-to-date, hovering at $809 a share before noon in New York. Read the original article on Business Insider Marines from Portugal, England and the United States conduct a coordinated beach assault in Troia, Portugal, on Nov. 5, 2015, in front of a crowd of high ranking military generals, political and defense officials from a wide range of NATO countries. (Chad McMeen/U.S. Marine Corps) European Union finance chiefs are trying to figure out how to fund increased spending needs for defense as the war in Ukraine is about to enter its third year. We need to see how we can use the EIB to finance the challenges that we have in Europe, Belgian Finance Minister Vincent Van Peteghem told reporters on Friday. Speaking at the start of a two-day meeting with EU counterparts in Ghent, he said that the green transition is of course one, digital transition is of course one, strategic autonomy and competitiveness is an important one. But in the current global situation defense and security issues is as well an important one, he said. So we need to look there at what our opportunities and possibilities are. The EU is looking to jump-start its defense industry after years of underspending following the Cold War. While some officials have suggested joint borrowing could be used for this, tapping the European Investment Bank has also been proposed. Joint bonds Speaking with Bloomberg Television, Spanish Economy Minister Carlos Cuerpo said common fiscal instruments should be used to improve Europes competitiveness as well as to ramp up security. There is an important element when we talk about defense, which is the EU defense industry and of course fostering European defense, Cuerpo said. There is not only the element of common issuance but also the use of EU institutions to finance these projects. That suggestion was rejected by German Finance Minister Christian Lindner, who said he doesnt see the need for such a move. Paschal Donohoe, who heads meetings of euro-area finance ministers, acknowledged that funding for defense will be carried out by individual EU governments for now. What is happening at the moment is that countries at a national level are making stronger and larger contributions to their own defense and to the defense of Europe, he said. Other options will be looked at regarding how we can deepen the security of the EU, but for now, its going to continue to be all of the efforts that member states are taking at a national level. The defense industry is facing difficulties accessing private finance due to restrictive ESG rules and the EU taxonomy, some member states have warned. The Czech Republic proposed expanding the green taxonomy to cover social criteria in order to include the defence industry or to introduce financial instruments which reduce the risks banks face by lending to the sector. Theyre seeking reassurance from the Commission and the EIB that financing defense wouldnt impact ESG reporting, according to a proposal seen by Bloomberg. The idea for a social taxonomy had been shelved by the current commission over concerns that it would be too complicated and divisive to implement. EIB support The EIB stepping in may also be difficult as it has previously said it wont cave in to pressure to invest in defense and a key advisory group to the blocs executive, the Platform for Sustainable Finance, has recommended against including defense assets in the EUs social taxonomy. Investors might also reject a changed EIB investment profile, with Austrian Finance Minister Magnus Brunner highlighting the threat to the EU lenders credit rating. I am very skeptical, I think it wouldnt be a good approach to change the EIBs remit, he said. I understand the need of defense investments, but this doesnt make sense at the EIB. I think the rating and the prestige of the EIB would suffer, so Im very skeptical. Germanys finance ministry has also said that the EIBs AAA rating is a priority, though Lindner on Friday said that an expanded approach for the Luxembourg-based lender makes sense. The German government strongly backs that the EIB in future also facilitates financing in the areas of defense, armament and security, he said. The idea that it might not be socially adequate or desirable to invest in armaments is from a different era. From left: Vadym Burei, 44, call sign Vasylovich, in Donbas, Ukraine, on Feb. 4, 2024; Taras, 24, call sign Stoyik, in Kyiv on Jan. 28.; and Oleksandra Ryazantseva, 40, call sign Yalta, in Zhytomyr, Ukraine, on Jan. 27. (Wojciech Grzedzinski for The Washington Post) On Feb. 24, 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the Russian military to invade Ukraine, setting off the largest land war in Europe since World War II. Thousands of Ukrainians with no military experience committed to fight that day, fearing that their survival - and their countrys existence - depended on it. Two years later, many are still fighting. Some have lost limbs. Many have barely seen their families. For everyone, their hopes and dreams for the future have shifted as a war that most expected to end quickly could drag on for years. They long for a return to their civilian lives. Here are the stories of three Ukrainians who enlisted on Feb. 24, 2022, after two years on the battlefield. Vadym Burei, 44, call sign Vasylovich Burei cannot take a step without a reminder of what he has lost while fighting. In September 2022, while driving infantry and fresh supplies to the front line near the besieged Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, Bureis car was hit with an antitank missile. Burei in Donbas, Ukraine, on Feb. 4, 2024. (Wojciech Grzedzinski for The Washington Post) He was lucky, he said recently, because the missile didnt detonate. It caused a catastrophic crash but did not immediately incinerate everyone inside. And the person with him knew how to quickly apply tourniquets to Bureis legs. Still, when Burei came to, he was a double amputee, his legs ending at the knee. If I had at least one leg, I wouldnt have been bothered at all, Burei said with a shrug. And I understood perfectly well that I would still get back on my feet within some time. Hes one of thousands of Ukrainians who have lost limbs in the war. What came next was purgatory, Burei said. He was shuttled from hospital to hospital around Ukraine. Eventually, he traveled to the United States to be fitted with a prosthesis and begin rehabilitation. His desire to start walking again was stronger than what his body could handle at times. Sometimes his stitches would bleed. Sometimes the prostheses were a bad fit - or just broke. He never used to be afraid of walking on snow or ice, but now he second-guesses every move to avoid falling. Showers that used to be simple pleasures became exhausting because he needed to take a chair with him every time. I mean, there are some inconveniences, but life doesnt end there, does it? No, it doesnt, Burei said. Yes, it is uncomfortable. Yes, it hurts. Yes, it is not yours. Well, what can you do? What is the way out? Burei has remained deployed in eastern Ukraine with the 58th Motorized Brigade despite being able to claim that hes unfit for military service. He pleaded with the brigades leadership to stay in some capacity and works as an administrative clerk in a rear base away from the units forward-most positions. Before he signed up to fight on the first day of the war, Burei had a plan. He had been careful with his finances to provide for his family - a wife and three children. His days started with coffee at 7 a.m. before taking the kids to school. His youngest child, a girl, was just 3 when he enlisted. He has lost time watching her grow up, too. Another thing he cannot get back. Everything was just fine, Burei said. And now its been turned around. You already understand that it will not return to its original state - well, to the prewar state. Oleksandra Ryazantseva, 40, call sign Yalta Ryazantseva was the kind of girl who loved heels. She drove a pink car. She was one of the top stylists in Ukraine, with her own wardrobe studio for movie casts. Ryazantseva in Zhytomyr, Ukraine, on Jan. 27, 2024. (Wojciech Grzedzinski for The Washington Post) But over the past two years, she has forgotten how to wear makeup. The clothes she loved no longer suit her. She has turned to an all-camouflage uniform. Ive been a stylist for 15 years and now I cant match, Ryazantseva said. I have 33 shades of green - both pixel and multicam. She considered becoming a soldier long before the morning she woke up to the sound of Russian missiles exploding in Kyiv. Shes from Crimea, which Russia invaded and annexed illegally in 2014. Her father was in the military, serving with Soviet forces in Afghanistan. I realized, well, thats it, she said. I mean, youre not going out like that again, on a date or something. So, on the 24th, when it was already daylight, I went to the military enlistment office. She was handed a gun she didnt know how to use and deployed to Hostomel, where Russian paratroopers descended on the airfield from waves of helicopters. Her teeth chattered as she cowered behind an armored personnel carrier. She and the Ukrainian troops she had just met were caught in an ambush. They say, Look, little one, let us probably send you back, Ryazantseva said. Women remain an overwhelming minority in the Ukrainian military and struggle to be trusted with front-line duty, often serving roles in the rear or as medics. After two weeks helping patrol downtown Kyiv when the capital was still under threat, Ryazantseva was invited to join a territorial defense force brigade - how most Ukrainians without prior experience eager to fight were mobilized in the wars first days. She said she killed for the first time days after that: She shot a Russian soldier in the Kyiv suburb of Irpin. I was so nauseous then, she said. She was later deployed to the Belarusian border on a reconnaissance mission, wearing adult diapers while lying down in the swamps because raising her head too much could mean revealing her location. Ryazantsevas military life now feels more familiar than her civilian past. But it has come at a heavy personal sacrifice. Ryazantseva wanted a child - a silent and naughty little girl she would name Matilda, she said. But dating and relationships are out of the question because she cannot commit to a future. I think Im going to die soon, Ryazantseva said recently. Well, to fall in battle. But Im not afraid of death at all. Taras, 24, call sign Stoyik Taras was convinced there would not be war with Russia - and said so to anyone who would listen. The military was never part of his plan. He was an academic, working on his masters degree and planning to continue research that no one actually needed on philosophical issues, he said with a laugh. Taras in Kyiv on Jan. 28, 2024 (Wojciech Grzedzinski for The Washington Post) He was just 22 - the sort of educated young man that was Ukraines future. Much of his generation has now been sacrificed to the war effort. On Feb. 24, 2022, before Taras volunteered to fight, he went to a cathedral in downtown Kyiv to pray. At that moment, a rocket hit somewhere, said Taras, whom The Washington Post agreed to identify by just his first name and call sign for security reasons. I heard it and saw this smoke. And I kind of just said a few more words so that the Lord - I asked the Lord to save us, or the defenders of Kyiv. Tarass faith has been just about the only constant in his life since then. He and his comrades in the Bratstvo Battalion, which focuses on sabotage missions against Russian forces, pray together before every operation. There were some that he thought would be his last. And then there are the memories that sting worse than the moments when he thought he might die - the deaths of friends and brothers in arms. You live these things in a kind of vacuum, Taras said. Because it seems to me that if I perceived all these things and losses in the same way as in civilian life - the loss of a loved one, of course, is a tragedy, you grieve for a long time and so on. But here, all events are forced and accelerated a little bit. And if you were to go through all these things with the same usual approach, you could really go crazy. A dear friend of his died in the southeastern Zaporizhzhia region in July, during Ukraines failed counteroffensive. The man had planned to propose to his girlfriend the next day, Taras said. But then he was asked to help with an assault. Taras, a reconnaissance drone pilot, spent the next four nights monitoring his friends dead body with other soldiers - one of them always hovering overhead with a drone to make sure the corpse didnt move and could eventually be recovered. Theres this feeling of screaming helplessness, you cant do anything, and your friend is lying there dead literally very close to you, he said. You cant go and pick him up or comfort him. And his girlfriend calls, she is broken. The weight of that experience and others has made it difficult for Taras to relate to his loved ones everyday problems. His ambitions for a career as a teacher are gone, too. He may never finish that masters now, he said. He cannot picture spending so much time in a library after the adrenaline rush of battle. He imagines a postwar Ukraine with many veterans struggling to adapt back to civilian life and haunted by what they experienced in combat. But that is still so far away, he said, that he does not envision it as a possibility for himself yet. Perhaps with sadness for some of the adventures, but I will return calmly and plan to return to civilian life, he said. God willing. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrives for a meeting in Jerusalem on Feb. 5, 2024. (Gil Cohen-Magen/Pool via AP) JERUSALEM - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a proposal early Friday for Israels indefinite military control of Gaza, repeating stances he has made before but still surprising the public by putting it all in writing as a concrete postwar plan. For months, Netanyahu has placed two topics largely off-limits in public questioning: What responsibility does he bear for security lapses leading to the deadly Oct. 7 Hamas attacks, and who will govern the enclave when the fighting is over? On the first question, Netanyahu continues to deflect. But he has finally spoken on the second with a one-page proposal presented to his security cabinet Thursday night and released publicly after midnight. The outline is meant as a starting point for further discussions, his office said. The debut of a plan that had been considered off-limits to public discussion came as a surprise to many in the government, according to an Israeli official close to the discussions. The new policy followed a meeting Thursday with White House envoy Brett McGurk and came as momentum appeared to be building in Paris-based talks toward a possible cease-fire and hostage-release deal with Hamas. This was synchronized with the Americans, said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to talk about internal discussions. The U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem did not respond to a request for comment. Netanyahus number one goal is buying time, said Gideon Rahat, a senior fellow at the Israel Democracy Institute and chair of Hebrew Universitys political science department. He bought as much time as he could on this in the face of pressure from Joe Biden. The proposal outlined by Netanyahu largely reflects what he has said in public. Among its key points: Israels military will stay in Gaza as long as it takes to demilitarize the enclave, eliminate Hamas and keep it from regrouping. Israel will assume greater control of Gazas southern border, in cooperation with Egypt as much as possible, and will carve out border buffer zones to prevent smuggling and further attacks. Egypt has rejected any Israeli role on its border with Gaza. The United Nations primary aid agency in Gaza and the West Bank, UNRWA, which Israel accuses of complicity with Hamas and fostering hatred of Jews, would be disbanded and replaced. The proposal rejects any permanent agreement with the Palestinians that is not achieved through direct negotiations with Israel, as well as any unilateral Palestinian state. The Palestinian Authority, in the West Bank city of Ramallah, said the outline was a nonstarter. The plans proposed by Netanyahu are aimed at continuing Israels occupation of the Palestinian territories and preventing the establishment of a Palestinian state, said Nabil Abu Rudeina, a spokesman for Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. Israel will not succeed in its attempts to change the geographical and demographic reality in the Gaza Strip. Critics in Israel also dismissed the outline as a compendium of ideas that have already been rejected by the international community and Israels most important backers. The points will be welcomed by Netanyahus conservative base but do little to advance strategic considerations about postwar Gaza, said Chuck Freilich, a former deputy head of Israels National Security Council and a senior fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv. This is just a presentation of Israels maximalist positions, Freilich said. The pressure was building on him to come up with something, so he came out with this document and slapped day after on the top. But if the goals were in line with Netanyahus rhetoric, political observers said the proposal was notable for breaking the official silence on the topic. And it did not call for the reestablishment of Israeli settlements inside Gaza, as some of Netanyahus coalition partners have demanded. Nor, as many Israeli political observers noted, did it slam the door on Palestinian Authority officials playing a role in Gaza, as Netanyahu has repeatedly done in the past. Instead, the outline describes a civil service staffed by local entities with managerial experience, without defining who that might be. Anyone with ties to terrorist groups or countries supporting terrorism - a possible reference to Qatar and Iran - would be barred. Senior Israelis have previously pushed the idea of unaffiliated clan leaders taking charge of many government functions, which critics dismiss as an unworkable alliance with inexperienced locals who would be seen as Israeli proxies. Not explicitly rejecting (or even mentioning) the Palestinian Authority, which governs in the West Bank, at least avoids another public break with the Biden administration, which has pushed the idea of a revitalized authority as the best place to look for stable, long-term administrators for Gaza. Its vague enough to enable him to control his coalition on the one hand and to give a hint to Biden and others that there might be some type of Palestinian Authority role when it doesnt come to security issues, Rahat said. But Palestinians saw the documents silence as an insult. The Palestinian Authority is simply ignored, rendering it as if it doesnt exist, political analyst Mustafa Ibrahim told The Washington Post in a phone interview from Rafah, in southern Gaza, where he is sheltering with his family. What Netanyahus plan presents is a vision solely centered around Israel and its interests, with no regard for the humanity or rights of Palestinians. Hazem Balousha in Amman, Jordan, and Itay Stern in Tel Aviv contributed to this report. Key military and local community leaders gathered to unveil a new 22 mph speed limit sign in Port Royal, S.C., Feb. 23, 2024. The sign aims to bring awareness to veteran mental health issues and the resources available to those in the community. (Dakota Dodd/U.S. Marine Corps) PORT ROYAL, S.C. (Tribune News Service) When a town gathers to cut a ceremonial ribbon, its usually to celebrate a new business, the completion of new road or some other community victory. But when members of the Port Royal Town Council, local military leaders and a veterans group met in front of the Elementary School Friday, it was not to salute an accomplishment. It was a step in writing a wrong that has been going on for many years. The leaders unveiled a single new speed limit sign that brings attention to a national tragedy: Veterans who become suicide victims after putting their lives on the line for the country. But town officials and a veterans group hope an unusual number for a speed limit sign 22 mph will raises awareness about the loss of these veterans and spark conversations about and solutions for the problem. The 22 was chosen because it is the figure that is often cited as the number of veterans who die by suicide each day in the United States. Directly below the new speed limit sign is this statement: 22 veteran suicides per day is 22 too many. This isnt something to really celebrate, Mayor Kevin Phillips said of the unusual situation. Several 22 mph speed limit signs are now being erected along Paris Avenue and the first was unveiled to the public Friday. They will replace 25 mph signs. The problem of veteran suicide prompted the Port Royal chapter of AMVETS, a nationwide nonprofit that serves veterans, to ask the town last year if it would consider the 22 mph speed limit signs. Phillips, noting the towns deep military roots, said the signs are a small gesture. Janice Shelton, who heads the Port Royal AMVETS group, hopes the unusual signs will lead residents and motorists who spot the 22 mph speed limit signs to ask questions about what that 22 means. Its about getting the community aware, Shelton said. Shelton and John Norman, a member of AMVETS, came up with the idea, then Shelton wrote a letter to then Mayor Joe DeVito. Im glad the letter worked, Shelton said. Shelton and Norman were on hand when town council members and community members including two representatives from Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort and Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island slipped a plastic hood off the first 22 mph sign. Afterward, a smiling Norman shook hands with Col. Mark Bortnem, the commanding officer of the Air Station. He said he was ecstatic about the speed limit signs that carry a bigger message. Theres a lot of people Ive lost, said Norman, an Army veteran. The country, said Bortnem, is losing veterans at an alarming rate and the Air Station supports any effort it can to bring attention to the issue. He noted that the military community in the Port Royal-Beaufort area is as significant as any in the nation. During World War II alone, he said, 250,000 recruits went through Parris Island. His own children went to school at Port Royal Elementary, which served as a backdrop to the unveiling of the new sign. Sgt. Major Joshua Toles of the support battalion at Parris Island said military members face significant stressful experiences including combat and long separations from their families that can have life-long impacts. Protecting mental health, he said, is vital to them and the readiness of the nations military. The 22 mph signs, he added, are visual reminders to veterans and civilians to take advantage of mental health resources. Thank you for your recognition, Toles said. In 2021, there were, on average, 17.5 suicides per day among veterans nationwide, according to a 2023 suicide prevention report by Veterans Administration. It was the leading cause of death among veterans under 45. Some studies say the suicide rate for veterans is much higher. Research, Duke University report says, shows suicide rates are 52.3% higher among veterans than those who never served in the military. Roy Brown Jr. of Operation Patriots Forward Operating Base, a Lowcountry-based organization dedicated to supporting first responders and military veterans, asked people in the crowd to raise their hand if the new a veteran who had killed themselves. Several went up. Its unacceptable, Brown said. (c)2024 The Island Packet (Hilton Head, S.C.) Visit The Island Packet Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. President and founder of Delta Veterans Group, J.R. Wilson touches the display case of an American flag at The Antioch Historical Museum on Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2024, in Antioch, Calif. The flag was given to the museum by veteran Michael Thomas Greenawalt, who claimed he was one of the last service members to leave Vietnam and donated the flag he carried out. An investigation into Greenawalts military records show that he served as an army clerk in Germany and was not stationed in Vietnam. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group) ANTIOCH (Tribune News Service) A U.S. flag neatly folded and encased in the military room of this citys museum ended up there because, as the story went, it was draped around an Army soldier as he climbed on a helicopter from atop the U.S. Embassy in Saigon. He was among the last American troops to leave Vietnam, he said, and brought the flag that kept him company during combat home with him. The precious possession was later presented with great fanfare to the Antioch Historical Society during a Vietnam Veterans Appreciation barbecue fundraiser nine years ago, on the cusp of the 40th anniversary of the fall of Saigon. We were so excited about it at the time. It seemed like a really good deal, recalled Laura Jacques, a longtime volunteer and past president of the Antioch Historical Society. But the flag will now be removed from the wing of the museum where other decorated Antioch soldiers keepsakes are on display after records show it was probably never in Vietnam and neither was the man who claimed to carry it. Military records obtained by this newspaper show the flag-bearing former U.S. Army sergeant, Michael Thomas Greenawalt, was in fact stationed in Germany, working as a desk clerk during the Vietnam War. While the records from the National Archives and Records Administration do not show the complete personnel file on his service from 1972 to 1985, not up for debate are historical records that say the U.S. Marines not Army troops were the last combat soldiers to evacuate the embassy by helicopter on April 30, 1975. Greenawalt did not return calls or emails for comment. The longtime Antioch resident moved to a nearby county several years ago, available public records show. But veterans and local historians who remember the lead up to the April 2015 barbecue fundraiser which was documented by this news organization at the time are now feeling a mixture of emotions over the new revelations. Former museum volunteer and veteran Bill Fraga remembers being caught off-guard by the donation at the time, but the board was later excited to get it. Greenawalt, then-commander of the Antioch American Legion post, approached Fraga during a barbecue planning meeting just days before the event offering his prized memento, he said. He told a story that he had the flag around his neck when he left and got out of there, Fraga recalled. It was one of the last flags (to leave Vietnam). Fraga didnt think to question it, given Greenawalts status with the local American Legion. During the event, Greenawalt retold the tale of leaving the U.S. Embassys rooftop with the flag around his neck the same one he had carried with him during his entire stay in Vietnam, he said. Its one that I had with me that I brought from home. I had the flag with me in the country the whole time, he was quoted as saying in an East Bay Times article. When a reporter asked him why he decided to donate it, he said: It just seemed right at the time and I did it. Greenawalt, who joined the service while living in Riverside, told those assembled at the 2015 veterans barbecue that he had served in a special unit, part of the Army Special Forces from 1972 to 1975. But a tipster raised questions about Greenawalts service, which led to this newspapers review of his records. I feel like he played everybody there that day, said Fraga, an Army veteran who did not serve in Vietnam. If I had been a combat veteran, I would have been really upset, and as it is, Im upset because he did that. Getting this respect for something you didnt do just aint right, Fraga added. J.R. Wilson, founder of the Delta Veterans Group, whose group benefited from the fundraiser barbecue, remembers being surprised by the late-minute flag donation and later questioning Greenawalts war story. Wilson said in an interview he didnt raise the issue then and never spoke again with Greenawalt, who moved out of the area shortly thereafter. Wilson finds it upsetting to think about the stars and badges on the American Legion honor guard uniform Greenawalt wore back then. They signified a senior jumpmaster with two gold stars during combat, an infantry combat badge and pathfinder torch badge symbolizing flight and airborne capabilities and a Vietnam campaign ribbon, among other badges. He added that nearly half of Greenawalts uniform badges seen in photos from a past newspaper article appeared to be unearned. As commander of Antioch VFW Post 4551, Wilson is tasked with examining such records regularly, and said that to wear an infantry combat badge, Greenawalts records would have to show he earned an Eleven Bravo, a military occupation skill designation given to those trained as infantry soldiers. A clerk is not an infantryman, nor does he get combat infantry badges, he said. Its pretty sad that someone would want to impersonate a hero. Even so, Wilson said Greenawalt has the right to prove people wrong by submitting a DD-214 (military discharge papers), though that could lead to more questions. Autrey James, past commander of Antiochs American Legion who took office just after Greenawalt vacated it, didnt recall the flag story but did remember Greenawalts mention of serving in Vietnam. To be a member of the American Legion, you only need to serve one day of active duty, he said. If I had heard that (flag) story, I would have challenged him on that, James said. The Antioch museum plans to remove the flag. I guess well have to look into things a little more before we display them. Well have to do some more research, Jacques said. Usually, we have some connection and know that things are on the up and up. 2024 MediaNews Group, Inc. Visit at mercurynews.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. FreightWaves interviews ODeX on digital documentation survey results. (Photo: Jim Allen/FreightWaves) The maritime industry is rapidly evolving due to technological advances and demand for efficient logistics, all crucial for global trade growth. Recently, documentation and fintech platform ODeX conducted a survey to assess the maritime industrys views on digital documentation in ocean freight shipping. The survey aimed to understand challenges and adoption rates in digital platforms, as well as leadership attitudes on the subject. I was shocked when I started looking into these problems, ODeX founder and CEO Liji Nowal told FreightWaves at the Manifest conference in Las Vegas. Most companies are already using Gmail and other simple technologies. Yet, here are these carriers and freight forwarders making six, seven copies of documents and printing them off. As a founder who had held multiple professional positions prior, she found it funny that the industry was not only working with such mundane procedures, but that forwarders had to hunt down invoices for months just to keep the books straight. Survey results Nowal is optimistic for a more digital future in global trade and the survey gave insight into the cause behind the slowness of change. The survey found that 50% of operational problems in global trade are documentation-related. The documentation may be inaccurate or incomplete and it impacts two parties. One, the forwarder is not able to provide the delivery service, and two the cargo owner may have millions of dollars of product just sitting around somewhere, leaving them vulnerable, she explained. Among other results: About 30% of respondents highlighted issues like blank sailings and rollovers as logistical challenges. A fifth of respondents noted delays and issues at customs and regulatory compliance as problems as well. Again, Nowal noted that those issues could be avoided with shipment data being shared electronically, while also giving shippers, forwarders and carriers time during transit to remit any missed information instead of waiting for shipments to reach the bottlenecks throughout transit. Story continues Yet, with many different actors involved in global trade, what will get the community to switch from traditional methods of information sharing? Nowal and ODeXs study points to two issues: not realizing solutions are available and fear of implementing the technology appropriately and safely. When we looked at the study, it says that 40% of people have not used any digital tools or dont want to use them due to concerns with data security. Although the one thing that stood out for me is the 30% of people who were not even aware of digital tools being available to fix these problems, she said. Nowal said more awareness should fix that. The topic doesnt make mainstream media. It doesnt sound fancy, but people agree it gets things done, she said. According to the companys survey, 70% of respondents understand that everyone in the global shipping ecosystem must play a part in implementing digital documentation platforms. Nowal noted that many of the respondents has already implemented digital, real-time payment solutions and now she believes its time to consider implementing digital documents and marrying the two technologies. I feel its a criminal waste of resources to not be considering both since the economy is import-driven. This economy is completely sustained by trade. If we, as a tech community, do not have these conversations with stakeholders, it is going to be very difficult to see the amount of adoption that needs to take place. In October, ODeX took its first steps into digitizing U.S. markets as Hapag-Llyod announced it had implemented the technology for its payment reconciliation processes. ODeXs solution was already being used by Hapag-Lloyd customers in Asia, the Middle East and Africa. We are excited to go live with ODeX and anticipate substantial benefits for our customers as we further optimize and streamline our processes, said Stuart Sandlin, Hapag-Lloyds president of region North America, in the release. Articles by Grace Sharkey Vizion partners with Dun & Bradstreet on risk management offering FreightTech experts: 2024 is the year for laggards to catch up Navigating the brokerage landscape in 2024 The post ODeX survey spots barriers to digital documentation adoption in global trade appeared first on FreightWaves. The Balochistan Assemblys session for the oath-taking of the newly elected MPAs has been summoned on Wednesday (February 28). As per details, Governor Balochistan Abdul Wali Kakar has formally issued a notification calling for the assembly meeting. The Balochistan Assembly session will commence at 3 pm, on February 28 for the swearing-in ceremony of the newly elected members. Speaker Balochistan Assembly Jan Jamali will administer the oath to the elected representatives, marking their official induction into the legislative body. It is pertinent to mention here that the JUI-F emerged as the joint single-largest party with the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) in Balochistan after the elections. Out of 51 general seats of the Balochistan Assembly, the JUI-F and the PPP secured 11 seats each in the 8th February General Elections. The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) bagged also bagged 10 seats. After the joining of some independent candidates, the PPP and the PML-N managed to surpass the JUI-F in the Balochistan Assembly. However, the PML-N refused to form a coalition government with JJUI-F in Balochistan, with the former ready to share power with Pakistan Peoples People (PPP) in the province too. Both the forces actively participated in the training which involved Combined Battle PT, Small Scale Operations, Room Clearance, Close Marksmanship and Firing and Repelling. Cobra helicopters also participated in these exercises. The objective of these joint military exercises between both countries was to enhance their military capabilities and exchange expertise. The participation of Pakistani and Saudi forces was marked by high enthusiasm, training sessions, and exceptional dedication. During these joint exercises, the determination and professional skills of the personnel were showcased. Various practical wisdom and drills were conducted, including Combined Battle PT, Small Scale Operations, Room Clearance, Close Marksman Ship, Firing, and Rappelling. The use of Cobra helicopters during these exercises created a war-like environment, infusing new vigor into training sessions. These training exercises provided a unique opportunity for the Pakistan Army and the Royal Saudi Land Forces to enhance their strengths, exchange expertise, and improve their military capabilities. Special emphasis was placed on helicopter training sessions aimed at promoting essential skills to effectively combat terrorism. These specialized training sessions will significantly enhance both armies' capabilities in countering terrorism threats and promoting peace and stability. The joint military training between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia is a testament to the strong bonds of friendship and cooperation between the two countries. The collaboration between the Pakistan Army and the Royal Saudi Land Forces is a significant step forward in strengthening defense cooperation between both nations. Zachary Purcell (34) was addicted to drugs at the time of the offence, a court heard. A burglar who stole several 12-packs of beer from the backyard of a convenience store has been jailed for four months. Zachary Purcell (34) was addicted to drugs at the time of the offence, a court heard. Judge Monica Leech sentenced him after hearing he had more than 190 previous criminal convictions. Purcell, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty. Dublin District Court heard the accused got into the backyard at Centra on Sean McDermott Street in Dublins north inner city at 3.30am on July 12, 2021. He opened a container with beer and took seven 12-packs of Budweiser, worth 133. He left with the beer, none of which was recovered. Purcell was later identified on CCTV footage and was arrested and charged. He had 191 previous convictions for offences including burglary and theft. Purcell was already in prison serving another sentence when he appeared in court on the latest charge. The accused had a serious addiction problem at the time of the offence but had done extremely well while in custody, his solicitor John Quinn said. Purcell had been off drugs for almost a year now and was not taking methadone, he said. Judge Leech said the four-month sentence was to start from the date of conviction. Procuratorial authorities have intensified efforts to crack down on cybercrimes, especially those infringing on minors' rights, as such crimes have proliferated in recent years, prosecutors from the Supreme People's Procuratorate said on Friday. According to the SPP, crimes such as online fraud, cyber violence and infringement of citizens' personal information have been escalating and evolving. From January to November, procuratorates filed charges against 280,000 individuals involved in cybercrimes, marking a 35.5 percent increase year-on-year and accounting for 18.8 percent of criminal offenses, the top procuratorate said. Ge Xiaoyan, deputy prosecutor-general of the SPP, said that telecom fraud has significantly increased, with charges related to such crimes having risen 63.5 percent year-on-year. Meanwhile, criminal activities providing assistance such as personnel, information, technology and funds for telecom fraud have continued to rise. New types of cybercrimes using gimmicks such as the Metaverse, blockchain and binary options platforms continue to emerge, with virtual currencies becoming breeding grounds for cybercrimes, she said. She noted that traditional crimes such as gambling, theft, pyramid schemes and counterfeiting have also extended into cyberspace. From January to November, charges related to theft committed through the internet increased by 22.7 percent, while charges related to online counterfeiting and sales of inferior goods surged by 85.7 percent. "Criminals illegally obtain company-stored data through illegal methods, and instances of insider employees at network companies illegally accessing and selling company data are not uncommon," she said. In terms of personal information protection, Zhou Huiyong, deputy head of the SPP's first procuratorial office, said that procuratorates have intensified the punishment for such crimes, emphasizing comprehensive crackdowns from the source of theft to the end sales, and strengthening protection of citizens' personal information, including finances, biometrics, tracking, and health and physiological data. "Focusing on issues of insiders leaking citizens' personal information in industries such as finance, telecommunications, real estate, hotels and labor intermediaries, procuratorates also promote source governance through the issuance of procuratorial recommendations," he said. From January to November, over 7,300 individuals involved in the infringement of citizens' personal information were prosecuted. In addition, they also handled over 6,700 public interest litigation cases related to infringements of numerous citizens' personal information, failure of relevant entities to implement obligations related to combating telecom fraud, and illegal dissemination of false or harmful information during the period. Zhou said that cyber violence is another key crime disrupting online order, and behaviors such as wanton insults, defamation and privacy infringements severely violate the personal rights of others and seriously disrupt online order. "Cyber violence spreads widely, poses significant social harm, and it's challenging to eliminate its influence. However, victims often find it difficult to provide evidence and seek legal remedies, making it challenging to exercise their rights through self-litigation," he said. From January to November, prosecutors charged 39 individuals with insult and defamation crimes. They also actively explored using public interest litigation to resolve the strong public feedback regarding cyber violence, rumors and dissemination of harmful online information. In September, the SPP, the Supreme People's Court and the Ministry of Public Security issued a document guiding cyber violence cases. Additionally, the top procuratorate pledged to maintain harsh punishment for crimes infringing on minors' rights through the internet. The top procuratorate and top court stipulated in an interpretation document that those who coerce or deceive minors through online video chats, send videos or photos exposing private body parts, or engage in obscene acts, shall be convicted and charged for molestation crimes. OpenAI's recent text-to-video model Sora has fired a fresh warning shot to China about its gap with the world's top artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, triggering questions about why the country has no equivalent product in an echo of the kind of soul-searching local researchers and investors went through after the 2022 launch of ChatGPT. Just a few years ago, China had envisioned itself eventually dominating the global AI race by leveraging the country's vast troves of data to develop mature applications for functions like facial recognition. Recent developments in generative AI - which uses large models to produce content like text, images and video - have changed the calculus, making China look like a laggard once again. Sora, launched on February 16, moves the AI battle into the realm of video generation just as China is facing greater challenges from a lack of access to key tools such as advanced graphics processing units (GPUs) developed by Nvidia, the leading AI chip designer, owing to escalating US export restrictions. The country's best AI players are already a number of years behind their American peers in generative AI, an area in which Beijing's self-trumpeted internet governance model looks like a liability. Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team. Zhou Hongyi, the founder of Chinese internet security firm 360 Security Technology, which has joined China's race to launch its own ChatGPT-style large language model, said the introduction of Sora was like a "barrel of cold water poured down China's head", Chinese media Yicai reported on Friday. "It cools down the heads of many people, forcing us to see the gap with leaders overseas," he added. In one knee-jerk response to Sora this week, Beijing asked its most trusted state-owned enterprises to take a lead on AI. The State Council's State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission on Monday urged firms under direct control of the central government to "embrace the profound changes brought about by AI". Ten of these firms were designated as champions to promote AI, but the watchdog did not name the selected companies. Story continues Xie Saining, an assistant professor of Computer Science at Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences at New York University, denied he was involved in the development of Sora and emphasised the importance of talent, data and computing power. In a widely reported social media post, Xie asked whether China is ready for Sora, saying the country should make sure the technology "won't be abused to serve as a profiteering and manipulation tool by some people or groups". Sora's access is currently limited. Unlike some of OpenAI's earlier models, it is not open source, and only a small number of people have access to a trial of the model. In mainland China, the national Cyberspace Administration requires all publicly available large language models (LLMs) to be registered with the authority. OpenAI does not make its services directly available in the mainland or Hong Kong, nor does Google make its Gemini AI product available in those markets. Microsoft's Copilot, which uses OpenAI's GPT models, is available in Hong Kong. The absence of foreign players in the mainland has left several local tech giants jostling for position in a crowded market of over 200 LLMs. Chinese search giant Baidu, social media behemoth Tencent Holdings, and e-commerce king Alibaba Group Holding, which owns the South China Morning Post, have all unveiled their own LLMs. Few are able to match Sora, however, partly because they are not yet using the novel Diffusion Transformer (DiT) architecture. ByteDance, the Beijing-based owner of TikTok, said its in-house video motion control tool Boximator, used to assist video generation, is still in infancy and not ready for mass release. "It still has a big gap with leading video generation models in terms of image quality, fidelity and duration." Rather than matching Sora, however, some industry insiders see the more pressing issue as gaining access to OpenAI's model. Beijing-based Sinodata said it will be one of the first companies to apply for a Sora API subscription once the text-to-video tool becomes available on Azure, the cloud computing platform of Microsoft, which is OpenAI's biggest backer. In the US, though, lawmakers are already looking at ways of curbing China's access to American AI cloud services. Meanwhile, London-based unicorn Stability AI released its text-to-image model Stable Diffusion 3, which also uses DiT, as the architecture might become mainstream for building generative AI following the popularity of Sora. A Chinese developer, who declined to be named, said a likely path for Chinese AI engineers is to "first decode Sora and train it with their own data to churn out a similar product". Xu Liang, an AI entrepreneur based in Hangzhou, eastern Zhejiang province, said it will not be long before China has similar services. "As soon as in the next one or two months, there will be Sora-like models coming out of the Chinese market and plenty in the next half year," he said. But Xu noted that there could still be a non-negligible gap between Chinese products and Sora. Wang Shuyi, a professor who focuses on AI and machine learning at Tianjin Normal University (TJNU), said the experience of developing LLMs in the past year has allowed the Chinese Big Tech firms to build up their know-how in this area and stock up on necessary hardware, giving them the ability to produce Sora-like products in the next six months. The Sora launch has brought speculation about the secret behind its impressive output. Xie, at New York University and one of two developers of DiT, tweeted that "data is likely the most critical factor for Sora's success". He estimated that Sora might have around 3 billion parameters. "If true, this is not an unreasonable model size," he wrote. "It could suggest that training the Sora model might not require as many GPUs as one would anticipate - I would expect very fast iterations going forward." A few months before Sora was out, a group of researchers launched the VBench, a benchmarking tool for video generation models designed to evaluate performance of Runway's Gen-2 and Pika. Among 16 dimensions, Gen-2 stands out in areas including imaging quality and aesthetic quality, but it was weak in dynamic range and appearance style. Pika, co-founded by Chinese PhD candidate Guo Wenjing at Stanford University, is best at background consistency and temporal flickering but needs improvements in imaging quality. The VBench team, consisting of researchers from Singapore's Nanyang Technological University and Shanghai Artificial Intelligence Laboratory in China, found that Sora excels in overall video quality when compared with other models, based on the demos provided by OpenAI. There is limited information on how the model transforms text prompts into videos. Baidu chairman and CEO Robin Li Yanhong discusses the company's Ernie Bot during the Baidu World conference in Beijing on October 17, 2023. Photo: Bloomberg alt=Baidu chairman and CEO Robin Li Yanhong discusses the company's Ernie Bot during the Baidu World conference in Beijing on October 17, 2023. Photo: Bloomberg> Lu Yanxia, research director for IDC China's research on emerging technology, said tech giants such as Baidu, Alibaba and Tencent will be among the first to roll out similar services in the country. Local AI players iFlyTek, SenseTime and Hikvision - all sanctioned by Washington - will also be in the race, she said. But China still faces an uphill battle, as the country's tech market becomes increasingly walled off from the world in terms of capital, hardware, data and even people, according to analysts. The market value gap between China's top tech firms compared with those in the US such as Microsoft, Google and Nvidia has widened significantly in recent years since Beijing decided to kneecap its tech giants in the name of reining in the "irrational expansion of capital". And while China was once seen as having an advantage in its quantity of data, Lu said the country now faces a scarcity of quality data needed to train these newer models, compounding challenges from its limited access to advanced chips. A lack of talent is another concern, according to Lu, as the country's best and brightest in AI often find it easier to shine working for leading players in the US. At OpenAI, for instance, tech professionals with an educational background from China form a key group. Among OpenAI's 1,677 associated members on LinkedIn, 23 of them studied at China's Tsinghua University, the ninth most common tertiary education institution among the start-up's employees, beating out the University of Cambridge and Yale University. Stanford University, the University of California, Berkeley, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are the top three institutions among OpenAI workers, with 88, 80 and 59 employees, respectively, listing those schools on their LinkedIn profiles. Even with the requisite talent, though, experts question how far China's home-grown generative AI can go while facing existing constraints from US-China trade tensions. Ping An Securities warned in a report that continued semiconductor export restrictions from the US "may accelerate the maturity of the domestic AI chip industry", but "home-grown alternatives may fall short of expectations". Washington has blocked Chinese companies from accessing the world's most advanced semiconductor tools through restrictions on related products that include any US-origin technology. In October, the US again tightened those restrictions, blocking the mainland's access to GPUs that Nvidia had specifically designed for Chinese clients in response to earlier curbs. Alexander Harrowell, principal analyst for advanced computing at technology research and advisory group Omdia, noted that China has options beyond GPUs for training LLMs. "You could use Google's TPU [Tensor Processing Unit], Huawei's Ascend, AWS's Trainium, or one of quite a few start-ups' products," he said. But replacing GPUs comes at a cost. "The further you go from the GPU route, the more effort it will cost you in software development and systems administration," Harrowell said. There will also be opportunities specifically for the China market, according to Xu, the Hangzhou-based entrepreneur. "With the publication of the technical report on Sora, and upcoming open-source video models, there will be groundwork for the Chinese players to learn from," he said. Local video models will have better support for the Chinese language, he added. TJNU's Wang noted that one of the Sora demo videos involves a scene of a dancing Chinese dragon, which he found to be a stereotypical depiction of the activity. China's numerous ethnic groups, folk traditions, customs, and geographic diversity offer a wealth of material for local video models to draw from to better cater to local users, he said. Wang also balked at the idea that there is an "insurmountable divide" between Chinese and American AI. "Would Chinese companies rather just follow suit and crank out rip-offs every time their US peers come up with a novel product, or would they rather set a bigger goal to strive for safe artificial general intelligence?" Wang asked. This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright 2024 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Copyright (c) 2024. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Mr Hanley, a father of two from North Great Clarence Street, Dublin 1, who is on disability benefit, was refused bail over pleas from his partner that he was an innocent "family man". THREE men charged after gardai intercepted a van carrying 2m of cannabis and uncovered another 1m of various drugs in an apartment in Dublin have been remanded in custody. Gary Hanley, 35, Sean Mackey, 53, and Jie Liu, 39, were arrested following an operation by officers attached to the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau (GNDOCB) on Thursday. The three men appeared before a late sitting of Dublin District Court on Saturday, charged with unlawful possession of 100 kilos of cannabis and having the drugs for sale or supply. Detective Garda Dean Healy said they could face more serious charges and the case related to "large scale drug distribution". Mr Hanley, a father of two from North Great Clarence Street, Dublin 1, who is on disability benefit, was refused bail despite pleas from his partner that he was an innocent "family man". Detective Garda Healy applied for a remand in custody, citing the seriousness of the case and fears the men would have to "recoup" the loss from the seizure. He also cited flight risk concerns in the cases of Mr Liu and Mr Mackey. Gary Hanley Mr Liu, a food delivery driver formerly of Cedar Grove, Swords, Co. Dublin, alone had additional charges for possessing a further 1m worth of cannabis, MDMA, amphetamines and ketamine at an apartment in West End Villas, Blanchardstown, Dublin 15, allegedly leased by him. He and Mr Mackey, a casino croupier of Blessington Street, Dublin 7, were granted bail, but both men required approval of 25,000 independent sureties before they could be released on strict terms. The court heard Mr Mackey was originally from South Africa but is now an Irish national with dual citizenship, having lived in the State for 20 years. Mr Hanley and Mr Mackey will face their next hearings at Cloverhill District Court on Thursday. Mr Liu will appear there the following day. Detective Garda Dean Healy told the court they made no reply when charged. It was alleged that Gary Hanley drove to Blanchardstown Shopping Centre in a Hyundai Tucson and met two other vehicles. Mr Mackey was allegedly in a Toyota Corolla, and Mr Liu was driving an Opel Vivaro van. After a short interaction, the detective claimed they drove to Athboy Co. Meath, where phones were exchanged. The contested bail hearing was told that they drove back to Dublin in "close proximity" convoy but were intercepted on the N3 northbound. About 100 kilos of cannabis worth 2m were recovered in the van allegedly driven by Mr Liu. The court heard gardai found the additional 1m worth of various drugs following a search at the apartment rented by him in Blanchardstown. The court heard that Gary Hanley's car was stopped a short distance away, and he allegedly locked the doors as gardai approached and began to "smash" a phone. Sean Mackey Judge Kelly heard that officers downloaded from phone photos and messages "regarding distribution on a large scale". A comprehensive file is to be drafted for the Director of Public Prosecution, and further, more serious charges were expected, the court heard. Other phones seized were encrypted, the bail hearing was told. The GNDOCB officer strongly believed they would attempt to "recoup the financial loss" from the seizure. Solicitor Matthew Kenny pleaded for bail, describing the evidence against his clients, Mr Hanley and Mr Mackey, as circumstantial. He disputed the garda's assertion that Mr Mackey was a flight risk. He said the man had lived in Ireland for 20 years, and his adult son had offered to stand 5,000 bail. Donal Quigley, solicitor for Mr Liu, submitted that his client was now an Irish national, no longer had Chinese citizenship and had no means to flee. The defence lawyers submitted they had the presumption of innocence but risked facing a lengthy remand in custody pending trial. The judge was told it would likely be dealt with at a higher level in the Circuit Court, but the trial wouldn't be heard for another two or three years. Mr Mackey did not apply for legal aid, which was granted to Mr Hanley and Liu. On taking up bail, Mr Mackey and Mr Liu must surrender passports and not apply for replacements, notify gardai of address changes, be contactable 24/7 by phone, and sign on twice daily at garda stations. Daniel ORiordan entered the building and discharged two fire extinguishers on walls and glass doors on the ground floor. A 35-year-old man who set off fire extinguishers in a local apartment block has been told that if he meets certain conditions he can do community service instead of going to jail. Daniel ORiordan, Point Road, Bellurgan, Dundalk, last November was convicted in his absence of charges arising out of an incident at the Fairways Hotel, Dublin Road, and a bench warrant was issued for sentencing. Evidence was given that the defendant was aggressive and intoxicated when he arrived looking for alcohol. Gardai who responded found a screwdriver on him. He was charged with being intoxicated in public and with using or engaging in threatening, abusive or insulting behaviour or words at Dublin Road and with criminal damage to the door of the Fairways Hotel on July 15, 2022. Mr ORiordan was further accused of possession of a screwdriver on July 16, 2022. When he appeared before the court on February 21 last, the defendant pleaded guilty to a criminal damage charge from a separate incident at Mourne View Hall, Dublin Road, on July 31, 2023. Evidence was presented that a man who was not a resident entered the building and discharged two fire extinguishers on walls and glass doors on the ground floor. He was identified from CCTV. There were 44 previous convictions. Barrister Eoghan Fagan handed into court a letter of apology written by his client and details of his employment. At the time he was taking street tablets which led to this offending. Mr ORiordan was engaging with Turas Counselling Service. Judge McKiernan said that the defendant had not turned up for a contested hearing. The court remanded him on bail to April 17 for payment of 1,000 compensation to the Fairways Hotel, proof of counselling with Turas and proof of employment, as well as a community service assessment. Judge McKiernan said she was considering 220 hours community service in lieu of four months imprisonment. The college student and his manager were subjected to constant threats of violence during the living nightmare ordeal over the 3,000 robbery The Top petrol station in Athy, Co Kildare raided in 2017. Photo: Mark Condren A SHOP worker told how he had been held in a car with a knife to his throat as two robbers drove around waiting for a time-lock safe to open. The college student and his manager were subjected to constant threats of violence during the living nightmare ordeal over the 3,000 robbery. One of the raiders Derek Leigh last week was sentenced to nine years behind bars after being convicted by a jury for the 2017 heist in Co Kildare. During the robbery of the Top filling station in Athy, Leigh and the other robber stayed on the phone to the workers colleague as he waited for the safe to open. In his victim impact statement the other worker said that when his colleague was kidnapped, he felt as if his life was in his hands and it felt like an eternity before the safe opened. He said the threats of violence were constant despite co-operating and agreeing to the robbers demands. He could still feel the robbers hands going through his pockets and that it disgusts him. What should have been a routine locking up time became a living nightmare as they were ambushed by the raiders, he said. The terrifying incident would live long in his memory. In a previous interview shortly after the robbery the worker said: "We had to lie spread-eagled on the floor with our hands behind our heads. I could feel a knife in my back. They wanted the takings from the safe and they were angry when we told them it was time-locked," he told the Irish Independent. "I gave them the code because I just wanted them off the premises. So they could hear the timer counting down. Then they grabbed my colleague and said 'You're f***ing coming with us'." The Top petrol station in Athy, Co Kildare raided in 2017. Photo: Mark Condren "They kept telling me 'No funny business. No cops. His life is in your hands'." The college student forced into the robbers Mazda said in his victim impact statement read in court last week that in the wake of the robbery he felt as someone was keeping an eye on the whole time. He ended up failing his exams that year and having to repeat them and only felt safe when he was at home. If there was a noise at night, he would be unable to get back to sleep and too frightened to look out the window. I dont see myself ever getting over it. CCTV of the robbery was shown to the jury in which one of the large-bladed knives was clearly seen on camera. The car used by the thieves was later found abandoned in Kildare town where a latex glove and an unregistered phone were linked to Leigh. One of the victims had the presence of mind to get a partial registration of the car which was identified on CCTV as a Mazda. DNA on the glove was matched to Leigh while the phone was traced to a phone mast in Athy up until an hour before the robbery, it was heard in court. Leigh, it was heard, had also spoken in detail about what happened to a woman and had a big sum of cash in 50 notes at the time. As well as stealing the cash from the safe the two shop workers were also robbed during the incident. But Leigh hadnt bargained for the ten-minute time delay on the safe and took the younger victim with them while waiting for the safe to open. It was heard that Leigh had 44 previous convictions including six since the robbery in 2017 and was on bail on different charges at the time. It included an arson charge for which he got four years at Trim Circuit Court while he also got a three-month sentence in Belfast for possession of Class A drugs. Other convictions included making threats and burglary and minor road traffic offences. His defence counsel said that Leigh had a cocaine addiction for six years at the time of the robbery but is now off drugs. The other robber Eddie Dempsey pleaded guilty and was given a five-year sentence in 2020. Judge Martina Baxter sentenced Leigh to nine years for false imprisonment and eight years on the robbery charges to run concurrently. The three, aged 35, 40 and 53 are due to appear before the Criminal Courts of Justice in Dublin this afternoon at 4.30pm Three men who are members of the Hutch crime gang have been charged in connection with the seizure of 3m worth of drugs in Dublin on Thursday. The three, aged 35, 40 and 53 are due to appear before the Criminal Courts of Justice in Dublin this afternoon at 4.30pm. Gardai attached to the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau (GNDOCB) arrested and detained three men in relation to the seizure of cannabis, MDMA, cocaine, ecstasy tablets and cannabis jellies in Blanchardstown. The haul was initially valued at approximately 2 million. It is now estimated that the street value of the drugs seized is 3 million. A criminal who survived a number of murder plots by the Kinahan cartel is one of three men who was arrested. The 35-year-old became a prime target for the Kinahan cartel after they received information that he was directing operations for the rival Hutch mob in the north-inner city during the brutal feud between the two organisations that broke out in 2015 and led to the Regency Hotel bloodbath in 2016. He has more than 30 previous convictions for offences including drug dealing, serious assault and other crimes. A close older associate of the notorious Hutch gangster is also in custody in relation to the bust he is from the Blessington Street area of the capitals northside. Sources confirmed that the third man in custody is originally from Asia but has been based in Ireland for some time. The bust was made just after 5pm on Thursday evening when Gardai intercepted two vehicles as part of an ongoing intelligence led investigation into organised crime. A co-ordinated search of a residence in the same area also took place around that time. It has been confirmed that the former cartel target arrested was the person of the most interest in the garda investigation which led to the massive seizure, according to sources. A key associate of the Hutch faction, the 35-year-old convicted drug dealer was with Patrick Patsy Hutch, who is a brother of Gerry The Monk Hutch, when he and Patsy were lucky to escape with their lives when they were shot at after being lured to a meeting in Ballymun on the night of November 29, 2018. This was the third time that the violent drug dealer escaped death after the deadly feud began with the cartel but is the last known attempt on his life. A number of members of Kinahan cartel sub cells are serving lengthy jail sentences in relation to detailed plots to murder the arrested criminal who became a figure of hatred to the international crime mob when the feud raged on Dublins streets. Senior sources described the Blanchardstown raid as hugely significant and said it was proof that the Hutch organised crime gang is still one of the most active players in the capitals drugs scene. The 35-year-old was closely linked to the last feud murder victim Jason 'Buda' Molyneux who was shot dead in January, 2018. He was shot up to 13 times at close range just a short distance from his home six years ago with his mother witnessing flashes from the fatal gunshots, an inquest into Budas killing heard this week. He was killed after leaving his home in Dublins north inner city to visit a friend in the nearby James Larkin House flats complex off the North Strand around 9pm on January 30, 2018. David Hubbard (53) is accused of failing to notify gardai of his address, as legally required. David Hubbard failed to appear in court on the assigned date. A warrant has been issued for the arrest of a sex offender who did not appear in court to answer a charge of failing to notify gardai of his whereabouts. David Hubbard (53) is accused of failing to notify gardai of his address, as legally required. Hubbard, with a current address at a hostel in Dublin city centre, is charged with breaching the Sex Offenders Act. The offence is alleged to have happened on July 24, 2023. Hubbard had originally appeared in Dublin District Court last year on the charge, and the case had been adjourned to give him time to consider how he intended to plead to it. However, on his latest court date, Judge Monika Leech was told he was not present and she issued a bench warrant for his arrest. Previously, Garda Sergeant Maire McDevitt told Judge Bryan Smyth that the director of public prosecutions consented to the case being dealt with at district court level, subject to the issue of jurisdiction being considered. Gda Sgt McDevitt outlined the allegation and Judge Smyth accepted jurisdiction, allowing the case to remain in the district court instead of being sent forward to Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. The judge ordered the prosecution to disclose evidence to the defence. Mr Hubbard was not required to address the court during the last brief hearing and did not indicate how he intended to plead. He had been remanded on continuing bail. Under section 12 of the Sex Offenders Act, anyone subject to the requirements who fails to notify gardai of their address can face a potential prison sentence of up to a year on summary conviction at the district court. Daughter of slain taxi driver slams early release The daughter of a taxi driver who was killed by a violent thug has hit out at the justice system for allowing his early release from prison two weeks before he assaulted and drove a car at his own mother. Shauna Mulligan, the daughter of slain taxi driver Martin Mulligan, described a justice system which allows violent criminals convicted of the most serious offences to benefit from having portions of their sentence suspended as deeply flawed. As a daughter grappling with the release and subsequent re-offending of my fathers killer, the wounds of loss and injustice are painfully reopened, she said. Its a stark reminder of the profound impact such decisions have on families. Martin Mulligan's daughter Shauna The release and reoffending of Martins killer have reopened old wounds for the family along with grief, anger, and a profound sense of injustice Theres an urgent need for reform. Its not just about personal closure; its about ensuring that others dont suffer the same pain. Shauna spoke out after it emerged killer Joseph Hillen is back in prison in Ireland after the DPP sought the reactivation of the suspended portion of his sentence for the manslaughter of Martin Mulligan. Hillen (29) with previous addresses at Glendasha Road, Forkhill, Co Armagh, and Foughilletra Road, Jonesborough, Co Armagh, was convicted by a majority jury verdict in October 2018 of the manslaughter of father-of-two Martin Mulligan (53) near Dundalk, Co Louth, in September 2015. Read more Man who killed Dundalk taxi driver back in court days after prison release In 2018, the Central Criminal Court heard that Mr Mulligan died after suffering two stab wounds, one to the abdomen that severed the aorta and another through and through wound to his right thigh that also severed an artery. Mr Mulligan, who was a coal delivery man and a taxi driver, was discovered a short distance from his taxi at around 3am on a rural road at Carn More, Balriggan, Dundalk, Co Louth, on September 28, 2015. His car had been moved away from his body, his keys were found in a nearby field while his mobile phone was never recovered. Shauna told the Sunday World this week that all possible means her father would have had for seeking help were deliberately taken away from him by his killer. Hillen was released from Mountjoy prison on March 30 last year after serving just five years and 11 months of a sentence of nine years of which the final 12 months were suspended. Two weeks later, Hillen went on a rampage in the early hours of April 14, 2023, during which he drove a car at his mother at her address and assaulted her, despite just beginning the suspended portion of his sentence for the manslaughter of Mr Mulligan. Martin Mulligan was killed by Joseph Hillen Hillen pleaded guilty at Lisburn Magistrates Court to the assault of his mother, criminal damage to her wall when he crashed the car, dangerous driving, assaulting a police officer in resisting arrest and possession of cocaine. He also pleaded guilty to driving while unfit through drink or drugs, aggravated theft of a car and driving without a licence or insurance. In July 2023, Hillen was convicted and received an eight-month fully suspended sentence from Lisburn Magistrates Court. The State then applied for the activation of the one-year suspended portion of Hillens manslaughter sentence in the Republic resulting from his fresh convictions in the North. On January 29, Ms Justice Eileen Creedon activated nine months of the 12-month suspended sentence and Hillen was again taken into custody. During his trial, Hillen denied murdering Mr Mulligan but admitted killing the deceased in what he claimed was self-defence. At a sentencing hearing in 2018, Shauna Mulligan said her father was left to die on the side of the road after he was brutally, viciously and inhumanely killed for no fault of his own. His death had done ever-lasting damage that can never be described, she said. More than 180,000 in cash in various denominations was seized along with a designer watch valued at 10,000 and several mobile phones. A man (42) has been arrested as part of a garda operation targeting the use of drones to smuggling drugs into a Dublin prison. Yesterday, officers from the Garda Drugs Unit in Ronanstown raided a home in the West Dublin area in an operation targeting the supply of controlled substances into prisons. During the search, more than 180,000 in cash in various denominations was seized along with a designer watch valued at 10,000 and several mobile phones. A garda spokesman said a man was arrested at the scene and is currently being held at a Dublin station. He said: A 42-year-old male was arrested and is currently detained under section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984, at a Garda Station in the Dublin Region. This operation follows a previous seizure involving a drone and a quantity of diamorphine intended for delivery into a west Dublin prison on 12th February 2024. A spokesman for the Irish prison Service (IPS) said they have been working with gardai to tackle the contraband trade in the jail. "The Irish Prison Service would like to thank Gardai for their continued efforts and collaboration with us to keep drugs out of prison. "The arrest and seizure yesterday shows we are intent on tackling those who wish to do harm by bringing drugs into our prisons. The Irish Prison Service is committed to preventing the access of contraband including drugs into prisons and continues to be a high priority for the Irish Prison Service. "The Irish Prison Service has committed to continuing to invest in new technologies and measures to support our efforts to keep contraband out of prisons. Prison staff have increased the use of random and intelligence led cell searches on a daily basis. "Our Canine Unit carry out searches around the prisons, including a greater focus on searching deliveries into prisons. "The Irish Prison Service continues to engage with An Garda Siochana with regard to preventing contraband entering our prison and this happens at both local and national level. "The Operational Support Group work closely with their colleagues in An Garda Siochana on a regular basis and the sharing of intelligence has led to target searches resulting in the seizure of contraband. There is a free confidential telephone line (1800 855 717) and text line (086 180 2449) which is operational. "Prisoners, visitors, staff or members of the public with information on the trafficking of prohibited items into our prisons can pass on that information in the strictest confidence. Drugs seized by gardai Drones are increasingly being used to deliver drugs to Irish prisons. Criminals use the drones to drop contraband items into the nets above jail yards which are then collected by inmates who are informed in advance of the plan. The Irish Prison Service have recently invested in anti-drone technology to disrupt the use of the remote control devices. However, it is believed that criminals have adapted their methods and are using more up to date drones. It is estimated organised crime gangs threw more than one million euros worth of drugs over the walls of Wheatfield Prison last year. Drugs such as cannabis, heroin and cocaine are worth four times as much behind bars than on the street making the west Dublin lock-up is prime target for drug dealers. More than three kilos of cannabis have been seized there so far this year, along with significant quantities of heroin and cocaine and several thousand tablets, according to sources. The combined value of the drugs on the prison landings would make it worth close to 500,000 to the gangs, it was added. In 2019, the Irish Prison Officers Association claimed fifty packages of drugs and other contraband were thrown or delivered by drone to Wheatfield Prison in one week in March. Multiple arrest warrants are in place for Devlins 26-year-old son, who is suspected of having fled to Thailand Tributes have been paid to the father of an on-the-run criminal linked to Drogheda drugs feud following his death in prison. Michael Skin Devlin (50) died of a suspected heart attack in Cloverhill Prison in the early hours of Wednesday. His fugitive son is considered second in command of the gang involved in the murderous Drogheda feud and gardai have stepped up checks at ports and airports amid concerns that he will travel home for his fathers funeral. A notice posted on RIP.ie states that the death has occurred of Michael Skin Devlin of St Finians Park, Drogheda, Co Louth and formerly of Edgeworthstown, Co Longford and Belfast, on February 21. Devlin was found unresponsive in a cell in Cloverhill Prison In the condolences section one person has written to say they are so sorry, thinking of all the Devlin family, heartbreaking. May Michael rest in peace. Another has offered: Deepest sympathies and condolences to the Devlin family and his partner, kids and grandkids on the loss of Skin. May he rest in peace. Thoughts and prayers with you all at this sad, hard time. One other person posted: RIP Skin. Thinking of your family, so sad. You will get the best in heaven. Multiple arrest warrants are in place for Devlins 26-year-old son, who is suspected of having fled to Thailand. If he does come back for the funeral, he will be arrested on sight, a source told the Irish Independent. While none of Devlins other children are suspected of involvement in organised crime, a half-brother (29) of the Thailand-based criminal is considered the leader of the so-called anti-Maguire faction in the ongoing gangland dispute. He fled to Dubai and is also being actively sought by gardai. Devlin was found unresponsive in a cell he shared with a number of other inmates in Cloverhill Prisons A landing. He was arrested in Edgeworthstown, Co Longford, last month following almost four years on the run after absconding from Shelton Abbey open prison in Co Wicklow in the summer of 2020. Devlin was caught with 262 packages containing 65.5 kilos of cannabis worth 1.3m. He pleaded guilty at Dundalk Circuit Criminal Court to possession of cannabis for sale or supply at Cartown, Termonfeckin, on September 20, 2013. He was given a 10-year sentence, which he was approaching the end of when he died. His fugitive son and his half-brother are the subjects of international arrest warrants in relation to charges of alleged false imprisonment in a case where some of their associates have been jailed after pleading guilty. Robbie Lawlor An associate of the half-brother is believed to have spent a number of months hiding in Alicante, Spain, but may now be based in Northern Ireland. The mayhem these individuals instigated on Drogheda and surrounding regions cannot be over-emphasised, a source said. If he comes back for his fathers funeral, gardai will be waiting. The feud, which has claimed four lives, started in earnest in July 2018 when gang boss Owen Maguire was left paralysed after being shot by Robbie Lawlor, who was later murdered as part of the same criminal dispute, in April 2020. It was the murder of Keane Mulready-Woods (17) in January 2020 by Lawlor that elevated the feud. Lawlor was a key associate of the on-the-run relatives, who have linked up with north Dublin gangsters and are suspected of being involved in drugs trafficking into the State from their separate boltholes. You spent a lifetime building a good reputation and then you threw it all away The former chief financial officer of a company owned by Supermacs millionaire Pat McDonagh in the US has been handed down an 18-month prison sentence for tax evasion. Although he made no money from the scheme at the Claddagh Irish Pub chain, Ciaran Dillon (57) of Solon, hid the fact that he didnt pay $1.1 million in payroll taxes in eight states for years. McDonagh who had previously described his involvement in the Claddagh Development Group as his biggest mistake, later paid the taxes owed to the states. Dillon said he purposefully didnt pay the tax as the business was struggling. There were never any funds for needed re-investment, Dillon said, according to Ohio news outlet Cleveland.com. US District Judge Christopher Boyko handed down the prison sentence, along with a $25,000 fine to Dillon, who as an Irish citizen is facing deportation after he serves his sentence. The judge took into account the struggling nature of the business and Dillons spotless record prior to the crime, but pointed out that the scheme lasted for eight years. You spent a lifetime building a good reputation and then you threw it all away, Boyko said. Dillon who had previously pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud in connection with the scheme was facing 27 and 33 months in prison but defence attorneys asked for probation. Dillon was the CFO for CDG Acquisition LLC, a Solon-based subsidiary of McDonaghs Supermacs, his large fast-food chain company based in Ireland. Every week, from January 2010 to May 2018, Dillion skimmed employee payroll taxes for 15 restaurants in Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Two of the pubs used to operate in Legacy Village in Lyndhurst and at Crocker Park in Westlake. According to Assistant US Attorney Alex Abreu, the FBI began investigating after a bank flagged suspect transactions by the companys accountant, Angelo Kanaris. Kanaris admitted to embezzling $375,000 from CDG after the FBI confronted him. He told agents about Dillons tax scheme and agreed to wear a wire to the office for five months. Federal prosecutors charged Kanaris in 2021. He was sentenced to six months in prison and six months on house arrest. Mr Dillon didnt put any dollars in his pocket, but he arrived here to be the CFO and almost immediately directed his accountant to cook the books and his controller to hide the money, Abreu is quoted as saying. Once McDonagh took control, he put Dillon in charge of the day-to-day operations in the US. After prosecutors charged Dillon in 2022, the US Department of Labor sued CDG and McDonagh after they didnt release money in the retirement accounts of 65 employees. However, the company never responded to the lawsuit, and a judge entered a default judgement, ordering the distribution of the $103,000 in the accounts to the employees. In a separate lawsuit, the condo board in the building that used to house CDGs offices sued the company earlier this year, saying they owe $214,000 in back taxes, assessments and other fees. That case is ongoing. In June of last year, Mr McDonagh told the Sunday World he did not want to comment before the case comes to a conclusion. Its still going through the legal process so Im not going to make any comment on it until there is an outcome on that. Mr McDonagh previously told the Business Post in 2021 that Claddagh Irish Pubs was his biggest mistake and had cost him millions in business losses. The Claddagh Irish Pubs chain had suffered financial losses in the mid-2000s and became embroiled in a major lawsuit between Mr McDonagh and Claddaghs then chief executive Kevin Blair, a former operations manager at Supermacs main office in Galway. The two men fell out over $21 million (15 million) that Mr McDonagh gave Claddagh. He claimed it was a loan but Mr Blair said it was an investment Following Dillons arrest, a spokesperson for Supermacs told the Sunday World at the time: This is not related to Supermacs and Supermacs is not involved in the proceedings. Claddagh Irish Pubs reported financial irregularities in the United States and were aware that a number of employees of Claddagh Irish Pubs in the United States were questioned at the time. As an investigation is ongoing it would be inappropriate to comment further. The company posted a photograph of one of the robbers, a still picture from CCTV camera footage, in a bid to catch them Hennessy Engineering has posted this photograph of one of the robbers, a still picture from CCTV camera footage, and are appealing to members of the public to share the photo and help catch this thief Hennessy Engineering Limited in Tipperary are offering a 10,000 reward for information on the robbers who broke into their premises near Templemore this week. Thieves made off with up to 70,000 worth of goods from Hennessys on Wednesday night or the early hours of Thursday morning, February 22. As a result, the future viability of the company is now threatened. Hennessy Engineering is one of the largest manufacturers and distributors of waste disposal equipment in Ireland and employs 12 people at its business a few minutes drive north of Templemore, at Kyle, Killea. I am offering 10,000 to anyone who has information that will lead to the return of the stolen goods or the arrest of the robbers, said the owner, Jim Hennessy. The company has posted a photograph of one of the robbers, a still picture from CCTV camera footage, and are appealing to members of the public to share the photo and help catch the thief. Were also going to try and get that picture developed more. Weve sent it to specialists, said Mr Hennessy. Mr Hennessy described his sense of shock when he saw the damage. I couldnt believe it. They cut the gates down. They got up and they cut all the transmitters for the internet, he said. They got up about 20 feet up, and cut the transmitters, because we have internet for the security system. We have a network here that monitors all that. "I couldnt believe that they are ordinary thieves. They broke into a building and took out forklifts and used a forklift then to load their stuff. They knew exactly what they were coming for. They knew exactly the kind of stuff they wanted, he said. At least two individuals, but possibly three, were involved. One of them had his image caught on camera just before he broke the camera down. They really knew what they were doing. They were well able to drive the forklift, and they spun it around the yard, added Mr Hennessy. The company took on more people a few weeks ago, from a time years ago when it employed up to 100 people. The company had closed to concentrate on work abroad, before re-opening five years ago, and were building the business back up. Mr Hennessy said he now fears for the companys future going forwards. Its an awful loss because well have to replace the stuff now as well. Its just unbelievable. Thats why were putting up the 10,000 trying to get some feedback, added Mr Hennessy. Members of the public can email any information to info@hennessyengineering.com ANJI, China , Feb. 24, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- 600 colorful fish lights meander and relay in the air, forming a majestic "dragon" that stretches for 100 meters. Tourists compete to take photos next to the dragon. On February 11th, in Yucun, Tianhuangping Town, Anji County, the hustle and bustle of the countryside came during the Spring Festival. Original Dragon Lantern by "Yucun Global Partner" in Anji, Zhejiang, China, Welcoming Visitors from All Sides "This is the 'common prosperity relay' and also the main lantern of our lantern festival." Ding Wenwen, one of the planners of this New Year's lantern festival, said that the 'colorful fish' dragon lantern symbolizes the builders of beautiful rural areas wandering in the wave of rural revitalization, gathering together in a relay to form a soaring dragon. In recent years, Yucun has actively promoted the "Yucun Global Partnership Plan", which has attracted many young people and rural areas to travel in both directions. The 9 sets of 11 original dragon lanterns displayed this time were designed for the first time by Yucun Global Partners and young cartoonists. Each set of dragon lanterns contains stories of Yucun's development and youth participation in rural revitalization. In front of more than 10 new cultural and tourism venues, such as the Impression Youth Library, Qinglai Collection, Xiangyin Small Hall, Partner's Home, and Yucun Post Office, there are dragon lanterns with different themes. Some "dragons" leisurely sit on chairs playing guitar, while others take a fashionable stroll in the village on a balance bike. "It's the first time I've seen so many new formats and scenery in the countryside, paired with a dragon lantern exhibition, which feels very fresh and interesting." She ordered a cup of coffee at the Yucun Township Music Center and Shanghai tourist Qi Lili kept taking selfies with her phone. "The dragon lantern at the entrance of my store is called 'Dragon Singing Chengxiang', displaying a joyful and low singing posture of a dragon. It represents the beautiful lifestyle that Yucun has created for young people, allowing them to freely showcase their talents in the countryside." Huang Bin, the manager of Yucun Township Music Hall, said that "youth power" has become the new label of Yucun. Story continues It is reported that the Yucun New Year Lantern Festival will continue until March 11th. During the holiday, there will be a series of rich and interesting lantern festival supporting activities such as intangible cultural heritage street walking, Gongfu Market, music parties, fantasy tours, influencer check-in, and New Year's cuisine, bringing tourists a youthful, lively, fresh, and interesting cultural feast. Cision View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/original-dragon-lantern-by-yucun-global-partner-in-anji-zhejiang-china-welcoming-visitors-from-all-sides-302070335.html SOURCE Anji Yucun The one-time Protestant paramilitary boss believes its only a matter of time before the Loyalist Communities Council (LCC) also officially backs the DUP leaders deal. Loyalist Communities Council chairman David Campbell denied there was a split within the Loyalist council when asked by reporter Hugh Jordon. Mr Campbell Former uda boss Johnny Adair, welcomes the new deal and believes Sir Jeffery Donaldson has done the right thing for the people of N.Ireland. Former loyalist terror chief Johnny Mad Dog Adair has given the green light to Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, the Sunday World can reveal The one-time Protestant paramilitary boss who headed the UFFs notorious C Coy murder machine believes its only a matter of time before the Loyalist Communities Council (LCC) also officially backs the DUP leaders deal. The LCC speaks for the UVF, UDA and Red Hand Commando. And Adair also welcomed Sinn Fein leader Michelle ONeills appearance on Belfasts Shankill Road this week so soon after becoming First Minister. That was a good thing, Adair told the Sunday World last night. Last weekend, this newspaper quoted senior loyalist sources saying the LCC had agreed to support the Donaldson trade-off over the Irish Sea border. And despite the groups tight-lipped chairman David Campbell telling us that a press release on the matter was imminent, no LCC statement has yet been forthcoming. But taking time out from a slap-up Glasgow Rangers supporters dinner at Ayr Racecourse yesterday, ex-UDA Brigadier Adair told us: As far as the LCC is concerned, silence is golden. To tell you the truth, Im really glad the LCC hasnt said anything, because it was becoming embarrassing. I mean, if you go back to the signing of the Good Friday Agreement, even then they were out with their begging bowls. I know the names have changed. At one time it was the Combined Loyalist Military Command and later the CCCL. And now its the LCC. But essentially, its the loyalist paramilitary leadership out with the begging bowls. Its the same old story. They say,we cant control the men. The men arent happy. Some of them want to go back to war. But its absolute nonsense and people shouldnt listen to it. And Adair who has lived on the west coast of Scotland for over 20 years also maintains some shadowy figures operating within loyalism are in fact involved in legalised extortion. They threaten the government that the membership isnt happy, he outlined. And they instil fear by claiming they may go back to war. DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson speaks to the media at Stormont But theyve really just found a new way to extort money from the government. He added: Its a form of blackmail. By using the names of the UDA and the UVF to bring in the fear factor, they can demand more money. Thats the way it works and they know it. Originally from the Oldpark area of north Belfast, Adair says he still has an understanding of howordinary people in loyalist communities feel. And he says he is encouraged by recent political developments which saw a return to devolved government at Stormont. Everything in the last few weeks since Sir Jeffrey Donaldson announced his deal is good, he added. It sounds good and the body language among the politicians is good also, as far as Im concerned. Adair points out how he was particularly pleased to see Sinn Fein leader Michelle ONeill visit his old Shankill Road stomping ground, so soon after becoming First Minister. Yes, I have to say it was good to see Michelle ONeill up the Shankill at the Womens Centre with Emma Pengelly at her side. Loyalist Communities Council chairman David Campbell denied there was a split within the Loyalist council when asked by reporter Hugh Jordon. Mr Campbell Michelle has the right kind of personality to carry it off. That has to be a good thing. In the years running up to the republican and loyalist ceasefires 30 years ago, Mad Dog Adair led the UDA murder machine known as C Coy based in the lower Shankill estate where he lived. He was finally jailed for 16 years when the RUCs top brass successfully managed to pin a charge of directing terrorism on him. Released under the Good Friday Agreement peace deal, Adair was quickly banged up again when the authorities feared he posed a real threat to peace. On his release, he fled Northern Ireland to eventually settle in Ayrshire on the west coast of Scotland, where his childhood friend and trusted C Coy comrade Sam Skelly McCrory was living. A notorious C Coy gunman, McCrory died two years ago when he fell down a flight of concrete stairs outside his fourth-floor flat on Ayrs Kincaidstone estate. It is known that both Adair and McCrory were influenced by SDLP leader John Humes vision of a shared future for Northern Ireland when he visited them in the Maze Prison. A strong supporter of the Good Friday Agreement which finally brought peace to Northern Ireland after decades of war, in recent years Adair has been critical of current loyalist paramilitary leaders. And last night, before attending the black-tie Glasgow Rangers supporters function in Ayr where former Rangers striker Sir Alex Ferguson was being honoured Adair said: Im just glad the LCC has said nothing. And as far as Im concerned, the longer it goes, the better. Scions Rotorua headquarters have gone head-to-head with the Silicon Valley campus of top tech company Google - and come out on top. But there are no hard feelings between the architects behind the two incredible buildings. The Dubai International Best Practices Award for Sustainable Development was presented last week and Scions Innovation hub Te Whare Nui o Tuteata won The Most Beautiful, Innovative and Iconic Building award. Designed by RTA Studios and Irving Smith Architects, it was a finalist alongside Google Bay View in the United States designed by Danish studio Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) and London-based Heatherwick Studio. This week, Jeremy Smith of Irving Smith gave BIG partner Kai-Uwe Bergmann the grand tour of the Rotorua building while Bergmann was visiting New Zealand for an architecture conference. Walking through the doors of Te Whare Nui o Tuteata for the first time, Bergmann says he was struck by the timber buildings warmth. Being a finalist in the same category is a great honour. The Dubai award celebrates work that innovates the building industry and Te Whare Nui o Tuteata and Googles building both achieve that. The awards were held for the first time since 2019 in Dubai at the World Governments Summit. They featured five categories and attracted almost 3000 entries from around the globe. The Most Beautiful, Innovative and Iconic Building category recognises iconic, smart, innovative, human-centric sustainable projects that innovatively combine green design and construction practices with modern architectural excellence. The win adds to the list of more than 20 national and international awards Te Whare Nui o Tuteata has taken home since opening in 2021. The buildings name, meaning the great house of Tuteata, acknowledges Tuteata who is the ancestor of the three hapu who are the tangata whenua here: Ngati Hurungaterangi, Ngati Taeotu and Ngati Te Kahu. The name was gifted to Scion by those three hapu. The three-storey 2000 sq m building was built using a diagrid timber structure using less material than traditional structures. Scion tested the strength of the diagrid components. The building has also been designed to be carbon-zero meaning it stores as much carbon as was emitted during its construction. Google Bay View opened in 2022 on a 42-acre site in Silicon Valley. It consists of three buildings totaling including two workspace buildings, an events centre and accommodation. The campus aims to on 24/7 carbon-free energy by 2030 and renewable energy and solar potential were prioritised. Globally, the built environment is responsible for about 40 per cent of energy related carbon emissions. Bergmann says architects are increasingly finding new ways to incorporate timber into their multi-storey designs, but more education is needed. We look at the operational energy of a building often but more important is the embodied energy, and the building materials that we use. Fortunately, we are at a time when timber is an option, he says. There are structural advancements and pre-engineered wood manufacturing advancements happening alongside changes to building codes. High rises built using timber are getting up to 20 or 30 floors tall around the world. Irving says winning the award is fantastic. It feels amazing to be doing this kind of innovative work and to get noticed internationally. This building is achieving exactly what Scion is doing with its research having an impact on the world stage. Scions Forests to Timber Products general manager Henri Bailleres says the win solidifies the building as an international timber architecture icon . He says the building was carefully designed in a process involving engineers, architects, designers and Scion scientists, and collaboration was the key to success. Its an iconic building because there are a lot of elements attached to it. There are the Maori cultural elements, innovative design elements, seismic resistance, elegant design and maximal use of timber. Its a showcase technically and aesthetically of what can be done with timber, he says. It couldnt have been done without having this synergy. He says Scion led the sustainable building charge and this had flow-on effects, with the new Fisher and Paykel global headquarters being designed by RTA Studios using similar principles of sustainability and timber technology. RTA design lead Rich Naish accepted the award in Dubai and says it is a great honour to receive recognition on the world stage for innovation developed in New Zealand with partners. What I believe has been recognised is a prototype for change to mitigate the effects of climate change in the construction industry, not just applicable to our region but the whole world. Being present at the World Government Summit in Dubai provided acute relevance to me, the intent of this region of the world with UN Habitat to find immediate sustainable architectural solutions for our future. Residents of two rural Rotorua communities have begged for their community halls to not be condemned and levelled accusations of substandard repairs and neglect to their council. They were met with emotional apologies for a lack of council communication and a promise to do better. At a Rotorua Lakes Council Rural Community Board meeting on Tuesday, locals from the two communities heard their memorial halls fates. The council is assessing building conditions at all 10 of its community halls. The Mamaku and Reporoa community halls were inspected late last year and both closed in December. On Tuesday, Mamaku residents learned their hall was to be demolished. Reporoa residents begged theirs would not also be condemned. Reporoa Memorial Hall custodian Keren Leslie said the hall had been neglected for a long time. In her view, she said issues that were initially small were allowed to grow, and large repairs had been substandard. This included a roof replacement she believed was meant to fix dampness but contributed to the black mould that is currently plaguing the hall. Leslie said the hall housed history and memorabilia and served many aspects of the community. She said it was well-used and well-loved. From funerals and birthdays to pantomimes and prize-givings, the hall hosted it all. I beg for you not to condemn our building. Mamaku Residents Association member Rachel Matthews spoke to the Rural Community Board on Tuesday. Photo / Laura Smith. The Mamaku hall was used similarly, and Mamaku Residents Association member Rachel Matthews said there was a complete lack of communication on all levels around the halls closure and any prior issues. Committees in the past have done nothing to maintain the hall, she claimed. The December building survey of the hall found major visual defects to the subfloor structure and significant impacts on structural integrity. Council property manager Samantha Rowleys presentation to the committee noted this was why the hall closed. These findings led council staff to decide that the health and safety risk to occupants was too high for the hall to remain open whilst invasive testing was carried out. The invasive testing found floor joists disintegrated with touch barely anything holding it together. Water damage and black mould throughout the hall was beyond repair, it said. The testing concluded asbestos should be removed and the building should be demolished. The council would consider what could be recovered for future use and work to determine the best course of action. Matthews said the association wanted a second opinion. A petition was also presented calling for the hall to be fixed and re-opened. Board member John Atkinson said, It just seems unbelievable to get to that stage before being picked up on. Rotorua Lakes Council Rural Community Board chairman Colin Guyton. Photo / Laura Smith. Chairman Colin Guyton said the people of Mamaku would be devastated. Rural ward councillor Karen Barker, a Reporoa resident, was visibly upset as she spoke. I am very sorry about the communication, we can only but improve. Barker called the halls community heirlooms. In terms of potential repair or replacement, she said the funding would be challenging. We will have to be realistic. Rotorua Lakes Council rural ward councillor Karen Barker. Photo / Zoe Adams. Following the meeting, she said she understood there were further reports to come to councillors on the future of either hall as investigations were still underway. This included what options there might be for a hall in Mamaku. She said she believed the repairs needed in Reporoa were currently being investigated. Mayor Tania Tapsell, who is not on the board, spoke to the public in the room. She said she could feel the shock and disappointment. With all challenges that come our way it is still an opportunity for something better. LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air. Whakatane-Ohope Community Board was asked to fly the Palestinian flag during the public forum of a meeting on Monday night. Free Palestine supporter Van Mei said they had Palestinian whanau living in exile from their country in New Zealand. Mx Mei expressed their hurt at the inactions and complicity of people, including the New Zealand Government, on the Israel-Hamas War. I know it seems really far away but it sits deep within my body and my bones. For us, Palestine is not a distant shore. It is something that lives within our hearts, they said. Mx Mei also took part in a rally at the Whakatane office of East Coast MP Dana Fitzpatrick on February 13. The protest wasnt organised by me or my friends but was a snap rally organised by a person in solidarity that we all helped bring noise to. There was an endless stream of beeps and honks in solidarity. For me, its a really important part of being tangata Te Tiriti . For me, honoring te Tiriti is naming and resisting all forms of colonisation. Mx Mei suggested some actions of solidarity to the board, including flying the Palestinian flag outside the council offices. Free Palestine supporter Van Mei spoke at a Whakatane-Ohope Community Board meeting on Monday. Supplied. Mx Mei also asked for the board to join the likes of Waiheke and Mangare-Otahuhu local boards in making a public statement calling for a ceasefire or boycotting companies that were exploiting our Palestinian whanau. Board chairwoman Carolyn Hamill said she appreciated Mx Mei raising the issue but that political discussions around the conflict were not part of the community boards kaupapa. We are politically neutral, so we have limited capacity to act in support but we are happy for you to exercise your democratic right to speak. A spokesperson for Whakatane District Council said the council would not be taking a position on the conflict. LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air. There are no reported injuries following a vehicle and train crash in Tauranga. Police say they received a report of a vehicle hit by a train on Matapihi Road, Matapihi at 11.04am. "It looks like the vehicle was abandoned," says a police spokesperson. Following being hit by the train, the black vehicle is partly on its side between the rail tracks and high grass bank that runs alongside the railway line. A Matapihi local at the scene says the car was empty at the time of the crash, and they have no idea how it came to be there. "As far as we know no-one was in it at the time the train connected with it,' says a local. "It doesn't have any numberplates on it." The car lying alongside the train at Matapihi. Photo: Supplied. At the scene? Phone 0800SUNLIVE or email newsroom@thesun.co.nz Alekk M. Saanders Saturday, 24 February 2024, 17:46 Compartir Copiar enlace WhatsApp Facebook X LinkedIn Telegram The war in Ukraine forced millions of people to flee their homes, mostly women and children, as Ukrainian men were banned from leaving the country and conscripted into the army. Here are four women who found their temporary home on the Costa del Sol. We spoke to them some months after the war started and as the second anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine approaches, we contacted the women again to find out how they were getting on (on the Costa del Sol). Back in Kyiv Olga Olga (r) with Artem and Oksana. In March 2022, Oksana Hryhorash, a Ukrainian living in Malaga, managed to bring her grandson Artem and his mother Olga from Poland (where they had been flown from Kyiv). Oksana was a volunteer, part of a rescue team from Spain. After arriving, Artem and Olga lived in the home of a Spanish family, as Oksana had no way to set up accommodation. A year later, Olga told SUR in English that her mother-in-law took care of all the expenses. They also received food aid once a week from the social service of the local town hall. "It may not be much, but we are grateful for what we have. In such a situation, the most important thing is to have clear skies and sunshine over our heads. I am happy that in peaceful Malaga, Artem stopped crying when he saw men," said Olga in summer 2022. In Malaga, Olga continued to work from home, just as she had done in Ukraine during the pandemic. She worked in sales for an Italian furniture company in Kyiv. Eventually, Olga and Artem were placed in a refugee hostel. However, by Christmas 2022, Olga and Artem had left Malaga for Kyiv. "They have not been able to adapt in Spain. I did everything I could to make them comfortable here, but I fell ill and could not do more. Olga made the decision to return to Ukraine without warning me, so I didn't persuade her to stay in a safe place. She is now in the Ukrainian capital. I keep in touch with the six women I managed to bring from the Polish camp in Spain two years ago. They have also returned to Ukraine. Only the woman who has a disabled daughter stayed on the Costa del Sol, because she could not get better treatment for her in Ukraine," Oksana explained to SUR in English. Back in Kyiv Anya Just after the war, Gennady, who had been living on the Costa del Sol for more than a decade, took all his relatives from Ukraine - his cousin Anya and her two children and two aunts. Gennady and his English partner accommodated them in their flat in Torremolinos. It is ok, Gennady commented referring to the Ukrainian saying 'There was no harm in being cramped,' something like the English expression 'The more the merrier.' Back then, Anya told SUR in English: "Shortly after our arrival, I was offered a flat in a private company. There is no washing machine there, so we do laundry at Gennady's house. Electricity is expensive, so we do our best to save energy and money. Such shortages make us even more creative, so the sewing machine is in constant use. I am waiting for a work permit. It is important that my daughter continues her education. I am glad that she has been accepted to a private English school in Torremolinos. We can't help but be grateful to all the people who help." Last August, Anya decided to return to Kyiv, where her husband had stayed. She wanted her children to go to a Ukrainian school. In Kyiv, she opened a tailoring workshop. Her family's routine, like others in the Ukrainian capital, includes frequent air raids and escapes to a shelter, although it happens so often that they are just hiding in the bathroom in the flat. Living in Malaga Anna Anna with her son and her granny. Anna is originally from Vinnytsia and she used to live in Spain. In May 2022, together with her son and grandmother, she came to Spain again, but now as a refugee. "On 7 March we fled to neighbouring Poland, thinking that the war would soon be over and we would return to Ukraine. My husband, father and younger brother are in the war. Two months later, on 5 May 2022, my son, my 80-year-old grandmother and I arrived in Spain to find asylum, Anna told SUR in English in summer 2022. They first stayed at Anna's in-laws' house in Casares. She stressed that they helped them a lot. On the Costa del Sol, she immediately got involved as a volunteer with a Spanish organisation, helping to organise humanitarian flights to Spain for refugees from Ukraine. I love Spain, I like the people, they are very kind. Now I am living in Malaga, taking care of my son and grandmother. So at the moment I can't work. The CEAR (Comision Espanola de Ayuda al Refugiado) programme helps us to pay the rent of the flat," Anna told SUR in English this February. Living and working in Nerja Inessa Inessa and her daughter. Nerja is actively helping refugees from Ukraine thanks to the Red Cross and a local association. On 18 March 2022, a bus brought Ukrainian women with children to the town. Among them was Inessa and her daughter. "Karlien, a local Belgian, became my support in Nerja. She helped me to find a place to live. Her mother started to take care of my daughter and among other things accompany her to school because I am already working in a local restaurant. Washing dishes is a new experience for me after working as a lawyer in Donetsk for many years, Inessa told SUR in English in summer 2022. I never imagined that the degree of solidarity could be so high. I would like to thank Peter very much for his help and his compassion Inessa My daughter likes Nerja. Thanks to the psychologist, she feels much better and more comfortable in her new Spanish school. I would like to say thank you to all the people here, both Spanish and foreigners. I never imagined that the degree of solidarity could be so high. We feel at home," Inessa told SUR in English a year ago. But now, in 2024, Inessa has changed both her home and workplace. "I am working in a new restaurant where I got a higher position. I help the chef and prepare local salads. Now I'm living at Peter's place. This Englishman has a big heart, as we say in Ukraine. He showed empathy for the refugees from Ukraine from the very beginning of the war. He allowed a Ukrainian family to stay in his house. Now we all live together. I would like to thank him very much for his help and his compassion. Only the beauty of the souls of the people I have met here can rival the beauty of the Andalusian sunsets," she told SUR in English. "My daughter is fitting in successfully. She speaks Spanish very well. In January this year I had to visit Ukraine. My mother was brought from a war zone (in Donetsk region occupying by Russians) to the centre of Ukraine. However, having managed to escape the shootings, she was only able to live for a few days in a quieter place. Her heart could not bear what had happened to her. This January I travelled to Ukraine to see her. The day after we met, she passed away, Inessa said. Current Print Subscribers will be prompted to either login to their current site user account or to create a new one. A confirmation email will be sent when a new user account is created, which must be confirmed within three days in order to provide uninterrupted online access through your Print Subscription. Once the email address is confirmed please provide your Account Number to activate your Print Subscription Service. What's the most exclusive club on Wall Street? I'd argue it's the trillion-dollar club, a group of six stocks, each boasting a valuation above $1 trillion: Microsoft, Apple, Nvidia, Alphabet, Amazon, and Meta Platforms. By 2035, the club will likely expand significantly, with companies across a broad range of sectors topping the $1 trillion mark. So, let's examine one that may have the potential to hit a valuation of $1 trillion by 2035: Palantir Technologies (NYSE: PLTR). Image source: Getty Images. How Palantir stacks up today Let's start with how large it is now to figure out how much Palantir's valuation could go. As of this writing, Palantir has a market cap of $51.6 billion. The company ranks as the 350-largest American company. Needless to say, Palantir has a long way to go if it wants to crack the $1 trillion club. The company would need to grow nearly 2,000% or 20x by 2035. That works out to a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of about 32%. Interestingly, Palantir has generated a CAGR of 31% since debuting via an Initial Public Offering (IPO) in 2020. Such a growth level might seem unachievable for a longer time span. After all, if you look at a benchmark index, like the S&P 500, its lifetime total return CAGR, which stretches back over 70 years, is only 10%. Even if you choose shorter, more bullish periods, the S&P 500's CAGR improves but still falls well short of 30%. For example, between March 2009 and today -- overall, a very bullish period in the stock market -- the S&P 500's CAGR is only 16%. ^SPX Chart ^SPX data by YCharts However, the S&P 500, like all stock market indexes, has less volatility than individual stocks. If we examine stocks one by one, it becomes clear that hitting and maintaining a 30% CAGR is possible. As you can see in the chart below, Advanced Micro Devices, Microsoft, and Tesla all achieved a CAGR equal to or greater than 28% over the last decade. AMD, for one, has a 10-year CAGR of 46%. Many of these high-growth rates stem from the ever-growing demand for artificial intelligence (AI). However, Adobe and Salesforce (companies that more closely resemble Palantir due to their software-focused business models) have notched lower CAGRs of 23% and 16%, respectively. While that doesn't mean Palantir can't get to $1 trillion by 2035, it is worth noting that a 30% CAGR is hard to achieve and maintain -- even for well-performing companies. Story continues AMD Total Return Level Chart Could Palantir's business support a $1 trillion valuation? First things first: What does Palantir do? In short, the company builds software platforms that help its customers grapple with their own data and realize practical efficiencies. More organizations than ever need this type of service, given how much data they generate on a daily basis. Take the National Health Service (NHS) of the United Kingdom, for example. It's a massive system that serves over 56 million people overall, with close to 1.6 million patient interactions every day. Each of those interactions results in new data that must be recorded -- making on-the-spot analysis difficult. Administrators instead rely on top-down, after-the-fact analysis, which is costly and often yields few real-time improvements. Yet, through the use of Palantir's software, the NHS has realized impressive results. For example, the inpatient waiting list at two London-based hospitals decreased by 28% after adopting Palantir's software. In addition, operating room utilization increased by 5.7%. Now, as Palantir leverages AI to strengthen its software programs, there's more opportunity for its customer base to grow. However, only time will tell exactly how that growth will take shape over the next decade. Will Palantir hit $1 trillion by 2035? Despite its solid business model and popular software, it won't be easy for Palantir to crack the $1 trillion mark by 2035. The company must continue to grow its revenue and customer base. As of its most recent quarter (the three months ending Dec. 31, 2023), Palantir grew its commercial revenue by 32% year-over-year. Similarly, its commercial customer count jumped 55% from a year earlier. Those gains in its commercial business, rather than its government-focused segment, where growth is slower, could support a 30% CAGR for the company. Moreover, as demand for AI-powered tools and big data analytics continues to ramp up, it's possible Palantir's growth rates could accelerate. However, I'm not optimistic that the company will achieve a $1 trillion valuation in less than 11 years. While I still think Palantir is a great company and a solid investment, I don't think it has what it takes to cross the very high hurdle of $1 trillion by 2035. It would require consistent levels of explosive growth, which would be unrealistic for most companies. At any rate, for long-term buy-and-hold investors, Palantir remains a stock worth considering. Should you invest $1,000 in Palantir Technologies right now? Before you buy stock in Palantir Technologies, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now and Palantir Technologies wasnt one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Stock Advisor provides investors with an easy-to-follow blueprint for success, including guidance on building a portfolio, regular updates from analysts, and two new stock picks each month. The Stock Advisor service has more than tripled the return of S&P 500 since 2002*. See the 10 stocks *Stock Advisor returns as of February 20, 2024 Suzanne Frey, an executive at Alphabet, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. Randi Zuckerberg, a former director of market development and spokeswoman for Facebook and sister to Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. John Mackey, former CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. Jake Lerch has positions in Adobe, Alphabet, Amazon, Nvidia, and Tesla. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Adobe, Advanced Micro Devices, Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta Platforms, Microsoft, Nvidia, Palantir Technologies, Salesforce, and Tesla. The Motley Fool recommends the following options: long January 2026 $395 calls on Microsoft and short January 2026 $405 calls on Microsoft. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Will Palantir Technologies Be a Trillion-Dollar Stock by 2035? was originally published by The Motley Fool Western defense companies have been riding high since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine two years ago, and a proliferation of geopolitical threats is likely to keep the industry booming despite doubts about further US military aid for Kyiv. Since February 23, 2022, the day before Moscow began bombing several Ukrainian cities, the stocks of five of the top US and European defense contractors have all risen. The companies Europes BAE Systems, Thales and Rheinmetall, and Lockheed Martin (LMT) and Northrop Grumman (NOC) in the United States have all either provided weapons for the battlefield in Ukraine or signed agreements to do so. Governments have donated ammunition, tanks, and fighter jets to Ukraine, are replenishing their own depleted stockpiles, and have committed billions more to their defense budgets. Canada and the European members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, which make up the bulk of NATOs membership, spent 11% more on defense in 2023 than the previous year. Thats an unprecedented rise, according to NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg. The military alliance expects a record 18 of its 31 member states to spend at least 2% of their gross domestic product on defense this year, a funding target set back in 2014, when Russia annexed a part of Ukraine. Rising defense budgets mean theres going to be more work for the private sector, Trevor Taylor, a director at the Royal United Services Institute or RUSI, a London-based think tank, told CNN. He added that it was difficult to see how Russia wouldnt continue to pose a threat, particularly to Europe, over at least the next decade. Record earnings, more jobs For major defense contractor Saab, it has been a dramatic two years, according to chief executive Micael Johansson. In that time, the Swedish company has in vested billions to build up production capacity. It has expanded its workforce by 3,600 people since the start of 2022, and expects it to grow by another 2,000 this year, Johansson told CNN. Story continues I have been so long with this company and I have never seen anything like this in terms of boosting capacity, he added. Saabs profit soared 30% last year to hit an all-time high. The companys biggest customer is the Swedish government, which announced another package of military support for Ukraine last week, including donations of artillery ammunition and anti-tank weapons. Meanwhile, Poland, Ukraines neighbor, has become a big customer since the war broke out, Johansson said. BAE Systems has also enjoyed healthy earnings. On Thursday, the UK defense contractor reported profit of 2.6 billion ($3.3 billion) in 2023, up 8% from 2022. The company is planning for a long-term growth trajectory, chief executive Charles Woodburn said when presenting the latest earnings. While some Ukraine-related orders are starting to come through, restocking and the impact of ongoing defense spending increases will be evident further down the line, he noted. Era of insecurity Continued US military support for Ukraine on the scale of the past two years is looking increasingly unlikely. A $60 billion aid package for Kyiv, most of it earmarked for defense, remains stuck in Congress. House Republicans backed by Donald Trump, the Republican frontrunner for this years US presidential election have so far refused to take up a bill that would deliver that aid. European governments are scrambling to find ways to fill the gap. According to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, a German think tank, the European Union would need to double its current level and pace of arms assistance to Ukraine this year to fully replace that provided by the United States. But the pressure on Western governments to beef up their military coffers will outlast the Ukraine war, analysts say, and it started to rise even before Moscow sent its troops marching toward Kyiv two years ago. A BAE Systems employee works on High Explosive Mortar munitions at the company's factory near Newcastle upon Tyne, England, in November 2023. - Oli Scarff/AFP/Getty Images Trump has spent years chiding NATO members for failing to meet the 2% spending target. The former US President, who is expected to run against Joe Biden for president in November, said this month that he would encourage Russia to do whatever the hell they want to NATO members not meeting their defense spending obligations. The International Institute for Strategic S tudies (IISS) said earlier this month that global defense spending had risen 9% to a record $2.2 trillion in 2023, as the world adjusts to what it called an era of insecurity. The London-based think tank cited the threat Beijing poses to Taiwan among a litany of other risks. China claims control over the democratic, self-governing state, and has been ramping up military exercises close to the island, fueling fears that is preparing to invade. The IISS also pointed to the Israel-Hamas war and related attacks by Houthi militants on ships in the Red Sea. Its not just large, established defense contractors that are getting a boost. The febrile global environment has helped lift the shares of Renk, a newly-listed German maker of military tank gearboxes, including those donated by Berlin to Ukraine. The firms stock has soared nearly 80% since it went public in Frankfurt on February 7. That day, Renk chief executive Susanne Wiegand told Reuters that the October 7 attacks on Israel and the ensuing war in Gaza, had increased the app eal of defense stocks. And this appeal is unlikely to fade soon, given growing defense spending by governments. The great power competition is largely the driver of where spending is going, and that is predicated on the rise of China and the continued negative influence of Russias engagements in Europe, said Myles Walton, a defense analyst at New York-based Wolfe Research. Johansson of Swedens Saab agrees. Even if we get a reasonable end to this tragic war (in Ukraine), countries will not let their guard down again We will still have Russia as a neighbor, which is very aggressive, so countries must have resilience and be prepared. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com SR1602 BHPian Join Date: Sep 2023 Location: Chennai Posts: 45 Thanked: 141 Times Re: Aprilia RS 457 Track Review Quote: hikozaru Originally Posted by Anyone daft enough to take a measuring tape and measure the ground clearance on this bike? Quote: MonsterTorque Originally Posted by This, indeed, seems to be the case. I booked, including colour selection, on the day bookings opened online. The dealer called to ask what colour was booked as he has to place an order now, which is ridiculous considering that the booking was done more than three months ago. The lack of coordination between Aprilia India and the dealership is also alarming. I am already dreading the prospect of waiting for spares. Apart from that I went to Express Avenue mall in Chennai to check it out again and unlike Bengaluru there was no crowd here. I spent a good 20 minutes talking to the ASM and showroom owner. I am number 5 on the booking order in Chennai so he said it's quite likely I'll get the first lot. I also sat on the bike and took my own sweet time navigating through the menus and all. She's a looker there's no other perspective one can have. The finish also feels surprisingly well done and better than any other domestic product I have seen so far. The only plastic bit where I noticed some level of flex (also highlighted by Rishaad in the Autocar review) was the thin layer right adjacent to the top of the windscreen. Despite the flex it doesn't feel cheap by any means. Sitting on it does give you that big bike feel thanks to the way the tank is sculpted. It's a really nice cockpit view to glance at. One niggle I did feel was the switchgear quality. I have never operated any motorcycle that has a 4 way button but the tactile feedback from the switches was very weird and required a little more effort than normal to press. This was only limited to the D-Pad and I am assuming it was done to prevent accidental clicks. They've changed some parts in the final version. The crankcase colour is slightly darker, the pillion footpegs are different and they even changed the plastics around the keyhole based on journo feedbacks during the first ride review. The engineer confirmed however that the brakes are the same and no changes have been made to them. Just a little over 140mm. The exhaust canister is a an mm or two below the plastic surrounding it which might be an issue of concern.I think this is more of a dealer level practice since they might be a little apprehensive about how things will proceed as this bike is hitting the market for the first time. They might be ordering colours basis requirement but there's no chance that manufacturing is happening after a customer places the order. I also feel this practice will only be for the initial phase till they understand the trends.Apart from that I went to Express Avenue mall in Chennai to check it out again and unlike Bengaluru there was no crowd here. I spent a good 20 minutes talking to the ASM and showroom owner. I am number 5 on the booking order in Chennai so he said it's quite likely I'll get the first lot. I also sat on the bike and took my own sweet time navigating through the menus and all.She's a looker there's no other perspective one can have. The finish also feels surprisingly well done and better than any other domestic product I have seen so far. The only plastic bit where I noticed some level of flex (also highlighted by Rishaad in the Autocar review) was the thin layer right adjacent to the top of the windscreen. Despite the flex it doesn't feel cheap by any means.Sitting on it does give you that big bike feel thanks to the way the tank is sculpted. It's a really nice cockpit view to glance at. One niggle I did feel was the switchgear quality. I have never operated any motorcycle that has a 4 way button but the tactile feedback from the switches was very weird and required a little more effort than normal to press. This was only limited to the D-Pad and I am assuming it was done to prevent accidental clicks.They've changed some parts in the final version. The crankcase colour is slightly darker, the pillion footpegs are different and they even changed the plastics around the keyhole based on journo feedbacks during the first ride review. The engineer confirmed however that the brakes are the same and no changes have been made to them. TM_Turbo BHPian Join Date: Feb 2021 Location: Bengaluru Posts: 40 Thanked: 68 Times Re: Seeking wisdom | Advice on choosing a 50cc bike for my son Quote: aargee Originally Posted by Learning License Age Limit for Two wheelers The minimum age for a learning license for a two-wheeler whose capacity is below 50cc is 16 years of age. However, in todays times 50cc scooters are few and far between. Hence, it is better to wait to get the two-wheeler above 50cc license Source: It might work by avoiding getting caught or use private land for practice because:The minimum age for a learning license for a two-wheeler whose capacity is below 50cc is 16 years of age. However, in todays times 50cc scooters are few and far between. Hence, it is better to wait to get the two-wheeler above 50cc licenseSource: https://www.icicilombard.com/knowled...ng-license-age Quote: deep_bang Originally Posted by Rather than looking at petrol bikes would suggest to look at electric ones. This space is already fairly clear wrt rules and regulations and it's very clear that any vehicle that has < 250 watts motor does not need a license to ride the vehicle. With petrol these regulations exist but hardly any manufacturers make them (as far as I know). Quote: shankar.balan Originally Posted by Lovely! This is really nice to read. Nothing like starting them young when it comes to automobile enthusiasm. My Dad did. And Ive ended up being a die hard automobile enthusiast. I agree that the sensible choice to make in your case is to go Electric. But there is a certain joy in the internal combustion engine, especially for your budding DIY enthusiast. That's why I feel you should go with your instinct and get him a petrol driven mini dirt bike or similar, along with the other safety kit etc. The greatest thing you can do after this is to take him to professional biking tracks where he can receive training and hone his skills. I like the picture you posted. If my folks/ grandma had allowed it when I was a teenager, I would have loved to have an Enfield Explorer or BSA Bond 50cc bike both of which, when modded a bit, looked a lot like that picture. Of course those were bikes used by teens, college goers and even adults then. Now some of us can live vicariously through your little boy and his biking! Upon doing a casual search of the internet there seem to be literally tens of options of these 49-50cc petrol powered bikes for kids ranging from 10000 to 70000 Rupees. Thing is, how good, how safe and how reliable are they? That is the primary set of points which require to be answered. Quote: CzechItaliaMoto Originally Posted by Many kits are available online for less than 25k, and they're all DIY so you and your son can have a good time building it. Have personally seen and ridden one of these bikes that was built by a college student(it was electric) and it was pretty impressive. Could handle the sloping roads of Basavanagudi pretty well without breaking a sweat. I know this does not give you the complete feeling of actually riding a standalone dirt bike/EV but does come close to that. Adding a few links below- https://www.Youtube.com/watch?v=k4Ai...UgYmlrZQ%3D%3D https://www.Youtube.com/watch?v=La8y...cmljIGJpa2U%3D https://www.electronicscomp.com/my10...t?gad_source=1 Above kit can be sourced a la carte, maybe with a bigger and more ergonomic(rectangular) batteries that are also available. One idea that comes to mind - converting a bicycle into an electric cycle/adding a 50cc engine to it.Many kits are available online for less than 25k, and they're all DIY so you and your son can have a good time building it. Have personally seen and ridden one of these bikes that was built by a college student(it was electric) and it was pretty impressive. Could handle the sloping roads of Basavanagudi pretty well without breaking a sweat.I know this does not give you the complete feeling of actually riding a standalone dirt bike/EV but does come close to that.Adding a few links below-Above kit can be sourced a la carte, maybe with a bigger and more ergonomic(rectangular) batteries that are also available. I had made this few years back, I had used the hoverboard motor in to a standing scooter (not sure if this is the right word) and powered it with a DIY 18650 Li Ion batteries and control kit, as expected he got bored of it after few years of usage and now he is no longer interested in EVs. I will try finding out some dealers in Bangalore and plan a visit soon to test the bike in person if available Thanks for your inputs aargee, this is going to be strictly for usage inside apartment and in my village farm, will not allow my kid to ride this in public roads until he got right skills and right ageI tried looking for it, however for some reason the EVs are not closer to my heart, neither my son likes it. As a petrol head for sure will miss the fun driving petrol bikeThanks for your note Shakar, even I didn't had opportunity to ride any bikes until my dad bought his first 2 wheeler (Hero Splendor, I was 21) followed by Bajaj Pulsar in 2019 (which we still have), and then a preowned Thunderbird Twinspark (2019 Model) in 2016. With regards to reliability I think these 50cc engines carry the same engine which is used in grass cutting machine used in agriculture.I had made this few years back, I had used the hoverboard motor in to a standing scooter (not sure if this is the right word) and powered it with a DIY 18650 Li Ion batteries and control kit, as expected he got bored of it after few years of usage and now he is no longer interested in EVs.I will try finding out some dealers in Bangalore and plan a visit soon to test the bike in person if available theRRguy Newbie Join Date: Jan 2024 Location: bangalore Posts: 4 Thanked: 56 Times Infractions: 0/1 (5) An Eventful Trip to Kerala Initially the plan was supposed to be Bangalore->Munnar->Thekkady->Vagamon->Allepuzha->Kochi -> Bangalore; covering major places in kerala we always wanted to go but us being broke college students it seemed a little out of reach for now :( After meticulous planning, here's how our travel itinerary looked: Day 1:- Bangalore- Salem - Erode - Coimbatore - Palakkad - Thrissur - Kuttampuzha - Mamalakandam - Adimali (K mansion) Day 2:- K mansion - top station Munnar - Yellapathy grasslands- Devikulam - Skyfall view point - the Hosteller Munnar Day 3:- Kolukumalai sunrise view point (should book jeep and go) Hosteller - Chinnakanal - Anayirankal Dam - Athukad Waterfall (nothing to see there as there was no water but good route to just have fun). Day 4 & 5 (that was supposed to be):- The hosteller Munnar - Thekkady (stop for one day) - Bangalore Day 4 (that was executed):- The Hosteller Munnar - Theni - Dindugul - Salem - Krishnagiri - Bangalore Day 1: Getting to the meat of it, I left home (I stay in Bannerghatta Road) around 4:30 in the morning to meet up with my friend after the E City flyover toll. Met up with him around 5 and started the journey towards KERALAAAA. We were very excited as this was probably the longest ride we had ever done around 1300kms. The ride till Krishnagiri was very cold but the luckily there was not much truck traffic so we could maintain good pace throughout. Crossed the Krishnagiri toll pretty early and the roads till the Dharmapuri toll was amazing. Empty, well laid roads, what more can a man ask for . Stopped for some chai and a nature call break at the toll. I think we stopped around 6:30. Some good chai later we continued our journey towards kerala. One thing we probably didnt account for was the heat dammit. Stopped for water break every 1 and a half hours and god damn we felt the heat come through. Had breakfast on a restaurant on the erode highway. The stretch from erode to coimbatore was pretty damn good with the odd road patchwork here and there but nothing too dangerous like a big pothole or any sorts. Covered distances like it was nothing and finallyyyy we entered the kerala border, truly gods own country. The roads, the scenery everything was a complete change. Eight lane highways that was perfectly paved, our cruising speed felt even slower. If I remember right, near Thrissur we also passed through the Kuthiran Tunnel, only time I wish I had a 1000cc monster under my pants. Took a deviation towards Kuttampuzha. Intially there was some thick traffic put as we went on, traffic thinned out and the famous twisty roads of kerala showed up. We rode so far to experience this and man was it worth it big time. Kuttampuzha also showered us with some god blessing views unfortunately we didnt stop for pictures as the heat was kind of getting to our heads. Attaching few pictures that we managed to take in the Kuttampuzha to Mamalakandam route I remember that the river view we got was the view of the Periyar river correct me if I'm wrong. Now the worst part of day 1, the initial 30 to 40 mins after we deviated to head towards Mamalakandam was the worst. Essentially we were just going on top a hill that was mild off-roading and me on my sport bike i suffered big time.The off-roading was not even the worst part, the lack of any signs of human life or anything even was the worst as we thought we got lost in some random place with no network. Decided to push on a little more and we reached heaven. All of a sudden we saw life, roads everything. Felt so good to know that we infact were going in the correct direction and not somewhere else. Maybe this stretch of road that we rode on was the 3rd best stretch in the entire trip. It was so beautiful and twisty roads mean only one thing for a biker i.e VR46 feels. After riding and riding we reached our hostel, K Mansion located in Admali. No comment to say about the conditions of the roads as go anywhere in kerala and it bound to be good. Got a good rest there to continue the trip for the next day. Day 2: Leaving Adimali, we were literally spellbound by the place that was surrounding us as we were heading towards top station Munnar. Instantly stopped after 200m to take a picture. The roads toward Yellapathy and top station was really good and scenic. When we were heading from top station towards Devikulam, a cloud just happened to pass through us and it was all that we wanted in that moment. Halted for another good 30 mins to take some pictures and you know just take it all in. There wasnt much to Devikulam when we went and unless anyone plans to visit during the monsoon i would recommend to not go there as it would pretty much be a time waste. We then rode on the GAP ROAD which is probably the best roads to drive on in south india. Saw toll booths and seems like they are planning on making it an official national highway. As of now the toll booth isnt functional but may change soon so whoever is yet to bite the plug, DO IT! I cant stop talking enough about this road but feels like I have already gone past the limits of how 'brief' I was going to make this post so I should maybe stop :-) Day 3: The hostel we stayed at had arranged the jeep to watch the sunrise at kolukkumalai. We paid 2100 (750 per head which I thought was reasonable). Will be attaching some pictures of the sunrise and the views while coming down. Y'all going to be drooling now hehe Day 4: Left the hostel around 7 am. Google Maps showed us an estimated arrival time of 5pm without any stops. Here comes the twist. The road till Bodimetu was really good so we had some pace there. But instantly everything switched up, the roads got too narrow for comfort and lets just say it wasnt well paved as the roads we had been riding on for so long. Took a long time to descend till Theni but we just enjoyed the view and weather for a change. This was shot as we were half way down the hill and yet again we passed through a cloud. Stopped for breakfast near Batlagundu. Solid 45 mins of food plus rest and for what it was worth, the food was really good there and not that costly. Cant remember the name of the restaurant but it was on the opposite lane right next to a Bharat Petroleum petrol bunk. From here onwards, we were fully energized and decided to make good use of the empty roads and our bikes. After we got closer to Dindugul, we maintained speed as the roads were pretty much were empty and in wonderful stretch. Stopped for a quick full tank at Salem and then reached home in another 2 hours. Google estimated our arrival time at around 4:30 - 5:00 but we all made it home by 2:30. NOTE WE DID NOT RIDE RASH AND SLOWED DOWN NEAR JUNCTIONS THROUGHOUT THE JOURNEY. Overall it was a wonderful journey that we had, met a couple of startup founders to riders who were on a south india trip. Good chats, good times, good ride is all us men need in life. Signing out, the RRguy Hi guys this most likely is going to be a brief post on my experience travelling to Munnar from Bangalore four a duration of four days.Initially the plan was supposed to be Bangalore->Munnar->Thekkady->Vagamon->Allepuzha->Kochi -> Bangalore; covering major places in kerala we always wanted to go but us being broke college students it seemed a little out of reach for now :(After meticulous planning, here's how our travel itinerary looked:Day 1:-Bangalore- Salem - Erode - Coimbatore - Palakkad - Thrissur - Kuttampuzha - Mamalakandam - Adimali (K mansion)Day 2:-K mansion - top station Munnar - Yellapathy grasslands- Devikulam - Skyfall view point - the Hosteller MunnarDay 3:-Kolukumalai sunrise view point (should book jeep and go) Hosteller - Chinnakanal - Anayirankal Dam - Athukad Waterfall (nothing to see there as there was no water but good route to just have fun).Day 4 & 5 (that was supposed to be):-The hosteller Munnar - Thekkady (stop for one day) - BangaloreDay 4 (that was executed):-The Hosteller Munnar - Theni - Dindugul - Salem - Krishnagiri - BangaloreDay 1:Getting to the meat of it, I left home (I stay in Bannerghatta Road) around 4:30 in the morning to meet up with my friend after the E City flyover toll. Met up with him around 5 and started the journey towards KERALAAAA. We were very excited as this was probably the longest ride we had ever done around 1300kms. The ride till Krishnagiri was very cold but the luckily there was not much truck traffic so we could maintain good pace throughout. Crossed the Krishnagiri toll pretty early and the roads till the Dharmapuri toll was amazing. Empty, well laid roads, what more can a man ask for. Stopped for some chai and a nature call break at the toll. I think we stopped around 6:30.Some good chai later we continued our journey towards kerala. One thing we probably didnt account for was the heat dammit. Stopped for water break every 1 and a half hours and god damn we felt the heat come through. Had breakfast on a restaurant on the erode highway. The stretch from erode to coimbatore was pretty damn good with the odd road patchwork here and there but nothing too dangerous like a big pothole or any sorts.Covered distances like it was nothing and finallyyyy we entered the kerala border, truly gods own country. The roads, the scenery everything was a complete change. Eight lane highways that was perfectly paved, our cruising speed felt even slower. If I remember right, near Thrissur we also passed through the Kuthiran Tunnel, only time I wish I had a 1000cc monster under my pants. Took a deviation towards Kuttampuzha. Intially there was some thick traffic put as we went on, traffic thinned out and the famous twisty roads of kerala showed up. We rode so far to experience this and man was it worth it big time. Kuttampuzha also showered us with some god blessing views unfortunately we didnt stop for pictures as the heat was kind of getting to our heads.Attaching few pictures that we managed to take in the Kuttampuzha to Mamalakandam routeI remember that the river view we got was the view of the Periyar river correct me if I'm wrong.Now the worst part of day 1, the initial 30 to 40 mins after we deviated to head towards Mamalakandam was the worst. Essentially we were just going on top a hill that was mild off-roading and me on my sport bike i suffered big time.The off-roading was not even the worst part, the lack of any signs of human life or anything even was the worst as we thought we got lost in some random place with no network. Decided to push on a little more and we reached heaven. All of a sudden we saw life, roads everything. Felt so good to know that we infact were going in the correct direction and not somewhere else. Maybe this stretch of road that we rode on was the 3rd best stretch in the entire trip. It was so beautiful and twisty roads mean only one thing for a biker i.e VR46 feels.After riding and riding we reached our hostel, K Mansion located in Admali. No comment to say about the conditions of the roads as go anywhere in kerala and it bound to be good. Got a good rest there to continue the trip for the next day.Day 2:Leaving Adimali, we were literally spellbound by the place that was surrounding us as we were heading towards top station Munnar. Instantly stopped after 200m to take a picture.The roads toward Yellapathy and top station was really good and scenic. When we were heading from top station towards Devikulam, a cloud just happened to pass through us and it was all that we wanted in that moment. Halted for another good 30 mins to take some pictures and you know just take it all in.There wasnt much to Devikulam when we went and unless anyone plans to visit during the monsoon i would recommend to not go there as it would pretty much be a time waste.We then rode on the GAP ROAD which is probably the best roads to drive on in south india. Saw toll booths and seems like they are planning on making it an official national highway. As of now the toll booth isnt functional but may change soon so whoever is yet to bite the plug, DO IT!I cant stop talking enough about this road but feels like I have already gone past the limits of how 'brief' I was going to make this post so I should maybe stop :-)Day 3:The hostel we stayed at had arranged the jeep to watch the sunrise at kolukkumalai. We paid 2100 (750 per head which I thought was reasonable).Will be attaching some pictures of the sunrise and the views while coming down. Y'all going to be drooling now heheDay 4:Left the hostel around 7 am. Google Maps showed us an estimated arrival time of 5pm without any stops. Here comes the twist. The road till Bodimetu was really good so we had some pace there. But instantly everything switched up, the roads got too narrow for comfort and lets just say it wasnt well paved as the roads we had been riding on for so long. Took a long time to descend till Theni but we just enjoyed the view and weather for a change.This was shot as we were half way down the hill and yet again we passed through a cloud.Stopped for breakfast near Batlagundu. Solid 45 mins of food plus rest and for what it was worth, the food was really good there and not that costly. Cant remember the name of the restaurant but it was on the opposite lane right next to a Bharat Petroleum petrol bunk.From here onwards, we were fully energized and decided to make good use of the empty roads and our bikes.After we got closer to Dindugul, we maintained speed as the roads were pretty much were empty and in wonderful stretch.Stopped for a quick full tank at Salem and then reached home in another 2 hours. Google estimated our arrival time at around 4:30 - 5:00 but we all made it home by 2:30. NOTE WE DID NOT RIDE RASH AND SLOWED DOWN NEAR JUNCTIONS THROUGHOUT THE JOURNEY.Overall it was a wonderful journey that we had, met a couple of startup founders to riders who were on a south india trip. Good chats, good times, good ride is all us men need in life.Signing out,the RRguy Attached Thumbnails Last edited by vb-saan : 24th February 2024 at 14:52 . Reason: Please do not try to evade forum rules (against illegal/highspeed references) by changing the units. In context: The Supreme Court has agreed to hear two cases involving opposing state-level rulings regarding censorship of online speech. The hearing raises critical First Amendment issues, and the high court's decision could radically change the future of online discourse. Are social media and online discussion spaces platforms or publishers? Do they curate online conversations, or are they disinterested parties merely hosting civic discussion? Regulators and political watchdogs have pondered these questions since the early days of the internet. They have become even more prominent with the rise of social platforms like Facebook, X, and YouTube. On Monday, the Supreme Court may provide some answers. In 2021, social media platforms like X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook banned President Donald Trump's accounts. The move came following years of conservatives saying that online platform holders suppressed their views. The ban almost immediately led some states to enact legislation that would compel platforms to host content that they would otherwise moderate or remove and give explanations for any moderated content. Florida's SB 7072 and HB 20 in Texas are prominent examples. NetChoice and the Computer and Communications Industry Association immediately challenged both laws, arguing that platforms have a right to curate and moderate their spaces as they see fit. The groups also contend that providing detailed explanations for every moderation decision is unreasonably demanding. Interestingly, these two laws resulted in conflicting outcomes when challenged in state-level courts. Florida successfully defended its legislation. However, NetChoice got the Texas law blocked. So, one federal appellate court said states could restrict content moderation policies, and another ruled the opposite. As such, the states have petitioned the Supreme Court for a decisive answer. Moody vs. NetChoice and NetChoice vs. Paxton rely on First Amendment arguments from all parties to the challenge. On the one hand, NetChoice and their representation argue that requiring platforms to host content they would otherwise remove is effectively compelled speech, which breaches the platform's First Amendment rights. On the other hand, states contend that social media giants breach users' right to free speech by censoring or banning them. The Supreme Court has agreed to settle the argument. The outcome of these cases will have dramatic and far-reaching consequences for online discussions and will affect many more than just social media platforms. "These statutes would deny operators of online platforms editorial control over their own websites and force them to publish speech they do not wish to disseminate," stated the Wikimedia Foundation owner and operator of Wikipedia in an amicus brief. Many other online publishers agree. The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, American Booksellers for Free Expression, and the Motion Picture Association co-authored a separate SCOTUS amicus brief supporting online content moderation. These are landmark cases. The ramifications will be huge, regardless of how the Supreme Court rules. If the justices uphold the platforms' rights to moderate, they set a precedent that could disallow future attempts to regulate those companies to protect an individual's First Amendment rights. Conversely, if the states can dictate how platforms moderate content online, hosting speech suddenly becomes a minefield with inconsistent regulation across state lines, making it virtually impossible to comply within all 50 states. Image credit: Fred Schilling As part of NASA's CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) initiative and Artemis campaign, Intuitive Machines is targeting no earlier than 6:24 p.m. EST Thursday, Feb. 22, to land their Odysseus lunar lander near Malapert A in the South Pole region of the Moon. Live landing coverage will air on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency's website. NASA TV can be streamed on a variety of platforms, including social media. Coverage will include live streaming and blog updates beginning at 5 p.m., as the landing milestones occur. Upon successful landing, Intuitive Machines and NASA will host a news conference to discuss the mission and science opportunities that lie ahead as the company begins lunar surface operations. READ ALSO: NASA's Picture of the Day Features the 'Shakespearean' Moons of Uranus In May 2019, the agency awarded a task order for scientific payload delivery to Intuitive Machines. Odysseus launched at 1:05 a.m., Feb. 15, on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA is working with several U.S. companies to deliver science and technology to the lunar surface through the agency's CLPS initiative. This pool of companies may bid on task orders for end-to-end delivery services, which includes payload integration and operations, launching from Earth, and landing on the surface of the Moon. NASA's CLPS contracts are indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contracts with a cumulative maximum contract value of $2.6 billion through 2028. Through the Artemis campaign, commercial robotic deliveries will perform science experiments, test technologies, and demonstrate capabilities to help NASA explore the Moon in advance of Artemis Generation astronaut missions to the lunar surface, and ultimately crewed missions to Mars. Watch, engage on social media Let people know you're following the mission on X, Facebook, and Instagram by using the hashtag #Artemis. You can also stay connected by following and tagging these accounts: X: @NASA, @NASA_Johnson, @NASAArtemis, @NASAMoon Facebook: NASA, NASAJohnsonSpaceCenter, NASAArtemis Instagram: @NASA, @NASAJohnson, @NASAArtemis For more information about the agency's Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative, see: https://www.nasa.gov/clps RELATED ARTICLE: NASA Launches New Mission to Study Ultraviolet Sky, Stars, and Stellar Explosions 2024 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has found compelling evidence suggesting the presence of a neutron star at the core of a recently studied supernova. The supernova in question, dubbed SN 1987A, represents a core-collapse event, wherein the remnants of a massive star's explosion condense into either a neutron star or a black hole. Neutron Star at the Heart of a Supernova Remnant While prior investigations hinted at the existence of such a compact object, this new discovery marks the first time the effects of high-energy emissions from the presumed young neutron star have been observed. Supernovae, the spectacular explosions marking the end of massive stars' lives, unfold rapidly, with their brightness peaking within months, according to NASA. These cosmic events offer astronomers a unique opportunity to witness and study the aftermath of stellar explosions in real time, providing invaluable insights into the universe's workings. SN 1987A is situated 160,000 light-years away in the Large Magellanic Cloud and made its debut in February 1987, reaching its maximum brightness in May of the same year. Notably, it was the first supernova visible to the naked eye since Kepler's Supernova in 1604, capturing the attention of astronomers worldwide. The initial observation of SN 1987A was preceded by a brief burst of neutrinos detected by three observatories, offering crucial corroborative evidence linking the neutrino burst and the subsequent supernova event. These observations supported existing theories predicting the formation of a neutron star or a black hole following a core-collapse supernova. Subsequently, astronomers have been searching for direct evidence of these compact objects within the remnants of such stellar explosions. Read Also: [LOOK] NASA Celebrates 2024 New Year with a Festive Image of 2 Exploded Stars 'Compelling Signature' Claes Fransson of Stockholm University, leading the research, elaborated on the significance of their findings, saying that while theoretical models had suggested the formation of a neutron star or black hole in SN 1987A's aftermath, direct evidence had remained elusive until now. "From theoretical models of SN 1987A, the 10-second burst of neutrinos observed just before the supernova implied that a neutron star or black hole was formed in the explosion," Fransson said in a statement. "But we have not observed any compelling signature of such a newborn object from any supernova explosion. With this observatory, we have now found direct evidence for emission triggered by the newborn compact object, most likely a neutron star," he added. Utilizing Webb's Medium Resolution Spectrograph (MRS), the research team scrutinized the SN 1987A remnant, capturing detailed spectral data that revealed a strong signal attributed to ionized argon emanating from the remnant's core. Further observations employing Webb's NIRSpec (Near-Infrared Spectrograph) Integral Field Unit (IFU) uncovered additional ions, including heavily ionized argon atoms, necessitating a source of high-energy radiation at the remnant's center. Fransson noted that the detected ions could only originate from a high-energy radiation source, most likely a newly formed neutron star. The team's ongoing investigations, facilitated by both Webb and ground-based telescopes, aim to shed further light on the enigmatic nature of the SN 1987A remnant. Related Article: NASA's James Webb Space Telescope Sees Second Lensed Supernova in a Distant Galaxy 2024 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Change Healthcare, a leading U.S. healthcare technology company has acknowledged a cyberattack targeting its systems. The company released a brief statement revealing a network disruption stemming from a cybersecurity issue. Like other previous cases, this is another blow in the healthcare sector. Cybercriminals are getting smarter in exploiting these facilities with weak security protection. Change Healthcare Cyberattack The cyber incident commenced early Wednesday, Feb. 21, on the U.S. East Coast, per the incident tracker. While Change Healthcare did not reveal the specifics of the attack, most of its login pages were inaccessible or offline at the time of reporting. "Once we became aware of the outside threat, in the interest of protecting our partners and patients, we took immediate action to disconnect our systems to prevent further impact. The disruption is expected to last at least through the day," Change Healthcare wrote on its status page. Related Article: US Medical Transcription Firm Hit by Cyberattack With Nearly 9 Million Patients' Data Stolen Local Impact on Michigan Pharmacies Reports from the Huron Daily Tribune indicate that local pharmacies in Michigan are grappling with disruptions attributable to the Change Healthcare cyberattack. Scheurer Health, a healthcare provider in Michigan, disclosed on its Facebook page the inability to process prescriptions through patients' insurance due to the "nationwide outage" linked to Change Healthcare. Change Healthcare's Vital Role in U.S. Healthcare System Change Healthcare is one of the largest healthcare technology firms in the United States. Renowned for handling patient payments across the U.S. healthcare landscape, the company processes a staggering 15 billion healthcare transactions annually. This means that one in every three U.S. patient records interfaces with Change Healthcare's clinical connectivity solutions. Merger and Impact In 2022, UnitedHealth Group finalized the merger of Optum, a U.S. healthcare services giant, with Change Healthcare in a monumental $7.8 billion transaction. This merger facilitated Optum's extensive access to patient records, positioning it as a pivotal player in the healthcare technology sphere. Potential Attribution and Response Amidst the unfolding cyber crisis, Optum spokesperson Andrew Krejci refrained from providing further insights beyond the information available on the incident tracker. However, late Thursday, Feb. 22, UnitedHealth attributed the cyberattack to likely government-backed hackers, although the specific nation-state remains undisclosed. Despite the severity of the cyber breach, the spokespersons for Change Healthcare and UnitedHealth Group have yet to issue official comments, leaving many questions unanswered amidst growing concerns over the ramifications for the broader U.S. healthcare ecosystem, per TechCrunch. Every year, it's becoming alarming that the healthcare sector gets more exposed to security risks. For instance, our early February report said that Viamedis, a French healthcare insurance provider, was hit by a data breach. At that time, the authorities said that millions of health data were at risk of being compromised or leaked. Read Also: Cyberattack Forces Hospitals in 5 US States to Shut Down Emergency Rooms 2024 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. FTC is cracking down on H&R Block for allegedly deleting tax data when users try to downgrade their services. The agency claims that while the company made upgrades seamless, it created obstacles for downgrades, leading consumers to overpay. (Photo : Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images) NEW YORK, NEW YORK - FEBRUARY 06: An H & R Block tax preparation signage is seen on Flatbush Avenue on February 06, 2024 in the Prospect Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn borough in New York City. Cracking Down H&R The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has taken a stern stance against tax preparation giant H&R Block, alleging that the company engaged in deceptive practices that disadvantaged consumers. According to the official press release, H&R Block made it easy for users to upgrade their services seamlessly but imposed significant obstacles for those seeking to downgrade, resulting in customers paying more than necessary. The agency's administrative complaint, which parallels a lawsuit, signifies the initiation of formal proceedings before the FTC's administrative law judge. If the allegations hold true, H&R Block may face the possibility of appeals in federal court, potentially leading to significant repercussions for the company. This underscores the FTC's commitment to safeguarding consumer rights and ensuring transparency and fairness in the marketplace. Also Read: FTC Launches Investigation into Big Tech's Investments in AI, With Google, Amazon, and Microsoft Under Scrutiny H&R Block's alleged actions highlight the importance of stringent oversight and enforcement measures to protect consumers from deceptive marketing tactics and unfair business practices. FTC has accused H&R Block of employing deceptive tactics by making it cumbersome for customers attempting to downgrade their services. Allegedly, the company would redirect customers to contact customer support, only to subsequently erase all their tax data, necessitating a restart. This strategy, as noted by the FTC in a press release, effectively dissuaded customers from downgrading. Conversely, when customers sought to upgrade, H&R Block purportedly transferred their data seamlessly. Furthermore, the FTC contends that H&R Block misrepresented its tax preparation services as "free," despite the fact that many users did not qualify for these free services. Previous Allegations H&R Block has faced previous allegations of directing customers towards pricier options. In 2019, an investigation from ProPublica revealed its involvement, along with other tax preparation services, in withholding its free offering from Google search results. Last year, the company attracted the FTC's scrutiny after the agency cautioned five tax prep services about potential civil penalties for utilizing consumer data, such as for advertising, without prior consent. This followed a Markup investigation that uncovered sensitive financial data being transmitted to Facebook through its advertising pixel. At that time, an H&R Block spokesperson stated the company regularly evaluates its practices to uphold privacy standards. The commission, currently led by Democrats, unanimously voted 3-0 to issue the complaint. Dara Redler, H&R Block's chief legal officer, emphasized in a statement to The Verge via email that the company provides "multiple mechanisms" for customers to downgrade their products while ensuring accurate tax preparation. Related Article: FTC Proposes New Rule to End Hidden Fees in Consumer Transactions 2024 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Apriori1 / Getty Images/iStockphoto Shopping for a car can be stressful and time-consuming. However, Costco, Sams Club and BJs all offer exclusive auto buying programs that aim to provide a lower-stress and lower-cost car shopping experience. They provide a simplified way for their members to purchase vehicles at discounted prices. Check Out: 10 New Cars to Avoid Buying in 2024 Read Next: 6 Unusual Ways To Make Extra Money (That Actually Work) The Costco, Sams Club, and BJs programs have many features in common. You must be a member of each club to take advantage of its program. All three programs offer pre-negotiated and guaranteed discounted pricing to remove the need for price haggling with dealers. There are a few tips you can follow when using these programs to ensure youre making the most of them. Sponsored: Owe the IRS $10K or more? Schedule a FREE consultation to see if you qualify for tax relief. Do Your Research Before Purchasing Before even starting to shop, do your homework on the make and model you want. Know the MSRP, invoice price, factory incentives and fair market value based on mileage and condition. Resources like Edmunds, Kelly Blue Book, Consumer Reports and the warehouse clubs own websites can help provide this background data. Going in informed puts you in a stronger negotiating position no matter where you shop. It also helps you recognize a good deal when you see one. Dont be swayed by a low payment offer without considering the total purchase price. Crunch the numbers yourself and have a target price in mind before ever stepping foot in the dealership. Always Compare Prices Across Dealerships Even though warehouse clubs promise hassle-free, pre-negotiated pricing, it still pays to be diligent. Compare the discounted price offered through the buying program to other local dealerships. Some members have found additional savings by shopping around, especially when taking advantage of manufacturer promotions not available through the clubs. Story continues It also helps strengthen your negotiating position with preferred dealerships. Let them know you have a lower quote in hand but would prefer to purchase through their buying program if they can beat or match it. Just be sure to compare quotes on identical vehicles and trims. The goal is finding the lowest price on the exact car you want, wherever that may be. Look for Opportunities to Combine Special Offers or Rebates One way to potentially save even more through warehouse club auto programs is combining their set discounted pricing with available incentives. For example, carefully read the fine print for bonus cash offers, member-only discounts, rebates or financing deals that you may qualify for. Find opportunities to stack these on top of the pre-negotiated price from the buying program. You can also check the automakers website directly or ask the dealership about any other specials they may be running. Just be sure incentives dont contradict the buying programs terms. Time Your Purchase Right Salespeople and dealerships often have monthly, quarterly, or annual sales goals they are striving to meet. If you shop on the last day or two of a goal period, a salesperson may be especially motivated to earn your business. This sense of urgency on their part might mean prices are lower than at other times. Buy Previous Model Year or Clearance Vehicles Shopping for cars from the previous model year or during year-end clearance sales are other ways to maximize savings. When new models come in, dealerships are eager to sell off remaining inventory from the previous year. The warehouse clubs auto buying programs will reflect these closeout discounts, making the pricing even more attractive. Similarly, shopping end of model year or holiday clearance sales can mean deep discounts too, even on the newest cars. Take Advantage of Bonus Incentives Beyond warehouse club membership perks, also research and ask about any other discounts you may qualify for. For example, many automakers offer exclusive pricing for military members, veterans, students, teachers, first responders or loyalty program members. Ask the dealer to check your status for hidden savings opportunities. Dont Forget to Redeem Post-Purchase Benefits Your receipt isnt the final step when using warehouse auto buying programs. Make sure to take advantage of all included post-purchase perks too. For example, Costco offers extended warranty coverage, roadside assistance plans, and discounted maintenance packages. Sams Club offers cash rewards, deductible reimbursements, and discount tire and battery coupons to members after purchase. BJs provides rebates on parts, services, and accessories. Dont leave this free money on the table. Keep your paperwork and follow up to claim everything included with your new car purchase through the warehouse club programs. Saving doesnt stop once you drive off the lot. What About Amazon? For now, Amazon still does not sell cars. But they have announced an exclusive partnership with Hyundai to begin selling vehicles in 2024. Learn More: 5 Japanese Cars To Stay Away From Buying Customers will be able to browse and purchase Hyundai models entirely online. The transaction will be handled through Amazon using existing customer accounts and payment options. After completing their purchase on Amazon, customers will schedule a time to pick up their new vehicle from their local Hyundai dealer. If this model is successful, Amazon may partner with other automakers as well. More From GOBankingRates This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: How to Score the Best Car Deals at Costco, Sams Club, BJs and Amazon Researchers from the National Museums Scotland found a 240-million-year-old fossil that resembles a "Chinese dragon" in Guizhou Province, southern China. The discovered fossil was identified as a Dinocephalosaurus orientalis, a 5-meter-long Triassic aquatic reptile that resembles the Middle Triassic European and Chinese sea reptile Tanystropheus hydroides, which had 32 vertebrae and a long neck, according to ABC News. However, the Dinocephalosaurus distinguishes itself with numerous vertebrae in both the neck and torso, giving it a more snake-like appearance. Despite its peculiar features, the reptile was well adapted to an oceanic lifestyle, as evidenced by its flippered limbs and preserved fish in its stomach region. How's your Year of the Dragon going so far? An international team of scientists have revealed a 240 million-year-old marine reptile from China, published in a new @RoyalSocEd journal. Read more: https://t.co/zJ8n2i1xcS pic.twitter.com/UyX9HD9kw1 National Museums Scotland (@NtlMuseumsScot) February 23, 2024 A Breakthrough Find Professor Li Chun from the Institute of Vertebrate Palaeontology and Palaeoanthropology hailed Dinocephalosaurus as "the most remarkable" among their extraordinary fossil finds in Guizhou Province. In 2003, Beijing Institute of Vertebrate Palaeontology and Palaeoanthropology professor Li Chun discovered the fossils. He found a vertebra in a limestone block in a tiny town in Guizhou Province, southern China. Local farmers escorted Professor Chun to a pig enclosure with other parts of the rock, where he found bone fragments and put them together to uncover this new species, per CNN. The creature's full account is in Earth and Environmental Science: Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. Dr. Stephan Spiekman, a Stuttgart State Museum of Natural History postdoctoral researcher, expressed pleasure in the research contributions and the unique experience of being engaged in these significant findings. He hoped future studies would shed light on the development of this animal group, particularly their extended necks. (Image : Nobu Tamura/Wikimedia Commons) Dinocephalosaurus orientalis, a protorosaur from the Middle Triassic of China, pencil drawing Read Also: NASA's Picture of the Day Features Supernova Shock Wave Known as the Pencil Nebula 280-Million-Year-Old Dinosaur Fossil is Fake In another significant development previously reported by TechTimes, scientists from University College Cork have made a startling revelation about a fossil previously believed to be a 280-million-year-old dinosaur with preserved soft tissues. Contrary to initial assumptions, the fossil, identified as Tridentinosaurus antiquus, was declared a fake. Discovered in the Italian Alps in 1931, Tridentinosaurus antiquus was once considered crucial for understanding early reptile evolution due to its seemingly preserved soft tissues. However, new research led by Dr. Valentina Rossi exposed the truth: the preservation was mostly black paint on a carved lizard-shaped rock surface. Published in the journal Palaeontology, the findings challenged previous assumptions about Tridentinosaurus antiquus and underscored the importance of caution in interpreting fossils. Dr. Rossi's advanced techniques, including ultraviolet photography and microscopic analysis, revealed the forgery, highlighting the rarity of genuine fossilized soft tissues. Although the discovery of fake preservation was disappointing, the study demonstrated the effectiveness of modern analytical paleontology. Genuine insights into Tridentinosaurus antiquus were still gleaned from the bones of the hindlimbs and small bony scales on the back, showcasing the value of rigorous scientific methods in unraveling age-old mysteries. Related Article: French Bulldog Tyson Defies Odds with Spontaneous Jaw Regeneration after Rare Cancer Surgery 2024 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Google addresses the controversy surrounding Gemini AI's creation of "embarrassing" images depicting diverse Nazis, attributing the issue to the tool's tuning causing it to "overcompensate in certain instances and be overly conservative in others." (Photo : Google) Explaining Controversial AI Photos In response to the recent uproar over the inaccurate and inappropriate images generated by Gemini's AI, Google has provided a detailed explanation shedding light on the underlying issues. Google senior vice president Prabhakar Raghavan delved into the complexities of the AI model's tuning process through an official press release, aiming to ensure diversity but inadvertently led to distorted depictions. Raghavan acknowledged that while striving to showcase a range of people, the tuning mechanisms failed to discern inappropriate contexts, resulting in the generation of historically inaccurate and socially insensitive images, such as racially diverse Nazis and US Founding Fathers. Moreover, Google highlighted the unintended consequence of excessive caution within the AI model, wherein it became overly conservative in response to certain prompts. This caused the AI to decline to respond to prompts that were deemed innocuous, indicating a flaw in its interpretation of context and appropriateness. Google's explanation offers insights into the complexities of AI development and the challenges associated with fine-tuning models to balance diversity and accuracy. It underscores the ongoing efforts within the tech industry to refine AI systems and mitigate unintended outcomes, particularly in sensitive historical and cultural contexts. Gemini AI's response to the tuning issues led to instances of "overcompensation," exemplified by the racially diverse images of Nazis. Conversely, it also became "over-conservative," refusing to generate specific images upon certain prompts, such as "a Black person" or "a white person." Accurate Responses Raghavan expresses Google's regret over the feature's performance. He emphasizes the company's commitment to ensuring Gemini works inclusively for all users, providing depictions of diverse individuals in various scenarios. However, he clarifies that specific prompts like "a Black teacher in a classroom" or "a white veterinarian with a dog" should yield accurate responses reflecting the requested criteria. Although Google asserts that Gemini's AI-generated images usually encompass a broad range of representations, it acknowledges falling short of expectations in this particular case. Google assures users that it is actively striving to rectify these inaccuracies and enhance the portrayal of historical images using its AI technology. Despite encountering this setback, the company reiterates its commitment to promoting diversity and inclusivity in its products, recognizing the inherent challenges and complexities associated with AI-driven systems. Also Read: Google CEO: AI Crucial in Cyber Defense Against $10.5 Trillion Threat Landscape On February 22nd, Google ceased allowing users to generate images of people using its Gemini AI tool, a move that occurred shortly after the feature's launch in Gemini (previously known as Bard). Raghavan states that Google intends to conduct further testing on Gemini AI's image generation capabilities and aims to enhance them substantially before reinstating the feature. He acknowledges that hallucinations, or inaccuracies, are a recognized issue with all large language models (LLMs), highlighting ongoing efforts to address and refine this aspect of the technology. Related Article: Google's Apology Over AI Misrepresentation Sparks Debate, Addressing Diversity in Image Generation 2024 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Later this year, the Google Pay app in the United States will cease operations, prompting users to transition to Google Wallet starting June. This is aligned with Google's objective to streamline its payment platforms. (Photo : Image from Unsplash Website) Google Pay Adds International New Banks in 9 Countries and User-to-User Transfers in Singapore. Shutting Down Google Pay App The Google Pay app in the United States is set to shut down later this year, with users directed to switch to Google Wallet starting in June. While Google Pay has been operational in various countries, including the US, since being largely replaced by Google Wallet in 2022, it will now be discontinued in the US on June 4, 2024, as part of Google's effort to streamline its payment platforms. However, Google Pay will continue to be available in Singapore and India due to specific regional needs, as stated by Google in a blog post. With the app's deprecation, features such as peer-to-peer (P2P) payments, balance management, and finding offers and deals will be removed. Users are encouraged to use the new deals destination on Search instead. Despite the changes, users will still have the option to transfer their Google Pay (GPay) balance to a bank account through the Google Pay website after June 4, 2024. Simplifying Payment Apps Google Wallet has emerged as the primary platform, boasting five times the user base across 180 countries compared to Google Pay. Unlike its predecessor, Google Wallet offers a broader range of functionalities beyond payments, including storing transport passes, state IDs, driver's licenses, virtual car keys, and more. However, Google Pay services will remain accessible through Google Wallet. Google Wallet has garnered five times more usage compared to Google Pay. This popularity can be attributed to Wallet's diverse functionalities, extending beyond payment processing to include features such as storing credit cards for tap-to-pay, managing digital IDs, and organizing public transit passes. Google's pattern of introducing and subsequently discontinuing products due to insufficient demand or commercial viability is a familiar trend. Also Read: Google Wallet December System Update: ID, Driver's License Support, More The company's track record includes the closure or integration of various offerings like Jamboard, Stadia, and Google Play Music. Thus, the decision to phase out Google Wallet is consistent with this pattern. Google's payment ecosystem has undergone several transformations over the years. It began with the introduction of Google Wallet in 2011, pioneering a tap-to-pay system well ahead of Apple Pay's debut in 2014. Google Wallet initially garnered support from Mastercard and major retailers such as Macy's. Subsequently, Android Pay emerged in 2015, eventually merging with Google Wallet in 2018 and assuming the rebranded name Google Pay. Notably, Google also offered a Google Wallet card, discontinued in 2016, functioning as a prepaid debit card accepted at any retailer that honored Mastercard. Presently, all payment functionalities fall under the Google Wallet umbrella, barring any future alterations by the company. Related Article: Google Wallet Now Adds Arizona, Colorado, Georgia State IDs for Digital Use via Android 2024 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. A lawsuit alleging Amazon abused its contract workers and violated their human rights will soon come to an end, this is because the company is paying them $1.9 million to settle the case and end the dispute. This centers on two warehouses of Amazon in Saudi Arabia, where migrant contract employees raised their complaints against the company for exploitative experiences. This lawsuit centered on the poor living conditions its contract workers suffered, alongside salary irregularities and delays in their disbursement, and more. Amazon to Settle Human Rights Abuse Lawsuit with $1.9M Payout CNBC reported that Amazon now agreed to settle the human rights abuse lawsuit against them, with the company soon to pay a total of $1.9 million to the affected workers part of this complaint. A total of 700 migrants who are contract workers on Amazon will share the said settlement fees, deducting the legal assistance and more, compensating for their dreadful experiences. Amazon acknowledged this complaint against them, hiring a third-party labor rights expert to investigate the workers and warehouse conditions. It was found that there were multiple violations in Amazon's supply chain standards, with several other findings including "worker-paid recruitment fees to obtain employment with AFMCO, substandard living accommodations, contract and wage irregularities, and delays in the resolution of worker complaints." Read Also: Amazon, SpaceX Challenge NLRB, Declaring It As Unconstitutional What Did the Amazon Contract Workers Faced from the Company? One of the most significant issues here is that workers have to pay as much as $2,040 to get hired in Amazon's Saudi Arabia warehouses, with NBC News regarding that most of them are from Nepal and had to take out loans to get the job. Moreover, their living accommodations were poor, with as many as seven people staying in crowded rooms, infested beds, lacking basic facilities, and access to drinkable water. Amazon and its Massive Employee Lawsuits The renowned e-commerce company is infamous for its treatment of employees, with several lawsuits finding their way against the company and demanding better treatment and compensation. One of the most significant lawsuits against the company was the rest and meal break setup where warehouse workers pay to get them, including limited 30-minute breaks for their five-hour shift. A different case filed in the District of Columbia also shifted the focus on Amazon's alleged maltreatment of drivers and delivery workers, with the lawsuit stating that the company steals driver tips. It was said that the reason behind the company collecting the earned tips of these drivers was to reduce labor costs, with Amazon opting to settle $60 million for its worldwide drivers. Working conditions at Amazon are one of the most notorious as attested to by its employees, with several lawsuits falling on the company's doorsteps, with many leading to settlements. The latest settlement of the e-commerce giant is for its migrant contract workers in Saudi Arabia, soon giving them $1.9 million as part of the settlement wherein 700 laborers would share. Related Article: Amazon Freevee to Shut Down? Prime Video with Ads is the Priority-Report 2024 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos stands at the forefront alongside major technology players like Nvidia Corp., investing in the development of humanoid robots via the startup Figure AI Inc. The robotics company, based in Sunnyvale, California, is in the process of raising approximately $675 million in a funding round with an estimated pre-money valuation of $2 billion. According to Bloomberg, Jeff Bezos, through Explore Investments LLC, committed $100 million, while Microsoft is investing $95 million, and both Nvidia and an Amazon-affiliated fund are contributing $50 million each. According to Reuters, Parkway Venture Capital led the $70 million first external round of funding for Figure AI last year. Figure AI founder and chief executive, Brett Adcock, invested $20 million in the round. (Photo : Alex Wong/Getty Images) Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, founder of space venture Blue Origin and owner of The Washington Post, participates in an event hosted by the Air Force Association September 19, 2018 in National Harbor, Maryland. Humanoid Robots is The Next Frontier in AI Investors in this round include Intel Corp.'s venture capital arm, LG Innotek, Samsung's investment group, Parkway Venture Capital, Align Ventures, ARK Venture Fund, Aliya Capital Partners, Tamarack, Boscolo Intervest Ltd., and BOLD Capital Partners. The precise valuation and final details of the funding round are yet to be confirmed, but they reflect the robust interest and investments pouring into the booming AI robotics sector. Figure AI intends to advance AI technology, and its investment round shows the rising relevance of robots in the AI business. With support from OpenAI and Microsoft, Figure AI focuses on creating humanoid robots that can work in a variety of settings, including warehouses and retail, as well as handle hazardous tasks. The AI robotics industry is witnessing significant activity, with companies like OpenAI-backed 1X Technologies AS and Sanctuary AI raising substantial funds for humanoid robot development. Tesla is also actively working on its humanoid robot called Optimus. Read Also: OpenAI CEO Sam Altman to Reap Greater Benefits From Reddit's IPO Jeff Bezos' Mining Company Finds Massive Copper Deposit Meanwhile, another Jeff Bezos-backed company made waves recently. KoBold Metals has uncovered a significant copper deposit in Zambia, crucial for renewable energy and electric vehicle manufacturing. The Mingomba copper project has the potential to rival top high-grade copper mines globally, comparable to the renowned Kamoa-Kakula mine. KoBold President Josh Goldman revealed plans for an updated resource assessment and feasibility studies before deciding on the construction of a $2 billion facility, as previously reported by TechTimes. Utilizing artificial intelligence and advanced technologies akin to "Google Maps" for Earth's crust, KoBold aims to enhance copper and cobalt exploration. Despite spending nearly $100 million on exploration in 2023, the California-based metals exploration company remains undeterred by global low-cost concerns affecting battery metal projects. According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Ranking, Jeff Bezos is the world's second richest person, with an estimated wealth of $197.1 billion. He served as Amazon's CEO until 2021 and remains chairman. Last month, Amazon laid off 18,000 personnel, its largest workforce reduction. Most job layoffs were in Amazon Stores, People Experience, and Technology Solutions. These cuts continue Amazon's employment downsizing strategy, which began in late 2022, to streamline processes and address the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Related Article: Elon Musk's Urgent Advice to Rivian as Tesla Rival Faces Severe Struggles 2024 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Many photo editing apps have adopted artificial intelligence to assist users like you in editing, enhancing, and producing high-quality visuals. Retouch4me stands among them. It strives to replicate the work of professional retouchers through AI plugins, making the final photo appear as if it was edited by a human retoucher instead by a machine, with the advantage of preserving the original skin texture. It can transform standard headshots into refined portraits, healing minor skin problems like blemishes, uneven skin tone, large pores, etc. The AI functions under the hood of the retouching plugins. Each plugin represents a step in the process of a professional retoucher's work. The AI plugins are individually trained for the specific tasks like smoothening skin problems, adjusting the skin color, or mattifying oily areas. The neural network of the software is trained to follow the same steps of the retoucher to produce similar results. The retouching software helps users to edit multiple photos simultaneously with the flexibility to function both as a plugin for Photoshop and as a standalone application. There are no complex menus, making the standalone app easy to use and navigate. Retouch4me also recognizes the importance of preserving the original file so users can work with layers separately when refining photo subjects. This also ensures no data is lost during the editing process, since users can always return to the original file. Software Overview Retouch4me AI plugins caters to photographers, retouchers, and videographers whose job is to create stunning visuals, from headshots to portraits, even wedding or child studio photos. It reduces the time spent on editing and produces similar results of a professional retoucher for fashion, beauty, advertising, or any use case applicable with minimal effort and stress. It automates the tedious part of post-production, streamlining the workflows of photographers who use photo editing apps like Photoshop, Lightroom, or Capture One. Portraits retouched by Retouch4me retain their natural skin texture. The AI retouching software does not blur like other photo editing platforms. There is no artificial skin texture, thus making your photos look realistic minus common skin imperfections, as seen in the before (left) and after (right) photos below. The photo subject looks brighter and more appealing, as if she's made for editorial photography. The retouches don't look overdone. Rather, they enhance her facial features and beauty. If you're trying to sell cosmetics, the photo edited with the AI retouching software is more likely to attract customers than the raw or original image. It looks natural because minor imperfections remain visible to maintain its realistic appearance. Retouch4me is well-suited for professional photo processing. It offers a user-friendly interface so first-timers can navigate the functions of the retouching software easily. The AI plugins provide maximum efficiency with little to no effort. You can work with layers while keeping the original file intact. Access the AI plugins from the Retouch4me Panel and press the retouches needed for the photo. After one click, all retouches are applied based on the plugin selected. Why use Retouch4me AI Plugins? Retouch4me produces results in one click without altering the original skin texture. It replicates the work of professional retouchers, ensuring the photo appears natural, even with minor imperfections, as if it was edited by a human retoucher, to maintain a realistic appearance. If you're a photographer, time is of the essence. You have dozens of photos to edit on Photoshop, ensuring your clients get the best results so they keep returning for the exceptional service. David Genik, a photographer and retoucher from the US, for example, claimed that the Retouch4me AI plugins reduced his retouch time by 70 to 80%, which completely changed his workflow overnight. Even his clients said they prefer the new edits over his old manual edits, resulting in 30 minutes of editing instead of 8 hours. You get instant results, saving you time off post-production, where you spend hours retouching the photos manually. The AI plugins significantly reduce photo processing time, resulting in faster delivery outputs, which means happier clients for studio photographers. If you use Photoshop, you can record your actions on the photo editing app to apply the same retouches selected on the Retouch4me Panel for Photoshop for multiple photos, thus speeding up the process. All you have to do is select Automate afterward, then click Batch to conduct batch processing. The AI plugins of Retouch4me do not require internet access. They work autonomously on a local computer. They are available on hand whenever you need to edit or process photos, regardless of whether the network connection is stable or not. The Panel for Photoshop, Color Match Free, and Frequency Separation plugins are free, while the rest are paid. You only have to pay once to get a perpetual license with free updates. You also get three keys for different devices if you own multiple gadgets for photo processing. All photos also remain secure within your device since you don't need to upload them to a remote server, which is important if you're dealing with a client who wants to do a boudoir photoshoot. Retouch4me AI plugins replicate the work of professional retouchers. It can apply same retouches through its neural network that automatically detects problem areas on the skin. You can notice how the skin of the photo subject above looks smooth yet natural, even after being retouched in the automated AI photo retouching software, as if it was edited by a human retoucher instead of a machine The AI Plugins of Retouch4me Retouch4me offers a wide variety of AI plugins that greatly improve the skin texture of your photo subjects yet still leave a natural look, with minor imperfections preserved. If you want to smoothen uneven skin areas, including unflattering shadows and highlights, the Dogde&Burn plugin can apply the smooth effect to remove skin bumpiness, veiny hands, etc. Depth and dimension are also important factors to consider if you want a professional-looking photo. Retouch4me Portrait Volumes can help you emphasize different parts of a subject's face, like their lips, nose, or overall head shape. The plugin can also help brighten their eyes, making them look more lively. The changes look natural, maintaining the realistic appearance of the overall image. Retouch4me can also automatically identify the Skin Tone and adjust the skin to the natural color as if the tan lines or unevenness were never there. You can also mask the skin of your photo subjects. The Skin Mask AI plugin automatically detects skin in the photo and masks it. You can also invert the mask to edit everything in the photo except the skin, like modifying the background color. Retouch4me also features an AI plugin for mattifying the glossy and oily areas of the skin, as evidenced by the photo above. You can notice the lack of shine or oily areas on the subject once the matte effect is applied. Moreover, Retouch4me can also remove red vessels from the eyes or brighten teeth with a White Teeth plugin. If you're dealing with creases and wrinkles in the fabric, you can also smoothen them with the AI retouching software. The retouching software also offers Look-up Tables (LUTs) to alter the color and tone of images, which you can access from the LUT cloud, making the color scheme uniform and consistent for all photos. You can access the ready-made LUTs through the Color Match plugin. Retouch4me can also clean the studio background of the images by automatically detecting dirt, dust, and other small particles. FAQs What are the system requirements? Retouch4me can operate on Windows and Mac operating systems. Specifically, it supports Windows 7 (x64), Windows 10 (x64), Windows 11 and macOS 10.14+. You need at least 6 GB of RAM and 1.2 GHz or faster. If you're using a desktop PC, you need a GPU with 4GB RAM or a CPU with OpenCL 1.1 support. For Apple users, MacBooks from 2015 or later, Intel, M1 or M2 CUP's are compatible. If you want to use the AI plugins directly from Photoshop, you need to use versions starting from CS6 x64. If you're working with video files and want to use the Color Match OFX to make the color scheme consistent, you need the DaVinci Resolve 18 or its newer versions. Are there additional payments for future updates? No, all updates for the AI plugins are free. How much are the AI plugins? All their prices differ, but Retouch4me is currently offering a special discount for each one of them. All prices are in USD. Conclusion Elevate the quality of your images with AI-based tools that retouch your photos. Retouch4me leverages AI technology for advanced photo retouching. You can refine the skin complexion, clean the studio background, and make the color grading consistent for all photos by using the software's AI plugins. The skin complexion of the subjects look enhanced yet still natural, since minor imperfections are preserved. The AI retouching software by Retouch4me can retouch fast, saving photographers and retouchers time and effort from editing photos manually. It offers great results without leaving any trace of artificial skin texture while leaving the original file intact. Simply upload your photos onto the Retouch4me standalone application, or set up the AI plugins into Photoshop. All plugins have demo versions, while some of them are completely free. Enjoy a special discount exclusive for TechTimes readers and get one of the best AI-powered photo retouching software to improve your retouching game. 2024 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. * This is a contributed article and this content does not necessarily represent the views of techtimes.com Regular readers will know that we love our dividends at Simply Wall St, which is why it's exciting to see SHAPE Australia Corporation Limited (ASX:SHA) is about to trade ex-dividend in the next four days. The ex-dividend date is usually set to be one business day before the record date which is the cut-off date on which you must be present on the company's books as a shareholder in order to receive the dividend. The ex-dividend date is of consequence because whenever a stock is bought or sold, the trade takes at least two business day to settle. This means that investors who purchase SHAPE Australia's shares on or after the 29th of February will not receive the dividend, which will be paid on the 15th of March. The company's next dividend payment will be AU$0.08 per share, on the back of last year when the company paid a total of AU$0.11 to shareholders. Last year's total dividend payments show that SHAPE Australia has a trailing yield of 6.0% on the current share price of AU$1.91. Dividends are an important source of income to many shareholders, but the health of the business is crucial to maintaining those dividends. That's why we should always check whether the dividend payments appear sustainable, and if the company is growing. See our latest analysis for SHAPE Australia If a company pays out more in dividends than it earned, then the dividend might become unsustainable - hardly an ideal situation. SHAPE Australia paid out more than half (72%) of its earnings last year, which is a regular payout ratio for most companies. That said, even highly profitable companies sometimes might not generate enough cash to pay the dividend, which is why we should always check if the dividend is covered by cash flow. It paid out an unsustainably high 646% of its free cash flow as dividends over the past 12 months, which is worrying. It's pretty hard to pay out more than you earn, so we wonder how SHAPE Australia intends to continue funding this dividend, or if it could be forced to cut the payment. Story continues SHAPE Australia does have a large net cash position on the balance sheet, which could fund large dividends for a time, if the company so chose. Still, smart investors know that it is better to assess dividends relative to the cash and profit generated by the business. Paying dividends out of cash on the balance sheet is not long-term sustainable. SHAPE Australia paid out less in dividends than it reported in profits, but unfortunately it didn't generate enough cash to cover the dividend. Cash is king, as they say, and were SHAPE Australia to repeatedly pay dividends that aren't well covered by cashflow, we would consider this a warning sign. Click here to see how much of its profit SHAPE Australia paid out over the last 12 months. Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing? Stocks in companies that generate sustainable earnings growth often make the best dividend prospects, as it is easier to lift the dividend when earnings are rising. Investors love dividends, so if earnings fall and the dividend is reduced, expect a stock to be sold off heavily at the same time. For that reason, it's encouraging to see SHAPE Australia's earnings over the past year have risen 116%. While we'd be remiss not to point out that a year is a very short time in dividend investing, it's an encouraging sign so far. Earnings have been growing quickly, but we're concerned dividend payments consumed most of the company's cash flow over the past year. We do note though, one year is too short a time to be drawing strong conclusions about a company's future growth prospects. Another key way to measure a company's dividend prospects is by measuring its historical rate of dividend growth. In the past two years, SHAPE Australia has increased its dividend at approximately 20% a year on average. It's great to see earnings per share growing rapidly over several years, and dividends per share growing right along with it. To Sum It Up From a dividend perspective, should investors buy or avoid SHAPE Australia? It's good to see that earnings per share are growing and that the company's payout ratio is within a normal range for most businesses. However we're somewhat concerned that it paid out 646% of its cashflow, which is uncomfortably high. It might be worth researching if the company is reinvesting in growth projects that could grow earnings and dividends in the future, but for now we're not all that optimistic on its dividend prospects. If you want to look further into SHAPE Australia, it's worth knowing the risks this business faces. Every company has risks, and we've spotted 1 warning sign for SHAPE Australia you should know about. If you're in the market for strong dividend payers, we recommend checking our selection of top dividend stocks. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Social Security has long been a subject of intense discussion in America, but investing legend Warren Buffetts position on the issue is unmistakably clear. During Buffetts company, Berkshire Hathaways, annual shareholders meeting in 2005, an audience member posed a blunt question: Im asking for your opinion on Social Security. Shall we call it the government-sponsored Ponzi scheme for retirees? Buffett first clarified the true nature of Social Security. Don't miss He explained that, while it was proposed as insurance because that was the only way [President Franklin] Roosevelt could get it passed, Social Security is essentially a transfer payment by the people who are in their productive years to the people who are past their productive years. And Buffett liked that mechanism. I think that the obligation for the people who do well in this society is to provide a reasonable level of sustenance for those beyond their productive years, he said. One of the most successful things the government has ever done Buffetts right-hand man, the late Charlie Munger, was an even bigger supporter of Social Security. Despite being a self-described right-wing Republican, Munger strongly defended the program. During that 2005 shareholder meeting, he said that he felt more strongly than Buffett that the Republicans who were challenging Social Security were out of their minds. His remarks were met with laughter and applause from the audience. Munger was generous with his praise for the program. Story continues Social Security is a very capitalistic institution with profoundly good effects, he noted. Its one of the most successful things the government has ever done in terms of efficiency and good effects. Read more: Rich young Americans have lost confidence in the stock market and are betting on these 3 assets instead. Get in now for strong long-term tailwinds Buffett's prescription for Social Security Buffett also shared with the audience what he would do if he were at the helm of the Social Security program. He took issue with the Social Security wage base, which is the maximum amount of earnings that are subject to the Social Security payroll tax in a given year. In 2005, the amount was pegged at $90,000. Right now we quit taxing for Social Security at $90,000. But and that means that everybody in my office is paying or most of them are paying 12.4 12.2 or 12.4 percent, counting what the company contributes, toward this, he said. Buffett pointed out that because this payroll tax ceased to exist at earnings over $90,000, higher-income individuals, including himself, pay a lower proportion of their total income towards Social Security. He criticized this as sort of nonsense in this society. Advocating for a change, Buffett proposed a substantial increase in the Social Security wage base. I would lift the $90,000 way up. In fact, I might apply it, you know, on all incomes. Then youd really get peoples attention, he said. Since his 2005 remarks, the Social Security wage base has indeed risen substantially. For 2024, it stands at $168,600, an increase from the 2023 limit of $160,200. Furthermore, Buffett expressed his support for increasing the retirement age. I would certainly increase the retirement age, he suggested. I mean, the world in 2005 is much different than the world in 1937, in terms of longevity prospects and the ability to function productively. Buffett's observations are well-founded. When President Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act into law in 1935, life expectancy in America was only 59.9 years for men and 63.9 for women. Fast forward to today, and these numbers have increased to 74.8 for men and 80.2 for women. What to read next This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind. They simply had nowhere to evolve: a Russian paleontologist on the progress of scientific ideas about dinosaurs A business manager suspected of having ordered the attack on an elected official from Saint-Denis Tigrane Seydoux, the Frenchman behind the fashionable Italians in Madrid in which you always have to visit the bathroom Energy transition: The experts say so, the Court of Auditors says so Device to produce hydrogen and oxygen on the moon unveiled Planned to launch this winter Second trial of residents who evacuated from the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident also does not accept national responsibility Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant First detection of object that may contain nuclear fuel debris on water Love and family are more important than money: what is the comedy series Inheritance about? Jordi Evole apologizes to Camela in Lo de Evole for an article he wrote in 2000 Organ donation registry: how does it work? Answers to the most important questions Annoyed by a kissing couple: woman attacks the person sitting next to her on the train A man who was drunk on a train and threatened to hit a police officer has been detained by the railway police "Watch me overcome difficulties step by step and fight back." This Chinese golden flower keeps his word. A Blaugrana nightmare and the bogeyman Joao Felix: "It was a game for him, he made a difference" NBA: Victor Wembanyama and Gregg Popovich confirm the Spurs will come to Paris next season Defeat in the FA Cup: Klopp breaks off interview I have no nerves for you Defeat in the FA Cup: Klopp breaks off interview I have no nerves for you 9th day of the Grand Sumo Spring Tournament New entrant with only one winner Takafuji 9 consecutive wins IN PICTURES - Football: discover the new Blues jerseys for Euro 2024 and the Olympics Real estate crisis: Number of building permits also fell significantly at the beginning of the year The "egg-smashing" trend is blowing into a small town in Zhejiang, how to play the cards in your hand? Analyst: the drivers of rising oil prices were signs of high demand in the United States The first batch of imported exhibits of the 135th Canton Fair entered the country smoothly Yen exchange rate: The yen depreciates to the low 149 yen level to the dollar, due to speculation regarding monetary policy. Daihatsu's name announced by the FTC: ``We were waiting, but we will set up a forum for discussions.'' La Unio denounces the second detection of Moroccan strawberries with hepatitis A in nine days Without unnecessary risks: the ruble has risen in price on the Moscow Exchange following the results of the presidential elections in Russia Laura Escanes makes a mess by promoting the company Children's walkers: outdoor walks for a maximum of 7 and with harnesses Pascal Praud and you - Fine for not picking up dog droppings: 537 euros, "it's not enough", says a dog owner Borrell hopes the EU can agree on the use of Russian assets China: the increase in sales and industry does not cancel out the effects of the real estate crisis They record the attack of a bear that left two injured in the Slovak city of Liptovsky Mikulas CEC: Putin scored 87.28% of the votes based on the results of processing 100% of the protocols Anyone who moves will be stabbed. Al-Shifa Hospital is again under occupation bombing Palestinian official: Israel has increased its repression of prisoners since the beginning of Ramadan Saldo reported to Putin about the shelling of the Kherson region during the elections Lukashevich called on the OSCE to condemn the indiscriminate shelling of Russian cities by the Armed Forces of Ukraine September 28 massacres in Guinea: the trial focuses on a reclassification of the facts as crimes against humanity Civil servants will have the salary increase after Easter and before the Budgets are approved Niger: what follow-up after the denunciation of the military agreement between Niamey and Washington? TikTok is at the heart of the US election season Putin: all traitors fighting against Russia will be identified by name and they will not be given peace Urgent | Al Jazeera obtains exclusive photos showing the Qassam tracking the movements of officer in the Shaldag unit, Yitzhar Hoffman, before he was killed by a snipers bullet. Faced with the risks of war with Russia, Latvia restores its military service for men The Japanese Cabinet of Ministers refrained from commenting on the results of the elections in Russia Communities 2019 - Privacy The information on this site is from external sources that are not under our control.The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them. US warns of environmental disaster from cargo ship hit by Huthi rebels Washington, Feb 24 (AFP) Feb 24, 2024 A cargo ship abandoned in the Gulf of Aden after an attack by Yemeni rebels is taking on water and has left a huge oil slick, in an environmental disaster that US Central Command said Friday could get worse. Rubymar, a Belize-flagged, British-registered and Lebanese-operated cargo ship carrying combustible fertilizer, was damaged in a Sunday missile strike claimed by the Iran-backed Huthi rebels. Its crew was evacuated to Djibouti after one missile hit the side of the ship, causing water to enter the engine room and its stern to sag, said its operator, the Blue Fleet Group. A second missile hit the vessel's deck without causing major damage, Blue Fleet CEO Roy Khoury told AFP. CENTCOM said the ship is anchored but slowly taking on water and has left an 18 mile oil slick. "The M/V Rubymar was transporting over 41,000 tons of fertilizer when it was attacked, which could spill into the Red Sea and worsen this environmental disaster," it said in a post on X, formerly Twitter. The ship's operator said Thursday the ship could be towed to Djibouti this week. Khoury said the ship was still afloat and shared an image captured on Wednesday that showed its stern low in the water. When asked about the possibility of it sinking, Khoury had said there was "no risk for now, but always a possibility." The attack on the Rubymar represents the most significant damage yet to be inflicted on a commercial ship since the Huthis started firing on vessels in November -- a campaign they say is in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza during the Israel-Hamas war. The Huthi attacks have prompted some shipping companies to detour around southern Africa to avoid the Red Sea, which normally carries about 12 percent of global maritime trade. The UN Conference on Trade and Development warned late last month that the volume of commercial traffic passing through the Suez Canal had fallen more than 40 percent in the previous two months. dw/nro Trump seeks landslide victory in S.Carolina to crush Haley Charleston, United States, Feb 24 (AFP) Feb 24, 2024 Donald Trump and Nikki Haley were going head-to-head Saturday in South Carolina's Republican primary, with the ex-president poised to trounce his former charge in her home state and tighten his grip on the party's nomination. Haley was a popular governor of the state before becoming Trump's UN ambassador in 2017, but her old boss is now backed by the local party establishment and nearly two-thirds of voters in opinion polling. Since the early nominating contests in Iowa and New Hampshire in January, the rhetorical fire has intensified as the primary narrowed into a two-horse race. But Trump made clear Saturday that he is looking beyond Haley to a likely November contest against President Joe Biden. Speaking outside Washington to the Conservative Political Action Committee conference -- a must-stop for Republican politicians -- Trump spent much of his time bashing Biden, not Haley. "A vote for Trump is your ticket back to freedom and your passport out of tyranny," he said. "We have to break out of the nightmare that we are in and we have it in (our) grasp to make America richer and safer and stronger and prouder and more beautiful than ever before." South Carolinians do not have to indicate party allegiance when they register to vote, and can have their say in either the Democratic or the Republican primary. One Democrat, Caroline Palmer, said she could never support Trump. "I think he's a pretty terrible human being. And so I don't want any chance of him becoming president." Haley -- a more traditional conservative who espouses limited government and a muscular foreign policy -- is hoping for votes from moderates, but the tactic did little for her as she lost to Trump in each of the first four nominating contests. - Economy, migration - Voters interviewed by AFP in South Carolina capital Columbia were complimentary about both candidates, although some criticized Trump for being divisive. Husband and wife Jeff and Susan Stottler laughingly explained why they were not voting for the same candidate. Jeff, 61, said Trump will "override everything that Joe Biden has done to put us in the economic and immigrant mess we're in," while Susan, 60, said her vote for Haley was meant to encourage Trump to pick her as his vice president. While Trump -- who faces four criminal indictments -- tightens his hold over the party, Haley has sought to focus on the "chaos" that she says follows him everywhere. On Saturday, she lashed out at comments he had made to a group of Black conservatives in the state. Nodding to his multiple indictments, Trump said that "Black people like me because they have been hurt so badly and discriminated against, and they actually viewed me as I'm being discriminated against." He said Black voters also particularly liked a now-famous mug shot taken of him in a Georgia jail. Haley responded: "It's disgusting. But that's... the chaos that comes with Donald Trump." - Haley hangs on - In common with Democrats, Haley has been hitting Trump over his outlook on the international stage and oft-voiced admiration for several authoritarian leaders. She has blasted Trump's reaction to the death of Russian dissident Alexei Navalny -- he avoided criticizing President Vladimir Putin -- and his threat to encourage Moscow to attack NATO nations not meeting their financial obligations. But Haley's central argument has been that polling shows her performing better than Trump in hypothetical matchups with Biden. She has vowed to compete in the Republican primary through "Super Tuesday" -- when multiple states vote on March 5 -- regardless of what happens in South Carolina. Though the 52-year-old Haley trails Trump badly, analysts say she is building her profile for a potential 2028 run -- and is poised to step in should legal or health problems knock the 77-year-old Trump out of the race. "Nikki Haley's an incredible role model," said one Republican voter, Julie Taylor. "She's not giving up, she's showing strength and grace and courage." BERLIN (Reuters) - Franco-Italian automaker Stellantis wants to stick to the European Union's goal to effectively ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2035, CEO Carlos Tavares said in an interview with German media outlet Welt published Saturday. Tavares's comments come as politicians and people in the auto industry had argued that a possible shift to the right in the European Parliament after the elections in June could lead to a revision or withdrawal of the ban. "I am in no way against us banning combustion engines in 2035. I support this requirement," Tavares said. "But you have to be pragmatic to make the transition," he added. "Otherwise, dogmatism will fail in the face of reality and this transition will be very costly for the taxpayer and not necessarily efficient for the planet." The landmark rules, approved by EU lawmakers in February 2023, require that by 2035, carmakers must achieve a 100% cut in CO2 emissions from new cars sold, which would make it impossible to sell new fossil fuel-powered vehicles in the 27-country bloc. Subsidies, however, remain necessary to successfully complete this goal as the technology remains too expensive, Tavares said. (Writing by Nette Nostlinger; Editing by Miranda Murray) Brisbane and North America continue to connect ahead of the Olympics with the announcement of another direct flight to Queensland. Commencing from December 4, American aviation giant Delta Air Lines will launch thrice-weekly flights from Los Angeles to Brisbane, signifying a significant boost for the states local visitor economy. By December, four of Americas biggest airline operators will be flying into Brisbane, including Delta, United, American Airlines and Air Canada. Credit: Brisbane Airport Brisbane is charting unprecedented territory, witnessing an unparalleled level of interest from North American visitors, Brisbane Airport chief executive Gert-Jan de Graaff said. Im not sure if it is the upcoming Olympics or the insatiable appetite for Bluey, but right now Brisbane is the must add destination for North American carriers, and this opens a world of opportunity. 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 Asked to describe the nations deputy prime minister, those who know him invariably come up with variations on a theme: Richard Marles is a nice guy. Some mean it as a compliment, others as criticism. As Defence Minister, Marles controls a gargantuan department that spends over $50 billion in taxpayer dollars a year, yet is notorious for delivering major projects late and over budget. Just as the avuncular Kim Beazley faced persistent questions about whether he had the ticker to be prime minister, doubters have long asked whether Marles has enough mongrel to drive reform within the bureaucracy of the military and win fights inside cabinet for more defence funding. Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles in Sydney, February 22, after launching his ambitious overhaul of the navy. Credit: Janie Barrett Sensing vulnerability, the Coalition has become increasingly scathing in its attacks on Marles performance since the beginning of the year. Opposition Leader Peter Dutton, who appears on a weekly Today show segment with Marles, described him as probably one of the weakest ministers in the government last week. One senior defence industry figure, speaking on condition of anonymity, questions whether Marles is too placid to make the difficult decisions the job requires. Asked about the charge that he is too nice, Marles says: Ive heard that throughout my life and time in politics. Rather than shying away from the descriptor, he embraces it. I dont think there is a rule which says that its impossible to be nice in politics, he says in a lengthy interview. I want to do politics and I want to be nice. Advertisement Were speaking at the end of an exhausting week for Marles. On Tuesday, he was standing atop HMAS Canberra in Sydney to announce a dramatic overhaul of the navys fleet of warships. Defence Minister Richard Marles says this is the biggest naval overhaul since World War II. Credit: Nick Moir The next day, he hotfooted it from Perth to Adelaide to sell the benefits of the plan to those cities local shipbuilding industries. On Friday, he jetted to Indonesia to meet with the nations defence minister and soon-to-be-president, Prabowo Subianto. As well as the defence portfolio, Marles serves as acting prime minister when Anthony Albanese is out of the country. Yet he has a relatively low profile for a politician in such a senior position. Marles, 56, grew up in Geelong in comfortable circumstances that bear little resemblance to Albaneses childhood as the son of a single mother in public housing. His father, Donald, was a private school principal, while mother Fay served as chancellor of the University of Melbourne and Victorias first female equal opportunity commissioner. Marles attended prestigious Geelong Grammar School, where his father taught, before studying law and pure mathematics at the University of Melbourne. Fascinated by politics since primary school, he joined the Labor Club on the first day of orientation at university a move he has joked makes him a sad specimen of a human. He held senior roles in the Transport Workers Union and Australian Council of Trade Unions before entering parliament in 2007 after Labors Rudd-slide election victory. While a loyal admirer of her former boss, Marles longtime chief-of-staff Lidija Ivanovski says he has one flaw. He can get flustered and be too honest and revealing in what hes thinking, she says. Advertisement In the lead-up to the 2019 election, Marles made a damaging gaffe when he said it would be a good thing if the thermal coal sector collapsed, a remark he later conceded was tone-deaf. To the dismay of his staff, the science buff has also spoken publicly about his belief in life in outer space. In a 2021 National Press Club appearance he said: You prep for an event like this and your media advisors say, Please, just dont talk about the aliens. Please dont do it. And I always talk about the aliens. Marles in 2001, when he was assistant secretary of the ACTU. Credit: Joe Armao Former defence minister Christopher Pyne says the pair became friends after Marles, who was then much heavier, published an eye-wateringly funny piece about realising he needed to lose weight after getting trapped in a water slide. They later hosted a program together on Sky News for four years that included some famously cringe-worthy moments and technical glitches. I discovered Richard Marles and made him what he is today, chortles Pyne, now a lobbyist with clients including major defence companies. "It was the worst show on television." Marles has an abiding interest in foreign affairs and specifically the Pacific, sparked by a high-school trip to Papua New Guinea. But when Shorten asked him to be opposition defence minister in 2016, the idea came out of left-field. Its not right to say that at the time this was the thing I was desperately seeking, he says of the defence portfolio. But very quickly I fell in love. By the time we came to government, it was most definitely what I wanted to do. Advertisement Marles first year in the job was dominated by figuring out a plan for Australia to acquire nuclear-powered submarines under the AUKUS pact and a sweeping Defence Force review commissioned after Labor won power. Loading The defence strategic review which warned the nations military was no longer fit for purpose was widely regarded as an impressive document when it was released last April. But the review was not matched by an increase to the defence budget over the four-year forward estimates. That was a political own goal and untenable in a national security sense, says Peter Dean, who co-authored the review and leads the defence and foreign policy program at the United States Studies Centre. Meanwhile, crucial decisions about the future of the navy were put on hold until another review could report back in six months. A narrative took hold in the defence industry and commentariat that Marles was all talk and no action, with speculation regularly bubbling up that he was being rolled in cabinet by Foreign Minister Penny Wong (a claim that Marles supporters deny). Separately, Marles came under fire for spending $3 million on VIP flights in a year, including taking regular RAAF flights from Canberra to Avalon rather than cheaper commercial flights to Melbourne and driving home to Geelong. Advertisement Then came reports, initially in The Australian Financial Review, that Marles was at war with his department and had laid down the law to senior defence officials in a meeting last year. Asked by this masthead a fortnight ago about Marles performance, former senior Defence Department official Peter Jennings said: Its a fail. Hes simply not delivering on the expectations he set in his first 12 months in the job. Marles achieved a circuit breaker this week with his naval shake-up, which will boost the nations fleet of warships from 11 to 26 thanks to a $1.7 billion funding top-up over four years and an $11.1 billion increase over a decade. While there are always critics, the review was generally well received. He rescued his position a little bit by squeezing $11 billion from the expenditure review committee, says Jennings. Defence Minister Richard Marles unveiled a major overhaul of the navy, including an expansion in warship numbers. Credit: Nick Moir As well as praising the navy plan, Dean says he is pleased by signs of tension between Marles and the defence establishment. He points to a dictum, attributed to Paul Keating, that if ministers are getting along too well with their department, it means they are not ambitious enough. It is ultimately the ministers responsibility to lead the department and implement the strategy the government wants, not the strategy the department wants, he says. Advertisement Mexicos president has published the phone number of a New York Times journalist who investigated his alleged links to drug cartels as he hit out at the filthy pamphlet over its reporting. Andres Manuel Lopez Obradors astonishing tirade, delivered at a televised press conference, saw him dismiss the US newspaper as an embarrassment while he projected Mexico correspondent Natalie Kitroeffs contact details onto a screen assembled behind him. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. Credit: AP The screen also displayed a list of written questions that Kitroeff had sent the Mexican leader about allegations his aides had received millions of dollars of funding from drug kingpins. Lopez Obrador read out the request for comment word-for-word, accompanied by sarcastic commentary, from a stage at the Los Pinos presidential palace to a small pack of assembled reporters. Last week, you might have seen that Tabcorp Holdings Limited (ASX:TAH) released its half-year result to the market. The early response was not positive, with shares down 6.7% to AU$0.69 in the past week. Results were roughly in line with estimates, with revenues of AU$1.2b and statutory earnings per share of AU$0.029. This is an important time for investors, as they can track a company's performance in its report, look at what experts are forecasting for next year, and see if there has been any change to expectations for the business. So we gathered the latest post-earnings forecasts to see what estimates suggest is in store for next year. View our latest analysis for Tabcorp Holdings Taking into account the latest results, the current consensus, from the ten analysts covering Tabcorp Holdings, is for revenues of AU$2.32b in 2024. This implies a noticeable 2.7% reduction in Tabcorp Holdings' revenue over the past 12 months. Earnings are expected to improve, with Tabcorp Holdings forecast to report a statutory profit of AU$0.043 per share. In the lead-up to this report, the analysts had been modelling revenues of AU$2.38b and earnings per share (EPS) of AU$0.028 in 2024. While revenue forecasts have been revised downwards, the analysts look to have become more optimistic on the company's cost base, given the considerable lift to to the earnings per share numbers. The analysts have cut their price target 16% to AU$0.88per share, suggesting that the declining revenue was a more crucial indicator than the expected improvement in earnings. The consensus price target is just an average of individual analyst targets, so - it could be handy to see how wide the range of underlying estimates is. There are some variant perceptions on Tabcorp Holdings, with the most bullish analyst valuing it at AU$1.05 and the most bearish at AU$0.70 per share. Analysts definitely have varying views on the business, but the spread of estimates is not wide enough in our view to suggest that extreme outcomes could await Tabcorp Holdings shareholders. Story continues Taking a look at the bigger picture now, one of the ways we can understand these forecasts is to see how they compare to both past performance and industry growth estimates. One thing that stands out from these estimates is that shrinking revenues are expected to moderate over the period ending 2024 compared to the historical decline of 23% per annum over the past five years. Compare this against analyst estimates for companies in the broader industry, which suggest that revenues (in aggregate) are expected to grow 6.8% annually. So while a broad number of companies are forecast to grow, unfortunately Tabcorp Holdings is expected to see its revenue affected worse than other companies in the industry. The Bottom Line The biggest takeaway for us is the consensus earnings per share upgrade, which suggests a clear improvement in sentiment around Tabcorp Holdings' earnings potential next year. On the negative side, they also downgraded their revenue estimates, and forecasts imply they will perform worse than the wider industry. Even so, earnings are more important to the intrinsic value of the business. Furthermore, the analysts also cut their price targets, suggesting that the latest news has led to greater pessimism about the intrinsic value of the business. With that in mind, we wouldn't be too quick to come to a conclusion on Tabcorp Holdings. Long-term earnings power is much more important than next year's profits. We have estimates - from multiple Tabcorp Holdings analysts - going out to 2026, and you can see them free on our platform here. And what about risks? Every company has them, and we've spotted 1 warning sign for Tabcorp Holdings you should know about. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. The crypto ecosystem has gone through several dramatic changes in the past few years. In 2020 and 2021, the industry was driven by hype and speculation only to crash in 2022 and early 2023. There was no better example of this hype cycle than Solana (CRYPTO: SOL). It peaked at more than $250 per token and dropped below $10 per coin after the collapse of FTX. But this continues to be one of the lowest-cost and highest-throughput blockchains in the crypto ecosystem, and if you think the innovation and disruption of crypto is from utility and not just speculation, this is still a cryptocurrency to hold long term. Image source: Getty Images. What people do in crypto matters The health of a blockchain can be seen in the activity of developers and users. This can be judged by developer activity. Solana reports 2,500 to 3,000 developers consistently, short of only Ethereum (CRYPTO: ETH) at about 6,000 developers. On the user side, transactions per second is a great gauge of how much activity there is on a blockchain. Solana averages between 3,000 and 4,000 transactions per second compared to a blockchain like Ethereum at around 13 transactions per second. These two factors together will give you an idea of the health of the blockchain itself. If developers are building it and users are using it, the blockchain has a likely chance of growing in the future. ETFs and the future of crypto investing We have seen billions of dollars flow into the crypto industry over the past month after the approval of spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) by the Securities and Exchange Commission. This led to speculation that Ethereum will be the next to get an ETF and more cryptocurrencies may follow. Solana could get an ETF if Ethereum is approved. It has similar characteristics and smart contracts to Ethereum and has strong institutional and consumer interest. But I don't think it's likely Solana will hold a place like Bitcoin in the crypto ecosystem. Bitcoin is more like digital gold that investors simply want to hold long term, whereas Solana is more of a utility coin for the blockchain. But there could be buyers for both kinds of assets. Story continues Solana's uncertainty The one downside of Solana is the coin itself is not as important to the ecosystem as it is to something like the Ethereum blockchain. Yes, there's a proof-of-stake element to Solana, but a lot of transactions simply happened with USDC stablecoin as the medium of exchange. The future of Solana may be driven by a USDC-denominated token or some other fiat-backed token, and not the Solano cryptocurrency that we see today. This may mean less upside with the cryptocurrency itself, despite being the native coin to the blockchain. Given all of these factors, I think the biggest reason to be bullish on Solana long term is the fact that this is where innovation development and transactions are taking place on the blockchain today. There's more activity and innovation on Solana than almost any other blockchain. And activity and USDC we are using the Solana blockchain for normal financial transactions without even knowing it in the future. That will be a truly disruptive future, and is a great reason to buy Solana. Is it too late? I don't think it is. Should you invest $1,000 in Solana right now? Before you buy stock in Solana, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now and Solana wasnt one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Stock Advisor provides investors with an easy-to-follow blueprint for success, including guidance on building a portfolio, regular updates from analysts, and two new stock picks each month. The Stock Advisor service has more than tripled the return of S&P 500 since 2002*. See the 10 stocks *Stock Advisor returns as of February 20, 2024 Travis Hoium has positions in Ethereum and Solana. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Is It Too Late to Buy Solana? was originally published by The Motley Fool Spring Festival decorations are seen on a street in Hong Kong, South China, Jan 31, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua] People from Xi'an in Shaanxi province and Qingdao in Shandong province will soon be eligible to visit the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions in an individual capacity, as the State Council on Friday added the two cities to the Individual Visit Scheme effective March 6. According to the National Immigration Administration, under the scheme, eligible people from Xi'an and Qingdao can apply for individual visit endorsements for Hong Kong and Macao for leisure purposes on an individual basis. Holders of these endorsements will be permitted to stay in the two cities for a maximum of seven days per visit. Currently, residents from 49 designated cities on the Chinese mainland, including provincial capitals such as Wuhan, Changsha, and Beijing, Shanghai, as well as 21 cities in Guangdong province, are eligible to visit under the IVS. During a media conference on Friday, John Lee Ka-chiu, chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, expressed his gratitude to the central government for responding to the SAR government's proposal to increase the number of eligible cities. He said that this expansion once again demonstrated the central government's care for Hong Kong and its support for the city's economic development. Both Xi'an and Qingdao are significant cities with populations of over 10 million and strong GDP figures, Lee said. He believes the residents of these cities, with high purchasing power and income levels, will contribute to the growth of high-value-added overnight visitors, as well as the local hotel, tourism and catering industries in Hong Kong. Lee stressed the government is striving to improve its capacity to accommodate the gradual and orderly growth in tourists. Peter Shiu Ka-fai, a lawmaker representing the wholesale and retail constituency, also affirmed the positive impact of the move on the retail, tourism and catering industries. Noting it is difficult to determine exact figures of growth at this stage, Shiu hoped the "one trip per week" endorsement enjoyed by Shenzhen residents could be extended to other mainland cities of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. Tourism sector legislator Perry Yiu Pak-leung said that expanding the number of IVS cities would provide more opportunities for Hong Kong residents to explore and visit the corresponding cities on the mainland, fostering greater exchanges. Yiu proposed expanding the list to include provincial capitals not covered under the IVS. Chan Pui-leung, a Hong Kong lawmaker and also a member of the Xi'an Municipal Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, said that he was delighted to see Xi'an being included in the expanded list. He believed this will foster increased exchanges and people-to-people contact between Xi'an and Hong Kong. Looking ahead, Chan suggested that Hong Kong increase the duty-free quota for mainland visitors and organize more brand-name events to enhance the development of the city's tourism industry. In 2003, when the scheme was introduced, the number of mainland visitors traveling to Hong Kong under the scheme was about 667,000. The figures surged to 31.3 million in 2014, and 55.9 million by 2019. Retirement is often a time of celebration, but there is no shortage of decisions recent retirees have to make. One of the most important is when they will claim Social Security since these benefits account for a significant portion of income for millions of Americans in retirement. Unfortunately, the decision isn't straightforward because varying personal situations require different approaches and considerations. However, one key number can help you decide when claiming makes sense for you: your break-even age. Image source: Getty Images. Your decision should begin with your full retirement age Your full retirement age (FRA) is noteworthy because it's when you're eligible to receive your base Social Security benefit (also called the primary insurance amount, or PIA). The Social Security Administration uses your PIA to calculate any adjustments to your monthly benefit based on when you claim relative to your FRA. So while you can claim benefits as early as 62, your monthly benefit will shrink based on how many months away your FRA is. If you're within 36 months of your FRA, benefits are reduced by 5/9 of 1%; any additional month reduces them by 5/12 of 1%. For instance, someone whose full retirement age is 67 would have their monthly benefit reduced by 20% if they claim at 64 and 30% at 62. Conversely, you can delay benefits past your FRA, increasing them by two-thirds of 1% each month, or 8% annually, until you reach 70. Image source: The Motley Fool. Be sure to look beyond just the monthly benefit The prospect of receiving Social Security benefits as early as possible or maxing out your monthly benefit may be enticing, but those factors alone shouldn't be what drives your decision on when to claim. Instead, it's helpful to take a big picture view of the total amount of Social Security you'll receive in retirement, also known as your lifetime or cumulative benefits. This is where your break-even age can help put things in perspective. Your break-even age is when the total amount of benefits received from claiming at one age equals that of another age. To illustrate, let's use someone whose FRA is 67 with a PIA of $1,900 (just below the monthly average for retired workers in Jan. 2024). In this case, delaying benefits until 70 would increase their monthly check 24%, bringing it to $2,356. Story continues Here's how much this person would collect in cumulative benefits by different ages: Monthly Benefit Total by Age 80 Total by Age 82 1/2 Total by Age 85 $1,900 $296,400 $353,400 $410,400 $2,356 $282,720 $353,400 $424,080 Calculations by author. In this scenario, the person's break-even age is 82 1/2. Before then, the total amount received from claiming benefits at 67 is greater than the total amount received from delaying until 70, even with the extra $456 in each month's check. After age 82 1/2, it flips, and delaying benefits until 70 yields higher lifetime benefits. Your break-even age should be one piece of the puzzle Your should factor in your break-even age when claiming Social Security, but it shouldn't be the sole basis for your decision. You must also assess your financial situation, personal and family health history, and retirement goals. If you can't cover your expenses without Social Security, claiming as soon as possible may be the only viable option, regardless of your break-even age. If you have a retirement nest egg and Social Security will just be supplemental income, delaying to receive a higher monthly payout could be worth it. Similarly, claiming earlier may be the best route to maximize lifetime benefits if you have major health concerns. Everyone's situation is different, so the factors used in your decision-making process (and the weight they're given) will vary. What's most important is that you do take into account these relevant details, including your break-even age. The $22,924 Social Security bonus most retirees completely overlook If you're like most Americans, you're a few years (or more) behind on your retirement savings. But a handful of little-known "Social Security secrets" could help ensure a boost in your retirement income. For example: one easy trick could pay you as much as $22,924 more... each year! Once you learn how to maximize your Social Security benefits, we think you could retire confidently with the peace of mind we're all after. Simply click here to discover how to learn more about these strategies. View the "Social Security secrets" The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Trying to Decide When to Claim Social Security? This Number Could Help You Decide. was originally published by The Motley Fool Cong creates ruckus over murder of Baiga family Staff Reporter RAIPUR, During the Budget session of the Chhattisgarh State Legislative Assembly on Friday, the Congress MLAs created a ruckus over the murder of three people from a Baiga tribal family in the Pandariya constituency of Kawardha. Former Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, along with Anila Bhendiya and other members, had given notice for an adjournment motion on this issue. Immediately after the Question Hour, former Chief Minister Baghel and other members demanded a discussion on the case during the Zero Hour. Congress members emphasised the urgency of discussing the murder of three members of the same protected tribe family in the House. In the absence of Home Minister Vijay Sharma, Health Minister Shyam Bihari Jaiswal informed the House about the arrest of the accused. He revealed that about a month and a half ago, three members of the Baiga family had died in a fire in their house in Naga Dabra of Pandariya, which was later revealed to be a case of murder. There was a considerable uproar in the House demanding a discussion on this issue. The proceedings were adjourned for 5 minutes due to the increasing noise in the House. However, when the session resumed, the chaos continued, leading to another adjournment. Bhupesh Baghel and other members expressed concern over the murder of the Baiga tribal family and alleged that the administration had initially attempted to cover up the case. They emphasised the need to discuss the matter further. Various MLAs provided details of the incident, alleging police negligence and attempts to suppress the case. Congress MLA Harshita Baghels allegations on the Pandariya MLA added fuel to the fire, sparking a heated exchange between the ruling and opposition MLAs and further adjournment of the House proceedings. Later Congress MLA Harshita Baghel retracted her remarks against Pandariya MLA. The Opposition continued to demand justice for the Baiga family, leading to objections from BJP MLAs and further disruption of the proceedings. Speaker Dr Singh eventually suspended all Congress MLAs and asked them to leave the House after they entered the well, demanding suspension of Kawardha District Collector and resignation from the State Home Minister. In response to the rejection of the adjournment motion, Bhupesh Baghel criticised political influence in the case and questioned the police investigation while highlighted the delay in arrests, leading to public outrage. As the Opposition continued to protest, Dharamjit Singh who was chairing the proceedings ordered the Opposition MLAs to move out of the House. The suspension was revoked a few minutes later. Manohar Joshi Sir passes away MUMBAI : FORMER Lok Sabha Speaker and ex-Maharashtra Chief Minister Manohar G Joshi, a senior Shiv Sena (UBT) leader, passed away following a heart attack early on Friday morning. Our family is deeply saddened to inform you that Manohar Joshi passed away today morning at 3 am following prolonged age related health issues, his family said in a terse announcement at dawn. Joshi, 86, was rushed to the Hinduja Hospital in Mahim after suffering a heart attack late on Thursday. Sir, as he was popular in political circles because of his teaching background and a stern demeanour, succumbed during treatment around 3 am, plunging the State political fraternity into gloom. His last rites were performed with full State Honours in the presence of former Chief Ministers Sharad Pawar, Sushilkumar Shinde and Uddhav Thackeray. One of the closest confidantes of the late Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray, Joshi had over six decades in politics starting as a Municipal Corporator, then Mayor, Maharashtra CM, Union Minister, then crowning glory as the Speaker of Lok Sabha. Top leaders across the political spectrum including President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Former Union Minister and NCP founder Sharad Pawar have paid rich tributes to Joshi who headed the first-ever Government in the State comprising the undivided Shiv Sena-Bharatiya Janata Party (1995-1999), in an era when politics was more principled and less unscrupulous. Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled the demise of the veteran leader. Pained by the passing away of Shri Manohar Joshi Ji. He was a veteran leader who spent years in public service. Manohar Joshi Ji will also be remembered for his diligence as a legislator, having had the honour of serving in all four legislatures. Condolences to his family and supporters. Om Shanti. Maharashtra Governor Ramesh Bais, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Deputy CMs Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, mourned the demise of Joshi and recalled his services to the State and country. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said Joshi's political journey from councillor to Lok Sabha Speaker will serve as an inspiration to future generations. . Union minister Nitin Gadkari, who was a member of the Maharashtra ministry when Joshi was the CM, said the state had lost a cultured face of politics. Patients treated on street in Buldhana High Court takes note, seeks affidavit from Govt What if some patient suffered seriously and required urgent medicare? asked High Court. THE Bombay High Court on Friday took note of food poisoning patients being treated on a street outside a hospital in Maharashtras Buldhana district and sought an affidavit from the Government. Government pleader P P Kakade submitted to the bench of Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya and Justice Arif Doctor that the hospital had a capacity of only 30 beds and around 150 persons had come complaining of uneasiness and stomach issues. All the persons had food poisoning after consuming sweet from a local temple. The hospital capacity was only 30 but it had enough staff and medicines, Kakade said. He added that the patients were immediately treated and were discharged the next day. Their condition was not serious. We could not treat them inside the hospital and hence treated them outside, Kakade told the Court. The bench then questioned what if anyones condition had suddenly turned serious. How far is the district hospital from the place where this incident occurred? What if some patient suffered seriously and required urgent medicare? CJ Upadhyaya asked. Kakade said that the district hospital was 100 kilometres away and if any patients condition had worsened, then he or she would have been transferred there. The bench directed Kakade to file an affidavit submitting these details and posted the matter for further hearing after ten days. The incident took place on Tuesday night during the Harinam Saptah, a week-long religious event, at Somthana village in Lonar taluka, Buldhana district collector Kiran Patil had told PTI earlier. Images of the patients being administered fluids in an open space were reported by the media. (PTI) Pernod Ricard signs MoU with State Govt to set up malt spirit distillery in Butibori Business Reporter : The Government of Maharashtra and Pernod Ricard India, a global leader in the wine and spirits industry, on Friday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to set up one of the biggest malt spirit distilleries in India, in Butibori in the district. Furthering Prime Minister Narendra Modis vision of Make in India, Pernod Ricard India plans an investment up to 200 M in the decade. The MoU was singed in presence of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis; Minister of Industries Uday Samant; Principal Secretary Industries Dr Harshdeep Kamble; Commissioner Excise Vijay Suryawanshi along with Jean Touboul, CEO, Pernod Ricard India; Prasanna Mohile, National Corporate Affairs Head, Pernod Ricard India and Gagandeep Sethi, Senior VP, Integrated Operations, Pernod Ricard India. With the commissioning of this distillery, Pernod Ricard India aims to employ a workforce up to 700 to 800. This commitment extends not only to the construction phase of the distillery but also encompasses the post-commissioning operations of the plant. Beyond the immediate impact, this is poised to create a ripple effect, positively influencing indirect employment opportunities throughout the region. Speaking on the occasion, Fadnavis said We are delighted that Pernod Ricard India shares our vision to invest in the economic and skill development of the region and the country. The foundation of this distillery will assist in creating strong avenues for employment and aid in spurring growth of ancillary industries and services. And most importantly this would serve as a platform of opportunities for thousands of farmers of the region to attain steady income and bring agricultural diversity and stability. Jean Touboul, CEO, Pernod Ricard India, said, This initiative is in continuation of our dedicated efforts to Make and Innovate in India and we are confident that it will elevate Indias standing on the global map, as a key player in the production of high-quality malt. Further, the foundation of the plant will aim to provide local entrepreneurs and the farmer community with new avenues of growth. Property of TMC leaders burnt, locals demand police action against culprits KOLKATA : FRESH protests rattled the troubled enclave of Sandeshkhali in West Bengals North 24 Parganas district on Friday, as enraged locals vented their ire by torching the property of TMC leaders accused of tormenting villagers besides staging demonstrations against perceived police inaction towards the perpetrators. During the unrest, residents barricaded roads with logs and set them on fire to block the entry of police vehicles into Jhupkhali area of Sandeshkhali. Tensions persisted for the second consecutive day, with reports of TMC leaders being assaulted and their residences being ransacked. Responding to the situation, Director General of Police (DGP) Rajeev Kumar, for the second consecutive day, went to the troubled region and pledged firm action against those responsible for the unrest. Armed with sticks, protestors set fire to thatched structures near a fishing yard in Belmajur, directing their anger towards the elusive TMC leader, Shahjahan Sheikh, and his brother Siraj. One of the torched structures belonged to Siraj, it was revealed. For years, police did nothing. That is why we are doing everything to reclaim our land and honour, a demonstrator said. Subsequently, law enforcement personnel intervened and tried to pacify the agitated crowd. Later in the afternoon, DGP Kumar arrived in the locality and engaged in discussions with the locals. Please register your complaints. We will take action. We will establish a police camp here. However, I earnestly request you not to take the law into your own hands, Kumar told the residents. Speaking to reporters, Kumar reiterated, Police will take stern action. We are committed to establishing the rule of the law in the area. He affirmed that strict measures would be taken against any person resorting to vigilantism. Kumar said police and administration had initiated the process of reclaiming land unlawfully seized from villagers. As police began efforts to apprehend villagers involved in arson and property destruction, women who had accused the absconding TMC leader, Shahjahan Sheikh, and his associates of sexual abuse spanning years, took to the streets. RC Plasto organises Singapore tour for dealers Business Reporter : The worlds leading tank manufacturing company, RC Plasto Tanks & Pipes Pvt. Ltd. held the Plasto Dealers Family Tour in Singapore from February 4 to 10. The company dealers from all over the country along with their family members and new dealers participated in this event. A four-day cruise with Singapore City was organised by the company management, which was proved exciting and a center of attraction for all. The main objective of the tour was to strengthen the communication between the company and the dealers. During the event, the companys Managing Director Vishal Agarwal informed all the dealers in detail about the companys objectives and plans for the nearest future. Alpana Agarwal, wife of Vishal Agarwal was also a participant in this event, which further increased the importance of organising the family tour. Dealers and family members enjoyed the event with great enthusiasm. All the dealers shared their long-term strong relationships and golden experiences with the company with all the colleagues from a single platform, and expressed their desire to continue such programs with the company management. All the suggestions were welcomed by the company management, and gratitude was expressed to all the dealers and their families for their good wishes for the progress of the company, and in view of their enthusiasm, a commitment was made to organize similar events every year. SpecialHonour Citys Dr Sanjeev Chaudhary feted at House of Lords, London Staff Reporter : When Dr Sanjeev Chaudhary, a noted Orthopedic Surgeon of Nagpur, started making people aware of osteoporosis 10 years ago, he did not foresee that his contribution would take him to House of Lords at London. It became a reality when Lord Raj Loomba, Senior Member of the House of Lords and recipient of CBE (Excellence of Commander of British Empire) honoured Dr Chaudhary in British Parliament (House of Lords) in presence of august gathering with Bharat Gaurav Samman. Dr Chaudhary is the only doctor from India to receive this honour. The award was bestowed upon him for his outstanding achievement in medical excellence and surgery. Dr Chaudhary has been recognised for successfully leading awareness campaign on osteoporosis in India and abroad. During his tenure as President of Vidarbha Orthopaedic Society (VOS), Dr Chaudhary had conducted a study of osteoporosis in Vidarbha. He had submitted the white paper to Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The Government of India later worked on it and implemented the recommendations made in the report. Dr Sanjeev Chaudhary launched a unique programme HEATCO for online Health Education And Tele-Consultations on Osteoporosis through video conferencing. He developed a digital van for this purpose which was recognised as the best innovation by International Osteoporosis Foundation, Switzerland. After having empowered more than 10,000 women with education to fight the disease till now, he demonstrated significant measurable outcomes. He is globally acclaimed for launching awareness campaign on osteoporosis in Nepal, Mauritius and Middle East as a part of his global mission to control the disease. When Dr Sanjeev Chaudhary received a call from the organisers regarding the award, he was stunned as he had never thought of it. Osteoporosis is a dangerous disease of bones which commonly occures in women after menopause. Despite reliable diagnostic facilities and effective therapeutics, India reports many incidence of osteoporosis, mainly due to lack of awareness, pointed out Dr Chaudhary. Dr Chaudhary is also a TEDex speaker. Dr Sanjeev Chaudharys HEATCO is not only a unique innovation but a classic creation which will navigate digital health from present to posterity, said Lord Loomba while admiring Dr Chaudharys contribution in public health in India. Members of House of Lords and several Bollywood personalities witnessed the function. Dr Chaudhary said, I am humbled by the honour which I never thought I would receive. I never did any work for any award but I always got so much response from my own countrymen. Getting honoured at House of Lords of British Parliament London is a huge honour for me. I will cherish this moment forever. The felicitation is conferred as a part of festival of India in London, organised by Confluence, an NGO for promotion of Indian art culture traditions and advocating Indian accomplishment in different countries of the world. Vale S.A. (NYSE:VALE) Q4 2023 Earnings Call Transcript February 23, 2024 Vale S.A. isnt one of the 30 most popular stocks among hedge funds at the end of the third quarter (see the details here). Operator: Good morning ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to Vale's Fourth Quarter 2023 Earnings Call. This conference is being recorded and the replay will be available at the company's website, vale.com. The presentation is available for download in English and Portuguese. This call is also available in Portuguese. To listen to the presentation in Portuguese, please press the globe icon on the lower right side of your Zoom screen and then choose to enter the Portuguese room. Then select mute original audio, so that you won't hear the English version in the background. We would like to inform that all participants are currently in a listen-only mode for the presentations. Further instructions will be provided before we begin the question-and-answer section of our call. We would like to advise that forward-looking statements may be provided in this presentation, including Vale's expectations about future events or results encompassing those matters listed in the respective presentation. We caution you that forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties. To obtain information on factors that may lead to results different from those forecast by Vale, please consult the reports Vale files with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the Brazilian Comissao de Valores Mobiliarios, and in particular the factors discussed on the forward-looking statements and risks factors in Vale's annual report on Form 20-F. With us today are Mr. Eduardo De Salles Bartolomeo, CEO; Mr. Gustavo Pimenta, Executive Vice President of Finance and Investor Relations; Mr. Marcello Spinelli, Executive Vice President, Iron Ore Solutions; Mr. Carlos Medeiros, Executive Vice President of Operations; and Mr. Mark Cutifani, Chairman of Vale Base Metals. Story continues Now I'll turn the conference over to Mr. Eduardo Bartolomeo. Sir, you may now begin. Eduardo De Salles Bartolomeo: Thank you and good morning everyone. I hope you are all doing well. 2023 was a remarkable year for Vale. Our results translated the evolution of our safe-driven cultural transformation and our progress towards operational excellence. We have walked the talk and delivered in line with our guidances. I'm excited that we are now taking Vale to an even higher level of performance to the five key levers we outlined on the last Vale Day. Starting with our safety journey, which in 2023 showed encouraging improvements with the lowest injury frequency rate since 2008 and relevant accomplishments in dam management. Our second lever, the stabilization of our iron ore operations comes to secure our baseline production of 310 million to 320 million tons per year. In that sense, our 2023 production at 321 million tons exceeded expectations and provided evidence of increased asset and process reliability. On our third lever, growing volumes in iron ore with quality, we gave an important step by starting up our first briquette plant. In addition, our partnership with Anglo America in a world-class operation will bring synergies and make available high-quality feeds for agglomerated products. Gustavo will share more information on that later. In our path to transform the Energy Transition Metals business, copper production had an impressive 50% growth in the fourth quarter. Nickel production was in line with guidance with results benefited by price realization 7% above LME prices in the quarter. In our quest towards ESG leadership in mining, 2023 saw a substantial progress in the reparations of Brumadinho and Mariana. Finally, by announcing a $2.4 billion dividend distribution, we reinforced that our discipline in capital allocation and commitment to shareholder return remains unchanged. Let's see more details of our 2023 performance now. Please next slide. As you know, safety is the most important work front for me at Vale. We are committed to ensuring that each employee is safe during work shifts. We achieved solidly safe performance in the year with the lowest injury frequency rate in the company history and one of the lowest in our industry. The year was also remarkable for our dam management performance. We reached performance with the global industry standard for tailing management within the expected industry timeframe. Our upstream dam decharacterization program reached 43% completion rate. B3 before, an upstream dam, which was at emergency level 3 back in 2019, had over 90% of its tailings removed, bringing forward the dam elimination in three years, from 2027 to 2024. We are already seeing a safer Vale, built with operational discipline in maturing management model. Next slide please. The fourth quarter was a very strong one, leading us to deliver an iron ore output that exceeded our guidance. Year-on-year, we increased our output in 11% and in December we had the highest monthly output since 2018. We are ensuring our asset reliability. Our meantime between failure, for example, improved considerably, almost doubling the performance in the S11D truckless systems case. In pellets, our strong output was supported by the start-up of the Torto dam in 2023 and therefore the higher pellet feed production at Brucutu. In 2024, we are at a fast pace to deliver another strong performance. Next slide please. Vale's major competitive advantage is its potential to grow its high quality portfolio with low capital intensity. In that sense, we are targeting the development of three key projects combined with the development of Mega Hubs, concentration facilities at briquette plants. Our three key projects are being executed. The Vargem Grande Complex expansion, the Capanema project and the S11D plus 20 expansion. With those addings to our current production baseline, we expect to reach 340 million to 360 million tons productions by 2026. Next slide please. In 2023, we continue to mature our agreements for joint assessments on the construction of mega hubs with authorities in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Oman and with partners in Brazil. We are also assessing the feasibility of developing green steel hubs in Brazil and North America with H2 Green Steel, a Swedish partner. Finally, we are ramping up the first briquette plant in our Tubarao complex with the second plant expected to ramp up in the first half of 2024. With growing volumes, higher average iron content and cost efficient program in place, we are preparing Vale to be one of the most efficient mining companies in the world. Next slide please. In the Energy Transition Metals business, we delivered a remarkable output in copper, an outstanding 50% increase quarter-on-quarter driven by the successful ramp up of Salobo III and improved performance at Salobo I and II plants. In nickel, our production was in line with guidance which already factored the transition of Voisey's Bay mine extension. In 2023, we successfully established Vale Base Metals, a new company with separate governance overseeing Vale's Energy Transition Metals business. Delivering on our commitments, we brought in important partners to the business as a mean to accelerate VBMs growth, while ensuring greater operational efficiency in the short term. The upcoming years will be crucial for transitioning the Energy Transition Metals to a new phase. The asset review is underway and we will provide more color on that process along 2024. Next slide please. We are consistently delivering and positioning Vale as an ESG leader. We are increasingly focusing on people with solid results so far and with encouraging improvements to come. We are a more diverse, equitable and inclusive company since we set our long-term goals back in 2019. For instance, our female workforce increased by 85% in this period. On the social front, we continue to foster resilient communities. We are striving to be a nature-positive company uniquely positioned to leverage decarbonization efforts. Improving our transparency on our ESG performance we also became early adopters of the Task Force on Nature-related Financial Disclosures, the TNFD. Most importantly, we are delivering on our reparation processes. In Brumadinho 68% of the full reparation settlement were fulfilled, R$6.3 billion cash outflow in 2023. We expect to end 2026 with 90% of the obligations completed. In Mariana, the reparation has been accelerated by the Renova Foundation, with over 460,000 people compensated and over 85% of housing solutions provided, a total disbursement of R$34.7 billion since 2015. On that front, we continue to negotiate a definitive reparation settlement with the Brazilian authorities. Our approach towards ESG has started to be acknowledged by ESG ratings providers and we are confident that our progress will be fully recognized in the near future. We are on our way to lead a sustainable mining, an industry able to create and share value with all of its stakeholders. Since 2019, we have made profound changes in Vales way of operating and are now reaping the benefits of that work. The executive team continues to be highly focused on our strategy and commitments. We are delivering on our safety and ESG commitments, always listening to our stakeholders. We are delivering more robust operational and cost performance across all businesses. Aerial view of a giant iron ore mine, showcasing the mineral deposits of the company's Ferrous Minerals segment. We are advancing our iron ore strategy towards growth with quality. We are positioning Vale for leadership in global de-carbonization, while driving local and regional development. Finally, we remain fully committed to disciplined capital allocation. To conclude, I would like to thank the management team, our employees, our partners, for contributing to the 2023 results. Now for our financial results, I pass the floor to Gustavo. Thank you. Gustavo Pimenta: Thanks, Eduardo. And good morning everyone. Before going to our financial performance, I would like to spend some time talking about the strategic rationale and the associated financial aspects of our recently announced partnership with Anglo American in Brazil. As you probably saw in both companies' releases, we have agreed to buy 15% of Minas-Rio existing business in exchange for a cash payment of $157 million, subject to net debt and working capital adjustments and the contribution of our world-class iron ore deposit of Serra da Serpentina in Minas Gerais. This combination is highly accretive for both companies as it allows us to leverage and maximize each others infrastructure, while securing access to additional high quality iron ore to support growing demand for low carbon and steel making. Minas-Rio today has a nameplate capacity to produce up to 26.5 million tons per year of high quality pellet feed and the development of Serpentina will enable the total complex to reach over 50 million tons per year in the next decade. As per the agreed terms, Vale will have an option to buy another 15% stake of Minas-Rio at market terms once the Serpentina deposit obtains its preliminary license. This should allows us to have access to up to 15 million tonnes per year of pellet feed once Serpentina is fully developed. Vale have proportional off-take rights and we plan on using these volumes to feed our pellet facilities and later our briquetting plants, including the ones under the Mega Hub initiatives. Finally, we have also agreed on certain earn-out rights on both sides over the next four years with predefined caps as detailed in our market communication. We are very excited to initiate this partnership with Anglo American in Brazil and expect this will unlock significant value to all of our stakeholders. As we mentioned, the supply of high quality iron ore is a key component of our strategy as we look to help our clients transition to a lower carbon footprint. Now let me turn back to our financial performance starting on the next slide. As you can see, our pro forma EBITDA was $6.7 billion in Q4, $2.7 billion higher year-on-year. The increase is explained by a combination of higher realized iron ore prices, which increased 24% versus a year ago, as well as by lower operating expenses, as we start to harvest the benefits of our efficiency and productivity programs. On prices the iron ore fines realized price was $128 per tonne in Q4 $23 per tonne higher year-on-year, driven by higher reference prices and the positive effect of provisional prices. Given market conditions in Q4 with lower discount for high silica iron ore, we decided to increase this product's share in the sales mix, while rebalancing premium iron ore inventories, especially Carajas. This proactive strategy not only maximizes our product portfolio value but also position us to better monetize our production going forward. Looking into the first quarter, market conditions remain favorable for high silica products and therefore, we should continue to manage our product portfolio accordingly. In order to provide greater clarity about our product portfolio mix, we have started to disclose the breakdown of each specific product in our quarterly report, which should facilitate the calculation in your understanding of our realized premiums and prices. Regarding costs, our iron ore EBITDA breakeven declined 4% in Q4, reaching $53.3 per tonne in the quarter and $54.8 per tonne in 2023 below our most recent guidance. Our C1 cost performance in Q4 was solid as we move it closer to the $20 per tonne level supported by our efficiency program initiatives, a positive exchange rate impact and an inventory carryover effect. In 2023, C1 costs averaged $22.3 per tonne within our guidance range. As we presented at Vale Day, we expect costs in 2024 to be in line with 2023 with a C1 guidance of $21.5 to $23 per tonne. Moving to our energy transition metals business, our nickel all-in costs sharply declined in Q4, driven by the mine maintenance conclusion in Q3 and by 7% higher production volumes in the quarter, which also supported byproduct revenues. In our corporate operations, higher byproduct volumes and prices led to a $300 per tonne increase in byproduct revenues. This was partially offset by higher maintenance costs at Sossego, despite higher production volumes in both operations. In C1 base metals, I'd like to share that we are making significant progress on our asset review under the leadership of Mark and have identified a series of opportunities to improve productivity and reduce unit operating costs. The plan has been primarily focused on asset integrity and mine development along with the flow sheet optimization. These opportunities are being assessed and designed for implementation over the next two to three years, with some benefits already being captured in the shorter term. We plan on presenting the key action items of the asset review with the associated benefits by midyear. Now moving on to cash generation as you can see, Q4 free cash flow from operations was about $2.5 billion, roughly $1.4 billion higher than Q3, driven by higher EBITDA. Working capital increased in the quarter, driven by higher accounts receivable due to higher iron ore prices and sales. These invoices will be collected in Q1 this year, and we expect the effect on working capital to reverse in the following quarters. In addition, CapEx seasonally increased in Q4 as planned in our investment plan. With our full year CapEx at $5.9 billion, is slightly below our guidance. Most of the free cash flow was used to anticipate a $2 billion extraordinary dividend and interest on capital payment in December. Also yesterday, our Board of Directors approved a distribution of $2.4 billion of dividends to be paid in March 2024, reinforcing our continued focus on returning value to shareholders. Now let me turn to our expanded net debt evolution in the next slide. We ended 2023 with an expanded net debt of $16.2 billion, compared to $15.5 billion in Q3. As you can see, this quarter we recognize an extra provision of $1.2 billion related to Samarco's obligation and a potential global agreement with Brazilian authorities. The new provision, although still subject to uncertainty is our best estimate today of the amount required from Vale to fulfill those obligations, and it considers Samarco will continue to have the ability to pay for a portion of the required payments as per their approved business plan. Since 2015, more than R$35 billion have been disbursed in 42 agreed programs, with almost 500,000 people compensated. We continue to be highly focused on a settlement that works for all parties involved within a framework that provides legal certainty and leads to an effective execution of their greed compensation. Regarding our optimal leverage target, we are maintaining the $10 billion to $20 billion range under the same expended net debt concept. This range provide us with greater flexibility and optimized capital costs. In the next quarters, we expected our expended net debt to benefit from our solid operational performance, enabling health value generation to our shareholders. So before moving on to the Q&A session, I would like to reinforce the key messages from todays call. We continue to make substantial progress in our safety and ESG commitments, as example by record low injury rates in our operations and continued advancements on upstream dam decharacterization. In iron ore, we are very encouraged with the recent operational performance from our assets and very confident on our ability to deliver on the targets for the year. On growth, we are seeing a very steady progress on our key projects to add 50 million tonnes per year of high quality iron ore with limited capital intensity by 2026. And I encouraged with the findings and initial implementation of the asset review in base metals. And finally, we remain highly committed to a disciplined capital allocation process as evidenced by todays dividend announcement and the continuous execution of our highly accretive buyback program. With that, I would like to open the call for questions. Thank you. See also 20 Best Cities to Retire for 2024 and 13 Best Buy-the-Dip Stocks To Buy Right Now. To continue reading the Q&A session, please click here. Clearbridge Investments LLC trimmed its stake in Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS Free Report) by 6.4% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 230,727 shares of the construction companys stock after selling 15,745 shares during the quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLCs holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems were worth $26,264,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC. A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $40,000. NBC Securities Inc. bought a new position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Quadrant Capital Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 420.7% during the 2nd quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 302 shares of the construction companys stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 244 shares during the period. Neo Ivy Capital Management bought a new position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, Belpointe Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 47.8% during the 1st quarter. Belpointe Asset Management LLC now owns 495 shares of the construction companys stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 160 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.69% of the companys stock. Get Advanced Drainage Systems alerts: Advanced Drainage Systems Trading Down 0.1 % WMS stock opened at $163.39 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 2.04, a current ratio of 3.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18. Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. has a twelve month low of $75.02 and a twelve month high of $165.86. The business has a fifty day moving average of $140.92 and a 200-day moving average of $127.07. The company has a market cap of $12.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.98, a PEG ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 1.45. Advanced Drainage Systems Dividend Announcement Advanced Drainage Systems ( NYSE:WMS Get Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 8th. The construction company reported $1.37 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.93 by $0.44. Advanced Drainage Systems had a return on equity of 49.79% and a net margin of 17.65%. The business had revenue of $662.37 million during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $632.69 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.99 earnings per share. The firms quarterly revenue was up 1.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. will post 5.77 EPS for the current year. The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 15th. Investors of record on Friday, March 1st will be paid a dividend of $0.14 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 29th. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.34%. Advanced Drainage Systemss dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 8.90%. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades Several equities analysts have issued reports on WMS shares. Stephens lifted their price objective on Advanced Drainage Systems from $138.00 to $182.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research report on Friday, February 9th. KeyCorp lifted their price objective on Advanced Drainage Systems from $160.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research report on Friday, February 9th. StockNews.com upgraded Advanced Drainage Systems from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report on Friday, February 9th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on Advanced Drainage Systems from $151.00 to $156.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $155.13. View Our Latest Report on WMS Advanced Drainage Systems Profile (Free Report) Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc designs, manufactures, and markets thermoplastic corrugated pipes and related water management products, and drainage solutions for use in the construction and agriculture marketplaces in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and internationally. The company operates through Pipe, International, Infiltrator, and Allied Products & Other segments. Featured Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding WMS? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Advanced Drainage Systems Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Advanced Drainage Systems and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Algert Global LLC bought a new stake in shares of Planet Fitness, Inc. (NYSE:PLNT Free Report) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 62,050 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $3,052,000. Algert Global LLC owned about 0.07% of Planet Fitness as of its most recent SEC filing. Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its stake in Planet Fitness by 13.4% during the 1st quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 1,332 shares of the companys stock valued at $112,000 after acquiring an additional 157 shares in the last quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of Planet Fitness by 28.1% during the 1st quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 894 shares of the companys stock worth $69,000 after purchasing an additional 196 shares in the last quarter. Cetera Advisor Networks LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Planet Fitness by 1.5% during the 2nd quarter. Cetera Advisor Networks LLC now owns 14,054 shares of the companys stock valued at $948,000 after buying an additional 213 shares during the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada grew its stake in shares of Planet Fitness by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 19,590 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,129,000 after buying an additional 216 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Captrust Financial Advisors grew its stake in shares of Planet Fitness by 23.0% in the 1st quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 1,172 shares of the companys stock valued at $99,000 after buying an additional 219 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.53% of the companys stock. Get Planet Fitness alerts: Planet Fitness Price Performance Shares of PLNT stock opened at $63.71 on Friday. Planet Fitness, Inc. has a one year low of $44.13 and a one year high of $84.48. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $70.73 and a 200 day moving average price of $62.68. The stock has a market cap of $5.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 1.44. Insider Activity Planet Fitness ( NYSE:PLNT Get Free Report ) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 22nd. The company reported $0.60 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.58 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $285.10 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $282.35 million. Planet Fitness had a negative return on equity of 120.89% and a net margin of 12.91%. Planet Fitnesss revenue was up 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.53 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Planet Fitness, Inc. will post 2.54 EPS for the current year. In other news, CEO Craig R. Benson bought 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 11th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $68.15 per share, with a total value of $681,500.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer now owns 35,000 shares of the companys stock, valued at $2,385,250. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other Planet Fitness news, Director Christopher Rondeau sold 1,000,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.55, for a total value of $66,550,000.00. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Craig R. Benson acquired 10,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 11th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $68.15 per share, for a total transaction of $681,500.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer now directly owns 35,000 shares in the company, valued at $2,385,250. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 5.94% of the stock is owned by insiders. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth Several research firms have commented on PLNT. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Planet Fitness from $68.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 8th. Piper Sandler raised their target price on Planet Fitness from $88.00 to $89.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Thursday, January 11th. DA Davidson reaffirmed a neutral rating and issued a $62.00 price target on shares of Planet Fitness in a research report on Monday, February 5th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on Planet Fitness from $85.00 to $80.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Finally, Raymond James boosted their target price on Planet Fitness from $66.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a strong-buy rating in a report on Wednesday, November 8th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $70.69. Get Our Latest Research Report on Planet Fitness Planet Fitness Company Profile (Free Report) Planet Fitness, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, franchises and operates fitness centers under the Planet Fitness brand. The company operates through three segments: Franchise, Corporate-Owned Stores, and Equipment. The Franchise segment is involved in franchising business in the United States, Puerto Rico, Canada, Panama, Mexico, and Australia. Featured Articles Want to see what other hedge funds are holding PLNT? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Planet Fitness, Inc. (NYSE:PLNT Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Planet Fitness Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Planet Fitness and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. ATCO Ltd. (OTCMKTS:ACLLF Get Free Report) announced a dividend on Thursday, February 22nd, investing.com reports. Investors of record on Thursday, February 29th will be given a dividend of 0.3659 per share on Sunday, March 31st. This represents a dividend yield of 5.32%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 28th. This is a positive change from ATCOs previous dividend of $0.35. ATCO Price Performance ACLLF stock opened at $27.84 on Friday. ATCO has a twelve month low of $24.00 and a twelve month high of $33.82. The companys 50 day moving average is $28.15 and its two-hundred day moving average is $27.35. Get ATCO alerts: About ATCO (Get Free Report) Featured Stories ATCO Ltd., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the provision of housing, logistics and transportation, agriculture, water, real estate, and energy and energy infrastructure solutions in Canada, Australia, and internationally. The company offers workforce and residential housing, modular facilities, construction and site support, workforce lodging, facility operations and maintenance, defense operations, and disaster and emergency management services. Receive News & Ratings for ATCO Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for ATCO and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A. (NYSE:BLX Get Free Report) announced a quarterly dividend on Thursday, February 22nd, Zacks reports. Investors of record on Monday, March 4th will be given a dividend of 0.50 per share by the bank on Tuesday, March 19th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.33%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 1st. This is a boost from Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A.s previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A. has decreased its dividend payment by an average of 4.1% per year over the last three years. Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A. has a payout ratio of 19.6% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities research analysts expect Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A. to earn $5.10 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $1.00 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 19.6%. Get Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior S. A. alerts: Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A. Price Performance Shares of Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A. stock traded up $2.71 on Friday, hitting $27.28. 455,762 shares of the companys stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 102,794. Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A. has a one year low of $16.26 and a one year high of $28.34. The stock has a market capitalization of $991.08 million, a PE ratio of 5.98 and a beta of 1.19. The firms 50-day moving average price is $24.64 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $23.73. Hedge Funds Weigh In On Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A. Analyst Ratings Changes An institutional investor recently raised its position in Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A. stock. Rhumbline Advisers increased its stake in Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A. ( NYSE:BLX Free Report ) by 5.2% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 44,409 shares of the banks stock after purchasing an additional 2,200 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers owned approximately 0.12% of Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A. worth $980,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. 7.02% of the stock is owned by institutional investors. Separately, StockNews.com raised shares of Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A. from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report on Monday, February 19th. Check Out Our Latest Report on Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A. Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A. Company Profile (Get Free Report) Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A., a multinational bank, primarily engages in the financing of foreign trade in Latin America and the Caribbean. The company operates through two segments, Commercial and Treasury. It also offers bilateral loans; structured loans including syndicated and clubbed, such as acquisition and pre-export financing, A/B loan financing, bridge loans, and liability management; and project financing. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior S. A. Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior S. A. and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. C M Bidwell & Associates Ltd. raised its position in shares of Xerox Holdings Co. (NYSE:XRX Free Report) by 5,572.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 8,395 shares of the information technology services providers stock after purchasing an additional 8,247 shares during the quarter. C M Bidwell & Associates Ltd.s holdings in Xerox were worth $132,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. BlackRock Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Xerox by 15.1% in the 1st quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 15,540,136 shares of the information technology services providers stock valued at $239,318,000 after buying an additional 2,033,262 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Xerox by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 12,383,602 shares of the information technology services providers stock worth $161,977,000 after purchasing an additional 176,526 shares during the period. LSV Asset Management raised its holdings in Xerox by 4.5% in the 3rd quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 6,240,257 shares of the information technology services providers stock worth $97,910,000 after purchasing an additional 271,302 shares during the period. State Street Corp raised its holdings in Xerox by 1.1% in the 1st quarter. State Street Corp now owns 4,790,757 shares of the information technology services providers stock worth $74,965,000 after purchasing an additional 52,043 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Xerox by 5.8% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,435,033 shares of the information technology services providers stock worth $36,258,000 after purchasing an additional 133,551 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.53% of the companys stock. Get Xerox alerts: Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades A number of brokerages have commented on XRX. StockNews.com cut Xerox from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Xerox from $16.00 to $18.00 and gave the company an underweight rating in a report on Friday, January 26th. Xerox Price Performance Shares of XRX stock traded down $0.24 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $18.48. The company had a trading volume of 1,249,368 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,573,210. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a current ratio of 1.14. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $17.79 and a 200-day moving average of $15.88. The company has a market capitalization of $2.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -92.40 and a beta of 1.59. Xerox Holdings Co. has a 12-month low of $12.06 and a 12-month high of $19.78. Xerox (NYSE:XRX Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 25th. The information technology services provider reported $0.43 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.52 by ($0.09). The business had revenue of $1.77 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $1.79 billion. Xerox had a return on equity of 9.41% and a net margin of 0.01%. The companys revenue was down 8.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.89 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Xerox Holdings Co. will post 2.27 earnings per share for the current year. Xerox Announces Dividend The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 30th. Investors of record on Friday, March 29th will be given a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.41%. Xeroxs payout ratio is -500.00%. Xerox Company Profile (Free Report) Xerox Holdings Corporation, a workplace technology company, designs, develops, and sells document management systems and solutions in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, India, and internationally. It offers workplace solutions, including desktop monochrome, and color and multifunction printers; digital printing presses and light production devices, and solutions; and digital services that leverage workflow automation, personalization and communication software, content management solutions, and digitization services. Further Reading Want to see what other hedge funds are holding XRX? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Xerox Holdings Co. (NYSE:XRX Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Xerox Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Xerox and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Warren Buffett's annual letter to Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-A, BRK-B) shareholders published Saturday morning marked the first missive sent to his investors since his longtime right-hand man, Charlie Munger, died last November at 99 years old. To begin his letter to Berkshire shareholders, Buffett reminded readers of the role Munger played in creating what is now the country's largest conglomerate. A conglomerate, Buffett wrote Saturday, that has "by far...the largest GAAP net worth recorded by any American business." "In reality, Charlie was the 'architect' of the present Berkshire, and I acted as the 'general contractor' to carry out the day-by-day construction of his vision," Buffett wrote. "Charlie never sought to take credit for his role as creator but instead let me take the bows and receive the accolades. In a way his relationship with me was part older brother, part loving father. Even when he knew he was right, he gave me the reins, and when I blundered he never never reminded me of my mistake." "In the physical world, great buildings are linked to their architect while those who had poured the concrete or installed the windows are soon forgotten," Buffett wrote. "Berkshire has become a great company. Though I have long been in charge of the construction crew; Charlie should forever be credited with being the architect." Warren Buffett (L), CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, and former vice chairman Charlie Munger attend the 2019 annual shareholders meeting in Omaha, Nebraska, May 3, 2019. (JOHANNES EISELE/AFP/Getty Images) (JOHANNES EISELE via Getty Images) 'I made a dumb decision' Buffett and Munger both grew up in Omaha, where Berkshire is still headquartered. The two, however, didn't meet until 1959, when Buffett was 29 and Munger 35. A lawyer by trade and a founding partner at the law firm Munger, Tolles, & Olson which bears his name, Munger was named vice chairman at Berkshire Hathaway in the late '70s. But Munger and Buffett's investing relationship began long before this formal engagement, with Buffett writing Saturday it was Munger who told him in 1962, "that I had made a dumb decision in buying control of Berkshire." Story continues At the time, Berkshire Hathaway was a struggling textile manufacturer in New England. Textile operations later ended, but the Berkshire Hathaway of today still bears the company's name. Buffett wrote Saturday that, "Charlie, in 1965, promptly advised me: 'Warren, forget about ever buying another company like Berkshire. But now that you control Berkshire, add to it wonderful businesses purchased at fair prices and give up buying fair businesses at wonderful prices. In other words, abandon everything you learned from your hero, Ben Graham. It works but only when practiced at small scale.' With much back-sliding I subsequently followed his instructions." Elsewhere in his letter to shareholders, Buffett wrote, "Our goal at Berkshire is simple: We want to own either all or a portion of businesses that enjoy good economics that are fundamental and enduring." But Buffett noted the advice from Munger offered nearly 60 years ago to only buy "wonderful businesses purchased at fair prices" means the days Buffett and Berkshire Hathaway had plenty of investment opportunities to choose from are "long behind us." "This combination of the two necessities I've described for acquiring businesses has for long been our goal in purchases and, for a while, we had an abundance of candidates to evaluate," Buffett wrote. "If I missed one and I missed plenty another always came along. Those days are long behind us; size did us in, though increased competition for purchases was also a factor." Berkshire purchased insurance company Alleghany for $11.6 billion in 2022 and took full control of rest stop operator Pilot earlier this year. Prior to these deals, the company hadn't made a sizable acquisition since its 2015 purchase of Precision Castparts for $37 billion. "There remain only a handful of companies in this country capable of truly moving the needle at Berkshire, and they have been endlessly picked over by us and by others," Buffett continued. "Some we can value; some we can't. And, if we can, they have to be attractively priced. Outside the U.S., there are essentially no candidates that are meaningful options for capital deployment at Berkshire. All in all, we have no possibility of eye-popping performance." A 'severe' disappointment Buffett also touched on the struggles at Berkshire's railroad and utilities businesses in 2023, with the latter serving as a "severe earnings disappointment last year." In Buffett's view, a shifting regulatory outlook in some states has "broken" a model that relied on private investment backed by what Buffett called a "fixed-but-satisfactory-return" for these operators. Agreements were made on a state-by-state basis. "Whatever the case at Berkshire, the final result for the utility industry may be ominous: Certain utilities might no longer attract the savings of American citizens and will be forced to adopt the public-power model," Buffett wrote. "Nebraska made this choice in the 1930s and there are many public-power operations throughout the country. Eventually, voters, taxpayers and users will decide which model they prefer. "When the dust settles, Americas power needs and the consequent capital expenditure will be staggering. I did not anticipate or even consider the adverse developments in regulatory returns and, along with Berkshires two partners at BHE, I made a costly mistake in not doing so." Greg Abel, CEO of Berkshire Hathaway Energy, and Andrea Abel walk to a morning session at the Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference on July 14, 2023 in Sun Valley, Idaho. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images) (Kevin Dietsch via Getty Images) 'Berkshire is built to last' As he does most years, Buffett also took extensive time in this year's letter to write about his overarching investment philosophy and how it impacts the current iteration of Berkshire Hathaway. For aspiring investors looking to Buffett for insights on how to manage their own portfolios, these passages are the main draw. The modern Berkshire Hathaway, in Buffett's view, is built to both protect against and take advantage of the inevitable seizures and panics that have, and will again, gripped markets. "Indeed, markets can and will unpredictably seize up or even vanish as they did for four months in 1914 and for a few days in 2001," Buffett wrote. "If you believe that American investors are now more stable than in the past, think back to September 2008. Speed of communication and the wonders of technology facilitate instant worldwide paralysis, and we have come a long way since smoke signals. Such instant panics won't happen often but they will happen." In turn, Berkshire holds a pile of cash and highly-liquid Treasury bills that Buffett called "far in excess of what conventional wisdom deems necessary." Berkshire also does not pay dividends a preordained cash outlay for companies and makes no commitment on the size of any future stock buybacks. Buffett runs Berkshire Hathaway in a manner that keeps cash on hand for the sake of keeping cash on hand, not for some planned future deployment. "During the 2008 panic, Berkshire generated cash from operations and did not rely in any manner on commercial paper, bank lines or debt markets," Buffett wrote. "We did not predict the time of an economic paralysis but we were always prepared for one. "Extreme fiscal conservatism is a corporate pledge we make to those who have joined us in ownership of Berkshire." Click here for in-depth analysis of the latest stock market news and events moving stock prices. Read the latest financial and business news from Yahoo Finance Cadence Bank raised its holdings in Medtronic plc (NYSE:MDT Free Report) by 1.1% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 51,898 shares of the medical technology companys stock after acquiring an additional 574 shares during the quarter. Cadence Banks holdings in Medtronic were worth $4,067,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of MDT. Missouri Trust & Investment Co boosted its position in shares of Medtronic by 209.0% during the second quarter. Missouri Trust & Investment Co now owns 309 shares of the medical technology companys stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 209 shares in the last quarter. Hartford Financial Management Inc. increased its stake in Medtronic by 425.0% in the 3rd quarter. Hartford Financial Management Inc. now owns 315 shares of the medical technology companys stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 255 shares during the last quarter. Fairfield Bush & CO. acquired a new stake in Medtronic in the 2nd quarter valued at $32,000. Certified Advisory Corp acquired a new stake in Medtronic in the 1st quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Princeton Global Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Medtronic in the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. 80.75% of the stock is owned by institutional investors. Get Medtronic alerts: Analyst Ratings Changes Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a sector perform rating and issued a $92.00 price target on shares of Medtronic in a research note on Wednesday. Oppenheimer lifted their price target on shares of Medtronic from $89.00 to $92.00 and gave the company a market perform rating in a research note on Wednesday. Mizuho lifted their price target on shares of Medtronic from $95.00 to $98.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Wednesday. Truist Financial boosted their price objective on shares of Medtronic from $87.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a hold rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of Medtronic from $104.00 to $98.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, November 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $94.91. Insider Activity In other news, EVP Brett A. Wall sold 4,997 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.17, for a total value of $410,603.49. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 28,910 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,375,534.70. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In related news, EVP Brett A. Wall sold 4,997 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.17, for a total transaction of $410,603.49. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 28,910 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,375,534.70. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Sean Salmon sold 30,695 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $85.13, for a total transaction of $2,613,065.35. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 48,289 shares of the companys stock, valued at $4,110,842.57. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the companys stock. Medtronic Stock Performance Shares of MDT stock traded up $0.61 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $85.67. 4,707,655 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,514,424. The firm has a market capitalization of $113.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.28, a PEG ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 0.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a quick ratio of 1.69 and a current ratio of 2.30. The firms 50 day moving average price is $85.09 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $80.36. Medtronic plc has a 52 week low of $68.84 and a 52 week high of $92.02. Medtronic (NYSE:MDT Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 20th. The medical technology company reported $1.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.26 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $8.09 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.95 billion. Medtronic had a net margin of 13.00% and a return on equity of 13.71%. The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.30 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Medtronic plc will post 5.2 earnings per share for the current year. Medtronic Announces Dividend The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 12th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 20th were given a $0.69 dividend. This represents a $2.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.22%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 19th. Medtronics payout ratio is presently 87.90%. About Medtronic (Free Report) Medtronic plc develops, manufactures, and sells device-based medical therapies to healthcare systems, physicians, clinicians, and patients worldwide. Its Cardiovascular Portfolio segment offers implantable cardiac pacemakers, cardioverter defibrillators, and cardiac resynchronization therapy devices; cardiac ablation products; insertable cardiac monitor systems; TYRX products; and remote monitoring and patient-centered software. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Medtronic Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Medtronic and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Shares of Coca-Cola Europacific Partners PLC (NYSE:CCEP Get Free Report) have received an average recommendation of Moderate Buy from the six brokerages that are covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $69.13. A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on CCEP. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Coca-Cola Europacific Partners from a neutral rating to a buy rating and increased their target price for the company from $61.00 to $70.00 in a research report on Monday, December 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Coca-Cola Europacific Partners from $72.50 to $77.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Wednesday, November 29th. StockNews.com lowered Coca-Cola Europacific Partners from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Monday, November 13th. BNP Paribas upgraded Coca-Cola Europacific Partners from a neutral rating to an outperform rating and set a $79.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Friday, January 12th. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on Coca-Cola Europacific Partners from $66.00 to $74.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Tuesday, January 16th. Get Coca-Cola Europacific Partners alerts: Read Our Latest Research Report on CCEP Coca-Cola Europacific Partners Trading Down 0.1 % Shares of NYSE:CCEP opened at $68.56 on Friday. Coca-Cola Europacific Partners has a 1 year low of $53.53 and a 1 year high of $70.01. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20. The businesss 50 day moving average price is $67.01 and its 200-day moving average price is $63.38. Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (NYSE:CCEP Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Friday, February 23rd. The company reported $1.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts consensus estimates of $1.85. Research analysts anticipate that Coca-Cola Europacific Partners will post 3.94 earnings per share for the current year. Institutional Trading of Coca-Cola Europacific Partners Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Korea Investment CORP increased its stake in shares of Coca-Cola Europacific Partners by 4.1% in the 3rd quarter. Korea Investment CORP now owns 252,644 shares of the companys stock worth $15,843,000 after acquiring an additional 9,893 shares during the last quarter. WS Portfolio Advisory LLC increased its position in shares of Coca-Cola Europacific Partners by 82.0% during the 3rd quarter. WS Portfolio Advisory LLC now owns 198,327 shares of the companys stock worth $12,391,000 after purchasing an additional 89,383 shares during the last quarter. Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co increased its position in shares of Coca-Cola Europacific Partners by 8.2% during the 3rd quarter. Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co now owns 112,812 shares of the companys stock worth $7,048,000 after purchasing an additional 8,515 shares during the last quarter. Legacy Wealth Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Coca-Cola Europacific Partners during the 3rd quarter worth about $1,675,000. Finally, Teacher Retirement System of Texas increased its stake in Coca-Cola Europacific Partners by 41.6% during the third quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 397,115 shares of the companys stock worth $24,812,000 after purchasing an additional 116,609 shares during the period. 29.50% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. About Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (Get Free Report Coca-Cola Europacific Partners PLC, together with its subsidiaries, produces, distributes, and sells a range of non-alcoholic ready to drink beverages. It offers flavours, mixers, and energy drinks; soft drinks, waters, enhanced water, and isotonic drinks; and ready-to-drink tea and coffee, juices, and other drinks. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Coca-Cola Europacific Partners Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Coca-Cola Europacific Partners and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. decreased its stake in PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL Free Report) by 2.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 537,126 shares of the utilities providers stock after selling 14,539 shares during the period. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. owned approximately 0.07% of PPL worth $12,655,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. BlackRock Inc. boosted its stake in PPL by 15.5% during the second quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 69,465,413 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $1,838,055,000 after buying an additional 9,298,570 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in shares of PPL by 4.8% during the first quarter. State Street Corp now owns 42,759,744 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $1,229,596,000 after acquiring an additional 1,971,238 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of PPL by 2.3% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 15,519,697 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $409,567,000 after buying an additional 346,647 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC raised its holdings in shares of PPL by 13.4% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 14,390,818 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $339,048,000 after buying an additional 1,695,726 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of PPL by 6.4% in the first quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 12,884,134 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $367,969,000 after buying an additional 775,294 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.09% of the companys stock. Get PPL alerts: Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades A number of research firms recently issued reports on PPL. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on PPL from $28.00 to $30.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Tuesday, November 21st. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an outperform rating and issued a $30.00 price target on shares of PPL in a report on Wednesday. TheStreet cut PPL from a b- rating to a c rating in a report on Friday, February 16th. BMO Capital Markets reissued an outperform rating and set a $52.00 price objective on shares of PPL in a report on Wednesday, December 20th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on PPL from $32.00 to $30.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, PPL presently has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $32.33. PPL Price Performance Shares of PPL opened at $26.80 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 0.88. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $26.58 and a 200 day simple moving average of $25.64. PPL Co. has a 52-week low of $22.20 and a 52-week high of $29.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $19.77 billion, a PE ratio of 26.80, a P/E/G ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.82. PPL (NYSE:PPL Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Friday, February 16th. The utilities provider reported $0.40 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.38 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $2.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $1.56 billion. PPL had a return on equity of 8.45% and a net margin of 8.90%. The businesss quarterly revenue was down 11.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.28 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that PPL Co. will post 1.72 EPS for the current fiscal year. PPL Increases Dividend The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 8th will be paid a $0.2575 dividend. This is a boost from PPLs previous quarterly dividend of $0.24. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 7th. This represents a $1.03 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.84%. PPLs payout ratio is presently 96.00%. PPL Company Profile (Free Report) PPL Corporation, an energy company, focuses on providing electricity and natural gas to approximately 3.5 million customers in the United States. It operates through three segments: Kentucky Regulated, Pennsylvania Regulated, and Rhode Island Regulated. The company delivers electricity to customers in Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Virginia, and Rhode Island; delivers natural gas to customers in Kentucky and Rhode Island; and generates electricity from power plants in Kentucky. Further Reading Want to see what other hedge funds are holding PPL? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for PPL Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for PPL and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of ZTO Express (Cayman) Inc. (NYSE:ZTO Free Report) by 47.7% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 518,261 shares of the transportation companys stock after acquiring an additional 167,399 shares during the quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd.s holdings in ZTO Express (Cayman) were worth $12,526,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Rock Creek Group LP raised its position in shares of ZTO Express (Cayman) by 323.5% during the 3rd quarter. Rock Creek Group LP now owns 26,892 shares of the transportation companys stock valued at $650,000 after buying an additional 20,542 shares in the last quarter. Brandes Investment Partners LP raised its position in ZTO Express (Cayman) by 15.2% in the 3rd quarter. Brandes Investment Partners LP now owns 1,527,359 shares of the transportation companys stock worth $36,916,000 after purchasing an additional 201,334 shares during the period. FMR LLC raised its position in ZTO Express (Cayman) by 2,862.2% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 7,435,471 shares of the transportation companys stock worth $179,715,000 after purchasing an additional 7,184,463 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB raised its position in ZTO Express (Cayman) by 11.6% in the 3rd quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 1,445,541 shares of the transportation companys stock worth $35,127,000 after purchasing an additional 149,740 shares during the period. Finally, Aviva PLC raised its position in ZTO Express (Cayman) by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. Aviva PLC now owns 269,905 shares of the transportation companys stock worth $6,524,000 after purchasing an additional 4,400 shares during the period. 41.68% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Get ZTO Express (Cayman) alerts: ZTO Express (Cayman) Price Performance NYSE ZTO opened at $19.49 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a current ratio of 1.17. The firms 50 day moving average price is $18.62 and its 200-day moving average price is $21.99. ZTO Express has a 52-week low of $15.90 and a 52-week high of $30.05. The company has a market cap of $11.83 billion, a PE ratio of 13.08, a P/E/G ratio of 0.68 and a beta of -0.07. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In A number of analysts recently weighed in on ZTO shares. Bank of America lowered shares of ZTO Express (Cayman) from a buy rating to a neutral rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $34.00 to $28.00 in a research report on Tuesday, November 7th. StockNews.com lowered shares of ZTO Express (Cayman) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $33.40. Check Out Our Latest Research Report on ZTO ZTO Express (Cayman) Company Profile (Free Report) ZTO Express (Cayman) Inc provides express delivery and other value-added logistics services in the People's Republic of China. It offers freight forwarding services; and delivery services for e-commerce and traditional merchants, and other express service users. The company was founded in 2002 and is headquartered in Shanghai, the People's Republic of China. Featured Articles Want to see what other hedge funds are holding ZTO? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for ZTO Express (Cayman) Inc. (NYSE:ZTO Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for ZTO Express (Cayman) Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for ZTO Express (Cayman) and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Consolidated Portfolio Review Corp lessened its holdings in shares of EOG Resources, Inc. (NYSE:EOG Free Report) by 7.4% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 3,334 shares of the energy exploration companys stock after selling 265 shares during the quarter. Consolidated Portfolio Review Corps holdings in EOG Resources were worth $423,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of EOG. Truvestments Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of EOG Resources during the 2nd quarter worth $25,000. Fortis Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of EOG Resources during the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Lumature Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of EOG Resources during the 1st quarter worth $28,000. Peoples Bank KS purchased a new position in shares of EOG Resources during the 3rd quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Eagle Bay Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of EOG Resources during the 2nd quarter worth $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.21% of the companys stock. Get EOG Resources alerts: Analyst Ratings Changes EOG has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. TD Securities dropped their target price on shares of EOG Resources from $135.00 to $130.00 and set a hold rating for the company in a report on Friday. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on EOG Resources from $165.00 to $163.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 23rd. UBS Group lowered their price objective on EOG Resources from $165.00 to $145.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, December 14th. Susquehanna lowered their price objective on EOG Resources from $164.00 to $147.00 and set a positive rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered EOG Resources from an overweight rating to an equal weight rating and set a $134.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Monday, December 11th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $143.19. EOG Resources Trading Down 3.9 % EOG opened at $111.86 on Friday. The stocks fifty day moving average is $115.89 and its two-hundred day moving average is $123.01. The company has a market capitalization of $65.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.60, a PEG ratio of 0.34 and a beta of 1.40. EOG Resources, Inc. has a 52 week low of $98.52 and a 52 week high of $136.79. The company has a quick ratio of 2.10, a current ratio of 2.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14. EOG Resources (NYSE:EOG Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 22nd. The energy exploration company reported $3.07 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.14 by ($0.07). The firm had revenue of $6.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $6.18 billion. EOG Resources had a return on equity of 25.77% and a net margin of 31.40%. The companys revenue for the quarter was down 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $3.30 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that EOG Resources, Inc. will post 12.04 earnings per share for the current year. EOG Resources Dividend Announcement The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.91 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 15th. This represents a $3.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.25%. EOG Resourcess payout ratio is currently 27.98%. EOG Resources Profile (Free Report) EOG Resources, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, explores for, develops, produces, and markets crude oil, and natural gas and natural gas liquids. Its principal producing areas are in New Mexico and Texas in the United States; and the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. The company was formerly known as Enron Oil & Gas Company. Further Reading Want to see what other hedge funds are holding EOG? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for EOG Resources, Inc. (NYSE:EOG Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for EOG Resources Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for EOG Resources and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Consolidated Portfolio Review Corp acquired a new position in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS Free Report) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 3,042 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $310,000. Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. McCarthy Grittinger Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Novartis in the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Fortis Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Novartis in the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Mine & Arao Wealth Creation & Management LLC. increased its stake in shares of Novartis by 49.5% in the 2nd quarter. Mine & Arao Wealth Creation & Management LLC. now owns 299 shares of the companys stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. Stonebridge Capital Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Novartis by 118.1% in the 2nd quarter. Stonebridge Capital Advisors LLC now owns 301 shares of the companys stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 163 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Resurgent Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Novartis in the 4th quarter worth about $35,000. 7.00% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors. Get Novartis alerts: Novartis Stock Performance Shares of NVS stock opened at $103.90 on Friday. Novartis AG has a one year low of $79.98 and a one year high of $108.78. The companys 50-day moving average is $103.45 and its 200 day moving average is $100.16. The company has a market capitalization of $220.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a current ratio of 1.15. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades Novartis ( NYSE:NVS Get Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 30th. The company reported $1.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $1.64 by ($0.11). The company had revenue of $11.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $11.69 billion. Novartis had a net margin of 29.83% and a return on equity of 29.90%. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.51 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Novartis AG will post 7.18 EPS for the current fiscal year. Several brokerages recently issued reports on NVS. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Novartis in a research note on Wednesday, December 6th. They issued a strong-buy rating for the company. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of Novartis in a research note on Tuesday, January 23rd. They issued an equal weight rating and a $114.00 price target for the company. HSBC downgraded shares of Novartis from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Monday, December 18th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets began coverage on shares of Novartis in a research report on Friday. They set a market perform rating and a $114.00 price objective on the stock. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $104.33. Read Our Latest Stock Report on Novartis Novartis Company Profile (Free Report) Novartis AG researches, develops, manufactures, and markets healthcare products in Switzerland and internationally. It offers prescription medicines for patients and physicians. It focuses on therapeutic areas, such as cardiovascular, renal and metabolic, immunology, neuroscience, and oncology, as well as ophthalmology and hematology. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Novartis Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Novartis and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Dark Forest Capital Management LP trimmed its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY Free Report) by 46.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,365 shares of the companys stock after selling 2,056 shares during the period. Dark Forest Capital Management LPs holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $1,270,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Fairfield Bush & CO. purchased a new position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company during the 1st quarter valued at about $107,000. Roundview Capital LLC boosted its position in Eli Lilly and Company by 2.6% in the 1st quarter. Roundview Capital LLC now owns 2,056 shares of the companys stock worth $589,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company during the 1st quarter worth approximately $210,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 9.9% in the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 53,052 shares of the companys stock valued at $15,193,000 after purchasing an additional 4,774 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Barometer Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in Eli Lilly and Company in the 1st quarter worth about $561,000. 81.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Get Eli Lilly and Company alerts: Insider Activity at Eli Lilly and Company In other Eli Lilly and Company news, major shareholder Lilly Endowment Inc sold 78,573 shares of Eli Lilly and Company stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $648.07, for a total transaction of $50,920,804.11. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 99,333,810 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $64,375,262,246.70. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders have sold 195,055 shares of company stock valued at $125,254,657 over the last quarter. 0.13% of the stock is owned by insiders. Analyst Ratings Changes Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Eli Lilly and Company from $805.00 to $950.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research note on Friday, February 16th. Barclays lifted their price objective on Eli Lilly and Company from $680.00 to $810.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 7th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an overweight rating and issued a $815.00 target price on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a report on Tuesday. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Eli Lilly and Company from $700.00 to $825.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Eli Lilly and Company from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report on Friday, November 3rd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have given a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $663.33. Get Our Latest Report on Eli Lilly and Company Eli Lilly and Company Trading Down 0.0 % LLY opened at $769.54 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.82. The stock has a market capitalization of $731.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 132.68, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.32. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $654.76 and a 200 day moving average price of $601.41. Eli Lilly and Company has a 12 month low of $309.20 and a 12 month high of $794.47. Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 6th. The company reported $2.49 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $2.30 by $0.19. Eli Lilly and Company had a net margin of 15.36% and a return on equity of 51.22%. The firm had revenue of $9.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.95 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.09 earnings per share. The businesss quarterly revenue was up 28.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that Eli Lilly and Company will post 12.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Eli Lilly and Company Increases Dividend The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 8th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 15th will be given a dividend of $1.30 per share. This is a boost from Eli Lilly and Companys previous quarterly dividend of $1.13. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.68%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 14th. Eli Lilly and Companys payout ratio is 89.66%. Eli Lilly and Company Company Profile (Free Report) Eli Lilly and Company discovers, develops, and markets human pharmaceuticals worldwide. It offers Basaglar, Humalog, Humalog Mix 75/25, Humalog U-100, Humalog U-200, Humalog Mix 50/50, insulin lispro, insulin lispro protamine, insulin lispro mix 75/25, Humulin, Humulin 70/30, Humulin N, Humulin R, and Humulin U-500 for diabetes; and Jardiance, Trajenta, and Trulicity for type 2 diabetes. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Eli Lilly and Company Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Eli Lilly and Company and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Entergy (NYSE:ETR Get Free Report) announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday. The utilities provider reported $0.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.52, RTT News reports. The company had revenue of $2.72 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $3.27 billion. Entergy had a net margin of 19.41% and a return on equity of 10.54%. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.51 EPS. Entergy updated its FY 2024 guidance to 7.050-7.350 EPS and its FY24 guidance to $7.05 to $7.35 EPS. Entergy Price Performance Entergy stock opened at $102.50 on Friday. Entergy has a 12-month low of $87.10 and a 12-month high of $111.90. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.24, a P/E/G ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.71. The firms 50-day moving average is $100.65 and its two-hundred day moving average is $97.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.57, a current ratio of 0.57 and a quick ratio of 0.65. Get Entergy alerts: Entergy Dividend Announcement The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 9th will be issued a dividend of $1.13 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 8th. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.41%. Entergys dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 40.76%. Analyst Ratings Changes Several equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Entergy from $92.00 to $94.00 and gave the company an underweight rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 21st. Royal Bank of Canada cut shares of Entergy from an outperform rating to a sector perform rating and set a $117.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Wednesday, November 8th. Mizuho dropped their price objective on shares of Entergy from $113.00 to $105.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 3rd. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Entergy from $99.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 2nd. Finally, Bank of America upgraded shares of Entergy from a neutral rating to a buy rating and increased their price target for the company from $94.00 to $110.00 in a report on Tuesday, November 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Entergy has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $110.82. Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on Entergy Insiders Place Their Bets In other Entergy news, EVP Marcus V. Brown sold 38,417 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $101.53, for a total transaction of $3,900,478.01. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 9,380 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $952,351.40. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.39% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders. Institutional Investors Weigh In On Entergy Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Fairfield Bush & CO. acquired a new stake in shares of Entergy in the first quarter worth approximately $29,000. Harbour Investments Inc. boosted its position in shares of Entergy by 17,550.0% in the third quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 353 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 351 shares during the last quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL acquired a new stake in shares of Entergy in the first quarter worth approximately $39,000. Estabrook Capital Management acquired a new stake in shares of Entergy in the first quarter worth approximately $48,000. Finally, State of Wyoming raised its holdings in Entergy by 33.6% in the second quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 529 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $52,000 after buying an additional 133 shares during the period. 86.52% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Entergy Company Profile (Get Free Report) Entergy Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the production and retail distribution of electricity in the United States. The company operates in two segments, Utility and Entergy Wholesale Commodities. The Utility segment generates, transmits, distributes, and sells electric power in portions of Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas, including the City of New Orleans; and distributes natural gas. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Entergy Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Entergy and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. lessened its position in shares of PlayAGS Inc (NYSE:AGS Free Report) by 3.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 357,215 shares of the companys stock after selling 13,575 shares during the quarter. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. owned approximately 0.92% of PlayAGS worth $2,329,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Quarry LP acquired a new position in PlayAGS during the first quarter worth about $26,000. Mackenzie Financial Corp purchased a new position in shares of PlayAGS during the 4th quarter worth approximately $52,000. Lazard Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of PlayAGS during the 1st quarter worth approximately $56,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its stake in PlayAGS by 651.3% in the 1st quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 8,114 shares of the companys stock valued at $58,000 after buying an additional 7,034 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System acquired a new stake in PlayAGS during the 2nd quarter valued at $59,000. 78.38% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Get PlayAGS alerts: Analysts Set New Price Targets A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. JMP Securities boosted their price target on PlayAGS from $11.00 to $12.00 and gave the stock a market outperform rating in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Truist Financial reaffirmed a buy rating and set a $12.00 price target on shares of PlayAGS in a research report on Monday, November 27th. PlayAGS Trading Up 1.5 % Shares of AGS stock opened at $9.36 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 2.34, a current ratio of 3.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.74. PlayAGS Inc has a fifty-two week low of $4.53 and a fifty-two week high of $9.82. The firms 50 day moving average price is $8.45 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $7.58. The stock has a market cap of $362.33 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 133.71 and a beta of 2.41. PlayAGS Profile (Free Report) AGS is a global company focused on creating a diverse mix of entertaining gaming experiences for every kind of player. Their roots are firmly planted in the Class II Native American gaming market, but their customer-centric culture and growth have helped them branch out to become a leading all-inclusive commercial gaming supplier. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for PlayAGS Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for PlayAGS and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Hsbc Holdings PLC raised its position in Graco Inc. (NYSE:GGG Free Report) by 34.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 321,094 shares of the industrial products companys stock after buying an additional 81,807 shares during the quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC owned about 0.19% of Graco worth $23,415,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC. Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Pearl River Capital LLC increased its stake in Graco by 144.7% in the 3rd quarter. Pearl River Capital LLC now owns 22,155 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $1,615,000 after buying an additional 13,101 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in Graco by 8.7% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 994,086 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $72,449,000 after buying an additional 79,954 shares during the period. FMR LLC increased its stake in Graco by 874.0% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 440,363 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $32,094,000 after buying an additional 395,150 shares during the period. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in Graco by 60.5% in the 3rd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 207,202 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $15,101,000 after buying an additional 78,107 shares during the period. Finally, Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. acquired a new position in Graco in the 3rd quarter valued at $243,000. 84.94% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Get Graco alerts: Insider Buying and Selling In related news, CEO Mark W. Sheahan sold 12,884 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $83.37, for a total value of $1,074,139.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 93,182 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $7,768,583.34. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, insider Timothy R. White sold 2,895 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.49, for a total value of $253,283.55. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 50,782 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $4,442,917.18. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Mark W. Sheahan sold 12,884 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $83.37, for a total transaction of $1,074,139.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 93,182 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $7,768,583.34. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 17,174 shares of company stock worth $1,450,183 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 2.98% of the companys stock. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades Several equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Graco from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of Graco from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Thursday, January 11th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Graco from $91.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 31st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Graco has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $84.80. View Our Latest Report on GGG Graco Stock Up 0.8 % Graco stock opened at $90.40 on Friday. Graco Inc. has a 52 week low of $66.17 and a 52 week high of $90.47. The firms 50-day simple moving average is $86.02 and its 200 day simple moving average is $80.04. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.20 billion, a PE ratio of 30.75, a P/E/G ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 0.81. Graco (NYSE:GGG Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, January 29th. The industrial products company reported $0.80 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.79 by $0.01. Graco had a net margin of 23.07% and a return on equity of 24.61%. The business had revenue of $566.64 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $565.86 million. On average, research analysts expect that Graco Inc. will post 3.12 EPS for the current fiscal year. Graco Announces Dividend The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 1st. Investors of record on Monday, April 15th will be given a $0.255 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 12th. This represents a $1.02 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.13%. Gracos dividend payout ratio is presently 34.69%. Graco Profile (Free Report) Graco Inc designs, manufactures, and markets systems and equipment used to move, measure, control, dispense, and spray fluid and powder materials worldwide. The company's Industrial segment offers proportioning systems to spray polyurethane foam and polyurea coatings; equipment that pumps, meters, mixes and dispenses sealant, adhesive, and composite materials; and gel-coat equipment, chop and wet-out systems, resin transfer molding systems and applicators, and precision dispensing solutions. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Graco Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Graco and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Watts Water Technologies (NYSE:WTS) Full Year 2023 Results Key Financial Results Revenue: US$2.06b (up 3.9% from FY 2022). Net income: US$262.1m (up 4.2% from FY 2022). Profit margin: 13% (in line with FY 2022). EPS: US$7.85 (up from US$7.51 in FY 2022). All figures shown in the chart above are for the trailing 12 month (TTM) period Watts Water Technologies EPS Misses Expectations Revenue was in line with analyst estimates. Earnings per share (EPS) missed analyst estimates by 1.8%. Looking ahead, revenue is forecast to grow 5.8% p.a. on average during the next 3 years, compared to a 3.2% growth forecast for the Machinery industry in the US. Performance of the American Machinery industry. The company's share price is broadly unchanged from a week ago. Risk Analysis Before we wrap up, we've discovered 1 warning sign for Watts Water Technologies that you should be aware of. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund boosted its stake in shares of Par Pacific Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:PARR Free Report) by 104.8% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 101,400 shares of the companys stock after acquiring an additional 51,900 shares during the period. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Funds holdings in Par Pacific were worth $3,644,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Mariner LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Par Pacific in the third quarter worth $236,000. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. grew its position in Par Pacific by 8.7% during the 3rd quarter. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. now owns 472,999 shares of the companys stock worth $17,000,000 after purchasing an additional 37,859 shares during the period. LPL Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Par Pacific during the 3rd quarter worth about $226,000. Dark Forest Capital Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Par Pacific in the 3rd quarter valued at about $881,000. Finally, Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Par Pacific by 15.9% in the third quarter. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC now owns 185,624 shares of the companys stock worth $6,671,000 after buying an additional 25,514 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.83% of the companys stock. Get Par Pacific alerts: Wall Street Analyst Weigh In A number of research analysts have issued reports on PARR shares. StockNews.com raised Par Pacific from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report on Friday. UBS Group lowered their price target on shares of Par Pacific from $38.00 to $37.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 13th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $36.00. Par Pacific Stock Up 1.8 % Shares of PARR opened at $39.09 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $2.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 4.56 and a beta of 1.99. Par Pacific Holdings, Inc. has a 12 month low of $20.30 and a 12 month high of $40.65. The stocks 50 day moving average is $36.38 and its two-hundred day moving average is $34.93. The company has a current ratio of 1.12, a quick ratio of 0.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. About Par Pacific (Free Report) Par Pacific Holdings, Inc owns and operates energy and infrastructure businesses. The company operates through three segments: Refining, Retail, and Logistics. The Refining segment owns and operates three refineries that produces ultra-low sulfur diesel, gasoline, jet fuel, marine fuel, distillate, asphalt, low sulfur fuel oil, and other associated refined products primarily for consumption in Hawaii, Pacific Northwest, Wyoming, and South Dakota. Featured Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding PARR? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Par Pacific Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:PARR Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Par Pacific Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Par Pacific and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Hsbc Holdings PLC boosted its holdings in shares of Canadian Pacific Kansas City Limited (NYSE:CP Free Report) (TSE:CP) by 3.5% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 328,806 shares of the transportation companys stock after acquiring an additional 11,125 shares during the quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLCs holdings in Canadian Pacific Kansas City were worth $24,493,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in CP. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Canadian Pacific Kansas City by 4.1% during the third quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 3,556 shares of the transportation companys stock worth $265,000 after purchasing an additional 141 shares during the last quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC lifted its stake in Canadian Pacific Kansas City by 0.3% during the third quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 51,089 shares of the transportation companys stock worth $3,802,000 after purchasing an additional 148 shares during the last quarter. Haverford Trust Co lifted its stake in Canadian Pacific Kansas City by 0.7% during the second quarter. Haverford Trust Co now owns 23,037 shares of the transportation companys stock worth $1,861,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares during the last quarter. FirstPurpose Wealth LLC lifted its stake in Canadian Pacific Kansas City by 4.7% during the third quarter. FirstPurpose Wealth LLC now owns 3,399 shares of the transportation companys stock worth $253,000 after purchasing an additional 154 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Keybank National Association OH lifted its stake in shares of Canadian Pacific Kansas City by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 42,155 shares of the transportation companys stock valued at $3,137,000 after acquiring an additional 159 shares during the last quarter. 67.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors. Get Canadian Pacific Kansas City alerts: Canadian Pacific Kansas City Stock Up 0.2 % Shares of NYSE:CP opened at $86.51 on Friday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $80.62 and a 200 day simple moving average of $76.83. Canadian Pacific Kansas City Limited has a 12-month low of $68.92 and a 12-month high of $86.91. The company has a quick ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. The firm has a market cap of $80.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.55, a P/E/G ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.94. Canadian Pacific Kansas City Increases Dividend Canadian Pacific Kansas City ( NYSE:CP Get Free Report ) (TSE:CP) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $0.87 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.83 by $0.04. Canadian Pacific Kansas City had a return on equity of 8.60% and a net margin of 31.29%. The firm had revenue of $2.77 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.71 billion. Analysts predict that Canadian Pacific Kansas City Limited will post 3.22 earnings per share for the current year. The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 29th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 28th will be given a $0.1415 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 27th. This is a positive change from Canadian Pacific Kansas Citys previous quarterly dividend of $0.14. This represents a $0.57 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.65%. Canadian Pacific Kansas Citys dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 18.15%. Analysts Set New Price Targets A number of research analysts have recently commented on CP shares. Susquehanna Bancshares cut Canadian Pacific Kansas City from a positive rating to a neutral rating and dropped their price target for the company from $90.00 to $87.00 in a research note on Monday, January 8th. Citigroup increased their price target on Canadian Pacific Kansas City from $89.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 13th. Susquehanna dropped their price target on Canadian Pacific Kansas City from $87.00 to $85.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Canadian Pacific Kansas City from $121.00 to $116.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, December 21st. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut Canadian Pacific Kansas City from a buy rating to a hold rating and dropped their price target for the company from $85.00 to $77.00 in a research note on Monday, November 27th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Canadian Pacific Kansas City has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $92.94. Get Our Latest Analysis on Canadian Pacific Kansas City Canadian Pacific Kansas City Profile (Free Report) Canadian Pacific Kansas City Limited, together with its subsidiaries, owns and operates a transcontinental freight railway in Canada and the United States. The company transports bulk commodities, including grain, coal, potash, fertilizers, and sulphur; and merchandise freight, such as energy, chemicals and plastics, metals, minerals and consumer, automotive, and forest products. Read More Want to see what other hedge funds are holding CP? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Canadian Pacific Kansas City Limited (NYSE:CP Free Report) (TSE:CP). Receive News & Ratings for Canadian Pacific Kansas City Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Canadian Pacific Kansas City and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Ingersoll Rand (NYSE:IR Free Report) had its price objective increased by Wells Fargo & Company from $83.00 to $100.00 in a report released on Tuesday morning, Benzinga reports. They currently have an overweight rating on the industrial products companys stock. Other equities analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Stifel Nicolaus upgraded shares of Ingersoll Rand from a hold rating to a buy rating and set a $73.00 target price for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 24th. Evercore ISI cut shares of Ingersoll Rand from an outperform rating to an in-line rating and boosted their target price for the company from $81.00 to $89.00 in a research report on Tuesday. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Ingersoll Rand from $78.00 to $93.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Monday, January 29th. Cfra upped their price objective on shares of Ingersoll Rand from $68.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a hold rating in a research report on Friday, February 16th. Finally, Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Ingersoll Rand from $79.00 to $86.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Monday, December 11th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Ingersoll Rand currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $81.64. Get Ingersoll Rand alerts: Check Out Our Latest Report on Ingersoll Rand Ingersoll Rand Price Performance Ingersoll Rand Dividend Announcement Shares of NYSE:IR opened at $90.51 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $80.44 and a 200-day moving average of $71.76. The stock has a market capitalization of $36.64 billion, a PE ratio of 47.64, a PEG ratio of 3.25 and a beta of 1.43. The company has a current ratio of 2.22, a quick ratio of 1.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. Ingersoll Rand has a 12 month low of $51.84 and a 12 month high of $92.32. The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 7th will be given a $0.02 dividend. This represents a $0.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.09%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 6th. Ingersoll Rands dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 4.21%. Insider Buying and Selling at Ingersoll Rand In other Ingersoll Rand news, insider Andrew R. Schiesl sold 13,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.89, for a total value of $934,570.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 45,263 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,253,957.07. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, CAO Michael J. Scheske sold 7,590 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $88.00, for a total transaction of $667,920.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 9,715 shares in the company, valued at $854,920. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Andrew R. Schiesl sold 13,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.89, for a total transaction of $934,570.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 45,263 shares of the companys stock, valued at $3,253,957.07. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.83% of the companys stock. Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ingersoll Rand Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of IR. American Century Companies Inc. increased its position in shares of Ingersoll Rand by 12.0% during the first quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 15,601 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $786,000 after buying an additional 1,675 shares during the period. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of Ingersoll Rand by 47.6% during the first quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 9,880 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $497,000 after buying an additional 3,185 shares during the period. Private Advisor Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ingersoll Rand during the first quarter worth $327,000. Panagora Asset Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Ingersoll Rand by 62.2% during the first quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. now owns 28,937 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $1,457,000 after buying an additional 11,096 shares during the period. Finally, Yousif Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Ingersoll Rand by 1.7% in the first quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC now owns 57,771 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $2,909,000 after purchasing an additional 988 shares during the period. 94.54% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Ingersoll Rand Company Profile (Get Free Report) Ingersoll Rand Inc provides various mission-critical air, fluid, energy, specialty vehicle, and medical technologies in the United States, Europe, the Middle East, India, Africa, and the Asia Pacific. It operates through two segments, Industrial Technologies and Services, and Precision and Science Technologies. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Ingersoll Rand Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Ingersoll Rand and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Jacobi Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO Free Report) by 3.0% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 22,143 shares of the companys stock after acquiring an additional 644 shares during the quarter. Jacobi Capital Management LLCs holdings in Altria Group were worth $931,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Empirical Finance LLC lifted its stake in shares of Altria Group by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Empirical Finance LLC now owns 21,586 shares of the companys stock worth $987,000 after purchasing an additional 225 shares during the last quarter. Corrigan Financial Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Altria Group by 4.7% during the 2nd quarter. Corrigan Financial Inc. now owns 5,294 shares of the companys stock worth $240,000 after purchasing an additional 236 shares during the last quarter. Perennial Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Altria Group by 5.0% during the 2nd quarter. Perennial Investment Advisors LLC now owns 5,055 shares of the companys stock worth $229,000 after purchasing an additional 239 shares during the last quarter. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Altria Group by 4.3% during the 3rd quarter. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC now owns 5,825 shares of the companys stock worth $246,000 after purchasing an additional 240 shares during the last quarter. Finally, McGowan Group Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Altria Group by 1.8% during the 2nd quarter. McGowan Group Asset Management Inc. now owns 13,730 shares of the companys stock worth $622,000 after purchasing an additional 245 shares during the last quarter. 58.94% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Get Altria Group alerts: Altria Group Price Performance Shares of NYSE:MO opened at $41.13 on Friday. The businesss 50-day moving average is $40.73 and its 200 day moving average is $41.73. Altria Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $39.06 and a 1 year high of $48.04. The firm has a market capitalization of $72.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.00, a P/E/G ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 0.66. Altria Group Announces Dividend Altria Group ( NYSE:MO Get Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 1st. The company reported $1.18 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.17 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $5.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.06 billion. Altria Group had a negative return on equity of 243.71% and a net margin of 33.21%. The companys revenue was down 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.18 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.07 EPS for the current year. The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 21st were issued a $0.98 dividend. This represents a $3.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 9.53%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, December 20th. Altria Groups dividend payout ratio is presently 85.78%. Altria Group declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase plan on Thursday, February 1st that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to repurchase up to 1.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually a sign that the companys board believes its shares are undervalued. Analysts Set New Price Targets A number of brokerages recently weighed in on MO. UBS Group restated a sell rating and set a $36.10 price objective on shares of Altria Group in a research note on Tuesday, January 23rd. StockNews.com lowered Altria Group from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Friday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Altria Group has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $47.22. Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on Altria Group Altria Group Company Profile (Free Report) Altria Group, Inc, through its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells smokeable and oral tobacco products in the United States. The company provides cigarettes primarily under the Marlboro brand; cigars and pipe tobacco principally under the Black & Mild brand; moist smokeless tobacco products and snus products under the Copenhagen, Skoal, Red Seal, and Husky brands; and on! oral nicotine pouches. Recommended Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MO? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Altria Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Altria Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Jacobi Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Accenture plc (NYSE:ACN Free Report) by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 2,770 shares of the information technology services providers stock after buying an additional 34 shares during the period. Jacobi Capital Management LLCs holdings in Accenture were worth $851,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL acquired a new position in shares of Accenture during the 1st quarter worth approximately $28,000. BluePath Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Accenture during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. RVW Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Accenture during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Tyler Stone Wealth Management acquired a new position in shares of Accenture during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $35,000. Finally, Canton Hathaway LLC acquired a new position in shares of Accenture during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $37,000. 70.42% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Get Accenture alerts: Accenture Trading Up 1.6 % NYSE ACN opened at $377.34 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $236.71 billion, a PE ratio of 34.97, a P/E/G ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 1.21. Accenture plc has a twelve month low of $242.80 and a twelve month high of $377.97. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $358.96 and a 200-day simple moving average of $331.71. Analysts Set New Price Targets Accenture ( NYSE:ACN Get Free Report ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, December 19th. The information technology services provider reported $3.27 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $3.14 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $16.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $16.17 billion. Accenture had a return on equity of 29.08% and a net margin of 10.65%. The companys revenue was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $3.08 EPS. Research analysts predict that Accenture plc will post 12.22 EPS for the current year. Several research firms recently commented on ACN. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on Accenture from $344.00 to $364.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on Accenture from $350.00 to $385.00 and gave the company a market perform rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 20th. Mizuho began coverage on Accenture in a research note on Tuesday, January 30th. They issued a buy rating and a $426.00 price objective for the company. StockNews.com raised Accenture from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note on Thursday, November 9th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reissued an outperform rating and issued a $374.00 price objective on shares of Accenture in a research note on Tuesday. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $365.63. Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on ACN Insider Activity at Accenture In related news, Director Paula A. Price sold 551 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $345.36, for a total transaction of $190,293.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 6,583 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,273,504.88. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, General Counsel Joel Unruch sold 4,333 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $371.83, for a total transaction of $1,611,139.39. Following the completion of the transaction, the general counsel now directly owns 34,795 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,937,824.85. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Paula A. Price sold 551 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $345.36, for a total value of $190,293.36. Following the transaction, the director now owns 6,583 shares of the companys stock, valued at $2,273,504.88. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 26,551 shares of company stock worth $9,739,791 in the last three months. 0.07% of the stock is owned by company insiders. About Accenture (Free Report) Accenture plc, a professional services company, provides strategy and consulting, industry X, song, and technology and operation services worldwide. The company offers application services, including agile transformation, DevOps, application modernization, enterprise architecture, software and quality engineering, data management; intelligent automation comprising robotic process automation, natural language processing, and virtual agents; and application management services, as well as software engineering services; strategy and consulting services; data and analytics strategy, data discovery and augmentation, data management and beyond, data democratization, and industrialized solutions comprising turnkey analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) solutions; metaverse; and sustainability services. Read More Want to see what other hedge funds are holding ACN? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Accenture plc (NYSE:ACN Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Accenture Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Accenture and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund cut its position in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ Free Report) by 11.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 445,475 shares of the companys stock after selling 57,223 shares during the quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Funds holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $69,383,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in JNJ. DORCHESTER WEALTH MANAGEMENT Co raised its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 8.6% in the first quarter. DORCHESTER WEALTH MANAGEMENT Co now owns 67,618 shares of the companys stock valued at $14,975,000 after acquiring an additional 5,327 shares in the last quarter. Cantor Fitzgerald Investment Advisor L.P raised its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 88.9% during the first quarter. Cantor Fitzgerald Investment Advisor L.P now owns 175,194 shares of the companys stock worth $31,049,000 after purchasing an additional 82,429 shares during the period. AMI Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 8.8% during the first quarter. AMI Investment Management Inc. now owns 18,305 shares of the companys stock worth $3,244,000 after purchasing an additional 1,475 shares during the period. Equitable Holdings Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 4.9% during the first quarter. Equitable Holdings Inc. now owns 45,673 shares of the companys stock worth $8,095,000 after purchasing an additional 2,119 shares during the period. Finally, USS Investment Management Ltd raised its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 2.4% during the first quarter. USS Investment Management Ltd now owns 860,371 shares of the companys stock worth $152,488,000 after purchasing an additional 20,528 shares during the period. 68.40% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Get Johnson & Johnson alerts: Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades A number of analysts have weighed in on JNJ shares. Wells Fargo & Company cut shares of Johnson & Johnson from an overweight rating to an equal weight rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $170.00 to $163.00 in a report on Wednesday, December 13th. UBS Group upgraded shares of Johnson & Johnson from a neutral rating to a buy rating and upped their price target for the stock from $167.00 to $180.00 in a research report on Friday, December 1st. Raymond James upped their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $172.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 3rd. TheStreet lowered shares of Johnson & Johnson from a b rating to a c+ rating in a research report on Friday, November 17th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $170.00 to $169.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 24th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $176.14. Johnson & Johnson Stock Performance NYSE:JNJ opened at $161.84 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. Johnson & Johnson has a twelve month low of $144.95 and a twelve month high of $175.97. The firm has a market cap of $389.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a 50-day moving average of $158.56 and a 200-day moving average of $158.01. Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 23rd. The company reported $2.29 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $2.28 by $0.01. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 37.79% and a return on equity of 37.27%. The company had revenue of $21.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.02 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.35 earnings per share. The businesss quarterly revenue was down 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Johnson & Johnson Dividend Announcement The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 5th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 20th will be given a $1.19 dividend. This represents a $4.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.94%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 16th. Johnson & Johnsons dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 34.47%. Insider Transactions at Johnson & Johnson In other news, EVP Jennifer L. Taubert sold 59,397 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $156.27, for a total value of $9,281,969.19. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 141,416 shares of the companys stock, valued at $22,099,078.32. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.20% of the stock is owned by insiders. Johnson & Johnson Profile (Free Report) Johnson & Johnson, together with its subsidiaries, researches, develops, manufactures, and sells various products in the healthcare field worldwide. The company's Consumer Health segment provides skin health/beauty products under the AVEENO, CLEAN & CLEAR, DR. CI:LABO, NEUTROGENA, and OGX brands; baby care products under the JOHNSON'S and AVEENO Baby brands; oral care products under the LISTERINE brand; TYLENOL acetaminophen products; SUDAFED cold, flu, and allergy products; BENADRYL and ZYRTEC allergy products; MOTRIN IB ibuprofen products; NICORETTE smoking cessation products; and PEPCID acid reflux products. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Johnson & Johnson Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Johnson & Johnson and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC lowered its position in Schlumberger Limited (NYSE:SLB Free Report) by 1.6% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 240,291 shares of the oil and gas companys stock after selling 4,014 shares during the quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLCs holdings in Schlumberger were worth $14,009,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in SLB. BluePath Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Schlumberger in the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. Acadian Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Schlumberger during the 1st quarter worth approximately $25,000. Coppell Advisory Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Schlumberger during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. MCF Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Schlumberger by 1,355.9% during the 3rd quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 495 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 461 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Indiana Trust & Investment Management CO purchased a new stake in shares of Schlumberger during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.43% of the companys stock. Get Schlumberger alerts: Schlumberger Stock Performance NYSE:SLB opened at $48.82 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $50.19 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $54.34. Schlumberger Limited has a twelve month low of $42.73 and a twelve month high of $62.12. The company has a market capitalization of $69.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 1.61. Schlumberger Announces Dividend Schlumberger ( NYSE:SLB Get Free Report ) last posted its earnings results on Friday, January 19th. The oil and gas company reported $0.86 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.84 by $0.02. Schlumberger had a net margin of 12.68% and a return on equity of 21.97%. The firm had revenue of $8.99 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.96 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.71 EPS. The firms revenue for the quarter was up 14.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that Schlumberger Limited will post 3.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 4th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 7th will be issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 6th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.05%. Schlumbergers dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 34.25%. Insider Buying and Selling at Schlumberger In other Schlumberger news, CFO Stephane Biguet sold 6,250 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $53.86, for a total transaction of $336,625.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 163,515 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,806,917.90. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other Schlumberger news, CAO Howard Guild sold 22,853 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.66, for a total transaction of $1,180,585.98. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 22,181 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $1,145,870.46. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Stephane Biguet sold 6,250 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $53.86, for a total transaction of $336,625.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 163,515 shares in the company, valued at $8,806,917.90. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 128,441 shares of company stock worth $6,570,697. 0.23% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders. Analysts Set New Price Targets SLB has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on shares of Schlumberger from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Monday, January 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Schlumberger from $69.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research note on Monday, January 22nd. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Schlumberger from $77.00 to $74.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 22nd. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an outperform rating and set a $66.00 price target on shares of Schlumberger in a research note on Thursday, February 8th. Finally, Susquehanna reiterated a positive rating and set a $77.00 price target on shares of Schlumberger in a research note on Tuesday, February 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Schlumberger currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $70.67. Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on Schlumberger About Schlumberger (Free Report) Schlumberger Limited engages in the provision of technology for the energy industry worldwide. The company operates through four divisions: Digital & Integration, Reservoir Performance, Well Construction, and Production Systems. The company provides field development and hydrocarbon production, carbon management, and integration of adjacent energy systems; reservoir interpretation and data processing services for exploration data; and well construction and production improvement services and products. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Schlumberger Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Schlumberger and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC lowered its holdings in BlackRock, Inc. (NYSE:BLK Free Report) by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 20,311 shares of the asset managers stock after selling 387 shares during the quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLCs holdings in BlackRock were worth $13,131,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of BLK. Rock Creek Group LP grew its position in shares of BlackRock by 12.8% in the 2nd quarter. Rock Creek Group LP now owns 132 shares of the asset managers stock worth $91,000 after buying an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. Holderness Investments Co. grew its position in shares of BlackRock by 2.6% in the 2nd quarter. Holderness Investments Co. now owns 602 shares of the asset managers stock worth $416,000 after buying an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. CRA Financial Services LLC grew its position in shares of BlackRock by 4.3% in the 3rd quarter. CRA Financial Services LLC now owns 385 shares of the asset managers stock worth $249,000 after buying an additional 16 shares during the last quarter. Seaport Global Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of BlackRock by 4.7% in the 4th quarter. Seaport Global Advisors LLC now owns 353 shares of the asset managers stock worth $250,000 after buying an additional 16 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GHP Investment Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of BlackRock by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 3,733 shares of the asset managers stock worth $2,646,000 after buying an additional 16 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 77.01% of the companys stock. Get BlackRock alerts: BlackRock Stock Performance BLK opened at $813.59 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 3.72 and a quick ratio of 3.72. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $795.24 and a 200 day moving average price of $721.05. BlackRock, Inc. has a 1 year low of $596.18 and a 1 year high of $823.71. The stock has a market cap of $121.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.28, a P/E/G ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.38. BlackRock Increases Dividend BlackRock ( NYSE:BLK Get Free Report ) last posted its earnings results on Friday, January 12th. The asset manager reported $9.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $8.84 by $0.82. The firm had revenue of $4.63 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $4.65 billion. BlackRock had a net margin of 30.81% and a return on equity of 14.85%. The businesss revenue was up 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $8.93 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that BlackRock, Inc. will post 39.63 earnings per share for the current year. The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 22nd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 7th will be given a dividend of $5.10 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 6th. This is a boost from BlackRocks previous quarterly dividend of $5.00. This represents a $20.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.51%. BlackRocks dividend payout ratio is currently 54.78%. Insiders Place Their Bets In other BlackRock news, insider Marc D. Comerchero sold 450 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Monday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $785.11, for a total transaction of $353,299.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 5,975 shares in the company, valued at $4,691,032.25. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, General Counsel Christopher J. Meade sold 18,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Monday, January 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $282.54, for a total transaction of $5,085,660.60. Following the completion of the sale, the general counsel now owns 11,914 shares of the companys stock, valued at $3,366,142.24. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Marc D. Comerchero sold 450 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Monday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $785.11, for a total transaction of $353,299.50. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 5,975 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $4,691,032.25. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 69,533 shares of company stock worth $46,774,326. Company insiders own 0.96% of the companys stock. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades Several research firms have weighed in on BLK. TD Cowen raised shares of BlackRock from a market perform rating to an outperform rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $819.00 to $938.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded shares of BlackRock from an overweight rating to a neutral rating and set a $708.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Friday, December 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of BlackRock from $719.00 to $793.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Thursday, November 30th. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of BlackRock from $720.00 to $818.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 10th. Finally, BNP Paribas raised shares of BlackRock from a neutral rating to an outperform rating and set a $885.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, December 12th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $785.73. Check Out Our Latest Analysis on BLK About BlackRock (Free Report) BlackRock, Inc is a publicly owned investment manager. The firm primarily provides its services to institutional, intermediary, and individual investors including corporate, public, union, and industry pension plans, insurance companies, third-party mutual funds, endowments, public institutions, governments, foundations, charities, sovereign wealth funds, corporations, official institutions, and banks. Further Reading Want to see what other hedge funds are holding BLK? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for BlackRock, Inc. (NYSE:BLK Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for BlackRock Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for BlackRock and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC decreased its position in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO Free Report) by 2.2% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 9,768 shares of the companys stock after selling 223 shares during the period. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLCs holdings in AutoZone were worth $24,811,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Householder Group Estate & Retirement Specialist LLC acquired a new position in AutoZone in the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Rock Creek Group LP purchased a new stake in AutoZone during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. First Capital Advisors Group LLC. purchased a new position in shares of AutoZone in the second quarter valued at approximately $32,000. MUFG Americas Holdings Corp boosted its stake in shares of AutoZone by 166.7% in the third quarter. MUFG Americas Holdings Corp now owns 16 shares of the companys stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 10 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mascoma Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AutoZone during the third quarter worth approximately $38,000. 90.34% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Get AutoZone alerts: Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of AutoZone from $2,750.00 to $2,900.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research note on Thursday, December 7th. Wedbush restated an outperform rating and set a $2,950.00 target price on shares of AutoZone in a report on Tuesday. Raymond James raised AutoZone from an outperform rating to a strong-buy rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $2,850.00 to $3,100.00 in a research note on Wednesday, December 6th. TheStreet cut shares of AutoZone from a c rating to a d+ rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 20th. Finally, William Blair reiterated an outperform rating on shares of AutoZone in a report on Wednesday, December 13th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $2,868.88. Insiders Place Their Bets In other news, SVP K. Michelle Borninkhof sold 1,900 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $2,735.00, for a total value of $5,196,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 521 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $1,424,935. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In other AutoZone news, VP Charles Pleas III sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $2,717.36, for a total value of $8,152,080.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 3,416 shares of the companys stock, valued at $9,282,501.76. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, SVP K. Michelle Borninkhof sold 1,900 shares of AutoZone stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $2,735.00, for a total transaction of $5,196,500.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 521 shares of the companys stock, valued at $1,424,935. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 14,807 shares of company stock worth $38,827,861. Company insiders own 2.50% of the companys stock. AutoZone Stock Performance NYSE AZO opened at $2,757.12 on Friday. The firms fifty day moving average is $2,679.16 and its two-hundred day moving average is $2,603.49. AutoZone, Inc. has a one year low of $2,277.88 and a one year high of $2,855.21. The firm has a market cap of $47.67 billion, a PE ratio of 20.01, a P/E/G ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 0.70. AutoZone (NYSE:AZO Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, December 5th. The company reported $32.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $31.57 by $0.98. The firm had revenue of $4.19 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $4.19 billion. AutoZone had a net margin of 14.62% and a negative return on equity of 57.23%. The firms revenue for the quarter was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $27.45 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that AutoZone, Inc. will post 149.73 earnings per share for the current year. AutoZone Company Profile (Free Report) AutoZone, Inc retails and distributes automotive replacement parts and accessories in the United States, Mexico, and Brazil. The company provides various products for cars, sport utility vehicles, vans, and light trucks, including new and remanufactured automotive hard parts, maintenance items, accessories, and non-automotive products. See Also Want to see what other hedge funds are holding AZO? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for AutoZone Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for AutoZone and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. increased its position in shares of KB Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:KB Free Report) by 8.4% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 403,021 shares of the banks stock after buying an additional 31,281 shares during the quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd.s holdings in KB Financial Group were worth $16,568,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in KB. SVB Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in shares of KB Financial Group by 4.3% in the third quarter. SVB Wealth LLC now owns 6,689 shares of the banks stock valued at $275,000 after acquiring an additional 273 shares during the period. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC boosted its holdings in shares of KB Financial Group by 4.9% in the second quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC now owns 6,639 shares of the banks stock valued at $242,000 after acquiring an additional 311 shares during the period. CWM LLC boosted its holdings in shares of KB Financial Group by 21.3% in the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,803 shares of the banks stock valued at $66,000 after acquiring an additional 316 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers boosted its holdings in shares of KB Financial Group by 0.3% in the third quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 108,219 shares of the banks stock valued at $4,449,000 after acquiring an additional 334 shares during the period. Finally, Sei Investments Co. boosted its holdings in shares of KB Financial Group by 0.6% in the first quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 65,202 shares of the banks stock valued at $2,375,000 after acquiring an additional 363 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 6.30% of the companys stock. Get KB Financial Group alerts: KB Financial Group Price Performance Shares of NYSE KB opened at $49.30 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36, a current ratio of 1.69 and a quick ratio of 1.69. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $42.99 and a 200 day moving average price of $41.34. KB Financial Group Inc. has a 1-year low of $35.20 and a 1-year high of $51.88. The company has a market cap of $19.89 billion, a PE ratio of 5.48, a P/E/G ratio of 0.36 and a beta of 0.99. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In Separately, StockNews.com raised KB Financial Group from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report on Monday, November 20th. View Our Latest Stock Analysis on KB KB Financial Group Company Profile (Free Report) KB Financial Group Inc provides a range of banking and related financial services to consumers and corporations in South Korea and internationally. The company operates through seven segments: Retail Banking, Corporate Banking, Other Banking, Credit Card, Securities, Life Insurance, and Non-Life Insurance. Featured Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding KB? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for KB Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:KB Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for KB Financial Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for KB Financial Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) West Africas regional bloc known as ECOWAS said Saturday that it is lifting travel and economic sanctions imposed on Niger that were aimed at reversing last year's coup in the country in a new push for dialogue as it also renewed calls on three junta-led nations to rescind their decision to quit the regional bloc. The sanctions will be lifted with immediate effect, the president of the ECOWAS Commission, Omar Alieu Touray, said after the blocs meeting in Nigerias capital, Abuja, that aimed to address existential threats facing the region as well as implore three junta-led nations that have quit the bloc to rescind their decision. After elite soldiers toppled Nigers democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum on July 26, neighbors shut their borders with Niger and more than 70% of its electricity, supplied by Nigeria, was cut off after financial and commercial transactions with West African countries were suspended. Nigers assets in external banks were frozen and hundreds of millions of dollars in aid were withheld. The sanctions, however, emboldened the junta in Niger and two other coup-hit countries of Mali and Burkina Faso, resulting in the three countries forming an alliance and announcing the unprecedented decision last month that they have quit the 15-member bloc. Analysts have called their withdrawal the bloc's biggest crisis since its formation in 1975. The lifting of the sanctions on Niger is on purely humanitarian grounds to ease the suffering caused as a result, Touray told reporters. There are targeted (individual) sanctions as well as political sanctions that remain in force." None of the conditions earlier announced by ECOWAS for the lifting of the sanctions have been met, including its request for Niger's deposed president to be released from custody as well as a short timeline for the junta in Niger to return power to civilians. ECOWAS also lifted a ban on the recruitment of Malians in professional positions within ECOWAS, and resumed financial and economic sanctions with Guinea, also led by a military junta. Story continues The bloc also invited officials of the junta-led countries to technical and consultative meetings of ECOWAS as well as all security-related meetings, a major shift from its usual tradition of blocking coup-hit countries from major meetings. The authority (of ECOWAS) further urges the countries to reconsider the decision (to quit the bloc) in view of the benefits that the ECOWAS member states and their citizens enjoy in the community, Touray said. Saturday's summit came at a critical time when the 49-year-old blocs future is threatened as it struggles with possible disintegration and a recent surge in coups fueled by discontent over the performance of elected governments whose citizens barely benefit from mineral resources. Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, current chairman of ECOWAS, said at the start of the summit that the bloc "must reexamine our current approach to the quest for constitutional order in our member states. ECOWAS has emerged as West Africa's top political and economic authority, but it has struggled to resolve the regions most pressing challenge: The Sahel, the vast, arid expanse south of the Sahara Desert that stretches across several West African countries, faces growing violence from Islamic extremists and rebels, which in turn has caused soldiers to depose elected governments. The nine coups in West and Central Africa since 2020 followed a similar pattern, with coup leaders accusing governments of failing to provide security and good governance. Most of the coup-hit countries are also among the poorest and least developed in the world. The sanctions against Niger and the threat of military intervention to reverse the coup were the likely triggers to an inevitable outcome of the three countries withdrawal from the bloc, said Karim Manuel, an analyst for the Middle East and Africa with the Economist Intelligence Unit. With their withdrawal, the West African region will be increasingly fragmented and divided (while) the new alliance between Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger fragments the West African bloc and reflects an axis of opposition to the traditional structures that have underpinned the region for decades, Manuel added. Shares of Lloyds Banking Group plc (LON:LLOY Get Free Report) have been assigned an average recommendation of Moderate Buy from the nine analysts that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, two have assigned a hold recommendation and six have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is GBX 57.33 ($0.72). A number of research firms recently commented on LLOY. Morgan Stanley raised shares of Lloyds Banking Group to an overweight rating in a report on Tuesday, November 28th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded Lloyds Banking Group to a market perform rating and set a GBX 50 ($0.63) price target on the stock in a report on Monday, February 12th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a buy rating and set a GBX 59 ($0.74) price objective on shares of Lloyds Banking Group in a report on Friday, February 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued an underweight rating on shares of Lloyds Banking Group in a report on Thursday, November 30th. Finally, Shore Capital reaffirmed a buy rating on shares of Lloyds Banking Group in a research note on Thursday. Get Lloyds Banking Group alerts: Read Our Latest Report on LLOY Insiders Place Their Bets Lloyds Banking Group Stock Performance In related news, insider William Chalmers acquired 142,680 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 18th. The stock was bought at an average price of GBX 47 ($0.59) per share, with a total value of 67,059.60 ($84,436.67). 0.23% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders. Lloyds Banking Group stock opened at GBX 45.50 ($0.57) on Monday. Lloyds Banking Group has a one year low of GBX 39.42 ($0.50) and a one year high of GBX 52.94 ($0.67). The company has a market cap of 29.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 649.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 1.23. The business has a fifty day moving average of GBX 44.48 and a two-hundred day moving average of GBX 43.45. Lloyds Banking Group Increases Dividend The business also recently disclosed a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 21st. Investors of record on Thursday, April 11th will be given a dividend of GBX 1.84 ($0.02) per share. This represents a yield of 4.25%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 11th. This is a boost from Lloyds Banking Groups previous dividend of $0.92. Lloyds Banking Groups dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 4,285.71%. Lloyds Banking Group Company Profile (Get Free Report Lloyds Banking Group plc, together with its subsidiaries, provides a range of banking and financial services in the United Kingdom. It operates through three segments: Retail; Commercial Banking; and Insurance, Pensions, and Investments. The Retail segment offers a range of financial service products, including current accounts, savings, mortgages, motor finance, unsecured loans, leasing solutions, and credit cards to personal and small business customers. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Lloyds Banking Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Lloyds Banking Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. LPL Financial LLC raised its position in Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO Free Report) by 152.7% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 760,846 shares of the companys stock after purchasing an additional 459,737 shares during the period. LPL Financial LLCs holdings in Novo Nordisk A/S were worth $69,191,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC. A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of NVO. Copeland Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Novo Nordisk A/S by 100.0% during the 3rd quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC now owns 282 shares of the companys stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 141 shares in the last quarter. Bell Investment Advisors Inc lifted its holdings in Novo Nordisk A/S by 79.9% during the third quarter. Bell Investment Advisors Inc now owns 286 shares of the companys stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 127 shares during the last quarter. Citizens National Bank Trust Department lifted its holdings in Novo Nordisk A/S by 100.0% during the third quarter. Citizens National Bank Trust Department now owns 300 shares of the companys stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares during the last quarter. Centerpoint Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S during the third quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, Stone House Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S by 55.3% during the second quarter. Stone House Investment Management LLC now owns 177 shares of the companys stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 63 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 6.41% of the companys stock. Get Novo Nordisk A/S alerts: Novo Nordisk A/S Trading Down 0.9 % Shares of NYSE:NVO opened at $123.41 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $553.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.62, a PEG ratio of 2.08 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 0.82. The stocks 50-day simple moving average is $110.51 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $90.87. Novo Nordisk A/S has a 52-week low of $67.66 and a 52-week high of $124.86. Novo Nordisk A/S Increases Dividend Novo Nordisk A/S ( NYSE:NVO Get Free Report ) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 31st. The company reported $0.71 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.66 by $0.05. Novo Nordisk A/S had a return on equity of 90.36% and a net margin of 36.03%. The firm had revenue of $9.51 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $9.14 billion. Analysts expect that Novo Nordisk A/S will post 3.32 EPS for the current year. The firm also recently declared a Semi-Annual dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, March 25th will be issued a $0.664 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 22nd. This is a boost from Novo Nordisk A/Ss previous Semi-Annual dividend of $0.22. This represents a yield of 0.9%. Novo Nordisk A/Ss payout ratio is currently 22.92%. Analyst Ratings Changes NVO has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an overweight rating and set a $140.00 price target on shares of Novo Nordisk A/S in a research report on Tuesday. TD Cowen increased their price objective on Novo Nordisk A/S from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a report on Monday, December 4th. UBS Group assumed coverage on Novo Nordisk A/S in a report on Tuesday, January 16th. They set a neutral rating for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley started coverage on Novo Nordisk A/S in a report on Tuesday, January 23rd. They set an overweight rating and a $120.00 price target for the company. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $121.25. Get Our Latest Report on Novo Nordisk A/S Novo Nordisk A/S Profile (Free Report) Novo Nordisk A/S, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the research and development, manufacture, and distribution of pharmaceutical products in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, North America, and internationally. It operates in two segments, Diabetes and Obesity Care, and Rare Disease. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Novo Nordisk A/S Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Novo Nordisk A/S and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Snowflake (NYSE:SNOW Free Report) had its target price boosted by Needham & Company LLC from $225.00 to $265.00 in a research report report published on Wednesday morning, Benzinga reports. They currently have a buy rating on the stock. Other analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Capital One Financial raised shares of Snowflake from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating and set a $195.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, November 8th. StockNews.com raised shares of Snowflake from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 13th. Mizuho increased their price target on shares of Snowflake from $180.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Thursday, November 30th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Snowflake from $190.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Thursday, November 30th. Finally, JMP Securities reissued a market outperform rating and set a $212.00 price target on shares of Snowflake in a research note on Monday, January 22nd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and eighteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $203.25. Get Snowflake alerts: Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on Snowflake Snowflake Price Performance Snowflake stock opened at $229.34 on Wednesday. Snowflake has a fifty-two week low of $128.56 and a fifty-two week high of $237.72. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $205.57 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $176.19. Snowflake (NYSE:SNOW Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 29th. The company reported $0.25 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.16 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $734.20 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $713.75 million. Snowflake had a negative net margin of 33.35% and a negative return on equity of 14.46%. The firms revenue for the quarter was up 31.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned ($0.60) earnings per share. Analysts forecast that Snowflake will post -1.72 EPS for the current fiscal year. Insider Activity at Snowflake In related news, SVP Christian Kleinerman sold 10,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Friday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $230.00, for a total value of $2,300,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 726,567 shares of the companys stock, valued at $167,110,410. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, SVP Christian Kleinerman sold 10,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Friday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $230.00, for a total value of $2,300,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 726,567 shares of the companys stock, valued at $167,110,410. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Grzegorz Czajkowski sold 558 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Monday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $188.97, for a total transaction of $105,445.26. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 52,747 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $9,967,600.59. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 631,846 shares of company stock valued at $125,943,507. Corporate insiders own 8.30% of the companys stock. Institutional Inflows and Outflows Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Mango Five Family Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Snowflake during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Ulland Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in Snowflake by 270.0% in the 3rd quarter. Ulland Investment Advisors LLC now owns 185 shares of the companys stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. Nelson Van Denburg & Campbell Wealth Management Group LLC raised its stake in Snowflake by 333.3% in the 1st quarter. Nelson Van Denburg & Campbell Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 130 shares of the companys stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Provence Wealth Management Group acquired a new position in shares of Snowflake in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. raised its position in shares of Snowflake by 54.1% in the 3rd quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 205 shares of the companys stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 63.74% of the companys stock. Snowflake Company Profile (Get Free Report) Snowflake Inc provides a cloud-based data platform for various organizations in the United States and internationally. Its platform offers Data Cloud, which enables customers to consolidate data into a single source of truth to drive meaningful business insights, build data-driven applications, and share data and data products. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Snowflake Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Snowflake and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NRG Get Free Report) has received an average recommendation of Moderate Buy from the six ratings firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $49.50. NRG has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. StockNews.com cut shares of NRG Energy from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research report on Friday, January 26th. TheStreet raised shares of NRG Energy from a c+ rating to a b rating in a research report on Friday, December 29th. Guggenheim raised NRG Energy from a neutral rating to a buy rating and set a $50.00 target price for the company in a research note on Wednesday, November 1st. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on NRG Energy from $46.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock a market perform rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 21st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on NRG Energy in a research note on Tuesday, January 23rd. They set an overweight rating and a $65.00 target price for the company. Get NRG Energy alerts: Read Our Latest Report on NRG Energy NRG Energy Trading Down 0.6 % NRG Energy Increases Dividend Shares of NRG Energy stock opened at $51.55 on Monday. NRG Energy has a 1 year low of $30.25 and a 1 year high of $55.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.75, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 0.99. The company has a market capitalization of $11.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -6.68, a P/E/G ratio of 0.60 and a beta of 1.11. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $51.87 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $45.22. The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 1st were given a dividend of $0.4075 per share. This represents a $1.63 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.16%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, January 31st. This is an increase from NRG Energys previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. NRG Energys dividend payout ratio is currently -21.11%. Institutional Trading of NRG Energy A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in NRG. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in NRG Energy by 145.4% during the 1st quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,746,180 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $182,064,000 after purchasing an additional 2,812,434 shares during the period. Voloridge Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of NRG Energy by 2,317.0% during the 4th quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC now owns 1,759,559 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $90,969,000 after buying an additional 1,686,761 shares in the last quarter. Natixis bought a new position in shares of NRG Energy during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $59,850,000. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of NRG Energy during the 1st quarter worth approximately $49,072,000. Finally, Hudson Bay Capital Management LP boosted its holdings in shares of NRG Energy by 326.7% during the 1st quarter. Hudson Bay Capital Management LP now owns 1,600,000 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $54,864,000 after buying an additional 1,225,000 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.72% of the companys stock. About NRG Energy (Get Free Report NRG Energy, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, operates as an integrated power company in the United States. It operates through Texas, East, and West segments. The company is involved in producing and selling electricity and related products and services to approximately residential, commercial, industrial, and wholesale customers. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for NRG Energy Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for NRG Energy and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board lowered its stake in shares of Consolidated Edison, Inc. (NYSE:ED Free Report) by 85.7% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 8,810 shares of the utilities providers stock after selling 52,655 shares during the quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Boards holdings in Consolidated Edison were worth $754,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Roundview Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Consolidated Edison during the 1st quarter worth approximately $680,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of Consolidated Edison by 22.6% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,030,616 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $97,579,000 after purchasing an additional 190,138 shares in the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. lifted its position in shares of Consolidated Edison by 54.4% during the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 18,204 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $1,693,000 after buying an additional 6,412 shares during the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers lifted its position in shares of Consolidated Edison by 1.3% during the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 19,489 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $1,845,000 after buying an additional 254 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Consolidated Edison during the 1st quarter worth $214,000. Institutional investors own 64.53% of the companys stock. Get Consolidated Edison alerts: Analyst Ratings Changes Several analysts recently weighed in on ED shares. Barclays dropped their price objective on Consolidated Edison from $88.00 to $86.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Consolidated Edison from $84.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an underweight rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 29th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH assumed coverage on Consolidated Edison in a research report on Wednesday, January 3rd. They issued a neutral rating and a $92.50 target price for the company. KeyCorp upgraded Consolidated Edison from an underweight rating to a sector weight rating in a research report on Thursday, January 4th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada cut their price objective on Consolidated Edison from $94.00 to $93.00 and set a sector perform rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 16th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $87.89. Consolidated Edison Trading Up 0.0 % Shares of ED stock opened at $87.94 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $30.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.25, a PEG ratio of 8.28 and a beta of 0.37. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $90.15 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $89.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 1.01. Consolidated Edison, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $80.46 and a fifty-two week high of $100.92. Consolidated Edison (NYSE:ED Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 15th. The utilities provider reported $1.00 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $3.44 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.70 billion. Consolidated Edison had a return on equity of 8.41% and a net margin of 17.19%. The firms revenue for the quarter was down 14.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.81 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that Consolidated Edison, Inc. will post 5.31 earnings per share for the current year. Consolidated Edison Increases Dividend The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 14th will be issued a $0.83 dividend. This is an increase from Consolidated Edisons previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.78%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 13th. Consolidated Edisons payout ratio is presently 46.24%. Consolidated Edison Profile (Free Report) Consolidated Edison, Inc, through its subsidiaries, engages in the regulated electric, gas, and steam delivery businesses in the United States. It offers electric services to approximately 3.7 million customers in New York City and Westchester County; gas to approximately 1.1 million customers in Manhattan, the Bronx, parts of Queens, and Westchester County; and steam to approximately 1,530 customers in parts of Manhattan. Featured Articles Want to see what other hedge funds are holding ED? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Consolidated Edison, Inc. (NYSE:ED Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Consolidated Edison Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Consolidated Edison and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Pale Fire Capital SE lowered its position in shares of Overseas Shipholding Group, Inc. (NYSE:OSG Free Report) by 62.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 394,578 shares of the transportation companys stock after selling 661,732 shares during the period. Overseas Shipholding Group comprises approximately 0.2% of Pale Fire Capital SEs holdings, making the stock its 28th largest holding. Pale Fire Capital SE owned about 0.55% of Overseas Shipholding Group worth $1,732,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Strs Ohio purchased a new position in Overseas Shipholding Group in the second quarter valued at about $340,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its stake in Overseas Shipholding Group by 6.0% in the third quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 218,726 shares of the transportation companys stock valued at $960,000 after purchasing an additional 12,371 shares during the last quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Overseas Shipholding Group by 2.5% in the second quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 241,736 shares of the transportation companys stock valued at $1,008,000 after purchasing an additional 5,997 shares during the last quarter. American International Group Inc. purchased a new position in Overseas Shipholding Group in the second quarter valued at about $116,000. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott LLC grew its stake in Overseas Shipholding Group by 0.7% in the third quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 1,431,176 shares of the transportation companys stock valued at $6,283,000 after purchasing an additional 9,588 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 58.21% of the companys stock. Get Overseas Shipholding Group alerts: Overseas Shipholding Group Stock Up 0.5 % Shares of OSG stock traded up $0.03 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $6.26. 217,229 shares of the companys stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 429,311. Overseas Shipholding Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $3.32 and a 1 year high of $6.74. The stock has a market cap of $453.04 million, a PE ratio of 10.10 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06. The stocks fifty day moving average price is $5.73 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $4.96. Overseas Shipholding Group Dividend Announcement Overseas Shipholding Group announced that its board has approved a share buyback program on Wednesday, December 6th that permits the company to buyback $25.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization permits the transportation company to buy up to 7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually a sign that the companys leadership believes its stock is undervalued. The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 4th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 21st were paid a dividend of $0.06 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, December 20th. This represents a $0.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.83%. Overseas Shipholding Groups payout ratio is 9.68%. Insider Transactions at Overseas Shipholding Group In other news, CEO Samuel H. Norton sold 50,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $5.47, for a total transaction of $273,500.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 2,318,296 shares in the company, valued at $12,681,079.12. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 150,000 shares of company stock worth $826,500. Insiders own 7.97% of the companys stock. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth Separately, TheStreet upgraded Overseas Shipholding Group from a c rating to a b- rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th. View Our Latest Analysis on OSG About Overseas Shipholding Group (Free Report) Overseas Shipholding Group, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, owns and operates a fleet of oceangoing vessels in the United States. Its vessels are engaged in the transportation of crude oil and petroleum products in the United States flag trade. As of December 31, 2022, the company owned or operated a fleet of 21 vessels totaling an aggregate of approximately 1.5 million deadweight tons. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Overseas Shipholding Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Overseas Shipholding Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Pegasus Partners Ltd. raised its stake in Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) by 34.2% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 7,091 shares of the financial services providers stock after acquiring an additional 1,807 shares during the quarter. Pegasus Partners Ltd.s holdings in Wells Fargo & Company were worth $290,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Wells Fargo & Company by 0.5% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 69,071,445 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $2,940,412,000 after buying an additional 324,823 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors lifted its holdings in Wells Fargo & Company by 69.1% during the 2nd quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 61,833,769 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $2,638,987,000 after purchasing an additional 25,268,032 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Wells Fargo & Company in the 4th quarter valued at $2,049,693,000. Northern Trust Corp grew its holdings in Wells Fargo & Company by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 38,197,624 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $1,560,755,000 after buying an additional 129,300 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in Wells Fargo & Company by 129,312.1% during the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 26,287,479 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $1,085,410,000 after buying an additional 26,267,166 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.47% of the companys stock. Get Wells Fargo & Company alerts: Wells Fargo & Company Price Performance Shares of WFC stock traded up $0.49 on Friday, reaching $53.86. The company had a trading volume of 20,863,497 shares, compared to its average volume of 17,975,816. The stock has a market capitalization of $192.68 billion, a PE ratio of 11.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24. The businesss 50-day moving average is $49.46 and its 200 day moving average is $44.66. Wells Fargo & Company has a one year low of $35.25 and a one year high of $54.02. Wells Fargo & Company Dividend Announcement Wells Fargo & Company ( NYSE:WFC Get Free Report ) last issued its earnings results on Friday, January 12th. The financial services provider reported $0.86 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $1.16 by ($0.30). The company had revenue of $20.48 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.30 billion. Wells Fargo & Company had a net margin of 16.60% and a return on equity of 12.40%. The businesss quarterly revenue was up 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.67 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Wells Fargo & Company will post 4.72 EPS for the current fiscal year. The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 1st. Investors of record on Friday, February 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.35 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 1st. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.60%. Wells Fargo & Companys dividend payout ratio is currently 29.05%. Analyst Ratings Changes A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Robert W. Baird reissued a neutral rating and issued a $55.00 target price on shares of Wells Fargo & Company in a research report on Monday, January 8th. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Wells Fargo & Company from $54.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on Wells Fargo & Company from $45.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Friday, December 1st. Raymond James raised their price objective on Wells Fargo & Company from $55.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock a strong-buy rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 16th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a hold rating and set a $51.00 target price on shares of Wells Fargo & Company in a research report on Tuesday, January 9th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $51.43. Get Our Latest Report on WFC Wells Fargo & Company Profile (Free Report) Wells Fargo & Company, a diversified financial services company, provides banking, investment, mortgage, and consumer and commercial finance products and services in the United States and internationally. It operates through four segments: Consumer Banking and Lending; Commercial Banking; Corporate and Investment Banking; and Wealth and Investment Management. Featured Articles Want to see what other hedge funds are holding WFC? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Wells Fargo & Company Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Wells Fargo & Company and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Personal CFO Solutions LLC raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX Free Report) by 5.4% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 1,889 shares of the medical instruments suppliers stock after purchasing an additional 96 shares during the quarter. Personal CFO Solutions LLCs holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $488,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC. A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Householder Group Estate & Retirement Specialist LLC purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4,900.0% in the second quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 100 shares of the medical instruments suppliers stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 98 shares during the period. Indiana Trust & Investment Management CO purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter valued at $27,000. Finally, OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the second quarter valued at about $36,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.72% of the companys stock. Get Becton Dickinson and Company alerts: Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company In related news, EVP Richard Byrd sold 2,156 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $238.47, for a total transaction of $514,141.32. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 4,120 shares of the companys stock, valued at $982,496.40. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders own 0.31% of the companys stock. Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 1.1 % NYSE BDX opened at $246.20 on Friday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12 month low of $228.62 and a 12 month high of $287.32. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56. The stock has a market cap of $71.13 billion, a PE ratio of 58.34, a P/E/G ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.43. The stocks 50 day moving average is $239.92 and its 200 day moving average is $251.34. Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.68 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.39 by $0.29. The firm had revenue of $4.71 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.73 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 6.44% and a return on equity of 13.57%. The companys quarterly revenue was up 2.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.98 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 12.94 EPS for the current fiscal year. Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 29th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 8th will be given a dividend of $0.95 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 7th. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.54%. Becton, Dickinson and Companys payout ratio is 90.05%. Analyst Ratings Changes BDX has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $310.00 to $280.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research note on Monday, December 4th. Piper Sandler cut their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $305.00 to $280.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 10th. Raymond James boosted their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $269.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 3rd. TheStreet cut Becton, Dickinson and Company from a b rating to a c+ rating in a report on Thursday, November 9th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $301.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Monday, February 5th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $279.17. Get Our Latest Analysis on Becton, Dickinson and Company Becton, Dickinson and Company Company Profile (Free Report) Becton, Dickinson and Company develops, manufactures, and sells medical supplies, devices, laboratory equipment, and diagnostic products for healthcare institutions, physicians, life science researchers, clinical laboratories, pharmaceutical industry, and the general public worldwide. The company operates in three segments: BD Medical, BD Life Sciences, and BD Interventional. Further Reading Want to see what other hedge funds are holding BDX? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Becton Dickinson and Company Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Becton Dickinson and Company and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Portland Investment Counsel Inc. boosted its stake in The Bank of New York Mellon Co. (NYSE:BK Free Report) by 4.3% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 174,000 shares of the banks stock after buying an additional 7,100 shares during the quarter. Bank of New York Mellon accounts for approximately 3.4% of Portland Investment Counsel Inc.s portfolio, making the stock its 9th biggest position. Portland Investment Counsel Inc.s holdings in Bank of New York Mellon were worth $7,421,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Bank of New York Mellon by 1.7% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 31,433,413 shares of the banks stock worth $1,399,416,000 after buying an additional 526,561 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Bank of New York Mellon by 1.5% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 15,532,722 shares of the banks stock worth $689,646,000 after buying an additional 230,185 shares during the last quarter. Longview Partners Guernsey LTD boosted its holdings in shares of Bank of New York Mellon by 2.5% in the 2nd quarter. Longview Partners Guernsey LTD now owns 12,774,641 shares of the banks stock worth $568,727,000 after buying an additional 315,031 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Bank of New York Mellon in the 4th quarter worth about $503,489,000. Finally, Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Bank of New York Mellon by 3.0% in the 2nd quarter. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC now owns 10,122,454 shares of the banks stock worth $450,652,000 after buying an additional 295,630 shares during the last quarter. 81.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Get Bank of New York Mellon alerts: Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on BK shares. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Bank of New York Mellon from $60.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Wednesday, February 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Bank of New York Mellon from a neutral rating to an overweight rating and set a $54.50 price objective on the stock in a report on Monday, December 18th. Morgan Stanley raised shares of Bank of New York Mellon from an underweight rating to an equal weight rating and upped their price objective for the company from $52.00 to $62.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 30th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Bank of New York Mellon from $54.00 to $62.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Tuesday, January 9th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $54.75. Insiders Place Their Bets In other Bank of New York Mellon news, VP Hanneke Smits sold 15,425 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.16, for a total value of $850,843.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 119,656 shares of the companys stock, valued at $6,600,224.96. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other Bank of New York Mellon news, VP Hanneke Smits sold 15,425 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.16, for a total value of $850,843.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 119,656 shares of the companys stock, valued at $6,600,224.96. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Catherine Keating sold 4,498 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.81, for a total value of $246,535.38. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 123,490 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $6,768,486.90. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.10% of the stock is owned by insiders. Bank of New York Mellon Price Performance Shares of BK stock traded up $0.28 during trading on Friday, hitting $55.64. The company had a trading volume of 3,745,167 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,544,163. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. The stocks 50-day moving average is $53.96 and its two-hundred day moving average is $47.98. The stock has a market capitalization of $42.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 1.12. The Bank of New York Mellon Co. has a 52 week low of $39.65 and a 52 week high of $56.42. Bank of New York Mellon (NYSE:BK Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 12th. The bank reported $1.28 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.12 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $4.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $4.30 billion. Bank of New York Mellon had a net margin of 10.01% and a return on equity of 11.62%. Bank of New York Mellons revenue for the quarter was up 10.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.30 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that The Bank of New York Mellon Co. will post 5.24 EPS for the current fiscal year. Bank of New York Mellon Dividend Announcement The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, January 22nd were given a $0.42 dividend. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.02%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 19th. Bank of New York Mellons dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 42.32%. Bank of New York Mellon Company Profile (Free Report) The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation provides a range of financial products and services in the United States and internationally. The company operates through Securities Services, Market and Wealth Services, Investment and Wealth Management, and other segments. The Securities Services segment offers custody, trust and depositary, accounting, exchange-traded funds, middle-office solutions, transfer agency, services for private equity and real estate funds, foreign exchange, securities lending, liquidity/lending services, and data analytics. Featured Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding BK? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for The Bank of New York Mellon Co. (NYSE:BK Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Bank of New York Mellon Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Bank of New York Mellon and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Portland Investment Counsel Inc. decreased its position in Nomad Foods Limited (NYSE:NOMD Free Report) by 79.6% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 43,500 shares of the companys stock after selling 170,078 shares during the quarter. Nomad Foods makes up 0.3% of Portland Investment Counsel Inc.s investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th largest position. Portland Investment Counsel Inc.s holdings in Nomad Foods were worth $662,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Nicholas Company Inc. lifted its holdings in Nomad Foods by 7.7% in the third quarter. Nicholas Company Inc. now owns 369,005 shares of the companys stock worth $5,616,000 after buying an additional 26,370 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors L.P. boosted its position in shares of Nomad Foods by 73.8% during the third quarter. Natixis Advisors L.P. now owns 120,334 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,832,000 after purchasing an additional 51,113 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. grew its stake in Nomad Foods by 545.6% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 383,541 shares of the companys stock worth $5,837,000 after purchasing an additional 324,133 shares during the period. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in Nomad Foods by 13.4% in the third quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 212,140 shares of the companys stock worth $3,229,000 after purchasing an additional 25,088 shares during the period. Finally, Loomis Sayles & Co. L P raised its holdings in Nomad Foods by 10.3% in the third quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P now owns 1,121,741 shares of the companys stock worth $17,073,000 after purchasing an additional 104,920 shares in the last quarter. 74.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors. Get Nomad Foods alerts: Nomad Foods Stock Up 0.5 % NYSE:NOMD traded up $0.09 on Friday, reaching $18.59. 564,799 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 776,169. The company has a current ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81. The company has a market capitalization of $3.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.52 and a beta of 0.76. Nomad Foods Limited has a 12 month low of $13.56 and a 12 month high of $19.76. The companys fifty day simple moving average is $17.54 and its 200 day simple moving average is $16.55. Nomad Foods Dividend Announcement Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 26th. Investors of record on Friday, February 9th will be issued a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 8th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.23%. Nomad Foodss payout ratio is 46.88%. A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Nomad Foods from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report on Thursday, November 16th. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Nomad Foods from $20.00 to $22.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a report on Friday, February 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Nomad Foods has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $22.00. Read Our Latest Report on Nomad Foods Nomad Foods Profile (Free Report) Nomad Foods Limited manufactures, markets, and distributes a range of frozen food products in the United Kingdom, Italy, Germany, France, Sweden, Austria, Norway, Spain, Serbia, Croatia, Switzerland, and rest of Europe. The company offers frozen fish products, including fish fingers, coated fish, and natural fish; ready to cook vegetable products, such as peas and spinach; and frozen poultry and meat products comprising nuggets, grills, and burgers. See Also Want to see what other hedge funds are holding NOMD? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Nomad Foods Limited (NYSE:NOMD Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Nomad Foods Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Nomad Foods and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. When it comes to the stock market, a year isn't all that long. The volatility associated with cyclical economic swings means that investing is a medium whose returns are best measured across multiple years or even decades. However, that doesn't mean investors should ignore a company's short-term prospects. Excellent 10-year operating runs are built from a series of individual good years, after all. What does 2024 hold for Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ: COST) stock, then, given the warehouse giant's recent positive operating momentum and soaring returns? Let's dive right in. The outlook calls for greater growth There are encouraging signs that the year ahead will bring more good news regarding growth. In early February, Costco announced that comparable-store sales were up a solid 5% through late January. That's about even with the pace investors have seen from Walmart (NYSE: WMT), the warehouse club chain's biggest competitor. Notably, Costco is experiencing a big rebound in its e-commerce segment, which tends to sell more consumer discretionary products like furniture and jewelry. Strength here suggests that shoppers might be ready to spend more aggressively in 2024 after reigning in their budgets last year. If that happens, then Costco has a good shot at posting stronger customer traffic, along with a rebound in average spending per visit. These factors would support positive returns for shareholders. Don't expect high profits Costco investors should keep their expectations in check when it comes to the chain's profit potential. Sure, 2024 will likely bring the company's first membership fee increase in over five years. Most of the chain's profits come from those subscriptions. But management directs almost all that extra cash toward bolstering the chain's price leadership rather than allowing profit margins to rise. That explains why Costco still books the same 3% operating margin that shareholders have seen since the pre-pandemic days. Story continues WMT Operating Margin (TTM) Chart Peers like Walmart and Target (NYSE: TGT), meanwhile, have allowed margins to expand (and contract) along with the pace of sales growth. Costco's stock would likely rally if its operating profit margin rises in 2024. But investors can't count on this boost happening in the coming quarters. Cash returns and price Costco's stock is priced at an elevated premium that might limit shareholders' returns from here. Its price-to-sales ratio of over 1.3 is nearly double Walmart's valuation, in fact. It's also the highest premium that investors have paid for this stock in the past decade. There's a clear risk of paying too high of a price for this stock, in other words. Your cash returns won't make up the difference, either. Costco just paid a huge special dividend that reduced its cash balance by over $7 billion. As a result, investors can't expect another big payout beyond the chain's current commitment of a 0.6% yield. You can earn a 1.3% yield from owning Walmart, for context, and a nearly 3% yield from Target stock. There's every reason to expect Costco's business to achieve record sales and earnings in 2024, just as the business has through most of the past decade. Yet investors shouldn't expect those operating wins to translate directly into further market-beating returns for the stock given Costco's pricey valuation today. Should you invest $1,000 in Costco Wholesale right now? Before you buy stock in Costco Wholesale, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now and Costco Wholesale wasnt one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Stock Advisor provides investors with an easy-to-follow blueprint for success, including guidance on building a portfolio, regular updates from analysts, and two new stock picks each month. The Stock Advisor service has more than tripled the return of S&P 500 since 2002*. See the 10 stocks *Stock Advisor returns as of February 20, 2024 Demitri Kalogeropoulos has positions in Costco Wholesale. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Costco Wholesale, Target, and Walmart. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Where Will Costco Stock Be in 1 Year? was originally published by The Motley Fool Stifel Financial Corp raised its position in General Electric (NYSE:GE Free Report) by 5.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 412,312 shares of the conglomerates stock after purchasing an additional 21,285 shares during the quarter. Stifel Financial Corps holdings in General Electric were worth $45,582,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Pinnacle Wealth Planning Services Inc. lifted its position in shares of General Electric by 2.0% during the second quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Planning Services Inc. now owns 4,412 shares of the conglomerates stock valued at $485,000 after purchasing an additional 88 shares in the last quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. boosted its stake in shares of General Electric by 2.8% in the 2nd quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. now owns 3,261 shares of the conglomerates stock worth $358,000 after buying an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. King Wealth boosted its stake in shares of General Electric by 3.2% in the 3rd quarter. King Wealth now owns 2,988 shares of the conglomerates stock worth $330,000 after buying an additional 92 shares during the last quarter. Macroview Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of General Electric by 43.4% in the third quarter. Macroview Investment Management LLC now owns 317 shares of the conglomerates stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nicolet Advisory Services LLC increased its position in shares of General Electric by 2.7% during the third quarter. Nicolet Advisory Services LLC now owns 3,765 shares of the conglomerates stock valued at $410,000 after acquiring an additional 98 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.83% of the companys stock. Get General Electric alerts: Wall Street Analyst Weigh In GE has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. StockNews.com upgraded General Electric from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note on Thursday, February 1st. Barclays increased their target price on shares of General Electric from $144.00 to $153.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of General Electric from $124.00 to $136.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a report on Wednesday, December 20th. TheStreet upgraded General Electric from a c+ rating to a b+ rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 23rd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada decreased their target price on General Electric from $150.00 to $148.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 24th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $132.00. General Electric Price Performance General Electric stock opened at $153.33 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $166.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.32, a PEG ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 1.25. General Electric has a one year low of $81.65 and a one year high of $153.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.18 and a quick ratio of 0.85. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $133.49 and a 200-day moving average price of $120.74. General Electric (NYSE:GE Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, January 23rd. The conglomerate reported $1.03 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.90 by $0.13. General Electric had a return on equity of 10.88% and a net margin of 13.95%. The business had revenue of $19.42 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.27 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.24 EPS. The firms revenue was up 15.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that General Electric will post 4.53 EPS for the current year. General Electric Dividend Announcement The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 25th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 28th were paid a $0.08 dividend. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.21%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, December 27th. General Electrics dividend payout ratio is presently 3.82%. Insider Buying and Selling at General Electric In other news, SVP Michael J. Holston sold 13,601 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Friday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $135.55, for a total value of $1,843,615.55. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 48,339 shares of the companys stock, valued at $6,552,351.45. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other General Electric news, SVP Michael J. Holston sold 22,055 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $144.87, for a total value of $3,195,107.85. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 56,284 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $8,153,863.08. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Michael J. Holston sold 13,601 shares of General Electric stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $135.55, for a total value of $1,843,615.55. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 48,339 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $6,552,351.45. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.67% of the companys stock. About General Electric (Free Report) General Electric Company operates as a high-tech industrial company in Europe, China, Asia, the Americas, the Middle East, and Africa. It offers gas and steam turbines, full balance of plant, upgrade, and service solutions, as well as data-leveraging software for power generation, industrial, government, and other customers. Featured Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding GE? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for General Electric (NYSE:GE Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for General Electric Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for General Electric and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Teekay Tankers Ltd. (NYSE:TNK Get Free Report) announced a quarterly dividend on Thursday, February 22nd, Zacks reports. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 4th will be paid a dividend of 0.25 per share by the shipping company on Friday, March 15th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.85%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 1st. Teekay Tankers Trading Down 1.3 % Shares of Teekay Tankers stock opened at $54.05 on Friday. Teekay Tankers has a 1 year low of $35.00 and a 1 year high of $64.42. The firm has a market cap of $1.84 billion, a PE ratio of 3.64, a PEG ratio of 1.30 and a beta of -0.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a current ratio of 3.58 and a quick ratio of 3.18. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $56.10 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $48.79. Get Teekay Tankers alerts: Wall Street Analyst Weigh In A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Evercore ISI lowered their price objective on shares of Teekay Tankers from $77.00 to $73.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a report on Friday. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a buy rating and set a $70.00 price objective on shares of Teekay Tankers in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Bank of America raised shares of Teekay Tankers from a neutral rating to a buy rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $56.00 to $72.00 in a research report on Friday, January 19th. Institutional Trading of Teekay Tankers A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of TNK. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in Teekay Tankers by 3.7% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,777,531 shares of the shipping companys stock valued at $76,308,000 after purchasing an additional 62,864 shares during the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. grew its position in Teekay Tankers by 35.3% during the 3rd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 1,675,406 shares of the shipping companys stock valued at $46,140,000 after purchasing an additional 437,348 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC grew its position in Teekay Tankers by 16.0% during the 4th quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 1,016,716 shares of the shipping companys stock valued at $31,325,000 after purchasing an additional 140,258 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley grew its position in Teekay Tankers by 15.5% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 846,399 shares of the shipping companys stock valued at $26,078,000 after purchasing an additional 113,898 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its position in Teekay Tankers by 24.9% during the 2nd quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 709,814 shares of the shipping companys stock valued at $27,136,000 after purchasing an additional 141,534 shares during the last quarter. 48.68% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Teekay Tankers Company Profile (Get Free Report) Teekay Tankers Ltd. provides marine transportation services to oil industries in Bermuda and internationally. The company offers voyage and time charter services; and offshore ship-to-ship transfer services of commodities primarily crude oil and refined oil products, as well as liquid gases and various other products. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Teekay Tankers Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Teekay Tankers and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. increased its stake in Wolfspeed, Inc. (NYSE:WOLF Free Report) by 17.0% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 506,112 shares of the companys stock after purchasing an additional 73,679 shares during the quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. owned 0.40% of Wolfspeed worth $19,283,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in WOLF. Capital International Investors increased its holdings in Wolfspeed by 1.2% during the 2nd quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 12,846,874 shares of the companys stock valued at $714,158,000 after acquiring an additional 157,885 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Wolfspeed during the 4th quarter valued at about $223,238,000. William Blair Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in Wolfspeed by 41.0% during the 2nd quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 2,303,525 shares of the companys stock valued at $128,053,000 after acquiring an additional 670,154 shares in the last quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership increased its holdings in Wolfspeed by 7.3% during the 3rd quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership now owns 2,273,472 shares of the companys stock valued at $86,619,000 after acquiring an additional 154,021 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Frontier Capital Management Co. LLC increased its holdings in Wolfspeed by 66.2% during the 2nd quarter. Frontier Capital Management Co. LLC now owns 1,938,492 shares of the companys stock valued at $107,761,000 after acquiring an additional 772,055 shares in the last quarter. Get Wolfspeed alerts: Wolfspeed Price Performance Shares of NYSE:WOLF opened at $23.77 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 4.58, a current ratio of 5.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.50. Wolfspeed, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $23.70 and a fifty-two week high of $77.72. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $34.76 and a 200 day simple moving average of $37.64. The company has a market cap of $2.99 billion, a PE ratio of -3.91 and a beta of 1.72. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In Wolfspeed ( NYSE:WOLF Get Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 31st. The company reported ($0.69) earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of ($0.79) by $0.10. Wolfspeed had a negative net margin of 87.35% and a negative return on equity of 19.35%. The business had revenue of $208.40 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $205.94 million. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Wolfspeed, Inc. will post -3.05 EPS for the current year. Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Canaccord Genuity Group decreased their price target on shares of Wolfspeed from $63.00 to $50.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, October 31st. Piper Sandler lowered their price objective on shares of Wolfspeed from $55.00 to $45.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 1st. Roth Mkm decreased their price target on shares of Wolfspeed from $65.00 to $50.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Wolfspeed from $44.00 to $43.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 1st. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Wolfspeed from $42.00 to $34.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 31st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $46.40. View Our Latest Stock Report on WOLF Insider Activity at Wolfspeed In other Wolfspeed news, CFO Neill Reynolds sold 3,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.94, for a total value of $134,820.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 161,866 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,274,258.04. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other Wolfspeed news, CFO Neill Reynolds sold 3,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.94, for a total value of $134,820.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 161,866 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,274,258.04. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Darren R. Jackson bought 10,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Friday, February 2nd. The stock was purchased at an average price of $25.80 per share, with a total value of $258,000.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 49,021 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,264,741.80. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 0.62% of the companys stock. Wolfspeed Profile (Free Report) Wolfspeed, Inc operates as a powerhouse semiconductor company focuses on silicon carbide and gallium nitride (GaN) technologies in Europe, Hong Kong, China, rest of Asia-Pacific, the United States, and internationally. It offers silicon carbide and GaN materials, including silicon carbide bare wafers, epitaxial wafers, and GaN epitaxial layers on silicon carbide wafers to manufacture products for RF, power, and other applications. Featured Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding WOLF? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Wolfspeed, Inc. (NYSE:WOLF Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Wolfspeed Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Wolfspeed and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Wright Fund Management LLC lessened its position in shares of iShares MSCI EAFE Min Vol Factor ETF (BATS:EFAV Free Report) by 5.2% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 235,835 shares of the companys stock after selling 12,898 shares during the period. iShares MSCI EAFE Min Vol Factor ETF accounts for 0.7% of Wright Fund Management LLCs holdings, making the stock its 21st biggest holding. Wright Fund Management LLC owned about 0.21% of iShares MSCI EAFE Min Vol Factor ETF worth $15,381,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Coastal Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of iShares MSCI EAFE Min Vol Factor ETF during the second quarter valued at about $41,000. Householder Group Estate & Retirement Specialist LLC acquired a new position in shares of iShares MSCI EAFE Min Vol Factor ETF during the third quarter valued at about $40,000. Sheets Smith Wealth Management acquired a new position in shares of iShares MSCI EAFE Min Vol Factor ETF during the third quarter valued at about $49,000. First Capital Advisors Group LLC. acquired a new position in shares of iShares MSCI EAFE Min Vol Factor ETF during the second quarter valued at about $50,000. Finally, EPG Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of iShares MSCI EAFE Min Vol Factor ETF by 427.8% during the third quarter. EPG Wealth Management LLC now owns 760 shares of the companys stock valued at $50,000 after buying an additional 616 shares during the last quarter. Get iShares MSCI EAFE Min Vol Factor ETF alerts: iShares MSCI EAFE Min Vol Factor ETF Price Performance Shares of BATS EFAV traded up $0.21 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $69.92. 303,257 shares of the companys stock traded hands. The stock has a market cap of $7.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.01 and a beta of 0.60. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $68.92 and a 200 day simple moving average of $67.18. iShares MSCI EAFE Min Vol Factor ETF has a 1-year low of $64.68 and a 1-year high of $76.51. About iShares MSCI EAFE Min Vol Factor ETF The iShares MSCI EAFE Min Vol Factor ETF (EFAV) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the MSCI EAFE Minimum Volatility (USD) index. The fund tracks an index of developed-market equities, ex-US and Canada, selected and weighted to create a low volatility portfolio subject to constraints including sector exposure. Further Reading Want to see what other hedge funds are holding EFAV? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for iShares MSCI EAFE Min Vol Factor ETF (BATS:EFAV Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for iShares MSCI EAFE Min Vol Factor ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for iShares MSCI EAFE Min Vol Factor ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. A Stafford man was ordered Thursday to spend three years in prison for his role in a marijuana-related shooting last year in the county. Logan Andrew Garrison, 20, was sentenced in Stafford Circuit Court to a total of seven years with four years suspended. As part of a plea agreement, he pleaded guilty to using a firearm in the commission of a felony, possession of marijuana with the intent to distribute and assault by mob. Several other charges were dropped. According to the evidence presented by prosecutor Philip Chichester, a 16-year-old boy was shot during a marijuana deal on March 10 in the England Run area. His injuries were non-life-threatening. Two days later, deputies went to Wawa at 830 Warrenton Road in response to a fight inside the store involving four males, including Garrison. Surveillance footage showed Garrison started the brawl by attacking a person who was standing next to the lottery machine. Garrison was later stopped in a truck that matched the description of the one involved in the England Run shooting and at the Wawa. Among the items recovered from the truck were a gun, marijuana and the counterfeit money that the teenage shooting victim had used to purchase marijuana prior to being shot. Police later spoke to Garrisons co-defendant, 22-year-old Nathan Thompson, who admitted that both suspects had guns and admitted to shooting the victim. Thompson claimed it was only intended as a warning shot. Thompson was sentenced in December to the same three-year active sentence that Garrison got Thursday, court records show. Legalised and institutionalised discrimination of Meiteis in Manipur | Soubam Nongpoknganba Meitei, LLM (President, Indigenous Development Mission) There is no gain saying on how the present crisis has pushed our society to such an abyss and we dont in fact know, how long it will take and what it will take to come out of such abyss. Obviously no one would like a repeat of the present crisis at any point of time in the future. But the big question is how to prevent a repeat of such crisis ! Logically therefore, one has to really seriously ponder on what could have boosted such a serious disharmony and what circumstances has led to such an abhorring crisis. From the cries of both sides, one can easily discern, both sides distrust each other and therefore the first step towards a final solution should be removal of the mistrust. But why this mistrust and how it has fully bloomed is the first question that needs to be answered so that the solution to the problem lasts long. There is no need to look far, the mistrust was sown by the British only and it explodes today, with the trigger being pulled by some more accompanying circumstances ! The British like they have done in the mainland India have used the policy of divide and rule and have divided the State of Manipur as Hill and valley; administered it as two distinct entities viz., Hill and valley so that the divide blooms. For this purpose, they have introduced what is called as Durbar System. Manipur come under the British rule after the Anglo-Manipur war of 1891 but British considered Manipur not as an asset and so regency was established with the political agent as the regent and by putting Raja Churachand who was a minor then on the throne. The British divided Manipur into hill and non-hill for administrative purpose and introduced new administrative systems and abolished certain indigenous system in the valley areas. In the valley areas, Panchayat and Cheirap Courts were introduced, land was surveyed and land tax was imposed. However in the hill areas except for imposition of house tax, the indigenous system was least disturbed. In 1907 when the Raja attained majority, the British enacted the Manipur Administration Rules 1907 whereby the Durbar system was introduced and Raja was made the President and a British officer was put as Vice President. The President with his other assistants was made to look after the administration of the valley areas only including that of justice dispensation and the Vice President who was a British officer was to exclusively look after the administration of the hills under the supervision of the political agent. Though the Rules of 1907 was amended in 1916 by incorporating the Raja in the administration of the hills, it was still only nominal. Thus British sowed the seed of division between the Hills inhabited by Naga and Kuki and valleys inhabited by Meitei. Quite unfortunately, the present legal regime in the State of Manipur has carried forward the division sowed by the British. Article 371C of the Constitution of India (Special provision with respect to the State of Manipur) has empowered the creation of a committee in the State Legislative Assembly consisting of members of that Assembly elected from the Hill Areas of that State which is to be known as Hill Area Committee and the Governor has been given special responsibility to secure the proper functioning of such committee and for management of this Hill Area committee there has enacted a rule which is called as the Manipur Legislative Assembly (Hill Areas Committee) Order, 1972. This is the most divisive regulation which is in force in the State of Manipur and it literally as well as practically divides the State as Hill and valley. The first schedule appended to this order has defined the hill areas as Manipur North, Manipur East, Manipur West and Manipur South revenue districts and Chandel, Chakpikarong and Tengnoupal revenue sub-divisions of the Manipur Central revenue district and in this areas, the HAC has exclusive jurisdiction of administration in many a matters in total exclusion of the State Legislative Assembly, most profound of which is allotment, occupation, or use, or the setting apart of land (other than any land which is reserved forest) for the purposes of agriculture or grazing or for residential or other non-agricultural purposes or for any other purpose likely to promote the interest of the inhabitants of any village or town situated within the Hill Areas and the management of any forest not being a reserved forest. And yet as if dividing the State is not enough, the Legislative Assembly of the State has been curtailed to pass any Bill affecting the Hill areas in respect of the schedule matters without the concurrence of the HAC. The second law that divides Manipur can be said to be the Manipur (Hill Areas) District Councils Act, 1971. Under this Act, the district council has the power among others for allotment, occupation or use, or the setting apart of land, other than land acquired for any public purpose or land which is a reserved forest, for the purpose of agriculture or grazing or for residential or other non- agricultural purposes or for any other purposes likely to promote the interests of the inhabitants of any village or town situated within the autonomous district for which that council is constituted and further to manage any forest not being a reserved forest. Yet again the Manipur (village authorities in hill areas) act, 1956 has even gone to the extent of empowering the village authorities to maintain law and order in the village and for these purpose exercise and perform the powers and duties generally conferred and imposed on the police by or under the Police Act, 1861 only with certain saving. However in contrast to the power and functions of the Hill Area Committee, autonomous district councils and the village authorities in hill areas, the power and functions of gram Panchayat and Zilla Parishads and municipal councils which are constituted in the valley areas under the general laws are quite general without any power as had by its hill counterparts, thus establishing two very different legal system in the State, one for the so called Hill areas and other for the Not hill areas. Thus ensured that the rights of the Meitei are curtailed in the name of empowerment of the Scheduled Tribe and their protection. These apart, we have the infamous Manipur Land Revenue and Land Reforms Act, 1960. This Act is not extended to the Hill areas of Manipur subject to certain minor exception and hence the Hill Areas cannot be surveyed and hence cannot be properly exploited for economic growth of the State. (To be contd) WMC again asks CM to send reports | IMPHAL, Feb 24: The World Meetei Council (WMC) has once again urged Chief Minister N Biren Singh to send the ethnography and socio-economic reports of the Meetei to the Centre without further delay. WMC Chairman Heigrujam Nabashyam made the appeal during its general conference held at Cachar, Assam on February 17. At the function, Nabashyam spoke about how the Meetei population has been overtaken by other communities and how the upcoming delimitation exercise in 2026 is going to affect the Meeteis socio-politically. The WMC chairman said that the Meeteis need to be included in the Scheduled Tribes (ST) list of the Constitution of India to secure its future. During the function, two distinguished Meeteis were given the Lifetime Achievement Award which is given annually to outstanding Meeteis from around the world in recognition of their services and achievements. The award was conferred to UK based renowned medical professional Dr Irengbam Mohendro Singh and USA based Dr Waikhom Sanahanbi Devi. Dr Irengbam Mohendro Singh accepted the award via video conference and and appreciated the WMC for its works in bringing together all the Meeteis from across the world. The conference concluded with all the members observing a 2 minutes silence in respect of all the departed souls who were killed during the current violence. A Lincoln senator's proposal to remove the Nebraska Attorney General from the middle of disputes over the constitutionality of laws enacted by the Legislature won support from an unlikely ally on Thursday. Attorney General Mike Hilgers the constitutional officer who would lose the power granted to his office by the Legislature in 1977 said he agreed with Sen. Danielle Conrad's plan (LB1191) to repeal the law. "You're a proponent?" Sen. Tom Brewer, the chair of the Government, Military, and Veterans Affairs Committee, asked Hilgers as he stepped forward to testify. Hilgers said he was because Conrad's bill struck a law he said has been cause for confusion in recent years. "I think there was probably a good reason to bring it," Hilgers said, "but I absolutely agree with Sen. Conrad that it's created a mess." Conrad's bill targets a state statute that requires the attorney general to file a lawsuit within 10 days of issuing an opinion that a law is unconstitutional, if a state agency relies upon that opinion in refusing to enforce the law. That provision of Nebraska Revised Statute 84-215 has been used "appropriately and sparingly" over the years, Conrad told the committee. "Where it got really murky was over the last year," she said. In a non-binding opinion issued last August, Hilgers said the Office of Inspector General for the state's prison and child welfare systems violated the separation of powers clause in the Nebraska State Constitution. Hilgers' opinion led the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services and the Department of Health and Human Services to lock the inspectors general out of their facilities and data systems, throwing the state's legislative and executive branches into a constitutional standoff. The attorney general did not sue to force the issue into the courts in that case, however, but it did after the state's prisons used his opinion on a criminal justice reform package (LB50) to refuse to carry out a portion of law changing parole eligibility requirements. Conrad said the executive branch used Hilgers' opinions in both cases to disregard laws that inconvenienced them, adding the prison system and child welfare system have been in violation of the law for some six months. She added her bill was not directed at Hilgers or Gov. Jim Pillen, but a way for the Legislature to perform the duties it was charged with under the state constitution. It would not prevent the attorney general from issuing legal opinions on request, or challenging or defending state laws as the office saw fit, she added. "This is about whether or not we have fidelity to our constitution, fidelity to the people, fidelity to the institution we took an oath to protect and serve," Conrad said. Hilgers said LB1191 would strike a specific provision of the law that created a structure to force constitutional issues to the courts, but in effect created several unworkable and awkward situations in state government. Any lawsuit brought by the attorney general's office must be filed within 10 days of the opinion being filed, not from when a state agency decides it is no longer going to follow the law, Hilgers said. If a state agency decided it would follow his office's advice and not carry out a law believed to be unconstitutional nine days after Hilgers gave his opinion, he said that left his staff little time to prepare a lawsuit. Hilgers also said while he can file a suit against any person with a "litigable interest in the matter," lawsuits seeking to invalidate state laws are often leveled at Nebraska's Secretary of State, who is required to defend the state under the law. That's what happened last year when Hilgers sued to invalidate LB50. Secretary of State Bob Evnen said he was required to fulfill his statutory duty, even if he agreed with the attorney general's opinion. "If this statute is repealed, it will go back to the way it used to be, which would enable parties to settle these disputes in court and make rational decisions based on their various rights," Hilgers said. Conrad said if passed by the Legislature, Hilgers would have plenty of other remedies available to challenge laws he suspects are unconstitutional. "The murkiness under this particular grant of legislative authority is probably just not necessary," she said. With the legislative and executive branches in alignment on LB1191, the Government Committee took the unusual step of advancing the measure to the floor during an executive session after the public hearing ended. The bill advanced on a 7-0 vote. Lincoln Sen. Jane Raybould was absent from Thursday's meeting. Meet the Nebraska state senators making laws in 2024 A former funeral home owner has been arrested after a corpse lay in a hearse for 2 years Police in Colorado have arrested a former funeral home owner accused of hiding a womans corpse in a hearse for two years and hoarding the cremated remains of at least 30 people A three-day Conservation Action Planning workshop was held here from 21 February to discuss and formulate an action plan for hornbill species in this region. The North Bengal region harbours five hornbill species like Great, Oriental Pied, Rufous-necked, Wreathed and Indian Grey hornbills. Of them three species (Great, Rufous-necked and Wreathed hornbills) are globally threatened and listed as vulnerable in the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red List. Advertisement The workshop was organized by the Nature Conservation Foundation, Nature Mates-Nature Club, Zoo Outreach Organization and the IUCN Conservation Planning Specialist Group and the Hornbill Specialist Group. At least 38 participants mainly from the North Bengal region and adjoining states Sikkim, Assam, and even from Bhutan were present. West Bengal forest department officials, scientists, researchers from different NGOs, community members, nature guides and civil society members also attended the workshop. At the end of the 3-day workshop, a conservation plan for hornbills in North Bengal was drafted Key outcomes include plans to survey hornbill populations, protect and restore key forest habitats, nest and food trees, work with communities to generate awareness and pride about hornbills. This is a wonderful avenue to bring together agencies and individuals having readiness to work for hornbills in the region. I am personally delighted to undergo a training process of species conservation planning and also getting a regional hornbill conservation action plan being developed, said Dr Sherub, researcher, Ugyen Wangchuck Institute for Forestry Research and Training, Bhutan. This workshop played a major role in bringing together researchers and all relevant stakeholders under a single platform to connect, collaborate and foster better future for majestic hornbills, said Sunita Khatiwara, Research Officer, Sikkim forest department. The event was attended by Ujjal Ghosh, APCCF (Wildlife), North Bengal, Dr Sanjay Molur, Zoo Outreach Organization who facilitated the workshop and others. Delhi Congress president Arvinder Singh Lovely on Saturday exuded confidence that the INDIA alliance will sweep all the seven parliamentary seats in the national capital in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. He also said the Congress and AAP workers will spare no effort to win all the seven seats in Delhi. The Delhi Congress chief said the decision to contest together in all the seats was amicably taken by the Congress and AAP, as the INDIA alliance was determined to defeat the BJP. Advertisement Attacking the BJP, Lovely said, Though Congress will contest only three Lok Sabha seats, at Chandni Chowk, North East Delhi and North West Delhi, both Congress and AAP will put full efforts in winning all the seven seats as the BJP MPs had done nothing for Delhi in the past 10 years, totally neglecting the capital. The fact that the BJP was all set to replace the sitting Delhi MPs was proof enough that its MPs had done nothing for the capital and the people would throw them out if such MPs were repeated, he said here. Meanwhile, Congress in-charge of Delhi Deepak Babaria said, The smooth manner in which the seat sharing tie-up was arrived at between Congress and AAP in Delhi has made the BJP jittery. The aim of the alliance is to throw out the communal and autocratic BJP from power at the Centre. He asserted that with all the democratic forces joining hands, Congress was putting its best foot forward to cement the INDIA alliance with smooth seat-sharing arrangements. Delhi Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena in a letter to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has expressed dismay over the delay in presenting the national capitals budget. The LG asked the Delhi government to present the Annual Financial Statement (Budget) in the Assembly so that it could be discussed and passed expeditiously in the larger interest of the people. In his letter, the LG conveyed to the Delhi CM that he was constrained to inform him that despite the Annual Financial Statement being ready and available with the government following its due clearance from the Government of India on February 19, it had not yet reached his office so that it could be tabled in the House as mandated by law. Advertisement You are accordingly requested to expedite the process and utilise the Budget Session for its intended purpose to maintain transparency, accountability and good governance, the LG said in his letter to Kejriwal on Saturday. Saxena mentioned that the delay in the process at the level of the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD) appears to have no apparent reason. In his letter, the LG said, It will be pertinent to mention here that the Cabinets decision to summon the House for Budget Session between 15.02.2024 and 21.02.2024 was taken on 31.01.2024. This decision was sent to me on 02.02.2024 and, based on the same, summoning orders were issued by me on 06.02.2024. Subsequently, the Annual Financial Statement (Budget) was received by my Secretariat on 13.02.2024 and the same was cleared by me for further approval by the Honble President of India on 14.02.2024. It was then sent to the Ministry of Home Affairs by the GNCTD on 15.02.2024 for obtaining the Honble Presidents sanction. The Government of India conveyed its approval on 19.02.2024, within three working days. Thereafter, the process seems to have been stalled for no apparent reason at the level of the GNCTD, the LGs letter to the CM stated. Notably, the LGs letter has come days after he wrote to the Delhi CM, urging him to table the five CAG reports pertaining to the finances of the Delhi government in the Assembly. My secretariat has received copies of the communication from the Controller of Accounts, PAO (Principal Accounts Office), GNCTD, addressed to the Secretary to the Finance Minister, GNCTD, pursuant to a letter by Principal Accountant General Audit, Delhi, requesting clearance from the Finance Minister for five CAG reports and one GNCTD Accounts report. These reports were supposed to be sent to me for laying them before the Legislative Assembly, he wrote on Thursday. Saxena stated that Article 151 of the Constitution of India mandates for The Lieutenant Governor to cause the reports of CAG to be laid before the Legislature. He claimed that the five CAG reports pertaining to the state finances have been pending the consideration of the (Delhi) Minister of Finance since August 2023. Manoj Rajput, a Chattisgarhi actor, director, and producer, was arrested in Bhilai, Chattisgarh, on Friday for allegedly raping his niece for 12 years. The 29-year-old victims complaint has been recorded at the GRP-3 Bhilai Police Station under Sections 376 and 377 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POSCO) Act, respectively. In her statement to the police, the rape victim stated, She has been in an affair with Rajput since 2011, and despite promising marriage, he has been raping her and conducting unnatural actions for the past many years. Advertisement She concluded by saying that she would now not marry the actor and the Chattisgarhi actor-director and producer has been arrested. Rajput was previously sentenced to prison for land fraud. Rajput made his acting debut with the film Gaon ke hero seher ke zero, which was released a few days ago and is currently doing good business in the state. Pradyut Bordoloi is one of the prominent leaders of the Congress in the North East. As a minister in the Tarun Gogoi-led Congress government in Assam, he held various important portfolios, including Power. He was elected as an MLA from Margherita for the first time in 2001 and repre- sented the same for many years. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, he won from the Nagaon parliamen- tary seat, a bastion of the BJP, as a Congress nominee. An alumnus of the Jawaharlal Nehru University, Bordoloi was appointed as con- venor of the North East Congress Coordination Committee (NECCC) in August last year. In an interview with Santu Das of The Statesman, Bordoloi talks about the initiatives taken by the UPA gov- ernment during its regime for the NE region, Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra and the situation in Manipur. Excerpts: Q: The BJP-led government at the Centre has been repeatedly saying that it is giving special attention to the North East region since it came to power. What would you like to say ? Advertisement A: Any kind of development that takes place in the North East is wel- come. But, you have to realise that this is a continuous process. Its a very long process. From 2007, a very special economic policy was taken up by the UPA government at the Centre for the region. I am happy that the present government is also continuing though they have done away with the special category recognition, which we also need and want even now. Q: How do you see the work of the previous UPA government when compared with that of the current dispensation ? A: There is a very specific policy shift. Earlier, during the UPA govern- ment, North East was given the status of special category which has been taken away. They have disbanded all kinds of specific policies that were aimed to incentivise investment, trade and commerce, for example, the North East Industrial and Investment Promotion Policy. You have to give incentive so that the investment for industry, manufac- turing or service sectors takes place and employment opportunities can be cre- ated. This specific policy was aimed to promote investment. The policy has been disbanded, taken away. Maybe they are building roads or flyovers or airports. But a specific policy towards the North East has been taken away. That is why it is affecting the region. Even if new roads are being constructed, investment is not taking place. There has been a huge exodus of youth seeking jobs to the rest of the country from the North East. Q: What is your take on BJP accusing Congress of doing poli- tics over the issue in Manipur? A: Manipur is very inconse- quential for the interests of the BJP because Manipur has got just two parliamentary seats. That is why they are ignoring Manipur. The state has been burning since 3rd May. Till date, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has not visited the state. Manipur has kept burning. The government has been very apathetic. Manipur or North East does not have many Lok Sabha seats, so they are not bothered. They would rather pay attention to the bigger states like UP where they can get those seats and form the government again. Q: BJP is gearing up for the Lok Sabha elections across the country. The party has exuded confidence of winning maximum seats in the NE also. What would you like to say? A: The BJP has adopted a very specific policy in the North East. Except for Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Tripura, BJP does not have a foothold in other states. They tied up with some regional parties in each state and the particular party is given the drivers seat and BJP takes the passengers seat. Thats how they are increasing their tally. North East as a whole has 25 seats. With this kind of strategy, they are trying to increase their tally. Q: What is the Congress party doing to strengthen itself at the grass root level ? Recently Rahul Gandhi carried out the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra (BJNY) in the NE region. Do you think the yatra will have an impact on the upcoming elections? A: I want to state it very clearly that Rahul Gandhis Yatra started from Manipur. Why Manipur? Because Manipur and North East are being neglected by BJP and there have been a lot of injustices to the people of the region. This is a nyay yatra and this is to unite the entire country with compassion, equity and justice. That is the sole objective of the yatra. This is not an electoral yatra. This yatra is not aimed to get less or more seats. It has nothing to do with elections. Rahul Gandhi is giving the message that India will have to be united against the divisive strategy of BJP. Maybe indirectly, it will benefit the Congress party. In Assam , the govern- ment did not allow the yatra to enter into the city. But, despite that people came out in large numbers. That shows the entire objective of the yatra is resonating well with the mindset of the people. Q: What are the issues that the Congress would take up in the upcoming general elections ? A: Issues are all in the open. The BJP is trying to divide people on reli- gious lines. Congress is uniting peo- ple. By polarising people on religious lines, it is like giving opium to the people. Issues like unemployment , price rise, inequality among people are very cleverly hoodwinked and camouflaged. Q: How many Lok Sabha seats is the Congress expecting in the North East ? A: It is very difficult to say. Last time we didnt do very well, out of 25 seats, Congress got only four, three in Assam and one in Meghalaya. But, this time we are hoping that our num- ber will increase with a very judicious process of selection of candidates. I am very sure we will be able to increase the tally. Q: Congress National Alliance Committee (NAC) is holding talks with the parties of the INDIA bloc ? What is the status with regards to the North East ? A: The Congress party has made it very clear it is very open to have an electoral alliance and the dialogue is on with the parties of the INDIA bloc. In Assam, there are regional parties which are opposed to BJP alsoall these parties are being taken on board. All the issues related to seat sharing are to be sorted out at the national level. Bihar Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar on Saturday visited the Ancient City of Ayutthaya in Thailand, which is named after the birth city of lord Ram in Ayodhya in India. The Governor is heading a 22-member Indian Delegation that took the holy relics of Lord Buddha for a 26-day exposition in Thailand. The Historic City of Ayutthaya, founded in 1350, was the second capital of the Siamese Kingdom after Sukhothai. Advertisement It flourished from the 14th to the 18th centuries, during which time it grew to be one of the worlds largest and most cosmopolitan urban areas and a Center of global diplomacy and commerce. Ayutthaya was strategically located on an island surrounded by three rivers connecting the city to the sea. This site was chosen because it was located above the tidal bore of the Gulf of Siam as it existed at that time, thus preventing attack of the city by the sea-going warships of other nations. The location also helped to protect the city from seasonal flooding. The city was attacked and razed by the Burmese army in 1767 who burned the city to the ground and forced the inhabitants to abandon the city. The city was never rebuilt in the same location and remains known today as an extensive archaeological site. Once an important centre of global diplomacy and commerce, Ayutthaya is now home to archaeological treasures, characterized by the remains of tall prang (reliquary towers) and Buddhist monasteries of monumental proportions, which give an idea of the citys past size and the splendor of its architecture. A Naxal was killed in an encounter with the District Reserve Guards (DRG) in Chhattisgarhs Sukma district on Saturday. According to Chhattisgarh police, the Naxal was killed during an exchange of fire that broke out between DRG jawans and the outlaws in the Burkalanka jungle area. The Naxals body was recovered during a search operation by the DRG, Sukma SP Kiran Chouhan informed. Advertisement A search operation in the area is underway, the SP informed further. Further details awaited. Ending all speculations, the Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Saturday officially announced their alliance for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Both the parties have been holding parleys since the formation of the INDIA bloc to take on the BJP in the general elections. In Delhi, out of the seven Lok Sabha seats, the Congress will contest in three seats and AAP in four constituencies. Advertisement Addressing a joint press conference along with the senior leaders of the AAP here, senior Congress leader and convenor of the partys National Alliance Committee (NAC) Mukul Wasnik while announcing the alliance between both the parties said AAP will contest in four and Congress in three Lok Sabha seats. He said it was decided that AAP will contest in New Delhi, West Delhi, South Delhi and East Delhi parliamentary seats, while Congress in Chandni Chowk, North East and North West seats. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, both the parties drew a blank. Talking about Gujarat, Wasnik said Congress will contest in 24 out of the 26 seats in Gujarat and in two seats AAP will field its candidate, these include Bharuch and Bhavnagar. In Haryana, of ten LS seats, the Congress will contest on nine seats and AAP on one seat that is Kurukshetra, he informed. Talking of the Chandigarh seat, after a threadbare discussion, it was decided that Congress will field its candidate, added Wasnik. The senior Congress leader also said that after a detailed discussion, it was agreed upon that the Congress will contest on both the seats in Goa. The latest development came days after the Congress and Samajwadi Party (SP) announced an alliance in Uttar Pradesh. It may be mentioned that the NAC has been holding meetings with the parties of the INDIA alliance on seat-sharing for the forthcoming polls. Notably, in Punjab the two parties have mutually decided to contest separately for the forthcoming general elections, Responding to a question over Punjab, senior AAP leader Sandeep Pathak said that both parties have mutually decided to contest separately in Punjab. After Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Derek OBriens no alliance in West Bengal remark, the Congress on Saturday maintained that seat-sharing talks with Mamata Banerjees party are still underway. Speaking to media persons, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh downplayed the TMC MPs remarks and said heated discussions keep taking place between the two parties but discussions on a seat sharing pact are still underway. Discussions are underway. Our doors are always open for TMC. Mamata Banerjee and TMC have said that they want to strengthen INDIA Alliance and the biggest motive is to defeat the BJPHeated discussions keep taking place between the two parties but we respect Mamata Banerjee, Ramesh said. Advertisement His remarks came a day after Derek OBrien, TMC MP and a close associate of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, maintained their earlier position of contesting all the 42 seats in West Bengal even as reports claimed the two INDIA block parties are in advance stage of finalising an alliance for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. A few weeks ago, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee stated that TMC is fighting all the 42 seats in Bengal. We are also in the fray in a few seats in Assam and the Tura Lok Sabha seat in Meghalaya. There is no change in this position, he said on Friday. This comes in the backdrop of a recent announcement of an alliance between the Samajwadi Party and the Congress in Uttar Pradesh. The Congress, which is the largest constituent of the Oppositions INDIAs block, is also believed to have entered in an alliance with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Delhi, Goa, Gujarat and Haryana. An official announcement in this regard is expected today. The Uttarakhand Police on Saturday said that it has arrested the main accused behind the Haldwani violence earlier this month. Abdul Malik, who is said to be the mastermind behind the communal violence, was nabbed from Delhi. Malik was among the six people booked by Uttarakhand police on charges of criminal conspiracy among others over the incident which claimed at least five lives. He had been absconding since February 8 when the violence erupted over demolition of a mosque and a madrasa. Advertisement The authorities, accompanied by police, had gone to the Banbhoolpura area of Haldwani to demolish the mosque and the madrasa which were allegedly built over a government land. Locals in the area pelted stones at the police and torched several vehicles following which a curfew was imposed and the state government issued shoot at sight orders. The mob attacked and injured more than 250 policemen and burnt down Banbhoolpura police station leading to complete break down of law and order in the town. While the police considers Malik the mastermind behind the violence, he has reportedly claimed that he was not even in Haldwani when the incident took place on February 8. Malik, through his lawyer, said that he was in Uttarakhand on February 8 and in Haryanas Faridabad a day before the incident. So far, the police have arrested as many as 79 people, including Malik, in connection with the Haldwani violence case and registered three FIRs. Besides Malik, the Uttarakhand Police had also booked his son for inciting violence, rioting, attacking police and under other relevant charges. Explanations about unreliability of AI models do not absolve or exempt platforms from laws, Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar said on Saturday. The Ministers comments came after Google, which is under fire over AI tool Geminis objectionable response and bias to a question on PM Narendra Modi, said it has worked quickly to address the issue and conceded that the chatbot may not always be reliable in responding to certain prompts related to current events and political topics. Rajeev Chandrasekhar further warned that Indias digital Nagriks are not to be experimented on with unreliable platforms and algorithms. Advertisement In a post on social media platform X, the Minister said that ensuring safety and trust are legal obligation of platforms. Government has said this before I repeat for attention of @GoogleIndiaOur DigitalNagriks are NOT to be experimented on with unreliable platforms/algos/modelSorry Unreliable does not exempt from law, the Minister said. Earlier, the Minister had warned that Google AI tool Geminis response to a question around the prime minister was in direct violation of IT rules as well as several provisions of the criminal code. Chandrasekhar has taken immediate cognizance of the issue raised by verified accounts of a journalist alleging bias in Gemini in response to a question on Modi while it gave no clear answer when a similar question was asked for Trump and Zelenskyy. He had marked the post to Google and the Ministry of Electronics and IT indicating further action in the matter. These are direct violations of Rule 3(1)(b) of Intermediary Rules (IT rules) of the IT act and violations of several provisions of the Criminal code, Chandrasekhar said on X earlier. Notably, Googles Gemini AI chatbot has been facing the ire on social media for discrimination against the whites, amplifying Hamas propaganda and now for allegedly being biased against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. As per the claims, when asked a question about fascism, the Gemini AI tool displayed a proper reply about PM Modi. However, when the same question was asked about former US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the AI tool refused to give any clear answer. Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Saturday said opportunities in the New Bharat are decided by merit, not patronage. Addressing the annual convocation celebrations of the University of Delhi, the VP said, The Bharat that awaits you is a level playing field. There is a platform for you to rise- based not on your lineage, patronage, nepotism, or corruption, but on talent and hard work. Nothing can be more rewarding for young, impressionable minds. You have a level playing field, and you must reap the fruits of it. He said equality before law, quintessential to democracy, is no longer just a constitutional ideal, it is an acknowledged reality. Advertisement In an apparent reference to incumbent government at the Centre, Dhankhar commended the transparent governance ecosystem in the country. Without naming anyone, he said, Dark clouds of corruption that cast a shadow over our nation for a period far too long have now vanished. Governance, rather than being an obstruction, is now enabling-open, accessible, and serves the people, not a privileged few. Referring to Indias rise on the international front as a global leader, the VP said, The world now recognises Indias soft diplomacy as a stabilising force and as the voice of the Global South . He said the inclusion of the African Union and the announcement of the India-Middle East-Europe trade route in G20 as resounding successes in this regard. Referring to the youth as the most vital stakeholders in governance, the VP called upon the discerning minds to neutralise those who engage in tainting and tarnishing our national image. Beware of those who have an insatiable appetite to set afloat anti national narratives. Beware of those who have an ostrich stance to our exponential phenomenal economic and developmental rise. Beware of those who are a recipe for chaos when it comes to serve the nation, he cautioned. Exhorting the students to shake off the obsession with competitive examinations and look beyond usual job opportunities, Dhankhar said, Bharat has expectations from you, not just as employees, but as innovators, entrepreneurs, and change makers. Future belongs to those who dare to dream bigger, bolder, beyond the ordinary, he told the graduating students. Citing that India is at the forefront when it comes to investment and research in disruptive technologies, the VP said initiatives like Green Hydrogen Mission and National Quantum Mission as new avenues of growth for the youth and asked them to make full use of these technologies for the benefit of the nation and society at large. Over three million devotees took a holy dip at the Sangam on the occasion of Maghi Purnima at the confluence of Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati rivers on Saturday. Mela officer Vijay Kiran Anand said that more than three million devotees took a dip in the Ganga river by 4 pm, a further increase in numbers is expected by late evening. Officials said devotees started thronging the ghats as early as 4 am despite chilly winter conditions. As the day progressed, sunshine encouraged more devotees to take dips and perform rituals on the banks of the Ganga. The footfall of devotees was recorded at around 2 million at 1 pm and increased to 3 million by 4 pm. Advertisement Moderate rush was witnessed at Sangam Ghat from early hours and devotees from all over the country flocked the Mela campus to take holy dip and perform rituals. Elaborate security arrangements have also been made for the smooth holy snan. The significance of Maghi Purnima in Hindu mythology is paramount, as it is believed that Lord Vishnu himself resides at Sangam on this auspicious day. Astrologically, this event is even more extraordinary as the alignment of Magha Nakshatra happened after 120 years, magnifying the spiritual rewards of holy dip and donations at Sangam manifold. The Maghi Purnima bathing also marks the conclusion of the month-long Kalpvas, during which devotees engage in worship, aarti, and charitable acts. Starting today, devotees, especially the Kalpvasis who dwell along the banks of the Ganga for most of the month, bid farewell to the fairgrounds after fulfilling their religious duties. The Magh Mela stands as one of the most significant religious gatherings in India, offering devotees an opportunity to seek spiritual purification and absolution of sins through the sacred act of bathing in the Sangam. UP Tourism and Culture Minister Jaiveer Singh has commended the governments efforts to ensure pilgrims safety and convenience during the Magh Mela. Special provisions were made for a hassle-free dip at Sangam and other essential amenities. This success serves as a prelude to the Maha Kumbh in 2025, showcasing the governments dedication to enhancing religious experiences for all participants. Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a mega roadshow in Gujarats Jamnagar on Saturday. Modi, who arrived in his home state on a two-day visit, recieved a warm welcome from his supporters as they lineup on both sides of the road and showered flower petals on him. Hundreds of people had gathered along the roadshow route to get a glimpse of the prime minister, who waved to the crowed as his convoy passed through. According to a press release from the prime ministers office, Modi will perform pooja at Beyt Dwarka temple at 7:45 am. He will then visit the Sudarshan Setu at around 8:25 am and Dwarkadhish Temple at around 9:30 am. Advertisement At around 1 pm, the Prime Minister will dedicate and lay the foundation stone of multiple development projects worth more than Rs 4150 crore in Dwarka. Thereafter, at around 3:30 pm, the Prime Minister will visit AIIMS Rajkot. At around 4:30 pm, Prime Minister will inaugurate, dedicate to the nation and lay the foundation stone of multiple development projects worth more than Rs. 48,100 crores at Race Course Ground, Rajkot, the release said. At a public function in Dwarka, the Prime Minister will dedicate to the nation, Sudarshan Setu connecting Okha mainland and Beyt Dwarka island built at a cost of around Rs. 980 crores. It is the longest Cable-stayed bridge in the country. The Prime Minister will dedicate a pipeline project at Vadinar involving replacement of existing offshore lines, abandoning existing Pipeline End Manifold (PLEM), and relocating the entire system (pipelines, the PLEMs and the interconnecting loop line) at a nearby new location. Prime Minister will dedicate Rajkot-Okha, Rajkot-Jetalsar-Somnath and Jetalsar-Wansjaliya Rail Electrification projects to the nation, the release stated. Prime Minister will lay the foundation stone for the widening of Dhoraji-Jamkandorna-Kalavad section of NH-927D; Regional Science Center at Jamnagar; Flue Gas Desulphurization (FGD) system installation at Sikka Thermal Power Station, Jamnagar among others. At the public function in Rajkot, the Prime Minister will inaugurate, dedicate to the nation and lay the foundation stone of multiple development projects worth more than Rs. 48,100 crore, encompassing important sectors like health, road, rail, energy, petroleum & natural gas, tourism among others, as per the release. Strengthening the road and rail infrastructure in the region, the Prime Minister will dedicate doubling of the Surendranagar- Rajkot Rail line; four laning of Bhavnagar- Talaja (Package-I) of old NH-8E; Pipli-Bhavnagar (Package-I) of NH-751. He will also lay the foundation stone of six laning with paved shoulder of Samakhiyali to Santalpur section of NH-27, among others. (With ANI inputs) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday hit out at the Congress, saying the grand old party is unable to think beyond nepotism, corruption and appeasement. Those who work only for their families can never think about others families. Those who are only busy in making the future of their sons and daughters can never worry about the future of others sons and daughters, he said. Congress formed governments again and again, but forgot to build the India of the future, because forming a government was its only task and taking the country forward was not on its agenda, Mr Modi said, adding even today the direction of the partys politics remains the same. Advertisement The PM was addressing the Viksit Bharat Viksit Chhattisgarh programme via video conferencing today. During the programme, he dedicated to the nation multiple development projects worth over Rs 34,400 crores. The projects cater to many important sectors including Roads, Railways, Coal, Power, and Solar Energy. Drawing attention to the transfer of funds directly to the accounts of beneficiaries under various schemes by his government without any leakage, he said development starts the moment corruption comes to an end, creating many job opportunities for the people. He threw light on the development of health facilities and education infrastructure and the construction of new roads and rail lines as a result of good governance. The PM also spoke about the leakages in the transfer of funds that would have occurred during the regime of the previous governments due to a lack of transparency. The PM emphasised that Viksit Chattisgarh will be created by the empowerment of the youth, women, poor and farmers and modern infrastructure will strengthen the foundation of Viksit Chhattisgarh. Mr Modi highlighted the governments endeavour to make Chhattisgarh a centre for solar energy and mentioned dedicating solar power plants in Rajnandgaon and Bhilai that have the potential to supply electricity to nearby regions even during the night. The government strives to cut down the electricity bills of consumers to zero, he said and referred to the PM Surya Ghar Free Electricity scheme which currently comprises one crore households around the country. He informed that the government will provide financial aid directly into the bank accounts for setting up rooftop solar panels where 300 units of electricity will be made free and the excess electricity produced will be bought back by the government, thereby creating additional income for citizens worth thousands of rupees. He also mentioned the governments emphasis on transforming the annadata into urjadata by assisting farmers to set up small-scale solar plants on barren farmlands. The PM commended the completion of guarantees by the double-engine government in Chhattisgarh. Lakhs of farmers in the state have already received a bonus that was pending for two years. The double-engine government has also fulfilled the election guarantee of increasing the emoluments of Tendu leaves collectors, he said. He said that when India emerges as the third largest economy in the world, Chhattisgarh too will reach new heights of development. This is a big opportunity, especially for the first-time voters and young people studying in schools and colleges. Viksit Chhattisgarh will fulfil their dreams,he added. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday termed Congress partys decision to give Gujarats Bharuch seat to its INDIA alliance partner AAP a revenge of the prince. Handing over long standing stronghold of Sh Ahmed Patel, who gave his life to Congress Party, to AAP is the revenge of the Prince! BJP leader Jaiveer Shergill said. As per the seat-sharing alliance between the Congress and the AAP in Gujarat, the grand old party would contest 24 of the 26 seats in the state, while the AAP will fight the upcoming Lok Sabha elections from Bharuch and Bhavnagar. Advertisement However, Ahmed Patels daughter Mumtaz Patel was reportedly preparing to contest the Lok Sabha elections from Bharuch, the seat her father held thrice between 1977 and 1984. After the seat-sharing pact was announced, Mumtaz Patel expressed her disappointment and said that she wont let her fathers legacy go in vain. Deeply apologize to our district cadre for not being able to secure the Bharuch Lok Sabha seat in alliance.I share your disappointment. Together, we will regroup to make INC stronger. We wont let Ahmed Patels 45 years of Legacy go in vain, she wrote on X. BJPs Amit Malviya has also claimed the move was Rahul Gandhis attempt to erase the legacy of Ahmed Patel. Everyone knows of the differences between late Ahmed Patel and Rahul Gandhi. Giving away Bharuch to AAP is Rahul Gandhis attempt to erase his legacy and humiliate the family. Gandhis believe in use and throw, said. TDP and Jana Sena on Saturday jointly released the first list of 118 candidates for the upcoming Assembly polls in Andhra Pradesh, keeping the doors open for the BJP in the rest in view of ongoing negotiations over seat sharing between the three parties. TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu released a list of 94 candidates and Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan who is a NDA ally said they will contest in 24 Assembly seats and 3 MP seats while pointing out that the seat allocation was done keeping BJP in mind. The state will go for simultaneous polls for Parliament and Assembly with 25 MP and 175 MLA seats in contention. Advertisement I decided to contest only 24 Assembly seats to get a 98 per cent striking rate and also 3 Parliamentary seats which cover another 40 seats. I wanted to keep this alliance strong. The BJP will be accommodated if they decide to join the alliance,said Pawan Kalyan speaking at the joint press conference at TDP headquarters at Undavalli. He hinted that he has sacrificed some seats for the BJP. He added that it was imperative to ensure vote transfer between TDP and Jana Sena. The two parties will hold their first joint public rally on 28 February at Tadepalligudem. Jana Sena declared candidates for only 5 seats. Pawan Kalyan who contested two seats in 2019 will contest only one this time. Naidu said We have finalised these 94 candidates after taking the opinion of the people. We have given priority to youngsters and educated candidates and have also ensured sufficient representation to the BCs. We have provided opportunity to 23 fresh faces, while slamming the chief minister for nominating rowdies and sandalwood smugglers. He said TDP-JSP is ready for election war. This alliance is for a brighter future of Andhra Pradesh. Among the key candidates Chandrababu Naidu himself will be contesting from his long held seat, Kuppam , while his son and party general secretary Nara Lokesh will fight elections from Mangalagiri where he had lost the election last time. In Hindupur TDP retained NTRs son and Telugu actor N Balakrishna as its candidate. The TDP ticket for Sattenapalle went to Kanna Lakshminarayana who shifted his loyalties from BJP to TDP. YSRCP dissidents like Kotumreddy Sridhar Reddy were also accommodated. TDP leader and former MLC B Tech Ravi will contest against YS Jagan Mohan Reddy in the latters bastion Pulivendula. The waters of the Indian Ocean have played host to an unsettling presence ~ a Chinese research ship, Xiang Yang Hong 03, arriving in the Maldives, leav- ing a ripple of concern in its wake. This is not the first time such a vessel has ventured into the region, and its recent manoeuvres have reignited security apprehen- sions, particularly for India. Chinas foreign ministry insists that the ships activities are purely for peaceful, scientific purposes. However, Indias unease is rooted in the lingering suspicion of dual-use intentions. The term dual-use hangs ominously in the air, indicating that the data collected by these seemingly civilian ves- sels could serve both civilian and military objectives. The Xiang Yang Hong 03s journey, extending beyond the exclusive economic zones of India, the Maldives, and Sri Lanka, raises eyebrows. The timing, just three months after a similar vessel stirred concerns in the Indian Ocean, adds fuel to the geopolitical fire. A US think tank has suggested that Chinas navy might lever- age insights gained from such missions for naval deploy- ments, a notion dismissed by Beijing as part of an alleged China threat narrative. Indias worry is not unfounded, considering past incidents involving Chi- nese research vessels. The Yuan Wang 5, a military vessel capable of tracking rocket and missile launches, caused alarm when it arrived in Colombo in 2022. Moreover, the Xiang Yang Hong 03s track record includes sailing through the Sunda Strait in Indonesia in 2021, where it reportedly turned off its tracking system three times, causing concern among Indonesian authorities. Sri Lanka, too, has experienced the unsettling presence of Chinese research vessels, prompting the island nation to impose a year-long moratorium on foreign research ships in January, denying China a port of call. Yet, the recent docking of the Xiang Yang Hong 03 in the Mal- dives underscores the persistence of Chinas maritime activities in the region. What adds an intriguing layer to this narrative is the geopolitical backdrop. The visit comes on the heels of a January upgrade in ties between China and the Maldives, with President Mohamed Muiz- zu receiving generous financial aid of US$920 million. While nations have the right to foster diplomatic rela- tions, the timing raises questions about the true nature of Chinas intentions in the Indian Ocean. For India, the stakes are high. The Indian Ocean is not merely a strate- gic waterway. It is an integral part of its security calculus. The recurrent presence of Chinese research vessels, ostensibly on scientific missions, poses a challenge that cannot be ignored. As China continues to expand its in- fluence in the region, India must navigate a delicate bal- ance between diplomacy and safeguarding its national security interests. As India remains vigilant, a nuanced approach is required to address the dual-use nature of such vessels, ensuring that the peaceful facade does not mask potential geopolitical ramifications that could dis- rupt the delicate equilibrium of the region. Advertisement Russian defector and crit- ic of Vladimir Putin, Alexander Litvinenko, had hauntingly predict- ed his own death, You may suc- ceed in silencing me, but that silence comes at a price, you may succeed in silencing one man, but the howl of protest from around the world will reverberate, Mr Putin, in your ears for the rest of your life. While Russia under the iron grip of Putin did manage to silence Alexander Litvinenko soon (poisoned with radionu- clide polonium-210 whilst in exile in the United Kingdom), it didnt stop the trail of mysteri- ous deaths of Putins critics. While the then British Pri- me Minister (current Foreign Minister), David Cameron, had slammed Alexander Litvinenkos death as state sponsored mur- der, British Member of Parliam- ent, Ian Austin, went beyond ge- neralities and said, Putin is an unreconstructed KGB thug and gangster who murders his oppo- nents in Russia and, as we know, on the streets of London ~ and nothing announced today is going to make the blindest bit of difference. Indeed, many more promi- nent dissidents who dared to cross the path with Putin found themselves dead in the most bizarre and questionable ways. The recent death of the most prominent Putin critic in recent times i.e., Alexei Navalny, follows that same chilling pat- tern of inexplicable deaths. This dubious routine has already got a term and it is cal- led sudden Russian death syn- drome. It is a syndrome that af- flicts all those who dare question Putins authoritarian ways, as was done to Navalny ~ seeming- ly, the retaliation is always guar- anteed and it is invariably fatal. After all, Navalnys anti- corruption, pro-accountability and pro-democracy crusade had led to his slamming and popularizing Putins United Russia as a party of crooks and thieves (which became a folk- loric epithet), and clearly, Putin does not have a history of accommodating dissent or con- trarian opinions. Putins insensitivity saw a steady rise in intolerance and reaction, as it first warned and debarred Navalny from polls. He then got embroiled in politically trumped-up charges of embezzlement and when that was not enough, he was put to the Russian dispensa- tions patent and favourite tactic i.e., poisoning with nerve agents. While he was evac- uated and rescued in the nick of time with Western med- ical wherewithal outside Russia, Navalny soon re- turned and faced a serious of escala- tory detentions and prison terms in unforgiving Arctic circle prisons (last year he was saddled with a 19-year term, on supposedly extremist and anti-national charges that are the wont of any illiberal and dic- tatorial dispensation). And the end came as it ha- bitually does, with a cold, cryptic and obviously insincere annou- ncement of a sudden death whilst taking a walk. A perfunctory clarification that seldom convinces anyone followed, All necessary resusci- tation measures were carried out but did not yield positive results The paramedics con- firmed the death of the convict. The self-confessed nation- alist democrat who took positi- ons that openly militate against those adopted by Putin e.g., on Ukraine, paid the price for the same. He had goaded Russians not to be a nation of frightened people and cowards who pre- tend not to notice the aggressive war brought upon them by our insane tsar! He had called out the completely sold/controlled and obsequious Russian media and their star anchors and war- ned that they, should be treated as war criminals. From the editors-in-chief to the talk show hosts to the news editors, [they] should be sanctioned now and tried some- day. Instead, it was only the odd opposition voice left such as Navalny who were put to rest, permanently. The fact is that almost all high-profile Rus- sians within and outside Russia who have been mysteriously shot or poisoned, or have jumped from high build- ings, or simply hung themselves, are those people who are on the wrong side of Pu- tin; this adds to serious concerns of Kremlin com- plicity. A one-time associate of Putin who turned rogue on him was Boris Berezovsky ~ not only was his business empire system- atically decimated, but Boris was found hanging in his bath- room in the UK. Some other associates of Berezovsky such as Nikolai Glushkov and Yuri Golubev were found dead in equally mysteri- ous circumstances. A famous journalist who had refused to sell her soul and bend with the times, Anna Poli- tkovskaya, was shot dead in her apartment. While the impact of that murder (obviously unsolved) was immediate on the so-called free press, Putin was to downplay Annas voice as very minor. Someone as senior as for- mer Deputy Prime Minister Boris Nemtsov, who was once seen as an alternative to succeed Boris Yeltsin (before Putin did so) was shot by unknown assai- lants. Independent trackers were to note the shadowy presence of FSB sleuths (Federal Security Service, the successor to KGB), the same ones whose names propped up in the poisoning or disappearances of other oppo- sition leaders. It seems that with each death, the Russians are insistent on making a larger and more specific point, be it to the com- munity of so-called free press, opposition leaders, activists, or any other form of dissenters. The killing of the head of the infamous Wagner mercenary army i.e., Yevgeny Prigozhin, was apparently to suggest the fate that awaited traitors. The common refrain on the Russian street that emerged from the dodgy aircraft crash that killed Prigozhin was they finally got him! Preceding the aircraft crash were haunting images of Putin slamming his one-time protege as a backstabbing trai- tor who had instigated the mutiny ~ soon Prigozhins unnecessity was established, conclusively. The message to all other quasi-warlords or such autono- mous figures was unmistakable, for example General Sergei Surovikin (Head of Russias Aero- space Forces). Retribution for insecure and vain leaders like Putin has to be sure, public and to the point. The authoritarian Putin simply cannot afford to give up the carefully constructed image and narrative amongst Russians. Towards the same, anything goes from patronage networks that ensure disproportionate rewards, e.g., friendly oligarchs, to guaranteed retribution for those who dare to oppose. The institutions of checks- and-balances are either non- existent or completely compro- mised. The colossal loss of face in Ukraine is conveniently hushed-up or spin-doctored to suggest otherwise. Those few brave ones like Anna Politkovskaya, Alexander Litvinenko or most recently, Alexei Navalny, exemplify sure consequences of attempting to speak truth to power, but it is to the credit of these few brave ones that the vital flicker of chal- lenge still lingers. The writer is Lt Gen PVSM, AVSM (Retd), and former Lt Governor of Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Puducherry Advertisement The Sindh government has imposed Section 144 in the south zone of the province in anticipation of a protest ahead of the provincial assembly, which will be convening its preliminary session with the newly elected members, according to Geo News. The Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA), Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Jamaat-e-Islami, and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam have announced plans to stage a protest outside the assembly building against alleged election rigging. the Government of Sindh, in exercise of the powers conferred under Section 144 (6) Cr.PC, hereby imposes a ban on public assembly, gatherings, protests, processions, and demonstrations in South Zone Karachi Division for a period of 30 days with immediate effect, the provincial government said in a notification issued on Friday. Advertisement It further stated, In pursuance of Section 195 (i) (a) Cr.PC, the S.H.Os of the concerned Police station are hereby authorized to register complaints under Section 188 PPC in writing for the violation of Section 144 Cr.P.C against the violators of this notification. Sindhs interior minister, Brigadier (Retired) Haris Nawaz, highlighted that Section 144 is now in effect in the area around the building of the provincial assembly, hence, no marches or protests can be held nearby, as reported by Geo News. Nawaz further said that strict security measures have been taken to protect the area around the assembly to ensure a law-and-order situation. The interior minister also issued a stern warning, stating that strict legal action awaits those who disrupt peace or engage in unlawful activities. Any troublemakers will face consequences, Nawaz said, calling for cooperation between the public, the police, and other law enforcement agencies, Geo News reported. Sindh Governor Kamran Khan Tessori issued a notification on Thursday, informing that the inaugural session of the provincial assembly will be held at 11 am today at the Sindh Assembly building, where the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) is all set to form the next government in the province. Reportedly, in the inauguration session, the newly elected members will take an oath as lawmakers, and then they will elect the Houses speaker under the assembly rules, according to Geo News. According to the results announced by the Pakistan electoral body, the PPP won the most provincial assembly seats (84) followed by MQM-P (28), while independent candidates bagged 14, GDA 2, and JI two seats in the February 8 general elections in Sindh. Additionally, the PPP got 26 reserved seats for women and minorities, with the MQM-P being allocated eight reserved seats as per their strength in the assembly. Whereas, the PTI, JI, and GDA rejected the poll results and launched a joint struggle against the rigging in the general elections. They further decided to stage province-wide protest demonstrations today, when the inaugural session of the PA is being convened., as reported by Geo News. On the second anniversary of Russia-Ukraine conflict, US President Joe Biden announced over 500 new sanctions against Russia for its ongoing war of conquest of Ukraine and the death of Aleksey Navalny, who was Putins fiercest opposition leader. He further emphasised that these sanctions will target individuals connected to Navalnys imprisonment, and several Russian sectors. Today, I am announcing more than 500 new sanctions against Russia for its ongoing war of conquest on Ukraine and for the death of Aleksey Navalny, who was a courageous anti-corruption activist and Putins fiercest opposition leader, he said, according to an official release by the White House. Advertisement Biden added, These sanctions will target individuals connected to Navalnys imprisonment as well as Russias financial sector, defence industrial base, procurement networks and sanctions evaders across multiple continents. They will ensure Putin pays an even steeper price for his aggression abroad and repression at home. He further affirmed that the unprecedented 50-nation global coalition in support of Ukraine, led by the US, remains committed to providing critical assistance to Ukraine and holding Russia accountable for its aggression. Biden said, The brave people of Ukraine fight on, unbowed in their determination to defend their freedom and future. NATO is stronger, larger, and more united than ever. And the unprecedented 50-nation global coalition in support of Ukraine, led by the United States, remains committed to providing critical assistance to Ukraine and holding Russia accountable for its aggression. Moreover, US President Biden also imposed new export restrictions on nearly 100 entities for providing backdoor support for Russias war machine. We are also imposing new export restrictions on nearly 100 entities for providing backdoor support for Russias war machine. We are taking action to further reduce Russias energy revenues, he said. Biden also directed his team to strengthen support for civil society, independent media, and those who fight for democracy around the world, according to the statement. Additionally, he noted that two years into this war, the Ukrainian people continue to fight with tremendous courage, but are running out of ammunition. Biden further stressed the need to pass the bipartisan national security supplemental bill as early as possible. Ukraine needs more supplies from the United States to hold the line against Russias relentless attacks, which are enabled by arms and ammunition from Iran and North Korea. Thats why the House of Representatives must pass the bipartisan national security supplemental bill before its too late, he said. He highlighted that this bill provides urgent funding for Ukraine. Moreover, it invests in Americas own defence industrial base. He underscored that the bill passed overwhelmingly in the Senate, and there is no question that, if the Speaker called a vote, it would pass quickly in the House. Congress knows that by supporting this bill, we can strengthen security in Europe, strengthen our security at home, and stand up to Putin. Opposing this bill only plays into his hands, he added. Moreover, the US President noted that Putin believed that he could easily bend the will and break the resolve of a free people, and could roll into a sovereign nation, and the world would roll over. That he could shake the foundations of security in Europe and beyond, he added. US President Biden then emphasised that Putin miscalculated badly. Two years later, we see even more vividly what weve known since day one: Putin miscalculated badly, Biden said. He further said that the American people and people across the globe understand that the stakes of this fight extend far beyond Ukraine. Remembering that ten years ago, Putin occupied Crimea and created puppet regimes in Ukraines Luhansk and Donetsk regions. Biden said, Two years ago, he tried to wipe Ukraine off the map. If Putin does not pay the price for his death and destruction, he will keep going. He added that the costs to the United States, along with our NATO allies and partners in Europe and worldwide, will rise. Emphasizing that history is watching, the US President said that the failure to support Ukraine at this critical moment will not be forgotten. Now is the time for us to stand strong with Ukraine and stand united with our Allies and partners. Now is the time to prove that the United States stands up for freedom and bows down to no one, he said. Saint-Laurent, CA (H4T1V6) Today Considerable cloudiness. Occasional rain showers this afternoon. A few flurries or snow showers possible. High 41F. Winds WSW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 50%.. Tonight Cloudy with rain and snow showers this evening. Remaining cloudy overnight. Low 26F. Winds WNW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of precip 50%. The town of Mansfield has been recognized with an FY2023 Excellence in Wellness Award from the Massachusetts Interlocal Insurance Association, the towns insurance provider. The award was given in recognition of the towns overall excellence in wellness best practices, leadership support, creativity, innovation, and having an active wellness committee. It was presented Jan. 20 during MIIAs annual business meeting in Boston. From left are Jocelyn LeMaire, Mansfield Human Resources director; Stephanie Kierys, Mansfield Human Resources assistant; Amy Donnelly, human resources specialist; and Meera Mathur, MIIA wellness representative. The United States and the European Union are heaping hundreds of new sanctions on Russia on the eve of the second anniversary of its invasion of Ukraine and in retaliation for the death of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny. President Joe Biden says the U.S. is going to "continue to ensure that Putin pays a price for his aggression abroad and repression at home. But while previous sanctions have increased costs for Russias ability to fight in Ukraine, they appear to have done little so far to deter Putin and it's unclear that the latest big round will significantly alter that. Police arrest man in killing of nursing student at University of Georgia Police say they have arrested a man in connection with the killing of a nursing student whose body was found on the University of Georgia campus in Athens JPMorgan Chase & Co. CEO and his family sold their shares worth $150 million, according to a US Securities and Exchange Commission filing. Jamie Dimon, 67, who became CEO of the banking company in 2005, had announced last year that he and his family will sell one million shares as per terms of a stock trading plan. Mr. Dimon continues to believe the companys prospects are very strong and his stake in the company will remain very significant, the company said in its filing in October 2023. Dimon and his family sold around 8,22,000 shares this Thursday. They still have holdings of about 7.7 million shares in the New York firm. When Dimon took over as CEO 18 years ago, JPMorgan stock was trading at $40 per share. And when he sold the shares on Thursday, it was worth $183 per share. What is Jamie Dimon's net worth? Dimon's net worth was reported to be $2.1 billion, as of February 24, 2024, ranking 1,502nd in the list of world's richest people. according to Forbes. He unloaded $12 billion of subprime mortgages in 2006 to buffer his bank against the 2008 crash. In Andhra Pradesh, a recent history is repeating itself. The upcoming 2024 Assembly elections will resemble the 2014 Assembly polls, at least in alliances. The political forces, which had joined hands, is now coming together after a decade of bickering and misunderstandings. In 2014, Chandrababu Naidus Telugu Desam Party (TDP) aligned with Bharatiya Janatiya Party (BJP) to be a part of National Democratic Alliance (NDA). Actor Pawan Kalyans Jana Sena Party (JSP) extended support to these two by staying away from contesting. The coalition of the two regional parties and the national party fought against Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddys YSRCP and won power. But in 2019, they went separate ways and fought independently only to put up a dismal performance. Now, the trio seem to have sealed the deal as the camp announced the first list of candidates. This time around, unlike in 2014, Jana Sena party will be contesting and has managed to get two dozen seats out of 175 Assembly seats. In the first list, the TDP also announced candidates for 94 seats. A total of 99 names have been made public. In the joint press meet of Naidu and Pawan Kalyan, the leaders made it clear that they are waiting for BJP to be on board and the names had been finalised with a view to accommodate the saffron party. Pawan Kalyan emphasised on vote transfer for the victory of the alliance. Naidu said that they have decided to work with like-minded parties for the future of the state and its people. I have never done so much exercise to shortlist candidates, said Naidu, referring to TDPs list. The leaders said that rest of the candidates will also be announced in due course of time. According to the first list, Naidu will contest from his traditional seat, Kuppam, and his son, Lokesh, from Mangalagiri. Pawan Kalyan is yet to finalise his seat. It has been learnt that the BJP leadership is open to allocation of meagre number of seats for assembly but wants a significant number of Parliament seats. The TDP and the JSP seem to have almost agreed to these terms of the BJP. The three parties are confident that as a combined force, they will ensure that anti-incumbency votes do not split and will help them capture power in the upcoming elections as was seen a decade back. The Centre has agreed to hold discussions with the leaders of Ladakh regarding their Sixth Schedule demand. Today, we had the third meeting with the High Powered Committee of the Ministry of Home in New Delhi, said Sajad Kargil, a member of the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), at a press conference after the meeting. It was decided in the next meeting that legal experts will present to discuss the issue of the Sixth Schedule for Ladakh. He said the meeting was held in a very cordial environment, and three members each from KDA, representing the Kargil district, and the Leh Apex Body from Leh district participated in the meeting. The High Powered Committee is led by Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai. The last meeting took place on February 19 in Delhi and succeeded in breaking the deadlock between the Centre and the leaders of Ladakh over their demands for Statehood, Sixth Schedule, two Lok Sabha MPs, a separate Ladakh cadre, a Service Selection Board, and a Public Service Commission (PSC). Kargili said that the committee has accepted their demand on SSRB and PSC, and the notification will be issued soon. He mentioned that in the next meeting, the Sixth Schedule status for Ladakh will be discussed with legal experts. We suggest that, apart from the legal experts, political leaders should also be invited to the meeting for the smooth implementation of agreed-upon decisions, he said. He added that the MHA is ready to hold the meeting in Ladakh, but they want it in Delhi. Following Ladakh's separation from Jammu and Kashmir on August 5, 2019, and its grant of UT status, people have been advocating for constitutional safeguards regarding land, jobs, and a distinct identity. The decision to confer UT status to the region received approval from people in Leh but was rejected by those in Kargil. The realisation among Leh residents that the protective provisions for land, jobs, and identity, previously enjoyed under Article 370 when Ladakh was part of Jammu and Kashmir, no longer applied as a UT, sparked unrest, leading to protests. The LAB subsequently collaborated with the KDA to jointly pursue constitutional safeguards for the region. They agreed to include the demand for statehood in their list of demands for Ladakh. After Ladakh became a UT, the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) in Leh and Kargil lost their powers. The four assembly seats, two in Kargil and two in Leh, ceased to exist as the UT status was granted without an assembly, unlike in Kashmir. Last December, the Centre reaffirmed its commitment to accelerating Ladakh's development and addressing its people's aspirations. This commitment was reiterated during discussions with the high-powered committee chaired by Rai. Established by the Ministry of Home Affairs, the committee for Ladakh, under Rai's leadership, aims to preserve the region's unique cultural and linguistic heritage while considering its strategic significance. It focuses on safeguarding land, promoting inclusive development, empowering the Ladakh LAHDCs of Leh and Kargil, and exploring constitutional safeguards. The BJP is keen to end the deadlock before the code of conduct for the Lok Sabha polls comes into effect and retain the lone Lok Sabha seat in the region. The suspected mastermind of the violence in Haldwani on February 8, which resulted in at least six deaths, was taken into custody by the Uttarakhand Police on Saturday. Police said Abdul Malik, who was arrested from Delhi, has been brought back to Haldwani and will be produced before a local court at the earliest. Two other rioters, too, were arrested on Saturday, taking the total number of people arrested so far in the case to 81. Police had formed six teams to search for Malik and his son Abdul Moid in different states and had also issued a lookout notice for the duo on February 16. Moid is still on the run. What the case about Violence broke out in Haldwanis Banbhoolpura area on February 8 after the Municipal Corporation demolished a madrasa illegally built by Malik. Malik had opposed the administrations action and his wife Safia had gone to the court challenging the Corporations notice for the demolition of the madrasa. The court, however, refused to grant them relief and the structure was demolished, triggering protests in the Muslim dominated area. Though the police tried to disperse the irate mob by resorting to a mild lathi charge and bursting of teargas shells, tension escalated. The mob set fire to several vehicles, including a police patrol car. By late evening, the mob had set ablaze the the Banbhoolpura Police Station. A curfew was imposed following this. Police had initially filed three FIRs. They later registered a fresh case charging six people, including Malik and his wife, with criminal conspiracy and illegal plotting, construction and transfer of land. They were booked under sections 120B(criminal conspiracy), 417 (cheating) and 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property) of the IPC, he told reporters. An Indian warship provided critical assistance to a merchant vessel after it caught fire following a suspected drone or missile attack in the Gulf of Aden, the latest in a series of such support missions in the region. Palau-flagged vessel MV Islander came under attack on Thursday and a crew member of the ship sustained injuries, Indian military officials said on Saturday. An explosive ordnance disposal team of the Navy embarked the vessel and sanitised it for any residual risk following which the vessel was cleared for onward transit, they said. The fresh incident comes amid growing global concerns over attacks on various commercial vessels in the Red Sea by Houthi militants. A medical team of the Indian Navy also embarked MV Islander and provided medical assistance to the injured crew member, Indian Navy said. In a swift response to a distress call from the vessel, the Indian warship arrived in the vicinity of the cargo ship within a few hours to provide critical support, an official said. "Relentless efforts by Indian Naval ships reaffirms the Indian Navy's steadfast commitment towards safety and security of merchant shipping and seafarers," Indian Navy spokesperson Commander Vivek Madhwal said. In the last few weeks, the Indian Navy extended assistance to a number of merchant vessels in the Western Indian Ocean following attacks on them. The Indian Navy, earlier this month, foiled a piracy attempt on an Iranian-flagged fishing vessel with a crew of 11 Iranian and eight Pakistani nationals along the east coast of Somalia. In January, an Indian warship rescued 19 Pakistani crew members of an Iranian-flagged fishing vessel after it was attacked by pirates on the east coast of Somalia. The Navy on January 5 thwarted an attempted hijacking of Liberian-flagged vessel MV Lila Norfolk in the North Arabian Sea and rescued all its crew members. Liberian-flagged vessel MV Chem Pluto, with 21 Indian crew members, was the target of a drone attack off India's west coast on December 23. The Navy has already enhanced the deployment of its frontline ships and surveillance aircraft for maritime security operations in view of the maritime environment in the critical sea lanes, including in the north and central Arabian Sea. The Indian Embassy in the United States on Saturday reacted strongly to recent developments in the Jaahnavi Kandula death case and said it has raised the issue with local authorities for appropriate redressal. The King County prosecutors office on Wednesday said the police officer can not be charged with a felony due to sufficient lack of evidence. The Consulate General in Seattle on Saturday tweeted, On the recently released investigation report of the King County Prosecution Attorney on the unfortunate death of Jaahnavi Kandula, Consulate has been in regular touch with the designated family representatives and will continue to extend all possible support in ensuring justice for Jaahnavi and her family. It added, We have also raised the matter strongly with local authorities, including Seattle Police for appropriate redress. The case has now been referred to the Seattle City Attorneys office for review. We await completion of Seattle Police's administrative investigation and will continue to monitor progress on the case. Jaahnavi Kandula was killed in January last year after she was struck by a police vehicle driven by Officer Kevin Dave. He was driving 74 mph (more than 119 kmph) on the way to a report of an overdose. The case garnered widespread attention after another officer, identified as Daniel Auderer, was heard on a body camera video released by the Seattle police department commenting that Kandula's life had "limited value" and that the city should just write a check for $11,000. Auderer was set to face action for his comments, which the Civilian OPA said it "undermined public trust in the department, himself, and his colleagues." The King County prosecutors office in a memo to the police department on Wednesday said there was a lack of sufficient evidence under the Washington State law to prove a criminal case beyond a reasonable doubt. The memo added that Dave had on his emergency lights and that other pedestrians reported hearing his siren. It added that Kandula appeared to try to run across the intersection after seeing his vehicle approaching. "She might also have been wearing wireless earbuds that could have diminished her hearing," they noted. For those reasons, a felony charge of vehicular homicide was not warranted. However, the city prosecutors could file lesser charges, such as negligent driving. Kandulas family in a statement said they were shocked and their daughter did nothing wrong. It was dark and he did not use his siren. Jaanhavi was in a marked crosswalk when she was struck. We are pursuing our legal rights to obtain justice for Jaahnavi even though the city of Seattle has failed to do so," it said. In a major jolt to the INDIA bloc, the seat-sharing talks between the Congress and the Trinamool Congress, which showed signs of revival yesterday, seem to have been derailed again. Late on Friday, TMC leader Derek O'Brien said there has been "no change" in the party's stand of contesting all 42 Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal, thus ending earlier speculations that the parties have arrived at an understanding regarding the seat sharing. He added that the TMC will also contest a few seats in Assam and Tura Lok Sabha seat in Meghalaya. "A few weeks ago...West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee stated that TMC is fighting all the 42 seats in Bengal. We are also in the fray in a few seats in Assam and the Tura Lok Sabha seat in Meghalaya. There is no change in this position." There were reports earlier that the Congress and the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC, which are part of the INDIA bloc, have revived their talks to unitedly take on the BJP-led NDA in the Lok Sabha polls, due in April-May. The TMC has, publicly and internally, insisted that the Congress merits only two seats in West Bengal, while the Congress has been demanding around 10 seats, including Darjeeling, Purulia and Raiganj. Congress had won two seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections Berhampore and Maldaha Dakshin. The Sharad Pawar faction of the Nationalist Congress party unveiled its new symbol at Raigad Fort on Saturday. The new symbol of man blowing turha was allotted to the party after the Election Commission of India recently decided to give the partys name and its original clock symbol to Ajit Pawar-led faction. The senior leader reached Raigad Fort in a doli for the launch of the new symbol. Pawar is reportedly visiting the Fort after almost 40 years. Party leaders Jayant Patil, Jitendra Awad, Amol Kolhe and Supriya Sule were present. The Election Commission of India on Thursday allotted "man blowing turha (a traditional trumpet)" as the symbol of the Nationalist Congress Party-Sharadchandra Pawar. , the outfit's spokesperson Clyde Crasto said the partys candidates will be contesting the upcoming Lok Sabha polls on this symbol. Reacting to the developments, NCP-Sharadchandra Pawar faction leader Rohit Pawar said, "In 1999, when NCP was formed, there was no social media. But people recognise Sharad Pawar and in the elections, gave good numbers to the party. But now we have social media as well as party workers, and in the last six months, people have become very emotional about Sharad Pawar. People will support with full heart and we will have no issues in the upcoming elections. Also called 'tutari' in Marathi, the trumpet is sounded to mark the entry of important persons, ranging from kings earlier to political leaders now. Announcing its new symbol on X, the party tweeted, "The Tutari in the form of great valour of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj had once deafened the emperor of Delhi. It is a great honour for our party to get Tutari (Man Blowing Turha) as our symbol for upcoming elections. Our Tutari is now ready to shake Delhi's throne under the leadership of Sharadchandra Pawar. The Sharad Pawar-founded NCP split in July last year after Ajit Pawar and eight other MLAs joined the Eknath Shinde government. -with PTI inputs. The Karnataka Congress government is in a dilemma over tabling the Karnataka Hindu Religious Institutions and Charitable Endowments Bill 2024 a second time in the Legislative Assembly as the bill meant to enhance the taxes from the earnings of the state-owned temples, which was passed in the lower house was defeated in the Legislative Council in a voice vote, on Friday. The ruling party is still mulling over reintroduction of the bill before the upcoming Lok Sabha polls as the opposition BJP was quick to label the Congress as anti-Hindu over the amendment. The saffron party accused the Congress government of looting the high earning temples to fill the empty coffers of the state. The BJP also alleged that the government was tapping into the revenue of only the temples and not of the churches and the mosques. Earlier, the Act mandated that temples with gross income exceeding Rs 10 lakh had to part with 10 % of their net income, and temples with annual income between Rs 5 lakh and Rs 10 lakh had to contribute 5 % of their net income towards the Common Pool Fund (CPF). The latest amendment proposes that temples with annual incomes of up to Rs 1 crore will part with 5% and those getting incomes of above Rs 1 crore will give 10% of their annual income. While, the BJP mocked at the Siddaramaiah government, calling it as penniless, and the amendment as a means to fill its depleted coffers (with temple tax), the Congress claimed that the creation of the CPF was not a new concept. Chief Minister Siddaraamaiah contended that the law (Karnataka Hindu Religious Institutions and Charitable Endowments Act, 1997) has been around since May 2003. The Common Pool of Funds was created under Section 17 of this law. In 2011, the BJP government amended the law, enabling the government to collect funds from high income group (A category) temples to support temples with poor incomes (C category) using the common pool fund, said Siddaramaiah. Karnataka has 34,563 temples under the Muzrai department, of which 205 are categorised as Group A temples (annual income exceeds Rs 25 lakh), 193 are Group B (with income between Rs 5 lakh and Rs 25 lakh) and the remaining are Group C temples as they have an income less than Rs 5 lakh per annum. While, the government did not table the latest facts on the total revenue generated by the temples (as the bill was passed without a debate in the lower house), the annual revenue, as per an audit report of Group A and B temples in 2021-2022 was Rs 450 crore. The bill is considered contentious as the right wing groups have been alleging that the earnings of the temple are being diverted to non-Hindu places of worship. Despite the Siddaramaiah government claiming that the common pool of funds or the gross revenue of the temples will be utilised only for the betterment of temples and the Hindu community, the Endowment department schemes like Aradhana have come under public scrutiny as the guidelines are ambiguous. Aradhana scheme which came into force in 1990-91 allows grants for construction of temples, prayer hall, and other religious purposes in the places resided by Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes, Minorities like Christians, Muslims, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhist, Parisis and Anglo Indians. State BJP chief B.Y. Vijayendra alleged that the Congress governments plan to gobble up temple earnings reflected its deplorable condition and its abject hate towards Hindu dharma. Temple funds should be exclusively utilised for renovation of temples and to facilitate the work beneficial to devotees, rather than diverting it for other purposes, which would be an injustice and betrayal of people's religious beliefs. Why are only Hindu temples being targeted for revenue, while leaving out other religions, is a question raised by millions of Hindu devotees. Instead of grabbing the devotees' money, the government should openly install "Donation Boxes" and seek funds from people to run the government, mocked Vijayendra. Meanwhile, the Hindu Janajagruti Samiti has demanded the government to revoke a clause in the bill that mandates appointment of a non-Hindu member to the temple management committee in case of a composite institution. Muzrai minister R. Ramalinga Reddy clarified that the non-Hindu (Muslim) member would be appointed only in two cases -- Baba Budan Giri Darga in Chikmagalur district and at Bhutaraya Chowdeshwari and Sadat Ali Darga in Shivamogga, as members of both faiths visited these shrines. Even as the ongoing Legislature session has been extended by a day (February 26), it remains to be seen if the Siddaramaiah government will table the bill once again in the Assembly on Monday or consider passing an ordinance before the Lok Sabha polls to enact the amended Act. The Vishva Hindu Parishad should expand to 1,00,000 places to mark 60 years of its formation, said VHP Secretary General Milind Parande in Ayodhya on Saturday. Parande was speaking at a three-day meeting of the organisation that kicked off in Ayodhyas Kar Sewakpuram on Saturday. He addressed the media on the issues that would figure in the meeting that consists of the organisations central board of trustees and the central governing council. He said the meeting would focus on the most pressing issues Hindu society was facing and consolidate it. The issues include: population imbalance, love jihad, foreign Muslim infiltration, and illegal religious conversions. We shall brainstorm on action plans to deal with these situations, he said. Parande said the pran pratishtha ceremony had infused the organsitaion with new vigour and this would be reflected in expanding the footprint of the VHP and its allied organisations like the Durga Vahini and the Bajrang Dal. We condemn the vicious and brutal atrocities being committed by the Ghazwa-e-Hind Jihadi elements on the mothers, sisters and Sadhu-Sants in Sandeshkhali, West Bengal, during the past months and years under the possible patronage of the state government and the local administration. We demand the hanging of Jihadi predators involved in such crimes against humanity, said Parande. He said the perpetrators of the crimes and atrocities in Bengal were members of the ruling party. The ruling party is directly shielding and fostering them. Hindu society must never forget their atrocious acts, he said. The only way to stop these elements, Parande added, was to ensure that Hindu friendly people came to power. He also said that the VHP would put the Citizenship Amendment Act to good use. With full commitment and dedication we shall enable the provision of Bharatiya citizenship to the traumatised and persecuted Hindu, Jain, Buddhist and Sikh brethren from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. Scientists have managed to measure gravity at the microscopic scale, a development that could potentially lead to a better understanding of quantum gravity theory. The gravitational force, famously conceptualized by physicist Isaac Newton, has long been acknowledged as primarily influential at macroscopic scales due to its fundamental weakness. Einstein's theory of general relativity, widely accepted as the prevailing theory of gravity, has been substantiated through various experiments. Recent confirmation includes the direct observation of gravitational waves resulting from the merger of two black holes in 2016, along with other studies focusing on black hole imaging. However, the behavior of gravitational force at the atomic scale, within the quantum realm, remains a mystery. It is widely believed that particles and forces at this scale interact differently than objects of regular size. Published in the esteemed journal 'Science Advances', the study, led by physicists at the University of Southampton in the United Kingdom in collaboration with researchers in the Netherlands and Italy, has successfully detected a weak gravitational pull on a tiny particle using an innovative technique involving levitating magnets. Lead author Tim Fuchs, from the University of Southampton, emphasized the significance of the results, stating, "For a century, scientists have tried and failed to understand how gravity and quantum mechanics work together. Now we have successfully measured gravitational signals at the smallest mass ever recorded, it means we are one step closer to finally realizing how it works in tandem." The scientists utilized a sophisticated setup involving superconducting devices, or "traps," with magnetic fields, sensitive detectors, and advanced vibration isolation to measure a weak pull of just 30 attonewtons (aN) -- 30 quintillionths (10 raised to -18) of a newton -- on a tiny particle weighing 0.43 milligrams. This was achieved by levitating the particle in freezing temperatures a hundredth of a degree above absolute zero, approximately -273 degrees Celsius. Professor of physics Hendrik Ulbricht explained that the results open the door for future experiments involving even smaller objects and forces. Their novel technique, employing extremely cold temperatures and devices to isolate vibrations of tiny particles, is likely to prove crucial for measuring quantum gravity. "From here, we will start scaling the source down using this technique until we reach the quantum world on both sides. By understanding quantum gravity, we could solve some of the mysteries of our universe - like how it began, what happens inside the black holes, or uniting all forces into one big theory," said Fuchs. "Unraveling these mysteries will help us unlock more secrets about the universe's very fabric, from the tiniest particles to the grandest cosmic structures," added Ulbricht. (With inputs from PTI) Western leaders descended on Kyiv on Saturday to mark the second anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen travelled overnight to Kyiv by train along with Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. They arrived shortly after a Russian drone attack struck a residential building in the southern city of Odesa, killing at least one person. Three women also sustained severe burns in the attack Friday evening on a residential building, regional Governor Oleh Kiper said on his social media account. Rescue services are still combing rubble looking for survivors. The foreign leaders are in Ukraine to express solidarity as Ukrainian forces run low on ammunition and weaponry and Western aid hangs in the balance. More than ever we stand firmly by Ukraine. Financially, economically, militarily, morally. Until the country is finally free, von der Leyen said in a post on X, formerly Twitter, after she arrived in Kyiv. But, at the front line in the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine, Ukrainian soldiers pleaded for ammunition. When the enemy comes in, a lot of our guys die. ... We are sitting here with nothing, said Volodymyr, 27, a senior officer in an artillery battery. In order to protect our infantry ... we need a high number of shells, which we do not have now, said Oleksandr, 45, commander of artillery unit. The war has also come to Russia. Drones hit a steel plant in the Lipetsk region in southern Russia Saturday, causing a large fire, regional governor Igor Artamonov said, adding there are no casualties. Independent Russian media said the Novolipetsk Metallurgical Plant is the largest steel plant in Russia. Videos shared on Russian social media showed several fires burning at the plant, and an explosion could be heard. Independent Russian news outlet Mediazona said Saturday that around 75,000 Russian men died in 2022 and 2023 fighting in the war. Working with journalists from other outlets, it said the rate of Russia's losses in Ukraine is not slowing and that Moscow is losing around 120 men a day. Based on a statistical analysis of the recorded deaths of soldiers compared with a Russian inheritance database, the journalists said around 83,000 soldiers are likely to have died by Saturday, the second anniversary of the full scale invasion. According to Mediazona's analysis, regular Russian troops sustained the heaviest losses in the first months of the war. But, after prisoners were offered their freedom in exchange for fighting and after President Vladimir Putin ordered a partial mobilization, those groups started to sustain more casualties, particularly in the early months of 2023. A somber mood hangs over Ukraine as the war against Russia enters its third year and Kyiv's troops face mounting challenges on the front line amid dwindling ammunition supplies and personnel challenges. Its troops recently withdrew from the strategic eastern city of Avdiivka, handing Moscow one of its biggest victories. Earlier this month, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy fired top military commander Valerii Zaluzhnyi, replacing him with Col. Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi, marking the most significant shakeup of top brass since the full-scale invasion. Russia still controls roughly a quarter of the country after Ukraine failed to make any major breakthroughs with its summertime counteroffensive. Meanwhile, millions of Ukrainians continue to live in precarious circumstances in the crossfire of battles, and many others face constant struggles under Russian occupation. Most are waiting for a Ukrainian liberation that hasn't come. Olena Zelenska, wife of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said Saturday that more than 2 million Ukrainian children have left the country since the war began and that at least 528 have been killed. The war started by Russia deliberately targets children, she said. In the US Congress, Republicans have stalled $60 billion in military aid for Kyiv, desperately needed in the short term. The EU recently approved a 50 billion-euro (about USD 54 billion) aid package for Ukraine meant to support Ukraine's economy, despite resistance from Hungary. US President Joe Biden tied the loss of the defensive stronghold of Avdiivka in the Donetsk region after months of grueling battles to the stalled US aid. Fears have since spiked that Ukrainian forces will face similar difficulties across other parts of the 1000-kilometer (620-mile) front line as they come under mounting pressure from Russian assaults. Iran's military forces have killed Ismail Shahbakhsh, a senior leader of Jaish al-Adl militant group, and his companions in Pakistan, according to a report. Iran International English, which cited Iranian state media, claimed that Tehran's military forces killed the militant leader in an armed clash inside Pakistan territory. This comes a month after both the countries carried out airstrikes on each other's territories. Tehran first fired missiles and drones at targets in Pakistan to destroy two "important headquarters" of Jaish al-Adl on January 16 night. Islamabad retaliated after claiming that the strikes killed two children and injured three others. On January 18, Pakistan targeted hideouts of the Balochistan Liberation Army and the Balochistan Liberation Front. Following this, the two countries had mutually agreed to expand security cooperation and de-escalate tensions. Who was Ismail Shahbakhsh? Ismail Shahbakhsh was a senior leader of Jaish al-Adl, which has been designated as a "terrorist organisation" by Tehran. Operating in the country's southwestern Sistan-Baluchistan province, the Sunni militant group allegedly carried out terrorist activities on Iranian soil. The future looks bleak for war-weary Ukraine: It is beset by shortages in soldiers and ammunition, as well as doubts about the supply of Western aid. Ukrainian forces also face a Russian enemy that has recently seized the initiative on the battlefield. Two years after Russia's full-scale invasion captured nearly a quarter of the country, the stakes could not be higher for Kyiv. After a string of victories in the first year of the war, fortunes have turned for the Ukrainian military, which is dug in, outgunned and outnumbered against a more powerful opponent. As the war enters its third year, here is a look at the situation on the ground, the challenges ahead and some of the potential consequences if Ukraine does not acquire the people, ammunition and assistance it needs to sustain the fight. What is the state of play? Triumphs have turned to attrition for Ukraine along the snaking front line in the country's east. With Russia gaining advantages, shortages mounting and a major military shake-up still fresh, questions abound about whether Kyiv can keep going. As things stand, neither side has won. Neither side has lost. Neither side is anywhere near giving up. And both sides have pretty much exhausted the manpower and equipment that they started the war with, said Gen. Richard Barrons, a British military officer who is co-chair of a defence consultancy. Ukraine suffered setbacks after the much-anticipated summer counteroffensive failed to produce any breakthroughs. The armed forces switched to a defensive posture in the fall to repel new advances from Moscow. On February 17, Russian forces took control of the embattled city of Avdiivka, where Kyiv's troops were under constant fire with Russians approaching from three directions. Ukrainian commanders had complained for weeks of personnel and ammunition shortages. It was the biggest battlefield victory for Russia since the fight for Bakhmut, and it confirmed that Moscow's offensive was gaining steam. Away from the battlefield, Ukraine has proven successful in the Black Sea, where it has used long-range weapons to strike military installations in Crimea and maritime drones to sink Russian warships. Ukraine has disabled a third of the Black Sea Fleet, according to the Atlantic Council. Ukraine is looking to acquire more long-range missiles to strike deep into Russian-occupied territory, a move that some European countries fear may spark escalation from Moscow. How many people have been killed? Both Russia and Ukraine have sought to keep casualty figures under wraps. Few details about Ukrainian military deaths have emerged since the full-scale invasion began in 2022. But it's clear that tens of thousands of Ukrainian civilians have been killed. In 2023, the first independent statistical analysis of Russia's war dead concluded that nearly 50,000 Russian men had died in the war. Two independent Russian media outlets, Mediazona and Meduza, worked with a data scientist from Germany's Tbingen University to analyse Russian government data. What happens if ukraine can't find more troops? Without more soldiers, Ukraine's defensive lines will be overstretched and more vulnerable to Russian attack, especially if Moscow launches intense multi-pronged assaults along the 1,000-kilometre (620-mile) front line. The Ukrainian military has an average personnel shortage of 25 per cent across brigades, according to lawmakers. Military commanders are unable to give their soldiers enough rest, and Russia has recently increased the tempo of attacks. As a result, soldiers are tired - and more easily injured - exacerbating the effects of the shortage. Ukraine's military command has said 4,50,000 to 5,00,000 additional recruits are needed for the next phase of the war. Even if Ukraine succeeds in mobilising that number, which is unlikely, it still would not be able to match the manpower of Russia, which has more than three times Ukraine's population. Lawmakers have spent months mulling over a controversial proposal to increase the conscription pool, as many Ukrainian men continue to evade the war in Ukrainian cities. Commanders say they don't have enough men to dig trenches or carry out offensive operations. Shortages have also required them to switch tactics and focus on preserving the lives of the soldiers they do have, sometimes at the expense of holding territory. What about weapons and ammunition? If they continue, ammunition shortages will jeopardise Ukraine's ability to hold territory and keep soldiers alive. Military leaders appear to be rationing shells, sending trickles of ammunition to firing positions to preserve stockpiles, while promises for more ammunition from Western allies have gone unfulfilled. The European Union failed on its promise to deliver 1 million rounds by the start of the year, delivering only a few hundred thousand. At the same time, Russia is mobilising its defence industry and may soon be able to fire 5,000 artillery rounds a day, Barrons said. Ukraine is building up its domestic arms production but will not be able to match Moscow in scale in the short-term. Military commanders have complained for months of ammunition shortages for infantry fighting vehicles, machine guns, artillery and multiple rocket launch systems. Those shortages grew particularly acute by the end of 2023, with some artillery commanders saying they can meet only 10 per cent of ammunition needs. Commanders say long-range artillery in particular serves two important purposes: first, it acts as a protective umbrella to cover infantry, allowing them to hold territory and prepare for offensive operations. Second, by striking Russian troops and heavy weaponry from a distance, artillery prevents planned assaults by seriously degrading Moscow's capabilities. Without it, Ukraine will increasingly come under the pressure of Russia's relentless artillery barrages. Commanders say their soldiers have no choice but to dig in deeper to hold their lines. Is western support waning, and what if it does? Ukraine is reliant on western allies and international organisations not just for military aid but also for financial support and humanitarian help. Without western assistance, Ukraine will not have the weapons, ammunition and training it needs to sustain the war effort, nor will it be able to keep its battered economy afloat or reach Ukrainians trapped in the crossfire of battles. Between divisions about the future of aid within the EU and $60 billion in military aid languishing in the United States Congress, western countries have not been as forthcoming with money this year. Kyiv breathed a sigh of relief in February when the EU approved extending a 50-billion-euro ($54-billion) aid package for Ukraine after resistance from Hungary. That money is meant to support the economy and rebuild the country, not to fight Russia. But it's the US funding that many Ukrainian leaders are waiting for. The funds will enable Ukraine to purchase weapons and equipment from American firms, access more military training and intelligence sharing, and bolster air and sea defences. The money will also provide direct budget support for Kyiv. Ukrainian leaders also need western help to cover the salaries of public servants and medical workers. On the humanitarian side, the United Nations and its partner agencies said if an appeal for $3.1 billion in new funding for the year is not fulfilled, the UN won't be able to meet the basic needs of 8.5 million Ukrainians living on the front line. Westerly, RI (02891) Today Showers early, then partly cloudy for the afternoon. High 49F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 50%.. Tonight Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 32F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph. The North American Aerospace Defense Command based in Colorado Springs announced Friday it detected a small balloon and sent fighters to intercept it above Utah. The fighters determined it was not maneuverable and did not present a threat to national security, according to a news release. The balloon, detected between 43,000 and 45,000 feet, was no hazard to flight safety, the FAA determined. NORAD could not release additional information, such as when the balloon was detected and what type of planes were sent. One U.S. official told CBS News the balloon was expected to be over Georgia by Friday night. The balloon appeared to be made of Mylar, the official said. Last February, a large Chinese balloon was shot down off the coast of South Carolina with a payload the size of three school buses. At the time, John Kirby, spokesman for the National Security Council, said it may have been designed to spend time loitering over sites to get better imagery than a satellite could gather. Israels Channel 13 reported on Motzei Shabbos that progress was made in the hostage deal talks in Paris and that Hamas softened its demands. According to the report, the potential deal includes the following: About 40 hostages women, adults over 50 and the sick will be released for hundreds of Palestinians imprisoned in Israel. According to an Axios report, the released prisoners will include terrorists convicted of murdering Israelis and serving long sentences. A 6-week ceasefire. Israel will agree to release more terrorists in certain categories than agreed so far. According to a foreign source, Israel is ready to hold a dialogue about those released from the Shalit deal who were re-arrested. Israel will show significant flexibility in humanitarian issues both regarding the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip and the return of residents to the northern Gaza Strip. Israel will not commit to ending the war. A senior Israeli political official emphasized on Motzei Shabbos: We are still far from a deal, but Hamas dropped some of its demands. A Channel 12 report said that the members of Israels war cabinet will vote on Motzei Shabbos by phone whether to approve the hostage deal. (YWN Israel Desk Jerusalem) Warning: Renault boss Luca de Meo Wise words and warnings from engaging Renault boss Luca de Meo about several unintended consequences of Western politicians' drive to go 'green'. Red-tape regulation results in bigger, heavier and more expensive electric cars from European manufacturers that customers find too costly, while China aggressively mops up the market with cheap imports. Writing in respected motor magazine Autocar, he said the industry faced its most profound change in 150 years. He said: 'The urge to reduce our environmental impact, the phasing out of the internal combustion engine by 2035 and the ever-increasing safety and cybersecurity requirements for our cars are making them heavier and more expensive. 'All these constraints add up.' The consequence is that older and more polluting cars remain on roads longer with the average age of a car rising from seven to 12 years. Shares in the British Airways owner IAG have trailed Easyjet, Wizz and Ryanair since the start of the pandemic. Four years on and there are little signs this is likely to change, with the airline owner's stock down around 10 per cent over the past 12 months. Pressure is mounting on IAG which also owns the Spanish carriers Iberia and Vueling to get its act together with its full-year results on Thursday. But that is possibly a task too big for a company that has shown time and time again just how unreliable it can be. There has been turbulence across the airline industry, with flights to and from Israel grounded because of the conflict in the Middle East, rising oil prices and higher labour costs. IAG, however, is planning to resume flights from London to Tel Aviv from April. Analysts expect the company's fourth-quarter sales to rise 11 per cent to 6billion and for its profits to increase by almost a fifth to 434m. Across the financial year, sales are forecast to jump 27 per cent to a record 21billion, while profits should reach an all-time high of 3billion. The City will also keep a close eye on how IAG's capacity compares to levels before the Covid pandemic. And with its debt falling, the firm could be moving towards paying a dividend in 2024 for the first time in four years, according to analysts at investment platform AJ Bell. IAG which is worth 7.5billion will need to produce a bumper update if it wants to catch up with its peers. Duncan Wanblad's eyes light up as soon as he talks about Yorkshire. The chief executive of Anglo American oversees a mining empire that spans the globe and digs up precious resources including gold, copper and De Beers diamonds. But what really captivates him is the development of the Woodsmith fertiliser mine in the North York Moors National Park, a stone's throw from the seaside town of Whitby. Everything about the project is supersized. Beneath the picturesque countryside, the deposits of polyhalite a new type of fertiliser are the biggest known in the world. The two mine shafts are each a mile deep. Engineers are boring a 23-mile long transport tunnel to move vast quantities of the mineral from the mine to a port on Teesside. Enthusiastic: Anglo American boss Duncan Wanblad, inset, and the Woodsmith mine Unfortunately for Wanblad, the bill for the project is enormous too. It has spiralled since his predecessor Mark Cutifani acquired Woodsmith Mine owner Sirius Minerals for 405 million in early 2020. Bearing in mind that Anglo has already spent at the last count 2 billion on the programme, does he believe Anglo was right to take it over? The cost of project is expected to tot up to at least 7 billion in total. 'I do,' Wanblad says enthusiastically. 'There are a number of elements to that decision that remain absolutely true today. 'The first is the world is going to struggle with nutrition as the population grows. Without a doubt.' That, he argues, means the demand for fertilisers will increase dramatically. Perhaps more importantly to investors, he is convinced that the project will make big money. 'It will spin vast amounts of cash off for decades,' he says. He believes it will become 'the cornerstone' of Anglo's portfolio of businesses in future. Really? The cornerstone of the entire company? 'Absolutely,' he says, adding that the deposit of polyhalite could stretch underneath the North Sea all the way to Germany. 'It's something that the world absolutely needs,' he insists. If Woodsmith were to become the lynchpin of the 107-year-old mining giant, it would be quite the turnaround in view of the fact that the takeover was a rescue deal. Thousands of small local investors who had ploughed savings into Sirius felt that Anglo had snapped up the company on the cheap and they may not be happy at the thought that it could reap a bonanza. That, however, is still some way off, if indeed it ever happens. A final decision on whether to go ahead with the mine will not be made until next year, despite construction already being under way. Production is not expected to start until 2027. And for all Wanblad's gushing about Woodsmith, Anglo is looking for a partner possibly a sovereign wealth fund or another mining group to take a stake and spread the risk. As analysts at Bank of America have observed, Woodsmith is a project that the company loves, but the Square Mile hates. Sceptics believe the costs could continue to mount up and that in reality there may not be a huge market for polyhalite. Wanblad is staking large amounts of money on the project at a time when he is also embarking on cost-cuts and changes to the wider business, including its world-famous diamond group De Beers. Perhaps this is not quite what he signed up for. An engineer by training, the South African has spent more than 30 years in the industry, much of it at Anglo. When he took over the reins from Cutifani in 2022 the group was in rude health having just posted record profits and showering shareholders with almost 5 billion of dividends. But those bumper earnings were driven by a post-lockdown commodities boom that was losing steam. As his second year in charge is coming to a close, the share price has halved since his tenure started. Investors were left confused and angry by a new strategy to make changes to targets and the amount of production in some parts of the business. A nadir was reached in December when, during what was expected to be a mundane update on production, Anglo said it needed to cut costs by 1.4 billion, slash jobs and scale back its output of lucrative commodities such as iron ore and copper. Few had suspected up to that point that Anglo needed such radical action. Two of its biggest businesses are struggling. Platinum and similar metals are flailing because of the slowdown in the Chinese economy. China is the second largest market in the world after Europe for platinum for use in industry and in jewellery. The diamond market has been hit by lower spending on luxury jewellery and the rise in popularity of lab-grown gems. Wanblad believes both businesses are at the 'bottom' of a huge slump in prices. 'It is probably the worst that we've seen in the last 30-odd years,' he says. 'And that brings a lot of pressure to bear across the whole of the company.' When will things start to improve? 'You know, I wish we had that crystal ball,' he says. With question marks over how quickly the global economy will grow and dozens of elections taking place around the world this year, he adds, the market still feels 'volatile'. He says: 'It could be another year. It could be another two years. We just don't know. 'I think this is probably one of the most unsettling times in the industry that I've experienced,' he admits. The sinking share price has led to speculation that the company could be a takeover target. Diplomatically, he says he is just sticking to his day job. He does, however, rule out Anglo making any takeovers of its own for the time being. Wanblad argues that running a diverse portfolio with an array of metals and minerals means the company can spread its risks. However, the weight of the diamond slump became clear last week when Anglo wrote down the value of its De Beers stake by 1.3 billion in the company's annual results. Profits were down by a third and the dividend was chopped. Wanblad is now 'systematically reviewing' every asset the company owns. He seems unafraid to kill any of his darlings apart from Woodsmith. Whatever the short-term outcome of the shake-up, these actions early on in his tenure are likely to define his legacy. Mining attracts big personalities. But when we meet in Cape Town, he is quietly spoken and more corporate than cavalier. Perhaps some of his thoughtful manner is also due to his understanding of exactly how the industry is perceived. Commodities such as copper, rare earth metals and lithium are used in electric cars and in many other applications. These resources are all needed on an unprecedented scale in the green transition. Historically, mining has a reputation for being environmentally unfriendly and dangerous. It also has a reputation for very poor governance. Is that an annoyance? 'It doesn't frustrate me,' Wanblad says. 'I think there are some very legitimate reasons that it is perceived to be bad. I think it negatively impacted many, many host communities and many countries perhaps, in the early years of mining. 'We have to do it in a different way,' he says. Otherwise, the harm caused by the industry could outweigh the benefits of the commodities it digs up. The 'resource curse' the failure of many countries to benefit from their natural bounty because of exploitation or mismanagement is 'a very real thing'. Wanblad adds: 'It is down to responsible mining companies to change that.' A top UK fund manager backed by financial veteran Peter Hargreaves has called on the Government to cut corporation tax to 15 per cent, saying Britain should be 'at least on par' with the Republic of Ireland to remain competitive. Stephen Yiu, manager of the Blue Whale Growth Fund, which controls assets worth 915 million, said companies needed 'extra incentive' to invest in the UK and that the 25 per cent corporate tax rate was putting it at a disadvantage compared to European neighbours. 'Brexit should have given us a lot of freedom to do what we couldn't do before,' Yiu said. Disadvantage: Stephen Yiu said companies needed 'extra incentive' to invest in the UK Lowering corporate taxes to an effective 15 per cent, similar to rates in the Republic of Ireland, would be an 'inspiration,' the fund manager said. The move would also make Britain 'extremely competitive relative to other Western countries like France, Germany or even the US' where tax rates are higher. 'That is a good way to attract companies to the UK,' Yiu said. StockNews.com lowered shares of Cleveland-Cliffs (NYSE:CLF Free Report) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note released on Wednesday. Several other research firms have also recently issued reports on CLF. Argus cut Cleveland-Cliffs from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Thursday, February 8th. Morgan Stanley cut Cleveland-Cliffs from an overweight rating to an equal weight rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $21.50 to $20.00 in a research report on Thursday, February 15th. Finally, TheStreet cut Cleveland-Cliffs from a b- rating to a c rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 30th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $21.25. Get Cleveland-Cliffs alerts: View Our Latest Report on Cleveland-Cliffs Cleveland-Cliffs Trading Up 1.0 % CLF opened at $20.23 on Wednesday. Cleveland-Cliffs has a one year low of $13.61 and a one year high of $22.83. The company has a market cap of $10.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.27, a PEG ratio of 0.64 and a beta of 2.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a current ratio of 1.89. The businesss 50-day simple moving average is $19.53 and its 200-day simple moving average is $17.12. Cleveland-Cliffs (NYSE:CLF Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 30th. The mining company reported ($0.05) EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of ($0.05). The firm had revenue of $5.11 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.16 billion. Cleveland-Cliffs had a return on equity of 6.79% and a net margin of 1.81%. The firms revenue was up 1.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned ($0.30) EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Cleveland-Cliffs will post 1.95 EPS for the current fiscal year. Insiders Place Their Bets In related news, Director Ron A. Bloom acquired 25,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 1st. The shares were acquired at an average price of $20.24 per share, with a total value of $506,000.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 27,221 shares in the company, valued at $550,953.04. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. 1.57% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders. Institutional Investors Weigh In On Cleveland-Cliffs Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its stake in shares of Cleveland-Cliffs by 801.2% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 2,608,984 shares of the mining companys stock worth $53,277,000 after purchasing an additional 2,319,486 shares during the last quarter. Hobbs Group Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Cleveland-Cliffs during the 4th quarter worth about $47,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio boosted its stake in shares of Cleveland-Cliffs by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 208,620 shares of the mining companys stock worth $4,260,000 after purchasing an additional 1,593 shares during the last quarter. Systematic Portfolios LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Cleveland-Cliffs during the 4th quarter worth about $278,000. Finally, Brick & Kyle Associates boosted its stake in shares of Cleveland-Cliffs by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Brick & Kyle Associates now owns 153,655 shares of the mining companys stock worth $3,138,000 after purchasing an additional 700 shares during the last quarter. 60.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Cleveland-Cliffs Company Profile (Get Free Report) Cleveland-Cliffs is the largest flat-rolled steel company and the largest iron ore pellet producer in North America. The company is vertically integrated from mining through iron making, steelmaking, rolling, finishing and downstream with hot and cold stamping of steel parts and components. The company was formerly known as Cliffs Natural Resources Inc and changed its name to Cleveland-Cliffs Inc in August 2017. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Cleveland-Cliffs Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Cleveland-Cliffs and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. CMS Energy Co. (NYSE:CMS Get Free Report) has earned a consensus recommendation of Moderate Buy from the twelve ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and eight have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $62.50. CMS has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on CMS Energy from $64.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a report on Friday, December 1st. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on CMS Energy from $61.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a report on Tuesday, December 26th. Seaport Res Ptn downgraded CMS Energy from a buy rating to a neutral rating in a report on Monday, January 8th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on CMS Energy from $64.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a sector perform rating in a report on Monday, February 5th. Finally, Barclays reduced their target price on CMS Energy from $59.00 to $57.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Get CMS Energy alerts: View Our Latest Report on CMS Energy Insider Activity at CMS Energy Institutional Inflows and Outflows In other CMS Energy news, SVP Brandon J. Hofmeister sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.90, for a total transaction of $57,900.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 61,156 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $3,540,932.40. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website . 0.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders. Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in CMS Energy by 7.8% in the 2nd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 21,193,201 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $1,245,101,000 after purchasing an additional 1,532,826 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its holdings in CMS Energy by 1.5% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 17,583,510 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $1,033,031,000 after purchasing an additional 259,974 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in CMS Energy by 3.6% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 6,513,125 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $381,696,000 after purchasing an additional 227,199 shares in the last quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN increased its holdings in CMS Energy by 1.3% in the 2nd quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 6,327,495 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $371,740,000 after purchasing an additional 82,454 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital International Investors increased its holdings in CMS Energy by 24.8% in the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 6,208,876 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $360,537,000 after purchasing an additional 1,234,791 shares in the last quarter. 95.98% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. CMS Energy Trading Up 1.0 % CMS opened at $57.70 on Monday. CMS Energy has a 12 month low of $49.87 and a 12 month high of $63.76. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.17, a PEG ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.84, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.66. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $57.48 and a 200 day moving average price of $56.41. CMS Energy (NYSE:CMS Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 1st. The utilities provider reported $1.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $1.04 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $1.95 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.62 billion. CMS Energy had a return on equity of 12.09% and a net margin of 11.89%. CMS Energys revenue for the quarter was down 14.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.60 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that CMS Energy will post 3.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. CMS Energy Increases Dividend The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 29th. Investors of record on Monday, February 12th will be paid a $0.515 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 9th. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.57%. This is a positive change from CMS Energys previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. CMS Energys dividend payout ratio is presently 64.78%. About CMS Energy (Get Free Report CMS Energy Corporation operates as an energy company primarily in Michigan. The company operates through three segments: Electric Utility; Gas Utility; and Enterprises. The Electric Utility segment is involved in the generation, purchase, transmission, distribution, and sale of electricity. This segment generates electricity through coal, wind, gas, renewable energy, oil, and nuclear sources. See Also Receive News & Ratings for CMS Energy Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for CMS Energy and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC cut its stake in Pinnacle West Capital Co. (NYSE:PNW Free Report) by 5.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 62,271 shares of the utilities providers stock after selling 3,594 shares during the period. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC owned approximately 0.05% of Pinnacle West Capital worth $4,588,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of PNW. Bank of Montreal Can bought a new stake in shares of Pinnacle West Capital in the second quarter worth $15,524,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Pinnacle West Capital by 244.4% in the second quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 5,758 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $469,000 after buying an additional 4,086 shares during the last quarter. UBS Group AG boosted its holdings in Pinnacle West Capital by 83.2% in the third quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 308,765 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $22,750,000 after purchasing an additional 140,215 shares during the period. Moors & Cabot Inc. boosted its holdings in Pinnacle West Capital by 18.2% in the third quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. now owns 6,257 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $461,000 after purchasing an additional 962 shares during the period. Finally, QRG Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in Pinnacle West Capital in the third quarter worth $5,476,000. 84.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Get Pinnacle West Capital alerts: Analysts Set New Price Targets A number of equities analysts have commented on PNW shares. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Pinnacle West Capital from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report on Thursday, February 15th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Pinnacle West Capital from $78.00 to $74.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 26th. Guggenheim raised shares of Pinnacle West Capital from a neutral rating to a buy rating and set a $78.00 price objective for the company in a report on Monday, January 22nd. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH started coverage on shares of Pinnacle West Capital in a report on Wednesday, February 14th. They issued a neutral rating and a $69.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Mizuho decreased their price objective on shares of Pinnacle West Capital from $79.00 to $77.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $73.11. Insider Buying and Selling In related news, EVP Robert Edgar Smith sold 1,610 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.95, for a total value of $122,279.50. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 9,178 shares of the companys stock, valued at $697,069.10. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.31% of the companys stock. Pinnacle West Capital Stock Performance Shares of PNW opened at $70.50 on Friday. Pinnacle West Capital Co. has a 1 year low of $65.20 and a 1 year high of $86.03. The company has a market cap of $7.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.74 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 1.10. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $70.32 and a 200-day moving average of $73.52. Pinnacle West Capital Dividend Announcement The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, February 1st will be issued a $0.88 dividend. This represents a $3.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.99%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, January 31st. Pinnacle West Capitals payout ratio is currently 83.81%. Pinnacle West Capital Profile (Free Report) Pinnacle West Capital Corporation, through its subsidiary, Arizona Public Service Company, provides retail and wholesale electric services primarily in the state of Arizona. The company engages in the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity using coal, nuclear, gas, oil, and solar generating facilities. Further Reading Want to see what other hedge funds are holding PNW? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Pinnacle West Capital Co. (NYSE:PNW Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Pinnacle West Capital Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Pinnacle West Capital and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. North American Construction Group Ltd. (TSE:NOA Get Free Report) (NYSE:NOA) announced a quarterly dividend on Thursday, February 22nd, Zacks reports. Investors of record on Friday, March 8th will be given a dividend of 0.10 per share on Friday, April 5th. This represents a $0.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.20%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 7th. North American Construction Group Trading Up 0.7 % TSE:NOA opened at C$33.41 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average of C$30.07 and a 200 day moving average of C$29.90. North American Construction Group has a 52 week low of C$21.14 and a 52 week high of C$34.30. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 131.18. The firm has a market capitalization of C$893.38 million, a P/E ratio of 14.34, a P/E/G ratio of 0.79 and a beta of 1.74. Get North American Construction Group alerts: Analysts Set New Price Targets A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. ATB Capital upped their price target on shares of North American Construction Group from C$44.00 to C$46.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a report on Monday, February 5th. TD Securities decreased their price objective on shares of North American Construction Group from C$36.00 to C$33.00 and set a hold rating for the company in a report on Thursday, November 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, North American Construction Group currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of C$36.81. North American Construction Group Company Profile (Get Free Report) North American Construction Group Ltd. provides equipment maintenance, and mining and heavy construction services in Canada, the United States, and Australia. Its Heavy Construction & Mining division offers constructability reviews, budgetary cost estimates, design-build construction, project management, contract mining, pre-stripping/pit pioneering, overburden removal and stockpile, muskeg removal and stockpile, site preparation, air strip construction, site dewatering/perimeter ditching, tailings and process pipelines, haulage and access road construction, tailings dam construction and densification, mechanically stabilized earth walls, dyke construction, and reclamation services; and Equipment Maintenance services. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for North American Construction Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for North American Construction Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Covestor Ltd lessened its holdings in shares of Skyline Champion Co. (NYSE:SKY Free Report) by 13.6% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,244 shares of the companys stock after selling 354 shares during the quarter. Covestor Ltds holdings in Skyline Champion were worth $143,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of SKY. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in Skyline Champion by 28.9% during the 1st quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 60,302 shares of the companys stock valued at $3,309,000 after purchasing an additional 13,513 shares in the last quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC bought a new position in Skyline Champion during the 1st quarter worth approximately $277,000. Bank of Montreal Can bought a new position in Skyline Champion during the 1st quarter worth approximately $222,000. Acadian Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Skyline Champion during the 1st quarter worth approximately $496,000. Finally, MetLife Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in Skyline Champion by 53.8% during the 1st quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 28,047 shares of the companys stock worth $1,539,000 after buying an additional 9,809 shares during the last quarter. Get Skyline Champion alerts: Skyline Champion Trading Up 0.5 % Shares of NYSE SKY opened at $83.00 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $4.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.78 and a beta of 1.50. Skyline Champion Co. has a 12-month low of $52.12 and a 12-month high of $83.93. The company has a current ratio of 2.56, a quick ratio of 1.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02. The stocks 50 day simple moving average is $73.68 and its 200 day simple moving average is $67.08. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades A number of research analysts have commented on the company. Wedbush reaffirmed a neutral rating and set a $72.00 target price on shares of Skyline Champion in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Barclays increased their target price on Skyline Champion from $61.00 to $69.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a report on Wednesday, December 13th. StockNews.com raised Skyline Champion from a sell rating to a hold rating in a report on Friday, December 1st. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on Skyline Champion from $69.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a sector perform rating in a report on Wednesday, February 7th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Skyline Champion has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $71.40. Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on SKY Insider Buying and Selling In other Skyline Champion news, Director Keith A. Anderson sold 18,750 shares of Skyline Champion stock in a transaction on Friday, December 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.00, for a total transaction of $1,368,750.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 238,098 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $17,381,154. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 7.00% of the companys stock. Skyline Champion Company Profile (Free Report) Skyline Champion Corporation produces and sells factory-built housing in North America. The company offers manufactured and modular homes, park models RVs, accessory dwelling units, and modular buildings for the multi-family and hospitality sectors. It builds homes under the Skyline Homes, Champion Home Builders, Genesis Homes, Athens Park Models, Dutch Housing, Atlantic Homes, Excel Homes, Homes of Merit, New Era, Redman Homes, ScotBilt Homes, Shore Park, Silvercrest, and Titan Homes brands in the United States; and Moduline and SRI Homes brand names in western Canada. Recommended Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding SKY? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Skyline Champion Co. (NYSE:SKY Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Skyline Champion Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Skyline Champion and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. The Colorado Springs arts community is mourning Sam Knopp, a senior studying music at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs who was shot to death in his dorm Feb. 16. We are all reeling with the news of the death of our supremely talented student, friend and colleague, said Dr. Glen Whitehead, chair of the UCCS Department of Visual and Performing Arts (VAPA). My heart is broken for his wonderful family, his close friends, peers and everyone who knew him. Sam was a dynamic, talented musician who had a delightful spirit with an infectious laugh, and who cared deeply about his friends and family. Police believe Knopp, 24, and Celie Rain Montgomery, 26, were shot by Knopps roommate, Nicholas Jordan, who has been charged with two counts of murder. Knopp graduated from Estes Park High School. Montgomery was from Pueblo. The fear we experienced while we waited to hear who died, and then the grief we experienced when we learned who knew him, are going to leave a mark on all students, especially VAPA students, for the rest of our lives, fellow UCCS music student Ellie Myers wrote in a guest column for The Gazette. Because the campus was necessarily closed after the shooting, all weekend events were canceled, including the final three performances of Dream Hou$e, a play staged by TheatreWorks, a professional theater company affiliated with the university. Its an intimate play about two Latina sisters who turn to an HGTV-style home renovation show to help sell their childhood home after the death of their mother. But a few days later, the company announced that the production will have its rescheduled final three performances after all at 7:30 p.m. Friday, and 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday (Feb. 23-24). As part of the UCCS campus, the entire Theatreworks team is grateful to our community of friends and supporters for the outpouring of compassion in light of recent events, TheatreWorks posted on social media on behalf of Artistic Director Caitlin Lowans. All of us at Theatreworks mourn the loss of this vibrant UCCS student and artist alongside our communities at the Ent Center and the wider campus. For Lowans, the decision to restore a final weekend of performances was a way both to call some attention to Knopps life, talents and love for music, as well as to honor the artists who brought Dream Hou$e to life. Featured Local Savings The healing has only just begun, but at a time of otherwise utter emotional paralysis, art can be nothing if not a positive response to violence. These certainly will not be three ordinary performances. It is important for us to honor the artists who created something beautiful in Dream Hou$e and the audiences looking to gather together for shared stories in the hope that our inspiring story of two sisters navigating loss, legacy, and their path forward can bring joy and connection to our community, said Lowans. Meanwhile, Knopps family has released the full video of Knopps junior recital last March 13 in the very same Ent Center building. You can see his sheer versatility and Sam the shredder comes out at around 22 minutes, Whitehead said. EPG Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of iShares MSCI EAFE Min Vol Factor ETF (BATS:EFAV Free Report) by 427.8% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 760 shares of the companys stock after buying an additional 616 shares during the period. EPG Wealth Management LLCs holdings in iShares MSCI EAFE Min Vol Factor ETF were worth $50,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of EFAV. Investment Partners LTD. lifted its stake in iShares MSCI EAFE Min Vol Factor ETF by 0.7% in the 2nd quarter. Investment Partners LTD. now owns 23,090 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,559,000 after purchasing an additional 151 shares during the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC lifted its stake in iShares MSCI EAFE Min Vol Factor ETF by 4.5% in the 1st quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 3,740 shares of the companys stock valued at $270,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares during the last quarter. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. lifted its stake in iShares MSCI EAFE Min Vol Factor ETF by 2.9% in the 1st quarter. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. now owns 5,951 shares of the companys stock valued at $429,000 after purchasing an additional 165 shares during the last quarter. Magnolia Capital Advisors LLC lifted its stake in iShares MSCI EAFE Min Vol Factor ETF by 2.8% in the 4th quarter. Magnolia Capital Advisors LLC now owns 6,275 shares of the companys stock valued at $399,000 after purchasing an additional 168 shares during the last quarter. Finally, High Net Worth Advisory Group LLC lifted its stake in iShares MSCI EAFE Min Vol Factor ETF by 1.6% in the 1st quarter. High Net Worth Advisory Group LLC now owns 11,487 shares of the companys stock valued at $827,000 after purchasing an additional 182 shares during the last quarter. Get iShares MSCI EAFE Min Vol Factor ETF alerts: iShares MSCI EAFE Min Vol Factor ETF Stock Performance Shares of BATS:EFAV opened at $69.92 on Friday. iShares MSCI EAFE Min Vol Factor ETF has a 52-week low of $64.68 and a 52-week high of $76.51. The company has a market capitalization of $7.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.01 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $68.92 and a 200 day simple moving average of $67.18. iShares MSCI EAFE Min Vol Factor ETF Company Profile The iShares MSCI EAFE Min Vol Factor ETF (EFAV) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the MSCI EAFE Minimum Volatility (USD) index. The fund tracks an index of developed-market equities, ex-US and Canada, selected and weighted to create a low volatility portfolio subject to constraints including sector exposure. See Also Want to see what other hedge funds are holding EFAV? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for iShares MSCI EAFE Min Vol Factor ETF (BATS:EFAV Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for iShares MSCI EAFE Min Vol Factor ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for iShares MSCI EAFE Min Vol Factor ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Certified Advisory Corp raised its position in The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS Free Report) by 7.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 793 shares of the investment management companys stock after acquiring an additional 52 shares during the period. Certified Advisory Corps holdings in The Goldman Sachs Group were worth $257,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in GS. Fairfield Bush & CO. acquired a new position in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group in the 1st quarter worth approximately $66,000. Candriam Luxembourg S.C.A. raised its holdings in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group by 1,505.1% in the 1st quarter. Candriam Luxembourg S.C.A. now owns 41,300 shares of the investment management companys stock worth $13,633,000 after buying an additional 38,727 shares in the last quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group by 18.5% in the 1st quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 118,609 shares of the investment management companys stock worth $39,153,000 after buying an additional 18,540 shares in the last quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. raised its holdings in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group by 79.4% in the 1st quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. now owns 827 shares of the investment management companys stock worth $273,000 after buying an additional 366 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Covestor Ltd raised its holdings in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group by 118.3% in the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 310 shares of the investment management companys stock worth $102,000 after buying an additional 168 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.06% of the companys stock. Get The Goldman Sachs Group alerts: Insiders Place Their Bets In other The Goldman Sachs Group news, CAO Sheara J. Fredman sold 4,300 shares of The Goldman Sachs Group stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $380.15, for a total transaction of $1,634,645.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 11,463 shares in the company, valued at $4,357,659.45. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other The Goldman Sachs Group news, insider Kathryn H. Ruemmler sold 7,277 shares of The Goldman Sachs Group stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $379.81, for a total value of $2,763,877.37. Following the sale, the insider now owns 6,501 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $2,469,144.81. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CAO Sheara J. Fredman sold 4,300 shares of The Goldman Sachs Group stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $380.15, for a total value of $1,634,645.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 11,463 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,357,659.45. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 14,734 shares of company stock worth $5,529,824. Corporate insiders own 0.54% of the companys stock. Analysts Set New Price Targets A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on GS. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on The Goldman Sachs Group from $357.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock a market perform rating in a report on Thursday, January 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on The Goldman Sachs Group from $398.00 to $421.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a report on Tuesday, January 9th. Barclays increased their target price on The Goldman Sachs Group from $437.00 to $493.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a report on Tuesday, January 2nd. UBS Group raised their price target on The Goldman Sachs Group from $382.00 to $440.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Tuesday, January 9th. Finally, JMP Securities reaffirmed a market outperform rating and set a $440.00 price target on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group in a report on Wednesday, January 17th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $409.93. Get Our Latest Research Report on GS The Goldman Sachs Group Stock Up 0.1 % NYSE:GS opened at $391.05 on Friday. The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $289.36 and a 12-month high of $396.79. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.07. The firm has a market capitalization of $127.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.14, a P/E/G ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 1.43. The stocks fifty day simple moving average is $383.21 and its 200-day simple moving average is $346.94. The Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE:GS Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 16th. The investment management company reported $5.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.62 by $1.86. The business had revenue of $11.32 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.80 billion. The Goldman Sachs Group had a return on equity of 7.82% and a net margin of 7.85%. The firms revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $3.32 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. will post 32.66 earnings per share for the current year. The Goldman Sachs Group Dividend Announcement The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 29th will be issued a dividend of $2.75 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 28th. This represents a $11.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.81%. The Goldman Sachs Groups dividend payout ratio is presently 48.20%. The Goldman Sachs Group Profile (Free Report) The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc, a financial institution, provides a range of financial services for corporations, financial institutions, governments, and individuals worldwide. It operates through Global Banking & Markets, Asset & Wealth Management, and Platform Solutions segments. The Global Banking & Markets segment provides financial advisory services, including strategic advisory assignments related to mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, corporate defense activities, restructurings, and spin-offs; and relationship lending, and acquisition financing, as well as secured lending, through structured credit and asset-backed lending and involved in resale agreements. Further Reading Want to see what other hedge funds are holding GS? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for The Goldman Sachs Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for The Goldman Sachs Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Natixis Advisors L.P. increased its position in Hess Co. (NYSE:HES Free Report) by 78.6% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 595,543 shares of the oil and gas producers stock after purchasing an additional 262,002 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors L.P. owned about 0.19% of Hess worth $91,118,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Southport Management L.L.C. acquired a new stake in shares of Hess during the 3rd quarter valued at $765,000. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Hess by 15.1% during the 3rd quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. now owns 3,051 shares of the oil and gas producers stock valued at $467,000 after buying an additional 400 shares during the period. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Hess by 10.2% during the 3rd quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 195,103 shares of the oil and gas producers stock valued at $29,851,000 after buying an additional 18,061 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp boosted its stake in shares of Hess by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 2,866,681 shares of the oil and gas producers stock valued at $438,602,000 after buying an additional 42,802 shares during the period. Finally, Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI acquired a new stake in shares of Hess during the 3rd quarter valued at $264,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.72% of the companys stock. Get Hess alerts: Hess Price Performance Shares of Hess stock opened at $149.11 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 1.20 and a current ratio of 1.05. The firms 50-day simple moving average is $144.00 and its 200-day simple moving average is $148.20. Hess Co. has a twelve month low of $113.82 and a twelve month high of $167.75. The firm has a market cap of $45.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.14 and a beta of 1.28. Hess Dividend Announcement Hess ( NYSE:HES Get Free Report ) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 31st. The oil and gas producer reported $1.63 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.43 by $0.20. Hess had a net margin of 12.98% and a return on equity of 17.00%. The business had revenue of $3.04 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.76 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.78 EPS. The firms revenue was down .6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that Hess Co. will post 8.01 EPS for the current fiscal year. The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 29th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 18th were given a dividend of $0.4375 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 15th. This represents a $1.75 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.17%. Hesss dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 38.89%. Analysts Set New Price Targets A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on HES shares. Sanford C. Bernstein lowered shares of Hess from an outperform rating to a market perform rating and decreased their target price for the company from $189.00 to $166.00 in a research note on Thursday, November 2nd. UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of Hess from $210.00 to $195.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, December 14th. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Hess in a research note on Wednesday. They issued a sell rating for the company. Argus raised shares of Hess from a hold rating to a buy rating and set a $171.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 7th. Finally, Susquehanna reduced their price objective on shares of Hess from $160.00 to $152.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 26th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $172.71. Read Our Latest Stock Report on HES Hess Profile (Free Report) Hess Corporation, an exploration and production company, explores, develops, produces, purchases, transports, and sells crude oil, natural gas liquids (NGLs), and natural gas. The company operates in two segments, Exploration and Production, and Midstream. It conducts production operations primarily in the United States, Guyana, the Malaysia/Thailand Joint Development Area, and Malaysia; and exploration activities principally offshore Guyana, the U.S. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Hess Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Hess and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Jacobi Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK Free Report) by 2.7% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 13,953 shares of the utilities providers stock after buying an additional 369 shares during the quarter. Jacobi Capital Management LLCs holdings in Duke Energy were worth $1,231,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. CKW Financial Group purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the third quarter worth $25,000. Horizon Bancorp Inc. IN boosted its holdings in Duke Energy by 200.0% in the second quarter. Horizon Bancorp Inc. IN now owns 312 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 208 shares during the last quarter. Chilton Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Duke Energy during the 1st quarter valued at $28,000. FSC Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Fairfield Bush & CO. purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the 1st quarter worth $40,000. Institutional investors own 63.68% of the companys stock. Get Duke Energy alerts: Insider Transactions at Duke Energy In other Duke Energy news, EVP Louis E. Renjel sold 3,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.57, for a total transaction of $277,710.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 14,213 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,315,697.41. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.10% of the companys stock. Duke Energy Stock Performance NYSE:DUK opened at $92.73 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $95.70 and a 200 day moving average price of $92.33. The company has a current ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50. Duke Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $83.06 and a 12-month high of $100.39. The stock has a market capitalization of $71.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.13, a P/E/G ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.48. Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 8th. The utilities provider reported $1.51 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $1.53 by ($0.02). Duke Energy had a net margin of 9.78% and a return on equity of 8.93%. The company had revenue of $7.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $7.24 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.11 earnings per share. The companys quarterly revenue was down 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.97 EPS for the current fiscal year. Duke Energy Announces Dividend The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 18th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 16th will be given a dividend of $1.025 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 15th. This represents a $4.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.42%. Duke Energys payout ratio is 115.49%. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades A number of research analysts have weighed in on the company. Royal Bank of Canada raised Duke Energy from a sector perform rating to an outperform rating and increased their target price for the company from $101.00 to $113.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 10th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $103.00 to $100.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 9th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $93.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 21st. StockNews.com raised shares of Duke Energy from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report on Friday, November 3rd. Finally, Bank of America cut Duke Energy from a buy rating to a neutral rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $105.00 to $96.00 in a report on Monday, February 12th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $100.00. Read Our Latest Stock Report on DUK About Duke Energy (Free Report) Duke Energy Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as an energy company in the United States. It operates through two segments, Electric Utilities and Infrastructure (EU&I) and Gas Utilities and Infrastructure (GU&I). The EU&I segment generates, transmits, distributes, and sells electricity in the Carolinas, Florida, and the Midwest; and uses coal, hydroelectric, natural gas, oil, solar and wind sources, renewables, and nuclear fuel to generate electricity. Read More Want to see what other hedge funds are holding DUK? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Duke Energy Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Duke Energy and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of SandRidge Energy, Inc. (NYSE:SD Free Report) during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund purchased 226,600 shares of the oil and natural gas companys stock, valued at approximately $3,549,000. Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in SandRidge Energy by 14.4% during the 1st quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 190,697 shares of the oil and natural gas companys stock worth $3,055,000 after acquiring an additional 24,007 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its holdings in SandRidge Energy by 3.1% during the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 216,942 shares of the oil and natural gas companys stock worth $3,475,000 after acquiring an additional 6,621 shares during the last quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in SandRidge Energy by 96.8% during the 1st quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 27,431 shares of the oil and natural gas companys stock worth $439,000 after acquiring an additional 13,491 shares during the last quarter. Citigroup Inc. grew its holdings in SandRidge Energy by 7.8% during the 1st quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 37,875 shares of the oil and natural gas companys stock worth $607,000 after acquiring an additional 2,752 shares during the last quarter. Finally, BlackRock Inc. grew its holdings in SandRidge Energy by 0.7% during the 1st quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 676,265 shares of the oil and natural gas companys stock worth $10,834,000 after acquiring an additional 4,383 shares during the last quarter. 20.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors. Get SandRidge Energy alerts: SandRidge Energy Price Performance SD opened at $12.78 on Friday. The companys 50 day moving average price is $13.52 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $14.71. SandRidge Energy, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $11.51 and a fifty-two week high of $17.80. The firm has a market capitalization of $474.01 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 2.16. SandRidge Energy Cuts Dividend SandRidge Energy Profile The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 5th were paid a $1.50 dividend. This represents a $6.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 46.95%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 2nd. SandRidge Energys dividend payout ratio is currently 9.05%. (Free Report) SandRidge Energy, Inc engages in the acquisition, development, and production of oil and natural gas primarily in the United States Mid-Continent. As of December 31, 2022, it had an interest in 1,471 gross producing wells. The company was incorporated in 2006 and is headquartered in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Recommended Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding SD? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for SandRidge Energy, Inc. (NYSE:SD Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for SandRidge Energy Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for SandRidge Energy and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Wright Fund Management LLC acquired a new position in Invesco Variable Rate Preferred ETF (NYSEARCA:VRP Free Report) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 84,100 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $1,881,000. Wright Fund Management LLC owned about 0.13% of Invesco Variable Rate Preferred ETF at the end of the most recent reporting period. A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Captrust Financial Advisors boosted its holdings in shares of Invesco Variable Rate Preferred ETF by 1,818.0% in the 2nd quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 1,918 shares of the companys stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 1,818 shares during the period. Worth Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Invesco Variable Rate Preferred ETF in the 1st quarter worth approximately $54,000. Meitav Investment House Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Invesco Variable Rate Preferred ETF in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $55,000. Retirement Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Invesco Variable Rate Preferred ETF by 6.9% in the 2nd quarter. Retirement Group LLC now owns 8,214 shares of the companys stock worth $183,000 after purchasing an additional 533 shares during the period. Finally, Petix & Botte Co purchased a new position in shares of Invesco Variable Rate Preferred ETF in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $205,000. Get Invesco Variable Rate Preferred ETF alerts: Invesco Variable Rate Preferred ETF Price Performance Shares of Invesco Variable Rate Preferred ETF stock traded up $0.06 on Friday, reaching $23.63. The company had a trading volume of 237,472 shares, compared to its average volume of 357,161. The firms 50-day moving average price is $23.29 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $22.70. Invesco Variable Rate Preferred ETF has a 1 year low of $20.88 and a 1 year high of $23.70. Invesco Variable Rate Preferred ETF Company Profile The Invesco Variable Rate Preferred ETF (VRP) is an exchange-traded fund that mostly invests in broad credit fixed income. The fund tracks a market-value-weighted index of variable- and floating-rate preferred stocks. VRP was launched on May 1, 2014 and is managed by Invesco. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Invesco Variable Rate Preferred ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Invesco Variable Rate Preferred ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Penn Mutual Asset Management LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Argan, Inc. (NYSE:AGX Free Report) by 1.1% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 57,877 shares of the construction companys stock after selling 650 shares during the period. Argan accounts for 2.5% of Penn Mutual Asset Management LLCs portfolio, making the stock its 14th biggest position. Penn Mutual Asset Management LLC owned approximately 0.43% of Argan worth $2,635,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of AGX. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its holdings in shares of Argan by 3.3% during the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 120,094 shares of the construction companys stock worth $4,874,000 after purchasing an additional 3,795 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Argan during the first quarter worth about $109,000. Bank of Montreal Can bought a new position in shares of Argan during the first quarter worth about $340,000. MetLife Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of Argan by 45.5% during the first quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 8,933 shares of the construction companys stock worth $363,000 after acquiring an additional 2,793 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Panagora Asset Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Argan by 4.1% during the first quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. now owns 41,946 shares of the construction companys stock worth $1,703,000 after acquiring an additional 1,638 shares during the last quarter. 79.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Get Argan alerts: Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth Separately, StockNews.com lowered shares of Argan from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research report on Friday, December 8th. Argan Stock Performance Shares of Argan stock traded up $0.45 during trading on Friday, hitting $46.79. 23,712 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 50,657. The stocks fifty day moving average is $46.03 and its 200 day moving average is $44.88. The stock has a market cap of $623.71 million, a PE ratio of 18.70 and a beta of 0.49. Argan, Inc. has a 12 month low of $37.37 and a 12 month high of $48.51. Argan (NYSE:AGX Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, December 6th. The construction company reported $0.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.86 by ($0.46). The company had revenue of $163.80 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $160.85 million. Argan had a net margin of 6.44% and a return on equity of 12.04%. The businesss quarterly revenue was up 180.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned ($0.44) EPS. Argan Announces Dividend The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, January 23rd were given a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, January 22nd. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.56%. Argans dividend payout ratio is presently 48.00%. About Argan (Free Report) Argan, Inc, through its subsidiaries, provides engineering, procurement, construction, commissioning, maintenance, project development, technical, and consulting services to the power generation market. The company operates through Power Industry Services, Industrial Fabrication and Field Services, and Telecommunications Infrastructure Services segments. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Argan Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Argan and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Penn Mutual Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in Evolution Petroleum Co. (NYSEAMERICAN:EPM Free Report) by 10.6% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 595,754 shares of the energy companys stock after buying an additional 57,000 shares during the period. Evolution Petroleum comprises 3.8% of Penn Mutual Asset Management LLCs holdings, making the stock its 6th largest holding. Penn Mutual Asset Management LLC owned approximately 1.78% of Evolution Petroleum worth $4,075,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in EPM. Algert Global LLC lifted its position in shares of Evolution Petroleum by 70.0% in the 3rd quarter. Algert Global LLC now owns 79,874 shares of the energy companys stock worth $546,000 after purchasing an additional 32,900 shares during the period. River Road Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Evolution Petroleum by 6.2% in the 3rd quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC now owns 1,277,988 shares of the energy companys stock worth $8,741,000 after purchasing an additional 75,166 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Evolution Petroleum by 191.3% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 46,909 shares of the energy companys stock worth $321,000 after purchasing an additional 30,804 shares during the period. WINTON GROUP Ltd raised its stake in shares of Evolution Petroleum by 416.0% during the 3rd quarter. WINTON GROUP Ltd now owns 55,939 shares of the energy companys stock worth $383,000 after acquiring an additional 45,099 shares in the last quarter. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Evolution Petroleum by 10.9% during the 3rd quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 22,404 shares of the energy companys stock worth $153,000 after acquiring an additional 2,207 shares in the last quarter. 61.68% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Get Evolution Petroleum alerts: Evolution Petroleum Price Performance Shares of EPM stock traded up $0.05 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $5.71. The companys stock had a trading volume of 225,423 shares, compared to its average volume of 349,724. The company has a market capitalization of $191.06 million, a P/E ratio of 11.90 and a beta of 0.87. Evolution Petroleum Co. has a 12-month low of $5.00 and a 12-month high of $10.11. Evolution Petroleum Dividend Announcement Evolution Petroleum ( NYSEAMERICAN:EPM Get Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 6th. The energy company reported $0.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.10 by ($0.07). Evolution Petroleum had a return on equity of 18.44% and a net margin of 17.25%. The firm had revenue of $21.02 million for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $23.67 million. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Evolution Petroleum Co. will post 0.2 earnings per share for the current year. The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.12 per share. This represents a $0.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 8.41%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 14th. Evolution Petroleums payout ratio is 100.00%. Analyst Ratings Changes Separately, TheStreet lowered shares of Evolution Petroleum from a b rating to a c+ rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 7th. Read Our Latest Analysis on EPM About Evolution Petroleum (Free Report) Evolution Petroleum Corporation, an energy company, engages in the development, production, ownership, and exploitation of onshore oil and gas properties in the United States. The company holds interests in a CO2 enhanced oil recovery project in Louisiana's Delhi field. Its Delhi Holt-Bryant Unit covers an area of approximately 13,636 acres located in Northeast Louisiana. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Evolution Petroleum Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Evolution Petroleum and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Mariner LLC reduced its position in Edwards Lifesciences Co. (NYSE:EW Free Report) by 0.2% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 155,123 shares of the medical research companys stock after selling 306 shares during the quarter. Mariner LLCs holdings in Edwards Lifesciences were worth $10,747,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Advisors Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Edwards Lifesciences by 0.3% during the first quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 43,556 shares of the medical research companys stock worth $5,127,000 after acquiring an additional 117 shares during the last quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Edwards Lifesciences by 1.0% during the first quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC now owns 12,487 shares of the medical research companys stock worth $1,033,000 after acquiring an additional 119 shares during the last quarter. Geller Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Edwards Lifesciences by 6.5% during the first quarter. Geller Advisors LLC now owns 1,965 shares of the medical research companys stock worth $231,000 after acquiring an additional 120 shares during the last quarter. KCM Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Edwards Lifesciences by 2.7% during the first quarter. KCM Investment Advisors LLC now owns 5,392 shares of the medical research companys stock worth $635,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ellevest Inc. boosted its position in shares of Edwards Lifesciences by 2.5% during the second quarter. Ellevest Inc. now owns 6,179 shares of the medical research companys stock worth $583,000 after acquiring an additional 152 shares during the last quarter. 79.25% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors. Get Edwards Lifesciences alerts: Edwards Lifesciences Trading Up 0.1 % EW stock opened at $87.74 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $52.76 billion, a PE ratio of 38.15, a P/E/G ratio of 4.40 and a beta of 1.04. Edwards Lifesciences Co. has a 12 month low of $60.57 and a 12 month high of $94.87. The firms 50-day moving average is $78.69 and its 200 day moving average is $73.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a current ratio of 3.38 and a quick ratio of 2.40. Analyst Ratings Changes Edwards Lifesciences ( NYSE:EW Get Free Report ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 6th. The medical research company reported $0.64 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.64. The company had revenue of $1.53 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.50 billion. Edwards Lifesciences had a net margin of 23.35% and a return on equity of 23.56%. The firms revenue was up 13.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.64 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Edwards Lifesciences Co. will post 2.76 EPS for the current year. EW has been the subject of a number of research reports. Mizuho upped their target price on shares of Edwards Lifesciences from $85.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 7th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Edwards Lifesciences from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 13th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Edwards Lifesciences from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating and set a $94.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Friday, February 2nd. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Edwards Lifesciences from $80.00 to $95.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 7th. Finally, Evercore ISI lowered shares of Edwards Lifesciences from an outperform rating to an in-line rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $80.00 to $77.00 in a research report on Thursday, January 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $87.38. Get Our Latest Stock Report on Edwards Lifesciences Insider Buying and Selling In other Edwards Lifesciences news, VP Daveen Chopra sold 8,200 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $86.74, for a total transaction of $711,268.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 22,750 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $1,973,335. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other Edwards Lifesciences news, VP Daveen Chopra sold 8,200 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $86.74, for a total transaction of $711,268.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 22,750 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $1,973,335. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Larry L. Wood sold 8,658 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.86, for a total transaction of $622,163.88. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 213,794 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,363,236.84. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 183,089 shares of company stock valued at $14,396,688 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 1.29% of the companys stock. About Edwards Lifesciences (Free Report) Edwards Lifesciences Corporation provides products and technologies for structural heart disease and critical care monitoring in the United States, Europe, Japan, and internationally. It offers transcatheter heart valve replacement products for the minimally invasive replacement of aortic heart valves under the Edwards SAPIEN family of valves system; and transcatheter heart valve repair and replacement products to treat mitral and tricuspid valve diseases under the PASCAL PRECISION and Cardioband names. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Edwards Lifesciences Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Edwards Lifesciences and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund bought a new position in shares of ORIX Co. (NYSE:IX Free Report) in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor bought 47,400 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock, valued at approximately $4,450,000. Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its position in ORIX by 57.5% during the 3rd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 663 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 242 shares during the last quarter. Huntington National Bank raised its position in shares of ORIX by 21.8% in the 2nd quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 631 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $58,000 after acquiring an additional 113 shares in the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its position in shares of ORIX by 20,450.0% in the 2nd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 822 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $75,000 after acquiring an additional 818 shares in the last quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors raised its position in shares of ORIX by 80.7% in the 1st quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 833 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $83,000 after acquiring an additional 372 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Advisors Asset Management Inc. raised its position in shares of ORIX by 13.0% in the 1st quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,272 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $186,000 after acquiring an additional 262 shares in the last quarter. 1.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors. Get ORIX alerts: Analyst Ratings Changes IX has been the subject of several research analyst reports. StockNews.com raised ORIX from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report on Thursday, February 8th. TheStreet raised ORIX from a c rating to a b- rating in a research report on Thursday, November 2nd. ORIX Stock Performance IX stock opened at $103.86 on Friday. ORIX Co. has a 1-year low of $79.64 and a 1-year high of $105.00. The firm has a market cap of $24.12 billion, a PE ratio of 12.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 0.82. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $96.46 and a 200-day moving average price of $93.51. The company has a current ratio of 1.79, a quick ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40. About ORIX (Free Report) ORIX Corporation provides diversified financial services in Japan, the United States, Asia, Europe, Australasia, and the Middle East. The company's Corporate Financial Services and Maintenance Leasing segment is involved in the finance and fee; leasing and rental of automobiles, electronic measuring instruments, and ICT-related equipment businesses; and provision of life insurance and environment and energy-related products and services. See Also Want to see what other hedge funds are holding IX? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for ORIX Co. (NYSE:IX Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for ORIX Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for ORIX and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Republicans and Democrats clashed over two proposals dealing with names and gender identity in a prolonged debated on Friday that also prompted an intense discussion into a host of social issues, notably the rights of parents and the wishes of transgender students. The first bill, House Bill 1071, would include gender identity as a "good cause" reason that the courts could consider when individuals convicted of a felony request to legally change their names. The second measure, House Bill 24-1039, would require public and charter schools beginning in July next year to use a student's preferred name, regardless of whether it is the legal name, for school documents, such as rosters, yearbooks and identification cards. 'Good cause' reason for a name change Republican lawmakers who spoke against the name change bill contended that it introduces a loophole that would allow convicted felons to avoid being associated with their crimes. Democrats countered that convicted felons' records, even when they legally change names, follow them, and a name change won't hide that. "It would be naive at best to think that the criminal element would not use this to just keep making the trail more difficult," said Rep. Scott Bottoms, R- Colorado Springs. "Pretty soon you've hidden behind all kinds of different changes so now you can continue to perpetrate the same crimes that got you felony status in the first place." The Colorado General Assembly is putting forth legislation that focuses on helping criminals, rather than their victims, Republicans also said. "We've got to do something in this House that protects people," Bottoms said. "Everything we're doing puts people at harm. It's putting children and women at harm and we're doing it day after day after day. When do we do something that actually protects people rather than protects the criminals?" "When did we become a state that treats criminals better than victims?" added Rep. Brandi Bradley, R-Larkspur. "We are one of the worst states in crime and safety and we keep adding laws to protect criminals and not victims. We're making an exception for one class of people. We're elevating transgender felons above anyone else and we're keeping their victims in the dark of the felonies that they have committed against them." Meanwhile, Rep. Matt Soper, R-Delta, worried that explicitly including "gender identity" overlooks other potential reasons someone might want to seek a name change, such as for religious reasons or because someone is a victim of a crime. "The law was written in such a way that good cause was a catch-all phrase to be considered by the courts, by the judge," he said. Rep. Lorena Garcia, D-Westminster, countered that any previous name an individual legally went by is included in the person's criminal record meaning a name change would not allow that person to "hide" past charges. She said she heard of individuals who expressed apprehension about seeking a name change from a judge due to fear of discrimination as a result of their gender identity. As an example, Garcia mentioned that some of the survivors of the Club Q nightclub shooting in Colorado Springs have been unable to receive benefits for victims because they would have to use names they no longer go by. The bill simply clarifies that gender identity is considered "good cause," she said. "We can legislate dignity," she said. "We are making sure a right that exists is actually accessible." Garcia also said that, under the statutes, convicted felons must inform the district attorney that they are changing their name, and the district attorney will then alert victims. Rep. Mike Weissman, D- Aurora, added that a name change won't be granted to a convicted felon if a judge has reason to believe the request is meant to facilitate the commission of fraud or to continue criminal activity, a provision that, he said, has been in statute for quite some time. Democrats advanced the bill; its next stop is the full vote of the House. Preferred names Following the discussion on HB 1071, the House debated HB 1039, which would require public schools to use a student's preferred name and deem a school's refusal to do so a form of "discrimination." Featured Local Savings The bill does not specify the penalty for schools that refuse to comply with its provisions. Rep. Brianna Titone, D- Golden, said the legislation was brought forth by minors who served on the Youth Advisory Council. It would allow transgender students to be called by the name they chose for themselves, regardless of whether they've had their name legally changed, Titone said. Rep. Stephanie Vigil, D- Colorado Springs, the bill's sponsor in the House, cited statistics that found 80% of parents accept their transgender child's gender identity. She said this bill is especially important for the 20% of students who either are not out or do not feel accepted by their families. Rep. Anthony Hartsook, R-Parker, said the bill is a violation of parental rights and took issue with the possibility that parents may not be informed their child is going by a different name at school. Bottoms added that keeping secrets from parents is against federal law. "The state cannot tell me what I can do with my children, and if I find out a teacher has been keeping secrets from me about the sexuality of my child that is their student, I will do everything I can to make sure they lose their job," added Bottoms. "That is against federal law, and you are not allowed to do that." Bottoms also argued that the bill infringes on school staffers' First Amendment rights, as it would "force speech" by requiring them to use specific language when addressing a student. "This bill is forcing teachers, to the point where they can lose their job, to deceive parents, and to say things that they believe to be wrong," he said. Bradley referenced a 2022 case in Kansas, where a teacher sued, on religious grounds, her school district after being suspended for refusing to call students by their preferred names and pronouns. The parties settled the case, and she received $95,000 from the district. Democrats said students do not always feel free to express their gender identity at home. Rep. Barbara MacLachan, D- Durango, who herself is a former teacher, shared her own experience in which students asked to be addressed by different names aligning with their gender identity. She said she always honored the requests, as she believed affirming her students' identities could potentially save lives. "Most of those students told me that if they went home, their parents would probably kill them if they knew they were doing this," she said. "I believe saving a student's life is the best thing we could possibly ever, ever do, and I would never want to be responsible for saying, 'I will not call you by this name because you haven't told your parents' when they have told me very specifically that their parents might kill, hurt, ground forever, or abuse them when they got home." Responding directly to Bottoms' argument, Rep. Jennifer Bacon, D-Denver, said she, too, is a Christian but that she supports the bill, arguing while the First Amendment affords everyone the freedom of speech, it also calls for the separation of church and state. Rep. Leslie Herod, D-Denver, meanwhile, spoke of the recent death of Nex Benedict, a nonbinary teen in Oklahoma who died following a fight in a school bathroom. Herod said Benedict was "relentlessly bullied." "It confuses me why it's so hard to call someone by their chosen name," Herod said. "I don't care if their name is an ethnic name. I don't care if it relates to their gender expression or their nickname. It's not hard." An amendment, successfully pushed by a bipartisan group of House members, removes liability for educators who accidently or unknowingly call a student by the wrong name. Rep. Ron Weinberg, R- Loveland, a member of the Youth Advisory Council, noted that an earlier amendment significantly altered it from what the COYAC students had originally intended. "The original bill, and the original intent of the bill, from children, that was brought to me, was scrapped," he said. "The whole bill was struck. I was never invited to a conversation of a bill being scrapped and redone. If the argument is going to be presented in this well, with all due respect to every colleague in this chamber, then we need to have solid truths." The bill's next stop is the vote of the full House. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC lowered its position in Snowflake Inc. (NYSE:SNOW Free Report) by 3.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 166,011 shares of the companys stock after selling 6,739 shares during the quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC owned 0.05% of Snowflake worth $25,362,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. TD Asset Management Inc raised its stake in shares of Snowflake by 1.2% during the second quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 217,773 shares of the companys stock valued at $38,324,000 after acquiring an additional 2,608 shares during the last quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System increased its holdings in Snowflake by 8.2% in the second quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 447,364 shares of the companys stock valued at $78,727,000 after purchasing an additional 34,051 shares during the period. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in Snowflake during the 3rd quarter worth $458,000. Glynn Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Snowflake by 3.1% during the 3rd quarter. Glynn Capital Management LLC now owns 188,428 shares of the companys stock worth $28,786,000 after buying an additional 5,629 shares during the period. Finally, O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of Snowflake by 192.7% in the 2nd quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 5,003 shares of the companys stock valued at $880,000 after buying an additional 3,294 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 63.74% of the companys stock. Get Snowflake alerts: Insider Activity In other news, CEO Frank Slootman sold 112,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $175.90, for a total value of $19,788,750.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 182,913 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $32,174,396.70. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other Snowflake news, CEO Frank Slootman sold 112,500 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.90, for a total value of $19,788,750.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 182,913 shares in the company, valued at $32,174,396.70. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CRO Christopher William Degnan sold 115,038 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $200.53, for a total value of $23,068,570.14. Following the completion of the sale, the executive now owns 147,369 shares in the company, valued at approximately $29,551,905.57. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 631,846 shares of company stock valued at $125,943,507. Corporate insiders own 8.30% of the companys stock. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth SNOW has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada started coverage on Snowflake in a research note on Friday, January 5th. They issued an outperform rating and a $230.00 price objective on the stock. TD Cowen increased their price objective on shares of Snowflake from $215.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Monday, December 11th. Oppenheimer lifted their target price on shares of Snowflake from $220.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Thursday, November 30th. Raymond James upped their price target on shares of Snowflake from $190.00 to $223.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research report on Friday, February 2nd. Finally, Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on Snowflake from $220.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 2nd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and eighteen have given a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $203.25. Read Our Latest Analysis on SNOW Snowflake Price Performance NYSE SNOW opened at $229.34 on Friday. Snowflake Inc. has a 1 year low of $128.56 and a 1 year high of $237.72. The businesss 50-day moving average is $205.57 and its 200 day moving average is $176.19. Snowflake (NYSE:SNOW Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, November 29th. The company reported $0.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.16 by $0.09. Snowflake had a negative return on equity of 14.46% and a negative net margin of 33.35%. The firm had revenue of $734.20 million for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $713.75 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned ($0.60) earnings per share. The businesss revenue was up 31.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that Snowflake Inc. will post -1.72 EPS for the current fiscal year. About Snowflake (Free Report) Snowflake Inc provides a cloud-based data platform for various organizations in the United States and internationally. Its platform offers Data Cloud, which enables customers to consolidate data into a single source of truth to drive meaningful business insights, build data-driven applications, and share data and data products. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Snowflake Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Snowflake and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in CACI International Inc (NYSE:CACI Free Report) during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor purchased 39,077 shares of the information technology services providers stock, valued at approximately $12,267,000. Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of CACI. Zions Bancorporation N.A. lifted its stake in CACI International by 37.3% in the 1st quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. now owns 2,762 shares of the information technology services providers stock worth $832,000 after purchasing an additional 751 shares in the last quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. lifted its stake in CACI International by 47.7% in the 1st quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 288 shares of the information technology services providers stock worth $87,000 after purchasing an additional 93 shares in the last quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC lifted its stake in CACI International by 43.8% in the 1st quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC now owns 1,911 shares of the information technology services providers stock worth $576,000 after purchasing an additional 582 shares in the last quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors lifted its stake in CACI International by 435.5% in the 2nd quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 4,943 shares of the information technology services providers stock worth $1,393,000 after purchasing an additional 4,020 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio lifted its stake in CACI International by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 13,625 shares of the information technology services providers stock worth $3,557,000 after purchasing an additional 122 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.30% of the companys stock. Get CACI International alerts: Insider Transactions at CACI International In other news, Director Debora A. Plunkett sold 350 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $327.72, for a total value of $114,702.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 2,284 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $748,512.48. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, Director Gregory G. Johnson sold 150 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $361.69, for a total transaction of $54,253.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 6,446 shares of the companys stock, valued at $2,331,453.74. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Debora A. Plunkett sold 350 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $327.72, for a total transaction of $114,702.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 2,284 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $748,512.48. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.23% of the companys stock. CACI International Price Performance Shares of CACI stock opened at $369.36 on Friday. The companys 50-day simple moving average is $338.74 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $329.97. CACI International Inc has a one year low of $275.79 and a one year high of $370.78. The company has a market capitalization of $8.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.37, a P/E/G ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 1.32 and a quick ratio of 1.32. CACI International (NYSE:CACI Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 24th. The information technology services provider reported $4.36 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.50 by ($0.14). CACI International had a return on equity of 13.65% and a net margin of 5.31%. The business had revenue of $1.83 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $1.84 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $4.28 EPS. CACI Internationals revenue for the quarter was up 11.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that CACI International Inc will post 20.32 EPS for the current year. Analysts Set New Price Targets CACI has been the topic of several recent research reports. Jefferies Financial Group cut shares of CACI International from a buy rating to a hold rating and decreased their target price for the company from $375.00 to $350.00 in a research report on Wednesday, January 3rd. Stifel Nicolaus upgraded shares of CACI International from a hold rating to a buy rating and upped their price target for the company from $365.00 to $380.00 in a report on Friday, January 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of CACI International from $375.00 to $383.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of CACI International from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report on Friday, February 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, CACI International presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $377.33. Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on CACI International CACI International Company Profile (Free Report) CACI International Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides expertise and technology to enterprise and mission customers in support of national security missions and government modernization/transformation in the intelligence, defense, and federal civilian sectors. It operates through two segments: Domestic Operations and International Operations. Read More Want to see what other hedge funds are holding CACI? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for CACI International Inc (NYSE:CACI Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for CACI International Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for CACI International and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. SPDR MSCI USA StrategicFactors ETF (NYSEARCA:QUS Get Free Report)s share price hit a new 52-week high on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $139.95 and last traded at $139.80, with a volume of 6382 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $138.25. SPDR MSCI USA StrategicFactors ETF Trading Up 0.2 % The businesss 50 day moving average is $134.75 and its 200 day moving average is $127.69. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.13 billion, a PE ratio of 15.46 and a beta of 0.92. Get SPDR MSCI USA StrategicFactors ETF alerts: Institutional Investors Weigh In On SPDR MSCI USA StrategicFactors ETF Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Comerica Bank purchased a new stake in SPDR MSCI USA StrategicFactors ETF in the 4th quarter valued at about $136,000. Royal Bank of Canada raised its stake in shares of SPDR MSCI USA StrategicFactors ETF by 48.5% during the 4th quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 75,289 shares of the companys stock worth $9,947,000 after acquiring an additional 24,596 shares in the last quarter. Vista Investment Management raised its stake in shares of SPDR MSCI USA StrategicFactors ETF by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Vista Investment Management now owns 35,520 shares of the companys stock worth $4,693,000 after acquiring an additional 413 shares in the last quarter. Waterloo Capital L.P. bought a new position in shares of SPDR MSCI USA StrategicFactors ETF during the 4th quarter worth approximately $492,000. Finally, Envestnet Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of SPDR MSCI USA StrategicFactors ETF by 11.9% during the 4th quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 392,344 shares of the companys stock worth $51,836,000 after acquiring an additional 41,625 shares in the last quarter. SPDR MSCI USA StrategicFactors ETF Company Profile The SPDR MSCI USA StrategicFactors ETF (QUS) is an exchange-traded fund that mostly invests in total market equity. The fund tracks an index of US large- and mid-cap stocks comprising three equally weighted subindexes with value, quality and minimum volatility factor strategies. QUS was launched on Apr 16, 2015 and is managed by State Street. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for SPDR MSCI USA StrategicFactors ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for SPDR MSCI USA StrategicFactors ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Asset Dedication LLC grew its holdings in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET Free Report) by 3.5% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 9,959 shares of the financial services providers stock after acquiring an additional 339 shares during the quarter. Asset Dedication LLCs holdings in MetLife were worth $622,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in MET. DHJJ Financial Advisors Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of MetLife in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. FWL Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in MetLife during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its stake in MetLife by 47.6% during the 2nd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 484 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 156 shares during the last quarter. Quintet Private Bank Europe S.A. purchased a new position in MetLife during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Eagle Bay Advisors LLC purchased a new position in MetLife during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 88.14% of the companys stock. Get MetLife alerts: MetLife Stock Up 0.7 % MET opened at $69.33 on Friday. The businesss fifty day moving average is $67.91 and its two-hundred day moving average is $64.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53, a quick ratio of 0.13 and a current ratio of 0.16. The company has a market cap of $50.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.89, a PEG ratio of 0.57 and a beta of 1.04. MetLife, Inc. has a one year low of $48.95 and a one year high of $72.71. MetLife Dividend Announcement MetLife ( NYSE:MET Get Free Report ) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 31st. The financial services provider reported $1.93 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $1.95 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $18.72 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $18.07 billion. MetLife had a return on equity of 19.48% and a net margin of 2.36%. Analysts anticipate that MetLife, Inc. will post 8.84 EPS for the current fiscal year. The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 6th will be given a $0.52 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 5th. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.00%. MetLifes dividend payout ratio is currently 113.66%. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. UBS Group dropped their price target on MetLife from $87.00 to $82.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 5th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on MetLife from $85.00 to $83.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on MetLife from $79.00 to $80.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Thursday, November 2nd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their target price on MetLife from $79.00 to $77.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, December 7th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised MetLife from a neutral rating to a buy rating and boosted their target price for the company from $70.00 to $80.00 in a report on Monday, January 8th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $77.23. Read Our Latest Stock Report on MetLife MetLife Profile (Free Report) MetLife, Inc, a financial services company, provides insurance, annuities, employee benefits, and asset management services worldwide. It operates through five segments: U.S.; Asia; Latin America; Europe, the Middle East and Africa; and MetLife Holdings. The company offers life, dental, group short-and long-term disability, individual disability, pet insurance, accidental death and dismemberment, vision, and accident and health coverages, as well as prepaid legal plans; administrative services-only arrangements to employers; and general and separate account, and synthetic guaranteed interest contracts, as well as private floating rate funding agreements. Featured Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MET? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for MetLife Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for MetLife and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Asset Dedication LLC raised its holdings in iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF (BATS:EFV Free Report) by 1.5% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 14,255 shares of the companys stock after acquiring an additional 212 shares during the quarter. Asset Dedication LLCs holdings in iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF were worth $694,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Sheets Smith Wealth Management bought a new position in iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Signaturefd LLC boosted its position in shares of iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF by 172.8% during the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 502 shares of the companys stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 318 shares in the last quarter. AlphaCore Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF by 457.9% during the second quarter. AlphaCore Capital LLC now owns 530 shares of the companys stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 435 shares in the last quarter. Howe & Rusling Inc. acquired a new position in shares of iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF in the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, Indiana Trust & Investment Management CO bought a new stake in shares of iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF in the 3rd quarter valued at $37,000. Get iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF alerts: iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF Trading Up 0.2 % Shares of iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF stock opened at $52.31 on Friday. iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF has a 12 month low of $49.15 and a 12 month high of $59.57. The company has a market capitalization of $17.57 billion, a PE ratio of 9.51 and a beta of 0.84. The stocks fifty day simple moving average is $51.56 and its 200 day simple moving average is $50.02. iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF Profile iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF (the Fund), formerly iShares MSCI EAFE Value Index Fund, is an exchange-traded fund (ETF). The Fund seeks to provide investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the MSCI EAFE Value Index. The Index is a subset of the MSCI EAFE Index and constituents of the Index include securities from Europe, Australasia (Australia and Asia), and the Far East. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of RTX Co. (NYSE:RTX Free Report) by 1,098.3% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 226,101 shares of the companys stock after purchasing an additional 207,232 shares during the quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd.s holdings in RTX were worth $16,272,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Covestor Ltd increased its position in shares of RTX by 21.6% during the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,470 shares of the companys stock worth $106,000 after purchasing an additional 261 shares during the last quarter. EPG Wealth Management LLC grew its position in RTX by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. EPG Wealth Management LLC now owns 29,713 shares of the companys stock valued at $2,138,000 after acquiring an additional 334 shares in the last quarter. Personal CFO Solutions LLC grew its position in RTX by 17.9% in the 3rd quarter. Personal CFO Solutions LLC now owns 20,098 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,447,000 after acquiring an additional 3,054 shares in the last quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC grew its position in RTX by 26.0% in the 3rd quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 140,022 shares of the companys stock valued at $10,077,000 after acquiring an additional 28,910 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AlphaCore Capital LLC grew its position in RTX by 13.9% in the 3rd quarter. AlphaCore Capital LLC now owns 14,973 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,078,000 after acquiring an additional 1,826 shares in the last quarter. 79.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Get RTX alerts: RTX Trading Up 0.5 % NYSE:RTX opened at $90.01 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $119.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.18, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The stocks 50 day simple moving average is $87.60 and its 200-day simple moving average is $82.38. RTX Co. has a 12-month low of $68.56 and a 12-month high of $104.91. RTX Dividend Announcement RTX ( NYSE:RTX Get Free Report ) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, January 23rd. The company reported $1.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.25 by $0.04. RTX had a return on equity of 10.34% and a net margin of 4.64%. The business had revenue of $19.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.74 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.27 earnings per share. The companys revenue for the quarter was up 10.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that RTX Co. will post 5.39 EPS for the current year. The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 23rd will be given a $0.59 dividend. This represents a $2.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.62%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 22nd. RTXs payout ratio is 105.36%. Insiders Place Their Bets In other news, insider Shane G. Eddy sold 35,456 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.19, for a total value of $3,233,232.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 6,741 shares in the company, valued at $614,711.79. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other news, insider Shane G. Eddy sold 35,456 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.19, for a total value of $3,233,232.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 6,741 shares in the company, valued at $614,711.79. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Neil G. Mitchill, Jr. sold 1,545 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.36, for a total value of $142,696.20. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 49,894 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,608,209.84. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 37,680 shares of company stock worth $3,438,681. 0.11% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders. Analyst Ratings Changes Several research firms have weighed in on RTX. TheStreet raised RTX from a c rating to a b- rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 23rd. Barclays lifted their price objective on RTX from $75.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 30th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on RTX from $93.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 24th. DZ Bank cut RTX from a hold rating to a sell rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $79.00 to $68.00 in a research note on Friday, October 27th. Finally, Robert W. Baird reiterated a neutral rating and issued a $94.00 price objective (up previously from $88.00) on shares of RTX in a research note on Tuesday, January 16th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $91.71. Get Our Latest Stock Report on RTX RTX Company Profile (Free Report) RTX Corporation, an aerospace and defense company, provides systems and services for the commercial, military, and government customers worldwide. It operates through four segments: Collins Aerospace, Pratt & Whitney, Raytheon Intelligence & Space, and Raytheon Missiles & Defense. The Collins Aerospace Systems segment offers aerospace and defense products, and aftermarket service solutions for aircraft manufacturers and airlines, as well as regional, business, and general aviation; and for defense and commercial space operations. Further Reading Want to see what other hedge funds are holding RTX? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for RTX Co. (NYSE:RTX Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for RTX Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for RTX and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board acquired a new stake in W. P. Carey Inc. (NYSE:WPC Free Report) during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 13,262 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock, valued at approximately $717,000. A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of W. P. Carey by 3.9% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 27,334,613 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $2,209,731,000 after purchasing an additional 1,016,340 shares in the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. grew its holdings in shares of W. P. Carey by 1.6% during the 2nd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 15,618,194 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $1,055,165,000 after purchasing an additional 244,527 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its holdings in shares of W. P. Carey by 2.1% during the 1st quarter. State Street Corp now owns 10,228,412 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $802,831,000 after purchasing an additional 208,561 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in shares of W. P. Carey by 46.1% during the 1st quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 6,558,610 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $507,966,000 after purchasing an additional 2,068,458 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of W. P. Carey by 104,493.0% during the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 4,615,688 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $360,716,000 after purchasing an additional 4,611,275 shares in the last quarter. 62.62% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Get W. P. Carey alerts: Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades Several analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on W. P. Carey from $68.00 to $65.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 12th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on W. P. Carey from $66.00 to $61.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. Raymond James downgraded W. P. Carey from an outperform rating to a market perform rating in a research report on Monday, February 12th. StockNews.com began coverage on W. P. Carey in a research report on Thursday, January 4th. They set a hold rating for the company. Finally, JMP Securities downgraded W. P. Carey from an outperform rating to a market perform rating in a research report on Monday, November 13th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $65.80. W. P. Carey Price Performance W. P. Carey stock opened at $55.99 on Friday. The stocks 50 day moving average is $62.77 and its 200 day moving average is $60.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 0.62 and a quick ratio of 0.62. The firm has a market cap of $12.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.97, a P/E/G ratio of 7.16 and a beta of 0.89. W. P. Carey Inc. has a one year low of $51.36 and a one year high of $83.22. W. P. Carey (NYSE:WPC Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 9th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.52 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $410.38 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $413.04 million. W. P. Carey had a return on equity of 7.78% and a net margin of 40.68%. The firms quarterly revenue was up 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.29 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that W. P. Carey Inc. will post 4.57 EPS for the current year. W. P. Carey Cuts Dividend The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, January 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 29th were issued a $0.86 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, December 28th. This represents a $3.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.14%. W. P. Careys payout ratio is currently 104.24%. W. P. Carey Profile (Free Report) Celebrating its 50th anniversary, W. P. Carey ranks among the largest net lease REITs with a well-diversified portfolio of high-quality, operationally critical commercial real estate, which includes 1,413 net lease properties covering approximately 171 million square feet and a portfolio of 86 self-storage operating properties, pro forma for the Spin-Off of NLOP, as of September 30, 2023. Read More Receive News & Ratings for W. P. Carey Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for W. P. Carey and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. C M Bidwell & Associates Ltd. acquired a new stake in Bread Financial Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:BFH Free Report) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 3,403 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $116,000. A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of BFH. Vanguard Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Bread Financial in the 3rd quarter valued at about $155,419,000. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Bread Financial during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $153,464,000. State Street Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Bread Financial during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $52,807,000. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Bread Financial during the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,438,000. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of Bread Financial by 62.1% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,169,566 shares of the companys stock worth $65,779,000 after buying an additional 830,855 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.52% of the companys stock. Get Bread Financial alerts: Insider Activity In related news, major shareholder Turtle Creek Asset Management sold 20,000 shares of Bread Financial stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $28.98, for a total transaction of $579,600.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 343,996 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $9,969,004.08. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 494,000 shares of company stock valued at $16,014,460. Company insiders own 0.20% of the companys stock. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley downgraded shares of Bread Financial from an equal weight rating to an underweight rating and cut their price target for the stock from $31.00 to $25.00 in a report on Wednesday, December 13th. Evercore ISI downgraded shares of Bread Financial from an in-line rating to an underperform rating and raised their price target for the stock from $29.00 to $33.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 3rd. BMO Capital Markets cut their price target on shares of Bread Financial from $33.00 to $32.00 and set a market perform rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 29th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a sector perform rating and issued a $36.00 target price on shares of Bread Financial in a report on Friday, January 26th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of Bread Financial from $27.00 to $31.00 and gave the company a sell rating in a report on Monday, December 18th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $37.42. View Our Latest Stock Report on BFH Bread Financial Stock Up 0.2 % Shares of Bread Financial stock traded up $0.08 during trading on Friday, hitting $36.78. 413,458 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 705,271. The firms 50-day moving average price is $33.97 and its 200 day moving average price is $32.90. Bread Financial Holdings, Inc. has a 12-month low of $23.19 and a 12-month high of $41.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 1.18 and a quick ratio of 1.18. The stock has a market cap of $1.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 2.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.18 and a beta of 1.93. Bread Financial (NYSE:BFH Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 25th. The company reported $0.90 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of ($0.67) by $1.57. Bread Financial had a net margin of 13.87% and a return on equity of 26.24%. The business had revenue of $1,000.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $984.36 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted ($2.68) EPS. The businesss revenue for the quarter was down 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts forecast that Bread Financial Holdings, Inc. will post 7.24 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Bread Financial Announces Dividend The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 9th will be paid a $0.21 dividend. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.28%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 8th. Bread Financials dividend payout ratio is presently 5.87%. About Bread Financial (Free Report) Bread Financial Holdings, Inc provides tech-forward payment and lending solutions to customers and consumer-based industries in North America. It offers credit card and other loans financing services, including risk management solutions, account origination, and funding services for private label and co-brand credit card programs, as well as through Bread partnerships; and Comenity-branded general purpose cash-back credit. Further Reading Want to see what other hedge funds are holding BFH? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Bread Financial Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:BFH Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Bread Financial Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Bread Financial and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Portland Investment Counsel Inc. increased its position in shares of Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (NYSE:CM Free Report) (TSE:CM) by 815.1% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 449,640 shares of the banks stock after purchasing an additional 400,505 shares during the period. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce comprises about 8.0% of Portland Investment Counsel Inc.s investment portfolio, making the stock its 6th largest position. Portland Investment Counsel Inc.s holdings in Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce were worth $17,357,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of CM. Wetherby Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce by 3.0% during the first quarter. Wetherby Asset Management Inc. now owns 6,652 shares of the banks stock worth $809,000 after buying an additional 193 shares in the last quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors boosted its stake in Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce by 1.5% in the third quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 18,231 shares of the banks stock worth $798,000 after purchasing an additional 263 shares in the last quarter. Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce by 5.0% during the third quarter. Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC now owns 6,847 shares of the banks stock worth $264,000 after purchasing an additional 325 shares during the last quarter. Simplicity Solutions LLC increased its stake in shares of Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce by 6.0% in the third quarter. Simplicity Solutions LLC now owns 5,877 shares of the banks stock valued at $227,000 after buying an additional 333 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bleakley Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce by 7.1% in the second quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 5,544 shares of the banks stock valued at $237,000 after buying an additional 366 shares during the last quarter. 43.72% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Get Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce alerts: Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth Several equities research analysts have weighed in on CM shares. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce in a research report on Thursday. They issued a buy rating for the company. Scotiabank upgraded Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce from a sector perform rating to a sector outperform rating in a research report on Tuesday. StockNews.com upgraded Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report on Friday, December 8th. Bank of America upgraded Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce from an underperform rating to a neutral rating in a report on Monday, December 18th. Finally, National Bank Financial raised Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce from a sector perform rating to an outperform rating in a report on Wednesday, December 20th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $63.00. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce Trading Up 0.4 % CM traded up $0.18 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $46.95. 5,861,089 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,719,707. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.06. The stock has a market capitalization of $43.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.29, a PEG ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 1.05. The stocks 50-day simple moving average is $46.36 and its 200 day simple moving average is $41.75. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce has a one year low of $34.35 and a one year high of $48.92. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (NYSE:CM Get Free Report) (TSE:CM) last released its earnings results on Thursday, November 30th. The bank reported $1.16 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.13 by $0.03. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce had a net margin of 8.99% and a return on equity of 13.55%. The business had revenue of $5.84 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $4.34 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.08 earnings per share. The firms revenue was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts forecast that Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce will post 4.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce Increases Dividend The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 29th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 28th were paid a $0.6623 dividend. This is a positive change from Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerces previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, December 27th. This represents a $2.65 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.64%. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerces dividend payout ratio is currently 67.28%. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce Company Profile (Free Report) Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, a diversified financial institution, provides various financial products and services to personal, business, public sector, and institutional clients in Canada, the United States, and internationally. The company operates through Canadian Personal and Business Banking; Canadian Commercial Banking and Wealth Management; U.S. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Hollencrest Capital Management purchased a new position in CAVA Group, Inc. (NYSE:CAVA Free Report) during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 2,448 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $75,000. Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of CAVA. Northern Trust Corp acquired a new stake in shares of CAVA Group during the third quarter worth $1,610,000. LPL Financial LLC increased its stake in CAVA Group by 329.6% in the 3rd quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 43,525 shares of the companys stock worth $1,333,000 after purchasing an additional 33,394 shares in the last quarter. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in CAVA Group during the 3rd quarter worth about $1,937,000. Clearstead Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in CAVA Group during the third quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, FMR LLC boosted its holdings in shares of CAVA Group by 92.1% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,138,113 shares of the companys stock worth $34,860,000 after buying an additional 545,799 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 61.83% of the companys stock. Get CAVA Group alerts: CAVA Group Price Performance CAVA opened at $50.97 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $46.55 and a 200 day moving average price of $39.84. CAVA Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $29.05 and a 1 year high of $58.10. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on CAVA shares. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of CAVA Group from $41.00 to $42.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Wednesday, November 8th. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on shares of CAVA Group from $54.00 to $62.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Thursday, February 15th. TD Cowen started coverage on CAVA Group in a research report on Wednesday, December 13th. They issued an outperform rating and a $46.00 target price for the company. William Blair reiterated an outperform rating on shares of CAVA Group in a report on Wednesday, November 8th. Finally, Argus assumed coverage on CAVA Group in a research note on Monday, January 29th. They issued a hold rating for the company. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $48.60. Read Our Latest Research Report on CAVA About CAVA Group (Free Report) CAVA Group, Inc owns and operates a chain of Mediterranean restaurants. The company offers salads, dips, spreads, toppings, and dressings. It sells its products through whole food markets and grocery stores. The company also provides online food ordering services. Cava Group, Inc was founded in 2006 and is based in Washington, District of Columbia. Recommended Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding CAVA? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for CAVA Group, Inc. (NYSE:CAVA Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for CAVA Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for CAVA Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. The man accused of killing two people at a University of Colorado Colorado Springs dorm room last week made his first appearance in court on Friday, where an El Paso County judge denied a bond reduction request. Nicholas Jordan, 25, is facing two charges of first-degree murder for allegedly shooting and killing Celie Rain Montgomery, 26, of Pueblo, and Samuel Knopp, 24, of Parker, in the early morning hours of Feb. 16. Jordan and Knopp were roommates and students at the UCCS, according to previous reporting from The Gazette. Jordan appeared in custody from the El Paso County jail Friday morning on a $5 million bond, raised from his initial $1 million bond at his virtual advisement hearing on Tuesday afternoon. Attorneys addressed bond for a second time on Friday, with Jordan's attorneys making the unusual request to have his bond lowered from $5 million to a personal recognizance bond. Nick Rogers, Jordan's attorney, argued that his client has significant ties to the community, does not present a flight risk and, due to Jordan being unable to post any monetary bond, that a personal recognizance bond would be appropriate. Prosecutor Robert Willett objected to any lowering of Jordan's bond, noting the victim's families "strongly objected" to the bond being lowered. Willett also noted that prosecutors recently discovered that in addition to a handgun, a loaded AK-47 rifle was found in Jordan's car when he was arrested Monday morning. Judge David Shakes denied the reduction of Jordan's bond, but stated he would allow additional argument for bond reduction in the future. Rogers put the prosecution on notice that he would be requesting to review bond again at Jordan's preliminary hearing. Featured Local Savings The preliminary hearing was another point of contention at Friday's hearing. Initially, Rogers attempted to have the preliminary hearing set outside the 35-day window, stating that due to a cyberattack on the Public Defender's Office he would likely not be ready within 35 days. When Shakes asked Jordan directly if he was willing to waive his right to have a preliminary hearing within 35 days of his arrest, Jordan instead asked if he could have the hearing as soon as possible. "Next week? Tomorrow," Jordan asked Shakes. "Can it come up faster?" Following Jordan's question to the court, the court took a 15-minute recess to allow Jordan to talk with his attorneys. Following the recess, Rogers requested to have the preliminary hearing set within 35 days, despite the issues at the Public Defender's Office. Jordan's preliminary hearing is scheduled to take place on March 27. Additionally, Shakes reviewed a request from the prosecution to have Jordan's arrest affidavit unsealed. Prosecutor Andrew Vaughan stated that the affidavit had originally been sealed before Jordan was taken into custody, but since his arrest Vaughn said the prosecution no longer felt it necessary to have the document sealed. Rogers requested to keep the document sealed until the preliminary hearing date, citing his client's constitutional right to a fair trial. Shakes opted to unseal the arrest affidavit, and also denied a defense request to limit pretrial publicity. Jordan and the attorneys will appear in court before a hearing on March 15 for a status conference. Brasada Capital Management LP bought a new position in shares of Halliburton (NYSE:HAL Free Report) during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 14,735 shares of the oilfield services companys stock, valued at approximately $597,000. Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Capital World Investors grew its position in Halliburton by 47.1% in the 2nd quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 114,407,642 shares of the oilfield services companys stock worth $3,774,308,000 after purchasing an additional 36,640,866 shares in the last quarter. Boston Partners lifted its stake in Halliburton by 4.5% in the second quarter. Boston Partners now owns 25,748,754 shares of the oilfield services companys stock valued at $853,795,000 after purchasing an additional 1,120,274 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Halliburton by 2.1% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 19,079,068 shares of the oilfield services companys stock valued at $627,759,000 after buying an additional 387,735 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley lifted its position in shares of Halliburton by 65.5% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 17,217,776 shares of the oilfield services companys stock valued at $677,520,000 after buying an additional 6,815,373 shares during the last quarter. Finally, DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main increased its holdings in Halliburton by 123.0% in the 4th quarter. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main now owns 15,936,342 shares of the oilfield services companys stock worth $627,088,000 after acquiring an additional 8,791,319 shares during the last quarter. 82.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors. Get Halliburton alerts: Halliburton Trading Down 0.3 % Shares of HAL opened at $35.21 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $35.42 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $38.02. Halliburton has a twelve month low of $27.84 and a twelve month high of $43.85. The stock has a market capitalization of $31.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.02, a PEG ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 2.01. The company has a quick ratio of 1.48, a current ratio of 2.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81. Halliburton Increases Dividend Halliburton ( NYSE:HAL Get Free Report ) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, January 23rd. The oilfield services company reported $0.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.80 by $0.06. Halliburton had a return on equity of 31.59% and a net margin of 11.46%. The company had revenue of $5.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $5.78 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.72 earnings per share. Halliburtons quarterly revenue was up 2.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that Halliburton will post 3.43 EPS for the current year. The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 27th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 6th will be issued a $0.17 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 5th. This is a positive change from Halliburtons previous quarterly dividend of $0.16. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.93%. Halliburtons dividend payout ratio is 21.84%. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth A number of research analysts recently weighed in on HAL shares. StockNews.com lowered shares of Halliburton from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Tuesday. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on shares of Halliburton from $49.00 to $51.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 24th. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Halliburton from $44.00 to $48.00 in a research note on Monday, January 22nd. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Halliburton from $55.00 to $54.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 24th. Finally, Susquehanna reissued a positive rating and set a $49.00 price objective on shares of Halliburton in a research note on Tuesday, February 13th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Halliburton has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $48.63. View Our Latest Stock Report on Halliburton Halliburton Company Profile (Free Report) Halliburton Company provides products and services to the energy industry worldwide. It operates through two segments, Completion and Production, and Drilling and Evaluation. The Completion and Production segment offers production enhancement services that include stimulation and sand control services; cementing services, such as well bonding and casing, and casing equipment; and completion tools that offer downhole solutions and services, including well completion products and services, intelligent well completions, and service tools, as well as liner hanger, sand control, and multilateral systems. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Halliburton Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Halliburton and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of The Williams Companies, Inc. (NYSE:WMB Free Report) by 292.5% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 1,712,038 shares of the pipeline companys stock after purchasing an additional 1,275,872 shares during the quarter. Epoch Investment Partners Inc.s holdings in Williams Companies were worth $57,679,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A bought a new stake in shares of Williams Companies in the 2nd quarter valued at $25,000. FSC Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Williams Companies in the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. Missouri Trust & Investment Co boosted its stake in Williams Companies by 300.0% during the second quarter. Missouri Trust & Investment Co now owns 800 shares of the pipeline companys stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 600 shares in the last quarter. HWG Holdings LP bought a new position in Williams Companies during the third quarter worth $29,000. Finally, Steward Financial Group LLC bought a new position in Williams Companies during the second quarter worth $29,000. 85.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors. Get Williams Companies alerts: Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth Several research analysts recently issued reports on WMB shares. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Williams Companies from $41.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Thursday, February 15th. Mizuho increased their target price on shares of Williams Companies from $41.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Thursday, December 7th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Williams Companies presently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $37.00. Williams Companies Stock Up 0.1 % Shares of WMB traded up $0.04 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $34.94. 5,749,550 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,916,052. The company has a market cap of $42.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.34, a PEG ratio of 5.56 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.57. The Williams Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $27.80 and a 52 week high of $37.45. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $34.69 and a 200 day simple moving average of $34.80. Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 14th. The pipeline company reported $0.48 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.47 by $0.01. Williams Companies had a net margin of 29.22% and a return on equity of 16.20%. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.53 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that The Williams Companies, Inc. will post 1.79 EPS for the current year. Williams Companies Increases Dividend The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 25th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 8th will be paid a $0.475 dividend. This is an increase from Williams Companiess previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 7th. This represents a $1.90 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.44%. Williams Companiess dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 68.32%. Williams Companies Company Profile (Free Report) The Williams Companies, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, operates as an energy infrastructure company primarily in the United States. It operates through Transmission & Gulf of Mexico, Northeast G&P, West, and Gas & NGL Marketing Services segments. The Transmission & Gulf of Mexico segment comprises Transco and Northwest natural gas pipelines; and natural gas gathering and processing, and crude oil production handling and transportation assets in the Gulf Coast region, as well as various petrochemical and feedstock pipelines. See Also Want to see what other hedge funds are holding WMB? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for The Williams Companies, Inc. (NYSE:WMB Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Williams Companies Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Williams Companies and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. lessened its stake in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS Free Report) by 5.0% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 449,675 shares of the financial services providers stock after selling 23,699 shares during the quarter. Epoch Investment Partners Inc.s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $36,725,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Glass Jacobson Investment Advisors llc lifted its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 77.3% during the 3rd quarter. Glass Jacobson Investment Advisors llc now owns 328 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 143 shares in the last quarter. RVW Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley during the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. Janiczek Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Morgan Stanley by 810.8% during the 3rd quarter. Janiczek Wealth Management LLC now owns 337 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 300 shares during the period. DHJJ Financial Advisors Ltd. purchased a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the 3rd quarter worth $28,000. Finally, West Branch Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Morgan Stanley during the 2nd quarter worth $30,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.09% of the companys stock. Get Morgan Stanley alerts: Insider Transactions at Morgan Stanley In related news, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 10,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $84.13, for a total value of $841,300.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 323,490 shares in the company, valued at approximately $27,215,213.70. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, Chairman James P. Gorman sold 100,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.30, for a total value of $8,730,000.00. Following the sale, the chairman now directly owns 350,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $30,555,000. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 10,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $84.13, for a total transaction of $841,300.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 323,490 shares in the company, valued at $27,215,213.70. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 208,155 shares of company stock valued at $18,149,314. Company insiders own 0.26% of the companys stock. Morgan Stanley Price Performance Shares of NYSE:MS traded up $0.70 during trading on Friday, reaching $86.55. The company had a trading volume of 5,810,069 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,979,191. The firms fifty day moving average is $88.69 and its 200 day moving average is $83.65. The firm has a market capitalization of $142.06 billion, a PE ratio of 16.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 1.44. Morgan Stanley has a twelve month low of $69.42 and a twelve month high of $99.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.70, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a current ratio of 0.76. Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 16th. The financial services provider reported $1.13 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $1.07 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $12.90 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.77 billion. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 9.49% and a return on equity of 10.33%. The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.31 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Morgan Stanley will post 6.36 EPS for the current year. Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, January 31st were paid a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.93%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, January 30th. Morgan Stanleys dividend payout ratio is currently 65.76%. Analysts Set New Price Targets Several research firms have recently weighed in on MS. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $80.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 9th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reaffirmed a market perform rating and issued a $91.00 price target (down from $102.00) on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Wednesday, January 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $89.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Tuesday, December 19th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a sector perform rating and issued a $85.00 price target on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Thursday, December 21st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a neutral rating and issued a $87.00 price target (down from $94.00) on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Wednesday, January 17th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Morgan Stanley presently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $94.56. Read Our Latest Stock Report on MS Morgan Stanley Company Profile (Free Report) Morgan Stanley, a financial holding company, provides various financial products and services to corporations, governments, financial institutions, and individuals in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. It operates through Institutional Securities, Wealth Management, and Investment Management segments. See Also Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MS? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Morgan Stanley Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Morgan Stanley and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of Mettler-Toledo International Inc. (NYSE:MTD Free Report) by 2.6% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 30,796 shares of the medical instruments suppliers stock after selling 836 shares during the quarter. Epoch Investment Partners Inc.s holdings in Mettler-Toledo International were worth $34,124,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of MTD. Ancora Advisors LLC increased its position in Mettler-Toledo International by 100.0% in the 1st quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC now owns 20 shares of the medical instruments suppliers stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 10 shares during the period. VitalStone Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Mettler-Toledo International in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Gladius Capital Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Mettler-Toledo International during the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Mettler-Toledo International by 37.5% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 33 shares of the medical instruments suppliers stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 9 shares during the period. Finally, Huntington National Bank increased its position in shares of Mettler-Toledo International by 34.6% during the 2nd quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 35 shares of the medical instruments suppliers stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 9 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.11% of the companys stock. Get Mettler-Toledo International alerts: Insider Activity at Mettler-Toledo International In related news, Director Elisha W. Finney sold 251 shares of Mettler-Toledo International stock in a transaction on Monday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,177.35, for a total transaction of $295,514.85. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 316 shares of the companys stock, valued at $372,042.60. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 2.40% of the companys stock. Analyst Ratings Changes Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on Mettler-Toledo International from $1,425.00 to $1,270.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, November 13th. Citigroup restated a sell rating and issued a $975.00 target price (down from $1,050.00) on shares of Mettler-Toledo International in a report on Monday, December 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on Mettler-Toledo International from $1,185.00 to $1,030.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 13th. StockNews.com cut Mettler-Toledo International from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Monday, February 19th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Mettler-Toledo International from $1,520.00 to $1,300.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, Mettler-Toledo International currently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $1,223.71. Read Our Latest Research Report on MTD Mettler-Toledo International Stock Up 1.4 % Shares of Mettler-Toledo International stock traded up $17.01 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $1,209.79. The companys stock had a trading volume of 67,829 shares, compared to its average volume of 140,942. The firm has a market capitalization of $25.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.71, a PEG ratio of 3.25 and a beta of 1.15. Mettler-Toledo International Inc. has a 1-year low of $928.49 and a 1-year high of $1,615.97. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $1,195.34 and a 200-day simple moving average of $1,137.38. Mettler-Toledo International (NYSE:MTD Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 9th. The medical instruments supplier reported $9.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $10.32 by ($0.92). The firm had revenue of $934.90 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $959.45 million. Mettler-Toledo International had a net margin of 20.82% and a negative return on equity of 904.59%. Mettler-Toledo Internationals revenue for the quarter was down 11.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $12.10 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Mettler-Toledo International Inc. will post 39.95 earnings per share for the current year. Mettler-Toledo International Profile (Free Report) Mettler-Toledo International Inc manufactures and supplies precision instruments and services in the Americas, Europe, Asia, and internationally. It operates through five segments: U.S. Operations, Swiss Operations, Western European Operations, Chinese Operations, and Other. The company's laboratory instruments include laboratory balances, liquid pipetting solutions, automated laboratory reactors, real-time analytics, titrators, pH meters, process analytics sensors and analyzer technologies, physical value analyzers, density and refractometry, thermal analysis systems, and other analytical instruments; and LabX, a laboratory software platform to manage and analyze data generated from its instruments.Its industrial instruments comprise industrial weighing instruments and related terminals, automatic dimensional measurement and data capture solutions, vehicle scale systems, industrial software, metal detection equipment, x-ray systems, check weighing equipment, camera-based imaging equipment, track-and-trace solutions, and product inspection systems. Read More Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MTD? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Mettler-Toledo International Inc. (NYSE:MTD Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Mettler-Toledo International Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Mettler-Toledo International and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Penn Mutual Asset Management LLC raised its stake in Toast, Inc. (NYSE:TOST Free Report) by 90.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 19,684 shares of the companys stock after purchasing an additional 9,326 shares during the period. Penn Mutual Asset Management LLCs holdings in Toast were worth $369,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S purchased a new stake in Toast in the 2nd quarter valued at $29,000. Baystate Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Toast in the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. BluePath Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Toast in the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,000. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its position in Toast by 277.5% in the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 1,710 shares of the companys stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 1,257 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Toast by 8,181.8% in the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 1,822 shares of the companys stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 1,800 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.29% of the companys stock. Get Toast alerts: Wall Street Analyst Weigh In Several research analysts have weighed in on TOST shares. Mizuho lifted their target price on Toast from $14.00 to $17.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research note on Friday, February 16th. Piper Sandler increased their target price on Toast from $18.00 to $20.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research note on Friday, February 16th. Robert W. Baird raised Toast from a neutral rating to an outperform rating and set a $18.00 price target for the company in a report on Friday, November 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Toast from $26.00 to $19.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, November 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Toast from $12.00 to $15.00 and gave the company an underweight rating in a research report on Friday, February 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $21.63. Toast Stock Up 1.0 % Shares of Toast stock traded up $0.21 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $21.09. The companys stock had a trading volume of 9,628,186 shares, compared to its average volume of 10,441,664. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.97 billion, a P/E ratio of -41.35 and a beta of 1.65. Toast, Inc. has a 1-year low of $13.77 and a 1-year high of $27.00. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $18.61 and a 200-day simple moving average of $18.30. Toast (NYSE:TOST Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 15th. The company reported ($0.07) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of ($0.11) by $0.04. Toast had a negative return on equity of 22.19% and a negative net margin of 6.36%. The firm had revenue of $1.04 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $1.02 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned ($0.19) earnings per share. The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 34.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Toast, Inc. will post -0.23 earnings per share for the current year. Insider Transactions at Toast In related news, major shareholder Bessemer Venture Partners Ix L sold 390,856 shares of Toast stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $17.07, for a total transaction of $6,671,911.92. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other Toast news, insider James Michael Matlock sold 4,151 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Monday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.20, for a total transaction of $75,548.20. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 39,733 shares in the company, valued at approximately $723,140.60. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Bessemer Venture Partners Ix L sold 390,856 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Friday, December 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $17.07, for a total transaction of $6,671,911.92. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 707,513 shares of company stock worth $12,292,808. Company insiders own 13.70% of the companys stock. Toast Profile (Free Report) Toast, Inc operates a cloud-based digital technology platform for the restaurant industry in the United States and Ireland. The company offers Toast POS, a software module that integrates payment processing with point of sale functionality; Toast Invoicing that allows restaurants to send invoices and collect payment; Toast Mobile Order & Pay, which allows guests to scan a QR code to browse the menu, order, and pay from mobile; Kitchen Display System software that connects the house with the kitchen staff; and Multi-Location Management, a tool to manage operations and configure menus across multiple locations and channels. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Toast Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Toast and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Teleflex (NYSE:TFX Get Free Report) updated its FY 2024 earnings guidance on Thursday. The company provided EPS guidance of 13.550-13.950 for the period, compared to the consensus EPS estimate of 13.840. The company issued revenue guidance of $3.1 billion-$3.1 billion, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $3.1 billion. Teleflex also updated its FY24 guidance to $13.55-$13.95 EPS. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. JMP Securities reaffirmed a market outperform rating and set a $285.00 price target on shares of Teleflex in a research note on Friday. Truist Financial reduced their price objective on Teleflex from $270.00 to $265.00 and set a hold rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Morgan Stanley raised Teleflex from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating and set a $261.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Monday, December 4th. Raymond James raised their price objective on Teleflex from $227.00 to $271.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 20th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price objective on Teleflex from $272.00 to $265.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Teleflex has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $268.10. Get Teleflex alerts: Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on TFX Teleflex Stock Up 0.0 % Shares of TFX traded up $0.05 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $237.75. The companys stock had a trading volume of 512,233 shares, compared to its average volume of 208,354. The company has a quick ratio of 2.51, a current ratio of 2.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. Teleflex has a 1 year low of $177.63 and a 1 year high of $276.43. The business has a fifty day moving average of $248.05 and a 200 day moving average of $223.32. The company has a market cap of $11.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 1.14. Teleflex (NYSE:TFX Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 22nd. The medical technology company reported $3.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.26 by $0.12. Teleflex had a return on equity of 14.98% and a net margin of 11.98%. The business had revenue of $773.90 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $769.01 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $3.52 earnings per share. Teleflexs quarterly revenue was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts forecast that Teleflex will post 13.82 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Teleflex Dividend Announcement The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 15th. Investors of record on Friday, March 1st will be issued a dividend of $0.34 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 29th. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.57%. Teleflexs dividend payout ratio is 18.06%. Insider Buying and Selling In related news, CFO Thomas E. Powell sold 13,952 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $222.88, for a total transaction of $3,109,621.76. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 14,384 shares in the company, valued at $3,205,905.92. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other Teleflex news, CEO Liam Kelly sold 26,256 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.23, for a total transaction of $6,570,038.88. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 18,470 shares in the company, valued at $4,621,748.10. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Thomas E. Powell sold 13,952 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $222.88, for a total value of $3,109,621.76. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 14,384 shares in the company, valued at $3,205,905.92. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.41% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders. Hedge Funds Weigh In On Teleflex Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of TFX. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in Teleflex by 2.5% during the first quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 2,231 shares of the medical technology companys stock valued at $792,000 after buying an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Teleflex by 2.2% in the first quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 4,678 shares of the medical technology companys stock valued at $1,655,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares during the last quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Teleflex in the first quarter valued at about $455,000. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS grew its position in shares of Teleflex by 6.6% in the first quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS now owns 6,268 shares of the medical technology companys stock valued at $2,224,000 after purchasing an additional 388 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Yousif Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Teleflex by 2.7% in the first quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC now owns 7,158 shares of the medical technology companys stock valued at $2,540,000 after purchasing an additional 190 shares during the last quarter. 97.15% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors. About Teleflex (Get Free Report) Teleflex Incorporated designs, develops, manufactures, and supplies single-use medical devices for common diagnostic and therapeutic procedures in critical care and surgical applications worldwide. It provides vascular access products that comprise Arrow branded catheters, catheter navigation and tip positioning systems, and intraosseous access systems for the administration of intravenous therapies, the measurement of blood pressure, and the withdrawal of blood samples through a single puncture site. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Teleflex Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Teleflex and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Peloton Wealth Strategists lifted its holdings in shares of Devon Energy Co. (NYSE:DVN Free Report) by 50.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 33,675 shares of the energy companys stock after purchasing an additional 11,320 shares during the quarter. Peloton Wealth Strategists holdings in Devon Energy were worth $1,606,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of DVN. AlphaCrest Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Devon Energy during the first quarter worth about $364,000. Acadian Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Devon Energy during the first quarter worth about $188,000. Blair William & Co. IL boosted its stake in Devon Energy by 52.1% in the first quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 99,120 shares of the energy companys stock worth $5,861,000 after buying an additional 33,936 shares in the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. boosted its stake in Devon Energy by 9.2% in the first quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 414,354 shares of the energy companys stock worth $24,500,000 after buying an additional 34,870 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board purchased a new stake in Devon Energy in the first quarter worth approximately $26,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.34% of the companys stock. Get Devon Energy alerts: Devon Energy Trading Down 0.2 % Shares of Devon Energy stock traded down $0.09 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $43.88. 7,029,657 shares of the companys stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,981,167. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a current ratio of 0.96. The company has a market cap of $28.11 billion, a PE ratio of 7.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.16 and a beta of 2.20. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $43.49 and a 200-day moving average of $46.14. Devon Energy Co. has a 12 month low of $40.47 and a 12 month high of $57.13. Analysts Set New Price Targets Several analysts have issued reports on DVN shares. Royal Bank of Canada cut their target price on Devon Energy from $60.00 to $55.00 and set a sector perform rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, November 15th. Truist Financial cut their target price on Devon Energy from $68.00 to $65.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, November 9th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on Devon Energy from $77.00 to $75.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 23rd. Mizuho cut their target price on Devon Energy from $54.00 to $53.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 11th. Finally, Pickering Energy Partners upgraded Devon Energy from a neutral rating to an outperform rating in a research report on Thursday, November 9th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $56.65. Check Out Our Latest Research Report on DVN Devon Energy Profile (Free Report) Devon Energy Corporation, an independent energy company, explores for, develops, and produces oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids in the United States. It operates in Delaware, Anadarko, Williston, Eagle Ford, and Powder River Basin. The company was incorporated in 1971 and is headquartered in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Featured Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding DVN? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Devon Energy Co. (NYSE:DVN Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Devon Energy Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Devon Energy and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Jacobi Capital Management LLC increased its position in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL Free Report) by 12.3% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 10,785 shares of the enterprise software providers stock after acquiring an additional 1,185 shares during the period. Jacobi Capital Management LLCs holdings in Oracle were worth $1,142,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Trexquant Investment LP bought a new position in shares of Oracle during the 2nd quarter valued at about $27,279,000. Quantum Private Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Oracle in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $229,000. Greenfield Savings Bank lifted its stake in Oracle by 7.8% in the 3rd quarter. Greenfield Savings Bank now owns 9,034 shares of the enterprise software providers stock valued at $957,000 after acquiring an additional 656 shares in the last quarter. PCA Investment Advisory Services Inc. bought a new stake in Oracle in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $218,000. Finally, Los Angeles Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Oracle by 45.3% in the 3rd quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 286,461 shares of the enterprise software providers stock valued at $30,342,000 after acquiring an additional 89,295 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 42.44% of the companys stock. Get Oracle alerts: Oracle Stock Performance Shares of NYSE ORCL opened at $111.95 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 18.84, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.79. The firm has a market cap of $307.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.93, a P/E/G ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 1.02. The stocks fifty day moving average price is $109.49 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $111.19. Oracle Co. has a one year low of $82.04 and a one year high of $127.54. Oracle Announces Dividend Oracle ( NYSE:ORCL Get Free Report ) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, December 11th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.34 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.33 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $12.94 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $13.05 billion. Oracle had a return on equity of 703.26% and a net margin of 19.64%. The companys quarterly revenue was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.21 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Oracle Co. will post 4.45 EPS for the current year. The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 25th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 11th were given a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.43%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, January 10th. Oracles payout ratio is 44.20%. Insiders Place Their Bets In other Oracle news, Director Naomi O. Seligman sold 16,300 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, December 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.02, for a total transaction of $1,728,126.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 34,771 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,686,421.42. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 42.80% of the companys stock. Analysts Set New Price Targets Several research firms have commented on ORCL. Edward Jones upgraded Oracle from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note on Monday, November 13th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on Oracle from $107.00 to $106.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, December 12th. Wolfe Research dropped their price objective on Oracle from $140.00 to $130.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, December 12th. Erste Group Bank reiterated a hold rating on shares of Oracle in a research note on Friday, December 22nd. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Oracle from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note on Monday, February 12th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $127.00. Get Our Latest Report on Oracle Oracle Company Profile (Free Report) Oracle Corporation offers products and services that address enterprise information technology environments worldwide. Its Oracle cloud software as a service offering include various cloud software applications, including Oracle Fusion cloud enterprise resource planning (ERP), Oracle Fusion cloud enterprise performance management, Oracle Fusion cloud supply chain and manufacturing management, Oracle Fusion cloud human capital management, Oracle Cerner healthcare, Oracle Advertising, and NetSuite applications suite, as well as Oracle Fusion Sales, Service, and Marketing. Further Reading Want to see what other hedge funds are holding ORCL? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Oracle Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Oracle and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE:BMY Free Report) by 3.3% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 933,984 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock after selling 31,819 shares during the period. Epoch Investment Partners Inc.s holdings in Bristol-Myers Squibb were worth $54,208,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC. A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of BMY. Dakota Wealth Management acquired a new position in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb during the first quarter worth $332,000. Covestor Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb by 111.5% during the first quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 2,052 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $150,000 after purchasing an additional 1,082 shares during the period. NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Bristol-Myers Squibb by 53.2% in the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 165,336 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $12,075,000 after buying an additional 57,444 shares during the period. Ergoteles LLC acquired a new position in Bristol-Myers Squibb in the first quarter valued at $1,997,000. Finally, Mackenzie Financial Corp lifted its holdings in Bristol-Myers Squibb by 25.1% in the first quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 338,563 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $24,725,000 after buying an additional 68,018 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.98% of the companys stock. Get Bristol-Myers Squibb alerts: Insider Transactions at Bristol-Myers Squibb In other Bristol-Myers Squibb news, CEO Christopher S. Boerner acquired 2,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 5th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $49.78 per share, with a total value of $99,560.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer now owns 82,672 shares in the company, valued at $4,115,412.16. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, CEO Christopher S. Boerner purchased 2,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 5th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $49.78 per share, with a total value of $99,560.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer now directly owns 82,672 shares in the company, valued at $4,115,412.16. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Christopher S. Boerner acquired 3,071 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 28th. The shares were bought at an average price of $48.86 per share, for a total transaction of $150,049.06. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 79,384 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,878,702.24. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders. Analysts Set New Price Targets BMY has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb in a report on Thursday, November 9th. They issued a hold rating and a $55.00 target price on the stock. Bank of America lowered shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb from a buy rating to a neutral rating and dropped their target price for the company from $68.00 to $60.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 3rd. TheStreet lowered shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb from a b- rating to a c+ rating in a report on Thursday, November 9th. HSBC upgraded shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb from a reduce rating to a hold rating and dropped their target price for the company from $55.00 to $53.00 in a report on Friday, October 27th. Finally, William Blair downgraded shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb from an outperform rating to a market perform rating in a research note on Friday, October 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $61.17. View Our Latest Report on Bristol-Myers Squibb Bristol-Myers Squibb Stock Up 0.6 % NYSE:BMY traded up $0.33 on Friday, hitting $51.66. The stock had a trading volume of 11,052,457 shares, compared to its average volume of 14,700,528. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 1.31 and a current ratio of 1.43. The stock has a market cap of $104.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.38. Bristol-Myers Squibb has a 1 year low of $47.58 and a 1 year high of $71.22. The firms fifty day simple moving average is $50.40 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $53.98. Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE:BMY Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 2nd. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.70 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.55 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $11.48 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.19 billion. Bristol-Myers Squibb had a net margin of 17.83% and a return on equity of 50.95%. The companys revenue for the quarter was up .6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.82 EPS. Analysts predict that Bristol-Myers Squibb will post 6.61 earnings per share for the current year. Bristol-Myers Squibb declared that its board has initiated a share repurchase plan on Thursday, December 7th that permits the company to repurchase $3.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the biopharmaceutical company to buy up to 2.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically a sign that the companys management believes its shares are undervalued. Bristol-Myers Squibb Increases Dividend The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 5th were paid a dividend of $0.60 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, January 4th. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.65%. This is a positive change from Bristol-Myers Squibbs previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. Bristol-Myers Squibbs dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 62.18%. Bristol-Myers Squibb Company Profile (Free Report) Bristol-Myers Squibb Company discovers, develops, licenses, manufactures, markets, distributes, and sells biopharmaceutical products worldwide. It offers products for hematology, oncology, cardiovascular, immunology, fibrotic, and neuroscience diseases. The company's products include Eliquis, an oral inhibitor for reduction in risk of stroke/systemic embolism in NVAF, and for the treatment of DVT/PE; Opdivo for anti-cancer indications; Pomalyst/Imnovid indicated for patients with multiple myeloma; Orencia for adult patients with active RA and psoriatic arthritis; and Sprycel for the treatment of Philadelphia chromosome-positive chronic myeloid leukemia. Further Reading Want to see what other hedge funds are holding BMY? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE:BMY Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Bristol-Myers Squibb Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Bristol-Myers Squibb and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. raised its position in shares of BlackRock, Inc. (NYSE:BLK Free Report) by 34.7% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 63,265 shares of the asset managers stock after acquiring an additional 16,294 shares during the period. Epoch Investment Partners Inc.s holdings in BlackRock were worth $40,900,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A bought a new stake in shares of BlackRock in the second quarter valued at about $26,000. West Tower Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of BlackRock in the second quarter valued at about $27,000. Archer Investment Corp bought a new stake in shares of BlackRock in the second quarter valued at about $29,000. WFA of San Diego LLC acquired a new position in BlackRock in the second quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Tyler Stone Wealth Management acquired a new position in BlackRock in the second quarter worth about $33,000. 77.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors. Get BlackRock alerts: BlackRock Trading Up 0.0 % BLK stock traded up $0.15 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $813.59. The companys stock had a trading volume of 492,606 shares, compared to its average volume of 553,789. BlackRock, Inc. has a 52 week low of $596.18 and a 52 week high of $823.71. The stock has a market cap of $121.03 billion, a PE ratio of 22.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.38. The company has a quick ratio of 3.72, a current ratio of 3.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. The businesss 50-day simple moving average is $795.24 and its 200-day simple moving average is $721.05. BlackRock Increases Dividend BlackRock ( NYSE:BLK Get Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 12th. The asset manager reported $9.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $8.84 by $0.82. BlackRock had a net margin of 30.81% and a return on equity of 14.85%. The firm had revenue of $4.63 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $4.65 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $8.93 earnings per share. The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that BlackRock, Inc. will post 39.63 EPS for the current year. The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 22nd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 7th will be given a dividend of $5.10 per share. This represents a $20.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.51%. This is a boost from BlackRocks previous quarterly dividend of $5.00. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 6th. BlackRocks dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 54.78%. Insider Transactions at BlackRock In other news, General Counsel Christopher J. Meade sold 18,000 shares of BlackRock stock in a transaction on Monday, January 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $282.54, for a total transaction of $5,085,660.60. Following the transaction, the general counsel now directly owns 11,914 shares of the companys stock, valued at $3,366,142.24. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, General Counsel Christopher J. Meade sold 18,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Monday, January 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $282.54, for a total transaction of $5,085,660.60. Following the sale, the general counsel now directly owns 11,914 shares in the company, valued at $3,366,142.24. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Rachel Lord sold 36,059 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Friday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $818.06, for a total transaction of $29,498,425.54. Following the sale, the director now owns 17,004 shares in the company, valued at $13,910,292.24. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 69,533 shares of company stock valued at $46,774,326 over the last three months. 0.96% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders. Analysts Set New Price Targets Several research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of BlackRock from $720.00 to $818.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 10th. BNP Paribas raised shares of BlackRock from a neutral rating to an outperform rating and set a $885.00 price objective for the company in a report on Tuesday, December 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on shares of BlackRock from $719.00 to $793.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Thursday, November 30th. TD Cowen raised shares of BlackRock from a market perform rating to an outperform rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $819.00 to $938.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 16th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered shares of BlackRock from an overweight rating to a neutral rating and set a $708.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Friday, December 15th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $785.73. Check Out Our Latest Research Report on BlackRock BlackRock Company Profile (Free Report) BlackRock, Inc is a publicly owned investment manager. The firm primarily provides its services to institutional, intermediary, and individual investors including corporate, public, union, and industry pension plans, insurance companies, third-party mutual funds, endowments, public institutions, governments, foundations, charities, sovereign wealth funds, corporations, official institutions, and banks. Read More Want to see what other hedge funds are holding BLK? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for BlackRock, Inc. (NYSE:BLK Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for BlackRock Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for BlackRock and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. The man accused in the University of Colorado Colorado Springs double homicide made a death threat against one of the victims over roommate disagreements, according to his arrest affidavit. Nicholas Jordan, 25, is accused of killing his roommate and fellow UCCS student Samuel Knopp, 24, as well as Celie Rain Montgomery, 26, in the early morning hours of Feb. 16 in Crestone House, a dormitory in the Alpine Village community on UCCS campus. Judge David Shakes on Friday granted the release of the arrest affidavit and denied a motion by the defense to have trial coverage restricted due to its argument that publicity would affect the case. Jordan was found Monday in a vehicle about 3 miles west of campus and arrested without incident. The affidavit paints a picture of a disgruntled roommate situation that turned deadly. Click or tap here to see the full affidavit. The dorm room where the deaths occurred was a pod arrangement, with four individual bedrooms with locking doors, organized around a common area. Per the arrest affidavit document, one of the other pod residents made the initial call to police about the shooting at 5:59 a.m. The roommate said he had been woken by the sound of gunfire "and the immediate sound of a person moaning." The roommate said he heard a door shut and what sounded like someone running. He said he immediately called campus police and stayed in his room until they arrived. Featured Local Savings Officers who entered Knopp's bedroom reported that Knopp and Montgomery had "multiple penetrating injuries to the torso" and were "obviously deceased." Officers checked the secured door logs to the dormitory, and found that someone with Jordan's access card had entered the building through a secure door at 2:53 a.m. and left at 5:42 a.m. Security cameras in the area also showed someone wearing dark clothes entering and then running out of the dorm, corresponding to the door access log. A Police Department license-plate-reader camera also detected a vehicle owned by Jordan traveling south on Corporate Drive, northwest of the UCCS campus, at 7:47 a.m. that same morning. The third roommate told detectives that Knopp had reported Jordan to university officials several times for smoking in the room and cleanliness issues. The third roommate said he had heard Jordan threaten to kill Knopp over these disagreements. Specifically, the third roommate said that in January the two had quarreled about a bag of trash that Knopp had collected and placed near Jordan's door. Jordan then threatened Knopp and said he would "kill him." Jordan also warned of consequences if he was asked to take the trash out again. UCCS police and UCCS housing reportedly told investigators that there had been three documented complaints and interactions involving Jordan. University records show that Jordan had filed to be withdrawn from classes and housing on Feb. 15, roughly 14 hours before the two deaths. Greycroft LP bought a new position in shares of Uber Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:UBER Free Report) during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 10,500 shares of the ride-sharing companys stock, valued at approximately $483,000. Uber Technologies comprises approximately 0.5% of Greycroft LPs holdings, making the stock its 3rd largest position. Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ritter Daniher Financial Advisory LLC DE increased its holdings in Uber Technologies by 2,545.5% during the third quarter. Ritter Daniher Financial Advisory LLC DE now owns 582 shares of the ride-sharing companys stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 560 shares during the last quarter. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new position in Uber Technologies during the third quarter worth $26,000. Householder Group Estate & Retirement Specialist LLC acquired a new position in Uber Technologies during the third quarter worth $28,000. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Uber Technologies by 319.4% during the third quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 650 shares of the ride-sharing companys stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 495 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Spotlight Asset Group Inc. acquired a new position in Uber Technologies during the second quarter worth $33,000. 74.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Get Uber Technologies alerts: Analyst Ratings Changes UBER has been the topic of several research reports. Mizuho upped their price objective on shares of Uber Technologies from $77.00 to $83.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Thursday, February 8th. Roth Mkm upped their price objective on shares of Uber Technologies from $72.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Thursday, February 8th. Susquehanna upped their price objective on shares of Uber Technologies from $60.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a positive rating in a report on Thursday, February 8th. KeyCorp upped their price objective on shares of Uber Technologies from $79.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Thursday, February 15th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reiterated a buy rating and issued a $90.00 price objective on shares of Uber Technologies in a report on Thursday, February 15th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Uber Technologies presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $73.06. Uber Technologies Price Performance Shares of UBER stock traded up $0.17 on Friday, reaching $78.20. The company had a trading volume of 15,648,826 shares, compared to its average volume of 23,700,848. The stock has a market capitalization of $162.38 billion, a PE ratio of 90.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.30 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a quick ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79. Uber Technologies, Inc. has a one year low of $29.22 and a one year high of $81.86. The businesss 50-day moving average is $66.33 and its 200 day moving average is $54.81. Uber Technologies (NYSE:UBER Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 7th. The ride-sharing company reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.16 by $0.50. The firm had revenue of $9.94 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $9.76 billion. Uber Technologies had a net margin of 5.06% and a return on equity of 18.95%. The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 15.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.29 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that Uber Technologies, Inc. will post 1.16 EPS for the current fiscal year. Insider Transactions at Uber Technologies In other news, insider Jill Hazelbaker sold 20,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.83, for a total value of $1,556,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 107,290 shares of the companys stock, valued at $8,350,380.70. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other news, insider Tony West sold 18,750 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.08, for a total value of $1,314,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 185,566 shares of the companys stock, valued at $13,004,465.28. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Jill Hazelbaker sold 20,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.83, for a total value of $1,556,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 107,290 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $8,350,380.70. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 3.84% of the companys stock. Uber Technologies Profile (Free Report) Uber Technologies, Inc develops and operates proprietary technology applications in the United States, Canada, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia excluding China and Southeast Asia. It operates through three segments: Mobility, Delivery, and Freight. The Mobility segment connects consumers with a range of transportation modalities, such as ridesharing, carsharing, micromobility, rentals, public transit, taxis, and other modalities; and offers riders in a variety of vehicle types, as well as financial partnerships products and advertising services. See Also Want to see what other hedge funds are holding UBER? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Uber Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:UBER Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Uber Technologies Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Uber Technologies and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Manitou Springs police arrested a man on multiple child sexual assault allegations, according to an emailed news release Friday. Police said that James Walter, 57, was taken into custody Thursday evening on suspicion of multiple counts of felony sexual assault on a child by one in a position of trust for both a victim above and below the age of 15 and a pattern offense. Walter is also suspected of felony second-degree assault in a domestic violence situation. The arrest was made at 1328 Republic Drive in far north Colorado Springs, which is the address for SpringHill Suites by Marriott, according to the news release. Manitou Springs police coordinated with Monument and Colorado Springs police departments on the investigation and arrest. Manitou Springs police said that the arrest "may create many questions and concerns for the Manitou Springs community." The release said that no more information about the arrest would be released to protect the identities of the victim or victims involved in the case. Anyone with information is asked to call Manitou Springs police at 719-685-5407. This spring marks the 150th anniversary of the founding of Colorado College in Colorado Springs in 1874. Few are aware that the initial motivation for the founding was to create a memorial to a 14-year-old girl who died of tuberculosis the previous year. Here is an early account of the founding, written in the flowery and overstated writing style of the time: The first organized college in Colorado is the memorial of a beautiful American girl, who lost her life (and her) love of learning. She came as a young consumptive to (Colorado) Territory in the spring of 1873 and died the next autumn at the age of 14. When visiting General (William J.) Palmers residence one day and looking at the eagles on the rocks and in the air, she suggested the founding of a school nearby. It would be a place where youth inclined to pulmonary diseases might learn to soar, as light of heart and strong of wing as old Glen Eyries king of birds, whose life among the cliffs and flight above the clouds symbolized her own aspiring hope and faith. The young girl was named Florence Haskell. Her family had moved to the cool air and high elevation of Colorado in hopes it might cure her lung ailment. Soon after the death of Florence Haskell, her father, the Rev. Thomas Nelson Haskell, a Congregational minister and recently a professor at the University of Wisconsin, proposed to the Colorado Conference of the Congregational Church, meeting in Boulder, his daughters hopes of starting a college in Colorado. Haskell specified that the new college would be open to both sexes and all races. At a subsequent meeting of the Conference, in Denver, on Jan. 20, 1874, the group gratefully accepted the offer from Palmer, of Colorado Springs, of 10 acres of land for the college campus, 70 acres of residential lots in the city that could be sold to raise money, and $10,000 cash to get the college started. In addition, Palmer, a Quaker, had banned the sale of alcohol in his new city, and that made Colorado Springs appear particularly desirable to Rev. Haskell. On Feb. 9, 1874, a certificate of incorporation for the new college was filed with the Territory of Colorado in Denver. On Feb. 17, the certificate of incorporation was filed in El Paso County, where Colorado Springs had been founded just three years earlier. A Board of Trustees was appointed. The board was required to have a majority of Christian men to keep the college evangelical, nonsectarian, and in sympathy with the progress of the age. Featured Local Savings The trustees met at once and named the school Colorado College. Thomas Nelson Haskell set to work soliciting funds and selecting a faculty. Under the direction of the Rev. Jonathan Edwards, the first classes were taught on May 6, 1874, in a building at the northwest corner of East Pikes Peak Avenue and North Tejon Street. For years, that location was the site of the First National Bank building, then Chase Bank. Today, the offices of The Gazette are nearby. The date of the first classes, May 6, 1874, has traditionally been recognized as the birthday of Colorado College. The Gazette made this comment on the opening of Colorado College: We have secured the location of the college here, and that will be no small aid to the growth of our town, if we go to work and make the best of it. The cooperation of our people is needed to give the enterprise a good start, and that cooperation should be given heartily and ungrudgingly. Typical of colleges at that time, Colorado College began with both preparatory and college-level classes. Due to the inadequacy of high school education in those days, many of the incoming students needed to take preparatory classes before they were ready for college level work. The Gazette reported on May 9, 1874, that the Preparatory Department of Colorado College was opened Wednesday last, and 20 students have already been enrolled. Most of these are from our town, but it has been signified that several more from other places, in this Territory, may shortly be expected. Faculty began to come on board. Professor E.N. Bartlett, formerly of Olivet College, in Olivet, Mich., was hired to teach Latin and Greek. Sanford C. Robinson, an Oberlin College graduate, was to assist in mathematics and physics. Women served on the faculty from the start. Minna Knapp, of Germany, instructed in German and music. Mary MacKenzie and Emma Bump also were teaching. By July 18, 1874, Edwards announced that student enrollments were going so well there were students from 10 states in addition to those from the Colorado Territory. Now, 150 years later, Colorado College regularly enrolls students from nearly every state and about two dozen other countries. Thomas Nelson Haskell was the founder of Colorado College. At every point in the organizing process, he was the lever that kept the process going. It was Palmer's gift of land and money, however, that brought Haskells new college to Colorado Springs. Haskell House, the campus house where students majoring in French live together, is named in honor of Haskell. It is located at the southwest corner of Uintah Street and North Cascade Avenue. But the inspiration for Colorado College was Florence Haskell, the ailing 14-year-old girl who, in her last days, wished for a college at a healthful high elevation that would provide a place for students with lung diseases to study and learn. Midtown services started earlier today . . . "A funeral mass for Lopez-Galvan will be held at 10 a.m. at Redemptorist Catholic Church, 3333 Broadway Blvd., in Kansas City, Missouri. It will be open to the public, while a burial following the funeral will be only for her family. "On Friday, there will be a visitation from 7 to 9 p.m., also at Redemptorist. Large crowds are expected for both memorials, which is why the events have been planned at the large church in midtown Kansas City." Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . . Right now we focus on confirmation of what a lot of us already understand . . . THERE SEEMS TO BE GROWING OPPOSITION AGAINST KANSAS CITY DOWNTOWN STADIUM PLANS ON THE GRASSROOTS LEVEL!!! Here's more SCIENCE that seyz as much . . . The Crossroads Community Association Board held a meeting to get a pulse and survey stakeholders on the stadium proposal in the Crossroads. The below results were from 145 surveys: In Favor: 32% Oppose: 59% Undecided: 9% Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . . Survey: Majority of Crossroads community opposes potential Royals stadium site The Kansas City Royals announced nearly 10 days ago their plans to build a stadium and ballpark district at 16th and McGee streets Are Royals' parking estimates for new stadium too optimistic? Here's what experts say As voters decide if they want their tax dollars to help pay for a new Royals stadium in the East Crossroads neighborhood, parking availability continues to come into question. 'We were devastated': New Crossroads business in proposed Royals stadium location A small business owner in the Crossroads District is facing uncertainty as the site of her shop may soon be demolished to make way for the new Royals stadium. Will KC Royals get a new stadium? How, when and where to vote on sales tax to fund it Jackson County is holding a special municipal election on Tuesday, April 2. Committee in support of the Royals' plans for new ballpark in the Crossroads names its co-chairs The committee is led by Kathy Nelson, Bob Kendrick, Joe Reardon and other Jackson County leaders Developing . . . So far, other than disputing the mere mention of sketchy voting by MSM, there hasn't been much reporting on the progress on suspicion of election tampering in the Golden Ghetto. Here's a sign that the effort will likely be a campaign/political issue and nothing more . . . Johnson County issued a statement that its election office finished Wednesday destroying ballots and other records from 2019, 2020 and 2021, under the direction of the secretary of state, the top elections official in Kansas. State law directed local election officials to shred such materials by the fall of 2022, but the Johnson County election office held off because of an investigation its local sheriff, Calvin Hayden, launched in the fall of 2021. Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . . Johnson County shredded old ballots as the law required, but the sheriff wanted to save them Johnson County issued a statement that its election office finished destroying ballots and other records from 2019, 2020 and 2021, under the direction of the secretary of state. Lots of things to consider tonight but we're sharing news that's a bit more upbeat and political as locals seem to need a goofy, snarky & welcomed distraction from ongoing disasters here and around the world. Accordingly . . . Check TKC news gathering . . . Today's Blaze Brush fire under control after smoke impacted visibility Friday on Interstate 435 in south Kansas City A brush fire near westbound Interstate 435 at Blue River Road in Kansas City, Missouri, is under control after smoke impacted visibility for drivers on Friday afternoon. Golden Ghetto Gets Even More Pricey Coffee Starbucks will open another Johnson County location in this sprawling new development The coffee shop will be near a popular breakfast spot, a Mediterranean restaurant and new apartments. Survivor Stories & Skillz 'I could have gone down the same road': KCFD learns new fentanyl overdose response training This training covers not only ways to reverse an overdose in the moment, but in the days and weeks that follow. Troops Keep Rolling Can these Black veterans revive Kansas City's roller-skating scene? 'What they're doing is huge' The founders of SK8 Shot Studios are taking Kansas City roller-skating rinks by storm. Their plan is to revive the once thriving scene and grow it into a global destination for Black skate culture - one class and skate party at a time. Show-Me Support For Soldiers Missouri House unanimously passes bill expanding suicide prevention for veterans (The Center Square) - The Missouri House unanimously sent a bill to the Senate that would require the state's Veterans Commission to expand its suicide prevention efforts and file annual reports o... Kansas Politico Pens Rebuke Moran turns to old-school communication method - a letter - to denounce Biden's use of TikTok - Kansas Reflector U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kansas, objects to President Joe Biden's reelection campaign using TikTok, which was criticized for ties to the Chinese government. Still Waiting On Snail Mail Raytown residents detail their concerns to KMBC 9 Investigates about their mail delivery KMBC 9 Investigates has heard from dozens of people over the past month who say they are missing important financial and legal documents in the mail. Another Kind Of Border Crisis Brittany Mahomes jets to Mexico for pal's bachelorette party following Chiefs' Super Bowl victory Brittany Mahomes traveled to Tulum, Mexico, on Thursday for her friend's bachelorette party after spending nearly the last two weeks celebrating the Chiefs' Super Bowl win. Weed Activists Plead With White House Marijuana advocates urge Biden to act Click in for more news from The Hill -- The Big Story Marijuana legalization a potential campaign boost, advocates say As Biden boasts his accomplishments on the campaign trail, activists and strategists say stronger action on marijuana reform could add some extra energy to his reelection bid. MAGA Backs Science Trump says he "strongly" supports availability of IVF, after Alabama Supreme Court ruling Trump said in a social media post that he backs availability of IVF and called on the Alabama Legislature to protect it. Desperately Seeking New Deuce Trump's potential VPs turn on the flattery A number of potential running mates took the stage at CPAC on Friday. They sang largely familiar tunes. GOP Budgets Time Speaker Mike Johnson unveils plan to avert shutdown next week WASHINGTON - Speaker Mike Johnson on Friday night unveiled his plan to avert a partial government shutdown next week, telling Republicans on a conference call that the House would vote on four separate appropriations bills and may need a stopgap funding bill to buy lawmakers more time, according to two sources. Bursting Your Bubble Small, nonthreatening balloon intercepted over Utah by NORAD A small balloon spotted flying high over the mountainous Western United States has been intercepted by a fighter jet over Utah. Eastern Europe Unfriendly Skies Explode In More Conflict Ukraine Destroys Russian Surveillance Plane, Commander Says; Five Killed In Drone Strikes Russia launched a new round of drone strikes on targets in Ukraine early on February 23, killing at least three people and wounding eight, the Ukrainian military and regional officials said. Holy Land Policy Redux Blinken reverses Trump-era policy on Israeli settlements in occupied West Bank Blinken says the U.S. again views the settlements as "inconsistent with international law." Making New Friends?!? Polyamory Has Entered the Chat Mainstream awareness of polyamorous relationships is becoming more widespread. On dating apps, making connections is about more than sex. Baller Bucks Unpacked What the new salary cap number means for the Chiefs The increase in the salary cap number means good things for the possibility of retaining both Chris Jones and L'Jarius Sneed. Spinning Midtown Office FAIL Why developers say folding Plexpod Westport site into Park 39 unifies $230M project A move this week to transition management of the Plexpod Westport space to the developers behind a massive project along 39th Street will mean reuniting elements within the broader Park 39 campus, said Andrew Brain. Postscript On 1st Responder Heroics Afternoon blaze damages 2 homes before extinguished by KC firefighters An afternoon housefire extended to another home before Kansas City firefighters were able to extinguish the blaze. Local Hipsters Love Beverages Drink This Now: Aaron's Craft Root Beer at Servaes Brewing Company Aaron's Craft Soda from Servaes Brewing Company is a must-try drink for anyone who enjoys a good carbonated beverage. Winter Departs Early?!? Winter in the metro will be nowhere to be found this weekend! Sunny with spring-like temperatures today through the weekend Billy Joel - Turn the Lights Back On is the song of the day and this is the OPEN THREAD for right now. Flash A Chinese defense ministry spokesperson on Friday urged the United States to stop selling arms to the Taiwan region and arming it with weapons in any other form, and to cut military contact with the island. When responding to a media query about the U.S. Department of State's approval of the sale of a 75-million-dollar advanced tactical data link system to Taiwan, Zhang Xiaogang, a spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense, stressed that China's opposition to U.S. arms sales to the Taiwan region has been firm and clear. The United States has been manipulating issues related to Taiwan and attempting to encourage "Taiwan independence" separatist forces through arms sales and military aid, severely undermining China's sovereignty and security interests, and damaging relations between the Chinese and U.S. militaries, Zhang said. He stressed that the Taiwan question is the very first red line in China-U.S. relations and that this line must not be crossed, stressing that arming Taiwan with weapons is a "dangerous bid" from the United States. Zhang urged the United States to abide earnestly by the one-China principle and the stipulations of the three China-U.S. joint communiques, particularly the communique of Aug. 17, 1982. The United States should cease its provocative acts aimed at containing China with Taiwan, and make concrete contributions to China-U.S. relations, as well as regional peace and stability, Zhang said. He added that China will take resolute and forceful measures to safeguard its national sovereignty and territorial integrity. Denizens of the local discourse might remember this story given that local "faith community leaders" claimed the suspect was "executed" until their own video depicted a horrific struggle with police during an arrest that would've gone a lot smoother if the guy would've just cooperated and waited until a court date to fight pending charges against him. Moreover, even prosecutors in STL declined to recommend any charges. One last thing for casual readers . . . Many, but not all, gas stations on Prospect remain EXCEPTIONALLY dangerous as this 2021 case demonstrates . . . In fact there was a shooting last night at Prospect BP . . . This is a not-so-fun fact that locals might want to keep in mind as a new stadium will push more traffic out this way. Here's the long-shot legal action filed today along with more reporting . . . "The seven-page filing made on Monday, Feb. 12, includes just one count wrongful death and names several Kansas City, Missouri, police officers as defendants. "A lengthy review of the police shooting at the BP Gas station near 62nd and Prospect which included the Missouri State Highway Patrol and eventually a special prosecutor from the St. Louis area determined the officers acted within their authority in the shooting death of Johnson and declined to recommend or file charges." Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . . Family of Malcolm Johnson files wrongful death lawsuit against KCPD officers The family of a man shot and killed in a scuffle with police three years ago files suit against the officers involved. Family files lawsuit in deadly 2021 Kansas City police shooting The family of Malcolm Johnson is suing members of the Kansas City Police Department after the 31-year-old was killed in a 2021 police shooting. Developing . . . Johnson County endures more threats to youngsters today and this incident should remind us that PROLIFERATION OF GUNS IN THE UNITED STATES doesn't stop at KC proper but now extends to nicer parts of the metro . . . To be clear, TKC loves the 2nd Amendment but we can't help point out the irony that with 120.5 guns per U.S. resident . . . Nobody seems to feel much safer. Here's the sitch . . . "Olathe Northwest Principal Chris Zuck sent a letter to parents Friday afternoon detailing the incident that happened at lunch that day. "Zuck said administrators learned from a student that another student might have a weapon in their backpack. A school resource officer went to remove the student from the cafeteria, per the districts protocols. "The principal said there was an altercation between the student, the resource officer and school administrators. The student was eventually detained and separated from the backpack. The officer also requested additional police backup. " Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . . Today was the funeral . . . Here's probably out last bit of sharing on this topic . . . A postscript: A funeral Mass for Lisa Lopez-Galvan, 43, was held Saturday at Redemptorist Catholic Church, where mourners, many in red jerseys, filled the pews and lined the aisles. A line of attendees had also wrapped around the church for services Friday night. Last night I witnessed along with many of you here a very, very beautiful sight, Fr. Pat Sullivan, of Lopez-Galvans home church in Roeland Park, said at the Mass on Saturday. Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com links . . . Thousands pay respects to Kansas City Chiefs parade shooting victim with 'sea of red' jerseys: 'Beautiful' Thousands created a "sea of red" as they flooded a Kansas City church in Chiefs attire to pay their respects to Lisa Lopez-Galvan, the mom of two who was fatally shot at the team's Super Bowl parade. Union Station honors Lisa Lopez-Galvan with light display celebrating her heritage Union Station was illuminated in the colors of the Mexican flag, a reflection of her Hispanic heritage. Visitation for Lisa Lopez-Galvan draws hundreds The crowd outside Redemptorist Church at 3333 Broadway stretched up Broadway and down Linwood Friday night. Union Station honors Lisa Lopez-Galvan as memorial services for beloved mother, DJ begin As the loved ones of Lisa Lopez-Galvan prepare to lay her to rest, the beloved mother and DJ is being honored in a way that can been seen miles across Kansas City. Hundreds honor the life of Lisa Lopez-Galvan at her funeral Family and friends laid Lisa Lopez-Galvan to rest this morning at Redemptorist Catholic Church in Kansas City. According to highly respected and esteemed global news publications . . . "One of Taylor's new rules prohibits the Super Bowl winner from going to strip clubs, which he is 'fine' with, but another banning him from posing with female fans left him exasperated, a source told Life & Style. " Regarding all manner of this faux publicity stunt arrangement. Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com links . . . Taylor Swift 'BANS Travis Kelce from strip clubs' The Chiefs tight end has found himself thrust into the spotlight amid his relationship with the popstar and she is said to be cautious about his public image. Taylor Swift Just Sang "Karma Is a Guy on the Chiefs" and Then Ran Into Travis Kelce's Arms Taylor Swift changed the lyrics to "Karma" to "Karma is a guy on the Chiefs" again, and then ran to Travis Kelce's arms and kissed him after her Sydney show. Travis Kelce Returns to U.S. as Taylor Swift Performs 2nd Sydney Eras Tour Concert Travis Kelce is returning to the U.S. after supporting Taylor Swift on the first second night of her Eras Tour stop at the Accor Stadium in Sydney on Friday. Why Travis Kelce Left Australia Despite Taylor Swift Having More Shows There Travis Kelce hopped on a private plane in Sydney to head back to Las Vegas, where he'll be meeting Patrick Mahomes and the rest of the Kansas City Chiefs. Developing . . . Actually . . . This type of voting never really inspires the public so we're not sure that we agree with the premise of this scholar . . . Nevertheless, we share his theory: Jacob Authement is a PhD candidate studying state legislatures at the University of Missouri. He said the switch back to caucuses won't only change how an individual votes, but also who's able to vote. "You're going to see more people that are affluent and have a Saturday off. You're not going to see people who work ... on Saturday mornings. They don't have the two hours at 10 a.m. on Saturday to turn out," Authement said. Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . . VIDEO: Low voter turnout expected at Missouri Republican caucus Multiple organizations say the upcoming Republican caucuses will lower voter turnout and diminish voter diversity. The European Union intends to deliver almost 170,000 artillery rounds to Ukraine by the end of March and is working on further increasing the volume of supplies. Minister for Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba announced this on X following a phone call with EU High Representative Josep Borrell, Ukrinform reports. "Artillery shells are the absolute priority right now. By the end of March, the EU plans to deliver almost 170.000 rounds to Ukraine and is working to further increase the volume of deliveries," said the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He added that during today's conversation, Borrell confirmed EUs full solidarity with Ukraine. "The EU has made historic decisions on providing weapons to Ukraine, imposing sanctions on Russia, launching Ukraine's EU accession talks, and supporting Volodymyr Zelensky's Peace Formula. Many improvements and decisions are still ahead and we are working together to ensure their quick adoption," Kuleba emphasized. As Ukrinform reported earlier, President Volodymyr Zelensky, speaking at the Hostomel Airfield on Saturday, said that since Russias full-scale invasion, Ukraine has upgraded its defense industry and reached a new level of arms production. Belgium has been supplying Ukraine with weapons since the outset of Russias full-scale invasion; this year, its contribution to international military aid will exceed EUR 1 billion. This was stated by the Prime Minister of Belgium, Alexander De Croo, at a press conference in Kyiv, reports the correspondent of Ukrinform. "First of all, on the military side: Belgium has been one of the first countries, from day 1, to provide you with lethal weapons, and we will continue doing it. In fact, this year, Belgium's contribution on the military side will be more than 1 billion," he said. De Croo stressed that Belgium has been part of the F-16 coalition since its inception and is training pilots to be able to fly these fighter jets to defend the Ukrainian skies as soon as possible. The head of the Belgian government added that 1,700 Ukrainian servicemen had already been trained by the Belgian Armed Forces. "But I leave Kyiv with one big conviction, we have to do more, we have to do it more quickly, and we have to do it in a more efficient way. And many European countries are really looking at all possible solutions to be able to provide you with more ammunition in the short term, we know this is definitely needed, and we will try to come up with solutions within the next days or weeks," the prime minister emphasized. As Ukrinform reported earlier, the Prime Ministers of Italy, Canada, and Belgium Giorgia Meloni, Justin Trudeau, and Alexander De Croo as well as President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson arrived in Kyiv on February 24 in show of solidarity with Ukraine on the second anniversary of Russias full-scale invasion. The delay in the adoption of the bill with an aid package for Ukraine is in no way related to Ukraine itself, but is the result of an internal political debate in the United States, and this issue will be resolved in March. Joe Wilson, a member of the House of Representatives of the U.S. Congress from the Republican Party, said this in an exclusive comment to an Ukrinform correspondent. "The delay of voting in Congress is due to domestic issues, not Ukraine. We have people legitimately concerned about the border of the United States. We have people legitimately concerned about spending $90 billion. These are legitimate concerns. They will be addressed. And I'm just confident that we will continue and never waver from supporting the people of Ukraine," said Wilson, who is also the chairman of the U.S. Helsinki Commission. According to him, the decision on this issue will be "within the next month." "We will be having the issue resolved within the next month. And we've already seen that the U.S. Senate had a 70% vote in favor of the legislation to provide the funding. And in the U.S. House of Representatives we'll have over 300 votes out of 435 that support the funding," the congressman said. He added that aid to Ukraine had been blocked due to the internal political debate related to border security. "But the reason people are not supporting the funding is not Ukraine. It's other issues, which is the border of the United States needs to be maintained. And the Biden administration has made errors there that are inexcusable. And then a concern about spending so much money. And so these are legitimate concerns. They will be overcome. And we will stand with Ukraine," Wilson said. He expressed confidence that "America will stand with Ukraine, with the Ukrainian people." The U.S. administration at all levels has consistently called on the House of Representatives to immediately ensure the provision of aid to Ukraine by passing a foreign aid bill, which the U.S. Senate supported last week. In its final vote on February 13, the U.S. Senate supported the bill, which provides $95 billion in aid to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan, including $60 billion for Kyiv. Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Ruslan Stefanchuk discussed strengthening sanctions pressure on the Russian Federation during a meeting with the Speaker of the Assembly of the Republic of North Macedonia, Jovan Mitreski. According to Ukrinform, Stefanchuk posted this on Facebook. He emphasized that in these special days for Ukraine, when Russia launched a full-scale invasion two years ago, friends and partners stand side by side with Ukraine. "Our countries have an active political dialog, and this is important. So is the practical assistance provided in confronting the aggressor state," Stefanchuk emphasized. The interlocutors discussed further strengthening of sanctions pressure against Russia and the implementation of the Peace Formula of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky. "I also emphasized that the future of both Ukraine and North Macedonia lies in the European Union. I also thanked North Macedonia for supporting Ukraine's Euro-Atlantic course," Stefanchuk emphasized. As reported by Ukrinform, Verkhovna Rada Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk and Israeli Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana discussed Israel's involvement in consultations on the implementation of the Ukrainian Peace Formula. Canada will continue to provide comprehensive assistance to Ukraine and firmly believes in its victory in the war with Russia. According to an Ukrinform correspondent, this was stated by Canada's Vice Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland during her visit to Kyiv. "As the courageous Ukrainian people continue their historic resistance to Putin's illegal and barbaric invasion, after two years of fierce fighting, Canada is unwavering in its support for Ukraine. Today we stand with the people of Ukraine: We will not lose faith. We will never abandon you. Our resolve is absolute. Glory to Ukraine!" - Freeland said. She was supported by Canadian Defense Minister Bill Blair, who also visited Kyiv on the anniversary of the Russian invasion. "On the second anniversary of Russia's illegal full-scale invasion of Ukraine, we salute the incredible bravery and strength of the people of Ukraine. Canada will always stand with you in your fight for freedom," Blair said. He added that the security agreement signed today, February 24, "demonstrates Canada's commitment to providing Ukraine with the assistance it needs to repel Russian aggression and win." "Ukraine's fight is also our fight, and we will stand with the Ukrainians until they win," the minister emphasized. As Ukrinform reported, during a visit to Kyiv on Saturday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Volodymyr Zelensky signed a security agreement, which, among other things, provides for the allocation of more than CAD 3 billion in military and financial assistance to Ukraine this year. During the visit, it was also announced that Canada would finance several projects to rebuild Ukraine for CAD 130 million, including the completion of the National Museum of the Holodomor Genocide in Kyiv. Ukraine counts on the active participation of Belgian companies in various reconstruction projects. Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal said this in a message on Telegram, Ukrinform reports. "I am grateful to the Prime Minister of Belgium, Alexander De Croo, for his important visit to Ukraine on this day. Ukraine's stability and success today, in particular, depends on the strong support of its partners. Both military and financial. In this context, we discussed financial initiatives with the Prime Minister of Belgium, who currently holds the presidency of the EU Council. We discussed the EUR 1.7 billion Fund for Ukraine created by Belgium, as well as the EUR 50 billion Ukraine Facility program," the statement said. Shmyhal emphasized the importance of using frozen Russian assets for Ukraine's needs. "During the meeting, we discussed the development of a confiscation mechanism. Alexander De Croo will cooperate with the G7 countries in this area. We have to make Russia pay. Belgium is also providing significant assistance in the restoration of our country. We look forward to the active participation of Belgian companies in various reconstruction projects. We discussed steps to strengthen our defense capabilities. We appreciate the support for Ukraine's European integration aspirations," the Prime Minister said. As reported, the Prime Ministers of Italy, Canada and Belgium, George Meloni, Justin Trudeau, Alexander De Croo, as well as the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson arrived in Kyiv on February 24 to demonstrate solidarity with Ukraine on the second anniversary of the full-scale Russian invasion. Photo: Denys Shmyhal/Telegram As the debate over diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives intensifies in higher education, advocates and critics alike are grappling with the implications of these efforts. With decades of experience in academia, Dr. Franklin Tuitt, currently serving as the University of Connecticut's vice president and chief diversity officer, draws parallels between the current backlash against DEI and historical opposition to civil rights advancements. Tuitt, with 25 years of experience in academic administration, emphasizes the unprecedented nature of the current attacks on DEI. He notes a targeted and strategic effort aimed at limiting the impact of diversity initiatives, reflecting a more focused opposition compared to previous challenges. READ ALSO: Texas Ban on Diversity Initiatives Reflects Trend Across GOP States Critics Link DEI to 'Critical Race Theory' Criticism against DEI initiatives often intertwines with concerns over concepts like "critical race theory" (CRT). Christopher Rufo, a prominent opponent of DEI, alleges that institutions are utilizing DEI programs to indoctrinate students in CRT. The pushback against DEI extends beyond rhetoric, with over 70 bills targeting DEI introduced across numerous states since 2023. Ryan P. Williams, president of the Claremont Institute, denounces DEI as "fundamentally anti-American," equating it to affirmative action and racial preferences. The heightened scrutiny has placed universities under intense scrutiny, with only a few willing to openly discuss their DEI efforts. Defining Diversity and Upholding American Principles Despite the opposition, supporters of DEI emphasize its importance in creating inclusive institutional environments. Dr. Sheila Caldwell, vice president for anti-racism, diversity, equity, and inclusion at Southern Illinois University, highlights the broad definition of diversity encompassing various aspects beyond ethnicity. She emphasizes that DEI principles are rooted in American ideals, aiming to fulfill promises historically denied to marginalized groups. Upon recognizing disparities in student retention, SIU Edwardsville implemented an initiative, resulting in a 10% rise for Black students and nearly 4% for Hispanic students. Additionally, overall enrollment and diverse faculty retention have surged. Caldwell also noted that the university has experienced a rise in enrollment among Black, Hispanic, and Asian students. Additionally, retention of diverse faculty members has improved. To be effective, supporters say DEI initiatives must be well-defined and measurable and there must be genuine buy-in from university leadership. Dan Mahony, head of the Southern Illinois University System, concurred, emphasizing that a societal emphasis on DEI typically benefits everyone. Some students CNN interviewed said it was important to learn from and to learn to work with people of different backgrounds and views. Brandi Spann, a junior at SIU Edwardsville, noted that backlash often accompanies any form of social change. DEI Supporter Turned Critic However, not all voices within the DEI discourse align. Erec Smith, formerly involved in DEI initiatives, critiques what he sees as a narrow focus on superficial diversity metrics. He advocates for a DEI framework grounded in classical liberal values, emphasizing individuality, equality, and free speech. Despite the ongoing debate, Tuitt reflects on the cyclical nature of opposition to DEI initiatives, drawing from his own experiences advocating for diversity during his college years. Caldwell expresses concerns that relentless criticism could stifle discussions around bigotry and inequity, underscoring the vital role of DEI in higher education. As universities navigate the complexities of DEI, the discourse underscores broader societal tensions around issues of race, equity, and inclusion. Whether DEI initiatives will endure amidst the current backlash remains a critical question facing academia and society at large. RELATED ARTICLE: Kentucky Senate Passes Bill Restricting DEI in Higher Education The Supreme Court's recent decision not to review a case challenging admissions criteria at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Virginia highlights the Court's reluctance to revisit race-based admissions issues in the aftermath of its June ruling, which significantly impacted affirmative action programs. Background and Legal Battle The controversy stems from the changes made to the admissions policy at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Virginia, prompted by protests following the murder of George Floyd in 2020. The alterations aimed to address longstanding racial disparities in student enrollment by eliminating standardized tests and prioritizing diversity. READ ALSO: Supreme Court Declines Intervention in Affirmative Action Battle at West Point However, a group of parents, predominantly Asian American, challenged the new policy, arguing that it unfairly disadvantaged Asian American applicants. Their lawsuit, known as the Coalition for T.J., sought to halt the implementation of the revised admissions criteria, alleging that they amounted to intentional racial discrimination. The case made its way through the lower courts, with a divided three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit ultimately ruling in favor of the school's new admissions policy. The panel's decision, issued in May, concluded that Thomas Jefferson High School did not discriminate in its admissions process, rejecting the Coalition for T.J.'s claims of racial bias. Implications and Responses The Supreme Court's recent refusal to hear the challenge to the Virginia school's admissions policy has significant implications for the ongoing debate surrounding affirmative action and race-conscious admissions. While some voices, including Joshua Thompson of the Pacific Legal Foundation, expressed disappointment at the Court's decision not to intervene, others welcomed the conclusion of the protracted legal battle. Karl Frisch, chair of the Fairfax County School Board, hailed the Supreme Court's action as a validation of the constitutionality and fairness of the admissions process at Thomas Jefferson High School. He emphasized that the revised policy ensures equal opportunity for all qualified students, regardless of their racial or socioeconomic background. Richard D. Kahlenberg, an advocate for class-based affirmative action, viewed the Court's decision as a victory for disadvantaged students of all races. He asserted that race-neutral strategies, such as those implemented by the Virginia high school, are essential for promoting diversity and equity in educational institutions. Dissenting Voices Despite the majority opinion in favor of upholding the admissions policy, dissenting voices within the legal community raised concerns about the potential racial impact of the revised criteria. Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr., in his dissent, criticized the Court's refusal to overturn the lower court's ruling, characterizing it as perpetuating intentional racial discrimination. Similarly, dissenting opinions from judges like Allison J. Rushing underscored concerns about the policy's racial implications. They argued that the new admissions criteria, while ostensibly race-neutral, may still disproportionately affect certain racial groups, including Asian American applicants. The Supreme Court's decision not to hear the case maintains the status quo at Thomas Jefferson High School and underscores the complex and contentious nature of race-conscious admissions policies. While proponents of the revised policy celebrate it as a step toward fostering diversity and inclusivity, dissenting voices caution against overlooking potential racial biases and disparities in educational access. As the debate continues, the role of race in admissions decisions remains a subject of ongoing legal and societal scrutiny. RELATED ARTICLE: Supreme Court Declines Free Speech Case: University Professor Alleges Retaliation for Dissent ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 24th Feb, 2024) The Provincial Disasters Management Authority (PDMA) has issued an alert to all district administrations following the forecast by the Meteorological Department of another round of rains and snowfall in the upper districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). According to a news report, "The upcoming spell of rain and snowfall is expected to commence from February 25th to February 27th in the province." In the alert, the district administrations were advised to take precautionary measures due to the anticipated rains and snowfall. Muhammad Qaiser Khan, Director General of PDMA, expressed concern that landslides were expected in the upper districts of KP due to the expected snowfall and rains. He stated, "Directives have been issued to district administrations to ensure the availability of both small and heavy machinery. " The DG PDMA also advised the public to stay away from power lines, dilapidated buildings, structures, signboards, and billboards. Furthermore, tourists and the local population in sensitive upper areas were advised to stay informed about weather conditions and to take necessary precautionary measures. The district administrations in sensitive upper areas have been ordered to convey messages to the local population in their native languages. The PDMA chief added that in the event of any emergency, all relevant organizations should remain vigilant in maintaining road links. He also instructed the relevant officials to provide alternative routes in case of road closures. Muhammad Qaiser Khan stated that passengers should be alerted on provincial and national highways in sensitive areas. Brussels, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 24th Feb, 2024) NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg on Saturday urged Ukraine and its allies not to "lose heart" as Russian President Vladimir Putin presses his bloody offensive two years into the war. "The situation on the battlefield remains extremely serious. President Putin's aim to dominate Ukraine has not changed, and there are no indications that he is preparing for peace," Stoltenberg said in a recorded message to mark the second anniversary of the invasion. "But we must not lose heart. Ukraine has demonstrated remarkable skill and fierce determination again and again." The second anniversary of the invasion comes as Ukraine's outgunned troops are struggling to hold the front line and doubts swirl over future support from the United States. Stoltenberg pointed to recent promises of military aid from NATO states "worth billions of Dollars". "These cover key capabilities like artillery ammunition, air defence, and combat boats. As well as F-16 equipment and spare parts, drones, and demining equipment. "More support is on the way." Stoltenberg said Putin had started his war to close the door to eventual NATO membership for Kyiv. "But he has achieved the exact opposite: Ukraine is now closer to NATO than ever before," he said. "Ukraine will join NATO. It is not a question of if, but of when. As we prepare you for that day, NATO will continue to stand with Ukraine. For your security, and for ours." Dakar, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 25th Feb, 2024) Several hundred people demonstrated in Dakar on Saturday calling on the president to set a date to elect his successor before his term ends on April 2. President Macky Sall has faced uproar since he postponed the vote that was scheduled for February 25, triggering one the West African nation's worst political crises. The Constitutional Council overturned the delay and called last week for the vote to be held "as soon as possible". But Sall appears in no hurry. He has put off a decision on the date until after he talks to political and social actors from Monday. He said Thursday night that he hoped to reach an agreement by late Tuesday. That has left the Senegalese people in the dark as to when they will be able to vote, and created a political clamour for the elections to take place soon. Saturday's protest saw hundreds answer the call of the F24 opposition grouping to gather on a sandy open space in a popular quarter of the capital. "We want elections", protesters chanted, draped in national flags. "Macky Sall dictator." "I am demonstrating for one thing: the release of (jailed opposition leader Ousmane) Sonko," 34-year-old refuse collector Ibrahim Niang told AFP. In an apparent move to pacify public opinion, Sall has said he would consider provisional releases, pardons or an amnesty law for opposition figures including Sonko and his deputy Bassirou Diomaye Faye, who is also in jail. According to Sall, in power since 2012, he delayed the election because of disputes over the disqualification of potential candidates and concerns about a return to unrest seen in 2021 and last year. Most of the 20 candidates for president and a large civil society collective have announced they will refuse to take part in the talks Sall intends to stage. "We oppose all proposals for dialogue and demand that a date be set before April 2," Boubacar Camara, among the group of 16 candidates, said Friday. Berlin, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 24th Feb, 2024) An Iranian love story by a dissident director couple and a chilling Austrian historical horror movie led contenders at the Berlin film festival ahead of awards night Saturday. Kenyan-Mexican Oscar winner Lupita Nyong'o, the first black jury president at the 74th annual event, will present the Golden and Silver Bear top prizes at a gala ceremony. An international critics' poll by Britain's Screen magazine showed the bittersweet Iranian romance "My Favourite Cake" and Austria's ultraviolent "The Devil's Bath" as the biggest hits among 20 films in competition. The success of "My Favourite Cake" proved particularly poignant as the duo behind the crowd-pleaser, Maryam Moghaddam and Behtash Sanaeeha, were barred by Iranian authorities from travelling to Berlin for the premiere. The film tells the story of a lonely retired nurse who shares a night of drinking, dancing and passion with a fellow pensioner at her home, beyond the prying eyes of the feared morality police. Moghaddam, 52, told AFP via video link from Tehran that the film's crime according to censors was "crossing so many red lines which have been forbidden in Iran for 45 years" since the Islamic revolution. The Guardian hailed the eye-opening movie as "wonderfully sweet and funny", while The Hollywood Reporter said it "crackles with the valiant, liberational energy of the Woman, Life, Freedom movement". (@ChaudhryMAli88) SINGAPORE, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 24th Feb, 2024) Singapore's Civil Defense Force said on Saturday that one was killed in a building fire at Block 131C, Canberra Crescent. The fire, which involved the contents of a bedroom, was extinguished by firefighters. A person was found dead inside the fire-affected bedroom. About 30 persons from the second to fourth floor were evacuated as a precautionary measure. Paramedics assessed three persons from the neighboring units for smoke inhalation and conveyed one of them to Singapore General Hospital. The other two declined to be sent to the hospital. The cause of the fire was under investigation. (@FahadShabbir) ISTANBUL, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 24th Feb, 2024) Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro voiced pleasure Friday after a meeting with the Turkish foreign minister. "Excellent meeting with the Foreign Minister of Turkiye, Hakan Fidan. With the sister nation of Turkiye, we are consolidating a strong friendship with a busy work agenda, concrete agreements, and tangible achievements that in action and practice are for the shared well-being of our peoples, Maduro wrote on X. "We continue together on this path. The meeting at the Miraflores Presidential Palace in Caracas was attended by Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil and Ankaras Ambassador to Caracas, Aydan Karamanoglu. The presidential press office said separately that the longstanding good relations between the two countries were highlighted, affirming the friendship between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Maduro and between Caracas and Ankara. The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act requires federally funded institutions to catalog, report and return Native American ancestral remains and funerary objects. With exemptions for cases in which institutions can prove legal ownership, the 33-year-old law known as NAGPRA was updated in January with requirements that researchers obtain tribal or lineal descendants' consent before exhibiting or conducting research on human remains and related cultural items. While many Indigenous leaders are encouraged by stronger provisions in the law, anthropologist Elizabeth Weiss says the whole thing should be scrapped because repatriating human remains hinders scientific research. "A research collection's ability to inform us never, never dies, because you have new hypotheses that can be used to test, and you also have to retest old hypotheses when new methods develop," the San Jose State University professor told VOA. What the law says Weiss argues that NAGPRA undermines the separation of church and state because it gives traditional Native American religious leaders a say over whether and to whom human remains will be returned. "NAGPRA was passed with the requirement that two of its [seven] committee members must be traditional Indian religious leaders," she said. "Further, it allows only one type of religious evidence to be used in repatriation and that's Native American creationism." Weiss says the law has led to institutional guidelines for the handling of remains based on what she calls tribal "mythology," including a provision at her university that blocked people who are menstruating from handling skeletal remains. "And the more you allow the acceptance of this kind of superstitious pseudoreligion to creep in, the more widespread it becomes," she said In November 2021, San Jose State's Anthropology Department issued guidelines on the handling of Native American ancestral remains that read, "Menstruating personnel will not be permitted to handle ancestors." The university rescinded that in April 2022. History of grave robbing Niiyokamigaabaw Deondre Smiles, a citizen of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe in Minnesota, is an Indigenous geographer at the University of Victoria in British Columbia, Canada. He said Weiss is misguided. "On its face, she makes what looks to be [a] convincing and appealing argument that scientists are working for the betterment of humankind and that Indigenous opposition is based in which she terms 'pseudoscience' and stifling the process," he said. "What she doesn't really engage with is a very long history of grave robbing of Indigenous burial sites in the name of science." Smiles gave the example of mid-19th-century "craniologist" Samuel Morton who amassed and measured hundreds of human skulls to support his belief in five races, each created separately, whose cranial size determined their place in the racial hierarchy. "In their mental character, the Americans are averse to cultivation, and slow in acquiring knowledge," he wrote in his 1839 book, Crania Americana. Smiles said, "There's been a really long history of people treating Indigenous remains as just simply objects of curiosity, as things that are made to be studied, rather than belonging to human beings once upon a time." NAGPRA previously allowed institutions to retain artifacts they deemed "culturally unidentifiable." That provision has now been removed, and tribal historians and religious leaders will now have a voice in determining where those items should go. Attorney Shannon O'Loughlin, a citizen of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, heads the Association on American Indian Affairs, a nonprofit that helps tribes navigate NAGPRA processes. "The law is very clear that institutions do not own Native bodies or cultural items unless they can prove a right of possession," she said. "If some tribes ask for certain accommodations and protocols, that's because they're the true owners." O'Loughlin stressed that NAGPRA does not prohibit research or display of Native remains. "It simply requires consent. The whole point of the law is to bring tribes to the table where they've never been allowed before and to educate museums about items in their collections and why they are significant." The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act requires federally funded institutions to catalogue, report and return Native American ancestral remains and funerary objects. With exemptions for cases in which institutions can prove legal ownership, the 33-year-old law known as NAGPRA was updated in January with requirements that researchers obtain tribal or lineal descendants consent before exhibiting or conducting research on human remains and related cultural items. While many Indigenous leaders are encouraged by stronger provisions in the law, anthropologist Elizabeth Weiss says the whole thing should be scrapped because repatriating human remains hinders scientific research. A research collections ability to inform us never, never dies, because you have new hypotheses that can be used to test, and you also have to retest old hypotheses when new methods develop, the San Jose State University professor told VOA. What the law says Weiss argues that NAGPRA undermines the separation of church and state because it gives traditional Native American religious leaders a say over whether and to whom human remains will be returned. NAGPRA was passed with the requirement that two of its [seven] committee members must be traditional Indian religious leaders, she said. Further, it allows only one type of religious evidence to be used in repatriation and that's Native American creationism. Weiss says the law has led to institutional guidelines for the handling of remains based on what she calls tribal mythology, including a provision at her university that blocked people who are menstruating from handling skeletal remains. And the more you allow the acceptance of this kind of superstitious pseudo-religion to creep in, the more widespread it becomes, she says. In November 2021, San Jose States Anthropology Department issued guidelines on the handling of Native American ancestral remains which read, Menstruating personnel will not be permitted to handle ancestors. The university rescinded that in April 2022. Long history of grave robbing Niiyokamigaabaw Deondre Smiles, a citizen of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe in Minnesota, is an Indigenous geographer at the University of Victoria in British Columbia, Canada. He says Weiss is misguided. On its face, she makes what looks to be [a] convincing and appealing argument that scientists are working for the betterment of humankind and that Indigenous opposition is based in which she terms pseudo-science and stifling the process, he said. What she doesn't really engage with is a very long history of grave robbing of Indigenous burial sites in the name of science. Smiles gave the example of mid-19th Century craniologist Samuel Morton who amassed and measured hundreds of human skulls to support his belief in five races, each created separately, whose cranial size determined their place in the racial hierarchy. In their mental character, the Americans are averse to cultivation, and slow in acquiring knowledge, he wrote in his 1839 book, "Crania Americana." Smiles says, There's been a really long history of people treating Indigenous remains as just simply objects of curiosity, as things that are made to be studied, rather than belonging to human beings once upon a time. NAGPRA previously allowed institutions to retain artifacts they deemed culturally unidentifiable. That provision has now been removed, and tribal historians and religious leaders will now have a voice in determining where those items should go. Attorney Shannon OLoughlin, a citizen of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, heads the Association on American Indian Affairs, a nonprofit that helps tribes navigate NAGPRA processes. The law is very clear that institutions do not own Native bodies or cultural items unless they can prove a right of possession, she said. If some tribes ask for certain accommodations and protocols, that's because they're the true owners. OLoughlin stresses that NAGPRA does not prohibit research or display of Native remains. It simply requires consent. The whole point of the law is to bring tribes to the table where they've never been allowed before and to educate museums about items in their collections and why they are significant. U.S. President Joe Biden has announced 500 new sanctions on Russia as the world marks two years since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Biden said the sanctions will target Russia's "war machine," including weapons procurement, and will also target individuals involved in the imprisonment and death of prominent Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny one week ago. VOA's Senior Diplomatic Correspondent Cindy Saine reports. The head of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives says he fears that a drumbeat of mass shootings and other gun violence across the United States could make Americans numb to the bloodshed, fostering apathy to finding solutions rather than galvanizing communities to act. Director Steve Dettelbach's comments to The Associated Press came after he met this past week with family members of some of the 18 people killed in October at a bowling alley and a bar in Lewiston, Maine, by a U.S. Army reservist who later took his own life. He said people must not accept that gun violence is a prevalent part of American life. It seems to me that things that we used to sort of consider memorable, life-altering, shocking events that you might think about and talk about for months or years to come now are happening with seeming frequency that makes it so that we sort of think, "That's just the one that happened this week,'" he said. If we come to sort of accept that, that's a huge hurdle in addressing the problem. Dettelbach, whose agency is responsible for enforcing the nations gun laws, met for nearly two hours at Central Maine Community College with relatives of those killed and survivors of the Lewiston shooting. An AP reporter also attended, along with other law enforcement officials. Some expressed frustration about missed red flags and questioned why the gunman was able to get the weapon he used. Dettelbach told his audience that they can be a powerful catalyst for change. "Im sorry that we have to be in a place where we have to have these horrible tragedies happen for people to pay attention, but they have to pay attention, Dettelbach said. I can go around and talk, but your voices are very important and powerful voices. So, if you choose to use them, you should understand that it makes a difference. It really makes a difference. Those who met with Dettelbach included members of Maine's close-knit community of deaf and hard of hearing people, which lost four people in the October 25 shooting at a bowling alley and bar. Megan Vozzella, whose husband, Stephen, was killed, told Dettelbach through an ASL interpreter that the shooting underscores the need for law enforcement to improve communications with members of the deaf community. She said they felt out of the loop after the shooting. Nothing we do at this point will bring back my husband and the other victims, Vozzella said in an interview after the meeting. It hurts my heart to talk about this and so learning more every day about this, my only hope is that this can improve for the future." There are questions about why neither local law enforcement nor the military intervened to take away weapons from the shooter, Robert Card, despite his deteriorating mental health. In police body cam video released to the media this month, Card told New York troopers before his hospitalization last summer that fellow soldiers were worried about him because he was gonna friggin do something. Dettelbach, in the AP interview, declined to comment on the specifics of Card's case, which an independent commission in Maine is investigating. But he said it is clear that the nation needs to make it harder for people "that everyone agrees should not have firearms, who the law says are not entitled to have firearms, to get them because it's too easy to get them now." Dettelbach's conversation with victims was part of a tour in New England that also included meetings with law enforcement and others to discuss ways to tackle gun violence. Dettelbach, who has expressed support for universal background checks and banning so-called assault weapons, said he regularly meets with those affected by gun violence. Each one of these shootings is a tragedy that takes lives and changes other lives forever. And thats whether it makes the news or not, whether its the suicide of a child or a drive-by in the city, whether its a massacre at a parade, a spray bullets on a subway, whether its a man who kills his family, murders police or a student with a rifle shooting up their school, he said during a speech at Dartmouth College on Wednesday. I submit to you that it is our patriotic duty as Americans to respond, to think of these people, to have their backs, to view this tough news as a call to action. The two-person contest for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination comes to South Carolina on Saturday, where former governor and United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley is looking for her home state to deliver her first win of the election season over former President Donald Trump. Polling shows Trump holds a strong lead over Haley, after securing wins in the Iowa caucus and the New Hampshire primary in January. A Suffolk University/USA Today poll of South Carolina voters conducted last week found that 63% of the state's voters prefer the former president. Earlier this week, Haley vowed to continue on to Super Tuesday, the primary day in early March when a diverse set of 15 states will vote for their choice of a Republican candidate to go up against President Joe Biden in the November general election. But at a campaign event Friday, Donald Trump Jr. told reporters Haley's vow was a calculated decision. "It's just political theater, but it's the political theater designed to hurt Donald Trump and the Republican chances in November. She's saying that she's going to remain until Super Tuesday. I'm sure she will. She won't win any states on Super Tuesday either," he said. Trump holds 63 delegates going into Saturday's vote, while Haley holds 17. A candidate needs 1215 delegates to secure the nomination, with most of the delegates still to be awarded. Haley told voters at a Georgetown, South Carolina, rally on Thursday that she is the better choice in the general election, arguing American voters are concerned about the age and abilities of both Trump and Biden. "Are we really saying the best we can do is two guys in their 80s?" Haley said. "Because we need someone who can serve eight years uninterrupted, day and night, and focus on what's going to get solutions for the American people." Haley is Trump's only remaining rival for the nomination. Some voters who chose Trump in the last election said they are turning to Haley now as an alternative to the former president's rhetoric. "Nikki Haley is a lot less volatile than he is he has a very volatile personality," Kat Loftus, a voter from Georgetown, told VOA. "I think she would do a much better job of listening to people that are different from her and negotiating and getting things accomplished to unite our country." Loftus said border security and immigration are her top concerns this election year and Haley's experience as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations would be useful as she negotiated with Mexico's president on border security. In her well-attended speech, Haley also argued Trump has harmed the global reputation of the United States with his support for Russian President Vladimir Putin. "Donald Trump is siding with a thug," Haley said. "Half a million people have been wounded or killed because Putin invaded Ukraine. Donald Trump is siding with a dictator who kills his political opponents." Tee Miller, a South Carolina voter, agreed, saying the former president had his chance during his term. "Everyone thinks he's going to bring this change, but he had the opportunity before and didn't really make the change. And he's also brought on new baggage," Miller said. Flo Phillips did change her mind. She voted for Trump in the last election but said she is now voting for Haley. "I can be proud of her when she's talking. She's not saying horrible things about everybody. She seems to be a real smart person," Phillips told VOA. Trump campaign focused on Biden But Haley was barely mentioned Friday by Trump Jr. as he rallied voters in Charleston, South Carolina. "We can get our country back to where it needs to be," Trump Jr. told a small group of voters, alleging Biden is controlled by radical Leftists. "No one actually thinks that Joe Biden is coming up with policy, right?" Rosie, a South Carolina voter who declined to provide her last name, agreed, saying that Biden has torn down democratic values during his term in office. She said she did not consider voting for Haley. "She was on record saying that she would never run if Trump was running. So that's just indicative of her flip flopping on what she says she's going to do and then what she does. She's proven that her track record is, 'I'll say what I need to get elected and then do the opposite,'" she told VOA. "Nikki is a good lady," South Carolina voter Todd, who declined to provide his last name, said he appreciated her leadership in 2015 when a racist gunmen killed eight people at the Charleston AME church. Todd, who described himself as a big fan of Trump Jr.'s political podcasts, said the timing of Haley candidacy wasn't right. "With all that's going on in our country, it's just not the right time." Carolyn Corcoran, a voter and single mother worried about the rising cost of living, said Haley is too politically entrenched in Washington. She said she likes Trump because he puts people ahead of politics. "The way they're attacking Trump by using the law as a political weapon it's really heartbreaking for someone who protected people for years and enforced the laws the way they should be enforced," said Corcoran, who retired from law enforcement after 30 years. "To see our whole country, the attorneys general using the law to try to get at Trump, when he's never done anything that anyone else hasn't done. They just want to weaponize the law against him." The prime ministers of Hungary and Sweden concluded a defense industry agreement Friday that will expand Budapest's fleet of Swedish-built fighter jets, paving the way for Hungarys likely ratification of Swedens long-delayed NATO bid. The meeting in Budapest between Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and his Swedish counterpart, Ulf Kristersson, came after months of heightened tensions between the two countries over Hungary's refusal to give its backing for Sweden to join NATO. Kristersson made the trip to Hungary after repeated invitations to do so by the Hungarian government, something Orban had hinted would be a precondition for his government's endorsement of Sweden's NATO bid. Friday's defense agreement appeared to be a decisive point of reconciliation between the two governments, and Orban has indicated that his party is ready to approve Sweden's bid Monday. In a news conference following their bilateral meeting, Kristersson said Sweden would sell four Swedish-made JAS 39 Gripen jets to Hungary, expanding its current fleet of 14 jets. Sweden will also extend support systems and service provision for the jets. I strongly welcome this deepened cooperation on advanced fighting capabilities," Kristersson said, adding that the Gripen jets are a pride of Sweden. Orban said the additional fighters will significantly increase our military capabilities and further strengthen our role abroad, and will expand Hungary's ability to participate in joint NATO operations. The agreement paved the way for Hungary's likely ratification of Sweden's NATO bid Monday, when a vote on the matter is scheduled in parliament. Unanimous support among all NATO members is required to admit new countries, and Hungary is the last of the alliance's 31 members that has still not given its backing. During Hungary's more than 18 months of delays in scheduling a vote, Orban had said his government was in favor of bringing Sweden into NATO, but that lawmakers in his governing Fidesz party were unconvinced offended by blatant lies from some Swedish politicians that he said had cast doubt on Hungary's democratic credentials. Hungary's allies in NATO and the European Union had put increasing pressure on Budapest to drop its opposition to Sweden's membership. Last weekend, a bipartisan group of U.S. senators visited Hungary and announced they would submit a joint resolution to Congress condemning alleged democratic backsliding and urging Orban's government to immediately lift its block on Swedens trans-Atlantic integration. Orbans critics in the EU have alleged that he has stalled on Swedens NATO bid to extract concessions from the bloc, which has frozen billions in funding to Hungary over alleged breaches of rule-of-law and democracy standards. The EU has demanded that Budapest take steps to safeguard judicial independence and human rights and tackle corruption. Hungarys government has railed against Swedish officials who supported freezing the funds and blamed them for a breakdown in trust between the two countries. On Friday, Orban said that while Hungary and Sweden don't agree on all issues, building trust was essential to his country's support for Sweden's admission to the alliance. To be a member of NATO together with another country means we are ready to die for each other, he said. A deal on defense and military capacities helps to reconstruct the trust between the two countries. Earlier this month, when Tucker Carlson asked Vladimir Putin about his reasons for invading Ukraine two years ago, Putin gave him a lecture on Russian history. The 71-year-old Russian leader spent more than 20 minutes showering a baffled Carlson with dates and names going back to the ninth century. Putin even gave him a folder containing what he said were copies of historical documents proving his points: that Ukrainians and Russians historically have always been one people, and that Ukraine's sovereignty is merely an illegitimate holdover from the Soviet era. Carlson said he was "shocked" at being on the receiving end of the history lesson. But for those familiar with Putin's government, it was not surprising in the least: In Russia, history has long been a propaganda tool used to advance the Kremlin's political goals. And the last two years have been entirely in keeping with that ethos. In an effort to rally people around their world view, Russian authorities have tried to magnify the country's past victories while glossing over the more sordid chapters of its history. They have rewritten textbooks, funded sprawling historical exhibitions and suppressed sometimes harshly voices that contradict their narrative. Russian officials have also regularly bristled at Ukraine and other European countries for pulling down Soviet monuments, widely seen there as an unwanted legacy of past oppression, and even put scores of European officials on a wanted list over that in a move that made headlines this month. "In the hands of the authorities," says Oleg Orlov, co-founder of Memorial, Russia's oldest and most prominent rights group, "history has become a hammer or even an axe." The glorifying From the early years of his quarter-century rule, Putin has repeatedly contended that studying their history should make Russians proud. Even controversial figures, such as Soviet dictator Josef Stalin, contributed to Russia's greatness, Putin argues. (Russian media have counted over 100 monuments to Stalin in Russia, most of which were installed during Putin's rule.) The Russian president has said that there should be one "fundamental state narrative" instead of different textbooks that contradict each other. And he has called for a "universal" history textbook that would convey that narrative. But that idea, criticized heavily by historians, didn't gain much traction for quite a while until Russia invaded Ukraine. Last year, the government rolled out a series of four new "universal" history textbooks for 10th- and 11th-graders. One featured a chapter on Moscow's "special military operation" in Ukraine, blamed the West for the Cold War and described the collapse of the Soviet Union as "the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the 20th century." Some historians derided it as blatant propaganda. "The Soviet Union, and later Russia, is (depicted in the textbook as) always a besieged fortress, which constantly lives surrounded by enemies. These hostile circles are trying to weaken Russia in every conceivable way and seize its resources," says historian Nikita Sokolov. The Kremlin-friendly vision of Russian history is also dominating a chain of sprawling, state-funded "history parks" venues that host history-themed exhibitions in 24 cities across the country. Those venues were opened after a series of historical exhibitions in the early 2010s drew hundreds of thousands of Russians and received praise from Putin. Metropolitan Tikhon (Shevkunov), a Russian Orthodox bishop reported to be Putin's personal confessor, was the driving force behind them. Packed with animations, touch-screen displays and other flashy elements, those widely popular expositions were criticized by historians for inaccurate claims and deliberate glorification of Russian rulers and their conquests. One exhibition described Ivan the Terrible, a 16th-century Russian czar known for his violent purges of Russian nobility, as a victim of "an information war." Another was widely advertised with a quote falsely attributed to Otto von Bismarck, chancellor of the German Empire in the 19th century, that was removed swiftly after sparking outcry: "It is impossible to defeat the Russians. We have seen this ourselves over hundreds of years. But Russians can be instilled with false values, and then they will defeat themselves." Central to this narrative of an invincible Russia is the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II. Marked on May 9 Germany officially capitulated after midnight Moscow time on May 9, 1945 the Soviet victory has become integral to Russian identity. The Soviet Union lost an estimated 27 million people in the war, pushing German forces from Stalingrad, deep inside Russia, all the way to Berlin. The suffering and valor that went into the German defeat have been touchstones ever since, and under Putin Victory Day has become the country's primary secular holiday. For the authorities, "Russia's history is a road from one victory to the next," sums up Orlov, whose group won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022. "And more beautiful victories lie ahead. And (the Kremlin says that) we must be proud of our history; history is a means of instilling patriotism. Of course in their view, patriotism is appreciation of the leadership be it the leadership of the czarist Russia, the leadership of the Soviet Russia or the current leadership." The silencing As celebrations of Victory Day over the years grew more imperious, Putin's government grew less tolerant of any questioning or criticism of the Soviet Union's actions in that war or generally. In 2014, Russian cable networks dropped Dozhd, the county's sole independent TV channel, after it hosted a history program on the 1941-44 Siege of Leningrad and asked viewers to vote on whether Soviet authorities should have surrendered Leningrad to save lives. Famine in the city, now called St. Petersburg, killed more than 500,000 people during the siege. The question caused an uproar, with officials accusing the channel of crossing moral and ethical lines. That same year, the Russian government adopted a law that made "rehabilitating Nazism" or "spreading knowingly false information about the actions of the USSR during World War II" a criminal offense. The first conviction on those charges was reported in 2016. A man was fined 200,000 rubles (about $3,000 at the time) for a social media post saying that "the Communists and Germany attacked Poland together, unleashing World War II." In the years that followed, the number of convictions on the charge only grew. Research and public debate about mass repressions by Stalin also have faced significant resistance in recent years. Historians and rights advocates cite the inevitable parallels to the current crackdown against dissent that has already landed hundreds of people behind bars. Two historians involved in researching Stalin's mass executions in northwestern Russia were jailed in recent years prosecutions on unrelated charges many link to their work. Memorial, Russia's oldest and most prominent human rights group that drew international acclaim for its studies of political repression in the Soviet Union, has been shut down. It continues to work, but its activities in Russia have been significantly curtailed. And a queue of people waiting for their turn to read out the names of victims of Soviet repressions no longer snakes through central Moscow streets in late October. The tradition to read them aloud once a year in front of a monument to victims of Soviet repressions called "Returning the Names" was started in 2007 and once attracted thousands of people. In 2020, Moscow authorities stopped authorizing it, citing COVID-19. The authorities are threatened by efforts to preserve historical memory, and it has gotten worse since the war in Ukraine began, says Natalya Baryshnikova, producer of last year's "Returning the Names," which in 2023 went ahead in dozens of cities abroad and online. "We see this very clearly" since the Ukraine war began, says Baryshnikova. "Any grassroots civil movement or statement about the memory of Soviet terror is inconvenient." The justifying According to prominent history teacher Tamara Eidelman, the historical narrative the Kremlin is trying to impose on society contains several main elements: the primacy of the state, the affairs of which are always more important than individual lives; the cult of self-sacrifice and readiness to give up one's life for a greater cause; and the cult of war. "Of course, (the latter) is never explicitly spelled out," Eidelman says. Instead, the narrative is: "`We have always strived for peace We have always been attacked and merely fought back.'" That laid the perfect ideological groundwork for the invasion of Ukraine, she says, and points out how the "Never again!" sentiment about World War II for some in Russia in recent years became "We can do it again" a popular slogan after the annexation of Crimea in 2014 as the Kremlin adopted increasingly aggressive rhetoric toward the West. Indeed, in the years before the Ukraine war, Putin cited history increasingly often. In 2020, during a reform that reset the limits on his presidential terms, a reference to history was even added to the country's constitution a new clause that stipulated Russia is "united by a thousand-year history" and "enforces protection of the historical truth." In 2020-21, Putin published two lengthy articles on history one criticizing the West for actions leading up to World War II, another arguing that Ukrainians and Russians have always been one people. In an address to the nation days before sending troops into Ukraine, he once again invoked history, claiming Ukraine as a state was created artificially by Soviet leaders. History "has been used to legitimize the regime essentially since the beginning of Putin's rule," Ivan Kurilla, a historian at Wellesley College, said in a recent article. And with the war in Ukraine, it "finally took a central place in the state ideology next to geopolitical talk about sovereignty, the 'decline of the West' and the protection of traditional values." The lush valley enveloping Medellin was once the heart of a brutal war involving the Colombian government, drug cartels and a smattering of other armed groups. But a sharp dip in violence in the country's second-biggest city has attracted a flood of tourists to its vivid colors, busy cafes and booming nightlife. About 1.4 million visited last year, many of them American. Now the tourism boom has presented officials with a new set of dark challenges, including an uptick in sex trafficking and the killing of tourists and Colombian women after rendezvous on dating apps. "This area has spun out of control," Medellin Mayor Federico Gutierrez said recently while touring a park known for the sex trade. Sex and drug tourism has long been a problem in Medellin, but the dangers came to a head late last year. Between November and December, eight American men were killed, many after meeting local women who are often used as pawns by criminal groups that target foreigners. The killings prompted the U.S. Embassy in Bogota to warn in January that some tourists had been slipped drugs and were later robbed or killed. American officials cautioned men against using dating apps. The apps offer a way to seek out sex workers, whose business is not criminalized in Colombia. Medellin lead prosecutor Yiri Milena Amado Sanchez said most of the recent killings followed similar scripts: A tourist contacts a local woman through social media or a dating app. When they meet, the man is handed a drink spiked with a substance such as scopolamine, which can cause people to fall unconscious and block their memories. The victims lose their belongings and, in some cases, their lives. Of the killings, the most is known about the death of Tou Ger Xiong, an activist and comedian from Minnesota who went on a date with a Medellin woman, police say. After meeting the woman, Xiong was kidnapped on Dec. 10, tortured, beaten and robbed. Despite his family paying a ransom for his release, he was taken to a nearby wooded area and thrown down a 250-foot cliff. He was found dead the next day. Colombian authorities have not suggested that he was involved in prostitution. They said Xiong went out several times with the woman, who has been charged in the case, along with two men. Friends and relatives described Xiong as a gregarious man who loved to travel, especially to Colombia, where he had friends. "It's almost like a second home; he loved it there," his brother, Eh Xiong, told the Star Tribune of Minneapolis, adding that his brother knew about the U.S. government warnings, but that he assumed only "the best in people." Just this year, authorities have investigated the deaths of five more tourists, including a Dutch visitor found dead in a hotel, three Americans and a Lithuanian, who may have died by suicide. Foreigners, too, have been behind some of the violence. Earlier this month, the body of 20-year-old Colombian Laura Lopera was found jammed inside a suitcase. Authorities say her middle-aged Canadian ex-boyfriend, whom she met on a dating app, was likely behind the death. Gutierrez, the Medellin mayor, said the boyfriend fled the country and is now being pursued by Interpol. The Associated Press contacted the suspect over social media but did not receive a response. The Canadian Embassy in Bogota said it was tracking the case but could not share more information due to privacy concerns. "How sad and painful it is to learn of another femicide," Gutierrez wrote on X, formerly Twitter. "I send my solidarity to her family." The rise in tourism has also coincided with an uptick in sexual exploitation and trafficking in a place where rates of violence against women are already sky-high. In 2023, the city documented 1,259 cases of possible sexual exploitation of minors, a nearly 60% increase from the year before, according to data collected by the city. Much of the city's sex work is also fueled by poverty and a migration crisis from neighboring Venezuela. Vulnerable women often sell sex to make ends meet. That was the case for one young sex worker, who fled economic crisis in Venezuela five years ago. Every weekend, she walks dressed up through Lleras Park, which is surrounded by clubs frequented by foreign tourists. The small park is a hub for Medellin's sex industry. "An American will pay 100 or even 200 dollars for sex, but a Colombian never pays that much," she said, speaking on condition of anonymity for security reasons. Far from making a lucrative salary, she needed to scrape together at least $50 to pay for the room where she lives with her 8-year-old daughter and her mother. "Some think that we are going to harm them," she said, referring to the crimes against tourists. "But not all of us are criminals." On a recent night, dozens of police officers and local government officials patrolled the park, accompanied by Mayor Gutierrez. They asked for identification from women entering the park through police checkpoints. Most were let through, but a couple of teenagers were stopped and taken into a van. When the police left, the area once again filled with sex workers of different ages. Despite the rise in sex tourism, many visitors to Medellin are pulled in by its vibrant culture, the stunning natural beauty of the valley and the city's complicated history. In a hillside neighborhood known as Comuna 13, hundreds of people take walking tours each day to see the area's transformation. The neighborhood was once a battleground for fighting among drug cartels, leftist guerrillas, military forces and government-linked paramilitary groups. The dead were buried in mass graves. While the area still struggles with gang problems, tourists walk through colorful streets connected by electric staircases. Visitors take photos of intricate murals painted by local artists and shop for handicrafts in small stores. In the middle of a tour, 38-year-old Ola Aiyedun of New York stopped to take some pictures with two friends. He said he wasn't worried about safety or the warning to avoid dating apps because he didn't come to Colombia in search of a partner. "Colombia has more to offer than just women," Aiyedun said. Wayne LaPierre misspent millions of dollars of the National Rifle Associations money during his decades leading the powerful gun lobby, using the funds to pay for an extravagant lifestyle that included exotic getaways and trips on private planes and superyachts, a New York jury determined Friday. The jury ordered LaPierre, 74, to repay the group he led for three decades $4,351,231. It also ordered the NRA's retired finance chief, Wilson Phillips, to pay back the group $2 million. Jurors also found that the NRA omitted or misrepresented information in its tax filings and violated New York law by failing to adopt a whistleblower policy. LaPierre sat stone-faced in the front row of the courtroom as the verdict was read aloud. 'Same rules' for all The verdict is a win for New York Attorney General Letitia James, a Democrat who campaigned on investigating the NRAs not-for-profit status. In New York, you cannot get away with corruption and greed, no matter how powerful or influential you think you may be, James said in a post on the social media platform X. Everyone, even the NRA and Wayne LaPierre, must play by the same rules. The loss in court was the latest blow to the group, which in recent years has been beset by financial troubles and a dwindling membership. LaPierre, its longtime face, announced his resignation on the eve of the trial. NRA general counsel John Frazer was also a defendant in the case. Although the jury found that he violated his duties, it didn't order him to repay any money. The penalties paid by LaPierre the jury actually found him liable for $5.4 million but determined hed already paid back a little over $1 million and Phillips will go back to the NRA, which was portrayed in the case both as a defendant that lacked internal controls to prevent misspending and as a victim of that same misconduct. James also wants the three men to be banned from serving in leadership positions at any charitable organizations that conduct business in New York. A judge will decide that question during the next phase of the state Supreme Court trial. Another former NRA executive turned whistleblower, Joshua Powell, settled with the state last month, agreeing to testify at the trial, pay the NRA $100,000 and forgo further involvement with nonprofits. James sued the NRA and its executives in 2020 under her authority to investigate not-for-profits registered in the state. She originally sought to have the entire organization dissolved, but Justice Joel M. Cohen ruled in 2022 that the allegations did not warrant a corporate death penalty. The trial, which began last month, cast a spotlight on the leadership, organizational culture and finances of the lobbying group, which was founded more than 150 years ago in New York City to promote rifle skills and grew into a political juggernaut that influenced federal law and presidential elections. Face of the organization Before he stepped down, LaPierre had led the NRAs day-to-day operations since 1991, acting as its face and becoming one of the countrys most influential figures in shaping gun policy. During the trial, state lawyers argued that he dodged financial disclosure requirements while treating the NRA as his personal piggy bank, liberally dipping into its coffers for African safaris and other questionable expenditures. His lawyer cast the trial as a political witch hunt by James. LaPierre billed the NRA more than $11 million for private jet flights and spent more than $500,000 on eight trips to the Bahamas over a three-year span, state lawyers said. He also authorized $135 million in NRA contracts for a vendor whose owners showered him with free trips to the Bahamas, Greece, Dubai and India, as well as access to a 108-foot (33-meter) yacht. LaPierre contended he hadnt realized the travel tickets, hotel stays, meals, yacht access and other luxury perks counted as gifts, and that the private jet flights were necessary for his safety. But he conceded that he had wrongly expensed private flights for his family and accepted vacations from vendors doing business with the NRA without disclosing them. Among those who testified at the trial was Oliver North, a onetime NRA president and former National Security Council military aide best known for his central role in the Iran-Contra scandal of the 1980s. North, who resigned from the NRA in 2019, said he was pushed out after raising allegations of financial irregularities. After reporting a $36 million deficit in 2018 fueled largely by misspending, the NRA cut back on long-standing programs that had been core to its mission, including training and education, recreational shooting and law enforcement initiatives. In 2021, it filed for bankruptcy and sought to incorporate in Texas instead of New York, but a judge rejected the move, saying it was an attempt to duck James lawsuit. Despite its recent woes, the NRA remains a political force. Republican presidential hopefuls flocked to its annual convention last year and former President Donald Trump spoke at an NRA event earlier this month his eighth speech to the association, it said. An attack by Iranian-backed Yemeni Houthi rebels on a Belize-flagged ship earlier this month caused a 29-kilometer (18-mile) oil slick, the U.S. military said Saturday. It also warned of the danger of a spill from the vessel's cargo of fertilizer. The Rubymar, a British-registered, Lebanese-operated cargo vessel, was attacked on Feb. 18 while sailing through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which connects the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, U.S. Central Command said. The missile attack forced the crew to abandon the vessel, which had been on its way to Bulgaria after leaving Khorfakkan in the United Arab Emirates. It was transporting more than 41,000 tons of fertilizer, CENTCOM said in a statement. The vessel suffered significant damage, which led to the slick, said the CENTCOM statement, warning that the ship's cargo could spill into the Red Sea and worsen this environmental disaster. The Houthis continue to demonstrate disregard for the regional impact of their indiscriminate attacks, threatening the fishing industry, coastal communities and imports of food supplies, it said. The Associated Press, relying on satellite images from Planet Labs PBC of the stricken vessel, reported Tuesday that the vessel was leaking oil in the Red Sea. Yemens internationally recognized government Saturday called for other countries and maritime-protection organizations to quickly address the oil slick and avert a significant environmental disaster. In a statement, the government, which sits in the southern city of Aden, said the vessel is heading toward the Hanish Islands, a Yemeni archipelago in the southern Red Sea. Separately, CENTCOM said it launched attacks on Houthi-held areas in Yemen on Friday, destroying seven mobile anti-ship cruise missiles that were prepared to launch toward the Red Sea. It described the strikes as self-defense, saying that the missiles presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and to the U.S. Navy ships in the region. CENTCOM didnt give further details. Houthi-run media, however, reported strikes by the U.S. and the U.K. on the district of Durayhimi in the Red Sea province of Hodeida. The U.S. military has in recent weeks launched waves of strikes on Houthi-held areas inside Yemen in response to the Houthis attacks on shipping routes in the Red Sea. Since November, the rebels have repeatedly targeted ships in the Red Sea and surrounding waters. They claim to be acting over Israels war targeting Hamas in the Gaza Strip, however they have frequently targeted vessels with tenuous or no clear links to Israel, imperiling shipping in a key route for trade among Asia, the Mideast and Europe. The targeted vessels have included at least one with cargo for Iran, the Houthis' main benefactor. Ukraines military said Sunday Russia has lost 409,820 troops in Ukraine in its two-year war on Ukraine. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine posted Russias loss in a report on Facebook. In addition, the report also said Russia had lost 819 of its troops in the previous day. Russia has not commented. Ukraines air force said Sunday its forces downed 16 out of 18 Russian drones aimed at several Ukrainian oblasts. On Saturday, the second anniversary of Russias invasion, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked those who have supported Ukraine. Because of their cooperation, he said, millions in Ukraine and in neighboring countries around Russia can feel that their homeland will not become Putins backyard. Zelenskyy used his nightly video address to cite Russian imperial ambitions and revanchism and struck an optimistic note that Russia will be defeated because when the world's leading democracies are truly determined, this determination overcomes all challenges. We must ensure Russia loses, he said, then the entire global community of nations and international law as such will prevail. Ukrainians commemorated the day by laying flowers to honor their dead, weeping and hoping for victory despite the mounting number of war dead and a Russian offensive that shows no sign of letting up. G7 pledges support Leaders of the Group of Seven major democracies marked the second anniversary by pledging to support Ukraine for as long as needed in its war against Russia. In a statement, the G7 denounced the support of China and Iran for Russia's war on Ukraine and called on Iran to stop helping Russia's military. They also expressed concern about the transfer by Chinese businesses of weapons components and military equipment to Moscow. Earlier, Western leaders such as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visited the Ukrainian capital to mark the gruesome anniversary in a show of support. Meloni and Trudeau signed a 10-year defense pact with Ukraine's president and Meloni told the Ukrainian people they "are not alone" in the fight. Trudeau said, "we will stand with Ukraine with whatever it takes, for as long as it takes." Trudeau pledged about $2.25 billion in financial and military support for Ukraine this year. Watch related video by VOA's Anna Chernikova: The Canadian and Italian security deals mirror similar pacts signed recently with Britain, France, Germany and Denmark. However, $61 billion in aid promised by U.S. President Joe Biden is still stalled by the U.S. House of Representatives, denting Kyiv's hopes of pushing back the much larger, better supplied Russian military. U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer visited Ukraine on Friday. He urged House members to "do the right thing" and pass the Ukraine military aid bill. Earlier Friday, the U.S. government imposed more than 500 new sanctions on Russian entities in the single largest round of penalties since the war began. The government said the sanctions mark both the second anniversary of the invasion and the death of Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny at an Arctic prison. Biden noted the new sanctions will target individuals connected to Navalny's imprisonment, as well as Russia's financial sector. "They will ensure Putin pays an even steeper price for his aggression abroad and repression at home," he said. As the war enters its third year, Russian forces hold around 18% of Ukraine's territory and new offensives are surging in the east, buoyed by the capture of the ruined town of Avdiivka last weekend. Exhausted by two years of fighting, Ukraine's government faces challenges, such as renewing battlefield manpower without undermining Ukraine's fragile economy. As Zelenskyy led commemorative events Saturday, some Ukrainians expressed fear that the war would last years. "I'm a realist and understand that most likely the war will drag on for the next three or four years," Denys Symonovskiy, a Kyiv resident, told Reuters. "I hope society will mobilize, I hope we'll be able to somehow defeat Russia." Funerals every day In the western city of Lviv, hundreds of kilometers from the fighting, women cried as a priest led prayers in a cemetery festooned with blue-and-yellow Ukrainian flags, each marking the death of a soldier. "The boys are holding the front line. We can only imagine what effort and price is paid for every peaceful day we have. I want to believe it's not all in vain. We have funerals every day," Evhenia Demchuk, a widow and mother of two, told Reuters. In Warsaw, hundreds of protesters marked the second anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine by gathering outside the Russian Embassy at the Polish capital. Some left a pile of manure outside the home of Moscow's ambassador to Poland Saturday. Pictures of the protest seen by Reuters showed protesters at the Russian Embassy waving Ukrainian and Polish flags alongside banners with slogans excoriating Russians. A bloodied Russian flag with the letter "Z" on it was propped on a pile of manure with a sign that said "We don't want you in EU! Get out!" Poland has been a staunch supporter of Ukraine's fight against the Russian invasion despite tensions with Kyiv over agricultural imports and regulations for truckers. Meanwhile, officials in Ukraine said a Russian drone struck a residential building in the southern port city of Odesa late Friday, killing at least one person and injuring several others. The military said several Russian drones were shot down over Odesa during the nighttime aerial assault. VOA's State Department Bureau Chief Nike Ching contributed to this report. Some information for this story came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters. Postwar principles for Gaza outlined in a document Friday by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stand in stark contrast to Washington's vision for the war-torn territory, a sign of the deepening divide between his government and the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden. The document, The Day After Hamas Principles, is the first official summary of Netanyahu's public positions on the war that Israel has waged in Gaza in response to Hamas' October 7 attack that killed 1,200 people in Israel and took more than 200 people hostage. It calls for civil governance by Israeli-appointed individuals in Gaza, bypassing any involvement from the Palestinian Authority and absent provisions for a pathway to Palestinian statehood. Without explicitly stating the role of the Israel Defense Forces, the plan potentially allows vast Israeli control over Gaza, including the establishment of an Israeli-controlled buffer zone along the border with Egypt, a move that would be seen by Palestinians as more occupation of their territory and could inflame tensions with Cairo. Speaking from Buenos Aires, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken declined to specifically address Netanyahu's plan but underscored a core principle in the administration's vision for postwar Gaza. "There should be no Israeli reoccupation of Gaza," he said. "The size of Gaza's territory should not be reduced." The establishment of a buffer zone would in effect require an Israeli invasion of Gaza's southernmost city of Rafah, where most Gazans currently seek safety. "We wouldn't support those kinds of operations unless or until the Israelis had properly accounted for the safety and security of the more than 1 million people that are seeking refuge down there," national security communications adviser John Kirby told VOA during Friday's briefing, reiterating the administration's position on Israel's plans for a ground offensive in Rafah. 'Fundamentally at odds' What Netanyahu has outlined is "fundamentally at odds with what the Biden administration has been urging," said Thomas Warrick, a nonresident senior fellow at the Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative at the Atlantic Council. Warrick said Netanyahu's plan "basically locks in the differences" he has had with President Joe Biden. "There needs to be further efforts to try to bridge this gap, perhaps with a different approach," he told VOA. Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib, an American writer and political analyst from Gaza, said that Netanyahu's plan, if enacted, would amount to a permanent Israeli military occupation and create a series of "rump states" or cantons on remnants of Gaza's shrinking territory. Even if enough Palestinians in Gaza agree to take part in such administrations, they lack the means to do so without full Israeli support, he told VOA. "They'll be viewed as collaborators and subcontractors of the Israeli occupation, decimating any credibility or standing among the battered and beaten population and placing their lives and safety at grave risk." Hamas lambasted the proposal during a press conference in the Lebanese capital, Beirut. "Netanyahu is presenting ideas which he knows fully well will never succeed," spokesman Osama Hamdan said on Friday. After holding power for 17 years, Netanyahu faces plummeting popularity amid an angry population that blames him for the security failures that allowed the Hamas attack. His incumbency depends on keeping intact his coalition, the most right-wing and religiously conservative the country has ever seen. "The current plan does not necessarily reflect what the long-term Israeli policy will be, but rather showcases what Netanyahu thinks he needs to do in order to advance a primary goal of his political survival," said Nimrod Goren, senior fellow for Israeli affairs at the Middle East Institute. Given widespread Israeli desire for new leadership, the eventual postwar plan may well be devised by the next government, he told VOA. Alkhatib said that the Israeli prime minister could also be biding his time until the U.S. presidential elections in November, which could fundamentally shift what's happening in Gaza. The world will see either a second Biden term where the U.S. will apply more pressure on Netanyahu, or a new Trump administration that would give Israel "complete free rein to do as it pleases in the Gaza Strip," Alkhatib predicted. Biden increasingly impatient Biden remains staunchly supportive of Israel, providing military and diplomatic aid. Last week, his administration vetoed an Arab-backed United Nations resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire, the third veto since Israel's military offensive began. However, the U.S. submitted its own draft resolution, calling for a temporary cease-fire in Gaza after a hostage deal between Israel and Hamas is secured and opposing Israel's ground offensive into Rafah without adequate civilian protection. The U.S. draft shows Biden's increasing impatience with Netanyahu, said Richard Gowan, U.N. director of the International Crisis Group. "If I were looking at this from Israel's perspective, I would feel a little nervous because the signaling from the Biden administration is becoming marginally stronger," he told VOA. "It will continue to protect Israel at the U.N., but its patience is not limitless." Washington is hoping for a breakthrough in talks underway in Paris between top U.S., Israeli, Egyptian and Qatari officials aimed at securing a temporary cease-fire in return for the release of hostages held by Hamas. The U.S. is also working to defuse Israel-Hezbollah tensions along the Lebanese border to prevent escalation to a full-fledged war in the region. "The success of these efforts is very much needed and could be assisted by some pause in fighting in Gaza," Goren said. A cease-fire would bring welcome relief to Gaza, where more than 29,000 people have been killed in the bloodiest episode of the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict. VOA's Senior Diplomatic Correspondent Cindy Saine contributed to this report. Israel's war cabinet agreed Saturday to send negotiators to Qatar to continue talks toward a cease-fire and the return of about 130 hostages held in Gaza, officials and local media said. The Israeli delegates returned Saturday from the peace talks in Paris where they met on Friday with Qatari, Egyptian and U.S. mediators who had helped put together the November cease-fire during which scores of Hamas' captives were freed in return for the release of Palestinian prisoners. The war cabinet met on Saturday to hear an update on the negotiations, national security adviser Tzachi Hanegbi said. "There is probably room to move towards an agreement," Hanegbi told N12 News television in an interview, without elaborating, AFP reported. Israel wants the release of all of the hostages taken in the October 7 attacks, starting with the women, but Hanegbi added: "Such agreement does not mean the end of the war." He also indicated that Israel would not accept any deal between the United States and Saudi Arabia for a Palestinian state. Media reports indicated Palestinian representatives who have seen the plan have rejected it. Parts of the plan also run counter to what Washington has envisioned for the region, which is a two-state solution involving an independent Palestinian state. Thousands of people held a vigil for the hostages on Saturday in Tel Aviv, a short distance from an anti-government protest where police reported five arrests for disorderly conduct. Hamas has previously said that it will free the remaining 130 hostages if Israel releases thousands of jailed Palestinians and calls off the Gaza offensive, which medical officials in the enclave say has killed nearly 30,000 people. The Israeli military said Saturday the death of an infantry major in combat brings its military losses in the Gaza fighting to 239. Israel says it has killed about 12,000 Hamas fighters, effectively halving the faction's Gaza garrisons. Hamas says those figures as overblown. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement that Saturday's war cabinet meeting would address "next steps in the negotiations" and reaffirmed his intention of sending troops into Rafah in southern Gaza, despite widespread concern about the impact of an Israeli attack on the hundreds of thousands of civilians who have fled there to avoid bombardments. Washington has urged its ally not to attack Rafah, warning that such an offensive will cause vast civilian casualties. At least six airstrikes targeted the city Saturday evening according to an AFP reporter in Rafah. Israeli forces have launched more than 70 strikes since Friday on locations in Gaza, including Deir al-Balah, Khan Younis and Rafah. The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza said Saturday at least 92 people were killed in the strikes in the last 24 hours. Some 69,737 people have been injured since the conflict began on October 7, according to a statement. This week, the World Food Program said its teams reported "unprecedented levels of desperation," while the United Nations warned that 2.2 million people were on the brink of famine. On Friday, the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said a 2-month-old baby died of malnutrition outside the city of Jabalia in northern Gaza. The United Nations children's agency, UNICEF, has warned that the alarming lack of food and surging malnutrition and disease could lead to an explosion in child deaths in Gaza. On February 19, UNICEF estimated that one in six children younger than two in Gaza was acutely malnourished. Some information for this report came from The Associated Press, Agence France- Presse and Reuters. The future looks bleak for war-weary Ukraine: It is beset by shortages in soldiers and ammunition, as well as doubts about the supply of Western aid. Ukrainian forces also face a Russian enemy that has recently seized the initiative on the battlefield. Two years after Russias full-scale invasion captured nearly a quarter of the country, the stakes could not be higher for Kyiv. After a string of victories in the first year of the war, fortunes have turned for the Ukrainian military, which is dug in, outgunned and outnumbered against a more powerful opponent. As the war enters its third year, here is a look at the situation on the ground, the challenges ahead and some of the potential consequences if Ukraine does not acquire the people, ammunition and assistance it needs to sustain the fight. What is the state of play? Triumphs have turned to attrition for Ukraine along the snaking front line in the country's east. With Russia gaining advantages, shortages mounting and a major military shake-up still fresh, questions abound about whether Kyiv can keep going. "As things stand, neither side has won. Neither side has lost. Neither side is anywhere near giving up. And both sides have pretty much exhausted the manpower and equipment that they started the war with," said Gen. Richard Barrons, a British military officer who is co-chair of a defense consultancy. Ukraine suffered setbacks after the much-anticipated summer counteroffensive failed to produce any breakthroughs. The armed forces switched to a defensive posture in the fall to repel new advances from Moscow. On February 17, Russian forces took control of the embattled city of Avdiivka, where Kyivs troops were under constant fire with Russians approaching from three directions. Ukrainian commanders had complained for weeks of personnel and ammunition shortages. It was the biggest battlefield victory for Russia since the fight for Bakhmut, and it confirmed that Moscows offensive was gaining steam. Away from the battlefield, Ukraine has proven successful in the Black Sea, where it has used long-range weapons to strike military installations in Crimea and maritime drones to sink Russian warships. Ukraine has disabled a third of the Black Sea Fleet, according to the Atlantic Council. Ukraine is looking to acquire more long-range missiles to strike deep into Russian-occupied territory, a move that some European countries fear may spark escalation from Moscow. How many people have been killed? Both Russia and Ukraine have sought to keep casualty figures under wraps. Few details about Ukrainian military deaths have emerged since the full-scale invasion began in 2022. But it's clear that tens of thousands of Ukrainian civilians have been killed. In 2023, the first independent statistical analysis of Russias war dead concluded that nearly 50,000 Russian men had died in the war. Two independent Russian media outlets, Mediazona and Meduza, worked with a data scientist from Germanys Tubingen University to analyze Russian government data. What happens if Ukraine cant find more troops? Without more soldiers, Ukraines defensive lines will be overstretched and more vulnerable to Russian attack, especially if Moscow launches intense multi-pronged assaults along the 1,000-kilometer front line. The Ukrainian military has an average personnel shortage of 25% across brigades, according to lawmakers. Military commanders are unable to give their soldiers enough rest, and Russia has recently increased the tempo of attacks. As a result, soldiers are tired and more easily injured exacerbating the effects of the shortage. Ukraines military command has said 450,000 to 500,000 additional recruits are needed for the next phase of the war. Even if Ukraine succeeds in mobilizing that number, which is unlikely, it still would not be able to match the manpower of Russia, which has more than three times Ukraine's population. Lawmakers have spent months mulling over a controversial proposal to increase the conscription pool, as many Ukrainian men continue to evade the war in Ukrainian cities. Commanders say they dont have enough men to dig trenches or carry out offensive operations. Shortages have also required them to switch tactics and focus on preserving the lives of the soldiers they do have, sometimes at the expense of holding territory. What about weapons and ammunition? If they continue, ammunition shortages will jeopardize Ukraines ability to hold territory and keep soldiers alive. Military leaders appear to be rationing shells, sending trickles of ammunition to firing positions to preserve stockpiles, while promises for more ammunition from Western allies have gone unfulfilled. The European Union failed on its promise to deliver 1 million rounds by the start of the year, delivering only a few hundred thousand. At the same time, Russia is mobilizing its defense industry and may soon be able to fire 5,000 artillery rounds a day, Barrons said. Ukraine is building up its domestic arms production but will not be able to match Moscow in scale in the short-term. Military commanders have complained for months of ammunition shortages for infantry fighting vehicles, machine guns, artillery and multiple rocket launch systems. Those shortages grew particularly acute by the end of 2023, with some artillery commanders saying they can meet only 10% of ammunition needs. Commanders say long-range artillery in particular serves two important purposes: First, it acts as a protective umbrella to cover infantry, allowing them to hold territory and prepare for offensive operations. Second, by striking Russian troops and heavy weaponry from a distance, artillery prevents planned assaults by seriously degrading Moscows capabilities. Without it, Ukraine will increasingly come under the pressure of Russias relentless artillery barrages. Commanders say their soldiers have no choice but to dig in deeper to hold their lines. Is Western support waning, and what if it does? Ukraine is reliant on Western allies and international organizations not just for military aid but also for financial support and humanitarian help. Without Western assistance, Ukraine will not have the weapons, ammunition and training it needs to sustain the war effort, nor will it be able to keep its battered economy afloat or reach Ukrainians trapped in the crossfire of battles. Between divisions about the future of aid within the EU and $60 billion in military aid languishing in the United States Congress, Western countries have not been as forthcoming with money this year. Kyiv breathed a sigh of relief in February when the EU approved extending a 50 billion-euro ($54 billion) aid package for Ukraine after resistance from Hungary. That money is meant to support the economy and rebuild the country, not to fight Russia. But its the U.S. funding that many Ukrainian leaders are waiting for. The funds will enable Ukraine to purchase weapons and equipment from American firms, access more military training and intelligence sharing, and bolster air and sea defenses. The money will also provide direct budget support for Kyiv. Ukrainian leaders also need Western help to cover the salaries of public servants and medical workers. On the humanitarian side, the United Nations and its partner agencies said if an appeal for $3.1 billion in new funding for the year is not fulfilled, the U.N. won't be able to meet the basic needs of 8.5 million Ukrainians living on the front line. The U.K.'s governing Conservative Party has suspended ties with one if its lawmakers after he accused London Mayor Sadiq Khan of being controlled by Islamists, as tensions over the Israel-Hamas war roil British politics. The party said Saturday that Lee Anderson was suspended after he refused to apologize for remarks made about Khan in a television interview Friday. The action means that Anderson, a deputy chairman of the Conservatives until last month, will sit in Parliament as an independent. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and other senior Conservative leaders had come under increasing pressure to reject the comments, which the chairwoman of the opposition Labor Party called "unambiguously racist and Islamophobic." The controversy comes as the Israel-Hamas war fuels tensions in British society. Pro-Palestinian marches in London have regularly drawn hundreds of thousands of demonstrators calling for an immediate cease-fire, even as critics describe the events as "antisemitic hate marches." Figures released over the last week show that both anti-Jewish and anti-Muslim incidents have risen sharply since Hamas' attack on Israel on Oct. 7. That anger has spilled over into Parliament, where some lawmakers say they fear for their safety after receiving threats over their positions on the conflict in Gaza. In his interview with GB News, Anderson criticized the police response to pro-Palestinian demonstrations in London, leveling the blame on Khan. Anderson said he didn't "actually believe that the Islamists have got control of our country, but what I do believe is they've got control of Khan and they've got control of London.'' Khan flatly rejected the allegations, telling the BBC that all forms of hatred need to be rejected, including antisemitism, Islamophobia and misogyny. "My concern is there'll be people across the country, people who are Muslim, or look like Muslims, who'll be really concerned about entering into politics because they know if these are the sorts of comments that are said against me by a senior Conservative, what chance do they have?" he said. Ukrainians mark a somber two-year anniversary of Russias invasion with grief and determination as the U.S. imposes hundreds of sanctions on Russia following the death of outspoken Putin critic Alexey Navalny. As Ukrainians endure two years of war and growing uncertainty, a look at the emotional toll on families and how people are finding innovative ways to cope. And why one expert says redefining the paradigm of a two-state solution may be a better way to achieve lasting peace between Israel and the Palestinians The two-year-old Ukraine war is causing widespread suffering, anxiety and distress among affected children, many of whom have been separated from their families and friends, had schooling disrupted and lived for months in cold underground bunkers, a UNICEF spokesman told VOA Wednesday. Two years of this war is wreaking havoc on childrens mental health now. They have not been anywhere near a classroom for years, and they have not seen their friends. Many of their friends have gone, UNICEF spokesperson James Elder told VOA from Kharkiv, Ukraine, by Zoom. Elder, who was midway through a weeklong mission in Ukraine, said the situation prevailing today is different from that right after Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, but pointed to the populations sense of grief and fear that has persisted. When I arrived a day after the war started, I was in Lviv watching what was the biggest refugee crisis since World War II, and that was just one of grief, just these endless farewells of husbands and wives and fathers and children, as people just fled across the borders, he said. To be here two years later, particularly this year in Kharkiv with its proximity to Russia, I think it is still grief. It is very real fear that what has happened to these people during those first five, six months will happen again here, he said. It is not debilitating fear. They will not allow that to happen. But it is fear because attacks are very consistent. The battle of Kharkiv, Ukraines second-largest city, about 30 kilometers (19 miles) from the Russian border, took place between February 24 and May 13, 2022. It took a heavy toll in civilian lives and caused significant destruction and damage to the citys infrastructure. Schools damaged and destroyed According to the Ukrainian government, more than 3,800 educational facilities in the country have been damaged or destroyed, severely interrupting access to education for millions of children. Only 2 out of 700 schools in Kharkiv are delivering in-person learning. Most children are studying online. Others attend classes in five Metro stations that have been converted into underground schools. Elder said the loss of in-school education is having a profound impact on young peoples mental health. I must have heard parents and psychologists talk to me about their concerns about socialization of children, of little ones being scared in groups together, of teenagers that are never seeing each other, he said. That isolation and lack of socialization, I think, is just bringing home what everyone fears that this psychological scarring after two years is becoming very pronounced among young people and among their parents. Constant air raid alerts Elder told VOA it is distressing for young people having to drop everything and rush to an underground shelter whenever air raid alerts sound. I was just speaking to a 16-year-old girl who was injured in the first hour of the war two years ago, and she still spoke of her fear because the air raids are so consistent, because she knows that it takes 45 seconds for most of these missiles or drones to come across. That is usually not enough time for air defenses, he said. UNICEF says that children in frontline cities have been forced to spend 3,000 to 5,000 hours, the equivalent of four to almost seven months, sheltering in basements and underground Metro stations. The agency says this winter has been particularly horrific for children, with thousands sheltering in cold, damp basements, as increasing attacks have left many families without heat, water and electricity. The continued shelling leaves little opportunity for Ukraines children to recover from the distress and trauma associated with attacks, UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said in a statement Friday. Every siren and explosion bring further anxiety. Education is a pillar of hope, opportunity and stability in childrens lives, but it continues to be disrupted or out of reach for millions of Ukraines children, she said. Children and parents affected According to a UNICEF survey, half of 13- to 15-year-olds have trouble sleeping, and 1 in 5 have intrusive thoughts and flashbacks, which are typical manifestations of post-traumatic stress disorder.Data shows that parents also suffer high levels of anxiety, excessive fear, phobias and sadness and that at a time when parental support is most needed, half of parents surveyed report that they are struggling to support their children. Elder expressed concern that two years of war have robbed Ukrainian children of their childhood. And the war is not stopping, he said. In fact, in some areas, it has deteriorated. It has got more intense in the last month or two. And that is pushing children further and further into their shells more and more squashing their hopes. He said, Fewer and fewer children think about what they might want to do in six months or 12 months. Everyone I talk to says they take things day by day. As a woman said, our aim is to survive the night and then wake up in the morning, he said. The U.S. military has been forced to dip into its own funding to cover American training of Ukrainian forces, a strategy that could leave the Army short on finances in Europe as the Russian war on Ukraine enters its third year. "U.S. Army Europe and Africa (USAREUR-AF) is currently paying to fund Ukraine training ourselves," Col. Martin ODonnell, the public affairs director for the Armys forces across those two continents, told VOA. Without a 2024 budget approved by Congress, and without Congress passing supplemental funding for Ukraine, USAREUR-AF currently has roughly $3 billion to pay for $5 billion of operations costs, according to two U.S. Army officials. "If nothing changes, and we do not receive additional money, we will run out of funding for everything support to Ukraine, operations and exercises in Europe and Africa at the start of summer," ODonnell said. Lawmakers on Capitol Hill have been debating new funding for Ukraine for months. The Pentagon sent the last round of aid that could be pulled from its military stockpiles in late December. Last week, the Senate approved a $95 billion foreign aid bill that included $60 billion in support for Ukraine. However, Republican leadership in the House of Representatives has so far declined to bring the bill up for a vote. Congressional "inaction" is forcing the Army and others to make "tough decisions" that could "impact the entire force," Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh told VOA. "We are definitely vulnerable," she said in an interview Friday. "We're unable to modernize. We're unable to change programs. It's like fighting with one arm tied behind our back. It puts us at a complete disadvantage." Singh called the training of Ukrainian forces "an essential mission." "We can't just turn our backs on those Ukrainian soldiers that are coming, whether it's in Europe or to the United States to train, to go back out there and fight this war," she said. The Biden administration believes that Russian President Vladimir Putins goals do not end with taking Ukraine. Should Putin attack a NATO ally, the U.S. would be bound by treaties to defend that nation, bringing the U.S. into war with Russia. In the administrations view, supporting Ukraine not only comes to the aid of a democratic partner that was illegally invaded, but also keeps the U.S. out of a future war. According to an Army official, the U.S. just completed training a Ukrainian battalion in Germany and is currently training approximately 150 Ukrainians at Grafenwoehr Training Area. "We remain postured to support Ukraines needs," Col. ODonnell told VOA. Arizona National Guardsmen are also training a small number of Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets at Morris Air National Guard Base in Tucson, Arizona, while a small number of other Ukrainian pilots and aircraft maintainers attend English-language training at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland in Texas. National Guard Bureau Chief Gen. Dan Hokanson told reporters earlier this month that the Guard can continue the training to completion likely later this year. "Then if we decide to increase that, obviously, we'll need the resources to train additional pilots and ground support personnel," he said. Saturday marks two years since Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Ukraine says it has retaken control over more than 50% of the territory once controlled by Russia. Russia still controls about 18% of Ukrainian territory. Earlier this week, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told CNN that Ukraine wouldnt have lost the city of Avdiivka, where Kyivs forces recently withdrew, if Ukraine "had received all the artillery ammunition that we needed to defend it." Singh on Friday agreed with Kulebas assessment, saying there was a "direct link" between "congressional inaction" and Ukraines withdrawal from Avdiivka. U.S. fighter jets are tracking a balloon traveling at high altitudes over the western United States, but officials said there is no danger to anyone either on the ground or in the air. The North American Aerospace Defense Command, also known as NORAD, described the object as a "small balloon" being pushed by the wind at an altitude of between 43,000 and 45,000 feet (about 13.72 kilometers). Fighter jets were sent to intercept the balloon over the state of Utah and "determined it was not maneuverable and did not present a threat to national security," according to a NORAD statement. NORAD said it will continue to track the balloon and that it is in contact with the Federal Aviation Administration "to ensure flight safety." As of late Friday, the FAA "also determined the balloon posed no hazard" to passenger jets or other planes in the area, NORAD said. The U.S. military has been watching the skies in and around the United States more closely following the discovery of a Chinese spy balloon that transited the country in February 2023. Chinese officials said that balloon was designed to research weather and had "deviated from its planned course." But the Pentagon rejected those assertions, saying the balloon had been designed for surveillance. The incident heightened tensions between the U.S. and China, and even caused U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to cancel a trip to Beijing to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping and other high-ranking officials. The U.S. eventually shot down the Chinese balloon off the coast of South Carolina, after it had traveled across much of the continental United States. Following the incident, the U.S. took steps to improve detection of objects in its airspace. It also began work to establish an accessible and up-to-date inventory of unmanned, airborne objects, and updated rules and regulations for launching and maintaining unmanned objects. The U.S. government should block the import of low-cost Chinese autos and parts from Mexico, a U.S. manufacturing advocacy group said Friday, warning they could threaten the viability of American car companies. "The introduction of cheap Chinese autos which are so inexpensive because they are backed with the power and funding of the Chinese government to the American market could end up being an extinction-level event for the U.S. auto sector," the Alliance for American Manufacturing said in a report. The group argues the United States should work to prevent automobiles and parts manufactured in Mexico by companies headquartered in China from benefiting from a North American free trade agreement. "The commercial backdoor left open to Chinese auto imports should be shut before it causes mass plant closures and job losses in the United States," the report said. Vehicles and parts produced in Mexico can qualify for preferential treatment under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement as well as qualifying for a $7,500 electric vehicle, or EV, tax credit, the report noted. The Chinese embassy in Washington said in response that China's automobile exports "reflect the high-quality development and strong innovation of Chinas manufacturing industry. ... The leapfrog development of Chinas auto industry has provided cost-effective products with high quality to the world." The issue has received new interest after news reports that China's BYD Company plans to set up an EV factory in Mexico. BYD, known for its cheaper models and a more varied lineup, recently overtook its biggest rival, Tesla, to become the world's top EV maker by sales. Tesla announced plans almost a year ago to build a factory in the northern Mexican state of Nuevo Leon. In October, Mexico said a Chinese Tesla supplier and a Chinese technology company would invest nearly a billion dollars in the state. A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers has urged the Biden administration to hike tariffs on Chinese-made vehicles and investigate ways to prevent Chinese companies from exporting to the United States from Mexico. A group of lawmakers urged U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai to boost the 27.5% tariff on Chinese vehicles and said her office "must also be prepared to address the coming wave of [Chinese] vehicles that will be exported from our other trading partners, such as Mexico, as [Chinese] automakers look to strategically establish operations outside of [China]." Alliance for Automotive Innovation CEO John Bozzella has said that proposed U.S. environmental regulations could let China gain "a stronger foothold in Americas electric vehicle battery supply chain and eventually our automotive market." The U.S. Treasury issued guidelines in December on the $7,500 EV tax credit aimed at weaning the U.S. EV supply chain away from China. Supporters of Malawi's main opposition Democratic Progressive Party were hurt and their cars vandalized Saturday in Malawi's capital, Lilongwe, when suspected armed supporters aligned with the governing Malawi Congress Party attacked their street parade. Democratic Progressive Party, or DPP, officials say the goal of the street parade was to make people aware of the importance of registering for the 2025 election and obtaining national identification. However, the event was interrupted when, witnesses say, a truck offloaded masked men wielding machetes and other weapons near a gas station where DPP supporters gathered. DPP officials say about 25 supporters sustained injuries and were taken to Kamuzu Central Hospital for treatment. Their conditions were not immediately available. The suspects also damaged more than 10 cars owned by DPP supporters, some of them having their tires stolen. Levi Luwemba, deputy national director for operations at the DPP, the party of former president Peter Mutharika, said the suspects were supporters of the Malawi Congress Party of President Lazarus Chakwera. President Lazarus Chakwera, you should take my word, Luwemba said. You will not bring dictatorship in this country. You will not bring anarchy in this country. You will not bring one-party state in this country. Malawi voted for multiparty democracy in 1994. We are ready to defend democracy. Political analysts say the incident is a bad sign for the political campaign period which is expected to start in September for next years elections. This is the second time this month DPP supporters faced intimidation by suspected MCP supporters. On February 14, DPP lawmakers called off planned vigils at Malawis parliament after spotting a group of Congress Party supporters who carried equipment that could be used as weapons allegedly pretending to work in areas near where the lawmakers had gathered. Malawi Congress Party spokesperson Ezekiel Chingoma told VOA that his party is peaceful and is not responsible for the violence at the DPPs street parade. He declined to explain more, saying his party will issue a statement on the incident. The Biden administration, leaders of four Columbia River Basin tribes and the governors of Oregon and Washington celebrated on Friday as they signed papers formally launching a $1 billion plan to help recover depleted salmon populations in the Pacific Northwest. The plan, announced in December, stopped short of calling for the removal of four controversial dams on the Snake River, as some environmental groups and tribal leaders have urged. But officials said it would boost clean energy production and help offset hydropower, transportation and other benefits provided by the dams should Congress ever agree to breach them. The plan brokered by the Biden administration pauses long-running litigation over federal dam operations and represents the most significant step yet toward eventually taking down the four Snake River dams. The plan will strengthen tribal clean energy projects and provide other benefits for tribes and other communities that depend on the Columbia Basin for agriculture, energy, recreation and transportation, the White House said. "Since time immemorial, the strength of the Yakama Nation and its people have come from the Columbia River, and from the fish, game, roots and berries it nourishes,'' Yakama Nation Chairman Gerald Lewis said at a White House ceremony. "The Yakama Nation will always fight to protect and restore the salmon because, without the salmon, we cannot maintain the health of our people or our way of life,'' Lewis said, adding that Columbia Basin salmon are dying from the impacts of human development. "Our fishers have empty nets and their homes have empty tables because historically the federal government has not done enough to mitigate these impacts,'' he said. "We need a lot more clean energy, but we need to do development in a way that is socially just.'' Lewis was among four tribal leaders who spoke at the hourlong ceremony at the White House complex, along with Washington Governor Jay Inslee, Oregon Governor Tina Kotek and an array of federal officials. The agreement, formally known as the Columbia Basin Restoration Initiative, "deserves to be celebrated,'' said Jonathan W. Smith, chairman of the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation. The settlement "takes the interests of all the stakeholders in the Columbia Basin into account,'' he said. "It lays out a pathway to restore salmon and steelhead to healthy and abundant levels and moves forward with the necessary green energy transition in a socially just and equitable way." Corinne Sams of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation called the signing ceremony a historic moment, not just for the tribes, but also for the U.S. government "and all Americans in the Pacific Northwest. My heart is big today." The Columbia River Basin, an area roughly the size of Texas, was once the world's greatest salmon-producing river system, with at least 16 stocks of salmon and steelhead. Today, four are extinct and seven are listed under the Endangered Species Act. Dams are a main culprit behind the salmon's decline, and federal fisheries scientists have concluded that breaching the dams in eastern Washington on the Snake River, the largest tributary of the Columbia, would be the best hope for recovering them, providing the fish with access to hundreds of miles of pristine habitat and spawning grounds in Idaho. Conservation groups sued the federal government more than two decades ago in an effort to save the fish. They have argued that the continued operation of the dams violates the Endangered Species Act as well as treaties dating to the mid-19th century ensuring the tribes' right to harvest fish. Friday's celebration did not include congressional Republicans who oppose dam breaching and have vowed to block it. Dams along the Columbia-Snake River system provide more than one-third of all hydropower capacity in the United States, said Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers, a Washington Republican who chairs the House Energy and Commerce Committee. In Washington state, hydropower accounts for 70% of electricity consumed. The Snake River dams "helped transform Eastern Washington into one of the most productive agricultural regions in the world,'' including 40% of America's wheat, Rodgers said in a statement. She denounced "secret negotiations" led by White House senior adviser and climate envoy John Podesta, saying he and other officials "worked behind closed doors with a select group of radical environmentalists to develop a secret package of actions and commitments'' that advance "efforts to remove the four Lower Snake River dams.'' Podesta and other speakers at the White House ceremony looked past those concerns, with few even mentioning the dams. "President Biden understands that the Columbia River is the lifeblood of the Pacific Northwest, for its culture, for its economy and for its people,'' said Brenda Mallory, chairwoman of the White House Council on Environmental Quality. "The historic agreement is charting a new and exciting path to restore the river, provide for clean energy and live up to our responsibilities and obligations to tribal nations,'' Mallory said. "I'm confident we will secure the vision ... of securing a restored Columbia River Basin, one that is teeming with wild fish, prosperous to tribal nations, [with] affordable clean energy, a strong agricultural economy and an upgraded transportation and recreation system.'' From the earliest days of the Israel-Hamas war, the United States and much of the international community have pressed Israel to allow more humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip. But as the fighting rages on with no end in sight, the humanitarian catastrophe there has only worsened. United Nations agencies and aid groups say the ongoing hostilities, the Israeli military's refusal to facilitate deliveries and the breakdown of order inside Gaza make it increasingly difficult to bring vital aid to much of the coastal enclave. The World Food Program said Tuesday it has paused food deliveries to isolated northern Gaza, where the U.N. children's agency says one in six children are acutely malnourished. A U.N. report in December found that a quarter of Gaza's 2.3 million people are starving. "You find that there are people who have missed meals for a day or two days or three days they have severe hunger," Matthew Hollingworth, country director for WFP, said Wednesday. "But you also have people who have acute hunger, that is, they are not eating for a week." Hollingworth described the halt as a "temporary pause" and said the WFP was talking to "all the parties" to resume aid shipments. "We have to flood the area with assistance, if we're going to mitigate and stop a famine," he said. Footage from Gaza in recent weeks has shown scenes of chaotic desperation with hundreds of people surrounding trucks and emptying them. Some Palestinians say they have resorted to making bread out of animal fodder. New mothers say baby formula is hard to come by or unaffordable. Israel denies it is restricting the entry of aid and has shifted the blame to humanitarian organizations operating inside Gaza, saying hundreds of trucks filled with aid sit idle on the Palestinian side of the main crossing. The U.N. says it can't always reach the trucks at the crossing because it is at times too dangerous. The U.N. has called on Israel to open more crossings, including in the north, and to improve the coordination process. Here's a look at how the situation grew so dire. Why does Gaza depend on aid? Gaza has been under an Israeli and Egyptian blockade since Hamas seized power from rival Palestinian forces in 2007. Israel said the blockade was needed to keep the militant group from importing arms, while critics decried it as a form of collective punishment. Even before the war, Gaza's unemployment rate hovered around 50% among the highest in the world and years of isolation along with four previous wars devastated the private sector. Still, around 500 trucks entered each day, carrying commercial goods, fuel and aid. Israel imposed a complete siege after Hamas' October 7 attack and said nothing would enter until it released the estimated 250 hostages taken that day. Seeking to put pressure on Hamas, it claimed the group was hoarding food and supplies and could care for the general population if it truly wanted. Israel later relented under U.S. pressure and began allowing dozens of trucks to enter each day from the Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza. But aid groups said they faced a cumbersome inspection process that allowed only a trickle of aid to enter even as needs mounted, with some 80% of Palestinians displaced from their homes. Israel says the inspections are needed for security reasons. In December, following more U.S. pressure, Israel reopened its own Kerem Shalom crossing with Gaza, the territory's main cargo terminal, and streamlined the inspection process. But even then, the average number of trucks entering a day was only a third of the prewar level. COGAT, the military body that oversees Palestinian civilian affairs, says there are no restrictions on importing humanitarian aid. It also denies that right-wing Israeli protests at the crossings in recent weeks have succeeded in blocking aid. Instead, the main obstacles now appear to be on the other side of the fence. Why can't organizations distribute aid inside Gaza? Once aid trucks enter Gaza, there's often not much further they can go. Israel has isolated northern Gaza since the opening days of the ground offensive in late October after ordering its population to flee to the south. Tens of thousands of people remained there, despite the flattening of entire neighborhoods and severe shortages of food and water. Aid groups say the Israeli military often denies their requests to access northern Gaza, and that even when it is granted, little protection is provided. The drive from southern Rafah to Gaza City, in the north, used to take around 45 minutes. It now takes several hours because of ongoing hostilities and roads that have been damaged, blocked or closed by the army. Earlier this month, a U.N. official accused Israeli forces of firing on a food convoy. Hamas-run police had provided security escorts to protect the convoys from crowds or bandits and, according to Israel, were themselves siphoning off aid. But U.N. officials say the escorts vanished after recent Israeli airstrikes targeting security forces in the southern border city of Rafah, where most aid operations are concentrated and where more than half of Gaza's population has sought refuge from fighting elsewhere. Israel has vowed to expand the ground offensive to Rafah in the coming weeks, which aid groups say would be catastrophic. How has the UNRWA controversy affected aid deliveries? The largest provider of humanitarian aid in Gaza is the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, known as UNRWA. Last month, Israel said 12 of its employees took part in the October 7 attack, prompting the United States and other donors to suspend funding. UNRWA immediately fired the 10 surviving employees and has launched investigations. It denies Israeli allegations that it collaborates with or turns a blind eye to Hamas, and says Israel has not shared evidence implicating the 12 fired employees. It says if funding is not restored it will have to halt operations in April. In the meantime, the agency says Israel has imposed a number of financial restrictions that hinder its operations and is holding up a shipment of food that could sustain 1.1 million people for a month. Israel has called for UNRWA to be disbanded, but no other U.N. agencies or aid groups are capable of immediately replacing it. Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives have begun laying the groundwork for a potential bid to sidestep Republican Speaker Mike Johnson and force a vote on a $95 billion security assistance package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, House aides said Friday. Representative Jim McGovern, the top Democrat on the House Rules Committee, filed legislation on February 15 that could be used as a vehicle for a discharge petition, a rarely used procedural tool that eventually could force a vote on the bill if at least 218 House members a majority of the chamber's 435 voting members sign it. Under House rules, Ukraine backers could begin collecting signatures for the petition around March 1. Months after Democratic President Joe Biden asked Congress to approve more foreign security assistance, the Senate last week approved the package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan and to replenish U.S. weapons stocks by an overwhelming 70-30 vote. Twenty-two Republicans joined most Democrats in voting "aye." But Johnson, a close ally of former Republican President Donald Trump who voted against assisting Ukraine before he became speaker, sent the House home for a two-week recess without bringing the measure up for a vote, leaving the aid in limbo as the war in Ukraine approached its second anniversary. Trump, the front-runner to be his party's 2024 presidential nominee, has opposed aid to Kyiv. Johnson told a party meeting on February 14 that House Republicans would not rubber-stamp the Senate bill. Party leaders are considering writing new bills, amending the Senate legislation or dividing it into separate parts. House Democrats are also considering another, even rarer process, known as defeating the previous question, in which Ukraine backers could take control of the House floor before certain votes. The exact number needed is not certain, because it would require only a simple majority of members present and voting. So far, House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries has said only that he is leaving every legislative option on the table. Ukraine was at the heart of the discussions at the Munich Security Conference. President Volodymyr Zelensky once again pleaded for his countrys accession to NATO. However, while the 2023 summit was dominated by the idea that it was enough to provide Kyiv with enough weapons to defeat Moscow, this years summit was much more pessimistic. Western participants realized that their combined weapons production capabilities did not match Russias. For the moment, there has been no question of the quality of the weapons, just their quantity. Russia limits itself to using conventional weapons, comparable to those of the West. It claims to have a new arsenal, but keeps it secret so as not to reveal its capabilities. Westerners know, since the Syrian war, that some of these weapons exist and are functional, but they dont know if they all exist; if Moscow exaggerates its power or whether some of it is just fake news. In the event that Russia uses the weapons it has already deployed in Syria, Western armies would be defeated in three days at most, barring the use of nuclear weapons. But nuclear weapons dont give you an advantage on the battlefield, they just allow for mass destruction. And in this very area, Russia claims it can strike much faster than the West. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has said that Russia could attack NATO within 5 to 8 years. Bild had already revealed, on January 16 (Cf. 0121), a plan by his ministry in anticipation of a Russian attack in September 2024. US Vice President Kamala Harris said: "America cannot back down [from Russia]. America must stand firm for democracy. We must uphold international rules and norms, and we must stand by our allies." Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi stressed that ties between China and Russia are constantly growing on the basis of a non-military alliance, rejection of confrontation and the pursuit of global stability. He reiterated Chinas approach to conflicts: non-interference in internal affairs; opposition to imposing ones will on others; defense of impartiality and justice; primacy of collective interests; seeking political settlements and opposing the use of force; finally, take into account both the symptoms and the root causes. Flash Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly (C) witnesses the signing of an agreement between Egypt and the United Arab Emirates in New Administrative Capital, Egypt, on Feb. 23, 2024. Egypt and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) signed the deal on Friday to build a new city on Egypt's northern coast, with the aim of boosting tourism, investment and foreign currency reserves. (Str/Xinhua) Egypt and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) signed a deal on Friday to build a new city on Egypt's northern coast, with the aim of boosting tourism, investment and foreign currency reserves. The agreement, signed by Egypt's Housing Minister Assem El-Gazzar and UAE's Investment Minister Mohamed Al Suwaidi at Egypt's New Administrative Capital, will develop Ras Al-Hekma, a 170-square-kilometer area west of Alexandria. Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, who attended the signing, said the project would be carried out by Egypt's New Urban Communities Authority and Abu Dhabi Development Holding Company, and would inject 35 billion U.S. dollars of foreign direct investment into the economy in two months. "This is the largest amount of FDI in the history of the country," Madbouly said, adding that the deal was the start of several investment agreements that the government was working on to increase foreign currency sources. He also said the UAE side would invest at least 150 billion dollars throughout the project, which he expected to draw 8 million tourists when completed. The deal comes as Egypt is in talks with the International Monetary Fund for a new loan to support the country's economy. COLUMN: Whats it going to take to make this stop? Salerno-Costa d'Amalfi airport to welcome first holidaymakers in July. Tourists will soon be able to reach Italy's stunning Amalfi Coast by plane with the opening of the nearby revamped airport to commercial flights this summer. The Salerno-Costa d'Amalfi airport, located about 45 km from the town of Amalfi, is currently undergoing major renovation and expansion works. Spanish low-cost carrier Volotea was the first to announce new routes to and from the Salerno airport this summer: Cagliari and Nantes, operational from July, along with Catania and Verona, available from September. Budget airlines Ryanair and easyJet are also said to be interested in adding Salerno to their list of travel destinations. Currently most tourists travelling to Amalfi fly into Capodichino Interanational Airport in Naples - which welcomed more than 12 million passengers last year - before taking public transport to the popular coastline famed for its colourful fishing villages and beaches, terraced vineyards and cliffside lemon groves. Built in 1926, the Salerno - Costa d'Amalfi airport was long used exclusively as a military air base, flying school, firefighting centre and private flights before functioning briefly as a commercial hub, in a very limited way, about a decade ago. This July the airport will open permanently to commerical flights and is expected to be fully operational by 2026/2027 on completion of a new passenger terminal and the extension of its runway up to 2,200 metres. The programme of works began in 2019 and is being overseen by Gesac, the airport management company of both Salerno and Capodichino Interanational Airport in Naples. The ambitious 257 million expansion project is set to conclude fully in 2043 - by which time Gesac expects to welcome six million travellers a year to the airport - with Italy's Campania region also reportedly pumping millions into boosting transport links to the airport. Love happens at work. Whatever you may think as a leader in your business, you dont control your people (and thats a good thing). And yet, leaders attempt to prohibit and restrict their employees romantic behaviour. Ex-prime minister Malcolm Turnbulls bonk ban may be Australias most famous attempt at curtailing ardent mergers in the office. But bans dont work, all they do is send the behaviour into the darkness, introducing more risk. Sixty per cent of people in a recent survey said theyd had a workplace romance. Credit: Karen Hardy These attempts are understandable. Love at work creates complexity that most leaders just dont want to deal with. Leaders just want the team to do a good job. As Mr Turnbull said at the time: we are paying you to go to Canberra to work and run the country. Were not paying you to have love affairs with your staff. All valid. But leaders, we must bow to the inevitable: 60 per cent of respondents in a recent survey say that they have had a relationship at work, 43 per cent said they married someone they met at work, and nearly half said they know someone whos done the same thing. The court is aware that for many people pets are regarded as members of the family, she said. Judge Amanda Tonkin pointed out that under family law in Australia, pets are considered chattels; an item of property. Davenport sought orders for joint custody, but the case was dismissed because the court lacked the jurisdiction to make that order. And so the fight over the fur baby ended up in one of the family courts. Not being allowed to have time with the dog caused him pain and separation anxiety. Davenport made numerous attempts to visit the dog and sort out some sort of pet custody arrangement, but said his ex refused. Davenports wife was the registered owner and had been the primary carer, but Davenport said he helped pay for food, toys and vet visits. Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time. Sometimes this is easier said than done: for many besotted owners, Fido is a ferociously loved member of the household. So, if you can keep Fido out of court proceedings, that might be for the best. Unfortunately, in Australia, the Family Law Act treats pets as property so there is a chance your fur baby will be treated just like a car or your great-aunt Marys dining table if you separate and the court has to decide, writes Emma Maxwell, a family lawyer and director at Anchored Family Law in Melbourne. A court can determine who gets a pet as part of a property settlement, but family law firms warn they cannot make shared custody orders and are not required to consider the best interests of the animal. The case Davenport & Davenport is often cited by family law firms offering advice to splitting couples feuding over the vexed question of who gets the dog (or cat, or rabbit). However, there is no provision under the Family Law Act and no specific legislation that deals with issues such as the custody of a pet, whether that be a dog, cat, bird, lizard, fish or any of the wonderful creatures that we share the planet with that would empower a court to make orders for shared custody. More than half (52 per cent) of 6000 participants considered their pets to be part of the family. (For LGBTQ people it was close to 60 per cent.) In December, the Australian Institute of Family Studies published the research paper What is Family? Shkara who was recently involved in a hotly contested court case about who got possession of the rabbits attributes the increase to more people remaining childless and pets assuming greater importance in peoples lives. There has been an increase in inquiries and cases, particularly in the last six months, says Hayder Shkara, the principal of Justice Family Lawyers in Sydney and director of Melbourne Family Lawyers. Family lawyers say pets are among the most contentious and emotive issues in settlements negotiated between separating couples. On one occasion, when the girlfriend sent a photo of a rescue dog, the boyfriend responded, Daddy is busy making money. No time for a doggy like this. Text messages between the couple leading up to the purchase of Kobe were even provided as evidence to show the boyfriend was initially reluctant to be a dog owner. When pets are part of our families, they are also part of our divorces, separations and custody disputes. Australia has one of the highest pet ownership rates in the world; according to the RSPCA , about 69 per cent of households nationally have pets. Currently, courts typically determine ownership by looking at financial contributions who bought the pet, for example, or who paid the registration and took care of the vet bills. Family law specialist Michael Tiyce believes Australian laws should be amended to reflect the profound emotional bonds between animals and their owners . The pet is so important to both of them, both for continuity of moving into a new world without their partner, but also more importantly, just their friend that they have had the whole way through. So it has been a really, really difficult thing because obviously [pets] are technically classified as property. When two people dont have children and Rover has been basically the surrogate child, that obviously has a huge emotional bearing, says Dylan Burch, a family lawyer at Aitken Partners. The magistrate ultimately decided the dog was the property of the girlfriend because it was purchased for her as a gift. However, this pets-as-property model does not take into consideration what is best for the pet and owner, such as who has the bigger yard or who spends the most time looking after the dog. There is also no case law that provides for a shared-care arrangement for items of property you dont move the fridge between households or visit the TV. The sorts of things that we look at in terms of making arrangements for children arent what we look at necessarily when its for animals, Tiyce says. (The court may, however, consider the best interests of a child under section 60CC of the Family Law Act. This could result in the family pet remaining with the parent with whom the children typically reside.) Tiyce & Lawyers has a puppalegal Ferdinand who mooches around the office and has his own Facebook page. I would be fanatical about the arrangements for my dog if my partner and I separated, Tiyce says. Id probably give him the house and just keep the dog rather than have the fight. Tiyce believes pet custody laws that move beyond traditional property principles would be a large step forward. He points to other jurisdictions that treat pets more like children. In 2017, Alaska became the first US state to require courts to take into consideration the wellbeing of the animal and to explicitly empower judges to assign joint custody of pets. The Alaska bill was the brainchild of the late Democrat Max Gruenberg, a former family lawyer who had once handled a divorce case that resulted in joint custody of a sled-dog team. Similar laws now exist in California and Illinois. In 2022, Spain adopted laws that require courts to consider the pets welfare during a settlement, with their legal status changed from objects to sentient beings. Loading Factors such as the best interests of the pet have been encoded into legislation within other countries and would work well alongside primary carer designation, visitation rights procedure, and financial support for the ongoing care of the pet, Tiyce says. Dr Marilyn Bromberg, from the University of Western Australias law school, agrees it makes sense to recognise pets as more than property in family law. Currently Australias pet custody model is anachronistic and no longer in sync with Australian attitudes, she writes with Nicholas Cardaci and Adam Jardine in No more fighting like cats and dogs: Its time for a new pet custody model in Australia, which was published in the Canberra Law Review in 2022. Pet parents will ascribe to their fur babies characteristics they would see in their own children: wilfulness, playfulness, obstinacy, and above all, affection. We give them human names. We rely on them for emotional support When they die, they are mourned These creatures are not property. They are family. The Attorney-Generals Department said there were no changes currently proposed to the Family Law Act regarding pets. Time for a prenup? Family lawyer Eve Smith has personal experience of dogs being used as pawns in marriage breakdowns. My sister in the UK went through separation. They lived an outdoor lifestyle and had spaniels, and my brother-in-law kept the dog away from my sister and it broke her heart, Smith says. So I have seen it happen firsthand and its awful. Family lawyer Eve Smith with her pet groodle, Guy. Credit: Chris Hopkins Smith, a partner and co-founder of Umbrella Family Law, has seen rabbits used as blackmail and a stoush over who gets the dogs ashes. We do a lot of pet custody cases, but this one has come as a bit of a shock because now weve got pet ashes to consider. Smith urges families to consider a pet prenup so animals dont become weaponised or used as bargaining chips if a relationship sours. These kinds of agreements which Smith says are becoming more common can include who will get custody of the pet, who pays the food and vet bills, visitation rights and end-of-life arrangements. All the lawyers at Umbrella Family Law have been trained by dog-behaviour consultant Karis Nafte, an international expert on pet custody. It really made us think about the animal as a being rather than a chattel thats passed between households. Eve Smith, family lawyer Nafte challenged some of their assumptions, such as that dogs should always remain with children. Dogs who need a lot of exercise, she told the lawyers, could be better off with the partner who can take it for plenty of walks, rather than remaining with children where it might be indoors most of the time. Loading It really made us think about the animal as a being rather than a chattel thats passed between households, Smith says. And thats opened up our eyes in helping us in our advice to clients. We think about whats in the best interest of the children, but now we also consider whats in the best interest of the dog, because you might have a lovely happy dog in the family household, but that may well change upon separation. Dr Chantelle McGowan is a veterinarian and animal behaviour consultant, or as they sometimes call themselves a cat-vocate. They have come across animals at their practice, Calm Pet Vet, that are deeply affected by custody disputes. Changing location of dwelling can turn a pets world upside down, with different noises, smells, interactions and safe spaces. Dr Channy, as they are known, says stressed animals can become dysregulated and require psychiatric support. Loading There are now more pet parents that do not want to lose connection with the pet during and after a separation, but this is the more disruptive scenario for the pet as it can become unpredictable and confusing. While shared care is something that can be agreed to at mediation, it cant be ordered by a judge under Australias pet-as-property family laws. This is a good reason for people to try to resolve the dispute between them, says Natalie Barry, special counsel at Taussig Cherrie Fildes. However, the agreements can be difficult to enforce and maintain. The parties think its a good idea to begin with, and then as they move on with their lives, generally the pet ends up staying at one persons home, Barry says. Custody fight David Roberts* spent more than $10,000 on legal fees trying to get custody of the family dog. His son, who lived with Roberts, told his psychologist the dog was the only thing he wanted. Loading The dog was his best friend growing up, Roberts says. My ex wouldnt release her to us it was more of a control thing, I think, than anything else. She came up with all these fanciful excuses that she needed the dog. The dog was registered in his ex-wifes name, but Roberts had receipts for its payment and vet bills. I had all these reports written about how much the dog would benefit my son, Roberts says. Eventually, the court decided in Roberts favour, presumably due to consideration of what was in the childs best interest. David Orme, a senior associate at Macpherson Kelley, the law firm that acted for Roberts, said there was no mention of the dog in the final judgment for the divorce settlement. It was given very short shrift, the judge effectively said chattels were dealt with at an interim stage; chattels included the dog of course, Orme says. But for Roberts and his son, the dog was not a chattel. The photo still sits on the fridge of the day that I picked my son up from school and the dog was here, Roberts says. Shes a big oaf, you know, shes gorgeous. *Pseudonyms are used to protect the identity of those in family law proceedings. Jesse Baird and Luke Davies had the world at their feet. The pair were seen as rising stars in their chosen fields happy, healthy young men loving life and each other, friends told the Herald. Both had moved to Sydney relatively recently for work Baird as a television reporter and presenter, Davies having got his big break as a flight attendant on the Qantas international circuit and they quickly established diverse friendship networks. Luke Davies (left) and Jesse Baird. Baird was a TV natural whose future was bright, dazzlingly bright, Ten presenter Angela Bishop said, and Davies was known to friends for his passion, his excitement and his sense of adventure. Bairds friends also claim that until well after 11pm on Tuesday they were receiving texts from Bairds phone even though hed been killed more than 24 hours earlier suggesting, police believe, that Lamarre-Condon may have kept and used his phone more than 24 hours after hed died. Those texts initially led officers to assume Baird was still alive and possibly on the run. At some point before suspicion was raised about his alleged involvement, police say Lamarre-Condon also returned his gun missing at least one bullet to the police station safe. Police say Lamarre-Condon drove the rented Toyota HiAce to Sutherland Shire, where he threw some of the dead mens belongings into a skip bin not far from Cronulla police station. They included Davies bloodied clothes, keys and credit cards. Those items were found by a worker on Wednesday morning, a discovery that triggered the police investigation. Police also think Lamarre-Condon may have been hiding at a relatives house in Balmain until news of the deaths started breaking on late Thursday afternoon, though no family member has been charged or implicated in the matter. When they raided the house, he wasnt there. Police say he drove the van to Newcastle and to the home of his sister, who, like their mother, is also a former police officer, and parked it near a club car park overnight. He may have been cleaning it; there was a bucket on the footpath. In the early hours of Friday, as the manhunt dominated news bulletins and investigators closed in on his identity and whereabouts, Lamarre-Condon is alleged to have driven the van to his uncles home in Grays Point, one of Sydneys southernmost suburbs, where he abandoned it. He went to Bondi escorted, Seven News reported, by his uncle and handed himself in. On Friday afternoon, officers charged Lamarre-Condon at Waverley Police Station with two counts of murder. Homicide detectives, still trying to piece together exactly what happened over those few days, are appealing to the public for help. They want to find the bodies, not only to pinpoint the cause of death but also to give two distraught families closure. Police searched a home on Waite Avenue in Balmain on Thursday night. Credit: TNV Its really important we get [the] movements in relation to that van, said homicide squad detective superintendent Daniel Doherty. The families are obviously devastated by the news. Its a very tough day for them. Baird, 26, is a former Ten presenter, and Davies, 29, a flight attendant. The deaths have devastated Sydneys gay community, in which Baird and Davies were known as lovely young men, and Lamarre-Condon as a quirky character whod spent years doggedly tracking down high voltage stars for his celebrity blog before his decision to begin a career in policing. On blogs such as Australian Reporter and Thats The Tea, he had been photographed with the likes of Taylor Swift, Selena Gomez, Harry Styles, Ryan Gosling and Robert Pattinson and Miley Cyrus. He met Lady Gaga after she read aloud a note hed slipped her on stage, thanking her for giving him the courage to come out. Beau Lamarre-Condon poses with Selena Gomez in 2016. Hed been backstage with Justin Bieber, attended a Swarovski dinner with Miranda Kerr, and flown on private jets with Louis Vuitton luggage. In 2016 he attended the Golden Globe Awards, wearing a red velvet jacket. Just last week he photographed himself in front of Kourtney Kardashian and her partner Travis Barker, who were visiting Sydney together. Lamarre-Condons switch to policing was not as odd as it may have seemed to some; his mother and sister were police officers, although both have since left the service. It wasnt smooth sailing; during a stint at an inner-city station he was investigated for tasering a man in the face, but cleared after an investigation. Jesse Baird was a celebrity of sorts himself, although not of the wattage that Lamarre-Condon sought for his blogs. He had presented teen adventure program Gamify and kids show Totally Wild, before moving on to work as a presenter and producer on other Network Ten shows, including Studio 10. He was well liked, and had many friends at Ten when he chose to focus on his work as an AFL umpire. Police said Baird and Lamarre-Condon had been together but broke up months ago. Baird moved on to a relationship with Davies, a charismatic young flight steward who moved to Sydney from Brisbane late last year. Loading In 2017 and 2018, pet store puppies sparked a severe outbreak of a campylobacter superbug in the United States, striking down 118 people across 18 states. The silent pandemic Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) occurs when germs develop resistance to the medications used to kill them, such as antibiotics. The World Health Organisation has identified AMR as one of humanitys greatest threats, killing more than 1.2 million people annually with that number projected to soar by 2050. So-called superbugs are resistant to multiple types of antibiotics, and can cause infections that are nearly impossible to treat. They are jeopardising the health systems ability to perform life-saving medical procedures that carry infection risks, such as cesarean sections, hip replacements and organ transplants. One of the main drivers of AMR is the overuse of antibiotics. Its estimated animals account for about 60 per cent of antibiotic sales in Australia, largely because of their use to prevent and treat disease in livestock destined for supermarket shelves. Cloak of secrecy Australias failure to publish any data on its farm antibiotic usage since 2010 has raised eyebrows at home and aboard. A spokeswoman for the Department of Agriculture said Australia shares its antimicrobial sales data with the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), which releases an annual report on usage. Australias usage remains low by global standards, the spokeswoman said. The trend since reporting to WOAH commenced in 2015 has been decreasing. Meat is under the microscope before it gets to your local butcher shop. Credit: Eddie Jim However, Australias actual performance remains a mystery because the WOAH report de-identifies its data. The report noted that 27 countries made their data publicly available online, including the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Japan, Italy and New Zealand, along with the European Union. Australia was not among them. Collignon said the government should produce the hard evidence rather than expecting the public to take their word for it. He believed the government was trying to appease people who dont want the data to be made public. Harriette Greenhalgh, whose father Graham owns Australian Meat Emporium at Alexandria. Credit: Steven Siewert Save Our Antibiotics, a global alliance working to stop the overuse of antibiotics in farming, raised concerns about Australias lack of transparency in a 2020 submission to the British parliament on a proposed trade deal between Australia and the UK. The alliances scientific adviser Coilin Nunan told this masthead Australia should be publishing data at a farm level, specifying what quantities of antibiotics were used in which species. Not publishing any data suggests that Australia is not doing much to reduce its farm antibiotic use, Nunan said. In Europe and the UK, the datas release has motivated farmers to reduce their usage in line with industry averages, he said. Farmers in Europe like Englands Rona Thompson (pictured) have reduced their usage of antibiotics in animals. Credit: Getty British farmers have curbed their use of antibiotics in food-producing animals by 59 per cent since 2014, while usage in Europe fell by about 53 per cent between 2011 and 2022. The Department of Agriculture spokeswoman said any concern about risk to Australias trade relationships was unfounded, noting record high agricultural exports last financial year. The spokeswoman said Australia has one of the most conservative approaches in the world to the use of antimicrobials in foodproducing animals. She noted the department had undertaken a range of surveillance projects in partnership with pork, chicken, fish and egg farmers since 2015 showing their animals had either low or negligible levels of antimicrobial resistance to drugs that were medically important for humans. I can see her jawbone and Im sharing the same toilet as this person. Professor Sam Abraham on his experience with an infected patient in hospital But several experts told this masthead more extensive mass surveillance needed to be conducted across the farms and abattoirs that stock the countrys supermarket shelves. Professor David Jordan from Murdoch University, a former principal research scientist at the NSW Department of Primary Industries who has worked with the World Health Organisation, said funding constraints and the remote locations of many farms were still major obstacles to comprehensive testing. We want to move some of our products internationally and the standards are changing in this area, Jordan said. We have to ask, are we keeping up? And Im saying were not. Professor Sam Abraham is one of the countrys leading experts in anti-microbial resistance. The front line After Professor Sam Abraham had a brain tumour removed through a hole in his skull, fears of a brush with deadly bacteria in the hospital ward caused him more angst than the operation itself. His neighbour was being treated for an abscess on her face infected with methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA): in other words, a superbug. I can see her jawbone and Im sharing the same toilet as this person, he recalled. Abraham understood more than most about the dangers of superbugs, as the head of the antimicrobial resistance laboratory at Murdoch University in Western Australia. Im sitting there worrying and washing my hands I was drenching myself in alcoholic [sanitiser]. Abrahams handwashing staved off infection and he has since rejoined the front line of Australias war with superbugs. He is leading a research team commissioned by the federal government to investigate levels of AMR in chicken, pork and beef sourced from supermarkets across Australia, due to report this year. The FSANZ study will look into the AMR levels in pork, as well as chicken and beef. Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) is funding the two-year survey. The food sample collection phase of the AMR survey is now complete the next phase of the survey involves testing the bacteria isolated from the food samples, a FSANZ spokesperson said. This work provides an opportunity to advance the evidence base for AMR in retail food in Australia. Professor Abraham says his experience in hospital is a good example of why we should be concerned about the presence of the bugs in animals. We can transfer resistance from one bug to the other in 15 minutes if the right conditions occur. Professor Sam Abraham I do an experiment with my 30 veterinary students, we can transfer resistance from one bug to the other in 15 minutes if the right conditions occur, he said. Professors Abraham and Jordan agreed there was still uncertainty about how easily bacteria could move between animals, the environment and people. Its probably the biggest issue that creates the most argument and debate, Jordan said. How much does this bug in this place, how much do its genes move to another bug in another place? Researchers are trying to stop infected meat from reaching supermarket shelves. Credit: Sean Davey My personal take is theres a hell of a lot of uncertainty there. How safe is our meat? There have been only a handful of attempts to study store-brought produce, with the mixed results sparking controversy among scientists in the field. Butchers say governments dont like sticking their nose into meat regulation. Credit: Shutterstock A 2007 study by government agency Food Science Australia concluded levels of resistant bacteria in retail foods were low by international comparison. However, three subsequent university studies were less reassuring. A 2018 ANU study found nearly two thirds of E.coli bugs in chicken samples were resistant to one or more types of antibiotic. Monash University researchers tested produce from Melbourne supermarkets in 2021, finding 55 per cent of beef samples and 39 per cent of salmon samples harboured bacteria resistant to at least one antibiotic. In a study published this year by the University of Canberra, pork and meat from supermarkets across NSW and the ACT were sampled. 81 per cent of the bacteria samples harboured resistance to critically or highly important antibiotics and 12 per cent of the bacteria were superbugs. We have to ask, what is their role, what is their motivation for being involved? Professor David Jordan, on the studies regarding superbugs in meat products which were conducted by animal welfare groups The latter two studies were funded by animal welfare lobby groups and Professor Jordan said their involvement should be regarded with caution. We have to ask, what is their role, what is their motivation for being involved? he said. Jordan said it was also crucial that studies were conducted according to internationally recognised methodologies. Loading Wed had other studies done earlier, people walking out of their lab in the city collecting the local supermarket samples and using a technique that hasnt been used much before, Jordan said. It creates more questions and difficulty for us to deal with. Professor Glenn Browning, a veterinary microbiologist from the University of Melbourne, said even if AMR was found, it didnt necessarily originate from the animals themselves. It could be somewhere along the chain, someone involved in processing that meat, he said. Loading Graham Greenhalgh, the owner of Australian Meat Emporium at Alexandria in inner Sydney, stocks lines of antibiotic-free beef and chicken. Greenhalgh said his business was very supportive of minimal inputs into meat and tried to offer customers the safest option wherever possible. Our business is more about slow grown protein that has less inputs and more flavour and as a result is more expensive but hopefully tastes better and is minimally processed, he said. It was ultimately in the hands of the government to drive further change in the mass market and the cheaper end of demand, he said. This should have come as little surprise. For decades, polls have suggested that many Americans prefer the smack of strong leadership, even at the cost of jettisoning democratic norms. Back in the mid-1990s, for example, one in 16 Americans thought that a military dictatorship would be a good or very good thing. By 2014, two years before Trumps shock victory over Hillary Clinton, that figure had leapt to one in six. The commonplace has it that Trump was a president like no other, especially when it came to trashing so many norms. None of his predecessors incited supporters to storm the US Capitol in a bid to overturn the result of a presidential election. However, the countrys 45th president tapped into a centuries-old tradition of iron-fist US heads of states. Historically speaking, he is not such an outlier as is ordinarily supposed. President Andrew Jackson, who served between 1829 and 1837, is the most obvious example. Dubbed King Andrew I, this brutal former general rode roughshod over Congress and has been likened by historians to an American Caesar. John Adams, the countrys second president, tried to ban the opposition, while Thomas Jefferson also subverted the spirit and letter of the constitution. The boldest move of his presidency was also the most legally dubious: the Louisiana Purchase agreed with Napoleon, which almost doubled the size of the United States, was not just a land grab but a power grab. In the early 20th century, Woodrow Wilson, that supposed paragon of progressive virtue, bordered on the despotic when faced with the twin threats of imperial Germany and the Bolshevik revolution. Even the saintly Abraham Lincoln was prepared to break the constitution in order to save the union. As the American Civil War raged, Honest Abe ripped up the First Amendment by censoring the press and arbitrarily imprisoned thousands of political opponents, some for merely singing Confederate songs. Yet for all his transgressions, he resides still on his historical throne of grace. Back in the 1930s, when totalitarianism was rampant in Europe, Franklin Delano Roosevelt was frequently assailed for being an American dictator, and for violating the unwritten convention set by George Washington that presidents should serve no more than two terms in office. Yet voters re-elected him three times, thus endorsing his norm-busting. Loading First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, who suggested to her husband that he should be a benevolent dictator, noticed that the line from his 1933 inaugural address that drew the loudest cheers was his call for a strong presidency that would test the bounds of the constitution. Just as Americans have lionised muscular presidents, they have rejected those perceived as weak. After Watergate, Jimmy Carter dispensed with many of the trappings of Richard Nixons imperial presidency, such as the playing of Hail To The Chief when he entered the room. Yet after complaints he had dispensed with too much pomp former president Gerald Ford complained in 1980 we have not an imperial presidency, but an imperilled presidency he quickly had to summon back the trumpeters. Nor it is insignificant that men with a martial background and bearing have often ended up as commander-in-chief. Beginning with George Washington, this military roll-call includes Andrew Jackson, Ulysses S. Grant, Dwight D. Eisenhower and lesser-known presidents, such as William Henry Harrison, Franklin Pierce and Zachary Taylor. Other wartime strongmen, such as generals William Sherman and Douglas MacArthur, were urged to run. Paternal pride? North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, left, with Trump in 2018. Trump dubbed him Little Rocket Man. Credit: AP History has also looked favourably on presidential rule-breakers. It is not just Trump who has paid homage to Andrew Jackson, whom he looked upon as his presidential soul-mate. Old Hickorys portrait still adorns the $US20 bill. When Nixon, the only president to resign from office, died in 1994, his funeral was attended by all five living presidents a posthumous reaffirmation of the legal pardon granted by his successor and one-time vice-president, Gerald Ford. In the post-Watergate rehabilitation of Nixon, we find an augur of the post-January 6 exoneration of Trump. It is a mistake to think that the disgraced tycoons enduring popularity flies in the face of US history, and that he is an ahistorical aberration. Quite the contrary. The fact that he could make a triumphant return to the White House offers yet more proof of the abiding appeal of authoritarian style leadership in American politics. Nick Bryant, a former BBC Washington correspondent, is the author of the upcoming book, The Forever War: Americas Unending Conflict with Itself. State lawmakers are debating whether or not defendants charged with first-degree murder in Colorado should have the right to post bail in cases where "proof is evident and presumption is great." A man found with more than 45,000 untaxed cigarettes claimed he and his wife smoked a lot. Olegs Leontjevs, aged 56, of Corr na gClogh, Ballinrobe, pleaded guilty at Castlebar Circuit Criminal Court to possessing the unstamped cigarettes. The court heard the Russian national had been selling illegal cigarettes in the Ballinrobe area. Customs and Excise officers received a tip-off about Leontjevs activity and he was put under surveillance. On October 31, 2019, a search was carried out at his home and a total of 45,760 cigarettes were found which equated to 200 cartons. What is believed to be a float containing 141 was found in a drawer in the sitting room and more than 80,000 was discovered in two bedrooms. However, it was claimed that this money was part of a 380,000 workplace injury compensation payout that the accused received in 2011. Leontjevs also said he didnt trust the banks. When asked by Customs officers why he had so many cigarettes, Leontjevs said it was because he and his wife smoked a lot. He said he had bought the cigarettes online but was unable to say via which website. While being interviewed someone arrived at the door of the house seeking to buy cigarettes. Leontjevs has no previous convictions. Judge Eoin Garavan adjourned sentencing until February 29, 2024. On the evening of Feb. 16 just before 6 p.m. the Colorado Springs Police Department announced via social media that the two dead bodies discovered at a dorm on the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs' campus were being investigated as a double homicide. On X the department also stated "we don't believe there is an ongoing threat to the community." Frustration from community members online was apparent in the responses to several posts from the Colorado Springs Department on X. Two years on from the Russian invasion of Ukraine, TG4 will broadcast Caillte san Ucrain (Lost in Ukraine) on Wednesday, February 28th at 9.30pm detailing the story of Achill Island native Finbar Cafferkey who was killed on the frontline fighting for Ukraine. The current affairs documentary, presented by investigative journalist, Kevin Magee, who travelled to war-torn Ukraine to find out more about the circumstances surrounding the death of Mr Cafferkey, 45, who was killed while trying to secure a crucial supply line in the battle for Bakhmut on April 19th last year. The programme examines the reasons behind his decision to enlist in a fighting unit in Ukraine and shows the impact of his passing on his family in Achill Island. Finbar Cafferkey was the eldest in a family of five children and grew up in Cashel on the east side of Achill Island. His parents Tom and Celine, sisters Meadhbh and Orla and brother Colm take part in the documentary. The Cafferkey family. Mr Cafferkey died in a Russian mortar strike along with two other foreign fighters, former USMarine veteran Cooper Andrews (26), from Ohio, and Russian anarchist Dmitriy Petrov. Mr Cafferkey and Mr Petrov had previously both fought with the YPG, a left-wing Kurdish militia who fought against the Islamic state in northern Syria. Kevin Magee travelled to Lviv in Ukraine and tracked down a former female volunteer solider who trained alongside Mr Cafferkey and was due to take part in the same ill-fated mission. Other Ukrainian frontline soldiers interviewed for the documentary tell of the difficulties serving in the Bakhmut region where Mr Cafferkey was killed. Hopes are fading for the return of Finbar Cafferkey remains. It was previously reported that his remains had been recovered from the battlefield and were awaiting a positive identification, but following inquiries made in the programme, Mr Cafferkey has now beenofficially re-classified as missing-in-action without his remains being recovered. Investigative journalist Kevin Magee. A Ukrainian solider who was wounded fighting at the in frontline near Bakhmut and is currently being treated for his injuries in Lviv, told TG4 about the problems recovering the bodies of fallen Ukrainian soldiers from the battlefield where Finbar Cafferkey was killed. Its almost impossible to do that, and we even had cases where we had a so-called agreement between Russian troops and our allocation team was entering to pick up the bodies, and they were immediately shot, said Andrii, 39, who served with a special forces unit on the Ukrainian front line near Bakhmut. Only in some rare cases where the commanders of units from both sides have an agreement is it possible to recover bodies but in general its very, very, very difficult, he said. Andrii, who declined to give his surname for security reasons, said the area where MrCafferkey is missing near Bakhmut is now controlled by Russian forces. The situation in the Bakhmut region is always quite difficult because the enemy is much better equipped with heavy weapons, drones, artillery and number of troops, so its pretty tough fighting there. When you fight there its non-stop strikes and shelling, he said. Ukrainian ambassador to Ireland Laryso Gerasko, speaking on the programme, dismissed earlier reports that Mr Cafferkeys body has been recovered and was awaiting identification in a morgue. I have some information from our Minister of Defence. His body hasn't been identified yet, and hes missing in action. Unfortunately, I don't have any, more information except that.We are on to our authorities to find his body and to identify him but that is without success unfortunately. It's our duty to find not only the bodies of foreigners, but Ukrainians as well,but it's very difficult in such a brutal war, said Ms Gerasko. Caillte san Ucrain from TG4s award winning current affairs strand Iniuchadh TG4, airs on Wednesday February 28th @ 9:30pm and on TG4.ie Today Partly sunny, breezy, and noticeably colder; gusty winds add a chill. A sprinkle or flurry possible, mainly north and west. Tonight Partly cloudy, windy, and cold. Brisk winds add a chill. There could be an early flurry, especially north and west. Tomorrow Partly sunny but brisk and chilly with wind chills near or below freezing for much of the day. A sprinkle or flurry possible, mainly north and west. SPRING TWP., Pa. - Police in Spring Township say charges have been filed in a crash that claimed the life of a Penn State Berks student. Authorities say 20-year-old Jen-Chieh Sung is charged with homicide by vehicle while DUI, aggravated assault by vehicle, driving without a license and related offenses. The crash happened in the early morning hours of February 17 on Tulpehocken Road near the Penn State Berks campus. 20-year-old Xuanyi Zhu was among several passengers in a vehicle driven by Sung that left the roadway and crashed into a large tree. Police say weather conditions, including snow, were affecting the roadway at the time of the crash. Zhu was pronounced dead at the scene. Several other occupants were treated at area hospitals for non-life-threatening injuries. Police say Sung was taken into custody without incident and transferred to central processing. WEST READING, Pa. - Second Deputy Fire Chief Thomas Rehr was nearing the end of his shift on that fateful day last March when a devastating explosion at the R.M. Palmer building in West Reading killed seven people. Rehr says Reading Fire Department doesn't typically respond to West Reading, but because he witnessed it and the proximity of the call, he went. "I could see the debris raining out of the sky and a column of smoke starting to rise," Rehr recalled. "There was an eerie silence except for the fire alarm ringing in the main plant, the big building, and I could see a number of people staggering out of there injured. There was a victim in the street that was obviously deceased." Documents released this week show that the West Reading police chief at the time told interviewers with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) he wasn't sure what initially happened, saying there were reports that a plane hit the building or even a missile strike. "At first I thought it might have been a tank car on the railroad sliding behind there. But as I got closer, I could see the building where the explosion originated was gone," said Rehr. He recalls crews began rescuing people trapped in the apartment building on the corner, while others tackled the fire. Then rescuers heard someone screaming from under the debris. "The actual whole building collapsed on top of him, and we were able to hear him screaming. We actually dug with some of the county companies by hand to remove bricks and pieces of the building that were on him," Rehr explained. Rehr says the victim was the first to be pulled from the rubble, 22 minutes after he first arrived on scene. "I don't think anything, any type of training prepares you for something of that magnitude," said Rehr. BETHLEHEM, Pa. - The company tasked with constructing the Walnut Street Parking Garage released a statement to 69 News following the collapse of a structure on the site, explaining what it believes caused the massive mishap. Vollers said, "it is believed that a support beam failed to fall in a controlled fashion and came in contact with an adjacent building, causing minor damage to the roof." The dangerous situation in Bethlehem's Historic District happened around 8:15 a.m. Friday. No one was hurt but the incident is putting more criticism of the already controversial construction project in the spotlight. Members of the Bethlehem Historic District Association have voiced concerns from the start. "The historic district has sort of specific guidelines that are supposed to be followed as it relates to buildings and architectural features," treasurer of the association, Brian Carnahan, said. Carnahan said the group feels that the way the project is going, those guidelines aren't being followed. Voller made no mention of historical preservation in its release, but rather touted its safety measures, saying "We are grateful to report that due to our pre-existing safety precautions and stringent protocols, no persons were injured, and our dedicated crews worked swiftly to clear the area and repair the roof shortly after the incident." Vollers also thanked local authorities for their "prompt response and collaboration" "to ensure the safety and well-being of the community." The Bethlehem Parking Authority also released a statement to 69 News, saying "Demolition activities are paused until we consult with the engineering team to determine the best course of action going forward." The Bethlehem Historic District Association feels that the public has a right to know what happened. "We hope our members and neighbors get a full accounting of what went wrong, and what will be done to prevent this kind of accident in the future," Carnahan said. There was no timeframe released for when crews will resume construction. BETHLEHEM, Pa. - Lake Hydra, the Northampton County scuba-diving venue, will open April 20 with limited access. All activities at the 50-acre quarry lake must be arranged in advance. At first, Lake Hydra will be for classes and first-responder training only. A diver cant just show up and dive, it has to be a class, Ken Kraft, one of the Lake Hydra partners, said Saturday. He reiterated that all activities must be scheduled. The property, formerly known as Dutch Springs, was acquired by developer Trammell Crow for the construction of two warehouses. Access to the water could have been eliminated. Then Trammell Crow worked out an agreement with Kraft and Jim Folk of Atlantis Aquatics, Bethlehem Township, to save the lake for the scuba community. I cant say enough about Trammell Crow and what they did for the dive community, Kraft said Saturday. Work continues on Lake Hydra amenities, Kraft, now a member of Northampton County Council, said. The site, known for its depths and clear water, could have been lost to the diving community. Instead, training for divers and rescue teams will continue at one of the few East Coast inland scuba venues. Kraft said divers should check the Lake Hydra website for more information. It will be updated as services at the lake are expanded. Lake Hydra is located at 4733 Hanoverville Road in Lower Nazareth Township. The property, including the warehouses, also extends into Bethlehem Township. LOWER SAUCON TWP., Pa. - Police are asking for help locating a missing Lower Saucon teenager. 16-year-old Kenya Ealey was last seen Friday at her residence in Lower Saucon Township. She is described as being 5'6", 180 lbs., with black hair and eyes. She was last seen wearing a pink "Hello Kitty" sweatshirt and black cargo pants. Anyone who sees Kenya or knows of her location is asked to submit a tip through Crimewatch tipline or contact police at 610-759-2200. UPDATE: Kenya Ealey has been safely located, according to Lower Saucon Township Police. COLUMBUS, Ohio (Ivanhoe Newswire) The CDC reports that more than 12 million people in the U.S. will have atrial fibrillation by 2030 thats when the heart beats too slowly, too fast, or in an irregular way. If left untreated, it can cause a stroke and heart failure. Medication can help, as well as surgery, but there is a risk associated with it that can be life threatening. A brand-new device is making that surgery safer. Washing dishes, making lunch, walking simple things wore Amanda Mitchem out. I could be just sitting, and I just felt like I had ran a 10-mile run, Amanda recalls. She chalked it up to aging and being overweight. Amandas shortness of breath was actually atrial fibrillation, or Afib. The upper chambers of her heart were beating irregularly. Blood was not flowing properly to the lower chambers. When medications didnt work, her best option was a heart ablation. Emile Daoud, MD, formerly at The Ohio State University, says, The technique is designed to deliver energy on the back of the heart wall to eliminate the electrical short circuits. While its effective, the thermal heat can also cause a hole in the esophagus. The patient will leave the hospital, they'll feel well, then they'll, kind of, slowly develop symptoms, Dr. Daoud says. It can be fatal, thats why electrophysiologists at The Ohio State University helped design the ESOlution a device thats inserted down a patients throat, moving the esophagus away from the heart during an ablation. When you move it to the right, the left wall gets pulled along, also because of the suction. So, you move this entire segment, Dr. Daoud demonstrates. A clinical trial found approximately 33 percent of patients had esophageal injuries, but with the new device, less than five percent had any injury. Amanda went from not being able to wash dishes to feeling good enough to go see her granddaughter in West Virginia. I mean, it was like night and day. I mean, the breathing was so much better, Amanda says with relief. Doctors at The Ohio State University believe that moving the esophagus may also improve the effectiveness of the ablation procedure. With the esophagus out of the way, doctors can safely deliver larger amounts of ablation energy when its needed. Doctors hope the ESOlution gets FDA approval this year. DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) Israeli officials will meet Saturday night on the next steps after the latest talks with the United States, Egypt and Qatar in search of a deal on pausing the fighting in Gaza, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said. But Netanyahu announced that he'll convene the Cabinet early next week to approve the operational plans for action in Rafah, including the evacuation of civilians, despite widespread warnings from the international community about a military ground operation in the southern city where more than half of Gaza's population shelters. "Only a combination of military pressure and firm negotiations would achieve Israel's aims in the war, he said. A senior official from Egypt, which along with Qatar is a mediator between Israel and the Hamas militant group, said mediators were waiting for Israel's official response to a draft deal that includes the release of up to 40 women and older hostages held in Gaza in return for up to 300 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, mostly women, minors and older people. The Egyptian official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the negotiations, said the proposed six-week pause in fighting would include allowing hundreds of aid trucks to enter Gaza every day, including the northern half of the besieged territory. He said that both sides agreed to continue negotiations during the pause for further releases and a permanent cease-fire. Negotiators face an unofficial deadline of the start of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan around March 10. Hamas political official Osama Hamdan noted that the group wasn't at the talks, but asserted to reporters in Beirut on Friday that Israel had refused its main demands, including stopping the aggression and withdrawing from Gaza. The Health Ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza said Saturday that the bodies of 92 Palestinians killed in Israeli bombardments were brought to hospitals over the past 24 hours, raising the overall toll in nearly five months of war to 29,606. The total number of wounded rose to nearly 70,000. The ministry's death toll doesn't distinguish between civilians and combatants, but it has said that two-thirds of those killed were children and women. Israel says its troops have killed more than 10,000 Hamas fighters, but hasn't provided details. An Israeli airstrike hit a house in Rafah, killing at least eight people. including four women and a child, health authorities said. An Associated Press journalist saw the bodies at Abu Youssef al-Najjar hospital. Enough, enough. Either the Israelis or us should stop. There should be a truce, said neighbor Abdul-Qader Shubeir, who described feeling lost at not being immediately able to put out the fire burning the bodies. NEW GENOCIDE ALLEGATIONS Brazils president alleged Saturday that Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians, doubling down on harsh rhetoric after stirring controversy a week ago by comparing Israels military offensive in Gaza to the Nazi Holocaust in which 6 million Jews and others perished during World War II. Israel has pushed back against genocide claims made at the U.N.s top court and elsewhere, saying its war targets the militant group Hamas, not the Palestinian people. It has held Hamas responsible for civilian deaths, arguing that the group operates from civilian areas. What the Israeli government is doing is not war, it is genocide, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva wrote on X, formerly Twitter. Children and women are being murdered. In response to Lulas initial comments, Israel declared him a persona non grata, summoned Brazils ambassador and demanded an apology. Lula recalled Brazils ambassador to Israel for consultations. Last month, South Africa filed a landmark case with the International Court of Justice, accusing Israel of genocide against Palestinians. The court issued a preliminary order ordering Israel to do all it can to prevent death, destruction and any acts of genocide in Gaza. Israel, created in part as a refuge for survivors of the Holocaust, has accused South Africa of hypocrisy. South Africa has compared Israels treatment of Palestinians in Gaza with the treatment of Black South Africans during apartheid, framing the issues as fundamentally about people oppressed in their homeland. HUNGER AND DISEASES SPREAD Israel declared war after the deadly Oct. 7 Hamas attack on southern Israel in which militants killed about 1,200 people and took around 250 hostages. More than 100 hostages remain in captivity in Gaza. The rising civilian death toll and worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza have amplified calls for a cease-fire. Hunger and infectious diseases are spreading and about 80% of Gaza's 2.3 million people have been displaced, with about 1.4 million crowded into Rafah on the border with Egypt. There are choking, skyrocketing prices. Its terrifying. There is no source of income. The area is very overcrowded," said Hassan Attwa, a displaced man from Gaza City who now shelters in a tent on the sand in Mawasi in the south. "The garbage, may God bless you, is not collected at all. It stays piled up. It turns into a mess and clay when it rains. The situation is disastrous in every sense of the word. In Beit Lahiya in northern Gaza, children banged on pots as part of a protest outside a closed hospital demanding more aid to the north. Netanyahu has vowed to fight until total victory," but is under pressure at home. Police used a water cannon to disperse anti-government protesters in Tel Aviv on Saturday night, and 18 people were arrested. Others protested in Jerusalem. Samy Magdy reported from Cairo. Julia Frankel contributed to this report from Jerusalem. Find more of APs coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war The founders of Corvallis' first psilocybin center said they wanted to create a space that was serene, professional-looking and in alignment with research on the revolutionary effects of psychedelics in the treatment of several mental health disorders, especially treatment-resistant ones. "So, if you take a pass through other websites, or other facilities coming up, there's quite a few of them that basically look like psychedelic parks," said Pieter Bartosh, one of the co-founders of Unstuck. The name comes from from psilocybins ability, as with other psychedelics, to reopen the brains critical window, making humans more receptive to social learning. A Place to Sleep, episode 3: Corvallis Do unhoused people know where to go in Corvallis? Well, the city has outlined where they shouldn't be: near creeks, rivers, wetlands, sidewalks or within 20 feet of trees. The center, 2211 NW Professional Drive, has the tenor of a wellness or retreat center when you walk in. The centers three individual service rooms are painted in warm yellows and oranges and have neutral-colored sofas, throw pillows and blankets. Potted plants adorn floors and windowsills, and on side tables are noise-canceling headphones and eye masks. One room, still being decorated, is reserved for group sessions. Adjacent the break room for staff members is where psilocybin products will be stored in a safe location, behind a steel door with an industrial lock as stipulated by the Oregon Health Authority. Setting up In 2020, Oregon became the first state to legalize psilocybin use, but it must be for therapeutic purposes under strict supervision in licensed centers. Federally, psilocybin remains classified as a Schedule I controlled substance, which presents unique challenges for those looking to set up service centers, even in states where the so-called magic mushrooms are legal. Most potential commercial properties in areas zoned for psilocybin service centers, Bartosh said, often have mortgages with financing plans that do not allow businesses of this nature. In addition, zoning laws and state directives regarding buffer zones around treatment centers, according to Bartosh, render only two to three locations potentially eligible within Corvallis city limits. Prior to finding their current spot, co-founder Heather Thomas said she was starting to lose hope. "It took a lot of work to find this place," she said. Part of their success in finding a home for the center was that the building's owner, a pain care specialist, was researching the effectiveness of psilocybin in pain management compared to opioids. Studies show that, unlike opioids, psilocybin is not addictive. Obtaining an insurance partner was another challenge. "The insurance piece has been frankly extremely challenging," Bartosh said, adding that he believed several service centers may be under-insured because there are very few companies nationwide willing to underwrite businesses in the emerging industry. And when available, the cost is extremely expensive. Thomas said shed heard reports of service centers video-taping client sessions to protect themselves because they lack insurance. It is not a path Unstuck would consider, Thomas said, as client privacy is crucial. Another hurdle the founders have had to overcome is how to charge for the services. While payment for the facilitation sessions themselves might be processed via card transactions, Bartosh said it was likely clients will have to pay cash for the drug itself. Currently, Thomas and co-founder Jessica Reich have received their facilitator licenses after undertaking training through a program with an approved Oregon Health Authority curriculum. Each individual training and license cost amounted to about $6,500. The service center license costs $10,000 per year, but Bartoshs veteran status reduces the cost by 50%. The trio also will be hiring other facilitators and workers, who must also obtain a permit from the health authority to work at a licensed service center. Reich said, despite the cost of training, the state is churning out more facilitators than there are licensed service centers where they can practice. As at Feb 22, the health authority reported 243 approved facilitator licenses and 481 approved worker permits compared to 21 approved service center licenses. Eventually, the founders said they plan to open up Unstuck to become a space and avenue for student practica, often the last part of the training program that facilitators must undergo. The licensing process began last December, according to the founders, and the center is awaiting a final inspection by the health authority in the last week of February before it opens its doors. At the moment, they are compiling a waitlist online and planning an open house from 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, March 10. Prohibitive cost The expensive start-up costs get factored into what they'll charge clients. "Unfortunately, the cost of delivery is somewhat prohibitive at this point," Bartosh said. Sessions will run between $1,800 and $2,200, according to the founders. Veterans, first responders, health care workers, firefighters and police officers will receive a 15% discount, Thomas said. Before psilocybin treatment, clients will undergo a pre-session online or in-person so that facilitators can assess their goals, establish which therapeutic touches they would like once under the drug's influence and give permission to the facilitator to take notes or write in the journals clients are provided with when they arrive. After the drug is consumed, clients put on an eye mask and headphones with the option to listen to a curated playlist tailored for the experience recline and begin their journey. They are encouraged to cry, yell, and feel comfortable in what they're experiencing. "We're here to make sure that they feel safe and feel comforted," Thomas said. Per Oregon Health Authority stipulations, clients must remain in the center for four to six hours (if they consume at least 25mg of psilocybin), being closely observed and assisted by a facilitator until the effects begin to wear off. Once the headphones and masks are off, Thomas and Reich will help their clients process the journey theyve been on. "It's definitely not our job to be their therapist or interpret any of that. It's to help them figure out what was that journey about," Thomas said. Within the next 72 hours, however, clients receive a post-session check-in call to ascertain how they are doing. According to Reich, the trio is working to integrate with other mental health care providers across the city to explore the possibility of coordinated treatment plans for patients. "Itd be awesome for someone to have a pre-session, like therapy talk session, go through the psilocybin, have a post-session with an actual licensed therapist to really process and dig deep," Reich said. Per OHA stipulations, clients cannot drive home themselves after a session, so the founders are also considering offering a transport service if friends or family are not available. Ride-sharing or ride-hailing is not an option they encourage. Neither do they endorse what Bartosh said is a growing number of people purchasing and consuming large doses of psilocybin at home to take the place of facilitated sessions. "The research is showing us," he said, "... to get the benefit, it needs to be in a facilitated context." Another danger of this kind of self-administration, Thomas said, is the inability for individuals to know the composition of the psilocybin products they are consuming. "This is not something I think is safe for people to be doing at home," she said. Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help Support local news coverage and the people who report it by becoming a subscriber today. Personal journeys All three co-founders came to the therapeutic benefits of psilocybin for mental health disorders due to personal traumas and experiences working in the health care industry. Bartosh has had a long-term ordeal with trauma, he said, both as a result of his upbringing and serving in the military. Research on psilocybin's efficacy for those with post-traumatic stress disorder, along with depression and other mental health challenges, has proved promising. Thomas, an occupational therapist and professor, said 20 years of work experience had brought with it a lot of disappointment with the health care system and its approach to therapy. "But I think the primary reason I've gotten into this is because I have seen the extraordinary impact that it's had on my life," Thomas said. "I've experienced a lot of trauma." Reich, a physical therapist, said she, too, was dissatisfied with the health care systems approach to therapy. "I feel like, especially with my own experience with psilocybin, it's just amazing how much it can open up and how therapeutic it can be in conjunction with other things," Reich said. Editor's note: This article has been edited (on Feb. 26) to remove mention of an employer of one co-founder in the light of concerns about job safety. Related stories: Idaho halted the execution of serial killer Thomas Eugene Creech on Wednesday after medical team members repeatedly failed to find a vein where they could establish an intravenous line to carry out the lethal injection. The 73-year-old was imprisoned in 1974 and has been convicted of five murders in three states and suspected of several more. He was already serving life in prison when he beat a fellow inmate, 22-year-old David Dale Jensen, to death in 1981 the crime for which Creech was to be executed. The Idaho Department of Correction said its death warrant for Creech would expire, and that it was considering next steps. WASHINGTON (AP) The United States and European Union on Friday heaped hundreds of new sanctions on Russia in connection with the second anniversary of its invasion of Ukraine and in retaliation for the death of noted Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny last week in an Arctic penal colony. The U.S. government imposed roughly 600 new sanctions on Russia and its war machine in the largest single round of penalties since Russias invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022. The EU, for its part, added sanctions on several foreign companies over allegations that they have exported dual-use goods to Russia that could be used in its war against Ukraine. The 27-nation bloc also targeted scores of Russian officials, including members of the judiciary, local politicians and people it said were "responsible for the illegal deportation and military re-education of Ukrainian children. President Joe Biden said the sanctions come in response to Russian President Vladimir Putins brutal war of conquest and to Navalnys death, adding that we in the United States are going to continue to ensure that Putin pays a price for his aggression abroad and repression at home." But while previous sanctions have increased costs for Russias ability to fight in Ukraine, they appear to have done little so far to deter Putin and it was unclear that the latest big round would significantly alter that. In specific response to Navalnys death, the State Department targeted three Russian officials the U.S. says are connected to his death, including the deputy director of Russias Federal Penitentiary Service, who was promoted by Putin to the rank of colonel general on Monday, three days after Navalny died. The sanctions bar the officials from traveling to the U.S. and block access to U.S.-owned property. But they appear largely symbolic given that the officials are unlikely to travel to or have assets or family in the West. White House national security spokesman John Kirby said to expect more action later related to Navalny's death, adding that "today this just a start. The Biden administration is levying additional sanctions as House Republicans are blocking billions of dollars in additional aid to Ukraine. The war is becoming entangled in U.S. election-year politics, with former President Donald Trump voicing skepticism about the benefits of the NATO alliance and saying that he would encourage Russia to do whatever the hell they want to countries that, in his view, are not pulling their weight in the alliance. Biden on Friday called on Congress to pass Ukraine aid, which has stalled since House Speaker Mike Johnson blocked votes on aid passed by the Senate for Ukraine and other countries. Russia is taking Ukraine territory for the first time in many months, Biden said. But here in America, the speaker gave the house a two week vacation. They have to come back and get this done, because failure to support Ukraine in this critical moment will never be forgotten in history. Biden spoke later Friday with French President Emmanuel Macron about Russias recent actions and the need to support Ukraine. A White House readout said they also discussed developments in the Middle East. Many of the new U.S. sanctions announced Friday target Russian firms that contribute to the Kremlins war effort like drone and industrial chemical manufacturers and machine tool importers as well as financial institutions, such as the state-owned operator of Russias Mir National Payment System. The U.S. also will impose visa restrictions on Russian authorities it says are involved in the kidnapping and confinement of Ukrainian children. In addition, 26 third-country people and firms from across China, Serbia, the United Arab Emirates, and Liechtenstein are listed for sanctions, for assisting Russia in evading existing financial penalties. The Russian foreign ministry called the EU sanctions illegal and said they undermine the international legal prerogatives of the UN Security Council. In response, the ministry is banning some EU citizens from entering the country because they have provided military assistance to Ukraine. It did not immediately address the U.S. sanctions. Overall, since the start of the war, the U.S. Treasury and State departments have targeted more than 4,000 officials, oligarchs, firms, banks and others under Russia-related sanctions authorities. The EU asset freezes and travel bans constitute its 13th package of measures imposed by the bloc against people and organizations it suspects of undermining the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. Today, we are further tightening the restrictive measures against Russias military and defense sector, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said. We remain united in our determination to dent Russias war machine and help Ukraine win its legitimate fight for self-defense. In all, 106 more officials and 88 entities often companies, banks, government agencies or other organizations have been added to the blocs sanctions list, bringing the tally of those targeted to more than 2,000 people and entities, including Putin and his associates. Companies making electronic components, which the EU believes could have military as well as civilian uses, were among 27 entities accused of directly supporting Russias military and industrial complex in its war of aggression against Ukraine, a statement said. Those companies some of them based in India, Sri Lanka, China, Serbia, Kazakhstan, Thailand and Turkey face tougher export restrictions. Some of the measures are aimed at depriving Russia of parts for pilotless drones, which are seen by military experts as key to the war. A $60 per barrel price cap has also been imposed on Russian oil by Group of Seven allies, intended to reduce Russias revenues from fossil fuels. Critics of the sanctions, price cap and other measures meant to stop Russias invasion say they are not working fast enough. Maria Snegovaya, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said that primarily sanctioning Russias defense industry and failing to cut meaningfully into Russias energy revenues will not be enough to halt the war. One way or another, they will have to eventually address Russias oil revenues and have to consider an oil embargo, Snegovaya said. The oil price cap has effectively stopped working. Treasury Deputy Secretary Wally Adeyemo, in previewing the new sanctions, told reporters that the U.S. and its allies will not lower the price cap; rather what well be doing is taking actions that will increase the cost of Russias production of oil. The Treasury Department says the current cap is working, with an agency analysis finding that Kremlin oil tax revenue was more than 40 percent lower in the first nine months of 2023 because of it. Adeyemo added that sanctions alone are not enough to carry Ukraine to victory. We owe the Ukrainian people who have held on for so long the support and resources they desperately need to defend their homeland and prove Putin wrong once and for all time. Associated Press writers Josh Boak and Zeke Miller in Washington and Emma Burrows in London contributed to this report. Dark Forest Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of Sprinklr, Inc. (NYSE:CXM Free Report) during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 78,043 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $1,080,000. Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Acadian Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Sprinklr by 25.7% in the 3rd quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 543,871 shares of the companys stock worth $7,518,000 after acquiring an additional 111,060 shares during the last quarter. Pearl River Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of Sprinklr by 91.6% during the third quarter. Pearl River Capital LLC now owns 79,905 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,106,000 after buying an additional 38,205 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Sprinklr by 12.9% during the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 59,885 shares of the companys stock valued at $829,000 after buying an additional 6,838 shares during the period. George Kaiser Family Foundation raised its holdings in shares of Sprinklr by 7.0% in the third quarter. George Kaiser Family Foundation now owns 288,400 shares of the companys stock worth $3,991,000 after buying an additional 18,879 shares during the period. Finally, DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale bought a new stake in shares of Sprinklr during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $87,000. 40.19% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Get Sprinklr alerts: Analysts Set New Price Targets Several research analysts recently commented on CXM shares. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of Sprinklr from $18.00 to $16.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 8th. BTIG Research cut Sprinklr from a buy rating to a neutral rating in a research report on Thursday, December 7th. JMP Securities cut their price target on shares of Sprinklr from $24.00 to $22.00 and set a market outperform rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, December 7th. TheStreet cut Sprinklr from a c- rating to a d+ rating in a research note on Thursday, December 28th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald decreased their target price on shares of Sprinklr from $21.00 to $16.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, December 7th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, Sprinklr currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $16.15. Sprinklr Price Performance Shares of NYSE:CXM opened at $12.78 on Friday. The businesss 50 day moving average price is $12.33 and its 200-day moving average price is $13.60. Sprinklr, Inc. has a 1 year low of $9.79 and a 1 year high of $17.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 116.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.88. Sprinklr (NYSE:CXM Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, December 6th. The company reported $0.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.07 by ($0.01). Sprinklr had a net margin of 4.21% and a return on equity of 4.96%. The company had revenue of $186.33 million for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $180.42 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned ($0.02) earnings per share. The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 18.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Sprinklr, Inc. will post 0.15 earnings per share for the current year. Insiders Place Their Bets In other news, CFO Manish Sarin sold 60,651 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $12.01, for a total value of $728,418.51. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 644,946 shares in the company, valued at $7,745,801.46. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other Sprinklr news, CFO Manish Sarin sold 60,651 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $12.01, for a total value of $728,418.51. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 644,946 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,745,801.46. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CRO Paul Ohls sold 32,351 shares of Sprinklr stock in a transaction on Monday, December 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $11.48, for a total transaction of $371,389.48. Following the sale, the executive now directly owns 720,164 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,267,482.72. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 241,369 shares of company stock worth $3,240,415. Corporate insiders own 40.29% of the companys stock. About Sprinklr (Free Report) Sprinklr, Inc provides enterprise cloud software products worldwide. The company offers Unified Customer Experience Management platform, a purpose-built to analyze unstructured customer experience data, built to scale across future and modern channels, and integrates all stages of the customer journey. Featured Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding CXM? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Sprinklr, Inc. (NYSE:CXM Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Sprinklr Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Sprinklr and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Acadian Asset Management LLC lessened its position in shares of ZIM Integrated Shipping Services Ltd. (NYSE:ZIM Free Report) by 3.1% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 446,824 shares of the companys stock after selling 14,198 shares during the quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC owned approximately 0.37% of ZIM Integrated Shipping Services worth $4,668,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Harbour Investments Inc. increased its position in ZIM Integrated Shipping Services by 100.6% during the 1st quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 1,396 shares of the companys stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 700 shares during the period. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in ZIM Integrated Shipping Services during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $112,000. Coppell Advisory Solutions Corp. acquired a new stake in ZIM Integrated Shipping Services during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Captrust Financial Advisors acquired a new stake in ZIM Integrated Shipping Services during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $162,000. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC increased its position in ZIM Integrated Shipping Services by 627.6% during the 2nd quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 2,423 shares of the companys stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 2,090 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 17.62% of the companys stock. Get ZIM Integrated Shipping Services alerts: ZIM Integrated Shipping Services Stock Down 1.6 % Shares of ZIM opened at $12.32 on Friday. ZIM Integrated Shipping Services Ltd. has a 12-month low of $6.39 and a 12-month high of $25.12. The businesss fifty day moving average is $12.48 and its 200 day moving average is $10.67. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Barclays cut their price target on ZIM Integrated Shipping Services from $6.00 to $5.00 and set an underweight rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, December 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut ZIM Integrated Shipping Services from an overweight rating to a neutral rating and cut their price target for the stock from $14.00 to $6.20 in a report on Friday, November 17th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded ZIM Integrated Shipping Services from a hold rating to a buy rating and increased their price target for the stock from $14.00 to $20.00 in a report on Monday, January 29th. Finally, Bank of America increased their price target on ZIM Integrated Shipping Services from $6.40 to $10.50 and gave the stock an underperform rating in a report on Thursday, January 4th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $10.43. Check Out Our Latest Analysis on ZIM ZIM Integrated Shipping Services Profile (Free Report) ZIM Integrated Shipping Services Ltd., together with its subsidiaries, provides container shipping and related services in Israel and internationally. It provides door-to-door and port-to-port transportation services for various types of customers, including end-users, consolidators, and freight forwarders. See Also Want to see what other hedge funds are holding ZIM? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for ZIM Integrated Shipping Services Ltd. (NYSE:ZIM Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for ZIM Integrated Shipping Services Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for ZIM Integrated Shipping Services and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. StockNews.com lowered shares of Alexandria Real Estate Equities (NYSE:ARE Free Report) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research report sent to investors on Wednesday morning. Other research analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Wedbush reissued an outperform rating and issued a $140.00 target price on shares of Alexandria Real Estate Equities in a research report on Wednesday, January 31st. Mizuho lifted their price objective on Alexandria Real Estate Equities from $145.00 to $154.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on Alexandria Real Estate Equities in a research report on Tuesday, January 30th. They set a buy rating and a $140.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, JMP Securities reaffirmed a market outperform rating and set a $140.00 price objective on shares of Alexandria Real Estate Equities in a research report on Wednesday, January 31st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $137.13. Get Alexandria Real Estate Equities alerts: Read Our Latest Report on Alexandria Real Estate Equities Alexandria Real Estate Equities Trading Up 0.7 % Shares of NYSE:ARE opened at $121.96 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 225.86, a PEG ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a current ratio of 0.26. The stocks 50-day simple moving average is $123.54 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $113.35. Alexandria Real Estate Equities has a 52-week low of $90.73 and a 52-week high of $154.18. Alexandria Real Estate Equities (NYSE:ARE Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, January 30th. The real estate investment trust reported ($0.54) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.29 by ($2.83). The firm had revenue of $757.22 million during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $740.16 million. Alexandria Real Estate Equities had a return on equity of 0.46% and a net margin of 3.59%. The companys revenue for the quarter was up 13.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.14 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Alexandria Real Estate Equities will post 9.47 EPS for the current year. Alexandria Real Estate Equities Increases Dividend The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 12th. Investors of record on Friday, December 29th were paid a dividend of $1.27 per share. This represents a $5.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.17%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, December 28th. This is an increase from Alexandria Real Estate Equitiess previous quarterly dividend of $1.24. Alexandria Real Estate Equitiess dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 940.76%. Insider Activity at Alexandria Real Estate Equities In related news, EVP Madeleine Thorp Alsbrook sold 4,854 shares of Alexandria Real Estate Equities stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.55, for a total transaction of $580,295.70. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 19,740 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $2,359,917. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, EVP Kristina Fukuzaki-Carlson sold 2,500 shares of Alexandria Real Estate Equities stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.03, for a total transaction of $292,575.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 30,070 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $3,519,092.10. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Madeleine Thorp Alsbrook sold 4,854 shares of Alexandria Real Estate Equities stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.55, for a total value of $580,295.70. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 19,740 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,359,917. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 17,354 shares of company stock valued at $2,053,571. 1.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders. Institutional Trading of Alexandria Real Estate Equities A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ARE. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Alexandria Real Estate Equities by 8.6% in the 1st quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 4,377 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $881,000 after acquiring an additional 348 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. increased its stake in Alexandria Real Estate Equities by 242.4% in the 1st quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 4,499 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $906,000 after acquiring an additional 3,185 shares during the last quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Alexandria Real Estate Equities by 14.4% in the 1st quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 4,753 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $957,000 after acquiring an additional 598 shares during the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC increased its stake in Alexandria Real Estate Equities by 11.7% in the 1st quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 5,903 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $1,187,000 after acquiring an additional 620 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cetera Advisor Networks LLC increased its stake in Alexandria Real Estate Equities by 7.3% in the 1st quarter. Cetera Advisor Networks LLC now owns 1,086 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $219,000 after acquiring an additional 74 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.36% of the companys stock. Alexandria Real Estate Equities Company Profile (Get Free Report) Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc (NYSE: ARE), an S&P 500 company, is a best-in-class, mission-driven life science REIT making a positive and lasting impact on the world. As the pioneer of the life science real estate niche since our founding in 1994, Alexandria is the preeminent and longest-tenured owner, operator, and developer of collaborative life science, agtech, and advanced technology mega campuses in AAA innovation cluster locations, including Greater Boston, the San Francisco Bay Area, New York City, San Diego, Seattle, Maryland, and Research Triangle. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Alexandria Real Estate Equities Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Alexandria Real Estate Equities and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Armstrong World Industries (NYSE:AWI Free Report) had its price target increased by Truist Financial from $95.00 to $131.00 in a report published on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. Truist Financial currently has a buy rating on the construction companys stock. A number of other equities analysts also recently weighed in on AWI. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Armstrong World Industries from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Friday, February 2nd. UBS Group upgraded shares of Armstrong World Industries from a sell rating to a neutral rating and upped their price target for the company from $75.00 to $103.00 in a report on Thursday, January 4th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $98.29. Get Armstrong World Industries alerts: Get Our Latest Report on Armstrong World Industries Armstrong World Industries Trading Up 1.4 % Armstrong World Industries stock opened at $122.37 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.36 billion, a PE ratio of 24.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 1.09. Armstrong World Industries has a 12-month low of $62.03 and a 12-month high of $122.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.61 and a quick ratio of 1.31. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $101.61 and a 200-day simple moving average of $85.95. Armstrong World Industries (NYSE:AWI Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 20th. The construction company reported $1.22 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.04 by $0.18. Armstrong World Industries had a net margin of 17.28% and a return on equity of 41.56%. The business had revenue of $312.30 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $305.44 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.08 EPS. Armstrong World Industriess revenue for the quarter was up 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Armstrong World Industries will post 5.74 EPS for the current fiscal year. Armstrong World Industries Dividend Announcement The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 29th will be issued a $0.28 dividend. This represents a $1.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.92%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 28th. Armstrong World Industriess dividend payout ratio is 22.40%. Insider Buying and Selling In other news, CEO Victor Grizzle sold 22,914 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $99.02, for a total transaction of $2,268,944.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 332,435 shares in the company, valued at $32,917,713.70. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 1.09% of the stock is currently owned by insiders. Institutional Investors Weigh In On Armstrong World Industries Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new position in Armstrong World Industries in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Signaturefd LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Armstrong World Industries by 182.0% in the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 392 shares of the construction companys stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 253 shares during the period. CWM LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Armstrong World Industries by 68.7% in the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 410 shares of the construction companys stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 167 shares during the period. Covestor Ltd lifted its stake in shares of Armstrong World Industries by 334.2% during the 2nd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 495 shares of the construction companys stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 381 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Point72 Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Armstrong World Industries during the 2nd quarter worth $38,000. 98.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors. About Armstrong World Industries (Get Free Report) Armstrong World Industries, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, designs, manufactures, and sells ceiling and wall systems in the United States, Canada, and Latin America. It operates through Mineral Fiber and Architectural Specialties segments. The company offers suspended mineral fiber, soft fiber, fiberglass wool, and metal ceiling systems, as well as wood, wood fiber, glass-reinforced-gypsum, and felt ceiling and wall products; ceiling component products, such as ceiling perimeters and trims, as well as grid products that support drywall ceiling systems; ceilings and walls for use in commercial settings; and facade and partition products. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Armstrong World Industries Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Armstrong World Industries and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Asset Dedication LLC lessened its stake in BlackRock, Inc. (NYSE:BLK Free Report) by 3.2% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 830 shares of the asset managers stock after selling 27 shares during the quarter. Asset Dedication LLCs holdings in BlackRock were worth $538,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A bought a new position in BlackRock in the second quarter valued at about $26,000. West Tower Group LLC bought a new position in BlackRock in the second quarter valued at about $27,000. Archer Investment Corp bought a new stake in shares of BlackRock during the second quarter worth about $29,000. WFA of San Diego LLC bought a new stake in shares of BlackRock during the second quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Tyler Stone Wealth Management bought a new stake in shares of BlackRock during the second quarter worth about $33,000. Institutional investors own 77.01% of the companys stock. Get BlackRock alerts: Insider Buying and Selling at BlackRock In other BlackRock news, CFO Martin Small sold 7,036 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Friday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $786.36, for a total transaction of $5,532,828.96. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 5,259 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,135,467.24. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other BlackRock news, CFO Martin Small sold 7,036 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Friday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $786.36, for a total transaction of $5,532,828.96. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 5,259 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,135,467.24. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director J. Richard Kushel sold 3,418 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $781.11, for a total value of $2,669,833.98. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 70,378 shares of the companys stock, valued at $54,972,959.58. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 69,533 shares of company stock worth $46,774,326. Corporate insiders own 0.96% of the companys stock. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth BLK has been the topic of several research reports. TD Cowen upgraded BlackRock from a market perform rating to an outperform rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $819.00 to $938.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 16th. UBS Group boosted their price target on BlackRock from $720.00 to $818.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a report on Wednesday, January 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on BlackRock from $719.00 to $793.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Thursday, November 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut BlackRock from an overweight rating to a neutral rating and set a $708.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Friday, December 15th. Finally, BNP Paribas upgraded BlackRock from a neutral rating to an outperform rating and set a $885.00 target price on the stock in a report on Tuesday, December 12th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $785.73. Check Out Our Latest Analysis on BLK BlackRock Price Performance Shares of BLK opened at $813.59 on Friday. BlackRock, Inc. has a 12-month low of $596.18 and a 12-month high of $823.71. The businesss fifty day moving average is $795.24 and its 200 day moving average is $721.05. The company has a quick ratio of 3.72, a current ratio of 3.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. The stock has a market cap of $121.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.28, a P/E/G ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.38. BlackRock (NYSE:BLK Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Friday, January 12th. The asset manager reported $9.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $8.84 by $0.82. BlackRock had a return on equity of 14.85% and a net margin of 30.81%. The company had revenue of $4.63 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $4.65 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $8.93 EPS. BlackRocks quarterly revenue was up 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that BlackRock, Inc. will post 39.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. BlackRock Increases Dividend The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 22nd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 7th will be paid a dividend of $5.10 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 6th. This is a boost from BlackRocks previous quarterly dividend of $5.00. This represents a $20.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.51%. BlackRocks dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 54.78%. BlackRock Company Profile (Free Report) BlackRock, Inc is a publicly owned investment manager. The firm primarily provides its services to institutional, intermediary, and individual investors including corporate, public, union, and industry pension plans, insurance companies, third-party mutual funds, endowments, public institutions, governments, foundations, charities, sovereign wealth funds, corporations, official institutions, and banks. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for BlackRock Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for BlackRock and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Wedbush reiterated their outperform rating on shares of AutoZone (NYSE:AZO Free Report) in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a $2,950.00 price target on the stock. A number of other research firms have also recently commented on AZO. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on AutoZone from $2,750.00 to $2,900.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research report on Thursday, December 7th. William Blair restated an outperform rating on shares of AutoZone in a research report on Wednesday, December 13th. TheStreet cut AutoZone from a c rating to a d+ rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 20th. Barclays reduced their price target on AutoZone from $2,800.00 to $2,779.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 12th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded AutoZone from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report on Monday, February 19th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $2,868.88. Get AutoZone alerts: Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on AutoZone AutoZone Trading Down 0.1 % Shares of AZO opened at $2,757.12 on Tuesday. AutoZone has a 1-year low of $2,277.88 and a 1-year high of $2,855.21. The firm has a market capitalization of $47.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.01, a PEG ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 0.70. The firms 50-day moving average price is $2,679.16 and its 200-day moving average price is $2,603.49. AutoZone (NYSE:AZO Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, December 5th. The company reported $32.55 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $31.57 by $0.98. AutoZone had a negative return on equity of 57.23% and a net margin of 14.62%. The business had revenue of $4.19 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.19 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $27.45 earnings per share. The companys revenue for the quarter was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts forecast that AutoZone will post 149.73 EPS for the current fiscal year. Insider Buying and Selling In related news, COO Thomas B. Newbern sold 7,800 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $2,551.62, for a total value of $19,902,636.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 2,519 shares of the companys stock, valued at $6,427,530.78. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other AutoZone news, VP Charles Pleas III sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $2,717.36, for a total transaction of $8,152,080.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 3,416 shares of the companys stock, valued at $9,282,501.76. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, COO Thomas B. Newbern sold 7,800 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $2,551.62, for a total transaction of $19,902,636.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 2,519 shares of the companys stock, valued at $6,427,530.78. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 14,807 shares of company stock valued at $38,827,861 over the last three months. 2.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders. Hedge Funds Weigh In On AutoZone Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Snowden Capital Advisors LLC increased its holdings in AutoZone by 7.4% in the 2nd quarter. Snowden Capital Advisors LLC now owns 714 shares of the companys stock worth $1,780,000 after buying an additional 49 shares during the period. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of AutoZone in the third quarter worth about $51,000. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board raised its position in shares of AutoZone by 4.7% in the third quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 76,379 shares of the companys stock worth $194,002,000 after acquiring an additional 3,434 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of AutoZone by 1.5% in the third quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 15,542 shares of the companys stock worth $39,477,000 after acquiring an additional 228 shares during the period. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of AutoZone by 2.1% in the third quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 43,590 shares of the companys stock worth $110,891,000 after acquiring an additional 903 shares during the period. 90.34% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. AutoZone Company Profile (Get Free Report) AutoZone, Inc retails and distributes automotive replacement parts and accessories in the United States, Mexico, and Brazil. The company provides various products for cars, sport utility vehicles, vans, and light trucks, including new and remanufactured automotive hard parts, maintenance items, accessories, and non-automotive products. Read More Receive News & Ratings for AutoZone Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for AutoZone and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of The Greenbrier Companies, Inc. (NYSE:GBX Free Report) by 12.1% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 93,942 shares of the transportation companys stock after purchasing an additional 10,145 shares during the period. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC owned about 0.30% of Greenbrier Companies worth $3,758,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund bought a new stake in shares of Greenbrier Companies during the 3rd quarter worth $769,000. Alpha DNA Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Greenbrier Companies in the 3rd quarter valued at about $527,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in Greenbrier Companies by 42.1% in the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 110,127 shares of the transportation companys stock valued at $4,405,000 after acquiring an additional 32,625 shares during the period. Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC bought a new stake in Greenbrier Companies in the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,088,000. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its stake in Greenbrier Companies by 2.5% in the 2nd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 631,406 shares of the transportation companys stock valued at $27,213,000 after acquiring an additional 15,484 shares during the period. 90.50% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors. Get Greenbrier Companies alerts: Analyst Ratings Changes Separately, TheStreet upgraded Greenbrier Companies from a c+ rating to a b rating in a research note on Friday, January 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $41.50. Insider Transactions at Greenbrier Companies In other news, Director Wanda F. Felton sold 4,185 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.65, for a total transaction of $195,230.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 7,365 shares of the companys stock, valued at $343,577.25. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, Director Wanda F. Felton sold 4,185 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.65, for a total transaction of $195,230.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 7,365 shares of the companys stock, valued at $343,577.25. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Martin Raymond Baker sold 5,034 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.00, for a total value of $236,598.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 53,480 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $2,513,560. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 11,719 shares of company stock valued at $547,803. 2.54% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders. Greenbrier Companies Stock Up 0.2 % GBX stock opened at $49.66 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.54 billion, a PE ratio of 14.87, a PEG ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.64. The Greenbrier Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $25.41 and a twelve month high of $50.76. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $46.07 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $41.97. Greenbrier Companies (NYSE:GBX Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Friday, January 5th. The transportation company reported $0.96 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.71 by $0.25. The business had revenue of $808.80 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $849.94 million. Greenbrier Companies had a return on equity of 9.13% and a net margin of 2.77%. The companys quarterly revenue was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.05 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that The Greenbrier Companies, Inc. will post 3.82 EPS for the current fiscal year. Greenbrier Companies Announces Dividend The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 25th were issued a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.42%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, January 24th. Greenbrier Companiess payout ratio is 35.93%. Greenbrier Companies Profile (Free Report) The Greenbrier Companies, Inc designs, manufactures, and markets railroad freight car equipment in North America, Europe, and South America. It operates through three segments: Manufacturing; Maintenance Services; and Leasing & Management Services. The Manufacturing segment offers covered hopper cars, gondolas, open top hoppers, boxcars, center partition cars, tank cars, sustainable conversions, double-stack railcars, auto-max ii, multi-max, and multi-max plus products, intermodal cars, automobile transport, coil steel and metals, flat cars, sliding wall cars, pressurized tank cars, and non-pressurized tank cars. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Greenbrier Companies Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Greenbrier Companies and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC increased its stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM Free Report) by 3,805.0% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 27,530 shares of the industrial products companys stock after buying an additional 26,825 shares during the quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLCs holdings in MSC Industrial Direct were worth $2,702,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. BlackRock Inc. lifted its position in MSC Industrial Direct by 5.4% during the first quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 6,359,260 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $534,178,000 after buying an additional 327,944 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in MSC Industrial Direct by 1.6% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,476,878 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $325,962,000 after buying an additional 72,338 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its position in MSC Industrial Direct by 1.8% during the first quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,367,455 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $114,866,000 after buying an additional 24,040 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in MSC Industrial Direct by 5.1% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,080,301 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $106,032,000 after acquiring an additional 52,633 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP increased its stake in MSC Industrial Direct by 0.5% during the first quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,023,981 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $87,253,000 after acquiring an additional 5,411 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.51% of the companys stock. Get MSC Industrial Direct alerts: Insider Buying and Selling In related news, Director Mitchell Jacobson sold 24,501 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $99.31, for a total transaction of $2,433,194.31. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,683,810 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $167,219,171.10. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other MSC Industrial Direct news, Director Mitchell Jacobson sold 24,501 shares of MSC Industrial Direct stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $99.31, for a total transaction of $2,433,194.31. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 1,683,810 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $167,219,171.10. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Erik Gershwind sold 7,500 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.00, for a total value of $720,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,432,038 shares of the companys stock, valued at $137,475,648. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 257,193 shares of company stock valued at $25,106,817 in the last three months. 18.80% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders. MSC Industrial Direct Trading Down 0.2 % Shares of NYSE MSM opened at $100.75 on Friday. MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. has a twelve month low of $77.99 and a twelve month high of $105.77. The company has a current ratio of 2.02, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $98.62 and a 200-day simple moving average of $98.62. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.68 billion, a PE ratio of 17.13 and a beta of 0.96. MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 9th. The industrial products company reported $1.25 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $1.30 by ($0.05). MSC Industrial Direct had a net margin of 8.27% and a return on equity of 23.46%. The firm had revenue of $954.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $971.31 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.48 earnings per share. The companys quarterly revenue was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. will post 5.91 earnings per share for the current year. MSC Industrial Direct Dividend Announcement The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, January 23rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, January 9th were paid a $0.83 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, January 8th. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.30%. MSC Industrial Directs payout ratio is presently 56.46%. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In Separately, KeyCorp cut their target price on MSC Industrial Direct from $105.00 to $102.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, MSC Industrial Direct currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $105.00. View Our Latest Stock Report on MSM MSC Industrial Direct Profile (Free Report) MSC Industrial Direct Co, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, distributes metalworking and maintenance, repair, and operations (MRO) products and services in the United States, Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, and internationally. The company's MRO products include cutting tools, measuring instruments, tooling components, metalworking products, fasteners, flat stock products, raw materials, abrasives, machinery hand and power tools, safety and janitorial supplies, plumbing supplies, materials handling products, power transmission components, and electrical supplies. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for MSC Industrial Direct Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for MSC Industrial Direct and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Certified Advisory Corp grew its holdings in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS Free Report) by 7.0% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 793 shares of the investment management companys stock after buying an additional 52 shares during the period. Certified Advisory Corps holdings in The Goldman Sachs Group were worth $257,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Cambridge Trust Co. raised its position in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group by 82.0% in the 3rd quarter. Cambridge Trust Co. now owns 91 shares of the investment management companys stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. Worth Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group in the 1st quarter worth about $33,000. Pacific Center for Financial Services purchased a new position in The Goldman Sachs Group in the 1st quarter worth about $33,000. First Capital Advisors Group LLC. purchased a new position in The Goldman Sachs Group in the 2nd quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, PCA Investment Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new position in The Goldman Sachs Group in the 2nd quarter worth about $34,000. Institutional investors own 69.06% of the companys stock. Get The Goldman Sachs Group alerts: Insiders Place Their Bets In other The Goldman Sachs Group news, CAO Sheara J. Fredman sold 4,300 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $380.15, for a total value of $1,634,645.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 11,463 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,357,659.45. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other The Goldman Sachs Group news, CAO Sheara J. Fredman sold 4,300 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $380.15, for a total value of $1,634,645.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 11,463 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,357,659.45. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Kathryn H. Ruemmler sold 7,277 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $379.81, for a total value of $2,763,877.37. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 6,501 shares of the companys stock, valued at $2,469,144.81. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 14,734 shares of company stock worth $5,529,824 in the last three months. 0.54% of the stock is owned by company insiders. The Goldman Sachs Group Trading Up 0.1 % Shares of NYSE:GS opened at $391.05 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $383.21 and a 200 day moving average of $346.94. The company has a market cap of $127.53 billion, a PE ratio of 17.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 1.43. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.07. The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $289.36 and a 12-month high of $396.79. The Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE:GS Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 16th. The investment management company reported $5.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $3.62 by $1.86. The company had revenue of $11.32 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.80 billion. The Goldman Sachs Group had a return on equity of 7.82% and a net margin of 7.85%. The firms revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $3.32 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. will post 32.66 EPS for the current year. The Goldman Sachs Group Dividend Announcement The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 29th will be paid a $2.75 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 28th. This represents a $11.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.81%. The Goldman Sachs Groups payout ratio is 48.20%. Analyst Ratings Changes GS has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley raised The Goldman Sachs Group from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $333.00 to $449.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 30th. UBS Group boosted their target price on The Goldman Sachs Group from $382.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 9th. Barclays boosted their target price on The Goldman Sachs Group from $437.00 to $493.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 2nd. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $357.00 to $360.00 and gave the company a market perform rating in a research report on Thursday, January 18th. Finally, Oppenheimer upped their price target on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $491.00 to $506.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 30th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $409.93. Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on GS The Goldman Sachs Group Profile (Free Report) The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc, a financial institution, provides a range of financial services for corporations, financial institutions, governments, and individuals worldwide. It operates through Global Banking & Markets, Asset & Wealth Management, and Platform Solutions segments. The Global Banking & Markets segment provides financial advisory services, including strategic advisory assignments related to mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, corporate defense activities, restructurings, and spin-offs; and relationship lending, and acquisition financing, as well as secured lending, through structured credit and asset-backed lending and involved in resale agreements. Further Reading Want to see what other hedge funds are holding GS? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for The Goldman Sachs Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for The Goldman Sachs Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. lowered its holdings in shares of Chunghwa Telecom Co., Ltd. (NYSE:CHT Free Report) by 7.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 373,985 shares of the utilities providers stock after selling 29,775 shares during the period. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd.s holdings in Chunghwa Telecom were worth $13,441,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Royal Bank of Canada increased its position in shares of Chunghwa Telecom by 184.2% during the 3rd quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 790 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 512 shares during the period. Simplex Trading LLC grew its holdings in shares of Chunghwa Telecom by 332.1% in the 3rd quarter. Simplex Trading LLC now owns 834 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 641 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC grew its holdings in shares of Chunghwa Telecom by 26.2% in the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,214 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $83,000 after acquiring an additional 460 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Arbitrage SA grew its holdings in shares of Chunghwa Telecom by 848.0% in the 1st quarter. BNP Paribas Arbitrage SA now owns 1,877 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $83,000 after acquiring an additional 1,679 shares during the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Chunghwa Telecom by 114.6% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,335 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $87,000 after acquiring an additional 1,247 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 2.16% of the companys stock. Get Chunghwa Telecom alerts: Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades Separately, StockNews.com cut Chunghwa Telecom from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Thursday. Chunghwa Telecom Stock Performance Shares of NYSE CHT opened at $38.50 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.34, a current ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The stock has a market capitalization of $29.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.16 and a beta of 0.17. The stocks fifty day simple moving average is $38.35 and its 200 day simple moving average is $37.23. Chunghwa Telecom Co., Ltd. has a 52-week low of $35.44 and a 52-week high of $41.58. Chunghwa Telecom (NYSE:CHT Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, January 30th. The utilities provider reported $0.33 EPS for the quarter. The business had revenue of $1.94 billion during the quarter. Chunghwa Telecom had a return on equity of 9.43% and a net margin of 16.57%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Chunghwa Telecom Co., Ltd. will post 1.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Chunghwa Telecom Company Profile (Free Report) Chunghwa Telecom Co, Ltd., together with its subsidiaries, provides telecommunication services in Taiwan and internationally. It operates through Consumer Business, Enterprise Business, International Business, and Others segments. The company offers local long distance services comprising of local calls, cloud switchboard, and value-added local calls. See Also Want to see what other hedge funds are holding CHT? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Chunghwa Telecom Co., Ltd. (NYSE:CHT Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Chunghwa Telecom Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Chunghwa Telecom and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Shares of CMS Energy Co. (NYSE:CMS Get Free Report) have earned a consensus recommendation of Moderate Buy from the twelve ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $62.50. A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Barclays cut their target price on CMS Energy from $59.00 to $57.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on CMS Energy from $64.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a sector perform rating in a research note on Monday, February 5th. Seaport Res Ptn cut CMS Energy from a buy rating to a neutral rating in a research report on Monday, January 8th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on CMS Energy from $61.00 to $64.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 26th. Finally, Guggenheim raised CMS Energy from a neutral rating to a buy rating and increased their price objective for the company from $60.00 to $64.00 in a research report on Friday, February 2nd. Get CMS Energy alerts: Read Our Latest Report on CMS Energy CMS Energy Price Performance CMS opened at $57.70 on Monday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $57.48 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $56.41. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.84. The company has a market cap of $16.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 0.38. CMS Energy has a 12-month low of $49.87 and a 12-month high of $63.76. CMS Energy (NYSE:CMS Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 1st. The utilities provider reported $1.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $1.04 by $0.01. CMS Energy had a return on equity of 12.09% and a net margin of 11.89%. The business had revenue of $1.95 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.62 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.60 earnings per share. The firms quarterly revenue was down 14.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that CMS Energy will post 3.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. CMS Energy Increases Dividend The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 29th. Investors of record on Monday, February 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.515 per share. This represents a $2.06 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.57%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 9th. This is an increase from CMS Energys previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. CMS Energys dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 64.78%. Insider Activity at CMS Energy In related news, SVP Brandon J. Hofmeister sold 1,000 shares of CMS Energy stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.90, for a total transaction of $57,900.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 61,156 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $3,540,932.40. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders. Hedge Funds Weigh In On CMS Energy Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CMS. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main grew its holdings in CMS Energy by 320.9% during the 4th quarter. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main now owns 4,305,602 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $250,026,000 after buying an additional 3,282,697 shares in the last quarter. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec purchased a new position in CMS Energy during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $188,418,000. Norges Bank purchased a new position in CMS Energy during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $111,004,000. Morgan Stanley grew its holdings in CMS Energy by 75.0% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 4,457,642 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $282,303,000 after buying an additional 1,910,519 shares in the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. grew its holdings in CMS Energy by 6,027.8% during the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,740,776 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $92,453,000 after buying an additional 1,712,368 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.98% of the companys stock. About CMS Energy (Get Free Report CMS Energy Corporation operates as an energy company primarily in Michigan. The company operates through three segments: Electric Utility; Gas Utility; and Enterprises. The Electric Utility segment is involved in the generation, purchase, transmission, distribution, and sale of electricity. This segment generates electricity through coal, wind, gas, renewable energy, oil, and nuclear sources. See Also Receive News & Ratings for CMS Energy Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for CMS Energy and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. boosted its position in shares of WEC Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:WEC Free Report) by 19.4% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 178,130 shares of the utilities providers stock after purchasing an additional 28,908 shares during the quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd.s holdings in WEC Energy Group were worth $14,348,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC. A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. increased its position in WEC Energy Group by 77.2% during the third quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. now owns 37,592 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $3,028,000 after acquiring an additional 16,383 shares during the last quarter. Stifel Financial Corp increased its position in WEC Energy Group by 11.1% during the third quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 229,822 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $18,513,000 after acquiring an additional 22,898 shares during the last quarter. Mariner LLC increased its position in WEC Energy Group by 8.4% during the third quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 132,740 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $10,692,000 after acquiring an additional 10,288 shares during the last quarter. Rodgers Brothers Inc. increased its position in WEC Energy Group by 7.6% during the third quarter. Rodgers Brothers Inc. now owns 23,317 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $1,878,000 after acquiring an additional 1,650 shares during the last quarter. Finally, LPL Financial LLC increased its position in WEC Energy Group by 13.9% during the third quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 366,128 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $29,492,000 after acquiring an additional 44,604 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.75% of the companys stock. Get WEC Energy Group alerts: WEC Energy Group Trading Up 0.8 % WEC Energy Group stock opened at $78.86 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $24.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.69, a PEG ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.29, a current ratio of 0.55 and a quick ratio of 0.40. WEC Energy Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $75.13 and a 1 year high of $99.26. The firms 50 day moving average price is $81.20 and its 200-day moving average price is $82.55. WEC Energy Group Increases Dividend WEC Energy Group ( NYSE:WEC Get Free Report ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 1st. The utilities provider reported $1.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.08 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $2.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $2.82 billion. WEC Energy Group had a net margin of 14.98% and a return on equity of 12.17%. The companys revenue for the quarter was down 13.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.80 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that WEC Energy Group, Inc. will post 4.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 14th will be given a $0.835 dividend. This represents a $3.34 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.24%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 13th. This is a boost from WEC Energy Groups previous quarterly dividend of $0.78. WEC Energy Groups payout ratio is currently 79.15%. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades Several research firms have recently commented on WEC. StockNews.com downgraded WEC Energy Group from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note on Saturday, January 13th. KeyCorp increased their target price on shares of WEC Energy Group from $94.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a report on Thursday, January 4th. Bank of America reaffirmed an underperform rating and set a $78.00 price target (down previously from $84.00) on shares of WEC Energy Group in a report on Thursday, January 4th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of WEC Energy Group from $93.00 to $91.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 2nd. Finally, Mizuho lowered their price target on shares of WEC Energy Group from $88.00 to $86.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 18th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, WEC Energy Group presently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $86.17. View Our Latest Report on WEC Insider Buying and Selling In related news, Director Ulice Payne, Jr. sold 600 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $83.46, for a total value of $50,076.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 20,933 shares in the company, valued at $1,747,068.18. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders. About WEC Energy Group (Free Report) WEC Energy Group, Inc, through its subsidiaries, provides regulated natural gas and electricity, and renewable and nonregulated renewable energy services in the United States. The company operates through six segments: Wisconsin, Illinois, Other States, Electric Transmission, Non-Utility Energy Infrastructure, and Corporate and Other. Further Reading Want to see what other hedge funds are holding WEC? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for WEC Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:WEC Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for WEC Energy Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for WEC Energy Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. cut its stake in shares of Infosys Limited (NYSE:INFY Free Report) by 18.9% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 1,110,625 shares of the technology companys stock after selling 258,000 shares during the quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd.s holdings in Infosys were worth $19,003,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in INFY. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. boosted its position in Infosys by 7.4% during the 2nd quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 8,840 shares of the technology companys stock worth $142,000 after purchasing an additional 610 shares during the period. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton boosted its position in Infosys by 7.2% in the 3rd quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 9,591 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $164,000 after buying an additional 644 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. boosted its position in Infosys by 4.1% in the 1st quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 16,735 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $417,000 after buying an additional 652 shares during the last quarter. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC boosted its position in Infosys by 3.2% in the 3rd quarter. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC now owns 22,100 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $378,000 after buying an additional 680 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. boosted its position in Infosys by 4.2% in the 2nd quarter. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. now owns 17,148 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $276,000 after buying an additional 690 shares during the last quarter. 11.39% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Get Infosys alerts: Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth INFY has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Infosys from a neutral rating to an overweight rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 3rd. BNP Paribas started coverage on shares of Infosys in a research report on Wednesday, January 17th. They set an outperform rating and a $24.00 price target on the stock. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of Infosys from $18.00 to $21.00 and gave the stock a market perform rating in a research report on Friday, January 12th. Wedbush reaffirmed an outperform rating and set a $22.00 price target on shares of Infosys in a research report on Tuesday, January 16th. Finally, HSBC cut shares of Infosys from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Infosys currently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $20.95. Infosys Stock Down 1.0 % INFY opened at $20.11 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $83.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 0.96. Infosys Limited has a fifty-two week low of $14.71 and a fifty-two week high of $20.74. The companys 50-day moving average price is $19.44 and its 200 day moving average price is $18.04. Infosys (NYSE:INFY Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 11th. The technology company reported $0.18 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.17 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $4.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.58 billion. Infosys had a net margin of 15.91% and a return on equity of 31.25%. Research analysts anticipate that Infosys Limited will post 0.71 earnings per share for the current year. Infosys Profile (Free Report) Infosys Limited, together with its subsidiaries, provides consulting, technology, outsourcing, and next-generation digital services in North America, Europe, India, and internationally. It provides application management and application development services, independent validation solutions, product engineering and management, infrastructure management services, traditional enterprise application implementation, support, and integration services. Featured Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding INFY? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Infosys Limited (NYSE:INFY Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Infosys Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Infosys and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of CMS Energy Co. (NYSE:CMS Free Report) by 5.1% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 39,184 shares of the utilities providers stock after acquiring an additional 1,887 shares during the period. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc.s holdings in CMS Energy were worth $2,081,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in shares of CMS Energy by 7.8% in the second quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 21,193,201 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $1,245,101,000 after purchasing an additional 1,532,826 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in CMS Energy by 1.5% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 17,583,510 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $1,033,031,000 after acquiring an additional 259,974 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in CMS Energy by 3.6% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 6,513,125 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $381,696,000 after purchasing an additional 227,199 shares during the period. Wells Fargo & Company MN raised its holdings in CMS Energy by 1.3% during the 2nd quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 6,327,495 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $371,740,000 after purchasing an additional 82,454 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its position in CMS Energy by 22.4% during the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 5,992,116 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $367,797,000 after purchasing an additional 1,095,342 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.98% of the companys stock. Get CMS Energy alerts: Insider Transactions at CMS Energy In other news, SVP Brandon J. Hofmeister sold 1,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.90, for a total value of $57,900.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 61,156 shares of the companys stock, valued at $3,540,932.40. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.40% of the companys stock. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth Several equities research analysts have recently commented on CMS shares. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of CMS Energy from $59.00 to $57.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. Wolfe Research upgraded CMS Energy from a peer perform rating to an outperform rating and set a $62.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 16th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on CMS Energy from $61.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 26th. Seaport Res Ptn cut CMS Energy from a buy rating to a neutral rating in a report on Monday, January 8th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on CMS Energy from $64.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a sector perform rating in a research note on Monday, February 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $62.50. View Our Latest Stock Report on CMS Energy CMS Energy Trading Up 1.0 % CMS opened at $57.70 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.17, a P/E/G ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.84. CMS Energy Co. has a 12 month low of $49.87 and a 12 month high of $63.76. The firms fifty day simple moving average is $57.48 and its 200 day simple moving average is $56.41. CMS Energy (NYSE:CMS Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 1st. The utilities provider reported $1.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.04 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $1.95 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.62 billion. CMS Energy had a return on equity of 12.09% and a net margin of 11.89%. The companys revenue for the quarter was down 14.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.60 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that CMS Energy Co. will post 3.34 EPS for the current fiscal year. CMS Energy Increases Dividend The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 29th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 12th will be given a dividend of $0.515 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 9th. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.57%. This is an increase from CMS Energys previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. CMS Energys dividend payout ratio is 64.78%. CMS Energy Company Profile (Free Report) CMS Energy Corporation operates as an energy company primarily in Michigan. The company operates through three segments: Electric Utility; Gas Utility; and Enterprises. The Electric Utility segment is involved in the generation, purchase, transmission, distribution, and sale of electricity. This segment generates electricity through coal, wind, gas, renewable energy, oil, and nuclear sources. Further Reading Want to see what other hedge funds are holding CMS? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for CMS Energy Co. (NYSE:CMS Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for CMS Energy Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for CMS Energy and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Haverty Furniture Companies, Inc. (NYSE:HVT Get Free Report) gapped down before the market opened on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $35.09, but opened at $33.90. Haverty Furniture Companies shares last traded at $32.20, with a volume of 62,705 shares traded. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades Separately, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Haverty Furniture Companies from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research note on Saturday, January 6th. Get Haverty Furniture Companies alerts: View Our Latest Research Report on Haverty Furniture Companies Haverty Furniture Companies Stock Down 0.1 % Insider Buying and Selling at Haverty Furniture Companies The stock has a market capitalization of $533.01 million, a P/E ratio of 9.78, a P/E/G ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 1.57. The firms 50 day simple moving average is $34.88 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $31.93. In other Haverty Furniture Companies news, VP John Linwood Gill sold 4,000 shares of Haverty Furniture Companies stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.47, for a total value of $129,880.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 16,477 shares of the companys stock, valued at $535,008.19. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 8.89% of the companys stock. Institutional Investors Weigh In On Haverty Furniture Companies Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Koss Olinger Consulting LLC increased its position in shares of Haverty Furniture Companies by 17.1% during the third quarter. Koss Olinger Consulting LLC now owns 10,234 shares of the companys stock worth $295,000 after acquiring an additional 1,493 shares in the last quarter. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Haverty Furniture Companies by 11.4% during the second quarter. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC now owns 279,940 shares of the companys stock worth $8,460,000 after purchasing an additional 28,750 shares during the last quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd purchased a new position in Haverty Furniture Companies during the second quarter worth about $1,844,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its holdings in Haverty Furniture Companies by 545.5% during the second quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 11,173 shares of the companys stock worth $338,000 after purchasing an additional 9,442 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. purchased a new position in Haverty Furniture Companies during the third quarter worth about $814,000. 80.46% of the stock is owned by institutional investors. About Haverty Furniture Companies (Get Free Report) Haverty Furniture Companies, Inc operates as a specialty retailer of residential furniture and accessories in the United States. The company offers furniture merchandise under the Havertys brand name. It also provides custom upholstery products and eclectic looks; and mattress product lines under the Tempur-Pedic, Serta, Sealy, and Stearns and Foster names, as well as private label Skye name. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Haverty Furniture Companies Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Haverty Furniture Companies and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Mariner LLC grew its stake in shares of Invesco Ultra Short Duration ETF (NYSEARCA:GSY Free Report) by 3.2% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 226,590 shares of the companys stock after acquiring an additional 7,013 shares during the quarter. Mariner LLCs holdings in Invesco Ultra Short Duration ETF were worth $11,262,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Invesco Ultra Short Duration ETF during the second quarter valued at $25,000. ZRC Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Invesco Ultra Short Duration ETF during the third quarter valued at $30,000. Bank of Montreal Can acquired a new position in Invesco Ultra Short Duration ETF during the second quarter valued at $30,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. acquired a new position in Invesco Ultra Short Duration ETF during the first quarter valued at $115,000. Finally, Meitav Investment House Ltd. acquired a new position in Invesco Ultra Short Duration ETF during the second quarter valued at $196,000. Get Invesco Ultra Short Duration ETF alerts: Invesco Ultra Short Duration ETF Price Performance NYSEARCA:GSY opened at $49.83 on Friday. Invesco Ultra Short Duration ETF has a 1-year low of $49.54 and a 1-year high of $50.12. The businesss fifty day moving average price is $49.90 and its 200 day moving average price is $49.82. Invesco Ultra Short Duration ETF Profile The Invesco Ultra Short Duration ETF (GSY) is an exchange-traded fund that mostly invests in investment grade fixed income. The fund seeks to outperform the Barclays Capital 1-3 Month U.S. Treasury Bill Index by investing in a diverse portfolio of investment-grade securities. GSY was launched on Feb 12, 2008 and is managed by Invesco. Recommended Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding GSY? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Invesco Ultra Short Duration ETF (NYSEARCA:GSY Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Invesco Ultra Short Duration ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Invesco Ultra Short Duration ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. iShares S&P/TSX 60 Index ETF (TSE:XIU Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high on Thursday . The stock traded as high as C$32.77 and last traded at C$32.77, with a volume of 476701 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at C$32.47. iShares S&P/TSX 60 Index ETF Price Performance The stock has a fifty day moving average price of C$32.07 and a two-hundred day moving average price of C$30.86. Get iShares S&P/TSX 60 Index ETF alerts: iShares S&P/TSX 60 Index ETF Increases Dividend The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 29th. Investors of record on Monday, February 26th will be paid a dividend of $0.254 per share. This is an increase from iShares S&P/TSX 60 Index ETFs previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. This represents a $1.02 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.11%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 23rd. iShares S&P/TSX 60 Index ETF Company Profile iShares S&P/TSX 60 Index Fund seeks to provide long-term capital growth by replicating, to the extent possible, the performance of the S&P/TSX 60 Index through investments in the constituent issuers of such index, net of expenses. The Index is comprised of 60 of the largest (by market capitalization) and liquid securities listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX), selected by Standard & Poors (S&P) using its industrial classifications and guidelines for evaluating issuer capitalization, liquidity and fundamentals. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for iShares S&P/TSX 60 Index ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for iShares S&P/TSX 60 Index ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Amcor plc (NYSE:AMCR Free Report) by 19.8% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 1,740,745 shares of the companys stock after acquiring an additional 287,947 shares during the period. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLCs holdings in Amcor were worth $15,945,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of AMCR. Raymond James & Associates increased its holdings in Amcor by 13.9% during the 1st quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 222,899 shares of the companys stock worth $2,525,000 after purchasing an additional 27,213 shares during the period. Private Advisor Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Amcor by 33.0% in the 1st quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 26,878 shares of the companys stock valued at $304,000 after acquiring an additional 6,664 shares during the last quarter. Natixis Advisors L.P. increased its holdings in shares of Amcor by 23.3% in the 1st quarter. Natixis Advisors L.P. now owns 121,261 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,374,000 after acquiring an additional 22,888 shares during the last quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS increased its holdings in shares of Amcor by 5.2% in the 1st quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS now owns 202,541 shares of the companys stock valued at $2,295,000 after acquiring an additional 10,101 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vontobel Holding Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Amcor by 58.5% in the 1st quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 45,244 shares of the companys stock valued at $522,000 after acquiring an additional 16,707 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 49.52% of the companys stock. Get Amcor alerts: Amcor Trading Up 0.1 % NYSE:AMCR opened at $9.27 on Friday. The stocks 50 day moving average price is $9.47 and its 200 day moving average price is $9.32. The company has a market capitalization of $13.39 billion, a PE ratio of 21.06, a P/E/G ratio of 10.18 and a beta of 0.80. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74. Amcor plc has a 52-week low of $8.45 and a 52-week high of $11.51. Amcor Announces Dividend Insider Buying and Selling The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 19th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 28th will be paid a dividend of $0.125 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 27th. This represents a $0.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.40%. Amcors dividend payout ratio is presently 113.64%. In other Amcor news, Director Arun Nayar sold 10,261 shares of Amcor stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $9.39, for a total value of $96,350.79. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 52,527 shares in the company, valued at approximately $493,228.53. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.69% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In Separately, Truist Financial dropped their price objective on Amcor from $11.00 to $10.00 and set a hold rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Amcor currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $10.40. Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on AMCR Amcor Company Profile (Free Report) Amcor plc develops, produces, and sells packaging products in Europe, North America, Latin America, Africa, and the Asia Pacific regions. The company operates through two segments, Flexibles and Rigid Packaging. The Flexibles segment provides flexible and film packaging products in the food and beverage, medical and pharmaceutical, fresh produce, snack food, personal care, and other industries. Featured Articles Want to see what other hedge funds are holding AMCR? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Amcor plc (NYSE:AMCR Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Amcor Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Amcor and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC lessened its stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS Free Report) by 3.1% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 396,876 shares of the casino operators stock after selling 12,760 shares during the period. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC owned 0.05% of Las Vegas Sands worth $18,193,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Spire Wealth Management boosted its holdings in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 197.4% in the 2nd quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 452 shares of the casino operators stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands in the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. Western Pacific Wealth Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands in the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. Coppell Advisory Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands during the 2nd quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Retirement Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands during the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 39.16% of the companys stock. Get Las Vegas Sands alerts: Insider Transactions at Las Vegas Sands In other news, major shareholder Miriam Adelson sold 12,253,628 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $43.23, for a total value of $529,724,338.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 41,134,164 shares of the companys stock, valued at $1,778,229,909.72. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.91% of the companys stock. Analysts Set New Price Targets LVS has been the topic of several recent research reports. StockNews.com downgraded Las Vegas Sands from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Friday, December 8th. UBS Group raised their price objective on Las Vegas Sands from $71.00 to $77.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Thursday, November 16th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Las Vegas Sands from $59.00 to $61.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Wednesday, February 7th. Finally, Susquehanna started coverage on Las Vegas Sands in a research report on Friday, December 15th. They set a positive rating and a $59.00 target price for the company. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Las Vegas Sands has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $68.82. Get Our Latest Stock Report on Las Vegas Sands Las Vegas Sands Stock Up 2.1 % LVS stock opened at $54.75 on Friday. The stocks 50 day simple moving average is $50.77 and its 200 day simple moving average is $49.55. Las Vegas Sands Corp. has a fifty-two week low of $43.77 and a fifty-two week high of $65.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.96, a quick ratio of 1.30 and a current ratio of 1.31. The company has a market cap of $41.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 1.16. Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 24th. The casino operator reported $0.57 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.61 by ($0.04). Las Vegas Sands had a return on equity of 34.40% and a net margin of 11.77%. The firm had revenue of $2.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.89 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted ($0.19) earnings per share. The firms quarterly revenue was up 161.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that Las Vegas Sands Corp. will post 2.74 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Las Vegas Sands Dividend Announcement The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 14th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 6th were paid a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.46%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 5th. Las Vegas Sandss dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.00%. Las Vegas Sands Profile (Free Report) Las Vegas Sands Corp., together with its subsidiaries, develops, owns, and operates integrated resorts in Macao and Singapore. It owns and operates The Venetian Macao Resort Hotel, the Londoner Macao, The Parisian Macao, The Plaza Macao and Four Seasons Hotel Macao, Cotai Strip, and the Sands Macao in Macao, the People's Republic of China; and Marina Bay Sands in Singapore. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Las Vegas Sands Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Las Vegas Sands and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Lloyds Banking Group plc (NYSE:LYG Get Free Report) shot up 7.5% on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $2.29 and last traded at $2.29. 2,130,988 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 74% from the average session volume of 8,150,214 shares. The stock had previously closed at $2.13. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades Several research firms recently weighed in on LYG. Morgan Stanley upgraded Lloyds Banking Group from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating in a report on Tuesday, November 28th. Bank of America lowered Lloyds Banking Group from a buy rating to a neutral rating in a report on Tuesday, January 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $63.29. Get Lloyds Banking Group alerts: Get Our Latest Stock Report on Lloyds Banking Group Lloyds Banking Group Stock Performance Institutional Inflows and Outflows The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $2.23 and a 200 day simple moving average of $2.15. The company has a market capitalization of $36.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 5.68, a P/E/G ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 1.30. Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LYG. Raymond James & Associates increased its position in Lloyds Banking Group by 56.7% in the 1st quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 1,373,751 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $3,311,000 after buying an additional 497,197 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. increased its position in Lloyds Banking Group by 11.5% in the 1st quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 437,570 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $1,055,000 after buying an additional 44,960 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its position in Lloyds Banking Group by 16.1% in the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 317,152 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $764,000 after buying an additional 43,970 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE increased its position in Lloyds Banking Group by 5.0% in the 1st quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 323,199 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $778,000 after buying an additional 15,481 shares during the period. Finally, Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of Lloyds Banking Group by 38.4% during the first quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 73,541 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $177,000 after purchasing an additional 20,390 shares during the period. 2.15% of the stock is owned by institutional investors. About Lloyds Banking Group (Get Free Report) Lloyds Banking Group plc, together with its subsidiaries, provides a range of banking and financial services in the United Kingdom. It operates through three segments: Retail; Commercial Banking; and Insurance, Pensions, and Investments. The Retail segment offers a range of financial service products, including current accounts, savings, mortgages, motor finance, unsecured loans, leasing solutions, and credit cards to personal and small business customers. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Lloyds Banking Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Lloyds Banking Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Mariner LLC lifted its stake in Devon Energy Co. (NYSE:DVN Free Report) by 2.7% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 326,165 shares of the energy companys stock after purchasing an additional 8,509 shares during the quarter. Mariner LLC owned about 0.05% of Devon Energy worth $15,558,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Coppell Advisory Solutions LLC purchased a new position in Devon Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at $25,000. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board purchased a new position in Devon Energy during the 1st quarter valued at $26,000. KB Financial Partners LLC purchased a new position in Devon Energy during the 1st quarter valued at $26,000. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Devon Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. Finally, Fortis Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Devon Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.34% of the companys stock. Get Devon Energy alerts: Devon Energy Stock Down 0.2 % Devon Energy stock opened at $43.88 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a current ratio of 0.96. The businesss 50-day simple moving average is $43.49 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $46.14. The company has a market cap of $28.11 billion, a PE ratio of 7.50, a PEG ratio of 0.16 and a beta of 2.20. Devon Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $40.47 and a fifty-two week high of $57.13. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In Several equities research analysts have weighed in on DVN shares. Pickering Energy Partners upgraded Devon Energy from a neutral rating to an outperform rating in a report on Thursday, November 9th. Truist Financial lowered their target price on Devon Energy from $68.00 to $65.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a report on Thursday, November 9th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their target price on Devon Energy from $60.00 to $55.00 and set a sector perform rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, November 15th. Morgan Stanley upgraded Devon Energy from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating and upped their target price for the stock from $48.00 to $52.00 in a report on Monday, December 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Devon Energy from $50.00 to $48.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, November 22nd. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Devon Energy currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $56.65. Read Our Latest Analysis on Devon Energy Devon Energy Company Profile (Free Report) Devon Energy Corporation, an independent energy company, explores for, develops, and produces oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids in the United States. It operates in Delaware, Anadarko, Williston, Eagle Ford, and Powder River Basin. The company was incorporated in 1971 and is headquartered in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. See Also Want to see what other hedge funds are holding DVN? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Devon Energy Co. (NYSE:DVN Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Devon Energy Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Devon Energy and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Stifel Financial Corp raised its holdings in Freeport-McMoRan Inc. (NYSE:FCX Free Report) by 7.9% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,247,355 shares of the natural resource companys stock after acquiring an additional 90,983 shares during the period. Stifel Financial Corp owned about 0.09% of Freeport-McMoRan worth $46,514,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its holdings in Freeport-McMoRan by 102.9% during the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 8,698,016 shares of the natural resource companys stock worth $355,838,000 after buying an additional 4,410,429 shares during the period. Capital Wealth Planning LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Freeport-McMoRan during the third quarter worth $160,160,000. Mizuho Markets Americas LLC bought a new stake in Freeport-McMoRan in the 3rd quarter valued at $141,407,000. Capital Research Global Investors boosted its stake in Freeport-McMoRan by 6.5% in the 2nd quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 59,495,524 shares of the natural resource companys stock worth $2,379,818,000 after purchasing an additional 3,630,991 shares during the period. Finally, Imprint Wealth LLC increased its holdings in Freeport-McMoRan by 1,678.9% during the 2nd quarter. Imprint Wealth LLC now owns 2,098,587 shares of the natural resource companys stock worth $209,859,000 after purchasing an additional 1,980,616 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 77.96% of the companys stock. Get Freeport-McMoRan alerts: Analyst Ratings Changes Several research firms have recently weighed in on FCX. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Freeport-McMoRan from $41.00 to $40.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, December 7th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of Freeport-McMoRan from a market perform rating to an outperform rating and raised their price target for the stock from $41.00 to $48.50 in a research note on Monday, January 8th. UBS Group cut their price objective on shares of Freeport-McMoRan from $42.00 to $41.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 13th. Eight Capital set a $55.00 target price on shares of Freeport-McMoRan and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 6th. Finally, Raymond James boosted their price target on shares of Freeport-McMoRan from $42.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Thursday, January 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $44.95. Freeport-McMoRan Stock Performance Shares of NYSE FCX opened at $38.96 on Friday. Freeport-McMoRan Inc. has a 12 month low of $32.83 and a 12 month high of $44.70. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $40.10 and a 200-day moving average of $38.39. The company has a current ratio of 2.42, a quick ratio of 1.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The company has a market capitalization of $55.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.68 and a beta of 2.06. Freeport-McMoRan (NYSE:FCX Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 24th. The natural resource company reported $0.27 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.23 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $5.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $5.85 billion. Freeport-McMoRan had a net margin of 8.09% and a return on equity of 8.41%. The businesss revenue was up 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.52 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Freeport-McMoRan Inc. will post 1.46 EPS for the current year. Freeport-McMoRan Announces Dividend The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 12th were given a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 11th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.54%. Freeport-McMoRans payout ratio is 23.62%. Freeport-McMoRan Company Profile (Free Report) Freeport-McMoRan Inc engages in the mining of mineral properties in North America, South America, and Indonesia. It primarily explores for copper, gold, molybdenum, silver, and other metals. The company's assets include the Grasberg minerals district in Indonesia; Morenci, Bagdad, Safford, Sierrita, and Miami in Arizona; Tyrone and Chino in New Mexico; and Henderson and Climax in Colorado, North America, as well as Cerro Verde in Peru and El Abra in Chile. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Freeport-McMoRan Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Freeport-McMoRan and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Portland Investment Counsel Inc. grew its holdings in The Toronto-Dominion Bank (NYSE:TD Free Report) (TSE:TD) by 2.4% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 115,437 shares of the banks stock after buying an additional 2,700 shares during the period. Toronto-Dominion Bank accounts for about 3.2% of Portland Investment Counsel Inc.s holdings, making the stock its 11th biggest holding. Portland Investment Counsel Inc.s holdings in Toronto-Dominion Bank were worth $6,955,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Fairfield Bush & CO. purchased a new stake in Toronto-Dominion Bank in the 1st quarter valued at $26,000. BlackRock Inc. increased its position in Toronto-Dominion Bank by 6.3% during the first quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 914,064 shares of the banks stock worth $72,595,000 after purchasing an additional 54,121 shares during the last quarter. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Toronto-Dominion Bank during the 1st quarter worth approximately $200,000. Raymond James Trust N.A. lifted its stake in shares of Toronto-Dominion Bank by 1.7% in the 1st quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 9,868 shares of the banks stock valued at $784,000 after purchasing an additional 161 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cetera Investment Advisers increased its position in shares of Toronto-Dominion Bank by 21.8% during the first quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 12,022 shares of the banks stock valued at $955,000 after acquiring an additional 2,154 shares during the last quarter. 51.52% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Get Toronto-Dominion Bank alerts: Toronto-Dominion Bank Stock Up 0.7 % Shares of Toronto-Dominion Bank stock traded up $0.42 during trading on Friday, hitting $60.44. 2,907,880 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,961,943. The stock has a market cap of $107.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 0.87. The firms 50-day moving average price is $61.36 and its 200 day moving average price is $60.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a current ratio of 1.00 and a quick ratio of 1.00. The Toronto-Dominion Bank has a 12-month low of $54.69 and a 12-month high of $67.36. Toronto-Dominion Bank Increases Dividend Toronto-Dominion Bank ( NYSE:TD Get Free Report ) (TSE:TD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 30th. The bank reported $1.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.39 by ($0.04). Toronto-Dominion Bank had a return on equity of 14.68% and a net margin of 10.65%. The business had revenue of $13.19 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.02 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.64 earnings per share. The companys revenue was up 7.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts forecast that The Toronto-Dominion Bank will post 5.81 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 31st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, January 10th were issued a dividend of $0.7506 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, January 9th. This represents a $3.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.97%. This is a boost from Toronto-Dominion Banks previous quarterly dividend of $0.73. Toronto-Dominion Banks dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 67.95%. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on TD shares. StockNews.com raised shares of Toronto-Dominion Bank from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report on Monday, December 4th. Scotiabank cut Toronto-Dominion Bank from a sector outperform rating to a sector perform rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 20th. CIBC lowered Toronto-Dominion Bank from a sector outperform rating to a neutral rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on Toronto-Dominion Bank in a research report on Thursday. They issued a hold rating for the company. Finally, Bank of America lowered shares of Toronto-Dominion Bank from a buy rating to a neutral rating in a research note on Monday, December 18th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $89.33. View Our Latest Stock Report on TD About Toronto-Dominion Bank (Free Report) The Toronto-Dominion Bank, together with its subsidiaries, provides various financial products and services in Canada, the United States, and internationally. It operates through four segments: Canadian Personal and Commercial Banking, U.S. Retail, Wealth Management and Insurance, and Wholesale Banking. Featured Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding TD? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for The Toronto-Dominion Bank (NYSE:TD Free Report) (TSE:TD). Receive News & Ratings for Toronto-Dominion Bank Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Toronto-Dominion Bank and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading. Weather Alert ...Elevated Fire Danger Today and Tuesday... ...Hard Freeze Expected Tonight... The combination of very dry air and northwest winds gusting up to 20 mph will create an elevated risk of uncontrolled fire spread this afternoon. Relative humidity values will fall to 20 to 35%, with the lowest humidity levels over the Ozark Foothills of southeast Missouri. A more substantial fire danger is expected Tuesday, as southwest winds increase significantly, with gusts of 25 to 40 mph forecast Tuesday afternoon. Relative humidity values Tuesday afternoon will fall to 25 to 35%. If you are planning outdoor burning today and Tuesday, use extra caution and have fire suppression equipment ready. Tonight, very cold and dry surface high pressure will allow temperatures to drop into the middle and upper 20s throughout the region. Although the growing season has not officially started, tender vegetation could be impacted by these cold temperatures. Please take necessary actions to protect any tender vegetation tonight. Food manufacturer praised for innovation and commitment to Wrexham by local MP A food manufacturer that produces more than three million meals a week has been praised for its innovation and commitment to Wrexham by the local MP. Oscar Mayer, based on the Wrexham Industrial Estate, employs around 1,500 people in the area making it one of the largest employers in the county borough. The company is one of the largest manufacturers of chilled ready meals and prepared foods in the UK. It supplies many of the leading supermarkets across the country, making more than three million meals across their factories per week, with the majority being produced in Wrexham and North Wales. Sarah Atherton MP was recently invited to visit Oscar Mayer to learn more about the business, its innovative plans for the future and how the business is looking to increase both its community outreach and work with local organisations. The company is also aiming to change how people perceive food manufacturing. Despite using approximately 2,500 ingredients to make 300 different meals, the company says that no chemicals or preservatives are used to produce meals, nor is any food processed. Ms Atherton sampled some of the dishes produced by Oscar Mayer and singled out the macaroni cheese for special praise. Following the meeting, Ms Atherton connected Oscar Mayer with Caia Park Partnership and Wrexham Council in an effort to further facilitate the business community outreach, on behalf of the group, bringing together the public, private and third sectors. Sarah Atherton MP said: It was great to meet with the team at Oscar Mayer during a recent visit to discuss the scale and importance of the work that it does on the industrial estate. I am grateful for Oscar Mayers commitment to Wrexham it is one of the largest employers, providing jobs and skills to local people, on what is one of the biggest industrial estates in Europe. Not only that, but it also facilitates a farm-to-fork approach, using fresh ingredients, to ensure that households across the country can enjoy delicious meals at affordable prices from local supermarkets. Beyond this, with its ambition to grow and innovate, the group has very exciting plans for Wrexham, which we hope to be able to share further information about in due course. Ian Toal, Oscar Mayer Chief Executive, added: It was fantastic to welcome Sarah to our Wrexham site to learn more about our business and our work in the local community. We make more than three million ready meals every week, the majority right here in Wrexham. Weve got exciting plans to really drive innovation in our sector and were continuing to invest in our people and our business to achieve long-term sustainable growth. Having the opportunity to engage with policy makers like Sarah helps to develop shared understanding between industry and those in Parliament and we look forward to continuing to work together. [email protected] Local councils implementation of 20MPH roll out blamed as Arriva bus service changes highlighted in Senedd The provision of bus services in North Wales has come under the spotlight in the Welsh Parliament on Wednesday. Mark Isherwood, Member of the Senedd (MS) for North Wales, challenged the Welsh Government regarding the sustainability and funding of bus franchising in the region, amidst a backdrop of service changes brought about by the default 20mph speed limit. The issue was first brought to attention in the Senedd last month when Mr Isherwood questioned Lee Waters MS the Deputy Minister for Climate Change, with responsibility for Transport, about Arriva Bus Wales claims. The company had stated its reluctance to alter services but felt compelled due to the operational delays caused by the new 20mph speed limit, leading to route curtailments and frequency reductions. In the Senedd, Mr Isherwood raised the issue again and asked the Deputy Minister what engagement he has had with Arriva in the last month. After the Minister was asked to make a statement on the provision of bus routes in North Wales, he said: Questioning you here last month, I quoted Arriva Bus Wales, whose Head of Commercial, North-West and Wales, told me, quote: As we discussed in Wrexham, Arriva do not want to change services, but have to because of 20 mphbecause of 20 mph, the buses are taking longer to operate across North Wales, so weve had to register changes that have seen route curtailment, frequency reduction and additional resource to cope with the new running times required. In response, you told me you were very keen to engage with them. They also told me that with the Bus Services Act 2017 creating Bus Franchising in England, Manchester had had to spend 75 million to 100 million to launch this there, and that Manchester had also had to introduce a Council Tax Bus precept, and asked how the Welsh Government were going to fund bus franchising in Wales, when they dont have enough to fund the current network, where the people need to know. So, what engagement have you had with Arriva Bus Wales since last month? And how are you going to fund the additional cost of bus franchising in Wales? In his response, the Deputy Minister blamed Arriva and Local Authorities for the changes to bus services in North Wales. Mr Waters replied, Do I understand from the Members question that he is not in favour of franchising, because, of course, that requires investment? Were not introducing the same system as Manchester is; were introducing a different system, which will be based on regional franchising, and it will be done under a whole one-guided mind system, and TfW and the regional consortia will have a key role in designing that. Now, I did speak to the teams at TfW, who have been working with Arriva, to understand the exact nature of the conversations weve been having with them around the planning of the 20 mph roll out. I dont think its fair or accurate for Arriva to blame the changes to the the timetable on 20 mph. Other companies have managed to plan that without achieving such adverse consequences. But there are areas where the routes are going down roads, which, arguably, could well be turned back to 30 mph. Now, we have local authorities in north Wales who have not used the discretion that they have under the current guidance to introduce exceptions, and I think that is a question for them to explain why that is. Rather than Arriva blaming the policy, I think it is the local implementation of it in those areas that could have been better planned with Arriva. This is part of the review that is ongoing that we published today an interim report from, and that is saying that you need to look at bus routes as part of an extended version of the new guidance, to remind the local authorities of the discretion that they do have. I dont think the right answer is always to turn routes and roads and streets where people and traffic mix back to 30 mph when the heaviest vehicles can travel fast down them. That is not always the right answer. We can get better bus timetable throughput from bus priority measures, and that involves some difficult decisions, which I very much doubt the honourable Memberoh, where did that come fromwould support. So, its all very well huffing and puffing about the need to make change, but you also have to follow through the necessary things on the ground to allow that change to happen. Putting in bus priority measures is a key thing for making buses more reliable, which allows for more passengers and for more routes. I think there is a question about some of the detailed routes Arriva have and whether or not the guidance needs to be changed on some of those routes, but as I told him last time, other bus companies anticipated the changes coming in and changed their timetables in advance. And given the range of pressures on the bus service, to blame it all on 20 mph simply isnt correct and I think is disingenuous, and I would remind the Member that if it was not for the Welsh Government Arriva wouldnt be in business. So, I dont think its a fair criticism. I think theres a lot more behind it. Some of their concern is fair, about the way the bus services havent been designed around the exemptions, and that is something that the local authorities and us need to look at. [email protected] Britains ruling elite are demanding stepped-up repression of Gaza genocide protesters. On Wednesday, Speaker of the House of Commons Sir Lindsay Hoyle conspired with Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer to ensure that a Scottish National Party (SNP) motion for an immediate ceasefire that denounced the collective punishment of Palestinians in Gaza was supplanted by one written by Starmer making a ceasefire conditional on Hamas surrendering to Israel. The move prevented an expected rebellion of up to 90 Labour MPs, who seized on Starmers weasel formulations as a fig leaf for their continued collusion with Israeli genocide. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer speaking in Parliament with Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle seated [Photo: credit: UK Parliament/Jessica Taylor)] Faced with criticism from the SNP and, more importantly, the Conservative government for breaking protocol by moving two opposition motions, Hoyle claimed he had acted because Starmer told him the safety and lives of Labour MPs were under threat from protesters if the party was not seen to back a ceasefire. On Thursday morning, before Hoyle spoke to parliament, this slander was taken up enthusiastically by Tory MP Mark Francois. Defending Hoyles actions, he said, I well remember everything that Mr Speaker [Hoyle] did to help me, and all of us, when our great friendmy best friendwas murdered by, as it happened, an Islamic extremist, who told his trial that he did it because of how [Conservative MP] David [Amess] voted in the House of Commons. Hoyle responded, I never, ever want to go through a situation where I pick up a phone to find a friend, on whatever side, has been murdered by a terrorist. He added, I have seen, I have witnessed. I will not share the details, but the details of the things that have been brought to me are absolutely frightening for all Members of the House, on all sides If my mistake is looking after Members, I am guilty I had serious meetings yesterday with the police on these issues and on threats to politicians as we head towards an election. Later, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak took up the theme, while stating that we should never let extremists intimidate us into changing the way in which parliament works. Home Secretary James Cleverly then threatened, If people think that they can target members of parliament, they are wrong. The full force of the law will be brought down. The right-wing media was already primed for further restrictions on mass opposition to the genocide in Gaza, which is what Starmer made clear is meant by terrorism, with the Express and Mail running front-page headlines demanding a clampdown on protests in the seat of government in Whitehall and the immediate vicinity of the parliamentary estate. The Express targeted a protest by thousands of people outside Parliament on Wednesday in support of a ceasefire. The paper cited Tory MP Andre Percys denunciation of the Metropolitan Police for allowing protesters to beam a genocidal phrase onto Big Ben, by which he meant the slogan From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free. Other objectionable slogans for the Express included the demand ceasefire now and stop bombing Gaza. Percy, a Jewish MP, was quoted claiming in Parliament, For months Ive been standing up here talking about the people on our streets demanding death to Jews, demanding Jihad, demanding intifadas as the police stand by and allow that to happen. Last night, a genocidal call of From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free was projected onto this building. Cleverlys predecessor Suella Braverman said in a Telegraph op-ed column published Thursday evening that the Islamists, the extremists and the anti-semites are in charge now. They have bullied the Labour Party, they have bullied our institutions, and now they have bullied our country into submission. Braverman railed, We need to overcome the fear of being labelled Islamophobic and speak truthfully. Enough of the hand-wringing and apologies This is a crisis. And the fightback must start now, with urgency If we are to have any chance of saving our country from the mob. Denunciations of anti-genocide protests as antisemitic, akin to terrorism and threatening the lives of MPs are spewed out to justify a brutal clampdown employing the huge swathe of anti-democratic legislation imposed over the last five years. As the World Socialist Web Site has reported, police are using the Terrorism Act and the Public Order Act against the protests, with more than 600 people arrested on demonstrations in the capital over the last four months. The Telegraph reported a call by former Blairite witch-hunter and Labour MP John Woodcock, now Baron Walney and Sunaks independent adviser on political violence and disruption, for protest exclusion zones, effectively making it impossible to demonstrate anywhere near Parliament or at MPs offices in local constituencies. The Telegraph wrote, Lord Walney will use a forthcoming report to urge Rishi Sunak to extend buffer zone powers, which currently cover schools and abortion clinics, to constituency surgeries, Parliament and council chambers. It notes, Lord Walneys review, which was set to be submitted shortly after the Oct 7 attacks but has now been updated, will call for the expansion of expedited public space protection orders. Backed by MPs in 2022 and approved by the House of Lords last year, the orders empower police to disperse intimidating protests, which Lord Walney is understood to hope would protect parliamentarians from mobs in their communities. Demands were made on chief constables last week by Security Minister Tom Tugendhat and policing minister Chris Philp to use the powers that are available to prevent protests near MPs homes. The Mail reported, The two ministers told chief constables that the Government has confirmed that, where the facts support it so the conditions are met, section 42 of the Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001 can be used by the police to direct protesters away from a residential dwelling, in order to prevent harassment, alarm or distress to the resident. This is the response of a ruling elite that knows millions of workers and young people despise the Tories and Labour as a single party of war who collectively impose austerity on behalf of big business, and that the demonstrations over Gaza could become the focus of broad movement of a revolutionary character. Underscoring the class interests dictating Hoyles manoeuvre, Starmer said during a factory visit on Thursday that, prior to his discussion with Hoyle to sabotage the SNP ceasefire motion, he had been in discussions with Israeli President Isaac Herzog and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Speaking to Sky News, Starmer said, The proposition I put on the table in that amendment was crafted by me after I came back from the Munich Security Conference, having spoken to Secretary of State Blinken, having spoken to the prime minister of Qatar, having spoken to the President of Israel. Having spoken to people actually involved in trying to way forward [sic] this awful conflict, I wanted that proposition heard and voted on, and my MPs wanted to vote on it. Hoyle himself had visited Israel only in November, as the Israeli onslaught intensified, as a guest of Netanyahus government. He boasts that his father [former Labour] MP Doug Hoyle helped found Labour Friends of Israel. Over a 110 Labour MPs and Labour members of the House of Lords, including Starmer, are members of this Zionist group. Flash A Chinese envoy on Friday called for international efforts toward a political resolution to the Ukraine crisis. The international community should work together to find a fair and sensible solution so that the crisis can be settled politically and peace can prevail, said Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the United Nations (UN). He made the appeal at a high-level meeting of the UN Security Council scheduled to coincide with the second anniversary of the start of Russia's special military operation in Ukraine. The Ukraine crisis has caused incalculable damage. The most pressing priority is to stop the hostilities, launch peace talks and restore peace. Peace is in the interests of all parties, said Zhang. China calls on the parties concerned to show a sense of responsibility and make constructive diplomatic efforts to promote de-escalation and to create favorable conditions for the resumption of negotiations. He said that the parties concerned should not create artificial obstacles to make peace more challenging to achieve, much less supply weapons to profit from the prolonged crisis. Zhang stressed that strengthening or expanding a military bloc cannot guarantee regional security. "It must be pointed out that the situation that Europe is facing today is closely related to the repeated eastward expansion of NATO since the end of the Cold War. We encourage NATO to do some soul-searching, come out of the cage of Cold War mentality and refrain from acting as an agent of troubles that instigates bloc confrontation. We urge the head of NATO to look at the world through an objective lens, stop saber-rattling and do that which is truly conducive to world peace," he said. Using the Ukraine crisis as a pretext, certain countries have indiscriminately imposed unilateral sanctions and long-arm jurisdiction and have exerted unjustified pressure on the businesses of other countries, adversely impacting global industrial and supply chains and disrupting the global trade order, Zhang said. China firmly opposes the unlawful sanctions imposed on Chinese companies by the United States, Britain and the European Union, using the Ukraine issue as an excuse. He said that China will continue to take necessary measures to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of its enterprises and citizens. Major countries have a special responsibility for world peace and security and must responsibly conduct their relations and adequately manage their differences in pursuit of win-win cooperation, he said. China played no part in creating the Ukraine crisis, nor is China a party to the crisis. Yet China has not been indifferent to the conflict, much less cashing in on the crisis, said the Chinese envoy. Regarding Ukraine, China has always maintained that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries should be respected, the purposes and principles of the UN Charter observed, the legitimate security concerns of all countries given due regard, and all efforts conducive to the peaceful settlement of the crisis supported, Zhang said. "China's constructive role and unremitting efforts toward a political settlement of the Ukraine issue will continue," he said. This year weve had a very mild winter, but as nice as its been, its still not the type of weather where you want to spend long evenings outside. Its more enjoyable to nestle inside. For many, winter is the perfect time to curl up with a good book and spend time reading. Since the new year began, Ive completed two books and am well into my third. This is unheard of for me. Ive always enjoyed reading, but as soon as I became a mom, I went through a long period of time when I didnt read books for myself. I didnt have the me-time and was just too tired. But my kids are older now, so Ive been able to begin again. And I have to say, it feels good! The last several books Ive read have been really great, which has fueled my desire to continue. As soon as I finish one, Im eager to start another, to hopefully enjoy just as much. Occasionally, Ill have a book I just dont like. I tend to trudge through, but I need to learn its better to just stop and move on. There are far too many options to waste time on a book you dont enjoy. Im currently reading The Women by Kristin Hannah. Its a new book about a young woman who joins the Army to serve as a nurse in Vietnam and about her battles at war and when she returns home. Its excellent! When I must put it down, Im immediately thinking about when I can read it again. Unfortunately, family and work responsibilities must come first. But all I want to do is read this book! Isnt that the incredible thing about a good book? Its so addictive, you dont want to do anything else. Nighttime is generally when I read. Many nights, I stay up too late reading just one more chapter. But if Im in the car waiting to pick up my kids or in a waiting room before an appointment, its a perfect opportunity to get out my book. My grandma was a voracious reader. She always had a book in her purse, ready for those waiting moments. She would easily read a book in a day. She got many of her books from the library, but she bought a lot, too. Periodically, she would have a book sale on her front lawn. Hundreds of titles would be up for grabs, for a quarter each. People in our town would flock to the sale, knowing my grandma and how many great books she would be selling. When I was a young child, my grandma loved to read to me, too. We would lie on her bed, and shed read multiple books, then wed both take a nap. Doesnt that sound glorious? I started reading to my kids when they were only a few months old. Some days we would read for a couple of hours, snuggled in a rocking chair, a cushy couch or a comfy bed. Those were glorious moments, too. My son, Max, is much like his great-grandma in that he, too, is a voracious reader. He can finish a couple hundred-page book in a day, as well. Max also reads multiple books at once, meaning he reads one in the car, another at bedtime, one at his grandmas house I dont know how he keeps the stories straight, but he does. When Amaya was born, my mom gifted me with several of my favorite childhood books that she had saved. It was such a meaningful gift. I read them all to my kids for years, and they enjoyed them just as much as I had. Ive now saved them, along with many of Max and Amayas other favorite books, for later. Years from now, I know all three of us will love rediscovering these great books again. Writing this column reminded me of another fantastic reading-related memory from my childhood. Being a part of the Book It reading program! Kids of the 1980s and 90s will remember being rewarded for reading with a free personal pan pizza from Pizza Hut. Then at the end of the year, the entire class went on a field trip to Pizza Hut for a pizza party! For an elementary kid, it just didnt get any better! I would guess this simple, sweet reward of pizza helped many kids discover the joy of reading. Who would have ever thought? An Amazon company logo is seen on the facade of a company's building in Schoenefeld near Berlin, Germany, on March 18, 2022. Amazon has argued in a legal filing that the 88-year-old National Labor Relations Board is unconstitutional, echoing similar arguments made this year by Elon Musks SpaceX and the grocery store chain Trader Joes in disputes about workers rights and organizing. [AP Photo/Michael Sohn] In a recent legal filing, Amazon argued that the US federal governments National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) is unconstitutional. The action is an escalation of the corporate giants drive to eliminate any obstacles to its exploitation of its workforce. The challenges to the NLRB may very well reach the US Supreme Court whose reactionary majority, personified by the unabashedly corrupt Justice Clarence Thomas, could very well move to weaken if not abolish the NLRB. The Court already seems poised to abolish the precedent that requires federal judges to defer to the actions of regulatory agencies that were duly established by Congress. The company submitted its filing as part of a case in which it is accused of threatening and discriminating against workers who were organizing the Amazon Labor Union (ALU) at its JFK8 fulfillment center in Staten Island, New York. Despite the ALUs election victory nearly two years ago, Amazon still refuses to recognize the union. The ALUs orientation to the established trade unions, the Democrats and the courts has not led to any improvements for JFK8 workers. Instead it has opened the door for Amazons legal counter-attack. In its filing, the company denied many of the allegations and asked for the complaint to be dismissed. It argued further that the NLRBs structure violates the Constitutions separation of powers by infringing on the powers of the executive branch. To substantiate this claim, Amazon pointed to the limits on the removal of the federal agencys administrative law judges and five board members, who are appointed by the president. Amazons sudden discovery of the supposed unconstitutionality of the NLRB is entirely hypocritical. The company has never criticized the administrative courts when they denied injured employees workers compensation. The company has also argued that NLRB proceedings violate Amazons due process rights, deny the company a trial by jury and permit legal remedies beyond what is allowed without a trial by jury. With this argument the companys lawyers are insinuating that the giant transnational corporation, with its market capitalization of $1.8 trillion and power to buy off governments around the world, is the same as any citizen with the right to due process, jury trials, etc. In fact, Amazon is insisting that it should not be subjected to any federal regulations. It might be the NLRB today, but tomorrow it will be the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) or any other regulatory body. In other words, the company is insisting that it has the right to exercise an unlimited dictatorship over its one million employees in the US whose rights are meaningless in the eyes of Amazons corporate executives and wealthy shareholders. It is noteworthy that similar arguments have been used by right-wing Supreme Court justices in cases like Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission and Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc. to roll back fundamental constitutional rights. In Citizens United, the US Supreme Court ruled that corporations have a First Amendment right to free speech, by which the Court meant spending unlimited amounts of money on campaign contributions and buying off politicians. In Burwell, the Court found that closely held for-profit corporations can exercise religious beliefs and that these beliefs can exempt the corporations from their legal obligations. It thus created a loophole that allows corporations to deny their workers health insurance that covers contraception. Amazons arguments about the NLRBs unconstitutionality are radical, according to Wilma Liebman, a former NLRB chair who spoke to the New York Times. The constitutionality of the NLRB was settled nearly 90 years ago by the Supreme Court, she added. Americas restricted labor relations system While Amazon is seeking to eviscerate the NLRB, it would be wrong to believe the claims by trade union officials that the federal agency is a pillar of workers rights. As the bitter experiences of countless workers have attested, the federal agency regularly dismisses workers complaints over managements trampling over their rights with the collusion of the trade union bureaucracy. The NLRB, like every other institution of the federal, state and local governments, defends the capitalist system, the right of the corporate owners like billionaire Jeff Bezos to control vast industrial and financial monopolies and to extract profit from the unpaid labor of the working class. Formally established in 1935, the federal agency has its roots in the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt the year before in the face of an increasingly explosive movement of the working class that was under leadership of socialists and left-wing militants. It was part of the policy of relative class compromise and New Deal social reforms, which FDR implemented to forestall the danger of an American October, that is. a repeat of the Russian Revolution of 1917 in the United States. Based on the vast wealth accumulated by American capitalism, the Roosevelt administration made certain concessions to the working class, including the passage of Social Security, laws against child labor, and legal recognition of the industrial unions after decades of violent resistance by the employers. But the new industrial unions were quickly entangled in a restrictive system of labor relations established under the auspices of the NLRA. In exchange for legal protections and an automatic dues checkoff system, union leaders agreed to guarantee management rights. This included uninterrupted production and the enforcement of contracts, no matter how egregious the terms, for the length of the agreement. In a 1956 address to arbitrators, Arthur Goldberg, the general counsel for the United Steelworkers of America (later Secretary of Labor under Kennedy and Supreme Court justice), summed up managements inherent rights, which were not modified or diminished by collective bargaining. The union cannot direct its members to their work stations or work assignments. The union does not notify people who are discharged to stay put. The union does not tell employees to report for work after a layoff. Very often union men are disturbed by decisions they consider entirely wrong. Nevertheless, a companys right to make its own judgments is clear. Workers, Goldberg said, had the right to challenge the companys acts when they violate his or her rights, but that challenge is made through the grievance procedure, not through rebellion. This system regulated class relations throughout the post-World War II period. Facing a historic decline in the world position of American capitalism and increasing challenges from European and Asian rivals, however, the American ruling class jettisoned its policy of relative class compromise and adopted a program of class war and social counter-revolution. This included the campaign of union-busting, begun with Reagans firing of 11,000 striking air traffic controllers in 1981, and the destruction of millions of industrial jobs. The ruling classes in the US and around the world utilized the globalization of capitalist production to exploit cheaper pools of labor and claw back achievements won through decades of struggle. The pro-capitalist and nationalist AFL-CIO had no progressive response to globalization. Instead, over the last four and a half decades, they voluntarily accepted massive job cuts and wage concessions to make American capitalism more competitive. Throughout this period, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), like OSHA and other federal agencies, were gutted and did little to slow down the corporate onslaught. Today, the so-called reform leaders of the Teamsters and the United Auto Workers sign contracts at UPS and the auto industry that destroy the jobs and living standards of their members and collude with the Biden administrations ever-expanding wars. Nevertheless, the billionaire oligarchs like Bezos and Elon Musk do not want the slightest interference with their money-making operations, including having to deal with the NLRBs wrist-slap penalties or the expense of buying off trade union bureaucrats. In January, Musks SpaceX filed a lawsuit against NLRB, which also asserted that the federal agencys structure was unconstitutional and that it was depriving the company of its supposed right to trial by jury. SpaceX filed its lawsuit one day after the NLRB accused the company of firing eight employees for criticizing Musk in a letter to company executives. A few weeks later, the NLRB held a hearing to discuss accusations that grocery chain Trader Joes had retaliated against workers who were seeking to unionize. During the hearing, a lawyer for the company echoed the SpaceX argument that the structure of the NLRB and its panel of administrative law judges is unconstitutional. It is no coincidence that these three companies are using the same playbook to attack the NLRB. Amazon, SpaceX and Trader Joes have faced multiple accusations that they have violated labor law. Amazon alone has been the subject of more than 250 NLRB complaints alleging unlawful labor practices in recent years. There are tactical differences between President Joe Biden and Donald Trump on these questions. Biden relies on the trade union apparatus to suppress the class struggle and impose the type of austerity and labor discipline necessary to expand US imperialisms wars for global conquest. Trump is seeking to build a fascist movement to crush the rising tide of social opposition and the growing support for socialism in the working class. Though their paths are somewhat different, the Democrats and Republicans both offer the working class nothing but a future of war, destitution and dictatorship. In the face of this, the ALU and its pseudo-left leaders have proven totally incapable of defending workers against the gang-up of the corporations, the capitalist state and the corporatist unions. To wage a genuine fight, workers must form rank-and-file committees that are independent of the trade union bureaucracies and both capitalist parties. These committees will be based on the militant initiative of rank-and-file workers. They will uphold the rights of workers to decent paying, secure and safe jobs. not the rights of the corporate oligarchs. Through these organizations, workers can unite their struggles across industrial and national boundaries through the expansion of the International Workers Alliance of Rank-and-File Committees (IWA-RFC). This is the only way for workers to coordinate their fight against global capitalism. The Quebec Public Sector Workers Rank-and-File Coordinating Committee urges hospital orderlies, nurses and technicians, teachers, school support staff and all other public and para-public sector workers to draw a critical balance sheet of the unions sabotage of our struggleone of the largest worker mobilizations in recent decades. Despite the militancy of the rank and file, immense popular support, and widespread opposition to the union-negotiated agreements, these bureaucratic apparatuses succeeded in running our struggle into the ground. Only by learning from this defeat can we prepare for the next stage of our struggle, which is already at hand as the government intensifies its privatization and austerity drives. Striking elementary and high school teachers demonstrating in Montreal on Nov. 23, the first day of their unlimited strike Quebec Premier Francois Legault got what he wanted: five-year collective agreements that include wage increases of 17.4 percent (well below the real-terms increase in the cost of living) and no improvement in our already intolerable working conditions. The vague promises of investment in education and health caretotally inadequate after decades of budget cutsare subject to a series of criteria that guarantee their non-implementation. For example, primary school teachers will only be able to receive help in their classrooms if 60 percent of the pupils in their cohort are recognized as being in difficulty. Once the agreements were signed, Education Minister Bernard Drainville admitted that, due to staff shortages, even this assistance will never see the light of day. The unions sabotage has undermined workers confidence in their social power, sowing confusion and discouragement in the short term. The Legault government is counting on this to go on the offensive. It has already passed Bill 15 to press ahead with health care privatization and signaled its intention to attack the rights of construction workers with a new reform of industry work rules. Justin Trudeaus federal Liberal government and the entire Canadian ruling elite will also use this as an opportunity to escalate their attack on workers rights, privatize what's left of public services, and divert still more resources into financing Canadian imperialisms military wars and war preparations against Russia and China in close alliance with Washington. But workers are not going to stand idly by while the various levels of government slash social spending for the benefit of private profit and imperialist aggression. Bitter struggles will erupt in the period ahead, including among Quebecs 600,000 public sector workers. As elsewhere in the world, Quebec and Canada are experiencing an upsurge in class struggle in the face of rampant social inequality, the growing danger of world war, the climate crisis, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and other public health emergencies. The key issue is to start preparing for these struggles now, by learning from our struggle and acting accordingly. Our fight for quality jobs and public services was first and foremost a political struggle that could not progress without breaking out of the straitjacket of a provincial collective bargaining dispute and the entire Quebec nationalist framework in which the unions sought to constrain it. As our Committee explained in its founding statement issued last December 20: Objectively (the strike) movement represents a challenge not just to Legault, but to the entire ruling elites class war agenda and its systematic drive to transfer social wealth from the bottom to the top. We must now make this implicit challenge a conscious strategy, by making it the spearhead of a working class industrial and political counteroffensive against austerity and war. The central task was to expand the struggle by mobilizing workers across the province who strongly supported us in our fight to defend public services, and by appealing to our class brothers and sisters across North America who face the same big business-government assault on jobs, wages and social programs. But the entire pro-capitalist trade union apparatus was determined to stifle our resistance and cede before the governments concessions demands. Union leaders paraded Parti Quebecois leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon and prominent Quebec Liberal legislator Marwa Rizqyrepresentatives of big business parties that have imposed drastic cuts on the public sector, notably through emergency anti-strike legislationbefore a Nov. 23 rally of striking public sector workers outside the National Assembly. In this picture, St-Pierre Plamondon is second from the left in the back row, and Rizqy is in the front on the extreme right. [Photo: Conseil Central de Quebec Chaudiere-Appalaches (CSN)/Facebook] Throughout the more than year-long contract negotiations, the four unions in the Common Front, the Federation autonome de l'enseignement (FAE, Autonomous Teachers Federation) and the nurses union (FIQ) did everything to divide and demobilize us. They maintained total silence surrounding their closed-door negotiations with the government, and when after months of foot-dragging they were compelled to sanction worker job action they did everything to limit and isolate it. The inter-union Common Front refused to act on the rank and files massive mandate for an all-out strike, even improvising a further stage in their program of escalating job action to prevent an unlimited strike. As we forewarned, they used the holiday period to ambush workers with tentative agreements whose full contents they refused to divulge in a timely fashion, and then rammed through using anti-democratic maneuvers. The same is true of the FAE leadership, which was forced, under rank-and-file pressure, to call an unlimited general strike that lasted 22 days. Like the FIQ, which has isolated the nurses and other health professionals on the spurious grounds that they constitute a special case, the FAE refused to make any appeal to the workers enrolled in the Common Front or the working class as a whole for a joint struggle against capitalist austerity. The union bureaucrats treacherous role was rooted in their fear that a province-wide general strike of all public sector workers would mean a head-on collision with the avowedly pro-big business, Quebec chauvinist CAQ government. Such a confrontation, they recognized, could quickly escape their control and spark a broader working class challenge that would threaten the competitive position of Quebec and Canadian big business and the entire capitalist order that guarantees their privileged social position. As Francois Enault, vice-president of the Confederation des syndicats nationaux (CNTU), admitted in December as workers were pressing for an all-out strike: Workers are ready to walk out tomorrow morning, but we [union leaders] don't want that. As for Centrale des syndicats du Quebec (CSQ) President Eric Gingras he described the protracted contract disputeand the risk of a clash between the government and public sector workers that it entailedas a psychodrama that should be avoided at all costs in the future. In their campaign of sabotage, the Quebec unions were assisted by their counterparts in the rest of Canada. The Canadian Labour Congress, and unions like CUPE, the United Steelworkers and Unifor that together represent hundreds of thousands of Quebec workers did nothing to inform their members of the class battle raging in Quebec, let alone mobilize them in support. If workers are to prevail, they need a radically different perspective and new organizations of struggle. As our Committee has explained from the outset of the struggle, it is not by putting pressure on the union apparatuses that well be able to improve our working conditions and defend public services. Rather, our struggle can only advance insofar as we take it into our own hands, by opposing the unions nationalist, pro-capitalist policies and mobilizing workers independently of and against them. The unions cannot be reformed. They are run by a privileged bureaucracy, backed by the capitalist state, which has stifled and sabotaged the class struggle for decades, and whose interests are completely alien and hostile to those of the workers they claim to represent. This is true not only in Quebec and Canada, but throughout the world. To take the offensive against the onslaught of the ruling class and their union accomplices, it is vital for workers to mobilize the immense social power of the working class in a political struggle against the entire reactionary program of the financial and business elite. Building rank-and-file committees in all hospitals, schools and other workplaces is a central element in the struggle to mobilize the working class to defend public services and workers living standards and social rights, and thereby thwart the maneuvers of the union bureaucracy. Only then will it be possible for workers to put forward their own demands, while uniting the various contingents of the working class across sectors, provinces and national borders in a counteroffensive against austerity, war and the entire moribund capitalist system, which subordinates crying social needs to the profits of a tiny elite bloated on its own wealth and privileges. We urge all workers ready to fight for this program to join the Quebec Public Sector Workers Rank-and-File Coordinating Committee. Contact us at cbsectpub@gmail.com or by filling out the form at the bottom of this article. In a major attack on journalists and free speech, federal prosecutors on February 15 charged independent Florida journalist Timothy Burke with 14 felonies, including conspiracy and wiretapping, for accessing and then sharing previously unaired interview footage featuring former Fox News commentator Tucker Carlson and Hitler-lover Ye (formerly Kanye West). Timothy Burke [Photo: Melissa Lyttle] The indictment came more than eight months after Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents raided Burkes Tampa home and stole thousands of dollars worth of video, cell phone and computer equipment. The May 2023 police state raid on Burkes home, which was accompanied by a sealed warrant, prompted the Freedom of the Press Foundation, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and dozens of other press and democratic rights organizations to send a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland last October opposing Burkes prosecution and the seizure of his equipment. The letter to Garland noted that that the raid on Burkes home was followed by the August police raid of the Marion County Record based on allegations of computer crimes by its reporters. The letter continued: Given these and other investigations, journalists around the country are left uncertain about whether they could be prosecuted for acts of routine journalism on the mistaken grounds that they violated state or federal computer crime laws. In the indictment, prosecutors allege that Burke and a CONSPIRATOR 2 communicated over Twitter, with this second conspirator tipping off Burke to the fact that Fox News was publicly broadcasting a live feed online. Prosecutors allege that Burke illegally obtained the live feed footage by accessing the feed with compromised credentials. These credentials were apparently publicly available online as well. Burke previously worked at Deadspin and the Daily Beast and has posted several newsworthy videos to his Twitter/X account in the last decade that went viral, including a revealing video compilation exposing the corporate domination of television by media giant Sinclair Broadcasting. Burke specializes in recording, storing and analyzing video content broadcast by the major television networks over the airwaves and online. In October 2022, Fox News, over two nights, aired a highly edited interview featuring former Fox News commentator and anti-Semite Ye. Prior to airing the interview with the fascistic Ye, Tucker Carlson mused, Weve rarely heard a man speak so honestly and so movingly about what he believes. Carlson and Fox deliberately edited the interview to make Ye seem more palatable to his right-wing audience, highlighting his denunciations of Democrats while editing out newsworthy portions of the interview such as Yes admission that he was vaccinated and his rants about Jewish people. In the interview that aired on Fox News, Carlson ended his segment by advising his audience that Ye was not crazy and worth listening to. In the unaired portions of the interview, Ye/West claimed, among other things, that Planned Parenthood was created by the Ku Klux Klan to control the Jew population, and that he would prefer if my kids knew Hanukkah [rather] than Kwanzaa, because the former would At least... come with some financial engineering. At the time of the interview, the Republican Party and Fox News were openly embracing and promoting Ye and his fascist viewpoints. After Vice and Media Matters for America published the unaired footage, both the GOP and Fox News distanced themselves from Ye. However, former President Donald Trump invited Ye and fellow neo-Nazi Nick Fuentes to his Mar-a-Lago club for dinner on Thanksgiving. In a letter to the federal prosecutor in response to the charges, Burkes lawyer, Mark Rasch, pointed to the political factors motivating the prosecution. He wrote: Fox News was embarrassed by the broadcast of its own hypocrisy. It was embarrassed by the fact that it held racist, antisemitic and sexist remarks from public view. Disputing the claim that the unaired broadcast footage was stolen, Rasch wrote that Burke accessed publicly accessible live streams by simply finding and putting in the appropriate URL for the website. There was no hacking, no forced entry and no special tools necessary. He continued: We emphatically insist that there are no victims because there was no crime, adding, The only cases we are aware of where a prosecutor has taken the position that access by a journalist to publicly accessible information for the purpose of publishing this information was charged as a crime did not end well for the government. Burkes prosecution is just the latest in a wave of an attacks on democratic rights and free speech carried out by the US government and the Biden administration. The foremost political prisoner in the world, Julian Assange, is still languishing in a maximum security prison in London awaiting a possible extradition to a US Supermax prison cell. In Gaza, over 110 journalists and hundreds of their family members have been assassinated by the US/NATO-backed Israel Defense Forces. Smoke rises from buildings in Bakhmut, Ukraine, the site of heavy battles between Ukrainian and Russian troops on Wednesday, April 26, 2023. [AP Photo/Libkos] Two years ago today, on February 24, 2022, American imperialism and its European allies succeeded in provoking Russia into invading Ukraine. Washington, Berlin, London and Paris had long sought to incite an all-out war with Vladimir Putins reactionary nationalist regime, with the aim of subordinating Russia to the status of a semi-colony and consolidating imperialist dominance over the Eurasian landmass. The war is the bloodiest in Europe since the mass slaughter of World War II. Approximately half a million Ukrainians and tens of thousands of Russians have been massacred, and millions have been forced to flee their homes. American and German imperialism are recklessly escalating the conflict with utter disregard for the consequences. This includes the imminent prospect of a nuclear exchange between the US and Russia, which would call into question the very survival of humanity. In a statement issued just hours after Russias invasion titled Oppose the Putin governments invasion of Ukraine and US-NATO warmongering! For the unity of Russian and Ukrainian workers!, the International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI) decisively rejected the incessant propaganda emanating from the political establishment and media portraying the conflict as Putins unprovoked war of aggression. According to this bogus narrative, the Russian president masterminded the Ukraine war as part of a grand plan for the conquest of Europe. Only military force could stop him. In reality, the US led from the 1990s onward systematic efforts to extend NATOs territory eastwards to encircle Russia, in violation of promises made to the Stalinist regime as it dissolved the Soviet Union. Then, in February 2014, Washington and Berlin sponsored the Maidan coup, a far-right movement spearheaded by outright fascist forces that overthrew the elected pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych and installed a pro-Western puppet regime in Kiev. In response, Russia annexed Crimea following a referendum. Analysing the broader historical roots of the conflict, the ICFI wrote: The present confrontation with Russia is the outcome of a geopolitical strategy pursued by the United States since the dissolution of the USSR 30 years ago. Its aim has been US global hegemony, using military power to offset economic decline. This has been the source of the numerous and unending series of wars launched by the US, involving the invasion and/or bombing of Iraq, Somalia, Serbia, Afghanistan, Libya and Syria. Of course, this history of illegal wars goes unmentioned in the media today. The intervening two years have fully borne out this analysis. The primary source for the escalation of the conflict has been American imperialism, with strong support from Germany, Britain, France and Canada. The imperialists have pumped tens of billions of dollars and euros worth of high-powered weaponry into Ukraine to fuel the conflict, organised the deployment of tens of thousands of additional NATO troops to Eastern Europe, and menaced the world with the threat of a nuclear war against Russia. At home, they have subordinated all aspects of society to the waging of imperialist war through massive military spending hikes, the gutting of social programmes, and an open turn to authoritarian forms of rule and far-right political forces to suppress popular opposition. While repeatedly proclaiming their determination to defend democracy, the imperialist powers have cooperated closely with fascist forces in Ukrainethe political descendants of Nazi collaborators during World War II who participated in the war of annihilation against the Soviet Union and the Holocaust. There is nothing incidental about the intimate alliance between the NATO powers and Ukraines fascist-infested military and political establishment. Rather, it expresses the reality that the present conflict, like the Nazis war against the Soviet Union eight decades ago, is an imperialist war being waged for plunder, markets and geostrategic hegemony. This fact was underscored by the unanimous standing ovation given to Waffen-SS veteran and Nazi war criminal Yaroslav Hunka last September by Canadas parliament and the ambassadors from the other G-7 member states. The imperialist governments have not a shred of concern for democracy in Ukraine. In reality, they intend to bring Ukraine into their sphere of influence as part of their drive to carve up the Russian Federation, seize its natural resources and thereby prepare for military conflict with China. In pursuit of this strategy, they are ready to fight to the last Ukrainian, as shown by the hundreds of thousands of overwhelmingly young Ukrainians they have sacrificed on the battlefields. Estimates suggest that as many as 500,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been slaughtered since the war began, including well over 100,000 in the catastrophic 2023 offensive instigated by the imperialist powers. The imperialists indifference to such a horrendous loss of human life is replicated by their unconditional support for Israels genocide in Gaza, where well over 30,000 Palestinians have been butchered in just over four months by weapons supplied by the US to the far-right Netanyahu government. The imperialist powers reckless escalation of the war with Russia in Ukraine and their unrestrained endorsement of Israels genocidal onslaught on the Palestinians lay bare what the rules-based international order--constantly held up by Biden, Scholz et al. as an alternative to Putins brutality--really is. The defence of the global hegemonic position of US imperialism, the economic basis for which has steadily eroded over recent decades, can only be undertaken by resorting to increasingly barbaric methods that resemble the horrors experienced during the two imperialist world wars of the 20th century. The aggressive bloody-mindedness of the imperialist states does not justify, let alone give any progressive content to, the policies of the Putin regime. As the ICFI emphasised two years ago: The catastrophe that was set in motion by the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 cannot be averted on the basis of Russian nationalism, a thoroughly reactionary ideology that serves the interests of the capitalist ruling class represented by Vladimir Putin. Putins goal in invading Ukraine was and remains creating the best conditions to strike a deal with imperialism. He refuses to acknowledge the existence of any objective processes driving the imperialists to subjugate Russia. Instead, as was demonstrated in his pathetic performance in a recent interview with the fascistic US talkshow host Tucker Carlson, Putin continues to believe that everything was a big misunderstanding that can be put right through a negotiated agreement between Washington and Moscow to support the creation of a multi-polar international order. As a representative of the corrupt Russian capitalist oligarchy, which faces domestic opposition from the working class and mounting pressure from the imperialist powers, Putin cannot acknowledge that the war has objective causes. To do so would require the recognition not only of the bankruptcy of his regime but the disastrous results of capitalist restoration in the Soviet Union for Russian and Ukrainian workers. This admission would raise the spectre of an eruption of social opposition from below that would represent a far greater threat to the Russian oligarchy than the threat from the imperialists. The intractable contradictions of global capitalism have triggered a new redivision of the world between the major powers. US imperialisms war on Russia is but one front in what is rapidly developing as a third world war. This conflict takes the form of a counter-revolutionary struggle by imperialism to secure its interests at the expense of its geopolitical rivals and the working class in every country. Other key targets for Washington and its European allies are Iran in the Middle East and, above all, China in the Indo-Pacific. The prospect of war with China, which poses a direct threat to US hegemony, is no longer discussed as a possibility, but rather as an inevitability. Two years on from the outbreak of the US-NATO war on Russia, the World Socialist Web Site urges workers around the world to take up the fight for an immediate halt to the bloodbath. This requires workers internationally to counterpose the programme of world socialist revolution to the imperialists mad escalation of a third world war. As the WSWS International Editorial Board observed in its New Years statement: The prospects for humanity would be bleak were it not for the historically verified fact that the contradictions that drive capitalism to destruction also set into motion the conditions for its overthrow and the reorganization of society on a new and progressive, i.e., socialist, foundation. The potential for this reorganization is rooted in the objective being of the working class. The class struggle is the means by which the objective possibility of socialist reorganization is realized in practice. The urgent task on the second anniversary of the US-NATO war against Russia is to make this objective process conscious in the minds of workers around the world, so that it can serve as the basis for the establishment of an international anti-war movement led by the working class. This movement must unify workers in the imperialist centres with those in the countries targeted by US wars of aggression over the past 30 years and workers in Russia, Ukraine and throughout the former Soviet Union. Their common aim must be the struggle to put an end to the capitalist profit system, which is the root cause of the US and NATO drive to impose their interests on Russia. This struggle must involve implacable opposition to the oligarchic regimes in Russia and Ukraine through a revival of the socialist and internationalist traditions of the Bolshevik-led Russian Revolution of 1917. Yulia Navalnaya, wife of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, speaks as she meets with Belgium's Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib at the European Council building in Brussels, Monday, Feb. 19, 2024. [AP Photo/Yves Herman] Following the death of Russian oppositionist Alexei Navalny last Friday, the US and its allies, with the aid of the Western media, have launched a campaign promoting his wife, Yulya, as the next leader of Russias democratic opposition to the Putin government. In a manner befitting of an aristocrat, the first lady of the Russian opposition has been anointed her husbands natural heir and is being welcomed at the highest levels of the state. On Thursday, Navalnaya and her daughter met with American President Joe Biden in San Francisco. The White House, posting photos across social media of the two embracing, applauded Yulia and Dasha and the fight for democracy and human rights. All week long every major press outlet on both sides of the Atlanticthe New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, MSNBC, CNN, BBC, Guardian, Deutsche Welle, Le Monde, El Pais, La Repubblica and so forthhas carried banner headlines about Navalnaya. On Tuesday, she was the top story in the Times, dwarfing reports on all major developments around the world, most notably Israels slaughter of the Palestinians in Gaza, the extradition trial of Julian Assange and the debacle of the US-NATO war in Ukraine. Within hours of the news of her husbands death, Navalnaya was on stage at the Munich Security Conference, where she had been previously scheduled to speak. Evidently unencumbered by grief or even the fact that, as she acknowledged in her remarks, Navalnys death had yet to be confirmed, the wife of the right-wing oppositionist denounced Putin and called for the destruction of his governmentthat is, to defeat this evil, defeat the horrific regime that is now in Russia. Navalnaya met with the European Union Foreign Affairs Council three days later. In the middle of all this, she found the time to prepare a video statement, which has been splashed across the world press, declaring Putin to be her husbands murderer. The claim that the Russian president is personally responsible for the oppositionists death is being seized upon by the US and NATO to deepen its anti-Russian war campaign, which is in crisis because of many months of failures on the battlefield in Ukraine and deep divisions within the American ruling class. Though the cause of Navalnys death has yet to be reported, US President Joe Biden unveiled a raft of new sanctions against Russia on Tuesday. They were about holding Putin accountable, he declared. The adulation of Navalnaya has nothing to do with her significance as a political individual, much less her democratic credentials, of which, like her deceased spouse, she has none. Rather, it is part of the effort to find a palatable replacement for Alexei Navalny, one without a problematic past, a political nobody that the imperialists can make their political somebody. Navalnaya, who is the daughter of middle-class Muscovites, has a degree in economics and briefly worked in her husbands parents furniture business. She has not been employed outside the home since 2007 and makes a show of the fact that her primary occupation over the last 20 years has been tending to hearth and home. Throughout her marriage, she remained out of the limelight, resisting appeals to run for office in her husbands place when he was arrested, and never issuing political statements apart from those related to her husbands persecution and alleged poisoning. Her public persona has largely consisted of maintaining a stern expression in front of cameras and issuing declarations of her hatred of Putin and love for her husband, as well as at one point doing modeling shoots in high-end fashion with her children. Apart from the fact that she was a member, along with her husband, of the right-wing Yabloko party during the mid-2000s, she has no personal political history. The only thing that is evident is that, to the extent she has any political thoughts of her own, she fully supports the pro-capitalist, right-wing, nationalist positions of her late husband. Perhaps she is even more ferocious. Navalny told Russian YouTuber Yuri Dud in a 2020 interview that in comparison to his wife, Im very moderate. This makes her extremely valuable to the imperialist powers. Even prior to his death, Navalny appears to have outlived his usefulness to Western imperialism. His imprisonment by the Putin government and the shutdown of his Anti-Corruption Foundation limited his influence. The mans social media posts from jail, communicated to the world via his lawyers, failed to gain much traction. He faced a years-long prison sentence. Furthermore, selling Navalny as an advocate of democracy always created certain difficulties because of his vehemently anti-immigrant positions and open support of political alliances with the far right. In the mid-2000s Navalny posted a series of rabid, nationalist YouTube videos. One called for immigrants to be crushed like cockroaches. Another declared the need to firmly deport immigrants and championed the right to be Russians in Russia. He also repeatedly played a central role in the countrys annual Russia March, a gathering of nationalists, far-right and neo-fascist elements. Navalny had always refused to renounce these positions or activities. Amnesty International briefly stripped him of his prisoner of conscience status due to his views. In the 2022 documentary made about him, which Hollywood showered with awards, the oppositionist was again questioned about these matters. In reply, he insisted that alliances with the far right were correct, necessary and not something of which he was ashamed. The imperialist powers were drawn to Navalny not despite but because of these positions. They understood him to be an individual who was unencumbered by principles of any sort, one who could be deployed as a front man the way that Volodymyr Zelensky has been in Ukraine. The time has now come to move on. His widow, Navalnaya, comes with certain marketing advantages. Having very little political history, there is no need to explain away a problematic past. Various details of her biography are not even publicly available, such as exactly where she worked during her post-university business internship. The Washington Posts What to Know About Yulya Navalnaya reports five basicswhere she was born, where she got her degree, where she and her husband met and lived, and the fact that her main task for the last 20-plus years has been to tend to her children. The only reference to anything political in her past is her membership in the Yabloko party, which the newspaper falsely describes as a center-left, progressive-minded political party. In short, Navalnaya is an even emptier political vessel than her husband was. As a woman, she comes with the added benefit of satisfying the needs of the gender-obsessed upper middle class. And as the events of this week have made clear, she is eager to be the USs and NATOs pliant tool. While the bourgeois media promotes Navalnaya, the pseudo-left is overflowing with its own admiration for her spouse and working to transform him into some sort of leftist. This will lay the groundwork for their own participation in the campaign in support of his wife. On Tuesday, Jacobin published a commentary on Navalny by Ilya Budraitskis, a long-standing member of the Russian Socialist Movement (RSM). Now a visiting scholar at the University of California-Berkeley, he is a political operator with ties to elite layers within academia, the DSA and the state. He supports and defends the US operations in Ukraine and does human rights imperialism speaking tours, at which he argues that the US, NATO and the fascists in Kiev are waging a progressive war of liberation. On the occasion of Navalnys death, the RSM published a fawning statement that hailed the man as a political martyr and populist who, despite his rightist credentials, tended to problematize oligarchic capitalism. Budraitskis article in Jacobin this week, titled Alexei Navalny Taught Russias Opposition How to Mobilize, continues in this vein. It paints the oppositionist in glowing terms, insists his anti-immigrant positions were a flirtation and tearfully declares it difficult to come to terms with the thought of Navalnys death. Linking to a rambling statement written by Navalny last August, Budraitskis argues that Navalny came to understand that the source of Putinism lies in the 1990s and the pro-market reforms of that period. The social anger that Navalny channeled was class anger, states Budraitskis, and the issue of social justice began to occupy a key place in Navalnys rhetoric. He points to Navalnys efforts to direct votes towards the Russian Communist Party, an unabashed celebrator of Stalin and the Orthodox Church, as an indication of his progressive character. Navalnys political program was neither progressive nor rooted in any kind of a mass movement. He, as many oppositionists of the anti-corruption variety do, attempted to tap into social discontent over the crooked character of the countrys political and economic system. He claimed that on the basis of cleansing the country of the bureaucrats, social improvements would be realized. His promises to improve healthcare and education and raise the minimum wage were a thin disguise for the capitalist politician. His central demands were for the further privatization of the economy, the cutting of business taxes, the turnover of the countrys pension fund to the stock market, and the devolution of significant economic power to the regions away from the federal government, the cumulative effects of which would be to vastly increase social and regional inequality. These policies intended to sweep out one layer of oligarchs and install anotherthe ones orbiting around Navalny, those most willing to enlist Russia behind American and European imperialism. None of this could be achieved on a democratic foundation. Are you a healthcare worker? Tell us what conditions are like at your facility by filling out the form below. All submissions will be kept anonymous. The publicly owned Greenwood Leflore Hospital is pictured on Oct. 21, 2022, in Greenwood, Miss. The hospital is one of several that are at risk of closing immediately or in the near future. [AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis] A crisis is brewing in rural healthcare systems in the United States, upon which an estimated 60 million people rely. The immediate trigger is the drying up of federal pandemic funding that has kept many rural hospitals afloat. A study released earlier this month by Chartis Center for Rural Health found that 50 percent of the countrys 1,810 rural community hospitals are operating at a loss, and 418 are vulnerable for closure. Many of these facilities are having exceptional challenges in hiring and keeping nurses and physicians, who do not feel supported or have access to additional medical assistance to perform their duties. Dr. Bradley Serwer, an interventional cardiologist and chief medical officer at hospital contractor VitalSolution, told Consumer Affairs: A large percentage of rural community hospitals are losing money on an annual basis. Reimbursement for inpatient hospitalization is not sufficient to cover [operating] expenses. Hospitals are monetarily penalized for readmitting patients within 30 days of their initial discharge. Many times, these readmissions occur due to a lack of sufficient resources to care for patients in their homes. Michael Topchik, national leader of the Chartis Center for Rural Health, put the situation directly: Americas rural hospitals have been battling against drivers of instability for more than a decade. But this newest research suggests this crisis has accelerated quickly to previously unseen levels. To learn the percentage of rural hospitals in the red has shifted seven percent and now includes half of all rural hospitals is startling and should serve as an urgent call to action for everyone invested in rural healthcare. It is highly significant that, in what is supposedly the wealthiest and most technologically advanced country on earth, the healthcare system is at risk of disintigrating due to its unprofitability. This underscores the irrational character of the for-profit healthcare system in the US, as well as the complete subordination of all social questions to the capitalist profit motive. Major highlights of the Chartis study include: The percentage of Americas rural hospitals in the red jumped from 43 percent to 50 percent in the last 12 months. 55 percent of independent rural hospitals are operating in the red, while 42 percent of health system-affiliated rural hospitals are operating at a loss. Medicare Advantage now accounts for 35 percent of all Medicare-eligible patients in rural communities (9.2 million people). In seven states, Medicare Advantage penetration exceeds 50 percent. The authors noted that the deeper penetration of Medicare Advantage could further disrupt rural hospital revenue. Medicare advantage is a semi-privatized scheme with restrictive network access and potentially high out-of-pocket expenses. Medicare Advantage also often does not cover all the services traditional Medicare would. In 2019, the Medicare Advantage organization denied 13 percent of prior authorizations and cost taxpayers $9 billion more than if beneficiaries remained on the original Medicare. Access to inpatient care continues to deteriorate, as 167 rural hospitals since 2010 have either closed or converted to a model that excludes inpatient care. 418 rural hospitals are vulnerable to closure, according to a new, expanded statistical analysis. Of the 453 vulnerable rural hospitals identified in 2020, 30 have closed since, underscoring the very real concerns raised by the authors. Texas has the most vulnerable facilities with 45, followed by Kansas (38), Nebraska (29), Oklahoma (22), North Carolina (19), and Georgia and Mississippi (18 each). Between 2011 and 2021, 267 rural hospitals dropped obstetric services. This represents 25 percent of Americas rural OB units. Between 2014 and 2022, 382 rural hospitals stopped providing chemotherapy services. The decline in obstetric services in rural communities has had a devastating impact. Maternal mortality rates have been steadily climbing in both urban and rural settings, but rates of pregnancy-related deaths in rural areas are twice those seen in urban settings and comparable to rates seen in regions like Latin America, Middle East and North Africa. A study published last year in the American Journal of Public Health on maternal mortality in the rural US found: Although the reasons for the higher rates of adverse maternal outcomes in rural areas are likely multifactorial, substantial declines in hospital-based obstetric services between 2014 and 2018 in rural counties highlight the importance of policy efforts to ensure access to high-quality and high-acuity care. Previous work has also demonstrated rural-urban differences in individual cardiovascular health factors that may contribute to adverse maternal outcomes, such as obesity, diabetes, and hypertension, as well as adverse pregnancy outcomes, such as hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. Six years later, with more rural hospital closures, these issues remain unresolved and growing even more dire. The repeal of the Roe v Wade by the Supreme Court of the United States will further accelerate access to OB services, especially in states than ban abortions such as Alabama, Arkansas, Idaho, Indiana, Mississippi and South Dakota. Statistics also show worse outcomes in rural areas for those who develop cancer, with rural counties reporting higher death rates for all cancer sites combined (predominately among those with lung, breast, colon/rectum and prostate cancers) compared with nonmetropolitan and metropolitan counties. Worse, the trend has been increasing over time. As the Chartis study notes, in 2023, 28 rural communities closed their inpatient care, surpassing the record set in 2020 with 18 closures of health facilities. Since 2010, the report notes that 167 rural hospitals have closed or adopted an operating model that excludes inpatient care (i.e., conversion to an urgent care center). These closures are concentrated in Southern states like Texas (26), Tennessee (15), Kansas (10), Missouri (10) and Georgia (10). One other aspect of rural hospital closures not often discussed is the economic ripple effect it has throughout these communities. Many of these facilities are the largest employers and contributors to the local economy. The Chartis study noted, Our analysis shows that when a rural hospital closes its doors, the loss of hospital jobs is nearly 220 at media. The loss of non-hospital jobs in the community is 73 at the median. Many of the nearly 60,000 who lost their jobs in healthcare in 2023 worked in smaller facilities in poor and struggling working class communities, where such healthcare facilities are being gutted for financial reasons. The consolidation of healthcare systems through mergers and acquisition will only threaten the most vulnerable regions of the country first and most acutely where the measure of providing services is profitability and not need. On February 22, the Kentucky House of Representatives passed a bill that would restrict access to food assistance and push of thousands of low-income people into hunger. Exterior photo of the Kentucky State Capitol in Frankfort, Ky., Wednesday, April 7, 2021. Republican-backed measures to eliminate child labor rules and bolster food stamp eligibility standards won passage Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024. [AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley] House Bill (HB) 367, which passed the Republican-controlled chamber by a margin of 61 to 33, seeks to reinstate asset testing for those who depend on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), a program formerly called Food Stamps that provides a monthly benefit to low-income people. The legislation must now be considered by the Republican-controlled state Senate before going to Democratic Governor Andy Beshear. If Beshear vetos the bill, his move would be overridden by the legislature, as happened with an earlier round of food stamp cuts in 2022. SNAP is a federal program that is completely funded by the federal government. It is the largest nutrition assistance program administered by the US Department of Agriculture. The program relies upon both federal and state governments to share in the administrative costs, with over 50 percent contributed by the federal government. Despite this, Kentuckys legislature and the wealthy are seeking to cut the administrative cost further through this new piece of legislation. In order to access SNAP assistance, the new bill would require a person to have less than $2,750 in total assets. This change will force 588,000 Kentuckians, including 256,000 children, to reapply for the program in order to secure food. The bill also seeks to dramatically drop the poverty threshold from 200 percent to a poverty level of 130 percent, putting everyone using SNAP at risk for losing their benefits. Having $2,750 in total assets is not a sign of being food secure. In fact, it is far lower than the estimated $3,400 average cost of living per month in the state. As more people in the US struggle to obtain food, the danger of malnutrition has risen. According to the food bank network Feeding America, Kentucky has the highest rate of food insecurity for older adults in the country. Some 580,000 Kentuckians face hunger, among them 154,290 children. This amounts to one in eight Kentuckians and one in every seven children. Far greater numbers of people are essentially one financial emergency away from the same crisis. At the present moment, in order for someone to qualify for SNAP benefits in Kentucky, the person must be at or below the federal poverty level and if considered able-bodied must work part-time for 20 hours a week. Kentucky state law defines able-bodied as anyone who is over the age of 18 and under 60 years of age. This deems the person automatically as being physically and mentally able to work, unless otherwise determined through medical documentation. They cannot be responsible for the primary care of a dependent child or a dependent disabled adult. Republican Representative Wade Williams, the bills sponsor, states that the driving force behind the bill is to get workers off the sideline and back into the workforce. In reality, HB 367 will remove the Cabinet for Health and Family Services ability to waive those limits and loosen standards in times of economic distress, without permission from the legislature. This would provide the legislature with greater control over SNAP work requirements. This will only exacerbate food insecurity for nearly everyone receiving food assistance, including children and the elderly. For decades Kentucky has consistently ranked among the worst states in the nation in regard to poverty, labor force participation, addiction, incarceration rates and more. The planned cuts are a part of a larger national effort to slash vital social programs, as evidenced by the appearance of Scott Centorino, a member of the Florida-based conservative think-tank Foundation for Government Accountability, on the Kentucky House floor February 15. Centorinos outfit focuses on reducing labor law restrictions on teenage workers, blocking the expansion of Medicaid at both state and federal levels, and generally hacking at the few remaining tatters of the social safety net characterized as the welfare state. Speaking before the Kentucky House of Representatives, Centorino stated that HB 367 simply restores the federal asset test in food stamps and closes the loophole. The supposed loophole that Centorino speaks of is the federal policy called Broad-Based Categorical Eligibility (BBCE) that is utilized by a majority of states, including Kentucky. BBCE allows state governments to skip the asset test when determining if a person is eligible for SNAP benefits. BBCE grants an individual or a household categorical eligibility for SNAP benefits if they also qualify for other assistance programs, which would include Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), another federally-funded program that is designed to provide short-term cash assistance for low-income families. This streamlines the process for Kentuckians to receive federal assistance like SNAP by waiving the asset test. HB 367s sponsor, Williams, accused 34,000 individual SNAP recipients of being in violation of qualifications due to categorical eligibility, providing zero evidence of this occurring. Kentucky has more than 130,000 unfilled jobs with a labor force participation rate of just over 57 percent, which is among the lowest in the country, he complained. The labor force participation rate is calculated by the percentage of working-age people who are currently part of the workforce. This rate obscures the various geographical trends in a states local economies. The Kentucky Center for Statistics notes that the 57 percent cited by Williams is largely driven by the 54 Appalachian counties making up the eastern portion of the state. These counties have a median participation rate that is nearly 10 percentage points below the overall state level. Central Appalachiathe mountainous areas of eastern Kentucky, West Virginia, southwest Virginia, and eastern Tennesseehas among the worst health statistics concerning mortality and morbidity in the country: heart disease, cancer, COPD, accidental injury, poisoning, stroke, diabetes, suicide, infant mortality, and years of potential life lost. It also has considerably lower household incomes, worse living conditions, and higher rates of poverty when compared to the whole of the United States. This region in particular has experienced decades of economic strain intensified under economic restructuring, due to a precipitous decline in employment opportunities within manufacturing and coal extraction industries. The primary causes of food insecurity within Kentucky and across the US is poverty, unemployment, and stagnant wages. The false claim made by proponents of HB 367 that their aim is to get people back to work masks the fact that there are little to no employment opportunities available to them. The jobs that are available are offered at low wages, requiring many to obtain multiple jobs in order to support themselves and their families. What is propelling these attacks upon the working class in Kentucky and throughout the US is the clear threat of another financial crisis caused by the inherent contradictions of capitalism. In an attempt to offset another financial crisis, one that would have international implications, the US seeks to maintain its global hegemony through imperialist war. The expense of these ambitions are being placed upon the working class with renewed attacks on social infrastructure, wages and conditions. The state of Kentucky alone has seen a wave of such legislation since the start of 2024. Each proposed bill builds upon the other, seeking to prey upon the most vulnerable segments of the working class. All the while, Kentucky itself is seeing consecutive growth in revenue each year. Passing through the House the same day as HB 367, another bill (HB 255) seeks to remove state restrictions on child labor, to increase the working hours of minors within the workforce. Passed on February 22 on a 25-11 Senate vote, HB 18 would ban municipalities from enacting rules which require landlords to rent to people who receive federal housing assistance, which would affect 34,000 Kentucky households. Meanwhile, HB 5, which criminalizes homelessness and increases punishments for various criminal offenses, is continuing to move through the State Senate with minimal opposition from the Democratic Party. For weeks, the German media and establishment politicians have been running a campaign against anti-war students and activists at universities. This campaign reached a new level on Monday, when Berlins Senator for Science (state minister) Ina Czyborra (Social Democratic PartySPD) announced that the Senate (state executive) would tighten the Higher Education Act in order to reintroduce the possibility of ex-matriculation [preventing students from graduating] in certain cases. According to Czyborra, the aim is to introduce effective measures in the short term. The justification being given for this move is an alleged violent attack by a Freie Universitat (Free UniversityFU) student against a Zionist activist and FU student at the beginning of the month. IYSSE rally against the genocide in Gaza on December 13, 2023 at Humboldt University in Berlin According to the Tagesspiegel, the Higher Education Act of North Rhine-Westphalia is to serve as a model for the Senates amendment. This includes the possibility of ex-matriculation as a disciplinary measure in the event of a deliberate criminal offence committed against a university member. Senator Czyborra announced that an amendment to the Higher Education Act would be passed by the Senate before the Easter break. She added that a variety of measures were necessary to establish security on campus and protect Jewish students and staff from hatred. This is an attempt to advance a right-wing and authoritarian campaign by making use of a case that has not yet been legally clarified. According to media reports, Lahav Shapira, a 30-year-old Jewish FU student, was hospitalised with broken bones in his face after a 23-year-old pro-Palestinian fellow student allegedly punched and kicked him on a street in the nightlife district of Berlin-Mitte on February 2. The public prosecutors office is assuming a targeted attack with an antisemitic background. However, despite extensive media reports and a special organisational structure set up by the investigating authorities, information about the exact course of events has so far been imprecise and, in some cases, contradictory. For example, the police report speaks of an argument that initially developed between the two people, while the victims companion states that there was no discussion beforehand. The alleged perpetrator and the victim were known to each other. The victim gave a video interview to an Israeli media outlet while still in hospital, but without showing his injuries. The context of the incident includes the fact that the injured party is known as a Zionist provocateur. Videos show Shapira attempting to disrupt a pro-Palestinian lecture theatre occupation at the FU in December, tearing down student anti-war posters and physically attacking political opponents. The accuseds point of view, however, is still unknown, as his lawyer has stated that he will wait for the extensive police investigation before making a statement. Despite such discrepancies and complicating factors, the political establishment and the media have long since jumped on the case. At a Fridays for Israel rally in front of the Free University called by student organisations close to the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), Berlin CDU General Secretary Ottilie Klein and President of the German-Israeli Society Volker Beck were joined by the federal chair of the Green Party, Ricarda Lang, who attacked a pro-Palestinian demonstration taking place at the same time for, of all things, turning the page on guilt. While the governing mayor of Berlin, Kai Wegner (CDU), called on university administrations to take consistent action against antisemitism and actively intervene, Mayor Franziska Giffey (SPD) announced that she wanted to sharpen up the legal means available to universities. There is now talk of the Senate parties also providing universities with the legal means to de-register students on a political basis. In the tabloid press, CDU university politician Adrian Grasse threatened: We will make sure that the universities calm down again. To this end, we will provide university administrations with additional instruments, such as ex-matriculation. We need to act quickly! Despite tactical differences, all of the parties agree on this course. Marcel Hopp, science policy spokesperson for the SPD parliamentary group, stated that he was not yet convinced by previous proposals, such as those of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) and the CDU, as political ex-matriculation was not without constitutional law problems and the measures taken had to be legally tenable and practicable. Tobias Schulze, science policy spokesperson for the Left Party, called for university administrations to be given a sharp sword. In the Tagesspiegel, he worried that, depending on the draft law, the perpetrator would first have to be legally convicted, which would as expected, take a long time. He suggested it might be more expedient to extend the maximum duration of bans, which can presently be imposed by university administrations without a court judgement. We need to empower universities to intervene, he said. For its part, the FU administration immediately issued a three-month ban on the accused FU student, without any criminal trial having taking place. The cross-party offensive has nothing whatsoever to do with the prevention of violence on or off campus. Rather, in the context of the current pro-war policy, it is unmistakably aimed at reversing the gains won in the class struggles and student mass protests of 1968, and reimposing at German universities the political conformity that prevailed before the First and Second World Wars. The cynical propaganda being employed in the name of protecting Jewish students turns reality on its head. As the official student body of Humboldt University has correctly noted in a statement, the necessary protection of Jewish students from antisemitism is being invoked as a pretext for enforcing repressive and authoritarian policies. The statement continues: This is being driven forward, in particular, by the political forces that for years have been promoting the shift to the right and [have worked to make] antisemitic and racist ideologies acceptable. The statement goes on to denounce forced ex-matriculation as an instrument of power that weakens the position of all students, and correctly calls it a fundamentally political means to deliberately prevent the politicisation of students and protests at universities. In fact, Jewish students have been harassed by university administrations, the police and right-wing groups for months, while being slandered by the media. They have shared this treatment with all students who have protested against the Israeli regimes genocidal war policy. This month, for example, several well-known anti-Zionist activistsincluding Jewish Voice members Udi Raz and Rachael Shapirowere arrested after speaking at peaceful rallies. At Potsdam University, students who wanted to organise a rally against the massacre in Gaza in January were denied a room and banned from putting up posters or distributing leaflets on campus. All protests against the Israeli war policy, which is supported politically and militarily by the German government, are slandered as antisemitic and anti-Jewish and linked to violence by corporate-owned media outlets such as Die Welt, but also by public media outlets such as the broadcasters ARD and ZDF. Anyone who rejects the radical right-wing ideology of the Israeli government and is not prepared to glorify the genocide of an oppressed ethnic group as self-defence is branded as anti-Jewish. Pro-government student organisations such as the Christian Democratic RCDS and the Jewish Student Union (JSUD), on the other hand, are uncritically promoted by the same media, even though they support a regime whose massacres have already killed tens of thousands of people. Meanwhile, the violence experienced by Muslim and Arab workers and students is largely unreported by the media and ignored by the politicians. Following an arson attack on the largest seminar room of the Institute for Islamic Theology at Humboldt University in November, unknown persons vandalised the Room of Silence that was used as a Muslim prayer room at the Berlin University of Applied Sciences at the beginning of this month. Concurrently, professors are permitted to spread war propaganda and incitement with the full backing of the university administration. For example, Potsdam military historian Sonke Neitzel, speaking on the Markus Lanz talk show in October, called for European aircraft carriers to support Israels war efforts. The same month, his Humboldt colleague Ruud Koopmans, who is notorious for his Islamophobic and anti-refugee agitation, described Muslim calls to prayer as 100 percent equivalent to the Sieg heil! of the Nazis. Humboldt Professor Jorg Baberowski, who goes much further than Koopmans in his trivialisation of National Socialism (Nazism), has been appointed managing director of the Institute of History, despite having physically assaulted a student representative during the student parliament election campaign in 2020. Now, because resistance to this propaganda is developing among students, the state apparatus is to be strengthened and the university administration mobilised to take action against politically unwelcome students. This must be stopped! The International Youth and Students for Social Equality (IYSSE) calls on all students, faculty, staff and workers to reject the right-wing moves of the Berlin Senate, defend democratic rights, and link the widespread opposition among students with the growing struggles of the working class in the fight against war and fascism. Less than a week after the Alabama Supreme Court declared a frozen embryo to be a child with legal rights, the nationwide impact of the ultra-right and anti-science ruling is being felt. In many cases, women and families will be forced to delay plans to begin the in vitro fertilization (IVF) process or will be prevented from pursuing it altogether. While some fertility clinics in Alabama have stated that they are pausing IVF services, medical professionals in other states have said they fear similar restrictions will be placed upon them by right-wing courts and politicians who support the unconstitutional violation of the separation of church and state at the heart of the Alabama ruling. In this file photo, an in vitro fertilization embryologist works on a petri dish at a fertility clinic in London. [AP Photo/Sang Tan] As reported by the WSWS on Thursday, the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), the site of the states largest hospital system, halted all IVF procedures out of concern that our patients and doctors could be prosecuted criminally. In a prepared statement, UAB spokeswoman Hannah Echols said: We are saddened that this will impact our patients attempt to have a baby through IVF, but we must evaluate the potential that our patients and our physicians could be prosecuted criminally or face punitive damages for following the standard of care for IVF treatments. Meanwhile, companies that store eggs and embryos have been taking calls from people who have used the services of firms in Alabama and are requesting that their frozen embryos be transferred to other states. Louis Villalba, chief executive of TMRW Life Sciences Inc., told the Wall Street Journal that people have called the Indianapolis-based firm asking if their embryos can be moved from Alabama to its facilities in Colorado or New York. Villalba said TMRW, which promotes itself as providing the first automated cryo specimen management system for IVF to provide safety and security for embryos, would accept the transfers. However, outside of storage of the embryos, Villalba said that the company would not be able to provide any legal counsel to patients until there is clarity at the state level from Alabama about how and when they are going to enforce this. In its unprecedented 138-page ruling on February 16, the Alabama Supreme Court overturned a lower court ruling and said that fertilized embryos are extrauterine children who are entitled to the same protection under state law as any child. The ruling said that the states 1872 law allowing parents to sue over the Wrongful Death of a Minor could be applied to embryos created by IVF. The court held that a firm which had accidentally destroyed embryos could be held criminally liable for the death of an unborn child. Every year, as many as 100,000 babies are born in the US using the IVF procedure. Mothers and couples often seek the IVF process due to infertility or to avoid passing on genetic conditions to their children. A marvel of modern science, IVF involves multiple steps that begin with the patient taking hormones for a 10-to-12-day period. The hormone treatment primes multiple eggs to maturity inside the ovary, while the patient is monitored nearly every day to determine at what point the eggs are ready to be retrieved. The eggs are retrieved by means of a medical procedure in which the patient is anesthetized. The eggs are fertilized with sperm and grown in a lab for about three to seven days until they reach the early blastocyst stagethe point at which there are two different cell layers, one that will become the placenta and one that will become the fetus. At this point, the embryo is either transferred to the womans uterus or frozen for future use. In some cases, both are done until a viable pregnancy is achieved. As Dr. Eve Feinberg, a reproductive endocrinologist and infertility specialist at Northwestern University in Chicago, told National Public Radio (NPR) on Friday, it is common for fertilized eggs not to survive and, in the lab, only 55 percent of fertilized eggs achieve the blastocyst stage. Feinberg continued: By definition, 45 percent of all embryos grown in the laboratory die. And the charge of wrongful death can now be applied. As a reproductive specialist, that idea is terrifying. Who wants to assume that risk? The IVF process is very expensive, Feinberg said, costing anywhere from $12,000 to $24,000, depending on where the process is done. While many embryos that are frozen never get used, the Alabama ruling raises questions about what is to be done with these, given that they are often donated for research or destroyed. Mary Ziegler, a law professor at the University of California, Davis, speaking on NPR, asked whether every embryo created in a particular IVF cycle had to be implanted. If you were not allowed to create more than one embryo per cycle, thats likely to make IVF even more financially out of reach for people who dont have insurance coverage and who struggle to pay that hefty price tag, Ziegler said. Speaking during an online Tennessee evangelical broadcast hours after the ruling was issued, Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Tom Parker suggested that America was founded as a Christian nation and restated his advocacy of the Seven Mountains Mandate, which asserts that right-wing Christians are meant to rule over seven key areas of American life, including media, business, education and government. Parker said: God created government, and the fact that we have let it go into the possession of others, its heartbreaking. Thats why he is calling and equipping people to step back into these mountains right now. Parker was the founding executive director of the Alabama Family Alliance in 1989, a right-wing think tank. He was elected to the state Supreme Court in 2004 and reelected in 2010 and 2016. In 2018, Parker won the Republican nomination for chief justice and defeated Democrat Bob Vance in the general election in November. In 2004, Parker was criticized by the Southern Poverty Law Center for distributing Confederate flags. He has been photographed with leading members of white supremacist organizations such as Leonard Wilson, a board member of the Council of Conservative Citizens, and Mike Whorton, a leader of the League of the South. Parker also attended a party in Selma commemorating the birthday of Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest, founder of the Ku Klux Klan. Like the US Supreme Court decision in 2022 overturning the constitutionally protected right to abortion, the reactionary decision by Alabamas highest state court is opposed by a large majority of the US population. Well aware of this political factwhich the Democrats intend to exploit in the 2024 election cyclethe Republican Party and Donald Trump are seeking to distance themselves from the Alabama ruling. In a hastily prepared statement on his Truth Social platform, the fascist presidential candidate and former president said, I strongly support the availability of IVF for couples who are trying to have a precious baby. At 5:05 pm on Friday, Alabama Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville posted to Twitter/X: Ive spoken with Alabama Speaker of the House @RepLedbetter and hes assured me that a bill to protect IVF will be taken up immediately. We want everyone to have the opportunity to have kids. IVF will remain legal and available in Alabama. A group of San Francisco artists last week carried out a protest against the Israeli genocide in Gaza and the silence of leading US arts institutions about the horrific crime by altering their own works. The protest took place during a public event at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (YBCA), the multidisciplinary contemporary arts venue in San Francisco, on the evening of February 15. Eight artists, whose work was part of Bay Area Now 9, a show of 30 Northern California artists and the Centers triennial exhibition, entered the space and spray-painted or draped pro-Palestinian messages over their own work. The artists called their protest Love Letter to GAZA in response to the February 15 events title, Love Letter to SOMA [South of Market, a neighborhood in San Francisco]. In response, the Center closed its doors for the weekend. The artists unfurled a banner that read Stop Funding Genocide. Several of them went to work on their own art pieces, using fake blood as well as paint. According to KQED public radio, Ceramic artist Paz G spray painted their sculpture You Have a Broken Heart in bright pink letters reading Viva PalestinaFree Palestine. Jeffrey Cheung, whose colorful, large-scale paintings of abstracted nude forms hang in the main gallery, hung a sign reading Ceasefire Now! over his works. In addition, the artist champoy, along with several people wearing masks and keffiyehs, turned champoys boat sculpture into an altar for Gazan people killed in Israeli airstrikes, with their names and ages written on notecards. Tracy Ren laid a banner on their wool rug installation that read No more blood moneyceasefire now. The other exhibition participants who modified their works were Sholeh Asgary, Courtney Desiree Morris, Lukaza Branfman-Verissimo and Leila Weefur. The Center had advertised the Love Letter to SOMA in part by pointing to a new public artwork by Lukaza Branfman-Verissimo, as well as public art works by Cheung and Weefur, among others. In addition to the artists efforts, supporters dropped leaflets with the artists demands from the Centers upper balcony, bitterly echoing the Israeli militarys practice of alerting the Gazan population they are about to be bombed and killed. Various groups, including Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) Bay Area, Writers Against the War on Gaza (WAWOG), Palestinian Feminist Collective and Bay Area Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM), participated in the protest. The artists demands included: Stop anti-Palestine censorship Call for immediate ceasefire and join the cultural boycott of Israel Cut ties with Zionist funders Exhibit and support Palestinian and Arab artists The artists accused the Center of censoring efforts by Cheung and Branfman-Verissimo in particular to introduce references to the ongoing genocide in Gaza in their work at the Bay Area Now 9 exhibition. According to a statement by Jewish Voice for Peace: YBCA censored artist Jeff Cheung from creating a mural in the colors of the Palestinian flag, calling it divisive. They invited artist Lukaza Branfman-Verissimo to propose text for their Statement Marquee sign, which is often a centerpiece for dialogue at the museum. But the artist says: I was told that because my text included Free Palestine they could not accept it. Lobby of the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, 2020 [Photo by BriefEdits / CC BY 4.0 In a typically mealymouthed statement, the Centers CEO Sara Fenske Bahat, in response to questions from 48hills, a daily news and culture site, asserted that her organizations mission was to be a gathering space for creative expression that fosters meaningful connection for all. She downplayed the protest, observing that during our Love Letter to SOMA free Thursday night event, a few of the 30 artists featured in Bay Area Now 9 altered or covered their exhibited work as part of a demonstration in support of Palestine. Actually, nearly a third of the artists took part. Bahat continued, in response to Cheungs proposal, public art is both a powerful opportunity, and it also amplifies the need for deliberate care. When it comes to presenting work on the exterior of our building, we have little opportunity to provide context around the authorship and intentions of the work; the audience includes passersby who have not chosen to attend YBCA exhibitions nor programming; and there are stakeholders and partners who may be inadvertently implicated or impacted. In other words, the Center is most concerned not to offend anyone, especially wealthy donors, even if that means remaining silent about one of the greatest crimes in recent history. Several of the artists pointed to the hypocrisy of the YBCA and its progressive self-promotion, noting that in recent years the Center had supported Black Lives Matter, feminist causes and protests against the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Sholeh Asgary, an Iranian-born interdisciplinary sound artist, told 48hills that the Center had embraced these big social justice slogans, but when it comes to Gaza, suddenly thats not allowed. The artist champoy echoed this, asking, Why are they silent on the genocide of Palestinians? Cultural workers and artists across the Bay are dreaming of a free Palestine. We hope that YBCA would want to be included in that vision, not working against it. Leila Weefur, an artist, writer and curator based in Oakland, told 48hills that during the protest, from my vantage point, we received a lot of support from the crowd that was there. The public feels hungry for institutions to support Gaza and Palestine. YBCA claims to support artists and their extended communities. Our action should fuel the institution to be an agent of change, but their lack of support is glaring. Most of the protesting artists had previously signed an open letter of Bay Area artists and cultural workers, now with more than 800 names attached to it, expressing solidarity with the people of Palestine and committing to the Palestinian Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel. The signatories recognize the genocide the Palestinian people are currently facing, and the ongoing violence they have experienced over the last century under the Zionist colonial project and establishment of Israel on Palestinian land. They further acknowledge Palestinian sovereignty and resistance to Israeli settler colonialism, which exerts racial violence to dispossess land, ethnically cleanse the Palestinian population and maintain political and social dominance. Artists protest February 15 The latest group of protesting artists in San Francisco join the ranks of tens of thousands of visual artists, musicians, actors, directors and others globally who have participated in protests, issued appeals and/or signed open letters opposing the ghastly crimes taking place in Gaza, events that have shaken the consciences of millions. If artist protests have leveled off somewhat in recent weeks, it is not because the homicidal violence in Gaza has lessenedit is more criminal and threatening than everor because public outrage has dissipatedthat has unquestionably reached even greater heights. First, in certain quarters, Hollywood in particular, the official McCarthyite efforts to intimidate and terrorize opposition have had an effect. Every voice raised against mass murder is dubbed antisemitic or supportive of terrorism, and, in many cases, individuals are threatened with the loss of jobs or income. This filthy smear needs to be rejected and thrown back in the face of the slanderers, those defending policies of Nazi-like saturation bombing of residential areas, intentional starvation of masses of people, destruction of hospitals and infrastructure, torture and death squad executions. Second, perhaps more significantly, the protesting artists have had to face the harsh fact that every attemptincluding through demonstrations worldwide collectively involving tens of millionsto sway the Israeli, US, British and other governments, along with their leading agencies and institutions, has failed utterly. The imperialist regimes, led by the Biden White House, are determined to impose the Final Solution of the Palestinian question as part of the reorganization of the Middle East and the globe. The mass movement against the Gaza genocide has to develop a broader, deeper perspective. These crimes are inseparable from capitalism. The entirely legitimate fury needs to be imbued with a conscious socialist opposition. The artists must turn to the only social force capable of putting an end to these atrocities, the international working class unified in a joint struggle against imperialist barbarism. Why do business schools have a waitlist, and why am I on it? Strategic Steps to Mastering the MBA Waitlist: An 8-Step Guide H3: Step 1: Accept your spot on the MBA waitlist Step 2: Understand the business schools waitlist policies Step 3: Adhere to the business schools waitlist processes Step 4: Evaluate your MBA application while youre on the waitlist Step 5: Combine self-assessment with the business schools feedback Step 6: Show the business school that youre determined to get off the waitlist Step 7: Stay connected with the business schools community while youre on the waitlist Step 8: Prepare to act on short notice if the business school decides to take you off the waitlist The Red Pen M +91 9820491179 A Prasad Chambers #309, Opera House, Mumbai - 400004. an appointment. Website | Facebook | LinkedIn | Instagram | YouTube | Blog Are you interested in a masters degree or an MBA? Then follow us here on +91 9820491179Prasad Chambers #309, Opera House, Mumbai - 400004. Book an appointment.Are you interested in a masters degree or an MBA? Then follow us here on LinkedIn for updates throughout the admissions cycle. Signature Read More Being waitlisted for an MBA program can be a frustrating and uncertain experience. After investing months into your MBA application, receiving neither an acceptance nor a rejection leaves you in limbo or purgatory. Some applicants find the MBA waitlist even more complex than a rejection, as it raises questions about the best course of actionshould you focus on getting off the waitlist or reapply with a more robust application? This dilemma amplifies for international students who must consider visa concerns and the logistical challenges of relocating to a new country on short notice.You can, of course, choose not to subject yourself to this uncertainty by declining a place on the MBA waitlist. But if you are determined to get into your dream school and convert that waitlist spot into an admission, you must take the glass-half-full approach. Instead of being disappointed, remember the MBA waitlist means that the school acknowledges your potential. As Dawna Clarke , senior assistant dean of admissions at the University of Virginias Darden School of Business, says, We dont place anyone on the waiting list who doesnt have a viable chance of gaining an admission.So, begin crafting a strategy to master the MBA waitlist game. The first step is understanding why the waitlist exists (spoiler: it is not a cruel game designed to torment you).The goal of the admissions committee of a business school is to ensure that they create the most diverse class of academically proficient and talented professionals possible from the applicant pool in an admissions cycle. To achieve this, they must balance extending offers to deserving candidates in the early rounds and leaving enough spots for worthy applicants in later rounds. If a school over-admits in round one, it may be unable to extend offers to stronger candidates in subsequent rounds. Thus, the MBA waitlist is a tool schools use to maintain flexibility in the admissions process. The Yale School of Management explains on its website that a waitlist decision indicates that the Admissions Committee would like to consider your application further as the admissions cycle continues. Depending on how the class shapes up over time, the admissions committee dips into the MBA waitlist and reconsiders applicants who they may have been unsure about in an earlier round.Finding yourself on the waitlist could be a result of multiple factors. You may have come up against much stronger candidates. In some cases, the Yale SOM website continues, a waitlist decision is simply the result of a competitive pool; we do not have enough spots in the class to admit all qualified applicants. A waitlist decision might indicate specific areas of improvement in your application, such as a low standardized test score, which you must identify and address to get off the waitlist.Begin by accepting your place on the MBA waitlist and communicating your decision to the school. Amy Mitson, director of admissions at Tuck School of Business , advises applicants to follow the instructions in [the] decision letter and reaffirm your continued interest in the program. Overlooking this simple yet crucial step could cause you to miss out on an admissions offer.Get fully acquainted with the schools waitlist policies. All schools have their unique way of tackling the MBA waitlist process. For example, Chicago Universitys Booth School of Business and Haas School of Business at UC Berkley do not offer specific feedback to waitlisted candidates. On the other hand, Tuck and Darden work with waitlisted candidates to help them strengthen their applications. Even though the school will communicate its policies and expectations once you accept your waitlist spot, you should check the waitlist FAQs on the school website to familiarize yourself with the process.Once you understand the process, do not under any circumstances deviate from it. For example, if the school specifically tells you it does not want any more updates on your application, respect their instructions. Disregarding explicit guidance may be seen negatively and may harm your chances.The most crucial step of your MBA waitlist strategy is to conduct a comprehensive assessment of each application component. As Colin Scanlon , a Boothie who successfully navigated the MBA waitlist process, mentions, your focus should be figuring out why you may be on the waitlist and what can you do to strengthen your application. Did your essays make a compelling case of why you are a good fit for the school? Could you highlight how an MBA would help progress your career goals? Did you focus too much on academics and professional accomplishments and not enough on extracurricular activities? Is there scope to improve your GMAT test score? It is difficult to be objective when you have invested so much time and effort in preparing your application, and even harder to admit that there still might be gaps in your application. But asking tough questions and being honest is the only way to bridge those gaps and get yourself off the MBA waitlist.At this stage, request a friend, colleague, or mentor to review your application and offer their insights. Additionally, you can enlist the services of an MBA admissions consultant to identify problem areas in your application.If the business school offers feedback, combine it with a self-assessment to holistically evaluate your application. As Tucks Amy Mitson puts it, [school] feedback might confirm the results of your reflection but could also surface actionable steps you havent yet considered.Once you have identified areas where your application needs improvement, take concrete actions to show the school you are working on them. You can update the school by increasing your GMAT test score or getting a job promotion. You could use an additional essay or short video to highlight a previously unexplored aspect of your candidacy or send additional letters of support from students or alumni members highlighting your fit at the school. How you demonstrate improvements at this stage depends on the schools waitlist policies, so be wary of flouting them. Furthermore, you should not inundate the admissions office with meaningless updates during the MBA waitlist period. Instead, update the office strategically. Lauren Sutherland , associate director of admissions at Duke Universitys Fuqua School of Business, recommends sending a maximum of three updates for each round you are on the MBA waitlist.Apart from bolstering your application with additional materials, you should stay in touch with the school community throughout the waitlist period. The Booth website recommends staying connected with the community[by] attending virtual or in-person events, connecting with current students, or connecting with alumni in your network. Doing so will demonstrate your continued interest in the program to the admissions committee and help you gain insights into how you can continue strengthening your application.Finally, prepare yourself to act immediately if the school offers you an admission offer. Timelines for MBA waitlisted candidates are usually compressed. Laurel Grodman , assistant dean of admissions at Yale SOM, says, If youre invited to interview, and you havent already, we will expect to be able to interview you in the next day or so. We want to get candidates in a place where they can enroll with as much time as possible to get acclimated, she adds, so just be prepared to move quickly.The MBA waitlist can test the resolve of even the most motivated applicants. Therefore, apart from following all these steps, staying positive throughout the process is essential. Scanlon says, Once you do what you can to improve your application, take a breath! Map out a game plan based on the possible outcomes and have faith in the process. Take control of your MBA journey and boost your chances of admission! Gain exclusive insights and expert strategies for navigating the MBA waitlist. You can read our 9-step guide to MBA applications and our blog on how to get off the waitlist at your top-choice MBA program . However, if you need our experts to guide you, please get in touch _________________ Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks at the Museum of Tolerance in Jerusalem, Sunday, Feb. 18, 2024. [AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg] Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu presented a document to his war cabinet on Friday entitled The Day After Hamas Principles. It outlines what amounts to plans for the de facto annexation of Gaza in the aftermath of Israels genocidal war against the Palestinians, as well as tighter control over the Israeli-occupied West Bank. As the plan declares, Israel will maintain military control indefinitely of all of the territory west of the Jordan River. It intends to seize territory inside the Gaza Strip to establish a so-called security space along its entire border. The Israeli military has already carried out large-scale demolition of homes and civilian infrastructure in northern Gaza in preparation for creating such a buffer zone. The document also envisages the creation of an overground and underground security flank along Gazas southern border with Egyptthe only one not under immediate Israeli controlon the pretext of preventing weapons smuggling. In doing so, Israel would be in full land, sea and air control over Gaza, completing the transformation of the enclave into a giant prison camp. The Israeli military has laid waste to cities and towns throughout Gaza. One estimate released by the BBC last month suggests that between 144,000 and 175,000 buildings in the enclave have either been damaged or destroyedthat is, between 50 percent and 61 percent of the total. The Netanyahu plan insists that any reconstruction in Gaza must be contingent on its demilitarisation, by which is meant not simply the removal of weapons, but Israeli supervision and control over the civilian administration and police. It calls for a comprehensive deradicalisation program in all religious education and social institutions in Gaza Netanyahu intends to replace the Hamas administration inside Gaza with a puppet regime composed of local representatives who are not affiliated with terrorist countries or groups and are not financially supported by themin other words, local stooges who are acceptable to the Israeli regime. Any police force in Gaza will also be under the Israeli thumb. Only local actors with management experience will be allowed to enforce public order. Such a body will not be identified with states or bodies that support terror, and will not receive salaries from them. Of course, it will be Israel that determines which states and bodies are supposedly supportive of terrorism. In another indication that Israel intends to determine international links with Gazain other words, foreign policythe document declares that Israel will work to shut down the primary relief agency for Palestiniansthe 75-year-old United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) and replace it with responsible international aid organisations. Israel has seized on unsubstantiated claims that a dozen UNRWA employees of its 12,000-strong workforce in Gaza took part in the Hamas military operation inside southern Israel on October 7. UNRWA has repeatedly warned about the desperate situation confronting the population in Gaza, which is being deliberately starved of basic supplies of food, clean water, medicines and other essentials. The US and its allies have joined the Israeli campaign against UNRWA by cutting funding to the UN body. UNRWA head Philippe Lazzarini said in a letter to the UN General Assembly on Thursday that the agency had lost $450 million in funding. He warned: I fear we are on the edge of a monumental disaster with grave implications for regional peace, security and human rights. Citing a map displayed to the UN General Assembly last September showing Gaza and the West Bank inside the borders of Israel, Lazzarini said that Israels calls to close UNRWA are not about the agencys neutrality. Rather, he said, UNRWAs mandate to provide services to Palestine refugees within this same area is an obstacle to that map becoming a reality. Netanyahus post-Hamas plan makes clear exactly what the Zionist regime intends to dothe Israeli colonisation of Gaza and the West Bank, followed by ethnic cleansing and ultimately annexation. The plan was accompanied by the announcement that Israel had given the green light for the building of 3,000 new housing units in settlements in the West Bank. Netanyahu has repeatedly ruled out the so-called two-state solution. His latest day after document rejects any unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state. Israel utterly rejects international diktats in the matter of a final status arrangement with the Palestinians, it declares. Such an arrangement will only be reached in direct negotiations. Just as it intends to impose a puppet regime in Gaza, so any negotiations for a final status arrangement will be with Palestinians of Israels choosing, so as to meet Israeli ends. The Biden administrations response to Netanyahus plan is utterly hypocritical. Having backed the Zionist regimes barbaric military operation in Gaza to the hiltpolitically, financially and militarilythe White House has attempted to distance itself from the predatory aims of Israels war. While backing the full-scale Israeli invasion of Gaza, the US maintains the fig-leaf that it supports a two-state solution and repeats its calls for the involvement of the conservative Palestinian Authority in the West Bank in any reconstruction of Gaza. While nominally opposing Israeli plans to construct military buffer zones around Gszas borders, the US declares that it might support their temporary establishment. The timing of the announcement of Netanyahus plan is significant, coming as it does on the eve of talks in Paris for a temporary pause or ceasefire in Israels blitzkrieg in Gaza. Its release has the character of a calculated political provocation aimed at poisoning talks before they even get started. Netanyahu has previously dismissed Hamas proposals for a ceasefire as delusional. At the same time, the Israeli bombardment of the city of Rafah, where more than a million Palestinian refugees are clinging precariously to life, is ongoing. The death toll in Gaza continued to rise yesterday to more than 29,400. Al Jazeera reported that more than 100 people were killed over the previous 24 hours, including at least 24 people, mainly women and children, when an Israeli strike hit a home sheltering dozens of displaced Palestinians in Deir el-Balah. That terrible toll is poised to rise dramatically. The fascist Netanyahu regime has delivered an ultimatum declaring that unless all remaining Israeli hostages are released by the beginning of Ramadan, March 10, the military will launch its deadly ground offensive on Rafah to complete its seizure of Gaza. Blairs Volunteer Fire and Rescues response to the massive fire at NorthPointe Apartments in November has earned an award from Gov. Glenn Youngkin. The department, one of several recipients of the 2023 Governors Fire Service Awards, received the Outstanding Fire Department Response Award on Wednesday. Blairs Volunteer Fire and Rescue Chief Dean Fowler was handed the award at the Virginia Fire Chiefs Association Expo and Symposium in Virginia Beach. Youngkin announced the awards Wednesday as part of the expo and symposium. Im extremely proud of the guys, Fowler said of the departments firefighters. They trained hard and worked hard. Fowler added that they used the fire departments equipment in the best way to battle the blaze that occurred in the early morning hours of Nov. 12 and destroyed a dozen apartments at 600 N. Point Lane just outside the Danville city limits. The massive fire triggered whats known as a county-wide call for assistance, with all of Pittsylvania Countys 21 volunteer agencies dispatched. Danville Fire Department also provided mutual aid. More than 100 firefighters from Pittsylvania County responded and some remained on scene for about 12 hours. In addition to the 12 apartments destroyed, another 36 were evacuated during the incident. When firefighters pulled up, they found the entire building engulfed in flames. A dozen residents had to be saved from the structure. One or two jumped from windows. Five people were taken to local hospitals and a few others were treated on scene. By the afternoon, only a mound of charred debris remained of the three-story apartment building. In all, 18 apartments were affected, the Blairs department reported. The 12 apartments in what was known as the 600 building were reduced to nothing more than rubble. Apartments directly adjacent also suffered damage. No one was killed or seriously injured. Without the actions of the dispatchers, the firefighters from Blairs Fire and Rescue, assistance from various members of law enforcement and coordination of treatment and transport of the victims, this incident would have had a much different outcome, a news release from the governors office states. Despite the challenges of low staffing, an inadequate water supply and a fully occupied dwelling that was heavily involved in fire, this incident concluded with no serious injuries or fatalities. The Governors Fire Service Awards, established in 2002, honor excellence in Virginias fire service and are facilitated by the Virginia Department of Fire Programs in collaboration with the Virginia Fire Services Board. It is vital that we acknowledge and appreciate these dedicated individuals who have a deep commitment to serving others, Virginia Department of Fire Programs Executive Director Brad Creasy said in a prepared statement. These remarkable men and women routinely exhibit acts of bravery, often putting their own lives on the line to save others. Pittsylvania County Public Safety Director Chris Key pointed to the bittersweet aspects of the award stemming from a tragic event that displaced residents. Its awesome to receive the award, but then again, its bad to receive the award because of the fire, Key said, adding that he was glad no one was seriously hurt during the incident. In the midst of great tragedy, we are grateful for these fearless heroes who run towards danger to protect and serve their fellow Virginians every day, Youngkin said in a prepared statement, referring to award recipients across the state. Eighty-eight-year-old Kirby Wright just wants everybody to have the same opportunities he had in life. The Danville resident co-founded Negril Inc. with his brother, Robert, in 1999 after working in education for more than 30 years in Pittsylvania County. Located at 2601 N. Main St. in Danville, the corporation serves adults with intellectual disabilities by teaching them life skills. We wanted to do something that could help people that needed extra help, Wright, CEO and owner of Negril, Inc., said during an interview with the Register & Bee on Feb. 16. Negril is named after a town in western Jamaica that Wrights late brother loved to visit. Wright, who worked mostly in administration during his 36-year career in education but also taught evening classes for three years at Danville Community College, provided help for students who needed added assistance during his time with the county school system. He was director of alternative education for Pittsylvania County Schools before joining DCC. Wright also owns and operates W & W Luxury Limousine Service It was his experience working with those needing a hand that led him and his brother to start Negril Inc. We try to help them make adjustment in the community, Wright said. Negrils clients all live in the community, not at the companys facility, he said. We teach them skills that the public schools do not teach. Wright said. We teach them how to be self-sufficient. Some clients live in homes rented and provided by Negril, while others live with their parents, he said. Some of them do not have a home to go back to, he said. We try to provide a home. Negril staff works with clients to help them develop needed skills for independence. We try to teach them cooking skills, how to dress, how to go to the store and buy their own groceries, how to buy clothes, Wright said. All of the things that would be simple for you, they have to be taught these things. They are just as important as anybody else. Negril Inc. provides services to its clients 24 hours a day. They stay with them, Wright said. Negril also provides a day support program that offers structured learning, social and recreational activities. The company has about 65 clients in Danville and Pittsylvania County, and 127 employees. Negril gets its client referrals from Danville-Pittsylvania Community Services. They [prospective clients] have to go through them and they refer them to us, he said. Negril gets funding from the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, as well as Medicaid and private insurance companies. Wright, after graduating from an all-Black high school in segregated Danville, left his hometown to attend Johnson C. Smith University, a historically Black university in Charlotte, North Carolina. There, he earned a bachelors degree in pre-law and went on to obtain a masters degree in education administration from the University of Virginia. He earned a second masters, in social work, at Virginia Commonwealth University. Growing up on Ross Street in the historically African-American Holbrook-Ross neighborhood, he said he encountered quite a bit of racism in Danville. However, you learn to adjust to things, Wright said. He made friends with white kids who lived on his street. We got along well and we were able to play together, Wright said. It worked really well. It depends on where you lived in the city. Wrights daughter, Tammy Wright-Warren, pointed to her fathers and uncles accomplishment in founding Negril. Im very proud of my father and my uncle, who is now deceased, Wright-Warren said. They were not born with silver spoons in their mouths. They built this company from the ground up. Wright-Warren is following in her fathers footsteps in running Negril, where she is chief operating officer. My Dad has built a great legacy and Im trying to fill his shoes, she said. Its a big pair of shoes to fill. Im trying, Im learning. Calling her father a visionary, she also pointed to his other business, W & W Luxury Limousine Service. Founded in 2013, the venture started out with one limo and now has seven buses, three limousines, a limousine bus and three Chevrolet Suburbans, she said. Its nothing that I cant do, Wright said of his varied endeavors. Wrights son-in-law helped found W & W. Wright is one of 13 local Black figures whose images are featured on a wrap-around on one of the city of Danvilles transit buses during Black History Month. It was impressive to me they were thinking enough of me to do that, he said of the decision to include him on the bus wrap. Its very important to me. Employees reportedly experienced nausea, vomiting, and headaches 6abc Sharp Packaging Solutions More than 50 employees at a medical packaging company's facility in Pennsylvania were hospitalized after a chemical smell was reported. Lt. Peter Nickischer of the Upper Macungie Township Police Department said in a press release that 54 Sharp Packaging Solutions employees were transported to local hospitals for evaluations following reports of a "chemical odor" on Friday. Never miss a story sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Nickischer said that the townships fire department, EMS and police department were dispatched to 7451 Keebler Way in Allentown, Penn., at about 12:02 p.m. local time. When first responders arrived, they observed several employees who were experiencing "nausea, vomiting and headaches." An investigation was performed by fire personnel and Lehigh County Special Operations, and no abnormal readings were indicated. At this time, there has been no determination as to the cause of the odor, the release added. The facility has 154 employees. Getty chemical spill -- stock image A spokesperson told local NBC affiliate 10 Philadelphia that over 20 employees were sent to Lehigh Valley HospitalCedar Crest, while another 10 were sent to Lehigh Valley Hospital Muhlenberg. Although not everyone employed at Sharp Packaging Solutions who was present on Friday reported feeling ill, many were still checked out of an abundance of caution. No serious injuries have been reported, and other minor symptoms observed included sore throats. Related: Texas High School Says Odor That Led to Hospitalizations and Canceled Classes Was Caused by 'Stink Spray' St. Luke's Hospitals Allentown Campus treated another 22 employees, the hospital told local news outlet WFMZ. They are in stable condition and will be discharged, the hospital told the outlet. Sharp Packaging Solutions also issued a statement to WFMZ. "We are deeply grateful for the swift and thorough response from local emergency services, and we are currently working closely with local officials to investigate the source of the odor in Building 01 of our Allentown campus," the statement read. The buildings production floor was shut down and evacuated, and we understand those staff who experienced symptoms are recovering at area hospitals or at home," the statement continued. "At this time, Sharps Environment Health and Safety leaders and facility management are coordinating with local officials to investigate and address the source of the odor. The Special Operations Team from the County of Lehigh Emergency Management Agency conducted an extensive hazardous materials evaluation of the impact area and found no evidence of any hazardous chemicals or odors. We will remain in contact with local officials and keep our employees informed when we have more to share." For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on People. Kathy Brandel and Ralph Hendry were sailing in Grenada when they went missing last week. Police allege three local prison escapees may be responsible for their disappearance Jessica Mause/GoFundMe Kathy Brandel and Ralph Hendry have been missing since last week. Police say they may have been murdered by three prisoners who escaped their custody. A sailing captain was paddle-boarding along the Saint Vincent shore when he noticed a ransacked yacht with a broken sail. Concerned, he boarded the abandoned SV Simplicity. Its deck was covered in blood. Then the captain found two American passports belonging to Kathy Brandel and Ralph Hendry. The captain took photographs of the yacht, sending them to an email address he found in a note onboard. The ship inside is very messy, he wrote in the email to Salty Dawg Sailing Association. Can you contact them? But Association President Bob Osborn says he could not reach the couple, who had lived aboard the yacht for a decade and who had last been spotted Feb. 18 docked in St. George, Grenada, about 80 miles from where the yacht was later found. Courtesy of Robert Osborn The couple's SV Simplicity was found abandoned last week with an unrolled and broken bow sail. Speaking by phone Thursday as they prepared to leave for the Caribbean in search of their parents, Nick Buro and Bryan Hendry tell PEOPLE that they last heard from the couple Feb. 18, noting that the lack of contact is unusual. The SV Simplicity was reported as an unoccupied sailing vessel, with visible blood stains on deck to the Coast Guard Service at 11:15 a.m. Feb. 21, per an internal memorandum obtained by PEOPLE between Commanding Officer Deon Henry and Police Commissioner Enville Williams. Courtesy Nick Buro and Bryan Hendry Kathy Brandel and Ralph Hendry The entire interior of the vessel and its decks were ransacked, the commanding officer wrote, naming the missing couple. The following day, the police commissioner forwarded the memorandum to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, noting: It is imperative that the families are promptly and compassionately informed of the incident. Automatic Identification System data, collected by the U.S. Coast Guard, shows SV Simplicity leaving a Grenada harbor around 10 p.m. Feb. 18 and arriving in Saint Vincent around noon the next day. Royal Grenada Police Force Police have linked Ron Mitchell, Trevor Robertson and Atiba Stanislaus to the possible murders of the couple. The Royal Grenada Police Force links the couple's disappearance to the escape of three prisoners from their nearby holding cell Feb. 18, per a press release Thursday, alleging the men may have killed the couple. Preliminary information emanating from investigators in St. Vincent suggests that the three men made their way to St. Vincent via a yacht which was docked in the St. George area, police said in the release, which did not name the couple, but added that the two Americans "may have been killed in the process. Police identified the Grenadian prisoners as Trevon Robertson, 19, Abita Stanislaus, 25, and sailor Ron Mitchell, 30. They were previously arrested in December, charged jointly in a violent robbery case, per police. Royal Grenada Police Force Ron Mitchell Mitchel was additionally charged with one count of rape, three counts of attempted rape, two counts of indecent assault, and causing harm. Police re-apprehended the prisoners Feb. 21. Video of one arrest, published by local media, includes shouts of Gun! Gun! Gun! and an escapee in his underwear, blood streaming down his legs as an official rounds him into the back of a pick-up truck. Jessica Mause/GoFundMe Ralph Hendry and Kathy Brandel A source close to the investigation tells PEOPLE that two of the men have confessed to killing the couple. The third hospitalized for a gunshot wound to the leg had not been interviewed as of Friday. The men have not been formally charged in the case. Courtesy Nick Buro and Bryan Hendry SV Simplicity in a photograph before the yacht was ransacked. Will Knoll, a longtime friend of the Alexandria, Va., couple, remembers Kathy, a retired real estate agent who would have turned 71 Wednesday, and Ralph, a financial advisor, as a loving, Christian couple who were happily married over two decades. Knoll who had been sailing with them in December says he is frustrated that more is not being done to locate them. Where are the U.S. citizens and what is being done to find them? he asks. There are still a lot of unanswered questions. For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on People. Disclaimer: This article contains mentions of murder and substance abuse. Reader discretion is advised. CBS 48 Hours looks into the case against Utah childrens book author Kouri Richins, who is now facing charges for the murder of her husband, Eric Richins. The upcoming episode titled The People v. Kouri Richins will air on the network this Saturday, February 24, 2024, at 10 p.m. ET. A synopsis says, When her husband is found dead of an apparent overdose, Kouri Richins writes a childrens book about grief. Soon after shes charged with his murder. 48 Hours contributor Natalie Morales reports. Kouri, a Utah real estate agent, wrote a childrens book to cope with the grief of losing after Eric Richins death in 2022. She is now facing first-degree aggravated murder and other charges related to Erics death. People Magazine stated that she remains accused of killing Eric by lacing his cocktail with lethal amounts of fentanyl. The outlet reported that after Erics March 2022 death, Kouri told investigators that she made him a bedtime cocktail. A medical examiner confirmed that the victim had five times the lethal amount of illicit fentanyl in his system when he died. The accused is also facing witness tampering allegations while she remains in custody, reported CNN. What happened to Kouri Richins husband, Eric Richins? According to NBC News, on March 4, 2022, Eric Richins died after he was found unresponsive in the bedroom of their Kamas home. The incident occurred after the 39-year-old had a drink to celebrate his wifes business deal. The medical examiner later claimed that he had five times the lethal dosage of fentanyl in his system. The examiner said that the fentanyl was illicit and not medical grade and believed that the victim ingested the drugs orally. Kouri Richins told authorities that she and Eric were celebrating after she closed on a home for her business. Kouri claimed she made her husband a Moscow mule in the kitchen and brought it to their bedroom. The latter drank it while sitting in bed, and she then fell asleep in one of her childrens rooms. The mother claimed that she woke up, went to the room, and found Eric cold to the touch. The Guardian reported that before his death, Eric Richins had told friends and family he believed Kouri was trying to poison him. Weeks before his strange demise, Eric became violently ill after having dinner with Kouri on Valentines Day. He reportedly broke out in hives and had trouble breathing until he used his sons EpiPen and took Benadryl. Court records state that Kouri Richins allegedly bought $900 worth of fentanyl pills before this dinner. She later bought $900 more in pills before Erics death. Prosecutors have alleged that Eric Richins murder was possibly financially motivated, per The New York Post. The couple was allegedly having financial disagreements over Kouri Richins wishes to buy a $2 million under-construction mansion back then. They alleged that she wanted to flip the mansion and sell it for a profit. However, the victim thought it was too expensive. Moreover, Kouri had purchased four different life insurance policies for her husband, totaling more than $1.9 million between 2015 and 2017. Investigators learned that in January 2022, Kouri tried to change Erics life insurance policy with his business partner, Cody Wright. She unsuccessfully tried to list herself as the beneficiary by removing Wright. Eric then replaced his sister with Kouri from his will. CBS News stated that family members suggested the victim was seeking to divorce Kouri. CBS further reported that an unnamed informant claimed she dealt Kouri Richins hydrocodone and fentanyl. This occurred in the weeks and months before her husbands death. Kouri reportedly told the dealer that the drugs were for an investors back pain. The dealer alleged that Richins purchased the hydrocodone before Valentines Day when she tried to poison Eric, but he survived. Following the failed attempt, Kouri requested stronger drugs. On March 5, 2023, a year after Erics death, Kouri published a book titled Are You With Me?, reported The Guardian. According to the books description, she wrote it to create peace and comfort for children who have lost a loved one. As reported by NBC News, authorities eventually arrested Kouri on charges of aggravated murder and possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute. She is currently awaiting trial. CBS 48 Hours episode on Kouri Richins case will premiere on February 24, 2024. The post CBS 48 Hours: What Was Utah Childrens Book Author Kouri Richins Accused Of? appeared first on ComingSoon.net - Movie Trailers, TV & Streaming News, and More. The 49th Cesar Awards, Frances top film honors, have been handed out in Paris, with Justine Triets Oscar contender Anatomy of a Fall emerging as the big winner. The French courtroom drama which is competing at the Oscars in five categories earned the best film prize, best actress for Sandra Huller, best director for Triet, best original screenplay shared between Triet and co-writer Arthur Harari, and Swann Arlaud took home the best supporting actor trophy. More from The Hollywood Reporter Huller won in the best actress category over Oscar winner Marion Cotillard, nominated for Little Girl Blue; Lea Drucker, up for Last Summer; Hafsia Herzi, nominated for The Rapture; and Belgian actress Virginie Efira, nominated for her work in Just the Two of Us. The other big winner on the night was The Animal Kingdom, French director Thomas Cailleys follow-up to 2014s Love at First Fight. Cailley picked up the best cinematography trophy and a slew of wins in craft categories like best sound, original score, costumes and special effects. Coming into Friday nights awards show, Triets Palme dOr-winning Anatomy of a Fall and The Animal Kingdom led the field for the 2024 Cesar Awards. Anatomy of a Fall picked up 11 Cesar noms and The Animal Kingdom which bowed in Cannes and portrays people literally turning into animals because of mutations grabbed 12 nods. Both were nominated in the best film and best director categories. In other acting categories, Arieh Worthalter won best actor for his starring role in Cedric Kahns courtroom drama The Goldman Case, and Adele Exarchopoulos won for best supporting actress for her star turn in All Your Faces. Oppenheimer director Christopher Nolan received an honorary Cesar for lifetime achievement at this years ceremony in Paris after being introduced during the gala ceremony by Cotillard. Its always a thrill to open a film here. I have always really liked the French audiences and this love of cinema that you have has always had an impact on me, Nolan told the Cesar ceremony when accepting his honor onstage. The other honorary Cesar on the night went to French actress, screenwriter and director Agnes Jaoui. Oppenheimer which dominated at the BAFTA Awards with seven trophies, including best film lost out in the best foreign film category to the Canada-France co-production The Nature of Love by director Monia Chokri. Chokri was surprised her Quebec-set drama won over Oppenheimer, and in typical Canadian fashion apologized to Nolan while accepting the trophy. The emotional highpoint at the Cesars this year was Judith Godreche, an actress who has accused two French directors of assaulting her as a teenager, courageously addressing the French film industry and urging her peers to tackle the issue of sexual violence. Lets have the courage to say out loud what we know deep down. Lets not embody heroines onscreen, only to find ourselves hiding in the woods in real life; lets not embody revolutionary or humanist heroes, only to wake up in the morning knowing that a director has abused a young actress, and say nothing, Godreche told the respectfully silent Cesar audience during a six-minute address preceded by a standing ovation as she came on stage. A complete list of winners follows: Best Film Anatomy of a Fall Best Director Justine Triet, Anatomy of a Fall Best Actress Sandra Huller for Anatomy of a Fall Best Actor Arieh Worthalter for The Goldman Case Best Supporting Actress Adele Exarchopoulos for All Your Faces Best Supporting Actor Swann Arlaud for Anatomy of a Fall Best Newcomer Actress Ella Rumpf for Marguerites Theorem Best Newcomer Actor Raphael Quenard for Junkyard Dog Best Original Screenplay Justine Triet, Arthur Harari for Anatomy of a Fall Best Adapted Screenplay Valerie Donzelli, Audrey Diwan for Love and the Forests Best Original Score Andrea Laszlo de Simone for Animal Kingdom Best Sound Fabrice Osinkski, Raphael Sohier, Matthieu Fichet, Niels Barletta for Animal Kingdom Best Cinematography Davio Cailley for Animal Kingdom Best Editing Laurent Senechal for Anatomy of a Fall Best Costume Design Ariane Daurat for Animal Kingdom Best Production Design Stephane Taillasson for The Three Musketeers (Part 1: DArtagnan / Part 2: Milady) Best Visual Effects Cyrille Bonjean, Bruno Sommier, Jean-Louis Autret for Animal Kingdom Best Short Film LAttente directed by Alice Douard, produced by Marie Boitard, Alice Douaro Best Animated Feature Chicken for Linda! directed by Chiara Malta, Sebastien Laudenbach, produced by Marc Irmer, Emmanuel-Alain Raynal, Pierre Baussaron Best Animated Short: Summer 96, directed by Mathilde Bedouet Best Documentary Four Daughters directed by Kaouther Ben Hania, produced by Nadim Cheikhrouha Best Documentary Short Film Fluid Mechanics, directed by Gala Hernandez Lopez Best First Feature Junkyard Dog directed by Jean-Baptiste Ourand, produced by Anais Bertrand Best Foreign Film The Nature of Love directed by Monia Chokri Best of The Hollywood Reporter Arend and his wife Anneesa Feenstra relocated their family from Canada to Russia to escape perceived LGBT ideology encroachment. However, their dream soured when their bank accounts were reportedly frozen upon arrival. Anneesa vented frustration in a deleted YouTube video, while Arend later apologized and clarified their commitment to Russia. Conservative Family Who Moved To Russia Says They Are 'Disappointed' In The Country View this post on Instagram A post shared by Countryside Acres (@countrysideacres) The conservative Christian couple from Canada made the bold move to relocate their large family of 10 to Russia to escape LGBT ideology. However, their hopes of starting anew quickly turned into a nightmare upon arrival in Russia as their bank accounts, filled with the proceeds from selling their rural Canadian farm, were unexpectedly frozen due to "suspicious" activity, leaving them stranded and helpless in a country where they couldn't speak the language. Anneesa's frustration boiled over, leading to a regrettable outburst against their new home, which only worsened their situation when Kremlin officials took offense. In a since-deleted YouTube video, the mom of eight said she was "very disappointed in this country at this point." She added, per Daily Mail: "I'm ready to jump on a plane and get out of here. We've hit the first snag where you have to engage logic in this country, and it's very, very frustrating." However, in a subsequent update, Arend issued an apology, acknowledging that their "thoughts aren't always conveyed properly." He added that their funds had been unfrozen, and despite the challenges, they remain committed to building a new life in Russia "for the long haul." In the clip, he emphasized that Anneesa's frustrations were not directed at Russia as a whole. However, Anneesa's tearful display in an earlier video has raised doubts about their true feelings towards their decision to relocate. The Conservative Family Moved To Russia Because Of Their Stringent Anti-LGBTQ Laws Addressing the press during their relocation to Russia, Arend cited concerns about Canada not being the same country it used to be as a motivating factor for their move. He explained: "'We didn't feel safe with our children there and for the future. There's a lot of left-wing ideology, LGBTQ, trans, just a lot of things that we don't agree with they teach there now." The former beet farmer also shared that economic prospects in farming also played a role in their decision as Russia has "better farming opportunities." Arend also highlighted the former Soviet Union's perceived "strength" to "stand up against Western pressures" and its ability to shield their family from ideologies they found objectionable. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Countryside Acres (@countrysideacres) "Other countries are under the Western influence and wouldn't be able to stand up against it," he claimed. In earlier recordings, Arend voiced his "disgust" over the prevalence of "homosexual flags everywhere" in their neighborhood, expressing discomfort with what he perceived as the celebration and glorification of such values. This sentiment played a role in the family's decision to relocate to Russia amid the backdrop of the country's stringent anti-LGBT laws enacted two years prior. These laws effectively banned any public display of support for the LGBTQ community. The Family Is Struggling With The Language Barrier In The Country View this post on Instagram A post shared by Countryside Acres (@countrysideacres) Before their move, the family sought reassurances from Russian authorities regarding assistance with their transition to their new environment. Unfortunately, the family hit their second setback when they tried to unfreeze their money. In a YouTube clip, Arend expressed his frustration, noting the challenge of navigating the situation without English-speaking assistance in Russia. "As much as banks have been very frustrating in Canada for me, I know that I can sit at a desk across from someone and explain it. And that's the frustrating part," he lamented. Anneesa also shared her experience with the language barrier, adding: "We were naive on that. I needed to use the washroom, and on the doors said male and female, but I didn't know which was which!" "In America, that wouldn't be a problem; it's a free-for-all in the bathrooms, but now, in our world, it matters!" her husband chimed in. The Family Has Branded Russia As The 'Land Of Opportunity' View this post on Instagram A post shared by Countryside Acres (@countrysideacres) As media attention swirled around the Feenstra family's relocation to Russia, Arend addressed the coverage with skepticism, cautioning his followers that "Western media for the most part is very biased, corrupt probably." "Lots of lies, lots of nonsense being spread around the West about us," he added. Despite criticism, he asserted: "We are perfectly happy here, we're not planning on leaving here, we're not stuck here, we're not hostages." Encouraging others to consider a similar move, Arend touted Russia's perceived openness to welcoming American families, "especially large families, Christian farming families, conservative people." "There's tons of land and opportunity here," he added. Arend also defended their portrayal of Russia as a country with a free press, prompting challenges from viewers to critique Russian leadership and ongoing conflicts. Arend remained steadfast in his conviction despite any detractors, expressing contentment with their new life. "I just want to farm," he said. "I just want to farm and raise my kids in what I believe is a free country." Georgi Andinov / Feeld A few years ago, as we sipped overpriced glasses of tempranillo at a Brooklyn bar constructed to look like an abandoned cabin, a friend told me that after a recent, harrowing breakup, she had decided to dip her toes back into the dating pool. However, she was no longer interested in the kind of monogamy that could tear your life into two devastated halves. Instead, she had found intimacy, understanding, and excellent sex on an app called Feeld. In some ways, Feeld could be placed in the same category as the cascade of dating apps that have emerged to serve various romantic and sexual needs over the past decade: Hinge, Grindr, The League, Raya. The list, as anyone who has spent a Friday night swiping and agonizing over their about me bio knows, goes on. But most of these apps reinscribe dating norms that existed long before the internet. Hinge, the app meant to be deleted, targets singles in their 20s and 30s seeking long term (usually monogamous) commitment. Grindr replicates the hook-up culture that has long been a centerpiece of urban gay life. The League and Raya are predicated on the uncomfortable fact that dating is often an outgrowth of capitalismrife with hierarchies rooted in wealth, access, and fame. In contrast, by embracing concepts first put forth in books like 1997s The Ethical Slut, Feeld has grown alongsideand contributed toa widespread rethinking of relationships, sexuality, and identity. When users log onto the app, they are offered a huge menu of identifications to choose from. While most apps only offer labels like queer, heterosexual, or bi, Feeld offers androgynosexual, bi-curious, gynesexual, and many, many more. That also includes numerous ways to label the type of relationships you're open to, from various threesome arrangements to simply watching. While non-traditional relationship dynamics and underground sexual cultures have always thrivedparticularly within queer communities, which have long been forged in steamy bath houses, sticky dive bars, and overcrowded apartment partiesFeeld was founded on the simple idea that such spaces and set-ups should be less stigmatized and easier to access. That ultimately led to another proposition: that a dating app can do more than connect us with other people; it can help us connect with our own pleasure, agency, and even power. The Dos and Donts of Polyamorous Relationships You dont need to rush into polyamorous dating to do it right. Sara Youngblood Gregory, author of *The Polyamory Workbook*, tells us how to be intentional about ethical non-monogamy. This belief came from personal experience. Feelds current CEO, Ana Kirova, met her partner Dimo Trifonov, the companys founder, at a party when she was 21. The couple fell for each other, but a few months later, Kirova began to have equally-powerful romantic feelings for a woman, she recalls. Kirova was scared that the crush would spell disaster for her relationship with Trifonov and decided not to tell him. Soon, though, the feelings became too overwhelming to bear. In a letter she never planned to send, Kirova laid out her feelings, including how conflicted she felt about falling in love with two people at the same time. It was a burst of internal honesty that would go on to transform their relationship in more ways than she could have predicted. Eventually, she decided to tell Trifonov, who shared that he, too, had often felt conflicted about romantic norms like monogamy. They had both grown up in Bulgaria at a time when conservative notions of sex and relationships prevailed. Trifonov agreed that those expectations felt limiting to bring into their relationship. Before long, they were exploring their sexuality, both as a couple and apart. But the duo, who were living in London at the time, struggled to find acceptance in other areas of their life, including online. No other apps allowed them to date as a couple, leading Trifonov to create 3nder in 2014, which rebranded as Feeld in 2016. At the time, he had been working on another app called Pokke, which allowed like-minded people to meet when they first arrived in new cities. (Today, Feeld remains most downloaded in major urban areas like New York City and Berlin). Kirova has been involved in the app since those early days. She officially joined the company in 2016 and has since been involved in almost every capacity, from operations to product development. In a market as saturated as dating apps, she has helped Feeld transition from an app known for facilitating threesomes into something larger a space where people searching for connection beyond heterosexuality and monogamy might find each other, and perhaps even learn something new about themselves in the process. Under Kirovas leadership, Feeld launched a rebrand late last year that frames the app primarily as a tool for self discovery through exploration and connection. In addition to backend engineering changes, this included a number of splashy design and marketing updates, from partnering with the actress Tommy Dorfman on a new brand voiceover to expanded in-person Feeld socials. One event even included the Real Housewives of New York breakout star Brynn Whitfield, who may or may not be in love with Jenna Lyons. When we speak on a cloudy day in late January, Kirova says that this commitment to transformationboth on the app and in real lifeis what animates her work. There isnt an endgame. There isnt a destination, she says. Instead, her goal is to create a platform where people can experience their own multiplicities without judgment or fear. In some ways, she wants Feeld to mirror her own experience of sexual liberation. Kirova, 31, says that as a child growing up in Bulgaria, queerness was not something you talked about. Later, when she watched the British television show Skins, a portal opened. It just blew my mind, she says. There was a total lust for life, that allowed her to understand her sexuality as a force that could break social taboos and empower her to explore the world in radical new ways. Inside Tommy Dorfmans Endless Series of First Times With her new podcast, *My First Time*, actress and Club Curran-founder Tommy Dorfman is creating space for her community to open up about their most vulnerable moments. Kirova is the one of a few queer woman to lead a major dating app, and her personal sensitivity and vision is inextricably bound to Feelds development. (The CEOs of Hinge, Grindr, and The League are all cisgender men, which is perhaps one explanation for the often-abysmal experience for many queer and trans people on The Apps). Shes part of a handful of post-Girl Boss era queer tech Presidents and CEOs, including the astrologer Chani Nicholas, who insist that deep responsiveness to your community is not only morally rightits good business. In one instance, Kirova says she read a note from a trans Feeld user who said she didnt feel like her identities were fully reflected on the app. Kirova says the letter is what inspired her to expand the apps menu of descriptions for gender and sexuality. They also added the ability for users to change these descriptors as often as they want to. This investment in the queer community also has a practical dimension. According to a 2023 Pew Research study, LGBTQ Americans are twice as likely to use a dating app as their straight peers, likely because of the hostility they may experience in traditional dating environments, like bars. By creating a space intended to make people feel seen in the fullness of their identities, Feeld is attracting a plethora of new users, Kirova says. According to the company, trans membership has grown by 70% in the past year alone. More people than ever seem to be experimenting with romantic formulations outside of monogamy, partly because of a burst of media attention everywhere from Netflixs Sense8 to HGTVs House Hunters. (Kirova says one of Feelds fastest growing audiences is women between the ages of 50 and 60, for instance). With divorce rates in the United States hovering at 50%, it seems we are all looking for new ways to experience partnership. Although only so much personal liberation can be found on an app, Kirova hopes Feeld can jumpstart that journey for people. The process of creating the app has certainly done that for her. The only thing thats constant is change, she says. I want to give people the space to be themselves, even if that changes overnight. Get the best of whats queer. Sign up for Thems weekly newsletter here. Originally Appeared on them. Donald Trumps niece, Mary Trump, detailed how the former presidents financial woes are finally taking a toll on him following his latest fine of $355 million for fraudulently inflating the values of some of his real-estate properties. Mary made her remarks during an appearance on The Last Word with Lawrence ODonnell on Thursday, where she expressed that the key to putting an end to her uncles political reign is to break his bank. Anybody whos from New York, who has been paying any attention for the last many decades, knows what makes him tick, she said. Whats so fascinating about this latest chapter in his life, is that hes finally reached the end of the road. She went on to explain that Donalds longstanding leadership of the Trump family empire was merely rooted in him being a smooth-talking media personality rather than actually being a skilled businessman. Mary continued, When he was taking over from my grandfather or when he was my grandfathers successor, and the one who was going to fill my grandfathers ambitions, he didnt need skill He just needed the skill as the arrogant, self-confident, brash guy who played well on television. The family real-estate business was started by Frederick Trump, who purchased land in New York City during the 1900s. It was eventually taken over by Donalds father and later Donald himself. Mary shared that his connection to that old money has officially dried up. .@MaryLTrump to @Lawrence on former President Trump: There's nobody else left to hand Donald a blank check anymore, and that's what keeps him up at night. He's terrified of having the truth about him being known not just to other people, but to himself. Watch @TheLastWord. pic.twitter.com/8MknWLrV23 MSNBC Public Relations (@MSNBCPR) February 23, 2024 My grandfather always had hundreds of millions of dollars to prop him up. We know that when after my grandfather died, Donald sold the Empire lock, stock and barrel at a loss of approximately $300 million, Mary said. Attorney General [Letitia] James knows better than anybody else, that theres nobody else left to hand Donald a blank check anymore, and thats what keeps him up at night because hes terrified of having the truth about him being known. On Feb. 16, Judge Arthur Engoron ordered Donald to pay $355 million, plus interest, for lying about the value of some of Trump Organizations real-estate properties in an effort to obtain loans. The hundreds of millions of fines add to the $83 million judgement issued to Donald for defaming journalist E. Jean Carroll after she went public with her sexual abuse allegations against him. He now has a debt log of roughly $438 million. The post Mary Trump Says Donald Has Finally Reached the End of the Road With $355 Million Ruling: Hes Terrified | Video appeared first on TheWrap. To Kill a Tiger, which has been nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, has been acquired by Netflix, which will launch the film worldwide. Priyanka Chopra Jonas has also joined the project from director Nisha Pahuja as an executive producer. The feature film tells the story of a 13-year-old survivor of sexual assault. The movie explores masculinity in India as a father, Ranjit, struggles to get justice for his daughter through his nations legal system. Conviction rates for rape in India are below 30% and Ranjits support for his daughter is unusual in the society. Chopra Jonas has been an advocate for the film since it debuted at the Toronto Film Festival in 2022, according to a statement announcing her coming on to the project. The documentary is set in the same Indian state that Chopra Jonas was born in. Pahuja was previously Emmy-nominated for her 2014 documentary The World Before Her. This is her first Oscar nomination. The movie was released theatrically, following its festival circuit run, on Oct. 20, 2023. It was also rereleased following its Oscar nomination on Feb. 9. India is not a culture that is founded on [serving] the individual. Its a culture thats very much based in community, family, Pahuja previously told TheWrap Magazine. So thats why it was considered a viable option, to maintain the harmony and the peace, to marry her to one of her rapists. Im not saying thats an attitude thats prevalent in [all of] India. But in that particular community, that was the solution. The films executive producers also include Dev Patel, Mindy Kaling, Rupi Kaur, Andy Cohen, Anita Lee, Atul Gawande, Andrew Dragoumis, Shivani Rawat, Mona Sinha (Equality Now), Mala Gaonkar (Surgo Foundation), Regina Scully, Anita Bhatia, Niraj Bhatia, Deepa Mehta and others. To Kill a Tiger is a Notice Pictures Production in co-production with The National Film Board of Canada, with the participation of Telefilm Canada and the Rogers Group of Funds through the Theatrical Documentary Program. The post Netflix Acquires Oscar-Nominated Doc To Kill a Tiger appeared first on TheWrap. Tammy Sytch is now serving out her sentence in a womens prison. Sytch was sentenced to more than 17 years in prison for her role in the car crash that killed 75-year-old Julian Lafrancis Lasseter in March 2022. Sytch was sentenced to 10.6 years in prison for driving with a suspended license causing death, and another seven years for DUI manslaughter. The judge ruled that the DUI manslaughter sentence will be served following the first sentence. Tammy Sytch had been locked up at the Florida Womens Reception Center in Ocala. According to Florida Department of Corrections records, Sytch has been transferred to the nearby Lowell Correctional Institution womens prison. Sytchs current release date from prison is listed as being on December 22, 2039. Check out her new mugshot below: The post Tammy Sytch (Sunny) Transferred To Womens Prison, Updated Mugshot Released appeared first on Wrestlezone. Williams' care team announced her diagnosis on Thursday, saying that the former talk show host was diagnosed last year and the disease has "already presented significant hurdles in Wendy's life" Lars Niki/Getty Wendy Williams attends the 2019 NYWIFT Muse Awards on December 10, 2019 in New York City. Wendy Williams is publicly addressing her primary progressive aphasia and frontotemporal dementia diagnosis for the first time. In a statement exclusively obtained by PEOPLE on Friday, Williams, 59, thanked fans for their "overwhelming" support in the hours following the news. "I want to say I have immense gratitude for the love and kind words I have received after sharing my diagnosis of Aphasia and Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD)," she said. "Let me say, wow! Your response has been overwhelming. The messages shared with me have touched me, reminding me of the power of unity and the need for compassion." "I hope that others with FTD may benefit from my story. I want to also thank the Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration for their kind words of support and their extraordinary efforts to raise awareness of FTD," Williams added. "I continue to need personal space and peace to thrive. Please just know that your positivity and encouragement are deeply appreciated." Santiago Felipe/Getty Wendy Williams visits SiriusXM Studios on September 6, 2018 in New York City. Related: Wendy Williams, 59, Diagnosed with Aphasia and Frontotemporal Dementia, per Her Medical Team Williams' care team announced her dementia diagnosis on Thursday. In a press release, the former talk show host's team said she received her diagnosis last year and the conditions have already presented significant hurdles in Wendy's life. Wendy is still able to do many things for herself, the team said in a statement. Most importantly she maintains her trademark sense of humor and is receiving the care she requires to make sure she is protected and that her needs are addressed. She is appreciative of the many kind thoughts and good wishes being sent her way. According to Mayo Clinic, aphasia "robs you of the ability to communicate" and "can affect your ability to speak, write and understand language, both verbal and written." The group adds that the condition "typically occurs suddenly after a stroke or a head injury. But it can also come on gradually from a slow-growing brain tumor or a disease that causes progressive, permanent damage (degenerative)." Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is an all-encompassing term for a group of brain disorders that threatens the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain. This means that parts of these lobes atrophy, and the shrinking of these areas can cause speech issues, emotional problems and changes in personality. Other symptoms can include loss of motor skills problems walking, swallowing or muscle spasms. Symptoms tend to get worse over time. Patients typically begin to notice symptoms between 40 - 65 years of age, but it can affect people who are younger. It is the most common form of dementia for people under 60. Calvin Gayle Wendy Williams in 2022 Related: Wendy Williams' Family Break Their Silence on Her 'Shocking and Heartbreaking' Struggles Over the Past 3 Years (Exclusive) Williams has dealt with a number of ongoing health issues, including Graves' disease, lymphedema and alcohol abuse. She entered a facility to treat "cognitive issues" in April 2023 and has been appointed a court-appointed legal guardian. Her sister Wanda Finnie and niece Alex Finnie told PEOPLE in this week's cover story that they have seen a positive change in her condition, though they were unaware of her FTD diagnosis due to the limited contact they have with Williams in the facility. (While staying at the undisclosed location, Williams family say they've been unable to contact her due to the guardian's rules, which require Williams to reach out first from a blocked phone number.) "She sounds really great. To hear my aunt now in terms of just how clear she is, just how focused she is on the importance of family and the reality in terms of facing and understanding where she's at physically and mentally and emotionally, it is like a 180," Alex said. "I don't know what is working, but I do know that when she did reach out to me, it was a person who is remarkably different than what we see in that documentary," Wanda added, referring to Where Is Wendy Williams?, Lifetime's new documentary filmed between August 2022 and April 2023. Wendy Williams PEOPLE cover Related: Wendy Williams Struggled with Alcohol During Her Show: 'She Would Be Drunk on Air,' Says Source (Exclusive) The documentary was set to premiere on Saturday, but following the news of her dementia diagnosis, Williams' court-appointed guardian filed a lawsuit seeking to halt its release. That effort was denied by an appeals court Friday afternoon, after which the network confirmed in a statement to PEOPLE that they plan to move forward with the debut of the documentary. Lifetime appeared in court today, and the documentary Where Is Wendy Williams? will air this weekend as planned," the network said. Never miss a story sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Where Is Wendy Williams? executive producer Mark Ford previously confirmed to PEOPLE that the guardian initially signed off on the production of the series (on which Williams is also listed as an executive producer). The docuseries' trailer teased a look inside Williams life and health off screen. Many scenes showed her family members confronting Williams over alcohol use. For Williams, the documentary is a way to share her honest narrative, according to Alex. She said, now is the perfect time because I want to take ownership of my story, Alex said on Thursdays episode of Good Morning America. For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on People. 'Wendy Williams Show' producer Suzanne Bass tells PEOPLE it seems "impossible" for Williams to return to the air following her primary progressive aphasia and frontotemporal dementia diagnosis Roy Rochlin/WireImage Wendy Williams is pictured attending Apple TV+'s 'The Morning Show' world premiere at David Geffen Hall on October 28, 2019 in New York City. The Wendy Williams Show former co-executive producer Suzanne Bass has a somber outlook on Wendy Williams' ability to return to television. After the former talk show hosts medical team announced she was diagnosed with her primary progressive aphasia and frontotemporal dementia on Thursday, Bass tells PEOPLE that it seems unlikely that Williams will be able to be back on the small screen. "Since Wendy's been off the air, there's been a huge void in both daytime TV and pop culture, she says. I think there's always been a glimmer of hope for a comeback for her, but since this diagnosis, that seems impossible. It makes me very sad." "I do know it takes time to diagnose conditions like this, she adds. I'm saddened by it all. Because people are constantly saying, Wouldn't it be great if Wendy makes a comeback? Related: Wendy Williams Family Members Say They Werent Told of Her New Dementia Diagnosis (Exclusive) Most of all, she says, I'm more sad about her health, not that she can't make a comeback. To have this sort of diagnosis, there's some finality to it. Bass recalls the possible early signs of Williams struggles when she worked on her talk show, which ran for 13 seasons from 2008 to 2022. You can go back and see the show, and there's really long periods of quietness where she's not speaking, she says. And you're thinking What's happening? There were early signs [of something wrong] where you're grasping for words, having a hard time collecting your thoughts and remembering things. Maybe that's what was happening back then. Fox Wendy Williams on "The Wendy Williams Show" Related: Wendy Williams' Niece Talks About the 'Wall' of Communication Between Them, Causing Months of Radio Silence Bass says she has only spoken with Williams a few times since the television personalitys exit from the talk show in 2022. After Williams struggled to remember things during their calls, Bass couldn't help but think of her own mother, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. The last few times I spoke with Wendy, I remember thinking that she reminded me of my mom," she shares. My mom has Alzheimer's," she explains. "Dementia is a form of it in her case. I just remember calling my brother and saying, Oh my God. I just talked to Wendy. She reminds me of Mom. Related: Inside Wendy Williams' Family's Fight to Free Her from Her Guardianship: 'This System Is Broken' (Exclusive) On Thursday, Williams medical team announced her primary progressive aphasia and frontotemporal dementia diagnosis in a press release. The two conditions are the same variations that Bruce Willis has previously been diagnosed with. Wendy is still able to do many things for herself, the team said in a statement. Most importantly she maintains her trademark sense of humor and is receiving the care she requires to make sure she is protected and that her needs are addressed. She is appreciative of the many kind thoughts and good wishes being sent her way. Never miss a story sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Where Is Wendy Williams? premieres Saturday at 8 p.m. and concludes at the same time the next day on Lifetime. For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on People. Two years ago, President Joe Biden pledged unwavering U.S. support for Ukraine as Russia fired off the first missiles in its brutal invasion. "In the contest between democracy and autocracy, between sovereignty and subjugation, make no mistake: Freedom will prevail," Biden said from the White House as he announced sanctions against Russia, the deployment of additional U.S. troops to Germany and humanitarian relief for Ukraine. Since then, he has said Ukraine would have American backing "as long as it takes." But now, as the conflict enters its third year, additional aid to Ukraine is trapped in a political fight in Washington and public support for assisting Kyiv in the war appears to be waning. MORE: Russia-Ukraine war: Key events in 2nd year of Russia's invasion of Ukraine PHOTO: A woman looks at a photo of her son Tymofii Boyko, a Ukrainian soldier who was killed fighting Russian troops, on the 'Wall of Remembrance of the Fallen for Ukraine' in downtown Kyiv, on February 23, 2024. (Roman Pilipey/AFP via Getty Images) Some 5,000 miles away, Vladimir Putin's forces are making gains as the Ukraine's military struggles with diminishing weapon stockpiles. "I think Putin feels extraordinarily confident heading into the third year of the war in Ukraine," Andrea Kendall-Taylor, a director at the Center for a New American Security and former intelligence officer, told ABC News. "He sees that he has weathered Ukraine's counteroffensive and now he sees the fatigue, particularly in the United States, about our willingness to support Ukraine, and I think he very much feels emboldened. I think he thinks that things are headed in Russia's direction." How we got here The political mood in Washington now seems far removed from when, two months into the conflict, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy got a hero's welcome as he made an emotional plea to Congress for more help. His virtual address included references to U.S. tragedies like 9/11 and Pearl Harbor, as well as a video capturing the atrocities unfolding at the hands of Russian troops. Some lawmakers listening were moved to tears, amid multiple standing ovations. That year, the U.S. passed multiple packages that included aid to Ukraine with strong bipartisan support. According to the White House, Congress to date has voted for more than $110 billion in supplemental funding for Ukraine and other national security needs. PHOTO: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is seen on the screen delivering a speech via videoconference to the U.S. Congress at the Capitol in Washington, D.C., March 16, 2022. (J. Scott Applewhite/Xinhua/Getty Images) PHOTO: Ukrainian servicemen prepare their weapons during a military training exercise near the front line in the Donetsk region, on February 23, 2024, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Anatolii Stepanov/AFP via Getty Images) But that money is running dry, and U.S. officials are warning Ukraine could face a potentially catastrophic shortage of ammunition and air defenses by spring if an additional aid bill isn't passed. MORE: US estimates Ukraine military shortages could grow catastrophic by late March "The coalition behind Ukraine stayed strong and really didn't begin to erode in a tangible way until this past summer," said Charles Kupchan, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations who served as a national security official in the Obama administration. Kupchan believes support for Ukraine in the U.S. dropped around that time because of perceptions the war was dragging on, Ukraine's failed counteroffensive and the ramping-up of the 2024 election season. ABC News polling found the share of Americans who said the U.S. was doing too much to support Ukraine rose from 14% in April 2022 to 41% in September 2023. President Biden requested an additional $60 billion in aid for Ukraine that fall. Complicating the matter further, the money then got tied to aid for Israel in its fight against Hamas and later to immigration changes due to Republican demands for greater border restrictions. Zelenskyy visited Washington again in December in a last-minute push to secure aid before the end of the year, but it was much more subdued than previous trips. Unlike the year prior, Zelenskyy did not address a joint session of Congress and instead met with leaders behind closed doors. PHOTO: President Joe Biden, right, and Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Ukraine's president, during a news conference in the Indian Treaty Room on the White House complex, in Washington, DC, Dec. 12, 2023. (Yuri Gripas/Abaca/Bloomberg via Getty Images) After months of political back-and-forth, the Democrat-controlled Senate passed a stand-alone foreign aid bill on Feb. 12 that included money for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. But it has not been taken up by the Republican-led House. Former President Donald Trump, the party's presumptive nominee, is opposed to the Senate foreign aid bill. House Speaker Mike Johnson, leading a caucus that includes a group of hardline conservatives who've embraced Trump's "America First" brand of isolationism, has said he won't be "jammed" into backing the measure and that the priority should be on addressing challenges at home. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, on the other hand, is making the case that aiding Ukraine is in America's national security interest, that U.S. aid is being used to degrade the Russian military without putting American troops at risk. He told CNN earlier this month: Every argument against this is wrong. Every single one of them." What happens next? President Biden, in brief remarks recognizing the war's two-year anniversary, once again called on the House to return from its two-week recess and pass Ukraine aid. "They have to get back and get this done," he said. "Because failure to support Ukraine in this critical moment will never be forgotten in history. It will be measured and it will have an impact for decades to come. PHOTO: President Joe Biden speaks to governors from across the country during an event in the East Room of the White House on February 23, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) Experts who spoke with ABC News were in agreement that if a Ukraine aid package made it to the House floor, it would likely pass. While the coalition of GOP hard-liners opposed to any further funding has grown, it hasn't eclipsed the broad bipartisan support for helping Ukraine against Russia. If Congress doesn't act, the options for the Biden administration are severely limited, experts said. "I don't really think there's a plan B," said Kendall-Taylor. Other options to try to punish Russia could be more sanctions (though they've yet to cripple Putin's ability to continue the invasion) or to use frozen Russian assets in western banks to fund Ukraine (but there are questions as to the legality of such a plan). Europe could also try to compensate for the loss of American assistance, but it would be unlikely they could entirely fill in the gap. PHOTO: Night watchwoman Olena takes her belongings out of a control point building damaged as a result of a drone attack on a garment factory in Odesa on February 23, 2024, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Oleksandr Gimanov/AFP via Getty Images) MORE: US imposes 'crushing' sanctions on Russia 2 years after Ukraine invasion The White House has declined to get into hypothetical options. National security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters earlier this month there is no "magic solution" if there is no congressional funding. Meanwhile, the current stalemate is already having an impact on the battlefield. Last week, Russian forces were able to push Ukrainian troops out of a key city. "The Russian takeover of Avdiivka is a little microcosm of what happens if the aid doesn't continue," said Kendall-Taylor. How initial US support for aiding Ukraine has come to a standstill 2 years later originally appeared on abcnews.go.com A federal judge in California on Friday ordered Alexander Smirnov, the former FBI informant charged with lying to the bureau about President Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden, to appear in court Monday morning as the judge considers keeping Smirnov detained pending trial. Special counsel David Weiss is again seeking to have Smirnov, who is currently in custody, held until his trial date. In an unusual filing Friday afternoon, District Judge Otis Wright also suggested that an effort by Smirnov's attorneys to keep him out on release was "likely to facilitate his absconding from the United States." MORE: Hunter Biden informant re-arrested days after released by court: Special counsel Smirnov's attorneys, in a subsequent filing late Friday, disputed Judge Wright's characterization, saying, "The suggestion that defense counsel is participating in an unlawful plot by advocating for release under Section 3142 is wrong." "We are advocating for Mr. Smirnov's release in both the federal district court and in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals," attorneys David Chesnoff and Richard Schonfeld told ABC News. Judge Wright's order is just latest twist in a dramatic week of events since Smirnov's arrest last Thursday on charges that he concocted "fabrications" about President Biden and his son accepting $5 million in bribes from the Ukrainian energy giant Burisma -- which Republicans have repeatedly cited as a driving force in their efforts to impeach the president. Earlier this week, in an effort to keep Smirnov detained, Weiss' office alleged Smirnov had high-level contacts with Russian intelligence officials who they said were "involved in passing a story" to him about Hunter Biden. PHOTO: In this Jan. 10, 2024 file photo, Hunter Biden is seen at a House Oversight Committee markup and meeting on Capitol Hill, in Washington. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images, FILE) "Smirnov's efforts to spread misinformation about a candidate of one of the two major parties in the United States continues," the filing stated. "What this shows is that the misinformation he is spreading is not confined to 2020. He is actively peddling new lies that could impact U.S. elections after meeting with Russian intelligence officials in November." Arguing that Smirnov presented a clear risk of fleeing the country or obstructing justice if released on bail, prosecutors repeatedly pointed to Smirnov's extensive claims of contacts with "multiple foreign intelligence agencies" abroad and his plans to leave the U.S. on a multi-country foreign trip just two days after he landed in Las Vegas last week and was taken into custody at the airport. Despite the surprising extent of disclosures by Weiss in his filing seeking Smirnov's detention, however, a Nevada magistrate judge ordered Smirnov' released from custody on the condition that he surrender his passport, wear an ankle monitor and be restricted from travel outside of Nevada and California. The government sought a stay of the judge's decision, which was rejected, after which Weiss' prosecutors sought reconsideration by the original judge overseeing his case in Los Angeles, where Smirnov was indicted by a grand jury. On Thursday morning, Smirnov's attorneys said they were deliberating with him over his case at their law office when U.S. Marshals arrived to re-arrest him. In an effort to prevent him from being transferred to Los Angeles, his attorneys filed an emergency motion with the magistrate in Nevada requesting an order that would bar the U.S. Marshals from taking him out of Las Vegas. MORE: Hunter Biden informant charged with lying had high-level Russian contacts: Documents But in his order filed Friday, Judge Wright explained that he signed off on the warrant for Smirnov's arrest after granting Weiss' request for a reconsideration of the detention order, which advised the U.S. Marshals "there is to be no deviation from this Order." As a result, the Nevada magistrate judge dismissed the requests from Smirnov's attorneys, conceding "this Court no longer has jurisdiction to decide [Smirnov's] motions." Smirnov is now set to appear before Judge Wright on Monday morning in Los Angeles. Smirnov has not entered a plea in the case but his attorneys have said he plans to vigorously defend himself against the charges brought by Weiss. A spokesperson for Weiss' office declined to comment further. Judge to consider detention for Alexander Smirnov, FBI informant charged with lying about Biden originally appeared on abcnews.go.com South Carolina Republican voters roundly rejected former Gov. Nikki Haley's arguments on age and electability, lifting former President Donald Trump to an easy victory in Saturday's primary -- in his sole remaining major opponent's home state. Benefiting from the state's preponderance of conservatives and evangelicals, Trump prevailed on a range of key measures, exit polling shows. Voters picked immigration and the economy as their top issues of concern; Trump crushed Haley by 40 points in trust to handle border security, 69-29%, and by 67-31% in trust to handle the economy. While Haley had argued that she was more electable, partially based on polling, 82% in the ABC News exit poll of the primary said Trump was likely to win in November's general election vs. 59% who said the same of Haley. Indeed, 60% saw Trump as "very" likely to defeat President Joe Biden vs. just 25% who said the same about Haley. Haley's campaign pitch questioning Trump's age -- and her call for mental competency tests for candidates older than 75 -- also fell short. Slightly more South Carolina GOP voters said the 77-year-old Trump has the physical and mental health needed to serve effectively as president, 69%, than said so for Haley, at 61%. In all, 70% said they would be satisfied with Trump as the nominee vs. 44% satisfied with Haley. So broad was Trump's support that 62% also said they'd see him as fit to be president even if he were convicted of a crime. (He faces 91 charges but denies all wrongdoing.) Still, 35% would not see him as fit for office in the case of a conviction -- including 82% of Haley's voters --- leaving open the question of what they'd do in November if that were to occur. MORE: Haley's crushing defeat in South Carolina shows she has no real path to catch Trump: ANALYSIS Much of Trump's advantage in South Carolina was structural: Sixty percent of Republican voters identified themselves as evangelical white Christians (compared with 19% in New Hampshire's primary last month). Though that was off its peak, 67% in 2016, Trump won 74% of their votes. Further, 78% identified as conservative, including 41% as very conservative -- the latter, a group Trump won with 85% support. There was solace for Haley in some groups. She ran closely with Trump among non-evangelicals, independents and college graduates; won moderates; and prevailed by a wide margin among the relatively few who were focused on foreign policy. And she won half of those who were dissatisfied with the country's direction, rather than angry about it. In one underwhelming result for Trump, 42% identified themselves as "part of the MAGA movement" that he started. It was similar in Iowa's caucuses in January but lower in New Hampshire. Still, the conservative bent of South Carolina Republican primary voters was reflected in other attitudes. Sixty-six percent said most unauthorized immigrants in the United States should be deported. Sixty-two percent falsely said Biden did not legitimately win the 2020 election. Fifty-one percent said they would favor a federal law banning all or most abortions nationwide. And, with Biden as president, 87% were dissatisfied or angry at the way things are going in the country, including 44% who were angry. Among those angry voters, 83% backed Trump, who has campaigned on a message of retribution and judgment while restoring his prior policies. PHOTO: Voters cast their ballot at Kilbourne Park Baptist Church during the Republican presidential primary in Columbia, South Carolina, Feb. 24, 2024. (Sam Wolfe/Reuters) Further demonstrating his appeal, 93% of Trump voters said they mainly voted for their candidate, rather than against his opponent. Among Haley voters, by contrast, 58% mainly supported her and 40% voted mainly to oppose Trump. In a list of four issues, 37% said immigration was most important in their vote, 33% selected the economy, 13% said foreign policy and 10% chose abortion. On the economy, just 23% said they're getting ahead financially. And 47% rated the national economy as "poor," another very strong Trump group as he pulled in 86% of their votes. Among four candidate attributes, 35% said they were mainly looking for a candidate who "fights for people like me," a made-for-Trump category in which he won 90%. A third were looking for shared values, with 65% in this group for Trump. The rest divided between the candidate with the right temperament and the one best able to defeat Biden. Another result showed the extent to which vote preferences long were locked in place: Seventy-seven percent said they chose their candidate before January. Among them, 71% voted for Trump. Among those who decided this month, by contrast, 65% backed Haley. But they made up just 15% of the turnout. Other notable data points from the exit polling include: Despite Haley's attempts to make hay out of Trump's mocking comments about her husband, who is serving abroad as a member of the South Carolina National Guard, not being on the trail -- Trump still won veterans by a 34-point margin, 67-33%. By age, Trump's best group (numerically, not significantly) was the youngest: 67% support among 17- to 29-year-olds, albeit just 7% of voters. Young people also were Trump's best age group in New Hampshire (again not significantly -- by a scant 2 points) but were his worst age group in Iowa. The South Carolina Republican primary electorate looked a little more diverse than typical in terms of race and ethnicity. Ninety-two percent of voters identified as white people, a relative low for the state, compared with 96% in 2016 and up to 98% previously. This year, 3% were Black voters (1% in 2016, previous high 2%, though these aren't statistically significant differences), 3% were Hispanic, 1% were Asian and 1% identified as other. Sample sizes are too small for vote preference estimates among individual racial/ethnic groups other than whites. But when combined, voters of other racial/ethnic backgrounds went 56-43% for Trump with whites backing him 63-36%. South Carolina exit polls: Conservative coalition propels Trump to victory over Haley originally appeared on abcnews.go.com They just dont make things the way they used to, and these kitchen staples prove it. Getty Images As the old saying goes, the kitchen is the heart of the home, so filling it with items that have a little soul is a no-brainer. Skip big box retailers and hit thrift and antique stores to stock your kitchen with personality. There, youre bound to find small and large treasures that will make a big impact on your cooking space. Southern thrifters, chefs, and other experts share kitchen items you should almost always buy second-hand. Flatware Southerners love setting a table, so keep your head on a swivel for beautiful flatware. Eddie Barrett, the executive chef at BeetleCat in Atlanta, says hes particularly inspired by vintage spoons at second-hand stores, I like to use them to plate food, but I also like to use them as a decor piece for private dinners. As always, he says to check for cracks or deformities but to try to keep your worries at bay. There are bound to be some imperfections if they are truly vintage, but that only makes them more unique! Stationary Stand Mixers If you are longing for a stand mixer of your own, John Castellucci of Atlantas Cooks & Soldiers restaurant says, The older KitchenAids and Hobart brand mixers are made really well and last forever. I would just thoroughly inspect them for rust. Detailed Trays Mix and match serving pieces to achieve a collected look. Castellucci says he likes to scour antique shops for unique shapes and materials. Larger brass trays are great for serving shared items. I have found some great larger trays at vintage stores that make a tablescape [shine]. Related: How to Make Collectibles Shine in Your Home Design Seasoned Cast Iron Cast iron is the quintessential second-hand kitchen item. After all, those years and years of cooking only make the food taste betteror so Grandma says. Abby Thaxton, co-owner of The Lucky Rabbit, an expansive vintage shop in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, agrees, Theyre often pre-seasoned and ready to get cooking right away, she says. A quick rinse, and youre all set to simmer. Reclaimed Roasters Thaxton also suggests keeping your eyes peeled for magnalite roasters. These cooking superheroes are well known for their ability to evenly distribute and retain heat, and a contemporary one can cost several hundred dollars. Instead, opt for a vintage version. They're built much sturdier and better than the newer versions, so you're getting quality that lasts, she says. Pyrex Pyrex will always be a home chefs prized possession. These glass pieces have been in production for over 100 years, so we know theyre here to stay. Today, Pyrex can go for a pretty penny. In fact, at a recent estate sale, I found a pretty 3-piece set of rectangular bakeware going for $195. Even still, someone scooped it right up. Pyrex pieces are not only cute but impossible to find in today's market, so when you find a piece, you should snag it immediately," says Thaxton. "We search all over to keep our Pyrex bus stocked because these vintage pieces are among our most popular items. Patterned China Theres nothing quite like setting a table with a beautiful set of china, and there are plenty of second-hand sets to be found. Thrifted sets of china are a steal, says Thaxton. You can mix and match colors to create your very own personalized set without breaking the bank. So, secondhand is not just okay, it's a way to celebrate your originality and style. Quality Copper Besides being beautiful to display, copper pans are often considered the creme de la creme for home cooks. Online antique shop owner and past ex-pat, Emily Mabe of Willow and Pearls in Spanish Fort, Alabama, says hunting for copper in France was among her favorite things to find. I always ensure the copper isnt thin or wearing away. Items of particular interest for Emily are skillets, cookie cutters, and molds. Its especially important to look for pieces that say, Made in France, she says. Antique and French copper is known to be thicker in its construction. Stoneware Mabe is also a fan of seeking out stoneware, My favorite items to look for are large mixing bowls. They are excellent for everything from homemade baked goods to huge salads. Additionally, stoneware pans, especially bundt pans, double as pieces of art. The designs often create beautiful impressions on your finished recipes. Large stoneware items, like so many of these second-hand finds, are a reminder of a time gone by. The large bowls are from a time when most people made their own bread daily. They are seasoned, and they have graced tables of those who found joy in baking and cooking like me, says Mabe. Linens Its no secret that we love, appreciate, and use table linens. Chelsea Nelson of Bright Girl Market in Marietta, Georgia, says, I have drawers full of vintage napkins, tablecloths, and kitchen towels. Not only are they highly collectible, but they are also great quality with endless colors and patterns. Tupperware Tupperware is experiencing its renaissance. It had its name in lights as Midge Maisels side hustle on Amazons The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, but big box stores are carrying it, too. Vintage 1960s and 1970s Tupperware can still readily be found at estate sales, says Nelson. While some might have missing lids or arent complete sets, theyre fun to display and are still useful. Collectors are often on the hunt for measure spoons, measuring cups, and the elusive pickle keeper, also known as a Pick-A-Deli. Cookie Jars Why store your freshly baked cookies anywhere else other than a second-hand cookie jar? But there are other great uses for them too. Nelson uses hers for cookie cutter collections, sprinkles, spices, and other necessary baking ingredients. Glassware Glassware, even mismatched pieces, is an excellent second-hand buy. If you can find colorful pieces, thats even better because they were once considered less desirable than their clear crystal counterparts. Colored glassware offers beautiful hues and comes in an array of interesting shapes and patterns," says Beth Hubrich of Mary and Wilma in Birmingham, Alabama. "Plus, it pairs well with crystal glasses. I don't get too caught up in the idea that a juice glass is for juice. I often drink a glass of wine out of my grandmother's green juice glasses which she would probably find pretty funny now." Vintage Cookbooks As an avid thrifter myself, I always stop for vintage cookbooks. Junior League editions are my favorite, and I tend to seek versions that are either places Ive been or places I aspire to go to. A few of my favorites are A Taste of Aloha by Junior League Hawaii, Palm Beach Entertains by Junior League of Palm Beach which has the most fascinating historical introduction, and Tea Time at the Masters by Junior League of Augusta. This particular book has several sequels including Second Round and Par 3! For more Southern Living news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on Southern Living. Eggs and bacon, cheese and wine, tomato and basil beer and pizza. Some pairings never get old. Even the most industrial of commercial beers are an adequate pairing for most pies, but beer and pizza can be so much better than that. Beer is just as complex as wine. The countless flavors, aromas, and textures invite exploration, both at your local bar and by plane, train, and automobile. The pale lagers of central Europe provide varying levels of crispness, while the ales, porters, and stouts of Great Britain and Ireland stimulate your palate with sweet, smoky, and full-bodied flavors and textures. Then there are the wheat beers of Germany and the tripels of Belgium, which are loaded with ripe flavors and topped with thick, creamy heads. The United States inherited these styles and many more, producing some of the world's finest breweries and beer styles, especially since the craft beer revolution of the late 20th century. Our list was written with help from Anne Becerra, a certified Cicerone and beverage director at Treadwell Park, which operates two craft beer bars in Manhattan. We have also contacted numerous breweries, such as Hill Farmstead Brewery in Vermont and 3 Floyds Brewing in Indiana. With their expert help, we present to you the best beers to pair with pizza. Read more: 30 Popular Frozen Pizzas, Ranked Worst To Best Margherita Pizza And Saison Marghertia pizza and Saison beer - smspsy/Shutterstock, Brewery Dupont/YouTube The saison beer style is a delectable accompaniment to the margherita's balanced flavors and crisp, fluffy bite. Saison originates in the Hainut province of Belgium and it is often referred to as "farmhouse ale." One of the best examples of the style is Saison Dupont, brewed since 1844 in the village of Tourpes, near the French border. Famed beer writer Michael Jackson loved it so much, according to the Belgian Beer Specialist, that he persuaded importers to introduce the style to the U.S. in the mid-1980s. Feinberg told the site: "I wanted something different: a thirst-quenching, aromatic, very flavorful beer which could stand up to food well, but also not knock you over the head with too much alcohol. Saison Dupont was, and is, that beer." Many other breweries have produced their takes on the style. Hill Farmstead Brewery has saisons named Clover, Samuel, and Ann. Pepperoni And Czech Pilsner Pepperoni pizza and Pilsner Urquell - Nikada/Getty Images, usaphoto/Shutterstock The umami character of a pepperoni pizza calls for a quenching brew and one of the best examples of that is a Czech pilsner the source of modern lager. Czech pilsners contain saaz hops, which imbue earthy, spicy notes that give Czech pilsners a darker color and maltier flavor than many of its German descendents. We spoke with Anthony Sorice from Root and Branch, a brewery in Long Island, NY. "Pilsners are light, dry, and quenching, which compliments the salinity/savory character that pizza carries," Sorice tells us. "In the case of Czech-style pilsner, which is a tad hoppier and bitter, it helps balance the acidity of tomato sauce and cut through the fat brought forth by the cheese." Where does one start with Czech pilsner? Pilsner Urquell is an easy-drinking 4.4% beer with malty, bitter notes that'll keep you quenched and balance the saline, savory flavors. Other popular examples include Reality Czeck by Moonlight Brewing Company, Pils by Heater Allen Brewing, Alexandr by Schilling Beer Co., and Scrag Mountain Pils by Lawson's Finest Liquids. Meat Feast And Brown Ale Meat feast pizza and Newcastle Brown Ale - Bloomberg/Getty Images, Jacek Wojnarowski/Shutterstock Brown ale is a good choice for bringing a slight sweetness to your palate to balance the salty intensity of a meat feast-style pizza. These are not saccharine flavors we're talking about but subtle notes of caramel, butterscotch, and roasted bitterness mixed with an effervescent texture. Brown ale brings a sweet, bitter blend that balances the heavy cheese of a thick, meat-fast pizza. Samuel Smith's Nut Brown Ale is one of the best examples from Britain, where the style originated. You can expect a strong, syrupy aroma; a profile of nutty, chocolate notes; and a moderate mouthfeel that makes the ale very drinkable. Other varieties include the Indian Brown Ale by Dogfish Head Craft Brewery and the famous Newcastle Brown Ale. Cicerone Anne Becerra recommends Maduro Brown Ale by Cigar City Brewing in Tampa, Florida. Becerra notes how the beer's "nutty, molasses-tinged flavors complement the character of the toppings, while its almost espresso-like bitterness helps to cut through the grease leaving your palate cleansed and refreshed." The Maduro is similar to the English style, but it distinguishes itself with a higher alcohol by volume (ABV) and added oats. Chicago Deep Dish And Belgian Tripel Chicago deep dish and Westmalle Tripel - Pixel-Shot/Shutterstock, Westmalle Brewery Golden in color and loaded with booze, flavor, and a long dry finish, the Belgian tripel is a powerful friend to perhaps the richest pie in the U.S., the Chicago deep dish. Tripels often fall between 8 to 12% alcohol by volume (ABV), so be careful with this one. To start, consider a chalice of Westmalle Tripel, the so-called "mother of all tripels." The tripel style began at Westmalle Abbey near Antwerp in 1934. Since then, the recipe has been altered only once, in 1956. This 9.5% ABV golden brew is rich with fruity, spicy, and malty notes that will cut through the cheese, tomato, meat, and dough of the Windy City's beloved delicacy. If you want to go a step further, then try Tripel Van De Garre by Brouwerij Van Steenberge. Again, you'd better steel yourself, because it is an 11% ABV beverage. That's a good thing, though, because it encourages you to savor the beer's remarkable complexity of flavor and texture. Hawaiian And Wheat Beer Hawaiian pizza and wheat beer - Monticelllo, Veselovaelena/Getty Images Wheat beer is a cloudy style known for ripe notes of yeast, banana, and other fruit. The lively balance of sweet and savory flavors complements the Hawaiian pizza's ham and pineapple toppings while refreshing the palate with the beer's stimulating amber body. Anne Becerra was fortunate enough to stumble upon an especially relevant pairing. "I know this is kind of cheating because it seems so obvious," Becerra tells us, "but I had a Maui Brewing mana wheat beer with a Hawaiian pizza once and it was an absolute dream." Becerra says that the beer is "brewed with Maui Gold pineapple that's juicy, incredibly refreshing, and is a pretty much literal beer extension of this style of pizza, which I absolutely love."Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier is a failsafe recommendation. Another favorite is Hefe-weissbier by Paulaner, one of Munich's best-known breweries. You can also consider the excellent Gumballhead by 3 Floyds Brewing, a pale wheat beer noted for its light body and grassy, citrus notes. Like its German ancestors, Gumballhead is in the middle of the 5 to 6% ABV range, so it can be enjoyed quite liberally. Mushroom And Biere De Garde Mushroom pizza and Ch'ti beer - Lauri Patterson/Getty Images, Brasserie Castelain/YouTube For mushroom pizza, cicerone Anne Becerra recommends biere de garde, a pale ale style from northern France. "This French style of beer is known for a host of flavors like fresh bread, red fruits, subtle caramel, and just the slightest hint of earthy 'funk,'" Becerra tells us. "Expect very little bitterness and a lovely effervescence that takes a classic mushroom pie to the next level." Brasserie Duyck's Jenlain Ambree and Brasserie Castelain's Ch'ti Blonde are two excellent French examples. American offerings include Two Brothers' Domaine du Page and Jolly Pumpkin's Oro De Calabaza. These beers are on the stronger side, ranging between 6 and 8% ABV. They have a cloudy, amber color, and carry a range of fruity notes along with hints of hop, malt, and yeast. The mouthfeel isn't light but it's not heavy, either, so they go down quite nicely. Overall, a well-rounded collection of a very well-rounded style. Vegetarian And Double IPA Vegetarian pizza and Pliny the Elder IPA - Boblin, Justin Sullivan/Getty Images To pick up on the caramelized vegetables of a vegetarian pizza, Anne Becerra suggests a double IPA. "The malt character of an Imperial IPA picks up on those notes, the grassy, earthy hop flavors come through and really let the vegetables shine," Becerra says. "A lot of times the vegetables are roasted or cooked before going on or the pie is cooked on a very high heat, which gives a great caramelized flavor to the veggies." There is a great wealth of choice in the double IPA market. Just one of many examples is Firestone Walker's Double Jack. Be careful, though, it's 9.5% ABV. Other strong double IPAs include Pliny the Elder by Russian River Brewing Company, Abrasive Ale by Surly Brewing Company, and Heady Topper by The Alchemist. For a double IPA that's a bit session but still firmly imperial, consider Bright by the Tree House Brewing Company from Massachusetts. The 7.8% beverage is a hoppy, fruity experience that will embolden every bite of a vegetarian pizza. Seafood And Helles Seafood pizza and helles - Lauripatterson, Pattanawadee/Getty Images Seafood pizzas may be the most saline of them all, especially if anchovies are present. A soft, balanced helles will smooth out the intense salty flavor. German for "bright," helles is a pale lager that is crisp and refreshing like a pilsner but noticeably less bitter. This smooth, medium-bodied profile is just what you need to contrast strong flavors, such as those found topping a seafood pizza. "The salinity of a seafood pie works beautifully with a beer that has a little brightness and zip," Becerra tells us, "which is why Witbiers (Belgian-style wheat beers) are some of my favorites." One of the best examples stateside is Marie by the Hill Farmstead Brewery in Vermont, founded by Shaun Hill. Bob Montgomery from the brewery tells us: "Marie's flavor profile and construction are guided by the great helles examples of Germany, which inspired Shaun's creation of the beer: soft, balanced, and approachable." White And Pale Ale White pizza and Sierra Nevada - Kaszojad, Debbismirnoff/Getty Images The somewhat muted notes of a white pizza require a lively glass of beer, such as a medium or full-bodied American pale ale. Anne Becerra recommends Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, a familiar favorite. "It's hard to go wrong with the piney, citrusy flavors of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale," Becerra tells us. "The hops balance the creaminess of the cheese while making all the flavors pop. I kind of like to think of it working the same way citrus zest does brightens and enhances without masking anything." Dale's Pale Ale is another great example of the style, but if you encounter Zombie Dust by 3 Floyds Brewing Co., order it. This beer is a modern classic of the American style, that pairs a clean, light mouthfeel with hoppy bitterness and subtle, sweet undertones, which serve as a satisfying contrast to a white pizza's rich dairy texture and flavor. Other examples in this busy field include Pseudo Sue by Toppling Goliath Brewing Company, Fort Point Pale Ale by Trillium Brewing Company, and Born Yesterday by Lagunitas Brewing Company, the well-known Petaluma, California brewery. All will boost your white pizza with a refreshing kick of hops, malt, and zesty, tropical flavors. Barbecue Chicken And Smoked Beer BBQ chicken pizza with smoked beer - Lauripatterson/Getty Images, Jack Hawkins/Tasting Table Smoked beer is a natural partner to a barbecue chicken pizza, especially Aecht Schlenkerla's Rauchbier from the Bavarian city of Bamberg. Schlenkerla brews several types of rauchbier (German for "smoked beer"), including smoked wheat beer and smoked bock beer, but Anne Becerra recommends the original smoked marzen. Schlenkerla's Rauchbier Marzen's liquid jerky flavor will keep sweeter BBQ sauces in check, imbuing each bite with smoky notes like a pellet grill. "With rauchbiers," Becerra tells us, "the malts are smoked over fires -- often beechwood but not exclusively -- so that campfirey, smokey character hits right away, but then moves to the side to let the biscuity, caramel malt flavors shine." Now, you may not like the first sip of a rauchbier; the flavor is unique and strong. But we suggest sticking with it, because it's a taste you acquire, especially when perfectly paired with certain foods, like a sweet and smoky slice of BBQ chicken pizza. Calzone And Gose Calzone and gose beer - PavelKant, Belal Asaad20/Shutterstock Gose is a wheat beer from Goslar, a town and UNESCO world heritage site in the center of Germany. Pronounced "goes-uh," the beer is a top-fermenting brew known for its salty, sour, and slightly sweet notes, which brewers achieve by adding coriander and salt. These tangy qualities provide a refreshing contrast to a heavy, cheese-filled calzone. When enjoying a calzone, Anne Becerra recommends washing it down with Westbrook Brewing Company's gose. "Westbrook Gose is insanely popular for good reason," Becerra says. "But for a unique take on the style, try Stillwater Gose Gone Wild, which takes inspiration from Westbrook and adds a hoppier, funkier, Brett-tinged complexity." Many other beer aficionados similarly consider the latter beer by Stillwater Artisanal Ales -- a brewery in Grand Mound, Washington -- to be among the best gose in the world. Despite its popularity these days -- particularly stateside -- once upon a time, a gose would have been hard to come by even in Germany. The style had all but vanished into obscurity by the 1960s, and it wasn't until long after German reunification that two brewers, Tilo Janichen and Andreas Schneider, brought the style back. Dessert Pizza And Stout Or Porter Dessert pizza and Guinness stout - Mtreasure, Genekrebs/Getty Images An espresso after dinner can mean a restless night for some people, so instead of decaf with your dessert pizza, consider a full-bodied stout -- like Guinness -- or a porter. What's the difference between stout and porter? Some beer enthusiasts can expound at length on the subject, but to quickly recap: Stout historically derives from porter and, though this isn't a consistent rule these days, it can be distinguished by its fuller body and higher alcohol content. If it's chocolate indulgence you seek, then Samuel Smith's Organic Chocolate Stout is a superb choice. Anne Becerra recommends Maine Brewing's King Titus porter, which is known for notes of tobacco, toffee, and dark chocolate. Indeed, the cocoa flavors of both complex beers enhance the chocolate of the pie while balancing any richness with a satisfying roasty edge. "There's a reason we're typically offered something bitter along with dessert to round off a meal (coffee, digestif, etc.)," Becerra says. "And this combination is one of the best." For the best espresso replacements, look into coffee stouts such as Onyx Coffee Stout by Ozark Beer Co. and Brewhouse Coffee Stout by Central Waters Brewing Co. These will give you the aroma and flavor of a creamy Americano without keeping you up for hours. Read the original article on Tasting Table. "Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." An archaeological excavation in Britain unearthed the only intact chicken egg from Roman Britain, believed to be 1,700 years old. The genuinely unique discovery still contains the yolk and egg white. Finding an intact egg that old is rare in and of itself, but seeing liquid inside is astounding. An archaeological dig in Britains Buckinghamshire recently hatched something the world has never seen before: a fully intact egg at least 1,700 years old. Its the oldest unintentionally preserved egg in the world, and if thats not enough, researchers found that the egg remains completely full of its original liquid. The fact that the egg still retains its original contents, however, is absolutely incredible, said Edward Biddulph, senior project manager of Oxford Archaeology, according to the BBC. We were absolutely blown away when we saw the contents in there, as we might have expected them to have leeched out. The archeological dig that produced the egg occurred sometime between 2007 and 2016, before the sitelocated in what is now a housing development at Berryfield in Aylesburywas fully developed. The findings werent made public until 2019, and research on the intact egg wasnt carried out until 2023, when a micro-CT scan was performed at the University of Kent. It produced an amazing image that indicated that the egg, apart from being intactwhich is incredible enoughalso retained its liquid inside, presumably deriving from the yolk, albumen, etc... Biddulph said. Likely at least 1,700 years old, the researchers believe this to be the oldest unintentionally preserved egg in the world, with the only intact liquid center of any egg of its age. While there are some mummified eggs from ancient Egypt kept safe in museums, their survival was far from unintentional. The egg was originally found in a large waterlogged Roman pit, according to a statement from the Buckinghamshire Council. In that pitoriginally used for malting and brewing beer before it likely turned into a site for offeringswas a woven basket, pottery, coins, leather shoes, animal bones, and a cache of speckled eggs. The eggs were deemed a rare and exciting find, and thats before researchers knew what one of them held. Their fragile nature, though, brought about the demise of all but one of the four eggs. During excavation, three of the eggs broke and produced quite the sulphureous aroma. Just this one egg, believed to be a chicken egg, was saved for study. The egg ranks as one of the coolest and most challenging archaeological finds to investigate and conserve, said Dana Goodburn-Brown, archaeological conservator and materials scientists, according to The Guardian. Investigating the eggwhich traveled from Kent to Londons Natural History Museum, and now to Discover Bucks Museum in Aylesburyisnt done yet. Researchers hope to extract the inside of the egg without breaking the shell in order to study the contents even further. The hope is to find out more about its origins and the bird that laid it. There is huge potential for further scientific research, Biddulph said, and this is the next stage in the life of this remarkable egg. You Might Also Like I started my cooking career on the pastry side of the kitchen, whipping up profiteroles, tarts, and plated desserts for a small, New American restaurant in Williamsburg, Virginia. The experience taught me the values of focus, precision, and attention to detail, but it also opened my eyes to something surprising: Sometimes, shortcuts are OK. Just because something is harder, doesnt mean its necessarily better, and occasionally, pushing the Easy Button is the right move. Credit: Mara Weinraub Credit: Mara Weinraub The Best Boxed Cake Mix to Buy, According to Chefs Jessie Sheehan, recipe developer, baker, and bestselling cookbook author of Snackable Bakes: 100 Easy-Peasy Recipes for Exceptionally Scrumptious Sweets and Treats, says, The yellow color, moist cake, fluffy, soft crumb, and perfect vanilla, but not eggy flavor, give me all the nostalgic feels and embody all that I want from a perfect yellow cake. Sheehan takes a cue from Betty Crocker for her own cake recipes: I am always trying to replicate the texture and flavor (and ease of use!!) of a boxed cake when I develop recipes for from-scratch cakes. To achieve this, Sheehan says she always includes oil in her recipes, sometimes on its own and sometimes with butter for extra flavor. The oil in a boxed cake provides so much moisture, and I am very against dry cake. For Tyler Malek, co-founder and head ice cream maker of Salt & Straw in Portland, Oregon, Betty Crockers Yellow Cake Mix is a great jumping-off point thats perfect for home baking. Malek insists on baking everything at Salt & Straw from scratch, but for baking at home with his daughters, its Betty Crocker all the way. A good buttercream frosting is the star of the show, Malek explains. I like to buy time with the mix so I have more time to focus on homemade frosting. Malek says he also appreciates that Betty Crockers super-moist cake mix stays moist long enough to enjoy for a few days after its been baked. Buy: Betty Crockers Super Moist Yellow Cake Mix, $1.99 for 15.25 ounces at Kroger Baker and founder of Broma Bakery, Sarah Fennel, appreciates the mixs flavor and texture, noting, I find the Betty Crocker mix to strike the balance between that classic vanilla cake flavor while not being cloyingly sweet. It also has a great bouncy texture that doesnt crumble as easily as some other mixes. For Fennel, the mix provides an easy alternative to homemade cake and works well as a base for other flavors. She suggests adding two tablespoons of poppyseeds and one or two teaspoons of lemon extract to make a bright and sunny lemon poppyseed variation, and, she says, the mix works great for Cake Mix Cookies. But, like Malek, Fennel says boxed frosting is not an option in her house. Her advice: Pair that boxed cake with a homemade frosting for a cake that instantly tastes homemade. Upgrade Your Boxed Cake Mix with These Homemade Frostings Do you agree with these chefs? Let us know in the comments below. Blake Lively has revealed the one rule that she and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, have abided by to make their marriage work. The 36-year-old actor spoke candidly about her husband of nearly 12 years during an appearance on pal Amber Tamblyns Substack show, Further Ado, which aired on 22 February. During their relationship, Lively and Reynolds have also welcomed three daughters James, nine, Inez, seven, and Betty, four and a one-year-old child, whose name hasnt been publicly revealed. Speaking to her fellow Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants co-star, the actor said that back when she and Reynolds first started dating, they made one rule in their professional careers, for the sake of their relationship. When Ryan and I got together, we made a rule not to work at the same time, she said during the episode of the show, as reported by E! News. So that we could always prioritise our personal life. Lively specified that she and Reynolds have continued to follow the strategy for when they take on jobs, ever since married in 2012. However, she confessed that it hasnt been easy for her and her partner to stick with this rule. That takes working really hard when were not, she continued. Just like financial planning and sustaining that; it takes balance. She also acknowledged that when she and Reynolds first got together, she was the one with the demanding work schedule, as she was filming her hit show, Gossip Girl. Im used to working hard and going and going and going and going and not stopping, she added. Especially, Gossip Girl was six years of my life, and we were sometimes shooting three episodes at once. In 2019, Reynolds first opened up about the agreement that he and his wife have when it comes to their work lives. Blake and I dont do movies at the same time. If she is doing a movie in Thailand and I am doing a movie in Vancouver we would just never see each other. We operate as a unit, and that works really well for us, he told People at the time. The kids stay with us, and the family stays together, and that is where home is. So if we are in Spain or Utah or New York, as long as we are together, were home. The beloved Hollywood couple first met in 2010, while on the set of Green Lantern, in which Lively played the titular characters love interest. They went on to spark date rumours in 2011, before officially tying the knot one year later. Earlier this month, the pair also made headlines when Reynolds hilariously questioned his wifes whereabouts, as she was attending the 2024 Super Bowl in Las Vegas. While Lively was at Allegiant Stadium, alongside close pal Taylor Swift, Reynolds hilariously took to Instagram to ask his viewers: Has everyone seen the #Deadpool trailer? Also has anyone seen my wife? In the photo, the actor posed next to a still of himself in the Deadpool trailer. That night, Lively took to her Instagram Story to answer her husbands question about where she was, despite being shown on the jumbotron multiple times throughout the Super Bowl. In the follow-up post, she was posing next to the same Deadpool trailer that Reynolds had been in his own post, as she wrote: Honey, Im home. Earlier this week, The Age of Adaline star took to Instagram to share even more details about her appearance at the Super Bowl, during which she wore a red Adidas tracksuit with a white cropped tank top and stiletto heels. More specifically, she revealed that her trip to Vegas was the first time leaving her four children. Last week I left my kids for the first time ever and wore pants that were shoes, the caption of her post read. I treated a friendship bracelet like a Flat Stanley for my husband like I didnt realize it wasnt 07. I borrowed more jewelry than the skelton in the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. And I went clubbing. Now I know what my episode of the Twilight Zone would look like. Detective Chief Superintendent Maria Lovegrove joined Britains counter-terror police the day before the 2005 London bombings, and saw first-hand the horrific death and destruction that heralded the start of a new age of terrorism in the UK. Almost 20 years later, she heads the police arm of the Prevent counter-extremism programme and fears that Britain is now standing on another threshold, this time defined by the Israel-Gaza conflict. Our concern is that this will create a long-term increase in risk in the UK and beyond, she says. Were not waiting for something to happen, were not blinkered on how something in another part of the world can manifest itself in increased threats here. We are trying to flatten the curve, before it becomes a generational radicalising moment. Lovegrove is the head of the Prevent programme, which aims to stop people being drawn into terrorism before they can become a security threat, and the number of referrals has rocketed by 13 per cent since Hamass October 7 attacks. The rise is being primarily driven by concerns over Islamist extremism, but Lovegrove warns that the far-Right are also mobilising in an attempt to use the war as a divisive narrative. Weve seen different points that go up and down around things like protests, she adds. When theres more coverage around hostages, sometimes that generates more conversation in communities and that impacts on our referrals. MPs are calling for increased protections from protests around Parliament and outside their homes, with the governments adviser on political violence hitting out at inaction over the aggressive intimidation of MPs linked to the Israel-Gaza war. A specialist national operation, codenamed Bridger, was established to safeguard politicians after a neo-Nazi murdered Labour MP Jo Cox in 2016. It is now working to address concerns spinning out of current tensions, and the Metropolitan Police said officers had been offering security briefings and advice to MPs across the country. Where particular concerns are identified, security arrangements are reviewed, adapted and strengthened as appropriate, a spokesman said. We continue to review the support we provide to MPs and their staff to ensure we have the right measures in place to keep them safe. It is a little over two years since Conservative MP Sir David Amess was murdered at his constituency surgery by a jihadist seeking revenge for the bombing of Isis territories in Syria and Iraq. Ali Harbi Ali is one of several terrorists who had been referred to Prevent, but were still able to plan attacks, telling his eventual trial that he had said yes to an ideological mentor so they would go away afterwards and they did. An independent review of Prevent published last year warned that the case was not the only example in recent history of a terrorist act committed by someone who had previous contact with Prevent. Lovegrove is bullish about such cases, saying the ability of terrorists to attempt attacks even after being referred does not mean Prevent hasnt worked. The nature of Prevent is that its not a lifetime thing, she says. We work across a partnership for a period of time and quite often step away at some point we can throw the literal kitchen sink at them, but sometimes theyre not going to engage. I am meeting Lovegrove days after an official report revealed that major changes to the scheme have not been implemented a year after they were demanded by a review. In a foreword to the report, Home Secretary James Cleverly said the Israel-Gaza war had brought the importance of Prevent into sharp focus. Home Secretary James Cleverly has written the foreword to the recent report concerning Prevent He warned: We are alive to the risk of radicalisation, with extremist groups both Islamist and extreme right-wing capitalising on the events in Gaza to galvanise others to their causes. We cannot allow this to escalate into terrorist violence in the UK. He vowed to make the programme fit for purpose and agile enough to meet the threat we face, but reviewer Sir William Shawcross accused ministers of ignoring some of his key recommendations and leaving the public at risk. His 2023 review of Prevent argued that it had strayed from its core mission to counter Islamism and other ideologies that drive terrorism, and instead had become too focused on ideas of vulnerabilities such as mental health and social isolation. Lovegrove is insistent that counter-terror police must look at peoples beliefs and ideology in combination with other factors in their life to properly understand the risk they pose. You cant divorce vulnerability from ideology. Its not helpful to put people in boxes, she argues. We now see people that are both vulnerable and dangerous at the same time. More and more, were seeing cases where ideology is the last thing to come, and actually the vulnerability of mental health or neuro-divergence or [young] age, is a primary driver for being drawn towards an extremist ideology. Only 16 per cent of the people referred to Prevent from April 2022 to March 2023 were considered for ideological mentoring, while almost two thirds were signposted to other services including mental health bodies, local councils and education establishments. We do see evidence of where we can intervene in those other factors stabilising peoples addiction, stabilising their housing, getting them back on their meds, Lovegrove says. We see success in that. The Home Office said it had made significant progress to strengthen Prevent and place tackling terrorist ideologies at its core, so far implementing 30 out of 34 recommendations made by Sir William. The government agrees that extreme Islamist ideology presents the greatest threat to the UK, and has moved swiftly to update Prevent duty guidance and training to make that clear, a statement said. But while MI5 continue to assess jihadists as the most significant terror threat to the UK, followed by the extreme-right wing, the referrals flowing into Prevent are a dramatically different picture. Of almost 7,000 cases received in the year to March 2023, the largest portion (37 per cent) were classed as vulnerability present but no ideology or counter-terrorism risk, while suspected far-right extremists made up 19 per cent higher than Islamists for the third year running. People flagged for concerns regarding Islamist ideology only made up 11 per cent of referrals, behind a category labelled conflicted ideology on 18 per cent, and the remainder included a diverse mix including suspected incels, people obsessed with school shootings, left-wing radicals and Northern Ireland-related extremism. Asked about Sir Williams criticism that Prevent no longer reflected that jihadism is the most lethal threat to Britain, Lovegrove says the scheme can only deal with the work as it comes to us. There is no difference in the way we triage and assess different types of referrals and our work is agnostic of ideology. Sir William Shawcross's review of Prevent in 2023 argued that the scheme had lost focus of its 'mission' to counter Islamism - David Rose The chaotic picture is partly being driven by the young age of many people referred to Prevent, who now include children under the age of 10. Official statistics show that in the most recent year recorded, the largest age group was 15 to 20-year-olds, accounting for a third of referrals, followed by children aged 14 years and under on 31 per cent. A total of 256 children flagged to Prevent were under the age of 11, of which 19 cases were adopted for ideological intervention. Its not something that makes me comfortable, however it is the reality, Lovegrove says. I know that some people would say counter-terror policing shouldnt be engaging with children that young. But it would be really naive to not think that there was a risk of very young people being drawn into terrorism, particularly with the way algorithms now chuck content at children. The senior officer says Prevent officials looking at whether the scheme can treat young people differently and avoid stigmatising those who pose no terror threat by diverting them away from extremism and offering other forms of care. Lovegrove says interventions for children are happening on a case-by-case basis and involve trying to establish where their exposure to radicalisation is coming from. Sometimes we get referrals where a young person has just made a comment, and actually it is more about education, but then there will be times when actually it is a real concern around threat, she adds. The phenomenon of teenagers being radicalised online in their bedrooms feels a long way from the threats seen at the start of Lovegroves counter-terrorism career, when networks of al-Qaeda-linked jihadists were being trained abroad to launch complex attacks on Britain. After a decade in the Met, she applied to join the counter-terrorism unit because she thought it sounded like an interesting change. While working with informant handlers in the criminal underworld in Camden, Lovegrove says she became fascinated by the drivers behind why people do things, adding: most people do not set out to get involved in crime or to become terrorists. She had had brushes with terrorism before, having been sent to the scene of the IRAs 1996 Docklands bombing. Her uncle escaped 9/11 because he did not attend his office in the World Trade Center that day. Lovegrove found out her application to move into counter-terrorism had been successful on 6 July 2005, but had to wait for vetting processes to be completed and so returned to her previous job working with informants in Camden the next day as normal. The first sign that something was wrong came when a fellow officer called in to say he was stuck on a train near Liverpool Street because there had been a power surge on the Underground. Lovegrove and her colleagues initially had no idea of the true cause of the disruption until a police radio in the office sounded a short time later. We heard this shaky voice come over the radio. It was a sergeant who was looking after the street duties for the new officers that were just being trained, and he came on the radio and said: A bus has just blown up in front of me. Lovegrove says everyone in the police station immediately started grabbing first aid kits to dash to the scenes of the bombings, remembering how she picked up an off-duty nurse who flagged down her police car as she raced to Russell Square. We saw what had happened the bodies that were there and people coming out, Lovegrove says. It was horrific I dont really have a sense of how long we were there. She was then sent to Kings Cross station, and later to triage injured survivors arriving at University College Hospital. When Lovegrove got home, she still didnt know the scale of the attacks that had taken place. 52 victims had been killed in three coordinated bombings on the London transport network, leaving almost 800 survivors wounded, in the deadliest terror attack to hit the UK since the Lockerbie bombing. I was shellshocked, she says. It took a while for the enormity of it to come through. After that I wanted to get involved in counter-terrorism. I wanted to be there, I wanted to understand, and to be part of stopping this happening again. Lovegrove was initially deployed in the Terrorist Prisoner Debrief Team, which interviewed convicted terrorists about what they had done and why. The role saw her interview notorious attack plotters behind the attempted shoe bombing that targeted a transatlantic flight in 2001. She went on to work for Prevents arm inside prisons, which have faced internal threats from jailed terrorists radicalising other inmates, and was promoted to lead the programme in January last year. It is not where Lovegrove thought shed end up at the age of 49. After growing up in Ealing, West London, in a family with no connection to policing, her original plan had been to go to university. Maria Lovegrove on the 7/7 bombings: 'It was horrific I dont really have a sense of how long we were there' - Paul Grover Having initially excelled in her studies at a state convent school for girls, she started to struggle as she moved into GCSEs and A-levels. I later found out that was because I had ADHD but didnt know then, and so I did okay and got through my exams, but was finding it increasingly difficult to focus on studying, she says. I decided not to go to university but I felt as though I needed a plan B. I had a friend whose boyfriend was a police officer, and I thought well, that feels like that will get my parents off my back. Lovegrove applied to join the Metropolitan Police at the age of 19, not with any long term plan, but as a sort of thatll do for now type thing whilst I worked out what I wanted to do, she says. It surprised my family because that was not what they thought was coming, but then the kind of more I got through the process I started to think maybe this is something that will work for me. But if Im honest, I never thought Id be here 30 years later. And I definitely never thought Id reach this level of role. Lovegroves rise to become one of the most senior women in UK counter-terrorism policing has not been without its challenges. She joined the Met in 1994 a time when there were very few women in the police and found herself swiftly sent out on lone night patrols around Kings Cross station, which was notorious at the time as a hotbed of drugs, prostitution and criminality. Lovegrove was not the sort of police officer locals were used to seeing, being by her own admission short, really young and pretty naive. She recalls heading into the night while telling herself: Be brave, youve got this. She is philosophical about the period she calls a baptism of fire, even if she was punched a few times by prostitutes who didnt like the way I was interacting with them. At the time, as a young gay woman, Lovegrove also feared abuse and threats from her own colleagues inside the Metropolitan Police. I didnt join an organisation that was particularly welcoming, she says. I definitely didnt feel safe for the first few years of my career being my authentic self. I felt like that was quite a hostile place in terms of homophobia and misogyny generally. Lovegrove was forced to navigate negative reactions from other officers, while looking up the chain of command to see only white, middle-aged, hetrosexual men. Misogyny and homophobia inside the Metropolitan Police has been thrown into the spotlight by a string of scandals over recent years, from vile messages exchanged in a Whatsapp group containing Sarah Everards murderer Wayne Couzens, to revelations about the toxic culture at Charing Cross Police Station that sparked the ousting of former commissioner Dame Cressida Dick. There are times when Ive not been proud to be a police officer, and it has been a struggle, and Ive questioned it, she says. But overall, for something that I never really had a plan for, it feels like it was probably one of those things that was meant to be for me. Lovegrove attributes her ability to remain and rise in the Metropolitan Police to brilliant, supportive people that made that possible for me, and is now comfortable being open about her personal life in the hope of inspiring others. Now living in Sussex with her working cocker spaniel, she is an avid cold water swimmer, even through the winter, and finds that bracing dips in the English Channel help her clear her mind during intense periods of work. One thing occupying her mind is how threats to the UK will change in the future, and if the countrys security infrastructure is prepared for it. Were continually thinking about whether the system is equipped for the future, she says. It isnt perfect, and what we cant do is capture everything in counterterrorism. That would be the wrong thing to do. But I think were really in a strong position in terms of how weve now got a system thats much more evolved. We have improved significantly in the last couple of years. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, a bookish professor of rhetoric at Bowdoin College in Maine who became the Union's most celebrated combat hero of the Civil War, died on this day in history, Feb. 24, 1914. Brig. Gen. Chamberlain was 85 years old. "A veritable icon of Civil War legend, Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain is best known for his heroic participation in the Battle of Gettysburg," writes the American Battlefield Trust. ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY, FEBRUARY 23, 1945, US MARINES RAISE AMERICAN FLAG OVER IWO JIMA, CAPTURED IN HEROIC PHOTO "Prolific and prosaic throughout his life, Chamberlain spent his twilight years writing and speaking about the war." His death was attributed at least partly to some of the incredible six wounds he suffered and survived in battle 50 years earlier. READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP His ability to continue fighting despite numerous wounds, in an era in which whiskey and amputations were common treatments in battlefield medicine, was among his many remarkable successes as soldier. Chamberlain is the last Civil War soldier to die of injuries suffered in combat, according to the Department of the Defense. Colonel Chamberlain earned the Medal of Honor for his heroic leadership of the 20th Maine Infantry at Gettysburg. He later had the honor of accepting General Robert E. Lee's surrender at Appomattox. WWII LOVE LETTERS HIDDEN BEHIND WALL IN NEW YORK HOME DELIVERED TO FAMILY 80 YEARS LATER He served four terms as governor of Maine, wrote a powerful chronicle of the last months of the war, "The Passing of the Armies," and returned to academia, spending 12 years as president of Bowdoin. Chamberlain's legend was forged on Little Round Top, on the far left flank of the vast Union army at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, on July 2, 1863. An American flag that flew over a base in Iraq, and a portrait of Union Civil War General Joshua Chamberlain, are among the patriotic touches that line the walls of the Freedom General Store in Freedom on June 30, 2014. Chamberlain's 20th Maine repelled numerous Confederate charges but ran out of ammunition. He could not retreat and he could not surrender or the rebels might roll up the entire Union line and possibly win the war with a stunning victory in the northern state. Chamberlain responded with a dramatic bayonet charge down the hill, a turning point in American history that was immortalized in the Pulitzer Prize-winning 1974 historical novel "The Killer Angels" by Michael Shaara and again in the 1993 movie, "Gettysburg." "Chamberlain raised his saber, let loose the greatest sound he could make, boiling the sound up from his chest," Shaara wrote in the dramatized account of the historically accurate encounter. "Fix bayonets! Charge! Fix bayonets! Charge! Fix bayonets! Charge! He leaped down from the boulder, still screaming, his voice beginning to crack and give, and all around him his men were roaring animal screams," wrote Shaara. "He saw the whole regiment rising and pouring over the wall, and beginning to bound down through the dark bushes, over the dead and dying and wounded, hats coming off, hair flying, mouths making sounds, one man firing as he ran, the last bullet, the last round." The frenzied charge swept away four Confederate regiments. About 2,000 men were killed, wounded, surrendered or retreated. The rebel army lost the battle the following day, with the heroic but ill-fated disaster of Pickett's Charge. Chamberlain's beautifully written work, "The Passing of the Armies," published posthumously in 1915, serves as a foundation of scholarship of the final year of the Civil War and offers sobering insight into of the minds of men in combat. MEET THE AMERICAN WHO WROTE THE BATTLE HYMN OF THE REPUBLIC "The hammering business had been hard on the hammer," he wrote of the tragic Union casualties suffered while trying to pound the Confederates into defeat at Petersburg in the final months of the war. Chamberlain was later given the duty of accepting General Lee's surrender at Appomattox, adding to his legend among Civil War soldiers. "Grant wished the ceremony to be as simple as possible, and that nothing should be done to humiliate the manhood of the southern soldiers," Chamberlain wrote in "The Passing of the Armies." Portrait of General Joshua L. Chamberlain, 1908, Joseph B. Kahill, pastel on paper/pastel board, 29 3/8 in. x 22 1/16 in. (74.61 cm x 56.04 cm). He ordered his columns to salute the defeated Confederate troops helping set the tone of the peace in Lincolns stated hope "with malice toward none and charity toward all." "It was not a 'present arms,' however which then as now was the highest possible honor to be paid even to a president," Chamberlain later said. "It was the 'carry arms,' as it was then known, with musket held by the right hand and perpendicular to the shoulder." CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTER "Throughout the war, Chamberlain was wounded six times, most grievously at Petersburg in June 1864," writes American Battlefield Trust. "Believing this wound to be mortal, Congress promoted Chamberlain to the rank of brigadier general. Chamberlain, however, would survive the wound, and return to the front in time to play a pivotal role in the Appomattox Campaign." His achievements with both sword and quill make him one of the most remarkable soldiers in American history. "Our place in human brotherhood, our responsibility not only in duty for country, but as part of its very being, came into view," he wrote of serving the nation in wartime. Pickett's Charge, Battle of Gettysburg, Civil War, 1863. The ill-fated charge came the day after the Confederate failure to move the 20th Maine Infantry off Little Round Top at the far southern end of the battlefield. His legend was cemented in that decisive moment of action on July 2, 1863, for which he was awarded the nation's highest honor for valor. Some historians argue that the heroic Chamberlain not only saved the Union army at Little Round Top, but saved the cause of the Union itself. "The regiments sudden, desperate bayonet charge blunted the Confederate assault on Little Round Top and has been credited with saving Major General George Gordon Meades Army of the Potomac, winning the Battle of Gettysburg and setting the South on a long, irreversible path to defeat," reports American Battlefield Trust. For more Lifestyle articles, visit www.foxnews.com/lifestyle . Original article source: On this day in history, February 24, 1914, Joshua L. Chamberlain dies, college professor turned Civil War hero Erin and Ben Napier are returning for another season of their fan-favorite HGTV series Home Town Takeover! In seasons one and two, the Napiers transformed the small towns of Wetumpka, Alabama and Fort Morgan, Colorado, and now they're bringing their magic to a brand new state. The Napiers made a special announcement this week that they will be filming Home Town Takeover in Sebring, Florida for season three! Sebring is in the center of southern Florida, due east of Sarasota and around 85 miles south of Orlando. Though the small town doesn't boast any beaches or amusement parks, it does sit on scenic Lake Jackson and have all the charming potential the Napiers look for. "It's a new location and you've probably never heard of it because it's not tourist Florida, which is our favorite Florida," Ben explained on The Jennifer Hudson Show. "It's off the beaten path," Erin elaborated. After being affected by hurricane Irma in 2017, Sebring has all the potential, but it is in need of a little refresh, and Erin and Ben Napier are just the people for the job. However, the Napiers can't do it all themselves, so they'll be bringing in surprise special guests and helpers throughout their time in Florida. "This show is really hard to make. There's gonna be a lot of special guests. A lot of people coming in to help," Ben said. The six-episode season is slated to air early next year, but Erin and Ben are already on the ground kicking things off. "Day 3 filming #HomeTownTakeover S3 (we are eating all the Cuban food and wearing our sunscreen, thanks Florida)," Erin wrote on Instagram earlier this week. We're a little jealous of the residents of Sebring, but we can't wait to see the transformations Erin and Ben pull off this season! You Might Also Like Lars Nielsen was casually using his metal detector while exploring the Emmerlev area in Denmark when he made quite the surprising discovery: a large and luxurious-looking gold ring set with a red semiprecious stone. It turns out it's much more than just a nice piece of jewelry that someone might have left behind. Researchers have been looking into the ring's origins and believe that it dates back to the 5th or 6th century. According to the Danish news site Via Ritzau, the discovery seemingly points to the long-ago presence of an unknown royal family in the area with close ties to the Merovingians, a royal family that once ruled the Kingdom of France. Kirstine Pommergaard, a curator and archaeologist at the National Museum of Denmark, explained what she found and how the ring's unique build connects it to the Merovingian elite. "The gold ring not only reveals a possible new princely family in Emmerlev, but also connects the area with one of Europe's largest centers of power in the Iron Age," she told Via Ritzau. "The gold ring is probably a woman's ring and may have belonged to a prince's daughter who was married to a prince in Emmerlev." "Gold is typically [used in] diplomatic gifts, and we know that people have married into alliances, just as it probably happened with Thyra and Gorm the Old and in more recent times when Christian IX became known as 'Europe's father-in-law' for marrying his daughters into other royal houses," she noted. Related: Metal Detectorists Unearth Big Trove of Rare American Gold Coins Nielsen, for his part, is just thrilled to have possibly uncovered a new piece of European history. "I was so excited and overwhelmed that I could hardly say anything," he said. "It is without a doubt my best find so far. To make such a unique and one-of-a-kind find is completely surreal. I am very proud and honored to be able to contribute a piece to our shared history both locally and nationally." We may receive a commission on purchases made from links. When we heard Walt Disney World would be teaming up with renowned celebrity chef Maneet Chauhan, we couldn't wait to dig into the resulting restaurant's menu. EET by Maneet Chauhan is a new Indian restaurant at Disney Springs, Walt Disney World's admission-free vacation hub in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. What's more, it's one of only two Indian-inspired eateries at the park. Unlike Sanaa, an Indian-African fusion lounge located in Disney's Animal Kingdom, EET focuses primarily on tantalizing Indian fare and with James Beard Award of Excellence winner Chauhan at the helm, it makes for an unforgettable Disney dining experience. Like Chauhan's cookbook, "Chaat: Recipes from the Kitchens, Markets, and Railways of India," the restaurant's menu is filled with flavorful selections. But, EET is a bit less traditional: tandoori chicken poutine, served with creamy makhani sauce in place of traditional gravy, and walking tacos, comprised of a crunchy bed of Indian puffed snacks topped with savory pork chili, chutney, and cotija cheese, are must-try examples. Perhaps the most interesting is EET's saag paneer pizza, which combines a classic Indian dish with a street food staple loved from Naples to New York. In exclusive comments to Tasting Table, chef Chauhan filled us in on the story and flavors behind her newest restaurant. If you can't drop by Disney Springs for a taste of EET's saag paneer pizza, don't fret. The Food Network star gave us her best tips to make this signature dish at home. Read more: 19 Popular Pizza Chains, Ranked From Worst To Best How Chauhan Crafted EET's Approachable Indian Menu Assorted dishes from eet by Maneet Chauhan - EET by Maneet Chauhan No matter how many Indian menus you've perused, we're willing to bet you've never encountered one quite like EET's. According to Maneet Chauhan, her eponymous eatery was born out of a shared goal to familiarize diners with traditional Indian flavors. Chauhan referred to the year-long process of developing EET's menu as a labor of love. It came about through collaboration with her husband, Vivek, as well as two of the restaurant's executives. "We wanted to ensure that everyday visitors enjoy the food," Chauhan told Tasting Table. Its spacious, sunny dining room and colorful decor add to the restaurant's inviting atmosphere. At EET, both seasoned Indian food fans and newbies are welcome with open arms. Chauhan noted that she anticipated that many visitors to Disney Springs may not be acquainted with the flavors and styles of Indian food. "Our goal is to be able to appeal to a larger audience by introducing approachable, Indian-inspired options like our naan pizzas and build-your-own bowls," said Chauhan. There's no doubt the restaurant's offerings are approachable in fact, we noticed that many of our fellow diners couldn't help but order and share multiple plates. Still, Chauhan said she was careful in curating EET's menu: "As chefs, we're inclined to go 'off the deep end,' so we made sure to keep scalability in mind every step of the way. After many iterations and helpful feedback, we finally landed on EET's current offerings." The Inspiration Behind EET's Saag Paneer Pizza Saag paneer pizza from eet - Robyn Song/Tasting Table There are plenty of exceptional dishes on the menu at EET, and saag paneer pizza is certainly one to write home about. At first glance, it looks a bit like a pesto-based variety though each irresistible slice is filled with creamy paneer cheese and velvety spinach sauce instead. EET's saag paneer pizza is especially dear to Maneet Chauhan's heart, as it's derived from a recipe with rich family ties. "Saag paneer has been one of my favorite dishes since I was a little kid," she told Tasting Table. "And our kids love it, too! Our kids are our inspiration." Greens and cheese are always a great team, but there's something extra special about this savory, spicy version of spinach pie. Most Indian food fans can agree that the only thing better than saag paneer is mopping a plate up with some warm, freshly baked naan bread and it's this perfect pairing that inspired Chauhan's fusion recipe. "When we dine out, we always order naan and saag paneer," the chef explains. "We thought to ourselves, 'Why not combine the two?'" It's a winning formula the golden-crusted naan provides a pleasantly chewy base, and the rich spinach sauce blends beautifully with seasoned squares of paneer cheese. Maneet's Tips For Making Homemade Paneer Cubed paneer cheese and naan - Picture Partners/Shutterstock For the uninitiated, paneer is a tender Indian cheese made by mixing fresh milk with a single acidic ingredient, such as lemon or vinegar. This mild-tasting cheese is somewhat similar to tofu in its appearance, making it easily substitutable, though paneer has a creamier flavor. It's readily available in Indian markets, but store-bought paneer is often too firm to make proper saag paneer. However, Maneet Chauhan has a quick workaround for this issue. "If you're buying pre-made paneer, cut it into cubes and add it to boiling water," Chauhan said. "You can add a little salt and turmeric for color and flavor. Use that paneer for a softer result." If you're the type who enjoys going the extra mile in the kitchen, consider making your own paneer from scratch. The two-ingredient cheese only requires milk and an acid, though it will take some time (and cheesecloth) to set. Per Chauhan, it's best to use full-fat dairy in your recipe, as low-fat or alternative milk won't yield satisfactory results. "The key is to start with whole milk the fat makes the paneer richer. As you're making it, don't add too much pressure when pressing it down," she told Tasting Table. "A little water will also make it really soft." Cooking Chauhan's Saag Paneer Base Close-up of saag paneer dish - Sam Thomas A/Shutterstock For those of you hoping to create saag paneer just like EET's at home, Maneet Chauhan has a few pointers. "At the restaurant, we cook mustard greens and spinach down with fresh ginger, garlic, onions, and garam masala," she says. "This creates the foundation of flavors." To achieve the correct consistency for the sauce, the chef notes it's crucial to use limited amounts of water during the cooking process. "Saag is a simple recipe, but you have to be careful by not adding too much water," Chauhan said to Tasting Table. If using frozen spinach, squeeze all of the excess moisture out prior to cooking. Remember, you can always add more as needed. The chef claims to have tried everything when searching for the ideal naan pizza sauce experimenting with proteins like shrimp and various curries, including vindaloo, as well as several other potential toppings. Some elements of the dish were harder to nail down than others, with Chauhan noting that: "The biggest challenge we faced was streamlining the sauces for this recipe." The ability to scale batches of the dish while retaining quality was also a prime concern. The "Chopped" star noted the care taken to preserve the integrity of each ingredient. When discussing the saag paneer recipe, Chauhan alluded to the lengthy process involved. "There was a lot of trial and error to make sure these recipes could be replicated by all of our chefs on a much larger scale," she said. Assembling The Saag Paneer Pizza eet's saag paneer pizza, pani puri, and naan - Robyn Song/Tasting Table Of course, the last item you'll need is your pizza's crust in this case, naan bread. Once you've gathered your ingredients, putting your saag paneer pizza together is as easy as pie. Take it from Maneet Chauhan, who lays out EET's official assembly process step-by-step. "We make fresh naan in front of guests in our open kitchen. We just add the toppings and go from there to create the pizzas. The base is made the same way as traditional naan," Chauhan told Tasting Table. Similarly, the saag paneer sauce gracing the pizzas is the same one used in the build-your-own-bowls elsewhere on the menu. You'll be pleased to learn that Maneet Chauhan's saag paneer pizza recipe will be ready to eat in no time at all. Since you're working with pre-made components, like naan bread, your pizza doesn't need long in the oven to brown. "If you're making [saag paneer pizza] at home, put your oven on the highest broil setting typically 500 degrees Fahrenheit. Keep a watchful eye and make sure to rotate it," said the chef. Depending on your preferences, you might want a chewier or crispier crust in your pie so feel free to adjust its cook time as you see fit. That said, EET's standard recipe only takes a few minutes in the broiler to reach optimal doneness. "The naan pizza should be ready in 3-4 minutes, with the cheese melted and ready to go," Chauhan told us. Taking Your Naan-Based Pizza To The Next Level eet's saag paneer pizza - EET by Maneet Chauhan EET's saag paneer pie is garnished with fresh chopped cilantro, though it's up to you to choose your perfect toppings. Maybe you enjoy a side of ranch with your pizza or you go all out with the parmesan shaker at your local spot. Either way, it's not unusual to whip out some extras to enhance your slice. So, what are Maneet Chauhan's thoughts on elevating EET's saag paneer pizza? "I'm personally a big fan of Calabrian chilis," she disclosed, "but I also love sliced onions and jalapenos." That said, there's one popular topping she admitted to not quite pleasing her palate: ranch dressing. Whether you dine at EET in Disney Springs or whip up its saag paneer pizza at home, odds are you'll fall for Chauhan's distinctive style of cooking. But if you're hungry for more flavor-packed recipes from the Food Network star, there's more where that came from. Her cookbook, "Chaat," is a superb resource for those wanting to recreate the influence of the restaurant in their own kitchen. Aside from Chauhan's full saag paneer recipe, you can find other delightful Indian favorites to devour, from aloo chaat to pani puri. Read the original article on Tasting Table. It was during a first adventure around the world that we made the agreeable discovery that all really interesting peoplesportsmen, explorers, musicians, scientists, vagabonds, and writerswere vitally interested in good things to eat and drink. Charles Baker Jr. More from Robb Report The Mexican Firing Squad is one of the earliest tequila cocktails in the written English record, discovered, if you can say that, by one of the most entertaining characters in the whole cocktail universe, a mechanical engineer-turned-peripatetic gastronomist named Charles Baker Jr. Baker was a lot of thingsan engineer, a writer, a magazine owner, an interior designerbut what he really was was an adventurer. Born in Florida, he moved to Connecticut for school and held several odd jobs in the Northeast before some chance moneyan unexpected inheritance from a thoughtful grandparent, according to a truly excellent biography by St. John Frizellallowed him to quit it all, and in 1925, at the age of 30, he boarded the steamship Resolute for a trip around the world. Enraptured by all things epicurean, he kept a notebook of compelling items he ate and drank, and in 1939 he stitched together the sum of his travelsthe first-fruits of fourteen years liquid field work, he wrotein a book called The Gentlemans Companion: Around the World with Jigger, Beaker, and Flask. Most cocktail books of the time were spartan affairs, lists of measurements so dry and unadorned they might as well be recipes for communion wafers. Bakers book, by contrast, was opinionated, lyrical, and exuberant. He recounts not just the formula for each drink but the exotic locales in which he encountered it, the colorful character that made the introduction, and occasionally the besotted consequences that ensued. A few chosen at random: A violette fizz from a perfumer he befriended in Cairo, a gin cocktail from a hotel in heart-breakingly beautiful Japan, a tart and bitter affair called Death in the Gulfstream from his friend Ernest Hemingway, and an absinthe-based hangover cure encountered at the famous Harrys Bar in Paris, mixed for us by an Itinerant Russian Prince. All original, all compelling, and all written with the enthusiasm of discovery. But back to the matter at handin 1937 Baker found himself in Mexico City, being herded into fancy, rather dull places, served too warm drinks by a couple governmentally connected young men. He endeavored to ditch his chaperones, breaking away on his own and finding a bar called La Cucaracha, and a creation we almost became wrecked upon, the Mexican Firing Squad: Tequila, lime juice, grenadine, and Angostura Bitters. A few things are notable about this. First, as mentioned, this is among the earliest tequila cocktails ever published in the English language. That title officially goes to the handful of tequila drinks (like the Toreador) in William J. Tarlings Cafe Royal Cocktail Book in 1937, the same year Baker encountered the Mexican Firing Squad, though he wouldnt publish it until 1939 (fun factthe word Margarita wouldnt get connected to the cocktail we all know until 1953). Whats more, La Cucaracha was a famous bar, and you can find their physical menu from the 1930s, and the Mexican Firing Squad isnt on it. Was it an extemporaneous creation from a talented bartender, or a previous cocktail that was already phased out by 1937? Its impossible to tell. Further, its not even clear what the cocktails name actually is. In the index of his book, its listed as the Firing Squad Cocktail, with Tequila; Mexico, which would be a better name, but in the text itself he calls it the Mexican Firing Squad, which is the name that stuck. What we do know for sure is that the Mexican Firing Squad is one of the few classic tequila cocktails we have. Its incredibly simple, just some pomegranate and baking spices accenting a basic sour-style mix, but it unfolds like a story in four acts, each ingredient playing its role perfectly: You meet the tequila first before the bright juiciness of the pomegranate takes over, which turns tart with lime and then finishes with the dry textured spice of the bitters. Its elegant, simple, and delightful, a worthy bit of cocktail reporting by an adventurer who couldnt help but share this deliciousness, and his enthusiasm for it, with the world. Mexican Firing Squad 2 oz. tequila 0.75 oz. lime juice 0.75 oz. grenadine 2 dashes Angostura Bitters Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker with ice and shake hard for six to eight seconds. Strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice and garnish with a lime wheel, or if youre feeling festive and want to do it as Baker suggests, garnish with a slice of orange, a slice of pineapple, and a red cherry. NOTES ON INGREDIENTS Fortaleza Tequila: Half the recipes youll find for this drink call for blanco (unaged) tequila, and the other half call for reposado (lightly aged) tequila. Theres a reason for this, which is that theres a different bit of confusion as to whether this has soda or not. After making them all, my favorite way is to use a reposado tequila, which means its been aged two to 12 months in oak barrels that file some of the raw green agave flavor off and replaces it with a bit of tannins, vanilla, and baking spice. Its that vanilla that really helps integrate the flavors, mixing with both the pomegranate and the spices like a dream. For a straightforward Mexican Firing Squad, reposado is definitely the way to go. As for brands, I love inexpensive, 100 percent agave solutions like Real del Valle, Cimarron, and Olmeca Altos So when do you use a blanco? Use a blanco when you add soda. Bakers original recipe didnt call for soda but did call for a tall glass, which to some people, I suppose, implies soda. He also called for a full measure of lime juice but a very small portion of grenadine yielding a very tart drink, so what some smart people have done is add two ingredients to the original tequila, lime juice, and 0.25 oz. grenadine: 0.5 oz. simple syrup and a couple ounces of soda water to top. If you do this, use blancothe reduced footprint of the grenadine and the stretching effect of the soda water combined make the bolder blanco tequila a better choice. Personally, I prefer the reposado version, but both are excellent. Feel free to make up your own mind. Grenadine: When were talking about grenadine, were talking about a syrup made of equal parts pomegranate juice and sugar, so to start with, if all you have is the Kool-Aid red version from Roses, step one is throw that away, and step two is make or buy some actual grenadine. To buy: There are lots of good brands, like Liquid Alchemist, Liber & Co, and Small Hands Foods, to name a few. There are many more, cocktail syrups tend to be regional, just make sure the ingredient list features pomegranate juice and sugar. To make: Grenadine is easy. In the past, Ive rhapsodized about the charms of fresh-juiced pomegranate grenadine compared to grenadine made with POM Wonderful pomegranate juice (or some other bottled, pasteurized pomegranate juice), and thats especially true of the Jack Rose cocktail. Here, it matters less. Fresh will give you a fruit character thats both brighter and deeper, but its still wonderful with the bottled juice, so I wouldnt go too far out of your way. Angostura Bitters: Some people call for five to six dashes, which is three times the standard quantity, and this makes no sense to me at all. Two to three is perfect. Best of Robb Report Sign up for Robb Report's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Click here to read the full article. Even in Italy, where you might assume there would be certain sensitivities around the subject, the mob wife aesthetic popularised in Griselda, the Netflix hit, and currently taking TikTok by the throat, stalks the streets. It may not get very far those heels are not compatible with the many grills and cobbles in this city but it leaves a lasting impression. One big change from the mob wife aesthetic of yesteryear however, is that the fur is emphatically faux. This is quite the cultural shift. Not so long ago, if you wanted to be taken seriously as a person of substance, it was better to go coatless in Milan than wear fake fur. Armstrong: 'This year the fur is emphatically faux' - AFP Even when superior, deluxe fakes from niche brands such as the London based Shrimps became fashionable a decade or so ago, those on the front row would leave theirs at home when they visited Milan. They were too kooky, too kitsch. Milanese style was, and to a large extent still is, about looking prosperous. Bring on the double ply cashmere. But now, look as yet another social taboo crumbles. Dolce & Gabbana had the biggest, bounciest, more brazenly fake furs on its catwalk. Gucci had fake fur too, but it was mainly confined to trims. There has been a noticeable uptick of fake fur on the streets as well. Gen Z might be dusting off (great) grannys vintage real mink in other countries, but not here, not yet. Armstrong: 'Dolce & Gabbana had the most brazenly fake furs on its catwalk' - AFP Give them a chance. Italy is often accused of being behind the curve when it comes to taking on the lessons of Me Too, so its hard to know whether all the allusions to Helmut Newton in Dolce & Gabbanas show were earnestly meant, or perhaps tongue-in-chic. Armstrong: 'It's hard to know whether all the allusions to Helmut Newton in Dolce & Gabbanas show were earnestly meant' - AFP But here they were, piled on thick: dagger heels, sheer black tights, cummerbunds, nipple-revealing sheer chiffon tops, floor length leopard print, black dominatrix tailoring, lots of black, lots of leg and glitter, lots of veiled millinery, lashings of red lipstick and none of their famous florals. At those you had to steal a glance at Anna Wintour in the front row. The show featured 'nipple-revealing sheer chiffon tops', writes Armstrong - Getty Dagger heels were paired with sheer black tights - Getty Images Europe Perhaps the designers were both sincere and ironic in this eulogy to male gaze glamour just as Newton himself was. No one can accuse them of not knowing how to dress women of all shapes, sizes and tastes in sexy clothes. Best known perhaps for body con lace and corseted dresses, the Tuxedo theme of the show gave Dolce & Gabbana free reign to display their impeccable tailoring. Armstrong: 'The Tuxedo theme of the show gave Dolce & Gabbana free reign to display their impeccable tailoring' - Getty The label are best known for their 'body con lace and corseted dresses' - Getty It was fun to see the models, who included Amber Valletta, Eva Herzegova and Naomi Campbell, swagger rather than cower down the catwalk for once. Naomi Campbell poses at the Dolce & Gabbana Fall/Winter 2024 collection Feb 24 2024 - Reuters Supermodel Eva Herzigova walks the runway during the Dolce & Gabanna collection, Feb 24 2024 - AFP Earlier in the day, Maximilian Davis, the 27-year-old Creative Director at Ferragamo, showed a collection of quieter, contemporary luxury that was more in tune with the rest of Milans designers. Masculine tailoring featured jackets with cuffed hems, hot pants and muted shades of lichen, brown, and, yes, black. Ferragamo's latest collection featured 'muted shades', writes Armstrong - WWD The off-note was curved stilettos that looked as though they were about to snap this from a house founded by an engineering magician of footwear. Armstrong: Ferragamo's 'stilettos looked as though they were about to snap' - WWD That aside, from someone so young, this is impressively refined and accomplished. It will be interesting to see what he does next. More from the Dolce & Gabbana show... model models model model model Ashley Graham attends the Dolce & Gabbana women's Fall-Winter 2024-25 fashion collection Feb 24, 2024 - AP/ Luca Bruno Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. On October 17 2019, the trial began in Hamburg of a 93-year-old man, brought into the courtroom in his wheelchair and followed in by his wife and daughter. He admitted in the opening question from the judge, Anne Meier-Goring, that he was Bruno Dey, accused of assisting in the murder of 5,230 prisoners at the Stutthof concentration camp, in what is now Poland, during the Second World War. Dey didnt deny that hed been a guard at Stutthof hed admitted as much in an interview back in 1982 and no one was suggesting he had pulled the trigger on anyone, beaten or tortured a single person, or closed the doors on the camps gas chamber. He was, though, accused of knowing what was going on, and not only doing nothing to stop the murders, but by being part of the apparatus that made them possible, actively aiding the crimes. At the time, Dey had been just 17. His family had never been members of the Nazi party, Dey himself had managed to avoid joining the Hitler Youth, and it was only because of the desperate state of Germany in 1944 that teenagers like him were being called up. Somehow, hed managed to convince doctors that he had a heart condition, and so avoided the frontline service that might well have seen him slaughtered in combat. Instead, hed been posted to the SS and sent to Stutthof, where hed spent his days, armed with a rifle, at the top of a watch tower. How attitudes in postwar Germany changed. In the years after the war, there had been the Nuremberg trials, and a number of camp commandants had been executed, but the vast majority, the millions of Nazi Party members, voters and supporters, had mostly been deemed Mitlaufer people who run with the crowd and allowed to go home. Instead, a strange inversion of history took root, in which those who had allowed Hitler and the regime to unleash a global war had convinced themselves that they were the victims. All this changed in 1963, in what became known as the Frankfurt Auschwitz Trial, brought by a tenacious Jewish lawyer called Fritz Bauer in response to a denouncement of Wilhelm Boger, a former senior SS officer at Auschwitz. Although there had been long years of judicial neglect, Bauer was able to prosecute not only Boger but 23 others, too. He is just one of the many extraordinary characters that run through this gripping and fascinating book. Confronting the past: Tobias Buck, author of Final Verdict Some are remarkable heroes, others despicable villains. One of the latter was Josef Klehr, a medical nurse at Auschwitz who would lethally inject prisoners in the heart with phenol. In one of the many memorable passages in this absorbing book, Tobias Buck writes of the testimony of Jan Weis, a prisoner at Auschwitz who had to carry away the bodies of those killed by Klehr. One day, Weiss father was brought in. I started to cry, Weis told the court. But Klehr had not been moved. He gave my father the injection, and I carried him, my father, away. The trial brought these terrible crimes to the forefront in Germany for the first time. No one could reasonably deny what had gone on after this and yet although all those on trial were convicted, the judge, Hans Hofmeyer, had missed the essential truth, that the Holocaust was not mainly the work of sadists but the industrial murder of millions by a complicit population. Law relies on precedent, and the Frankfurt Auschwitz Trial set one that would make it harder to bring minor players to trial in the future. That legal precedence was only broken with the trial, in 2009, of John Demjanjuk, a former guard at Sobibor. Rather than having specific murders pinned on him, he was accused of aiding the death camp itself and convicted. It was the vital change that led directly to the trial of Bruno Dey, one that Buck followed each day and which prompted him to question the meaning of Germanys guilt and to undertake a quest into his own familys part in the regime. In Final Verdict, he meets survivors, charts the remarkable regrowth of the countrys Jewish community, and asks questions about the future of remembrance once the last of the perpetrators and their victims are no longer with us. He also follows Deys trial to its conclusion. It was on the 10th day of the trial that Judge Meier-Goring one of Bucks undisputed heroes finally persuaded Dey to admit that he could have walked away from the appalling crimes he witnessed, but chose not to, and thus succumbed to what Oskar Groning, a former bookkeeper at Auschwitz who was tried in 2015, termed the comfort of obedience. For there is no record of a single guard or SS man being punished for refusing to serve in the camps. Dey could have walked away; it would probably have meant being posted to the front, but instead he remained and watched people being led away to be shot and gassed. Feeling pressure to conform, and fear for his own future, he simply looked on. He contributed to the Holocaust. James Hollands books include The Savage Storm: The Battle for Italy 1943. Final Verdict : A Holocaust Trial in the Twenty-First Century is published by W&N at 25. To order your copy for 19.99 call 0844 871 1514 or visit Telegraph Books Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Were winding our way up a wild mountain road in Tuscany at dusk when out of nowhere a deer hits our taxi with a resounding thud. Were startled, but not as much as the deer, who thankfully shakes itself off and runs away, but the encounter is a surefire reminder that were deep in nature. Its already been a 45-minute drive from Pistoia train station to the gates of the Oasi Dynamo nature reserve driving would be easier but since our destination is an eco-resort it seems churlish not to attempt public transport. Now were on the second leg, a long, winding drive along the remote road through the nature reserve to the Oasy Hotel, billed as a luxury eco-lodge. It's a fairly red in tooth and claw welcome, and lends our arrival the portentous atmosphere of a folk horror film. Thankfully this is quickly dispelled by the warmth and charm of our welcome once we finally reach reception. One of the charred timber cabins. E-bikes are available for guests (Valentina Sommariva) The hotel is headed up by general manager Federico Galligani, a native of the area who has returned to his home village following a long stint abroad, including at the Savoy in London. Under his discerning eye, service has all the smooth efficiency and behind-the-scenes magic youd expect at any of Europes grand hotels, coupled with local charm, thanks to Galliganis drive to employ and train up local young people where possible. Italys youth urban exodus is well documented, but a jobs and training drive shows the resort is looking at sustainability through a human and economic lens as much as an environmental one. Our lodge is a short walk away, along a verdant path through the refreshing spring dusk air to a charred timber cabin with a deck cleverly angled to give the sense that we are alone in nature. Its a certain type of luxury thats available here, the luxury of location, waking up to birdsong without having had to touch anything resembling a tent, attentive, intuitive service and having every whim catered for. Rooms are simple to the point of spartan but comfortable, spacious and equipped with everything you need (Nicola Neri) But it is still in the middle of nowhere and determined to live up to its eco credentials as far as possible. There is no swimming pool, no televisions in the rooms (although there is a small cinema on site) and no spa to speak of a treatment room with excellent massages fulfills the wellness brief. Design is simple almost to the point of spartan the focus here is on the outside world rather than opulent interiors but the rooms are nonetheless comfortable, cocooning and provided with everything necessary for a few days immersed in nature. And youth hostel, campsite, or, god forbid, Center Parcs, this is not. Were talking a stylish bare wood treatment for floor, wall and ceiling, well-designed lighting, an abundance of space for two with a bedroom, separate living room, private terrace, and a good bathroom. Theres no holiday park cringe here, even if we have got a packed schedule of activities to look forward to. Cheesemaking is not to be missed (Valentina Sommariva) But first, dinner. The great news is that sustainable and delicious are nowadays a very achievable pairing no punishing worthiness furnishes any plates or glasses the entire trip, just the tastiest, veg-forward local ingredients, skillfully prepared and presented. Proof of provenance is there for anyone who has a go at cheesemaking, one of the many activities on offer for guests, child friendly but recommended for adults too. This happens down at the farmhouse, where formaggio-pounding nonna, Maria, who makes all the cheeses served at the hotel, leads a no-nonsense class in Italian (with one of the young guides on hand to translate). She talks us through the process of pasteurisation, separating the curds and whey and then its time to get wrist deep with our own wheel of cheese, which is sweetly vacuum packed for travel, alongside clear instructions for ripening our cheeses at home. Fortified by a multi-course, vegetarian-friendly dinner, plus Tuscan wine (largely organic even if the local vintners are too stubbornly Italian to get them officially designated as such, sighs Galligani) we stumble back to our cabin to sleep like the dead. Farmhouse buildings containing the hotels more casual restaurant Casa Luigi (Valentina Sommariva) This is just as well because weve got a pre-breakfast wildlife tour lined up. Paola, our fully trained geo guide warns us that if we see a wild boar and it has babies, run as fast as you can. Its a valiant attempt to add a frisson to an uneventful but otherwise very scenic sunrise tour through the woods our early brush with the would-be roadkill deer ends up being our closest encounter with the reserves wildlife. In fact, we hardly see any other guests either except at breakfast a full Italian buffet affair of homemade cakes, cheeses, jams and more. We kayak on the lake with only the charming hotel staff for company, who bring us spritzes and a picnic, a heavily laden wooden chest filled with an assortment of sandwiches, salads, fruit skewers and cake and then leave us to our own devices. Yoga in the woods is a private affair with the on-site yoga teacher. The post-dinner bonfire is just us, the stars and a couple of glasses of red wine. The reserve (a former metallurgical society-turned hunting reserve-turned WWF oasis) is a 900-hectare haven of mountain, meadow, and forest offering a true opportunity to switch off and explore nature, be it on foot, e-bike, or, if booked in advance, horseback. The great news is that it is destined to stay that way. There are plans to expand but the options are limited: the 16 existing cabins sit at the landline with no space for any more, while there are plans afoot to renovate a clutch of villas for rental. Excitingly the concept could be extended to other WWF reserves in Italy. Watch this space. Oasyhotel is open from late March until late October. Says start from 400 per lodge per night on a bed and breakfast basis, including minibar access, e-bike usage, access to private lake and water sports and valet parking oasyhotel.com New York Fashion Week and Paris Fashion Week have both come to an end, but there are still couture shows to be admired and all of our favorite celebrities are jet-setting around the world doing their due diligence. Currently, fashionable A-listers have set up camp in Milan, Italy, where brands will display their best and brightest fall fashion for the next week. Among those who have made the journey for the series of elevated shows is Brazilian model Sofia Resing. And, of course, she showed up with every intention to turn heads of her own as she pays her respects to the styles of 2024. She showed up to the Alberta Ferretti fall/winter fashion show in an outfit that could very well have been on the runway itself. Resing really leaned into monochrome with her sidelines style, pairing champagne-colored silk pants with a collared sleeveless button-down in the same gold shade. On top, she wore a trench coat in a complementary tan hue. She paired the set with oversized gold earrings and a unique bucket bag in the same shade of shimmery champagne. All of which is to say, it was expertly styled and perfectly executed on Resings part. All shades of gold for @albertaferretti #mfw, she captioned an Instagram post featuring all angles of the legendary look. As a fashion model, her ability to dress simply comes with the territory. We have no doubt the coming week will bring more glamorous outfits from the model. "Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." Peanut butter is one of the hardest working ingredients in your kitchen. It's a reliable, affordable source of protein. You can use it in savory recipes and in sweet, nutty desserts. And it does the majority of the heavy lifting in a classic PB&J. Just like there are many ways to use peanut butter, it comes in many forms. There's smooth and creamy, crunchy and chunky, and a whole spectrum of textures in between. Some peanut butter brands have a sweet and nostalgic flavor, while others are made from pure, unadulterated peanut. And don't even get us started on the "stir vs. no stir" debate. Many peanut butter lovers are fiercely loyal and refuse to deviate from their favorite brand. But the market has grown, and there are so many different types of peanut butter out thereand one of these might become your new go-to. That's why we decided to do the hard work for you to determine which peanut butter brands are the best. We sampled over a dozen brands, and our team of food experts ranked them from worst to best. We considered everythingtexture, sweetness, ease of use, and versatility. So if you're looking to expand your peanut butter horizons, you can choose the right brand for you. Fix and Fogg Fix & Fogg talks a big game: Their high-oleic peanuts are sourced from Argentina, steel cut, and seasoned with New Zealand sea salt before going in the jar. But sadly, the finished product is pretty disappointing. One of our editors said the "actual flavor isn't great," while another said it tasted vaguely like plastic. And from a purely practical perspective, the neck of the jar is way too small to properly stir the peanut butter. Shop Now Fix and Fogg amazon.com $20.90 Amazon Once Again The "salt free" label on this peanut butter told us all we needed to know. This peanut butter is super bland. Our tasters absolutely hated the texture, with some saying that it "coats your mouth like mud and sticks to the back of your throat." Another one of us said that it has a "gummy and strangely gooey texture." Shop Now Once Again amazon.com $12.89 Amazon Smart Balance You may know Smart Balance for their alternative butter spreads, but you probably haven't heard of their peanut butter. And there's a reason why: It's gross. Something about it is just off. We're not sure if the flaxseed oil has something to do with it, but this peanut butter tastes like it shouldn't even be edible. Shop Now Smart Balance amazon.com $6.68 Amazon Peter Pan Peter Pan has overcome some tough PR in its nearly 100-year history, yet it's still the worst legacy PB brand on the market. Don't get us wrong: We don't have a problem with the added sugar. What we do have a problem with is that the peanut flavor is overwhelmed by the other ingredients. There are other nostalgic peanut butter brands that are better. Shop Now Peter Pan target.com $1.99 Target Brad's Organic At their peak, no-stir peanut butters taste like a pure expression of peanut. But at their worst, they're greasy and bland. Brad's Organic hovers somewhere in the middlebut it's closer to the latter. Their peanut butter doesn't lacks the right amount of salt that highlights the natural flavors of the nut. The nuts themselves could also benefit from a darker roast. Shop Now Brad's Organic amazon.com $11.49 Amazon Smucker's Natural The king of jelly also has their own line of peanut butter (how else are they going to make Uncrustables?). Their no-stir peanut butter is relatively easy to combine and have a deep, peanut-forward flavor. But just like with Brad's Organic, this peanut butter is in dire need of some salt. Even adding a pinch would take this PB to the next level. Shop Now Smucker's Natural target.com $2.99 Target Reese's When it comes to Halloween candy, Reese's is king. So it's only natural that they'd expand their peanut-based products to come in jar form. We absolutely love how creamy and rich this peanut butter is. The salt and sugar level is also pretty intense in this jar. We think it's perfect peanut butter to use for baking projects (peanut butter chocolate tarts, anyone?), but we wouldn't want to spread this on a stalk of celery. Shop Now Reese's walmart.com $3.38 Walmart PB2 The brand PB2 is a pioneer in the recent innovation of powdered peanut butter. You can rehydrate it, use it in shakes and smoothies, and even incorporate it into your baking. We love that it's naturally lower in fat than traditional peanut butters, and we love the many possibilities for using it. But on its own, it still doesn't compare to the real thing. Shop Now PB2 amazon.com $18.99 Amazon Skippy You can't have a peanut butter taste test without including Skippy. It's ubiquitous, it's accessible, it's affordable, and it just tastes like childhood. There will always be a special place in our hearts for Skippybut we have some notes. We love that it's cheap, but as one tester says, "it tastes like it." We love to use it when we're baking or when we want to enjoy a spoonful of peanut butter as a treat, but it's just not the best brand out there. Shop Now Skippy amazon.com $5.14 Amazon Peanut Butter & Co. Peanut Butter & Co. is basically like Skippy's fancier cousin. This brand technically sells "peanut butter spreads," so you can expect more of that sweet and salty flavor that you'd normally find with legacy PB brands. But something about it also just feels more elevated. You taste more of the peanut butter, and you have the extra peace of mind knowing that they use higher-quality ingredients. Shop Now Peanut Butter & Co. amazon.com $4.12 Amazon Justin's Since first launching in 2004, Justin's has grown to become one of the most recognizable peanut butter brands. They also offer a wide variety of products using different nuts and flavorings. Justin's strikes the ideal balance between a traditional peanut butter and a natural recipe. You don't have to stir it, yet it still tastes like peanuts. Our only gripe is that it's on the expensive side. Shop Now Justin's amazon.com $6.74 Amazon Crazy Richard's Crazy Richard's is another brand offering a natural peanut butter with a pure peanut-y taste. In fact, everything about it just screams peanut. Their creamy offerings still have some texture and heft to them to remind you of what actually went in the jar. There's a solid amount of seasoning that draws out the best possible flavor too. Our only gripe is that it's kind of pain to stirbut not impossible. Shop Now Crazy Richard's amazon.com $8.91 Amazon Jif Of all the old school peanut butters on the market, Jif is the GOAT. Just like with other nostalgic brands, there's enough sugar and salt to make the peanut butter taste like a special treat. What sets it apart from competitors, however, is the balance of flavor. It's more neutral and less salt-forward than similar brands, which makes it infinitely more versatile. Shop Now Jif amazon.com $8.49 Amazon Teddie This is the best natural peanut butter on the market. Beyond the adorable bear on the label, Teddie's recipe is seriously solid. The texture isn't too thick, which means it's super easy to stir and eat. Most importantly, Teddie tastes like pure, unadulterated peanut. It's intense and super concentrated, and it comes with just the right amount of salt to let the flavors sing. It's like eating a pack of airplane peanuts in the best way possible. Shop Now Teddie amazon.com $29.99 Amazon Santa Cruz Santa Cruz has a lot of different peanut butter options, and they're all very solid choices. Their natural varieties are reliable and well-seasoned. They offer both light and dark roasted recipes so everybody's happy. But one jar in particular swept the entire competition: their dark roasted, no stir peanut butter spread. It's arguably the best peanut butter of all time. Santa Cruz's no-stir version is perfectly creamy, perfectly seasoned, and has the most intense peanut flavor of all the brands we tried. Do yourself a favor and buy a jar (or three). Shop Now Santa Cruz amazon.com $21.57 Santa Cruz You Might Also Like Semafor Signals Insights from Zerkalo, Radio Free Europe, and The Straits Times The News On Sunday, Belarusians will head to the polls with a narrow choice between four official registered parties, all of which support President Alexander Lukashenko who has ruled the country for nearly 30 years. It will be the first vote of any kind in Belarus since the 2020 presidential election, where Lukashenko was accused of mass vote rigging, sparking national protests. This time, Belaruss opposition is endorsing an unusual candidate in the run up to the parliamentary election: Yas Gaspadar, an AI chatbot that describes itself as a 35-year-old from Minsk was launched by the Belarusian opposition earlier this month. For the first time, the name of an AI candidate has appeared on the lists of parliamentary candidates, the bots creators wrote in a press release. Frankly, hes more real than any candidate the regime has to offer, the Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya wrote on X. And the best part? He cannot be arrested! Gaspadars purported political agenda includes the release of political prisoners, free and fair elections, and a prohibition on nuclear weapons, which Lukashenko said Russian authorities had shipped to Belarus last December. SIGNALS Semafor Signals: Global insights on today's biggest stories. Chatbot is an information campaign, but can discuss things no registered candidate will talk about Sources: Zerkalo, Radio Free Europe, Politico The Belarusian opposition AI bot is primarily an information campaign and will not be formally nominated for the election, one of its creators told Zerkalo, an independent Belarusian news outlet. The election is so tightly controlled that voters fear boycotting it. The meaning of [the AI bots] appearance is to show that there are no elections in Belarus, an activist in exile told Radio Free Europe, while emphasizing that the bot could discuss things no registered candidate will talk about. The countrys opposition has also launched other AI-powered initiatives to reach the widest possible swathe of the countrys population, including an AI chatbot that provides information for the hundreds of thousands of people that are fleeing Belarus since 2020. Political AI chatbots pop up in Pakistan, Argentina, and South Korea Sources: The New York Times, Semafor, The Straits Times As it becomes easier to create custom chatbots, some opposition politicians are leveraging AI to circumvent repression. In Pakistan, the imprisoned former prime minister Imran Khan relied on AI-generated videos to campaign from behind bars during this years presidential election and to declare his partys victory. In this case, its for a good end, perhaps an end wed support someone whos locked up on trumped-up charges of corruption being able to speak to his supporters, one expert in AI and fake news told the New York Times. But at the same time, its undermining our belief in the things we see and hear. Argentina held an AI-dominated presidential election last year with the two presidential contenders using the technology to promote themselves and attack each other. And the current South Korean president created an AI avatar of himself in a bid to appeal to younger voters during the 2022 election. SAN DIEGO Hundreds of migrants were dropped off Friday at a San Diego bus stop instead of at a reception center that had been serving as a staging area because it ran out of local funding sooner than expected, showing how even the largest city on the country's southern border is struggling to cope with the unprecedented influx of people. Migrants who previously had a safe place to charge phones, use the bathroom, eat a meal and arrange to head elsewhere in the U.S. were now left on the street as migrant aid groups scrambled to help out as best they could with makeshift arrangements. Border Patrol buses carrying migrants from Senegal, China, Ecuador, Rwanda and many other countries arrived outside a transit center. Migrant aid groups said they would be bused from there to a parking lot where they could charge their phones and get a ride to the airport. The vast majority planned to spend only a few hours in San Diego before taking a flight or having someone pick them up. Are we in San Diego? asked Gabriel Guzman, 30, a painter from the Dominican Republic who was released after crossing the border in remote mountains on Thursday. He was told to appear in June in an immigration court in Boston, where he hopes to earn money to send home to his three children. Abd Boudeah, of Mauritania, flew to Tijuana, Mexico, through Nicaragua and followed other migrants to an opening in the border wall, where he surrendered to agents Thursday after walking about eight hours. The former molecular engineering student said he fled persecution for being gay and planned to settle in Chicago with a cousin who had been in the U.S. for 20 years. Ive dreamed about this (moment) a lot, and thank God Im here, Boudeah, 23, said in flawless English. Volunteers gave instructions in English, Spanish and French to small groups, all of them single men and women. They used translation apps for other languages. We're going to cross the street together and line up, a volunteer said into his phone, which then translated it into Hindi for a group of men from India. Tired from the road, Alikan Rdiyer, 31, of Kazakhstan, said in Russian as he waited for instructions to give to a friend from Los Angeles who was going to pick him up. The Border Patrol gave him a notice to appear in immigration court in August 2025 in Philadelphia a city he hadn't heard of. The transit center parking lot was full of cars, giving migrants nowhere to stand, and there were no public bathrooms. A taxi driver offered a ride to San Diego International Airport for $100, double what ride-sharing apps were charging. Some migrants dispersed in the neighborhood when volunteers were unable to reach them with instructions to wait on the sidewalk. Migrants unload their items off a bus as they arrive at a bus stop after leaving a processing facility, Friday, Feb. 23, 2024, in San Diego. Hundreds of migrants were dropped off at a sidewalk bus stop after local government funding for a reception center ran out of money sooner than expected. Cities struggle to help migrants with limited resources San Diego County has given $6 million since October to SBCS, a nonprofit formerly known as South Bay Community Services, to provide phone-charging stations, food, travel advice and other services at a former elementary school. The group aimed to keep it open through March, but Thursday was its last day. San Diego is one of many local governments that have struggled to help migrants without sacrificing key services, including New York, Chicago and Denver. Like other border cities, migrants tend to stay in San Diego less than a day before moving on, but large shelters operated by Jewish Family Service and Catholic Charities have been full for months, giving priority to families. A SEISMIC SHIFT: Why Biden is moving to the right in 2024 on immigration Nora Vargas, chair of the San Diego County board of supervisors, steadfastly supported the migrant welcome center but said the county had to pause spending as it assesses damages from catastrophic January flooding and addresses homelessness and lack of health care among its residents. We have to be financially prudent about it, she said. SBCS, which has come under withering criticism from some migrant advocacy groups, told the county that its services cost $1.4 million a month, said spokesperson Margie Newman Tsay. The county asked that it aim for $1 million. It's not that funds ran out early, it's that the funds were stretched as far as they could go, Newman Tsay said. Aid groups have given critical support to new arrivals, eliciting criticism from some quarters. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton threatened this week to sue and shut down Annunciation House, a decades-old organization that shelters migrants in El Paso. Paxton said the group might be facilitating illegal entry to the United States. Ruben Garcia, Annunciation House's director, gathered supporters at a news conference Friday to denounce Paxton's tactics. It is a full warning to other entities that also do the work of hospitality that they can very well be next, he said. SBCS said it had served 81,000 migrants in San Diego since Oct. 11. A report to the county showed it spent $750,000 on personnel through Dec. 24 and $152,000 on operating expenses, including shelter, transportation and security. I could have done a lot more with $6 million, said Erika Pinheiro, executive director of Al Otro Lado, a migrant aid group that is assisting with street releases. Vargas, who wrote President Joe Biden last week seeking support, defended SBCS's performance and noted its previous work sheltering unaccompanied child migrants at the San Diego Convention Center in 2019. Nobody is perfect, especially when you're trying to fill a gap from the federal government, said Vargas, echoing a common view among big-city mayors. Border agency calls on Congress to act Customs and Border Protection said in a statement Friday that the street releases were the latest example of the pressing need for Congress to provide additional resources and take legislative action to fix our outdated immigration laws. From October to January, the Border Patrol released more than 500,000 migrants with orders to appear in immigration court. Migrant aid groups are generally able to provide temporary shelter, but street releases are not unheard of. The San Diego transit center was also the scene of large-scale releases last year. San Diego has emerged as one of the busiest corridors for illegal crossings, with an average of 800 arrests a day in January. Many are from West Africa and Asia, with a daily average of more than 100 from China in January. The Border Patrol told migrant aid groups to expect 350 street releases on Friday, said Pedro Rios, director of American Friends Service Committee's U.S.-Mexico border program. The agency did not provide numbers when asked. Associated Press writer Valerie Gonzalez in McAllen, Texas, contributed. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Migrants dropped at San Diego bus stop after center runs out of funds The new Chadwick Flyer Trail is slowly making its way toward downtown Springfield, bringing new features and safety elements along the way. But for the trail to come to life, there are hurdles the city and the Ozark Greenways need to overcome. The regional trail will span 12 miles and connect downtown Springfield to Ozark Community Center in Christian County. The project will cost an approximate total of $20 million, with much of the funding yet to be identified. Currently, 3.2 miles of the trail have been completed 1.4 miles in three segments in Ozark and 1.8 miles in Greene County by the James River Power Station up to Kissick Avenue. Almost half 5.6 miles of the trail remains unfunded. The most recently completed portion of the Chadwick Flyer Trail in Greene County from the Christian County line to Kissick Avenue. The trail will stretch 12 miles and connect downtown Springfield with the Ozark Community Center. The segment of the trail at the forefront of current trail development will connect Kissick Avenue to Sunshine Street by Oak Grove Avenue and feature connections to other regional trails. Ozark Greenways was awarded $3 million to go toward trail planning and development in this area. The portion of the trail that has secured construction funding will connect the completed segment at Kissick Avenue along Lake Springfield to Trail of Honor by the Missouri Veteran's Cemetary. Railway negotiations stall trail's progress Ozark's portion of the trail up to the county line may seem further ahead but Ryan Stehn, civil engineer at Crawford, Murphy & Tilly, said that is only because BNSF Railway had already abandoned the rails there. The city of Springfield has been in negotiations with BNSF to acquire the corridor that follows north to Sunshine Street in order to move forward with the trail. These negotiations can be lengthy and slow. The project is tied to $3 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds from the city that have to be spent by the end of 2026. Because of this deadline, Stehn said that the portion from Kissick along Lake Springfield will be completed by that time to ensure that money isn't lost. At a recent ARPA Review Committee meeting, committee members worried about rail negotiations slowing down expenditure of the funds. As of Feb. 14, 11% of the allocated ARPA funds had been spent. They were reassured that the money can always be used for the design or study of other parts of the trail in order to meet the deadline. Completing this portion will still provide a northward connection via the Galloway Creek Greenway Trail through the Trail of Honor and James River Greenway. But construction of the remaining Chadwick Flyer, running parallel to the Galloway Creek Greenway, still does not have a timeline or funds. Despite this, the trail plans include components to make the trail more welcoming and safer for all who use it. Under- and overpass, new crossings planned The Chadwick Flyer Trail is a regional trail that will connect Downtown Springfield with the Ozark Community Center. The entirely paved trail will cross over, and at times under, some large roadways in Springfield. New crossings will come where the trail intersects Republic Road as well as Southern Hills Boulevard. A new enhanced crossing is planned for Covington Street. A trailhead with a paved parking lot is planned at the intersection of Republic Road and Lone Pine Avenue. For those who may frequent the Galloway Creek Greenway the Battlefield Road underpass may be a familiar spot to avoid during high water times. Stehn said currently, the underpass has significant drainage issues that makes it impassable during wet conditions. To solve this, the Chadwick Flyer Trail will include another underpass and connections between the trails will be created to give those on the Greenway an alternative route. The end portion of this segment of Chadwick Flyer includes a proposal of a pedestrian overpass across Sunshine Street. Historic significance of Chadwick Flyer Trail This photo of the Chadwick Flyer once appeared in the News-Leader. The Chadwick Flyer was part of the old St. Louis San Francisco Frisco Railroad and was originally established to transport timber and railroad ties produced in Christian County for railroad expansion to the west. The Chadwick Flyer made daily trips on the corridor, carrying both cargo and passengers, between Springfield and Chadwick, according to the Ozark Greenways. More: New multistate cycling trail to extend through the Ozarks, connect Louisiana to Minnesota Though named the Flyer, the train only traveled at an average 10 mph. The Chadwick Flyer in its heyday ran 34 miles from the Frisco station on Commercial Street and Benton Avenue to Chadwick, where a hand-operated wooden turntable allowed the train to turn around, according to News-Leader archives. For more information and updates on the trail visit the Ozark Greenways website. Marta Mieze covers local government at the News-Leader. Contact her with tips at mmieze@news-leader.com. This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Chadwick Flyer Trail plans include new crossings, safety measures A conservative Washington, D.C., news organization has asked a Yavapai County judge to open the sealed divorce records involving U.S. Senate candidate Ruben Gallego and his ex-wife, Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego. No records of the matter, including the request by the Washington Free Beacon, were publicly available Friday because all documents are part of the sealed case, a clerk with the Yavapai court said. The Free Beacon has argued that it sought the records because Ruben Gallegos behavior is a matter of public interest. Gallego is a U.S. House Democrat from Arizona. The Free Beacon said, as has Arizona Republican Senate front-runner Kari Lake, that the couple split up when Kate Gallego was nine months pregnant. Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego and U.S. Rep. Ruben Gallego of Arizona's 7th district host a news conference outside Phoenix City Hall to discuss their push to add extreme heat to the Federal Emergency Management Agency's list of declared disasters on June 9, 2023, in Phoenix. Ruben Gallego has attributed the divorce to his post-traumatic stress disorder from serving in the Iraq War and acknowledged in an interview with the Washington Post having extreme outbursts, the Free Beacon argues. What was the nature of these extreme outbursts? Did they result in physical threats or violence? the Free Beacon wrote in an article explaining its request. In a lengthy statement Friday, Ruben Gallego blamed the Free Beacons legal effort on Lake and said it was an attack on his family that jeopardizes his sons safety. "When she got into this race, I fully expected Kari Lake to go after me but attacking my family is beyond the pale. The details of how Kate and I raise our 7-year-old son, including where he will be and when, are not for public consumption," he said. "This disgusting political stunt does nothing but endanger his safety and put him at risk. It is shameful that anyone would stoop this low, but Im not surprised to see this from Kari. What is surprising is watching so many people fan the flames of her bad behavior." Kate Gallego, who supports keeping the records sealed, similarly blasted the effort as "the worst kind of sleaze" and also linked it to Lake. When Ruben and I ended our marriage, we agreed how wed parent our son, and thats laid out in our private divorce records," she said in a written statement. "Now Kari Lake and her allies are trying to make those records political fodder, which wont help her and would only hurt our son and put his safety at risk. Its the worst kind of sleaze, and speaks volumes about the people who are behind this effort and those in the media who give it credibility and attention. The Lake campaign declined to respond, but the National Republican Senatorial Committee, the arm of the party that works to elect GOP senators, did. How in the world would unsealing a divorce record jeopardize the safety of a child?" asked Mike Berg, the NRSC's communications director. According to the Free Beacon, the Gallegos have argued to keep their case sealed, noting that the sealed information does not include allegations of abuse or misconduct. Any interest that Free Beacon has in the information is minimal, given its highly personal nature unrelated to Rep. Gallego and Mayor Gallegos roles as elected officials, a lawyer for one of the Gallegos wrote, according to the Free Beacon. Berg defended the Washington Free Beacon's legal action. "Ruben Gallego is clearly worried that if the truth comes out about why he abandoned his wife when she was nearly nine months pregnant it will be the end of his political career," Berg said in a written statement. "Arizonans deserve full transparency from their public officials, and it is deeply concerning that Gallego is attacking hardworking journalists for seeking answers. Democrat Ruben Gallego arrives to drop off his early primary ballot with his wife, Phoenix Councilwoman Kate Gallego, at Valley View School in Phoenix August 26, 2014. Gallego is running in the primary for Congress in the 7th District to replace retiring U.S. Rep. Ed Pastor The Gallegos split in December 2016 after six years of marriage. It was an event that Kate Gallego, then the vice mayor of Phoenix, wrote about on Facebook. It is painful when any marriage ends, and it is not something that I ever wanted or expected, she wrote. Although we are both public officials, we consider this a completely private matter and neither Ruben nor I will be answering further questions. Instead, I will focus every ounce of energy I have preparing for the birth of our son in January and being the best possible mother I can for him. Ruben Gallego added a social media message of his own at the time. Im sad to announce that my marriage is ending. Kate and I hope to keep this a private matter and appreciate your respect for our privacy. Their son is now 7. In his book They Called Us Lucky, Ruben Gallego briefly mentioned his divorce and its timing. Not to give the entire plot away, but we get married and inevitably drift apart and finally divorce at what outsiders might think is the worst possible time. Yet we remain friends, share in each others lives, and we certainly support each others careers. But the terms of our relationship now are utterly different. They dated before he served in the war. They were married when he struggled to come to terms with that experience. I dont dare say Im beyond dealing with Iraq and the war. Its not superstition. Its an acknowledgment that intense experiences shape you intensely, and are never really done with you even though you wish to be done with them. In December, Kate Gallego endorsed Ruben Gallego in his bid for the Senate seat held by Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz. Im proud to endorse Ruben because I know first-hand his commitment to building a brighter future for Arizona, Kate Gallego said at the time in a written statement. After Ruben Gallego criticized Lake over her support for abortion restrictions, Lake highlighted Ruben Gallegos failed marriage. In a social media post, she wrote that he abandoned his wife when she was nine months pregnant with his first child. U.S. Senate candidate Kari Lake answers questions during a press conference on Feb. 7, 2024, at her headquarters in Phoenix. Republic reporter Taylor Seely contributed to this article. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Washington Free Beacon wants to unseal Ruben Gallego's divorce records With the Republican primary nomination drained of much of its drama, political conversation on the right is shifting to who the clear front-runner, Donald Trump, might pick as his vice-presidential running mate. It certainly was a topic of conversation at Conservative Political Action Conference, or CPAC, over the past four days. Attendees at the annual gathering of right-wing activists, lobbyists and businesses - dominated in recent years by the Trump faithful - cast ballots in a straw poll for who should share the Republican ticket in November. The results, which included 17 possible candidates, were announced on Saturday night: South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem - 15% Former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy - 15% Former Hawaii congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard - 9% New York Congresswoman Elise Stefanik - 8% South Carolina Senator Tim Scott - 8% Florida congressman Byron Donalds - 7% Five of the top six vote-getters addressed the Cpac audience on Thursday and Friday in what became a de facto auditioning session for the number-two nod. Mr Scott, considered to be one of the leading contenders, was campaigning for Mr Trump in his home state of South Carolina, which held its Republican primary on Saturday, and didn't make the trip to the convention. Here's a look at how some of the vice-presidential aspirants made their pitch at CPAC, and how they were received. From left - Tulsi Gabbard, Elise Stefanik, Kristi Noem Tulsi Gabbard Former Democratic congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard has been on an eight-year political journey that took her from the Bernie Sanders left to Donald Trump's doorstep. After backing the democratic socialist Vermont senator against Hillary Clinton in 2016, she ran for president in 2020, championing liberal issues like government-run healthcare, free college tuition and gun control. Now she's singing Mr Trump's praises - and will be headlining a Mar-a-Lago fundraiser in March. "This is a man who is a fighter," she said at her CPAC speech on Thursday evening. "His strength and resilience can only come from one place... his sincere love and concern for the future of our country." She also warned of a growing threat to American democracy - but the danger, she argued, came from the left's prosecution of Mr Trump. This embedded content is not available in your region. Ms Gabbard is being talked up by Trump confidant Roger Stone and others on the right, who view her National Guard deployment to Iraq and her American Samoan ancestry, as well as her charismatic stage presence, all as ways to expand the former president's appeal in a general election. Ms Gabbard's criticisms of an interventionist US foreign policy also fit well with Mr Trump's "America first" outlook. The challenge for Ms Gabbard is her long record of support for liberal issues - and concerns that, as Mr Trump's VP pick, she could be an unreliable heir to his political movement. That didn't matter much to CPAC attendee Joshua Mixon, a university student in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. "She's not necessarily a full-on Republican, but she's just very smart," he said. "She's very strong in her beliefs." Kristi Noem It's hard to develop a national profile as governor of a state with "Dakota" in its name. South Dakota's Kristi Noem managed a breakthrough, of sorts, back in 2020, when she pushed back against recommended Covid restrictions in her sparsely populated state. The coronavirus pandemic may no longer be a salient political issue, but the connection she made with Mr Trump - hosting him for a Fourth of July celebration at Mount Rushmore in her state in 2020 - has kept her in the vice-presidential conversation. At CPAC, Ms Noem highlighted her Covid record, boasting that she was the only governor "who never once closed a single business". "We trusted each other," she said, "and we got through our challenges together." She also noted that she was one of the first public officials to endorse Mr Trump's 2024 campaign, taking a swipe at some of those who ran against him - and who could be her vice-presidential rivals. "Why did all these other candidates get into the race?" she asked. "For themselves? For personal benefit? To get into the spotlight for a limited time?" Ms Noem wants to make sure that Mr Trump's supporters at CPAC - and, by extension, the man himself - know she's been with him from the start. US Election Unspun - the new BBC newsletter If you're in the UK, sign up here. And if you're anywhere else, sign up here. Elise Stefanik Since being elected to Congress in 2014, Elise Stefanik of New York has moved steadily up the ranks of the House of Representatives. She's also moved steadily closer to Mr Trump's orbit. Her star turn came last year, when her aggressive questioning of three college presidents during a hearing about antisemitism on college campuses generated national headlines. Two of those presidents resigned after intense criticism of their response to her queries. "I have a backbone of steel," Ms Stefanik said in her CPAC speech. "Just ask the presidents of Harvard and Penn... the former presidents of Harvard and Penn." This new prominence, along with a full-throated support of Mr Trump during his two presidential impeachments, has pushed her to the top of vice-presidential speculation. A slick video played before she took the stage at CPAC heavily featuring clips of Mr Trump praising her efforts. The unstated message: the former president talks about her regularly - and likes what he sees. During her speech, she noted she was the first member of Congress to endorse Mr Trump's 2024 re-election bid and boasted that her upstate New York congressional district, which she flipped from Democratic control, is now "Trump and Elise country". It almost sounded like she was pitching a 2024 campaign slogan. Vivek Ramaswamy The tech entrepreneur ran for the Republican presidential nomination this year with the novel strategy of defending and effusively praising the man most likely to defeat him in this contest. Beat him is exactly what Mr Trump did, as Mr Ramaswamy dropped out of the race after finishing a distant fourth in January's Iowa caucuses. If this strategy wasn't a great way to challenge the former president, it has proven effective in winning his favour - and has earned him a spot on the stage at campaign rallies and, occasionally, a chance to speak. At Cpac's Friday night Ronald Reagan dinner, Mr Ramaswamy said Mr Trump would lead conservatives to victory in what he called a war for the future of America. "There is no compromise on one side of this war or the other," he said. Mr Ramaswamy's rhetorical nimbleness ended up being part of his undoing in his own presidential campaign, as many Republicans found his aggressive debate performances grating. But it may get him a closer look as a potential running mate. Byron Donalds The little-known Florida congressman burst on to the political stage in January 2023. He was the candidate for Speaker of the House of Representatives who conservatives briefly backed to show their disapproval of the eventual winner, Kevin McCarthy of California. Since then, Mr Donalds has built on that moment in the spotlight by stepping up his criticism of President Joe Biden, and defending Mr Trump on conservative cable television. Byron Donalds is an outspoken critic of President Biden On Thursday morning, the 45-year-old took his turn before the CPAC crowd, delivering a speech that was mostly right-wing boilerplate. "He is a solid conservative with common sense," said Dixie Ferguson, who travelled to CPAC from Walla Walla, Washington. "For a younger man, I think he has tremendous leadership qualities." If Mr Trump is looking for diversity in his VP pick - but doesn't feel comfortable with Mr Scott - Mr Donalds, who is black, might be another option. A stumbling block is a constitutional provision prohibiting a presidential ticket with two candidates from the same state, however. Either Mr Trump or Mr Donalds would have to find a new legal home, at least temporarily. JD Vance JD Vance was a Trump critic back in 2016, calling him a "total fraud". Like several top vice-presidential contenders, Mr Vance has warmed to the former president, however. The transition occurred right around the time that the author of Hillbilly Elegy, the bestselling memoir about the struggles of American rural life, turned to politics in 2022, winning a US Senate seat in Ohio as a Republican. At CPAC on Friday, Mr Vance sat down for an interview with Newsmax host Rob Schmitt, rather than delivering a formal speech. Much of the conversation focused on Ukraine - a topic where Mr Vance and Mr Trump's views about quickly reaching a negotiated settlement overlap. "We don't like that Russia invaded Ukraine, but the question is, what can we do about it?" he said. "A lot of people have convinced themselves that diplomacy is a bad word... We want the killing to stop." Mr Vance campaigned with his own spin on the former president's populist rhetoric Mr Vance is the only white man regularly listed on Mr Trump's vice-presidential shortlist, which is notable given the Republican Party - and Mr Trump's - insistence that personnel decisions should be colour-blind. It is a reflection of the consensus view that the former president needs to find a way to broaden his appeal beyond his political base, and the vice-presidential selection is one way to do it. If Mr Trump seeks to improve his standing in the Midwest, perhaps the most important electoral battleground in November, then choosing a running mate from Ohio - one intimately familiar with the plight of working-class white voters - could help. More on the US election The Cedar Glen Apartment Homes complex Friday, Jan. 19, 2024, on East Jefferson Boulevard in South Bend. A portion of the complex has been plagued with the loss of heat and hot water. SOUTH BEND A South Bend apartment complex with a recent history of tenant complaints of unlivable conditions now faces a legal ultimatum from the Portage Township trustee. Trustee Jason Critchlow said the township's legal counsel issued a letter to the owners of Cedar Glen Apartments listing four conditions that must be met to avoid legal action. Those four conditions are: Provide restitution to the affected residents of Cedar Glen Provide restitution to Portage Township for Township Assistance payments made, but services not fully provided Permit the formation of a local tenants association and seek to maintain a positive working relationship Agree to three years of compliance reporting regarding any disruptions to the habitability of Cedar Glen This is about what is right and fair, said Critchlow in a press release. These individuals and families deserve compensation and assurances that these habitability issues will not continue unchecked. We believe these requests are reasonable and would provide the fastest resolution for the affected residents. I am hopeful Cedar Glen representatives will see it the same way, adding that the Indiana attorney generals office agrees with their proposal as a means for resolution. Critchlow claims an investigation over several weeks conducted by himself and Krieg DeVault LLP attorney Alex Bowman documents ample evidence Cedar Glen has committed multiple violations of Indiana law. Critchlow said he and Bowman interviewed dozens of tenants about their living situation, as well walking through units to inspect these conditions for themselves. They determined that the critical violations within Cedar Glen Apartment units breach the statutory requirement for a landlord to provide a habitable space to tenants. Previous coverage: South Bend apartments suffer blizzard without heat, township trustee eyeing legal action Critchlow said the trustees office has been communicating with the property owners. Theyve been very open in admitting they have issues and that they want to be able to fix the issues out there, he said. Portage Township Trustee, Jason Critchlow, speaks to local tenants, Feb. 6 at 3232 Ardmore Trail. Cedar Glen tenants voiced their concerns at a tenants meeting earlier this month, describing poor living conditions and lengthy waits for repairs. Why did it have to come to this? Cedar Glen resident Janice Boyd questioned Critchlow during the gathering. Why couldnt we, as the tenants, go in and say, This is whats going on, and see some action being taken, instead of having to go through all of this? Boyd said she pays her rent on time. She wants to trust that when she walks into her home, the lights will turn on. She wants to be able to get hot water whenever she turns on her hot water. She wants to be able to cook, clean and bathe. I cant tell you why, Crtichlow responded. But I can tell you, youre being heard now. When I hear someone went four months last year without hot water, its unacceptable. Boyd wanted to know if the property owners have told Critchlow why this has gone on for so long. The current property owners are saying they didnt realize the issues were as bad as they were, Critchlow said. Boyd laughed. Theyre lying, she said. Legislation or litigation Rodney Gadson, the president of the South Bend Tenant Association, said the next natural step for recourse has to be legislation or litigation. Either you gotta sue or you gotta change the law, Gadson said at the tenants meeting at LaSalle Branch Library. South Bend Tenant Association President, Rodney Gadson, speaks to local tenants, Feb. 6 at 3232 Ardmore Trail. For Gadson, this issue is personal. He said his grandchildren, ages 4 and 7, live at Cedar Glen and go to his house regularly to bathe. The South Bend Tenant Association focuses on educating tenants about how to file maintenance requests, tips on how to write a complaint by including a time of when the request is expected to be finished and getting registered to vote. The problem is the laws, said Judith Fox, a retired clinical professor emerita of law from the University of Notre Dame who has 31 years of past experience with landlord-tenant law and assists with the Tenant Association. Were never going to change that unless you get out there and vote. According to Indiana Code 32-31-82-8-6, A tenant may bring an action in a court with jurisdiction to enforce an obligation of a landlord under this chapter. A tenant must give their landlord notice of what needs to be done and give them reasonable time to do it, Fox said, but a tenant can take a landlord to court to enforce what hasnt been done. Landlord responsibility to make repairs has also been a topic of discussion among civic leaders and elected officials in the aftermath of the Jan. 21 fatal fire in a rental house that killed six children. The house had failed a federal inspection that found many safety violations, including extensive electrical problems and structural issues in the ceiling over the first floor. The property management company in charge of that house has claimed it made all the repairs before the children and their father moved in, but that has yet to be determined by state and local investigators. If you want to go into court to enforce it, Fox said, saying Hey, they didnt fix this, make them do it, that will only be triggered if you have made your complaint in writing. You can still call your landlord to fix something, Fox clarified, but from a practical matter, if you dont have it in writing, theyre not going to believe you. Fox said that 99% of the time, the judge will believe the landlord. This law was news to Cedar Glen tenant Ginnie Brandt, who claims she repeatedly left calls in Cedar Glens office about repairs. She even did it nicely, which was hard for her, she said, amid her frustrations. They lie to us, Brandt said. Theres no point in talking to them. They lie. They lie. I made the mistake of calling and trusting. I dont understand what the disconnect is. I called three times and trusted the person who answered the phone to communicate this to the proper person. Brandts neighbor Todd Bogunia said theres only about 20 hours a week of access to the office for a request, saying theyre closed all day on Wednesdays. Cedar Glen Apartments resident Ginnie Brandt attended a South Bend tenants meeting Feb. 6 at 3232 Ardmore Trail. Problems began partway through last year A Cedar Glen employee in the on-site management office told a Tribune reporter that the new management company, Indianapolis-based Barrett and Stokely, took over in August of 2023 from Bradley Company. The owners, MAH Cedar Glen LP, who are also housed in Indianapolis, remained the same. Bogunia told The Tribune that within six weeks of new management taking over, the complex started having hot water issues. The Tribune reached a receptionist at Barrett and Stokely. Theyre not giving out any information at this time, she said. She declined to give out a party extension and said that she didnt know why Barrett and Stokely wasnt giving out information, explaining that shes received emails to not give out information right now. The on-site employee referred a reporter to Cedar Glen corporate officials for further comment, but Cedar Glen has not responded to multiple emails from The Tribune, and there is no phone number listed on their website. I lived without hot water for four months, said Brandt, who claims his apartment smelled like sewage because of a water leak. You can splash around in the hallway outside the apartment door, she said. Its unbelievable. Brandt receives a supportive housing voucher from Oaklawn, paying $269 a month to live at Cedar Glen, while Oaklawn assists with the other 70 percent. After going without hot water for months, Brandt said, the problem persisted again for another two and a half weeks and again, as she was in New Jersey this past Christmas. To shower, Brandt said, she took two buses to St. Margarets House Day Center for Women, but added that not everyone has that opportunity. Single moms cannot handle taking two buses to take a shower, said Brandt, not knowing where men were able to bathe. Its just too much. Its really messed up, she said. Other than a shower at St. Margarets, Brandt said, the only other option was to spray some body spray around and go around dirty. Its better, for now, Brandt said. We just got our hot water back, but we have every reason to not trust that it will continue, she said, adding that Cedar Glen gave tenants $50 to compensate for not having hot water for two months. Brandts now worried shell get evicted, and with two current violations, itll take only one more. Despite the troubles shes received at Cedar Glen, Brandt said, she cant go back to her previous traumatic situation: homelessness. She said she chose to live at Cedar Glen because of their immediate openings, not wanting the alternative, to live in a tent for a couple of months waiting for a better place to open. State legislators plead Cedar Glen's cause to attorney general Issues within Cedar Glen have reached the states ear. As more information comes to light and people speak out more, a pair of local state lawmakers is asking the attorney general for help, according to state Rep. Maureen Bauer, D-South Bend. Bauer told The Tribune she and state Sen. David Niezgodski, D-South Bend, sent a letter on Feb. 1 to Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita asking to expedite the request for an investigation at Cedar Glen Apartments. Bauer said the pair received a response from Rokita's office Feb. 6 saying an investigation was being assigned within Rokita's office. The letter states, Many residents have reported low to no heat or hot water during the coldest times of winter. Ensuring safe housing entails the provision of essential amenities such as running water, heating or air conditioning, and functional appliances. [...] Many of the tenants seek rental assistance through the Portage Township Trustees Office. Residents have bravely spoken out, breaking their silence to highlight the critical violations they endure on a daily basis, which have a long history of going unaddressed. Retaliation against tenants is definitely a factor, Bauer said, encouraging tenants to go through the complaint process, utilizing the citys Rental Safety Verification Program or to contact the attorney generals office. The state of Indiana has tied the hands of municipalities from having a landlord-tenant association, Bauer said. Prior to the pandemic, Rodney Gadson and others were available to help on a legal standpoint for tenant rights against their landlord, but now, we dont have as strong an option to push back. "Theres retaliation for renters where they do have to worry about eviction. There is a real fear, if you speak out, what consequences could they do to retaliate? Indiana state Rep. Maureen Bauer, D-South Bend Regardless, its the attorney generals responsibility to protect consumers, she said. We are in session now, she said. So were trying to strategize ways we can go after bad landlords or, like they did in Indianapolis, allow rent to go into a third party account. Senate Bill 243, a landlord-tenant law requiring Marion County landlords to fix up rental properties before renting it out, died in committee. SB 243 would have allowed the Health and Hospital Corporation to require landlords to fix issues cited in a rental property, within Marion County, even after the tenant has moved out or been evicted, according to Indianapolis' WTHR 13 News. Bauer and Niezgodski were hoping to make amendments to the bill for South Bend before it failed. With one member absent, the bill lost in a tie, but Bauer isnt giving up. Im going to try to get some of that language perhaps amended into a bill in the second half of the session, she said. It does require a lot of work and collaboration with other members to amend someones bill, but it was such a close call, 5-5, so I think there is newfound attention on these issues, especially after such a fatal fire. It should move us all to act. By sharing that story, perhaps we can move some legislators to help us on this issue. As state legislators buckle down to create bills to help, Fox said, the city of South Bend can do more. In my opinion, the city hasnt been aggressive enough, Fox said. She said that by utilizing code enforcement, the city can fine up to $250 per week, per unit. Fox cited the South Bend ordinance 10933-23, adopted last year, which gives landlords strict deadlines to fix issues that come up on inspection: 60 days for routine violations and 10 days for critical violations. This is clearly a safety issue, Fox said, and although the ordinance did not specify what would fall under critical violation, she said, it would include plumbing, heating and electrical, asserting that much of what is going on at Cedar Glen is critical. My understanding is that part of the problem is that they dont have enough inspectors, Fox said. The ordinance says that youre supposed to pass inspection to be certified. I can tell you that very few are. If one member of Cedar Glen calls for an inspection, Fox gave an example, that gives them the authority to check every apartment. You dont have to wait for every person to call. As of Feb. 14, Caleb Bauer said, there were $750 in outstanding fines levied through the Rental Safety Verification Program. These have not been paid, he said. An inspection in January found units lacking heat and hot water, said Bauer. After reinspection, the critical services within those units were restored. He stated that currently the city was unaware of any Cedar Glen units without hot water or heat. We rely on complaints to inspect units and encourage residents to call 311 if their unit is in substandard condition to allow an inspector to conduct a site visit, Bauer said. There are seven units with 60-day violations, but management still has time to complete the required repairs before additional fines are levied. Residents can request an inspector through 311 by calling 574-233-0311 or by visiting the website. Email Tribune staff writer Camille Sarabia at csarabia@gannett.com. This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Frustrated Cedar Glen tenants speak out, prompting township legal plea Spayghetti dinner tickets on sale Early Bird tickets and tables for the 24th annual Lewis and Clark Humane Society Spayghetti Dinner are on sale from now through March 1. The event is April 6 at the Helena Civic Center. Doors open at 4:30 p.m. It is also celebrating the Humane Society's 60th Diamond Anniversary. Money raised will contribute to Lewis and Clark Humane Societys efforts in caring for animals. The society hopes to raise $110,000 from the event. Early bird individual tickets (upstairs) are $30, early bird half table (four seats) are $250 and early bird full table (eight seats) are $425. To register, go to: https://secure.qgiv.com/event/lchs2024/ Last year, tickets were sold out during the Early Bird sale. Those interested in sponsoring should contact Cassidy Cook at ccook@lchsmontana.org. Sponsors include Intrepid Credit Union; 4Js, Draes and Loose Caboose Family of Casinos; Dee-O-Gee and Janet and Hal Harper. Crime Stoppers fundraiser Tuesday Helena Area Crime Stoppers Inc. will have its first fundraiser of 2024 on Tuesday, at Missouri River Brewing Co. The public may attend and Bingo will be played. The event is 6-8 p.m. at 451 Spencer Court, East Helena. Organizers said 100% of profits will be granted toward serving the community with safety awareness, continued anonymity and cash payouts for qualifying tips. Those interested in becoming a sponsor should go to: https://bit.ly/4bMtU3L. Red Cross offers January review Red Cross of Montana volunteers responded to 25 home fires statewide in January, helping 90 people with their most immediate needs like food, shelter, clothing and emotional support. Those responses included a multi-unit apartment fire in Missoula and home fires in Helena, Great Falls, Libby, Kalispell, Vaughn, Cut Bank, Livingston, Glendive, Lame Deer, Billings and Whitefish. So far in 2024, Red Cross has responded to 36 fires across the state and helped 102 people. The Red Cross of Montana often sees an increase in home fires during winter months as families turn to heating sources likes space heaters, wood-burning stoves and fireplaces. On average, people have just two minutes to escape their home safely during a fire -- just two minutes, said Scott OConnell, regional disaster officer for the Red Cross of Montana, Idaho and East Oregon. Thats why working smoke alarms and a plan of how to get out quickly can make all the difference during an emergency. Herrera receives nursing degree Alexis Herrera recently received her Bachelor of Science in nursing from Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Arizona. She graduated with Honors on Dec. 15. She is the daughter of Ron and Nina Herrera of Helena. Heritage keeper nominees sought The Montana Historical Society is seeking nominations for people and organizations whose commitment to identifying and preserving the states historical and cultural heritage makes them eligible for the Heritage Keeper Awards. Up to two people or organizations will be honored by the MHS board of trustees for the award. A nominee may be honored instead with the Montana Heritage Guardian Award, which recognizes the accomplishments of one of the Heritage Keeper Award nominees with a record of outstanding accomplishments. The Heritage Guardian Award is not an annual award, but is only given on special merit. To qualify, the person must be alive, and organizations must be currently active. The nominee must have demonstrated a commitment to a significant Montana history project or have identified and preserved objects or property of significance to Montanas history and culture. Organizations also must have a record of preserving and promoting Montanas historical and cultural heritage. Evaluations will focus on the significance and impact of the overall work in enhancing, promoting and stimulating public interest in a specific aspect of Montana history and culture. Areas of interest can include historic building and landscape preservation; sustained historical and cultural research and publication; fine art history and preservation; and efforts to promote and educate future generations on the historical and cultural legacy of all Montanans. The nomination deadline is April 1. The form and more information can be found online at mhs.mt.gov by pulling down the menu under the About tab, then following the link from the "Board of Trustees page. The award will be presented this summer. Contact Jenni Carr at jenni.carr@mt.gov with questions. Group hears from Habitat for Humanity Jacob Kuntz, executive director of Helena Area Habitat for Humanity, spoke Thursday at the Lenten Lunch series at St. Peter's Episcopal Church. About 20 people attended and enjoyed a selection of three soups. Kuntz shared about some of their history here in Helena as well as about some upcoming projects, including a major housing development they have planned for East Helena. Soup, bread, cookies, coffee and tea were provided. Programs are one hour, so that people might be able to attend on their lunch hour. The public may attend the noon gatherings at 511 N. Park Ave. The Feb. 29 program will feature Carrie Krepps with Florence Crittenton Home. March 2 is Day of Mindfulness Flowing Mountains Sangha, an Open Way community of mindful living in the tradition of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, will offer a Day of Mindfulness on March 2 at Covenant United Methodist Church, 2330 E. Broadway. The one-day retreat with sitting and walking meditation, Dharma talk, silent community meal and discussion will run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. An RSVP is requested by Feb. 29. For questions or to register, email flowingmountains@gmail.com. No registration fee is required, and donations are gratefully accepted for the teacher. Please bring your own sitting cushion or bench and pad if sitting on the floor (chairs are available), a vegetarian sack lunch and utensils, a mug or covered drink holder for silent eating meditation, and a blanket or shawl for comfort. Film looks at homelessness in Helena The film Why Should I Care: Helenas Shelterless, will be presented 7 p.m. March 7, at St. Pauls United Methodist Church, 512 Logan St., Helena. Admission is free. The film, produced by Hands On Global and videographer Jeanie Warden, is a compilation of interviews with the unsheltered in Helena, the nonprofits that serve them, the faith community and the citizens of Helena. It will be followed by a discussion led by Sam Forstag, director Montana Coalition to End Homelessness, and includes representatives of nonprofits, the faith community and the city. Seminar teachers how to spot political fibs Learn how to quickly navigate the internet to find reliable, fact-based information during a March 6 webinar with Stanford University professor, author and researcher Sam Wineburg. How to Navigate Misinformation Online with Sam Wineburg, co-sponsored by the Helena League of Women Voters and the Lewis & Clark Library, will be broadcast at 6:30 p.m. Participate by watching it on the big screen at Lewis & Clark Library, 120 S. Last Chance Gulch, or by Zoom. Register to watch via Zoom at https://bit.ly/3P6FJZd and an invitation will be emailed to you. Wineburgs books will be on sale at the library during the webinar. This webinar will not be recorded. 'Chopped' fundraiser tickets on sale Rocky Mountain Development Council will present its third-ever Chopped, featuring three Helena chefs, at its March 9 fundraiser. Chris Abrego of Hardware Cafe and Copperline Smashburgers! will go up against Emma Ramirez of Citystack catering and Adonis Zamora Garzon of Habana 406 in a live cooking competition. The fundraiser at the Rocky Neighborhood Center, 200 S. Cruse Ave. also features a silent auction, a no-host bar and catered by Uphill Grill. Tickets are $65 a person and will be available for sale at https://www.rmdc.net/events/chopped.html until March 4 at 5 pm. The images have been searing. Children scrabbling in the dirt, gathering handfuls of spilled flour which they stuff into their pockets. Aid trucks surrounded by angry mobs of mostly young men, who attack the drivers and make off with whatever they can carry. And young Maryam Abed-Rabu, trying but ultimately failing to stay composed as she answered a journalist's questions about the daily struggle to stay alive. A girl who has already been through so much, including the loss of her father, wailing at her inability simply to find bread. Northern Gaza is almost entirely cut off from the outside world. The population, estimated at around 300,000 people, reduced to a feral existence in a world where shops barely exist and aid never arrives. The south, meanwhile, is crammed with the displaced - hundreds of thousands of people constantly on the move, looking for food, shelter and safety. Israel says it's doing what it can to limit the suffering of civilians, but four and a half months of relentless military assault have left the Gaza Strip on its knees, with aid agencies unable to cope. "Every time you go back it gets worse," Jamie McGoldrick, the UN's interim coordinator for the Palestinian territories, said on Friday. Just back from his latest visit to the Gaza Strip, he found despair was rife. Palestinians carry bags of flour from an aid truck in Gaza City "People feel as though this is the end of their journey." At the far southern end of the Gaza Strip, between 1.2 and 1.5 million people are crammed into every available space in and around the city of Rafah. Nearby, in the sandy coastal area known as al-Mawasi, designated by Israel as a humanitarian safe zone, at least 250,000 people are now living in flimsy accommodation with little support. Doctors working for the British medical charity UK-Med have watched a tent city springing up around them. "Two weeks ago, there were one or two tents dotted along the beachfront," UK-Med's CEO David Wightwick told me on a scratchy line from his al-Mawasi base. "They're now six tents deep." A few miles south is the crossing point Israelis call Kerem Shalom (Karem Abu Salem in Arabic), where almost all aid destined for the Gaza Strip enters, after exhaustive Israeli checks. At a holding area on the Palestinian side, aid is offloaded and reloaded onto local trucks, for distribution throughout Gaza. The trucks traverse a 3km corridor to the "blue gate" at Rafah, before entering Gaza. But the collapse of security in Gaza means that for some of the aid, the journey never really begins. Trucks are attacked and looted inside the corridor. Much of the looting is by organised Palestinian gangs, with donkey carts and vehicles waiting across the fence and spotters reporting the arrival of aid. But for those trucks lucky enough to reach the blue gate, the problems have only just begun. Much of what happens next is opportunistic, and frequently violent. "Many of these trucks, before they even get 200 metres, are stopped by cars, attacked and looted," Mr McGoldrick said. With just a few roads available for aid deliveries, and most convoys travelling in the early hours of the day, the UN says people are using social media to alert each other to the movement of convoys, allowing roadblocks and ambushes to be set up in advance. A truck loaded with German aid enters Gaza through the Kerem Shalom border crossing "People know when we're coming," Mr McGoldrick said. The envoy said he had seen trucks with windows and rear-view mirrors smashed. He said he had spoken to traumatised drivers, who'd had axes thrown through their windscreens and come under fire. Rather than reaching UN warehouses and being distributed in an orderly fashion, aid often ends up being sold in street markets at vastly inflated prices which few can afford. After a World Food Programme truck was hit by gunfire on 6 February (the UN blamed Israeli naval gunfire), WFP suspended all aid deliveries to the north. Attempts to resume deliveries this week collapsed amid scenes of violent looting. The UN says it has approached Israel about opening up supply routes from the north but that discussions are at an early stage. The hope - a slender one at the moment - is to reduce incentives for looting by dramatically increasing the volumes of food and other essential goods entering Gaza. "We need to flood the north with aid," Mr McGoldrick said, "so it doesn't become a product that people want to use for extortionist purposes or the black market." Israel, for its part, says it is doing what it can to facilitate the arrival of humanitarian assistance. "We are doing everything in our power to reduce any harmful consequences of the war [to] the civilian population," Col. Moshe Tetro, head of the military's coordination and liaison administration for Gaza, told reporters at a briefing this week. On Friday, the military said more than 13,000 trucks, carrying over 250,000 tons of humanitarian aid, had entered the Gaza Strip since the start of the war. Gaza strip That's a little over 90 trucks a day, way below the 500 UN staff say is needed to meet the growing demands of a hungry, sick, repeatedly displaced population. Israel says the problems with aid distribution are not of its making, despite the fact that the chaos reigning inside the Gaza Strip is a direct consequence of its military assault. "Unfortunately, today and yesterday, the UN didn't show up for work," Col Tetro said. Delays on the Palestinian side, he said, were leading to a backlog of trucks waiting to enter Gaza. "The UN should increase their capabilities inside Gaza." But in recent weeks, security has been further eroded by a series of Israeli attacks on civilian police officers. According to David Satterfield, the Biden administration's envoy for humanitarian issues, such attacks had made it "virtually impossible" to distribute aid safely. For the UN, Israeli calls for it to do more sound hollow. The Israeli government has embarked on a campaign to dismantle UNRWA, the UN agency responsible for assisting Palestinian refugees, following allegations that as many as 13% of UNRWA's 13,000 staff in Gaza were also working for Hamas, with some even participating in the murderous attacks of 7 October. The UN says it's investigating but that Israel has yet to share its intelligence. In the meantime, the Netanyahu government has already started stripping UNRWA of its functions. Responsibility for 29,000 metric tonnes of flour from USAID, currently stored at the Israeli port of Ashdod, has already been transferred to the World Food Programme. In an anguished letter to the UN General Assembly on Thursday, UNRWA's director Philippe Lazzarini said the agency had reached "breaking point" and listed a number of measures the Israeli government was taking to hamper its work, including limiting visas for international staff, blocking an UNRWA bank account and suspending the shipment of UNRWA goods. Bad as it is at the moment, the thought of an all-out Israeli assault on Rafah, which the government threatens to do if Israeli hostages are not released before the start of Ramadan on 10 March, raises fears among aid workers that the worst is yet to come. UK-Med's David Wightwick has already had a glimpse. When he drove to Khan Yunis to extract a medical team from Nasser Hospital, he found himself surrounded by crowds of desperate people. "The prospect of that happening in Rafah and al-Mawasi, where you've got hundreds of thousands of people is not one I think you really want to contemplate," he told me. More from the Israel Gaza briefings The News This year is being defined by elections. With so many votes around the world, it can be hard to keep track of them at all. This edition of our Global Election Hot List: Election rigging in Pakistan, a Tasmanian snap election, and questions over Cameroons long-time leader. Know More 1. UK 400+ seats Al Lucca A new projection showed the U.K.s Labour Party potentially winning over 400 seats in the upcoming general election, a staggering prospect in the country. The latest MRP seat calculation from Electoral Calculus puts Labour at 452 out 650 total seats, with the Tories reduced to just 80. Labour has soared in polling since the brief tenure of former Prime Minister Liz Truss. Despite doubts that the party would be able to maintain its lead over a length of years, Labour is still on track for one of the U.K.s biggest election wins ever. 2. Pakistan Admitted rigging Al Lucca An election official in Punjab admitted that results of the recent parliamentary vote were rigged, against a backdrop of intensifying protests. The official explained that despite candidates from ex-Prime Minister Imran Khans PTI party leading by over 70,000 votes, results were changed to deny them a win. He further went on to implicate his superiors in allegations of election fraud. Khans party has also called for their resignation. Last week, a winning legislative candidate even gave up their seat, claiming the vote was rigged in their favor. 3. Indonesia Parliamentary outlook Al Lucca Despite Prabowo Subiantos big presidential win, Indonesias new parliament could eventually offer some level of opposition to the incoming administration. Parties that did not back Prabowo won 57% of seats in Indonesias legislature, compared to 43% for his allies. But Prabowo has already made early moves for support from rival parties, according to reporting from The Straits Times. Prabowo, noted in international reports as a brutal general, stoked concerns for Indonesian democracy last week in the aftermath of his victory. 4. India Influencer-in-chief Al Lucca Prime Minister Narendra Modi is Indias top influencer, a new piece argued, describing him as a figure who commands an entire virtual universe. As the importance of the internet is now outsized within Indian politics, Modis vast social media presence has become a critical component of his continued electoral success, Rest of World said. Indias digital explosion, illustrated by its expansion from 2% of the worlds mobile data traffic a decade ago to over 21% today, has enabled a new kind of voter bloc one in which Modi maintains an overwhelming advantage. 5. Australia Tasmanian snap Al Lucca Tasmanias premier has called a snap election for March, which could usher in total Labor Party control of the country. The premier, citing an unworkable parliament, set the election date for March 23 despite a full year remaining in the legislatures term. Australias Labor Party currently controls all state governments of the countrys mainland, leaving Tasmania as the only holdout. Battler Jacqui Lambie intends to run in this election with her own party, and could score up to 20% of the vote according to one poll. 6. Cameroon See ya Biya? Al Lucca Cameroons 91-year-old president, Paul Biya, couldnt possibly run for another term in office next year could he? Biya, the worlds longest serving non-royal leader, has maintained his position as Cameroons president since the 1980s and was the countrys prime minister before that. Though Biyas son, Franck, has been mentioned among names that could replace him, presidential allies within Cameroon have called for the nonagenarian to run again. 7. Italy Sardinian election Al Lucca Italys Sardinia region is headed to the polls on Sunday to vote for a new president, with an opportunity for the populist 5 Star Movement to score a rare victory. Alessandre Todde, a former minister in Giuseppe Contes federal government, appeared in the latest BiDimedia poll to hold nearly 42% of the vote compared to 46% for the candidate from Prime Minister Giorgia Melonis party. Italys 5 Star Movement has never held a regional government, and suffered a high-profile re-election loss in the first round of 2021s Rome mayoral election. 8. Chad Deby drama Al Lucca Chads first family is split in its election loyalties, with the late former presidents brother joining the opposition ahead of a vote this year. Saleh Deby Itno, the current presidents uncle and adviser to his administration, joined the Socialist Party without Borders, smiling and [showing] a V for victory sign. Saleh has long clashed with other members of his family, and has come to symbolize the familys lack of unity. 9. Singapore Out of Action Al Lucca Singapores ruling Peoples Action Party could face its toughest test yet in the next election, facing corruption scandals, cost of living issues, and a baton pass. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced last November that he would hand over the top job to his deputy, Lawrence Wong. While the next vote is slated to take place in 2025, a corruption case involving the countrys former transport minister is currently unfolding, presenting a rare opening for the political opposition. One cannot deny that the Iswaran case, together with the cost of living, could be negative points for the PAP declared one Singaporean professor. Notable On the new German CDU under leader Friedrich Merz, Foreign Policy declares this really isnt Angela Merkels center-right anymore. South Africas legislative election was officially scheduled for May 29th. One analyst believes Senegal could hold its presidential election in early March. WASHINGTON COUNTY, Utah (ABC4) A homeless man was arrested with 30 pounds of methamphetamine during a traffic stop in Washington County on Sunday, Feb. 11, according to Utah Highway Patrol. Larry Steven Horton, 52, homeless out of San Bernardino, Calif., is charged in the Fifth District Court with distribution/offer/arrangement of distribution of a controlled substance (second-degree felony), possession of a controlled substance schedule I/II/analog (class-A misdemeanor), and use or possession of drug paraphernalia (class-B misdemeanor). At around 12:45 a.m., a UHP trooper stopped a vehicle for a signal violation and unsafe lane travel on I-15 Northbound near milepost 3. The trooper reportedly observed the car pass their patrol car in the far right lane with a right turn signal on for a significant distance, according to a statement of probable cause. Upon stopping the vehicle, the trooper reportedly spoke with a driver and passenger the passenger identified as Horton. The trooper then discovered that neither person had a drivers license or identification, and that they were in a rental vehicle without any rental contract in possession. Heavily intoxicated man chases, threatens medical workers with gun in Salt Lake City SWAT incident During the stop, the trooper became suspicious of criminal activity and called in another unit. After arriving, a backup officer conducted a pat-down of Horton and found a used meth pipe in Hortons pocket. The troopers then conducted a search of the car and found around 30 pounds of methamphetamine in a duffel bag in the passenger compartment. The meth was being transported in one-pound packages, consistent with illegal distribution, according to the affidavit. The troopers reportedly also found several items of paraphernalia during the search, including drug pipes and a digital scale. Horton was booked into Washington County Jail on the charges previously mentioned. No further information is available at this time. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC4 Utah. Wayne LaPierre outside the New York State Supreme Court Building in Lower Manhattan on 23 February 2024 The National Rifle Association and two top executives have been found liable in a civil corruption trial and ordered to repay $6.35m (5m). A New York jury agreed that former leader Wayne LaPierre cost the gun rights group millions of dollars through lavish spending on himself. New York Attorney General Letitia James accused the NRA and Mr LaPierre of violating state laws. Mr LaPierre stepped down from his job just before the trial began. On Friday, the jury found that Mr LaPierre cost the group a total of $5.4m, of which slightly more than $1m has already been repaid. He must now pay back $4.35m. Former NRA finance chief Wilson "Woody" Phillips, general counsel John Frazer and the NRA itself were co-defendants. Mr Phillips was ordered to repay $2m. Mr LaPierre, 74, who was the NRA chief executive for more than 30 years, was in court and reacted impassively to the verdict. Mr Frazer was found not to have cost the organisation financially, and the jury did not order him to repay any money. The NRA said the verdict confirmed what it "contended all along - that it was victimised by certain former vendors and 'insiders' who abused the trust placed in them by the association". It also noted the group does not have to pay any financial penalties and that the jury found no cause to remove Mr Frazer, the sole defendant who still works at the NRA. The gun lobbying organisation added that it has in recent years adopted new policies and accounting controls. Ms James said after the trial that Mr LaPierre and the NRA were "finally being held accountable for this rampant corruption and self-dealing". The New York attorney general originally sought to have the NRA dissolved outright when her office filed the lawsuit in 2020, but a judge blocked that move. In the trial, defence attorneys for the three men and the NRA sought to portray the proceedings as a "baseless, premeditated attack" and politically motivated "witch hunt" by Ms James, a Democrat. But during closing arguments, assistant attorney general Monica Connell said the NRA, a registered charity, should have spent the funds on its primary mission, rather than on lavish expenses. "Saying you're sorry now, saying maybe you'll put back a couple of those cookies, doesn't mean you didn't take the cookies," Ms Connell said. Over the course of the six-week trial, prosecutors detailed specific expenses that they said showed Mr LaPierre and other executives had used NRA funds as their "personal piggy bank". Mr LaPierre visited the Bahamas more than eight times by private plane using funds intended for the NRA, for a total cost of $500,000. The evidence also included helicopter trips to car races to avoid being stuck in traffic, as well as money spent on landscaping and anti-mosquito treatments at Mr LaPierre's home. There were also gifts for friends and family and expenses such as hair and makeup styling for Mr LaPierre's wife. The judge must now determine - without a jury - whether independent monitors and experts will be installed to oversee the NRA's charitable assets and administration. Though based in Virginia, the NRA is incorporated in New York City. The attorney general's Charities Bureau is responsible for oversight of any non-profit organisation. Founded in 1871 as a recreational group designed to "promote and encourage rifle shooting", the NRA has grown into one of the most powerful political organisations in the US. Hundreds of Ukraine supporters have marched through central London to mark the second anniversary of the Russian invasion. Demonstrators gathered at Speakers' Corner in Hyde Park before walking to Trafalgar Square for a vigil. Many were draped in Ukrainian flags and some held signs urging Russia to "stop the war". At least 10,582 civilians have died in Ukraine since Russia's invasion began in February 2022, according to the UN. As demonstrators walked through the streets, some shouted "stand with Ukraine" and women wore traditional Ukrainian wreaths on their heads. Nataliia Rusinko, who came to the UK leaving her husband to fight against Russian forces, said: "It was very hard because I didn't know for how long I would have to leave, and to leave my husband behind". Her daughter Anna said: "It was a hard decision because my friends were still there and they were my only friends that I had." A multi-faith church service also took place at London's Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral. Bishop for Ukrainian Catholics in Great Britain, the Right Reverend Kenneth Nowakowski said: "We also today have to focus on two things. First of all hope that this war will come to an end, not just a ceasefire but a victory and peace with justice." The Church called the events being held in London and across the UK on Saturday "vital" in calling "for all to stand in solidarity, united across nations against aggression". In a poignant touch, paper angels hung from the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral's balcony - one for each of the 528 Ukrainian children killed during the conflict, according to Ukrainian authorities. Many of the guests wore blue and yellow ribbons or sunflowers, a symbol of peace and resilience, with others carrying Ukrainian flags. Crowds held a vigil in Trafalgar Square As of 20 February this year, more than 252,600 UK visas have been issued to Ukrainians under the Ukraine Family, Ukraine Extension and Home for Ukraine schemes. Thousands have arrived in London. Iryna Terlecky, from the Association of Ukrainians who helps the arrivals, told the BBC: "People are very emotional. Many of them have lived through unimaginable trauma. "Some of them have been internally displaced in Ukraine three or four times." Speaking to BBC London, Housing Minister Felicity Buchan, who attended the service, said: "This is the moment to affirm tyranny will never win and we will stand by Ukraine today and tomorrow. "We will do whatever it takes, for as long as it takes to support Ukraine." Paper angels marking the 528 children killed since the Russian invasion Ms Rusinko speaking of those in the UK who have supported Ukraine and agreed to take in refugees, she said: "I will forever be very grateful to the British people for taking us in." Two children - Sofia, nine, and Katia, 12 - attended the demonstration alongside their mothers. Sofia told the BBC she remembers the trauma of fleeing Kyiv two years ago, and Katia recalls escaping the southern city of Kherson when it was occupied by Russian troops. "At 4am my mum said that the war had started. I didn't know what to do, what the war was, and I didn't believe it", said Sofia. She packed her belongings and was told that she could not take her dog with her. Later, she discovered that her grandfather had been killed, with Russian troops blamed for his death. Both now in the UK, the girls say they are grateful to the country for its support. "When we were driving, something exploded right next to us and I felt scared, so my mum said it was just some fireworks. Later on, when we were already in safety, she told me it had been Russian shelling." Since 24 February 2022 10,582 Ukrainians have been killed and 19,875 injured according to figures verified by the UN - with the actual numbers likely to be significantly higher. Additional reporting by Olga Malchevska. Sofia, nine, and Katia, 12, draped in Ukrainian flags in London Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to hello.bbclondon@bbc.co.uk SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) A federal grand jury charged a Salt Lake City man this week for allegedly robbing a credit union in West Valley City. Joey Shaun Symonds, 44, reportedly entered Cyprus Credit Union in West Valley City on Feb. 10 and passed the teller a handwritten note that read I got a gun hand over the money or your dead. The teller complied, charging documents state. 2 men arrested after allegedly stealing hundreds of gallons of fuel for $1 Symonds reportedly took the money and left the bank on foot, leaving the note behind. Management at Cyprus Credit Union called 911 and a West Valley City police officer responded, charging documents state. According to the documents, just after 4:15 p.m. that same evening, the Unified Police Department of Greater Salt Lake received a phone call from a person identifying themselves as a relative of Symonds. The caller told police Symonds had been at their residence and claimed to have robbed the credit union two hours prior. Unified police responded to the area and found Symonds a short distance away from the callers residence, charging documents state. West Valley City police also responded and Symonds was identified as the same person in the robbery. Symonds was taken into custody and police said a large amount of cash was seized during his arrest. Symonds has been charged with credit union robbery. His initial court appearance was held today, Feb. 23, and a jury-trial is scheduled for April. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC4 Utah. The North Carolina primary will take place on March 5, 2024. STARNEWS FILE PHOTO Primaries will be held in 16 states on Super Tuesday. That includes North Carolina. Here's everything you need to know about the primary race, the polls and ballots all in one place. What are the key dates for the 2024 primary? Feb. 27 : Last day to request an absentee ballot for the primary election (registration ends at 5 p.m.) March 2 : Early in-person voting ends at 3 p.m. March 5 : Primary Election Day (polls will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.) March 5 : Last day to return an absentee ballot (ends at 7:30 p.m.) May 14: Second primary election (this election will only take place in the event of a runoff) Is the North Carolina primary open or closed? The North Carolina primary election is considered semi-closed. This means that even if voters are unaffiliated not registered with a party they can vote in the primary; however, voters must only cast a vote in one party's primary. Voters registered under a party must vote in that party's primary. What's on my ballot? The ballot will include positions for the president, governor, lieutenant governor, congressional seats and more. For a full list of who will be on your unique ballot, use the North Carolina State Board of Elections voter search tool to access your sample ballot. Guide to the presidential candidates: Learn more about where they stand on various issues in our NC voter guide. Sample ballots: How do I find what's on my ballot in North Carolina? Voter Guide: Meet the candidates running for NC governor Voter Guide: Meet the candidates for NC lieutenant governor What do I bring to the polls? To cast a vote, you must bring an acceptable photo ID. A North Carolina driver's license will suffice, but there are also more than five other acceptable IDs. Voters can also bring a sample ballot or any notes into the polls. Phones can be used to look up candidate information, but taking photos, texting or making a call while voting is not allowed. How do I find my polling location? Each voter, depending on their place of residence, is assigned a polling location to vote at. To find your polling location, search using the Election Day Polling Place Search on the North Carolina State Board of Elections website. On Election Day, the polls are open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. If you are in line by 7:30 p.m., you will be able to vote. Where's my polling location: What to know about polling locations in North Carolina Can I vote by mail? Yes! Any registered North Carolina voter can request a mail-in ballot. Submit requests through the State Board of Elections website or by mail with a form available on the elections website. Requests for mail-in ballots must be sent in by the Tuesday before Election Day. For the primary election, the deadline for requests is Tuesday, Feb. 27. Completed mail-in ballots must arrive at the county board of elections office by 7:30 p.m. March 5, Election Day. There is no grace period for ballots postmarked by Election Day that do not arrive on time. Don't forget to use $1.63 in return postage when you mail your ballot in. Voters can track the progress of their ballot through the BallotTrax system. More about mail-in ballots: What to know about mail-in ballots in North Carolina Can I vote early? Early voting for the North Carolina primary election began Thursday, Feb. 15 and is open through 3 p.m. on Saturday, March 2. Early voting locations are not the same as Election Day spots. Find the nearest early in-person polling location to you on the North Carolina State Board of Elections website. Election 2024: What to know about early voting in North Carolina Registered under No Labels? No Labels is a new party option for North Carolinians. For voters registered under No Labels for the primary, there will be no presidential candidate to vote for. Learn more: Confused about No Labels in North Carolina? We've got answers. This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: When is the North Carolina primary for 2024 elections Eastern Oklahoma has seen significant growth in recent years of large industrial poultry farms, like this one in southern Delaware County. As Oklahoma wraps up a nearly 20-year lawsuit against several large poultry companies over chicken litter pollution in its eastern waterways, state lawmakers have advanced a bill to remove liability from companies in the future, giving them what environmentalists have called a license to pollute. House Bill 4118, authored by State Rep. David Hardin, a Republican from Stilwell, would insulate the poultry grower, integrator, and waste applicator from any private right of action as long as they have an approved Nutrient Management Plan from the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry. Poultry farm operators must submit a Nutrient Management Plan to the state demonstrating how they will safely remove and reuse chicken litter, which is often sold to area farms as fertilizer. But Hardins bill says that even if a poultry operator violated its Nutrient Management Plan, it would still avoid liability. I cant think of another industry that has this type of immunity, said Matt Wright, chairman of the Conservation Coalition of Oklahoma, a nonprofit that opposes the bill it calls a license to pollute. If an oil and gas company had a spill but said they at least had a plan that tried to avoid the spill, they can still be held liable. The bill received unanimous approval by the Oklahoma House Committee on Agriculture last week and was advanced by the full House on Monday. In 2005, then-Attorney General Drew Edmondson sued several large poultry companies, including Tyson Foods, Cargill, Cal-Maine Foods and Simmons Foods, for causing increased levels of phosphorus, E. coli and nitrogen in the Illinois River Watershed. Oklahoma State Rep. David Hardin defends House Bill 4118 during an Oklahoma State House debate on Feb. 19, 2024. A federal judge ruled in favor of the state last year, but the case is still unresolved after a court-ordered mediation between the state and the companies broke down. Since the lawsuit was filed, Oklahomas poultry industry has continued to grow, topping 200 million birds a year, according to licensing records from the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry. Hardin, the bills author, said he wanted to protect poultry farmers from similar lawsuits in the future. We have stringent rules through the Department of Agriculture to protect our environment, and Nutrient Management Plans are really precise on the amount of litter that you can spread or if you can spread it all, Hardin told Investigate Midwest during an interview in his Capitol office. This bill doesnt mean that somebody cant come in and bring some sort of action, but you bring it against the state. We set the rules and (the companies follow) the rules that we set and then they get stuck in lawsuits over rules we set. All Im saying is if youre going to sue, sue the state. Hardins bill originally had language making the protection from litigation retroactive, but it was removed before its hearing in the full House. Even if the language had remained, it likely would not have impacted current lawsuits as the states Constitution bars the state Legislature from imposing new laws that end ongoing lawsuits. Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond, who has continued the federal lawsuit against Tyson and other poultry producers, asked the judge last year to impose new standards on the poultry companies. Drummonds office declined to comment on Hardins bill and its potential impact on the case. Rep. David Hardin talks with other lawmakers before a committee hearing in February. State Rep. Arturo Alonso-Sandoval, a Democrat from Oklahoma City, voted in favor of the bill during its committee hearing. But he later told Investigate Midwest he wouldnt support the bill moving forward after learning more details. The more I think about (this bill), the more I think we have a responsibility to take care of our constituents, not these large corporations, Alonso-Sandoval said. Besides, weve had a history of environmental problems, so why risk going back to where we were before? Alonso-Sandoval voted against the bill during its hearing before the full House, joining the rest of the Democratic caucus in opposition. Democratic lawmakers spent nearly 45 minutes questioning Hardin on his bill during Mondays hearing, including State Rep. Mickey Dollens who said he believed the bill was an act of deregulating an industry that has caused pollution problems in the state for years. It is reprehensible and quite disgusting that we are debating a bill that prioritizes big ag and corporate lobbyists over our citizens and their drinking water, said Dollens, who is a Demcorat from Oklahoma City. However, House Bill 4118 was approved by the Houses Republican majority with a vote of 68 to 28. The bill now moves to the State Senate for consideration. Poultry litter waste in eastern Oklahoma The growing poultry industry in eastern Oklahoma is largely made up of industrial farms that raise several hundred thousand birds at a time. A building with 100,000 chickens can produce 750 tons of litter a year. Most of that litter is sold to area farmers as fertilizer. Oklahoma State Rep. Mickey Dollens argued against House Bill 4118 during a debate of the State House in February. Animal manure and poultry litter contain all 16 essential plant nutrients as well as organic matter. thus, manure can be a valuable asset to a poultry operation if its nutrients and organic matter are recycled through land application properly, according to Oklahoma State Universitys current guide on Nutrient Management Plans. However, (p)oultry litter may cause surface and groundwater pollution if mismanaged or over-applied. The states 2005 lawsuit claimed chicken litter in eastern Oklahoma was being over-applied and ending up in streams and rivers. Rising phosphorus had decreased oxygen in the water, which was killing fish and increasing filtration costs for the more than one dozen towns that relied on the Illinois River Watershed for drinking water. Over the last several years, more chicken litter has been shipped out of state, and some measures have been taken to protect waterways, such as vegetative buffer strips between a crop field and a nearby stream. Lawmakers in support of the bill argued that declining phosphorus rates are proof that Nutrient Management Plans are working. We are making extreme progress every day cleaning up our waterways, State Rep. Jim Grego, R-Wilburton, said in support of the bill before Mondays vote. This bill here, all it does is protect farmers. Grego and other lawmakers referenced a 2019 report from the Oklahoma Conservation Commission that said the state was a leader in the number of waterways removed from the federal list of impaired waterbodies. But while phosphorus rates have decreased, some remain well above state standards. Last year, a water quality report found maximum phosphorus rates higher than the state standard of 0.037 milligrams per liter in 13 eastern Oklahoma waterways. In the Illinois River, near the town of Watts, the maximum phosphorus rate recorded was 1.153 milligrams per liter, and as high as 0.438 milligrams per liter near Tahlequah. Wright, president of the Conservation Coalition of Oklahoma, said the poultry industry is an important economic sector for the state but he worried further pollution could hurt other industries, including tourism. In the eastern part of the state, you have the Illinois River and the Mountain Fork (River), both of which rely heavily on tourism, Wright said. If there is a huge fish kill or people start getting sick, it will have a huge impact on (the tourism) industry. Violators of Nutrient Management Plans would still be protected Hardins claim that a Nutrient Management Plan should be enough to protect poultry companies from legal action is the same argument Tyson Foods made last year when the company sought a motion to dismiss the states lawsuit. These plans, which set forth the time, location, and amount of poultry litter that may be applied to each parcel of land, have now ensured that, for well over a decade, the state has consented to and even controlled all poultry-litter applications, Tyson attorneys wrote in the motion to dismiss. Marvin Childers, president of the Poultry Federation, a lobbying group many Oklahoma poultry companies direct the media to for comment, said his organization is tracking HB 4118, but didnt offer an opinion on the measure. Oklahoma State Rep. Jim Grego defends a bill to shield poultry farmers from litigation during a debate of the Oklahoma State House on Feb. 19. It has a long way to go in the legislative process, Childers said in an emailed statement to Investigate Midwest. While poultry companies, like Tyson, say they should be protected from litigation if they are following state-approved plans, Hardins bill includes language that could also protect both poultry companies and the farmers they contract with if they stray from those plans. The bill states, Land application of poultry litter in compliance with a current Nutrient Management Plan shall not be the basis for criminal or civil liability in Oklahoma, nor shall an administrative violation be the basis for a criminal or civil action. Asked what constitutes an administrative violation, Lee Benson, a spokesperson for the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry, said it is any violation the agency deals with. Asked about that language, Hardin said if a poultry farmer violated state rules the company would likely terminate its contract. During Mondays House debate, Hardin claimed the bill would not protect violators. If you are not in compliance (with the Nutrient Management Plan), this bill does not cover you, Hardin said. Recent state laws help the poultry industry Despite the states lawsuit against poultry companies and water pollution rates above state standards, the Oklahoma Legislature and the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture continuously have made it easier for poultry operators to open new farms and avoid pushback from neighbors. Beth and Claytown Williams' home in southern Delaware County is seen here across the street from multiple industrial poultry farms. Ten years ago, the state made it easier for industrial poultry farms to open closer to homes and water sources by offering an alternative registration system. Last year, the Legislature passed a new law that dismisses protests against a poultry farms application for a water use permit, if the protest is based solely on the industry or entity applying to use the water. Some Oklahomans have protested new water use permits and filed lawsuits against the state, arguing not enough research was done before giving new farms access to groundwater. This year, an earlier version of Hardins bill sought to deregulate the poultry industry even further as it removed bans on poultry litter creating an environmental or a public health hazard. That draft also removed the state ban on the discharge of poultry waste to waters of the state. Hardin removed that language before last weeks committee hearing, focusing specifically on the litigation aspect. I thought that might be a little bit too far, so I said let's pull it back, Hardin said about the changes he made to the bill. Hardin has also faced criticism about his wifes involvement in the poultry industry. She formerly consulted with Simmons Foods to write Nutrient Management Plans for its chicken farmers, but Hardin said she stopped working for the company once he began running poultry-related bills a few years ago. Hardins 2022 financial disclosure reported his wifes work with Simmons Foods, but his 2024 disclosure no longer showed her work with the poultry company. Simmons Foods did not respond to a request for comment on Hardins wife. Im not going to be Terry ODonnell, Hardin told two Democratic lawmakers after last weeks committee meeting on his bill. ODonnell, a former state representative, was indicted by an Oklahoma County grand jury in 2021 after he introduced a bill that removed the ban on spouses of lawmakers from serving as agents of a vehicle registration center, or tag agency. Months after the bill passed, ODonnells wife took over a tag agency in Catoosa. The case was later dropped. Hardin said his wifes former work gave him unique insight into whats involved with the disposal of chicken litter. I've seen what all you have to go through to create these Nutrient Management Plans and you have to go through all this training, said Hardin, who added he believes the states requirements for poultry farmers are sufficient. But if a poultry farmer has actually followed the Nutrient Management Plan then you'll need to bring that lawsuit to the Department of Agriculture. Investigate Midwest is an independent, nonprofit newsroom. Our mission is to serve the public interest by exposing dangerous and costly practices of influential agricultural corporations and institutions through in-depth and data-driven investigative journalism. Visit us online at www.investigatemidwest.org This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Bill would shield poultry companies from chicken litter pollution lawsuits Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, right, greets President Joe Biden before he speaks to the National Governors Association during an event in the East Room of the White House on Friday, Feb. 23, 2024, in Washington. | Evan Vucci, Associated Press President Joe Biden and his wife Jill Biden praised Utah Gov. Spencer Coxs Disagree Better initiative during a meeting between the president and 42 governors as part of the annual meeting of the National Governors Association at the White House Friday. Biden also took the opportunity to ask the governors to help get the border bill passed by the Senate to clear the House. Cox, who is chairman of the National Governors Association this year, contrasted the policies passed at the state level with the standstill in Washington, D.C. As governors, we dont have the luxury of partisan posturing. No matter what is going on in Washington, our states depend on us to get stuff done to balance the budget, to keep the parks open and the schools funded and the potholes filled, to get the lights back on after natural disasters, Cox said. And governors work together on these priorities much more than people realize. Cox: Toxic polarization stopping the country from getting things done During the course of NGA meetings, Cox said the governors were looking at how to address issues like artificial intelligence, housing affordability, disaster response and workforce development. He said they welcome the opportunity to work with the Biden administration on these issues. Now, that is not to say that we always agree. I can assure you that we dont. We have our arguments and disagreements, said Cox. ... But were determined to set an example for the country on bipartisan cooperation. But, he said, we cannot make progress on any of the challenges I mentioned unless we solve the overarching challenge, the challenge of toxic polarization that is tearing our country apart. Related First lady Jill Biden said she was grateful to Cox and Abby Cox for welcoming her to Utah recently. She said governors show that we can turn down the volume, stop the shouting, and actually listen to one another, that, yes, as Governor Cox says, we can disagree without being disagreeable. During President Bidens remarks, he said he likes working across the aisle. I appreciate Governor Coxs effort to make the mission of the NGA to get those of us who disagree with one another to listen to one another, to treat one another with a sense of dignity and respect, he said. Utah Gov. Spencer Cox speaks to the National Governors Association as Vice President Kamala Harris, left, looks during an event in the East Room of the White House, on Friday, Feb. 23, 2024, in Washington. | Evan Vucci, Associated Press Biden brought up the infrastructure bill and other spending bills he passed early in his presidency, as well as his climate change initiatives, and said he wanted to work with states to encourage job growth and the growth of the manufacturing sector. On the crisis at the border, which has caused friction between governors and the Biden administration, Biden continued to tout the border bill that has cleared the Senate but has not been taken up by the House. Biden said the bill didnt pass because of petty politics intervening. But House Republicans say the bill does not go far enough to address the crisis at the border and want Biden to come back to the negotiating table. Related At the White House Friday, Biden asked the governors to talk to the lawmakers from their states to encourage them to vote for the Senate border bill. Look, its the strongest border deal our country has ever seen. It also includes the most fair and humane reforms for legal immigration in a long time, he said. In his recent guest column (Helena IR, Jan. 27), Sen. Steve Daines tries slapping a new coat of rhetorical paint on a bill Montanans know is a lemon a bill hes twice introduced and his constituents have twice rejected, a bill that a pathetic 6% of Montana voters support. His bill would eliminate three wilderness study areas and strip protection from more than 100,000 acres of wildlands, prime elk habitat and headwaters that trout populations depend on. The fact that he continues to exhume this bill and tries selling it as something that its not makes you wonder if Daines thinks Montanans are gullible. As always, his most recent effort to sell the bill doesnt hold up under the slightest scrutiny, starting with the title: Montanas public lands should be run by Montanans, not D.C. Daines bill does nothing to change who runs public lands in Montana. Thats not the intent of the bill. (And even if it was the intent, doesnt he know by now that Montanans have rejected the idea of transferring ownership of public lands to the states?) For him to suggest that his bill isnt top-down and wasnt concocted in some backroom of his Senate office is as laughable as it is disingenuous. Not once since he started introducing his anti-wilderness study area bills in 2017 has he conducted a town hall meeting to discuss WSAs, nor has he sought a shred of input from everyday Montanans who know and treasure these areas. In the last month alone, he turned a deaf ear to a petition from more than 2,000 Montanans calling on him to meet honestly, openly, and publicly to discuss WSAs. If Daines truly wanted to give Montanans a say over how public lands are managed, then he would live up to his 2019 promise made in writing to respect the findings of a report issued by the Montana Legislatures Environmental Quality Council, which spent over a year exploring the best path forward for Montanas WSAs. During the process, the EQC invited public testimony from recreationists, timber industry representatives, conservationists and other stakeholders, the vast majority of whom supported a collaborative approach to determining the future of WSAs. Not only did he break his promise to respect the EQCs finding, but he voted against a made-in-Montana public lands bill that is the direct result of a collaborative approach the Blackfoot Clearwater Stewardship Act. That approach has made the BCSA extremely popular 83% of Montanans support it, according to the same University of Montana poll that found 6% of Montanans support Daines anti-WSA bill. It couldnt be clearer which approach Montanans favor, and its not Daines top-down, made-in-D.C. approach. His refusal to support the BCSA, a bill protecting the four most important tributaries of the beloved Blackfoot River, proves again that he is all talk and no walk on the issue of protecting public lands. As he writes in his recent column, I have fond memories with my Grandpa Daines of learning how to fish and hunt north of Big Timber, and my goal is to pass these traditions on to my own children and grandchildren. Thats a great goal, Sen. Daines, shared by myself and most other Montanans. To achieve it, you need to first throw your support behind the Blackfoot Clearwater Stewardship Act. Only by protecting headwaters, as the BCSA does, can we expect healthy fisheries and the opportunity to enjoy trout fishing. Only by protecting habitat, as the BCSA does, can we expect healthy populations of elk and other big game and the opportunity to hunt them. Next, you need to withdraw your made-in-D.C. proposal for WSAs and engage Montanans with a history of using those lands. It will be hard work but our public lands and Montanans deserve the best result. You will find your constituents are capable of working together and crafting solutions that are worthy of the moniker, Made in Montana. Tiffany Justice, co-founder of the conservative Moms for Liberty, thinks the Florida Legislature got it wrong when it passed a bill banning social media for minors younger than 16 years old. Justice said she shared lawmakers concerns about the effect those social media platforms have on kids. But the restriction lawmakers passed on Thursday doesnt have an exception for a parents permission. Justice, who helped form perhaps the nations most influential parental rights organization, takes issue with that. Parents have fundamental rights to direct the upbringing of their children, she said in an interview. Youre not allowed to abuse your children. But should the government be controlling whether or not your kids use social media? Justice a former Indian River County School Board member didnt think so, though she acknowledged other people affiliated with Moms for Liberty might have a different opinion. At last tally, the group claimed at least 275 chapters in 44 states, and over 115,000 active members. The group, which has long supported Gov. Ron DeSantis, has made numerous headlines for pushing to remove books from schools it deems inappropriate and protesting what it deems onerous COVID-19 rules in schools. The governor was a featured speaker two years in a row at Moms for Liberty's national 'Joyful Warriors' summits held in Tampa in 2022 and Philadelphia last year. DeSantis also appointed another co-founder of the group, Tina Descovich, to the Florida Commission on Ethics. Moms for Liberty founder Tiffany Justice speaks at the Republican Party of Florida Freedom Summit, Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023, in Kissimmee, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack) Where does it stop? Justice asked. Social media is bad for kids. Now were going to ban it. Well, you know what else is bad for kids? McDonalds." Justice, who also doubted whether the bill would withstand First Amendment challenges, said she wouldnt be surprised if DeSantis vetoes the legislation (HB 1). The governor formally received the bill on Friday. He now has seven days to sign or veto it, according to the state constitution, or it automatically becomes law. DeSantis has spoken against it, saying he has legal concerns. In fact, hours before the House gave the bill final approval on Thursday, he said the language wasnt there yet. "Parents need to have a role in this," DeSantis said. "I do think parents are concerned about social media and what goes on there, and I do think they think it's a problem. But I also think that for people that are in high school, it's not as simple." Gov. Ron DeSantis is presented "The Sword of Liberty" by Moms for Liberty co-founders Tiffany Justice, left, and Tina Descovich, second from right and executive director of program outreach Marie Rogerson during the first Moms for Liberty National Summit on July 15, 2022 in Tampa. But, at a Friday press conference, DeSantis said he hadnt reviewed the latest changes to the legislation, which were added to the bill by the Senate on Wednesday: We'll be processing that today and probably through the weekend and let you guys know very quickly, he told reporters. But DeSantis also repeated his parental rights concerns, adding, Youve got to strike that proper balance when youre looking at these things between policy that is helping parents get to where they want to go versus policy that maybe just outright overruling parents. Similar measures have stalled in other states. Lawmakers have tinkered with the legislation as it moved through both chambers, trying to make it more likely to survive expected legal challenges and more likely to get DeSantis' signature. For instance, senators had tweaked the definition of social media platform. Affected ones must in part have "addictive features," including infinite scrolling, push notifications and auto-play videos. Bill proponents have said it's focused not on banning minors or targeting platforms, but on making those platforms make changes to their features. Moms for Liberty co-founders Tiffany Justice, left, and Tina Descovich, greet attendees as they open the first Moms for Liberty National Summit on Thursday, July 15, 2022 in Tampa, Florida. The convention continues through Sunday, July 17th with conservative speakers and strategy sessions for members. This is not kicking kids off the internet. Its not even kicking them off of social media platforms per se, said House Speaker Paul Renner, R-Palm Coast. The bill is a priority of his. Its only if those platforms continue to have their business model founded in addiction and harm on children. Another change: Requiring social media and pornographic platforms to offer an anonymous age-verification option to users by third-party services, which aren't allowed to retain personal identifying information. Justice, referring specifically to the social media provisions, said she had data privacy concerns. Florida social media bill also has significant support To be sure, the legislation has received significant support. While the bill passed the Senate Thursday morning with most Democrats opposing and even five Republicans, the House approved it later in the day with broad bipartisan approval in a 108-7 vote. The Florida Police Benevolent Association has endorsed the bill, saying it would protect our most vulnerable population, our children, from the dangers of addictive social media. So has the Florida Sheriffs Association. The Florida Prosecuting Attorneys Association also gave it a thumbs up. Case after tragic case, when we review the evidence and connect the dots in especially heinous crimes involving minors, we find that social media plays an overwhelming role, wrote FPAA President Jack Campbell, State Attorney of the 2nd Judicial Circuit, which includes Tallahassee. He wrote an opinion piece on Friday. Renner posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, that he was grateful for the overwhelming support of Floridas law enforcement community, saying there is no more important issue than the protection of our children. And its not just law enforcement groups. Heritage Action, a conservative lobbying organization, referred to the bills passage as a WIN in Florida in a Friday X post. HB 1 will protect children in the Sunshine State from harmful features of addictive social media, wrote the group, which is affiliated with the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank. This reporting content is supported by a partnership with Freedom Forum and Journalism Funding Partners. USA Today Network-Florida First Amendment reporter Douglas Soule can be reached at DSoule@gannett.com. This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Moms for Liberty co-founder against Florida social media ban for kids Despite Nikki Haleys best efforts, the 2024 GOP presidential primary may be close to a conclusion just four states into the nominating process. South Carolina Republicans went to the polls Saturday, and their North Carolina counterparts will do the same March 5, as the party officially decides whether to nominate Donald Trump or Haley as its candidate for president. For the thousands cheering his arrival at Winthrop Coliseum Friday, Trumps nomination is inevitable. Honestly were not very worried about tomorrow. We want to aim for Nov. 5, Trump said in the opening minutes of his almost two-hour speech at the Rock Hill rally. Former President Trump has won every 2024 Republican nominating contest so far, including the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary. Even in Nevada, where Trump was running in the states caucus while Haley ran in its primary, Haley lost to the none of these candidates option by a margin of 63.2% to 30.7%. He won a decisive victory over Haley in Saturdays South Carolina primary, with nearly 60% of 755,800 votes cast. And Trump holds a commanding lead in North Carolina, according to polling data. Haley preempted her likely home state loss by vowing earlier this week to stay in the race setting up a potentially protracted battle for the GOP nomination. She reiterated that commitment during a speech Saturday night. Is Trumps primary win inevitable? Haley, the former U.N. ambassador and governor of South Carolina, trailed Trump in FiveThirtyEights final polling average for the states primary by a margin of 34.1% to 61.7%. The margins are worse in North Carolina and national polls: 21% to 74.8% and 15.6% to 76.7%, respectively. At Fridays rally, Trump and a fleet of surrogates took aim at Haley on that front. The beautiful thing about being in South Carolina tomorrow is that our state, South Carolina, we pick presidents. (Trump) will be the presumptive nominee when he wins big tomorrow night, and its a huge mistake for anyone within our party to continue to take shots at him This will be a two man race come Sunday morning, Rep. Nancy Mace, a Charleston Republican, told the Charlotte Observer. Mace, a one-time Haley ally and Trump critic who boasted about Haleys influential support when running for Congress, said Haley is making an enormous mistake by continuing to attack Trump when hes going to be the nominee. The Republican primary voters in every single state in this country are voting overwhelmingly for Donald Trump, she said. In his speech to supporters Friday, Trump called himself the true arbiter of conservative values and accused Haley of aligning herself with Democratic fundraisers in the wake of a Politico analysis that found shes received donations from thousands of donors who previously gave to President Joe Bidens 2020 campaign. Her camp tried to increase her chances by taking advantage of South Carolinas open primary, Politico reported, though it wasnt openly courting Democrats. Shes essentially a Democrat ... Probably she should switch parties, Trump said. Targeting Haley with direct, biting criticism became a Trump campaign tactic after the primary became a two-person race. Campaign advisors released a memo last week referring to Haley as a wailing loser hell-bent on an alternative reality and refusing to come to grips with her imminent political mortality. Trumps daughter-in-law Lara later in the week called her continued campaign embarrassing. The people that know her best, hate her, the former presidents eldest son, Donald Trump, Jr., said at a campaign event Friday. But Haley has doubled-down on her candidacy, pledging this week in a state of the race speech to stay in despite high odds of losing. Her campaign touted a hefty fundraising haul in January, though she still trails Trump in cash on hand, and announced a seven-figure ad buy across Super Tuesday states. We know the odds here, but we also know the stakes, Haley campaign manager Betsy Ankney told reporters Friday. Trump supporters: Haley is harming party unity Owen Burke of Fort Mill greets people outside Winthrop Coliseum ahead of former President Donald Trump scheduled to arrive on Friday, Feb. 23, 2024 . Tracy Kimball/tkimball@heraldonline.com Waiting in line for Fridays Trump rally, voter Dawn Gartland said she doesnt believe Haleys campaign has any chance of success. I think its very selfish of her, and its disgusting, the York County Republican said of Haley staying in the race. She should drop out and let our party unite together. Gartland pushed back on Haleys narrative that shes a stronger general election candidate than Trump, saying she believes the former president can compete in November if its a fair election. She cant tell us what state shes going to win, Gartland said about Haley. Valerie McMillan, who came to Fridays event from North Carolina, said she thinks Haley is an idiot for staying in the race. Thats just ridiculous, she said. Mitch McGregor a Texan who has followed the Trump campaign from Iowa to New Hampshire and, now, South Carolina offered a similar assessment of Haleys chances. Shes going to get smoked, he said. Can Trump defeat Biden in general election? A key tenet of Haleys campaign has been claims she is a more viable candidate to take on Biden in Novembers general election. Shes taken aim at both Trump and Biden for their ages shes 52, Trump is 77 and Biden is 81 and accused Trump of leaving a trail of chaos in the GOP. We can go with the same old thing or we can move forward. The same old thing is not just Joe Biden, the same old thing is Donald Trump, she said at a campaign event in Indian Land in early February. ... Are we really going to have a country in disarray while the world is on fire and choose from two 80-year-olds? Because we need somebody who can work eight years, focused, disciplined to get us back on track. The former governor, who served in the Trump administration as UN ambassador, has frequently pointed to polling data that show her faring better against Biden than Trump come November. A Marquette Law School Poll released this week shows Trump with a narrow lead over Biden: 51% to 49% among registered voters and 52% to 48% among likely voters. The same poll showed Haley leading 58% to 42% among registered voters over Biden. Haley holds Republican support against Biden as well as Trump does, while attracting a substantial cross-over vote from Democrats. Independents support Haley by a substantial margin Her strength with Republicans combined with an ability to attract more Democratic and independent voters than does Trump accounts for her stronger overall support against Biden than Trumps, Marquette poll director Charles Franklin said. Other national polls have shown similar results, but Haleys path to a nomination remains murky. Asked by the Associated Press what primaries she can win, the candidate pivoted to Trumps ongoing legal troubles. Instead of asking me what states Im gonna win, why dont we ask how hes gonna win a general election after spending a full year in a courtroom? she said. At Fridays Trump event, Mace predicted that Haley wont be able to win over enough Republican support to win out, despite her focus on November. The problem with her data is thats not where the base is No matter what Haleys math is, the math is right now that Republican voters want Donald Trump as their nominee. Thats basic math, she said. Want more coverage of Charlotte-area government and politics? Subscribe here for free to the Observers weekly CLT Politics newsletter and never miss a story A concept image of someone typing on a computer. A red flashing danger sign is above the keyboard and nymbers and symbols also in glowing red surround it. In a new briefing issued this week, software giant Microsoft claims that US rivals such as Iran, Russia and North Korea are preparing to step up their cyberwar efforts using modern generative AI . The problem is aggravated, it adds, by a chronic shortage of skilled cybersecurity personnel. The briefing quotes a 2023 ISC2 Cybersecurity Workforce Study which says that roughly 4 million additional support staff will be required to cope with the upcoming onslaught. Microsofts own studies in 2023 highlighted a huge rise in password attacks over two years from 579 per second to over 4000 a second . The companys response has been the roll-out of CoPilot For Security. This AI tool is designed to track, identify and block these threats, but faster and more effectively than humans can. For example, a recent test showed that the use of generative AI helped security analysts, regardless of expertise level, to operate 44% more accurately and 26% faster in dealing with all types of threats. Eighty six percent also said that AI made them more productive and reduced the effort needed to complete their tasks. Unfortunately, as the company acknowledges, the use of AI is not restricted to the good guys. The explosive rise in the technology is leading to an arms race, as threat actors look to leverage the new tools to do as much damage as they can. Hence the release of this threat briefing to warn against the upcoming escalation. The briefing confirms that OpenAI and Microsoft are partnering together to detect and tackle these bad actors and their tactics as they emerge in force. The impact of generative AI has had on cyber attacks is widespread. In 2023, Darktrace researchers found that there was a 135% increase in email-based so-called novel cyber attacks in January to February 2023, which coincided with the widespread adoption of ChatGPT. Additionally, a rise in phishing attacks that were linguistically complex and used an increased amount of words, longer sentences and more punctuation was discovered. This all led to a 52% increase in email account takeover attempts, with attackers realistically posing as the IT team in victims organizations. "Microsoft anticipates that AI will evolve social engineering tactics, creating more sophisticated attacks including deepfakes and voice cloning...prevention is key to combating all cyberthreats, whether traditional or AI-enabled." The report outlines three main focus areas which are likely to consume increasing amounts of AI in the near future. Improved reconnaissance of targets and weaknesses, enhanced malware coding using sophisticated AI coders, and help with learning and planning. The huge compute resources needed inevitably means that the early adopters of the technology will almost certainly be nation states. Several such cyberthreat entities are specifically mentioned. Strontium (or APT28) is a highly active cyber-espionage group which has been operating out of Russia for the past twenty years. It goes under a number of labels, and is expected to dramatically increase its use of advanced AI tools as they become available. North Korea also has a huge cyber-espionage presence. Some reports say that over 7000 personnel have been running continual threat programs against the West for decades - with an increase in activity of 300% since 2017. One such group is The Velvet Chollima or Emerald Sleet operation, which primarily targets academic and NGO operations. Here, AI is being increasingly used to improve phishing campaigns and test vulnerabilities. The briefing highlights two other major players in the global cyberwar arena, Iran and China. These two countries have also been increasing their use of language learning models (LLMs), primarily to research opportunities, and gain insight into possible areas of future attack. As well as these geo-political attacks, the Microsoft briefing outlines increased use of AI in more conventional criminal activities, such as ransomware, fraud (especially through the use of voice cloning), email phishing and general identity manipulation. As the war heats up, we can expect to see Microsoft, and partners like OpenAI, develop an increasingly sophisticated set of tools to provide threat detection, behavioral analytics and other methods of detecting attacks quickly and decisively. The report concludes: "Microsoft anticipates that AI will evolve social engineering tactics, creating more sophisticated attacks including deepfakes and voice cloning...prevention is key to combating all cyberthreats, whether traditional or AI-enabled." You are the owner of this article. If you are sending a Letter To the Editor, please be sure to follow these rules: Letters have a firm 200-word limit and will be edited for grammar, clarity and accuracy. The person who signs the letter must be the author. Anonymous letters will not be considered. Letters must address the editor, not a third party. We will not print form letters, libelous letters, business promotions or personal disputes, poetry, open letters, letters espousing religious views without reference to a current issue, or letters considered in poor taste. Letters reflect the opinion of the writer. The Yakima Herald-Republic cannot verify the accuracy of all statements made in letters. Writers are limited to one published letter per calendar month. DECATUR Here is a non-news flash: There is serious crime happening in Decatur. The persistent social media perception, however, is that the barbarians have stormed the gates and the city is in the grip of a crime wave such as it has never seen before. But a review of the offense statistics compiled by the Decatur Police Department paint a very different picture by the numbers. Shootings in the city (composed of statistics showing people shot and attempts to shoot victims) came in at 106 for the whole of 2023. Thats down more than 22% over 2022 when the total was 136, and that was down 24% over the 2021 tally of 179. The news isnt so great on the most deadly crime of all, homicide, but there isnt a recent big shift in a bad direction to report, either. The 2023 homicide number was 15, one down on the 2022 total of 16, although that body count was up sharply on 2021s homicide count of just eight. Elsewhere on the serious crime front, the picture remains fairly static: not too much better but certainly not trending far worse in the last few years. Robberies logged by the cops in 2023 hit 62, one less than 2022s tally of 63 which was one more than 2021s total of 62. Where we did see some notable jumps was burglaries. In 2023 some 382 burglaries were logged by the cops, a 14% rise over the 2022 tally of 335. And shoplifting really took off in 2023: the number of crimes recorded here hit 313, a huge jump of 140% over the 130 noted in 2022. But while retail theft is obviously bad news for business owners and, ultimately, the honest shoppers who make up for it by paying increased prices, the gaps on store shelves hardly conjure up a vision of a community drowning in blood. DOORS OF PERCEPTION So why is the perceived view of rising serious crime in Decatur at odds with the actual level of criminality in Soy City? Kenneth Laundra has been investigating the case and has narrowed down a suspect list. The fact that serious crime may be down overall and in Decatur surprises most people because they get the sense and I would say a big part of this is the sense they get from the media that crimes of all types are always rising," said Laundra, a professor of sociology and criminal justice in the School of Social Sciences at Millikin University. That is due largely to the medias propensity to report and sensationalize crime events. Now I dont want to pin it all on the media, but the media is a business and to make a profit you have got to capture peoples attention and that is just a human tendency to be attracted to the most salacious things out there. Informed citizens could always go and look at the crime numbers themselves (you'll find them at decaturil.gov/police/) but the professor doesnt hold out much hope of winning hearts and minds that way. People, he said, dont like to be confronted with proof their cherished assumptions are wrong. That would assume people are rational beings, he added. But we think with our hearts; I always say beliefs come first and evidence for beliefs comes later. People look for information that validates what they already believe and, if you are afraid of crime, then you are going to look for facts that support that belief. Decaturs Police Chief, Shane Brandel, who says he doesnt always agree with the view from academia on street level police work, believes in this case the professor is onto something. He recalls being at a town meeting some years ago where a group of mostly older residents was lamenting how crime had worsened so much since the golden days of their youth back in the swinging 1960s. The chief, however, had done his homework and came prepared with statistics that showed crime was actually worse back in the old days. They did not believe me, Brandel said. They just didnt. BUSTING IT As for the latest crime numbers available to us, the chief laments one homicide as one too many but is pleased with the dwindling numbers of shootings and gun crime. He points to an aggressive in-your-face approach by the police departments specialist squads who seek out armed criminals. Our Community Action Team and Street Crimes Unit are busting it and they are taking illegal guns off the streets, he said. We are arresting people for these shootings and gun crime and they are going to prison. As for the spike in shoplifting, the chief said that is part of a national trend and not something just being seen in the Decatur area. He said it also gives the lie to those who say shoplifting rises as the economy goes down and unemployment goes up. Were kind of in that environment now where, if you want a job, one is available for you, he said of the presently robust state of economic affairs. But there are always going to be people who choose a different path; there are always going to be thieves. Hes got a concerned eye on the rise in burglaries and some suspicions about what might be driving those numbers, and maybe some of the shoplifting increase, too. He notes the new Pretrial Fairness Act, which took effect in September, prevents accused offenders from being held in jail on lesser crimes like burglary and retail theft. Brandel cites the case of one persistent Decatur burglar who racked up 14 charges in 2023 but kept getting released (hes now jailed again) because the new law has ruled burglary as a non-detainable offense. One of my concerns about that law is that we could end up with a revolving door of burglars and thieves, the chief added. He said its too early to draw any overall conclusions about how the new law is working as he only had four months of data to go on. It is something I want to pay close attention to as we move forward with the Pretrial Fairness Act, he said. He does have some praise for the law, too, and welcomes it for denying release to offenders accused of violent crimes that endanger the safety of the public and his officers. KEEPING HIM UP AT NIGHT The crimes that keep him up at night, however, are those involving gun violence and particularly new kinds of weapons: handguns with big capacity magazines and modified to fire as submachine guns. In the old days you would go out to investigate a shooting and you might find four shell casings, Brandel said. Now its not uncommon to go to a shooting and there are 40 shell casings. Were seeing handguns that can shoot 30 rounds in two seconds and it all increases the likelihood of innocent people being injured. Another worrying trend is the numbers of juveniles caught up in gun violence as both offenders and victims. Brandel in June announced a curfew crackdown for children under 17 in a bid to keep them off the streets late at night when trouble tends to flare. The chief said that has been working and a partnership with community organizations to provide safe places and activities for kids to keep them away from danger was also going well. But he said the problem of crime involving juveniles persisted: Its still concerning to me, its still out there, he said. We have a decent number of juveniles we know are involved in gun crimes and it is difficult for us to manage that because literally we will arrest them for a shooting and have to take them home. That doesnt happen every time but it has happened multiple times to us because there is no bed space in the state of Illinois to be able to detain them. If were lucky, they get held for a couple of weeks and they are back out and then were dealing with the same kids again. NOT BY POLICING ALONE And yet, while concerns like this remain, the chief also said policing in Decatur is moving in the right direction and generally doing a good job of its protect and serve mission. Hes also heartened by the level of community support his department has received, support from both the citizens of Decatur and the city council and its administration. He said council members have been willing to step up and provide the funds for training and equipment and foot the bill for pretty much everything his officers have needed to do their jobs. Brandel said the police leadership team he heads is now working on new strategic planning and rethinking some of our deployment strategies to better utilize resources and manpower to go after high profile priorities like combatting gun crime in neighborhoods. Because the shooting numbers, despite the fact they are coming down, are still very concerning in our community, he added. Gun crime creates fear among people and affects their quality of life and I know I have responsibility over that. Whatever new tactics the police come up with, however, the chief said solving societys ills can never just be left to policing alone. Thats why he said hes been pleased to see a strong city leaders' focus on rehabilitating and redeveloping blighted neighborhoods, traditional hotbeds of crime. Brandel believes feeling good about where you live is another quality of life issue and part of the wider effort to improve Decatur and make it a safer and happier place to live. I dont know how many times Ive said this, but if you are expecting the police to do it all by themselves, then you are going to be disappointed, he explained. And I think that we as a community see that. It makes me feel good about the future and the progress that were making. A look back at Decatur police through the years 1911 1911 1911 1924 1934 1939 1941 1942 1951 1960 1977 1990 DECATUR Holy Family Catholic Church, will be holding their Lent fish fry from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 22, at 2400 S. Franklin St. Decatur. Tickets must be purchased in advance by March 18. Call 217-423-6223. *** DECATUR First Presbyterian Church will be hosting their Lenten activities on the following dates at the church located at 204 W. Prairie Ave., Decatur. Wednesday Soup supper is through March 20 from 6:15-7 p.m., followed by a Lenten program from 7-8 p.m., Putting Prayer in Practice. Good Friday service is March 29 at 7 p.m. Easter worship services is Sunday, March 31, from 8:45-11 a.m. and Easter Brunch at 9:30 a.m. For more information contact Cathy Force at 217-521-7131. *** DECATUR New Salem M.B. Church, located at 352 W. Wood St., Decatur, will be hosting three celebration days welcoming the installation of their new Pastor, Rev. Anthony Wiggins. Friday, March 1 from 5:30-8:30 p.m. a meet and greet in the Fellowship Hall with First Lady Tracy D. Holliway-Wiggins Saturday, March 2 at 2 p.m. will be worship service in the sanctuary with guest Ministry: Genesis Arts Ministry Sunday, March 3 at 11 a.m. will be Morning Worship Service followed by Installation Worship at 3 p.m. For more information contact Installation Service Committee at 217-429-0542. *** DECATUR Harvest Christian Center will be hosting Gayle Haas and her portrayal of Corrie Ten Boom on Sunday, March 3 at 6 p.m. at the church located at 2199 N. Water St., Decatur. Gayle Haas with her Dutch accent will share her research and knowledge of Corrie Ten Boom, who was a Dutch Christian Holocaust survivor who aided many Jews to escape the Nazis during WWII. For more information contact Viki Scherer at 217-330-7237. *** Deadline for items in Faith Notes is noon Monday for publication in Saturdays section. Send information to: Herald & Review, 225 S. Main St., Suite 200, Decatur, IL 62523, lmargerum@herald-review.com, or fax (217) 421-7965. Please include a contact phone number for verification. Our directory features more than 18 million business listings from across the entire US. However, if we're missing your business, add your business by clicking on Add Your Business. Stiri pe aceeasi tema - As of 26 February 2024, the National Bank of Romania puts into circulation, for numismatic purposes, a silver coin dedicated to 270 years since the birth of Gheorghe Sincai. According to a National Bank of Romania press release, the obverse of the coin depicts a period image of Blaj featuring the - Senior official for global affairs and diplomatic strategies with the Romanian Foreign Ministry (MAE) Traian Hristea on February 22 and 23 participated in events organised in New York by the United Nations (UN) to mark two years since the Russian Federation started a war of aggression against Ukraine, - President Klaus Iohannis says Romania will continue its support for Ukraine as long as it takes and the country's efforts to integrate with the European family. "We mark 2 years since Ukraine tirelessly fights to defend its people and territory. 2 years since we are united against the aggressor and - AGERPRES special correspondent to Kharkov, Ukraine, Cristian Lupascu reports: A city mayor in the Ukrainian region of Kharkiv on Friday urged people not to leave their homes on February 24, the two-year anniversary of the war.Derhachi Mayor Vyacheslav Zadorenko announced that on Saturday all - Romanians' confidence in NATO and in the army's ability to defend the country must be strengthened in the current international context, two years after the start of the invasion launched by the Russian Federation in Ukraine, sociologist Barbu Mateescu told AGERPRES. "A significant part of the population - Approximately 7.3 million Ukrainian citizens entered Romania in the last two years, in the context of the war started by Russia against Ukraine.As of February 10, 2022 (pre-conflict period) and until February 9, 2024, a total of 7,292,211 Ukrainian citizens entered Romania, the General Inspectorate - Politia rusa a retinut sambata, 3 februarie, un grup de aproximativ 20 de reporteri, printre care si un reporter al agentiei France Presse, care relatau despre un protest din centrul Moscovei al sotiilor soldatilor rusi mobilizati pentru a lupta in Ucraina, informeaza AFP, potrivit The Moscow Times.Cameramanul - The Spanish presidency of the Council of the European Union "actively" supports Romania's efforts to join the Schengen Zone, according to a joint statement of the foreign ministries from Bucharest and Madrid, issued on Thursday, on the occasion the completion of ten years of strategic partnership between Stiri pe aceeasi tema - The minister of Internal Affairs, Catalin Predoiu, presented, at the ministerial segment of the United Nations Commission on Drugs, in Vienna, Romania's statement regarding the evaluation of the progress made in the implementation of international commitments in the field of drug policies, as well as - As of 26 February 2024, the National Bank of Romania puts into circulation, for numismatic purposes, a silver coin dedicated to 270 years since the birth of Gheorghe Sincai. According to a National Bank of Romania press release, the obverse of the coin depicts a period image of Blaj featuring the - Romania will stand by Ukraine as long as it takes, National Defense Minister Angel Tilvar said on Saturday in a message conveyed on the two-year anniversary of the start of the Russian Federation's war of aggression against Ukraine, Agerpres reports. "On the morning of February 24, 2022, Ukraine, - President Klaus Iohannis says Romania will continue its support for Ukraine as long as it takes and the country's efforts to integrate with the European family. "We mark 2 years since Ukraine tirelessly fights to defend its people and territory. 2 years since we are united against the aggressor and - More than 2,400 civilians, including 87 children, have died in Russian attacks since the beginning of the war in the Kharkiv region of north-eastern Ukraine, head of the Kharkiv Police Criminal Investigations Department Serhii Bolvinov told AGERPRES. According to the Ukrainian official, Kharkiv has - The government of Romania has approved a decision earmarking more than RON1bn (E200mn) for dredging works in basins and navigable channels at Constanta Port, according to IntelliNews. The deepening of the ports waters will lead to an increase in the volume of goods that will pass through the Port of - Approximately 7.3 million Ukrainian citizens entered Romania in the last two years, in the context of the war started by Russia against Ukraine.As of February 10, 2022 (pre-conflict period) and until February 9, 2024, a total of 7,292,211 Ukrainian citizens entered Romania, the General Inspectorate - Kievul a indemnat vineri, 19 ianuarie, Occidentul sa "devina serios" in ceea ce priveste reducerea productiei de armament a Rusiei prin eliminarea lacunelor care ii permit Moscovei sa continue sa se aprovizioneze cu componente esentiale pentru arme, informeaza AFP, potrivit The Moscow Times.Tarile occidentale New Delhi: On Friday, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced that it has directed the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) to look into the possibility of allowing Paytm to continue its UPI operations through a third-party application provider (TPAP) arrangement. Restriction On Paytm Payments Bank Starting March 15, 2024, Paytm Payments Bank will not be allowed to accept any further credits into its customer accounts and wallets, as per the directive from the RBI. (Also Read: User Receives Fake iPhone 15 From Amazon; Company Responds) Request For UPI Operations To ensure uninterrupted digital payments through the '@paytm' handle operated by Paytm Payments Bank, the RBI has requested NPCI to consider allowing One97 Communication Ltd (OCL), the owner of the Paytm brand, to become a TPAP for the UPI channel. (Also Read: From Investment To Income: A Rs 5-7 Lakh Investment In This Business Idea Could Yield Rs 1.5 Lakh Monthly Returns) Migration To Other Banks RBI has also instructed NPCI to facilitate the smooth transition of the '@paytm' handle to other banks. To achieve this, NPCI may certify 4-5 banks as Payment Service Provider (PSP) Banks, ensuring they have the necessary capabilities to handle high volumes of UPI transactions. (With PTI Inputs) New Delhi: Emmy Award Winning Filmmaker Richie Mehtas hard-hitting series Poacher has opened to rave reviews. Though inspired by real-life stories, the filmmaker weaves a raw narrative that grips you. Richie is candid that post his 'Delhi Crime' win he has found the voice to tell the stories he believes in. Collaborating with the filmmaker is none other than Indias biggest star Alia Bhatt, in the capacity of a producer. Richie is candid that having her attached to the project has further helped the cause of the project. The fact that you're asking about it, it's on your radar. It has made a difference. It's helped get the word out there. And as Alia and I have along with the rest have talked about if it helps more people press play on episode one, we hopefully we've done the job after that. Once you start hopefully we can guide you through the process through the work we've done, Apart from the word she has been spreading in encouraging viewers is incredible. The filmmaker recalls how the idea originated after meeting a wildlife crime fighter played by Roshan Mathew in the series, I called him up at a time when I was just a filmmaker, Delhi Crime had not happened, and I had no name. He had ten minutes to spare me before he embarked on his mission, an undercover operation. I was so hooked with his story, and the rest followed suit. Starring the incredibly talented Malayalam actor Roshan Mathew as the Delhi-based computer programmer Alan Joseph (Roshan Mathew), the NGO volunteer who takes on the to prevent crimes against wildlife, the show is a tribute to those underdogs fighting for a cause they believe in. The actor says it was fairly simple to get under the skin of the character. Whats on paper extremely well detailed, and I'm not talking about huge descriptions that Richie writes about each character. It is just the lines they speak and the decisions that they make, that itself informs you very well about the character. In this particular case, it is based on a real person who's still out there fighting the good fight. I had the opportunity to meet him a couple of times and had long conversations with him. He is just a regular guy who is so grounded, that he could be any computer programmer when you look at him out on the street. Hes not somebody who looks like a saviour of the world, but the fact is through his work, that's exactly what he's trying to do. These people don't have a chip on their shoulder that Hey, you know what, I'm better than you because I'm doing some noble work. They don't have that they're just going at it as objectively as possible." Richie Mehta describes him as an effortless actor who had an innate grasp of the character and its beats. I need collaborators, not performers working under me. When he came on set, it seemed his method was so uncomplicated. It seems he had all the knowledge, has a grasp of every detail, even how to deliver this long winding monologue that took me time to revise and rethink and he delivered it the way I wanted to, but could not have articulated it as well. Though Roshan admits his choice of roles is instinctive, Poacher ticked the right boxes in all aspects. There is no set, five-year plan. There are no dream characters. There are no dream stories that I want to work with or a list of dream collaborators. Theres always in my mind an ever-growing list of people whose work inspires me. Poacher was where the story, the director, the actors I worked with and the cause were all equally important. Poacher is currently streaming on Prime Video. DECATUR Decatur emergency personnel were busy Saturday morning attending to two serious vehicle collisions. Traffic was being diverted early Saturday morning after a vehicle crashed into a utility pole and caught fire at the intersection of North Moffet Avenue and West Route 36, Decatur. According to Sgt. Brandon Rolfs with the Decatur Police Department, utility wires were down due to the crash. Another serious crash happened in the 1900 block of East Wood Street. "A vehicle left the roadway and crashed into a tree," Rolfs said. Officers are investigating both incidents. By mid-morning, the severity of the injuries from both crashes were unknown, although all occupants were taken to local hospitals. "Everyone had been transported from the scene," Rolfs said. "But it's a significant accident with significant injuries when the people are transported to the hospital." U.S. emergency departments see sharp increase in fitness-related injuries in January U.S. emergency departments see sharp increase in fitness-related injuries in January There is a clear dip in reported injuries in the last few months of each year and a rise in injuries each January How are people hurt? Who is most at risk? New Delhi: A tractor-trolley carrying 15 people, of whom seven were children, toppled over and plunged into a pond in Kasganj district of Uttar Pradesh on Saturday morning, killing all of them, news agency PTI quoted police as saying. They said the accident occurred on the Patiyali-Dariyavganj road under the jurisdiction of Patiyali police station when the people in the tractor-trolley were on their way to bathe in the Ganga river. Speaking to PTI, Shalabh Mathur (Inspector General, Aligarh Range) said, The tractor driver was attempting to overtake another vehicle when the tractor-trolley flipped over and landed in the 7-8-foot-deep pond. Fifteen people seven children and eight women lost their lives in the accident. Around 15-20 people were wounded and have been admitted to the hospital. #WATCH | Uttar Pradesh: A trolley carrying devotees overturned in Kasganj this morning, resulting in the death of 15 persons including children. On the accident, DM Kasganj Sudha Verma says, "Some devotees from Etah were travelling to Kasganj this morning, when the trolley pic.twitter.com/3VKohTQarg ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) February 24, 2024 He said, The tractor-trolley had come from Jaithara in Etah district. I am heading to the site with the divisional commissioner (of Aligarh). Mathur said the post-mortem examination of the bodies will be done and then they will be given to the relatives of the deceased. He said Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has declared monetary help of Rs 2 lakh for each of the deceaseds kin and Rs 50,000 for the injured. Adityanath expressed his grief over the deaths in the accident in a post on X. He said in Hindi, The road accident in Kasganj district that claimed lives is extremely tragic. I offer my sympathy to the affected families. District administration officials have been directed to ensure proper free treatment for all the injured. I pray to Lord Shri Ram to give peace to the departed souls and quick recovery to the injured. New Delhi: Mumtaz Patel, the daughter of the late veteran Congress leader Ahmed Patel, and one of the contenders for the Congress ticket for the Bharuch seat in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, apologised to the district cadre following the allocation of the parliamentary constituency to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) as part of a INDIA alliance's seat-sharing agreement in Gujarat. Patel took on X (formerly Twitter) to apologise to the party workers of her districts following a joint press conference in the national capital by Congress leader Mukul Wasnik and the AAP, where it was announced that the AAP would contest the Lok Sabha election from the stronghold of Ahmed Patel. "Deeply apologize to our district cadre for not being able to secure the Bharuch Lok Sabha seat in alliance. I share your disappointment. Together, we will regroup to make INC stronger. We won't let Ahmed Patel's 45 years of Legacy go in vain," she said, in a post on X. Earlier, Mumtaz had conveyed her desire to contest the Lok Sabha election from the constituency where her father, Ahmed Patel, held significant influence. On a prior occasion, Mumtaz Patel's brother, Faisal, had also asserted his determination to secure victory in the Bharuch seat. "Honorable Shri Rahul Gandhi Ji, you listened to me and the Bharuch Congress workers. By supporting us, I and my fellow Bharuch Congress workers have been honored. I promise you that I will live up to your faith by winning the Bharuch Lok Sabha" Faisal Patel had posted on X on Friday. Faisal Patel had earlier said that neither he nor the Congress cadre in Bharuch would support the decision to let the AAP contest the seat. Ahmed Patel had won the Bharuch seat in 1977, 1980 and 1984 but since 1989 the BJP has dominated the seat winning it multiple times. Incumbent MP Mansukhbhai Vasava has held the seat 1998. According to the compromise reached by the AAP and the Congress, in Gujarat of the 26 parliamentary seats the Congress will contest 24 seats, while the remaining 2--Bharuch and Bhavyanagar are in the AAP's kitty. The party's MLA and tribal leader Chaitar Vasava will contest the 2024 Lok Sabha election from the Bharuch seat. Both parties have finalised their seat-sharing pact for the seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi also after several rounds of deliberations having settled for a four-three seat-sharing formula, with AAP contesting four seats and Congress three. "Delhi Lok Sabha has 7 seats. AAP will contest on 4 - New Delhi, West Delhi, South Delhi and East Delhi; Congress will contest on 3 - Chandni Chowk, North East and North West," said Congress general secretary and MP Mukul Wasnik. The Congress leader said that in Haryana his party will contest on nine Lok Sabha seats, while AAP will contest on one seat. "Haryana has 10 Lok Sabha seats. Congress will contest on 9. AAP will have its candidates on 1 seat - on Kurukshetra," he said. "After a long discussion on Chandigarh, at the end, it was decided that Congress candidate will contest from there," Wasnik said. Congress will contest on both the Lok Sabha seats in Goa and the lone Chandigarh seat. However, the sealing of the deal - after a period of hectic negotiations, mixed signals and public display of disagreement is a big step for the Opposition as it prepares to take on the Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government. Protesting farmers on Friday declared to hold the Delhi Chalo march after the alleged death of a 21-year-old farmer, Subhkaran Singh, during the clashes at the Khanauri on the Sangrur-Jind border. In the wake of the situation, the protesters will conduct a candle march this evening. The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (non-political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM), the leading farmer groups spearheading the protest at the Shambu and Khanuari borders, announced that they will determine their next course of action on February 29. The protest began on February 13, and despite four rounds of discussions involving farm leaders, the central government, and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, the talks have not succeeded in resolving the deadlock between the government and the protesting farmers. Here are 10 latest developments on the farmers' protest: 1. Sarwan Singh Pandher, a farmers' leader, outlined the schedule for the next two days while the protest is on hold. Farmers will participate in a candle march this evening. Meanwhile, seminars will be conducted addressing farmers' issues on Sunday, followed by the burning of effigies representing the World Trade Organisation and the central government on Monday. 2. Farmers burned effigies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other ministers in the central government on Friday. Protesters from Punjab wore black cloth over their turbans while hoisting black flags on their tractors and trolleys. 3. Amid the demand for a government job and financial assistance for the sister of the deceased farmer, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann Singh has announced a compensation of Rs 1 crore and a government job. While expressing condolences for Singhs death, CM assured that strict action would be taken against those responsible. 4. A plea has been submitted to the Supreme Court urging the Indian government to address the reasonable demands of farmers engaged in peaceful protests. The plea seeks Supreme Court direction to halt violence against protestors, remove barricades, and implement the Swaminathan committee's recommendations. It also calls for unblocking social media accounts, preserving free speech, and registering FIRs against government actions hindering peaceful protests. 5. The Haryana Police announced the withdrawal of their earlier decision to invoke provisions of the National Security Act against some farmer leaders involved in the ongoing agitation. 6. Another farmer, 62-year-old Darshan Singh, from Amargarh village in Bathinda district, passed away from a heart attack during the 'Delhi Chalo' agitation at Khanauri on the Punjab-Haryana border, as confirmed by farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher. 7. Including the death of Darshan Singh, a 72-year-old, and a 63-year-old who also succumbed to heart attacks during the ongoing protest, along with a 21-year-old, Subhkaran Singh, who died in clashes between Haryana Police and Punjab farmers. 8. Rashtriya Lok Dal chief Jayant Chaudhary urged patience from farmers protesting for the minimum support price, expressing sorrow at the death of the young farmer during the clashes at the Khanauri border of Punjab and Haryana. 9. Highlighting the steps taken for farmers' welfare and the provision of a minimum support price for 14 crops, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has announced a waiver of interest and penalty on certain crop loans and no tax hike in the 1.89-lakh-crore budget for 202425. 10. Apart from legal guarantees of minimum support price (MSP) for crops and a farm loan waiver, the protesting farmers demand the implementation of the Swaminathan Commission's recommendations, pension for farmers and farm labourers, no increase in electricity tariff, withdrawal of police cases, "justice" for the victims of the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence, reinstatement of the Land Acquisition Act, 2013, and compensation for the families of farmers who died during a previous agitation in 202021. New Delhi: The Delhi Police is expected to reopen roads along the Singhu border that were blocked during the ongoing farmers' protest. According to reports, authorities are planning to gradually open the roads beneath the Singhu border flyover, one by one. A Delhi Police official mentioned that they are currently opening one lane of the service lane at Singhu border and one lane at Tikri border to facilitate vehicle movement. The ongoing farmers' movement has caused significant inconvenience for the public. Additionally, the closure of the border has led to a reduction in the number of vehicles transporting vegetables. Opening one lane is expected to alleviate some of these issues for the public. On February 13, the Singhu border, serving as the gateway to Haryana and Punjab, was closed due to the farmers' 'Delhi Chalo' March. Nevertheless, alternative routes were made available for vehicular traffic. To press the Centre to accept their demands, including a legal guarantee for Minimum Support Price (MSP) for crops and farm debt waiver, the farmers have been camping at the border points since February 13 along with their tractor-trolleys, mini-vans, and pickup trucks. However, during the last round of talks, which ended past midnight on February 18, the panel of three Union Ministers had proposed buying five crops -- moong dal, urad dal, tur dal, maize, and cotton -- from farmers at MSP for five years through central agencies. Meanwhile, farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher on Saturday, announcing the escalation of the ongoing protest, said that the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha and SKM (non-political) will hold a candle march on both Shambhu and Khanauri borders on Saturday evening, in memory of martyrs. "This is the 12th day of the morchas at Shambhu and Khanauri. Yesterday, Kisan Mazdoor Morcha and SKM (non-political) decided that a candle march will be held on both borders this evening, in memory of martyrs," he said. He said that on February 26, the effigies of the WTO, corporate houses, and governments will be burned. "After this, on February 25th, we will have a convention on both borders as there will be a discussion on the WTO again on February 26th. On the morning of February 26th, effigies of the WTO, corporate houses, and governments will be burned; in the afternoon, at both borders, over 20ft tall effigies will be burned," he said. The farmer leader said, "On February 27th, Kisan Mazdoor Morcha, SKM (non-political) will hold a meeting of all its leaders from across the country. Meanwhile, "On 28th Feb, both forums will sit and hold a discussion." The farmer leader said, "On February 29th, the next steps will be decided." Earlier on Wednesday, Shubhkaran Singh died of an injury at the back of his neck while protesting at Khanauri border, prompting farm leaders to suspend talks with the Centre. Meanwhile, another protesting farmer has died at the Khanauri border, bringing the death toll to 4 during the ongoing protest under the call for Delhi Chalo, farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher said on Friday. New Delhi: The former deputy chief minister of Bihar, Tejashwi Yadav, has landed in a political storm after his photo with a notorious shooter, Kaif, went viral on social media. Kaif is a close aide of the gangster-turned-politician, Mohammad Shahabuddin, whi dies in 2021. Tejaswi not only posed with Kaif, but also shared the stage with him at a rally in Siwan. Kaif also known as Bunty has a long criminal record. He has been to jail several times for various offences. Ever since Tejashwis photo with a sharp shooter went viral, JD(U) and BJP have been attacking Tejashwi. JD(U)'s chief spokesperson Neeraj Kumar said that Hindustans journalist Rajdev Ranjan was murdered in Siwan. The name of Mohammad Kaif alias Bunti Shooter is also involved in the murder and he was seen with Tejashwi on a political stage. Kaif was involved in the murder of journalist Rajdev, and was also named in the killing of Shrikant Bharatiya, the press representative of former BJP MP Om Prakash Yadav. He was also arrested for creating a ruckus at the Siwan railway station along with some students during protests over the Agniveer scheme. New Delhi: In a breakthrough, the Uttarakhand Police arrested the Haldwani riots mastermind, Abdul Malik, in Delhi on Saturday. The arrest follows a series of incidents involving disorder, stone-throwing, and arson during the removal of an unauthorized mosque situated in Banbhulpura February 8. Abdul was responsible for the construction of the illegal mosque on government property. The violence in Haldwani escalated, resulting in casualties and injuries. Six fatalities occurred, with over a hundred individuals, including police officers and journalists, sustaining injuries. Miscreants hurled stones at law enforcement and set numerous vehicles ablaze, even targeting the local police station. Dehradun | Abdul Malik, the mastermind of the violence that took place on February 8 in Banbhoolpura, Haldwani, has been arrested by Uttarakhand Police from Delhi: PHQ spokesperson IG Nilesh Bharne ANI (@ANI) February 24, 2024 Following the unrest, the Haldwani Municipal Corporation took action against Abdul Malik, issuing a notice demanding compensation of Rs. 2.44 crore for damage to public property. Authorities accused Malik of constructing an illegal madrasa and vehemently opposing its demolition. In response, his wife challenged the municipal corporation's demolition notice in court. The arrested accused, Abdul Malik, will soon be produced in court, said the police. Uttarakhand Police Headquarters (PHQ) Spokesperson Nilesh Anand Bharne said, "The Nainital police were in a constant search for the mastermind of the Haldwani violence. The mastermind, Abdul Malik, today has been arrested in Dehli." "The arrested accused will soon be produced in court," Bharne told ANI. Charges of Criminal Conspiracy Against Abdul's Wife Furthermore, serious allegations extend to Malik's son and wife. Both Malik and his son Abdul Moeed are subject to a lookout notice. Nainital SSP Prahlad Narayan Meena disclosed that Abdul Malik and his wife Safia, along with four others, face charges of criminal conspiracy and fraudulent use of a deceased individual's identity for illegal land activities, including plotting, construction, and property transfer. Authorities have initiated legal proceedings against them. In the violence, four people were killed and 250 policemen were injured. According to the police, the mob burnt down Banbhulpura police station. A curfew was to be imposed in the entire town for two days. New Delhi: It was the opening ceremony of the Women's Premier League (WPL) and Shah Rukh Khan totally set the stage on fire. The much-awaited tournament began at the M Chinnaswamy stadium in Bengaluru on Friday. Smriti Mandhana (Royal Challengers Bangalore), Harmanpreet Kaur (Mumbai Indians), Meg Lanning (Delhi Capitals), Beth Mooney (Gujarat Giants), and Alyssa Healy (UP Warriors) arrived on a chariot with the trophy, placing it on stage before striking SRK's signature pose alongside the actor. Before his performance, SRK addressed the crowd about the power of 'Naari Shakti' (women empowerment). SRK commended women for breaking stereotypes and wished the WPL teams luck for their upcoming matches. He then welcomed everyone in his signature Pathaan style, saying, "Party agar Pathaan ke ghar rakhoge toh mehmaan nawazi ke liye Pathaan toh aaega hi". The superstar then enthralled the audience with his moves to the tunes of 'Jhomme Jo Pathaan' and 'Not Ramaiya Vastavaiya. SRK also met all the women teams a day prior during his rehearsals and the heartwarming visuals of his meeting also went viral. The actor motivated the team and extended his best wishes to them ahead of their opening clash. He was also spotted recreating his trademark pose with Meg Lanning, adding to the excitement of the moment. The 'Don' actor wore an all-black outfit. He looked stylish in a black deep-neck shirt with golden buttons on it paired with matching black pants.He was seen in a long hair look and accessorised his look with a golden and black belt and black shades. So after Pooja posted these pictures, celebrities and SRK fans rushed to the comment section. One of the users wrote, "Reverse aging." Another user commented, "Eemperor khan." Talking about the WPL, the tournament will go on until March 17 and will be held in Bengaluru and Delhi. The summit clash will take place on March 17 in New Delhi while the eliminator will be played on March 15. The tournament will be hosted in Delhi and Bengaluru. Meanwhile, Shah Rukh was last seen in Rajkumar Hirani's Dunki. The film also featured Taapsee Pannu and Vicky Kaushal in key roles. New Delhi: Investing in the stock market offers individuals avenues to grow their wealth and participate in the growth of companies. Two primary methods of investing in stocks are Initial Public Offerings (IPOs) and Follow-on Public Offerings (FPOs). While both involve purchasing stocks, they have distinct characteristics and serve different purposes. What Are IPOs? An Initial Public Offering (IPO) marks the first time a privately owned company offers its shares to the public. Prior to going public, the company's shares are typically held by founders, investors, and employees. Through an IPO, the company sells its shares to investors, thereby raising capital. The funds acquired from the sale are often used to expand operations or pay off debts. What Are FPOs? Follow-on Public Offerings (FPOs), on the other hand, involve purchasing stocks that are already publicly traded. These stocks are listed on stock exchanges like the Bombay Stock Exchange, and their prices fluctuate based on demand and supply dynamics. Differences Between IPO And FPO One significant difference between IPOs and FPOs lies in their purpose. IPOs are usually issued by privately-owned companies to raise capital for expansion and growth, while FPOs may be issued to further expand the company or bolster its equity base. Additionally, the pricing mechanisms for IPOs and FPOs differ, with IPO share prices being fixed or set within a specific range, whereas FPO share prices are often demand-driven. Risk Factors Investing in stocks always carries risks, but the level of risk varies. FPOs generally entail lower risk since investors have access to crucial information about the company's performance and finances, enabling them to make more informed decisions. Both IPOs and FPOs provide opportunities for individuals to invest in the stock market. However, they differ in terms of the issuing process, pricing mechanisms, and associated risk factors. New Delhi: Google has officially recognized issues with its Gemini model's AI image generation, particularly concerning specific prompts. The tech giant stated that users requesting various images related to a particular culture or historical period should receive accurate responses. However, this hasn't been the case, with Google attributing the problems to its "tuning" measures. Explanation Of Shortcomings In a recent blog post, Google delved into the factors contributing to problems with its Gemini model's AI image generation. The company highlighted two main factors. (Also Read: From Investment To Income: A Rs 5-7 Lakh Investment In This Business Idea Could Yield Rs 1.5 Lakh Monthly Returns) Firstly, their tuning process, aimed at ensuring Gemini could display a diverse range of people, overlooked scenarios where a varied representation wasn't appropriate. Secondly, over time, the model became overly cautious and started declining certain prompts altogether. (Also Read: User Receives Fake iPhone 15 From Amazon; Company Responds) Temporary Pause On Image Generation Google admitted that their recently launched news image generation feature for the Gemini conversational app, which included creating images of people, missed the mark. Some generated images were inaccurate or even offensive. In response, Google temporarily paused the image generation of people in Gemini while they worked on an improved version. The company emphasized that this outcome wasn't their intention and reiterated their stance against deliberately creating inaccuracies, especially with historical content. Actions To Address Issues To resolve the problems, Google plans to subject Gemini's AI image generation to more testing. However, the company mentioned that they can't guarantee Gemini won't make mistakes or produce embarrassing, wrong, or offensive results even after fixing the issues. Nonetheless, they promised to take action whenever problems arise. Recommendation To Users While the Gemini AI model undergoes improvements, Google suggests users utilize Search's AI image generation, which gathers "fresh, high-quality information" from the web. Temporary Halt On Generating Images Of People Following a backlash over inaccurate results, Google temporarily suspended its Gemini AI model from generating images of people. This decision came after users shared images created by the model, primarily featuring people of color, including scenes from history that only involved white people. New Delhi: Irans military forces killed senior Jaish al-Adl (Army of Justice) militant group commander Ismail Shahbakhsh and some of his associates in the Pakistan territory, news agency ANI reported, citing Iran International English. In the latest development, Irans forces, in a gunfight, assaulted a militant group, one month after the two countries exchanged air strikes. Jaish al-Adl, formed in 2012, is a Sunni terrorist group that operates in Irans southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchistan, and is labeled as a terrorist organization by Iran, ANI reported, citing Al Arabiya News. Jaish al-Adl has carried out numerous attacks on Iranian security forces over the years. In December, Jaish al-Adl claimed responsibility for an attack on a police station in Sistan-Balochistan that killed at least 11 police personnel. However, last month, weeks after launching missile strikes against terror units in each others territories, Pakistan and Iran agreed to enhance security cooperation, The News International reported. The agreement was announced during a joint press conference by Pakistan Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani and his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian at the Pakistan Foreign Office. Jilani said that both Iran and Pakistan can settle misunderstandings fairly quickly. The two countries also agreed to combat terrorism in their respective areas and address each others concerns, he added. However, the recent attack showed the opposite. Notably, tensions between the two nations rose after Tehran and Islamabad conducted missile strikes against each other targeting terror units. Iran carried out missile and drone strikes in Pakistan on the late night of January 16, to destroy two important headquarters of Jaish al-Adl (Army of Justice). Islamabad claimed that the strikes killed two children and injured three girls, Al Arabiya News reported, citing Tasnim News Agency. Pakistan pulled out its ambassador from Iran on January 17 and announced that it would not allow the Iranian envoy visiting his home country at that time to return to protest a blatant breach of its sovereignty. The next day, on January 18, Pakistan launched strikes inside Iran in a retaliatory attack. Islamabad said it targeted the hideouts used by terrorist militant organizations, namely the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and the Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF). However, later, both countries agreed on the return of ambassadors of both countries to their respective posts and also decided to mutually work for de-escalation of tensions, Geo News reported. CHICAGO Authorities arrested a man at OHare International Airport in connection to the January 2022 blizzard deaths of an Indian migrant family. Harshkumar Ramanlal Patel faces two charges of smuggling people into the U.S., per court records. Patel, who allegedly used five aliases to communicate with accomplices in a smuggling operation, appeared briefly in court Thursday. According to a criminal complaint by Department of Homeland Security special agent Manuel Jimenez, Patel helped facilitate a smuggling trip in blizzard conditions in which a family from Gujarat, India, froze to death. Viashaliben Patel, 34, Jagdishkumar Patel, 39, their son Dharmik Patel, 3, and their daughter Vihangi Patel, 11, perished on the Canadian side of the border between Canada and Minnesota on Jan. 19, 2022, after allegedly getting separated from the rest of the party overnight, the complaint said. Border Patrol agents had arrested another man, Steve Shand, in connection with the deaths shortly after they occurred and Shand was indicted in February 2022, the complaint said. A search of the Shands phone indicated that he and Patel communicated via text hundreds of times about logistics for smuggling people across the northern border. Their discussions covered pickup times, travel reservations and drop-off locations, according to the complaint. On earlier trips, Shand dropped people off at the Patel Brothers supermarket in Chicago, a Matteson motel and a private home in a wealthy part of the Chicago area, according to the complaint. At one point in the early morning of Jan. 19, Shand allegedly cautioned Patel, Make sure everyone is dressed for blizzard conditions please we are not losing any money. In a March 2022 interview with federal authorities, Shand said Patel had paid him a total of about $25,000 for different smuggling trips. Shand also immediately recognized a photo of Patel and identified him as Harry, one of Patels known aliases along with Dirty Harry, the complaint stated. Patels attorney Michael Leonard confirmed that authorities arrested Patel at OHare while picking up an acquaintance. He has a detention hearing set for Feb. 28. Chicago Tribunes Jason Meisner contributed reporting. Immigrants are good for this country. They work critical jobs, pay taxes, build businesses and introduce many of our favorite foods and cultural innovations (donuts, anyone?). But for decades, powerful players have chosen the self-serving politics of division over sensible immigration policies. The immigrant experience is essential to the American story. Our communities include many who came here to seek safety, work, study and join their families. They make the United States a strong, diverse nation. Immigrants were more likely to be essential workers during the pandemic, and they can will crucial roles in the future. As America's population ages, more of us will need home health care a workforce thats one-fourth immigrant and needs to grow fast to meet need. The Congressional Budget Office projects that immigration could increase our country's economy $7 trillion over 10 years. We need immigration. And many of us know this, with 68% of respondents saying immigration is good for the country, according to a Gallup poll last year. Yet our government has made it much harder and more punitive for immigrants in recent decades to claim their rights to a dignified future. Detention centers, deportations and walls can be deadly, inhumane and tear families apart. We spend untold billions on these cruelties, according to the National Priorities Project. And these policies dont deter many people from leaving their home countries for freedom, safety or opportunity. Yet we continue responding to the problem of people seeking refuge here by doubling down on these false solutions. All of us new immigrants and descendants of old ones are stuck in this policy limbo because of powerful people who benefit from dividing us and preventing real solutions. David McCormick: The president has the power to fix the border crisis After three years and millions of illegal crossings by immigrants, President Joe Bidens failed leadership has allowed America's southern border to spiral into a humanitarian, national security and economic crisis of epic proportions. The border policy recently proposed by the Senate isnt a real solution. Its a threat. The so-called border compromise would have gutted the asylum system, ramped up mass surveillance and enforcement, and invested in a pointless and harmful border wall. That proposal isnt the best we can do. A real solution to immigration would be to embrace immigration, which makes us stronger. It would open up paths to legalization and citizenship for immigrants who have been contributing to this country for years and for many of those who are making the trip now. Our government also must address the real reasons that scores of people are leaving their homes. This includes the U.S. economic sanctions that are strangling their home economies. It includes the war on drugs that can make migrants home communities unlivable. Climate change has created weather that sends millions fleeing. Congress has made real progress before, and it can do it again. The 1986 immigration law signed by President Ronald Reagan granted legalization to millions of undocumented immigrants. President George W. Bush supported a proposal that would have led to legalization for millions more. Under President Barack Obama, the Senate passed a plan that would have opened the door to legalization for many of the current 11 million undocumented people living and working in the country. Its time to think bigger than the Senates most recent, doomed plan. Immigrants have always kept this country moving forward. We should embrace the vitality and diversity that immigration can bring, refuse to be divided by those who want to scare us, and enact some genuine immigration reform. KANNAPOLIS History was the subject of a recent Kannapolis Rotary Club meeting with special guest speaker John Misenheimer, who is a self-taught historian. Misenheimer is an expert on the American/British Revolutionary War, especially in the Southern United States. He attended the Rotary meeting wearing an authentic generals uniform of Revolutionary War times. He represented Patriot Army Gen. Nathaniel Greene, who had recently been assigned by Gen. George Washington to clear all British forces from North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia. The battles that followed included the Battle of Cowpens, South Carolina, the Battle of Kings Mountain and the Battle of Guilford Courthouse, Greensboro, our N.C. city that was named after Gen. Nathaniel Greene, commander of Patriot forces in the South. Misenheimer was an excellent speaker and brought to life the wartime involvement of Southern forces against British Gen. Charles Cornwallis, who retreated north to Yorktown, Virginia, where he surrendered his Army. Misenheimer comes highly recommended as a guest speaker to any organization with an interest in American Revolutionary War history. He has a Bachelors degree with a business and economics major from Pfeiffer College and a Masters degree from Appalachian State University. He was born in Charlotte and grew up in Huntersville. He is an active member of the Lt. Col. John Phifer Chapter of Sons of the American Revolution in Concord and chairman of the board of the Historic Cabarrus Association in Concord. The Kannapolis Rotary Club meets at the Kannapolis Train Station on the first and third Tuesdays of each month from noon to 1 p.m. Funded by a USDA Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network grant, North Central Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Center is composed of lead agencies representing 12 states, including Illinois. The purpose is to make sure that you, your family, and the people you work with have access to the resources needed, when they are needed. The Center believes in working together to cultivate rural supports, mental health resources, and community to help farmers, ranchers, and other agriculture workers as they navigate increasing stress. As part of this initiative, nine Illinois Extension educators completed the instructor training for Mental Health First Aid (MHFA). These educators have trained 89 adults in MHFA and 59 adults in Youth MHFA. Trainees included agribusiness professionals, Extension educators, and others who have routine contact with agricultural producers. Post training evaluations were conducted to measure the success of the training. After completing the MHFA training, 100% of participants reported they knew: The 5-step MHFA action plan statements Early indicators that may affect an individual experiencing a mental health challenge Actions within the scope of a First Aider How to cope with feelings of discomfort or frustration associated with providing MHFA Additionally, participants reported the following successes: Became more knowledgeable about Adult MHFA and the role of the First Aider (69%) Have the ability to recognize the signs and symptoms of mental health or substance use challenges (65%) Can explain how a First Aider may cope with feelings of discomfort (63%) Can have a supportive conversation with an adult experiencing signs and symptom(s) of a mental health or substance use challenge (53%) Could use the ALGEE action plan to assist an adult experiencing a mental health or substance use challenge to appropriate resources (71%) Expressed an increase in confidence when asked if they could respond to a substance use crisis and know what to do to keep an individual safe (75%) For more information on setting up a training, finding an upcoming training, or to learn more about other resources, please contact your local Extension office or go online to www.farmstress.org MATTOON Several Lake Land College broadcast students earned awards at the annual Illinois Broadcasters Association Student Silver Dome Awards. Anthony Vonderheide of Stewardson earned first place for Best Sales Presentation for Sayers Brothers Cards. Stephanie Sample of Sullivan, earned first place for Radio Recorded Promotion for Steph Free Bird Promo. Sample also earned second place for Best Radio PSA for Mental Health PSA LLC. Sample and Emma Theriault of Charleston earned second place for Best Radio Recorded Promotion for Reasons to be Thankful Promo. Madison Hunter of Assumption earned third place for Radio Longform Programming for Madison Old Time Radio 2023. We are so proud of the incredible work our students produce in the Broadcast Communication Department at Lake Land College, instructor Greg Powers said. These awards are a testament to their dedication, and its great to see their hard work be recognized. The Broadcast Communication Department will be hosting an open house from noon to 2 p.m. Friday, March 22. Lunch will be provided at noon. Attendees will have the opportunity to tour the colleges student-run FM radio station, explore the TV studio and production control room, and experiment with state-of-the-art camera and video equipment. For more information about the open house, go to lakelandcollege.edu/visit. DENVER A former funeral home owner accused of keeping a woman's corpse in the back of a hearse for two years and hoarding the cremated remains of 35 people has been arrested, authorities said. Thursday night's arrest of Miles Harford, 33, is the latest allegation of misconduct by Colorado funeral home owners, a string that includes the discovery of nearly 200 decomposing bodies in a bug-infested funeral home facility last year. The horrifying finds have underscored the laxness of state funeral home regulations and pressed lawmakers to try to strengthen the laws. A grisly scene of urns stashed around the Harford property, from the crawl space to inside the hearse where the 63-year-old woman's body lay, was uncovered in early February during a court-ordered eviction at his home, police said. While searching the property, police opened the door of the hearse to a foul odor, seeing the outline of the human body seemingly strapped to the gurney and covered by blankets, according to the arrest affidavit. Harford owned Apollo Funeral & Cremation Services in the Denver suburb of Littleton, police said, and the hoarded cremains appear to be those of people who died from 2012 to 2021. The funeral home has been closed since September 2022. A warrant lists potential charges of abuse of a corpse, forgery of the death certificate, and theft of the money paid for the womans cremation, though Denver District Attorney Beth McCann said previously that other charges are possible. Police interviewed a seemingly cooperative Harford the day after the Feb. 6 discovery, the arrest affidavit shows. Denver Police Cmdr. Matt Clark previously said that Harford acknowledged to police that he owed money to several crematories in the area and that none would cremate the woman's body, so he decided to store it in the hearse. The deceased woman's family told investigators they were given what they believed were the womans ashes, which have been turned over to a medical examiners office. Other Colorado funeral homes have allegedly sent fake ashes to grieving families. When an arrest warrant was issued for Harford on Feb. 12, however, the suspect didn't turn himself in. By Thursday, police still couldn't find him and offered a $2,000 award for information leading to his arrest. Authorities were able to possibly establish the identity of 18 individual cremains, according to the arrest affidavit. Police also discovered online reviews of the funeral home with a number of complaints. The families cited poor communication from the company in giving back the remains of their loved ones. One family said they received ashes in an urn labeled with the wrong name, the document shows. Available court documents did not yet list a defense attorney who could comment on Harford's behalf. No voicemail was set up at a telephone listing for Harford, and he has not responded to emails seeking comment. Harford's arrest follows the discovery of 190 decaying bodies in a building run by the Return to Nature Funeral Home in Penrose, Colorado, about two hours south of Denver. A married couple who owned Return to Nature are awaiting trial in Colorado Springs following their arrest last year on allegations they abused corpses and gave fake ashes to relatives of the deceased. The operators of another funeral home in the western Colorado city of Montrose received federal prison sentences last year for mail fraud after they were accused of selling body parts and distributing fake ashes. More than two dozen additional criminal cases and complaints involving Colorado funeral homes since 2007 were detailed in a January report to lawmakers from state regulators. The cases included mishandled bodies, mislabeled remains, ashes never being returned to families and improper embalming of bodies. In the Colorado House committee hearing Wednesday, the executive director of the state agency that oversees funeral homes, Patty Salazar, said that current laws and regulations have failed people in Colorado, and there is a general understanding that the state needs to do better. Other states run annual inspections of funeral homes and require those who operate them to pass a test or get a degree in mortuary science. No such rules exist in Colorado. After hearing recommendations on strengthening regulations, the bipartisan group of lawmakers unanimously voted to introduce a bill that would bring Colorados regulations more in line with nearly all other states. The bill will be formally introduced in the coming weeks and would require routine inspections of funeral homes, including after a homes registration has expired. It would also give the agency that oversees the industry greater enforcement power. An expected second proposal would require stricter qualification requirements for those who run funeral homes. The Colorado Funeral Directors Association has generally voiced support for these two proposals. Today in history: Feb. 23 1836: Alamo 1861: Abraham Lincoln 1903: Theodore Roosevelt 1945: World War II 1954: Salk Vaccine 2007: Emmett Till 2011: Obama 2013: Kyle Larson 2017: John Kelly 2020: Ahmaud Arbery 2021: Capitol 2021: Tiger Woods After three years and millions of illegal crossings by immigrants, President Joe Bidens failed leadership has allowed America's southern border to spiral into a humanitarian, national security and economic crisis of epic proportions. Mexican drug cartels are profiting by funneling migrants worldwide into America. Its a situation ripe for exploitation, with women and children subject to sex trafficking. The chaos has helped these cartels flood the United States with deadly drugs such as fentanyl, fueling a rise in overdoses. In 2023, Border Patrol agents said they intercepted enough lethal doses of fentanyl to kill every American. Customs and Border Protection officials told Fox News that large groups of migrants are creating a distraction for cartels to move contraband like fentanyl. These migrants arent coming just from Central and South America. Thousands of single adult males from Africa and Asia are flocking to our border. More than 160 individuals on the terrorist watch list were caught last year trying to enter the country. In Pennsylvania, the effects of Bidens loose border policies are devastating. In 2022, we lost thousands of residents to dangerous drugs. Cities such as Philadelphia are diverting taxpayer dollars to handle the influx and cover health care, schooling, housing and food for undocumented immigrants. How did we get here? This debacle lies at the feet of President Biden and Democratic senators such as Bob Casey of Pennsylvania, whom I plan to challenge in the fall election. Just go back to Bidens first day in office. The president issued an executive order halting the construction of the border wall. He also reinstated the failed policy of catch and release, and ended the practice of keeping asylum seekers in Mexico. When things began to spiral out of control, Biden refused to acknowledge the situation at the border was a crisis or change course. Biden now says hes ready to take a tough stance, but nothing suggests this is more than a cynical election-year ploy. The path Biden chose has been disastrous. Reversing former President Donald Trumps border initiatives, which successfully brought illegal immigration to its lowest level in 45 years, Biden sent a signal to the world that our country was wide open. By opening the floodgates, the White House created a preventable tragedy. What have Democrats done in response? During his 18-year career in Washington, Casey has enabled weak immigration policies that have made the American people less safe and hurt our economy. Since Biden used the presidencys powers to put us in this mess, Biden can use those same powers to fix it. The White House must restore the Trump policies that worked. Biden should use every existing authority to finish constructing the border wall, direct Customs and Border Protection to enforce all border laws and terminate the ill-conceived smartphone asylum app. Biden should stop catch and release, which releases migrants into American communities while waiting for hearings. Biden should keep asylum seekers in Mexico. Congress can and should do more. But the proposed border deal, while well-intentioned, isnt the answer. The legislation would codify a minimum level of illegal immigration. It also would encourage more migrants to flood the border by empowering unelected bureaucrats to dole out work permits or immediately grant asylum claims without proper oversight. Finally, theres no guarantee Biden would enforce any new authorities granted to him, which is a significant flaw, given his track record. Biden should work with the House of Representatives in good faith on additional bills to supplement administrative action. But none of the actions Ive proposed in this column require new legislation they require leadership. The president says hes serious about fixing the border. Its time for him to back up those words with action. KYIV, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed Western leaders to Kyiv on Saturday to mark the second anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion, as Ukrainian forces run low on ammunition and foreign aid hangs in the balance. Allies from the EU and the Group of Seven wealthy democracies rallied around Kyiv to express solidarity, with Zelenskyy joining a virtual G7 meeting Saturday and four world leaders traveling to Ukraine's war-weary capital. "Two years ago, here, we met enemy landing forces with fire; two years later, we meet our friends and our partners here," Zelenskyy said as he met the dignitaries at Hostomel airfield just outside of Kyiv, which Russian paratroopers unsuccessfully tried to seize in the first days of the war. A somber mood hangs over Ukraine as the war against Russia enters its third year and Kyiv's troops face mounting challenges on the front line amid dwindling supplies and personnel challenges. Its troops recently withdrew from the strategic eastern city of Avdiivka, handing Moscow one of its biggest victories. Russia also still controls roughly a quarter of the country after Ukraine failed to make any major breakthroughs with its summertime counteroffensive. Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen arrived in Kyiv shortly after a Russian drone attack struck a residential building in the southern city of Odesa, killing at least one person. Three women also sustained severe burns in the attack Friday evening, regional Gov. Oleh Kiper wrote on his social media account. Rescue services combed through the rubble looking for survivors. Hours later, Zelenskyy's office announced the signing of 10-year bilateral security deals with Canada and Italy, with Ottawa committing to send Kyiv close to $2.2 billion in military and economic aid this year while Rome promised much-needed long-range weapons. In a joint news conference, Meloni hailed the agreement with Kyiv and said, "We will continue to support Ukraine in what I have always deemed the just right of its people to defend itself." "Confusing the much-bandied about word 'peace' with 'surrender,' as some people do, is a hypocritical approach that we will never share," she added. Meloni also chaired a G7 videoconference from Kyiv that produced a joint statement Saturday reaffirming world leaders' commitment to "supporting a comprehensive, just and lasting peace," tightening sanctions on Russia and sending Ukraine military and economic aid for "as long as it takes." Von der Leyen vowed during the joint news conference that the European Union will stand with Ukraine "financially, economically, militarily, and most of all, morally, until (the) country is finally free." In the U.S. Congress, Republicans have stalled $60 billion in military aid for Kyiv. At the news conference, Zelenskyy highlighted the urgency of timely arms deliveries, while pledging that Kyiv would not use weapons from allied countries to strike Russian territory. His words reflected an increasingly tense battlefield situation in eastern Ukraine, where Kyiv's troops are trying to hold back Russian advances despite an escalating ammunition shortage. On the front line in the Donetsk region, Ukrainian soldiers pleaded for shells. "When the enemy comes in, a lot of our guys die. We are sitting here with nothing," said Volodymyr, 27, a senior officer in an artillery battery. "In order to protect our infantry we need a high number of shells, which we do not have now," said Oleksandr, 45, a commander of an artillery unit. The two officers gave only their first names, citing security concerns. About 100 people gathered Saturday outside St. Sophia's Cathedral in central Kyiv, calling for the release of Azov Brigade members who were taken captive by Russia after defending the southern city of Mariupol. Olena Petrivna, the mother of a member taken by Russian forces, questioned why Russia invaded Ukraine, saying that before the war people "lived our own lives, not bothering anyone, raising our children." The Russians, she said, tried to conquer Ukraine to teach them what to say and what language to speak but, she added, "We don't need them. We have one destiny: victory. We must win." Meanwhile, millions of Ukrainians continue to live in precarious circumstances, and many others face constant struggles under Russian occupation. The war also came to Russia. Drones hit a steel plant in Russia's Lipetsk region Saturday, causing a large fire, regional Gov. Igor Artamonov said, adding there are no casualties. Independent Russian media said the Novolipetsk Metallurgical Plant is the largest steel plant in Russia. Independent Russian news outlet Mediazona said Saturday about 75,000 Russian men died in 2022 and 2023 fighting in the war. A joint investigation published by Mediazona and Meduza, another independent Russian news site, indicates the rate of Russia's losses in Ukraine is not slowing and that Moscow is losing about 120 men a day. Solidarity demonstrations with Ukraine were held across Europe, including in London, Berlin and Stockholm. Despite a heavy crackdown on dissent, some Russians marked the anniversary by laying flowers at Moscow monuments or staging one-person protests. Ukraine endures a second year of war with scenes of grief, suffering and also joy The First Nations Festival is set to take place at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 5, at Saint Paul United Methodist Church, 1144 M St. This event will celebrate Indigenous choral art, showcase the talents of First Nations artists, and foster cultural exchange and understanding. Attendees will be treated to an evening of Indigenous music, art and storytelling. The event will feature performances by students from Standing Bear and Lincoln North Star high schools, as well as multiple University of Nebraska-Lincoln choirs, and choirs from Saint Paul UMC and Westminster Presbyterian Church. Nebraska youth poet laureate Aliyah American Horse and Indigenous artist Sarah Rowe will also present their work alongside distinguished guests including UMC Bishop David Wilson and Lakota-Sioux composer Linthicum Blackhorse. One of the highlights of the evening will be the world premiere of a newly commissioned Native American choral piece, symbolizing the festival's commitment to promoting and preserving Indigenous cultural heritage. "We are thrilled to bring together such a diverse and talented group of artists and performers for the First Nations Festival," said Mary Young, festival coordinator. "This event not only celebrates First Nation composers of choral music, but also provides a cross-curricular event that combines legend, music, poetry and storytelling. Indigenous culture and creativity will be honored at the First Nations Festival an evening that promises to inspire, uplift and unite communities through the power of music and art. Attendance is free and open to the public. For more information about Saint Paul UMC, see www.saintpaulumc.org. Marissa Mayer has long been an inspiration for innovative women battling to break through gender barriers in a male-dominated technology industry. After graduating from Stanford University, Mayer joined Google in 1999 when the internet search giant was still a startup and then went on to design breakthrough products such as Gmail. She left Google in 2012 to become CEO of Yahoo in an unsuccessful effort to turn around the fading internet pioneer. But Mayer still managed to triple Yahoo's stock price and create more than $30 billion in shareholder wealth before selling the company's online operations to Verizon Communications in 2017. Mayer, 48, now runs an artificial intelligence startup called Sunshine with Enrique Munoz Torres a former colleague at Google and Yahoo from a Palo Alto, California, office that served as Facebook's first headquarters in Silicon Valley. She recently sat down for an interview. Q: Sunshine is using AI to manage contacts on a mobile app. Isn't that a relatively simple task for a sophisticated technology? A: Our thesis for the company is there are just a lot of mundane tasks that just get in the way. It's true for a lot of things: contacts, calendaring, scheduling, all those different components take a lot of friction. We think by applying AI not even necessarily in cutting-edge ways you can both solve valuable problems and you can give people back time. You can also build their confidence in AI. Q: So how does the Sunshine app work and since it's free, how are you going to make money? A: After you install it on your iPhone or your Android phone, we look at your contacts. Then you can hook it up to your email and we go through to see if we can recognize the signature blocks and who you correspond with many times back and forth. If it looks like you are actually engaging in conversations, we will add that person to your contacts. If you like the way we are handling your contacts, for a monthly fee of $4.99, we can go to places like LinkedIn and add things that you may not have added yourself. Q: What kinds of things do you worry about with the advent of AI? A: It is a very powerful technology and whenever you have a powerful technology things can go wrong. The powers are amazing, but they also introduce a whole new level of safety concern. My fears are somewhat different than some of the people who are worried about AI overlords and things like that. Mine is just we are starting to get close to technologies that approximate human intelligence. When you have a machine that is almost as intelligent as humans, the odds that humans end up getting fooled that it's real that it isnt a machine just get higher. When you have people who cant tell whats real anymore and whats authentic because the machine intelligence is now approximating the human intelligence, that is really the biggest risk. Q: How do you think the tech industry is doing in terms of hiring and promoting women in leadership roles? A: There have been steps forward and steps back. I think the representation of women in leadership at the VP (vice president) and director level is getting better across companies. So, it feels like things are improving. Probably not as fast as I would like, but there have been steps in the right direction. Q: Not long after you became Yahoo CEO, you ordered a lot of employees who were working from home to start coming into the office regularly. Has the pandemic reshaped your thinking about the work in office/at home dynamic? A: I wasnt trying to make a broad statement about work-from-home policies back then. I was just being blatantly honest. The company was in trouble and had been in trouble for a long time. It was a turnaround. Somewhere on the order of 1% of (Yahoo) employees had official work-from-home status, but when I got there 10% of the employees were informally working from home whenever they felt like it. And they didnt have a great setup and their productivity showed it. I think it is really hard to join an organization that is fully remote because that notion of culture gets lost things like how to grow management, leadership, vision, the ability to align people around a product and plan around what you are trying to build. Q: Do you still follow what is going on with Yahoo? A: I do follow Yahoo. The old saying there is you bleed purple (the color of the company's old logo) once you have worked there, and I really do. I am really proud of the people who are still there and I am really proud of the people who have left and gone on to do great things across the industry. I still feel very connected to them. Where companies have adopted AIand where they are planning to do so in the near future Where companies have adopted AIand where they are planning to do so in the near future Top adopters Getting on the bandwagon GREELEY Better to walk out than get thrown out. And with that, Robert Bernt, an organic farmer in central Nebraska, turned and left the old school gymnasium where the county zoning board was evaluating a proposed wind farm. Silver-tongued and corrupt were some of the allegations hed leveled at the Greeley County officials in that tense June meeting. The project was being sought by area farmers who viewed it as a way to shore up their family incomes and boost local tax revenues. Most of the several dozen people in attendance shared Bernts anger. They accused local officials of aiding China, a major player in renewables, and jeopardizing neighbors health and property values. One opponent called on the group to join him in prayer as he beseeched God to steer officials away from the plan. Most stood with him. An epic and consequential battle is unfolding in Nebraska over renewable energy. From the Panhandle to the states eastern edge, people have packed local meetings, filed lawsuits and flexed political power. Its a high-stakes fight, with property rights, the character and economic well-being of rural Nebraska and health of the planet all at play. Opponents have long worried about the changes turbines bring to the states scenic skies and the intermittent nature of renewable energy. My bottom line, the alliances bottom line, is to protect public safety, Bernt said by phone, referencing the Facebook group he is a member of, the Greeley County Alliance for Wise Energy. Scientists say fossil fuels must be replaced quickly because human activity has increased the amount of heat-trapping gases in Earths atmosphere to their highest levels in at least 3 million years. Waiting to act will be devastating, they say. Since the 1980s, Nebraska has seen a six-fold increase in $1 billion-plus weather disasters that affect the state, according to federal weather data. Worsening disasters lie ahead, the states own scientists have said. With Nebraska ranking in the top five for wind power potential and top 15 for solar potential nationally, the state is well poised to tap into the billions of federal dollars available to assist with the nationwide energy transition, said John Hansen, president of the Nebraska Farmers Union. Instead, a half dozen Nebraska counties have enacted some of the nations strictest zoning regulations, said Matthew Eisenson, an attorney in the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at New Yorks Columbia University. Most of those are targeted at wind, which has seen the most growth in the state and now provides almost one-third of Nebraskas electricity. Stanton County has effectively banned wind turbines in its regulations, according to the Sabin Center. Wheeler and Buffalo counties have a 5-mile setback between turbines and certain types of property. Dawson and Thomas counties have added a 3-mile setback. You need to have massive tracts of land to even install a single turbine, Eisenson said. The restrictions and similar actions appear to have derailed some wind projects, including in Dawson, Gage and Butler counties. NextEra Energy Resources, the worlds largest developer of wind and solar projects, said it has already invested about $814 million in Nebraska and remains committed to continuing despite the opposition. That includes in Greeley County, where its developing the proposed wind farm. Industrial scale solar projects are moving forward despite opposition in Cass, Saunders and Lancaster counties. In some communities, opposition has led to lawsuits, including in Lancaster, Saline and Webster counties. A Cherry County case filed by opponents of a wind project went all the way to the Nebraska Supreme Court before being thrown out. Hansen said the issue has become so fraught that Nebraska communities are losing their ability to compromise. We are no longer having people of good will coming together to protect our public health and safety, he said. Meetings in Greeley County became so crowded and so combative that the county moved them from a small room at the courthouse to an old school gymnasium. (Opponents) were very angry and were using physical closeness and aggression, Greeley County Attorney Cindy Bassett said. We had people shouting and screaming, coming up to the table. They were in county governmental personnels faces. Advocates of the Greeley project, including local landowners, had worked 15 years to bring it to fruition. We ought to be able to market this product just as any other person markets a product they grow on their land, landowner Brian Gydesen said at the June meeting. The project became contentious in the last year or so after the zoning rules were written and the planning commission recommended NextEras application to the county board. Much of the oppositions concerns mirrored arguments made in other communities. Bernt and others said they believe there are health effects from the noise, vibrations and flickering shadows generated by wind turbines, and environmental risks from the concrete bases and decommissioned blades. Some asked if turbines could change the weather or would harm endangered species. They worried the turbines would lower property values and affect farm income by limiting aerial spraying. They also worried about damage to roads and taxpayers being left to pay decommissioning costs if the developer abandoned the turbines. Studies have found that the impact on health and property values tends to correlate to local attitudes. The more opposed a community is to wind, for example, the more likely property values are affected. Likewise, the severity of health effects seem to correlate to a persons feelings about wind turbines along with their ability to see and hear them. China also has become an argument, with opponents keying in on the countrys dominance in renewables manufacturing, its own dirty energy practices and even the possibility it would use turbines to spy on America. Whats to stop Red China from putting monitoring devices, and devices to disrupt communications, atop the towers? Mike Conley asked at the Greeley County meeting. Absolutely nothing. The backlash to renewable energy comes at a cost, Hansen said. Based on public and private data, he estimates that commercial scale wind power already generates more than $17 million in landowner income and $17 million in tax revenue in Nebraska. Those projects, he said, have added $6.1 billion to the states tax base, slightly more than ethanol plants. Opportunity only knocks at the door so many times. ... All we have to do is say yes. Across the U.S. and in other countries the transition to cleaner energy is being met with increasing pushback. Some renewable energy supporters suspect that outside interests are driving the local opposition. They point to articles by national opponents posted on local Facebook pages, local opposition groups appearing at meetings in matching T-shirts, opponents traveling across the state to encourage opposition and some national figures coming to Nebraska. Nobody is admitting that they are getting resources, getting encouraged or being paid by groups, but I believe thats whats happening, said David Levy, an Omaha-based attorney for renewable energy developers. Bernt and others, like Emily Haxby, a Gage County supervisor who worked to enact strict zoning rules in her county, dismiss those claims. There was no outside influence here, Haxby said. Our community just came together. Opponents have used social media, notably Facebook, to form local groups to fight projects, including: Stop K-Junction Solar, Stop Hallam Wind, Our Voices Count, Nebraska Wind Watchers and McCool Junction Responsible Solar. Two national advocates of fossil fuels brought their message to Nebraska last year: Daniel Turner and Robert Bryce. Both have had ties to think tanks that receive funding from the oil industry. A third national figure, John Droz Jr., an outspoken opponent of renewable energy, contributed heavily to an analysis opposing a wind project in Jefferson County. Turner, executive director of Power The Future, spoke in Greeley County after being recruited by resident Trevor Nekoliczak, who heard Turner on a podcast. Nekoliczak said he wanted a counterpoint to the wind developers. Turner told the Flatwater Free Press that he traveled to Nebraska at the expense of his organization. He said he encouraged people to know their rights before signing a lease. Ultimately, opposition didnt stop the NextEra project in Greeley County. Still, Bernt takes pride in what he sees as precedent-setting conditions: the wind developer must provide decommissioning and road repair funds upfront. Bassett, the county attorney, said NextEra will have to put $12 million for decommissioning and $5 million for road repairs into an escrow account. Any interest will accrue to the county. Greeley County, like several other Nebraska counties, has instituted a moratorium on all new renewable energy projects while it revisits its zoning regulations. Bassett said she believes Nebraskans need to take a breather and figure out how to work through divisive issues. Other forms of energy will become flash points at the local level, she said. Ive been doing this 25 years and Ive never seen anything like this, Bassett said. We absolutely need a better way of talking about this because more conflict lies ahead. The Flatwater Free Press is Nebraskas first independent, nonprofit newsroom focused on investigations and feature stories that matter.(tncms-asset)a7912001-700a-54d4-90fa-cb0755f7755b[3](/tncms-asset) MONDAYAl-Anon: 8 p.m., Holy Cross Lutheran Church, 3350 Lathrop Ave. Retired Nurses Association: Meets first Monday of every month. For more information, call Marge Orth, secretary, 262-884-0742. WEDNESDAYCaledonia Senior Card Club: Sheepshead, for ages 55 and older, noon to 3 p.m., Franksville Memorial Park, 9614 Northwestern Ave., Franksville. For more information, call 414-856-9550. Kiwanis Club of West of Racine: 7:30 a.m., in-person at Living Faith Lutheran Church, 2915 Wright Ave. Kiwanis is an international organization dedicated to serving the children of the world. To attend a meeting, contact Shirley Meyer, membership chair, at 262-260-8101 or email aquashirl4@yahoo.com. FRIDAYRacine Founders Rotary Club: 7 a.m., Racine Country Club, 2401 Northwestern Ave. DAILY/OTHERSCaledonia Historical Society Meeting: 6:30 p.m. on the third Thursday of each month at Franksville Park, 9614 Northwestern Ave. The meeting is open to the public. There will be no meetings December through March. https://caledoniahistoricalsociety.org. Overeaters Anonymous: 7 p.m. Monday and Thursday, Living Faith Lutheran Church, 2915 Wright Ave., a free fellowship group for all eating disorders using the 12 steps and 12 traditions. For more information call 262-652-5635. Racine Duplicate Bridge Club: Each week two ACBL-sanctioned duplicate bridge games are played in Racine at 12:15 p.m. Monday and Friday at The Lanes, 6501 Washington Ave., Mount Pleasant. People must have proof of COVID-19 vaccination to play. Call Henry Kensler, club manager, at 262-652-6173 for reservations. Lighthouse Quilters Guild: Open to quilters of all skill levels, 7 p.m., on the last Monday of each month at Lutheran Church of the Resurrection, 322 Ohio St. For more information, lighthousequiltersguild.com. VFW Post 10301: VFW Post 10301 meets at 5:30 p.m. the second Thursday of each month at Fifth Street Yacht Club, 761 Marquette St. Racine Catholic Womans Club: The Racine Catholic Womans Club will hold its monthly luncheon meeting at 11:30 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 17, at Infusinos Banquet Hall, 3201 Rapids Drive. The speaker will be Fr. Juan Manuel Camacho, pastor of the Family of Four Parishes (Sts. Edward, Patrick, Richard and Sacred Heart) of the Catholic Community in Central Racine. For information, call 262-758-6187 or 262-632-8960. Ladies New Heart Luncheon: The Ladies New Heart Luncheon will meet at noon Tuesday, Feb. 20, at Parkway Chateau, 12304 75th St., Kenosha. Rebecca Landmark will discuss In the Palm of His Hand. The luncheons committee consists of Christ-centered, Bible believing women. The cost is $14 and no child care is provided. For reservations, call Nancy at 262-914-1821 or Kathy at 262-653-0503. Annual Turkey Dinner: Union Grove Chapter 71, Eastern Star, will hold its annual Turkey Dinner from 11-1:30 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 25, at the Union Grove Masonic Center, 1021 11th Ave. The menu includes turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, vegetables, salads, rolls, homemade dessert and beverage. The cost is $15 for adults, $8 for children under 12. Proceeds benefit music scholarships for the Union Grove Elementary School. For more information or to reserve tickets call 262-878-1837. Racine Welcome Club: Drop in coffee 9-11 a.m. Friday, March 1, at the Red Onion, 555 Main St. The group is open to women interested in making new friends, learning about community resources, and being involved in philanthropic and social activities. Call 262-994-0957 for more information. Senior group offers lecture: Adventures in Lifelong Learning, an organization of mostly retired people ages 55 and older, is hosting a lecture at 2 p.m. Friday, March 1, at the in Tallent Hall, Room L182, at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside. Mayor Corey Mason will discuss recent developments in Racine. ALLs annual membership fee of $50 and includes access to lectures, focus groups, classes and day trips at a cost. For more information, call 262-595-2793. Racine Art Guild: The Racine Art Guild will meet from 6-8 p.m. Thursday, March 14, at Wustum Museum 2519 Northwestern Ave. The meeting will include critiques by Dan Simoneau. Members are invited to bring one piece to be critiqued. Aurora offers classes BURLINGTON Aurora Health Care is offering the following programs: Free Blood Pressure Clinic 8 a.m. to noon and 1-4:30 p.m. every Wednesday. To make an appointment, call 262-767-8000. Childbirth and Beyond Get ready for a new addition through free, ongoing classes, including Preparing for Labor and Birth, Bringing Baby Home, Breastfeeding Basics and Infant CPR & Safety. Learn more by visiting https://bit.ly/ALMCchildbirth. Movement and Music This free class for people with Parkinsons disease incorporates stretches, strength training, posture, balance and walking drills, as well as vocal exercises. Manage Parkinsons symptoms and improve quality of daily life while having fun. Modifications will be provided to ensure a safe and effective setting for all participants. Caregivers are also welcome. Register at mail@wiparkinson.org or 414-312-6990. Stroke Support Group This group provides emotional support through opportunities to interact with others who have experienced a stroke. Informational programs also will be provided about stroke/brain attack. The group welcomes individuals newly diagnosed, those with a history of stroke and caregivers. Learn more by visiting https://bit.ly/ALMCstroke. Memory Cafe Memory Cafe is a comfortable, free social gathering that allows people experiencing memory loss and a loved one to connect and build new support networks at the Aurora Wellness Center, Classroom C. For information, or first-time attendees, contact Chad at 262-212-3596 or csutkay@touchinghearts.com. Walk with a Doc Get out, get active and enjoy good conversation on the third Saturday of the month at Burlington High School, 400 McCanna Parkway. Learn about a current health topic, then spend the rest of the hour enjoying a walk at your own pace and distance with a medical provider. The program is free, and no registration is required. Meet at the front entrance vestibule by the flagpole. Art Therapy Open Studio Open Studio is an art group designed to aid in self-expression relaxation, and personal growth. Open Studio is open to current and past cancer patients, companions and caretakers. Each session is facilitated by a credentialed art therapist and will include a featured project. All supplies provided. Learn more by visiting https://bit.ly/AMCBarttherapy. For more information about Aurora Health Care programs, www.aurorahealthcare.org/classes-events/ or call 800-499-5736. Spectrum offers classes RACINE Spectrum School of the Arts and Community Gallery, located in the East Building of the DeKoven Center, 2000 Wisconsin Ave., is offering winter fine arts classes for adults and high school students. All classes are small (between four and 10 students per class) and are highly instructional according to the individuals needs, goals and abilities. All levels of experience are welcome. Drawing and/or Painting: 9 a.m. to noon, flexible scheduling Mondays, Tuesdays or Wednesdays through March 13. Individualized instruction for all levels. Instructor: Denise Zingg. Five classes: $150; 10 classes: $250. Ceramics: 9:30 a.m. to noon, Saturdays through March 23. Learn how to work clay with creative hand-building or throwing pots on the wheel. Includes 25 pounds of clay, use of equipment, firings and glazes, plus extra studio time. Instructor: Mark Hyde. $200. Customized classes and workshops are provided for three or more adults, children or family combination. Private art and music lessons for adults and children also are available. Half-hour lessons are $30, or $1 per minute. Traditional darkrooms, a matting and framing room, and ceramics studios are available for individual work. The cost is $65 each per month or $180 for a three-month pass. (Ceramics studios include firings; darkrooms include chemicals.) Call 262-634-4345 to register. Space is limited to 10 students. Material lists are available at www.spectrumschoolandgallery.org. Nonprofit organizations can submit class/workshop press releases to to community@journaltimes.com. Nonprofit organizations can submit class/workshop press releases to to community@journaltimes.com. The UN loves acronyms, perhaps because they can hide the real purpose of a meeting. The most recent event was the "UN PrepCom" held at UN headquarters in New York, Feb. 12-16. This PrepCom is the scheduled Preparatory Meeting held to set the agenda for the United Nations "Conference to Review Progress Made in the Implementation of the Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects." The following is an analysis by Versnel and Richard Patterson with Liberty's Keystone: While discussions were largely the same that have been going on since the beginning of the Programme of Action (PoA), there are some new developments. Anti-gun groups and member states are saying they feel there is pressure to promote the private possession of firearms. This may be a result of the attacks on Ukraine and Israel which are very divisive issues but the impact of George Soros' son, Alex, taking the reins of Open Society and the rest of their Civil Society empire. Alex is far more radical than his father. Regardless, these antigun groups/countries are pushing back hard with calls for the outright total ban of private firearms possession. ..... 1. Yes. It will be convenient and the fares are cheap. I plan to use the transit system often. 2. Yes. I have a vehicle, but I may still use the service now and then, especially in bad weather. 3. No. I dont use the current bus service, and I dont plan to use the micro-transit service either. 4. No. It may be fine in town, but it still involves a transfer for longer trips. That wont work. 5. Unsure. Its hard to say. It depends on how well the service works once its in place. Vote View Results I was in a time machine last week at Kearney Public Library. UNK grad student Tatiana Moore has delivering her Brown Bag History lecture on the 25-year history of the Sioux Ordnance Depot in Sidney. While Moore spoke about Sidneys World War II days, my memory took me to the Cold War and the six-year span from 1980 to 1986 when I was the city editor at the Sidney Telegraph. Moores lecture described the 20,000-acre ammunition depot that sprang up in Sidney in 1942. My goal as a reporter was to inform western Nebraskans about the likelihood their region would be selected to house new 10-warhead nuclear missiles. There already were 150 Minuteman III missiles in western Nebraska, northeast Colorado and southeast Wyoming. Folks around Sidney thought nothing about encountering missile crews going about their duties. Some provided security for the silos and launch control sites, some maintained the missiles and their silos, and still others were responsible for launching the missiles if goodness forbid the Soviets attacked. Ive seen how the U.S. launches its missiles. Two officers in control modules 60 feet underground routinely receive coded messages to enter in their launch computers. The officers are strapped in chairs that move on tracks in the floor so they can always perform their responsibilities. As the launch codes arrive, the officers enter them and, simultaneously, turn the keys to launch their missiles. Officers said they train so frequently that the launch drill doesnt seem real. Both officers have a sidearm in case either gets cold feet about turning the key. Everything about nuclear missiles is so technical and serious, except when it isnt. When trenchers working on a natural gas pipeline approached an underground control cable, pipeline officials requested help to precisely locate the cable so as not to accidentally launch a missile. The air base in Wyoming sent a pair of technicians to the pipeline site. They climbed from their helicopter with a pair of bent wire hangers. I was nervous when I realized that the safety of the free world rested on a pair of witching sticks. Sidney residents knew if something unusual was happening, they should call the newspaper to report what they had seen. One caller told me he had seen a missile erector north of Sidney. An erector looks like a semi-truck trailer on the outside, but the trailer can stand vertical over a silo and hoist the missile out of its underground place, either for maintenance or test firing in California. After the call about the erector, I telephoned the air base in Wyoming to tell them I planned to take photos. Later, as I peered into my camera and began shooting photos, I looked up and saw eight Air Force security personnel with M-16s. I was outgunned, so I placed my camera on the hood of my car, stepped away and explained about contacting the base. Ten minutes later, the security detail confirmed I wasnt a communist, gave me my camera and let me go. Some of my newspaper stories involved President Reagans push for a new kind of 10-warhead missile the Peacekeeper that he believed could force the Soviet Union to accept an arms reduction treaty with the U.S. Reagan wanted to negotiate from a position of power, so as his campaign moved ahead, it appeared that additional missiles would be deployed in western Nebraska, making us ground zero if the Soviets attacked. Most interviews with the Pentagon were by phone, but I had an opportunity for an in-person interview at the air base in Cheyenne. My publisher planned to sit in on the interview. He spotted a Kmart as we pulled into Cheyenne. This is a big interview. Lets get a cassette reporter, he said. Ten minutes later we had the recorder. I was anxious to arrive at the interview on time. We better test this recorder, my boss said. Do you think this thing is good enough to interview a Pentagon turkey general? The recorder worked, so we were off to the interview. I asked the first question, but instead of record, I pressed play and heard, Do you think this thing is good enough . . .? I fumbled with the recorder, but found the stop button just in time a split second before the Pentagon turkey general heard the rest of the question. I had averted a nuclear disaster. A public hearing Thursday on a Nebraska lawmaker's bill calling for the eventual demolition of the state's oldest prison left questions over the future of the State Penitentiary unanswered. No one from Nebraska's Department of Correctional Services showed up to the Legislature's Judiciary Committee to testify on Omaha Sen. Terrell McKinney's proposal to mandate the demolition of the State Penitentiary upon the completion of the $350 million, 1,500-bed prison the state plans to open in north Lincoln in 2027. McKinney told the committee that he drafted the bill calling for the prison's demolition because he believes "the justification for the new facility lacked transparency" and to seek clarity on the department's future plans for the State Penitentiary, which opened in 1869. "I don't know if anybody from the department is going to show up today," McKinney said. "It doesn't seem like it, which is weird, honestly. But it is what it is. Maybe they didn't want to answer these questions." McKinney urged his colleagues on the committee to press prison officials over what they plan to do with the 155-year-old prison after the inmates housed there are transferred to the new prison upon its opening and how much the future use of the facility might cost taxpayers. The Omaha lawmaker accused the Department of Correctional Services of "marketing" the planned north Lincoln prison as a replacement to the penitentiary. "I just personally think they went around for two, three years saying NSP was in such disarray such disarray that the state needed to spend $350 million on a project to build a new prison, which is the biggest project ever in our state's history," McKinney said. "If NSP was in such bad shape, why are we still trying to keep it open? It makes no sense." Sen. Rick Holdcroft of Bellevue, a member of the Judiciary Committee, asked McKinney if his primary purpose of the bill was to seek answers from corrections officials on their plans. "Well, I definitely want to demolish (the prison) I'm serious about that," McKinney said. "But I do also want them to answer that question." Holdcroft acknowledged that much of the prison is aging, but noted that some buildings on the prison's Lincoln grounds aren't in the same state of disrepair as many of the facility's housing wings are. One of the prison's housing units was forced to close for more than a year after a cast-iron water pipe burst in November 2022. "I know there's a mental health classroom facility there," Holdcroft said. "I know there's some industrial shops there. I think there are some pieces of it that could be (spared) but I'm with you in that, the Department of Corrections needs to come forward and lay out what they plan to do with the NSP." McKinney, in response, again derided prison officials for their unwillingness to share their plans with the Judiciary Committee. "Somebody needs to come out, I believe, publicly and speak to the taxpayers and say: 'We didn't tell the full truth about the conditions of NSP.'" A corrections spokeswoman did not respond to an email seeking comment on McKinney's proposal Thursday. Sen. Justin Wayne of Omaha, the committee's chairman, said he planned to schedule a joint hearing with the Legislature's Appropriations Committee to seek answers from the prison officials. In February 2021, then-Corrections Director Scott Frakes called for the "repurposing" of the aging prison along with the construction of the new one, which was initially estimated to cost $230 million $120 million less than officials are forecasting now. Frakes said $24 million in already planned upgrades and remodeling would transform the State Penitentiary from a prison reaching the end of its useful life to a right-sized facility fit for housing medium-risk inmates. Frakes resigned in 2022. When state officials announced the site of Nebraska's next prison in August, Rob Jeffreys, who replaced Frakes at the helm of the state's prison system, said the State Penitentiary would be "decommissioned." In the fiscal note for McKinney's proposal, Department of Correctional Services officials said demolishing the 482,000-square-foot facility would cost at least $45 million and could not be completed in a single year, as the bill calls for. Top Journal Star photos for February 2024 The local Hope Council has been awarded a Vaping Prevention and Treatment Initiatives (VPTI) grant by the Wisconsin Department of Health Services . It is for efforts through 2025 to help address the pressing issue of youth vaping throughout Kenosha County and surrounding areas. With the VPTI grant, the council will work to combat vaping among youth by implementing targeted prevention, intervention and cessation initiatives primarily within the Kenosha Unified School District. It will be done in partnership with several community service providers, including the KRW Tobacco-Free Coalition, Officer Friendly (Tyler Cochran) and staff from the Kenosha Police Departments Safety Center, Kenosha County Public Health nurses, and the Concerned Citizens Coalitions Teen Task Force. The program will be designed to reach youth and young teens and will offer resources and education to make informed decisions about vaping as well as cessation support if they are already using e-cigarettes. We are deeply committed to tackling the rising rates of vaping among young people in our community, said Michelle Sandberg, Executive Director of The Hope Council. We believe strong partnerships are key to creating and implementing successful programs which will allow us all to support local youth to live healthy, vape-free lives. Kenosha Unified is grateful to have so many community partners coming together for such an important cause as we have seen a rise in the use of vaping devices in recent years, said Stacy Guckenberger, director of special education and student support. We look forward to educating students together in hopes that we can achieve a healthier future. Initiatives supported by the grant will include informational/prevention campaigns, framework, tools, and a platform for peer-to-peer engagement, and implementation of several programs developed by the American Lung Association. We are grateful for support from Wisconsin DHS, our community partners, and most importantly, the Kenosha Unified School District for their continued commitment to addressing and preventing the harmful effects of youth vaping, added Sandberg. Together, we can make a meaningful impact and create a healthier future for our kids. The funding for the VPTI grant is part of a $14.7 million multiyear JUUL settlement aimed at reversing the harm caused by e-cigarettes. JUUL Labs, a leading manufacturer of vaping devices, is contributing to this settlement. Learn more about Wisconsins JUUL settlement on the DHS website. For more information about the Hope Council and its vaping prevention and treatment initiatives visit hopcouncil.org. Sylvester "Syl" E. Marking NORTH BRANCH, MN - Sylvester "Syl" E. Marking, a nationally known agricultural magazine writer and editor, died peacefully with family members at his side on February 15, 2024. He was 90 years old. Born on a Wisconsin dairy farm of Norwegian parents, Robert and Signe (Romskog) Marking near Holmen, Wisconsin on December 29, l933, he and his six siblings were well grounded in the value of hard work gallantly demonstrated by his parents. Syl was a Korean service army veteran and when he returned home he married his lifelong sweetheart, Marcella Caulum, 68 years ago. He then attended the University of Wisconsin in Madison on the GI Bill and summer jobs and with his wife working full time, graduating with a Journalism degree and a passion for writing. Syl's professional writing career began in l960 at the Albert Lea Evening Tribune. Because of his degree at the nationally top-rated University of Wisconsin Journalism School and his farm background, in 1962 he was offered a job on THE FARMER Magazine in St. Paul, where he worked for 16 years. He was a fired-up productive writer and became the first Senior Associate Editor in the magazine's long history. Undoubtedly his most important national award at THE FARMER Magazine resulted from a three-part series he wrote on the fight against hog cholera, a virus disease "declared the most destructive and costly disease ever to exist in this country," wrote U. S. Secretary of Agriculture, Bob Bergland. In a separate letter B. D. Ward, area veterinarian in charge in Minnesota, wrote "this has been one of the major accomplishments in animal disease eradication, and you should be very proud to have played an important role in it." He then took a job at Professional Farmers of America in Cedar Falls, IA., followed by freelance writing for 12 years, then moved back to Minnesota to be closer to his adult children, Kim, Cindy, Kathy and Robert. Then challenged by Bob Moraczewski, a former colleague still at the old company and hunting and fishing buddy, to take the helm as editor of SOYBEAN DIGEST, a national agricultural magazine with nearly 250,000 readers. Syl took the challenge. He opined that it "was a good ride, always challenging and rewarding." Another National award was from the American Soybean Association. The plaque reads, "In grateful appreciation for his many years of journalistic services to U.S. Soybean growers and commitment to effective agricultural communications." It is one of several from the American Soybean Association. Several other awards decorate walls in his home office. In a letter he received from Dale Doucet, a Louisiana soybean grower, who said, "You have a fire in your belly for noble causes, so keep challenging us on those worthwhile things." Syl added "I'm a sucker, I guess, for noble causes. And yes, I have pursued good causes with passion all my life." Gifted with a strong voice, Syl gave strong speeches, national and international ones for causes he felt important, plus several speeches in his church. In his retirement "Goodbye To You" editor's column, for Soybean Digest Syl closed this way: "When my final day on earth comes, I guess I wish to be remembered as one who gave his very bestor at least tried toand hoped he made a real difference." Religion was an important part of Syl's life even though he swore sometimes when irked. A devout Lutheran, with a strong Norwegian heritage, he served on church councils, taught Sunday school and at Cedar Falls, he participated in the nationally known "Evangelism Explosion Program" and after qualifying became a trainer for eight years, proclaiming the Gospels of his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. In keeping with his penchant to serve others, Syl was an extremely active Lions Club member for 36 years, being awarded the Lions International Foundation Melvin Jones Fellow Award and the Lions Community Service Award. He was also a very active Pheasants Forever member for 32 years, including seven years as County Chapter president. He was awarded with the Pheasants Forever Lifetime Achievement award. For recreation, Syl was a passionate hunter and fisherman, one year hunting upland birds in nine states with the able help of his bird dogs, mostly English pointers, and fishing mostly in Minnesota and Canada. In order to avoid hearing his wife Marcie complain about all the money those trips were costing, Syl wrote freelance articles for eight national outdoor magazines, which erased the expenses situation and which he loved to do and was proud of that accomplishment. Photography, which was necessary in his work, was also an avid hobby. So was bird and other wildlife watching. Syl is preceded in death by his parents, his sister Marion Stolsmark, and brother Leif. He leaves behind his wife of 68 years, Marcie; four adult children: Kim Pomroy, Cindy (Kevin Todd) Marking, Kathy Marking and Robert (Stephanie Gruver) Marking and six grandchildren: Heather Domeier, Alicia Fick, Charles (Jillian) Brandt, Derek (Abby) Brandt, Brittany (Darryl) Banks and Noah Pomroy; two great-grandchildren: Janya and Jace Brandt. He is also survived by siblings: Vivian Sacia, Bernice (Randy) Koula, Carol Jean Marking, and Doris (Glenn) Newman. A Memorial Service will be held on March 1, 2024 at 12:00 p.m. at Trinity Lutheran Church, (38460 Lincoln Trail), North Branch, MN 55056. Visitation will be held from 11:00 a.m. until the time of service. The family will have a private internment. In lieu of flowers memorials may be made to Trinity Lutheran Church, or a charity of the donor's choice. Arrangements are under the direction and care of Grandstrand Funeral Home and Cremation Service in North Branch. Online condolences may be made at grandstrandfh.com. U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development Wisconsin State Director Julie Lassa announced on Feb. 21 that USDA is funding a total of $32,816,452 in loans and grants across eight projects in rural Wisconsin as part of President Bidens Investing in America agenda. The investments announced today are strengthening rural infrastructure for people in rural Wisconsin, including Rural Partners Network communities, said Lassa. Theyll help rural school districts enrich students education through distance learning, allow small businesses to be more resilient and save money through renewable energy as well as ensuring that emergency vehicles can respond quickly to calls for help. The Biden-Harris Administration is continuing to invest in our rural communities and driving an economic agenda that is rebuilding our economy and infrastructure. Rural Infrastructure Award USDA is also funding investments through the Water and Waste Disposal Loan and Grant Program which help state and local governments, private nonprofits and federally recognized Tribes build and improve rural wastewater systems. The funding enables rural communities to expand access to clean and reliable drinking water, sanitary waste disposal and stormwater drainage. The Village of Viola will use a $323,000 loan and a $197,000 grant through the Water and Waste Disposal Loan and Grant Program as additional funding toward an infrastructure relocation project within the village. Manuel Marono and his wife, Rosalinda Saldana, plan to open Pastissimo, a restaurant that will serve pasta and sauces all made from scratch, on Monday in the former Cool Beans Coffee Shop at 1221 La Crosse St. in La Crosse. We did research and thought that there were not enough places (in the area) selling pasta, like pasta to go, Saldana said. Saldana said Pastissimo might be considered a healthy fast-food pasta restaurant that will have four protein options grilled chicken, chicken tenders, shrimp and ham. Pastissimo makes six kinds of pasta: shell, rotini, spaghetti, fettuccine, macaroni and rigatoni. It offers two kinds of rotini regular and gluten-free. And it makes six kinds of sauce: puttanesca, meat sauce, alfredo, poblano, three cheese and pesto. For dessert, Pastissimo offers tiramisu and rice pudding that Saldana said is made with a secret recipe that Ive worked on for years to get right. Beverages include water, soft drinks and imported drinks. Saldana said the idea for the restaurant came because her son, Sergio Lopez Saldana, who recently completed work on a masters degree at a university in Madrid, Spain, was able to travel and saw a few restaurants with the concept that Pastissimo is using. Some of them were in Italy. He will be here in April for a few weeks, Saldana said. We are very excited about opening the restaurant, Marono said. Hours will be 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and closed Sunday. Customers can order their food on the restaurants website, www.pastissimo.us, or order at the restaurant. For more information, visit the website or the restaurants Facebook page. After working from her Viroqua home for years, its owner opened her Haley Hundt Photos studio in early February on the second floor of the Powell Place mini-mall at 200 Main St. in downtown La Crosse. Ive been in business since 2018, Hundt said. This is the first time Ive had a studio where customers could go to have their photos taken. I specialize in weddings and senior portraiture, Hundt said. But I also do other kinds of photography, such as family and maternity photos. Im excited about all of the possibilities that this will bring, she said of having a studio. And Im excited about collaborating with other businesses in La Crosse. Hundt decided to locate her studio in La Crosse although she still lives in Viroqua because For a lot of my senior portrait work, people want the photos taken in La Crosse. The scenery in La Crosse is really diverse. La Crosse is such a beautiful place. For more information, visit https://haleyhundt.com or Facebook or Instagram. The Blue Zone Pickleball opened Friday at 2500 Rose St., in the former Shopko department store building in the Bridgeview Plaza shopping center in La Crosse. Ill have more about the new facility, which has 17 indoor pickleball courts, in an upcoming business column. For more information, visit https://thebluezonepickleball.com or Blue Zones Facebook page. After working for other area florists for several years, and then operating her own full-service floral business from a converted garage for nearly two years, Jessica Munson opened Crimson Clover Florals new retail shop and studio on Feb. 10 at 1710 Pearl St. in Bangor. This is my first brick-and-mortar, said Munson, who previously delivered all of her flower orders from the garage that she and her husband converted into a studio. With the new location, customers can come in and shop, although Munson still offers delivery service in the Coulee Region. Customers can buy fresh-cut flowers and fresh-cut floral arrangements, as well as other merchandise such as potpourri, herbal tea, coffee, ceramic pottery, plush animals, chocolates, candy bouquets and home decor. Many of those items are made in the area. Our goal is to help support local businesses, said Munson, who also offers gift baskets. Munson also offers seasonal floral design classes for things such as Christmas. Her floral shop is in a building that houses two other businesses Charged Bangor and Tres Bien Charcuterie. Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday; 9 a.m. to noon Saturday and closed Sunday and Tuesday. For more information, call 608-451-0074 or visit www.crimsoncloverfloral.net or Facebook. The combined T.J. Maxx/HomeGoods store in the Crosseroads Center in Onalaska was a busy place with lots of shoppers and discounted prices this week, as it gets ready to move to two separate T.J. Maxx and HomeGoods storefronts that are slated to open March 14 in part of the former Shopko department store building at 9366 Hwy. 16 in Onalaska. Those two chains, as well as the Sierra chain that opened a store in November in another part of the former Shopko building, are all part of The TJX Companies Inc., which describes itself as the leading off-price apparel and home fashions retailer. Ulta Beauty and Five Below have already opened in the other spaces in the former Shopko building, after it was remodeled and expanded by a new owner. Ill have more about the openings of the new T.J. Maxx and HomeGoods stores in an upcoming column. La Crosse region business openings, developments Steve Cahalan reports on local business developments every Saturday. Two Tomah Fire Department first responders sustained minor injuries Friday night fighting a structure fire in a downtown building. The fire started around 6 p.m., and flames could be seen coming from the top of a building on the southeast corner of Superior Avenue and Monowau Street. The building contains the Sassy Girl Aroma retail business and upstairs apartments. Tomah police officers arrived at the scene first and helped clear the upstairs apartments and made sure everyone was out. Heavy fire and smoke was seen coming from the north side of the building at 1102 Superior Ave. when firefighters arrived, according to a press release from the Tomah Fire Chief Tim Adler. The initial report said an explosion may have occurred. Adler said the fire spread into the adjacent building at 1104 Superior Ave. and there was significant fire and water damage that occurred and affected at least four of the buildings. Assistance was initially requested from the Fort McCoy, Oakdale and town of Lincoln fire departments. Additional resources from more departments was requested as 88 firefighters spent nine hours battling the blaze and were at the scene for 12 hours. Downtown businesses impacted were Sacred Space, T-Town Nutrition and Sassy Girl Aroma. T-Town Nutrition has already posted a Facebook message saying we will not be reopening again at our original location of 1106 Superior Ave. Ho-Chunk Nation, which operates a museum on the 1100 block, reported on its Facebook page that museum personnel were able to pull approximately 90% of the collections out of the facility. Emergency crews closed off three blocks of Superior Avenue. The street was re-opened Saturday morning, but two blocks of Monowau Street remain closed. The cause of the fire remains under investigation. Its the fourth fire in downtown Tomah just over three years: In November 2020, a fire destroyed Dimensions Bar and several upstairs apartments at 1112 Superior Ave. In December 2022, a personal care facility a half block from Superior Avenue caught fire and forced five people to evacuate. The building was a total loss. In November 2023, 10 people were displaced from a fire that started above Peking Restaurant. Tomah firefighters battle downtown blaze For more than a decade, the biggest unknown when it came to legislative elections was just how strong Republican majorities would be. Over the past few years, Republicans came just a few seats short of a legislative supermajority, which would have allowed them to thwart Democratic Gov. Tony Evers veto pen. Come later this year, though, under the maps Evers signed into law on Monday, Republican legislative majorities that existed for over a decade will almost certainly begin rolling back if not disappear completely. Under Evers maps, Republicans and Democrats have a nearly equal shot, with the GOP having a slight advantage, of obtaining a legislative majority. The 2024 elections are going to be quite disruptive to what has been the status quo in Wisconsin government, UW-La Crosse political science professor Anthony Chergosky said. The previous assumption of Republican dominance in the state Legislature has been upended, he continued. And theres going to need to be a lot of adjustment from lots of players within the political system as we head into the new political climate. Democrats face uphill battle With the new maps in place for the upcoming general election, Democrats in 2024 are seeking to flip the Assembly, which currently has a 64-35 GOP majority. Their expectations arent as high in the Senate, where only half the seats are up for grabs this year, but theyre seeking to flip the chamber come 2026. But the Democratic path to a majority isnt easy. In the Assembly, Democrats have greater than a 55% projected vote in 31 districts, and Republicans have the same in 44 districts, according to Daves Redistricting, which analyzes votes in several recent statewide elections to predict how voters in newly drawn districts will behave. Of the remaining 24 competitive districts, where neither party is likely to get more than 55% of the vote, six lean Republican and 18 lean Democratic, the analysis shows. While Democrats would have to win 19 of the competitive seats in addition to defending the districts leaning more heavily in their favor to obtain a majority, Republicans would only need an additional six seats beyond the districts theyre already likely to hold. John Johnson, a research fellow in the Lubar Center for Public Policy Research and Civic Education at Marquette Law School, said the new maps are dramatically more competitive than the old ones in the sense that either political party could win a majority of the seats in both chambers. At the same time, the actual number of competitive seats has increased just slightly. There are more competitive seats, but its not a dramatic increase, Johnson said. Its just that who wins those competitive seats will decide who has a majority of the state Legislature, rather than just kind of being icing on the cake of an already locked-in Republican majority. Using the results of the 2022 U.S. Senate race which saw U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Oshkosh, win another term Republicans would have secured a majority with double-digit victories in 46 Assembly districts and five more by single digits, according to Johnsons analysis. Republicans also would have won 15 Senate seats by double-digit victories and two more by single digits, securing a majority. But if voters cast their ballots according to how they voted in the gubernatorial race that year, in which the Democrat Evers won a second term, Democrats would have achieved a majority by winning 43 seats by double-digit victories and nine additional seats by single digits, under Johnsons analysis. In the Senate, both parties would have secured 13 seats by double-digit victories, while Democrats would have won another five by single digits, securing a majority in that chamber. Its less that this map creates dramatically more competitive seats and more that it raises the Democratic floor and lowers the Republican ceiling quite substantially, Johnson said. Fundamentally different Mark Graul, a longtime Republican operative, said both the competitive and less competitive seats under the new maps can swing in either partys direction depending on the quality of the candidate running. Weve certainly seen both Republicans and Democrats win seats that on paper look like they should not be winnable, he said. It really gets back to candidate quality. Republicans have long said they held legislative majorities because theyve had stronger candidates. Republican leaders say theyll continue to hold the Legislature for the same reason. Before adopting the maps earlier this month, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, said he was confident Republicans can maintain majorities under the governors maps. But Democratic Party of Wisconsin chair Ben Wikler said recruiting good candidates will become far easier for his party under more competitive maps. For so many people, you upend your life if you run for office and make a serious bid for the Legislature, he said. The possibility of actually being able to not just win a seat but participate in lawmaking radically changes the calculus for whether thats worth it for people. Youre supposed to be able to run and, if you get the mandate from the public, actually write your values into the law, he said. For the last 13 years, only Republicans have had that opportunity. The kind of race that someone runs when they have a realistic shot at winning if they work hard enough is fundamentally different. Top of ticket could affect down-ballot races While the altered boundaries could have a seismic impact on state politics, another factor in November could be the names at the top of the ballot, for president and U.S. Senate. Voters attitudes toward President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, the likely Republican nominee, will affect which party wins legislative control, Graul said. Its hard to say exactly what that state of that race is going to be, Graul said. But if we assume that its going to be another close, ugly fight between Biden and Trump, which is probably the best guess, then youre talking about razor-thin margins (in the Legislature). Trumps likely placement on the ballot could hurt Republicans in suburban legislative districts, where voters have largely turned away from the president, Graul said. But he could help boost candidates in more rural areas, he added. Another factor that could come into play in November is voter enthusiasm, which has dropped considerably from 2020 when 70% of registered voters said they were very enthusiastic to vote in that years presidential election to just 49% of registered voters in the most recent Marquette Law School Poll released earlier this month. Of respondents who are very enthusiastic to vote, Trump holds a 19-point lead over Biden. However, Biden has more support among respondents who said they were somewhat enthusiastic, as well as those who are not very and not at all enthusiastic to vote. The challenge for the Biden campaign, and for Democrats more generally, is that unless that enthusiasm changes, can they get folks who are not thrilled with a rerun of 2020 to nevertheless go to the polls and vote? poll director Charles Franklin said. While the top-of-the-ticket races help drive turnout down the ballot, Franklin said the prospect of more competitive legislative races could be a motivator in and of itself. That is a strong motivation for partisans to get out and vote very strong for the Democrats who have argued for so long about fair districts and now theyve got them, Franklin said. But it is also there for Republicans, who see their majorities threatened for the first time in a long time and want to prove to the public that they can still command a majority of the Legislature even with these maps that arent tilted as much in their favor. Today in history: Feb. 22 1935: White House 1959: Daytona 500 1967: Vietnam 1980: Miracle on Ice 1987: Andy Warhol 1997: Dolly 2010: Najibullah Zazi 2012: Mitt Romney 2020: Bernie Sanders 2021: COVID-19 2021: Mike Lindell 2022: Ahmaud Arbery hate crimes 1997: Dolly 2021: COVID-19 It is heartening that UW-La Crosse has had no incidents of anti-Semitism. Unlike Harvard, Berkley and John Hopkins. It seems to me that these students don't know history. Nazi genocide. They don't know the plight of Eastern European Jews in the late 1800s. Zionism provided a way to survive. This in a Palestine, not as colonists, but peace with the Arabs. The British ran Palestine. They recognized Israel as a land for Jews, dating back to biblical times. The Balfour edict established a path for Jews to create a state. When Israel became a state, Arab countries attacked. Endless war became the norm. Hamas' unprovoked attack on innocents on Jan. 7 kindled a new war. Israeli forces have killed roughly 29,000 Gazans, including women and children. This is on Hamas. Hamas' sneak attack is reminiscent of Pearl Harbor, when America decided to fight back and kill millions of Japanese. Ceasefire was not an option. A ceasefire in Gaza will only leave Hamas in power. I am not at all optimistic. David Blackey La Crosse Since Joe Biden has entered office, a record 8.6 million illegal immigrants, that we know of, have entered our country illegally. The Biden Administration has embraced open-border policies, causing a national security crisis at our southern border, the likes of which our country has never seen before. The day after President Bidens inauguration, he issued executive order after executive order, reversing effective Trump-era border policy. With the stroke of a pen, he ended border wall construction and halted the remain-in-Mexico program. After years of gaslighting Americans into believing the southern border was secure, President Biden has suddenly flip-flopped, blaming others for his reckless policy. One person who has taken action on the border is Congressman Derrick Van Orden. He helped pass HR 2, Secure the Border Act of 2023, through the Republican-controlled House. This bill reclaims control of our southern border and strengthens existing laws to protect children from human trafficking. Unlike the Biden Administration, who have neglected their constitutional duty, Congressman Van Orden has been strong on the border since day one. Hes visited the border many times, speaking with Border Patrol agents, evaluating the ground truth and working to find common-sense solutions. We need more Van Ordens in Congress to address this crisis. Thank you, Derrick. Mary LaMothe La Crosse A long-awaited postwar plan by Israel's prime minister shows that his government seeks open-ended control over security and civilian affairs in the Gaza Strip. That was swiftly rejected Friday by Palestinian leaders and runs counter to Washington's vision for the enclave. Dear W.C., I am writing because the woman that works nights cleaning the office I work in, needs help. She does not work directly for us as she works for a cleaning service. I have had to work late many times over the past few months, so we have gotten to know each other, as I am a curious person and have asked questions about her job and life. She seemed happy to have someone to talk to as she worked. Yesterday I learned she is going through a very difficult time as her husband of 40 years is in end stage kidney failure. She shared with me their financial struggle as her husband had to stop working before his retirement due to his illness. They have been trying to pay their medical bills. She is the only one supporting them right now with her job cleaning three nights a week. I dont know how they are getting by. Often it is just my car and hers in the parking lot when I leave, and I cant help but notice her car needs some work and she is driving on bald tires. I asked her if she minded if I wrote to you on her behalf and she began to cry. She had never heard of The Time is Now to Help and she was amazed by what I told her about your organization. She then told me more about her situation and it made me very concerned. They are three months behind in their rent and she has been going to the food pantry when she can. She hardly gets any rest as she cares for her husband day and night, except when she is working evenings, and her sister stays with him. I have included the contact information for this wonderful woman so you may speak to her directly. I have never felt so compelled to help someone before and unfortunately, I am not in a financial position to help. Dear Readers, I called the woman who wrote this letter to confirm some of the information. We spoke for a long time about her observations and what she had learned from her several months of conversations. She asked me, How do you do this every day? I am worried about this woman and her husband constantly. How will they ever get out of this situation? I assured her we would do all we could to help them through this difficult time. My next call was to the woman who needed our help. When she learned who was on the phone she immediately burst into tears. She apologized for being so emotional, but I could tell she was dealing with so much right now. Between her husbands terminal illness, living on the verge of eviction, constant caregiving, and a lack of sleep, I was surprised she was as together and organized as I found her to be. As her time was very limited, we got right to work on their budget. The woman who referred her to us had advised her to put together a budget, so she was ready for my questions. I did not see anything in her budget for car repairs and when I asked, the woman admitted to scary trips to her job when the roads were not completely dry and her check engine light had been on for some time. She said it was really the least of her worries right now, yet it would be the top of her list of concerns when she no longer had transportation to work and multiple medical visits. After a thorough review of their budget, I had her car scheduled for its needed maintenance. We would provide four months rent to ease their financial strain, pay their overdue utilities and pay some into the future, provide gift cards for food, toiletries, and gas. The woman was overwhelmed with emotion when I told her all we would do for them. She put her husband on the phone, and I could barely hear his voice as he weakly whispered how thankful he was for this assistance, adding, I can go in peace knowing she will be okay. This brought me to tears as I knew from speaking to his wife that his time was limited. Our last words to each other were, God Bless you. Once again, together we are doing our good work easing the pains of poverty in all stages of life. We could never do this alone, and thanks to You we do not have to. Thanks to the Family Foundation 2024 $40,000 Matching Grant, your donations are being matched, doubling your assistance to those most in need. This matching grant is allowing us to continue our good work by preventing homelessness, hunger, and suffering. Thank You and God Bless You. Health & Happiness, Love & GOD Bless Everyone, Sal Please Help: There are many coming to us in desperation. Our good fellow creations need our compassion. Together we make a big difference. Make checks payable to: The Time Is Now to Help, P.O. Box 1, Lake Geneva, WI 53147. The Time Is Now to Help is a federally recognized 5013 charitable organization. You will receive a tax deductible, itemized thank you receipt showing how 100% of your donation was used for providing poverty relief. Please visit our website for more information, to read more of our past and current columns and/or to make a donation: www.timeisnowtohelp.org A Very Special Thank You: New Year 2024 Helping Hand Up donors, Ziegler Charitable Foundation, Paul Ziegler, Kunes Family Foundation, Kunes Country Auto Group, Bonnie Glennon, Steven and Deidred Trumble, Bruce and Judy Gallo, Barbara and Lee Zuzanek, Shawn and Kristin Heffernan, United Way of Walworth County, Landon Petrie, Jr. and Nancy Schwab, John Oregan, Northern Management, Mr. and Mrs. Robert Schuberth, Martin Group, John Stensland and family, Welch 4A Donor Fund, Dick and Trae Torhorst, The Bohn Family Fund, Kelly Tomaske, Jeanne Allen, Charles and Penny Gruetzmacher, Karin Slayton, Dennis and Wendie Janis, Julie Frank, Carl and Joyce Rathmann, Estelle Reeder, Douglas Reed, William Davit, Jennifer Aiken, David Greenawalt, Sarah Wootton, all of our anonymous donors and ALL of you who support The Time Is Now to Help donation boxes. Anyone who would like a Time Is Now donation box in your business, please call (262) 249-7000. Memorials: The Mike and Lynn Anderson Family in memory of Paul Siira. Prayer Chain: The power of prayer and positive thoughts comes from the true healer, our Lord answering our prayers. Please pray for healing for the following people: Brian, Mike, Sylvia, Megan, Kayla, Maria C., Judy, Scott, Annie, Marilyn, Brandon, Helen, Dennis, Mary, Joseph, Jordan, Jean, Tom L., Dr. Peter, Matthew, Pam E., Jenene B., John S., Patricia H., Ron K., Marian K., Judy, Wendy, Eric, Anthony, Mary, Charlie, Tom P., Christina, Billy, Mike, Cheryl, Bryan E., Ellie and Cornelia. Editor's note: This story includes some of the informal dialect that Mark Twain liked to include in his writing. We have provided explanations of some of the expressions after the story. Our story is called "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County." It was written by Mark Twain. Here is Shep O'Neal with the story. A friend of mine in the East asked me to visit old Simon Wheeler, to ask about my friends friend, Leonidas W. Smiley. I did as my friend asked me to do and this story is the result. I found Simon Wheeler sleeping by the stove in the ruined mining camp of Angels. I saw that he was fat and had no hair, and had a gentle and simple look upon his peaceful face. He woke up, and gave me "good-day." I told him a friend had asked me to find out about a friend named Leonidas W. Smiley, who he heard was at one time living in Angels Camp. I added that if Mr. Wheeler could tell me anything about this Leonidas W. Smiley, I would feel a great responsibility to him. Simon Wheeler forced me into a corner with his chair and began telling me this long story. He never smiled, he never frowned. But all through the endless story there was a feeling of great seriousness and honesty. This showed me plainly that he thought the heroes of the story were men of great intelligence. I let him go on in his own way, and never stopped him once. This is the story Simon Wheeler told. Leonidas W. . hm Le well, there was a man here once by the name of Jim Smiley, in the winter of 1849 -- or may be it was the spring of 1850. Anyway, he was the strangest man. He was always making money on anything that turned up if he could get anybody to try to make money on the other side. And if he could not do that, he would change sides. And he was lucky, uncommon lucky. He most always was a winner. If there was a dog-fight, he would try to win money on it. If there was a cat-fight, he would take the risk. If there was a chicken-fight, he would try to win money on it. Why, if there was two birds setting on a fence, he would want you to decide which one would fly first so he could win money. Lots of the boys here have seen that Smiley and can tell you about him. Why, it did not matter to him. He would try to make money on anything. He was the most unusual man. Parson Walker's wife was very sick once, for a long time, and it seemed as if they were not going to save her. But one morning he come in, and Smiley asked him how was his wife, and he said she was better, thank God. And Smiley, before he thought, says, "Well, I'll risk my money she will not get well." And Smiley had a little small dog. To look at the dog, you would think he was not worth anything but to sit around and look mean and look for a chance to steal something. But as soon as there was money, he was a different dog. Another dog might attack and throw him around two or three times. Then all of a sudden Smiley's dog would grab that other dog by his back leg and hang on till the men said it was over. Smiley always come out the winner on that dog, at least until he found a dog once that did not have any back legs. The dog's legs had been cut off in a machine. Well, the fighting continued long enough, and the money was gone. Then when Smiley's dog come to make a grab (at) the other dog's back legs, he saw in a minute how there was a problem. The other dog was going to win and Smiley's dog looked surprised and did not try to win the fight anymore. He gave Smiley a look that said he was sorry for fighting a dog that did not have any back legs for him to hold, which he needed to win a fight. Then Smiley's dog walked away, laid down and died. He was a good dog, and would have made a name for himself if he had lived, for he had intelligence. It always makes me feel sorry when I think of that last fight of his and the way it turned out. Well, this Smiley had rats, and chickens, and cats and all of them kind of things. You could not get anything for him to risk money on but he would match you. He caught a frog one day, and took him home, and said he was going to educate the frog. And so he never done nothing for three months but sit in his back yard and teach that frog to jump. And you bet you he did teach him, too. He would give him a little hit from behind. And the next minute you would see that frog dancing in the air and then come down all on his feet and all right, like a cat. Smiley got him so the frog was catching flies, and he would catch one of those insects every time. Smiley said all a frog wanted was education, and he could do almost anything. And I believe him. Why, I have seen him set Danl Webster down here on this floorDanl Webster was the name of the frog -- and sing out, "Flies, Danl, flies!" And quicker than you could shut your eyes that frog would jump straight up and catch a fly off the table. Then he would fall down on the floor again like a ball of dirt and start rubbing the side of his head with his back foot as if he had no idea he had been doing any more than any frog might do. You never seen a frog so honest and simple as he was, for all he was so skilled. And when it come to jumping, he could get over more ground in one jump than any animal of his kind that you ever saw. Smiley was very proud of his frog, and people who had traveled and been everywhere all said he was better than any frog they had ever seen. Well, one day a stranger came in and says to Smiley, "What might be that you have got in the box?" And Smiley says, "It's only just a frog." And the man took it, and looked at it careful, and turned it round this way and that, and says, "Hm, so it is. Well, what is he good for?" "Well," Smiley says, easy and careless, "he can out jump any frog in Calaveras county." The man took the box again, and took another long look, and gave it back to Smiley, and says, "Well, I dont see anything about that frog that is any better than any other frog." "Maybe you dont," Smiley says. "Maybe you understand frogs and maybe you dont. Anyways, I will risk forty dollars and bet you that he can jump farther than any frog in Calaveras County." And the man studied a minute. "Well, Im only a stranger here, and I do not have a frog. But if I had a frog, I would risk my money on it. And then Smiley says, "Thats all right. If you will hold my box a minute, I will go and get you a frog." And so the man took the box, and put up his forty dollars and sat down to wait. He sat there a long time thinking and thinking. Then he got the frog out of the box. He filled its mouth full of bullets used to kill small birds. Then he put the frog on the floor. Now Smiley had caught another frog and gave it to the man and said, "Now sit him next to Dan'l and I will give the word." Then Smiley says, "One-two-three-go!" and Smiley and the other man touched the frogs. The new frog jumped. Dan'l just lifted up his body but could not move at all. He was planted like a building. Smiley was very surprised and angry too. But he did not know what the problem was. The other man took the money and started away. And when he was going out the door, he looked back and said "Well, I don't see anything about that frog that is any better than any other frog." Smiley stood looking down at Danl a long time, and at last says, "I wonder what in the nation happened to that frog. I wonder if there is something wrong with him." And he picked up Dan'l and turned him upside down and out came a whole lot of bullets. And Smiley was the angriest man. He set the frog down and took out after that man but he never caught him. Now Simon Wheeler heard his name called and got up to see what was wanted. He told me to wait but I did not think that more stories about Jim Smiley would give me any more information about Leonidas W. Smiley, and so I started to walk away. At the door I met Mr. Wheeler returning, and he started talking again. "Well, this here Smiley had a yellow cow with one eye and no tail" However, lacking both time and interest, I did not wait to hear about the cow. I just left. This story was written by Mark Twain and adapted for Learning English by Karen Leggett. _______________________________________________ Quiz - The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County Start the Quiz to find out Start Quiz _______________________________________________ For Teachers This lesson plan, based on the CALLA Approach, teaches the strategy of classification to help students understand the story. _______________________________________________ Words in This Story most always - adv. US, informal; almost always Danl - n. abbreviation of a given name, Daniel anyways - adv. US, informal; anyway studied a minute - v. US, informal; thought a minute get you a frog - v. US, informal; get a frog for you plant - v. to put or place (something or yourself) firmly or forcefully on a surface or in a particular position Assyrians Denounce Iraq's Federal Court Decision to Eliminate Parliamentary Quota Seats Political parties representing the Chaldean-Syriac-Assyrian component in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) denounced the Federal Court's decision to annul the quota seats and minority representation in the Regional parliament as unconstitutional and politically motivated. They expressed disappointment, asserting that the decision overstepped the court's jurisdiction and failed to address legal deficiencies appropriately. Yaqo Korkis, secretary of the Assyrian Democratic Movement, stated that "several parties convened to discuss the Federal Court's ruling," emphasizing that it "violates constitutional rights and undermines democratic principles and national partnership." He criticized the court's assertion that "quota seats were unconstitutional," emphasizing the need to "rectify legal inadequacies rather than succumb to political pressures." Korkis attributed the cancellation of quota seats to the major parties in the Region, accusing them of "involving quota representatives in their political conflicts instead of safeguarding their rights." He called for "electoral law amendments to ensure fair representation and protection of quota seats from exploitation by ruling parties," reiterating the community's demand for "genuine representation in parliament." Furthermore, the Regional Minister of Component Affairs, Aydin Maa'rouf, previously deemed the Federal Court's decision to dissolve quota seats as "politically motivated and illegal." "The Chaldean, Assyrian, Turkmen, and Syriac components in KRI condemned the Federal Supreme Court's decision as a constitutional breach and an affront to the Iraqi Constitution." It is noteworthy that the Federal Supreme Court, Iraq's highest judicial authority, issued a series of rulings regarding the Kurdistan Parliament's election law, also deciding to dissolve the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) and replace it with the federal body. Government scientists are aiming to replace coral at seven places off the Florida Keys island group. But The Associated Press reports three fourths of the newly cultivated coral has died because of warm water temperatures. The scientists are with the U.S. agency known as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA. They planted staghorn and elkhorn coral as part of the agencys Mission: Iconic Reefs effort, first announced in 2019. The corals are being grown on structures in shallow water. The two species of coral are considered threatened. The scientists wanted to see how the cultivated species were doing. They visited five places where they had planted coral earlier. They hoped the coral had survived water temperatures reaching 30 degrees Celsius or more during the summer and fall. Last summer, students and volunteers tried to rescue the corals by removing them and temporarily putting them in tanks. But most of the coral did not survive. NOAA said only 22 percent of the 1,500 repopulated staghorn corals that they saw were still alive. Only five percent of 1,000 replanted elkhorn corals were alive. At Looe Key, the southernmost of the reefs they looked at, we did not find any live elkhorn or staghorn coral, not wild, not planted, said coral biologist Katey Lesneski. She is research and monitoring coordinator for NOAA's effort. It's really horrible to witness, Lesneski said just two days after the dives to observe coral had finished. Scientists blame human-caused climate change. They also note that the natural El Nino Pacific Ocean current affects weather in North America. They said these conditions are making the water too warm for the coral. Corals are small animal colonies that build rocky formations as they grow. There's still a lot of data to be collected to really understand Lesneski said. She added: But we certainly have not seen something like this in recorded human history. Staghorn and elkhorn populations are important because they provide a structural framework for coral, Lesneski said. The scientists did see some wild coral alive and well, she said. Brain or boulder corals seemed to be doing better. The U.S. government and private groups plan to spend at least $97 million to place coral species grown on land or in the ocean in seven places off the Florida Keys the AP reports. Some of the species are native and others have been crossbred to be heartier, Lesneski said. It is too early to tell which ones are better able to survive. Lesneski said NOAA measured water temperatures of 34 degrees Celsius at the planting places. Mark Eakin is with the International Coral Reef Society. He said, They were actually seeing temperatures that they didn't think were possible. Eakin and the University of Victoria coral biologist Julia Baum said the findings raise concerns about trying to repopulate coral reefs by cultivating coral in very warm water. Lesneski said she understands that concern and researchers are looking to see what they could do to breed more heat-resistant coral. But for now, if we want to havereefs, we do have to do our best to conserve, be good stewards and restore to the degree we can," she said. Im Dan Novak. Dan Novak adapted this story for VOA Learning English based on reporting by The Associated Press. _______________________________________________ Words in This Story coral n. a simple sea animal that forms colonies which build up rocky structures of great size under the sea cultivate v. to raise, care for and develop something like a living thing species n. (sing., pl.) a kind of animal or plant that can breed with others of its kind to produce young monitor v. to carefully observe and measure the development of a living thing or of some activity crossbreed v. to breed two different but related kinds of animals together to form a new kind hearty adj. healthy and strong breed v. to cause a kind of animal to reproduce especially with the idea that the offspring will have certain qualities conserve v. to preserve things so that they last into the future in good condition and are not used up steward n. a person who oversees and protects property and is responsible for it Students must learn academic writing and research methods when moving from high school to college. That is why universities require a first-year writing class. As experienced students move on to higher degrees, they continue learning how to do research and to write for academic publications. But learning the new writing methods can be difficult for international students, said Nat Smitobol. He is a counselor for IvyWise, a company that helps students prepare their applications for top-level American universities. Different academic culture In the United States, Smitobol said, most students have a basic understanding that they must give credit to, or cite, the sources of the words and ideas in their academic writing. For those who come from other countries, this can be new. Smitobol said one of the most important lessons students new to the U.S. learn is: this academic culture of really making sure you give other people credit in a formal way. Using another persons words without giving them credit is considered plagiarism. VOA Learning English recently prepared a guide for international students who need to learn more about plagiarism and why it is a serious concern. A plagiarism accusation recently led to Harvard Universitys president having to step down from her position. Smitobol said the reason citations are difficult for international students is that teachers and professors overseas are more often concerned that students provide the correct answer to a question than showing the information source. Amjad Binshahbain agrees. He is a student at the English Language Center, or ELC, at Old Dominion University in Virginia. Binshahbain is from Yemen and also attended school in the United Arab Emirates. In Virginia, he takes classes with students from places like Greece, Spain and Japan. They often discuss the academic differences between the U.S. and their countries. AI tools He said one of the first things ELC students learn is how to follow American university guidelines for recording source material. They also talk about writing papers without the help of artificial intelligence, or AI, tools. Binshahbain said it is easy for students who are learning how to write papers in English to depend on generative AI tools. These tools can change their grammar or make their writing easier to understand. However, after nearly a year at the ELC, he has, in his words, progressed a lot. I have been improving since then, since the summer in 2023. Now I can write a whole assignment without any outside source. I can read an article and understand it and write it in my own words. Thats one of the techniques that I got since I come to the U.S. He said it is better to struggle with writing and adding citations to academic work early in college than to find out that you do not know how to do it later on. Smitobol noted that many universities will show students how to use tools such as the RefWorks citation manager. The computer tool permits students to carry out research online and collects all of the source material necessary. High stakes Meredith Bricker teaches in the English Language Institute at the University of Michigan. Many of her students are working on advanced degrees. That means they are learning and doing research on difficult academic subjects. She said the citation tools are both good and bad. On the one hand, they permit students to easily create a source list. On the other hand, they can prevent students from finding or understanding the best sources for a project. Theyre like, OK, fine. Ill just put whatever comes up (in my search) on my citation list, Bricker said. Students who come to Brickers class are doing their own research, she added. They hope that they can make a discovery or create a new idea and be published in a journal. So, the stakes are high for masters or Ph.D. students compared to those just beginning college. She said it is likely the people cited in a paper by one of her students will read it. In some ways it's (citations) more relevant. You know, like, almost easier for them to see the purpose and the point. But I think it's also the flip side of that is if they do it incorrectly, it could have such devastating effects on their futures, you know, pretty immediately. International students who are caught using other peoples ideas without citing them can be expelled or removed from school. That would cause them to be in violation of their F1 student visa. At higher levels, a young researcher who is caught plagiarizing may have trouble finding another job. AI is not going away Bricker believes students should also give credit to AI tools whenever they use them. Gen-AI is not going away, she said. Part of our job as writing teachersis to make sure students know the boundary between appropriate and inappropriate use. She said some academic journals will permit the use of artificial intelligence and others will not. It depends on the field, she said, noting that a linguistics journal might have different rules than an engineering journal. Bricker said she tells her students that it is difficult for teachers to know if their students are using AI tools. But as a writing teacher, it is her goal to help them learn to write on their own, without help from a machine. Im a teacher of writing. So, letting my students know I want to see your writing, you. I want to see what youre doing as a writer, and I want to help you grow as a writerSo I can do that with you using this and without you using this. But its your choice. Binshahbain said international students who are learning English in the U.S. are tempted by AI tools. But he advises students that they should use AI only for some things, like searching for sources. When I first came here, I was using it for everything, he said. But I stopped because I understand the best thing to do (is) to put the effort on learning. Its going to pay off in the future. Im Dan Friedell. And Im Gena Bennett. Dan Friedell wrote this story for Learning English. Quiz - How International Students Should Think About Writing, AI Start the Quiz to find out Start Quiz _____________________________________________________ Words in This Story academic adj. related to work done at schools or colleges but not in businesses or government cite v. to report where a piece of writing or other intellectual property came from, showing where a reader could find the original work source n. a piece of writing or art that is referred to plagiarism n. the act of claiming someone elses written work as your own assignment n. a task given by a teacher to a student in school article n. a piece of writing usually on one subject that is not too long journal n. a magazine about a large subject that is regularly published and contains several articles and opinions written by academic authors stakes n. (pl.) something that could be won or lost flip side n. the other side of an argument appropriate adj. something that is right for the situation We want to hear from you. Are you familiar with showing your sources when you write academic material? How do you do it? The Roman Catholic Church has been trying for years to inform the public that its secret collection of documents is not secret. The Vatican has opened documents of World War II-period Pope Pius XII to researchers. It even changed the official name of the archive to remove the word Secret. Recently the chief of what is now called the Vatican Apostolic Archive, Archbishop Sergio Pagano, spoke to the Associated Press. Pagano told some of the secrets he had uncovered in the 45 years of working in the archive. The Vaticans archive is one of the worlds most important stores of documents. In a new book-length interview called Secretum, Pagano explained some of the largely unknown details of the history of the Vatican and its relations with the outside world over the past 1200 years. The interviews took place as discussions over a year with Italian reporter Massimo Franco. Pagano explains everything from French leader Napoleon taking documents to the 1922 financial support for the election of a pope from Catholics in the U.S. Its the first time and it will also be the last because Im about to leave, said Pagano who is 75. He also spoke to the AP before his expected retirement later this year. Pope Leo XIII first opened the archive to researchers in 1881. Until then, it had only been used to serve the pope and preserve documentation of the head of the Catholic Church dating from the 8th century. The archive has 85 kilometers of space for books, much of it underground in a two-story, fireproof secure area. It also holds documents from Vatican embassies around the world and collections from powerful families and religious orders. The archive works much as any national or private archive would. Researchers request permission to visit and then request documents to study in reading rooms. Most recently, researchers have been going to the archive to read through the documents of Pope Pius XII. He was the pope who has been criticized for not speaking out against the Holocaust during WWII. Pope Francis ordered the documents of his office opened earlier than planned, in 2020, so researchers could have a full picture of the papacy. In the book, Pagano criticizes incomplete research into the process of confirming the sainthood of Pius XII. Researchers are now examining newly available documents. Aside from old stories, Secretum also shares new ones. They include an important financial relationship between Catholics in the U.S. and the Vatican that continues today and dates back to 1922. Pagano said that after Pope Benedict XV died, a financial official found that the Vatican had no money. The book shares secret messages in which the Vatican asked its ambassador in Washington D.C. to send what you have in the safe so that the vote for a new pope could take place. The messages say the Vatican embassy sent $210,400.09 collected from the American Catholics. That permitted the vote to elect Pope Pius XI. Pagano suggests that Francis 2019 decision to remove the word Secret from the archives name and rename it the Vatican Apostolic Archive was possibly a choice to gain donations. The U.S.-based group Treasures of History is aiming to support the newly renamed archive. At the end of the interview, Pagano showed visitors one of the archives prized possessions. It is the 1530 letter from British nobles urging Pope Clement VII to permit King Henry VIII to end his marriage, so he could marry Anne Boleyn. Clement refused. Henry got married anyway. He broke ties with the Catholic Church in Rome and established the Church of England. You can say that here we are at the birth of the Anglican Church, Pagano said. Pagano explained how the document survived. He said when Napoleon Bonaparte, the ruler of France, took documents from the Vatican archives in 1810, the chief archivist at the time hid the letter. The French never found it, Pagano said, showing that he believed an archivists main job is to preserve the archive. Im Gena Bennett. And I'm Gregory Stachel. Nicole Winfield reported this story for The Associated Press. Gregory Stachel adapted it for VOA Learning English. _______________________________________________ Words in This Story archive n. a place in which public records or historical materials (such as documents) are kept interview n. a discussion in which one person talks with another to get information to learn more about them or what they know preserve v. to keep (something) in its original state or in good condition saint n. a person who is officially recognized by the Roman Catholic Church as very holy and who is credited with holy acts called miracles nobility n. the group of people who are members of the highest social class in countries which observe such customs The polonaise is a traditional Polish dance that was once banned in the country. Now, the United Nations is honoring the dance. UNESCO stands for the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization. On December 5, the polonaise entered UNESCOs List of Intangible Cultural Heritage. The U.N. organization noted that the dance symbolizes cooperation, reconciliation, and equality. The dance is believed to have started in the 18th century. It has been performed at parties for the rich and powerful and at village celebrations. The polonaise has inspired music by composers such as Johann Sebastian Bach and Frederic Chopin. And it remains an important part of school and family celebrations. Polands Ministry of Culture and National Heritage asked for the Polonaise to be included on UNESCOs list. The ministry said its request received huge public support. Thousands of people on Facebook and on other social media were supporting the (UNESCO) entry, Joanna Cicha-Kuczynska of the ministrys Department of Monuments Protection, told The Associated Press. She said there is a huge community, including whole families, that dance the polonaise and pass the tradition on. In the polonaise, a whole group can dance together, explained Marcin Pracki, a dancer of the Warsaw Universitys Dance Theater. Another dancer, Monika Fiugajska, said the dances simplicity is its strength. She added that the polonaise can express emotions in a special way. The dance developed from a traditional form called the walking dance. By the 18th century, it had become popular at royal European balls, or dance parties. The word polonaise is French for Polish. Szymon Paczkowski is a musicology professor at the University of Warsaw. He agrees that the dance should be on UNESCOs list. It is a dance with not only Polish but an international tradition, he said. In the late 18th century, Russia, Prussia, and Austria divided and controlled Poland for more than 100 years. Russia banned the polonaise in the areas it took over. During this time, the polonaise became an important connection to Poland for Polish people, especially those in foreign countries. This included Chopin, who left Poland in 1830 and moved to Paris the following year. Today, Chopins polonaises remain among the most popular pieces for classical piano. In Poland, the polonaise has now become the opening dance at high school pre-graduation balls. After World War II, Polands communist officials banned it from schools. The officials worried about its connection to Polish patriotism and former rulers. Nineteen-year-old Gabrysia Kosmal was among the students at one of Warsaws high schools who performed the polonaise this month. She noted that although there are conflicts between students, when they dance the polonaise, they come together. Its a magical moment, she said. The polonaise is regularly performed during national anniversaries, including the November 11 Independence Day. On this day, people are invited to dance in the streets with officials. Natalia Berna is an 18-year-old student who took part in a large street dance in the central city of Lodz last month. She said the polonaise brings people together at a time when the community needs it. She added that it is important to keep the tradition alive. The leader of the Lodz street dance, Janusz Wielgosz, said the polonaise is about beauty. It is a dance that is really very simple, with beautiful music and beautiful costumes. It is worth a try, he said. Im Andrew Smith. Monika Scislowska and Rafal Neidzielski reported this story for the Associated Press. Andrew Smith adapted it for VOA Learning English. ___________________________________________ Words in This Story symbolize v. to represent an idea or belief reconciliation n. the act of bringing people together to put aside their earlier differences or troubles inspire v. to cause people to want to do something or to be hopeful about the future composer n. a person whose job it is to write and arrange music classical adj. related to music and other art forms of a time period in Europe that embodied certain ideals believed to be from ancient times that were accepted and liked by educated people costume n. a kind of clothing that is different from things worn daily and is linked to cultural activities A private spacecraft has successfully touched down on the moon, marking the first U.S. lunar landing in more than 50 years. The American space agency NASA confirmed the Odysseus moon lander, built by Texas company Intuitive Machines, had landed on the moons surface Thursday. Flight controllers said earlier that difficulties with the landers navigation equipment had forced them to activate an experimental landing system at the last minute. Officials from Intuitive Machines also reported communication problems but said a signal was received from the lander after a delay. What we can confirm, without a doubt, is our equipment is on the surface of the moon, said Intuitive Machines project director Tim Crain. He was speaking to flight controllers at the companys operations center in Houston, Texas. The companys chief, Steve Altemus, added, I know this was a nail-biter, but we are on the surface, and we are transmitting. Welcome to the moon. In a message published Thursday night on X, Intuitive Machines said flight controllers had confirmed Odysseus is upright and starting to send data." The spacecraft targeted a landing spot about 300 kilometers from the moons south pole. The area is mostly flat, but also includes large rocks, hills and craters. Officials from Intuitive Machines were not immediately able to provide details about whether Odysseus had reached its target landing area. Another U.S. company, Astrobotic Technology, attempted a lunar landing last month. But that privately built lander, called Peregrine, developed a fuel leak shortly after launch and did not make it to the moon. Officials from Astrobotic were quick to send congratulations to the Odysseus mission team. An incredible achievement. We cant wait to join you on the lunar surface in the near future, the company wrote on X. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson also reacted on Twitter, writing that Intuitive Machines had aced the landing of a lifetime. The last time the United States landed on the moon was in 1972, with NASAs Apollo 17 mission. So far, five nations have successfully landed spacecraft on the moon: the United States, China, the Soviet Union, Japan and India. Japans landing came just last month. In addition to being the first U.S. lunar landing since 1972, the Odysseus mission marked the first time a privately built spacecraft has touched down on the moon. Odysseus is carrying scientific instruments and technology demonstrations for NASA and several private organizations. Experiments are to include observations of space weather activity and radio waves. The spacecraft is designed to operate for seven days on solar energy before the sun sets over the landing area. NASA has said data from the lunar landers mission will be used to help prepare for the agencys future Artemis space program. That program aims to return astronauts to the moon. NASA recently announced that its planned mission to land humans on the moon, called Artemis III, was set for September 2026. Im Bryan Lynn. The Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse reported on this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the reports for VOA Learning English. __________________________________ Words in This Story navigate v. to find the right direction to travel in by using maps of other equipment doubt n. the feeling of being unsure about something nail-biter n. something that is very exciting because the outcome is uncertain crater n. a big hole left in the ground or an object by a force of impact achievement n. something important that a person or group has done ace v. to score against an opponent mission n. the flight of a spacecraft to perform a certain task or job On Tuesday evening, the Wilson Public Library welcomed residents to embark on a virtual journey to Iceland as part of the second Armchair Travel event of the year. Cozad resident Patti Neill captivated the audience with a presentation showcasing her adventures from a weeklong journey to the land of fire and ice in October 2023. The primary objective for Neill and her travel companions was to witness the spectacle of the northern lights. After conducting research ahead of time, Neill said, they learned October through April is the best time in Iceland to view the northern lights. With their destination set on the Aurora Basecamp in Hafnarfjorur, Neill and her companions anticipated the opportunity to witness this natural wonder firsthand. One night, after enduring 20-degree weather while gathered around a fire for an extended period, Neill and her companions found themselves unable to catch sight of the northern lights. Despite this setback, Neill assured the audience that the remainder of her trip in Iceland was positive nevertheless. While Icelandic is the countrys primary language, Neill said English is widely spoken as a second language among the people of Iceland, lessening potential language barriers. Neill also emphasized the considerate nature of the Icelandic people. Throughout her presentation, Neill shared facts about Iceland that gave audience members a vivid portrait of the island nation. Iceland, one of the worlds few island countries, boasts a landscape shaped by 32 active volcanic systems, with some erupting at a frequency of once every four years. The population of the country was approximately 380,000 people as of January 2023. Icelands economy thrives on diverse pillars, including aluminum production, fishing and tourism. Neill told tales of her exploration of Icelands natural wonders, including the Blue Lagoon, a human-made geothermal spa nestled within a lava field near Grindavik. Neill and her friends also ventured to the ingvellir National Park. The parks rock formations instantly captivated Neills attention. To ease their walking routine, Neill and her friends took advantage of the boardwalk in the park. Within ingvellir National Park is the Oxara River that cascades into a rift, culminating in the Oxararfoss waterfall. Continuing their odyssey, Neill and her companions visited Vik i Myrdals renowned Black Sand Beach and the Gunnuhver Hot Springs, the largest of its kind in Iceland. In addition to the countries geological features, Neill shared insights on Icelandic culture, including the nations unique Icelandic horse breed and the popularity of hot dogs. Neill said the people of Iceland go crazy for hot dogs and the food is sold nearly everywhere there. Unlike the ones sold in the United States, Icelands version of a hot dog is mainly crafted from lamb meat. She recounted a visit to Bjarins Beztu Pylsur, a revered hot dog stand in the nations capital, Reykjavik, which many locals consider the best hot dog stand in all of Iceland. Neill and her friends went to an ice cream shop that looked a bit different from U.S. shops. The Icelandic ice cream shop features a window, offering customers a glimpse of a herd of cows, which the employees utilize in the milk processing stage for crafting their ice cream. While opinions on black licorice are divided in the United States, Neill told the audience that this is a popular ice cream flavor in Iceland. Near the end of the presentation, Neill offered her advice to audience members who wish to visit Iceland one day. She hopes to return to the country during the summer when the weather is a bit warmer. Neill also said that people who wish to explore as many features in Iceland as possible should visit for at least two weeks. A Lincoln man was sentenced on Thursday for sexually assaulting an 8-year-old girl in 2016. Yuri Ramirez, 36, was sentenced by Judge Jodi Nelson to 35 to 45 years in prison after sexually abusing a girl on May 1, 2016. He was meant to be supervising the girl at a Lincoln residence near 29th and F streets. According to the probable cause affidavit, the girl told her mother about the assault in March 2021. The girl told police that Ramirez said not to tell anyone about what had happened. She said she feared for her life if she reported it, which is why she didn't at the time. Ramirez denied that the girl was ever at his residence during an interview with a Lincoln Police Department investigator, the affidavit said. The girl was able to describe the layout of his home to investigators, and police were able to corroborate the information she provided about his residence. During the sentencing hearing, Ramirez had no comment. His lawyer, Eddy Rodell, spoke about the abuse Ramirez witnessed when he was a young child, "watching his father abuse his mother," Rodell said. Rodell also said Ramirez was abusing alcohol during this time, but Nelson rebuked that, saying alcohol abuse is not an excuse for the crime he committed. Deputy Lancaster County Attorney Jason Cooper spoke about Ramirez's past sexual abuse cases during the hearing. Ramirez was convicted of third-degree sexual assault of two 13-year-old girls in Woodbury County, Iowa, in 2005 and sentenced to 10 years in prison in that case. Cooper quoted the girl's impact statement to end his remarks "You can put the man in jail, but you can't erase the nightmare that happened." Top Journal Star photos for February 2024 Nebraska lawmakers reluctantly approved a resolution Friday that temporarily restores access to the Legislature's watchdogs tasked with investigating the state's troubled prison and child welfare systems. The Legislature ultimately voted 38-1 to pass the resolution (LR292), which Speaker John Arch of La Vista drafted to create a special committee to study the structure of legislative oversight functions after the legislative session ends in April. Now that the body has approved the resolution, Gov. Jim Pillen has agreed to restore much of the access to records and personnel that the executive branch stripped from the body's oversight offices last fall. The Office of the Inspectors General and the Office of Public Counsel, which were created by the Legislature to investigate the state's most troubled agencies, lost nearly all access to facilities and records maintained by the Departments of Correctional Services and Health and Human Services after Nebraska's attorney general suggested the offices are unconstitutional in a nonbinding legal opinion his office released in August. Arch and Sen. Ray Aguilar of Grand Island, the chairman of the Executive Board of the Legislative Council, signed a memo of understanding with Pillen earlier this month to restore that access though the memo did not take effect until the Legislature passed LR298. Lawmakers did so Friday. But numerous senators said they voted to support Arch's measure reluctantly, warning that the Legislature's willingness to go along with the memo would also mark a concession of power to the executive branch, which is actively violating state law by shutting out the oversight offices. "We should have grave concern when we have branches and, specifically, some code agencies who are deciding to not follow the law," Sen. John Fredrickson of Omaha said. "Because once that starts happening and becomes normalized, that strips all our power as a legislative body." Many lawmakers who spoke out amid Friday's debate echoed Fredrickson's concerns but ultimately heeded the advice of Sen. Wendy DeBoer of Bennington, who warned: "Don't let perfect be the enemy of good." Under the provisions laid out in the memo, the Departments of Health and Human Services and Correctional Services will again provide the watchdog offices with broad access to records, data sets, policies, audio and video recordings and interviews with employees, as well as access to physical facilities. The two departments will resume notifying the inspectors general and public counsel when state employees or wards including prison inmates or children in HHS custody die or suffer serious injuries while in state custody or while in state-run facilities, among other incidents that would require notification. The memo does not explicitly restore access to internal department computer systems that inspectors general previously had access to but calls on the departments to share information "in an efficient and timely way," which could include "secure terminals and/or electronic databases made available." The memo is a stopgap solution set to expire at the end of the 2025 legislative session, giving lawmakers more than a year to study the Legislature's newly controversial oversight system instead of rushing to restore oversight in this year's 60-day legislative session, Arch said. Meet the Nebraska state senators making laws in 2024 Transformer beds that turn into a wardrobe for a day, capsule hotels that look like a closet with large shelves for sleeping, and even special sleeping niches in the walls all seem to us to be modern solutions for saving space and money. However, in fact, such design solutions are hundreds of years old. ADVERTISIMENT Proof of this can be seen in one of the museums in the north of Scotland. According to the BBC, there you can find a piece of furniture that looks like a large wardrobe made of pine boards. The wardrobe has double doors in its entire length, and suitcases are stacked on top of it. It can be easily assembled and moved to any convenient place. But there are no shelves or hangers inside. The object is not intended for storing things - in fact, it is an old bed. Such wardrobe beds or chest beds could be found all over Europe from the Middle Ages to the early twentieth century. It was a very popular piece of furniture for sleeping. Some of them were even richly decorated with carvings and windows, made into two-story beds, equipped with drawers for linen and a low bench to make it easier to climb inside. ADVERTISIMENT Such furniture was placed in the houses of townspeople and peasants, it was easy to rearrange and allowed for a relatively comfortable sleep, even if the house had very little space. There is a well-known case from 1890 when a Scottish family took a bed-chest to the barn and someone had to sleep near the dogs and horses because there was no more room in the house. Poorer people, such as peasants who went to the cities to work, could sleep on such beds for several people at a time. Sometimes this led to someone suffocating in their sleep. It is known that in France, one woman hid three secret guests in such a bed at once, who died because they had no room to breathe. To prevent this, they began to make windows in the wardrobes to allow air to flow in. Such beds were mounted in different ways. They could be separate pieces of furniture and move freely, or they could be built into niches or attached to walls. They also often had curtains instead of doors, which created a cozy atmosphere. ADVERTISIMENT One of the secrets behind the popularity of wardrobe beds was that they retained heat better in winter, which was important in stove heating. Such beds helped people survive the winter during the Little Ice Age of the 14th and 19th centuries. As historian Roger Eckirch explained, at that time Europe and part of North America suffered from a cooling climate. Even the Thames River froze 18 times. So keeping warm during sleep was very important. But over time, chest beds became associated with poverty and rural life. In addition to the lack of air, they also caused certain hygiene problems. Therefore, in the late nineteenth century, their popularity began to decline. Although it is known that in many parts of Scotland people slept in closets and chests even in the 1900s. ADVERTISIMENT Subscribe to OBOZ.UA channels in Telegram and Viber to keep up with the latest events. About three weeks ago, the roar of an F-35 fighter jet overhead set off car alarms in the parking lot outside Retro Revolution, a colorful antique and vintage store on East Washington Avenue. Owner Ryan Hackstock said the jet noise often startles out-of-town customers and rattles the stores wall-length outer windows. Its definitely louder than it used to be, Hackstock said, referring to when older F-16 jets were stationed at nearby Truax Field. But I understand they need to do what they need to do to train. A draft of the first noise study from the Dane County Regional Airport in more than 30 years has confirmed not just Hackstocks observations, but also the true extent of F-35 noise and potential paths forward to minimize the impact on residents. By 2027, the Wisconsin Air National Guards 115th Fighter Wing mission at Truax and other airport operations will put about 2,200 people across 1,100 residences under average daily exposures of 65 to 75 decibels, according to the new study. That amount of average daily noise is considered incompatible with residential living, according to Federal Aviation Authority standards. Those figures largely mirror estimates from a U.S. Air Force environmental impact study before the arrival of the jets, which noted that residents most affected by noise will be disproportionately people with low incomes and people of color. Two schools and two pending low-income housing developments, whose exposure to jet noise has been of particular concern, lie just outside that problematic area, making them ineligible to receive any federal funding for noise insulation. In the case of the two developments on East Washington and Packers avenues the difference is just a few feet. The estimated cost of retrofitting eligible residences to insulate them from noise is $64 million, according to the study. Doing the same for MATCs buildings and facilities near the airport will cost $35 million. Sen. Tammy Baldwin has said $50 million was put into the federal budget for a new community noise mitigation run by the Pentagon. But only $18,750,000 is available for guard or reserve facilities nationwide, of which $5 million is for communities near a military installation such as Truax that has transitioned to a new aircraft since Jan. 1, 2019, the U.S. Dept. of Defense confirmed to the Wisconsin State Journal this week. Because of the shear cost to retrofit buildings, the airport is not recommending doing that. Instead, the study encourages working with the Guard to change flight paths and procedures to move noise away from residential areas, and modifying runways. We cant rely on any one element to be the silver bullet, airport spokesperson Michael Riechers said. How noise modeling works If a house is in the 65-decibel area defined by the study, that does not mean the sound of an F-35 or any aircraft coming in for a landing is 65 decibels. In fact, activists opposed to the military jets presence in Madison have recorded readings as high as 123 decibels at Elmside Circle Park during a jet flyover. But the airports new draft study known as a Part 150 Noise Compatibility study and the latest done here in 30 years is not tasked with monitoring peak noise from aircraft that might last a few seconds. Rather, the study seeks to use computer modeling to find how much noise all aircraft are generating on average throughout the day and night. Sixty-five to 75 decibels, in and of itself, is equivalent to somewhere between a normal conversation and a vacuum cleaner. But averaged over a day, that level of constant noise poses challenges to the daily life and health of people below. If one really loud plane flies over once in a day, but 10 less-loud planes fly over, the cumulative effect of that noise, of the quieter planes, has more impact on you and your well-being than that one loud plane, Riechers said. The intent is that cumulative noise has a greater impact than single-event noise. Research has shown prolonged exposure to noise disrupts sleep and can contribute to high blood pressure, heart disease and impair cognitive development, too. Rachel Johnsons home in the Carpenter-Ridgeway neighborhood is right on the line of being exposed to 70-75 decibels on average every day. As the mother of younger children, Johnson has seen visiting children grow upset at the noise during play dates. The familys long-haired, tortoiseshell cat is no fan of the noise either. (The children) think theyre cool, Johnson said of the jets. But when were outside they definitely have to cover their ears. The impact on children is of particular importance because they are more susceptible to the health effects of noise exposure in their developmental years, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. But due to the studys findings, no schools are eligible for funding for noise mitigation improvements. Hawthorne Elementary School on Concord Avenue is about 400 feet away from the 65-decibel zone, according to the study. The Isthmus Montessori Academy on Pankratz Street is about 1,000 feet away. Yet minimizing the impact on school-age children is one of the key recommendations made in the airports study, which includes new flight paths that would avoid schools. Those, however, require FAA approval to implement. The study additionally games out how other changes to flight paths, procedures and new runway construction could minimize the noise experienced throughout the community. Some procedures already are being undertaken by military aircraft. For example, military personnel now almost always request to take off to the north over largely undeveloped land, Riechers said. That isnt always possible due to other air traffic, but its a marked change airport officials have seen from the military. Changes to aircraft afterburner use and speed holds, which have been tested by the military, could reduce the number of residents exposed to incompatible noise by nearly 1,100. Extending runways at the airport could reduce it by about 1,600, specifically an 8,000-foot extension of Runway 3/21, which runs southwest to northeast. The study puts the estimated cost of that project between $15 million and $62 million dollars, but the FAA could potentially cover 90% of that cost, with the airport and the Wisconsin Bureau of Aeronautics doing an even split of the other 10%. Projects that are related to environmental concerns, like noise, can be eligible for grants, according to the FAAs website. Noises effect on the housing market The arrival of the F-35s has somewhat complicated Madisons housing crisis and efforts to build low-income housing developments in areas near the airport. Population data show the neighborhoods in the airports immediate vicinity have gotten more diverse in the past decade. In 2010, the census tract around the airport was 66% white. In 2020, it was 57% white. That tract includes Oak Park Terrace, a mobile home park to the west of the airport on Packers Avenue. In its study, the airport concluded the county should not buy the park and relocate the residents due to the areas housing crisis. Additionally, the FAA has determined that mobile homes are not eligible for any noise mitigation funding because theres no effective way to actually insulate a mobile home from noise. The study, whose findings eventually will be finalized and accepted by the FAA, requests that Madison ensure no more low-income and other residential developments go up in the area. The lines set by the study spare, but just barely, the borders of two low-income housing developments in the works. In December, ground was broken on the Rise Madison development, a 100% low-income housing development at the intersection of East Washington Avenue and North Fair Oaks Avenue. The 65-decibel lines runs right up that part of Fair Oaks Avenue on the Rise Madison developments southwestern edge. The North Side Raemisch Farm development was twice denied approval by the City Council over jet noise concerns before eventually being greenlit in 2022. The 65-decibel line ends right on Packers Avenue at that sites eastern end. Both those areas, however, would be moved even farther from the 65-decibel area with the implementation of the reports recommendations. It brings up the issue of environmental justice, said Steve Klafka, an environmental engineer involved with Safe Skies Clean Water Wisconsin, an environmental group. The Air Force evaluated how many poor and minority families are impacted by the noise and made it very clear that its an environmental issue, which is only getting worse as we build more low-income housing by the airport. Magic Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship Stuck in the Middle With You: The comfort zones lull and our call to resist The comfort zone in which most folks live is so appealing because it works! Well, sort of. Kind of? Join us this Sunday as Rev. Jenny Peek joins us online from Pocatello with her reflection on minimalism, that comfy realm marked by intense emphasis on human similarities so we never have to face our differences. Our service Sunday will be both in person at our location at 160 Ninth Ave. E. in Twin Falls as well as on ZOOM beginning at 10:30 a.m. To access ZOOM, please email mvuuf83301@yahoo.com for ZOOM sign in information. In the SUBJECT line write ZOOM Service. Newcomers of all religious paths or none at all are always welcome. Unitarian Universalists believe in the dignity of every person regardless of race, creed (or none at all), immigrant status or sexual orientation. Everyone is welcome; NO EXCEPTIONS. We believe in justice, equality and compassion in human relations; and acceptance of one another. We are handicapped accessible. Please park at the rear of the building or on the street. Childcare is available. Join us Sunday at 10:30 a.m. at 160 Ninth Ave. E. in Twin Falls. For more information, call 208-320-9658 or email mvuuf83301@yahoo.com. The Episcopal Church of the Ascension The Episcopal Church of the Ascension invites you to a service of Holy Eucharist at 9:00 a.m. this Sunday, Feb. 25. All are welcome at Ascensions services of worship, including children. Ascension Churchs Sunday service is also available at 9 a.m. online at Ascensions YouTube channel The Episcopal Church of the AscensionTwin Falls. The building is handicapped accessible and located at 371 Eastland Dr. N., Twin Falls. More information about Ascension can be found at www.episcopaltwinfalls.org or 208-733-1248. Join us every Wednesday in Lent, as we gather for Evening Prayer at 5:30 p.m. and soup supper at 6 p.m. At 6:30 p.m. our Lenten program led by Fr. Shawn will focus on the book The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis. In February, Ascension will welcome donations of non-perishable food for the Neighbors in Need food pantry. Our monthly delivery of food items to Bridge Academy food pantry in the Twin Falls School District is greatly appreciated. We are focusing on foods which are easy and familiar for school age kids to prepare examples: Tuna or chicken, canned Soup with meat, such as chicken noodle or beef vegetable Chili, with meat Spaghetti sauce and pasta Vegetables, canned Fruit, canned Peanut butter Boxed macaroni and cheese Boxed oatmeal packets Cold cereal (Cheerios/Corn flakes) First Presbyterian Church of Twin Falls 209 Fifth Ave. N. Pastor: Don Hammond Worship Time: 10 a.m. Adult Bible Study: 8:30 a.m. Everyone is welcome! Community Outreach: Sandwich Saturday Free bag lunch at 11:30 a.m. every other Saturday (March 2) outside the church. Blessing Box always available. Food for the needy, take some food or be a blessing to someone else and leave some. Blessing box is located outside the church entrance. Your news on your smartphone Your story lives in the Magic Valley, and our new mobile app is designed to make sure you dont miss breaking news, the latest scores, the weather forecast and more. From easy navigation with the swipe of a finger to personalized content based on your preferences to customized text sizes, the Times-News app is built for you and your life. Dont have the app? Download it today from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. A Nampa horse rescue is celebrating the arrival of 18 neglected horses that were seized from a man in Twin Falls County. But there is still a lot of work to be done in the way of medical care and training. Horse & Halo has been updating its Facebook page with photos and video of the equines that were forfeited after officials were concerned about whether they had adequate food, water and medical care. After being seized from desert land in northwestern Twin Falls County, they were held at the fairgrounds and being fed at the countys expense. They were on the verge of being sold at auction, but Horse & Halo reached out to the Twin Falls County Sheriffs Office to save them from what the nonprofit said could have been a grim outcome. After undertaking the effort to transport the horses and find space, the nonprofit is now raising money for their care, and Con Paulos Chevrolet is agreeing to match donations, up to $10,000. As of Friday afternoon, almost $8,300 had been raised, more than half of the $15,000 goal. People wanting to donate can visit https://givebutter.com/QvOFSs. Despite the horses having fluffy coats, Horse & Halo reported that most of the horses are thin but have bloated bellies due to internal parasites. A few mares are likely to be pregnant, and two fillies are facing challenges with a deformity affecting their feet. Last but not least, we are addressing lice, which is not uncommon in these cases, the groups Facebook page said. Seized: Horses, dogs taken by Twin Falls County after care issues The initial visit led to an effort by law enforcement and the Idaho State Department of Agriculture to make sure the animals received the care they needed. In addition to matching donations, Con Paulos Chevrolet has also agreed to be a drop-off spot for horse supplies. Needed items include Tuff Stuff feeding tubs, mare and foal grain, alfalfa pellets, beet pulp (shredded or pellets), Panacur horse dewormer and SandClear. People can drop items off during the dealerships regular hours. Lisa Paulos of the dealership said she and husband, Con, own horses and have visited the Horse & Halo facilities. They are really a mom and pop operation that has save a lot of horses, she said. When asked if she could help, although being out of town, she called people who owned horse trailers, and they helped transport the equines. The horse rescue will evaluate the horses suitability for adoption, and would like to speak to people interested in adopting them, said Mandie Stuhan, Horse & Halo executive director. If a horse does not meet the criteria for adoption, even as a companion animal, they will remain with the horse rescue as a sanctuary animal and have lifetime care, the group said. School districts throughout Idaho are discussing whether they should transition to a four-day school week. According to the Idaho Department of Education, out of 117 districts, 74 traditional public schools have considered or are still considering a transition to the four-day week during this school year. In addition, 20 charters and independently funded schools are considering the change. Research shows there are some benefits to a four-day school week, such as lower student stress levels and higher staff retention. To ensure that all members of the community are put into consideration, districts are weighing the benefits and consequences of this decision. After months of consideration in Jerome County, the school board finally decided to continue to follow a five-day week during a board meeting in January. The teachers, who heard otherwise from Superintendent Pat Charlton leading up to the meeting, were upset with the final decision. Teachers walk out in protest of 5-day school week decision in Jerome County The Jerome School District announced that Monday would be a staff workday and schools would be closed due to a teacher shortage. On Jan. 29, 90 teachers put in a leave of absence in protest of the news, stating a history of consistent inconsideration from the board. The district released a statement that gave more context to their decision the next day. After a thorough assessment of all these factors, we concluded individually and collectively that implementing a 4-day schedule is not currently in the best interest of the students in the Jerome School District, the statement says. The Filer School District followed a similar consideration process that included meetings, open community forums and surveys. The district voted against a four-day week on Feb. 13 and decided to stay with its current schedule. It seemed that the community was in agreement with the boards decision. Although Jerome and Filer decided against the four-day structure, other districts have made the shortened calendar work for their community in various ways. Traditional 4-day school week At the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Cassia County School District decided to transition to a four-day week to allow a day for clean-up, hoping to mitigate the risk of infection among students, faculty and staff. A year later, the board came together again and determined to keep the schedule and extended the school day, ensuring that students were receiving the required amount of content time as outlined by the state code. The district ended up extending the school day by 30 to 35 minutes from Monday through Thursday, which impacted other factors like transportation. Because of transportation, we have to add minutes at all the schools We only have so many buses (and) so many drivers, Superintendent Sandra Miller said. They transport all levels of kids. Another challenge for the district is making sure that all of their schools are up to code. The Cassia Regional Technical Center operates on its own schedule in consideration of the students commutes, and because of this, the schedule falls under the standard amount of content time allotted by the state. Although districts can receive a waiver that temporarily overlooks this issue, Miller explains that the school board is brainstorming ways to extend the schools class times. Thats been a real challenge for us, she said. The state does allow us to write a waiver, which we did, but the school board said that We dont want a waiver anymore. We want kids to have the number of hours and minutes that they need. Were trying to create a master schedule that works. The four-day school week doesnt allow for built-in snow or emergency days due to the shortened calendar. In the cases when Miller has to call for a snow day, the students lose valuable time for school instruction. Remote learning days, which are an alternative for the absences, arent as powerful or effective as in-person learning. Its hard to replicate (the) actual rigor of the school day when (the students) are just online, she said. Miller hasnt seen much of an impact since the district has changed their schedule, but there have been mixed responses from the community. While some parents appreciate the longer weekend because their students can rest after a stressful school week, some parents struggle to find care for their children on the extra day off. We cant really determine that its had a positive influence A couple of areas might have been helpful, (but) initially, it was difficult for some parents for childcare, Miller said. A 4-day school week, half of the time The Murtaugh School District decided to operate Tuesday through Friday with Mondays off every other week after its discussion period, Superintendent Michele Capps told the Times-News. The school board began talking about the change in 2020 after hearing suggestions from the community. Some parents and teachers wanted to transition to a four-day week while others did not. Capps wanted to find a middle ground for the district that would satisfy both sides of the spectrum. She and the school board created a hybrid schedule, switching days off that would usually occur on Fridays to Mondays, and extending the school day by 15 minutes. The calendar doesnt begin until September, and the district tries not to schedule any meetings on Mondays to ensure that teachers and students have that time off. The district hasnt seen any significant changes or academic impacts that came along with the new calendar for instance, test scores have remained the same. Otherwise, the community supports the new schedule. There just seems to be a positive culture about the calendar, she said. We just proposed our calendar for next year, and didnt have any issues that came up from staff. Capps explained that although there was some pushback after the district changed to the hybrid schedule, she understands that you cant make everyone happy. Everybody wants something different that fits their needs... This was us being very creative to come up with a compromise, she said. 5-day week with an early release In Kimberly, schools follow a 5-day schedule with early releases on Friday. The decision was a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Originally, schools operated remotely on Fridays, but most of the community didnt like the schedule change. The board and the community wanted schools to reopen for the whole week and increase in-person instruction. In 2021, the school board switched to its current schedule, which allows professional development time for teachers and extra one-on-one instruction for students who need it. After hearing concerns about retaining staff and keeping families in the community, the school district began looking into a four-day week. Last spring, the board asked the long-range planning committee to research the possible benefits of this change. After surveying the community, the district found that there was some interest in transitioning to a shorter week from both parents and teachers. The majority of the staff wanted to remain at a 5-day structure because they believed it would be better for students, Superintendent Luke Schroeder said. On the other hand, the parents felt that a shorter calendar could work for the district. In January, the committee made the recommendation that the board should stay at their current schedule after weighing multiple factors like student food insecurity and academic achievement. The board agreed with the decision. In a nutshell, Schroeder said, the board said, OK, were willing to look at flexibility for staff members, but we dont want to reduce contact time with kids. Budget changes When looking at the possibilities of a four-day school district, some districts have thought about the ways their budget might be affected. For both Cassia and Murtaugh school districts, transitioning to a 4-day week had no effect on the budget. Theres no budgetary savings for us, Miller said, Buildings are still open, electricitys still on, heats still on... I dont believe theres a cost-savings for a four- versus five-day week. Capps shared her thoughts on the budget aspect as well. You cannot plan on going to a four-day schedule to save money, she said, It does not pan out. Professional development The Murtaugh School Board didnt want classified staff to take a hit when they transitioned to a hybrid schedule, so they added more time to their day during the first year. They arent losing any money, theyre just putting in that extra time in the day, Caps said. In addition to increasing their hourly pay, Cassia County reserves Fridays for professional development opportunities for classified staff. Kimberly provides more professional development time for teachers on early release days. Understanding the importance of teacher retention, the district is looking into creating more flexibility and support for their teachers. ... One reason that teachers are getting out of education is that theres no flexibility, Schroeder said. That motivates our younger workforce. In conclusion, Whats best for the students? Noting the recent boost in conversation, Debbie Critchfield, the state superintendent of public instruction, shared her thoughts in a letter addressed to education stakeholders in late January. The discussions around a four-day school week have always been a controversial issue, the letter says. And in a state that supports and touts local control, ideas on how to deliver education will always take different tones In the case of moving to a four-day school week, that decision is not easily unwound and will have a lasting impact on your community. The letter continues, ... Id like to start with a more philosophical approach to thinking through these decisions. I ask you to start with What is best for our students? Capps mentions that a hybrid schedule might not work for larger school districts because the calendars will change from school to school within an area. Us doing a hybrid would not work for a lot of districts, she said. It has worked really well for us because it was our brain child, so to speak. We knew what we were looking for and knew that vision. While the structure has its challenges, Miller notes that its difficult to go back to a traditional calendar once a district has changed its schedule. Its pretty hard to go back to a five-day school week once youve done it, she said. In Kimberly and Jeromes cases, the districts are working toward creating ways to ensure that teachers also have enough support even after deciding against the four-day week. Capps, along with the other superintendents, echoed Critchfields statement. Its hard, (but) you always have to keep in mind whats best for our kids, she said. Thats the most difficult thing just coming up with a really good balance that meets the needs that you can retain staff, but that youre also doing whats best for your students. PHOTOS: Plastic bags get a new life Your news on your smartphone Your story lives in the Magic Valley, and our new mobile app is designed to make sure you dont miss breaking news, the latest scores, the weather forecast and more. From easy navigation with the swipe of a finger to personalized content based on your preferences to customized text sizes, the Times-News app is built for you and your life. Dont have the app? Download it today from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis, Idahos 988 suicide and crisis lifeline is free, confidential and staffed 24 hours by trained crisis responders who answer every call and text message. Dial 988. Police officers evacuated residents from a Heyburn neighborhood Wednesday night in what they thought could be a potential standoff situation after they responded to a home for a welfare check, police say. It ended with law enforcement discovering that a male resident apparently had died by suicide. Heyburn officers heard a gunshot inside the residence near 21st Street, and as a precaution, evacuated surrounding homes in the interest of public safety. Officers attempted multiple times to contact the resident, a news release said, and entered the home to find the male occupant deceased due to what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Tactical teams from Cassia County Sheriffs Office and the Minidoka County Sheriffs Office assisted the Heyburn Police Department. Heyburn Police Department encourages those who are mentally struggling to utilize the National Suicide Prevention Hotline, 988, and wants the public to know there are resources available to them locally as well including PAUSE Mini-Cassia in Burley and the Crisis Center in Twin Falls, the news release said. Suicide is an epidemic that has affected too many Idahoans. Its OK to seek help, and we encourage those who are struggling to use resources that are available, Police Chief Ryan Bertalotto wrote. CSI to host Bilingual Parent College Event JEROME The College of Southern Idaho is hosting a parent college event from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at Jerome High School, 104 Tiger Drive. The event will have classes both in English and in Spanish on family engagement, academic transition, and cash management and education. This free event is aimed at helping parents and students navigate the higher education process. For more information about this event, go to www.facebook.com/events/ 2056403274737640?active_tab=about. A free breakfast and lunch will be served. Also: The annual Twin Falls St. Patricks Day Festival is happening from noon to 10 p.m. March 16 on Main Avenue. The event will have live music, dancing, vendors, best outfit contest and a parade at 3 p.m. If you are interested in being a sponsor, a vendor or want to be in the parade, email odunkens@gmail.com. The College of Southern Idaho and the Hailey Police Department have announced the establishment of the Todd D. Peck Law Enforcement Endowed Scholarship. The scholarship aims to support students enrolled in the CSI law enforcement program, honoring the legacy of Todd D. Peck and his dedication to serving the community. Students can apply for the Todd D. Peck Law Enforcement Endowed Scholarship through the CSI scholarship application. To learn more about how to donate towards the Todd. D. Peck Law Enforcement Endowed Scholarship or the CSI law enforcement program visit: foundation.csi.edu or email foundation@csi.edu . The state of Idaho is seeking court approval of a proposed settlement that requires the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to issue a final rule by Jan. 1, 2026, to revise or remove the current listing of lower 48 grizzly bears as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The settlement stems from litigation over Idahos petition for grizzly bear delisting that was submitted in March 2022 and denied by the Fish and Wildlife Service in February 2023. The total grizzly bear population is estimated at over 60,000 bears, with about 2,000 living in the lower 48 in Idaho, Washington, Wyoming and Montana, and under ESA protection. Austin Singley is bringing his 2024 Tour to Twin Falls from 79 p.m., March 2 at the Orpheum Theater in Twin Falls for a Family Show. The adult show will be right after, from 10 p.m. to midnight March 2, at the theater. For more information about this event, go to https://www.simpletix.com/w/idtwin-falls/performing-and-visual-arts . Times-News Your news on your smartphone Your story lives in the Magic Valley, and our new mobile app is designed to make sure you dont miss breaking news, the latest scores, the weather forecast and more. From easy navigation with the swipe of a finger to personalized content based on your preferences to customized text sizes, the Times-News app is built for you and your life. Dont have the app? Download it today from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. When I was in grade school from 1948-1960, no one seriously considered that the bible should be a part of the curriculum. There was a different social climate. Church attendance was high, and their denominations heavily subsidized parochial schools. Summer vacations offered a variety of Vacation Bible Schools, and I took advantage of one or more within walking distance of my house. Even parents like my own, who did not regularly attend a church, considered church-sponsored youth programs to be a good influence on their kids. It was easy to find if a youngster or parent wanted Bible teaching. Times have certainly changed. Admired Catholic schools can not depend on the relatively inexpensive services of well-educated nuns and priests. Church-supported elementary schools suffer because parents no longer have the extra income to pay tuition. Public school is free. Of course, fewer parents are interested in having their children receive a religious education because they have abandoned organized religion as they pursue other Sunday activities. Everyone considering the foundations of a classical vision of education thinks the Bible and the Greek and Roman philosophers writings to be essential to studying Western thought. Centuries of literature and poetry are difficult to understand without understanding Biblical references. When young minds are not exposed to traditional thinking appropriately, it is harder to absorb advanced concepts in any of the humanities. The Bible is, indeed, worthy of study. The problem has always been the educators approach to presenting the Bibles contents. When the words of the Bible enforce an infallible dogma, it becomes justification for moral and behavioral coercion. Although some theologians insist that the bible is inerrant, their case is difficult to prove. English speakers relied upon a translation ordered by King James in the 1600s until the Revised Standard New Testament version was published in 1946. The revision of the Old Testament didnt appear until 1952. The King James Bible was translated from the Latin texts used by the Catholic church. Groups of scholars have used archeology and linguistics to become more precise with their translations and the context in which the writers were immersed. Biblical authors were inspired to write by their experience of the presence of God in their lives, but that does not mean that God somehow narrated the Bible. The Bible is a series of books written by authors who collected oral stories. They also may have relied upon other written sources lost in time. Until the invention of the printing press, copies were made by scribes. The books of the Bible are various types of literature. Yes, there is history, but most are genres of fiction or poetry. The subject is always our relationship with what Alcoholics Anonymous calls our Higher Power. Even those not associated with formalized religion have found Bible passages comforting or illuminating. The books of Psalms and Proverbs are often quoted. A traditional discipline called Lectio Divina, which involves reading and pondering biblical text, is also how to appreciate any written word more deeply. As an educational text, the Bible is taught as a book of collected literature about the authors experiences with God and how those experiences compel them to behave. It must be pointed out that the New Testament and Old Testament are two different but somewhat similar approaches. Parents and Pastors can add theological meaning to what is taught in school. I enthusiastically support a Bible curriculum in the eighth or ninth grade when youngsters learn advanced critical thinking skills. The Bible is a book everyone talks about, even if they havent read it at any length. Other foundational religious texts from the Axial Age (800-200 BCE) may also be helpful. These texts have become increasingly influential during the past seventy years, especially in the social sciences and humanities. The level of Biblical illiteracy in our nation, perhaps in the Christian world, is unacceptable. A Christian theocracy as a form of government is autocratic, but most democracies and even the UN have constitutions informed by biblical ideals. The Church and the State are different institutions with different goals. In an educational setting, biblical literacy and government are two different subjects. When the Bible is presented without religious dogma, it can and should be taught in schools. Recent videos show military aged young men from Africa crossing our southern border unimpeded. More than 37,000 Chinese nationals crossed our southern border illegally in 2023 alone. Debit cards of $10,000 apiece are being handed out to illegal immigrants in New York City. This week in San Francisco a foreign national was sworn in as an official on the elections commission. What the hell is going on? This is not merely a frustration, not a minor political problem to worry about, this is an absolute outrage, an existential crisis for our nation! America is in danger like never before. Why is this happening? Who is responsible? We are sick to death of hearing platitudes like secure our border. Our leaders have no intention of securing our border, and its time we ask ourselves why? Its reckless, its dangerous, and its expensive. Yet it gives Washington elites and the Biden administration or whoever is running the White House more power. How? Illegal immigration takes power away from law abiding citizens. It makes a mockery of the rule of law, giving power to those who intentionally break our laws. If you value freedom, law and order, and our cultural heritage, you should be outraged. If you respect our nation, the greatest ever to exist in human history, then its time to ask what the hell is going on?! Illegal immigration takes jobs away from law-abiding Americans. It threatens the safety of our communities. It dilutes our voter base, taking away the sanctity of your vote. You might think the problem is far away from here. Let Texas deal with it, let the federal government worry about enforcing the law. But it affects Idaho too, thats the plain truth of the matter. Millions of illegal immigrants pouring into our country year after year affects all of us. Illegal immigration brings crime, drugs, sex trafficking, terrorism, and more. When we stop enforcing our laws, were telling all the bad actors in the world that we are defenseless, that they can come here and do whatever they want. It doesnt have to be this way. There are enough laws on the books now to take care of this problem, and House Republicans passed a strong border bill last year. National leaders can solve this crisis today if they wanted to, which means they want it to continue. Its time to say enough is enough. Its time for patriotic Americans to stand up and say WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON? Our school children deserve safe facilities. And after decades of letting buildings crumble, the Republican supermajority finally has a proposal. But theres a catch. As I explained to my sixth-grader on our walk to school, the plan also cuts $60 million annually from the revenue stream that funds school operations. Her response summed it up well, That sounds counterproductive. Indeed, the bill helps repair facilities, but its a step backward in terms of our ability to support education. The most beneficial part of House Bill 521 would make $1 billion available over the next decade for construction, renovation, and maintenance. This could mean repairing the wing of a Pocatello high school that was gutted when faulty electrical wiring caused a fire. Additionally, the legislation adds funding to a pot created by property tax legislation last year. These dollars largely pay down existing bonds and levies, allowing the few dollars leftover to be used for current facilities needs. Analysts have not yet produced reliable numbers for how each district will be impacted, even as the bill advances. Whats clear is that the distribution is insufficient and inequitable. Valley View Elementary in Boundary County needs close to $20 million to replace an elementary school where a roof caved in, but will likely receive only a fraction of that. Last year West Ada failed to pass a $500 million bond to meet their building needs. The district might receive 40% of that amount. The bill arbitrarily caps the bond funds that districts that pre-date statehood can receive. This clearly targets Boise, the only district impacted. Boise Schools will consequently receive half the funding they would have received under equal treatment. While providing insufficient funding, the bill also makes it harder for school districts to fill the gap. Their option for doing so is through bonds and levies and the bill eliminates their option to hold these elections in August. This hit comes after Republican lawmakers nixed the March elections last year. Communities will have dwindling opportunities to pass funding measures. Also damaging is the upside-down tax package in the style Republican legislators have been passing for years. Through a reduction of the income and corporate tax rate from 5.8% to 5.695%, a family earning $80,000 annually will see $53 in savings, while a household bringing in $1,000,000 will receive $1,019. And a corporation will continue to pay a lower tax rate on its profits than the 6% sales tax Idahoans pay when they buy food, diapers, medicines, and other necessities. Idaho students deserve quality facilities, without having to swallow a bitter pill of slashed revenue for our schools future, inequitable investments, and lopsided tax policies. In a single vote, the governing majority demonstrated its complete lack of concern for two things that likely do interest a wide range of Idahoans: First, bullying of and by students. And second, parental involvement and notification of issues in their childrens lives. House Bill 539 is another in the long line of measures imposing a requirement on how local school districts deal with children, and this one operates in a familiar way: Most significantly, through parental notification. The legislative summary said it would require school principals to notify parents and guardians of a students involvement in harassment, intimidation, bullying, violence, or self-harm and to provide empowering materials and requires school districts to report incidents and confirm the distribution of the materials to the State Department of Education. The statement of purpose added, While it is important to know how much bullying is taking place, there is not much state policymakers can do with this simple quantification. Given the relationship between those who are bullied and harm to self and others, this bill aims to better address the needs of those who are bullied in addition to responding to those who do the bullying. Okay: On one level, this would seem to be right up the legislatures alley. Parental notification is big with Idaho legislators when it comes to a variety of topics like abortion, library materials, gender, curriculum content and testing standards, sex education, vaccinations (and related medical measures) and much more. And the problem of bullying is not a small matter. Aside from the many reports from schools, theres been a spike in teen suicides around Idaho (and beyond). Idaho has one of the nations worst records for teen suicide (46th best among the states). The Boise School District last fall reported a group of four student suicides in the space of just two months. (Thats the same number of student deaths, but self-inflicted, as the multiple murder of University of Idaho students in Moscow the year before; guess which got the international attention.) Representative Chris Mathias, D-Boise, the bills origins sponsor, remarked that, For each incident, it would bring us confidence that the districts were providing important pieces of information to all the parties involved: the bully, the bullys parents, the bullied, the bullieds parents. And specifically that they would be receiving, to quote from the bill, parental empowerment materials, including suicide prevention resources and information on methods to limit students access to means of harm to self and others. Given all this, you might think the anti-bullying bill which really wasnt exactly a powerhouse, requiring not much more than notification would be a slam dunk. But it failed on the House floor, 32-38; most of the House Republican leadership voted against it. You can see the vote breakdown at https://legislature.idaho.gov/sessioninfo/2024/legislation/H0539/. Getting at why leads to a better and more subtle understanding of what motivates the Idaho Legislatures majority. It certainly has nothing to do with the supposed concerns of Representative Bruce Skaug, R-Nampa, who talked about, The poor principal (who) is going to get this Oh one more thing I have to report. This is beyond ridiculous: This is a legislature that has poured on the culture war requirements, year after year, decade after decade, when it comes to public schools. Theyre happy to have the parents weigh in on subjects like those a few paragraphs back where they suspect the parents (or at least the squeaky-wheel parents) will side with the legislative majoritys viewpoint. And what is the legislatures opinion on bullying? You cant indict all 105 of them. In the House, 32 (Republicans among them) voted in favor of the bullying notification bill, and there are surely more ayes in the Senate. But for the operating majority, bullying is one of the facts of student life theyre not interested in discouraging. Ponder for a moment what that says about the people who run the Idaho Legislature. Then think it over again. - Advertisement - A LEGISLATOR has lauded the historic ratification of the International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention 190 on Violence and Harassment in the World of Work, making the Philippines the first Asian country to do so. On February 20, 2024, we deposited the instrument of ratification with ILO Deputy Director-General Celeste Drake, marking our nation as the 38th State Party to ratify Convention No. 190. This underscores our commitment to promoting workplaces grounded in dignity and respect for all workers, particularly our Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), said OFW party-list Rep. Marissa Magsino. ILO C190 sets crucial global standards to end workplace violence and harassment in public and private organizations, in urban and rural areas, and in the formal and informal economy. This is a significant step towards creating safer and more inclusive work environments, locally and, especially, for the Philippines workers abroad. In 2023, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. submitted ILO C190 to Congress for its concurrence. His push for this policy action further underscores this administrations thrust in promoting and protecting the rights and welfare of OFWs as our migrant workers continue to endure harassment, discrimination, and abuses in their host countries. We hope that the Parties commitment to the Convention will translate to concrete and positive actions in their respective jurisdictions to uplift the workingmens lot, particularly of the migrant workers around the world, Magsino stated. - Advertisement - We also hope that our government will seriously review if the host countries where we deploy our OFWs likewise value safe and inclusive workplaces through their countries support of global labor standards and if they solemnly abide by it, she added. Analyzing ethereum's dynamic journey: Predictions and economic implications for 2024 Bitcoin and ethereum price patterns appear to be maintaining their momentum that started towards the end of 2023 as we enter the new year. On January 12, ethereum experienced a surge reaching a peak of $2,720. Although it has slightly retraced it has consistently hovered around the $2,000 mark since. Recently ethereum has been valued between roughly $2,387 and $2,775, which is lower than its record high of $4,891.70. Some experts have a positive outlook on the resilience of ethereum in 2024. With the news about Bitcoin's ETF and the possibility of approval from governing bodies, it seems possible that ethereum could be next in line to receive similar approval. This prediction is boosting confidence in ethereum and certain experts anticipate an increase in its price during the second half of 2024. The summer could theoretically witness ethereum reaching $4,000 and by the end of the year, there is speculation of it setting a record at $5,000. These exciting possibilities may lie ahead for ethereum investors. Many set their expectations for the crypto market at large by how Bitcoin is performing. As the leading cryptocurrency by market cap and the pioneer of the industry, Bitcoins price may indicate how traders are feeling about crypto in general. The ETF news and the upcoming Bitcoin halving may have bolstered Bitcoins price over the past few months. Some expect this to continue at least until the halving in April. If theyre right, it means the crypto market may be stable for the first half of 2024. However, not everyone is so optimistic. Forbes reported that Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell gave a cryptic warning about an impending recession and the future of cryptocurrency on Tuesday. Powell shocked reporters by saying that the country is on an unsustainable fiscal path, which appeared to be backed by expert investor Jim Rogers. Rogers predicted that the U.S. is headed for the worst recession of his lifetime, likely because of the countrys debt accumulated during the COVID-19 pandemic. To some observers, Powell and Rogers seemed to suggest that Bitcoin could see a downfall along with ethereum and XRP were the U.S. to fall into another recession. Rogers suggested that the government would ban cryptocurrencies if they ever threatened the U.S. dollar. These claims have not deterred crypto enthusiasts like Daniel Polotsky, chair of CoinFlip, whos quoted in Forbes as saying he expects Bitcoin price to hit $100,000 in 2024. While some experts advise tempering expectations, certain crypto traders seem to believe great things are on the horizon for the market. A recent week saw an overall 2% dip in market cap, but ethereum appeared to weather the slight fall. Ethereum instead broke market trends by seeing gains that week, to the excitement of traders. Staking deposits increased, likely a reflection of the flurry of development around ethereum 2.0. As the currency has seemingly stabilized, traders are hoping to see it breach increase in value in the coming days. Experts are cautious about whether ethereum will soon experience a price surge. Predictions are wildly inconsistent, with some saying ethereum has no resiliency and some asserting that ethereum will hit as high as $10,000 in 2024. As usual, the truth most likely lies somewhere in the middle. Binance has collected several opinions on ethereums current and future price, many of them from commentators who recommend caution with ethereum price patterns still unpredictable. As always, the crypto market is volatile and unpredictable. While real-world events have made Bitcoin somewhat more stable, the crypto market never stays reliable for long. Information is intended for educational purposes only and is not to be used as investment advice. As with all investments, there is risk, and the past performance of a particular asset class does not guarantee any future performance. Lee Enterprises newsroom and editorial were not involved in the creation of this content. The African National Congress (ANC), the ruling party in South Africa since 1994, launched its electoral program on Saturday at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban (600 km from Pretoria), ahead of the decisive national and provincial elections scheduled for May 29. The ANCs electoral manifesto, unveiled by the partys president and head of state, Cyril Ramaphosa, will focus on six key priorities. We will focus on six priorities essential to transforming the economy and creating jobs, said the President, citing the creation of inclusive industries, the fight against the cost of living, investment in national defense, and the promotion of freedom. The historic party faces major challenges and an unprecedented situation. It risks falling below 50% of the votes and thus losing its absolute majority in Parliament for the first time, which would require it to form alliances with other parties to continue governing. As the general elections approach, the ANC faces increasing opposition from several directions, including from MK, a party led by former President Jacob Zuma, as well as from the Democratic Alliance (DA), the main opposition party gaining more ground. For many political analysts, Zumas new party represents a serious threat to the ANC, especially in the densely populated province of KwaZulu-Natal, the historical stronghold of Nelson Mandelas party. Zuma, a key figure in KwaZulu-Natal politics, has wielded influence in the region for many years. The province has become a political battleground for several parties. But this time, things will be different for the ANC as it launches its electoral campaign amidst internal divisions and multidimensional crises. Observers believe that the upcoming elections could change the countrys political landscape in a more dramatic way than expected: the ANC will likely lose its absolute majority at the national level, and power could, in theory, change hands in several provinces. The results of a new survey compiled by Wits University, as well as those of a previous survey, suggest that the ANC will perform worse than expected in this years elections. The data reveals that the ruling party would garner the support of only 39% of registered voters, compared to 19% for the DA and 16% for the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFFopposition). More than 27 million registered voters are called to the polls on May 29 to renew their Parliament, which will in turn designate the next head of state. 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 heart organoid montage showing different parts of the heart in the same organoidepicardium in red, myocardium in green, epithelial junctions in magenta and cell nuclei in blue. Credit: Brett Volmert Thanks to advancements in the development of patented synthetic human-like hearts first created at Michigan State, researchers can study human heart development and congenital heart disease on highly accurate models. This is facilitating the development of new therapies and pharmaceutical drugs to treat a variety of heart-related diseases just in time for the observance of American Heart Month in February. Similar in size and development to fetal human hearts, these mini heart organoids are becoming increasingly complex and realistic. The MSU research team that created the mini hearts first published their findings in 2020. They have quickly become a world leader in this field and their latest advancements have been published in Nature Communications and Stem Cell Reports. Aitor Aguirre, associate professor of biomedical engineering and chief of the division of developmental and stem cell biology in MSU's Institute for Quantitative Health Science and Engineering, explained that the introduction of realistic models is essential to the discovery of effective and clinically translatable solutions to cardiovascular disease. An estimated 21 million annual deaths are related to this condition, including disorders of the heart and blood vessels. And that number is growing. "Although 90% of cardiovascular disease is thought to be preventable, it has become the leading cause of death in the developed world," Aguirre said. "Thanks to advancements in stem cell technologies and bioengineering, we can grow and study human hearts. This will revolutionize medical approaches to treating and preventing heart diseases and congenital conditions by helping us understand the mechanisms of disease. "In the future, we expect that fewer patients will need treatment and for those who do, the development of new drugs will take less time," he added. "For congenital defects in particular, prevention is the best solution. This is why the mini heart organoids can really change the way we approach health care." As an example, Aguirre explained that pharmaceutical companies will pull drugs from the market if they are found to cause cardiotoxicity. To be able to predict toxicity in advance could save money, time and reduce the risk of drug failure. The mini heart organoids are developed with donated pluripotent stem cells from adults. Their cellular complexity and physiological relevance enable the study of human heart development and disease in a dish to a degree previously unseen. "We created a model using these organoids to study the effects of maternal diabetes at every stage of development in the fetal heart," Aguirre said. "This is the definition of precision medicine. We can use science to make clinical practice more precise." More information: Brett Volmert et al, A patterned human primitive heart organoid model generated by pluripotent stem cell self-organization, Nature Communications (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-43999-1 Aleksandra Kostina et al, ER stress and lipid imbalance drive diabetic embryonic cardiomyopathy in an organoid model of human heart development, Stem Cell Reports (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.stemcr.2024.01.003 Journal information: Nature Communications , Stem Cell 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: After states legalize the sale of weed for recreational use, on-the-job injuries rise among younger workers, new research shows. U.S. Bureau of Labor statistics for 2006 through 2020 show that legal "recreational marijuana sales were associated with a 10% increase in workplace injuries among individuals aged 20 to 34 years," the study authors concluded. They note that prior research involving older workers did not show this effect. In fact, older workers' injury rates typically decline after recreational weed is made legal in their state, perhaps because older folk are only using their marijuana to ease pain. In contrast, the rise in injury among younger workers may be because "marijuana use diminishes workers' cognitive functioning or acts as a gateway to harder drugs," the researchers theorized. The study was published in JAMA Health Forum and co-led by Dr. Joseph Sabia, chair of the economics department at San Diego State University. As the researchers noted, "since 2012, 24 states and Washington, D.C., have legalized the possession and sale of small quantities of marijuana for recreational purposes." Would such moves encourage young workers to get high on the job, putting their performance at risk? To find out, Sabia's group used Bureau of Labor statistics to track changes in the rate of workplace injuries among young employees before and after laws allowing recreational marijuana sales were adopted in their state. "Two and 3 years post-adoption, injuries were significantly higher," the research team concluded. Among 20-to-34-year-olds generally, on-the-job injuries rose by 10% on average, and when the data focused on folks solely engaged in full-time work, the researchers observed an 11.9% rise. Sabia's group believe that a loosening of laws around recreational marijuana may hurt younger workers, specifically. That's "consistent with the hypothesis that recreational marijuana impedes [their] cognitive function and care," the researchers said. More information: Ling Li et al, Recreational Marijuana Legalization and Workplace Injuries Among Younger Workers, JAMA Health Forum (2024). DOI: 10.1001/jamahealthforum.2023.5438 Journal information: JAMA Health Forum Copyright 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved. A Missoula man who solicited a minor for sex was handed two 25-year prison sentences, with part of that time suspended, by a Missoula judge this month. Darnell E. Montague was arrested in April 2023 after authorities discovered he was messaging a minor for sex. He was charged with two counts of sexual abuse of children involving a person under the age of 16, one count of sexual intercourse without consent and one count of child prostitution. On April 12, staff at a Missoula middle school alerted police to a student who was possibly solicited for sexual favors in exchange for money and gifts by a 29-year-old man, according to Missoula County charging documents. A school administrator was shown a picture from the 12-year-old students Snapchat account of an adult man by the name of Sugar Daddy. Students reported to the administrator that the minor planned to run away to Idaho with the man sometime in May. Detectives used social media data to connect the account to Montague, who also had a case out of Texas for allegedly having sex with a minor, according to court documents. Montague entered Alford pleas in Missoula in November to one charge of sex abuse of children and one charge of prostitution, both felonies, court documents show. The other charges were dismissed as part of the plea agreement. Under an Alford plea, a defendant does not admit guilt but acknowledges prosecutors have enough evidence to gain a conviction. Montague was sentenced to 25 years at the Montana State Prison for each charge, with 10 years of each term suspended. Missoula County District Judge Jason Marks ordered the two sentences run consecutively to one another. The judge also imposed a 15-year parole restriction. Online records show Montague is now in custody at the state prison. He was designated a Level 1 sex offender, the lowest designation in Montana. There are roughly 66,000 U.S. military veterans from Montana who have been exposed to toxic chemicals during the course of the their service, according to U.S. Sen. Jon Tester. In the nation overall, the number is estimated to be around 3.5 million. "It just isn't toxic exposure from burn pits, you know, we still have a lot of Vietnam vets alive who had toxic exposure to Agent Orange, and other exposures in the Gulf that wasn't smoke," Tester said. "And we have never really dealt with toxic exposure in this country in the way it needs to be dealt with, and that goes back probably before WWI and mustard gas." He described meeting with veterans who can barely breathe or who have cancer or other ailments because of that exposure. Tester was in Missoula on Friday afternoon for the grand opening of a new Veterans Affairs disability benefits examination facility, located on Great Northern Loop near Reserve Street. Tester chairs the U.S. Senate's Veterans' Affairs Committee. Several providers and one U.S. Air Force veteran said that previously, veterans in western Montana often had to travel as far as Spokane for routine, quick exams like a half-hour dental exam. "This new clinic will ensure that more veterans in the Missoula area and across much of western Montana can get disability claims done closer to home," Tester explained. "Any veteran who's applied for VA benefits knows that medical disability exams are the most critical part of that application for benefits. However, way too often it's also the most time-consuming part of that application. So, when I heard from vets in Missoula that accessing these exams was taking months and that folks were having to drive hundreds of miles to get them, I knew we had to do better for our vets." The new clinic is run by a third-party provider called Leidos QTC Health Services. Larry Schaefer, the CEO of the company, said the Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring Our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act of 2022 was critical in allowing the clinic to open in Missoula. "That was the most significant expansion of benefits and services for toxic-exposed veterans in more than 30 years," Schaefer said. "And rightfully, that PACT Act increased the volume of exams that we're performing. Over the past year, the VA has delivered more than $2 billion in earned PACT Act-related benefits to veterans and their survivors. And the VA is delivering these benefits to veterans at the fastest rate in history." He said the new clinic will allow his company to increase their capacity to deliver services to veterans by 38%. "We expect to deliver upwards of 500 exams every month here at this clinic," he said. Kate Hahn, a U.S. Air Force veteran who is now Tester's Veterans Affairs liaison, said before she was hired by Tester she had to travel nearly seven hours roundtrip to Spokane for a half-hour dental exam because she lives 45 minutes outside of Missoula. "This clinic in Missoula is a big deal because a lot of our veterans, they can't travel a lot," Hahn explained. "And we do have a lot of elderly veterans that we want to keep closer." According to Tester's office, the VA partners with medical disability contractors, including QTC Health Services, to "increase its capacity to process benefits claims through fulfilling medical disability exam requests." Since October 2023, the VA has completed more than 863,000 claims for benefits. "The PACT Act is a game changer, it truly is a game changer," Tester said. Following the state health department citing a new law defining sex as binary when it said earlier this week it would no longer update the sex marker on birth certificates for transgender Montanans, those trying to overturn the law in court asked a judge for a temporary block on its implementation. Senate Bill 458 passed in 2023 and took effect last October, but just this week the state Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) said it would now only allow changes to be made on birth certificates if there was an error on the original document. In filings Thursday, lawyers representing a group of transgender, intersex and Two Spirit Montanans said the law both dismantles anti-discrimination statues and requires transgender persons to misidentify themselves and to disclose confidential health information for ... birth certificates, marriage license applications, and drivers licenses and points to the press release issued by the state health department announcing the change in the ability to update the sex marker on a birth certificate. In early February, a lawyer for the ACLU of Montana sent a lawyer with the state Department of Justice an email saying ACLU it had recently learned officials in the Department of Vital Statistics were telling people who wanted to change the sex marker on their birth certificates that they needed to get a court order showing they had gender-affirming surgery and that all requests for changes were on hold because "everything is 'in limbo legally.'" Last year a Billings judge struck down a law and corresponding rule requiring a person to get that court order to update their birth certificate. Unless and until DPHHS adopts a new rule, it must process amendments pursuant to the 2017 rule (that allowed updates via submitting a form), the ACLU lawyer wrote. The state health departments press release earlier this week said that because of SB 458, which defines sex as either male or female in state law, it would no longer allow updates to birth certificates unless an error was made on the original document. Thats following an administrative rule from 2022 not struck down by the court. (Senate Bill) 458 forces Two Spirit people to reject their culture and assimilate to a gender binary, said Raven Heavy Runner with the Montana Two Spirit Society in a press release from Upper Seven Law, the firm representing plaintiffs in Edwards v. Montana. Failing to recognize the legitimacy of Two Spirit existence is degrading, discriminatory, and an affront to tribal sovereignty. The Department of Justice did not comment on the legal filing when asked to in an email Friday. Conservation groups will be holding a meeting to discuss potential impacts of a mine in the Sheep Creek area on the Bitterroot Valley on Monday in Hamilton. Ravalli County Fish & Wildlife Association, along with Bitterroot Trout Unlimited is hosting a presentation by MPG Ranch researcher Dr. Philip Ramsey on Monday, Feb. 26, 6:30 p.m. at the Bitterroot River Inn. Ramsey earned a Ph.D. in microbiology from the University of Montana for a dissertation on the relationship between mine waste contamination and ecosystem function in the Clark Fork River Valley upstream of Missoula. Ramsey will be addressing the proposed Sheep Creek rare earth mine and the effects of rare earth mining to water quality, fish, wildlife and humans. We're so concerned about the river, said Mark Oswald, president of the Ravalli County Fish & Wildlife Association. These mines require a lot of water for processing. And if they have anything, that's even a miniscule thing relative to what they had over in Anaconda and Butte with the Berkeley mine and all that, and the damage that was done on the Clark Fork, it would be devastating to this valley. Oswald said the meeting is a way to start educating people about the potential impacts associated with having a mine of this nature in the Bitterroot Valley. We know that it's only a proposal, but it is potentially an ecological disaster for our Bitterroot basin, he said. If the water was contaminated, like for instance, like the Clark Fork was, the irrigation and all the agriculture that depends on the river, all of the recreation, an awful lot of our tourist traffic here is relative to that river. One of the things I've been telling everybody is that we're all downstream, and everybody knows what flows downhill. So we all can be impacted in some form or another. Plans for a mine in the Sheep Creek area are preliminary at this point, according to representatives of U.S. Critical Metals and U.S. Critical Materials, owners of mine holdings in the Sheep Creek area. Officials said they hope to submit a plan of operations for exploratory work at the site to the Forest Service this spring, though they were unsure of when exactly it will be submitted. We have not settled on a consultant yet, said Ed Cowle, U.S. Critical Materials director. I would predict April. That's a wild prediction. We have been told that we probably will not get a permit for drilling this year, Cowle added. We're of the opinion that this summer, you'd love to be able to do the test drilling in August or September. Doesn't look like that's going to happen. The company holds mining rights on 223 claims around Sheep Creek. The claims total more than 4,500 acres, or about 7 square miles, of U.S. Forest Service land, according to the company. Sheep Creek is about 13 miles south of Painted Rocks State Park and about 36 miles south of Darby. In March of 2023, the company claimed to have discovered the highest-quality deposit of rare-earth elements in the nation, billing its Sheep Creek holdings as "one of the highest-grade light rare earth projects in the U.S.," containing "at least 12 of the critical risk elements as defined by the U.S. Geological Survey." Key elements identified at the site are neodymium and praseodymium, according to the company. Both elements have a wide variety including in electric vehicles and a variety of electronics. The deposit also contains lanthanum, cerium, europium, gallium, niobium, yttrium, scandium, dysprosium, strontium and gadolinium, according to the company. The elements are often found in conjunction with thorium, a radioactive element. U.S. Critical Materials states that there's not enough thorium at Sheep Creek to require permitting from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Rare earth mining typically involves excavation of ore-bearing earth followed by chemical leaching in on-site ponds, or by pumping leaching chemicals through pipes directly into the ore beds. The creek near the mining claims drains north into the West Fork Bitterroot River, raising concerns about potential pollution among valley residents and environmental groups. In early February, 19 conservation groups penned a letter to the Forest Service advocating for greater transparency, and calling for a complete environmental review before any actions are taken to avoid circumventing the National Environmental Policy Act and its public engagement requirements. Harvey Klebanoff, aka Harvey Kaye," who also holds the title of director at U.S. Critical Materials, acknowledged concerns about potential pollution, saying We want to do the right thing. Klebanoff and other U.S. Critical Materials officials emphasized the use of next generation mining techniques and referred to mining techniques used in Butte as archaic and outdated. If somebody got married and then got divorced, that doesn't mean that someone should never get married again, Klebanoff said. I hear what you're saying, and it's easy to paint everybody with the same negative, you know, brush. As they say, watch what we do, not what people say. We are proceeding with a great amount of caution and that's why we haven't filed a plan of operations yet. Because we are taking all aspects of it into consideration. We want to do this in an environmentally responsible way. Reporting by Joshua Murdock contributed to this story. I think of them sometimes...sad-eyed children in pom-pommed caps, clutching stuffed animals, staring out from trains...young couples cradling impossibly beautiful newborns in a hospital basement...hyper-vigilant adolescents shepherding younger siblings across crowded bridgesand mothers ohhh, the mothers with that daunted, drained, but determined look mothers get when their childrens world turns upside down. I think of them especially today, two years after dawn broke on the biggest attack on a foreign country since World War II. From the air and on the ground, after deceiving Ukraine and the entire world for years, Russia invaded Ukraine. Two years later, over 6 million Ukrainians, 90% of them women and children, have fled their homeland. At least 700,000 children have been evacuated (abducted) to Russia. By last August, 70,000 Ukrainian soldiers had been killed and over 100,000 wounded. By November, some 10,000 Ukrainian civilians, including more than 560 children, had been killed; at least 18,500 injured. And over 37 million Ukrainians, 5 million of them children, remain cowering in Ukraine, their skin gray from light deprivation. I think of their president, the lawyer-turned-comic-turned-leader whose reality turned tragic two years ago today. Targeted for assassination, urged to leave with his wife and children, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stayed. Trained for lighter fare, he shouldered the heavy burden of fighting back. And pleading for help. Sensing what was coming, in 2019, newly elected Zelenskyy turned to us. Before taking Zelenskyys call, our then-president withheld $391 million in military aid Congress had approved and refused the public meet-cute with Zelenskyy that would communicate our support to a watching world. Then he used those carrots to extort Zelenskyy to investigate his likely political rivalor just publicly announce the investigation was underway. (Sound familiar?) For that treachery, Donald Trump survived an impeachment, but not an election. In contrast, before and after Feb. 24, 2022, his successor steadfastly supported Ukraines independence. In 2021, Joe Biden approved sending an historic $650 million in weapons there. From the moment the first cruise missile struck the next year, he has remained steadfast. Congress? Not so much. Oh, sure, when news of Ukraine tragedies were on front pages daily, they could be relied upon. But numbers numb. One child with a missing arm on Day 17: heart-breaking. But 5.6 million women and children still missing home on Day 730? So last year. The survival of that literally huddled mass yearning to breathe free and the value of the $75 billion weve already invested in them are now on the line. But to too many Republicans in Congress, including the three representing Montana, Ukraine is just a chip to play in political poker. After five months of jumping through every hoop to meet Republican demands for a funding package that includes the border, one unelected person nixed it: Trump. Now a border-less bill languishes as Republican leaders engage in pretzel-logic and bald-faced lies to justify their callous calculation. Either bill would pass if brought to the floor today. Meanwhile, Ukraine is going down before our very eyes. Today, I think of eight young Ukrainian professionals I met 10 years ago. Wanting to shore up their own faltering democracy, theyd come to the United States to learn how we keep ours so strong. Asking eager questions, taking copious notes, they reveled in how smoothly our elections ran, how open our government was, how effective our checks and balances were. I wonder where they are now the refugees, the hunkered-down population, their charismatic leader, those young professionals...and that democracy they so admired. The claim that some places are too soft-hearted for their own good took a hard-nosed hit last week at a Missoula Economic Partnership gathering. National and local research show that homeless people arent shopping around for the best handouts and warmest shelter beds. About 90% of them are living rough where they last had a home, before an economic shock like a job loss or a chronic medical condition overwhelmed their ability to keep up. As economist Bryce Ward explained, the cost those people impose on the community pales before the burdens they bear themselves, in higher risk of dying, exposure to violent crime, and inability to get the care that would solve many of their bigger problems. It brings to mind the movie conversation between the evicted farmer begging the queen for mercy: How shall I feed my family? You should have thought of that before you decided to be poor! Missoula takes a lot of hits from its urban neighbors for publicly wrestling with homelessness. But as Wards research reveals, being clear-eyed about the roots of a problem leads to more huckleberry results than pretending the problem doesnt exist. Representative Matt Rosendales decision to drop out of a U.S. Senate campaign hed barely started should mark a chokecherry warning to fellow Republicans. As Rosendales spokesman Aashka Varma put it, without the endorsement of Donald Trump, theres no path to victory. Rosendale himself added, This race was already going to be tough, as I was fighting against Mitch McConnell and the rest of the Republican establishment in Washington. Sen. McConnell is the most powerful elected GOP politician now in office. Trump is the de facto leader of the Republican Party. Rosendale earned more votes in his last race than most other Republicans on the ballot. So whos in charge here? Apparently not the voters in Montana. One thing the voters almost all of them seem to agree on is the importance of conserving their landscape. The poll found 85% of respondents thought political candidates positions on clean water, clean air, wildlife and public lands were important or very important to their choice. Broken down by party, 74% of Republicans felt that way, 87% of independents did so and so did 96% of Democrats. In another question, 87% of respondents said children werent spending enough time outdoors. Recent studies of political power have shown that leaders actually have the most success by following what the public wants not by trying to drag everyone someplace theyre not asking to go. Huckleberry advice, there. Editors note: Calendar items must be submitted at least five days before an event. Email all items to news@morganton.com. TODAY George Washington birthday celebration The Historic Burke Foundation and the Colonel Alexander Erwin Chapter Sons of the American Revolution will host George Washingtons birthday party at the Capt. Charles McDowell Jr. House, 119 St. Marys Church Road, at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 24. The event is being supported by three chapters of the Daughters of the American Revolution Quaker Meadows, Tuckers Barn Chapter and the James Greenlee Chapter. The program will consist of welcome and greetings by Col. Charles McDowell and Lady Grace Greenlee McDowell, attended by DAR Colonial Dames from the Quaker Meadows (Burke County), James Greenlee (McDowell County), and the Tuckers Barn (Caldwell County) Chapters of the Daughters of the American Revolution. The Colonel Alexander Erwin SAR Chapter will give a presentation of Colors. General Washington will be introduced by Colonel Charles and Grace McDowell. Gen. George Washington and Martha Washington will be here on our porch celebrating the end of the Revolutionary War following the Battle of Yorktown. Washington and Martha will speak to those gathered for the celebration. His Headquarters Flag, a Canton of our flag with 13 white stars on a background of blue will be flying at the house during his residency there. The program will conclude with the firing of three volleys of muskets. Following the ceremony, cider and punch along with birthday cake will be served. SUNDAY Gathering of the People The Burke County Public Library will host its 22nd annual Gathering of the People Black History Month celebration at 3 p.m. at Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church at 4427 Berry School Ave. in Valdese. The Rev. Dr. Marvin Connelly Jr., a native of Burke County who is currently serving as superintendent of Cumberland County Schools and senior pastor of St. Augusta Baptist Church in Fuquay-Varina, will be present. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, call the library at 828-764-9266 or visit bcpls.org. MONDAY, FEB. 26 Retired School Personnel meeting The local unit of Retired School Personnel will meet at Timberwoods Family Restaurant, 1501 Bethel Road, at 1 p.m. for lunch. The guest speaker will be Betsy Wells, Region 1b Legislative Chair, who will speak about Pro Education candidates in the upcoming elections. WEDNESDAY, FEB. 28 Movie screening Western Piedmont Community College, 1001 Burkemont Ave., will have a screening of the film Till in Leviton Auditorium on Wednesday, Feb. 28, at 11:30 p.m. Soul Food Island Food Truck will be on campus from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. FRIDAY, MARCH 1 CONCERT Pink Heals NC Foothills will host a concert with Alex Key, a Nashville recording artist with 1990s country sound, at Wayneos Silver Bullet, 5172 S. NC 127, Hickory. Doors will open at 7 p.m. with the show starting at 8 p.m. Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door. Visit www.ncpinkheals.com for tickets. SATURDAY, MARCH 2 Prom dress giveaway Bridge Worship center, 5530 Chestnut Drive, Hickory, will host its second annual prom dress giveaway on March 2 from 9 a.m. to noon. For more information, call 828-443-7623. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 6 AARP meeting Burke County Chapter 3262 of AARP will meet Wednesday, March 6, at the Collett Street Recreation Center. The morning opens with refreshments at 9:30 a.m., followed by the meeting from 10-11 a.m. The speaker will be Morganton Mayor Ronnie Thompson to share the very latest news, plans and goings-on in our town THURSDAY, MARCH 7 Good Grief Meal AMOREM will hold its next monthly Good Grief Meal at 3 p.m., Thursday, March 7, at JDs Smokehouse, 2731 Morganton Blvd., Lenoir. The informal time of food and fellowship is open to anyone who is experiencing grief and loss. The meal is a Dutch treat. The Good Grief Meal is sponsored through Ashewood Grief and Counseling Services, grief support services of AMOREM, and is one of many opportunities offered to help individuals of all ages and families cope with the loss of their loved ones. Because of the generous support of our community and the belief that grief support services improve quality of life, AMOREM offers community grief support services to anyone who needs help in coping with grief. For more information about the upcoming Good Grief Meal or other grief support services, call 828-754-0101 or visit www.amoremsupport.org. TUESDAY, MARCH 12 Guest presentation Western Piedmont Community College, 1001 Burkemont Ave., will host two guest presentations by Brett Harris, International Education Program Coordinator with UNC Center for European Studies, on March 12 at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. in WPCCs Library in Phifer Hall. Harris will give two presentations on global awareness and world languages, including virtual reality tours of European cities. FRIDAY, MARCH 15 ACC Chili Cookoff The Morganton Downtown Development Association will hold its 30th annual ACC Chili Cookoff from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Morganton Community House. Local amateurs and professionals will compete to make the best chili recipe. Visitors who purchase tickets for $10 will have the opportunity to have all-you-can-eat chili with all of the fixings, cornbread, salad, dessert and beverage. Both dine-in and carry-out options will be available. For more information or to purchase tickets, contact the Morganton Main Street office at 828-438-5280 or info@downtownmorganton.com. SATURDAY, MARCH 16 Fundraiser The Meeting Place Mission will hold its annual Skeet Shoot and Bourbon Tasting fundraiser on Saturday, March 16. Skeet shooting will take place at noon followed by a bourbon tasting at 4 p.m. Heavy hors doeuvres will be served and a silent auction will be held. Visit https://skeet.my.canva.site/ for tickets or more information. Support group meeting The Burke County Parkinsons Support Group will meet Saturday, March 16 at 10 a.m. at the Valdese Public Library, 213 St. Germain Ave. SE. Anyone with Parkinsons, their caregivers, friends and family are invited to attend. For additional information, call 828-879-1093. TUESDAY, MARCH 19 Musical performance Western Piedmont Community College, 1001 Burkemont Ave., will have the KAIA Quartet performing in WPCCs Leviton Auditorium on March 19 at 11 a.m. SATURDAY, MARCH 23 Pancake breakfast The Rotary Club of Valdese will hold its annual pancake breakfast on March 23 from 7-11 a.m. at First Methodist Church, 217 Germain Ave. SW, in Valdese. Tickets are $8. FRIDAY, MARCH 29 Vietnam War Veterans Day ceremony National Vietnam War Veterans Day will be observed at the KIA Monument at the historic courthouse square. The Quaker Meadows Chapter National Society Daughters of the American Revolution will be conducting a service to recognize veterans who served during the time of the conflict on Friday, March 29, at 11 a.m. Those attending should bring chairs if they want to sit. There will be a special section reserved for veterans of the Vietnam War. In the event of rain, the service will be inside the historic courthouse which is handicap accessible. For information, contact the DAR chapter at quakermeadowsdar@gmail.com. SATURDAY, APRIL 27 Cruise Unifour Christian Ministries will be embarking on a cruise to Grand Turk and Dominican Republic. Members of the public are invited to join. Call Annette Guffey at 828-493-1723 or 828-396-1906 for more information. Economic development, workforce and education. Those were the three main discussion main points at the the legislator forum held Friday, Feb. 23rd. The Greater Muscatine Chamber of Commerce and Industry hosted the forum. State Rep. Taylor Collins and Senators Mark Lofgren and Kerry Gruenhagen participated in the event. The republican lawmakers answered questions about relating to state and local matters. Questions focused on current and future legislation and funding in the budget. Discussing about work-based learning throughout the state, Lofgren said that come July 1 this year about $30 million will be shifted from the unemployment compensation fund to the workforce opportunity fund. It will put money toward training and financial aid, growth and maintenance, Lofgren said. Gruenhagen said there are students in West Liberty working as mechanics and carpenters and the programs will give them credit for working. The legislators also discussed the Area Education Agency bill that has passed through the senate. Collins commented that there are three drafts of the bill. In all the drafts, the oversight of AEAs would be done by the Iowa Department of Education. One of the drafts gives funding for special education to the school district and gives the district the option of hiring the AEA whereas the other bill gives money to be used for special education in a district directly to the AEA. Test results are simply not where they should be at, Collins said. Collins also said for the money being spent on AEAs, $529 million per year, the bureaucracy of AEAs seems to be holding the progress back. The federal Department of Education will begin in-person observations that will begin in September, he said and it's because Iowa had been on the needs assistance list since 2018. The legislators spoke of a proposal from Gov. Kim Reynolds for a 3.65% flat income tax rate. In 2022, Reynolds enacted a 3.9% flat tax. The rate is already scheduled to fall in coming years. The top questions we have been getting are what services are going to be cut, Gruenhagen said. You can guess which party that is coming from. We are actually increasing services. Right now our coffers are full. Collins also said the state is considering reforming the unemployment insurance fund. Another forum with legislators will be held on Saturday, March 2nd from 9 to 10 a.m. at Wilton City Hall. An Illinois judge who sparked outrage by reversing a mans rape conviction involving a 16-year-old girl has been removed from the bench after a judicial oversight body found he circumvented the law and engaged in misconduct. The Illinois Courts Commission removed Adams County Judge Robert Adrian from the bench Friday after sustaining a complaint filed against him. Adrian had in October 2021 found a then 18-year-old Michigan man guilty of sexual assaulting a 16-year-old girl during a May 2021 graduation party. But he threw out that conviction in January 2022, saying that the 148 days the man had spent in jail was punishment enough. A Napa couple imprisoned for life for the killing 3-year-old Kayleigh Slusher a decade ago may soon see their sentences reduced, as well as the ability to seek parole before the end of the decade. An appeals court ruling three years ago that struck down lifetime prison sentences without parole for Sara Krueger and Ryan Warner who were convicted of fatally beating Krueger's young daughter Kayleigh in 2014 has set up new sentencing hearings starting next month. Krueger, 33, and the 36-year-old Warner will be eligible for new terms of 25 years to life. Warner, an inmate at the California Mens Colony in San Luis Obispo, is scheduled for resentencing March 28 in Napa County Superior Court. A hearing to set a new sentencing date for Krueger, who is being held in the Chowchilla women's prison, is scheduled for March 4. Krueger and Warner were convicted in separate 2017 trials for the first-degree murder of Kayleigh, whom law enforcement officers found dead in her bed on Feb. 1, 2014 alone, badly bruised over her body, and covered with blankets in her mother's Napa apartment. The couple were arrested 22 hours later at the El Cerrito del Norte BART station. Both defendants were sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole. But in January 2021, an appeals court overturned one of the aggravating factors that prosecutors had cited to keep Krueger and Warner behind bars for good a special circumstance of torturing Kayleigh to death. The ruling in the state's 1st District Court of Appeal upheld the murder convictions. But the judicial panel stated that a jury's finding that the couple tortured Kayleigh while causing her death required clear evidence of an intent to kill evidence they said was lacking. While testimony about the beating endured by Kayleigh who sustained heavy bruising around the abdomen and elsewhere on her body provided ample evidence of an intent to cause pain, such evidence did not also prove an intent to kill her, the ruling stated. The appeals court also noted that Kreuger gave her daughter Pedialyte and a Popsicle after the beating, suggesting she was trying to hydrate her daughter rather than see her die. As a result, the appeals court ordered the couple to receive new sentences, which can be shortened with the removal of a torture allegation. Warner will be eligible for a parole suitability hearing in October 2029 and Kruger in April 2031, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation website. The outrage that Kayleighs death and revelations of child abuse and drug use by her mother and Warner, Krueger's live-in boyfriend, in the last months of the girl's life aroused in the community contributed to a $5 million settlement the Napa county and city governments paid to the childs family, who accused county officials of not protecting her amid past reports of abuse and neglect. Napa County District Attorney Allison Haley in 2021 excoriated the ruling that gave Krueger and Warner a chance at eventual release and the reasoning behind it. If not an intent to kill, then why beat your baby so severely that her intestine ruptures? she said in a statement at the time. If not an intent to kill, then why not call a doctor when your baby is screaming in pain as evidenced by the testimony of neighbors? If not an intent to kill, then why not call an ambulance when you find her lifeless body on your floor? Relatives of Kayleigh will be allowed to give impact statements at the resentencing hearings for Warner and Krueger, in the same way as at regular sentencings, according to Carlos Villatoro, spokesperson for the District Attorneys Office. The agency routinely contacts victims when there is a resentencing hearing to provide them an opportunity to address the court regarding the impacts of a crime, Villatoro said by text message. This story has been modified since the original posting to correct the nature of the March 4 court hearing for Sara Krueger. Photos: Kayleigh Slusher: a remembrance Kayleigh's bench Kayleigh Slusher Kayleigh Slusher Kayleigh Slusher Kayleigh's bench Kayleigh Slusher Kayleigh Slusher Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help. Subscribe today! Young man throws stone at Armenia government building window Armenia premier meets with Kirants village residents of Tavush Province (PHOTOS) RFE/RL: Putin loses in Armenias Yerevan, wins in Gyumri in Russia presidential election High-tech minister on removing Russia TV channels from multiplex: Armenia's dignity is at core of decisions Kazakhstan FM considers it necessary to increase trade with Armenia Armenia, Kazakhstan FMs discuss new logistical opportunities Armenia 2041 Foundation launches Galvanizing Diaspora program Kazakhstan FM notes Armenias Crossroads of Peace projects importance for Middle Corridor Armenia, Kazakhstan FMs sign 2024/25 action plan Armenia PM is in Tavush Province, meeting with residents of Voskepar, Baghanis, neighboring villages Archaeologists find inscription of King Antiochus I of Armenian Yervanduni Dynasty, in Turkey Kazakhstan FM is in Armenia (PHOTOS) Rolls-Royce Ghost to be retired and replaced by new Alpina sedan Ardshinbank cardholders can now enjoy a 10% cashback! 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Archaeologists discover where legendary British warship that disappeared in 17th century sank Large number of Russians came from Georgia to Armenia to vote in presidential election, envoy says Stoltenberg: NATO hopes to have stable peace between Azerbaijan, Armenia Belgorod attacked by two rockets during the day: there are dead and injured Media: Elon Musk's company is building a network of hundreds of spy satellites for US intelligence Shooting in Pennsylvania: at least three dead, gunman took hostages MEPs appeal to EU leadership to protect cultural heritage of Artsakh Armenians New talks between Israel and Hamas are scheduled in Qatar on Sunday India's national elections will be held from 19 April to 1 June Aliyev: Azerbaijan and Georgia have always supported each other's sovereignty Iran calls for formation of international coalition against Israel Biden told Aliyev of US commitment to peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan Stoltenberg will meet in Yerevan with the President and 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Young lords 1,200-year-old tomb with treasure discovered in Panama European Parliament resolution demands Azerbaijan troops withdrawal from Armenia territory European Parliament adopts resolution proposing to consider possibility of Armenia's candidacy for EU membership Russia MFA spox: We are concerned by Armenia leaderships sometimes offensive rhetoric on CSTO topics Armenia government plans to have Kapan city airport serve international flights as well Zakharova on Russian border guards removal from Yerevan airport: Hardly meets Armenia security interests Armenia defense minister, Austria envoy, military attache discuss enhancing cooperation (PHOTOS) Armenia official: Those 4 villages in Tavush Province are not in our administrative territorial division European Parliament passes resolution proposing to consider possibility of EU membership candidacy to Armenia The Kremlin comments on PM Pashinyan's statements about possibility of Armenia leaving CSTO US envoy to Armenia underscores empowering women to participate meaningfully at all levels of conflict prevention RFE/RL: Armenia ready to find solutions, including in most problematic areas of Tavush Province, government says The number of Team mobile subscribers is over 1 million In a stride towards advancing Odisha's industrial landscape, Kalyani Steel has inked a historic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Government of Odisha, underscoring their joint commitment to establish a state-of-the-art Titanium Metal and Aerospace Components Manufacturing, and Integrated Advanced Specialty Steel and Automotive Components Manufacturing Complex in the region. The MoU signing ceremony, presided over by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, marks a milestone in Odisha's journey towards becoming a hub for cutting-edge manufacturing and high-tech industries. The strategic collaboration between Kalyani Steel and the Odisha government entails the development of a comprehensive manufacturing complex situated at Gajamara, Dhenkanal. According to a release by the Odisha CM's office, with an investment infusion of a staggering Rs 11,750 Crores, the project is poised to catalyze economic growth and generate over 10,000 job opportunities, thereby driving socio-economic development in the state. CM Patnaik said, "By welcoming Kalyani Steel's project, including a Titanium Metal and Alloy Mill, an Aerospace Components Facility, and an Integrated Automotive Component Unit, Odisha marks its grand entry into a highly advanced and precision manufacturing sector". He added, "With an investment of Rs. 11,751 Crores, this venture is set to revolutionize our industrial landscape, providing over 10,000 job opportunities in highly skill-oriented trades. This project is a perfect match for our aspirations for creating an ecosystem conducive to new-age industries." Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik expressed his elation at the signing of this transformative partnership, emphasizing its strategic alignment with Odisha's vision of fostering innovation-led growth and creating avenues for high-skill employment. He hailed the project as a landmark initiative that heralds Odisha's foray into advanced and precision manufacturing, positioning the state as a frontrunner in India's industrial landscape. Moreover, the Chief Minister underscored the project's potential to catalyze the growth of micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), fostering a robust ecosystem of ancillary industries and original equipment manufacturer (OEM) suppliers. CM Patnaik further said, "By starting our operations in Odisha's dynamic environment, we strive to establish a mutually beneficial connection, promoting both development and innovation, while creating a wealth of opportunities for high skill employment. This reflects our strong belief in the potential of Odisha and our commitment to positively influence its economic framework." He reiterated Odisha's unwavering commitment to skill development, highlighting Kalyani Steel's role in enhancing the capabilities of the local workforce in advanced manufacturing sectors such as metal downstream, automotive, and defense manufacturing. Director of Kalyani Steels Limited, Amit Kalyani, echoed the sentiments of mutual growth and prosperity, emphasizing the company's enduring partnership with Odisha and its dedication to driving innovation and development in the region. Kalyani said, "By starting our operations in Odisha's dynamic environment, we strive to establish a mutually beneficial connection, promoting both development and innovation, while creating a wealth of opportunities for high skill employment. This reflects our strong belief in the potential of Odisha and our commitment to positively influence its economic framework." The MoU signing ceremony was attended by Minister of Industries, Pratap Keshari Dev, Chairman of 5T and AONO, Kartik Pandian, along with other senior officials, signifying the collective commitment of the government and industry stakeholders towards realizing Odisha's potential as a preferred destination for transformative industrial projects. (ANI) PNN New Delhi [India], February 24: Employee well-being has emerged as a pivotal focus for Indian organisations in 2024. A whopping 62% of the companies say employee well-being - including financial well-being and wealth creation - is the top consideration in their HR strategy for the year, according to The Future of Pay in India 2024 research released today by ADP. Financial well-being refers to an individual's overall financial health and stability. It encompasses areas such as income, budgeting, saving, and wealth creation such as financial planning and investment. "Companies now recognise they must prioritise their employees' financial well-being to create a motivated workforce and boost productivity, employee retention and satisfaction," said Rahul Goyal, Managing Director of India and Southeast Asia at ADP. "For most employees, pay is the foundation of their financial wellness and wealth creation. Knowing how much and when they will be paid provides them with greater peace of mind, allowing them to better manage life's challenges and plan for the future," he said. According to the ADP Research Institute's annual study People at Work: A Workforce View, the most important aspect of a job to Indian employees is salary (55%). However, underpayment of wages is an acute issue in India. A staggering 69% of Indian workers say they're always, often or sometimes underpaid. Not surprisingly, the Future of Pay in India 2024 study found organisations are planning improvements to payroll over the next 12 months to address accuracy (91%), timeliness of employee pays (88%), data security (89%) and privacy (89%). Rahul further highlighted the importance of having a robust payroll, "Paying employees accurately and in a timely manner requires meticulous attention to detail, deep industry expertise and constant adaptation to local laws and regulations. Organisations often find it challenging to manage directly, so they rely on ADP's solutions for efficiency, peace of mind, and an enhanced employee experience." In the quest for accurate and efficient payroll, employers are also looking to embrace new technology, with nearly three-quarters (74%) considering AI as a tool to enhance payroll management. More than half (57%) are also willing to invest in AI-power payroll systems to significantly improve accuracy and efficiency, despite concerns about bias and data privacy. One-third are already using or planning to implement AI-driven tools within six months. The study also revealed a notable shift towards alternative compensation methods like digital currencies and stock options, marking a departure from traditional practices and embracing a more personalised approach to rewards. Rahul added, "In the war for talent, companies can no longer adopt a one-size-fits-all approach to pay. They need to get creative and come up with remuneration packages that suit diverse employee needs." The Future of Pay in India Report 2024, in partnership with The Economic Times HRWorld, captures the priorities and perspectives of over 200 senior leaders from Indian enterprises with 500-2500 full-time employees. It provides valuable insights into the evolving pay and HR practices in India for mid and large-sized organisations in their growth journey. Download the report. (ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by PNN. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same) Health Presso New Delhi [India], February 24: The National Health Writers & Influencers Convention (NHWIC-2024), Asia's largest congregation of health writers and influencers, hosted a session on "Navigating Medical Ethics in the Current and Future Landscape" at the AIIMS, New Delhi. The session, organized by HEAL Foundation, featured eminent experts from the fields of medicine, healthcare, and innovation, who shared their views and opinions on the ethical principles and challenges affecting clinical care practices in India. The panellists at the NHWIC-2024 session highlighted the need for following the National Medical Commission (NMC) guidelines, which were issued in 2023 but have been kept in abeyance due to legal challenges, to ensure ethical and quality medical practice in India. The NMC guidelines aim to regulate the medical education and profession in India, and mandate the use of generic medicines, which should be at par to the specific drugs in terms of quality and efficacy. Krishna Sarma, Founder and Managing Partner, Corporate Law Group, who moderated the session, said, "Navigating medical ethics is a critical issue impacting healthcare stakeholders. The current regulatory landscape, including the MCI Code and 'Uniform Code of Pharmaceutical Marketing Practices' ('UCPMP') shapes doctor-industry interactions. The National Medical Commission (NMC) Act 2019 brought significant changes, yet the recent NMC Regulations of 2023, albeit in abeyance, signal a shift in medical practice. As we await further updates, it is essential for all involved parties to adhere to ethical standards and prioritise patient well-being. The panel remains hopeful that amendments to the NMC Regulations will align with the interests of doctors, patients, and the healthcare sector." Dr Girish Tyagi, Registrar- Delhi Medical Council, President Elect -Delhi Medical Association, urged the doctors to read and adhere to the NMC guidelines, which are meant to protect the doctors and the patients from malpractice and negligence. He said, "The NMC guidelines are a comprehensive and updated set of rules and regulations that cover various aspects of medical practice, such as teachers' eligibility qualifications, registration of medical practitioners, licentiate examinations, and professional conduct. They also mandate the use of generic medicines, which can reduce the cost of treatment and increase the accessibility of drugs to the masses. The government should think and ensure that the generic medicines are not substandard or counterfeit, as they can compromise the treatment outcomes and increase the risk of drug resistance." Dr Sunil Khetarpal, Director- Association of Healthcare Providers (India) - AHPI, emphasized the need for informed consent from the patients before any medical intervention. He said, "Informed consent is not only a legal requirement, but also a moral obligation. It ensures that the patients are aware of the benefits and risks of the procedure, and that they have the right to refuse or withdraw consent at any time. According to a study, 50% of cases of surgeries happen due to lack of consent, which can lead to complications, litigation, and loss of trust." Dr Rajeev Gautam, Corporate Officer - HORIBA, Ltd., Japan, President - HORIBA India, spoke about the role of innovation and technology in improving the diagnosis and management of various diseases. He said, "Everything comes under regulation, but regulation should not stifle innovation. We need to leverage the latest technologies, such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, and molecular diagnostics, to enhance the accuracy, speed, and affordability of testing. We also need to collaborate with the public and private sectors, as well as the civil society, to ensure the accessibility and availability of these technologies to the masses." Concluding the session Sarma added, "The discussion on medical ethics highlights the need for continual adaptation to regulatory changes. The NMC Regulations of 2023, despite being in abeyance, highlight the evolving landscape of medical practice in India. As stakeholders await clarity, it is imperative to uphold ethical standards and patient-centric care. We are optimistic about forthcoming amendments to the NMC Regulations, which are expected to promote transparency and accountability in the healthcare sector." The NHWIC-2024 is a platform for health writers and influencers to learn from the experts and share their perspectives on various health issues. (ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by Health Presso. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same) The 'Game of Thrones' spinoff 'A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight', which was on hold due to the writers' strike in Hollywood, has finally got the release date, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav gave an update on the next 'Game of Thrones' spinoff series, 'A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight'. "Creator and executive producer George R.R. Martin is in preproduction for the new spinoff, 'A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms', which will premiere in late 2025 on Max," Zaslav said. Given that 'House of the Dragon' will premiere its second season this summer, the 'Knight of the Seven Kingdoms' release date next year enhances the likelihood of HBO settling into a pattern of having a Thrones drama every year (provided both programmes can complete their next seasons within two years). "Looking ahead, we've got one of the best lineups in the history of HBO," Zaslav added. "This next quarter, we'll have Hacks and House of the Dragon, followed by DC's The Penguin and the new Dune series. Then in 2025, we'll kick off the year with the new season of The White Lotus, followed by The Last of Us and Euphoria, just to name a few." As per the reports earlier this month, HBO is also developing an Aegon's Conquest prequel series from The Batman: Part II writer Mattson Tomlin. Other ideas set in Martin's fantasy world are also in development, though only House of the Dragon and Knight of the Seven Kingdoms have been greenlit. 'The Hedge Knight' is based on Martin's popular trilogy of Dunk and Egg novellas, which tell the story of "Dunk" (the future Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, Ser Duncan the Tall) and "Egg" (the future king Aegon V Targaryen) as they wander Westeros, having adventures roughly 100 years before the events of the novels. The description: "A century before the events of Game of Thrones, two unlikely heroes wandered Westeros ... a young, naive but courageous knight, Ser Duncan the Tall, and his diminutive squire, Egg. Set in an age when the Targaryen line still holds the Iron Throne and the memory of the last dragon has not yet passed from living memory, great destinies, powerful foes and dangerous exploits all await these improbable and incomparable friends," according to The Hollywood Reporter. (ANI) American professional wrestler and actor John Cena would have turned down the opportunity to appear in 'Barbie' if he hadn't listened to his gut. On a recent episode of 'The Howard Stern Show', he shared that his team advised him not to do the movie, reported People. "So it's not a big team, which I'm grateful for. I don't have a publicity department. I have a manager only because it's me and him. We're kinda like a two-prong fork," said Cena. "And an agency that goes out and tries to look for work, and I don't put it past them, they're just going on what they know. And what they know is, 'This entity, this commodity gravitates toward these things, we should stay in this lane.' But I'm not a commodity," he continued. "I'm a human being, and I operate under the construct of every opportunity is an opportunity." Although the actor was busy filming 'Fast X' when he read the screenplay, 'Barbie' happened to be filming on the same studio lot, allowing him to eventually meet Margot Robbie, who encouraged him to play a merman. Even when the 'Barbie' producer and actor assured him that he would just have to go through "half a day" of filming, his agency was not convinced. "I think the perspective from an agency standpoint was 'This is beneath you,' which I get that," explained the WWE wrestler. "But also to the agency's credit, immediately they acquiesced, and I was like, 'No, we're going to do it,' but all they can do is offer their guidance," said Cena. "They're not ultimately making a choice." "And their guidance is 'Truly trickle-down economics from this may take you out of these lead lap slots.' And I get all that," continued Cena. "I've always operated under the philosophy that good work gets you another chance." According to People, by listening to his instincts, Cena participated in a film that earned the biggest opening weekend of 2023 and grossed over $1.4 billion worldwide.The film is up for eight awards at the 96th annual Academy Awards, including Best Picture. After Robbie failed to get a Best Actress nomination and Greta Gerwig failed to be nominated in the Best Director category, Cena shared with People why he feels "awards aren't the only metric to success." "I try to operate under the construct that, 'What can I control?' And I can't switch anything that's happened," shared Cena at the U.K. premiere of Argylle. "I can let my friend Margot and I can certainly let Greta know that awards aren't the only metric to success and they have made a movie that has done tremendous business and changed a lot of lives in the process," he added. "And I think that's one hell of an achievement," reported People. (ANI) A case has been registered against the director and an actor of the Punjabi film 'Oye Bhole Oye' on a complaint from a leader of the Christian community, an official of Jalandhar police said on Saturday. Giving information about the case, Hardev Singh, SHO, Police Station Four here, said that they received a complaint about some part of the content of the movie that "had hurt the sentiments of a community" and an FIR was registered on February 22. "A leader of the Christian community Sonavar Bhatti had complained on February 22 regarding the film 'Oye Bhole Oye'. He said there was a wrong portrayal of the prayer which had hurt the community. Following the complaint, a case has been registered against the director and an actor," he said. The Punjabi film 'Oye Bhole Oye' stars Jagjeet Sandhu and Irwin Meet Kaur. Jagjeet, who has previously been in 'Tufang', 'Sufna', and 'Pataal Lok', portrays a middle-class country youngster in the film, which has been described by the makers as "a humorous look at the current challenges in Punjab as a result of globalisation". (ANI) The Congress that brought the Hindu Religious Endowment Amendment Bill in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly could not pass the bill despite a 10-minute adjournment due to the lack of strength of the government in the State's Council. The opposition expressed great displeasure against the Religious Endowment Amendment Bill. Karnataka Minister Ramalinga Reddy bowed to the opposition's pressure and said that he will present the bill again on Monday. But Deputy Chairman of Karnataka Legislative Council Pranesh had objected to this. The Deputy Speaker said that once a bill has been discussed, it cannot be postponed. The proceedings were adjourned for 10 minutes to discuss and decide. As the proceedings resumed, the Congress inevitably put the Religious Endowment Bill to a vote. A large number of BJP and opposition members participated. Only five members of the ruling party were present. More MLAs voted against the bill in the Assembly. Thus, the bill could not be passed. As the bill fell, BJP members raised 'Jai Shree Ram' slogans while Congress members shouted 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai'. Meanwhile, after criticisms regarding the Karnataka government's amendments to the Hindu Religious Institutions and Charitable Endowment Bill, ministers Ramalinga Reddy and Dinesh Gundu Rao came in defence of the decision while criticising the opposition, BJP. Minister for Transport, Ramalinga Reddy alleged that BJP is 'anti-Hindu' adding that the party which was in power in 2011 had made the amendments to the Bill. Minister for Health, Dinesh Gundu Rao said that the BJP should realise the Bill is for the benefit of the temples. Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said that the allegations regarding the amendments to the Bill "appear to be misrepresented", "aiming only at misleading the public" and "polarizing people along communal lines for political leverage." The Bill mandates the state to collect 10 per cent tax from temples generating revenue exceeding Rs 1 crore and 5 per cent from shrines with revenue of between Rs 10 lakh and Rs 1 crore. (ANI) Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday said that electricity in the state will not be given for free as the government is providing it at a very low price. Speaking during the budget session, CM Nitish asserted that he never said to provide electricity for free in Bihar. "I have been saying since the beginning that it will not be given for free. We provide it at a very low price so that it remains safe. In some states, they announce that they will provide it for free but we never said that," he said. "Even during the elections we said that this is for everyone's safety, it will not be provided for free," CM Nitish added. Pointing towards Bijendra Yadav (Energy Minister in Bihar Government), Nitish Kumar said that he is honest, listen to him. However, the opposition boycotted the budget speech. Bijendra Prasad Yadav said, "If the electricity bill of the people of Bihar is costlier than other states, we will definitely make it cheaper. How long will this free electricity last? Where will the money come from? We give subsidy of more than Rs 14,000 crore. It is more in rural areas. Now what more facility do you need?" Meanwhile, former Bihar CM and RJD leader Rabri Devi on Tuesday took a dig at former ally and Bihar CM Nitish Kumar saying he had joined the RJD alliance on his own the last time and this time he had left on his own accord without any pressure. "He (Nitish Kumar) joined us on his own last time, we never called him. This time as well he has left on his own, no one forced him . An investigation has been going on against us for the last 25 years. ED, CBI, nothing new is there... The people of Bihar and the country are with us," said RJD leader Rabri Devi. (ANI) The ED has asked the Congress leader to appear at the agency's office for questioning on February 29. Rawat, 63, is a former forest minister of the state and had joined the Congress ahead of the 2022 Uttarakhand assembly polls. Notably, the ED had conducted raids across Uttarakhand, Haryana, and Delhi, including Rawat's residence, on February 7 in the alleged forest scam case. During his tenure as the state forest minister, Rawat and some of his departmental officers were allegedly involved in illegal tree cutting and construction in the Pakhro range of Corbett Park under the Tiger Safari Project. The Forest Survey of India (FSI) claimed in its report that more than 6,000 trees were illegally cut in the Corbett Tiger Reserve (CTR) against the permission of 163 for the Pakhru Tiger Safari. However, the state forest department refuted the FSI's claims and said that some technical issues needed to be resolved before finally accepting the report. Earlier, the Uttarakhand Vigilance Team had also raided an institute in Dehradun's Shankarpur and a petrol pump in Chhiddarwala linked to Rawat. (ANI) Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare SP Singh Baghel on Friday inaugurated the first National Public Health India Conference (NPHICON-2024) in the national capital here. The three-day conference is being organized from February 23 to 25 by the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) under the Directorate General of Health Services. NITI Aayog member Dr VK Paul was also present on the occasion. Speaking on the occasion, the Minister highlighted the significance of the conference in advancing public health discourse and in formulating policies aligned with the Prime Minister's vision for Viksit Bharat. The minister commended NCDC for its leadership and dedication in organising this pivotal event that will contribute to the development of resilient health policies and interventions. He said many experts, doctors, etc., are participating in this three-day National Public Health India Conference organized by the NCDC. All the experts will discuss what research is being done in the health sector. The Minister said that the most important scheme of the Government of India is the Ayushman Bharat Scheme. Earlier, the most discussed diseases were ones like Kala-azar, Japanese fever, and dengue. But under the leadership of the Prime Minister, due to the construction of 4 crore toilets in rural areas, the number of patients suffering from diseases like Kala-azar has reduced. Water is reaching people's homes through taps. Smokeless gas cylinders have been given to 12 crore people. Four crore 'pucca' (brick) houses have been built. So now people do not sleep in the open outside the house. Electricity supply has been made available 24 hours a day so that even a poor person can get rid of mosquitoes and flies by running a fan. Due to all these schemes, the diseases, including Kala-azar, that were prevalent earlier in rural areas have been reduced, he added. Dr Atul Goel, DGHS, National Center for Disease Control, said many infectious diseases are also being discussed at this conference. "There are many infectious diseases in the country on which we are focused. But there are some of these diseases on which our country is working very fast and we are moving forward to eliminate them. These include diseases like Kala-Azar, TB, rabies, and malaria." He said that programs are also being run by the Health Ministry regarding the elimination of Kala-azar. Apart from this, the rural housing scheme also has an important contribution to this. Because sandflies were found mostly in 'kutcha' (mud) houses and were an important cause of this disease. But the construction of pucca houses has provided relief from this problem. But no disease is completely eliminated. Cases start decreasing, transmission stops, and the number of patients suffering from diseases like Kala-azar (black fever) has also reduced to a great extent; one patient in one lakh people is suffering from this disease. Dr Roderico H Ofrin, WHO Representative to India, also participated in this conference. He said that the National Public Health India Conference, organized by the NCDC, has brought together various experts, researchers, students, and practitioners who are coming to share their best practices, their papers, and their research. Presentations will be given by all the participants on different topics for three days. During the occasion, a revamped NCDC website, a new e-journal of NCDC, Epi-Dis-Phere Public Health Resilience and an e-techno-doc comprising oral and poster abstracts of presentations to be done at NCDC were also launched. (ANI) The arrests were made based on information that some Bangladeshi nationals were living illegally near the Lower Depot in the Park Site area of Vikhroli. As soon as the information was received, the police laid a trap in the area two days ago and took all three into custody. The three accused have been identified as Yusuf Sofan (58), Mominullah Sheikh (52) and Umedullah Noorulhaq (69), police said. According to the police, Yusuf had come to India a few years ago and his visa expired in 2020. Similarly, Sheikh was also living illegally, while the investigation revealed Noorulhaq had infiltrated India 25 years ago and since then he has been living illegally in Mumbai. The police suspect that there is a possibility of a large number of Bangladeshi nationals living here and are investigating the matter. Further information is awaited. (ANI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi outlined the role of the cooperative sector in shaping the economy of the country while launching multiple key initiatives in the sector at Bharat Mandapam in Delhi on Saturday. "Today, Bharat Mandapam is becoming a witness to another major accomplishment in the Amrit Yatra of Viksit Bharat. We are going ahead in realising this resolution of 'Sahakar se Samridhi' taken by the country. In strengthening the foundation of agriculture and farming, the power of cooperation plays a very big role," PM Modi said while addressing a gathering at Bharat Mandapam. "The cooperative sector is instrumental in shaping a resilient economy and propelling the development of rural areas. Sahkarita is not just a system, but also a feeling and a spirit!" he added. "It can transform a simple subsistence system into a huge industrial capacity! This is a proven way of rejuvenating the country's economy, especially the rural and agricultural economy," the Prime Minister said. Modernization of India's agricultural systems is equally important for a developed India, he said. "We had a target of establishing 10,000 Farmers Producers Organisations (FPOs) in the country. And I am glad to state that today, 8,000 FPOs have already been established. Today, the success stories of our FPOs are being discussed even beyond the country's borders," PM Modi said. PM Modi highlighted the introduction of Primary Agriculture Cooperative Credit Societies (PACS) in agriculture to benefit the farmers. "Along with making new arrangements in the agriculture sector, we are also preparing cooperative institutions like PACS for new roles. All of these give will a new expansion to agriculture infrastructure in the country and connect agriculture to modern technology," he said. The Prime Minister also emphasised the steps taken towards women empowerment in the sector. Today in the country too, farmers are involved in cooperatives in dairy and agriculture, among them crores of women are women. Seeing this potential of women, the government has also given them priority in policies related to cooperation," PM Modi said. "Recently, reforms have been brought in the multi-state cooperative society act. Under this, it has been made mandatory to have a woman director in the ward of multi-state cooperative society," the Prime Minister said. "In our country, if the Nari Shakti Vandan Act is passed in the Parliament, there is a big discussion. But we have made this important law of equal strength, but very few people talk about it," he remarked. PM Modi further asserted the government's target to establish two lakh Sahkari Samitis in the next five years. "Cooperation is transforming the fisheries sector too. Today, over 25,000 cooperative units are working in the fisheries sector. Our government's target is to establish 2 lakh 'Sahkari Samitis' in the next 5 years. And a big part of this would belong to the fisheries sector," he said. Earlier in the day, PM Modi inaugurated the pilot project of 'World's Largest Grain Storage Plan in Cooperative Sector', which is being done in 11 Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) of 11 States. During the occasion, PM Modi laid the foundation stone for an additional 500 PACS across the country for the construction of godowns and other agri infrastructure under this initiative. This initiative aims to seamlessly integrate PACS godowns with the food grain supply chain, fortifying food security and fostering economic development in the country with a collaborative effort supported by NABARD and spearheaded by the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC). This initiative is being implemented through the convergence of various existing schemes like the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF), Agriculture Marketing Infrastructure (AMI), etc. to enable PACS participating in the project to avail subsidies and interest subvention benefits for undertaking infrastructure development. Speaking on occasion, Union Minister for Cooperation and Home, Amit Shah thanked the Prime Minister for facilitating investments to strengthen PACS. "To strengthen PACS, PM Modi ji has invested Rs 2,500 crores. I thank Modi ji for this. Today 18 thousand PACS are being launched. Along with this, the world's largest grain storage scheme is also being started," Shah said. The Prime Minister also inaugurated a project for computerization in 18,000 PACS across the country, aligning with the government's vision of "Sahakar se Samridhi" aimed at rejuvenating the cooperative sector and empowering small and marginal farmers. The monumental project has been approved with a financial outlay of more than Rs 2,500 crore. This initiative involves transitioning all functional PACS onto a unified Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) based national software, ensuring seamless integration and connectivity. By linking these PACS with NABARD through State Cooperative Banks and District Central Cooperative Banks, the project aims to enhance the operation efficiency and governance of PACS, thus benefiting crores of small and marginal farmers. NABARD has developed the National Level Common Software for this project, tailored to meet the diverse needs of PACS across the country. The onboarding of 18,000 PACS on ERP software has been completed, marking a significant milestone in the project's implementation. Shah hailed PM Modi for 'transforming' the Cooperative sector. "There was a long-standing demand from governments of various parties that a separate ministry for cooperation should be established. But unfortunately, for years, no one paid attention to this concern, no one cared to address this. But when PM Modi Ji took command, he transformed this very field," Shah said. "He fulfilled the long-cherished dream of the cooperative sector and created a separate Ministry for the same," he added. The event was also attended by Union Ministers Piyush Goyal and Arjun Munda. (ANI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched multiple key initiatives in Cooperative Sector at an event held at Bharat Mandapam in Delhi on Saturday. Prime Minister inaugurated the pilot project of 'World's Largest Grain Storage Plan in Cooperative Sector', which is being done in 11 Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) in 11 states. Speaking on occasion, Union Minister for Cooperation and Home, Amit Shah thanked the Prime Minister for facilitating investments to strengthen PACS. "To strengthen PACS, PM Modi ji has invested Rs 2,500 crores. I thank Modi ji for this. Today 18 thousand PACS are being launched. Along with this, the world's largest grain storage scheme is also being started." During the occasion, PM Modi laid the foundation stone for an additional 500 PACS across the country for the construction of godowns and other agri infrastructure under this initiative. This initiative aims to seamlessly integrate PACS godowns with the food grain supply chain, fortifying food security and fostering economic development in the country with a collaborative effort supported by NABARD and spearheaded by the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC). This initiative is being implemented through the convergence of various existing schemes like the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF), Agriculture Marketing Infrastructure (AMI), etc., to enable PACS participating in the project to avail subsidies and interest subvention benefits for undertaking infrastructure development. The Prime Minister also inaugurated a project for computerization in 18,000 PACS across the country, aligning with the government's vision of 'Sahakar se Samridhi' aimed at rejuvenating the cooperative sector and empowering small and marginal farmers. The monumental project has been approved with a financial outlay of more than Rs 2,500 crore. This initiative involves transitioning all functional PACS onto a unified Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) based national software, ensuring seamless integration and connectivity. By linking these PACS with NABARD through State Cooperative Banks and District Central Cooperative Banks, the project aims to enhance the operation efficiency and governance of PACS, thus benefiting crores of small and marginal farmers. NABARD has developed the National Level Common Software for this project, tailored to meet the diverse needs of PACS across the country. The onboarding of 18,000 PACS on ERP software has been completed, marking a significant milestone in the project's implementation. Shah also hailed PM Modi for 'transforming' the Cooperative sector. "There was a long-standing demand from governments of various parties that a separate ministry for cooperation should be established. But unfortunately, for years, no one paid attention to this concern, no one cared to address this. But when PM Modi Ji took command, he transformed this very field," Shah said. "He fulfilled the long-cherished dream of cooperation sector and created a separate Ministry for the same," he added. The event was also attended by Union Ministers Piyush Goyal and Arjun Munda. (ANI) In a blistering attack on the ruling Trinamool Congress in West Bengal, BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla on Saturday claimed a fresh rape incident in Malda district amid the row over the alleged horrific incidents in Sandeshkhali. "Be it Sandeshkhali or Malda, no woman safe in Bengal. In another case of brutal rape and murder, a class ninth student, a Tribal, was found lifeless with face smashed, in a brick kiln in Bhabuk village of Old Malda Assembly," Poonawalla claimed in a post on X. He further claimed instances of similar incidents in the districts while alleging that the 'rapists are being protected'. "This is not the first such case in Malda. Recently a half-naked body of a 25-year-old was found after rape & murder," the BJP leader mentioned in the post. "Many such instances taking place in Bengal but Shahjahan and rapists are being protected and patronised & those who speak up against it are arrested! This is TALIBANI MANSIKTA AND CULTURE (TMC)," the post added. Meanwhile, a TMC delegation arrived in Sandeshkhali to meet the locals here. Speaking to ANI, TMC leader and West Bengal minister Sujit Bose said, "We have come here to take stock of the situation. Some work is ongoing in connection with an incident of arson. We are here to oversee it and will brief you more after the visit." CPI(M) leader Minakshi Mukherjee, too, visited the victims at Sandeskhali in North 24 Parganas earlier in the day. However, she later alleged to have been stopped by the police from proceeding elsewhere in the district where, too, complaints similar to Sandeshkhali have surfaced. Sandeshkhali has been on the boil for a few days as a section of women are seeking justice against alleged atrocities committed by TMC leader Sheikh Shahjahan and his aides. A large number of women in Sandeshkhali had accused Trinamool Congress strongman Shajahan Sheikh and his supporters of "land-grab and sexually assaulting" them under coercion. Shahjahan continues to evade arrest, with both state police and central agencies unable to trace him. Following the incident, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) team visited Sandeshkhali to ascertain facts through a "spot- inquiry" into the incidents of violence in the North 24 Parganas islands and meet the victims. The Commission has observed that the recent incidents in Sandeshkhali, as have been reported in various print and electronic media, indicate a prima facie violation of human rights, shocking the conscience. Also, the NHRC issued a notice to the DGP directing him to submit a report within two weeks in a case where a journalist of a news channel was detained by police in Sandeshkhali. The Commission also asked its DIG (investigation) to find out the facts by telephone and submit his findings to the Commission within a week. (ANI) On December 4, 2018, the Nainital High Court stayed the implementation of the government's rules dated December 31, 2013, banning the regularisation of daily wage employees working in government departments, corporations, councils and other government undertakings. Since then, however, the process of regularisation was stopped. The high court stated further that as per the 2013 rules, others can be regularized on the basis of the obligation to serve on daily wages and contracts for ten years. It disposed of the petitions challenging the government's 2013 rules for regularisation of employees. The case was heard on Friday before the division bench of Chief Justice Ritu Bahri and Justice Alok Kumar Verma. More than four thousand daily wage employees will benefit from this decision of the high court. (ANI) Loading off fresh ammunition on the Congress over nepotism, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday reaffirmed his commitment to the country saying 'Modi's family are the people'. Virtually addressing a 'Viksit Bharat, Viksit Chhattisgarh' programme on Saturday, PM Modi said, "The Congress is still unable to think beyond Parivarvaad, corruption and appeasement. Those who work for their own families can never think about you and your loved ones. Those busy building a rosy and secure future for their sons and daughters can never pay heed to your needs or secure the futures of your children," Prime Minister Modi said. "But for Modi, you, my fellow citizens, are family. Your dreams are mine and I am committed to fulfilling them," PM Modi said in his virtual address to the 'Viksit Bharat, Viksit Chhattisgarh' programme on Saturday. Further hitting out at the Congress, he said though the grand old party ruled the country for the longest time since Independence, it failed to set the nation on the course of development and secure the futures of citizens. "Congress formed governments again and again but never gave thought to building an India of the future. All they wanted was to form the government and keep their hold on power. Taking the country forward was never figured in their agenda. Even today, the Congress remains directionless and lacks vision like it used to back in the day," PM Modi added. He said he has ensured an unsparing crackdown on corruption and the utilisation of all the misappropriated wealth for the country's welfare. "Today, strict action is being taken against those who looted public wealth and robbed the poor. The money recovered from them is being used for the welfare of the poor," PM Modi said. "Fron free ration, free treatment, permanent houses for the poor, water in every house to toilets, cheap medicines, and gas connections at every home, we are working for the welfare of all," he added. Further outlining the Centre's flagship rural solar project, PM Modi said, "We want to make Chhattisgarh a centre of solar energy. The government has set a goal to reduce your power bills to zero," he said. "Modi wants to make every house a 'Surya Ghar'. Modi wants to give every family another avenue of earning by generating electricity at their homes and selling it. With this objective, we started 'PM Surya Ghar Free Electricity Scheme'," PM Modi said. He also hailed the development work undertaken in Chhattisgarh saying the dream of a 'Viksit Chhattisgarh' will be realised through the empowerment of farmers, youth and Nari Shakti (women). "Today, we are moving ahead with the resolve of building a 'Viksit Chhattisgarh'! The BJP made the resolve and it is the BJP which will fulfil this pledge to the people," Prime Minister Modi said. "Chhattisgarh has hardworking farmers, talented youth and a wealth of nature. The state always had an abundance of resources for development. How those who lorded over the state and the country at the time lacked the vision to utilise the resources effectively and take the country forward," he said. Earlier in the day, PM Modi inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of multiple development projects worth Rs 34,400 crores in Chhattisgarh under 'Viksit Bharat, Viksit Chhattisgarh' The projects cater to several important sectors including Roads, Railways, Coal, Power, and Solar Energy among others. During the occasion, PM Modi dedicated NTPC's Lara Super Thermal Power Project, Stage-I (2x800 MW) to the nation and laid the foundation stone of NTPC's Lara Super Thermal Power Project, Stage-II (2x800 MW) in Raigarh. While Stage-I of the station is built with an investment of around Rs 15,800 crore, Stage-II of the project shall be constructed on the available land of Stage-I premises, thus requiring no additional land for the expansion, and entails an investment of Rs 15,530 crore, a PMO release said. Equipped with highly efficient Super Critical technology (for Stage I) and Ultra Super Critical technology (for Stage II), the project will ensure lesser Specific Coal Consumption and Carbon Dioxide emission. While 50 per cent of power from both Stage I and II is allocated to the state of Chhattisgarh, the project will also play a crucial role in improving the power scenario in several other states and UTs, such as Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Goa, Daman and Diu, Dadra and Nagar Haveli among others, the release said. Prime Minister also inaugurated three key First Mile Connectivity (FMC) projects of South Eastern Coalfields Limited, built at a total cost of more than Rs 600 crores. In a step to boost the production of renewable energy in the region, the Prime Minister inaugurated the Solar PV Project at Rajnandgaon built at a cost of around Rs. 900 Crore. Strengthening the rail infrastructure in the region, the Prime Minister dedicated the Bilaspur - Uslapur Flyover to be built at a cost of around Rs 300 Crores. This will reduce the heavy congestion of traffic and stoppage of coal traffic at Bilaspur going towards Katni.Further, PM Modi dedicated a 50MW Solar Power Plant in Bhilai. Prime Minister also dedicated rehabilitation and upgradation of the 55.65 km long Section of NH-49 to two lanes with paved shoulders. According to the PMO release, the project will help in improving connectivity between two important cities Bilaspur and Raigarh. The PM also dedicated rehabilitation and upgradation of a 52.40 km long section of NH-130 to two lanes with paved shoulders. The project will help in improving the connectivity of Ambikapur city with Raipur and Korba city and will boost the economic growth of the area, it added. (ANI) According to Mumbai Police, the accused identified as Shubham Warkad is a first-year student, who is a native of Nanded district and had been studying in Pune. While sharing details, police said, "19-year-old student Shubham Warkad, who posted death threats to Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and MP Shrikant Shinde through social media platform X, has been arrested by the Mumbai Crime Branch from Pune on Friday." "According to the complaint, the accused had posted death threats to Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and his son Shrikant Shinde on social media on February 11," said police. "After seeing this post on X, Mumbai Police immediately started a search for the accused who openly posted the death threats. The Mumbai Crime Branch took action and traced the IP address of the accused who had linked his Gmail ID, mobile number and his location. Subsequently, a team from the Crime Investigation Department reached Pune and arrested Warkad. Police said, "We have registered a case against the accused under sections 506(2) and 505(1)(B) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), arrested him and started an investigation." Police further said that the "motive behind the threat" is being investigated. Further details into the matter are awaited. (ANI) Following the incident, the man was admitted to a multi-specialty hospital for necessary medical attention. The RPF also informed the man's family about the situation, ensuring that appropriate authorities were brought into the loop. In a social media post on X, the Western Railway urged people to exercise caution and refrain from trespassing on railway tracks. (ANI) Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Saturday paid a visit to Jagatguru Shankaracharya Swami Rajrajeshwarashram at Jagatguru Ashram in Haridwar's Kankhal and received his blessings. Chief Minister Dhami and Shankaracharya Swami Rajarajeshwarashram Maharaj also participated in the Havan Yagya on the occasion. As per the rituals, a Shrimad Bhagwat Katha was also organised at Jagadturu Shankaracharya's Ashram in Kankhal, on Saturday, on the occasion of Shodash Nirvana Mahotsav of Swami Prakashanand. Chief Minister Dhami along with state cabinet ministers Satpal Maharaj, Subodh Uniyal, MP Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, and MLAs participated and made offerings in the Havan Yagya and took Bhandara Prasad in celebration of the implementation of the Uniform Common Civil Code (UCC) in the state. Assembly Speaker Ritu Khanduri, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and cabinet ministers received blessings from Jagadguru Shankaracharya Swami Rajrajeshwarashram Maharaj. During an informal conversation with the journalists, Chief Minister Dhami said that the people of Uttarakhand have given us their support for implementing the Uniform Civil Code in the state. "The Uniform Civil Code (UCC) Bill was implemented in the state after taking into account all geographical factors, members of our diverse communities, members of religious organisations. The bill has the support, vote, and blessings of the people of Uttarakhand," said CM Dhami. The Chief Minister further said that just as the holy ganges emerges from Devbhoomi Uttarakhand, in the same manner, the UCC bill has also emerged from the state. Referring to Article 44 of the Indian Constitution, Chief Minister Dhami said, "The provision was made in Article 44 of the Constitution at the time when Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar was making the Constitution. Therefore it can be applicable anywhere in the country." The Uniform Civil Code (UCC) Bill was passed with a comfortable majority during a special session of the Uttarakhand assembly on February 7. The Uniform Civil Code (UCC) Bill is a proposal in India to establish uniform rules for personal matters for all citizens. These matters include marriage, divorce, inheritance, and property rights. The UCC would apply to all citizens equally, regardless of their religion, gender, or sexual orientation. (ANI) Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on Saturday said that the East Rajasthan Canal Project (ERCP) would be completed in the next five years. The ERCP project, announced by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 2017-18, aims to provide drinking and irrigation water to 13 districts in eastern Rajasthan. Earlier today, Rajasthan CM Bhajan Lal Sharma and Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat attended the East Rajasthan Canal Project (ERCP) Dhanyawad Yatra in Alwar's Barodamev. "Narendra Modi ji (Prime Minister Narendra Modi) has taught that whatever work you envision and lay the foundation stone of, you should also inaugurate it. We will work to complete ERCP and provide water to your homes in five years. This modified PKC-ERCP (Parbati-Kalisindh-Chambal -East Rajasthan Canal Project (PKC-ERCP) project will serve as the life-giving Ganga for Eastern Rajasthan," Shekhawat said while addressing a public gathering. Taking a jibe at former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, he said, "Gehlot was raising ERCP like a political inferno. The central government was being put in the dock. Then I went to the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister then told me that there was no need to stop anywhere; think something new and move ahead. He showed the way for PKC-ERCP." The Union Minister said that quenching people's thirst was not Ashok Gehlot's priority. "Politics came first for Ashok Gehlot. Quenching people's thirst was not his priority. He did not make any efforts in this direction. We held meetings several times in Delhi. Among them, the Rajasthan officials accepted that if the technical flaws were removed then the project could come to fruition, but Ashok Gehlot's aim was not to provide relief to the people. They aimed to use it as a political weapon. He or his ministers never attended any meetings. Then I resolved that after ousting the Congress Congress from Rajasthan, I would work to give the gift of EICP to Eastern Rajasthan within a month," he said. "The revised PKC-ERCP link project will cost Rs 45,000 crore in Rajasthan. We will ensure that drinking water reaches the homes of 3.5 crore people in 13 districts (new 21 districts) uninterrupted for the next 40-50 years. An irrigation area of 2.8 lakh hectares will be irrigated in this area. More than 30 small and big ponds and dams will be filled. I am seeing the day that in 5 years when this project is completed, the groundwater in all these 13 districts will come back to the level which it was at 20-30 years from now," he added. Highlighting the benefits of the PKC-ERCP Project, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said, "Ashok Gehlotji was repeatedly saying that the central government is talking about a scheme which will reduce water, but let me tell you, in the ERCP which was envisioned by Vasundhara ji, Rajasthan would have got about 3600 MCM of water. Now this project we have made will provide 3700 MCM water. Apart from this, 3000 MCM additional water will come during flood times. Not a single dam or pond will remain empty in 13 districts." Emphasizing the tenure of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) during the last 10 years, "Modi ji's resolution is that there should be change in the homes of the poor of the country. There should be prosperity in his house. Today we can see the impact of the schemes started by the Prime Minister on the ground. In the last 10 years under Modiji's rule, 25 crore people have come out of the poverty line. On behalf of the Prime Minister, I assure you all that the Government of India will not leave any stone unturned in this. With the blessings of the Prime Minister, the Government of India will provide 90 percent of the money for the PKC-ERCP project. Only 10 percent of the money will have to be borne by the Rajasthan government. The face of Rajasthan and East Rajasthan will change in the next 5 years." Recently, an MOU was signed between the Government of Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan regarding the revised East Rajasthan Canal Project. The revised version of the project aims to provide drinking and industrial water in 13 districts of eastern Rajasthan, Malwa, and Chambal regions of Madhya Pradesh apart from providing irrigation in 2.8 lakh ha. area (or more) each in both the states (total of 5.6 lakh ha or more) including supplementation of en route tanks in the states. The Modified PKC link project will help in utilizing the available water resources of the Chambal basin optimally and economically. The various components of the Modified PKC link including areas of benefit shall be firmed up at the DPR stage in consultation with Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. (ANI) Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma warned the Congress that they have lost the trust of the people and the ground is slipping under their feet, as they have only worked towards spreading lies in the state and looting people. "The ground is slipping from under your feet. You have seen the results of the Vidhan Sabha elections. Wait for the Lok Sabha elections. The promises you made to the people bore no fruits. People want to teach you a lesson. People will not forgive you because they do not trust you. You have only worked towards "jhoot" and "loot" and so people have lost trust in you," Sharma said in a public meeting in Rajasthan's Bharatpur on Saturday. Sharma said that the Congress party has only spoken lies and looted the country and is even continuing to do so. "You have only worked towards instigating people to fight. The Congress government has only spoken lies and looted the country. They are lying even now. Even now they are saying that they will be eradicating poverty," the Chief Minister said. Taking a dig at the Congress for taking out the Bharat Jodo Yatra, Sharma said, "They are taking out the Bharat Jodo Yatra. Please tell us from where is Bharat breaking? Even if someone has worked towards breaking India, it is you. No one else has done so. They have nothing except lies and corruption." Responding to allegations that he keeps taking trips to Delhi to get the nod of the central government on various issues, Sharma said that he gets his projects sanctioned on his first visit. "When I go to Delhi to seek help on any government project, I do not need to go again. It gets sanctioned during the first visit itself. That is why I go to Delhi...When I go and keep my proposal in front of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he sanctions it and sends me back saying that the double-engine government is in place and the work towards development should go on," the Chief Minister said. Taking a dig at the frequent run-ins between former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and his erstwhile Deputy Sachin Pilot, Sharma said, "When Gehlot used to come from Delhi, Sachin used to go. You have always gone to Delhi but did not get any work done." Speaking about the Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project (ERCP), the Chief Minister said that they have worked towards implementing the project in just one and a half months and it will be completed in five years. "You had demanded the ERCP. We had promised you before the elections when our central Minister had come to you. We had also stated in our manifesto that if we come to power we will be formulating the ERCP project which is a lifeline for Eastern Rajasthan. In just one and a half months, we have worked towards implementing the ERCP project and I assure you that we will complete it in these five years," Sharma said while participating in a road show in Bharatpur. (ANI) The apprehended individuals, along with recovered items, were handed over to Moreh Police Station on Friday for further investigation, the spokesperson of Headquarters Inspector General Assam Rifles (South) said. A total of 29.799 kg of WIY tablets, 0.386 kg of heroin powder, 5.266 kg of caffeine, 2.471 kg of crystal powder, 8.299 kg of gold dust, 7970 numbers of alprazolam tablets, 10 numbers of different types of rubber stamps, and other packing materials were found in the possession of the house owner, he said. The operation was launched in the general area of Homeguard Veng, Moreh, on February 23. The overall cost of seized items is approximately Rs 15 crore in the international market, the spokesperson said.On February 23, Assam Rifles, under the aegis of Headquarter Inspector General Assam Rifles (South) busted a godown used for stocking narcotics along with other incriminating items at Homeguard Veng, Moreh (Manipur), he said. "The team cordoned off the suspected house and searched for the presence of the police," the spokesperson said. "During the operation, a large crowd of women gathered at the location, protesting against arrest. Non-lethal weapons were used by Assam Rifles to disperse the crowd and the Rapid Action Force was employed as a precautionary measure," he added. (ANI) Union Minister Anurag Thakur said that people will show the Congress the exit door in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. He was speaking at the Tridev Sammelan in Hamirpur on Saturday. Thakur said, "Congress has been exposed. Congress first makes promises and then shows its back. In a video, Priyanka Gandhi says 5 lakh government jobs will be given to youth, however, the state CM and other ministers are denying which indicates that before the ballot they make big promises and later they deny. People will show them the exit door this time." He further said that earlier also Congress was in power in the state but BJP won the Lok Sabha polls. Thakur further said, "We will win the Lok Sabha polls. In 2003 they promised government jobs but did not fulfill them. In 2012 they formed the government and assured that they would give unemployment allowance but did not give. In 2022 they promised that they would buy cow dung at Rs 2 per kg and milk at Rs 100 per litre. They had promised 5 lakh government jobs and Rs 1500 to women which they did not give. People are feeling cheated." He said that the BJP is a political party in which the 'Karyakarta' and the organisation play very important role. "Tridev strengthens the polling booths. We are going to run a campaign so that in every polling booth the BJP gets record votes to fulfil the target of 370 seats for the BJP and 400 for the NDA," he said. Hitting out at Rahul Gandhi he said that he becomes a laughing stock when he gives speeches referring to his speech in Uttar Pradesh. "Four generations of the Nehru-Gandhi family became MPs from Uttar Pradesh. When Rahul Gandhi won from Wayanad he raised questions about the intelligence of the people of Uttar Pradesh. He has lost his senses," he added. Earlier, in a veiled swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who represents Varanasi in the Lok Sabha, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi claimed that during his visit to the temple town as a part of the ongoing Bharat Jodo Nyay yatra, he saw people lying drunk on roads. Addressing the public in Amethi, Wayanad MP said the youths of Uttar Pradesh were on a 'trip' after boozing by night. "I went to Varanasi and I saw people lying on roads drunk. The youths of Uttar Pradesh are on a trip after consuming liquor by night. On the other hand, there is the Ram Mandir which is only visited by the likes of PM Modi, Ambani and Adani. You will see all our billionaires there but not a single person from a backward class or the Dalit community," Rahul said. (ANI) The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and Jana Sena on Saturday announced their candidates for 99 of the total 175 assembly segments for the upcoming state assembly polls. TDP national president Nara Chandrababu Naidu and the Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan together announced the candidates. While the TDP announced its candidates for 94 seats in the first list, the Jana Sena declared the candidature of five of the total of 24 seats that the party is going to contest in the alliance. Of the 94 TDP candidates, 23 are first-timers and an opportunity has been provided for IAS officers, doctors, and graduates those who are answerable to the people while the YSRCP is fielding smugglers of red-sandals, rowdies, and goondas, Chandrababu said. "Keeping the interests of the State, both the TDP and the Jana Sena have come together to jointly contest the upcoming elections. The alliance is not in the interest of the parties nor in personal interest but for the progress of the five crore people of the State," he said. Terming it a historic occasion, he said that the state has suffered a lot with bifurcation while the loss is more for the state after Jagan has become the Chief Minister. "This is not a personal loss either for him or for Pawan Kalyan but for the five crore people of the state as the Andhra Pradesh brand was hit hard by this YSRCP Government", Chandrababu remarked. The prevailing situation in the State is so pathetic that a person can not come out openly to express the injustice done to him or her, he said. Everyone is a victim of this Government including himself and his party cadre besides Pawan Kalyan, Naidu said. "When Pawan Kalyan visited Ippatam, several hurdles were created for his road show in Visakhapatnam," he said. Calling upon the TDP and the Jana Sena activists at the grassroots level to work in close coordination, Chandrababu Naidu announced that he and Pawan Kalyan will work for a better future for the State and to rid Andhra Pradesh from the clutches of Jagan. Appreciating Pawan Kalyan for announcing popular and known candidates, he said that the TDP candidates too are very capable. "Perhaps for the first time in my political life I have done so much exercise to select these candidates to collect the opinion of 1.3 crore people besides the views of the party activists," Chandrababu Naidu said. The selection of candidates is done after conducting a study and analyzing all angles, he said, adding that only those who are actively moving among the public are selected now to face the elections boldly. Though attacks are being made against the media persons, they are in such a poor condition that they could not even resist such attacks as they lost self-confidence, Chandrababu remarked. This Government has demolished all four pillars, the judiciary, legislature, executive, and the media, and not even a single IAS or IPS officer could come out openly, he said. While the media is being controlled through a GO, the judiciary is being misused to take revenge by spending public funds, he said and pointed out that crores of rupees are being paid as fees for advocates. The TDP Chief felt that the upcoming polls were very crucial for the State and the people and called upon the voters to elect the TDP-Jana Sena candidates beyond any consideration. "The day the alliance has been announced we have virtually won the polls and the YSRCP got totally wiped out from the state political scene. But the YSRCP leaders are making every effort to win through bogus votes and by spending huge amounts of money," the TDP supremo said and added that power is not permanent for any one particular person in a democracy. "Instead of taking more seats only to experiment, we felt it is better to take a limited number of seats in the alliance to safeguard the interest of the State. Our sole aim is to bring the State back on track but not the interest of the party or personal interests," Pawan Kalyan said. The Jana Sena chief said that the party would contest three Lok Sabha seats. "If the 24 Assembly seats that the Jana Sena is now contesting and three Lok Sabha seats comprising 21 segments, the party is in the race in a total of 45 segments," Pawan Kalyan explained. Kalyan called upon the party leaders and cadre to set aside their interests and work for the success of the combine. "Soon after the government is formed the services of those who have made certain sacrifices will be remembered and they will be honored with some nominated posts," Pawan Kalyan said and asked the cadre of both the Jana Sena and the TDP to work together and not fall prey to the conspiracies of the YSRCP. The Lok Sabha polls and Andhra assembly polls are slated to be held simultaneously later this year. (ANI) Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai on Saturday said that the efforts to enhance and develop the state are progressing swiftly, in accordance with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's guarantees. In his address, Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai briefed about the work done by the government so far and said PM Modi ji had guaranteed the people of Chhattisgarh that when our government comes to power, it will establish good governance and bring happiness and prosperity in the lives of the citizens. "In compliance, the government started implementing the guarantees of the Prime Minister from the very first day," CM Sai said. He further said that the Prime Minister has set the goal of developing a 'Viksit Bharat' before the country. "From providing permanent housing to 18 lakh families, paying two years' pending bonus to farmers, paddy procurement at the rate of Rs 3100 per quintal and 21 quintal per acre, to providing financial assistance of Rs 1,000 every month to married women under Mahtari Vandan Yojana, we have fulfilled many guarantees. Prime Minister has set the goal of developing a 'Viksit Bharat' before the country," he added. Chhattisgarh CM said that to achieve the goal of Viksit Bharat Chhattisgarh is also ready to participate with full dedication and we have set ourselves the objective of building 'Viksit Chhattisgarh'. "To unite the nation for innovation and to provide maximum benefits of government schemes to every citizen, 'Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra' has started in Chhattisgarh from December 16 last year," he said. Informing about the achievements of Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra, the Chief Minister stated that 1.25 crore people of the state including women participated in the Yatra. "Of these, more than 1 crore people also participated in the online resolution. During the Sankalp Yatra, more than 66 lakh people got health check-ups in health camps, 55 lakh people got TB tests done, and 35 lakh people got sickle cell tests done. 4 lakh 35 thousand Ayushman Bharat cards were issued along with 47 thousand credit cards, 10 thousand soil health cards and registration of 45 thousand My Bharat volunteers," he added. He added that for the welfare of 5 special backward tribes in Chhattisgarh, approval has been given for the construction of 333 roads of length 1180 kilometres costing Rs 847 crore 45 lakh. "This will benefit 366 settlements of special backward tribes. Expressing his gratitude to the Prime Minister regarding the Pradhan Mantri JANMAN Yojana, the Chief Minister stated that 29,439 families have been identified under this scheme in Chhattisgarh. Of these, houses have been sanctioned for more than 15,000 families.A total of 13,188 families have received the first installment. Under the Lakhpati Didi Yojana, a target has been set to make 7 lakh 82 thousand women of the state 'Lakhpati Didi'," he said. "In today's programme, the Prime Minister has inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of 10 projects worth Rs 34,427 crore. Through these projects, our efforts to develop Chhattisgarh will be strengthened, and we will fulfill the dream of the Prime Minister of a developed India by making Chhattisgarh a developed state", Chief Minister said. Chief Minister disbursed the funds to beneficiaries in the programme. School Education Minister Brijmohan Agrawal and Agriculture Minister Ramvichar Netam also addressed the program. Chief Secretary Amitabh Jain, Principal Secretary Niharika Barik, Chief Minister's Secretary P. Dayanand, Divisional Commissioner Dr. Sanjay Alung, Collector Dr. Gaurav Singh, and SSP Santosh Singh were also present on the occasion. Collector Gaurav Singh delivered the welcome address. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of multiple development projects worth Rs 34,400 crores in Chhattisgarh under 'Viksit Bharat, Viksit Chhattisgarh'. The projects cater to several important sectors including Roads, Railways, Coal, Power, and Solar Energy among others. (ANI) Following the Assam government's move to repeal the Assam Muslim Marriage and Divorce Registration Act, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) leader Waris Pathan alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government is 'anti-Muslim' and that they want to polarise votes before the Lok Sabha polls. "The BJP government is anti-muslim, the law that was brought by Himanta Biswa Sarma in Assam is a violation of articles 25, 26, and 28 of the constitution, it is the fundamental right, everyone has the right to practice their religion," Pathan said in a video message. "The BJP govt hates Muslims...they hate our eating habits. first, they brought a law on Triple Talaq, and now a law against Muslim marriage...what is the need for a different law in Assam? As the elections are coming, they are trying to polarise votes," he claimed. In a step towards prohibiting child marriage in the state, the Assam Cabinet on Friday repealed the 'Assam Muslim Marriages and Divorces Registration Act, 1935. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma posted on 'X' and said that this move marks another significant step towards prohibiting child marriages in Assam. "On February 23, the Assam cabinet made a significant decision to repeal the age-old Assam Muslim Marriages and Divorces Registration Act. This act contained provisions allowing marriage registration even if the bride and groom had not reached the legal ages of 18 and 21, as required by law. This move marks another significant step towards prohibiting child marriages in Assam," Assam CM said. The state government mentioned after repealing the law, "District Commissioners and District Registrars will be authorized to take custody of registration records currently in the custody of 94 Muslim Marriage Registrars on the repeal of the legislation under the overall supervision, guidance, and control of the Inspector General of Registration. "One-time compensation of Rs 2 lakh will be provided to Muslim Marriage Registrars for their rehabilitation after the Act is repealed. Further, listing the reason behind repealing the law, the Assam Government said that it was an obsolete pre-Independence Act of the British for the then Province of Assam. "Registration of marriages and divorces is not mandatory as per the Act and the machinery of registration is informal, leaving a lot of scope for non-compliance of extant norms. As per provisions of the Act, there remains scope for registering marriages of intended persons below 21 years (for males) and 18 years (for females) and there is hardly any monitoring for implementation of the Act," state government said. Union Minister Giriraj Singh lauded the Assam government's decision and said that separate laws for Hindus and Muslims won't be possible adding that in this manner the country won't function properly. "Uttarakhand brought the Uniform Civil Code (UCC), now in Assam if one law is followed by everyone then it will be beneficial. Different laws for Hindus and Muslims won't be possible, and in that way, the country won't function properly," Giriraj Singh told reporters on Saturday. Meanwhile, AIDUF Chief Badrudin Ajmal slammed the government's move, alleging, "They (BJP government) want to polarise their votes by instigating Muslims. The Muslims will not let this happen...This is the first step towards bringing UCC (in Assam). But through this, the BJP Government will die in Assam." AIDUF leader Rafiqul Islam on Saturday criticised the decision, calling it a "tactic to target Muslims." Rafiqul, while speaking to ANI, claimed that the Assam government, led by Himanta Biswa Sarma, does not have the "courage" to bring the Uniform Civil Code, hence repealing the Marriage Act. "This Government doesn't have the courage to bring UCC. They can't do it. What they brought in Uttarakhand, is not UCC either...They were trying to bring UCC to Assam too. But I think they can't bring it to Assam because there are people from several castes and communities here...BJP followers themselves follow those practices here...Elections are approaching, this is just their tactics to target Muslims," he said. According to the 2011 census, Muslims make up 34 percent of Assam's population, standing at 1.06 crore out of a total population of 3.12 crore. (ANI) Reacting to West Bengal Congress chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury's statement that Trinamool Congress is in a dilemma over the alliance, TMC MP Santanu Sen said that Adhir Chowdhury should first clear his stand whether he is against BJP or engage in giving oxygen to the BJP. TMC MP Santanu Sen said, "Adhir Chowdhury should first clear his stand. Everyone knows that for the past few years, he has been doing everything possible to malign the anti-BJP force TMC and giving oxygen to BJP." He alleged that Adhir Chowdhury was speaking against Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and TMC general secretary Abhishek Banerjee. "He is trying to malign the TMC. When there is ED-CBI action against the TMC then he is criticising the party. He is speaking against the state government. He along with CPM and the Indian Secular Front (ISF) is giving oxygen to BJP. He should clear his stand first whether he is against BJP or will engage in giving oxygen to BJP," he said. West Bengal Congress chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Saturday said the grand old party will contest the forthcoming parliamentary elections in the state "alone." Addressing a press conference at the Congress party office in Murshidabad, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said, "We have said this many times that Congress will fight alone in West Bengal." "They (TMC) are in a dilemma. There should be an official yes or no from the party Supremo (Mamata Banerjee). They are not saying officially that the process of forging the alliance has ended. Because they are in a dilemma," the state Congress chief said. He further said that TMC is unable to decide on the alliance because of their dilemma while hinting at ongoing dialogue between the parties. "The first dilemma is a section of the party believes that if they contest alone, without the INDIA alliance, then the minorities of West Bengal will vote against them. One section of the TMC wants the alliance to continue. Another section is in another dilemma that if the alliance is given more importance in Bengal, then the Modi government will use ED, and CBI against them. Because of these two dilemmas, the TMC has not been able to make a clear decision. Maybe there are some talks in Delhi, but I don't have any such information," he said. Earlier, West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee broke ties with the Congress, stating that the party will go solo in West Bengal in the Lok Sabha polls, giving a big dent to the opposition INDIA bloc. (ANI) BJP Mahila Morcha National President Vanathi Srinivasan and BJP leader Agnimitra Paul along with party workers, held a candlelight march from College Square to Thanthania Kalibari in Kolkata, demanding justice for victims in Sandeshkhali on Saturday. Vanathi Srinivasan said, "Our Mahila Morcha has conducted several protests, and they are being arrested. The opposition leaders were not being allowed to enter the village. Women ministers were not allowed to enter the village. We are holding a candlelight march to provide justice to the victims, and we will raise our demand until justice is provided to them." BJP leader Agnimitra Paul said that we have two demands from the state government. Agnimitra Paul said, "Our first demand is that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was aware of the atrocities the women had to face in Sandeshkhali, so the CM should apologise. Our next demand is that Sheikh Shahjahan should be immediately arrested and taken to Delhi." She further hit out at CM Mamata Banerjee and said that if the CM can show in the video that BJP's LoP Suvendu Adhikari hurled a 'Khalistani' jibe against the Sikh officer, then she was willing to resign. "If Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee can show in the video that we have said anything against the Sikh officer Jaspreet Singh, then I am willing to resign from the post of MLA. I respect the Sikh community and grew up with them in Asansol. If our Sikh brothers and sisters wish that I go to Gurudwara and take a vow that we have abused the Sikh officer, we are willing to do so. But can Mamata Banerjee take vow in front of Guru Granth Sahib that we have abused the officer," she said. Earlier, West Bengal police claimed that BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari hurled a 'Khalistani' slur at a Sikh police officer. In a series of posts on 'X', the West Bengal Police expressed outrage and labelled the comment by BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari as malicious, racial, communally inciting and a criminal act. Meanwhile, this incident elicited a strong reaction from CM Mamata Banerjee, who said that BJP's divisive politics has shamelessly overstepped constitutional boundaries. "Today, the BJP's divisive politics has shamelessly overstepped constitutional boundaries. As per BJP every person wearing a TURBAN is a KHALISTANI. I VEHEMENTLY CONDEMN this audacious attempt to undermine the reputation of our SIKH BROTHERS & SISTERS, revered for their SACRIFICES and UNWAVERING DETERMINATION to our nation. We stand firm in protecting Bengal's social harmony and will take stern lawful measures to prevent any attempts to disrupt it," she said in a post on 'X'. A large number of women in Sandeshkhali have accused Trinamool Congress strongman Shajahan Sheikh and his supporters of "land-grab and sexually assaulting" them under coercion. (ANI) Union Minister Meenakashi Lekhi on Saturday hit out at West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and alleged of securing her aide Sheikh Shahjahan amid various allegations of land grabbing and atrocities against women. "Where there is a Chief Minister named Mamata and her affection is towards people like Shahjahan, and not towards the oppressed girls and mothers and sisters, then what can we say about such a government? What else should happen?" Lekhi said addressing a press conference here. The Union Minister said that while Mamata Banerjee may not have any affection for the women in her state, the Bharatiya Janata Party is supporting all who are facing systematic violence in West Bengal. "Today, through all of you, we are also expressing our anger and want to say that while the Chief Minister like Mamata Banerjee is not with the daughters, the Bharatiya Janata Party, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is supporting all such mothers, sisters, girls. We are with those who have been continuously harassed by the West Bengal government," she added. The women protestors in West Bengal's Sandeshkhali are seeking justice against alleged atrocities committed by TMC leader Sheikh Shahjahan and his aides. A large number of women in Sandeshkhali have accused Trinamool Congress strongman Shajahan Sheikh and his supporters of "land-grab and sexually assaulting" them under coercion. Speaking about the materialisation of seat-sharing talks between the Aam Aadmi Party and the Congress in some key states ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Lekhi said that politics is not a game of mathematics but chemistry. "In 2019 Lok Sabha, the BJP got approximately 56.86 per cent vote share in Delhi, the Congress got 22.51 and the AAP got 18.11. Politics is not mathematics, it is chemistry and you get people's support when you work for them," the Union Minister said. Pointing out the difference between the chemistry of the INDIA bloc partners and the BJP in Delhi, Lekhi said, "The chemistry between those who are corrupt is different from those who serve people. The chemistry of corruption won't stand a chance in front of the chemistry of service. The powers which support corruption will rest with those who practice corruption. The history between 2013 and 2019 also suggests that. Even if you add up Congress and Aam Aadmi Party's vote share it will be 40.62 per cent." Speaking about the BJP's electoral performance in Gujarat, Haryana, Goa and Chandigarh where the AAP and the Congress has stitched a seat-sharing deal, the senior BJP leader said that the opposition alliance fails even in mathematics. "In Gujarat, in 2019 Lok Sabha election, BJP got 62.21 per cent vote share. In Haryana 2019 elections, BJP got 58.02 per cent and in Goa it got 51.19 and in Chandigarh, it got 50.64. So it fails in mathematics as well as in chemistry," Lekhi said. Hitting out at the INDIA bloc, the Union Minister claimed that the sole purpose of the alliance is to blame one another after losing the polls as both of them are confident of losing the elections. "This coalition has no head or tail, but both the parties know that they are going to lose this election. They are only doing so to determine whom to blame when they lose the poll battle," Lekhi said. After weeks of suspense and wrangling over the allotment of seats in the national capital ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, INDIA partners AAP and Congress on Saturday announced a seat-sharing pact for Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Chandigarh and Goa. (ANI) A major fire broke out at the Shillong Bar Association building located behind the East Khasi Hills in the late hours of Saturday. The incident occurred at around 10:15 p.m., and authorities have not yet confirmed the cause of the fire. Several firefighter vehicles were present at the spot and were continuously engaged in dousing the fire. Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma visited the incident site and took stock of the situation. He termed the incident "unfortunate'. "We are here to determine the exact reason behind the fire but it seems that electric conditions led to the fire accident here. It is very unfortunate. All the officials from the concerned departments are here. We are very relieved that there is no loss of life. But there is a loss of infrastructure and there could be a loss of documents also but we are trying our best to minimise the damage," he said. Further details are awaited. (ANI) The Delhi High Court has directed the SHO of a police station to assist in ensuring unhindered observance of Shab-e-Barat at Dargah and the Masjid of Baqi Billah in Nabi Karim Area of New Delhi. Justice Mini Pushkarna passed the direction while disposing of a contempt petition moved by Mohd. Arshad Ahmad, Imam of Baqi Billah Dargah and Mosque. "Having heard learned counsel for the parties, this Court directs that police assistance shall be provided by SHO, Police Station Nabi Karim, to ensure that the religious ceremony of "Shab-E Barat," scheduled from 6:00 PM on February 25, 2024, till 7:00 AM on February 26, 2024, is carried out unhindered, without any inference from any quarters," Justice Pushkarna said in the order of February 21, 2024. The Court also directed that the police shall also ensure that the petitioner is neither manhandled by any person nor any obstruction is caused in the discharge of his duties duringthe course of the religious ceremony. It was submitted by Advocate Sufian M Siddiqui, counsel appearing for the petition, that the petitioner recently approached the SHO, Police Station Nabi Karim, requesting adequate police assistance for the upcoming auspicious religious occasion of "Shab-E Barat." He submits that the petitioner went to the SHO with a representation on February 13, 2024, however, the petitioner was treated badly. Further, no acknowledgement of the representation was given by the respondent SHO. On the other hand, per contra, learned counsel appearing for the respondent disputes theaforesaid contention. He submitted that the order of August 17, 2020, passed by the High Court is complied with by the police and whenever police assistance is sought, the same is being provided by the SHO. This order of the High Court has come on the contempt petition alleging willful disobedience of the order of August 17, 2020, passed by the High Court in a matter of Mohd. Arshad Ahmad vs. The State NCT of Delhi and Ors. By way of the said order, the High Court disposed of the matter with a direction to the Delhi Government and SHO, Police Station Nabi Karim, to ensure that no hindrance or obstruction is caused to the petitioner in performing his official and religious duties as Imam of theMasjid in the context of the allegations contained in this petition, and in case of any eventuality, to respond and deal with any breach of peace or law and order, according to law. While disposing of the contempt petition Needless to state, the respondents shall continue to comply with the order dated August 17, 2020, in its true letter and spirit. (ANI) Short and long-term exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) air pollution is linked to an increased risk of hospitalisation for serious heart and lung problems, according to two major US studies published in The British Medical Journal. Together, the results suggest that no safe threshold exists for heart and lung health. According to the Global Burden of Disease study, exposure to PM2.5 accounts for an estimated 7.6 per cent of total global mortality and 4.2 per cent of global disability-adjusted life years (a measure of years lived in good health). In light of this extensive evidence, the World Health Organization (WHO) updated the air quality guidelines in 2021, recommending that annual average PM2.5 levels should not exceed 5 mg/m3 and 24-hour average PM2.5 levels should not exceed 15 mg/m3 on more than 3-4 days each year. In the first study, researchers linked average daily PM2.5 levels to residential zip codes for nearly 60 million US adults (84 per cent white, 55 per cent women) aged 65 and over from 2000 to 2016. They then used Medicare insurance data to track hospital admissions over an average of eight years. After accounting for a range of economic, health and social factors, average PM2.5 exposure over three years was associated with increased risks of first hospital admissions for seven major types of cardiovascular disease - ischemic heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, heart failure, cardiomyopathy, arrhythmia, valvular heart disease, and thoracic and abdominal aortic aneurysms. Compared with exposures of 5 mg/m3 or less (the WHO air quality guideline for annual PM2.5), exposures between 9 and 10 mg/m3, which encompassed the US national average of 9.7 mg/m3 during the study period, were associated with a 29 per cent increased risk of hospital admission for cardiovascular disease. On an absolute scale, the risk of hospital admission for cardiovascular disease increased from 2.59 per cent with exposures of 5 mg/m3 or less to 3.35% at exposures between 9 and 10 mg/m3. "This means that if we were able to manage to reduce annual PM2.5 below 5 ug/m3, we could avoid 23 per cent in hospital admissions for cardiovascular disease," say the researchers.*These cardiovascular effects persisted for at least three years after exposure to PM2.5, and susceptibility varied by age, education, access to healthcare services, and area deprivation level. The researchers say their findings suggest that no safe threshold exists for the chronic effect of PM2.5 on overall cardiovascular health and that substantial benefits could be attained through adherence to the WHO air quality guideline."On February 7, 2024, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) updated the national air quality standard for annual PM2.5 level, setting a stricter limit at no more than 9 ug/m3. This is the first update since 2012. However, it is still considerably higher than the 5 ug/m3 set by WHO. The newly published national standard was not sufficient for the protection of public health," they add.In the second study, researchers used county-level daily PM2.5 concentrations and medical claims data to track hospital admissions and emergency department visits for natural causes, cardiovascular disease, and respiratory disease for 50 million US adults aged 18 and over from 2010 to 2016. During the study period, more than 10 million hospital admissions and 24 million emergency department visits were recorded.They found that short-term exposure to PM2.5, even at concentrations below the new WHO air quality guideline limit, was statistically significantly associated with higher rates of hospital admissions for natural causes, cardiovascular disease and respiratory disease, as well as emergency department visits for respiratory disease. For example, on days when daily PM2.5 levels were below the new WHO air quality guideline limit of 15 mg/m3, an increase of 10 mg/m3 in PM2.5 was associated with 1.87 extra hospital admissions per million adults aged 18 and over per day.The researchers say their findings constitute an important contribution to the debate about the revision of air quality limits, guidelines, and standards. Both research teams acknowledge several limitations such as possible misclassification of exposure and point out that other unmeasured factors may have affected their results. What's more, the findings may not apply to individuals without medical insurance, children and adolescents, and those living outside the US. However, taken together, these new results provide a valuable reference for future national air pollution standards. (ANI) Odesa Oblast Governor Oleh Kiper reported the incident to Telegram on Friday. According to Kiper, rescuers found the body of one victim while fighting a fire that broke out at the attack site at the same time. Moreover, two more bodies were subsequently retrieved from the rubble of the damaged building, Kyiv Independent reported. Russian forces targeted Odesa Oblast with Shahed-131/136 attack drones and also launched Kh-31P and Kh-22 missiles from strategic aircraft from the Black Sea. However, the missiles lost their combat capability in the air. Moreover, air defence downed at least nine drones over Odesa Oblast, as per the military. One of the drones that was hit over the sea, crashed into a building in the coastal zone of Odesa, causing a fire, as reported by Kyiv Independent. Reportedly, a security guard was rescued from the damaged building. Following the attack, Ukraine's Air Force warned about the threat of drone attacks for Odesa, Kirovohrad, Dnipropetrovsk, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts. Furthermore, drone attacks have become a daily occurrence in Ukraine, affecting various regions across the country. Meanwhile, earlier on Thursday, Ukraine's air defence downed eight Shahed drones, Kyiv Independent reported. On Saturday, it marks the second anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Earlier this week, fresh Russian drone attacks were reported by Ukraine's military amid growing pressure for new sanctions against Russia following the death of Alexey Navalny, Voice of America reported. Ukraine's air defences claimed to have destroyed all 23 Russian drones in multiple regions, including Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Kherson, and Mykolaiv. Moreover, the Russian attack also included four guided missiles, with no immediate reports of damage or casualties. (ANI) The White House announced on Saturday that Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni will visit the United States on March 1. While addressing a press briefing, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, said that US President Joe Biden would welcome the Italian Prime Minister to the White House. "On March 1, President Biden will welcome Prime Minister Meloni of Italy to the White House to reaffirm the strong relationship between the United States and Italy," she said. Moreover, the leaders will discuss shared approaches to address global challenges, according to the White House Press Secretary. "The leaders will discuss shared approaches to address global challenges, including their commitment to continue supporting Ukraine as it confronts Russia's aggressions, preventing regional escalation in the Middle East, delivering humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza, developments in North Africa, and close transatlantic coordination regarding the People's Republic of China," she highlighted. Additionally, the US President and Italian PM are also expected to discuss Italy's G7 presidencies and coordinate in advance of the NATO summit. "They will also discuss Italy's G7 presidencies and coordinate in advance of the NATO summit in Washington...," she said. On the second anniversary of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, US President Joe Biden announced over 500 new sanctions against Russia for its ongoing war of conquest of Ukraine and the death of Aleksey Navalny, who was Putin's fiercest opposition leader. He further emphasised that these sanctions will target individuals connected to Navalny's imprisonment, and several Russian sectors. "Today, I am announcing more than 500 new sanctions against Russia for its ongoing war of conquest on Ukraine and for the death of Aleksey Navalny, who was a courageous anti-corruption activist and Putin's fiercest opposition leader," he said, according to an official release by the White House. Biden also imposed new export restrictions on nearly 100 entities for providing backdoor support for Russia's war machine. "We are also imposing new export restrictions on nearly 100 entities for providing backdoor support for Russia's war machine. We are taking action to further reduce Russia's energy revenues," he said. (ANI) After almost a week, the popular social media platform 'X' is still inaccessible to Pakistanis and the caretaker government has yet to disclose the reason behind the prolonged disruption, Geo News reported. According to the report, the shutdown that began last Saturday resulted in users across the country being unable to share information. Caretaker Minister for Information and Technology Dr Umar Saif was not immediately available for a comment and the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has yet to issue a statement on the matter. "User reports indicate possible problems at X (Twitter)," said website tracker Downdetector.com, Geo News reported. According to the report, despite being the country among the top internet users globally, Pakistan struggles with internet availability, ranking low compared to its peers, while reportedly authorities intermittently disrupt access to social media platforms. Ahead of the February 8 general elections, users were unable to access several social media sites, for which authorities concerned blamed an error. However, on the polling day, the internet was shut down to avoid terrorism, according to the caretaker government. Following the sought-after polls, there were repeated disruptions in accessing X. Internet shutdowns directly contradict constitutionally guaranteed rights like freedom of information (Article 19-A), freedom of speech (Article 19), and freedom of association (Article 17). In its February 2018 ruling, the Islamabad High Court declared internet shutdowns against fundamental rights and the Constitution. Digital rights activists had slammed the authorities' move to disrupt the access to the social media platform and deplored the utter lack of transparency from the government. Meanwhile, the Sindh High Court Thursday ordered the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to fully restore the services of social media platform X across the country and sought a detailed response from the authority and other parties at a later hearing, however, the PTA is yet to allow accessibility. (ANI) Amid the intense conlfict in Gaza, a group of lawyers is filing a criminal complaint with the German federal prosecutor against the senior German politicians including the chancellor Olaf Scholz, accusing them of "aiding and abetting" the 'genocide' they say is being committed by Israel in Gaza, Al Jazeera reported on Friday. According to the report, the case against several members of the country's Federal Security Council, which directs national security policy and authorises weapons exports, was announced on Friday. Additionally, the Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, Economics Minister Robert Habeck, Finance Minister Christian Lindner and others has been named in the case. The lawyers behind the case represent families of two Palestinians with roots in the Gaza Strip, including that of Palestinian-German migration scholar Nora Ragab. "We, Palestinians in the diaspora, will not stand by and watch a genocide being committed against our families and our people," Ragab said in a statement. "We will use all means at our disposal. ... Today we aim to hold the German government accountable for its complicity in the genocide in Gaza." Al Jazeera reported that the European Legal Support Center, the Palestine Institute for Public Diplomacy and the UK-based Law for Palestine are among the civil society organisations backing the case. In a jointly written statement, they said, "The German state is one of the countries that has shown some of the strongest political and material support to Israel in its assault on the Gaza Strip and the Palestinians." Alexander Gorski, one of the lawyers supporting the case, acknowledged that "from a legal point of view and given the political landscape in Germany, this case will be a difficult one." "But we believe it's our responsibility as people working in the judicial sector to try to do something," he told Al Jazeera. "We are seeing a genocide being livestreamed around the world, and despite this, the Israeli government is still being supported by other countries and is still receiving weapons from them." After the October 7 attacks by Hamas, during which 1,139 people were killed in southern Israel, the Israeli government retaliated with a military campaign in Gaza that has to date killed more than 29,000 Palestinians, the majority of them women and children. Israel has said it wants to crush Hamas, which governs the densely populated strip, but after four months of war, the devastating civilian toll is causing alarm among world leaders. In late January, the United Nations' top court, the International Court of Justice, or ICJ, found it was "plausible" that Israel was committing acts in Gaza that violated the international Convention on Genocide. Since the court's decision, Germany and all other third-party states should have been trying to stop Israel from committing such acts, the lawyers behind Friday's case said, Al Jazeera reported. However since October, many German officials have "incited" genocide with their statements, they alleged. The legal case will also focus on German weapons exports to Israel. These increased significantly in 2023, compared with the previous year, and most of that increase was approved by the German government after October 7. Despite the ICJ ruling, Germany has "already agreed in principle" to send more tank ammunition to Israel, they said. (ANI) LILONGWE, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- Malawian President Lazarus Chakwera is among African leaders attending former Namibian President Hage Geingob's memorial and funeral services scheduled to take place Saturday and Sunday at the Independence Stadium, and at the Heroes' Acre, outside Windhoek, the capital of Namibia, respectively. Chakwera, who in November suspended external travel for himself and all government officials until the end of March to save the country's much-needed resources, described his attendance of Geingob's state funeral as "very important." The Malawian leader departed Kamuzu International Airport in Lilongwe, the capital of Malawi, Saturday morning, saying "the whole SADC, and the whole Africa are grieved with the demise of the (former) Namibian President" and that the leaders are also grieved to have lost one of their own. SADC stands for Southern African Development Community, which is a regional economic community comprising 16 member states including Malawi and Namibia. For this reason, Chakwera said it is only proper for him to join his SADC and African counterparts in mourning the fallen leader. The Malawian President is expected to return Sunday after the burial of the remains of Geingbo, who died on Feb. 4 in a hospital in Windhoek, at the age of 82, according to media reports. At least 27 African leaders, 18 of them sitting heads of state, are expected to attend the state funeral of Geingbo, according to Namibian media reports which quoted the country's Minister of Information and Communication Technology Emma Theofelus. Taking to X, EAM Jaishankar posted about the meeting saying, "Great to see Andrew Shearer, DG ONI of Australia at the #RaisinaDialogue2024 . Always enjoy our conversations." On Friday, EAM Jaishankar met his counterparts from the Czech Republic, Romania and Bhutan here in New Delhi on the sidelines of Raisina Dialogue 2024. The Foreign Minister of Czech Republic along with EAM Jaishankar, explored areas of collaboration in India-Czech ties. In a post on X, Jaishankar wrote, "The meeting with FM @JanLipavsky of Czech Republic on #RaisinaDialogue2024 sidelines was a good stock taking. We appreciated the progress after PM Pete Fiala's recent visit and explored further areas of collaboration. Was useful to hear regional insights." Earlier on Friday, Jaishankar also met his counterpart from Romania. "Welcomed FM @Odobes1Luminita of Romania on her first Raisina visit. Impressed by her enthusiasm for deeper India-Romania cooperation. Reciprocate that fully and will remain in close touch," he wrote on X. Jaishankar also welcomed the Foreign Minister of Bhutan DN Dhungyel on his first visit to India after assuming office. "Welcomed @FMBhutan D. N. Dhungyel on his first visit to India after assuming office," Jaishankar wrote on X. "His participation in #RaisinaDialogue2024 and our productive meeting this evening was very much in keeping with #NeighbourhoodFirst and our unique partnership Look forward to working closely with him," he added. Notably, the Raisina Dialogue, on the sidelines of which the Foreign Ministers of various countries met Jaishankar, is jointly organised by the Ministry of External Affairs and the Observer Research Foundation. Raisina Dialogue is India's flagship conference on geopolitics and geoeconomics, committed to addressing the most challenging issues facing the global community. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis was the chief guest and keynote speaker at the ongoing 9th Raisina Dialogue. He inaugurated the dialogue with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 21. (ANI) External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Saturday said the coming together of India, US, Australia and Japan as part of the Quad group serves to illustrate the growth of a multipolar order and advance a post-Cold War thinking against 'spheres of influence'. "I believe it (Quad) has five messages. One, it reflects the growth of a multipolar order. Two, it is post-Alliance and post-Cold War thinking. Three, it is against spheres of influence. Four, It expresses the democratizing of the global space and a collaborative, not unilateral approach. And five, it is a statement that in this day and age, others cannot have a veto on our choices," EAM Jaishankar said on the closing day of the Raisina Dialogue in the national capital on Saturday. Jaishankar was addressing the 'Quad Think Tank Forum' session at the Raisina Dialogue. The session was primarily focused on the Quad, as well as a free and open Indo-Pacific Highlighting the significance of Quad grouping in Indo-Pacific at the session, the EAM said, "Now, this in turn would elicit the question, why the Indo-Pacific? And the answer, I think, by now is very clear. The post-1945 division of what till then was perceived to be a cohesive threat resulted in our contemplating the Indian Ocean and the Pacific one as two separate entities. This separation was an outcome of American strategic priorities in 1945." Invoking the Quad's history and events, he said they strengthened the grouping of four nations to discuss multi-faceted issues. "The origins of the Quad go back to the tsunami response. This was an event which happened in late December 2004. I happen to be the coordinator for that response on the Indian side. In 2006, the actual idea of a Quad was put forward by the then Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. But as I said earlier, it unravelled within a year, and in fact Abe himself had left office at that time," Jaishankar said. "In 2017, after a full decade, Quad was resumed, first at the Foreign Secretary's level, and then was upgraded in 2019 to the ministerial one. Coincidentally, I happen to be occupying both positions at that particular juncture. In 2021, we, all four of us, upgraded it to the summit level and it has flourished since. And it's been my privilege to have participated in all the meetings that have taken place since then," he added. The common refrain at the session was that the grouping should be in the interest of all countries in the region amid concerns around the Quad being an exclusive partnership between the four members. This session will also feature discussions on the state of recent efforts to expand the grouping's outreach to other like-minded countries. Before EAM Jaishankar, US Deputy Secretary of State, Kurt M. Campbell, addressed the session on behalf of Secretary of State Antony Blinken, saying, "The strength of the Quad is its ability to harness the resources and capabilities of our four nations (US, India, Australia, Japan) to deliver concrete outcomes that benefit us all. In 2024, it has enabled us to promote that common good for the people across the IndoPacific." "I want to emphasise the defining feature of our partnership - the Quad stands for our affirmative vision of a Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP), in which we collectively build the capacity of our allies and partners. The Quad is not about forcing the region to choose between strategic competitors. It is about preserving and creating options so that communities, institutions and countries can make decisions to benefit their people," he added. Australian FM Penny Wong, who addressed the session virtually, stressed the positive impact of Quad in the Indo-Pacific, saying, "We've maintained strong momentum in offering but never imposing transparent valued public goods. that responded to priorities." "I described the quad is a lighthouse, which brings together our countries to illuminate a positive vision for the Indo-Pacific," she added. Raisina Dialogue is India's flagship conference on geopolitics and geoeconomics, committed to addressing the most challenging issues facing the global community. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis was the chief guest and keynote speaker at the ongoing 9th Raisina Dialogue. He inaugurated the dialogue with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 21. (ANI) Abu Dhabi [UAE], February 24 (ANI/WAM): The World Trade Organisation's (WTO) 13th Ministerial Conference (MC13) in Abu Dhabi is an opportunity to uphold the rules-based global order, according to Hadja Lahbib, Belgium's Minister for Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade, and the Federal Cultural Institutions. "Given the geopolitical and geoeconomics challenges we are all facing, it is more important than ever to send out a strong and positive message that a rules-based global order still works," she told the Emirates News Agency (WAM) in an email interview from Brussels. MC13 in UAE's good hands The UAE will host MC13 from 26th to 29th February 2024 in Abu Dhabi, after successfully organising COP28, the UN Climate Conference in Dubai in December 2023. Around 164 nations and trading blocs will participate in the Ministerial Conference, the WTO's top decision-making body, which meets usually every two years. The Belgian Minister said, "We are looking forward to working together with the UAE Chair during the Conference and believe we are in good hands to deliver ambitious outcomes at the MC13." The Conference is, of course, a perfect opportunity to further strengthen Belgium's ties with the UAE and the region, and work together for a stronger rules-based international trading system, she stressed. As open economies, both the UAE and Belgium have a great interest in cooperating at the bilateral and multilateral levels, Lahbib emphasised. Belgium coordinates EU position MC13 is taking place during the six months that Belgium holds the rotating Presidency of the Council of the European Union, the minister pointed out. "This implies that we will be coordinating the EU's position among the 27 Member States, and with the European Commission which is negotiating in name of the EU and its Member States." The EU's main political priority is to re-establish a fully and well-functioning Dispute Settlement Body, she said. Any outcome should include the possibility for an appeal procedure, Lahbib added. Other important priorities are the extension of the e-commerce moratorium as well as an ambitious agreement regarding fisheries subsidies, building on what was achieved at MC12, Lahbib explained. Welcoming new members, WTO reforms "We welcome the accession of the Comoros and Timor-Leste. This shows the continuing appeal and staying power of the WTO as a multilateral organisation," the Belgian minister said. Strengthening the multilateral system, with the WTO at its core, will allow it to function as a guardrail against an increasingly fragmented economic order, she affirmed. At MC12, Lahbib noted, members took already some initial steps towards reform of the WTO. "We are committed to continue this reform process at MC13 and look ahead towards MC14." In this context, she explained, the EU has proposed to enhance the deliberative function of the WTO by creating a platform within the WTO framework to discuss 21st century challenges. The EU proposal focuses on trade and industrial policy, trade and environment, and trade and inclusiveness, the minister added. (ANI/WAM) Several prominent Baloch human rights activists have voiced their concerns over the atrocities faced by the Baloch community in Pakistan over the last two decades. They have called upon politicians and other leaders to prioritise the civil rights of this oppressed community. The event, which aimed to shed light on the plight of the Baloch community globally, witnessed the participation of over 500 individuals from around the world. This diverse group included journalists, representatives from media organizations, members of the United Kingdom government, intellectuals, and individuals belonging to the Baloch community. Hosted by the UK's Labour Member of Parliament for Hayes and Harlington, John McDonnell, the event held on Friday was intended to bring attention to the severe hardships endured by the Baloch people on the international stage. During the online session, prominent Baloch rights activist Mahrang Baloch detailed the numerous atrocities faced by the Baloch people. She revealed that she, too, had been a victim of enforced disappearances, recounting the abduction of her father when she was just 14 years old. He was later imprisoned on baseless accusations, becoming one of many Balochis who have been forcibly abducted and killed by Pakistan's law enforcement agencies. She further said, "Balochistan has been facing a systematic genocide for the last 76 years. And, for the last two decades, every Baloch individual has been under the target of state atrocities. It is to create an atmosphere of fear and control every person's rights. Then came a time when the Baloch people were abducted then mutilated and killed by the security agencies and their bodies were thrown. Later on, mass graves were discovered in Balochistan, there are investigative reports by journalists that multiple mass graves exist in Balochistan, where the victims of these atrocities are buried." Furthermore, Mahrang also added that, Pakistan's judiciary also has failed to address this issue, and at times has taken the side of Pakistan's military and state often safeguarding them by stating that the military and law enforcement agencies have nothing to do with those mass graves. Henceforth, none of these bodies have been identified and the relatives of these people still don't know the whereabouts of their relatives. The recent long march which went through various cities of Balochistan and was welcomed by the local people finally witnessed the participation of thousands of Balochis. The Baloch activist while referring to the same event said, "This movement actually witnesses and exposes, the whole setup of the Pakistani state." Referring to the abduction of an individual named Balash, Mahrang narrated that he was first abducted and later on was presented in the court, but was ordered by the judiciary to a 10-day long remand but was killed during his remand after claiming he as a terrorist. "Here we can see that we have exposed all of the state institutions, we know that one institution is behind the human rights violations but all other institutions are supporting them. During our movement, more than 50 individuals were abducted, and even during the 2024 Pakistan General Elections, these abductions have continued. During the entire movement, numerous mothers were on the streets for their sons. As they have abducted people who are over the age of 60 and are farmers earning bread for their families," Mahrang added. She also added that "even the attorney general has given a verdict on January 10th this year ordering that no one must be abducted after that day but still the abductions have continued. It is evident that the state institutions are incompetent and incapable of providing basic rights to the Baloch community, which have been written in the constitution". Sabiha Baloch, another activist specialising in students' rights present at the virtual discussion, while highlighting the challenges for the Baloch community stated that "this land produces resources worth trillions of dollars but the education rate is merely 23 percent. All small schools in Balochistan have been occupied by the army. Even after having millions of students, there are four universities, and even in those universities, the Baloch are so pushed back that they cannot afford education there. And why we are speaking if you ask, it is now a question of survival. we now have to speak as we are facing the worst human rights violations. The Baloch people are facing a lawless society. And all the institutions who are there in Balochistan are supporting Pakistan to continue this lawlessness and genocide". She also stated, "No one is ready to listen to us, just because a wall is has been created around us made of fear, pseudo politicians and leaders. These leaders may be representing us but don't belong to our society. And those who want to talk about the real situation and rights of the Baloch people are abducted and threatened. This has happened so much that now we have become voiceless for last two decades." Jamal Baloch, the third Baloch activist who participated in the virtual discussion said, "When a person is picked, his status of being a human is dropped at the very moment. He no longer remains a human for the law enforcement agencies who are involved in the person's disappearance. During my abduction by the Pakistani forces, they tortured me and after several tortures, I was released. During the torture, they were continuously trying to pressure me to give them some information of people who are engaged in politics. The condition of my release from them was, that I work for them and will never share what had happened to me in the prison. The same is with every single abducted Baloch individual." "That place is unbearable, people may just be hearing abduction numbers from Balochistan, as a report from PAANK (Pakistani Human Rights Organisation) stated that in 2 years 2000 people were abducted which totals to around 3 people a day. It may be just a number for some people but even today I see images of what these people may be facing," Jamal added. Furthermore, he said, "How systematically they have practiced this crime in Pakistan, they have convinced their people that it is justifiable to abduct anyone. That is why you will never hear from Pakistani journalists, Pakistani parliamentarians, and the common people raising their voices against these crimes. People's mindsets are already controlled, as they have molded the issue, and built the perspective and manipulated, to believe that those who are disappeared must deserve this, as they are actually against the state, although that is not the case". Balochistan, constituting 43.6 percent of Pakistan's total area, stands as the country's largest province. Abundant in natural resources such as gold, copper, oil, and natural gas, it also boasts a 770km (478-mile) coastline housing the strategically significant Gwadar Port, a key component of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. Despite its wealth in resources, Balochistan remains the most economically deprived province in Pakistan. The Baloch ethnic group, forming one-third of the population, has faced prolonged marginalization due to discriminatory policies of the Pakistani government. This history of marginalization has been met with persistent armed resistance. (ANI) In a solemn ceremony, the Embassy of Ukraine in India, together with the European Union Delegation, observed a minute of silence to mark the two-year anniversary of Russia's war against Ukraine. The event, held on February 24 served as a poignant reminder of the enduring struggle faced by the Ukrainian people. The European Union embassy in India took to social media to express solidarity, emphasising the unwavering support of the European Union for Ukraine in its ongoing battle against aggression. In a post on X, the embassy stated, "Today marks 2 years of Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine & its people! European Union has & continues to #StandWithUkraine. Ukraine will prevail & European Union will #StandWithUkraine every step of the way." Herve Delphin, the Ambassador of the European Union to India, paid tribute to the resilience and heroism of the Ukrainian people. He remarked, "On #24Feb2022, Russia launched an unprovoked & unjustified war against #Ukraine. Two years of violence, brutality, terror & destruction. Today, we commemorate the heroic resistance of & its people! European Union stands with Ukraine, every step of the way! Ukraine will prevail!" Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in an address on Saturday, urged his countrymen to remain hopeful of victory. In a video address recorded from the Hostomel airport, Zelensky thanked Ukrainians for their efforts to resist Russia's full-scale invasion and said, "We are 730 days closer to victory." "Keep fighting - you are sure to win!," the Ukranian President said at the airport, which was targeted by Russia in the early days of the war. Zelenskyy said that he is "incredibly proud" of the people of his country and admires and believes in each of them. "Any normal person wants the war to end. But none of us will allow our Ukraine to end. That's why when it comes to ending the war, we always add - on our terms. That's why next to the word "peace," the word "just" always sounds. That's why in future history, next to the word Ukraine, the word "independent" will always stand. We fight for this. And we will prevail. On the best day of our lives," he said. Meanwhile, on February 23, in a meeting of the United Nations Security Council held at its New York headquarters, to discuss the two-year mark of the Russian Ukraine war, the Ukranian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba said, "Two years since its invasion, Moscow's name is synonymous with aggression, war and barbarism. Ukraine wants peace more than any other nation." On February 24, 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine in an escalation of the Russia-Ukraine War that started in 2014. The invasion has become the largest attack on a European country since World War II. (ANI) In a virtual session hosted by John McDonnell, the UK Labour Member of Parliament for Hayes and Harlington, discussions were held on atrocities faced by the people of Balochistan. The one-hour-long discourse garnered participation from over 500 individuals worldwide, including prominent Baloch rights activists like Mahrang Baloch, Sabiha Baloch, and Jamal Baloch. During the online session, McDonnell emphasised the continuity of his commitment, saying, "From my perspective as a British MP, for me now, it is a continuous campaign where we work together." Addressing the pressing issue of human rights abuses perpetrated by the Pakistani administration, McDonnell outlined a three-pronged approach. He asserted, "First, we need to do everything we can to expose the human rights abuses that are taking place and to use every available platform for it. As a member of the British Parliament, I will consistently utilize that platform to bring attention to human rights abuses." McDonnell also highlighted the imperative need to ensure the protection of campaigners, addressing the alarming trend of activists being abducted and threatened by Pakistan. Furthermore, he emphasised the global community's role in mobilizing international opinion to exert pressure on Pakistani authorities, advocating for basic civil liberties and human rights in Balochistan. Expressing support for the cause, McDonnell underscored the leverage the UK government holds through aid and trade agreements with Pakistan. He commented, "Pakistan receives substantial aid, not only from the UK but also from other countries. It's crucial to use that aid to ensure Pakistan respects basic human rights and civil liberties in Balochistan." McDonnell acknowledged concerns about the resistance of the Pakistani government to international intervention, emphasizing a moral responsibility to collaborate with campaigners. He stressed, "Working with all the campaigners, we can establish conditions in trade deals that align with our objectives." Commending the resilience of protestors standing against Pakistani atrocities, McDonnell concluded that such acts contribute to securing civil liberties and basic human rights for the people of Balochistan. (ANI) In an effort to address the severe and urgent situation in Tibet, members of over 44 countries took part in the ninth edition of the International Conference of Tibet Support Groups being held in Brussels, Belgium. President of Tibet Interest Group Mikulas Peksa from the European Parliament during his inaugural speech stated that he prefers all people in the world, regardless of their religion, as long as they are peaceful. He believes that they are brothers and sisters, and one must defend their right to live in peace and protect their identity and religion. He called for the immediate abolishment of the boarding school system that is imposed on children in Tibet. He further emphasised the significance of the European Union in raising the matter of human rights violations in China, specifically the situation in Tibet, and in addressing all political and human rights issues in its dialogues with the Chinese authorities. He reiterated the call on the Chinese government to resume engagements with the representatives of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, the press statement by Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) said. Kalon (Minister) Norzin Dolma of the Department of Information and International Relations (DIIR), Central Tibetan Administration was also among the attendees of the event. She said that she is always thankful for attendees who have been strongly supporting their struggle for the Tibetan people. She added that the conference will help formulate and develop coordinated and action-oriented strategies to solve the Sino-Tibet conflict through dialogue as per the Middle Way Policy. She hoped that the conference outcome would help strengthen the movement and advocacy to restore the lost dignity and human rights in Tibet. Sikyong (head of the Kashag or Cabinet) Penpa Tsering, of the Central Tibetan Administration in the keynote address said that the CTA is fully committed to following His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama's wisdom, whether it's to do with politics or whether it's to do with the welfare of the exile community. At the same time, the Tibetan political leader emphasised the older generation of Tibetans to take charge of nurturing and adequately equipping younger generations to take on the responsibility of furthering the Tibetan struggle for freedom, according to the press statement by CTA. Additionally his Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama had also sent a message for the ongoing international conference. The message from His Holiness the Dalai Lama was read during the inaugural ceremony of the three-day conference by Kalon (Minister) Norzin Dolma of the Department of Information and International Relations (DIIR), CTA. According to the press statement Dalai Lama said "The widespread interest of the international community across the world has been a major source of encouragement and support in our efforts to preserve our identity and keep the Tibetan cause alive." and extended appreciation to Tibet supporter for voluntarily devoting time and resources to working for the just cause of the Tibetan people. "We consider you not as pro-Tibetan but pro-justice." His Holiness underscored - despite the rapid change in the global political environment - that the fundamental issue of Tibet remains the same. While emphasising the religious aspects of Tibetan Buddhism that promotes compassion and non-violence, His Holiness stressed, "The question of Tibet is not merely a matter of justice and human rights but is about the preservation of Tibet's unique and distinct culture, which has the potential to contribute to human development". Dalai Lama further highlighted the concerning issue of Tibet's ecology in the letter and raised the increasing human activities and heating rate on the Tibetan plateau, posing a severe threat to Asia's water balance. As the Tibetan plateau provides freshwater resources to over two billion people, who comprise 30 percent of the global population, His Holiness wrote, "Protection of the Tibetan environment is truly a global concern." In addition, His Holiness invited the participating Tibet supporters to join Him in creating a more peaceful world by promoting His Holiness' four noble commitments: the promotion of human values; the encouragement of inter-religious harmony; keeping Tibetan Buddhist culture - the basis of Tibet's identity - alive; and creating greater awareness and interest in ancient Indian wisdom, focussing on compassion (karuna) and non-violence (ahimsa). "I have dedicated my efforts to fulfilling four commitments," the letter reads, since His Holiness has voluntarily entrusted political responsibilities to the elected Tibetan leadership. (ANI) Australian Health Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson is in India aiming to address the shortage of healthcare workers in Western Australia. The Minister, leading a health skilling and business delegation, has actively engaged with various stakeholders during her visit to Chennai, Hyderabad, Nasnik, and Trivandrum from February 22 to March 2, 2024. Expressing enthusiasm about the trip, Minister Sanderson highlighted the fruitful interactions with health facilities in Chennai, including MGM Hospital, Calvary Hospital, the Apollo Group, and the Madras Medical College. She emphasised ongoing collaboration with the Tamil Nadu government and the commitment of the West Australian government to strengthen the relationship. "It has been a fantastic trip, seeing a range of health facilities in Chennai with MGM Hospital, Calvary Hospital, the Apollo Group, the Madras Medical College and meetings with the Minister for Health. I'll be meeting with the CM to reiterate the West Australian government's commitment to ongoing collaboration and relationship with the Tamil Nadu government," she told ANI. Minister Sanderson stressed the need for nursing, allied health, and medical professionals in Western Australia, with forecasts indicating a requirement for an additional 5,000 FTE doctors and nurses by 2033. "There are many similarities and we're certainly working with private organizations and the government around how we can support nursing and medical staff to come and train in Western Australia and share their skills and knowledge... We need nursing, allied health and medical professionals, and there are many specialities available to work in," she added. The mission aims to showcase Western Australia as an attractive destination for health workers and students to live, work, and study. The Minister's engagements in India included crucial meetings with Tamil Nadu's Minister for Health and Family Welfare, M Subramanian, and Additional Chief Secretary to Government, Health, and Family Welfare Department IAS Gagandeep Singh Bedi. Additionally, an Invest and Trade Business Luncheon, held in collaboration with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), facilitated productive discussions and cooperation within the healthcare sector. Acknowledging Tamil Nadu's prominence in the Indian healthcare landscape, Minister Sanderson addressed prestigious institutions, nursing colleges, and renowned hospitals. These interactions aimed to foster dialogue, share best practices, and explore partnerships in healthcare education and delivery. Tamil Nadu, with its distinction of housing the third-highest number of medical colleges in India, stands as a beacon of advanced healthcare facilities in the country. These engagements aimed to foster dialogue, share best practices, and explore avenues for partnership in healthcare education and delivery. (ANI) The Prime Minister and the Agriculture Minister first observed the control and sorting technology at the factory, together with CEO Asaf Karet. They then held a meeting with representatives of Golan Heights and Upper Galilee farmers, which focused on solutions and assistance for farmers on the confrontation line. Prime Minister Netanyahu and Agriculture Minister Dichter also visited an apple orchard where they were briefed on the cultivation methods for fruit walls, which is a revolution in the cultivation of deciduous fruit. The Prime Minister was accompanied by his Chief-of-Staff, the Director of the National Security Council, the Director General of the Prime Minister's Office and his Military Secretary. (ANI/TPS) In a poignant gathering, families and relatives of Nepali nationals who lost their lives while fighting as mercenaries for Russia held a solemn vigil and offered prayers for the peace of their departed souls. The fate of whether they will ever receive the bodies of their loved ones remains unknown. Saturday marks the completion of two years of Russia's war in Ukraine. The grieving families also paid floral tributes to the confirmed 16 Nepali individuals who lost their lives in the course of the conflict on the Russian side. The ceremony, held at Bhasmeshwor Ghat (crematorium) in the Pashupatinath Temple premises, adjacent to the Bagmati River, included the offering of garlands over a banner featuring images of those who perished in the war. "Those who lost their lives while fighting for Russia- 16 Nepali youths, we offered condolence to the families and tribute to the fallen ones. We again would request all the concerned authorities and public to initiate role to rescue the Nepali trapped in Russia and not disregard them stating they chose to go through illegal ways rather consider them as brother and make some contribution to bring them back safely," Kritu Bhandari, one of the participant of the vigil ceremony told ANI. The formal commencement of the war between Ukraine and Russia saw the latter recruiting foreign nationals to bolster its military efforts. Reports indicate that recruits from various countries, including Nepal, were enticed with promises of substantial financial rewards and citizenship after a specific period. The Russian recruitment drive gained overwhelming interest from Nepali youths, prompting them to travel to different parts of Europe and eventually enter Russia for enlistment. While hundreds of Nepalis are believed to have joined the Russian Army, at least a dozen have been confirmed killed, and many more have sustained injuries during deployment along the war's front line. The escalating involvement of Nepali youths in the Russian Army has compelled the Nepali government to issue warnings against travel to Russia for military engagements. Travelers seeking such involvements are now required to obtain a No Objection Letter (NOL) from the Consular Service Department. Furthermore, Nepali nationals residing abroad and planning visits to Russia must secure an NOL from the respective embassies in their residing countries. The Foreign Ministry of Nepal has consistently urged the public not to engage in recruitment through illegal or informal channels for any security forces globally. Nepal, under bilateral agreements, permits its citizens to be recruited only in the British and Indian Forces. (ANI) ISLAMABAD, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, on behalf of the leadership and people of Iran, on Friday congratulated the Pakistani caretaker government on the successful conduct of parliamentary elections 2024, the Pakistani Foreign Ministry said. Amir-Abdollahian conveyed the message in a phone call to his Pakistani counterpart Jalil Abbas Jilani, the ministry said in a late-night statement. Jilani deeply appreciated the warm wishes from the brotherly people of Iran, it added. Reflecting on close fraternal ties between the governments as well as peoples of Pakistan and Iran, the two foreign ministers reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthen bilateral cooperation across all areas of mutual interest, said the statement. Since the recent visit of the Amir-Abdollahian to Pakistan, the two countries have fully restored official engagements, according to the ministry. Last month, Iran carried out a series of missile and drone strikes within Pakistan's southwest Balochistan province, claiming that it had targeted the terrorist group Jaish ul-Adl. Pakistan then denounced Iran's "violation of its airspace" and recalled its ambassador from Iran. Afterward, Pakistan launched a missile strike on a border village in Iran's southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchestan, prompting Iran's protests. At the end of last month, Pakistan and Iran agreed to establish a high-level consultative mechanism to oversee the progress in various areas of cooperation between the two countries, including counter-terrorism. The opposition parties, including Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Jamat-e-Islami and the Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA), have called off their joint protests in Karachi and announced their plans to observe "Black Day" across Sindh on February 27, ARY News reported. The protests were organised against alleged rigging in the February 8 general elections. Addressing the media at the Karachi Press Club, the leaders of the opposition parties announced plans to observe 'Black Day' across Sindh on February 27, adding that the three parties would ensure full participation. JI Karachi Ameer Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman said that the peaceful resistance would be "proof of our success," vowing to free the city from the occupation mafia, as reported by ARY News. He further urged the party workers and protesters to return home peacefully, regretting the 'police behaviour' with them. Reportedly, the police arrested at least 100 protestors across Karachi, including Awami Markaz and Karsaz, and shifted them to Bahadurabad and other police stations. Meanwhile, at least 148 newly elected representatives of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) were sworn into the 16th Sindh Assembly on Saturday. The Sindh Assembly was the second to have its lawmakers take oath after the February 8 general elections, with at least 313 MPAs being elected to the Punjab Assembly a day ago. However, today's assembly proceedings took place amid protests at various points across Karachi by the GDA, the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) and others against alleged rigging in the general elections, ARY News reported. The opposition parties announced they were holding a peaceful protest in front of the Sindh Assembly building. However, the caretaker provincial government had already announced imposing Section 144 on holding rallies or public gatherings in the "Red Zone" area, where the Sindh Assembly is located. As the newly elected representatives of the Sindh Assembly took the oath, clashes erupted between police and JUI-F protestors on Karachi's Shahrah-e-Faisal. The clashes erupted when police stopped the protestors, who were moving towards the Karachi press club, according to ARY News. Moreover, the protestors staged a sit-in on the Shahrah-e-Faisal after police fired tear gas shells to scatter the protestors and stop them from moving towards the red zone. The authorities placed containers at various points across Karachi after the police broke up the GDA and JUI-F protests. They placed it on roads that lead to the Sindh Assembly, including Fountain Chowk, Karachi Press Club, the Arts Council roundabout and Shaheen Complex, as reported by ARY News. Following this, the Karachi Toll Plaza was closed due to protests, causing a traffic jam on roads near Memon Goth. According to the police spokesperson, protestors were not allowed to enter the red zone at any cost. Moreover, the police arrested over 20 Qaumi Awami Tehreek workers, including women. (ANI) Brazil President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, once again alleged that Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians, as reported by The Times of Israel. Last week, he raised controversy by comparing Israel's war with the Hamas terror group in Gaza to the Holocaust, "when Hitler decided to kill the Jews." However, Israel rejected the genocide claims, adding that its war is targeting the "Palestinian terror group" Hamas, and not the Palestinian people, following its October 7 massacre across southern Israel. It has held Hamas responsible for civilian deaths and accused the terror group of deliberately operating from civilian areas and using the local population as human shields, according to The Times of Israel. Brazil President Lula posted on social media on Saturday that he will not give up his "dignity for falsehood." "What the Israeli government is doing is not war, it is genocide. Children and women are being murdered," he stated. https://x.com/LulaOficial/status/1761174646177607773?s=20 However, last week, Israel responded with outrage to Lula's comments, calling them "shameful," and declaring him "persona non grata," which means, unacceptable, according to The Times of Israel. Further, Jerusalem also summoned Brazil's ambassador for a rebuke and demanded an apology. In response, Brazil recalled its ambassador for talks, and Israeli Ambassador Daniel Zonshine was himself summoned for a reprimand. Notably, Israel has been fighting Hamas in response to the deadliest attack on its territory, when thousands of Hamas terrorists broke through the border on October 7 and killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, amid acts of brutality and sexual violence, The Times of Israel reported. They also abducted 253 Israeli civilians into Gaza, over 100 of whom remain captive -- some not alive -- following a temporary truce in late November that freed 105 hostages. Israel has repeatedly claimed that Hamas is using Palestinian civilians as human shields, including by locating operations bases under hospitals, launching rockets from schools and shelters, building tunnel shafts under children's bedrooms, storing weapons in and around schools and mosques, and more, amid the ongoing war. Moreover, captured Hamas terrorists have confirmed some of the human shield claims, and explained that they know Israel will not target hospitals, medical centres or facilities. Israel has also stressed that they will end the war if Hamas releases the remaining hostages and surrenders, as reported by The Times of Israel. Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded to Lula's previous comments, and said, "The words of the President of Brazil are shameful and alarming. This is a trivialization of the Holocaust and an attempt to harm the Jewish people and Israel's right to defend itself." "Israel is fighting for its defence and securing its future until complete victory and it does so while upholding international law," he added. Moreover, Foreign Minister Israel Katz called the comments "shameful and grave." It is pertinent to mention that last month, South Africa filed a complaint with the International Court of Justice accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza and demanding the court order Israel to stop the fighting. However, the case is expected to last years, as reported by The Times of Israel. The court refused South Africa's request to take immediate measures to order Israel to halt its campaign but said there was "plausibility" to Pretoria's claim that Israel was in breach of certain elements of the Genocide Convention amid the war and said Jerusalem must make efforts to prevent harm to civilians. (ANI) ZANESVILLE, Ohio (WCMH) Two people have been arrested after law enforcement officials seized over $1 million worth of drugs and firearms in Zanesville. The Muskingum County Prosecutors Office said that 39-year-old Codey Starkey and 36-year-old Chiquita Rush were arrested and face multiple drug trafficking charges and having weapons under disability. Starkey also faces a tampering with evidence charge after trying to flush drugs down the toilet. One woman dead after shooting in New Albany area A plethora of drugs were seized by officers in the Zanesville-Muskingum County joint drug unit with a street value between $700,000 and $1 million. Among the drugs and objects found and seized included: 2.2 pounds of fentanyl ($170,000 street value) 0.5 pounds of cocaine 1 pound of meth 1 pound of marijuana Firearms Cash Courtesy Photo/Muskingum County Prosecutors Office In addition to trafficking charges related to fentanyl, cocaine, meth, and marijuana, Starkey and Rush also face charges pertaining to trafficking psilocybin mushrooms and ecstasy. Both had personal property and vehicles seized as well. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NBC4 WCMH-TV. A crew of 10 Russians was killed in a Russian A-50U Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft shot down on 23 February. Source: Ukrainska Pravda sources in Defence Intelligence of Ukraine (DIU) Details: The source said all 10 Russians on board the aircraft had been killed. These included five majors, three captains, a sergeant major and a lieutenant. At present, it is estimated that Russia's Military Transport Aviation has seven AWACS aircraft. No casualties occurred on the ground as the aircraft crashed. Among the killed are: Aircraft commander Major Borovikov; Assistant commander Major Chantsev; Navigator Captain Provalov; Onboard engineer Captain Vasilyev; Senior airborne radio operator Warrant Officer Khrulev; Chief of the crew, shift supervisor Major Fedosov; Guidance navigator Major Rulyuk; Guidance navigator Lieutenant Telmanov; Senior onboard engineer Captain Byelov; Onboard engineer Major Soldatkin. Background: Support UP or become our patron! Editors Note: The names of Crimeas former and current residents cited in this article were changed to protect their identity amid security concerns. When Ukrainians talk about Crimea, they often talk about memories. For many, this peninsula surrounded by the Black Sea was a place where they spent long summer days enjoying beautiful nature and rich cultural life. But they also talk about war. Russias invasion of Crimea on Feb. 20, 2014, which coincided with the deadliest days of the EuroMaidan Revolution, marked the beginning of the most tragic events in Ukraines modern history. Taking advantage of the havoc in Kyiv following the ousting of ex-President Viktor Yanukovych, Russia quickly seized military bases and government buildings in Crimea. In March 2014, Moscow staged a sham, internationally unrecognized referendum on joining Russia and illegally annexed the peninsula. What followed was the transformation of Crimea into a highly militarized, subsidized, and isolated territory. Over the last 10 years, Moscow has carried out a series of neo-imperialistic policies on the peninsula central to Kremlin propaganda. As Ukraine moves forward in its efforts to push Russian troops out of Crimea, disabling around 20% of Russias Black Sea Fleet and launching strikes on crucial military facilities in Crimea, there has been an increased hope that Kyiv could liberate the peninsula. But what would a liberated Crimea look like after ten years of Russian occupation? Economy Before the Russian occupation, most Crimeans were employed in trade, agriculture, manufacturing, and services. Since 2014, exports from the peninsula have significantly decreased, and foreign companies exited the market due to sanctions, making Crimea largely dependent on the Russian federal budget. Subsidies from Moscow have varied over the years but still constitute two-thirds of the Crimean budget, according to the Crimean service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL). The focus of the Crimean economy also shifted toward the military-industrial complex as Russia revived Soviet-era military factories and built new infrastructure. When Crimean residents started receiving salaries and pensions in rubles, Russia gave state employees a better transfer rate, which meant a temporary increase in income, experts told Ukrainska Pravda. But as Ukrainian products in stores were replaced with Russian ones and the rubles value went down, prices in Crimea spiked. We could go out with a friend after work (before the annexation). Then suddenly there was a lack of money; I remember that I couldnt even buy sneakers for myself, Maria, a resident of Crimea, told the Kyiv Independent. Crimea was placed among the 10 Russian regions with the lowest level of income in a ranking prepared by the Russian state-owned RIA Rating Agency in 2023. Infrastructure After the annexation, Russia began turning Crimea into its showcase window, building and repairing roads, schools, parks, public spaces, and other infrastructure. Russia launched several huge and expensive projects like the 250-kilometer-long Tavrida Highway connecting the peninsulas eastern part with its southern coast and the $3 billion Kerch Bridge that links Crimea to Russia. It felt like Putin wanted people to understand that Russia is a powerful state. At the same time, nothing (like this) was built in other regions of Russia, Yurii, who left the peninsula after the start of the full-scale invasion, told the Kyiv Independent. All this has managed to form in some people the opinion that Russia really cares about the Crimeans. The Tavrida Highway, put in operation in 2020, has reportedly begun to collapse, leading to multiple road accidents, while the Kerch Bridge was not fully restored after Ukrainian attacks, Ukraines Southern Command said in December last year. Intensified construction on a relatively small territory of Crimea full of nature reserves and recreational areas has also harmed the peninsulas ecology, endangering its rare animals and plants and changing its landscapes. The occupiers began to treat the Crimean environment as colonizersThe protection of the environment ... has been ignored for the sake of the occupation administration's political, economic, and military goals, Yevhen Yaroshenko, an analyst of the Crimea SOS NGO, told RFE/RL in March last year. Population As another part of its neo-colonization efforts, Russia has created a number of incentives for Russians to move to Crimea, offering them job opportunities, preferential mortgage lending, and even reportedly giving Russian soldiers confiscated homes of Ukrainians who have refused to accept Russian citizenship. Military and state employees in Russian-occupied Crimea also receive significantly higher salaries and more social benefits than those employed in other sectors. At the same time, many Ukrainians who didnt flee occupation have been expelled, imprisoned on political grounds, pushed to move to Russia, or mobilized into the Russian military. Up to 800,000 Russians have illegally moved to Crimea, while around 100,000 Ukrainians have left the peninsula since its annexation as of December 2023, the Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union reported. It feels as if there are practically no Crimeans left in Crimea. This is the feeling you get when you are looking for a job. Now, even all the managers at the hotel where I worked, the directors, and deputies are all from (Russia), said Maria. The mass resettlement of Russians in Crimea and the deportation of Ukrainians from the peninsula violates international humanitarian law, according to the union. This policy may also constitute a war crime and a crime against humanity. Education and Russification Moscows efforts to Russify Crimea have also focused on education. Ukrainian history and literature classes in Crimean schools have been canceled, and the number of children learning the Ukrainian language has sharply decreased. Before 2014, all Crimean schoolchildren studied Ukrainian, with around 7% learning all subjects in the language. By 2023, this proportion dropped to 0.09%, which means only 197 children out of 230,000 were studying in Ukrainian, according to the Almenda Center for Civic Education. The UNs International Court of Justice concluded in January that Russia had violated the right of Ukrainians in the annexed Crimea to receive education in their native language. At the same time, schools in Crimea have been heavily militarized, and local children are subjected to the so-called patriotic education. They force children to make drawings for Russian soldiers bring socks and other clothes (to be sent) to the military, Maria said, describing Crimean schools amid the full-scale invasion. A lot of propaganda. As if the children were already little soldiers. Surrounded by narratives that Crimea has always been Russian, praising the illegal annexation as a long-awaited return, Crimeans are afraid to even identify as Ukrainians. Maria said that she was assaulted after telling Russian soldiers in a Crimean cafe, who were intimidating her, that she was Ukrainian. According to Yurii, under years-long pressure of Moscow-imposed ideology, Crimeans have developed self-censorship, often preventing them from expressing their genuine opinions. On a subconscious level, you understand that its better not to say too much, Oleksandra, who left Crimea in 2021, told the Kyiv Independent. There are a lot of police and cameras; its like youre under surveillance 24/7. It really bothered me, this feeling of being watched over. Repressions The indigenous Muslim population of Crimea, the Crimean Tatars, have been especially outspoken against the Russian occupation, making them the main target of Russias repression machine. They have been routinely searched, interrogated, baselessly accused of terrorism, arrested, and sent to prisons thousands of kilometers away from their homes, a Crimean Tatar activist told the Kyiv Independent. Most cases against Crimean Tatars cite alleged links to the Hizb ut-Tahrir pan-Islamist political party, which operates legally in Ukraine and most countries but is banned in Russia. Throughout the 10 years of Russian occupation, 307 residents of the peninsula, mostly Crimean Tatars, were imprisoned or criminally persecuted on political grounds, the Crimean Tatar Resource Center said on Feb. 7. Out of this number, 55 prisoners have been released so far. Ukrainian activists rally in front of the Crimean parliament in Simferopol on Feb. 26, 2014. (Vasiliy Batanov /AFP via Getty Images) In prisons, Crimean Tatars are denied access to medical assistance, put in isolation cells, and stripped of their rights to communicate with relatives and lawyers and practice their religion, according to the Crimean Tatar activist the Kyiv Independent spoke with. Two Crimean political prisoners died in 2023, and 40 more are under such risk due to the lack of medical assistance, according to the Ukrainian human rights center Zmina. What has changed after the full-scale invasion? After the beginning of the all-out war against Ukraine in 2022, Russia tightened its grip over Crimea, as if in fear of losing the peninsula, further militarizing its society, doubling down on propaganda, and intensifying repressions. In addition to fabricated terrorism charges, Crimeans now risk being persecuted for anti-war statements. As of late December last year, Russian occupation authorities in Crimea reportedly opened over 500 administrative cases over discrediting the Russian military. The increased pressure from authorities and Russias mobilization campaign for the Ukraine war prompted another wave of emigration from Crimea. Some pro-Ukrainian residents chose to stay and engage in various resistance activities, sometimes paying for their views with their freedom. Tamila Tasheva, President Volodymyr Zelensky's permanent representative for Crimea, told the Kyiv Independent that there wasn't "such a tangible resistance" on the peninsula before 2022. Read also: Crimean Tatars dream of their homelands liberation as Ukraine strikes back in the south As Kyiv has vowed to liberate Crimea, local partisans have played a key role in aiding Ukrainian military operations on the peninsula. The renowned resistance organization Atesh claims to have directed Ukrainian strikes on Russias Black Sea Fleet headquarters, the Minsk and Rostov-on-Don warships, airfields in Saky and Dzhankoi, as well as other Russian targets in Crimea. Around 2,000 people from Crimea and Russia have joined Atesh, including some Russian service members, one of the movement coordinators told the Kyiv Independent. Most of them reside on the occupied peninsula, which means they are constantly at risk of being captured by Russian special services or even killed. All agents understand this, but they take such a risk because they realize the importance of their work, the coordinator said. Some want to take revenge on Russia for all the crimes it commits, some want to make efforts to stop the war. However, the majority of our agents want to work for the liberation of Crimea from Russia and its return to Ukraine. Read also: Inside occupied Ukraines most effective resistance movements Potential liberation Ukraine is already actively preparing for Crimean reintegration, recruiting future employees of the local government, developing a new humanitarian and information policy, and discussing changes to the legislation on collaborators. Kyiv sees liberated Crimea as a free, economically independent region with the concept of a year-round resort, which relies on local small and medium businesses; a territory where the rule of law and justice prevails, according to a document cited to the Kyiv Independent by Tasheva. However, reintegrating a population that has been isolated from the Ukrainian information space and all the processes happening in the country following the EuroMaidan Revolution while being brutally colonized by Russia will be challenging. According to the current Ukrainian legislation, more than 200,000 people in Crimea could be held responsible for collaboration after the liberation, Tasheva said in May last year. Ukraine may also expel some Russian citizens who came illegally to Crimea after annexation, she told Newsweek last summer. Reintegration is a complex process and requires an individual approach, Tasheva said to the Kyiv Independent, but Ukraine can still borrow some practices from other countries that have similar experiences, such as Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Cyprus, Germany, and South Korea. One of the key decisions of these countries was investing in the future the modernization of the education system, investment in science and the involvement of new technologies in the IT sphere, creation of an encouraging environment for the development of (local) business and economy. The graffiti with the Ukrainian coat of arms on the rock named after Crimea-born painter Ivan Aivazovsky. "Activists of the 'Yellow Ribbon' movement continue to spread patriotic graffiti throughout the territory of Crimea. On the surface, this is just patriotic graffiti, but every such resistance has a huge meaning. We remind the Russians again that Crimea is Ukraine, and it's time for them to pack their things for Kostroma or Ulan-Ude," says a social media post. (Yellow Ribbon/X) Maria said that since the start of the full-scale invasion, she noticed more people voicing their hopes for a return to Ukraine, but many have already lost hope that it would happen. Some are afraid they might be considered traitors after liberation, she added. The general feeling of uncertainty widespread in Ukraine as the all-out war enters its third year is also felt in Crimea, only strengthened by the pressures and dangers of Russian occupation, Anastasia from Dzhankoi told the Kyiv Independent. When Kherson was liberated this victory brought people the belief that all other occupied territories could also be liberated in the same way, according to Anastasia, but the mood among Crimeans has worsened as Ukraines latest counteroffensive didnt meet expectations and Russia took more territory in the east. People are confused They are not sure that the liberation of Crimea is possible in the near future, and at the same time, they do not want to endure these repressions for several more years They have no idea of what their future will be. Note from the author: Hi, this is Dinara Khalilova, the author of this article. When talking to Crimeans, who have endured occupation for a decade, I was amazed at their ability to keep their spirit high and hold on to that hope for long-awaited liberation. But one of their strongest fears is to be forgotten. To keep telling such stories about life in the Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine, we need your support. Read also: She wanted to visit her sick father in occupied Crimea. Russia wants to imprison her for 20 years Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. The Defence Forces of Ukraines South have reported shooting down 12 Russian attack drones and two Kh-59 missiles in their operational area. Source: Defence Forces of Ukraines South on Telegram; Ukrainian Air Force Quote: "Shahed-131/136 attack UAVs, sent from the Black Sea, performed complicated manoeuvres over coastal settlements and inland, towards the central oblasts. Air defence units in our operational area shot down 12 kamikaze drones: two over Mykolaiv Oblast, and five over Kirovohrad and Odesa oblasts. Along with the drones, the enemy also launched Kh-59 missiles from a tactical aircraft from the Sea of Azov. Two missiles were destroyed by air defence forces in Kirovohrad Oblast. The fate of the aircraft is being investigated." Details: The military also reported that one of the downed drones fell into a residential area of Odesa, causing destruction and fire in a typical Odesa courtyard. "Although the fire was quickly extinguished, one of the apartments was completely destroyed. Its owner was killed, and rescue workers managed to recover his wife from under the rubble, who was taken to hospital in a serious condition," they added. In addition, two other residents of the neighbouring apartment were taken to hospital with burns and other injuries. Updated: Ukraines Air Force clarified in the morning that the Russians used two Iskander-M ballistic missiles (launched from Rostov Oblast), three Kh-59 air-launched missiles (launched from the temporarily occupied territories of Kherson Oblast) and 12 Shahed attack UAVs (launched from Primorsko-Akhtarsk and Chauda) to attack Ukraine on the night of 23-24 February. This article has been updated since publication Support UP or become our patron! A 125-year-old church sat dilapidated for decades in a small Texas town, but now it's a cozy rental with a loft and original features. Take a look inside. Bartlett Presbyterian Church was built in the late 1800s before it shut down in the 1970s. Jennifer Tucker helped turn the dilapidated building into a vacation rental with a loft. Tucker kept many of the church's original features, including the windows and hardwood floors. Bartlett Presbyterian Church had sat abandoned and dilapidated for decades when Jennifer Tucker found it. "It had critters living underneath it and there were so many fleas in the building that my feet were covered," Tucker, 49, told Business Insider. "It was awful." The Victorian-style church is in Bartlett, a small Texas city with about 1,600 residents. Though the steeple on the Victorian-style church survived, the paint was peeling, the windows were shattered, and the building leaned slightly to the left. Still, Tucker was enchanted. "It spoke to me. It really did keep me up at night," Tucker said of the church. "It was still beautiful in its own little weathered old-lady way." Tucker owns the real-estate brokerage Amazing Realty and is enthusiastic about historic preservation. She transformed the old church now called Heavenly Hideaway into a one-bedroom vacation rental with a loft and several original features mixed in with new amenities available for $142 a night. Keep reading to learn how Tucker transformed a 125-year-old church into a guest-favorite Airbnb. Bartlett Presbyterian Church was founded in the late 1800s and had a congregation until the 1970s. The plaque outside Heavenly Hideaway details the church's history. Erik Fossum/Fossum Studios The history behind Bartlett Presbyterian Church is displayed on a plaque nailed outside the building. The first congregation, Nazareth Church of Central Texas Presbytery, took shape on Indian Creek in June 1875 before reorganizing at its current location in 1897. The sanctuary was erected in 1899, and the church became a Texas Historic Landmark in 1970. It shuttered soon after. "There are people in Bartlett who went there in the '60s and '70s that can remember when it was still a functioning church," Tucker said. The church is embedded with nostalgic artifacts that show its past. One of the quilting circle's notebooks found in Heavenly Hideaway. Courtesy of Jennifer Tucker. The church served as more than a place of worship. It was a communal space where the women of Bartlett's past gathered each Wednesday for a quilting circle and strategized how best to help their neighbors. Tucker told BI that the women voted on a secretary who kept track of all their good deeds in a notebook. That notebook is now displayed inside the rental. "In the quilting circle, they would say who was sick in the community, how many cards they wrote, who they cooked for that week, who they visited in the hospital," Tucker said. "They never forgot anybody at the hospital, and they always had time to raise an extra 50 cents to make sure there was food in the pantry." Tucker purchased the church in October 2020 and finished renovations in May 2021. The renovation took seven months. Erik Fossum/Fossum Studios After purchasing the church in October 2020, Tucker and a crew with preservation experience renovated the 1,400-square-foot space. The process took seven months and cost about $200,000. "I never wanted people to lose track of the fact that they were in a church, but I also still wanted them to feel cozy," Tucker said. Heavenly Hideaway retains many of the church's original features, including the hardwood floors. Heavenly Hideaway's living room. Erik Fossum/Fossum Studios Heavenly Hideaway's living room is cozy with gray decor and wood accents. Tucker told BI that the hardwood floors are original to the church despite having water damage. Fortunately, Tucker and her team found a workaround. "I used the wood from the bathroom to replace the rotten wood in other places throughout the building," Tucker said. "Every piece of hardwood that you see is original." She also pointed out the hand-carved columns featuring German detailing. The gourmet kitchen used to be the church's sanctuary. Heavenly Hideaway's kitchen. Erik Fossum/Fossum Studios Heavenly Hideaway has an open-concept floor plan that connects the living room to the kitchen, where the sanctuary used to be. Guests will find modern amenities such as a refrigerator, a freezer, and cooking essentials. Guests in the church can also see the large, pointed windows that are original to the church. Though guests often ask if the windows were once stained glass, Tucker said that's unlikely. "The settlers who built that building were very poor, and they would never have been able to afford stained glass," Tucker said. She said that preserving the windows took nine months and a crew member's meticulous attention. The first floor also has a dining space, which used to be the original choir loft. Heavenly Hideaway's dining room. Erik Fossum/Fossum Studios A few steps from the living room is the dining space, complete with a long wooden table and blue chairs. Though the table is a new addition, the dining space used to be a choir loft for the early congregation. The main bedroom is found downstairs and has a queen-sized mattress. Heavenly Hideaway's main bedroom. Erik Fossum/Fossum Studios Guests will find the main bedroom with plush gray carpeting and large windows on the first floor. Tucker said the home's paint color, visible in the bedroom and on the door's trim, is a callback to the church's original blue wallpaper. She explained that she stumbled upon the original wallpaper while doing restoration work. "The colors are very intentional as well," Tucker said. Tucker replaced the bathroom's hardwood floor with tiles. One of Heavenly Hideaway's bathrooms. Erik Fossum/Fossum Studios Inside Heavenly Hideaway, one bathroom features an old faucet bathtub surrounded by tiles on nearly all sides. Tucker said her team added the tile to the bathroom after removing the hardwood to restore the rest of the church. A second bathroom has matching blue tiles and a shower. Heavenly Hideaway's second bedroom. Erik Fossum/Fossum Studios The church has a second bathroom on the first floor with a shower, toilet, and sink. Tucker added gold accents for a pop of color. A winding staircase leads guests to the second-story loft. Heavenly Hideaway's staircase. Erik Fossum/Fossum Studios. Tucker said the staircase is one of the few modern additions they included in the home. Upstairs, there's a loft where guests can relax and spend time together. Heavenly Hideaway's loft. Erik Fossum/Fossum Studios Though not considered an official bedroom, guests can kick their feet up in the second-story loft. In addition to soft carpeting, the space has two queen-sized beds and a partial window. Heavenly Hideaway is a guest-favorite vacation spot that's racked up glowing reviews. Heavenly Hideaway in Bartlett, Texas. Erik Fossum/Fossum Studios Tucker said travelers have shown a real interest in Heavenly Hideaway, whether for a vacation stay or taking engagement photos. On Airbnb, the listing earned the "guest favorite" title and has a rating of 4.84 stars. "We have had our family Christmas here for several years and it has been just what we need," one review read. "Bartlett is our hometown and though we don't have a home there anymore, this AirBnB feels like home. Thank you Jennifer for hosting us." Another added: "It is a beautiful and enchanting church. Seeing it brought back to life made my heart happy. Wonderful space, well stocked with what you need." Read the original article on Business Insider Two National Guard members died after a helicopter crashed Friday afternoon during a training flight in northeast Mississippi, officials said. The aircraft went down in a wooded area near Baldwyn, Prentiss County Sheriff Randy Tolar told WTVA-TV. The site is about 115 miles (185 kilometers) southeast of Memphis, Tennessee. Today at approximately 2pm, the Mississippi National Guard experienced an Apache AH-64 helicopter crash during a routine training flight in Prentiss County. Tragically, both Guardsmen on board did not survive. Safety crews are currently working the scene of the crash with local Governor Tate Reeves (@tatereeves) February 23, 2024 The helicopter was AH-64 Apache flying a routine training flight, the Mississippi National Guard said in a news release. In a statement Friday, Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves said safety crews were working the scene of the crash with local authorities. He confirmed the death of the two unidentified National Guard members. Mississippi will always be grateful for their service and we will never forget them, Reeves said. Two National Guard soldiers were killed Friday when the helicopter they were in crashed in Mississippi during a routine training flight, officials said. The soldiers were on an Apache AH-64 helicopter when it went down around 2 p.m. in a wooded area near Booneville in Prentiss County. Prentiss County Sheriff Randy Tolar confirmed the deaths, the Mississippi National Guard said. "Our paramount concern at this time is to ensure proper casualty assistance is conducted to support the surviving family members," the Guard said in a statement. LAWSUIT ACCUSES NEW YORK NATIONAL GUARD SOLDIERS OF SEXUALLY EXPLOITING MIGRANTS AT HOTEL One soldier was assigned to Alpha Company 1-149 Aviation Regiment Unit and the second was assigned to Delta Company 2-151 Lakota Medical Evacuation Unit, military officials said. Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves offered his condolences to the families of the soldiers. READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP "Tragically, both Guardsmen on board did not survive. Safety crews are currently working the scene of the crash with local authorities," Reeves said in a statement. "Please join First Lady of Mississippi Elee Reeves and me in praying for the two Guardsmen and their families. Mississippi will always be grateful for their service and we will never forget them." CLICK TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Fox News Digital has reached out to the National Guard as well as local authorities. The Federal Aviation Administration referred inquiries to the National Guard. The identities of the Guard members or the cause of the crash were not disclosed. Last week, a Utah Army National Guard helicopter crashed in what officials called a "training accident," injuring two pilots onboard. The accident involved an AH-64D Apache Longbow helicopter that crashed at the West Jordan Army Aviation Support Facility. Original article source: 2 Mississippi National Guard members killed in helicopter crash during training flight A woman looks at a poster of the Chinese Cinema Week in Sofia, Bulgaria, on Feb. 23, 2024. The Chinese Cinema Week kicked off in movie theaters in five major cities in Bulgaria on Friday. (Photo by Marian Draganov/Xinhua) SOFIA, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese Cinema Week kicked off in movie theaters in five major cities in Bulgaria on Friday. The event is the first attempt to bring Chinese films to Bulgarian cinemas on a for-profit basis. Three contemporary Chinese films will make a debut during the Cinema Week: Cloudy Mountain (2021), Raid on the Lethal Zone (2023) and Ping Pong: The Triumph (2023). The films narrate the stories of ordinary heroes from different areas of life and cover topics such as national causes, family ties, and emotions in relationships. The cinemas participating in the pilot scheme are in Sofia, Plovdiv, Varna, and Burgas, the four largest cities in Bulgaria, and in Veliko Tarnovo -- Bulgaria's medieval capital where the second Confucius Institute in the Balkan country was established in 2012. The Cinema Week marks the end of the series of events welcoming the Chinese New Year of the Dragon Bulgaria. It also marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Bulgaria. It was jointly organized by two companies from the two countries, with the assistance of the Chinese Embassy in Bulgaria. People look at a poster of the Chinese Cinema Week in Sofia, Bulgaria, on Feb. 23, 2024. The Chinese Cinema Week kicked off in movie theaters in five major cities in Bulgaria on Friday. (Photo by Marian Draganov/Xinhua) PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) Two Beaverton residents have been arrested on charges of mail theft. According to the Washington County Sheriffs Office, it all started when an observant community member saw people in a dark-colored 2015 Chevy Equinox taking mail from a mailbox before speeding off. Man arrested following standoff after entering home with knife: Portland police Deputies responded to the reported theft at 2:05 a.m. Thursday at the 4500 block of Southwest 160th Avenue in Beaverton. Deputies, alongside members of the Beaverton Police Department, quickly stopped a vehicle matching the description within just 10 minutes near Southwest 170th Avenue and Southwest Cambridge Drive. A significant amount of mail that did not belong to the occupants was found inside the vehicle, officials said. The two people inside the car were identified as 37-year-old Brian Roberson and 38-year-old Jenni Frontino, both of Beaverton. They were both arrested, booked into the Washington County Jail, and face charges of felony mail theft. Authorities said more charges could be forthcoming. Former Reverend Nats Hard Cider owner vies for spot on Portland City Council The mail was seized by authorities and will be handed over to the United States Postal Services Postal Inspector for further investigation as the parcels are sorted and victims identified. The investigation is still ongoing and not all the victims of the mail theft have been notified. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOIN.com. Exactly two years ago, on Feb. 24, 2022, Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the largest military attack in Europe since World War II. This day in 2022 also marked a turning point in a decade of ongoing Russian aggression against Ukraine that started with the illegal annexation of Crimea and the onset of war in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts in 2014. Despite Russia's reported plan to "seize Kyiv in three days," Ukraine has defied the odds and kept fighting, managing to liberate swaths of territory that fell under Russian occupation. The fight has come at a significant cost. An estimated 10,582 civilians in Ukraine have been killed and 19,875 others have been injured in the past two years, according to the latest report released by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on Feb. 22. However, the actual casualty numbers are likely much higher since it's impossible to calculate losses in areas under Russian occupation, including parts of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts. Around 18% of Ukraine's territory is currently under Russian occupation. The casualty numbers of Ukrainian soldiers are not disclosed by Ukrainian authorities. Thousands of service members are estimated to be held in Russian captivity, where they are subject to torture and horrific living conditions. Two years of Russia's all-out war has led to the destruction of once-prosperous Ukrainian cities, particularly in the east. The names of cities like Bakhmut, Avdiivka, and Mariupol will forever be synonymous with the brutality of the Russian military in its push to conquer Ukraine. Multiple war crimes have also been committed by Russian soldiers on Ukrainian soil over the past two years. The Prosecutor General's Office has recorded at least 126,135 war crimes, according to the latest update on its website. Russian war crimes include the deliberate targeting of civilians and civilian infrastructure, abduction, rape, torture, unlawful detention, and forced deportation. Evidence of these war crimes has often emerged after the liberation of Ukrainian territory, such as the massacre in Bucha in the spring of 2022 or the mass graves discovered in Izium after the Kharkiv Oblast counteroffensive in the fall of 2022. Ukrainian children have suffered greatly during Russia's war. At least 528 children have been killed and 1,230 others have been injured, according to the Prosecutor General's Office. The Ukrainian government has identified over 19,000 children who were kidnapped by Russia but has only been able to bring back a little under 400 of them. The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Maria Lvova-Belova and Russian President Vladimir Putin in March 2023 over their role in the forced deportation of Ukrainian children. Ecocide became known as a weapon of war when Russian forces destroyed the Kakhovka dam in June 2023, leading to mass flooding and evacuation in Kherson Oblast. The aftermath of the dam's destruction resulted in major humanitarian, ecological, economic, military, and legal consequences for Ukraine. Russia's ongoing occupation of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, the largest in Europe, is nuclear blackmail that could have disastrous consequences for the entire continent. The state nuclear energy agency Energoatom Ukrainian authorities reported in June 2023 that energy workers, medics, rescuers, police, and other services in Kherson, Mykolaiv, Dnipropetrovsk, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts had conducted large-scale training exercizes in the event of a Russian attack on the nucelar plant. As public discourse in the West centers on "war fatigue" and deliberates whether Ukraine can achieve victory against Russia, it's crucial to remember everything that Ukrainians have lived through and emphasize the continued necessity of support for Ukraine's efforts to prevail. Read our coverage on the occasion of the second anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion: Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. When a town gathers to cut a ceremonial ribbon, its usually to celebrate a new business, the completion of new road or some other community victory. But when members of the Port Royal Town Council, local military leaders and a veterans group met in front of the Elementary School Friday, it was not to salute an accomplishment. It was a step in writing a wrong that has been going on for many years. The leaders unveiled a single new speed limit sign that brings attention to a national tragedy: Veterans who become suicide victims after putting their lives on the line for the country. But town officials and a veterans group hope an unusual number for a speed limit sign 22 mph will raises awareness about the loss of these veterans and spark conversations about and solutions for the problem. The 22 was chosen because it is the figure that is often cited as the number of veterans who die by suicide each day in the United States. Directly below the new speed limit sign is this statement: 22 veteran suicides per day is 22 too many. This isnt something to really celebrate, Mayor Kevin Phillips said of the unusual situation. New speed limit signs in Port Royal have information to raise awareness about veterans who die by suicide. Several 22 mph speed limit signs are now being erected along Paris Avenue and the first was unveiled to the public Friday. They will replace 25 mph signs. The problem of veteran suicide prompted the Port Royal chapter of AMVETS, a nationwide nonprofit that serves veterans, to ask the town last year if it would consider the 22 mph speed limit signs. Phillips, noting the towns deep military roots, said the signs are a small gesture. Janice Shelton, who heads the Port Royal AMVETS group, hopes the unusual signs will lead residents and motorists who spot the 22 mph speed limit signs to ask questions about what that 22 means. Its about getting the community aware, Shelton said. Shelton and John Norman, a member of AMVETS, came up with the idea, then Shelton wrote a letter to then Mayor Joe DeVito. Im glad the letter worked, Shelton said. Shelton and Norman were on hand when town council members and community members including two representatives from Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort and Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island slipped a plastic hood off the first 22 mph sign. Members of the Port Royal Town Council and a veterans group called AMVETS unveil a new speed limit sign that will double as a public awareness message about veterans who die by suicide. Afterward, a smiling Norman shook hands with Col. Mark Bortnem, the commanding officer of the Air Station. He said he was ecstatic about the speed limit signs that carry a bigger message. Theres a lot of people Ive lost, said Norman, an Army veteran. The country, said Bortnem, is losing veterans at an alarming rate and the Air Station supports any effort it can to bring attention to the issue. He noted that the military community in the Port Royal-Beaufort area is as significant as any in the nation. During World War II alone, he said, 250,000 recruits went through Parris Island. His own children went to school at Port Royal Elementary, which served as a backdrop to the unveiling of the new sign. Sgt. Major Joshua Toles of the support battalion at Parris Island said military members face significant stressful experiences including combat and long separations from their families that can have life-long impacts. Protecting mental health, he said, is vital to them and the readiness of the nations military. The 22 mph signs, he added, are visual reminders to veterans and civilians to take advantage of mental health resources. Thank you for your recognition, Toles said. In 2021, there were, on average, 17.5 suicides per day among veterans nationwide, according to a 2023 suicide prevention report by Veterans Administration. It was the leading cause of death among veterans under 45. Some studies say the suicide rate for veterans is much higher. Research, Duke University report says, shows suicide rates are 52.3% higher among veterans than those who never served in the military. Roy Brown Jr. of Operation Patriots Forward Operating Base, a Lowcountry-based organization dedicated to supporting first responders and military veterans, asked people in the crowd to raise their hand if the new a veteran who had killed themselves. Several went up. Its unacceptable, Brown said. Bartlesville police ended a four-hour standoff with an armed man without incident after a report of possible domestic abuse. Police lights "I commend the swift and coordinated response of our officers, which prioritized the safety of everyone involved," Captain Daniel Elkins wrote. "This outcome underscores the importance of effective communication and de-escalation techniques in managing such sensitive situations." When officers first arrived on the scene around noon, they were informed that a male suspect inside the residence was armed, prompting an immediate escalation of the response, according to a BPD release. The homeowner provided officers with access to a live feed showing the armed individual inside, who was observed pointing a firearm out the windows toward law enforcement personnel, police said. Officers promptly withdrew to a safe distance and established a secured perimeter around the premises to contain the threat. The Bartlesville Police Department has enlisted the assistance of mental health professionals to work the scene in an effort to resolve the situation peacefully. After communication with the man was established, the police successfully negotiated his surrender. He man voluntarily exited the premises and is currently receiving mental health treatment, according to police. The department has not released further details regarding the identity of the individual or the nature of the domestic abuse report. This article originally appeared on Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise: Bartlesville Police standoff with armed man ends without incident Defence Intelligence of Ukraine has stated that a Russian A-50 long-range radar detection aircraft was shot down on 23 February near the town of Primorsko-Akhtarsk on the Sea of Azov, and after that, five more Russian aircraft were withdrawn from combat operations. Source: Defence Intelligence of Ukraine (DIU) Details: DIU stated that the last take-off of the A-50U took place on 23 February at 15:50 from the Akhtubinsk airfield and was supposed to carry out Russia's terrorist missions near the settlements of Primorsko-Akhtarsk and Zernograd. The abrupt cessation of operation of a Shmel radar system, which is installed in the A-50U, was recorded by DIUs radio reconnaissance stations at 18:45. The fire damage to the upgraded A-50U is also confirmed by radio intercepts of the Russian Su-35 cover crew. One of the Russian pilots said on the radio that he had observed air defence systems in operation, a flash and explosions. Quote: "An additional sign of the success of the joint operation by DIU and the Air Force is the order to terminate the missions for two Su-35 aircraft as well as three Su-34 aircraft belonging to the Russian Aerospace Forces, which were flying missions near the village of Millerovo some of them planned to conduct airstrikes near Avdiivka." Background: On 23 February, the Ukrainian Defence Forces shot down a Russian A-50 long-range radar detection aircraft. They shot down this aircraft using a Soviet S-200 air defence system. Support UP or become our patron! The next time you hop aboard the Trinity Railway Express for a ride to Fair Park or the American Airlines Center, think about the history behind the venerable name Railway Express. Fort Worth took the name for its commuter rail service to Dallas in 1996. The name had been lying around unused for 20 years at that point. Before there was a FedEx or UPS package delivery, there was the Railway Express Agency (REA). You can see its legacy in Fort Worth when you drive down West Lancaster. That loading dock with its 17 roll-up doors on the west end of the old T&P passenger station was the home of the Railway Express in Fort Worth for 44 years (1931-1975). The history of package/parcel delivery goes back to the mid-19th century when Wells Fargo started doing business. Other companies, such as Adams Express and Southern Express, followed, providing a service that the U.S. Postal Service didnt. By 1900, there were four national companies, all of them relying heavily on rail connections to major population centers, then wagon transport from there to small towns. They securely transported small parcels, valuables, and currency. The U.S. Postal Service entered the business in 1913, but it was still fragmented, with too many competitors chasing the customer. Rail service in Fort Worth was split into freight and passenger business with the two divided, literally, by Main Street. The 1899 red-brick Gothic passenger station was on the east side of Main. The 1902 freight offices were on the west side, stretching down to Front Street, almost to Jennings. The freight depot handled both traditional heavy freight and light freight packages. Fire was an ever-present danger. The passenger station burned down in 1904, and the freight depot suffered the same fate four years later. Both were rebuilt quickly because Fort Worth was a rail hub for both passenger and freight. World War I changed the business model. In 1917, President Woodrow Wilson nationalized U.S. railroads. Part of the change-over was consolidating seven railway express companies into a single entity, the American Railway Express Agency (AREA), which began operation in July 1918. With the end of the war, railroads and express companies went back to private ownership in March 1920. This image of a Railway Express office in Texas shows what the agencys offices looked like in the 1920s and 30s. Rather than returning to the pre-war situation of cut-throat competition, the express companies continued operating as a single, wholly owned subsidiary of 66 railroads that operated the American Railway Express Agency as part of their passenger service. One sign of the importance of express service was that the express car was always placed right behind the trains engine. Another sign of the times was that gasoline-powered trucks replaced the horse-drawn wagons that once delivered shipments to smaller towns. One former competitor that got out of the express business was Wells Fargo, which had started it all. From the 1920s on, Wells Fargo focused on banking and never looked back. Railway Express Agency is born In 1929, everything changed again when the American Railway Express Agency reinvented itself as the Railway Express Agency (REA), still co-owned by the railroads. The only thing that changed was the letterhead. To keep up with the times, the new agency added refrigerated cars and, after World War II, air service to its existing operations. Unlike todays package delivery firms, the Railway Express Agency did not deliver to the customers door. Its characteristic dark-green trucks took shipments from a rail terminal to the nearest shipping office, where customers picked up their packages. The organizations large, boxy trucks were a familiar sight on the nations highways. The big change in Fort Worth came in 1931 when the Texas & Pacific Railroad built its new station on Front Street (renamed Lancaster for the T&Ps president), replacing the old red-brick Gothic passenger terminal and freight depot on either side of Main Street. The new structure was designed by famed architect Wyatt Hedrick in an art deco style characteristic of the rail transportation palaces of the era. The new quarters of the Railway Express Agency were more than double the size of the space in the old passenger terminal. It occupied a two-story annex stretching nearly a block from the west side of the passenger terminal. In 1933, when the new West Lancaster Post Office was completed (also designed by Wyatt Hedrick), the Railway Express Agency annex was connected to that building with two more large loading doors. The Railway Express building remains empty on Lancaster Street in Fort Worth, 50 years after the business went bankrupt. It is a sister building to the T&P warehouse, which is also empty. The whole operation was a marvel of efficiency with access in the back of the building to the rail platforms, tractor-pulled trolleys for quickly moving shipments, electric scales for weighing shipments, and a large elevator up to the second floor where long-term storage and safety deposit boxes were located. There was a fleet of 35 trucks parked in front of the building with drivers always on call. The Fort Worth office could handle between 3,500 and 4,000 shipments a day. Other modern features of the Railway Express Agencys Fort Worth headquarters included a 100% fireproof building with thermostatically controlled doors that would shut automatically in the event of a fire, limiting damage to a small area. Additionally, there were various unspecified security measures that would make a holdup most difficult. Built during the depths of the Great Depression, the agencys headquarters was not only a marvel of construction, but also a boost to the local economy. Fort Worths office served the western part of the state, underscoring Star-Telegram publisher Amon Carters claim that the city was the gateway to west Texas. The distinctive symbol of the Railway Express Agency, other than the green trucks, was the red diamond-shaped logo on everything from uniforms to billboards to office doors. During World War II, the T&P passenger terminal and the Railway Express Agency offices saw a steady stream of human and express traffic on the way across the country. The lights never went off, and the buildings never closed. Business challenges grow What was highly efficient in 1931, however, by the postwar period was antiquated. The Railway Express Agencys railroad owners were faced with outdated equipment and mounting deficits. By 1959, the troubled operation had offices in 13,000 cities across the country, employing 37,000 full-time workers who enjoyed labor-friendly contracts. The boast of the agencys management was that it delivered everything from rubies and diamonds to racehorses for a fee. And in the case of animals, the company promised to feed and water them en route. The U.S. Postal Service had also gone into competition with the Railway Express Agency in the parcel-delivery business. Delivering express had become a chronic money-loser for the railroads that could not charge enough to make a profit because if they did, customers would take their business to the Post Office or UPS. Competition also came from airlines and intercity bus lines that could easily carry parcel post on their routes. The railroads began losing money on passenger and express service as more and more people traveled by automobile or airplane. In 1969, what was then called the REA Express was finally bought by a group of corporate officers who believed they could turn it into a money-maker again. The trouble with that optimistic view, however, was that by this date less than 10% of parcel delivery business moved by rail. And REA Express was bleeding money at the rate of $50 million a year. The final years of REA Express saw the sad decline of a company that was once the worlds largest surface transportation network. In 1971, the company sued its former railroad owners for driving it into debt. Four years later the company filed for bankruptcy in New York and tried to reorganize under Chapter 11. Part of the reorganization included drastically cutting the pay of employees, members of the Brotherhood of Railway, Airline and Steamship Clerks. Employees reacted with a wildcat strike that served to drive another nail into the coffin. In November, a federal judge ordered the liquidation of the company. Among the 8,000 workers laid off and 232 terminals shut down was the Fort Worth operation. REA Air Express which was flying out of Meacham Airport was put out of its misery by the Civil Aeronautics Board. Trucks, airplanes and machinery all were put up for auction. The Lancaster terminal was cleaned out, and the doors rolled down and locked. Unlike the T&P passenger terminal, which was eventually turned into lofts, the REA building awaits a new tenant. There is no sign on the building to indicate what it once was. Few corporate failures have ever left a building still sitting empty nearly 50 years later. Its sister building, the old T&P warehouse, also sits empty, relics of a bygone era when railroads ruled. Author-historian Richard Selcer is a Fort Worth native and proud graduate of Paschal High and TCU. NEW YORK (PIX11) A Florida woman and her husband were awarded $72.5 million in their case against New York transit authorities on Thursday seven years after the 61-year-old was struck and dragged by an MTA bus, according to her lawyers. Aurora Beauchamp took on the transit authority and the bus driver that she said severely injured her pelvis and paralyzed her left leg during the 2017 crash, all while she was already in treatment for cancer, court records show. Hero: FDNY firefighters family, organ recipients reunite It was a crash that left her hospitalized for months and robbed her husband, Saul Beauchamp, of his companion, according to the initial complaint from 2017. After fighting for my life for seven years, I am grateful to see this jury come through and help me get the medical care I need and make my future brighter, Beauchamp said in a statement to PIX11 News on Friday. The MTA plans to appeal the judgment, according to Communications Director Tim Minton. The MTA was named in the case alongside the citys Transit Department and the Manhattan and Bronx Surface Transit Operating Authority. Obviously, we intend to appeal. This is another indication of how excessive awards in personal injury litigation impact funding that otherwise could be available to deliver transit service, Minton said. The Crash Beauchamp was crossing East Houston Street at a crosswalk at Avenue D in Manhattan just before 9 p.m. in March 2017 when she was struck by an M14 bus, court records show. She was dragged about 20 feet underneath the bus before it came to a stop, resting on her legs, according to her lawyers. The bus driver, Eduard Khanimov, was arrested just after the crash and charged with failure to yield to a pedestrian, according to the New York Daily News. The crash haunts Beauchamp in the form of ongoing infections and a paralyzed leg, her lawyers said. In the settlement, Beauchamp was awarded over $40 million for future medical expenses, losses, and suffering, according to her lawyers. Even still, the crash has not slowed Beauchamp down, her lawyer Ed Cooper said. Aurora Beauchamp is an incredibly strong and resilient woman, Cooper said in a statement to PIX11 News on Friday. The devastating injuries Aurora suffered would have stopped many people, but her faith, family, and will to live have enabled her to keep fighting and giving back to her community. Emily Rahhal is a digital reporter from Los Angeles who has covered local news for years. She has been with PIX11 since 2024. See more of her work here and follow her on Twitter. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11. Sioux Falls residents will see eight candidates on their ballot for Sioux Falls City Council when they head into voting booths on April 9, though only two of the city's four races have more than one candidate vying for the seat. Candidates who were active prior to Jan. 4 were required to file a campaign finance disclosure report at that time, and will need to file another by March 5, when the public will get another look at their financial support. More: Some Sioux Falls City Council candidates already have thousands in donations Here's a look at who will be running now that the filing deadline has passed, and how you can make sure you're eligible to vote: Who's running? At-Large C The lone At-Large seat in the election is being vacated by Councilor Alex Jensen, who has chosen not to run for re-election after serving one term. Richard Thomason Jensen has endorsed former state representative Richard Thomason to replace him. Thomason has called himself "a firm advocate for fiscal responsibility with balanced budgets and low taxes," and had already raised more than $10,000 as of his first campaign finance report. Jordan Deffenbaugh Community organizer Jordan Deffenbaugh will also be trying for the seat. His platform includes calls to "revitalize the city and put power back into the hands of core neighborhoods," and his first campaign finance report showed a bit more than $1,000 raised. Allison Renville Activist Allison Renville is the third person vying for the At-Large C seat. She's said her platform "prioritizes families, workers, community health, veterans, justice and public safety, transient and houseless folks and keeping the Sioux Valley thriving." She has yet to file a campaign finance report, having entered the race after the first deadline. Northeast District Miranda Basye Marketer Miranda Basye announced a run for the seat where Councilor Pat Starr is term limited, saying in a release, "I remember waiting for the school bus on North Cliff Avenue next to a billboard when I first started school, and I just always felt safe and secure. I aspire for all our residents to feel safe just like I did when I was that little girl." She had raised more than $7,600 in her first campaign finance report. Neil Jeske Businessman Neil Jeske announced his run for the seat just days before the deadline, criticizing Mayor Paul TenHaken's actions on mask mandates during the COVID-19 pandemic and railing against what he called the "WOKE DEI 50% CALIFORNIA GOVERNMENT OF SIOUX FALLS" on his campaign website. Among Jeske's stated goals are enforcing city code and repealing a recently-implemented ordinance that requires applicants for a residential rental permit to attend a two-hour landlord training session. He has yet to file a campaign finance report. David Zokaites speaks at a mayoral debate on Monday, April 4, 2022, at the Washington Pavilion in Sioux Falls. City council public input regular David Zokaites is also throwing his hat into the ring for the seat, two years after a mayoral campaign that saw him draw 1.9% of the vote. His campaign website, which promises that mayor will come later," lists a platform including sane drug policy, walkable neighborhoods and honest local government. You wont see Tarek Maalouf on the ballot, however. He was the first person to announce a run for the council seat in the Northeast District, but discovered late Friday afternoon that his nominating petitions had been improperly filled out. He said hed be voting for Basye. Northwest District Jennifer Sigette Jennifer Sigette will be the lone candidate on the ballot for the Northwest District, where Councilor Greg Neitzert will be term limited after eight years on the council. Sigette is the executive director of the South Dakota Lions Foundation, and has said she wants to "help ensure Sioux Falls continues to tackle the needs facing working families and retirees looking to stay close to home." She had raised more than $7,000 in her first campaign finance report. Southwest District Ryan and Emily Spellerberg Ryan Spellerberg is the only candidate running in the Southwest District, where Councilor Marshall Selberg is term limited after eight years in the seat. The banker says affordable housing, reducing crime, investing in infrastructure and expanding the city's park system are some of his top goals. His first campaign finance report showed more than $12,000 in donations. How can I vote? To vote in the April 9 election, residents must be registered by 5 p.m. on March 25. You can register at the county auditor's office, driver's license stations, the city finance office, public assistance agencies, Department of Human Services offices and military recruitment offices. You can also print a voter registration form from the South Dakota Secretary of State's office and submit it to the county auditor. Absentee voting begins March 25 and ends on April 8. You can absentee vote by mail with an application from the Secretary of State's office. You can also vote absentee in-person with a photo ID at the Minnehaha County Administration Building at 415 N. Dakota Avenue. A map showing voting locations in Sioux Falls Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on April 9. You can find out where to vote using this map, or by checking on the Secretary of State's website. This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Who's running for Sioux Falls City Council? A 9-year-old was airlifted to a hospital after a Miami-Dade transit bus and then an SUV struck the child in Opa-Locka on Friday night. Officers are searching for the SUV driver who sped away. Around 8 p.m., Opa-Locka police officers found the 9-year-old injured after being called to a traffic crash at the intersection of Sesame Street and Northwest 27th Avenue, the department said in a statement. An investigation revealed that the child was first hit by a county bus and then by a blue, newer model Hyundai SUV. It sped away down Northwest 27th Avenue after the crash. The child was airlifted to Ryder Trauma Center for urgent medical care, police said. The child was identified as Everett Fraizer by the family, according to WSVN 7 News. A witness told the station he was riding his bike at the time of the crash. Authorities are asking anyone with information on the crash or the blue Hyundai SUV to call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-8477 or go to crimestoppers305.com. The safety and well-being of our community members, particularly our children, are of paramount importance to us, the department said. SINGAPORE, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- Singapore's Civil Defense Force said on Saturday that one was killed in a building fire at Block 131C, Canberra Crescent. The fire, which involved the contents of a bedroom, was extinguished by firefighters. A person was found dead inside the fire-affected bedroom. About 30 persons from the second to fourth floor were evacuated as a precautionary measure. Paramedics assessed three persons from the neighboring units for smoke inhalation and conveyed one of them to Singapore General Hospital. The other two declined to be sent to the hospital. The cause of the fire was under investigation. Olena Kovalyk walks by the village school in Bilyayivka, Ukraine, where Russian soldiers held her husband, Oleh, while occupying the region in 2022. (Anna Tsyhyma / For The Times) Sometimes, he visits her in dreams. In her waking hours treading a muddy village byway, casting an eye across a desolate field hope pulses in her like a beating heart: that she might somehow find him. As Europe's largest land war since World War II enters its third year on Saturday, Ukraine is full of wounded souls like Olena Kovalyk, caught in the quest for some trace of a lost loved one. There are tens of thousands of these vanished: soldiers who disappeared into the maw of battle, children spirited away for adoption in Russia, civilian villagers like Olenas husband, Oleh, her childhood sweetheart, who engaged in quixotic acts of defiance against a powerful occupying army. For those left behind, grief and uncertainty swirl together, muddy rivulets in a vast tributary. The amorphous sense of loss echoes a larger national sense of pervasive not-knowingness: No one can say when, or how, this war might end. But some, like Olena, have convinced themselves they will find a measure of comfort in confirming beyond any doubt that the worst has indeed come to pass. To that end, she believes in patience. She believes in paying close attention. Perhaps the answer will come in her dreams. I know, she said, that eventually, hell tell me where he is. At 49, Olena has black hair, a sturdy build, and a face that can sometimes look much younger, or much older. She and Oleh grew up in these rural flatlands of southern Ukraine, where they ran a family farm and raised their two sons. They were married 30 years ago this year. A picture of Oleh Kovalyk, Olena's husband, who disappeared on April 9, 2022. Olena holds back tears as she talks about her husbands disappearance. Anna Tsyhyma / For The Times The provincial capital, Kherson, about 100 miles to the southwest, fell to the Russians in the opening days of the full-scale invasion that began Feb. 24, 2022. Their village, Myrolyubivka, was swiftly overrun as well. Together, the couple made the risky decision to remain, watching over their property and hoping for liberation by the Ukrainian army. During the first days of the Russian presence, Olena and Oleh watched from behind their gates as soldiers set up checkpoints, patrolled the streets in armored vehicles, dug trenches, took over empty homes. Soon enough, the occupation turned personal: Armed troops repeatedly raided their home, insisting that weapons were hidden there. The Russians knew that one of their adult sons had served in the Ukrainian military, during the fight against Russias proxy militias in the eastern Donbas region that began a decade ago. At their parents urging, both sons slipped away early in the occupation. But Oleh began taking more and more chances. After Russian soldiers tore down the yellow-and-blue Ukrainian flag from the village council building in the center of the town, Oleh waited for a day when there were no occupying forces in sight. He found the discarded flag, brought it home and hid it inside a wall of the farmhouse, plastering over the hole. A statue honoring local residents who fought in World War II stands in Myrolyubivka, which sustained heavy damage when Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. (Anna Tsyhyma / For The Times) Olena remembers him telling her then that if he wasnt around when the village was liberated by Ukrainian troops, she should fetch the flag from its hiding place and hang it back up. In Russian-occupied towns and villages, a small act of defiance like secreting away a Ukrainian national symbol could bring harsh punishment. But Oleh was only getting started; like many civilians in occupied towns and villages across Ukraines south and east, he began acting as a spotter for the Ukrainian military, relaying information about the movements and activities of the Russians and their proxies. On April 9, nearly a month after the Russians took over the village, Oleh left the house after lunch with his cellphone, heading for an area where he thought he could get a signal. He didnt come back. Olenas search began the next morning. With a friend, she went to a nearby agricultural enterprise known as the Valentina farm, where she thought Oleh had gone. There, they were met by an armed member of a Russian proxy militia, who warned them not to come back. But perversely, the threat carried a glimmer of hope. If you see your husband," the man told her, "tell him we are looking for him. Olena Kovalyk speaks to Serhiy, a Ukrainian civilian-military liaison officer, in her home in Myrolyubivka about her ongoing search for her husband. (Anna Tsyhyma / For The Times) Meanwhile, Olehs 78-year-old father, Stepan Kovalyk, went to the Russians local headquarters to ask after his son. Instead, he found himself detained. The Russians threw a bag over the old mans head, beat him and drove him to a neighboring village, where they spent hours interrogating him. Before dumping him back in Myrolyubivka, they offered a chilling coda. Your son is gone, they said. Oleh, his wife and father later learned, had been captured almost immediately after arriving at the Valentina farm buildings. This was frightening news, but Olena had heard that the Russians sometimes ransomed detainees for cash. So she waited and hoped. But the situation quickly grew desperate. Russian soldiers kept returning to the couples house, ransacking it for weapons, becoming more and more violently menacing when they found none. After the 16th such raid, Olena decided it was time to seek shelter elsewhere, at least for now. On April 29, she left the village through one of the only checkpoints left in the region, heading for the Ukrainian-controlled city of Kryvyi Rih, 60 miles to the northwest. As Olena fled, the outside world was just beginning to learn of the horrors taking place in Ukrainian towns and villages under occupation. That spring, as Russian troops broke off an attempt to seize the capital, Kyiv, the names of suburban communities like Bucha became synonymous with stories of Ukrainian civilians tortured and murdered. In the south of Ukraine, the same bleak pattern was unfolding. In a village called Bilyayivka, a dozen miles from Myrolyubivka, the Russians turned a village school into a torture center. Human rights organizations believe at least 20 Ukrainian prisoners were held at the school between April 2022 and the end of that September, when the village was liberated by Ukrainian troops. The Bilyayivka village school and its surrounding buildings were heavily damaged in September 2022 when a Ukrainian counteroffensive reclaimed territory occupied by Russia. (Anna Tsyhyma / For The Times) It was July when two former prisoners from the school holding cell reached out to Olena. They had seen Oleh, they said. And they told her what they had witnessed. On the second floor of the school complex, a tiny, windowless storage closet served as a holding cell. In what were once classrooms for preschool and elementary students, Russian troops administered beatings and electric shocks to prisoners' genitals, and carried out mock executions. Two Ukrainian groups, the nonprofit Reckoning Project and the Human Rights Center ZMINA, would later document conditions and events at the prison based on testimony from those who were held there. According to those accounts, Russian soldiers brought Oleh to the upstairs holding cell and threw him inside. It was April 9, the same day he had been captured. Bloodstains appear on the wall of a windowless room at the school-turned-prison in Bilyayivka. An old handwritten calendar on a classroom chalkboard there. Olena Kovalyk stands next to rickety wooden bunks at the makeshift prison. Anna Tsyhyma / For The Times He was soaking wet, hands bound behind his back, his clothing torn. His sweatpants were cut away in the groin area. The Russian soldiers slammed the door shut, warning the 12 other men in the cell not to untie Olehs hands, or they would face a similar fate. In their telling, he lay crumpled and moaning on the concrete floor, begging for water, mumbling that he had a burning sensation around his nose and mouth. Oleh smelled strongly of strange chemicals, the witnesses recounted. They suspected Russian soldiers had sprayed a fire extinguisher into his face, a method of torture that has been documented in testimonies from other Russian-occupied areas. At one point, a prisoner called out to guards that the bound man on the floor was dying. One of them replied that if he wasnt dead by morning, a doctor would come. It didnt take until morning. According to the testimonies, it took about another half-hour for Oleh to die. Through the haze of hearing this hammer-blow news, Olena seized upon the details that would galvanize her search in the months to come. A room at the former school and prison. (Anna Tsyhyma / For The Times) That next morning, surviving prisoners said, Russian soldiers opened the cell door and saw that Oleh was dead. They ordered two other prisoners to stuff the corpse into a big white fertilizer bag and heave it into a Russian armored personnel carrier. Months later, those prisoners said their first thought was that they would be asked to bury the body. But then they heard one of the Russian soldiers say, Shell pay us for this. At the time, the witnesses took the Russians comment to mean they would try to extort money from the mans widow. In one sense, though, the captors prediction was correct: Olena would pay. And pay, and pay. Olena returned to her home in Myrolyubivka in late September 2022, just weeks after a Ukrainian military counteroffensive recaptured a swath of territory that included her village and the surrounding area. By that time, more information was trickling out about the Russian torture chambers and prisons in the Kherson region. Olena was determined to speak to as many witnesses as she could. Any clue might help her find the body. Olena Kovalyk surveys the damage to her family farm in the Kherson region of Ukraine, where it was caught in the crossfire between invading Russian forces and the Ukrainian military. (Anna Tsyhyma / For The Times) Time made those clues harder to come by. Of the dozen prisoners who were in the cell with Oleh, one hanged himself, and another died of a heart attack, according to the Reckoning Project. A third was killed in subsequent shelling. A fourth told her he could not bear to speak about what he witnessed. Olena turned to the police and other security agencies to help with her search, but described the response as frustrating. One security officer, she said, urged her to concentrate on the bureaucratic task of obtaining a death certificate to collect widows benefits. What money? she said angrily. I said I needed his body. She described ordering the officer off her property, but only after demanding a thorough official search for Oleh. How can I find him myself? she asked. That task, as it turned out, became her lifes work. About once a week, Olena returns to Bilyayivka, site of the school-prison, to walk the village pathways and look for any signs of disturbed earth that could indicate a burial site. She follows every lead, no matter how small. Last year, she heard a rumor that during the occupation, bodies were buried in a walnut grove just outside a neighboring village. But Ukraine is one of the most heavily mined countries in the world, and Olena knew it would be near-suicidal to venture into the orchard. She began agitating so far unsuccessfully for sappers, or de-mining specialists, to clear the grove. She has tried to enlist allies wherever they might be found. Last September, she appeared on a war-crimes panel in Kyiv, with the prosecutor general, Andriy Kostin. She made an emotional appeal for his help; the regional prosecutors office is now involved. Oleh Kovalyk, dressed in a World War II military uniform, poses while participating in a local reenactment club in southeastern Ukraine. (Anna Tsyhyma / For The Times) There are so many cases like this! she said. Maybe they would like to say they will solve it all. But its not realistic. The most frightening prospect, she says one that she can hardly stand to contemplate is that the Russians might have taken the body with them when they pulled back from the area. Still, some help has materialized. Local Ukrainian journalists have published accounts of her search, which attracted the attention of volunteer and civil society groups. An organization called On the Shield, which specializes in searching for fallen soldiers, brought in dogs and handlers to comb the grounds of the school-turned-torture center. Foreign nongovernmental organizations are stepping in to help Ukraine develop systems and methodology for searches like this one. But with at least 30,000 people unaccounted for, by Ukrainian estimates, the task is enormous. This limbo, yes the United Nations has called it a form of torture, said Kathryne Bomberger, executive director of the Hague-based International Commission on Missing Persons, which is helping Ukraine build a missing-persons tracing system to international standards. Since the organization began its work during the Balkan wars of the 1990s, she said, there have been enormous technical strides including DNA matching, but the emotional backdrop remains an agonizing constant. People like Olena, Bomberger said, have a right to justice, to truth, to knowing. Olena now has a companion in her quest: a Ukrainian civilian-military liaison officer assigned to the region. Tall and blunt-featured, his name is Serhiy, and in keeping with Ukrainian military protocol, he asked not to be further identified. On a cold January day, he walked with her, retracing paths they had covered many times before: black earth, white patchy snow. Flickering in her mind's eye was a white fertilizer bag. When Olena recited a long list of nearby places she thought they should search as well, Serhiy listened, nodding. Olena Kovalyk, pausing by a deep drainage well in Bilyayivka, wonders whether Russian troops dumped the body of her husband there and then covered it with trash and possibly mines. (Anna Tsyhyma / For The Times ) Olena has talked to everyone in Bilyayivka who is willing to speak. She asks them all to turn their minds back to the days of occupation, to consider any obscure location where a body might have been dumped. But for villagers still struggling to recover from their own ordeals from that time, its a big thing to ask. She knows that. On this day, Olena led Serhiy to a large sunken concrete pit across the street from the school building. Such holding tanks, dating back to the Soviet era, are scattered throughout the village, probably originally used for collecting rainwater. Before the war, the area abutting the school had been a little park, complete with burbling fountain. Now it was strewn with trash: empty bottles and cans, pieces of tattered Russian uniforms. One of the concrete pits was full of empty shell casings. Isnt it strange, she asked Serhiy, that the area is so covered in litter? As if concealing something? He responded sympathetically, but didnt give the answer she hoped for. The pits were deep, he noted, and clearing them would require special equipment. Moreover, they could very well be mined. A fragment of Russian fatigues pokes out from under a dusting of snow in a village park in Bilyayivka. Russian soldiers left piles of waste as they retreated from the region during Ukraine's counteroffensive in September 2022. (Anna Tsyhyma / For The Times) Sometimes I ask myself: If I find him, will it get easier for me? Olena said. Even now, she cannot help envisioning him alive. He would be 51 now. Whenever there are televised scenes of prisoners brought home in exchanges, she studies the faces intently. She pays close attention to her dreams. In one particularly vivid one, she saw Oleh descending a wide stairway with a green carpet. She recognized it immediately: the interior of the Bilyayivka village school. Perhaps, she said, the prisoners' recollection of Oleh's death was all a mistake. Perhaps he will come home. She twisted a handkerchief, looked down at her hands. There are no miracles, I understand, she said quietly. But hope is the last to die. She still has the flag Oleh had rescued. Olena and her sons dug it out of the wall of her half-ruined home. She said she had promised her sons she would raise it as her husband had asked but only after she found his body. Times special correspondent Ayres reported from Bilyayivka and Myrolyubivka, and staff writer King from Berlin. Some of the reporting for this story was supported by the Reckoning Project, a consortium of Ukrainian and international journalists and researchers who record and verify witness testimonies of war crimes and crimes against humanity. 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. PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) A landmark agreement was signed by the federal government, the Pacific Northwest, and tribes to help save declining salmon populations in the Columbia Basin. Fridays ceremonial signing formalizes the Biden administrations historic agreement made in December with Oregon, Washington, advocacy groups, and the Six Sovereigns, including the Yakima, Umatilla, Warm Springs, and Nez Pierce tribes. The effort aims to preserve ecosystems supporting wild salmon, steelhead, and other native fish habitats in the region. Coraline cat sculptures to help revitalize downtown Portland The agreement includes efforts to expand tribally sponsored clean energy production and aims to provide stability to communities that rely on the Columbia Basin. This Agreement is a historic opportunity to help save our salmon and secure a just and prosperous future for everyone in the Columbia Basin, said Jeremy Takala, Chair of the Yakama Nation Fish and Wildlife Committee. We must restore Columbia Basin fisheries to healthy and abundant levels. The economic and ecological health of our region requires it, and tribal treaty rights demand it. Treaty fishing rights include the right to actually catch fish, not just the right to dip our nets into empty waters without salmon. The Pacific Northwest is witnessing death to salmon by a thousand cuts, according to the Columbia River Inter-tribal Fish Commission noting dams have harmed ecological conditions needed for salmon survival. Local tribe looks to regain federal recognition following landmark decision For nearly a century, hydropower operations on the Columbia River heavily impacted salmon runs. Today those impacts continue to grow as temperatures rise and precipitation, flows, and water demands become uncertain, the commission said. The agreement also addresses recommendations from the Columbia Basin Restoration Initiative. The CBRI learned of energy changes in the Pacific Northwest, which officials say, can be built on salmon-safe energy resources that must end over-reliance on dams that are driving the salmon population to extinction. Biden plan means $37.5 million more in student loans forgiven in Oregon, Washington Without salmon, both the ecosystem and the way of life of all people who depend on healthy, abundant salmon runs will be irreversibly damaged, the commission added. Since time immemorial, the strength of the Yakama Nation and its people have come from Nchi Wana the Columbia River and from the fish, game, roots and berries it nourishes. We have fought to protect and restore salmon because salmon are not just a natural resource, they are a cultural resource, Yakima Nation Chairman Gerald Lewis said. The Biden Administration has announced its commitment to partner with us, our sister tribes, and our neighbors in the work that we have been doing, and will continue to do, to restore healthy and abundant salmon runs to the Columbia River. We can, and must, restore our salmon; and working together we can, and will, do so in a way that ensures our communities will have the energy and other resources they need for generations to come, Lewis added. Oregon Zoos endangered rhino baby gets a sweet name Jonathan Smith, the chairman of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs furthered, It is an unfortunate truth that development in the Pacific Northwest, including in the energy sector, proceeded without, and in many cases hostile to, consideration for the Treaty rights, traditional knowledge, and cultural identity of the Treaty Tribes. Living up to past promises and using our indigenous knowledge is crucial to advancing an equitable and just future in the Columbia Basin. I would like to thank the Biden Administration for its leadership in recognizing the need to depart from business as usual in the Columbia Basin, and work towards effective lasting change. We greatly appreciate the time and effort the Administration has committed to develop this plan to rebuild our salmon and native fish stocks to healthy and abundant levels, and to advance the clean energy transition in partnership. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOIN.com. An Akron rapper with eight previous felony convictions was recently sentenced to more than a decade in federal prison Thursday after escaping police custody in 2021. Joe Louis Fletcher Joe Fletcher III in 2021 was facing a variety of charges in the U.S. District Court for Northern Ohio, including having a firearm while being convicted of a felony, possession of drugs with intent to distribute and having a firearm while furthering a drug trafficking offense. He was placed in custody without bond. In August of that year, a federal judge granted Fletcher a furlough from pretrial incarceration at the Northeast Ohio Correctional Center in Youngstown to attend the funeral of his daughter, who died from carbon monoxide poisoning. During that time period, he escaped and then was captured by U.S. Marshals two days later in the basement of an Akron home. More: Akron man who escaped during jail furlough recaptured by fugitive task force On Thursday, U.S. District Judge Solomon Oliver sentenced Fletcher to 14 years in federal prison. He was found guilty by a jury on all previously mentioned charges and an additional charge of escaping custody. Why was Fletcher initially arrested? Fletcher has a history of fleeing from police. He was involved in the two high-speed police chases in 2020 one in June and one in September of that year. He livestreamed the June 2020 high-speed pursuit, leading Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers on a chase at speeds exceeding 115 mph that ended in West Akron. Troopers had tried to stop Fletcher near Interstate 77 and state Route 18 for reckless driving. While Fletcher was on home incarceration Sept. 8, 2020, he led law enforcement on another pursuit through a residential neighborhood. He was caught after being stopped by a roadblock. Investigators said Fletcher's use of social media were what initially caught the attention of law enforcement. According to court documents, a video Fletcher posted to social media on Sept. 5, 2020, showed him sitting in a car watching a group of Akron police officers and threatening to shoot them before turning the camera to his weapon. He has also posted videos claiming responsibility for other crimes, such as aggravated robbery. In another video, which he took while he was an inmate at the U.S. Penitentiary in Atlanta, he claimed to run Akron and bragged about being involved in multiple shootings. The incident reopened wounds for a grieving Akron mother, whose sons murder was discussed in the video. More: Akron mother wants sons murder revisited after federal inmate claims involvement in Facebook video What is Fletcher's criminal history? Fletcher previously been charged with aggravated menacing, possession of crack cocaine and marijuana with intent to sale, as well as being a felon in possession of firearms. Fletcher's boasting about his criminal lifestyle on social media helped bolster his reputation as a dangerous criminal in Akron, according to court documents. Fletcher has been sentenced to prison at least eight times, serving sentences ranging from seven months to four years. "None of those sentences have deterred him from quickly returning to criminal activity upon release from prison," court documents read. Peter E. Daly, an assistant United States attorney, asked for a 20-year sentencing for Fletcher's most recent charges, citing his criminal history, a seeming lack of remorse for these crimes, and his conduct during criminal trials. During an April 2022 trial, Fletcher demonstrated "both the danger he poses to others and his lack of respect for the Court," according to court documents. He threatened his attorney on the third day of the trial due to being unhappy with how the trial was proceeding. "You are all going to have to shoot me because I'm about to jump on my attorney," Fletcher was quoted as saying to the U.S. Marshals who were providing security for the trial. Fletcher was cited as someone who routinely threatens to harm others without hesitation and thrives on the violent reputation he established for himself. Prosecutors note the only way to prevent Fletcher from continuing to threaten the safety of others was through "a lengthy prison sentence." Former Police Chief James Nice had once referred to Fletcher as one of Akrons most dangerous individuals. Reporter Anthony Thompson can be reached at ajthompson@gannett.com, or on Twitter @athompsonABJ This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Joe Fletcher of Akron sentenced to federal prison after fleeing custody Kate was scrolling through Facebook when she saw a news story about an Alabama court ruling on embryos. The 39-year-old Tennessean had been going to her fertility clinic across the border in Alabama for months, and she was exhausted. She and her husband had gone through several rounds of intrauterine insemination and in vitro fertilization, only for her first pregnancy to be nonviable. She couldnt bring herself to read the article. It had been months of doctors appointments, surgical procedures and daily hormone injections. The couple had already maxed out their credit cards and taken out loans to afford fertility treatment, which had cost them $14,000 in the last month alone. My initial feeling was panic, Kate told HuffPost. Would the clinic close, she wondered? How would she pay for storage of her embryos? She started building a plan to move to a clinic in a different state, she told herself shed quit her job if she had to. Kate is one of the many women in Alabama deeply worried about how the ruling will impact her ability to have a child. The state is now hindering people from doing just that. The sweeping state Supreme Court decision, released last week, grants embryos the same legal status as children posing a direct legal threat to physicians and patients using in vitro fertilization. IVF is a medical procedure where doctors induce ovulation and remove eggs from a patient and fertilize them with sperm outside the body. The resulting embryos can either be implanted into a patients uterus in the hopes of getting pregnant, or the embryos can be frozen for future use. Some embryos are usually discarded in the process an action that now violates Alabamas Wrongful Death of a Minor Act, a civil law dating back to 1872 that allows parents to sue over the death of a child. IVF is already a physically, emotionally and financially draining treatment thats deeply personal. Now, patients and providers could be left in an excruciating limbo and are struggling for answers. Three of the largest fertility clinics in the state have paused IVF services in the wake of the ruling in order to avoid criminal prosecution. Nationwide embryo shipping services, which would have allowed patients to get care outside of Alabama, have said they are pausing embryo transport to and from Alabama. It is a fundamental American right to decide whether to become pregnant, when to become pregnant and to be able to decide with your physician how best it is for you to become pregnant, Dr. Mamie McLean, a reproductive endocrinologist and fertility specialist at Alabama Fertility, a clinic in Birmingham, told HuffPost. And if our rights can be taken away in the state of Alabama, it could happen elsewhere. Rebecca Matthews, a patient of Dr. Mamie McLean's, has gone through several rounds of IVF at Alabama Fertility and has one remaining embryo stored at the clinic. Rebecca Matthews, a patient of Dr. Mamie McLean's, has gone through several rounds of IVF at Alabama Fertility and has one remaining embryo stored at the clinic. McLeans clinic is one of the three in the state that paused IVF services this week. She and her colleagues spent much of the day breaking the news to patients that the clinic can no longer offer the services they promised. The conversations with patients have been some of the most heartbreaking that Ive had to have in my career, McLean told HuffPost. One of the first patients she called was a woman whod had two miscarriages in the past year. The patient and her husband had prepared for three months to do an embryo transfer this week. The procedure, in which the embryo is implanted into the uterus, requires weeks of daily hormone shots and doctors appointments in order to be successful. And when the day came, McLean had to cancel the appointment. She sobbed on the phone with me, McLean said of her patient. She kept saying she just wants her baby. McLean and her colleagues at Alabama Fertility were shocked by the state court ruling and have been scrambling to come up with solutions for their patients since it was released. Theyre tired, angry and, most of all, deeply concerned for the future of their fertility clinic. The conversations with patients have been some of the most heartbreaking that I've had to have in my career.Dr. Mamie McLean, fertility specialist in Alabama IVF is used for couples dealing with infertility, but also for LGBTQ couples, single people looking to start a family, people looking to have children later in life and people with certain health conditions. The IVF process encompasses daily doctors visits, hormones and other medications and even surgical procedures. Most people need to go through multiple rounds of IUI in order to qualify for IVF. And many have tried and failed to get pregnant for months or years before turning to fertility treatments. Its the money that goes into it that youve now lost. Its the time which is invaluable to an IVF patient. Its the physical, emotional and mental toll of the shots and the hormones, said Rebecca Matthews, an IVF patient of McLeans at Alabama Fertility. Matthews and her husband were given a false sense of hope when she got pregnant and gave birth to their son, Jack, after their first round of IVF in 2016. Three years later, they attempted to transfer the rest of their embryos to try for a second child. She miscarried over 10 times and went through most of their remaining embryos. They finally turned to surrogacy to have their daughter, who was named McLean after her doctor, Mamie McLean. Rebecca Matthews with her husband and two children, son Jack and daughter McLean. Rebecca Matthews with her husband and two children, son Jack and daughter McLean. Matthews currently has one remaining embryo stored at Alabama Fertility and shes worried its fate is not in her hands. I have felt like weve been backed into a corner and our options are fewer and fewer, and they may have legal consequences that come with them, she said. The state Supreme Court decision centered on a 2020 lawsuit in which three couples sued another Alabama fertility clinic and hospital for the wrongful death of their frozen embryos, using a legal framework for bringing civil charges when a child dies. The couples frozen embryos were reportedly destroyed by a patient who wandered into the cryogenic storage area where the embryos are kept and dropped them on the floor. A circuit court judge had dismissed the lawsuit in the wrongful death suit, ruling that the statute did not apply to frozen embryos, but the Alabama Supreme Court reversed that decision. A majority of the justices including the chief justice, who recently appeared on a QAnon conspiracists show ruled in favor of defining embryos as children under the wrongful death statute. Nobody cares more about embryos than fertility patients. But also, nobody understands better than a fertility patient that an embryo is not a child, Brittany Stuart, who was an IVF patient in Alabama in 2018, told HuffPost. Stuart, who now lives in Virginia, said she and her husband turned to IVF when her dad was diagnosed with terminal colon cancer. She wanted to give her father a grandkid and he didnt have much time. Stuarts daughter is now five years old, and she was able to meet her grandfather before he passed. But Stuart is worried about her remaining embryo, which is being stored in an Alabama clinic. I just wonder whats next, she said. If embryos are life, what else are they going to regulate? Where do we go from here? Thats the part that really scares me. Left: Brittany Stuart's father meeting his granddaughter. Right: Stuart during her pregnancy. Left: Brittany Stuart's father meeting his granddaughter. Right: Stuart during her pregnancy. Abortion rights advocates have warned that this is the next step in the war on reproductive rights. Some anti-abortion activists oppose IVF because they believe a fertilized egg is a person, and they consider discarding fertilized eggs to be murder, but those beliefs are fringe even within the pro-life movement. Other far-right conservative groups have gone after IVF because the fertility treatment helps many LGBTQ people start families. Both Democrats and Republicans in the Alabama state legislature are working quickly to introduce legislation to create protections for IVF. House Democrats filed a bill earlier this week that would declare any egg or embryo existing outside of a uterus not considered an unborn child or human being. And Republican state Sen. Tim Melson, chair of the Senate Healthcare Committee, told the Alabama Reflector that he plans to file a bill to carve out protections for IVF. Even staunchly anti-abortion conservatives in the state are working to protect Alabaman parents from the state Supreme Courts decision. Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall who pledged to prosecute people for taking abortion pills or assisting with out-of-state abortion travel said he wont go after IVF families or providers. I just wonder what's next. If embryos are life, what else are they going to regulate? Where do we go from here?Brittany Stuart, IVF patient Im hearing from people from on both sides of the aisle and everyones enraged, said Matthews, the IVF patient who named her daughter after McLean. Im really hoping that the Alabama Supreme Court is feeling like they are on an island alone right now. Congressional Democrats have been warning since Roe fell that the next wave of anti-choice action could take aim at fertility treatments like IVF. Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) and Rep. Susan Wild (D-Pa.) last month introduced the Access to Family Building Act, which seeks to create a federal right to access IVF and other fertility treatments. The national Republican machine has also come out strongly against the ruling, with former President Donald Trump calling on the state legislature to act quickly to find an immediate solution to preserve the ability of IVF in Alabama. The campaign arm for Senate Republicans sent a memo to candidates this week urging them to clearly and concisely reject efforts by the government to restrict IVF. Republican presidential hopeful Nikki Haley has been one of the few to even partially defend the controversial ruling, telling NBC News she believes embryos are babies (though she later backtracked). Kate, whos still emotionally recovering from the disappointment of a nonviable pregnancy, is grateful her fertility clinic has not paused IVF services yet, but shes frustrated. As a social worker who works with people with developmental disabilities, she wishes the state would direct its attention to more pressing issues, like support for disabled Alabamans who have already been born. We need to focus there, not on something before life even begins. We have a lot of other places that we need to work on, especially in this state. Related... Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) speaking to reporters outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Nov. 1, 2023. (Kenny Holston/The New York Times) A ruling by the Alabama Supreme Court that frozen embryos should be considered children has created a new political nightmare for many Republicans, as they try to portray the courts decision as a fringe view and rush to declare their support for fertility treatments, which have broad support among Americans. Several Republican governors and lawmakers swiftly disavowed the decision from the Republican-majority court. Democrats promised to make it a top-tier campaign issue. Some Republican lawmakers spoke about their personal experiences with infertility. Others declared that they would not support federal restrictions on in vitro fertilization, drawing a distinction between their support for fertility treatments and their opposition to abortion. On Friday, former President Donald Trump urged the Alabama Legislature to preserve access to IVF in the state, breaking with a right-wing flank of the anti-abortion movement that supports his presidential bid. Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York Times The Republican Party should always be on the side of the Miracle of Life and the side of Mothers, Fathers, and their Beautiful Babies, he wrote on Truth Social, a social media platform. IVF is an important part of that. Yet, even as some Republicans backed away from the court decision, Republican legislators in conservative states planned efforts to push bills that would declare that life begins at conception a policy that could have severe consequences for fertility treatments. Others acted to protect IVF. Tim Melson, a Republican state senator in Alabama, said he planned to introduce legislation clarifying that embryos are not viable until they are implanted in a womans uterus. The division was a new twist on a familiar problem for the party. Since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, many Republicans, including former President Donald Trump, have tried to avoid the issue of abortion and reframe their proposals like a 15-week federal ban as common-sense policies that can appeal to moderate voters. But such efforts have repeatedly been undercut by their conservative Christian allies in statehouses, who saw the fall of federal abortion rights as the beginning of efforts to ban the procedure, and related reproductive medical care. Despite the partys attempt to control its message, that dynamic is likely to play on repeat. The elimination of federal abortion rights returned abortion policy to the states, empowering a broad collection of state lawmakers and judges to address thorny questions about the intimate details of conception, pregnancy and birth. The Alabama court ruled last week that embryos made by fertility treatments and stored in a medical facility should be considered children under the states law that governs harmful death. The decision was relatively narrow, applying to a specific case in which three couples sued a clinic for inadvertently dropping and destroying their embryos. But anti-abortion activists, who for years have pushed for a fertilized egg to be considered a person, saw the decision as progress toward accepting fetal personhood and even granting an embryo equality rights under the 14th Amendment. Jason Rapert, a Republican former Arkansas state legislator and president of the National Association of Christian Lawmakers, said his group planned to discuss potential IVF model legislation at its upcoming meeting in June. They are already pushing bills in state legislatures that would declare that life begins at conception. Were very happy, said Rapert, whose organization actively promotes what it calls Biblical principles through model legislation. This decision is really big. It further affirms that life begins at conception. Democrats have seized on Republican division to fuel their election efforts, hoping restrictions passed by states will mobilize their voters and turn moderates and independents against Republicans. Campaigning in Michigan on Thursday, Vice President Kamala Harris called the court decision shocking, but not surprising given the overturning of Roe v. Wade. This is part of their suicide pact, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, said of the Alabama ruling. This is done in a Republican state with Republican judges. Its baked now as part of the Republican narrative. Its absolutely baked. They cant run from this. Nikki Haley, who frequently calls for Republicans to find consensus on abortion as she campaigns for president, struggled to address the ruling. On Wednesday, Haley said she believed that embryos created through IVF are babies, citing her own experience of conceiving her son through artificial insemination a process that does not involve the creation of embryos outside a womans body. After facing blowback, Haley clarified her comments hours later, saying she was not expressing support for the Alabama ruling. Alabama needs to go back and look at the law, she said in an interview with CNN, casting the case as an issue of parental rights, not the question of when life begins. We dont want fertility treatments to shut down. Haley was not alone in citing her own experience with fertility treatments in discussing the ruling. Rep. Michelle Steel, a Republican running for reelection in a swing, suburban Southern California district, said she had struggled to get pregnant. IVF allowed me, as it has so many others, to start my family, said Steel, who has co-sponsored a national abortion ban this Congress. I believe there is nothing more pro-life than helping families have children, and I do not support federal restrictions on IVF. At a forum sponsored by Politico on Thursday, three Republican governors also defended the medical treatment. You have a lot of people out there in this country that they wouldnt have children if it werent for that, said Gov. Brian Kemp of Georgia, who signed a law banning abortion starting at six weeks. Other Republicans tried to avoid the topic altogether. On Thursday, many declined to comment on the ruling, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, an evangelical Christian who has put his faith at the forefront of his politics throughout his career and has called abortion an American holocaust. His home state, Louisiana, has a law that prevents the intentional destruction of embryos. Republican strategists have advised candidates to shy away from the most aggressive abortion restrictions and avoid long-standing labels like pro-life, which they say have become synonymous with banning abortion. Theyve also urged candidates to proactively declare their support for other areas of reproductive health care, including fertility treatments and contraception. On Friday, the National Republican Senatorial Committee urged its candidates to support the fertility treatment, citing polling by Kellyanne Conway, a former top aide to Trump. The survey, conducted last year, showed broad support for IVF including from self-identified pro-life voters and evangelicals. By advocating for increased access to these services, opposing restrictions, and emphasizing the importance of supporting families in their journey to conceive our candidates can demonstrate compassion, respect for family values and a commitment to individual freedom, wrote Jason Thielman, the executive director of the committee. Dan Conston, president of the Congressional Leadership Fund, the main House Republican super PAC, said it was useful and important for swing district Republicans to show empathy, sympathy and clearly voice support for consensus positions like IVF. Still, in Congress, a small group of far-right members continue to push for anti-abortion measures that their colleagues in competitive districts want to distance themselves from. Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., told reporters Thursday at CPAC, a conference of conservative activists, that he believed embryos were children because embryos grow into being adults, like we are. But he also said that there are women who have decided to seek that process, referring to IVF, adding, and thats a good thing. While polling has shown broad support for abortion rights, theres less data available about Americans views on fertility treatments. The Pew Research Center found in September that 61% of Americans and 54% of Republicans believe health insurance should cover the cost of fertility treatments. The services are widely used: Some 42% of Americans said they or someone they know had used some form of fertility treatment to have a baby. Mike Pence, the former vice president and one of the anti-abortion movements strongest allies, and his wife, Karen, have publicly discussed their use of IVF treatments. I fully support fertility treatments and I think they deserve the protection of the law, he told CBS in 2022 after Roe was overturned. But for some abortion opponents, any fertility treatments that create and dispose of embryos should be out of bounds. I cant name one pro-life group that I know of that would say that they are OK with the IVF procedure, said Kristan Hawkins, the president of Students for Life. Some Democrats saw within the ruling the possibility of a clarifying moment for voters. One of them, Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, said that when she raised concerns about the future of fertility treatments immediately after Roe was overturned, some of her Republican colleagues dismissed them. I said, once youve taken away the protection of Roe that courts are going to head in a lot of different directions in the states, she said, and thats exactly what happened. c.2024 The New York Times Company FILE -Stephen Parlato of Boulder, Colo., holds a sign that reads "Hands Off Roe!!!" as abortion rights advocates and anti-abortion protesters demonstrate in front of the U.S. Supreme Court, Wednesday, Dec. 1, 2021, in Washington. A recent Alabama Supreme Court ruling that frozen embryos are legally protected children is highlighting how support for fetal personhood underpins far less dramatic laws and proposals from abortion foes in states across the U.S. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File) TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) The recent Alabama Supreme Court ruling that frozen embryos are legally protected children is highlighting how support for the idea that a fetus should have the same rights as a person underpins far less dramatic laws and proposals from abortion foes across the U.S. Lawmakers in at least six states have proposed measures similar to a Georgia law that allows women to seek child support back to conception to cover expenses from a pregnancy. Georgia also allows prospective parents to claim its income tax deduction for dependent children before birth, Utah enacted a pregnancy tax break last year, and variations of those measures are before lawmakers in at least four other states. Including legislation that makes harming or killing a fetus a crime, several dozen proposals falling under the broad umbrella of promoting fetal rights are pending in at least 15 states, according to an Associated Press analysis using the bill-tracking software Plural. The Alabama court decision spotlighted the anti-abortion movement's long-standing goal of giving embryos and fetuses legal and constitutional protections on par with those of the women carrying them. But abortion rights advocates see proposals granting even limited protections to embryos and fetuses as potentially having broader implications. Any law that applies to a human could then be deployed with regard to fetuses, said Melissa Murray, a professor at the New York University School of Law. The whole array of statutory law and constitutional law is available. Abortion opponents argue that proposals on income taxes or child support or state aid to anti-abortion centers that provide services during pregnancy and after birth are driven by compassion for vulnerable women and girls. The help could persuade some not to terminate pregnancies, abortion opponents contend, but their tax and child support proposals also would help women and girls who never consider abortion. The main goal is just to help provide support for mothers and families who need extra support here and then provide support to those who are also helping them, such as the pregnancy resource centers, said Lucrecia Nold, who lobbies for the Kansas Catholic Conference. A Kansas House committee held a hearing earlier this month on the child support proposal, and a bill to allow prospective parents to claim the state's $2,250 dependent income tax deduction before a child's birth is before a Senate committee. Lawmakers are expected to discuss both in coming weeks. Kansas is an outlier among states with Republican-controlled Legislatures because of a 2019 state Supreme Court decision declaring that the Kansas Constitution protects access to abortion as a matter of a fundamental right to bodily autonomy. Lawmakers put an amendment on the ballot to explicitly declare that the constitution doesn't grant a right to abortion allowing them to greatly restrict or ban the procedure but voters soundly rejected it in August 2022. It was the first of seven state votes affirming abortion rights after the U.S. Supreme Court's Dobbs decision allowing states to ban abortion. But Kansas also has had a law since 2007 that allows people to face separate charges for crimes against fetuses, including capital murder, vehicular homicide and battery, and it hasn't been challenged. A 2013 state law declares that life begins at fertilization and unborn children have interests in life, health and well-being that should be protected, but it's not been enforced as a limit on abortion. Brittany Jones, an attorney and policy director for Kansas Family Voice, which opposes abortion and sought the child support measure, said the state Supreme Court didn't care about those laws when it ruled in 2019. This freakout that were trying to do something unique legally is just hysterical, she said. We believe that the mother and the child both have value. I won't run from that; that's true. In questioning abortion opponents motives for pursuing more limited measures dealing with child support or income taxes, abortion rights advocates argue that they dont represent meaningful aid for pregnant women or their families. During the Kansas House committee hearing this month, abortion providers argued that if the state wants to help them, it should consider expanding social services, including Medicaid; improve access to comprehensive sexual and reproductive care; or mandate paid family leave. The states budget division projected that almost 21,000 extra income tax filers could claim the dependent deduction but the average savings would be about $91 each. Elisabeth Smith, state policy and advocacy director for the Center for Reproductive Rights, which fights for abortion access, called such measures window dressing and said they and the Alabama Supreme Court ruling are part of a coordinated anti-abortion campaign across the U.S. This is absolutely part of the antis' long campaign to perpetuate abortion stigma and to normalize that an embryo and a fetus are equal to a living, breathing human being walking around, Smith said. But Mary Zieger, a law professor at the University of California, Davis, who has published six books since 2015 about the national abortion debate and its history, said states' fetal personhood measures also could influence the U.S. Supreme Court's conservative majority to consider whether the U.S. Constitution's rights apply to fetuses and embryos as a matter of history or tradition. And then theyre going to say, Well, look, theres also all these states that hold this position, she said. In Alabama, voters amended the state constitution in 2018 to declare that the states public policy is to ensure the protection of the rights of the unborn child." Justices cited that provision in separate opinions on frozen embryos. Broad fetal rights proposals are pending in at least four states, and Vermont has one to grant rights to fetuses at the 24th week of pregnancy, though it is not likely to pass the Democratic-controlled Legislature. Ziegler, who's working on a book about the push for fetal rights, said such broad measures are likely to be unpopular with voters who want to protect abortion access or in vitro fertilization for women who have trouble conceiving. She said abortion foes are trying to find unicorn bills that advance fetal personhood without actually making voters angry." Theres a kind of longer game being played here in the sense that the goal is ultimately some kind of federal recognition for fetal personhood, she said. ____ Mulvihill reported from Cherry Hill, New Jersey. Amid measles outbreaks in various parts of the U.S., the Florida surgeon general has issued some guidance to parents regarding kids school attendance. In a letter issued to parents on Friday, Dr. Joseph Ladapo said the Florida Department of Health (FDOH) "is deferring to parents or guardians to make decisions about school attendance." The letter comes in response to a cluster of measles cases identified at Manatee Bay Elementary in Weston, Florida. MEASLES VIRUS CONTINUES TO SPREAD AS WHO SAYS MORE THAN HALF THE WORLD HAS HIGH RISK OF CONTRACTING THE VIRUS Typical guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is for unvaccinated children who have not had the measles to stay home for up to 21 days in the event of a potential exposure at school. "However, due to the high immunity rate in the community, as well as the burden on families and educational cost of healthy children missing school, DOH is deferring to parents or guardians to make decisions about school attendance," Ladapos letter stated. READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP A cluster of measles cases has been identified at Manatee Bay Elementary in Weston, Florida. "This recommendation may change as epidemiological investigations continue." People who have had the full series of the measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) immunization or who have had a prior infection are 98% protected against the highly contagious virus, the doctor noted. MEASLES OUTBREAKS IN US, UK HAVE HEALTH AGENCIES ON HIGH ALERT: BE VIGILANT Those who do not have immunity have a 90% chance of contracting measles. "If someone in your household contracts measles, all members of the household should consider themselves exposed and monitor symptoms," Ladapo stated in the letter. The doctor did recommend that students with symptoms should stay home from school. Common signs and symptoms of measles include a rash on the face, neck and body; high fever; cough; runny nose; and red, watery eyes. "All children presenting with symptoms of illness should not attend school until symptoms have fully subsided without medication," Ladapo advised. On the Florida Department of Healths website, two doses of the MMR vaccine are listed among the vaccine requirements for children entering, attending or transferring to public and non-public schools for kindergarten through 12th grade. Typical guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is for unvaccinated children who have not had measles to stay home for up to 21 days in the event of a potential exposure at school. Torey Alston, a former Broward County commissioner and a current District 2 school board member, reacted to Ladapo's guidance in a statement to Fox News Digital. "We continue to work with all partners, including the state and the local health department," he said. "I appreciate the leadership and support by the surgeon general and welcome all resources to help our parents and children. The safety and academic success of our children remains the No. 1 priority." Dr. Marc Siegel, clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center and a Fox News medical contributor, was not involved in the FDOH letter but offered his reaction to the guidance. "The measles vaccine is almost 100% effective at preventing spread, especially if two shots are given," he told Fox News Digital in a phone interview on Friday. On the Florida Department of Healths website, two doses of the MMR vaccine are listed among the vaccine requirements for children entering, attending or transferring to public and non-public schools for kindergarten through 12th grade. "At a time when there's a resurgence of measles in the world and travel is not restricted, and people are coming into this country with measles, it's extremely important that our children be vaccinated against it." The current measles outbreak is a time when "individual choice has to give way to public health and community preservation or safety," Siegel said. While some public health officials may have been "mistaken" about drawing that line with the COVID pandemic, that doesn't automatically mean that it applies to every virus and vaccine, the doctor noted. MEASLES PROTECTION IS PARAMOUNT BEFORE TRAVELING OUTSIDE THE US, SAYS CDC "The problem here is that if kids start going to school unvaccinated against measles, given how contagious it is and how effective the vaccine is, they are putting other children at risk," Siegel said. Referring to measles as "the most contagious respiratory virus on the planet," Siegel warned that an unvaccinated person has at least a 90% chance of catching the illness if they enter a room where measles was present up to two hours prior. Common signs and symptoms of measles include a rash on the face, neck and body; high fever; cough; runny nose; and red, watery eyes. The doctor also warned of the severity of the disease, noting that one in five people with measles ends up in the hospital. These dangers can be offset by the vaccine, Siegel said. "This is a great vaccine extremely important, very safe, tested for decades, and [it] prevents the spread of a dangerous virus that's resurging right now." Siegel also said he disagrees with Ladapos guidance to not require unvaccinated children to stay at home. Dr. Brett Osborn, a Florida neurosurgeon and longevity expert, also reviewed Ladapos guidance. He said he disagrees with it as well. "Measles is not COVID-19," Osborn said in a statement to Fox News Digital. "In fact, measles is one of the leading vaccine-preventable causes of death." "Measles has been well-controlled by national vaccination campaigns, and we have walled off the disease, in essence, as we have polio." The doctor noted that "time-tested" vaccines such as the MMR, oral polio and DTP have low complication rates, "unlike the COVID vaccine." "The more people that are vaccinated, the greater the chances of acquiring a state of herd immunity," Osborn said. "The fact that there has been an outbreak in an elementary school in Weston strongly suggests a lack of herd immunity." CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER "Sending unvaccinated children to school amid an outbreak and inside of the transmissible period is reckless," he also said. "While it is always the parents choice whether to vaccinate their children, and whether or not to expose them to the virus directly, decisions should be based on scientific fact." Dr. Marc Siegel, left, and Dr. Brett Osborn, right, offered their reactions to the Florida surgeon general's guidance. Osborn hypothesized that the COVID pandemic may have contributed to overall vaccine reluctance. "Unfortunately, as of the past several years due to induced vaccine fear, the byproduct of a failed COVID-19 vaccine vaccination rates generally have decreased," Osborn said. "The result? Viral outbreaks. And measles wont be the last." As of Friday, there have been 35 measles cases reported in U.S. states, including Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New York City, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Washington, according to the CDC. Fox News Digital reached out to Dr. Ladapo, the Florida Department of Health, the Florida Department of Education, and Attendance Works (a San Francisco-based national initiative that advocates for improved school attendance) requesting comment. For more Health articles, visit www.foxnews.com/health . Original article source: Amid Florida measles outbreak, surgeon general lets parents decide whether to send unvaccinated kids to school MOBILE, Ala. (WKRG) An Alabama Appeals Court is affirming the conviction of a man who killed five people and an unborn baby. Friday the court issued an order affirming its ruling against Dearman. Since 2020, lawyers for Dearman have been seeking to have his death penalty conviction thrown out on the grounds of a Rule 32 hearing. Defense lawyers said Dearman was severely mentally ill and had ineffective counsel. In March of last year, the Appeals Court ruled that his conviction and death sentence should stand. Dearman appealed in September and the court upheld that decision this week. In 2016 Dearman shot five people in a Citronelle home and hit them with an axe. Six were dead, including an unborn child. After the shootings, Dearman kidnapped one adult and a child and took them to a home in Greene County, Mississippi. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRG News 5. Influential Republicans vying to be Donald Trumps vice-presidential running mate appeared at a conservative conference near Washington, auditioning for the spot at Trumps side on the campaign trail with fire and flattery. Five people seen as contenders in the Apprentice-like spectacle made appearances Friday at the Conservative Political Action Conference, known as CPAC: Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio; Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York; Gov. Kristi Noem of South Dakota; Kari Lake, a Senate candidate in Arizona who rose to prominence with a full-throated embrace of Trumps stolen election lies; and conservative former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. The contenders appeared to understand that they had an audience of one in Trump. Their approaches differed, but their speeches were similar in tone and content: underscoring their loyalty through effusive praise and scorching rhetoric for the base, while portraying the former president, who faces 91 felony charges in four separate criminal cases, as a martyr for Republicans. Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York Times Stefanik, a onetime moderate Republican whose reinvention as a close Trump ally has helped elevate her to a position in the House leadership, made a point of aggressively defending Trump for his legal troubles. She played up the Republican-led congressional inquiries into President Joe Biden and his son Hunter by repeatedly referring to them as the Biden crime family even as much of the testimony in the Biden cases has been called into question. The closer President Trump gets to victory, the dirtier the Democrats, their stenographers in the media and the corrupt prosecutors will get. They will stop at nothing, and I mean nothing, in their attempt to steal this next election, Stefanik said. She also sought to cast herself as an early supporter of Trump despite her earlier private criticism of him as a disaster for the Republican Party. Trump and his campaign have signaled that loyalty and deference to the former president are key qualities. On the eve of the South Carolina primary, and ahead of other crucial presidential contests on March 5, Super Tuesday, Trump and his campaign have invited speculation about his potential running mate as a way to project an inevitability to his candidacy, and steer attention away from Nikki Haley, his insurgent rival in the presidential race. In interviews, CPAC attendees offered varying opinions about whom Trump should pick, with some highlighting unapologetic Trump acolytes like Ramaswamy and Stefanik. But many also qualified their choices by saying they would be happy with whichever candidate Trump selected. I dont have a huge opinion, said Mitch Boggs, a state representative from Missouri, adding that Stefanik would be his personal pick. But, he said, I want Trump to pick who he wants to pick. Vance, sitting for an interview with a host from the conservative news channel Newsmax, on the conventions main stage said that Donald Trump is maybe the first politician in my lifetime who will be much poorer for having served his country. That is the best evidence that we should reelect him in 2024, he has sacrificed for his country. (Before the enormous penalties from the civil cases against him, Trump profited from his private businesses both during his presidency and after he left office.) The Ohio senator also focused during the interview on his opposition to U.S. military aid to Ukraine, an isolationist policy view he shares with Trump. He had harsh words for Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Senate minority leader, accusing him of caring more about the war in Ukraine than about domestic problems in his own state. You need to look in the mirror and accept that your job has been a failure, Vance said. Youve been a failure at your job. Noem highlighted her early endorsement of Trump in the 2024 contest, and said that she declined to run for president because she knew no one could beat Trump in a primary, prompting applause when she said, Hes the only person who has the support to be the Republican nominee. She also delivered a dark message that emulated the divisive rhetoric of Trump. There are two kinds of people in this country right now. There are people who love America, and there are those who hate America, she said. Ramaswamy appeared at a dinner event for CPAC later in the evening, wielding much of the same fiery rhetoric he brought to the campaign trail. Ramaswamy dropped out of the race after a fourth-place finish in the Iowa caucuses. We are in the middle of a war in this country, Ramaswamy said. I call this a war because theres no middle ground here. He went on: It is a war between those of us who love the United States of America and our founding ideals and a fringe minority who hates this country and what we stand for. Lake did not appear on the main stage, instead participating on a panel hosted by the far-right television channel Real Americas Voice on the convention floor. She also echoed Trumps isolationist views on aid to Ukraine, saying that the United States had to stop sending money overseas. Berney Flowers, a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel running for Congress in Maryland, listed Ramaswamy, Lake, Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina and Tulsi Gabbard, a former member of Congress from Hawaii who left the Democratic Party to become a political independent, as possible contenders he would support. We need the fire, he said, though he added, Any one of those people I would be happy to get behind. The conference will conclude Saturday with the groups traditional straw poll. For the first time in at least a decade, the survey will include a question about vice-presidential preferences, asking attendees to pick the best running mate for Trump. It is a very different selection process from the one in 2016, when Trump chose Mike Pence as his running mate just days before the Republican National Convention. At the time, Trump was still very much an outsider in the Republican Party and had to work to fend off attempts to derail his nomination and incite a contested convention. Going against his instincts, which would have favored a deferential running mate who would aggressively defend him against his many critics, Trump settled on Pence in an effort to unite the party. Now, Trump might as well be the Republican Party, and he is likely to favor the candidates who are most deferential to him even as he weighs factors such as whether a woman or a person of color could help win voters in the general election. c.2024 The New York Times Company Here are the areas where Haley could put up a fight as Trump looks to sweep the South Carolina primary Voters are casting ballots today in South Carolina, the last of the major early states to choose a Republican nominee for president before Super Tuesday. Former President Donald Trump has maintained a consistent and commanding polling lead, while the states former governor, Nikki Haley, will try to prove that she is a viable candidate with a competitive performance. She will need to win at least in Charleston and Richland to clear that bar, while Trump will be looking to sweep the rest of the state. LIVE UPDATES: SOUTH CAROLINA GOP PRIMARY Two counties in upstate South Carolina, Greenville and Spartanburg, add up to about 16% of the registered voter population of the state. Former South Carolina governor and U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, and former President Donald Trump. Like the overall region, these two counties are also heavily White and evangelical. READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP As we saw in Iowa, these voters favor Trump by wide margins, and the latest polling in South Carolina suggests they will vote similarly here today. When Trump first ran for president in 2016, he had two major competitors in the Palmetto State: Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio. Both candidates put up a serious fight in these two counties. In Greenville, they took 24.5% of the vote each; Trump won overall with 26.7%. TRUMP CAMPAIGN PREDICTS A-- KICKING FOR HALEY IN SOUTH CAROLINA PRIMARY Cruz, who courted the evangelical vote throughout his run, took 24.5% in Spartanburg, while Rubio received 22.9%. Trump won with 32.6%. The results from recent primaries and polling suggest that most of the Cruz voters have found a new home with Trump. Therefore, to win the state, Trump will look to take home at least a similar share of the vote in the upstate region as the combined share that he and Cruz took in 2016. For a performance in line with polling expectations, and with all other things being equal, hell look for something in the area of 65-75%. With such an evangelical tilt, Haley is not likely to be very competitive here. In line with her strategy in New Hampshire, Haley will look to win in highly populated urban and suburban areas. Charleston and Richland, which make up about 16% of the overall statewide vote, are at the top of the list. Charleston County is home to the city of the same name, which is also the most populated city in the state. Richland County contains Columbia, the states capital and home of the University of South Carolina. In 2016, these were the only counties where Rubio eked out a win. They are also more affluent than most other parts of the state, and have more voters with a college degree; two of Haleys key constituencies. Polling shows Haley running behind Trump but remaining competitive in these cities. The former hometown governor will need to do better than that to make this a race. The better Haley does in these areas, the greater the chance that Haley will leave South Carolina with at least some delegates. Thats because, in addition to 29 statewide delegates, the state awards three delegates to the winner of the vote in each of its seven congressional districts. Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley is running against former President Donald Trump for the Republican nomination. Trump is running for a second term despite facing multiple legal fronts. Some of Trumps best performances in the 2016 Republican primary came from very small, rural counties. He received more than 40% of the vote in 13 counties, ten of which had populations of less than 50,000 people. NIKKI HALEY SAYS TRUMP WILL NOT WIN THE GENERAL ELECTION AHEAD OF SOUTH CAROLINA PRIMARY Look to places like Lee County, in central South Carolina, where Trump took home 47% of the vote, beating closest rival Cruz by 25 points. Lee Countys population is about 16,000 people and dropping. Head south to Allendale County, home to less than 8,000 South Carolinians. Trump received 44% there, beating the second place candidate, Rubio, by 19 points. Its population is also declining. He received between 30% and 40% of the vote in another 27 counties, about half of which had populations of less than 50,000. And that was in a race with two popular challengers, at a time when Trump had not yet persuaded the base that he had the right conservative credentials. Collectively, these rural areas represent a powerful part of the overall statewide vote in South Carolina. To win, Trump will look to bring out as many votes as possible. All polls close in South Carolina at 7 p.m. ET. Expect to see an early vote reported first in most areas; that vote will likely favor Haley. Special coverage on Fox News Channel also begins at 7, anchored by Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum. Stay tuned for insights from our best-in-class Fox News Voter Analysis and the Fox News Decision Desk, which will call this race. Original article source: Here are the areas where Haley could put up a fight as Trump looks to sweep the South Carolina primary DALLAS, Tex. (KNWA/KFTA) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced on February 22 that Arkansas will receive $53,099,000 from the Biden Administrations Investing in America agenda to be used for upgrades to drinking water and clean water infrastructure upgrades. According to the EPA, the funding is part of a more than $50 billion investment in water infrastructure upgrades from President Joe Bidens Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Fayetteville considers increased compensation for sewer line breaks The EPA says almost half of the funding will be available as grants or principal forgiveness loans. President Bidens Investing in America agenda continues to transform communities for the better with this latest infusion of funds for critical water infrastructure projects, said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. With $50 billion in total, the largest investment in water infrastructure in our nations history, EPA will enable communities across the nation to ensure safer drinking water for their residents and rebuild vital clean water infrastructure to protect public health for decades to come. Fort Smith faces $1 billion water, sewage revamp The funding is part of a $5.8 billion investment through the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds. The Biden Administration plans to fund state-run, low-interest loan programs to address key challenges with $2.6 billion going to the Clean Water SRF for wastewater and stormwater infrastructure and $3.2 billion going to the Drinking Water SRF for drinking water infrastructure nationwide. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KNWA FOX24. EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) For decades, Army Emergency Relief has been there like a rock, helping soldiers and families get through times of trouble. Army Emergency Relief, founded in 1942, serves as the Armys official nonprofit and helps soldiers, retired soldiers and Army families get through emergencies with grants, interest-free loans and scholarships. I often say, Emergency is our middle name, said retired Sergeant Major of the Army Tony Grinston, who is now AERs chief executive officer. It is absolutely what we do, he said. Grinston will be visiting Fort Bliss on Wednesday, Feb. 28 and Thursday, Feb. 29 in his first installation visit since taking the helm at AER back in January. The Armys onetime top enlisted soldier gave KTSM an interview over Zoom ahead of his trip to El Paso and Fort Bliss. Grinston said AER is there to help soldiers and families and he wants to get the message out about what they do. For instance, AER has 30 categories in which it can provide help to soldiers and their families, things like housing and car repairs. Housing is number 1, Grinston said. Helping soldiers get through tough financial times is also an upstream way at preventing soldier suicides, domestic violence and behavioral health issues, Grinston said. A lot of times, downstream, bad things will happen mental health issues, suicide or domestic violence, Grinston said. We dont look far enough to see how it started. Maybe, it started with an argument because you are in debt or are running up that credit card. That causes more arguments, the spouse leaves and then you can see how it starts heading down the wrong way, Grinston continued. If we can take that one stressor away or make it a little easier My goal is to make things better, reduce suicide and reduce domestic violence, he said. According to the USO, as of 2021, more than 30,000 active-duty military service members and veterans who have served after 9/11 have died by suicide. That compares to about 7,000 who were killed in combat in those same 20 years, the USO said. That translates to a four times higher suicide rate than deaths from military operations. Grinston said during his trip to El Paso and Fort Bliss he will also be raising awareness about the organizations fundraising drive that will last from March 1 to June 1. You can make donations of any size. Visit ArmyEmergencyRelief.org to make a donation. Grinston served as the Armys top enlisted soldier from 2019 to 2023. One of the jobs main areas of focus is to look out for the overall health, well-being and readiness of soldiers and families. So leading AER seems like the perfect second act for Grinston. One hundred percent. I truly love my job and love what I do, he said. Im super excited every day and know I can continue to help soldiers and families in need. Grinston was stationed at Fort Bliss in 2005-06 when he attended the U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy (USASMA). We have fond memories of El Paso as a family, he said. Fort Bliss also is a key installation for the Army and its mission of defending the United States and its interests, Grinston said. He cited that it is home to multiple important units, like the 1st Armored Division, the 32nd Army Air and Missile Defense Command and USASMA. It is a key component for the protection of Americans, Grinston said. You can click here to learn more about Army Emergency Relief or make a donation during its fund-raising drive. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTSM 9 News. Gen Sir Patricks letter has put him at odds with Grant Shapps, the Defence Secretary, on wokeism in the military - SGT JIMMY WISE/MOD The head of the British Army has suggested that under-funding has left it in danger of becoming a domestically-focused land force, The Telegraph can reveal. In a leaked letter, Gen Sir Patrick Sanders, the Chief of the General Staff, suggested the Armys ability to mount overseas campaigns was in jeopardy and the forces strategic resilience was at risk. Gen Sir Patrick also said he and senior officials struggled to fully land our concerns with the Ministry of Defence. In the letter to former generals, with whom the Chief of the General Staff regularly consults, he wrote: For some time, we have asset-sweated the military, compounded by a mismatch between ambition and resource that has been robustly addressed by both National Audit Office and Defence Select Committee reporting. Our strategic resilience is at risk, and we might inadvertently reduce ourselves to a smaller, static and domestically-focused land force. I am not sure that this is either the Army the nation needs, or the one that policymakers want. It comes as the UK and US on Saturday night launched a fresh wave of strikes against Houthi militants in Yemen in a bid to disrupt and degrade the Iran-backed militias capabilities. The airborne attacks struck 18 Houthi targets across eight locations in Yemen linked to underground weapons and missile storage facilities, air defence systems and a helicopter. The Army chiefs comments follow his self-described controversial speech in January when he suggested Britain should train and equip a citizen army to prepare for a future land conflict. Maj Gen Julian Thompson, who commanded Three Commando Brigade in the Falklands, said: He is right to warn that we might soon be unable to fulfil our expeditionary or Nato commitments. That is truly shocking. Col Richard Kemp, who commanded British troops in Afghanistan, Iraq, the Balkans and Northern Ireland, backed Gen Sir Patricks warning, saying that our ability to conduct overseas operations is at risk because of cuts. It is very worrying that given the multiple threats from China, Russia and Iran, our Armed Forces have been gutted of the resources required to fight effectively and to support our allies abroad, he said. Gen Sir Patricks letter also puts him at odds with Grant Shapps, the Defence Secretary, on wokeism in the military, and the MoDs new housing initiative. Under the initiative, personnel will be allocated houses according to family size rather than rank. It has been met with outrage by soldiers wives. The letter from Gen Sir Patrick said there was much to celebrate in the NAO [New Accommodation Offer], but I am concerned about some of the likely consequences. He described the policy as a net positive for our people but conceded that there is an uncomfortable opportunity cost and for the most part, this will be felt by the Officer Corps. The letter continued: This does present risk to the social fabric of the Army, and it diminishes the strength of the offer we provide to young officers, in particular. I and ECAB [executive committee of the Army board] feel it is as vital to look after our leadership as our soldiers, but we are not being heard. A petition set up by Army wives calling for a review of the policy has gained 16,000 signatures, warning that retention rates in the forces will continue to suffer if the policy goes through unchanged. Between October 2022 and October 2023, the regular Armed Forces saw an influx of 10,470 new recruits, while 16,260 departed. Notably, the last quarter witnessed a record-breaking 792 Army officers opting for early departure. Gen Thompson said: Gen Sir Patrick is right to object to the abolition of housing allocation by rank because, if it is pushed through, hell lose his mid-rank commanders in short order; but he weakly goes along with it. Both the threat to strategic resilience and the mortal threat to morale from the woke housing policy changes are resigning matters. Gen Sir Patrick also defended the Armys diversity policies following criticism from senior ex-servicemen that they were woke and affecting the forces operational effectiveness. He endorsed lowering security clearance checks for overseas recruits to boost diversity, a policy that Mr Shapps ruled out after it was disclosed by The Telegraph. The generals letter referred to reports around wokeism, and said: I make no apology for seeking an Army that reflects the society we serve and creates an environment that best nourishes its moral component. However Col Kemp said it was wrong to say his woke policies are popular with the majority of soldiers, adding: I regularly speak with serving personnel who are concerned with the adoption of radical policies on gender and race in the military, which are only accelerating our recruitment and retention problems. A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: Our Armed Forces are always ready to protect and defend the nation, with more than 50billion being spent on defence this year alone. The Army is currently undergoing its largest transformation in 20 years, creating a more integrated, agile, and lethal force, fit to face up to current and future threats. Alongside this, 41 billion is being invested in equipment and support projects over the next 10 years to ensure the Army has the highest quality equipment for the battlefield. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Performers dance during the Chingay Parade as part of the Lunar New Year celebrations in Singapore's F1 Pit Building on Feb. 23, 2024. (Photo by Then Chih Wey/Xinhua) Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (C) attends the Chingay Parade as part of the Lunar New Year celebrations in Singapore's F1 Pit Building on Feb. 23, 2024. (Photo by Then Chih Wey/Xinhua) A performer waves to spectators during the Chingay Parade as part of the Lunar New Year celebrations in Singapore's F1 Pit Building on Feb. 23, 2024. (Photo by Then Chih Wey/Xinhua) Performers perform dragon dance during the Chingay Parade as part of the Lunar New Year celebrations in Singapore's F1 Pit Building on Feb. 23, 2024. (Photo by Then Chih Wey/Xinhua) Performers dance during the Chingay Parade as part of the Lunar New Year celebrations in Singapore's F1 Pit Building on Feb. 23, 2024. (Photo by Then Chih Wey/Xinhua) Performers dance during the Chingay Parade as part of the Lunar New Year celebrations in Singapore's F1 Pit Building on Feb. 23, 2024. (Photo by Then Chih Wey/Xinhua) Performers dance during the Chingay Parade as part of the Lunar New Year celebrations in Singapore's F1 Pit Building on Feb. 23, 2024. (Photo by Then Chih Wey/Xinhua) Secretary of State Anthony Blinken started the new year with a sensible, and productive, visit to Africa. In late January, he traveled to Cabo Verde, Ivory Coast, Nigeria and Angola. The purpose is to pursue long-term strategic ties with African nations, with emphasis on partnership and economic development. For many years, China has devoted sustained attention to that continent. When the Sino-Soviet split occurred in the late 1950s, Beijing made the strategic decision to focus on poor non-white nations. Prominence of China today in Africa is in part a legacy of the fundamental split more than a half-century ago between the two principal communist powers during the Cold War. Arthur Cyr In Cabo Verde, emphasis was on the fact that the nation has completed two Millennium Challenge Corporation compacts, and is beginning a third. These involve U.S. grants for promising economic development projects. The nation has also been declared malaria-free by the World Health Organization. In Ivory Coast, emphasis was on new regional security efforts. The nation borders three others that have suffered recent coups Burkina Faso, Guinea and Mali. Likewise, the visit to Nigeria involved security. Last July, the military in bordering Niger ousted the elected civilian leadership. Angola is the scene of a major new agreement on private investment, which the Biden administration is treating as a priority. The Lobito Corridor rail project is financed by African and European in addition to U.S. investment sources. The large-scale construction project is expected to be profitable, and provide a positive counterweight to some of Chinas Belt-and-Road projects, which have suffered from shoddy construction, harsh loan terms for recipient nations, and commercial losses. During the later phase of the Cold War, the U.S. government supported Angola rebels fighting a government supported by the Soviet Union and Cuba. Historically, Americans have been absent-minded about Africa. Past presidents generally focused on other parts of the world, with notable exceptions. Senator John F. Kennedy (D-MA) was chairman of the African Affairs Subcommittee of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, attentive to that responsibility, and carried concern about Africa into the Oval Office. President Jimmy Carter in office and afterward steadfastly worked with Africa projects. The Carter Center has devoted sustained emphasis to public health and related problems of that continent. One dramatic result is the virtual eradication of guinea worm, a devastating, agonizing disease. Carter effectively leveraged his centers efforts into World Bank work targeting the disease. Former President Bill Clinton achieved rockstar status in Africa, a popular stop in his travels on behalf of the Clinton Foundation. Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama devoted at least periodic attention to the continent while in office, reflecting the changing times. President John F. Kennedy deserves credit for establishing the Peace Corps, a concept promoted by former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and Senator Hubert Humphrey (D-MN). The Peace Corps is remarkably durable, today involving selfless volunteers ranging widely in age. Related, enormous growth in private philanthropy means there are unprecedented opportunities to raise living standards across Africa. Basic safety and security, however, sometimes is challenging. Terrorists generate ongoing death, destruction and headlines, but have yet to demonstrate appeal to the average person in Africa or elsewhere on the globe. By contrast, private economic development and investment, along with representative government, is slowly growing. The world is moving in our direction. Learn: Former First Lady Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt talks with President John F. Kennedy: jfklibrary.org/asset-viewer/archives/jfkwha-014. Arthur I. Cyr is author of After the Cold War American Foreign Policy, Europe and Asia (NYU Press and Palgrave/Macmillan). Contact acyr@carthage.edu. This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Arthur Cyr: Secretary of state makes time for Africa Asbury Park will receive $20 million from the New Jersey boardwalk fund, the Murphy administration said Friday, in a move that could help rehabilitate and reopen the historic Convention Hall and Paramount Theatre. The city's award was the largest of 18 awards that will go to municipalities for boardwalk projects ranging from replacing crumbling decks with resilient, longer lasting materials, to providing grants to businesses needing to compete upgrades. "These funds will help the city provide needed improvements that enhance the beachfront user experience for our residents and tourists alike, Asbury Park Mayor John Moor said. New Jersey established the Boardwalk Preservation Fund last August with money from the federal American Rescue Plan in a bid to help municipalities keep up with the expenses of maintaining a signature of the state's tourism industry: the boardwalk. Asbury Park: Schools superintendent put on leave after ongoing fights with teachers union The program drew particular interest in Asbury Park, where the Convention Hall and Paramount Theatre's music venues have been closed since 2020 because of safety concerns. The city worked with the building's owner, Madison Marquette, to apply for money from the boardwalk fund to help renovate and reopen the attraction. What's new for Convention Hall? New management company takes over Asbury Park ultimately received half of what it requested. It will get $7 million that it will use to make repairs and upgrade bathrooms on the south end of the boardwalk. And it will oversee $13 million that officials expect Madison Marquette to use to repair Convention Hall and the Paramount, Deputy Mayor Amy Quinn said. Gary Mottola, managing director for Madison Marquette, said the company looked forward to partnering with the city to complete a makeover. In addition to rehabilitating Convention Hall, the retail company has laid out plans to build a 5,000-seat outdoor theater near the Casino building. "This is an important and critical step in our plans to completely renovate Convention Hall and the other iconic buildings on the boardwalk, and in doing so to preserve and enhance Asbury Parks long and storied history as a center for the celebration of music," Mottola said. Hauling garbage. Aiding addicts. It all led to serving gelato in Asbury Park Exterior of Convention Hall in Asbury Park, NJ Wednesday, September 1, 2021. Asbury Park isn't alone. Atlantic City was awarded $20 million from the boardwalk fund. Seven other Monmouth and Ocean County towns that will receive boardwalk money. Seaside Heights, for example, will receive $4.8 million that will be used to replace the entire length of the borough's two-mile-long boardwalk, which was last redone after it was wrecked by Superstorm Sandy in October 2012. "We are very happy to get it, and we want to thank the governor and the DCA," Mayor Anthony Vaz the said. Also sharing in the fund: Belmar will receive $1.5 million. Berkeley Township will receive $448,125. Bradley Beach will receive $4.3 million. Keyport will receive $800,694. Long Branch will receive $3.3 million. Toms River will receive $1 million. It isn't clear what those towns will use the money for. A spokesperson for the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs couldn't be reached late Friday. Asbury Park: Volunteers sweat to bring Westside Community Center back from the grave Exterior portions of Convention Hall and the surrounding beach area which has portions fenced off for safety concerns.Asbury Park, NJTuesday, July 16, 2019 But the state offered examples: replace deteriorating pilings; improve access and safety by building ADA-compliant ramps and railings; and expand an existing section of the boardwalk. "Our boardwalks have long been a prized destination and we want to keep them that way by helping Shore communities repair and maintain these wooden main streets, Gov. Phil Murphy said in a statement. Few towns, however, seemed to have more riding on the funding than Asbury Park, where the grand Convention Hall's main attractions have been closed for three years. Asbury Park: Holy Spirit Church could be saved as arts space next to 90 apartments Exterior of Paramount Theater, the Grand Arcade and Convention Hall in Asbury Park, NJ Wednesday, January 18, 2023. Designed by the same architects of Grand Central Terminal in New York, the building sits like a castle on the edge of the ocean. It has two music venues the 3,600-seat Convention Hall and the 1,600-seat Paramount and it has been the scene of legendary concerts. City officials, however, deemed the Paramount Theatre unsafe in 2020 and ordered it closed until Madison Marquette could make repairs. Since then, city officials have grown increasingly frustrated as the music venues have remained dark. Asbury Park: I've spent 1,000 nights at the Stone Pony, and found a community of music lovers On Friday, officials sounded a more hopeful and conciliatory tune. It isn't clear if the money will be enough to make all the repairs needed, "but we are certainly hopeful it gets the Paramount open," Quinn said. Staff writer Jean Mikle contributed to this story. Michael L. Diamond is a business reporter who has been writing about the New Jersey economy and health care industry for more than 20 years. He can be reached at mdiamond@gannettnj.com. This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Asbury Park Convention Hall could be saved with $20M gift from NJ FILE - Iditarod winner Brent Sass poses for photos with lead dogs Morello, left, and Slater after winning the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in Nome, Alaska, March 15, 2022. A second musher has been disqualified from the worlds most famous sled dog race. The governing body of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race said in a one-sentence statement late Thursday night, Feb. 22, 2024, that it has withdrawn 2022 champion Brent Sass just days before the start of this years race. (Anne Raup/Anchorage Daily News via AP) ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) Claims of violence against women are roiling the world's most famous sled dog race Alaska's Iditarod with officials disqualifying two top mushers this week and then quickly reinstating one of them on Friday, days before the start. The upheaval began last week, when the Iditarod Trail Committee, the race's governing body, sent an email to all competitors saying it had been informed of several accusations concerning violence against and abuse of women within the mushing community. "The ITC Board cannot tolerate such conduct by anyone affiliated with the Iditarod, the email said. On Monday, the committee held an emergency meeting and disqualified the 2023 rookie of the year, Eddie Burke Jr. Burke had been facing single felony and misdemeanor assault charges after his then-girlfriend told police in May 2022 that he had strangled her to the point she almost lost consciousness, according to the Anchorage Daily News. The committee offered no explanation of Burke's disqualification beyond noting a rule that mushers will be held to a high standard of personal and professional conduct." Two days later, the State of Alaska dismissed the charges because the former girlfriend declined to participate in the case, Alaska Department of Law spokesperson Patty Sullivan said Friday in an email to The Associated Press. After a thorough review of the evidence in this investigation, the Department of Law determined that it would be unable to prove the assault charges beyond a reasonable doubt to a trial jury, she wrote. On Friday, Burke was reinstated. He did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment. Additional information was provided to the Iditarod Trail Committee Board today regarding Eddie Burke Jr., the committee said in a news release. Upon reviewing this information, the Board voted to reinstate Mr. Burke as a competitor in the 2024 Iditarod. In the meantime, though, the committee on Thursday night disqualified 2022 champion Brent Sass again, without offering any details about why. No criminal cases against Sass appear in online Alaska court records. I am beyond disappointed with the decision the Iditarod has reached to disqualify me, said a statement posted Friday to the Facebook page of Sass' kennel. The anonymous accusations that have been made against me are completely false. It was not immediately clear what accusations Sass was referring to. But on Friday, an Anchorage attorney, Caitlin Shortell, issued a statement saying, More than one Alaskan has sought legal advice and representation from our law firm based on their reports of sexual assault by a dog musher who was disqualified today by the Iditarod" an apparent reference to Sass. Our clients retained counsel and sought to remain anonymous because of the high risk that disclosure of their identities and experiences would subject them to retraumatization, invasion of privacy, litigation, and potential violence by their assailant or others, the statement says. Retired musher Dan Seavey of Seward said the situation could be viewed either as a black mark against the race, or as race officials having scruples and upholding them. Charges are easy to bring against anybody, but to prove them is another thing, said Seavey, 86, a former board member who ran the Iditarod five times, including finishing third in the very first race. I dont think the race should get involved in out-of-race squabbles," he said. Mike Williams Sr. participated in 15 Iditarod races between 1992 and 2013. The 71-year-old Yupik leader from the southwestern Alaska community of Akiak ran the last race alongside his son, Mike Williams Jr. He also considers both Sass and Burke friends. The top concern for the race officials should be making sure dogs are well cared for, he said, and he doesnt believe its necessary for the Iditarod to be policing mushers lives. Instead, each musher needs to make their own decisions and face the consequences if they get into legal trouble. In anything that we do, we are innocent until proven guilty, Williams said. This years 1,000-mile (1,609-kilometer) race across the Alaska wilderness begins March 2 with the ceremonial start in Anchorage. The competitive start comes the next day, about 75 miles (121 kilometers) north of Anchorage. Sass' removal leaves 39 mushers remaining in this years field. Last year, 33 mushers started, the fewest since the Iditarod was first held in 1973. Its not the first time Sass has been disqualified from the Iditarod. In 2015, he was removed from the race after officials found he had an iPod Touch with him on the trail, a violation of race rules barring two-way communication devices. Even though the iPod Touch was not a phone, he could have communicated with others when it connected to the Internet, officials said. Aurora Mayor Ann Womer Benjamin delivers the State of the City address on Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2024, at the Bertram Inn and Conference Center in Aurora. Plans to transform the former Sea World and Geauga Lake properties into a public park, a potential recreation center, the Aurora Trail and a return of a movie theater to the city were just a few of the topics Aurora Mayor Ann Womer Benjamin addressed in her State of the City address. In her address Wednesday at the Bertram Inn & Conference Center, Womer Benjamin also paid tribute to city staff and county officials, as well as a list of businesses that expanded over the past year or announced plans to do so. They included LayerZero and A.I.M., which both intend to expand their existing Aurora factories. "These things don't happen without significant investment of time and effort of the city and our development partners," she said. What about the recreation center? Womer Benjamin said a recreation center for Aurora is still under review. A demand study was conducted in 2021, and Womer Benjamin created an ad hoc recreation center committee in 2022. It will oversee and evaluate the feasibility study recently approved by council. The committee also will review alternatives and solicit public comments. "This is not a light undertaking," she said. She noted that the committee must evaluate a number of factors, including costs, feasibility and the willingness of voters to support a levy. The city, she noted, must be careful to avoid sharing a ballot with the Aurora City Schools, which plans to seek a bond issue in November to build a new high school. Aurora Mayor Ann Womer Benjamin delivers the State of the City address Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2024, at the Bertram Inn and Conference Center in Aurora. Aurora Trail Last month, Aurora secured $500,000 for the Aurora Trail Phase One project through the Ohio Department of Natural Resources' Clean Ohio Trails Fund grant program. Phase One is a 2.8-mile, 10-foot wide, asphalt trail that will run from Chamberlain Road in Mantua to State Route 82 in Auroras historic Station District. Construction is to begin this year. What's the latest with Geauga Lake? The mayor acknowledged that Geauga Lake is a frequent question among residents. In June, the city announced its intention to buy the 40-acre former Sea World property, as well as the 53-acre Geauga Lake property, and turn them into a park. Womer Benjamin said city officials are still working out issues related to the purchase. A "conceptual plan" for the park is being finalized, including utility infrastructure. Theater to open again in city The mayor said the return of a movie theater to Aurora is among the city's most exciting developments. Atlas Cinemas plans to take over the former Cinemark movie theater at 140 Barrington Town Square in the Barrington Plaza. The former Cinemark theater, which opened in 2003, closed in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic and never reopened. "We are very excited," she said. Resolving flooding Last year, Aurora received a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency of more than $2 million to purchase flood-prone homes in the Geauga Lake neighborhood. FEMA said last year that the grant will fund the acquisition and demolition of 11 flood-prone residential structures and the acquisition of one flood-prone vacant parcel. Womer Benjamin said the city is hiring a consultant, who will be charged with creating a stormwater mitigation plan. New high school might be on November ballot Wednesday's event also served as Aurora City Schools' "State of the Schools" address. The district is looking to move forward with a new high school building. Superintendent Mike Roberto said the project would replace Craddock Elementary School with a new high school, then move younger students to existing buildings within the district. A bond issue is expected to go before voters in November. A number of community meetings are planned in late April and early May to discuss the project. "Although there is a long way to go, and much work to be done, we are excited for the journey," Roberto said. A renewal levy will go before voters March 19, he said. The levy is not a tax increase, and would bring in the same amount of money it did when it was first approved in 1982. Because new homes have been built in the district, the cost of the levy to individual taxpayers has gone down, Roberto said. Reporter Diane Smith can be reached at 330-298-1139 or dsmith@recordpub.com. This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Aurora mayor touts Geauga Lake plans, trail, business growth in State of the City CHASIV YAR, UkraineIn front of a small country house in eastern Ukraine, two gray-haired Ukrainian soldiers are tinkering with a worn-out dune buggy, their hands and faces covered in grime. The rickety contraption is powered by an engine ripped out of a Soviet-built Lada car and wouldnt look out of place on the set of a Mad Max movie. We built it ourselves, says Kherson, who introduces himself as the commander of the unit before inviting us in for a cup of instant coffee. The frontline is located a couple of miles away and artillery and the roar of jet engines echoes regularly in the distance, yet Kherson seems oblivious to the danger: in spite of his age and the injuries hes already sustained, the father of three tells us hes been fighting at the front for months without leave. Someone has to be doing the fighting, he says with a wide grin that reveals half a dozen metal fillings. As part of the 17th tank brigade of the Ukrainian army, Khersons unit is tasked with conducting medical evacuations near the devastated town of Chasiv Yar, in the Donetsk oblast. Following the fall of the neighboring city of Bakhmut last May, Chasiv Yar has come under increasing pressure from Russian forces set on conquering the entirety of Ukraines eastern Donbas region, and only a handful of the towns 12,000 inhabitants still remain, surviving in the basements of bombed-out residential buildings. On average, we go out once or twice a day, but it depends on how intense the fighting is, Kherson tells us. The morning of our visit, the homemade buggy used by the unit to evacuate casualties had broken down, impeding their operations and leaving the men frustrated. Warming his hands over the stove, Kherson acknowledges that his unit is currently understrength after suffering casualties, adding that most of the men under his command are aged 50 and older. We took a direct hit from a tank, it blew off the legs of a soldier and I took some shrapnel, he says, showing the scar tissue on his right hand where a small piece of smoldering metal had hit him a couple of months prior. Courtney Loves Bandmate Flew to Help on Ukraines Front Line Despite still having some shrapnel lodged in his cheekbone, Kherson was back at the frontline within days of being injured. When theyre not in the field, the man says that he uses the units Starlink satellite system to keep in touch with his three children and his wife over social media: I miss them, but Id rather be the one doing the fighting instead of them. Kherson, right, looks on as other soldiers repair a broken-down dune buggy. Guillaume Ptak/The Daily Beast Tensions over mobilization numbers between the Ukrainian Armed Forces and President Zelensky spilled over into the public realm this month when outgoing army chief Valerii Zaluzhny wrote an essay published by CNN complaining that he had not been provided with sufficient men. We must acknowledge the significant advantage enjoyed by [Russia] in mobilizing human resources and how that compares with the inability of state institutions in Ukraine to improve the manpower levels of our armed forces without the use of unpopular measures, he wrote. As the war hits its second anniversary Saturday and casualties continue to mount, Ukraine has had to mobilize increasingly older soldiers to man the trenches and fend off intensifying Russian assaults all along the countrys sprawling frontline. A foreign instructor with extensive combat experience, who asked to remain anonymous, told The Daily Beast that the newer recruits were clearly of a different vintage. The soldiers that Im training now are significantly older, many come from hard labor, they have back problems, knee problems, some are career alcoholics, he said. Storming a muddy or frozen trench isnt as easy for a 50-year-old man as it is for a younger soldier. Vitaliy, a soldier of the 17th Tank Brigade in a ruined village near Chasiv Yar, Ukraine. Guillaume Ptak/The Daily Beast Late last year, an officer of the 28th Mechanized Brigade we had met in a cafe in Kramatorsk, in the Donetsk region, confirmed to the Daily Beast that conscripts now accounted for up to 90 percent of some units personnel: Many of the soldiers under contract are either dead or injured, so we have to mobilize to replenish our ranks, he said. Miner, a member of the medical evacuation crew. Guillaume Ptak/The Daily Beast While there are no official statistics available on the average age of soldiers currently serving in the Ukrainian army, government officials have ventured out estimates: in an interview with The New Voice of Ukraine, Serhii Rakhmanin, a member of the Ukrainian parliamentary committee on national security, defense and intelligence claimed that the average age of a Ukrainian soldier was now between 40 and 45 years old. This applies not only to territorial defense brigades, but also, for example, to linear mechanized brigades and even units that should have been better prepared, he added. Such as, for example, mountain assault or amphibious assault [brigades]. A few weeks prior, adviser to the head of the President's Office Serhii Leshchenko had made the startling claim on Ukrainian television that the average age in some companies was around 54 years. The Real Reason Thousands Are Fleeing Conscription in Ukraine Yet, some of the men withstanding the Russian onslaught in the countrys East are older still: a couple of days prior to our meeting with Kherson, we had driven to Chasiv Yar itself to speak with drone operators from the 17th brigade. There, we parked our car next to an abandoned fire station before heading towards the center of the town, making our way down deserted avenues lined with burnt-out Soviet-style residential buildings, broken glass crunching under our shoes. As we turned the corner of a red brick building riddled with shrapnel holes, we came across a handful of Ukrainian soldiers from the 93rd brigade digging a trench by the side of the road. One of them excitedly introduced himself as Batya (which translates as Father), and told us he was celebrating that day his sixty-second birthday under Russian shelling. Though I'm pretty spry for my age, he adds proudly, before whipping out his phone to show us a video. Recorded by a Ukrainian drone hovering above the frontline, the footage shows Batya running out of a trench towards a Russian armored vehicle, before dropping a grenade through its open hatch. Moments later, the grenade detonates and plumes of white smoke come billowing out of the vehicle. Not bad for an old man, he says with a smile. Soldiers work to repair the broken-down dune buggy. Guillaume Ptak/The Daily Beast Even though some of the soldiers are much older, they still have the desire to keep on fighting, confirms the foreign instructor over the phone. I have heard a great number of times those older soldiers saying that theyre fighting precisely so that the younger generations dont have to. Yet as the Russian invasion of its neighbor approaches its second anniversary, this younger generation could be increasingly called upon to shoulder the countrys war effort: On Jan. 30, the Ukrainian government submitted a revised draft of its contentious mobilization law, which, among other provisions, would lower the age of conscription from 27 to 25. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. Embattled Wichita Falls bail bondsman Maxie "Maxx" Delano Green faced the prospect of going back behind bars. His estranged wife filed the day before Valentine's Day to withdraw his $100,000 bond for a human smuggling charge and surrender him to the sheriff to be thrown back in jail. Brenda Lynne Green alleged her husband didn't comply with his bond agreement, ignored messages, refused to return phone calls and left the state without permission at least twice, court documents show. "At this point he is considered a flight risk," Brenda said in an affidavit. Wichita Falls bail bondsman Maxie Green waits for his court proceedings to begin Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024, at the Wichita County Courthouse. The owner of Brenda Green Bail Bonds went on to supply a physical description of Maxx and other information pertinent to any officer seeking to arrest him and take him to jail. On Valentine's Day, he denied the allegations and asked for a hearing to contest the push to put him back in jail. The hearing was set for Thursday afternoon. Eighty-ninth District Judge Charles Barnard heard from the defense and prosecution Thursday that Maxx was switching to Across the Street Bail Bonds, owned by another relative, for that bond. The issue became a nonissue, and Green remained out of jail. More: This former Wichita Falls coach was sentenced to over 30 years for child pornography Maxx's attorney, Chuck Smith, told the judge attempts to serve a subpoena to Brenda and her daughter for Thursday were unsuccessful. In all likelihood, it appears that they tried to avoid that subpoena to come to court," Smith said. Wichita Falls defense attorney Chuck Smith, foreground, and bail bondsman Maxie Green leave 89th District Court Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024. But they wanted to allow Maxx to substitute another bond company and make the issue moot, Smith said. And his client was open to that. The defense attorney had prepared a motion for the substitution. More: James Staley's appeal set for a courtroom battle Wichita County District Attorney Matt Shelton told the judge he and Smith agreed that was the best way forward. Shelton also noted he did not represent Brenda or her bail bond company. Brenda filed to divorce Green on Oct. 6, and the case is pending. Another divorce petition she previously filed was dismissed in 2016. She subsequently filed for divorce again. That case was dismissed in 2017. Both dismissals were because of inaction. Maxx, owner of A to Z Bail Bonds, is grappling with legal battles on several fronts. The bond at issue Thursday was for a charge against him of engaging in organized criminal activity-human smuggling in connection with a July 21, 2021, incident. He also faces charges related to allegations he did bail-bond business in jail while held on a charge of hindering apprehension or prosecution of a known felon. The hindering charge is for allegations he harbored his wanted girlfriend at his home. In addition, Maxx is fighting in civil court to keep his bail bond license. Trish Choate, enterprise watchdog reporter for the Times Record News, covers education, courts, breaking news and more. Contact Trish with news tips at tchoate@gannett.com. Read her recent work here. Her X handle is @Trishapedia. This article originally appeared on Wichita Falls Times Record News: Bondsman Maxie Green avoids jail after wife seeks to sink his bond International banks, seeking to avoid legal problems, are calling for the establishment of legal principles before transferring funds to Ukraine. Source: Bloomberg Details: The total amount of frozen Russian money in the UK is unknown, but some say it is 26 billion (approximately 30 billion) of the Central Bank of Russia's assets. Some bankers and lawyers in the UK have stated that high-profile asset seizures risk damaging London's reputation as an international financial centre and could raise questions about the rule of law. People familiar with the matter said that the priority for banks is to secure some form of legal protection or indemnity against any future claims by Russia against individual financial institutions involved in the asset seizures. Alternative proposals are being created to prevent problems arising from the alienation of Russian money in favour of Ukraine. One of them is to issue bonds using the funds as collateral. Another scenario, which has gained popularity among banks and in the EU, is to separate the interest accrued on the seized assets and transfer it to Ukraine, leaving the assets themselves untouched. This scenario is considered the most acceptable to many bankers. Financial institutions have told MPs and public servants that any move to seize the money would require a clear audit trail to show that the funds were going to Ukraine and make the process credible and transparent. They also urged the government to consider any pressure on bank liquidity that might arise from either sudden demands for cash or other foreign investors concerned about asset seizures deciding to withdraw their funds. Background: The international depository Euroclear believes that the use of frozen Russian assets as collateral for the issuance of debt obligations for Ukraine would pose risks to financial stability in Europe. Euroclear has also reported receiving about 3 billion in interest income from frozen Russian assets. Support UP or become our patron! When I was 13, I began to develop a strange constellation of symptoms, following a mild case of mumps: a viral infection that causes swelling in the sides of your face. Suddenly, I found myself experiencing severe headaches, mood changes, distorted vision and extreme exhaustion. At the time, my parents initially assumed I was a bit bad-tempered because I was reaching adolescence, but I was convinced I had a brain tumour. As a family, wed recently had a friend who had died of brain cancer and, in my childish wisdom, I never told my parents of my concerns. It doesnt make any sense retrospectively, but I think I was trying to protect them and not upset them. A few weeks later, I could barely see; I had blinding headaches and I was starting to feel increasingly ill. I had to tell my parents that I couldnt face going to school, which was a big thing in the early 80s. Back then you didnt get to stay home unless there was a particularly compelling reason. But I didnt have a brain tumour. Six weeks later, our local GP where we lived in Oxford, diagnosed me with encephalitis, inflammation of the brain that can be triggered by a viral infection and impacts around 4,000 people every year in the UK. Lasting impact At the time, I was very weak. Wed just been on a family holiday to Wales, and I think my parents thought the fresh air and exercise would bring me back to my normal self, but I couldnt walk very far at all. I had six months off school, but the ongoing symptoms from encephalitis probably lasted for the best part of a decade and completely dominated my teenage years. The worst part was the headaches the only way I can describe it is: simply the most intense pain you can ever imagine, and then some. The sheer intensity and the fact it never went away, was a lot to deal with as a teenager, and apart from painkillers there were no treatments at all. There were days where I was literally unable to get out of bed because I was suffering so much. Back then, patient support groups for a condition like encephalitis simply didnt exist and I didnt have anyone I was able to speak to about what I was enduring. 'The ongoing symptoms from encephalitis probably lasted for the best part of a decade and completely dominated my teenage years,' says Twycross - Paul Grover At times, I felt desperate. I wouldnt want to exaggerate or say that I felt suicidal, but it did occur to me that I had access to painkillers, and there was something I could do to permanently remove the pain. For my mum, one of the most alarming moments was when I appeared to lose the ability to read. Id previously been a voracious reader, I started reading books before I went to school and never stopped. But suddenly I was unable to read at all for some time, either because my brain temporarily forgot how to do so, or because I couldnt focus on the words because of the pain. Gradual recovery Eventually, I was able to return to school and study for my O-levels, but fatigue was a major issue. I would go to school, come home and sleep, get up to do my homework and then go to bed again. And I would spend most of the weekends resting. Ive got some amazing friends from my school years, but it definitely did affect me socially and I wasnt really able to do more until I reached sixth form. But slowly I began to recover. When I was 18, I spent a year in Norway as an au pair, which was the first point at which I started to feel well again. I was able to complete university and begin my career, which eventually took me into politics. Because of this, I definitely consider myself to be very lucky. I still have really bad reflexes, but apart from that, I have very few traces of any long-term impact. I know that I had a very lucky escape in terms of being able to finish school and continue on with my life. Thats not something that happens to many people with encephalitis, too many die or have permanent injuries, their personalities can change, they have to quit their jobs. It can turn the whole lives of people and their families upside down. Its a horrendous disease. Serious risk Ive been involved with Encephalitis International for many years, partly because it didnt exist when I was struggling with my illness, and I felt it was something I would have really benefited from. I was in my late twenties before I met anyone else who had experienced it someone who had developed encephalitis after a bout of measles. That was the hardest part for me as a teenager, the fact that I felt quite alone with it. But in terms of awareness, I think the greatest change I would like to see now is more people realising the implications and risks of not getting their children vaccinated with the MMR jab. When I was growing up, this vaccine wasnt available, and it would have prevented me from contracting mumps and then developing encephalitis. Yet were now seeing MMR vaccination rates declining to the extent that, six years on from the World Health Organisation declaring that measles had been eradicated in the UK, rates of infections are now surging. To me that is particularly shocking: we have a simple, effective vaccine that would prevent many children from going through what I experienced. I do think that medical professionals need to be more aware of encephalitis as a threat. For me though, the key is to improve awareness among the public, particularly around vaccinations that can prevent it, as this can be a deadly illness and it can change peoples lives forever. As told to David Cox Recommended I refused the MMR vaccine and my child got measles Read more Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has vowed to further support Kyiv during a memorial ceremony in the town of Hostomel (Kyiv Oblast), marking the second anniversary of Russia's large-scale invasion of Ukraine. Source: European Pravda Quote from von der Leyen: "The battle for Hostomel airport will no longer be remembered as the darkest hour in our history, but as the beginning of a new era for Ukraine and for the whole of Europe." Details: The official believes this airport is a symbol not only of Ukrainian resistance but also of their industry and ingenuity. She pointed out that although Russia destroyed the Mriia (lit. Dream) plane two years ago, it failed to destroy the dream of a free and prosperous Ukraine within Europe. "We are here to say that Europe will help you as much as you need. There will be financial support, more ammunition, more training for the troops, more air defence equipment and more investment in the defence industry in Europe and Ukraine. There is no better place than this airport to reaffirm our commitment to Ukraine," von der Leyen said. Background: The European Commission president is in Kyiv today. Von der Leyen is one of a range of senior officials who have travelled to Kyiv to mark the second anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. They also include Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo. Former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson also travelled to Kyiv. This week, it was officially confirmed that Ursula von der Leyen was elected as the vital candidate from her political group, so if the European People's Party wins the election, she will chair the European Commission for the second time. Support UP or become our patron! BUENOS AIRES, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- The Argentine government is committed to defending multilateralism and strengthening global institutions, Argentine Foreign Minister Diana Mondino said during the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting held in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro. "Argentina has embarked on a new economic era, promoting an open market economy, free competition among economic actors, attracting investment, strengthening the rule of law and full integration into the global economy," Mondino said during a plenary session on global governance reform on Thursday. "It is a priority to strengthen the multilateral system, deepen traditional values of the system such as unrestricted respect for life and liberty, and strengthen institutions and international diplomacy. Only in this way can we return to the path of global prosperity," the minister said. Mondino said Argentina agrees with Brazil in emphasizing the reform of the multilateral system. "Current wars and the increase in the number of conflicts highlighted the urgency of reforming the Security Council to make it a more representative, responsible, democratic, transparent and effective body," she said. Mondino also advocated for strengthening the global financial safety net. "If we are to help developing countries focus on long-term, transformational programs, an affordable, predictable and sustainable financial system is necessary for all," Mondino said. Joseph McNamara is a state representative, representing District 19 in Warwick and Cranston. He lives in Warwick. A neighbor recently approached me and said, I dont think its right that I have to pay $6,000 to just chew my food when I have dental insurance. I said, Mario, you are not alone in your frustration. More than half of all Americans delay or avoid medical care due to cost. Dental care leads the list of deferred medical attention. More: RI dentists warn of looming shortage 'superstorm.' Here's what's driving it. The American Dental Association says that 45.1% of all dental care comes from out-of-pocket expenses. The same figure for total health spending is 16.6%. While medical insurers are required by federal law to dedicate a specific percentage of their premiums to patient care, there is no similar consumer protection for dental insurance carriers. This is why Sen. Hanna Gallo and I have introduced the Rhode Island Fair Share for Dental Care Act. This act requires that 85% of the premiums collected by dental insurers be spent on actual dental care, not on administrative costs. Under this legislation, dental insurers would be provided with an incentive to expand care so individuals like Mario wont have to pay $6,000 just to chew his food. The American Dental Association says that 45.1% of all dental care comes from out-of-pocket expenses. The Affordable Care Act mandates that 85% of medical insurance premium revenue be spent on medical care. Rhode Island residents who purchase dental insurance would benefit from this legislation that mandates that the premiums they pay be invested in the dental care they receive. This legislation would also make dental plans more transparent and reduce out-of-pocket costs for patients, which will make access to dental care more affordable for all Rhode Islanders. More: The doctor shortage is crippling health care. Could pharmacists help? In 2022, Massachusetts voters approved a referendum requiring dental insurers to spend at least 83% of their premiums on patient dental care. This referendum was passed by 72% of the voters in that state, demonstrating broad bipartisan support. The implementation of this law in Massachusetts, combined with the difficulty that Rhode Island is having in attracting new dentists, could create the perfect storm for dental care in our state. The Rhode Island Dental Association has stated that about 45% of our dentists are 55 or older. With the retirement of many dentists nearing, our state could be facing a major crisis in oral health care. Our legislation will improve the health care for all Rhode Islanders and ensure that revenue for premiums is spent on dental care and not on higher profits for dental insurance executives. This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: This act requires that 85% of the premiums collected by dental insurers be spent on actual dental care, not on administrative costs. (FOX40.com) At least two lawmakers in the California State Legislature are making another effort to end the annual Daylight Saving Time switch 6 years after voters in the state approved Proposition 7, granting their ability to do so. Assembly Member Tri Ta and Senator Roger Niello have introduced identical bills, Assembly Bill 1776 and Senate Bill 1413, in their respective chambers to move the state permanently to Standard Time. Language included in Proposition 7 specified that the legislature could only alter the Daylight Saving Time period with a two-thirds vote. Alcoholic drinks to-go could soon be a reality in California Since voters approved Proposition 7 in 2018 by a margin of 60% to 40%, two other efforts have been made to end the time switch in the Golden State. 2018s AB 7 passed the Assembly 72-0 with 8 votes unrecorded but was pulled before it came to a vote in the Senate. 2022s AB 2868 failed 27-8 in the Assembly with 43 No Votes Recorded. Those bills differ from this latest attempt in one key way. They attempted to enact permanent Daylight Savings Time, which is not permitted under federal law. The bills specified that they would not take effect until U.S. Congress acts. These new bills instead move the state to Standard Time permanently, which is already allowed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX40. The News A U.S. federal judge granted on Friday night an eleventh-hour plea by bitcoin miners to prevent the Department of Energy from collecting details of their energy use, handing a victory to cryptocurrency advocates in the deepening political battle over the links between cryptocurrency and carbon emissions. Friday was the original deadline for 82 bitcoin mining companies to hand over facility-level energy data, the first part of an effort to nail down just how much power bitcoin miners are using, and where theyre using it. The survey has put the Energy Information Administration an independent, usually sleepy wing of DOE that tracks the countrys energy production and consumption at the center of a political controversy. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and other Democrats have pushed DOE to step up its oversight of cryptocurrency mining, which they blame for pushing up power prices and CO2 emissions. Bitcoin lobbyists and their Republican allies in Congress argue the survey amounts to a selective, politically motivated witch hunt. The results of the survey will be made public in the second half of this year, an EIA spokesperson said. That will offer valuable new insight into whether cryptocurrency setting aside its monetary utility is helping or hurting the clean-energy transition. But with more scrutiny comes the risk that bitcoin miners could face new regulations on their energy use, or lose access to lucrative power trading credits. Tims view The survey is a put-up-or-shut-up moment for the bitcoin mining industry. Bitcoin advocates have long disputed the claim that their immense power needs an EIA report this month estimated that bitcoin mining was responsible for up to 2.3% of total U.S. electricity demand in 2023, equal to more than six million homes, and rising very rapidly cause the electric grid to run more heavily on fossil fuels, and raise prices for other businesses and households. This question is tangled in the byzantine details of grid pricing and operation, and impossible to resolve without more data, researchers say. At times when more demand comes onto the grid, gas-burning peaker plants often get fired up and raise the systems carbon emissions. In many U.S. power markets, the price of power also tracks demand in real time. Bitcoin miners argue that they are highly sensitive to this price signal, and shut down their systems the minute prices rise enough to make mining uneconomic, thus saving emissions and drawing prices back down. Conversely, at times of lower demand, bitcoin mines can soak up excess power from wind and solar farms that would otherwise be wasted, improving the economics of renewable projects and therefore helping to decarbonize the grid. Mining operations that are wired exclusively to purpose-built renewable energy systems and dont draw from the grid shouldnt pose a pricing or emissions problem, said Ian Bowen, an energy market analyst at the consulting firm ICF. But that doesnt describe most mines. For the most part, at least in Texas, which is the worlds top bitcoin mining hub, the new demand has been mostly met by fossil fuels, he said. Thats especially likely to happen when new mines are built quickly and without much advance coordination with regulators, since bringing on more renewables requires expanding grid lines. Moreover, mining companies have overstated how much excess renewable power there actually is, he said: Thats when you see this increase in emissions. The EIA survey, Bowen said, could make it easier for grid officials and power companies to plot out how to integrate bitcoin mining in a minimally disruptive way. It could also fuel efforts by Congressional Republicans to tear down Bidens climate agenda; in a letter on Tuesday to the White House office that approved the survey, Rep. Tom Emmer, (R-Minn.), the majority whip, complained that EIA had been hijacked to enforce the Biden administrations regressive policy position against energy consumption. Know More On Thursday, the TBC and Colorado mining company Riot Platforms jointly filed a complaint in a federal court in Texas seeking to push off the reporting deadline, on the grounds that the survey was rushed through on an emergency basis without a public comment period. The judge, Alan Albright, granted the request late Friday night, blocking the EIA from collecting survey data or requiring bitcoin companies to respond to it, at least until a more comprehensive injunction hearing scheduled for Feb. 28. The ruling also concludes that the plaintiffs are likely to succeed in showing that the facts alleged by [the EIA] to support an emergency request fall far short of justifying such an action. Lee Bratcher, president of the Texas Blockchain Council, a lobbying group, told Semafor that while the group supports transparency and that its members already publish aggregate energy data, the level of granularity sought by the survey including mine addresses and power bills, and on the types of computers miners are using could also expose proprietary information and put a chilling effect on the industry: Our main concern is [Warren] bullying our commercial partners into not doing business with us. In a statement to Semafor, Sen. Warren dismissed the notion that the survey is biased. Many Americans dont realize that crypto miners are using more electricity than entire states, she said. All the EIA is asking for is basic information from crypto-mining facilities about their energy usageas the government has done with other industries for decadesso the public, grid planners, and Congress can better understand how crypto-mining is affecting our energy system and our climate. Room for Disagreement Not every mining company is bothered by the survey. Ben Gagnon, chief mining officer at Bitfarms, a publicly-traded company with mining facilities in the U.S. and Canada that was not involved in the injunction request, said theres nothing in the EIA request that the company doesnt already voluntarily report to its shareholders. Its not a huge deal for us, he told Semafor. It might be interesting to see for the first time whats actually going on in the U.S. to a deeper extent. Isaac Holyoak, chief communications officer at Nevada-based mining company CleanSpark, said that hes fine sharing more data with the EIA. But the agency is asking the wrong questions because it let themselves get weaponized by politicians who are threatened by bitcoin. The agency, for example, didnt ask for data about how quickly and at what times mining facilities are willing and able to ramp up or down, which would give a much more holistic picture of what we do. The View From Ethiopia Chinese bitcoin mining companies are ramping up operations in Ethiopia, drawn by cheap hydro electricity and a permissive regulatory environment. Their goal is to compete more directly with Texas, after mining was banned in China and curtailed in Kazakhstan and Iran, formerly major mining hubs that ultimately soured on the industry because of its ravenous energy appetite. Half of Ethiopias population lacks access to electricity. But mining is a tempting way to draw in foreign investment. Black leaders are condemning former President Trumps recent comments about Black voters as racist. Speaking at the Black Conservative Federation (BCF) annual gala in South Carolina on Friday, Trump said his legal woes have earned him the support of Black voters around the country. I got indicted for nothing, for something that is nothing, Trump told the crowd. And a lot of people said thats why the Black people like me, because they have been hurt so badly and discriminated against, and they actually viewed me as Im being discriminated against. Its been pretty amazing, but possibly, maybe, theres something there. The former president added that Black Americans also embraced his mug shot and that he knows Black people because they built his buildings. His comments quickly drew outrage from the NAACP. The NAACP is outraged, but not surprised by yet another racist remark from the former President, Derrick Johnson, NAACP president, told The Hill in a statement. Donald Trump is delusional to think that his criminality would be an attractive quality to Black voters, he continued. He has taken advantage of an inherently racist system, while Black Americans have been abused by it. We are not the same. Mondale Robinson, founder of the Black Male Voter Project, called Trumps comments absolutely racist and said they will not play out well with Black men. This is nothing but a continuation of Donald Trump being who he has always been, Robinson told The Hill. Black men are not living in a silo, its not as if we dont know this. We see it. The world might be fooled but thats not moving to us. Trump, who is currently facing a total of 91 criminal charges across four indictments, as well as more than a half-dozen civil lawsuits, has been hoping to pull Black voter support from President Biden ahead of Novembers general election. In 2020, he won 12 percent of Black voters ballots, an increase from 8 percent in 2016. In addition to speaking at the gala, Trump has also indicated he is considering Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) and Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) as potential running mates. But, the two Black lawmakers support for the former president isnt sitting well with some Black voters. The only thing that the world is shocked by is that Tim Scott and Byron Donalds continue to support Trump in the light of him showing them how racist he can be and is, Robinson said. The Democratic National Committee (DNC) also blasted Trump for the tired tropes he espoused Friday. This might come as news to Trump, but pushing tired tropes, wannabe Jordans, and mugshot t-shirts isnt going to win over Black voters who suffered through record high unemployment and skyrocketing uninsured rates under his leadership, Sarafina Chitika, the DNCs national press secretary, said in a statement. Trump is showing Black voters exactly what he thinks of them and his ideas to win them over are as corny and racist as he is, she added. Meanwhile, President Biden and Vice President Harris are keeping their promises to Black voters and delivering real wins: record low Black unemployment, historic investments in our HBCUs, and billions in student debt relief. In his speech, Trump also accused Biden of being racist. Joe Biden really has proven to be a nasty and vicious racist, Trump said. He has been a racist. Whether you like it or dont like it Most of the people in this room happen to not like it. The Biden-Harris campaign issued a scathing response Saturday, calling the former president an incompetent, anti-Black tyrant. The audacity of Donald Trump to speak to a room full of Black voters during Black History Month as if he isnt the proud poster boy for modern racism, Jasmine Harris, Black media director for the Biden-Harris reelection campaign, said in a statement. This is the same man who falsely accused the Central Park 5, questioned George Floyds humanity, compared his own impeachment trial to being lynched, and ensured the unemployment gap for Black workers spiked during his presidency, she said. Come November, no matter how many disingenuous voter engagement events he attends, Black Americans will show Donald Trump we know exactly who he is. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. The deal is done, with 650 acres of Sierra Nevada land signed and delivered to open up opportunity for more Californians to venture into the outdoors. For the 40 Acre Conservation League, the Black-led Sacramento conservation nonprofit, the work to acquire and take control of the hundreds of acres of Sierra forest land in the Emigrant Gap area of Placer County, about 50 miles northeast of Sacramento, was a year in the making. Now the first land deal for the two-year-old conservation group, Californias first Black-led land conservancy, is history, finalized Feb. 15. The Sacramento group acquired the land in August 2023 using $3 million in grant money awarded by the Wildlife Conservation Board and Sierra Nevada Conservancy. The groups mission is to make the outdoors more accessible, safe and accommodating to more people with a focus on broader access to the Black community and other people of color. Its official, the league posted on social media, photos of the groups officials signing title to the Emigrant Gap land. Were in the climate & conservation game. The Sacramento group seeks to conserve more than 25,000 acres of land by 2030. "The Nickel Boys" by Colson Whitehead, "When No One Is Watching" by Alyssa Cole and Yaa Gyasi's "Homecoming." This story is from HuffPosts Books newsletter. Sign up here for weekly book news, author interviews and more. TikTok and its influence on reading culture and book popularity is inextricable. And while the social media platform has succeeded in bolstering the works of white authors such as Sarah J. Maas and Rebecca Yarros, #blackbooktok is here to remind us all that Black-authored books are incredibly worthy of our attention. I had the opportunity to correspond with six Black book lovers and content creators who have been carving out a corner of the literary world for themselves and others like them. They revealed some of their latest favorite reads by Black writers, powerful books that span genres and writing styles, but converge on one crucial plane that they are essential reading. Read on to learn more about books like Alyssa Coles thriller, which homes in on the terror of gentrification, and A.E. Valdezs romance, which celebrates the joy of Black love. HuffPost and its publishing partners may receive a commission from some purchases made via links on this page. Every item is independently curated by the HuffPost Shopping team. Prices and availability are subject to change. Dawnshaee Reid "The Nickel Boys" by Colson Whitehead From the talented Pulitzer Prize-winning author Colson Whitehead comes this historical novel full of high drama and deep political and social meaning, set in the 1960s, toward the end of the Jim Crow era in Florida. A teenage Elwood Curtis is sent to the Nickel Academy, a juvenile detention program, for a crime he did not commit. The only lifeline Elwood has in this new hell is his friendship with Turner, a fellow boy in the reformatory. Turner in many ways has lost the sense of righteousness and hope that Elwood still clings to. Whiteheads book is sadly also a reminder that the injustices within the story are not far-fetched in reality but are based on a very real school. Through Whitehead's compelling prose, readers will learn about our flawed juvenile justice system and its ongoing ties to racism and the destabilization of Black and brown men. I recommend [this book] due to the historical context wedged into the storyline, leading readers to discover the devastating atrocities that have taken place in America through the education and prison industry. The Nickel Boys will certainly make you cry for the characters and strive for change. Dawnshaee Reid, essayist TikTok: @introtoeclecticism $14.88 at Bookshop.org Photo by Carlos A. Avila "Homegoing" by Yaa Gyasi Yaa Gyasi is an international bestselling author whose historical fiction debut, Homecoming, was highly praised by critics, listed as one of Oprahs best books of 2017 and won the prestigious Pen/Hemingway Award for debut fiction that same year. This family saga begins with half-sisters Effia and Esi, born in the West African country of Ghana, villages apart and completely unaware of each others existence. Effia becomes known in her village as the most beautiful girl there, and her stepmother capitalizes on the girls beauty by selling her to the British. She is then married to an Englishman and has a life of luxury in the upper part of Ghana's Cape Coast Castle. The only link Effia has to her former life is a polished black stone removed from a fire. Its in another village that Esis fate plays out in a much different way. Esi is captured during a tribal war and is then forced into slavery, taken to the very palatial residence Effia now resides in as a wealthy mans wife. But Esi also has a matching single black stone. Moving between interconnected plots and storylines from the sisters children and descendants, Gyasis beautiful prose plays out like snippets of truths, rumored curses and the links of family throughout time and places. According to the books publisher, readers are taken everywhere from the Gold Coast to the plantations of Mississippi, from the American Civil War to Jazz Age Harlem while passionately illuminating the lasting effects of slavery and colonialism. Its a story about two half sisters in Africa and every chapter is about one of their descendants. I recommend that book because its just a great book that shows you how much black peoples history, money and resources was lost through the years. Now some may say that sounds depressing, but it just showed me how resilient we are as a people and it gave me more motivation to make sure our stories and history don't get lost. Anthony Da Kidd P.G. Bagley, show developer and founder of Black Kidds Read Too, a book platform that advocates for people to read from a diverse range of book genres and authors. TikTok: @blackkiddsreadtoo $16.74 at Bookshop.org Talia Cadet "When No One Is Watching" by Alyssa Cole From international bestselling author Alyssa Cole comes this psychological thriller that critics have called a mashup between the films Get Out and Rear Window. Cole turns gentrification into a new level of horror. Sydney Green is a Black woman in her 30s, born and raised in Brooklyn, and shes watching her neighborhood of Gifford Place quickly turn into something else. Once a place of community, its now in flux with shiny unaffordable condos effectively pricing out everyone she knows and Sydney might be next. Determined to hold on to her home, she fights back by offering walking tours of her neighborhood as a way to remember the Black history of Brooklyn before the insufferable and crudely unaware newcomers ruin it. The thriller also reads like an unsuspecting rom-com, which makes the encroaching twists all that more deliciously bewitching. Romance is my genre of choice, but When No One is Watching makes a strong case for a thriller! This story is fiction, but there will be many moments when you try to convince yourself what happened to this Brooklyn community isn't happening in real life all over the country. Talia Cadet, TikTok:@taliacadet $15.80 at Bookshop.org Ayanna Marshay "Colliding With Fate" by A.E. Valdez Colliding With Fate is a witty and sexy romance from indie author A.E. Valdez. The story gives fans of Valdezs earlier book, All I Ever Wanted, All I Ever Needed, more of the characters Kyrell and Quinn. Kyrell is a successful business owner and handsome playboy living in L.A., and despite his seemingly charmed life, he lacks any emotional connection with the women he runs through which is likely due to his relationship with his family. But one of his closest friends is Harlow, who also happens to be close with Quinn. Quinn is a nurse who also lives in L.A., and shes not in the mood for anything other than a no-strings relationship. Over the years, Kyrell and Quinn keep running into each other, and eventually a very strong mutual attraction convinces them to try out a friends with benefits, dalliance. But despite the pairs insistence on nothing more than physical, it becomes pretty clear that behind the sarcastic banter the two have more to lose than just amazing sex. They have a chance at a real connection. This book is so much more than just a love story. Its about loss, friendship, navigating grief and so much more! I love Black romance because theres something so special about seeing yourself and your experience in stories where the characters get that happily ever after that everyone dreams of. Quinn and Kyrell in this book are everything and more, and Ive never related to two characters more. Ayanna Marshay, TikTok: @ayannamarshay $21.99 at Bookshop.org Bookshop.org "Under the Udala Trees" by Chinelo Okparanta Nigerian American novelist Chinelo Okparantas coming-of-age love story tells the tale of Ijeoma, an 11-year-old girl who has been displaced from her home in the very new republic of Nigeria to live with family friends after a civil war. In the midst of grieving the loss of her home and the recent death of her father, Ijeoma meets Amina, another young girl who has also been displaced. Amina and Ijeoma are from different ethnic tribes, but despite their differences the two fall in love. Their romance is fraught with the potential of danger as they live in a place where homosexuality is harshly punished, and their love could be a death sentence. Inspired by Nigerian folktales, Okparantas captivating tale, written with deeply felt prose, promises to leave an impression long after its finished. Chinelo Okparanta delivers in these pages a stunning portrayal of love, friendship, family and the trials and tribulations of womanhood - all set against the backdrop of a Nigeria struggling to recover from a divisive civil war that had left scars on the nation. Under The Udala Trees is both a beautifully crafted coming of age story and a book about the healing power of love. Its one of those books that will break your heart - then give you hope in humanity. Nokukhanya Ntsaluba, TikTok: @prettyxbookishreads $16.73 at Bookshop.org Racquel Smith "The Neighbor Favor" by Kristina Forest Shy bookworm Lily Greene has always preferred fictional relationships to the real thing. She works in the publishing industry, dreams of becoming a children's book editor and even has a pen-pal relationship with her favorite fantasy author, a mysterious British writer who goes by the name N.R. Strickland except one day he ghosts her. A few months have passed since their last correspondence, and Kritsina decides she needs to engage with the real world. She needs a date for her sisters wedding and boldly asks her good-looking new neighbor, Nick Brown, to help her find one. Nick is someone shes oddly drawn to and cant seem to pinpoint why. Their attraction is undeniable, but with plenty of hang-ups for both of them, will the bookish pair bind up? Its a sweet romcom with two black main characters whose main problems are romance and work-related issues. I always think its nice to have an escape from racial trauma and just be able to envelop myself in that world. Black people deserve more romantic comedies and sweet romances, so I make sure to get as many readers as I can into the genre of black fluffy romances. Racquel Smith, TikTok: @rockyreads $15.81 at Bookshop.org Related... By Maria Spiliopoulou, Chen Gang ATHENS, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- China's ambassador to Greece stressed the importance of enhanced economic cooperation between Europe and China and emphasized collaboration over competition in a recent interview with Xinhua in Athens. Ambassador Xiao Junzheng highlighted the significance of cooperation after the 5th Balkans and Black Sea Forum, which brought together 170 representatives from international organizations, governments, diplomatic missions and businesses engaged in discussions on geopolitics, regional cooperation and Mediterranean port hubs in Athens last week. "There are indeed unsolved problems regarding China-EU trade, but generally speaking, cooperation between our two sides is much more important than competition, and consensus far outweighs differences," the ambassador told Xinhua. Xiao emphasized that China, like Europe, is a creator, beneficiary and defender of the existing international order. Both sides support multipolarity and oppose bloc confrontation, the new Cold War, decoupling and severing supply chains. China advocates advancing a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization, which is responding to the common needs of all countries and realizing win-win situations as much as possible, he added. According to Eurostat, the total trade volume between the EU and China in 2022 surged by 23 percent, reaching 856.3 billion euros (910.6 billion U.S. dollars), with China being the EU's largest import source and the third-largest export destination. So far, China and EU have established more than 70 consultation and dialogue mechanisms, he added. Regarding the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the ambassador said the EU's Global Gateway strategy is not contradictory to China's initiative. Highlighting the success of the China-Greece collaboration under BRI, Xiao mentioned the Port of Piraeus as a signature project. Through joint efforts, the port has become a major European port and the leading port in the Mediterranean, breaking operating performance records from 2021 to 2023. China and Europe "can explore in-depth strategic alignment, which will complement each other's advantages, conduct trilateral cooperation in Africa and thus promoting global development," he said. According to data released last year, Belt and Road cooperation has galvanized up to 1 trillion U.S. dollars of investment globally and created more than 3,000 projects and 420,000 jobs for the participating countries in the past decade. The World Bank has estimated that by 2030, BRI-related investments could lift 7.6 million out of extreme poverty and 32 million out of moderate poverty. Xiao also suggested discussions on building a multidimensional connectivity network between China and Europe, creating conditions for a new logistics corridor across the Eurasian continent. The Belt and Road cooperation is not what some countries call a "Trojan horse" but an international cooperation platform based on extensive consultation, and joint contribution for shared benefits, serving to promote the building of a community of shared future, said the ambassador. (Bloomberg) -- The body of Alexey Navalny, the Kremlin critic who died in prison last week, was turned over to his mother, the late political activists press secretary Kira Yarmysh said Saturday. Most Read from Bloomberg Navalnys mother, Lyudmila Navalnaya, had repeatedly demanded that her sons body be handed over in accordance with the law. She said Thursday that Russian authorities were seeking a secret burial for the most formidable domestic opponent of President Vladimir Putin. Alexeys body was given to his mother. Thank you very much to everyone who demanded this with us, Yarmysh said in a post on the X social media platform. The funeral is yet to come. We dont know whether the authorities will interfere with carrying it out the way the family wants and as Alexey deserves. Navalny, 47, died after falling ill at the remote, maximum-security prison camp where hed been held on extremism charges. US President Joe Biden has said Putin is responsible for Navalnys death in the Arctic prison, while Navalnys widow, Yulia, said this week shell continue his fight against the Russian leader as she met with top European Union officials. Read more: US Unveils Fresh Sanctions on Russia After Navalnys Death Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2024 Bloomberg L.P. (Associated Press) The body of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has been handed over to his mother, a top aide to Navalny said Saturday on his social media account. Ivan Zhdanov, the director of Navalnys Anti-Corruption Foundation, made the announcement on his Telegram account and thanked everyone who had called on Russian authorities to return Navalnys body to his mother. Earlier Saturday, Yulia Navalnaya, Navalnys widow, accused President Vladimir Putin of mocking Christianity by trying to force his mother to agree to a secret funeral after his death in an Arctic penal colony. Thank you very much. Thanks to everyone who wrote and recorded video messages. You all did what you needed to do. Thank you. Alexei Navalnys body has been given to his mother, Zhdanov wrote. Navalny, 47, Russias most well-known opposition politician, unexpectedly died on Feb. 16 in an Arctic penal colony and his family have been fighting for more than a week to have his body returned to them. Prominent Russians released videos calling on authorities to release the body and Western nations have hit Russia with more sanctions as punishment for Navalnys death as well as for the second anniversary of its invasion of Ukraine. Navalnys mother, Lyudmila Navalnaya, is still in Salekhard, Navalnys press secretary Kira Yarmysh said on X, formerly Twitter. Lyudmila Navalnaya has been in the Arctic region for more than a week, demanding that Russian authorities return the body of her son to her. The funeral is still pending, Yarmysh tweeted, questioning whether authorities will allow it to go ahead as the family wants and as Alexei deserves. Earlier Saturday, Navalnys widow said in a video that Navalnys mother was being literally tortured by authorities who had threatened to bury Navalny in the Arctic prison. They, she said, suggested to his mother that she did not have much time to make a decision because the body is decomposing, Navalnaya said. Give us the body of my husband, Navalnaya said earlier Saturday. You tortured him alive, and now you keep torturing him dead. You mock the remains of the dead. Navalny, 47, Russias most well-known opposition politician, unexpectedly died on Feb. 16 in the penal colony, prompting hundreds of Russians across the country to stream to impromptu memorials with flowers and candles. Authorities have detained scores of people as they seek to suppress any major outpouring of sympathy for Putins fiercest foe before the presidential election he is almost certain to win. Russians on social media say officials dont want to return Navalnys body to his family, because they fear a public show of support for him. Navalnaya accused Putin, an Orthodox Christian, of killing Navalny. No true Christian could ever do what Putin is now doing with the body of Alexei, she said, asking, What will you do with his corpse? How low will you sink to mock the man you murdered? Saturday marked nine days since the opposition leaders death, a day when Orthodox Christians hold a memorial service. People across Russia came out to mark the occasion and honor Navalnys memory by gathering at Orthodox churches, leaving flowers at public monuments or holding one-person protests. Muscovites lined up outside the citys Christ the Savior Cathedral to pay their respects, according to photos and videos published by independent Russian news outlet SOTAvision. The video also shows Russian police stationed nearby and officers stopping several people for an ID check. As of early Saturday afternoon, at least 27 people had been detained in nine Russian cities for showing support for Navalny, according to the OVD-Info rights group that tracks political arrests. They included Sergei Karabatov, 64, who laid flowers at a Moscow monument to victims of political repression, along with a handwritten note saying Dont think this is the end. Also arrested was Aida Nuriyeva, from the city of Ufa near the Ural Mountains, who stood in a street with a sign saying Putin is Navalnys murderer! I demand that the body be returned! Putin is often pictured at church, dunking himself in ice water to celebrate the Epiphany and visiting holy sites in Russia. He has promoted what he has called traditional values without which, he once said, society degrades. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov rejected allegations that Putin was involved in Navalnys death, calling them absolutely unfounded, insolent accusations about the head of the Russian state. Musician Nadya Tolokonnikova, who became widely known after spending nearly two years in prison for taking part in a 2012 protest with her band Pussy Riot inside Moscows Christ the Savior Cathedral, was one of many prominent Russians who released a video in which she accused Putin of hypocrisy and asked him to release Navalnys body. We were imprisoned for allegedly trampling on traditional values. But no one tramples on traditional Russian values more than you, Putin, your officials and your priests who pray for all the murder that you do, year after year, day after day, said Tolokonnikova, who lives abroad. Putin, have a conscience, give his mother the body of her son. Lyudmila Navalnaya said Thursday that investigators allowed her to see her sons body in the morgue in the Arctic city of Salekhard. She had filed a lawsuit at a court in Salekhard contesting officials refusal to release the body. A closed-door hearing had been scheduled for March 4. Yarmysh, Navalnys spokesman, said that Lyudmila Navalnaya was shown a medical certificate stating that her son died of natural causes. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News. Private security is being deployed to protect MPs amid warnings that the Israel-Hamas conflict is a generational radicalising moment, The Telegraph can reveal. Security personnel working for private firms are guarding constituency surgeries and providing close protection for a growing number of politicians who are assessed to be at risk by the authorities. One MP who has accepted Parliament-funded protection at constituency meetings warned that people are underestimating the threat to politicians from extremists. Some female MPs are also now using chauffeur-driven cars as part of a move to close the gap between protection given to Cabinet ministers as standard and measures for backbenchers now also considered highly vulnerable. The number of MPs requiring protection is believed to have risen in the wake of the Hamas attacks of Oct 7, with security details assigned under a system first created after the murder of Sir David Amess by an Isis supporter in October 2021. Because of the scale of the threat since early October, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, the Commons Speaker, is understood to have written to the Prime Minister and the Chancellor to seek more funding for the scheme. Tom Tugendhat, the security minister, told The Telegraph: Weve been reviewing existing security measures for MPs in the wake of the murder of my colleague and friend Sir David Amess. The work weve done has led to substantive improvements to existing security measures at MPs homes and offices, as well as new security measures such as the deployment of private protection officers. On Saturday night, Rishi Sunak warned that Parliament had sent a very dangerous signal that intimidation works when Sir Lindsay broke with precedent to allow Labour to table a vote during an SNP debate. Mr Sunak said legitimate protests were being hijacked by extremists to promote and glorify terrorism. Sir Lindsay apologised for his move last week, saying he had been motivated by a desire to protect MPs. The Telegraph understands he had held talks with Laurence Taylor, the Metropolitan Police deputy assistant commissioner, shortly before the debate. Separately, a senior counter-terror officer who leads the Prevent programme revealed in an exclusive interview that the number of suspected extremists flagged had risen by 13 per cent since Oct 7, with the figures increasing around news of Israeli hostages and pro-Palestine protests. We have always seen the impact of world events closer to home, and our concern is that this will create a long-term increase in risk in the UK and beyond, Maria Lovegrove, Detective Chief Superintendent, told The Telegraph. We are trying to flatten the curve before it becomes a generational radicalising moment. Ms Lovegrove said different communities were being referred to police, including Islamists and extreme Right-wing groups attempting to mobilise around a divisive narrative. Maria Lovegrove said the number of suspected extremists flagged had risen by 13 per cent since the Oct 7 Hamas attacks - Paul Grover for The Telegraph Mr Sunak said: The events of recent weeks are but the latest in an emerging pattern, which should not be tolerated. Legitimate protests hijacked by extremists to promote and glorify terrorism, elected representatives verbally threatened and physically, violently targeted, and anti-Semitic tropes beamed onto our own Parliament building. And in Parliament this week, a very dangerous signal was sent that this sort of intimidation works. It is toxic for our society and our politics, and is an affront to the liberties and values we hold dear here in Britain. Our democracy cannot and must not bend to the threat of violence and intimidation or fall into polarised camps who hate each other. The explosions in prejudice and anti-Semitism since the Hamas terrorist attacks on the Oct 7 are as unacceptable as they are un-British. Simply put, anti-Semitism is racism and speaking as someone who has experienced racism, I know it when I see it. Anna Firth, Sir Davids successor as the Conservative MP for Southend West, said too little was being done to tackle extremism in the country at large. Writing for The Telegraph, she said: A lot of lovely sentiments have been expressed ... but has enough actually been done to tackle the fact that many, many Islamist extremists with bad intentions live and walk among us? No, it hasnt. We seem afraid. The Home Office, police, parliamentary authorities and security services have been intensifying work to ensure security for MPs in recent months, building on procedures triggered by the murder of Sir David. As well as installing security measures at MPs homes and constituency offices, and the deployment of uniformed police officers at key events, private security operatives have been assigned for guard duties and close protection where intelligence suggests there is a significant risk. Thousands of MPs surgeries and hundreds of events have been protected since the scheme began, and that number is rising as tensions over the Israel-Hamas war increase threats towards MPs. Hundreds of MPs have also been provided with an overhauled package of security training from specialist advisers. A specialist police operation, codenamed Bridger, was separately established to safeguard politicians after a neo-Nazi murdered the Labour MP Jo Cox in 2016. It has held personal security briefings for MPs, while looking at protective measures around Parliament. Deputy assistant commissioner Taylor said: We fully recognise and understand the heightened concerns that many MPs and other elected officials across the country have about their safety and security. We are committed to ensuring that MPs, their families and their staff can go about their work and lives without feeling unsafe, and we will not tolerate MPs being intimidated. On Friday, a teenager was convicted of trying to encourage terror attacks targeting the Government by creating a manual filled with instructions on how to build bombs, guns and evade the police. Prosecutors told Manchester Crown Court the teenager was motivated by a hatred and contempt for the Government. Brendan Cox, Ms Coxs widower, told The Telegraph: Tensions over the war in Gaza risk undermining community relations and catalysing anti-Semitic and Islamophobic extremism. What we urgently need now is politicians who can bring communities together, bridge divides and marginalise these extremists. A vicious political row was sparked by a Commons debate on a Gaza ceasefire on Wednesday, with more than 70 MPs later backing a no-confidence motion in Sir Lindsay. The Speaker said he made a wrong decision because he was trying to protect MPs against repercussions, adding: The details of the things that have been brought to me are absolutely frightening I have a duty of care that I will carry out to protect people. MI5 continues to assess Islamists as the most significant terror threat to the UK, but they made up only 11 per cent of referrals to Prevent in 2022-23, behind conflicted ideology, Right-wing extremists and a group classed as vulnerability present but no ideology or counter-terrorism risk. Ms Lovegrove said the scheme could only deal with the work as it comes to us, and that there was no difference in the way we triage and assess different types of referrals. An official review of Prevent argued that it had strayed from its core mission to counter Islamism and other ideologies that drive terrorism, and had instead become too focused on ideas of vulnerability. Ms Lovegrove argued the two factors could not be divorced, adding: We now see people that are both vulnerable and dangerous at the same time. More and more, were seeing cases where ideology is the last thing to come. The chaotic picture is partly being driven by the young age of many people referred to Prevent, which is now seeing children under the age of 10 referred for ideological intervention. Ms Lovegrove said it would be really naive to not think that there was a risk of very young people being drawn into terrorism, particularly with the way algorithms now chuck content at children. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Boris Johnson has been pictured meeting Ukraines president Volodymyr Zelensky on a surprise visit to Kyiv during the second anniversary of the Russian invasion. The former prime minister posted a photograph showing him beside Mr Zelensky on X to mark the grim anniversary on Saturday. Mr Johnson said: On this grim second anniversary of Putins invasion I am honoured to be here in Ukraine. With their indomitable courage I have no doubt that the Ukrainians will win and expel Putins forces - provided we give them the military, political and economic help that they need. Prime minister Rishi Sunak also voiced his support for Ukraine, saying the West must renew our determination to stand behind Ukraine. In a video he posted on X, he said: When Putin launched his illegal invasion two years ago, the free world was united in its response. We stood together behind Ukraine and on this grim anniversary we must renew our determination. Life will win over death. Light will win over darkness. Ukraine will prevail. Slava Ukraini pic.twitter.com/n0ovz53pEl Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) February 24, 2024 It comes after Grant Shapps announced the biggest single defence package sent by the UK to Ukraine, taking support so far to over 12 billion. The defence secretary said around 250,000 will go towards ammunition and 200 million will go to their largest supplier of drones. Foreign secretary David Cameron said the UK has signed the first-of-its-kind 10 year security agreement to formalise support provisions- including intelligence sharing, cyber security, medical and military training and defence industrial cooperation. Mr Sunak concluded: This is the moment to show that tyranny will never triumph, to say once again we will stand with Ukraine, today and tomorrow. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak with President Volodymyr Zelensky (Stefan Rousseau/PA) (PA Wire) It comes as a virtual G7 summit will take place later today at Kyivs Saint Sophia Cathedral as Western leaders descend on the capital. European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen travelled overnight to the capital by train along with Italian premier Giorgia Meloni, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo and Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau. More than ever we stand firmly by Ukraine. Financially, economically, militarily, morally. Until the country is finally free, Ms von der Leyen wrote on social media after she arrived in Kyiv. They arrived shortly after a Russian drone attack struck a residential building in the southern city of Odesa, killing at least one person. Three women also sustained severe burns in the attack on Friday evening on a residential building, regional governor Oleh Kiper said on his social media account. Rescue services are still combing rubble looking for survivors. The foreign leaders are in Ukraine to express solidarity as Ukrainian forces run low on ammunition and weaponry and western aid hangs in the balance. Italy, which holds the rotating presidency of the G7 economies - the US, UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan, plus the EU - announced that the heads of state and government will meet virtually on Saturday, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky participating as well, and will adopt a joint statement on Ukraine. A sombre mood hangs over the country as the war against Russia enters its third year and Kyivs troops face mounting challenges on the front line amid dwindling ammunition and personnel challenges. The aftermath of a Russian drone attack on a factory (EPA) Its troops recently withdrew from the strategic eastern city of Avdiivka, handing Moscow one of its biggest victories. Earlier this month, Mr Zelensky fired top military commander Valerii Zaluzhnyi, replacing him with Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi, in the most significant shake-up of top brass since the invasion. Russia still controls roughly a quarter of the country after Ukraine failed to make any major breakthroughs with its summertime counter-offensive. Meanwhile, millions of Ukrainians continue to live in precarious circumstances in the crossfire of battles, and many others face constant struggles under Russian occupation. Foreign officials are expected to descend on the capital to meet Mr Zelensky and other Ukrainian officials and express their continued support for the country as it fights Moscows troops and prepares for European Union membership. In the US Congress, Republicans have stalled 60 billion dollars (47 billion) in military aid for Kyiv, desperately needed in the short term. The EU recently approved a 50 billion euro (42 billion) aid package for Ukraine to support its economy, despite resistance from Hungary. US President Joe Biden tied the loss of the defensive stronghold of Avdiivka in the Donetsk region after months of gruelling battles to the stalled US aid. Fears have since risen that Ukrainian forces will face similar difficulties across other parts of the 620-mile front line as they come under mounting pressure from Russian assaults. BOYNTON BEACH A federal jury in Fort Lauderdale has found a Boynton Beach man guilty of threatening a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. Frank Stanzione, 53, was found guilty Thursday following a two-day trial. Prosecutors argued that Stanzione made a threatening phone call on Jan. 29, 2023, from his home in Boynton Beach to the Washington, D.C., office of a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. Court documents did not disclose the name or home state of the Congress member. According to court records, Stanzione left a voice message that stated in part: "You better watch your (expletive) back because I'm gonna bash your (expletive) head in with a bat." The Congress members chief of staff reported the message to the U.S. Capitol Police the next morning. The Capitol Police began investigating the voice message as a threat and determined that it was made from a telephone number assigned to Stanzione. More: Police ID man, 64, struck and killed while running across Okeechobee Blvd. in West Palm Capitol Police agents visited Boynton home of man suspected of making threat A gavel sits atop a book. On Jan. 31, 2023, Capitol Police special agents went to the address associated with the telephone number and interviewed Stanzione. The agents confirmed that Stanzione left the voice message for the Congress member after finding the telephone number on an online search engine, prosecutors said. Court records did not indicate when Stanzione will face sentencing. Other Palm Beach County residents in recent years and months have also been accused of making threats against members of Congress. In January, Michael Shapiro, 72, of Greenacres was arrested on federal charges after authorities alleged that he left a series of threatening voicemails at the office of U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif. His case is scheduled to go to trial in March. In June 2023, Matthew Lee Comiskey of Delray Beach was sentenced to 15 months in prison after he pleaded guilty to sending online threats to U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo. Julius Whigham II is a criminal justice and public safety reporter for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him atjwhigham@pbpost.com and follow him on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, at@JuliusWhigham. Help support our work:Subscribe today. This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Palm Beach County man found guilty of threatening U.S. House member Four men were arrested after a what police described as a pro-Palestine protest in Bradford turned violent. A West Yorkshire Police said they were called to Salah's takeaway on Leeds Road shortly after 19:00 GMT on Friday. Four men, aged 30, 34, 46 and 50, were detained on suspicion of offences including criminal damage, assault, affray and possessing an offensive weapon. There were no serious injuries, a West Yorkshire Police spokesperson said. Police were called to the scene following reports of damage being caused to a window and people assaulted. "Officers attended and established that the incident appeared to arise from a pro-Palestine protest involving a group outside the premises," the spokesperson said. Inquiries into the incident would continue, they added, with officers "keeping key community representatives updated". Follow BBC Yorkshire on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram. Send your story ideas to yorkslincs.news@bbc.co.uk. Im a guy who wears a tie to work each day. A throwback rarity in this Casual Everyday workplace culture. And further quirkified by my need to match the tie to my pocket square and socks. Its my brand a nod to my late dad who taught me how to tie a tie while quietly preaching the importance of dressing to be respectful of others. After all, the best-dressed people in most hotels are concierges. Im just as picky and quirky on the weekends. I have about a hundred T-shirts and at least 50 sweatshirts. But many still have sales tags on them because, well, theyre too special to wear. Brand matters. So do memories. Thats why the heavy blue hoodie emblazoned with Homer Spit sends me back to our Alaska adventure from two years ago. Why the gray KENNEBUNKPORT isnt a political statement but a nod to Memorial Day 2023, which Maine residents will remember for being dry, warm and sunny. And why my latest addition still with the sales tag attached says NEW BERN with a silhouette of a bear. Sweatshirts as billboards to our soul I spent way too much time at Surf, Wind & Fire, an outdoor lifestyle store in downtown New Bern, pondering whether to introduce this dark red sweatshirt to my credit card. The price was right, the fabric felt comfy, and yet the brain vs. heart debate intensified: Am I cool enough to even be in this store? (Handsome, hip, TikToky-type people were everywhere.) And most importantly Is New Bern as a brand worthy of a sweatshirt? Wear something that says UNC, Duke or NC State and someone will comment and immediately judge you. Sweatshirts are the billboards to our soul and the playlist to our persona. Brand matters. But we confuse its meaning often. Brand isnt a product. Its an image, a feeling, a thing. Its the you-know-it-when-you-see-it experience that compels us to join Mini Cooper car clubs or get excited about the Innova quilting dream machines at QuiltCon in Raleigh. The best-brand debates are interesting and exude the reality that consensus is best achieved by looking at yourself in the mirror. I asked two artificial intelligence tools the same question: What are the best brands in North Carolina? Best brands in North Carolina ChatGPT listed SAS Institute, Red Hat, Burts Bees and Epic Games, all based in the Triangle, in its top 10. Perplexity went a different route possibly because it sensed I was hungry and listed a top nine of Cheerwine, Mt. Olive Pickles, Bojangles, Cook Out, Krispy Kreme, Lance, Pepsi, Bright Leaf Hot Dogs and Texas Pete. Bottles of Cheerwine chill in a cooler of ice at Sam Jones Barbecue in Raleigh. Cheerwine topping the best-brands list feels right. This paragraph from a 2023 story by The News & Observers Korie Dean could be a case study on how to describe Cheerwine as a product AND a brand: The cherry-flavored soda was invented in Salisbury in 1917, and over the past 100-plus years has gained a cult-like following in North Carolina and beyond. My earliest memories of drinking Cheerwine come from sitting in a booth at Zacks Hot Dogs in Burlington as a kid, washing down my chili- and slaw-covered dog with that delicious, red nectar in a glass bottle. You cant drink a Pepsi in North Carolina without thinking of New Bern, which The N&Os Martha Quillin recommends as a daytripper from the Triangle. Hurricane Florence battered New Bern, but this former Colonial capital along the Neuse and Trent rivers keeps reinventing itself as a place to live and visit. Theres the cute downtown with block after block of interesting shops. Theres Tryon Palace and next-door North Carolina History Center, a testament to the communitys heritage and savvy marketing IQ. (On a recent weekend, we met a couple visiting New Bern from Bern, Switzerland,) There are unique restaurants, such as Bakers Kitchen, with its butter syrup and bodacious cinnamon rolls. But is New Bern a sweatshirt-worthy brand? Is it an image, a feeling, a thing? Its a good question for any Triangle community: Do locals and tourists especially out-of-town quilters think enough of us to put it on their chest. Crack open a bottle of Cheerwine and sip on that for a while. Bill Church is executive editor of The News & Observer. He also overthinks breakfast cereals. We tried all 40 milkshakes at Cook Out. Here are the best (plus some you should skip) Salem announced the appointment of the city librarian Friday afternoon. Bridget Esqueda, the former deputy city librarian and acting city librarian for the Salem Public Library, will have the official title starting Monday. Esqueda has been acting in the capacity of city librarian for the past eight months since the departure of previous city librarian Kim Carroll. Her appointment follows a competitive internal recruitment. Bridgets leadership of the Library during this interim period has been exemplary, said Deputy City Manager Scott Archer, who oversees the library as part of the Community Services Department. Bridget has implemented new policies, updated procedures, and stabilized our library operations during a time of change, while thoughtfully supporting staff and fostering a positive organizational culture. Esqueda began her service in Salem in September 2022 as deputy city librarian. She has 17 years of experience in various public library system roles. She has a bachelors degree in Behavioral Science and Technical Communication from Arizona State University, and a masters degree in Library Science with a focus on administration and public library services from San Jose State University. Im happy to have had this past eight months to see if this would be the right fit for me, Esqueda said. I wouldnt be able to do this job as well as I have if not for the support of our library leadership team, Rachel Collins, Learning and Development Supervisor, and Sonja Somerville, Programming and Outreach Supervisor." City officials said Esqueda faced many challenges in her first months on the job as she and her team addressed the impact of the citys budget shortfall on the library. These challenges included staff burnout, eliminated positions and reduced hours. As we navigate the current budget and revenue challenges, I am committed to optimizing our services to ensure that we are making the greatest impact and using our librarys strategic plan as our guide, Esqueda said. I will continue my efforts to overcome these hurdles and provide the community the best service possible with our current resources. For questions, comments and news tips, email reporter Whitney Woodworth at wmwoodworth@statesmanjournal.com, call 503-910-6616 or follow on Twitter at @wmwoodworth This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Salem Public Library appoints Bridget Esqueda as city librarian SANAA, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- Warplanes of the U.S.-led coalition struck the Yemeni capital Sanaa late Saturday, the Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV reported. "The American-British aggression aircraft again launched a series of raids on the capital," the TV reported. Meanwhile, local witnesses told Xinhua that at least four missiles hit the Al-Siyanah Military Camp, north of Sanaa's downtown, causing big explosions and fire. Ukraine needs 2.5 million artillery shells in 2024, Ukraine's foreign minister says - Julian Simmonds for The Telegraph Britain will invest 250 million in producing artillery shells for the Ukrainian army amid pressure to put factories on a war footing. Grant Shapps, the Defence Secretary, announced the package on the second anniversary of Russias invasion of Ukraine, saying it would boost critical stockpiles of ammunition. Moscows forces are advancing across the front line in Ukraine and soldiers told The Telegraph on Thursday that they were no longer able to fire their rocket launchers as Western shell supplies had come to a halt. Writing in The Telegraph on Saturday, Ben Wallace, the former defence secretary, called on BAE systems to step up operations at its Sunderland factory producing 155mm shells. We can and must counter Russias advantage, even if that means putting our own 155mm shell factory on a war footing. Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraines foreign minister, warned EU counterparts this week his armed forces would need 2.5 million artillery shells in 2024. Russia is currently firing five times more shells than Ukraine per day, thanks to drastically increased production in the country. Following Saturdays announcement, Mr Shapps said: Nearly a quarter of a billion pounds worth of UK funding will boost their critical stockpiles of artillery ammunition, while the Royal Air Force completes a further delivery of advanced tank-busting missiles. Together, we will ensure Putin fails, and a victory for democracy, the rules-based international order, and the Ukrainian people. It came as Kyiv said on Friday that it had shot down an A-50U Russian spy plane over the Sea of Azov. Ukraines military intelligence agency published a map appearing to show the plane had eventually crashed in southern Russia. There was no official comment from Moscow, but authorities in Russias southern Krasnodar region said fire crews were at the scene of an air crash, without providing further details. Biden berates Congress On Friday, Joe Biden called on Congress to return from holiday and pass his $60 billion Ukraine aid package that has been stalled by Republican opposition. The bill provides urgent funding for Ukraine and if the Speaker called for a vote in the House it would pass easily today. Instead, they went on vacation, he said, warning that Russia was once again taking Ukrainian land. Mr Biden also announced a sweeping package of sanctions on 500 Russian targets in response to the death of Russias opposition leader Alexei Navalny. If Putin does not pay the price for his death and destruction, he will keep going, Mr Biden said. And the costs to the United States along with our Nato allies and partners in Europe and around the world will rise. Lord Cameron, the Foreign Secretary, warned Vladimir Putin would be back for more if the West allowed his invasion to succeed. On the front line near the recently captured city of Avdiivka, a Ukrainian officer told The Telegraph this week that he had not been able to use his Grad rocket launcher for three days despite having Russian targets in his sights. Call to seize Russias central bank assets Writing for The Telegraph, Alicia Kearns, the chairman of the foreign affairs select committee, called on the Government to seize the assets of Russias central bank. Russia committed a crime of aggression, she said. It is right that their frozen funds pay for the defence and reconstruction of Ukraine. Around 220 billion of funds have been frozen by Western powers since the start of the war. On Friday, Labour also announced a plan to boost support for Ukraine if it were to come into Government, stating that its first point of call would be to extend the UKs training of Ukrainian forces. David Lammy, the shadow foreign secretary, also pledged to boost UK industrial production by fast-tracking the Spring Budgets 2 billion to restock the UKs Armed Forces and Ukraine. The UKs own ammunition stocks have dwindled following the Russian invasion, with MPs warning that stockpiles are dangerously low. Recommended History proves that Putin can be defeated Read more Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. The UC Regents voted 10-6 behind closed doors to keep in place a ban on hiring undocumented students for another year, until January 2025. Adopting this position changes course from the UC Regents prior decision to move forward with exploring the possibility in May, with the urging of immigration law professors and legal experts and broad support from student activists who launched a hunger strike to draw attention to the issue. As reported in Politico, the official reasons cited were the legal risks, despite a contrary legal analysis supporting the policy from UCLA Center for Immigration Law and Policy co-directors Hiroshi Motomura and Ahilan Arulunantham and signed by experts as well as another letter signed by UC faculty willing to hire undocumented students. Opinion Politics appear to have influenced the vote. Insiders acknowledge pressure from the Biden administration to not pursue this strategy. Why? The timing coincides with an election campaign and a high-profile struggle with conservative states over state-U.S. control of the southern border, with Texas defying federal authority. Pushing this issue to January of 2025 may be politically expedient, but its academically inconvenient its midyear for a university, student leaders will be graduated or near graduation and momentum towards helping our undocumented students will have been lost. Thats no coincidence. While I dont have details on the Biden-UC phone calls beyond Politicos report, Ive observed immigration politics closely for two decades and recognize a familiar pattern: The UC debacle highlights the ways that politics pose an intractable obstacle to a genuinely complicated, difficult situation and the inadequacy of relying on states to solve the problem. To be sure, it would be easier if the federal Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program remained in force and continued to provide work permits. Until Congress passes a DREAM Act, which would allow undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children to live and work without fear of deportation, it will fall to states like California to fill gaps in opportunity since DACA is winding down and new students can no longer qualify. The UC previously sought to keep the window open by defending the DACA program in the U.S. Supreme Court. They argued that students had come to rely on their promises and that it would be unfair to renege on them. It was a difficult argument to make then, but they prevailed in court and the reliance has only increased among students. The alignment of UC leadership and political leadership produced by former Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano (who previously served as president of the UC system) surely helped at the time of the lawsuit. And it may have created a rare window of opportunity. But the window need not close. The lesson of the DACA lawsuit is that campus leadership matters to their students. Without it, support for undocumented students will wither away, as it has at The University of Texas at Austin, who invoked the states diversity, equity and inclusion curriculum ban and a federal immigration law to eliminate a scholarship for undocumented students the same week the UC Regents changed course. California must distinguish itself from Texas, holding firm to values of inclusion in its advocacy for undocumented students. The need for the UC to do what is right in the face of political and legal headwinds has not lessened just because there is a different UC and the U.S. president. If anything, the urgency has increased as DACA has withered away. The UC should continue to lead the way on educational opportunities for undocumented students by thinking creatively and fighting fiercely for its students. This latest episode may mean that the mantle is shifting. If change will not come from the top, then campuses need to identify and implement their own solutions from the bottom up. What can campuses do on their own? Universities can create meaningful experiences as fellowships with stipends, even if they will not permit salaried campus jobs; they can increase scholarships to reduce need; and reconfigure academic credit for experiential work (which many colleges are embracing as higher education strives to demonstrate its relevance to the world beyond their campuses). At law schools such as UC Law San Francisco, where I teach, the American Bar Association is requiring experiential work for accreditation. More ideas are being explored by the UC Labor Center and student activists as they process the unexpected decision. I can personally attest that there is interest among myself and other UC faculty to hire students as research assistants and teaching assistants without regard to immigration status if authorized. I have personally seen the talent and work ethic of our undocumented students. Whether now or next year, the UC must show its commitment to equitable opportunities for undocumented students, especially when political leaders are failing them. Ming Hsu Chen is a professor of immigration and the U.S. Constitution at UC College of the Law in San Francisco and faculty-director of the Center for Race, Immigration, Citizenship and Equality (RICE ). She is also a PD Soros and Public Voices Fellow of the Op-Ed Project . EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. A man from California is facing two Class X felony charges for cocaine trafficking, allegedly possessing more than 13,000 grams of cocaine, according to the Madison County States Attorney Office. On Feb. 19, the Illinois State Police stopped Richard J. Davis, 58, near Pochahontas on Interstate 70. Officials found cocaine and $1,150 in Davis 2022 BMW X4. Davis is charged on one count of a Class X felony of controlled substance trafficking for using a car to bring 900 or more grams of cocaine into Illinois. He also faces another Class X felony count for possession with intent to deliver 900 or more grams of cocaine. Sentencing for the first charge ranges from 30 to 120 years in prison, and the second charge is punishable by 15 to 60 years in prison. Missouri law says pregnant women cant get divorced The office of Madison County States Attorney, Thomas Haine, has filed a petition seeking the forfeiture of Davis BMW as well as a petition for pretrial detention. Major drug-trafficking corrodes the rule of law and puts lives at risk, as these sentencing ranges reflect, Haine said in a release. Law enforcement agencies in Madison County and the States Attorneys Office take these crimes very seriously. We will prosecute them aggressively, seeking appropriate sentences and, when applicable, seeking the forfeiture of any property that was derived from or used in the commission of such activity. Davis is currently in custody at the Madison County Jail. The hearing for the detention petition is scheduled for Monday. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 2. NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. Jack Posobiec set off a wave of alarm after a video of his welcome speech at this years Conservative Political Action Conference went viral. In the video, the right-wing activist and media personality said he wanted to end democracy and finish the mission of Jan. 6, installing a God-first government. Welcome to the end of democracy. We are here to overthrow it completely, he said Thursday. We didnt get all the way there on Jan. 6, but we will endeavor to get rid of it. Posobiec known for internet trolling, conspiracy theories and blustering rhetoric said in a subsequent speech and in an interview with NBC News that his statements were largely satirical, poking fun at what he sees as a lack of democratic values from President Joe Bidens administration. We are always supportive of a constitutional republic, Posobiec said on Friday, referring to conservatives at large. What were trying to do is return it to the original system. Were not destroying all of democracy, just their [Democrats'] democracy, he added. Jack Posobiec talks at the 2023 Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington on March 3, 2023. (Zach D Roberts via Reuters) But in his speech Friday, Posobiec continued to use rhetoric evocative of a violent revolution. "After we burn that swamp to the ground, we will establish the new American republic on its ashes, and our first order of business will be righteous retribution for those who betrayed America," he declared. His calls for attendees to fight, and his support for each and every J6-er received standing ovations from many conference attendees, who defended the participants of the Jan. 6 insurrection in interviews with NBC News. Posobiec has pedaled unfounded conspiracy theories about the involvement of federal agencies in fomenting the violence that occurred at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, calling for justice for those prosecuted in relation to the incident. The conspiracy theory and its associated movement had fans at CPAC, many of whom thought that the events of Jan. 6 were a legitimate and good-natured effort to influence the election. Jonathanan Linowes with his Jan. 6-themed pinball machine on display at CPAC. (Benjamin Goggin / NBC News) Jonathan Linowes created a Jan. 6-themed pinball machine on display at CPAC that went viral on Thursday. Some people took the machine, titled J6: Insurrection An educational documentary game, as a joke, but for Linowes, it was a serious expression of his beliefs about Jan 6. I decided to make a game that actually expresses what really happened on Jan. 6, he said in an interview Friday. Its very suspicious, and there was not any kind of a serious investigation of what went on. When asked if he attended Jan. 6, Linowes said, I cant say. He also wouldnt answer directly whether he wanted to see a repeat of that day. "I think that we should all be exercising our right to free speech and gather," he said. Five people died at or in the days after the Jan. 6 insurrection, including a Capitol police officer and several participants. People walk around media row at the CPAC at the Gaylord National Resort Hotel and Convention Center on Feb 22, 2024. (Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images) For some attendees, Posobiecs calls against democracy resonated with them, playing into their belief that Jan. 6 was a just attempt at influencing processes of our democratic republic. Democracy is evil, Tommy Tatum said. Democracy is mob rule. Tatum, who has spoken extensively online about being at the Capitol on Jan. 6 and has recorded himself harassing Capitol police officers, was tabling at CPAC for the Jan. 6 Legal Defense Fund, which is used to pay legal fees for people facing prosecutions related to that day. Tatum said he supported the actions of the participants of Jan 6, saying exactly what we wanted to have happen was happening, referencing the interference of vote-counting at the Capitol. Suzzanne Monk with an orange shirt that reads Suzzanne Monk, a Jan. 6 activist, runs a campaign seeking a pardon for everyone who was prosecuted in connection with the insurrection. Monk, who said she was in the area of the insurrection that day, echoed Tatums claims that the insurrection was supposed to be a peaceful effort to support a second term for Trump. Monk said she doesnt want violence, but that she worries what will happen if the 2024 election is called in Bidens favor. Weve been ignored when we bring our concerns about election fraud, she said, so if it happens again, I dont know what will happen. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com Both Canada and Italy have signed agreements on security assistance with Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Feb. 24. The U.K., Germany, Denmark, and France have already signed similar agreements based on a pledge made by the Group of Seven (G7) last July to help Ukraine repel Russia's aggression. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni arrived in Kyiv earlier on Feb. 24 on the two-year anniversary of the launch of Russia's full-scale invasion, along with Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. The 10-year security agreement with Canada allocates over $2.2 billion "in macro-financial and defense assistance in 2024," Zelensky said on X. "I am grateful to Justin Trudeau and all Canadians. You have stood with Ukraine from the first days of the full-scale war," Zelensky said. Trudeau said at a press conference that the agreement is designed to "work for 10 years and beyond." "Despite Russias relentless assault, Ukrainians are standing strong. We need to continue standing with them," Trudeau posted on X. Zelensky described the agreement that was signed with Italy as establishing "a solid foundation for our countries' long-term security partnership." "I am grateful to Italy for its support of Ukraine and our defense capabilities, as well as recovery efforts and approval of military aid until the end of 2024." Zelensky said he and Prime Minister Meloni also discussed further support for Ukraine in the context of Italys G7 Presidency. Read also: Dutch far-right leader Wilders against signing security agreement with Ukraine Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) A Canadian airline that began serving Tampa International Airport in the fall announced Friday it would be ending operations due to financial troubles. Lynx Air will no longer operate as of 12:01 a.m. MT on Monday, according to a news release. These new nonstop routes will start flying from Tampa International Airport next year Over the past year, Lynx Air, has faced a number of significant headwinds including rising operating costs, high fuel prices, exchange rates, increasing airport charges and a difficult economic and regulatory environment, the airline said in a statement. All flights after that time have been canceled. The airline said customer service center will not be available to handle refunds, and passengers who had booked flights should contact their credit card company for a refund. The airline said passengers who are partially through their trips can try to reschedule to a weekend flight before operations are halted, but its unclear what happens if those flights are full and unable to accommodate extra passengers. Air Canada announced it would be capping fares and adding more than 6,000 seats in markets that were operated by Lynx Air to help those passengers arrange alternate travel. Fares will be capped through Feb. 26 for travel through April 2, according to a news release. Some of the routes getting more seats from Air Canada are from Toronto and Montreal to Tampa, Fort Myers, Orlando, and Cancun. Lynx passengers whose flights have been affected will receive an email from the airline. Airports and alcohol often dont mix: TPA sees increase of intoxicated, disorderly passengers Customers with travel vouchers will no longer be able to use them, according to an FAQ section on the airlines website. Lynx Air began flying in April 2022 and quickly doubled its passenger volume, but it said the current challenges have become too significant to overcome. Lynx announced several weekly flights from TPA to Montreal and Toronto last summer, with flights that began in November. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFLA. By Kanishka Singh (Reuters) - Canadian federal police said on Friday their systems were targeted by an "alarming" cyberattack but there was no impact on operations and no known threat to the safety of Canadians. "The situation is evolving quickly but at this time, there is no impact on RCMP operations and no known threat to the safety and security of Canadians," a spokesperson for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police told reporters on Friday afternoon. "While a breach of this magnitude is alarming, the quick work and mitigation strategies put in place demonstrate the significant steps the RCMP has taken to detect and prevent these types of threats," the spokesperson added. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said they launched a probe into the attack and were trying to determine the extent of the breach, adding there were no known impacts on intelligence services. Further details were not immediately known. The Canadian government said late last month that its foreign affairs department had suffered a data breach and that there had been unauthorized access to personal information of users including employees. Global Affairs Canada said at the time it had activated an unplanned IT outage on Jan. 24 to "address the discovery of malicious cyber activity." Canadian Defence Minister Anita Anand said last year that the country's critical infrastructure was increasingly being targeted by cyberattacks, posing a significant threat to the economy of the world's fourth-largest crude oil producer. (Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Sandra Maler) NAIROBI, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- Kenya's Ministry of Health on Saturday launched a strategy to eliminate the triple threats of HIV/AIDS, teenage pregnancies, and gender-based violence that have reversed progress towards achieving the UN 2030 goals. Susan Nakhumicha, the cabinet secretary in the Ministry of Health, reaffirmed the government's commitment to leveraging a host of policy and legislative tools to end new HIV infections, adolescent pregnancies, and gender-based violence. "We have started the journey to eliminate the triple public health crisis of HIV/AIDS, teenage pregnancies, and sexual and gender-based violence in line with our commitment to national and international conventions," Nakhumicha said at the launch that was held in western Kenyan county of Bungoma. Kenya has 1.5 million people living with HIV and more than 90 percent on life-saving drugs, according to Nakhumicha, who decried the high rate of infections among youth aged 15 years to 24 years. She reiterated the government's commitment to ending HIV/AIDS by 2030 by preventing new infections among high-risk demographics like youth and women alongside expanding access to life-long treatment. In addition, Nakhumicha said the rollout of the Social Health Insurance Fund will ensure that antiretroviral therapy is affordable to persons living with HIV. To help curb teenage pregnancies that have also been linked to new HIV infections, Nakhumicha said the government will leverage technology, grassroots campaigns, and access to modern contraceptives among adolescent girls. Nakhumicha said that investments in youth-friendly reproductive health services at the grassroots will be key to minimizing the risk of adolescent pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections. She added that community health volunteers, cultural and religious leaders, and law enforcement officers will be engaged in the new campaign to end teenage pregnancies as well as gender-based violence. "Digital tools will help us track and identify perpetrators of gender-based violence. Our criminal justice system should fast-track prosecution of offenders who include intimate partners to act as a deterrent measure," said Nakhumicha. If one mans story encompassed all two years of Ukraines war you might expect it to have ended abruptly long ago. Yet Oleksandr, 38, is somehow alive, burdened with lessons from a fight he did not predict. His prosthetic eye twinkles, damaged from the siege of the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, one of the more savage battles of the invasions first three months. He exudes gratitude in each breath, having survived the threat of hanging or firing squad while held as a prisoner of war by Russia for more than four months in 2022. His control over his emotions has tightened after last summers bitter counteroffensive, where he fought in Urozhaine, in the south. And now, hes talking to CNN in Kherson city during a brief break from the battle across the river where Ukraine seized a foothold after a madcap amphibious dash by Ukrainian forces last summer, which Russia claimed Tuesday it had ended. He is fond of punctuating his story with the phrases, I am no politician and, it is in our hands - perhaps a reflection of how the Western aid that kept Ukraine in the fight for the last two years now partially looks in doubt. Of course, the situation at the front is related to the supply of ammunition and related to personnel, he said. The Russians are well zombified [they] win in number They take land with numbers and drive them forward. We take it with intelligence and tactics. People just get tired and thats it. It will be difficult, but we will try. Two years into the war, Ukraine is almost back where it was at the start of Russias full-scale invasion, digging deep and pleading for Western help. Two expectations from early February 2022 were never realized: that Russias superior military would storm through Kyiv in days, and that Western support would be chaotic and fractured. Yet both ideas are less alien as the war edges into its third year. And Oleksandrs extraordinary personal sacrifice and loss of friends, and that of many more like him, has bought Ukraine time, but no obvious path to peace. Oleksandr is pictured in 2013 during Ukraine's counteroffensive near Urozhaine. - 36th Marines Brigade/Armed Forces of Ukraine Russian roulette When the war began, Oleksandr had already served four years in Ukraines armed forces and was near Vodiane, Mariupol, where Russian proxies had waged trench warfare for nearly a decade. Like many, he did not fully believe Western intelligence predictions of a full-scale Russian invasion, or the lack of faith in Ukraines military. We underestimated our strength - as if someone was deliberately putting a stick in our wheels. But our guys were ready. Those were some of the strongest men I know and have known. He had a friend help send his wife and son to Denmark, after hearing reports of the abuse and killing of military families. And slowly, Russian forces pushed the Ukrainians back towards Mariupols Azovstal steel plant. The 80-day siege of the plant, where 2,600 troops and civilians endured a constant Russian barrage, became a global symbol of Ukrainian resilience. On May 17, Ukrainian troops began surrendering. Oleksandr said 45 of his colleagues became captives and 400 died there. Oleksandr said he felt panic when he surrendered. [Its] a feeling of powerlessness, especially when they take away your weapon. Its like youre standing naked. The 80-day siege of the Azovstal steel plant, where 2,600 troops and civilians endured a constant Russian barrage, became a global symbol of Ukrainian resilience. - AFP/Getty Images There was no guarantee of survival. It was a Russian roulette. No one there was sure of anything. Moreover, this is a country that doesnt keep its word. There had to be a catch, and there was: many people died in captivity. Its its own type of survival. They were held in Olenivka, in occupied Donbas, where Russian-backed proxies had threatened execution by firing squad or hanging. They basically told me the choice was either hanging or shooting. What difference does it make how you die? Those lost haunted him in captivity and still do. There are many flashbacks, but mostly, my boys are constantly before my eyes. When you look at your friends, your boys who are wounded, you want to help them, but you cant. Or when you want to feed them, but there is nothing to eat. This is the worst moment. More than four months of the daily Russian anthem and boiled cabbage or porridge left him alive but broken. Then, suddenly, they were told they would be moved. We didnt know that we were being released, he said. They simply gathered 10 of us there, loaded us into trucks, took us to the airfield at night and put us on a plane. Our eyes were duct taped, no one saw anything. They just took us out and thats it. You are in Ukraine. Multiple Ukrainian soldiers captured in the Azovstal siege, and on other front lines in Ukraine, were exchanged in prisoner swaps with Russia during the last two years. An image of Oleksandr with colleagues on his release shows him gaunt and drained, a fraction of the rotund, hearty barrel he is now. His left eye is clearly missing in the image, now replaced with a prosthetic, twinkling slightly. He underwent rehabilitation and returned to the front lines around the southern counteroffensive, to train new recruits. Yet he said he also went back into combat around Urozhaine, one of the most bloody advances of the summer campaign, aided by NATO planning, which hoped to break through towards the coastline around Mariupol. It failed, and the inability of Kyivs forces to make significant gains despite billions of dollars of Western aid ultimately led to doubts about its application amongst its allies, and the departure of the military chief, and architect of the offensive, Valery Zaluzhny. Next steps What lessons Ukraine learned from its losses and missed opportunity are not yet apparent. Yet combat has taught Oleksandr to value fear, and pass that lesson on to recruits. Im not an iron man, Im scared too, he said. Its good to have fear in you. You just need to master your fear. If you dont it will swallow you up. There were periods [before captivity] when I stopped being afraid, and it was bad. And I put myself in danger. A roadblock is seen on a road leading to the Dnipro River in central Kherson on December 22, 2023. - Ed Ram/The Washington Post/Getty Images He added: I dont pity the recruits. Pity is a bad quality. You just have to do your job. And explain to them that they shouldnt feel sorry for themselves. People just dont understand what they are capable of. He said he forbade his recruits to dwell on the negative, quoting the bible. Now in Kherson - invaded, occupied, liberated and under assault again, its a ghostly city whose path seems to mirror Oleksandrs. Oleksandr said he is involved in the bold, perhaps foolhardy, dash to the left bank of the Dnipro River, in a bid to forge a new line of attack on the occupied peninsula of Crimea, first taken in 2014. Ukraines gambit, questioned by some Western tacticians and criticized by serving troops, has yet to lead to a notable advance. It became the latest claim of success by Russia on Tuesday, when its defense minister, Sergei Shoigu, told president Vladimir Putin their forces had cleared Ukraine from the riverbank. Kyiv released a drone video as part of its fervent denial, showing the same Russian troops who planted a flag over the flattened hamlet, fleeing the scene. Oleksandr refuses to discuss the operation. Yet the likely futility of the foothold Kyiv established in Kherson, is a bleak footnote, one that leads him to echo many Ukrainian troops: their fight is not a choice taken over an easy and peaceful negotiated settlement. A loss spells possible death or internment for the families of soldiers. Yes, this is a difficult freedom, I dont argue, he said, as shelling reverberated around the liberated yet bombarded city. But I dont want to lose it. I dont want to bend over for some senile idiot, he said of Putin. Agonizing decisions await Kyiv: whether to lower mobilization age from 27; which next besieged city to withdraw from; when, if ever, to consider negotiations with the Kremlin; who to give the dwindling ammunitions to. There is no imminent end to Oleksandrs fight ahead, just the hope he wont pass it to his son. I have hope he will never be part of this war, Oleksandr said. So we need to learn from our mistakes. His son is 7 years old. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Deer gaze through a fence at the Camatta Ranch, 30 miles northeast of San Luis Obispo. California's Wildlife Conservation Board voted this month to preserve the 27,000-acre ranch. (Craig Nakano / Los Angeles Times) Californias Wildlife Conservation Board has voted to grant more than $10 million to protect a 27,000-acre cattle ranch on the Central Coast that is home to hundreds of species of native plants and endangered animals. The Wildlife Conservation Board voted Feb. 15 to award a $10.3-million grant to the Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo County to preserve the Camatta Ranch in Santa Margarita, according to a news release. The 27,500 acres of grassland, shrub land, blue oak savanna and riparian corridors serve as habitats for 299 animal species and 250 native plant species, including the Camatta Canyon amole plant, Bell's vireo and the blunt-nosed leopard lizard as well as the endangered San Joaquin kit fox, the California condor and the giant kangaroo rat. The funding will protect a ranch that is 4 square miles larger than San Francisco. The ranch has been owned by the Morrison family since 1978, when they decided to move their cattle to the Central Coast, about 30 miles northeast of San Luis Obispo. "In the heart of California's Central Coast, the beautiful and diverse Camatta Ranch stands as a testament to the enduring legacy of a family and the power of partnerships to ensure its protection, Kaila Dettman, executive director for the Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo County, said in a statement. By conserving this working cattle ranch, composed of rolling grasslands, majestic oaks and habitat for myriad wildlife species, we wont just protect a 27,512-acre piece of land, but a critical wildlife corridor and refuge for those who visit," Dettman continued. The grants contribute to Gov. Gavin Newsom's goal of preserving 30% of California's coastal waters and lands by 2030. The initiative, known as "30x30," seeks to expand access to nature, address climate change and protect biodiversity. 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. AUSTIN (KXAN) Ten Central Texas educators have been named finalists for the 2024 H-E-B Excellence in Education Awards, spotlighting them as some of the best educators in Texas, according to a press release. Finalists and their schools received a cash prize of $1,000 to $2,500, depending on the category. All finalists have a chance to win larger cash prizes totaling $480,000 at the statewide competition May 5 in Houston. H-E-B competition to find the next Texas best underway The honor was kept a surprise from the educators, who this week learned they were finalists when H-E-B representatives visited their schools. The Central Texas finalists are as follows, in alphabetical order: Gloria Cortez, Samuel L. Martin Middle School, Austin ISD (Lifetime Achievement Secondary) Michael Grebb, Robert E. Hendrickson High School, Pflugerville ISD (Principal Secondary) Denise Johnson, Blackland Prairie Elementary, Round Rock ISD (Lifetime Achievement Elementary) Abby Jones, Thorndale Elementary, Thorndale ISD (Counselor Elementary) Domonique James Kilgore, Sarah Beth Lively Middle School, Austin ISD (Counselor Secondary) Jessica McMullen, R.J. Richey Elementary, Burnet CISD (Principal Elementary) Kirsten Nash, Robert E. Hendrickson High School, Pflugerville ISD (Leadership Secondary) Ann Nguyen, Round Rock High School, Round Rock ISD (Rising Star Secondary) Keke Powell, Sunfield Elementary, Hays CISD (Rising Star Elementary) Stephanie Stoebe, Teravista Elementary, Round Rock ISD (Leadership Elementary) Jessica McMullen stands by students (Photo provided by H-E-B). Abby Jones reading to students (Photo provided by H-E-B). Stephanie Stoebe holds the H-E-B excellence award with students (Photo provided by H-E-B). Denise Johnson in the classroom with students (Photo provided by H-E-B). H-E-B asks customers, employees and community members to nominate educators in Texas every year. The nomination process asks nominees about their professional experiences and educational achievements both inside and outside the classroom. Semifinalists are selected by a panel of judges. From that pool, regional judging panels select 50 teachers, counselors, and principal finalists. $480K to be awarded at statewide competition Ten winners consisting of six teachers, two counselors and two principals will be announced at the statewide competition. Two school district winners, one large and one small, will also be announced at the event, the release said. The six winning teachers include one elementary and one secondary teacher in each of three categories, according to the H-E-B press release: The Rising Star Award : honors exceptionally promising teachers with less than 10 years of experience. These winners will each receive a $5,000 check for themselves and a $5,000 grant for their schools. The Leadership Award : honors teachers with 10 to 20 years in the classroom. These winners will each receive a $10,000 check for themselves and a $10,000 grant for their schools. The Lifetime Achievement Award: honors teachers with more than 20 years of experience. These teachers will each receive $25,000 in cash for themselves and a $25,000 grant for their schools. The winning small school district will receive $50,000. The winning large school district will receive a $100,000 cash prize. The statewide competition will be held at the Marriott Marquis in Houston May 5. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KXAN Austin. The city of Orlando is hosting a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) sponsored fair housing fair in an attempt to educate the community about fair housing protections. The event will feature local community organizations, free credit checks, mortgage counseling and fair housing training sessions courtesy of Community Legal Services of Mid-Florida, Inc., and Florida Legal Services. This event furthers the City of Orlandos commitment to advancing equity in housing, enhancing public awareness of fair housing rights and highlighting the diverse and inclusive Orlando community. The event takes place Saturday, Feb 24 from 10:00 a.m.- 2:00 p.m. Read: So cruel and heartless: Grieving daughter scammed trying to get money for dads funeral Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live. A Chelsea man is facing charges after being arrested on a warrant in connection with a deadly hit-and-run crash in December 2023, police said Friday. Jaydon A. Colon, 22, was arrested on Carter Street in Chelsea Friday morning on a warrant from Charlestown District Court for charges including motor vehicle homicide by reckless operation, a Boston police spokesperson said. Officers responding to a report of a pedestrian struck in the area of Dexter and Alford streets just after 3 a.m. on December 18 found a victim suffering from life-threatening injuries. The victim was later pronounced deceased. Video from the scene showed investigators gathering evidence as wind-driven rain lashed the area. This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW Lesley Bennett has called for changes to the 999 system after the death of her partner Julian Martin The partner of a man who died of a heart attack after waiting an hour and a half for an ambulance has called for changes to the 999 system. Julian Martin, 59, from Chester, messaged his long-term partner, Lesley Bennett, saying he had chest pains. Ms Bennett rushed home from work and made a number of desperate calls asking for urgent help. The North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) said it was investigating the 11 January incident. Ms Bennett told the BBC she was told call back only if her partner deteriorated, which he rapidly did. In total, the couple made six calls to the ambulance service. Lesley said that for 90 minutes she was "all he had". Paramedics 'got lost' Mr Martin and Ms Bennett's growing distress and anxiety was captured on a camera in their living room they used to keep an eye on their pet dog. In the footage, Ms Bennett can be heard telling the call operator: "If he could walk I'd put him in a taxi and take him straight away but I can't, I can't move him." She also asked: "What has to be wrong with you for an ambulance to come straight away?" Ms Bennett said when one finally arrived a paramedic told her they had got lost. Lesley Bennett on the phone to the North West Ambulance Service Mr Martin died as he was being prepared for transfer from the Countess of Chester Hospital to the Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital. Ms Bennett said she believed the ambulance crew should have taken him straight to the Liverpool site, which specialises in treating heart problems. She said she was offered "no advice" on how to help her suffering partner and felt like she was "lied to" when told the ambulance was "on its way". She said: "I can't do anything about Julian now, but I can't be quiet. More people need to speak up." A spokesman for NWAS said: "Our sincere condolences go to Julian's family. Since being contacted by them, we have started an investigation looking into their concerns. We expect to complete this shortly and will report our findings to them directly." Why not follow BBC Merseyside on Facebook, X and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk (Bloomberg) -- Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnsons plan to increase taxes on real estate transactions of $1 million or more was struck down by a local court, a major blow to his progressive agenda. Most Read from Bloomberg At a hearing on Friday, Cook County Judge Kathleen Burke ruled against a referendum question on the so-called Mansion Tax. The challenge was brought by the local chapter of the Building Owners and Managers Association, which argued the question placed on the March 19 primary election ballot was misleading and unconstitutional. Johnson surprised pundits when he beat incumbent Lori Lightfoot in the mayors race last year, finally prevailing over rival Paul Vallas in the runoff. The progressive Democrat came to power promising to increase taxes on the rich, including a proposal to boost the real estate transfer tax for both residential and commercial buildings to help tackle homelessness. This referendum would be a backdoor property tax on all Chicagoans, and it is important that our elected officials not mislead voters otherwise, Farzin Parang, BOMAs executive director for Chicago, wrote in a statement. A spokesman for Johnson and the citys law department couldnt immediately comment. Johnson had proposed increasing one-time real estate transfer taxes on properties over $1 million, while reducing levies on transactions below that. The tax would also be graduated, with properties between $1 million and $1.5 million incurring a duty increase of $10 per every $500, and properties over that facing charges of $15 for every $500. We are outraged by the fact that this small minority of wealthy real estate interests would rather spend thousands of dollars on legal fees to preserve a brutally unjust status quo than pay their fair share in taxes, said Maxica Williams, president of the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless. There isnt enough time for the referendum question to be removed from the ballot, but results wont be counted or released. The Chicago Board of Election Commissioners said its still evaluating its options on whether to appeal. (The case is Building Owners and Managers Association et Al., v. Board of Election Commissioners For the City of Chicago, et al., 2024COEL00001, The Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois.) --With assistance from Shruti Date Singh and Brendan Case. (Updates with building owners association comment in fourth paragraph.) Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2024 Bloomberg L.P. CHICAGO A Chicago man accused in an armed carjacking at an Oak Lawn gas station has been taken into custody, police say. According to Oak Lawn police, 22-year-old Marvin Johnson has been charged with one count of aggravated vehicular high jacking. Read more: Latest Chicago news headlines Oak Lawn police say the charge stems from an alleged carjacking that occurred on Christmas Eve at a Shell gas station in the 10600 block of South Cicero Avenue. Officers say they responded just after 5:30 p.m. and found the victim who told officers that he had been approached by a man armed with a handgun who demanded his car keys. VOTE: Tom Skillings most memorable moments Johnson was eventually taken into custody on Thursday after police located him at his residence in the 7800 block of South Essex in Chicago. Johnson was set to appear in court for a detention hearing on Friday. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WGN-TV. Early on Friday, dozens of fire engines were dispatched to the scene of the deadly blaze Fifteen people have been killed and more than 40 injured after a fire ripped through an apartment building in eastern China, local authorities said. Footage shared on social medal showed flames and plumes of black smoke engulfing several floors of a skyscraper in Nanjing city. Officials suggested the blaze started on the first floor of the building, where electric bikes were being stored. But the specific cause of the fire remained under investigation. The building is located in the Yuhuatai district of Nanjing, a city of more than eight million that lies about 162 miles (260km) north-west of Shanghai. Emergency service crews were first alerted to the blaze at 04:40 local time (20:40 GMT) on Friday, officials said on Saturday morning. Twenty-five fire engines and 130 firefighters were sent to tackle to the blaze. By 06:00 (22:00 GMT), the fire had been extinguished, with the search and rescue operation ending around 14:00. Of the 44 injured people sent to hospital for treatment, one is in a critical condition and another seriously injured, the officials said. At a press conference, Nanjing mayor Chen Zhichang offered his condolences and apologies to the victims' families. Aerial photos of the skyscraper shared on Friday after the fire had been extinguished showed some flats up the length of the building with blackened fronts. At least 15 people have been killed and 44 injured in the fire at a residential building in eastern China's Nanjing Fires and other deadly accidents often occur in China due to lax enforcement of safety standards. A recent spate of deadly fires across the country prompted President Xi Jinping to call last month for "deep reflection" and greater efforts to "curb the frequent occurrence of safety accidents". The Nanjing fire comes a month after 13 schoolchildren, aged nine and 10, were killed after a fire broke out in a school dormitory in China's Henan province. Days later, at least 39 people were killed and nine injured in a fire that started in the basement of a shop in the city of Xinyu. Lord Carey has warned the Church was failing to provide sufficient advice on discerning authentic conversions - Andrew Crowley The Church of England is reviewing its policies towards asylum seekers as a matter of urgency after it was accused of presiding over a conveyor belt of fake conversions. British churches have faced criticism in recent weeks for being duped by asylum seekers who falsely claim to have converted to Christianity to boost their chances of staying in Britain. Abdul Ezedi, the now-deceased Clapham chemical attacker who had two prior convictions for sex assault and exposure, was twice refused asylum before he was granted leave to remain when a Baptist minister vouched for his conversion from Islam. The Church of England has since admitted that it may have been scammed by some baptised asylum seekers but has insisted that the Home Office bears ultimate responsibility for approving or rejecting asylum applications. Lord Carey, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, warned earlier this month that the Church was failing to provide sufficient advice to vicars on how to discern whether these conversions are authentic, long-standing and life-changing. A representative of the Archbishops Council, one of the Churchs main executive bodies, told General Synod, the Churchs legislative body, on Saturday that a review was being conducted as a matter of urgency. Providing safety Mark Sheard said the review would be conducted by the Churchs Faith and Public Life department and that bishops would contribute. We must give no individual, however, any opportunity to get in the way of this country providing safety for those whose lives are at risk because of their religious belief, nor must we in any way hinder the work of creating and baptising disciples, he said. Mr Sheard did not disclose a timeframe for the review or say whether the Church would be compelled to abide by any of its recommendations. He was responding to a question by Mark Townsend, a lay member, who asked if the Church would review the advice it gives priests on how to respond to asylum seekers who request baptism. Prof Roy Faulkner, another lay member, asked what proportion of new Anglicans were ex-Muslim immigrants who had been able to stay in Britain because of their conversion. Carl Hughes, on behalf of the Archbishops Council, replied in a written answer: We do not monitor the ethnic or legal background of new disciples. Prof Faulkner said: I just feel that, as a result of this issue, there seems to be a certain amount of buck-passing going on between the Home Office and the Church of England. Veritable industry The Rev Matthew Firth, a former Church of England priest who now ministers in the Free Church of England, told The Telegraph earlier this month that he encountered a veritable industry of asylum seeker baptisms when he became priest-in-charge at St Cuthberts, Darlington. The Diocese of Durham, where the Rev Firth ministered, rebuked his allegations as nonsense. The Church of England has also dismissed claims by Suella Braverman and Priti Patel that churches have routinely supported bogus asylum claims. The Most Rev Justin Welby, the current Archbishop of Canterbury, has accused critics of mischaracterisation and insisted that we simply follow the teaching of the Bible which is to care for the stranger. But court rulings unearthed by The Telegraph have revealed that judges have repeatedly warned that some unquestioning Church leaders are being duped. A series of immigration tribunal decisions have highlighted examples of clergymen and lay leaders failing to query the motives of purported converts. Migrants can claim asylum based on their conversion to a new religion if they will face persecution in their home country because of their new faith. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. MIAMI, Okla. The Miami city manager announces his resignation. Bo Reese has served as the city of Miamis city manager for just over the last 3 years. Miami is his hometown, and he says his decision was not made easily, but he has taken another job opportunity for himself and his family. His last day will be March 23 as per his 30-day notice. Reeses colleagues express sadness in his departure but wish him the best. City officials say, a new interim city manager will be named soon by the city council as officials look for a permanent replacement. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KSNF/KODE | FourStatesHomepage.com. A classic car club which has operated for more than 50 years is "at risk of closure" if it cannot raise 250,000 to fix its roof. The North East Restoration Club (NERC) is housed inside a former brickworks on railway sidings in Washington, Sunderland. The club, which is run by volunteers and has more than 300 members, restores classic cars and is thought to be the only one of its kind in Europe. Secretary Andrew Billington said a campaign to save it through an online fundraiser had been launched. The roof of the building where NERC is housed needs repairs The roof has been patched up with temporary repairs but it is leaking and contains asbestos, which will require removal from specialist contractors. In recent years, it has also been damaged by vandals who have thrown track ballast from the disused Leamside Line. Secretary Andrew Billington says the club is in "dire need" of funds Mr Billington said the club was funded by membership fees and does not receive any additional income. "The club is in dire need...[the roof] is fragile and very old and threatens to close the club, quite honestly," Mr Billington told BBC Look North. "Parts of the building are about 100 years old, the original Blythe Brickworks were opened in the 19th century and it's an extremely old building." The club purchased the building after moving into it in 1973, which means it is wholly responsible for its own repair costs. The current condition of the roof has made working conditions in cold months difficult, while water ingress has threatened ongoing restoration projects. 'We couldn't exist' Norman Rose, who has been a member since 1993, said it was a constant fear that the roof could succumb to extreme weather. He said: "We're always worried about that, when there's a gale we come down and expect some damage. "If the roof was ever torn off it would close the club, we couldn't exist without the workshops, our whole club is based on the fact that we restore classic cars." The club previously launched a successful campaign to encourage more people, whether they have a car or not, to join up and take part in classic car restoration. Club bosses said this would allow it to help keep history "alive". Follow BBC Sunderland on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to northeastandcumbria@bbc.co.uk. More on this story Related internet links A married Clinton couple who own a hotel and other businesses has agreed to pay $730,000 to end a class-action lawsuit accusing them of exploiting Filipino workers they allegedly lured to the United States with promises of an hourly wage and free housing. The Filipino workers accused Walter and Carolyn Schumacher who own a Holiday Inn Express and nearby water park of reneging on their promises and forcing the immigrants to work under threat of physical harm, including allegedly being told airfare back to the Philippines would only be paid for if an employee was returning in a box. Seeking an unspecified amount in punitive and compensatory damages, the ACLU of Oklahoma, San Francisco-based Legal Aid at Work and other attorneys filed the lawsuit on behalf of the workers in Oklahoma City federal court in 2017. A U.S. magistrate judge this month was assigned to formally approve the settlement. "We are proud of the settlement. It sends a clear message to employers that trying to exploit foreign workers does not pay, said George Warner of Legal Aid at Work. "The 23 Filipino workers we represent were tricked into going to work for Mr. Schumacher and his companies under false pretenses." An attorney for the Schumachers attributed the following statement to the couple: The Schumachers have always categorically denied the allegations leveled against them in this case. In settling this case, the Schumachers continue to deny any wrongdoing. They made a purely economic decision to end extremely protracted and expensive litigation, and they are pleased to finally put to rest what has now been over six years of harm to their good reputation in a community they support and love. The Filipino nationals claimed recruiters in the Philippines induced them to pay fees to work in Oklahoma under the H-2B temporary foreign worker visa program. The fees included airfare and travel expenses, medical exams and U.S. embassy interviews, totaling between $2,000 and $3,000 per worker, according to the lawsuit. They were promised full-time work with above-minimum wage hourly pay, free housing or a housing allowance, food, transportation and stable, long-term work potential. Instead, they worked for low pay while the Schumachers unfulfilled promises left them powerless and afraid, the immigrants claimed. Housekeeping jobs at the hotel allegedly paid $4.25 per room cleaned. At a steakhouse formerly operated by the Schumachers, servers claimed they were paid $2 per hour plus tips. Workers at the waterpark claimed they were paid $1 to $2 per hour less than promised. Instead of providing free lodging or a housing allowance, the workers claimed the Schumachers required them to pay between $150 to $300 per month even if they shared a room with several others at a local motel to which the Schumachers referred them. Workers claimed they were not provided food and did not have access to a kitchen to cook for themselves. The Schumachers were accused of failing to provide transportation to worksites so that workers had to walk along or cross a highway to get to work, or else pay for transportation. The Schumachers were also accused of failing to extend temporary work visas for the immigrants and refused to pay for their travel back to the Philippines. After hearing their complaints, Walter Schumacher allegedly told the immigrants that he would only pay for return airfare to the Philippines if an employee was returning in a box, according to the lawsuit. Because the immigrants could not afford to pay for return travel on their own, and because their immigration status was directly tied to the Schumachers because of their limited English and unfamiliarity with the U.S. legal system, they thought they had to continue working for the couple. Schumacher was alleged to have threatened at least one local employer for hiring some of the workers, according to the lawsuit. Just after the immigrants arrived in the United States, Schumacher drove them from the airport to Clinton. During the drive, he is alleged to have told the immigrants that he carried a firearm in his car. The lawsuit stated that Schumacher made it widely known to the immigrants that he was a current and/or former police sheriff, suggesting his close ties with law enforcement. He was alleged to have reinforced this intimidation by using a police patrol car and talking to plaintiffs and putative class members from the police patrol car, the lawsuit stated. In 2019, the Schumachers agreed to pay more than $31,500, which included nearly $16,200 to the immigrant workers, in a related case brought by the U.S. Department of Labor. No violations were acknowledged, but the payment was agreed to as a good faith effort concerning the allegations, according to the legal order. Last year, a similar lawsuit against the Schumachers, which was filed by three Jamaican immigrants, was dismissed. This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma couple to pay $700K in hotel worker exploitation lawsuit DUNEDIN, Fla. (WFLA) Officials are searching for a missing man out of Dunedin who was kayaking and did not return from a trip. The U.S. Coast Guard, deputies, and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission are looking for Ziad Abdeen, 49, who was reported missing to the Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office on Friday between 11 a.m. and noon. Pinellas County Sheriffs Office Couple with Florida ties feared dead after escaped inmates steal yacht in Caribbean: police According to officials, Abdeen was last seen on an inflatable blue and white paddleboard out of the Dunedin Marina. His vehicle was found in the parking lot of the Dunedin Boat Club, located at 49 Marina Plaza. The USCG said a coworker reported that Abdeen was stranded on an island and was going to try and get back by 1:30 p.m. on Friday. Crews began searching the boat club around 12:45 a.m. on Saturday. Deputies discovered Abdeen had parked his car in the lot around 12:45 p.m. on Friday. His paddleboard was found at around 3 p.m. under a dock, located at 2685 St. Josephs Drive, on Friday. On Saturday, crews searched the area of the Dunedin Causeway and the Dunedin Marina. As of 8:15 p.m. Saturday evening, officials have suspended the search for the day and will continue searching on Sunday. U.S. Coast Guard He was wearing dark shorts and a light blue T-shirt at the time. The decision to suspend a search is never an easy one, Chief Warrant Officer Dennise Werre, a command duty officer with Sector St. Petersburg said. Our deepest condolences go out to the family and loved ones of Ziad Abdeen. If you know where he is, call the Sector St. Petersburg command center at 866-881-1392. This is an active and ongoing investigation. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFLA. The student suspect in a deadly University of Colorado at Colorado Springs dormitory shooting had a handgun and a fully loaded AK-47 assault rifle in his vehicle at the time of his arrest, according to Chief Deputy District Attorney Andrew Vaughan. Nicholas Jordan, 25, who made his first in-person court appearance on Friday, is suspected of killing two people on campus February 16. Colorado Springs police on Monday arrested Jordan, who authorities say was a roommate of one of the two victims, Samuel Knopp, 24, and Celie Rain Montgomery, 26. He was charged with two counts of first-degree murder, multiple violent crime sentence enhancers and a misdemeanor charge of menacing. He has not yet entered a plea. Jordans attorneys objected to Judge David Shakess ruling to unseal the probable cause affidavit for the case, saying it would be prejudicial to their client. Nicholas Jordan, 25, appears for a hearing on Friday, February 23, 2024, in Colorado Springs Colorado. - Parker Seibold/The Gazette/Pool/AP CNN has reached out to Jordans attorneys for comment, though it is the policy of the Office of the State Public Defender not to comment on criminal proceedings. Knopp and Montgomery were found dead in Knopps dorm suite early on February 16, according to the affidavit. Both victims had multiple injuries consistent with gunshot wounds to the torso and spent handgun cartridge cases were located near the bodies, the affidavit says. University officials told police, per the affidavit, Jordan filed an electronic request to be withdrawn from classes and housing about 14 hours prior to the shooting. A third roommate in the suite called 911 to report the sound of gunshots and the immediate sound of a person moaning, then a door shut and what sounded like someone running, according to the affidavit. The roommate did not see anything and did not leave his room until police arrived, the document says. Police determined the shooter was likely Jordan by accessing the dorms electronic keycard logs, surveillance footage of the area and interviewing the surviving roommate, according to the affidavit. Samuel Knopp and Celie Rain Montgomery. - From UCCS Music Program/Family Handout Jordans electronic keycard was used to access the building through an exterior door twice prior to the shooting, police said in the affidavit. The first entry was made at 3:53 a.m. and the card was swiped again at 5:42 a.m. The only physical key for the dorm suite that was unaccounted for is the one assigned to Jordan, records show. Police also observed surveillance footage from an inconspicuous camera showing a person wearing dark clothing approaching the dorm building just before Jordans card was allegedly swiped, and a similarly clothed person running from the building at 5:56 a.m., according to the affidavit. The third roommate told police he and Knopp had made several complaints to the campus housing and police departments about Jordan smoking marijuana, cigarettes and his living area cleanliness, the document says. He said during one instance in January, Knopp collected a bag of trash and put it in front of Jordans door. Jordan threatened Knopp, the other roommate told police, saying he would Kill Him (sic) and there would be consequences if they asked Jordan to take out the trash again, according to the affidavit. Police wrote Jordan was apprehended driving a 2009 black Ford Escape with temporary tags. A status conference is scheduled on March 15. Judge Shakes ruled Jordans bond will remain $5 million cash-only, but said it could be argued again following his preliminary hearing set for March 27. CNNs Sarah Dewberry, Raja Razek, Dalia Faheid and Ashley R. Williams contributed to this report. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi thanked Ukraine's allies on Feb. 24 for their ongoing military aid, emphasizing that "every shell, every tank, every armored vehicle is first and foremost about saving the lives of Ukrainian soldiers." President Volodymyr Zelensky replaced former Commander-in-Chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi with Syrskyi, who had previously served as the commander of Ukraine's Ground Forces and the Khortytsia Operational and Strategic Group fighting in the country's east, in early February. When announcing the decision, Zelensky called Syrskyi "the most experienced Ukrainian commander" and recalled the achievements attributed to him the Battle of Kyiv in spring 2022 and the surprise counteroffensive in Kharkiv Oblast in September 2022. In his statement marking the two-year anniversary of the full-scale invasion, Syrskyi also thanked Ukrainian soldiers, emergency service workers, and volunteers for their commitment, adding that "today, more than ever, we need unity." "No one (believed that we would endure) except the Armed Forces of Ukraine, who engaged the enemy from the very first moments," Syrskyi wrote. "No one (believed) except hundreds of thousands of volunteers who stood in lines at military enlistment offices in the early hours of the full-scale aggression. Except for hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians who joined the Territorial Defense Forces from the first days. Except for millions of Ukrainians who, through volunteer efforts, began an unprecedented support campaign for their army." Syrskyi went on to declare that there will be "more burning Russian planes" in the near future and that Ukraine would push back against Russian forces "even in the air," hinting at Ukraine's long-desired push to achieve air superiority. "The state leadership is doing everything possible for this," Syrskyi wrote. Read also: Who is General Syrskyi, Ukraines new chief commander? Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Dolly Parton performs music during halftime of an NFL football game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Washington Commanders. Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images Dolly Parton gave major props to Beyonce this week after her new song Texas Hold 'Em hit No. 1 on Billboards country music charts. The single, released in early February, is Beyonce's first venture into the country genre, paying homage to her Houston roots and putting a spotlight on a piece of San Antonio history. This week, she became the first Black woman in history with a No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot Country charts, and country legend Parton sang her praises on social media. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Im a big fan of Beyonce and very excited that shes done a country album, Parton wrote. Congratulations on your Billboard Hot Country number one single. Parton is a revered 10-time Grammy winner for songs like 9 to 5 and Jolene. She is a member of both the Country Music and Rock & Roll Halls of Fame. Beyonce also released the country single 16 Carriages ahead of her new album, Act II, which is expected to further shake the genre when it drops on March 29. ROANOKE, Va. (WFXR) In Gainsboro and Northeast Roanoke, thriving black neighborhoods existed with streets lined with black-owned enterprises like grocery stores and restaurants. While this neighborhood no longer exists, one local artist, David Ramey, is ensuring theyre never forgotten. The smells coming from the different restaurants and hotels, the horns blowing, people chattering, smoke rising from the buildings. It was just something that he loved to see on each and every day of his life, shared David Ramey Jr., the artists son. Roanokes historic Tank Town honored by Berglund Center David Ramey Jr. is talking about the community his father grew up in the 40s through the 60s, the lively Northeast and Gainsboro area in Roanoke. It was a community within a city. It was a city within a city, Charles Price, board president of the Harrison Museum. At that time, it was a rare place where African Americans didnt have to worry about segregation. When you are in the northeast Gainsboro area, you dont have to worry about that. You drank from whatever fountain was there; that was a public fountain, shared Price. You didnt have to worry about stepping to the side of the sidewalk to let someone else whos not your race go past. According to the Gainsboro History Project, the area held 1,600 homes, several schools, more than 20 churches, and countless businesses, is a distant memory. He managed to record from memory, even without the use of photographs, which I find so amazing, stated Karl Willers, the Chief Curator of the Taubman Museum of Art. Gallery at Taubman Museum of Art highlights Roanokes history He wanted to share it with individuals, David Ramey Jr. Split between the Harrison Museum of African American Culture and the Taubman Museum of Art, people can travel to the once-vibrant neighborhood and view 200 drawings paired with 150 stories. A man with a unique talent. I think that comes along, maybe once or twice a century, shared Willers. There are no photographs, or if there are, very few that could illustrate what he is doing from a personal perspective, stated Price. David, a self-taught artist, takes people like Charles Price back in time to the neighborhood he remembers before it was demolished to make room for buildings and roads used today. The Bergland Center and McDonalds, all of those places used to be homes and businesses, shared Ramey Jr. To see something in your mind, you could think about, but not illustrate. David has done that. He has pulled things out that, I remember, and say, Oh, yeah, thats how we stood on the corner, shared Price. David Senior is gone, but his work ensures those memories and his memory will always stay alive. 19 Black historical figures you probably didnt learn about in class That was his legacy to, not only make sure people could see the images, but they could read and the stories and learn about how it was, David Ramey Jr. Ramey Jr. says he hopes his fathers work not only lives on at the Harrison Museum of African American Culture and Taubman Museum of Art, but eventually travels to other museums. For now, explorers can experience the exhibition through March 30. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFXRtv. Welcome to the end of democracy. In other words, welcome to the modern conservative movement. Yes, these words were actually uttered on stage Wednesday at the 2024 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) by right-wing conspiracy theorist Jack Posobiec. And he wasnt joking around. Were here to overthrow [democracy] completely, he continued. We didnt get all the way there on Jan. 6, but we will endeavor to get rid of it and replace it with this right here, Posobiec boasted. Thats right, because all glory is not to government, all glory to God, he said. If the Jan. 6 Capitol Riot Had Never Happened, Trump Still Attempted a Self-Coup A confession: Until Posobiecs comments went viral on social media, I wasnt even aware that CPAC was happening this week. That might constitute a dereliction of duty. At the very least, its an admission against interest. Still, I think it says more about them than it does about me. Closely following CPACif not attending the annual conclavewas once de rigueur for anyone with even a passing interest in the conservative movement. How times have changed. The small attendance size made the opening day of this years conference something of a laughing stock. As one observer quipped, Ive seen bigger Tupperware parties. There are reasons for this decline. The proliferation of conferences, many of them newer and youngerlike Turning Point USAhave cannibalized what used to be the hottest annual conservative gathering. Likewise, just as the Republican Party has become smaller (and weirder) in the Trump era, so too has the conservative movement. And lastly, the people who run CPACthe folks who inherited what was once a proud institutiondrove it into the ground. Add all these things up, and CPAC is a shell of its former self. As Jimmy Kimmel put it, this years CPAC looks to be a whos who of who wont accept the results of the election. (Sadly, he was right.) Still, regardless of its size or sanity, ignoring CPAC would be a mistake. Thats because some of those people on stage spouting nonsense may very well end up holding important posts in a future Trump administration (see Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton). If you think this all sounds crazy, please note that as Posobiec was raising his fist at CPAC (allegedly, while holding up a necklace with a Christian cross pendant) and talking about replacing democracy, former White House adviser to then-President Trump, Steve Bannon, was literally saying, Amen. And Bannon was a Trump adviser back in the days when all the so-called adults were wrangling Trump to keep him in line. Heres What Right-Wing Power Brokers Want Trump to Do in His Second Term Imagine what Trump 2.0 might bring. Its not just that fringe figures might weasel their way into a Trump White House. Its that they are actively being wooed. Powerful and once-serious conservative organizationsfull of people who love Bannonare busy creating the infrastructure to vet and place MAGA-types in a second Trump administration. Rather than weeding out Posobiec types, these organizations instead will be courting them. But that recruiting is done on the internet or behind closed doors. CPAC, conversely, offers the public a chance to see how the sausage is being made. And it aint pretty. Note: While you might be tempted to ignore or laugh off these rants, dont. If you want to understand their radical worldview, it helps to pay attention. As Never Trump conservative Charlie Sykes likes to say, A clown with a flamethrower still has a flamethrower. If you still dont think its worth your time, one admittedly disturbing thought experiment is to imagine that Trump wins the 2024 presidency in a fairly decisive manner. What happens, then? Will Trump and his lackeys try to do the things they say they want to do, now that they are unmoored from the Republican establishment that tried to check him in 2017? CPAC Board Member Wrote Brutal Letter Trashing Matt Schlapp If you want to know who Trump and his minions really are, there will be numerous opportunities at this years CPAC (which ends on Saturday) to find out. For those looking for a little drama, watch CPAC this week. There will be a straw poll to determine whom attendees believe should be Trumps running mate. Rather than contradict my theory that CPAC is more scary than funny, I suspect the poll results will confirm my take. The bottom line is that while CPAC might be a shell of its former self, and while Posobiec and his ilk may be off their rocker, these people do represent the pulse of the MAGA movement. And the rotten truth is that more than a few of these people will find themselves in a Trump administration. So hold your nose, and pay attention. Believe them when they tell you who they really are. The future of American democracy is at stake. Its the end of the world as we know it. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. Semafor Signals Insights from La Nacion, the Wilson Centers Benjamin Gedan, and Hxagons James Bosworth The News Argentine President Javier Milei is set to take the stage at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) today, an event centered around former U.S. President Donald Trump and his supporters. In a relatively short time, the eccentric TV commentator-turned-president is shaping up to be a popular global conservative figure whose economic policies are backed by the IMF and whose populist appeal has attracted Trumps MAGA base. Several other foreign leaders have also been put on the much-anticipated speaker list, including Salvadorian President Nayib Bukele. But Milei is playing his cards carefully in the U.S. and his meetings with both Democrat and Republican leaders this week suggest he wants to forge strong relationships with Washington regardless of who is running the White House. SIGNALS Semafor Signals: Global insights on today's biggest stories. Milei walks tightrope in building relationships with Democrats and Republicans Source: La Nacion The fact that Milei hosted U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Argentina, and is set to speak at CPAC all in the same week is a delicate and highly risky diplomatic balance, Argentinas La Nacion newspaper wrote, given that President Joe Biden will be the focus of intense criticism at the Donald Trump-dominated event. Milei campaigned on bringing Argentina closer to the U.S., and he is keen on fostering a good relationship with the current administration. But he is also strategizing how to score more points with Trump in case he wins a second term in office, according to the paper. Despite Mileis affinity for high-profile conservative circles, the Biden administration has shown enormous willingness to build bridges with Latin Americas democratic governments, as more leaders in the region turn away from Washington. Will Milei clash with Trumps stance on Ukraine at CPAC? Sources: PBS, Hxagon's James Bosworth, Wilson Center's Benjamin Gedan Milei is lauded by Republicans for his staunch support of Israel. But he differs from the anti-Ukraine faction of the GOP, going so far as inviting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to his inauguration last year. Milei could lose momentum in Trumps sphere if he speaks up for Ukraine at CPAC, James Bosworth, founder of the political risk assessment group Hxagon, told Semafor. Whether Milei broaches that issue will determine whether he is viewed as a real maverick, speaking truth to power, or simply a grandstand demagogue playing to his audience, Bosworth said. Benjamin Gedan, the director of the Wilson Centers Latin America program, argued that Milei is only attending CPAC to boost his right-wing celebrity profile and not pick fights about Ukraine. Argentines havent fully embraced Mileis libertarianism despite celebrity status Source: Wilson Center's Benjamin Gedan Mileis scheduled CPAP appearance after his well-received speech at Davos has cemented his celebrity status in the global conservative movement. Argentines are tickled by the idea of their president being world famous, the Wilson Centers Benjamin Gedan told Semafor. But its a fundamental misreading to suggest that Argentines largely support Mileis far-right libertarian movement. Theres almost no constituency for that, Gedan said. Argentinias voters do not care about Milei exporting his libertarian ideas abroad and are only desperately hoping that his shock therapy economic model will pull them out of one of the countrys worst economic crises in history, Gedan added. CHICAGO A robbery at a business in the loop was foiled by a valid FOID card and CCL holder late Saturday morning, according to the Chicago Police Department. CPD said an offender entered a commercial business in the 0-100 block of North Wabash Avenue shortly before 11 a.m. and attempted to take property from inside the business. At that point, a person who police said is a valid FOID card and CCL holder pulled out a gun and shot the offender, who then fled the scene without stealing anything from the business. Security guard shot, killed at Family Dollar in Austin A short time later, the offender was found and taken into police custody, according to CPD, before being taken to a local hospital, where the offender is listed in stable condition. On Sunday, Chicago police said two men are in custody in connection with the incident but didnt specify who the other person in custody was. No other injuries were reported from the incident. Area detectives are continuing to investigate, and charges are pending from the Cook County States Attorneys Office. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WGN-TV. (TELLER COUNTY, Colo.) A Kansas man has been fined $17,000 and had all his gear destroyedincluding his phoneafter pleading guilty to poaching a moose in Teller County, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW). CPW said wildlife officer Travis Sauder conducted a two-year investigation into the killing of a moose in Teller County in September of 2021 after members of the public sent a tip to CPW that someone had illegally shot a bull moose with an arrow in the woods north of Divide. When CPW officers arrived at the scene, they found the remains of a moose, and the investigation revealed that the poacher had shot the moose and attempted to remove its head, eventually discarding the carcass and trying to hide it with branches and sticks. PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Kansas man convicted of illegally poaching bull moose in 2021 CPW said Officer Sauder tracked the suspect, 33-year-old Steven Samuelson, to Kansas. Officer Sauder confronted Samuelson at his job, and Samuelson pleaded guilty in Teller County District Court in July of 2023 to multiple charges: Felony Willful Destruction of Wildlife Misdemeanor charges of Hunting Without a Proper and Valid Big Game License Aggravated Illegal Possession of Wildlife Failure to Prepare Wildlife for Human Consumption Hunting in a Careless Manner Illegal Take of Wildlife Samuelson received a two-year deferred jail sentence on the felony charge, meaning it will be waived if he meets the terms of the plea agreement and two years unsupervised probation. He was also fined $17,000 and lost all of his gear, including rifles, knives, a bow, arrows, binoculars, and even his cell phone. The gear was valued at over $1,000 and CPW said all of it was destroyed so it can never be used to commit another wildlife crime. CPW said the destruction of the gear serves as an example of what happens when you poach in Colorado. Courtesy: Colorado Parks and Wildlife Courtesy: Colorado Parks and Wildlife Courtesy: Colorado Parks and Wildlife Courtesy: Colorado Parks and Wildlife Courtesy: Colorado Parks and Wildlife Courtesy of CPW; A privately owned game camera captured still photos and images showing Steven Samuelson of Oakley, Kansas, as he stalked and illegally killed a bull moose in Teller County in September 2021. Courtesy of CPW; A privately owned game camera captured still photos and images showing Steven Samuelson of Oakley, Kansas, as he stalked and illegally killed a bull moose in Teller County in September 2021. As the agency responsible for perpetuating the wildlife resources of the state, Colorado Parks and Wildlife will not tolerate poaching, said Tim Kroening, Area Wildlife Manager for the Pikes Peak region. Our officers are determined to stop people like Mr. Samuelson who think they can simply go kill any animal they like. I want to make it clear: Mr. Samuelson was not a hunter. He is a poacher. Have information on a possible crime against wildlife? Call CPW, or report it anonymously to Operation Game Thief (OGT). Reach OGT by calling, toll-free, 1-877-COLO-OGT (or 877-265-6648). Verizon users can dial #OGT. You can also email CPW at game.thief@state.co.us. A $500 reward is offered for information on cases involving big game or endangered species, while $250 is offered for information on turkey and $100 for fishing and small game cases. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX21 News Colorado. Commentary: New Hollywood movie: China-made cranes are spies Xinhua) 09:21, February 24, 2024 An aerial drone photo taken on Jan. 24, 2024 shows cranes and sea-rail intermodal trains working at the Beilun port railway station of the Ningbo-Zhoushan Port in east China's Zhejiang Province. (Xinhua/Huang Zongzhi) The White House's latest security directive singling out the Chinese-made cranes emerges as a stark testament to the age-old adage: Truth is indeed stranger than fiction. BEIJING, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- About two hundred Chinese-made cranes at U.S. ports have recently been entangled in a Hollywood-style spy story, with their steel arms allegedly stretched out to peep at the cargo containers below. As the surreal drama of yet another "China threat" unfolds, the White House's latest security directive singling out the Chinese-made cranes emerges as a stark testament to the age-old adage: Truth is indeed stranger than fiction. Check out the explanation the White House gave -- "Chinese hackers" may be spying on U.S. seaports. There are concerns in the White House that the software on the cranes could be manipulated by China and so cranes at some ports were flagged as surveillance threats. This is another instance of the U.S. abuse of national power to jinx normal China-U.S. cooperation -- groundless, yet ceaseless. When it comes to matters of so-called national security, Washington's fixation on implicating China knows no bounds. From baseless accusations of espionage to scrutinizing individuals based on nationality, the pattern of suspicion and scapegoating has been casting a long shadow over bilateral cooperation. A staff member in Halloween costume is seen during the opening night of Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Hollywood in Los Angeles, California, the United States, on Sept. 7, 2023. (Photo by Zeng Hui/Xinhua) Such an absurd accusation involving the Chinese-made cranes is by no means an isolated case. Just three weeks ago, a U.S. senator Tom Cotton grilled the CEO of TikTok Shou Zi Chew about his nationality, suggesting he has links with China, when he is in fact a Singaporean. Even more absurd, a Florida senator Rick Scott claimed two months ago that garlic imported from China poses a threat to U.S. national security. He jumped to the conclusion based on the accusation that Chinese garlic is grown using human feces and sewage as fertilizers. Despite its clamor about others causing a threat to U.S. cyber security, Washington appears more like a robber masquerading as a cop. For example, in 2022, the United States launched a cyberattack against China's Northwestern Polytechnical University. An investigation showed that the United States used 41 specialized cyber weapons over 1,000 times against the university and stole core technical data. Initially, it involved prohibiting the sale of advanced computer chips. Then, it disrupted industrial supply chains, including those related to electric vehicle production. Now, Washington has expanded its scope by targeting seemingly unrelated items: garlic and cranes. Wherever China sees fast growth, the United States seeks to suppress it. Instead of giving in to the temptation of conspiracy theories and fear-mongering, it is time for Washington to break free from the shackles of paranoia, and to embrace a future that is built on openness rather fear towards China's development. (Web editor: Xue Yanyan, Hongyu) State District Judge Joel Perez listens as two lawyers argue a case in January. When Perez was elected to the bench in 2022, the list of lawyers available for court appointments to lead capital murder defenses got even smaller. It now stands at eight. Jessica Phelps/San Antonio Express News State District Judge Ron Rangel talks to a defendant at a hearing in January. A defense lawyer got crucial experience at Bexar Countys most recent death penalty trial because Rangel was willing to appoint three attorneys to the case. Jessica Phelps/San Antonio Express News Defense attorney Daniel De La Garza stands in the courthouse hallway trying to reach a client. De La Garza is one of 31 lawyers qualified for second chair defense appointments in capital murder cases in 22 South Texas counties. It takes rare death penalty cases to gain the experience to be first chairs. Jessica Phelps/San Antonio Express News Daniel De La Garza stands in the courthouse reading files for a case. De La Garza is one of 31 lawyers qualified for second chair defense appointments in capital murder cases in 22 South Texas counties. It takes rare death penalty cases to gain the experience to be first chairs. Jessica Phelps/San Antonio Express News Stephen Michael Clare is led out of the 437th District Court. Prosecutors will seek the death penalty in his capital murder case, and Judge Joel Perez, right, has appointed Daniel De La Garza, from left, and Raymond Fuchs to defend him. Fuchs has been trying to retire but the list of lawyers qualified to lead such a defense is down to just eight for 22 South Texas counties. Marvin Pfeiffer/Staff Photographer Defense attorneys Joel Perez, left, and Raymond Fuchs confer at the capital murder trial of former U.S. Border Patrol supervisor Juan David Ortiz in 2022. When Perez became a judge, it reduced the number of lawyers qualified to lead such a defense to just eight for 22 South Texas counties. Jerry Lara, Staff / San Antonio Express-News Former Texas Department of Public Safety firearms specialist Sean Daniel, right, helps defense attorney Raymond Fuchs with markings on a handgun submitted as evidence in the capital murder trial of former U.S. Border Patrol supervisor Juan David Ortiz on Tuesday. Ortiz is accused of killing four women in September 2018. Jerry Lara, Staff / San Antonio Express-News The pool of attorneys who can be appointed to lead the defense in capital murder cases is at an all-time low for Bexar County and most of South Texas. Only eight lawyers willing to accept a public paycheck to represent someone who could get the death penalty now qualify as a first chair in such cases. They make far less than what they might charge a private client, but the commitment of time and responsibility is the same huge. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Only two on the list are women. All are supposed to be available anywhere in the 22-county Fourth Administrative Region, which includes Bexar County. We dont have enough people to appoint. Its absolutely a struggle, said Senior District Judge Sid Harle, a judge for 36 years who runs the administrative region. This is the lowest its ever been. Back in the day, we had up to 20 on the list. Eight is not enough, especially if they are handling a lot of cases. Capital murder, the most serious crime in Texas, has the most severe punishment: death by injection or life in prison without the possibility of parole. A murder is capital if the victim is a law enforcement officer, a jurist, a firefighter or a child under 10; if more than one person is killed; or if a person is killed during another felony crime. In deciding punishment, juries must weigh aggravating factors, the worst things defendants have ever done, against mitigating factors, things that might justify sparing them from death: mental health issues, an abusive childhood, drug or alcohol addiction. Before they can lead a court-appointed defense, lawyers are required by Texas to have experience arguing about those mitigating factors to a jury weighing the death penalty. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Thats been the law for 20 years, but with fewer death penalty cases, the list has been shrinking faster than it can be replenished, as lawyers retire, get elected to judgeships or simply decide these are difficult cases to try, given their other workload, Harle said. I guess the silver lining is that we arent trying any death cases, so theres no opportunity to grow the list, he said. A high-stress club For those accused of capital murder who cant afford a lawyer, the defense is appointed in teams of two. Both must be seasoned attorneys with extensive experience defending against felony charges, whether the state is seeking the death penalty or not, Harle said. Its difficult enough to be on the second chair list for capital murder appointments. The region has 31 such lawyers. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The year before Judge Joel Perez was elected to the bench of the 437th District Court, he and Raymond Fuchs defended Otis Tyrone McKane, who was sentenced to death in 2021 for killing San Antonio police Detective Benjamin Marconi, 50, in 2016. Since 2015, Bexar County juries have sent only one other defendant to death row: Mark Anthony Gonzalez, for killing Bexar County sheriffs Sgt. Kenneth Vann, 48, with an assault-style rifle at a stoplight in May 2011. Perez and Fuchs also defended former Border Patrol Agent Juan David Ortiz, sentenced to life without parole in December 2022 for the serial killing of sex workers in Laredo. The district attorney for Webb County did not seek the death penalty in the case, which was tried in San Antonio on a change of venue. The shortage has forced some first chairs to take on five or six cases, which is too many for someone defending against potential death sentences, Harle said, and way over the recommended limit suggested by the American Bar Association If Joel and I were trying all the capital murder cases and doing death penalty cases, the judges couldnt appoint us if they wanted to, said Fuchs, 72, who is no longer on the list and has tried to retire after a 44-year career. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Judges have kept putting him on cases anyway because of his knowledge and skill. Fuchs said he stopped counting the number of capital murder cases he has represented a long time ago. Perez, 64, said he stopped counting at 36 when asked how many capital murder cases he has defended. In that earlier era, the state sought the death penalty in 19 of them, he said. Its a highly stressful job, and Perez said he understands the reasons for the stiff requirements of expertise and skill. Theres a lot at stake. You feel the tremendous weight and importance of fighting for someones life, Perez said. It takes a toll on you, mentally, physically and emotionally, and you have to ready yourself if you are going to take on these death penalty cases, and you are willing to make a sacrifice on a personal level. The time it requires can take over your practice, he added. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Fuchs and Perez pointed to what state District Judge Ron Rangel did in the McKane case as a possible way to ease the shortage. At their request, he appointed Daniel De La Garza as a third chair to help with technology issues, such as the hours of surveillance video that captured the moments leading up to Marconis shooting. Some of us veterans are not that computer-savvy, Fuchs said. This guy (De La Garza) is the tech guy. But it also gave De La Garza crucial experience in a death penalty case. They needed someone to do the grunt work and answer legal questions, he said, but Perez and Fuchs mentored him and let him argue about mitigating circumstances in the punishment phase of McKanes trial. They are fantastic. If I just watched what they did and followed it, I knew Id be just fine, De La Garza said. Rangel, the administrative judge over the district courts, agrees with Harle that too few lawyers are carrying too much weight. We have 35 pending capital murder cases just in Bexar County, and eight attorneys are currently accepting appointments, Rangel said. Its very difficult to get on the lists. You can go broke Bexar County District Attorney Joe D. Gonzales said his office has filed about 20 capital murder cases per year, on average. Its grueling for the prosecution, too, he said. Once law enforcement files a capital murder case, a veteran prosecutor must review it, work it up and prepare it for indictment, he said. It takes months of hearings, the sharing of evidence with the defense and the work of a committee to consider whether to seek the death penalty. The DAs capital crimes committee is eight people, seven chiefs plus myself, Gonzales said, referring to his department heads. There is a vote every chief votes, and I ultimately have the deciding vote. And I reserve the right to make the final decision. The wishes of the victims family are taken into account, and the bloodier or (more) gruesome that it is, the more likely the committee may vote for death, which should be reserved for the worst of the worst, he said. We literally are talking life or death, and its not anything any of us take lightly, Gonzales said. His office announced this month that it will seek the death penalty against Stephen Michael Clare, accused of slaughtering his 11-month-old daughter in a rampage that also injured his other child and his ex-wife last year. Gonzales has practiced law for 35 years. He was on the list to get capital murder appointments early in his career but took himself off when his private practice grew. Youre going to stop what youre doing to work on that around the clock, Gonzales said of capital murder cases. You can go broke. De La Garza, 42, said hes been interested in the death penalty since law school, when he took a course in it and saw data about how arbitrarily it can be applied. These are the types of cases that keep me up at night, the Edinburg native said. Now, he is second chair to Fuchs in the defense of Clare in Perezs court. The man is due to appear before an extradition court in Belfast on Sunday A 22-year-old man wanted in Spain over an alleged murder has been arrested in Northern Ireland. The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said an extradition warrant had been issued by Spanish authorities. PSNI officers in Lurgan, County Armagh, worked with the National Crime Agency and Spanish authorities to track down the wanted person at an address in the Craigavon area on Friday night. He will be brought before an extradition court in Belfast on Sunday. From left, attorneys Mark Rosenbaum, Amanda Mangaser Savage and Scott Humphreys and Temecula teachers Dawn Murray-Sibby, Amy Eytchison and Jennee Scharf announce a lawsuit challenging the Temecula Valley Unified school board's ban on teaching critical race theory in August. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) Temecula Valley Unified School Districts decision to block critical race theory instruction in its classrooms will continue for now, a Riverside County Superior Court judge ruled Friday. A group of parents, students and teachers had sought a preliminary injunction to block the school boards policy that prohibited teaching critical race theory, a legal framework taught at some universities that examines how racial inequality and racism are systemically embedded in American institutions. The request for an injunction came as part of a lawsuit filed against the district in August, which alleged the conservative boards ban on the curriculum was vague and violates the California Constitutions guarantee of a fundamental right to an education that is basically equivalent to that provided elsewhere throughout the state. Attorney Amanda Mangaser Savage, who represents the parents, teachers and students, argued that the boards policy had already led to confusion among teachers about what they could discuss in class. But on Friday, Judge Eric Keen denied the request, rejecting the argument that the districts policy was unclear. He wrote in an eight-page ruling that the boards resolution sets out the specific elements of critical race theory that cant be taught. Keen added that the resolution limits instruction on critical race theory to a subordinate role within a larger instructional framework and one that focuses on the flaws of the curriculum. It seems clear to the court that a person of ordinary intelligence would have a reasonable opportunity to know what is prohibited as what is prohibited is set out specifically in the resolution, he wrote. Read more: Temecula school district sued over its ban of critical race theory Keen also weighed in on a controversial parental notification policy that requires district staff to tell parents when their child is requesting to be identified as a different gender or use a name thats different from their legal name. He wrote that the policy applies equally to all students in the district, is gender neutral and does not expressly single out transgender or gender-nonconforming students, as it applies to any students request to change their school official or unofficial records. Mangaser Savage called Fridays ruling a disappointing result for students. The group plans to appeal it, she said. Right now we have students who are sitting in classrooms and receiving an education that is really tainted by the boards physiological censorship and by the boards anti-LGBTQ and sort of racial animus, she said. A representative for Temecula Valley Unified could not be reached for comment Friday. The battle began in December 2022 when the conservative majority on the school board passed a resolution that prohibited the instruction of critical race theory, which is rarely taught in non-university settings but has become a rallying point for critics who want to limit discussions on racism. In the resolution, the district states its goal is to uplift and unite students by not imposing the responsibility of historical transgressions of the past. The resolution asserts that critical race theory is an ideology based on false assumptions about the United States of America and its population. Schools in the district had not taught critical race theory before the policy was enacted. In July, the district grabbed headlines again when it rejected proposed instructional material that mentioned Harvey Milk, a San Francisco supervisor and the first out gay man elected to public office in California , who was assassinated in 1978. Temecula Valley Unified board President Joseph Komrosky called Milk a pedophile during a board meeting. In a Twitter post, Gov. Gavin Newsom fired back, calling Komrosky ignorant. Newsom later threatened to fine the district $1.5 million for its refusal to adopt compliant textbooks. He said the state would purchase the books for the district anyway. Read more: Righteous mother or right-wing zealot? The soccer mom leading California's parental rights movement In August, the district faced further scrutiny when it approved its transgender notification policy. Supporters of such policies, which have also been implemented in districts in Chino Valley and Murrieta Valley, have argued that parents have a right to know whats happening with their child. However, critics have said it could lead to students being abused or abandoned by parents who dont accept their childs gender identity. Its really troubling to us that Temecula now is in the same bucket as jurisdictions like Texas and Florida, where politics is really driving what students have access to in public school classrooms, Mangaser Savage said. 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. Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey says Steward Health Care failed to hand over necessary financial statements by Fridays imposed deadline. Earlier Friday, Governor Healey voiced her displeasure with the healthcare group currently under investigation for being $50 million in debt. This is a problem Steward created. Stewards management, Stewards leadership team created. We are about protecting patients and protecting the 16,000 jobs in the Steward system. And protecting the health care system, Healey said. Gov. Healeys office said Steward Health Care admitted Thursday the company does not have the audited financial statements the state requested for review. The financial information that Steward provided this week continues to be incomplete and insufficient. What Steward must do from this point forward is clear complete an orderly transition out of Massachusetts, a spokesperson for Gov. Healey said in a statement. Steward said it has worked since Nov. 2023 to comply with every request from the Massachusetts Attorney Generals Office and the EOHHS. The company said it has provided tens of thousands of documents to the state. Steward has tried to be transparent, compliant and cooperative over the years in providing a significant amount of detailed and relevant financial documentation to various state agencies and regulatory bodies and moving forward it commits to do even better, the company said in a statement. It has supplied all of the audited financial statements that have been prepared. Steward has supplied draft statements with footnotes for years where the audit remains incomplete. Steward Health Care says it does not have the money to keep its hospitals and wants out of the Massachusetts Health Care Market. Healey says her team is committed to finding more responsible ownership. Steward has seven licensed hospitals in the state. They include Good Samaritan in Brockton and St. Elizabeths in Brighton. The hospital has a staff of 16,000 employees. To make sure the states healthcare system does not implode, lawmakers and healthcare leaders say they need to understand Stewards financial and complicated debt structure to come up with a plan. You and your team have not been forthcoming, truthful, or responsive about whats happening with your financial status, operating plans, and contingency strategies, Governor Healey said in a letter to the head of Steward. Navigating this acute crisis, which is of your making, without complete transparency and real-time information, harms our ability to protect patients, our workforce, and our state, Healey added. In January said Steward owed it about $50 million in unpaid rent -- appeared to open the door to steering more money to its tenant. Steward Health Cares landlord said on Wednesday that Steward hospitals have drawn significant interest from other potential operators. Congressman Stephen Lynch says federal lawmakers may get involved to get Steward to turn over the information. This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW By Catarina Demony and Marco Trujillo VALENCIA (Reuters) -The victims of a huge fire that ripped through an apartment block in the Spanish city of Valencia were mourned on Saturday as authorities said the death toll had risen to 10. The blaze, fanned by strong winds, broke out on Thursday evening in the affluent El Campanar district. Police had revised the number of dead to nine from 10 on Friday in the process of identifying the bodies in the building, but confirmed a 10th fatal victim had been found on Saturday. Outside the charred building, a single white flower was taped to a utility pole as Valencians gathered at the scene to pay their respects. Pilar Zamora, 53, who travelled across town with her husband, said she was feeling "a lot of pain and anger". "Seeing (on TV) people on the balcony, shouting for help and not being able to do anything...those were very difficult moments," Zamora said, holding back tears. Her husband, Vicente Palaes, 55, said he had no words to describe how he felt when he approached the building: "When I saw it, I started to cry." Around 100 survivors are being housed at a local hotel as they wait for a more permanent solution. At midday on Saturday - the second of three official days of mourning decreed after the fire - hundreds of people gathered outside Valencia's City Hall for a moment of silence as flags flew at half-mast. At the city's San Miguel y San Sebastian church, Catholic priest Juan Andres Talens said people had been praying for those affected. "We are mourning," Talens said as a mass took place inside the historic church. Emergency services said the blaze began on the fourth floor of one of the towers. A local magistrate has opened an investigation into the blaze. The building, comprising two towers, was completed in 2008, officials said. It had 138 apartments, newspaper El Pais reported. A lack of firewalls and the use of polyurethane, a plastic material, on the facade of the building would have contributed to the rapid spread of the blaze, Esther Puchades, a representative of insurance inspection agency APCAS, told RTVE, in comments evoking memories of the deadly Grenfell Tower fire in London in 2017. The association for the polyurethane industry said in a statement no polyurethane was used in the building's cladding. Locals have urged the authorities to ensure other buildings in the city are not at risk. "If any building has the same cladding, now is the time to investigate and remove it," Zamora said. (Reporting by Catarina Demony, Marco Trujillo; Writing by Jessica Jones and Catarina Demony; Editing by Alex Richardson) SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WCIA) Central Illinois is set to get 25 more paratransit vehicles, thanks to a state grant. State Senator Doris Turner (D-Springfield) announced in a news release three transportation agencies from Springfield are getting new paratransit vehicles. The Senior Services of Central Illinois, Inc., Sangamon County and Springfield Mass Transit District are set to receive 15 vehicles with the funding. In the Decatur area, Macon Resources and the City of Decatur were awarded funding to get 10 vehicles. The Consolidated Vehicle Procurement Program program, administered by the Illinois Department of Transportation helps smaller transit agencies apply for funding while making sure their vehicles follow federal requirements and specifications. When we invest in our transportation services, we are investing in our communities and the people who live there, Turner said. Central Illinois will be better equipped to connect our urban and rural communities by providing transportation for anyone who needs it. IDOT releases updated Illinois highway map In total, more than 500 vehicles are coming to 113 public transportation agencies and non-profit organizations serving groups like seniors and people with disabilities across the state. The Illinois Department of Transportation awarded more than $57 million in total funding. Transit is an essential service that allows our urban, suburban and rural communities to survive and thrive, providing transportation to people who might not have any other option, said Transportation Secretary Omer Osman. More than ever, IDOT under Gov. Pritzker is getting communities the resources they need. These vehicles are going to benefit people immediately and far into the future. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WCIA.com. Nikki Haley, former governor of South Carolina and 2024 Republican presidential candidate, speaks during a bus tour campaign event at The George Hotel in Georgetown, South Carolina, US, on Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024 Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley is staring down another resounding loss to Donald Trump, this time in her home state of South Carolina. But Ms Haley has vowed not to quit, raising speculation about the ambitions of her long-shot campaign. Short presentational grey line Three days before the state primary, a crowd of Republican voters in North Augusta, South Carolina, packed shoulder-to-shoulder in to the sunny top floor of a municipal building for a Nikki Haley campaign event. As the state's former governor, Ms Haley gave the gathering an assured and newly combative stump speech. She made frequent and pointed jabs at her rival and the Republican frontrunner, former President Donald Trump - a tactic she had long avoided. "He was literally unhinged," she said at one point, remarking on his victory speech after the New Hampshire primary. "He's obsessed with himself," she added later. In this room at least, Ms Haley's pitch and criticism of the former president were landing. Her jokes received loud laughs, the applause breaks were long, and at least a dozen voters in attendance told the BBC they were all in on Ms Haley. "She's got an outstanding record," said supporter Holt Moran. "She's just the perfect person." But again and again, when asked if Ms Haley had a chance of winning the primary - or even another Republican contest down the line - each voter seemed to wince before saying no. "Unfortunately not," Mr Moran said. Despite her publicly sunny outlook, the packed events, and beaming crowds, it will be nearly impossible for Ms Haley to find a path to the nomination. She has lost every contest to Mr Trump so far, and is likely to do so again on Saturday, this time in her home state. Polls show the former UN ambassador is trailing by nearly 30 points in South Carolina and her odds are even worse in votes to come. Barring a dramatic and unforeseen twist, Mr Trump will - for the third time in a row - be his party's nominee. But Ms Haley has so far shown no signs of quitting. So is Ms Haley's enduring campaign a quixotic exercise or - as she says - a principled stand against Mr Trump? Or is she perhaps playing a longer game and laying the groundwork for future political ambitions? 'I refuse to quit' With pundits and commentators - and her own party leadership - claiming she is wasting Republicans' time and money, Ms Haley has struggled to defend her resolve. In Greenville this week, in what her campaign had billed as a "state of the race address," Ms Haley gave a 26-minute speech devoted entirely to why she still sought the Republican nomination. "I refuse to quit," she said. "South Carolina will vote on Saturday. But on Sunday, I'll still be running for president." There, and in most public appearances since, Ms Haley has cast her enduring campaign as an act of principle, a decision meant to give Republicans an alternative to Mr Trump or President Joe Biden - who she contends are "the most disliked politicians in America". "There are 70% of Americans who don't want another Biden-Trump rematch and 60% of Americans who think Biden and Trump are both too old," one of Ms Haley's spokeswomen, Olivia Perez-Cubas said. "They [voters] deserve a better choice." Supporters listen to Republican presidential candidate former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley speak during a campaign event at the Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park February 21, 2024 in Beaufort, South Carolina Friends and allies of Ms Haley have insisted that her public remarks are sincere, and that she is focused solely on this year's Republican nomination. "When you talk to her in private, she says I'm sticking with this," said Jenny Sanford-McKay, South Carolina's former first lady and Ms Haley's friend. "The opportunity for her is now." Some contend Ms Haley is continuing as a candidate in case Mr Trump, who faces numerous criminal and civil legal challenges, suddenly had to bow out of the race. But Republican strategists have also raised another theory: perhaps Ms Haley is looking four years ahead, with an eye toward the next presidential election in 2028. If that is the plan, Ms Haley's current campaign would provide her a significant head start, functioning as a nationwide rehearsal for her messaging and fundraising. Even as she trails Mr Trump, Ms Haley has assembled teams in at least a dozen states and planned a seven-figure ad buy ahead of Super Tuesday on 5 March, when Republicans in 16 states will vote. "People will remember her, and that she was a solid candidate," Ron Bonjean, a political strategist, said. The road ahead Deep-pocketed donors are helping her ongoing efforts by pouring millions of dollars into her campaign, with several saying publicly they see her as a competent counter to Mr Trump's chaos. In January alone, campaign officials said Ms Haley raised $16.5m (13m) - her largest monthly total. That money seems to correlate with the energy on the ground. Almost in spite of the steady drum beat of bad polling, on the campaign trial this week Ms Haley appeared relaxed and upbeat, drawing out her tightly-rehearsed stump speeches with new riffs, laughing at her own jokes. The voters in attendance seemed energised too, both about Ms Haley and about leaving Mr Trump behind. "She's a real path forward," supporter David Hood said at a campaign event in Georgetown on Thursday. "Trump is an embarrassment." More on the US election Another voter, Tim Ferguson said he would be proud to cast his ballot for Ms Haley, after twice voting for Mr Trump. "I've always said, after I vote for him I go home and take a shower - I don't feel right," he said. But just outside the bubble of Ms Haley's campaign and her future prospects is the reality of the current Republican Party, with a base still very much devoted to Mr Trump. And, despite sending Ms Haley to the statehouse and then to the governor's mansion two times over, South Carolina is proving no different. In Lexington County, where Ms Haley lived with her young family when she launched her political career, residents mostly shrugged when asked about their former neighbour's campaign for president. "I don't care where somebody's from," said Gregg Moore, who owns an antique store in downtown Lexington. "Mr Trump is from New York and Florida. I'm not from New York and Florida, but he has what this country needs and therefore I'm voting for him." Republican presidential candidate former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley speaks during a campaign event on February 22, 2024 in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Mr Moore, like other Lexington County voters who spoke to the BBC, was not particularly critical of Ms Haley. Most said simply she could not compete with the former president, who they believed had proved his mettle in the White House. And it is not just South Carolina's voters who are lining up behind Mr Trump. The state's Republican lawmakers and leadership have as well. "We all know it's Trump's party at this point, right?" South Carolina Republican strategist and Trump critic Chip Felkel said. That may be true. But for now, as long as there's money left to spend, Ms Haley can simply carry on. After all, he said, "what has she got to lose?". Ophir Falk, foreign policy adviser to Benjamin Netanyahu, says Hamas has 'waged a war on Israel' and pledges to win it Israel will defeat Hamas whether or not Britain decides to restrict arms exports, Benjamin Netanyahus top foreign policy adviser has said. Israels allies have been piling on the pressure to stop its planned military operation in Rafah, with Britain reportedly mulling a restriction on weapons sales to the country if the offensive goes ahead. When asked about the possible move by Downing Street, Ophir Falk told the Sunday Telegraph he wasnt aware of the reports but said: If they were accurate, that would be disappointing. But with or without it, we will do what it takes to finish the job. We will take out the Hamas battalions in Rafah thats their last stronghold, he said. Israels closest allies, the UK and US, have both repeatedly warned Israel not to launch an operation in Rafah, where around 1.3 million Palestinians are currently sheltering, until theres a viable plan to evacuate the civilians. Its widely believed that the US is the only country capable of strong-arming Israel into calling off its offensive in Rafah because of the massive military and financial support it provides. US gives Israel $3.8bn annually Washington provides $3.8 billion dollars in military support for Israel every year. Israel is required to spend approximately $3.3 billion of the aid on US military equipment and services, but has also been given permission to purchase equipment from Israeli defence firms. Another $500 million a year is earmarked for joint US-Israeli missile defence programs, which so far have produced the highly advanced Iron Dome, Davids Sling, and Arrow II missile defence systems, all of which have been used since October to shoot down missiles from Gaza, Yemen, Lebanon and Syria. Israel also purchased F-35 fighter jets from the US, making it the only country in the middle east to possess what is considered the most advanced fighter plane in the world. Britains military support for Israel, by contrast, is much less significant. Last year the Government granted 114 standard individual export licences for military goods valued at 42 million to Israel, according to a Commons briefing. In October, Lloyd Austin, the US defence secretary, said that Washington would set no red lines over Israels military activity in Gaza, but mounting criticism from President Joe Biden over the high civilian death toll have set alarm bells ringing. Hamas will come to London Mr Falk said, however, that there was nothing that could dissuade Israel from continuing with its war against Hamas. Were going to destroy Hamas wherever they are in Gaza. Thats in the best interest of the UK as well and the entire civilised world, he said. Mr Falk said he believes that, despite the mounting opposition to the Rafah operation, Israel still has very strong support in the United States and in the UK and many others to destroy Hamas. The thing that should be on the plate right now is to free the hostages and to destroy Hamas capabilities so they can never attack us again. Our allies should stick by us. Prime Minister Sunak has been very, very supportive as have the majority of the British, he added. Mr Falk also responded to Prince Williams call for a ceasefire. We also want an end to the fighting. That will happen after Hamas is destroyed. If we dont destroy Hamas they will come to London, if theyre not there already. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Special needs children at a Delaware elementary school may have been abused inside the classroom by three teachers, according to police. Families in Smyrna, Delaware, met with school administrators after learning their special needs children may have been the victims of abuse inside the classroom. Smyrna Police are investigating the possibility that three teachers at Smyrna Elementary engaged in professional misconduct. Police are working with the state Attorney General's Office Special Victims Unit, which is common for these kinds of investigations, according to Fox 29. "Your childs school is the last place youd think something like this would ever happen," parent Leslie Thomas told Fox 29. "It has to be a different school. My son is traumatized, even turning on the street leading to Smyrna Elementary, so I could never force him to go somewhere where he was traumatized." TEXAS AG KEN PAXTON SUES SCHOOL DISTRICT AFTER PRINCIPALS ACCUSED OF VIOLATING ELECTION LAWS The Smyrna School District released a statement Wednesday saying a report was made on February 16 of possible professional misconduct. READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP "As part of our multi-faceted approach to keep our students safe, we have taken all precautions, including contacting law enforcement and providing alternative staff to instruct students," the statement said. "The investigation is active and on-going." "While I cannot go into detail, due to the ongoing investigation, I can assure you that the professional misconduct being investigated is not sexual in nature," the district said in a follow-up statement. "District staff were at the school to support students, employees, and affected parents." Some of the families spoke with police and were told the details of the allegations, including the children being locked in bathrooms and having objects thrown at them. CHICAGO SCHOOL BOARD VOTES TO REMOVE UNIFORMED POLICE OFFICERS FROM SCHOOLS "They were being locked in the bathroom in the dark by themselves," parent Tierre Thomas told Fox 29. "Their hair was being pulled. Objects were being thrown at them. They were being put in timeout physically and being held there." Leslie Thomas said she previously raised concerns to the district after observing changes in her son this school year. She and other parents are petitioning the district to move the students to another elementary school. "Were seeing aggression in him, hitting, something he has never done before. He flinches. Hes afraid of the dark. These are all behaviors he has never exhibited before but consistent with the allegations that have been made," she said. "Most of the parents have agreed on North Smyrna, so for right now I would like to see them create that setting and of course we all would like to see the charges coming very soon." The police investigation could last several months. Original article source: Delaware police investigating possible abuse of special needs students at elementary school VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) Delegates Michael Feggans and Alex Askew released a joint statement condemning a racist and threatening letter received by a Virginia Beach family. Previous Coverage: Black leaders respond after hate mail leaves woman in fear Each year during Black History Month, Veonca Evans decorates her Kempsville townhome with banners and a montage with photos of prominent figures in Black history such as Martin Luther King Jr, Rosa Parks, and Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall. On Feb. 15, Evan received a threatening letter in the mail with no return address, the mail was processed in Richmond, Virginia. The hand-printed note, littered with profanity and the n-word demanded that she take the decorations down or pay a price. In a media release, the delegates stated, Delegates Michael Feggans and Alex Askew want to be clear, We do not tolerate any hatred or bigotry. We want to extend our deepest condolences to the family in this challenging time. Our residents deserve to feel safe in their communities regardless of their background and should be allowed to express their beliefs with peace of mind. Our offices will continue to strive to ensure such an environment for all members of our community. 10 On Your Side reached out to a spokesperson for the police department who confirmed the matter is under investigation and a determination will be made on whether local or federal authorities will investigate the threat that was delivered via the United States Postal Service. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WAVY.com. Rene Delgado, 33, has been charged with aggravated kidnapping and robbery of a man who gave him and two others a ride home from the store on Feb. 3. Bexar County Sheriff's Office San Antonio police have arrested after a man said he was kidnapped, robbed and forced to ingest an unknown substance. Rene Delgado, 33, was charged Wednesday with aggravated kidnapping and robbery after police said he kept a 29-year-old man hostage overnight inside a West Side apartment on Feb. 3. A man told detectives he was approached by a woman, listed as a co-conspirator in the arrest affidavit, at a store on Feb. 3 near the 100 block of Old Highway 90. He agreed to give the woman a ride home. Advertisement Article continues below this ad As they were getting into his vehicle, Delgado and another man, listed as a second co-conspirator, entered the vehicle. The 29-year-old drove them to the Cassiano Court Apartments, west of downtown in the 1900 block of Potosi Street. They all went into the apartment. While inside, he was physically assaulted, stabbed with an unknown sharp object and tied up. He said the two men robbed him. Then, he was forced to ingest an unknown substance, which caused him to pass out. After waking up on Feb. 4, the man was blindfolded and taken from the apartment in his vehicle to the intersection of Callaghan and Fredericksburg Road, according to the arrest affidavit. A good Samaritan saw the man and called the police. The mans vehicle was reported stolen. Advertisement Article continues below this ad On Feb. 5, the vehicle was towed for illegal parking from the 3500 block of Pin Oak near an apartment complex. It was recovered and impounded by the San Antonio Police Department. Two days later, a detective took the man to several locations to try and retrace his route on the night of the incident. They returned to the Casiano Court Apartments in the 1900 block of Potosi. While there, Delgado was seen meeting with the unidentified man involved in the incident outside of the apartment, states the arrest affidavit. Both men then re-entered the apartment. The 29-year-old man became immediately scared after recognizing both men from the kidnapping. Shortly after, he and the detective went to the SAPD vehicle impound, and a letter with Delgados name was found inside the recovered vehicle, the affidavit states. Through the investigation, detectives found Delgado was allegedly staying at the same apartment on Potosi Street. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The man also told the detective that he remembered one of the men being called by the name Tuti during the robbery. The name, later reported to be Tudi, was documented in multiple reports for Delgado, the arrest affidavit states. On Feb. 18, a photo lineup was shown to the man, and he identified Delgado as one of the people involved in the kidnapping. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) has led a public crusade to demand that the Biden administration push Big Techs anti-regulation agenda worldwide despite the fact his wife owns up to $3 million worth of stock in major tech companies that could benefit from the effort, according to financial disclosure records. Wyden has long been an ally of the tech industry, and his wife is quite wealthy. Ethics experts tell Rolling Stone that the situation does not violate any laws or congressional ethics rules, but could pose a conflict of interest. A Wyden spokesperson disputed that notion, asserting that Wyden and his wife have separate finances and do not discuss their work. He argued that Wyden has been a vocal critic of Big Tech companies and their approach to privacy. Last fall, United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai announced the U.S. was withdrawing support for proposals to enshrine the tech industrys preferred anti-regulatory framework in international trade negotiations, on the basis that the language could hinder debates over domestic tech policy. Wyden has pressed President Joe Biden to reverse the move, criticizing it as a win for China, plain and simple. Officials within Bidens National Security Council have joined Wydens cause. The obscure, but high-stakes policy fight is playing out as world trade leaders get ready to meet next week at the World Trade Organizations 13th Ministerial Conference conference in Abu Dhabi. Critics say the so-called digital trade framework promoted by Big Tech would help the industry preempt stricter regulations around data privacy and security, artificial intelligence, and app store competition on a global level. They argue the language, first proposed during the Trump administration, would eliminate the possibility of new tech rules in the U.S., and nullify regulations that are already in place abroad. Lori Wallach, director of the Rethink Trade program at American Economic Liberties Project, tells Rolling Stone that Big Tech has been trying to insert binding rules into trade agreements that internationally preempt and shut down domestic regulation, and Sen. Wyden has been the leader for this. If the current Biden administration position were reversed back to the Big Tech agenda, she says, the best policies from Koreas App Store competition law, to European privacy and antitrust policies, to Canada and Australias laws requiring platforms to compensate news outlets for the content the platforms use, which are all replicated in U.S. congressional bills with bipartisan support would become targeted as illegal trade barriers that countries have to eliminate or face sanctions. The reviews service Yelp made similar arguments in a letter to Biden, writing that Big Tech firms are seeking to harness international trade negotiations to preempt domestic policies that would prohibit their anticompetitive practices. According to Wydens most recent financial disclosure, his wife, Nancy Bass Wyden, owns up to $1 million in Apple stock; $1 million in Microsoft; $500,000 in Amazon; and $500,000 in Google. Bass Wyden who owns the famed New York bookstore, the Strand is ultra-wealthy: She is worth at least $46 million, according to a Rolling Stone review of her husbands 2022 financial disclosure and local property tax records for the New York City building she owns. Most of her wealth is tied up in that property a city landmark that houses the Strand, which her family has operated for nearly a century. Even with that property, valued at $39 million, Bass Wydens Big Tech holdings account for a small but significant percentage of the couples combined assets. Exclude that building, and her Big Tech holdings represent a fifth of their disclosed assets. The stocks are held in a Fidelity managed account, according to the senators most recent financial disclosure. They do not appear to be held in a blind trust. Wyden is not among the small number of Senate Democrats who have signed onto legislation that would ban stock trading by members of Congress and require lawmakers, their spouses, and dependent children to either divest their stock holdings or put them in a blind trust. The investments and virtually all of the assets you listed are owned by Nancy Bass Wyden, Wyden spokesperson Keith Chu said in an email. Sen. Wyden and Ms. Wyden keep their finances separate, including filing taxes separately, and do not discuss their work. He added, Sen. Wyden has been sharply critical of Big Tech companies, introducing a bill to outlaw their primary business model, calling on the FTC to investigate Apple and Google for their role in the collection and sale of Americans personal data, and writing a separate bill that would allow prison time for Mark Zuckerberg for repeated violations of Americans privacy, among other things. He has also introduced a bipartisan bill to restrict exports of Americans personal data to unfriendly countries like China. Chu separately argued the digital trade proposal that the USTR abandoned would not only benefit the tech industry, and that a range of voices have raised concerns about the decision, including human rights advocates, small tech companies, foreign relations experts, and groups like the Association of American Publishers, Motion Picture Association, National Association of Manufacturers, and National Retail Federation that compete with Big Tech and rarely share policy goals. There is broad agreement from experts in this space that USTRs action will harm U.S. interests and boost Chinas efforts to dominate the internet, he wrote. Rolling Stone spoke with five ethics experts about Wydens advocacy for Big Techs trade agenda and his wifes investments. They all agree the situation raises ethical questions. Why does she need to sit on up to $3 million worth of high tech stocks when hes making these decisions? says Richard Painter, who served as President George W. Bushs chief White House ethics lawyer. Why didnt she just sell that and put it in broad-based mutual funds? Craig Holman, an ethics lobbyist at Public Citizen, says the situation does pose a conflict of interest. Whether it is affecting Ron Wydens official actions is only a matter of speculation, but it certainly has the appearance of a conflict of interest, he says, adding: I am a little surprised that Sen. Wyden would put himself in this situation. Ive got a great deal of respect for the senator. And he often works with me on ethics issues. In late November, Wyden issued a press release calling for Biden to overrule his own trade representative and embrace Big Techs digital trade agenda. Wyden and the letters co-signatories argued that doing so would allow the free flow of information across borders, protect against the forced transfer of American technology, and promote open markets for digital goods exported by American creators and businesses. He organized a bipartisan letter opposing Tais decision, signed by 14 of his Democratic colleagues. House Democrats have pushed back on Wydens campaign. Earlier this month, 88 of them sent a letter to Biden supporting Tai and her move to withdraw the digital trade proposals. It is a credit to your presidency that Ambassador Tai is proceeding in a manner that respects Congress role in setting domestic policy and that honors your digital competition, privacy, and artificial intelligence (AI) oversight goals, which we also support, they wrote, adding: We are concerned that trade negotiations on certain digital rules could get ahead of Congress domestic policymaking. Wallach, the Rethink Trade director, argues that Big Tech is trying to enact, through binding trade rules, protections for the industry similar to the intellectual property rules secured by Big Pharma, which have blocked the sharing of vaccine recipes throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. Big Techs ploy has been to try to do the same thing Big Pharma did, which is to rig trade agreements to achieve what they cannot in the sunshine of public policymaking, says Wallach. In Big Techs case, that is to commandeer trade agreements to impose limits [on], if not outright ban, signatory governments from enforcing common forms of online privacy, antitrust, AI, and algorithmic nondiscrimination oversight or right-to-repair policies. Much of the conversation around the Trade Representative Tais decision to walk back U.S. support for the tech industrys digital trade agenda has revolved around whether the move will help or hurt China. Wyden said in his November press release the USTRs decision is a win for the Chinese governments efforts to have unlimited access to U.S. data, a win for Chinese tech giants who want to bully smaller countries into following the Chinese model of internet censorship, and a win for Chinas Great Firewall, which locks out American companies and locks Chinese citizens into a repressive regime of government surveillance. The American Prospect has argued that Wyden has it exactly backwards, writing: Tais decision to withdraw the Trump-era language on free flows of data makes clear that the U.S. can and will restrict data location in China by tech firms like Google. Wallach says the China discussion misses the point. Its honestly not really a foreign policy, geopolitics story at all, she says. Its a corporate power story. Will Big Tech control your data, or will governments set data privacy and security rules? Will governments be allowed to review algorithms for racial, gender, or other forms of discrimination or prescreen for dangerous AI, or will that stuff be secret, and governments barred from any meaningful oversight? Will there be competition policies to safeguard economic liberties for competing businesses and workers, or will those competition policies arbitrarily be called illegal trade barriers? Those are all corporate power, democracy, small-business, civil rights, and consumer questions, and it hits right here at home and globally. More from Rolling Stone Best of Rolling Stone SACRAMENTO, California Democrats in Washington have funneled more than $100,000 to a Central Valley candidate challenging GOP Rep. David Valadao to avoid getting locked out of one of their best pickup opportunities in the nation. The institutional giving underscores the national partys unusually early involvement in the race choosing to boost former state lawmaker Rudy Salas over fellow Democrat Melissa Hurtado even as it sits out other competitive primaries. A POLITICO analysis of campaign filings show Salas has received $15,000 from 10 members of Congress, including Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi as well as House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.). He also received $40,000 from major Democratic PACs, including California Leadership United For Victory, which is associated with Aguilar. In addition to members and leadership PACs, Aguilars CA House Majority Fund PAC has helped Salas raise nearly $50,000 this primary season. Were pleased to see Democrats taking action, said Salas campaign manager Kyle Buda. And were thankful for the outpouring of support that weve received. With Californias jungle primary system, where the top two candidates regardless of party will advance after Super Tuesday, Hurtados presence on the ballot means she could siphon enough votes from Salas in the Republican-leaning primary to land him in third place after Valadao and his Republican challenger. That has prompted the massive, last-minute mobilization from national Democrats, who in addition to pouring money into Salas coffers, have spent more than $2 million on advertising to boost his campaign. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee first intervened in January with more than $840,000 worth of joint ad spending with Salas campaign. The House Majority PAC has also spent more than $1.2 million on ads for Salas, hoping to send a strong and clear message that the party is committed to reclaiming the majority in November. Democrats are pulling out all the stops to support Rudy Salas the best candidate to represent Central Valley families and to provide all the resources he needs to unseat David Valadao, said Dan Gottlieb, spokesperson for the DCCC. Republicans, meanwhile, are trying to fend off their own lockout scenario. Valadao, one of the 10 Republicans who voted to impeach former President Donald Trump, faces a challenge on the right from Chris Mathys, a self-described MAGA Republican. GOP groups, including the Congressional Leadership Fund, have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars amplifying Valadaos conservative bonafides on the airwaves highlighting his support for law enforcement and his border policies. Republican members of Congress, their leadership PACs and other affiliated committees have sent Valadao more than $400,000 since the start of 2023, according to POLITICOs analysis. Almost no one in Congress better reflects and represents his constituents than Rep. Valadao, said Dan Conston, president of CLF. Thats why he has won tough race after tough race, and well do whatever it takes to help him win again. Dune 2 director Denis Villeneuve has waded into an increasingly controversial movie debate with the release of his long-awaited movie sequel. The filmmaker, whose credits include Arrival and Blade Runner 2049, has been busy promoting his new film, which is receiving acclaim from critics, including The Independents Clarisse Loughrey, who awarded the film five stars out of five. During a reent interview, he was challenged about the runtime of the Dune sequel, which stars Timothee Chalamet and Zendaya, and was finally released on 1 March after being delayed due to the Hollywood strikes in 2023. In the last 10 years, films have gotten longer and longer, with many regularly wondering on social media whether these increased lengths are necessary. Recent films to have been at the centre of such debate include Christopher Nolans Oppenheimer and Martin Scorseses Killers of the Flower Moon, which last for three hours and three hours, 30 minutes, respectidely. One person who thinks this argument is silly is Villeneuve, whose Dune 2 has a runtime of two hours, 46 minutes. When asked about the runtime in a new interview, Villeneuve said that the films distributor, Warner Bros Pictures, didnt tell him to cut the film down, saying it was almost the opposite. But Villeneuve is undeterred by complaints that blockbusters these days are too long, telling The Times: I trust the audience. Defending the new films runtime, he said that the story, adapted from Frank Herberts novel, is too dense to tell in a more expedient manner. This was the only way I could succeed,he said, adding: Also, think of Oppenheimer. It is a three-hour, rated-R movie about nuclear physics that is mostly talking. But the public was young that was the movie of the year by far for my kids. Zendaya and Timothee Chalamet in Dune: Part 2 (Warner Bros Pictures) Villeneuve argued that, while many people might be frustrated at lengthier runtimes, young people today actually want films to be longer. He said: There is a trend. The youth love to watch long movies because if they pay, they want to see something substantial. They are craving meaningful content. It was found in 2023 that the average length of the top 10 highest-grossing movies in the US and Canada was two hours and 23 minutes almost 30 minutes more than the average recorded in 2020. Addressing whether there will be a third Dune film, Villeneuve said: There is absolutely a desire to have a third one, but I dont want to rush it. He said that when it comes to making another sequel, titled Dune: Messiah, he will take his time as the danger in Hollywood is that people get excited and only think about release dates, not quality. Dune: Part 2 is in cinemas now. CUYAHOGA FALLS, Ohio (WJW) Disappearance is how Cuyahoga Falls police are describing the case of a missing woman they continue to search for Saturday. Man killed grandfather with a shovel, according to Elyria police. Police started searching on Wednesday when authorities said the husband of Chandra M Poudel-Rimal reported to them that morning that his wife had been missing since he woke up at 9:00 a.m, Captain Christopher Norfolk said Saturday. Norfolk said that her husband provided no information about the possible whereabouts of his wife. Norfolk also said police searched the family home and surrounding area and interviewed neighbors in an attempt to locate Poudel, he added. Police said Chandra Maya Poudel-Rimal is a 33-year-old Asian female, 52, 119 lbs. with black hair and black/brown eyes. Cuyahoga Falls police ask anyone with information about what Norfolk called the disappearance of Chandra Maya Poudel-Rimal to contact the police department at 330-928-2181. Anonymous tips can be sent to 847411, keyword CFPD. New trick by NE Ohio car thieves: Heres what local police say the crooks do soon after stealing a car or SUV Rewards are available to anyone with in information leading to the location of Chandra Maya Poudel-Rimal, police said. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Fox 8 Cleveland WJW. The End Of A Baitball. Bait balls of sardines attract a variety of predators, but the main stars of the show were the Bryde's whales. They patrolled the waters, searching for bait balls to get their bellies full of hundreds of kilograms of fish. Dive into the curiosities of our vast oceans , captured in stunning detail by photographers. Alex Dawson of Sweden swam away with the top honor at the 2024 Underwater Photographer of the Year competition for an eerie image titled "Whale Bones." Photographers from around the world submitted 6,500 underwater photographs, but it was Dawson's captivating image that won over the judges. Whale Bones was photographed in the toughest conditions, noted Alex Mustard, chair of judging panel. As a breath-hold diver descends below the Greenland ice sheet to bear witness to the carcasses. The composition invites us to consider our impact on the great creatures of this planet. Other notable images from this year's contest include a shark showing off its toothy grin, a spectacular lionfish out for a swim, and a whale opening its mouth wide for a sardine snack. Whale Bones In eastern Greenland the local hunters bring their catch and share it among each other. From a stable population of over 100,000 minke whales in the North Atlantic the hunters of Tasiilaq typically take less than a dozen. The whale is pulled up on the beach during high tide and many families gather to cut the skin, blubber and the meat off at low tide. Almost all the whale is consumed, however the skeleton is pulled back into the sea by the next high tide and the remains can be found in shallow waters where various marine invertebrates and fish pick the bones clean. Photo: Alex Dawson/UPY 2024 Twilight smile In 2011, the Bahamas declared its waters a "shark sanctuary". Off the island of Grand Bahama, I witnessed several unforgettable encounters. At dusk, several dozen lemon sharks rise from the depths and surround the dive boat. Perched on the swim-step with my body half-submerged, I set out to take split shots. On this day the sea was rough, it was almost dark, and the sharks were lively and very curious, not hesitating to come into contact with my housing! In these light conditions, I replaced my strobes with 2 headlamps to ensure continuous light. I used the burst mode coupled with a fast shutter speed to better freeze the movement. With a lot of patience and luck, I was able to capture some very close-up shots, and highlight the magnificent colours of the sunset. A striking face-to-face encounter! Photo: Rodolphe Guignard/UPY 2024 Bottled Blenny Butterfly blennies naturally choose abandoned whelk shells as their home but it seems they can get creative. On the seabed of the river Fal, amongst beautiful pink maerl, many have chosen to use discarded glass bottles as a shelter. Waste not want not. Photo: Kirsty Andrews/UPY 2024 Aquatic Primate During fieldwork at Phi Phi Islands, Thailand, spanning several weeks, I focused my efforts on documenting the behaviour of the crab-eating macaques, in particularly their water forages. The macaques have adapted very well to living around the sea and will venture into the water for various reasons including transportation, scavenging, cooling down and playing. Highly efficient swimmers, they can dive for up to half a minute and can cover short distances faster than most humans. This photo offers a rare glimpse of the swimming movement of a male macaque. Photo: Suliman Alatiqi/UPY 2024 Octopus Attack This shot was taken in Lembeh. The coconut octopus was sitting in a small hollow in the sand. In the background there is a shell where another coconut octopus was living. After I took some pictures, the octopus started to touch my lens. So, I was able to get this shoot with the important focus on the eye. Photo: Enrico Somogyi/UPY 2024 Attack from Above Even more surprising than encountering a bird underwater is having the bird try to attack your camera while hunting for small fish in the kelp forest! Last summer at a popular Monterey dive site, the cormorants seemed to be more active and curious than usual. Knowing this, I planned a dive on a sunny afternoon hoping to catch a cormorant beneath the kelp forest pierced by the afternoon sun. I had numerous cormorants approach me, peck at my head and tank, follow me around, and try to eat my camera. This one paused for a moment, perhaps after the seeing its self-reflection in my dome port, allowing me to capture a head on portrait. Countless species including these cormorants depend on healthy kelp forests to thrive. Unfortunately, local kelp forests have declined by over 80% in size in the last decade due to warmer waters and unchecked predation by urchins. Photo: Jon Anderson/UPY 2024 Lion's Lair Raja Ampat, Indonesia is a destination that finds its way to the top of many divers' bucket lists, and for good reason. The incredible diversity and density of marine life in this region can often verge on sensory overload as you swim and scan the reefscape trying to compose an image in the camera's viewfinder. My goal on my first visit to this magical destination was to create a photograph that captured the explosion of life, colour and texture that comes to mind when thinking about the "Classic Raja Ampat" marine environment. This lionfish nestled up to a black crinoid feather star and framed by hundreds of tiny glass fish caught my attention and became a favourite image from the year of shooting. A fisheye lens and mini dome allowed me to approach within inches of the subject, filling the frame with the scene. Photo: Bryan H. Blauvelt/UPY 2024 Encircled Summer 2023 brought the usual small groups of baby barracudas to each coral pinnacle on the house reef at Marsa Shagra, but for the first time in the 11 years I have lived there, they all gradually came together as one giant bait ball in the entrance of the bay, giving divers no choice but to pass through them at the start and end of their dive. Snorkelers spent hours every day floating above them, mesmerised by their movements. One particularly clear and quiet morning, I was able to witness and photograph this free diver as she played amongst them, influencing their formation for as long as her breath would last. As autumn passed, the juveniles grew and the bait ball attracted hunters such as snappers, jacks and bigger barracudas who feasted for several months, and by winter it was if it had never existed. Photo: Sarah O'Gorman/UPY 2024 Mouth To Mouth This is a photo of two female Zoarchias major eelpouts in a fight. During the breeding season, in order to fight for a suitable spawning nest, not only the males will fight each other, but also the females, and inexplicably, even the males and females will sometimes fight each other. Usually, they can only be found in very few places of southern Japan. I thought long and hard before shooting, how to perfectly present their two biggest characteristics in the shot: their unique spotted pattern inside the mouth and that the mouth that can open up to 180 degrees! My choice was to shoot the fight in its most intense moment, using a snooted strobe to create the black background. Im very honoured to share this charming moment. Photo: JingGong Zhang/UPY 2024 Chieftain Tanks Together with an amazing group of photographers I had the honor to be invited to compete in the 1st Aqaba underwater photo competition in Jordan, where a highlight is the underwater military museum. An unusual sight of war machines sunk in 15 to 28 meters of water and stationed along the reefs in tactical battle formation. I wanted to capture the symmetry of the Chieftain Tanks and strong presence of their 120mm guns, but the position where I could shoot that image with my fish-eye lens was occupied by a military ambulance. Therefore, I experimented with a 6 shot panorama from a point between the guns, which allowed me to recreate the virtual position further back, and achieve and elegant symmetry of the tanks, supported by the central focal point of my dive buddy in the back. Photo: Martin Broen/UPY 2024 Lupita Nyong'o, President of the International Jury of the Berlinale 2024, presents director Mati Diop with a Golden Bear in the Best Film category on stage during the award ceremony at the closing gala in the Berlinale Palast. Monika Skolimowska/dpa The documentary "Dahomey" by French-born director Mati Diop about the return of looted African art has won the Golden Bear, the top prize as best film of the Berlin film festival Berlinale, the jury announced Saturday evening in the German capital. It was the second time that a documentary film won the Berlinale's coveted Golden Bear. In her film, Diop, 41, who has Senegalese roots, accompanies 26 statues on their journey from France to their country of origin, today's Benin. The looted art treasures were stolen from Dahomey, which is now Benin, in 1892. In total, around 7,000 works of art were stolen around 130 years ago and are still in France today. "Giving back means doing justice," said Diop as she accepted the award. Diop's experimental documentary film captivates with poetic passages - for example, one of the looted treasures speaks off-screen several times. German director Matthias Glasner received a Silver Bear for the script of his drama "Dying" the only award in the competition for Germany. In the film, Glasner dealt with his complex relationship with his family. The 59-year-old was initially worried that the drama might be too personal. But it touched many people. "It was somehow worth it that when you open yourself up so much that others open up too," he said after the award ceremony. This year the Berlinale's Grand Jury Prize went to South Korea. The jury honoured the bizarre chamber play "Yeohaengjaui pilyo" ("A Traveler's Needs") by South Korean veteran director Hong Sangsoo with Isabelle Huppert in the lead role. Romanian-American actor Sebastian Stan was named best actor for his performance in the tragicomedy "A Different Man." British actor Emily Watson received the award for best supporting performance for her role in "Small Things Like These." The Irish-Belgian drama with "Oppenheimer" star Cillian Murphy opened this years Berlinale. Watson came on stage with a crutch - she had a fractured foot, the 57-year-old explained after the award ceremony. Frenchman Bruno Dumont received the jury prize for the sci-fi parody "LEmpire." Nelson Carlos De Los Santos Arias won the Silver Bear for best director for "Pepe," an experimental film about a dead hippopotamus in Colombia. Austrian cameraman Martin Gschlacht was honoured for an outstanding artistic achievement. He received the prize for his work on the morbid historical drama "Des Teufels Bad" ("The Devils Bath"). This year's Berlinale was particularly marked by political debates - including at the awards ceremony. Palestinian filmmaker Basel Adra called on Germany on stage to stop supplying weapons to Israel. Adra made the documentary "No Other Land" with three other filmmakers and won the documentary film award for it. The Israeli-Palestinian collective had already called for a ceasefire in Gaza during the film premiere at the Berlinale. "No Other Land" is about the displacement of Palestinians in the villages of Masafer Yatta, south of Hebron in the West Bank. Several people on stage carried a note with the inscription "Ceasefire Now:" Along with Cannes and Venice, the Berlinale is one of the world's largest film festivals. In 2023, the documentary "Sur l'Adamant" won the Golden Bear. Exploited Amazon workers in Saudi Arabia received more than $1 million in reimbursements after a third-party licensed labor agency violated the e-commerce giant's Supply Chain Standards. This was confirmed by the American retailer on Friday, Feb. 23, saying that Abdullah Fahad Al-Mutairi Co. (AFMCO)-a third-party vendor in KSA (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia)-required unfair recruitment fees from applicants. Amazon said that AFMCO implemented these recruitment fees and other job application costs so that applicants in Saudi Arabia can secure their preferred jobs. Exploited Amazon Workers in Saudi Arabia Receive Reimbursements The Guardian reported that Amazon's reimbursement announcement came after a joint media investigation was conducted to expose unfair recruitment practices. The investigation revealed that more than 50 workers from Nepal were asked to pay stiff recruitment fees, which range from $830 to $2,300, just for them to secure jobs at Amazon warehouses in Saudi Arabia. Aside from these illegal recruitment fees, Nepali workers who were interviewed also shared that they were misled by the recruiters. Initially, they were promised that Amazon would directly hire them. But, they ended up working for Saudi labor supply companies instead. They were even placed in short-term contract jobs, which led to their salaries getting siphoned. To make matters worse, these exploited Amazon workers were required to place thousands of dollars in exit fees just for them to be allowed into their home country. Because of these revelations, Amazon confirmed that it is giving affected workers $1.9 million in reimbursements. "As a result of this work, Amazon paid $1.9 million (USD) in reimbursements to over 700 contracted workers," said Amazon via its official press release. "While we require our vendors to bear the cost of worker-paid recruitment fees, in this case, Amazon provided the reimbursement to expedite repayment to workers impacted," added the American e-commerce giant. Read Also: Amazon Shares How It's Helping Japan Earthquake Victims; Over 30,000 Relief Items Shipped Amazon's Preventive Efforts Amazon said that it is making efforts to ensure contractor workers' safety and prevent recruitment risks by insisting third-party vendors uphold its Supply Chain Standards. The retailer's efforts include the following: Allowing contracted workers to share concerns directly with Amazon's management by establishing an effective communication mechanism. Launching training programs for vendors in KSA so they'll know how to implement Amazon's Supply Chain Standards and how to maintain responsible recruitment practices. Amazon reviews third-party vendors' wage policies. The retailer enhanced its contracts with third-party vendors to clarify expectations regarding compliance with its Supply Chain Standards. Related Article: Amazon Layoffs: Several Hundreds of Workers To Be Removed in 3rd Round of Cuts (COLORADO SPRINGS) Cheyenne Mountain Zoo (CMZoo) announced that Dog Days is returning in 2024. CMZoo said on Tuesday, March 12, and Thursday, March 14 guests who purchase a dog ticket along with a human ticket can bring their well-behaved dog to the zoo. CMZoo does have requirements that must be followed for dogs to be welcome in the zoo: Dogs must have an up-to-date rabies vaccination. Dogs must be on a leash at all times. Leashes must be no longer than 6 and non-retractable. Leashes must be attached at all times, even if the dog is in a carrier or stroller. One dog ticket per adult ticket. Guests with dogs can access most areas of the Zoo, but there are a few restrictions. View the Dog Days Guide & Map Dogs must remain under their humans control and not behave in an aggressive or disruptive manner. Excessive agitation of Zoo animals or guests because of barking or other behavior may result in the party being asked to leave the Zoo without a refund. This opportunity is available for dogs only, no other pets are allowed. Tickets can be purchased on CMZoos website. The zoo said a dog ticket can be purchased with an adult ticket and recommended guests add their dog ticket to the cart before any human tickets as dog tickets are limited and could sell out. Human tickets will not be honored for dog admission. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX21 News Colorado. NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) A Norfolk home care employer has paid nearly $900,000 in back wages and damages to employees after an investigation by the Department of Labor. The Labor Department announced Thursday that Advantage Home Care LLC, which employs nurses and home health aides throughout Hampton Roads, and co-owners Dondra Nichols and Phillip Simons denied 108 workers overtime pay. The company was ordered to pay $438,277 in back wages and an equal amount in liquidated damages for violating the Fair Labor Standards Act. Workers in the low-wage home care industry must stretch their wages as far as they can go to make ends meet, making Advantage Home Cares wage theft especially harmful, said Wage and Hour Division District Director Roberto Melendez in Richmond, Virginia. We encourage other home care employers to evaluate their own pay practices to ensure they are in compliance with the law. You can learn more about the Fair Labor Standards Act and report any potential violations to this toll-free helpline: 866-4US-WAGE (487-9243). For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WAVY.com. DURHAM, N.C. (WNCN) A life-saving surgery at Duke Hospital is giving a young woman a chance she worried she wouldnt have. At just 26 years old, Taylor Stephenson recently received her third double lung transplant. Playing a simple game of fetch with her dog means the world to Stephenson. Its a sign of health, hope and a life-saving gift. Not long ago, she was tethered to an oxygen tank struggling to breathe. Its like youre suffocating and thats probably the scariest feeling, she recalled. Waking up in the night several times gasping for air. We only live minute by minute. Charlotte elderly couple finds love at retirement community Born with cystic fibrosis, Stephenson received her first double lung transplant as a teenager, but several years later, her body began to reject the new lungs. She was grateful to receive a second transplant. Id always said this is the last one, she said. Everything went well for a while, but last year, she was devastated to learn she was dealing with rejection again. Im like Im only 25, I dont want to die yet. Ive still got so much fight in me, Stephenson remembered thinking. At the time, she didnt realize a 3rd transplant was an option. I didnt even think it was possible, she said. Third lung transplants are rare, but Duke Hospital has done more than any other hospital in the United States. Theres been about 15 done in the country; weve done 13 of those, explained Dr. John Reynolds, the medical director of Dukes Lung Transplant Program. We have patients from not just this region, but all over the country, and all over the world actually. Stephenson cried when she learned Duke would perform her third double lung transplant. Her first two transplants were performed at other hospitals. I was getting another chance, she said. She temporarily moved from Oklahoma to Durham for the surgery and recovery, and while she misses home she considers her medical team a second family. She credits them, and her faith, with getting her through. Its an awesome feeling having these people on your side, all of them, she said. Why did the mother of missing Cornelius girl refuses to attend court hearing? Its been about a month since her transplant, and Dr. Reynolds calls her progress incredible. Stephenson is breathing easily and has more energy every day. She hopes her donors family knows how grateful she is. I want them to know how much Im going to honor these lungs, she said. One day, she hopes to climb a mountain, but first, she has some plans for her dog Millie. Were gonna go on all the walks, she said, smiling. Dr. Reynolds hopes Stephensons story inspires other patients. Stephenson wants that too. I want other people to know that a 3rd transplant is an option, she said. Your life does not have to end. Stephenson finished her associates degree in psychology while in the hospital and says she may eventually pursue a career in pharmacy. Click here for more heartwarming news across the Carolinas She wants to help other transplant patients or patients with cystic fibrosis. I know that I can at least give comfort, she said. Its not always going to be sunshine and roses, but there will be light. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News. (Bloomberg) -- The European Union must find ways of financing massive investment quickly to catch up with major shifts in the world order, according to Mario Draghi. Most Read from Bloomberg Many profound changes have taken place in the last few years in the global economic order, he said on Saturday. These changes have a variety of consequences, one of which is clear is that well have to invest an enormous amount in a relatively short time in Europe. The former head of the European Central Bank has been tasked with writing a report on how to make the EU more competitive. He spoke in Ghent, Belgium, where he met the blocs finance ministers, with attention focused on the second anniversary of Russias invasion of Ukraine. The war has pushed defense spending to the top of the agenda as Draghi sounds out member states on ways to boost the regions economy in an increasingly hostile global environment. During Saturdays discussion, he underlined the need for bold action to cover the cost of the green and digital transitions, as well as defense, while maintaining Europes social models, people familiar with the discussion said. Among options to mobilize public money at the EU level, Draghi raised the possibility of a dedicated fund, or public and private partnerships, where the European Investment Bank would have a role. He also underlined the need to unlock private savings to a greater extent than in the past, the people added. One of the ideas put forward by some at the two-day meeting is joint EU borrowing to finance the blocs priorities, following similar moves during the Covid pandemic. EU Economy Commissioner Paolo Gentiloni told reporters that the experience had shown that using common debt is a sound way to deal with crises. I dont see any reason not to continue for common targets to have common funding, he said. Draghi, a former Italian prime minister, is due to hand in his findings after European Parliament elections in June. The bloc faces a long list of spending needs, including the green and digital transitions, but the war in Ukraine and the prospect of Donald Trump returning to the White House have focused talks on how to boost European security. Belgian Finance Minister Vincent Van Peteghem warned that the possible reelection of Trump in November could further shift the world order and impact Europes position. We need to create momentum now so that we are still in the drivers seat to make the decisions that are necessary, he said after the meeting. European Commission Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis said its clear the EU will need to pay much more attention to its defense capabilities and work jointly. He added that member states must invest more, especially given many have not met a NATO target of spending at least 2% of GDP on defense. And certainly it will require discussions on what EU-level instruments we can have, he said. EIBs Role One option discussed on Friday was to review the EIBs mandate so the EUs lender can provide loans to produce arms and ammunition. But while countries including Finland and Lithuania back such an option, others prefer to take more gradual steps, the people familiar with the matter said. The EIB and the commission, the EUs executive arm, will explore the scope for defense-industry financing under the EIBs mandate to fund goods with both civilian and military use, without putting at risk its top credit rating, the people added on condition of anonymity because the discussions were private. The EIB has been active for the past eight years in the area of security and defense, were ready to do more and better, EIB President Nadia Calvino told a news conference in Ghent on Friday. Protecting our AAA and our very solid financial position is obviously a shared priority, which needs to be preserved. Still, some ministers underscored the need to explore all available options. I would want to emphasize and remind people of a simple truth: if we want to protect ourselves and expand the defense industry, defense spending must be increased, Estonian Finance Minister Mart Vorklaev told Bloomberg. He added that the EIBs legal texts should be changed if needed for it to fulfill its role even better. --With assistance from Sanne Wass and Kamil Kowalcze. (Updates with details of discussion starting in fifth paragraph, Belgian finance minister comments starting in 12th paragraph.) Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2024 Bloomberg L.P. Drunk driver gets 4 to 12 years in prison for causing crash that fatally injured 10-year-old boy BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) A Darien man who caused a collision while driving drunk that fatally injured a 10-year-old boy was sentenced Friday to an indeterminate sentence of 4 to 12 years in prison, the Erie County District Attorneys Office announced. Officials said Nicholas M. Rich, 35, was driving recklessly at a high rate of speed while under the influence of alcohol when he caused a collision with another vehicle on the night of Oct. 13, 2023 in Lancaster. The crash happened at the intersection of Broadway and Schwartz Road. Photo: Erie County District Attorneys Office The collision fatally injured Levi Zielonka, who died at St. Josephs Campus in Cheektowaga. The driver and passenger of the vehicle were taken to ECMC with physical injuries, as was Rich. Rich pleaded guilty in November to one count of aggravated vehicular homicide, the highest sustainable charge. Richs drivers license was revoked as part of his sentence. Latest Local News Adam Gorski is a Buffalo native who joined the News 4 team in 2022. You can find more of his work here. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to News 4 Buffalo. The former chief of the National Rifle Association (NRA), Wayne LaPierre, has been ordered to pay $4.3 million over his alleged misuse of agency funds. The jury handling the lawsuit that was brought by the New York Attorney General's Office found Friday that LaPierre mismanaged the agency's charitable funds. The incident included the diversion of millions of dollars for lavish personal trips, no-show contracts, and other questionable expenditures. Jury Orders LaPierre to Pay NRA $4.3 Million In the jury's verdict, it found that the former NRA chief is required to pay the gun rights group $4.3 million in damages for mismanagement and misspending charitable funds. It also found that LaPierre violated his fiduciary duties from 2014 to 2022 when he was at the helm of the NRA. The panel noted that he was responsible for causing $5.4 million in damages to the gun rights group by violating his statutory duties. However, he was able to prove that he had already repaid a little over $1 million to the charity, as per CNN. Furthermore, the jury found that the NRA improperly entered into some deals that benefited its insiders, including the agency's top executives and board members. It said that this was done without proper board approval or ratification. The improper self-dealing allegedly included a post-employment consulting contract with the NRA's former CFO, Wilson Phillips as well as hair and makeup expenses for LaPierre's wife. The jury found that the gun rights group filed false and misleading statements in its annual reports. On top of the mismanagement of funds, the jury also found that the NRA violated whistleblower protection laws by failing to have an appropriate whistleblower policy in place. The agency also failed to investigate whistleblower complaints or retaliate against eight whistleblowers who came forward with concerns. Read Also: Mariposa County, Manhattan DA Battles Over Extradition of Murder Suspect Five Days of Deliberations The jury's verdict came after five days of deliberation and as it was read, LaPierre simply stared forward with his hands clasped in his lap. He was sitting in the first row of the gallery during the reading of the verdict, according to ABC News. The New York Attorney General's Office first filed the lawsuit against the NRA and its top executives in 2020. The accusations against the gun rights group and its senior management came at the end of a three-year investigation into the NRA, which is registered in New York as a non-profit charitable corporation. The jurors in the case, who started their deliberations on Feb. 16, were asked to weigh transactions like hair and makeup for LaPierre's wife, payments or speaking fees to board members, and contracts with favored vendors who were willing to pay kickbacks. The jury's verdict is the latest blow to the gun rights group, which has been beset by financial issues in the past few years as well as dwindling membership. The order for LaPierre to pay for damages comes after he announced his resignation as the NRA chief on the eve of the trial. The penalties that the jury decided to have LaPierre and Phillips pay will go back to the gun rights group. The NRA has been portrayed as both a defendant that lacked internal controls and a victim of that same misconduct, said the Associated Press. Related Article: US Man Makes $1.8M by Eavesdropping on Wife's Work Calls AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Dutch far-right leader Geert Wilders signalled he was willing to consider future military aid to Ukraine, as he moved away on Saturday from his earlier resistance to weapon deliveries. Wilders, who is aiming to lead a new government after his nationalist PVV party won elections in November, has for months argued the Netherlands should stop supplying weapons to Ukraine because it needed them to defend itself. The Netherlands has been one of the leading donors of military aid to Ukraine, with overall spending expected to pass 4.5 billion euros ($4.9 billion) by the end of 2024. Wilders' resistance to further military aid has been one of several stumbling blocks preventing him from forming a coalition government in the three months since his election victory, but in a post on social media platform X he changed his line. "The PVV supports Ukraine and is willing to talk about any type of aid," he said, as he called Russia's war against Ukraine "illegal and barbaric". Wilders' potential coalition partners had never backed his aim to stop deliveries. On Friday they reiterated that position, and in a joint statement several opposition parties said they wanted to continue economic, political and military support for Ukraine "for as long as it takes". That message was echoed by outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte in a video message to Ukraine on the second anniversary of Russia's invasion. "The Netherlands is with you. Even if it takes a long time and even if it is difficult," said Rutte, whose candidacy to become secretary-general of NATO was this week backed by the United States, Britain, France and Germany. Rutte's caretaker government, in power until a new cabinet is installed, on Friday said it would soon sign a 10-year security agreement with Ukraine, to lock up future aid. Wilders criticized that deal in his tweet, saying it was not up to a caretaker government to make such long-term agreements. ($1 = 0.9244 euros) (Reporting by Bart Meijer; Editing by David Holmes) Dutch far-right leader Geert Wilders said on Feb. 24 that he is against the Netherlands signing a 10-year agreement on security cooperation with Ukraine, the day after Dutch Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren said the Netherlands plans to sign the agreement. The U.K., Germany, Denmark, and France have already signed similar agreements based on a pledge made by the Group of Seven (G7) last July to help Ukraine repel Russia's aggression. "The war that Russia started against Ukraine two years ago can only be called illegal and barbaric," Wilders posted on X, adding that his party is "willing to discuss any form of aid." "But an outgoing cabinet cannot conclude a ten-year agreement," Wilders said. Earlier in the week, Wilders railed against Ukrainian refugees, saying on Feb. 19 that they are coming to the Netherlands for "free housing, free healthcare, and our jobs." The Netherlands held an election in November 2023, which saw Geert Wilders' far-right Party for Freedom (PVV) emerge as the largest force in parliament with 37 seats. Since the Dutch parliament has 150 seats, the PVV needs to form a coalition with multiple parties in order to rule. After 11 weeks of negotiations, talks with three other parties to form a new coalition government stalled in early February. Mark Rutte therefore remains the country's caretaker prime minister until a new government is formed. Rutte told a Kyiv Independent reporter at the Munich Security Conference on Feb. 17 that the Netherlands is actively working with Kyiv on a bilateral agreement on security guarantees. Rutte voiced optimism that the "discussions should be closed fairly soon." Read also: US, UK reportedly endorse Dutch PM Mark Rutte as next NATO Secretary General Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. BRANCH COUNTY By the end of the sixth day of early voting Thursday, only 150 county voters had cast a ballot at the Dearth Center at the Fairgrounds in Coldwater. Branch County Clerk Terry Kubasiak took advantage of early voting Thursday since she works election day. Ten poll workers and inspectors staff the center from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. for the nine days of early voting to allow those who cannot or do not want to cast their ballot in the actual Tuesday Republican or Democratic presidential primaries. Early voting ends Sunday. Coldwater Township Clerk Dianne Morrison, who, with her assistant, is supervising early voting, said, "I believe it's working. It's a great training tool for all the election inspectors, and we're all networking together." Voters passed the nine-day early voting in November 2020 as part of Proposition 2, a constitutional amendment for election laws. Morrison worked with Branch County Clerk Terry Kubasiak and other township and municipal clerks to develop the plan to rent the Dearth Center at the Fairgrounds for all 22 precincts. Voters receive their ballot then go to the voting booths in the center of the Dearth Cennter to mark them. None could find help or afford to hold individual early voting in their township or municipal halls for the nine days. Under the joint agreement, each jurisdiction will be responsible for paying for nine workers for one day. Morrison said only California Township did not have the personnel to participate. Noble Township Clerk Heidi Metzger worked Thursday. Only one of her township residents voted early by the end of the sixth day. Morrison said most of the early voters came from Coldwater Township and city of Coldwater. Those are the voters closest to the Dearth Center. Morrison expects more voters to use the service this weekend. Earlier story Early voting for presidential primary begins Saturday Coldwater voters will see a change Tuesday when the Dearth Center is converted to serve the four city precincts for the primary. In past elections, each city precinct had its own beginning-to-end voting station. City Clerk Shawna Chavez liked the early voting setup and will use the system for the city. All voters enter through the main door, their IDs are checked, and the ballot application is filled out. Voters then pick up a ballot for their precinct at a single location. Voter booths to cast ballots are in the center of the hall. When voters are finished, they go to the tabulators and put their ballot in the machine for their precinct. Voter assisted terminals print a paper ballot for the tabulator after choices are made on the computer screen. Early voting encouraged the use of voter assisted terminals. These computer screens allow the voter to select each race and then print a ballot with their choices. After voters review the ballot, it goes into a cardboard sleeve for privacy before being entered into the tabulator. Any errors on the ballot causes the machine to return the ballot for correction before the vote is added to the totals. The final voter procedure is to insert the ballot into a tabulator for the proper precinct. The four early voting tabulators will be sealed and taken to the county clerk's office on Sunday. By law, the early votes can only be counted after 8 p.m. on election day after the polls close. Each early voting machine has several jurisdictions in the tabulator. Subscribe Follow the 2024 elections. Subscribe to the Daily Reporter. The clerk will add early voting totals to the proper precinct election day results. Mailed or drop box-cast absentee ballots are counted on election day at each precinct. -- Contact Don Reid: dReid@Gannett.com This article originally appeared on Coldwater Daily Reporter: Turn out light for centralized presidential primary early voting Eboni Pouncy, The Texas Woman Shot In Her Home By Police In Mistaken Identity Incident, Speaks Out | Photo: Douglas Sacha via Getty Images A Black woman from Texas is speaking out after being mistakenly shot five times by police who believed her to be an intruder. Eboni Pouncy, 28, recounted the events that led to the shooting inside her apartment earlier this month with ABC 13. Pouncy, who shares the apartment with her girlfriend, said the pair had returned home, and her girlfriend realized she had forgotten her keys. The woman then told Pouncy to break the window so they could enter the apartment. According to a statement from a neighbor named Robert Mitchell to the outlet, he heard the sound of breaking glass and suspected a break-in and called 911. Two Harris County officers responded to the Pines of Woodforest Apartments in the early morning of Feb. 3. after receiving reports of a potential intruder. I heard (the sheriffs office) knock on the door, nobody responded, and then maybe five seconds later I heard a gun, Mitchell told ABC 13. The Harris County Sheriffs Office released body-camera footage revealing officers approaching the apartment and opening fire through a window after spotting Pouncy walking toward the door with a firearm in her hand. Subsequently, one of the officers reloaded their weapon and continued firing before they both headed downstairs to radio that shots were fired. After the shooting, a gun was retrieved from the apartment entryway similar to the one Pouncy was carrying, according to HCSO, per ABC News. In a cell phone video obtained by ABC affiliate station KTRK, Pouncys girlfriend was ordered downstairs by police following the shooting. I live here, please dont shoot, she yelled before officers had handcuffed her. Pouncy reflected on the incident, stating that so much was going on that she didnt realize she was shot five times by police. I started seeing holes in the walls. And then I realized there was something coming through the apartment, Pouncy said in an exclusive interview with ABC News. I see blood everywhere. She sustained multiple gunshot wounds to her legs and torso, fortunately avoiding any significant damage to her vital organs. Her attorney, Ben Crump, said the video was evidence of the unnecessary and excessive force and that Black Americans do not have the same Second Amendment rights as others. We all know that every American citizen right now is keenly aware of their Second Amendment rights and their rights to bear arms, Crump told ABC News. Why is it a presumption that we dont have a right to the Second Amendment? This reminds you of the tragic killing of Breonna Taylor, where her boyfriend was a law-abiding gun-registered citizen. And yet, the police busted in their front door, shooting and killing Breonna. Pouncy, who is a mother to a 1-year-old baby girl, revealed how the shooting incident has significantly impacted how she cares for her daughter. [My] beautiful baby girl, Pouncy said, per ABC News. She knows that Im not able to do the things I was able to do before, and Im not able to be as attentive with my baby. Shes only one [year old]. Thats probably the hardest part. The two officers involved in the shooting were placed on administrative leave as the investigation continues, according to the sheriffs office. Pioneering singer Eddy Grant has said that the British government brought over the Windrush Generation like enslaved Africans, and called on King Charles to begin the process of making reparations for the UKs role in the transatlantic slave trade. Guyanese-born Grant, who immigrated to London in 1960 aged 12, branded the term Windrush Generation a b*****s phrase coined by the media and said he was frustrated by the fact that the Caribbean people, who are basically Africans in this particular case, are labelled with a misnomer. We are not a generation of Windrushes, we are a set of people who, in the face of Englands loss of youth during the wars, had to be brought in, [on a] very similar basis and terms as the enslaved Africans, the first time around, who were taken to their empirical territories, the Electric Avenue singer, 75, told The Independent. From my perspective, I hear talk about [the] Windrush Generation, and its really all b*****s, Grant said. There is no Windrush Generation. Its a phrase coined by the media. He added: Weve accepted, again by force of media, a name or designation that doesnt belong to us. The singer spoke with The Independent from Guyana while Mashramani festival celebrations got underway, as he released his landmark album Killer on the Rampage to digital streaming services for the first time. Grant, who met the then-Prince Charles in 2001 at Capital FMs Party in the Park in aid of the Princes Trust, spoke highly of the King as he called on him to do the right thing and begin the process of reparations. Eddy Grant with the then-Prince Charles in 2001 (Getty) In my estimation of the man, when we were in conversation I found him extremely easy to speak to, and I have to say quite knowledgeable, Grant said. Which makes you ask, why can he not do what he knows to be the right thing? Acknowledging that the British monarch is currently being treated for cancer, Grant said he believed King Charles could help bring an end to what is such a heinous, terrible and disgusting issue. For all [his] talk of inclusivity, [this] can not ever be realised as long as reparations are not enacted, Grant said. Eddy Grant called on King Charles to help bring about reparations (PA) In September last year, it was reported that Caribbean nations were preparing formal letters to demand that the British royal family apologise and make reparations for slavery. Speaking to The Telegraph in Grenada, Arley Gill, a lawyer and chair of the island nations reparations commission, said: We are hoping that King Charles will revisit the issue of reparations and make a more profound statement beginning with an apology, and that he would make resources from the royal family available for reparative justice. Meanwhile, Labour MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy, chair of the all-party parliamentary group (APPG) on Afrikan reparations, said in October that the UK had a moral duty to face up to the past. The UN, other governments, religious institutions and NGOs have all accepted they need to address their role in the enslavement of African people and the legacy of racism and impoverishment it left behind, she told The Independent. Grant has spent a career spanning six decades calling for such justice through his music, but sounded frustrated at the lack of progress made. His 2006 album, Reparation, referred to his calls for restitution for the translatlantic slave trade. Eddy Grant has campaigned against injustice throughout his six-decade career (Press) You kind of wonder what is it thats driving this division, if you like to call it that, that it moves from generation to generation, he said. I look at things with a very caustic eye. And I dont have to be sitting in the middle of England [to feel affected by it]. Its kind of a shame that we dont seem to move on. He was, however, pleased that music fans still seemed to find themes that resonated in his music: Its amazing, he said. But then you can only say so much and then it sounds like youre boasting. Grant was born in what was then known as British Guiana, a colony that became the independent nation of Guyana in 1966. He emigrated to the UK in 1960 to join his parents, who had already moved there to work, and later rose to fame in the mid-Sixties as one of the earliest artists to popularise reggae and Caribbean music in the UK and around the world. With his potent blend of reggae, soul, funk, pop and other genres, Grant was a founding member of The Equals, one of Britains first racially diverse bands. He later achieved success as a solo artist with his Grammy-nominated 1983 single Electric Avenue, as well as his anti-Apartheid anthem Gimme Hope Joanna. Killer on the Rampage is out now on all digital platforms. SAN JOSE, Calif. (KRON) Tesla CEO Elon Musk responded to KRON4 News story after his company allegedly backed-out on an order for 4,000 mini pies baked by a local San Jose bakery. Reporter Amanda Hari interviewed Voahangy Rasetarinera, owner of The Giving Pies in San Jose. Each pie is carefully assembled by hand in small batches, but the tiny bakery has handled large orders in the past from corporations like Apple and Google. Elon Musk replied to KRON4s news story about a San Jose pie bakery on Feb. 23, 2024. (Image via X) On Valentines Day, the bakery received a last-minute order request from Tesla. The electric car manufacturing company ordered 2,000 pies. Tesla later upped the order to 4,000 pies. Rasetarinera said her staff pulled off baking the giant order. Voahangy Rasetarinera, owner of The Giving Pies, bakes inside her bakery. (KRON4 photo) But after she sent Tesla several invoices, the bakery never received a payment, the bakery owner said. Im a small business. I dont have the luxury of infinite resources so I really need to be paid so I can secure my staff, Rasetarinera said. The bakery owner said a Tesla representative sent her a message saying, Hey, so sorry, I dont think were going to need this order anymore. Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk speaks to the media next to its Model S. (Photo by Nora Tam/South China Morning Post via Getty Images) Rasetarinera said Thursday, If they want to make it right, Im going to give them the opportunity to make it right. On Friday, it appeared that Teslas CEO was stepping into the pie debacle himself. Musk replied to a KRON4 tweet of the story on his social media platform, X, late Friday morning. Musk wrote, Just hearing about this. Will make things good with the bakery. People should always be able to count on Tesla trying its best. KRON4s previous news story on the Tesla pie controversy is below: For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRON4. Jaimar Tuarez is desperate to leave Venezuela to find the treatment she needs for ever-worsening multiple sclerosis symptoms (Pedro Rances Mattey) For Venezuelan Jaimar Tuarez, 22, being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis felt like a death sentence in a country unable to provide the drugs she needs to keep her ever-worsening symptoms at bay. With no means of paying for private treatment or tests, including a spinal tap that costs $800, the psychology student has launched a crowd-funding campaign on GoFundMe that she hopes will allow her to travel abroad in search of medical help. "For many people the only option is to emigrate," Tuarez, who was diagnosed in 2022, told AFP at her apartment in Charallave, a city some 50 kilometers (31 miles) from Caracas. "I have to get out of here..." she said through tears. "What will happen with my next relapse? Will I lose the ability to speak? I am 22 years old... what will happen to all my dreams, my plans?" The plight of Tuarez and an estimated 2,000 other Venezuelans with MS -- a potentially disabling disease of the central nervous system -- underlines the difficulties facing people in need of chronic medication in cash-strapped Venezuela. There is no cure, but drugs can alleviate MS symptoms. According to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IAHCR), Venezuela's IVSS social welfare institute stopped providing prescription MS medication years ago. Venezuela is in the grips of an unprecedented economic crisis, with its once-thriving oil industry all but collapsed and GDP shrinking by 80 percent in eight years of recession until 2022. Millions have fled in search of a better life elsewhere, many seeking a path to the United States. - 'We are adrift - Tuarez has weakened to the point where she can barely stand, forcing her to abandon her psychology studies and quit her job as an online editor that had helped augment the family income. Now Tuarez and her mother, a stroke survivor, both depend on the meager income of her 72-year-old grandmother, who works at a beauty salon in the capital. Andres Marcano, a 53-year-old translator diagnosed with MS two decades ago, told AFP his mobility has drastically deteriorated in the last five years after he stopped receiving state-funded medication. "I find it difficult to speak. I don't walk. I am unable to stand and therefore I move around in a wheelchair," he told AFP via WhatsApp. The situation "is serious, we are adrift," said another MS sufferer, Maria Eugenia Monagas, 57, who pays privately for treatment thanks to the income of her husband and two children, one of them abroad. "Many are disabled, or dead, due to a lack of medicines," she said. The government of President Nicolas Maduro blames the state's failure on US sanctions. But others point to graft allegations against officials from the health ministry and the IVSS in a country with a long history of corruption and mismanagement, according to international observers. - No options - Tuarez said her last relapse left her temporarily unable to speak, walk or eat independently. She was prescribed steroids to ease the symptoms, but could not get any through the IVSS. In the private sector, the medicines she needs cost as much as $30,000 per year. Tuarez said she spent Christmas Eve sending out emails to aid organizations in different countries, seeking help to leave the country with her mother, who needs care and cannot be left behind. So far, she has collected $600 out of her objective of $10,000. Tuarez is overwhelmed at the thought of leaving behind her family, a beloved dog and two cats, but fears her life is in danger if she does not. "I wish there were other options, to make a career and live my life (in Venezuela), but there are none," Tuarez said. mbj/jt/mlr/fb/dw (L-R) Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky, European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen and Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo speak at a joint press conference during a visit to Ukraine on the second anniversary of the start of the conflict with Russia. Benoit Doppagne/Belga/dpa European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has given 50 vehicles to the Ukrainian police and prosecuting authorities as part of events to mark the second anniversary of the Russian invasion. The white all-terrain vehicles would help "to bring security and stability in the territories liberated by the brave Ukrainian Armed Forces, and support the population," she wrote in a post on X, accompanied by a video of her inspecting the vehicles in Kiev. "This delivery comes shortly after the EU provided a modern mine-clearing machine to Ukraine. With this equipment we support Ukraine in making de-occupied land safe again, she said, according to a European Commission statement. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (R) arrives at Railways station in Kiev. Von der Leyen visits Ukraine on the second anniversary of the start of the conflict with Russia. -/European Commission/dpa (L-R) Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky, European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen and Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo arrive to attend a joint press conference during a visit to Ukraine on the second anniversary of the start of the conflict with Russia. Benoit Doppagne/Belga/dpa The European Unions new 50 billion euro ($54 billion) Ukraine Facility will make its first transfer of 4.5 billion euros ($4.9 billion) to Ukraine in March, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Feb. 24. Von der Leyen announced this on the social media platform X after a meeting with Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal in Kyiv. The two also discussed issues with Ukrainian exports at the land border and joint work in the defense industry, according to her post. Von der Leyen arrived in Kyiv on Feb. 24, the two-year anniversary of the launch of Russias full-scale invasion. Also in Kyiv for the anniversary were Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo. All 27 EU members agreed to the creation of the 50 billion euro support package on Feb. 1, following a delay due to opposition from Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. Financial support from the EU has become increasingly vital in Ukraine's fight against Russia, as foreign aid from the United States remains stalled for months in the countrys Congress. The EU has so far delivered 28 billion euros ($30.3 billion) in military assistance to Ukraine, according to von der Leyen. Earlier in the day during a press conference, von der Leyen announced that the EU will open an office for Defense Innovation in Kyiv. The new office will support Ukraine's integration with EU defense programs, as well as allow European countries to learn from Ukrainian battlefield experiences. Read also: Volker: West has made a lot of mistakes in Russia-Ukraine war Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Even in the face of Russias aggression against Georgia in 2008 and Ukraine in 2014, European governments failed to take seriously the possibility that, one day, war on the continent might affect them directly. Since the fall of the Soviet Union, they have blithely redistributed the so-called peace dividend to other areas of spending while slashing their armed forces. The wake-up call came two years ago this weekend when Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine, but it doesnt seem like the alarm was loud enough. Has Europe lost the next world war before it has even begun? Despite Ukraines First and Second World War-style battlefields, which remind us of the continuing need for ground forces on a large scale, the British Government has continued to reduce the size of our army. Not long after the war began, Germany said that it would increase defence spending to achieve the Nato minimum 2 per cent of GDP, but that still hasnt been achieved and the ambition is, in any case, pathetic compared to the scale of the threat. Similar stories abound throughout Europe, with one of the few exceptions being Poland, which is increasing defence spending to 4 per cent of GDP. Then there is Europes atrophied armaments industry. The EU promised a year ago to supply a million artillery shells to Ukraine by next month. It has delivered less than half that number so far. European manufacturers barely have the production capacity to prevent Ukrainian forces from collapsing entirely, let alone permit their own militaries to fight a war. Meanwhile, Russia has massively increased its long range missile and artillery shell output, is churning out 100 tanks a month, and is rapidly increasing defence spending. It has supplemented its own armaments production with an estimated 1 million artillery shells from North Korea and thousands of attack drones from Iran. Even now, some Europeans seem to believe that this does not matter very much, that their complacency will have no practical cost because America will ride to their rescue. Well, that may no longer be such a safe bet. Successive presidents have complained about American taxpayers having to subsidise European under-spending, and none more so than Donald Trump. European leaders need to start making real plans to fight for themselves should Putin decide to flex his muscles in the direction of Nato. But there is perhaps an even greater threat to European defence dependency than a disgruntled US president. That is China. If President Xi Jinping launches an invasion, or even a blockade, against Taiwan, the US military would likely become heavily committed in supporting its ally. There is every reason to believe that would be the moment for Putin to make a move against an Eastern European Nato member state, calculating that America would be overstretched and unable to deploy rapid reinforcements even if it wanted to. Then add Iran into the equation. Tehran is on the cusp of gaining nuclear capability and has an extensive network of terrorist proxies around the Middle East that have been threatening the US and its allies for years. We have already seen how Iran is able to coordinate its proxies to tie down American forces. A single day of attacks on Israel by Irans proxy Hamas, together with rocket firing from Lebanon by Hezbollah, another proxy, was enough for the US to deploy two carrier strike groups to the region as a deterrent. A third Iranian proxy group, the Houthis in Yemen, then began a campaign of attacks against international shipping in the Red Sea. This aggression has tied up immense US naval and air assets. China, Russia and Iran form a deadly axis that, if acting in concert, could present the US and its allies with a terrible dilemma. Should that happen during the coming few years, European countries may have no choice but to stand on their own feet or go under. But would Western European countries send their young men and women to fight and die to defend an Eastern European Nato member, even if they managed to build the combat power to do so? When Joe Biden decided to pull US forces out of Afghanistan in 2021, the then British defence secretary Ben Wallace said that he tried to create a coalition from the other Nato members deployed there to remain in place. There were no takers. And despite immense damage to European and global trade from the Houthi attacks in the Red Sea, only one European nation, Britain, has been willing to join the US in offensive action to stop it. Over many years, European countries have become too accustomed to a comfortable life. Values like pride in the nation have been allowed to wither, and I fear that a great many people would no longer be willing to make any sacrifices whatsoever in order to protect our freedom and way of life. Our societies also lack endurance: witness how quickly some European countries wanted to find an off-ramp for Putin, rather than throwing themselves wholeheartedly into supporting Ukraine. Most of them would like nothing better now than for the war to end, even knowing that this would mean a defeat not just for Ukraine but also for Nato. And after Hamass massacre last October, it didnt take long for European governments to start demanding a ceasefire from Israel before it eliminates the threat to its citizens. Compromise and vacillation is the only language Europe seems to understand. History shows us that serves only to provoke opponents like Russia, China and Iran who have no compunction about exploiting such weaknesses. Colonel Richard Kemp is a former infantry commander Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban announced that he is supporting Sweden's bid to join the NATO military alliance, ending long-running tensions over whether or not his country would approve the Nordic nation's accession. The remarks were made after a meeting with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson that was held in Budapest on Friday. He noted that his country's Parliament would meet on Monday to move forward on ratifying Stockholm into the military alliance. This would pave the way for Sweden to finally become a NATO member. Viktor Orban Approves Sweden's NATO Bid The agreement that was reached on Friday also includes improved defense cooperation between the two countries. Orban's office also announced a plan to purchase four Gripen fighter-bomber aircraft that are manufactured in Sweden. Furthermore, there will be an extended contract for logistical services and training related to the aircraft. In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Orban said that they were opening a new phase of cooperation between Hungary and Sweden. During a Friday press conference, Kristersson said that his country was prepared to strengthen defense cooperation with Budapest and expressed his gratitude to Orban for the meeting and the agreements, as per The Hill. Orban said that Hungary did not change its mind on Sweden's NATO bid but had sought to rebuild trust with the Nordic nation. The Hungarian prime minister said that being a member of a military alliance together with another nation means that they are ready to die for each other. He also insisted that the inclusion of Sweden into NATO was "not a business deal." Stockholm first applied to become a member of the military alliance along with Finland in Spring 2022, which came shortly after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. While Helsinki's efforts were ratified more quickly, Stockholm has faced opposition from Turkey and Hungary. Hungary's decision to approve Sweden's bid comes after Turkey was the first to move forward with the situation last month after securing a commitment from the U.S. to provide Ankara with F-16 fighter jets. Read Also: Netanyahu Releases Post-War Plans for Gaza But Still Says No on Two-State Solution New Military Agreement Budapest had stalled Sweden's NATO bid for nearly two years, which puzzled and exasperated the U.S. and other members of the military alliance. Orban and other Hungarian officials have given differing reasons for the blocking of Stockholm's NATO membership, according to the New York Times. Orban spent many months complaining that Sweden did not show sufficient respect for his country. But on Friday, the Hungarian prime minister praised it as a trusted partner. He noted that it had taken many Hungarian refugees after Soviet troops crushed an anti-communist uprising in Budapest in 1956. The Swedish-made Gripen warplanes, which are provided under a lease agreement, form the backbone of the Hungarian Air Force. Media outlets reported in the past few days that the prime minister was pushing for a better deal on the aircraft as part of his negotiations over Sweden's NATO membership. Orban is considered to be the European Union leader who is closest to Russian President Vladimir Putin. He initially indicated that he had not opposed Sweden's bid to join the NATO military alliance but later made efforts to delay ratification. A Hungarian Member of the European Parliament said that this was simply another favor to Putin, said CNN. Related Article: Biden Administration Struggling to Contain Houthi Attacks, According to Report German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has called for Germany and Europe to make a bigger effort when it comes to defence, in a statement to mark two years since the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine. "Russia is not only attacking Ukraine, it is also destroying peace in Europe," Scholz said. Ukraine would be supported in its self-defence "for as long as necessary," he said. "And we, Germany and Europe, are doing more - and must do even more - so that we can defend ourselves effectively." NATO, he argued, was the best guarantee of defence "on both sides of the Atlantic." Scholz pointed to increased investment in the German army as a sign that it was fulfilling its commitments to NATO. This year, Germany is investing 2% of its total economic output into the military for the first time in decades, Scholz said, alluding to a long-held NATO target. "And this will remain the case in the coming years and decades," he promised. "Constant" production of ammunition - currently a topic of much debate in Europe - was a key element of defence, he said, and European countries should pool their orders. Conservative leader Friedrich Merz - one of the most likely candidates to challenge Scholz for the chancellorship at the next elections - has called on the German government to provide Ukraine with all the weapons it needs to fight back against Russia. In an interview with dpa, the leader of the opposition Christian Democrats said that German promises to help Ukraine for as long as necessary, were not enough. "This is the wording I would like to hear: We are helping Ukraine with all the means at our disposal so that we really do see an end to this terrible war soon." According to one of Germany's leading military academics, Carlo Masala, the fighting in Ukraine will not come to end this year. "I don't see an end to this war in 2024, there is nothing that could give us hope," the political scientist told the Augsburger Allgemeine newspaper on Saturday. "Ukraine will not find peace because Russia still believes it can win this war," said the professor at the University of the Federal Armed Forces in Munich. Time is increasingly playing into the hands of Russian President Vladimir Putin, he said. Meanwhile the Ukrainian ambassador, Oleksii Makeiev, sharply criticized the left-wing politician Sahra Wagenknecht and the far-right AfD party for their rejection of arms deliveries to his country. In an article in the Neue Osnabrucker Zeitung newspaper on Saturday Makeiev said that it was "criminal to adopt Russian propaganda or to claim that you don't need weapons to defend yourself. This loser philosophy is absolutely irresponsible in view of the current situation." Wagenknecht, founder of the new BSW party has repeatedly attacked the German government for spending on armaments and aid for Ukraine. The AfD has described arms deliveries as "unnecessary expenditure." Makeiev rejected calls from German politicians for negotiations with Russia, and pointed out the long-term consequences of the war for the whole of Europe. "The scale of this catastrophe will affect the lives of the next generations of Ukrainians and Europeans." The anniversary was also marked by other groups in Germany on Saturday. Greenpeace activists projected the demand "Stop the killing" onto the Russian embassy in Berlin. "Russia must stop the killing in Ukraine and withdraw," said Alexander Lurz, disarmament expert at Greenpeace. The activists are also calling for the international community and the German government to step up their diplomatic efforts to end the war. Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, has arrived in Kyiv on the second anniversary of the start of the full-scale war. Source: Ursula von der Leyen on Twitter (X) Details: "In Kyiv to mark the anniversary of the 2nd year of Russias war on Ukraine. And to celebrate the extraordinary resistance of the Ukrainian people. More than ever, we stand firmly by Ukraine. Financially, economically, militarily, morally. Until the country is finally free," von der Leyen wrote. Background: On Friday, media outlets cited their sources as saying that Ursula von der Leyen was planning to travel to Kyiv together with the Prime Minister of Belgium, which currently holds the EU Council presidency. This week, it was officially confirmed that Ursula von der Leyen was elected as the sole candidate from her political group, so if the European People's Party wins the European Parliament elections, she will be leading the European Commission again. Support UP or become our patron! The President of the European Council, Charles Michel, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Mecola, have issued a joint statement in support of the Ukrainian people on the second anniversary of Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Read also: Zelenskyy joins Danish PM at Lvivs Mars Field cemetery to honor fallen Ukrainian military The statement was published on the official website of the European Commission on Feb. 24. Today marks a tragic anniversary: that of Russias full-scale war of aggression against Ukraine in manifest violation of international law and the UN Charter. Two years of violence, brutality, terror and destruction. We shall never forget the initial shock of the attack, the horror of the events in Borodianka, Bucha, Mariupol, the statement read. Yet, in spite of all the continuing atrocities and suffering inflicted upon it across the country, Ukraine is standing firm. The heroic Ukrainian people are demonstrating fortitude and determination in defending their homeland and fighting for their freedom and our shared European values. The European Union will always support Ukraines independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders. The illegal annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol 10 years ago marks the beginning of Russias sustained aggression against Ukraine. Read also: Ukraines Commander-in-Chief lauds defenders, vows fierce response against Russian aggression Russia and its leadership bear sole responsibility for this war and its global consequences, as well as for the serious crimes committed. We remain determined to hold them to account, including for the crime of aggression. Every day, Ukraine is facing the constant brutal and indiscriminate attacks of its aggressor. More than ever, we remain united and true to our promise to support Ukraine for as long as it takes. For the people of Ukraine, for peace and security in Europe and for the rules-based international order to prevail. The European Union will continue its strong and unwavering political, military, financial, economic, diplomatic and humanitarian support to help Ukraine defend itself, protect its people, its cities and its critical infrastructure, restore its territorial integrity, bring back the thousands of deported children, and bring the war to an end. The European Union has decided to open accession negotiations with Ukraine and will help it on its path towards EU membership. The future of Ukraine lies in the European Union. The European Union will continue to provide Ukraine with regular and predictable financial support. The 50-billion-euro financial assistance package for 2024-2027 will help Ukraine meet its immediate needs, rebuild its economy and society, modernize its institutions and consolidate democracy and the rule of law. We will continue to address Ukraines pressing military and defense needs, including deliveries of urgently needed ammunition and missiles. We have taken unprecedented actions at the EU level to ramp up European defense industry production, and we will continue to increase the capacity, which will allow us to step up our military support and cooperation with Ukraine while simultaneously strengthening our defense readiness and European sovereignty. We are also working on future security commitments which will help Ukraine defend itself, resist destabilization efforts and deter acts of aggression in the future. Read also: G7 reassure Kyiv and call on Moscow to completely and unconditionally withdraw its military forces Russia and its leaders will pay a growing price for their actions. Together with partners, we have imposed unprecedented sanctions against Russia and those complicit in the war and remain ready to increase the pressure on Russia to limit its ability to wage war. We have also taken the first concrete steps towards directing extraordinary revenues stemming from Russian immobilized assets to support Ukraine. We will continue our targeted actions to further isolate Russia in international fora. We support Ukraines Peace Formula for a just, comprehensive and lasting peace based on the principles of the UN Charter and international law as well as all efforts towards a Global Peace Summit with the widest possible international support. Today, our flags will be flying side by side as a symbol of our solidarity, commitment and resolve. Earlier, NV reported that Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and Belgian Prime Minister and current EU Council President Alexander de Kroo, along with EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, arrived in Kyiv on the same train on Feb. 24, the second anniversary of Russias full-scale invasion. 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 European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (R) arrives at Railways station in Kiev. Von der Leyen visits Ukraine on the second anniversary of the start of the conflict with Russia. -/European Commission/dpa European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has arrived in the Ukrainian capital Kiev for a visit to mark the second anniversary of the Russian invasion. The visit was intended "to celebrate the extraordinary resistance of the Ukrainian people," she wrote on the platform X, formerly Twitter, on Saturday morning. "More than ever, we stand firmly by Ukraine. Financially, economically, militarily, morally. Until the country is finally free," von der Leyen wrote. The visit is one of many events inside and outside Ukraine to mark the anniversary. The full-scale invasion of Ukraine ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin was launched in the early hours of February 24, 2022. Russian forces initially advanced on several fronts including marching on the capital Kiev, but then concentrated on occupying ares in the east and south. Russia has since annexed four provinces in the east of Ukraine. Despite massive Western military and financial aid, Moscow still controls almost a fifth of Ukraine's territory, including the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, which was annexed in 2014. The anniversary comes at a crucial time for Ukraine, with Russian troops reporting some progress in the east after a long period of an effective stalement. Ukrainian forces withdrew from the town of Avdiivka a week ago after months of heavy fighting. Meanwhile, a $60 billion US aid package described by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as being "of fundamental importance for our defence" is currently held up in the US Congress. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (C) visits Ukraine on the second anniversary of the start of the conflict with Russia. Christophe Licoppe/European Commission/dpa Former United States President Donald Trump's defense team used phone data subpoenaed from AT&T to claim that there were inaccuracies in Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis' timeline of her alleged affair with special prosecutor Nathan Wade. The claims are the latest development in efforts to prosecute the Republican businessman over his alleged election interference in 2020. While Willis hired Wade to be the lead prosecutor, the latter is accused of having an affair with the district attorney at the time that he was married. Contradicting Fani Willis' Timeline of Events The supposed phone data suggest that Wade occasionally arrived late at night at the DA's home and stayed there until the early mornings. The visits occurred roughly three dozen times between Apr. 1, 2021, and Nov. 30, 2021. A spokesman for the Fulton County district attorney did not immediately respond to requests for comments regarding the development on Friday. On Friday, Trump attorneys Steve Sadow and Jennifer Little filed an eight-page affidavit in Fulton County Superior Court, as per the Daily Beast. The filing allegedly reveals "a minimum of 35 occasions" during those months when Wade's mobile phone was connected to the cell towers nearest Willis' condo in the Atlanta suburb of Hapeville for an extended period. Criminal defense investigator Charles Mittelstadt described in the filing that the figures were "conservative" as he explained that he highlighted the times when the lead prosecutor's phone was "stationary and not in transit." The filing did not include the raw data that Mittelstadt used for his analysis and his conclusions could not be independently verified. Now, Fulton Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee will decide whether or not to admit the phone data analysis into evidence. During a hearing that was held earlier this month, both Wade and Willis testified that their affair did not start until early 2022, which was after Wade's appointment as lead prosecutor in the Trump Georgia election interference case, according to BBC. Read Also: Mariposa County, Manhattan DA Battles Over Extradition of Murder Suspect Dozens of Meetings However, Mittelstadt also argued that the two exchanged more than 2,000 calls and nearly 12,000 phone interactions. These include voice calls and text messages that were allegedly made over the course of 11 months in 2021, which contradicts the district attorney's alleged timeline of events. In one instance, Mittelstadt said that Wade's phone allegedly pinged around Willis' condo at 10:45 p.m. in September 2021 and remained there until about 3:30 a.m. The investigator also said that phone records showed that Wade's device sent a text at 4:20 a.m. that same day after he apparently got back to the area of his own home. Despite the allegations, it was no surprise that Wade and Willis were in contact in 2021, as they are longtime friends. After Willis was appointed district attorney in 2020, she appointed Wade to a hiring committee to screen applicants for jobs in the DA's office. Furthermore, she consulted with Wade on a number of issues, including strategic questions about big cases after taking office in January 2021. The lead prosecutor's advisory role extended into the period that was covered by the cellphone data that was shown by Trump's team. Former Georgia Gov. Roy Barnes recalled that Willis and a team, which included Wade, met with him in October 2021. They had asked if he wanted to take the job that the district attorney eventually gave to Wade, said the New York Times. Related Article: Former NRA Chief Wayne LaPierre Ordered To Pay $4.3 Million for Misusing Agency Funds In September, Chris Tapp recorded an interview with Dateline at his Idaho home. He had served 20 years in prison for a crime he didnt commit, and the interview was the last time he planned on publicly discussing the 1996 murder of his friend Angie Dodge the 18-year-old Idaho woman whom Tapp was wrongfully convicted of killing. Tapp didnt want to be remembered as the man from the Angie Dodge case, he said, but rather as an advocate someone who, after his 2019 exoneration, pushed lawmakers in his state and others to provide fair compensation to people who have been wrongfully convicted. I have to move forward, he said. But what came next was incomprehensible, as a local journalist put it. For more on the case, tune into "True Confession" on "Dateline" at 9 ET/8 CT tonight. Six weeks after the interview, Tapp, 47, died after he was rushed to a hospital from his Resorts World suite in Las Vegas, a spokesperson for Tapps family told Dateline. His death was initially described as an accident, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said, but the Clark County Coroners Office later ruled it a homicide. Authorities have released few details on the incident. No suspects have been publicly identified, and the department has not discussed a possible motive. To George Pahis, who knew Tapp for three decades, the arc of his close friends life was tragic: Hed gone from failing through life as a kid to losing 20 years behind bars. Then, hed been gifted a new life and was living free from worry, Pahis said. Chris life being cut short is the exact opposite of what anyone expected from Chris, Pahis told Dateline. Chris had expectations. Chris had dreams. Chris had ideas of what he was gonna do for the rest of forever. And it was taken from him, Pahis said. Confessing under pressure Tapp was charged with first-degree murder in February 1997, roughly eight months after Dodges body was discovered in her Idaho Falls apartment. She had been raped and nearly decapitated, authorities said. Angie Dodge. (Dateline) Tapp and Dodge were part of a group that often hung out by the Snake River, and he initially told police that he didnt know anything about the crime, interview transcripts show. But after multiple polygraph tests and additional interviews with investigators, Tapp then 20 confessed to participating in the rape and murder and implicated two other River rats, as the group was known, the transcripts show. One of the friends was accused, though the charges were later dismissed, according to an account of Tapps case in the University of Michigans National Registry of Exonerations. A jury convicted Tapp in 1998, and he was sentenced to 40 years in prison. In 2012, Tapp told Dateline that when he offered his false confession, hed only been trying to appease police and tell them what he believed they wanted to hear. By then, the Idaho Innocence Project had taken up his case, and Dodges mother had come to believe the man who had been convicted of killing her daughter was likely innocent. When Carol Dodge watched videos of Tapps interrogation, there were times when I wanted to put my fist through the TV, she told Dateline. When Tapp appeared to know little about Dodges apartment, for instance, she was stunned to see investigators show him crime scene images. Steve Drizin, a clinical professor of law at Northwestern University and co-director of the Center on Wrongful Convictions, reviewed videos of the confession at Carol Dodges request and told Dateline it was the worst example of police contamination and fact-feeding that hed ever seen. In an interview with Dateline, the investigators denied feeding Tapp details of the crime. But in 2017, after Tapps lawyer alleged that his client had been coerced, the prosecutors office reached an agreement to vacate Tapps rape conviction and reduce the sentence in his murder conviction to time served, according to the registry. A DNA match Tapp was still guilty of murder, according to the terms of the agreement, but the deal meant he could be released from prison. That was one of the hardest decisions of my life, to continue to have to say I was convicted of a first-degree murder I know I didnt do, Tapp told Dateline. But I had to move on with my life. And that was the only opportunity I had so I took it with the best ability that I had. ex-con exonerated (Taylor Carpenter / The Idaho Post-Register via AP file) By 2019, the rest of Tapps conviction had been erased. DNA found on Dodges body linked another suspect to the killing and a witness who had said shed heard Tapp admit to the crime recanted her testimony, saying authorities had pressured her to lie. (Authorities denied the witness allegation, which was included in a federal lawsuit Tapp later filed against the city of Idaho Falls.) On May 15, 2019, a man whod been a neighbor of Angie Dodge, Brian Dripps, was arrested and charged in the murder. He later pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 20 years to life in prison. Two months after Dripps arrest, a judge declared Tapp innocent of all charges and exonerated. I dont think any of us can really put ourselves in your place, the judge told the courtroom. But Im just glad that that can be corrected at this time. Starting fresh Tapp described his experience after prison as overwhelming. Seeing the courthouse filled with supporters, getting a cellphone, choosing which underwear to buy he wasnt used to any of it. The first time he went shopping, Tapp said, I had to run out of the store cause I couldnt handle it all. Still, he started settling into a new life. He started working at a bag-making factory, bought a home, got married and saw old friends. He lobbied Idahos governor to sign a bill providing compensation to the wrongfully convicted, and in 2021 that bill became law, providing $62,000 for each year a person was incarcerated and $75,000 annually for people who had been on death row. For Tapp, that meant $1.2 million a sum he said was greatly appreciated and needed. This advocacy became a mission for Tapp after his release, his lawyer, John Thomas, told Dateline. Tapp traveled the country, Thomas said, speaking at legal seminars and working with legislators. In Oregon, he pushed lawmakers to pass a similar compensation bill to Idahos. In 2022, Oregons governor signed it into law. Tapp had also filed the federal lawsuit against Idaho Falls and its police department alleging egregious misconduct, and in 2022 the city settled, approving a settlement of $11.7 million. The mayor issued a formal apology for the harm and damages done to Tapp. Tragedy strikes The following year, Tapps marriage ended in tragedy. In August, as the couple was divorcing, his wife died in a car crash while driving a Corvette hed recently bought her with settlement money, he said. The tragedy was compounded when, two months later, Tapp visited Las Vegas for a car show. His lawyer said he learned from Tapps mother that hed been hospitalized and was in a coma after tripping, falling and hitting his head on a coffee table in his hotel suite. It was devastating to hear that because it seemed so mundane, Thomas said. About two months later, Las Vegas police said medical personnel had found Tapp on Oct. 29 suffering injuries that were the result of a purported accident. But homicide detectives learned that prior to Tapps death, hed been in a fight inside a hotel room. The coroners office ruled that he died as a result of blunt force trauma to the head, the department said. A department spokesperson said no additional details about Tapps death were available. Thomas, who said hes acting as a liaison between Las Vegas police and Tapps mother, said hes aware of an ongoing investigation into Tapps death but he hasnt reviewed the autopsy and he declined to comment further. To Nate Eaton, news director of the East Idaho News who has covered Tapps case for years, the development was unimaginable. I dont know if theres a way to make sense of any of this, he told Dateline. Its just so incomprehensible. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com (DENVER) The 2024 Presidential Primary Election takes place on Tuesday, March 5, and according to the Colorado Secretary of States office, County Clerks have sent mail ballots to eligible voters. As there have been several changes to the status of different candidates in the past few months, Secretary of State Jena Griswold wants to let voters know what to expect on their ballots. Election Day is coming up and its important for voters to stay engaged in our democratic process, said Secretary Griswold. Always use trusted sources and reach out to my office or local county clerks with questions about the election. Colorado voters registered with a major party will receive a single ballot for the party they are associated with. All unaffiliated voters will receive one ballot for each party, but may only return one. Voters affiliated with a minor party will not receive a 2024 Presidential Primary ballot. Why are some Colorado voters receiving two ballots? Though several candidates have publicly suspended their campaigns since the ballot was certified on Jan. 5, at the time of this publication, no candidates have filed paperwork with the Secretary of States Office to formally withdraw their names from the ballot. Votes for these candidates will be counted unless withdrawal paperwork is filed with the Colorado Department of State. The Colorado Democratic Party submitted a request for a Noncommitted Delegate to appear on the 2024 Presidential Primary Ballot under the provisions of Colorado Revised Statutes 1-4-1204(3). According to the statute, a vote for the Noncommitted Delegate provides a place on the primary ballot for electors who have no presidential candidate preference to register a vote to send a noncommitted delegate to the political partys national convention. Political parties determine the rules of delegate assignment. For those wondering whether Donald Trump will appear on the ballot, Donald J. Trump v. Norma Anderson, et. al., which concerns whether he is eligible to appear on the ballot, has not yet been decided by the United States Supreme Court. According to the Colorado Secretary of States office, if there is no decision by the U.S. Supreme Court by the time primary election results start to be reported on Election Day, votes for Trump will count and be reported. If the U.S. Supreme Court rules in favor of Trump ahead of Election Day, votes for the former president will be counted. If the U.S. Supreme Court rules against Trump ahead of election results reporting, votes for the former president will not be counted. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX21 News Colorado. The moment of an explosion in Russias Lipetsk. Screenshot Explosions occurred at a metallurgical plant in Lipetsk, Russia, on the night of 23-24 February, and a large-scale fire broke out. Source: Mash and Astra, Russian Telegram channels; Igor Artamonov, the governor of Russias Lipetsk Oblast Details: As stated on Telegram channels, a large fire broke out at the Novolipetsk Metallurgical Plant in Lipetsk. According to eyewitnesses, several explosions were heard over the city beforehand. Judging by the footage, the fire is burning right on the plants premises. Shortly before that, locals heard the sounds of drones. It is noted that "they could have been targeted by air defence systems". However, there is no official confirmation yet. Mash added that "Novolipetsk Metallurgical Plant produces polymer-coated steel. Including for the state." Update: Later, Artamonov said that "there was a fire in one of Novolipetsk Metallurgical Plants workshops. The fire was extinguished and no one was injured. There is no threat of dangerous substances being leaked or emitted." Quote from Artamonov: "According to unconfirmed information from the security services, the fire was caused by a UAV crash. This information and videos posted on social media are being checked." This article has been updated since publication. Support UP or become our patron! PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) The superintendent of the Tigard-Tualatin School District has announced her retirement in response to recent concerns from teachers and parents. Superintendent Dr. Sue Rieke-Smith sent out a letter Friday stating her intention to leave her position at the end of the 2023-2024 school term after a 25-year career in education. Her last day will be June 30. This was an extremely difficult decision and one that I gave considerable thought to, her letter reads. After consulting with family and trusted peers, I feel confident this is the right decision and the right time for me to begin the next chapter in my life. New details released in deadly Clark County deputy shooting The announcement follows months of turbulence between families and leaders under Dr. Rieke-Smiths leadership as the district continues to struggle with behavioral issues and tardiness things teachers say are becoming commonplace in the classroom. Last December, one teacher took those concerns directly to the school board, saying, We arent teaching discipline, period. Would any of you who have children allow your child to act in those ways? These concerns boiled over after a video of a violent student attack at Hazelbrook Middle School went viral in September and resulted in threats to the school. Vancouver Fire responds to high-rise apartment blaze In response, the district approved a new policy to address community concerns about physical aggression and violence in schools, including possible disciplinary action if that violence is recorded and posted online in a way that could disrupt class. But some parents and teachers said it wasnt enough. There are no consequences for these kids. They are running the schools, one teacher anonymously told KOIN 6. The physical violence is not that common. Its the vaping; its the cussing; its the skipping classes; its the bullying; its the cyberbullying. Its all of that stuff thats most of the issue. Woman faces attempted murder charge after allegedly shooting man in face Before the new policy was adopted, an anonymous online petition asked for her resignation, accusing her of not doing enough to help students and teachers. I am and will always be a fierce advocate for public education, fighting for the very values that TTSD represents and making our system unique among our peers, Dr. Rieke-Smith said in her letter. My thanks to you for allowing me to serve TTSD, our children, and this community. The experiences we have shared and the challenges we have faced have left an indelible impression on me. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOIN.com. A 28-year-old Bellingham man has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for trying to entice a minor and having images of child sexual abuse. Clayton Harker was arrested back in December of 2022, when he went to a Bellingham hotel expecting to sexually assault an 8-year-old girl, according to U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman. The girl was an undercover Homeland Security Investigation agent. The court finds these cases extremely troubling, said Judge Richard Jones at Fridays sentencing hearing. Fictitious individual or not, you had a clear thought in your mind to act on your desires. Law enforcement began investigating Harker while looking into a different Snapchat user, according to records in the case. In November of 2022, Harker began talking with an undercover agent who claimed to have an 8-year-old niece Harker could molest. During the sentencing, Assistant United States Attorney Matthew Hampton noted that Harker regularly asked for sexually explicit imagery of minors over the internet. Hampton says Harker would even use threats and extortion when necessary. Simply put, Harker has cut a swath of destruction across the lives of vulnerable minors whose only mistake was to cross paths with a predator, said Hampton. The threat he poses is real. And neutralizing that threat will require incapacitation through lengthy confinement followed by close supervision for the remainder of Harkers life. Harker will now be on 15 years of supervised release following prison and will be forced to register as a sex offender. Claim: Medieval Italian man Bartelomeo Colleoni's last name meant "balls" in Italian and his coat of arms featured testicle-inspired symbols. Rating: Rating: Mostly True Context: Bartelomeo Colleoni was a well known Italian military captain in the 15th century. Although "Colleoni" doesn't directly translate to "balls" in English, an Italian homophone (soundalike word) matching his name "Coglioni" appeared in some documents and does mean "testicles" in Italian. Moreover, Colleoni's coat of arms did, in fact, feature three pairs of abstractly rendered testicles. On Feb. 17, 2024, a post went viral on X (formerly Twitter) about a medieval Italian man named Bartolomeo Colleoni, whose last name, translated into English, allegedly means "balls," and whose coat of arms featured three pairs of testicles. The post by @WeirdMedieval had, as of this writing, more than 2 million views. just found out there was a medieval italian guy called bartolomeo colleoni which means "bartholomew balls" and his coat of arms was three pairs of balls and his war cry was "coglia! coglia! coglia!" which means "balls! balls! balls!" pic.twitter.com/4UPwrcuZyI weird medieval guys BOOK OUT NOW !! (@WeirdMedieval) February 17, 2024 A Reddit post with the same image, allegedly showing Colleoni's coat of arms, read: The shield of Bartolomeo Colleoni, a medieval mercenary commander in North Italy. It represent three pairs of testicles vulgarly called coglioni (Colleoni), transformed over the centuries into overturned hearts. In short, Bartelomeo Colleoni was a military captain in the 15th century. Although his surname does not translate to "balls," an alternative spelling "Coglioni" was used in some documents and does mean "balls" in Italian. Moreover, Colleoni's coat of arms did, in fact, feature an illustration of three pairs of testicles. Therefore, we have rated this claim as "Mostly True." First of all, Bartolomeo Colleoni is an authentic historic figure, most likely born in 1400, who was one of the most renowned Italian mercenary leaders of the 15th century. Encyclopedia Britannica describes him as an "Italian condottiere, at various times in Venetian and Milanese service and from 1454 general in chief of the Venetian republic for life, who is most important as a pioneer of field artillery tactics." Although the surname Colleoni does not mean "balls," another version of his name that was used to refer to him in some documents Coglioni does actually mean "balls" in Italian. In modern Italian, "coglioni" is used colloquially in phrases such as "rompere i coglioni," which is a vulgar way of saying "to give somebody a hard time." Massimo Predonzani, a researcher who specializes in military heraldry during the Renaissance, explained on his website that the military captain is always referred to by modern historians by the surname Colleoni, but in 15th-century documents that refer to him or his family he appears as Coglioni. Moreover, Predonzani wrote that the word "colleoni" derives from the Latin word "coleus," which means testicle (translation ours): The scholar Antonio Cornazzano, who lived at Bartolomeo's court in Malpaga and wrote his biography in Latin, calls him Bartholomeus Coleus; that is, testicle. The same form was used by Guglielmo Pagello in his funeral oration at the death of the condottiero. Finally, Predonzani wrote that it's true that Colleoni's coat of arms depicted three pairs of testicles. The Accademia Carrara Bergamo Museum shared a photograph on Facebook of the Colleoni family coat of arms on the gate of the Cappella Colleoni in Bergamo, Italy, with a caption claiming that "touching it brings good luck." (Accademia Carrara Bergamo Facebook Page) A post shared by Studio Araldico Genealogico Italiano, an organization that performs genealogical research, said that, according to some authors, Bartolomeo Colleoni suffered from a condition known as polyorchidism the presence of an extra testicle. However, it underscored that the claim is just part of his legend, as the family's coat of arms was used long before his birth. The Bartolomeo Colleoni Monument in Venice is considered one of the best-known works of Florentine artist Andrea del Verrocchio, a teacher of Leonardo da Vinci. (Getty Images) Sources: Bartolomeo Coglioni storia e araldica | Stemmi e Imprese. https://stemmieimprese.it/2018/04/05/bartolomeo-coglioni-storia-e-araldica/. Accessed 20 Feb. 2024. "Bartolomeo Colleoni Monument." World Monuments Fund, https://www.wmf.org/project/bartolomeo-colleoni-monument. Accessed 20 Feb. 2024. "COLLEONI, Bartolomeo - Treccani." Treccani, https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/bartolomeo-colleoni_(Dizionario-Biografico)/, https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/bartolomeo-colleoni_(Dizionario-Biografico)/. Accessed 20 Feb. 2024. Condottiere | Italian Mercenary History & Tactics | Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/condottiere. Accessed 20 Feb. 2024. FILE PHOTO: President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden Exit Marine One at the White House After A Weekend in Delaware FILE PHOTO: President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden Exit Marine One at the White House After A Weekend in Delaware By Jason Lange and Alexandra Ulmer WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Immigration ranked as the No. 1 issue for voters in South Carolina's Republican presidential primary on Saturday, according to an exit poll conducted by Edison Research. The poll gathered responses from 2,126 voters in the Republican contest. * 37% of voters said immigration mattered most when deciding how they would vote in the contest, compared with 33% who said the economy mattered most. 10% cited abortion policy and 13% said foreign policy. * South Carolina has one of America's smallest immigrant populations. Just 5% of residents were born abroad, compared with 14% nationwide, according to U.S. Census estimates. * Whites who consider themselves evangelical or born-again Christians made up 60% of voters, compared with 39% in the 2016 primary. * 62% of voters on Saturday do not think Joe Biden legitimately won the 2020 presidential election, while the same share said that if former President Donald Trump were convicted of a crime, he would still be fit for the presidency. * 35% said Trump would not be fit for the office if convicted. * 43% of voters had a college degree, compared with 54% in the party's 2016 primary. * 22% consider themselves moderate or liberal, compared with 19% in the party's 2016 primary. * 83% said the condition of the U.S. economy is not so good or poor, while 16% say it is excellent or good. * 4% of voters usually think of themselves as Democrats, compared with 2% in the party's 2016 primary. * 8% said they decided who to vote for in the last week. (Reporting by Jason Lange in Washington and Alexandra Ulmer in Columbia, South Carolina; editing by Ross Colvin and Jonathan Oatis) Cleveland Browns owners Dee, left, and Jimmy Haslam are some of the richest people with ties to Ohio. Three families with ties to Kentucky and Ohio have landed on the latest Forbes report naming the richest families in the nation. This year, Forbes introduced the first ranking of the nation's families who are worth $10 billion or more; 45 families made the list. Together, they're worth a combined $1.3 trillion, according to Forbes. Just 36 families were worth $10 billion or more in 2020, the last time Forbes counted the fortunes of America's richest families. Here are the families from Kentucky and neighboring states that are among the richest families in the country, according to Forbes: Bottles of Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey line the shelves of a liquor outlet in Montpelier, Vermont. No. 24: Brownfamily Net worth: $16.5 billion Hometown: Louisville, Kentucky The Brown-Forman Corporation, founded in Louisville, Kentucky, by George Garvin Brown in 1870, is best known for its whiskey. Its brands include Jack Daniel's, Old Forester and Woodford Reserve. The company also owns Scotch whisky brands Glenglassaugh, GlenDronach and Benriach, Irish whiskey imprint Slane, Tequila Herradura, Fords Gin and Diplomatico Rum, which it bought in January 2023 for $725 million. The Brown family owns an estimated 50% of the publicly traded firm, which also houses wine and liqueur brands. Campbell Brown, a great-great-grandson of the founder, is chairman. Three other Browns are board members. No. 31: Haslam family Net worth: $14.4 billion Hometown: Knoxville, Tennessee Brothers Jimmy and Bill Haslam sold their remaining 20% stake in roadside truck stop company Pilot Flying J, founded by their father in 1958, to Berkshire Hathaway in January. The deal marked the end of a legal dispute in which each party accused the other of manipulating the company's accounting to get a better price. The family sold 39% of Pilot to Berkshire in 2017 for $2.8 billion, and 41% in January 2023 for $8.2 billion. Jimmy and his wife, Dee, maintain close ties to Ohio as owners of the NFL's Cleveland Browns. No. 37: Farmer family Net worth: $12.5 billion Hometown: Cincinnati During the Great Depression, out-of-work circus performers Doc and Amelia Farmer collected rags, cleaned them up and resold them. From that beginning, their grandson Dick Farmer turned the business into the uniform rentals and commercial company known as Cintas, which he ran as CEO and then chairman for nearly 40 years. The company is a leader in facility services, uniform supply, first aid and safety, and corporate training and compliance. Dick Farmer's son, Scott, is now chairman of the $8.8 billion (2023 fiscal revenue) firm, which has more than 1 million customers and supplies uniforms for everyone from casino pit bosses to swimming pool attendants and provides cleaning services and supplies for restrooms and more. The family has pledged at least $70 million to Scott and Dick's alma mater, Miami University in Ohio, whose Farmer School of Business opened in 2009. This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: The richest Kentucky, Ohio families in the US according to Forbes Christopher Tucker (left) on the set of The Company of Wolves The family of a celebrated film make-up artist has urged the coroner to investigate his death amid concerns over his treatment by a physician associate (PA). Christopher Tucker died aged 81 from sepsis caused by a bladder infection on Dec 14, 2022. A PA at the Royal Berkshire Hospital had performed a cystoscopy, an invasive bladder procedure, on him less than 48 hours before his death, despite signs of infection. The PA afterwards failed to document the need for antibiotics or to request them from the ward doctor. Mr Tuckers prosthetics on The Elephant Man had inspired the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to create a make-up Oscar. Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trusts internal investigation found that the PA was not responsible for any errors, and that even if a urology doctor had been available, it was unlikely Mr Tuckers treatment would have changed. But eight senior doctors who examined the report told The Telegraph they disagreed. Baroness Brinton says she intends to raise the extremely worrying details of Christopher Tuckers case - Getty/Finnbarr Webster Four urology specialists said they would have rescheduled Mr Tuckers procedure due to his high risk of life-threatening sepsis. There are also concerns about the reports objectivity, given the name of the physician associate on the review team matches the initials of the PA who gave medical notes to the probe. His brother Lynton Tucker said: Christopher would have wanted this investigated, and would have been very troubled by it. [He] was an artist who was demanding of himself and consequently had trenchant and forthright views. He had a passion for ensuring that the right thing was done. On Monday, peers will vote on a motion that could derail the governments plan for the doctors regulator, the General Medical Council, to licence this workforce. Baroness Brinton, the former Lib Dem health spokesman, said she intended to raise the extremely worrying details of Christopher Tuckers case at the debate, as they provide yet more evidence why the governments proposals risk undermining patient safety. It is understood that the associate who co-authored the review, and has since left the trust, has not denied performing Mr Tuckers cystoscopy. The hospital did not dispute this apparent breach of NHS protocol, which specifies that inquiries are not led by staff who were involved in the patient safety incident itself or by their managers. A trust spokesman said there had been a full investigation into Mr Tuckers case, and learnings have been shared across the organisation. Shocking prevarication But his niece Catherine Tucker, a professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said it contained a shocking amount of prevarication, extraneous information, a lack of transparency, a lack of plain language and then the thing that really killed him was missed out of the report. The bladder procedure, she explained, was not presented as something that maybe should have been a decision point. However, Jude Dockray, consultant urological surgeon, said it was critical as, in a patient with recent urosepsis, who demonstrates both deteriorating observations and biochemical markers of infection, the risk of life-threatening sepsis is significantly increased. She added: Personally, given the information provided, in this case I would not have gone ahead and I would have postponed the procedure until the patient had recovered. Having previously declared him fit for discharge, on Dec 12, the day of his cystoscopy appointment, staff noted Mr Tuckers rapid, shallow breathing and worsening bloods. The last entry on his notes before the procedure recorded elevated infection markers. Eight senior doctors disputed the trusts finding that these would not have given cause for concern for the PA to seek further review. Stringent supervision Prof Partha Kar, consultant endocrinologist, said: There does not appear to have been a discussion of the risks versus the benefits of this invasive procedure, and this is important when we consider what happened next. Last month, Dr Janet Lippett, the trusts CMO, told BBC Radio 4 that senior doctors are always available for [PAs] to discuss cases and a hospital spokesman reiterated this stringent supervision. But Dr Matt Kneale, co-chair of Doctors Association UK, who debated Dr Lippett on the programme, said the fact the trusts own report questions whether having a urology doctor available could have changed the outcome makes it difficult to argue that this PA was constantly supervised. He added: Mr Tuckers case tragically demonstrates the problem with putting PAs in roles traditionally held by doctors. But the scenario is not unique. Doctors nationwide tell us PAs are performing complex procedures and running outpatient clinics independently. Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust said: We send our deep condolences to Mr Tuckers family and our clinical leadership team would be pleased to meet with them if they wish to discuss the case in detail. It added that PAs have a very clear code of practice and rigorous governance and are subject to thorough competency-based assessments to monitor safety and work standards. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. WASHINGTON - The owners of the puppy that died after being kicked by a District Dogs employee are still grieving their loss. In a statement to FOX 5, Christina and Andrew said their beloved puppy Bronny was killed while boarded at the District Dogs Navy Yard location last Friday. "Bronny brought immeasurable joy to our lives and to the lives of all he touched, and the void left by his absence is profound," the family said. "We dont have all of the answers yet, but we appreciate all of the support we have received from the community." "We are still mourning the loss of our sweet boy," they added. Regarding legal action against the company, Christina and Andrew told FOX 5 that they have acquired an attorney, but they didn't expand further. READ MORE: Puppy hit by District Dogs employee dies, company says The police report FOX 5 obtained revealed the now-former District Dogs employee, who has not been charged, called police and told them he was feeding the dog when the dog allegedly got too energetic. The employee said he struck Bronny with his foot, hitting the pup in an "unknown area." Police say Bronny lost consciousness and was taken to a nearby vet but attempts to revive it were unsuccessful. Humane animal rescue law enforcement is taking the lead on the investigation. In a statement released Tuesday, District Dogs said it terminated the employee and is working closely with investigators. "The District Dogs family is heartbroken over the incident and extends its sincere condolences to the family of the dog, and we grieve their loss at this profoundly difficult time," the statement read. In a significant move amidst growing tensions over reproductive rights, former President Donald Trump has declared his firm support for the accessibility of In Vitro Fertilization (IVF), following a controversial ruling by the Alabama Supreme Court. Trump's stance underscores a divisive issue that has ignited a debate within the Republican Party, with implications stretching into the 2024 presidential election. Trump Advocates for IVF Access The Alabama Supreme Court's recent decision, deeming frozen embryos as children under state law, has prompted various IVF providers in the state, including the University of Alabama at Birmingham health system, to suspend IVF services. This ruling has not only reignited discussions on reproductive rights but has also exposed deepening divisions within conservative circles. In response to these developments, Trump took to his Truth Social network, affirming his commitment to supporting American families in a post. "Under my leadership, the Republican Party will always support the creation of strong, thriving, healthy American families," he stated. "We want to make it easier for mothers and fathers to have babies, not harder!" Emphasizing the need to ease the process of starting families, he voiced strong backing for IVF accessibility, urging lawmakers in Alabama to swiftly address the issue and to "act quickly to find an immediate solution" Trump's remarks align with broader sentiments among Republicans, including his primary rival, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley. Both have distanced themselves from the Alabama Supreme Court's ruling, advocating for a reconsideration of the law to preserve IVF access. However, the fallout from the Alabama decision has exposed the complexities of navigating reproductive rights within the GOP, especially amidst the broader backdrop of the US Supreme Court's 2022 ruling overturning Roe v. Wade. Read Also: Major Alabama Health System Puts IVF Treatments on Hold After Supreme Court Rules Frozen Embryos Are Children Impact of Trump's Past Supreme Court Picks on Abortion Rights, IVF Access Just last month, during a Republican debate at Iowa, Trump bragged about his role in overturning the constitutional right to abortion as "a miracle." Trump, during his tenure as president, appointed three justices to the Supreme Court, whose decisions contributed to the overturning of Roe v. Wade. This pivotal move opened the door for state legislators nationwide to enact stringent limitations on abortion access. While some Republicans have emphasized their support for IVF, others have grappled with reconciling their anti-abortion stance with the need to maintain access to fertility treatments. This internal struggle is evident in the reactions of Republican figures like Senator Tommy Tuberville of Alabama, who initially expressed support for IVF but later appeared uncertain about its implications. Meanwhile, Democrats have seized upon the Alabama ruling to underscore their broader criticisms of Republican reproductive policies. President Joe Biden's campaign manager, Julie Chavez Rodriguez, directly linked the loss of IVF access to Trump's judicial appointments and his administration's efforts to curtail reproductive rights. "Alabama families losing access to IVF is a direct result of Donald Trump's Supreme Court justices overturning Roe v. Wade," Rodriguez said in a statement Friday. "Trump cannot run from his record and neither can the millions of women who his actions have hurt." As the debate over IVF access unfolds, Republican lawmakers find themselves at a crossroads, balancing their ideological commitments with the practical implications of restrictive reproductive policies. With the 2024 presidential election looming, the GOP's response to the Alabama ruling is likely to shape its electoral fortunes, as it seeks to navigate a politically charged landscape fraught with competing interests and values. Related Article: Alabama IVF Ruling: Republicans Scramble To Respond Following Restriction of Access to Fertility Treatments A Vero Beach-area couple were captured in surveillance and law enforcement body camera footage hitting, pushing and yelling obscenities at police officers attempting to clear crowds from the U.S. Capitol Rotunda on Jan. 6, 2021, according to charges filed Thursday by federal prosecutors. The arrest of Andrew Joshua Johnson, 39, and Whitney Johnson, 44, by FBI agents was announced in a press release from the U.S. Justice Department on Friday evening. Citing allegations in court documents, federal prosecutors stated both attended former President Donald Trump's "Stop the Steal" rally, marched to the Capitol and entered the Rotunda doors at roughly 2:45 p.m. Images included in a federal criminal complaint charging Andrew Joshua Johnson, 39, and Whitney Johnson, 44, both of Vero Beach, of felony and misdemeanor offenses related to their alleged conduct during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. According to prosecutors: "Their actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the 2020 presidential election." Images included in a federal criminal complaint charging Andrew and Whitney Johnson of Vero Beach with felony and misdemeanor offenses related to the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol. The couple split up as they walked through the Capitol and prosecutors said footage shows Andrew Johnson "confronting a United States Capitol Police Officer on the gallery stairs." At just before 3 p.m., Andrew Johnson allegedly entered an office belonging to then-House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, according to a 16-page Feb. 16 FBI complaint filed with the arrest warrant. He later returned to the Rotunda lobby the same way he had come., the report said. Roughly 30 minutes after entering the building, the release stated, Andrew Johnson was seen in a crowd yelling and shaking his fist at police, and Whitney Johnson was seen against an outer Rotunda wall. More: Vero Beach man describes mayhem in Washington, D.C.: 'A Daytona Nascar race times 10' A confrontation between an officer and a rioter erupted, in which Andrew Johnson was recorded yelling an expletive and calling out "Oathbreaker" while "aggressively positioning" himself close to police as the officers pushed him outside. Around the same time, Whitney was shown in surveillance footage hitting a Metropolitan Police Department officer with an open hand and yelling expletives as officers cleared the building. The two were seen using their cellphones numerous times, the complaint said. Officers eventually removed Andrew Johnson from the building around 3:20 p.m., while Whitney Johnson left on her own minutes earlier, prosecutors said. Whitney Johnson faces both felony and misdemeanor charges, including: This image of Whitney Johnson was included in a federal criminal complaint against the Vero Beach women for her role in the Jan. 6. 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol. Civil disorder Assaulting, resisting or impeding officers Entering or remaining in a restricted building or grounds Disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds Engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds Disorderly or disruptive conduct in the Capitol building or grounds Parading demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building or grounds Andrew Johnson was charged with various misdemeanors including: Entering or remaining in a restricted building or grounds Disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds Entering and remaining in certain rooms in the Capitol building Disorderly or disruptive conduct in the Capitol building or grounds Parading demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building or grounds A circle marks Andrew Joshua Johnson of Vero Beach in the federal complaint. Details, such as the location of their arrest were not mentioned in the release, but county property records show the couple shared ownership of a home in the 100 block of East Forest Trail since at least 2022. The Johnsons were identified as participants from a tipster who contacted the FBI around June 28, according to the FBI complaint. A search warrant served on Google identified the Johnsons' mobile devices and email addresses. Through Google, the FBI was able to track the Johnsons' estimated movements using GPS data, Wi-Fi access points and Bluetooth beacons, the report said. Andrew Johnson wore a "red Trump baseball cap over a white beanie with black strips around the bottom, a black long-sleeved hooded zip-up jacket, a black and white gator-style facemask, black-framed eye glasses and a black backpack with distinctive firearms-related patches," the report said. He carried white zip ties in his hands and a handheld radio on his chest, the report said. Whitney Johnson wore a dark-colored jacket with a hood, a red Trump cap underneath the hood, dark pants and white tennis shoes, along with an American flag scarf wrapped around her neck, the report said. The FBI used public records to identify the Johnsons' Vero Beach address. On Oct. 11, law enforcement which included a lieutenant with the Indian River County Sheriff's Office visited the Johnsons as they were leaving the driveway in a work vehicle for their business, A1A Technologies & Electric. Whitney Johnson, who was in the passenger seat, gave the lieutenant her business card with contact information. Video from the Jan. 6 Capital footage matched the Johnsons' appearance, the report said. Both made appearances Thursday at the federal courthouse in Fort Pierce, court records show. U.S. Magistrate Judge Shaniek Mills Maynard ordered the Johnsons to each post a bond of $250,000. Both stated they would hire their own attorney, but it was unclear Friday if they were being represented by legal counsel. The couple joins what prosecutors said were nearly 470 people charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement and are among 1,313 people to receive charges for the breach of the U.S. Capitol breach in the three years following the January 6, 2021, Trump administration efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election. FBI Miami and Washington field offices led the investigation, with assistance from U.S. Capitol and Metropolitan police. This image in the federal complaint shows Andrew Joshua Johnson of Vero Beach in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda on Jan. 6, 2021. The Justice Department National Security Division's Counterterrorism Section and U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia are prosecuting the case, and were assisted by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida. The Department of Justice release requested anyone with information related to the ongoing investigation to call the FBI at 800-225-5324, or go to tips.fbi.gov. More: Judge tosses charges related to 2012 'pill mill' raids in Operation Pill Street Blues More: An Indian River School Board member resigned Wednesday. On Thursday he tried to rescind it More: Investigation of fatal shooting at Indian River County golf club outlined in report Corey Arwood is a breaking news reporter for TCPalm. Follow @coreyarwood on X, email corey.arwood@tcpalm.com or call 772-978-2246. This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: FBI arrests Vero Beach-area man, woman on charges in Jan. 6 riots WORCESTER Four of the more than 200 criminal defendants state police recorded illegally using a cellphone application during undercover investigations filed a federal class-action lawsuit Friday against Motorola and the state police colonel. Interim State Police Col. John Mawn Jr. The 19-page lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Worcester, alleges Motorola and interim State Police Col. John Mawn Jr. should be held liable for violating the Massachusetts Wiretap Act and constitutional civil rights. Plaintiffs bring this action against MSP and Motorola Solutions to ensure that these acts are never again repeated in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, lawyers for the four men Jason Courtemanche, Juan Rios and Dennis Williams of Fitchburg and Brett Foresman of Gardner wrote. The lawsuit alleges Motorola refused a request from state police to modify a popular police cellphone recording application in light of Massachusetts stringent wiretapping law and that state police intentionally circumvented the strict warrant requirements under Massachusetts law to escape legislative and judicial scrutiny. The suit also alleges that state police had a practice of illegally searching peoples phones in order to further their drug investigations. Spokespeople for state police and Motorola did not immediately respond to a request for comment Saturday. One of several lawyers representing the plaintiffs declined to comment. As the Telegram & Gazette recently reported, a judge in Fitchburg has been asking pointed questions of multiple troopers under oath regarding surreptitious recordings made during a 2022 drug investigation in that city. While pursuing those cases, Worcester County prosecutors discovered an undercover trooper failed to disclose the existence of multiple recordings to them, despite legal obligations to pass along any recorded statements to a defendant. State police, after correspondence from the prosecutors, conducted an audit last June that showed more than 60 troopers failed to turn over recordings in more than 250 cases dating to 2013, with most happening after 2017. The cases spanned courts throughout the state, as well as federal court. In about 180 of the cases, a person had been found guilty or was otherwise held responsible, opening the door to relitigation of those cases and civil lawsuits like the one filed Friday. State police wrote in internal training documents that many of the undisclosed recordings were made outside of legal parameters governing surreptitious audio recordings in Massachusetts. Thats because Massachusetts, unlike most other states, requires both parties to consent to an audio recording and requires police to get warrants to record audio in most circumstances. State troopers have testified in Fitchburg District Court that Motorolas Callyo app, which they began using in place of traditional wires in about 2017, was set by default to record when an officer created their account. According to an audio recording of the hearings, retired Detective Lt. David Crouse testified in Fitchburg District Court in January that he had asked Motorola whether it could set the app to not record by default, with the states wiretap law in mind. Crouse testified he was, for lack of a better term, looking to idiot proof the technology, but pushed back on the suggestion it was a broad legal concern. It wasnt like we needed a legal opinion whether this could be used, he said. He testified he didnt expect Callyo to change the default record setting following his conversations with them and the company did not do so. The lawsuit cites the failure to tweak the setting as supporting allegations that Motorola and state police willfully violated the defendants rights. It lodges civil counts against Motorola of conspiring to violate civil rights and violating the Massachusetts Wiretap Act. State police are accused of violating the Wiretap Act, violating due process rights under the Fifth and Fourteenth amendments, and violating unreasonable search and seizure rights under the Fourth Amendment. MSP knew of this recording issue and were deliberately indifferent to the secret recordings that were made by these intercepting devices, lawyers allege in the suit, which asks for unspecified damages and class-action certification. Multiple state troopers, including a supervisor, testified in Fitchburg District Court they were unaware of the extent of the recordings or lacked contemporaneous knowledge that some of the apps were recording. First Justice Christopher P. LoConto has at times questioned the testimony during a hearing that remains open on multiple motions for new trials in affected Fitchburg cases. You want me to believe that was accidental? LoConto asked of a state police lawyer at one point when noting that none of the troopers reports at issue mentioned the existence of the recordings. The judge, transcripts show, also asked multiple questions regarding testimony that troopers may have not always disclosed tip money they gave targets to buy drugs in their police reports. In their lawsuit, the four men alleged tips were not disclosed to Plaintiffs on police reports, and went further. The suit alleges police had a custom of, when the person they gave the tip was out of their sight, illegally and unreasonably seizing and searching the persons cellphones looking for names and/or telephone numbers of contacts. The lawsuit, which does not state the source of the allegation, goes on to allege that police then contacted people whose numbers they found on the phones and pretended they got the number from the phones owner. MSP had a custom, pattern, practice, and/or procedure of using these illegally and unreasonably obtained contacts to threaten, intimidate, or coerce them to purchase alleged controlled substances, the lawsuit alleges. The hearing in Fitchburg District Court regarding the recordings is set to resume next month. This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Federal lawsuit filed in Worcester over illegal state trooper recordings CHICAGO A federal jury has convicted a Chicago man of carjacking a person at gunpoint and firing a handgun while attempting to carjack another person only minutes later on the citys West Side in 2021. Following a week-long trial, 24-year-old Kiar Evans was convicted on Friday on all four counts against him, including carjacking, attempted carjacking, brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence and illegal possession of a firearm by a previously convicted felon, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office of the Northern District of Illinois. Chicago man facing felony charge in connection with Southwest Side hit-and-run According to evidence presented at the trial, the crimes unfolded within minutes of each other on May 20, 2021. Prosecutors say the first during the first incident, Evans approached a driver at the intersection of West Congress Parkway & South Independence Boulevard in Garfield Park and fired a shot through their cars window while trying to get inside the vehicle, but the driver was able to get away. Evans then approached the driver of another vehicle and pointed a gun at them while demanding they exit the car. The victim complied with the demands and Evans fled the scene in the stolen car. Prosecutors say a short time later while driving the stolen car, Evans was involved in a multi-vehicle crash near West Harrison Street & West Ogden Avenue, on the Near West Side. Chicago man accused in Christmas Eve carjacking at Oak Lawn gas station Evans was taken into custody by police following the crash and during his arrest, officers found a loaded semi-automatic handgun. Evans, who is a previously convicted felon, was not lawfully allowed to possess the gun. Evans could face a minimum sentence of seven years in federal prison and a maximum sentence of life. The U.S. Attorneys Office of the Northern District of Illinois did not provide updated photos of Evans and it is currently unclear when he is set to appear in court for sentencing. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WGN-TV. On Friday, Feb. 16, the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that several couples whose embryos had been destroyed when they were removed from a hospital freezer could sue for wrongful death, meaning the embryos are considered children in the eyes of the law. The text of the ruling refers to embryos as unborn life and extrauterine children, arguing that each one is a person made in Gods image, per language enshrined in the states constitution. Reproductive health care had already been curtailed in Alabama, which has some of the countrys most restrictive legislation regarding abortion. Abortion procedures are banned entirely, with limited exceptions to protect the life of the pregnant person. In the wake of this recent ruling, Alabama residents are already losing access to IVF. The IVF program at the University of Alabama at Birmingham has halted fertilizations and embryo transfers to protect doctors and patients from legal repercussions. Hannah Echols, a spokesperson for the university, told HuffPost this week: We are saddened that this will impact our patients attempt to have a baby through IVF, but we must evaluate the potential that our patients and our physicians could be prosecuted criminally or face punitive damages for following the standard of care for IVF treatments. On Thursday, another clinic, Alabama Fertility Specialists, publicly announced that they, too, would halt their services. In their Facebook post announcing what they called an impossibly difficult decision, they wrote, we are working as hard as we can to alert our legislators as to the far reaching negative impact of this ruling on the women of Alabama. On Friday, The Guardian reported that nationwide shipping services have announced they will no longer transport frozen embryos to or from the state of Alabama, closing off Alabama patients last hope of accessing embryos that have been kept out-of-state, or having embryos shipped to another state in order to perform embryo transfers there. Barbara Collura, president of RESOLVE, an organization that advocates for fertility patients, said in a statement, We have heard from countless distraught would-be parents over the past several days the devastation wrought from this ruling is incalculable. To understand the full reach of this ruling and how its flawed logic will harm patients, HuffPost spoke to two reproductive endocrinologists fertility doctors who provide IVF. Dr. John Storment of Louisiana called the ruling appalling, and Dr. Alexis Melnick, who practices in New York, deemed it scary. Below, they explain their concerns and explore potential solutions. The ruling could make it very difficult for fertility doctors to do their jobs. I think this is something that weve sort of all feared, Melnick said of the ruling, adding that it was once a much more distant threat, but drew closer in the wake of Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health, the Supreme Court decision that revoked abortion rights at the national level in 2022. The first baby conceived in vitro was born in 1978, just five years after Roe v. Wade, and the procedure has become relatively common and much safer in the decades since. While IVF often used to result in multiple pregnancies (twins and triplets), which pose risks to both mother and babies, technological advances have made single-embryo transfer the norm. In an IVF cycle, doctors stimulate a patients hormones so that they produce multiple eggs (or oocytes female reproductive cells). The number of eggs a patient produces varies tremendously based on their age and the dosing of different medications. Some patients do not produce any viable eggs, while others produce dozens. Storment said that getting 15 eggs from one stimulation cycle is not unusual. An embryologist then fertilizes the viable eggs with sperm (male reproductive cells) from the patients partner or donor. The hope is often to create multiple embryos, which can be frozen and transferred one at a time into the patients uterus. Each viable embryo is a potential pregnancy, and more embryos mean more chances that the cycle will result in a live birth. (Not every embryo transfer leads to a pregnancy, as the doctors explained to HuffPost below.) If embryos are suddenly considered children, however, doctors and embryologists would need to restructure the process completely, freezing the patients eggs before fertilization and thawing them one by one to fertilize them. If a viable embryo results, doctors would then transfer it into the patients uterus. What that means is tremendous inefficiency for patients, Melnick said, as well as tremendous cost, both financial and emotional. A second option would be to fertilize multiple eggs and transfer multiple embryos into the patients uterus, which would mean more high-risk multiple pregnancies, as in earlier eras of IVF. The Alabama ruling also poses huge liability concerns for doctors. I could imagine big institutions just wanting to be very careful, protecting themselves, Melnick said, adding that she was not surprised to learn of IVF clinics in the state coming to a standstill. I dont see any way out of it for the doctors in Alabama and I feel extremely bad for them to the point where I probably wouldnt stay, based on that law, Storment said. If fertility doctors decide to leave Alabama, it will continue a pattern of new health care restrictions draining providers from the state. After Dobbs, Alabamans lost all access to abortion care, and parts of the state are considered maternity care deserts, where patients have to drive long distances to find obstetric care. Last year, several hospitals closed their labor and delivery units. It could also make the storage of embryos a challenge. When embryos are taken across state lines into Alabama, they could go from being viewed as human tissue to having the rights of a child. Storment explained that his clinic stores embryos at a facility in Nevada. If an entity is storing embryos, they have to have insurance for liability, and nobody will insure them to keep embryos on site if they look at it as a baby, said Storment. Melnick noted that when Dobbs was decided, there was a wave of patients who moved their frozen embryos to states without restrictive abortion laws, to protect against this sort of potential reclassification. Embryo donation, a path to parenthood for some families, would be threatened. Currently, patients who have extra embryos in storage that they do not plan to use have several options. They can continue pay to store them indefinitely, have them discarded, donate them to science (the Alabama ruling would prohibit those two options) or donate them to another family that wants to have a child. Storment said of this sort of embryo donation, Honestly, its one of the most rewarding things that we do. Now that theyre [considered] children, youre going to have to have a whole different set of attorneys, he explained, as transferring custody of a child for adoption is a very different legal process than donating an embryo. And after all of this, there is never a guarantee that an embryo will result in a live birth. Most naturally-conceived embryos do not become babies, and the same is true for IVF. Defining an embryo as a child shows a lack of scientific literacy and a fundamental misunderstanding of the way that human reproduction works, the doctors HuffPost spoke to said. Human reproduction is very inefficient and wasteful. The chance of the most fertile man and fertile woman making a baby in any given month is 20%, Storment explained. Some embryos never attach to the uterine lining or are miscarried, usually early in the pregnancy. In many of these cases, the embryos brief existence is never even known to the parents. IVF can enable many couples to become pregnant, but it cannot fundamentally change these odds. Most embryos wont stick. The majority of embryos that are created, either naturally or through IVF, are not going to lead to babies, Melnick said. This is the reason that doctors generally aim to create multiple embryos per IVF cycle. In the best-case IVF scenario, when testing shows an embryo to be genetically normal, its odds of resulting in a pregnancy are still under 70%. Embryos are not babies, but they are treated with respect by doctors. Storment said he is frustrated by laws that equate an embryo with a child. A child has trillions of cells, an embryo has a hundred cells, and theres so many more things that have to occur for an embryo to become a child, he said. At the same time, an embryo isnt nothing. Storment called it a unique collection of cells that has the potential for a human being. Both Melnick and Storment emphasized the respect and care with which doctors, embryologists and patients treat embryos. Accidents like the one in the Alabama case are rare. Theres this idea that IVF is very irresponsible and that embryos are treated very frivolously, [that] people who are using IVF may not need to be doing IVF, and I think that thats really not true, Melnick said. She noted that her patients use IVF not only for infertility but to protect their families from the impact of devastating genetic diseases. Legal workarounds are possible. Storment explained that in Louisiana which, like Alabama, now bans abortion in almost all cases doctors found a workaround for anti-abortion activists concerns about IVF years ago. The late Dr. Richard Dicky, a pioneer of fertility medicine in the state, met with some Louisiana legislators. When he asked what their issue with IVF was, they said, We dont like freezing and discarding embryos, as Storment recounted. Dicky proposed that lawmakers simply outlaw discarding embryos instead. For decades, Storment explained, Louisiana has had the only state law that prohibits discarding embryos. They allow the patients to transfer their embryos out of state, if they want to discard or otherwise. While an inconvenience, he said, the law has actually not been a hindrance. Melnick also expressed optimism that IVF will always be here, although keeping it available to patients may require a lot of extra work, energy, stress, that really takes away from the ability to serve the patients. Related... Evgenia Kara-Murza woke up and immediately picked up her phone. Ukrainian women, she saw, had started sharing screenshots online of their last messages to their husbands, boyfriends and brothers on the front lines. They began with a trivial message, something like How are you, honey? But with each unanswered message, they grew more panicked. Honey, just write back. Just write anything. I just want to know that you are OK one said. By then, these women knew what had happened. They knew they would not get a response. They knew their partners, their siblings, had been killed by Russian soldiers. Reading through these messages, Evgenia began to break down. She felt like she was about to have another panic attack. They reminded her of the last message she sent to her husband, nearly two years earlier. It was 11 April 2022. Vladimir Kara-Murza had just been arrested by Russian authorities near the familys home in Moscow for spreading false information about the war in Ukraine. The opposition figures phone had been confiscated. He would later be sentenced to 25 years in prison, with treason charges being added. The sentence was condemned by leaders around the world as being politically motivated, with Mr Kara-Murza a victim of a regime of repression. It was the longest punishment handed to any critic of Vladimir Putin since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Vladimir Kara-Murza gestures from behind a glass cage in a Moscow courtroom last year (AP) Ms Kara-Murza, now living in exile in the US, has not seen him since. I love you, the text read, with a love heart emoji attached to the end of the message. It, too, was never answered. Two years on from Vladimir Putins invasion of Ukraine, the Russian dissident community is fighting its own war. Thousands have been forced out of the country; many who stayed have been arrested; nearly a thousand are known to have been jailed for simply opposing Putin and his war. And last Friday, Alexei Navalny, Putins most prominent critic, was announced as having died in the Polar Wolf Arctic Circle penal colony where he was serving a 19-year sentence, one of several sentences, on charges decried by the West as trumped up to silence him. His wife, Yulia Navalnaya, has accused Putin of having him poisoned. Nations like the UK and US have issued sanctions over Mr Navalnys killing, saying Putin is ultimately responsible. Ukrainian soliders on the front line (AP) It left the Russian dissident community in shock. But the brutal repression of dissent, typified by the death of Navalny, has brought the rise of a new wave of opposition, many of whom are women, and they are finding new ways to fight against the Kremlin. Evgenia Kara-Murza never planned to be an activist. She studied in Moscow in the late 1990s and early 2000s to be a translator, just as Vladimir Putin was quietly but quickly ascending to power. But the imprisonment of her husband left her with no choice. The pain over the past two years, she said, has been numbing, but it has also pushed her to fight. Sometimes I would really appreciate having the lives of people I know here in the United States, the parents of our childrens friends, who have normal concerns and anxieties, who are dealing with important but normal issues, she admitted. They are not dealing with assassination attempts and wars of aggression. They are not dealing with imprisonments for 10, 15, 25 years because their loved one has declared that he has to make a stand. Yulia Navalnaya attends the Munich Security Conference on the day her husbands death was announced by the Russian prison service (AFP/Getty) But I understand this goes way beyond our fears and our lives. Its not just our family. There are tens of thousands of Russians who feel the same way. There are thousands who ended up behind bars for openly saying no. Each and every one of those families is going through the same pain and misery that I am feeling. So for the sake of them, for the sake of Vladimir, for the sake of my children and for the sake of the future of Russia, I have to do my best. Her message was echoed by Yulia Navalnaya in the days after her husbands death, in a video she posted to her newly created X/Twitter account. By killing Alexei, Putin killed half of me, half of my heart and half of my soul, she said. But I still have the other half. And it tells me that I have no right to give up. Alongside advocating for the release of her husband, Ms Kara-Murza now travels around the world in support of the Ukrainian fight against Putins Russia. Alexei Navalny is treated by his wife after unknown attackers doused him with green antiseptic outside a conference venue in Moscow, 27 April 2017 (AP) The defeat of Russia in Ukraine, she says, is the only way to weaken Putin. Ukraines victory on Ukraines terms is so crucial, she said. Not only because it is morally right for them to be able to defend their future but also because it would send a clear message to the Kremlin that Vladimir Putin will no longer get away with such crimes. For Yevgenia Chirikova, 47, a friend of the Navalny family, the war in Ukraine and the repression of dissidents inside Russia has radically changed how she conducts her own activism. She rose to prominence in Russia as an environmental activist, running a successful campaign in 2010 opposing the construction of a road linking Moscow and St Petersburg through the Khimki forest, before fleeing the country in 2014 after being threatened by Russian authorities. But when the war in Ukraine broke out, a day she describes with considerable anger, she quickly mobilised her contacts for other means. She also joined the Anti-War Committee. Russian environmentalist Yevgenia Chirikova with Alexei Navalny (right) and Boris Nemtsov in Moscow in May 2012 (Provided by Yevgenia Chirikova) We had very good relationships with climatologists and environmentalists in Ukraine, she said. But after this war, thanks to this relationship, we found opportunities to support Ukraine NGOs in other fields. Her organisation, Activatica, has now helped to fund medical programmes inside Ukraine, including buying vehicles for frontline paramedics, funding initiatives to ensure disabled persons across Ukraine have access to medication, and supporting those injured by Russian bombing. It has also provided a space for independent journalists to counter Russian propaganda and cater to an audience inside Russia. And it is involved in the military side, offering thousands of consultations to disenfranchised communities in rural Russia on how to avoid conscription into the Russian military. When Navalnys death was announced, she declared the most effective way to respond was to organise real support for the Ukrainian army and for Russians who, at this moment, take part in this war on the side of Ukraine. This is our army, she said. Nearly 14,000 Russian dissidents have been labelled extremists since Vladimir Putins full-scale invasion of Ukraine (via Reuters) She has since been added by the Kremlin to the list of so-called extremists and terrorists for anti-war activities. As long as Putin is in power, she will never be allowed to return to Russia. Some dissidents say they have found themselves regarded with suspicion, having fled into Western countries. Natalia Arno, the founder of Free Russia, a pro-democracy group that offers support to the dissident community across the globe, described this problem as friendly fire. She fled Putins Russia in 2012 after being given a 48-hour notice by the Kremlins security services to leave the country or face 20 years in prison. She had been working as a human rights activist since 2004. She fled to Lithuania, then to Poland, before moving to the US and founding Free Russia just months after Putin ordered the illegal annexation of Crimea and the invasion of eastern Ukraine in 2014. She knows well the impact Vladimir Putin has on the reputation of Russians across the world. Natalia Arno, founder of Free Russia, set up her foundation on the same year that Russia illegally annexed Crimea and invaded eastern Ukraine (AFP/Getty) People were very surprised not to be accepted by some European countries, she said. That made them feel like Putin was winning because he had been saying that everyone doesnt like Russians ... We were saying: Please dont judge us on that. Judge us on the values of our actions. We are your allies. There was a lot of friendly fire. We had to do a lot of advocacy in various embassies, parliaments and Congress. Nowhere was that more difficult, she said, than in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, where the Free Russia offices open despite the toxic state of many things related to Russia in Ukraine in the wake of Putins invasion. Ms Arno said they wanted to stay because they knew they could help in ways others could not. We are the ones who are capable of locating and defending Ukrainian PoW and civilian hostages held in Russian jails, she said, by way of example. No one else can do that. The scale of destruction caused by Putins full-scale invasion of Ukraine is astronomical. Millions of Ukrainians have been killed, wounded or displaced. Millions more live under Russian occupation. There has been so much pain in these past two years, said Evgenia Kara-Murza, created by the decisions of one man. Rare Roots Hospitality will officially open the doors to Fin & Finos new location in Birkdale Village on Wednesday. The restaurant will be in the space previously occupied by Dresslers, which is also owned by Rare Roots Hospitality. The coastal concept will mirror the flagship location in Uptown Charlotte, which will celebrate its sixth anniversary this April. Restaurateur Jon Dressler opens bakery, deli at the Metropolitan Diners can expect fresh seafood, high-quality meats, house-made pastas, and locally grown produce on a menu of small plates. The menus will mirror each other at the two locations, with each offering features and specials throughout the year. The 5,200 square foot space with coastal-inspired artwork and design finishes will seat more than 200 guests, including 100 in the dining room, 60 in the bar area, and 45 on the newly renovated patio. We enjoyed a successful 20-year run at Birkdale Village as Dresslers Restaurant and it was bittersweet to say goodbye to our original concept there. But Birkdale has changed drastically since we opened in 2003, and changing our concept allowed us to reinvigorate the space and provide a more modern experience that we feel is better suited for the community, and were excited to continue growing there, said owner Jon Dressler in a news release. Reservations are now available to book online. VIDEO: Celebrity chef Bobby Flays burger restaurant coming to Charlotte The continued presence of Donald Trump on the US political scene has longtime allies concerned over whether the US can be a reliable security partner, former National Intelligence Officer and Trump administration National Security Council official Fiona Hill has said. Speaking at the Principles First summit, a gathering of anti-Trump and pro-democracy conservatives in Washington, Ms Hill was asked to opine on how Mr Trump would have reacted to the killing of Russian dissident Alexei Navalny on his watch. She told attendees the twice-impeached, disgraced ex-president, whose performance during a 2018 Helsinki press conference alongside Russian leader Vladimir Putin was so bad that she considered pulling a fire alarm to end it, might actually have reacted negatively to Navalnys death if he thought it made him look bad. It's really about how it reflects on him, she said. Ms Hill, referencing conversations shed had with leaders at the Munich Security Conference last week, said American allies in Europe have taken Mr Trumps susceptibility to flattery and self-centredness to heart in their deliberations over what it could look like if the ex-president is returned to the White House after the 2024 general election. I had many conversations around the edges of the conference with prime ministers and presidents and foreign ministers and others in European countries. And they all know how capricious Trump is. And that's really what they worry about, because it doesn't matter how many people that they know who becomes Secretary of State or Secretary of Defence, ultimately it comes down to Trump himself and the unpredictability of his personality, she said. And ... as a result of that [theyve] started to lose faith in the United States. And we really saw that we've become the weak link. Continuing, Ms Hill warned that US allies no longer think were predictable because American voters were once willing and may be willing again to vote into power a kind of ... uber-populist leader such as Mr Trump, who she said will rip up every agreement that doesn't have his name on it. In terms of our security guarantees for our partners, they no longer think that we can be relied upon. And Trump you know, of course, will rip up every agreement that doesn't have his name on it, she said, adding later that we are now living in a much more dangerous world because Europeans are now reconsidering whether Americas nuclear umbrella of deterrence can be relied upon to prevent war. Not that they think that Trump's gonna press a button, but actually that they think that the United States is not going to play that role that it did in terms of nuclear deterrence in the past, she said. She was speaking on the second anniversary of Russias brutal full-scale invasion of Ukraine, as people across the world ralled in support of Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin has proudly discussed Russia's new doomsday weapon "triad" - Moscow's advanced strategic land, sea, and air nuclear capabilities. It comes shortly after his close associate, Alexander Lukashenko, raised concerns about the possibility of World War 3. The President of Belarus warned that the world is on the brink of a global conflict, citing the escalating tensions between Russia and the West. Russia Doomsday Weapon 'Triad' According to Russian media, Moscow views Western influences in Ukraine as a threat to its survival. According to the state-owned news agency TASS, Kyiv has been identified as posing an international threat to Russia's existence. Putin recently co-piloted a new nuclear-capable supersonic strategic bomber from the Russian military and proudly highlighted the country's advanced nuclear capabilities. Putin's recent 30-minute flight aboard a Tu-160M served as a powerful demonstration of Russia's nuclear capabilities. Today, he reiterated his statement by asserting that 95 percent of Russia's strategic nuclear forces had been modernized. Putin's most recent remarks were included in a statement that was issued to align with Russia's yearly Defender of the Fatherland Day, a celebration of the military. During the speech, he lauded Russian soldiers and asserted they were fighting for "truth and justice" in Ukraine, but the majority of his focus was on the accomplishments of the Kremlin's military-industrial complex. Read Also: SkyRanger R70: Canada To Send Over 800 Drones to Ukraine for Defense Against Ongoing War With Russia Putin Witnesses Tu-160M Supersonic Bomber He emphasized that Russia's nuclear triad, which includes strategic land, sea, and air capabilities, is continuously being modernized, as reported by The Independent. He recently witnessed the capabilities of Russia's new Tu-160M supersonic strategic bomber. Dressed in a flight suit, Putin commended the new aircraft as "excellent," pointing out significant improvements from the initial version. Putin toured an aircraft-making plant in the Volga River city of Kazan that has been producing heavy bombers since the Soviet era. The plant has been tasked with producing an updated version of the Tu-160 bomber, which originally took flight in the 1980s and was given the code name Blackjack by NATO. This Friday, the United States will announce new sanctions on Moscow in response to the recent death of Putin's opponent Alexei Navalny in an Arctic prison. The body has not been returned to his family yet. The UN Security Council will convene on Friday to mark two years of the conflict that has resulted in the loss of tens of thousands of lives. In Ukraine, foreign dignitaries have started arriving to commemorate the anniversary of the attack by Moscow, resulting in the deaths of numerous civilians and military personnel. The Prime Minister of Denmark, Mette Frederiksen, visited the western city of Lviv on Friday, as stated by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. US senator Chuck Schumer has also made his way to the city near the Polish border. The individual shared on social media his desire to demonstrate support for the Ukrainian people and to understand the essential weaponry required by Ukraine. Despite facing recent challenges, Zelensky has continued to show determination. Kyiv has gained confidence from ongoing victories on the Black Sea, claiming to have eliminated a third - 25 vessels - of Russia's Black Sea fleet. However, the land campaign has come to a halt, and Moscow is now looking to capitalize on its advantage and advance deeper into Ukraine after taking control of Avdiivka. On Friday, Kyiv issued a warning about the increasing attacks near the new focal point of Maryinka, a town located west of the Moscow-controlled stronghold of Donetsk city. Ukrainian soldiers, however, stood resolute. Ukrainian soldier Oleksiy, stationed at the fallback lines outside Avdiivka, mentioned that despite the impact on morale caused by the fall of the industrial hub, the troops remained prepared to continue fighting, as per Daily Mail. Related Article: Putin Vows to Escalate War With Ukraine After Capturing Avdiivka, Slams Kyiv's Fight MENOMINEE, Mich. (WJMN) A former Menominee Area Public Schools operations manager has filed a lawsuit against the district, claiming the school board did not have good and just cause when they voted to fire him. This comes about nine months after the board voted to fire Steven Sobay in May 2023. Sobays lawsuit also claims a closed session during the meeting also violated the Open Meetings Act. Sobay had served the district for 27 years at the time of his firing. Former employees land $150K in Menominee Co. settlement School documents show Sobay was accused of insubordination and unprofessional conduct for actions that stemmed from a disagreement about how to treat an extensive asbestos problem in a school building earlier in the school year. According to the school board, leadership wanted specialists to remediation, while Sobay wanted to do the work himself. Reporting in the Eagle Herald says the school board president quote felt like a victim in later confrontations from Sobay, which included at least one phone call where An end in sight? Unsealed docs show possible terms of Menominee marijuana settlement Meanwhile, the Heralds reporting says Sobay cast doubt on that characterization of his actions. Sobay is seeking a trial by jury in his civil suit and damages of at least $25,000. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WJMN - UPMatters.com. Flaco, an owl who became a New York City icon after he flew the coop at the Central Park Zoo last year, has died. We are saddened to report that Flaco, the Eurasian eagle owl discovered missing from the Central Park Zoo after his exhibit was vandalized just over a year ago, is dead after an apparent collision with a building on West 89th Street in Manhattan, the Wildlife Conservation Society, a nonprofit that manages the zoo, said in a press release Friday. An undated image shows Flaco the owl surveying New York City. An undated image shows Flaco the owl surveying New York City. Flaco appeared to have collided with a window, according to the Wild Bird Fund, a wildlife rehabilitation center that attempted to save the owl after the accident. We hoped only to see Flaco hooting wildly from the top of our local water tower, never in the clinic, the nonprofit wrote. Millions of birds are estimated to die every year by crashing into reflective glass windows a reason that environmental groups advocate for using bird-safe glass or taking other steps to deter collisions. In Flacos case, the Wild Bird Fund noted that its not yet clear whether he was also suffering from the effects of rodenticide, which can build up in the bodies of predators that eat poisoned mice and rats. In 2021, a female owl named Barry was hit by a van in Central Park and was later found to have high levels of rat poison in her system, which likely impaired her ability to fly. Flaco left his zoo enclosure behind on Feb. 2 of last year, after a still-unidentified person cut the mesh that had prevented him from flying away. Flaco is pictured in a Central Park tree last year in New York City. Flaco is pictured in a Central Park tree last year in New York City. The owl had been born in captivity and arrived at the zoo as a fledgling. He remained there for 13 years before escaping and taking up residence in the surrounding trees of Central Park. Since he had never lived in the wild, his escape was immediately followed by concerns that he would be unable to hunt and could starve to death. But as the zoo sent out teams attempting to capture Flaco, the owl was observed successfully catching and eating prey. Flacos star was already on the rise, and public opinion began to skew toward a desire to let him remain free. The birds fame was fueled by David Barrett, who runs the popular birding account Manhattan Bird Alert on X and would frequently post photos of Flaco, as well as information related to his whereabouts. We are heartbroken to report that Flaco the Eurasian Eagle-Owl has died tonight "after an apparent collision with a building on West 89th Street in Manhattan."https://t.co/96sws3KvDa Manhattan Bird Alert (@BirdCentralPark) February 24, 2024 Some others in the birding community argued that allowing a captive-raised, non-native animal to live free was irresponsible, warning that Flaco was likely not cut out for life on his own in the city and expressing concerns about possible impacts on native species. Nevertheless, Flaco quickly became a local celebrity, with New Yorkers gleefully reporting sightings and sharing photos of the majestic bird of prey in Central Park and, when he began to fly farther afield, among the buildings of Manhattan. Flaco is shown in Central Park on Feb. 15, 2023, in New York City. Flaco is shown in Central Park on Feb. 15, 2023, in New York City. New Yorkers and other devotees mourned his loss, sharing their favorite images and memories of Flaco on social media. Im going to miss videos of Flaco looking into apartments. I always thought he was turning the table on all of those people who stared into his cage for years. Janet Johnson (@JJohnsonLaw) February 24, 2024 rip Flaco the owl. at least he got to taste freedom if only for awhile Katherine Krueger (@kath_krueger) February 24, 2024 Tear the building down. Right now. https://t.co/hclVzKhrqe Brandon (@blgtylr) February 24, 2024 We need a city-wide day of mourning, and I am not kidding. RIP Flaco. https://t.co/BDsDuOfx8P Kelly Masked&Vaxxed Caldwell (@kkc212) February 24, 2024 RIP to a New York legend https://t.co/Xv82wS2nCA Jeff Coltin (@JCColtin) February 24, 2024 Related... Environment Canada is cautioning that the frozen ground has a reduced ability to absorb the large amounts of rainfall. (Mel Evans/The Associated Press - image credit) Environment Canada has issued a flash freeze warning for most of mainland Nova Scotia and all of Cape Breton. Heavy rains are expected to give way to rapidly plunging temperatures Saturday. The weather agency says temperatures will dip to around 10 C by this evening. "Untreated surfaces such as highways, roads, walkways, and parking lots may become icy, slippery, and hazardous," it said. "Be prepared to adjust your driving with changing road conditions." As of 1:57 p.m. AT, the flash freeze warning applies to all counties, except for Annapolis, Digby, Kings and Yarmouth counties. Counties in eastern Nova Scotia and Cape Breton have rainfall warnings, with 25 to 50 millimetres of rain expected. Environment Canada warns that flooding is possible in low-lying areas. It says the rain ended over western Nova Scotia this morning and will end later this afternoon on the eastern mainland and Cape Breton. RCMP are alerting drivers to the likelihood of poor driving conditions. Halifax Transit cancelled service at 1 p.m. because of the weather conditions. Municipal recreation facilities and libraries closed at noon. Halifax Shopping Centre, Mic Mac Mall and Sunnyside Mall all closed at noon Saturday. Halifax Transit announced that bus and ferry service would be suspended by 1 p.m. AT Saturday because of the weather. Halifax Transit announced that bus and ferry service would be suspended by 1 p.m. AT Saturday because of the weather. (Kheira Morellon/Radio-Canada) Erica Fleck, the director of emergency management for the HRM, said she had already received reports by early afternoon of freezing conditions and broken tree branches in some areas. Fleck said similar conditions were expected in the HRM later Saturday afternoon. "Once the ice starts freezing on lines and trees ... that is really where we start to see issues," Fleck said. "We are very concerned about that icing portion of this weather event." MORE TOP STORIES AUSTIN (Nexstar) Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis bid farewell to over a hundred members of the Florida National Guard and highway patrol as the troops head to Texas southern border Friday. This is part of a years-long effort for us to help do what the federal government has refused to do, he said in a press conference. DeSantis repeatedly thanked the agents, who will join 90 members of Florida law enforcement already at the border. He said many of the troops volunteered for the trip and have participated in multiple deployments to Texas, which can vary in length. DeSantis also criticized the federal governments lack of attempt to control the astronomical influx of migrants Texas has seen in recent years. He pledged that Florida will continue to step up where the federal government has failed. He then professed support for Gov. Greg Abbotts defense efforts. He said Abbotts $10 billion border mission Operation Lone Star has been successful, partly because of collaboration and support from other states. We want to be a part of that, he said, partially just because we should have a secure country, and partially, the effects of this border invasion go to all 50 states. Over a dozen states have sent troops to the Texas border, including Arkansas, Oklahoma and West Virginia. Earlier this week, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem announced the state would be sending 60 troops to the southern border over the next three months. In January, 25 of the 27 Republican governors signed a statement in support of Abbotts policies. Texas has every legal justification to protect the sovereignty of our states and our nation, it reads. Florida first supplied troops to Texas and Arizona in 2021, after a letter from Abbott and former Arizona governor Doug Ducey. Since then, the state has supplied over 2,400 law enforcement officers to the border. This round of reinforcements was announced on Feb. 1. We dont have a country if we dont have a border, DeSantis said in the release. Days later, Abbott hosted 13 governors in Eagle Pass, but DeSantis did not attend. The use of troops is ultimately up to Texas law enforcement, but the release details that they will help with constructing barriers like razor wire. We think this is an American issue, he concluded. Were going to continue to be in this fight until the problem is solved. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KXAN Austin. The Florida House on Thursday passed a measure that would allow school districts to authorize volunteer chaplains to provide support, services and programs to students in public schools, amid a debate about whether the bill would be constitutional. Under the proposal (HB 931) chaplains would have to meet background screening requirements, and school districts or charter schools would have to get parental consent before students could receive chaplains services. Supporters of the measure say allowing chaplains would add another tool to help schools address childrens mental health issues. I think all of us agree that our children are in crisis, we agree that parents need help. We agree that there are a lot of spiritual needs that people could meet if a parent felt it was necessary for their child, bill sponsor Stan McClain, R-Ocala, said. Read: House committee approves proposal allowing public and charter schools to allow chaplains on campus The Republican-controlled House voted 89-25 to pass the measure, with some Democrats questioning whether allowing chaplains in schools would be constitutional. Can you point to me, in your bill, what lines and language will prevent religious proselytization and coercion of students as well as other violations of the U.S. Constitution? Rep. Ashley Gantt, a Miami Democrat who is a lawyer, asked during a floor discussion Wednesday. There are none in the bill, McClain replied. Rep. Anna Eskamani, D-Orlando, pointed to the Establishment Clause of the U.S. Constitution. Read: Orange County teachers offered historic 9% salary increase At the end of the day, when we put into place any type of established religion in a public school setting, it does raise those flags. And I dont want to put our school districts in a situation where theyre going to be faced with litigation on these issues, Eskamani said during a debate Thursday. A House staff analysis of the bill said that, in general, the Establishment Clause prevents public schools from engaging in activities which could be construed as sponsoring or endorsing religion. Prayer and Bible readings in public schools during school hours are impermissible. The ACLU of Florida has argued the bill is unconstitutional. Courts have repeatedly ruled that it is unconstitutional for public schools to invite religious leaders onto campus to engage in religious activities, such as prayer and religious counseling, with students, Kara Gross, legislative director and senior policy counsel for the ACLU of Florida, said in a prepared statement. Read: WATCH: Large fight erupts among students in Pine Hills McDonalds parking lot If passed, this bill will likely create public education environments ripe for religious coercion and indoctrination of students, Gross added. School districts and principals that want to allow chaplains would have to meet various requirements. For example, principals would be required to inform parents about the availability of chaplains. Parents would have to be able to choose chaplains from lists provided by school districts, with the lists including the chaplains religious affiliation, if any. Critics of the bill have also questioned why the bill would not mandate training or credentials for chaplains. Now we are saying that, first, we dont have to have any qualifications for these chaplains. So any Joe Schmo who says, Hey, Im a chaplain, I want to go into these schools, all they need to do is a background check and claim to be a chaplain without any verification, Gantt said during debate Thursday. Read: Florida high school requires permission slips for students to see Disneys Tangled Rep. Robin Bartleman, a Weston Democrat who is a former educator, asked Wednesday if parents would be informed about chaplains levels of experience. Since youre mandating the information be posted on a website, and this is really important, are you mandating a disclaimer to let them know that these chaplains may or may not have experience or be licensed healthcare professionals? Bartleman asked. The school boards would have the authority to do that if they so choose, McClain replied. Rep. Adam Anderson, R-Palm Harbor, argued that faith-based mentors are a valuable part of providing services to young people and families. Just like theres no replacement for a licensed mental health professional or a doctor who can write prescriptions, theres never going to be a replacement for what a faith-based counselor a chaplain, a pastor or a rabbi can add to a child or to a family, Anderson said. The measure would need approval from the Senate before it could go to Gov. Ron DeSantis. Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, R-Naples, and Senate bill sponsor Erin Grall, R-Vero Beach, said Thursday they think the bill would pass constitutional muster. Anytime somebody doesnt like a bill the first thing they say is, its unconstitutional. Thats their default objection, Passidomo told reporters. I think that it actually is squarely within the Constitution. Not only would parents have to consent to the consultation with a specific chaplain. But theres also, they cant prevent any specific chaplain from being a part of the program either based on religion. So, these are the bare minimum guidelines to participate, Grall said. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live. (The Hill) Florida lawmakers have fast-tracked legislation that forces social media companies to keep most minors off their platforms. The legislation, which passed the state House Thursday after earlier being approved by the Senate, now heads to Gov. Ron DeSantiss (R) desk, though he says hes not quite ready to sign on. DeSantis told reporters Friday that he thinks there needs to be a proper balance between government regulations and parental input on the social media issue. Well be wrestling with that, he said. Half of parents think childrens mental health worse due to social media, survey finds The governor said hell be assessing the final version of the legislation likely through the weekend. Federal law says 13 and under cant have social media accounts. Thats not really enforced, he said. DeSantis, who suspended his bid for the GOPs 2024 presidential nomination in January, has been an advocate of reining in media and conversations available to children outside of family atmospheres. He championed efforts to censor public school books and discussions of sexuality in public schools. The lawmakers who championed the proposed social media ban, which would require platforms check the ages of users through a third-party source, argue it will make the online landscape safer for youths. A Pew Research Survey in 2023 found that a third of teens aged 13 to 17 said they use the most popular social media platforms almost constantly. It also found that smartphone ownership is nearly universal among teens surveyed spanning all genders, age groups, economic backgrounds and races and ethnicities. Its time to take decisive action to protect our most vulnerable population children, Florida state Sen. Erin Grall (R), one of the bills leading sponsors, wrote on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. Were talking about businesses that are using addictive features to engage in mass manipulation of our children to cause them harm, Grall further said on the Florida Senate floor Thursday. The legislation passed 108-7 in the state House and 23-14 in the Florida Senate within a matter of hours Thursday. Grall, a Florida attorney and mother of three kids, didnt immediately respond to The Hills requests for comment. Representatives for Snapchat, TikTok, and Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, didnt immediately respond to requests for comment. Xs press office autoreplied to a request for comment with the message: Busy now, please check back later. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11. North Korea has provided more than 10,000 containers of munitions or munition-related materials to Russia since September. This is part of Moscow's efforts to restock its weapons inventory for potential use in Ukraine. In order to prove responsibility for Russia's ongoing conflict against Ukraine and the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, the department brought attention to the arms transactions simultaneously with the Treasury Department, as per to The Korea Times. UN Scrutinizes North Korea-Russia Transactions Some transactions between North Korea and Russia are under scrutiny for possibly breaching several UN Security Council resolutions, including those that were supported by Moscow as a permanent council member. According to reports, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) has allegedly sent more than 10,000 containers of munitions or related materials to Russia since September 2023, as revealed by an undisclosed source. In October, the White House said that North Korea sent over 1,000 military equipment and ammunition packages. The current penalties designate two more North Korean-Russian weapons transfer companies. A Russian company manages Vostochny Port terminal and a naval station near Vladivostok. North Korea allegedly supplied Russia with several dozen ballistic missiles, some of which were used against Ukraine on certain days in December and January, according to the White House. North Korea's military help to Russia may extend the Ukraine trouble, while Moscow's response may threaten Korean Peninsula security. Meanwhile, in a significant move, the Treasury and State Departments have announced sanctions on over 500 individuals and entities, aiming to impose additional costs on Russia for its repression, human rights abuses, and aggression against Ukraine. This marks the largest number of such sanctions since the onset of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, according to The Korea Herald. Read Also: Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban Announces Support for Sweden's NATO Bid US Imposes Sweeping Sanctions on Russia The Bureau of Industry and Security under the Commerce Department has restricted exports from 93 companies, including South Korean Daesung International Trading. President Biden imposed over 500 additional sanctions on Russia, targeting persons associated to Alexei Navalny's detention and Russia's financial, defense, and procurement networks. As part of this extensive sanctions package, the State Department has designated two additional entities involved in the transfer of munitions from North Korea to Russia. One entity is a Russian firm managing a terminal at Vostochny Port, while the other is the Dunay Naval Missile Facility, a Russian naval base and port facility implicated in the munitions transfer. The Treasury Department underlines that the sanctions aim to deprive Russia of war-sustaining resources. Financial infrastructure, banks, investment enterprises, and financial technology companies in Russia are targeted. Three Russian officials are also sanctioned by the State Department over Navalny's killing. Janet Yellen, the Treasury Secretary, promoted the effect of these actions on Russia's economy and military-industrial base. She said these measures, along with global initiatives, have diminished Russia's standing. Antony Blinken, the Secretary of State, restated the US dedication to utilizing all possible resources to block Russia's war efforts and bolster Ukraine's defense, Yonhap News Agency reported. Related Article: Russia Allegedly Uses North Korean Missile Against Ukraine, Contained US, European Components COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) A former congressional candidate from Columbus has been arrested by the FBI on Friday in connection to the 2021 Capitol riots. Cleophus Dulaney, 63, is facing multiple charges, including assaulting law enforcement, during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office for D.C. Dulaney was identified in videos as moving barriers to allow a mob of rioters to storm the Capitol grounds. According to court documents, Dulaney was at the front of a mob that breached the Capitol on the west side of its grounds. He was captured in video moving several barricades and helping the crowd break through multiple lines of barriers. At one point, according to the complaint, he and several others threw a bike rack barricade at police officers. The charges against Dulaney include multiple felonies, such as obstruction of law enforcement during civil disorder and assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers. Dulaney is also charged with a slate of misdemeanors related to unlawfully entering restricted property and engaging in physical violence on Capitol grounds. Dulaney ran a failed campaign for Ohios third U.S. House district in 2020, losing the Republican nomination to Mark Richardson 86.4% to 13.6%. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NBC4 WCMH-TV. A former funeral home owner in the US accused of hiding a womans corpse in the back of a hearse for two years and hoarding the cremated remains of at least 30 people at his home has been arrested, local authorities said. Miles Harford, 33, was arrested on Thursday night in Denver, Colorado. Harford owned Apollo Funeral and Cremation Services in the Denver suburb of Littleton, police have said, and the hoarded remains appear to be those of people who died from 2012 to 2021. The funeral home has been closed since September 2022. The property where a former funeral home owner kept a deceased women's body in a hearse for two years as well as the remains of 30 cremated people (AP) Urns stashed around the Harford property were uncovered in early February during a court-ordered eviction at his home, police said. A warrant lists potential charges of abuse of a corpse, forgery of the death certificate, and theft of the money paid for the womans cremation, though Denver District Attorney Beth McCann said previously that other charges are possible. Police initially said Harford was cooperative when the arrest warrant was announced last week. But by Thursday, police couldnt find him and offered a $2,000 award for information leading to his arrest. Available court documents did not yet list a defence attorney who could comment on Harfords behalf. No voicemail was set up at a telephone listing for Harford, and he has not responded to emails seeking comment. Miles Harford, a former funeral home owner, was arrested on Thursday (Denver Police Department via AP) Denver Police Commander Matt Clark previously said, in an interview before an arrest warrant was issued, that Harford acknowledged to police that he owed money to several cemeteries in the area and that none would cremate the 63-year-old womans body, so he decided to store it in the hearse. Her family told investigators they were given what they believed were the womans ashes, which have been turned over to a medical examiners office. Harfords arrest follows the discovery of 190 decaying bodies in a bug-infested building run by the Return to Nature Funeral Home in Penrose, Colorado, about two hours south of Denver. A married couple who owned Return to Nature are awaiting trial in Colorado Springs following their arrest last year on allegations they gave fake ashes to relatives of the deceased. The operators of another funeral home in the western Colorado city of Montrose received federal prison sentences last year for mail fraud after they were accused of selling body parts and distributing fake ashes. A former Kansas City-area Proud Boy and Marine Corps combat veteran accused of conspiring with others in the group to breach the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, was sentenced Friday to 75 days in prison. Christopher Kuehne also received 24 months of supervised release, which includes 60 days of home detention, and must pay $2,000 restitution for damage to the Capitol, which the government says was more than $2.9 million, U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Kelly ruled. Kuehne, 50, who lived in Olathe at the time of the riot, was charged with multiple felonies for conspiring to breach the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. He pleaded guilty in September to obstruction of law enforcement during civil disorder and faced a maximum sentence of five years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release. Kuehnes sentencing was held in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Prosecutors had asked for a six-month prison sentence, three years of supervised release and $2,000 restitution. He is the eighth of the 10 Kansas residents charged in connection with the Capitol riot to be sentenced. The cases of the other two are scheduled for jury trials in June and July. Kuehne was indicted by a federal grand jury in February 2021 along with three other Kansas City-area Proud Boys William Chrestman, of Olathe; Ryan Ashlock, of Gardner; and Louis Colon, of Blue Springs and Tucson, Arizona, siblings Cory and Felicia Konold. The six were charged with conspiracy, obstruction of an official proceeding, civil disorder and entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds. Chrestman also was charged with threatening to assault a federal law enforcement officer and carrying a wooden ax handle while in the Capitol building and on the grounds. The government said in its sentencing memorandum that Kuehne was a vocal advocate of violence regarding a potential confrontation with Antifa and Black Lives Matter in the lead-up to Jan. 6. On January 3, in a planning chat with other Kansas City Proud Boys members and prospects, he told the group: Be prepared not only to beat down but when you do action of violence so utterly massive that we send a message, the memorandum said. He later continued: This is going to get kinetic quick. If a soy boy or girl wants to get it on they need to expect a hospital trip...its the only thing they understand. Kuehne drove to Washington with other Proud Boys from the Kansas City area, the document said, bringing at least one AR-15 style rifle with him on the trip. They stayed in a rental property on Jan. 5, it said, and Kuehne continued to encourage and instruct the others in tactical preparations for the activities of the next day. He stressed the importance of having a recognizable identifier, such as a piece of reflective tape, that would allow the groups members to recognize one another in the crowd, the document said. The morning of Jan. 6, the governments filing said, Kuehne and the others went to the national mall outfitted for violence and wearing orange tape Kuehne had bought and distributed. Kuehne could be seen in photos and videos from that day with two rolls of tape strapped to a backpack and a strip of tape on the back of the ballistic helmet he was wearing. The group met up with a larger crowd of about 100 Proud Boys, it said, and they all marched from the Washington Monument to the Capitol building. After passing through multiple police barricades and watching the increasingly violent crowd fight with police on the west front of the Capitol for more than an hour, Kuehne eventually entered the building at the Senate Wing Door, where the building had first been breached 12 minutes earlier. A group that included Kuehne and other Kansas City Proud Boys chased police officers out of the Crypt and into an area leading to the Capitol Visitor Center, the document said. Officers tried to escape to safety behind an overhead gate that was being lowered. But Kuehne, together with Chrestman and another Kansas City Proud Boy, worked together to drag a movable podium into the path of the door, it said. The rioters then moved into the Capitol Visitor Center. Soon after, when they learned that a shooting had occurred near the House floor, they left the building. In the days after the riot, the governments document said, Kuehne destroyed evidence of the crime and told others in the group to delete their messages and photos, keep a low profile and stop texting one another. Kuehnes own sentencing memorandum described a much different story. It said Kuehne was an exceptional child who at age 9 saved his 2-year-old sister from a burning car and began working at age 13. He served multiple tours of duty in the military, became a decorated Marine veteran whose many awards include the Purple Heart medal and gave the commands for the 21-gun salute at former President Ronald Reagans private funeral. And he joined the Proud Boys because they were supposed to help protect patriots from violent Antifa groups. Kuehne entered the Capitol on Jan. 6 to safeguard the property and disassociated himself from the Proud Boys afterward, his sentencing document said. Mr. Kuehne also stopped an individual from stealing an item from the Capitol Building, stopped people from breaking items, made people clean up trash, and stopped a man from smoking marijuana in an office of the Capitol Building, it said. After his arrest, the document said, he went to college, got a masters degree in business administration, is now working on a second masters degree and prepaid his $2,000 restitution prior to sentencing as a good-faith gesture. Kuehnes filing mentions an FBI informant it referred to as Aaron who traveled to Washington with the KC Proud Boys and participated in the riot with them. The document said Aaron had asked Kuehne to help him move the podium inside the Capitol, and the two placed it under the metal gate as it was closing. Aaron later explained to his FBI handlers that the reason to move the podium was to prevent rioters from tearing it down and using the metal pieces of the gate as weapons, it said. The filing also said that Aaron was asked by the FBI what Christopher Kuehne did inside of the Capitol, to which Aaron responded He made people pick up trash. And he helped de-escalate the standoff with cops. The government filed a motion on Tuesday, saying the informant who testified at Proud Boy leader Ethan Nordeans trial last year was an unreliable witness and that the credibility of his reporting was impeached on several issues. The Court should view these statements with skepticism, it said. As a participant in the riot on January 6 who entered the Capitol building without authorization from his FBI handlers, the CHS (confidential human source) had a profound incentive to minimize his own culpability and that of his companions. Kuehne argued in his filing that there had been a major disparity in sentences of Capitol rioters compared to those of Black Lives Matter protesters. The overt disparity between the Governments choice to only pursue violent agitators from left-wing protests, and yet all individuals from the January 6 protest, yields an unavoidable conclusion: had a January 6 participant committed certain acts in the middle of a BLM protest he would have gotten off scot-free, but because that individual committed such acts in the middle of a Trump protest he was charged, it said. That political discrepancy is very troubling. In its sentencing document, the government said that while Kuehne had apologized in a written statement, the apology showed that he had not accepted full responsibility for his actions. When addressing the harm that his crime caused, Kuehne acknowledges only the impact on himself and his family, the governments filing said. He makes no mention whatsoever of the injuries to persons and the damage to property that occurred on January 6, let alone the damage to the countrys democratic institutions. Kuehnes apology also seeks to minimize his own conduct that day, the governments document said. In a claim that strains credulity, he insists that he only entered the Capitol Building to protect property that [he] believed was going to be destroyed by the crowd, it said. And though Kuehne said he refused to formally join the Proud Boys after seeing what they had done at the Capitol, the document said, his phone contained a deleted message from the night of January 6, after the riot had concluded, in which the sender told Kuehne Congrats on the first degree, an apparent reference to the first level of formal Proud Boys initiation. If Kuehne received his first degree on the evening of January 6, the government said, that is not a disavowal of the groups conduct it is a celebration. Court records indicate Kuehne has moved to Arizona since his arrest. Chrestman, who prosecutors said was a key player in the riot, pleaded guilty in October to obstruction of an official proceeding and threatening a federal officer, both felonies. He was sentenced in January to 55 months in prison and 36 months of supervised release and ordered to pay $2,000 in restitution. Colon pleaded guilty in April 2022 to one count of civil disorder, a felony. He faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. A status report filed with the court in November requested that the court continue to hold off setting a sentencing date because Colons potential cooperation in the case was not yet complete. Ashlock was sentenced to 70 days in jail and 12 months of supervised release in November 2022 after pleading guilty to one count of entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, a misdemeanor. The Konolds pleaded guilty in November to a felony charge of obstruction of law enforcement during civil disorder and aiding and abetting. Felicia Konold was sentenced to 45 days in prison and 24 months of supervised release. Cory Konold was sentenced to 30 days in prison and 24 months of supervised release. The former police chief of the Bloomfield Police Department in Nelson County has been indicted on charges of official misconduct, falsely reporting an incident and tampering with physical evidence. Harry Steven Cambron, 67, of Bloomfield, was indicted in Nelson Circuit Court Wednesday, court records show. He is scheduled for arraignment at 1 p.m. March 7. WDRB reported that the indictment says Cambron falsely accused another city employee of using a city credit card to make unauthorized purchases, trading sexual favors for overdue bills and taking money from a childrens charity. The city of Bloomfield has been without a police chief for nine months, The Kentucky Standard reported. Former National Rifle Association (NRA) head Wayne LaPierre was ordered to pay more than $4 million for mismanaging charitable funds to the organization he led for over three decades. The Manhattan jury found that LaPierre, along with other leaders of the prominent gun rights group, diverted millions of dollars for lavish personal trips and other questionable expenses, according to the Associated Press. The jury found that LaPierre, who stepped down from NRA in early January, has to pay $4.3 million in damages. It found he had caused $5.4 million in damages to the organization, but had already repaired over $1 million. The trial came after New Yorks attorney general, Letitia James, brought a lawsuit against the gun rights advocacy group in 2020. The verdict is the latest hit to the organization, which has struggled with shrinking membership and financial woes including an attempt at bankruptcy in 2021. Top Stories from The Hill Jurors also found that the non-profit misrepresented information in its tax filing and broke New York state law by not utilizing a whistleblower policy. The retired former finance chief of the organization, Wilson Phillips, was ordered to pay $2 million to the organization. The New York attorney general celebrated the verdict. In New York, you cannot get away with corruption and greed, no matter how powerful or influential you think you may be, James wrote Friday on X, formerly known as Twitter. Everyone, even the NRA and Wayne LaPierre, must play by the same rules. The news comes over a month after LaPierre announced his resignation as the head of the organization, citing health concerns. Ive been a card-carrying member of this organization for most of my adult life, and I will never stop supporting the NRA and its fight to defend Second Amendment freedom. My passion for our cause burns as deeply as ever, he wrote at the time. The groups major legal victories under LaPierre include last years Supreme Court decision in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, which threw out New York state handgun regulation and started a wave of legal challenges to other gun control measures in dozens of states. While the former head denied any wrongdoing, LaPierre admitted during the trial that he used the company funds for personal trips and gifts. NRA officials responded to Fridays verdict, claiming it showed proof that the association was victimized by insiders who abused the members trust. A parade of NRA witnesses and independent experts established that the NRA was the victim of actions that were pursued in secrecy and not in the interests of the Association by former vendors and fiduciaries, NRA counsel William A. Brewer III said in a statement. In any event, the NYAGs case focused on the past and the NRA lives in the present. It was the NRA that ultimately established the record being pursued by the NYAG, he added. Our client looks forward to phase two of these proceedings emboldened by its record of good governance. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Kemi Badenoch, the Business Secretary, questioned why Henry Staunton 'never' raised concerns with her about the 'toxic' culture at the Post Office - TOLGA AKMEN/SHUTTERSTOCK Kemi Badenoch has accused the former Post Office chairman of having changed his story about his sacking over the handling of the Horizon scandal. In a letter to the Commons business and trade committee, seen by this newspaper, the Business Secretary said it should be noted that the executive appeared to have dropped a claim that she told him: Well, someones got to take the rap for this. Henry Staunton is due to appear before the committee on Tuesday in the latest escalation of a bitter row over his sacking and time as Post Office chairman. Mrs Badenoch also questioned why he never raised concerns with her about the toxic culture at the body, that he described in a newspaper interview last weekend. Mrs Badenochs fresh intervention comes after the Cabinet minister and officials vehemently denied Mr Stauntons claims in The Sunday Times last weekend that he had been told by a senior civil servant to delay payouts to sub-postmasters ahead of the next general election because of concerns about costs. In the same interview, he claimed that, when he was sacked last month, Mrs Badenoch told him that someones got to take the rap for the scandal. Post Office chairman Henry Staunton - his spokesman insisted he 'has not changed his account of what the Secretary of State was telling him when she called him to summarily dismiss him' In a letter to Liam Byrne, the Labour MP who chairs the business committee, Mrs Badenoch said: Sunlight is the best disinfectant. It is important to me that sub-postmasters have trust that the government is doing all it can to provide them with redress and compensation. These efforts have been undermined by the allegations made by the former Post Office Chair, Henry Staunton, in his interview with the Sunday Times. She added: It should be noted that Mr Staunton has changed his story since his interview: he now claims that it was the characterisation of our conversation that led him to believe he had to take the rap rather than any specific statement by me. The letter came after a civil service note of the phone call in which Mrs Badenoch dismissed Mr Staunton on Jan 27 was published last Monday. It stated that the Business Secretary had been given a briefing on the governance issues at the Post Office and that the complaints against Mr Staunton were so serious that government intervention was required. The words someones got to take the rap were not contained in the document. However Mr Staunton said he stood by his characterisation of the conversation. Mrs Badenoch appears to suggest that the apparent inconsistency raises fresh questions about Mr Stauntons account. She added: Mr Staunton said in his interview that the Post Office was plagued by a toxic culture. He never raised this with me or my officials during his tenure. If he had such concerns, he had a duty to raise them and as Chair, to act on them. Plagued by toxic culture Last weekend Mr Staunton told The Sunday Times that the Post Office remained a mess, plagued by a toxic culture in which the companys executives continued to mistrust sub-postmasters. He claimed that suspicion that sub-postmasters were digging into the [till] drawers is rife, despite the exposure of the scandal. More than 4,000 people have been told they will be eligible for compensation as a result of the Horizon scandal. Errors in the Horizon software, made by Fujitsu, the Japanese technology company, caused shortfalls to be recorded that did not exist. Overall, more than 900 sub-postmasters were prosecuted after they were blamed for the shortfalls. Some served time in prison as a result. Mrs Badenoch claimed in the Commons that Mr Stauntons account of being told to slow the rate of compensation payments was full of lies. She said he had been removed after whistleblowers raised concerns that he was not doing enough to ensure people received their compensation quickly enough. A spokesman for Mr Staunton insisted he has not changed his account of what the Secretary of State was telling him when she called him to summarily dismiss him. Rather it is the account which she gave to the House of Commons last Monday which differs in a number of important respects from the read out which was taken by the civil servants on the call, in particular in raising new allegations which she did not mention at the time. The spokesman suggested that the pervasive and deeply embedded toxic culture in the Post Office organisation only began emerging from December 2023 onwards, particularly after the suspension in January of its communications director after he claimed that some sub-postmasters downright stole. Mr Staunton took these matters up with the board and the chief executive who he instructed to take immediate action to rectify the situation. The spokesman said he made clear to Mrs Badenoch that what was needed was extensive work to ensure that the culture at the Post Office is overhauled. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Former U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson arrived in Kyiv on Feb. 24, writing that "on this grim second anniversary of Putins invasion I am honored to be here in Ukraine." Johnson was prime minister of the U.K. at the start of Russia's full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022. He resigned as the leader of the Conservative Party in July 2022 after being brought down by numerous scandals back at home. However, Johnson was a major supporter of Ukraine from the onset of Russia's all-out war, ensuring that Ukraine received critical military aid from the U.K. Since his resignation, Johnson has continued to push for the West to provide more military support to Ukraine. Johnson was given the title of "honorary citizen" of Kyiv in November 2022 by Major Vitalii Klitschko in November 2022. "With their indomitable courage I have no doubt that the Ukrainians will win and expel Putins forces provided we give them the military, political and economic help that they need," Johnson wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. Other Western allies are also currently in Kyiv to commemorate the two-year anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen arrived in Kyiv by train on the morning of Feb. 24. Read also: After 2 years of Russias full-scale war, Ukraine keeps fighting Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Boris Johnson, former UK Prime Minister, who held this position at the onset of the full-scale war, has arrived in Kyiv on the second anniversary. Source: European Pravda, citing Boris Johnson on Twitter (X). Quote: "On this grim second anniversary of Putins invasion I am honoured to be here in Ukraine. With their indomitable courage I have no doubt that the Ukrainians will win and expel Putins forces - provided we give them the military, political and economic help that they need," Johnson wrote. On this grim second anniversary of Putins invasion I am honoured to be here in Ukraine. With their indomitable courage I have no doubt that the Ukrainians will win and expel Putins forces - provided we give them the military, political and economic help that they need. pic.twitter.com/M6VYgOjOPa Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) February 24, 2024 The photo in Johnson's post appears to be archival and was taken in 2022. In the spring of 2022, he was one of the first top Western officials to visit Kyiv. In the winter of 2023, Johnson travelled to liberated cities in the northern part of Kyiv Oblast. Even after resigning as prime minister, Johnson criticised the West for its slow assistance to Ukraine and expressed the opinion that NATO should send a clear signal of readiness to admit Ukraine. See also European Pravdas interview with Boris Johnson or read the textual version, "Boris Johnson: I believe that Ukraine will retake Crimea and Donbas, but Russia will not dissolve." Support UP or become our patron! EDINBURGH, Scotland An international team of scientists discovered new fossils of a 16-foot-long aquatic reptile that lived approximately 240 million years ago. "We are certain that it will capture imaginations across the globe due to its striking appearance, reminiscent of the long and snake-like, mythical Chinese dragon," said Nick Fraser, keeper of natural sciences at the National Museums Scotland, where the fossils were unveiled. Scientists have identified the remains of Dinocephalosaurus orientalis, a species from the Triassic period in China. The fossils were discovered in the Guizhou Province of southern China. 'DINOSAUR-LIKE' SNAPPING TURTLE MYSTERIOUSLY DISCOVERED IN UK - AN OCEAN APART FROM US HOME Scientists first discovered the reptile in 2003, but they could not fully describe it due to incomplete specimens. Additional and more complete specimens were found, including the most recent preserved in the same posture it was buried. "This discovery allows us to see this remarkable long-necked animal in full for the very first time," Fraser said. "It is yet one more example of the weird and wonderful world of the Triassic that continues to baffle palaeontologists." EXTREMELY RARE JURASSIC FOSSILS DISCOVERED IN SOUTHERN UTAH The sea creature displayed an unusually long neck comprised of 32 vertebrae, giving the animal a snake-like appearance. Its sharp teeth allowed it to easily catch fish and was clearly very well adapted to an oceanic lifestyle, as indicated by the flippered limbs and exquisitely preserved fish in its stomach region, paleontologists said. Although Dinocephalosaurus may share some similarities with the long-necked plesiosaurs, it is not closely related to them, scientists add. The plesiosaurs only evolved around 40 million years later and inspired the myth of the Loch Ness Monster. DISCOVERED DINOSAUR BONE IN ENGLAND MIGHT HAVE BELONGED TO CENTURIES-OLD FIRST ROMAN FOSSIL HUNTERS Scientists from multiple countries studied the fossil for ten years at the Institute of Vertebrate Palaeontology and Palaeoanthropology in Beijing. "This has been an international effort," Professor Li Chun from the Institute of Vertebrate Palaeontology and Palaeoanthropology said. "Working together with colleagues from the United States of America, the United Kingdom and Europe, we used newly discovered specimens housed at the Chinese Academy of Sciences to build on our existing knowledge of this animal." JOGGER'S PREHISTORIC FIND ALONG CALIFORNIA BEACH WOWS MUSEUM COLLECTORS Scientists suggest that future research will enhance their understanding of the evolution of this animal group, especially with regard to the function of their elongated necks. The paper describing Dinocephalosaurus orientalis is published in Earth and Environmental Science: Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. Original article source: Fossil of 240-million-year-old 'dragon' unearthed in China Israel has released its initial post-conflict strategy for the Gaza Strip, which includes the removal of Hamas, opposition to unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state, and the closure of the UN Palestinian refugees agency UNRWA. The Prime Minister stated that Israel intends to maintain security control over all Palestinian territories and link the reconstruction of Gaza to its demilitarization. Netanyahu's Gaza Plan Condemned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's proposed post-war plan for Gaza has sparked strong condemnation from the Palestinian Authority's Foreign Ministry. In a scathing statement released on Friday, the ministry rejected the plan, characterizing it as "an official reoccupation of the Gaza Strip and the imposition of Israeli control over it." Netanyahu presented the plan to the security cabinet, where potential amendments could be demanded. The document suggests Israel maintaining security control over all land west of the Jordan River, including the occupied West Bank and Gaza, areas crucial for the Palestinians' aspirations for an independent state. In the long-term goals presented, Netanyahu rejects the concept of "unilateral recognition" of a Palestinian state and emphasizes the value of reaching an agreement through direct negotiations between the parties involved. For Gaza, the proposal envisions demilitarization and deradicalization as medium-term goals, conditioning the rehabilitation of the war-torn area on its complete demilitarization. Netanyahu suggests an Israeli presence on the Gaza-Egypt border to prevent smuggling attempts, collaborating with Egypt and the United States in the process. The plan also calls for replacing Hamas rule in Gaza with local representatives not affiliated with terrorist entities. Additionally, Netanyahu proposes the discontinuation of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) and its replacement with other international aid groups, as per to Daily Mail. Read Also: Houthi Rebels Declare Naval Ban on Israel, US, UK Vessels Amid Escalating Conflict Palestinian Authority Accuses Israel A statement from the Prime Minister's office claims that the document reflects a broad public consensus on the goals of the war and the desire to replace Hamas rule in Gaza with a civilian alternative. The document has been distributed to security cabinet members for discussion. The Palestinian Authority contends that Israel is using a strategic tactic that builds on American and international initiatives, connecting the outcome of the war and the freedom of hostages and prisoners to the resolution of the wider Palestinian-Israeli conflict.. The PA urges the United States and other Western countries to take decisive action, including recognizing Palestine as an independent state, facilitating its UN membership, and convening an international peace conference. These actions, the PA contends, are crucial for ending the occupation and enabling the Palestinian people to exercise their right to self-determination freely and with dignity. The continuing conflict, which Hamas initiated with an offensive on southern Israel on October 7, has led to differing estimates from both sides regarding the number of people killed. The fighting has resulted in considerable deaths and displacement. Netanyahu's strategy following the conflict introduces a fresh element to the already intricate and difficult circumstances in the area, escalating tensions among the parties involved, according to Newsable Asianet News. Related Article: US, EU Impose More Sanctions on Russia Marking 2 Year Anniversary of the Invasion of Ukraine French President Emmanuel Macron warned his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin early Saturday not to "count on any fatigue from Europeans" over the war in Ukraine, pledging that France's support for Kyiv "will not waver". This comes amid Europe-wide rallies and protests marking the second anniversary of Russia's invasion. "Battered and bruised, but still standing. Ukraine is fighting for itself, for its ideals, for our Europe. Our commitment at its side will not waver," Macron wrote in a message on X marking the second anniversary of Russia's invasion, which falls on Saturday. A separate statement from Macron's office touted the European Union's support for Kyiv, including accepting refugees, offering civil and military aid, and levelling sanctions on Moscow. "President Putin's Russia must not count on any fatigue from Europeans," the statement said. "France is also committed to continuing its support on all fronts, including the supply of military equipment, cooperation between defence industries through the development of co-productions, training, intelligence and civilian aid," it added. "The outcome of this war will be decisive for European interests, values and security." The French pledge of support came as other key Ukrainian allies renewed their commitment to assisting Kyiv. Sanctions US President Joe Biden on Friday announced more than 500 new sanctions against Russia, while vowing sustained pressure to stop President Vladimir Putin's "war machine". He spoke alongside the Canadian, Italian and Belgian prime ministers and EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen who came to Kyiv to mark the date. (with AFP) Read more on RFI English Read also: EU to extend Ukrainian agriculture free trade, adding safeguards for farmers EU approves new round of sanctions against Russia French aid workers in Ukraine killed by 'deliberate' drone attack An employee at Kowiachobee Animal Preserve faces a legal trouble after authorities say she allowed several relatives to access an enclosure with two tigers and pet them, captured in a social media video that went viral. An employee at a Collier County wildlife preserve faces a citation after authorities say she allowed several relatives to access an enclosure with two tigers and pet them, captured in a social media video that went viral. According to an incident report from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, around 2:30 p.m. Jan. 23, investigators responded to Kowiachobee Animal Preserve, 2861 4th Ave. S.E., in Naples, in response to a complaint involving a social media video. On Dec. 10, 2023, a subject by the name of Al Schroeder posted a video on Facebook, showing two white tigers that belonged to Jonathan Peter Slaby, 57, the report said. Tiger shot after attack: Eko the Malayan tiger born in Arkansas, raised in Seattle, transported to Naples in 2020 Two tigers bite arm: 'We need an ambulance bad': 911 calls, video reveal frantic response to tiger attack near Naples Authorities said the video shows a hand coming into direct contact with a fully-grown white tiger's nose. On the video, the investigator said he could hear at least four different voices, one of which he said he recognized as Brandi Shane Verder, 51, facility director at Kowiachobee Animal Preserve in Collier County. According to the report, Brandi Verder told authorities that between 1:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. Dec. 10, 2023, she, her husband Gary Edson Verder, II, 49; her mother Christine Frushour, whose age isn't disclosed in the report; and her stepfather Alan Schroeder, 66, were behind the scenes in close proximity to the twin white tigers' cage. According to the report, Brandi Verder said that under her supervision, Schroeder put his hand up to the tigers' enclosure, but was not positive there was actual physical contact. An employee at Kowiachobee Animal Preserve faces a legal trouble after authorities say she allowed several relatives to access an enclosure with two tigers and pet them, captured in a social media video that went viral. Authorities said the video shows Schroeder's hand against the primary enclosure's chain-link fence. Schroeder appeared to say the tiger has a "soft nose," investigators noted. Authorities said the video shows the tiger made contact with his hand. The tigers weigh approximately 400 pounds each, according to the report. When officers spoke with Slaby, he said he doesn't allow contact with the tigers, and that at the time of the incident, he wasn't aware the encounter had happened. According to the report, Slaby said Brandi Verder is authorized behind the scenes. She reportedly told Slaby the people in the video were her parents, and that she was with them at the time. Authorities said Gary Verder confirmed in December 2023 he and Brandi Verder were present at Kowiachobee Animal Preserve when Schroeder and Frushour put their hands directly against the chain-link fence of the tigers' primary enclosure. Schroeder told authorities he took the video and posted it on his Facebook around Dec. 10, 2023. An employee at Kowiachobee Animal Preserve faces a legal trouble after authorities say she allowed several relatives to access an enclosure with two tigers and pet them, captured in a social media video that went viral. He said he wasn't aware it was illegal to have physical contact with the tigers, according to the report, and explained that Brandi Verder allowed him behind the public safety barrier at the tigers' enclosure. According to the report, Schroeder said he felt the tigers' whiskers on his hand. Authorities concluded Brandi Verder allowed Schroeder and Frushour behind the public safety barriers while under her supervision, while Frushour and Schroeder put their hands against the tigers' primary enclosure. They also found that Schroeder came into direct physical contact with a full-grown tiger. Officers issued Brandi Verder a misdemeanor citation for allowing the physical contact with the tiger. Gary Verder answered a call requesting comment Thursday afternoon, but declined, saying the incident remains under investigation. Two tiger attacks in SWFL, months apart Southwest Florida recorded two tiger attacks between December 2021 and March 2022. Eko, the rare 8-year-old tiger Malayan tiger at the Naples Zoo killed Dec. 29, died quickly from significant internal bleeding, a necropsy showed. Eko, Malaysian Tiger The tiger was shot by a Collier County sheriffs deputy late Dec. 29 so it would release its grip on 28-year-old River Rosenquist's arm. The shooting came after Rosenquist, from Naples, scaled a 4.5-foot privacy fence designed to keep the public from the tigers enclosure. Rosenquist was attempting to feed or pet the big cat, officials said. Rosenquist was taken to Lee Memorial Hospital in Fort Myers after he made a 911 call to authorities. The incident happened after the zoo had closed. Ignacio Meabe Martinez, 50, of Lehigh Acres, suffered severe injuries to both arms when he was bitten by two tigers at Wooten's Everglades Airboat Tours, in Ochopee, on March 22, 2022. Daisy, one of the tigers who bit a worker at Wooten's Everglades Airboat Tours in Ochopee. Martinez sustained large open wounds to his forearms. Deputies said he wasn't bleeding, but his tendons were visible. Medical responders took him to the National Park Service helicopter pad where he flew to Gulf Coast Medical Center, in Fort Myers, records indicate. The witness told Martinez to stop what he was doing, but Martinez ignored him, according to the incident report, before placing his hands through the fence for a second time. The tiger grabbed both of Martinez's arms with his mouth and briefly held them before releasing him, according to the report. The witness said he separated Martinez from the fence and placed him on the ground. The News-Press and Naples Daily News archives contributed to this report. Tomas Rodriguez is a Breaking/Live News Reporter for the Naples Daily News and The News-Press. You can reach Tomas at TRodriguez@gannett.com or 772-333-5501. Connect with him on Threads @tomasfrobeltran, Instagram @tomasfrobeltran and Facebook @tomasrodrigueznews. This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Florida wildlife preserve employee lets relative pet white tiger The Group of Seven (G7) leaders reprimanded Russia Saturday for its use of irresponsible nuclear rhetoric on the second anniversary of the Kremlins full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Russias irresponsible nuclear rhetoric, its posture of strategic intimidation and its undermining of arms control regimes are unacceptable, the intergovernmental political and economic forum leaders said Saturday in a statement, after meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Threats by Russia of nuclear weapon use, let alone any use of nuclear weapons by Russia, in the context of its war of aggression against Ukraine are inadmissible, the group added. The leaders also reiterated their full support for Ukraine and vowed to impose more sanctions on Russia, targeting companies and individuals who help the Russian military acquire weapons or aid the Kremlin with production. Their rebuke comes just a day after President Biden announced more than 500 new sanctions targeting Russia, anyone connected to Alexei Navalnys imprisonment or death and the countrys financial sector and defense industrial base. We will continue to apply significant pressure on Russian revenues from energy and other commodities, the group comprised of leaders from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the U.K. and the U.S. said the statement. We will continue to take steps to tighten compliance and enforcement of the oil price cap. But as the G7 leaders reaffirmed their commitment to Zelensky, the countrys military base is running dry on ammunition to carry out their defense against Russia. In the early months of Russias invasion, supplying Ukraine with military and financial aid had bipartisan support on Congress. But now, on the two-year anniversary of the war, the chambers are stuck in gridlock. The last time Washington provided significant military aid was in December. House Republicans have argued that any chance for foreign aid to pass through the lower chamber would have include funding to secure the U.S.-Mexico border. Senate Republicans, however, blocked a bipartisan border package earlier this month. In a second attempt to move Ukraine funding, the Senate passed a separate bill but Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has refused to bring it to a vote on the House floor, giving Russian President Vladimir Putin and his military needed time to regain momentum. A new bill coupling Ukraine and the border was introduced last week, but no progress has been made thus far on it. Ukraine lost the eastern city of Avdiivka this week after Kyivs military had to retreat. Zelensky has argued extensively that the delay of aid is making life extremely difficult for Ukrainian troops. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Leaders of the Group of Seven have committed to helping Ukraine in meeting its "urgent financing needs" and to participate in its post-war recovery following an online summit on 24 February. Source: G7 Leaders Statement, cited by European Pravda The G7 leaders emphasise that Russia "must not succeed in wrecking Ukraines economy to make up for its failures on the battlefield". Quote: "We will help Ukraine meet its urgent financing needs, and assist other vulnerable countries severely affected by the impacts of Russias war," they noted. In this regard, the G7 leaders welcomed the approval by the European Union of a four-year EUR 50 billion macro-financial support programme for Ukraine, as well as the imminent provision of budget support by Japan in the first quarter of 2024 and the new funding announced by Canada. "We urge the approval of additional support to close Ukraines remaining budget gap for 2024," the G7 leaders added. In addition, the G7 reiterated its commitment to Ukraine's reconstruction; they will continue to work with key donors, and will hold new reconstruction conferences in Berlin in 2024 and Rome in 2025. Macro-financial aid to Ukraine in 2024 faces difficulties due to the delay in the approval of supplemental funding in the US Congress. It is possible that its final decision will only include military support. Ukraine is heavily dependent on macro-financial assistance from its partners, as it spends the vast majority of its domestic revenues on military purposes. Additionally, the Group of Seven leaders stated that they would never recognise the results of any of the so-called elections held by Russia in the occupied Ukrainian territories. "We will never recognise so-called 'elections', past and future, held by Russia in the territories of Ukraine, nor their results. Russias stated intention to hold votes for its Presidential elections in Ukrainian regions is an outrageous violation of Ukraines sovereignty," the G7 leaders emphasise. They also promise to make efforts to bring Russia and its citizens to justice for crimes against Ukraine, including through a special tribunal, and to see to it that civilians and prisoners of war illegally detained by Russia are released. "We will continue to support Ukrainian displaced persons and refugees and protect those in need. We reiterate our support for the Council of Europe Register of Damage for Ukraine," the G7 leaders added. Reminder: Earlier this week, the relevant committees of the European Parliament supported the decision to create a multi-year financial assistance programme for Ukraine worth EUR 50 billion. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that the EU expects to provide the first funds to Ukraine in March. Leaders of the G7 Group will continue to deprive Russia of the revenues it needs to wage a full-scale war against Ukraine and punish third countries that help the Kremlin in this, as well as block Russia's assets until the end of the war. Source: joint statement of the G7 leaders following the online summit on 24 February, which is available to European Pravda Details: The signatories of the statement promise to strengthen sanctions against Russia and prevent further evasion from them. Quote: "We will impose additional sanctions on companies and individuals in third countries who help Russia acquire weapons or key inputs for weapons. We will also impose sanctions on those who help Russia acquire tools and other equipment that aid Russian weapons production or military-industrial development." More details: In this context, the leaders of the Group of Seven specifically mention depriving Russia of revenues from the sale of energy, especially oil. They also promise to impose sanctions on third-country individuals and entities that help Russia wage war against Ukraine. "Financial institutions and other entities that facilitate Russias acquisition of items or equipment for its defence industrial base are supporting actions that undermine the territorial integrity, sovereignty, and independence of Ukraine," they said. The statement specifically mentions North Korea, which has transferred ballistic missiles to Russia in violation of UN sanctions, Iran and China, whose companies have sold dual-purpose goods to Moscow. The G7 leaders also confirmed that they would keep the assets of the Russian Central Bank in their jurisdictions frozen until the end of Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine. The G7 leaders stressed that "it is not right for Russia to decide if or when it will pay for the damage it has caused in Ukraine." "We reaffirm that, consistent with our respective legal systems, Russias sovereign assets in our jurisdictions will remain immobilized until Russia pays for the damage it caused to Ukraine," they added. The signatories of the statement welcomed the adoption of the EU mechanism for the storage of excess profits from revenues from natural resources and encouraged "further steps to enable their use, consistent with applicable contractual obligations and in accordance with applicable laws". The G7 leaders promised to come back to this issue at the summit in Puglia, Italy, scheduled for 13-15 June. Support UP or become our patron! Hollywood director Gareth Edwards has always done things differently. Now his latest film has all the tech heads in Tinseltown talking. Best known for blockbusters such as Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) and Godzilla (2014), and now rumoured to be helming the next Jurassic Park movie, his sci-fi action film The Creator is in the running for best special effects and best sound at the Oscars next month. The film sees John David Washington play Joshua, an ex-special forces agent, as a future war rages between humans and artificial intelligence (AI). The movie also stars Gemma Chan and Alison Janney. Speaking to BBC Click's Spencer Kelly, Edwards says: "I used to jokingly refer to the style of the film [as] if Terrence Malik had sex with James Cameron and had a baby... that was the ultimate high benchmark of what this film was trying to do!" Its impressive visuals - check out that huge military spaceship called The Nomad - have been widely praised, especially given the film had a budget of around $80m (63m), a third of what a special effects-heavy movie like this would usually cost. The Creator was released in the UK in September and is Oscar-nominated for best sound and best visual effects Working with pioneering studio Industrial Light and Magic (ILM), which was founded in 1975 in order to create the visual effects for Star Wars, British-born Edwards took inspiration from his first film Monsters (2010), an indy made on a tiny budget with a small team. Most big films meticulously plan and build elaborate sets before shooting the majority of their special effects against a blue/green screen, which is hugely expensive. But Edwards switched things up, shooting on location in countries including Cambodia and Thailand, then adding the special effects later. Referencing Monsters, which had a crew of just six and also shot on location, Edwards says: "[I was] trying to get back to the positives of doing a guerrilla film. "It's a way more efficient, exciting and interesting process. If you go to a location that's like the place in the scene and... if the crew is small enough, it's cheaper to fly anywhere in the world than it is to build a set. "Whatever was the best place in the world we could find for that scene, we would go and shoot it there, knowing that in the computer afterwards, we can change things. Locations included Tibet, Cambodia, Vietnam and Japan "And [it] already looks good before you hand it over to the visual effects company." Working that way has been made easier with recent advances in technology, Edwards explains. "We tried to keep everything small and what allowed for that, which couldn't have happened five years ago, was that the camera technology had become really good." A Sony FX3 camera was the tool of choice: "It's very cheap and small, I could just move with the camera. It was a massive, liberating thing." Andrew Roberts also worked on another Oscar-nominated film, Martin Scorsese's Killers of the Flower Moon The careful choice of locations also helped keep the budget down. "It looks bigger than your average film because every location is an Instagram destination," Edwards tells Kelly. A significant chunk of The Creator was filmed in Thailand because "money goes a lot further there". But creating a film in this way requires a lot of trust on behalf of the visual effects company, who come in at the tail-end of the project. Edwards explains that he showed the early stages of the scenes to ILM so any misunderstandings could be ironed out quickly. British actress plays Maya in The Creator, who aligns herself with the robots having been rescued and raised by them when she was little Shooting on location was also an advantage for the cast. Londoner Andrew Roberts was the on-set special effects supervisor for the film. "It's great to have something real for the visual effects artists to build on top of, and also for the actors to be in a space where there is something real that can inform their emotion and their performances, rather than being surrounded by blue or green [screen] and being told to imagine." The film has received much praise for its special effects, although some critics have not been quite as impressed with the storytelling itself. The Guardian's Wendy Ide awarded it four stars, writing: "British director Gareth Edwards finally gets to make the sci-fi spectacular he was always destined to tackle. "And with this ambitious, ideas-driven, expectation-subverting, man-versus-machines showdown, he has co-written and directed one of the finest original science fiction films of recent years." But the Evening Standard's Hannah Strong had reservations, awarding it just two stars: "It's a handsome film and demonstrates the filmmakers' vivid imagination, but this doesn't quite extend to the story itself, or its dialogue which often veers into cheesy territory." Edwards had fun with fans at the world premiere of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story in LA back in 2016 For Edwards, the film posed a different challenge to the likes of Rogue One, his last movie which came out eight years ago. Reports claimed that Lucasfilm left Edwards out in the cold towards the end of the project, bringing in Tony Gilroy to write new dialogue and shoot extra scenes. Edwards has disputed this, however, telling KRCW's The Business podcast that when Gilroy was brought in, they both worked together until the very end of the movie. "Having done these massive franchises, there's pros and cons," Edwards tells BBC Click. "The cons are you have this giant fanbase and all this pressure and you cannot fail; it had better be a massive hit because there's so many people waiting to see it. "When you do an original science fiction [film], you've got the opposite problem - no-one's heard of it, no-one cares, you've got to educate the world about what it's about... why they should go and see it. "It's a double-edged sword. [You're] trying to do something new but if it's too out there... I just made this stuff up in my head and everyone is helping me create it but what if I'm wrong and it doesn't work?" 'Proud parent' Perhaps surprisingly given his pedigree, Edwards, who hails from Nuneaton, is his own worst critic. "I always think I'm not pushing things enough, I always think I've conformed and sold out... I always look at my heroes and beat myself up. My heroes growing up were Spielberg, Lucas, James Cameron. "We could go a lot further and do something more unique..." he trails off. "[But] the day you get through a film, and everything about it was easy and fun and enjoyable, is the day you made your worst movie and you should probably retire." And on The Creator's Oscar chances? He modestly points out that he's not personally nominated as the recognition is for the visual effects team (Roberts, Jay Cooper, Ian Comley and Neil Corbould) and the sound crew. "As a proud parent of the film, it's a nice end to the journey," he concedes. Roberts adds: "I was born and grew up in the UK, my parents are from the Caribbean, a working class family and... to be at this point of being an Oscar nominee and potentially getting to win... I never could have dreamed this." BBC Click's interviews with Gareth Edwards and Andrew Roberts will feature in the latest episode of the programme, which airs on the BBC News Channel at 0030 on Saturday 24 February. GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) A trucking company out of Gaylord and several people have been sentenced after federal investigators say they deliberately removed the emissions control systems from semi-trucks in violation of the Clean Air Act. On Friday, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan Mark Totten announced that Diesel Freak, LLC, had been sentenced to pay a fine of $750,000 and serve a term of probation. Its the largest single fine imposed in the case. The owner of the business, Ryan Lalone, and two employees, Wade Lalone and James Sisson, were each sentenced to one year of probation. The company, Lalone and Sisson previously pleaded guilty to charges of conspiring to violate the Clean Air Act. Federal prosecutors say that between 2015 and November 2018, Diesel Freak tampered with the emissions controls on semi-trucks. The goal was to make the trucks run for cheaper, investigators say, but it meant they were putting out too much pollution. Exposure to diesel exhaust can lead to serious health conditions, such as asthma and respiratory illness, and contributes greatly to poor air quality concerns the defendants in this case ignored in favor of financial profit, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agencys Criminal Investigation Division Lisa Matovic said in a release. Lalone estimated that 70% of Diesel Freaks business was emissions control tampering, the release said. Grand Rapids trucking companies accused of diesel engine tampering Federal prosecutors filed charges in April. They say Diesel Freak would reprogram the engine computers after Wyoming-based Accurate Truck Service removed the emissions-controlling hardware. Feds say Diesel Freak did it at least 362 times and Accurate at least 83 times. Investigators say two other companies, Grand Rapids-based Griffin Transportation and Logistics and a shipping company, sent their trucks to Accurate and Diesel Freak to have the emissions controls removed. Trucking companies fined $1 million for emissions law violation scheme All the fines against various businesses and people in the case total about $1.8 million. In October, Accurate Truck Service and Griffin Transportation were each ordered to pay $500,000. The companies were also sentenced to a year of probation. The owners of those companies also got home detention, probation and fines. Scott DeKock, who previously owned a shipping company involved in the case, was sentenced to a year of probation and a $10,000 fine. This case is one of the largest of its kind ever charged in the United States and todays sentences send a clear message that polluters who break environmental laws will be held accountable. Environmental rules safeguard the water we drink, the lakes we fish, and the air we breathe. Its critical that we protect our people and our planet from harmful pollutants, U.S. Attorney Mark Totten said in a release. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WOODTV.com. Back to countryside, new trend amid China's rural revitalization drive Xinhua) 09:52, February 24, 2024 * Throughout the history of human development, rural decline in the process of urbanization and industrialization has become a common challenge facing the world. * China's economy has been accelerating its transition to a new growth model that pursues higher quality and better structure in the new era. In 2017, China began to implement the rural revitalization strategy to address the imbalance between urban and rural areas and between regions. Four years later, China announced it had secured a "complete victory" in its fight against poverty, embarking on a new journey of comprehensively promoting rural revitalization. * More and more "new farmers," mostly well-educated young people with new ideas and skills, began to move from big cities to the countryside. They are bringing urban and rural areas closer together and addressing challenges with innovative solutions. BEIJING, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- After graduating from university, Wang Jinyue had to work incredibly hard to become a manager of an Internet company in the eastern metropolis of Shanghai. When the post-85s man quit his job in 2017 and returned to his rural hometown, it was hard for his parents and friends to understand. After all, over the past few decades, pursuing higher education and then settling down in urban areas has been predominantly regarded by rural Chinese families as the best way out for their offspring. As rural migrant workers flocked to urban centers in pursuit of better opportunities, they sought to use their modest incomes from factory or construction work to improve their families' financial standings. This influx of laborers fueled the rapid expansion of the urban economy. China is not alone. "Throughout the history of human development, rural decline in the process of urbanization and industrialization has become a common challenge facing the world," said Li Yuheng, a researcher at the Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research under the Chinese Academy of Sciences. China's economy has been accelerating its transition to a new growth model that pursues higher quality and better structure in the new era. In 2017, China began to implement the rural revitalization strategy to address the imbalance between urban and rural areas and between regions. Four years later, China announced it had secured a "complete victory" in its fight against poverty, embarking on a new journey of comprehensively promoting rural revitalization. People play frisbee in front of a village library in Yucun Village of Anji County, east China's Zhejiang Province, June 5, 2023. (Xinhua/Cai Yang) With the country's policy support and continuous investment in technology and public facilities in rural areas, there has been a trend of population flow in the opposite direction in China. More and more "new farmers," mostly well-educated young people with new ideas and skills, began to move from big cities to the countryside. They are bringing urban and rural areas closer together and addressing challenges with innovative solutions. MODERN FARMING Seven years ago, Wang Jinyue not only returned to his village in Tinglin town of Jinshan District, Shanghai, but also brought more than 70 engineers with him. He is now chairman of Shanghai Diantian, an agricultural cooperative. "I grew rice with my parents when I was a child, and I know all too well the hardship of farm work," Wang recalled. With the desire to empower farmers and alleviate the toil of agricultural work, Wang, along with his team, threw himself into the research and development of agricultural machinery and equipment. Subsequently, a futuristic scene of farming began to play out in Tinglin Town. Guided by cutting-edge technologies such as satellite navigation system and 5G signals, an AI farming robot had taken over the task of plowing the field. Farmers can now simply log on to a WeChat app account with their mobile phones and control the robot with an app. "The accuracy of the robot's driving error is within 2 cm. Its operating speed can reach 3 to 5 km per hour, which is equivalent to several days of plowing for a farmer," said Wang. As China's population ages, the digital transformation of agriculture effectively makes up for the shortage of employees, Wang said. This photo taken with a mobile phone on Jan. 25, 2024 shows Wang Jinyue (1st L) checking a farm robot with engineers at Diantian Farm in Tinglin Town of Jinshan District, east China's Shanghai. (Xinhua/Zhao Yihe) According to Wang, the cost of sowing has dropped over 37 percent thanks to robots powered by new energy. In fact, costs across the board from weeding to fertilization have all dropped, which has helped to increase farmers' income. Over the past seven years, Wang's team has developed over 60 types of farm robots, ranging from plowing, planting, spraying, and weeding to harvesting. China unveiled its "No. 1 central document" for 2024 early this month, outlining the priorities for comprehensively promoting rural revitalization this year. The document calls for efforts to strengthen the role of sci-tech development in promoting rural revitalization. Data from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs shows that the contribution rate of China's agricultural science and technology progress reached 62.4 percent in 2022. Aided by increased contributions from agricultural machinery and technology, China secured a grain harvest of over 650 million tonnes for the ninth consecutive year in 2023. EXTENDED NETWORK As rural revitalization continues to advance in China, Internet infrastructure is rapidly extending to out-of-the-way rural areas. By the end of 2022, China's rural Internet users exceeded 300 million. Rural China is more connected to the rest of the world than ever before, making it easier for villagers to find jobs locally and access customers farther away. Also in 2017, Wang Xiehong, who has accumulated rich experience in Internet marketing after two years' work in an e-commerce company in Beijing, persuaded four of his fellow townsmen to return from cities to their rural hometown in Longnan, northwest China's Gansu Province, where they started an e-commerce company. Wang Xiehong helps local people sell peppercorn through livestreams in Luanshishan Village, Longnan City of northwest China's Gansu Province, July 22, 2023. (Xinhua) Boasting a pleasant climate, Longnan is rich in natural resources. However, local specialties such as olive oil, honey and pepper were once confined to the mountainous area due to limited ways of transportation. While Wang worked his way up from the customer service desk to operations manager in Beijing, local authorities in Longnan were vigorously promoting the development of rural e-commerce, opening up a new channel for underdeveloped areas in the western regions of the country to enhance agricultural efficiency and boost farmers' income. "The country's support policies for rural areas are so strong that there is more room for rural development than ever before," Wang said. "We go home to start a business, on the one hand, to sell the local agricultural products to the outside world, and on the other hand, we can also develop better." Wang's company opened several stores on Taobao, the country's leading online shopping platform, and Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok. The company's sales reached 2.6 million yuan (about 366,000 U.S. dollars) in 2019, enabling more than 400 households of farmers to increase their income. Last year, supported by the local government's favorable agriculture policies, Wang and his partners also built a standardized processing plant to upgrade the packaging of local specialties, providing more jobs for local residents. According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, as a result of the robust rural e-commerce, China's online retail sales in rural areas surged to 2.49 trillion yuan in 2023. Data from the National Bureau of Statistics shows that rural per capita disposable income hit 21,691 yuan last year, up 7.6 percent from the previous year. This year's "No. 1 central document" has for the first time proposed to implement high-quality development projects for rural e-commerce, promote the construction of county-level e-commerce live broadcast bases, and develop the online sales of rural local specialties. In addition, a logistics network is also being rolled out across China's vast rural areas. For instance, Longnan has improved rural logistics infrastructure in recent years with a three-level logistics system, featuring nine county and district-level unified distribution centers, 199 township service stations, and 2,404 village-level service points. Now, the typical delivery time has been reduced from about one week to just two or three days in the rural region. BEAUTIFUL COUNTRYSIDE When Chen Zhe, who had been working in brand marketing in Shanghai, returned to his home in Yucun Village in Anji County, east China's Zhejiang Province, in 2022, he initially only planned to stay for a day or two. However, his visit ended up stretching to three months. Local authorities were recruiting "global partners" and invited more than 60 young people, including Chen, to develop new business models for the village. "It's pretty bold for a small village to solicit talent from all over the world," Chen said. As a village rich in high-quality limestone resources, Yucun experienced environmental deterioration as more than half of its locals relied on quarrying in the 1980s and 1990s. In 2003, Zhejiang launched the Green Rural Revival Program. It began with a mission to improve rural living conditions by renovating approximately 10,000 incorporated villages in five years, and by transforming about 1,000 of that number that were classed as central villages into examples of moderate prosperity in all respects. An aerial drone photo taken on Aug. 11, 2023 shows people visiting Yucun Village of Anji County, east China's Zhejiang Province. (Xinhua/Weng Xinyang) Thanks to the program, Yucun embarked on a path of green development by boosting its eco-tourism industry. It has now become a model of China's beautiful countryside after two decades of relentless efforts. In 2021, it was named one of the "Best Tourism Villages" by the United Nations World Tourism Organization. "The rural areas are becoming more and more attractive to young people," said Wang Yucheng, Party chief of Yucun. "The global partners program is not simply an investment project, but rather an initiative aimed at attracting like-minded young people to start businesses and promote green development. Yucun will provide them with an entrepreneurial environment and a solid platform." Chen and his team, all of whom are under the age of 30, opened a Chinese comic-themed cafe in the newly built youth library in Yucun in March last year. Chen Zhe sits at his Chinese comic-themed cafe in Yucun Village of Anji County, east China's Zhejiang Province, May 10, 2023. (Xinhua) "It feels like Yucun is a laboratory with many possibilities, and it can inspire the development of villages across China," Chen said. The "No. 1 central document" this year also stressed the need to utilize the experience gained from the Green Rural Revival Program in advancing the country's rural revitalization. "Rural revitalization depends on people, especially young people with ideas and vitality," said He Miao, Party chief of Tianhuangping Town, which administers Yucun Village. She noted that since the village's global partners program was launched in July last year, 42 projects have been introduced there, covering research and education, cultural creativity, the digital economy, and the agriculture and forestry industries. The program has attracted over 1,100 young people from home and abroad to work and live in Yucun and its surrounding villages. Visitors take photos at the Xiantan Art Museum in Xiantan Village, Deqing County of east China's Zhejiang Province, May 8, 2023, (Xinhua/Huang Zongzhi) In a bid to retain young people, the rural areas of Zhejiang are making strides to provide them with the same public services as in cities. A digital service center built in Xiantan Village, Deqing County, is equipped with a health clinic, a childcare center, a gym, and a dance studio, providing one-stop services ranging from childcare to elderly care. Cultural spaces such as libraries and art galleries are now a common sight across rural Zhejiang, another attraction for new farmers. "The countryside should be rich not only in material life but also in spiritual life. So projects like the Xiantan Art Museum are indispensable," said Fei Minjun, chairman of Xianzhitan, a tourism company based in Xiantan Village. (Reporting by Cui Enhui, Song Changqing, Zhang Wenjing, Lang Bingbing, Zhao Yihe, Sun Zhenghao, Yao Youming; Video reporters: Zhao Yihe, Sun Zhenghao, Lang Bingbing, Zhang Wenjing; Video editors: Zhang Mocheng, Hui Peipei, Liu Xiaorui) (Web editor: Xue Yanyan, Hongyu) Iran rejected on Friday any claims of providing ballistic missiles to Russia, following the United States' warning of a strong international reaction to such actions. This week, Iran was said to have given Russia a large number of potent surface-to-surface ballistic weapons, strengthening the military alliance between the two sanctioned countries by the United States, according to Reuters. No Missile Sales in Russia-Ukraine Conflict Iran's mission to the United Nations declared that, despite the absence of legal constraints on ballistic missile sales, the country feels a moral obligation to refrain from engaging in weapon transactions during the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The mission emphasized that this commitment is grounded in Iran's steadfast adherence to international law and the principles outlined in the UN Charter. The situation regarding Iran's missile-related decisions is linked to the expiration of UN Security Council restrictions on the export of specific missiles, drones, and associated technologies in October. However, the United States and the European Union continued to impose sanctions on Iran's ballistic missile program due to worries about the potential transfer of weapons to regional proxies and Russia. While initially denying the provision of drones to Russia, Iran later acknowledged supplying a limited number before Russia initiated its invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022. Despite the absence of prevailing international restrictions on ballistic missile sales, Tehran justifies its decision to abstain from weapon transactions during the Russia-Ukraine conflict on moral grounds, aiming to avoid contributing to the prolongation of the war, as per to Voice of America. Read Also: Houthi Rebels Declare Naval Ban on Israel, US, UK Vessels Amid Escalating Conflict Iran's Alleged Transfers of Ballistic Missiles to Russia During this, reports spread about Iran transferring ballistic missiles to Russia. On February 21, Reuters said Iran has given Russia 400 Fateh-110 short-range ballistic missiles, including Zolfaghar missiles with a 700-kilometer range. The missile deliveries allegedly began in early January 2024. The Defense Intelligence of Ukraine voiced skepticism, saying the material was under verification and that special services sources doubted Iran would deliver missiles to Russia. The United States also weighed in on the matter, with White House National Security Council Coordinator John Kirby stating that they could not confirm the reports about Iran transferring ballistic missiles to Russia. Additionally, an American official highlighted prior warnings from Washington regarding Russia's attempts to acquire ballistic missiles from Iran in exchange for increased military cooperation with Tehran. Reports of Russia seeking Iranian ballistic missiles have circulated for some time, with media outlets disclosing negotiations between the two countries in the preceding year. The discussions gained attention amid the active supply of Iranian Shahed drones to Russian forces. Earlier in January, the Wall Street Journal reported on progressing negotiations between Russia and Iran regarding long-range missiles, speculating that deliveries could commence as early as spring. For further insights, readers can refer to the detailed article by RBC-Ukraine, according to RBC Ukraine. Related Article: Netanyahu Releases Post-War Plans for Gaza But Still Says No on Two-State Solution WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) A Williamson County grand jury indicted a Georgetown homebuilder on three felony charges. According to the Office of the Attorney General of Texas (OAG), 46-year-old Norman Ashby was arrested on charges of misapplication of fiduciary property (greater than $300,000), theft of services (greater than $300,000) and tampering with a witness. As of Friday, attorney information for Ashby was unavailable. This article will be updated if that changes. Williamson County court records confirmed the charges. OAG said Ashby owns Ashby Signature Homes, LLC, in Williamson County, and over several years, he allegedly collected millions of dollars from customers to construct homes in the county. Many of these homebuyers paid for nearly the entire project in cashoften amounts approaching or exceeding $1,000,000. Rather than putting the construction funds into a trust account (as required by law), Ashby is alleged to have comingled the customer funds, OAG said. According to the office, the funds were then used for personal purchases and unrelated projects. OAG said the alleged fraud was more than $10 million. The investigation remains ongoing. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KXAN Austin. Key officials of Georgia have made statements in support of Ukraine on the second anniversary of the full-scale war, including the prime minister, who accused Kyiv of seeking to "open a second front in Georgia." Source: European Pravda Details: Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, who assumed office at the beginning of February, in his statement on Facebook listed all the misfortunes Russia has inflicted on Ukraine through its war, explicitly mentioning Russia. "War causes casualties and destruction every day; it must end... Georgia firmly stands by the side of friendly Ukrainian people, which is manifested not only in words but also in strong political and humanitarian support. I wish peace, sovereignty and territorial integrity to the friendly Ukrainian people," stated Kobakhidze. At the same time, recently, Kobakhidze claimed that Kyiv supposedly "wants to open a second front" in Georgia. Politicians from the leading Georgian Dream party have repeatedly made such statements in response to criticisms that Georgia is not decisively supporting Ukraine. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia emphasised in its statement that Russia, by attacking Ukraine, violated fundamental principles of international law and expressed unwavering support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. Georgia's President, Salome Zourabichvili, who is openly in conflict with the government and criticises it as anti-Western, published a separate video address to the Ukrainian people. "Russia did not manage to destroy Ukraine and your resilience! Russia did not manage to divide Europe and to divide Europe from you! Solidarity is entire, support is there and success and victory are yours," she said. Support UP or become our patron! The suspect charged in connection with the murder of a 22-year-old Georgia nursing student has been confirmed as an illegal immigrant originally from Venezuela, Fox News Digital has learned. 26-year-old Jose Antonio Ibarra, the suspect charged in the murder of nursing student Laken Riley on the University of Georgia campus, is a Venezuelan national who crossed illegally into El Paso, Texas, in September 2022 and was released into the U.S. via parole, three ICE & DHS sources told Fox News. ICE does not currently have an official comment on the situation. LAKEN RILEY CASE: GEORGIA AUTHORITIES IDENTIFY MURDER SUSPECT IN CUSTODY IN NURSING STUDENT'S SLAYING Ibarra was taken into custody by UGA police on Friday. He measures 5 feet 3 inches and weighs 170 pounds, according to the Clarke County Sheriffs Department's booking sheet. Laken measured 5 feet 4 inches, weighing 115 pounds, according to a UGA Police Department report. Police have charged Ibarra with malice murder, felony murder, aggravated battery, aggravated assault, false imprisonment, kidnapping, hindering a 911 call and concealing the death of another, UGA Police Chief Jeffrey L. Clark said during a news briefing Friday evening. READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP Jose Ibarra, who was originally taken into custody on Friday by the UGA Police Department in connection with Riley's death, is now not believed to have had a connection to the victim. Ibarra appeared in court on Saturday morning, where Clarke County Magistrate Judge Donarell Green denied his bond "for today." Two translators were present. Ibarra nodded when spoken to. Riley, an Augusta University nursing student, was found dead Thursday after previously attending UGA before entering a nursing program at Augusta's Athens campus, where she made the Dean's List. UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA POLICE QUESTIONING PERSON OF INTEREST IN LAKEN RILEY HOMICIDE Police initially swept up three to four people during the early stages of the investigation but were only arresting and charging Ibarra, Clark said. Police were asking anyone who saw anything "relevant or suspicious" between 7 a.m. and noon Thursday around UGA's Intramural Fields and Lake Herrick to call 706-542-2200. That's where they found Riley with "visible injuries" within 30 minutes after they received a call from a concerned friend who said she went for a run and didn't come back. According to an incident report obtained by Fox News Digital, multiple officers began searching for Riley near the Intramural Fields around 12:07 p.m. At 12:38, a UGA police officer spotted her on the ground. GEORGIA NURSING STUDENT FOUND DEAD ON UGA CAMPUS IDENTIFIED AS LAKEN RILEY "I called out to Riley, and I did not get a response," the officer wrote. She had visible injuries, and police could not locate a pulse. They began CPR anyway. A sergeant arrived with a defibrillator minutes later and unsuccessfully attempted to revive the victim. Laken Riley poses for a photo posted to Facebook. Riley, a nursing student at the University of Georgia, was found dead near a lake on campus on Thursday, February 22, 2024. Autopsy results remained pending Friday, but authorities said they were investigating her death as a homicide. Clark said it appeared as though she had been killed by blunt-force trauma. Classes and events at both universities were canceled on Friday. Yesterday, the Department of Justice (DOJ) charged Ibarras brother, Diego Ibarra, 29, with having a false fraudulent green card. This is a breaking news story. Original article source: Georgia student murder suspect confirmed to be illegal immigrant Annalena Baerbock, Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs of Germany, came to Odesa with an unannounced visit on 24 February, the second anniversary of Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Source: European Pravda, with reference to DPA, Germanys state news agency Details: Baerbock travelled to Odesa alongside her Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba. It is her sixth visit to Ukraine since the beginning of Russias full-scale aggression. Kuleba stressed in a comment to journalists that "every decision necessary for Ukraines victory will be approved" and added that Germany "will play a key role in this". "Putin has endeavoured to break the Ukrainian people for the past 731 days, two years. Ukrainians were never more united, we as Europeans have never been more united," Kuleba said. Baerbock added that Germany is doing everything it can to support Ukraine, "knowing that it could have happened to us". Baerbock and Kuleba visited the Odesa port and the Transfiguration Cathedral; both sustained damage in Russian attacks. Background: The prime ministers of Italy, Canada and Belgium, in addition to Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, arrived in Kyiv on 24 February, the second anniversary of Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Former UK prime minister Boris Johnson also travelled to Kyiv. Leaders, foreign ministers and diplomats from Western countries have shared numerous statements and video messages commemorating the second anniversary of the start of the full-scale war and expressing solidarity with Ukraine. Support UP or become our patron! Annalena Baerbock (R), Germany's Foreign Minister, and Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine's Foreign Minister, look around the border crossing between Ukraine and Moldova. Jorg Blank/dpa German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has travelled to the southern Ukrainian port city of Odessa as Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine enters into its third year. The German minister arrived in the city on Saturday accompanied by her Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba for a visit that had initially been kept secret for security reasons. It is Baerbock's sixth trip to Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion on February 24, 2022. Both ministers had attended meetings of the UN General Assembly and the UN Security Council in New York on Friday to mark the second anniversary of the start of the war. The two politicians arrived together in Berlin on Saturday morning on board a German government plane. From there, Baerbock and Kuleba flew to Moldova from where they travelled overland to Odessa. Annalena Baerbock (R), Germany's Foreign Minister, and Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine Foreign Minister, look around the border crossing between Ukraine and Moldova. Jorg Blank/dpa Annalena Baerbock (L), Germany's Foreign Minister, and Dmytro Kuleba (C), Ukraine's Foreign Minister, visit the Transfiguration Cathedral in the port city of Odessa, which was destroyed in a Russian missile attack. Kay Nietfeld/dpa German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock travelled to Odessa together with her Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba on Saturday in a show of support as Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine entered into its third year. The visit to the Ukrainian port city on the Black Sea, which was the target of Russian attacks less than 24 hours before, had initially been kept secret for security reasons. It is Baerbock's sixth trip to Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion on February 24, 2022. The two ministers travelled to Ukraine together after attending meetings of the UN General Assembly and the UN Security Council in New York on Friday to mark the second anniversary of the start of the war. They made there way there flying via Berlin and Moldova from where they travelled overland to Odessa. At the beginning of their visit, Baerbock and Kuleba were briefed on the current situation in the port of Odessa. After a tour of the harbour - a major hub for Ukrainian grain exports - the commander of the Ukrainian naval forces briefed Baerbock on the security situation in the Black Sea. Ukraine is one of the world's most important grain exporters. From July 2022 to July 2023, the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which was also negotiated with the mediation of Turkey, enabled the export of almost 33 million tonnes of grain despite Russia's naval blockade. After Moscow refused to extend the agreement, Ukraine established a military security corridor. Since then, it has exported almost 20 million tonnes of cargo across the Black Sea within six months, 70% of which was agricultural products, according to the Ukrainian government, Ukraine. During remarks given at the Ukrainian-Moldovan border, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kuleba expressed optimism about his country's future in the European Union. "Two years ago, I could not have imagined that in 2024 there would be so many reasons to be proud to be European," said Kuleba during a joint appearance with Baerbock at the Palanca border crossing between Moldova and Ukraine. Baerbock said today could also be described as a "day of joy" because the European flag could be seen at the border crossing. "Over the past two years, we have travelled this European path together." The EU decided last December to launch accession negotiations with the government in Kiev. However, it is expected to take many more years before Ukraine could join the bloc. From the border, the two ministers travelled on to Odessa, which had just been attacked with Russian combat drones for the second night in a row on the eve of the two-year anniversary. An elderly man was killed in a small residential building when a drone struck the city late on Friday, after three people were killed in a fire that broke out in a destroyed sewing factory following a drone attack on Thursday evening. As the war in Ukraine entered into its third war, citizens were mourning their relatives and friends killed in attacks or on the front line. At a cemetery west of Odessa, the widow Anna and her father-in-law Oleksandr laid a flag and sweets on the grave of Andriy, a soldier killed two months ago at the age of 38. He had volunteered in March 2023 and was killed in fighting in the Bakhmut area, they said. People across Europe took to the streets on Saturday to express their solidarity with Ukraine. In Germany, thousands of people joined rallies across the country. In Berlin, some 5,000 gathered near the city's Brandenburg Gate landmark, according to police. Organizers put the number at 7,000. Large rallies were also held in Cologne with some 6,000 participants according to organizers, and Saarbrucken with some 2,000 participants according to police. Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner called for rapid weapons deliveries for Ukraine, including the Taurus missiles that Kiev has long been asking for. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has been blocking the delivery of the long-range German-made Taurus missiles out of concern that they could be used to strike targets within Russia itself and further escalate the conflict. Scholz on Saturday called for Germany and Europe to make a bigger effort when it comes to defence. "Russia is not only attacking Ukraine, it is also destroying peace in Europe," Scholz said. Ukraine would be supported in its self-defence "for as long as necessary," he said. "And we, Germany and Europe, are doing more - and must do even more - so that we can defend ourselves effectively." Annalena Baerbock (C), Germany's Foreign Minister, visits the Transfiguration Cathedral in the port city of Odessa, which was destroyed in a Russian missile attack. Kay Nietfeld/dpa Annalena Baerbock (L), Germany's Foreign Minister, and Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine's Foreign Minister, light a candle during a visit to the Transfiguration Cathedral in the port city of Odessa. Kay Nietfeld/dpa Annalena Baerbock (C), Germany's Foreign Minister, and Dmytro Kuleba (R), Foreign Minister of Ukraine, visit the Transfiguration Cathedral in the port city of Odessa, which was destroyed in a Russian missile attack. Kay Nietfeld/dpa The German Foreign Ministry has officially adopted the Ukrainian transliteration of Kyiv, changing the spelling in the official country directory from the Russian transliteration of Kiew to Kyjiw from Feb. 24. The German government and private companies regularly refer to the Foreign Ministry's country directory for spelling and style guidance. The ministry described the change as something that had "long been in common practice for many." The Foreign Ministry is now "gradually changing the spelling" on its websites, embassy signs, and official seals. While the website address of the German Embassy in Kyiv still uses Kiew, the website text now refers to the German Embassy in Kyjiw. The Ukrainian spelling of Kyjiw started to appear in German usage in 2021, according to German newspaper Die Welt. Read also: After 2 years of Russias full-scale war, Ukraine keeps fighting Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. KYIV (Reuters) - German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, in Ukraine's Black Sea port of Odesa on Saturday, said Germany was still discussing whether to supply long-range weapons to Ukraine. "Of course, everything (in regards to military support) we are delivering is too little," she said at a press conference after paying an unannounced visit to the country. "We're racking our brains, especially through the past year, about the issue of how to deliver more, including long-range weapons systems," she said at the event, held jointly with her Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba on the second anniversary of Russia's military invasion of Ukraine. Ukrainian leaders have been pushing their Western counterparts to deliver new weapons systems, above all longer-range missiles to strike further behind Russian lines, such as U.S. ATACMS and Germany's Taurus cruise missiles. German lawmakers approved further military support for Ukraine on Thursday, including long-range weapon systems, but rejected a call by the opposition to deliver Taurus to Kyiv. German officials have cited concerns that the missiles could escalate the war inside Russian territory and could be seen as more direct German involvement in the conflict. Western leaders rallied round Kyiv on Saturday, looking to dispel concerns the West is losing interest in the conflict. "It is totally understandable that people in Ukraine say we need more of everything," Baerbock said. Kuleba said he would not go into detail about weapons and additional air defences that he said had been discussed, but added there were concrete offers available and Germany would work through them bilaterally with Ukraine or in larger settings. (Reporting by Iryna Nazarchuk of Reuters TV, writing by Vera Eckert in Frankfurt, Editing by Louise Heavens) A group of teenagers reportedly broke into a luxury car dealership in Wisconsin and made off with nine vehicles valued at over half a million dollars, according to police. The robbery that took place at a Jaguar-Land Rover dealership in Waukesha on Sunday was recorded on surveillance camera footage. The footage revealed nine masked individuals entering the dealership and driving off with cars. Waukesha is located about 19 miles west of Milwaukee. $583,000 in Vehicles Stolen by Chicago Teens In Waukesha, Wisconsin, a group of nine individuals broke into a luxury auto dealership and stole nine expensive cars worth more than $583,000. An organized break-in, caught on surveillance camera, displayed the intruders raising a garage door, taking car keys kept inside, and then escaping with stolen vehicles from well-known brands like Land Rover, Jaguar, and Porsche. Waukesha Police Capt. Dan Baumann revealed that the suspects, believed to be in their teenage years, initiated their criminal endeavor at approximately 6 a.m. on a Sunday. Operating with precision, the group located the hidden storage of car keys and utilized key fobs to identify and steal the targeted vehicles. A video of the incident also depicted one of the stolen cars forcefully smashing through an overhead service door. Following the heist, authorities received a critical tip from a vigilant observer who reported a group of masked teens fueling up the stolen luxury vehicles at a local gas station. This information prompted law enforcement to initiate a pursuit that spanned multiple counties and eventually led to the apprehension of a 17-year-old suspect in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin. The arrested individual, a Chicago resident, faces charges of burglary, theft, and criminal damage to property, with a bond set at $50,000, as per NBC Washington. Read Also: [DEVELOPING] 500 People from Sweden's Security Agency HQ Evacuated After Suspected Gas Leak Teen Suspect Captured in Luxury Car Heist During the pursuit, officers managed to disable at least one tire on a Range Rover, leading to a collision with an unrelated vehicle. The captured teen now confronts several felony charges, potentially resulting in a substantial prison term if found guilty. Remarkably, eight other suspects from the initial group evaded capture, and law enforcement has not disclosed whether they possess leads on their whereabouts. Authorities have successfully recovered six of the stolen vehicles, some of which were located in Chicago, the hometown of the arrested 17-year-old. Waukesha Police Capt. Dan Baumann emphasized the deliberate nature of the crime, dismissing the notion that it was a spontaneous act by a group of teenagers seeking thrills. He asserted that the criminals had broken into the dealership with a specific plan, aiming to profit from their illicit activities, and underscored the gravity of their actions in an interview with CBS News. "This is an intentional act where you broke into a business with eight of your buddies thinking you're fun and going to make a couple of bucks trying to sell this in the Chicago area, and Waukesha police say no," stated Capt. Baumann. "Because that's not something that normally happens," according to Carscop. Related Article: James Webb Space Telescope Finds Traces of Neutron Star at Center of Supernova Debris Annalena Baerbock (L), Germany's Foreign Minister, sits at the special session of the United Nations Security Council on maintaining peace and security in Ukraine. Bernd von Jutrczenka/dpa On the second anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine on Saturday, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the conflict. "Release the Ukrainian children. Withdraw your troops. End this war. Then there would be peace tomorrow. And the whole world could finally breathe again," she said in a guest commentary for the Saturday edition of German newspaper Bild. The minister also accused Putin of a lust for conquest and a lack of willingness to make peace. "As shocking as it is: Putin doesn't want negotiations. He doesn't want peace - he wants 'conquests'. He says that himself." Baerbock also rejected criticism of German arms deliveries to Ukraine. "Anyone who claims that arms deliveries prolong the war is playing into Putin's hands. Because it is a lie to say that the West is preventing Ukraine from negotiating," said Baerbock. Ukraine had already negotiated with Russia in Istanbul in March 2022 and was prepared to make concessions, said the foreign minister. The basis for this was, of course, that Russia would withdraw its troops. "But instead of a withdrawal, there was Bucha," said Baerbock, referring to the Kiev suburb scene of a massacre in the early days of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. "People who were shot in front of their homes with their hands tied. Raped women." Annalena Baerbock, Germany's Foreign Minister, speaks at the special session of the United Nations Security Council on maintaining peace and security in Ukraine. Bernd von Jutrczenka/dpa German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock on Friday rejected calls for negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin over an end of the conflict in Ukraine. "We hear those voices, saying: 'Negotiate with Putin.' But Putin is making it very clear that he does not want to negotiate peace. Again and again he refers to his 'conquests'," the German minister told the United Nations Security Council in New York on Friday. "Russia, a permanent member of this Council, wants a souvereign state to give up its right to exist. Where would we be if this principle were to prevail," Baerbock asked the room. "Which of us would be the next to be invaded by a ruthless neighbour," the minister asked. "If we were to give in to that, this would be the end to the Charter" of the United Nations, she said. "Therefore we will not cease our support for Ukraine, not now, nor tomorrow." Baerbock referred to the recently signed bilateral German-Ukrainian security agreement, which "offers Ukraine reliable, lasting support." "We're standing with Ukraine," Baerbock said. Saturday marks the second anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Visiting German Foreign Minister had to seek shelter during her visit to Odessa on Saturday evening when air raid sirens went off. The alarm was triggered on Saturday evening at 9:48 pm (1948 GMT). Air raid sirens could be heard in the port city. The alarm was lifted at 10:07 pm. The Green Party politician took refuge in the shelter of her hotel together with members of her delegation and other guests, a dpa reporter learned. An explosion was then heard in the Odessa region. It remained unclear whether there was a rocket hit or whether the Ukrainian air defences had blocked the projectile. There was no immediate information on possible damage or victims. Two Russian drone attacks left a total of four dead and several injured in the city of Odessa shortly before Baerbock's visit. The top German diplomat was in Ukraine on a trip with Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba to mark the second anniversary of the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of its neighbour Ukraine. Annalena Baerbock (L), Germany's Foreign Minister, and Dmytro Kuleba (C), Ukraine's Foreign Minister, visit the Transfiguration Cathedral in the port city of Odessa, which was destroyed in a Russian missile attack. Kay Nietfeld/dpa Annalena Baerbock (C), Germany's Foreign Minister, visits the Transfiguration Cathedral in the port city of Odessa, which was destroyed in a Russian missile attack. Kay Nietfeld/dpa Annalena Baerbock (R), Germany's Foreign Minister, and Dmytro Kuleba (2nd R), Ukraine Foreign Minister, look around the border crossing between Ukraine and Moldova. Jorg Blank/dpa It wasn't his first choice, but Mexico is now home for Evens Luxama -- along with thousands of other Haitians forced to put their hopes of migrating to the United States on hold. The 34-year-old is one of a growing number of people from the crisis-torn Caribbean nation pursuing what activists have described as the "Mexican dream," building a life in a land that migrants traditionally hurried through. "I wanted to go to the United States, but I don't think there's another country that offers the opportunity that Mexico does right now," said Luxama, who hopes his partner and young daughter will join him in the Mexican capital soon. "In Mexico, they accept you, not only Haitians, but all foreigners," he told AFP. "They do everything to get you regularized, so that you have your papers, and with your papers, you can bring your family to live with you," he said. Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, has seen years of worsening security due to raging gang violence, with its political, economic and public health systems also in tatters. Luxama fled overseas last year after a gang kidnapped a cousin and the sister of his girlfriend, who were released after paying a ransom. At the time, the Mexican embassy was the only one open in Port-au-Prince to process his visa request. Luxama now works in Mexico City as an editor at a video production company -- one of an unprecedented 141,000 people who sought refuge in the Latin American nation in 2023, mostly from Haiti, Honduras and Cuba. In a recent video call to his parents in Haiti, he asked about the situation back home. "You already know, son -- a lot of problems," his father replied. Haiti has spiraled deeper into chaos since president Jovenel Moise was assassinated in 2021. Gangs run rampant in large swaths of the country, and homicides in Haiti more than doubled last year to nearly 4,800, according to a UN report released last month. In October, the United Nations Security Council authorized the deployment of a multinational force to help restore order. "It's almost impossible to live in Haiti," said Luxama, who fears that he will be powerless to help his family when danger comes. - 'Mexican dream exists' - Migration from Haiti is not a new phenomenon for Mexico. In September 2021, after a deadly earthquake in their country, thousands of Haitian migrants crowded into the Mexican border city of Ciudad Acuna hoping to cross over to the United States. There were already Haitian communities in Tijuana on the Mexican-US border and the southern city of Tapachula, where thousands gathered seeking permits to travel through Mexico to the United States. These days, Haitians are also a growing presence in Mexico City, many of them working in low-paid, informal jobs. Some sleep on the streets in makeshift camps. Rule changes and the "militarization" of the southern US border are among the reasons prompting migrants to stay in Mexico, said Rafael Velasquez, country director at the humanitarian group International Rescue Committee. "Many people arrive and when they see that there is an opportunity (in Mexico), that the Mexican dream exists, they decide to give it a try," he said. Although the United States is allowing thousands of Haitians with expired travel documents to stay on, it only applies to those who arrived before November 6, 2022. On a street in the Mexican capital, five Haitians drilled the pavement to install pipes near an abandoned cinema. One of them, who gave his name as Jony and speaks Spanish, acts as an interpreter between the bosses and the rest of the workers, who speak Haitian Creole. He was part of a wave of Haitians who arrived in Brazil after a devastating earthquake in Haiti in 2010 that left more than 300,000 people dead. During the Covid-19 pandemic, many of them headed north from Brazil as well as Chile, citing discrimination and difficulty obtaining legal status, according to New York-based Human Rights Watch. Every day, Jony travels several hours by subway to and from his workplace, and sometimes spends days waiting to be paid his salary. Although he originally wanted to go to the United States, he said he stayed in Mexico because "it's easier to return to Haiti one day." yug/axm/dr/acb It is understood the incident happened at an address in the Robinswood area of Gloucester An incident which led to a person arriving at hospital with a serious injury thought to have been caused by a firearm is being investigated by police. Officers in Gloucester were notified about the injury at about 10:45 GMT on Saturday. It is understood the incident happened at an address in the Robinswood area. A police spokesman said the wound was not thought to be life threatening, and no arrests have been made at this time. "Searches have been ongoing to locate those involved," a Gloucestershire Police spokesperson said. "Officers are in the early stages of the investigation and at this time it is believed that this is an isolated incident." Anyone with any information is asked to contact the force. Follow BBC West on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: bristol@bbc.co.uk Welcome, folks, to Week in Review (WiR), TechCrunchs regular newsletter covering noteworthy happenings in the tech industry. This week, Google launched two new open large language models, Gemma 2B and Gemma 7B, in its continued bid for generative AI dominance. The company, which describes the LLMs as "inspired by Gemini," its flagship family of GenAI models, made each available for commercial and research usage. Elsewhere, embattled database company MariaDB revealed that it could be taken private in a $37 million deal. The nonbinding proposal comes 14 months after MariaDB went public via SPAC, Paul writes. Lots else happened. We recap it all in this edition of WiR -- but first, a reminder to sign up to receive the WiR newsletter in your inbox every Saturday. News Tragedy: Earlier this week, Marco Troper, the 19-year-old son of former YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki, was found dead at UC Berkeley of an apparent drug overdose. Cake sale: The future of bankrupt electric motorbike startup Cake is still uncertain, but the majority of its U.S. inventory is going to a man in Florida, Sean reports. Change Healthcare hit: Change Healthcare, one of the largest healthcare tech companies in the U.S., confirmed that a cyberattack on its systems occurred recently. Rivan layoffs: Rivian is laying off 10% of its salaried workforce in a bid to cut costs in an increasingly tough market for electric vehicles, putting even more pressure on its future, more affordable EV called the R2. Dunzo buyout: Indian e-commerce giant Flipkart has held discussions in recent weeks about potentially acquiring Dunzo, the hyperlocal delivery startup backed by Reliance Retail, Manish reports. More privacy: Signal now lets you keep your phone number private with the launch of usernames. YouTube triumphant: YouTube dominates TV streaming in the U.S., per Nielsens latest report. Valuation cut: Byjus says its recently launched $200 million rights issue has been fully subscribed, but the startups founder urged some of its major investors to participate amid a rift between the edtech group and some of its largest shareholders, Manish writes. Funding Lucrative grooming: France-based Planity has raised $48 million to expand its software-as-a-service product for hair salons. Brick-laying robots: Dutch startup Monumental landed a $25 million tranche for its robotic carts and arms that help lay bricks for construction. Analysis Segment under threat: Alex and Ron take a look at the reasons why Segment, the customer data company, could be put up for sale by corporate parent Twilio. Activist pressure has a lot to do with it. Podcasts On Equity, the crew talked about Reddit's upcoming IPO, along with some impressive raises for edtech startup Loora, Bioptimus and Dili. Found dove into the enormous web of the wedding industry with Shan-Lyn Ma, the co-founder and CEO of Zola. Ma talked about why she decided to launch the business after trying to buy a gift for a friend and realizing that wedding registries were still living in the past. And Chain Reaction had on Steve Kaczynski, co-author of the book "The Everything Token" and co-host of the web3 morning show "Coffee with Captain." Bonus round New AI chip venture: SoftBank Groups Masayoshi Son is reportedly seeking $100 billion to build a new venture that'd compete with the likes of Nvidia in the area of AI chips. OnePlus returns to watches: OnePlus upcoming Watch 2 -- the company's first smartwatch in years -- promises a jaw-dropping 100 hours in full Smart Mode. Fearing that Democrats hold a crucial edge in ballots cast before Election Day, national Republicans are working to convince their voters to take advantage of mail and early voting this year. (Stephen Maturen/Getty Images) Fearing that Democrats hold a crucial edge in ballots cast before Election Day, national Republicans are working to convince their voters to take advantage of mail and early voting this year. We cant play catch up. We cant start from behind. We cant let Dems get a big head start and think were going to win it all on Election Day, Republican National Committee chair Ronna McDaniel said in November on a conference call aimed at promoting the groups Bank Your Vote initiative to encourage early and mail voting. Things happen on Election Day. But the partys army of lawyers is, more quietly, sending a very different message. The RNC is fighting in courtrooms and legal filings in key election battlegrounds across the country to make it harder to cast a mail ballot and to have it counted. On Feb. 20, attorneys for the RNC were in a federal courtroom in Philadelphia, in a bid to require that Pennsylvania throw out mail ballots with missing or incorrect dates. Eleven days earlier, they filed a lawsuit challenging several provisions of Arizonas newly adopted election rules, including a rule allowing voters who have not shown proof of citizenship to cast a mail ballot. And that same day, they asked a court in Georgia to uphold a state law that imposes stricter rules on mail voting. Separately, in recent months the RNC has asked courts to let it join the defense of laws in Ohio, Wisconsin, and North Carolina that similarly impose tighter rules on mail voting (judges in the latter two states denied the requests, while the Ohio motion was approved). The party also has sued to block a New York law that lets people vote by mail without an excuse (the states Supreme Court this month dismissed the complaint). And it has formally weighed in against proposed changes to Nevadas election rules, including one that makes it easier for election officials to prevent volunteer observers from disrupting the counting of mail ballots. In January, the RNC went further than ever, filing a lawsuit in Mississippi that it has said aims to obtain a nationwide ban on mail ballots that arrive after Election Day. RNC lawyers stated plainly in their complaint that Republicans interests are at stake because mail voting tends to favor Democrats. States with close races targeted Though its received relatively little attention, the RNCs legal onslaught could have a major impact on the 2024 elections. Pennsylvania, Georgia, Arizona, Wisconsin, North Carolina, and Nevada are all set to be among the closest states in this years presidential race, while Pennsylvania, Ohio, Arizona, Wisconsin, and Nevada host pivotal U.S. Senate contests. New York, meanwhile, is home to several swing congressional districts that could determine control of the U.S. House. And the legal effort against mail voting has been matched by a legislative one. Thirteen states, including Florida, Texas, North Carolina, Arizona, and Ohio, have passed 16 bills to restrict mail voting since the start of 2023, according to a database run by the Voting Rights Lab. It all amounts to a multi-pronged effort to suppress voting by mail, voting advocates say one that could threaten access to the ballot this fall, especially for Democrats, who are now more likely than Republicans to use mail voting. At its core are legal arguments aimed at convincing judges to interpret the law in ways that are explicitly adverse to voters. The push sits uneasily alongside an RNC campaign to convince GOP voters to embrace mail and early voting. But its right in keeping with former President Donald Trumps years-long, evidence-free campaign against voting by mail. In courtrooms and state legislatures across the country, Republicans are doing everything in their power to restrict mail-in voting, said Marc Elias, a prominent Democratic election lawyer, in a statement. The RNCs legal strategy is clear. The Republican Party no longer seeks to earn the support of a majority of the American electorate. Instead, they are launching a legal assault on our democracy. A spokesman for the RNC did not respond to a request for comment. A muddled message on mail voting In 2020, many states loosened rules on mail voting in response to COVID-19. That years election saw record high turnout despite the pandemic, with nearly half of all voters casting a mail ballot a huge increase from around 22% in 2016. Even with COVID-19 tamed, many states have kept their more liberal mail voting rules in place, or, like New York, have passed new laws expanding access to mail ballots. While leading Democrats have embraced mail voting, Trump has repeatedly denounced it, falsely claiming it opens the door to massive fraud. MILLIONS OF MAIL-IN BALLOTS WILL BE PRINTED BY FOREIGN COUNTRIES, Trump tweeted in June 2020, adding that the result would be a RIGGED election. Its true that several of the extremely rare instances of proven voter fraud have involved mail voting. But theres no evidence of systematic mail voter fraud of the kind that Trump has claimed threatens the integrity of a presidential election. A voter fraud database run by the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, lists 279 cases of fraudulent use of absentee ballots, going back to 1988 since which time hundreds of millions of mail ballots have been cast. Meanwhile, GOP lawyers have gone to the mat to try to put the mail voting genie back in the bottle. Weve watched Democrats systematically try to codify those post-COVID changes that they made, and weve been in the courts trying to keep those pre-COVID protections in place for our elections, RNC chair Ronna McDaniel explained in October. Theres been a battle waged. Its not surprising, then, that Democrats have in recent elections used mail voting at significantly higher rates than Republicans. So pronounced is the split that in 2020, President Joe Biden won the mail vote in 14 out of 15 states analyzed by 538.com, while Trump likewise won the Election Day vote in 14 out of 15. Thats led the GOP to fret that it now often goes into Election Day already trailing by a significant margin. In response, the RNC last year launched the Bank Your Vote initiative to encourage Republicans to vote early or by mail. The effort includes websites in all 50 states, and even an ad recorded by Trump albeit without much visible enthusiasm. Sign up and commit to voting early, Trump says. We must defeat the far left at their own game. But Trump has continued to muddy that message. You know, we have these elections that last for 62 days, Trump declared last month in his victory speech after the Iowa caucuses. And if you need some more time, take as much time as you want. And so many bad things happen. We have to get rid of mail-in ballots because once you have mail-in ballots, you have crooked elections. RNC court filings The RNCs legal assault on mail voting suggests a similar view. In several court filings, RNC lawyers have suggested that tight safeguards are needed to ensure mail voting doesnt allow for fraudulent votes. Ohios law that restricts who can return a mail ballot on behalf of a voter should be upheld, the RNC argued in one typical filing, because it guards against an increased risk of voter fraud and other irregularities. The Republican bid to restrict mail voting is part of a larger effort by the party since 2020 to devote more resources to election integrity tighter election rules that prioritize anti-fraud measures over access. It includes a year-round election integrity legal department, which has said it worked with over 90 law firms and participated in nearly 100 lawsuits during the 2022 cycle. So far this cycle, the RNC has paid over $4 million to two top Republican law firms, Consovoy McCarthy and Wiley Rein, according to FEC records. Thomas McCarthy, a co-founder of Consovoy McCarthy, is listed on RNC motions in the Mississippi, Georgia and Wisconsin cases, among others. The focus on election integrity comes as McDaniel, the RNC chair, is reported to be stepping down at the end of the month. Trumps choice to replace her, North Carolina GOP chair Michael Whatley, has stressed the importance of tight voting rules for Republican success, States Newsroom has reported. Chipping away at mail votes The most far-reaching of the RNCs cases is the lawsuit it filed with other Republicans in January against a Mississippi law that allows mail ballots that arrive up to five days after an election to be counted, as long as theyre postmarked by Election Day. Federal law sets Election Day as the Tuesday after the first Monday in November, the suit argues, so by extending the election past that day, Mississippi is violating federal law. The RNC has said the goal is to obtain a ruling from a judge that bars post-Election-Day ballots from being counted not just in Mississippi but nationwide. The 5th Circuit, which contains Mississippi, is known as perhaps the most conservative judicial circuit in the country. Election law experts have said its unlikely, but not impossible, that a court could accept the RNCs argument. If the case were to reach the Supreme Court, at least one justice appears friendly. In 2020, when the court upheld Wisconsins ban on late-arriving ballots, Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote that states have the right to set election deadlines to avoid the chaos and suspicions of impropriety that can ensue when thousands of absentee ballots flow in after election day and potentially flip the results of an election. Mississippi is one of 18 states including key battlegrounds like Ohio, Nevada, Virginia, Texas, and New York plus the District of Columbia, that count ballots that arrive after Election Day. (North Carolina last year passed a law that restricts mail voting in several ways, including by banning ballots that arrive after Election Day. Its that law that the RNC sought unsuccessfully to help defend from a court challenge by Democrats, which is ongoing.) The number of votes at issue could be significant. In 2020, the U.S. Postal Service said it processed nearly 190,000 ballots in the two days after the election. Most of those, it said, were in states that allow late-arriving ballots. The Mississippi lawsuit makes clear that, despite the Bank Your Vote campaign, Republicans want to curtail mail voting because they think it gives Democrats an edge. Because voting by mail is starkly polarized by party, [allowing late-arriving ballots] directly harms Plaintiffs, the RNCs lawyers wrote in the complaint. For example, according to the MIT Election Lab, 46% of Democratic voters in the 2022 General Election mailed in their ballots, compared to only 27% of Republicans. That means the late-arriving mail-in ballots that are counted for five additional days disproportionately break for Democrats. Pennsylvania case also crucial The Pennsylvania case is another that could reverberate. In November 2022, the state Supreme Court ruled in response to a suit filed by the RNC and other Republicans that over 10,000 mail ballots on which the voter had neglected to write the date on the outer envelope, or had written an incorrect date, must be rejected. The states NAACP chapter filed its own suit in federal court in response. The RNC quickly intervened, arguing that the state Supreme Courts ruling should be upheld. A district court ruled for the NAACP in November, finding that the Civil Rights Act bars states from rejecting votes based on immaterial paperwork errors. The RNC appealed, arguing for a narrower interpretation of the landmark civil rights law, setting up the Feb. 20 hearing. In a sign that the case could have an impact beyond Pennsylvania, 17 Republican-led states last month submitted an amicus brief in support of the RNCs position. The other cases may not have the same reach as those two. But together, they broadly aim to tighten the rules around mail voting to a degree that could significantly chip away at mail votes. RNC lawyers have marshaled a range of arguments in these cases. They have claimed, unsuccessfully, that New Yorks law expanding access to mail voting violates the states constitution, which bans no-excuse mail voting. Theyve said Georgias new deadline to apply for a mail ballot of seven days before Election Day doesnt violate the federal law barring deadlines of fewer than 11 days, because the federal government lacks the authority to regulate these deadlines. No mail voting rule appears too small to escape the notice of RNC lawyers. This months lawsuit against Arizona targets a new rule that lets voters who registered without proof of citizenship and therefore, under Arizona law, can vote in federal elections only receive a mail ballot, arguing that state law bars these voters from voting by mail. And theyve submitted comments to a Nevada commission, criticizing a proposed rule there that gives election officials more power to ensure the counting process for mail ballots isnt disrupted. The new powers could let election officials infringe on the publics right to witness the counting, the groups lawyers assert. Meanwhile, supporters of mail voting say Republican fears about an influx of Democratic mail votes may be misplaced. Americans have used mail ballots for over a hundred years because they provide a safe and convenient way to ensure the right to vote, said Barbara Smith Warner, the executive director of the National Vote at Home Institute, which advocates for mail voting. Research has demonstrated time and time again that voting at home increases voter participation and turnout for all, with no partisan advantage for any side. Attacks on mail ballots are red herrings to distract from their true intent making it harder for citizens to vote, and sowing distrust in our elections, Smith Warner said. SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE The post GOP backs voting by mail, yet turns to courts to restrict it in battleground states appeared first on Alabama Reflector. Congressional Republicans are slamming the Biden administration's border policies after a Venezuelan immigrant who crossed the border illegally was charged with the murder of a Georgia nursing student. Twenty-six-year-old Jose Antonio Ibarra, the suspect charged in the murder of nursing student Laken Riley on the University of Georgia campus, is a Venezuelan national who crossed illegally into El Paso, Texas, in September 2022 and was released into the U.S. via parole, three ICE & DHS sources told Fox News. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., shared his condolences with Riley's family and friends while also reemphasizing Republicans' efforts to pass border legislation. GEORGIA STUDENT MURDER SUSPECT CONFIRMED TO BE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT "The brutal murderer who took the life of Laken was one of the millions of illegal aliens that the Biden Administration simply released and unleashed upon our country," Johnson wrote on X, formerly Twitter. "For Laken, and the countless many others lost to this border catastrophe, House Republicans will continue to fight tooth and nail for a return to law and order. Mr. President, use your existing statutory authority and CLOSE THE BORDER!," he added. READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp posted a letter sent to President Biden on Saturday, "demanding information" on Ibarra's immigration status and calling for a holistic approach to border safety. "Joe Biden's failed policies have turned every state into a border state, and I'm demanding information from him so we can protect our people when the federal government wont!" Kemp wrote in an X post. In the letter, the Republican governor called Biden's silence on illegal immigration statistics "outrageous." "Frankly, Mr. President, your continued silence in response to these reasonable requests is outrageous," Kemp said. "The American people deserve to know who is illegally entering our country due to your administration's failures, and what risks and challenges every state must now face." "These tragedies are not unique to Georgia. While we will continue to support Texas with National Guard resources as we have since 2019, federal action to secure the border is the only way to wholistically [sic] address this ongoing crisis and ensure Laken Riley's horrible fate is not replicated across the country," he said. Jose Ibarra, who was originally taken into custody on Friday by the UGA Police Department in connection with Riley's death, is now not believed to have had a connection to the victim. Georgia Republicans Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Rep. Andrew Clyde called out Biden on X, saying that he has "blood" on his hands following Riley's death. "Laken Riley, 22-year-old UGA nursing student, was murdered by an illegal alien from Venezuela that the Biden admin released in our country," Greene wrote. "Joe Biden, Mayorkas, and the Democrats have blood on their hands. Praying for her family." "Laken Riley, the 22-year old nursing student found dead on the UGA campus, was murdered by an illegal alien," Clyde posted on X. "The Venezuelan migrant, Jose Antonio Ibarra, illegally crossed the border and was released on parole in September 2022. Joe Biden has blood on his hands." LAKEN RILEY CASE: GEORGIA AUTHORITIES IDENTIFY MURDER SUSPECT IN CUSTODY IN NURSING STUDENT'S SLAYING Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., of Arizona echoed Greene and Clyde's sentiments, writing, "These are the tragic consequences of open border policies. The Biden Administration has blood on its hands." Senator J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, called the situation enraging, saying that Ibarra should never have been in the country. "Enraging. He shouldnt have been in our country. And now an innocent American is dead," Vance wrote. The White House insisted on Friday that House Republicans stand in the way of a solution to what Biden has called a "broken" immigration system. The White House insisted on Friday that House Republicans stand in the way of a solution to what Biden has called a "broken" immigration system. "For the past several months, we worked with Republican senators and also Democrats in the Senate to try to come up with a fair and tough piece of legislation that would deal with border security," Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters at the daily White House press briefing. UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA POLICE QUESTIONING PERSON OF INTEREST IN LAKEN RILEY HOMICIDE She noted that a bipartisan deal reached last month had been endorsed by the Border Patrol union before Johnson declared it "dead on arrival." "Speaker Johnson has gotten in the way of this," Jean-Pierre added. "We did our job. The Senate did their job in a bipartisan way. BROTHER OF UGA MURDER SUSPECT CHARGED WITH GREEN CARD FRAUD Ibarra was taken into custody by UGA police Friday and has been charged with malice murder, felony murder, aggravated battery, aggravated assault, false imprisonment, kidnapping, hindering a 911 call and concealing the death of another, UGA Police Chief Jeffrey L. Clark said during a news briefing Friday evening. Riley, an Augusta University nursing student, was found dead Thursday after previously attending UGA before entering a nursing program at the University of Augusta's Athens campus. According to an incident report obtained by Fox News Digital, multiple officers began searching for Riley near the Intramural Fields around 12:07 p.m. At 12:38, a UGA police officer spotted her on the ground. Laken Riley poses for a photo posted to Facebook. Riley, a nursing student at the University of Georgia, was found dead near a lake on campus on Feb. 22. "I called out to Riley, and I did not get a response," the officer wrote. She had visible injuries, and police could not locate a pulse. They began CPR anyway. A sergeant arrived with a defibrillator minutes later and unsuccessfully attempted to revive the victim. Autopsy results remained pending Friday, but authorities said they were investigating her death as a homicide. Clark said it appeared as though she had been killed by blunt-force trauma. Kemp's office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment. Fox News' Michael Ruiz, Chris Pandolfo and Bill Melugin contributed to this report. Original article source: GOP lawmakers slam Biden admin in reaction to college murder suspects immigration status: Close the border! Gov. Mike Parson on Friday announced Madeline Romious a Kansas City lobbyist and member of a police charity that raises millions for the department annually as his pick to fill a vacancy on the Board of Police The announcement came late Friday afternoon among 12 appointments made by the governor, who selects the majority of Kansas City police commissioners to oversee the police department. She will fill a vacancy left by Commissioner Mark Tolbert, a past board president first appointed in 2017. Efforts by The Star to reach Romious by phone and through social media were unsuccessful late Friday. State management of the Kansas City Police Department is an unusual arrangement governed by a 1939 law. The police department is controlled by a board of commissioners selected almost entirely in Jefferson City. Four of the five seats are picked by the governor and confirmed by the state Senate. The requirement for service is residency in Kansas City. The fifth and only elected seat is automatically held by Kansas Citys mayor. Commissioners, who serve rotating four-year terms, are responsible for managing the budget, setting policy and making hiring decisions. Romious is a regional vice president of external affairs for telecommunications giant AT&T. Online records with the Missouri Ethics Commission list her among the active lobbyists representing the company since 2004. Romious past experience in community affairs include the previous chair of the Police Foundation of Kansas City. The charity has, since 2010, raised money to assist the Kansas City Police Department. In January, the foundation announced a $4 million gift to upgrade the departments information technology network, among other things. In announcing the appointment Friday, the governors office also highlighted Romious work as the chair of arts advocacy group Arts KC and as a board member of PREP-KC, a nonprofit that aims to help low-income schoolchildren with college and career success. In 2015, Ingrams Magazine named Romious among its Women Executives-Kansas City. Appointments to the police board have been contentious in part due to its organizational structure. Critics, especially area activists focused on police reform, have long taken issue with the fact that commissioners wield considerable power over the police department and do not answer to voters at the ballot box. Also of concern to activists has been a lack of racial diversity on the police board to oversee a department that serves a city where roughly 41% of residents identify as a race other than white. Romious, who is Black, will be the sole woman of color on the board. Sheryl Ferguson, of the police reform activism group ItsTime4Justice, said Friday she remains concerned that Parsons selection continues a trend of picking someone far out of touch with the black community that is affected by actions of law enforcement. The appointment comes nine days after the shooting at the Kansas City Chiefs rally where 25 people were shot. Authorities have blamed the shooting on an argument that quickly escalated to gunfire, injuring children and bystanders, including a 43-year-old Johnson County woman who died. The Stars Glenn E. Rice contributed to this report. Ukraine said that it has shot down a Russian A-50 military spy plane - the second occurrence of its kind in slightly over a month. According to Ukrainian military sources, the plane was struck between the Russian cities of Rostov-on-Don and Krasnodar, approximately 200km (124 miles) from the front line. Emergency services found plane fragments in Kanevskoy district and successfully extinguished a large fire. Russia has not provided any comments regarding the claim. It has been two years since Russia initiated a full-scale invasion on Saturday, as per BBC News. Ukraine Shoots Down Key A-50 Russian Spy Plane A four-engine radar plane, the A-50, has crashed about 120 miles from the front line in southern Ukraine, causing serious harm to the Russian air force. The reason behind the crash is still unclear, with potential causes including a mechanical issue or damage sustained while operating near the front and trying to return to its base in Krasnodar before exploding. The Ukrainian air force has laid claim to shooting down the A-50, supported by the intelligence directorate in Kyiv. This incident marks another significant setback for the Russian air force, which has lost nine of its top planes, predominantly to Ukrainian long-range surface-to-air missiles, including American-made Patriot PAC-2s, in just a month. The A-50s have played pivotal roles in Russia's extended conflict with Ukraine, aiding in the detection of incoming missile raids and relaying critical radio signals from frontline forces to distant headquarters. The loss of two A-50s in quick succession has not only diminished the Russian air force's capabilities but also highlighted the vulnerability of their operations, according to Forbes. Read Also: US To Impose Sanctions on Over 500 Targets Involved in Russia's War With Ukraine Ukraine's Patriot Batteries Challenge Russian Air Initially deployed cautiously to minimize risk, the A-50s faced increased danger as the Russians ventured closer to the front line over time. The deployment of Patriot batteries by Ukraine, obtained from Germany and the United States, proved effective in countering the A-50s, dealing a blow to Russian air superiority in the region. The ramifications of these losses extend beyond the airframes, impacting the availability of experienced pilots crucial for executing key missions. Russian efforts to replace the destroyed A-50 are underway, but the significant cost and time required pose substantial challenges. Ukraine has taken financing for a few Russian aircraft being shot down recently, raising worries about the decreasing supply of Patriot missiles. Struggling due to Russia-aligned Republicans impeding US aid, Ukraine is dealing with a crucial shortage of resources to maintain its defense against Russian air attacks. Amid the tragedy, videos of the A-50 crash circulated on social media, depicting a large explosion and flames at the crash site. Russian officials are yet to comment on the incident, while Kyiv continues to assert its role in downing Russian planes, including the recent destruction of a Su-34 fighter bomber. The ongoing hostilities highlight the escalating tensions and the strategic challenges faced by both sides in this prolonged conflict, Newsweek reported. Related Article: Russia Allegedly Uses North Korean Missile Against Ukraine, Contained US, European Components A 73-year-old Maryland woman was fatally stabbed Thursday when she tried to intervene in an argument between her granddaughter and a man who attempted to break into her home. Angelo Terrell Spencer, 24, was charged with first-degree murder and assault in connection to the death of Mary Catherine Bland and an attack on the 17-year-old granddaughter, who survived with non-life-threatening injuries, Bel Air police announced. He was also charged with rape, though it was not immediately clear if that was alleged to have occurred as part of the same incident. According to a press release, officers responded to Blands home shortly before 3 p.m. on Thursday to find her suffering from multiple stab wounds. She was immediately taken to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Investigators took Spencer into custody less than 90 minutes after authorities initially received a 911 call, the press release said. We know that it was him inside the residence. He was identified, walked away from the residence, Charles Moore, the chief of Bel Air police, told local NBC affiliate WBAL-TV. According to the outlet, police said that Spencer was previously in a relationship with the granddaughter. A charging document cited by WBAL-TV said that Spencer had purchased a glass cutter and a pocketknife prior to the incident andattempted to break into the back of Blands home. Spencer then rang the front doorbell and spoke to Bland before he allegedly pushed his way into the home, according to the news station. Moore told WBAL-TV that the stabbing came during an argument between the granddaughter and Spencer. Bland tried to intervene and was stabbed as a result, Moore said. Spencer allegedly stabbed Bland in the shoulder after she yelled, and then continued to stab her in a panic. Bland reportedly suffered 25 stab wounds. Spencer confessed to grabbing the 17-year-old by her neck but denied sexually assaulting her, according to the charging document cited by WBAL-TV. Court records reviewed by HuffPost show that Spencer is being held without bond. Its unclear if he has retained an attorney. Charlotte Green, one of Spencers former co-workers, attended a Friday court hearing in his support and expressed disbelief over the allegations against him, WBAL-TV said. Something had to make him snap. Im getting ready to cry, Green told the outlet. Hes full of life, and hes too young for this to happen, and hes going to ruin his life if hes found guilty. Need help? In the U.S., call 1-866-331-9474 or text loveis to 22522 for the National Dating Abuse Helpline. Visit RAINNs National Sexual Assault Online Hotline or the National Sexual Violence Resource Centers website. Related... Although Hollywood started the gangster film in the 1930s and 1940s, the French perfected it in the 1950s and 1960s. The acting was more subtle: the events depicted more credible, less theatrical, and less cliched. But after the golden age of Jean Gabin and Lino Ventura, French cinema moved on, its films evolving as crime and society changed during the era of Mitterrand and Chirac. Yet a real-life gangster from the French golden age, the bank robber, kidnapper and serial murderer Jacques Mesrine, was the subject of the epic biographical film Mesrine directed by Jean-Francois Richet in 2008, which although set in the 1960s and 1970s effectively updates the genre, in questionable but not entirely offensive fashion. Mesrine was born in 1936 to a family depicted in the film spread over two parts, titled Killer Instinct and Public Enemy No 1 as respectable, middle-class and, in his mothers case at least, disgusted by his refusal to earn an honest living. His father fears to show his disgust, being timid and overpowered by his narcissistic and psychopathic son, against whom he has no moral weaponry to deploy. Be warned, this is a film for which one needs a strong stomach. Mesrine is depicted as a man not merely inured to violence, but addicted to it, after his service in the French army in Algeria during the troubles of the late 1950s and early 1960s. What the films do not depict is that the real Mesrine witnessed a massacre by German soldiers as a child, or that he was expelled from school for delinquency. It does show him in the army threatening to shoot the sister of a suspected terrorist in order to force him to speak, before shooting the suspect himself. It is an act of graphic violence that sets the tone for the film, showing an immediate difference from those of the golden age. It is riveting, with the starring role acted immaculately by Vincent Cassel. The script moves at high velocity, the photography is superb and the supporting cast outstanding notably Cecile de France as the gangsters ruthless and rather terrifying moll, who in Bonnie-and-Clyde style becomes his partner in crime. Jailed for five years, she eventually realises that she cannot cope with the full psychopathy of the Mesrine approach to life. The violence cannot be said to be gratuitous: it is necessary if one is to understand just how vicious Mesrine was and, in turn, how morally deficient were those French who, in his heyday, saw him as some sort of Robin Hood. Cassel effortlessly depicts the bravado, charisma and warped talent of the man: his various prison escapes, his capacity for disguise, his magnetic allure for women, his constant outwitting of the police not just in France but in Canada, where he operated for a time until he and his mistress were arrested. He augmented his legend while in Canada not merely by breaking out of jail but, having escaped, returning with an accomplice to try to facilitate a mass-breakout. What ensued is depicted on screen as resembling a small war. He returns to France, acquires a new mistress, resumes robbing banks but ends up in Frances most impregnable jail, La Sante. Again proving truth is stranger than fiction, he manages to escape and Public Enemy No 1 moves to its denouement with a series of improbable, but true, events that infuriated the authorities who could not catch him: robbing the Deauville casino, escaping thanks to a family they held hostage, and then kidnapping a plutocrat for a massive ransom. Meanwhile, he gives an interview to Paris Match and, thanks to his mastery of disguise, travels all over Europe: he reads the interview while in London in 1978. A journalist who was rude about him finds himself lured to a meeting on the promise of a further interview, only for Mesrine to shoot him. Mesrines accomplice deserts him at this point: he, too, has had enough. Killer Instinct starts with Mesrine driving into an ambush after the police track him down; its sequel ends with the full carnage, Mesrine dead, covered in blood, his mistress injured and, most distressing of all, her pet poodle killed. Mesrine is, for all its gore, a landmark of French cinema. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. In a landmark case, a federal jury in South Carolina on Friday found Daqua Ritter guilty of killing a transgender woman, Dime Doe. It is the first time that a federal jury has convicted someone of murder with the motive being the victims real or perceived gender identity. On Aug. 4, 2019, Dime Doe, 24, who was born and raised in Allendale, South Carolina, and remembered by family and friends as beautiful and the life of the party, was found dead on Concord School Road. She was found slumped in the drivers seat of her car, shot three times in the head at close range with a .25-caliber handgun. Ritter, who had been in a tumultuous, secretive relationship with Doe over several years, was found guilty on all three counts of his indictment, which included possession of a firearm during a violent crime and lying to federal investigators. The jury of nine women and three men returned the verdict at 9:15 p.m. after deliberating for almost four hours. The jury heard testimony that her killer, Daqua Ritter, believed this was going to be a cold case, it is not a cold case anymore, said First Assistant Attorney Brook Andrews from the U.S. Attorneys Office for South Carolina at a news conference following the verdict. The jury has told us who did it and they have held him accountable. For that we are grateful, we are relieved and we remain heartbroken at the loss of Ms. Doe and the tragedy her family has suffered. After the verdict was read, there were sobs from Does family, who attended every day of the trial. Afterward they stood with the prosecution team, Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ben Garner and Elle Klein from the U.S. Attorneys Office for South Carolina, and Andrew Manns from the Department of Justices Civil Rights Division. Does father, Ernest, carried her portrait, while her mother held Kleins hand. Prosecutors alleged that Ritter, 27, killed Doe because he feared being perceived as gay for being in a relationship with a transgender woman. Witnesses testified that Ritter was furious when his girlfriend went through his phone and accused him of being in a relationship with Doe. Ritter threatened to beat Doe, according to two witnesses, and messaged her that he was being called all kinds of (a homophobic slur) now that their relationship was public knowledge. His anger and his rage after those rumors came out, they were focused on one person: Dime Doe, Manns said. Ritter is not the first person to be charged under the gender-identity provision contained in the federal Matthew Shepard And James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which was signed into law by President Barack Obama in 2009. He is the first to be convicted. This case stands as a testament to our committed effort to fight violence that is targeted against those that may identify as members of the opposite sex, for their sexual orientation or any other protected characteristic, Andrews said. We are going to pursue those crimes and if we can make em, you can bet we are going to prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law. Between 2017 and 2022, there were 222 homicides of transgender people in the United States, according to a study from Everytown for Gun Safety, a nonprofit that aims to reduce gun violence. The victims are disproportionately Black trans women, who made up 67 percent of those victims killed by a gun. South Carolina is one of just two states in the country that does not have a hate crime law. The Clementa C. Pinckney Hate Crimes Act has cleared the South Carolina House of Representatives twice, but has stalled in the Senate. The bill would enhance penalties for certain crimes motivated by hate toward a protected class, including race and gender identity. We know that hate crimes dont just impact individuals that are the victims of those crimes, because when a person is targeted because of their very identity, it impacts entire communities, said Chase Glenn, executive director of Alliance for Full Acceptance, a South Carolina-based LGBTQ advocacy group. To be the only state other than Wyoming that has failed to pass a hate crime law sends a message that our state doesnt take seriously that they would be targeted for who they are, Glenn said. The jury reached its verdict after hearing testimony from 27 witnesses over four days. Those witnesses included a group of friends Ritter fell in with in the month leading up to the killing, as well as neighbors and family members who testified about his actions the day of the crime, including destroying his clothes in a burn barrel. The jury also heard testimony from investigators from the FBI and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, along with experts in DNA, ballistics and cellular records. This testimony locked Ritter into an unforgiving timeline that prosecutors called a murder window. Ritter is expected to be sentenced in three months, Andrews said. In pre-trial motions, prosecutors said they were not seeking the death penalty. The federal sentencing guidelines for murder set life at the recommended sentence. There is no parole in the federal system. The Case Doe was born and grew up in Allendale, South Carolina. She attended Allendale-Fairfax High School and friends and family who took the stand described how stood out, unapologetically, in their small town. After her death, suspicions and rumors flew fast in Allendale, where many of the towns approximately 2,600 people are either relatives or neighbors. Almost immediately, those rumors focused on Ritter, then 22. Despite his attempts to hide the relationship, it thad become the subject of gossip. Ritter was an outsider in Allendale. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he would visit the town every summer with his grandmother. It was there that he met Doe, whose aunt was dating one of Ritters uncles. At some point, the two began a relationship but then fell out of touch. But on July 3, 2019, Ritter reached out to Doe. No drama no BS I really gotta talk to you, Ritter texted her in a message he later deleted. S--- hurt me we look each other in the face now and dont speak, Doe wrote back. Im scared you might try to do something to me. Ritter replied, I miss you for real. Doe replied, Thats why Im scared to come. No lie, Im scared. You aint never talk like that. Over the next month, they would message each other over the TextNow app 749 times and talk for almost four hours. The messages showed how Ritter relied on Doe he asked for rides and to hang out. He confided that he was sick of being homeless, bouncing between Allendale and Columbia and feeling trapped in both. But he often pulled away and expressed fear and anger over how others, including his then-girlfriend, Delasia Green, perceived his sexuality. He warned Doe not to tell anyone about him and to delete his messages. Days before her death, Ritter and Doe got into a fight over text. I feel like you use me. This is where s--- went wrong the first time, Doe wrote. I break my neck to do s--- for you. But on Aug. 4, Ritter texted and called Doe from his friend Xavier Pinckneys phone, asking her to come pick him up. A summer storm had just passed, and a group of people who were hanging out with Ritter saw him get into a car matching Does white Chevy Impala. Pinckney pleaded guilty to lying to investigators about letting Ritter use his phone and denying that his phone could make calls. At 3:02 p.m., Ritter was seen on bodycam footage in Does car during a traffic stop. At 4:41 p.m., Pinckney called a number from his phone that cell records link to Does phone, which was found in her car. He testified that it sounded like Ritters voice when the call was picked up. Around that time, Ritters uncles girlfriend testified that he showed up on foot, unannounced and nervous at his uncles house, less than half a mile away from where Does body was found. Multiple witnesses testified that they saw Ritter burning his clothes later that evening. The next day, one witness testified that Ritter had confessed to her; another witness said Ritter had asked him to hide a gun. Over the course of four days, defense attorneys Joshua Kendrick and co-counsel Lindsey Vann questioned the motives of many of the prosecutions witnesses, many of whom admitted to previously lying to investigators. They also attempted to poke holes in their testimony regarding contradictory or inaccurate times, dates and details. Theres a story per person, Kendrick said during his closing. As part of meeting the burden for the murder charge, prosecutors were required to prove that the federal government had jurisdiction over the case. In order to prove this, prosecutors introduced evidence that material elements of the crime, including the gun Ritter used, the phone he used to communicate with Doe and Does car, which was made in Canada, were products of interstate commerce. Ed Turner, 27, had no intention of actually using the dating app to meet women or get a girlfriend, saying he simply wanted members of the fairer sex to "like" his profile for validation. A British man says he had to seek treatment for his Tinder addiction after swiping on 500 profiles per day. Ed Turner, 27, confessed to obsessively using the popular dating app simply for the rush he would feel when members of the fairer sex liked his profile and that he had no intention of actually meeting any of the women or finding a girlfriend. If a person didnt respond to me or didnt message me in the first place it would crush me, Turner told British publication i News. I would get highs when I was getting a lot of matches with people that I found attractive but it would always be followed by a crash because its not sustainable. Validation from others was the only thing keeping me going, he candidly added. Hooked on Tinder, Turner also downloaded dating apps Hinge and Bumble, swiping on every profile he could. The Brit said he only matched with around five percent of the women, with even less starting a conversation with him. Ed Turner, 27, had no intention of actually using the dating app to meet women or get a girlfriend, saying he simply wanted members of the fairer sex to like his profile for validation. Supplied Even still, Turner was regularly talking to 10 ladies at a time, and spent his days waiting for the women to reply. Since I was swiping right on everyone and fully engulfed in the game. I lost all sense of self, he painfully admitted. Dating apps turned sex, communication and love into an actual game and distorted reality. With no actual intention of meeting any of his matches, some conversations quickly fizzled out, leaving the Brit feeling dejected. Those apps affected my entire mood and personality, Turner declared. I could never tell you what I was really looking for, he declared. It got to the point where I was like, Right I have to ask this person on a date otherwise theyre going to stop talking to me. I knew eventually Id have to talk to people about going on an actual date. When it got to that point, I was almost uninterested. Turner eventually ended up in a relationship with a woman he met offline but he still couldnt quit thinking about the apps. Hooked on Tinder, Turner also downloaded dating apps Hinge and Bumble, swiping on every profile he could. twinsterphoto stock.adobe.com It made me feel like a bad partner. I didnt do anything and I never talked to women while I was in that relationship but it had an effect on me, he said. That high was gone. After the end of that relationship, Turner turned to Tinder again. He ended up in therapy where he was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder and depression. And while he has quit the apps, the singleton struggles to stay off them, suppressing an insatiable urge to start swiping again. While he has quit the apps, the singleton struggles to stay away from them, suppressing an insatiable to start swiping again. Tada Images stock.adobe.com Turner is far from alone in his dating app addiction. Match Group, the parent company of Tinder and Hinge, are the subject of a current class action lawsuit from jilted users who say the apps are designed to trap them in an endless spiral of swiping, rather than helping them find a relationship. The plaintiffs say Matchs predatory business model defrauds those looking for love and fearful of missing out with an algorithm that rewards compulsive use of its platforms. Nikki Haley speaks during a campaign event on February 23, 2024 in Moncks Corner, South Carolina (JUSTIN SULLIVAN) US Republican presidential hopeful Nikki Haley on Saturday lashed out at rival Donald Trump for making what she called "disgusting" comments about Black Americans. Trump, who defeated Haley in Saturday's nominating contest in South Carolina, suggested that Black voters favor him because they can relate to his troubles with the law. "It's disgusting. But that's what happens when he goes off the teleprompter. That's the chaos that comes with Donald Trump," Haley said at a polling station in her home state. "That's the offensiveness that's going to happen every day between now and the general election, which is why I continue to say Donald Trump cannot win a general election," she added. Trump made the comments Friday evening in a speech to Black conservatives. The 77-year-old, who faces four criminal indictments, including on charges of conspiracy and vote rigging, suggested that "Black people like me because they have been hurt so badly and discriminated against, and they actually viewed me as I'm being discriminated against." He also claimed that Black voters appreciate his police photo, taken at a Georgia jail, more than anybody else. "The mug shot, we've all seen the mug shot, and you know who embraced it more than anybody else? The Black population. It's incredible," he said. The remarks drew criticism from Republicans and Democrats alike. "Last night in South Carolina, Donald Trump stood on stage to make shameful, racist comments that tap into a hatred and divisiveness that is the very worst of us," said President Joe Biden in a campaign email. Earlier in the week, Trump compared his legal troubles to the persecution of Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny, whose recent sudden death in an Arctic prison has been linked by Biden and other Western leaders to the Kremlin. cjc-md/des/mtp (Bloomberg) -- Nikki Haley is staring down the possibility of a humiliating defeat in the state where she served as governor for two terms if Donald Trump, as expected, pulls out his fifth straight victory of the Republican presidential primary. Most Read from Bloomberg Haley, who trails Trump by double digits in polls, has vowed to stay in the race at least through Super Tuesday on March 5 regardless of the outcome of Saturdays vote in South Carolina. Heres what to watch: Haleys Last Stand? Despite two terms as a popular governor, Haley hasnt been able to close the polling gap with Trump in the Palmetto State. Trumps decisive victories in the first four primary contests have lent his quest for the nomination an air of inevitability. As his last major remaining rival, Haley has sharpened her attacks on the former president, criticizing the 77-year old former presidents age as well as his threats to NATO member countries that fall short of their defense-spending commitments. While her longer-term strategy may be to try to stick around in case Trump who has been indicted four times implodes, real questions about the viability of her candidacy will only intensify if she notches a big loss Saturday. Read more: Haley Risks Humiliation at Home Despite a Flood of Spending General Election Pivot Look for Trump to use a win in South Carolina to supercharge his pivot into general election mode. South Carolina has historically been a reliable indicator of who will end up at the top of the ticket. Newt Gingrich, who won the state in 2012, is the only GOP candidate in more than four decades who didnt go on to secure the partys nomination. Trump has already started to focus in on President Joe Biden as his main rhetorical target, and a poor showing for Haley in South Carolina could cause her donor support to dry up, effectively setting up a 2020 general election rematch. As the first state with a significant Black population to hold a primary, South Carolina also could provide clues as to how effective Trumps bid to peel off support from a key group of 2020 Biden backers has been. In a move that could be detrimental to that effort, Trump played on racist tropes Friday at a gala for Black conservatives, claiming that his criminal indictments had bolstered his support among Black Americans. Haley on Saturday called the remarks disgusting. International Hand Wringing Speculation by world leaders and global markets about the implications of a second Trump administration will ratchet up if the former president continues his march to the nomination with another decisive win in South Carolina. Trump has made his populist and more isolationist stance toward foreign and economic policy a key part of his platform, and his comments about NATO allies sparked alarm in world capitals. Haley, by contrast, has espoused more traditional Republican policies, including a muscular US foreign policy role. She called Trumps support for across-the-board tariffs on imports as well as a 60% levy on Chinese goods ludicrous in an interview with Bloomberg Televisions s Surveillance earlier this month. Read more: Haley Hits Trump Over NATO, Tariffs in Bid to Close 2024 Gap RNC Revamp After a likely victory in South Carolina, Trump has his sights set on overhauling the Republican National Committee leadership. Hes looking to replace Chair Ronna McDaniel who Trump allies say hasnt fundraised well with two hand-picked successors: Michael Whatley, a vocal election denier, and his own daughter-in-law, Lara Trump. Lara Trump campaigned for her father-in-law in South Carolina, pledging to direct every cent the RNC raises to Trumps White House comeback bid and to winning majorities in Congress. She also hinted that some of the RNCs money could go to paying Trumps lawyers, saying Republican donors are interested in funding his mounting legal defense bills. Trumps political action committees are on track to run out of funds to cover his legal costs this summer, meaning he will likely need to tap RNC funds to cover those expenses. Read more: Lara Trump Says All RNC Money Should Go to Trump, Congress Whats Next? While a smattering of other states vote before then, attention will quickly turn after Saturday to Super Tuesday on March 5. Roughly 36% of all delegates are up for grabs during the 15-state voting bonanza, but party rules designed to help the frontrunner quickly rack up delegates will make it harder for Haley to gain ground on Trump, even if she does somehow pull off an upset in South Carolina. Read more: Delegate Math Favors Trump as Haleys Longshot Bid Gets Harder If she loses, Haley who has managed to pull in a large number of deep-pocketed donors will have to convince her benefactors that her campaign is still viable. Haley has an aggressive travel schedule over the next 10 days with planned stops in Michigan, Minnesota, Colorado, Virginia and more. Trump, meanwhile, will be increasingly contending with his mounting legal morass, including the scheduled March 25 start of his first criminal trial, over alleged hush-money payments to an adult film actress to influence the 2016 election. Recent civil verdicts are already draining his resources. --With assistance from Gregory Korte. (Updates to add details on Trump race remarks in 11th paragraph. An earlier version corrected the length of Haleys tenure as governor.) Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2024 Bloomberg L.P. Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley gave her clearest answer yet to whether she would accept an invitation to join former President Trumps ticket, claiming Friday that Its done. Haley, the former governor of South Carolina, said people could no longer argue she launched her bid just to be vice president. Her comments come as both candidates are vying for Palmetto State voters ahead of Saturdays GOP primary. Were gonna see what happens tomorrow. But look, the problem when people say, Why is she doing this? Why is she doing that? At first, they were like, Shes doing this because she wants to be vice president. I think weve pretty much settled that, she told Fox News anchor Bret Baier, amid a campaign stop in Mt. Pleasant, S.C. Ive said it for months, its done. I wouldnt be doing this if I was worried about a political future, she added. I wouldve gotten out already. Im doing this trying to wake up our country. Trump also told voters in South Carolina earlier this month that he would never pick Haley to be his running mate. Youre never going to have her, and I dont think anybody is very devastated, he said at the time, according to local reporting. 2024 Election Coverag When asked Friday whether she would take Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.) up on his offer to launch a unity ticket against Trump and President Biden, Haley didnt seem open to the idea. Im running as a Republican, she answered. Im running trying to wake people up that, if they nominate Donald Trump in this primary, we will lose a general election. Earlier in the interview, Baier asked Haley why the people in her home state didnt seem to be enthused by her bid, but instead, have supported Trump the likely GOP nominee in most polls. This is not about who should be the nominee, she responded This is about who should be the nominee that can win a general election. Because, nothing gets fixed if we lose. And thats what this is all about. We have a country to save. And in order to save her, we gotta win a general election. Haley added. The South Carolina polling index from The Hill/Decision Desk HQ shows Trump leading Haley by at least 30 points 63.8 percent to 33.1 percent. Still, Haley who has promised to remain in the race until Super Tuesday, regardless of Saturdays results said the voters want someone new. She went on to criticize Trump and Biden again over their age, claiming a majority of Americans say they are too old to run. America can do better than this, she argued. We need a young generation person that can put in eight years of hard work, day and night, to get us back on track with no vendettas, no drama, Haley added. Just results for the American people. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. A US appeals court panel on Friday refused to postpone one of the country's longest-serving death row convicts' scheduled execution in Idaho for next week. Following the 1983 murder of David Jensen, another prisoner, by battery-filled sock, Thomas Creech received a death sentence. At 73 years old, Creech had been found guilty of four murders and was already serving a life sentence when he took Jensen's life. Petition to Delay Execution John Creech, a well-known citizen of Ohio, has been involved in a legal battle for more than 50 years. His counsel have asked the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals to postpone Creech's planned execution. Creech, who is suspected of multiple killings dating back to 1974, is under intense scrutiny regarding the methods of his conviction and subsequent death sentence. John Creech's counsel petitioned the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals to delay his lethal injection, continuing his 50-year legal case. Creech, accused of many murders since 1974, is under heavy investigation for his conviction and death sentence. Judge Jay Bybee conveyed skepticism, asserting that the defense's lack of substantial evidence makes the appeal seem like a delay tactic. The Idaho attorney general's office concurred, contending that Creech's legal team had kept the claim in reserve, only raising it at the eleventh hour to stall the impending execution. Apart from the plea regarding the sentencing method, Creech's legal team has filed three other challenges in recent weeks. These include concerns over the adequacy of his clemency hearing, questions about the source of the execution drug, and an appeal to the US Supreme Court, as per Fox News. Read Also: US Intelligence Cannot Verify Link Between UNRWA and Hamas Accusations Across States Creech is accused with killings in various states. After being acquitted in 1974 for stabbing retiree Paul Shrader in Arizona, Creech was accused in Oregon and Idaho of shooting and partially burying two traveling housepainters. During police interrogations, Creech made extravagant claims of involvement in 42 killings, some in satanic rituals and others as contract killings for motorcycle gangs. While authorities were unable to substantiate most of these assertions, they did connect him to nine killings in Nevada, Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, Arizona, and California. During Creech's clemency hearing, the state presented unverified information about an additional killing in California in 1974, adding a new twist to the case. Even without concrete proof, this new information has further complicated an already legally complex case. As the case continues, the 9th Circuit rejects the claim that judge-sentenced executions are declining nationwide. The panel noted that Creech failed to demonstrate a significant public opinion shift and urged raising the issue earlier in the judicial procedure. In the closing days before execution, legal maneuvers and appeals hang over Creech's future, according to US News. Related Article: Student Found Dead on UGA Campus; Classes Canceled as Police Investigations Continue Nancy and Karim Iskander talk with media outside Van Nuys courtroom after a verdict on Friday. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) For the record: 3:04 p.m. Feb. 27, 2024: An earlier version of this story said that Nancy Iskander went to the gravesites of her two young sons after the verdict in Rebecca Grossmans murder trial. Iskander did not go to the gravesites that night but posted a photo from the sites taken by someone else that evening offering a tribute to her sons. A few hours after a jury on Friday convicted Rebecca Grossman of murdering her two young sons, Nancy Iskander posted a photo on X of their graves. It was the end of a wrenching day. Three years after Grossman sped through a Westlake Village crosswalk in her Mercedes-Benz, hitting Iskander's sons as she watched in horror, she had finally found some level of closure. "Someone was held accountable for your murder sons. Sleep tight. Rest in peace," she wrote on X along with a dusk photo of the marble headstone. It took jurors a little over one day to convict Grossman on all charges. Read more: Tearful mom describes horror as car sped through intersection, killing her 2 sons In doing so, the jurors appeared to embrace the prosecution's case that Grossman the scion of a prominent medical family was reckless and impaired by margaritas and Valium when she plowed through the residential intersection and hit the children in a marked crosswalk. The jury convicted Grossman on two counts of murder, two counts of gross vehicular manslaughter and one count of hit-and-run resulting in death. Those were the maximum charges sought by prosecutors. The jury could have opted for lesser charges, such as vehicular manslaughter with ordinary negligence. For Iskander, it was a moment of satisfaction and grief. She had been bearing witness for her boys, testifying in court. My family has been waiting for this for 3 years now. I've been waiting for the trust of the justice system. So today we're just giving glory to God; the God of Mark and Jacob has been with us through that time and helped us through, carried us," she said outside court. She said sitting through the high-profile trial "felt like I am attending the funeral of the boys again, day after day. That's how it felt, seeing the defendant and defense attorneys. But with the conviction, she felt, it was all worth it. "We were trusting the justice system," she said. "We have a justice system you can trust from our experience. It's not a justice system where people get away with things just under the color of their skin or their wealth or anything. You commit a crime, you will be held accountable." On Sept. 29, 2020, when Iskander and her three sons approached the crosswalk, wearing inline skates, she began to cross Triunfo Canyon Road at Saddle Mountain Drive. Her youngest son, Zachary, was next to her on his scooter. Mark, on a skateboard, and Jacob, also wearing inline skates, followed a little over arm's length behind. Read more: Rebecca Grossman guilty of murder in killing of two young brothers. She vows to appeal Prosecutors accused Grossman of reaching 81 mph before lightly braking and hitting the brothers at 73 mph, based on the cars data recorder and the distance Mark was found from the crosswalk. Prosecutors allege Grossman, 60, had cocktails with her then-boyfriend Scott Erickson, a former Dodgers pitcher, and then raced with him he in his black Mercedes sport utility vehicle and she in her white Mercedes SUV along Triunfo Canyon Road until they reached a crosswalk. Prosecutors also alleged that Grossman traveled a third of a mile after hitting the children before safety features in her car automatically shut it down. Iskander's witness testimony was a highly charged moment in the trial, as she described watching Grossman's SUV plowing into her sons. I heard the loud noise, and I heard the driver of that car kept going, Iskander told jurors. I started screaming, I cant find them." Nobody came back to help, Iskander said. She did not come back to the scene. She killed my kids, Iskander said of Grossman. They arent at school. They are not playing sports. They are at the cemetery. Grossman was taken into custody after the verdict. She faces a sentence of 34 years to life in prison based on the conviction. Grossmans lead attorney, Tony Buzbee, called the verdict unexpected and vowed to appeal. Nancy Iskander said it didnt bring her any joy to see Grossman in handcuffs. Grossmans daughter was overcome with emotion and yelled, Oh, my God, as the first word guilty echoed across the courtroom. No one wishes that on anyone, Iskander said. I promise I do not have any hate for her. My heart broke for her children. ... It wasnt easy, but it will bring me closure. Iskander also took time to talk about her sons. Well, they were godly children. They loved God. They were raised at the church. They were hardworking. They were honest. They cared about the truth," she said. "And they were spoken for by a prosecution who's also just that hardworking, honest, who cared about the truth. Mark and Jacob didn't die. Mark and Jacob were murdered," she added. She said her family was able to cope with the tragedy because of a large support group. We're thankful for our community. We're thankful to everyone here. Her son Zachary, who was 5 on the day of the crash, continues to deal with the trauma of losing his brothers. Iskander's husband, Karim, said he hoped the verdict would be a turning point. We finally can move on. Finally. We have been waiting for the closure," he said. He also thanked the jury, saying they saw past "the imaginary conspiracy theories and tricks.... and focused on the evidence and they took it seriously." 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. For the majority of the last two years, Leslie Albrecht and Christopher Holland have been working out of one box, a box that Albrecht compared to "Swiss cheese" due to the number of figurative holes. The box, which belongs to the Christian County Sheriff's Office, was all that remained of the evidence from the cold case of Kelle Ann Workman. In the summer of 1989, the body of 24-year-old Workman was found in the Mark Twain National Forest after the young woman had been missing for a week. For nearly 35 years, Workman's family, local law enforcement and community members had been searching for answers to Workman's case. Now, they believe they have them. The Douglas County Sheriff's Office and Christian County Sheriff's Office announced Wednesday that three men have been charged with Workman's murder: Leonard "Dwight" Banks, Bobby Lee Banks and Wiley Belt. A grand jury indictment filed in the Circuit Court of Douglas County on Wednesday charged Bobby Banks with the murder, kidnapping and rape of Workman. Dwight Banks and Belt are accused of acting alongside Bobby Banks in the crimes. More: After 35 years, 3 men charged in relation to 1989 Ozarks murder of Kelle Ann Workman Albrecht, a retired detective of the San Diego Police Department with a history working in both the sexual assault and elder abuse units, and Holland, a retired FBI special agent, first learned about Workman's case in 2019. After years of "blood, sweat and tears," the two found the case's "missing piece," resulting in the arrest of the Bankses, who are brothers, and Belt. Mugshots of the three men, Leonard "Dwight" Banks, Bobby Lee Banks and Wiley Belt, indicted by a grand jury for the kidnapping, rape and murder of Kelle Ann Workman in 1989 in Douglas County. This "missing piece" was an eye witness who law enforcement and investigators were in contact with previously but who was not a suspect. The name of this individual was not released, as this information will be key to an upcoming trial. The News-Leader contacted Douglas County Sheriff Chris Degase and Christian County Sheriff Brad Cole for comment on working with Albrecht and Holland but was unsuccessful in reaching them. "500 pounds of pressure" released Ahead of the public announcement, Degase visited the Workman household Tuesday night to share the newly found information, Pam Workman, Kelle's sister, told the News-Leader. The night was, understandably, an emotional one. "I wasn't surprised, but it was just like 500 pounds of pressure was released from all of us," Pam told the News-Leader on Friday. "We were all pretty quiet and speechless ... because we couldn't believe, after 35 years, that we were finally hearing the names of the people who were responsible. I told Chris Degase, 'You know Chris, we don't know what to say, we don't know how to act because honestly, we never thought this day was going to happen.'" Learning about Kelle Ann Workman In 2019, Albrecht and Holland worked together for the Department of Health and Senior Services Bureau of Special Investigations, assigned to case loads in southwest Missouri. Their work entailed investigating cases of elder abuse and dependent adult abuse. While on assignments together, the two often swapped cold case stories and one day, they began discussing Workman. Leslie Albrecht is a private investigator in Springfield. Workman was last seen at 6:15 p.m. on June 30, 1989, mowing grass at the Dogwood Cemetery near the Pleasant Southern Baptist Church in Douglas County. On July 7, 1989, her fully-clothed body was found half submerged in a creek in the Mark Twain National Forest, about 12-15 miles from the cemetery. Due to her body's quick decomposition, authorities were unable to identify the cause of Workman's death. Without a doubt, Albrecht and Holland were interested in investigating Workman's case, but they needed permission from the DHSS. "We had to find a way to fit Kelle into our wheelhouse to be our victim," Albrecht said. Kelle Ann Workman was abducted in Douglas County and killed in 1989 only months after the body of Ronnie Johnson was found in Douglas County. Neither murder has been solved. After speaking with the Workman family, Albrecht came to the conclusion that Workman, who was described as "extremely shy, naive and had trouble socializing," likely had undiagnosed autism spectrum disorder. Although Kelle Ann Workman was independent and capable of caring for herself as an adult, Pam Workman said during grade school, her sister did attend a few special education classes. With this "diagnosis" and knowledge that Kelle Workman lived as a dependent adult (it was known she lived with her parents), Albrecht and Holland were able to pursue her case as DHSS investigators. Working closely with the Christian County Sheriff's Office and Workman family, Albrecht and Holland began sifting through that box of evidence that had not been uncovered since 1995. Albrecht said many of the people they wished to interview, including witnesses, members of law enforcement and the doctor who performed the autopsy on Workman's body, had died. Forensics from '89 were not helpful, either. But by far the hardest part of investigating the case was keeping their work quiet while operating in such a small community, Albrecht said. More: What happened to Kelle Ann Workman? Here's what we know about 1989 case, 3 men charged For the Workman family, the two years of Albrecht and Holland's investigation were an "emotional roller coaster," Pam said. "We would go for a month and I would hear from her (Albrecht) every week and then we'd go for a month and it was like nothing," Pam said. "She and Chris both made it very clear from the beginning, 'I'm going to ask you questions, but you can't ask me questions because I don't want to do anything to jeopardize this.' Every time I would start to feel like, '(Gosh darn it), nothing's going to happen,' I would think, 'You know what? We're not going to give up. Maybe this is the time something is going to happen.' And sure enough, here we are." It wasn't until their second year of investigating that Albrecht and Holland met with the eyewitness who ended up providing crucial information that solidified the case against the Banks brothers and Belt. Within a few months of this revelation, the indictment came. A search through News-Leader archives does not populate any coverage about Belt's tie to the case over the years, but Albrecht said he was interviewed by law enforcement in the past. The Banks brothers, on the other hand, were mentioned in the media a few times over the years. In 1995, Dwight Banks spoke with the News-Leader about the case. Bobby Banks declined comment, as he was advised by a lawyer. Part 1 of a July 29, 1995 story about the Kelle Ann Workman investigation. In 1990, Bobby Banks failed a polygraph test administered by the Missouri State Highway Patrol, which Dwight Banks said was due to "frail emotions." An ex-girlfriend of Bobby Banks also told the authorities that he sought an alibi for the night Workman vanished. "The people who came forward, who ended up really being a major turning of this case did it after we originally spoke with them," Albrecht said about the eyewitness. "I think we got under their skin ... not in a bad way. But they were like, 'OK, it's time.' That person contacted us and we went running. And we knew right then, when you have done this as long as we have ... you know when you see real trauma." More: With 3 suspects arrested, here's a timeline of the Kelle Ann Workman case Recalling the two years she spent investigating Workman's case, Albrecht got emotional. "All the times I've been up there (near Dogwood Cemetery), tromping around and I would just sit in that parking lot and look over at that grave and tell her to talk to me," Albrecht said, with tears in her eyes. "I just felt her. I can't tell you. I felt like Kelle, after 34 years, said, 'OK, it's time.' I think she was patient." Kelle Ann Workman is buried at Dogwood Cemetery in Douglas County. She apparently was abducted while mowing grass at the cemetery on June 30, 1989. Throughout the investigation, bringing more peace of mind to the family remained top priority. Now that a trial, or possibly three, is ahead Albrecht said she has been preparing the family for what's to come and make them feel like they are still a part of the case. "Our promise to the Workmans is this, and it's our promise to everyone we work for we're going to do our best to bring answers and justice," Albrecht said. "We never say we're bringing closure, we don't, because with our experience, we know that you can't ever expect a family to have closure." A desire to help rural communities While Holland still works for the DHSS, Albrecht left in September 2023 and now has her personal investigator, or PI, license. Although the two may not be working with each other day-to-day, Albrecht said they hope to continue working through cold cases in the region. "We have lots of experience in a field that the resources out here don't permit. It's not these agencies' fault," Albrecht said. "Some of these agencies have less than a dozen people in the entire office. How are they going to afford to send people to a specific major case investigation team? I've had hundreds of thousands of dollars poured into my training from San Diego PD. I want to use it until I can't anymore because I love what I'm doing. "We don't sweat the bigger cities so much not that we wouldn't help, but that's not our focus. Our focus is where the resources aren't there," Albrecht added. Moving forward, Albrecht said she and Holland are already in talks with another local family in relation to a cold case. But as far as The Springfield Three goes, Albrecht said she does not plan to take the renowned case on with how much investigative work has already been completed. "Our goal is to get to where there's just nobody trying," she said. Greta Cross is the trending topics reporter for the Springfield News-Leader. Follow her on X and Instagram @gretacrossphoto. Story idea? Email her at gcross@gannett.com. Marta Mieze covers local government at the News-Leader. Contact her with tips at mmieze@news-leader.com. This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: These investigators spent 2 years solving 1989 Kelle Ann Workman case USDA Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Alexis M. Taylor (Photo/USDA) U.S. Department of Agriculture Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Alexis M. Taylor will lead an historic agribusiness trade mission to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, from June 17-20, 2024. This USDA mission will be the first of its kind, specifically highlighting products made and produced by tribal agribusinesses. The trade mission will highlight the reinvigoration of historic agricultural trade networks amongst tribal nations across the United States and Canada. Participants will be tribal producers with the Made/Produced by American Indians official trademark certified by the Intertribal Agriculture Council and producers from the Native Hawaiian Community operating on Native Hawaiian Home Lands as recognized by the Department of the Interior. We couldnt be more excited to host this trade mission with our partners and leaders from Tribal Nations and the Native Hawaiian Community, said Under Secretary Taylor. Tribal agribusinesses produce products that represent a unique and significant element of the American agricultural economy and culture. Showcasing products from Tribal and Native Hawaiian producers is long overdue, and the Canadian market could not be a better fit. This delegation shares a strong historical connection to their Tribal lands, trading networks and agricultural resources. Participating agribusinesses will engage in business-to-business meetings with potential importers from across Canada. The event will include networking receptions, engagements with USDA leadership, retail promotions and visits, and cultural activities in Vancouver and around British Columbia. Never miss Indian Countrys biggest stories and breaking news. Click here to sign up to get our reporting sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Canada consistently ranks among the United States top markets for agricultural product exports, representing one of this countrys most significant and reliable trading partners. Total U.S. agricultural and related product exports to Canada totaled $28.2 billion in 2023. Canada offers a modern and dynamic food retail sector with deep familiarity and appreciation of American products. Strong opportunities exist for exporters across many sectors, including but not limited to: Bakery goods, cereals, and pasta; Fresh fruits and vegetables; Meats pork and pork products, beef and beef products; Dairy; Processed food and beverages; Seafood The deadline to apply for the Canada trade mission is Friday, March 8. For delegation consideration, please complete the trade mission applicati Interested parties may direct any questions to trademissions@usda.gov. About the Author: "Native News Online is one of the most-read publications covering Indian Country and the news that matters to American Indians, Alaska Natives and other Indigenous people. Reach out to us at editor@nativenewsonline.net. " Contact: news@nativenewsonline.net Thousands of people who were mis-sold timeshares more than a decade ago fear they may never get their money back, leaving investors up to 50,000 out of pocket. An estimated half a million Britons invested in timeshare schemes in the last 30 years, paying 1,000 a year for access to a holiday home. However, a High Court judge ruled last year that lenders had breached consumer rules by not informing investors of the risks and ordered banks to pay up. Thousands remain out of pocket nine months later as banks blame complex cases for delays. Timeshare investors paid an average lump sum of 20,000 in exchange for the right to stay in a holiday home for a set number of days each year, according to the Timeshare Consumer Association (TCA). They also had the option to part-own a property in what was known as fractional timeshare schemes. Timeshares were very popular in the 90s and early 2000s. However, they fell out of favour as the sector became synonymous with aggressive sales techniques. Many buyers ended up taking out unsecured loans with banks to meet the upfront cost. These had far higher rates than typical loans such as mortgages, averaging at around 9pc to 10pc. The purchaser also paid an estimated 1,000 annual maintenance fee on the share, which increased by 5pc each year. This meant someone who invested 20,000 faced paying as much as 53,682 over 15 years. In the past decade, thousands of timeshare investors have complained to the Financial Ombudsman Service over high fees, expensive loans and the inability to book holidays at the properties. Last year, the High Court found that two lenders Shawbrook and Barclays Partner Finance (formerly Clydesdale Financial Services) had breached consumer protection rules because investors did not fully understand the risks they were taking. As many as 25,000 people were estimated to be affected. The ruling opened the door to banks refunding timeshare victims, with Shawbrook estimating it could pay out 11.4m in compensation. Ruined our retirement Michael Hardstaffe found that he was unable to book a holiday in the timeshare he had signed up to for the entire first year There are an estimated half a million timeshare owners in the UK, according to a parliamentary research paper. Around half of them have timeshares in Spain. Michael Hardstaffe, 83, from Evesham, Worcestershire, has spent years fighting for 52,000 in compensation after Barclays Partner Finance and Shawbrook Bank provided him with loans for timeshares in the early 2010s. He says it has ruined his retirement. Mr Hardstaffe and his wife bought a fractional contract in April 2012 for 12,750 under a loan agreement of 18,394 from Barclays Partner Finance, then Clydesdale Financial Services. He then purchased additional points at a total cost of 16,763 between 2013 and 2014. This was via loan agreements with Shawbrook Bank totalling 33,573. With the points, the couple were told they could book future holidays but there is no timeframe in which they must do this. We took out the loans thinking wed secured holidays for 15 years, he said. But in the very first year there was no availability at the properties we wanted. Many timeshare companies operate a points-based system where the person buys points in exchange for a certain number of weeks in the property over a period of years. I bought this ten years ago when I was fit and healthy. Its a long time to wait for things to be put right, Mr Hardstaffe said. The problem is, after eight years, what we were planning to do with our retirement has changed. Keith Dewhurst, of the TCA, says the most common complaint the group receives about timeshares is that it is almost impossible for the person who bought them to actually holiday in the property. Sellers can find themselves paying an annual fee only to be told there is no availability at the property that year. Mr Dewhurst says this is because the companies will allow thousands of people to buy the points and book up the homes. If it was sold as an investment and there is evidence of that, then the banks should refund them, he said. Yet despite this, many victims are still without compensation. The High Court judgment last year concluded that banks should refund customers on a case-by-case basis meaning some may never get a penny back. The Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) said the judgment had enabled it to resolve more than 800 cases, of which 39pc had been upheld. It has also issued 1,700 provisional assessments since the judgment the first stage of an investigation after a complaint. Barclays blamed the delays on complex cases. A spokesman said: We are sorry for the delay in resolving these complaints, which are taking longer to process than anticipated due to their complexity, a statement said. Some cases, including this one, involve multiple timeshare contracts, each of which require information from the timeshare retailer to calculate the redress due. Any customers who are concerned about an outstanding case should contact us directly. A Shawbrook spokesman said it is working closely with the Financial Ombudsman to resolve Mr and Mrs Hardstaffes case. It could not provide a resolution deadline. We are sorry that Mr and Mrs Hardstaffe are still waiting for their complaint to be resolved, a spokesman said. The High Court, in its 2023 Judicial Review, determined that each complaint of this nature should be assessed individually. Not all customers who complain will be due compensation. Mr and Mrs Hardstaffes case is currently being assessed by the FOS. Were working closely with FOS to resolve any outstanding complaints as quickly as possible and to make redress offers where due. Recommended How to retire to Spain and stop the taxman raiding your wealth Read more Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. On a June day in 1942, UC Berkeley President Robert Sproul spoke before the newest class of graduates. As the country had just entered World War II, the atmosphere was tinged with uncertainty about the future. When it came to announcing the class valedictorian, Sproul told the audience that the young man, Harvey Akio Itano, could not accept the award because his country had called him elsewhere. Elsewhere, however, meant an incarceration camp for Japanese Americans. While his classmates graduated, Itano was imprisoned at a U.S. Army assembly center in northeast Sacramento County (later called Camp Kohler). Opinion Feb. 19 marked the Day of Remembrance to honor Japanese Americans interned during World War II. We should also honor the legacy of Harvey Itano. A Sacramento native, Itano was a pioneering scientist who made several major contributions to medicine working alongside Nobel Prize winner Linus Pauling. Their greatest accomplishment, discovering the nature of sickle cell anemia, saved thousands of lives. For much of his career, Itano dedicated himself to working in public health as a researcher at the National Institute of Health and as a professor of medicine at UC San Diego. Born on November 3, 1920, Itano grew up on N Street in Sacramentos Japantown. After attending Sacramento High School, Itano went to UC Berkeley, where he majored in chemistry and served on the student health committee. In 1942, following President Franklin D. Roosevelts signing of Executive Order 9066, Itano and other Japanese Americans on the West Coast were sent to detention camps across the country. Shortly before UC Berkeleys commencement, Itano joined his family at the Sacramento Assembly Center, and they were later sent to the Tule Lake camp in Northern California. Even after arriving in camp, Itano received offers from several Midwestern universities to continue his studies. With help from President Sproul, the U.S. Army granted Itano permission to leave camp and enroll at St. Louis University Medical School in June of 1942. Itano became the first student to leave the camp, and soon thousands more followed him to universities across the Midwest and the East Coast. At St. Louis University, Itano worked under Nobel Prize winner Edward Doisy. A biochemist who discovered Vitamin K, Doisy encouraged Itano to pursue biomedical research. With Doisys recommendation, Itano successfully applied to work with Pauling at the California Institute of Technology. Pauling, who was already famous for his work on chemical bonds, worked closely with Itano on studying the proteins in blood. Through their research, they discovered the causes of sickle cell anemia using electrophoresis. Itano, Pauling and two co-authors published their findings in 1949, and their report influenced the field of molecular genetics. In 1954, Pauling received a Nobel Prize for his contributions to biochemistry. Even after leaving CalTech, Itano and Pauling remained close friends throughout their lives. After graduating from Cal Tech with a PhD in chemistry, Itano spent the next 20 years continuing his research on sickle cell anemia at the National Institute of Health. His work on sickle cell anemia garnered widespread acclaim among Black Americans, as many members of the community were disproportionately affected. In 1972, Itano received the Martin Luther King, Jr. Award from the Southern Christian Leadership Conference for his work on the disease. In 1970, Itano left the National Institute of Health to become a professor of medicine at UC San Diego Medical School. In 1979, Itano became one of the first Asian Americans inducted into the National Academy of Sciences. He died on May 8, 2010, after a long struggle with Parkinsons Disease. Among the many heroes in Sacramentos history, Itano should be remembered as one of them. Despite his country betraying him by incarcerating Japanese Americans like himself on the basis of race, Itano chose to give back to his country through his lifelong career in public health. Jonathan van Harmelen is a PhD candidate in history at UC Santa Cruz. He is a columnist for the Japanese American National Museums blog Discover Nikkei. His latest book, The Unknown Great, is co-authored with Greg Robinson and is out with University of Washington Press. (WBRE/WYOU) Join the 28/22 Eyewitness News Team for Honoring Black History. The program airs Saturday, February 24 at 7 pm on WYOU and Sunday, February 25 at 1 pm and 11:30 pm on WBRE. The team will share stories of community, religious, and civic leaders in Northeast and Central Pennsylvania who are making a difference every day and inspiring a new generation. 28/22 News Reporter Julie Dunphy sits down with Ty Holmes, who was recently selected as the first African American president of the Scranton School Board. Ty shares his an amazing story about his upbringing and military service and is an inspiration to us all. 28/22 News Reporter Iyee Jagne gets us up to date with Williamsport Mayor Derek Slaughter who is beginning his second term in office. Learn what inspired the former teacher to get involved with politics. Constance Wynn is the long-time historian for the Wilkes-Barre Chapter of the NAACP. We learned so much from Constance during an interview with 28/22 Reporter Madonna Mantione. Her story is gripping and inspiring. Will You Pray with Me are the words often said by Pastor Dr. Marquerita Story of Williamsport. Reporter Iyee Jagne has more on the uplifting life and journey of Pastor Story. Danielle Keith-Alexandre offers a beacon of hope and shelter to those who call the streets home. 28/22 Reporter Emily Allegrucci shares the new CEO of the Keystone Missions story with us. 28/22 Reporter Iyee Jagne joins us again with a first! Student leader, Verena Lake will be the first black female student to graduate from the surveying engineering program at Penn States Wilkes-Barre campus. 28/22 Reporter Kathryn Oleary heads to the Poconos to catch up with the dynamic mother-and-daughter team of Mattie Willilams and Tarama Williams Hood. They own a bridal shop and their storybook story almost came to an by a devasting fire. The shop is now re-open and nothing is stopping this duo. We will also meet Zakiyyah Smith. A business consultant whose mission is to help Black Owned and women-owned businesses. 28/22 Reporter Iyee Jagne will share Zakiyyahs story and why she is passionate about helping others succeed in business. Harrisburg Reporter Valerie Pritchett Takes a Closer Look for Us at the Crown Act. She speaks with lawmakers and others about the law and where it stands in the Commonwealth. Brittany Stephenson is making history in Luzerne County as the first Black Woman on the Luzerne County Council. She speaks with our Madonna Mantione about her journey and what she hopes to accomplish as she begins a new chapter in her life. 28/22 Reporter Gianna Galli had fun and was well-fed when she stopped by Chef Von and Moms restaurant in Scranton. Chef Ryan Von Smith is currently on Reality Show cooking great meals. We learn more about his journey to the kitchen and more. Then, PA Live Host Chris Bohinski joins local muralist Have A Art. NEPA is his canvas, and he is creating wonderful images across our region. We will watch him create and talk about his work and works of art. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PAhomepage.com. Editors note: This story has been updated to reflect the correct voter turnout percentages. HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW) More than 67,000 people in Horry County had already cast a ballot in South Carolinas GOP primary by 5 p.m. Saturday. Horry County elections chief Sandy Martin told News13 that as of 5 p.m. on Saturday, 67,051 votes have been logged, including 41,699 in-person. Thats a turnout of 26.2% based on the 255,661 registered voters in 2022. Todays contest between former president Donald Trump and his one-time U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley marks the first competitive GOP primary ballot since 2016. That year, 54,591 people took in the election for a total turnout of 28.8%. Turnout in Darlington County also is high. Elections chief William Brunson said 3,964 people had voted in-person as of 2 p.m., with 2,103 ballots done early. Thats a total of 6,067 votes compared to the 8,948 total in 2016, which marked a turnout of 21% for the county. Trump is expected to take Haleys home state by more than 20 points, but the former South Carolina governor said this week shes not dropping out of the race. While Haley is trailing Trump in South Carolina and nationally, polls show her beating Biden in a head-to-head match-up. The Hills Decision Desk HQ polling average shows her leading the president by 0.4 percent. In the run-up to the primary, her campaign has rolled out mobile billboards in South Carolina hitting Trump over his age and calling out his rhetoric on veterans after he made comments about her husband, who is currently deployed. Trump has also taken continued swipes at Haley. Polls are open until 7 p.m. * * * Adam Benson joined the News13 digital team in January 2024. He is a veteran South Carolina reporter with previous stops at the Greenwood Index-Journal, Post & Courier and The Sun News in Myrtle Beach. Adam is a Boston native and University of Utah graduate. Follow Adam on X, formerly Twitter, at @AdamNewshound12. See more of his work here. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WBTW. Gary Clark is the weekly nature columnist for the Houston Chronicle and San Antonio Express-News. He also publishes feature articles in state and national magazines and has written four books: "Texas Wildlife Portfolio," "Texas Gulf Coast Impressions," "Backroads of the Texas Hill Country" and "Enjoying Big Bend National Park." Gary is also a contributing author in the book, "Pride of Place: A Contemporary Anthology of Texas Nature Writing." He has won eight Lone Star College writing awards and is the recipient of the Houston Audubon Society 2004 Excellence in Media Award and the Citizens' Environmental Coalition 2010 Synergy Media Award for Environmental Reporting. Gary is professor of business and developmental studies at Lone Star College--North Harris. In 32 years at the college, Gary has served as vice president of instruction; dean of Business, Social and Behavioral Sciences; associate dean of Natural Sciences; professor of marketing; professor of developmental writing; and Faculty Senate president. He is a recipient of the Teacher Excellence Award. Gary has been active in the birding community for more than 30 years. He founded the Piney Woods Wildlife Society in 1982 and the Texas Coast Rare Bird Alert in 1983. He served as president of the Houston Audubon Society 1989-1991 and purchased the North American Rare Bird Alert for Houston Audubon in 1990. He was vice president of the Board of Directors for the Gulf Coast Bird Observatory 2001-2008. He currently sits on the Board of Advisors for the Houston Audubon Society and Gulf Coast Bird Observatory. He is also a member of the American Mensa Society. Ursula von der Leyen promised. that Europe will help Ukraine as much as needed The battle for Hostomel Airport would be remembered as the beginning of a new era for Ukraine and Europe, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen said during a memorial ceremony on the occasion of the second anniversary of Russias large-scale invasion of Ukraine in Hostomel, European Pravda, reported on Feb. 24. Read also: Zelenskyy, accompanied by von der Leyen, Trudeau, Meloni and De Croo addresses Ukrainians from Hostomel The battle for Hostomel airport will no longer be remembered as the darkest hour in our history, but as the beginning of a new era for Ukraine and the whole of Europe, the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said during a ceremony in the Kyiv suburb of Hostomel commemorating the second anniversary of Russias full-scale invasion. The airport is a symbol not only of Ukrainian resistance, but also of its industry and ingenuity, von der Leyen said. Although Russia destroyed the Mriya plane two years ago, it failed to destroy the dream of a free and prosperous Ukraine within Europe. We are here to say that Europe will help you as much as you need, she said. Read also: European Union pledges unwavering backing for Ukraine amid Russian aggression There will be financial support, more ammunition, more training for the troops, more air defense equipment and more investment in the defense industry in Europe and Ukraine. There is no better place than this airport to reaffirm our commitment to Ukraine. Earlier, NV reported that Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and Belgian Prime Minister and current EU Council President Alexander de Kroo, along with EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, arrived in Kyiv on the same train on Feb. 24, the second anniversary of Russias full-scale invasion. Together with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, they arrived at Hostomel airport, from where the Russian forces attempted to capture Kyiv in February 2022. Were bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. Support us with a one-time donation, or become a Patron! Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) Lawmakers in the Utah House voted Thursday to cut short the states pilot project allowing cities to try ranked choice voting. The legislatures lower chamber voted 43-26 to pass House Bill 290, which would end the pilot project approved by lawmakers in 2018. Initially, the experiment was set to run through Jan. 1, 2026, but this new bill would end the ranked choice voting pilot before the next round of municipal elections. Ranked choice voting pilot program could be cut short Rep. Katy Hall (R-South Ogden), who is running the bill, cited low city participation and voter confusion as reasons to cut short the project, which was billed as a way to improve voter confidence and lower election costs for cities. In the six years its been in place, it doesnt appear to be having these intended consequences broadly, she said on the House floor. Hall argued that election uniformity across the state was important to maintain the trust of voters, run efficient elections and guarantee equal access to the ballot. One of those who spoke against the bill was Rep. Jeffrey Stenquist (R-Draper). He said that if only a few cities opt to continue participating in the project, why not let them for one more election. If youre concerned about ranked choice voting and your city is not conducting them, then this bill is completely unnecessary, he said. Unlike traditional voting, ranked choice voting allows voters to rank candidates in terms of preference on their ballot, instead of choosing just one. If no candidate gets a majority on the first round, then the tabulation process begins, with the lowest vote-getting candidate being eliminated in each round until someone gets a majority. Last year, 12 cities in Utah opted to have ranked choice elections. Among these were some of the largest communities on the Wasatch Front, such as Salt Lake City, Kearns and Magna. The nonprofit Utah Ranked Choice Voting says the ranked choice process allows voters the ability to vote for their favorite candidates without having to strategize between the only two candidates considered viable. Kelleen Potter, the groups executive director, told ABC4 that HB290 is misguided. I understand there is some confusing information out there, but I do believe it is important to defeat this bill and allow the pilot program to play out one more year so the legislature can get all the data together, take some time during interim and see if the benefits outweigh the costs and confusion of a new voting system, she said. Speaking in the House Government Operations Committee earlier this month, Utah County Clerk Aaron Davidson said he supported the effort to end the pilot project early. Davidson said that in Lehis most recent ranked choice election voter turnout was down 10% when compared to the previous election. He said voters were still confused by the process and didnt know what to do with the different ballot. On the other hand, Millcreek Mayor Jeff Silvestrini told the same committee that his city has used ranked choice voting in its last two elections. He said that residents responded to surveys saying they liked it, and added that the process saved them roughly $90,000, because they didnt have to hold primaries. House Bill 290 is now on its way to a Senate committee. It would need to pass the upper chamber and have any changes approved by the House before it could head to Gov. Spencer Coxs desk. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC4 Utah. Since Alabamas Supreme Court decided to classify fertilized embryos as living children under state law earlier this month, Republican officials have been scrambling to prove to voters that they support their right to access in vitro fertilization treatments. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) came out with a statement Friday night throwing his support behind the process used by a growing number of Americans to conceive their children. I believe the life of every single child has inestimable dignity and value. That is why I support IVF treatment, which has been a blessing for many moms and dads who have struggled with fertility, Johnson said. He went on to applaud Alabama legislators for immediately working to protect life and ensure that IVF treatment is available to families throughout the state. But a look back at how Johnson has talked about reproductive health care suggests a much more complicated picture driven by ultraconservative theology. Like many other anti-abortion politicians, Johnson has repeatedly said that he thinks abortion should be banned because he values human life. At a congressional hearing in November 2021, Johnson touted an extreme definition of life when he spoke in favor of a six-week abortion ban then recently passed in Texas. As the National Right to Life Committee summarizes so well, when a woman is pregnant, science tells us that the new life she carries is a completely separate and fully new human being from the moment of fertilization, Johnson said at the time. (As The 19th News Amanda Becker noted, the question of when life begins is more of a religious one.) He went on to tell a hearing witness a medical professional who performs abortions that a fetus is as distinct and unique a separate human being as I am from you. The Alabama Supreme Court had a strikingly similar take, writing in its majority opinion on the IVF case that an unborn child is a genetically unique human being whose life begins at fertilization and ends at death. Thus, the court ruled, fertilized embryos that were accidentally destroyed at a cryogenic freezing facility are covered under the states Wrongful Death of a Minor Act. Destroying a fertilized embryo is, under state law, the same as destroying a living child, according to the states high court. Its decision has prompted multiple Alabama fertility clinics to pause their IVF services. Legal questions have swirled around the fact that the process of IVF does not lead to all fertilized embryos being implanted in a human patient. Is destroying them homicide? For fertility clinics, is it worth the legal risk? Former President Donald Trump has led a new charge among Republican lawmakers to show that they value IVF and will work to protect access to it; Trump argued that his party was invested in the creation of strong, thriving, healthy American families. But House Republicans have already shown indifference to IVF. Johnsons name appears smack-dab in the middle of a list of 125 House Republicans co-sponsoring the Life at Conception Act, which was introduced in January 2023 as an anti-abortion bill after failing to pass earlier sessions of Congress. The bills language does not include any exceptions for IVF. An earlier version, from 2017, did suggesting not just a mere oversight. As currently written, the act would define human person and human being to include each and every member of the species homo sapiens at all stages of life, including the moment of fertilization, cloning, or other moment at which an individual member of the human species comes into being. Johnson squirmed when faced with a question on his reproductive health care views back in November. Im pro-life. Ive said very clearly Im a Bible-believing Christian. I believe in the sanctity of every single human life, Johnson told Fox News host Shannon Bream that month. She pressed him, asking whether he would vote against fertility treatments and access to contraception which some religious conservatives also dislike as alleged by a progressive political action committee opposed to his speakership. I dont think so, Johnson said. Im not sure what theyre talking about. I really dont remember any of those measures, but I am personally pro-life. A pro-life lawmaker touting their religious views is not unusual. As the Louisiana Republican told a Baptist news outlet when he was first running for Congress in 2016, My faith informs everything I do. He has given no reason to doubt that his views have shifted, telling Fox News viewers last fall to simply go pick up a Bible off your shelf to understand his worldview. But Johnson goes beyond the norm, because he appears to devalue the separation of church and state, calling it a misnomer in an interview in November. Its not in the Constitution, he said. Related... The banner is believed to be the largest Ukrainian flag in the UK A huge Ukrainian flag has been unfurled during a Preston event to mark two years since Russia's invasion. More than a hundred people turned out in the city centre, including refugees who have settled in Lancashire after war broke out on 24 February 2022. Organisers from local Ukrainian communities said they wanted to remind people that the war was still continuing. Lancaster University student Ivan Taran said: "People keep dying." He said the flag, which reflects a blue sky over golden wheat fields, was believed to be the largest Ukrainian flag in the UK. "It is not just a symbolic element of the event - it is our own way to help our country," he added. "While [the UK] is safe and very helpful, people keep forgetting the war goes on." Viktoriia Murych and Ivan Taran were among a number of Ukrainians at the event Viktoriia Murych, who moved to Preston as a refugee, said: "The war in Ukraine divided my life and the lives of most Ukrainians into a 'before and after'. "Despite that, we are happy and safe here in this country and we are extremely grateful to the British people." The war in Ukraine has largely been at a stalemate in recent months, although Russia has appeared to make recent advances. UK political leaders recently reaffirmed their support for Ukraine, with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak saying Britain was prepared to do "whatever it takes" as he pledged nearly 250m towards producing artillery shells. Why not follow BBC Lancashire on Facebook, X and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk Hull City Council is inviting nominations for the 2024 Amy Johnson Cup for Courage after a 12-year hiatus. Nominees must be 17 or under, have been born in Hull and have to have committed a "signal act of courage" in the previous year while living in the city. The Cup for Courage was first awarded in 1931, arising from the famous local aviator's solo flight to Australia. Midge Gillies, Miss Johnson's biographer, said: "A part of [Amy Johnson] would always be a Hull girl." The last award-winner was Keleighsha Thorpe in 2012, who was 10 when she saved her grandmother's life after their home in Clarendon Street was targeted by arsonists. She had woken in the night and smelt smoke, then woke her grandmother in time for them both to escape the burning building. Her name was entered in the city's roll of honour at the Guildhall as a result. Alison Henderson, of Hull City Hall, explained that the 12-year break since 2012 - the longest ever without the trophy being awarded - had happened because the responsibility for organising it had fallen through the cracks after staff changes. The award originated shortly after Amy Johnson made her record-breaking solo flight to Australia in 1930, in her Gipsy Moth biplane called Jason. One of the many gifts she received after her arrival down under was gold bullion worth 25, the money for which had been collected and presented to her by the children of Sydney, New South Wales, as a gesture of appreciation. On her return to Hull she donated the sum to the city corporation, as it was then, along with a trophy. A deed was drawn up establishing the Cup for Courage to be awarded annually. The deed stated that Miss Johnson intended it to establish "some connection between the children of Australia and the children of England". The trophy has been awarded on 34 occasions since 1931 Ms Gillies, author of Johnson's 2003 biography Queen of the Air, said: "The Cup for Courage is harder to award than you would imagine. "You have to go through the schools, police and fire service to find a suitable candidate. There have been many years when it wasn't awarded at all because it wasn't possible to find anyone. "Amy said at the time that she thought of it as being not just for physical courage but for moral courage too." 'Moral courage' According to city council documents, the terms of the 93-year-old trust "indicate that it was Miss Johnson's wish not to encourage any foolhardy acts by young people but... to foster and encourage those acts which occur from time to time in respect of rendering assistance to others and saving others from injury". "The idea of courage is so interesting," said Ms Gillies. "These days women have the chance to be physically courageous, more so than in Amy's time. "But on the other hand we all have to stand up and be counted. Moral courage might be something like standing up to prejudice." British aviator Amy Johnson died after her aircraft crashed into the Thames in 1941 Ms Gillies said that Amy Johnson was already an inspiration to young people after her Australia trip. "She used to get all sorts of letters and the envelopes would say things like 'For Amy who lives in Hull'. But they still got there. "She looked like a young girl, you see. But then with the flying she did something that was so physical. And then she became a motor mechanic as well because if you're going to fly a biplane all the way to Australia on your own you have to be," she said. "I think she felt a heavy responsibility to continue to inspire young people," said Ms Gillies. 'A Hull girl' "Amy was very fond of Hull and very loyal to Hull. But she didn't have a Hull accent in the recordings of her, which bemused her friends. She sounded like Joyce Grenfell because she lost her accent when she went to London." Amy Johnson died in 1941 in circumstances that have provoked a lot of speculation over the years. But she has been immortalised in popular culture, including as a character in a Doctor Who story. "Something else tragic about her life was that she lost a younger sister to suicide, so Hull had painful memories for her," said Ms Gillies. "But a part of her would always be a Hull girl." Nominations for the 2024 Amy Johnson Cup for Courage should be sent to Hull City Council by 29 February. Follow BBC East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), and Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastyorkslincs.news@bbc.co.uk (NEXSTAR) Chances are, your household is paying for at least one streaming service. Recent surveys have found anywhere from 88% to 99% of households subscribe to at least one, with the average number per household being close to three. If you fit the bill for an average household, theres also a chance you were impacted by recent password-sharing crackdowns. Last year, Netflix began cracking down on password sharing using someone elses account to watch content rather than paying for your own and pushing users to either create sub-accounts or for moochers to start their own. The streaming giant knew it wouldnt be a well-loved move, telling shareholders in April that it expected a bit of a cancel reaction. The top streamed shows are almost all old. Why? Netflixs decision to abandon its long-established practice of allowing account sharing with members outside the household appears to have paid off, though. By October, roughly six months after it began cracking down on password sharing in the U.S., Netflix reported subscriber gains that surpassed projections. Last month, Netflix reported its third consecutive quarter of subscriber growth, despite the crackdown and yet another subscription price hike. There are, of course, other streaming services following suit. Late last summer, Disney+ announced plans to crack down on password sharing at the start of 2024, with CEO Bob Iger calling it a move to drive monetization. That announcement came after Disney+ saw a second consecutive quarter of subscriber drop-off. Disney followed through on that promise, warning subscribers of its platforms Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ last month that it was updating the subscriber agreement and imposing limitations on sharing your account outside of your household. Those changes were effective as of January 25 for new subscribers and will kick in for current subscribers come March 14. 3 home buying tips you can ignore, according to real estate experts So what about other streaming services? Will they soon crack down on account sharing? Max, previously HBO Max, says in its terms of use that it can modify access or disable features, including for security reasons, to limit the impact of account sharing outside of your household or where we have concluded in our discretion that there has been a misuse of your Max Account. A spokesperson for the company didnt immediately respond to Nexstars request for comment, but IndieWire reports, citing a source, that Max could begin cracking down on password sharing this year. NBCs Peacock, which once included an Easter egg from The Office in its terms and conditions, notes that the streaming service and its content may not be shared beyond your household unless otherwise permitted by your subscription plan. It doesnt stipulate any other restrictions, and the company says an account can have up to three streams at a time and up to six profiles. CBSs Paramount+ also does not currently restrict account sharing. In a November 2023 earnings call, CFO Naveen Chopra said password sharing is not viewed as a major headwind to our growth efforts but added that its something that well continue to monitor. Chemical linked to infertility in animals found in Cheerios, other oat products: study Amazon says Prime benefits, like Prime Video, can be shared with members of your Amazon Household, though the company doesnt specify that that member has to live within your physical household. Apple says its streaming service, Apple TV+, can be shared with up to five family members, but it doesnt explicitly bar accounts from being shared with members outside the household. A representative for Apple didnt immediately respond to Nexstars requests for comment. Just because these streaming services arent cracking down on password sharing now doesnt mean itll stay that way. Netflix once called love sharing a password, and former CEO Reed Hastings described it as something you have to learn to live with. Streaming services also have other challenges to juggle, and the ability to draw revenue from viewers who arent paying for a subscription may be tempting. However, The Wall Street Journal reported earlier this year that customer cancellations across the major streaming platforms rose to more than 6% in November. Cracking down on account sharing could encourage those looking to drop a streaming service to do just that, Sarah Lee a research analyst with Parks Associates told USA Today. The streamflation era is upon us, and consumers should expect to be hit with price hikes, password sharing limits, and enticed with ad-supported options, Scott Purdy, U.S. media leader for KPMG, told the Associated Press. The Associated Press contributed to this report. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News. Hundreds of Senegalese demonstrated in Dakar on Saturday both for and against President Macky Sall with the country mired in political crisis following his postponement of this month's presidential election. Sall has faced uproar since he pushed back the vote scheduled for February 25, triggering one of the West African nation's worst political crises. The Constitutional Council overturned the delay and called last week for the vote to be held "as soon as possible". But Sall appears in no hurry to set a date to elect his successor before his term ends on April 2. He has put off the decision until after talks with political and social actors from Monday and hopes to reach an agreement by late Tuesday. That has left the Senegalese people in the dark as to when they will be able to vote and created a political clamour for the elections to take place soon. Saturday's opposition protest saw hundreds answer the call of the F24 grouping to gather on a sandy open space in a working-class quarter of the capital. "We want elections," protesters chanted, draped in national flags and calling Sall a "dictator". Ibrahima Niang, a 34-year-old refuse collector, told AFP he was "demonstrating for one thing": the release of jailed opposition figurehead Ousmane Sonko. - Sall criticism 'totally false' - A few hours afterwards, a boisterous pro-Sall crowd draped in Senegalese national colours marched in a residential area of Dakar. Mamadou Dia, a 30-year-old student, defended Sall's record as president since 2012 and believes the election date matters little. "We are here to show national and international opinion that what people are saying about Macky Sall is totally false. Macky Sall has done all he needed to do for Senegal," he said. In an apparent move to pacify public opinion, Sall has said he would consider provisional releases, pardons or an amnesty law for opposition figures including Sonko and his deputy Bassirou Diomaye Faye, who is also in jail. According to Sall, he delayed the election because of disputes over the disqualification of potential candidates and concerns about a return to unrest seen in 2021 and last year. Most of the candidates for president and a large civil society collective have announced they will refuse to take part in the talks Sall intends to stage. "We oppose all proposals for dialogue and demand that a date be set before April 2," Boubacar Camara, among the group of 16 candidates, said Friday. - 'Attempt at diversion' - If no agreement is reached during the dialogue, Sall said it would be up to the Constitutional Council to decide the next step. He stressed that his mandate would end as planned on April 2. But he left open the question of when the vote would take place, adding later that he did not think it would be possible before April 2. The Aar Sunu Election (Protect Our Election) collective of 40 Senegalese civil society groups also rejected Sall's dialogue offer, describing it as an "attempt at diversion". "Our position is (before) April 2, otherwise there will be a crisis," said Malick Diop, one of the collective's organisers. Aar Sunu Election mobilised several thousand people in the capital Dakar last weekend. The opposition has denounced Sall's last-minute move to delay the vote as a "constitutional coup", saying his party feared defeat at the ballot box. The election chaos has plunged the traditionally stable West African country into turmoil and sparked unrest that has left four people dead. Dakar's Cheikh Anta Diop University, an opposition stronghold that was closed following unrest around Sonko's jailing last year, announced it would reopen on Monday. lal-mrb/imm/gv Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said his country had opened a new phase with Sweden during a joint press conference with Swedish counterpart Ulf Kristersson on Friday as Budapest prepares to ratify Stockholms long-delayed NATO bid. Hungary is the last member of the military alliance to approve Swedens application to join NATO, which it made in May 2022 after Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine. Orban, who said last week that the Hungarian Parliament would vote on ratification on Monday, met with Kristersson on Friday and announced at the press conference that Hungary had bought four fighter jets from Sweden. The Gripen fighter jets would expand Hungarys fleet, Orban said, thereby significantly increasing our military capabilities and further strengthening our ability to play a role abroad. The Hungarian Parliament will convene on Monday to decide on the matter, thus closing one phase and opening another, he said. Being members together in NATO we [will be] able to reconstruct the full trust towards each other, Orban added later. Sweden and Finland applied for NATO membership in 2022 and Finland joined NATO in April 2023 doubling the alliances border with Russia. But Swedens bid was mired in challenges. Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan objected to Swedens accession, accusing Swedish officials of being too lenient on militant groups, including the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). Sweden has since tightened its anti-terror legislation and pledged closer cooperation with Turkey on security concerns. Orban, considered to be the European Union leader closest to Russian President Vladimir Putin, initially indicated he was not opposed to Sweden joining the bloc, before working to stall it. Katalin Cseh, a Hungarian Member of the European Parliament, said last year that Orbans blocking of Swedens bid was quite simply, another favor to Vladimir Putin. But, after Turkey approved Swedens bid, Orban appeared to finally greenlight Swedens NATO bid, saying in January that he had invited Kristersson to visit Hungary to negotiate the terms of Swedens accession. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com A Black woman says that she was harassed and discriminated against by an Ulta Beauty employee in January and called out the company for the employees behavior. TikTok user @ellechardanaye shared her experience at an Ulta in Altamonte Springs, Florida, where she says she frequently shops. While in the store, Elle was looking at multiple products when she was approached by an employee who asked her if she needed a basket or assistance. TikTok user @ellechardanaye says she and her friend were harassed at an Ulta Beauty in Florida. Elle said she took the basket and placed a lipliner, body scrub, and eyelashes inside it. Then she searched for her friend inside the store so they could check out. The employee asked Elle if she needed help again, but she declined. While Elle and her friend were in the perfume section, the employee followed them. She told the women to use the tester and not open the boxes. As they headed to the checkout line, the employee asked her friend again if she needed a basket. So now my best friend is annoyed, and shes like, No, I dont need a basket. I only have one item. Can you stop asking me if I need a basket? I only have one item, the woman recalled her friend saying to the employee. The employee explained that she was missing items from the shelf and asked them if theyd seen them. The products the employee described were in Elles basket because she was going to buy them, she said. Elle said her friend started to film the interaction because they felt like they were being harassed and were shocked by the employees behavior. The employee named Denise, who said she was the experience manager, told someone to call the police because she felt attacked. Elle and her friend remained outside of the store until an officer arrived at the scene. Elle claimed she told the cop her side of the story before he went into the store. But after he spoke to the manager, he told Elle and her friend that they had been trespassing since they had gotten into a confrontation with the employee. Elle said he took a picture of her and ordered her to go to another Ulta location. I was so hurt. My heart was hurt. Ive never stolen anything in my life. The thought of stealing never comes up in my mind. I go to that store all the time. Im a middle school teacher. I always go in there with my makeup done and in my professional attire. I have great interactions in that store, she explained. There was no altercation. I never used profanity. I never raised my voice. Elles video went viral and garnered nearly 2 million views on the platform. In a follow-up video, she said Ultas headquarters reached out to her to rectify the situation after reviewing her case. They offered her a personal experience at one of their locations and a $200 gift card. Its unclear if the employee was terminated, but in a statement to Atlanta Black Star, an Ulta spokesperson confirmed that they had looked into the incident. We always work to create welcoming and inclusive guest experiences, and were truly disheartened to learn we fell short of this guests expectations, the statement said. Immediately after reviewing the incident, we implemented the highest levels of corrective action and reinforced our commitments and practices with our store team. I Was So Hurt: Black Florida Teacher Says Manager Called the Cops, Wrongfully Accused Her of Stealing at Florida Ulta Beauty Store Darryl George, center, waits with his mother Darresha before a hearing regarding George's punishment for violating school dress code policy because of his hair style, Feb. 22, 2024 at the Chambers County Courthouse. Kirk Sides/Staff photographer Last weeks ruling in the Barbers Hill ISD suit against student Darryl George because of his hairstyle is disappointing, but not surprising. The 18-year-old high school student has been through what seems like a legal hell. Still, he kept his emotions together after a Texas judge ruled on Thursday that Barbers Hill ISD didnt violate the Texas Crown Act, a state law meant to protect children who have hairstyles associated with race from being punished by schools. Advertisement Article continues below this ad He wears beautiful locks tied neatly on top of his head. The district filed the lawsuit, claiming the length of his hair when his locks are down violates school policy. Before the trial began, George told reporters that spending most of this academic year isolated on in-school suspension because of his hair has been very lonely. His mental well-being surely has suffered. State Rep. Ron Reynolds, who co-authored the Texas legislation, was at Georges side in Anahuac after the ruling and later told me that neither George nor his mother wanted to talk with the media. Darryl had tears in his eyes and his mother was visibly shaking. They both have been traumatized. They thought this would be a joyous day, but this nightmare continues, Reynolds said. The teen just wants to go to school, he said. He should be allowed to do that. Whether George and his mother decide to transfer to another district, continue with the appeal, or cut his hair (which we know wont happen), Reynolds said the legal fight will continue. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The Crown Act, which took effect in September, prohibits race-based hair discrimination based on hair texture or protective hairstyles including Afros, braids, locks, twists or Bantu knots. Most Black people, and even some non-Blacks, know that protective styles are often longer and may incorporate added-in hair to help maintain moisture, prevent breakage and increase growth. Barbers Hill ISD Superintendent Greg Poole has been intent from the beginning to prove his point. He took out a full-page ad in the Houston Chronicle last month, stating that studies show districts with a traditional dress code had higher academic performance and that conformity is integral to that. Being an American requires conformity, he wrote. The Crown Act is about much more than hair. Its about freedom, not conformity. Schools should never force a child to choose between their hair and getting an education. I spent the last four years of my life working to pass the Texas Crown Act, said state Rep. Rhetta Andrews Bowers, who also co-authored the legislation. I know the impact it will have for generations. I had great hope, but wasnt blinded by the fact that the ruling could be against the Crown Act. It says a lot about Texas and what they think about people of color. It also says that you can pass civil rights legislation but it doesnt mean it will be enforced. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Amending the law to include length isnt something Andrews Bowers planned on, but she said shell do it if necessary. Her immediate concern is for Georges welfare. The teen may have to repeat his junior year. He has been attending in-school suspension since last fall, Andrews Bowers, a former teacher who taught students in similar programs, said George has had limited access to books and instructional materials and isnt afforded a hot lunch, as he would in regular school. Intuitive Machines' CEO says a safety switch in its lander's navigation was accidentally left on. That oversight made the Odysseus lander's historic moon touchdown a "spicy" nail-biter. A "space cowboy" rush to replace disabled lasers with experimental NASA tech saved the mission. Two lucky breaks and a stroke of genius saved Intuitive Machines' moon-landing mission on Thursday. A serendipitous moment, a NASA experiment, and frantic, innovative software engineering rescued the company's Odysseus lander from what could have been a catastrophic error a switch that didn't get flipped before launch. That simple mistake disabled the lasers designed to guide the spacecraft to a flat, safe spot for landing, Intuitive Machines cofounder and CEO Steve Altemus told reporters on Friday. "That was an oversight on our part," Altemus said. But a scrappy Hail Mary effort got Odysseus to the moon's surface in one piece albeit probably laying down sideways. Intuitive Machines CEO Steve Altemus shows the world how the Odysseus lander is probably sitting on the moon right now: sideways, stuck up in the air, possibly leaning on a rock or slope, in a screengrab from NASA's press conference. NASA TV It was a "spicy" landing, Altemus said. He called his team of flight operators "real space cowboys" for rapidly patching the problem. Even to outsiders, the last-minute rush to Frankenstein together a new navigation system looked impressive. "That's real hardcore engineering. That's good stuff, I have to say it. That's the kind of thing that every engineer dreams of," Robert Braun, who has worked on landing and descent teams for multiple NASA missions to Mars and now leads space exploration at Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, told Business Insider. The Houston-based company flew Odysseus, which is its Nova-C-model lander, to the moon on a $118 million NASA contract. Its success marks the first commercial moon landing ever and NASA's first return to the lunar surface since 1972. It almost didn't make it, though. Here's what happened. The Odysseus lander's laser safety was on The night before the moon landing was scheduled, Intuitive Machines mission operators were troubleshooting a different, much smaller problem when they realized their navigation lasers weren't firing. It was lucky they discovered the issue at all. "We would have probably been five minutes to landing before we would have realized that those lasers weren't working if we had not had that fortuitous event," Tim Crain, cofounder, and chief technology officer of Intuitive Machines, said in the briefing. The fortuitous event, according to Altemus's telling, was a weird orbit around the moon. As mission operators were preparing for the landing sequence, they realized that the spacecraft was passing too close for comfort to the lunar south pole the region of the landing site. They thought they might need more distance for a proper landing. No problem; all they had to do was command the spacecraft to move a bit. To double-check the spacecraft's location above the moon, they asked it to activate the laser rangefinders in its navigation system and ping the lunar surface. But the lasers didn't turn on. The operations team was soon working "feverishly," Altemus said. They discovered that a safety switch a physical switch in the hardware designed for safety during ground testing was still on. It disabled the laser rangefinders. "It's like having a safety on a firearm," Altemus explained. It should have been switched off before launch, but now it was too late. Altemus recalled telling Crain they would have to land without the laser rangefinders: "His face got absolutely white, because it was like a punch in the stomach that we were going to lose the mission." Experimental NASA tech to the rescue Luckily, one of six NASA experiments onboard the lander was a test of a navigation system. "That's a remarkable, fortuitous stroke of luck," Braun said. Hurrying down a hallway with Altemus, to discuss the issue with more people, Crain had an idea. What if they reprogrammed the lander's navigation system to use lasers from that experimental NASA technology as their makeshift laser rangefinders? "It was just a brilliant piece of insight," Altemus said. It was risky the NASA lasers were on the lander to test whether they worked in space at all but it was better than nothing. So controllers moved the spacecraft into a different orbit and pushed back the landing by about 45 minutes, buying them just enough time to upload a software patch that gave the lander its new instructions. "In normal software development for a spacecraft, this is the kind of thing that would have taken a month," Crain said. "Our team basically did that in an hour and a half. And it worked. It was one of the finest pieces of engineering I've ever had the chance to be affiliated with." Read the original article on Business Insider Palestinians inspect the site of an Israeli strike on a house, in Rafah Palestinians inspect the site of an Israeli strike on a house, in Rafah By Dan Williams and Nidal al-Mughrabi JERUSALEM/CAIRO (Reuters) -Israeli leaders planned to convene on Saturday to hear of possible progress in mediated negotiations on a new Gaza truce to recover hostages held by Hamas, but Palestinians saw little change in polarised positions almost five months into the war. Israeli delegates met on Friday in Paris with Qatari, Egyptian and U.S. mediators who helped put together the lone ceasefire so far, in November, under which scores of Hamas' captives went free in return for a Palestinian prisoner release. Israeli National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi said the delegates, who flew back early on Saturday, would brief the war cabinet in an evening meeting after the Jewish Sabbath ends. Scheduling the briefing "shows that they feel they did not come back empty-handed," he told Israel's Channel 12 TV. "From the tone of what I have been hearing in recent hours, it will be possible to make progress." Hanegbi did not give further details, but appeared to nod when asked if progress could be made in time for the Muslim fast month of Ramadan, which begins on or around March 10. In past wars, Ramadan was seen as propitious for ceasefire efforts. There was no immediate comment from Qatari, Egyptian or U.S. officials. The hostage crisis has riveted Israelis reeling from the surprise Oct. 7 cross-border Hamas rampage in which 1,200 people were killed and 253 taken hostage, according to Israel's tally. On Saturday, thousands of people held a Tel Aviv vigil for the hostages, a short distance from an anti-government protest where police reported five arrests for disorderly conduct. Hamas has previously conditioned freeing the 130 hostages it still holds on Israel freeing thousands of jailed Palestinian militants and calling off the Gaza offensive, which medical officials in the enclave say has killed around 30,000 people. ENDGAME Israel has publicly balked at such a large-scale prisoner release and says any halt to fighting would be temporary as it intends to dismantle Hamas, an Islamist faction sworn to its destruction, by broadening the war to holdout areas of Gaza. A Palestinian official briefed on the talks said that the Israelis, in Paris, had been "vague" about their Gaza endgame. "While Israel is focusing on an attempt to turn any agreement into a prisoner-swap deal, Hamas insists that any agreement must based on an a commitment by the Israeli occupation to end the war and pull its forces from the Gaza Strip," the official, who asked not to be named, told Reuters. "This is the priority as far as Hamas is concerned. Another Palestinian official indicated that a hostage release as part of an exchange was not imminent, saying there had been "no discussion over the prisoners, neither in terms of categories or numbers". A source briefed on the talks, and who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity, said the Paris talks had produced a proposed truce "outline" that could eventually lead to a truce. Hanegbi told Channel 12 that among Israel's guiding principles for any truce deal is a stipulation that all hostages are released, beginning with the freeing of women and children and is "under no condition be interpreted as an end to the war". The Israeli military on Saturday published an infantry major's death in combat, bringing its total losses in Gaza fighting to 239. Israel says it has killed some 12,000 Hamas gunmen, effectively halving the faction's Gaza garrisons. Hamas says those figures as overblown. "We are in the midst of negotiations for the release of the hostages. I can't say what it will lead to. There are those who are addressing it. We are dealing with combat," Israeli military chief Lieutenant-General Herzi Halevi told troops in a briefing. (Writing by Dan Williams; Editing by David Holmes and Louise Heavens) Families and supporters of Israeli hostages still held in Gaza rally in Tel Aviv to press the government to secure their release (JACK GUEZ) Israel's war cabinet approved on Saturday sending negotiators to Qatar to continue talks aimed at securing a ceasefire in the war against Hamas and the return of hostages being held in Gaza, officials and local media said. The talks began in Paris, where the head of Israel's overseas intelligence service Mossad and his counterpart at the domestic Shin Bet security service met with mediators from the United States, Egypt and Qatar. National security adviser Tzachi Hanegbi said in a televised interview Saturday evening that the "delegation has returned from Paris -- there is probably room to move towards an agreement". The negotiators had asked to speak to the cabinet "to bring us up to speed on the results of the Paris summit", he added shortly before the meeting. Israeli media later reported that the meeting had concluded, with the cabinet agreeing to send a delegation to Qatar in the coming days to continue negotiations on a weeks-long truce involving the release of hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held in Israel. Pressure has steadily mounted on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government to strike a deal to free the hostages, with thousands gathering in Tel Aviv Saturday at what has come to be known as "Hostages Square" to demand swifter action. "We think about them (the hostages) all the time and want them back alive as soon as possible," said Orna Tal, whose close friend Tsachi Idan was kidnapped from the Nahal Oz kibbutz. "We'll protest again and again until they're back," she told AFP. - 'Leverage' - In his interview Saturday, Hanegbi said Israel wanted the release of all hostages seized in the October 7 attacks, starting with the women, but added: "Such an agreement does not mean the end of the war." He also indicated that Israel would not accept any deal between the United States and Saudi Arabia for a Palestinian state. Netanyahu said in a statement that Saturday's cabinet meeting would discuss "next steps in the negotiations". He also reaffirmed his aim for troops to go into Rafah in southern Gaza, despite widespread concern about the impact on hundreds of thousands of civilians who have fled there to avoid bombardments. An AFP reporter in Rafah said there had been at least six air strikes on the city on Saturday evening. Israel's air, land and sea war against Hamas in retaliation for its deadly October 7 attacks on southern Israel has killed at least 29,606 people, the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza says. Hamas attacked rural communities and military posts bordering the Gaza Strip, leaving at least 1,160 people dead, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures. Some 250 hostages were taken, of whom 130 are still in Gaza, although about 30 are thought to be dead, Israel says. A one-week pause in fighting in November saw more than 100 hostages released, including 80 Israelis who were freed in exchange for some 240 Palestinians jailed in Israel. Netanyahu has characterised Hamas's demands for a ceasefire in Gaza as "bizarre" and vowed to press on with the military campaign until "total victory" over the group is achieved. The head of Israel's military, Herzi Halevi, visited the Gaza Strip and also said military action was the most effective way of getting back the hostages. Combat was "leverage", he told troops. "We need to continue and apply it strongly... to use it to release the hostages," he added. myl-gl-emd-phz/smw/mtp When asked about the signing of the Italy-Ukraine security agreement, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni stressed the importance of military aid for Ukraine. Source: Meloni during a press conference in Kyiv on 24 February Details: Meloni said that the bilateral security agreement between Italy and Ukraine sets out the commitments Italy has taken on alongside other Group of Seven (G7) countries during the NATO summit in Vilnius in July 2023. "We are continuing to support Ukraine in what I have, as you know, always considered to be peoples legitimate right to defend themselves. This necessarily includes military support, because conflating the widely used word peace and capitulation, which seems to be happening, is a hypocritical approach that we will never take," Meloni stressed. The Italian prime minister said that the agreement will help systematise Italys support for Ukraine. She added that countries need to take an "all-encompassing" approach to aid for Ukraine that will help it "look to its future in industry, energy, and critical infrastructure" and that will include humanitarian aid. "Signing this document today confirms that Italy will continue to provide the necessary support for Ukraines freedom and sovereignty, against which an aggression has been committed. [Italy] will help Ukraine build its future together," Meloni said. Background: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni signed a bilateral security agreement between their countries on 24 February. The agreement stipulates that Italy will maintain its military aid for Ukraine in 2024 and outlines defence cooperation between the two countries. As of today, 24 February 2024, Ukraine has entered into similar bilateral agreements with the UK, Germany, France, Denmark and Canada. Support UP or become our patron! Ukraine's President Zelenskiy and Canada's PM Trudeau sign an agreement on security cooperation and long-term support between Ukraine and Canada in Kyiv Ukraine's President Zelenskiy and Canada's PM Trudeau sign an agreement on security cooperation and long-term support between Ukraine and Canada in Kyiv KYIV (Reuters) - The leaders of Canada and Italy signed security agreements with Ukraine on Saturday after talks with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy as Kyiv marked the second anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion. Canada and Italy join Britain, Germany, France and Denmark in concluding 10-year security deals with Kyiv that are intended to shore up Ukraine's security until it can reach its aim of becoming a member of the NATO military alliance. "We continue to support Ukraine in what I have always believed is its people's just right to defend themselves," Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said at a news conference. "This also necessarily means military support, because to confuse the much bandied-about word 'peace' with 'surrender', as some do, is a hypocritical approach that we will never share," she said. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that Ottawa's support for Kyiv remained "unwavering" two years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion. "Today, standing shoulder to shoulder with our allies and partners, Canada committed to further assistance, including military and humanitarian support, for Ukraine," he said. Zelenskiy told reporters at the news conference that Saturday had been "a unique day for our country". The two security agreements were signed at the start of a joint news conference with Zelenskiy, Meloni, Trudeau and the leaders of Belgium and the European Union. Trudeau's office said Canada would provide more than 3 billion Canadian dollars ($2.22 billion) in financial and defence aid to Ukraine in 2024. Meloni gave no financial details about the Italian accord. ($1 = 1.3505 Canadian dollars) (Reporting by Max Hunder and Angelo Amante; writing by Tom Balmforth; Editing by Kevin Liffey and Louise Heavens) Master loctician Sherrah Chester finishes the process of loccing a client's hair during an appointment at her Houston shop, Match My Hands Hair Studio. Sherrah Chester For nearly 10 years, master loctician (a professional loc stylist) Sherrah Chester has been helping clients transform their tresses into locs at Match My Hands Hair Studio in Houston. Chester, who also dons locs, says its a form of freedom and a Texas judges ruling which states a Barbers Hill Independent School District did not violate the states CROWN Act by suspending 18-year-old Darryl George for the length of his locs strips that liberation away. This young man, he locced his hair, Chester said. He feels closer ... to his ancestors, like, this is rooted in him and he feels passionately about his hair, just like with people who go and they decide that they don't want to get a shot. They don't want their children to get shots, because it's against their religion, so why should I have to cut my hair if I feel like it's deeply rooted in my religion in my African culture? The CROWN Act prohibits school and employment dress codes or grooming policies from discriminating against hair texture or protective hairstyles associated with race. But, for Chester, the law leaves loopholes for entities, such as the Barbers Hill district, to jump through. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The thing with the CROWN Act that I noticed is that it repeats itself over and over and over again, Chester said. But, one thing that it does not mention, it does not mention length. It does not mention color. It does not mention any of those things. The districts dress and grooming code does permit protective styles. However, it prohibits male students from having hair "below the eyebrows or below the ear lobes" and they cannot have hair "below the top of a T-shirt collar or be gathered or worn in a style that would allow the hair to extend below the top of a T-shirt collar, below the eyebrows or below the ear lobes when let down." But, Chester contends that locs differ from protective styles since it's considered a permanent hairstyle while protective styles provide a temporary look. Well, what if he pulls his hair up into a style?, she said. Thats great. But, styling your hair every single day in locs eventually thins your hair out. It breaks your hair, so thats not healthy for the hair. Advertisement Article continues below this ad CROWN ACT CHANGES: Texas Legislative Black Caucus plans to revisit CROWN Act following Barbers Hill ISD ruling Similar to Chester, members of the Texas Legislative Black Caucus believed Judge Chap B. Cain IIIs lack of knowledge surrounding the history of locs led to his ruling favoring the district. Cains office did not immediately return a phone call for comment Friday morning. After the judge's ruling, State Rep. Ron Reynolds insisted during the press conference hed continue fighting for disenfranchised communities by speaking truth to power. We will file a new CROWN Act that will include hair length, because the school district is hell-bent on finding a loophole, said Reynolds. They want to violate the spirit of the law. According to Reynolds, previous incidents at Barbers Hill ISD involving the hairstyle-related suspensions of junior Kaden Bradford and senior DeAndre Arnold led politicians to create the CROWN Act. We know the purpose of the bill, said Reynolds. The purpose of the legislation is to protect students like Darryl, protect students like DeAndre before him and Kaden. The same students that Barbers Hill has discriminated against, because of their locs, their braids and their twists and were sick and tired of the bad faith and the long history of discrimination from this school district. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Friday morning, U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee called for a federal review into the Barbers Hill ruling citing the district courts decision overlooks the First and Fourteenth Amendments. She wants a Title VI investigation from the U.S. Education Department as well as a Department of Justice investigation into the matter. And I will tell you that I have been received warmly at the Department of Justice regarding this case, Jackson Lee said, adding that she believes theres potential for a class-action lawsuit. Chester says although many understood the intent behind the CROWN Act, to prevent other students and professionals from experiencing workplace discrimination over hair, lawmakers will need to go back to the drawing board. We can still provide a professional look and a professional experience for everyone else around us without our hair being the center of attention and always the talk of the town or wherever were working at, she said. I feel like its made to be more than what it is, because it's not understood. Hannah Miles, right, and her husband, Ricky, are in the middle of IVF treatment in Birmingham, Alabama. The Alabama Supreme Court on Feb. 16 declared frozen embryos as children, putting IVF treatment in the state in jeopardy. (Courtesy of Hannah Miles) Birmingham resident Hannah Miles has been trying to have a baby for more than three years, fighting obstacles like endometriosis, diminished ovarian reserve and cancer treatment that affected her husbands sperm. The couple is already nearly $40,000 into the in vitro fertilization process after one failed transfer into her uterus in January. Their last embryo is scheduled to be transferred on March 19. She messaged her IVF nurse through tears earlier this week, asking if she should continue the medication injections that cost $800 per vial out of pocket to keep her endometriosis from flaring up. Her clinic, Alabama Fertility, indicated her transfer can move forward, she said, but it has paused any new treatments or transfers because of the Feb. 16 ruling from the Alabama Supreme Court declaring that frozen embryos are equivalent to human children. The clinic made a post on its Facebook page Thursday addressed to patients. That means Miles wont have another shot at egg retrieval for the foreseeable future in Alabama if this one doesnt work. IVF requires the collection of as many eggs as possible that are then fertilized. Some that would not make it after implantation in the uterus because of abnormalities or other health factors are destroyed. That could leave clinics open to prosecution as a result of the new ruling. Its heartbreaking, and its something you dont think youll ever have to face, Miles, 29, said. Now were here, and were paying $20,000 a cycle in the hopes that maybe one day well get a baby, and now were facing not even being able to pay exorbitant amounts of money to be able to have a baby. The 8-1 decision, authored by Justice Jay Mitchell, has already led more clinics in Alabama to pause IVF treatments, including the states largest hospital, the University of Alabama Birmingham, for fear of prosecution. Companies have also decided to stop shipping frozen embryos to and from Alabama, according to RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association. The ruling came as a shock to many Americans, but experts say it is the culmination of more than 40 years of efforts to grant personhood status to embryos and fetuses. State Sen. Tim Melson, chairman of the Alabama Senate Healthcare Committee, plans to introduce a bill that would protect IVF by saying an embryo should be considered a potential life but not a human life unless and until it is implanted in the uterus and a viable pregnancy can be detected. As of Friday, Feb. 23, Melsons legislation hadnt been introduced yet. Miles and a few friends are hoping to make it to the Alabama Capitol on Feb. 28 for an advocacy day and to testify at a public hearing on a similar bill introduced by Democrats, House Bill 225, if its being heard. We have to do something about it, Miles said. It feels like theres not much we can do, but we have to do something. A lab tech uses equipment employed for in vitro fertilization in this undated photo. (Getty Images) Previous personhood efforts failed Its unclear whether the bill will conflict with the concurring opinion authored by Chief Justice Tom Parker, who wrote, any legislative (or executive) act that contravenes the sanctity of unborn life is potentially subject to a constitutional challenge under the Alabama Constitution. Parker has long been active in the anti-abortion rights space, and his opinion quoted extensively from the Bible, using religious reasoning for the decision something he has often done during his time on the court, according to ProPublica reporting from 2014. He worked at former chief justice Roy Moores think tank, the Foundation for Moral Law, which promotes the idea that the Bible should be the basis of the law in America and championed the personhood movement in Alabama. Parker also served as Moores spokesperson during the controversy over a Ten Commandments monument that ultimately got Moore ousted from his position as a judge in 2003. Margaret Marsh, historian and professor at Rutgers University, said many anti-abortion groups have opposed the fertility treatment since the worlds first IVF baby was born in 1978, calling it a morally abhorrent technology and successfully lobbying against federal funding for research using human embryos. Their goal was to try to make sure that the American people would think of embryos as people, Marsh said. In 1983, the U.S. Senate held a vote on the passage of a constitutional amendment to declare that human life begins at conception, but the measure was defeated. In the following years, at least 38 states passed fetal homicide laws that allowed prosecution for the death of a fetus as a result of domestic violence or other assault, and some included the option to prosecute a pregnant person for using drugs that caused the death of a fetus. But attempts to go further at the state level largely havent been successful, Marsh pointed out. In 2011, an initiative on the ballot in Mississippi that would have granted full personhood status to fertilized eggs failed by a vote of 57% to 42% after doctors and abortion rights groups raised concerns about the consequences it could have for birth control, IVF and other reproductive care. A similar measure in North Dakota failed in 2014 by an even wider margin, 64% to 35%. If these things are put to a vote, for the most part, the voters have turned them down, and I think it is likely because they are thinking of either themselves needing infertility treatment, or their friends, or their sisters, Marsh said. So they may be anti-abortion, but I dont think they see assisted reproductive technology in the same way they see being pregnant and having an abortion. Legislation weighed in other statehouses Several state legislatures have considered bills this year that relate to fetal personhood laws, including Kansas, Florida and Idaho. A bill in Idaho to change the words embryo and fetus in state law to preborn children was pulled back earlier in the session when a doctor from a local IVF clinic raised concerns about its implications for fertility treatments. Kansas bill specifies that the embryo must be in utero, but it would allow pregnant people to seek child support at any stage of gestation. Representatives for Planned Parenthood in Kansas said its a tactic to open the door for anti-abortion laws, two years after voters soundly rejected an attempt to amend the constitution to ban abortion in the state. In Florida, the legislature is considering a bill that would add a fetus to those who could be counted in a wrongful death lawsuit. An amendment would establish that the fetus is a person from conception, according to Florida Phoenix. The state with one of the most successful personhood laws is Georgia, where abortion is banned after six weeks, and any embryo or fetus with detectable cardiac activity can be claimed as a dependent on a residents tax returns. Shana Gadarian, a political science professor at Syracuse University who studies public opinion, said despite the support at the legislative level for such laws, shes not sure this latest development out of Alabama will be politically popular with the majority of the country. IVF is a pretty common procedure now, and if someone directly hasnt gone through it, it is relatively common among groups that are more likely to be conservative, Gadarian said. These are procedures people think of as important in their own lives and are probably separable from abortion. Polling from Pew Research Center in 2023 found that 42% of adults in the U.S. say they or someone they know has used fertility treatments, and a majority of Democrats and Republicans surveyed thought insurance should cover the treatments. Less than half of the country has mandated insurance coverage for IVF, according to Stateline. Whatever happens next, Miles said shes ready to contact her representatives at the local, state and federal levels to change the laws, including helping to elect Democrat Greg Griffin, whos running to replace Parker as chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court. Until IVF is protected at the federal level, we are all at risk of having something like this happen, Miles said. There is no one angrier at the world than someone going through IVF. Theyve pissed off the wrong people. The post IVF patient vows to fight for access to treatment in Alabama following court ruling appeared first on Arkansas Advocate. Tharp House, in Falmouth, was once the home of John Tharp, the island's largest slave owner - Sukimac Photography Cruise liners dominate the skyline of the Jamaican town of Falmouth as the holidaying passengers rush off eager for sun and sand, which dominate tourism on the island. But in the shadow of hulking Royal Caribbean vessels are the wharfs where African slaves once alighted, never to re-embark, along with the crumbling houses and offices where the brutal business of slavery was tallied. Most of Jamaicas three million annual visitors will pass by these Georgian relics of Britains slave economy, and the history that goes with it. There are now plans to entice dark tourists who seek out sites of suffering and decaying architectural gems may be saved in the process. The industry of grief tourism has drawn visitors and cash to sites from the Killing Fields of Cambodia to the shell-pocked streets of Sarajevo, and the growing taste for seeing the scene of horrors known from the news or history books has not gone unnoticed in Jamaica. Edmund Bartlett, the countrys minister of tourism, has authored a book titled Decoding the Future of Tourism Resilience, which includes a chapter on the potential of more morbid destinations. Edmund Bartlett, Jamaica's minister for tourism - John Parra/Getty He has told The Telegraph that he is looking at the potential of Jamaica as a destination for those seeking to see and understand the inequities of slavery. The countrys slave economy produced fortunes in sugar during Britains 300-year rule. The politician with the Right-leaning Labour Party said that he is working closely with the ministry of culture and the Jamaica National Heritage Trust to ensure conservation work and restoration for historic sights and monuments linked to the colonial past. In Falmouth, one project is already underway. The Port Authority, a Jamaican government agency, is paying for the renovation of a dockside house that belonged to John Tharp (1744-1804), the largest slave owner on the island, with around 2,500. The gutted 230-year-old townhouse is being restored to its original Georgian splendour, with the express purpose of becoming a museum telling the story of Tharps business and the influence of slavery on the island, where tourists and locals could be happy to forget it. Under reconstruction: Tharp House - Sukimac Photography This process of conservation has pleased groups like the Friends of the Georgian Society of Jamaica, who have long advocated for the 18th-century architectural gems of Falmouth, and Jamaica in general, to be preserved. And preservation and touristic profit can go hand in hand. Tharps slaves would have been transported from the docks to his vast upland estate of Good Hope inland, where an elegant plantation residence sits above the forest cloud, and where Georgian bridges, sugar works, a water mill and bridge all survive. The sugar cane of Good Hope has given way to a 2,000-acre citrus and coconut farm bought by Jamaican businessman Tony Hart, and inherited by his son Blaise, who has worked to conserve the historic site and make it profitable. There were six people working here when my father bought it, and now there are close to 100, he says. Good Hope needed a lot of restoration, that was a journey in itself. Blaise Hart, Good Hope's present owner - Sukimac Photography Now a profitable destination for weddings and psychedelic mushroom retreats, the estate founded in 1744 also includes an almost-unique example of a surviving slave village: crude settlements that have largely vanished without a trace elsewhere on the island. The grief tourist can gaze on the buildings that defined the lives of the enslaved: the squat stone foundations of their tiny dwellings, the burned-out ruins of the hospital where they were treated, the boiling house where they processed sugar cane into crystals, and offices of those directing their labour. At the great house where Tharp once lived verandahs, jalousies and sash windows show how homes were designed to keep the plantocracy cool in the tropical heat. Mr Hart has suggested that the draw of grief tourism for surviving and potentially unpopular plantation houses many of which were burned down by rebel slaves led by Sam Sharpe in 1831 could help to preserve these decaying architectural gems. There are definitely spots that have potential, he said. There are some gorgeous places. Good Hope is now home to a citrus and coconut farm - Lucinda Lambton/Bridgeman Images Mr Hart counts as a neighbour the conservation expert Christopher Ohrstrom, the son of the late Mary, Viscountess Rothermere and former head of the World Monuments Fund, who has invested in preserving Falmouths colonial heritage. The US investor told The Telegraph that it is difficult to stray from Jamaicas offer of rum and reggae, but added that Bartlett is a savvy guy, and the heritage tourism centred on Britains slavery has potential to make money and preserve British historical buildings that could otherwise fall into ruin. He concedes, however, that it can be difficult to justify funding the preservation of what some in Jamaica see as monuments to oppression, and the Jamaican conservation architect Peter Francis claims: There is a stigma about preserving certain types of heritage. Theres a whole debate about reparations, and there is more interest in preserving things that relate to immediate Jamaican heritage, Bob Marley and so on. Peregrine Bryant, a British architect working to support conservation in Jamaica, believes that, like the Colosseum many buildings of past shame are treasured in the world today and that they can be a resource for tourism. The tourism potential has been reflected in a number of projects now in the pipeline which will have at their heart the darker history of Jamaica. Once captured from the Spanish in the 1650s, the island became first a den of piracy and then Britains biggest sugar producer, requiring the importation of 600,000 African slaves before the trade was abolished in 1807. Port Royal, the former capital and first point of entry for many slaves until a 1692 earthquake, is set to become the site of a new state-of-the-art museum space costing 3 million which can put the artefacts of colonial rule on display, with funding coming again from the Port Authority. People go to Port Royal for rum and fish today, says Jonathan Greenland, the British director of the National Museum Jamaica. But it was the centre of British colonial life. Slaves worked the docks there. He added: Slavery is seen in everything here, in relationships, in culture, in health, in the sense of humour. It has had an influence. Its important people learn about this history, in Jamaica, and in Britain. There is the potential to tell this story here, where slavery was once so central. Mr Greenlands office in downtown Kingston will oversee future phases of this project which will aim to conserve the potential sights of the British Naval Hospital that served sailors keeping the colonies in check, and a 17th-century womens gaol. A new museum focusing on another dark episode in Jamaican history will be placed in the renovated remains of the Morant Bay courthouse. It was here, in 1865, that rebels led by the preacher Paul Bogle burned down the courthouse, precipitating a rebellion that was controversially put down by governor Edward John Eyre at the cost of 400 lives, including women and children. Mr Bartlett believes that visitors, who bring in 3 billion to Jamaicas economy, can face the past where it is presented, be it in ruins, grand houses or new museums. He said: The values of that period did not see it as an evil, but saw it as an entrepreneurial activity, in the same way that we see manufacturing and buying a smartphone. The next generation may see us as awful people. So we have to be careful sometimes of how we make that characterisation, and make demands of the past. The other thing is that the past makes the future and helps define you. You cant change that definition, what you can do is to improve on it, and make it better for the next generation. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. TACOMA, Wash. - A Joint Base Lewis-McChord doctor accused of sexually abusing dozens of male patients declined to enter a plea as he was arraigned on Friday afternoon. Major Michael Stockin works as a pain doctor at JBLMs Madigan Army Medical Center. Multiple men have come forward to tell their stories about how they went to Maj. Stockin as a patient seeking help, only to have their genitals groped under the guise of a sensory exam. Charging documents, released following Fridays arraignment, relay upwards of 50 dates in which Stockin allegedly touched a patients penis and/or scrotum. A portion of the charges, or specifications, listed describing various dates and acts Maj. Stockin is accused of. The case is already causing shockwaves in Washington, D.C., where there have been calls for an Inspector General investigation into the handling of the investigation into Stockin. Ryan Guilds, an attorney representing seven victims in the case, and Protect our Defenders, a human rights group that offers pro bono legal services, have been in contact with members of the Senate Armed Services Committee about what they called "deeply serious issues with the U.S. Military." According to Protect Our Defenders, more than half of the victims in the Stockin case are currently not being represented. Beyond legal representation, there are questions about a lack of victim assistance in navigating everything from legal proceedings to counseling services. "The Stockin case should be a code red for the Pentagon," said Josh Connolly, senior vice president of Protect our Defenders. "Survivors, our elected officials, and advocates worked for years on reforms to ensure that victims are afforded these basic resources, yet the military has not carried out the spirit nor letter of the laws." Click to open this PDF in a new window. As for Stockin, he has yet to put in a plea, but it appears his team is preparing for the case to unfold in court. Robert Capovilla, a defense attorney, told FOX 13 that the fight is just getting started, urging people to keep an open mind while noting Stockin is presumed innocent until found otherwise. "We understand, without exception that in todays political culture the media will continue to condemn Major Stockin and render judgment before a jury or judge even hears evidence," Capovilla said. Stockin is now required to keep both his higher-ups and his legal counsel in the loop about his whereabouts at all times. He remains out of custody, and freely left the courtroom after spending more than four hours within the court complex on Friday. The unusually long arraignment stemmed from a number of peculiar circumstances, including videos from investigators that were leaked. That led attorneys for Stockin to request a protective order regarding discovery from the trial. Guilds, who is not trying the case but is representing alleged victims, was given a chance to raise concerns about the scope of what was akin to a gag order, arguing that it could create issues for lawyers' ongoing work with their clients. The judge ultimately decided not to make a ruling but noted expediency was key given concerns that Stockin has requested a military panel be convened to rule on his guilt or innocence. Since that panel must outrank him and be assigned to JBLM, the pool is much more limited than a typical civilian jury pool, creating concerns about what materials could be published and bias their opinion. Following the hearing, Guilds told FOX 13 that he could not get into specifics of the trial and everything that took place within the courtroom. However, he made it clear that the journey for his clients has been long. "Im incredibly grateful to my clients who have been so brave in coming forward," said Guilds, of Arnold & Porter. "I look forward to continuing to support them for a long and difficult journey ahead." He called the process to this point frustrating, echoing the letter he sent U.S. Senators late last month. Sex assault within the military has been a sore topic for some time. Over the past several years, there has been a push to revise how these types of cases are handled. Stockin's case is one of the first to be handled by the all-new Army Office of Special Trial Counsel (OSTC). The move was made to remove charging decisions for sexual assault, and other violent crimes, out of a chain of command that has created roadblocks for past victims. The OSTC kept their comments to the case in particular, offering a statement that reads in part: "We are confident that the facts and evidence support a conviction and that will be demonstrated when the case goes to trial on Oct. 7." TOPEKA (KSNT) A Topeka synagogue was on the receiving end of anti-Semitic messages earlier this week, prompting responses from the Jewish community, lawmakers and police. KSNT 27 News spoke with Rabbi Sam Stern with the Temple of Beth Sholom Synagogue, located in west Topeka about the act of vandalism left in the driveway leading to the spiritual center. Messages of Save Gaza and Free Palestine were left spray painted onto the ground on Thursday, Feb. 22, an act which was condemned by the temple in a social media statement. Today we discovered graffiti at the entrance of our property, featuring a pro-Palestinian message. Obviously, targeting American Jews for the actions of the Israeli government is antisemitism. They have targeted other areas in Topeka, and all these incidents are under investigation by the Topeka Police Department and FBI. Temple of Beth Sholom social media statement excerpt He had a big heart: Sheriff says missing Washington County man found dead, family left grieving Stern said he has heard of other incidents like this that have been reported in Topeka recently. However, this act, committed so close to the synagogue, has been distressing for the Jewish community who are not connected to the current conflict happening in Gaza. We are glad this is a rare occurrence, Stern said. We generally feel safe in Topeka. As of Friday, Feb. 23, the graffiti has been removed, but an investigation into who was responsible for it is ongoing. Stern said police are currently trying to obtain video from nearby homes and schools to find the responsible parties. We know the community doesnt stand behind this kind of thing and we wont be changing how we do anything because of this act, Stern said. Topeka highway bridge to shut down for replacement work City of Topeka spokeswoman Rosie Nichols said the Topeka Police Department (TPD) first received word of this graffiti incident at the synagogue around 10:30 a.m. on Feb. 22 at the temple, located at 4200 SW Munson Avenue. The spokeswoman said allegations were made that the street in front of the temple was vandalized with political messages which are not considered hate speech. The discovery of the messages also prompted a response from Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson and House Speaker Dan Hawkins. The pair released the following joint statement in regards to the incident at the temple: It is deeply troubling to see the hate and intolerance of the antisemitic vandalism that occurred at a place of worship in our states capital. The rot of antisemitism has no place in Kansas and we proudly stand with the Jewish community against this hateful act. Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson and House Speaker Dan Hawkins joint statement KSNT 27 News reached out to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) office located in Kansas City for comment on this recent development. Dixon Land with the FBI said he cannot confirm or deny an active investigation related to this incident, but did say the FBI actively investigates hate-based crimes and encourages victims to contact their local law enforcement or the FBI for help. Topeka Tropics put out heartfelt call for investors after owner backs out For more local news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track Weather app by clicking here. Follow Matthew Self on X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/MatthewLeoSelf For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KSNT 27 News. A popular chocolate store in Baltimore is continuing to delight its customers with irresistible treats in an inspiring environment. Jinji Fraser, who opened Jinji Chocolate in 2012 with her father, has been providing mouth-watering dairy- and gluten-free chocolate which is made of cacao harvested by hand. The vibrant shop, approved by Blavitys Off the Shelves, is found at a location in the Baltimore neighborhood of Waverly and is decorated with bright lights and handwritten cards that describe the ingredients of the treats. Fraser feels gratified when she sees her customers feeling comfortable in the shop. I want people to feel like its a home space for them and be proud of it, Fraser told the Baltimore Beat. I want people to have their families come this holiday season and be like, I cant wait to show you this chocolate shop that moved in.' The other key for Fraser is to tell a story through her products. According to the shops website, the treats are designed to evoke a specific memory, an event or an emotion. We work with that moment until we can taste it, the Jinji Chocolate website states. Then, the crafting of our next piece of chocolate starts. We select the purest ingredients we can find to tell our stories. The team works with local farmers to meet its goals and to make the treats as delicious as possible. In doing so, a community is created amongst us, where through these flavor profiles we understand one anothers personal experiences and collective visions, the website states. The Jinji Chocolate website features various stories which relate life stories to specific flavors. In one story, Fraser writes about the challenge of finding self-love after losing love from somebody else. Even as the ghosts of love lost and love passed haunt us along the way, the hike back to ourselves is indeed the most (the only) essential work of our lifetime, she writes. Fraser relates her sentiments to the flavors of tahini white chocolate, accompanied by hints of black pepper and tobacco, finished with local citrus and poppyseed | Enrobed, gold garnish. In an article she wrote for Eater in 2020, Fraser said her dedication to making chocolate is a tribute to the people who came before her. The Baltimore entrepreneur said she found inspiration when she learned that her ancestors owned a land near Georgia which was known for producing cacao. Our family land signified an ancestral connection to the greater sacred cacao story, which I suddenly found myself belonging to, creating a new grounding in my career, Fraser wrote. No longer was my work a radical dissent from the mainstream. It was now an homage to all who had come before me, passed down from generations ago through my DNA, and into my hands. Was this the week in which the United States started to get tough on Israel? Perhaps. But it is truer to describe it as the week in which Joe Biden squinted under his eyebrows at the looming election and decided to put domestic politics first. Americans instinctively understand what is at stake in Gaza. A study last month revealed that 80 per cent of the population supported Israels war against jihadism. Unlike many in Britain, they havent forgotten who started this fight and know theres only one way to end it. For the last four-and-a-half months, the President seemed to understand that, too. In the wars first phase, with his deployment of aircraft carriers to the eastern Mediterranean and billions of dollars of military aid, he stood boldly in defence of democracy. But then he began to snark about indiscriminate bombing and Israel being over the top. In private, according to NBC, he took to calling Benjamin Netanyahu an a--hole. After that came the finger wagging about Rafah, the final redoubt of Hamas. Without an assault on Rafah, Hamas will not be destroyed. Without the destruction of Hamas, the two-state solution will remain a pipedream and October 7 will one day be repeated, precipitating an even greater crisis. The IDF has already dismantled 18 out of 24 Hamas battalions, a remarkable military achievement. But the Philadelphi Corridor, an eight-and-a-half mile strip along the border between Egypt and Gaza, is known for smuggling into Rafah. Without clearing the area of Hamas, the terror group will easily remilitarise. Of course, Palestinian human shields must be evacuated and rescuing the Israeli hostages remains a priority, but Israel cannot rest until every Hamas battalion is gone. After October 7, the Jewish state has no alternative. These are facts. But the battle for the White House will be bitter and Donald Trump, the presumed Republican candidate, is winning already. Voting intention data places him ahead of the incumbent. Trump also leads in every battleground state apart from Pennsylvania. Moreover, hard-Left Democrats are already nonplussed about their leader. In short, Biden appears to have concluded that the footage of wounded Palestinian civilians must vanish from TikTok. In November, Rashida Tlaib, the representative for Michigan, abstained in a vote on Israels right to exist. In 2021, New York congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wept when funding for Israels Iron Dome missile defence system without which huge numbers of Israeli civilians would have been killed was approved. Both women command a significant following. As a result, questions of right and wrong are being edged out of the spotlight. Seen through this prism, Americas opinion on Israel is irrelevant. What matters are the sentiments of certain constituencies in swing states such as Michigan and the energy of the progressive base of the party. Biden is fighting for his political life; he is allowing that to eclipse the plight of the Israelis who, in the real world, are fighting for theirs. If Biden were stronger, he wouldnt need to sell Israel down the river. The Arab-American community accounts for a very small proportion of the voting public in Michigan. And if the country were energised behind the President, the progressives could be ignored. But 86 per cent of Americans think he is too old for the job. Barack Obama once cautioned: Dont underestimate Joes ability to f--- things up. From the disastrous Afghan withdrawal to the appeasement of Iran, Bidens foreign policy has been one of indecision and weakness. The exception to this has been his fortitude on Israel. Now even that seems poised to crack. Jake Wallis Simons is author of Israelophobia Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. A man has been arrested in connection to the death of a 22-year-old nursing student. The body of Laken Riley was found on University of Georgias Intramural Fields around noon Thursday. Officials said the body was found after one of her friends called 911 to report that she hadnt come home from a jog. During a press conference Friday, Chief Jeff Clark announced that 26-year-old Jose Antonio Ibarra of Venezuela was identified as a suspect in the crime. Although the motive is still unclear, Clark said that campus security cameras helped investigators identify Ibarra as Rileys killer. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] He did not know her at all. I think this was a crime of opportunity, said Clark. According to authorities, Ibarra moved to Athens from Venezuela. Clark confirmed that he is not a U.S. citizen and does not know when Ibarra arrived in Athens. He did not attend school at the University of Georgia, said Clark. This was an individual who woke up with bad intentions that day. Clark added that Riley and Ibarra did not know each other. On Saturday, Ibarra was denied bond. RELATED STORIES According to an incident report, an officer found her in the woods, beaten to death 30 minutes after when they believe the murder took place. Twenty-four hours later, federal, state and city investigators were searching an apartment at a complex less than two miles from that crime scene, where they ultimately arrested Ibarra. The evidence suggests this was a solo act, said Clark. We took three or four people into custody. However, were only going to arrest one. Authorities have not said who the other two individuals who were detained are. Ibarra faces charges of malice murder, felony murder, aggravated battery, aggravated assault, false imprisonment, kidnapping, hindering a 911 call and concealing the death of another. More updated information provided by members of law enforcement confirmed that both Jose Ibarra and his brother Diego were in the United States as undocumented immigrants. Information from the U.S. Attorneys Office said Diego Ibarra is a citizen of Venezuela and was processed for expedited removal but claimed a credible fear of return to Venezuela. He was consequently released from immigration custody pending adjudication of his claim for asylum on April 30, 2024. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] IN RELATED NEWS: Jackson police issued two arrest warrants for two teenagers in connection to the fatal shooting of one person and the injuring of another person in early February. According to a press release, detectives are searching for 18-year-old Amari White and 17-year-old Jarvis Harolson. Both face charges of capital murder and aggravated assault. The Clarion Ledger typically does not publish the names of minors, but because law enforcement agencies named the minors and consider them armed and dangerous, they are being named as a public service. On Feb. 9, Jackson police began investigating the fatal shooting that occurred in the 100 block of Covington Park Drive. The victim, 20-year-old Jadamian Marquez Nichols, was fatally shot once and died at the scene. The roof of a police patrol car at night, with the blue and red lights flashing. January homicides in Jackson: Jackson sees 12 homicides in the month of January 2024. Who are the victims? Another victim was also shot and transported to a local hospital. On Feb. 14, Jackson police arrested 16-year-old Jordan Long as another suspect in this case. Long also faces charges of capital murder and aggravated assault. This is an ongoing investigation, police said. If anyone has any additional information relating to this case, please call Crime Stoppers at 601-355- (TIPS) 8477 or contact the Jackson Police Department at 601-960-1234. This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Two teenagers wanted for fatal shooting in Jackson A district judge in California suggested that an attorney for the former FBI informant accused of lying about President Biden accepting bribes was making plans to help his client flee ahead of trial. Judge Otis Wright, in a brief order unsealed on Friday, said attorneys for the confidential source, Alexander Smirnov, were allegedly plotting his departure from the U.S., just a day after he was arrested for the second time. It has come to this Courts attention that counsel for the defendant has sought an emergency hearing in the District of Nevada to arrange the release of Defendant Smirnov, likely to facilitate his absconding from the United States, Wright wrote in the order. The judge did not provide evidence for his assertion. Smirnov was originally arrested in Las Vegas last week for making false statements to the FBI. The case risks unwinding the House GOPs impeachment investigation into Biden. Amid their probe, Republicans can often pointed to conversations Smirnov had with the FBI relaying that the head of Ukrainian energy company Burisma said he paid Biden and his son Hunter Biden at least $5 million. Smirnovs lawyers, however, disputed Wrights allegations that he was a flight risk. In a late Friday filing, the attorneys said they were merely working in their office with Smirnov on his defense case. Pointedly, when he was arrested for a second time, Mr. Smirnov was already free and working on his defense in his lawyers office, Smirnovs lawyers wrote. This is hardly what would be expected of a person preparing to jump bail and flee the country; to the contrary, had he not been rearrested, Mr. Smirnov would have voluntarily traveled to Los Angeles with his lawyers to attend the upcoming hearing, they added. The attorneys have appealed his detention, stating he had to have a hearing in Nevada before being transferred to California. A hearing has already been scheduled for Feb. 26 in Los Angeles, per The Associated Press. The Hill has reached out to Smirnovs attorneys for comment. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) Rampant car break-ins, also known as bipping, have frustrated San Francisco residents and tourists for years. Smash-and-grab thieves target parked cars with shocking speed. Most of these cases are never solved. City data shows San Francisco experiences more than 20,000 break-ins per year and only 1% of those result in arrests. One local car thief, 28-year-old Victor Matute-Casco, was found guilty by a jury this week on six counts of burglary. For his trial, prosecutors presented evidence that Matute-Casco broke into six vehicles in just one night around the Excelsior and Crocker Amazon neighborhoods. District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said, Auto burglary continues to be a top concern for residents and visitors of our city and I will continue to work closely with law enforcement to ensure that prolific auto burglars face consequences. The jurys verdict holds Mr. Matute-Casco accountable and helps make our city safer by ensuring that his brazen criminal behavior is stopped. Prosecutors said Matute-Casco targeted eight vehicles in the early morning hours of Sept. 8, 2023. He was hiding under a parked vehicle when he was nabbed by San Francisco Police Department officers on Cordova Street. The officers previously spotted Matute-Casco casing vehicles parked on Naples Street while he used a flashlight. Forensic evidence, along with Mr. Matute-Cascos distinctive clothing, tied him to the various crime scenes. During a search of his vehicle, power tools belonging to one of the victims was recovered, the District Attorneys Office wrote. Car break-ins caught on camera in SFs Ghirardelli Square Matute-Casco is currently in custody. He faces more than eight years in state prison when he is sentenced on March 13. The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Kourtney Bell. Bell said after the verdict, The City and County of San Francisco has demonstrated that it will no longer tolerate individuals breaking into our vehicles with impunity. I strongly advise that you think twice before breaking a vehicles window in San Francisco. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRON4. 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. Wayne LaPierre diverted millions of dollars away from the National Rifle Association to live luxuriously, while the gun rights group failed to properly manage its finances, a jury found Friday. The verdict comes after five days of deliberations and ends a seven-week long civil corruption trial in New York City. The case against the NRA was brought on by a lawsuit filed in 2020 by New York Attorney General Letitia James, who accused LaPierre and other current and former executives of flouting state laws and internal policies to enrich themselves. The other defendants were John Frazer, the NRAs corporate secretary and general counsel, and Wilson Woody Phillips, its former treasurer and chief financial officer. The jury ruled largely in favor of James, finding that the National Rifle Association failed to properly run its nonprofit and its assets at any time between March 20, 2014 and May 2, 2022. Jurors also determined that LaPierre, Phillips and Frazer all violated their statutory obligation to discharge the duties of their position in good faith. If jurors found the individual defendants liable, they had to recommend the amount of money that each defendant would have to repay the NRA. They said LaPierre caused $5.4 million in monetary harm to the NRA, but that he has already repaid at least $1 million of that. The 74-year-old appeared stoic as the verdict was read. Phillips caused $2 million in monetary harm to the NRA, they found, while Frazer did not cause any monetary harm to the group. Frazer is the only individual defendant who still works for the NRA. The jury determined that Frazer made or authorized a false statement in the NRAs annual filings, but that there is no cause to remove him from his post. Wayne LaPierre, chief executive officer of the NRA exits New York State Supreme Court on Jan. 12, 2024. (Bloomberg via Getty Images) LaPierre served as the NRAs CEO and executive vice president for more than 30 years before he resigned at the end of January, citing health issues. Regardless of his resignation, the jury found there was also cause for LaPierres removal from the NRA. LaPierre ignored reporters as he walked out of the courthouse Friday evening, surrounded by five police officers. Jurors also found that the NRA violated the law by failing to adopt a whistleblower policy and that eight employees suffered because of the violation. State Supreme Court Judge Joel Cohen will have the final say over remedies. As early as July, he could decide whether any of the individual defendants should be permanently barred from serving on the board of any charity in New York and whether an independent monitor should oversee the NRAs finances. Five out of six jurors needed to agree on each part of the verdict. In a statement, James called the verdict a "major victory for the people of New York and our efforts to stop the corruption and greed at the NRA." "LaPierre and senior leaders at the NRA blatantly abused their positions and broke the law," she said. "But today, after years of rampant corruption and self-dealing, Wayne LaPierre and the NRA are finally being held accountable." John Frazer arrives to a courthouse in New York on Jan. 8, 2024. (Seth Wenig / AP) James' attorneys spent six weeks in Manhattan court painting the NRA as Waynes World, which they said was full of free private jets, expensive meals, travel consultants, private security and trips to the Bahamas for LaPierre and his family. During closing arguments, Monica Connell, an attorney with the state Attorney Generals Office, compared the defendants to children caught stealing from a cookie jar. She urged the jury to hold the defendants accountable, even if their attorneys outlined steps they may have taken to address or correct violations. Saying youre sorry now, she said, doesnt mean you didnt take the cookies. The NRAs attorney countered by distancing the group from LaPierre and fortifying its defense that former rogue employees had stolen from the NRA without the groups knowledge. If this is a case about corruption, it wasnt corruption by the NRA, NRA attorney Sarah Rogers told jurors. In his final remarks, LaPierres attorney, P. Kent Correll, said James set out years ago to decapitate the NRA and sued LaPierre as part of that goal. On the stand, LaPierre said he used the organizations financial resources on chartered private jets, family trips, black car services and high-end gifts for friends. He also testified that he authorized thousands of dollars in helicopter rides so that NRA executives could avoid getting stuck in traffic while traveling to and from NASCAR races. During cross-examination, LaPierre testified that it was wrong to charter private planes and limo services for personal use. Visitors at the 2022 NRA convention in Houston. (Allison Dinner for NBC News) None of the defendants has been criminally charged as part of James lawsuit. James had initially set out to dissolve the NRA as part of her suit. However, Cohen dismissed that effort in 2022, saying her complaint does not allege the type of public harm that is the legal linchpin for imposing the corporate death penalty. The NRA has operated as a nonprofit charitable corporation in New York since 1871. Its assets are required by law to be used in a way that serves the interests of its membership and advances its charitable mission. In the last few years, the NRA has been considerably weaker, with less influence in the political sphere and fewer members. Membership fell to 4.2 million from nearly 6 million five years ago, The New York Times reported. Membership dues dropped by $14 million from 2021 to 2022, according to an audit filed as part of the lawsuit. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com King Charles has praised the true valour of the Ukrainian people in a statement marking two years since Russias invasion. The monarch commended the nations determination and strength on Saturday, the anniversary of the war now entering a third, tragic, year. He said: Despite the tremendous hardship and pain inflicted upon them, Ukrainians continue to show the heroism with which the world associates them so closely. Theirs is true valour, in the face of indescribable aggression. The Kremlins attack started the biggest incursion in a European country since the Second World War. King Charles added that he has felt the Ukrainian peoples strength personally in the many meetings he has held with them since the start of the war, including with President Volodymyr Zelensky and First Lady Mrs Olena Zelenska. He said: I continue to be greatly encouraged that the United Kingdom and our allies remain at the forefront of international efforts to support Ukraine at this time of such great suffering and need. My heart goes out to all those affected, as I remember them in my thoughts and prayers. The Kings statement marks the latest foreign affairs input from the Royal family after the Prince of Wales called for an end to the fighting in Gaza, risking sparking a diplomatic rift with Israel. In a public statement, Prince William said too many have been killed in the Israel-Hamas conflict, urging more humanitarian aid and the release of hostages as he called for an end to the fighting as soon as possible. Saturdays statement does not mark the first time the King has acknowledged his support for Ukraine, however, as it follows a number of engagements and public comments announcing his alignment with the nation. It came on the heels of President Zelensky vowing on Saturday that Ukraine would defeat Russia, saying that the nation will win on the greatest day of our lives. King Charles with First Lady Olena Zelenska at Buckingham Palace - REUTERS Speaking at an open-air anniversary event in Kyiv, he said: We have been fighting for 730 days of our lives. Any normal person wants the war to end. But none of us will allow Ukraine to end, he added, emphasising that the war must end on our terms, with a just peace. He spoke alongside the Canadian, Italian and Belgian prime ministers and EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen who came to Kyiv to mark two years since Russias invasion. Zelensky hugged the leaders and handed medals to soldiers at a ceremony at Kyivs Gostomel airport, targeted by Russia in the first days of its invasion. Two years ago, we met the enemy landing force here with fire; two years later, we meet our friends and partners here, the president said. Rishi Sunak also joined other world leaders in reaffirming support for Ukraine on the second anniversary of the invasion, saying: Tyranny will never triumph. The Prime Minister, who visited Kyiv last month to sign a new security agreement and announce an increase in military funding, vowed to back the country until they prevail. He said on Friday: When (Russian President Vladimir) Putin launched his illegal invasion two years ago, the free world was united in its response. We stood together behind Ukraine. And on this grim anniversary, we must renew our determination. I was in Kyiv just a few weeks ago and I met wounded Ukrainian soldiers. Each harrowing story was a reminder of Ukraines courage in the face of terrible suffering. It was a reminder of the price they are paying not only to defend their country against a completely unjustified invasion, but also to defend the very principles of freedom, sovereignty and the rule of law on which we all depend. He added: This is the moment to show that tyranny will never triumph and to say once again that we will stand with Ukraine today and tomorrow. We are prepared to do whatever it takes, for as long as it takes, until they prevail. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. There's always an experiment going on in American journalism today, with its very existence seemingly up for grabs. This time, the Kitsap Sun is included. Earlier this week I found out that we'll be part of a new program called the Murrow Fellowship. Named for the Washington State University alum and legendary broadcaster Edward R. Murrow, the fellowship will place eight journalists at newsrooms across the state, in broadcast, digital and print outlets, as part of a legislative initiative to bolster local news coverage at a time when its needed more than ever. And we'll be one of them. We're partnering with a newer digital newsroom just down the road, Gig Harbor Now, a nonprofit founded in January 2021 and now led by Vince Dice, a former editor in the Kitsap Sun's newsroom. Vince and I crafted a joint proposal to the Murrow Fellowship, and it was selected from a field of about 40 applicants, according to the program's organizers. Our fellow, who we'll be able to announce in coming weeks with an anticipated start date of April 1, will be focused on issues that we've seen reader interest in and the need for deeper reporting on: the nexus of how issues of addiction, mental health and health care are being felt (and what they cost) across the West Sound community of Kitsap County and Gig Harbor. David Nelson The Murrow Fellow will be based in our newsroom in Bremerton, and work collaboratively for the Sun and Gig Harbor Now, doing stories that either apply regionally or unite an issue of interest for each community. Some stories may originate closer to our home base, others in GHN's home turf in Pierce County. The reporter will actually be employed by Washington State University during the two years with us, officially through WSU's Murrow College of Communications, though will answer editorially to the two local news organizations. That editorial independence also applies to the program's origins in Olympia. Though the state Legislature created the program in 2023 and funded it with $2.3 million, there is no formal channel of control to any lawmakers, other than reporting back on the program's anticipated success. I hope we are a part of that, and this proves a path to bring back more local reporting to communities like ours that sorely need more feet on the street to report the news. We view (the) program as a small but critical part of maintaining the states news infrastructure until the financial precarity of news organizations subsides, Ben Shors, Murrow chair of Journalism and Media Production, said in a news release. Over the past eight months, we have spoken to dozens of news organizations, journalists, and community leaders, and the responses have been sobering. From urban centers to rural communities, the need for reliable local information is clear. Other Murrow Fellows were placed at the Tacoma News Tribune, the Chinook Observer in Longview, the Tri-City Herald, the Vancouver Columbian and Longview Daily News (joint proposal), Wenatchee World and Northwest Daily News (joint proposal), The Yakima Herald-Republic and El Sol de Yakima (joint proposal), Spokane Public Radio and The Spokesman-Review (joint proposal), and from broadcasters KHQ (Spokane) and KNDU (Tri-Cities/Yakima). If you want to read the full list of proposals, click here. Right about a year ago I mentioned this idea in a column, just as the proposal initiated by Sen. Karen Kaiser, D-Des Moines and a former journalist herself, was making its way through the budgeting process. I wrote about my belief that such spending helps now -- more local reporters equals more local stories -- and into the future -- everything we can do to keep training the next generation of journalists is important, knowing how precarious our situation -- and your local news -- may be. Now that the pleasant shock of being selected for a Murrow Fellowship is settling in, I've got a thought that I admit I don't say often but now feel strongly about: Go Cougs. David Nelson has been editor of the Kitsap Sun since 2009. Contact him at david.nelson@kitsapsun.com. This article originally appeared on Kitsap Sun: Kitsap Sun and Gig Harbor Now selected for Murrow Fellowship A street-side memorial for Maleesa Mooney, who was killed in her apartment, is displayed on Sept. 20, 2023, in downtown Los Angeles. (John Antczak / Associated Press) Maleesa Mooney, a 31-year-old model and real estate agent whose body was found stuffed inside a refrigerator in her downtown L.A. apartment last year, allowed the suspect in her slaying to stay in her home only to be "repaid with torture and murder," according to prosecutors. Mooney was found dead Sept. 12 in her apartment in the 200 block of South Figueroa Street after her family requested a welfare check, authorities said. Mooney's body was found inside a refrigerator, with wrists and ankles bound and her mouth gagged, according to an autopsy report by the L.A. County medical examiner. She died by homicidal violence inflicted by others, the medical examiner ruled. Her family confirmed that Mooney was two months pregnant at the time of her death. She is believed to have been killed on Sept. 7, five days before her body was found, according to court records. Suspect Magnus Daniel Humphrey, 41, of Hopkins, Minn., was arrested on Nov. 3, 2023, in Minneapolis and was extradited to Los Angeles, according to a statement from the Los Angeles County district attorney's office. Humphrey was on federal probation at the time and was arrested at his home on an unrelated federal warrant, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Magnus Daniel Humphrey, 41, of Hopkins, Minn., was arrested on an "unrelated federal warrant" before he was extradited to L.A. and charged in the death of Maleesa Mooney. (KTLA) L.A. County Dist. Atty. George Gascon said in a statement that Humphrey had been staying with Mooney before her brutal killing but didn't specify their relationship or how long Humphrey had lived with her. Ms. Mooney opened her home to this individual with trust, but was repaid with torture and murder," Gascon said. "The heinous disregard for Ms. Mooneys life will not go unpunished. Justice is being sought, and he will be held accountable. Humphrey was charged with one count of murder and one count of torture; he pleaded not guilty to both charges Thursday and is being held without bail, according to the district attorney's office. If convicted, Humphrey could face a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole. Humphrey's preliminary hearing is scheduled for March 7. "We are very pleased that an arrest was made," Heather Hammock, Mooney's aunt, told TV station ABC7 outside the courthouse Thursday. "We're full of so many different emotions. We are very grateful and thankful that he was caught. Please continue to pray for our family. We just want justice for my niece." Humphrey has an extensive criminal history spanning across multiple states. In Illinois, Humphrey was charged in September 1999 with felony battery and aggravated assault but the case was dropped, according to court records. He was arrested again in 1999 and 2002 on several drug-related charges, including possession with intent to deliver cannabis. In Minnesota, Humphrey was convicted in August 2009 of felony second-degree assault and in May 2013 of felony third-degree assault, according to court records. He was barred from possessing firearms and ammunition. He was also charged in 2009 with false imprisonment and first-degree aggravated robbery, but those charges were dismissed, according to court records. He was convicted in 2009 of illegally possessing a firearm, a felony offense. Mooney was last seen on video surveillance at her apartment complex on Sept. 6, according to her autopsy report. Her mother requested a welfare check six days later and police entered the apartment using a key from property management. Jourdin Pauline, Mooneys sister, told The Times in October that Mooney's laptop and phone had been stolen, along with a designer purse. She said that whoever killed her sister probably knew her phone passcode, because they were sending her family "vague" texts. Pauline didn't specify what the text messages said. Mooney had gone out with friends to a bar in Santa Monica on Sept. 6 and hung out with them in her apartment until 3 or 4 a.m., Pauline said. She also FaceTimed their cousin that same day. Her family never heard from her again after that. Mooney worked for Nester Seekers, a Beverly Hills real estate agency, for nearly two years and also modeled part-time, Pauline said. 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. A Los Angeles socialite accused of fatally ploughing into two young boys in a crosswalk while racing her sports star lover has been convicted of murder. Rebecca Grossman, 60, was convicted of two counts of second-degree murder for the deaths of Mark Iskander, 11, and his brother Jacob Iskander, eight, on Friday following a six-week trial. The nine-man, three-woman jury reached its verdict on the second day of deliberations, after considering the evidence for a total of around nine hours. Grossman faces up to 34 years to life in prison at a sentencing hearing, which is scheduled for 10 April. During the trial, the court heard how the socialite had been having drinks with her lover, former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Scott Erickson, before driving at high speed through an intersection in the residential neighbourhood of Westlake Village, north west of LA, in September 2020. The two youngsters were killed when she struck them with her Mercedes-Benz SUV as they walked in the marked crosswalk with their mother Nancy Iskander and five-year-old brother Zachary. Mark died at the scene of the incident, while his younger brother Jacob died later at a local hospital. Grossman was also found guilty on two counts of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence and one count of hit-and-run driving resulting in death. Eleven-year-old Mark Iskander died at the scene of the crash and his 8-year-old Jacob Iskander died hours later at the hospital (ABC 7/screengrab) Prosecutors said that the socialite had been drinking cocktails at a nearby establishment with Mr Erickson before engaging in a street race through the residential area where she slammed into the two boys at a speed upwards of 70mph. The speed limit in the area was 45mph. She had been driving behind Mr Erickson when the crash happened on Triunfo Canyon Road, according to testimony from Los Angeles County sheriffs investigators during a preliminary hearing in 2022. The boys mother, Nancy Iskander, provided a harrowing account of what she witnessed during that fatal crash in the fall of 2020, during which she said the pair of SUVs were zigzagging with each other as if they were playing or racing. They didnt stop before the intersection. They didnt stop at the intersection. They didnt stop when an 11-year-old was on the hood of the car Nobody stopped, she recounted in a tearful account at the time. A friend of the family, Mirette Fouad, said Ms Iskander was able to get her two youngest children including a daughter in a stroller out of harms way, but she couldnt reach the older boys in time. Marks body was found 254 feet away from the crosswalk while Jacob was found about 50 feet away from the crosswalk, according to The Los Angeles Times. Jurors heard that Grossman was racing former LA Dodgers player Scott Erickson through a residential area when she hit the boys (AP2005) During the trial Grossmans attorney, Tony Buzbee, attempted to shift the blame for the boys tragic deaths to the ex-MLB player. Mr Buzbee claimed the Los Angeles Sheriffs investigators never checked Mr Ericksons black Mercedes SUV for damage, even though witnesses had claimed they saw him drive through the marked crosswalk a few seconds before Grossman. The defence made a final attempt to blame Mr Erickson during closing arguments on Thursday, alleging that it was his car that struck the boys. Mr Erickson, 55, was charged with misdemeanour reckless driving. In February 2022, a judge ordered him to make a public service announcement geared toward high school students about the importance of safe driving. Mr Erickson denied any wrongdoing. At emotional pre-trial hearings in 2022, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Shellie Samuels determined the defences previous argument that Grossman was rushing home was not accurate. The defendant was not rushing to get home; she was playing a high-speed game of chicken with Mr Erickson, Judge Samuels said, according to The Los Angeles Times. I believe the defendant went well beyond gross negligence. Grossman, co-founder of the Grossman Burn Foundation, is married to prominent surgeon Dr Peter Grossman. At trial Dr Grossman said he and his wife were separated at the time, living separate lives under the same roof while dating other people. His wife was involved with Mr Erickson in 2020, he testified. Under prosecution questioning, he said that out of the hundreds of times he rode with his ex-wife, he had no recollection of her ever speeding. Houston Police Chief Troy Finner speaks during a press conference at the Houston Emergency Center on Friday, Jan. 12, 2024, in Houston. Karen Warren/Staff photographer Houston-area victim advocates, law enforcement veterans and experts are flummoxed a day after it was announced that at least 4,000 sexual assault cases were suspended by police since 2016, citing a lack of personnel. I am not sure how HPD is going to gain the trust back of victims, said Jessika Gaehring, whose fiance was killed in 2019 and who has become an advocate for families of crime victims. Sexual assault is a very traumatic experience overall, even if your case wasnt one suspended. Are future victims going to trust them enough to report? Police Chief Troy Finner said at a Thursday news conference that he learned Feb. 7 that, despite ordering employees to stop using the code citing lack of personnel in 2021, some inside the police department had continued doing so for the next three years. He declined to say exactly how many cases in other divisions were being reviewed but said the 4,017 cases came up during a search for cases closed because of that code in the special victims unit. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The code was first instituted in 2016, Finner said. The code gave cases a suspended designation, which didnt close them and left open the possibility they could be reopened with new evidence, Finner said. But the chief cautioned that the results of the investigation could change the departments clearance rate. An initial review of 700 reports labeled with the forbidden code found that not every one was a separate case, Finner said. Some were duplicates of other cases. Finner said around 32 additional investigators were being transferred to the departments special investigations unit to review cases and potentially contact victims whose cases were suspended using the code. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Art Acevedo, who took over as chief in Houston in November 2016, declined to speak about the investigation. Former Chief Charles McClelland, who retired in February 2016, said he didnt know about the code and never authorized its creation or know it had ever been used. McClelland said he supported Finners call for transparency and said the job of chief in Houston is a complex one, in no small part because of the departments size and scope. When something like this happens, theres blood in the water, he said. People want someone to be held accountable, and thats not unfair. But lets wait for all the facts. Suspended cases 'alarming' Charles Blain, president of the Urban Reform Institute, a right-of-center organization dedicated to creating free market solutions for urban issues, called the specifics of Thursdays news conference alarming and said a massive breakdown must have happened. Advertisement Article continues below this ad It also makes me wonder, if this was happening with something as important as sexual assault cases, where else could something have happened that we havent noticed? he said. That gives me concern, too. Blain said he wished Finner had provided more details about what happened after he directed employees to stop using the code in 2016, as well as offered more specifics about how many more cases might be caught up in the review. Doug Griffith, president of the Houston Police Officers Association, had similar concerns after the news conference. If we knew about this in 2021, why was a team not put together then to investigate these old cases? he asked. And how was there not some sort of follow-up to make sure we werent still using the code? Advertisement Article continues below this ad The University of Georgia Police Department have taken a suspect in custody in connection with the suspected homicide of a 22-year-old nursing student from Augusta University who police found dead on the University of Georgia campus Thursday. Police have charged Jose Antonio Ibarra with malice murder, felony murder, aggravated battery, aggravated assault, false imprisonment, kidnapping, hindering a 911 call and concealing the death of another, UGA Police Chief Jeffrey L. Clark said during a news briefing Friday evening. The suspect is not a U.S. citizen, according to authorities. Ibarra measures 5 foot 3 inches and weighs 170 lbs, per the Clarke County Sheriffs Department booking sheet. Laken measured 5 feet 4 inches, weighing 115 lbs, according to a UGA Police Department report. Jose Ibarra, who was originally taken into custody on Friday by the UGA Police Department in connection with Riley's death, is now not believed to have had a connection to the victim. "The evidence is robust," he told reporters, crediting campus security cameras in part for the arrest. Clark said he believed the attack was a "crime of opportunity" and that the suspected killer had no known connection to the victim. Ibarra is not a UGA student, he added. UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA POLICE QUESTIONING PERSON OF INTEREST IN LAKEN RILEY HOMICIDE READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP Ibarra's immigration status was not immediately known to investigators, the chief said, adding that he believed the suspect is from Venezuela. "Right now I dont know his full status," he said. "He is not a citizen of the United States." Police initially swept up three to four people during the early stages of the investigation but were only arresting and charging Ibarra, Clark added. Police have charged Jose Antonio Ibarra with malice murder, felony murder, aggravated battery, aggravated assault, false imprisonment, kidnapping, hindering a 911 call and concealing the death of another, UGA Police Chief Jeffrey L. Clark said "While the perpetrators legal status is unclear, if the Chiefs statement is accurate and that he is a Venezuelan migrant potentially admitted under the continuing special status program it is past time to recognize the obvious: Maduro has taken a page from Castros book and is emptying his criminals into the U.S., and we are holding the door open for them," Paul Mauro, a retired NYPD inspector, told Fox News Digital. Riley had previously attended UGA before entering a nursing program at Augusta's Athens campus, where she made the Dean's List. Police were asking anyone who saw anything "relevant or suspicious" between 7 a.m. and noon Thursday around UGA's Intramural Fields and Lake Herrick to call 706-542-2200. That's where they found Riley with "visible injuries" within 30 after they received a call from a concerned friend who said she went for a run and didn't come back. According to an incident report obtained by Fox News Digital, multiple officers began searching for Riley near the Intramural Fields around 12:07 p.m. At 12:38, a UGA police officer spotted her on the ground. "I called out to Riley, and I did not get a response," the officer wrote. Read the incident report: She had visible injuries, and police could not locate a pulse. They began CPR anyway. A sergeant arrived with a defibrillator minutes later and unsuccessfully attempted to revive the victim. "Based on the injuries and Riley's physical condition, I suspected that foul play was involved," the police report reads. Investigators were reviewing the officer's bodycam for additional evidence. Flowers under the sign at Lake Herrick, where Georgia nursing student Laken Riley was found dead Thursday after failing to return home from her morning run. GEORGIA NURSING STUDENT FOUND DEAD ON UGA CAMPUS IDENTIFIED AS LAKEN RILEY Autopsy results remained pending Friday, but authorities said they were investigating her death as a homicide. Clark said it appeared as though she had been killed by blunt-force trauma. Classes and events at both universities were canceled Friday. Laken Riley poses for a photo posted to Facebook. Riley, a nursing student at the University of Georgia, was found dead near a lake on campus on Thursday, February 22, 2024. Lake Herrick is part of UGA's campus, nestled between various university practice fields and Oconee Forest Park. The lake is bordered by a pedestrian trail and has a recreational beach. Authorities are asking the public to avoid the area as they investigate. The last time UGA reported a homicide on campus was 20 years ago, UGA Police Chief Jeffrey Clark said during a Thursday evening news conference. The police chief said that there was not "immediate danger" on campus. Original article source: Laken Riley case: Georgia authorities identify murder suspect in custody in nursing student's slaying Communities in China and around the world are spending the weekend celebrating the Lantern Festival, which fell on Saturday, Feb. 24 and signals the end of the 2024 Lunar New Year festivities, which welcomed the Year of the Dragon. The lantern festival falls on the 15th day of the first month of the Chinese calendar and marks the first full moon of the new lunar year. People traditionally celebrate the holiday by decorating with colorful lanterns, often with riddles written on them and prizes for those who solve the puzzles. Heres how people around the globe are enjoying the holiday. People walk on stilts to celebrate the Lantern Festival in Chengguan town, Hua County, Anyang city, in Henan province, China, on Feb. 24, 2024. CFOTO-Future Publishing/Getty Images How China is celebrating the Lantern Festival Throngs welcomed the Lantern Festival in cities across the worlds second most populous country with 1.4 billion people. Beijing hosted a slew of lantern festival events across the city. Families flocked to see impressive lantern displays and illuminated inflated animals. In Rizhao, bakers bustled to make the holidays special sweet rice balls, shaped and colored like persimmons. Celebrations everywhere featured lion and dragon dances. One city, Qiandongnan, even combined a dragon dance with fireworksthe performers dressed in fire suits and helmets. On Saturday night in Meizhou, folk artists performed a dazzling Puzhai fire dragon dance to celebrate the festival. Folk artists performed the Puzhai fire dragon dance to celebrate the Lantern Festival on Feb. 24, 2024 in Meizhou, Guangdong Province of China. VCGGetty Images Many cities featured a regional twist on the celebrations, with displays of unique folk art and clothing. In Anyang, face-painted creatives performed on stilts in a parade. Another city, Qingdao, threw a carnival featuring traditional dances, drum performances, and folk art. Fireworks burst across skylines nationwide. In Chongqing, tourists watched a remote-controlled performance of a giant illuminated bird fly through the sky. Tourists watched a remote-controlled performance of a flying phoenix during an early Lantern Festival celebration in Chongqing, China, on Feb. 23, 2024. Future PublishingGetty Images People ventured out in the snow to enjoy lanterns on the 15th day of the first lunar month in Zaozhuang, China, on Feb. 24, 2024. CostfotoGetty Images How Asia is welcoming the Lantern Festival Some communities in southeast Asia also celebrate the holiday, which they call Cap Go Meh. Penang, Malaysia, hosted a street festival with fire juggling, food, art, crafts, a dragon dance, orchestra, drum performances, and a traditional Malay Dondang Sayang, a type of song that has been honored by UNESCOs intangible cultural heritage. In Jakarta, Indonesia, some families flocked to Chinese temples and then ate lontong cap go meh, a traditional holiday dish consisting of a rice cake in banana leaves, served alongside chicken, boiled eggs, vegetables in coconut milk soup, prawn crackers, and chili paste. Others in Indonesia pierced their faces with needlesa practice said to ward off evil spirits. A man pierced his cheeks with needles for the Cap Go Meh festival in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Feb. 24, 2024. Yasuyoshi ChibaGetty Images The Lantern Festival festivities in Canada Canada, home to a large Chinese diaspora, was set to light up for the holiday. Vancouver was hosting a series of events for its LunarFest, including art exhibits, film screenings, origami workshops and more. Torontos Chinatown planned two days of celebrations featuring a lion dance, a Chinese luncheon, and a mahjong game tournament. Across the city, restaurants prepared to offer deals and special treats. Performances, lantern displays, and arts fairs filled public places. Some events paid homage to other cultures honoring the holiday, with a Vietnamese New Year celebration expected and a library hosting a Korean Lunar New Year with readings in Korean. London's Chinatown is seen here adorned with red paper lanterns with dancers performing as part of ongoing Lunar New Year 2024 celebrations. Vuk Valcic Getty Images The Lantern Festival proceedings in the U.K. Some British communities also observed the holiday, with a Chinatown food crawl in London and a commemoration in Southampton. Elsewhere, modern Chinese restaurants in Birmingham hosted their own celebrations to mark the special occasion. How the U.S. is marking the Lantern Festival Beyond local celebrations among Chinese communities, some official events marked the holiday in cities across the U.S., including a make-your-own lantern event in New York City. San Francisco hosted its massive Lunar New Year Parade in Chinatown on Saturday, with actor Awkwafina serving as Grand Marshalan honoree chosen to lead the parade. Thousands lined the streets for the three-hour affair. Kung Fu Panda 4 movie voice actor Awkwafina greeted the crowd during the Lunar New Year, Lantern Festival Parade in San Francisco, California, on Feb. 24, 2024. Tayfun CoskunGetty Images The San Francisco Chinese Chamber of Commerce also hosted a Community Street Fair over the weekend with food, dancing, music performances, and other activities. Elsewhere in San Francisco, local organizations coordinated a smaller community celebration featuring performances, lanterns, and mahjong. In neighboring Oakland, home to its own Chinatown, non-profit groups collaborated to feature Asian-American artists and support local businesses over the weekend. Contact us at letters@time.com. EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) You could see the smoke for miles around El Paso and much of the Borderland on Friday afternoon, Feb. 23. A commander with the Juarez Fire Department confirmed that the large fire was at an illegal dump site in South Juarez around kilometer 27. The dump site contains trash, plastic and tires. The fire started at about 4 p.m. You could see huge black plumes of smoke through different parts of Juarez and El Paso. As of about 4:30 p.m., fire crews in Juarez were still trying to get the fire under control. We have no word if anyone has gotten hurt or how the fire started. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTSM 9 News. Big events can shake everything. Small moments come to matter too. I remember day one of the EU referendum campaign - Vote Leave had just unveiled their infamous 350m slogan. At the campaign's first big rally in Manchester I asked Boris Johnson about that misleading headline claim. The audience booed. It wasn't a big deal, it wasn't upsetting, but that small moment was a total surprise. One of the campaign team even called me afterwards to apologise, vowing it would never happen again. They hoped the referendum campaign wouldn't be ugly. They were wrong. I remember a huge, dreadful day eight weeks later. We'd been interviewing Jeremy Corbyn in Sheffield in the final frantic moments of that same campaign. It was not long after his supporters had also started to boo and jeer at reporters for asking questions. Any hopes of a civil campaign were long gone. Eight weeks later there was a huge and massive shock. We were in the middle of the usual rush to edit and send our report for the news that night. My editor called saying that the MP Jo Cox had been attacked, and it looked very bad. I stopped what we'd been doing, rushed to the station, and began making calls to try to find out what was going on. When I got to the platform, my phone rang again. Jo had died. Her killer, Thomas Mair, had a long history of interest in Nazism and far-right extremism. His violent obsessions certainly didn't begin with the referendum campaign. But Jo's courageous husband, Brendan, told me a few days later he believed she was murdered for her political views. He said she had been worried about how politics was "coarsening", becoming too "tribal and unthinking". Her death was a hideous shock. Politicians vowed to follow her example of kindness. You don't need me to tell you whether they stuck to that. It was a private conversation with another Labour MP a few years later that hammered home how common the threats were becoming. It was September 2018, and after a couple of years of Brexit frustrations in Parliament - and hideous infighting in the Labour Party - the MP was in agony over the dangers they faced just for doing their job. They'd been appealing to their local police force after weeks of threats in their constituency, but felt they were being brushed off. They told me about the security grilles, cameras, alarms, and other equipment they'd installed to try to keep them and their staff safe. But the MP didn't want to go public, fearing it would make matters worse. It was no secret that lots of them had received abuse by that stage - in real life, not just on social media. It was a familiar topic of conversation around Westminster's ancient corridors. As reporters, we were by then used to being hassled and heckled around the fringes of the demonstrations that had become part of Westminster's daily backdrop. I'd developed a habit of walking as quickly as I could with my head down past the crowds. But from that moment, I understood a shocking new norm - some MPs were carrying genuine fears for their lives every day. "These threats are real," they said. Their tears and distress made it plain. Banner for "Off Air with Laura K" Sign up for the Off Air with Laura K newsletter to get Laura Kuenssberg's expert insight and insider stories every week, emailed directly to you. SWLK bottom promo strap A couple of months later, I remember those regular demonstrations taking a different turn. A couple of small groups would walk alongside MPs as they tried to move around the tiny SW1 postcode, hurling abuse and accusations at close quarters and recording them on their phones. You could see these groups huddling and waiting for a famous face, ready to pounce. If the politician responded in any way, these groups had footage that might go viral. Ignore it, the politician could be accused of being rude and shunning the public's voice. The first few times I saw it, it felt shocking. It seemed to be deliberate provocation for the purposes of creating content for social media. During that whole period, just as now, there were many people with strong and deeply held views using their legitimate right to protest. Goodness knows, the public's frustration with politicians is often entirely understandable. Protest is important. Many MPs themselves are veterans of noisy demonstrations. Politicians love a good argument - a vigorous debate. And of course there have been risks to politicians and Parliament before, whether from the IRA for many years, or terror threats in recent times. But surrounding politicians and screaming abuse, or trying to block their path as they try to walk down the street, are different. Now, almost any MP will tell you, what can look like an ambush can happen at any time. These moments I remember, big and small, track what has been a journey to a different kind of politics. Many of the people we choose to represent us really believe their personal safety, and that of their families, is routinely at stake. And this week marks another major moment. The Speaker of the House of Commons says he made a decision to break the unwritten rules of Parliament because of those risks. He says he made a mistake in allowing a vote on Labour's motion, because he was trying to protect his colleagues from public anger and danger. SWLK top promo strap On this week's show are Deputy PM Oliver Dowden, Labour frontbencher Lisa Nandy, and Ed Davey, leader of the Liberal Democrats Former cabinet minister Therese Coffey also joins us alongside the Mayor of Manchester, Andy Burnham Kaja Kallas, the PM of Estonia, is on the show too Watch live on BBC One and iPlayer from 09:00 GMT on Sunday Follow latest updates in text and video on the BBC News website from 08:00 SWLK bottom promo strap It's only in time I suspect that we'll be able to unravel all of what went on during those hours of chaos. As we talked about in my newsletter on Thursday, the mayhem was not completely unfamiliar, but a reminder of those months of grisly pantomime during the Brexit years. But it appears that events in the Commons, not just the screaming and shouting outside, were influenced not by information, but intimidation. Many politicians, and perhaps many of you, may feel that is a profoundly uneasy precedent if it is allowed to stand. For his part, the Speaker has apologised. It could be a turning point in either direction. Will the police be given more powers to protect MPs as some recommend? Will politicians start to be more vocal about the nature of protests? Will some of those who have been on the streets, or outside politicians' homes, rethink their tactics - or go even further? What happened in those hours of chaos on Wednesday night is a moment we will remember. But we can't yet know the effect it will have, how it will be marked in our memories in the months to come. What questions would you like to ask our guests this Sunday? In some cases your question will be published, displaying your name, age and location as you provide it, unless you state otherwise. Your contact details will never be published. Please ensure you have read our terms & conditions and privacy policy. Use this form to ask your question: If you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or send them via email to YourQuestions@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any question you send in. Last weekend, at the annual Munich Security Conference, dozens of members of Congress faced Americas antsiest allies as they gathered in the looming shadow of the second anniversary of Russias invasion of Ukraine. The conference was consumed by a recent tragic eventnews of the death of Alexei Navalny, a vocal political opponent of Russian President Vladimir Putin, in a Russian prison. Adding to the heaviness of the occasion, conference attendees contended with the difficult-to-swallow news of Russias seizure of the Ukrainian city of Avdiivka. It was against this backdrop of European conflictthe likes of which have not been seen since World War IIthat American lawmakers arrived to pursue a difficult endeavor: prove to the international community that, even amid an all-consuming internal political strife characterized by an immobilized and intransigent Congress, the United States is still a reliable diplomatic partner. This task would have seemed nigh unthinkable when Russias invasion began, as bipartisan legislators offered billions of dollars in support to Ukraine with little dissension. It was a message that came with fresh complications, namely the failure to approve a national security supplemental that would have included billions of dollars in aid to Ukraine, a bipartisan measure that passed in the Senate but ran into a brick wall of opposition in the House. Even though the vast majority of members at the conference were supportive of Ukraine, fully convincing European leaders of their commitment was an uphill battle. We cant lie. We cant sugarcoat the instability in the House, said Democratic Senator Chris Murphy, who attended the conference. We can express hope that the House will process Ukraine aid, but frankly, we cannot make promises. So it was an uncomfortable weekend. Meanwhile, the specter of the 2024 election also loomed over the event, as the likely Republican nominee, former President Donald Trump, has adopted an ever more isolationist stance, even encouraging Russia to invade NATO allies who he believes are not spending enough on defense. Obviously, we couldnt reassure them completely with Trump speaking so dangerouslyso irresponsibly, said Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, a Democratic senator who led the bipartisan McCain CODEL to the conference, a co-delegation named in honor of the late Senator John McCain. However, he took a sunnier outlook on the effects of American presence at the conference, heartened by the confidence expressed by Republican colleagues present that Congress would act on aid to Ukraine. It mattered a lot to our various interlocutors to hear that from the Republican side, from senior and experienced legislators, Whitehouse told me, adding that the net effect of our CODEL was to provide considerable bipartisan reassurance. That reassurance was required not only for European allies as a whole but specifically for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy; Vice President Kamala Harris was also present at the event and held a press conference with the Ukrainian president, reassuring him of American commitmentsbut although she speaks for the White House, she does not represent the House of Representatives. Representative Mikie Sherrill, a Democrat who attended the conference, said that Zelenskiy had adopted an expression of resolve in a meeting with a bipartisan group of lawmakers. Although Avdiivka was a loss for Ukraine, Sherrilla Navy veteransaid that Zelenskiy was a living example of the old Navy slogan: Im going to find a way, or make one. Zelenskiy sat there before us knowing how difficult these negotiations in the House are, and that we dont have a sure path forward today, but he was resolute, said Sherrill. We have got to find a way to support them in winning the war. A similar message was presented by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who met with Zelenskiy in an impromptu visit to Ukraine with other Democratic senators the Friday after the conference. Schumers goals included showing the Ukrainian people, as well as NATO and European allies, that Americans stand with them. We believe we are at an inflection point in history and we must make it clear to our friends and allies around the globe that the U.S. does not back away from our responsibilities and allies, Schumer said in a statement explaining his trip. When we return to Washington, we will make clear to [House Speaker Mike] Johnsonand others in Congress who are obstructing military and economic supportexactly what is at stake here in Ukraine and for the rest of Europe and the free world. But as much as Schumer may wish to communicate that message at home and abroad, he ultimately cannot control what the House does or does not decide today, influenced by the political will of Trump. Indeed, not every lawmaker in Munich was there to spread good tidings of incipient congressional action on Ukraine. Senator J.D. Vance, a potential vice president pick for Trump and frequent expounder of his America First philosophy, attended the conference as part of the McCain CODEL. Vance declined to attend bipartisan meetings with other senators and leaders such as Zelenskiy. He delivered remarks on Sunday morningafter several conference attendees had left, according to Whitehouse. I dont think his audience was in Munich, Whitehouse said. Vance insisted in his Munich remarks that Donald Trump was maybe the best president at deterring Russia in a generation, and argued that his perspective represented the majority of American public opinion, even though I dont represent the majority of opinion of senators who come to Munich. If the package thats running through the Congress right now, $61 billion of supplemental aid to Ukraine, goes through, I have to be honest to you, that is not going to fundamentally change the reality on the battlefield. The amount of munitions that we can send to Ukraine right now is very limited, Vance said in a panel discussion. However, the funding deal that Vance opposes includes billions of dollars in investments to increase weapons production in factories in the U.S. Still, Murphy said he was really glad that Vance had attended the conference. These conferences often exist in a plane separated from reality. The reality is, theres a ton of Republicans who are listening to Donald Trump and preparing to hand Ukraine to Russia, Murphy said. I dont agree with his position. I think its incredibly dangerous and demonstrably weakens America. But I think it was important for world leaders to hear it directly instead of having us filter it. Vances remarks were a portent to those at the conference that a second Trump term would likely diverge substantially from the kinds of promises offered by Republican senators of a more internationalist bent, said Simon Miles, an assistant professor at the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University. Those people, while theyll keep their Senate seats or what have you, they are not going to be heard from in the Oval Office, and they are not going to be allowed into a Cabinet-level type position, said Miles. The so-called adults in the roomshorthand for the longtime foreign policy and military experts who were thought to constrain Trumps most isolationist impulses as Cabinet officialswill not be permitted to have sway a second time around. [Trumps] going to make sure that the implementers are ideological loyalists, and his wing of the party has already started a significant effort to identify those people to place them in positions of significant responsibility in the event that he does win in November 2024, Miles continued. If chosen to serve in the hypothetical second Trump administration, as vice president or in another capacity, Vance would represent that school of thought. But Vances point of view was the minority among Republicans at the conference. Representative Mike Turnerthe GOP chair of the House Intelligence Committeehighlighted the commitment of many Republicans to aiding Ukraine after joining the meeting with Zelenskiy. I do think that there is an opportunity when we get back to Washington to move this important aid package forward because it is so critical, Turner said on NBC Newss Meet the Press on Sunday. I think theres certainly sufficient support in the House and the Senate. A bipartisan group of representativesnot including Turnerintroduced their own supplemental package, including aid to Ukraine, last week, although its uncertain if this will get approval from House leadership, much less in the Senate. Sherrill noted that the supplemental legislation that passed in the Senate was approved with more than 70 votesan outcome that would be very difficult to replicate with a new bill. We just have to figure out how to get a vote on the floor procedurally, said Sherrill about a vote on the House floor on the supplemental, which Speaker Mike Johnson has yet to allow. We wont have to send it back through the Senate, we can just send it right to the presidents desk. So trying to find these other off-ramps, I think, that just gives us more time for things to go wrong. The bill proposed by Fitzpatrick would include several border-related provisions, such as reimplementing the Remain in Mexico policy. A bipartisan trio in the Senate, including Murphy, had negotiated a thorough bill to overhaul border and asylum policy in the hopes of attaching it to the national security supplemental; however, it was rejected by the majority of Senate Republicans and was repeatedly bashed by both Trump and Johnson. The border was a touchy topic in Munich; GOP Senator Pete Ricketts received pushback at one panel for comparing the southern border to Russias invasion of Ukraine, although he acknowledged it was not quite the same thing. We will get there with regard to making the investments in our defense industrial base to supply the weapons to Ukraine, but its going to take time to get there, Ricketts said. Murphy told me that all the foreign leaders were cognizant of the border negotiations and of their rejection by Senate Republicans. However, he added that they saw a silver lining in the talks as helping to spur further action on Ukraine. Still, if the U.S. wants to maintain its legitimacy on the international stage, many lawmakers who attended the conference believe, Congress will need to act to approve aid quickly. If we dont pass this, if we walk away from these alliancesmany of which weve had for over 50 years, some of which weve had since the birth of our nationthat could put a real crack in our protection of democracy, not just across the world, but certainly here at home, said Sherrill. LIMESTONE COUNTY, Ala. (WHNT) A man facing charges for a Lawrence County murder, robbery and kidnapping was indicted by a Limestone County Grand Jury for firing multiple shots out the window at officers during a chase. Jordan Cesar Hernandez, 35, became a suspect following the incident, which happened during the early morning hours of Saturday, November 4. Human remains found in DeKalb County in 1991 identified Police attempted to stop Hernandez on Sunday, Nov. 5, and during a chase, he fired shots at officers leading to him being charged with attempted murder. Because of where he was arrested, Hernandez was booked into the Limestone County Jail. A Limestone County Grand Jury indicted Hernandez for attempted murder on Feb. 9. On December 15, Hernandez was transferred into the custody of the Lawrence County Sheriffs Office and booked into the Lawrence County Jail on outstanding warrants for murder, first-degree kidnapping and first-degree robbery. Auburn Renee Moore was also charged with murder, first-degree kidnapping and first-degree robbery in connection to the incident. Oakwood University student dead after on-campus swimming incident The Lawrence County Sheriffs Office said they shot Dustin Grimes while he was trying to protect his wife that morning. Hernandez and Moore then reportedly stole from the home before kidnapping the wife and running from the scene. Sometime later, officials say that Ms. Grimes managed to escape from Moore and Hernandez while they were trying to force her to withdraw money from an ATM in the East Lawrence Area. The victim reportedly found an opportunity to escape and ran to a nearby convenience store, where she was able to call law enforcement. On the night of Nov. 4, Moore was arrested in Decatur while the Morgan County SWAT team was serving a warrant at Hernandezs home. On Nov. 5, Decatur officers spotted Hernandez near 6th Avenue and East Moulton Street, and attempted to stop him. He failed to stop and led officers on a chase, during which the Decatur Police Department said Hernandez fired multiple shots out of the window toward officers. Hernandez eventually crashed his vehicle and fled on foot into the woods near Calvary Assembly on Highway 20. Multiple agencies responded, including the Limestone County Sheriffs Office, the Huntsville Police Department, ALEA state troopers and the Alabama Department of Corrections K9 Unit. According to jail records, both Hernandez and Moore are still being held in the Lawrence County Jail. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WHNT.com. There are new privacy concerns about one of the fastest-growing apps on your phone. Chinese online shopping site TEMU is now the target of multiple proposed class action lawsuits. Channel 2 consumer investigator Justin Gray learned that one of those class action lawsuits focuses on what the TEMU app does to your cell phone. The lawsuit alleges TEMU gains access to literally everything on your phone. The companys Super Bowl ads brought even more spotlight to the Chinese retailer which was already a social media phenomenon. [HAVE A STORY FOR CHANNEL 2 ACTION NEWS INVESTIGATES? Submit it here] Posters brag about what they call TEMU hauls, but TEMU itself often pays for the posts. TEMU is actually sponsoring todays video, so thats really exciting, one social media video said. Multiple proposed class action lawsuits allege theres a privacy trade-off with the incredibly low prices TEMU offers. A lawsuit alleges TEMU uses spyware and malware that TEMU collects user data beyond what is necessary for an online shopping app and it gains access to literally everything on your phone. Another proposed class action suit claims TEMU doesnt protect data, alleging a failure to secure and safeguard its customers personal data. Georgia Tech student Shadah Mohammad told Gray that she couldnt resist those eye-poppingly cheap deals. Then she learned about the lawsuits. MORE STORIES FROM 2 INVESTIGATES: I heard about that. So I havent shopped there since. Definitely scared about that, Mohammad said. TEMU sent Gray a statement, saying: We categorically deny the allegations and intend to vigorously defend ourselves against these meritless lawsuits. The truth is that safeguarding privacy is one of TEMUs core values. Channel 2 consumer adviser Clark Howard opened an account and bought items himself to test TEMU out. TEMU is crazy cheap, Howard said. Know that the savings are great, but it comes with a great cost. Howard found incredible prices and decent quality but warns the cost could be your private data. Youre giving permission for so much intrusion into your private life, Howard said. Mohammad said she wasnt taking any chances. So you deleted it off your phone? Gray asked Mohammad. Yeah, I deleted my accounts. Unsubscribed completely, Mohammad said. TEMU counters that if you look at the data disclosures in the app store, that they gather data in fewer categories than competitors like Amazon. RELATED NEWS: A panel of community development officials takes questions from members of Port Huron's Southside Neighborhood Improvement Authority and meeting attendees during a meeting on Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024, at the Harvey Reinvestment Center. Whats the first thing you would do to revitalize the south end of Port Huron? Board members of the citys newly formed Southside Neighborhood Improvement Authority got some advice from a panel of specialists Thursday. But next month, local residents will get their own chance to throw in ideas. And according to Joe Bixler, who co-chairs the authority with fellow south-end organizer Mary Williams, the two planned engagement sessions are critical. Those are our first opportunities for significant input into what they want to see. Were going to kind of do workstations to do that, he said Thursday. The authority, which meets the second and fourth Thursday each month, was established late last year to lay the groundwork as an eventual tax-capturing body to finance improvement goals on the south end. Those goals are still being established, and community workshops are set for each 6 p.m. meeting in March. On March 14, the workshop will ask attendees for ideas for changes in three areas: New development in housing and business, improvements to infrastructure like parks, for pedestrians, and on the waterfront, and programming, including recreational and social services. The March 28 workshop will ask for redevelopment ideas for specific locations in South Park. The neighborhood improvement authority itself encapsulates Lake Huron Medical Center and nearly everything south to the citys border at Ravenswood Road, excluding the industrial park. Hoping to accommodate a crowd, Bixler said theyd also have a free food truck on site for both dates near the usual meeting location at the Harvey Reinvestment Center, 3013 24th St. Were pulling out all the stops, he said. The Southside Neighborhood Improvement Authority is bounded by Lake Huron Medical Center south to Port Huron's Ravenswood Road border, excluding the city's industrial park. Previously, in late 2022, third-party consultants working with the city and who ultimately recommended the formation of the Southside NIA with City Council support last year worked with residents on what theyd like to see improved. That insight went into a report released to the public. This time, however, Bixler, whos also president of the Southside Initiative nonprofit, said more people are coming to the table. Far more people, he said. We have spent almost a year collecting people and partners and other connections to schools and churches. Theres so many more people here now than there were a while ago. So, we really have to put our best foot forward to get people to understand that this is their chance. What was the advice from panelists on first steps? So far, the Southside Neighborhood Improvement Authority has met a few times since early December. And as of Thursday, they were still weighing draft mission and value statements. For nearly two hours, authority members and meeting attendees heard from a panel that included Peter Chapman, founder and CEO of Urban Policy Innovations, Marilyn Chrumka, vice president of development for Michigan Community Capital, Port Huron City Manager James Freed, Randy Maiers, president of the Community Foundation of St. Clair County, and local home builder Steve Smith. They discussed a host of issues from housing and grocery store needs to common community development tools. On recommendations for the next steps of the NIA, each of the panelists differed. Maiers said they should get to work on the micro level, getting specific with properties theyd like to see redeveloped, such as around Lincoln Park or the hospital. I think the theory you should think about is (to) build on existing assets, he said, particularly pointing to the vacant land owned by SONS Outreach. Smith pointed to waterfront assets, such as the site of the former Reef Restaurant, adding, People love the river. Chrumka said to identify a project thats supported by the strongest community consensus. Chapman recommended striving for something mixed-use and mixed-income on the residential side. And you should be extremely entrepreneurial about putting the capital (staff and assets) together so that you can have a significant portion of the residential component be market ready, he said. I would also invest a lot into design so that what you create is aesthetically effective and could be considered a signature project and lays the project for other, high-quality (work). Recounting bringing his family to visit the south end, Freed said they should tell the world youre here. A large segment of those who work and traverse in the city to work come through South Park and the south end, he said. Theres no real brand identity. Theres no real gateway into South Park, no big signs that say, Welcome to South Park, (or), Welcome to the Conner Street Corridor. I think your first, most immediate thing is: Throw up the flags, throw up the signs, let people know youre here, we exist, and make your presence extremely vocal to those that are traveling through. For more information, visit PortHuron.org under boards and commissions. Contact Jackie Smith at (810) 989-6270 or jssmith@gannett.com. This article originally appeared on Port Huron Times Herald: Learn the latest on South Park's revitalization and how you can help Houston Community College Central Campus. Yi-Chin Lee / Staff photographer Houston Community College has shuttered its associate degree program for students training to be registered nurses, according to state licensure documents. The Texas Board of Nursing listed the closure as voluntary, effective Dec. 31. The Associate Degree Nursing program, or ADN, had been operating with conditional approval as of last April a designation that means it didnt meet state standards for three years. HCC takes pride in the ADN programs legacy, college officials said in a statement. This challenging decision to close the program reflects our adherence to the highest nursing education standards. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Officials confirmed the closure in the statement, which was attributed to HCC. The decision came after 57 students who were required to take a licensure exam were not able to because there were no available testing sites in Houston and the surrounding areas, they said. The program, which has been operating since 1979, will now focus on graduating those 57 students and secure them a testing location, according to the statement. In collaboration with the Texas Board of Nursing, this decision marks our proactive stance in adapting to healthcare educations evolving needs, with a commitment to innovative nursing education solutions, the statement reads. Licensure passage rates had plummeted in HCCs associates program since 2018, according to board data. Almost 94% of students passed the RN exam that year, but by 2022, only 49% passed. Nursing programs need approval from the Texas Board of Nursing to operate in the state, and first-year test-takers of the National Council Licensure Examination-RN need to obtain 80% pass rates for their programs to remain in good standing. Sanctions occur each year programs fail to hit the mark, with withdrawal of a program occurring after the fourth year. Advertisement Article continues below this ad At HCC, the first sanction came after only 77% of students in 2020 passed the licensure exam on their first try. The rate dropped to 57% in 2021 and 49% in 2022, when 97 out of 197 students passed. The number of test-takers more than doubled in four years, just a little over the same time. The end of HCCs RN program comes as Texas faces a severe nursing shortage, with the health care industry expected to be short of 57,000 registered nurses by 2032, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services. The need could be dire in the Gulf Coast region, short of 21,000 registered nurses here the same year. Lee Anderson during the launch of the Popular Conservatism movement at the Emmanuel Centre in central London, in a bid to rally right-wing Tory MPs ahead of a general election this year. Labour has called for Tory MP Lee Anderson to lose the whip over what it described as "Islamophobic" comments about Mayor of London Sadiq Khan. He told GB News Islamists had "got control" of Mr Khan and he had "given our capital city away to his mates". His words, which follow pro-Palestinian protests outside Parliament, have also been condemned by Tories. Labour Party chairwoman Anneliese Dodds said the remarks were "unambiguously racist and Islamophobic". Writing on X, she said Rishi Sunak "needs to immediately remove the whip" from Mr Anderson, while Labour's shadow paymaster general Jonathan Ashworth made the same call in a letter to the prime minister, describing the Ashfield MP's words as "appalling racism and Islamophobia". Withdrawing the whip would see Mr Anderson essentially expelled from his party in Parliament. A Conservative source told the BBC: "Lee was simply making the point that the mayor, in his capacity as Police and Crime Commissioner for London, has abjectly failed to get a grip on the appalling Islamist marches we have seen in London recently." On Wednesday, protesters assembled at Parliament in response to a proposed vote on a ceasefire tabled by the SNP - which in itself sparked controversy related to how the vote was handled. Mr Anderson's comments followed an article by former Home Secretary Suella Braverman in the Daily Telegraph, in which she said "the truth is that the Islamists, the extremists and the antisemites are in charge now". Politicians from the Labour and Conservative parties have criticised the comments about Sadiq Khan In an apparent reference to the article, Mr Anderson said he did not "actually believe that these Islamists have got control of our country" but he did believe they have "got control of Khan and they've got control of London", and that they have "got control of Starmer as well". Mr Khan has been mayor of London since 2016 and is the first Muslim to hold the position. Writing on X, former Conservative Chancellor Sajid Javid reposted the video of Mr Anderson making the comments and wrote "a ridiculous thing to say". Leader of Conservative party at City Hall, Neil Garratt, said he had "no shortage of criticisms of Mayor Khan" but that "he is not an Islamist, he is not in the pockets of Islamists, and I completely disagree with anyone who says otherwise". Iman Atta, director of charity Tell Mama, which describes itself as the leading agency on monitoring anti-Muslim hate crime in the UK, called the Tory MP's remarks "highly offensive, highly dangerous". In an interview with BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Ms Atta said the Mayor of London is subjected to many anti-Muslim attacks "on an ongoing basis", adding that it was important that politicians "send a clear message that anti-Muslim hate is unacceptable, as antisemitism is unacceptable in our country". Until January Mr Anderson served as one of the deputy chairmen of the Conservative Party but he resigned so he could rebel against the government over the Rwanda vote. He is currently one of a number of Conservative MPs who present a GB News show. Meanwhile, former Conservative Prime Minister Liz Truss has come under fire for promoting conspiracy theories about why her reign as prime minister ended after only 49 days during appearances at conservative events in the United States. She left office after a period of political and economic turbulence, which forced her government to ditch tax cuts that sent financial markets into a tailspin. She has been criticised for not interjecting during a panel discussion with former Donald Trump adviser Steve Bannon, in which he called the former leader of the English Defence League and anti-Islam activist Tommy Robinson a "hero". Mr Ashworth, who also asked for the prime minister to remove the whip from Ms Truss, said: "For a senior politician to engage in spreading such blatant conspiracy theories is incredibly damaging to our democracy, our institutions and social cohesion." He added: "As you know as well as anyone, it was not a cabal of secretive actors in the civil service working against Liz Truss' 45bn of unfounded tax cuts that sent financial markets into turmoil and ended her premiership, but the opposite." The BBC has approached the Conservative Party for comment. Mr Khan has been mayor of London since 2016 and is the first Muslim to hold the position Sadiq Khan has described remarks by the former Tory deputy chairman as "pouring fuel on the fire of anti-Muslim hatred". Lee Anderson told GB News "Islamists" had "got control" of the mayor of London. His words, which follow pro-Palestinian protests outside Parliament, have been condemned by some Conservatives. But Mr Khan criticised Rishi Sunak and his Cabinet for what he called a "deafening silence". On Friday, Mr Anderson told GB News: "I don't actually believe that the Islamists have got control of our country, but what I do believe is they've got control of Khan and they've got control of London He's actually given our capital city away to his mates." The Ashfield MP's remarks prompted criticism from Labour and some Conservatives - including former chancellor Sir Sajid Javid who reposted the video of Mr Anderson making the comments and wrote "a ridiculous thing to say". In response, Mr Khan described Mr Anderson's comments as "Islamophobic, anti-Muslim and racist". "These comments pour fuel on the fire of anti-Muslim hatred," Mr Khan said. "I'm afraid the deafening silence from Rishi Sunak and from the Cabinet is condoning this racism and confirms to many people across the country there is a hierarchy when it comes to racism in this country. "I am unclear why Rishi Sunak and members of his Cabinet aren't calling this out and condemning this." Earlier on Saturday, Labour called for Mr Anderson to lose the party whip - which would essentially expel him from his party in Parliament. Until January Mr Anderson served as one of the deputy chairmen of the Conservative Party, but he resigned so he could rebel against the government over the Rwanda vote. His comments followed an article by former home secretary Suella Braverman in the Daily Telegraph, in which she said "the truth is that the Islamists, the extremists and the anti-Semites are in charge now". A Tory source earlier told the BBC: "Lee was simply making the point that the mayor, in his capacity as police and crime commissioner for London, has abjectly failed to get a grip on the appalling Islamist marches we have seen in London recently." But Neil Garratt, leader of Conservatives at City Hall, said he had "no shortage of criticisms of Mayor Khan" but added "he is not an Islamist, he is not in the pockets of Islamists, and I completely disagree with anyone who says otherwise". Mohammed Amin, a former chair of the Conservative Muslim Forum who resigned after Boris Johnson became leader in 2019 and is now a Liberal Democrat, told the BBC politicians have a responsibility around the language they use and explained what kind of action he would expect to see from the Conservative Party. "I would have expected the prime minister to take immediate action by denouncing the comments and calling Mr Anderson into Downing Street to explain himself," he said. "If he failed to give a satisfactory explanation, then to consider removing the whip from him. "That's the kind of action I would have expected David Cameron to take in the good old days, but sadly the Conservative Party has deteriorated very badly since then." The BBC has approached Mr Anderson and the government for comment. Lee Andersons claims were described as foolish and dangerous by Nus Ghani, the industry minister - Victoria Jones/PA Lee Anderson has been offered a place the Reform party by Nigel Farage after he was stripped of the Conservative whip after claiming that Islamists have got control of Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London. Mr Farage said he believed Mr Anderson would feel happier in Reform and would be a massive help to the cause after the MP for Ashfield was suspended for his comments, which were criticised as Islamophobic. Mr Anderson, a former deputy chair of the Conservative Party, made the comments on Friday as he spoke about the policing of pro-Palestinian protests. He told GB News: I dont actually believe that the Islamists have got control of our country, but what I do believe is theyve got control of Khan and theyve got control of London. Hes actually given our capital city away to his mates. On Saturday afternoon, the Tories confirmed that they had withdrawn the whip. A spokesman for Simon Hart, the Chief Whip, said Mr Anderson had been suspended following his refusal to apologise for comments made yesterday. On Saturday night, Mr Anderson wrote on X, formerly Twitter: Following a call with the Chief Whip, I understand the difficult position that I have put both he and the Prime Minister in with regard to my comments. I fully accept that they had no option but to suspend the whip in these circumstances. However, I will continue to support the Governments efforts to call out extremism in all its forms be that anti-Semitism or Islamophobia. News of Mr Andersons suspension prompted speculation that he could switch his allegiance to Reform, with the Tory claiming last year that he had turned down an invitation to defect. Mr Farage, Reforms honorary president, told The Telegraph the party would open its doors to him, saying: I just think Lee has a very good heart. Hes still relatively new at politics, hes had a few ups and downs, but I think his heart is in the right place and hed be a massive help to the cause. Hed probably feel happier in Reform than he has in the current Conservative Party. Asked about the Tories decision to suspend the whip, Mr Farage replied: It doesnt surprise me at all. They are a social democrat party, they dont like open free speech. Pressure on Mr Anderson had grown, with Labour calling for the whip to be withdrawn. Yvette Cooper, the shadow home secretary, said his words were blatant Islamophobia. He also came under fire from some Tories, with Sir Sajid Javid, a former home secretary, describing his comments as ridiculous. Earlier on Saturday, Grant Shapps, the Defence Secretary, distanced himself from Mr Andersons words but appeared to defend his right to speak his mind when asked whether the remarks were acceptable. However, hours later Nus Ghani, a government minister, said the comments were foolish and dangerous. The Telegraph understands that Ms Ghani, who is Muslim, contacted Mr Anderson about the remarks on Friday night before speaking to him again on Saturday. I dont for one moment believe that Sadiq Khan is controlled by Islamists, she wrote on social media. To say so is both foolish and dangerous. Frankly, this is all so tiring. The Telegraph understands that the Tories felt they had to take swift action in light of the pressure Labour came under after Azhar Ali, their candidate in the Rochdale by-election, became embroiled in an anti-Semitism row. However, Mr Khan criticised the silence from Mr Sunak over the affair, claiming blatant anti-Muslim hatred was being tolerated within the Conservative Party. We all rightly unite in our condemnation of antisemitism, homophobia and misogyny, he said. Racism is racism. On Saturday night, several Tory MPs expressed support for Mr Anderson. One said: Lee needs to be more careful with the language he uses. But hes right to call out the failing London Labour Mayor and to express his concerns about radical Islam. I know him well and can confirm that he abhors all racism He wants to stand as a Conservative at the next election and Im very confident he will. Another claimed the suspension could rebound on Mr Sunak in the same way as Boris Johnsons handling of groping complaints against Chris Pincher. Lee is very popular with the grassroots and a lot of colleagues on the Right, said the MP. I think this bonkers decision could turn out to be Rishis Chris Pincher moment. Richard Tice, the Reform leader, said he had not made contact with Mr Anderson, adding: Lees not been in touch and we havent been in touch with Lee. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Illinois state legislators joined the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation on Thursday in support of a bill that would transfer a state park in DeKalb County back to the tribal nation on whose historic reservation the park currently sits. State Rep. Mark Walker (D-Arlington Heights) filed House Bill 4718, giving the state of Illinois the opportunity to right historical wrongs and transfer ownership of the Shabbona Lake State Park roughly 1,500 acres in total to Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation. After more than 200 years of unfair, forced, and often illegal dealings with American Indian nations of Illinois, it is about time we started balancing our books and meeting our obligations. We can never fully fix the sins of the past, but we can all acknowledge them and begin to make some amends, State Representative Mark Walker (D-Arlington Heights) said. This land transfer of this Illinois state park to the Prairie Band Potawatomi is a simple and direct step that aims to minimize harm to all parties. The time for talk, bureaucracy and politics is over. Let's just do it now. This land transfer of this Illinois state park to the Prairie Band Potawatomi is a simple and direct step that aims to minimize harm to all parties. The time for talk, bureaucracy and politics is over. Let's just do it now. In the 1830s when Chief Shab-eh-nay traveled from his home Reservation in DeKalb, protected by treaty, to visit his family in Kansas, the U.S. government stole and illegally auctioned off more than 1,121 acres of his land near the village of Shabbona in southern DeKalb County. The state park and houses currently sit on the Reservation land. Never miss Indian Countrys biggest stories and breaking news. Click here to sign up to get our reporting sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Despite our land being illegally taken from us, were still here, living and contributing to life in Illinois, while practicing our traditions and serving our country, Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation Chairman Joseph Zeke Rupnick said. We may not yet have our Reservation land back in the hands of our Tribe, but we have the truth and increasing acknowledgement that our cause is just, thanks to the legislators standing here today. No Tribe has entered into more treaties with the United States government than Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation and all of them have been broken by the United States. In 2001, the U.S. Department of the Interior confirmed the history and legal status of the Shab-eh-nay Reservation as federally recognized Indian Country because the U.S. Government never received the required Congressional approval to auction off land that rightfully belonged to Chief Shab-eh-nay. These lands were an integral piece of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nations cultural heritage. The inconsideration of tribal land claims has had a long-lasting effect on the Native American community, and it is time that we atone for the mistakes of the past and restore the connection between the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation and their land, State Senator Karina Villa (D-West Chicago) said. I am honored to be a part of this initiative that will help cultivate a better relationship between indigenous communities and the state. Returning the land, known as Shabbona Lake State Park, will foster a healthier environment benefiting our communities and will support the healing of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation. Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation has been deprived of its ownership and use of its Shab-eh-nay Reservation in DeKalb County since the 1830s. During this time, the Nation has been denied the cultural, social, and economic benefit of those lands. Despite this, Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation has committed to keep the park open to the public, and to improve the infrastructure and experience of the park if the legislation passes and is signed into law. Just last year, the Governor signed into law three bipartisan-supported bills that overwhelmingly passed the state legislature, protecting the once disparaged and violated Native culture in Illinois, Rupnick said. But all of this work, while extremely important, does not address the remaining central problem that must be rectified to achieve true justice for Native people in Illinois. Returning our land is a necessary step toward the recognition we deserve as a people and as citizens of Illinois. About the Author: "Native News Online is one of the most-read publications covering Indian Country and the news that matters to American Indians, Alaska Natives and other Indigenous people. Reach out to us at editor@nativenewsonline.net. " Contact: news@nativenewsonline.net Charlotte-based LendingTree Inc. is suing a California-based lender, claiming breach of contract and unpaid fees. LendingTree, an online marketplace that allows potential borrowers to connect with lenders in order to apply or receive loans, filed the suit in Mecklenburg Superior Court against Santa Ana, California-based Jet Mortgage on Feb. 12. Jet Mortgage is a division of Home Mortgage Alliance Corp. and offers lending services. ALSO READ: DOJ says First National Bank discriminated against Black, Latino borrowers in North Carolina The lawsuit alleges Jet Mortgage failed to abide by an agreement it signed with LendingTree on June 16, 2022. The contract enabled the company to become funders participating in LendingTrees online marketplace and gain potential borrowers. Read more here. VIDEO: DOJ says First National Bank discriminated against Black, Latino borrowers in North Carolina LYNCHBURG, Va. (WFXR) The Virginia Department of Health (VDOH) and Liberty University are currently investigating after multiple cases of a gastrointestinal illness were reported on campus. In a post on the social media platform known as X, Liberty University Police responded to four separate EMS calls on Thursday, Feb. 22 regarding severe abdominal pain and other symptoms of gastrointestinal issues. To find the origin of this outbreak, Liberty University, VDOH, the City of Lynchburg, and community partners are actively working to provide more information. As for now, Liberty asks each of the LU community to take preventative measures such as handwashing, sanitizing, and disinfecting frequently touched surfaces and objects. Also, LU asks all to avoid close contact with others who may be experiencing symptoms, and if you are having symptoms, to isolate yourself in your residence. Its helped me find a purpose in my life Montgomery Behavioral Health Docket participant graduates Liberty University has provided information on what you can do if you start experiencing any symptoms: Drink substances like Gatorade, Pedialyte, or Water to stay hydrated. If in need of a hydration pack, reach out to an RA If symptoms worsen, seek care at either the Student Health Center (open Monday-Thursday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.) or Walk-in Care Ward Road (open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.) or visit the emergency room during after hours. Call 911 or (434) 592-3911 if you need emergency care. Currently, VDOH has not identified any issues with Liberty Universitys dining facilities and is not recommending the closure of these facilities. WFXR News will update this story as further information is released. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFXRtv. From the Boiling Frogs on The Dispatch The Alabama Supreme Courts ruling on embryonic life has unleashed the worst parade of horribles this side of the speakers stage at CPAC. The facts are bizarre. A patient wandered into a room at an Alabama fertility clinic where frozen embryos were being stored, grabbed a few, then dropped them onto the floor when the intense cold burned her hand, destroying them. The couples to whom those embryos belonged sued the clinic under the states Wrongful Death of a Minor Act. The question for the court: Were the embryos minors within the meaning of that statute? The answer: Yes indeed. Extrauterine children are children. A provision in the Alabama Constitution makes clear that it is the public policy of this state to recognize and support the sanctity of unborn life and the rights of unborn children, including the right to life. That was enough for the court to err on the side of assuming personhood in the embryos, with the chief justice going so far as to say in his concurrence that life cannot be wrongfully destroyed without incurring the wrath of a holy God. Clinics in Alabama that practice in vitro fertilization immediately began suspending operations, terrified of the legal jeopardy they might soon face by conducting business as usual. Thats because IVF treatments typically involve the creation of multiple embryos, only one or two of which will actually be used. Some might be deemed unfitand discardedbecause of genetic abnormalities or difficulties in implanting them successfully. Healthy extraneous embryos might be held in reserve for a future pregnancy. In some cases, embryos are donated to other couples or for scientific research. If those surplus embryos are now children under the law, is destroying them murder? Probably not: Alabamas murder statute limits its definition of a person to an unborn child in utero. But its anyones guess what sort of civil liability a clinic that destroys a fertilized egg might have going forward. So it came to be that a ruling vindicating the sanctity of life at the earliest stage of development has momentarily deprived many hopeful couples in Alabama of having children of their own. At least three hospitals in Alabama have paused in vitro fertilization, or IVF, treatment over potential legal risks following the states Supreme Court decision that gives embryos the same rights as children. Now, some couples are leaving Alabama to continue their treatment. pic.twitter.com/LWbd7c8ies CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) February 22, 2024 Its a personal nightmare for them and a political nightmare for the Republican Party, which dominates Alabama. Democratic alarmism about a pro-life plot to limit reproductive freedom in all its forms suddenly seems not so alarmist. The GOPs project to reassure voters that ending the constitutional right to abortion wont mean ending less controversial rights, like access to contraception, has derailed. And its not clear what it can do to get back on track. There are many absurdities to the Trump-era GOP (again, I refer you to the speakers lineup at CPAC) but none more absurd than this: The great political hope of some social conservatives, the man sent to rescue America from the enemies of Christianity, is a Manhattan playboy whose own personal life is so dissolute that he once called the risk of contracting an STD his personal Vietnam. Hes made the absurdity work for him, though. Charismatic politicians have a knack for making themselves all things to all people and Trump is no different. On the one hand, his conspicuous lack of Bible-thumping in 2016 set him apart from the rest of the GOP field, attracting new voters who werent religious themselves. These were the so-called Barstool conservatives who sided with the right in blue-collar cultural disputes over immigration and wokeness but disdained the Christian moralizing of traditional Republicans. Trump was their guy. But hes somehow this guy too: President Trump: "What they cannot stand is that, in the end, we do not answer to bureaucrats in Washingtonwe answer to God in Heaven." pic.twitter.com/QgJAHChILE Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) February 23, 2024 Donald J. Trump: Answering to God since 1946. Trump himself has plainly never cared much for culture war on matters of sex and reproduction for obvious reasons, but hes enough of a pragmatist to have realized that certain concessions would need to be made to Christian conservatives if they were ever to accept him as their leader. So he made the promise Republican presidents have made since the early 1970s: to fill the Supreme Court with enough conservatives to finally end constitutional protections for abortion. And unlike his predecessors, he kept that promise. I think he assumed that that would be that. With Roe gone, Christians would be satisfied and the thorny politics of reproductive rights would return to the states. He could leave all of it behind and focus on the issues that truly put a spring in his step, like building detention camps. But that was not, in fact, that. Only someone very naive about politics could have believed that courts and legislatures newly empowered to regulate abortion wouldnt create numerous policy and political conundrums for the GOPs national leadership. After the Alabama ruling, Semafor pressed the Trump campaign for its position on some of those conundrumsa federal abortion ban, possible exceptions to that ban, public access to abortifacients, the status of the Comstock Act, and litmus tests for future judicial appointees. The campaign had nothing to say about any of them. Caught between Christian pro-lifers, Barstool conservatives, and swing voters, Trump plainly has no firm idea of how to thread the needle politically on any of it. I suspect hed prefer not to think about such things at all for the rest of the campaign even though the end of Roe has granted him and his party more power to regulate reproductive behavior than its had in 50 years. Other Republicans are also struggling with the Alabama case. Take Nikki Haley, the sensible moderate in the Republican presidential race whos been cagey about abortion in hopes of finding a sweet spot with voters. When she was asked about the ruling on Wednesday, she seemed to agree with it. Embryos, to me, are babies, she told NBC News. When you talk about an embryo, you are talking about, to me, thats a life. And so I do see where thats coming from when they talk about that. Exactly one day later, amid a ferocious uproar about the implications of the decision, she told CNN that Alabamas legislature needs to go back and look at the law on which the ruling was based. You can picture the gears turning in her head: Which position is more pro-life? The one that grants embryos the status of children, affirms that life begins at the moment of conception, and ultimately seeks to prevent the destruction of that life? Or the one that reduces impediments to IVF, making it easier to bring children into the world? And if the answer is that the first one is more pro-life, is it nonetheless political suicide to take that position, knowing how popular IVF is with most voters? Or is it political suicide not to take that position, knowing that the sort of hardline pro-life Republican voter who thinks embryonic life is protected by the 14th Amendment might react badly? Even one of Alabamas own senators isnt sure what to make of all of it, although in his case that may be less a matter of political cowardice than earnest idiocy. I wonder if the Trump-era GOP is destined to struggle with all policy issues that cant easily be assimilated into left-right culture-war tribalism. That might explain why so many Senate Republicans surrendered to the base instantly by rejecting James Lankfords immigration compromise but defied them by voting for another round of military aid to Ukraine. Certainly there are some right-wingers who view Ukraine as a front in the culture warhi, Tucker!but that number is far less than the number who think Democrats immigration policy is a plot to tilt the racial demographics of the United States in their electoral favor. Theres no tribal take on IVF for Republican leaders to fall back on when something like the Alabama ruling happens. No wonder theyre at sea trying to figure out how to talk about it. Theres another tension on the right thats complicating the partys effort to find a way forward post-Roe, though. I offer you two tweets. The first involves culture warrior extraordinaire Christopher Rufo, known to the right for his work in exposing progressive racial politics on American campuses but now seemingly eager to, er, branch out: So what? The pill causes health problems for many women. "Recreational sex" is a large part of the reason we have so many single-mother households, which drives poverty, crime, and dysfunction. The point of sex is to create childrenthis is natural, normal, and good. Christopher F. Rufo (@realchrisrufo) February 22, 2024 The second involves Rep. Matt Gaetz, a man allegedly quite comfortable with recreational sex. Newsy: GOP @RepMattGaetz says Alabama lawmakers should change the law to protect IVF: "People who want to have a family should have the government and law on their side Pro-life means being pro-IVF. pic.twitter.com/0EOhCxP1u9 Abby D. Phillip (@abbydphillip) February 23, 2024 Rufo and Gaetz are strange bedfellows (no pun intended), representatives of two factions of the New Right coalition that arent just different but fundamentally opposed. Gaetz is essentially a Barstool conservative, anti-left but unconcerned with policing sexual morality to better society. To put it mildly. The Rufo faction, on the other hand, is earnest about social engineering. Cleansing universities of wokeness isnt the end of the factions project, its the beginning. Adherents are revolutionaries, and like all revolutionaries theyre keen to remake society broadly in their image. When the left warns of right-wingers eager to further limit reproductive rights post-Roe to raise the cost of recreational sex (such as through more regulation of birth control, for example), this is who theyre talking about. The curious thing about a New Right led by Donald Trump is that its anyones guess which faction will prevail. Thered be no guessing in a party with strong ideological leadership at the top. Whether recreational sex deserves as much respect politically as procreational sex would be clear from Trumps political vision. But while theres no question what his personal preference on that subject is, his political program lacks the same clarity. We all know where he stands on issues that he cares about, like immigration. On issues that he doesnt, like abortion or IVF, one suspects hes openmaybe too opento suggestion. As such, its easy to imagine him handing off the issue to a team of radicalized aides who are passionate about the topic and letting them run wild. The idea seems to be that Trump is so uninterested in the technical details of abortion-related matters that hell rely on [a] trusty orbit of advisers to shape policy, The Atlantic reported recently, citing a playbook that the Heritage Foundation is writing for his second term. Among the initiatives that playbook endorses are criminal prosecution of those who send or receive abortion supplies under the Comstock Act and rescinding FDA approval of abortifacients like mifepristone. Other Trump hangers-on go further than Heritage. Politico recently reviewed documents prepared by the Center for Renewing America, a think tank led by top Trump crony Russell Vought. One lists Christian nationalism explicitly as a priority for a second term; another encourages Trump to mobilize the U.S. military under the Insurrection Act to put down protests. These people are honest fanatics, as serious as a heart attack. Theres every reason to believe they might prevail upon Trump and drive his agenda. The wrinkle is that theres also reason to believe they wont. His whims change day-by-day or hour-by-hour depending upon whos in his ear. His grasp of policy intricacies is, shall we say, gentle in the best of circumstances. And hes justifiably sensitive to the risk of a major backlash, possibly to include Barstool types like Gaetz on the right, if he aligns himself too closely with the sex police. The procreators and the recreators cant be reconciled. The Rufo faction will want more policy initiatives to try to shape reproductive behavior and the Barstool faction plus whatever normies remain in this insane party will chafe at it. How confident should we feel about predicting what Trump will do after congressional Republicans spent the winter reassuring reporters that the party wont back a federal abortion banonly to have their leader turn around and start teasing a 16-week ban recently in private conversations? Perhaps God will laughand a man who was once on the cover of Playboy will become the vessel for hardcore social conservatives to try to blunt-force their way on policy back to a 1950s-era morality in America. (Seeing Matt Gaetz hauled off to prison on a morals charge would be a small consolation.) Or maybe Trump will hand-wave away the Voughts and Rufos, annoyed that their dogmatism about sex might divert political energy away from his plans to round up reporters or whatever. Either outcome seems possible in a party whose voters take most of their cues on policy from Trump himself. A cult of personality is like a box of chocolates: You never know what youre going to get. As of this afternoon, we do know what were going to get from the GOP on the Alabama IVF ruling. While I was writing this newsletter, the leader came down from the mountain and spoke: News: DONALD TRUMP comes out in support of IVF following the Alabama court decision pic.twitter.com/VPlyx1BME4 Reese Gorman (@reesejgorman) February 23, 2024 Republican candidates for Senate have also been advised to speak out forcefully in support of IVF, never mind that treating embryos as children flows directly from traditional conservative thinking about life beginning at conception. Denying hopeful couples the ability to have a child through technology would be so cruel that the party could never effectively spin it away, so it wont bother trying. Besides, what are pro-life groups going to do in protest? Boycott the election? Dont make me laugh. Its sensible for Trump and his party to land on the pro-IVF position in the Alabama controversy. The question is whether its already too late. As one Dispatch colleague pointed out today, even if the Alabama legislature hastily amends state law to carve out an exception for IVF from the Wrongful Death of a Minor Act, only a fraction of voters nationally whove been horrified by this episode will hear about it. Those who do hear about any such amendment might nonetheless treat it as proof that Democrats were right all along about the ambitions of the GOP agenda. Sure, IVF might be popular enough to have forced a rapid right-wing retreat this time, but what happens when some conservative court bans a more contentious practice, like sending abortifacients through the mail? Or what happens when Trump returns to office and appoints some Rufo-type to the next vacancy on the U.S. Supreme Court? A ruling from SCOTUS banning contraception, say, might not be overturned as easily as the Alabama ruling, either because it involves an interpretation of the U.S. Constitution or because Congress cant muster a bipartisan consensus to overturn the courts interpretation of a federal statute. For many voters, the lesson from the Alabama case will be this simple: Pro-choicers warned that overturning Roe would open Pandoras box. Republicans did it anyway and now they own all the woes that have emerged. Nothing would be funnier than watching a man as louche and amoral as Donald Trump lose in November because he indulged his base too much in promoting sexual rectitude. Perhaps God will laugh. Read more at The Dispatch The Dispatch is a new digital media company providing engaged citizens with fact-based reporting and commentary, informed by conservative principles. Sign up for free. "Pages of History" features excerpts from The News Journal archives including the Wilmington Morning News and the Evening Journal. Feb. 26, 1973, The Morning News U.S. steps up Cambodian air war as enemy attacks mount The American air war over Cambodia was stepped up yesterday, and heavy bombers were used for the first time in nearly a month, military officials reported. The Pacific Military Commands statement said that U.S. aircraft, including B52s, conducted operations over Cambodia at the request of the Cambodian government. Front page of The Morning News from Feb. 26, 1973. The Cambodian Communists have launched a nationwide offensive, zeroing in on government strongholds along Highway 3 from Phnom Penh to Cambodias only deepwater seaport at Kompon Som, and Highway 2 from the capital toward the Mekong Delta. It was the largest offensive ever by the Khmer Rouge. A battalion of Cambodian government troops, upset because payday never came, has defected and joined the Communist rebels, soldiers in the field reported. Their report was the first in Cambodias 3-year-old war to describe such a large-scale defection. A Cambodian battalion usually has 200 to 500 men. The government soldiers said the battalion...had not been paid in four months. More recent military news: 'A sanctuary for grieving families.' How this Dover house helps Gold Star families heal. Feb. 27, 1993, The News Journal World Trade Center blast kills 7 New York A massive bomb explosion rocked the World Trade Center Friday, killing at least seven people, injuring more than 600 and plunging the worlds second-tallest skyscrapers into an urban hell of falling rubble and thick black smoke. Front page of The News Journal from Feb. 27, 1993. Thousands of workers staggered down smoke-filled, pitch-black stairways from as high as 107 stories for hours after the 12:18 p.m. explosion, while six others including a pregnant woman were plucked from the roof by a police helicopter. FBI sources said that between 500 and 1,000 pounds of plastic explosive believed to be C-4, a putty-like substance considered to be the most powerful non-nuclear explosive was packed into a van parked in the garage under the Vista Hotel and World Trade Center towers. The official word from Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly Friday night was that we have not determined the origin of the explosion. March 1, 1940, Wilmington Morning News Visiting the schools Beacom College update Harold Warren, principal of the department of penmanship at Beacom College, has submitted a large number of specimens of students work to the Zaner-Blozer School of Writing for criticism. All penmanship records at the college have been broken this year under Mr. Warrens instruction. Page 26 of the Wilmington Morning News, March 1, 1940. Doc Viohls orchestra will furnish the music for the spring dance of the college in the Hotel DuPont on April 5. Committee appointments will be made next week at a meeting to be conducted by Thomas S. Lodge, faculty adviser of the dance. J. Marvin Turner has been elected president of the Beacom Y Club. Other officers are: vice president William Doto, secretary John Deeds and treasurer James Broad. March 1, 1971, Evening Journal Bomb rips U.S. Capitol wing A bomb was set off on the ground floor of the U.S. Capitol early today, causing extensive damage and opening what Capitol Police Chief James Powell said appeared to be a serious crack in the already weakened West Front. Front page of the Evening Journal from March 1, 1971. There were no injuries in the explosion. It took place on the Senate side of the building in an unmarked mens washroom usually used by senators, about 60 feet from an exhibit area immediately below the well of the Great Rotunda of the Capitol. At 12:59 p.m., the Capitol switchboard received a call, apparently from a man, saying a bomb would go off in the Capitol in half an hour. The caller said: Evacuate the building. You many have received other calls like this one, but this one is real. Evacuate the building immediately. This is the real thing. This is in retaliation for the Laos decision. The bomb will go off in 30 minutes. Catch up on history: New Castle flooding, Capitol Centennial: News Journal archives, week of Sept. 17 March 2, 1932, Wilmington Morning News Lindbergh baby kidnapped Charles Augustus Lindbergh Jr., 20-month-old son of the flying colonel, was kidnapped last night from his nursery in the Lindbergh country home near Hopewell, N.J. Police said he apparently was spirited away in an automobile, which they have not yet identified. An automobile which contained two men stopped at least two persons prior to the kidnapping and its occupants asked directions to the isolated Lindbergh home. Front page of the Wilmington Morning News from March 2, 1932. Within an hour after Col. Lindbergh himself telephoned the first alarm, police squad cars blockaded every Jersey road for miles. The child, clad in a blue sleeping robe, was put to bed at the usual hour, 7:30 p.m. At about 10 p.m., when the nurse peered into the nursery, the crib was empty. The window near his crib, which was open when his nurse went into the room, is 30 feet from the ground. On the window sill, police said, a note was found, and, though they would not divulge its contents, it was indicated it contained a demand for ransom. A three-piece ladder was found 100 feet from the house. Reach reporter Ben Mace at rmace@gannett.com. This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Lindbergh baby taken, bomb at Capitol: News Journal archives, Feb. 25 Chinese Cinema Week kicks off in Bulgaria Xinhua) 10:12, February 24, 2024 A woman looks at a poster of the Chinese Cinema Week in Sofia, Bulgaria, on Feb. 23, 2024. The Chinese Cinema Week kicked off in movie theaters in five major cities in Bulgaria on Friday. (Photo by Marian Draganov/Xinhua) SOFIA, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese Cinema Week kicked off in movie theaters in five major cities in Bulgaria on Friday. The event is the first attempt to bring Chinese films to Bulgarian cinemas on a for-profit basis. Three contemporary Chinese films will make a debut during the Cinema Week: Cloudy Mountain (2021), Raid on the Lethal Zone (2023) and Ping Pong: The Triumph (2023). The films narrate the stories of ordinary heroes from different areas of life and cover topics such as national causes, family ties, and emotions in relationships. The cinemas participating in the pilot scheme are in Sofia, Plovdiv, Varna, and Burgas, the four largest cities in Bulgaria, and in Veliko Tarnovo -- Bulgaria's medieval capital where the second Confucius Institute in the Balkan country was established in 2012. The Cinema Week marks the end of the series of events welcoming the Chinese New Year of the Dragon Bulgaria. It also marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Bulgaria. It was jointly organized by two companies from the two countries, with the assistance of the Chinese Embassy in Bulgaria. People look at a poster of the Chinese Cinema Week in Sofia, Bulgaria, on Feb. 23, 2024. The Chinese Cinema Week kicked off in movie theaters in five major cities in Bulgaria on Friday. (Photo by Marian Draganov/Xinhua) (Web editor: Xue Yanyan, Hongyu) After a yearslong absence from a signature Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo tradition, several historically Hispanic groups of trail riders celebrating early vaquero culture will return on horseback and in wagons to kick off the Houston rodeo parade Saturday. Dozens from local riding groups such as the Fort Bend County Vaqueros and the Brazoria Riders took off from Goliad, about 150 miles southwest of downtown, earlier this week for whats known as the Houston rodeos Mission ride. They made their return to the city at Memorial Park on Friday, blasting ranchera music and flying American, Texas and Mexican flags from their wagons as they waved to spectators down Memorial Drive. SEE PHOTOS: Iconic trail riders passing through Houston for Rodeo 2024 People cheer and wave as riders from the Mission Trail Ride travel along South Post Oak Road on Friday, Feb. 23, 2024, in Houston. The trail ride is one of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo trail rides. Jon Shapley/Staff photographer The route is a 206-mile journey the longest trail ride sanctioned by the Houston rodeo and re-creates early Mexican cattle drives to eastern markets during the American Revolution. It was first established as one of the rodeos signature trail rides by the Fort Bend County Vaqueros in 1991, but the Vaqueros have been absent from the tradition since 2020 because of the pandemic and membership woes. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Its something special because we have ancestors and family who have been riding for years and years, Vaqueros trail boss Jeremy Olivarez said of the groups return to the rodeo slate, adding that some Hispanic families have even reconnected with the tradition after seeing his posts on social media. Olivarez, a longtime Vaqueros member who was elected this years trail boss, said riders have been preparing for months to make their return to the Houston rodeo festivities. Trail riders from the Mission Trail Ride travel along South Post Oak Road as they make their way towards Memorial Park on Friday, Feb. 23, 2024, in Houston. The trail ride is one of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo trail rides. Jon Shapley/Staff photographer Christa Chavez and her husband Cain eat donuts during a break in the Mission Trail Ride on Friday, Feb. 23, 2024, at a Shipley Do-Nuts location in Houston. The trail ride is one of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo trail rides. Jon Shapley/Staff photographer Riders from the Mission Trail Ride travel down the I-610 feeder road Friday, Feb. 23, 2024, in Houston. The trail ride is one of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo trail rides. Jon Shapley/Staff photographer Larry Castro, 70, prepares his horse Crazy Max for the next leg of the Mission Trail Ride on Friday, Feb. 23, 2024, in Houston. The trail ride is one of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo trail rides. Jon Shapley/Staff photographer Ali Ables, 12, right, pets her horse Fire Ball Shy as Makya Artis waits for a customer in the drive-thru window Friday, Feb. 23, 2024, at a Shipley Do-Nuts location in Houston. The trail ride is one of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo trail rides. Jon Shapley/Staff photographer Riders from the Mission Trail Ride mingle during a break Friday, Feb. 23, 2024, in Houston. The trail ride is one of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo trail rides. Jon Shapley/Staff photographer Saddles are illuminated by the sun during a break in the Mission Trail Ride on Friday, Feb. 23, 2024, in Houston. The trail ride is one of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo trail rides. Jon Shapley/Staff photographer A championship saddle sits on a horse Friday, Feb. 23, 2024, at a Shipley Do-Nuts location in Houston. The trail ride is one of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo trail rides. Jon Shapley/Staff photographer JOIN US: Houston Chronicle reporters go live on Instagram to preview Rodeo 2024 The group last rode with RodeoHouston in 2020, just before the pandemic lockdown began, and they only hosted scaled-down rides until this year because of shrinking membership. Thousands of dollars also had to be raised through member-organized fundraisers to repair aging equipment, buy supplies and fund the Vaqueros annual scholarship program for Houston-area kids. Advertisement Article continues below this ad We spent a lot of time reconstructing everything, and it took a lot of money to get this up and going, said Olivarez, 51. Ali Ables, 12, left, holds her horse Fire Ball Shy as she talks with Sophie Im in the drive-thru window Friday, Feb. 23, 2024, at a Shipley Do-Nuts location in Houston. The trail ride is one of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo trail rides. Jon Shapley/Staff photographer Victoria Conde, also of the Fort Bend County Vaqueros, said several families participated in the Mission ride this year, with some parents bringing kids as young as 5 to learn how to ride horses. We bring in the kids and try to make it a family affair, she said. The sense of community that comes with life on the trail also keeps many families coming back, said Maria Velazquez of the Brazoria Riders group. Most of the riders share Mexican American heritage; many also come from Central America. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Riders from the Mission Trail Ride travel down the I-610 feeder road Friday, Feb. 23, 2024, in Bellaire. The trail ride is one of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo trail rides. Jon Shapley/Staff photographer During the trail ride, members gather around camp on a nightly basis to reminisce about old times together. And meal times are like a tasting party, with riders jumping from wagon to wagon to sample barbecue or homemade tamales from other campers. Hispanics are united, so when were out there trailing, were always helping each other out, Velazquez said, from food to if someone needs help with their horse or their wagon. Many also said the traditions are a reprieve from urban life in the Houston area. Olivarez bragged that his group, with the exception of their trek through south and west Houston on Friday, spent much of their trail ride on red dirt roads instead of major interstates, like other routes. Makya Artis pets Cover Girl from the drive-thru window Friday, Feb. 23, 2024, at a Shipley Do-Nuts location in Houston. The trail ride is one of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo trail rides. Jon Shapley/Staff photographer Although Olivarez was glad the groups tradition with the rodeo was revived this year, he said its been difficult to see how many longtime trail riders werent around. Membership shrank, and some older members died during the pandemic. Advertisement Article continues below this ad During COVID, we lost people who had been trail riders for years and years, he said. These people were ex-presidents, scouts, vice chairs and secretaries. Olivarez said many living members would often arrive at funerals on horseback and in wagons to honor the shared tradition. Kaitlyn Colunga, 16, wears jewelry as her horse Red drinks water during a break in the Mission Trail Ride on Friday, Feb. 23, 2024, in Houston. The trail ride is one of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo trail rides. Jon Shapley/Staff photographer On Friday, that tradition returned to Memorial Park as if it had never left. After leaving their horses tied to the parks tall oak trees to settle down after the long journey, members began celebrating their first ride in years. THE BIG RIDE: Stunning photos show historic Black trail ride to the Houston Rodeo 2023 Advertisement Article continues below this ad Some riders mingled over ice-cold micheladas as a stage was set for live music later that night. Others prepared to roast a whole pig in the ground. Children played in the field, and horses also got in on the fun, throwing themselves to the ground and rolling in the grass. Olivarez hopes that the Vaqueros return can spur an interest in trail riding among former members and new riders alike and help grow the organization. In the past, it was just a few wagons, he said. But were going to come out strong every year from now on. The Fontainebleau has become one of the hottest Las Vegas hotels since it opened in December. Beyonce, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Tom Brady were all at the hotel during Super Bowl weekend. We got a tour of the exclusive Fleur de Lis suites, where all the VIPs stay. Even in a city packed with flashy competition, the new Fontainebleau Las Vegas managed to attract the biggest stars during Super Bowl weekend. Beyonce and Jay-Z dined at Mother Wolf one of the resort's 36 restaurants while Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Brady partied at Poodle Room, its exclusive members-only club. Mark Wahlberg was playing bartender over at Komodo, while Lana Del Rey made it to Papi Steak after celebrating the Kansas City Chiefs' win with Taylor Swift. I spent two nights at Fontainebleau Las Vegas during the Big Game weekend and was given an exclusive tour of Fleur de Lis the luxury suites where all the VIPs stay in Sin City. Let's take a look inside, shall we? The Fleur de Lis suites span the top five floors of the Fontainebleau, which is the tallest occupiable building in Las Vegas. The Fontainebleau Las Vegas opened in December. PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images Guests staying in the Fleur de Lis suites have their own private entrance and elevators on the main floor, marked by two metallic golden doors that shimmer under one of the resort's many chandeliers. The suites range from 1,000 square feet to the 10,000-square-foot penthouse, and prices start at $5,000 per night. Guests are greeted with a welcome cocktail, the "Fleur de Spritz," before their in-suite check-in begins. The entry way to the Fleur de Lis suite that I toured. Anneta Konstantinides/Business Insider There are subtle changes to differentiate the Fleur de Lis suites from the standard rooms below. The halls are designed in a color palette of sunset orange and pink, rather than the soothing blues I saw on the floor of my room, and a signature (delicious-smelling) scent is pumped through the vents instantly distinguishing the luxury suite experience. I toured the second-biggest suite, which features a large living room and dining area. The living room and dining area of a Fleur de Lis suite. Anneta Konstantinides/Business Insider As we opened the door, I immediately caught a glimpse of the Vegas skyline from the floor-to-ceiling windows, which take up nearly an entire wall in the spacious sitting and dining area. I loved the water-ripple glass panels at the suite's entrance, which I learned are a tribute to the original Fontainebleau Miami. The subtle bow ties on the parquet wood floor also pay homage to the late architect Morris Lapidus, who incorporated his signature accessory in the original Fontainebleau. His iconic bow tie is now the symbol of the Fontainebleau Las Vegas and can be found throughout the resort (including its 60-foot-tall centerpiece chandelier). The living room features plush royal-blue couches that match the modern carpet underneath. I loved the chic and modern couches in the living room. Anneta Konstantinides/Business Insider Each suite features floral arrangements designed by Kardashian-beloved florist Jeff Leatham, as well as personalized welcome chocolates from Fontainebleau's executive pastry chef Patrice Caillot. The new Las Vegas Sphere winked back at me as I looked across the sunny Nevada landscape from the floor-to-ceiling windows. The view from the Fleur de Lis suite. Anneta Konstantinides/Business Insider The best view of the mountains surrounding Vegas is from the Fleur de Lis penthouse suite, which has four bedrooms plus an in-suite gym, sauna, and wellness room. One of my favorite parts of the entire suite was the gorgeous private bar. The private bar in the Fleur de Lis suite. Anneta Konstantinides/Business Insider The bar perfectly illustrates how different patterns and textures have been designed to dance together within the Fleur de Lis suites, infusing every room with depth and intrigue. The checkerboard wallpaper and navy leather stools add a dash of modernity to the bar, while the polished marble countertops and gold chandeliers retain that outspoken element of Las Vegas luxury. The bedrooms are also decorated with rich blue and red accents. One of the bedrooms in the Fleur de Lis suite. Anneta Konstantinides/Business Insider I loved how the plush and textured navy wall added some dramatic flair to this bedroom, especially when paired with the scarlet couch by the window. The colors and textures used throughout the Fleur de Lis suites felt chic and cohesive, tying every room together. Each Fleur de Lis suite comes with a dedicated butler. The bedrooms are decorated in different shades of blue, gold, and red. Anneta Konstantinides/Business Insider The butler's evening service includes a pillow menu and tea program so guests can customize their pre-sleep experience. Fleur de Lis also offers accommodations for children, including balloon bouquets upon arrival, petite-sized robes, playpens, board games, and PlayStation 5. A sleek and subtle panel allows guests to control each room's lights and automatic drapes to their preference. Some of the rooms feature an extensive panel to select the lights and shades. Anneta Konstantinides/Business Insider There are also buttons to instantly call for towels or housekeeping service, as well as a privacy option. Personal concierge services are included in the Fleur de Lis package, and they can arrange any tickets or reservations a guest may need from the comfort of their own suite. Guests also have access to a personal valet and a private fleet of Rolls-Royces. The soaking tub was my favorite feature of the sparkling marble bathroom The bath tub in this suite was beautiful. Anneta Konstantinides/Business Insider The butler can draw up a bath selected from the Fleur de Lis menu, which features everything from a milk bath to Epsom salt soaks. as was the sunbed overlooking the Las Vegas skyline. This sunbed offers the perfect place to relax after a big night in Sin City. Anneta Konstantinides/Business Insider There's plenty of room in the spacious bathroom for guests to enjoy in-suite services from Fontainebleau's spa. You can even have an IV drip delivered to your room after a big night of partying. And who doesn't love a private sauna? The sauna in a Fleur de Lis suite. Anneta Konstantinides/Business Insider The sauna, which in this suite was subtly tucked between the tub and sinks, can comfortably fit two people. The showers were also huge, and offered stunning views. The marble shower glowed in the sunlight. Anneta Konstantinides/Business Insider In addition to Fontainebleau's custom shampoo, conditioner, and body wash, the suites also offer luxury Knesko face masks and Dyson hair tools. The Fleur de Lis suites illustrate how the Fontainebleau is ushering in a new era of luxury in Sin City. The centerpiece chandelier in the Fontainebleau Las Vegas casino. Connie Zhou Whether it's the big bets or wild clubs, Las Vegas has always been over the top. And, for many decades, that's often gone hand in hand with places that feel cheesy or gaudy. But the Fontainebleau clearly wants to provide something different to the Strip. There's a chicness and elegance to its design that's evident no matter which suite you stay in. The rich textures, refined fabrics, and tasteful colors reveal how real luxury is often subtle. No wonder it's become the hot spot for Hollywood's biggest stars. Read the original article on Business Insider Stock photo: The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine A Lithuanian volunteer was killed on Friday when the car in which he was travelling was hit by a Russian drone. He is the first Lithuanian volunteer soldier to have died fighting for Ukraine against Russia. Source: European Pravda, citing Lithuanian national broadcaster LRT The Lithuanians death was confirmed by Sigitas Maliauskas, head of the instructor mission Gyvaciu Sala [Zmiinyi (Snake) Island]. He named the deceased as Tadas Tumas, 43, who was said to have a wife and two children in Lithuania. Lithuanian Defence Minister Arvydas Anusauskas also confirmed that he had received information about the death of a Lithuanian in Ukraine. "This information has reached us and the Lithuanian Embassy in Kyiv. Initial reports say he was killed near Bakhmut, but no other circumstances have been reported," the minister said. The Lithuanian volunteer soldier served in the 92nd Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He had served for just over three months. "He was a mortar gunner by profession. But as is often the case in combat operations, he performed various duties," Maliauskas said. According to Maliauskas, Tumas and another soldier, who was also killed in the Russian drone attack, had been transporting mines to the front line near Bakhmut. Last week, it was reported that a volunteer soldier from Czechia had been killed near Avdiivka. In December, a volunteer soldier from Ireland was killed in the war in Ukraine. Support UP or become our patron! The almost 300-metre-long "Energos Power" enters the port of Mukran accompanied by tugboats. A new floating terminal to provide Germany with liquefied natural gas (LNG) has reached its operational base, as Europe's largest economy continues to reorientate its energy sources in the wake of the war in Ukraine. Stefan Sauer/dpa A new floating terminal to provide Germany with liquefied natural gas (LNG) has reached its operational base, as Europe's largest economy continues to reorientate its energy sources in the wake of the war in Ukraine. The almost 300-metre long Energos Power arrived off the port of Mukran on the Baltic Sea island of Rugen on Saturday morning. The ship reached the industrial harbour and moored at a prepared berth, the future operator of the terminal, Deutsche Regas, announced. Preparations for trial operations have now begun. The company says the ship is loaded with Norwegian LNG. In future, the ship will receive LNG from other tankers in the port, convert it back into a gaseous state and feed it into a 50-kilometre-long, already completed connection pipeline that will take the gas to the mainland. The gas will then be distributed further via the existing gas infrastructure. On Friday, the local authorities in the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern gave the green light for tests to verify the operational capability of the plant. The actual start of operations will require a separate licence. Germany has used LNG to replace Russian natural gas supplies which were cut as a consequence of the Ukraine war, and now has several terminals either in operation or being planned on the North and Baltic Sea coasts. Diop said the prize 'not only honours me but the entire visible and invisible community that the film represents' (John MACDOUGALL) "Dahomey", a documentary by Franco-Senegalese director Mati Diop probing the thorny issues surrounding Europe's return of looted antiquities to Africa, won the Berlin film festival's top prize Saturday. Kenyan-Mexican Oscar winner Lupita Nyong'o, the first black jury president at the 74th annual event, announced the seven-member panel's choice among 20 contenders for the Golden Bear award at a gala ceremony. Diop said the prize "not only honours me but the entire visible and invisible community that the film represents. "To rebuild we must first restitute, and what does restitution mean? To restitute is to do justice," she added. South Korean arthouse favourite Hong Sang-soo captured the runner-up Grand Jury Prize for "A Traveller's Needs", his third collaboration with French screen legend Isabelle Huppert. Hong, a frequent guest at the 11-day festival, thanked the jury, joking "I don't know what you saw in this film". French auteur Bruno Dumont accepted the third-place Jury Prize for "The Empire", an intergalactic battle of good and evil set in a French fishing village. Dominican filmmaker Nelson Carlo de los Santos Arias won best director for "Pepe", his enigmatic docudrama conjuring the ghost of a hippopotamus owned by the late Colombian drug baron Pablo Escobar. - 'Collusion' - Marvel movie star Sebastian Stan picked up the best performance Silver Bear for his appearance in US satire "A Different Man". Stan plays an actor with neurofibromatosis, a genetic disease causing disfiguring tumours, who is cured with a groundbreaking medical treatment. The Romanian-American heartthrob called it "a story that's not only about acceptance, identity and self truth but about disfigurement and disability -- a subject matter that's been long overlooked by our own bias". Britain's Emily Watson clinched the best supporting performance Silver Bear for her turn as a cruel mother superior in "Small Things Like These". The film starring Cillian Murphy is about one of modern Ireland's biggest scandals: the Magdalene laundries network of Roman Catholic penitentiary workhouses for "fallen women". She paid tribute to the "thousands and thousands of young women whose lives were devastated by the collusion between the Catholic church and the state in Ireland". German writer-director Matthias Glasner took the Silver Bear for best screenplay for his semi-autobiographical tragicomedy "Dying", a three-hour tour de force by some of the country's top actors depicting a dysfunctional family. The Silver Bear for outstanding artistic contribution was awarded to cinematographer Martin Gschlacht for the chilling Austrian historical horror movie "The Devil's Bath", about depressed women in the 18th century who murdered in order to be executed. A separate Berlinale Documentary Award went to a Palestinian-Israeli activist collective for "No Other Land" about Palestinians displaced by Israeli troops and settlers in the West Bank. Many of the award winners including Diop criticised the war in Gaza from the stage and called for an immediate ceasefire. - 'Some kind of miracle' - Diop's taut, dreamlike film traces the 2021 journey home of 26 precious artifacts of the Dahomey kingdom to Benin from a Paris museum. In the movie, Diop has one of the statues recount in a haunting Fon-language voice-over his land being pillaged by the French, the circumstances of his own exile and his ultimate repatriation in Cotonou museum. Upon the collection's arrival, local students debate in fascinating, unscripted scenes the historic importance of the restitution gesture and whether it is cause for rejoice or outrage. The New York Times called the documentary "some kind of miracle, packing an extraordinary amount of information, inquiry and wild, persuasive imagination into a slim, 68-minute runtime". Variety said "Dahomey" was a "striking, stirring example of the poetry that can result when the dead and the dispossessed speak to and through the living". Diop's supernatural Netflix drama "Atlantics" made her the first black woman to compete in Cannes in 2019, when she picked up the runner-up Grand Prix award. While acknowledging restitution's importance, Diop told AFP during the festival she had no intention of "celebrating" the gesture by French President Emmanuel Macron/ Only 26 artefacts were returned "against the more than 7,000 works still held captive" in Paris, she noted. dlc-sr/jj In 2020, the Taylor County Sheriff's Office began a local narcotics investigation, which slowly grew in scope and magnitude. As detectives cast a wider net, they saw the drug operation cross county and state lines, as federal partners traced the drugs back to the Mexican cartel. The result was a major drug bust Wednesday at Mary's Paleteria on South Treadaway Boulevard in Abilene. The Taylor County Sheriff's Office, along with the Abilene Police Department, assisted in the arrest of 17 U.S. citizens and the seizure of over 30 kilos of various drugs, in addition to over 60 firearms. Abilene is 'the hub' The Taylor County Sheriff's Office began the original investigation in 2020, but saw it quickly grow, becoming "extremely complex." The office subsequently partnered with APD before realizing that they "needed to invite our federal law enforcement officers as well," according to Sheriff Ricky Bishop. According to Bishop, the investigation revealed that the drug operation busted in Abilene stretched across "the entire state of Texas," with links to 12 other states. The investigation also exposed roots that began in Mexico. Bishop emphasized in the press conference held Thursday that "every bit of this investigation has a direct link to the cartel in Mexico." He noted that this link in turn reflects the current situation with Texas' border security as well. Taylor County Sheriff Ricky Bishop stands beside Abilene Police Department Chief Ron Seratte during Thursdays announcement of a major drug bust for Abilene and the surrounding counties Feb. 22, 2024. Bishop said 17 people were arrested in raids on Wednesday carried out by local, state and federal agents. Bishop also cautioned that Abilene is "the hub in this area to distribute these narcotics," with the price of fentanyl becoming cheaper. 'More to come' The U.S. Attorney's Office released the federal indictments yesterday of the 17 alleged drug dealers caught in the bust Wednesday. This group arrested consisted of both men and women charged with various charges related "conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances" related to methamphetamine, cocaine, and/or fentanyl. According to the press release, "the cases are being prosecuted by the West Texas Branch of the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Northern District of Texas." According to the APD press release, the operation "involved more than 80 agents and officers" from ATF, the DEA, the FBI, APD, the Taylor County Sheriffs Office, Homeland Security and IRS Criminal Investigations. Officers in the bust also "seized 29 kilos of meth, 721 grams of cocaine, 1,370 grams of fentanyl, and 60 firearms." Bishop credits the countless hours of hard work of his and APD's officers in this operation, saying that he "cannot thank all of our partners enough." Bishop did stress, however, that "this investigation is fluid," and that he anticipates "many more arrests in the future." He warned that there will be "more to come." All suspects are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law. This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Drug bust at Abilene ice cream shop reveals ties to Mexican cartel TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) If a veteran waits more than 20 days from the time they request a primary care appointment, the VA is required to pay a civilian doctor to treat them through the Community Care program. The VA has denied claims by veterans and VA employees who have told 8 on Your Side that VA staff have been trained to steer patients away from primary care. Florida pickleball players snared in alleged scheme with sport ambassador who owes millions 8 on Your Side took data we obtained about the issue to Florida Senator Rick Scott who is part of a recently formed group of lawmakers investigating wait times. According to the data, the Bay Pines VA system was nearly perfect over the past two years, with only 17 veterans, a fraction of one percent of the total Community Care patients, receiving primary care. Just over one percent of James Haley VA patients were referred to civilian primary care doctors during that time, according to the data. Nationally, the data shows the same trend of near perfection. Out of nearly 12 million Community Care referrals, about 1 percent were primary care patients. It makes you mad, Scott said. The whole VA system is to benefit the people who served in our military. Duplicate documents, other issues stall lawsuit alleging VA lacks transparency about how long veterans wait for care In an email, VA Press Secretary Terrence Hayes credited the sparkling numbers to primary care availability at every medical center and community-based location. We make it a top priority to adequately staff and supply Primary Care services to meet veteran demand, Hayes said. In many instances, Community Care Primary Care wait times exceed VA Primary Care wait times. Scott is skeptical about the near-perfect primary care record. Ive been in healthcare. I can tell you, its pretty hard to be perfect, Scott said. Its pretty much impossible to be perfect. The Americans for Prosperity Foundation, a non-profit advocacy group funded by Charles Koch, is suing the VA for allegedly failing to produce records from 14 VA Medical Centers in Florida and three other states. Thief steals control of Tampa business truck without the keys, highlighting DMV loophole Scott said it is no easier for him or his staff to get the numbers needed to tell the story. Im a sitting U.S. Senator. Its a pain in the butt for me to get information, Scott said. Just give us the information. Its our government. Let us review it. Were not out to get you were out to improve. Community Care was created after the 2014 Phoenix wait time scandal involving at least 40 veterans who died while they were on secret lists that allowed the VA to artificially decrease the wait time average. The 2014 Choice Act forced the VA to pay for Community Care with private physicians when wait times were longer than 30 days. The 2018 Mission Act reduced the window of time to 20 days for primary, mental, and extended care, and 28 days for specialty care. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFLA. A curbside mail drop off box is shown at the Klein Post Office, 7717 Louetta Rd., Tuesday, May 5, 2020, in Spring. Melissa Phillip/Staff photographer Primary Election Day for Texas is 10 days away, and mail-in ballots are likely spread out all over the state and country. But with United States Postal Service mail delays afflicting the Houston area in recent months, there are concerns as to whether potential delays will affect mail-in voting. "While there is a concern because we don't know what we don't know until it happens oftentimes, what I am doing is making sure that our office is processing that mail each and every day," Harris County Clerk Teneshia Hudspeth recently said. "That we're keeping up with the capacity of what's coming in and what's going out." Advertisement Article continues below this ad Friday was the last day for counties to receive mail-in ballot requests. Election Day is March 5. A Harris County worker sorts mail-in ballots applications at the Harris County Clerks election headquarters at the NRG Arena on Friday, Sept. 25, 2020, in Houston. Marie D. De Jesus, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer USPS held a virtual meeting Friday with election officials in the Houston area. It was the first time USPS held a meeting like this, according to Liberty County Clerk Lee Haidusek Chambers. Brazos County Elections Administrator Trudy Hancock said the Texas Secretary of State is usually the person relaying messages from the Postal Service. Hancock said the meeting lasted around 35 minutes and featured a slideshow presentation, but she told the Chronicle the presentation didn't contain much new information. Pam Gaskin talks about her mail-in primary election ballot at her home Monday, Jan. 31, 2022, in Missouri City, Texas. Melissa Phillip, MBI / Associated Press MEMBER BRIEFING: USPS apologizes for Houston mail delays during discussion with Congress members Advertisement Article continues below this ad Mail-in ballots were a point of discussion during Thursdays member briefing between USPS officials and Congress members and staffers in Missouri City. Rep. Pete Sessions, flanked by Reps. Sylvia Garcia and Al Green, told reporters after the meeting that residents have the "green light" to vote by mail. "The Postal Service has certified to me that there are no delays that would be expected or known at this time that would be of concern to people who would wish to vote by mail," Sessions said. USPS did not make anyone available to comment after the meeting. The agency did release a statement but it didn't address mail-in ballots. In the statement, USPS said its performance has improved in Houston recently. Data from USPS' service performance tracker shows an increase in performance through the first week of February after a poor January. "Over the last few weeks, we have dispatched additional resources to address specific issues," USPS said. "Local delivery services have improved as a result." Advertisement Article continues below this ad One of the things that makes the issue of mail-in ballots and mail delays different from a different important activity like filing taxes is the role of postmarks. Taxes have to be postmarked by their deadline date but don't have to be received by then. Mail-in ballots have much less wiggle room. Ballots must be in the hands of election officials for this upcoming primary by March 5 at 7 p.m. However, if it's postmarked in the election location by that time, it has until March 6 at 5 p.m. to be received. Mail-in-votes, before being processed, organized, and stored so they can be counted on Election Day starting at 7 p.m., at NRG Arena on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2020, in Houston. Godofredo A. Vasquez/Staff photographer Hancock said in her discussions with other election officials, there is a consensus about both administrators and citizens being proactive. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Stoughton police are investigating a late-night shooting that happened on Friday night. Officers were called to the scene around 11:20 p.m. for reports of gunshots in the area of McEachron Drive. Upon arrival, officers located shell casings on McEachron Drive in the area of Murray Circle but were not able to find any victims at the scene, Stoughton police say. Officers went to Good Samaritan Hospital to see if anyone had arrived with a gunshot wound and discovered that a teenage male was in the ER being treated for gunshot wounds. The male was transferred to Brigham and Womens Hospital in Boston with serious injuries, police say. A description of the suspects is not available but police are asking residents in the area to check their home security cameras for any footage. The shooting is under investigation. Anyone with information is asked to call Stoughton Police at 781-344-2424. This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW TRAVIS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) One man wanted in connection with several robberies over the last few months in north Austin and San Marcos was arrested this week, according to an arrest warrant from Travis County. The series of robberies first began shortly after 1 a.m., Dec. 31, 2023, at the Whataburger, located at 11135 N. Interstate 35. A suspect vehicle pulled up to the window after ordering food. When the worker looked up, he saw a driver standing outside the suspect vehicle pointing a handgun at him. However, nothing was taken from the worker, because he said he ran away from the window, according to the warrant. The suspect vehicle was identified by video footage as a black four-door Honda Civic, court records said. Later that day around 10:31 a.m., another incident happened involving a woman who told investigators she was shot at while driving her vehicle in the 9900 block of North I-35 service road southbound. She said she was with her family in the vehicle when the same suspect vehicle attempted to pass the vehicle while driving aggressively, court records said. When the vehicle eventually passed them, at least four gun shots were fired, and it struck the womans vehicle at least one time. The third incident happened around 1:22 p.m., Jan. 23, at Mi Pueblito, located at 9717 N. Lamar Blvd. The caller claiming to be the victim told 911 at least five suspects entered the store and demanded money in Spanish while holding firearms, court records said. The victim said the suspects took cash from the cash registers and left in the same suspect vehicle. Another incident happened Jan. 27, at the Hill Country Vape and Smoke, located at 119 E. Hopkins St. in San Marcos. Four suspects walked into the store with firearms and stole a chain the victim was wearing around their neck before they all ran out of the store and into the same suspect vehicle, court records said. On Feb. 1, investigators were able to identify the driver of the suspect vehicle as Christian Lopez Burgos, 25, after he was pulled over in Houston by the Houston Police Department in the same suspect vehicle, court records said. The last incident happened later that day around 2:27 p.m., Feb. 3, at the Mi Pueblito check cashing store, located at 8905 N. Lamar Blvd. Victims told investigators three suspects walked into the store and demanded money while holding firearms and shooting multiple shots, according to the warrant. Investigators were able to link Lopez Burgos by surveillance footage showing him as the driver of the suspect vehicle. Online court records show Lopez Burgos was arrested for four separate charges of aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon. KXAN reached out to his attorney for a statement, and we will update this article if one is received. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KXAN Austin. MEMPHIS, Tenn. A man accused of stealing appliances from a business in Southeast Memphis on Thursday is now wanted by Memphis Police. According to reports, before 9 a.m., officers responded to a business burglary at Extreme Electric on Lamar Avenue. MPD searching for Whitehaven porch pirate A suspect reportedly shattered the front glass window of the business, gaining entry into the store. He then stole a laptop, stove, and refrigerator before leaving. Police say the man wore a blue skull cap, gray hoodie, dark jeans, and white socks. (Photo Courtesy: MPD) (Photo Courtesy: MPD) There have been no arrests made. If you have any information regarding this incident, call Memphis CrimeStoppers at 901-528-CASH. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WREG.com. (KRON) The Contra Costa County District Attorneys Office announced Friday that a man was convicted for a triple murder that happened on Fathers Day in 2021 in Richmond. Four other people were also shot in what the DAs office described as a massacre. The shooting happened on June 20, 2021. Enrique Ramirez-Calmo and an associate opened fire at a group of people at a party on the 2100 block of Dunn Avenue, per the DAs office. Woman at large after ramming San Pablo officer with stolen car; shots fired by officer: police Ramirez-Calmo and the other suspect were gang members, and the DAs office described the shooting as a case of mistaken identity and gang rivalry. The other shooter was charged as a juvenile. This was a senseless massacre that shattered the lives of innocent families, DA Diana Becton said. A video taken by one of the victims that captured the moment of the shooting was presented at trial. Ramirez-Calmo faces multiple life sentences without the possibility of parole and will be sentenced on March 11. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRON4. The Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department says one man is dead following a deputy-involved shooting in Palmdale. The incident occurred Friday morning around 6:45 a.m. in the 13000 block of Pearblossom Highway. Authorities say they received a call about reports of a man with a knife committed an assault at a local business, and was making threats to others. When deputies arrived, they saw the suspect described as a white male in his 30s outside the business. The LASD said when they made contact with the man, he lunged at them with a sharp object in his hand, and that deputies responded by shooting the suspect. The man was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead. No further details have been released about the suspect. Anyone with information about this incident is encouraged to contact the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Departments Homicide Bureau at (323) 890-5500. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTLA. LAS VEGAS (KLAS) More than three months after a gun battle at an apartment complex, a third suspect was taken into custody and is facing 14 charges. Some of those charges were for allegedly firing into an apartment where a 4-year-old and 2-year-old were inside. David Holmes, 19, was arrested on Feb. 14 for a shooting that occurred on Oct. 30, 2023, in the 5000 block of E. Russell Road near Nellis Boulevard. Two other suspects, Antoine Washington and Brandon Haynes were arrested earlier and are also facing charges. According to the arrest report, an ongoing fight between Hayness current girlfriend and former girlfriend resulted in several people showing up at the apartment complex where Haynes and his current girlfriend were. Also inside the apartment were the two young children. There are differing accounts of who fired the first shot but the report said Haynes was firing from the apartment balcony and the other suspects, Washington and Holmes were firing from the ground toward the apartment. Police documents stated witnesses described hearing as many as 10 gunshots. Police found bullet impacts in the apartment and several cartridge casings near the complexs entrance gate and pool gate. A bullet did go into the window of the SUV that the ex-girlfriend and suspects arrived in. One female in the vehicle was struck in the chest and treated at the Henderson Hospital. Holmes had another current case in the system and the two cases were combined: Grand larceny of motor vehicle (5 charges) Burglary while in possession of a deadly weapon Attempt grand larceny of a motor vehicle Assault with use of a deadly weapon Discharging gun where persons might be endangered (6 charges) He remains in custody and is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on March 6. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KLAS. A man is dead, and three other people are hurt after a shooting at a bar in a Pittsburgh neighborhood. Pittsburgh Police say officers were dispatched to the 703 Social Club, which is on Brighton Road in the citys Marshall-Shadeland neighborhood, around 2:10 a.m. for reports of shots fired with multiple people hurt. Responding officers found two men with gunshot wounds sustained after a dispute at the bar. They were taken to a hospital in critical condition, but one of them died. The Allegheny County Medical Examiners Office identifies the man who died as Warren Thompson, 40, of Pittsburgh. Police say two other people who were shot took themselves to hospitals for their injuries and they are currently in stable condition. The investigation into the shooting is ongoing. Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW TRENDING NOW: New dad attacked officers on West Penn Hospital delivery floor hours after birth of baby, police say Allegheny County, Pittsburgh to enact Code Blue this weekend 11 Investigates the disappearance of Cherrie Mahan VIDEO: North Fayette Township warns against computer scams after 2 people fall victim DOWNLOAD the Channel 11 News app for breaking news alerts The 20-year-old man who sped through a red light and broadsided a Kansas City police squad car, killing an officer and a pedestrian one year ago, pleaded guilty on Friday to two counts of involuntary manslaughter. Jerron A. Lightfoot, of Tonganoxie, Kansas, appeared Friday in Jackson County Circuit Court and admitted to recklessly causing the deaths of Officer James Muhlbauer and Jesse Eckes, a 52-year-old bystander caught up in the wreckage. Answering a series of brief questions asked by his defense attorney, Lightfoot said he was 18 at the time and got lost while driving back toward Kansas that night. He acknowledged he knew the way he was driving was illegal. Under the terms of the plea, prosecutors agreed to cap their recommendation at 10 years in prison for the two felony convictions. Before accepting the plea, Judge Sarah A. Castle reminded Lightfoot of the levels of punishment she could legally impose ranging from a suspended sentence to as long as 10 years in prison. Castle ordered that an assessment report be completed before a sentencing hearing is held. Assistant Prosecutor Lauren Whiston requested the report, saying there have been two families deeply impacted by the events in this case. We anticipate they may present different requests of this court with one asking you to impose the maximum sentence under the plea agreement and the other asking you to consider a much lesser sentence, she told the judge. Kansas City police were investigating a crash involving a police car and another vehicle that Wednesday night near the intersection of Truman Road and Benton Boulevard. Kansas City Police Officer James Muhlbauer, 42, and his police K-9, Champ, died after the wreck. Kansas City Police also identified Jesse Eckes, 52, as the pedestrian killed in the wreck. Lightfoot, who has been on house arrest since he was charged, left court on Friday with a late-April return date. Among those in the courtroom pews on Friday were several uniformed police officer, joined by Kansas City Police Chief Stacey Graves. The chief declined to speak with reporters after the plea hearing. Muhlbauer, 42, was a celebrated officer, husband and father of three with 20 years of experience in law enforcement. When he died, Muhlbauer was working with a K-9 partner named Champ, also killed in the crash. The two were on patrol along Truman Road on Feb. 15, 2023. Authorities say Lightfoot barreled down Benton Boulevard in a white Ford, failing to stop for the red light. Muhlbauers car was hit on the drivers side and careened into Eckes, the 52-year-old pedestrian, who was sitting on a concrete barrier. Kansas City Police Officer James Muhlbauer and his partner Champ were killed in the line of duty, the man accused of manslaughter in the crash has been released on bond Jesse Eckes, 52, was killed in a crash that also took the life of Kansas City police officer James Muhlbauer and his K-9, Champ, on Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2023, when an 18-year-old sped into a patrol vehicle, which then struck Eckes, who was sitting at the intersection when he was killed. Lightfoot was uninjured. He low-balled how fast he was going and described having trouble with his brakes, according to an affidavit prepared by Kansas City police detectives. A review of traffic cameras and the cars computer showed no signs of a brake malfunction, investigators found. Prosecutors charged Lightfoot the day after the crash, which came hours after the Kansas City Chiefs victory celebration over the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LVII. Outside the courtroom, the criminal case became a source of some controversy in Kansas City as some questioned why harsher criminal charges were not filed against Lightfoot. Critics, including Muhlbauers widow, took aim last year at Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker, accusing her of being anti-police. The criticism prompted a rare public statement from Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker in defense of her offices work, saying an involuntary manslaughter charge was the only available option. Baker frequently avoids making statements about ongoing criminal cases that her office is handling. Families of Muhbauer and Eckes are expected to give victim impact statements in court before Lightfoot is sentenced. Prosecutors and Lightfoots defense attorneys face an April 12 filing deadline to recommend an appropriate punishment. A sentencing hearing was scheduled for April 24. PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) Reports of a man with a knife prompted four hours of negotiations outside his home in Northeast Salem late Thursday afternoon, officials say. Deputies first arrived at the home on Hollywood Drive around 4:30 p.m. after a person called 911 saying David Sotelo, 46, had a knife, according to officials. When he refused to come out, deputies called in a SWAT team. Semi-truck driver accused in deadly I-5 crash to stand trial for drug possession Sotelo eventually surrendered peacefully and officers reported that no one was injured at the scene. However, authorities did recover a knife. Details of what led to the 911 call are unclear, but police say Sotelo faces charges of menacing, unlawful use of a weapon, stalking, and first-degree attempted burglary. Stay with KOIN 6 as this story develops. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOIN.com. HENDERSON COUNTY, Texas (KETK) The Henderson County District Attorneys Office said a man was sentenced to 14 years in prison after injuring a deputy in 2020. Person found dead in car with hazardous container in East Texas, officials say According to the district attorneys office, a deputy attempted to detain Joshua Smitherman, 31 of Mabank, after suspecting Smitherman of being under the influence. Smitherman reportedly began hitting the deputy, dislocating and fracturing his shoulder and receiving a cut over his right eye. Reportedly, Smitherman fled the location and was arrested the next day. Jail records show Smitherman was charged with aggravated assault against a public servant and resisting arrest. Smitherman pleaded open and was sentenced to 14 years in prison on Feb. 15. As we go about our daily lives, its easy to take for granted the safety and security that our law enforcement officers provide, District Attorney Jenny Palmer said. This case serves as a reminder of the danger they face while performing their duties, and my office will ensure that those responsible for attacking them are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KETK.com | FOX51.com. A post office is seen Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023, on North Shepherd Drive in Houston. Jon Shapley/Staff photographer Information about the United States Postal Service delays impacting the Houston area coming directly from USPS has been hard to find. There have been a few statements during the past few months but most of the news has come from other sources, such as politicians and mail worker advocacy groups. After Thursday's member briefing between representatives and USPS, three members of Congress spoke to the media but nobody from USPS was made available to speak. However, the agency did release an updated statement and a document including keynotes from the meeting. Advertisement Article continues below this ad "Timely and reliable mail and package delivery in the Houston area is and will remain a high priority for the management of the Postal Service," USPS said in the statement. But while USPS officials might not be talking to the press or public about the delays and have been even more tight-lipped to the politicians than they would like it has continued to release data weekly on its service performance tracker. USPS service performance data shows Houston has been trailing the rest of the country during the past three months. There has been a general performance decline in the Texas 2 district since the middle of November with a rapid drop occurring around the time of the hard freeze in the middle of January. The first full week of February, which is the last week of currently available data, does indicate a significant increase from previous lows. Houston is part of the Texas 2 district which stretches along the Gulf Shore and incorporates Beaumont, Corpus Christi and Brownsville/McAllen. The 3-digit zip codes included in the district are 770, 772-779 and 783-785. Advertisement Article continues below this ad USPS employees load trucks at the Gray Street location in Houston on Monday, Aug. 17, 2020. Elizabeth Conley/Staff photographer So while the expansive district stretches far beyond the greater Houston area and that should be taken into consideration Houston is the main regional hub in the district. The service performance tracker publishes data for four different types of mail with the option to specify a product within those types. The data is then organized by mail district, region or nationally with time frames set as weekly, monthly, quarterly or annually. It is one of three districts in Texas. Texas 1 includes the Pineywoods in East Texas and the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. Texas 3 incorporates Austin, San Antonio and all of West Texas. Data says Houston first-class mail delivery performance was the worst it has been in years Online data from USPS dates back to Oct. 2, 2021, for Texas 2. From that start date until Nov. 4, 2023, the weekly performance score for inbound first-class mail was above 90% around three-fourths of the time. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The performance score equates to the percentage of mail delivered on time. The service's goal for first-class mail is currently 92.50%. A United States Postal Service semi-truck arrives at the USPS office 4600 Aldine Bender Rd., Monday, Aug. 17, 2020, in Houston. Steve Gonzales/Staff photographer Starting the week of Nov. 18, the performance score has not been higher than 86.14%. Those 12 weeks also make up 12 of the 15 weeks with the highest average days to deliver. After a bad January, USPS did register significant improvement for the first full week of February. The performance score for Texas 2 inbound first-class mail delivery jumped from 67.8% to 84.51% for the week of Feb. 3. However, that 84.51% ranks among the 15 lowest-scoring weeks spanning 123 weeks of data for Texas 2. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Winter weather and holiday season tend to cause delays, but not to this extent While the data only dates back to October 2021, it does allow for comparison to recent winter storms and holiday seasons. Those numbers demonstrate that performance does drop during those time frames, which is understandable. One is the busiest time of year and the other is when it is most difficult to make deliveries. However, the drop this year was more drastic compared to recent years and much more prolonged. The five lowest-scoring weeks between Oct. 2, 2021 and Nov. 18, 2023 all occurred during the holiday season or around a weather event. The performance score from the week of Feb. 5-Feb. 11, 2022, which was when the 2022 Winter Storm hit, was 77.57%. That same time the next year, when another yearly winter storm brought snow, was 79.66%. Advertisement Article continues below this ad However, Texas 2 rebounded from those drops quickly. The week of Feb.4-Feb. 10 was bookended by scores greater than 90%. January featured a three-week window where the performance scores were 60.78%, 53.71% and 67.80%. Those are by far the three worst weeks in the available data. The average days to wait for the mail was 3.8 days for the entire month. Outside of the downturn starting Nov. 18, only three other weeks in the USPS data topped 3 days and none of them were worse than 3.1 days. U.S. Rep. Al Green points to the tracking for a wedding dress that was originally ordered in October and was never delivered during a press conference over the issue of delayed USPS delivery stemming from a Missouri City processing facility on Monday, Jan. 22, 2024 in Houston. Elizabeth Conley/Staff Photographer In the document it released to the press Thursday, USPS admitted January service did not meet expectations. "Problems did occur in execution during time of transition between North and South Houston," USPS wrote for a bullet-point note on a presentation slide titled Key Takeaways. "Some in our control, some outside service admittedly very poor in January." Other types of delivery also struggling USPS data breaks up mail deliveries into four categories: first class; marketing mail; periodicals; and bound printed matter, media and library Mail. All four have seen declines recently way out of step with normal performance. Marketing mail and BPM tend to receive consistently high marks in Houston. BPM didn't dip below 97% until the week of Dec. 2-Dec.8. But it has cleared 95.05% just twice since then. Marketing mail averaged 95.20% in the final quarter of FY2023. That dropped to 92.60% in Q1 of FY2024 and 72.83% through the first few weeks of Q2. The previous low for a quarter was 93.26%. Periodicals have the lowest expectations for target metrics with 87.29% being the goal for FY2024. The weekly metrics haven't come within four percentage points of that goal since the week of Nov. 11-Nov.17. In four weeks during January, the performance scores were 58.81%, 37.13%, 39.29% and 54.69%. While the other three categories saw jumps when the calendar flipped to February for inbound performance, periodicals dropped to 57.48% with an average days to deliver of 4.9. It scored 86.66% with 1.6 days for delivery during the same time frame in 2023. Texas 2 was nowhere near the national average The national average, which isn't split into inbound and outbound, has also dropped in recent weeks, a reflection of growing concerns across the country about USPS performance. The national score hasn't been above 90% in a week since when September turned into October. However, Texas 2 has spent much of the past few months lagging well behind the national average. Its inbound performance score for the week of Jan. 20-Jan.26 was 53.71%, around 27 percentage points behind the national score. A curbside mail drop off box is shown at the Klein Post Office, 7717 Louetta Rd., Tuesday, May 5, 2020, in Spring. Melissa Phillip/Staff photographer Over the past four weeks, Texas 2's score has been below 70% three times. The Kansas-Missouri district, which has its own USPS problems, is the only other state to fall below that threshold more than two times. Texas 1 has been at 79% or greater while Texas 3 didn't dip below 86% during that time. Even before the recent downswing, Texas 2's 75.13% score from Dec.9- Dec. 15 is more than seven percentage points from that week's national average. There have been three weeks where Texas 2 has been right around or slightly above the national average since Nov. 18. That includes the most recent, which saw Texas 2's inbound first-class mail score is slightly below the national score. AKRON, Ohio (WJW) Akron police said they arrested a 16-year-old boy in connection with the investigation into the shooting death of a 47-year-old man. Police said the shooting happened just before 11:30 p.m. Friday. Police said a handgun and other evidence were recovered at the home where the teen was arrested Saturday. Ohio K-9s trained to detect marijuana being forced to retire The teen was later transported to the Summit County Juvenile Detention Facility, where he is being held on a felonious assault charge. Additional charges are pending as investigations plan to sign murder-related charges in connection to the incident, said Officers administered emergency first aid until EMS arrived and transported the victim to Summa Health Akron City Hospital, where he was later pronounced deceased, said Captain Michael Miller. Miller said the exact circumstances surrounding the shooting arent known at this time and detectives are working on getting additional information. Preliminary findings suggest that the victim was shot while in the 1300 block of S. Arlington Street and dropped off at the E. Wilbeth Road location after being shot, he said. The victims name is being withheld pending notifications, Miller added. Crash caused huge traffic backup for hours on I-77 N Anyone with information is encouraged to call the Akron Police Department Detective Bureau at 330-375-2490 or 330-375-2Tip. Miller said that citizens may also provide anonymous information to any of the following: The Summit County Crimestoppers, call 330-434-COPS. Text TIPSCO with your tips to 274637. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Fox 8 Cleveland WJW. A 45-year-old man was shot dead on a Bronx subway early Friday morning as Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg faces scrutiny for his lenient bail policies and woke Democratic prosecutors. A 911 caller reported that shots were fired at the 182-183rd St. Station around 5:02 a.m. on Friday, the New York Police Department told Fox News Digital. First responders found a 45-year-old man who had sustained a "puncture wound" to the torso while riding the southbound D train into the station. "Preliminarily, it was thought to be a gunshot wound but at this time it's still undetermined. It looks like some kind of injury to the torso," an officer with the department's Officer of the Deputy Commissioner Public Information office said. ARIZONA WARNS ALL AMERICANS IN DANGER FROM DEM DAS AS SUSPECT IN EXTRADITION BATTLE CALLED 'NEXT TED BUNDY' The unidentified man was taken to St. Barnabus Hospital and pronounced dead a short time later, the representative said. READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP As of 11 a.m., police had not identified a suspect in the deadly shooting. Police told Fox 5 that they are searching for 3 men who fled the subway station wearing all black at the time of the attack. Days earlier, five commuters were injured, and a 34-year-old man was killed in another Bronx subway shooting around 4:30 p.m. on Monday. NYPD TRANSIT OFFICERS AND STRAPHANGER SAVE MAN WHO FELL ONTO SUBWAY TRACKS DCPI told Fox News Digital that a 16-year-old suspect was arrested on Thursday in connection with the Monday shooting and charged with one count of murder, five counts of attempted murder and one count of criminal possession of a weapon. The Manhattan District Attorney's office did not return comment on the incidents at press time. The brazen daytime attacks come as the office has come under fire, with an Arizona District Attorney refusing to extradite a murder suspect there for fear of a "potential serial killer" being released onto the public. Raad Almansoori is accused of strangling Denisse Oleas-Arancibia in a SoHo hotel, then crushing her skull with an iron at a SoHo hotel two weeks ago. Surveillance footage shows him leave the building wearing her leggings. After fleeing to Arizona's Maricopa County, he was tracked down by police after allegedly stabbing a woman, stealing her car and stabbing another woman at a McDonald's before he was arrested by Scottsdale police. After his arrest, Almansoori allegedly told Scottsdale police to "Google the SoHo 54 hotel," the site where he allegedly killed Oleas-Arancibia. Authorities said he claimed to have hurt three more women in Florida. FORMER DEA AGENT ACCUSED OF TAKING $250K IN BRIBES FROM MAFIA, OBSTRUCTING INVESTIGATIONS Months earlier, Almansoori was freed by Sumter County, Florida prosecutors on $2,500 and pending Grand Theft Auto charges after allegedly abducting female coworker Leah Palian, sexually assaulting her and threatening to kill her. Palian told Fox News Digital that Orlando-based prosecutors from the 9th Judicial District dropped sexual battery and assault charges against Almansoori despite warnings that he was a "potential serial killer." On Facebook, Palian faulted prosecutors for "callously" reducing his charges. Maricopa County District Attorney Rachel Mitchell told Fox & Friends that she could "guarantee that [Almansoori would] stay in custody [in Arizona]" rather than face his charges in New York for fear of another premature release. Denisse Oleas-Arancibia who was killed two weeks ago in a New York City hotel "Let me be very clear, my heart goes out to the next of kin of the victim in New York, [and] I'm not casting aspersions on the NYPD either but we have a case here, and we have him in custody," Mitchell said on Thursday. "It was just a couple of weeks ago that some of the illegal immigrants that were in New York City who beat up on police officers were let go," Mitchell said. "They were flipping the camera off as they walked out of jail, and guess where they ended up? "Four of them ended up in Maricopa County, and they had to be taken into custody here. I don't want that to happen. I don't want this individual getting out and able to victimize more people." A Manhattan District Attorney's Office spokeswoman called Mitchell's comments "deeply disturbing," accusing her of "playing political games in a murder investigation." "In Manhattan, we are serious about New Yorkers' safety, which is why murders are down 24 percent and shootings are down 38 percent since DA Bragg took office," Emily Tuttle told The Arizona Republic Bragg shot back directly at the Maricopa County District Attorney in a Thursday press conference, saying her decision was motivated by "old-fashioned grand standing and politics": "I've been a prosecutor for 20 years - that should have no place in our profession. it is deeply disturbing to me that a member of our profession... would choose to play political games in a murder case," Bragg said on Thursday, reiterating Tuttle's statistics. "Manhattan, my county, our murder rate is less than half that of Phoenix Arizona's," Bragg said. "In 2023, they had 198 criminal homicides. Here in Manhattan, we had 73." Original article source: Man shot dead on NYC subway as DA Bragg defends record in Arizona extradition battle: 'We are serious' WASHINGTON (DC News Now) The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) said a man was shot in Southeast D.C. early Saturday morning. Man shot, killed wife in Prince William County, police say MPD said that at about 1:55 p.m., it was dispatched to the 300 block of 17th Street for a shooting. Police found a man who had been shot. He was conscious and breathing. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to DC News Now | Washington, DC. LAS VEGAS (KLAS) A man who was placed under arrest on suspicion of driving with a revoked license and driving under the influence urinated on a police officer while being booked into a Las Vegas detention center, police documents indicated. On Monday at around 2:15 a.m., police responded to a call about a possible domestic disturbance in the area of Flamingo Road and Boulder Highway in southeast Las Vegas. The call indicated that a man, later identified as Frank Afoa, had been chasing a woman, documents said. When officers arrived, police documents said they saw a vehicle driven by Frank Afoa speeding down Flamingo Road. Police pulled Afoa over while he was on the on-ramp of northbound US-95, the arrest report said, adding that his vehicle stopped in the middle of the on-ramp. Photo of Frank Afoa provided by Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department The woman alleged that Afoa attempted to hit her with his car, according to the report. When officers checked Afoas record, they found that his drivers license had been revoked due to him previously driving while having a revoked license, according to police documents. Additionally, police found Afoa failed to meet the requirements of convicted felons to register their place of residence, the document said. Indeed, police documents said Afoa would only tell police he lived in Samoa, worked in Las Vegas, and refused to give officers his current home address. Officers were told by Afoas ex-wife that he had entered Arizona Charlies, walked up to the bar, and began drinking heavily, police documents said. Afoas ex told investigators that she saw that he was very drunk and invited him to stay at her nearby home, according to the arrest report. Documents said Afoa initially agreed, but according to the woman, while walking to her vehicle, he became agitated, entered his own vehicle, and began driving aggressively. His ex-wife told officers she followed him to make sure he didnt get into a crash and called police, the arrest report indicated. According to police documents, officers said Afoa had bloodshot, watery eyes, was slurring his speech, smelled of alcohol, and was swaying while standing still. He told police he was coming from his girlfriends house, where Afoa admitted he had had something to drink, according to the report, and he refused breathalyzer and blood tests, forcing police to obtain a search warrant for a blood sample. While en route to the Clark County Detention Center, an officer said Afoa had threatened to kick out the patrol vehicle windows when he was not allowed to urinate on the side of the road and had also threatened to punch the officer in the face once he was released from his handcuffs, police documents indicated. The document stated that once inside the detention center, Afoa removed his penis from pants and urinated directly onto [the officers] leg and the floor of CCDC. Afoa was booked into the detention center without any further incident, police said. He faces charges related to having failed to register his address as a convicted felon, unlawful acts related to human excrement or bodily fluid, driving with a revoked license, and driving under the influence. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KLAS. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) made a new pledge this week to help the next president be successful in the White House regardless of who wins the general election. Well, let me just say this, whenever our president is elected, duly elected by the people which Joe Biden was done, which Donald Trump was done in 2016, Im going to do everything I can to help my president be successful, Manchin told Fox News host Neil Cavuto Friday in an interview on Your World. Cavuto then asked him he would use the same approach to former President Trump, the likely GOP nominee, if he was voted into a second term. While the West Virginia senator acknowledged that he believed Trumps rhetoric had become more vengeful lately, he said he would still support him if reelected. He specifically called out Trumps perceived silence on the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny and his recent attacks on GOP rival Nikki Haley for her husband who is currently deployed overseas not being with her on the campaign trail, as vindictive. Youd hope that we could have reason, sit down and make sure he doesnt use the vengeful, vindictive tone hes been touting right now and use a common decency that we all have and have to have in this type civil country that we have, Manchin said. The senator who was rumored to be mulling his own presidential run, but shut down the idea last week added that he will try to bring the next Commander-in-Chief to common sensibility. I will not support someone whos told me what theyre going to do and how theyre going to govern, Manchin said. But if theyre in that position, Im going to try to work with them to bring them back to common sensibility. The moderate senator continued his approach by focusing on bringing the presumptive nominee closer to centrist politics. Earlier this week, he reiterated his stance that he would not endorse a candidate right now. We still got plenty of time here, he said Monday. Im going to do everything I can to help move them back to the middle and show them where the strength of this country lies, where the voting bloc of the country lies. Manchin also announced in November that he would not run for another term in the Senate a seat he has held since 2010. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. People sit on the stairs of The Metropolitan Museum of Art (The Met) in front of a poster advertising The Harlem Renaissance and Transatlantic Modernism exhibit on February 20, 2024 in New York. (ANGELA WEISS) The Metropolitan Museum's new Harlem Renaissance exhibit presents the Twentieth Century movement as a central force in modern art, a bold reframing that many view as long overdue. The show, "The Harlem Renaissance and Transatlantic Modernism," which opens Sunday, is comprised of some 160 pieces depicting Black American life in the 1920s-1940s, featuring both well-known creators and some appearing in the internationally visited institution for the first time. Spread across a dozen galleries, there are canvasses of jauntily-dressed Black couples beaming from the dance floor; graphic art-style street scenes with bright colors and forceful lines; and portraits that probe the human psyche. The show includes a handful of works by European giants including Henri Matisse and Edvard Munch depicting dark-skinned subjects. But these canvasses play a supporting role, allowing visitors to compare contemporaneousness works on parallel subjects. Met officials describe the show as a landmark in casting the Harlem Renaissance "as the first African American-led movement of international modern art," as Met Chief Executive Max Hollein says in the exhibit's press release. The show marks an "opening and expanding of the art history and the narratives of art history," Hollein told AFP this week. - Systemic problem - While history is rife with now-canonized artists snubbed in their day, Hollein saw the downgrading of the Harlem Renaissance as categorically different, reflecting "certain systems within the cultural infrastructure that suppressed the idea of how to properly present this as a whole movement," he said. "There are ways to change that, and this exhibition is one of them," he said. While the Met plans to add more Harlem Renaissance works to its permanent collection, the show relied in part on loans from Historically Black universities and private collections. At the show's media preview, Darren Walker, president of exhibition sponsor the Ford Foundation, praised those "who have preserved these works during times when what you knew was valuable, was not valued." These include Madeline Murphy Rabb, who fought tears as she encountered "Girl With Pomegranate," a 1940 canvas by her great aunt, Laura Wheeler Waring, hanging from the Met wall. "I have been working for decades to get my great aunt the recognition she deserves," Rabb told AFP. "My goal has always been for a broader audience to see this important work. So many whites and some Blacks have stereotypes about what they think Black artists paint about." - Opening up - Though commonly referenced as a cultural phenomenon, the Harlem Renaissance's contours are a bit fuzzy, both in terms of geography and duration. Painters like Archibald Motley of Chicago weren't based in New York, while the poet Langston Hughes remained a creative force through the 1960s. Jacob Lawrence, rare among Harlem Renaissance painters in attaining major recognition during his lifetime, worked until shortly before his death in 2000. Most accounts place the movement's inception as just after World War I, coinciding with the Great Migration that saw millions of Black Americans leave the southern United States to other US regions that were segregated but not mired in the shadows of the Ku Klux Klan and lynchings. While this period is associated with thinkers like WEB Dubois who prioritized Black political rights, Alain Locke, a key Harlem Renaissance architect, emphasized aesthetics. In the 1925 book "The New Negro," Locke described the potential for "the younger generation" of Blacks to lead society through "something like a spiritual emancipation" not centered on conventional political questions. Locke urged Black painters to open themselves up to African visual tools, as well as idioms of European modernists, said Met curator Denise Murrell. Key figures following this course included William H. Johnson, who migrated to New York from South Carolina and lived extensively in France and Scandinavia. Johnson's works in the show have a flattened composition, semi-geometric figures and a limited palette of powerful colors, as in "Woman in Blue" from 1943, which is dominated by the urbane subject's ebony skin, her night blue dress and a lemon-colored background. Johnson's works echo Matisse and German expressionism, but didn't aim to "imitate" them, but to employ "this international visual language in representation of a very specific local culture that (Johnson) was part of here in New York City," Murrell said. Johnson contrasts with Waring, who also studied in Paris, but employed a more realistic style with liberal brushstroke and some other modernizing touches. The Met is learning to be "less dogmatic in terms of what modern art can include," Murrell said before "Girl With Pomegranate," which graces the cover of the exhibition catalogue. Waring's "subject matter was modern," Murrell said. "It was a representation of a modern Black subject that's not been a part of art history, had been ignored, or marginalized." jmb/mdl Justin Ballard is the Houston Chronicle's first ever newsroom meteorologist. He can be reached at justin.ballard@houstonchronicle.com. He brings five years of experience forecasting tropical systems, severe weather outbreaks, and blizzards to the Houston Chronicle. His unique experience in forecasting will serve him well in his role at the Chronicle, as Houston has experienced a number of impactful weather events in recent years. Justin looks forward to his work with the Houston Chronicle, where he'll be responsible for posting daily weather forecasts. On top of daily forecasts, he is excited to tackle more in-depth weather and climate stories that impact the residents of Southeast Texas. A North Carolina native, Justin joined the Chronicle in July 2023. He graduated with his bachelor's degree in meteorology from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in December 2017. Massachusetts students are top of the list when it comes to passing their AP exams. According to data released by College Board, Bay State students had the highest percentage of passing grades. 45.2% of 2023 graduates in Massachusetts took an AP Exam during high school. 31.3% of those students scored a passing grade or higher. That percentage is 2% higher than New York which scored second in the nation. The national average of passing grades is 21.7%. Im thrilled to see such strong results for Massachusetts AP students, Education Secretary Patrick Tutwiler said in a DESE release. AP exams require students to score a 3 out of 5 or higher to receive college credit. Massachusetts also saw a 10% jump in Hispanic and black students taking the tests compared to a decade ago. This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and Ukraine's military intelligence agency (HUR) were allegedly behind the fire that erupted at the main plant of Russian steelmaker Novolipetsk Steel (NLMK) in Lipetsk on Feb. 24, Ukrainska Pravda reported, citing sources in the military intelligence. Located approximately 400 kilometers from the Russia-Ukraine border, the plant serves as NLMK's primary production facility. It accounts for 80% of NLMK's steel output and contributes 18% to the total Russian steel production. Initial reports suggest that the fire at the Novolipetsk Steel plant may have been triggered by a drone, Lipetsk Oblast Governor Igor Artamonov said via his official Telegram channel, refraining from attributing the incident to Ukraine. Critical infrastructure at the plant was impacted by the attack on the plant and production "may be hampered for more than a month" as a result, HUR sources told Ukrainska Pravda. The Kyiv Independent has not been able to independently verify these claims. However, Ukraine's military intelligence has publicly claimed responsibility for sabotage attacks within Russian territory on previous occasions. Read also: After 2 years of Russias full-scale war, Ukraine keeps fighting Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Anyone who believes Budge Lightyear is their pet should contact the RSPCA on 0300 123 8018 - RSPCA A lost budgie, affectionately named Budge Lightyear after it was found at a UK space attraction, is looking for its owner. The brightly coloured yellow-and-green bird was discovered on Thursday by a visitor at the National Space Centre in Leicester, and alerted staff. Budge Lightyear was rescued by RSPCA staff, who called the bird a feathered voyager and took it into care at the charitys Woodside Animal Centre in Leicester. The RSPCA suspects the lone budgie is an escaped pet as it is ringed and numbered, but staff could not contact the owner as the birds details are not registered. Ellie Grindrod, animal rescue officer, who nicknamed the budgie, has urged anyone who recognises Budge Lightyear to contact the charity. New adventure She said: It is highly likely that he is an escaped pet and we would love to reunite him with his owner, so we urge anyone who recognises him to get in touch with us. Thanks to the swift action of everyone involved, Budge Lightyear has now embarked on a new adventure at our Woodside Animal Centre, where he is getting a lot of TLC. His epic journey serves as a reminder of the importance of compassion in safeguarding our feathered friends, wherever they may roam. Malika Andress, from the National Space Centre, thanked the RSPCA for rescuing the budgie. She said: We cannot thank RSPCA staff enough for their help with Budge Lightyear, who was found by a visitor in our car park. We got excellent advice on the phone on how to make Budge comfortable in the short term, and then a member of the local team was able to get to us really swiftly to pick the bird up. Our team rallied round to ensure Budge enjoyed their time with us but, despite being scientists, engineers, educators and specialists in our field, looking after budgies is outside our expertise we know a lot about other flying things. Anyone who believes Budge Lightyear is their pet should contact the RSPCA on 0300 123 8018. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Above Video: San Diego City Attorney Candidate Heather Ferbert On What Makes Her A Good Candidate And Why She Decided To Run SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) Californias 2024 primary election is almost here and its time to pick your favorite candidates. The presidential primary election in California is happening March 5, with dozens of local, state and federal races and several measures on the ballot. Voters will have until Election Day to cast their vote in person or by mail ballot. You can find a full list of election drop boxes in San Diego County here. Voting centers will begin opening across the county starting Feb. 24; all vote centers will be open by March 2. San Diegos guide to elections during the Mar. 5 presidential primary More information on voting in the March 5 presidential primary can be found on FOX 5/KUSIs voting guide. For more election coverage, visit FOX 5/KUSIs California 2024 Primary Election page. Now to the candidates for City Attorney. San Diego City Attorney Heather Ferbert, Chief Deputy City Attorney, and Brian Maienschein, a Legislator and Law Professor, are going head to head in the race for San Diego City Attorney. Heather Ferbert Ferbert is currently the Chief Deputy City Attorney for San Diego. She is a graduate of the University of San Diego School of Law. She is active in the Lawyers Club of San Diego, the womens bar association, is an adjunct professor at the San Diego School of Law and trains new lawyers, according to her campaign website. Ferbert lives in San Diego with her husband and daughter. Background: As Chief Deputy City Attorney, Ferberts campaign website states she has defended womens rights, opened emergency homeless shelters, protected our parks and waterways, and stopped million-dollar real estate fraud scams. Heather currently leads the Citys legal team that advises the City Council and ensures City officials follow the law. Previously, Ferbert was an attorney for the Housing Commission and other public agencies. Her campaign website goes on to state she has delivered on the following challenges: Broke the gridlock to open emergency homeless shelters and new treatment centers Stopped multi-million real estate fraud scams and uncovered financial waste and mismanagement Stood up for abortion rights by strengthening San Diegos pro-choice protections after the Supreme Court ruling On the issues: Heather Ferbert states on her campaign website the issues she is prioritizing: Upholding the Law & Moving San Diego Forward Fighting Fraud and Protecting Taxpayers Stopping Gun Violence Housing Protection Unit Addressing Homelessness and Public Health Protecting Vulnerable Populations Keeping San Diego Safe Protecting the Environment Endorsements: Ferberts campaign website lists several endorsements, including the San Diego Union-Tribune Editorial Board, City Attorney Mara Elliott, Deputy Chief Attorneys Association, Safer California, San Diegans for Gun Violence Prevention, PB Democratic Club, San Diego La Raza Lawyers Association, San Diego Municipal Employee Association, Filipino American Lawyers of San Diego, Earl B. Gilliam Bar Association, and Pan Asian Lawyers of San Diego. Brian Maienschein Maienschein teaches election law at the University of San Diego. He graduated from University California, Santa Barbara, before returning to San Diego, where he earned his law degree from California Western Law School, according to his campaign website. Background: Maienschein has represented Californias 76th Assembly District since 2012. His campaign website states he served on the San Diego City Council for eight years. He was also the citys first Commissioner on Homelessness. Maienschein serves as Chair of the Rare Disease Caucus and sits on the Health, Judiciary, and Communications and Conveyance Committees. He was also named Chair of the Assembly Judiciary Committee for the 2023 legislative session. He stated in the citys 2024 election statement of qualifications that he has worked to start a new program for first-time home buyers in California, won tougher prison sentences for sex trafficking crimes against children, worked as a leader in taking the federal government to court to protect Californias clean air laws, and voted to protect marriage equality in our state constitution. Maienschein lives in San Diego with his wife and two daughters. On the issues: Maienschein states on his campaign website the issues he is prioritizing: Maternal mental health Preventing gun violence Student debt resources Veterans resources Endorsements: According to the citys 2024 election statement of qualifications, Maienschein says he has endorsements from the Planned Parenthood Action Fund of the Pacific Southwest, San Diego City Firefighters, San Diegos Deputy District Attorneys and San Diego Police Officers Association. Voting is open from 7 am. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, March 5 for Californias Presidential Primary Election. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 5 San Diego & KUSI News. A prominent mosque chairman who previously praised the founder of Hamas has been removed as an adviser to the Metropolitan Police. Scotland Yard said it had decided to cease engagement with Mohammed Kozbar after a social media post from late January 2024 was brought to our attention and reviewed. In December, The Telegraph revealed that Mr Kozbar was a member of the forces London Muslim Communities Forum, a strategic advisory body the Met has said exists to inform and help shape police policy and procedure at a strategic level. He was invited to a buffet dinner at Scotland Yard hosted by Sir Mark Rowley, the Met Commissioner, last July five months after his past praise for Hamass founder as the master of the martyrs of the resistance had been cited in an official counter-extremism review. Last month, The Telegraph disclosed that Mr Kozbar, a deputy secretary general of the Muslim Council of Britain, had liked a post on X, formerly Twitter, in which Dr Wahid Shaida, a former head of Hizb ut-Tahrir, the Islamist extremist group, said he could no longer speak for the body. In the post on Jan 19, Dr Shaida pledged to continue to speak about things I believe in after Hizb ut-Tahrir was proscribed as a terror group. On Saturday, a Met Police spokesman said: Mr Kozbar is no longer an adviser to the Met. The decision was taken to cease engagement with Mr Kozbar as an adviser after a social media post from late January 2024 was brought to our attention and reviewed. The Met works with a range of faith and community adviser groups, locally and centrally. This vital work helps us improve our response to the crime and anti-social behaviour issues faced by all communities across London. We are currently reviewing how we work with our network of advisory groups to ensure that, like the Met, they are committed to building a better London that promotes mutual respect and inclusivity. The disclosure by the Met comes after Mr Kozbar shared a video on X last week that appeared to disseminate conspiracy theories about Israeli control of institutions including the police. The video by Lowkey, a rapper who has described Israel as a racist endeavour, claimed Israeli intelligence companies were taking control of key functions of our intelligence and police services. Last year, an official review of Prevent, the governments counter-extremism programme, raised concerns that the London branch of the National Association of Muslim Police had praised Mr Kozbar despite evidence that in 2015 he had previously supported the founder of Hamas. Hamas was proscribed as a terror group in its entirety six years later in 2021. Mr Kozbar did not respond to questions on Saturday. He has previously claimed he was being subjected to repeated attempts to smear me as I pursue work to foster better community relations. He has said: I condemn the targeting of all civilians, whoever they are. It is criminal to indiscriminately murder innocent men, women, and children. He has said he supports the Palestinian people and their quest for freedom, as clearly expressed as a basic right within international law. Addressing his comments about the founder of Hamas, he said: I spoke on the extra-judicial assassination of a paraplegic man who was wheelchair-bound... my comments were made well before this organisation [Hamas] was proscribed. Attiq Malik, a hard-Left activist, led the London Muslim Communities Forum until November when the Met cut ties with him after The Telegraph revealed that he had been filmed chanting from the river to the sea and railing against global censorship by the Zionists. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. State police maintain a security checkpoint at the entrance of Chilpancingo, Mexico, Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024. Four Roman Catholic bishops met with Mexican drug cartel bosses in a bid to negotiate a possible peace accord, according to the Bishop of Chilpancingo-Chilapa, Jose de Jesus Gonzalez Hernandez. (AP Photo/Alejandrino Gonzalez) MEXICO CITY (AP) Roman Catholic churchmen have helped arrange a truce between two warring drug cartels whose turf wars have blooded the state of Guerrero in southern Mexico, a priest said Thursday. It is the latest in a series of attempts by bishops and priests to get cartels to talk to each other in hopes of reducing bloody turf battles. The implicit assumption is that the cartels will divide up the territories where they charge extortion fees and traffic drugs, without so much killing. Rev. Jose Filiberto Velazquez, who had knowledge of the negotiations but did not participate in them, said the talks involved leaders of the notoriously violent Familia Michoacana cartel and the Tlacos gang, which is also known as the Cartel of the Mountain. The armed conflict that existed in the area where the attacks have occurred has ceased, Velazquez said, though he acknowledged the agreement hangs by a thread and depends on the will of the gang leaders. He was referring to an area deep in the mountains where earlier this week a grisly video was posted on social media showing cartel gunmen shooting, kicking and burning the corpses of about 15 of their enemies. Drug cartels in Mexico frequently make videos of dead or captured gang members to intimidate or threaten rivals. Local media identified the dead as gunmen for the La Familia cartel. Last week, a bishop in Guerrero said he and three other bishops in the state talked with cartel bosses in a bid to negotiate a peace accord in a different area. The bishop of Chilpancingo-Chilapa, Jose de Jesus Gonzalez Hernandez, said at the time that those talks failed because the drug gangs didnt want to stop fighting over territory in the Pacific coast state. Those turf battles have shut down transportation in at least two cities and led to dozens of killings in recent months. They asked for a truce, but with conditions about dividing up territories, Gonzalez Hernandez said of the talks, held a few weeks earlier. But these conditions were not agreeable to one of the participants. President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said last week he approves of such talks, while critics say they illustrate the extent to which the governments policy of not confronting cartels has left average citizens to work out their own separate peace deals with the gangs. Priests and pastors and members of all the churches have participated, helped in pacifying the country. I think it is very good, Lopez Obrador said the day after the existence of the negotiations was revealed. Lopez Obrador added, however, that he wouldnt approve of any agreement that meant granting impunity, privileges or licenses to steal. That rang hallow to one parish priest whose town in Michoacan state has been dominated by one cartel or another for years. It is an implicit recognition that they (the government) cant provide safe conditions, said the priest, who spoke on condition of anonymity for security reasons. Undoubtedly, we have to talk to certain people, above all when it comes to peoples safety, but that doesnt mean we agree with it, the priest said. For example, he said, local residents have asked him to ask cartel bosses about the fate of missing relatives. It is a role the church does not relish. We wouldnt have to do this if the government did its job right, the priest said. Many average Mexicans have quietly agreed to pay protection payments to drug cartels for fear of being attacked or having their homes or businesses burned. The church has also suffered priests have been killed but some gang leaders talk with church leaders. Drug cartels and gangs in Mexico dont just sell or smuggle drugs; they extort money from nearly every line of business in territories they control. Under Lopez Obradors hugs, not bullets policy, the government has avoided direct confrontation with cartels, allowing them to essentially take control of a dozen or more mid-size cities, where the prices of most products are higher because they include a tax charged by the cartels. Retired Bishop Salvador Rangel, who headed the Chilpancingo-Chilapa diocese until 2022 and has talked about meeting with gang leaders to pursue peace, told The Associated Press that truces between gangs often don't last long. They are somewhat fragile, because in the world of the drug traffickers, broken agreements and betrayal occur very easily," Rangel said. Still, he said, there are other groups that want peace, they no longer want war, they no longer want to be killing each other. I want to take advantage of that desire to bring peace. As the African Americans flocked to Bremerton during WWII from the North and from the South, where the vast majority of African Americans had migrated from in the 1920's to escape the inhuman grip of Jim Crow, they brought with them customs, regional traditions and music. The Black southerners brought to the Northwest the "Down Home Blues" and Dr. Watts hymns, while northerners brought "Big City Blues" and jazz. Both groups brought other forms of art, rituals and history both oral and written. The meshing of these two groups in Bremerton provided a stable and close knit community in the Sinclair Heights Projects. Blacks from both the North and the South brought techniques for preparing soul food. The term soul food was popularized in the 1960s, during the Black Power movement, sending a message that the foods we had to eat during slavery were essential for our survival and part of our history. Soul food often features the meat from the pig or the cow that the plantation owner would discard and not feed to his family. The slave woman would gather those pieces of meat -- pig's feet, tails, snouts, intestines(chitterlings) and ears, from the cow it was the hoofs and the tails -- add various herbs and spices to enhance the flavor, and feed her family. Slave women would also pick the greens along with the poke salad that grew wild on the edge of the plantations to add to the meal. Babies were fed "pot liquid" (the juice from the greens) which contained nutrients. Soul food was cooked with soul and love. Roosevelt Smith The newly arrived Blacks established a church that was instrumental in providing the spiritual and emotional wellbeing of the community. Other civic groups, such as, but not limited to, the Black Masons, National Association of Colored Womens Inc, NAACP and Black Elks accompanied them to the Northwest. In my column today, I will highlight the history and purpose of two of these groups. The first is The Prince Hall Masons, and the second is The National Association of Colored Women's Clubs. The Black Masons were established in 1775 in Boston, Massachusetts, after Prince Hall and 15 other Black Freemen were denied admission to the Boston Mason Lodge due to their race. In turn, they started their own lodge. Prince Hall, the leader of the group of Freemen, was an abolitionist who worked to advance the rights of Blacks, end slavery and protect freed Blacks from being kidnapped and returned to slavery. He went so far as to propose a Back to Africa movement for Blacks that was later championed by Marcus Garvey in 1914. Garvey gave us the Black liberation flag, with the colors red, black and green, representing the Black people who spilled their blood in the making of this country. The Prince Hall Masonic Temple on Burwell Street in Bremerton. Prince Hall Freemasonry proved to be an empowering force for the vulnerable Black community following the Civil War. Prince Hall Freemasonry is the oldest and continuously active organization founded by African Americans. Prince Hall Freemasonry proved to be an empowering force for the vulnerable Black community following the Civil War. Since its inception, the Prince Hall Masons have helped establish community institutions, provided leaders and gave the Black community the means to organize a continuous push for equality. In Bremerton, there is a Prince Hall Masonic Temple that holds so much of Bremerton's Black history. The lodge is located on Burwell Street, just west of Warren Avenue, across from the shipyard, and recently suffered fire damage. My hope is that once the building is restored it would become a historic landmark. The next organization to highlight is the Carver Colored Womens Civic Club. This club was under the umbrella of the National Association of Colored Womens Clubs. This is the oldest Black womens organization, whose start illustrates the resilience of the African American spirit of equality and justice. In 1895, a letter appeared in a Missouri newspaper, asking American journalists to help battle lynchings. A reply to the letter by the editor attacked Black women. The editor wrote: "The Negroes in this country are wholly devoid of morality. They know nothing of it except as they learn by being caught for flagrant violations of law and punished. They consider it no disgrace but rather an honor to be sent to prison and to wear striped clothes. The women are prostitutes, and all are natural liars and thieves. Out of 200 in this vicinity, it is doubtful if there are a dozen virtuous women of that number who are not daily thieving from the white people." This letter ignited a fire that catapulted Black women into action. Across the country Colored Women's Clubs were established to promote the uplifting of Black women, children, families, the home and the community through service, education, scholarship assistance and the promotion of racial harmony among all people. The Carver Colored Womens Club of Bremerton, which was started by Gertrude Joseph in Sinclair Heights, impacted the Bremerton community as a whole. As my columns conclude for Black History Month, I would encourage people to learn more about African American history. It's one way to fight against the watering down of our history, which is American history. Roosevelt Smith is a trustee on the board of the Kitsap County History Museum, a Bremerton Arts Commissioner, past commander of Kitsap National Association of Black Veterans (NABVETS) and writes a weekly column for the Kitsap Sun on Black History Month during the month of February. This article originally appeared on Kitsap Sun: Soul food and civic clubs arrive in the Northwest The Ministry of Justice hosted a speaker who previously said that Jews need to get in the queue behind Muslims, in response to concerns about anti-Semitism. The guest speaker at an event hosted by the departments Muslim staff network on Feb 6 was Shreen Mahmood, an ambassador for World Hijab Day, which encourages women to wear a hijab for the day. Ms Mahmood describes herself as an advocate for all human rights and freedoms and says she is against all types of racism and hate. But her appearance at the event has prompted concern among Whitehall sources due to some of her past posts on X formerly Twitter. In 2018, Ms Mahmood, 37, posted comments which appeared to downplay the level of anti-Semitism being described by Jewish figures, during Jeremy Corbyns leadership of the Labour Party. More recently, on Oct 7, she retweeted a series of posts apparently seeking to justify the terror attack on Israeli citizens by Hamas, including one that stated: Under international law, Palestine, as occupied territory, has every right to defend itself just like Ukraine does. This weekend, she defended the post, saying: I believe its a factual position, as enshrined in resolution by the UN General Assembly, which reaffirmed the legitimacy of the struggle of peoples for independence, territorial integrity, national unity and liberation from colonial domination, apartheid and foreign occupation by all available means. Jews need to get in the queue behind Muslims Another post that she retweeted on Oct 7 stated: The arrogance to believe you could keep two million trapped in an open-air prison indefinitely... In an earlier post, on Aug 17 2018, in response to concerns expressed by a Jewish man about the threat from anti-Semitism, Ms Mahmood said: Seriously, Jews need to get in the queue behind Muslims, who are visibly Muslims and ARE being attacked. Their rights to exist and express their faith in Britain are under constant scrutiny. Muslims are persecuted worldwide. Uyghurs, Rohingyans, Palestinians the list goes on. In another post, on the evening of April 2 2018, Ms Mahmood tweeted, If anyone mentions anti-Semitism tomorrow, alongside an image of someone rolling their eyes. It is not clear if Ms Mahmood had been referring to any particular incident. However, earlier that day it had emerged that more than 17,000 Labour members had quit the party in the previous three months amid a crisis over anti-Semitism. Mr Corbyn had also just shut down his personal Facebook page after being accused of belonging to groups in which people had posted anti-Semitic content. A Whitehall source said it was reprehensible that Ms Mahmood had been given a platform by the Ministry of Justice given views she had previously expressed. At one point during her talk, she urged officials to speak up about the atrocities in Gaza. This weekend, Ms Mahmood said her address was focused on World Hijab Day and helping to create an understanding about what Hijab is and means to Muslims, the discrimination we face and it was very positively received by all. Locked her account on X After being contacted by The Telegraph, Ms Mahmood locked her account on X from public view and said she had deleted the two posts about anti-Semitism to ensure I do not upset my valued brothers and sisters from the Jewish community. She said that the tweets about anti-Semitism, removed from the context of my work within all communities and humanitarian work... are not an accurate depiction of my overall contribution to cohesion, love and respect within society. She added: The two comments were never intended to take away from anti-Semitism and I regret how it may come across without context. The comments were made in the context of the wall-to-wall coverage on anti-Semitism during the Labour Party anti-Semitism row, personal experiences of Islamophobia and this was at a time when Home Office data was showing that 50 per cent of all religiously motivated hate crime was against Muslims. My comment was to point out that other types of religious abuse, especially Islamophobia, was being ignored by much of the media, political parties and authorities. A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: Ms Mahmood was invited as UK Ambassador for World Hijab Day to speak at an event designed to broaden staff understanding of the Muslim faith and it was made clear to her that these were the only parameters on which she was invited to speak. The organisers of the event were not aware of these social media posts. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. BALDWYN, Miss. (AP) Two National Guard members died after a helicopter crashed Friday afternoon during a training flight in northeast Mississippi, officials said. The aircraft went down in a wooded area near Baldwyn, Prentiss County Sheriff Randy Tolar told WTVA-TV. The site is about 115 miles (185 kilometers) southeast of Memphis, Tennessee. Army helicopter crashes in Pike County The helicopter was AH-64 Apache flying a routine training flight, the Mississippi National Guard said in a news release. In a statement Friday, Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves said safety crews were working the scene of the crash with local authorities. He confirmed the death of the two unidentified National Guard members. Mississippi will always be grateful for their service and we will never forget them, Reeves said. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WHNT.com. People pray during a special service hosted by Lakewood Church on Sunday, Feb. 18, 2024, in Houston, a week after a deadly shooting took place just before the spanish speaking service. (Raquel Nataliccio/Houston Chronicle) Raquel Natalicchio/Staff photographer Lakewood Church shooting Regarding 'By the grace of God, were all here': Lakewood holds its first services since the deadly shooting, (Feb. 18): The front-page headline troubled me. It was not by the grace of God that those present in Joel Osteens church were spared harm. They were simply lucky that the troubled woman with a gun did little harm to church attendees, in part, because of courageous human responses to the situation. Where was Gods grace for her 7-year-old son who is fighting for his life from bullet-induced brain injuries? Perhaps rather than praying for him, the congregation should take up a collection to pay for his medical bills and rehabilitation if he survives. God does not play favorites. On the day of the Lakewood shooting, many innocent people died from war violence, domestic gun violence, treatable diseases and starvation. Where was Gods grace for them? True Christianity is about our role in meeting the needs of others (Matthew 25:31-46), not in falsely thanking God for singling us out for a divine favor. John T. James, Houston Advertisement Article continues below this ad Its been over a week since the shooting at Lakewood Church where the shooter was killed, and a small child and another person were wounded. Yet, theres been no sign of Gov Greg Abbott. He normally shows up within 24 hours to show his support for victims and offers encouraging words for example, that the killing will have no effect on supplying mentally ill people with assault rifles. I also note that we should soon see a massive fundraising campaign by the National Rifle Association as they push for donations from gun rights organizations and individuals. Kaye Dunbar, Houston A precious gift Regarding As lawmakers push more 'anti-vaccine' policies, Texas schools report soaring exemption rates, (Feb. 15): I found your article on the increase in parents getting their children exempted from vaccinations to be very distressing. The distress was enhanced by my own childhood experience. In 1950, I was 6 years old. That year, Dad remarried and I gained a new mom and a younger sister. The early 1950s were also a time of serious threat from polio, particularly in the summer. It quickly became apparent that my new mom was very concerned about the polio threat to Sis and I. She closely managed our activities to try to avoid possible exposure to the polio virus. When a vaccine became available, Mom made us a vax appointment as soon as she could. I was taught that vaccines were a precious gift. Times have really changed. Louis DuPree, Magnolia Advertisement Article continues below this ad House Bill 2384 Regarding Sewing: New Texas law is being used to discredit two Black women running for judge, (Feb. 17): The columnist acknowledges that the state law used by the opponents of the female Black candidates to question their qualifications is neutral and vague. Why is their race important to the issue of a vague and neutral law? And why does the racial issue seem to be inferred by the author, unless it is to create a controversy when the only thing going on is lawyers being lawyers in using a vague and neutral law to advance their candidacies. Such is life in the big leagues, madam columnist. David A. Jones, Houston Houston movies Regarding 15 films that scream 'Houston': 'Rushmore,' 'Terms of Endearment,' Beyonces 'Renaissance' and more, (Feb. 18): The story by Andrew Dansby on Houston movies was enjoyable and offered some great recommendations. However, the omission of Hellfighters is a shame. Big Oil and Red Adair you dont get much more Houston than that! Advertisement Article continues below this ad Rita Dumaine, Sugar Land This was a nice bibliography of films with local views and locations. One that was overlooked was The Swarm. What could be more local than killer bees taking over the Astrodome? Chinese authorities arrested more than 1,000 Tibetans in one day in a sweeping crackdown after unprecedented mass protests erupted nearly two weeks ago. Hundreds of monks and local residents took to the streets to protest at government plans to demolish at least two villages and six monasteries, displacing thousands of Tibetans, in order to construct a hydroelectric dam. Chinese police responded to protesters with tasers, water cannon and pepper spray, arresting at least 100 people on Thursday, rights groups said. Then, on Friday, authorities arrested more than 1,000 Tibetans in Derge, a major centre for Tibetan culture and history, and also where the dam is due to be built. Short video clips have emerged of Chinese police forcibly restraining and knocking down Tibetan Buddhist monks in dark red robes. Chinese government censors, however, have quickly scrubbed mentions of the protests and ensuing crackdown within China itself. Street protests against the dam project in Derge Local residents have reportedly had their phones confiscated, and key search terms such as Derge dam protests have been blocked on Chinese internet search engines. Such public demonstrations are very rare in China strict government surveillance both physically and digitally makes it difficult for groups to organise, and doing so carries a great risk of torture, arrest, and possibly death. The protests in Derge are unprecedented, and could be the largest demonstrations since mass rallies rocked China in late 2022 when people peacefully took to the streets to rally against three years of tight Covid restrictions. The events in Derge are an example of Beijings destructive policies in Tibet, said Kai Muller, managing director of the International Campaign for Tibet, in a statement. The Chinese regime tramples on the rights of Tibetans and ruthlessly and irretrievably destroys valuable Tibetan cultural assets. Beijings development and infrastructure projects are not only a threat to Tibetans, but also to regional security, especially when it comes to water supplies to affected Asian countries. Tibetans from Derge living in other parts of China have travelled back to their hometown to press for the release of their detained relatives, though rights groups say theyve been detained as well. Tibet's largest hydropower station, Zangmu - Costfoto/Future Publishing via Getty Images Detainees were instructed to bring their own food and bedding a sign that people rounded up could be held for a prolonged period of time. Derge is considered a centre for Tibetan culture and history, and is home to monasteries with murals dating back to the 13th century. A printing press attached to a monastery in Derge has also long been the site of pilgrimages. In recent days, some Tibetans have been protesting in solidarity in Indias Dharamsala, where the Dalai Lama lives in exile, and also at Chinese embassies and consulates in the US and Europe, to draw public attention to the issue. Criminalised for defending their homes and environment, Tibetans inside Tibet are risking their lives by sharing videos on social media exposing the reality of Tibet under occupation of the Chinese government, Chemi Lhamo, campaigns director of Students for a Free Tibet said in a statement. This displacement of thousands of indigenous peoples that have stewarded their ancestral lands for millennia is a human rights and a climate justice issue. The Chinese government has long sought to bring Tibet to heel over concerns that there might be separatist movements posing a political challenge to the ruling Communist Party. In response, Beijing has for decades installed economic development programmes in hopes of maintaining stability in the region, though it has been done at the expense of Tibetan homes and monasteries, key to the regions history and culture. The Yebatan hydropower station under construction in Tibet - China News Service Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. In this file photo, President of Russia and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Vladimir Putin makes a speech in Red Square during a Victory Day military parade marking the 75th anniversary of the victory in World War II, on June 24, 2020, in Moscow, Russia. (Sergey Guneev/Getty Images) The Biden administration will impose a new round of economic sanctions targeting Russian fuel exports and military-industry imports, the Treasury Department announced Friday. Coming one week after Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny died in the custody of Russian President Vladimir Putins government and one day short of the two-year anniversary of the countrys invasion of Ukraine, the more than 500 new sanctions include targets inside and outside of Russia and are meant to disrupt Putins ability to fund and wage war. Our sanctions have two goals, Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo said Friday. Reduce the revenues the Kremlin has to fuel its war of choice, and disrupt Russias ability to get the goods it needs to build the weapons the Kremlin wants. The sanctions were designed to crack down on Russias efforts to evade existing measures to disrupt the export of Russian energy, Adeyemo said in an appearance Friday at the Council on Foreign Relations, according to a department transcript. Russia has spent considerable resources to avoid previous sanctions, Adeyemo said. Those efforts take away from what Russia can commit to the battlefield, he added. Other targets included in U.S. sanctions Fridays sanctions also target third-country individuals and entities that provide Russia with weapons and other tools of war. Those targets include six China-based technology suppliers and a precious metals investment firm based in Liechtenstein and owned by German nationals. They also include manufacturers based in Serbia, Estonia, Ireland, the Kyrgyz Republic and Finland, according to a news release from the Treasury Department. The Treasury Departments Office of Foreign Assets Control also listed new targets in Russias military-industrial, financial and other sectors. Companies include manufacturers or providers of weapons, 3D printers, metalworking equipment, industrial chemicals, semiconductors and other electronics, military informational technology, industrial automation, optics such as thermal imaging technology, navigational instruments, energy storage, aerospace, logistics and precious metals. Treasury sanctioned nearly 300 companies. Together with sanctions from the departments of State and Commerce, the total announced Friday was more than 590, according to the Treasury Department. The State Department would add three Russian government officials related to Navalnys death to its sanctions list, according to the Treasury Department release. The State Department had not released its own list as of midday Friday. U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, an Ohio Democrat who chairs the Senate Banking Committee, said in a statement that the sanctions were appropriate to hold Putin accountable. Putin believes he can murder opponents and critics with impunity, Brown said. We must prove him wrong. The United States and the West must continue to hold the lawless Russian regime accountable. We must use every tool to protect U.S. national security and stand with our allies. U.S. Senate Democrats travel to Ukraine U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York led a delegation of Senate Democrats to Ukraine this week. In Lyiv on Friday, he told reporters that the group sought to pressure U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, to support an aid package to the country that is running low on supplies to defend against Russia. Without the aid, Ukraine, America should know, Speaker Johnson and the House Republicans should know, without the aid, we will lose the war, Schumer said, according to a transcript provided by his office. U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer speaks at press conference U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer speaks at a regularly scheduled weekly press conference just outside the U.S. Senate chamber on Jan. 23, 2024. The lawmakers largely focused on final negotiations for President Joe Bidens supplemental funding request for aid to Ukraine and Israel in exchange for changes to the U.S. immigration system. (Ashley Murray/States Newsroom) But conversely, we were told by just about everyone we saw American, Ukrainian, military, political, diplomatic that if they get the aid, if Ukraine gets the aid, it will win the war. U.S. Sens. Jack Reed of Rhode Island, Michael Bennet of Colorado, Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire and Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut were part of the delegation with Schumer. The Senate approved in a bipartisan vote this month a $95 billion package for emergency military aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. But the House, where Republicans have for months blocked any military assistance to Ukraine, has not acted on the measure. President Joe Biden also urged the nations governors to press for Ukraine assistance during a meeting at the White House Friday. After a campaign stop in California on Thursday, Biden repeated his view that Putin is responsible for Navalnys death. The outspoken Putin opponent, who was nearly killed by poison in 2020, died in a Russian prison last week. The circumstances of his death are not clear in the West, but Biden has placed the blame on Putin. Former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, who is challenging former President Donald Trump for the Republican presidential nomination, indicated in a Friday statement that she would treat Russia more harshly than either Biden or Trump. When it comes to Russia, Joe Biden has been five steps behind, and Donald Trump is openly appeasing Vladimir Putin, she said. The post More than 500 new Russia sanctions levied by White House after Navalny death appeared first on Idaho Capital Sun. About 40 people filed into the Veterans Memorial Building on Tuesday night to discuss the future of the decommissioned Morro Bay power plant site. Most of them agreed on one thing: They dont want a battery plant to replace it. In 2019, Texas-based energy company Vistra Corp. applied to build a 24-acre, 600-megawatt battery storage facility on the property at 1290 Embarcadero. The Morro Bay Power Plant closed in 2014 and has sat vacant ever since. The city partnered with Rincon Consultants to design a master plan that creates guidelines for development on the 107-acre property, according to Morro Bay planning manager Cindy Jacinth. Vistra Corp. gets to decide who builds what on the remaining 83 acres of the property, but future development must comply with the master plan, according to Jacinth. City and Rincon staff presented a draft of the master plan to the community Tuesday night. During public comment, multiple community members said they oppose the battery plant and asked the city to pause development of the master plan until after the November election when voters will weigh in on a ballot measure designed to block the project. The measure aims to freeze the land use designation of the Morro Bay Power Plant property as commercial-recreational fishing and visitor-serving commercial, which would allow developments including hotels, shops and restaurants. This could prevent the City Council from approving the battery plant, as the project would then not align with the propertys designated land use, according to supporters of the ballot measure. The city is concurrently working on an environmental impact report for the proposed battery plant project, which will be released to the public in about a month, according to Jacinth. The public will have 60 days to review the environmental impact report before it is presented to the Planning Commission, she said. Community asks for public trails, education center on power plant site The city circulated a survey at the start of the year to receive input from the community for the site, which collected 619 responses, according to Rincon consultant Ryan Russell. Based on that survey and other responses gathered during public outreach, Morro Bay residents want development on the property to include public open spaces, an education center, infrastructure to support the commercial fishing industry, strategic retail and commercial uses, along with improved parking and traffic circulation, Russell said. Survey respondents overwhelmingly did not support industrial uses on the site, especially the proposed battery plant, he said. The primary goals of the master plan are to establish an overall land use vision for the property, improve circulation in the Embarcadero area, improve pedestrian connections and to serve as a guide during phase two of the master plan process, Russell said. The draft master plan divided the property into five areas. The first was the Embarcadero area, which the plan envisions as a vibrant northern Embarcadero featuring a mix of commercial uses that prioritize creating pedestrian connections and open spaces, Russell said. This could include pathways and viewing areas, retail, restaurants and educational opportunities for local history and wildlife. The former tank farm area on the power plant site is polluted, which limits development there to industrial projects, Russell said. That portion of land is contaminated with total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPHs), which are fuel oils burned to generate electricity, as well as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are found in TPHs, according to a 2022 report from the California Department of Toxic Substances Control. The plot also contains pollution from metals, pesticides and volatile organic compounds, the state agency found. Unless the pollution is cleaned up, the former tank farm site can only be safely used for industrial or commercial purposes, the state agency said. That is where Vistra Corp. applied to build the battery plant. A rendering illustrates how a proposed 22-acre battery storage plant would look at the site of the Morro Bay Power Plants old oil tanks. The power plant building area, which currently houses the animal protection organization Pacific Wildlife Care, can be transformed into infrastructure that supports retail and the commercial fishing industry, Russel said. Scientists couldnt test soil under the power plant building at the center of the property, so they do not know if that portion of land is contaminated. However, the states toxic substances control agency did not detect harmful levels of pollution on other parts of the property. Meanwhile, the hillside on Scott Street could include housing and open space with benches and lookout points, Russell said. Finally, the Morro Creek and Lila Keiser Park area presents opportunities for traffic circulation improvements, habitat restoration and preservation around the creek, while upgrading the existing park, according to Russell. The Morro Bay-based Michael Too heads out to sea on a salmon-fishing trip as the sun rises behind the power plant. Community rejects battery plant, asks for more detailed report Numerous speakers at public comment suggested the city postpone further development of the master plan until after voters weigh in on the November ballot measure designed to block the battery plant project. I think this is putting the cart before the horse, Morro Bay resident Nicole Dorfman said. Dorfman preferred that Vistra Corp. sell the property to someone who wants to clean up the pollution and develop the land into thriving parts of the community, she said. I can imagine there are a lot of people who would want their hands on what could be an incredible, beautiful, thriving area on the California Coast, she said. Morro Bay resident Betsy Gaudette-Cross collected signatures for the ballot measure opposing changes to zoning. When she went door-to-door to talk to voters, an overwhelming majority of people opposed the battery plant, she said. Why would we go against the citizens of Morro Bay when were the ones who have to live here? she said. According to Jacinth, including the potential for an industrial project like the battery plant in the master plan does not mean the city is required to build one. If the ballot measure passes and freezes the land use of the property, it would override the master plan, she said. The city will hold another public meeting to discuss the master plan on March 27, Jacinth said. The Morro Bay Power Plant closed in 2014 and has sat vacant ever since. During the discussion, Morro Bay planning commissioners asked that the next draft of the master plan include more information about the cultural and environmental history of the property, along with information about flood and storm risks. I think you guys can do better, commissioner Bill Roschen said. I think you need to focus. I think the community will not accept anything less than a thoughtful, complete understanding to move forward. Commissioner Asia King suggested the plan prioritize infrastructure that can withstand climate change. She said future development should prioritize our natural environment, either as it has been in the past or whats more resilient and sustainable going forward in the face of changing climate. CHARLOTTE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) On Friday, a Mecklenburg County judge said he cant make Diana Cojocari, the mom of missing girl Madalina Cojocari, come to court. The Cornelius mother is being held on a charge of not reporting her daughter missing in 2022. And if its being said on part by the defense that the defendant chooses not to come, we cant force her to be here, said Superior Court Judge Donald Cureton. Cojocari was scheduled for an arraignment Friday, but the prosecution announced she was refusing to appear in court, and the defense asked that her hearing be set for a later date. MORE FROM QUEEN CITY NEWS Finding Madalina Cojocari could have changed her not plea to guilty Friday and possibly have gotten out of jail. Instead, shell stay there, in the same place shes been for more than a year. Queen City News Chief Legal Analyst Khalif Rhodes explained that the suspects reasons dont have to do her current charge. In this case she could walk out, but I think thats a misnomer because if she genuinely believes I didnt do this, I didnt kill my daughter, I didnt do anything like that, even though thats not the charge, explained Queen City News Chief Legal Analyst Khalif Rhodes. I dont want to plead guilty to a felony that even makes the appearance that Im guilty. However, she could just get out of Charlotte, she could just book it, and Thank you. Ill take this charge and get out of jail and start my life somewhere else. The court appearance that Cojocari refused to attend Friday, Feb. 23. The last time we saw Madalinas stepfather, Christopher Palmiter, was in August when he bonded out of jail. Queen City News stopped by the couples Cornelius home Friday and was greeted by a no-trespassing sign and no one coming to the door. Palmiter has an ankle monitor and is under curfew. No new date has been set for Cojocari to appear in court. This case has been captured by the media and captured by the whole world and so because of that, I think theres a reluctance to do anything with this case, and so now were just letting time go by, but as I mentioned shes already served more time than she would be if she was convicted, and she hasnt been already, said Rhodes. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News. UPDATE: Police found Antonia Ilieva safe. Police in Mount Lebanon are searching for a missing woman. Antonia Ilieva has been missing from her home along Ridgefield Avenue since around 4 p.m. Friday. Ilieva is 5 feet, 9 inches tall and weighs 150 pounds. She has short, white hair. Ilieva speaks Russian/Bulgarian and broken English. She is known to frequent Rite Aid on Banksville Road. Police said she does not typically go far from her home. Anyone with information on her whereabouts is asked to call Allegheny County dispatchers at 412-473-3056. Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW TRENDING NOW: Avella man, 21, killed in single-vehicle crash Allegheny County, Pittsburgh to enact Code Blue this weekend Cyberattack causes prescription delays at pharmacies nationwide VIDEO: Pittsburghers will get partial view of upcoming eclipse; for a better view, plan a trip to Erie DOWNLOAD the Channel 11 News app for breaking news alerts Mount Union logo ALLIANCE University of Mount Union has announced two new concentrations in its master of business administration degree program. The university has added strategic healthcare administration and corporate communication and public relations to its online degree program offerings. These concentrations join the foundational offerings of Mount Unions MBA program in business analytics and leadership and innovation. The MBA program offers flexibility with a seven-week course format. Working with faculty from our other disciplines shows a clear commitment to interdisciplinary, liberal arts education while emphasizing the real-life skill development necessary for MBA graduates, said Wendy Ziems-Mueller, director of Mount Unions MBA program and associate professor of management and leadership. Strategically implementing new curricula and concentrations will benefit future Mount Union alumni and our community long into the future. All four concentrations in Mount Unions MBA degree program are approved by the Ohio Department of Higher Education and the Higher Learning Commission. Mount Unions MBA program offers rolling admission with start dates in May, August and January. To learn more, visit mountunion.edu/mba. This article originally appeared on The Alliance Review: Mount Union adds MBA programs in healthcare, PR studies MEMPHIS, Tenn. Memphis Police are searching for a man who stole a package from a Whitehaven home in broad daylight. Memphis Police responded to a home on Winchester Road near Dogwood Lane at 8:48 a.m. Saturday. Suspects accused of stealing womans purse in Superlo Foods Surveillance camera footage released by Memphis Police shows a black Toyota Camry parked in the homes driveway. The suspect gets out of the car, walks up to the porch, and picks up a package. Memphis Police say the suspect left the scene heading east on Winchester near Elvis Presley Boulevard. No arrests have been made at this time. Anyone with information on this theft is asked to call CrimeStoppers at (901) 528-CASH. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WREG.com. NACOGDOCHES, Texas (KETK) The Nacogdoches Police Department is warning the public about a scammer pretending to be Sgt. Brett Ayres who is asking people to send them money to avoid an arrest. Sheriffs office says names of Smith County sergeants are being used in phone scams The caller will reportedly try and convince their scam victims that they need to send money to not be arrested for various arrest warrants. Sgt. Brett Ayres is an actual police sergeant at NPD, but we do not operate this way. If you receive a call such as this, please do not send any money to anyone. These types of scams have unfortunately taken place in recent years in our county with other law enforcement agencies and using the names of other legitimate law enforcement personnel. This is a scam and we hope nobody falls victim to this. Nacogdoches Police Department For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KETK.com | FOX51.com. In September a flag reading Come and Take It flew at the Spring Branch ISD administration building -- a reference to the board's refusal to make a payment to the state. Later, the board quietly backed down. Raquel Natalicchio/Staff photographer I served in various leadership roles in Spring Branch ISD for 18 years, my last 11 as superintendent of schools. There were many financial challenges during those years, especially after the mortgage crisis in 2008, when we had to eliminate more than 350 positions. During that time, a few core beliefs guided the board and me. First, we believed that before we made personnel or program cuts at school campuses, we needed to make as many reductions as possible at central office. Second, when we were making reductions that directly affected campuses and students, we believed the projected savings should justify the possible negative impact on the affected communities. In other words, dont create angst in the community if the decision you are making doesnt save enough money to justify the resulting disruption. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Finally, we believed that engaging the communitys expertise would aid us in making the best decisions. Spring Branchs current board does not seem to follow any of these core beliefs. Recently, Spring Branch announced that it is in a financial crisis due to the inaction of state lawmakers. The district projects a $35 million deficit. Based on the districts financial statements, Spring Branch currently spends roughly $387 million per year. A $35 million reduction would represent 9% of its budget. However, many in the community question if Spring Branchs financial crisis is as dire as it claims, since it currently has an available fund balance (savings account) in excess of $100 million. Unfortunately, without answering questions from the affected communities and adequately engaging them as experts, the school board has moved forward, radically eliminating several valued programs. At Stratford High School, the board decided to eliminate the block master schedule a very successful academic scheduling system that has been in place for decades and has broad support from students, parents and teachers. The board also decided to eliminate the popular and well established gifted and talented program that gave students from across the district special instruction once a week at Bendwood Elementary. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Beyond those programmatic cuts, the board made deeper cuts affecting the most impoverished area of the school district. The board voted to close Treasure Forest Elementary, a high-poverty campus on the north side of the school district. The boards rationale was that the campus is underutilized due to declining enrollment. But other campuses in the more affluent areas of the school district are also not at capacity. Were any of those campuses considered? The board also voted to end the very popular SKY Partnership at Landrum Middle School, Northbrook Middle School and Northbrook High School. SKY is a unique partnership that combined the best of Spring Branch, KIPP Houston and YES Prep Houston programs for students in three of the most impoverished schools in the district. It has seen great success in providing access to higher education for first-generation students. TEA TAKEOVER OF HISD: A complete roundup of editorials and op-eds The board also decided to close the Panda Path Pre-K Center, a very successful early childhood program also located in the Northbrook area of the school district. And recently, they took radical to a whole new level and announced another round of cuts including eliminating all librarians in the school system. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Whats changed? Its the board. Until recently, Spring Branch had a very representative board of trustees. For decades, the community always resisted electing single-issue candidates, instead electing community leaders who had dedicated years of service to the school system and had a clear understanding of the districts finances. In the last three election cycles, however, influenced heavily by a massive amount of outside money, a majority of the newly elected school board members have focused narrowly on social and political issues while ignoring the needs of the majority of the districts students and the wants of the community. For example, a few months ago, the board voted to not send its Robin Hood payment to the state of Texas in a show of defiance. (This payment is required by state law; the money is redistributed to districts with lower property values and less funds.) A member of the school board even demanded that the school district fly a Come and Take It flag from its flagpole. Recently, though, the board quietly voted to send the payment to the state. Such showmanship accomplishes nothing. School boards are designed to be representative and responsive to local constituents. In this case, the constituents have many unanswered questions that deserve a clear and transparent explanation from the school board. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Why have you decided to attack your state elected leaders instead of working with them to solve the financial problems? Previously, SBISD had a stellar reputation as a district collaborating with its elected leaders to develop trust and respect and achieve the best outcomes for its students. Why are you making drastic cuts when you are sitting on over $100 million in your fund balance? Why are most of the cuts in the most impoverished part of the school district? Suppose the students in the SKY Partnership leave the school district and go to KIPP and YES Prep schools. Wont the school district actually lose more money in per-student funding than the partnership currently costs? In both the SKY Partnership and Panda Path situations, the board has ignored their partners offers to renegotiate the agreements so the programs can continue uninterrupted. In the Panda Path case, the partner has offered to cover the rental costs of the facility at a savings of $220,000 per year. What is the boards real motivation in closing these programs without any effort to keep them open? MORE FROM THE NEWSROOM: Spring Branch ISD to close schools and redesign GT programs I have a background in finance, and have reviewed the school districts required financial reports, as well as the financial information it has provided on its website. The Spring Branch community needs to know that the cuts at this drastic level are not needed at this time. Spring Branchs financial crisis is largely a result of the board approving budgets that added staff at a time of declining enrollment and an excessive use of the federal pandemic funds to pay for staff. The board should have seen this issue coming and planned accordingly. Instead, they were focused on social and political issues, and not the financial health of the school system. This challenge is an opportunity for the new board to show their competence and ability to manage the district financially and provide strong representation to all areas of the school district. So far, they have failed that test. Navalny spokesperson says his body was handed to his mother The spokesperson for deceased Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny says his body has been turned over to the custody of his mother. Spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh announced that Navalny's body has been turned over by the Russian government after days of pleading from Lyudmila Navalnaya, the late activist's mother. "Alexey's body was handed over to his mother," Yarmysh announced via social media on Saturday. "Many thanks to all those who demanded this with us. Lyudmila Ivanovna is still in Salekhard." ALEXEI NAVALNY'S MOTHER DEMANDS PUTIN HAND OVER SON'S BODY 'SO THAT I CAN BURY HIM HUMANELY' "The funeral is still pending. We do not know if the authorities will interfere to carry it out as the family wants and as Alexey deserves," Yarmysh continued. "We will inform you as soon as there is news." The transfer of Navalny's body follows a long string of accusations from his loved ones that the Russian government has tried to intimidate and blackmail them into agreeing to a "private funeral" out of the public eye. READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP Navalnaya made her initial plea for her son's body while speaking outside a penal colony in Kharp in northern Russia, where prison officials say Navalny died last Friday after collapsing following a walk. The prominent Putin critic was serving a sentence there on charges he has argued were politically motivated. ALEXEI NAVALNYS WIFE SAYS PUTIN KILLED THE FATHER OF MY CHILDREN "I am addressing you, Vladimir Putin. The solution to the issue depends only on you. Let me finally see my son," she added. "I demand that Alexeis body be immediately handed over so that I can bury him humanely." Navalnys wife Yulia Navalnaya added later on social media, "Give back Alexeis body and let him be buried with dignity, dont stop people from saying goodbye to him." She alleged in another video on Monday that her husband was poisoned and Russian that officials were holding onto his body until all traces of the nerve agent disappeared. Navalnys body reportedly was found with "signs of bruising," while government officials told his mother last week that Navalny died of "sudden death syndrome," according to Reuters. World leaders including President Biden are blaming Putin after Russia announced Navalnys death at a penal colony in Siberia on Friday, but the Kremlin is now calling those statements "obnoxious," the news agency adds. Original article source: Navalny spokesperson says his body was handed to his mother Russias prison employees have finally handed over the body of opposition leader Alexei Navalny to his mother. Source: Navalny's spokesperson, Kira Yarmysh, on X (Twitter) Quote: "The body of Alexei has been handed over to his mother. Huge thanks to everyone who demanded this together with us. [Navalnys mother,] Lyudmila Ivanovna is still in Salekhard. The funeral is still ahead. We do not know whether the authorities will hinder conducting it as the family wishes and as Alexei deserves. We will provide information as it becomes available." Background: On the afternoon of 16 February, Russias Federal Penitentiary Service reported the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny at Correctional Facility No. 3 in Kharp, Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, in northwestern Siberia. Alexei Navalny had been imprisoned since early 2021. The Moscow City Court sentenced him to 19 years in prison in a special-regime colony for "extremism" in August 2023. On the morning of 19 February, Lyudmila Navalnaya arrived at the morgue in the town of Salekhard where the body of her son, opposition politician Alexei Navalny, was allegedly kept. Still, neither she nor her lawyers were allowed in. On 20 February, Lyudmila recorded a video appeal to the president of Russia, demanding her son's body be returned so that she could bury him. On 23 February, Lyudmila reported that the prison administration threatened to bury her son's body in the prison colony if she did not agree to a secret, quiet burial. Support UP or become our patron! Volodymyr Zelensky addressed a group of Ukrainian soldiers, telling them that they had defended freedom by repelling Russian forces - BENOIT DOPPAGNE/Avalon Volodymyr Zelensky promised victory against Russia as Ukraine marked the second anniversary of the full-scale invasion on Saturday. Speaking on the tarmac of Kyivs Hostomel airport, where Ukrainian soldiers fought off Russian paratroopers in the opening days of the war, the Ukrainian president pledged that his forces would overturn recent battlefield defeats. We will win, he said at a ceremony attended by four Western leaders, including Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president, and Justin Trudeau, the Canadian prime minister. Two years ago we met hostile fire here, he said in an earlier video, with the wreckages of Ukrainian aircraft still visible behind him. Two years later we are welcoming our friends. Mr Zelensky and his allies addressed a group of Ukrainian soldiers, telling them that they had defended freedom by repelling Russian forces. Mr Zelensky (centre) with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, European Commission president Ursula Von der Leyen and Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo during a joint meeting in Kyiv - Shutterstock Irpin residents attend a memorial ceremony under a destroyed bridge on the second anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine - ROMAN PILIPEY/AFP via Getty Images Your courage stood in Putins way. You didnt run and you didnt flinch. A small force of Ukrainian heroes held off the invader, fighting until their last bullet and their last breath, Ms von der Leyen said. But whereas a year ago Ukraine and its backers were celebrating battlefield successes, they are now on the back foot after the failure of a much-hyped summer counter-offensive. Russias forces have been taking ground from Ukraines military which has complained that they have nearly run out of ammunition as Western supplies slow. In a video message, Jens Stoltenberg, the Nato secretary general, said that Ukraine was on course to join the alliance but he also described news of Russian advances as extremely serious. As we prepare you for that day, Nato will continue to stand with Ukraine, he said. Boris Johnson visited Kyiv on Saturday to meet Volodymyr Zelensky. The former prime minister renewed his call for Ukraines allies to send it more weapons. They need artillery shells and long range artillery of all kinds, he said. It is ridiculous to argue that giving them weapons is provocative or an escalation. Russias troops, he added, are firing 10 times as many shells in some places. How can we look these soldiers in the eye and say we are doing enough? Last week Russian soldiers claimed the Kremlins first battlefield victory since May with the capture of the town of Avdiivka, although analysts described this as a Pyrrhic victory because 17,000 Russian soldiers had been killed during the takeover of the destroyed town. Relatives of the Azovstal defenders and other Ukrainian prisoners of war hold banners at a rally in Kyiv calling for authorities to return their relatives from Russian captivity - Reuters/Viacheslav Ratynskyi In an unusually downbeat assessment of the battlefield, the British Ministry of Defence said that the Kremlin had suffered massive losses but had now been able to replenish its army. Russian forces in Ukraine are now larger in number than at the start of the war. It is now able to maintain attacks along the front line and pursue a strategy of attrition, it said. Analysts have said that while Europe has struggled to ramp up its arms production and US domestic politics has slowed the flow of weapons from Washington, Russia has boosted its own munitions production and made deals with North Korea and Iran that have swelled its arms depots. In capitals across Europe, thousands of people marched against Russian aggression. 04:59 PM GMT That's all for today. Thanks for following the Telegraph's live blog. Well be back tomorrow with the latest updates on the war. 04:55 PM GMT Two years on, Ukraine is seeking the least worst option In the summer of 2022, I spent several days ringing acquaintances in Ukraine, writes Roland Oliphant and Ben Butcher. The six-month anniversary of the full-scale invasion was approaching a milestone few had imagined it would reach when the tanks first rolled in and I wanted a sense of how they saw the war. It was not an easy time. Kyiv had been saved, but Mariupol and Severodonetsk lost despite heroic last stands. Read the full piece here. 04:54 PM GMT German Foreign Minister visits Odesa German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock visited the Ukrainian port of Odesa on Saturday on the second anniversary of the Russian invasion, crossing from Moldova with her Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba. Baerbock said walking into Ukraine with Kuleba was like a next step to European integration and into the European Union, according to an AFP reporter travelling with the German minister. 04:19 PM GMT Watch: Russia 'accidentally shoots down own spy plane' Russian forces have accidentally shot down their own 275 million spy plane over occupied Ukraine, pro-Kremlin military bloggers have said, writes James Kilner. Vladimir Romanov said that the Beriev A-50 Soviet-built plane crashed near the Sea of Azov after it was hit by a missile fired from Mariupol, the Ukrainian city that Russian forces captured in 2022. The enemy has nothing to do with it again. The launches were from the Mariupol area, he told his 140,000 followers. After being hit by an air defence missile (not fired by the enemy), the A-50 broke into two parts. Read the full piece here. 03:59 PM GMT 'Ukraine will join Nato', says Jens Stoltenberg It is no longer a question of if, but of when Ukraine will join Nato, the alliances chief has said. Mr Stoltenberg made the remarks by video link at a ceremony attended by Western leaders in Kyiv to mark the anniversary of the Russian invasion. The Nato chief said: President Putin started this war because he wanted to close Natos door, and deny Ukraine the right to choose its own path. But he has achieved the exact opposite: Ukraine is now closer to Nato than ever before. He added: Ukraine will join Nato. It is not a question of if, but of when. As we prepare you for that day, Nato will continue to stand with Ukraine. For your security, and for ours. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen traveled overnight to Kyiv by train along with Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. 03:46 PM GMT Canada will provide 1.7 billion in aid for Ukraine this year Canada said on Saturday it would provide 3.02 billion Canadian dollars (1.7 billion) in financial and military support for Ukraine this year as the two countries signed a security agreement. We will stand with Ukraine with whatever it takes, for as long as it takes, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who was visiting Kyiv on the second anniversary of the war, said in a statement announcing the funding. Kyiv also signed a bilateral security deal with Italy on Saturday, Zelensky said, following similar deals struck with Britain, France, Germany and Denmark in recent weeks. The 10-year agreement between Ottawa and Kyiv outlines key, long-term security commitments for Canada to continue supporting Ukraine as it defends its sovereignty and territorial integrity, protects its people, and rebuilds its economy for the future, Trudeaus office said. 02:39 PM GMT Alexei Navalny's wife accuses Putin of 'satanism' Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, accused President Vladimir Putin of satanism on Saturday for not allowing the body to be returned to his family. Navalnys mother Lyudmila has said authorities are threatening to bury him on the grounds of the Arctic prison colony where he died earlier this month if she did not agree to a secret funeral. You tortured him alive, now you torture him while he is dead, Yulia Navalnaya, who has vowed to continue her husbands work, said in a new video, published Saturday. Russian authorities have said only that an investigation is ongoing and have previously criticised accusations from Navalnya as unfounded and vulgar. 01:50 PM GMT Poland: Protestors dump dung outside home of Russian ambassador Protestors said they dumped two tons of dung outside the home of the Russian ambassador to Poland on Saturday, as they marked the second anniversary of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Activists put a bloodied Russian flag with the letter Z on the pile of manure and stuck a sign into it that said Russia = shit! We dont want you in EU! Get out!, pictures of the protest in Konstancin-Jeziorna, seen by Reuters, showed. The town near Warsaw is where the ambassador lives. Elsewhere in Warsaw at 6 a.m. local time other protestors played the sound of sirens, gunfire and explosions outside a building housing Russian diplomats. We wanted a clear signal to the Polish authorities and the European Union. Its high time to expel Russian diplomats from our country, said Dominik, a protestor quoted in a statement. 01:32 PM GMT The King's statement on the anniversary of the Russian invasion The determination and strength of the Ukrainian people continues to inspire, as the unprovoked attack on their land, their lives and livelihoods enters a third, tragic, year. Despite the tremendous hardship and pain inflicted upon them, Ukrainians continue to show the heroism with which the world associates them so closely. Theirs is true valour, in the face of indescribable aggression. I have felt this personally in the many meetings I have had with Ukrainians since the start of the war, from President Zelenskyy and Mrs Zelenska, to new army recruits training here in the United Kingdom. I continue to be greatly encouraged that the United Kingdom and our allies remain at the forefront of international efforts to support Ukraine at this time of such great suffering and need. My heart goes out to all those affected, as I remember them in my thoughts and prayers. 01:28 PM GMT Russia 'unlikely' to join peace talks in Switzerland Russia is unlikely to take part at the outset of a high-level Ukraine peace conference which neutral Switzerland plans to host in the coming months, Swiss President Viola Amherd was quoted as saying by a newspaper on Saturday. Amherds interview with the Neue Zuercher Zeitung daily was published a few hours after Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis told the United Nations that Bern aimed to hold the conference by this summer after the idea was floated in January. Russia, which began its invasion of Ukraine two years ago, last month called the peace conference plan pointless and indicated it was doomed to fail without Moscows participation. When asked whether Switzerland had since received any more positive signals from Russia, Amherd told the newspaper: Right now, it looks as though Russia will not take part in a first round of the conference. 01:11 PM GMT Rishi Sunak reaffirms Britains support for Ukraine Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Saturday reaffirmed the UKs support for Ukraine on the second anniversary of Russias full-scale invasion. Mr Sunak said Britain was prepared to do whatever it takes to aid Ukraine in the war effort, pledging almost 250m towards producing artillery shells. It comes as the UK recently announced more sanctions against Russia. 12:46 PM GMT Russia is making gains while you are on holiday, Biden berates Congress Joe Biden on Friday warned Congress that Russian forces were making gains while they were on holiday after the politicians refused to back his $60 billion (42 billion) military aid package for Ukraine, writes Joe Barnes, Brussels Correspondent. The US president also said that Vladimir Putin would continue on his path of destruction unless he does not pay the price, as the White House unveiled its largest-ever package of sanctions on Moscow in response to the war. At the same time, David Cameron, the Foreign Secretary, warned the Russian president would be back for more if Western governments let war fatigue set in and allowed Moscows military to succeed in Ukraine. Read the full piece here. 12:26 PM GMT 'We will win', says Zelensky on invasion anniversary President Volodymyr Zelensky vowed Saturday that Ukraine would defeat Russia as the war entered a third year. We have been fighting for this for 730 days of our lives. We will win on the greatest day of our lives, Zelensky told an open-air anniversary event in Kyiv. Any normal person wants the war to end. But none of us will allow Ukraine to end, Zelensky said, stressing that the war must end on our terms, with a just peace. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni (L) meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the second anniversary of the Russian invasion - Filippo Attili/Italian Government Press/ Shutterstock He spoke alongside the Canadian, Italian and Belgian prime ministers and EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen who came to Kyiv to mark two years since Russias invasion. Zelensky hugged the leaders and handed medals to soldiers at a ceremony at Kyivs Gostomel airport, targeted by Russia in the first days of its invasion. Two years ago, we met the enemy landing force here with fire; two years later, we meet our friends and partners here, the president said. 11:56 AM GMT Pictured: Invasion Anniversary Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky pictured during a Joint meeting in Kyiv - Benoit Doppagne/Avalon The prime ministers of Canada and Italy and the EU president and prime minster, pictured alongside Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv - Shutterstock US Senator Chuck Schumer, Ukraine's Defence Minister Rustem Umerov and Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Col Gen Oleksandr Syrskyi pay tribute to fallen Ukrainian service members - Ukrainian Armed Forces/Reuters 11:27 AM GMT Western leaders descend on Kyiv to mark war anniversary Western leaders descended on Kyiv Saturday to mark the second anniversary of Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen traveled overnight to Kyiv by train along with Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky, European Commission president Ursula Von der Leyen and Prime Minister Alexander De Croo pictured during a joint meeting in Kyiv, Ukraine - Shutterstock They arrived shortly after a Russian drone attack struck a residential building in the southern city of Odesa, killing at least one person. Three women also sustained severe burns in the attack Friday evening on a residential building, regional Governor Oleh Kiper said on his social media account. Rescue services are still combing rubble looking for survivors. The foreign leaders are in Ukraine to express solidarity as Ukrainian forces run low on ammunition and weaponry and Western aid hangs in the balance. More than ever we stand firmly by Ukraine. Financially, economically, militarily, morally. Until the country is finally free, Ms von der Leyen said after she arrived in Kyiv. 11:07 AM GMT How Ukraines new super fun F-16s will help hold back Russia Volodymyr Zelensky could hardly contain his excitement and broke into a wide grin as he lowered himself into the cockpit of the F-16 jet fighter, writes Joe Barnes, Brussels Correspondent, and Susie Coen, US correspondent. His visit to a Danish air base in August was the culmination of a globe-trotting publicity campaign that finally convinced the West to send Kyiv dozens of the advanced warplanes. The jets have been the subject of feverish debate in defence circles, with some holding them up as potential war-winners. This year, the first of them will arrive in Ukraine. Read the full piece here. 10:46 AM GMT Giorgia Meloni arrives in Kyiv Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni arrived in Kyiv Saturday to preside over a G7 virtual meeting on Ukraine on the second anniversary of Russias invasion, the government announced in Rome. The meeting, which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is also to attend, would discuss new sanctions against Russia. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni (C) arriving by train in Kyiv, Ukraine - Shutterstock/Filippo Attili Meloni flew to Poland, which adjoins Ukraine, and then took the train to Kyiv. According to Italian news agency AGI, Meloni and Zelensky will open the meeting at 1600 GMT at the Saint Sophia cathedral in downtown Kyiv. 10:34 AM GMT Lord Cameron warns allies in UN against fatigue over Russias war in Ukraine Lord David Cameron warned allies in the United Nations against fatigue and compromise over Russias war in Ukraine as he urged countries including the US to keep up support for Kyiv. The UK Foreign Secretary said the world must recognise the cost of giving up in a speech in New York on the eve of the second anniversary of Moscows invasion. European countries are struggling to find enough stock to send to Kyiv, and US help worth 60 billion dollars (47 billon) is stalled over political differences in Washington. Speaking at the UN general assembly on Friday, Lord Cameron said: Two years on, I recognise some want a rethink. There is a sense of fatigue. There are other problems. 10:01 AM GMT Russia will seek 'revenge' for Western sanctions Russias ex-president Dmitry Medvedev, a leading hawk on the Ukraine offensive, said Saturday Moscow will seek revenge for massive Western sanctions. A day earlier, the US unveiled fresh sanctions on the eve of the second anniversary of Moscows Ukraine campaign and after the death in prison of opposition leader Alexei Navalny. The latest sanctions cover 500 targets, including the Mir credit card system, set up by Russia to avoid reliance on US-based networks, and key businesses. The reason (behind the sanctions) is clear: the worse it is for Russian citizens, the better it is for the Western world, Medvedev said on social media. 09:25 AM GMT Ukraine attacks Russian steel plant Ukraine attacked a steel plant belonging to Russias Novolipetsk RAO with drones overnight in a joint operation by the GUR military intelligence agency and SBU security service, a Ukrainian source said on Saturday. The source told Reuters the attack had caused a major fire at the plant and staff had been evacuated. Raw materials from this enterprise are used to manufacture Russian missiles, artillery, drones. Therefore, it is a legitimate goal for Ukraine, the source said, without specifying the location of the plant. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. The widow and daughter of Alexei Navalny have urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to release the body of the opposition leader for burial. It has been more than a week since Russia's best-known activist died in prison, sparking international outrage from leaders who regarded him as a political prisoner. In a video message published on Saturday Navalny's widow, Yulia Navalnaya, said that Putin, who describes himself as a devout Christian, is mocking the remains of the deceased and displaying "open Satanism." "Hand over Alexei," she says in the video. "They tortured him alive and continue to torture him dead. They are breaking every human and divine law." Navalny's daughter Dasha has also asked for the release of her father's body. In a post published on the social network X, formerly Twitter, on Saturday she wrote "Give grandma my father's body." Her grandmother Lyudmila Navalnaya had stated in a video on Thursday that Putin's authorities wanted to force her to hold a secret funeral and had threatened to harm the body. Putin was actually driven by hatred and a desire for revenge, said Yulia Navalnaya. "No, it's not even hatred, it's Satanism, paganism." Faith, she said, is about goodness, about mercy, about redemption. "And no true Christian could ever do what Putin is now doing with the dead Alexei." In the video the 47-year-old Navalnaya condemned Putin's war against Ukraine, and said he had weaponized the Russian Orthodox church. "They are simply killing, bombing sleeping civilians at night with missiles that were blessed in the church," said Navalnaya. The Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church, Kirill, is a confidant of Putin and an ardent supporter of the war against Ukraine. Russian clergymen often bless missiles in public. Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, lashed out at Russian dictator Vladimir Putin in a video released on Feb. 24, criticizing Russian authorities for their failure to release Navalny's remains to his family nine days after his death. Navalny, Putin's main political opponent, died on Feb. 16 in a penal colony in the town of Kharp, Yamal Nenets Autonomous District. He had been convicted in several fabricated criminal cases as part of the Kremlin's crackdown on dissent. Leaders around the world have blamed Putin for his death. Opinions differ on whether his death was caused by the harsh prison conditions or was an intentional murder. The Russian government is still refusing to give Navalny's body to his family. "This is not even hatred - this is some kind of Satanism, paganism. What are you planning to do with his body? How far will you go to mock the man you killed?" Navalnaya said. Believers of the Orthodox Christian faith typically commemorate nine days and then 40 days after a person's death. According to Navalny's widow, he was very religious. In the video, Navalnaya said that Putin is "holding (Navalny's) body hostage" and "mocking his mother" by attempting to coerce her into agreeing to a secret funeral so that people cannot publicly pay their respects. Otherwise, they are threatening to bury his body on the grounds of the penal colony where he died. Navalnaya took this situation to call out Putin's repeated public stunts over the years to portray himself as a man of faith. He has often invoked "traditional values" in an effort to attack more vulnerable members of Russian society, like the LGBT community. "We knew before that Putin's faith was fake, but now we see it more clearly than ever. Faith is not about kissing an icon. Faith is about goodness, about mercy, about salvation," she said. "You are mocking the remains of the deceased. It is impossible to imagine greater devilry. You break every law: both human and divine." Navalny's mother said on Feb. 22 that investigators had shown her Navalny's body. She said that the investigators had stated that they would only transfer the body to her if she agreed to a secret funeral, as opposed to a public one. On Feb. 23, Navalny's team said that the investigators had threatened Navalny's mother and issued an ultimatum. They said that, if she did not agree to a secret funeral within three hours, they would bury Navalny at the penal colony, according to Navalny's team. Read also: Alexei Navalnys life and death as main opponent to Putin regime Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) The luck o the Irish will return to Portland this year as the Northeast St. Patricks Day Parade celebrates its 35th year in the city. The festivities will begin at 1 p.m. at Northeast 33rd Avenue and Hancock Street near the Beverly Cleary School on Sunday, March 17. Man needed tourniquet after Southeast Portland shooting Organizer Steve Slavik who goes by Steve OSlavik on the big day said he started the parade in 1990 to impress his skeptical father-in-law, Thomas Healy Jr., a tough-minded Michigan attorney of Irish heritage who doubted his son-in-law could throw a proper Irish celebration. Now, decades later, the parade spans 16 blocks and features a drum line, bagpipers, mascots and floats from groups like Portland Fire, Portland Pickles, and the Hillsboro Hops. Ritz-Carlton Portland Chef Lauro Romero dies Community members can register floats or join the festivities by visiting the parades website. Until parade day, a handmade sign in front of Slaviks home at Northeast Hancock Street and 25th Avenue will be counting down the days until the celebration begins. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOIN.com. (Photo : Unsplash/Asael Pena) Students, faculty, and staff at 25 university campuses in the U.S. are urging their institutions to end their contracts with Starbucks in protest of the company's handling of union organizing efforts. The "Starbucks Gets an F" Protests The "Starbucks gets an F" protests will occur Thursday at various campuses, including the University of Chicago, the University of South Florida, UW-Madison, New York University, Georgetown, and Rutgers. Many college campuses have Starbucks stores through licensing deals or contracts with third-party vendors. Student organizers are circulating petitions urging universities to end contracts with Starbucks on campus, as they aim to raise public awareness, hold the company accountable, and support workers' unionizing endeavors at Starbucks. Taking a Stand in Starbucks' Injustices David Ramirez, a student organizer at UCLA, expressed concern that tuition dollars should not support companies committing injustices where students submitted a petition in January urging the university to terminate its contract with Starbucks due to the company's aggressive campaign against unionization efforts in its stores. Many universities nationwide are taking a stand against Starbucks as people increasingly recognize that the company's proclaimed progressiveness does not match reality. Ramirez noted that it is their responsibility to take a stand and voice out how these companies treat their workers. The Largest Single-Day Union Filing Since December 2021, almost 400 Starbucks stores across the U.S. have successfully voted to join Starbucks Workers United when unionization began in Buffalo, New York. On Tuesday, 21 Starbucks stores filed for union recognition, marking the largest single-day filing in the union campaign. Students at Cornell University effectively persuaded the university not to renew its contract with Starbucks in response to local union campaigns, where workers encountered significant resistance, leading to store closures. Following this achievement, similar campaigns have emerged at numerous other college campuses across the U.S. READ ALSO: Labor Union Petitions Federal Oversight of South Carolina Workplace Safety, Highlights "Racial Discrimination" Root Cause Holding Starbucks Accountable Haya Odeh was a barista at Starbucks in North Carolina and played a key role in union organizing until her transfer request was denied when she began attending the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Now, she's leading student organizing efforts on campus as part of a campaign against the company. Odeh emphasized the importance of holding Starbucks accountable for its treatment of workers, stating that it will not ignore the company's injustices, being the next generation of workers and consumers. Odeh highlighted concerns beyond union busting, aiming to send a strong message to students against Starbucks' labor practices and worker treatment. Since the beginning of the Starbucks Workers United campaign, workers have lodged hundreds of complaints of unfair labor practices against Starbucks with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and have not admitted any wrongdoing over union campaigns. Starbucks Denying Union-Busting Allegations Starbucks attorneys and attorneys from Trader Joe's, Amazon, and SpaceX argued that the NLRB's initiation of proceedings over labor law violations by these companies is unconstitutional. Starbucks praised the decision of the U.S. Supreme Court to hear their appeal case in January involving the termination of seven Starbucks workers at a unionized store in Memphis. A Starbucks spokesperson rejected all union-busting accusations in response to the actions. Starbucks stated that while they value their direct partnership with employees, they also respect their right to organize and bargain collectively, reiterating their commitment to achieving ratified contracts for union-represented stores in the U.S. by 2024. RELATED ARTICLE: Starbucks Anti-Union Tactics Not True, Calling It Pure Propaganda Amidst Employee Relations Controversy 2017 Jobs & Hire All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Nicole Addimando pictured in court with an inset of her abuser, chris grover This past Jan. 4, Nicole Addimando, a 31-year-old mother of two better known as Nikki, was released from the Bedford Hills Correctional Facility, in Westchester County, NY. She had served seven-and-a-half years of a 19-years-to-life sentence on charges of second-degree murder in the shooting death of her boyfriend, Chris Grover, the father of her two children. A popular gym instructor on the outside, behind closed doors Grover was a monster with a fetish for spousal violence and sadistic torture. Addimando during a pretrial hearing for her murder case in 2018. Nina Schutzman/Poughkeepsie Journal Addimando won her freedom as a result of New Yorks Domestic Violence Survivors Justice Act. Passed in 2019, it authorizes sentence reductions when abuse was a significant contribution to the crime. In this case, the abuse was so significant that Nikki fatally shot Chris on the night of September 28, 2017, in their modest Poughkeepsie, NY apartment. During the course of their seven-year turbulent union, she had suffered unthinkable violence behind closed doors, according to Nikkis older sister, Michelle Horton, in her disturbing new book, Dear Sister: A Memoir of Secrets, Survival and Unbreakable Bonds (Grand Central Publishing). Over the years, Horton writes, she had seen evidence of Nikkis abuse, including increased visible bruising across her body. But Nikki would cover them up, blaming the markings on routine accidents. Horton fell for the excuses. But it was only after Nikki pulled the trigger that she truly learned the extent of her sisters misery. At one point after Grovers death, an angry Nikki confronted Horton, saying that various people had helped her survive her living hell, and asked, But where were you? Nikki fatally shot Chris Grover on the night of September 28, 2017, in their modest Poughkeepsie, NY apartment. Change.org Im sorry I didnt see it, Horton sadly and starkly writes. I felt embarrassment flood to my face. The abuse Nikki, the mother of Ben and daughter, Faye, suffered at the hands of their father seems unimaginable. But Nikki had been abused sexually long before Chris entered the picture, her sister reveals; first at the age of five, and again at the beginning of her relationship with Chris by a maintenance man in her mothers building. In her book, Horton discloses that Chris repeatedly burned Nikkis vagina and genital area with a spoon he heated over the flame of their gas stove when she was pregnant with Faye. Supporters of Nicole Addimando gathered outside of the Dutchess County Courthouse prior to Addimandos sentencing on February 11, 2020. Patrick Oehler/Poughkeepsie Journal, Poughkeepsie Journal via Imagn Content Services, LLC Along with the sexual torture, there were multiple bruises, black eyes, bite marks, as well as strangulation marks around her sisters neck. Chris had assaulted Nikki sexually with a gun, and strangled her with his bathrobe belt until she almost passed out, according to a report in the New Yorker. Moreover, Chris had become obsessed with porn, so much so that sadistic videos he shot of Nikki were discovered on an online porn, his wife tied up with zip ties, blindfolded and raped. Chris had even constructed homemade sex toys, including one used on Nikki as a mouth gag. Author Michelle Horton details her sisters horrific plight in a new book. According to Horton, a New Hyde Park detective who had been contacted by an advocate from Family Services had wanted to make a case against Chris. But Nikki was too frightened to sign an affidavit confirming the abuse, fearing that Chris would take away their son, Ben. The day before Nikki killed Chris, Child Protective Services had visited the couple following up on yet another report of Chriss abuse, Horton writes. The visit had inspired Nikki to finally tell Chris that she was going to take a break from him with the children. Just let us leave and I wont tell anyone, Nikki pleaded with Chris. But he would have none of it, Horton writes. He loaded his handgun while Nikki watched in horror and listened virtually frozen as he showed her pictures on his cellphone of how he would shoot her in her sleep to make her death look like a suicide. Horton details her sisters ultimate path to survival in her book. Chris pointed the gun at her, but Nikki kneed him in the groin and the weapon fell to the floor where she retrieved it. All the while, Chris was demanding she give the gun back to him, while telling her he would kill her and the children. At that moment, the distraught Nikki lunged at Chris, pointed the barrel against his head and fired. I dont know what else I could have done, Nikki later confessed to her sister. At her trial, says Horton, Nikki was slut-shamed by a prosecutor who shockingly believed she was a willing participant in the torture and faked her injuries. Addimando would cover up signs of the abuse. Horton blames the trial judge and the judicial system that she asserts, criminalizes survivors of her sisters initial sentence. Horton would be Nikkis champion every day of her incarceration, including caring for her children, and would launch a fight to bring Nikki home, squaring off against a criminal justice system seemingly designed to punish the entire family. Through the Nicole Addimando Community Defense Committee, Horton continues to speak out for her sister now peacefully at home raising her children along with other victims of domestic violence. In the more moderate Lowcountry, Republicans like Nikki Haley long appealed broadly to voters. But as Haley battles Donald Trump in the GOP primary, his lead has held firm statewide. The Lowcountry has seen significant population growth, and many new arrivals are pro-Trump. As Nikki Haley stumps across South Carolina to win her home state's GOP presidential primary against former President Donald Trump on Saturday, she has campaigned heavily across the Lowcountry the swath of the state's coastal region known for its picturesque landscape and its more moderate brand of Republicanism. But in the state where Haley once served as governor, she has trailed Trump by sizable margins in most polling. And in the Lowcountry, normally a place where she'd have more support, Trump's sway over much of the party has left her with fewer voters, even among some of the same people who helped elect her governor. Haley will have to run the table in the Lowcountry to have a chance at defeating Trump in Saturday's primary, but here's why that will be more difficult than ever to pull off. All politics is local? Not this year. Over the years, Charleston and the Lowcountry have produced high-profile GOP figures like Sen. Tim Scott, Rep. Nancy Mace, and former Gov. Mark Sanford. But it's Trump's influence that has become the dominant force among Republicans in the state, to the point where Haley's conservative record as governor cultivating economic development in the state and fighting back against then-President Barack Obama's administration on issues like immigration has faded in the memories of voters. Former President Donald Trump waves to supporters after a rally in North Charleston, S.C., on February 14, 2024. Win McNamee/Getty Images Scott, who unsuccessfully ran for president last year, was appointed to the Senate by Haley in 2013. But even he endorsed Trump. Mace is backing the former president as well. Haley in the past month campaigned in Bluffton and Hilton Head Island, two Lowcountry locales. And in recent days, she spoke to voters in Beaufort and Kiawah Island, also in the Lowcountry. Former President Donald Trump waves to supporters after a rally in North Charleston, S.C., on February 14, 2024. Win McNamee/Getty Images But Trump remains in the driver's seat in the state. The most recent Emerson College/The Hill survey found Trump ahead of Haley 58%-35%, a 23-point lead over the former governor among registered voters. A Suffolk University/USA TODAY poll among likely GOP voters had Trump leading Haley 63%-35%, a 28-point spread. And a recent Citadel Poll showed Trump leading Haley 64%-31% statewide, with the former president boasting a 54%-41% advantage in the Charleston area. While Haley retains some degree of popularity in her home state overall, Trump is a much more popular figure among GOP voters buoyed by his focus on issues like immigration. This dynamic has made Haley's focus on her record a tougher sell, even as she remains ideologically aligned with many South Carolina conservatives. The Lowcountry has become more conservative Republicans in the Lowcountry have long been associated with the "country club" set, who hold conservative views on fiscal matters but are less wedded to social issues. In recent years, however, the political identity of the Lowcountry has changed, with significant population growth that's brought in more military veterans and retirees to the region. In places like Berkeley and Dorchester counties, strident conservatives have become more prominent forces within the GOP. And that influence has affected the primary in a critical way. While Haley is a familiar face to countless South Carolinians, there are now legions of new voters who didn't live in the state when she was governor and have no political allegiance to her. For many GOP voters, Trump is who they know best. And as the South Carolina primary ends Saturday night, that sentiment is Haley's biggest impediment to a victory. Read the original article on Business Insider Nikki Haley says Trump will not win the general election ahead of South Carolina primary Nikki Haley asserted two days ahead of the South Carolina Republican primary that former President Trump "will not win the general election." "What Im trying to tell all Republicans and anybody Independents as well anybody thats voting in those primaries is if you want a change in the country, which I think the entire country wants a change, is we wont get a change if we dont win an election," the former South Carolina governor told CNNs Jake Tapper on Thursday. She proclaimed, "Donald Trump will not win the general election. You can have him win any primary you want, he will not win a general election. We will have a female President of the United States: It will either be me or it will be Kamala Harris. But if Donald Trump is the nominee, you can mark my words, he will not win a general election." Some general election polls have shown Haley could fare better against President Biden than Trump, but the former president has a decisive lead heading into the Palmetto States Saturday primary. HALEY VOWS TO STAY IN RACE, TAKE THE BRUISES AHEAD OF SOUTH CAROLINA PRIMARY AGAINST TRUMP Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley said she doesn't think former President Trump can win the general election against President Biden. Haley further warned, "Dont complain about what happens in a general election if you dont vote that in this primary." READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP "We can do better," she added, noting that Trump and Biden are the "two most disliked politicians in America." She added that a majority of Americans have said they feel both men are "too old" to hold the office again. "We need someone who can work eight years straight of hard work, day and night, fully disciplined with no drama, no vendettas, just results or the American people," she said. Haley has already lost the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary to Trump, but has said she has no plans to get out of the race. Trump senior advisor Jason Miller told Fox News Digital in a statement: "Birdbrain would get crushed by Joe Biden so badly shed even lose Texas." The Haley did not immediately respond to Fox News Digitals request for comment. Original article source: Nikki Haley says Trump will not win the general election ahead of South Carolina primary Republican presidential candidate former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley greets supporters at an event at Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum Friday, Feb. 23, 2024, in Mt. Pleasant, S.C. Republican presidential candidate former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley greets supporters at an event at Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum Friday, Feb. 23, 2024, in Mt. Pleasant, S.C. LOWCOUNTRY, S.C. To be at a Nikki Haley rally at this moment in the GOP presidential primary is an exercise in suspending reality. For an hour you have to imagine that Haleys candidacy has proven to be desirable for Republican voters outside of these very niche events filled mostly with committed Haley supporters who tend to visibly recoil at the mention of Donald Trump and Joe Biden. And you have to pretend that her supporters, corralled into blandly interchangeable event spaces, represent anything but a small, exhausted faction of the Republican Party. And you have to believe, as Haley seems to, that a competitive primary is still underway for the nomination, and that a path to that nomination exists for her with Trump still in the race. But Haley makes it easy to take a vacation from reality, if only for an afternoon in South Carolina. On Thursday, just two days from South Carolinas primary election day, Haley drew a crowd of mostly older and almost exclusively white retirees to the dockside patio of a new boutique hotel in the quaint downtown of Georgetown, South Carolina, about an hours drive up the coast from Charleston, along a highway dotted with tiny ramshackle structures belonging to the regions celebrated basket-weaving artisans. Haley supporters several of whom said they had already cast early ballots her in Saturdays primary wandered in and saddled up to the cash bar, sampled passed hors doeuvres (gratis), and took in the crisp ocean breeze under an overcast sky. Many wore Haleys nautical-navy campaign tees under their windbreakers and sipped plastic cups of chardonnay. A border collie named Ralphie (also in a tee) roamed the premises off-leash. The chill vibes, however, belied the very serious concerns of the people who believe that no less than the fate of democracy is on the ballot in November. This was Jimmy Buffets Margaritaville for a politically engaged group of Never Trumpers and Never Bideners representing a significant segment of voters nationally who dread the idea of having to vote for either candidate again in November, and who see Haley as their last hope. Theyre both too old, in my opinion, and Im their age so I can say that, declared a retired 76-year-old named Mikki Huss, who joked about having a name nearly identical to Haleys. It would be horrible, Huss said, to have both Trump and Biden on the ballot again. I just I cant. I cant vote for Biden. His vice president is not fit for the job. Trumps crazy. Lets be honest, it really isnt much of a choice, is it? Because, to many of these voters, Haley represents the only way out of this binary, her weak head-to-head polling with Trump in a state where she was twice elected governor is discussed in hush tones, or with anger toward the media for all but declaring Trump the presumptive nominee. But unlike the MAGA loyalists who reside permanently in Trumps deluded reality, the Haley supporters who spoke with HuffPost over the course of two days this week understood there would be a time when theyd be forced to choose Trump, Biden, or no one. Huss said shed probably end up writing-in Haley. You can do that, she said. I still just think shes the right person for the job. The race isnt over, though, and wont be until Saturday or later if Haley stays in at least through Super Tuesday on March 5, when 15 states and one U.S. territory vote in winner-takes-all primaries. Trumps advisors are taunting Haley with their predictions that Trump may effectively lock up the requisite number of delegates to clinch the nomination within a month, giving Haley no plausible path unless Trump is sidelined by his legal troubles or a health emergency. Shes going to have a very bad day tomorrow because shes not a nice person, the former president predicted at a rally Friday in Rock Hill, where he was introduced by South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster, the former lieutenant governor under Haley one of the many South Carolina officials who are behind Trump. Haley doesnt dwell much on the mechanics of the race in her stump speech, although a candidate who once bragged about never losing an election has a way of spinning her most recent defeats into successes. They said we wouldnt make it to Iowa, and we came within 1% of second place, Haley said of her third place finish last month to Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who dropped out before the next contest in New Hampshire, where Haley came in second. We dont anoint kings in America, we have elections, Haley declared, employing a line thats now become a staple of her stump speech. And after two states, theres no way were gonna name him the nominee. Many of Haleys supporters are doing their own version of election math. Margaret Carroll, a 73-year-old retired teacher who voted for Biden in 2020, said his age and lack of energy now make another vote for him hard to justify. If its between Haley and Biden, I would vote for Haley, she said. If its between Biden and Trump, I would vote for Biden. Carroll thought Haley was a good governor and likes that as a presidential candidate shes practical, global and sees the big picture. Carroll also likes that Haley was never full of it as governor and seems to have a backbone. But what about if Haley ends up dropping out and endorsing Trump, after dedicating the closing days of her campaign here to painting Trump as a menace to the GOP and a danger to global security? Well, my thought of her would go down, Carroll said. That would be a big upset for the people who say she has more integrity. If she did that, it would show that she didnt. At her South Carolina events, Haley has been introduced by a series of local county prosecutors not party leaders who are more likely to be in lockstep with Trump and MAGA who praise her as a level-headed leader who championed laws and other practical reform measures that aimed to address domestic violence as South Carolinas first female governor. Charleston County Solicitor Scarlett Wilson introduced Haley in Georgetown. Wilson, a Republican, was the DA who prosecuted the cop convicted of killing Walter Scott, the unarmed Black man who died in 2015 after being shot in the back five times. I was waiting on the verdict for trying that cop, and I was on the phone with Nikki Haley, her explaining to me what was going on, her asking me what we needed, recalled Wilson, who also lauded Haley for presiding over the removal of the Confederate flag from the South Carolina Statehouse two years later an issue that Haley has virtually erased from her bio as governor. Scarletts mention of that period and the tepid applause sent the reality of the South Carolina primary crashing back down to earth. I asked Wilson after the event why its been hard for Republicans in Haleys own home state to vote for her over Trump, and like many of Haleys supporters, she shrugged and sighed. The revisionist history for Haley as governor is just stunning to me. Maybe theyll do a study on it sometime because I just dont get it, Wilson said after the event, shouting over Bon Jovis Who Says You Cant Go Home. Wilson called a Trump-Biden rematch a disaster for both sides, and said shes very concerned about that. Its not a good situation, but we have an alternative. We can grow the party and we can grow the conservative movement. But what will she do when shes likely forced to vote for either Trump or Biden in November? Ive already gotten my ballot! she said referring, however, to the primary. What about the general? Wilson caught the gaze of someone just over my shoulder. Oh, itll be great, she mumbled, scooting away. For more than a decade, nine sisters battled the South Dakota legislature for the right to sue the Catholic Church for sexual abuses they endured during the 1950s and '60s at an Indian boarding school the church operated. State lawmakers have denied these women and hundreds of other Native survivors of sexual abuses the right to sue, and some have died without receiving justice. Read part one of the story here. About the Author: "Jenna Kunze is a staff reporter covering Indian health, the environment and breaking news for Native News Online. She is also the lead reporter on stories related to Indian boarding schools and repatriation. Her bylines have appeared in The Arctic Sounder, High Country News, Indian Country Today, Tribal Business News, Smithsonian Magazine, Elle and Anchorage Daily News. Kunze is based in New York." Contact: jkunze@indiancountrymedia.com MOUNT LAUREL U.S. Rep. Andy Kim routed first lady Tammy Murphy, his chief rival for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate, on his home turf Saturday at the Burlington County Democratic Convention. According to unofficial tallies, Kim grabbed 245 votes to Murphy's 21. Other candidates Patricia Campos-Medina, a Latina activist and union organizer, and Lawrence Hamm, a social justice advocate from Newark also received votes, but those numbers were not immediately available. The candidates are vying for the party's nod in the June 4 primary to succeed U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez, the Democrat who was accused by federal prosecutors of accepting bribes while acting as a foreign agent for Egypt and Qatar. Menendez denies the charges and has not ruled out the possibility of running for reelection this year, although he did not compete in the Burlington convention Saturday and the prospects of his running again appear to be unlikely. U.S. Rep. Andy Kim, D-3, makes his pitch as a Senate candidate to Monmouth County Democrats on Saturday, Feb. 10, 2024. Stile: Andy Kim a Trump supporter? That's what Tammy Murphy wants you to think The outcome was widely expected. Kim, who was raised in Evesham Township and has represented most of Burlington County since entering Congress in 2019, is a popular figure here. Leading up to Saturday's event, Kim snapped up a slew of endorsements from prominent Democratic county officials, including state Sen. Troy Singleton, who has emerged in recent years as perhaps the county's most powerful Democrat. The win confers on Kim the valuable endorsement of the Burlington County machine. In practical terms, that means he will be bracketed on the June 4 primary ballot on the same "line" or column led by President Joe Biden and with other endorsed candidates for Congress and local offices. Organizational line candidates almost always win. "We have some scary moments and scary things going on in our country and in our world right now," Kim said to a standing-room-only crowd of 300 packed inside the auditorium of Rowan College at Burlington County before the voting started. "We face some real existential threats, real challenges at deep levels, whether that's what we see on Jan. 6th and what we see going on around the world," he added referring to the riot of supporters of President Donald Trump just before he left office in 2021. "We're in this together." First Lady Tammy Murphy speaks with representatives at the Monmouth County Democratic convention on Saturday, February 10, 2024 at the Portuguese Club of Long Branch, New Jersey. Stile: Is the NJ Democratic nomination for Senate really 'in play'? Can Kim win? In the county-by-county contest for party support, Saturday's vote has limited value. Burlington's 140,000 registered Democrats represent just 5.6% of the 2.5 million voters eligible to cast ballots in the Democratic primary. Yet the victory is certain to add to the perception that grassroots momentum continues to build behind Kim's buck-the-machine candidacy. Earlier this month, Kim stunned the political establishment by notching a blowout victory over Murphy in Monmouth County, where the Murphy family has lived for 25 years. He is also expected to win the smaller Hunterdon County convention on Sunday. What happened in Monmouth: Democrats back Andy Kim for Senate over Tammy Murphy, in race to replace Menendez The first lady still has considerable advantages in her corner, winning the endorsements of county bosses in the Democratic Party strongholds of Essex, Hudson, Middlesex and Bergen counties. In those counties, the party leaders' endorsement has an enormous sway in the nominating process. Many of the leaders in those Democrat-rich counties endorsed Murphy shortly after she jumped into the race in November, a move that signaled an attempt to create an aura of inevitability about her campaign and derail Kim before he got any traction. Primary race: Andy Kim, Tammy Murphy make their cases to Democrats at Monmouth University forum In her pitch to the committee delegates, Murphy argued that a woman senator could be a reliable and determined foe of the right-wing, Trumpian extremism that has engulfed the Republican Party and wields power in Congress. If elected, Murphy would be the first woman senator from New Jersey. "We need more ticked-off moms who are beholden only to our children in Washington, D.C.," she told the audience before the vote. "We need a senator who's going to be a champion for women and girls and stop right-wing extremists who want to ban abortion in all 50 states." But many of Murphy's institutional advantages may have turned into potential liabilities for her, sparking accusations that she sought to coast to the nomination with the help of husband Gov. Phil Murphy's grip on Democratic Party insiders. The charges of nepotism have dogged the campaign from the moment she stepped into the ring. Kim has constantly attacked Murphy as a dubious Democrat, who raised thousands of dollars for Republicans dating back to the late 1990s, including former President George W. Bush. Although Murphy also gave to prominent Democrats at the time including Al Gore, Bush's opponent in the 2000 presidential race she remained a registered Republican as recently as 2014. Campaigning in North Jersey: Rep. Andy Kim visits Ridgewood to make his case to Bergen County Democrats The result has been a rocky start for Murphy, who has trailed in opinion polls. Her campaign also announced last week the departure of her campaign manager, Max Glass. No replacement was named. Kim, meanwhile, has cast himself around the state as the most reliable Democratic Party choice to win in the general election by frequently citing his record of flipping the 3rd Congressional District in 2018 and his consistent opposition to Trump policies since taking office. 'Kim-mentum?' A tide of unease about Tammy Murphy washes across NJ Democratic grassroots Murphy has tried to muddy that record by citing several procedural votes that aligned with the Trump agenda. Yet, on Friday, the Kim campaign circulated a photo, first published by the Daily Beast, of the Murphys posing in a group shot with Trump's daughter Ivanka and her husband, Jared Kushner, son of the disgraced New Jersey developer Charles Kushner. Lots of good stuff in Trail Mix this week, but weve got some newly unearthed screenshots from a New Jersey restaurant showing Dem Senate candidate Tammy Murphy hanging out with Jared & Ivanka. More details on the timing here under Off the Beaten Path: https://t.co/DvqUN8XqZw pic.twitter.com/7xZq4DJD5n Jake Lahut (@JakeLahut) February 23, 2024 Talking to reporters after Saturday's event, Murphy defended the appearance as the result of responsible diplomacy that her husband conducted with the Trump administration during the COVID-19 pandemic. The governor maintained that the open channels with Trump helped the state secure needed supplies and relief from the federal government. "We're never going to progress as a country if we are constantly sitting at the table with people who are thinking the same way and we're watching the same news feeds," she argued. "If we had not reached across the aisle during COVID to get the PPE [personal protective equipment], to get the ventilators, people would have died in our state." Yet the Daily Beast account says the picture was taken at a Somerset County restaurant in July 2023, nearly 2 years after Trump left office. This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NJ Senate race: Kim trounces Murphy on Burlington County home turf The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) believes that the Russian military group concentrated in Transnistria is not a threat to Ukraine. Source: ISW Details: Ukrainian officials stated that the likelihood of a ground attack by the Russians on Ukraine from the territory of Transnistria, a pro-Russian breakaway region of Moldova, is low following reports that Transnistrian authorities might call for or organise a referendum on joining Russia on 28 February. Nataliia Humeniuk, Head of the Joint Press Centre of the Defence Forces of Ukraine's South, said on 23 February that the Transnistrian authorities' potential call for Russian annexation is aimed at "shaking up" the information environment and generating socio-political tension. In addition, Andrii Yusov, Spokesman for Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, stated that the information suggesting that the Transnistrian authorities would call for Russian annexation is "unconfirmed". ISW also noted that they have not seen any signs that the limited Russian military presence in Transnistria might try to conduct a ground operation threatening Ukraine. ISW does not believe this force grouping can launch a full-scale ground operation against Ukraine. ISW added that they issued a warning forecast on 22 February, estimating that officials in Transnistria might call for a referendum on joining Russia to support Russian hybrid operations aimed at political and social destabilisation in Moldova. However, this warning concerns the threat to Moldova's stability and not the situation in Ukraine. To quote the ISWs Key Takeaways on 23 February: Ukrainian officials reported that Ukrainian forces shot down a Russian A-50 long-range radar detection aircraft on the night of 22-23 February the second such aircraft shot down in 2024. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Ukrainian forces are planning future counteroffensive operations, although delays in Western security assistance will likely continue to generate uncertainty and constraints on these operations. Ukraine-based open-source organisation Frontelligence Insight reported on 22 February that Russian forces are storing missiles and ammunition in previously abandoned facilities near the Russo-Ukrainian border and in occupied Ukraine to shorten and bolster Russian logistics lines. Ukrainian officials stated that the probability of a Russian ground attack on Ukraine from Transnistria, a pro-Russian breakaway region of Moldova, is low following reports that Transnistrian authorities may call for or organise a referendum on annexation to Russia on 28 February. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated that Armenia "essentially" froze its participation in the Russia-dominated Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) against the backdrop of deteriorating Russian-Armenian relations. The US, the United Kingdom (UK), Canada, and the European Union (EU) announced new sanctions packages aimed at constraining Russias war effort in Ukraine. Ukrainian forces made confirmed advances near Kreminna, and Russian forces made confirmed advances near Kreminna, Bakhmut, and Donetsk City. Ukrainian Main Military Intelligence Directorate (GUR) Deputy Chief Major General Vadym Skibitskyi stated on 23 February that international sanctions are degrading the quality of Russian missiles amid continued Russian efforts to increase missile production. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) provided additional details on 22 February about the forced deportation of Ukrainian children from Ukraine to Belarus. Support UP or become our patron! North Korea has shipped over 10,000 containers of munitions or munition-related materials to Russia since September, the State Department said Friday, as Moscow strives to replenish its weapons stockpile for use in Ukraine. The department pointed out the arms transactions as it and the Treasury Department together announced sanctions against more than 500 individuals and entities to ensure accountability for Russia's ongoing war against Ukraine and the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny. The transactions between the North and Russia defied international criticism that they have run afoul of multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions, which Moscow itself voted for as a permanent council member. "Since September 2023, the DPRK has delivered more than 10,000 containers of munitions or munitions-related materials to Russia," the department said in a fact sheet. DPRK stands for the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. In October, the White House revealed that the North sent more than 1,000 containers of military equipment and munitions. In the latest sanctions package, the department designated two additional entities involved in the transfer of munitions from the North to Russia. They are a Russian firm that manages a terminal at Vostochny Port in the Russian Far East and a naval facility near Vladivostok. The White House has said that in addition to munitions, the North also provided Russia with several dozen ballistic missiles, some of which were fired against Ukraine on Dec. 30, Jan. 2 and Jan. 6. Observers have expressed worries that the North's arms support for Russia could contribute to prolonging the war in Ukraine while what in return Moscow might have given to Pyongyang could further undermine security on the Korean Peninsula. (Yonhap) (FOX40.COM) A woman who was thought by law enforcement to have a non-life-threatening gunshot wound died in the hospital, according to the Sacramento Police Department. Around 5:24 p.m. on Friday, officers responded to reports of a shooting in the 3800 block of 14th Avenue. Upon arrival, officers said they located a woman with at least one gunshot wound. The victim was transported to an area hospital by fire department personnel in what officials thought was a non-life-threatening condition, however, she later succumbed to her injuries. Sacramento County detective injured during Target retail theft operation that led to 17 arrests The circumstances of the incident remain under investigation, according to police. No arrests have been made and suspect information has not been reported. The Sacramento County Coroners Office is expected to release the identity of the deceased after next of kin have been notified. Sacramento Police Department searching for 12-year-old boy reported missing Anyone with information about the investigation can contact the Sacramento Police Department at (916) 808-5471 or Sacramento Valley Crime Stoppers at (916) 443-HELP (4357). Callers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX40. (COLORADO SPRINGS) Normas Bakery is celebrating one year of offering delicious Central American recipes of baked goodies to Colorado Springs. Normas Bakery opened on North Academy Boulevard near Palmer Park on Feb. 24, 2023the culmination of a dream by Martin Ortiz. He is originally from Mexico, and had always dreamed of opening a bakery named after his wife, Norma Canales, who is from Honduras. PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Normas Bakery now open in Colorado Springs Ortizs son, Eder Lopez, is the manager at Normas, and moved back from Las Vegas with his brother to help their parents with the bakery. It is truly a family affair, and Lopez said his father brings authentic, unique Mexican recipes to the forefront. The bakery also offers Guatemalan, Salvadorian, and Mexican sweet bread, as well as flan, cinnamon rolls, and jelly-filled cookies. Conchas at Normas Bakery / FOX21 News Conchas at Normas Bakery / FOX21 News Pictures shows Guatemalan bread at Normas Bakery / FOX21 News Cinnamon rolls at Normas Bakery / FOX21 News Cream cheese-filled pastries at Normas Bakery / FOX21 News Pineapple cookies at Normas Bakery / FOX21 News Variation of breads at Normas Bakery / FOX21 News In celebration of its milestone year, Normas Bakery is offering 15% off an entire purchase on Saturday, Feb. 24. With great big joy & gratitude in our hearts, wed like to thank each and [every] one of you who have supported our small family owned business from the beginning! said Normas in a Facebook post. Normas Bakery is located at 2367 North Academy Boulevard and is open Monday through Saturday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX21 News Colorado. This photo accompanies two fundraisers for the family of Ryker Moore, age 9. The North State community is reaching out to help comfort the grieving families of Ryker Moore and Jonathan Jorgensen. The boys' bodies were found Thursday morning after they fell down a hill near a campground, west of Shasta Dam. In less than two days' time, donors volunteered to make dinner for the families every night through March 7, and donated more than $30,000 to three funds to help them cope with expenses. Cara and Jesse Holden, owners of Northstate CrossFit in Redding, created a Meal Train fundraising page for Jonathan and Crista Jorgensen, who lost their son Jonathan, said Cara Holden. Note to readers: If you appreciate the work we do here at the Redding Record Searchlight, please consider subscribing yourself or giving the gift of a subscription to someone you know. By Friday afternoon, donors signed up to provide meals for the families every day through March 7, according to the two fund pages. The Holdens set the fund's goal at $15,000. As of 5:30 p.m. Friday, 137 donors gave $15,985, according to Meal Train. The Peace Officers Research Association of California raised another $3,880 for the family of Ryker Moore, 9, the son of Redding Police Corporal Brian Moore, according to the Redding Police Department. A friend of the Moore family set up a second Meal Train fund, Holden said. As of Friday evening, 134 donors gave $13,975 and promised to provide two weeks of meals to Moore family. That fund's goal is also $15,000, according to the charity's website. More: UPDATE: Two youths die after falling down hillside near Shasta Dam "The Moore family was on a camping trip when" Ryker fell, according to a statement on the PORAC website. The family is "very active in their community and they enjoy the outdoors. Thoughts, prayers, and donations are greatly appreciated," the statement said. The boys' bodies were found in debris after they fell down a hillside near the Chappie-Shasta Off-Highway Vehicle Recreation Area, the Shasta County Sheriff's Office said on Thursday. Jessica Skropanic is a features reporter for the Record Searchlight/USA Today Network. She covers science, arts, social issues and news stories. Follow her on Twitter @RS_JSkropanic and on Facebook. Join Jessica in the Get Out! Nor Cal recreation Facebook group. To support and sustain this work, please subscribe today. Thank you. This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: After two boys die near Shasta Dam, help pours in for two families A suspended chief constable's gross misconduct hearing for allegedly misrepresenting his military service is to be heard in private. Nick Adderley faces the proceedings by Northamptonshire Police following an investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC). He was accused of wearing a Falklands War medal he did not earn and falsely stating he was a Royal Navy officer. The decision to hold his hearing privately was announced on Friday. The county's Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Stephen Mold said it was taken by the chair of Wednesday's hearing "following representations made under Regulation 53 (3)(a) and 53 (3)(c)". "The chair has ruled that the hearing will be in private and subject to reporting restrictions, until further notice," he said. The media can submit challenges to the ruling that the meeting will be behind closed doors. The disciplinary process was accelerated after the IOPC produced a report which concluded there was a case to answer for gross misconduct. It will wait until the end of its criminal investigation before deciding whether to refer the case to the Crown Prosecution Service to consider whether crimes were committed. Mr Adderley was suspended following the allegations made against him and the force has an acting chief constable, Ivan Balhatchet. In a statement last year, he said had always worn his own medals alongside two medals his brothers gave him to wear when one became critically ill and one moved overseas. As well as expressing disappointment at what said he were "leaked" details of a "very personal family issue", the suspended police chief said he had changed the side of his chest on which he wore his brothers' medals after seeking advice. In December, the BBC reported how Mr Adderley had claimed to be a Royal Navy officer despite never achieving that rank. He served in the Royal Navy for less than two years after starting training as a rating - the most junior class of seaman - in 1984. It is understood he left because he was not suited for life in the service, despite a confirmation panel for his police job being told he spent 10 years in the navy. The Sun newspaper previously revealed that Mr Adderley had worn a Falklands War campaign medal despite him being 15 years old when the conflict took place. Follow East of England news on Facebook, Instagram and X. Got a story? Email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp 0800 169 1830 Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte attends a press conference in Berlin. Rutte has assured Kiev of his country's continued support, joining other European leaders in marking the second anniversary of the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Kay Nietfeld/dpa Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has assured Kiev of his country's continued support, joining other European leaders in marking the second anniversary of the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. "You are not alone. We are behind you," said Rutte in a video message posted on X, formerly Twitter, on Saturday. He said that the conflict was not just a battle for Ukraine. "It's also about our own security. Because if [Russian President Vladimir] Putin is successful in Ukraine, he won't stop there." The Dutchman is considered the favourite to succeed Jens Stoltenberg as NATO secretary general, who is leaving office in October. The Netherlands' King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima also reaffirmed their support for Ukraine. In a message distributed by the court, the couple praised the "great steadfastness and courage" of the Ukrainian people in the face of the Russian aggression. "We remain united in our support of the Ukrainian men and women who are fighting for freedom, democracy and justice. Their dedication is an example and an inspiration to us all." One of Mississippis public universities is pausing its effort to switch to a name that doesnt include the word Women. The president of Mississippi University for Women, Nora Miller, said in a statement Wednesday that students, alumni and others should have more discussion about the matter. The university in Columbus has enrolled men since 1982, and about about 22% of the current 2,230 students are male. But university leaders say having women in the name makes recruiting more difficult. Miller graduated from MUW and said she acknowledges the challenges, the missteps, the frustrations, and the uncertainties caused by efforts to rebrand. While we remain committed to a future name change, we will regroup and re-examine our processes, ways of engaging our alumni base, and the many needs surrounding finding a name that captures the unique history as well as the contemporary qualities of our university, Miller wrote. A covered bench at the Mississippi University for Women denotes the coed student body makeup of the Columbus campus. Her statement came eight days after Miller announced the school would seek legislative approval to become Wynbridge State University of Mississippi a name that would still allow marketing under a longtime nickname, The W. Amanda Clay Powers, the universitys dean of library services and co-chair of the naming task force, said Feb. 13 that Wynbridge creatively pairs the Old English word for W, using it as a bridge that connects past, present and future W graduates. Backlash by alumni caused university officials to backtrack from another proposed name unveiled in January, Mississippi Brightwell University. In 2022, Miller announced a task force to examine a name change, months after the universitys Deans Council sent her a letter saying the current name presents challenges. Alumni have squelched previous renaming efforts. The universitys president in 2009, Claudia Limbert, proposed changing to Reneau University to honor Sallie Reneau, who wrote to the Mississippi governor in the mid-19th century to propose a public college for women. The school was chartered in 1884 as Industrial Institute and College and was on the campus of an existing private school, Columbus Female Institute. The original mission of the college was to provide higher education and vocational training for women. In 1920, the name changed to Mississippi State College for Women, and in 1974 it became Mississippi University for Women. (Bloomberg) -- The National Rifle Association and its longtime leader Wayne LaPierre were found liable for violating New York law with lavish spending of donor funds, denting the gun rights groups invincible aura after a six-week trial and years of embarrassing revelations in court. Most Read from Bloomberg A jury in lower Manhattan concluded on Friday, its fifth day of deliberations, that the NRA misused its charitable assets under state law governing nonprofit organizations and that LaPierre breached his duty to the group by enriching himself in the process, including with flights to the Bahamas. It wasnt a total win for the state. New York failed to prove a number of wrongful related-party transactions. The jury found LaPierre caused $5.4 million in damages to the NRA but that he had already paid back over $1 million. The state had said that between 2014 and 2019 the group paid $10.4 million in private charter flights alone. Former finance chief Wilson Woody Phillips was found to have caused $2 million in damages. The verdict, capping a civil lawsuit that New York Attorney General Letitia James filed in 2020, is perhaps the biggest legal setback for the NRA since it was founded in 1871. It is especially resonant in an election year on a polarized American political landscape in which gun rights, crime and mass shootings are particularly heated. But the NRA case was most notable for showing the self-dealing and turmoil at the top of the once high-flying nonprofit. It played out after years in which the NRA saw a sharp decrease in its funds and membership and drew to a close as LaPierre retired at 74, citing health problems, following three decades as the face of the gun lobby. This verdict is a major victory for the people of New York and our efforts to stop the corruption and greed at the NRA, James said in a statement. The NRA said in a statement the verdict confirms that the group was victimized by certain former vendors and insiders who abused the trust placed in them. President Charles Cotton said the organization appreciates the service of the jury and the opportunity to present evidence about the positive direction of the NRA today. LaPierre didnt respond to questions from reporters as his security detail escorted him to his van after court. Perception of Strength One of its biggest assets has been the perception of its strength, Ohio State University accounting professor Brian Mittendorf said of the NRA before the verdict. The allegations of corruption on display in open court for weeks on end could shake that perception, said Mittendorf, who has studied the organizations finances. From 2016, when the NRA helped elect Donald Trump president, through 2022, its revenues fell more than 40% and member dues by half, according to court documents and filings with the Internal Revenue Service. At the same time, its legal fees multiplied by six, surpassing $40 million, and it has reduced spending on programs for its members. The organization said it remains vital. The NRA has more than 4 million members and represents millions of other law-abiding gun owners, a spokesman said in a statement before the verdict. Our adversaries continue to predict the demise of the NRA in the face of landmark legal victories, legislative wins at every level, and a wave of grassroots support. Lavish Spending The extravagant spending was on display throughout the trial. It included $600,000 in private flights to the Bahamas alone, for LaPierre and his family, one adding up to $37,000. Testifying on and off for three days, he told the jury that his friend and NRA vendor David McKenzie paid for yacht outings. LaPierre splurged on $274,000 in boutique suits, all on an NRA vendors dime. One high point of the trial was the testimony of Oliver North, the conservative stalwart and former NRA president who says he was forced out after raising concerns about the spending. North testified that in 2019 he pushed for an outside audit of the NRAs finances but that LaPierre refused. I was absolutely stunned, North testified about the spending allegations. Its called corruption. During its deliberations the six-member jury requested some 4,000 pages of documents. The jurors filed into the courtroom periodically to hear answers to questions they had sent to New York State Supreme Court Justice Joel Cohen as they waded through a long and detailed verdict sheet. Power Broker LaPierre was a formidable power broker. In 2016 the NRA spent more on Trump than it had on any other candidate. The Republican frontrunner in this years presidential election, Trump has leveraged gun rights as a potent campaign issue and often spoken at the NRAs annual convention. He promised an NRA crowd this month that no one will lay a finger on your firearms if he is elected. The NRA forged a political identity around guns, where guns werent seen as tools for recreation and defense, but instead as sort of symbols of their values and political beliefs, said Matthew Lacombe, a political science professor at Case Western Reserve University who researches the group. Famous Face LaPierres face was so valuable to the organization that it signed an agreement with him to continue using his name, signature and image after his retirement at an annual cost of $500,000 to the group, court filings show. That agreement has since been stricken. Despite the verdict, the NRA will continue to wield considerable influence, said Adam Winkler, a law professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, who studies gun policy. It has proved adept at mobilizing voters and cemented its impact by lobbying for judges, from state courts to the Supreme Court, who support its cause. The decline in its fortunes comes at a time when gun rights are particularly strong, Winkler said. Michael Bloomberg, founder and majority owner of Bloomberg News parent Bloomberg LP, helped found and currently supports Everytown for Gun Safety, which advocates safety measures. Read More: NRA Spending More on Lawyers as Revenue Falls, Membership Lags Lawyers for the defendants argued that the attorney general, a Democrat, had sued their clients to fulfill a promise she made on the campaign trail, where she characterized the NRA as an organ of deadly propaganda. But James has broad powers to investigate nonprofit groups registered in New York, where the AGs office has been more vigilant than many in holding nonprofits to account, said Linda Sugin, a Fordham University law professor who studies charities. Sugin said Jamess case centered on the proposition that NRA executives breached their fiduciary duties in a way that defied the groups very mission. --With assistance from Beth Wang. (Adds details and context in first section.) Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2024 Bloomberg L.P. A New York jury found on Feb. 23, 2024, that the National Rifle Association and three of its current and former officials had broken the states laws by misusing charitable assets. It also determined that two of the officials should repay the gun group millions of dollars. The verdict followed a six-week corruption trial that came nearly four years after New York Attorney General Letitia James sued the NRA and almost five years after investigative journalists reported that the groups leaders, vendors and contractors had improperly spent the nonprofits funds on lavish travel and other personal expenses. The NRA responded to the verdict by saying it had been victimized by certain former vendors and insiders who abused the trust placed in them by the Association and listing steps it had already taken to get its house in order. The Conversation asked Sarah Webber and Elizabeth Schmidt, experts on nonprofit accountability at the University of Dayton and UMass Amherst, to answer questions about the complicated case. What does this verdict mean for the defendants? The jury evaluated evidence regarding the NRA and three individual defendants in the case: Wayne LaPierre, the longtime head of the NRA; its former treasurer and chief financial officer Wilson Phillips; and John Frazer, who is still serving as the groups corporate secretary and general counsel. The jury found that all three defendants had violated state nonprofit statutes and breached their fiduciary duties. It also found that the NRA had ignored whistleblower complaints and retaliated against the whistleblowers, submitted false filings and failed to properly oversee its charitable funds. The NRA was found liable for making false statements in mandatory regulatory filings, as was Frazer. The jury determined that LaPierre, who announced his retirement days before the trial began and officially stepped down while it was underway, had violated his statutory obligation to discharge the duties of his position in good faith. LaPierre was ordered to repay the NRA US$5.4 million. Because he has already repaid over $1 million following an internal NRA investigation, he will only have to pay back $4.35 million, James announced. Since the jury said that LaPierre should be removed from his job, from which he had already resigned, its possible that he will be barred from ever returning. Phillips was ordered to pay $2 million back to the NRA. Although the jury did not find that there was enough evidence against Frazer to remove him from his current position as corporate secretary, it did find both Frazer and Phillips had violated their duties as corporate officers of the NRA. Another defendant, LaPierres former chief of staff Joshua Powell, settled the case against him on the eve of the trial and agreed to testify against his former employer, the NRA. Powell must repay the NRA $100,000 and is permanently barred from serving in any fiduciary capacity at charitable organizations in New York state. Whats wrong with what these NRA leaders did? The NRA was chartered in 1871 as a nonprofit in New York. Its therefore subject to that states laws. New York requires three duties of top nonprofit executives, such as the defendants in this case: the duty of care, the duty of loyalty and the duty of obedience. That means they must care for the NRA and its mission, keep the NRAs interests ahead of their own and obey, or further, the NRAs mission while obeying the law. According to the jury, the defendants breached all three duties. Asking the NRA to pay for lavish personal trips, flights aboard private jets and helicopters, expensive clothes and hair styling and makeup for LaPierres wife all of which came up during the trial could not be considered fair to the organization. In New York, you cannot get away with corruption and greed, no matter how powerful or influential you think you may be, James posted on X, formerly Twitter. Everyone, even the NRA and Wayne LaPierre, must play by the same rules. New York Attorney General Letitia James declared the verdict a major victory for the people of New York and our efforts to stop the corruption and greed at the NRA. AP Photo/Brittainy Newman What will this mean for the NRA? Charitable downgrades are now likely by rating organizations. For example, Charity Watch has issued a ? rating for the NRA due to concerns about this organization and its nondisclosure of financial information. Repayment by LaPierre and his former colleague will depend on whether or not they file an appeal, and it is unclear whether they can afford to pay the millions of dollars they owe the NRA. LaPierres attorneys have indicated that they plan to appeal. Further, in defending the case, the NRA is likely incurring significant legal fees. And the NRA relies on dues payments for much of its budget. It has reportedly lost 1 million members out of the estimated 5 million that belonged to it before reports of improper spending patterns arose. Whats next? There will be another trial to determine whether any non-monetary punishment is appropriate for the NRA or the individual defendants, James said. One key issue the judge will decide is whether independent monitors and experts should review and assess whether the NRA is now spending its money appropriately. The monitor would report to the court on its observations. The judge could also find that an independent governance expert, which would also report directly to the court, should be appointed. But that person would focus on whether the NRA should reform its procedures and policies related to how the organization spends its money and how the board approves management decisions. The judge will also rule on whether LaPierre and Phillips should be barred from any future appointments as officers at the NRA or other charitable organizations in New York, and if Frazer will be barred from collecting or requesting donations for any charity operating in New York. The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment. (Bloomberg) -- This week, Chinas stock boil blew up the quants, the Nikkei made it back to where it was 34 years ago, the US made it back to where it was 42 years ago, and Nvidia did what Nvidia does, only more so. Heres what could happen next. Most Read from Bloomberg An eight-day rallythe longest since 2020lifted a key Chinese index 10% above the five-year low recorded earlier this month. So why are investors still cautious? Across the sea, investors have few such qualms about record-breaking Japanese stocks. Global equities were lifted by a single stock. Our new BFF Nvidia raised all boats after declaring AI had reached a tipping point, spreading joy to investors everywhere. Except short-sellers, who lost $3 billion. This is the chip that made it all possible. Jensen Huangs Nvidia has also joined Jeff Bezos and Microsoft in funding a startup thats developing humanoid robots. Looking for nosebleed yields? Join the retail investors jumping into the crazy market for option-income ETFs. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. officially opens its nightless castle today, the Kumamoto fab in Japan, another sign of a new technological dawn in the land of the rising sun. No mayday call, no known flight path and no wreckage Malaysian Airlines MH370 disappeared 10 years ago and remains modern aviations biggest mystery. With the earth now covered by thousands of communications satellites, the tragedy need never happen again. Yet it could. While the Bermuda Triangle is infamous for swallowing ships, the Miami triangle is luring billionaires. The American-made lander that brought the US back to the moon for the first time since the Apollo missions may have landed on its side. Americans working from home are facing an irritating truth: If you want to make more than $200,000, get back to the office. Would you fork out $350,000 for a car? Thats not to buy it mind you, just to service it. This is the cost of riding in the Valkyrie. Have a well-guided weekend. Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2024 Bloomberg L.P. NEW YORK The New York Civil Liberties Union is demanding Columbia University reinstate two pro-Palestinian student groups suspended last semester over protests against Israels counteroffensive in Gaza. Columbia, which has been roiled by campus unrest following the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attacks on Israel, has until the end of next week before the NYCLU moves ahead with legal action, according to a letter made public Friday. If the university is unwilling to reverse its suspension decision and reinstate the groups, the NYCLU is prepared to file a lawsuit to vindicate their rights, the memo read. Donna Lieberman, executive director of the NYCLU, said the groups, Students for Justice in Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace, were peacefully speaking out on current events, when Columbia broke with its longstanding policies to quash the organizations. The university has a board tasked with holding formal proceedings if a student group is accused of violating university policies, according to the letter. But the NYCLU said Columbia bypassed these governing procedures and unilaterally suspended the organizations on Nov. 10. The former process would have afforded the groups several protections, the NYCLU said, whereas the administrations decision denied students the opportunity to appeal. Thats retaliatory, its targeted, and it flies in the face of the free speech principles that institutes of higher learning should be defending, Lieberman said in a statement. The letter goes on to say that the two groups were not alone in organizing the Nov. 9 protest that most closely prompted the suspension, after what Columbia said then were repeated violations of university policies by the groups. At the time, administrators also said the demonstration included threatening rhetoric and intimidation. NYCLU countered Friday the accusation had no basis in fact. The suspension, which means the two groups cannot hold campus events or receive university funding, was slated to last through the fall term. But reinstatement came with contingencies, including that the organizations commit to complying with university policies and meeting with administrators. The universitys priorities are not with its student body, said Safiya OBrien, a junior studying political science and human rights at Barnard and a member of Students for Justice in Palestine. Certainly not with its Palestinian students and the overwhelming number of those that advocate for them. Spokespeople for Columbia declined to comment, but directed the Daily News to the universitys interim policy on campus demonstrations. We are committed to free and open debate, and the principle that the right to speak applies equally to everyone, regardless of their viewpoint, it reads. Just as every member of our community has this right, they also have a corresponding responsibility not to interfere with the rights of others to speak, study, teach, and learn. Earlier this week, Columbia was slapped with a lawsuit over alleged campus antisemitism and continues to face a House probe. The NYPD is also investigating pro-Palestinian students reports that they were sprayed with a noxious chemical at an on-campus protest. _____ South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul expressed concerns Friday over growing military cooperation between North Korea and Russia, saying it could potentially help Pyongyang's ability to "threaten security on the Korean Peninsula and beyond." Cho made the remarks during a U.N. Security Council (UNSC) briefing on the Ukraine conflict at U.N. headquarters in New York on the eve of the second anniversary of Russia's invasion of the European country. "If and when it turns out to be the case that North Korea receives in return, whether advanced military technology or oil shipments exceeding limits under Security Council resolutions, this would redound to North Korea's ability to threaten security on the Korean Peninsula and beyond," he said. "Both dimensions of this nexus constitute unequivocal violations of multiple UNSC resolutions and undermine the global non-proliferation regime," he added. The White House has revealed that the North provided Russia with military equipment, munitions and ballistic missiles, some of which were fired at Ukrainian targets on Dec. 30, Jan. 2 and Jan. 6. In return for the arms provision, Pyongyang has been seeking military assistance from Russia, "including fighter aircraft, surface-to-air missiles, armored vehicles, ballistic missile production equipment or materials, and other advanced technologies," according to U.S. officials. "My government is deeply troubled by the emerging military cooperation between Russia and North Korea," Cho said. "North Korean munitions and missiles have been sighted in Ukraine, which not only aggravates the human suffering but also risks further escalating and prolonging the war in Ukraine." Noting the UNSC's "inherent shortcomings and current constraints," Cho said it is imperative for the council to devise "effective strategies to navigate these complexities to fulfill its fundamental duty of maintaining international peace and security." "I wish to reaffirm Korea's commitment as a member of the Security Council to actively contribute to realizing this goal," he said. Cho also highlighted that as a country that also experienced war in the 1950s, Korea knows "all too well what it means to suffer from military aggression." "Korea firmly believes that aggression must not go unanswered," he said. "As a nation -- all too familiar with the agonizing consequences of armed conflict, Korea has a profound sense of empathy with the plight of the Ukrainian people." Cho, a former South Korean ambassador to the U.N., flew to the U.S. after attending the foreign ministerial gathering of the Group of 20 nations in Brazil. He is set to hold a meeting with Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday. (Yonhap) German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said Berlin remains committed to back Kiev both with weapons and on its path to joining the EU, as she visited Odessa on Saturday to mark the second anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. As long as Russian President Vladimir Putin is not prepared to stop the war, "we will continue to support you every day," including with arms deliveries "that not only recapture, but save lives every day," said Baerbock at a joint appearance with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba in the southern port city. The past two years have shown that "no missile, no 731 days of bomb terror can break Ukraine's will to freedom," she added. The ministers' visit to Odessa on the Black Sea, which was the target of Russian attacks less than 24 hours before, had initially been kept secret for security reasons. Amid Baerbock's show of support, her Ukrainian counterpart had a clear message for Kiev's Western allies including Berlin. The Ukrainian foreign minister accused Germany and the West of being complicit in the war because they had been hesitant to welcome Ukraine into their fold before the conflict started. "If Germany and the West had not looked at Ukraine through the prism of Russia from the beginning of Ukrainian independence and accepted us into the EU and NATO, then this war would never have happened," he said. The EU decided last December to launch accession negotiations with the government in Kiev. However, it is expected to take many more years before Ukraine could join the bloc. Opportunities to contain Russia before the war were also missed, Kuleba said. "If all decisions on arms deliveries had been made and implemented quickly at the start of the war, then we would be in Luhansk today talking about a Europe stretching from Lisbon to Luhansk at the press conference," Kuleba said referring to the Luhansk region in eastern Ukraine that has been illegally annexed by Russia during the course of the war. Peace can only be achieved through increased arms deliveries, said Kuleba. "Only by beating Russia on the battlefield can we force a lasting and just peace." It is Baerbock's sixth trip to Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion on February 24, 2022. The two ministers travelled to Ukraine together after attending meetings of the UN General Assembly and the UN Security Council in New York on Friday to mark the second anniversary of the start of the war. They made there way there flying via Berlin and Moldova from where they travelled overland to Odessa. At the beginning of their visit, Baerbock and Kuleba were briefed on the current situation in the port of Odessa. After a tour of the harbour - a major hub for Ukrainian grain exports - the commander of the Ukrainian naval forces briefed Baerbock on the security situation in the Black Sea. Ukraine is one of the world's most important grain exporters. From July 2022 to July 2023, the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which was also negotiated with the mediation of Turkey, enabled the export of almost 33 million tonnes of grain despite Russia's naval blockade. After Moscow refused to extend the agreement, Ukraine established a military security corridor. Since then, it has exported almost 20 million tonnes of cargo across the Black Sea within six months, 70% of which was agricultural products, according to the Ukrainian government, Ukraine. From the border, the two ministers travelled on to Odessa, which had just been attacked with Russian combat drones for the second night in a row on the eve of the two-year anniversary. An elderly man was killed in a small residential building when a drone struck the city late on Friday, after three people were killed in a fire that broke out in a destroyed sewing factory following a drone attack on Thursday evening. As the war in Ukraine entered into its third war, citizens were mourning their relatives and friends killed in attacks or on the front line. At a cemetery west of Odessa, the widow Anna and her father-in-law Oleksandr laid a flag and sweets on the grave of Andriy, a soldier killed two months ago at the age of 38. He had volunteered in March 2023 and was killed in fighting in the Bakhmut area, they said. People across Europe took to the streets on Saturday to express their solidarity with Ukraine. In Germany, thousands of people joined rallies across the country. In Berlin, some 5,000 gathered near the city's Brandenburg Gate landmark, according to police. Organizers put the number at 7,000. Large rallies were also held in Cologne with some 6,000 participants according to organizers, and Saarbrucken with some 2,000 participants according to police. Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner called for rapid weapons deliveries for Ukraine, including the Taurus missiles that Kiev has long been asking for. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has been blocking the delivery of the long-range German-made Taurus missiles out of concern that they could be used to strike targets within Russia itself and further escalate the conflict. Scholz on Saturday called for Germany and Europe to make a bigger effort when it comes to defence. "Russia is not only attacking Ukraine, it is also destroying peace in Europe," Scholz said. Ukraine would be supported in its self-defence "for as long as necessary," he said. "And we, Germany and Europe, are doing more - and must do even more - so that we can defend ourselves effectively." Annalena Baerbock (L), Germany's Foreign Minister, and Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine's Foreign Minister, hold a joint press conference in Odessa. Kay Nietfeld/dpa Annalena Baerbock (L), Germany's Foreign Minister, and Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine's Foreign Minister, hold a joint press conference in Odessa. Kay Nietfeld/dpa Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine's Foreign Minister, attends a joint press conference with Annalena Baerbock (not pictured), Germany's Foreign Minister. Kay Nietfeld/dpa GEORGETOWN, Texas (KXAN) The City of Georgetown confirmed an off-duty firefighter was arrested this week in connection with a kidnapping and hostage situation in Kansas. Arrest records from the Thomas County Sheriffs Office said Jonatas Pereira, 41, was booked into custody on Tuesday, Feb. 20. Court records show hes charged with 17 counts including kidnapping, aggravated assault, aggravated burglary, endangering a child, disorderly conduct, and criminal restraint. A press release from the Colby (Kansas) Police Department said 911 dispatchers received a call about an armed intruder at 9:46 a.m. on Feb. 20. Officers from CPD, the Thomas County Sheriffs Office, Kansas Highway Patrol, and the Kansas Bureau of Investigation responded. Once there, officers found a car with Texas plates in the alley behind the home and began trying to make contact with people inside. One hostage climbed out of a bedroom window, telling officers that three women and two children were still inside. CPD said Pereira allegedly drove from Texas to find the people inside the home. Around 10:38 am, Pereira walked out of the home with the hostages and was taken into custody. CPD Chief Richard Barret said Pereira is still in police custody and that this is an ongoing investigation. Attorney information for Pereira wasnt available as of Friday afternoon. KXAN will update this story with a statement or a response when one is received. Georgetown Fire Department response to firefighter arrest In a statement, Georgetown Fire Chief John Sullivan said Pereira has been placed on administrative leave because of the incident, per Texas civil service law. He said the City of Georgetown will also conduct an internal investigation into Pereiras actions. Sullivan said Pereira has been employed with GFD since March 2017. He was also assigned to the Central Texas Regional SWAT Team as a medic but has been removed from that assignment. The statement said Pereira was accused of a separate family violence incident in March 2020. The incident did not result in any charges being filed against Pereira after the complainant declined to pursue the case. The City of Georgetown takes this matter seriously and knows this incident is greatly concerning to the Georgetown community and the community of Colby, Kansas. We are fully cooperating with law enforcement authorities in Kansas and appreciate all the work they have done. The City is committed to working through this internal investigation expeditiously, Sullivan said in a statement. Pending its own internal investigation, the City of Georgetown said it cannot comment further on this case at this time. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KXAN Austin. The Office of the President of Ukraine has published the full texts of the bilateral security cooperation agreements with Canada and Italy that were signed in Kyiv on 24 February. Source: European Pravda Details: The Canada-Ukraine security agreement comprises eight sections, which outline its goals, the consultation process that will take place if one of the countries is attacked, and specific areas for cooperation between the two countries. The agreement stipulates that Canada will give Ukraine 3.02 billion Canadian dollars worth of macroeconomic and military aid (approximately US$2.2 billion) in 2024. It also provides for the creation of a Canada-Ukraine Strategic Security Partnership, which will determine areas for strengthening cooperation in different industries, such as defence. This is the first such partnership created as part of security guarantee agreements between Ukraine and other countries. The Italy-Ukraine agreement also comprises eight sections, which are further divided into 20 articles. The agreement lists weapons, including long-range weapons, that Italy will supply to Ukraine, outlines ways to strengthen Italy-Ukraine cooperation in a number of areas, and reiterates Italys commitments to rebuilding Ukraine. Background: As of today, 24 February 2024, Ukraine has entered into bilateral agreements with the UK, Germany, France, Denmark, Italy and Canada. Support UP or become our patron! The bilateral agreement on security cooperation between Italy and Ukraine signed on 24 February 2024 will see Italy provide more military aid for Ukraine and ensure greater cooperation between the countries in different defence industries. Source: Ihor Zhovkva, Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, on Facebook, as reported by European Pravda Details: Zhovkva said that Italy has given Ukraine over 2 billion of multifaceted aid and eight military aid packages since the beginning of the full-scale invasion. "Italy intends to maintain the same level of support in 2024 and has already extended the relevant legislation for the whole of this year," he said. The Italy-Ukraine security agreement details a list of weapons, "including long-range weapons", to be provided by Italy to Ukraine, as well as makes provisions for deepening the cooperation in the areas of defence, intelligence, cybersecurity, fighting organised crime and demining. Zhovkva said that the agreement also confirms Italys commitment to rebuilding and restoring Ukraine, in particular the city of Odesa and Odesa Oblast, and to convening a conference on the recovery of Ukraine in 2025. The agreement additionally outlines cooperation in putting sanctions pressure on Russia, seeking reparations for the damage caused by Russia, and bringing it to justice, as well as clear support for Ukraine's membership in the European Union and NATO and support for reforms in Ukraine. "The agreement outlines a mechanism for a 24-hour emergency response in the event of repeated military aggression against Ukraine," Zhovkva also said. Background: As of today, 24 February 2024, Ukraine has entered into similar bilateral agreements with the UK, Germany, France, Denmark and Canada. Support UP or become our patron! BUFFALO, Ohio (WCMH) An Ohio man who had been living in Colorado has been charged with murder after his roommate was found dead inside their home. Carl Hoopingarner, 59, of Kipling, Ohio, was arrested on Tuesday and is now facing a first-degree murder charge, according to the Guernsey County Sheriffs Office. Investigators were alerted that Hoopingarner was wanted when his roommate was found dead inside their Limon, Colorado, home on Monday. Colorado authorities told the sheriffs office that Hoopingarner may have been heading back to Guernsey County and was believed to be armed and driving his roommates car. Officers took Hoopingarner into custody at around 3 p.m. on Tuesday at a Buffalo, Ohio, home after a standoff with law enforcement. Ohio bowling pro facing 15 child pornography charges after arrest at tournament Investigators found the car at the Buffalo home, which was partially covered in a plastic tarp. The sheriffs office said they spoke to the homeowner who was in the yard and confirmed that Hoopingarner was inside with the homeowners girlfriend. About 30 minutes later, Hoopingarner exited the home and surrendered to authorities before he was transferred to the county jail. The homeowner and the girlfriend were released at the scene after further investigation, the sheriffs office said. Hoopingarner had also been wanted in Belmont County for an aggravated trafficking in drugs charge, and remains in the county jail while awaiting further court proceedings. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NBC4 WCMH-TV. Are stop sign laws enforced in parking lots in California? Do the traffic laws outlined in the California Vehicle Code apply to parking lots? Heres what California law enforcement told us: Can I ignore a stop sign in California? What does the law say? When approaching a stop sign, California Vehicle Code 22450 says all drivers must make a complete stop at the limit line before proceeding. How long do I have to stop at a stop sign? There is no three-second rule when it comes to stop signs, according to Shouse California Law Group. As long as a driver yields the right-of-way to others and it is safe to do so the driver can proceed passed the stop sign. However, the longer you stop means the better chance that you will not receive a ticket, the law website says. Does the law apply to parking lots? Officer Thomas Olsen, a spokesman for the California Highway Patrol, said the vehicle code only applies to highways defined by Section 360 as publicly maintained roadways open to public use. Most parking lots are considered private property and the vehicle code does not apply, Olsen wrote in an email to The Sacramento Bee. While most parking lots are considered private property, Olsen said there can be a sign typically located at the entrance of the parking lot indicating if the vehicle code is enforced there. A good example of this in Modesto is Vintage Fair Mall, Olsen said. Although thats considered private property, there is a sign posted at the mall that allows law enforcement to enforce violations, he explained. This includes all violations listed in the California Vehicle Code. Olsen said there are three violations in the vehicle code that can be enforced on any private property, including: Driving under the influence. Hit and run. Exhibition of speed. Are stop sign laws in parking lots enforced in California? It depends, Olsen said. If there is a sign posted in the parking lot stating that the vehicle code can be enforced, Olsen said drivers should make the stop to avoid a citation. When there is no sign, drivers cannot be cited. Although it may not be illegal, it is not okay to ignore stop signs in parking lots, Olsen said. Drivers should be aware there is a reason why engineers placed them there. While there may not be a sign posted stating that the vehicle code is enforced in a parking lot, Olsen said a driver could face civil penalties if an injury collision were to occur. If a driver acts in due regard for the safety of others and runs a stop sign resulting in death, they can be charged with gross vehicular manslaughter, Olsen said. Whats the penalty for running a stop sign in California? In California, Olsen said stop sign violations can result in a traffic citation and one point on a drivers record. Major hospitals across the country continued to experience disruptions Saturday as thousands of trainee doctors remained off their jobs for the fifth consecutive day in protest against the government's plan to raise the medical school enrollment quota. Nearly 100 general hospitals have canceled or postponed nonessential procedures and turned away non-emergency patients, prioritizing service for severe emergency cases to minimize the growing strain on the medical system. As of Thursday night, 8,897, or 78.5 percent, of the 13,000 trainee doctors from 96 major teaching hospitals in Seoul and elsewhere have submitted their resignations, with 7,863 of them not reporting for work, according to the health ministry. More junior doctors are expected to join the protest, raising concerns as they play a vital role in assisting with surgeries and emergency services. One hospital, Chungnam National University Hospital, located in the central city of Daejeon, turned away some patients seeking emergency care Saturday due to a limited number of available physicians to handle urgent cases, such as cardiac arrest. "A grandmother came to the emergency room alone this morning, but (the hospital) says it can only accommodate critical patients, making treatment impossible," said a paramedic, noting that the patient would be transported to a smaller hospital nearby. Hospitals have struggled to maintain their operations by enlisting the help of doctors in fellowship programs, professors and nurses to fill the void. Since raising its four-scale health care service crisis gauge to the highest level of "serious" from "cautious," the government has also advised patients with mild symptoms to utilize nearby clinics instead of general hospitals. Furthermore, the government has temporarily extended telemedicine services, such as consultations and prescriptions, at all hospitals and clinics until the end of the walkout. The telemedicine services had been partially available since 2020 in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic under strict regulations. Additionally, military hospitals nationwide have fully opened their emergency rooms to the public since Tuesday to address public health concerns over emergency services. According to the defense ministry, a total of 32 civilians had received treatment at military hospitals as of noon Saturday. Doctors and medical students have voiced opposition to the government's plan to admit 2,000 more students to medical schools next year from the current 3,058 seats to address a shortage of doctors. The government plans to remedy a shortfall of 15,000 physicians expected by 2035. The Korean Medical Association (KMA), a main lobby group for doctors, argues that there are already sufficient physicians and that simply increasing the quota of medical students would lead to unnecessary medical costs. Furthermore, the KMA argues that the plan fails to address issues, such as overburdening and the lack of incentives for doctors who specialize in essential health care services, including pediatrics, obstetrics and emergency medicine. In contrast, the government said that the country should begin training more new doctors to address the challenges posed by a rapidly aging society, citing examples of other major developed countries facing shortages of physicians. The number of doctors in South Korea relative to the size of the population is among the lowest in the developed world, according to health authorities. Despite authorities repeatedly warning of police investigations or even arrests of physicians participating in the walkout in the case of patient deaths, the KMA plans to hold large-scale rallies in Seoul on Sunday and March 3. In a statement released late Saturday, the Medical Professors Association of Korea said it will make utmost efforts to help resolve the current medical crisis and serve as arbitrator in the disputes between the government and the doctors' group for a breakthrough. On Friday, the government raised its health alert to "severe" from "cautious" after emergency departments at major hospitals have been squeezed since the walkout began Tuesday. Early this week, President Yoon Suk Yeol said the government won't surrender to the doctors' collective action this time as it did in 2014 and 2020, when it failed to adopt telemedicine services and to increase the medical school enrollment quota, respectively. A recent Gallop Korea poll shows about 76 percent of respondents were in favor of the government's plan, regardless of political affiliation. (Yonhap) An Oklahoma state senator is being quoted as calling the LGBTQ+ community "filth" and saying the people in his district don't want them in the state. "I represent a constituency that doesn't want that filth in Oklahoma," Sen. Tom Woods, R-Westville, was quoted by a newspaper as saying during a legislative forum Friday sponsored by the Tahlequah Area Chamber of Commerce. Woods was attending the forum when he and other lawmakers in attendance were asked a question by a woman in the audience, according Tahlequah Daily Press. "Why does the Legislature have such an obsession with the LGBTQ citizens of Oklahoma and what people do in their personal lives and how they raise their children?" the woman asked. She noted that a 16-year-old student, Nex Benedict, had died earlier this month after an altercation at Owasso High School. Owasso student Nex Benedict Nex's death has generated widespread calls for schools to better protect students who may be bullied because of their gender and sexual identities. Nex, who went by the pronouns they, them, was part of the LGBTQ+ community, their friends and family have said. While the death remains under investigation, it has put Oklahoma under a harsh spotlight for political rhetoric and policies that many see as an invitation to bullying of the LGBTQ+ community. More: What we know and what we don't about death of Oklahoma teen Nex Benedict According to the Daily Press, Woods responded that while "my heart goes out" in regard to Nex's death, he represents a constituency. "We are a Republican state supermajority in the House and Senate. I represent a constituency that doesn't want that filth in Oklahoma," Woods said, according to the newspaper account. "We are a religious state and we are going to fight it to keep that filth out of the state of Oklahoma because we are a Christian state we are a moral state," Woods added. A smattering of applause could be heard on an audio tape made at the meeting by the Daily Press. Woods was not available by phone and did not respond to an email asking for his response to the news report. Woods represents Oklahoma's Senate District 4, which stretches along the eastern border of the state and includes Adair, Cherokee, Delaware and Sequoyah counties. He is listed as living in Westville, which is about 60 miles east of Muskogee. More: What does 'gender-expansive' mean? Oklahoma teen's death puts identity in spotlight. LISTEN: Audio of Oklahoma Senator calling LGBTQ+ community 'filth' Click the audio player below to listen to how Woods' answered questions about anti-LGBTQ+ legislation and the death of Nex Benedict. Audio courtesy Tahlequah Daily Press. This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Report: Oklahoma senator calls LGBTQ+ filth when asked about gender issues During a legislative forum in Oklahoma on Friday sponsored by the Tahlequah Area Chamber of Commerce, Sen. Tom Woods, R-Westville, commented on the death of 16-year-old nonbinary student Nex Benedict following an attack that took place on February 7 at Owasso High School, saying, "I represent a constituency that doesn't want that filth in Oklahoma," meaning gender fluidity, not apparent murder. Joined by other area lawmakers in addressing the tragic event that is still under investigation, Woods said in an earlier statement that his "heart goes out, in that scenario, if that is the case," in reference to allegations that brute force on the part of three older girls who ganged up on Benedict in a bathroom at the school and banged their head against the floor may have caused them to black out and, ultimately, die in a local hospital a day later. LISTEN: "We don't want that filth in our state" Oklahoma State Sen. Tom Woods responds to a question about the death of Nex Benedict, a nonbinary student, following an altercation in a high school bathroom. These are the "role models" of this state where Nex died. pic.twitter.com/auQX2QUOJ8 Ari Drennen (@AriDrennen) February 24, 2024 According to reporting by The Daily Press, Woods' comments came after a woman in attendance at the forum asked, "Why does the legislature have such an obsession with the LGBTQ citizens of Oklahoma and what people do in their personal lives and how they raise their children? To which he responded with the above, along with, "We are a Republican state and Im going to vote my district, and Im going to vote my values," emphasizing the moral and Christian fortitude of the Republican way of life in Oklahoma that he aims to represent. State Rep. David Hardin claimed to have no knowledge of what happened with Benedict at all, saying, Thats horrible. I dont know about that case but Ill check into it. On Wednesday, the Owasso Police issued a statement on Benedict's death saying, "While the investigation continues into the altercation, preliminary information from the medical examiners office is that a complete autopsy was performed and indicated that the decedent did not die as a result of trauma. At this time, any further comments on the cause of death are currently pending until toxicology results and other ancillary testing results are received. The official autopsy report will be available at a later date." But the child's mother, along with many others who are following the case, are not in alignment with that statement. In a text exchange with Popular Information, Sue Benedict, Nex's mother, said she considered the Owasso Police statement a "big cover" and believed it was only released as "something to calm the people." Want a daily wrap-up of all the news and commentary Salon has to offer? Subscribe to our morning newsletter, Crash Course. In newly released bodycam footage of a school resource officer's interview with Nex and their mother at the hospital following the attack at the school, a first-hand account is given of what took place on the day in question, resulting in the last story that Nex will ever tell. "I got jumped," Nex tells the officer. And when asked why they didn't report the incident to school officials, Nex says, "I didn't really see the point." A Nigerian man this week asked the government there to renew his passport so he could book a flight to New Jersey. This might not seem like such a momentous event. But in the life of Omoyele Sowore, it was a major step to freedom after nearly five years in legal and political limbo. Sowore, a Nigerian citizen and political activist and journalist, who lived with his wife and son and daughter in the tiny hamlet of Haworth, has been detained by Nigerian authorities since he was arrested in August 2019 after he returned to his homeland and led anti-government protests. But Sowore, who turned 53 last week, may finally be coming back to America and to his wife and teenage son and teenage daughter he has seen only on video calls since his detention in Nigeria. After an unexpected flurry of court hearings and legal decisions last week, the Nigerian government dropped all charges against Sowore. Late Friday, Sowore confirmed to The Record and NorthJersey.com that he received his new Nigerian passport. As soon as he receives a U.S. visa and updated legal residency green card, Sowore will be free to return to America and his family. All he will need then, he said, is a ticket on a commercial airliner. I just want to see my wife and kids and hug them, Sowore told The Record and NorthJersey.com when reached by telephone in Nigeria. The U.S. embassy in Nigeria is reportedly expediting approval of Sowores U.S. visa and green card. Back in Washington, D.C., the U.S. State Department told The Record and NorthJersey.com that we welcome the decision by Nigerias justice department to discontinue the case against Sowore. The plight of the Nigerian activist from suburban Haworth is as much a story of the often-unpredictable ups and downs of international politics as an old-fashioned tale about how a small town with only 3,400 residents came to support a family in need. In the middle was Sowore. He traveled back to his homeland in the summer of 2019 and quickly angered Nigeria's political establishment by running for the nations presidency. Sowore's campaign, while unsuccessful, nevertheless aimed to draw attention to what he saw as increasing dishonesty and authoritarianism in his homeland. "I really ran to win and defeat the old guards versed in corruption and incompetence," he told The Record and NorthJesey.com. "It was a campaign aimed at turning Nigeria around and engendering an era of abundance, social justice and economic prosperity." After protesting election results, Sowore was thrown in jail. Omoyele "Yele" Sowore, a journalist and social activist who lives in Haworth with his family, has been held in Nigeria under questionable charges since August 2019. Back in Haworth, concern among residents mounted over Sowores safety. Haworth doesnt have a lot of intrigue, but it does believe in its own sense of community, said the borough's mayor, Heather Wasser. Sowores wife, Opeyemi Oluwole-Sowore, credited the towns support with helping her family get through the ordeal. My entire community leaned in, said Opeyemi, 50, a health care technology marketing executive. Theyve been there for the past five years. Many of them I didnt know but many are my close friends now. Soon after Omoyele Sowores arrest in August 2019, dozens of Haworth residents gathered for a vigil to express support for him and his family. Within days, residents began wrapping yellow ribbons around many trees throughout the town a symbolic gesture to draw attention to what they felt was Sowores unjust arrest. The town referred to the ribbons on trees as Tie a Yele Ribbon a reference to Sowores nickname, Yele, and to the 1973 hit song, "Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round The Ole Oak Tree," by the pop-singing group, Tony Orlando and Dawn. Residents also attended protests at the United Nations and lobbied government officials. And as a regular feature at Sunday Masses each week at Sacred Heart Church, where Sowores family worshipped, a special prayer was offered for his freedom. The increased focus seemed to work. It soon drew the attention of the U.S. State Department, the American Bar Association and the Committee to Protect Journalists, as well as such progressive lobbying groups as the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Foundation and the George Clooney Foundation for Justice. American diplomats from the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria started showing up at Sowores court hearings. They met with Nigerian officials and, according to a State Department spokesman in Washington, publicly expressed concern about his detention. But the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 and 2021 derailed efforts to bring Sowore back to America. Diplomatic efforts stalled, then seemed to slip into limbo. Amid the focus on the COVID pandemic, the focus on Sowore's plight seemed less intense. "It was surreal," Sowore told The Record and NorthJersey.com. Two years passed. Then came a change in the Nigerian presidency and a renewed chance to gain Sowore's freedom. Sowore emerged two decades ago as a prominent critic of Nigerias authoritarian government when he founded the Sahara Reporters news website in a small New York City apartment. Many articles on the website detailed the widespread corruption of Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, a former army general whose autocratic style of rule was often overlooked by U.S. authorities who valued instead his strong stance against African-based terrorism. Buhari, now 81, left office last May. Nigerias new president, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, signaled that he was open to freeing Sowore. Still it took another nine months to drop the case against Sowore. Besides being charged with trying to overthrow the government, Sowore had been accused of treason, money laundering and cyberstalking. The cyberstalking allegation stemmed from Sowores journalistic investigation of President Buhari. The other charges were viewed as trumped up accusations tied to Sowores years of anti-government activism. Story continues after video Still, if convicted, Sowore could have been sentenced to prison for years. Nigeria is one of those countries where journalists dont get justice, said Angela Quintal, a South African journalist and Africa Coordinator for the Committee to Protect Journalists. Over time, Quintal said, Nigerias political establishment came to regard the outspoken and charismatic Sowore as a rival. No doubt it had everything to do with the fact that he was an activist, a journalist, someone who appeals to the youth, Quintal said in an interview. Obviously, the old guard is going to see that as a threat. While U.S. officials criticized Nigerian authorities for detaining Sowore, they were limited in what they could do because Sowore was only a legal resident of the United States, not a citizen. Back in Haworth, residents saw Sowores detention as unjust. People in the town were genuinely concerned, said the Rev. Robert Wolfee, the pastor of Sacred Heart Catholic Church. Whether they knew the family personally, a lot of people saw it as a miscarriage of justice. He was a political prisoner, not a criminal. I dont think anybody expected this to drag out this long. We were very concerned for Ope and the kids, said Haworth resident Alison Osder, referring to Sowores wife, Opeyemi, by her nickname. Osder joined an informal group of women who regularly visited the Sowore home or kept touch by phone with the family. For us, it was about supporting Ope as another mom in town, Osder said. It blossomed from there. As delighted as Sowore and his family are with his impending freedom along with Haworth itself many acknowledge that much of the last five years have been especially difficult. Sowore was first confined to a jail where he had to buy his own food. He communicated with his family by a cellphone that was smuggled into the jail. Six months later, a judge gave him permission to live on his own in Nigerias capital, Abuja. But he could not leave the city or hold a job. And he had to rent his own apartment, which he says was under 24-hour police surveillance. Rep. Josh Gottheimer, the Wyckoff, New Jersey Democrat whose district includes Haworth and who lobbied extensively with U.S. officials for Sowores release, credited Sowores own positive outlook in helping him endure his captivity. I cant wait to give him a hug and a slice of pizza, Gottheimer said. Opeyemi Sowore lamented that her husbands Nigerian detention caused him to miss some major family events that can never be replicated. The couples daughter, Ayomide, is now 17 and a high school junior. She was just 12 when her father was detained in Nigeria. The couples son, Komi, is 14 and in eighth grade. He has not seen his father since he was 9. During Sowore's confinement, his family could not visit him. He missed so many milestones, Opeyemi said. Its the little moments, right? A phone call is not the same as having someone here. That may change soon. Mike Kelly is an award-winning columnist for NorthJersey.com, part of the USA TODAY Network, as well as the author of three critically acclaimed nonfiction books and a podcast and documentary film producer. To get unlimited access to his insightful thoughts on how we live life in the Northeast, please subscribe or activate your digital account today. Email: kellym@northjersey.com This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Omoyele Sowore returning to NJ after detention Nigeria WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Some 32% of voters in South Carolina's Republican presidential primary contest think Donald Trump would not be fit for the presidency if he were convicted of a crime, according to the preliminary results of an exit poll conducted on Saturday by Edison Research. The poll gathered responses from 1,508 voters in the Republican contest. Updated results will be available as more responses are gathered. (Reporting by Jason Lange in Washington and Helen Coster, editing by Ross Colvin) As Plymouth County District Attorney, and a former longtime member of the Massachusetts Office for Victim Assistance Board, my office speaks for crime victims in Plymouth County. Sadly, today criminals are portrayed as victims, and true victims of crime are forgotten. The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court majority opinion in Commonwealth v. Sheldon Mattis betrays those murdered, and their surviving family members, who were promised that the killers who deliberately planned, premeditated, and brutally murdered their loved ones, would never walk the streets again. This bare 4-3 majority decision treats these adult murderers as victims. Plymouth County District Attorney Tim Cruz provides an update on a double homicide in Marshfield Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2022. With its decision, the SJC now defines emerging adults individuals 18 to 20 years of age at the time they committed murder as a new protected class. With the stroke of a pen, life without the possibility of parole for this class was ruled unconstitutional in violation of Article 26 of the Massachusetts Declaration of Rights; the same constitution that was amended by the voters in 1982 to permit the death penalty after the SJC ruled it unconstitutional. Only a decade ago, the SJC made retroactive the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Miller v. Alabama that murderers under the age of 18 could not be sentenced to life without parole. This ruling devastated surviving families of homicide victims who were previously promised that, if convicted, first-degree murderers would spend the rest of their natural lives in prison. In Massachusetts, legislators who opposed the death penalty a generation ago promised the public that the trade-off would be that those convicted of first-degree murder would spend the rest of their life in prison. At that time, it was the critical and most persuasive argument for Massachusetts legislators to vote against the death penalty. The SJC has now acted as a super-legislator, justifying their defying the will of the people and of the elected legislator with so-called, emerging science for emerging adults. My job as a prosecutor is to follow the laws enacted by our legislature. Judges, who are appointed to their positions, made this ruling by drawing an arbitrary line at the age of 20. The SJC ignored the fact that the legislature determined 18 to be the age of majority. The SJC right only because they have the power decided that life without the possibility of parole for first-degree murder was a violation of constitutional rights for murderers aged 18-20. There is no clear consensus as to the age of a fully developed brain. Many scientists have opined that the human brain does not fully develop until the age of 25. I would suggest that emerging science is just that, emerging, with no accepted uniformity in the scientific community. More importantly, even the emerging science and scientists all agree that generally by the time a person is 16 years-old, and certainly by 18, they can form plans, premeditate and carry out plans in the mental state called cold cognition. That is not under some emotional impulse that they couldnt control. That is why we let people who are 18 decide on medical care, or join the military, or vote for the president. The state of mind of defendants is examined for deficiencies such as mental illness or the effects of drugs, alcohol, or diminished intellectual capacity. A jury decides whether the prosecutor has proven that the state of mind of the accused is of, for instance, deliberately premeditated murder. That is, an execution committed by a person using their brain in cold cognition rather than an impulsive decision under the overwhelming influence of emotional agitation. That is what juries should do, except cannot because of the SJCs arbitrary bright line test. People should not lose sight of the fact that those convicted of first-degree murder did not murder based on impulse or immaturity. The standard for a first-degree murder conviction is high. The theories of murder are premeditation, extreme atrocity or cruelty, and murder in the commission of a felony punishable by a maximum life sentence. The jury instructions state that the decision to kill can take days, weeks, hours, or even mere seconds. This decision devastates more than 285 families in Massachusetts who will now have to relive excruciatingly painful details of how their loved one was murdered at countless parole board hearings. Families who have had loved ones ripped from their lives will have to relive the pain of their darkest hour, to keep these murderers in jail for their heinous acts. In 2013, Mattis and his co-defendant were tried together for first degree murder. Mattis, who had turned 18 approximately eight months before the crime, was given a life sentence, without the possibility of parole. The SJC wrote in its decision, that Mattis argued, among other things, that his mandatory sentence of life without parole violated Article 26's prohibition of cruel or unusual punishment because he was under 22 years of age when he committed the murder. Mattis planned this murder by giving the gun to a co-defendant, pointing out where the victims were, and instructing his co-defendant to commit this murder. No impulse was involved in this case. Only the dissenting SJC opinions gave proper review and analysis of the facts in this case. The majority SJC opinions speak about contemporary standards of decency as an important factor in determining the outcome of the case. This retroactive decision means that here in Plymouth County, I have 28 families to contact and explain this decision. The questions I would like answered are: is it decent to put these families through countless parole hearings? Is it decent that our victim witness advocates will try their best to explain how the court found that the murderer of their loved one is now entitled to what will be countless parole hearings? Is it decent that most of these defendants will have tax payer funded attorneys at every step in the process? Is it decent that these four appointed justices have laid the foundation to continue to move the age requirement even higher? Massachusetts is the only state in the country to have this new standard of justice. This decision should concern all citizens of the Commonwealth. What would be decent in a fair and just society would be to hold those who have broken the most basic social contract committing first-degree murder accountable, not released back into our communities. I believe that is the least that we owe families who have lost loved ones to the most heinous of all crimes. Timothy Cruz has been the district attorney for Plymouth County since November 2001. This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Plymouth DA Cruz says Massachusetts SJC got murder ruling wrong Editors Note: Frida Ghitis, a former CNN producer and correspondent, is a world affairs columnist. She is a weekly opinion contributor to CNN, a contributing columnist to The Washington Post and a columnist for World Politics Review. The views expressed in this commentary are her own. View more opinion on CNN. The images are a cinematic and chilling message to the world but one that is not quite what Russian President Vladimir Putin may have intended. A young woman in a white jacket, yet another prisoner in Russia, is seen led by a masked security officer. The prisoner is Ksenia Karelina, a 33-year-old US-Russian dual citizen, appearing to be blindfolded with her own knit cap as the uniformed man binds her wrists in handcuffs and leads her down a dark stairwell. She eventually appears in a holding cell in a Russian courtroom. Frida Ghitis - CNN Its the latest effort by the Kremlin to intimidate. But in its attempt to exercise and display its strength, Putin is showing his fear. Why would the absolute ruler of a nuclear-armed power find it necessary to imprison Karelina? News of Russias arrest of the dual citizen, who works as an esthetician in Los Angeles as she pursues her passion as a ballerina, emerged around the same time as the death of opposition leader Alexey Navalny in an Arctic penal colony. Navalny was openly committed to bringing democracy to Russia, to exposing Putins corruption and brutality. But Karelina? How is she a threat to Putin? It seems Putin doesnt tolerate the most minimal sign of opposition, even if its imaginary. Multiple Russians were arrested for holding up blank pieces of paper in the early days of Putins full-scale invasion of Ukraine, after thousands more had been jailed for openly protesting Russias aggression. Karelinas employer says she was arrested on charges of treason. Her crime: allegedly donating $51.80 to Razom, a US charity that supports Ukraine. Russias Federal Security Service (FSB), the successor to the infamous KGB, appears to confirm it, saying her crime was providing financial assistance to a foreign state in activities directed against the security of our country. If convicted of treason, she could spend decades in a Russian prison. Karelina became a US citizen in 2021. Her boyfriend, Chris Van Heerden, told CNN she was apolitical, didnt watch the news and had nothing to do with the war. He bought her tickets to go to Russia as a birthday present so she could see her 90-year-old grandmother, parents and younger sister. Perhaps Putin is feeling more insecure and becoming more tyrannical toward the Russian people, toward visitors and even toward those who have left the country. What started as an authoritarian leader who was eroding democratic norms looks to be morphing into a totalitarian dictator of the most dangerous kind the frightened kind. Security forces have arrested Russians questioning the war in Ukraine, let alone questioning Putin. They arrested hundreds seeking to honor Navalny, even people trying to lay flowers in his memory. Navalny was in the hands of the judicial system as part of an effort to silence him, to thwart his influence. But he would not be silenced as long as he remained alive. Some of Putins best-known critics have died one by one. Russian investigators never blame the government, of course. There was opposition leader Boris Nemtsov, shot near the Kremlin. There was journalist and human rights advocate Anna Politkovskaya, murdered in the elevator of her apartment building. Theres Navalny, whose cause of death is still unclear. And there are countless others. (The Kremlin has denied allegations of involvement in all). For US citizens, including those who also hold Russian nationality, the country has become increasingly dangerous to visit. Several US nationals have been jailed, including WNBA star Brittney Griner, freed in a trade for a notorious arms dealer; the ex-US Marine Paul Whelan, sentenced to 16 years on charges of espionage, which he strongly denies, and Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, detained almost a year ago in Yekaterinburg the same city where Karelina was arrested charged with espionage without Russian authorities revealing a shred of evidence. Putin is apparently interested in a trade of Gershkovich for Vadim Krasikov, a convicted murderer serving a sentence in Germany for killing an exiled Chechen-Georgian in 2019; what the German court called a state-ordered murder. In other words, an assassination ordered by the Kremlin. (The Kremlin denies it.) To state the obvious, Americans should stay away from Russia. But staying out of Russia is no guarantee of safety. According to rights organization Freedom House, Russia has become one of the worlds top perpetrators of transnational repression. While many of Putin critics seem to die in all manner of mysterious circumstances inside Russia, his critics and perceived critics also meet their end abroad. In late February, Spanish police found the body of Maxim Kuzminov near the city of Alicante. Kuzminov, a Russian defector, escaped into Ukraine in his military helicopter. He told reporters he opposed the war. Spanish intelligence told local media that they have no doubt that the Kremlin was behind his death. Officially, the government says it is waiting for the results of the investigation. Police say he was shot six times and then run over with a car, according to Spanish media. Russia says it has no knowledge of the case. But after Kuzminovs defection, the foreign intelligence chief called him a moral corpse. Freedom House says Russia conducts highly aggressive transnational repression activities abroad, relying heavily on assassination as a tool. The UK government concluded Russian agents killed exiled intelligence officer Alexander Litvinenko in London using radioactive polonium. In 2018, in Salisbury, England, two more Russian officers were charged with nearly killing dissident Sergei Skripal and his daughter using a nerve agent. The attacks, Freedom House notes, come against the backdrop of numerous unexplained deaths of high-profile Russians in exile. Often, the cases may not produce convictions, but Freedom House adds that the use of radioactive isotopes and nerve agents point clearly to the Kremlin, even as Moscow feigns ignorance. Whatever Russia is thinking with its arrest of an esthetician and semi-pro ballerina, its clear that Putins repressive regime is lowering the threshold for what it tolerates and raising the bar for how it will respond. A donation to a pro-Ukrainian charity now amounts to treason, punishable with 20 years in prison. Criticism of the war or of Putin can lead to death in a Russian prison camp. The Kremlin is making Russia a no-go country for foreign visitors, threatening its citizens abroad and, all the while, still pursuing its neo-imperialist war of conquest in Ukraine. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com I had exciting news for my students. I had found someone who could teach them to read. This was late in the aughts, when I had just begun working with adults who couldnt read. I had no materials, no guidance, no mentors just a slowly growing group of students who kept finding my GED-prep program and coming back night after night to wait patiently, wearily, for me to figure out how to teach them to read. Id quickly discovered this challenge was beyond my untrained, intuitive approach. But now I had a solution! An experienced reading tutor had offered to work with two students. The catch they would have to travel to her library in another part of the city. Get stories like these delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter One of these men, Nelson (student names have been changed to protect privacy), was a fierce guy in his early 30s. He had a shaved head, a gold earring, and a stony, unsmiling face. The other, Joseph, was in his 60s, tired and worn out from the stress of caring for his aging father and his sick grown daughter on the wages of a man with no reading skills. The two had become friends; I relished the thought of them working with this experienced tutor. I assumed theyd share my excitement, but they just stared blankly back at me. I jumped around trying to explain the qualifications of this tutor and what a lucky break this was. They didnt budge. Finally, I asked, Why arent you excited about this? Nelson glared furiously at me; Joseph finally offered, We cant get there unless someone takes us first. The deep impact of low literacy skills was first revealed to me in this moment. Unable to read directional signage, these able-bodied grown men couldnt even pursue a solution to their predicament. In my 15 years of working with adults who cant read Ive seen and heard countless examples of the limitations that low literacy skills impose on adults. But while educators across the country bemoan the reading crisis and call for the heads of Balanced Literacy icons, the discourse entirely avoids the adult education world. Those two-thirds of American 4th graders who cant read at grade level? They will soon be adults who cant read. The 95% of 8th-graders in Detroit who cant read proficiently? Same. And then what? It is long past time for the adult ed world to embrace the evidence and catch up to the Science of Reading. There are obstacles, of course. Adults are not only less cute than children; fewer education dollars are allotted to them, fewer teachers and schools are concerned with them, and absolutely nobody is making bank writing books to entice them to read. There is no Captain Underpants or Dr Seuss for adults reading at a 1st or 2nd grade level. Related Science of Reading Push Helped Some States Exceed Pre-Pandemic Performance Forty-eight million adult Americans read below the third grade level. Forbes Magazine reported in 2020 that the plague of low literacy skills could be costing the US $2.2 trillion annually in health care, social services, and lost wages. Worse, low literacy is handed down to children; the biggest indicator of a childs literacy fate lies in the mothers reading level. Economics aside, virtually everyone, on both sides of the aisle, wants adults to be able to read. Clearly this is an issue worthy of our attention; naturally we would expect that the reading wars, the push for evidence-backed methods, the revolution that has taken down the shibboleths of the last decades are impacting the world of adult ed, right? You tell me. Lets look. Imagine your spouse or parent or neighbor cant read. You know about the Science of Reading. You listened to Sold a Story. You believe that Whole Language is a discredited theory and that Balanced Literacy is not an effective way to teach reading. You set out to find services. You look at libraries, literacy centers, or maybe your local municipal website. You make the happy discovery that many of these sites offer basic literacy services for adults. But when you click on the links you discover the next layer: that phrases like adult literacy classes and adult basic literacy actually mean classes in computer-training, ESL, job certifications, or GED. Lovely and essential programs, but what about those 48 million who need to learn to read? Where are the structured phonics programs for adults? Some literacy centers are clear that they simply dont offer services for readers below the 4th grade level. Others arent so clear. In New York City, the Mayors Office website offers various Adult Basic Ed links for adults who want to learn to read, but when you click to learn more there are circular links and even broken links. A prominent adult literacy foundation names its core methodology for teaching reading as Whole Language, which is like a state-funded health clinic listing blood-letting as one of its services. Back in the aughts, under pressure from the students in my program who were so desperate to learn to read that they wouldnt leave, I began asking around: How do you teach reading to adults? The response from education directors, foundation presidents, teachers, and advocates was dismaying. Are they retarded? a director of adult education programs asked. They probably need to work harder, said one adult ed program manager. We let the students pick their own curriculum, the local director of a regional literacy program that serves hundreds of students told me. I was confused. Youre teaching higher level students, then? I said. They can read? No, they cant read, she said. But theyre adults so they get to choose what they want to work on. By then I was several years into learning how to teach reading, and as a literate college graduate I was still struggling to figure it out. But this program expected low-skilled readers to direct their own heros journey. Where are the materials? My early group of adult students was so desperate to learn to read that they tolerated my clumsy early efforts. I cringe to remember what I put them through. The childrens books, the random workbooks, the naive assumption that I could just show them how to sound out and that would do the trick. Heres what I know from years in these trenches: for most of these students learning to decode is extremely difficult. Adults who didnt learn to read are often the most dyslexic, had the least effective teaching, and are the most impacted by socio-economic factors. Some, if they are immigrants, never went to school at all, or they may have dropped out in second or third grade. Related Missouri is Trying to Overhaul Reading Instruction. KIPP Got There First If raised in the U.S., most either dropped out at the earliest moment or languished for years in special education classrooms. All of them now have adult lives, usually with jobs (or job searches), families, and health issues. They have adult brains, often weary, and rigidly attached to ineffective decoding strategies. The most popular strategies Short on decoding skills, most adults come up with strategies. First, they memorize as many words as they can by sight. Second, they use the context to make a guess. Third, they stare in frustration at the word and wait for it to pop into their head. Of course there are unique flourishes. One student would re-write the word repeatedly while sternly admonishing herself: Get it, girl. Come on, get it. Many will unleash a chaotic, seemingly panicked jumble of guesses. The one thing every single one of the adult basic literacy students Ive met shares is a complete lack of awareness of the reading code. Not one has come into my program with the understanding that sounds are more relevant than letter names or even that sounds are a thing. They are, as a group, a case study in the importance of direct instruction of phonemic awareness and phonics. As much or even more than any group they require the best teaching methods. Why then the almost total absence among adult ed programs of evidence-backed basic literacy programs? Why the attachment to Whole Language principles? Why the undying love for Paolo Freire, who gives us zero specific strategies for teaching reading to adults? Is it any wonder that basic literacy students are often considered impossible to retain for more than a few months and not really worth the trouble to run a program for? Look at what they are offered. Why stick around? I was lucky. Carried along by the persistence of that first group of students, I stumbled upon the concept of evidence-based methods for teaching reading to children. I got certified and brought the program back to my tutoring center. Through the years I kept tweaking the curriculum to better serve both adult students and volunteer tutors until I finally re-wrote the whole thing, making a simple, scripted structured phonics curriculum that volunteers can be trained to use and that follows the evidence to the best of my ability. Those two men I mentioned were in my program too early to reap the full benefits. They were subject to the low end of my expertise curve. But they did learn. Nelson, the younger man, told me hed never known there was anything to reading besides memorizing all the words. He learned slowly and painstakingly to tap and blend the sounds of simple words. He came in one day trying not to smile as he told us that his uncle had left him a note, and hed read it. Another time he told me hed gotten lost and started reading street signs. His ex-wife, on the phone with him trying to help, started shouting, You can read! He told me, Words jump out at me everywhere I go. He was a volatile young man, often disappearing for weeks on end and then shaking his head slyly when Id ask what hed been up to. One day he never returned. Joseph learned, too, also slowly. He later said that the entire first year of tutoring gave him an excruciating headache. It was worth it. From all of our students I hear the same thing: Why didnt they teach us this when we were young? If the numbers of children currently reading below grade level are correct, we are heading into an even worse adult literacy crisis than we have now. The rallying cry for effective instruction methods for children is loud and clear. But it is time to sound the bell for the refugees of the broken reading education system as well: all those children who didnt learn and are now adults, still not reading. Editors Note: Fareed Zakaria is the host of Fareed Zakaria GPS, airing at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. ET Sundays on CNN. Follow Fareed on X, and read news, analysis, and insights from Fareed and his team in the daily CNN newsletter Fareeds Global Briefing. The views expressed in this commentary are his own. Read more CNN Opinion. Airing at 8 p.m. ET on Sunday, Feb. 25 on CNN and CNNi, Fareed will explore the past, present and future of the hostile USIran relationship in a CNN special report, Why Iran Hates America. October 7 was a day that changed the world. A brutal surprise attack by Hamas in Israel was followed by a massive and deadly war of retaliation in Gaza. The US a major security player in the Middle East, with its own allies and enemies in the region now has a target on its back. An Iran-backed, Iraqi militia killed three US soldiers in a drone strike, carried out on a US base in Jordan at the end of January, leading the US to undertake a wave of reprisal strikes on Iran-backed forces across the region. Washington is also enmeshed in a conflict with Yemens Houthis, another Iranian ally that is defying US naval power by disrupting global shipping through a key transit point for cargo ships, the Red Sea. Fears of a larger Middle East war have only heightened, as a result. Iran, and particularly its hostile relationship with the US, is firmly at the center. Why is that? What has produced the tensions between Washington and Tehran that have now become so central to one of the worlds most potentially explosive conflicts? The story is more complicated than that, as I lay out in my CNN special report Why Iran Hates America, airing Sunday at 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. ET. But suffice it to say that Americas relationship with Iran has been hostile and confrontational for more than four decades. No matter what happens in the world the fall of communism, the rise and fall of jihadism somehow this relationship seems destined to stay the same. Why? And could it ever change? An American flag is set on fire during the annual rally commemorating Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution in Tehran on Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024. - Majid Saeedi/Getty Images The answer is complicated, but its major elements will be well known to many. In 1953, the US and Britain colluded to support the overthrow of Irans democratically elected prime minister and elevate the Shah, the son of Irans former strongman ruler. In 1979, the Islamic Revolution overthrew the Shah, who fled. The US admitted the Shah for cancer treatment, sparking ire among his many critics in Iran. Americans in the US embassy in Tehran were taken prisoner. In 1980, President Jimmy Carter ordered an operation to rescue them, which failed. The US would later support Iraq with critical intelligence in its long and violent war with Iran. Mutual enmity between Washington and Tehran would continue, entrenched. There are two ideas that often underpin American strategy that should be dispelled. The first is that the Iranian regime will collapse and suddenly morph into a pro-American ally as it was under the Shah. Its not that this is impossible. Repressive regimes are often more fragile than they seem. But premising a strategy on hope is not a sound path forward. In addition, its worth looking at Americas recent experiences with regime change in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya and beyond to recognize that even after the end of a bad regime, things do not always steadily improve. In fact, look at Washingtons relations with Moscow more than three decades after the Soviet system collapsed. It has not worked out as many had wished. The second idea or hope is that the US and the current government in Iran can be friends. The truth is that Iran is a very proud and nationalistic country, deeply imbued with a sense of its own historical grandeur. Recall that the empire that was a precursor to modern Iran was one of the few forces that held its own in battle with the Roman Empire. At different points, ancient Persians ruled over much of what is now the Arab world. With all the current dysfunction and poverty, Iran is the heir to one of the great civilizations of the world, which means pride and prickliness. In addition, the Islamic Revolution is anti-American in its DNA. The ayatollahs who run Iran have constructed an ideology that permeates the regime and that is as much about the importance of religion as it is about the importance of resisting America. They justify their repression by declaring that they must resist the libertine and decadent ways of the West. There are, of course, some strong ideas and emotions that underpin Americas hostility to Iran. Washington has viewed the fall of the Shahs Iran as a deep betrayal from which it has never really recovered. It has always found it hard to deal with nationalism and anti-modern, reactionary ideologies. But ruling out regime change or friendship is it possible to have a working relationship with Tehran? Not one that assumes victory or conversion or a happy marriage, but rather uneasy coexistence. That proposition has been attempted briefly but never consistently. President Ronald Reagan took some tentative steps in that direction, trading arms for hostages, but it exploded. After 9/11, Iran took some important steps to cooperate with the United States in Afghanistan in helping set up a new government. But once President George W. Bush branded them part of the axis of evil, those overtures collapsed. The most significant effort was made by US President Barack Obama and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, who both spoke of creating a new relationship. It was not friendship. As Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif pointed out to me, the Iran nuclear deal was premised not on trust but on mistrust. Each side carefully protected its interests in that document. But it did create the possibility of a working relationship, and Iran did adhere to that deal, moving further away from a nuclear weapons program than it had for decades. President Donald Trump blew up the deal and that opportunity. And in Iran, forces opposed to the deal and any kind of rapprochement with Washington gained power, sidelined Rouhani, and now rule with an even more brutal fist. Can Washington and Tehran find common cause again? It seems unlikely. That fork in the road lies far behind us. The path both countries are on is one they are both comfortable with despite the fact it is filled with tension and misunderstandings and could even lead to war. This article has been updated. An earlier version incorrectly described the order of events at the time of the Iranian revolution. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com